# HalloweenTime at DLR Superthread #4



## Sherry E

_ *Disneyland Resort's 2015 Halloween Time Dates Are:*_​
* Friday, September 11, 2015 -- Sunday, November 1, 2015



The 2015 dates for Mickey's Halloween Party are:

Friday, September 25th; Monday, September 28th; Wednesday, September 30th;

Friday, October 2nd; Monday, October 5th; Wednesday, October 7th;  Friday, October 9th; Monday, October 12th; Wednesday, October 14th; Friday, October 16th; Monday, October 19th; Thursday, October 22nd; Friday, October 23rd; Sunday, October 25th; Tuesday, October 27th; Thursday, October 29th; and Saturday, October 31st. 
​**​*



*2015 Halloween Time/Mickey's Halloween Party Announcement Blog:*

*"Mickey’s Halloween Party Expands to 17 Nights with Return of Halloween Time at the Disneyland Resort, September 11 – November 1" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on July 15th, 2015 by Erin Glover, Social Media Director, Disneyland Resort*





​






*WELCOME, WELCOME, WELCOME to the 
Halloween Time at DLR Info and Photo Superthread #4!!!*​


Please also see the previous Superthreads – Halloween Time at DLR Info and Photo Superthread, Part 3, Halloween Time at DLR Info and Photo Superthread, Part 2  and Halloween at DL (first Unofficial Halloween thread) for lots of fantastic photos and information on the spookiest time of year at Disneyland Resort!




*About the Superthread*

*I began the first Halloween Time at DLR Superthread in 2010, in response to the demand for details, photos and discussion about Disneyland Resort’s popular Halloween festivities.  My goal was to gather as much information about the season in one place as possible, making the Superthread a sort of “one-stop shop” for planners.  I am proud to say that it has been a valuable tool in helping a lot of our DISboards members map out their trips ever since – largely due to our helpful, knowledgeable contributors and participants.  

This Superthread is intended and designed to be informative, interactive and fun!  As you can see, the posts that follow on this page are dedicated to providing you with everything you need to know about Halloween Time at Disneyland Resort (and Halloween happenings at select nearby locations in Southern California).  In those posts I have included links to blogs, press releases, podcasts, videos, trip reports and other materials covering assorted Halloween season-related subjects, and I hope you will find them useful as you plan your visit.   I have also used my own personal photos as thumbnails of the subjects in some of the posts to add a bit of color and visual reference.

Beyond Page 1, you will find a lot of conversation about all facets of Halloween Time, along with photos.  The thread runs until it hits the page limit, which is Page 250.  If it takes 2 years to hit Page 250, the thread lasts 2 years and then I will start a new thread.  If it takes 6 months to reach 250, then the thread ends in 6 months and I will start a new one.  In other words, I do not create a new thread simply because it is a new year, which may be the common belief.  It all comes down to the number of pages and how quickly the thread is moving, and that is what dictates when a new Superthread begins.  

If a thread has not quite reached 250 pages yet but there is a new Halloween Time season upon us that will require a lot of discussion and photo-sharing, I will likely start a new thread early – just so that we don’t hit the page limit before a new season has begun, or halfway through it!*



*What We Discuss in the Superthread*

*We talk about any Halloween-specific, harvest-oriented or Autumn-inspired celebrations that fall close to or within Disneyland Resort's Halloween Time season; how DLR observes them; what the crowds are like; special offerings, etc.  Those celebrations may include:  Columbus Day (in terms of crowds over that holiday weekend), Oktoberfest, Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) and, of course, Halloween -- although, you may see an occasional bit of holiday season/Christmas talk trickling into this thread due to the fact that much of the holiday merchandise and some of the decorations will appear before October 31st.  There is even a rather fun "colliding holidays"/crossover period of time in which pumpkins still dot the Disneyland landscape while wreaths and garland slowly move in.  (But never fear -- I have a whole separate Superthread devoted to Disneyland during the Holiday Season/Christmas time, so it won't be forgotten or lost in the Halloween Time shuffle!)  

Sometimes it may take a while for any new details on the upcoming season to come in.  For example, currently we know very little (officially) about the 2015 season other than that it will begin in September and either end on October 31st or November 1st, but we have a general idea of how certain things might run based on previous years’ patterns.  

In this Superthread we answer questions; help people plan; and discuss facts, dates, rumors, speculation, possibilities and breaking news about Halloween Time at Disneyland Resort.  We will also track Mickey's Halloween Party as the nights sell out, and keep a running list of all of the Party reviews as they come into the thread.  As we wait for news to break, to pass the time we may occasionally venture into a bit of chatting about other (non-Disney) Halloween-related subjects, such as movies and TV specials; goodies; decorations, etc., to keep up the excitement and momentum.  I try not to let the thread stray too far from the main topic for too long, so if you see that we are talking about something that is not specifically associated with Disneyland Resort, it is only temporary and we will get back on track with Disneyland Halloween Time discussion very shortly!*



*You Don't Have to Read the Whole Thread!*

*The pace of this Superthread can vary, becoming extremely active at times and very quiet at others.  As more people join in and begin to post, the thread will get longer.  I know that a thread with many pages can be daunting or intimidating, and lurkers often shy away from participating in it because they believe they are required or expected to read every post on every page.  

That is not expected here.  My suggestion would be to first skim the posts on Page 1 of this thread to see if any of the categories/subjects interest you, or if any of the questions you have can be answered in the information provided.  Do not try to read everything in one sitting unless you have the time to spare – it is on Page 1, so it will be easy to access/locate again when it is more convenient for you!

Next, you might want to glance over the last couple of pages of the thread to see what we have been discussing recently.  You also have the option of using the Search feature for the thread to locate any mentions of topics of interest (i.e., “Happiest Haunts tour” or “treats” or “Mickey’s Halloween Party”).

Even if you don’t have time to peruse Page 1 or the last couple of pages in this Superthread, please feel free to jump in anyway and we will try to assist!  We have a friendly group of folks here – many of whom have a lot of combined years of experience in visiting Disneyland Resort in September and October – and we talk about Halloween Time all year long.  Whether you are planning your first-ever Halloween Time visit to Disneyland, or whether you have enjoyed Halloween Time at Disneyland in the past, we would love for you to join us and ask questions or share your experiences, respectively!*



*The Theme Week Countdown*

*In the summer – approximately late July or early August – I will kick off our 2nd Theme Week Countdown in this thread.  This is something I tried in 2012 as a way to showcase all of the aspects of the seasonal details at Disneyland Resort for both newcomers and repeat Halloween Time visitors alike, while counting down to the official start date of the new season in September.  The Theme Week Countdown – which is exclusive to this specific Halloween Time thread and to the Disneyland at Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread – highlights a different theme each week (for example, Haunted Mansion Holiday Week), and many of our DIS’ers contribute to the themes by sharing their beautiful photos over the course of one or two months.  Anyone is welcome to participate.  

Stay tuned to this thread for details on the 2015 Theme Week Countdown when we get a bit closer to July!*


*Sources of Information*

*Official sources of information (these are usually branches of the Walt Disney Company or family of companies) that you may see referenced on Page 1 and throughout the subsequent pages include, but are not limited to:  the Disneyland Resort website; Disney.com; Disneyland News; the Disney Parks Blog; D23; Disneyland Today; Disney Insider; Disney Destinations; Backstage Pass (a newsletter for Annual Passholders); the Walt Disney Travel Co.; Disney Vacation Club; ABC.com; and even the newsletter for Disney Visa Rewards members.

Unofficial sources that you may see referenced (which are not affiliated with Disney in any way) include, but are not limited to:  DISboards (The DIS);  DIS Unplugged;  wdwinfo.com; MousePlanet; MiceChat; MouseSavers; the Disney Food Blog; MouseWait; Mouse Info; Laughing Place; Stitch Kingdom, etc.

In many cases a lot of the information/details from past seasons is applicable every year, so it will be there for your reference on Page 1 and will not necessarily change.  Be aware that as each Halloween Time season ends, a few of the links to certain articles or websites I have listed on Page 1 will become inactive (for example, the link to Knott’s Scary Farm in the “Other Things to Do” post becomes active in September or October, then inactive again immediately after Halloween ends, then active again by the following Fall).  Most of the links on Page 1 of this Superthread will remain valid and intact all the time, but if you should encounter a link that is no longer “live” it probably just means that it was specific to the season/year that just ended, or it became invalid after I first posted it.   I try to keep the posts updated and cleared of any dead links when I can, but I can’t always do it as quickly or as often as I’d like!  (Real life sometimes gets in the way!) *


*Please feel free to jump in and join the conversation as we dissect all aspects of Halloween Time at the Disneyland Resort!  Let's start planning together!*









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## Sherry E

*Dates/Days/Events to Remember *

*for the 2015 Halloween Time Season*​


*September 2015*

_**Halloween merchandise begins to creep onto shelves in late July and early August.  Halloween decorations and window displays should begin to appear on Main Street in late August and early September.  Halloween treats and fall foods should begin to slowly appear by late August and early September.**_


*Monday, September 7th* -- Labor Day


*Friday, September 11th* -- Halloween Time at the Disneyland Resort begins!


*Friday, September 11th* – Haunted Mansion Holiday opens


*Friday, September 11th* – Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy opens


*Friday, September 11th* – Happiest Haunts Tour begins


*Sunday, September 13th* – Rosh Hashanah begins


*Tuesday, September 15th* – Rosh Hashanah ends


*Friday, September 18th * – Dapper Day Fall Soiree at Disneyland Resort


*Friday, September 18th and Saturday, September 19th* -- Dapper Day Fall Expo at the Disneyland Hotel (see more info -- Here)


*Saturday, September 19th * – Dapper Day Car Show at the Disneyland Hotel


*Wednesday, September 23rd* -- First day of Autumn!!!!


*Wednesday, September 23rd* – Yom Kippur


*Friday, September 25th* – _*Mickey’s Halloween Party begins (7 p.m. – 12 a.m.) -- SOLD OUT (as of Monday, August 24, 2015)!!!!*_

*
Friday, September 25th* –- Mystical Spirits of the Blue Bayou begins (this event only occurs on Mickey's Halloween Party nights).  More info -- HERE.


*Monday, September 28th* -- _*Mickey's Halloween Party (6 p.m. - 11 p.m.)*_ -- * DID NOT SELL OUT!!!!*


*Wednesday, September 30th* -- _*Mickey's Halloween Party (6 p.m. - 11 p.m.)*_  -- *SOLD OUT (as of Tuesday, September 29, 2015)!!!!*




*October 2015*


*Friday, October 2nd* -- _*Mickey's Halloween Party (7 p.m. - 12 a.m.)*_ -- *SOLD OUT (as of Saturday, September 12, 2015)!!!!*


*Friday, October 2nd - Sunday, October 4th* -- Gay Days (see more info -- Here)


*Monday, October 5th* -- _*Mickey's Halloween Party (6 p.m. - 11 p.m.)*_  -- *SOLD OUT (as of Wednesday, September 23, 2015)!!!!*


*Wednesday, October 7th* -- _*Mickey's Halloween Party (6 p.m. - 11 p.m.)*_ -- *SOLD OUT (as of Tuesday, September 22, 2015)!!!!*


*Friday, October 9th* -- _*Mickey's Halloween Party (7 p.m. - 12 a.m.)*_ -- *SOLD OUT (as of Thursday, September 10, 2015)!!!!*



*Sunday, October 11th* -- CHOC Walk (see more info -- Here)


*Monday, October 12th* -- Columbus Day


*Monday, October 12th* – _*Mickey’s Halloween Party (6 p.m. – 11 p.m.) -- SOLD OUT (as of Saturday, September 19, 2015)!!!!*_


*Monday, October 12th* – MahaloWeen at Trader Sam's Enchanted Tiki Bar at the Disneyland Hotel.  More info -- HERE.


*Tuesday, October 13th* – MahaloWeen at Trader Sam's Enchanted Tiki Bar at the Disneyland Hotel.  More info -- HERE.

*
Wednesday, October 14th* -- _*Mickey's Halloween Party (6 p.m. - 11 p.m.)*_ -- *SOLD OUT (as of Thursday, September 17, 2015)!!!!*


*Thursday, October 15th and Friday, October 16th* -- UEA Convention/Education Exposition (_This event takes place in Utah, but is often referred to as "Utah Escapes to Anaheim," because of the students who head to Disneyland Resort while the educators attend the Exposition.  You will find more info _-- Here)


*Friday, October 16th* -- _*Mickey's Halloween Party (7 p.m. - 12 a.m.)*_ -- *SOLD OUT (as of Tuesday, September 8, 2015)!!!!*


*Monday, October 19th* -- _*Mickey's Halloween Party (6 p.m. - 11 p.m.)*_ -- *SOLD OUT (as of Friday, September 18, 2015)!!!!*


*Thursday, October 22nd* -- _*Mickey's Halloween Party (6 p.m. - 11 p.m.)*_ -- *SOLD OUT (as of Saturday, September 26, 2015)!!!!*


*Friday, October 23rd* -- *Mickey's Halloween Party (7 p.m. - 12 a.m.)* -- *SOLD OUT (as of Friday, September 4, 2015)!!!!*

*
Saturday, October 24th* -- Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen's Haunted Gingerbread Workshop (12 p.m. - 2 p.m.).  More info - HERE.


*Sunday, October 25th* -- Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen's Haunted Gingerbread Workshop - D23 Gold Member Event (12 p.m. - 2 p.m.).   More info -- HERE.

*
Sunday, October 25th* -- Villain's Day: Stalk Around the Park (unofficial event/gathering taking place in Disneyland; more info - HERE)

*
Sunday, October 25th* -- _*Mickey's Halloween Party (6 p.m. - 11 p.m.)*_ -- *SOLD OUT (as of Monday, August 24, 2015)!!!!*


*Tuesday, October 27th* -- _*Mickey's Halloween Party (6 p.m. - 11 p.m.)*_  -- *SOLD OUT (as of Wednesday, September 30, 2015)!!!!*


*Thursday, October 29th* -- _*Mickey's Halloween Party (6 p.m. - 11 p.m.) -- SOLD OUT (as of Wednesday, September 30, 2015)!!!!*_

*Saturday, October 31st* -- _*Mickey's Halloween Party (7 p.m. - 12 a.m.)*_ -- *SOLD OUT (as of Saturday, August 8, 2015)!!!!*

*
Saturday, October 31st* -- Halloween!!!!!!!


***There may or may not be an Oktoberfest event in California Adventure or in Downtown Disney in 2015.  If so, information will be revealed closer to October***


***Waiting on info and dates for Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen’s "The Password is Murder" Interactive Murder Mystery Show.  At this time, it is unclear if this 2014 event is returning in 2015.***



*November 2015*


*Sunday, November 1st* – Last day of Halloween Time!!


*Sunday, November 1st – Monday, November 2nd* – Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead)



***Waiting on details of Tortilla Jo’s (Downtown Disney) Dia de los Muertos celebration.***



​



*2014 Halloween Time Season Dates*
*(for reference and comparison only)*​


*September 2014*

_****DIS'er figment _jii tracked when and how quickly the Mickey's Halloween Party nights sold out in 2014!* *See that post --* *HERE*._


Monday, September 1st -- Labor Day

Friday, September 12th -- Halloween Time at the Disneyland Resort begins!

Friday, September 12th -- Haunted Mansion Holiday officially opens

Friday, September 12th -- Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy officially opens

Friday, September 12th and Saturday, September 13th -- Dapper Day Fall Soiree and Expo (see more info -- Here)

Tuesday, September 23rd -- First day of Autumn!!!!

Thursday, September 25th -- Rosh Hashanah

Friday, September 26th-- Mickey's Halloween Party begins (7 p.m. - 12 a.m.) -- *SOLD OUT  (as of Thursday, August 28, 2014)!!*

Tuesday, September 30th -- Mickey's Halloween Party (6 p.m. - 11 p.m.) – *DID NOT SELL OUT!!*



*October 2014*

Friday, October 3rd -- Mickey's Halloween Party (7 p.m. - 12 a.m.) -- *SOLD OUT  (as of Friday, August 22, 2014)!!*

Friday, October 3rd - Sunday, October 5th -- Gay Days (see more info -- Here)

Saturday, October 4th -- Yom Kippur

Monday, October 6th -- Mickey's Halloween Party (6 p.m. - 11 p.m.) -- *SOLD OUT (as of Tuesday, September 30, 2014)!!*

Wednesday, October 8th -- Mickey's Halloween Party (6 p.m. - 11 p.m.) -- *SOLD OUT  (as of Monday, September 29, 2014)!!*

Friday, October 10th -- Mickey's Halloween Party (7 p.m. - 12 a.m.) -- *SOLD OUT  (as of Thursday, September 18, 2014)!!*

Sunday, October 12th -- CHOC Walk (see more info -- Here)

Monday, October 13th -- Columbus Day

Tuesday, October 14th -- Mickey's Halloween Party (6 p.m. - 11 p.m.) -- *SOLD OUT  (as of Friday, September 26, 2014)!!*

Thursday, October 16th and Friday, October 17th -- UEA Convention/Education Exposition (_This event takes place in Utah, but is often referred to as "Utah Escapes to Anaheim_.")

Friday, October 17th -- Mickey's Halloween Party (7 p.m. - 12 a.m.)_ -- *SOLD OUT (as of Monday, September 22, 2014)!!*
_
Monday, October 20th -- Mickey's Halloween Party (6 p.m. - 11 p.m.)_ -- *SOLD OUT (as of Tuesday, September 30, 2014)!!*
_
Wednesday, October 22nd -- Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen's "The Password is Murder" Interactive Murder Mystery Show (6 p.m.).

Wednesday, October 22nd -- Mickey's Halloween Party (6 p.m. - 11 p.m.)_ -- *SOLD OUT (as of Friday, October 3, 2014)!!*_

Friday, October 24th -- Mickey's Halloween Party (7 p.m. - 12 a.m.)_ -- *SOLD OUT (as of Monday, September 22, 2014)!!*
_
Saturday, October 25th -- Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen's Gingerbread Haunted House Building Workshop (12 pm - 2 pm).

Sunday, October 26th -- Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen's Gingerbread Haunted House Building Workshop (12 pm - 2 pm)

Monday, October 27th -- Mickey's Halloween Party (6 p.m. - 11 p.m.)_ -- *SOLD OUT (as of Friday, October 3, 2014)!!*_

Wednesday, October 29th -- Mickey's Halloween Party (6 p.m. - 11 p.m.)_ -- *SOLD OUT (as of Wednesday, October 8, 2014)!!*
_
Friday, October 31st -- Mickey's Halloween Party (7 p.m. - 12 a.m.) _-- *SOLD OUT (as of Thursday, September 11, 2014)!!*
_
Friday, October 31st -- Halloween!!!!!!!

Friday, October 31st -- Last Day of Halloween Time
_

_
_





*Historical Halloween Time Season Start and End Dates (from 2006 to 2015)*_​


Friday, September 29 – Tuesday, October 31, 2006

Friday, September 21 – Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Friday, September 26 – Sunday, November 2, 2008

Friday, September 25 – Sunday, November 1, 2009

Friday, September 17 – Sunday, October 31, 2010

Friday, September 16 – Monday, October 31, 2011

Friday, September 14 – Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Friday, September 13 – Thursday, October 31, 2013

Friday, September 12 - Friday, October 31, 2014

Friday, September 11 – Sunday, November 1, 2015
_

*Historical Start Dates of Mickey's Halloween Party (formerly Mickey's Trick-or-Treat Party and Mickey's Halloween Treat), from 1995 to 2015!*_​

*(Mickey's Halloween Treat start dates -- Disneyland)*

Tuesday, October 24, 1995 (4 party nights)

Thursday, October 24, 1996 (5 party nights)


*(Mickey's Halloween Treat start dates - California Adventure)*

Friday, October 21, 2005 (6 party nights)

Friday, October 13, 2006 (9 party nights)

Friday, October 5, 2007 (10 party nights)


*(Mickey's Trick-or-Treat Party start dates -- California Adventure)*

Friday, October 3, 2008 (11 party nights)

Friday, October 2, 2009 (12 party nights)


*(Mickey's Halloween Party start dates - Disneyland)*

Friday, October 1, 2010 (10 party nights)

Friday, September 30, 2011 (10 party nights)

Friday, September 28, 2012 (11 party nights)

Friday, September 27, 2013 (13 party nights)

Friday, September 26, 2014 (14 party nights)

Friday, September 25, 2015 (17 party nights)










*Check-In/Meet Threads for 2015*​
_
(Check in with your fellow DIS'ers to see who else will be at DLR on which dates, and where they're staying.  Plan meet-ups and get-togethers!)_

September 2015 - Checkin Thread (started by kpms)

October 2015 Check-In Thread (started by Canadian Harmony)




_


_​


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## Sherry E

*Mickey's Halloween Party!!!*

_*(formerly known as Mickey's Trick or Treat Party and Mickey's Halloween Treat!)*_









*The announcement of the 2015 party dates can be found Here!!*








*Frequently Asked Questions About Mickey's Halloween Party*​
_**A big THANK YOU to *figment_jii*, for the collaboration and help in assembling/typing up the FAQs!**_

_**See *THIS POST* for links to blogs, articles, press releases, videos and additional info about Mickey's Halloween Party!**_

_**See *THIS POST* for Reviews/Recaps/Reports of Mickey's Halloween Party 2013 and 2014**_



_*(Disclaimer:  Much of the information below is based on what happened at the parties of 2014, 2013 and prior, but it is always possible that things could be different in 2015 or in any subsequent year.  I will do my best to keep it updated as events and details change!)*_


*1.* *What is “Mickey’s Halloween Party,” and is it different from “Halloween Time”? *

“Mickey’s Halloween Party” (also known as “MHP” or “the MHP”) is the current incarnation of what was previously known as “Mickey’s Halloween Treat” (held in California Adventure from 2005 – 2007) and “Mickey’s Trick-or-Treat Party” (held in California Adventure from 2008 -- 2009).  It is a hard ticket event (not included in the price of the regular admission) that takes place on a limited number of nights in late September and throughout October, to which guests are invited (but not required) to wear costumes and trick-or-treat for candy around the park.

“Mickey’s Halloween Treat” made its original debut at Disneyland in the mid-‘90s, then was promptly shelved for nine years (until 2005), as the massive expansion that paved the way for Downtown Disney, California Adventure and the Grand Californian Hotel kicked into high gear.

Since 2010, the popular Mickey’s Halloween Party (MHP) has been held in Disneyland park, allowing for the amazing Halloween Screams fireworks to become a party exclusive, and a Cavalcade to march down Main Street.

“Halloween Time” is the name of Disneyland Resort’s official Halloween “season,” which commences in mid-September and extends through Halloween (or very early November, in rare cases).  The Halloween season at DLR was given the “Halloween Time” label in 2006 -- though the Halloween party actually began anew in 2005, as mentioned above, and highlights such as Haunted Mansion Holiday have been holding strong since 2001.

Mickey’s Halloween Party and “Halloween Time” are connected, but are not quite the same.   Mickey’s Halloween Party is one element of Halloween Time, but Halloween Time can be enjoyed without attending the MHP.  That is to say, you can experience the other parts of Halloween Time without buying a ticket to Mickey’s Halloween Party.

To put it simply, and to use a different party as an example:  Mickey’s Halloween Party is to Halloween Time at Disneyland Resort what Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party is to the holiday season at Walt Disney World.  It is just one piece of a much larger puzzle, though certain aspects of Halloween Time can be accessed at the party, of course!

*This year (2015), Halloween Time begins on Friday, September 11th, and ends on Sunday, November 1st.*


*2.  How is Mickey’s Halloween Party different from Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party at the Magic Kingdom/Walt Disney World?*

Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom (MK) park has its own Halloween party called Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party (MNSSHP).   MNSSHP runs from very early September through Halloween (or even early November in some years), with tickets generally going on sale in early May (tickets for the 2014 dates are already on sale).  Traditionally, MNSSHP takes place at the MK over many more nights than Mickey’s Halloween Party takes place in Disneyland.  MNSSHP’s format and content are similar in some ways to MHP, but are also very different in other ways.

General comparisons of the two parties can be found *Here, courtesy of DIS’er figment_jii*, and *Here, courtesy of The DIS' Craig Williams*!


*3.  What is included in the MHP? *

Mickey’s Halloween Party includes trick-or-treating, dance parties, special character meet and greets, special entertainment and decorations, a Cavalcade/mini-parade, and an exclusive fireworks show.

Trick-or-treat trails are scattered throughout the park.  Each treat trail has multiple treat stations, where Cast Members hand out candy (or non-candy options) to guests.   Guests of all ages are welcome to go trick-or-treating.  At the start of the party, the lines can be very long, but they generally move fairly fast.  Later in the party, the lines are shorter.

There are several dance parties where guests can interact with a variety of characters.  In past years, there have been dance parties located in Tomorrowland and at Rancho del Zocalo.

There are unique character meet and greet locations throughout the park.  Most of the characters have PhotoPass photographers with them, to capture those special spooky moments!   See Question #14 for more information about the characters.

In 2013 and 2014, the Cadaver Dans (a ghoulish version of the Dapper Dans) performed on the Rivers of America, which is blanketed in an eerie fog for the party.

There are other MHP-specific decorations (such as Ghost Mickeys and Pumpkin Mickey balloons) that are inflated or installed for the party.  Although it is not an exact science, the Ghost Mickeys are supposed to mark the start of each treat trail.   Similarly, smaller (somewhat ear-less) Mickey balloon/lanterns mark each treat station along the trail!

Mickey’s Costume Party Cavalcade runs twice per MHP.  In 2013 and 2014, the Cavalcade began at roughly 8:30 pm and 10:30 pm.  The first parade travels from Small World to Main Street.  The second parade travels from Main Street back to Small World. * **New in 2014 -- Elsa, Anna and Olaf from Frozen appeared in a special pre-parade (the same one that can be enjoyed before Mickey's Soundsational parade at Disneyland ) prior to “Mickey’s Costume Party” cavalcade!***

*NOTE:  In 2015, Mickey's Costume Party Cavalcade will not be included in Mickey's Halloween Party.  Instead, the special Paint the Night parade (part of the Diamond Anniversary entertainment) will be included in MHP.*

“Halloween Screams – A Villainous Surprise in the Skies” (or “Halloween Screams”) is a special MHP fireworks show.  On MHP nights, it takes the place of Remember…Dreams Come True.   Halloween Screams is a Halloween-focused fireworks show hosted by “Master of Scaremonies,” Jack Skellington.   To enjoy the full show, it is recommended that guests position themselves to see the left side of Sleeping Beauty Castle (when facing the Castle).  A “sphere” (a sort of crystal ball-type of illusion) rises to the left of the main turret and images are projected onto it.

In 2013 and 2014, Halloween Screams was presented at roughly 9:30 pm.

_*NEW IN 2015!!!   "Mystical Spirits of the Blue Bayou" is a new premium dining experience debuting in 2015, only available to guests of Mickey's Halloween Party.  The event involves a meal at the Blue Bayou, the appearance of at least one character (Dr. Facilier) and themed entertainment, as well as priority viewing for Halloween Screams.   The cost is $150 (not including Mickey's Halloween Party tickets, which are required for this event).  More info can be found - HERE and HERE.  Since this event is new, there is no additional information on it yet.  When reviews begin coming in the details of the event will be more clear.*_


*4.  What is the typical start date for the MHP? *

*This year (2015), Mickey's Halloween Party will begin on Friday, September 25th.*

For the last several years, the first MHP has taken place about two weeks after the official start date of Halloween Time at DLR.  It is usually either the last Friday in September or the first Friday in October, depending on the calendar.  Listed below are the start dates of Halloween Time (left column) and the dates of the first party (right column) for the last few years (since the Halloween Party moved out of California Adventure and into Disneyland):


September 17, 2010 (Fri) => October 1, 2010 (Fri)
September 16, 2011 (Fri) => September 30, 2011 (Fri)
September 14, 2012 (Fri) => September 28, 2012 (Fri)
September 13, 2013 (Fri) => September 27, 2013 (Fri)
September 12, 2014 (Fri) => September 26, 2014 (Fri)
September 11, 2015 (Fri) => September 25, 2015 (Fri)

*5.  What are the other party dates, and how many parties are there? *

The dates for the 2015 Halloween Parties have been announced!! -- *Here*.

In 2015, there will be 17 MHP nights in total (up from 14 MHP nights in 2014):

Friday, September 25 *-- SOLD OUT AS OF MONDAY, AUGUST 24, 2015!!!!*
Monday, September 28 -- _*DID NOT SELL OUT!!!!*_
Wednesday, September 30 -- _*SOLD OUT AS OF TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2015!!!!*_
Friday, October 2 -- _*SOLD OUT AS OF SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2015!!!!*_
Monday, October 5 -- _*SOLD OUT AS OF WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2015!!!!*_
Wednesday, October 7 -- _*SOLD OUT AS OF TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2015!!!!*_
Friday, October 9 -- _*SOLD OUT AS OF THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2015!!!!*_
Monday, October 12 -- _*SOLD OUT AS OF SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2015!!!!*_
Wednesday, October 14 -- _*SOLD OUT AS OF THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2015!!!!*_
Friday, October 16 -- _*SOLD OUT AS OF TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2015!!!!*_
Monday, October 19  -- _*SOLD OUT AS OF FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2015!!!!*_
Thursday, October 22 -- _*SOLD OUT AS OF SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2015!!!!*_
Friday, October 23 -- _*SOLD OUT AS OF FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2015!!!!*_
Sunday, October 25 *-- SOLD OUT AS OF MONDAY, AUGUST 24, 2015!!!!*
Tuesday, October 27 -- _*SOLD OUT AS OF WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2015!!!!*_
Thursday, October 29 -- _*SOLD OUT AS OF WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2015!!!!*_
Saturday, October 31 -- _*SOLD OUT AS OF SATURDAY, AUGUST 8, 2015!!!!*_


Historically, MHP has been held on Tuesdays and Fridays, with an occasional Monday and/or Wednesday night party thrown in, or substituted in place of a Tuesday party.  The final party of the season is always on Halloween night.  This year, 2015, there is a rare Columbus Day MHP, as well as a party on a Saturday and Sunday night in October.

In 2014 there were 14 party nights.  2013 there were 13 party nights from late September until Halloween, when in years prior there had been 11 nights or 10 nights.


*6.  When do the tickets go on sale, and when are the MHP dates announced?*

This year (2015) the Halloween Party dates were announced on Wednesday, July 15, 2015, via the Disney Parks Blog -- *Here*.  In 2014, the MHP dates and Halloween Time season dates were announced on Wednesday, July 2nd.

*The tickets for the 2015 parties went on sale to Annual Passholders, Disney Rewards Visa card holders and Disney Vacation Club members on Wednesday, July 22, 2015.

The tickets for the general public went on sale on Wednesday, July 29, 2015.  *

The tickets, as a rule, tend to go on sale sometime in mid-July.  In 2013, event dates were announced on July 1, 2013 on the Disney Parks Blog.  In any given year it is always possible – though not likely – that the dates could be announced as early as late May, or they could quietly appear in the Annual Pass section of the Disneyland Resort website (which has happened in the past) without an immediate accompanying Blog or press release.

In 2013, tickets went on sale to Disneyland Resort Annual Passholders (or “AP holders”), Disney Rewards Visa card holders, and Disney Vacation Club (“DVC”) members on July 8th.  Tickets went on sale to the general public on July 15, 2013.  In 2014, tickets went on sale on July 16th and July 30th, respectively.


*7.  Where and how can I get MHP tickets?*

Tickets can be purchased over the phone at 714-781-4400, on the Disneyland Resort website, or in person at the DLR ticket booths.

Annual Pass holders will be provided with a link (through the DLR website) to order their discounted tickets in advance.

Disney Rewards Visa card holders and Disney Vacation Club members may need to call 714-781-4400 to have their discounts applied to the advance purchase of tickets.  As of 2013, there was no way for Disney Visa holders and DVC members to obtain their discounts via online order.


*8. What is the cost of Mickey’s Halloween Party tickets?*

*The prices for the 2015 Mickey's Halloween Party are as follows (from the Disneyland Resort website):*

*Fri., 9/25/15* -- *$69* (Annual Pass/Disney Vacation Club/Disney Rewards Visa Advance Price);  *$69* (General Public Advance Price);   and *$77* (Price on Event Date)*-- SOLD OUT (as of Monday, August 24, 2015)!!!!*

*Mon., 9/28/15 *--* $63 *(AP/DVC/DRV Advance Price); *$69* (General Public Advance Price); and *$77* (Price on Event Date) *-- DID NOT SELL OUT!!!!*

*Wed., 9/30/15* -- *$63 *(AP/DVC/DRV Advance Price); *$69* (General Public Advance Price); and *$77* (Price on Event Date) *-- SOLD OUT (as of Tuesday, September 29, 2015)!!!!*

*Fri., 10/2/15* -- *$77* (AP/DVC/DRV Advance Price);  *$77* (General Public Advance Price);  and *$77* (Price on Event Date) *-- SOLD OUT (as of Saturday, September 12, 2015)!!!!*

*Mon., 10/5/15* -- *$63 *(AP/DVC/DRV Advance Price); *$69* (General Public Advance Price); and *$77* (Price on Event Date) *-- SOLD OUT (as of Wednesday, September 23, 2015)!!!!*

*Wed., 10/7/15* -- *$63 *(AP/DVC/DRV Advance Price); *$69* (General Public Advance Price); and *$77* (Price on Event Date) *-- SOLD OUT (as of Tuesday, September 22, 2015)!!!!*

*Fri., 10/9/15* -- *$77* (AP/DVC/DRV Advance Price);  *$77* (General Public Advance Price);  and *$77* (Price on Event Date) *-- SOLD OUT (as of Thursday, September 10, 2015)!!!!*

*Mon., 10/12/15* -- *$63 *(AP/DVC/DRV Advance Price); *$69* (General Public Advance Price); and *$77* (Price on Event Date) _*-- *__*SOLD OUT (as of Saturday, September 19, 2015)*__*!!!!*_

*Wed., 10/14/15* -- *$63 *(AP/DVC/DRV Advance Price); *$69* (General Public Advance Price); and *$77* (Price on Event Date) *-- SOLD OUT (as of Thursday, September 17, 2015)!!!!*

*Fri., 10/16/15* -- *$77* (AP/DVC/DRV Advance Price);  *$77* (General Public Advance Price);  and *$77* (Price on Event Date) *-- SOLD OUT (as of Tuesday, September 8, 2015)!!!!*

*Mon., 10/19/15* -- *$63 *(AP/DVC/DRV Advance Price);* $69 *(General Public Advance Price);  and *$77 *(Price on Event Date) *-- SOLD OUT (as of Friday, September 18, 2015)!!!!*

*Thurs., 10/22/15* -- *$77* (AP/DVC/DRV Advance Price);  *$77* (General Public Advance Price);  and *$77* (Price on Event Date) *-- SOLD OUT (as of Saturday, September 26, 2015)!!!!*

*Fri., 10/23/15* -- *$77* (AP/DVC/DRV Advance Price);  *$77* (General Public Advance Price);  and *$77* (Price on Event Date) *-- SOLD OUT (as of Friday, September 4, 2015)!!!!*

*Sun., 10/25/15* --*$63 *(AP/DVC/DRV Advance Price);* $69 *(General Public Advance Price);  and *$77 *(Price on Event Date) *-- SOLD OUT (as of Monday, August 24, 2015)!!!!*

*Tues., 10/27/15* -- *$77* (AP/DVC/DRV Advance Price);  *$77* (General Public Advance Price);  and *$77* (Price on Event Date) _*-- *__*SOLD OUT (as of Wednesday, September 30, 2015)*__*!!!!*_

*Thurs., 10/29/15* -- *$84* (AP/DVC/DRV Advance Price);  *$84* (General Public Advance Price);  and *$84* (Price on Event Date) _*-- *__*SOLD OUT (as of Wednesday, September 30, 2015)*__*!!!!*_

*Sat., 10/31/15* -- *$84* (AP/DVC/DRV Advance Price);  *$84* (General Public Advance Price);  and *$84* (Price on Event Date) -- _*SOLD OUT (as of Saturday, August 8, 2015)!!!!*_



Ticket prices generally vary depending on the party date, with Halloween and the parties close to it having a higher price tag.  In 2013, ticket prices ranged from $67 to $74 (if purchased on the day of the event).  General Advance Purchase prices ranged from $59 to $74.  Annual Pass holders, Disney Rewards Visa Card holders, and DVC members were able to purchase tickets in advance, and the prices ranged from $51 to $74.

In general, there are no discounts available for the parties closest to Halloween (including Halloween night).

See this post from the previous Halloween Time at DLR Superthread for a breakdown of the ticket prices for each party night in 2013.


*9.  Are there discounts for AP holders, Visa card holders and DVC members?*

Yes, there are generally discounts for AP holders, Disney Rewards Visa card holders, and DVC members on advance purchase tickets for select nights.  There is generally no discount for the parties closest to Halloween, including Halloween night, and there are no discounts if MHP tickets are purchased on the day of the event (“Day of Event”).

Disney Rewards Visa customers will have to purchase the MHP tickets with their Disney Visa card, and will not be able to utilize the Disney Visa discount if they apply another method of payment.

AP holders, Disney Rewards Visa card holders and DVC members are usually allowed to purchase up to eight (8) discounted tickets.

See Questions #6, #7 and #8 for further information.


*10.  Is parking included in the MHP ticket?*

Yes.  The MHP ticket includes parking at the Mickey & Friends structure, Toy Story lot, or Pumbaa lot (if open).

From the 2014 MHP ticket: “Includes parking at any Disneyland Resort pay on entry parking lot location.”


*11.  Do the parties completely sell out, or can I get tickets at the Disneyland Resort ticket booths if I decide to go at the last minute?   How quickly do the tickets sell out?*

In 2013, all but one of the 13 parties sold out, with the last sellout taking place in mid-October.   The only party left with available tickets was the one on Wednesday, October 30, 2013.

Signs were posted outside the gates to Disneyland, indicating that the parties were sold out and tickets were not available for purchase.   However, there have been certain instances in which people have been able to obtain last-minute tickets at the booths on the day of the event, though it is not advised to wait until the last minute, if it can be helped.

In this thread from September/October 2013, DIS’er *Geemo* kept track of how quickly the parties sold out -- "Is Your MHP SOLD OUT yet?"

In 2014, all but the second party of the season sold out. *DIS'er figment_jii kept track of the MHP nights/dates that sold out in 2014, and when they sold out.*  That can be found -- *HERE*.

You will find that the tickets do not sell out immediately after going on sale – it takes a while -- but the sales seem to kick into high gear starting in September, and into October.  There have been occasions in the past in which many of the parties sold out within a 2- or 3-week time frame, in rapid succession.

It has been reported by a couple of DIS'ers -- including *Diszona* and *mvf-m11c* -- that even after the Disneyland Resort website indicates that a Halloween Party night has sold out online, there may still be a very limited number of tickets available over the phone.  If you see a "Sold Out" next to a particular MHP night on the DLR website, try calling 714-781-4400 to ask if they have any tickets available for purchase that way.

Guests of the onsite hotels (Grand Californian Hotel, Disneyland Hotel, and Paradise Pier Hotel) reported being able to purchase “Day of Event” tickets on the morning of the events (but not in advance), at the front desk or at the concierge/guest services desks of their hotels (even if the party was noted as sold out online or at the ticket booths).  The number of last-minute tickets released to Disneyland Resort hotel guests for each party is said to be very limited, and they are not guaranteed to be available.


*12.  Are the MHP crowds low, and are the lines for rides short?*

Crowd reports are largely subjective, and opinions have been mixed.   What one guest finds to be very crowded may not seem crowded at all to another guest.

Disneyland does not announce how many tickets are sold to each MHP party (though there has been speculation on the numbers), but most of the nights sell out.  In general, Disneyland is fairly “busy” during MHP, but the crowd level seems manageable.

The more popular rides (such as Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy and Haunted Mansion Holiday) will generally not be walk-ons and some guests may experience fairly lengthy waits, but at other times – for less popular rides -- the lines can be significantly shorter (or non-existent) than they are during regular park hours.


*13.  Are all of the rides operating during MHP?*

Most of the rides are operating during MHP, but some do close at the start of the party.  In 2014 the following rides and attractions were not operating during MHP:


Main Street Vehicles
Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln
Enchanted Tiki Room
Pirate’s Lair/Tom Sawyer’s Island
Anything on the Rivers of America (i.e., Mark Twain, Columbia, Canoes)
Sleeping Beauty Castle Walkthrough
Tarzan's Treehouse
Halloween Carnival at Big Thunder Ranch
Toontown (e.g., Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin, Gadget’s Go Coaster, etc.) -- _The Toontown rides were not operating during the actual MHP, but Car Toon Spin was open during the Toontown Pre-Party (see Question #22 for more info)_
Innoventions (the building is used for a treat trail and non-Marvel character meet & greet)
Pixie Hollow (the path is used for a treat trail)
Main Street Cinema (used for a treat trail)


*14.  Which characters will I meet/see, and where can I find them?*

This can and does vary from year to year, so until the MHP Guide Map is released, no one knows for sure who will appear (and where).  In 2014 some characters were exclusive to the party, while others were also available during the day, during regular Halloween Time hours.  Most of the characters have PhotoPass photographers with them.

These were the characters listed on the 2014 MHP Guide Map, along with the characters that guests reported seeing at MHP:


*Phineas & Ferb* (Tomorrowland near Innoventions) – Guests also reported seeing Agent P when Phineas & Ferb took their breaks.

*Friends from Aladdin* (Aladdin’s Oasis, Adventureland) – Guests reported seeing Aladdin, Jasmine and the Genie.

*Jack Skellington & Sally* (French Market) – Guests reported that seeing Jack was more common than seeing Sally, or Jack & Sally together.  These two characters are generally available during normal Halloween Time and holiday season park hours as well.

*Winnie the Pooh & Friends* (Critter Country) – Guests reported seeing Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Rabbit, and Eeyore.

*Disney Pirate Pals* (Frontierland Dock) – Guests reported seeing Peter Pan, Wendy, Captain Hook, and/or Captain Jack Sparrow.  Guests also reported seeing Goofy, Pluto, Chip & Dale and Donald in pirate costumes over at Rancho Zocalo.

*Toy Story Pals* (Big Thunder Ranch Area) – Guests reported seeing Jessie or Woody.  These characters are generally available during normal park hours as well.

*Mickey & Minnie* (Big Thunder Ranch Area) - These two characters are generally available during normal park hours as well, as part of the Halloween Carnival.

*Disney Villains* (Town Square, Main Street) – Guests reported seeing Maleficent, the Evil Queen, Hades, Jafar, Cruella and/or Dr. Facilier in groups of three (two “face” characters and one “head” character).  Maleficent and Evil Queen were one set of “face” characters and Cruella and Dr. Facilier were the other set.  Jafar and Hades switched out (but not at the same time as the “face” characters).  Lady Tremaine and the Stepsisters were also out and about, but they, like Judge Frollo, did not have a formal meet and greet area.

*Disney Princesses* (Fantasy Faire) – Guests reported seeing Cinderella, Pocahontas, and Rapunzel or Belle, Snow White, and Tiana.

*Star Wars  Stormtroopers* (Tomorrowland) – Guests also reported seeing Darth Vader.


_The Pixie Hollow (Tinker Bell and Friends) meet and greet area has been used as a treat trail for the last couple of years, so Tinker Bell and her friends were not available during MHP_.


*15.  Can guests of all ages wear costumes? What are the rules?  Do most guests dress up?*

Guests of all ages are welcome to wear costumes during MHP hours.  These are Disney’s general costume guidelines for the MHP:


Costumes should be child-friendly and may not be obstructive, offensive or violent.
Guests may wear masks.  However, masks must not obstruct vision, and eyes must be visible at all times.
Costumes should not contain sharp objects, pointed objects or material that may accidentally strike another Guest.
Guests that dress like Disney Characters may not pose for pictures or sign autographs for other Guests.
Costumes should not drag on the ground.
Costumes should not contain items which resemble or could easily be mistaken for an actual weapon.
Guests of all ages may only wear costumes to the Mickey's Halloween Party event to which they have valid tickets.  During normal park operating hours, costumes are only permitted for Guests ages 9 and younger.
Guests who do not adhere to these guidelines may be refused entry into the event unless their costumes can be modified to meet the above standards.  Information subject to change without notice.

There is good mixture of guests both in costume and in regular street clothes; enough so that neither group will feel out of place or left out.   You can certainly enjoy the party if you choose to not wear a costume.  Some folks elect to simply complement their daywear with a festive Halloween-themed hat or shirt.   You will see a fair number of Disney character costumes, but there will also be non-Disney character costumes.  You will _not_ see very many guests dressed in “adult”-oriented costumes.

Part of the fun of attending Mickey’s Halloween Party is to witness the array of creative costumes displayed by your fellow guests.  As long as the costumes fit within Disney’s guidelines and are not inappropriate, let your imagination run wild!  If you have ever had the desire to dress up as a giant banana, an enormous Crayola crayon or an oversized rooster, this is your time to shine!


*16.  Will I need a jacket?  Is it cold?*

Southern California’s autumn weather is quite variable (and somewhat unpredictable).   It can literally be hot and dry one week, and/or windy (conditions which often contribute to the infamous California wildfires), and then cool and drizzly a couple of weeks later.

The last decade has been particularly surprising and perplexing.  The heat can be very, very harsh at times (for example, the first week of October in 2008 and Halloween Time’s opening week of September 2010), and rain can be heavy and messy, as it was in September of 2007, during the starting weekend of Halloween Time.   Or, the skies could merely be overcast, with temperatures hovering at a nice 75-ish degree point, as was the case for the opening day of Halloween Time in 2011.

_(I, Sherry E, am a lifelong Southern California resident and have experienced many different weather scenarios in early and late fall!)  _

According to weather.com, average October air temperatures range from 58F to 82F.  Average October precipitation is about 0.7 inches.  Overall, October should have “nice” weather, but it is possible that temperatures could be quite a bit colder or warmer on any given day.

Famous DIS’er *HydroGuy* (a former SoCal resident) has a thread on this forum with Detailed Weather Data for DLR, which primarily focuses on average temperatures as well, and may be of help.

In general, it is a good idea to have a lightweight jacket or sweatshirt available for potentially chilly MHP evenings, but you might not need it.


*17.  What kind of candy is given out to trick-or-treaters?  Are there healthier, non-candy alternatives?*

There is a wide variety of items given out to trick-or-treaters and it can vary from party-to-party and from treat station-to-treat station.  In 2013, candy included, but was not limited to, Snickers, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, Nestle Crunch bars, Twix, Milky Way, Butterfingers, M&Ms (plain & peanut), Almond Joy, Kit Kats, Whoppers, Heath Bar, Peanut Chews, Peeps, Cookie & Cream Bars, etc.

Healthier, non-candy options included treats like Craisins, Clif Kid Z Bars, Clif Kid Z Fruit, Fruit Crisps, Graham Crackers, fresh apple slices, etc.   In previous years there have sometimes been raisins and packets of fresh baby carrots given out as well.

The candy and healthy/non-candy options can change from year to year.


*18.  Should I bring an extra bag for candy?*

That is entirely up to each guest and depends largely on how much trick-or-treating you plan to do!  Almost all of the MHP treat stations are part of lengthier “treat trails.”  There may be anywhere from 2-5 treat stations along each trail, so the treats can accumulate rapidly throughout the night!  It’s fairly common to see guests carrying their own larger and sturdier candy bags.  The plastic candy bags that Disneyland provides upon entry to the MHP are 9” tall, by 7” wide, by 3” deep.

Some guests may choose to bring their own bags to the MHP, but in the gift shops around Disneyland you will also find reusable Halloween tote bags available for purchase (some of which twinkle in the dark with the press of a button!).  The prices for these bags can range from approximately $5.00 to $10.00, and Annual Pass discounts are generally accepted on these items.


*19.  Are there special foods and merchandise available only for the MHP?  If so, where?*

Historically, there have been special t-shirts and pins released for MHP, some of which were available in certain shops several hours before MHP began (such as at the Disney Showcase shop on Main Street).  The pins were generally available in the pin shops throughout Disneyland.  The shirts were available at most of the major stores inside the park.  Some shops may carry both the MHP pins and shirts.

There are, of course, Halloween Time-themed foods available throughout the day and at the party, all season long, but there were no known MHP-specific foods in 2013.  In 2014, there were only a couple of small treats that were supposedly exclusive to MHP.


*20.  Which restaurants are open during the MHP, and should I eat before the MHP starts?*

There will be dining options available during MHP, but the general advice is to eat before the party starts so you can spend the limited party time (5 hours) doing party-specific activities!  Note that not all of the dining venues remain open for the entire party.

In 2014, the following table service venues were open for at least part of the party (closing times varied):


Carnation Café (Main Street)
Café Orleans (New Orleans Square)

A larger number of the counter service venues were open in 2014 (closing times varied):


Jolly Holiday Bakery (Main Street)
Plaza Inn (Main Street)
Refreshment Corner (a.k.a. Coke Corner) (Main Street)
Gibson Girl Ice Cream Parlor (Main Street)
Market House (Starbucks) (Main Street)
Little Red Wagon (Main Street)
Royal Street Veranda (New Orleans Square)
Mint Julep Bar (New Orleans Square)
Stage Door Café (Frontierland)
Ship to Shore Market (Frontierland)
Hungry Bear Restaurant (Critter Country)
Bengal Barbecue (Adventureland)
Redd Rockett’s Pizza Port (Tomorrowland)
Tomorrowland Terrace (Tomorrowland)

Notably absent from the list above are the Golden Horseshoe and Pinocchio Village Haus, which were not open during MHP nights because they were used for treat trails.  Rancho del Zocalo was also closed because it was used as a dance party area.  The French Market is also absent from the list and was used as a character meet and greet location.


*21.  Where can I see a map of the MHP?*

The *map for MHP 2014* can be viewed -- *HERE* and *HERE*.

The 2013 MHP map is available online from Disney Parks Blog – Here.

Also, DIS’er *perlster* posted a close-up picture of the MHP map, from October 2013 - Here.


*22.  What is the Toontown Treat Pre-Party?*

***Note -- Although there was no official announcement to specifically tell us that the Toontown Treat Pre-Party was returning to Mickey's Halloween Party in 2014, it did, indeed, take place.   There was also a Pre-Party at the Big Thunder Ranch/Round-Up/Jamboree/Carnival area.***

In 2013, Disneyland began including Toontown in the Halloween festivities by offering the “Toontown Treat Pre-Party” for guests of MHP.  It began one hour before the start of the party (and lasted from either 5:00 pm to 7:00 p.m., or 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.).  There were several treat trails set-up within Toontown -- such as in Mickey’s House, Minnie’s House, Donald’s Boat, and two in Toontown Square -- for guests to do some early candy collecting.  There were also character meet and greets featuring a few rare characters.   Guests reported seeing Clarabelle Cow and Roger Rabbit, along with Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto, Donald, and Chip & Dale.  Guests were required to have their MHP wristbands to gain entrance into the pre-party.

In 2014, the Pre-Party at the Big Thunder Ranch was also included in the festivities.


*23.  Are Fast Passes available during MHP?*

Fast Passes are not available or accepted during the party hours.  Guests that enter Disneyland substantially before the start of the party (at 3 p.m. or 4 p.m., depending on the day) can use their MHP tickets to obtain Fast Passes.


*24.  If MHP is on a Friday, is there still a showing of Fantasmic! and/or fireworks?*

Fantasmic! is not presented on nights when there is an MHP.

The regular fireworks show (Remember…Dreams Come True) is also not presented on MHP nights because MHP has its own exclusive fireworks show (Halloween Screams!).

The regularly scheduled Remember…Dreams Come True fireworks should take place on Saturday nights, Sunday nights and holidays (such as Columbus Day) in late September and throughout October.  That will also be the schedule for Fantasmic!


*25.  What time do I have to leave Disneyland if I am not attending Mickey’s Halloween Party?*

Guests without a ticket and wristband for MHP will be asked to leave Disneyland at the start of the party (6:00 pm or 7:00 pm, as explained in Question #27, below).  Cast members will set-up check-points throughout the park and those guests without wristbands will be sent towards the park exit.  After the party starts, guests without a wristband will not be able to enter the queue for any attraction or enter any shops or dining venues.


*26.  How late does California Adventure stay open on MHP nights, in case I don’t want to attend the party in Disneyland?*

Park hours are variable and the official hours for September and October will not be posted until about six weeks (45-days) in advance.  In 2013, DCA remained open until 8:00 pm on the weekdays and until midnight on Fridays.  In 2014, the schedule was a bit different.

For your reference, the schedules for September 2013 and October 2013 can be found Here  and Here, respectively.  The schedules for September 2014 and October 2014 can be found Here and Here, respectively.


*27.  What time can I enter Disneyland on an MHP night if I am going to attend the party?*

A ticket to MHP will allow guests to enter Disneyland three hours before the start time of the party.

On nights when the party starts at 6:00 pm (any nights other than Fridays or weekends), guests can enter Disneyland at 3:00 pm using the MHP ticket.

On nights when the party starts at 7:00 pm (which are usually Friday nights, and probably any future weekend parties too), party guests can enter Disneyland at 4:00 pm.

The MHP ticket does not include the park hopper option and it cannot be upgraded.  So, guests cannot use an MHP ticket to enter Disney’s California Adventure.


*28.  Where do I get wristbands?*

Guests who are already inside Disneyland and who have an MHP ticket can obtain a wristband inside the park beginning three hours before the party officially starts.  In 2014, the station was set-up next to It's a Small World, near Toontown.  Each ticket will be scanned and then the guest will be given a wristband.  The CMs will place the wristband on each guest, so make sure all members of your party are present.  They will also have candy bags and party maps available.

For guests entering Disneyland using the MHP ticket, specific ticket gates will be dedicated to MHP guests.  Look for the sign boards over the ticket gate that say “Event Entry,” or ask a CM for directions.  MHP tickets will not be accepted at the non-Event Entry ticket gates, just as regular tickets will not be accepted at the Event Entry ticket gates.  Once the MHP ticket has been scanned, the guest will be given a wristband upon entering the park.  Do NOT bypass the CM with the wristbands when you enter Disneyland at this point.  Make sure you get your wristband before proceeding.  Candy bags and park maps will also be available at (or just inside) the ticket gates.


*29.  Can guests exit and re-enter Disneyland when using an MHP ticket?*

Yes.  From the 2014 ticket:   “Hand stamp and Mickey’s Halloween Ticket are required for the same day readmission to Disneyland Park.”


*30.  Can I store my belongings in lockers during the party?*

Lockers, on Main Street, are available for rent during the party.    If you rented a locker earlier in the day, you can still use it during MHP.  There are also lockers in the Esplanade.



​

*Also note that (according to Disney) "Mickey’s Halloween Party is a completely non-smoking event, and there will be no designated smoking areas within the Park. Exit and re-entry is permitted to designated smoking areas in the Esplanade outside the Disneyland Main Entrance." *


​


----------



## Sherry E

*General Information About Halloween Time at the Disneyland Resort*​


*(2015)*

VIDEO: "Haunted Mansion Busts talking Halloween Time 2015 - Disneyland" -- The DIS; posted on October 3, 2015, by Tom Bell

"Register Now to Attend the Disney Parks Blog Mickey’s Halloween Party Meet-Up at Disneyland Park" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on September 21st, 2015 by Erin Glover, Social Media Director, Disneyland Resort 

"All Treats, No Tricks: Halloween at Disney Parks and Resorts" -- D23

"HalloweenTime at Disneyland 2015" -- The DIS; posted on September 13, 2015 by Tom Bell, DIS Unplugged Correspondent

"Halloween Time at the Disneyland Resort Adds Spookiness To the Sparkle of the Diamond Celebration" -- Disneyland News press release; posted on September 10, 2015

"Three Things to Know About Halloween Time at the Disneyland Resort" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on August 19th, 2015 by Erin Glover, Social Media Director, Disneyland Resort

"Mickey’s Halloween Party Expands to 17 Nights As Disneyland Resort Diamond Celebration Adds Sparkle To Halloween Time 2015" -- Disneyland News press release; posted on August 19, 2015

"Mickey’s Halloween Party Expands to 17 Nights with Return of Halloween Time at the Disneyland Resort, September 11 – November 1" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on July 15th, 2015 by Erin Glover, Social Media Director, Disneyland Resort


*(2014)*

VIDEO: "Halloween Time at Disneyland Park " -- The DIS; posted on October 31, 2014

VIDEO:  "Halloween and the Cadaver Dans at Disneyland Resort" -- The DIS/DIS Unplugged; posted by Tom Bell on October 10, 2014

"‘Dancing With The Stars’ Contender Alfonso Ribeiro Celebrates Halloween Time at Disneyland Park" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on October 7th, 2014 by George Savvas, Public Relations Director, Disneyland Resort

"#HalloweenTime Tweetable Tips" -- Disneyland News; posted on October 1, 2014

"The Ultimate Disneyland Halloween Time Bucket List" -- babble (Courtesy of Disney); Posted October 2014 by Sunny Chanel

"HalloweenTime at Disneyland 2014" -- DIS Unplugged; by Tom Bell (DIS Unplugged correspondent); September 14, 2014

"Top 5 ways to celebrate HalloweenTime at Disneyland" - by Tom Bell (DIS Unplugged correspondent); September 12, 2014

"The Happiest Place on Earth Shows a Spooky Disney Side! Disneyland Resort Celebrates Halloween Time 2014, Sept. 12 through Oct. 31" -- Disneyland News press release; September 12, 2014

"11 Not-To-Miss Halloween Attractions at Disneyland Resort" -- D23; posted on September 4, 2014

"Time to Scare Up Fun at the Disneyland Resort" - Disney Debit/Rewards Fall 2014 Newsletter, _Treats and Traditions for Fall Festivities; August 4, 2014_

"After-hours ‘Mickey’s Halloween Party’ Expands to 14 Nights as Disneyland Resort Celebrates Halloween Time 2014" -- Disneyland News press release; July 2, 2014

"Halloween Time at the Disneyland Resort Returns September 12 – October 31 With 14 Nights of Mickey’s Halloween Party" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on July 2nd, 2014 by Erin Glover, Social Media Director, Disneyland Resort



*(2013)*

DIS Unplugged Podcast -- Unleash HalloweenTime -- 9/19/13 (download from the DIS Unplugged page)

"Things We Want To Do During Halloween Time At The Park" -- Oh My Disney; posted September or October 2013



*(2012)*

DIS Unplugged Halloween Time Podcast & Call-In Show -- 9/27/12

"Things You Might Not Know About Halloween Time at the Disneyland Resort" -- Disney Parks Blog;  posted on September 17th, 2012 by Erin Glover, Social Media Director, Disneyland Resort


----------



## Sherry E

--
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



















* Disneyland Park
Seasonal Entertainment/Activities/Highlights/Events/Decorations*









_*General Halloween Time Blogs, Articles, etc.*_​

*Mickey's Halloween Party*

_***(See *Post #3 on Page 1 of this thread for Frequently Asked Questions* -- and answers! -- and info about the party!)***_

_***See *THIS POST* for Reviews/Recaps/Reports of Mickey's Halloween Party 2013 and 2014***_


*(2015)*

"Readers Get Into the Spooky Spirit at Disney Parks Blog Mickey’s Halloween Party Meet-Up at Disneyland Park" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on October 6th, 2015 by Erin Glover, Social Media Director, Disneyland Resort

"New Merchandise Debuts for Halloween Parties at Disney Parks" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on September 18th, 2015 by Michelle Harker, Manager, Merchandise Marketing & Communications, Disneyland Resort

"Halloween Time at the Disneyland Resort Adds Spookiness To the Sparkle of the Diamond Celebration" -- Disneyland News press release; posted on September 10, 2015

"Mystical Spirits of the Blue Bayou: New Premium Dining Experience Coming to Mickey’s Halloween Party at Disneyland Park" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on September 8th, 2015 by Rachel Brent, Food & Beverage Marketing Communications Coordinator

"Mickey’s Halloween Party Expands to 17 Nights As Disneyland Resort Diamond Celebration Adds Sparkle To Halloween Time 2015" -- Disneyland News press release; posted on August 19, 2015

"Mickey’s Halloween Party Expands to 17 Nights with Return of Halloween Time at the Disneyland Resort, September 11 – November 1" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on July 15th, 2015 by Erin Glover, Social Media Director, Disneyland Resort


*(2014)*

"Mickey’s Halloween Party vs. Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party" -- The DIS; posted by Craig Williams on October 30, 2014

VIDEO: "Mickey's Costume Party Cavalcade 2014" -- The DIS; posted on October 29, 2014

VIDEO: "Cadaver Dans sing 'Headless Horseman' on the Rivers of America" -- The DIS; posted on October 29, 2014

VIDEO:  "2014 Mickey's Halloween Party Overview" -- The DIS/DIS Unplugged; posted by Craig Williams on October 24, 2014

VIDEO:  "Halloween and the Cadaver Dans at Disneyland Resort" -- The DIS/DIS Unplugged; posted by Tom Bell on October 10, 2014

"A Tale of Two Halloween Parties" -- A DIS Unplugged Podcast segment in which Tom Bell and Michael Bowling discuss their experiences at Mickey's Halloween Party and Universal Studios Hollywood's Halloween Horror Nights!! -- posted on October 2, 2014

"Planning for a Spooktacular Time at Mickey’s Halloween Party at Disneyland Park" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on September 24th, 2014 by Tyler Slater, Social Media Content Coordinator

"The Happiest Place on Earth Shows a Spooky Disney Side! Disneyland Resort Celebrates Halloween Time 2014, Sept. 12 through Oct. 31" -- Disneyland News press release; September 12, 2014

"New Mickey’s Halloween Party Merchandise Coming to the Disneyland Resort"  -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on September 9th, 2014 by Michelle Harker, Manager, Merchandise Marketing & Communications, Disneyland Resort

"New and Returning Frightful Favorites During Mickey’s Halloween Party at Disneyland Park" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on August 28th, 2014 by Erin Glover, Social Media Director, Disneyland Resort

"Anna & Elsa’s Boutique and More Thrilling Transformations Coming to the Disneyland Resort" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on August 19th, 2014 by Michelle Harker, Manager, Merchandise Marketing & Communications, Disneyland Resort

"Five Things You Can’t Miss During Mickey’s Halloween Party at Disneyland Park" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on July 30th, 2014 by Erin Glover, Social Media Director, Disneyland Resort

Advance Ticket Offer/Treat your family to spooky fun at Mickey's Halloween Party -- Disney Rewards (Visa) - July 2014

"After-hours ‘Mickey’s Halloween Party’ Expands to 14 Nights as Disneyland Resort Celebrates Halloween Time 2014" -- Disneyland News Press Release; posted on July 3, 2014

"Halloween Time at the Disneyland Resort Returns September 12 – October 31 With 14 Nights of Mickey’s Halloween Party" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on July 2nd, 2014 by Erin Glover, Social Media Director, Disneyland Resort


*(2012)*

"A Night at Mickey’s Halloween Party in Disneyland Park" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on October 4th, 2012 by Erin Glover, Social Media Director, Disneyland Resort








_*Frontierland*_​


*Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead)*

_(Rancho del Zocalo in Disneyland and Tortilla Jo's in Downtown Disney each offer special Dia de los Muertos food items)_


PHOTOS: posted by Sherry E -- *HERE*.


*(2015)*

"Dining in Disneyland: Dia de los Muertos Treats" -- Disney Food Blog; posted on September 23, 2015 By Heather Sievers

"Dia de los Muertos Treats Debut at the Disneyland Resort" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on September 18th, 2015 by Michelle Harker, Manager, Merchandise Marketing & Communications, Disneyland Resort


*(2014)*

"Dia de los Muertos at Disneyland Park" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on October 29th, 2014 by Erin Glover, Social Media Director, Disneyland Resort


*(2012)*

"Celebrate Día de los Muertos During Halloween Time at Disneyland Park" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on October 10th, 2012 by Erin Glover, Social Media Director, Disneyland Resort




*General/Miscellaneous*

*(2014)*

"Fans Show Their Spooky Disney Side Aboard the Disney Parks Blog Creepy Cruise Meet-Up" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on October 8th, 2014 by Erin Glover, Social Media Director, Disneyland Resort



*Halloween Carnival (a.k.a. Halloween Roundup a.k.a. Big Thunder Ranch) -- including The Pirates League, pumpkin carving, treats, games, crafts and characters!*


PHOTOS: posted by Sherry E -- *HERE*.


*(2014)*

VIDEO: "Conjure A Villain at Disneyland Park" -- The DIS; posted on October 31, 2014

"Happy Halloween from Disneyland Park" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on October 31st, 2014 by Paul Hiffmeyer, Chief Photographer for Public Relations, Disneyland Resort

"Dining in Disneyland: The Incredible Pumpkin Carvers of 2014" -- Disney Food Blog; posted on October 30th, 2014 by Heather Sievers

"Visit the Halloween Carnival at Disneyland Park Before Halloween Time Ends" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on October 27th, 2014 by Erin Glover, Social Media Director, Disneyland Resort

"13 Incredibly Detailed Disney-Inspired Pumpkin Carvings"  -- babble (Courtesy of Disney); posted by Sunny Chanel on October 22, 2014

"Pumpkin Carvers Show Their Disney Side During Halloween Time at Disneyland Park" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on October 20th, 2014 by Shannon Swanson, Public Relations Manager, Disneyland Resort

"Fortune Teller Ivana Mystic Predicts Fun for Halloween Time at the Disneyland Resort" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on October 15th, 2014 by Erin Glover, Social Media Director, Disneyland Resort

PHOTOS: Halloween Carnival 2014 -- posted by figment_jii on October 7, 2014 -- HERE and HERE.

PHOTOS: Halloween Carnival 2014 -- posted by mummabear on September 22, 2014

PHOTOS: Halloween Carnival 2014 -- posted by Bret/mvf-m11c on September 15, 2014

"Halloween Carnival Returns to Big Thunder Ranch Jamboree at Disneyland Park" -- Disney Parks Blog;  posted on September 8th, 2014 by Shawn Slater, Communications Manager, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Creative Entertainment

"Anna & Elsa’s Boutique and More Thrilling Transformations Coming to the Disneyland Resort" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on August 19th, 2014 by Michelle Harker, Manager, Merchandise Marketing & Communications, Disneyland Resort



*(2013)*

"Dining in Disneyland: The Fried Apple Burrito" -- The Disney Food Blog; posted on Oct 28th, 2013 by Heather Sievers

"The Pirates League is Back for a Limited Time Only at the Disneyland Resort!" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on August 1st, 2013 by Michelle Harker, Manager, Merchandise Marketing & Communications, Disneyland Resort



*(2012)*

"The Incredible Halloween Pumpkin Carvers of Disneyland!" - The Disney Food Blog; posted on October 30th, 2012 by Heather Sievers

"Halloween Carnival Takes Over Big Thunder Ranch Jamboree at Disneyland Park" -- Disney Parks Blog;  posted on September 7th, 2012 by Shawn Slater, Communications Manager, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Creative Entertainment




*The Pirates League*

_(This event will be held at the Halloween Carnival in 2014, as it was in 2013.  In 2012 it took place in New Orleans Square.)_

*(2014)*

"Anna & Elsa’s Boutique and More Thrilling Transformations Coming to the Disneyland Resort" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on August 19th, 2014 by Michelle Harker, Manager, Merchandise Marketing & Communications, Disneyland Resort


*(2013)*

"The Pirates League is Back for a Limited Time Only at the Disneyland Resort!" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on August 1st, 2013 by Michelle Harker, Manager, Merchandise Marketing & Communications, Disneyland Resort


*(2012)*

"Joining the Pirates League at Disneyland Park" - Disney Parks Blog; posted on September 6th, 2012 by Erin Glover, Social Media Director, Disneyland Resort

"Swashbuckling Fun Comes Ashore in September at Disneyland Park with The Pirates League" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on July 31st, 2012 by Michelle Harker, Manager, Merchandise Marketing & Communications, Disneyland Resort




*Ray Bradbury Halloween Tree*


PHOTOS: posted by Sherry E -- *HERE*.

*"*Disney Parks After Dark: The Halloween Tree at Disneyland Park" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on on October 15th, 2015 by Paul Hiffmeyer, Chief Photographer for Public Relations, Disneyland Resort

"The Halloween Tree at Disneyland Park" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on October 22nd, 2014 by Erin Glover, Social Media Director, Disneyland Resort










*Main Street*​
*Dapper Dans*


*(2011)*

"Dapper Dans Sing Special Spooky Songs for Halloween Time at Disneyland Park" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on October 21st, 2011 by Shannon Swanson, Public Relations Manager, Disneyland Resort




*General/Miscellaneous*


*(2012)*

"Simple Pleasures: A Halloween Time Ride on the Disneyland Omnibus" -- DIS Unplugged; posted on October 23rd, 2012, by Nancy Johnson, Correspondent




*Happiest Haunts Tour*


*(2014)*

"Happiest Haunts" Disneyland Tour Review -- LaughingPlace.com; posted by Alex Reif on September 18, 2014

"Disney’s Happiest Haunts Guided Tour Returns to Disneyland Resort with New Stories and Experiences" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on September 4th, 2014 by Erin Glover, Social Media Director, Disneyland Resort


*(2013)*

"Every Role a Starring Role – Disneyland Resort Tour Guide" -- Disney Parks Blog;  posted on October 17th, 2013 by Kevin Rafferty, Jr., Communications Specialist, Disneyland Resort


*(2012)*

"Disneyland Resort Guided Tours: Disney’s Happiest Haunts Tour" -- Disney Parks Blog;  posted on August 28th, 2012 by Erin Glover, Social Media Director, Disneyland Resort


*(2011)*

"Dining in Disneyland: Storytellers Cafe and the Happiest Haunts Tour" -- The Disney Food Blog;  posted on October 13th, 2011 by Heather Sievers


*(2010)*

"A Ghostly Tour at the Disneyland Resort" -- Disney Parks Blog;  posted on October 15th, 2010 by Valarie Sukovaty, Disneyland Public Relations




*Main Street Pumpkin Festival*


PHOTOS: posted by Sherry E -- *HERE*.


*(2011)*

"Behind the Scenes: Larger-Than-Life Halloween Pumpkins at Disneyland Park" -- Disney Parks Blog;  posted on October 10th, 2011 by Erin Glover, Social Media Director, Disneyland Resort



*(2010)*

"Behind-the-Scenes Video: How We Created the Giant Pumpkins at the Entrance to Disneyland Park and on Main Street, U.S.A." -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on October 27th, 2010 by Heather Hust Rivera, Senior Manager, Corporate Communications, The Walt Disney Company
































*New Orleans Square*​
*Haunted Mansion Holiday*


*(2015)*

"House of Cards – Haunted Mansion Holiday Style – at Disneyland Park" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on September 28th, 2015 by Shannon Swanson, Public Relations Manager, Disneyland Resort

"First Look: Hatbox Ghost Joins the Celebration in Haunted Mansion Holiday at Disneyland Park" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on September 11th, 2015 by Erin Glover, Social Media Director, Disneyland Resort


*(2014)*

"Haunted Mansion Holiday at Disneyland" -- The DIS; posted on December 2, 2014 by Jack Burgin

"Holidays 2014 at the Disneyland Resort Fun Facts: Haunted Mansion Holiday" -- Disneyland News press release; posted on November 4, 2014

VIDEO: "Disney Park Bench - Haunted Mansion Queue - Haunted Mansion Holiday" -- The DIS; posted on October 27, 2014

PHOTOS: Haunted Mansion Holiday 2014 (posted by figment_jii) -- *HERE*, *HERE* and *HERE*.

"The Haunted Mansion Holiday Transformation Trivia Quiz" -- Disney Insider; posted on October 21, 2014

"Home Decor Experts Sabrina Soto, Michael Moloney Help ‘Haunt’ Your Disney Side For New Disney Parks Contest" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on October 6th, 2014 by Charles Stovall, Public Relations Manager

"New, Yet Familiar Faces Animate Haunted Mansion Holiday at Disneyland Park" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on October 3rd, 2014 by Shannon Swanson, Public Relations Manager, Disneyland Resort

"Time-Lapse Video: Haunted Mansion Holiday Gingerbread House Installed at Disneyland Park" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on October 1st, 2014 by Erin Glover, Social Media Director, Disneyland Resort

"Danny Elfman Visits Haunted Mansion Holiday at Disneyland Park" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on September 26th, 2014 by Erin Glover, Social Media Director, Disneyland Resort

"Danny Elfman Reads from ‘Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas’ at Haunted Mansion Holiday in Disneyland Park" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on September 22nd, 2014 by Erin Glover, Social Media Director, Disneyland Resort

"Disney Parks After Dark:  Haunted Mansion Holiday at Disneyland Park" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on September 18th, 2014 by Paul Hiffmeyer, Chief Photographer for Public Relations, Disneyland Resort

"What’s This? Disneyland Resort Entertainment Team Shares Top Pics for Haunted Mansion Holiday" - Disney Parks Blog; posted on September 16th, 2014 by Shannon Swanson, Public Relations Manager, Disneyland Resort

"Haunted Mansion at Disneyland Park: An Idea that Couldn’t be Laid to Rest"  -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on September 12th, 2014 by Valarie Sukovaty, Disneyland Public Relations

"Halloween Time 2014 at the Disneyland Resort Fun Facts: Haunted Mansion Holiday" -- Disneyland News press release; September 12, 2014

"Sneak Peek at Much-Anticipated Gingerbread Creation for Haunted Mansion Holiday at Disneyland Park" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on August 28th, 2014 by Pam Brandon, Disney Parks Food Writer


*(2013)*

VIDEO:  Haunted Mansion Holiday (FULL RIDE-THROUGH) – November 25, 2013; The DIS

"Today in Disney History: Walt Disney Pictures Releases Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas"  Disney Parks Blog; posted on October 29th, 2013 by Erin Glover, Social Media Director, Disneyland Resort

"It's Freaky Friday - Time to Open Another Door on the Gingerbread House Inside Haunted Mansion Holiday at Disneyland Park" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on October 11th, 2013 by Pam Brandon, Disney Parks Food Writer

Limited Time Magic Celebrates 13 Seasons of Haunted Mansion Holiday at Disneyland Park -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on October 4th, 2013 by Erin Glover, Social Media Director, Disneyland Resort

"The Haunted Mansion Holiday Transformation" - Disney Insider; posted on October 1, 2013

"Creating the Magic of Haunted Mansion Holiday at Disneyland Park" - Disney Parks Blog; posted on September 19th, 2013 by Shannon Swanson, Senior Publicist, Disneyland Resort

"Celebrating 13 Frightfully Fun Seasons of Haunted Mansion Holiday at Disneyland Park" - Disney Parks Blog; posted on September 13th, 2013 by Shawn Slater, Communications Manager, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Creative Entertainment

"13 Years of Delightful Frights" - Disney Rewards/Visa/Debit, (August) Fall 2013 Newsletter 



*(2012)*

"Behind the Scenes: Haunted Mansion Holiday Gingerbread House at Disneyland Park" - Disney Parks Blog; posted on October 23rd, 2012 by Erin Glover, Manager, Social Media and Print

"From Haunted Mansion to Haunted Mansion Holiday at Disneyland Park" - Disney Parks Blog; posted on September 18th, 2012 by Erin Glover, Manager, Social Media and Print

"Magical Makeover for the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland Park" - Disney Parks Blog; posted on September 14th, 2012 by Shannon Swanson, Senior Publicist, Disneyland Resort

"SNEAK PEEK: Jack's Gingerbread House Arrives at the Haunted Mansion in Disneyland Park" - Disney Parks Blog; posted on August 20th, 2012 by Pam Brandon, Disney Parks Food Writer



*(2011)*

"The Sights of Haunted Mansion Holiday at Disneyland" (October 29th, 2011, by Nancy Johnson, DIS Unplugged Contributor/Correspondent)

"Celebrating 10 Years of Haunted Mansion Holidays at Disneyland Park" - Disney Parks Blog; posted on October 12th, 2011 by Erin Glover, Manager, Social Media and Print

"First Look at the Freaky Gingerbread House in Haunted Mansion Holiday" -- Disney Parks Blog;  posted on September 22nd, 2011 by Pam Brandon, Disney Parks Food Writer

"Things You Might Not Know About Haunted Mansion Holiday at Disneyland Park" - Disney Parks Blog; posted on September 13th, 2011 by Erin Glover, Manager, Social Media and Print

"Sneak Peek at Haunted Mansion Gingerbread House at Disneyland Park" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on September 8th, 2011 by Pam Brandon, Disney Parks Food Writer



*(2010)*

"Haunted Mansion Holiday Panorama" - Disney Parks Blog; posted on October 26th, 2010 by George Savvas, Public Relations Director, Disneyland Resort

"Karlos Siqueiros - The Gingerbread Man" (October 12th, 2010, by Tom Bell, DIS Unplugged Contributor/Correspondent)

"Our Haunted Gingerbread House" - Disney Parks Blog; posted on September 24th, 2010 by Valarie Sukovaty, Disneyland Public Relations

"Sneak Peek: Giant Gingerbread House in Haunted Mansion Holiday" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on September 9th, 2010 by Heather Hust Rivera, Senior Manager, Corporate Communications, The Walt Disney Company



*(2009)*

"Haunted Mansion Holiday at Disneyland Resort" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on October 28th, 2009 by Heather Hust Rivera, Senior Manager, Corporate Communications, The Walt Disney Company








*Tomorrowland*​
*Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy*

*(2013)*

"Spooking Up Space Mountain" -- Disney Insider; posted on September 13, 2013


*(2010)*

"Chilling New Merchandise: Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy" -- Disney Parks Blog;  posted on September 9th, 2010 by Michelle Harker, Manager, Merchandise Marketing & Communications, Disneyland Resort


*(2009)*

"Halloween Time at Disneyland Resort Features New Attractions – Ghost Galaxy at Space Mountain" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on September 28th, 2009 by Heather Hust Rivera, Senior Manager, Corporate Communications, The Walt Disney Company












  -
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	















​


----------



## Sherry E

* Disney California Adventure Park
Seasonal Entertainment/Activities/Highlights/Events/Decorations*​

*General Information*

*(2015)*

"Five Ways to Have Fun this Fall at Disney California Adventure Park" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on October 12th, 2015 by Erin Glover, Social Media Director, Disneyland Resort




*All Hallows Eve T (Mad T Party with a Halloween twist!)** - DID NOT RETURN IN 2015*_*!!!!*_

*(2014)*

PHOTOS -- posted by figment_jii on October 14, 2014 -- *HERE*.

"It’s Halloween Time at Mad T Party at Disney California Adventure Park" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on October 14th, 2014 by Erin Glover, Social Media Director, Disneyland Resort



*(2013)*

"Last Weekend for an All Hallows Eve T at Disney California Adventure Park" - Disney Parks Blog; posted on October 24th, 2013 by Robin Trowbridge, Entertainment Show Director, Disneyland Resort

"Mad T Party at Disney California Adventure Park Adds a Dash of Halloween to the Mix" - Disney Parks Blog; posted on September 5th, 2013 by Robin Trowbridge, Entertainment Show Director, Disneyland Resort





*Duffy's Pumpkin Patch (Photo Spot)* -- _*NO LONGER AT DISNEYLAND RESORT AS OF 2014!!!!*_

_(Duffy wears a pumpkin costume to pose with guests for PhotoPass pictures on Paradise Pier.  Be sure to look for the large hidden Mickey in the backdrop!)_





*Oktoberfest *_*- OFFICIAL OKTOBERFEST CELEBRATION HAS NOT RETURNED; FOOD ITEMS MAY BE AVAILABLE ON MENUS*_*!!!*

*(2013)*

"Dining in Disneyland: Oktoberfest Items at Disney California Adventure" -- The Disney Food Blog; posted on October 30th, 2013 by Heather Sievers

“‘Limited Time Magic’ Brings Oktoberfest Celebration to Disney California Adventure Park” – Disney Parks Blog; posted on October 11th, 2013 by Erin Glover, Social Media Director, Disneyland Resort


----------



## Sherry E

*Ghoulish Grub, Terrifying Treats and Perilous Potions*

*(a.k.a. Dining, Snacks and Beverages!!)*




















​


*_A somewhat comprehensive list of Fall and Halloween-inspired meals, snacks and beverages over the last few Halloween Time seasons can be found --_ *HERE*.

*_Don't forget to visit the Pacific Wharf area of California Adventure for a free sample of Pumpkin Spice Caramel chocolate at Ghirardelli, and to check out the special seasonal loaves of sourdough bread from the Boudin Bakery, crafted into pumpkins, etc.!_

*_Also check out the_ _*"Eating, Drinking and Being Merry!" section of the Disneyland at Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread #5*__, as some of the holiday goodies may begin to appear even before Halloween and you need to know what to look for!  The gingerbread beignets are more commonly associated with the holiday season, but they have been known to appear during Halloween Time too!_




*(2015)*​
*Catal*, *Naples Ristorante e Pizzeria*. *Uva Bar* and *House of Blues* in Downtown Disney should all have some version of a Fall or Oktoberfest menu.  *La Brea Bakery* will have some seasonal foods as well.

*Tortilla Jo's Dia de los Muertos Fall Menu* should be announced soon.


"Dining in Disneyland: Seasonal Eats at Hungry Bear Restaurant" -- Disney Food Blog; posted on October 19, 2015 By Heather Sievers

"Dining in Disneyland: Seasonal Fall Treats at Jolly Holiday Bakery and Café" -- Disney Food Blog; posted on October 10, 2015 By Heather Sievers

"Celebrate Halloween and Oktoberfest This Month in the Downtown Disney District at the Disneyland Resort" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on October 9th, 2015 by John McClintock, Disney Public Relations

"Dining in Disneyland: Halloween Time Haunted Mansion Holiday Cake" -- Disney Food Blog; posted on October 8, 2015 By Heather Sievers

VIDEO: "Pumpkin Cheesecake & Halloween Time Treats - Disneyland" -- The DIS; posted on October 3, 2015, by Tom Bell

"MahaloWeen Returns to Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar at the Disneyland Hotel" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on September 28th, 2015 by Rachel Brent, Food & Beverage Marketing Communications Coordinator

"Dining in Disneyland: Dia de los Muertos Treats" -- Disney Food Blog; posted on September 23, 2015 By Heather Sievers

"Dia de los Muertos Treats Debut at the Disneyland Resort" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on September 18th, 2015 by Michelle Harker, Manager, Merchandise Marketing & Communications, Disneyland Resort

"Top 11 Apple Treats from Disney Parks" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on September 16th, 2015 by Rachel Brent, Food & Beverage Marketing Communications Coordinator

"First Look: Spellbinding New Halloween Novelty Items at Disneyland Resort, Walt Disney World Resort" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on September 16th, 2015 by Rachel Brent, Food & Beverage Marketing Communications Coordinator

"Dining in Disneyland: Halloween Time Poison Apple Mugs and Poison Apple Glow Cubes" -- Disney Food Blog; posted on September 15, 2015 By Heather Sievers

"Complete Guide to Eats During Halloween Time at Disneyland Resort" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on September 11th, 2015 by Rachel Brent, Food & Beverage Marketing Communications Coordinator 
 
"Pumpkin Love: 6 Favorite Recipes from Disney Parks Chefs" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on September 10th, 2015 by Pam Brandon, Disney Parks Food Writer

"Mystical Spirits of the Blue Bayou: New Premium Dining Experience Coming to Mickey’s Halloween Party at Disneyland Park" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on September 8th, 2015 by Rachel Brent, Food & Beverage Marketing Communications Coordinator 

"Top 9 Disney Parks Recipes for Fall" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on September 2nd, 2015 by Pam Brandon, Disney Parks Food Writer 



*(2014)*
​"Dining in Disneyland: Caramel Apple Smoothie & Pumpkin Muffin from Schmoozies" -- Disney Food Blog; posted on October 29th, 2014 by Heather Sievers

"Dining in Disneyland: The Pumpkin Twist from Maurice’s Treats" -- Disney Food Blog; posted on October 24th, 2014 by Heather Sievers

"Dining in Disneyland: More Halloween Treats at the Disneyland Resort" -- Disney Food Blog; posted on October 22nd, 2014 by Heather Sievers

"VIDEO: How to Make Pumpkin Twists from Disneyland Resort" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on October 22nd, 2014 by Rachel Brent, Food & Beverage Marketing Communications Coordinator

"More Pumpkin Yum from Disneyland Resort" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on October 21st, 2014 by Pam Brandon, Disney Parks Food Writer

"Dining in Disneyland: Zero Premium Popcorn Bucket and Other Halloween Time Popcorn Souvenirs" -- Disney Food Blog; posted on October 21st, 2014 by Heather Sievers

"15 Halloween Time Foods To Sink Your Teeth Into at Disneyland" -- Oh My Disney (under the "Yum" category); posted on October 18, 2014

"Dining in Disneyland: Pumpkin Beignets & Maleficent Sipper from the Mint Julep Bar" -- Disney Food Blog; posted on Oct 16th, 2014 by Heather Sievers

"Disneyland Pumpkin Food Crawl" -- Disney Insider; posted on October 14th, 2014

"Dining in Disneyland: Monster U “Style” Burger at Tomorrowland Terrace" -- Disney Food Blog; posted on Oct 13th, 2014 by Heather Sievers

"Disneyland Resort Gets in the Spirit of Halloween Time with Bewitching Bites" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on October 13th, 2014 by Pam Brandon, Disney Parks Food Writer

VIDEO:  "Halloween Treats at Disneyland Resort" -- The DIS/DIS Unplugged; posted by Tom Bell on October 10, 2014

"Pumpkin Mania at Disneyland Resort" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on October 10th, 2014 by Pam Brandon, Disney Parks Food Writer

"Dining in Disneyland: Caramel Apple Funnel Cake and Mango Habanero Lime Iced Tea at Hungry Bear" -- Disney Food Blog; posted on Oct 6th, 2014 by Heather Sievers

"Dining in Disneyland: New Halloween Glow Cubes" -- Disney Food Blog; posted on October 2, 2014 by Heather Sievers

PHOTOS:  Halloween Time Treats 2014 -- posted by figment_jii on September 30, 2014

"This Week in Disney Parks Photos: Yummy Fall Treats" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on September 27th, 2014 by Jennifer Fickley-Baker, Social Media Manager

"Halloween Time Snacks and Sweets at Disneyland Resort" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on September 25th, 2014 by Rachel Brent, Food & Beverage Marketing Communications Coordinator

"Seasonal Delights at Jolly Holiday Bakery Cafe in Disneyland Park" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on September 24th, 2014 by Pam Brandon, Disney Parks Food Writer

"Halloween Time Treats at the Disneyland Resort" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on September 19th, 2014 by Michelle Harker, Manager, Merchandise Marketing & Communications, Disneyland Resort

"Halloween Time Novelty Items to Materialize at Disneyland Resort" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on September 17th, 2014 by Rachel Brent, Food & Beverage Marketing Communications Coordinator

"Dining in Disneyland: The Pumpkin Muffin is Back!" - Disney Food Blog; posted on September 12th, 2014 by Heather Sievers

"‘Mahaloween Luau’ Coming to Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar at Disneyland Hotel September 29" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on September 9th, 2014 by Pam Brandon, Disney Parks Food Writer

"Disneyland DIY Recipe: Red’s Apple Freeze From the Cozy Cone Motel" -- Disney Food Blog; posted on September 5, 2014 by AJ.

"September’s Treats are Sweetly Spook-tacular at the Disneyland Resort" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on August 29th, 2014 by Michelle Harker, Manager, Merchandise Marketing & Communications, Disneyland Resort

"Disneyland Duel:  Battle of the Beignets!" -- Disney Food Blog; posted on August 28th, 2014 by AJ.




*(2013)*
​"Dining in Disneyland Review: The Market House Reopens as Starbucks!" -- Disney Food Blog; posted on Nov 7th, 2013 by Heather Sievers

"Dining in Disneyland: Oktoberfest Items at Disney California Adventure" -- The Disney Food Blog; posted on October 30th, 2013 by Heather Sievers

"Dining in Disneyland: The Fried Apple Burrito" -- The Disney Food Blog;  posted on October 28th, 2013 by Heather Sievers

"Pumpkin Beignets Are Back in New Orleans Square at Disneyland Park" - Disney Parks Blog; posted on October 21st, 2013 by Pam Brandon, Disney Parks Food Writer

"Dining in Disneyland: Pumpkin Beignets vs. Pumpkin Fritters" - The Disney Food Blog; posted on October 17th, 2013 by Heather Sievers

“‘Limited Time Magic’ Brings Oktoberfest Celebration to Disney California Adventure Park” – Disney Parks Blog; posted on October 11th, 2013 by Erin Glover, Social Media Director, Disneyland Resort

“Come ‘Gourd’ Yourself on Fall Favorites at Disney Parks” – Disney Parks Blog; posted on October 10th, 2013 by Michelle Harker, Manager, Merchandise Marketing & Communications, Disneyland Resort

VIDEO:  "Halloween Themed Treats at Disneyland Resort" -- DIS Unplugged; posted on October 4th, 2013 by Tom Bell _ (Tom chats with Christina, a pastry chef at DLR, about treats such as Jack's Coffins and Pumpkin Beignets.)
_
"Dining in Disneyland: A Quick Peek at Halloween Treats" - The Disney Food Blog; posted on October 1st, 2013 by Heather Sievers

"Lots of Sweet, Savory Delights for Halloween Time at Disneyland Resort" - Disney Parks Blog; posted on September 18th, 2013 by Pam Brandon, Disney Parks Food Writer

"Putting the ‘Gore’ in Gourmet Apples at Disney Parks" -- Disney Parks Blog;  posted on September 13th, 2013 by Michelle Harker, Manager, Merchandise Marketing & Communications, Disneyland Resort

"Dining in Disneyland: Gummi Candy Corn" -- The Disney Food Blog; posted on September 10, 2013 by Heather Sievers

"Treats, Not Tricks, for Friday the 13th ‘Limited Time Magic’ at Disney Parks" -- Disney Parks Blog;  posted on September 6th, 2013 by Pam Brandon, Disney Parks Food Writer

"Dining in Disneyland: Seasonal Pumpkin Spice Brittle" -- The Disney Food Blog; posted on January 4th, 2013, by Heather Sievers












*(2012)*
​"Dining in Disneyland: Harbour Galley’s Pumpkin Squash Chowder, Stuffed Baked Potatoes, and More" -- The Disney Food Blog;  posted on December 11th, 2012 by Heather Sievers _(Although this blog was posted in December of 2012 and it appears that the writer had just recently discovered the pumpkin chowder, based on the Halloween-ish signage shown in the accompanying photo, I am fairly certain the chowder is served at some point during the Halloween Time season as well!)
_
"Specialty Halloween Dishes Now Available in Disneyland and Disney California Adventure" - The Disney Food Blog; posted on October 20, 2012 by Kim

"Wicked Good Halloween Treats at Disneyland Resort" - Disney Parks Blog; posted on October 17th, 2012 by Pam Brandon, Disney Parks Food Writer

"Halloween Goodies at Disney Parks — What Are Your Favorites?" - The Disney Food Blog; posted on October 15th, 2012 by AJ

"Oooey-Gooey Ghoulish Delights from the Disneyland Resort Candy Kitchens" -- Disney Parks Blog;  posted on October 8th, 2012 by Michelle Harker, Manager, Merchandise Marketing & Communications, Disneyland Resort

"Halloween Time Treats at Disneyland: No Tricks Required!" - DIS Unplugged;  posted on October 2nd, 2012 by Nancy Johnson, Correspondent

"Dining in Disneyland: Fall Treats and Halloween Eats — Mickey Pumpkin Beignets and Skellington Popcorn" -- The Disney Food Blog; posted on September 26th, 2012 by Heather Sievers

"Dining in Disneyland: Halloween Time Starts Now!" -- The Disney Food Blog;  posted on September 21st, 2012 by Heather Sievers

"A Tasty Tour: Inside the Candy Kitchen on Main Street, U.S.A., at Disneyland Park" -- Disney Parks Blog;  posted on August 16th, 2012 by Shannon Swanson, Public Relations Manager, Disneyland Resort

"Halloween-y 'Goth Goodies' at Disney Parks Candy Shops" -- The Disney Food Blog; posted on July 31st, 2012 by AJ




*(2011)*
​"Cute and Delicious Sourdough – An Edible Gift from Disney California Adventure Park" - Disney Parks Blog; posted on November 28th, 2011 by Pam Brandon, Disney Parks Food Writer _(Look for the pumpkin-shaped loaf during Halloween Time!)
_
"Dining in Disneyland: Mickey’s Halloween Party Review" -- The Disney Food Blog; posted on October 31, 2011 by Heather Sievers

"Our Favorite Disney Sweet for National Cookie Month" -- Disney Parks Blog;  posted on October 19th, 2011 by Pam Brandon, Disney Parks Food Writer

"Bake Me a Cake – Plaza Inn Carrot Cake at Disneyland Resort" -- Disney Parks Blog;  posted on October 13th, 2011 by Pam Brandon, Disney Parks Food Writer

"Dining in Disneyland: Pumpkin Treats Crawl" -- The Disney Food Blog; posted on September 27, 2011 by Heather Sievers

"Dining in Disneyland: Halloween at Marceline’s Confectionery" - The Disney Food Blog; posted on September 21, 2011 by Heather Sievers

"Fancy Pumpkin Beignets From Club 33 at Disneyland Park" - Disney Parks Blog; posted on September 15th, 2011 by Pam Brandon, Disney Parks Food Writer

"Treats, Not Tricks, at Mickey’s Halloween Party at Disneyland Park" -- Disney Parks Blog;  posted on September 14th, 2011 by Erin Glover, Social Media Director, Disneyland Resort

"2011 Halloween Snacks Materialize in Disney Parks" -- The Disney Food Blog; posted on August 29th, 2011 by AJ




*(2010)*
​"Review: Mickey’s Halloween Party in Disneyland" -- The Disney Food Blog; posted on October 31st, 2010 by AJ

"Disneyland Halloween Treats" -- The Disney Food Blog; posted on October 27, 2010 by AJ

"Simply Spook-tacular Tricks and Treats at Disney Parks" -- Disney Parks Blog;  posted on October 19th, 2010 by Dara Trujillo, Manager, Merchandise Synergy, Events, and Communication

"Even MORE Halloween Treats in Disney Parks…" -- The Disney Food Blog;  posted on October 14th, 2010 by AJ

"Trick or Treat Disney Style" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on October 7th, 2010 by Pam Brandon, Disney Parks Food Writer

"More Halloween Treats From Disney Parks" -- The Disney Food Blog; posted on September 29, 2010 by AJ.










​


----------



## Sherry E

*Monstrous Merchandise, Creepy Collectibles and Scary Souvenirs*

_*(a.k.a. Shopping!)*_​

*(2015)*​

"New Merchandise Debuts for Halloween Parties at Disney Parks" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on September 18th, 2015 by Michelle Harker, Manager, Merchandise Marketing & Communications, Disneyland Resort 

"Halloween Hats You’ll Go Batty Over at Disney Parks" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on September 17th, 2015 by Michelle Harker, Manager, Merchandise Marketing & Communications, Disneyland Resort
http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2015/09/halloween-hats-youll-go-batty-over-at-disney-parks/
"First Look: Spellbinding New Halloween Novelty Items at Disneyland Resort, Walt Disney World Resort" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on September 16th, 2015 by Rachel Brent, Food & Beverage Marketing Communications Coordinator

"Bring Halloween Time at the Disneyland Resort to Your Desktop with Our Newest Wallpapers" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on September 16th, 2015 by Erin Glover, Social Media Director, Disneyland Resort

"Halloween Minnie Mouse Transformation Casts A Spell on Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique at Disney Parks" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on September 11th, 2015 by Michelle Harker, Manager, Merchandise Marketing & Communications, Disneyland Resort

"Top Ten Favorite Items for Halloween 2015 at Disney Parks" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on September 1st, 2015 by Steven Miller, Merchandise Communications Manager 

"Get Ready to Show Your Disney Side During Halloween Time at the Disneyland Resort" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on July 31st, 2015 by Michelle Harker, Manager, Merchandise Marketing & Communications, Disneyland Resort



*(2014)*​
"Celebrate Halloween with New Disney Gift Card Designs" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on October 13th, 2014 by Virginia Scanlon, Manager Alliance Management, Disney Gift Card Services

"New Halloween Trick-or-Treat Totes at Disney Parks" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on October 3rd, 2014 by Jean Volante, Manager of Dream Making, Disney Floral & Gifts/DEG

"October 2014 Merchandise Events at the Disneyland Resort" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on September 29th, 2014 by Michelle Harker, Manager, Merchandise Marketing & Communications, Disneyland Resort

"Halloween Time Novelty Items to Materialize at Disneyland Resort" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on September 17th, 2014 by Rachel Brent, Food & Beverage Marketing Communications Coordinator

"New Mickey’s Halloween Party Merchandise Coming to the Disneyland Resort"  -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on September 9th, 2014 by Michelle Harker, Manager, Merchandise Marketing & Communications, Disneyland Resort

"VIDEO – Halloween Merchandise Returns to Disney Parks" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on August 26th, 2014 by Steven Miller, Merchandise Communications Manager

"Anna & Elsa’s Boutique and More Thrilling Transformations Coming to the Disneyland Resort" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on August 19th, 2014 by Michelle Harker, Manager, Merchandise Marketing & Communications, Disneyland Resort

"New Alex and Ani Disney Bracelets Make Two Seasons Collide at Disney Parks" -- posted on August 11th, 2014 by Michelle Harker, Manager, Merchandise Marketing & Communications, Disneyland Resort

"Find the Perfect Look for Halloween at the Disneyland Resort" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on August 5th, 2014 by Michelle Harker, Manager, Merchandise Marketing & Communications, Disneyland Resort


----------



## Sherry E

*Hotels of the Disneyland Resort*​


*(2015)*

"Halloween ‘Tree-t’ on Display in Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa Lobby" -- Disney Parks Blog; Disney Parks Blog; posted on October 8th, 2015 by Rachel Brent, Food & Beverage Marketing Communications Coordinator 

"MahaloWeen Returns to Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar at the Disneyland Hotel" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on September 28th, 2015 by Rachel Brent, Food & Beverage Marketing Communications Coordinator

"Halloween Tricks and Treats from Disney Floral & Gifts" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on September 18th, 2015 by Jean Volante, Manager of Dream Making, Disney Floral & Gifts/DEG 

*(2014)*

"New Halloween Trick-or-Treat Totes at Disney Parks" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on October 3rd, 2014 by Jean Volante, Manager of Dream Making, Disney Floral & Gifts/DEG

"New Halloween Celebrations at Disney Parks" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on September 26th, 2014 by Jean Volante, Manager of Dream Making, Disney Floral & Gifts/DEG

"‘Mahaloween Luau’ Coming to Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar at Disneyland Hotel September 29" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on September 9th, 2014 by Pam Brandon, Disney Parks Food Writer

*(2011)*

"Mickey’s ‘Spooktacular’ In-Room Celebration Returns to the Walt Disney World Resort" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on July 26th, 2011 by Jean Volante, Manager of Dream Making, Disney Floral & Gifts/DEG (similar or identical items are available at DLR as well)

*(2010)*

"New Halloween In-Room Celebrations at Disney Parks" -- Disney Parks Blog;  posted on October 20th, 2010 by Jean Volante, Manager of Dream Making, Disney Floral & Gifts/DEG


----------



## Sherry E

*Downtown Disney*​






*General Information and Blogs/Articles*


*(2015)
*
"Celebrate Halloween and Oktoberfest This Month in the Downtown Disney District at the Disneyland Resort" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on October 9th, 2015 by John McClintock, Disney Public Relations

*
(2014)*

"Downtown Disney District at the Disneyland Resort Offers Shivery Tricks and Spooky Treats For Halloween Time" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on October 8th, 2014 by John McClintock, Disney Public Relations




*Haunted House Building Workshop (at Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen)*

*(2015)*

Dates:
*
Saturday, October 24 -- 12 pm - 2 pm (open to general public)*
Tickets for the Haunted Workshop became available online on September 28, 2015.

$48 per Gingerbread Kit (plus tax & online service fees)
Price of Kit Includes 2 seats
Additional Seats May be Purchased for $12 per seat
Advance Payment by Credit Card Required
Refunds: only with a 72 hour notice of the date selected

More info on the Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen website -- *HERE*


*Sunday, October 25 -- 12 pm - 2 pm (D23 Gold and Silver Member Event)/Details* *HERE*

*(2011)*

"Disneyland's Jazz Kitchen Brings Haunted Gingerbread Home" - DIS Unplugged; posted on October 31st, 2011 by Nancy Johnson, Correspondent

"Dining in Disneyland: Haunted Gingerbread House Workshop at Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen" -- Disney Food Blog; posted on October 27th, 2011 by Heather Sievers




*Oktoberfest*

*(2012)*

"Special Events at the Downtown Disney District in the Disneyland Resort this Weekend" - Disney Parks Blog; posted on October 12th, 2012 by Janet Knox, General Manager, Downtown Disney District, Disneyland Resort


----------



## Sherry E

*Other Haunted Happenings and Spooky Sights to See in Southern California*



***Details of most 2015 activities for Fall and/or Halloween have been released, but some of the links on this page may either become temporarily inactive or broken when Halloween is over!  Check the sites linked below for updates and information closer to September and October of 2016.  Some estimated driving times were calculated on Travel Math***































*Family Friendly/For All Ages*
​
*Anaheim Fall Festival and Halloween Parade*

_(Located in Anaheim, CA -- not far from Disneyland Resort.)_

General information can be found Here.

"Disneyland Resort Horses Star in Anaheim Halloween Parade" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on October 31st, 2014 by Donna Fisk, Public Relations Manager, Disneyland Resort

"Minnie Mouse and Disneyland Resort Horses Participate in Anaheim Halloween Parade" - Disney Parks Blog; posted on October 30th, 2013 by Donna Fisk, Public Relations Manager, Disneyland Resort




*The El Capitan Theatre*

_(Located in Hollywood, CA.  There will be showings of Halloween-appropriate Disney films during the month of October, including "Hocus Pocus," "The Black Cauldron" and "The Nightmare Before Christmas."  There will also be a Spooktacular Soiree on 10/22/15._)

General information can be found Here.




*The Grove Los Angeles - Halloween/Fall Festival*

_(Located in Los Angeles, CA, next door to the Original Farmers Market; approximately 45 minutes from Anaheim.  This event will likely take place on 10/25/15, but details have not been released.)_

General Information can be found Here.

Details of the 2013 event can be found Here.




*Irvine Park Railroad Pumpkin Patch*

_(Located in Irvine, CA -- approximately 20-30 minutes from Anaheim.)_

General Information can be found Here.




*Knott’s Spooky Farm*

_(Located in Buena Park, CA, not too far from Disneyland Resort!)_

General Information can be found HERE.




*Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens' Boo at the Zoo*

_(Located in Los Angeles, CA.)_

General information can be found HERE.




*The Original Farmers Market at 3rd and Fairfax - Fall Festival*

_(Located in Los Angeles, CA, next door to The Grove shopping/entertainment center; approximately 45 minutes from Anaheim.  This event usually takes place over the 3rd weekend of October.  _

General information can be found HERE.

Details of 2013's Fall Festival can be found Here.




*Rise of the Jack O' Lanterns*

_(Located at Descanso Gardens, in La Canada Flintridge -- near Pasadena.  Drive time is approximately 42 minutes from Anaheim.)_

General Information can be found Here.




*Sea World San Diego's Halloween Spooktacular*

_(Located in San Diego CA, approximately 2 hours from Anaheim.)_

General Information can be found Here.



*
Walt Disney Concert Hal*l

_(Located in Downtown Los Angeles.  ON 10/31/15, there will be a "Halloween Organ With Film" featuring the classic "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde")_

General Information can be found Here.





*Horror/Gore/Fright-Oriented Attractions*​



*Knott's Scary Farm/Halloween Haunt*

General information can be found Here.

Details can be found Here.

"Knott's Scary Farm Halloween Haunt 2013" -- DIS Unplugged/The DIS; posted on October 7th, 2013 by Michael Bowling, Correspondent




*Los Angeles Haunted Hayride*

_(Located at the site of the former Zoo in Griffith Park, in Los Angeles, CA.)_

General Information can be found Here.




*The Queen Mary - Dark Harbor*

_(Located in Long Beach, CA, close to the Aquarium of the Pacific and maybe 35 minutes from Anaheim.)_

General information can be found Here.




*Six Flags Magic Mountain - Fright Fest*

_(Located in Valencia, CA, approximately 1 hr, 15 minutes from Anaheim.)_

General information can be found Here.




*Universal Studios Hollywood's Halloween Horror Nights*

_(Located in Universal City, CA, approximately 45 minutes from Anaheim.)_

General information can be found Here.

Details can be found Here.

"A Tale of Two Halloween Parties" -- A DIS Unplugged Podcast segment in which Tom Bell and Michael Bowling discuss their experiences at Mickey's Halloween Party and Universal Studios Hollywood's Halloween Horror Nights!! -- posted on October 2, 2014


​


----------



## Sherry E

*Trip Reports, Recaps and Reviews*

*(These Brave Souls Dared to Embark on Halloween Time Trips and Lived to Tell Their Tales!  Muahahahahaha!)*​


*(2015)*

*Figment's HalloweenTime Trip Reports, 2011 to 2015*


----------



## Sherry E

*Photos, Photos, Photos!!!*
_(all taken by Sherry E unless otherwise specified)_





_*Halloween Carnival/Halloween Roundup (located in Frontierland)*_

_*NOTE:  The Halloween Carnival did not return in 2015, including Conjure a Villain, Pirates League, pumpkin carvers, Halloween crafts and games, etc.  HOWEVER, some of the autumnal decorations shown in the photos below are currently in place at the Big Thunder Ranch/Halloween Round-Up.*_

































































































































































































​


----------



## Sherry E

*More Photos, Photos, Photos!!!*
_(all taken by Sherry E unless otherwise specified)_







_*Dia de los Muertos (located in Frontierland)*_































































































_*Ray Bradbury Halloween Tree (located in Frontierland)*_



































































*Also in Frontierland...*
















​


----------



## Sherry E

*Even More Photos, Photos, Photos!!!*
_(all taken by Sherry E unless otherwise specified)_




*Main Street Pumpkin Festival*

































































































































































​


----------



## mom2rtk

What gorgeous photos Sherry! I'm subscribing so I'll be in the know for the Halloween trip I still would love to take one day!


----------



## Amilo

Thanks so much for getting it started SherryE! I'm happy that I can follow this post from the beginning! 

I'm sure this has been addressed but haven't found the answer: when do they announce the Halloween party dates? I'm going in October so I'm excited to catch the party!... Also, does everyone wear costumes to the party or are there a good number of people that don't?

Thanks!


----------



## figment_jii

Hi *Sherry*!  Thank you for setting up the new HalloweenTime Superthread!  I can't wait to start to talking about HalloweenTime 2014!  

Just to kick it off...my favorite of the recent HMH gingerbread houses!  This is the one from 2011.











Amilo said:


> I'm sure this has been addressed but haven't found the answer: when do they announce the Halloween party dates? I'm going in October so I'm excited to catch the party!... Also, does everyone wear costumes to the party or are there a good number of people that don't?


Last year, I think they announced the dates in June with tickets going on sale in July.  There might be some preliminary HalloweenTime information coming out soon (with the next AP Backstage Newsletter), but as we learned last year, it's all preliminary until they start selling tickets.  In terms of the party, you'll see a nice mixture of in-costume and non-costumed guests.  It's a good enough balance that neither group feels out of place.  So if you want to wear a costume, I say go for it*!  If you don't want to wear a costume, you don't have to.

*MHP is one of the only chances adults have to wear a costume to the parks.  There are some rules about the costumes, but for the most part is boils down to wear something safe and something that is appropriate for a family-focused event.


----------



## 6Smiles

Looks great Sherry and I am so excited we get to go during Halloween this year. We are planning a MHP as Star Wars characters.  So Excited

FigmentJii awesome pictures of the houses!

Kris


----------



## Sherry E

mom2rtk said:


> What gorgeous photos Sherry! I'm subscribing so I'll be in the know for the Halloween trip I still would love to take one day!



Thank you, *Janet*!  The pictures are nowhere near as good as anything you would take, but I needed a group of photos with a lot of orange in them, so they would 'pop' even in a smaller size!

Welcome!  It's always a good idea to stay up to date on what's happening in any particular season you're interested in experiencing one day.  

You've tackled the holiday season -- and that was a bigger task to take on, I would say.  So Halloween Time should be an easier endeavor.  Despite the number of posts I have blocked/reserved on page 1 of this thread, Halloween Time isn't nearly as big/extensive/involved of a Resort-wide event as the holiday season is...that is, unless DLR begins to build it up again (which I'm hoping).  

And the funny thing is, there are still quite a few elements of Halloween Time that people aren't even necessarily familiar with, or have never been interested in.  For example, there are many people who have not done the Happiest Haunts tour (myself included).  A lot of people overlook the Dia de los Muertos display.  Many people never notice the Ray Bradbury tree in the daytime or at night.  Lots of people have never seen the Halloween version of the Mad T Party (I don't think the Halloween touches are very obvious at first).  Some folks have never even made it back to the Halloween Carnival (which used to just be the Halloween Roundup) -- and the Carnival is one of the main hubs of activity during Halloween Time!

I guess people mainly go for Haunted Mansion Holiday, Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy and Mickey's Halloween Party, and that's all they need to see and do!





Amilo said:


> Thanks so much for getting it started SherryE! I'm happy that I can follow this post from the beginning!
> 
> I'm sure this has been addressed but haven't found the answer: when do they announce the Halloween party dates? I'm going in October so I'm excited to catch the party!... Also, does everyone wear costumes to the party or are there a good number of people that don't?
> 
> Thanks!



Welcome, *Amilo*!

You're very welcome!  I think you share the same idea that a lot of people have -- they want to jump in on a thread when it's new, before it gets too far along, so they don't feel that they have missed out on anything crucial.

I had to get the thread started because it was at a point where we would probably hit the page limit before the Halloween season even kicks off -- or right in the middle of it -- and it would be a pain to have to switch over in the middle of everything.  Also, it was obvious that I was going to have to give the thread a major overhaul, and create a better layout of information and photos on page 1, like what I have in my Christmas/Holiday Season Supoerthread.  

So, here we are, in our new home -- and I have much "unpacking" and "organizing" to do on page 1, which will take quite a while, and it will have to be done piece by piece, a little at a time!

As for the MHP -- The official announcement of dates has come as early as May in the past.  I would not be surprised if we hear something from the Parks Blog or another Disney information outlet by the end of this month.  If not this month, then we should know by June.  Then the tickets will go on sale to AP Holders/DVC owners and Disney Visa card holders in late June or July, most likely, with the general public ticket sales _probably_ happening in late July.

I have never worn a costume to the MHP.  I have noticed about a 50/50 split -- half of the guests seem to be in costume and half seem to not be in costume.  So if you chose to not wear one, you wouldn't stick out (which I know some folks worry about). 

I really enjoy seeing the elaborate costumes (they can be both creative and funny), but I have not yet dared to dress up as a giant artichoke or coffee cup or something.

People who do wear costumes love doing it and say that it is one of the best things about the MHP -- being able to dress up in Disneyland!


----------



## Cheshirecatty

*The 1st page is absolutely beautiful, Sherry!*

*Thank You *for your amazing and time consuming work, in organizing and preparing everything for the benefit of the rest of us!!! 

So *thrilled* for this thread----I bow!


----------



## Sherry E

figment_jii said:


> Hi *Sherry*!  Thank you for setting up the new HalloweenTime Superthread!  I can't wait to start to talking about HalloweenTime 2014!
> 
> Just to kick it off...my favorite of the recent HMH gingerbread houses!  This is the one from 2011.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Last year, I think they announced the dates in June with tickets going on sale in July.  There might be some preliminary HalloweenTime information coming out soon (with the next AP Backstage Newsletter), but as we learned last year, it's all preliminary until they start selling tickets.  In terms of the party, you'll see a nice mixture of in-costume and non-costumed guests.  It's a good enough balance that neither group feels out of place.  So if you want to wear a costume, I say go for it*!  If you don't want to wear a costume, you don't have to.
> 
> *MHP is one of the only chances adults have to wear a costume to the parks.  There are some rules about the costumes, but for the most part is boils down to wear something safe and something that is appropriate for a family-focused event.





6Smiles said:


> Looks great Sherry and I am so excited we get to go during Halloween this year. We are planning a MHP as Star Wars characters.  So Excited
> 
> FigmentJii awesome pictures of the houses!
> 
> Kris






Cheshirecatty said:


> *The 1st page is absolutely beautiful, Sherry!*
> 
> *Thank You *for your amazing and time consuming work, in organizing and preparing everything for the benefit of the rest of us!!!
> 
> So *thrilled* for this thread----I bow!





Hello, *figment_jii* and *Kris*!  

Welcome, everyone!

I cannot manage a photo of the HMH gingerbread house to save my life, so I am thrilled that there are others who have managed to get nice clear shots of it!

I think Star Wars characters sound like a great idea for costumes!


Welcome, *Cheshirecatty*!  Thank you for the kind words!

​


----------



## Kilala

I will post the pictures from Oct. 30th from MHP. I will also post pictures of what costumes I will be wearing this year to MHP.


----------



## pixiepirate

SherryE, you have my curiosity piqued, tell me more about the Ray Bradbury tree and the Halloween Carnival.


----------



## Sherry E

Kilala said:


> I will post the pictures from Oct. 30th from MHP. I will also post pictures of what costumes I will be wearing this year to MHP.



*Kilala --*

Awesome!  Your photos are always so much fun!





pixiepirate said:


> SherryE, you have my curiosity piqued, tell me more about the Ray Bradbury tree and the Halloween Carnival.



Hello and welcome, *pixiepirate*!

*The Ray Bradbury Halloween Tree* was introduced to Disneyland in 2007, if I recall.  The tree itself _may_ have technically been there (in Frontierland) before (I'm not sure) and was then dedicated in Ray Bradbury's name in 2007.  It's a rather unassuming-looking tree in the daytime -- it is easy to walk past it and not even really notice.  It doesn't particularly stand out, though the pumpkin ornaments on it all have interesting facial expressions.  At night it's a whole different story, as it glows with bright orange-ish red lights.



This was our Theme Week Countdown intro post featuring the Halloween Tree in 2012, including a photo of the dedication plaque -- *Here*.






This was the tree in the daytime, in September 2013: 
























This was the tree at night in September 2013 (I also posted a thumbnail of it in the first post on page 1, which is the one with the moon hovering nearby):







​
*As for the Halloween Carnival...*

The Carnival (a.k.a. the Halloween Roundup) is next to the Ranch/BBQ in Frontierland and is one of the main areas of Halloween Time activity and decor during the Halloween season.  This is where you will find a petting zoo (the little animals wear Halloween-themed scarves);  very talented pumpkin carvers/artists;  Pirates League (where kids can get pirate makeovers);  Conjure a Villain (where you can meet one Villain at a time);  candy corn-colored cotton candy;  various Halloween-themed crafts and games;  and characters in Halloween-themed attire. 

You will also find all sorts of autumnal touches around the Carnival and the Roundup, including (what I call) "pumpkin people" -- or various pumpkin figures who might be holding instruments, dressed as a pirate, singing opera, etc.  There are card playing cowboy pumpkin people inside the Scare-Dy Crow Shack, which serves as a place to display vintage Halloween decorations and nothing else.


Here are some photos of the Carnival from 2013:

Halloween Carnival 2013, Part 1

Halloween Carnival 2013, Part 2



My Halloween Roundup photos from the Theme Week Countdown of 2012, including my "pumpkin palooza" pictures -- *Here*, *Here*, *Here*, *Here*, *Here*, and *Here*



*Bret/mvf-m11c's* Roundup photos from the Countdown of 2012 - Here.


From *Bret/mvf-m11c* - Including some Halloween Carnival shots - September 2013

More photos from *Bret/mvf-m11c* - September 2013

​


----------



## Vintage Mouseketeer

Checking in , and Subscribing!!!  

Cannot thank you enough for the Super Threads. 

:-D


----------



## figment_jii

pixiepirate said:


> SherryE, you have my curiosity piqued, tell me more about the Ray Bradbury tree and the Halloween Carnival.



I should take a look at the tree next time I'm there when it's _not_ Halloween to see if the plaque changes (I think it must), but this was the plaque by the tree last year.








Sherry E said:


> I cannot manage a photo of the HMH gingerbread house to save my life, so I am thrilled that there are others who have managed to get nice clear shots of it!


 You should see how many photos I have of the gingerbread house(s) that did not come out!  As they say, it takes a lot of photos to get one good one!  Thank goodness digital film is cheap.


----------



## Cheshirecatty

*Figment*.I don't think we've ever stopped to read that plaque!

We will have to do that this October---*Thanks* for posting!


----------



## Sherry E

Vintage Mouseketeer said:


> Checking in , and Subscribing!!!
> 
> Cannot thank you enough for the Super Threads.
> 
> :-D



Welcome aboard, *Vintage Mouseketeer*!  Thank you for joining in, and thank you for the kind words!





figment_jii said:


> I should take a look at the tree next time I'm there when it's _not_ Halloween to see if the plaque changes (I think it must), but this was the plaque by the tree last year.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> You should see how many photos I have of the gingerbread house(s) that did not come out!  *As they say, it takes a lot of photos to get one good one!  *Thank goodness digital film is cheap.




*figment_jii -- *

I know that to be true, because even though I don't have a million photos of the gingerbread house inside HMH, I have a million photos of other things.  I keep snapping until I get one that I'm happy with for many things!  I will stand there by the GCH Christmas tree and keep snapping until I get one that I like.

You got some good HMH pictures!

I do wonder if that oak tree was there in Frontierland all along, and then just became the Ray Bradbury tree in 2007!  Lol.

figment_jii -- You should post some of your extra-fun Halloween Treats photos (like the ones you posted in the Dining thread quite a while back)!  I think everyone would enjoy seeing those very much!  (The idea just popped into my head this very second!)





Cheshirecatty said:


> *Figment*….I don't think we've ever stopped to read that plaque!
> 
> We will have to do that this October---*Thanks* for posting!



*Cheshirecatty --*

I think a lot of people overlook it, as I mentioned to Janet earlier.  The tree doesn't really stand out as being a Ray Bradbury tree.  It just looks like a tree with pumpkin ornaments.  At night it actually gets people's attention!

Did you read the plaque and see the masks on it?  (There is also a close-up photo of it in the very first link I posted above, where it says "This was our Theme Week Countdown intro post featuring the Halloween Tree in 2012, including a photo of the dedication plaque..."  It's the first photo.)  I am guessing that the faces are from Ray Bradbury's story, "The Halloween Tree"??  I'm not sure, but it would make sense.


----------



## DLtorgo

I just subscribed. I have been at Halloween but many years ago before Ghost Galaxy and MHP.  I am very excited to see both.


----------



## Cheshirecatty

*Oh my goodness Sherry*

I just checked out the 2012 link, and I *love* the closeup of the plaque!

I don't know how I missed seeing that particular picture in that thread, but *thanks so much* for specifically directing me to it!!!!! 

By the way, I've never taken *day time pics* of the Ray Bradbury tree, or recall seeing any, but yours are fantastic!


----------



## DisneyJamieCA

I'm here! *HI*

I'm so excited for our Halloweentime trip this year. Now the pressure is on to find the kids some great costumes since they'll have more than just TOT around here to wear them at!


----------



## crystal1313

I'm here too!  Hoping to go again this year!  Yay!!  Thanks Sherry for all that you do.  This thread is fantastic!!


----------



## scrappymel

I'm here too! So excited about our fist family trip to DLR at Halloweentime! Thanks for this thread; I know it must be a ton of work. Can't wait to see where it goes...

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards


----------



## Sherry E

*I'm going to have to temporarily disappear and hope that figment_jii, Cheshirecatty, Kilala, Kristin (if she makes it over here), Bret/mvf-m11c, Vintage Mousketeer, crystal1313 and any other Halloween Time visitors jump in and tackle questions here as they come in...or I might never get page 1 finished!  

I have to 'unpack the boxes and set up the rooms in the new house,' shall we say, which will require some organization and moving things around between posts (rooms).

I know and trust that all of my knowledgeable fellow Halloween Time vets and fans can shed insight and give help when needed!*





DLtorgo said:


> I just subscribed. I have been at Halloween but many years ago before Ghost Galaxy and MHP.  I am very excited to see both.



Welcome, *DLtorgo*!

The Halloween Party was probably still in DCA the last time you were there, I am assuming?  The Disneyland location is quite fun as far as where the different treat trails are set up, but in a way I kind of miss the party being in California Adventure.

Stay tuned, as I will be posting some links to reviews of last year's MHP (some of which were from first-time MHP attendees) in the MHP section of page 1.  There was an interesting array of reviews last year from what I recall, ranging from positive to 'not that great.'





Cheshirecatty said:


> *Oh my goodness Sherry…*
> 
> I just checked out the 2012 link, and I *love* the closeup of the plaque!
> 
> I don't know how I missed seeing that particular picture in that thread, but *thanks so much* for specifically directing me to it!!!!!
> 
> By the way, I've never taken *day time pics* of the Ray Bradbury tree, or recall seeing any, but yours are fantastic!



*Cheshirecatty --*

  Thank you, and you're very kind, but I only directed you to the post because I was trying to figure out if those masks/faces on the plaque were from Ray Bradbury's story, _The Halloween Tree_, and I hoped you knew!  I thought that the faces were sort of easy to see in the picture, but upon second glance I think there might be too much "tree reflection" in the photo!

I have very, very little recollection of "The Halloween Tree" so I don't remember anything in it.  Ironically, my first awareness of Ray Bradbury as a child had nothing to do with Halloween but instead came through _The Twilight Zone_, as the "I Sing the Body Electric" episode was his story.

In a way I kind of like that the tree is subtle and not "in-your-face" in its location in Disneyland.  I would imagine that many people pass it and just think, "Oh, there is a nice little tree with some Halloween ornaments on it."  At the same time, it's such a nice little quiet tribute to Mr. Bradbury -- which he luckily got to see before he passed away -- and it's sort of sad that a lot of folks don't know it's there.  I rather like it because the pumpkins all have very expressive faces!  I just need to know the meaning of those masks/faces on the plaque, or they will haunt me forever!





DisneyJamieCA said:


> I'm here! *HI*
> 
> I'm so excited for our Halloweentime trip this year. Now the pressure is on to find the kids some great costumes since they'll have more than just TOT around here to wear them at!



Welcome, *Jamie*!







crystal1313 said:


> I'm here too!  Hoping to go again this year!  Yay!!  Thanks Sherry for all that you do.  This thread is fantastic!!



Welcome, *crystal1313*!  

Thank you for the kind words.

At least there probably won't be an Unleash the Villains event happening this year (if the sole purpose of it was that it was happening on Friday the 13th, and the first day of Halloween Time), so that will hopefully mean less madness and mayhem in Disneyland, and specifically around NOS and Town Square!




scrappymel said:


> I'm here too! So excited about our fist family trip to DLR at Halloweentime! Thanks for this thread; I know it must be a ton of work. Can't wait to see where it goes...
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards



Welcome, *scrappymel*!

I'm so glad you have joined us.  I think the family Halloween Time trip will be great fun for you -- it's a wonderful time of year to go.

Yes -- this thread and the Christmas/holiday season thread are a lot of work, but they get to points where they can kind of coast along without much maintenance for a while (that is, after I have filled in all of page 1!). It's when I get backlogged on getting them organized (like when I was having horrible computer issues) that everything begins to pile up and it is a race to try to get them updated and complete before the seasons roll around!

Stay tuned to page 1, as I will probably be adding in links and info to each post, one by one, a little at a time.


----------



## Kilala

Here are some pictures from MHT at DCA in 2006. This was my first party.


















More pictures coming up, including costumes I will be wearing at this years MHP.


----------



## I'm mikey

Here's a few picture from the first week of October 2013.


----------



## Cheshirecatty

*I'm mikey,*

Those pictures are *incredible!*

They make me want October.to.come.NOW.


----------



## Alohagirl73

Woohoo!  Sooo exciting!  Can't wait to know when those party dates will be.

Thanks Sherry for all of your hard work.


----------



## eileenkeeney

I figured out that one party date would be October 14, after seeing a calendar that showed the DL MK closing at 7pm that night.
But I don't remember where I saw that calendar, I thought it was the Disney site, but now I can't find it.

We are there October 13-17 (checking out on the 17).

I will probably use the same Cheshire Cat costume I made for last year.  It was a hit with Alice and the Mad Hatter.
But I think I am going to replace the glow sticks with LED lights, so I can turn them off.
It didn't really give the full effect I was after, because the park was too light even after dark.
Maybe I should go with a black background, and pink lights for the stripes.
Maybe make it reversible.
The look I am after, is the Cheshire cat when he is partially invisible.

I don't have to worry as much about heat this year, since it is DL in October, and not WDW in September.


----------



## DenaRox

I'm here happily following along. Everything looks amazing!!!!!

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards


----------



## Kilala

I'm mikey said:


> Here's a few picture from the first week of October 2013.



I love the photos!!


----------



## mummabear

This is from Halloween 2005 =)








Halloween Opening 2012


----------



## trishakay84

Hi, everyone! I'm excited to follow this thread, since (if plans work out) we'll be taking our first Halloween Time trip to Disneyland the last week of September! We are usually Christmas trip people, going the first week of December for the past 2 years, but we just found out that I'm pregnant with baby #3, and due in December! So now the hope is for a September trip as a way to get DS6 & DS4 back to Disneyland before baby comes, because I'm thinking we won't get back again until baby is past the toddler stage. DS4 has been not so patiently waiting for his chance to ride RSR, as he's been just a little too short on our past trips. RSR is my favorite ride too, but I will happily sit this one out to experience Disneyland again sooner than later, and to see his excitement when he measures tall enough!

I do have a question regarding Cars Land in late September - will they play the Sh-Boom song for the neon-lighting at dusk? On our December trips, DH has been on Route 66 with DS4 during the neon-lighting, and DS6 & I missed it both years, but I'd rather hear Sh-Boom like in the movie instead of Winter Wonderland that they play during the holiday season.

Also, I've seen reference to a different set of fireworks during the MHP - Screams? I don't think we're planning to buy tickets for MHP, so we'd miss the Screams fireworks other than what we could see from the esplanade, but would the Remember Dreams Come True fireworks show on Saturday & Sunday? Our flight lands at LAX around 9am Wednesday Sept 24 and we fly out in the evening on Wednesday Oct 1, and I've been playing around with the plan as to which days will be park days, trying to avoid the busy weekend, but maybe going on Sunday would be okay if we get up early enough for rope drop, break for nap in the afternoon, and then go back.

Thanks so much for this thread!


----------



## figment_jii

Sherry E said:


> *I'm going to have to temporarily disappear and hope that figment_jii, Cheshirecatty, Kilala, Kristin (if she makes it over here), Bret/mvf-m11c, Vintage Mousketeer, crystal1313 and any other Halloween Time visitors jump in and tackle questions here as they come in...or I might never get page 1 finished! *


*
Going on a trip or working on page 1?  Come back soon either way!



eileenkeeney said:



			I figured out that one party date would be October 14, after seeing a calendar that showed the DL MK closing at 7pm that night. But I don't remember where I saw that calendar, I thought it was the Disney site, but now I can't find it.
		
Click to expand...

Disneyland Resort (DLR, which includes both Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure) doesn't release their park hours until about 45-days in advance (6-weeks).  My guess is that you were looking at a calendar for MK (Magic Kingdom at WDW) rather than one for Disneyland (DL).  10/14 is a Tuesday, so there is a good chance that there will be a party that night, but historically the party starts at 6:00 pm when it's on a Tuesday (7:00 pm is for Friday night parties).



trishakay84 said:



			Also, I've seen reference to a different set of fireworks during the MHP - Screams? I don't think we're planning to buy tickets for MHP, so we'd miss the Screams fireworks other than what we could see from the esplanade, but would the Remember Dreams Come True fireworks show on Saturday & Sunday?
		
Click to expand...

Yes, MHP has it's own fireworks show called Halloween Screams!  It's a very good show with special elements (including Zero!).  Last year, the normal fireworks show during Sept-Oct was "Remember Dreams Come True", so that's likely to be the one showing again this upcoming Sept/Oct on Sat/Sun nights.*


----------



## Sherry E

figment_jii said:


> Going on a trip or working on page 1?  Come back soon either way!



Page 1!  I must get that at least partially finished!

I only wish I were going on a trip! 

At least it's _only supposed to be in the 80-degree range_ today.  (<<<Those are words you will ordinarily never hear from me, unless there has been a crazy heat wave in SoCal for the last few days!  You know it's been hot when I am relieved to see an 80-something day!)

I've gotten a little bit done on the Dining/Treats post on page 1 (though I gave it a different name than that -- "Ghoulish Grub, Terrifying Treats and Perilous Potions"!) -- it is not finished yet by any means, but you can see my progress so far.  And I am in the middle of adding some things to the Other Things to Do ("Other Haunted Happenings and Spooky Sights to See...") post right at this very moment.  I'll be sneaking things into the posts on page 1 quietly, behind the scenes, when no one is paying attention!

Thank you for tackling the questions and doling out the responses!  I appreciate it.

ETA:  I was mistaken.  It's "only" above 90 degrees today,  Not in the 80's, as previously stated.



*Welcome to I'm mikey, Dena, Trisha, mummabear, eileenkeeney and Alohagirl73 (I don't think I forgot anyone)!!!  Thank you for joining us!*


​


----------



## mummabear

Despite having gone twice during the Halloween season (although never for MHP sadly) I'm not sure if all the Halloween decorations are up for the first weekend of Halloween season in September or do they add more through the month?


----------



## Mary484

I think they're all up by the start date. There will be some before the official opening date, though. And be prepared that at the end of October, some Christmas decorations start to show up.


----------



## Sherry E

mummabear said:


> Despite having gone twice during the Halloween season (although never for MHP sadly) I'm not sure if all the Halloween decorations are up for the first weekend of Halloween season in September or do they add more through the month?




*mummabear --*

Yes -- everything will be in place by the first official day of Halloween Time (except MHP-specific things), and maybe earlier. 

The official "Halloween Time" season, as it is now known, didn't actually begin with that name/title until 2006 (according to the historical dates I looked up online and posted towards the end of the previous Superthread that I found), so things were probably done a bit differently during the year of your first Halloween trip in 2005 -- meaning that the decorations were likely not out and on display by a hard start date in mid-September at that point. Haunted Mansion Holiday has been around since 2001, so those HMH-specific decorations would have been around on whichever date HMH opened in 2005.


As *Mary484* said (by the way, welcome, *Mary*!), some of the holiday season decorations do, indeed, appear before October 31st -- which I referenced in Post #1/Page 1 of this thread and in the Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread this way:  "_There is even a rather fun 'colliding holidays'/crossover period of time in which pumpkins still dot the Disneyland landscape while wreaths and garland slowly move in_."  

This is a necessity, as the holiday season is a major, all-encompassing, resort-wide undertaking at DLR and the decorations process has to start early or it would never be done on time.

I was told by a CM last year that DLR tries to handle the holiday decorations transition in a way where that certain things make sense.  In other words, they're most likely not going to place Christmas trees side by side with pumpkins, but the snow appearing on the Castle is something that can signal the changing of the seasons and weather in certain spots.  In some places around the world, it will be snowing in October!

I think that, at one point, some of the New Orleans Square decorations were appearing before Halloween as well.  I don't know if that still happens, but the masks seem fitting to me to be out and on display before Halloween.



That said, some of the Halloween things begin to appear in August!  There have been reports of Halloween merchandise, in-store displays and window displays popping up in August.  Some of the seasonal goodies begin to appear early too.

As for the more obvious Halloween decorations, the above-turnstile pumpkins appear earlier in the week before Halloween Time begins.  So let's say Halloween Time begins on Friday, 9/12 this year -- and I don't know that it will, but let's use that as a date for the purposes of my example.  If 9/12 were the start date, the turnstile character pumpkins would probably appear on 9/8, if not earlier than that!

The giant Mickey pumpkin that holds court in Town Square seems to appear within a day or two of the Halloween Time season start date.

The Halloween Carnival/Roundup begins to get its overlay a bit early, though the Villains probably wouldn't be there before the Halloween Time start date.

I'm not sure how early the pumpkins in the windows and on balconies along Main Street begin to go up.

In any event, all of the Halloween Time decor and events will be in effect on the start date of the season -- except for anything involved in the MHP!


----------



## pixiepirate

> Hello and welcome, *pixiepirate*!
> 
> *The Ray Bradbury Halloween Tree* was introduced to Disneyland in 2007, if I recall.  The tree itself _may_ have technically been there (in Frontierland) before (I'm not sure) and was then dedicated in Ray Bradbury's name in 2007.  It's a rather unassuming-looking tree in the daytime -- it is easy to walk past it and not even really notice.  It doesn't particularly stand out, though the pumpkin ornaments on it all have interesting facial expressions.  At night it's a whole different story, as it glows with bright orange-ish red lights.



SherryE, thanks for the info.  What a nice tribute to Ray Bradbury.  I will definitely check out the tree, both day and night.  In the meantime I will try to scare up a copy of _The Halloween Tree_.


----------



## trishakay84

Thanks for the welcome, and thank you Figment for the fireworks info! Just going to quote my other question in case anyone knows the answer, don't want it to get lost in the shuffle  Thanks again!



trishakay84 said:


> I do have a question regarding Cars Land in late September - will they play the Sh-Boom song for the neon-lighting at dusk? On our December trips, DH has been on Route 66 with DS4 during the neon-lighting, and DS6 & I missed it both years, but I'd rather hear Sh-Boom like in the movie instead of Winter Wonderland that they play during the holiday season.


----------



## Sherry E

*Be sure to periodically check the posts on Page 1 of this thread, as I am going to continue adding to them over time until I am finished.  Today I added info to at least 5 posts -- none of which are complete, but there is a lot of info there already (especially about goodies and about Haunted Mansion Holiday)!

Pay particular attention to the "Ghoulish Grub, Terrifying Treats and Perilous Potions" post (which is not complete).  It's easy to assume that all of those blogs and articles that I linked contain the same photos and information -- not true!

In fact, every so often the Disney Parks Blog will release a detailed list of Autumn/Halloween menu items and snacks with some surprises, and the Disney Food Blog is forever coming up with lesser-known items to write about.

I've always suspected that there is probably a good handful of seasonal items that people are aware of -- maybe the things that can easily be seen on the shelves or in the display cases of the sweets/bake shops -- and a handful of seasonal items that people don't know about, such as items offered at the table service restaurants.

And if you are a big fan of Autumn/Halloween goodies, you don't want to miss anything!
*




pixiepirate said:


> SherryE, thanks for the info.  What a nice tribute to Ray Bradbury.  I will definitely check out the tree, both day and night.  In the meantime I will try to scare up a copy of _The Halloween Tree_.



*pixiepirate --*

You're welcome!

Let me know if you come up with a copy of _The Halloween Tree._  I am so curious to know if those faces/masks on the plaque are characters in the story, or part of the story in any way!





trishakay84 said:


> Thanks for the welcome, and thank you Hydroguy for the fireworks info! Just going to quote my other question in case anyone knows the answer, don't want it to get lost in the shuffle  Thanks again!



*Trisha --*

I think it was *figment_jii* who answered the Halloween Screams fireworks question here (maybe HydroGuy gave you fireworks info elsewhere)?

I wish I knew about the song!  I have never been in Cars Land during Halloween Time, exactly when the lighting happens.  I can tell you that, for the last two Halloween seasons, Cars Land has not been involved in the seasonal festivities at all -- unlike during the holiday season, when Cars Land is very much involved.  So, assuming that Cars Land will not be celebrating Halloween Time again this year, I can't see why the song would change in September.

Things can always change -- maybe Cars Land will suddenly get in the Halloween spirit and themed songs will begin playing, but so far...nothing Halloween-ish in Cars Land, so I would guess that the non-seasonal songs still play.  I don't think _Winter Wonderland_ enters the picture until November!


----------



## trishakay84

Sherry E said:


> *Trisha --*
> 
> I think it was *figment_jii* who answered the Halloween Screams fireworks question here (maybe HydroGuy gave you fireworks info elsewhere)?
> 
> I wish I knew about the song!  I have never been in Cars Land during Halloween Time, exactly when the lighting happens.  I can tell you that, for the last two Halloween seasons, Cars Land has not been involved in the seasonal festivities at all -- unlike during the holiday season, when Cars Land is very much involved.  So, assuming that Cars Land will not be celebrating Halloween Time again this year, I can't see why the song would change in September.
> 
> Things can always change -- maybe Cars Land will suddenly get in the Halloween spirit and themed songs will begin playing, but so far...nothing Halloween-ish in Cars Land, so I would guess that the non-seasonal songs still play.  I don't think _Winter Wonderland_ enters the picture until November!




Ooops, I'm so sorry for the mistake. I had just read some of Hydroguy's rules and I think that is what mixed me up. So a big thank you to Figment for answering the question, and I edited my post above! *embarrassed blush*

And thank you also to Sherry for the Cars Land info as far as nothing Halloween-ish there, I will hope for Sh-Boom!


----------



## mvf-m11c

I'm a little late to the party but you know that I will be here as well. I can't believe we are now on the 4th HalloweenTime Superthread. Times goes by quickly and all of a sudden we are now on the 4th installment. As you know Sherry that I am more of the holiday season at the DLR but it is so amazing during the Halloween season. 

Here are some of my contributions and many more on the Halloween Superthread


----------



## Sherry E

trishakay84 said:


> Ooops, I'm so sorry for the mistake. I had just read some of Hydroguy's rules and I think that is what mixed me up. So a big thank you to Figment for answering the question, and I edited my post above! *embarrassed blush*
> 
> And thank you also to Sherry for the Cars Land info as far as nothing Halloween-ish there, I will hope for Sh-Boom!



*Trisha --*

You're very welcome!

Oh, no worries!  I goof all the time.  I knew who you meant, but I wanted to make sure that *figment_jii* got the credit for giving you the answer...and not HydroGuy, who isn't even in this thread!



mvf-m11c said:


> I'm a little late to the party but you know that I will be here as well. I can't believe we are now on the 4th HalloweenTime Superthread. Times goes by quickly and all of a sudden we are now on the 4th installment. As you know Sherry that I am more of the holiday season at the DLR but it is so amazing during the Halloween season.
> 
> Here are some of my contributions and many more on the Halloween Superthread



*Bret --*

Yay!  You made it!  Better late than never -- and, actually, this thread only started yesterday so you're not that late!

I figured you would get here sooner or later, but that you had been busy with DLR and with work.  I've been linking some of your posts with photos in them, both in this thread and in the October Check-In thread, but I know that the followers want to actually see your stunning pictures (like the ones you just posted above!) on the pages of the Superthread and not just in links!

We couldn't have a Halloween Superthread or a Holiday/Christmas Superthread without you -- that's for sure!  Everyone will benefit from seeing your wonderful photos, and gaining some insight on Halloween Screams.  I get the feeling that there are a lot of newcomers to DLR heading to the MHP and Halloween Time this year, and Halloween Screams will be a big topic of discussion, I think.  


By the way, I think I forgot to thank *Kilala, mummabear and I'm mikey* for posting their fantastic photos as well!  We are off to a great start in this new thread, thanks to everyone here!


----------



## tksbaskets

I'm in!  Thanks Sherryfor this cool thread!


----------



## whoopsiedoodle

Following!!!  It's still a ways down the line, but we are planning a Halloween visit in 2016.  We started our fund last week and the kids are so excited (But not nearly as much as this Halloween loving mama!!!!)


----------



## Amilo

FANTASMIC in October? (DLR): I was talking to the tours department yesterday, and she was noting that they only do Fantasmic fri, sat, Sun in October. I am not going to be there on any Saturdays or Sundays... the Friday will likely be a Halloween party... do they show fantasmic during the Halloween party? Or do they show it before so non MHP guests can see it?


----------



## Kilala

Amilo said:


> FANTASMIC in October? (DLR): I was talking to the tours department yesterday, and she was noting that they only do Fantasmic fri, sat, Sun in October. I am not going to be there on any Saturdays or Sundays... the Friday will likely be a Halloween party... do they show fantasmic during the Halloween party? Or do they show it before so non MHP guests can see it?



As far as I can remember they do not have Fantasmic during MHP.


----------



## Amilo

Kilala said:
			
		

> As far as I can remember they do not have Fantasmic during MHP.



I'm more inclined to believe you than the tour lady.... She really didn't seem sure about the answers she was giving.


----------



## figment_jii

As Kilala said, they do not show Fantasmic during MHP.  They use the Columbia as a backdrop for the Peter Pan/Jack Sparrow meet and greet and the Cadaver Dans used one do the rafts to do their show from (last year was the first time).  So if there are parties on all of the Friday nights in October, then Fantasmic will only showing on Sat and Sun nights.


----------



## Sherry E

tksbaskets said:


> I'm in!  Thanks Sherry for this cool thread!



Welcome, *TK*! 

I'm so glad you joined in!



whoopsiedoodle said:


> Following!!!  It's still a ways down the line, but we are planning a Halloween visit in 2016.  We started our fund last week and the kids are so excited (But not nearly as much as this Halloween loving mama!!!!)



*whoopsiedoodle --*

Welcome!   It's never too early (or too late) to join in and enjoy the Halloween Time info, photos and discussion!


​

*Good morning, everyone!*

_(By the way, I should probably point out that the reason I will randomly throw this guy -  - into posts is because he was dubbed the Halloween Superthread mascot way back in Superthread #2, I think it was, and he has held that title ever since.  Let's face it -- he is a creepy, weird emoticon, with terrible dance moves.  So, fittingly, he was given the name Creepy Dancing Guy, but there were those who also referred to him as Gus.  Either way, I am certain that I would run, screaming, into the night if ever I were to encounter him on the street somewhere, but in the Superthread I can keep a safe distance!)_


*Yesterday I was busily locating, compiling and assembling more info that is to be inserted into the various posts on page 1...much more info that I had planned to deal with, quite frankly, but that's what ends up happening.  I start out looking for one thing -- one little website or one little link -- and by the end of the day I have saved a 20-page Word document with all sorts of sites and links (and that is not including the info that I have already saved in totally separate Word documents, which is going to end up somewhere on page 1 as well!).  The scary thing is that there is still more info that I need to find!  

And then...I am never satisfied with where/how I have placed the information in certain posts, so I am constantly rearranging things, or re-formatting things.  Anyway, I think it's better to have all of the information there than to not have it.  It will help some people, I'm quite certain. * 


*Okay, down to business...*

It seems to me that there are many folks out there (some lurking, some participating, some posting outside of this thread) who are visiting DLR for their very first Halloween Time experiences this year (whether or not they realized that Halloween Time would be happening when they first set their dates).  Those Halloween Time trips may or may not include Mickey's Halloween Party.  

I want to go over just a few basic things for the Halloween Time first-timers, and for those who have no idea what to expect:



*You can enjoy Halloween Time without attending Mickey's Halloween Party! *

I think there is a common belief that the whole season revolves around the MHP, and that if you don't buy an MHP ticket you won't be able to enjoy the decorations and Halloween offerings.  This is not true.  While there are certain things at the MHP that will not be available during regular park hours, there is enough to see during the daytime if you know where to look.


_*These are the Mickey's Halloween Party Exclusives*_:


Halloween Screams fireworks (with "Master of Scaremonies," Jack Skellington; This is a lively, fun fireworks show with great effects);


Mickey's Costume Party Cavalcade (a simple mini-parade, with a few small floats and characters in costume);


Trick or treating (for all ages!) along various treat trails and at treat stations in the park (you will collect a lot of candy and healthy treats, so bring an extra bag!);


Being able to wear costumes in the park (which is not allowed during regular park hours);


More access to the Villains, as they will be more available at the MHP than they are during regular operating hours;


Character photo spots and characters that may not be out in the daytime;


The "Cadaver Dans," illuminated by an eerie glow, performing special themed songs;


Shorter lines for certain rides, but not for others;


At least 2 different "dance parties" (dance stations/floors), with DJs, located in the park; and


Extra decorations and spooky, theme-appropriate lighting effects.



_*This is what you can see and enjoy any day of the Halloween Time season, during regular non-party hours (and some of it will be open during party hours too)*_:


Haunted Mansion Holiday;


Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy;


Jack Skellington and Sally greeting guests in New Orleans Square;


The Halloween Carnival/Roundup/Big Thunder Ranch, which includes:

1.  The Conjure a Villain tent; 
2.  The Pirates League station;
3.  Characters in Halloween attire;
4.  Wonderfully intricate carved pumpkins;
5.  Halloween-themed games;
6.  Halloween-themed treats, such as candy corn-colored cotton candy;
7.  Halloween-themed crafts;
8.  Music (not sure who will be entertaining the guests this year, as Billy Hill and the Haunted Hillbillies are gone);
9.  All sorts of pumpkin figures and general Autumn-inspired decor;
10.  A petting zoo with cute goats in Halloween scarves; and
11.  The Scare-Dy Crow Shack, which is really a little cabin that serves no purpose other than to be a place to house cool retro Halloween decorations;


The Ray Bradbury Halloween Tree (which was discussed here a couple of days ago);


The "Pumpkin Festival" on Main Street, which showcases more than 300 pumpkins sitting in window sills, and on balconies, awnings and rooftops;


The Dapper Dans performing themed songs (such as "Grim Grinning Ghosts") on Main Street;


Duffy's Pumpkin Patch photo spot in California Adventure;


The colorful, unique Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) display in Frontierland;


Boudin Bakery pumpkin-shaped bread in California Adventure;


All Hallows Eve T (the Mad T Party with a Halloween twist) in Hollywood Land;


Free samples of Ghirardelli's pumpkin spice caramel chocolates, as well as Halloween treats in all of the bake shops and sweet shops around DLR!; and


Whatever else Disney decides to do in California Adventure (last year they had a special showing of _Nightmare Before Christmas_, and in 2012 they had a _Frankenweenie_ exhibit);


And there is probably more that I have forgotten, but you get the picture.  You can have a great Halloween Time visit even without paying for MHP tickets.  You have to decide if the extras included in the MHP ticket price are worth it to you and your group!



*Remember that Main Street and Frontierland are where most of the Halloween Time (season) activities and decorations can be found every day!* 

As mentioned above, Main Street has the Pumpkin Festival, as well as many cute window displays and the Dapper Dans.

Frontierland has the Halloween Carnival/Roundup/Ranch, the Ray Bradbury Halloween Tree and the Dia de los Muertos display, as well as some seasonal decorations sprinkled around the land here and there.

Haunted Mansion Holiday (and the Jack/Sally meet & greet) is located in New Orleans Square and, of course, there will be some _Nightmare Before Christmas_-themed touches here and there, but they are not _as_ prominent outside of the specific HMH location.  Also, those details are not specific to Halloween Time, as they stay up through the holiday season as well.

Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy is the only trace of Halloween in Tomorrowland at all, not counting any kind of merchandise that may be in the shops.



California Adventure has very little in the way of Halloween decor or details, unless something changes this year.  Other than Duffy's Pumpkin Patch photo spot, All Hallows Eve T and whichever Tim Burton creation happens to be featured this year (another screening of _NBC_, perhaps?), you will not find too much Halloween fun in DCA.  This was not always the case, as Candy Corn Acres was once a prominent part of Halloween Time and of the DCA landscape.




*Halloween Time and Mickey's Halloween Party are family-friendly and suitable for all ages!*

Unlike certain Halloween activities at a few other SoCal locations (some of which I have outlined in the "Other Haunted Happenings and Spooky Sights to See" post on page 1), at Disneyland Resort you will not encounter any menacing, blood-drenched creatures or chainsaw-wielding maniacs chasing you down or popping out at you from behind bushes.  The scariest elements of the MHP will probably be the fog over Rivers of America and in Frontierland.  And if the Villains scare you, well they will be there too.  You will probably already know going in if Haunted Mansion Holiday, Ghost Galaxy and Halloween Screams are things your children would be interested in, but there are no "surprise" scary elements beyond that.

In fact, this is one of the friendliest, most whimsical/non-menacing Halloween celebrations I've ever experienced! 



*If you have experienced the Christmas/Holiday season at Disneyland Resort in the past, but this is your first Halloween Time visit...*

...You will find that, while tremendously fun, Disneyland doesn't make quite as big a deal of Halloween Time as they do the holiday season.  If you have experienced the holidays you know what I mean -- you can find decorations and holiday details almost everywhere you go, including the hotels and Downtown Disney.

While you will certainly get a good dose of Halloween fun at DLR (there is no escaping the bright bursts of orange at the entrance to DL and along Main Street), the overall level of themed decor, music and celebration is just not as thorough and all-encompassing as it is during the holiday season.  That's a fact. 

Now this may be a relief to those of you who are not big fans of Halloween and/or of the holiday season decorations in general, and/or who like things to be scaled down a bit more.  (Personally, I would like to see a bigger, better Halloween Time [though not at the expense of the holiday season offerings, however], with more decorations in both parks and at the hotels.  I want more pumpkins everywhere; more Halloween details in more areas; new Halloween-themed events, etc.)

I wanted to prepare _you_, however, in case you were thinking you were going to be walking into the Halloween equivalent of the holiday season.  I feel that the Disneyland Resort holiday season is more extensive and involving.  It is a feast for the senses, everywhere you go.  It also tugs a bit at the heartstrings and hits that perfect "warm and fuzzy" note inside all of us.

Halloween Time, on the other hand, is a really exciting, enjoyable, colorful way to see/experience Disneyland.  It's a lot of fun, while maybe not hitting the same emotional notes that the holiday season hits.

​


----------



## atksn

Subbing here!! We will be there 10/19-25


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## valiamo

Joining in on the fun.  Going the first week of Oct, first time for a holiday themed visit.  Taking the DW, DS and DDIL... Their extra wedding present, and her first time crossing the border, and to DLR.   We are 4 grown adults that are hitting the parks for fun!  Just hope I do not embarrass them too much.... Last time I skipped across the plaza, I got double face palms from the family.. Looovvvveee Disney!


----------



## SusanMatt

On behalf of the lurkers, thank you for all the thorough information. 

** Slinks back to LurkVille **


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## Camela

Thank you for putting all the hard work into these super-threads. I subscribed for the 2013 Christmas thread, and am now planning a Halloween trip. I am excited to get my daily dose of "obsessive planning" in one spot!!


----------



## Kilala

Here are pictures of two of the characters I will be dressing up as at MHP.
Cheetara from the Thundercats






Yoruichi from the Anime Bleach







I will be starting the Cheetara costume this month. I will post pictures of the two cat costumes I will be working on for MHP later on this week.


----------



## Torchness

Lurker here, popping out of the shadows to wave hello.    We are going to Disneyland from Oct. 30-Nov. 1, my DH, myself, and my 28 year old brother with Down Syndrome (probably the best Disney companion ever.  He thinks the characters are real, but he has the stamina for 14 hour days at Disneyland!).  We will probably do MHP on Oct. 31.  I am a little sad to realize that Disneyland will close early on Oct. 30, but hopefully CA will stay open a little bit later so we can just hop over there.  

Just wanted to say thanks for any and all info!  It is appreciated.


----------



## valiamo

SusanMatt said:


> On behalf of the lurkers, thank you for all the thorough information.
> 
> ** Slinks back to LurkVille **



Once you come out of lurker villle, you have stay out!.  The more the merrier!


----------



## Cheshirecatty

SusanMatt said:


> On behalf of the lurkers, thank you for all the thorough information.
> 
> ** Slinks back to LurkVille **



*Love this!!!*  Totally made me chuckle!  

Lots of us have lurked for years, before we joined in the fun!

Don't hide too long---opinions and experiences *of all* are welcome!


----------



## Sherry E

*You've seen photos of the Ray Bradbury Halloween Tree in Frontierland.  

Also in Frontierland is the colorful, detailed Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) display, which can be enjoyed through the entire Halloween Time season, starting in September.  I think it comes down a few days after Halloween, if I am not mistaken.  

Here is a glimpse of Dia de los Muertos (and* *Bret/mvf-m11c** posted a fantastic photo of the display in this thread the other day) -- look for the hidden Mickeys!:*










































































​





*Kilala --

I think you have embraced the Halloween spirit and the overall fun of the holiday better than anyone I know!  I love the pictures and costume ideas!*





atksn said:


> Subbing here!! We will be there 10/19-25



Welcome, *atksn*!

Is this your first Halloween Time visit?





valiamo said:


> Joining in on the fun.  Going the first week of Oct, first time for a holiday themed visit.  Taking the DW, DS and DDIL... Their extra wedding present, and her first time crossing the border, and to DLR.   We are 4 grown adults that are hitting the parks for fun!  Just hope I do not embarrass them too much.... Last time I skipped across the plaza, I got double face palms from the family.. Looovvvveee Disney!



Welcome, *valiamo*!  

I'm so glad you joined us here. You're in good company.  If you like Halloween and you like Disneyland, the Halloween Time season should be a lot of fun for you.  What a wonderful trip it will be for your group!

I had to laugh at the thought of your family's embarrassment as you skipped across the plaza!   Well, it may be hard to resist doing a bit of skipping when you see the bright orange pumpkin characters sitting atop the Disneyland turnstiles in person.  Those pumpkin characters do tend to prompt people to break out into random acts of skipping!  I've been known to skip here and there.

I can totally relate.   I am a grown adult -- no kids! -- who goes to the parks for fun, and have probably embarrassed my adult friends on more than one occasion as I insisted that we all pose for silly PhotoPass pictures!    I just enjoy being there, and as I have aged my enjoyment of certain details and aspects of Disneyland has changed and evolved.  I take totally different trips now than I did in the old days.  Of course I love the rides (which is all I would have been interested in as a child), but now I pay attention to so many of the small things -- hidden gems and overlooked details -- that I never would have looked at twice in my younger years.

If you happen to take the tram into Downtown Disney from the Mickey and Friends lot for any reason, sit on the right-hand side and look for the Halloween displays along the tram path (there is a display with Mickey, Minnie, Donald, etc., and another display with ghosts).  If you take the tram from Downtown Disney to Mickey & Friends, sit on the left side.  It is hard to get a decent photo because the tram moves quickly enough to where the displays just fly by, but have your camera poised and ready when/if you get on the tram so you can snap a picture quickly!





SusanMatt said:


> On behalf of the lurkers, thank you for all the thorough information.
> 
> ** Slinks back to LurkVille **



Welcome, *SusanMatt*!

Thank you, and you're welcome!  I think it's good to have the thorough information available in case it is needed.  The problem I ran into in the past was underestimating how much info would be needed and then, once the thread was well underway, it was not possible or worthwhile to go back and add a bunch of things onto page 1.  So I had to start anew in order to provide a lot of info.

You did post once or twice in the last Superthread, so you're not a total lurker!  In fact, you're going to DLR but not to the Halloween Party, correct? Or am I totally getting that wrong and mistaking you with someone else (which is entirely possible)?  I thought it was you who posted in the last Halloween thread about possibly not doing the MHP because it wouldn't be worth it in the long run.  I've done Halloween trips that included the party and trips that did not include it, and honestly -- for me -- the party is fun to do every couple of years or so, but it is not necessary.  I can enjoy Halloween Time without the party if need be.  The tickets are expensive, after all.

I understand why many people lurk.  I suspect that those who have not yet posted anything on this forum want to be sure that everyone is friendly and reasonably well-versed in whatever subjects they are discussing, before jumping into a discussion.  And those who have already posted on the board in the past may not always have time to actually post a lot.  They may want to get caught up at their leisure and just kind of randomly pop in here and there to say something.  I think we all do that with some threads.




Camela said:


> Thank you for putting all the hard work into these super-threads. I subscribed for the 2013 Christmas thread, and am now planning a Halloween trip. I am excited to get my daily dose of "obsessive planning" in one spot!!



Welcome, *Camela*!

Did you go to DLR for the holiday season in 2013? If so, how was the trip?  I think that most people visit for the holidays first and then try a Halloween Time trip later.

Thank you for the kind words.  I really appreciate it!  These threads are a lot of work, but they are also great fun -- and, as the years pass, I think they are turning into very useful tools because there is no shortage of people heading to DLR for both Halloween Time and the Holidays, and those people need to know what to expect!  

If I didn't have such a love of Halloween and the holidays myself, I wouldn't do the threads.  But, as it turns out, I love Halloween and the holiday season at DLR; I take a lot of pictures; and I am extremely detail-oriented -- so that all kind of lends itself to these sorts of information-packed and photo-filled threads.  Often times I see responses given to Halloween or holiday-related questions (on various boards, not just here), and the answers are not quite complete, or they don't paint a full picture.  Sometimes the answers are not even correct.  I try to paint the full picture if and when I can!

In fact, just the other day I popped over to Disneyland's Halloween Time page on Facebook (it's a few years old) and saw some incorrect information being given out.  I was so tempted to sign in and give the correct info, but I didn't.  I would have liked to direct them to this thread, but I wasn't sure if I would be allowed to post a link to this thread on that page.  In any case, someone responded to a fairly recent post by telling the OP that Disneyland doesn't really decorate for Halloween; that the decor is more for fall; and that they just decorate for Mickey's Halloween Party!

Not true!  That person on Facebook was wrong!  While the Halloween Time season decorations are not nearly as extensive as the holiday season decorations, they are most certainly for Halloween, and not just for the Halloween Party.  Sure, some Halloween decorations take on a more "harvest-y" sort of look, and there are a few extra things that go up for the party, but most things are obvious Halloween decorations.  Not to mention that the season is called "Halloween Time"...and there are references to Halloween in many places!  At the Halloween Carnival, there is a Roundup/petting zoo area with a cabin full of Halloween decorations and retro-looking artwork that says "Happy Hallowe'en"! The person who replied on Facebook must not have been to DLR for Halloween Time in the last 8+ years!




Torchness said:


> Lurker here, popping out of the shadows to wave hello.    We are going to Disneyland from Oct. 30-Nov. 1, my DH, myself, and my 28 year old brother with Down Syndrome (probably the best Disney companion ever.  He thinks the characters are real, but he has the stamina for 14 hour days at Disneyland!).  We will probably do MHP on Oct. 31.  I am a little sad to realize that Disneyland will close early on Oct. 30, but hopefully CA will stay open a little bit later so we can just hop over there.
> 
> Just wanted to say thanks for any and all info!  It is appreciated.



Welcome, *Torchness*!

I'm so happy you joined us.  It looks like this was your first post?  If so, I am honored you chose this thread to emerge from the shadows and say hello.

It sounds as though your trip will be amazing!  I think your brother will love it.  Does he love Halloween in general?

Were you, by any chance, looking at last year's October calendar to see that Disneyland closed early on October 30th?  Here is the link to last year's hours: http://www.wdwinfo.com/disneyland/park-hours.cfm?month=10&year=2013.

This year, unless there is a Halloween Party or a special private event on Thursday, 10/30 that I am unaware of, I would assume that Disneyland will stay open until 8 p.m. on 10/30?  Now there may be an MHP on that Thursday night as well, which would prompt an early closure -- we can't be sure -- but right now I don't think we have any knowledge of a 6 p.m. closure for Disneyland...unless there is something I have not heard or been told (which is always possible).  

It's kind of funny to think that, by Disney's standards, October is really considered the off-peak season, whereas summer and the holidays are peak season.  However, October is certainly not slow, by any means.  Halloween Time only gets more and more popular with each passing year! It may not bring in the level of crowds that one would find between Christmas and New Year's, but it hardly seems off-peak!






valiamo said:


> Once you come out of lurker villle, you have stay out!.  The more the merrier!



Ditto!




Cheshirecatty said:


> *Love this!!!*  Totally made me chuckle!
> 
> Lots of us have lurked for years, before we joined in the fun!
> 
> Don't hide too long---opinions and experiences *of all* are welcome!



Double ditto!


----------



## mmlover74

We are going to be in DL in OCT., but not for the halloween party.  i have twin girls who will turn 1 while we are there. so excited about them turning 1, but bittersweet as well.


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## SusanMatt

Cheshirecatty said:


> Love this!!!  Totally made me chuckle!
> 
> Lots of us have lurked for years, before we joined in the fun!
> 
> Don't hide too long---opinions and experiences *of all* are welcome!



Thanks.  I appreciate the friendly replies of everyone involved. You don't always get that on forums.     I have plenty of opinions, but just don't always share them.




Sherry E said:


> Welcome, SusanMatt!
> 
> Thank you, and you're welcome! ... You did post once or twice in the last Superthread, so you're not a total lurker! In fact, you're going to DLR but not to the Halloween Party, correct?



You are correct, and you have an excellent memory.  




Sherry E said:


> I thought it was you who posted in the last Halloween thread about possibly not doing the MHP because it wouldn't be worth it in the long run. I've done Halloween trips that included the party and trips that did not include it, and honestly -- for me -- the party is fun to do every couple of years or so, but it is not necessary. I can enjoy Halloween Time without the party if need be. The tickets are expensive, after all.



Yes, between the crowds and the expense, we're going to skip it. If there's one thing we won't need, that's more candy.    Since we are spending extra on staying on-property at the Disneyland Hotel, we'll just take those days when the parks close earlier to enjoy the hotel.  




Sherry E said:


> I understand why many people lurk. I suspect that those who have not yet posted anything on this forum want to be sure that everyone is friendly and reasonably well-versed in whatever subjects they are discussing, before jumping into a discussion. And those who have already posted on the board in the past may not always have time to actually post a lot. They may want to get caught up at their leisure and just kind of randomly pop in here and there to say something. I think we all do that with some threads.



I'm a lurker on these things because, often, what others are already saying is enough and does not need repeating by me. However, thanking someone is always needed.    -- especially with the great amount of work you seem to be doing.

We will be there 9/28 - 10/4. If we get some good, unique pictures, I will add them. I was mulling doing a trip report later. My husband and I are also considering doing a book of essays and photos about Disneyland in the near future. And, I will certainly post questions, if I have any.

One question I posted in a thread at some point that did not get answered (that I saw) was to ask if the Animation Academy is ever posted anywhere besides outside the building? I would love to plan around those sessions on some of our days. The Animation Academy was a highlight of our last trip for me.

If you find any of the information you need help collating or posting, just let me know. I  will volunteer to help where I can.


----------



## mvf-m11c

Here are some pictures of Dia de los Muertos.


----------



## zanzibar138

I'm in  Will be at DLR from the 9th to the 16th of September.

I'm a bit sad that I will just catch the very beginning of Halloween time and will miss out on the party and the Happy Haunts tour. Looking forward to HM and SM overlays though and meeting Jack and Sally


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## tksbaskets

Great pictures Bret.  I'm wishing we could sneak in a Halloween trip too. I'm going to depend on this thread to get my Halloween fix.


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## theworldneedscolor

I was hoping to plan a quick trip over to DL on my Fall Break for the Halloween party, but it looks like that might not be possible. I was looking at the schedule from last year, and they didn't start doing Monday nights till the end of the month, and they also didn't have any on weekends. My break is a Saturday-Tuesday, but I couldn't go Tuesday night because I would need to fly back to Phoenix.


----------



## Torchness

Sherry E said:


> It sounds as though your trip will be amazing!  I think your brother will love it.  Does he love Halloween in general?
> 
> This year, unless there is a Halloween Party or a special private event on Thursday, 10/30 that I am unaware of, I would assume that Disneyland will stay open until 8 p.m. on 10/30?  Now there may be an MHP on that Thursday night as well, which would prompt an early closure -- we can't be sure -- but right now I don't think we have any knowledge of a 6 p.m. closure for Disneyland...unless there is something I have not heard or been told (which is always possible).



My little brother does love Halloween, but he loves Disneyland more.  I took him for his birthday just the two of us a few years ago (during the Celebrate! period) and he thought the entire time that everything was in honor of his birthday--the parades, light shows, everything. It was great.  DH has never been to Disneyland before, and is very excited.  We thought we'd just go for Halloween for fun. Little Bro is very scared of bats, so am unsure how he'll like the Haunted Mansion, but my DH is great with him and will tell him to "man up" and I'm sure he'll get over it.  And, knowing Disney, nothing will be TOO scary.

I'm only really in this forum for the limited purpose of getting info on Halloween time at DLR-- so I wanted to pop in and say thanks for all the hard work!  I did want to request at some point any info on what's going on at CA during this time period too.  I think we'll be getting park hopper passes.

As for the 10/30 closing time, I was just assuming that, since it's a Thursday, DLR would have MHP on 10/30 AND 10/31, as I noted they did that last year (and I also saw that they charge more for those dates, boo).  Oh well.  I was wondering though-- we are flying in on 10/30, and I think our plane lands at LAX at around 9 am or so.  While usually I'm all about Super Shuttle, I kind of want to get to DLR ASAP that morning, since it's one of our 3 days and we won't be doing MHP that day.  We're staying at a good neighbor hotel.  Does anyone have any recommendations as to what mode of transportation would be quickest and less expensive?  There is the Greyline shuttle, but it doesn't actually go to our hotel, the Candy Cane Inn.  Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

Thanks!  Am loving all the photos and info, etc.


----------



## Cheshirecatty

theworldneedscolor said:


> I was hoping to plan a quick trip over to DL on my Fall Break for the Halloween party, but it looks like that might not be possible. I was looking at the schedule from last year, and they didn't start doing Monday nights till the end of the month, and they also didn't have any on weekends. My break is a Saturday-Tuesday, but I couldn't go Tuesday night because I would need to fly back to Phoenix.



Your best bet is to cross your fingers, and hope a Party date will be among the days when you are at the Resort(hard to do, I know), but there's always a *possibility* that it *might* happen---until those dates are released, you never know---from year to year, there are a few days/dates which change!


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## eileenkeeney

I don't think the dates for the DL party are known yet, for sure.

The WDW dates are published.

I thought I had seen a DL calendar, showing it closing at 7pm on October 14th, which lead me to believe there was a Halloween party that night.
But I can no longer find that calendar.

The WDW version is NOT having a party on the 14th, but is on the 13th instead (Columbus day).

With the need to make the hotel reservation at 7 months out (for DVC), it is frustrating to not have any confirmation on the party dates.


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## figment_jii

eileenkeeney said:


> I thought I had seen a DL calendar, showing it closing at 7pm on October 14th, which lead me to believe there was a Halloween party that night.


You might have been looking at wdwinfo.com.  They have estimated hours posted for October 2014 which are based on information from previous years.  I saw that they have a 7:00 pm closure time on 10/14, but at this point, it's all an estimate/guess and no one knows for sure.


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## Sherry E

Thanks for posting the most excellent, stunning photos, *Bret*!  (They are vastly superior to the ones I posted, clearly)!  Wait until everyone sees your awesome Halloween Screams fireworks pictures -- they will really be blown away! 






mmlover74 said:


> We are going to be in DL in OCT., but not for the halloween party.  i have twin girls who will turn 1 while we are there. so excited about them turning 1, but bittersweet as well.



Welcome, *mmlover74*!

It sounds like it will be a great birthday trip (with a dash of Halloween thrown in)!







SusanMatt said:


> You are correct, and you have an excellent memory.
> 
> Yes, between the crowds and the expense, we're going to skip it. If there's one thing we won't need, that's more candy.    Since we are spending extra on staying on-property at the Disneyland Hotel, we'll just take those days when the parks close earlier to enjoy the hotel.
> 
> I'm a lurker on these things because, often, what others are already saying is enough and does not need repeating by me. However, thanking someone is always needed.    -- especially with the great amount of work you seem to be doing.
> 
> We will be there 9/28 - 10/4. If we get some good, unique pictures, I will add them. I was mulling doing a trip report later. My husband and I are also considering doing a book of essays and photos about Disneyland in the near future. And, I will certainly post questions, if I have any.
> 
> One question I posted in a thread at some point that did not get answered (that I saw) was to ask if the Animation Academy is ever posted anywhere besides outside the building? I would love to plan around those sessions on some of our days. The Animation Academy was a highlight of our last trip for me.
> 
> If you find any of the information you need help collating or posting, just let me know. I  will volunteer to help where I can.



*SusanMatt --*

Thank you for the kind words!  It's good to know my efforts and work are appreciated -- but more importantly, helpful to everyone who is heading out to DLR for Halloween Time!

To be honest, I know very little about the Animation Academy, so I cannot answer that question.  That may be something that *Bret/mvf-m11c, figment_jii or Cheshirecatty* knows.

I will look forward to the photos you take on your upcoming trip and to  the possible photo/essay book about Disneyland -- I love those kinds of books!

Thank you so much for the offer to help collate or assemble info for me!  That's very sweet of you to offer.  Unfortunately, I think I am the only one who can do it, as I have to literally copy and paste info into the blocked/reserved posts on page 1 -- and no one can access those posts -- and then format it in a certain way.  I also have some typed-up text that needs to be added to or revised to include other tidbits I forgot.  






zanzibar138 said:


> I'm in  Will be at DLR from the 9th to the 16th of September.
> 
> I'm a bit sad that I will just catch the very beginning of Halloween time and will miss out on the party and the Happy Haunts tour. Looking forward to HM and SM overlays though and meeting Jack and Sally



Welcome, *zanzibar138*!

Welcome!

You will probably miss the Halloween Party but you may not miss the Happiest Haunts Tour.  I thought that the HH tour begins on or very close to the start date of Halloween Time in September, just as the holiday tour begins at the start of the holiday season in November -- but I could be wrong.







tksbaskets said:


> Great pictures Bret.  I'm wishing we could sneak in a Halloween trip too. I'm going to depend on this thread to get my Halloween fix.



*TK -*-

That's why I wanted you to join in here!  We can't have a fun Halloween Time thread without you (nor can we have a fun holiday season thread without you either!).  You missed the first bit of activity in the previous Halloween thread because you didn't realize it had been started.  I didn't want you to miss a second of the Halloween fun in this thread!  You need to stay up to date on the Halloween happenings!




theworldneedscolor said:


> I was hoping to plan a quick trip over to DL on my Fall Break for the Halloween party, but it looks like that might not be possible. I was looking at the schedule from last year, and they didn't start doing Monday nights till the end of the month, and they also didn't have any on weekends. My break is a Saturday-Tuesday, but I couldn't go Tuesday night because I would need to fly back to Phoenix.



Welcome, *theworldneedscolor*!

Hmmm... That is definitely something to think about if the MHP was important to you.  You never know, though -- there could be a party on the Monday night during your trip.  There are occasionally Monday night parties.  If not, you will still get to enjoy all of the Halloween Time stuff that I outlined on the previous page of this thread (I broke down the things that are exclusive the MHP, and the Halloween things that you can see every day during the season, outside of the MHP)!





Torchness said:


> My little brother does love Halloween, but he loves Disneyland more.  I took him for his birthday just the two of us a few years ago (during the Celebrate! period) and he thought the entire time that everything was in honor of his birthday--the parades, light shows, everything. It was great.  DH has never been to Disneyland before, and is very excited.  We thought we'd just go for Halloween for fun. Little Bro is very scared of bats, so am unsure how he'll like the Haunted Mansion, but my DH is great with him and will tell him to "man up" and I'm sure he'll get over it.  And, knowing Disney, nothing will be TOO scary.
> 
> I'm only really in this forum for the limited purpose of getting info on Halloween time at DLR-- so I wanted to pop in and say thanks for all the hard work!  I did want to request at some point any info on what's going on at CA during this time period too.  I think we'll be getting park hopper passes.
> 
> As for the 10/30 closing time, I was just assuming that, since it's a Thursday, DLR would have MHP on 10/30 AND 10/31, as I noted they did that last year (and I also saw that they charge more for those dates, boo).  Oh well.  I was wondering though-- we are flying in on 10/30, and I think our plane lands at LAX at around 9 am or so.  While usually I'm all about Super Shuttle, I kind of want to get to DLR ASAP that morning, since it's one of our 3 days and we won't be doing MHP that day.  We're staying at a good neighbor hotel.  Does anyone have any recommendations as to what mode of transportation would be quickest and less expensive?  There is the Greyline shuttle, but it doesn't actually go to our hotel, the Candy Cane Inn.  Does anyone have any thoughts on this?
> 
> Thanks!  Am loving all the photos and info, etc.



*Torchness --*

Thank you for the kind words!  

Last year Halloween was on a Thursday so there had to be a party that night.  There is always a party on Halloween night, but there is not always a party on a Thursday, if that makes any sense.  Also, there is not always a party on the night before Halloween.  

The typical Halloween Party schedule has been Tuesdays and Fridays and Halloween night, with maybe one Tuesday swapped out for a Monday or something.   Last year there were 13 parties (and I am not sure if there will be 13 again this year), so there were suddenly a couple of Wednesdays thrown into the mix too.  

As for California Adventure, on the previous page -- in this post -- I outlined the things that can be enjoyed in the parks outside of the actual Halloween Party -- I mentioned that you will find very little in the way of Halloween fun in California Adventure.   

And in this post on page 1 I provided some info about the few Halloween things that take place in DCA.  The reason there are only a few things listed (although I probably have just a little bit more to add to that post) is because there is almost nothing in the way of Halloween Time happening in DCA!

Have you looked up Haunted Mansion Holiday on YouTube?  If you view a video of it you may get a good idea of how scary (or not) it would be for your brother, in terms of bats, etc.  Haunted Mansion Holiday is very different from the regular Haunted Mansion, and there is a great gingerbread centerpiece on the ballroom table that is worth seeing.  The smell of gingerbread is piped into the air as well!

I'm not sure about a cheaper mode of transportation.  I use a shuttle service called Sav-On Shuttle to get to and from DLR sometimes, and I like them.  You might be able to get a slightly cheaper rate from them, but I'm not sure.  I know those Super Shuttle prices are crazy!





Cheshirecatty said:


> Your best bet is to cross your fingers, and hope a Party date will be among the days when you are at the Resort(hard to do, I know), but there's always a *possibility* that it *might* happen---until those dates are released, you never know---from year to year, there are a few days/dates which change!



Very true, *Cheshirecatty* --

A random Monday party could be thrown into the mix here and there.  I think it all boils down to how many party nights there are going to be.  If DLR reverts to its old 11-night or 10-night schedule, the schedule will be more limited.  If they decide to have 13 parties again, they can open up the schedule a bit more and allow for days of the week other than mostly Tuesdays and Fridays.  

I suppose that this year would technically be considered the official 13th anniversary of Haunted Mansion Holiday (whereas last year was simply "the 13th year" that the ride/overlay had been in existence).  So, Disney may once again decide to go with 13 MHP nights to celebrate the real anniversary!  Last year I think they played up the 13th year because they were also playing up the Friday the 13th element.





eileenkeeney said:


> I don't think the dates for the DL party are known yet, for sure.
> 
> The WDW dates are published.
> 
> I thought I had seen a DL calendar, showing it closing at 7pm on October 14th, which lead me to believe there was a Halloween party that night.
> But I can no longer find that calendar.
> 
> The WDW version is NOT having a party on the 14th, but is on the 13th instead (Columbus day).
> 
> With the need to make the hotel reservation at 7 months out (for DVC), it is frustrating to not have any confirmation on the party dates.



*eileenkeeney --*

The WDW event dates come out way in advance and the DLR dates do not -- which is something that is an ongoing annoyance for WDW vets who need to plan their trips to DLR!  

I cannot understand why DLR can't get its act together to release dates and tickets early on, but they still assume that it is going to be mostly locals who visit, I suppose.  In my opinion, even if it were mainly locals visiting and very few out-of-towners, what is the harm in releasing dates early in the year?  

In any case, the earliest we have ever found out the MHP dates is in May, so it won't be too much longer.  Even if we don't find out until June, that's still fairly soon.  But the tickets most likely will not go on sale when the dates are announced.




figment_jii said:


> You might have been looking at wdwinfo.com.  They have estimated hours posted for October 2014 which are based on information from previous years.  I saw that they have a 7:00 pm closure time on 10/14, but at this point, it's all an estimate/guess and no one knows for sure.



Very true, *figment_jii*!

Sometimes wdwinfo.com (which is in the same family of sites as DISboards and is not an official source of Disneyland Resort information!) leaves the old dates up from the previous year, not even as an estimate.  Sometimes the dates are left there and not removed until the info for the following season's info comes out.  I guess it's always good to kind of look at the previous months/seasons/years to see what the current year's schedule _might_ be.


----------



## figment_jii

SusanMatt said:


> One question I posted in a thread at some point that did not get answered (that I saw) was to ask if the Animation Academy is ever posted anywhere besides outside the building? I would love to plan around those sessions on some of our days. The Animation Academy was a highlight of our last trip for me.



Hi _SusanMatt_ - I'm glad to see you sticking with us and not going back to Lukerville!  

Regarding Animation Academy, I've only ever seen the schedule posted outside of the Animation Academy building.  If anywhere else was likely to know (or be able to find out) it would be the main Guest Services locations.  I haven't seen it posted on any of the apps or Disneyland.com. 

If you're on Facebook, you might post to the DCA Facebook page and ask if they can/do post the Animation Academy schedule on there.  Although, the last post on that Facebook page was Valentine's Day...you might try the Disneyland page (it at least seems to be posted to more frequently).
https://www.facebook.com/Disneyland


----------



## zanzibar138

Sherry E said:


> Welcome, *zanzibar138*!
> 
> Welcome!
> 
> You will probably miss the Halloween Party but you may not miss the Happiest Haunts Tour.  I thought that the HH tour begins on or very close to the start date of Halloween Time in September, just as the holiday tour begins at the start of the holiday season in November -- but I could be wrong.



Oh I hope, I hope 

I also meant to say thanks so much for putting this thread together! Seems like a lot of work and I know there are many many people who appreciate all the info


----------



## mummabear

zanzibar138 said:


> I'm in  Will be at DLR from the 9th to the 16th of September.
> 
> I'm a bit sad that I will just catch the very beginning of Halloween time and will miss out on the party and the Happy Haunts tour. Looking forward to HM and SM overlays though and meeting Jack and Sally



We are in the same boat. I hadn't considered that the happy haunts tour wouldn't be open...
I'm living in a dream world where maybe just maybe since wdw parties start on the 1st then DL's could start on the 12th....
Mostly I am just waiting on official confirmation that Halloween time will start on the 12th-I really want to be able to book PL for my girls 





eileenkeeney said:


> With the need to make the hotel reservation at 7 months out (for DVC), it is frustrating to not have any confirmation on the party dates.



Yes this is one thing I find really really frustrating about DL! I wish hours etc (not just parties but in general as well) were released earlier. It is impossible to plan when the details are not released into long after we have to book our leave and airfares...


----------



## zanzibar138

mummabear said:


> We are in the same boat. I hadn't considered that the happy haunts tour wouldn't be open...
> I'm living in a dream world where maybe just maybe since wdw parties start on the 1st then DL's could start on the 12th....
> Mostly I am just waiting on official confirmation that Halloween time will start on the 12th-I really want to be able to book PL for my girls



Me too, I'll be totally bummed if I miss out on HM altogether


----------



## Cheshirecatty

*Hi SusanMatt!*

I really like *Figment's* advice about asking at the main DCA Guest Relations, or asking for help on DCA's  Facebook page!

We've never seen the *Animation Academy* line up posted *anywhere* except right outside the building(if someone else has, maybe they'll chime in?)---I know they don't post it in the Entertainment Times Guide(though I *really wish they would*---it just seems so logical---to me, anyway)!!!

Sorry I couldn't help out more!


----------



## Sherry E

zanzibar138 said:


> Oh I hope, I hope
> 
> I also meant to say thanks so much for putting this thread together! Seems like a lot of work and I know there are many many people who appreciate all the info



You're very welcome, *zanzibar138*!  I'm happy that it is appreciated.

It's fun work -- and I have a Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread as well (which is maybe about 80% complete), so between the two threads I am bouncing back and forth, adding little bits and pieces of info and photos into random posts on page 1 of each thread!  One of these days I will surely end up putting something about Ghost Galaxy in the Christmas thread, and something about Santa Claus in this thread!  It is bound to happen sooner or later.

I just updated the Ghoulish Grub, etc. post on page 1 again last night, so there are more photos and links there now!

I can't recall if the Happiest Haunts tour began on September 13th last year (it was the first day of Halloween Time but it was also the Unleash the Villains madness in Disneyland), but if it didn't begin on that date then it began within a day or two after that.  So I think that there is a good chance you will get to do the tour.




mummabear said:


> We are in the same boat. I hadn't considered that the happy haunts tour wouldn't be open...
> I'm living in a dream world where maybe just maybe since wdw parties start on the 1st then DL's could start on the 12th....
> Mostly I am just waiting on official confirmation that Halloween time will start on the 12th-I really want to be able to book PL for my girls
> 
> 
> Yes this is one thing I find really really frustrating about DL! I wish hours etc (not just parties but in general as well) were released earlier. It is impossible to plan when the details are not released into long after we have to book our leave and airfares...



*mummabear --*

Happiest Haunts will begin when the season begins.  I don't _think_ you will miss it.  The only reason why I thought it _may_ have been delayed by a day or two last year was because there was an Unleash the Villains event on the opening day of Halloween Time -- but I don't know that the tour was delayed.  It may have begun on schedule, as it does every year.

Disneyland is pretty good about starting holiday-specific tours on the days that the seasons officially begin, and not a day sooner.  So, whichever day is the first day of Halloween Time this year, that is likely going to be the first day of the Happiest Haunts tour as well.

The reason why some of us think that 9/12 is going to be the start date of the season is because it seems to make sense with the pattern of the last few years.  Also, Halloween Time is extremely popular now and it doesn't make much business sense to start it later.

The only reason why we think Halloween Time could possibly start a few days later than 9/12, or as late as 9/19 (which I highly doubt will happen), is that Disney has surprised us before.  

For example, in the past, the holiday/Christmas season always began on a certain day of the week in November -- always a Friday.  So that is what we were all expecting and predicting would be the regular pattern.   Then, all of a sudden, out of nowhere Disney changed the official holiday season start date/day to a Monday, and it was Monday for a couple of years.  Last year, the holiday season started on a Tuesday!  This year we don't know if the holiday season will start on Wednesday, 11/12 or will skip ahead to Friday, November 14.

The Halloween Time season would have to begin somewhere between 9/12 and 9/19.  I think that 9/19 is way too late at this point, so 9/12 is more likely. 

One other thing to consider is that -- in all likelihood, and based on what happened back in 2008 and 2009 -- Halloween Time could possibly last an extra couple of days this year, through Sunday, November 2nd (since Halloween night is on a Friday and they don't seem to end seasons on Fridays).  And _if_ Halloween Time (not the MHP, but just the Halloween season) is extended by a couple of days, the season _may_ begin a couple of days later than usual to kind of balance it out, like perhaps in the 9/15 or 9/16 range.

So my educated opinion/guess is that we are looking at 9/12, 9/15 or 9/16 as the Halloween Time season start date choices for 2014!



(*For the record, I have a strong feeling that, in 2015, Halloween Time will not begin on Friday, September 11th.  September 11th is a day for remembrance of a terrible event in recent history, and I just have a feeling that Disneyland is not going to say, "Let's start Halloween Time on that day!"  [They also do not begin the holiday season on Veterans Day anymore, either.]   So I am thinking that the 2015 Halloween Time start date will be something like Monday, September 14th or Tuesday, September 15th.*)


----------



## I'm mikey

Here are a few picture from Halloween Screams fireworks from last year.


----------



## Sherry E

Wow wow wow wow wow, *I'm mikey*!  

Those Halloween Screams photos are spectacular!   It's hard to pick a favorite from such a masterfully shot group of photos, but I think I like the last image best -- mainly because of the colors.


----------



## mummabear

Man I wish my fireworks photos turned out like that I'm Mikey.
My favourite is also the last one-so many colours!

What is the moon like thing on the top left side of the castle? (If you say the moon I may feel like a bit of an idiot  )






Sherry E said:


> !
> 
> *mummabear --*
> 
> Happiest Haunts will begin when the season begins.  I don't _think_ you will miss it.  The only reason why I thought it _may_ have been delayed by a day or two last year was because there was an Unleash the Villains event on the opening day of Halloween Time -- but I don't know that the tour was delayed.  It may have begun on schedule, as it does every year.
> 
> Disneyland is pretty good about starting holiday-specific tours on the days that the seasons officially begin, and not a day sooner.  So, whichever day is the first day of Halloween Time this year, that is likely going to be the first day of the Happiest Haunts tour as well.
> 
> The reason why some of us think that 9/12 is going to be the start date of the season is because it seems to make sense with the pattern of the last few years.  Also, Halloween Time is extremely popular now and it doesn't make much business sense to start it later.
> 
> The only reason why we think Halloween Time could possibly start a few days later than 9/12, or as late as 9/19 (which I highly doubt will happen), is that Disney has surprised us before.
> 
> For example, in the past, the holiday/Christmas season always began on a certain day of the week in November -- always a Friday.  So that is what we were all expecting and predicting would be the regular pattern.   Then, all of a sudden, out of nowhere Disney changed the official holiday season start date/day to a Monday, and it was Monday for a couple of years.  Last year, the holiday season started on a Tuesday!  This year we don't know if the holiday season will start on Wednesday, 11/12 or will skip ahead to Friday, November 14.
> 
> The Halloween Time season would have to begin somewhere between 9/12 and 9/19.  I think that 9/19 is way too late at this point, so 9/12 is more likely.
> 
> One other thing to consider is that -- in all likelihood, and based on what happened back in 2008 and 2009 -- Halloween Time could possibly last an extra couple of days this year, through Sunday, November 2nd (since Halloween night is on a Friday and they don't seem to end seasons on Fridays).  And _if_ Halloween Time (not the MHP, but just the Halloween season) is extended by a couple of days, the season _may_ begin a couple of days later than usual to kind of balance it out, like perhaps in the 9/15 or 9/16 range.
> 
> So my educated opinion/guess is that we are looking at 9/12, 9/15 or 9/16 as the Halloween Time season start date choices for 2014!



Thanks 
I have looked more into the HH tour and don't think it will work for us anyway. DD4 will be 42" so can ride most but not CS and we will also have DD2 and DD6 months (at time of travel) so something for another year!
We will be there until the 18th so fingers crossed it is before that. HHM is my favourite Disney ride and as I mentioned I really want to book Pirates League-I did not realise this was not year round at DL like it is at WDW.
I would love a party-people don't trick or treat here and I would love the girls to be able to but I know my chances are slim to nil...sadly the way school terms work here we would have to pull them out of school to make it later in the month (or in Oct) so maybe we will have to aim for a WDW one since they start a little earlier.


----------



## figment_jii

mummabear said:


> What is the moon like thing on the top left side of the castle? (If you say the moon I may feel like a bit of an idiot  )


Don't worry...it's not the moon!    It's a sphere that images are projected onto during the show.   For example, during some of the show, it's where Jack Skellington "appears" (see below).  Images of Oogie Boogie's eyes, Kaa's eye, pirate crest, etc. are also projected at various times during the show.  It's a cool feature/element.  That's one of the reasons it's important to be able to see the left side of the Castle (when facing it) during Halloween Screams.  If you can't see the globe, you miss out on part of the show!





I've not watched the show for where _I'm Mikey_ was, so it's cool to get a different perspective of the show.  I've never been able to really figure out where the globe is located, but from the photos it appears to be behind the castle.


----------



## whoopsiedoodle

figment_jii said:


> Don't worry...it's not the moon!    It's a sphere that images are projected onto during the show.   For example, during some of the show, it's where Jack Skellington "appears" (see below).  Images of Oogie Boogie's eyes, Kaa's eye, pirate crest, etc. are also projected at various times during the show.  It's a cool feature/element.  That's one of the reasons it's important to be able to see the left side of the Castle (when facing it) during Halloween Screams.  If you can't see the globe, you miss out on part of the show!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I've not watched the show for where _I'm Mikey_ was, so it's cool to get a different perspective of the show.  I've never been able to really figure out where the globe is located, but from the photos it appears to be behind the castle.


 
THanks so much for this photo!  We are trying (fairly unsuccessfully so far) to convince my best friends husband to join us in DL because he hates (ok really loathes) crowds and people.  But he LOVES NBC!  I am confident that if we keep sending him awesome photos he will change his mind  

Anyone have any photos of meet and greets with Jack and Sally???


----------



## Kilala

Wow! I love the fireworks photos. I will be starting my Cheetara costume this weekend. I will also post pictures from 10/30 from MHP today. I will post progress pictures of my costumes.


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## mvf-m11c

I was planning on waiting until 4th of July to show my Halloween Screams firework pictures from MHP in 2010 but I'll show some off for now. Mine are not as good as *I'm mikey* since I was still a noob photographer back in 2010 but I have learned a lot over the time and one day I will go back during MHP and get some nice firework trail shots.

Here are some from shots from HS back in 2010.


----------



## figment_jii

whoopsiedoodle said:


> THanks so much for this photo!  We are trying (fairly unsuccessfully so far) to convince my best friends husband to join us in DL because he hates (ok really loathes) crowds and people.  But he LOVES NBC!  I am confident that if we keep sending him awesome photos he will change his mind
> 
> Anyone have any photos of meet and greets with Jack and Sally???



Have you shown him photo of Haunted Mansion Holiday?  That's got even more NBC!


----------



## whoopsiedoodle

figment_jii said:


> Have you shown him photo of Haunted Mansion Holiday?  That's got even more NBC!



I did now!!!


----------



## Sherry E

*Bret --*

Your pictures are fantastic!  If you're thinking that your photos are somehow "not as good," you're going to make the rest of us feel completely inadequate!



​



*I mean, let me just put this out there now, for everyone in this thread:  *

Chances are, most of the rest of us here will not be taking photos on the level of I'm mikey's photos at this point in time!  His talent with an SLR is otherworldly.

If we're all going to worry about our photos not being _as good as_ I'm mikey's -- OR not as good as Bret's photos...OR not as good as KCmike's photos...OR not as good as Elk Grove Chris' photos... etc., etc., etc., none of us will be posting anything or sharing wonderful photos. 

And there is a Theme Week Countdown coming up that is going to rely on people posting photos!  

I've only been posting my pictures now because I had to start the brand new thread with some sorts of images to give Halloween newcomers a few visuals (same thing with the Christmas/Holiday Superthread) as we wait for the Theme Week Countdown to arrive.   It's necessary to throw some color into my Superthreads when I am setting up page 1 and getting the threads going and all of that.

I don't want anyone to worry about not having a good camera either -- any kind of camera these days can take or create good photos, interesting photos, etc.  Any kind of camera.  Cell phone cameras... DSLR cameras... 35 mm cameras... Point and Shoots...  Disposables.  Whatever it is, it can capture interesting images, and I don't want anyone to feel too intimidated to post their photos.

This is not an exhibit at the Louvre.  This is a Superthread.  I want everyone to feel free to share their photos when the occasion calls for it!


----------



## Camela

Sherry E- I do not know how to "quote" so I hope you see this.  Yes, we did go over Christmas. We were at Disneyland from the 23rd through the 29th.  It was amazing, I like to take in every little detail, it was hard because it was very busy. We are relatively new to the park aspect if Disney. We have only been three times, a 1 day trip in 2012, a 5 day trip in May 2013, and a 7 day trip in Dec 2013. I have always loved Disney though. I am excited to see it at Halloween time, I learned so many things from the Christmas thread that I instantly subscribed to this one. I am a bit of a lurker, but know that I truly do appreciate all you do to keep us up to date with true, and accurate information.


----------



## Sherry E

Camela said:


> Sherry E- I do not know how to "quote" so I hope you see this.  Yes, we did go over Christmas. We were at Disneyland from the 23rd through the 29th.  It was amazing, I like to take in every little detail, it was hard because it was very busy. We are relatively new to the park aspect if Disney. We have only been three times, a 1 day trip in 2012, a 5 day trip in May 2013, and a 7 day trip in Dec 2013. I have always loved Disney though. I am excited to see it at Halloween time, I learned so many things from the Christmas thread that I instantly subscribed to this one. I am a bit of a lurker, but know that I truly do appreciate all you do to keep us up to date with true, and accurate information.



*Camela --*

I'm so glad these threads are helpful (and hopefully interesting and fun!)!  That's the goal with each one.

Thank you very much for the kind words!  I do appreciate it.  I have continued to sneak more photos and info links into random posts on page 1 of this thread (I just sneaked more photos in today and last night), but I am jumping back and forth between those posts, and also between this thread and the Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread (which has a more involved page 1 this year too!).  I am a mad scientist at work in the lab!

I try my best to give accurate, realistic, detailed and true info if I know it, and provide a place/thread for the other experienced, knowledgeable DIS'ers to give info as well..  If I don't know something I will be the first one to say that I don't know it and someone else might know.  In fact, sometimes I try to point people in the direction of certain threads or TRs that I will think will be most relevant to them for what their plans are going to be.  If I think they are going to get the info they need from a particular person or thread, I will gladly send them to that person or thread.  

Your holiday trip took place during one of the busiest -- if not the busiest -- weeks of the year! Yikes!  I can imagine it was quite crowded.  I stopped going on the weekend immediately before Christmas 5 years ago -- simply because it was getting to be too crowded and I like to be able to leisurely stroll around, taking photos and finding hidden gems.  That is hard to do, as you said, when it is so crowded.  So it has been early December ever since for me!

*Bret/mvf-11c* was also at DLR sometime during that week that you were there as well.  

Still, though, I've never been to DLR on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day before and I would like to do it at some point, despite all of the crowds.  To me it seems as though the atmosphere would be extra special in the parks on those days.

Halloween Time is quite different in many ways than the holiday season -- not nearly as extensive or all-encompassing as the holiday season is, and there is not as much Resort-wide "celebration," I guess.  It has its own style.  There is just enough "Halloween" in Disneyland, outside of the MHP, to keep people in a Halloween mood, but not nearly enough for my liking!  I am one of those people who loves elaborate, extreme decorations, and I long for my neighbors to put up intricate displays for every holiday (they don't) -- just so I can walk by their houses and admire them!  I want to see more Halloween all over both parks and the hotels!

Nonetheless, Halloween Time is a lot of fun and I think everyone should try it at some point or another if they can.

Easter/Springtime is fun too -- I loved the egg hunts in both parks, and the Springtime Roundup!

Yes, I love holidays!


----------



## Sjwillia

I am going to my first Halloween party this year and so greatly appreciate this thread to help plan my party strategy.  I love the all fireworks pictures - they are wonderful!  They appear to be taken from a great spot in the hub.  How early must you arrive for Screams to get a viewing spot from where these pictures were taken?  Are you allowed to put down a blanket in the hub area and wait like with Fantasmic?


----------



## mvf-m11c

Sherry E said:


> *Bret --*
> 
> Your pictures are fantastic!  If you're thinking that your photos are somehow "not as good," you're going to make the rest of us feel completely inadequate!



I do appreciate your kind words of my pictures Sherry. Maybe I didn't write it out correctly on my post this morning of "not as good". It just that I want to keep improving on the quality of the pictures as the years go by. I do enjoy looking at other DISers pictures during their trips.




Sherry E said:


> *Bret/mvf-11c* was also at DLR sometime during that week that you were there as well.



I went during that busy week in December last year and it lived up to the crowd levels as being one of the busiest times of the year to visit the DLR. But it didn't seem as bad as I have originally thought of going to the DLR after Christmas. The lines for the rides were long all day from morning to night but walking through the parks with those crowds was not that bad where you can barely move an inch on the streets. I would come with a plan on what you want to do instead of just deciding of what to do when you get to the parks or you will not be able to experience the full effects of your day at the parks.






Sjwillia said:


> How early must you arrive for Screams to get a viewing spot from where these pictures were taken?  Are you allowed to put down a blanket in the hub area and wait like with Fantasmic?



If you want to get a front row spot in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle for Halloween Screams, you will have to be there at least an hour or longer depends on the spot you want to see the fireworks. If you want a curb side or bench, it will be at least 2+ hour wait time. My pictures of the fireworks were from a curb side on the Hub side that gave me extra height to watch the fireworks. As for a blanket, yes you can bring a blanket during MHP.


----------



## figment_jii

Sjwillia said:


> Are you allowed to put down a blanket in the hub area and wait like with Fantasmic?


It is worth noting that for the back half of the hub and Main Street, they will let you sit down for some of the wait, but at some point (15-20 minutes before the show) they will ask everyone to stand up and fill in all available space.  I don't know if they ask guests in the front half of the hub to remain seated.


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## rowan1813

Hey Sherry E and everyone already on the page!!!! Just wanted to check in and say that BFFs and I will be back for MHP 2014! We will once again be reprising our roles as the 3 Good Fairies from Sleeping Beauty; we had such a great time as them last year and definitely want to repeat the experience. We are definitely adding a Maleficent this year and possibly a Briar Rose.

I have to ask for help on the Maleficent matter and hopefully someone reading this thread can help me. I am making the Maleficent costume (like I did the fairy dresses) and there just isn't a pattern out there that I can even Franken-pattern from. Does anyone have any ideas on how to make the dress/cloak as accurate as possible? Has anyone made a Maleficent outfit before that wouldn't mind me picking their brain?

I can't wait to see everyone's pictures and costumes (yours and the kiddos!). This is such a great time of year. I'm not sure when we are going (I have been hired as the ASB Director for my HS  and I need to be around for Homecoming week) but we are definitely going!!!!!!!


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## SusanMatt

Thank you for the Animation Academy answers. I'll just have to check each day that we plan to wander over to California Adventure to be sure I get to draw the characters I want.


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## Sherry E

*Hello, and happy Monday!

I hope all of the moms out there had a wonderful Mother's Day weekend.

This is going to be another "one of those weeks" in which I find myself wishing for autumn to get here sooner rather than later, and I find myself looking at lots of Halloween-ish images to convince myself that it's not all that far away. 

It's supposed to be in the mid-to-upper 90-degree range all week here in L.A. (today is on the low end of the 90-degree scale), with Wednesday apparently tiptoeing on the edge of 100 degrees (it will probably be warmer than that in Anaheim).  My computer/desk happens to be right next to a very large, heat-emitting window, so you can imagine my non-glee about sitting here on super hot days!

It's not close to summer yet, so this is madness.  Fall's sweet relief cannot arrive soon enough for me.  

Anyway, I will continue to sneak in various links, photos and things into the posts on page 1 -- which I have been quietly doing all along -- so keep glancing at page 1's posts to see what suddenly appears from day to day!

*
​

*I don't know about you, but I like fun facts and figures, and little bits of trivia, about the various seasons at DLR.  

For example, when it comes to Disneyland Resort's holiday/Christmas season I like to know where the largest decorations can be found (not counting the actual Christmas trees -- of which there are more than 700, in all sizes -- the largest decorations are located in A Bugs Land), and where the smallest decorations can be found (on the cottages along the Storybook Land Canal boat ride, and also on a couple of spots in Critter Country).


When it comes to Halloween Time, I have learned (in "Dining in Disneyland: Halloween Time Starts Now!" from the Disney Food Blog, Heather Sievers, September 21, 2012) that there are more than 1000 pumpkins (real and artificial) used in the Halloween decor at Disneyland Resort!!!

And, remember, most of the Halloween touches are on Main Street (which is home to more than 300 of those 1000 pumpkins) and in Frontierland, so the concentration of pumpkins in those two lands alone -- along with the ones that can be found at the Haunted Mansion Holiday location -- is phenomenal!

In addition, I learned (in "Things You Might Not Know About Halloween Time at the Disneyland Resort" from the Disney Parks Blog, Erin Glover, September 17, 2012) that the fun Halloween window displays on Main Street (which are also a major highlight for me during the holiday/Christmas season) are reproductions of actual turn-of-the-century Halloween decor. 

Other than on Main Street, you will find quite a bit of reproduced vintage Halloween decor in the Scare-Dy Crow Shack at the Halloween Carnival/Roundup/Big Thunder Ranch.  The Shack is not used for anything other than as a place to display those decorations (and a few extra Pumpkin people!), or possibly as a rainy day spot for characters to meet guests, so be sure to stop in and see them.

Here, too, are fun facts and figures about Haunted Mansion Holiday -- "Disneyland Resort Fun Facts: Haunted Mansion Holiday," Disneyland News, September 25, 2013 -- in which we learn more pumpkin stats!

Another one of my favorite Halloween Time blogs/articles in recent years came from our own Nancy Johnson, Correspondent for DIS Unplugged ("Simple Pleasures: A Halloween Time Ride on the Disneyland Omnibus," DIS Unplugged, Nancy Johnson, October 23, 2012), as she wrote about her bird's eye view of some of the pumpkins on Main Street during a carefree ride on the Omnibus.   


Finally (for now!), here are 2 Halloween Time podcasts that I did with the DIS Unplugged team, from 2012 and 2013, in which we chatted about all of the things happening in the parks for the season, gave tips, talked treats, etc.  The 9/19/13 podcast featured an overview of the Unleash the Villains event:

Halloween Time Podcast & Call-In Show -- 9/27/12

Unleash HalloweenTime -- 9/19/13 Podcast (download from the DIS Unplugged page)


So in the above links you have a little dose of Halloween to get you through a busy (and, if you live in SoCal, HOT!) Monday!*


​




Sjwillia said:


> I am going to my first Halloween party this year and so greatly appreciate this thread to help plan my party strategy.  I love the all fireworks pictures - they are wonderful!  They appear to be taken from a great spot in the hub.  How early must you arrive for Screams to get a viewing spot from where these pictures were taken?  Are you allowed to put down a blanket in the hub area and wait like with Fantasmic?



Welcome, *Sjwillia*!

Thank you for joining us here!  *Bret/mvf-m11c* and *figment_jii* gave you great information!





whoopsiedoodle said:


> I did now!!!



Welcome, *whoopsiedoodle*!  I welcomed you in the Christmas/Holiday thread as well, so I have to assume that you love both Halloween and Christmas (as I do)?!  Really, that whole block of time from when DLR's Halloween Time season begins in mid-September on through early January is fun fun fun for me!  I love all of the holidays, decorations, TV movies and specials, treats, etc., that pop up during those months.  





rowan1813 said:


> Hey Sherry E and everyone already on the page!!!! Just wanted to check in and say that BFFs and I will be back for MHP 2014! We will once again be reprising our roles as the 3 Good Fairies from Sleeping Beauty; we had such a great time as them last year and definitely want to repeat the experience. We are definitely adding a Maleficent this year and possibly a Briar Rose.
> 
> I have to ask for help on the Maleficent matter and hopefully someone reading this thread can help me. I am making the Maleficent costume (like I did the fairy dresses) and there just isn't a pattern out there that I can even Franken-pattern from. Does anyone have any ideas on how to make the dress/cloak as accurate as possible? Has anyone made a Maleficent outfit before that wouldn't mind me picking their brain?
> 
> I can't wait to see everyone's pictures and costumes (yours and the kiddos!). This is such a great time of year. I'm not sure when we are going (I have been hired as the ASB Director for my HS  and I need to be around for Homecoming week) but we are definitely going!!!!!!!



*rowan1813 --*

Welcome aboard!  I'm glad to see you made your way to the new thread.  (By the way, I think that episode of _Thriller_ that you told me about last year, with William Shatner and the house with all of the mirrors) has probably aired 10 times since you first mentioned it!

I can't help with the costumes, but if *Janet/mom2rtk* is reading along out there, maybe she has some general tips (since making costumes is her area of expertise, although she has not been to the MHP)???




SusanMatt said:


> Thank you for the Animation Academy answers. I'll just have to check each day that we plan to wander over to California Adventure to be sure I get to draw the characters I want.



*SusanMatt -*

It would be good if the schedule and details were posted online, or outside of DCA -- especially if some of the characters being drawn are of specific interest to Halloween Time visitors, such as Jack Skellington or someone like that.  

Then again, it would also be good if we could somehow find out which Villain was going to be "conjured" in the tent at the Halloween Carnival -- so that people don't end up meeting the same one over and over again -- but that doesn't seem to be happening either!


----------



## whoopsiedoodle

Our little vacation for our family has turned into a potential full family and friend adventure!  We were discussing DL this weekend and it turns out that both my DH's brothers and their families as well as his parents might be joining us!  I'm even more excited now.  PLUS we had 2 friends and their families possible jump on board.  This could be crazy!


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## pattyduke34

I was checking out this thread since I went last year for Halloween and went to a party too.  I just booked a trip to celebrate my birthday a little late( going with my BFF) and realized I will get to see the Halloween stuff again!!!!    I am sooo excited....this is just going to be the best trip!!  I get to do Halloween and Christmas time again this year!!


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## Sherry E

*DIS'er and Halloween Time at DLR Superthread participant/contributor figment_jii and I collaborated on some Frequently Asked Questions for the dedicated Mickey's Halloween Party post on page 1 (post #3, in case anyone is looking for it).  

I came up with 20 questions -- for which I had fully planned to type up answers, but figment_jii kindly offered to draft some answers for me to save me some time (since I am still working on other sections of page 1).  She did a great job, and in the process of typing the responses she came up with another 10 questions, so there are 30 questions in total.  They are all questions that come up every year.

I then reworked some things and rearranged some things, added in some extra commentary, info and links (from perlster, HydroGuy and Geemo) and... Voila!  The Mickey's Halloween Party Frequently Asked Questions are now up and running and ready for business -- HERE!

Anyone out there who has never attended the MHP and is thinking about it should skim the FAQs, as those questions literally come up all the time!*


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## yeheyprincex2

Thank you for the contributors of this thread.  I am in the process of planning our  September 2014 trip and with haunted mansion being shut down for our original trip dates I am now looking at September 16-19.  hopefully with these dates we can experience all we want. Haunted mansion is our son favorite ride and halloween is his favorite holiday.  

I am use to planning WDW trips, it is very fustrating to have to wait for the release dates of the party but I guess  have no choice.  

I am subscribed and am continuing to learn about DLR


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## Shock13

Forgive me if this was already mentioned but can someone tell me what time the Happy Haunts Tour usually start? Time of day not the date.
Thanks!


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## Sherry E

yeheyprincex2 said:


> Thank you for the contributors of this thread.  I am in the process of planning our  September 2014 trip and with haunted mansion being shut down for our original trip dates I am now looking at September 16-19.  hopefully with these dates we can experience all we want. Haunted mansion is our son favorite ride and halloween is his favorite holiday.
> 
> I am use to planning WDW trips, it is very fustrating to have to wait for the release dates of the party but I guess  have no choice.
> 
> I am subscribed and am continuing to learn about DLR



Welcome, *yeheyprincex2*!   I'm so glad you joined us!

Yes -- the delay in dates being released is a big issue every year.  I don't know why it takes Disney so long to release their info for Disneyland Resort, when WDW has dates and details lined up way in advance.

You will definitely get to experience Haunted Mansion Holiday (with the _Nightmare Before Christmas_ overlay) during your trip, as well as Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy.  We are assuming that the Halloween Time season will begin on Friday, September 12th.  Even if it began a few days later than that for some reason, you'd still be able to catch the Halloween Time season.

I think that Mickey's Halloween Party and the things exclusive to that party, such as Halloween Screams fireworks and the Character Cavalcade/mini-parade, would probably not be taking place during your trip if you go in mid-September.  Unless the schedule changes drastically from previous years, we don't expect the party to begin until late September.

In addition to HMH and SMGG, you'll be able to enjoy the Halloween Carnival/Roundup in Frontierland, which has the wonderful pumpkin carvers who make amazingly detailed (real) Disney character pumpkins.  There are also characters at the Carnival, like Woody from _Toy Story_, Mickey and Minnie, Chip and Dale, Goofy, etc.  There are Halloween-themed games, crafts, treats (like candy corn-colored cotton candy), decorations, a petting zoo (with goats in cute Halloween scarves), entertainment of some kind, a Conjure a Villains tent where you can meet a Villain and, most likely, Pirates League (where kids can get pirate makeovers).

There are fun, clever pumpkins lining Main Street -- on balconies, in windows, on marquees, etc.  There are pumpkins around the Partners statue.  In Frontierland, other than the Halloween Carnival, there is the Day of the Dead/Dia de los Muertos display and the Ray Bradbury Halloween Tree (which glows in reddish-orange at night).

Over in New Orleans Square you will see details and touches with a _Nightmare Before Christmas spin_, especially the closer you get to Haunted Mansion Holiday.

And, of course, there are all sorts of Halloween treats and goodies for sale in the sweets shops and baked goods shops, as well as seasonal menu items at some of the restaurants.

If your son loves Halloween -- and doesn't mind that this will not be a scary Halloween celebration -- then he should love Halloween Time at Disneyland.  I think you'll have a great time!





Shock13 said:


> Forgive me if this was already mentioned but can someone tell me what time the Happy Haunts Tour usually start? Time of day not the date.
> Thanks!



*Shock13 --*

I am trying to find last year's times for you.  I am still looking.  From what I recall, the Happiest Haunts tour begins later in the day than other tours.  In this Parks Blog from 2010, you will see that the times are listed as 5 p.m. and 5:05 p.m. -- but I'm not sure if that's what the times were in 2013 as well.


----------



## Cheshirecatty

Shock13 said:


> Forgive me if this was already mentioned but can someone tell me what time the Happy Haunts Tour usually start? Time of day not the date.
> Thanks!



When we took it, we had to check in (in Disneyland), at the Tour Gardens, around 3:15pm!  We took it as part of the "Ultimate Experience" though, not sure if that affected the time?(Tour part finished up about 15 minutes after the Halloween Party had started)


----------



## mummabear

Thanks for the MHP update SherryE.
Any idea what villians are available during the day (non MHP)? Particularly keen to see Shadowman...


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## figment_jii

mummabear said:


> Thanks for the MHP update SherryE.
> Any idea what villians are available during the day (non MHP)? Particularly keen to see Shadowman...



Do you mean Dr. Facilier?  (I didn't know who Shadowman was at first, so I Googled it and came up with a very strange comic book character.)

I recall folks mentioning seeing the Evil Queen, Cruella, Captain Hook, or  Maleficent at Conjure a Villain.  I know Facilier was one of the characters at MHP.


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## whoopsiedoodle

I am now even MORE excited!  The MHP Q&A was amazing and now I know for sure that I need to save up some extra cash to go to that too!


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## Newsiemj

Any tips for bringing toddlers and preschoolers to the Mickey Halloween Party? I know they can't last the whole time, but I know they will love it.


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## 2tinkerbell

Thanks so much for the MHP questions/answers.  I plan to print it out to include with the itinary I hand my DD on the way to the airport.  We are going on a surprise birthday trip 9/30-10-2.   I am hopeful that there will be a party on 9/30 so my DD and I can attend.


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## crystal1313

Newsiemj said:


> Any tips for bringing toddlers and preschoolers to the Mickey Halloween Party? I know they can't last the whole time, but I know they will love it.



My kids loved the party!  They aren't normally into character meets so we focused on attractions and CANDY!  LOL.  We also watched the parade and fireworks, both of which DS4 were asleep for, but DS5 was still awake for.  They were never scared of anything, the party is very family friendly.  So many cool costumes!  Check out my trip report in my signature if you want to read more about it.  We went last year for the first time and are hooked!!


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## Sherry E

This is not Halloween Time-related in the slightest bit, but has everyone gone to buildyourdisneyside.com and created their stick figure decals (I am trying to decide if mine will now become my new Facebook profile picture)?






If you haven't done it yet, it's really easy and cute.  It's mainly aimed at families, but if you're solo you can do one for yourself too.  You get a free download of the image and you get a free real decal mailed to you by Disney.  I chose a blue background and seemed to end up with purple, but it doesn't matter.

Wouldn't it be cool if Disney put out versions of these decals (that were free, and people could customize them online) for Halloween and various holidays too?  Look at the little accessories section of the website -- I could easily see a trick or treat bucket being added in there, not to mention a mask or witch hat or cape of some sort.  And where is the camera?  Why no camera accessory??  

I love when Disney randomly throws out cute little freebies here and there (and not things that are snapped up by the public in 2 minutes, such as the Limited Time Magic Jingle Cruise posters last year), such as these decals and the Disney Parks photo effects that were offered on Photobucket a couple of years ago.  Of course, the freebies don't stick around for long, but it's cool that every so often we get extra little treats.


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## DisneyJamieCA

Sherry E said:


> This is not Halloween Time-related in the slightest bit, but has everyone gone to buildyourdisneyside.com and created their stick figure decals (I am trying to decide if mine will now become my new Facebook profile picture)?  If you haven't done it yet, it's really easy and cute.  It's mainly aimed at families, but if you're solo you can do one for yourself too.  You get a free download of the image and you get a free real decal mailed to you by Disney.  I chose a blue background and seemed to end up with purple, but it doesn't matter.  Wouldn't it be cool if Disney put out versions of these decals (that were free, and people could customize them online) for Halloween and various holidays too?  Look at the little accessories section of the website -- I could easily see a trick or treat bucket being added in there, not to mention a mask or witch hat or cape of some sort.  And where is the camera?  Why no camera accessory??  I love when Disney randomly throws out cute little freebies here and there (and not things that are snapped up by the public in 2 minutes, such as the Limited Time Magic Jingle Cruise posters last year), such as these decals and the Disney Parks photo effects that were offered on Photobucket a couple of years ago.  Of course, the freebies don't stick around for long, but it's cool that every so often we get extra little treats.



I haven't done this, but I'm going to go do it now! How cool! (and yes, on the Jungle Cruise posters - down there 1 day after they started and they were all out!)


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## Sherry E

DisneyJamieCA said:


> I haven't done this, but I'm going to go do it now! How cool! (and yes, on the Jungle Cruise posters - down there 1 day after they started and they were all out!)



It seems as if the stick figures have caught on all over Facebook, from what I saw when I signed on a while ago.

Darn!  I noticed the little camera/t-shirt option after I ordered the decal in the mail, so my actual decal will be camera-less (which seems odd for me, given how many photos I take!).  I was wondering where the camera was when I first went on the site, and I didn't see that there was a second page/screen.  At least Disney lets us go in and redo the stick figure and download it.  So I slapped the camera on my stick figure for the purposes of saving the image to Photobucket, which is better than nothing!


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## mummabear

Sherry E said:


> It seems as if the stick figures have caught on all over Facebook, from what I saw when I signed on a while ago.
> 
> Darn!  I noticed the little camera/t-shirt option after I ordered the decal in the mail, so my actual decal will be camera-less (which seems odd for me, given how many photos I take!).  I was wondering where the camera was when I first went on the site, and I didn't see that there was a second page/screen.  At least Disney lets us go in and redo the stick figure and download it.  So I slapped the camera on my stick figure for the purposes of saving the image to Photobucket, which is better than nothing!



What do you mean by order the decal?
from the buildyourdisneyside.com site?


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## Sherry E

mummabear said:


> What do you mean by order the decal?
> from the buildyourdisneyside.com site?



*mummabear --*

After you go to that site (which is a section of the whole Disney Side website that has been up and running this year) and create your stick figure(s), you can download the image and, as long as you have registered for an account -- and you will be asked to give your address when you first start making your stick figure if you choose the 'premium' option, or whatever it is called -- you can have an actual window decal mailed to you as well.  To access the premium option you click on one of the accessories or options that has a lock over it.  Then you'll enter your email and so forth.  I chose a blue background, so I am guessing the blue is what will be on the decal, but the downloads are all purple.  

When I figured out where the little camera add-on was and went back to edit my stick figure (because my stick figure has to have a camera of some kind, or I won't be satisfied!), I could re-download the image (which is a good thing), but I couldn't order another decal in the mail because my first (camera-less) decal was already ordered earlier.  Disney Side only allows one actual decal order per account, I suppose, but it seems that they let us download and re-download our edited images over and over again (which is good if decide we want to change the shirts and give our figures different looks for different days, against a backdrop of different parks!)

This is the new version, in which I am now located in Disneyland, I have a camera around my neck and I am wearing pants, as opposed to the version I posted here yesterday, in which I was in California Adventure, I had no camera and I was wearing shorts.






After you order the decal to be mailed, you get a confirmation email from Disney Side that says the customized decal will arrive with you in 4-6 weeks.  Did you not see an option to order the actual decal in the mail (which should be right next to the option to download it)?  Make sure that you're signed up and have opted for the more advanced (premium) stick figure (instead of the basic one that doesn't require signing up).


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## trishakay84

Thanks for sharing that site, Sherry! Very fun  My boys helped pick out what they want to be wearing/holding! I wonder how long the site will be around/how long the offer of a free decal in the mail will last. I downloaded the image I created for now, with me, DH, DS4 & DS6, but am hoping the decal by mail offer will still be around in 10 weeks, when we're able to find out the gender of our baby due in December! Then the image can be more 'complete' by adding a toddler in whichever gender we're expecting, hehe. I would have been equally happy if there had been the option of a pregnant belly, but that's probably hard to show in a stick figure haha. I thought it was interesting that there are only 4 choices of toddlers for each gender, and they can't be customized, so I used the "child" option for the boys so they could choose their clothes, hats, etc.


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## Sherry E

trishakay84 said:


> Thanks for sharing that site, Sherry! Very fun  My boys helped pick out what they want to be wearing/holding! I wonder how long the site will be around/how long the offer of a free decal in the mail will last. I downloaded the image I created for now, with me, DH, DS4 & DS6, but am hoping the decal by mail offer will still be around in 10 weeks, when we're able to find out the gender of our baby due in December! Then the image can be more 'complete' by adding a toddler in whichever gender we're expecting, hehe. I would have been equally happy if there had been the option of a pregnant belly, but that's probably hard to show in a stick figure haha. I thought it was interesting that there are only 4 choices of toddlers for each gender, and they can't be customized, so I used the "child" option for the boys so they could choose their clothes, hats, etc.



*Trisha --*

You're welcome!  I assumed everyone already knew about the stick figure decals, but I thought that I'd mention it just in case some folks didn't know.

I wonder how long the decal offer will be around.  Since the Disney Side site is going to be up all this year, I would assume, it would be nice if they kept the offer up through December.  I still think there should be some seasonal accessories added in as well (Santa hats, trick or treat buckets, candy canes, etc.).  Of course, Disney could remove the free decal offer in a month, and we probably wouldn't know until it was already gone.

I think it's also cute that pets can be added in!  Can't leave the fur babies out of the decal!

Even though you might not get the actual decal if you wait too long, you could always just create 2 extra versions of the image -- one with an extra little boy and one with an extra little girl -- to cover your bases for whatever gender the baby turns out to be!  At least you'd have the downloaded images to use for avatars or profile pictures or whatever, if not the actual decal.

Congratulations on the baby, by the way!   So you will be having a holiday baby -- all the more reason to celebrate and enjoy that wonderful season!




*On a Halloween Time-related note...

Those of you who followed the previous Superthread last year will remember that Backstage Pass -- the newsletter/calendar for AP holders that only comes out a few times a year, if that often -- was received in May by at least some of us.  In that May issue of Backstage Pass we got confirmation of the start date of Halloween Time, the start date of the holiday season and the (incorrect) start date of Mickey's Halloween Party (though not the complete schedule of MHP dates).

In previous years, the pre-summer Backstage Pass (or whatever the AP newsletter/calendar used to be called) did not give those dates at all, let alone Halloween Time and holiday season dates at the same time, so it was very surprising to see so many dates revealed in one publication (even if the MHP date was wrong), before summer even began!

Needless to say, we have 2 weeks left of May and I am hoping that a new Backstage Pass is on its way, with the "big reveal" of the dates!  After last year's MHP date misprint/fiasco, they might be hesitant to print any dates again if the dates are not 100% set in stone.  

However, late May/early June is around when I would expect either the Parks Blog or the AP section of the Disneyland Resort website to reveal the full roster of MHP dates anyway.  So whether we get a Backstage Pass with info or whether we find out through some other official Disney source, I think we'll know something in the next 2 or 3 weeks.  It won't be long now!

I am mainly curious to see if Disneyland will do what we expect them to do, and start Halloween Time on 9/12 and the MHP on 9/26, or if they will surprise us and start the season a couple of days later, as well as end the season a couple of days later (I am fully expecting Sunday, November 2nd to be the final day of Halloween Time this year).



*


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## Kilala

I'm sorry it's taking so long to post pics from last years MHP. I got my mom's old Dell. I'm in the prossess of putiing the picturesa onto this computer. I should have the pics up today or tommorow at the latest


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## DisneyJamieCA

I thought I had responded yesterday, but I don't see it. Thank you for the link Sherry! I didn't know about it, but have ordered mine (and made it my profile pic on FB!). I thought I did see some of the Santa Mickey ears on the site... But I agree more seasonal stuff would be great!


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## Sherry E

*Kilala* -- No worries!  We'll all be here when you get the photos ready.







DisneyJamieCA said:


> I thought I had responded yesterday, but I don't see it. Thank you for the link Sherry! I didn't know about it, but have ordered mine (and made it my profile pic on FB!). I thought I did see some of the Santa Mickey ears on the site... But I agree more seasonal stuff would be great!



*Jamie --*

You're welcome!

It makes a perfect FB profile pic, doesn't it?  Or a perfect avatar on a website.  When I signed onto FB yesterday (for the first time in several months, I think --- most times I just go to a FB page without signing in if I am reading it), I saw all sorts of purple stick figure images floating down the Newsfeed, used as Timeline Covers, profile pics and any other way people could think to use them!

You did respond yesterday!  Your reply is at the top of this page (at least on my screen it is), and I replied to you!

In any case, I'm glad you replied again because when you said you thought you saw some Santa ears I went back to the site and found them!  If we are keeping track, this is my third version of the stick figure:






I have to have different hats and treats for different occasions, after all!  That's not a very good Santa hat, but it will have to do for now.  I realized that I had seen the Santa hat the first time around, but for some reason I thought it was something else and not Santa ears! 

After overlooking the camera on the first try and bypassing the Santa ears on the second try, I realize that my actual decal figure is going to be lacking in the proper gear.  At least I can create different versions of the downloaded stick figure.

This time I used a different browser and I suddenly noticed a different hair length option that I didn't see before.  So I made my hair longer as well.  And I decided to skip the Mickey ice cream bar this time around and get a different treat (is that a Dole Whip?).  They didn't have peppermint ice cream cones or gingerbread cookies with mouse ears, so this will have to do!

Normally I am wearing giant sunglasses in the daytime at DLR, so it would have been more realistic to put the sunglasses on me, but they seemed to clash with the various ear hats so I stuck to the regular glasses.



Now...if they would only add in a trick-or-treat bucket or Halloween mask of some sort...


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## DisneyJamieCA

Sherry E said:


> Kilala -- No worries!  We'll all be here when you get the photos ready.  Jamie --  You're welcome!  It makes a perfect FB profile pic, doesn't it?  Or a perfect avatar on a website.  When I signed onto FB yesterday (for the first time in several months, I think --- most times I just go to a FB page without signing in if I am reading it), I saw all sorts of purple stick figure images floating down the Newsfeed, used as Timeline Covers, profile pics and any other way people could think to use them!  You did respond yesterday!  Your reply is at the top of this page (at least on my screen it is), and I replied to you!  In any case, I'm glad you replied again because when you said you thought you saw some Santa ears I went back to the site and found them!  If we are keeping track, this is my third version of the stick figure:  I have to have different hats and treats for different occasions, after all!  That's not a very good Santa hat, but it will have to do for now.  I realized that I had seen the Santa hat the first time around, but for some reason I thought it was something else and not Santa ears!  After overlooking the camera on the first try and bypassing the Santa ears on the second try, I realize that my actual decal figure is going to be lacking in the proper gear.  At least I can create different versions of the downloaded stick figure.  This time I used a different browser and I suddenly noticed a different hair length option that I didn't see before.  So I made my hair longer as well.  And I decided to skip the Mickey ice cream bar this time around and get a different treat (is that a Dole Whip?).  They didn't have peppermint ice cream cones or gingerbread cookies with mouse ears, so this will have to do!  Normally I am wearing giant sunglasses in the daytime at DLR, so it would have been more realistic to put the sunglasses on me, but they seemed to clash with the various ear hats so I stuck to the regular glasses.  Now...if they would only add in a trick-or-treat bucket or Halloween mask of some sort...



Now I see my comment. When I opened this earlier today most of the comments between yours & my last one were missing, but I see there are a ton now. Sometimes the DIS app gets really finicky! I have it as my profile picture, but now that you've mentioned it, it would make a really cute cover photo!


----------



## trishakay84

Sherry E said:


> *Trisha --*
> 
> Even though you might not get the actual decal if you wait too long, you could always just create 2 extra versions of the image -- one with an extra little boy and one with an extra little girl -- to cover your bases for whatever gender the baby turns out to be!  At least you'd have the downloaded images to use for avatars or profile pictures or whatever, if not the actual decal.
> 
> Congratulations on the baby, by the way!   So you will be having a holiday baby -- all the more reason to celebrate and enjoy that wonderful season!
> 
> 
> [/B][/SIZE][/COLOR]




Thanks so much! That's a great suggestion to create 2 extra versions of the image, I'm going to do that now! And thank you for the congratulations - I already love the Christmas season, and this definitely makes it even more exciting!


----------



## mummabear

Sherry E said:


> *mummabear --*
> 
> After you go to that site (which is a section of the whole Disney Side website that has been up and running this year) and create your stick figure(s), you can download the image and, as long as you have registered for an account -- and you will be asked to give your address when you first start making your stick figure if you choose the 'premium' option, or whatever it is called -- you can have an actual window decal mailed to you as well.  To access the premium option you click on one of the accessories or options that has a lock over it.  Then you'll enter your email and so forth.  I chose a blue background, so I am guessing the blue is what will be on the decal, but the downloads are all purple.
> 
> When I figured out where the little camera add-on was and went back to edit my stick figure (because my stick figure has to have a camera of some kind, or I won't be satisfied!), I could re-download the image (which is a good thing), but I couldn't order another decal in the mail because my first (camera-less) decal was already ordered earlier.  Disney Side only allows one actual decal order per account, I suppose, but it seems that they let us download and re-download our edited images over and over again (which is good if decide we want to change the shirts and give our figures different looks for different days, against a backdrop of different parks!)
> 
> This is the new version, in which I am now located in Disneyland, I have a camera around my neck and I am wearing pants, as opposed to the version I posted here yesterday, in which I was in California Adventure, I had no camera and I was wearing shorts.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> After you order the decal to be mailed, you get a confirmation email from Disney Side that says the customized decal will arrive with you in 4-6 weeks.  Did you not see an option to order the actual decal in the mail (which should be right next to the option to download it)?  Make sure that you're signed up and have opted for the more advanced (premium) stick figure (instead of the basic one that doesn't require signing up).



Thanks again SherryE, no I wasn't logged into anything, I will have to head back and try again


----------



## Kilala

Do you think that they will still have TT open again this year?


----------



## Sherry E

My feeling/guess is that Toontown will once again play a small role in the Halloween fun before the MHP starts this year.  I could be totally wrong, but that's what I think.

I have always thought that Toontown should have some kind of Halloween Time involvement since part of it is a neighborhood with houses/residences, and most likely the characters would be celebrating Halloween, welcoming trick-or-treaters, etc.  

The fact that the fireworks force Toontown to close early has always been unfortunate for any kind of Toontown/trick-or-treating possibilities.  So what happened last year, before the start of the MHP, was a good way to kind of include Toontown in some way, while still allowing it to close it down early.  

Opening the early treat stations/trail in Toontown was also great for the little ones who need to get to sleep early, but who would like to collect some candy and meet a few characters before they do!


----------



## eileenkeeney

Sherry E said:


> My feeling/guess is that Toontown will once again play a small role in the Halloween fun before the MHP starts this year.  I could be totally wrong, but that's what I think.
> 
> I have always thought that Toontown should have some kind of Halloween Time involvement since part of it is a neighborhood with houses/residences, and most likely the characters would be celebrating Halloween, welcoming trick-or-treaters, etc.
> 
> The fact that the fireworks force Toontown to close early has always been unfortunate for any kind of Toontown/trick-or-treating possibilities.  So what happened last year, before the start of the MHP, was a good way to kind of include Toontown in some way, while still allowing it to close it down early.
> 
> Opening the early treat stations/trail in Toontown was also great for the little ones who need to get to sleep early, but who would like to collect some candy and meet a few characters before they do!



That would be so cute.
I might even trick-or-treat through ToonTown (and I am not one who really likes the trick-or-treat at the Halloween Party unless it is the stop that gives out the Werther's caramels).


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## cinderbellasmom

Trip is finally booked! 9/28-10/3 at the Best Western Pavilions! Now just anxiously awaiting the party dates to be announced


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## zanzibar138

I called my parents last night and mentioned that Halloween time would be starting while we are there. I could just about hear my dad rolling his eyes  He hates the idea of Halloween, but I think they'll both enjoy the extras when we're there.


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## Sherry E

*Random rants and not-so-deep thoughts for a Tuesday morning in the Halloween Time Superthread...*



*A while back in this thread I was mentioning that I'd noticed how freely people tend to give out incorrect, inaccurate and/or incomplete information about Halloween Time (and certainly the holiday season too) around the Internet.  I am sure that this happens in all other aspects of Disneyland planning as well.  It's not done with any kind of malicious intent when people give out misinformation -- I think that folks, as a general rule, truly want to feel like they are being helpful -- but often times the facts and details are just not correct/complete.   It is unfortunate to think that there are a lot of Disneyland, Halloween Time and holiday season newcomers who will take that incorrect/inaccurate/incomplete information as fact and run with it in their planning.  

I think I specifically mentioned seeing someone's reply on the (currently inactive as far as Disney's involvement goes) Halloween Time Facebook page, in which she told someone else that Disneyland doesn't really decorate "for Halloween," specifically, but more for fall and just for the Halloween Party.  Now that was probably her legitimate perception of how things are for Halloween Time, but she dispensed it as fact and it was not entirely factual.

Clearly, Disneyland decorates "for Halloween," even if the decorations are not in every land.  The whole season is called "Halloween Time," of which the "Halloween Carnival" is a major part.  And there are "Happy Hallowe'en" pictures hanging in the Scare-Dy Crow Shack at the Halloween Roundup (at the Carnival site).  There are carved pumpkins all over the place.  But I digress...*


​

*Anyway, yesterday I came across another golden nugget of misinformation on the Internet (not on the Halloween Time Facebook page, but elsewhere).  A well-meaning person -- who had recently attended Mickey's Halloween Party and Halloween Time with great satisfaction -- excitedly stated, "...All the rides are Halloween themed."

Okay, that assessment is just not true.  Not only is it untrue, but it's not even close to being true!  There are 2 rides that are themed specifically for the season -- Haunted Mansion Holiday (which is actually themed for both Halloween and the holiday season) and Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy.  That's basically it.  But the person who made that comment plainly said that "all the rides" are Halloween themed.  

Inevitably, someone will find that comment online and take it as fact, and then be very disappointed when they get to DLR and discover that there are very few Halloween-themed rides!   Can you imagine someone -- who doesn't know about or have time for DISboards (specifically this Halloween Time Superthread), and perhaps the other major Disney-oriented discussion forums as well -- searching online for Halloween Time information and stumbling upon these bits of incorrect/incomplete information and applying it to their planning?  It probably happens a lot.

Even a place where you would expect to get full, comprehensive, detailed Halloween Time or holiday info/photos -- such as DLR's Halloween Time or Holidays Facebook pages, respectively -- is barely even touched by Disney for most of the year.  It's not like they post fun Halloween stuff or holiday stuff year-round, to keep people interested and engaged.  They mainly update when there are special event/season dates to be announced (and that is after "the rest of us" already know that info, so they're not really breaking news), and after the actual seasons are underway.  So, what happens for the rest of the year?  Other followers/readers of those pages are left to tackle the questions, only some of whom give accurate info!

It happens on the actual discussion forums too, including this one.  I've had people come to my Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread with some inaccurate/incomplete dates or bits of info that they learned outside of that thread, elsewhere on The DIS, and then I have to fill in the blanks or correct the incorrect stuff. *


​

*So I guess the bottom line is that -- other than the almost pointless DLR Halloween Time and Holidays pages on Facebook -- it is always a good idea to go to the places with a big concentration of people discussing a single subject in one place, if you want to learn about that subject or get the accurate info.  Not 20 different threads about one subject, mind you, but one active thread/Superthread/website with a lot of views/pages/posts about one main subject, etc. 

I know it can be intimidating or daunting to jump into a large thread that is already pretty far along, but you are likely to get better, more detailed, more complete, more informed, more accurate information by perusing and following a Superthread than if you look elsewhere.  It doesn't mean that everyone in every Superthread or large thread will have every single answer, or will even be correct about every single detail, but they/we will try to paint the most complete picture for you and will let you know if they/we do not have the information you need!  

Those sorts of threads/Superthreads (like the GCH Superthread, the World of Color Superthread, the Fantasmic Superthread, the PhotoPass Superthread, the Character Meal Superthread, etc., etc.) are not simply (what I refer to as) "Yay!  Rah-rah!  We love the GCH [or fill in the blank with name of subject]" threads.  They are partially that as well, of course, but they also are valuable tools for in-depth info, discussion and planning advice about these very popular sub-topics of the much larger topic of Disneyland Resort!*


​

*And, in the meantime, Disney's Social Media people really need to pay more attention to their Halloween Time and Holidays pages on Facebook, all year long (I say that, knowing that they do occasionally peek in on my Halloween and Christmas/Holidays threads, as well as some of the other more active/most viewed threads on this forum).  They need to build up excitement and get more people filled with anticipation for the seasons to start.   I have a feeling that Disney/DLR mistakenly thinks that no one really cares about the Halloween Time and holiday seasons in, say, February or May or July or whatever.  I suppose they assume that people will only begin to plan their Halloween/holiday trips when those seasons are just about to begin?   That may be true if all of the guests are local or almost local but, as we all know, there are people who travel from all over this country and other countries to attend these special events, and it cannot hurt to post some Halloween things on the Halloween page all year long, or some holiday things on the Holidays page all year long.  How could it possibly hurt them to build up those pages a bit? 

Oh well.  If Disney doesn't build up their season-specific pages people will just end up making their way to other places -- such as DISboards, the Halloween at DLR Superthread and the Disneyland at Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread!!    So I guess it works out for us!*


​


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## pattyduke34

Sherry- I love all the information that you have on here..and again I am reading everything as I get to make another trip this year with a friend who has not been in 20 years,,,,I want to make sure that she gets to see everything and I know that you are always updating any new information that you get!  Thanks a million for all your hard work!  I can not wait to see the parks decorated in Halloween theme again!!


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## Amilo

Sherry,
I so appreciate all you do to keep info accurate and updated! I find that even CMs give incorrect/inconsistent info on this subject! It's so hard to know what to believe!
Oh well, I know I'll really enjoy my trip, no matter what happens!


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## Sherry E

[





pattyduke34 said:


> Sherry- I love all the information that you have on here..and again I am reading everything as I get to make another trip this year with a friend who has not been in 20 years,,,,I want to make sure that she gets to see everything and I know that you are always updating any new information that you get!  Thanks a million for all your hard work!  I can not wait to see the parks decorated in Halloween theme again!!



*pattyduke34 --*

You're very welcome!  Thank you for following along -- both here and in the Christmas/Holiday Superthread (by the way, remember that there will be a new Theme Week Countdown in the Christmas thread starting in a little over 2 months!  Time for another 3+ months of themes)!

Even when I get busy and can't update things as often as I'd like, this thread is a good place for all of the seasoned Halloween Time DIS'ers to help the people who are new to Halloween Time, and for breaking news to be analyzed, etc.  I think that when bits of info trickle out in places (on any forum or anywhere online) other than where there is concentrated, specific Halloween Time-related discussion, that's when facts tend to get blurred and mixed up, unfortunately.  The same goes for other subjects -- chances are, the most/best information can be gained in the biggest, most active threads about other topics too, because that is where the biggest concentration of discussion will be about those topics.

With any luck maybe California Adventure will be somewhat decorated for Halloween this year too, so your friend will have more to see!  Then again, after not visiting Disneyland for 20 years, I am guessing that things will be looking quite a bit different to her -- even without a few extra pumpkins in DCA!  She will have plenty to see!





Amilo said:


> Sherry,
> I so appreciate all you do to keep info accurate and updated! I find that even CMs give incorrect/inconsistent info on this subject! It's so hard to know what to believe!
> Oh well, I know I'll really enjoy my trip, no matter what happens!



*Amilo --*

Thank you for the kind words!  I really appreciate it.  

You're right -- even the CMs sometimes give incorrect info, and they often give inconsistent or downright conflicting info!  One CM will say something totally different than what another CM says!   Some of them just won't reveal anything, incorrect or otherwise!

I have found that there are CMs who seem to be more "in the know" than others.  Some of them are more informed than others because they make it a point to be, so they make the right connections within the greater Disney organization and they find out things.  Many CMs are bigger Disney fans and aficionados too, so they want to learn more about what is happening.  

Other CMs are not that interested in what's going on, or they think they have an idea but they really don't know.  Also, in many cases, I think that the CMs on the phones and on the front lines at DLR are the last to know anything.  If any of them are told anything in advance, it's probably because some sort of event will be coming up that will affect their schedules in some way.

I remember that, last year, I was the one who had to tell a couple of different CMs on the phone which dates were printed in the _Backstage Pass_ newsletter (for AP holders) as being the start dates for Halloween Time, the MHP and the holiday season -- because they hadn't seen the BP newsletter and no one at Disney had bothered to inform them!  So people were calling them and asking for dates and info, and they never knew that the info had already been published!

I try to make a point of mentioning what is official and what is unofficial/unconfirmed information too, which is always important.  I will also try to paint a picture of what is likely to happen and what is not likely to happen during a season.  Sometimes rumors will trickle out that something may happen, and it's not even anywhere near being confirmed or announced by Disney, but people will read it and react...sometimes negatively.  

I recall an incident back in 2010, in which Al Lutz reported on MiceAge that Disney was supposedly considering letting non-Halloween party guests stay to watch the Halloween Screams fireworks that year.  This was never anything that was official.  It was never announced by Disney.  For all we knew it could have been something they considered for 5 minutes, six months earlier in a meeting, and then quickly abandoned.  Al Lutz is not a Disney employee and he had no official scoop.  

And still, people in the Halloween thread were ready to storm the Team Disney Anaheim offices...over a mere _rumor_ posted on a Disney discussion/fan site.  Many of them began launching a campaign to flood Disney with emails, phone calls and letters, angrily telling Guest Services/Relations how they felt about non-party people being allowed to see the fireworks.  The poor CMs on the other end of these calls and emails were likely very confused!  They probably had no idea what was happening.

I tried to be the voice of reason and remind everyone that we didn't know if this would ever even happen.  No one listened.  They all continued to bombard Disney with complaints...about a rumor.   And guess what?  That rumored plan never came to fruition.  Halloween Screams was not made available to non-party guests in 2010 or in any subsequent year.  So, most likely, it was all much ado about nothing.

That's why I really try to make sure people get the scoop on what is official, unofficial, plausible and implausible; what to realistically expect in terms of décor and where exactly the décor can be found, etc.  I think it's good to know what to expect.

Of course, I will always say so if I am not sure about something or if I don't know the answer, or if circumstances may have changed since a previous scenario took place.  I will also specify other people or threads that may be more helpful or relevant in some cases.  We're basically all here to help each other out, and there are certain things that some are more well-versed in than others!  For example, I have no personal experience with the Happiest Haunts Tour and other people do, so they are definitely more qualified to answer questions about it!  We might not always be right about the info we give out, but we will usually state that we don't know if we're correct instead of just giving murky info and claiming it is factual.

In any case, I guess I am just constantly surprised to see how easily misinformation, or incomplete, somewhat skewed information, is tossed around online to people trying to learn and plan!  Disney has that whole Disney Moms Panel, right?  It seems that they could at least get one of the Disneyland-specific Moms -- if not someone at the Parks Blog or in their Social Media departments -- to kind of manage the Halloween Time Facebook page and the Holidays Facebook page, to at least give basic, garden variety "Disney replies" to the people who post there year-round, instead of risking inaccurate Facebook followers giving out the wrong details!


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## dolphingirl47

This looks amazing. I have to come back and have a closer look once I am caught up with everything else.

Corinna


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## Mommy2PrincessAbby

We're back from 10 days in orlando... Our 1st trip to wdw and universal.  And now I feel like I need a little DL to get my real disney fix, since I felt it was lacking in wdw.

Thinking about Halloween time... Dd gets 10/10 off, i know it will be busy that weekend, but wondering if we took a quick flight down Thursday night, played in DCA Friday, did the Halloween party Friday night, hopped back and forth Saturday (see WOC, which I sorely missed in wdw), sleep in Sunday, shop a little in DTD and fly home... I can probably get flights for $300ish for the two of us pdx to LGB or SNA... Then we could stay at PP which we love.  It would still be a $2000 weekend for the two of us... Is that nuts?


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## lucysmom

No, it's not nuts!! If you can afford it, have a great time making Mommy and Me memories with your daughter. BTW--I feel the same way about WDW now. It seems to have lost its way. DLR has the true Disney magic. I hope it stays!


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## Cheshirecatty

Mommy2PrincessAbby said:


> We're back from 10 days in orlando... Our 1st trip to wdw and universal.  And now I feel like I need a little DL to get my real disney fix, since I felt it was lacking in wdw.
> 
> Thinking about Halloween time... Dd gets 10/10 off, i know it will be busy that weekend, but wondering if we took a quick flight down Thursday night, played in DCA Friday, did the Halloween party Friday night, hopped back and forth Saturday (see WOC, which I sorely missed in wdw), sleep in Sunday, shop a little in DTD and fly home... I can probably get flights for $300ish for the two of us pdx to LGB or SNA... Then we could stay at PP which we love.  It would still be a $2000 weekend for the two of us... Is that nuts?



Agree with *lucysmom*---You are NOT nuts!

If you can afford the trip, why not take it, and have a wonderful time with your DD?

We are in the Parks that same week, every October, and *LOVE IT!*

*Yes, it will be busier*(most of October is now) than it used to be, but you can *still* get so much done---*especially* if you get up and get to the Parks for rope drop!   

We'll be attending that same Halloween Party(planning to anyway--waiting for it to be "Officially" announced).  We've done this the last several years, and had so much fun!


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## Mommy2PrincessAbby

You guys for sure aren't the voice of reason lol... I put the trip in my cart... Maybe they'll send me a pin


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## Sherry E

*Welcome, Corinna, lucysmom and Mommy2PrincessAbby to the new Superthread (we last saw you in the old Superthread)!*

*Now that we're almost over the Memorial Day roadblock (I always envision Memorial Day as being the holiday that stands in the way of us getting early, confirmed Halloween Time information), we could start to get tiny bits of info at any time now.  

Sometimes dates or Halloween-related Disney Parks Blogs have come out as early as May, and MHP dates have appeared as early as May in the AP section of the DLR website.  Last year the dates were printed in a May issue of Backstage Pass.

That doesn't mean, of course, that we will get info while May is still going strong -- we may not hear anything until June -- but after Memorial Day ends I think anything is possible!  So start keeping a watchful eye on the Parks Blog, the AP section of the website and your mailbox (if you get Backstage Pass for AP holders) as soon as Memorial Day is behind us!*


​


*My Memorial Day musings...



Interestingly, the Halloween Time section of the DLR website says:  

"Spirit away for some spook-tacular fun at a series of family-friendly Halloween eventsfrom mid-September to October 31, 2014."  




I noticed it yesterday, although I could swear that the last time I checked the site -- which was sometime in the last 2 weeks -- there was not a definite October 31st end date mentioned.    I could be wrong -- maybe I just didn't see the "...to October 31, 2014" part of the text when I first checked it.  I may have overlooked it.

Anyway, those of you who are new to the Halloween Time season and to this thread may wonder why that particular wording ("...to October 31, 2014") is interesting.   It wouldn't be unexpected for the Halloween Time season to end on October 31st, after all, as that is usually the last day of the season in most years.

What is interesting about it is that I was almost sure that we would see another "late" end to Halloween Time this year, and that the season would end on Sunday, November 2nd, based on what happened in 2008 and 2009 -- the last occasions on which October 31st fell on a Friday and Saturday, respectively.  The season ended on the Sunday of "Halloween weekend" in both of those years, and I was certain it would happen that way again this year since Halloween is on a Friday. 

In other words, I thought we might get a bonus/extra couple of days of Halloween Time this year.   

Mickey's Halloween Party is sure to stop after 10/31, but I wonder if, for example, Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy will end on 10/31 or if it will kind of 'quietly' continue running over that weekend.  Space Mountain doesn't get a holiday season overlay, so it's not as if it would need to be shut down to receive Christmas touches.  It seems like it could easily just stay open in Ghost Galaxy mode through 11/2, but who knows?

The Halloween Carnival is very likely to be de-Halloween-ified immediately after 10/31.  All of the pumpkins and autumn accents have to be replaced with reindeer knick-knacks and rustic holiday decorations within a week or so (the Jingle Jangle Jamboree will probably be unofficially open by 11/7, in time for the Christmas parade taping crowds to arrive).*


----------



## Kilala

I hope they will add more days this year. Here are pictures from October 30th 2013 at MHP. My friend invited me to go with her at the last minuet.






[I
[URL=http://s499.photobucket.com/user/Naruto-Kitten/media/Demeter%20costume%202013/MHP%20Oct30th%202013/OctoberandNovember2013249.jpg.html]
	













I'm the yellow cat and mt friend is the grey cat








[/URL]




[URL=http://s499.photobucket.com/user/Naruto-Kitten/media/Demeter%20costume%202013/MHP%20Oct30th%202013/OctoberandNovember2013281.jpg.html]
	

There was Christmas stuff up 









my friends costume






My costume






After the party



My cat Kilala is checking out all the candy I got










My cat Naruto
[URL=http://s499.photobucket.com/user/Naruto-Kitten/media/Demeter%20costume%202013/MHP%20Oct30th%202013/OctoberandNovember2013327.jpg.html]
My kitten Lillie
[URL=http://s499.photobucket.com/user/Naruto-Kitten/media/Demeter%20costume%202013/MHP%20Oct30th%202013/OctoberandNovember2013332.jpg.html]
	








 The rest of the images are found here. http://s499.photobucket.com/user/Na...r costume 2013/MHP Oct30th 2013?sort=2&page=1


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## Sherry E

Great photos, *Kilala*!  I especially love the ones of the kitties getting into the candy!


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## Kilala

Sherry E said:


> Great photos, *Kilala*!  I especially love the ones of the kitties getting into the candy!



LOL!! Thank you the black kitten is now 9 months old.


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## Gisele

Kilala said:
			
		

> LOL!! Thank you the black kitten is now 9 months old.



Your kitten is so pawsitively cute! I like how he seems to be guarding your stash man! And that he's in what looks like a cat bag, very good cover. Lol  
Both of your costumes look really awesome! Professional stage quality, they appear to be. Totally made me think of the stage musical CATS!


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## Kilala

Gisele said:


> Your kitten is so pawsitively cute! I like how he seems to be guarding your stash man! And that he's in what looks like a cat bag, very good cover. Lol
> Both of your costumes look really awesome! Professional stage quality, they appear to be. Totally made me think of the stage musical CATS!



The black kitten is a girl her name is Lillie. All my cats are girls. I made the yellow cat costume and the other one is my friends. That costumes is from a actual production from Cats.


----------



## Sherry E

At this time of year in 2013, the former Halloween Superthread was pretty hoppin' as we were all waiting for dates and info to trickle out, and lots of Halloween newcomers were abuzz with questions and excitement to help plan for their trips.  I don't mean that everyone was popping in and asking _me_ questions only.  I mean that everyone was chatting and interacting, asking and answering questions!  (The previous Halloween Superthreads have had 300,000+ and 200,000+ views!)

Eventually we segued into some awesome discussions (to keep our Halloween-ish mood going in between bits of news from DLR!) about weird, unexplainable events that we had experienced -- and some were quite chilling -- as well as the fun Halloween-themed TV specials and creepy old TV shows or TV movies we liked to watch (_Twilight Zone_, _Thriller_, _Night Gallery_, _Trilogy of Terror_, etc.).  Does anyone who participated last year remember that?  DIS'ers *Lucrezia* and *seobaina* had some great stories! 

This year -- and it must be because I let the former Superthread get quiet for a while, and it lost its steam and momentum -- I know there are lots and lots of new people heading to DLR for their first Halloween Time/October/September visits...and yet, this thread is fairly silent.  I think that everyone is pretty much off in other threads or elsewhere, asking and answering questions and excitedly discussing plans.

I was told by one of my Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread followers in 2013 that, on the WDW side of the board, the threads that are dedicated to certain single months basically take on the role of temporary Superthreads (because there are no actual year-round, ongoing Superthreads dedicated to one topic over there), and those month-specific threads are where all of the discussion takes place.   So it was confusing at first when she realized that the December Check-In thread on the DLR side of the board was just the place to announce trip dates and hotels, and that the Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread was where all the action was happening!  It's a bit different on the DLR side of town.

I guess that a lot of the WDW Halloween Time first-timers this year are maybe in that same boat -- they are accustomed to the "month threads" on the WDW side of the board and that's where they are comfortable on this DLR section of the board.  I can understand that.  I'd probably do the exact same thing if I ventured over to the WDW side of the board, which would be unfamiliar territory for me!  I suppose I just wonder if it was necessary for me to start a new Superthread, with a new first-page layout and all of that.  It may not have been a big deal to just stick with the old thread.

Well, it's not time for a mini-Theme Week Countdown _yet_ (that probably wouldn't start until late July/early August, as I am trying to time it to begin within the same week -- if not on the same day -- as when I start the massive 3 1/2-month Countdown/gift card giveaway in the Christmas/Holiday Superthread, because its easier for me to keep track of the Countdowns and remember them that way), so hopefully we will have more people joining in by then!   

In the meantime, I continue to check the mailbox for the _Backstage Pass_ newsletter (for AP holders), in hopes that there will be another "big reveal" of season-related dates like there was last year!  Sadly, the _Backstage Pass_ newsletter is not reliable in its arrival and I never know when or if I am going to get it at all!

​


----------



## figment_jii

Sherry E said:


> I think that everyone is pretty much off in other threads or elsewhere, asking and answering questions and excitedly discussing plans.



I think some of us are still trying to recover from the 24-hour event!  

I have it in my notes to finish posting the HMH 2013 photos...so those will be coming (I promise!).  

Once the dates are announced (or really anything is announced) I suspect this thread will get lively again.  There have been a few other Halloween threads around lately, but not to many yet.  Hopefully, now that Memorial Day weekend is over, we can start thinking of Halloween!


----------



## sweetpee_1993

Hi, Sherry & all!  

My family just returned from our first DL trip 4/26-5/3.  We caught that miserable first (sand)blast of the Santa Ana's.  Brutal.  Anywhoo, we bought APs vs. a 5+1 day parkhopper.  Hubby & I try to get away and do a trip together each fall for our anniversary.  In spite of 6 park days, between refurbs, closures, and dodging the heat we left feeling like there was a lot undone.  Within a week of our return we spotted some great airfares so we pulled the trigger and set our dates to return for 9/27-10/4.  The goal is to stay at the Grand Californian to get that lovely resort feel.  (We're really not the park commando type.)  Depends largely on finances & how the summer goes.  The Halloween/fall offerings are interesting even tho we don't particularly get into Halloween.  I'll be honest, we're really on the fence about whether to go back to California or change our plane tickets & jump on a cruise.  Thinking about crowds + possibility/probability of that brutal heat again....I'm just not sure.  So, for those who've been at the end of September into the first days of October, how does it compare crowd-wise to late April into early May?  The Halloween party, are a lot of attractions open?  Is it akin to what's open for the early hour?  I read here that most parties sold out last year.  We did a few sold out hard ticket events at WDW in years past so I'm curious how the volume of tickets to reach sold out compares.  IMO, WDW way over sells their hard ticket events.  I'm hoping DL doesn't do the same.  I'm thinking our best bet would be during the week.


----------



## figment_jii

sweetpee_1993 said:


> So, for those who've been at the end of September into the first days of October, how does it compare crowd-wise to late April into early May?  The Halloween party, are a lot of attractions open?  Is it akin to what's open for the early hour?  I read here that most parties sold out last year.  We did a few sold out hard ticket events at WDW in years past so I'm curious how the volume of tickets to reach sold out compares.



The first weekend in October is going to be very busy in DLR because it's Gay Days weekend (10/3-10/5).  It's not going to be Christmas week crowds, but it's certainly more than the typical weekend crowds.  My instinctive answer is the the weekday crowds will be comparable, but the weekend crowds are higher in Sep/Oct as folks come into see the Halloween decorations and fewer APs are blocked.

At MHP, most of the rides are open, but not all.  Question #13 of the MHP FAQ on the first page of this thread list the rides that were not open last year during the party hours.  In general, enough of the rides are open that I don't think you'd feel like you're missing out on that many rides.  All of the "big" rides are open (e.g., Space, Splash, Matterhorn, Star Tours, Indy, PotC, Haunted Mansion, Small World, most of Fantasyland, Big Thunder, etc.).

Disneyland is smaller park than Magic Kingdom, so fewer people are needed to make it feel crowded.  That being said, I think DL does feel "busy" on a sold out night, but the crowds are manageable.  It's certainly does not feel as full as it does on a typical Saturday night in the summer.  The rides aren't going to be "walk-on" for the most part, but it's not wall-to-wall guests either.


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## Newsiemj

What's the weather usually like in October?


----------



## Kilale

My fiance and I are coming down to California from Canada for our honeymoon in October, we have set aside one day for Disneyland (Tuesday the 14th).  I have been once when I was very little and she has been a few times, but neither of us in the past 15 years or so.  What are the crowds like during this time?  I figured Monday (you guys call it Columbus day I think?) would be busier, so that is the shopping day at the outlet malls.

I am hoping they will have a party planned for this day but if they don't I have left open a few other evenings so we can always come back.

But if they do have one on the 14th it will be great as we will definitely be making the most of our day.  I was planning to do the regular admission during the day and also buy tickets to the party so we can stay into the evening.  Do you just get a bracelet to put on so they know not to kick you out during the party transition time?


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## Cheshirecatty

Newsiemj said:


> What's the weather usually like in October?



Well, because it's Southern Californian weather, it can be *very unpredictable*!

We go every October, 1st or 2nd week, and we've had *everything* from *very* warm/hot, to breezy/cool, or even chilly(and everything in between).

We have found, in our experience, one just never quite knows what the weather will be---it can be maddening!

The key is to bring/dress in,* layers!*   We usually plan on nice warm days, and cool downs in the evenings, as soon as the sun goes down, and throw in a jacket for "just in case".

When we do this, we have always been dressed appropriately for what ever may come!


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## figment_jii

Kilale said:


> What are the crowds like during this time?


Baring some oddity, Tuesdays are generally pretty good in the parks.  There might be some spill over from the holiday weekend (and CHOC walk event), but I largely think the crowds will be manageable.



Kilale said:


> I am hoping they will have a party planned for this day but if they don't I have left open a few other evenings so we can always come back.


Tuesday is generally a good bet for a party.  Given that Monday is a holiday, it's unlikely they'd have one then.



Kilale said:


> Do you just get a bracelet to put on so they know not to kick you out during the party transition time?


Yes, around 3:00 pm (assuming it's a Tuesday party which starts at 6:00 pm), you can use your ticket to get a wristband.  The CMs will put the wristband on your wrist after they scan your ticket.  You'll also get the party guide map and the trick-or-treat bag at that point.  Last year the in-the-park location was in Frontierland.


----------



## Gypsybear

We're so excited to be going back to DLR again this year (we went for our first time this last Oct)...now we're going again in September.  I'm just waiting for tickets to MHP to go on sale....


----------



## 2tinkerbell

I have a surprise trip planned for my DD's birthday.  We are arriving early Sep 30th and leaving late Oct 2.  Staying at the DLH.  I am waiting for the party dates to be announced.  

So far this is what I am thinking:
9/30 
Arrive, check into hotel (knowing the room won't be ready)
Our flight gets in around 8:30am and I have booked a shuttle service 
I am thinking that if we can make it to the hotel by 10:30 we could do Goofy's Kitchen - especially if the Halloween Party is that night.  We would then hit the parks around noon
Halloween Party with a light dinner - counter service

10/1
DD's birthday breakfast at Surf's Up
Late Lunch/early dinner at Carnation Cafe'
Park day

10/2
Park day
If I don't do Goofy's Kitchen on 9/30, I am thinking of doing the early entry park, come back and check out and do Goofy's Kitchen. 
The other option is to do early entry and then have breakfast at Riverbelle Terrace, come back to the hotel to check out and store our luggage and then hit the parks again.
We need to leave the parks around 4:00pm for our shuttle ride back.

If there is no Halloween party scheduled when we are there, I am thinking we will have dinner at Goofy's Kitchen.  For some reason this is my DD's favorite.  However, she has mentioned that she wants to try Surf's Up because of Stitch and Mickey Mouse.  I think my DD will just be thrilled no matter what happens.  

Since my DD will not know of this surprise trip until the morning of 9/30 on the way to the airport, I need to come up with an easy costume idea.  So far, I am thinking that we will be Mouseketters.  I can easily do shirts with our names on them,  black pants or grey pleated skirts, and we can pick up mouse ears in the parks that day.  

Thoughts or ideas are welcome.  

Edited to add:  Do you think that we will miss the big Gay Day crowds?  And do you think the Halloween Party will be busy.  My DD is neurologically compromised and has difficulty if things are very crowded - however, with that she survived the 2014 Tinkerbell 1/2 Marathon weekend just fine.


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## pattyduke34

I know it is starting to get close...I think I had better start going through my pictures and get ready for the countdown!!   This trip will be an Adult only trip...I am soo excited for this and with us celebrating my birthday it is going to be great... I am soooo hoping for cool weather... Sherry E, Like you I do not like hot at all!


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## zanzibar138

I think it will start picking up once dates have been announced.

I sure do appreciate all the effort you've gone to putting this thread together, and I'm sure it won't go to waste 

For me personally, I kind of forget about Halloween as it's not really celebrated in Australia. I also HATE anything gory or suspenseful (I would never consider going to Universal Studios or Knotts for Halloween ). I only like 'cute' or 'elegant' scary


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## yeheyprincex2

Sherry E said:


> At this time of year in 2013, the former Halloween Superthread was pretty hoppin' as we were all waiting for dates and info to trickle out, and lots of Halloween newcomers were abuzz with questions and excitement to help plan for their trips.  I don't mean that everyone was popping in and asking _me_ questions only.  I mean that everyone was chatting and interacting, asking and answering questions!  (The previous Halloween Superthreads have had 300,000+ and 200,000+ views!)
> 
> Eventually we segued into some awesome discussions (to keep our Halloween-ish mood going in between bits of news from DLR!) about weird, unexplainable events that we had experienced -- and some were quite chilling -- as well as the fun Halloween-themed TV specials and creepy old TV shows or TV movies we liked to watch (_Twilight Zone_, _Thriller_, _Night Gallery_, _Trilogy of Terror_, etc.).  Does anyone who participated last year remember that?  DIS'ers *Lucrezia* and *seobaina* had some great stories!
> 
> This year -- and it must be because I let the former Superthread get quiet for a while, and it lost its steam and momentum -- I know there are lots and lots of new people heading to DLR for their first Halloween Time/October/September visits...and yet, this thread is fairly silent.  I think that everyone is pretty much off in other threads or elsewhere, asking and answering questions and excitedly discussing plans.
> 
> I was told by one of my Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread followers in 2013 that, on the WDW side of the board, the threads that are dedicated to certain single months basically take on the role of temporary Superthreads (because there are no actual year-round, ongoing Superthreads dedicated to one topic over there), and those month-specific threads are where all of the discussion takes place.   So it was confusing at first when she realized that the December Check-In thread on the DLR side of the board was just the place to announce trip dates and hotels, and that the Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread was where all the action was happening!  It's a bit different on the DLR side of town.
> 
> I guess that a lot of the WDW Halloween Time first-timers this year are maybe in that same boat -- they are accustomed to the "month threads" on the WDW side of the board and that's where they are comfortable on this DLR section of the board.  I can understand that.  I'd probably do the exact same thing if I ventured over to the WDW side of the board, which would be unfamiliar territory for me!  I suppose I just wonder if it was necessary for me to start a new Superthread, with a new first-page layout and all of that.  It may not have been a big deal to just stick with the old thread.
> 
> Well, it's not time for a mini-Theme Week Countdown _yet_ (that probably wouldn't start until late July/early August, as I am trying to time it to begin within the same week -- if not on the same day -- as when I start the massive 3 1/2-month Countdown/gift card giveaway in the Christmas/Holiday Superthread, because its easier for me to keep track of the Countdowns and remember them that way), so hopefully we will have more people joining in by then!
> 
> In the meantime, I continue to check the mailbox for the _Backstage Pass_ newsletter (for AP holders), in hopes that there will be another "big reveal" of season-related dates like there was last year!  Sadly, the _Backstage Pass_ newsletter is not reliable in its arrival and I never know when or if I am going to get it at all!
> 
> ​



I have noticed the DLR threads are a bit slower than the WDW threads.  But there is a lot of great info on this thread and have loved reading all the info.
We have now finalized our dates for 9/24-9/26 park days.  I'm sure it will all pick up as we get closer to the Halloween events.  I'm really looking forward to our trip and experiencing our first Halloween Disney events.  My boys are 2 & 3 so Disney is the perfect place to celebrate.


----------



## tksbaskets

*Sherry's quote:* _In the meantime, I continue to check the mailbox for the Backstage Pass newsletter (for AP holders), in hopes that there will be another "big reveal" of season-related dates like there was last year! Sadly, the Backstage Pass newsletter is not reliable in its arrival and I never know when or if I am going to get it at all!_


I'm new to this Backstage Pass Newsletter as an AP holder.  How often does it get published and sent??


----------



## figment_jii

tksbaskets said:


> I'm new to this Backstage Pass Newsletter as an AP holder.  How often does it get published and sent??



The Backstage Pass Newsletter seems to be published on an inconsistent basis.  I would say it is generally published 2 times per year (summer and winter).

The last edition was published for the Holidays.  You can view it on the Disneyland AP website, by clicking on the link for the Newsletter (right side, under More Options).
https://disneyland.disney.go.com/passes/today/


----------



## SusanMatt

We're here. We're lurking!    ...well, I am.

Ok, here's a question. What does everyone think of the Haunted Holiday overlay? I think I'm going to miss the regular Haunted Mansion.


----------



## zanzibar138

SusanMatt said:


> Ok, here's a question. What does everyone think of the Haunted Holiday overlay? I think I'm going to miss the regular Haunted Mansion.



I can't wait! It's one of the things I'm most excited about on this trip (and there's a lot to be excited about)


----------



## mikana876

SusanMatt said:


> We're here. We're lurking!    ...well, I am.
> 
> Ok, here's a question. What does everyone think of the Haunted Holiday overlay? I think I'm going to miss the regular Haunted Mansion.



I actually don't thinking going to like it  And I'm sad that the haunted overlay will be the way my boys first remember it. The original is my favorite ride in the park, and I was never really a fan of the movie Nightmare Before Christmas.


----------



## Cheshirecatty

SusanMatt said:


> We're here. We're lurking!    ...well, I am.
> 
> Ok, here's a question. What does everyone think of the Haunted Holiday overlay? I think I'm going to miss the regular Haunted Mansion.



*Hi Susan*(You lurker, you)!

We actually really, really like the overlay!

We also *love* the the original, but we think it's fun that we can enjoy the Haunted Mansion two different ways!

At first, we hated the overlay(we had only seen "Nightmare Before Christmas" once, and weren't fond of it), but it has slowly grown on us over the years, and since we love the music, we now look forward to the overlay.


----------



## mikana876

Cheshirecatty said:


> *Hi Susan*(You lurker, you)!
> 
> We actually really, really like the overlay!
> 
> We also *love* the the original, but we think it's fun that we can enjoy the Haunted Mansion two different ways!
> 
> At first, we hated the overlay(we had only seen "Nightmare Before Christmas" once, and weren't fond of it), but it has slowly grown on us over the years, and since we love the music, we now look forward to the overlay.



Glad to hear it!! I hope I feel the same way


----------



## figment_jii

mikana876 said:


> I actually don't thinking going to like it  And I'm sad that the haunted overlay will be the way my boys first remember it. The original is my favorite ride in the park, and I was never really a fan of the movie Nightmare Before Christmas.



I'm in the same boat as _Cheshirecatty_ (perhaps to a slightly lesser degree).  The Haunted Mansion is one of my favorite rides at DLR and at first I wasn't a big fan of the overlay.  I think it stemmed from the fact I didn't really like the movie either (I didn't hate it, but I don't really like it either).  Overall, the overlay uses the characters from the movie (mostly Jack and Zero, but a few others as well), but it doesn't re-tell the movie (if that makes sense).  Over time (and I admit, it took more than one ride), it's grown on me and now I like it as much as the original HM.  There are elements of the original HM that I like better and there are a few elements of HMH that I like better than the original.  So, my advise is to go with an open mind and maybe you'll be pleasantly surprised and you'll end up liking it too.


----------



## mummabear

SusanMatt said:


> We're here. We're lurking!    ...well, I am.
> 
> Ok, here's a question. What does everyone think of the Haunted Holiday overlay? I think I'm going to miss the regular Haunted Mansion.



Love love love it and I am not an NBC fan. With the overlay it is my favourite ride in the park, without it I think it's just ok.


----------



## yeheyprincex2

SusanMatt said:


> We're here. We're lurking!    ...well, I am.
> 
> Ok, here's a question. What does everyone think of the Haunted Holiday overlay? I think I'm going to miss the regular Haunted Mansion.



I have seen the original HM ride plenty of times so I am looking forward to the holiday version.  Jack is also one of my sons favorite Disney characters so I am also looking forward to watching him experience the ride all decked out.  My only problem is knowing he is going to want to ride over and over again.


----------



## Cheshirecatty

mikana876 said:


> Glad to hear it!! I hope I feel the same way



I hope you do too!

Just go in with an open mind, and enjoy it for what it is.

I think you'll find some elements of it are *so fun!*


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## cinderbellasmom

I'm 50/50- love the original but my daughter's first trip was the 2012 MHP so she's never known different plus Sally is one of her favorite characters (and so is Sally in Cars)- so much so that she named her dog Sally! So, I enjoy watching her enjoy it but really I prefer the original.


----------



## laura&fam

I like the 'classic' HM but I also enjoy the overlay.  My kids seem to be less terrified of the overlay though.  Having to wait with one while the others ride isn't very fun.

On a completely different topic, I currently have an entire 7 days booked at a hotel just so that we can go to MHP.  Once they announce the dates I'll cancel all but one or two of the nights.  I feel a bit guilty, but don't see another way to be sure to have a room on the one or two nights I need it.


----------



## Vala

I'm with you on the hotel reservations, I've done a similar thing. I'll be coming for at least 10 days, but I got to make sure I have at least one party, the usual Soda Fountain Halloween pin release and the expiration of my AP taken into account. So a piece of cake. 

I've been to WDW earlier in May. Can you believe it was actually my first time seeing the Haunted Mansion without the overlay? Granted Paris has Phantom Manor, but that's nothing like the Haunted Mansion. I was very, very impressed and liked it a lot. But my heart will still be with the Christmas overlay.


----------



## sgrap

We are new first-time AP  holders  and are trying to decide if we want to go again during October.  Of course we would love to catch a MHP.  We homeschool, so I have a lot of flexibility as to when we could go.  My questions are:
1) When is the best time in October to go to catch a MHP and avoid crowds from Gay Days,  Utah break, etc?  
2)  I am looking on the AP webpage for making hotel reservations, and it only goes out to August. Do you have to call to get hotel reservations at this point for October?
3) We booked our last stay through Orbitz, so I can't remember how the Disney site works with hotel reservations . . . do you have to pay up front, or just make the reservation and pay at the actual trip time?
4)  I know I saw the answer to this somewhere, but now I can't find it:  best guess for days of MHP are Tuesdays and Saturdays?
5)  Are some of the days of MHP less crowded than others historically?
Thanks!





sgrap said:


> We are new first-time AP  holders  and are trying to decide if we want to go again during October.  Of course we would love to catch a MHP.  We homeschool, so I have a lot of flexibility as to when we could go.  My questions are:
> 1) When is the best time in October to go to catch a MHP and avoid crowds from Gay Days,  Utah break, etc?
> 2)  I am looking on the AP webpage for making hotel reservations, and it only goes out to August. Do you have to call to get hotel reservations at this point for October?
> 3) We booked our last stay through Orbitz, so I can't remember how the Disney site works with hotel reservations . . . do you have to pay up front, or just make the reservation and pay at the actual trip time?
> 4)  I know I saw the answer to this somewhere, but now I can't find it:  best guess for days of MHP are Tuesdays and Saturdays?
> 5)  Are some of the days of MHP less crowded than others historically?
> Thanks!



I found one of my answers . . . the hotel rate calendar only goes out so far, but you can put in dates for October and then get a quote.

Any helpful tidbits for a first-time AP holder would be great!


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## crystal1313

I would avoid the first and second weeks of oct for Gay days and CHOC walk. We went during the CHOC walk weekend last year and while we thought the MHP was not very crowded (on a fri) that Saturday was crazy crowded!! Typically MHP are Tuesdays and Fridays. I think as it gets closer to Halloween they have more parties. 

If you're only booking hotel through Disney they only charge the first night rate when booking. Then you can pay payments or pay the rest of the bill at check in. 

We had a blast at the MHP last year and plan on going again. You can check out my trip report in my signature.  I would keep an eye/ear out for when the tickets go on sale. AP can buy before the general public.


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## Sherry E

*Everyone, remember -- there is a big section for Frequently Asked Questions about the MHP on page 1 of this thread, post #3!!   That has answers to almost everything (though I am sure we skipped something, somewhere along the line) you could want to know about Mickey's Halloween Party, and it's easy to find! 

That's not to say that others won't and can't give their opinions about the MHP, of course -- we want people to discuss their experiences here! -- but if the questions are about basic things like the general MHP schedule, what crowds at the MHP might be like, etc., I'm pretty sure it is covered in that FAQ section.   

I have to point it out because figment_jii and I both spent a lot of time on putting that section together, specifically so people would have one easy place to always look for general, commonly-asked MHP questions! :*


----------



## sgrap

Sherry E said:


> *Everyone, remember -- there is a big section for Frequently Asked Questions about the MHP on page 1 of this thread, post #3!!   That has answers to almost everything (though I am sure we skipped something, somewhere along the line) you could want to know about Mickey's Halloween Party, and it's easy to find!
> 
> That's not to say that others won't and can't give their opinions about the MHP, of course -- we want people to discuss their experiences here! -- but if the questions are about basic things like the general MHP schedule, what crowds at the MHP might be like, etc., I'm pretty sure it is covered in that FAQ section.
> 
> I have to point it out because figment_jii and I both spent a lot of time on putting that section together, specifically so people would have one easy place to always look for general, commonly-asked MHP questions! :*


Thank you so much for putting that together!  I had read it, but then couldn't seem to come up with the answers when I went back.  Of course, in the mean time I have!  This is an awesome thread and I appreciate all of your work!


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## msep003

it may have been mentioned earlier in the same thread but when are the Gay Days at Disneyland ? 

I'll be in California from Oct 13th till Nov 5th so i'll try to avoid them and  go to Universal Studios or Knotts  instead lol


----------



## figment_jii

msep003 said:


> it may have been mentioned earlier in the same thread but when are the Gay Days at Disneyland ?
> 
> I'll be in California from Oct 13th till Nov 5th so i'll try to avoid them and  go to Universal Studios or Knotts  instead lol



You'll be there for the tail end of the CHOC walk crowds and while the Utah schools are out, but not for Gay Days.


----------



## kydisneyfans

OK-we're newbies as we've visited Disneyworld 16 times, and now that my fear of flying is gone, we're making our first ever trip to Disneyland. Our California dates are Oct 4-10. We were planning Disneyland from 10-4 thru 10-7 and touring other areas from the 7-10, but have decided to flip the dates due to Gay Days and an event we want to attend in Hollywood on the 4th. 

We are veterans of the Halloween Party in Florida. For those who have done both, how different are the 2? Do many adults dress up(we do)? What events are different? Any tips would help. 

I also want to throw in that I proposed to my wife at Disneyworld in 1994, we married in 1996. I am reproposing this trip, with a vow renewal in Florida in 2016.


----------



## SusanMatt

I'm glad to hear that for most people the Haunted Mansion overlay grows on you, and you like it.   Haunted Mansion is one of our two favorite rides in the park. We try to do it and Pirates at least twice a day. So, as another person who isn't a big fan of Nightmare a before Christmas, I was not looking forward to them trying to ruin my ride. 

----

I believe Gay Days are Oct. 3rd - 5th. I'm looking forward to being there for at least one of them.


----------



## figment_jii

kydisneyfans said:


> We are veterans of the Halloween Party in Florida. For those who have done both, how different are the 2? Do many adults dress up(we do)? What events are different? Any tips would help.



Here is a link to a comparison between MHP and MNSSHP in 2011 and 2012.  Things weren't markedly different in 2013, so much of the information is still relevant.
http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=49493997&postcount=2159


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## Sherry E

*Hello, Halloween peeps -- I hope everyone is having a lovely not-quite-summer-but-it-feels-like-summer weekend.  




I suppose I don't need to remind anyone here of the fact that Halloween will be in exactly 5 months and -- even better -- the Halloween Time season at DLR will be in full swing in just about 3-1/2 months!  That doesn't sound so far away at all!  

I wanted to pop in and give additional comments on or reply to some of the posts that have come in over the last few days.

But first...two points of interest:


1)  As my usual Disneyland Resort visiting schedule doesn't involve summer (way, way too hot for me), I don't know if there were patriotic decorations on Buena Vista Street in 2013.  Does anyone here know?  Did anyone visit DLR from Memorial Day through July in 2013?  Cheshirecatty?  Figment_jii?

In any case, I know there is patriotic bunting on certain BVS facades this year, right now, based on what I saw in photos the other day.  Some of it looks like the typical red, white and blue draping that Main Street gets.  Some of it had a different kind of vintage-ish look to it.

This made me wonder...could some bright orange bunting be making its way to BVS for Halloween Time?   I never thought that the thing I would be excited about for Halloween Time would be some simple orange bunting on Buena Vista Street facades, but let's face it -- those of us who have experienced Halloween Time at Disneyland Resort for  while now know that California Adventure has been sorely lacking in Halloween Time décor and details since the demise of Candy Corn Acres several years ago.  

Duffy in a pumpkin costume -- on Paradise Pier, by Ariel's Grotto -- is not sufficient enough Halloween-ishness in DCA for me.  

There is no reason at all for DCA to be lacking Halloween décor.  Buena Vista Street is just perfect for some vintage signs and knick-knacks that say "Happy Hallowe'en" (like what you would find in the Scare-dy-Crow Shack at the Halloween Carnival/Roundup or even in Main Street window displays).  

If we were to go one step further, why not put up some "movie posters" around Hollywood Land, advertising various "monster" movies of the golden age (maybe even some made-up titles starring Disney character)?   Maybe there is a licensing issue that prohibits it?   

But why are the most "obvious" characters that could work within a Halloween context in DCA -- the Monsters Inc. characters -- not utilized more for Halloween Time-specific daytime activities?  There has got to be some way to fit the Monsters into a specific Halloween concept, aside from just a photo spot at the MHP!

And...now that the Toy Story characters have made a direct connection with Halloween via their Toy Story of TERROR special that aired last year (and there is a holiday special coming this year), will those characters be more prominently involved in something Halloween-ish this year?  Come on, Disney -- don't waste time!  TSMM has been running for 6 years now!  Strike while the iron is hot!  Bring on the Halloween overlay of TSMM that was talked about 6 years ago!  Do it!  It's time!  

...Or, at the very least, put the orange bunting up on Buena Vista Street.  Bring on the bunting!;  and





2)  I notice that, on MiceChat, a lot of what they discuss over there involves hypothetical scenarios and "how would you change..." this or that (A Bug's Land, Tomorrowland, Toontown, DCA, a third gate concept, etc.).  They discuss a lot of those types of things for fun, but they are things that will probably never happen in anyone's lifetime, and things over which we have no control or say.  

One such thread that is on their forum now involves the subject of whether or not it is time for the Big Thunder Ranch/festival area (a.k.a. Halloween Carnival and Jingle Jangle Jamboree, for those autumn and winter visitors!) to go...or to be made over into something else.  (Most of them want to keep the BBQ and maybe the petting zoo, but get rid of mostly everything else.)

The first thing I thought when I read their thread was, "Oh no!  Thank goodness that's not happening!  If we were to lose the Big Thunder Ranch and festival area we would lose the Halloween Carnival/Roundup, and that is a huge part of the Halloween Time season!"  

You see...I am always thinking in terms of how things will affect Halloween Time and/or the holiday season at DLR!  Halloween Time cannot afford to lose anything else from its array of decorations and offerings.  We've already lost things over the years and we cannot lose anything else!  We don't even have the masked floral Halloween Mickey at the entrance to DL anymore.  (Hopefully no one at Disney is paying attention to that MiceChat thread and getting any funny ideas!  Keep the Big Thunder Ranch/Halloween Carnival/Jingle Jangle Jamboree/Springtime Roundup/All-American Roundup, etc.,  Disney!)  If we were to lose the Halloween Carnival/Roundup, what would that leave us with outside of the MHP?  Well, we'd still have the Dia de los Muertos display...and the pumpkins on Main Street...and Haunted Mansion Holiday...and Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy...and Duffy in his pumpkin costume in DCA.

Yep -- we need to hang on to that Halloween Carnival as long as we can!*


​




figment_jii said:


> I think some of us are still trying to recover from the 24-hour event!
> 
> I have it in my notes to finish posting the HMH 2013 photos...so those will be coming (I promise!).
> 
> Once the dates are announced (or really anything is announced) I suspect this thread will get lively again.  There have been a few other Halloween threads around lately, but not to many yet.  Hopefully, now that Memorial Day weekend is over, we can start thinking of Halloween!



*figment_jii --*

Maybe I am just trying to _not_ think about the upcoming hot summer (when it has already been too hot this spring!) and am trying to focus on speeding ahead to September!  I am hoping for a fluke "cold snap" this summer -- and a cold snap for SoCal in June-July-August would be, like, 60 degrees!  We've already had weather over 100 degrees so far this year -- that is summer enough for me!





sweetpee_1993 said:


> Hi, Sherry & all!
> 
> My family just returned from our first DL trip 4/26-5/3.  We caught that miserable first (sand)blast of the Santa Ana's.  Brutal.  Anywhoo, we bought APs vs. a 5+1 day parkhopper.  Hubby & I try to get away and do a trip together each fall for our anniversary.  In spite of 6 park days, between refurbs, closures, and dodging the heat we left feeling like there was a lot undone.  Within a week of our return we spotted some great airfares so we pulled the trigger and set our dates to return for 9/27-10/4.  The goal is to stay at the Grand Californian to get that lovely resort feel.  (We're really not the park commando type.)  Depends largely on finances & how the summer goes.  The Halloween/fall offerings are interesting even tho we don't particularly get into Halloween.  I'll be honest, we're really on the fence about whether to go back to California or change our plane tickets & jump on a cruise.  Thinking about crowds + possibility/probability of that brutal heat again....I'm just not sure.  So, for those who've been at the end of September into the first days of October, how does it compare crowd-wise to late April into early May?  The Halloween party, are a lot of attractions open?  Is it akin to what's open for the early hour?  I read here that most parties sold out last year.  We did a few sold out hard ticket events at WDW in years past so I'm curious how the volume of tickets to reach sold out compares.  IMO, WDW way over sells their hard ticket events.  I'm hoping DL doesn't do the same.  I'm thinking our best bet would be during the week.



Hello and welcome, *sweetpee_1993*!

I am sorry it took me a while to reply, and I think that *figment_jii* gave you most of the info you need (thank you, figment_jii!).  I will throw out some additional comments.

I totally agree about dreading the brutal heat.  September _can_ be brutal -- and sometimes even early October can be brutal.  I have experienced both of those scenarios.  It doesn't mean that it necessarily _will_ happen -- I have also experienced rain in September and October.  But I am a heat hater anyway -- anything over 75 degrees is hot to me, and I'd prefer to keep the temperatures at a nice, reasonable 72 or 70 degrees (which, in the sun at DLR, would still feel several degrees warmer than that anyway and no one would be shivering!).  I am absolutely miserable and on the verge of getting ill when it climbs up into the upper 80's and beyond.  I usually have a terrible headache and am nauseous the day after being in the harsh sun at DLR.

Personally, just in my opinion, I feel that DLR oversells its tickets for Mickey's Halloween Party.  I think there are too many people at the parties given that it is an exclusive event.  That's not to say that it is hideously crowded like New Year's Eve or anything.  It is probably manageable to a lot of people, like figment_jii said, but the last MHP I went to was pretty busy.  I didn't really notice a lack of people.  

As for crowds -- DIS'er *deejdigsdis* just completed a trip report of her October 2012 trip, and she is currently working on a TR for her April trip of this year.  She observed that the crowds in the parks during her October 2012 trip seemed bigger than the crowds during her April 2014 trip.  I was only there on one day in April this year, but it was a day during Spring Break -- and I felt that the crowds were lighter than expected.  I would agree with deejdigsdis that the October crowds were probably bigger than they were on the day I was there in April.

One good thing is that if you do decided to head to DLR for late September/early October and it turns out to be really hot, the GCH lobby is usually nice and airy.  It's a nice place to rest with a cool beverage (maybe some tasty lemonade?)!






figment_jii said:


> The first weekend in October is going to be very busy in DLR because it's Gay Days weekend (10/3-10/5).  It's not going to be Christmas week crowds, but it's certainly more than the typical weekend crowds.  My instinctive answer is the the weekday crowds will be comparable, but the weekend crowds are higher in Sep/Oct as folks come into see the Halloween decorations and fewer APs are blocked.
> 
> At MHP, most of the rides are open, but not all.  Question #13 of the MHP FAQ on the first page of this thread list the rides that were not open last year during the party hours.  In general, enough of the rides are open that I don't think you'd feel like you're missing out on that many rides.  All of the "big" rides are open (e.g., Space, Splash, Matterhorn, Star Tours, Indy, PotC, Haunted Mansion, Small World, most of Fantasyland, Big Thunder, etc.).
> 
> Disneyland is smaller park than Magic Kingdom, so fewer people are needed to make it feel crowded.  That being said, I think DL does feel "busy" on a sold out night, but the crowds are manageable.  It's certainly does not feel as full as it does on a typical Saturday night in the summer.  The rides aren't going to be "walk-on" for the most part, but it's not wall-to-wall guests either.



*figment_jii --*

Is it my imagination, or did the Gay Days event last a day or two longer last year?  I could be totally wrong, but I thought I remembered looking at their website and seeing an extra official day added into the mix, whereas this year seems like a shorter event.  

Gay Days usually seem to end up taking place right around when the first or second MHP occurs -- and I have often thought that the combination of Gay Days with the start of the MHP added to overall larger crowds in the parks earlier in the day (a lot of people head to DL for the first night of MHP).  

But this year -- we assume -- the MHP will probably begin on 9/26 (or _will_ it?), or even on Tuesday, 9/30, at the latest.  So maybe the crowds will kind of thin out a bit for the MHP and for Gay Days if the starting night of the MHP is not taking place right before or on Gay Days weekend?

Either that, or the Gay Days coordinators have been clued into the MHP dates, and maybe they know something we don't know (like a different start date than what we expect for the MHP).

I don't know.  I am just thinking aloud, and running possible scenarios through my mind.





Newsiemj said:


> What's the weather usually like in October?



*Newsiemj --*

I have lived in SoCal my whole life.  I've seen all sorts of weather take place in October (and September, November and December too!).  It can be very unpredictable, as *Cheshirecatty* very accurately stated.  To me it seems like, when I was a kid, October was always the month in which we could expect loud, strong wind and the beginning of cool, crisp temperatures.  It was suddenly "jacket weather."  (_Also, side note:  I have noticed some of the most spectacular sunsets in October too_!)  

Then, gradually, over time, October began getting warmer and warmer -- or the "summer" heat would just hang around a lot longer than it should and we'd have heat waves in October.  I recall a nasty heat wave in early October about 6 years ago (I was at DLR that week).  The next year I was there in October and it was hot, but not nearly as hot as it had been in 2008.  Still, it no longer felt like "jacket weather" to me as it had when I was younger.

I think it was in 2012 when rain fell on a couple of Mickey's Halloween party nights, interfering with the MHP events.

October could be windy and cool, gloomy and drizzly, hot/dry/windy (leading to wildfires), sunny and hot but not windy, or overcast.  

If I were to guess, just based on how the last few years have gone, I would expect the first half of the month to be very warm and dry this year.  The second half of October will probably be when it starts to slowly cool down a wee bit, and that's when we might see some drizzle move in at some point. It probably won't be cold, per se, but there might be a drop in temperature from what I anticipate will be happening in the first half of the month.  




Kilale said:


> My fiance and I are coming down to California from Canada for our honeymoon in October, we have set aside one day for Disneyland (Tuesday the 14th).  I have been once when I was very little and she has been a few times, but neither of us in the past 15 years or so.  What are the crowds like during this time?  I figured Monday (you guys call it Columbus day I think?) would be busier, so that is the shopping day at the outlet malls.
> 
> I am hoping they will have a party planned for this day but if they don't I have left open a few other evenings so we can always come back.
> 
> But if they do have one on the 14th it will be great as we will definitely be making the most of our day.  I was planning to do the regular admission during the day and also buy tickets to the party so we can stay into the evening.  Do you just get a bracelet to put on so they know not to kick you out during the party transition time?



*Kilale --*

Welcome!  Thank you for joining us!

*figment_jii* gave you great answers, so I won't say much more other than that I agree that I don't think there will be a Halloween party on Columbus Day and there will likely be an MHP on Tuesday, 10/14.  Disney could _possibly_ decide to have a party on Wednesday, 10/15 instead, if they throw in a couple of Wednesdays again, but more than likely 10/14 would be the party night. 




Cheshirecatty said:


> Well, because it's Southern Californian weather, it can be *very unpredictable*!
> 
> We go every October, 1st or 2nd week, and we've had *everything* from *very* warm/hot, to breezy/cool, or even chilly(and everything in between).
> 
> We have found, in our experience, one just never quite knows what the weather will be---it can be maddening!
> 
> The key is to bring/dress in,* layers!*   We usually plan on nice warm days, and cool downs in the evenings, as soon as the sun goes down, and throw in a jacket for "just in case".
> 
> When we do this, we have always been dressed appropriately for what ever may come!



*Cheshirecatty --*

Maddening is right!  The weather really is all over the place from September - December.  I will say that it's fine to look at averages -- and that's what many people want to see -- but the last few years of weather (from the end of summer through the end of the year/start of winter) have been so odd that I don't know if averages will help much right now.  

To me, it seems that weather in SoCal is gradually changing overall, on a grander scale -- but not in the same ways it is changing in other states, obviously.  Sometimes the heat waves are worse.  Sometimes the rainstorms are worse.  Sometimes the wind is ferocious.  Sometimes we have colder weather than usual.

Just picturing in my mind the freak rainstorm that soaked my friends and me in September 2007, in comparison with the massive, horrible heat wave of September 2010 is bizarre -- it almost doesn't seem like those two events happened in the same state, let alone in the same month of 2 different years.




Gypsybear said:


> We're so excited to be going back to DLR again this year (we went for our first time this last Oct)...now we're going again in September.  I'm just waiting for tickets to MHP to go on sale....



*Gypsybear --*

Welcome!

It won't be long now.  June is tomorrow, and even if the MHP tickets don't go on sale until July, we will at least find out the dates of the MHP before the end of June!






2tinkerbell said:


> I have a surprise trip planned for my DD's birthday.  We are arriving early Sep 30th and leaving late Oct 2.  Staying at the DLH.  I am waiting for the party dates to be announced.
> 
> So far this is what I am thinking:
> 9/30
> Arrive, check into hotel (knowing the room won't be ready)
> Our flight gets in around 8:30am and I have booked a shuttle service
> I am thinking that if we can make it to the hotel by 10:30 we could do Goofy's Kitchen - especially if the Halloween Party is that night.  We would then hit the parks around noon
> Halloween Party with a light dinner - counter service
> 
> 10/1
> DD's birthday breakfast at Surf's Up
> Late Lunch/early dinner at Carnation Cafe'
> Park day
> 
> 10/2
> Park day
> If I don't do Goofy's Kitchen on 9/30, I am thinking of doing the early entry park, come back and check out and do Goofy's Kitchen.
> The other option is to do early entry and then have breakfast at Riverbelle Terrace, come back to the hotel to check out and store our luggage and then hit the parks again.
> We need to leave the parks around 4:00pm for our shuttle ride back.
> 
> If there is no Halloween party scheduled when we are there, I am thinking we will have dinner at Goofy's Kitchen.  For some reason this is my DD's favorite.  However, she has mentioned that she wants to try Surf's Up because of Stitch and Mickey Mouse.  I think my DD will just be thrilled no matter what happens.
> 
> Since my DD will not know of this surprise trip until the morning of 9/30 on the way to the airport, I need to come up with an easy costume idea.  So far, I am thinking that we will be Mouseketters.  I can easily do shirts with our names on them,  black pants or grey pleated skirts, and we can pick up mouse ears in the parks that day.
> 
> Thoughts or ideas are welcome.
> 
> Edited to add:  Do you think that we will miss the big Gay Day crowds?  And do you think the Halloween Party will be busy.  My DD is neurologically compromised and has difficulty if things are very crowded - however, with that she survived the 2014 Tinkerbell 1/2 Marathon weekend just fine.



*2tinkerbell --*

It looks like your post got overlooked in the shuffle of pages -- I'm so sorry about that!   Hopefully you are still out there, following along!

First off, I must say that your DD has good taste!  Goofy's Kitchen is my favorite too -- and a longstanding tradition.  I love it there.  I tried Surf's Up, and I must admit that the character interaction is wonderful at Surf's Up -- so much so that I had a hard time eating because the characters were so attentive -- and I love that Mickey, Stitch and Daisy Duck are there.  I still like Goofy's better, but I think you'll really enjoy Surf's Up.  It usually gets very good reviews from people on this board, for the most part.

I think there will be an MHP at some point during your trip -- most likely on 9/30.  I don't _think_ that will be one of the weeks when they decide to have a random Monday night party instead.  Of course, they could always switch things up on us and do something unexpected, but I think that 9/30 is a good bet.

I think the Mouseketeer costume idea sounds great, and really cute!

I think you will miss the bulk of the Gay Days crowds.  Most of the Gay Days folks will probably arrive on Friday, 10/3, or maybe late on 10/2.

If there is an MHP during your trip, it would probably be a bit crowded in spots, but no worse than a regular crowded day in the parks.  There will be a good number of people there, but it probably won't be too unmanageable.  If your DD did okay during the 1/2 Marathon weekend I think she'd be okay at the MHP.





pattyduke34 said:


> I know it is starting to get close...I think I had better start going through my pictures and get ready for the countdown!!   This trip will be an Adult only trip...I am soo excited for this and with us celebrating my birthday it is going to be great... I am soooo hoping for cool weather... Sherry E, Like you I do not like hot at all!



*pattyduke34 --*

You're not kidding!  I have had it with the heat already!  It's not even summer and I am already over the heat!  Too much, too soon!

One of the only good things about summer for me is the fresh, juicy fruit.  This is the best season of all to chow down on those delicious pineapple spears that are sold around DLR -- they are messy and sticky, and they leak all over everything, but man, are they tasty and refreshing on a warm day.  Yum!

You're heading back to DLR for both Halloween Time and the holiday season this year, aren't you?  It's a great way to celebrate your birthday, fall, the coming holiday season -- all of it!

We have a mini-Countdown coming up here in the not-too-distant future, and then we have the major, massive Countdown/gift card giveaway coming up in the Christmas/Holiday Superthread (and you were the only one who contributed to every single theme that I threw out at you guys last year!).  Keep all of your Halloween Time and holiday photos handy!




zanzibar138 said:


> I think it will start picking up once dates have been announced.
> 
> I sure do appreciate all the effort you've gone to putting this thread together, and I'm sure it won't go to waste
> 
> For me personally, I kind of forget about Halloween as it's not really celebrated in Australia. I also HATE anything gory or suspenseful (I would never consider going to Universal Studios or Knotts for Halloween ). I only like 'cute' or 'elegant' scary



*zanzibar138 --*

Thank you again for the kind words!  It means a lot.

I am with you -- I am not a Universal or Knott's person when it comes to Halloween (especially Universal, where it is just off-the-charts crazy, and chainsaw-wielding maniacs are chasing after people).  I don't like things jumping out at me and then chasing me down.  I really don't like gore, blood and guts (somehow I manage to sit through the carnage on _The Walking Dead_ on TV, but I have my eyes covered half of the time).  

I also won't do the (very popular) Los Angeles Haunted Hayride.  That is full of people "pretending" to be crazy and bloodthirsty, chasing after the hay wagon in the hills, at night, grabbing at people's arms and ankles and all of that.  Not for me.  Besides, we have enough "real" crazy people running around in L.A.  It would be too easy for life to merge with "art" and one of them ends up in the Haunted Hayride "cast."  Yeah...not for me.

Rob Zombie has a Halloween-themed Haunt event (called The Great American Nightmare) that was a big hit last year.  It takes place at the L.A. County "Fearplex" (where the L.A County Fair is held prior to Halloween season).  There are 3 or 4 different staging areas with different themes.  It is supposedly everything that you and I hate -- gore, crazed lunatics chasing people around, overall mayhem.  

Yeah... I'll pass.  But a lot of people love those kinds of things, so I can't deny that there is certainly a huge market for it.

I am happy with a nice, whimsical, safe, fun, non-scary Halloween -- done Disneyland-style!





yeheyprincex2 said:


> I have noticed the DLR threads are a bit slower than the WDW threads.  But there is a lot of great info on this thread and have loved reading all the info.
> We have now finalized our dates for 9/24-9/26 park days.  I'm sure it will all pick up as we get closer to the Halloween events.  I'm really looking forward to our trip and experiencing our first Halloween Disney events.  My boys are 2 & 3 so Disney is the perfect place to celebrate.



*yeheyprincex2 -*

I agree! I think your boys will have a great time.  Halloween Time is really a fun, festive time of year in Disneyland.  As soon as you set foot on Main Street you will see bursts of orange everywhere, from the bunting to the pumpkins, to the retro window displays.  And the pumpkin carvers at the Halloween Carnival are true artists!  Their work is amazing!





tksbaskets said:


> *Sherry's quote:* _In the meantime, I continue to check the mailbox for the Backstage Pass newsletter (for AP holders), in hopes that there will be another "big reveal" of season-related dates like there was last year! Sadly, the Backstage Pass newsletter is not reliable in its arrival and I never know when or if I am going to get it at all!_
> 
> 
> I'm new to this Backstage Pass Newsletter as an AP holder.  How often does it get published and sent??



*TK --*

As *figment_jii* said, _Backstage Pass_ is rather inconsistent.  People have reported getting 3 in a year. I think it used to be 4 times a year a long time ago.  Now, if we're lucky, we may get 2 in a year.  The thing is, the one that came out last year in May had the dates of Halloween Time and the holiday season printed in it (because the next _Backstage Pass_ that would come out after that one would be the holiday issue -- well past the Halloween season and the start of the holidays).  

So I think that Disney already has all of the Halloween and holiday-related dates lined up and ready to publish, but for some reason they drag it out and don't want to reveal them until after a certain point.

So far, no _Backstage Pass_ where I am.





figment_jii said:


> The Backstage Pass Newsletter seems to be published on an inconsistent basis.  I would say it is generally published 2 times per year (summer and winter).
> 
> The last edition was published for the Holidays.  You can view it on the Disneyland AP website, by clicking on the link for the Newsletter (right side, under More Options).
> https://disneyland.disney.go.com/passes/today/



*figment_jii --*

They are definitely skimping on the number of issues they release each year -- there used to be more, in the old days!





SusanMatt said:


> We're here. We're lurking!    ...well, I am.
> 
> Ok, here's a question. What does everyone think of the Haunted Holiday overlay? I think I'm going to miss the regular Haunted Mansion.



*SusanMatt --*

I'm glad to know you're still there, in the (sort of) lurk-o-sphere!

This may sound odd, but I love Haunted Mansion Holiday more than I do the actual _Nightmare Before Christmas_ movie.  I was not necessarily a huge NBC fan at first -- which is odd, as I love both Halloween and Christmas -- but I like the thorough overlay in the Haunted Mansion, and I love the freshly made, large gingerbread masterpiece on the ballroom table each year.  (During the holiday season they even put a hidden Mickey on the floor, off to the side.)

I grew up with the regular Haunted Mansion, of course, so it's strange that I actually look forward to HMH.

There are definitely people in both camps -- the ones who love HMH and have always loved it, and the ones who have always disliked it and will probably continue to dislike it.  There are also some who didn't like HMH at first, but ended up liking it over time.



mikana876 said:


> I actually don't thinking going to like it  And I'm sad that the haunted overlay will be the way my boys first remember it. The original is my favorite ride in the park, and I was never really a fan of the movie Nightmare Before Christmas.



*mikana876 --*

I hope that you can enjoy it a little bit, even though it will be very different from the version of HM that you're used to.  Maybe the gingerbread house/graveyard on the ballroom/dining room table will be of interest to the kids?






Cheshirecatty said:


> *Hi Susan*(You lurker, you)!
> 
> We actually really, really like the overlay!
> 
> _We also *love* the the original, but we think it's fun that we can enjoy the Haunted Mansion two different ways!_
> 
> At first, we hated the overlay(we had only seen "Nightmare Before Christmas" once, and weren't fond of it), but it has slowly grown on us over the years, and since we love the music, we now look forward to the overlay.



*Cheshirecatty --*

That's exactly one of the things I appreciate about it.  I love that there can be two different versions of it in a year, and that they are so different.  

I think that the difference between regular HM and HMH is more vast than the difference between regular It's a Small World and IASW Holiday -- mainly because the story of the HM basically changes with the NBC overlay.  In the case of IASWH, while the overlay is thorough and detailed, the holiday celebration seems like more of an extension of the regular IASW -- the dolls are celebrating the season.  It doesn't seem like a whole new story was created.  



figment_jii said:


> I'm in the same boat as _Cheshirecatty_ (perhaps to a slightly lesser degree).  The Haunted Mansion is one of my favorite rides at DLR and at first I wasn't a big fan of the overlay.  I think it stemmed from the fact I didn't really like the movie either (I didn't hate it, but I don't really like it either).  Overall, the overlay uses the characters from the movie (mostly Jack and Zero, but a few others as well), but it doesn't re-tell the movie (if that makes sense).  Over time (and I admit, it took more than one ride), it's grown on me and now I like it as much as the original HM.  There are elements of the original HM that I like better and there are a few elements of HMH that I like better than the original.  So, my advise is to go with an open mind and maybe you'll be pleasantly surprised and you'll end up liking it too.



*figment_jii --*

Good advice!  That's really all anyone can do, is go in with an open mind and hope to enjoy it.

I have read other reports from people who said HMH has grown on them too.  They started out not caring for it and now they enjoy it.  

As I mentioned above, I actually like HMH a lot more than I like the NBC movie, but, like you, I don't hate NBC.  I look forward to HMH every year, whereas if NBC is on TV I can skip it here and there.  I don't need to stop and watch it.



mummabear said:


> Love love love it and I am not an NBC fan. With the overlay it is my favourite ride in the park, without it I think it's just ok.



*mummabear --*

I think the overlay is so detailed, colorful and thorough -- there is always something interesting to notice or see. 




yeheyprincex2 said:


> I have seen the original HM ride plenty of times so I am looking forward to the holiday version.  Jack is also one of my sons favorite Disney characters so I am also looking forward to watching him experience the ride all decked out.  My only problem is knowing he is going to want to ride over and over again.



*yeheyprincex2 --*

If your son loves Jack, this will certainly be the ride for him!  He may very well want to ride it over and over!  There is a lot to see and look at in the ride.




cinderbellasmom said:


> I'm 50/50- love the original but my daughter's first trip was the 2012 MHP so she's never known different plus Sally is one of her favorite characters (and so is Sally in Cars)- so much so that she named her dog Sally! So, I enjoy watching her enjoy it but really I prefer the original.



*cinderbellasmom --*

I love that your daughter is a fan of all the Sally characters!  That is so cute!  Has she ever seen the _Peanuts_ characters?  I am wondering if Sally from _Peanuts_ would be a favorite as well.




laura&fam said:


> I like the 'classic' HM but I also enjoy the overlay.  My kids seem to be less terrified of the overlay though.  Having to wait with one while the others ride isn't very fun.
> 
> On a completely different topic, I currently have an entire 7 days booked at a hotel just so that we can go to MHP.  Once they announce the dates I'll cancel all but one or two of the nights.  I feel a bit guilty, but don't see another way to be sure to have a room on the one or two nights I need it.



Hi, *laura&fam*!

I'm glad to see you joined in on this thread -- I don't think I've seen you around since the last Halloween thread (when you had come back from your trip and your first MHP)!

Well, hopefully the MHP dates will be announced within the next couple of weeks, at the latest, so you'll be able to cancel those other hotel nights before it gets to be too late.  If you were cancelling one week before arrival, that might be different, but cancelling months in advance should be okay, I would think.



Vala said:


> I'm with you on the hotel reservations, I've done a similar thing. I'll be coming for at least 10 days, but I got to make sure I have at least one party, the usual Soda Fountain Halloween pin release and the expiration of my AP taken into account. So a piece of cake.
> 
> I've been to WDW earlier in May. Can you believe it was actually my first time seeing the Haunted Mansion without the overlay? Granted Paris has Phantom Manor, but that's nothing like the Haunted Mansion. I was very, very impressed and liked it a lot. But my heart will still be with the Christmas overlay.



And welcome, *Vala*!

I was wondering where you were, and if you were going to join in on the new thread!  We definitely need your feedback, input and advice too!





sgrap said:


> We are new first-time AP  holders  and are trying to decide if we want to go again during October.  Of course we would love to catch a MHP.  We homeschool, so I have a lot of flexibility as to when we could go.  My questions are:
> 1) When is the best time in October to go to catch a MHP and avoid crowds from Gay Days,  Utah break, etc?
> 2)  I am looking on the AP webpage for making hotel reservations, and it only goes out to August. Do you have to call to get hotel reservations at this point for October?
> 3) We booked our last stay through Orbitz, so I can't remember how the Disney site works with hotel reservations . . . do you have to pay up front, or just make the reservation and pay at the actual trip time?
> 4)  I know I saw the answer to this somewhere, but now I can't find it:  best guess for days of MHP are Tuesdays and Saturdays?
> 5)  Are some of the days of MHP less crowded than others historically?
> Thanks!
> 
> 
> I found one of my answers . . . the hotel rate calendar only goes out so far, but you can put in dates for October and then get a quote.
> 
> Any helpful tidbits for a first-time AP holder would be great!



*sgrap --*

I think that *crystal1313* answered most of your questions.

Tuesdays and Fridays are the main days of the week for the MHP, but if history repeats, there should be an extra Monday party thrown in somewhere, as well as a possible Wednesday or Thursday.  I think it largely depends on how many party nights there will be this year, and if they go with 13 again or fewer.

Almost all of the parties sold out last year and the year before.  I think the only party that didn't sell out until the last second was the one right before Halloween.  So there should be the same number of people in the park on a Tuesday, Friday or any other night if the party is sold out, and if the same number of tickets are sold to each night. 

However, there are people who say that Tuesdays seem less crowded to them.  We think that could be because locals leave the party earlier on an early weeknight, if their kids have school the next day -- whereas on a Friday night they can stay out later.  There is a certain logic to that, so it makes sense.

The last MHP I attended was a fluke Monday night party, and it seemed pretty busy to me.  None of the parties will feel empty, or like you have lots of empty space to roam around, but crowds tend to congregate in certain areas more than others at different points throughout the night.



crystal1313 said:


> I would avoid the first and second weeks of oct for Gay days and CHOC walk. We went during the CHOC walk weekend last year and while we thought the MHP was not very crowded (on a fri) that Saturday was crazy crowded!! Typically MHP are Tuesdays and Fridays. I think as it gets closer to Halloween they have more parties.
> 
> If you're only booking hotel through Disney they only charge the first night rate when booking. Then you can pay payments or pay the rest of the bill at check in.
> 
> We had a blast at the MHP last year and plan on going again. You can check out my trip report in my signature.  I would keep an eye/ear out for when the tickets go on sale. AP can buy before the general public.



*Crystal --*

Oh yes, CHOC Walk.  I forgot about that.  I've never been there directly over a CHOC Walk weekend to witness the crowds.  




sgrap said:


> Thank you so much for putting that together!  I had read it, but then couldn't seem to come up with the answers when I went back.  Of course, in the mean time I have!  This is an awesome thread and I appreciate all of your work!



*sgrap --*

Thank you for the kind words -- I'm glad you finally found what you needed!  I just wanted to make sure nothing was being overlooked!  




msep003 said:


> it may have been mentioned earlier in the same thread but when are the Gay Days at Disneyland ?
> 
> I'll be in California from Oct 13th till Nov 5th so i'll try to avoid them and  go to Universal Studios or Knotts  instead lol



*msep003 --*

*figment_jii* gave you the info already, but I wanted to say welcome!

Will you be planning to attend either the Universal or Knott's Halloween-specific nighttime events?  Or just go to the parks in the daytime?  If you are looking for the best nighttime event (of the more horror-specific variety), people say that Universal's is the best for many reasons!  




kydisneyfans said:


> OK-we're newbies as we've visited Disneyworld 16 times, and now that my fear of flying is gone, we're making our first ever trip to Disneyland. Our California dates are Oct 4-10. We were planning Disneyland from 10-4 thru 10-7 and touring other areas from the 7-10, but have decided to flip the dates due to Gay Days and an event we want to attend in Hollywood on the 4th.
> 
> We are veterans of the Halloween Party in Florida. For those who have done both, how different are the 2? Do many adults dress up(we do)? What events are different? Any tips would help.
> 
> I also want to throw in that I proposed to my wife at Disneyworld in 1994, we married in 1996. I am reproposing this trip, with a vow renewal in Florida in 2016.



*kydisneyfans --*

Welcome!

How awesome that you're going to re-propose on this trip!  Congratulations!

*figment_jii *gave you the link for her great comparison between MNSSHP and the MHP, which is a big help for WDW vets heading to DLR's Halloween party for the first time.

Here is another interesting comparison of the WDW party vs. the DLR party - "Halloween Party Throw Down: Disney World vs. Disneyland"; The Disney Food Blog;  posted on August 3rd, 2012 by Kim.


Also, here is a link to Frequently Asked Questions About Mickey's Halloween Party, which will fill you in on all kinds of details.


Here are links to the sorts of things you can expect to see in Disneyland during Halloween Time (although I am still adding to it -- it is not complete yet), and in California Adventure.

This post outlines some things you can enjoy without attending Mickey's Halloween Party.

Here is a link to the Halloween-themed treats and menu items that can be found during Halloween Time.

Here is a link with Other Halloween-related things to do for Halloween season.





SusanMatt said:


> I'm glad to hear that for most people the Haunted Mansion overlay grows on you, and you like it.   Haunted Mansion is one of our two favorite rides in the park. We try to do it and Pirates at least twice a day. So, as another person who isn't a big fan of Nightmare a before Christmas, I was not looking forward to them trying to ruin my ride.
> ----
> I believe Gay Days are Oct. 3rd - 5th. I'm looking forward to being there for at least one of them.



*SusanMatt -*


I love Pirates -- one of my all-time favorite rides, for sure!  I used to be terrified of it -- along with Haunted Mansion -- as a child, but now I love it.


----------



## sgrap

I bit the bullet and reserved the 21st-26th at GCH with the current AP discount.  Hope to find a better deal as we get closer, but I liked someone's idea about reserving a block so you have it and then cancelling some nights.  This will be our first trip on the AP's we upgraded to on our last day in May, so I'm excited!  We've never done anything Halloween time at Disney, so keep the info comin', please!


----------



## dolphingirl47

I have never watched NBC, but I love HMH. I can't wait to see it again this year.

Corinna


----------



## Cheshirecatty

*Sherry……*

May I just say a very impressed *"WOW!!!"* to your humongous(and lovely) post of yesterday late afternoon?

Your vast amount of knowledge, fabulous information, and attention to the other Posters, are *very much appreciated!* 

*I bow!*


----------



## 2tinkerbell

Thanks Sherry.  Yes, I am still around and having a good time secretly planning.  

Crazy thing:  I have everything figured out how I am going to pack and have things already in the trunk and hidden away.  The biggest problem is that my DD loves a stuffed Stitch - 18 inch big eared Stitch.  She has had this for a number of years and over the years I have had to replace it by calling Disney Merchandise.  It is funny because it always goes in her carryon (yes, she is in her 20s, but, who cares if she likes it or not).  I am worried about getting Stitch into the car and her carryon bag.  Because she sleeps with it, that I could take it out to the car when she is in the shower, but, she showers with the door open (she claims she gets too hot).  I guess I will just have to purchase a new one when we get to Disneyland.  Oh the things I go through to keep a surprise.


----------



## laura&fam

I wasn't on the boards much last year.  I tried but found it too depressing to see all the holiday stuff and know I wasn't going.  I admire those who can post and be happy for those who are going.  

We're hoping to hit MHP this year on our Legoland trip.  The boys have been begging for years to go to Legoland and they're getting old enough that it's this year or never.  I don't know what I did to raise a child that doesn't love Disneyland but I managed to do it 

In answer to the earlier question Utah fall break is Oct. 16-17.  We went to DL two years ago over the break and Wednesday was great, Thursday was pretty good, but Friday was noticeably busier (even more so than a normal Friday).  We didn't go Saturday or Sunday so I can't comment on that.


----------



## KittyKat1978

Looks like I have convinced my mom to come back to Disneyland with me!!

We will be there Oct 5-11.  Staying at the Fairfield inn.  I haven't booked yet, but will be booking next weekend!!

I have been to DL for Halloween time before in 2012, but it will be my mom's first time.  We will be going to the Halloween party on the 7th (if they still do Tuesday and Friday party nights) 

I can't remember, do they have the normal fireworks show during the week at this time or only on Sat/Sun night?


----------



## Sherry E

sgrap said:


> I bit the bullet and reserved the 21st-26th at GCH with the current AP discount.  Hope to find a better deal as we get closer, but I liked someone's idea about reserving a block so you have it and then cancelling some nights.  This will be our first trip on the AP's we upgraded to on our last day in May, so I'm excited!  We've never done anything Halloween time at Disney, so keep the info comin', please!



*sgrap --*

Well, if you enjoy Halloween as a holiday in general and you don't need blood and gore in your Halloween celebration, you should enjoy how Disneyland celebrates it!  There could stand to be a few more Halloween touches around Disneyland, but what's there is good!

 I have been very vocal about the fact that California Adventure needs to be involved in Halloween Time once again, because what has been there for the last few years has been pitiful.  Hopefully that will change this year.



dolphingirl47 said:


> I have never watched NBC, but I love HMH. I can't wait to see it again this year.
> 
> Corinna



*Corinna --*

Oh, so you've never seen NBC at all?  That's interesting!  I've heard of people seeing it after riding HMH -- or shortly before riding HMH, to understand the story -- but I've never heard of someone not seeing NBC at all and still enjoying HMH!

I don't dislike NBC at all.  It's perfectly adequate and the animation is impressive.  The concept is interesting, and I like how there is a different "town" for Easter and other holidays too.  I just don't _love_ it, and I usually don't care too much when I see that it's on TV, or I don't fret if I miss it.

But I can't visit DLR for Halloween Time or for the holidays without riding HMH!




Cheshirecatty said:


> *Sherry……*
> 
> May I just say a very impressed *"WOW!!!"* to your humongous(and lovely) post of yesterday late afternoon?
> 
> Your vast amount of knowledge, fabulous information, and attention to the other Posters, are *very much appreciated!*
> 
> *I bow!*



*Chechirecatty --*

  Thank you!  Well, to be exact, thank the multi-quote feature, because without it I would not be able to plow through all of those posts!

Did you visit DLR in 2013, during the summer?  If so, do you remember if there was patriotic bunting on the Buena Vista Street facades, or is that new as of this year?  I think that if the red, white and blue bunting is new this year, there could be a good chance of seeing some orange bunting on BVS this Halloween season.  



2tinkerbell said:


> Thanks Sherry.  Yes, I am still around and having a good time secretly planning.
> 
> Crazy thing:  I have everything figured out how I am going to pack and have things already in the trunk and hidden away.  The biggest problem is that my DD loves a stuffed Stitch - 18 inch big eared Stitch.  She has had this for a number of years and over the years I have had to replace it by calling Disney Merchandise.  It is funny because it always goes in her carryon (yes, she is in her 20s, but, who cares if she likes it or not).  I am worried about getting Stitch into the car and her carryon bag.  Because she sleeps with it, that I could take it out to the car when she is in the shower, but, she showers with the door open (she claims she gets too hot).  I guess I will just have to purchase a new one when we get to Disneyland.  Oh the things I go through to keep a surprise.



*2tinkerbell --*

  True!  That large Stitch could spoil the whole surprise if not handled with the utmost secrecy and discretion!

Would your daughter care if it's a new Stitch as opposed to an older, broken-in Stitch?  Or does it not matter, as long as it's Stitch?  I know some people can be particular about having the old, comfortable, familiar stuffed toy instead of a brand new one.





laura&fam said:


> I wasn't on the boards much last year.  I tried but found it too depressing to see all the holiday stuff and know I wasn't going.  I admire those who can post and be happy for those who are going.
> 
> We're hoping to hit MHP this year on our Legoland trip.  The boys have been begging for years to go to Legoland and they're getting old enough that it's this year or never.  I don't know what I did to raise a child that doesn't love Disneyland but I managed to do it
> 
> In answer to the earlier question Utah fall break is Oct. 16-17.  We went to DL two years ago over the break and Wednesday was great, Thursday was pretty good, but Friday was noticeably busier (even more so than a normal Friday).  We didn't go Saturday or Sunday so I can't comment on that.



*laura&fam --*

You know, I'm not sure if the people who post are happy or _not_ happy for others who are going to DLR if they, themselves, are not going.  I suppose some are happy and some are not.  I think that a lot of the reason they continue to hang out on the boards is to stay connected.  Even if they are not going to DLR, some people want to stay informed and up to date on the news, and what is happening in any given season or for any specific event, just for the sake of curiosity and also for their eventual next trips.

Anyway, I'm glad to see you back in the thread and hopefully you will be able to work the MHP and DLR into your LEGOLAND trip!






KittyKat1978 said:


> Looks like I have convinced my mom to come back to Disneyland with me!!
> 
> We will be there Oct 5-11.  Staying at the Fairfield inn.  I haven't booked yet, but will be booking next weekend!!
> 
> I have been to DL for Halloween time before in 2012, but it will be my mom's first time.  We will be going to the Halloween party on the 7th (if they still do Tuesday and Friday party nights)
> 
> I can't remember, do they have the normal fireworks show during the week at this time or only on Sat/Sun night?




*KittyKat1978 --*

The regular/non-Halloween fireworks should take place on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays (like Columbus Day) during October.






​



We just had a small earthquake, located not far from where I live (and so it felt pretty sizeable).  I think it might be related to a quake that was in the same general vicinity a few months back.  I heard dogs barking first, and then sure enough there was a jolt.  I hate quakes, but those animals certainly know when the quakes are coming!  However, if I ducked under a table every time a dog barked in the neighborhood I would never get anything done!


​


----------



## 2tinkerbell

Sherry - DD wouldn't care if it is new or old.  In fact, when she came back from school each year I purchased a new one because I didn't want "that germ infested  thing" in the house.  I had no idea where it had been.  I have a brother who lives in the area and I think that I might just send him over to DTD to purchase one and drop it off at the hotel registration the morning we arrive.  That way she won't be nervous about getting one.

Question:  if we have never seen NBC, do you suggest we watch it before going to Disneyland in October?


----------



## dolphingirl47

Sherry E said:


> *Corinna --*
> 
> Oh, so you've never seen NBC at all?  That's interesting!  I've heard of people seeing it after riding HMH -- or shortly before riding HMH, to understand the story -- but I've never heard of someone not seeing NBC at all and still enjoying HMH!
> 
> I don't dislike NBC at all.  It's perfectly adequate and the animation is impressive.  The concept is interesting, and I like how there is a different "town" for Easter and other holidays too.  I just don't _love_ it, and I usually don't care too much when I see that its on TV, or I don't fret if I miss it.
> 
> But I can't visit DLR for Halloween Time or for the holidays without riding HMH!



I have never watched NBC. I have to admit when I went in pretty blind when I visited during the Halloween season in 2011. I thought NBC referred to the TV channel. For me HMH was love at first sight. DH does not really get it, but I simply adore it. I have to admit that I was tempted to watch it after I came back from that trip, but I don't think it is my kind of movie and I was worried that if I don't like it, it would spoil the ride for me.

Corinna


----------



## Sherry E

*Okay, who else is thinking what I'm thinking?


This new 'Monday Summer Surprise'/"Get Happier" concept that Erin from the Parks Blog wrote about today seems like a prime way to "announce" bits of news and seasonal developments, doesn't it?  She said that there will be (presumably new) surprises every Monday in summer -- now through Labor Day -- and it could be in the real world, or it could be online.

I'm sure that some of the surprises will happen in the actual parks or at DLR -- but who knows what those will be?  Prize giveaways?  Special offers?

But I also have a feeling that some of these Monday Surprises will involve the online dates and details that we are all waiting on (and, dare I say, a Monday Surprise might be the perfect platform/venue in which to announce a Christmas party -- one of the participants in the Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread was told by someone from a travel agency not long ago that there was going to be a DLR Christmas party this year, but I assumed it was totally incorrect, or that the person who told her got it mixed up with the Halloween party... Now that I see this mysterious Monday Surprise thing, I'm not so sure... ).

If there were going to be, for example, some sort of new Halloween Time highlight coming this year, it could be announced on a Monday as a "surprise."  I guess we all have to closely watch the Parks Blog, Disneyland Today and the Disneyland Facebook/Twitter pages on Mondays from now until Labor Day -- these surprises may show up in the morning or in the middle of the afternoon!*


----------



## figment_jii

Sherry E said:


> *Okay, who else is thinking what I'm thinking?*


*

It will be interesting to see what they have in mind.  I agree that some of it could be announcements about Halloween or Christmas, but, in truth, I kind of hope more if are things that actually have to do with summer in the parks.  It would seem kind of like a let down if the Monday surprise was announcement about events happening after the summer.  In some ways, this kind of reminds me of last year's limited time magic promotion.  Some things turned out great, but others were kind of lacking.  Hopefully the Monday announcement will turn out to be fun things for guests to do (sometimes in the park and sometimes things for guests who are at home).*


----------



## Sherry E

figment_jii said:


> It will be interesting to see what they have in mind.  I agree that some of it could be announcements about Halloween or Christmas, but, in truth, I kind of hope more if are things that actually have to do with summer in the parks.  It would seem kind of like a let down if the Monday surprise was announcement about events happening _after_ the summer.  In some ways, this kind of reminds me of last year's limited time magic promotion.  Some things turned out great, but others were kind of lacking.  Hopefully the Monday announcement will turn out to be fun things for guests to do (sometimes in the park and sometimes things for guests who are at home).



I was thinking that it seemed reminiscent of the Limited Time Magic promo as well!  Great minds think alike, *figment_jii*!  Some of those LTM things were really fun and interesting, while others were duds.

I suspect that the majority of these little Monday Summer Surprises will be summer-specific (maybe...Cast Members will be doling out Random Acts of Surprise to guests in the parks each Monday?), but I also think the Parks Blog will use the Monday/Surprise theme to announce some things -- since we have from now until Labor Day for the surprises to unfold.

If we hadn't already heard from Escape2Disney over in the Christmas/Holiday Superthread about the travel agent person telling her that there was going to be a Christmas party this year -- and that tickets would be going on sale for it in another month or so (which I thought for sure was a mistake, and that the person actually meant the Halloween party but got confused) -- I might not be suspicious now.  But a Christmas party at DLR would be major, huge news -- news that would warrant a summer announcement, as it would not be wise to wait until autumn to announce such major news (the 20-night Candlelight scenario was announced in summer, too).  

So a Monday Summer Surprise could end up being just the platform to announce some big developments beyond summer...but a few other Monday surprises will probably be lackluster!


----------



## figment_jii

Sherry E said:


> 1)  As my usual Disneyland Resort visiting schedule doesn't involve summer (way, way too hot for me), I don't know if there were patriotic decorations on Buena Vista Street in 2013.  Does anyone here know?  Did anyone visit DLR from Memorial Day through July in 2013?  Cheshirecatty?  Figment_jii?



This was the first year that I've actually been down to Disneyland during the Memorial Day weekend.  Based on the photos from DisneyGeek's Monsterous Summer All-Nighter report it looks like there was some patriot bunting/decor on BVS last year.
http://disneygeek.com/disneyland/pictures/2013/05/24/23


----------



## Sherry E

figment_jii said:


> This was the first year that I've actually been down to Disneyland during the Memorial Day weekend.  Based on the photos from DisneyGeek's Monsterous Summer All-Nighter report it looks like there was some patriot bunting/decor on BVS last year.
> http://disneygeek.com/disneyland/pictures/2013/05/24/23



Yes, you are correct -- that is patriotic bunting on BVS in 2013, all right.  Oh well.  There goes my theory that the red, white and blue this year might pave the way to some bright orange in September and October.  There was no orange bunting on BVS for Halloween Time last year, so I guess there wouldn't be this year either.

But that would be a nice Monday Summer Surprise for the Get Happier promo thing -- the announcement of orange bunting on Buena Vista Street...or any signs of Halloween decorations on that street or elsewhere in DCA at all!


----------



## mummabear

dolphingirl47 said:


> I have never watched NBC. I have to admit when I went in pretty blind when I visited during the Halloween season in 2011. I thought NBC referred to the TV channel. For me HMH was love at first sight. DH does not really get it, but I simply adore it. I have to admit that I was tempted to watch it after I came back from that trip, but I don't think it is my kind of movie and I was worried that if I don't like it, it would spoil the ride for me.
> 
> Corinna



HM had the HMH overlay when we first rode it (maybe why we love it so much more than normal HM) and so I gave DH a copy of the movie that Christmas-I'm not even sure that we watched the whole thing, didn't hate it but it really wasn't our thing.
HMH is still our favourite ride in all the parks(DLR &WDW). We have some NBC stuff (a xmas decoration, a hoodie etc) because it reminds us of the ride rather than the movie.


----------



## figment_jii

Sherry E said:


> Yes, you are correct -- that is patriotic bunting on BVS in 2013, all right.  Oh well.  There goes my theory that the red, white and blue this year might pave the way to some bright orange in September and October.  There was no orange bunting on BVS for Halloween Time last year, so I guess there wouldn't be this year either.



This positive!  Last year there was a Halloween Version of Mad T Party.  So Halloween did make an appearance over at DCA.  Maybe this year they'll expand it!


----------



## Sherry E

mummabear said:


> HM had the HMH overlay when we first rode it (maybe why we love it so much more than normal HM) and so I gave DH a copy of the movie that Christmas-I'm not even sure that we watched the whole thing, didn't hate it but it really wasn't our thing.
> HMH is still our favourite ride in all the parks(DLR &WDW). We have some NBC stuff (a xmas decoration, a hoodie etc) because it reminds us of the ride rather than the movie.



I'm glad to read other folks' comments about not loving _Nightmare Before Christmas_ either!  I was beginning to think I was the only one.  I can't figure out what it is about NBC that I don't love.  Like you, *mummabear*, I don't hate it or even dislike it but I'm just kind of so-so about it.  Haunted Mansion Holiday, however, I love!



figment_jii said:


> This positive!  Last year there was a Halloween Version of Mad T Party.  So Halloween did make an appearance over at DCA.  Maybe this year they'll expand it!



*figment_jii -*

Yeah... that's not nearly enough!  Lol. 

I ventured over to DCA to catch the supposed Halloween version of the Mad T Party last year, as soon as I saw that the Unleash the Villains thing was going to be madness.  One of the problems with the Mad T Party in general is that it is kind of tucked out of the way (not that I want it out in the middle of the street, taking up space), so any Halloween décor that would be in the immediate vicinity is totally overlooked.  I didn't even see any Halloween décor back there on the night I was there, but maybe it appeared later in the season.  

The other problem is that, when I was back there, I saw no traces of Halloween in the Mad T party set.  It was the standard songs they do.  I came to find out later that the Halloween theme apparently sets in as the night progresses, with each set they do.  But who has time to stand there all night or wait around for some glimpse of Halloween to happen?

There was also the _Nightmare Before Christmas_ viewing in DCA last year.  Yeah...that's not enough either.  That was a pitiful attempt at trying to throw a bit of Halloween into DCA and not succeeding.

I want to see actual decorations back in DCA, even if it's just some bright orange bunting!  The lack of Candy Corn Acres since 2009 has been painfully obvious, and it seems like at least part of that giant candy corn set-up could have gone to A Bug's Land (to sit where the giant ornaments sit during the holidays).

Realistically, Disney probably could take all of that vintage/retro Halloween stuff that is in the Scare-Dy-Crow Shack at the Roundup/Carnival in Disneyland and put it in window displays along BVS -- that shack/cabin in DL serves no purpose other than to display decorations.  But I suspect that Disney is keeping the cabin decorated and open in case it should rain and they have to move Woody or any of the other characters inside for photos.  So they have to keep it looking seasonal, just in case.


----------



## figment_jii

Sherry E said:


> One of the problems with the Mad T Party in general is that it is kind of tucked out of the way (not that I want it out in the middle of the street, taking up space), so any Halloween décor that would be in the immediate vicinity is totally overlooked.  I didn't even see any Halloween décor back there on the night I was there, but maybe it appeared later in the season.



Mad T Party only did "This is Halloween" when I was there...which seemed to be the Halloween song de jour within DL (I heard the Cadaver Dans also sing it).  In terms of the decor, it was kind of subtle, but was there (especially if you compare it to the photos of non-Halloween Mad T Party).  They added hanging lanterns with Halloween-ish designs and spiders and spider web cutouts.

You can see the spider web (kind of) in this photo:





This was the opening archway...there are Mickey-Black-Widow Spiders.  Normally, none of the white decor is on the archway.  (The golden spirals are normally there.)  Tweedle Dee and Dum's opening spiel also had a Halloween twist to it.





These were the lanterns hanging over the main stage area:


----------



## SusanMatt

Sherry E said:


> I'm glad to read other folks' comments about not loving Nightmare Before Christmas either!  I was beginning to think I was the only one.  I can't figure out what it is about NBC that I don't love.  Like you, mummabear, I don't hate it or even dislike it but I'm just kind of so-so about it.  Haunted Mansion Holiday, however, I love!



For me, I just don't love Tim Burton's image style in Nightmare Before Christmas. I find the visual style unpleasant, especially compared to more friendly looking styles found in Disney and Pixar. I'm going to watch it again before our trip, though, to see if I like it more. 

We have also been watching old Disney movies and cartoons once a week at our house in early anticipation of the Fall trip, including Peter Pan, collections of short cartoons from 40s and 50s, Cinderella, etc. I find it interesting that there is no Cinderella ride at the park. 

(That's, like, two non-lurking days in a row. I'm going to have to tone this down.  )


----------



## mikana876

Sherry E said:


> I'm glad to read other folks' comments about not loving _Nightmare Before Christmas_ either!  I was beginning to think I was the only one.  I can't figure out what it is about NBC that I don't love.  Like you, *mummabear*, I don't hate it or even dislike it but I'm just kind of so-so about it.  Haunted Mansion Holiday, however, I love!



This is pretty much how I feel about NBC as well. I'm thinking it's the animation style, like a PP said, because I feel the same way about James and the Giant Peach. I think I also don't like NBC  because of the mixing of Christmas and Halloween. The holidays are just too different to be mixed up together in the same movie.


----------



## PrincessKem77

Hi, my name is Kemrey and I've been lurking on this thread for a few weeks and finally decided to register so I could join in the discussion! My husband and I are hopefully going to DLR for halloween time! We've never been during halloween, so it's really exciting! We'll probably go at the end of Sept, but we won't know until the end of this month/they announce MHP days. We took our kids for Christmas in Dec from the 1-5 and it was amazing, but also hard with a 2 yr old and 9 month old! So this fall, we're hoping to leave the kids with the grandparents! 

Just wanted to introduce myself. Everyone seems so great on this thread and Sherry, I am amazed at all the work you do for this! Thank you! Also, I know I'm not anywhere near an expert like a lot of you on here! But I'm definitely obsessed. Growing up, we could only go to the park(s) every 2 years, but the anticipation made it so fun. 

I've gotten more obsessed with disneyland as I've gotten older, so to feed my obsession, I read whatever I can about disneyland daily. And I love looking at the wait times on my mousewait app almost daily, to see how busy it is! Haha. My husband teases me about it, but I just love disneyland!


----------



## Sherry E

*Forgive any typos I may have riddled the following responses with -- I assure you, I can spell and I am literate, but I am still trying to get used to this new keyboard (which has a totally different touch than the old one I was used to) and I am also zooming through, trying to type faster than normal as I reply, revising as I go, changing things around, etc.   *





2tinkerbell said:


> Sherry - DD wouldn't care if it is new or old.  In fact, when she came back from school each year I purchased a new one because I didn't want "that germ infested  thing" in the house.  I had no idea where it had been.  I have a brother who lives in the area and I think that I might just send him over to DTD to purchase one and drop it off at the hotel registration the morning we arrive.  That way she won't be nervous about getting one.
> 
> Question:  if we have never seen NBC, do you suggest we watch it before going to Disneyland in October?



*2tinkerbell --*

Having your brother take care of the Stitch business for you is a great idea!

I think it wouldn't hurt to watch NBC in advance -- though it's not absolutely necessary -- just so you can get familiarized with the characters and have some kind of idea of what Jack Skellington is about before going on Haunted Mansion Holiday, if you choose to go on it.  

Jack Skellington yearns to bring a bit of Christmas into his town, and knowing that back story and how it evolves helps to kind of add a bit of substance to the concept of his Christmas-meets-Halloween takeover of the Haunted Mansion.  

There is also quite of bit of NBC merchandise in the parks, especially in New Orleans Square.  There are even NBC-themed treats in shops and menu items in some restaurants.  And you will see things such as Mickey-dressed-as-Jack-Skellington plush toys in the stores.

But, then again, as you have probably read above, *Corinna (dolphingirl47)* has never seen NBC at all and she loves Haunted Mansion Holiday -- so it is possible to skip watching it and still enjoy HMH.




dolphingirl47 said:


> I have never watched NBC. I have to admit when I went in pretty blind when I visited during the Halloween season in 2011. I thought NBC referred to the TV channel. For me HMH was love at first sight. DH does not really get it, but I simply adore it. I have to admit that I was tempted to watch it after I came back from that trip, but I don't think it is my kind of movie and I was worried that if I don't like it, it would spoil the ride for me.
> 
> Corinna



*Corinna --*

Whenever I type out "NBC," my first thought is always the TV network!  

That's a good point too -- those who have not seen NBC, but still enjoy HMH, could possibly end up not liking NBC and then having a different view of HMH after that.  

I'm not even sure if I totally buy into the whole concept of the Halloween/Christmas takeover of the Haunted Mansion by Jack Skellington -- it is a concept surrounded by much controversy and debate.  All I know is that I love Haunted Mansion Holiday, and a Halloween/Holiday season visit to DLR for me is not complete without a ride or two on HMH!  I even love the whole queue, and how all of the NBC touches have been added in.  

Visually, I am never bored on HMH because there is always something to see or notice, or something that I haven't seen before.  There are so many details-within-details to appreciate that my eyes are constantly darting all over, left and right, trying to catch everything.





figment_jii said:


> Mad T Party only did "This is Halloween" when I was there...which seemed to be the Halloween song de jour within DL (I heard the Cadaver Dans also sing it).  In terms of the decor, it was kind of subtle, but was there (especially if you compare it to the photos of non-Halloween Mad T Party).  They added hanging lanterns with Halloween-ish designs and spiders and spider web cutouts.
> 
> You can see the spider web (kind of) in this photo:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> This was the opening archway...there are Mickey-Black-Widow Spiders.  Normally, none of the white decor is on the archway.  (The golden spirals are normally there.)  Tweedle Dee and Dum's opening spiel also had a Halloween twist to it.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> These were the lanterns hanging over the main stage area:



*figment_jii  --*

Thank you for posting the pictures!

Were all of those decorations up on 9/13 last year?  I think I remember seeing some of the white stuff, but at night -- in the middle of the set, when the lighting is changing and there is mist and all of that -- if the other things were there, I missed them.  I remember that Liza/funatdisney (who was with me) said she didn't really notice any obvious Halloween touches at Mad T Party either.  That's why I wondered if more things appeared as the season wore on.

I also don't think that the holiday version of Mad T Party is enough to stand on its own as viable holiday-themed entertainment either, despite the set list and décor in that specific area.  Thank goodness DCA is now getting more involved in the holidays and adding more decorations throughout the park!

In general, Mad T party is a show that a lot of people will not take the time to see (or even be interested in) -- and I say that, being someone who was very involved in the 1980s glam metal/rock music that is often covered by the Mad T Party in their sets.  It _should_ be something that is right in my wheelhouse, and yet...I just don't make an effort to go back there on most trips, except to take pictures of the area in the daytime (for eventual Theme Week Countdowns!).

In any case, DCA needs more Halloween décor than just the limited amount that can be found in a tucked away spot of Hollywood Land!





SusanMatt said:


> For me, I just don't love Tim Burton's image style in Nightmare Before Christmas. I find the visual style unpleasant, especially compared to more friendly looking styles found in Disney and Pixar. I'm going to watch it again before our trip, though, to see if I like it more.
> 
> We have also been watching old Disney movies and cartoons once a week at our house in early anticipation of the Fall trip, including Peter Pan, collections of short cartoons from 40s and 50s, Cinderella, etc. I find it interesting that there is no Cinderella ride at the park.
> 
> (That's, like, two non-lurking days in a row. I'm going to have to tone this down.  )



*SusanMatt --*

 

You're absolutely right -- the visual style, landscape and overall look of NBC is totally different from what we'd see in most Disney movies or Pixar movies.  I think that is probably a reason why some people don't take to the movie -- it has a look that requires some getting used to.

As a child I always thought it was so interesting (and maybe disappointing?) that there was no Cinderella ride or attraction, especially in the "dark ride area" of Fantasyland!  Our Castle isn't her castle -- it's Sleeping Beauty's -- so Cinderella doesn't even have that at DLR!  I remember when the Pinocchio ride opened in the "new" Fantasyland in 1983.  I was a teenager then, but I was thinking "Shouldn't there be a Cinderella ride?"  

Cinderella is one of the most prominent Princesses in the pantheon of Disney princess-driven stories, if not THE most prominent.  The whole Cinderella story -- including the Wicked Stepmother, the idea of anything "turning into a pumpkin at midnight" and the glass slipper -- is iconic, woven into pop culture and the overall tapestry of literature and cinema for generations to come.  It is very strange that there is no Cinderella-based ride at Disneyland!




mikana876 said:


> This is pretty much how I feel about NBC as well. I'm thinking it's the animation style, like a PP said, because I feel the same way about James and the Giant Peach. I think I also don't like NBC  because of the mixing of Christmas and Halloween. The holidays are just too different to be mixed up together in the same movie.



*mikana876 --*

Very good points!  I would imagine the Christmas-Halloween mash-up is something that probably doesn't sit well with a lot of the people who don't really love NBC.    You're right -- the two holidays are very different, in symbolism, visuals, traditions and even in simple things like color schemes for decorations.  

I don't mind the idea of Jack Skellington coveting the Christmas spirit and the overall good feeling that washes over people during that time of year, and wanting to bring some of it to Halloween Town...but, for some reason, it just leaves me with a sort of _meh_ feeling about it when NBC is over.  It could be the Tim Burton effect.  I often wonder if Disney or Pixar could have done a better job with that same exact story, and made it more appealing and heartwarming.



PrincessKem77 said:


> Hi, my name is Kemrey and I've been lurking on this thread for a few weeks and finally decided to register so I could join in the discussion! My husband and I are hopefully going to DLR for halloween time! We've never been during halloween, so it's really exciting! We'll probably go at the end of Sept, but we won't know until the end of this month/they announce MHP days. We took our kids for Christmas in Dec from the 1-5 and it was amazing, but also hard with a 2 yr old and 9 month old! So this fall, we're hoping to leave the kids with the grandparents!
> 
> Just wanted to introduce myself. Everyone seems so great on this thread and Sherry, I am amazed at all the work you do for this! Thank you! Also, I know I'm not anywhere near an expert like a lot of you on here! But I'm definitely obsessed. Growing up, we could only go to the park(s) every 2 years, but the anticipation made it so fun.
> 
> I've gotten more obsessed with disneyland as I've gotten older, so to feed my obsession, I read whatever I can about disneyland daily. And I love looking at the wait times on my mousewait app almost daily, to see how busy it is! Haha. My husband teases me about it, but I just love disneyland!



Welcome, *Kemrey*! 

Thank you so much for joining us, registering and coming out of lurkdom!

Thank you, also, for the kind words and thoughts!  I really appreciate it.  It means a lot.  As I have said in the past, this thread and the Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread are like my children!  They require work, but I put a lot of care and love into them too!  Sometimes I have to kind of bounce back and forth between them and tend to each one as certain needs arise, and one thread may get more attention than another for a period of time, and sometimes I have to take care of other things and can't tend to the threads as much as I'd like (real life interferes here and there)!   But, thankfully and fortunately, we have great DIS'ers such as *figment_jii, Cheshirecatty, crystal1313, Bret/mvf-m11c, Vala, Corinna/dolphingirl47, Vintage Mousketeer, just to name a few,* who can jump in and tackle questions and give info here at any time!

Yes, the Christmas experience in December with 2 very young kids would be quite different for you than a Halloween Time experience with just adults!  I'm so glad you had a great time in December -- the holidays are really spectacular at DLR.

Halloween Time will be a bit different from the holidays.  The parks are not quite as thoroughly decorated for Halloween as they are for the holidays (especially DCA), and the hotels are not decorated at all, sadly.  Many people probably appreciate that if they don't really enjoy a lot of decorations everywhere.

However, that said, what is at Disneyland in terms of Halloween Time décor and fun packs a powerful punch!  There is no denying the Halloween spirit as soon as you walk through the turnstiles, set foot on Main Street and see bits of orange everywhere, all the way up to the Hub.  

Actually, the Halloween Time décor begins on the tram path, way before ever getting to the turnstiles -- so if you have any reason to take the tram to and from the Mickey and Friends parking structure, you will see the extra Halloween touches!

There are also wonderful vintage window displays and pumpkins with different 'personalities' lining Main Street.  The Halloween Carnival/Roundup in Frontierland is a gem -- it is an area jam-packed with Halloween festivities.  The Dia de los Muertos display is really interesting and colorful.  The Ray Bradbury Halloween Tree in Frontierland is sort of a quiet, unassuming little treasure.  Haunted Mansion Holiday and Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy, of course, are hugely popular.  And, if you end up attending Mickey's Halloween Party, you will most likely enjoy the Halloween Screams fireworks!

You know, I have to agree with you about becoming more obsessed as I get older -- as time marches on I think I become more of a Disney fan and Disneyland fan overall.  Or maybe it's just that my love of the brand and of the parks changes and evolves over time, becoming more multi-dimensional than it was when I was a child.  As a kid I only cared about rides, characters and souvenirs!  Now I can enjoy my Disneyland trips in so many different ways, and I appreciate so many things about the parks and hotels now that I would have never cared about or looked at as a child!  I still love all of the same things I loved about Disneyland when I was visiting as a child, but now there is just a lot more to appreciate!  

Do you find that to be the case with you?  Has your love of Disney and Disneyland taken on different dimensions and levels as you get older?

And you are so right once again -- the anticipation of those childhood Disneyland trips was the best, wasn't it?!  As soon as one trip ended, you were likely already planning the next one in your head (even if the adults didn't know it yet!)!  The excitement was palpable!  I would get one of those paperback souvenir pictorials on each trip (they were horizontal and had a breakdown of each land) and as soon as the trip was over I would get out that book and read it cover to cover, planning out how the next trip would go in my mind (which would probably be a full year later, at least), which ride we'd hit first, which characters we'd find, etc.  So much fun!


----------



## figment_jii

Sherry E said:


> I think it wouldn't hurt to watch NBC in advance -- though it's not absolutely necessary -- just so you can get familiarized with the characters and have some kind of idea of what Jack Skellington is about before going on Haunted Mansion Holiday, if you choose to go on it.
> 
> Jack Skellington yearns to bring a bit of Christmas into his town, and knowing that back story and how it evolves helps to kind of add a bit of substance to the concept of his Christmas-meets-Halloween takeover of the Haunted Mansion.
> 
> There is also quite of bit of NBC merchandise in the parks, especially in New Orleans Square.  There are even NBC-themed treats in shops and menu items in some restaurants.  And you will see things such as Mickey-dressed-as-Jack-Skellington plush toys in the stores.



In some ways, I think that _not_ seeing NBC might actually help someone like the ride more.  I have to admit that I keep watching NBC hoping I'll suddenly have an epiphany and love it.    Alas, I still like Zero, but that's about it.  To me HMH is loosely based on NBC (some characters appear, same general premise, but that's about it).  It's not a retelling of the story, which is good (at leaat to me).

In terms of NBC merchandise, there is a ton of it!  They have a lot in the shop adjacent to the Pirates shop in NOS and there is a kiosk/stand right at the exit to HM.  These places have NBC stuff year around.



Sherry E said:


> Were all of those decorations up on 9/13 last year?


I don't know when it all went up.  I was there in early/mid-October, so the parks were in full "HalloweenTime"-mode by then.  I agree that the Halloween music is pretty limited and in that way, the holiday version of Mad T is much better (there are just so many more Christmas songs to choose from).


----------



## figment_jii

*Haunted Mansion Holiday, 2013*
I first started posting my photos from the Haunted Mansion Holiday, 2013 edition over in the third HalloweenTime SuperThread.  For those that are new to the HalloweenTime Superthreads, welcome!  For those that already saw these initial photos, I promise Ill get to the end of the ride this time!  

From the start of HalloweenTime through the end of the Holiday Season, the Haunted Mansion gets a seasonal overlay and becomes Haunted Mansion Holiday.  Its based on Nightmare Before Christmas.  Jack Skellington, a figure of HalloweenTown, discovers a doorway that leads him to Christmas.  It is the story of how Halloween and Christmas merge, or as the narrator describes it:
_'Twas a long time ago
Longer now than it seems
In a place that perhaps you've seen in your dreams.
For the story that you are about to be told
Began with the holiday worlds of old.
I know you're curious to see what's inside.
It's what happens when two holidays collide._

The outside of the mansion is decorated with Halloween inspired Christmas décor.





Even the pet cemetery gets decorated.





Once inside the mansion, youll notice a few changesskulls adorn the shelves and Jack himself makes an appearance.  The stretching portraits have been replaced with holiday visionswith a Halloween-twist.





The changing portraits in the hallway were newly re-done last year.  Zero, Jacks pet ghost dog, flits though the paintings (it was one of my favorite changes).





Through the hallway you travel, complete with Zero and a man-eating wreath.





Madame Leota has a special version of the 12 Days of Christmas





Then its on the ballroom, which has one of the most impressive things about HMH: a real gingerbread house.  The design varies each year, so no two are alike!





And then its onto the attic full of toys, which _were strange and bizarre - and on the attack!_





And that bring us to the Graveyardwhich is where we left off in SuperThread #3!

Links to the full report:
Outside of the Mansion: http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=50000090&postcount=3123
The Pet Cemetery: http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=50107909&postcount=3140
The Elevator: http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=50154039&postcount=3144
The Portraits in the Hallway: http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=50189940&postcount=3151
The Hallway & Madame Leota: http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=50202858&postcount=3153
The Ballroom & Attic: http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=50237456&postcount=3155


----------



## pixiepirate

I can't believe I did this.  I just booked a quick trip to WDW in Sep for F&W and a couple of Eat to the Beat concerts.  And MNSSHP on the 26th.  Then, 3 weeks later we are off to DLR and, hopefully MHP on Oct 17th!  Am I crazy?  Is there such a thing as too much Halloween?


----------



## Sherry E

*figment_jii --

Thank you for posting the first of hopefully many HMH photos to come in this thread!  It is perfect timing, since we have all been discussing HMH and NBC!

And I totally agree -- I, too, keep hoping I will have an epiphany where NBC is concerned too, and every time I catch a bit of it I still feel like I could take it or leave it!*




pixiepirate said:


> I can't believe I did this.  I just booked a quick trip to WDW in Sep for F&W and a couple of Eat to the Beat concerts.  And MNSSHP on the 26th.  Then, 3 weeks later we are off to DLR and, hopefully MHP on Oct 17th!  Am I crazy?  Is there such a thing as too much Halloween?



*pixiepirate --*

No!  You're not crazy and there is no such thing as too much Halloween (_says the enabler in me!_)!!!!  Not in my world, in any case.  To me, there can't be enough Halloween or enough Christmas -- so the more one can do to celebrate either or both of those seasons/holidays, the better!  

If I had the stamina and money I would be doing exactly what you're doing -- heading to WDW and then back to DLR to enjoy both Resorts' Halloween offerings.  You will have a very busy, very active, extremely fun September and October, filled with all kinds of Halloween-ish merriment!


----------



## pixiepirate

Sherry E said:


> *pixiepirate --*
> 
> No!  You're not crazy and there is no such thing as too much Halloween (_says the enabler in me!_)!!!!  Not in my world, in any case.  To me, there can't be enough Halloween or enough Christmas -- so the more one can do to celebrate either or both of those seasons/holidays, the better!
> 
> If I had the stamina and money I would be doing exactly what you're doing -- heading to WDW and then back to DLR to enjoy both Resorts' Halloween offerings.  You will have a very busy, very active, extremely fun September and October, filled with all kinds of Halloween-ish merriment!



The stamina's the thing!  I hope I have enough left to actually enjoy Halloween on the 31st!


----------



## yeheyprincex2

Sherry E said:


> *Okay, who else is thinking what I'm thinking?
> 
> 
> This new 'Monday Summer Surprise'/"Get Happier" concept that Erin from the Parks Blog wrote about today seems like a prime way to "announce" bits of news and seasonal developments, doesn't it?  She said that there will be (presumably new) surprises every Monday in summer -- now through Labor Day -- and it could be in the real world, or it could be online.
> 
> I'm sure that some of the surprises will happen in the actual parks or at DLR -- but who knows what those will be?  Prize giveaways?  Special offers?
> 
> But I also have a feeling that some of these Monday Surprises will involve the online dates and details that we are all waiting on (and, dare I say, a Monday Surprise might be the perfect platform/venue in which to announce a Christmas party -- one of the participants in the Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread was told by someone from a travel agency not long ago that there was going to be a DLR Christmas party this year, but I assumed it was totally incorrect, or that the person who told her got it mixed up with the Halloween party... Now that I see this mysterious Monday Surprise thing, I'm not so sure... ).
> 
> If there were going to be, for example, some sort of new Halloween Time highlight coming this year, it could be announced on a Monday as a "surprise."  I guess we all have to closely watch the Parks Blog, Disneyland Today and the Disneyland Facebook/Twitter pages on Mondays from now until Labor Day -- these surprises may show up in the morning or in the middle of the afternoon!*



when I saw the Monday surprise on Facebook I did get excited.  I love hearing about new things going on in the parks or outside the parks,give aways would be great even though I never win.


----------



## ashleysev

We'll be in Mission Viejo the weekend of Oct 24th. Considering flying in a day early so we could hit the parks, but it'd only be for a day. I guess one day at Disney is better than not at all!


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## DznyDiva13

. Can not wait to go to NBC Haunted Mansion!  Love it...the movie not as much but for whatever reason I can not get enough of the ride overlay!  Also anxiously awaiting tickets for the Halloween Party to be released.


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## figment_jii

*Haunted Mansion Holiday, 2013*

_"Sandy Claws" worked his magic, both outside and in,
But one final touch made his bony face grin.
"Now what better gift on my friends to bestow,
Than a graveyard that's covered in ghostly white snow!"_













_ Fa La La La La Fa La La La La La
What's this? What's this? What's this? What's this? 
Grim Grinning Ghosts Come Out To Socialize!
We wish you a scary Christmas 
And a Haunted New Year!
Grim Grinning Ghosts Come Out To Socialize!_




These were among the 13 "snowflakes" added last year.









The singing busts were transformed into singing pumpkins.









Ghosts and skeleton reindeer.


----------



## figment_jii

Hiya _Sherry E_ and other who went to Unleash the Villains last year...after the stories about how crowded/mobbed it was...I thought of you all when I heard that WDW decided to do the event again this year, but it is going to be a hard ticket event.  

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3286656
http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...oming-to-disneys-hollywood-studios-august-23/

So far, no rumors for DLR, but I wonder if they would consider doing it on this coast as well.  It sounds like something that would be fun to try (at least once).


----------



## Sherry E

Welcome to *DznyDiva13* and *ashleysev*!

​



figment_jii said:


> Hiya _Sherry E_ and other who went to Unleash the Villains last year...after the stories about how crowded/mobbed it was...I thought of you all when I heard that WDW decided to do the event again this year, but it is going to be a hard ticket event.
> 
> http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3286656
> 
> So far, no rumors for DLR, but I wonder if they would consider doing it on this coast as well.  It sounds like something that would be fun to try (at least once).



Thank you for posting that, *figment_jii!* 

You just know that if WDW is doing it, DLR probably has some sort of idea to do it as well (and it will probably be revealed as a "Get Happier/Monday Summer Surprise").  It's another way to make extra money by charging for a hard ticket event.

Where were the Villains Unleashed at WDW last year?  In which park?  Was it Hollywood Studios or Magic Kingdom?  What Disneyland should do is, instead of packing all of the Villain fun into Disneyland for the MHP (and the Conjure... tent at the Carnival), simply put the Villains in DCA to be Unleashed and to add some spooky merriment to DCA.  

Something is coming for the Christmas/holiday season -- some sort of event.  I really think so now.  It may not be a full, 10-night party or whatever, but I think that DLR could try one of those 1-night or 2-night deals -- like this Villains thing -- and charge for it, just to see how it flies with the holiday visitors.


----------



## figment_jii

Sherry E said:


> You just know that if WDW is doing it, DLR probably has some sort of idea to do it as well (and it will probably be revealed as a "Get Happier/Monday Summer Surprise").  It's another way to make extra money by charging for a hard ticket event.


It would make for an interesting Monday Summer Surprise.  I kind of doubt we'll see it next Monday...I would guess the first one (not counting the announcement about the Monday surprises) will be something inside the parks.  



Sherry E said:


> Where were the Villains Unleashed at WDW last year?  In which park?  Was it Hollywood Studios or Magic Kingdom?


It was at DHS (Hollywood Studios).  Sounds like that is where it will be this year as well.



Sherry E said:


> What Disneyland should do is, instead of packing all of the Villain fun into Disneyland for the MHP (and the Conjure... tent at the Carnival), simply put the Villains in DCA to be Unleashed and to add some spooky merriment to DCA.


 You really want some Halloween in DCA!    I think it would be a great idea!



Sherry E said:


> Something is coming for the Christmas/holiday season -- some sort of event.  I really think so now.  It may not be a full, 10-night party or whatever, but I think that DLR could try one of those 1-night or 2-night deals -- like this Villains thing -- and charge for it, just to see how it flies with the holiday visitors.


I'm interested in seeing what happens as well.  They're already got experience doing hard ticket events (MHP) that sell very well.  So it wouldn't surprise me if they're trying to develop a Mickey's Christmas Party type event as well.  It's just harder to see how they could do it because historically they run the Christmas parade and Christmas fireworks nightly, which is something that WDW does not do until the parties are over.  We shall have to wait and see...


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## Kilala

OMG!! It's 9 days untill the school I work at gets out for the summer!!! I have untill the end of the month th get two costumes done for the Anime Expo. I will also be wearing these two costumes at MHP this year. I hope to go 3 or 4 times to MHP this year. I want to go once by myself.


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## zanzibar138

figment_jii said:


> Hiya _Sherry E_ and other who went to Unleash the Villains last year...after the stories about how crowded/mobbed it was...I thought of you all when I heard that WDW decided to do the event again this year, but it is going to be a hard ticket event.
> 
> http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3286656
> http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...oming-to-disneys-hollywood-studios-august-23/
> 
> So far, no rumors for DLR, but I wonder if they would consider doing it on this coast as well.  It sounds like something that would be fun to try (at least once).



OMG that would be so awesome! If they do announce it for that weekend in CA, I'll definitely consider changing my flights. I LOVE villains! Knowing my luck, they'll probably announce it for the weekend after Labor Day when I'll be in CA, but won't be able to get to DLR...


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## Sherry E

*I know no one wants to hear this, but I am going to say it anyway.

The Unleash the Villains event at DLR -- as it happened last year, with the dance areas, photo spots and fireworks -- was in no way worth $60.  In fact, to be very honest, the whole reason why the Unleash the Villains event was intriguing last year (before I saw what a poorly organized mess it was) was that it was a free way to meet Villains, without paying $60 for a Mickey's Halloween Party ticket 2 weeks later.  That was the novelty of it -- it fell under the Limited Time Magic banner, so it was like Disney was essentially giving the "gift" of Villains and fireworks for free, without the extra charge of the MHP -- and the MHP is where you would normally find the bulk of the Villains.

So...if Disney were to suddenly throw a paid Unleash the Villains event into the mix at DLR, and charge (more or less) what they are charging for the MHP (and the MHP also includes many characters, as well as Villains, and lots of candy, and fireworks, and a Cavalcade) -- when Unleash was a free event last year -- the only way that I can see that the price would be worthwhile is if the Villains at the Unleash the Villains event were exclusive to that event only, and could not be seen or met at the MHP, or at the Halloween Carnival in the daytime.  If Disney can put a whole group of 50+ Villains (including really rare Villains) at the Unleash the Villains event, and they don't bring out those really rare Villains at any other time, then it might be worth it.  The large number of Villains unleashed at one time would be worthwhile -- but I still think that anything over $40 is very steep for that type of event.

Otherwise, if it's just the same ol' Captain Hook, Cruella, Evil Queen, Queen of Hearts, etc., etc. who are being Unleashed -- unless something changes this year -- all of those Villains should be at the MHP, and some of them will be at the Halloween Carnival in the daytime.

Disney has a way of announcing things and packaging them up in a way to make people think they are getting something really new and exciting.  Sometimes what they are announcing is new and exciting, and sometimes it's not when you actually look closely at it!  

...Just my 2 cents!*



And *figment_ji*i --

You are correct -- I want more Halloween in DCA, and here is why.  I'll break it down!


*Holidays at Disneyland Resort (in November and December) include*:


Decorations at all 3 hotels;
Decorations and holiday music in Downtown Disney, and an ice rink & Winter Village in November-December;
Many decorations on Main Street;
Decorations and IASW Holiday in Fantasyland, and also on the Storybook Land boat ride;
Many decorations in Toontown;
Many decorations -- aside from anything having to do with Haunted Mansion Holiday, though HMH is there too -- in New Orleans Square;
Jingle Cruise in Adventureland;
Decorations in Frontierland;
Jingle Jangle Jamboree;
5 places to meet Santa;
Decorations in Critter Country;
Decorations -- though minimal -- in Grizzly Peak, and maybe a return of Elf Days this year;
Many decorations in Paradise Pier; 
Winter Dreams; 
Viva Navidad;
Believe in Holiday Magic fireworks and A Christmas Fantasy Parade available every day of the holiday season, and not part of a paid party;
Holiday version of Mad T Party;
Brand new decorations in Hollywood Land;
Many Decorations in Cars Land;
Many decorations on Buena Vista Street (and music too);
Decorations in almost all of the shops and restaurants in the parks and hotels, including gingerbread creations;
Decorations in A Bug's Land;
Minimal decor in Pacific Wharf;
Special New Year's Eve fireworks;
Three Kings Day;
Candlelight Ceremony/Processional; and
All kinds of seasonal musical entertainment on Buena Vista Street and Main Street.




And I left quite a few things off of that list!  Now, let's take a look at the Halloween Time season, and what it entails.




*Halloween Time at Disneyland Resort includes:*


Many pumpkins all along Main Street, orange bunting and window displays;
Decorations in a couple of Main Street shops; 
Character pumpkins around the Hub;
Mickey's Halloween Party and all that it involves for the price of a separate ticket (candy, dressing in costume, rare characters, Villains, shorter lines for rides, dance stations, Halloween Screams, the Cavalcade, and large Mickey ghosts to mark the approximate entrances to the treat trails);
The Ray Bradbury Halloween Tree in Frontierland (a gem both in the daytime and at night);
Haunted Mansion Holiday (which is there for the holiday season too);
Character pumpkins above the turnstiles;
The Halloween Carnival/Roundup in Frontierland, and all that it entails (decorations, Villains, carved pumpkins, Pirates League -- I think the Halloween Carnival has the edge over the Jingle Jangle Jamboree during the holidays);
Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy;
The Dia de los Muertos display in Frontierland;
Some other random Halloween decorations in Frontierland shops;
A decoration or two inside World of Disney, but you won't know it's there unless you go inside;
Some sort of screening or exhibit of whichever Tim Burton movie Disney is plugging in DCA each year;
The Halloween display along the tram path, from Mickey and Friends to DTD, which you pass by quickly and have to take the tram to see up close -- otherwise, you might never know it is even there;
Duffy's photo spot in DCA, where you can pose with Duffy in his pumpkin costume; and
The Halloween version of the Mad T Party, which didn't seem very Halloween-ish on the first day of Halloween Time last year, but I guess it got more Halloween-ish as the season wore on.



I probably skipped something minor, but I didn't include things like free seasonal samples at Ghirardelli or seasonal goodies, because those are abundant for both Halloween Time and Christmas time.  I also didn't include the gingerbread workshop at Jazz Kitchen, but that is there for both holidays as well.

It may appear that there is a lot of "Halloween" at DLR during the season if one were to just glance down the lists -- but what does the holiday season have that Halloween Time is missing?  _Decorations, decorations, decorations _-- in more than just 2 or 3 lands, and in both parks and all 3 hotels!  All of the "Halloween" at DLR is basically concentrated on Main Street and in Frontierland, and in New Orleans Square if we are counting that -- although HMH is there for Christmas time too, so it is not Halloween-specific.

What is the other obvious difference between Halloween Time and the holidays?  Thus far, a big chunk of the Halloween Time festivities (though not all, of course) is held hostage to a hard ticket party, which is another reason there should be decorations in DCA -- to give the non-MHP people something extra to enjoy and look at when they head over to DCA on MHP nights!

And...a big, giant area with Halloween décor in DCA (Candy Corn Acres) was removed several years ago, and never relocated to another area in that park!


I rest my case.



*Kilala --*

Wow!  Three or four parties this year?  That is a whole lot of MHP in one year!

​


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## zanzibar138

Sherry E said:


> *The only way that I can see that the price would be worthwhile is if the Villains at the Unleash the Villains event were exclusive to that event only, and could not be seen or met at the MHP, or at the Halloween Carnival in the daytime.  If Disney can put a whole group of 50+ Villains (including really rare Villains) at the Unleash the Villains event, and they don't bring out those really rare Villains at any other time, then it might be worth it.  The large number of Villains unleashed at one time would be worthwhile -- but I still think that anything over $40 is very steep for that type of event.*



Knowing that I will not get to a MHP, I would pay for the opportunity to meet lots of villains where I know what I'm going to get (I'm unwilling to spend a lot of time lining up at Halloween Carnival not knowing who I'll get, and knowing that it could just be someone I've already met again), and also for the opportunity to attend in costume


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## Sherry E

zanzibar138 said:


> Knowing that I will not get to a MHP, I would pay for the opportunity to meet lots of villains where I know what I'm going to get (I'm unwilling to spend a lot of time lining up at Halloween Carnival not knowing who I'll get, and knowing that it could just be someone I've already met again), and also for the opportunity to attend in costume



*zanzibar138 -*

Yes, in your case -- or in the case of anyone who couldn't make it to an MHP -- the Villains thing would definitely be more worthwhile if it were to happen in a time frame that was convenient for you to go.  I still think $60+ is way too expensive for that event, but it would be more worthwhile if the MHP were not an option.   I somehow have a feeling, though, that there would not be as many as 50 Villains at a DLR event.  DLR would probably get fewer Villains than WDW gets.  

Also, we don't even know if DLR will have such an event, or if it would be on the same date as the WDW event.  There is a lot of gray area.  Right now, the Parks Blog is saying that the event is exclusive to DHS.  It may not happen at DLR at all.

Personally, I have thought all along that DLR might end up adding in more MHP nights eventually, but start them earlier in September than they have been starting the MHP the last few years.  There is a whole 2-week span of time in between when Halloween Time begins and the MHP starts.  That's a lot of extra room to add in something to sweeten the pot a little bit, and it could be a Villains only event, or it could be an extra MHP.  So you never know.  They may surprise us and have an MHP earlier in September at some point!

The Carnival set-up for the Villains is not handled well at all.  I understand the "mystery" of conjuring the Villain, but there are people who wait in line and end up meeting the same Villain over and over because they don't know who they will get.  DLR needs to find some way to fix that issue, because it wastes the guests' time!  I greatly preferred the old Villains photo spot in Fantasyland, pre-2012 -- but I really love the Halloween Carnival in general, as an overall Halloween-ish concept!


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## zanzibar138

Sherry E said:


> Also, we don't even know if DLR will have such an event, or if it would be on the same date as the WDW event.  There is a lot of gray area.  Right now, the Parks Blog is saying that the event is exclusive to DHS.  It may not happen at DLR at all.



Yes, I shall try not to get my hopes up


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## Kilala

Sherry E said:


> *Kilala --*
> 
> Wow!  Three or four parties this year?  That is a whole lot of MHP in one year!
> 
> ​


I plan on doing 2 cat costumes , Cheetara , and Yoruichi.


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## DznyDiva13

Every time I check this thread it just gets me more excited to go in October!  They can't announced the dates soon enough for me.


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## Sjwillia

I am so excited about attending a Halloween party this year!!!  I have been to DL early in the season, before the parties start, and love the decorations and HMH.  For those who have been in previous years, could you provide a little more information about the pre-party in Toontown?  Do they close down the area prior to the party to get everyone out and then only let people with party bands in?  Is the line for entry into the Toontown pre-party long?  Efficient?  I am just wondering if we need to line up for entry much in advance.  I see by the great FAQs that Gagets and Roger Rabbit are closed during the party.  Can I assume they are also closed for the pre-party too?  

And on another party planning subject  - Peter Pan.  Are the lines during the party typical to the times during most of the day (45-90 minutes) or are they shorter with the party activities going on?

I dont go commando style and I like to be flexible but efficient.  The last thing I want to do is stop in the middle of a walkway and have a group discussion about what to do next.  Knowing what to expect and planning for it helps.  I appreciate any insight you can provide.  

This is a wonderful and informative thread.  Thanks for all the hardwork putting it together Sherry.


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## Belleoftheballl

Hey fellow DLR lovers! 
I'm getting married in Vegas in October and I just thought of the idea of leaving on a road trip from Vegas around 4-5am and driving to LA and doing a Hollywood Tmz celebrity tour in the morning/afternoon,  and than driving to Anaheim for a Halloween party at Disney with my bridal party ( all who have never been to Disney)  
How are the ride lines compared to during the day?  We would probably just be doing rides and fireworks.. Not really any of the party stuff.  Also do you only need the ticket for the event to get into the park?  You don't also need the park ticket as well as the Halloween party ticket do you? 
Just wondering because I'm thinking of buying my maid of honors and her fiancés as well.. So if I can save money? "

Thanks!!!


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## figment_jii

Sherry E said:


> So...if Disney were to suddenly throw a paid Unleash the Villains event into the mix at DLR, and charge (more or less) what they are charging for the MHP (and the MHP also includes many characters, as well as Villains, and lots of candy, and fireworks, and a Cavalcade) -- when Unleash was a free event last year -- the only way that I can see that the price would be worthwhile is if the Villains at the Unleash the Villains event were exclusive to that event only, and could not be seen or met at the MHP, or at the Halloween Carnival in the daytime.  If Disney can put a whole group of 50+ Villains (including really rare Villains) at the Unleash the Villains event, and they don't bring out those really rare Villains at any other time, then it might be worth it.  The large number of Villains unleashed at one time would be worthwhile -- but I still think that anything over $40 is very steep for that type of event.



I agree that they would need to do something that would make it "worth" the cost for folks who went to Unleash the Villains last year.  Over at DHS, the fact that there will 50+ villains is a huge draw (villains aren't that common in WDW to begin with), plus DHS doesn't normally have fireworks, so that is something "new" (it would be like DCA having their own fireworks show). In that way, adding the event at DHS is easier, because they aren't competing with things that were "free" or common to begin with.



Sjwillia said:


> For those who have been in previous years, could you provide a little more information about the pre-party in Toontown?  Do they close down the area prior to the party to get everyone out and then only let people with party bands in?  Is the line for entry into the Toontown pre-party long?  Efficient?  I am just wondering if we need to line up for entry much in advance.  I see by the great FAQs that Gaget’s and Roger Rabbit are closed during the party.  Can I assume they are also closed for the pre-party too?



Yes, the close down Toontown prior to the start of the pre-party and then once the party starts, only folks with wristbands are let in.  The pre-party line was pretty long at opening, but it moves pretty quickly.  The first time I went, I was there pre-opening and waited in line.  Once inside Toontown the candy lines in the back (e.g., Minnie's, Mickey's, Donald's) were all pretty short.   The second time I went, I waited until about 30 minutes after the start of the pre-party and the lines were much longer.  I was still able to get into all of the houses.  Overall, I don't think being there pre-opening is critical.



Sjwillia said:


> And on another party planning subject  - Peter Pan.  Are the lines during the party typical to the times during most of the day (45-90 minutes) or are they shorter with the party activities going on?


My instinctive answer is that the line is still on the longer side.  The shorter PP line is usually first thing in the morning (assuming it's not an EMH/MM).



Belleoftheballl said:


> How are the ride lines compared to during the day?  We would probably just be doing rides and fireworks.. Not really any of the party stuff.  Also do you only need the ticket for the event to get into the park?  You don't also need the park ticket as well as the Halloween party ticket do you?



Correct, you only need the party ticket to get into the park for the party.  The party tickets have historically allowed guests entry into Disneyland (it is not a park hopper ticket, so you cannot enter DCA using the event ticket) three hours before the official start of the party (so, either 3:00 pm or 4:00 pm).  

The ride lines are variable and not everything is open (see Question #12 and #13 of the FAQ).  In general, I think the lines are shorter than during the day (especially for the less popular rides), but they are not going to be walk-ons.  Things like SMGG and HMH will still have long(ish) lines.


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## laura&fam

We have some family that have said they want to go to MHP with us so DH said we would buy the tickets for them and they'd pay us back.  I'm a little concerned (to be honest hopeful) that they will change their mind and not come with us.  How hard would it be to find someone a couple of weeks before the party to buy any tickets we don't need?  I know two years ago people were begging for tickets and last year most of the parties sold out.


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## cinderbellasmom

laura&fam said:
			
		

> We have some family that have said they want to go to MHP with us so DH said we would buy the tickets for them and they'd pay us back.  I'm a little concerned (to be honest hopeful) that they will change their mind and not come with us.  How hard would it be to find someone a couple of weeks before the party to buy any tickets we don't need?  I know two years ago people were begging for tickets and last year most of the parties sold out.



We've only gone once in 2012 and had a family member back out less than a week before the party. I posted the ticket on Craigslist and sold it for face value (some people were selling them for 3x what they paid!) within 5 mins of us walking into the park. The lady that bought it was so thankful. They went to the Monday party every year and they always bought their tix the day of with no probs. They were shocked to find it sold out so buying our ticket helped but she was still searching for 3 more- and was willing to pay big $$$


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## figment_jii

laura&fam said:


> We have some family that have said they want to go to MHP with us so DH said we would buy the tickets for them and they'd pay us back.  I'm a little concerned (to be honest hopeful) that they will change their mind and not come with us.  How hard would it be to find someone a couple of weeks before the party to buy any tickets we don't need?  I know two years ago people were begging for tickets and last year most of the parties sold out.



I do think you'll be able to find buyers, but I think the biggest issue you'll find is that here on the Disboards, we tend to warn against purchasing tickets from sellers on eBay and Craig's List.  I'm not saying everyone is a bad seller, but there have been enough reports of problems, that makes it tough to recommend it.  

Unless you're buying with an AP, DVC, or DRVC discount, I would probably just tell them that it would be easier for them to purchase their own tickets if they are uncertain about going because the tickets are non-refundable. Either that, or ask them to pay for the tickets as soon as you get them in hand.


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## laura&fam

figment_jii said:


> I do think you'll be able to find buyers, but I think the biggest issue you'll find is that here on the Disboards, we tend to warn against purchasing tickets from sellers on eBay and Craig's List.  I'm not saying everyone is a bad seller, but there have been enough reports of problems, that makes it tough to recommend it.
> 
> Unless you're buying with an AP, DVC, or DRVC discount, I would probably just tell them that it would be easier for them to purchase their own tickets if they are uncertain about going because the tickets are non-refundable. Either that, or ask them to pay for the tickets as soon as you get them in hand.



We would be getting them with the Disney Visa early/discount and I would  sell them at face value if I needed to.  I'll have to consider people, understandably, being wary of buying from an unreliable source because of fakes.  

The people who are coming with us are usually very good about doing what they say they will.  My concern is every time we invite them to do something little they say no so I'm completely stunned that they said they want to come on a big trip with us.  I guess I just need to pick myself up off the floor and move on.

Now if they would just release the MHP dates my life would be complete


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## Sherry E

*I should probably remind everyone at this point that talking about selling MHP tickets or any other Disney tickets is not a good idea on this board, because then it opens up the door for people on the DIS to try to sell and buy tickets here, down the road -- which is not allowed.  

We obviously know that people "out there" in the world sell and buy tickets, and I'm sure Disney realizes it too, but since the MHP tickets are technically "not for resale" and are probably not supposed to be transferable (according to verbiage that I think may be printed on the back of them, if I am not mistaken), and since we don't allow sales of any kind on The DIS even if Disney were okay with tickets being resold, it's probably best to just not even delve into the subject on this forum.

Every year we have to delete posts and threads because people think they can somehow sneakily drop hints about needing to buy or get rid of tickets and that we won't catch on to what they're up to!  If I had a nickel for every time someone said something along the lines of, "Oh, of course I wasn't trying to sell.  I was just mentioning that I couldn't go to the party on XYZ date and ended up with tickets I can't use," or some variation of that, I would have nice chunk of change built up by now!  

I know that no one here was trying to do that (sneakily sell tickets), as the tickets have not even gone on sale yet, but the whole subject of buying and selling tickets outside of authorized Disney sites or vendors just kind of opens up a can of worms that probably shouldn't be opened.

Maybe some of the other Disney-related discussion boards allow ticket sales or talk of selling, and ideas of where to sell and buy tickets -- but on this board we don't.  If you would like to freely give your tickets away as an act of kindness, however, that is a different story!

So, fair warning -- if, after the tickets go on sale and MHP nights begin to sell out, if we see anyone posting and looking to buy tickets for sold out nights, the post or thread will be deleted.  If anyone tries to sell tickets they can't use or hint at it, that, too, will be deleted.  Just don't try it here, on this board -- it will be easier for all of us!*

​


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## sgrap

Sherry E said:


> *I should probably remind everyone at this point that talking about selling MHP tickets or any other Disney tickets is not a good idea on this board, because then it opens up the door for people on the DIS to try to sell and buy tickets here, down the road -- which is not allowed.
> 
> We obviously know that people "out there" in the world sell and buy tickets, and I'm sure Disney realizes it too, but since the MHP tickets are technically "not for resale" and are probably not supposed to be transferable (according to verbiage that I think may be printed on the back of them, if I am not mistaken), and since we don't allow sales of any kind on The DIS even if Disney were okay with tickets being resold, it's probably best to just not even delve into the subject on this forum.
> 
> Every year we have to delete posts and threads because people think they can somehow sneakily drop hints about needing to buy or get rid of tickets and that we won't catch on to what they're up to!  If I had a nickel for every time someone said something along the lines of, "Oh, of course I wasn't trying to sell.  I was just mentioning that I couldn't go to the party on XYZ date and ended up with tickets I can't use," or some variation of that, I would have nice chunk of change built up by now!
> 
> I know that no one here was trying to do that (sneakily sell tickets), as the tickets have not even gone on sale yet, but the whole subject of buying and selling tickets outside of authorized Disney sites or vendors just kind of opens up a can of worms that probably shouldn't be opened.
> 
> Maybe some of the other Disney-related discussion boards allow ticket sales or talk of selling, and ideas of where to sell and buy tickets -- but on this board we don't.  If you would like to freely give your tickets away as an act of kindness, however, that is a different story!
> 
> So, fair warning -- if, after the tickets go on sale and MHP nights begin to sell out, if we see anyone posting and looking to buy tickets for sold out nights, the post or thread will be deleted.  If anyone tries to sell tickets they can't use or hint at it, that, too, will be deleted.  Just don't try it here, on this board -- it will be easier for all of us!*
> 
> ​


So I gather when we buy MHP tickets, we don't have to put the ticket holders' names down at purchase?  We have been debating whether to have our 20-year old fly down for the weekend if we go in October the weekend her has a Friday break from college, but he probably won't decide that until he gets back to class in the fall whether he will or not.  But I could have another family member or friend use that ticket, right?  Just not selling them--it's fine for anyone in my party to use it even if the exact members of my party haven't been determined yet.  Do I have that straight?  I am a rule follower by nature, so I want to make sure I understand the policies before I buy the tickets.  Thanks!


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## Sherry E

sgrap said:


> So I gather when we buy MHP tickets, we don't have to put the ticket holders' names down at purchase?  We have been debating whether to have our 20-year old fly down for the weekend if we go in October the weekend her has a Friday break from college, but he probably won't decide that until he gets back to class in the fall whether he will or not.  But I could have another family member or friend use that ticket, right?  Just not selling them--it's fine for anyone in my party to use it even if the exact members of my party haven't been determined yet.  Do I have that straight?  I am a rule follower by nature, so I want to make sure I understand the policies before I buy the tickets.  Thanks!



*sgrap --*

You'll be fine!  I'm sure a lot of scenarios pop up like yours -- where someone has to buy all the tickets in advance and figure out who is going later.  That is probably very common.

Unless Disney suddenly changes things -- and I doubt it, especially for the MHP -- you shouldn't have to put any names down for the purchase of MHP tickets.

Yes, it's just the selling part of it where it gets tricky.  Giving tickets away is fine -- and, frankly, even if you sold them to someone in your family/group, Disney obviously wouldn't know about it.  There are going to be many times in which they have no clue that MHP tickets have been sold, I'm sure -- and a lot of people will try to sell them for profit, not even at face value!  

All we can do here is just refrain from openly advocating or encouraging discussion of selling or buying from unauthorized sellers, as the tickets are technically not supposed to be sold (even if it happens a lot).

As I mentioned in my previous post, even if Disney suddenly said, "Hey, everyone, sell those tickets -- we don't care" we still couldn't allow any threads or posts verging on discussion of sales here, because we don't allow any selling -- of anything -- on this board.  So, when people begin to discuss possible sales on other places like Craig's List, it opens the door for someone out there (maybe lurking, maybe not) to think, "Hey!  I'll try to buy or sell tickets on The DIS!"  It happens every single year -- people pop up out of the woodwork, trying to buy or sell MHP tickets here on The DIS -- and half the time they are people who haven't even been participating in any threads for most of the year.  Chances are they were lurking and they were hoping their posts or threads would stay up long enough for someone to see them and take the bait!

Interestingly -- and this is a testament to the fact that no one at Disney pays attention to their Disneyland Halloween Time Facebook page -- last year I saw several people on Facebook trying to buy or sell MHP tickets, right there on the page.  Disney didn't stop them -- but then again, I don't think Disney was even looking at that Halloween Time Facebook page after Halloween Time or the MHP began!

You'll be good, though -- no worries!


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## laura&fam

Sherry E said:


> *sgrap --*
> 
> You'll be fine!  I'm sure a lot of scenarios pop up like yours -- where someone has to buy all the tickets in advance and figure out who is going later.  That is probably very common.



Thanks for the DISboard and Disney policy reminder.  As you said it's hard planning out trips that involve other people but I do want to follow the rules.  Sorry for asking questions I shouldn't have.

Has anyone else compared planning for Legoland versus planning for Disneyland?  Legoland has the schedule for the park for the entire year on their website.  The 'Brick or Treat' days and times are all listed too.  It makes planning so easy.


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## mummabear

Sherry E said:


> Where were the Villains Unleashed at WDW last year?  In which park?  Was it Hollywood Studios or Magic Kingdom?  What Disneyland should do is, instead of packing all of the Villain fun into Disneyland for the MHP (and the Conjure... tent at the Carnival), simply put the Villains in DCA to be Unleashed and to add some spooky merriment to DCA. .



Here is KtP's write on up last years WDW Unleash the villians:
http://kennythepirate.com/2013/09/1...-villains-what-happens-when-you-unleash-them/


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## yeheyprincex2

Ok we will be at disnelyand

September 24(wednesday), 25(Thursday), 26(friday)
Arriving 9/23
which nights would a MHP be likey?
Also,I read that Fireworks are only Fri-Sun in off season so will my only chance of fireworks be Friday the 26th?


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## figment_jii

yeheyprincex2 said:


> Ok we will be at disnelyand
> 
> September 24(wednesday), 25(Thursday), 26(friday)
> Arriving 9/23
> which nights would a MHP be likey?
> Also,I read that Fireworks are only Fri-Sun in off season so will my only chance of fireworks be Friday the 26th?



The dates have not been announced, but if I was guessing, I would say the 26th is the most likely (if not that day, then the following Monday or Tuesday are the next most likely).  If there is a party on that night, then Halloween Screams fireworks will be presented.  If there is no party, then Remember fireworks should be presented (yes, fireworks will only be presented on Fri-Sun).


----------



## mummabear

Does anyone know when during the Halloween season Jack and Sally are around for meet and Greets? (Is this only during a MHP?)

Also will the hitchhiking ghost magic shot be available from the first day of Halloween season? Any tips for getting this shot?





laura&fam said:


> We have some family that have said they want to go to MHP with us so DH said we would buy the tickets for them and they'd pay us back.  I'm a little concerned (to be honest hopeful) that they will change their mind and not come with us.  How hard would it be to find someone a couple of weeks before the party to buy any tickets we don't need?  I know two years ago people were begging for tickets and last year most of the parties sold out.



I would suggest letting them buy them themselves. There is no reason for you to (unlike a concert or something where you want to be able to get seats together).
It is up to them to assume the risk of purchasing tickets that they may not use and have to get rid of or waiting to buy them and potentially missing out....


----------



## laura&fam

mummabear said:


> Also will the hitchhiking ghost magic shot be available from the first day of Halloween season? Any tips for getting this shot?



Can someone tell me what this is?  Is it just a border type add in later or is it a shot where they specifically pose you like the Tinkerbell magic shot?

When we went two years ago around October 18-21 we were able to add all kinds of borders to our pictures.  We had Halloween, Thanksgiving, and even Christmas options before the 30 days was up and I had to order.





mummabear said:


> I would suggest letting them buy them themselves. There is no reason for you to (unlike a concert or something where you want to be able to get seats together).
> It is up to them to assume the risk of purchasing tickets that they may not use and have to get rid of or waiting to buy them and potentially missing out....



If I can convince DH this is what I'd prefer doing.  It avoids problems later of paying back and like you said they assume the risk of the ticket purchase.  And maybe I'd forget to mention how quickly they sell out


----------



## Sherry E

*I don't know if this is still what is happening, but I remember in some previous years the Hitchhiking Ghosts magic shot was not actually available during the Halloween Time season.  I remember thinking that was so odd!  Again, maybe the Ghosts are now available during Halloween Time, but at one point they were not.

I have spoken before about how there is so much misinformation flying around the Internet, not just about Halloween Time but about any aspect of DLR.

The other day I was reading some comments on one Disney-related Facebook page or another (can't remember which one it was) and someone commented on Club 33.  Another girl replied and said that Club 33 was either closing (meaning for good) or would be moving/relocating, neither of which is true!  I wanted to jump in and say, "Um...no... Club 33 is neither closing nor moving.  It is expanding.  Big difference."  But I didn't.  I should have, but I didn't.

Anyway, it amuses and distresses me how people just freely throw out information that is incorrect -- sometimes it may be partially correct but is missing important details, and sometimes it is just flat out wrong!  People hear bits and pieces of things through several sources and don't really pay very close attention, so they repeat what they think they heard -- except they don't say that their recollection could be wrong.  They just state whatever it is as fact!

Anyway, on that note -- everyone remember to check the various Disney sites and Facebook pages throughout the day tomorrow.  It will be Monday, and that means a "surprise" of some sort is coming.  It could be something happening in the parks, or it could be some sort of announcement/news about an upcoming event at DLR.   Erin at the Parks Blog told us to check the Disneyland and Disneyland Today pages on Facebook and/or Twitter, as well as the Disney Parks Blog itself.  I don't know that tomorrow would be anything Halloween-related, necessarily, but eventually I think that one of these surprises will be an announcement about something Halloween-ish.*


----------



## Mommy2PrincessAbby

I mentioned to dh that I might wisk dd down for a three day weekend in October... Columbus Day weekend, yes, I know it will be insane... But this is how much I am missing DL... And we could do the Halloween party.  Anyhow, he got all pouty, and I said it would be much cheaper if he didn't come, and he said I wasn't being very nice.  So I think he really wants to go too!  Sheesh.  I mean, I am thrilled he didn't say no... But I like girl trips! Lol

I really can't justify any of it, but I still really want to go.  I looked at offsite hotels, and the ones right by the entrance don't show availability on costco, so we'd probably do PPH standard room, which I love anyway... And maybe they will upgrade us so we can see the park?  You never know!  Ugghh... Haven't booked anything yet.  Looking at flights and wanting them to come down a tudge.


----------



## figment_jii

mummabear said:


> Does anyone know when during the Halloween season Jack and Sally are around for meet and Greets? (Is this only during a MHP?)



Assuming this year is like the last few years, Jack and/or Sally will be available to meet guests during the day, as well as during MHP.  Disneyland doesn't publish the times in advance and they won't always be available together (I've seen Jack more often that Sally).  They were meeting by HMH last year (between the HMH entrance and the train station, kind of over by the old FP distribution location).


----------



## mummabear

laura&fam said:


> Can someone tell me what this is?  Is it just a border type add in later or is it a shot where they specifically pose you like the Tinkerbell magic shot?
> 
> When we went two years ago around October 18-21 we were able to add all kinds of borders to our pictures.  We had Halloween, Thanksgiving, and even Christmas options before the 30 days was up and I had to order.



These are 2 I have found on google- I think these are WDW though:






Would love to add these to our magic shot collection.


----------



## figment_jii

*Haunted Mansion Holiday, 2013*
And now to finish up Haunted Mansion Holiday, 2013 Edition!

_Welcome to Oogie's Holiday Tricks and Treats! 
Round and round she goes! 
What's your gift? Oogie knows! Bwa-ha-ha! 
Are you gettin' a trick or a treat? Isn't this fun? 
Oohoohoo! I can't wait to see what you get! 
It's gift-givin' time! Ya get what ya get, ahaha! 
Have I got a present for you! It's all good here. 
Sugar and spice, naughty and nice! Have you been naughty or nice, huuuh? 
Well, looky who we got here! I have a special holiday something just for you! 
Hang on to your holiday hats! Oogie Claws is comin' at'cha! Woohoohoo!"_









_ Hurry Back, Hurry Back...
Be sure to bring your Sandy Claws sack, 
I'll be waiting to open my Christmas presents. 
Hurry Back... Hurry Back..._


----------



## yeheyprincex2

mummabear said:


> These are 2 I have found on google- I think these are WDW though:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Would love to add these to our magic shot collection.




these pics are so cute I would love to have these in our photo books!


----------



## figment_jii

Sherry E said:


> Anyway, on that note -- everyone remember to check the various Disney sites and Facebook pages throughout the day tomorrow.  It will be Monday, and that means a "surprise" of some sort is coming.



So far, nothing!  Unless I've missed it, I haven't seen anything announced on the Disney Parks Blog or Disneyland Facebook or Twitter feeds...Unless all the news about Donald's birthday is the Monday surprise!  

Regarding the Ghosts Magic Shot...I don't have anything to add, other than both of those photos are from the Magic Kingdom.  I tried Googling Disneyland magic shot and ghosts, but only came up with stuff for the Magic Kingdom!


----------



## cinderbellasmom

Thanks for the this! I'm not very savvy with blogs, forums etc so I was sure I missed something!


----------



## laura&fam

I love the ghosts magic shot!  Hopefully they'll have them available during MHP since that's the only time I will be there but I'd be a little surprised with all the photographers busy with the characters.


----------



## zanzibar138

It's now Tuesday and I never saw any sort of Monday surprise announced on the blogs or facebook 

Maybe it was just a surprise in the parks?


----------



## Belleoftheballl

I am very very curious and anxious for the dates to be released for the Halloween parties (they haven't been yet right,?)  we are planning on driving to Anaheim for a afternoon and night while we are on vacation for our wedding in Vegas.. And if there is a party that night.. It would be a cheaper way for all my bridal party to go to Disneyland too.. They have never been! 
I'm. Hoping they have a party on Tuesday October 7


----------



## figment_jii

zanzibar138 said:


> It's now Tuesday and I never saw any sort of Monday surprise announced on the blogs or facebook   Maybe it was just a surprise in the parks?



I just saw a posting that said "It's Monday. It's summer. Who'd rather be here right now?" (https://www.facebook.com/Disneyland?fref=nf), but that's all so far.  I almost think it was one of those, right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing.  Hopefully future Monday will be a little more obvious (maybe they'll surprise everyone and still post something tonight...but I kind of doubt it).



Belleoftheballl said:


> I am very very curious and anxious for the dates to be released for the Halloween parties (they haven't been yet right,?)



No dates have been announced yet.  We're all hoping they'll be announced soon!


----------



## zanzibar138

figment_jii said:


> I just saw a posting that said "It's Monday. It's summer. Who'd rather be here right now?" (https://www.facebook.com/Disneyland?fref=nf), but that's all so far.  I almost think it was one of those, right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing.  Hopefully future Monday will be a little more obvious (maybe they'll surprise everyone and still post something tonight...but I kind of doubt it).



I saw that too. The only other thing that could have been a surprise was the Disney Parks blog post about the new Dole menu items.

I guess there's still time though. For me, it's mid-morning Tuesday, but I forget it's not Tuesday yet over there


----------



## figment_jii

zanzibar138 said:


> I saw that too. The only other thing that could have been a surprise was the Disney Parks blog post about the new Dole menu items.
> 
> I guess there's still time though. For me, it's mid-morning Tuesday, but I forget it's not Tuesday yet over there



Wouldn't it be funny if it showed up sometime after midnight according to the clock at Disneyland?  

I thought about the Dole menu items posts as well, but they didn't use the GetHappier hashtag that was part of the original announcement.


----------



## Sherry E

figment_jii said:


> So far, nothing!  Unless I've missed it, I haven't seen anything announced on the Disney Parks Blog or Disneyland Facebook or Twitter feeds...Unless all the news about Donald's birthday is the Monday surprise!





*figment_jii (and all of my other Halloween thread peeps!) --*

I have been checking the Parks Blog, the Disneyland Facebook page and the Disneyland Today Facebook page (and Twitter too) all day, like a crazy person.  I just checked two seconds before I decided to check in here.

Not a peep as far as a Monday Summer Surprise! 

I saw the "Who'd rather be here right now" post and I thought, "And...where is the surprise?"  I noticed that one guy posted and asked what the surprise was.   No one answered him.  I also saw someone on Micechat asking if anyone had heard anything about the surprise (I checked there too, thinking that they might post about the surprise if anyone went to DLR and found out about it).

Don't get me wrong -- I am well aware that a lot of these so-called surprises will be happening in DL or DCA, but the way Erin described it in her blog last week made it sound as if we would at least find out what the surprises are on one of the pages she said to check.  For example, if CMs were handing out random surprises to guests at DLR today, I'd like to read about it on the Disneyland FB page or on the Disneyland Today FB page!

Who thought up this Surprise promo?  Surely we would assume the surprises would happen within "normal business hours" and not in the evening, when it is already Tuesday for our friends in the Southern Hemisphere!


----------



## figment_jii

Me too!  I figured even if it was an "in-park" type surprise, it would be announced on their Twitter or Facebook accounts.  After all, the folks in the parks have to have a way to find out too!  During the 24-hour day, they announced some surprise activities (like pin trading!) via Twitter.

I still think someone got their wires crossed...maybe next week!



Sherry E said:


> Who thought up this Surprise promo?


The same one that thought up Limited Time Magic?    Some of those were great, some a little less so...luckily there is still plenty of Mondays between now and Labor Day.



Sherry E said:


> Surely we would assume the surprises would happen within "normal business hours" and not in the evening, when it is already Tuesday for our friends in the Southern Hemisphere!


I'm willing to give them until DL closes tonight (midnight), because maybe the special surprise is something in the night time!


----------



## Sherry E

figment_jii said:


> Me too!  I figured even if it was an "in-park" type surprise, it would be announced on their Twitter or Facebook accounts.  After all, the folks in the parks have to have a way to find out too!  During the 24-hour day, they announced some surprise activities (like pin trading!) via Twitter.
> 
> I still think someone got their wires crossed...maybe next week!
> 
> 
> The same one that thought up Limited Time Magic?    Some of those were great, some a little less so...luckily there is still plenty of Mondays between now and Labor Day.
> 
> 
> I'm willing to give them until DL closes tonight (midnight), because maybe the special surprise is something in the night time!



You might be onto something there.  I bet you're right.  it could be a nighttime surprise of some sort, and that would not be announced on the Parks Blog today (because I think the writers have gone home for the day), but it could very easily pop up on the Disneyland or Disneyland Today Facebook or Twitter pages after hours.

I am going to assume that the surprise for today/tonight will pop up on the Disneyland FB page, as that's where the pointless "Who'd rather be here right now" #GetHappier post appeared earlier.  Maybe that was a teaser to a surprise coming up on that page (tonight).  However, we will, of course, keep checking all the pages, just in case they trick us!


----------



## figment_jii

Well, it's now Tuesday at Disneyland and I didn't see anything on the Disneyland FB page, Disneyland Today or Disneyland Resorts Twitter feeds, or the Parks Blog!  Sigh...maybe next week will be more obvious.


----------



## DisneyJamieCA

figment_jii said:


> Well, it's now Tuesday at Disneyland and I didn't see anything on the Disneyland FB page, Disneyland Today or Disneyland Resorts Twitter feeds, or the Parks Blog!  Sigh...maybe next week will be more obvious.



I haven't either and it's really frustrating! Even if it's something in the parks, you'd think they update on social media to let people know where to go - unless it's totally random? I'll be in the parks a week from Monday (the 23rd) so I'll be sure to report back anything I know.


----------



## Sherry E

As I mentioned previously, I think that a lot of the surprises in the Get Happier/Monday Summer Surprise thing are going to be happening in the parks and on some days it could just be a matter of a CM walking up to someone and randomly handing out a surprise (maybe a pin, maybe a t-shirt, maybe a gift card, maybe a voucher for a free meal, maybe a giant stuffed Mickey -- who knows?).   

I am thinking something along the lines of the *Year of a Million Dreams* promo from many years ago, but on a much smaller scale.

Then, I think there could also be a few surprises thrown in that are more along the lines of *Limited Time Magic*.  Those will probably be announcements made or information given online about upcoming events, dates, etc.  For example, the online surprises that take place in July or August could include an announcement of something happening for the holiday season, and one or two of the online surprises that take place in June or July could involve a Halloween Time announcement.

Either way -- whether this Monday Surprise deal is more along the lines of an in-park, small scale Year of a Million Dreams thing or is more like Limited Time Magic, or a combination of both -- because Erin told us to check the Parks Blog, the Disneyland Facebook page, the Disneyland Today Facebook page, the Disneyland Twitter page and the Disneyland Today Twitter page...

...someone who handles one of those pages or sites should at least be posting after the fact to tell us that there was a surprise of some kind, and what it was!  Why tell us to check those pages and sites if nothing is revealed?!

I also expected to read something after the fact, from anyone on any Disney discussion site who may have witnessed a surprise happening in the parks.  I think that there probably was a surprise last Monday (June 2) too, but I have not read one thing about it.  So I wonder if we will be reading anything, from anyone, on any site, about yesterday, June 9th?!  

Even if the surprise was something innocuous like Peppermint Wonderland ice cream popping up at Gibson Girl in June, I would like to read about it to know that's what it was!

This is all very weird.  This seems to be a case of Disney sometimes knowing in advance what the surprise will be -- like an announcement of a date or event -- and sometimes not knowing, so then just handing out Fast Passes to random guests in the parks that day or something!  But at least tell us that a guest got some Fast Passes, if that's what happened, Disney!



​

Did anyone notice that someone just posted about not finding, seeing or hearing about any surprises in the Comments under the blog from last week? 

Look at the very bottom -- http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...ing-to-make-your-mondays-happier-this-summer/.

Erin responded to her today, basically stating the same thing that we already knew.  Facebook.  Twitter.  Surprises in real life.  Surprises online.  Some surprises will be larger than others.  

I would really just like to know what the surprises were after the person or people were surprised!  No one seems to be talking!


----------



## ander3ke

Last year at DLR , 1st week of October we had our pictures taken near the Haunted Mansion and asked the photographer to add the hitchhiking ghosts to our photo. We ended up with 5 different shots and some with Zero. They are very cute.


----------



## figment_jii

Maybe yesterday was a test to see how many people were paying attention to last week's announcement. 

I just saw this on Disneyland Twitter Feed, in response to someone asking about the #GetHappier events:


> You never know where Disney magic might appear, but there wasn't a #GetHappier event in the park yesterday.



So whatever happened yesterday (if it happened at all...), wasn't in the park.


----------



## laura&fam

ander3ke said:


> Last year at DLR , 1st week of October we had our pictures taken near the Haunted Mansion and asked the photographer to add the hitchhiking ghosts to our photo. We ended up with 5 different shots and some with Zero. They are very cute.



Hopefully if we just ask then we can get it.  We did that with the Darth Vader magic shot several years ago.  It took a few minutes but it was worth it.


----------



## Sherry E

figment_jii said:


> Maybe yesterday was a test to see how many people were paying attention to last week's announcement.
> 
> I just saw this on Disneyland Twitter Feed, in response to someone asking about the #GetHappier events:
> 
> 
> So whatever happened yesterday (if it happened at all...), wasn't in the park.



Aw, man...   This is madness!  So they tease this Summer Surprise deal, only to leave us all in suspense and never tell us what the surprise was?  Did they surprise someone via email, or via some sort of private message on Facebook or Twitter?  Was the surprise something like an email from Disney Destinations that said "Surprise!"???

Remember, there should have been a surprise on June 2nd, too, but that was also kept quiet!

Under which post did you see that response on Twitter, *figment_jii*?  I didn't see it.

*ETA:  I found it -- I won't link it because the person who asked the question also cursed in a separate post (which was grouped together with the post that elicited the reply that you found), and we aren't supposed to link to anything with profanity!  But I found it!*







ander3ke said:


> Last year at DLR , 1st week of October we had our pictures taken near the Haunted Mansion and asked the photographer to add the hitchhiking ghosts to our photo. We ended up with 5 different shots and some with Zero. They are very cute.



Welcome, *ander3ke* -- 

Thank you for giving us the more recent info about the ghosts magic shot!  I'm glad to know that Disney decided to incorporate it into Halloween Time again!


----------



## PixiDustDears

Just booked our hotel doe a quick Halloween weekend (30-2).  Can't wait for tickets to go on sale. This will be the second year in a row that we trick or treat in disneyland on Halloween.  We'll also be back for thanksgiving week so I guess I need to make my way over to the Christmas season thread as well!


----------



## Sherry E

PixiDustDears said:


> Just booked our hotel doe a quick Halloween weekend (30-2).  Can't wait for tickets to go on sale. This will be the second year in a row that we trick or treat in disneyland on Halloween.  We'll also be back for thanksgiving week so I guess I need to make my way over to the Christmas season thread as well!



Welcome back, *Amanda*!

I'm glad you decided to join us again!  I remember that you went to the MHP last year.  

I have never actually been there on Halloween, but I think this might have to be the year that I remedy that.  Either this year or next year.  I want to go when Halloween falls on a good night like Friday or Saturday.

So you will have a few days for Halloween and a trip for Thanksgiving!  It sounds like your October and November will be awesome!

And yes, by all means, come join us in the Christmas/Holiday Superthread too!  In that thread we are waiting to see if a Christmas party pops up, as one of our thread followers (Escape2Disney) heard from a non-Disney travel agent person not long ago that DLR would have a Christmas party this year, just like WDW, and that the tickets would go on sale soon (in July-ish or so, from how it sounded).  

My first thought was that the travel person was getting the MHP mixed up with a Christmas party, because the MHP tickets would probably go on sale in July-ish.  People who don't closely follow all things Disneyland Resort might get the parties confused.

But then the Parks Blog popped up with this Get Happier/Monday Summer Surprise deal, and I am thinking that sooner or later one of these Monday surprises will lead to an announcement about something Halloween-related and Holiday Season-related.  So we shall see if a party is on the horizon...


----------



## Belleoftheballl

Does anyone know about when last year the tickets for the Halloween party's went on sale?


----------



## Sherry E

Belleoftheballl said:


> Does anyone know about when last year the tickets for the Halloween party's went on sale?



*Belleoftheballl --*

The tickets should go on sale in July, first to AP holders, Visa Card holders and DVC members.  Then they will go on sale to the general public shortly after.

If you haven't already, check out the *Frequently Asked Questions About Mickey's Halloween Party*.  It tackles a lot of questions that come in about the MHP, and then some!

​


----------



## crystal1313

Sherry E said:


> As I mentioned previously, I think that a lot of the surprises in the Get Happier/Monday Summer Surprise thing are going to be happening in the parks and on some days it could just be a matter of a CM walking up to someone and randomly handing out a surprise (maybe a pin, maybe a t-shirt, maybe a gift card, maybe a voucher for a free meal, maybe a giant stuffed Mickey -- who knows?).  I am thinking something along the lines of the Year of a Million Dreams promo from many years ago, but on a much smaller scale.  Then, I think there could also be a few surprises thrown in that are more along the lines of Limited Time Magic.  Those will probably be announcements made or information given online about upcoming events, dates, etc.  For example, the online surprises that take place in July or August could include an announcement of something happening for the holiday season, and one or two of the online surprises that take place in June or July could involve a Halloween Time announcement.  Either way -- whether this Monday Surprise deal is more along the lines of an in-park, small scale Year of a Million Dreams thing or is more like Limited Time Magic, or a combination of both -- because Erin told us to check the Parks Blog, the Disneyland Facebook page, the Disneyland Today Facebook page, the Disneyland Twitter page and the Disneyland Today Twitter page...  ...someone who handles one of those pages or sites should at least be posting after the fact to tell us that there was a surprise of some kind, and what it was!  Why tell us to check those pages and sites if nothing is revealed?!  I also expected to read something after the fact, from anyone on any Disney discussion site who may have witnessed a surprise happening in the parks.  I think that there probably was a surprise last Monday (June 2) too, but I have not read one thing about it.  So I wonder if we will be reading anything, from anyone, on any site, about yesterday, June 9th?!  Even if the surprise was something innocuous like Peppermint Wonderland ice cream popping up at Gibson Girl in June, I would like to read about it to know that's what it was!  This is all very weird.  This seems to be a case of Disney sometimes knowing in advance what the surprise will be -- like an announcement of a date or event -- and sometimes not knowing, so then just handing out Fast Passes to random guests in the parks that day or something!  But at least tell us that a guest got some Fast Passes, if that's what happened, Disney!    Did anyone notice that someone just posted about not finding, seeing or hearing about any surprises in the Comments under the blog from last week?  Look at the very bottom -- http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2014/06/disneyland-resort-is-going-to-make-your-mondays-happier-this-summer/.  Erin responded to her today, basically stating the same thing that we already knew.  Facebook.  Twitter.  Surprises in real life.  Surprises online.  Some surprises will be larger than others.  I would really just like to know what the surprises were after the person or people were surprised!  No one seems to be talking!



I'm glad I'm not the only one wondering what is going on!! I would love to know what they are doing! Post afterwards or something. Seems weird they aren't mentioning it more! I looked and looked yesterday. So strange.


----------



## figment_jii

Sherry E said:


> Under which post did you see that response on Twitter, *figment_jii*?  I didn't see it.



I'm glad you found it.  I searched for the hashtag (#GetHappier) and that's how I found it the first time.


----------



## Kilala

I should have pictures up of my Cheetara costume up this weekend. The convention I'm going to is less than a month away. I still have not started on any of my costumes. I have decided to make my Demeter costume from stratch. I got some fabric for a great price. I'm going to enter the costume in a costume contest in a convention in October.


----------



## Sherry E

I forgot to add in a further speculative thought.

Another _possible_ day that we could, maybe, perhaps hear something Halloween-related in terms of season dates or MHP dates is this coming Friday... because it's Friday the 13th.  

As far as I know, unless I skipped over something on my calendar, this Friday is going to be the only Friday the 13th for the rest of the year, so it would be a good opportunity to give some Halloween-ish news.


----------



## figment_jii

I don't see another Friday the 13th until February.  It would be awesome if they did make some type of announcement this Friday!


----------



## Sherry E

figment_jii said:


> I don't see another Friday the 13th until February.  It would be awesome if they did make some type of announcement this Friday!



It just seems like it would be perfect timing.  We would expect to be hearing confirmation of the Halloween Time dates and the MHP dates sometime in June anyway (even if MHP tickets didn't go on sale until July).  Also, this year is technically the 13th anniversary of Haunted Mansion Holiday -- last year was the "13th year" of HMH, but this is the real anniversary.  So Disney could always play up that angle as a way to release Halloween news or info on Friday the 13th.

Of course, they probably won't, but it would be a good time to do it!


----------



## laura&fam

Sherry E said:


> It just seems like it would be perfect timing.  We would expect to be hearing confirmation of the Halloween Time dates and the MHP dates sometime in June anyway (even if MHP tickets didn't go on sale until July).  Also, this year is technically the 13th anniversary of Haunted Mansion Holiday -- last year was the "13th year" of HMH, but this is the real anniversary.  So Disney could always play up that angle as a way to release Halloween news or info on Friday the 13th.
> 
> Of course, they probably won't, but it would be a good time to do it!



If their Monday announcements are anything to go by if it makes sense I doubt they'll do it


----------



## Sherry E

laura&fam said:


> If their Monday announcements are anything to go by if it makes sense I doubt they'll do it



 I'm afraid you are probably right!  "If it makes sense, don't do it" -- that should be the hashtag instead of #GetHappier!  

I don't even blame the Parks Blog -- Erin was probably unaware of the fact that readers and followers of the various Disneyland pages and websites would not find out what certain surprises were.  She probably figured that the surprises would be announced _somewhere_, each Monday.

This could be another case of the different departments within Disney not communicating or being on the same page, literally and figuratively -- as was the case last year, when _Backstage Pass_ printed the incorrect start date of the MHP, and we came to find out later (from the Parks Blog) that the MHP was actually starting 3 days earlier than what had been printed in BP!

This year I notice that Disney is taking its sweet time in releasing the Spring/Summer _Backstage Pass_.  They are not taking any chances at releasing it with potential dates that need to be changed or corrected, before the information has been released on another Disneyland-related website!






*I finally couldn't take anymore of the lack of information on or attention to Disney's Halloween Time Facebook page.  Disney apparently only posts on that page in September and October.  They post on their Holidays Facebook page in November, December and early January.  

But what about the rest of the year, when people are actually planning trips?  I can't believe that Disney/DLR doesn't have anyone manning the Halloween and Holidays Facebook pages all year long (like one of the Moms Panelists or whoever tackles the Social Media on various platforms) to post fun things about Halloween Time, the MHP and the holidays, get people interested and to answer at least some of the questions coming in.

I finally got on the Halloween Time Facebook page and started answering a few things.  And then I also sent messages to a couple of people who were asking questions and invited them to come and join us here in the Superthread or, if they don't wish to join, to just bookmark the Superthread and peek in every so often to see what the latest news is.


So...if the people I invited over here from Facebook happen to be reading along, welcome!*


----------



## figment_jii

Well, in their defense, they haven't formally announced the MHP dates until late June or early July in the last few years (6/25/12 and 7/1/13) (not counting the Backstage Pass issue).  So hopefully that means we should hear something soon!  Until then, we just have to continue guessing how things will go!


----------



## Sherry E

figment_jii said:


> Well, in their defense, they haven't formally announced the MHP dates until late June or early July in the last few years (6/25/12 and 7/1/13) (not counting the Backstage Pass issue).  So hopefully that means we should hear something soon!  Until then, we just have to continue guessing how things will go!



*figment_jii --*

Are you just talking about the Parks Blog?  There have been Halloween Time and/or MHP dates that appeared on the AP section of the website, and even on the Halloween Time page of the DLR website, before June and especially before July in the past.  So they don't always follow the same pattern.  Sometimes the info comes out earlier than other times -- and not always directly from the Parks Blog.   I remember dates coming out/magically appearing in May at one point.

So, Disney is getting no slack from me on this one.  Disneyland Resort needs to get it together and start releasing info earlier (especially since we know that they know it)!  There is no reason for these kinds of delays when people need to plan, and there is really no reason for not keeping up with their Halloween Time and Holidays pages on Facebook!  If we can find things to discuss and post photos of to make Halloween and the Holidays interesting year-round in the Superthreads, Disney can do something with those Facebook pages!  Nonsense!


----------



## figment_jii

Sherry E said:


> Are you just talking about the Parks Blog?


Yeah, I was using the Blog as the most likely location for general public, relatively reliable information.  Yeah, I remember they announced MHP in May in 2010, but tickets also went on sale in June to AP holders.

We can hope it comes out soon!  Maybe someone should ask about it on the main Disneyland FB page...


----------



## Sherry E

figment_jii said:


> Yeah, I was using the Blog as the most likely location for general public, relatively reliable information.  Yeah, I remember they announced MHP in May in 2010, but tickets also went on sale in June to AP holders.
> 
> We can hope it comes out soon!  Maybe someone should ask about it on the main Disneyland FB page...





There are some years when the Parks Blog devotes more articles/Blogs to certain subjects than others, and certain years when they announce things earlier or later than others.  The Blog is not always consistent.  

In other words, I am suggesting we all look in a variety of places and not just at the Parks Blog.  There are a lot of official places to get DLR info, but the info might sneak in under the radar and without fanfare, and it may pop up in a place that people are not checking.

There were MHP dates that quietly appeared in the AP section of the DLR website -- well before the tickets went on sale or before the Blog covered it  -- in May 2011.  The Halloween Time season dates have sometimes appeared on the DLR website, without any hoopla or huge announcement, before the Blog announced the start date.  Also, there have been emails that I have gotten in the past from Disney Destinations -- or some branch of that, like "D News" -- that have had Halloween Time and holiday season dates printed right on them before they were announced anywhere else.


_Backstage Pass_ would and should have been a reliable official source of info last year -- and it was, as far as the Halloween Time start date and the holiday season start date.  The only problem was the incorrect MHP start date -- and I suspect that date was probably correct at first, and then plans changed and it became incorrect after it was too late to change it.

In any case, a lot of the people on the Facebook Halloween Time page are not just asking about dates.  They don't know anything about the Halloween Time season in general and have no idea what to expect or plan for because it is their first time going (this year).  That's why I started to extend a couple of invitations to people (not everyone -- just some) to come and join us here, where they can get actual details and learn about the season before they go!


----------



## RainyDayPixie

Joining the wait for dates!

I *think* we're going to head down for a soccer game and Disney trip Oct 17-20. I've never been at Halloween Time (and it's my FAVORITE holiday). Would love to get tickets to the October 17 party. Last year they were Tuesdays and Fridays, right?

FAVORITE PLACE + FAVORITE HOLIDAY + TRAVELING FOR MLS = almost too much fun to handle!


----------



## Sherry E

RainyDayPixie said:


> Joining the wait for dates!
> 
> I *think* we're going to head down for a soccer game and Disney trip Oct 17-20. I've never been at Halloween Time (and it's my FAVORITE holiday). Would love to get tickets to the October 17 party. Last year they were Tuesdays and Fridays, right?
> 
> FAVORITE PLACE + FAVORITE HOLIDAY + TRAVELING FOR MLS = almost too much fun to handle!



Welcome aboard, *RainyDayPixie*!

The wait for dates is right -- and the wait for any other morsels of info we can get our hands on about Halloween Time too!

I've, of course, seen you around on this board before but I didn't realize that Halloween is your favorite holiday, and yet you've never been to DLR for Halloween Time.  You are overdue for your first trip!

Yes, the MHP is mostly on Tuesdays and Fridays.  Last year there were 13 parties so there were some extra dates added in, like a random Monday and Wednesday, and Halloween night (which was Thursday).  There's no telling if this year we will once again get 13 MHP nights, or if DLR will go back to 10 or 11 MHP nights.  I am thinking they will stick with the 13, as all but one of those nights sold out, I think.

Have you skimmed down the first page of this thread, to see the posts about the MHP, Halloween food/snacks, Halloween activities outside of DLR, etc.?


----------



## RainyDayPixie

Sherry E said:


> Welcome aboard, *RainyDayPixie*!



Thanks Sherry!

I have skimmed the info pages- wow! Thanks for compiling them. There's a lot going on. 

We have Tropicana reserved, but I'll keep an eye on on-site hotel prices and see if I feel like splurging.


----------



## Sherry E

RainyDayPixie said:


> Thanks Sherry!
> 
> I have skimmed the info pages- wow! Thanks for compiling them. There's a lot going on.
> 
> We have Tropicana reserved, but I'll keep an eye on on-site hotel prices and see if I feel like splurging.




You're welcome!  No need to read everything on page 1 at once, or even at all.  You can see which info looks the most interesting or relevant to you and go from there.  And if there is something you can't find, be sure to ask us here.  It could be something that I have not yet added in, or it might be something that doesn't exist!  

I would not be at all surprised if there is some sort of "Fall discount" on the onsite hotels that covers certain weeks in October, but it probably would not come out until late in the summer, maybe after Labor Day, and it could be a good discount or a minimal one.  There could be a better discount for AP holders, and maybe a PIN code or something for people on the Disneyland mailing list.  One never knows.  At least you have the Tropicana reserved, so that part of the planning is out of the way in case there are no good discounts this year!


----------



## Kilala

What would be a good hotel right across the street from DL on Harbor for MHP. My friend used one of the best westerns. I'm planning on staying on Halloween night this year. I plan on booking a room around July 9th. I hope they have the dates up by that time.


----------



## laura&fam

Kilala said:


> What would be a good hotel right across the street from DL on Harbor for MHP. My friend used one of the best westerns. I'm planning on staying on Halloween night this year. I plan on booking a room around July 9th. I hope they have the dates up by that time.



How many people?  Is it just you or are others coming with you?  Is breakfast important?  A pool?  Do you care if there is a fridge or microwave?  Will you be spending much time there?  Do you want to go cheaper or nicer?

I know many people on the boards really like Howard Johnson.  We stayed there once and liked it but it's harder for us because there are 5 of us and their larger rooms tend to fill up very quickly.  We mostly stay at Desert Inn & Suites because it's just about the closest hotel there is and they have lots of larger rooms.


----------



## zanzibar138

We're staying at Desert Inn too  There are 4 adults in our party and they had the most suitable suites, good price, and great location. I believe they are generally the cheapest of the 'across the road' hotels.


----------



## Kilala

laura&fam said:


> How many people?  Is it just you or are others coming with you?  Is breakfast important?  A pool?  Do you care if there is a fridge or microwave?  Will you be spending much time there?  Do you want to go cheaper or nicer?
> 
> I know many people on the boards really like Howard Johnson.  We stayed there once and liked it but it's harder for us because there are 5 of us and their larger rooms tend to fill up very quickly.  We mostly stay at Desert Inn & Suites because it's just about the closest hotel there is and they have lots of larger rooms.



I know it will be me and maybe my friend. I will be staying just for the night. A microwave would be good.


----------



## figment_jii

Well, Disneyland is now half-way through Friday the 13th and still nothing about Halloween on Facebook, Twitter, or the Parks Blog...


----------



## mikana876

The wait for information is driving me nuts!


----------



## Sherry E

If the Parks Blog didn't take an opportunity to recognize Friday the 13th today, in any way -- even just in a witty blog having nothing to do with Halloween Time -- that surprises me.  They must be backlogged in their work!  It seems like they would use an opportunity like today -- since it is the only Friday the 13th for the rest of the year -- to do something cute or witty, or announce something Halloween Time-related.  

And we know that someone at Disney knows what the dates will be for everything happening for the entire rest of the year!  That's what is most frustrating!  Even though they may not clue us in as early as they should, we know that they know!

Oh well, at least we have the sheer excitement, joy and tremendous promise (_said in a sarcastic tone_) of the next #GetHappier/Monday Summer Surprise coming up in 3 days.  (Excuse me... did I just say "the next #GetHappier/Monday Summer Surprise"?  Someone refresh my memory as to what the first 2 "surprises" were...)


----------



## figment_jii

Sherry E said:


> Oh well, at least we have the sheer excitement, joy and tremendous promise (_said in a sarcastic tone_) of the next #GetHappier/Monday Summer Surprise coming up in 3 days.  (Excuse me... did I just say "the next #GetHappier/Monday Summer Surprise"?  Someone refresh my memory as to what the first 2 "surprises" were...)



Raising Hand...Oh...I know!!!  The first surprise was the announcement itself (I'm willing to let week one slide), the second surprise was...nothing happened (it was kind of surprising in that way )!  Just kidding...kind of...well, we can look at this on the bright(er) side...it can't get much less surprising, so hopefully this upcoming Monday will have something...anything...


----------



## crystal1313

figment_jii said:


> Raising Hand...Oh...I know!!!  The first surprise was the announcement itself (I'm willing to let week one slide), the second surprise was...nothing happened (it was kind of surprising in that way )!  Just kidding...kind of...well, we can look at this on the bright(er) side...it can't get much less surprising, so hopefully this upcoming Monday will have something...anything...



LOL!  Seriously!  I hope they at least _mention_ it this Monday, jeez!!


----------



## Sherry E

figment_jii said:


> Raising Hand...Oh...I know!!!  The first surprise was the announcement itself (I'm willing to let week one slide), the second surprise was...nothing happened (it was kind of surprising in that way )!  Just kidding...kind of...well, we can look at this on the bright(er) side...it can't get much less surprising, so hopefully this upcoming Monday will have something...anything...



Very true!  You're right -- it can't get much less surprising!

I think I commented under the #GetHappier Parks Blog earlier this week or something, and said, "These are the most surprising surprises in the history of surprises!"  

The surprises are, in fact, soooooo surprising that no one even realizes that they were surprised! 

I was thinking we'd hear/read something on some discussion board or another like, "Cast Members were walking around, handing out stickers in the parks."  Something small.  But not even that much!  Even that was too surprising to be a surprise!


----------



## laura&fam

Kilala said:


> I know it will be me and maybe my friend. I will be staying just for the night. A microwave would be good.



Howard Johnson and Desert Inn & Suites both have a microwave & mini-fridge in the rooms.  Howard Johnson is a little nicer but they're down the street a little ways (they're directly across from the Matterhorn).  Not too bad but when you're tired and in costume you may want to go closer.  Those are the only two I've stayed at.

Someday I may stay in one of the HoJo kid suite rooms.  Perhaps if I reserve it now for 2016 or later one might possibly be available


----------



## mummabear

mikana876 said:


> The wait for information is driving me nuts!



tell me about it!
I don't understand why DLR info comes out so long after WDW


----------



## dolphingirl47

I am following the conversation about offsite hotels with great interest. I will have to stay offsite for at least part of our November trip. For me the main criteria are walking distance from the park and free or low cost WiFi. 

Corinna


----------



## laura&fam

dolphingirl47 said:


> I am following the conversation about offsite hotels with great interest. I will have to stay offsite for at least part of our November trip. For me the main criteria are walking distance from the park and free or low cost WiFi.
> 
> Corinna



My main advice is book early.  If you don't you'll either not get the hotel/room you want or pay more.  At least that's been my experience.  A couple of weeks ago I tried to book for mid October and one room type I would have liked was already booked out.


----------



## figment_jii

laura&fam said:


> My main advice is book early.


I second this advice, especially if your trip included a Friday or Saturday night.  Doubly so if your trip falls on Gay Days weekend or CHOC walk weekend (the first two weekends in October).  Those two events are very popular.


----------



## dolphingirl47

laura&fam said:


> My main advice is book early.  If you don't you'll either not get the hotel/room you want or pay more.  At least that's been my experience.  A couple of weeks ago I tried to book for mid October and one room type I would have liked was already booked out.





figment_jii said:


> I second this advice, especially if your trip included a Friday or Saturday night.  Doubly so if your trip falls on Gay Days weekend or CHOC walk weekend (the first two weekends in October).  Those two events are very popular.



I have taken the jump and booked the Howard Johnson. We are not going for Halloween this year, but for the holiday season. We will be there for the Thanksgiving weekend though. 

Corinna


----------



## figment_jii

dolphingirl47 said:


> I have taken the jump and booked the Howard Johnson. We are not going for Halloween this year, but for the holiday season. We will be there for the Thanksgiving weekend though.


Oh the holiday decorations are a lot of fun to see too!  Have you checked out the Christmas/Holiday SuperThread?  It's a great source of information and a good place to talk about the holiday times at DLR.
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3215593


----------



## dolphingirl47

figment_jii said:


> Oh the holiday decorations are a lot of fun to see too!  Have you checked out the Christmas/Holiday SuperThread?  It's a great source of information and a good place to talk about the holiday times at DLR.
> http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3215593



I am over there, too. I have been following and occasionally posting on the Holiday Superthread (the previous one) since just before the theme countdown started last year.

Corinna


----------



## Kilala

I was wondering if you guys can help me name a cat I'm going to dress up fpr MHP. The main color will be a pumpkin spice color. I'm into Anime, cats the musical and I love Halloween. The other colors on the costume will be a darker red, white, dark brown and I might have a little black on it too. I should have a drawing up later on tonight or tomorrow morning.


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## Sherry E

*Kilala* -- I can't think of a name (other than Boo) at the moment.  Hopefully someone here will be able to think of something!






*Don't forget, everyone!

Tomorrow we will once again bite our nails and sit on the edges of our seats as we await the thrilling, chilling, jaw dropping excitement and amazement of the #GetHappier Monday Summer Surprise, which could pop up online, in the parks or... not online and not in the parks.  

If  tomorrow's Surprise is anything like the last 2 Monday surprises, the "big reveal" (or non-reveal) on either the Parks Blog website, or the Disneyland Facebook & Twitter pages, or on the Disneyland Today Facebook and Twitter pages, should be another doozy... because it's great to have 5 different places to look for a surprise that may or may not ever be announced...   *


​


----------



## zanzibar138

Sherry E said:


> *Don't forget, everyone!
> 
> Tomorrow we will once again bite our nails and sit on the edges of our seats as we await the thrilling, chilling, jaw dropping excitement and amazement of the #GetHappier Monday Summer Surprise, which could pop up online, in the parks or... not online and not in the parks.
> 
> If  tomorrow's Surprise is anything like the last 2 Monday surprises, the "big reveal" (or non-reveal) on either the Parks Blog website, or the Disneyland Facebook & Twitter pages, or on the Disneyland Today Facebook and Twitter pages, should be another doozy... because it's great to have 5 different places to look for a surprise that may or may not ever be announced...   *
> 
> 
> ​


----------



## figment_jii

_Kilala_ - I can't remember which cats you've done in the past, but the description kind of reminds me of Bombalurina or Demeter?  Both of those seemed like they were kind of red/orange, black, and white cats.

_Sherry E_ - we shall see what happens tomorrow.  Here's to hoping that we can least figure out what the surprise was...


----------



## sgrap

It's Monday!!!  Anything exciting or surprising yet?


----------



## Sherry E

sgrap said:


> It's Monday!!!  Anything exciting or surprising yet?



Well, at least today -- unlike the last two Mondays -- the Disneyland Facebook page seems to be directing us to the Disneyland Today Facebook page to see how we can #GetHappier.  So that eliminates the need to check all 4 other sources (though I'm sure Disneyland Today would post something on their Twitter feed as well, and it won't hurt to check that too) if we can just keep it down to Disneyland Today on Facebook for now (maybe next week we will be directed elsewhere).

Other than that...I don't see anything that constitutes a "surprise" -- so far.  They're just teasing us, basically.  So we have to keep checking Disneyland Today throughout the day, I guess.


----------



## sgrap

Sherry E said:


> Well, at least today -- unlike the last two Mondays -- the Disneyland Facebook page is directing us to the Disneyland Today Facebook page to see how we can #GetHappier.  So that eliminates the need to check all 4 other sources (though I'm sure Disneyland Today would post something on their Twitter feed as well) if we can just keep it down to Disneyland Today on Facebook for now (maybe next week we will be directed elsewhere).
> 
> Other than that...I don't see anything that constitutes a "surprise" -- so far.  They're just teasing us, basically.  So we have to keep checking Disneyland Today throughout the day, I guess.


The #GetHappier post on Disneyland Today has the park hours . .  . are we supposed to be surprised by the hours?   Or that they are open?


----------



## Sherry E

sgrap said:


> The #GetHappier post on Disneyland Today has the park hours . .  . are we supposed to be surprised by the hours?   Or that they are open?



I saw that, which is why I said I didn't see anything that would constitute a "surprise" -- at least not in my opinion.  That's not surprising in any way, I don't _think_.  Maybe it is?

This is a terrible promo idea for Disney because it seems that they can't quite figure out a way to clarify what is a surprise and what isn't, let alone where to find it.  It doesn't do us any good if they just keep sticking the #GetHappier slogan next to everything they post!


----------



## figment_jii

The DIsneyland Today Twitter feed is at least acknowledging #GetHappier and says "We may have some magic up our sleeves today " and "Please stay tuned for #GetHappier Monday! You never know where you'll find magic, it could be online or in-park!"  So maybe something will be posted later today!


----------



## Sherry E

figment_jii said:


> The DIsneyland Today Twitter feed is at least acknowledging #GetHappier and says "We may have some magic up our sleeves today " and "Please stay tuned for #GetHappier Monday! You never know where you'll find magic, it could be online or in-park!"  So maybe something will be posted later today!



The Disneyland page specifically said to check Disneyland Today, so I would certainly hope they wouldn't steer us there today without delivering something that is actually a surprise! 

However, I think that all of the Disney pages are diluting the surprise aspect and confusing people when they stick #GetHappier next to random, non-surprising posts.  That is what is throwing people off.  If they actually just used the #GetHappier hashtag for the actual posts with announcements about the real surprises (large or small), and maybe one simple "warning post" that said a surprise was coming up, it would be less confusing and more effective!

Disney must have realized that people were getting confused about where to look and decided they'd better point us in one direction for today.  Next week we might be looking on the Disneyland page instead of Disneyland Today.


----------



## mummabear

You mean you guys weren't satisfied with last Mondays photo of fireworks and today's photo of dole whip? #gethappier



https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd....5_10152489818720742_8244292505156557385_n.jpg


----------



## Sherry E

mummabear said:


> You mean you guys weren't satisfied with last Mondays photo of fireworks and today's photo of dole whip? #gethappier



Well...those were/are pretty surprising and exciting, indeed.


----------



## figment_jii

_Sherry_!  They actually did something!



> We've got an 'earful' of magic for the 1st 50 guests to find us in Critter County and say: #GetHappier! pic.twitter.com/GzYbwLKNHS


----------



## pattyduke34

I just seen that too on FB!


----------



## Sherry E

*It's a miracle!* 

So are they handing out ears, I wonder?

Who will those lucky 50 people storming into Critter Country be?  (I can just picture the scene now -- lots of latecomers arriving in Critter Country, angry that they missed out on the surprise!)


I'm glad to at least have an idea to connect with this silly #GetHappier business now!  I was thinking maybe the CMs would hand out some stickers, but now I am thinking ears, or "ear-shaped items"?  

Or are they giving out buttons? (They're holding buttons in the picture.)  Maybe the "earful" reference is just because they're all wearing ears in the picture.


Thank you, *figment_jii* for posting!  I had not checked Disneyland Today in about an hour or so, so I missed the announcement!


----------



## perlster

Disneyland could do better with *#GetSadder* on Sundays.  I'm sure that many visitors looking to see some favorite characters yesterday were unpleasantly surprised.

So, how do you feel about being banished, _Queen Grimhilde_?



"Banish ME, will they ?!" by perlster, on Flickr


----------



## figment_jii

I think they were giving out both.  A follow-up photo showed a family wearing buttons and ears.

This is very much like the Year of a Million Dreams promotion.  The big difference is they're using Twitter/Facebook to announce where the CMs will be.  For Year of a Million Dreams it was just random luck if you crossed paths with the CMs that had things for the promotion.  Though, to be fair, Year of a Million Dreams pre-dated Twitter/Facebook!  

Update: They just announced that they'll be another #GetHappier activity later today.


> Thanks to everyone for participating in our #GetHappier Monday giveaway! We're all out for now, but w/ another opportunity later today!!


----------



## Sherry E

perlster said:


> Disneyland could do better with *#GetSadder* on Sundays.  I'm sure that many visitors looking to see some favorite characters yesterday were unpleasantly surprised.
> 
> So, how do you feel about being banished, _Queen Grimhilde_?
> 
> 
> 
> "Banish ME, will they ?!" by perlster, on Flickr



#GetSadder!  You know, I haven't been following all the news about the banished Queen too closely yet (I have only read bits and pieces), but I thought that they might bring back a banished Villain or two for the MHP... or if DLR decides to have its own version of Unleash the Villains again this year, then she will suddenly become one of the "rare" Villains.  

It seems that DLR has been trying to gradually make the Villains more exclusive so they can make them big selling points for hard ticket events later in the year (like they did by removing the Villains' photo spot during Halloween Time and only letting people "conjure" one Villain at a time at the Carnival).   That, to me, is a bit sneaky.  It also sort of says that DLR isn't confident or content enough in their daily Halloween Time offerings to be able to add in new things to the season without removing existing elements of the season (or existing elements of year-round fun at DLR) and charging extra for them.  Or maybe they are too confident.  One or the other! 




figment_jii said:


> I think they were giving out both.  A follow-up photo showed a family wearing buttons and ears.
> 
> This is very much like the Year of a Million Dreams promotion.  The big difference is they're using Twitter/Facebook to announce where the CMs will be.  For Year of a Million Dreams it was just random luck if you crossed paths with the CMs that had things for the promotion.  Though, to be fair, Year of a Million Dreams pre-dated Twitter/Facebook!



Correct -- Facebook and Twitter were not a factor back in 2007 and 2008. 

Yes, this is definitely the part that is like YOMD.  And then there will be elements of it -- or surprises -- that are more like Limited Time Magic.  That's where the Parks Blog will enter into it, announcing random special events as "surprises."

It's sort of a hybrid of YOMD and LTM. It should be called "Summer of a Million Limited Time Surprises"!!!

I'm glad they'll be back out again today, handing out surprises!  They need to make up for the last 2 Mondays of no surprises!

And you just know that when it comes time to make any kind of Halloween-ish announcement, there will be probably be something about "GetScarier" or "GetSpookier" in the text.  The holiday announcement(s) could give us a gem like "GetMerrier" or "GetJollier."


----------



## leslieboehm

Hi all! New here, first trip to Disney in many years. Taking my 2 kids (DS-6 and Dd-9) and my mother. Trip booked for oct 22-26, staying at DLH, driving from Northern California. Plan on doing the Halloween party, and a character bfast so far. Any other recommendations for activities/meals that require ADRs? This is THE big trip for my little family, and I want to make it as special as possible


----------



## Sherry E

leslieboehm said:


> Hi all! New here, first trip to Disney in many years. Taking my 2 kids (DS-6 and Dd-9) and my mother. Trip booked for oct 22-26, staying at DLH, driving from Northern California. Plan on doing the Halloween party, and a character bfast so far. Any other recommendations for activities/meals that require ADRs? This is THE big trip for my little family, and I want to make it as special as possible



Welcome, *leslieboehm*!

Thank you for joining us!  Check out the posts on the first page of this thread if you have time -- there's lots of info there to give you an idea of what to expect for Halloween Time and for Mickey's Halloween Party.

*figment_jii* is a great source of dining info!  *figment_jii* -- that is your cue!


----------



## Zoesmama03

I love fall and have been wanting to take my 10 year old to DL.  We were going to move to Ohio over the summer but bad timing so its getting held off at least for now.  I think I want to aim to try to get over to DL in Oct otherwise it may be more around Christmastime. 

She's been to Magic Kingdom twice.  Last time was in 2009 at 5(a month shy of 6). She rode everything but space mountain which was closed for the renovations.  I want to see California Adventures myself.  The one and only time I went to DL was in 1993. lol.  Strange because I've lived in AZ most of that time and always traveled across country to go to WDW, except the one time(partly because my dad had to see DL too, he grew up in central Fl, bit reason we go to FL is family is there and now he has been back living there for many many years). hehe

This will be one of the last years my daughter will be into Halloween so much I'm sure.  I think it could be fun.  I haven't dressed up myself in years but could see me doing it.


----------



## figment_jii

leslieboehm said:


> Any other recommendations for activities/meals that require ADRs? This is THE big trip for my little family, and I want to make it as special as possible





Sherry E said:


> *figment_jii* is a great source of dining info!  *figment_jii* -- that is your cue!




Hi _leslieboehm_!  One of the nice things about DLR is that you can often get by without having to make ADRs super far in advance for most places.  DLR's dining reservations open up 60-days in advance, but in most cases you can get ADRs for the next day.  That being said, there are a few places where having an ADR is usually needed.  Blue Bayou, located inside the PotC building, is one of the few places where getting a walk-up is highly unlikely.  BB is one of the most iconic venues in DLR.  I like the food and it can be a fun place to eat.  I highly recommend making an ADR for the first lunchtime seating (usually around 11:30 am) and then requesting a waterside table when you check in.

Another fun place to eat is Big Thunder Ranch BBQ.  It's all-you-care-to-eat ribs, chicken, sausgage (dinner), corn (dinner), corn bread, beans, and slaw.  The food is very good.  They have a singer and piano or guitar player that are fun to listen too.  Kids are sometimes invited to come to stage to perform with them.  It can fun.  It's outside, so it is affected by weather (e.g., closes when it rains).

In terms of character meals, I would check out the SuperThread.  If you want a pre-park opening breakfast at Ariel's Grotto or Plaza Inn, I would make an ADR.  I think you can probably get a walk-up at Storytellers (except perhaps during really busy times of the year), but in general, if you know you want to eat at a character meal, I would make an ADR.


----------



## Sherry E

More #GetHappier magic is happening *now*, on the Disneyland Today page: 

"More Monday magic!! You'll smile 'ear to ear' if you're the 1st 50 to find us in Hollywood Land & say: #GetHappier" - https://twitter.com/DisneylandToday/status/478658330718523393/photo/1 

Are they giving out Oswald ears??


----------



## crystal1313

Sherry E said:


> More #GetHappier magic is happening *now*, on the Disneyland Today page:
> 
> "More Monday magic!! You'll smile 'ear to ear' if you're the 1st 50 to find us in Hollywood Land & say: #GetHappier"
> 
> Are they giving out Oswald ears??



That's what I'm thinking Sherry!  I have to follow along when I'm there on Monday next month.  But I don't have a twitter.....should I get one for this?  Can I join without having to post anything?


----------



## figment_jii

crystal1313 said:


> That's what I'm thinking Sherry!  I have to follow along when I'm there on Monday next month.  But I don't have a twitter.....should I get one for this?  Can I join without having to post anything?



Yup!  I joined Twitter just before the 24-hour day just to keep an eye on whether they announced anything special happening in the parks (that's how I found out about the pin trading).  I've never tweeted anything, but it is fun checking to see what DIsneyland Resort, Disneyland Today, and Disney Parks are tweeting!


----------



## Sherry E

crystal1313 said:


> That's what I'm thinking Sherry!  I have to follow along when I'm there on Monday next month.  But I don't have a twitter.....should I get one for this?  Can I join without having to post anything?



*Crystal --*

That's exactly what it was -- Oswald ears!  And they're already all gone.  No more surprises for today!  So next Monday will be the next surprise, but it might not be in the parks.

If you can fix it so that you get alerts to your phone when there is a new post on either the Parks Blog website, the Disneyland Facebook page or the Disneyland Today Facebook page, you don't necessarily need Twitter.  Today  the same updates were posted on both the Disneyland Today Facebook page and Twitter page.  

Otherwise if you can't get your phone to accept alerts from Facebook or from the Parks Blog website, Twitter will send you alerts to your phone if you want it to.  So you might want to sign up with Twitter and follow the Disneyland Twitter feed and Disneyland Today Twitter feed just in case something is happening in the parks when you're there.

(ETA:  I don't have a Twitter account, but I know other people get alerts from Twitter.)


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## crystal1313

Thanks Sherry!  I'll tell my DH too and we will look at our settings!  Might also get twitter just for that Monday we are there =)


----------



## Sherry E

Zoesmama03 said:


> I love fall and have been wanting to take my 10 year old to DL.  We were going to move to Ohio over the summer but bad timing so its getting held off at least for now.  I think I want to aim to try to get over to DL in Oct otherwise it may be more around Christmastime.
> 
> She's been to Magic Kingdom twice.  Last time was in 2009 at 5(a month shy of 6). She rode everything but space mountain which was closed for the renovations.  I want to see California Adventures myself.  The one and only time I went to DL was in 1993. lol.  Strange because I've lived in AZ most of that time and always traveled across country to go to WDW, except the one time(partly because my dad had to see DL too, he grew up in central Fl, bit reason we go to FL is family is there and now he has been back living there for many many years). hehe
> 
> This will be one of the last years my daughter will be into Halloween so much I'm sure.  I think it could be fun.  I haven't dressed up myself in years but could see me doing it.



*Zoesmama03 --*

I wanted to say welcome!  I also wanted to point out that it was your thread, asking questions about Halloween Time several years ago, that started the ball rolling on the Superthreads!  You asked about Halloween Time back in 2010.  A bunch of us began answering and posting photos, and then the thread transitioned into a sort of an unofficial Superthread.  I decided at that point that it was necessary to have an actual Superthread that I could manage and edit as necessary, for discussion and details about the Halloween season!  And...the Halloween Superthreads have been in existence ever since (and so have the Christmas/Holiday Season Superthreads)!!  

So your questions started it all!

In any case, I'm glad you joined us!  Whether you decide to go for Halloween or for the holiday season, you will have a great time because both seasons are wonderful!


----------



## Caleem

hello, I have skimmed through this thread so apologies if i am asking the same question again but was hoping for some advice. 

I am from Sydney, Australia and will be going to DL in Oct/ Nov with DH, DD12, DS9, DS6. I have been reading up on MHP and am planning on buying tickets for Halloween Night seeing as we arrive on the 28th -Im thinking this may be the only party day to us. In researching I have seen that they have the Happiest Haunts Tour which I would love to do and that includes a ticket to the party. Now my dilemma is, do I buy tickets to MHP when they go on-sale or do I try my luck and wait for Happiest Haunts tour to get released, I believe this was 30 or 60 days prior.... Is it possible to buy MHP ticket then upgrade later by paying the difference?


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## laura&fam

So it's possible that we will be going to MHP and Brick or Treat at Legoland.  Thinking about costumes for the 5 of us I had an idea of Doctor Who characters.  How many people really know about Doctor Who?  I'm a huge fan but that doesn't mean anyone else will be.  Doctor Who has a pretty good following around here but I don't know about anywhere else.


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## Vintage Mouseketeer

laura&fam said:


> So it's possible that we will be going to MHP and Brick or Treat at Legoland.  Thinking about costumes for the 5 of us I had an idea of Doctor Who characters.  How many people really know about Doctor Who?  I'm a huge fan but that doesn't mean anyone else will be.  Doctor Who has a pretty good following around here but I don't know about anywhere else.




There a lot of Whovians.... There was even Doctor Who day at the resort a few months ago.


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## mummabear

What do we think of the chances of Hans appearing at either the conjure a villain tent or MHP?


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## Vala

laura&fam said:


> So it's possible that we will be going to MHP and Brick or Treat at Legoland.  Thinking about costumes for the 5 of us I had an idea of Doctor Who characters.  How many people really know about Doctor Who?  I'm a huge fan but that doesn't mean anyone else will be.  Doctor Who has a pretty good following around here but I don't know about anywhere else.



A lot of people know Doctor Who. I saw a couple of Tenth Doctor and River Song last year at the Halloween parties. They looked amazing.


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## Newsiemj

One time a cast member let me into the fast pass line of ToT because I was wearing a Dr. Who shirt. I wasn't even planning on riding then but I took that opportunity! This was a few years ago though, before the show was as huge as it is now. She said Whovians had to stick together.


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## figment_jii

I agree that Dr. Who is not that unknown anymore.  I've seen guests wearing Dr. Who/Tardis t-shirts in the parks on a regular basis.


----------



## Cheshirecatty

Caleem said:


> hello, I have skimmed through this thread so apologies if i am asking the same question again but was hoping for some advice.
> 
> I am from Sydney, Australia and will be going to DL in Oct/ Nov with DH, DD12, DS9, DS6. I have been reading up on MHP and am planning on buying tickets for Halloween Night seeing as we arrive on the 28th -Im thinking this may be the only party day to us. In researching I have seen that they have the Happiest Haunts Tour which I would love to do and that includes a ticket to the party. Now my dilemma is, do I buy tickets to MHP when they go on-sale or do I try my luck and wait for Happiest Haunts tour to get released, I believe this was 30 or 60 days prior.... Is it possible to buy MHP ticket then upgrade later by paying the difference?



*Hi Caleem!*

The tickets for Mickey's Halloween Party and the tickets for the Happiest Haunts Tour are separate---you can't purchase MHP tickets and then upgrade them to the Tour.

If you purchase tickets* only* for the Party, you would *also* have to purchase tickets just for the Tour, when they become available.

The only way to *purchase the events together* is to buy tickets for what is called the *"Ultimate Experience"*---which is *one* ticket---and includes the *Happiest Haunts* *Tour*, and *also* *admission* into *Mickey*'s *Halloween Party*.

Last year, the price for this was $140.00 on the nights it was offered, but increased to $145.00 for Oct. 30th and 31st.  We got 20% off the price for purchasing tickets with an AP.

If you purchase tickets for the *"Ultimate Experience"*, you will be guaranteed entrance into the Halloween Party for that particular night, even if the Party itself, sells out on line. This saves on the worry about waiting to purchase those tickets only 30 days ahead of your date.


----------



## crystal1313

figment_jii said:


> Yup!  I joined Twitter just before the 24-hour day just to keep an eye on whether they announced anything special happening in the parks (that's how I found out about the pin trading).  I've never tweeted anything, but it is fun checking to see what DIsneyland Resort, Disneyland Today, and Disney Parks are tweeting!



Great to know, thank you Figment!!


----------



## RainyDayPixie

Speaking of costumes, what have people done in the past or what are you planning for this year?

Right now I'm leaning toward something from HM-  either the bride with the glowing/beating heart or the stretching portrait dancer. I haven't properly dressed up for Halloween in years. I'm so excited!


----------



## laura&fam

Vintage Mouseketeer said:


> There a lot of Whovians.... There was even Doctor Who day at the resort a few months ago.



That would have been great!  Too bad I don't live closer.

I've only been once but costumes were pretty varied.  I'd say most people do dress up with Disney being the most popular.  Many costumes are amazing while others are very basic.  I'd say you'd fit in no matter what you do since there is so much variety.  Personally I love the costumes that go together like the ketchup and mustard bottles I saw or Kermit & Miss Piggy, etc.


----------



## dolphingirl47

I went to two of the parties in 2011. I wore this for the first 





On this for the second 





Corinna


----------



## Sherry E

Thank you to *Cheshirecatty* for tackling that Happiest Haunts/Ultimate Experience question for *Caleem* (and welcome, Caleem!)!  I was hoping you would catch that and answer it!

By the way, Cheshirecatty -- you mentioned that in Arizona you guys have "trunk or treat" events (some are hosted by churches, correct?)  -- did I remember the name right? -- and carnival sorts of events.  Is that all throughout Arizona, or just in certain cities?  I wondered because I remember DIS'er *PHXscuba* mentioning those "trunk" events as well (she either mentioned it in her TR or she mentioned it in the former Halloween Time Superthread), and she lives in AZ.  I just thought it would be a small world if you and she ever happened to bump into each other somewhere.


​



*Well, it's crazy -- and yet, wonderful -- to believe that in only 3 months, Halloween Time will be underway at the Disneyland Resort (or at least in Disneyland)! 

I keep counting it out in my head, thinking, "Am I skipping a month somewhere along the line?  Three months (12-ish weeks!) seems very soon!"  Soon...and yet, it still seems as if there is a long, hot summer ahead.  But in maybe July or August, signs of Halloween will begin to hit the stores out here in SoCal -- "harvest" knick knacks and various black cat home accents will pop up on store shelves, along with the latest Halloween-colored/flavored versions of M&Ms and Oreos!  

If we think back to 3 months ago -- mid-March-ish, or St. Patrick's Day -- we can see how quickly the time has flown by.  We will be eating pumpkin goodies and breathing in the smell of gingerbread on Haunted Mansion Holiday before we know it!

And...only 5 months until the holiday season begins (5 months ago it was January -- where has the time gone?)  -- which is great for me, but maybe not so great for everyone else here!*


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## Cheshirecatty

*Hi Sherry!!!*

You are *very welcome*(I hoped I explained things with a lack of confusion!)

Yes, several churches in the Mesa/Gilbert/Chandler/Phoenix area, as well as some elementary schools, offer a "Trunk or Treat" event on either Halloween night, or a night close to it(don't know about state wide?).

They are really fun---people park their cars and come with decorated trunks, jack-o-lanterns, and candy to hand out.

It's great for especially those with younger children(although* all* children are welcome), because everything is so contained and safe, and doesn't require little ones to walk so far!

When our church puts on one of these, the whole neighborhood is invited(not just members of our church), and we usually have some kind of BBQ and chili cook off with it, in addition to homemade root beer, cupcakes, and sometimes even games!

I would love to run into PHXscuba(or any other DISer) at one of these!


----------



## zanzibar138

RainyDayPixie said:


> Right now I'm leaning toward something from HM-  either the bride with the glowing/beating heart or the stretching portrait dancer. I haven't properly dressed up for Halloween in years. I'm so excited!



I haven't been to a Disney Halloween event, but I had a HM themed birthday party last year. I was inspired by the stretching portrait ballerina, and DH was inspired by the stretching portrait guy with the TNT.





That bit of red that DH is holding is the remains of his TNT, which the dog thought was a great toy 





I even made a HM themed cake!





I like 'inspired by' costumes. Unfortunately I miss out on MHP this year, but if I was going I would probably be inspired by Cheshire Cat (I even bought material for a skirt/vest combo thinking I would get to go!).

We're doing half marathon weekend, and dressing up for the races. For the 5k we're inspired by Piglet, Tigger and Christopher Robin. And for the 10k we're inspired by Alice, Cheshire Cat, Mad Hatter and White Rabbit.


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## Camela

Sherry E, I am from southeast AZ and we have trunk or Treat down here also. It is nice to be able to go to one or two places, get all the thrill and fun, then go home. Several churches do it and they have the park filled too. Some of the places go all out, including the park, with lots of fun activities, crafts, and costume contests!


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## RainyDayPixie

Dolphingirl47- Those are great! Did you like being scary or pretty better? I'm usually a "scary" kind of girl, but dressing up like a princess sounds like so much fun!

Zanzibar138- I love your pics! And the costumes! HM is one of my favs.

I usually go really subtle, but want to amp it up this year.

Here is me a few years ago


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## Nicolette11785

During Halloween time are the characters dressed up in costumes at the Character meals? Specifically wondering about The Plaza Inn meal.


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## aidensmom31

My son and me are hoping to go to 2 parties while there.  We plan to dress as Sorcerer Mickey and Minnie Mouse for one and then Jack Skellington and Sally for the other.  Cant wait for them to announce party dates!!!


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## figment_jii

Nicolette11785 said:


> During Halloween time are the characters dressed up in costumes at the Character meals? Specifically wondering about The Plaza Inn meal.



That's a good question!  My instinctive answer is that the characters do not dress up at the character meals for HalloweenTime.  I don't recall hearing or seeing any photos of folks with Halloween costumed characters last year.


----------



## dolphingirl47

RainyDayPixie said:


> Dolphingirl47- Those are great! Did you like being scary or pretty better? I'm usually a "scary" kind of girl, but dressing up like a princess sounds like so much fun!



Normally I would weigh in on the side of the Princess. I tend to tell people half-jokingly that I was born to be a princess. On this occasion so, I loved the ghost bride outfit. This was rather special. We renewed our wedding vows at Crystal Cathedral during this trip and I had arranged with our photographer to do a Trash the Dress photo shoot inside Disneyland during the period where we could get in with the party tickets and me in costume and the actual party starting. This was one of the most amazing experiences in my life.



Nicolette11785 said:


> During Halloween time are the characters dressed up in costumes at the Character meals? Specifically wondering about The Plaza Inn meal.



I cannot help with the Plaza Inn, but we have done various other character meals during Halloween season (Storyteller's Cafe; Goofy's Kitchen and Surfs Up) and none of the characters were dressed for Halloween.

Corinna


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## pattyduke34

This was last year my motley group!!  We had a blast!!!


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## Cheshirecatty

*WOW….pattyduke34*….your group looks *Fantastic!!!*

Also greatly enjoyed seeing *dolphingirl's* and *zanzibar's* dresses---*really pretty and fun!*


----------



## PenguinoMF

What is everyone's opinion on having to go to multiple parties to see everything?

I ask because we have gone to WDW for the past 2 years and we did 2 nights each time and I feel like 2 nights is allows time to experience more. Plus WDW rarely sells out compared to DL so we don't buy them until we get down there in case the weather is terrible. 

We are planning on going out to DLR this year and will probably be there for 2 parties based on past party dates. I figure I have to buy tickets in advance because they do usually sell out and I'm trying to decide if 2 parties is necessary. We are 2 adults with no kids, we will want to see the fireworks and parade, meet characters, and usually save trick or treating for the last hour or so. It seems like there is less to do so is 2 parties necessary or worth it?


----------



## figment_jii

PenguinoMF said:


> What is everyone's opinion on having to go to multiple parties to see everything?...We are 2 adults with no kids, we will want to see the fireworks and parade, meet characters, and usually save trick or treating for the last hour or so. It seems like there is less to do so is 2 parties necessary or worth it?



I usually go to two MNSHHP when I'm in WDW and last year was the first time I went to two MHP.  I was glad that I did.  There is a suprising amount of things to do and see.  The Cavalacade and fireworks will take up a chunk of time and the there are the meet and greets, dance parties, and trick-or-treating.  I would do two parties if you have the chance because then you can do things at a more relaxed pace and not feel like you have to rush from place to place.


----------



## Jennafoo

What about an MHP one night, and then the combo HH Tour/MHP on another? I am currently considering doing a Wednesday night party (assuming there's one the week I'm there; there was last year) and then the tour/party combo on Friday. Friday, incidentally, is my birthday.

Theoretically, I could do party Wednesday, party Friday, and tour Saturday. (The tour might be nice on a crowded Saturday night, because you go right on some rides.) But that would be at the expense of some other things, like Fantasmic or Mad T. I'm interested in those, though not as much as I am the Halloween stuff...


----------



## figment_jii

Jennafoo said:


> What about an MHP one night, and then the combo HH Tour/MHP on another? I am currently considering doing a Wednesday night party (assuming there's one the week I'm there; there was last year) and then the tour/party combo on Friday. Friday, incidentally, is my birthday.
> 
> Theoretically, I could do party Wednesday, party Friday, and tour Saturday. (The tour might be nice on a crowded Saturday night, because you go right on some rides.) But that would be at the expense of some other things, like Fantasmic or Mad T. I'm interested in those, though not as much as I am the Halloween stuff...



What time does the tour start on Saturdays?  When I looked up last year's schedule, it looks like the tours started at 6:00/6:15 pm on non-party nights.  It was about 3.5 hours long, so you would finish up around 9:45 pm.  That would be too late to make it to Mad T Party (assuming it ends at 10:00 pm), but you would probably be able to see the second Fantasmic showing (if there is one at 10:30 pm).


----------



## Swtonscrappn

figment_jii said:


> What time does the tour start on Saturdays?  When I looked up last year's schedule, it looks like the tours started at 6:00/6:15 pm on non-party nights.  It was about 3.5 hours long, so you would finish up around 9:45 pm.  That would be too late to make it to Mad T Party (assuming it ends at 10:00 pm), but you would probably be able to see the second Fantasmic showing (if there is one at 10:30 pm).




When my dh and I took the tour last year (I think it was a thursday), I could choose from a 4pm or a 4:15 departure.  It was done at sundown (around 7ish).


----------



## Swtonscrappn

We are heading back for Halloween this year!!  Oct 19-22nd...short short trip on the end of a business trip.  It will be me, my dh, my brother, my bff, and several of our work associates.  
	

	
	
		
		

		
			
		
		
	


	




[/URL][/IMG]  These are our costumes from last year. 

This year Im going as the Queen of Hearts and my dh will be Han Solo. Dont' know yet who everyone else will be.


----------



## dolphingirl47

PenguinoMF said:


> What is everyone's opinion on having to go to multiple parties to see everything?
> 
> I ask because we have gone to WDW for the past 2 years and we did 2 nights each time and I feel like 2 nights is allows time to experience more. Plus WDW rarely sells out compared to DL so we don't buy them until we get down there in case the weather is terrible.
> 
> We are planning on going out to DLR this year and will probably be there for 2 parties based on past party dates. I figure I have to buy tickets in advance because they do usually sell out and I'm trying to decide if 2 parties is necessary. We are 2 adults with no kids, we will want to see the fireworks and parade, meet characters, and usually save trick or treating for the last hour or so. It seems like there is less to do so is 2 parties necessary or worth it?



I did two parties in 2011 and that worked great. During the first party I concentrated on the characters and Trick or Treating and taking in all the clever detail. During the second party, I did a combination of rides and characters. During both parties, I watched the fireworks.

Corinna


----------



## mikana876

DS-5 is going to be Mickey. I'm going to be Minnie and DH will be Goofy. DS-9 doesn't yet know what he's going to be. He wanted us all to be frozen characters but the rest of us don't. So he's kind of pouting about it right now.


----------



## Jennafoo

Swtonscrappn said:


> When my dh and I took the tour last year (I think it was a thursday), I could choose from a 4pm or a 4:15 departure.  It was done at sundown (around 7ish).



Was this on a party night?


----------



## Vala

figment_jii said:


> That's a good question!  My instinctive answer is that the characters do not dress up at the character meals for HalloweenTime.  I don't recall hearing or seeing any photos of folks with Halloween costumed characters last year.



Definitely no. Plaza has a couple of Christmas touches during Christmas time. But my last 5 Halloween visits there had no special costumes.


----------



## Nonsuch

PenguinoMF said:


> What is everyone's opinion on having to go to multiple parties to see everything?


I have done 2 parties. The Halloween fireworks have many effects near the castle, so I devote a couple hours during my first party to saving a good viewing spot. Fireworks can be cancelled, so 2 parties also give 2 chances view them.


----------



## Sherry E

I love the fun photos people have been posting!



I didn't have time to get in here yesterday to comment but, as *Vala* said, there are definitely no characters in Halloween garb at character meals during the Halloween Time season.  (I'm not sure what happens on Halloween night, though?)  

The only characters you will find wearing any kind of Halloween attire outside of Mickey's Halloween Party, during daytime hours, should be at the Halloween Carnival/Roundup (I think the costume-clad characters were removed from Town Square a couple of years ago)!

As fun and festive as the Halloween Time season is, it is really not as "big" of an event on an overall scale or scope as the holiday season is at DLR, so there will be many aspects of DLR that are left ignored and non-Halloween-ified (which is not a real word, but you get the idea!).

Even during the holiday season, the characters in holiday garb at Plaza Inn seem to be hit or miss.  I have seen photos of the characters at Minnie & Friends during November or December, and sometimes they have little holiday accents on and other times they don't.



​

As to *PenguinoMF's* question about attending multiple MHPs --  Personally, I have always thought I needed 2 nights to really enjoy all aspects of it.  I would like to devote one night to the "entertainment" portion of the party and hitting a few rides, browsing some shops, etc.,  and then maybe another night for character meet & greets and hitting the treat trails.  But I would probably also need one full night just to walk around and take photos.

I know that *Kilala* -- who participates in this thread -- loves attending multiple parties, and will be doing that again this year.

On the other hand, I know that MHP first-timer, *Lucrezia*, bought tickets for 3 parties last year and ended up not using one set, as I recall.  She went overboard at first, thinking she would need 3 nights, and then later realized it was a bit much.

I think that, for many people, one party will be fine -- and some people don't even really need the MHP to enjoy Halloween Time.  For others, they might need 2 or 3 MHP nights.

​


----------



## Vala

No costumes on Halloween night either. I've done Goofy's Kitchen a couple of years ago.

I've always done two parties too. And last night I still didn't get half of what I wanted done.  Okay, part of the reason for that was that I went with different people both nights, so I had to do some things twice.


----------



## Swtonscrappn

Jennafoo said:


> Was this on a party night?



No...I was worried that the tour would conflict with my party time  So we did it on a non-party day.


----------



## Kilala

I will let you guys know how many parties I will attend when the dates come out. I what to go on the first Friday since that is the cheapest Friday. I will be also going on Halloween night too.


----------



## ArchOwl

I just wanted to pop in and say thank you to everyone who contributes such great information on this thread.  I am planning a Halloween visit this year and it will be my first time going to one of the parties.  I am very excited!  I can't wait until they release the dates.


----------



## Sherry E

ArchOwl said:


> I just wanted to pop in and say thank you to everyone who contributes such great information on this thread.  I am planning a Halloween visit this year and it will be my first time going to one of the parties.  I am very excited!  I can't wait until they release the dates.



Welcome aboard, *ArchOwl*!

We do have some awesome contributors here!  I'd been having a harder than usual time getting people to join in and start participating (unlike last year at this time, when we had a lot of activity happening and all sorts of discussion about various things), but fortunately it seems that things are picking up!  

Did you check out the MHP Frequently Asked Questions on page 1?  That was one of the main things I wanted to get onto page 1 before other things, but I still need to fill in more details (and more photos) in some of the other posts on that page.  Time has not been on my side!  

I haven't been to an MHP in a while, and I had fully intended to go last year before plans got derailed, but it helps fill out the whole Halloween Time experience for me when I go. I can easily enjoy Halloween Time without the MHP (which I did, last year), but I think the MHP is a good enhancement/complement to it.


----------



## momof6princesses

It's the last week of June and we can all hope the Monday surprise is dates for MHP!  Fingers crossed.


----------



## Sherry E

momof6princesses said:


> It's the last week of June and we can all hope the Monday surprise is dates for MHP!  Fingers crossed.



*momof6princesses --*

Agreed!  We don't even have the official start date of Halloween Time yet, let alone any MHP dates!  I think that the Disney Parks Blog wasted a great opportunity on the only Friday the 13th for the rest of this year by not announcing the MHP dates, but who am I to question their lack of good timing?

We will have to find out something MHP-related between tomorrow and June 30th, I think.  Those are two Mondays, and two chances for "surprises" to be revealed on the Parks Blog!

I was just pondering over in the Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread about when a Monday "surprise" might reveal a possible holiday season event.  Christmas in July seems like a good time to do it, but as it's been stated before... if it makes any kind of sense it probably means it won't happen!


----------



## momof6princesses

Sherry E said:


> momof6princesses --  Agreed!  We don't even have the official start date of Halloween Time yet, let alone any MHP dates!  I think that the Disney Parks Blog wasted a great opportunity on the only Friday the 13th for the rest of this year by not announcing the MHP dates, but who am I to question their lack of good timing?  We will have to find out something MHP-related between tomorrow and June 30th.  Those are two Mondays, and two chances for "surprises" to be revealed on the Parks Blog!  I was just pondering over in the Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread about when a Monday "surprise" might reveal a possible holiday season event.  Christmas in July seems like a good time to do it, but again... if it makes any kind of sense it probably means it won't happen!



Ugh, totally missed that the 30th is a Monday!  Great at the rate DL has been going with Halloween time they will put it off until the last second, June 30th, sigh. Well let's just hope for something Halloween Monday.


----------



## Sherry E

momof6princesses said:


> Ugh, totally missed that the 30th is a Monday!  Great at the rate DL has been going with Halloween time they will put it off until the last second, June 30th, sigh. Well let's just hope for something Halloween Monday.



*momof6princesses --*

Disneyland certainly operates at a snail's pace when it comes to releasing info such as dates and schedules.  WDW has its Candlelight narrators lined up months and months in advance, and DLR's Candlelight narrators are usually leaked out through a non-Disney source maybe a month in advance, or less.

What's funny is that, when the Parks Blog does release any kind of tiny morsel of info about Halloween in the summer, they will always make some sort of statement along the lines of, _"We know that summer just started, but..."_ or _"We know that Halloween is a long way off, but..." _  Something like that.   It's almost as if they feel the need to excuse or justify the reasons for posting Halloween (or holiday season) info in advance!!!   

And when I read those kinds of sentences in the Parks Blog text, I always think, "Do they not see that releasing dates and info early on will make everyone happy?  It's a win-win for everyone involved!  There's no down side!"  The only down side would be if the information given out was somehow not set in stone and could change on a dime -- then that would be bad. 

Otherwise, who cares if it is summer and Halloween doesn't happen until October 31st?  People want to know the info, so Disney should just give it to them!  It's not as if everyone waits until summer is over (September) to begin planning their Halloween Time and holiday season trips!  Especially in regards to the holiday season, which is a huge deal for many families and requires a lot of special planning for trips, Disney should release as much info about it as early in the year as possible!


----------



## ArchOwl

Sherry E said:


> Welcome aboard, ArchOwl!  We do have some awesome contributors here!  I'd been having a harder than usual time getting people to join in and start participating (unlike last year at this time, when we had a lot of activity happening and all sorts of discussion about various things), but fortunately it seems that things are picking up!  Did you check out the MHP Frequently Asked Questions on page 1?  That was one of the main things I wanted to get onto page 1 before other things, but I still need to fill in more details (and more photos) in some of the other posts on that page.  Time has not been on my side!    I haven't been to an MHP in a while, and I had fully intended to go last year before plans got derailed, but it helps fill out the whole Halloween Time experience for me when I go. I can easily enjoy Halloween Time without the MHP (which I did, last year), but I think the MHP is a good enhancement/complement to it.



Thanks so much for the welcome!  I did read the first few posts actually and they answered most of my questions, yay!  Thanks!

Perhaps I missed the section about when is the best time to go?  I was thinking perhaps the third weekend in October, to miss Gay Days and the Utah Education thing.  But please feel free to direct me to the discussion if I missed it!


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## momof6princesses

ArchOwl said:


> Thanks so much for the welcome!  I did read the first few posts actually and they answered most of my questions, yay!  Thanks!  Perhaps I missed the section about when is the best time to go?  I was thinking perhaps the third weekend in October, to miss Gay Days and the Utah Education thing.  But please feel free to direct me to the discussion if I missed it!



That's what my thoughts were when we set our dates.  We are going the Oct. 17-24. Good luck!


----------



## Sherry E

ArchOwl said:


> Thanks so much for the welcome!  I did read the first few posts actually and they answered most of my questions, yay!  Thanks!
> 
> Perhaps I missed the section about when is the best time to go?  I was thinking perhaps the third weekend in October, to miss Gay Days and the Utah Education thing.  But please feel free to direct me to the discussion if I missed it!



*ArchOwl --*

I still have to add in some things to page 1!  I don't think there has necessarily been a specific ongoing discussion in this thread about the best time to go -- yet -- because other threads have popped up in which that question has come up and people haven't necessarily asked it here as much, though I'm sure everyone here who has been to DLR for Halloween Time and the MHP would have an opinion, such as *Cheshirecatty, figment_jii, Kilala, etc.*

I think that after Gay Days (10/3 - 10/5), the CHOC Walk (10/12), Columbus Day (10/13),  and the Utah/UEA time frame (10/16 and 10/17), you have a window of time in which some crowds might thin out a bit.  Then, things will probably pick up again during the week of Halloween.

On the past couple of occasions when Disney offered some sort of Fall hotel discount/PIN code offer, I noticed that they blocked out certain weeks in October, November and December -- the weeks when they expected a lot of people to show up -- and the remaining weeks were discounted or offered for cheaper rates.  Those "cheaper" weeks tended to be in the second half of October, which tells us that Disney was not anticipating huge crowds during that time frame (because, if they were, they wouldn't need to offer discounts on hotel rooms). 

So I think you have the right idea about when to go!


----------



## Cheshirecatty

ArchOwl said:


> Thanks so much for the welcome!  I did read the first few posts actually and they answered most of my questions, yay!  Thanks!
> 
> Perhaps I missed the section about when is the best time to go?  I was thinking perhaps the third weekend in October, to miss Gay Days and the Utah Education thing.  But please feel free to direct me to the discussion if I missed it!



*Hi ArchOwl*…..I think *Sherry* is spot on about the 3rd weekend in Oct. being a good time to visit, and crowds possibly thinning.

Having said that, we *always visit*(and have for years) between the middle of the first week and anywhere up to the 17th of Oct., and the *only time* we thought the crowds were *unbearable*(or even a nuisance, really) was years ago when the Electric Light Parade finished it's run at Disneyland during our October week.  Those were crowds I hope *never* to see again!!!

We usually arrive on the last day of Gay Days, and leave the day before CHOC walk begins(or morning of), and have found that to be a really great time frame---increased crowds because of all the HalloweenTime offerings, yes, but *very manageable*, and not in the least *too* crowded(in our opinion)!

We've also been there several times during UEA, and didn't feel that we, or our plans/touring style, were negatively impacted in any way. I think your zeroing in on the 3rd weekend, would be a nice plan!


----------



## ArchOwl

Thank you so much everyone!  We are limited to weekends due to my friends' work schedules.  However, my last few Saturday visits have been quite good.  I have been to Gay Days and it was super fun, but pretty crowded.  We would prefer to avoid the crowds as much as possible this time.  And hopefully get a little cooler weather.  I appreciate all your helpful suggestions.


----------



## Autty40

Hi there!  I am a long time lurker for this thread.  I wanted to drop in though and say that we are officially 99 days away from our trip!  I can't believe it's so close!  
I can't remember if I listed the last time I posted that it'll be me, my DH, my DD2, my MIL, FIL, and two friends going Sept29-Oct3.  We're staying at the Bet Western Stovalls.  I am so excited for this trip since we're adding a day from our last trip and it's the first time if over 20 years that my MIL and FIL will be going.  We are not planning to do any of the Parties.
I really love these Superthreads and used the Christmas one last year.  Thanks again for all the information.  I look forward to really planning out our trip.


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## Sherry E

Autty40 said:


> Hi there!  I am a long time lurker for this thread.  I wanted to drop in though and say that we are officially 99 days away from our trip!  I can't believe it's so close!
> I can't remember if I listed the last time I posted that it'll be me, my DH, my DD2, my MIL, FIL, and two friends going Sept29-Oct3.  We're staying at the Bet Western Stovalls.  I am so excited for this trip since we're adding a day from our last trip and it's the first time if over 20 years that my MIL and FIL will be going.  We are not planning to do any of the Parties.
> I really love these Superthreads and used the Christmas one last year.  Thanks again for all the information.  I look forward to really planning out our trip.



Welcome aboard, *Autty40*!

I'm so glad you're enjoying (and hopefully getting some good information from) the Superthreads!

Of course I know who you are!  (And I remember that your 2013 trip took place while _The View_ was taping at DLR!)  You not only followed my Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread last year, but you participated in the Theme Week Countdown!  (_By the way, even if you don't have another holiday season trip planned for DLR this year, you are more than welcome and encouraged to participate in this year's Theme Week Countdown in the Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread, which will begin on Monday, July 21st and end with the final theme on Monday, November 3rd!  Chances are you probably took some photos during your November 2013 trip, so those photos can be used in the Countdown somewhere or another_!)

Your trip sounds like it will be wonderful!  Will this be your first Halloween Time visit to DLR?

Right around now (a.k.a. The Beginning of Summer), I begin to really, really look forward to Halloween Time arriving in September, because it's not far away at all.  It is now within reach.  When we consider that there is only one more week of June, we can basically just write off June as being "over."  One more week is not all that significant.  So then, September is only 2 months away from July.  Once September starts, we will probably only have to wait another couple of weeks for Halloween Time to start.  

The time will zoom by, and Halloween Time will be here in the blink of an eye... which I have to keep reminding myself as the temperatures soar higher and higher over the next couple of months!


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## BebopAngel88

I am also a fellow lurker but trying to be more active. I have been to DL for the Halloween season but never to MHP. I am taking my bf and our two kids and I am just beyond excited! This is our favorite season and we are going from Oct 8-10 for a 3 day park hopper but I am planning to do MHP, hopefully... on Oct 7th. I read that Tuesdays are not as bad as Fridays so I hope that is true.


----------



## Sherry E

BebopAngel88 said:


> I am also a fellow lurker but trying to be more active. I have been to DL for the Halloween season but never to MHP. I am taking my bf and our two kids and I am just beyond excited! This is our favorite season and we are going from Oct 8-10 for a 3 day park hopper but I am planning to do MHP, hopefully... on Oct 7th. I read that Tuesdays are not as bad as Fridays so I hope that is true.



Welcome, *BebopAngel88*!!  

Thank you for joining in!

If, for some crazy reason, there is no MHP on 10/7 because it is switched to 10/6 (every so often a Tuesday party will get switched to a Monday, if there is any sort of private, corporate event taking place in the park), would you go to the MHP on 10/6 or would you go on 10/10, even though that's your last day at DLR?  I don't want you to miss it!

Of course, we should know the schedule for the MHP very soon, so we shouldn't be in suspense too much longer.

About Tuesdays being less crazy/hectic than Fridays -- The last MHP I went to was on one of those random Mondays that took the place of a Tuesday, and I felt that it was comparable in crowds to what Friday would be.  Not out of control, unbearably crowded, of course, but just much more crowded than I would have expected it to be for a Monday night hard ticket event.  Personally, I felt that there were too many people there for the event, but other MHP attendees felt differently.  (Hopefully, *figment_jii, Cheshirecatty, Kilala, and any other recent MHP-goers* will give their opinions on crowds during their nights!)  I would rather that Disneyland add more MHP nights and sell fewer tickets to each night instead of overselling the existing nights.

However, that Monday party was towards the beginning of the MHP schedule that year, and there were probably some weekend holdovers who stayed to attend MHP.

I've always thought that if the same number of tickets are sold for Tuesday parties, Friday parties or any other parties, and all of those nights sell out (which they do), the crowds for each MHP should be about equal.

And then someone (it may have been *Nonsuch*, but I don't recall?) brought up the fact that the earlier weeknight parties probably empty out faster and earlier in the evening because a lot of people have to get to work (and/or school) the next day, whereas the Friday parties probably stay busy all the way through.   

That is a very good point, so that probably explains a lot of why Tuesdays (or Mondays, or whichever day) may be less crowded than Friday parties.  People spread out to certain areas and then probably leave early!

You'll be there after Gay Days is over, and before CHOC Walk or the Utah break.  But that 10/10 date will be the beginning of the Columbus Day weekend, so if you had to end up going to the 10/10 party instead of your planned date, you might encounter some bigger crowds in the parks and at the party.

I love the season too -- Fall (in or out of Disneyland) is spectacular for so many reasons!  The bright splashes of orange everywhere.... the different kinds of creatively carved pumpkins... Harvest decorations... the aromas of pumpkin spice and apple goodies... the leaves changing colors... the smell of fireplaces beginning to burn in the distance... the cool morning air.  What's not to love?  It's an amazing time of year!


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## sgrap

Any Monday #GetHappier news today?  I looked at both FB pages and didn't see anything exciting, other than hours and such.


----------



## Sherry E

sgrap said:


> Any Monday #GetHappier news today?  I looked at both FB pages and didn't see anything exciting, other than hours and such.



*sgrap --*

Not that I've seen either.  I've checked the Parks Blog website, the Disneyland Today Facebook and Twitter pages, and the Disneyland Facebook and Twitter pages and...zilch!

I guess we will have to assume that today's "surprise" is one of those mysterious, not-quite-defined "online" surprises instead of an in-park or in-Downtown Disney surprise, which could mean a random email from some segment of Disney, with a surprise attached.  

That would all be well and good if we just heard something about it afterwards like, "Jane Doe won a 1-night stay at the Disneyland Hotel, courtesy of Disney Destinations," or "John Doe won a free D23 membership," or whatever.  

The thing is, there is no payoff in these random online surprises other than to the specific person or people who win them.  All of us who are wasting our time checking websites, Facebook pages and Twitter feeds might like to hear who won what!! Am I alone in that line of thinking?

And...since 50 people won Mickey ears in DL last week, and another 50 won Oswald ears in DCA, does that mean that 50 people would be receiving the "online surprises" too?  Out of 50 online winners, someone would have to announce something, somewhere, eventually -- and yet, the mystery of who won what on June 9th (and probably June 2nd too!) lingers on because no one has talked about it anywhere!

Also, if today is not an online surprise but is really something happening at DLR that hasn't been announced yet, it would be nice to know that too.

I think the whole way this #GetHappier surprise deal is set up and structured is bad.  It's not about wanting to "win" something for me.  I just want some sort of payoff to my time spent searching Facebook, Twitter and the Parks Blog by way of some sort of revelation of what the online surprise was!!!


----------



## sgrap

Sherry E said:


> *sgrap --*
> 
> Not that I've seen either.  I've checked the Parks Blog website, the Disneyland Today Facebook and Twitter pages, and the Disneyland Facebook and Twitter pages and...zilch!
> 
> I guess we will have to assume that today's "surprise" is one of those mysterious, not-quite-defined "online" surprises instead of an in-park or in-Downtown Disney surprise, which could mean a random email from some segment of Disney, with a surprise attached.
> 
> That would all be well and good if we just heard something about it afterwards like, "Jane Doe won a 1-night stay at the Disneyland Hotel, courtesy of Disney Destinations," or "John Doe won a free D23 membership," or whatever.
> 
> The thing is, there is no payoff in these random online surprises other than to the specific person or people who win them.  All of us who are wasting our time checking websites, Facebook pages and Twitter feeds might like to hear who won what!! Am I alone in that line of thinking?
> 
> And...since 50 people won Mickey ears in DL last week, and another 50 won Oswald ears in DCA, does that mean that 50 people would be receiving the "online surprises too"?  Out of 50 online winners, someone would have to announce something, somewhere, eventually -- and yet, the mystery of who won what on June 9th (and probably June 2nd too!) lingers on because no one has talked about it anywhere!
> 
> Also, if today is not an online surprise but is really something happening at DLR that hasn't been announced yet, it would be nice to know that too.
> 
> I think the whole way this #GetHappier surprise deal is set up and structured is bad.  It's not about wanting to "win" something for me.  I just want some sort of payoff to my time spent searching Facebook, Twitter and the Parks Blog by way of some sort of revelation of what the online surprise was!!!


I agree!  You would think they would want to get the most mileage and PR out of these surprises, so why not publicize them more?


----------



## pattyduke34

I seen something on the #gethappier...it was posted on FB Disneyland,,saying 
"monday would be happier if we were hanging out with talking cars" and a picture of Carsland.  It was posted about 5 hours ago,..


----------



## Sherry E

sgrap said:


> I agree!  You would think they would want to get the most mileage and PR out of these surprises, so why not publicize them more?




*sgrap --*

Exactly!  And, if nothing else, just let us revel in the joy of the moment and celebrate with/congratulate the lucky recipients of the online surprises (whatever those may be)!  

If no one (who got an online surprise) leaks anything out on any discussion board, anywhere, after today, then I am going to start questioning whether or not DLR is really doing any kinds of online surprises at all!  I am starting to think that they are just "telling" us that some of the surprises are online, but if we never hear about them we never know if they did or did not happen!




pattyduke34 said:


> I seen something on the #gethappier...it was posted on FB Disneyland,,saying
> "monday would be happier if we were hanging out with talking cars" and a picture of Carsland.  It was posted about 5 hours ago,..



*pattyduke34 --*

I saw that too!  There were a couple of posts with the #GetHappier slogan on them, but no announcement of a surprise (unlike last week).  The posts from today were the same sorts of posts they had on the Facebook and Twitter pages 2 weeks ago -- just teasers that didn't lead to anything!


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## momof6princesses

Sherry E said:


> I saw that too!  There were a couple of posts with the #GetHappier slogan on them, but no announcement of a surprise (unlike last week).  The posts from today were the same sorts of posts they had on the Facebook and Twitter pages 2 weeks ago -- just teasers that didn't lead to anything!



Maybe it is a every other week thing?!    So we won't hear anything until the 30th.


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## kaci

I just saw a report on one of the "other" boards that there was a M&G in DL with the 7 Dwarves as part of the #GetHappier Monday promotion.


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## Sherry E

*momof6princesses --*

It could be an every other week sort of thing in terms of announcements, but there may be random surprises that pop up that are unannounced in between those weeks!  Madness!


*kaci --*

Okay, well that's a lead on something then!  Thank you for the update.  Even though it was not announced by Disney, I can see that happening.  I just wish they had told us, "Hey, everyone, the Dwarfs are out!  Go now and meet them to #GetHappier!"

ETA:  I just saw that post on the other board -- did she not know that #GetHappier happened last week?  The title of her thread sounds as if she didn't realize that anything took place last week too.


----------



## kaci

Sherry E said:


> *
> 
> kaci --
> 
> Okay, well that's a lead on something then!  Thank you for the update.  Even though it was not announced by Disney, I can see that happening.  I just wish they had told us, "Hey, everyone, the Dwarfs are out!  Go now and meet them to #GetHappier!"
> 
> ETA:  I just saw that post on the other board -- did she not know that #GetHappier happened last week?  The title of her thread sounds as if she didn't realize that anything took place last week too.*


*

I'm not sure if she knew about last week or not. I read it as her confirming something actually happened *this week*, but I could see how it could be taken as a comment on last week, too. 

This whole campaign has been pretty confusing and anti-climactic, IMHO... But it was fun to see a pic of the Dwarves  *


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## Sherry E

kaci said:


> I'm not sure if she knew about last week or not. I read it as her confirming something actually happened *this week*, but I could see how it could be taken as a comment on last week, too.
> 
> This whole campaign has been pretty confusing and anti-climactic, IMHO... But it was fun to see a pic of the Dwarves



*kaci --*

I just gave you a shout out over in the Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread too, for being the one to finally tell us what today's surprise is!

I totally agree -- I think this campaign is most definitely confused and confusing; vague; mysterious (but not in a good way); time-wasting; poorly structured, etc.  For example, if Disney could announce #GetHappier on Disneyland Today last week so that people could make a mad dash for the ears, why not announce it today so people would know to run over to DL and meet the characters?

Disney could have done a better job of orchestrating how these Monday Surprises are revealed instead of having all of us waste our time, scanning multiple pages for info -- only to end up finding it on a non-Disney discussion board!  But at least someone reported back so we know there was something happening today!










*Okay, Disneyland Today just posted this cryptic message, less than 10 minutes ago:

"If you're in Disney California Adventure, stay tuned! Your Monday is about to #GetHappier"






Everyone, run to DCA!  Now!  Hurry!  Rare characters might be on the loose!  Or something else!  Go go go!!!

Jamie/DisneyJamieCA and Bret/mvf-m11c are in the parks today!  Maybe they'll get there!*


----------



## momof6princesses

Sherry E said:


> "Everyone, run to DCA!  Now!  Hurry!  Rare characters might be on the loose!  Or something else!  Go go go!!!



 I love it, everyone run....let's hope someone gets there and we can have some pictures, something, anything!  Do they not understand us DL lovers are on edge waiting alllll day!


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## Sherry E

momof6princesses said:


> I love it, everyone run....let's hope someone gets there and we can have some pictures, something, anything!  Do they not understand us DL lovers are on edge waiting alllll day!



 I'm running to DCA right now.  Aren't you? 

It took a loooooong time for Disney to get around to even posting about the 7 Dwarfs (after they had already left, apparently), and this new DCA surprise (whatever it is) is later in the day than what happened last week.

I am hoping Jamie signed up for the Disneyland Today Twitter alerts so that she will know to make a mad dash across the Esplanade (if she was in DL) to find out what awaits in DCA!  Bret could be anywhere, but he might make it there too.


----------



## kaci

Sherry E said:


> *kaci --*
> 
> I just gave you a shout out over in the Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread too, for being the one to finally tell us what today's surprise is!
> 
> I totally agree -- I think this campaign is most definitely confused and confusing; vague; mysterious (but not in a good way); time-wasting; poorly structured, etc.  For example, if Disney could announce #GetHappier on Disneyland Today last week so that people could make a mad dash for the ears, why not announce it today so people would know to run over to DL and meet the characters?
> 
> Disney could have done a better job of orchestrating how these Monday Surprises are revealed instead of having all of us waste our time, scanning multiple pages for info -- only to end up finding it on a non-Disney discussion board!  But at least someone reported back so we know there was something happening today!



Thanks for the shout out 

This is just the silliest promotion. And yet every Monday I find myself searching the interwebs to see what happened and inevitably find myself disappointed and irritated. What's the definition of insanity again? LOL

I need them to hurry up and release more Halloweentime details so I can have something new to obsess over!


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## figment_jii

I'm finally back in the land of the internet today, so I'm late to the #GetHappier discussion today.  Sounds like as least they did something even if they didn't announce it earlier (so still better than two weeks ago).  In some ways, I'm okay with that (make it a truly right time/right place type thing), but the hype leading up these Monday reveals makes it tough.  It's a little like Limited Time Magic which lead to its fair share of disappointments.  In some ways a Year of a Million Dreams was better...there was no Twitter/Facebook for people to get all excited about.  The "magic" was random and if you happened to be there then you got pixie dust.  If not, oh well, and for the most part, you didn't know that you missed out.


----------



## Autty40

Sherry E said:
			
		

> Welcome aboard, Autty40!
> 
> I'm so glad you're enjoying (and hopefully getting some good information from) the Superthreads!
> 
> Of course I know who you are!  (And I remember that your 2013 trip took place while The View was taping at DLR!)  You not only followed my Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread last year, but you participated in the Theme Week Countdown!  (By the way, even if you don't have another holiday season trip planned for DLR this year, you are more than welcome and encouraged to participate in this year's Theme Week Countdown in the Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread, which will begin on Monday, July 21st and end with the final theme on Monday, November 3rd!  Chances are you probably took some photos during your November 2013 trip, so those photos can be used in the Countdown somewhere or another!)
> 
> Your trip sounds like it will be wonderful!  Will this be your first Halloween Time visit to DLR?
> 
> Right around now (a.k.a. The Beginning of Summer), I begin to really, really look forward to Halloween Time arriving in September, because it's not far away at all.  It is now within reach.  When we consider that there is only one more week of June, we can basically just write off June as being "over."  One more week is not all that significant.  So then, September is only 2 months away from July.  Once September starts, we will probably only have to wait another couple of weeks for Halloween Time to start.
> 
> The time will zoom by, and Halloween Time will be here in the blink of an eye... which I have to keep reminding myself as the temperatures soar higher and higher over the next couple of months!



I will absolutely contribute this year! I need to get my photos more organized! 
We did go during The View taping last year. The crowds weren't a problem, but the only two days we were there the castle was blocked. I was really bummed that my DD2 didn't get to experience the castle during her first trip. But the entire trip was magical and filled with laughter and happy tears!

This will be my second trip during Halloween. But my daughter's first time so I'm planning it differently because of her. I'm really excited for the festival area at BTMRR. We really liked the Jingle Jangle Jamboree last year. 

This board is invaluable when it comes to planning our trips.


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## Sherry E

kaci said:


> Thanks for the shout out
> 
> This is just the silliest promotion. And yet every Monday I find myself searching the interwebs to see what happened and inevitably find myself disappointed and irritated. What's the definition of insanity again? LOL
> 
> I need them to hurry up and release more Halloweentime details so I can have something new to obsess over!



*kaci --*

Halloween Time info has to be coming soon -- at the very least, the MHP info has to come soon.  Disney might as well use this frustrating, maddening, confounded #GetHappier deal to announce the info!

Gerard Butler was spotted at DCA today, and that would have made me happier! 

I think that when we finally all get exasperated enough with this promotion and stop following along with it, that's when something will pop up that is more rewarding!  I don't mind not getting any fun things myself, but I just don't understand the whole way this is being rolled out.  It seems like everyone is confused, here and on Facebook.  No one knows where to look.  No one knows where to go.  No one knows when a surprise will happen. No one knows if it will be announced or not.  Everyone is wasting time combing all forms of Disney media.  It's madness!









*Courtesy of Disneyland Today:  "Time to #GetHappier! The first 50 Guests to meet us in Paradise Bay and say "Monday" will get a glowing surprise!"


Go, Jamie and Bret!  Go get those glowy things!  Lol!*



​






figment_jii said:


> I'm finally back in the land of the internet today, so I'm late to the #GetHappier discussion today.  Sounds like as least they did something even if they didn't announce it earlier (so still better than two weeks ago).  In some ways, I'm okay with that (make it a truly right time/right place type thing), but the hype leading up these Monday reveals makes it tough.  It's a little like Limited Time Magic which lead to its fair share of disappointments.  In some ways a Year of a Million Dreams was better...there was no Twitter/Facebook for people to get all excited about.  The "magic" was random and if you happened to be there then you got pixie dust.  If not, oh well, and for the most part, you didn't know that you missed out.



*figment_jii --*

I know what you mean.  The social media aspect of this whole endeavor is both an asset and a hindrance.  I think at this point it should be all or nothing -- Disney should either announce when all of the surprises are happening and where we should look for them to be revealed, or reveal nothing from this point forward and stop posting those teaser things with the #GetHappier slogan on them just to get everyone worked up.  

I just don't like that they have set it up in such a way where that people are going to be wasting time, scouring various pages and sites!  

People who are, let's say, not as accustomed to Disney's way of doing things (maybe they don't follow discussion boards or other Disney pages and don't know too much about these events) probably have no clue what to expect, but they have a general idea that Disney is giving away freebies.  They may not understand that those freebies are limited.  They may not understand which park to go to.  They may not understand that the freebies only seem to pop up in one park at a time.  They may not understand that this is not going to be an ongoing Monday thing past Labor Day.  I think there is a lot of confusion.

Also, it sounds like the surprise in DCA today was not equal for everyone!  One guy mentioned getting Glow with the Show ears and VIP viewing for World of Color.  Someone else mentioned going to a different CM and getting "a button"!!  So that's another area in which some people will be disappointed -- they won't necessarily get what everyone else gets!

Madness!





Autty40 said:


> I will absolutely contribute this year! I need to get my photos more organized!
> We did go during The View taping last year. The crowds weren't a problem, but the only two days we were there the castle was blocked. I was really bummed that my DD2 didn't get to experience the castle during her first trip. But the entire trip was magical and filled with laughter and happy tears!
> 
> This will be my second trip during Halloween. But my daughter's first time so I'm planning it differently because of her. I'm really excited for the festival area at BTMRR. We really liked the Jingle Jangle Jamboree last year.
> 
> This board is invaluable when it comes to planning our trips.



*Autty40 --*

I remember that hideous set-up in front of the Castle, blocking any possibility of getting good photos of it.

The Halloween Carnival in DL is a gem.  I don't know if the Villains tent is going to be that same "Conjure one Villain at a time" deal that it's been for the last 2 years, but aside from that silly set-up it's a fun area.  I think the Halloween Carnival is better and more fully developed than the Jingle Jangle Jamboree, but of course the JJJ has Santa.

I look forward to seeing your photos in the Theme Week Countdown in the Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread!


----------



## Kilala

They had snow on the castle in 2012. This was taken on October 25th


----------



## BebopAngel88

Sherry E said:


> Welcome, *BebopAngel88*!!
> 
> Thank you for joining in!
> 
> If, for some crazy reason, there is no MHP on 10/7 because it is switched to 10/6 (every so often a Tuesday party will get switched to a Monday, if there is any sort of private, corporate event taking place in the park), would you go to the MHP on 10/6 or would you go on 10/10, even though that's your last day at DLR?  I don't want you to miss it!
> 
> Of course, we should know the schedule for the MHP very soon, so we shouldn't be in suspense too much longer.
> 
> About Tuesdays being less crazy/hectic than Fridays -- The last MHP I went to was on one of those random Mondays that took the place of a Tuesday, and I felt that it was comparable in crowds to what Friday would be.  Not out of control, unbearably crowded, of course, but just much more crowded than I would have expected it to be for a Monday night hard ticket event.  Personally, I felt that there were too many people there for the event, but other MHP attendees felt differently.  (Hopefully, *figment_jii, Cheshirecatty, Kilala, and any other recent MHP-goers* will give their opinions on crowds during their nights!)  I would rather that Disneyland add more MHP nights and sell fewer tickets to each night instead of overselling the existing nights.
> 
> However, that Monday party was towards the beginning of the MHP schedule that year, and there were probably some weekend holdovers who stayed to attend MHP.
> 
> I've always thought that if the same number of tickets are sold for Tuesday parties, Friday parties or any other parties, and all of those nights sell out (which they do), the crowds for each MHP should be about equal.
> 
> And then someone (it may have been *Nonsuch*, but I don't recall?) brought up the fact that the earlier weeknight parties probably empty out faster and earlier in the evening because a lot of people have to get to work (and/or school) the next day, whereas the Friday parties probably stay busy all the way through.
> 
> That is a very good point, so that probably explains a lot of why Tuesdays (or Mondays, or whichever day) may be less crowded than Friday parties.  People spread out to certain areas and then probably leave early!
> 
> You'll be there after Gay Days is over, and before CHOC Walk or the Utah break.  But that 10/10 date will be the beginning of the Columbus Day weekend, so if you had to end up going to the 10/10 party instead of your planned date, you might encounter some bigger crowds in the parks and at the party.
> 
> I love the season too -- Fall (in or out of Disneyland) is spectacular for so many reasons!  The bright splashes of orange everywhere.... the different kinds of creatively carved pumpkins... Harvest decorations... the aromas of pumpkin spice and apple goodies... the leaves changing colors... the smell of fireplaces beginning to burn in the distance... the cool morning air.  What's not to love?  It's an amazing time of year!



That would be a shame if it was switched to a Monday but I would definitely go on that Friday. I would still be uber excited about it! I haven't seen the Halloween decorations since 2009, so it has been wayyyy too long. I have a question though. What are the best apps to use in the parks? Is there one for characters?


----------



## laura&fam

Sherry E said:


> The Halloween Carnival in DL is a gem.  I don't know if the Villains tent is going to be that same "Conjure one Villain at a time" deal that it's been for the last 2 years, but aside from that silly set-up it's a fun area.  I think the Halloween Carnival is better and more fully developed than the Jingle Jangle Jamboree, but of course the JJJ has Santa.



I was halfway through the wait for the 'Conjure a Villain' two years ago before I realized it was a big waste of time.  I happened to get the one villain I wanted but I have no interest in ever doing it again.  The area is fun though and worth checking out but don't waste your time on the villain line.


----------



## pudinhd

laura&fam said:


> I was halfway through the wait for the 'Conjure a Villain' two years ago before I realized it was a big waste of time.  I happened to get the one villain I wanted but I have no interest in ever doing it again.  The area is fun though and worth checking out but don't waste your time on the villain line.



The "Conjure a Villain" is more than slightly frustrating.    Sometimes you will get a CM who will tell you the next villain, but otherwise it's all just luck - or lack thereof.  Plus, they have signs for villains that I never saw, nor did I read anything about those villains being there.


----------



## yeheyprincex2

Sherry E said:


> *sgrap --*
> 
> Not that I've seen either.  I've checked the Parks Blog website, the Disneyland Today Facebook and Twitter pages, and the Disneyland Facebook and Twitter pages and...zilch!
> 
> I guess we will have to assume that today's "surprise" is one of those mysterious, not-quite-defined "online" surprises instead of an in-park or in-Downtown Disney surprise, which could mean a random email from some segment of Disney, with a surprise attached.
> 
> That would all be well and good if we just heard something about it afterwards like, "Jane Doe won a 1-night stay at the Disneyland Hotel, courtesy of Disney Destinations," or "John Doe won a free D23 membership," or whatever.
> 
> The thing is, there is no payoff in these random online surprises other than to the specific person or people who win them.  All of us who are wasting our time checking websites, Facebook pages and Twitter feeds might like to hear who won what!! Am I alone in that line of thinking?
> 
> And...since 50 people won Mickey ears in DL last week, and another 50 won Oswald ears in DCA, does that mean that 50 people would be receiving the "online surprises" too?  Out of 50 online winners, someone would have to announce something, somewhere, eventually -- and yet, the mystery of who won what on June 9th (and probably June 2nd too!) lingers on because no one has talked about it anywhere!
> 
> Also, if today is not an online surprise but is really something happening at DLR that hasn't been announced yet, it would be nice to know that too.
> 
> I think the whole way this #GetHappier surprise deal is set up and structured is bad.  It's not about wanting to "win" something for me.  I just want some sort of payoff to my time spent searching Facebook, Twitter and the Parks Blog by way of some sort of revelation of what the online surprise was!!!



I agree it is very unstructured and not very interesting 
I have also been keeping up with it and have yet to be very happy about what the get happier surprise has been.
I did see the new win trip with a old family Disney photo, the recreate the magic contest.
I saw it on Facebook Walt Disney World page


----------



## Sherry E

Kilala said:


> They had snow on the castle in 2012. This was taken on October 25th



Very nice, *Kilala*!  

I think that is the first nighttime "crossover" picture I've seen.  I've seen  a couple of daytime pictures with pumpkins and snow on the Castle, but not night pics.





BebopAngel88 said:


> That would be a shame if it was switched to a Monday but I would definitely go on that Friday. I would still be uber excited about it! I haven't seen the Halloween decorations since 2009, so it has been wayyyy too long. I have a question though. What are the best apps to use in the parks? Is there one for characters?



*BebopAngel88 --*

At least you'll have one definite day to go, whether it's a Tuesday MHP or a Friday MHP!

Things were different in 2009.  I hate to say it, but there were more Halloween decorations in 2009 than there are now.  Back then, DCA was decorated too.  Now, we are lucky if we can find some pumpkin-shaped bread and a pumpkin chocolate sample at Ghirardelli.  Oh, and there is Duffy in his pumpkin outfit in DCA.  And a Halloween version of the Mad T Party.  Otherwise, nothing in DCA (unless that finally changes this year).  Most of the Halloween action is basically in Disneyland.

I don't use apps in the parks, so I don't know if there is one for characters.  I know a lot of people use MouseWait, but I don't think that helps with characters.





laura&fam said:


> I was halfway through the wait for the 'Conjure a Villain' two years ago before I realized it was a big waste of time.  I happened to get the one villain I wanted but I have no interest in ever doing it again.  The area is fun though and worth checking out but don't waste your time on the villain line.



*laura&fam --*

I think the whole Villain set-up is silly, and is designed to just be a way to give the non-MHP people some sort of Villain in the daytime, but without giving them access to too many Villains -- because the Villains have to be more exclusive to the parties!  It's all a sneaky ploy to get people to buy MHP tickets!



pudinhd said:


> The "Conjure a Villain" is more than slightly frustrating.    Sometimes you will get a CM who will tell you the next villain, but otherwise it's all just luck - or lack thereof.  Plus, they have signs for villains that I never saw, nor did I read anything about those villains being there.



*pudinhd --*

I remember your experience with meeting the Evil Queen, like, 100 times last year!  And I remember that you said those signs were misleading, because most of the Villains on the signs never got "conjured"!





yeheyprincex2 said:


> I agree it is very unstructured and not very interesting
> I have also been keeping up with it and have yet to be very happy about what the get happier surprise has been.
> I did see the new win trip with a old family Disney photo, the recreate the magic contest.
> I saw it on Facebook Walt Disney World page



*yeheyprincex2 --*

I saw that contest as well.  Jennifer -- the writer who did the Parks Blog about it -- mentioned trips to Disneyland too, in her post.  But the actual contest seems to require WDW photos only.  I posted a comment and asked if Disneyland photos are allowed, and received no response?  Someone else asked the same thing after I did, and no response!

Oh, and let's not even get into that crazy "blink and you'll miss it" opportunity to get a July 17th Sneak Peek of the 60th anniversary events that popped up on the Parks Blog this morning, and was filled to capacity within seconds -- way before anyone ever even saw the Blog about it!  People who were at work or not glued to the Parks Blog never even had a chance to see the Blog and enter because the slots were all filled right away.  And you just know that some of the people who frantically entered and won their slots will not show up.  There are always no-shows.  Those empty spots could have gone to other people!

The #GetHappier thing is just all askew.  People are confused.  People are wasting time.  People are not grasping the concept.   People on Facebook are thinking that if they go Mondays, Disney is definitely "giving out stuff," and they may be in for a rude awakening if they end up at DLR on a Monday when it's an "online surprise"!


----------



## figment_jii

BebopAngel88 said:


> That would be a shame if it was switched to a Monday but I would definitely go on that Friday. I would still be uber excited about it! I haven't seen the Halloween decorations since 2009, so it has been wayyyy too long. I have a question though. What are the best apps to use in the parks? Is there one for characters?



I use a combination of Disneyland Wait Times, Mousewaits, and the Times Boards in the parks.  For the apps, they depend on in park guests posting wait time information, so it's only good if there are folks positing wait times.  I use them to get a sense of the wait times, but I haven't found one that is consistently better than the other.  I like Mousewaits a little better because it includes the time when the wait time was last updated, so you can tell if it was recent or hours ago.  Mousewaits has entries for the fixed meet and greets (e.g., Frozen, Fairytaletowm Hall), but no schedule/list of other characters.

There is also Touring Plans, but it's not free.  The free version only has a handful of rides listed, so I uninstalled it because it just wasn't useful.


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## 2tinkerbell

I wish Disney would release the Halloween Party times.  I have done all the planning that I can right now - hotel, park tickets, air, shuttle.  I have an idea of where/what to eat and I am patiently awaiting the time that I can make ADR's.  I just need the party times so I can complete my planning.


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## BebopAngel88

figment_jii said:


> I use a combination of Disneyland Wait Times, Mousewaits, and the Times Boards in the parks.  For the apps, they depend on in park guests posting wait time information, so it's only good if there are folks positing wait times.  I use them to get a sense of the wait times, but I haven't found one that is consistently better than the other.  I like Mousewaits a little better because it includes the time when the wait time was last updated, so you can tell if it was recent or hours ago.  Mousewaits has entries for the fixed meet and greets (e.g., Frozen, Fairytaletowm Hall), but no schedule/list of other characters.
> 
> There is also Touring Plans, but it's not free.  The free version only has a handful do fridges listed, so I uninstalled it because it just wasn't useful.



Cool! Thank you so much for all the app information.


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## Sherry E

2tinkerbell said:


> I wish Disney would release the Halloween Party times.  I have done all the planning that I can right now - hotel, park tickets, air, shuttle.  I have an idea of where/what to eat and I am patiently awaiting the time that I can make ADR's.  I just need the party times so I can complete my planning.



You read my mind (about the dates), *2tinkerbell*!   

I was just on my way here to post, and grumble about how Knott's beat Disney to the punch yet again!  

Disney is taking its sweet time in letting us know when the MHP dates -- or even just the start date of Halloween Time -- are going to be.  

Meanwhile, Knott's Berry Farm already has the dates set for its super-popular "Scary Farm" event.  The *Knott's Scary Farm* dates came out within the last day or two, but I thought I would post them here for anyone who might be interested (I know that some of our Halloween fans also love the scarier, gorier side of things, though many of us do not).  

_*Knott's Scary Farm's* dates are:  September 25, 26, 27, October 2, 3, 4, 5, 9, 10, 11, 12, 16, 17, 18, 19, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31 & Nov. 1. _

It's not the MHP, but it's another option for a popular Halloween activity to do in SoCal, just in case you are a Halloween fan and like to be scared!


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## BebopAngel88

Sherry E said:


> *BebopAngel88 --*
> 
> At least you'll have one definite day to go, whether it's a Tuesday MHP or a Friday MHP!
> 
> Things were different in 2009.  I hate to say it, but there were more Halloween decorations in 2009 than there are now.  Back then, DCA was decorated too.  Now, we are lucky if we can find some pumpkin-shaped bread and a pumpkin chocolate sample at Ghirardelli.  Oh, and there is Duffy in his pumpkin outfit in DCA.  And a Halloween version of the Mad T Party.  Otherwise, nothing in DCA (unless that finally changes this year).  Most of the Halloween action is basically in Disneyland.
> 
> I don't use apps in the parks, so I don't know if there is one for characters.  I know a lot of people use MouseWait, but I don't think that helps with characters.



I have never been to DCA for Halloween so I am pretty excited to see all the decorations. Especially in Cars Land! I took my bf for the first time last yr in the summer and he actually loves that park more than DL. 

I know that WOC changes for Christmas, but do you know if they do the same for Halloween??


----------



## Sherry E

BebopAngel88 said:


> I have never been to DCA for Halloween so I am pretty excited to see all the decorations. Especially in Cars Land! I took my bf for the first time last yr in the summer and he actually loves that park more than DL.
> 
> I know that WOC changes for Christmas, but do you know if they do the same for Halloween??



*BebopAngel88 --*

Cars Land doesn't have any Halloween decorations, but it's a great land!  You won't find much in the way of Halloween décor anywhere in DCA (unless that changes this season).  Disneyland park is where most of the Halloween action can be found.  DCA has not been in the full Halloween spirit for years  -- 2009 was the last really good DCA Halloween year!  Since then, it's just little things like what I mentioned yesterday -- Duffy in a pumpkin outfit and a Halloween version of the Mad T party.

WOC does not have a Halloween overlay so far.  I wouldn't rule it out from happening at some point in the future.


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## Kristina4109

I am patiently waiting for the Halloween party dates to be announced so that I can work AROUND them.  You see, we just got back to L.A. after nine days at Walt Disney World.

The trip was fantastic, but the one disappointment was that we had the Fantasmic! dinner package, and we got rained out.  So I promised my daughter an early birthday trip to DL to see Fantasmic! with the dessert package.

Her birthday is September 30th so we are tentatively looking at the evening of September 20th.  But of course it's a no go if there's a party there.  In all our previous birthday trips for her, I never remember a Saturday night party.  But still, I won't feel good about our plans until I see the schedule!


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## Sherry E

Kristina4109 said:


> I am patiently waiting for the Halloween party dates to be announced so that I can work AROUND them.  You see, we just got back to L.A. after nine days at Walt Disney World.
> 
> The trip was fantastic, but the one disappointment was that we had the Fantasmic! dinner package, and we got rained out.  So I promised my daughter an early birthday trip to DL to see Fantasmic! with the dessert package.
> 
> Her birthday is September 30th so we are tentatively looking at the evening of September 20th.  But of course it's a no go if there's a party there.  In all our previous birthday trips for her, I never remember a Saturday night party.  But still, I won't feel good about our plans until I see the schedule!



*Kristina4109 --*

I don't _think_ there will be a Saturday night party until next year (when Halloween falls on a Saturday), so I think you'll be safe -- but I can see how you'd want to be sure.  Every time we think we have DLR nailed down to some sort of pattern and habit that we can rely on and use for reference, they go and switch things up on us!  I'm sure that just as soon as we'd say "DLR won't start the MHP before 9/26," they would suddenly decide to have it earlier in the month!  I don't trust them.


----------



## figment_jii

Hiya all...well, the Disneylamd refurbishment hot line is now listing Haunted Mansion as being closed from August 25th through September 11th (inclusive).  Big Thunder Ranch Petting Zoo is also slated to re-open on the 12th.  No mention about Space.  While none of this specifically mentions (or confirms), the start of HalloweenTime, I think this is the first hints that all of our guessing might be right!


----------



## zanzibar138

figment_jii said:


> While none of this specifically mentions (or confirms), the start of HalloweenTime, I think this is the first hints that all of our guessing might be right!



Sounds like it 

I'm re-thinking my Dapper Day outfit now, thinking I should have gone with something Halloween inspired


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## laura&fam

2tinkerbell said:
			
		

> I wish Disney would release the Halloween Party times.  I have done all the planning that I can right now - hotel, park tickets, air, shuttle.  I have an idea of where/what to eat and I am patiently awaiting the time that I can make ADR's.  I just need the party times so I can complete my planning.



Yep.  Three or four weeks ago I booked a week at a hotel in Legoland and the same week at Disneyland.  I've been twiddling my thumbs ever since.  There's not a thing I can do planning wise until the party dates are announced.


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## 2tinkerbell

I know my routine will be thrown off once they do annouce the dates.  I get my Diet Coke and my Cheerios and hit this thread every morning.


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## Sherry E

figment_jii said:


> Hiya all...well, the Disneylamd refurbishment hot line is now listing Haunted Mansion as being closed from August 25th through September 11th (inclusive).  Big Thunder Ranch Petting Zoo is also slated to re-open on the 12th.  No mention about Space.  While none of this specifically mentions (or confirms), the start of HalloweenTime, I think this is the first hints that all of our guessing might be right!



*figment_jii --*

Of course our guessing is right -- that's because we are awesome and we rock!   We've been saying that it would probably be a 9/12 start date for months!  (And we have paid attention to DLR's previous patterns, so that has something to do with it as well!)

I am going to once again go out on a limb and predict that in September 2015, Halloween Time will probably not begin on Friday, September 11th.  September 11th is just a really bad day in recent history and not a good time to say, "Hey, everyone, it's Halloween!  Let's party!  Woo hoo!"  I haven't fully thought out my prediction of when Halloween Time 2015 will start (it could be before or after 9/11, but probably not on that actual day).



At this rate -- and this is no exaggeration, as I have witnessed this first hand -- we often know dates and things before the Cast Members on the front lines know them.  The CMs on the phones at DLR are the last ones to know anything, and I have often found myself telling them when Halloween Time or the holidays were going to start! (The CMs should really be following the Halloween Time at DLR Superthread, for comprehensive Halloween Time discussion!)


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## Kilala

Here are some progress pictures of my Cheetara costume. I took some pictures in the costume today. I will post those this weekend.






that's me painting the unitard.



























this is a picture of me.



The rest of the pictures are found here http://s499.photobucket.com/user/Naruto-Kitten/library/Cheetara?sort=2&page=1


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## figment_jii

Sherry E said:


> I am going to once again go out on a limb and predict that in September 2015, Halloween Time will probably not begin on Friday, September 11th.  September 11th is just a really bad day in recent history and not a good time to say, "Hey, everyone, it's Halloween!  Let's party!  Woo hoo!"  I haven't fully thought out my prediction of when Halloween Time 2015 will start (it could be before or after 9/11, but probably not on that actual day).



I generally agree that September 11 is probably not an ideal day to start something festive (and occasionally morbid) as Halloween.  I honestly can't see them waiting to start until the end of September (like they did that last time September 11 was a Friday), but I could see them starting on September 12 (Saturday).  They wouldn't really have to change the start day of the overlay installation and they could get nearly the same number of days of HalloweenTime.  I do think it's funny that we're speculating about the start of HalloweenTime in 201*5* and we don't even know (officially) the start date of HalloweenTime in 201*4*!


----------



## Amilo

Kilala said:
			
		

> Here are some progress pictures of my Cheetara costume. I took some pictures in the costume today. I will post those this weekend.
> http://s499.photobucket.com/user/Naruto-Kitten/media/Cheetara/Cheetaracostume024.jpg.html
> http://s499.photobucket.com/user/Naruto-Kitten/media/Cheetara/Cheetaracostume027.jpg.html
> that's me painting the unitard.
> http://s499.photobucket.com/user/Naruto-Kitten/media/Cheetara/Cheetaracostume028.jpg.html
> http://s499.photobucket.com/user/Naruto-Kitten/media/Cheetara/Cheetaracostume032.jpg.html
> http://s499.photobucket.com/user/Naruto-Kitten/media/Cheetara/Cheetaracostume033.jpg.html
> http://s499.photobucket.com/user/Naruto-Kitten/media/Cheetara/Cheetaracostume038.jpg.html
> http://s499.photobucket.com/user/Naruto-Kitten/media/Cheetara/Cheetaracostume049.jpg.html
> http://s499.photobucket.com/user/Naruto-Kitten/media/Cheetara/Cheetaracostume056.jpg.html
> http://s499.photobucket.com/user/Naruto-Kitten/media/Cheetara/Cheetaracostume058.jpg.html
> http://s499.photobucket.com/user/Naruto-Kitten/media/Cheetara/Cheetaracostume059.jpg.html
> http://s499.photobucket.com/user/Naruto-Kitten/media/Cheetara/Cheetaracostume060.jpg.html
> this is a picture of me.
> http://s499.photobucket.com/user/Naruto-Kitten/media/Cheetara/Cheetaracostume067.jpg.html
> The rest of the pictures are found here http://s499.photobucket.com/user/Naruto-Kitten/library/Cheetara?sort=2&page=1


Wow, it looks great!


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## Cheshirecatty

*Kilala…..*I can't believe the amount of work and effort you put into your costumes----they are fantastic---*love* the wig(*and* the Kitty laying on the bed)!!!


----------



## whoopsiedoodle

Did you guys see on the Disneyland FB page that they posted pictures YESTERDAY of they #GetHappier Monday?  They gave out WoC special seating and Glow with the Show ears.  Took them long enough to post pictures  lol


----------



## laura&fam

whoopsiedoodle said:


> Did you guys see on the Disneyland FB page that they posted pictures YESTERDAY of they #GetHappier Monday?  They gave out WoC special seating and Glow with the Show ears.  Took them long enough to post pictures  lol



At least they posted something eventually.  That's better than the weeks of nothing and wondering if they did anything at all.


----------



## Kilala

Cheshirecatty said:


> *Kilala..*I can't believe the amount of work and effort you put into your costumes----they are fantastic---*love* the wig(*and* the Kitty laying on the bed)!!!



the kitty on the bed in front is Naruto and the one in the back is Kilala.






Amilo said:


> Wow, it looks great!



Thank you.


----------



## Sherry E

*Anyone who followed this thread last year may remember our discussions about the first sightings of Halloween décor and treats popping up in stores, when we saw our first Halloween commercials of the season, etc.  

That said, within the next couple of weeks customers should be seeing some Halloween things popping up in their local Costco!   Yes, in July! 

And, later in August, there should be an increase in Halloween knick knacks appearing in many other stores, as well as the first releases of the highly anticipated seasonal goodies (like the White Chocolate Candy Corn M&Ms, the Pumpkin Spice M&M's, the Caramel Apple Milky Ways, and the dreaded Candy Corn Oreos, among many others).

I have read some online comments from people who claim to have already spotted Halloween stuff (and even a few Christmas items) slowly creeping into their craft stores -- which, I guess, makes sense.  If you are a crafter and make things for various holidays, you can't necessarily wait until a socially acceptable time to start crafting.  You have to get an early start.

Anyway --just because I dislike heat and summer -- I am looking forward to the early signs of Halloween and fall, coming soon to a store near me!  It doesn't mean I am celebrating Halloween in July or August, but it makes me think that the "fun months" of the year (mid-September through the New Year) are not too far away!*


​




figment_jii said:


> I generally agree that September 11 is probably not an ideal day to start something festive (and occasionally morbid) as Halloween.  I honestly can't see them waiting to start until the end of September (like they did that last time September 11 was a Friday), but I could see them starting on September 12 (Saturday).  They wouldn't really have to change the start day of the overlay installation and they could get nearly the same number of days of HalloweenTime.  I do think it's funny that we're speculating about the start of HalloweenTime in 201*5* and we don't even know (officially) the start date of HalloweenTime in 201*4*!



*figment_jii --*

True -- but it's just another thing to talk about that's Halloween Time-related in the Halloween Time at DLR Superthread!   There are people who follow these threads (silently or actively participating) who are not planning to go to DLR this year but may be going next year, so they keep up with what is being discussed.  That's why I mentioned 2015.   If we had any news to discuss that was official and 2014-specific at this point, we'd be discussing that, of course!

Saturday, September 12, 2015 makes sense because there would also be an MHP on Saturday, October 31, 2015.  So they could bookend the season with Saturday dates.

Or, what I think _could_ happen with the start of Halloween Time in 2015 (if they don't begin it on Saturday, 9/12) is what happens with the holiday season.  DLR tries to avoid officially starting the holiday season on Veterans Day if they can help it, and it hasn't happened in many years, but the season could begin before or after it. 

I suspect that in 2015, Disney could do one of those "gradual" starts for Halloween Time.  They might have all Halloween décor up and most things up and running by 9/11/15, but not "officially" declare Halloween Time to start until another date, such as Monday, 9/14/15 or Tuesday, 9/15/15.  Something like that.  Remember that the holiday season always used to begin on Fridays (officially), and then DLR started in with those weird Monday start dates and finally a Tuesday start date, even though the majority of holiday décor -- and even much of the entertainment -- was already in effect a week before the official season.  

I think that could happen for Halloween Time in 2015 too, if DLR wants to observe 9/11 and refrain from official Halloween hoopla on that date.  Everything will probably already be up and quietly running (without fanfare) by 9/11/15, but the official start date (printed in media and press) will be something after that date -- or maybe even before it.




Cheshirecatty said:


> *Kilala…..*I can't believe the amount of work and effort you put into your costumes----they are fantastic---*love* the wig(*and* the Kitty laying on the bed)!!!



*Cheshirecatty  --*

You took the words out of my mouth.  I was also thinking that *Kilala* puts a tremendous amount of time, love and work into her costumes and characters every year; she goes to a few MHPs; and she really embraces and celebrates Halloween (and Halloween Time) to the fullest extent!  She has truly captured the Halloween spirit.  

Quite honestly, seeing *Kilala's* pictures make me think I need to start doing more for Halloween!  Clearly I am not doing enough (though a lot of that can be blamed on the area I live in -- where there seems to be a lack of extravagant Halloween happenings or décor, and certainly a lack of really good pumpkin patches)!  I feel like I need to start a campaign in my neighborhood to get people in full Halloween mode!  I want to live in one of those fun neighborhoods, where people go all out for Halloween with décor and lights, and then they do the same thing -- or bigger -- for the holiday season as well!  I am not opposed to grand neighborhood celebrations and light displays for any of the major holidays, but that's hard to find around here.  Some residents do try -- and they put up fun displays on their lawns -- but nothing like you'd see in a Travel Channel special about Halloween or the holidays!

Anyway, *GREAT WORK, KILALA!!*





whoopsiedoodle said:


> Did you guys see on the Disneyland FB page that they posted pictures YESTERDAY of they #GetHappier Monday?  They gave out WoC special seating and Glow with the Show ears.  Took them long enough to post pictures  lol



*whoopsiedoodle --*

I saw that on my Facebook news feed this morning! 

Disneyland Today's Facebook page had the info posted on Monday, and that's when I began to read that some people got the Glow with the Show ears and VIP viewing (while at least a couple of others only got a button).  I'm not sure why it took so long for the Disneyland page (which is different from Disneyland Today) to post about it.  We're 3 days away from the next "surprise," so what happened earlier this week seems like old news for Disney at this point.





laura&fam said:


> At least they posted something eventually.  That's better than the weeks of nothing and wondering if they did anything at all.



*laura&fam --*

Disneyland Today had the info posted on Monday.  It's the regular Disneyland page that didn't have it.  I'm not sure why they don't just all post the same things at the same time on the various Disneyland pages -- or, not post anything on social media at all, as *figment_jii* suggested, and just let people discover whatever they are going to discover in the parks without any teasers. 

At this point, I think the #GetHappier surprise revelations should be all or nothing -- either put up an announcement early, every single Monday morning, and tell us that the surprise will be in the park or online, and tell us on which Disney-related Facebook page we can find the news about it at some point, *or* keep the whole thing silent and don't reveal anything at all, letting the people who stumble upon the surprises be truly surprised (and lucky!).  

I just don't like the kind of halfway/_'we're giving you info but not really consistently giving you info_' sort of madness that wastes everyone's time as they comb various Disney pages all day on Mondays.

​


----------



## kaci

Quick question for the Halloweentime vets and experts: (historically) does the Dia de los Muertos display show up at the start of Halloweentime, or does it start later? Thanks for sharing your expertise!


----------



## Sherry E

kaci said:


> Quick question for the Halloweentime vets and experts: (historically) does the Dia de los Muertos display show up at the start of Halloweentime, or does it start later? Thanks for sharing your expertise!



*kaci -*

The very first day of Halloween Time (if not the day before)!


----------



## kaci

Sherry E said:


> *kaci -*
> 
> The very first day of Halloween Time (if not the day before)!



Wonderful, thank you! An old entry on the Disney Parks blog kind of made it sound like it might be a Oct/early November thing and I was bummed to think we would miss it.


----------



## Sherry E

kaci said:


> Wonderful, thank you! An old entry on the Disney Parks blog kind of made it sound like it might be a Oct/early November thing and I was bummed to think we would miss it.



You're welcome, *kaci*!

It'll be there on day 1 of the season (unless things drastically and unexpectedly change this year).   In fact, I think the display actually might come down after Halloween.  I think it _possibly_ stays up in Frontierland through maybe November 1st or so (I'm not sure what the actual Dia de los Muertos date is, but I believe it is early November).

It's a very colorful, interesting display!  I like it a lot.


----------



## Kilala

thank you so much Sherry. I will be working on my next costume for MHP this weekend.


----------



## Sherry E

*Hmmm... Curious.

I have been checking the AP section of the Disneyland Resort website every day, to see if:  

1) They sneaked in the dates of the MHP before they are announced by the Parks Blog, which has happened before (in 2011);  and 

2) They sneaked in an updated version of the Backstage Pass newsletter/calendar, as the one that had been on there since the end of last year was the winter/holiday issue.   A new Backstage Pass on the website would likely mean that a copy would arrive in the mail soon, and that copy would likely have Halloween Time and holiday season-related dates on the calendar in it.

I just popped over to the AP section now -- a bit later than I have been checking it every other day -- and the layout of certain sections of the AP site/mini-site looks very different now.  They must have revamped those sections overnight.

I kept trying to get to the page where the link to Backstage Pass would be, and I never found it.  Backstage Pass is gone -- which is good, because the old holiday issue was not doing us any good!

Whether this means that Disney is currently in the process of getting the MHP dates ready to put up in the AP section soon, as well as put up a new Backstage Pass, is anyone's guess -- but they have sneakily changed the look of things since I checked yesterday!  

I think that whenever we can tell that the Disney elves are "working" on the website behind the scenes, it is an alert to start watching that site -- and the Parks Blog, and any other official Disney news source -- like a hawk over the coming days, as info could start to trickle in!  Things like that have happened before.

The MHP dates would have to appear in the AP section fairly soon anyway, as the tickets will go on sale to AP holders before they go on sale to the general public.  *


----------



## figment_jii

Sherry E said:


> I just popped over to the AP section now -- a bit later than I have been checking it every other day -- and the layout of certain sections of the AP site/mini-site looks very different now.  They must have revamped those sections overnight.


I noticed the change as well and couldn't find a link to the Backstage Pass.  (The winter edition is still available if you Google search it, but the link on the AP page is gone.)  So...fingers crossed that some info will come out soon.

In addition to watching for info on the AP site, I also checked the Special Events ticket page (I don't remember if it's been there before).  So far, no dates, but let's hope it's coming soon!
https://disneyland.disney.go.com/tickets/events/


----------



## sgrap

Sherry E said:


> *Hmmm... Curious.
> 
> I have been checking the AP section of the Disneyland Resort website every day, to see if:
> 
> 1) They sneaked in the dates of the MHP before they are announced by the Parks Blog, which has happened before (in 2011);  and
> 
> 2) They sneaked in an updated version of the Backstage Pass newsletter/calendar, as the one that had been on there since the end of last year was the winter/holiday issue.   A new Backstage Pass on the website would likely mean that a copy would arrive in the mail soon, and that copy would likely have Halloween Time and holiday season-related dates on the calendar in it.
> 
> I just popped over to the AP section now -- a bit later than I have been checking it every other day -- and the layout of certain sections of the AP site/mini-site looks very different now.  They must have revamped those sections overnight.
> 
> I kept trying to get to the page where the link to Backstage Pass would be, and I never found it.  Backstage Pass is gone -- which is good, because the old holiday issue was not doing us any good!
> 
> Whether this means that Disney is currently in the process of getting the MHP dates ready to put up in the AP section soon, as well as put up a new Backstage Pass, is anyone's guess -- but they have sneakily changed the look of things since I checked yesterday!
> 
> I think that whenever we can tell that the Disney elves are "working" on the website behind the scenes, it is an alert to start watching that site -- and the Parks Blog, and any other official Disney news source -- like a hawk over the coming days, as info could start to trickle in!  Things like that have happened before.
> 
> The MHP dates would have to appear in the AP section fairly soon anyway, as the tickets will go on sale to AP holders before they go on sale to the general public.  *


woo-hoo!!!


----------



## Amilo

Sherry E said:
			
		

> Hmmm... Curious.
> 
> I have been checking the AP section of the Disneyland Resort website every day, to see if:
> 
> 1) They sneaked in the dates of the MHP before they are announced by the Parks Blog, which has happened before (in 2011);  and
> 
> 2) They sneaked in an updated version of the Backstage Pass newsletter/calendar, as the one that had been on there since the end of last year was the winter/holiday issue.   A new Backstage Pass on the website would likely mean that a copy would arrive in the mail soon, and that copy would likely have Halloween Time and holiday season-related dates on the calendar in it.
> 
> I just popped over to the AP section now -- a bit later than I have been checking it every other day -- and the layout of certain sections of the AP site/mini-site looks very different now.  They must have revamped those sections overnight.
> 
> I kept trying to get to the page where the link to Backstage Pass would be, and I never found it.  Backstage Pass is gone -- which is good, because the old holiday issue was not doing us any good!
> 
> Whether this means that Disney is currently in the process of getting the MHP dates ready to put up in the AP section soon, as well as put up a new Backstage Pass, is anyone's guess -- but they have sneakily changed the look of things since I checked yesterday!
> 
> I think that whenever we can tell that the Disney elves are "working" on the website behind the scenes, it is an alert to start watching that site -- and the Parks Blog, and any other official Disney news source -- like a hawk over the coming days, as info could start to trickle in!  Things like that have happened before.
> 
> The MHP dates would have to appear in the AP section fairly soon anyway, as the tickets will go on sale to AP holders before they go on sale to the general public.



Oooh! Nice sleuthing, Sherry! I would love to have AP and get inside scoop, but I'm in Hawaii and don't travel enough! Seems like Disboards lead to more info than AP anyway!.... SO excited for potential 
announcement! Maybe Monday!?


----------



## mummabear

Do any of the vets have an idea when Pirates League was announced, open and available for bookings last year?


----------



## Sherry E

mummabear said:


> Do any of the vets have an idea when Pirates League was announced, open and available for bookings last year?



*mummabear -*

It was announced in this 2013 blog, and it looks as though reservations/bookings were being accepted as of August 20, 2013:

"The Pirates League is Back for a Limited Time Only at the Disneyland Resort!" -- Disney Parks Blog;  posted on August 1st, 2013 by Michelle Harker, Manager, Merchandise Marketing & Communications, Disneyland Resort

As for the daily schedule, I'm not sure.  It was already open at the Halloween Carnival when I was there on the first day of Halloween Time last year (Friday, 9/13/13).


----------



## mummabear

Thanks _*SherryE*_

Hopefully it will be back this year.  God I can't take waiting until 2 weeks before we leave.


----------



## mikana876

Sherry E said:


> *mummabear -*
> 
> It was announced in this 2013 blog, and it looks as though reservations/bookings were being accepted as of August 20, 2013:
> 
> "The Pirates League is Back for a Limited Time Only at the Disneyland Resort!" -- Disney Parks Blog;  posted on August 1st, 2013 by Michelle Harker, Manager, Merchandise Marketing & Communications, Disneyland Resort
> 
> As for the daily schedule, I'm not sure.  It was already open at the Halloween Carnival when I was there on the first day of Halloween Time last year (Friday, 9/13/13).



Wow, that's very cool! I had no idea they brought the Pirates League to DL for Halloweentime. I hope they do that again this year!


----------



## addicted2dizney

to the OP thanks so much for all the great info.. I'm curious as to why the "best guess" of the Halloween Party start date is Sept 26th?  Being it seems the last 4 year's dates have been trending a bit earlier.  I've only been to DLR once in 2010 but I'm a 4 times or more a year WDW person.   It's so bizarre that DLR does not release the dates until 60 days out.  I'm trained on the 180+ lifestyle. lol!    I will be there 9/14-9/19.  I was hoping for a party on the 19th... Although it won't be a make or break for me I would like to experience one.  I will be heading to WDW 10 days after getting home from DLR and doing a MNSSHP on 10/2.  I would be cool to experience both parties in one season.


----------



## Sherry E

addicted2dizney said:


> to the OP thanks so much for all the great info.. I'm curious as to why the "best guess" of the Halloween Party start date is Sept 26th?  Being it seems the last 4 year's dates have been trending a bit earlier.  I've only been to DLR once in 2010 but I'm a 4 times or more a year WDW person.   It's so bizarre that DLR does not release the dates until 60 days out.  I'm trained on the 180+ lifestyle. lol!    I will be there 9/14-9/19.  I was hoping for a party on the 19th... Although it won't be a make or break for me I would like to experience one.  I will be heading to WDW 10 days after getting home from DLR and doing a MNSSHP on 10/2.  I would be cool to experience both parties in one season.



Welcome, *addicted2dizney* --

Thank you for joining us!

The start dates for the last several years of both Halloween Time and Mickey's Halloween Party are addressed in Question #4 of the Frequently Asked Questions on page 1.  In Question #1, I go over the difference between Halloween Time and Mickey's Halloween Party.

The Halloween parties at Disneyland park have -- thus far -- never begun earlier than the last Friday in September.  That's a fact.  The Halloween Party started on Friday, 9/27 last year.  (And, actually, when the parties were held in DCA, I don't think they started any earlier than the first Friday in October, though I could be misremembering that.)

That's why 9/26 is the best guess for a Mickey's Halloween Party start date, although Disney could decide to begin starting the party earlier.  I have been thinking for a while that they will eventually start the parties a bit earlier one of these years, but probably not as early as when WDW starts theirs.

The actual Halloween Time season (not Mickey's Halloween Party) is what starts earlier -- usually in mid-September -- and the best guess for that start date this year is 9/12, though Disney could always start it a couple of days earlier or later in any given year.


----------



## mummabear

addicted2dizney said:


> to the OP thanks so much for all the great info.. I'm curious as to why the "best guess" of the Halloween Party start date is Sept 26th?  Being it seems the last 4 year's dates have been trending a bit earlier.  I've only been to DLR once in 2010 but I'm a 4 times or more a year WDW person.   It's so bizarre that DLR does not release the dates until 60 days out.  *I'm trained on the 180+ lifestyle. lol! *   I will be there 9/14-9/19.  I was hoping for a party on the 19th... Although it won't be a make or break for me I would like to experience one.  I will be heading to WDW 10 days after getting home from DLR and doing a MNSSHP on 10/2.  I would be cool to experience both parties in one season.



I know, it's driving me crazy!


----------



## laura&fam

Sherry E said:
			
		

> The Halloween parties at Disneyland park have -- thus far -- never begun earlier than the last Friday in September.  That's a fact.  The Halloween Party started on Friday, 9/27 last year.  (And, actually, when the parties were held in DCA, I don't think they started any earlier than the first Friday in October, though I could be misremembering that.)
> 
> That's why 9/26 is the best guess for a Mickey's Halloween Party start date, although Disney could decide to begin starting the party earlier.  I have been thinking for a while that they will eventually start the parties a bit earlier one of these years, but probably not as early as when WDW starts theirs.
> 
> The actual Halloween Time season (not Mickey's Halloween Party) is what starts earlier -- usually in mid-September -- and the best guess for that start date this year is 9/12, though Disney could always start it a couple of days earlier or later in any given year.



I think it would be great if they added an extra party or two.  Since most of them have sold out the last couple of years I think there would be a market for them.


----------



## scrappymel

mummabear said:


> Thanks SherryE
> 
> Hopefully it will be back this year.  God I can't take waiting until 2 weeks before we leave.



I feel the same way!!! This planning for DLR is soooo different than I'm used to. Can't wait to get everything squared away.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards


----------



## addicted2dizney

Sherry E said:


> Welcome, *addicted2dizney* --
> 
> Thank you for joining us!
> 
> The start dates for the last several years of both Halloween Time and Mickey's Halloween Party are addressed in Question #4 of the Frequently Asked Questions on page 1.  In Question #1, I go over the difference between Halloween Time and Mickey's Halloween Party.
> 
> The Halloween parties at Disneyland park have -- thus far -- never begun earlier than the last Friday in September.  That's a fact.  The Halloween Party started on Friday, 9/27 last year.  (And, actually, when the parties were held in DCA, I don't think they started any earlier than the first Friday in October, though I could be misremembering that.)
> 
> That's why 9/26 is the best guess for a Mickey's Halloween Party start date, although Disney could decide to begin starting the party earlier.  I have been thinking for a while that they will eventually start the parties a bit earlier one of these years, but probably not as early as when WDW starts theirs.
> 
> The actual Halloween Time season (not Mickey's Halloween Party) is what starts earlier -- usually in mid-September -- and the best guess for that start date this year is 9/12, though Disney could always start it a couple of days earlier or later in any given year.



Thanks for the warm welcome! ha ha.. ok now I see my mistake.. when I was reading question 4 I thought the first date was the party day.. now I see it was the start of the Halloween season at DLR..   I'm learning! 






mummabear said:


> I know, it's driving me crazy!



lol.. I know! I have all my reservations for dinner and my halloween party tickets for WDW now for a month!  I will have my Fastpass selections the same week I can start to make dining reservations at DLR.    It will be worth it though... I loved the DLR on my short visit 4 years ago.  Can't wait for an extended visit to really immerse myself in the magic.


----------



## Sherry E

sgrap said:


> woo-hoo!!!



*sgrap --*

Let's not forget the excitement and sheer exhilaration that awaits us tomorrow -- another Monday Summer Surprise to make us #GetHappier, and many hours wasted combing the various Disney Facebook pages and sites in hopes that the surprise will yield some Halloween Time info we can use.





Amilo said:


> Oooh! Nice sleuthing, Sherry! I would love to have AP and get inside scoop, but I'm in Hawaii and don't travel enough! Seems like Disboards lead to more info than AP anyway!.... SO excited for potential
> announcement! Maybe Monday!?



*Amilo --*

It may mean nothing, but in the past -- even having nothing to do with Halloween Time or the holiday season -- when we have noticed that things were being tinkered with on the Disneyland Resort website, or in the AP section, it usually meant that some sort of new info (or dates) was about to appear shortly thereafter.  So we shall see.

My sleuthing is now in overdrive.  I received something in the mail yesterday -- my Disney Side decal from Disney Destinations, with a sturdy, protective insert that said, to my absolute horror:  _"Holidays at Disneyland Resort -- Select nights Nov. Dec." _ 

The holiday season (which is called "Holidays at Disneyland Resort") has never been on "Select nights" in November and December.  It has been every single day and night.   So now I am wondering what that meant.  If they are planning to spring a Christmas party on us, that would be a "Select nights" sort of set-up.  (Just as Mickey's Halloween Party takes place on "Select nights" in September and October.)  

Or, if some of the holiday season entertainment is being scaled back to a more limited schedule, then that would be a "Select nights" sort of thing for certain shows/events.  It also could have been a poor choice of words by Disney Destinations and means nothing at all.  In any case, I am doing double duty sleuthing, waiting for Halloween Time/Mickey's Halloween Party info and (quite possibly) dramatic new Holiday Season scheduling info too!



mummabear said:


> Thanks _*SherryE*_
> 
> Hopefully it will be back this year.  God I can't take waiting until 2 weeks before we leave.



*mummabear --*

You're very welcome!  It seemed as though PL was such a popular event, and it fit very well in the Halloween Carnival setting.  I don't see why Disney couldn't bring it back to that location again this year.  I hope they do!





mikana876 said:


> Wow, that's very cool! I had no idea they brought the Pirates League to DL for Halloweentime. I hope they do that again this year!



*mikana876 --*

It was held in New Orleans Square in 2012, but last year PL worked very well in the Carnival location in Frontierland.  It just seems like it's a natural fit for an extra activity to include in the roster of Halloween Time offerings!




laura&fam said:


> I think it would be great if they added an extra party or two.  Since most of them have sold out the last couple of years I think there would be a market for them.



*laura&fam --*

I think that Disney might as well go ahead and add in some extra nights.  The only night that really didn't sell out for the last 2 years -- or it sold out at the last second -- was the party immediately before Halloween.  All of the other nights eventually sold out.  

While I agree with *figment_jii* in that I don't think DLR would ever start the Halloween party as early as WDW starts their parties (because the locals who frequent DLR probably cannot get into full Halloween mode until later in the month), I can easily see the parties happening maybe a week earlier than usual -- not necessarily this year, but eventually, down the road.

Here is how I see it -- if Disneyland Resort is ever going to build up the actual Halloween Time season and add more things to it that are available for the non-party attendees (which I would like them to do), then it might not be necessary to start the Halloween Party earlier than usual because there will be plenty of other things to do every day.  

However, if they are not going to be adding in anything to DCA or anywhere else to kind of pump up the Halloween Time season during the daytime, then DLR might as well just add in some extra party nights.  



scrappymel said:


> I feel the same way!!! This planning for DLR is soooo different than I'm used to. Can't wait to get everything squared away.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards




*scrappymel --*

I am not even used to WDW planning and even I want dates and info way in advance! 

I have no clue why DLR thinks that its local visitor base, AP holders and repeat visitors somehow don't want to know info way ahead of time!  Having dates and details months ahead of time is not going to hurt anything or anyone, and it could only help to increase the number of guests coming to the parks year-round, I think.




addicted2dizney said:


> Thanks for the warm welcome! ha ha.. ok now I see my mistake.. when I was reading question 4 I thought the first date was the party day.. now I see it was the start of the Halloween season at DLR..   I'm learning!



*addicted2dizney --*

No worries!  We're here to help in any way we can!  I know that it can be a bit confusing, also, because -- as far as I know -- WDW doesn't call its Halloween "season" anything in particular, correct?  There are Halloween decorations in some of the parks, and there is MNSSHP, but they don't call their season "Halloween Time" or anything like that, right?  Here, we have Halloween Time and we have the MHP.  Some people will do the MHP as part of their Halloween Time fun, and some folks will just enjoy Halloween Time without attending the MHP.


----------



## crystal1313

I sure wish they would announce the party dates already!   I want to start planning!!!!


----------



## 2tinkerbell

I was hoping that today would be the day that they announced the Holloween Party times.  Crazy that they have waited this long.  I want to plan!


----------



## Sherry E

crystal1313 said:


> I sure wish they would announce the party dates already!   I want to start planning!!!!



*crystal1313 --*

They will!  They have no choice but to announce them soon, unless they plan to sell tickets under the radar, without an announcement first!  The dates could be revealed today, or in a week -- but we know they're coming soon, and the dates will probably will not be dramatically different from what we already expect.

Meanwhile, over in the Christmas thread the big news is the mysterious "Select nights Nov. and Dec." sentence in regards to the Holidays at Disneyland Resort.  We are analyzing and breaking down what that could possibly mean for this year's season!  Come join in the fun, *Crystal*!


----------



## mummabear

Sherry E said:


> *crystal1313 --*
> 
> They will!  They have no choice but to announce them soon, unless they plan to sell tickets under the radar, without an announcement first!  The dates could be revealed today, or in a week -- but we know they're coming soon, and the dates will probably will not be dramatically different from what we already expect.
> 
> Meanwhile, over in the Christmas thread the big news is the mysterious "Select nights Nov. and Dec." sentence in regards to the Holidays at Disneyland Resort.  We are analyzing and breaking down what that could possibly mean for this year's season!  Come join in the fun, *Crystal*!



I'm hoping a Christmas party will start up. We are planning a trip back home to Canada for Christmas 2015 and I want to do Disney at Christmas time, WDW seems to have a lot more to offer but is not exactly a stopover between New Zealand and Canada.


----------



## Sherry E

mummabear said:


> I'm hoping a Christmas party will start up. We are planning a trip back home to Canada for Christmas 2015 and I want to do Disney at Christmas time, WDW seems to have a lot more to offer but is not exactly a stopover between New Zealand and Canada.



*mummabear --*

Very true!  It's not as if you can just dash over to WDW on your way to Canada!

WDW probably has more to offer, holiday season-wise, because it has 4 parks and all of those hotels and/or campgrounds, not to mention whatever else happens in DTD.  Their Christmas party can work much more seamlessly at WDW because there are a lot of other holiday options if people don't want to pay for the party.

At DLR, we are limited to only one other park in which to enjoy the holidays if we didn't want to pay for party tickets, and the Downtown Disney holiday entertainment is random and not consistent.  Most likely a party would be held in DL, leaving World of Color - Winter Dreams, Viva Navidad and the holiday version of the Mad T Party as the main alternate options for holiday entertainment if we didn't want to buy party tickets.  While I loved Viva Navidad, it doesn't take the place of being able to see the Castle aglow in icicle lights, or It's a Small World Holiday illuminated in thousands of colored lights.

The Halloween Party works well at DLR because Halloween Time -- as an official season -- is still fairly "young," and the hard ticket party actually came first, before the season was given an official name.  As long as Disney doesn't add anything into the regular roster of daily Halloween Time season fare, they can keep getting people to buy those MHP tickets because the MHP entertainment is truly exclusive to the MHP.

The holidays, on the other hand, have been at DLR for decades without any kind of party, and the existing holiday fireworks and Christmas parade are as old as the hills, so to throw a party into the mix now -- with those two events as the selling points -- would be a big shake-up.

However, that said, I think that most of us agree that a Christmas party is coming to DLR at some point or another.  It could be this year -- hence, the mysterious _"Holidays at Disneyland Resort - Select nights Nov. and Dec." _wording in the decal insert -- or it could be next year.  It could be after the 60th anniversary year.  The main issues will be:  what is included in that party and is it old or new entertainment; what is the cost; how many nights will it take place; and...what can we do or see that is holiday-ish if we don't want to attend a Christmas party?  (Winter Dreams was not quite the massive success that I think Disney hoped it would be.)


----------



## sgrap

The #gethappier posts I saw this morning were just as exciting as prior weeks' posts.    I am getting really anxious for party dates!!!  I want to start looking at airfare!  

The possible hint to a Christmas party is very exciting as well!!!  As a first-time AP holder, I want to get as much out of it as I can!


----------



## laura&fam

I was surprised at how many decorations appeared between the daytime and MHP.  I'd still be surprised though if they were able to decorate to the level that Christmas time has been just for an evening party.  And everyone, myself included, is used to enjoying the decorations all day at the park.


----------



## figment_jii

In terms of the Christmas time holiday, I can see them having some type of hard ticket event.  The decorations could be out all day long, but then only have the fireworks, parade, and other activities be limited to the night time.  Kind of like how MVMCP works at WDW; the majority of the decor (at least as I remember) was out all day long, but the special stuff only happened during the party (until the week of Christmas).  If they do go the route of a party, I would hope they come with some new stuff and not just trot out the same parade and fireworks that they've shown in year's past.

In terms of MHP, assuming they didn't just copy and paste the blurb from last year, at least the Special Events ticket page seems to indicate dates in both September and October.  Hopefully specific dates will be listed soon!


----------



## sgrap

I was just on the phone with Disneyland reservations, and the CM said they have heard nothing about MHP dates yet.  She said in the past 4 years she has worked there, they have found out 2-3 days in advance.


----------



## figment_jii

Today's cryptic #GetHappier clue (1:07 pm) from the Disneyland Today twitter feed...


> Knock knock.
> Who's there?
> #GetHappier.
> #GetHappier who?
> #GetHappier is coming.



Next update from Disneyland Today's facebook page (1:56 pm)...


> Time to ‪#‎GetHappier‬! First 50 to find us in Tomorrowland and say "Monday" will receive a mouse-sized surprise!



It appears that they were handing out Vinylmations (based on the photo in the post/tweet).

Next update from Disneyland Today's feeds (2:05 pm)...


> We're all out of #GetHappier surprises in Disneyland Park -- stay tuned for more opportunities later today!


So...this would imply that another activity will happen, but probably over at DCA.

Next update from Disneyland Today's feed (3:03 pm)...


> 'Adventure' is coming your way! RT if you're ready for more #gethappier opportunities, today!



Next update from Disneyland Today's feed (3:46 pm)...another Vinylmation give-away.


> Monday un-bear-able? We have more #GetHappier magic for the first 50 to find us near Grizzly River Run & say 'Grrrr'.



Next/last update from Disneyland Today's feed (3:53 pm)...This one only took about six minutes to finish up!


> That's it for today's #GetHappier surprises. Stay tuned for more opportunities next week! You never know what magic will pop up!


----------



## Sherry E

sgrap said:


> I was just on the phone with Disneyland reservations, and the CM said they have heard nothing about MHP dates yet.  She said in the past 4 years she has worked there, they have found out 2-3 days in advance.



...Which is why I always say that the CMs on the front line (on the phones) are literally the last ones to know anything, and that _I_ have had to tell _them_ the dates of seasons and events in the past.  

You won't find out anything from the CMs on the phones at DLR before you find it out elsewhere!


​




ETA: I had just seen the #GetHappier post on the Disneyland Today page right before I popped over here to type up my previous comment, and I was curious to observe exactly how long it took from when the post went up on Facebook to when the 50 items were all gone.  It looks like it took about 9 minutes from the time Disneyland Today posted about the surprises to when they posted that they were all out.

Nine minutes is fast!  I am wondering if most of the people nabbing the surprises were already in Tomorrowland and happened to see them.  I doubt that too many people would have had time to run over from another land in 9 minutes and grab their surprises before other people got them, but who knows?  Maybe they did?  At least this surprise thing is moving from land to land, park to park.  Where in DCA will they end up today?


----------



## figment_jii

Sherry E said:


> I had just seen the #GetHappier post on the Disneyland Today page right before I popped over here to type up my previous comment, and I was curious to observe exactly how long it took from when the post went up on Facebook to when the 50 items were all gone.  It looks like it took about 9 minutes from the time Disneyland Today posted about the surprises to when they posted that they were all out.
> 
> Nine minutes is fast!  I am wondering if most of the people nabbing the surprises were already in Tomorrowland and happened to see them.  I doubt that too many people would have had time to run over from another land in 9 minutes and grab their surprises before other people got them, but who knows?  Maybe they did?  At least this surprise thing is moving from land to land, park to park.  Where in DCA will they end up today?



I think it's mostly made up of folks that happen to be in Tomorrowland.  Based on a couple of photos I saw on the twitter/facebook feeds, it looks like it's one "surprise" per person, so all it would take is 12 families of four plus one couple to exhaust the supplies of "surprises".  50 individuals is not that many, so I'm not surprised they only lasted 9 minutes.

They haven't announced where in DCA yet.  The last update (2:05 pm), just said that they were done in Disneyland, but stay tuned for more surprises later in the day.


----------



## Sherry E

figment_jii said:


> I think it's mostly made up of folks that happen to be in Tomorrowland.  Based on a couple of photos I saw on the twitter/facebook feeds, it looks like it's one "surprise" per person, so all it would take is 12 families of four plus one couple to exhaust the supplies of "surprises".  50 individuals is not that many, so I'm not surprised they only lasted 9 minutes.
> 
> They haven't announced where in DCA yet.  The last update (2:05 pm), just said that they were done in Disneyland, but stay tuned for more surprises later in the day.



My "Where in DCA will they end up today" question was rhetorical.  I know they haven't announced it yet -- I'm on Facebook too, remember!    I had just seen the post on Disneyland Today before I came here to this thread and saw that you posted about it.


​

"Is your Monday un-bear-able? We have more #GetHappier magic for the first 50 to find us near Grizzly River Run and say 'Grrrr'."

Disneyland Today's latest post -- another Vinylmation giveaway.


(By the way, how funny is it that people are running up to the CMs and saying "Grrrr"?  Lol.  I hope that they don't hand out any surprises to anyone who doesn't say "Grrrr.")


----------



## figment_jii

Okay, I have to admit that when they said 'Adventure', I wasn't thinking of Grizzly River Rapids (I was thinking more like Little Mermaid or something with "Adventure" in the title).  

I updated my post on the previous page to have all of the tweets and their times from today.  It took 9 minutes for the DL "surprise" to finish and 6 minutes for the DCA "surprise".  I really think the only way to get it is to be there when it starts.


----------



## Sherry E

figment_jii said:


> Okay, I have to admit that when they said 'Adventure', I wasn't thinking of Grizzly River Rapids (I was thinking more like Little Mermaid or something with "Adventure" in the title).
> 
> I updated my post on the previous page to have all of the tweets and their times from today.  It took 9 minutes for the DL "surprise" to finish and 6 minutes for the DCA "surprise".  I really think the only way to get it is to be there when it starts.



I assumed "Adventure" just meant California Adventure.  It's not very original or creative, I know!  I think they did a giveaway in Paradise Pier last week.  They had the Dwarfs set up at the Wishing Well.  They've been in Tomorrowland and Grizzly Peak.  I think they were in Critter Country at one point.  They seem to be bouncing around the lands.  Where will it be next week?  Cars Land?  Toontown?  Downtown Disney?  One of the 3 hotels?

That's really what they should do -- get creative and leave the parks.  They should mosey on through Downtown Disney and into one of the hotels, totally taking everyone there by surprise (because people expect to see the Get Happier stuff in the parks).  The people handing out surprises should go to some random spot, like near the geyser at the DLH.  

But 6 minutes is super-fast and you're right -- the surprise recipients had to have been right there when the giveaway started.  Lucky timing.

By the way -- I have never bought a Vinylmation and I forget what the cost of them has been when I have looked at them at DLR.  Are the giveaways/surprises getting more valuable?  In other words, they've gone from Mickey ears to Oswald ears to Glow with the Show Ears, and now to Vinylmations.  Are the Vinylmations more expensive than the ears?  

I can't wait to see who ends up getting whatever "big" things they eventually hand out or give away online.  That should be fun.  


So we shall continue to keep our eyes peeled on (a.k.a. stalk) the Parks Blog and the various Disney sites, pages and feeds for any signs of Halloween activity!


----------



## figment_jii

Here are my notes for #GetHappier...

6/16 11:58 am -12:52 pm Critter Country Mickey Ear Hats ($14) [50]
6/16 3:00 pm - 3:27 pm HollywoodLand Oswald Ear Hats ($17) [50]

6/23 (did not announce) - Wishing Well photo op with the Seven Dwarves [?]
6/23 5:21 pm - 5:30 pm Paradise Pier WOC Voucher and Glow with the Show Ears ($25) [50]

6/30 1:56 pm - 2:05 pm Tomorrowland Vinylmations [50]
6/30 3:46 pm - 3:53 pm Grizzly River Rapids Vinylmations [50]

Vinylmations run from $10 to $13 depending on the style.  It looked like they were all the open box style (you can see which one it is) and some looked pretty nice, while others were kind of "meh".

In terms of value (price to buy), the Glow the Show Ears was probably the most expensive.  The others are fairly comparable.


----------



## sgrap

Sherry E said:


> ...Which is why I always say that the CMs on the front line (on the phones) are literally the last ones to know anything, and that _I_ have had to tell _them_ the dates of seasons and events in the past.
> 
> You won't find out anything from the CMs on the phones at DLR before you find it out elsewhere!
> 
> 
> ​





Yes, I knew that when I asked her . . . but since I had a CM on the phone anyway, figured I'd humor myself and ask.    I am trying to add Monday 10/20 to our hotel reservation at GCH, but the rooms are blocked out.  They said they hoped they would be released and to call back. Does anyone know what is going on the weekend of 10-17 to 10-20 that would have a bunch of rooms on hold?  The are not all booked, apparently.  We already have 10/21-10/26 but thought I should try to add 10/20 in case there is a Tuesday MHP.  Once we get dates, I'll pick our MHP and then drop a couple of days, most likely.


----------



## Sherry E

figment_jii said:


> Here are my notes for #GetHappier...
> 
> 6/16 11:58 am -12:52 pm Critter Country Mickey Ear Hats ($14)
> 6/16 3:00 pm - 3:27 pm HollywoodLand Oswald Ear Hats ($17)
> 
> 6/23 (did not announce) - Wishing Well photo op with the Seven Dwarves
> 6/23 5:21 pm - 5:30 pm Paradise Pier WOC Voucher and Glow with the Show Ears ($25)
> 
> 6/30 1:56 pm - 2:05 pm Tomorrowland Vinylmations
> 6/30 3:46 pm - 3:53 pm Grizzly River Rapids Vinylmations
> 
> Vinylmations run from $10 to $13 depending on the style.  It looked like they were all the open box style (you can see which one it is) and some looked pretty nice, while others were kind of "meh".
> 
> In terms of value (price to buy), the Glow the Show Ears was probably the most expensive.  The others are fairly comparable.



Thanks, *figment_jii* --

And, of course, the mystery of June 9th lingers on! 

So it figures that the most expensive item they've given out so far was the item that they gave out only 50 of, instead of 100! 






sgrap said:


> Yes, I knew that when I asked her . . . but since I had a CM on the phone anyway, figured I'd humor myself and ask.    I am trying to add Monday 10/20 to our hotel reservation at GCH, but the rooms are blocked out.  They said they hoped they would be released and to call back. Does anyone know what is going on the weekend of 10-17 to 10-20 that would have a bunch of rooms on hold?  The are not all booked, apparently.  We already have 10/21-10/26 but thought I should try to add 10/20 in case there is a Tuesday MHP.  Once we get dates, I'll pick our MHP and then drop a couple of days, most likely.



*sgrap --*

Even within the official, more knowledgeable realms of Disney, often times the internal departments and branches are not on the same page, so one segment of Disney might know something and another segment has no idea about it.   But for some odd reason, the poor front line CMs who handle emails and phone calls are the last to know anything.  I have no idea why, but it's always been that way (in recent years).  Even if they were ever privy to early information, they wouldn't be allowed to reveal it before it had been officially announced. 

I can't help but wonder if, maybe in the distant past, the front line CMs were told bits of information that they ended up spilling.  Perhaps Disney just decided to keep any info from them so they wouldn't risk letting it out when it could still be subject to change. 

I think that Monday, 10/20 will open up (it's still pretty far away by Disneyland Resort hotel standards).  I can't figure out why any of those particular dates in October would be blocked or held, unless it is some sort of holdover or delayed effect of the Utah event.   There could be some other large group -- not a group we've heard of, but just a large gathering of some sort -- blocking the rooms.  Some sort of corporate group or something?  One never knows.


----------



## figment_jii

I don't know that events over the Convention Center would really impact GCH all that much, but there is supposed to be a Produce Marketing Association conference (Fresh Summit Convention & Expo) over at the Convention Center from 10/17-19, so maybe some of that crowd spills over.    They said they have over 20,000 attendees.  I vaguely recall reading/hearing about them last year.  

Otherwise, I would guess some group is planning a convention or meeting at the GCH and they're still finalizing their plans.  Once they're set, then the rooms will either be blocked for them or released to the public.  It might be that there is a deadline by which registrants have to sign up otherwise the rooms are released to the public.


----------



## Sherry E

figment_jii said:


> I don't know that events over the Convention Center would really impact GCH all that much, but there is supposed to be a Produce Marketing Association conference (Fresh Summit Convention & Expo) over at the Convention Center from 10/17-19, so maybe some of that crowd spills over.    They said they have over 20,000 attendees.  I vaguely recall reading/hearing about them last year.
> 
> Otherwise, I would guess some group is planning a convention or meeting at the GCH and they're still finalizing their plans.  Once they're set, then the rooms will either be blocked for them or released to the public.  It might be that there is a deadline by which registrants have to sign up otherwise the rooms are released to the public.



Now that you mention it, I think I heard something about a Produce event last year but I didn't associate it with fall or autumn.  Whatever I heard about it was minimal, so I probably just assumed it was a summer thing in my mind.

That could certainly be a possibility too (along with any unknown large meetings or corporate group events taking place) -- the fruit and veggie folks could be hanging around for extra days to enjoy DLR and attend an MHP!


----------



## laura&fam

figment_jii said:


> I don't know that events over the Convention Center would really impact GCH all that much, but there is supposed to be a Produce Marketing Association conference (Fresh Summit Convention & Expo) over at the Convention Center from 10/17-19, so maybe some of that crowd spills over.    They said they have over 20,000 attendees.  I vaguely recall reading/hearing about them last year.
> 
> Otherwise, I would guess some group is planning a convention or meeting at the GCH and they're still finalizing their plans.  Once they're set, then the rooms will either be blocked for them or released to the public.  It might be that there is a deadline by which registrants have to sign up otherwise the rooms are released to the public.



I wonder if this means MHP could be moved around a bit that weekend because of the conference goers or a corporate event.  Probably not but that's when I'd like to go to MHP and not knowing the dates is killing me.


----------



## Sherry E

laura&fam said:


> I wonder if this means MHP could be moved around a bit that weekend because of the conference goers or a corporate event.  Probably not but that's when I'd like to go to MHP and not knowing the dates is killing me.




I am saying this in jest, of course, but I couldn't help but giggle at the idea of fruits and vegetables (at the Produce conference) _possibly_ causing rooms to be blocked and schedule interruptions.  For some reason, it amuses me (though it's probably not what's happening).  I am imagining giant bananas, carrots and watermelons marching into the GCH, carrying luggage, wearing sunglasses and lounging by the pool!

I think that any time anyone wonders about crowds in October, or about why the MHP dates haven't been released, or wonders about anything related to Halloween Time, I will say, "Blame it on the veggies!!!"


(Don't mind me -- I am just amusing myself, I guess.)


----------



## DisneyJamieCA

laura&fam said:


> I wonder if this means MHP could be moved around a bit that weekend because of the conference goers or a corporate event.  Probably not but that's when I'd like to go to MHP and not knowing the dates is killing me.



I sure hope not! We will be there that weekend and are banking big time on a Friday night party. We did this same weekend 2 years ago without a problem.


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## figment_jii

Sherry E said:


> I am imagining giant bananas, carrots and watermelons marching into the GCH, carrying luggage, wearing sunglasses and lounging by the pool!


Great...now I have the "Veggie, veggie, fruit, fruit" refrain running through my head from Kitchen Kabaret at Epcot!  

_laura&fam_, in honesty, I don't think things like conferences/conventions really affect the MHP schedule.  I mean they have parties during the Gay Days and CHOC walk weekends, and those are both "big" events in terms of the impact on DLR.  So, my guess it that what ever is going on at GCH is probably not going to impact the MHP schedule.  I just did a look for room at GCH for the night of 10/20 and there are options, so most likely what happened is that the category of room that _sgrap_ has booked is "sold" out or on hold, but it does not mean the entire hotel is booked.


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## TulipsNZ

Hello, I'm just joining the thread in the hope that we will be able to make one of the MHP's we fly back to NZ on the 28th Sept so I have a small window of hope.
I think my boys would love it though.


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## pixiepirate

July at last!  Any idea how close we are to MHP dates announcement?  My sister and I are working on getting costumes together.  Sure would be nice to have somewhere to wear them.


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## Sherry E

figment_jii said:


> Great...now I have the "Veggie, veggie, fruit, fruit" refrain running through my head from Kitchen Kabaret at Epcot!
> 
> _laura&fam_, in honesty, I don't think things like conferences/conventions really affect the MHP schedule.  I mean they have parties during the Gay Days and CHOC walk weekends, and those are both "big" events in terms of the impact on DLR.  So, my guess it that what ever is going on at GCH is probably not going to impact the MHP schedule.  I just did a look for room at GCH for the night of 10/20 and there are options, so most likely what happened is that the category of room that _sgrap_ has booked is "sold" out or on hold, but it does not mean the entire hotel is booked.



*figment_jii --*

   I haven't been to Epcot, but I think I once saw a video of the Kabaret!

Blame it on the veggies!

I agree -- I doubt that any fruits, vegetables or other conferences would really impact the MHP schedule, especially not in mid-to-late October.  I think that there has been an occasion or two in the past when mysterious "corporate" events took place, or someone with a lot of money rented out the park to have a party, and the MHP moved from a Tuesday to a Monday or something like that.  However, that is not necessarily guaranteed to happen every single year, and when it has happened I think it was pretty early in the MHP line-up (like within the first week or two of the MHP).





TulipsNZ said:


> Hello, I'm just joining the thread in the hope that we will be able to make one of the MHP's we fly back to NZ on the 28th Sept so I have a small window of hope.
> I think my boys would love it though.



*TulipsNZ --*

Welcome, and thank you for joining us!

I would think that if the pattern of the last few years can be trusted, there should be an MHP on 9/26.  That would be your best bet, and it is a very likely/probable scenario!  I don't think there would be an MHP on Sat., 9/27.

Of course, Disney could always decide to start the MHP slightly earlier than usual and have a party before 9/26, like earlier during that same week, which would be good too.  One never knows.

The MHP is a lot of fun, and I think you will all have a great time!





pixiepirate said:


> July at last!  Any idea how close we are to MHP dates announcement?  My sister and I are working on getting costumes together.  Sure would be nice to have somewhere to wear them.



*pixiepirate --*

 You'll be able to wear them on one night or another!

It has literally got to be an "any day now" kind of thing, as far as when the MHP dates will be revealed.  It would have to be, because the first rounds of tickets would have to go on sale very, very, very soon, followed by the tickets for the general public.  I don't think tickets have gone on sale in August since back when the party was still being held in DCA.  Since it's been in DL, I think the tickets have always gone on sale in July (though I could be wrong).

Unless I missed something, I don't think that Erin from the Disney Parks Blog posted anything today -- I mean any kind of article about anything (not just Halloween).  I saw other writers post, but not Erin -- and she is the one who would probably be working on the piece about the Halloween Time dates and the MHP dates.  She is usually the one to do those sorts of pieces at first, and then as the seasons roll on the other writers join in and contribute their own pieces about the seasonal events.

So I wonder if Erin is working on something related to the 4th of July first, and then a Halloween-related post next.  If not, I am not sure what the deal is with why the Parks Blog and the DLR website take so long to release Halloween Time info.  I realize that they are probably backlogged with summer-related things and July 4th things to write about, but it seems as if they don't want to ever focus on more than one holiday at a time, or more than one season at a time.

We can probably be certain that when the Parks Blog with the MHP dates is posted, it will say something along the lines of "_We know that summer just started but..._" or "_Even though summer just started, we are thinking ahead to Halloween._"  ... Some sort of sentence like that, to "excuse" or "justify" a blog about Halloween in the summer -- because they (Disney in general) assume that no one wants to hear about Halloween or any other fall/winter event in the summer, when that is so far from the truth (the people in my Christmas Superthread want to know holiday season-related dates as well, and they surely want to know if there is going to be any sort of Christmas party happening this year)!!!  Everyone wants to know info as soon as possible, regardless of which season it is or which holiday is happening this week!


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## figment_jii

It's been posted!
http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...31-with-14-nights-of-mickeys-halloween-party/


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## kaci

Finally! http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/



> The Happiest Place on Earth is about to get spookier again, when Halloween Time at the Disneyland Resort returns September 12 through October 31. And there will be even more thrills and chills with 14 nights of Mickey’s Halloween Party at Disneyland park!
> Halloween Time features the popular seasonal attractions, Haunted Mansion Holiday and Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy, along with some famous Disney Villains, Mickey Mouse and his friends in Halloween costumes, the Dia de los Muertos celebration and the special after-hours Mickey’s Halloween Party (a separate, ticketed event).
> You can purchase your Mickey’s Halloween Party tickets early – and on your mobile device – here. Be sure to mark your calendars for the following dates:
> July 16: Tickets on sale to Disneyland Resort Annual Passholders, Disney Rewards Visa card holders and Disney Vacation Club members
> July 30: Tickets on sale to general public
> Mickey’s Halloween Party 2014 dates: Friday, September 26; Tuesday, September 30; Friday, October 3; Monday, October 6, Wednesday, October 8; Friday, October 10; Tuesday, October 14; Friday, October 17; Monday, October 20; Wednesday, October 22; Friday, October 24; Monday, October 27; Wednesday, October 29; and Friday, October 31.
> Stay tuned to the Disney Parks Blog and Disneyland.com/Halloween for more updates on Halloween Time at Disneyland Resort and Mickey’s Halloween Party, and join the conversation on Twitter with the hashtag #HalloweenTime.


----------



## figment_jii

Okay...so they cross-posted it on the Twitter feed, but not on Facebook (that I saw yet).  Interesting...

So, the parties are either two or three times per week (not counting the first Friday).  There is a party every Friday from the start of the parties (9/26) through Halloween.  The Mon, Tues, or Weds are more intermittent.

It's kind of nice to know that all of our guessing about the start date of the parties was right.  

So an update for the Social Media feeds:
Disney Parks Blog (website): Initial post
Twitter: Disneyland Resort and Disney Parks
Facebook: Disney Parks Blog

So, it looks like Disneyland Today and the Disneyland Annual Passholders feeds have not yet posted anything (11:15 am), nor has there been anything posted to the DisneylandHalloween Facebook page!


----------



## Sherry E

figment_jii said:


> It's been posted!
> http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...31-with-14-nights-of-mickeys-halloween-party/



I was actually just in the middle of typing up a post for the Christmas thread -- which I have not finished yet -- when I noticed that it came through on the Parks Blog.  (And I was right -- it was Erin who was writing up the Blog!)  I have to finish my Christmas post and will come back here in a second to comment further!


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## crystal1313

WoW!  You guys are fast.  As soon as it popped up in my twitter feed I was going to post and you both beat me to it!  

Now....decisions, decisions!  Oct 17th or the 2nd?  Hmmmm


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## sgrap

crystal1313 said:


> WoW!  You guys are fast.  As soon as it popped up in my twitter feed I was going to post and you both beat me to it!
> 
> Now....decisions, decisions!  Oct 17th or the 2nd?  Hmmmm


Woo-hoo!!!!!  DATES!  And there's a perfect one for our time frame, too!  So . . . AP holders can purchase on July 16th, right?


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## Jennafoo

Good! MHP dates for my trip are what I expected: Wednesday the 22nd and Friday the 24th.

I was planning on going both days, but doing the Happiest Haunts tour Ultimate Experience on one (probably Friday). When do you think those will be open to book, I wonder?


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## figment_jii

Jennafoo said:


> I was planning on going both days, but doing the Happiest Haunts tour Ultimate Experience on one (probably Friday). When do you think those will be open to book, I wonder?


The website says 30-days in advance.  Hopefully information like that will be forthcoming soon.



sgrap said:


> So . . . AP holders can purchase on July 16th, right?


Based on the info in the Parks Blog post, yup.  I'm assuming it means both online and via the phone like last year, but if I remember correctly there was a bit of delay that morning.  So might take a few hours (so mid-morning rather than right at 8 am) for things to "go live" as they say.


----------



## sgrap

figment_jii said:


> The website says 30-days in advance.  Hopefully information like that will be forthcoming soon.
> 
> 
> Based on the info in the Parks Blog post, yup.  I'm assuming it means both online and via the phone like last year, but if I remember correctly there was a bit of delay that morning.  So might take a few hours (so mid-morning rather than right at 8 am) for things to "go live" as they say.


Do they ever sell out for the early sales, or are we pretty good to go if we get them on the first day?


----------



## mikana876

Yay!!! We'll be able to make the first party!


----------



## 2tinkerbell

The one morning I was in a meeting all morning 

So happy that they finally annouced the dates.  Looks like September 30th for us.   

Silly question: how much are the tickets?  I don't have a Disney Visa and I'm not a AP holder.


----------



## Sherry E

figment_jii said:


> Okay...so they cross-posted it on the Twitter feed, but not on Facebook (that I saw yet).  Interesting...
> 
> So, the parties are either two or three times per week (not counting the first Friday).  *There is a party every Friday from the start of HalloweenTime through Halloween*.  The Mon, Tues, or Weds are more intermittent.
> 
> It's kind of nice to know that all of our guessing about the start date of the parties was right.





The start of Halloween Time is September 12th -- there is no party on 9/12 or 9/19.  The first party is on 9/26 -- I just needed to clarify that, so no one got confused!


----------



## figment_jii

sgrap said:


> Do they ever sell out for the early sales, or are we pretty good to go if we get them on the first day?



I don't recall ever hearing that the parties sold our during the advance sales.  Last year most of the parties sold out, but they didn't start selling out until September.





2tinkerbell said:


> Silly question: how much are the tickets?  I don't have a Disney Visa and I'm not a AP holder.



The Blog entry didn't have prices, but last year the prices ranged from $51 (AP/DVC Advance) to $74 (day of, no discounts). They've been going up about $3 or so per year, so I would add somewhere between $4-$5 to get a preliminary estimate of ticket prices.




Sherry E said:


> The start of Halloween Time is September 12th -- there is no party on 9/12 or 9/19.  The first party is on 9/26 -- I just needed to clarify that, so no one got confused!



Good catch...I fixed it in my original post to avoid any confusion.


----------



## Sherry E

sgrap said:


> Do they ever sell out for the early sales, or are we pretty good to go if we get them on the first day?



*sgrap --*

You'll be fine.

There are probably tickets set aside for early sales to AP holders, Disney Visa card holders and Disney Vacation Club members, but there will be tickets left for the general public.






*Delayed reaction -- WOW!  

Fourteen parties this year (up from 13 in 2013)!  Will there be 15 parties in 2015?

I remember when there used to "only" be 10 parties, not so very long ago!  Lol.  

As I was saying the other day, if nothing new is being added into the "daytime Halloween fare," then DLR might as well add in some extra party nights.  I wish they would add in new things to the daytime roster of fun (especially in DCA) so that people who choose to skip the party can still have a full-fledged Halloween Time experience, but if it is not to be then it is not to be.*


----------



## laura&fam

Finally!  Does anyone know if you can use the Disney Visa rewards points and not the credit card and still get the early discount?

I was hoping the fruits and veggies would come through for me and move the Monday 20th party to Tuesday because that's more convenient but no luck.


----------



## Newsiemj

Hurray! I wrote July 30 on my calendar a reminder to buy my tickets! We are probably going to go on the 14th. My kiddos will be so excited!


----------



## DisneyJamieCA

figment_jii said:


> It's been posted! http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2014/07/halloween-time-at-the-disneyland-resort-returns-september-12-october-31-with-14-nights-of-mickeys-halloween-party/



Thank you!!! And there is one during our dates there, as I was assuming! Two weeks until we can buy tickets


----------



## Sherry E

laura&fam said:


> Finally!  Does anyone know if you can use the Disney Visa rewards points and not the credit card and still get the early discount?
> 
> I was hoping the fruits and veggies would come through for me and move the Monday 20th party to Tuesday because that's more convenient but no luck.




 Darn those fruits and veggies!  Blame it on the fruits and veggies!


That's a good question about the Rewards points.  I could be wrong, but I can't see any reason why those points wouldn't be allowed towards an online purchase, although I'm not sure if they would be accepted over the phone.   Hmmm... In the past I know that the Disney Visa people had to call in and order over the phone to get the Disney Visa discount applied (when purchasing tickets with the Visa card), but using actual rewards points might work differently.


----------



## LongTimeFan

I have never been to a party at Disneyland so I have a few questions. 
If you already are there during that date, in Disneyland Park, do you have to buy tickets for the party, too? 
If yes, how much are the tickets, approximately?
Do you dress up or look out of place if you don't dress up?


----------



## figment_jii

LongTimeFan said:


> I have never been to a party at Disneyland so I have a few questions.
> If you already are there during that date, in Disneyland Park, do you have to buy tickets for the party, too?
> If yes, how much are the tickets, approximately?
> Do you dress up or look out of place if you don't dress up?



MHP is a separate hard ticket event (think of it like an after-hours activity).  So even if you already in DL for the day, you will need to purchase at ticket to the party if you want to stay.

Ticket costs ranged from $51 (AP/DVC Advance Purchase) to $74 (No Discount, Day Of tickets) last year.  They have not announced the prices for this year, but I would add between $3-$5 to get a ballpark figure for this year.

Some folks dress up and other do not.  It's an even enough mixture that no one feels out of place.

The third post on this thread (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=51326916&postcount=3) has lots of information about MHP.


----------



## LongTimeFan

figment_jii said:


> MHP is a separate hard ticket event (think of it like an after-hours activity).  So even if you already in DL for the day, you will need to purchase at ticket to the party if you want to stay.
> 
> Ticket costs ranged from $51 (AP/DVC Advance Purchase) to $74 (No Discount, Day Of tickets) last year.  They have not announced the prices for this year, but I would add between $3-$5 to get a ballpark figure for this year.
> 
> Some folks dress up and other do not.  It's an even enough mixture that no one feels out of place.
> 
> The third post on this thread (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=51326916&postcount=3) has lots of information about MHP.



Thank you, very helpful!


----------



## Sherry E

figment_jii said:


> MHP is a separate hard ticket event (think of it like an after-hours activity).  So even if you already in DL for the day, you will need to purchase at ticket to the party if you want to stay.
> 
> Ticket costs ranged from $51 (AP/DVC Advance Purchase) to $74 (No Discount, Day Of tickets) last year.  They have not announced the prices for this year, but I would add between $3-$5 to get a ballpark figure for this year.
> 
> Some folks dress up and other do not.  It's an even enough mixture that no one feels out of place.
> 
> The third post on this thread (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=51326916&postcount=3) has lots of information about MHP.





Good timing on that referral to post #3 -- I just updated some of the answers in the MHP FAQ post, to reflect the latest info!  

I also added the Halloween Time and MHP dates to the very first post on page 1 as well.  

I wish the prices had been included the Parks Blog piece too, so I could just add in all of the pertinent info in one swoop, but I guess we have to take what we can get from Disney!

(Blame it in the fruits and veggies!)


----------



## TulipsNZ

Yes yes yes! There is a MHP while we are there so so excited!


----------



## Sherry E

TulipsNZ said:


> Yes yes yes! There is a MHP while we are there so so excited!



*TulipsNZ --*

I'm very glad you will get to experience your first MHP, as well as our Halloween Time season, and I hope that your boys love all of it!


----------



## Alohagirl73

Finally party dates!!! Now need to decide which date. Probably the first party. Can't wait.


----------



## Sherry E

Alohagirl73 said:


> Finally party dates!!! Now need to decide which date. Probably the first party. Can't wait.



It will be fun!



I always tell myself I am going to go to the very first party, and I either wait too long to get a ticket and it sells out, or my plans change.  This is one year in which I kind of want to do the first party, but I also want to do the last party because it will be a Friday, and it will actually be Halloween (I have not been to any kind of party, in Disneyland or elsewhere, on Halloween night in decades, and I should do it before I'm too old to move!).  I don't necessarily need to do both, but both the first and last nights of the party are likely to sell out before others, so I have to think and decide fast.



*ETA:  And a big thank you goes to figment_jii for being quick to spot the Parks Blog link and deliver the news to us here in this thread this morning!  Thank you, figment_jii!!!!*


----------



## 2tinkerbell

I just told my Supervisor about the dates of the party.  He is going for UEA (Utah Excapes to Anaheim) in Oct. because that is when his wife has time off.  They were debating about a 3 day or 4 day park hopper.  With the party,
he said that he will go ahead and get 3 day park hoppers and the party tickets.  He is now just as excited as I am for October to come.  

It is nice to have a Supervisor who understands Disney and readily approved my time off.


----------



## Sherry E

2tinkerbell said:


> I just told my Supervisor about the dates of the party.  He is going for UEA (Utah Excapes to Anaheim) in Oct. because that is when his wife has time off.  They were debating about a 3 day or 4 day park hopper.  With the party,
> he said that he will go ahead and get 3 day park hoppers and the party tickets.  He is now just as excited as I am for October to come.
> 
> It is nice to have a Supervisor who understands Disney and readily approved my time off.



Wow -- no kidding!  You lucked out with that Supervisor, *2tinkerbell*!  

I remember once, several years ago, I had my hotel booked and plans made for my annual holiday trip to DLR (in December) and the Supervisor was trying to convince me to stay in the office, work on a huge project and not go to DLR as soon as 2 days before I was due to leave!  I gave them plenty of notice about the trip way in advance, so it wasn't like I was just springing it on them at the last second.  I went ahead with my trip and did not stay in the office to work on the project.  The hotel was booked and it was too late to cancel without incurring some sort of penalty at that point.


----------



## TulipsNZ

Sherry E said:


> *TulipsNZ --*
> 
> I'm very glad you will get to experience your first MHP, as well as our Halloween Time season, and I hope that your boys love all of it!



I am incredibly grateful to this thread, we have nothing like this in NZ so we are so excited, we have also decided to go and see a traditional pumpkin patch from the links on the first page, there is nothing like that in NZ either and we don't have orange pumpkins at halloween time as our seasons are opposite.  I am so happy to have found these boards as they are helping me plan and we are doing so much more and more organised than my original plans.


----------



## kim3339

Question for any of you party experts ~ how fast do you think the 1st 2 parties will sell out? I was originally planning on going down for the 9/30 party for a quick trip and to pick up an AP, but I won a trip through a radio station so I might be going the last weekend in Sept/1st party (yay!). Problem there is that I won't get a call from the travel agent for 2-4 weeks. I know they won't release all the tix for AP/Visa people on the 16th, but will I be okay through the 1st week of Aug in case I hear from them later rather than sooner?


----------



## figment_jii

kim3339 said:


> I know they won't release all the tix for AP/Visa people on the 16th, but will I be okay through the 1st week of Aug in case I hear from them later rather than sooner?



My instinctive answer is that yes, tickets will last through August.  I don't recall when the first party sold out last year, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't until early September (at the earliest).  Most of the others (except the one associated with Gay Days Friday and the Friday before Columbus Day weekend) sold out closer to the actual date (in late September and through October).  I wouldn't wait until mid-to-late September to get a ticket to the first party (the second party tickets will probably last longer because it's a Tuesday), but I think you'll be fine through August.

Actually, I was thinking that Geemo's thread about which MHP sold out (and when) was actually very helpful in terms of tracking things.  We should probably do that again this year, but we could just make it a post here in the SuperThread.  Sherry, what do you think?


----------



## kim3339

figment_jii said:


> My instinctive answer is that yes, tickets will last through August.  I don't recall when the first party sold out last year, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't until early September (at the earliest).  Most of the others (except the one associated with Gay Days Friday and the Friday before Columbus Day weekend) sold out closer to the actual date (in late September and through October).  I wouldn't wait until mid-to-late September to get a ticket to the first party (the second party tickets will probably last longer because it's a Tuesday), but I think you'll be fine through August.



Thank you! Don't worry, I won't be waiting.  As soon as everything gets figured out, I'll be ordering party tix. Thanks again!


----------



## JoanneAZ

FYI, the prices are now posted on that blog entry. 

Regular tickets are $63 to $70 in advance, $70 on the party day.
AP tickets are $56 to $70 in advance, $70 on the party day.
Halloween is $77 for everyone no matter when you buy.

So looking forward to this and so glad there is a party on my birthday!


----------



## figment_jii

JoanneAZ said:


> FYI, the prices are now posted on that blog entry.
> 
> Regular tickets are $63 to $70 in advance, $70 on the party day.
> AP tickets are $56 to $70 in advance, $70 on the party day.
> Halloween is $77 for everyone no matter when you buy.
> 
> So looking forward to this and so glad there is a party on my birthday!



It's great that they posted the prices.  Is it in the same entry as the original announcement?  For some reason, I can't see/find the prices.

Update: the prices are not in the Blog entry itself.  They've been posted on the Disneyland.com Mickey's Halloween Party webpage (which is also not the page listed under the Special Events tickets tab).
https://disneyland.disney.go.com/ev...h14NightsofMickey’sHalloweenParty000502-07-14


----------



## laura&fam

LongTimeFan said:


> I have never been to a party at Disneyland so I have a few questions.
> If you already are there during that date, in Disneyland Park, do you have to buy tickets for the party, too?
> If yes, how much are the tickets, approximately?
> Do you dress up or look out of place if you don't dress up?



When I went to the party 2 years ago I debated dressing up or not because that's not really my thing.  I was so glad I did!  Our costumes were not that great but our whole group dressed up (Incredibles with Eda Mole) and it really added to the whole experience for us.  There are plenty of people that don't though so you won't feel out of place if you're not in costume.


----------



## Alohagirl73

The prices are on the Disneyland page under Mickey's Halloween Party!


----------



## figment_jii

So the prices are generally $70 on the day of the event, except Halloween which is $77.  The general public advance purchase price is $63 and the AP/DRVC/DVC advance purchase is $56, except on select Friday parties and parties closest to and on Halloween.  There is no discount on Halloween night (as expected).  There is also no discount on the Wednesday (10/29) party or on the Friday parties starting with 10/10.  All in all, it's same basic pricing structure from last year with a slight increase in prices.  Basically the day of prices went up $3, the general public advance purchase prices went up $4, and the AP/DRVC/DVC advance purchase price went up $5.

As with last year, the ticket price includes parking and allows entrance into DL three hours before the party starts.


> Admission to Disneyland Park up to 3 hours prior to the event's start time.
> Complimentary parking for one standard-size vehicle. Larger vehicles may require an additional fee.



The times are also the same: 7:00 pm to midnight on Friday night parties and 6:00 pm to 11:00 pm on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday parties.

The costumes rules also appear to be pretty much the same.  There is a few changes to the verbiage and they combined or split up a few rules, but nothing major.


----------



## Kilala

I wish the prices didn't go up.


----------



## Sherry E

*I had to tear myself away from The DIS, the Parks Blog and Facebook to eat some lunch, but I have come back here to see the MHP prices are now listed (on the DLR website)!!  That was fast!  I will figure out a way to add them into the MHP post on page 1!

I have to say that one reason why it would be good for DLR to eventually consider starting the MHP at the same time that Halloween Time begins -- or very close to it -- is that people get confused about "Halloween Time" vs. "Mickey's Halloween Party."  They hear the MHP name and they assume that it means the whole season, party and all.  A lot of people don't understand that Halloween Time begins a good 2 weeks before the party ever begins.

If you'll notice, someone commented on the Parks Blog about being disappointed that the MHP is beginning on 9/26, when she thought that it had begun earlier in previous years.  She must have confused Halloween Time's start dates with MHP start dates, and she planned her upcoming trip based on thinking that the MHP would begin earlier in September.

I think it would be easier and less confusing if DLR just started the MHP right around when Halloween Time began, so at least people wouldn't mistakenly plan trips for mid-September if they want to attend the party.

Maybe this is why WDW doesn't "name" its Halloween season -- people mainly think of MNSSHP when they think of Halloween at WDW anyway, and it could get confusing if they thought something was beginning earlier or later than anything else.*


​




TulipsNZ said:


> I am incredibly grateful to this thread, we have nothing like this in NZ so we are so excited, we have also decided to go and see a traditional pumpkin patch from the links on the first page, there is nothing like that in NZ either and we don't have orange pumpkins at halloween time as our seasons are opposite.  I am so happy to have found these boards as they are helping me plan and we are doing so much more and more organised than my original plans.



*TulipsNZ --*

That's what we hear on this board, from our friends in NZ and in Australia -- Halloween is barely recognized at all!   

Well, Halloween is certainly a big deal here in America, where you can find anything from really scary events (the ones with bloody, hatchet-wielding maniacs chasing after you and popping out from behind corners), to more family-friendly events such as parades or pumpkin patches, to assorted "Harvest Festivals" or "Fall Festivals."  

Some people even decorate their houses and yards with elaborate pumpkin décor and lights (though it is not as prevalent as houses being decorated for Christmas).  Have you ever seen any of those Halloween-oriented shows on the Travel Channel?  They usually begin airing around the end of September and then pick up closer to Halloween.  They feature all sorts of "extreme" ways people celebrate Halloween, from the most terrifying haunted houses to the most extensive front yard decorations.  Of course, not everyone in America celebrates Halloween quite that way, but I think that more people over the years are growing exasperated with Christmas and so they devote more of their time and energy to Halloween because it is somehow less stressful.

I'm so glad that this thread and this board in general have been of help to you in planning your Halloween Time trip!  

And how wonderful that you're going to visit a pumpkin patch!  Are you going to go to the one in Irvine?  I have not been to that Irvine location yet, but I hear that it's amazing, which is why I wanted to link it on page 1.  

In fact, last year DIS'er *Vintage Mouseketeer* (under a different screen name) was telling us about the Irvine pumpkin patch (and the Christmas train that is there for the holidays).  It sounds like a lot of fun!





figment_jii said:


> My instinctive answer is that yes, tickets will last through August.  I don't recall when the first party sold out last year, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't until early September (at the earliest).  Most of the others (except the one associated with Gay Days Friday and the Friday before Columbus Day weekend) sold out closer to the actual date (in late September and through October).  I wouldn't wait until mid-to-late September to get a ticket to the first party (the second party tickets will probably last longer because it's a Tuesday), but I think you'll be fine through August.
> 
> Actually, I was thinking that Geemo's thread about which MHP sold out (and when) was actually very helpful in terms of tracking things.  We should probably do that again this year, but we could just make it a post here in the SuperThread.  Sherry, what do you think?



*figment_jii --*

A post here in this thread, with the rapidly-selling-out MHP dates and the dates on which they appear to sell out, is not a bad idea (even if someone starts a separate thread about it).   One post (that is updated as dates sell out) is less to have to read and follow than a whole thread, but either way I will link it (post or thread) in the MHP post on page 1!





JoanneAZ said:


> FYI, the prices are now posted on that blog entry.
> 
> Regular tickets are $63 to $70 in advance, $70 on the party day.
> AP tickets are $56 to $70 in advance, $70 on the party day.
> Halloween is $77 for everyone no matter when you buy.
> 
> So looking forward to this and so glad there is a party on my birthday!



Thank you for the heads up, *JoanneAZ*!

I didn't see the prices on the Parks Blog, but I found the chart on the DLR website!  I will add them in somewhere on page 1!


----------



## figment_jii

Sherry E said:


> Maybe this is why WDW doesn't "name" its Halloween season -- people mainly think of MNSSHP when they think of Halloween at WDW anyway, and it could get confusing if they thought something was beginning earlier or later than anything else.


I think that WDW doesn't name the Halloween season because aside from MNSSHP and a few fall decorations there really isn't much of a Halloween presence until much closer to Halloween.  (Well, there is the merchandise and snacks, but I wasn't really counting that.)  They do not have HMH, SMGG, or Big Thunder Ranch Carnival.  So for WDW/MK, Halloween isn't as "big" an event as it is at DLR.



Sherry E said:


> A post here in this thread, with the rapidly-selling-out MHP dates and the dates on which they appear to sell out, is not a bad idea (even if someone starts a separate thread about it).   One post (that is updated as dates sell out) is less to have to read and follow than a whole thread, but either way I will link it (post or thread) in the MHP post on page 1!


I can create a post here on the SuperThread, but first I'll touch base with _Geemo_ to see if he wants to do it.  He hasn't been on the board lately, but I wouldn't want to step on his toes. 



Sherry E said:


> I didn't see the prices on the Parks Blog, but I found the chart on the DLR website!  I will add them in somewhere on page 1!


I'm pretty sure that's what _JoanneAZ_ meant.  I scoured that blog post, re-freshed several times and even cleaned out the cache, but nothing "new" appeared.  Ultimately, I clicked the link in the Blog post and it took me to the MHP page on Disneyland.com, which had the prices.


----------



## Kristina4109

So glad there is no party on our day, September 20th.  I promised my daughter Fantasmic!


----------



## Geemo

Sherry E said:


> *figment_jii --*
> 
> A post here in this thread, with the rapidly-selling-out MHP dates and the dates on which they appear to sell out, is not a bad idea (even if someone starts a separate thread about it).   One post (that is updated as dates sell out) is less to have to read and follow than a whole thread, but either way I will link it (post or thread) in the MHP post on page 1!





> Original posted by *figment_jii --*I can create a post here on the SuperThread, but first I'll touch base with Geemo to see if he wants to do it. He hasn't been on the board lately, but I wouldn't want to step on his toes.



"Geemo" is the name my grandkids call me, instead of Granma.

I haven't been on the board lately due to Computer Failure!!!  It was down for three weeks and I don't function well on the laptop.  

I believe Sell Out information would be very helpful if posted on the first page of the SuperThread. 

I mainly did it last year for fun.  Having someone else cover it this year is fine with me.  If it's too much for someone else let me know and I'll do it again this year.

Happy to participate however I can.

Geemo


----------



## Sherry E

figment_jii said:


> I think that WDW doesn't name the Halloween season because aside from MNSSHP and a few fall decorations there really isn't much of a Halloween presence until much closer to Halloween.  (Well, there is the merchandise and snacks, but I wasn't really counting that.)  They do not have HMH, SMGG, or Big Thunder Ranch Carnival.  So for WDW/MK, Halloween isn't as "big" an event as it is at DLR.
> 
> 
> I can create a post here on the SuperThread, but first I'll touch base with _Geemo_ to see if he wants to do it.  He hasn't been on the board lately, but I wouldn't want to step on his toes.
> 
> 
> I'm pretty sure that's what _JoanneAZ_ meant.  I scoured that blog post, re-freshed several times and even cleaned out the cache, but nothing "new" appeared.  Ultimately, I clicked the link in the Blog post and it took me to the MHP page on Disneyland.com, which had the prices.



I was doing the same thing -- refreshing and reloading the Parks Blog and the specific page with the Halloween blog, and nothing in the way of prices was appearing in the original blog or in the comments.  So I did what you did and eventually just moseyed over to the DLR website and pulled up the MHP section.


Well, that's a relief!   At least we have all of the pertinent info about the MHP now -- and people can still use the MHP FAQ post on page 1 to help sort out what they need to know (about sellouts, about when they can enter the park, about treats, bags for treats, etc., etc.).


This probably means absolutely nothing and was just an oversight, but I noticed that there was no specific mention of the Halloween Carnival in today's Parks Blog piece.  The 2 ride overlays were mentioned.  The Villains were mentioned.  The characters in Halloween costumes were mentioned.  Dia de los Muertos was even mentioned.  No Halloween Carnival reference, though (even though I'm certain that's where the characters and the Villains will be).

I don't think Disney could stand to lose the Carnival, unless they were planning to station the pumpkin carvers elsewhere, and put the Villains and characters elsewhere.  The Carnival seems to be too integral of a location to the Halloween Time season to let go of, and what else are they going to do with that space if not have another Halloween Roundup and Carnival?


----------



## JoanneAZ

[QUOTEI'm pretty sure that's what _JoanneAZ_ meant.  I scoured that blog post, re-freshed several times and even cleaned out the cache, but nothing "new" appeared.  Ultimately, I clicked the link in the Blog post and it took me to the MHP page on Disneyland.com, which had the prices.[/QUOTE]

Whoops! That's what I get for trying to do too many things at once. Sorry for the confusion.

JoanneAZ


----------



## kaci

Sherry E said:


> I was doing the same thing -- refreshing and reloading the Parks Blog and the specific page with the Halloween blog, and nothing in the way of prices was appearing in the original blog or in the comments.  So I did what you did and eventually just moseyed over to the DLR website and pulled up the MHP section.
> 
> 
> Well, that's a relief!   At least we have all of the pertinent info about the MHP now -- and people can still use the MHP FAQ post on page 1 to help sort out what they need to know (about sellouts, about when they can enter the park, about treats, bags for treats, etc., etc.).
> 
> 
> This probably means absolutely nothing and was just an oversight, but I noticed that there was no specific mention of the Halloween Carnival in today's Parks Blog piece.  The 2 ride overlays were mentioned.  The Villains were mentioned.  The characters in Halloween costumes were mentioned.  Dia de los Muertos was even mentioned.  No Halloween Carnival reference, though (even though I'm certain that's where the characters and the Villains will be).
> 
> I don't think Disney could stand to lose the Carnival, unless they were planning to station the pumpkin carvers elsewhere, and put the Villains and characters elsewhere.  The Carnival seems to be too integral of a location to the Halloween Time season to let go of, and what else are they going to do with that space if not have another Halloween Roundup and Carnival?



I think you're right about it being an oversight. Here it sounds like the Carnival will be making another appearance. 



> Create Halloween crafts and enjoy some not-so-spooky activities for kids at Halloween Carnival at Big Thunder Ranch. Plus, watch pumpkin carvers and meet some of your favorite Disney Characters in their Halloween costumes.



It's one of the things I'm most looking forward to!


----------



## sgrap

Sherry E said:


> *sgrap --*
> 
> You'll be fine.
> 
> There are probably tickets set aside for early sales to AP holders, Disney Visa card holders and Disney Vacation Club members, but there will be tickets left for the general public.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Delayed reaction -- WOW!
> 
> Fourteen parties this year (up from 13 in 2013)!  Will there be 15 parties in 2015?
> 
> I remember when there used to "only" be 10 parties, not so very long ago!  Lol.
> 
> As I was saying the other day, if nothing new is being added into the "daytime Halloween fare," then DLR might as well add in some extra party nights.  I wish they would add in new things to the daytime roster of fun (especially in DCA) so that people who choose to skip the party can still have a full-fledged Halloween Time experience, but if it is not to be then it is not to be.*


We have AP's (first time, woo-hoo, still trying to figure it out!  ), so I'll definitely be calling or going online the first day.  

Is the description of what will be happening during MHP basically the same as last year?


----------



## aidensmom31

This is my first year going to the Halloween parties.  I am an AP holder, how do I buy tickets on the 16th....is there a link on my AP page?


----------



## Swtonscrappn

We had already made several reservations thinking our party would be on Tues like it was last year...but it got moved to Monday  We have to decide what the rest of the crew wants to do (move the reservations or stay an extra night).  My dh and I are staying for several days so the change doesnt bother us.

Quick question: Does anyone remember there being a limit of 8 tickets last year for the prebuys?   We have a group of about 11 this year and Im the only one with a Disney Visa.


----------



## DisneyJamieCA

Swtonscrappn said:


> We had already made several reservations thinking our party would be on Tues like it was last year...but it got moved to Monday  We have to decide what the rest of the crew wants to do (move the reservations or stay an extra night).  My dh and I are staying for several days so the change doesnt bother us.  Quick question: Does anyone remember there being a limit of 8 tickets last year for the prebuys?   We have a group of about 11 this year and Im the only one with a Disney Visa.



I did see Erin replied to that question in the comments and yes, the limit of 8 is still there. 




I am so excited the Carnival Roundup will be still there! I was so disappointed that area was closed for the summer, but it's such an integral part of our Halloween & Holiday time trips, I'd be really upset if it wasn't there!


----------



## Autty40

I have a feeling I may be in the minority here. Our first day in the parks is September 30th and we are not planning on going to the party.  What is the best game plan on a party day if you are not going to the party?


----------



## BebopAngel88

Yahh so i won't be able to get the tickets till the 30th but we're gonna go on October 8th. I am SO excited!!


----------



## Swtonscrappn

Autty40 said:


> I have a feeling I may be in the minority here. Our first day in the parks is September 30th and we are not planning on going to the party.  What is the best game plan on a party day if you are not going to the party?



My best suggestion would be if you are heading over to California Adventures when DL park closes, do it before the mass exodus. Maybe DL in the morning, then head to CA around 3-4.


----------



## CAFarmerGirl

We plan on going to DL on Friday before the party.  Do you think it will be enough time to see all the Halloween activities?  

I am concerned because we are going on the 31st, and I don't know if everything will be taken down the next day!  So, it only gives us one day to squeeze in all the Halloween stuff (besides HM, which I know stays through the season...which I love!).


----------



## KittyKat1978

I called my mom last night and told her there was three parties the week we go.  And she says "Do you want to go more than one night"?  I love my mom   I told her the price of  the tickets were going to be between $50-$60.  She didn't seem to care


----------



## figment_jii

sgrap said:


> Is the description of what will be happening during MHP basically the same as last year?


The description on the MHP page on Disneyland.com seemed to mention much of the same things that have happened in the last few  years.  I wouldn't be surprised if there were a few changes, but overall, I think the major elements of the party will be same/similar to last year.



aidensmom31 said:


> This is my first year going to the Halloween parties.  I am an AP holder, how do I buy tickets on the 16th....is there a link on my AP page?


Last year that was ultimately a link that appeared on the day when the tickets went on sale.



Autty40 said:


> I have a feeling I may be in the minority here. Our first day in the parks is September 30th and we are not planning on going to the party.  What is the best game plan on a party day if you are not going to the party?


As _Swtonscrappn_ said, I would plan on a split day.  I would plan to be at DL at rope drop and then as much as you want/plan to do in the morning and early afternoon.  The party guests will start entering DL at 3:00 pm (three hours before the party starts), so you'll see a noticeable increase in crowds.  At that point (or at really any point between 3 and 6), I would head over to DCA and spend the rest of the day over there.  You will also see an uptick in DCA crowds after 3 pm as non-MHP DL guests start to trickle into DCA, with the biggest bump at 6 pm (when DL closes to non-MHP guests).



CAFarmerGirl said:


> We plan on going to DL on Friday before the party.  Do you think it will be enough time to see all the Halloween activities?


Unless things significantly change, there aren't a lot of Halloween activities even at DL.  It's mostly HMH, SMGG, and the Big Thunder Ranch Jamboree/Carnival and then decorations on Main Street (primarily).  I would focus on the Carnival first because it tends to have shorter hours than the rest of the park.  After that, I would head over to do SMGG (if you wanted) and then finally over to HMH.  However as you noted, HMH will remain open after Halloween.  In honesty, as _Sherry_ has mentioned, I wouldn't be surprised if the Jamboree and SMGG remain open through the weekend and then closed on Monday.  Disney probably wouldn't announce this, but it makes more sense to me to close things on a Monday rather than a Saturday.  The only reason I can see the Jamboree going down on Saturday is if they need to take down the Halloween decor and get it converted to a Christmas area and it needs a certain minimum number of days.



KittyKat1978 said:


> I called my mom last night and told her there was three parties the week we go.  And she says "Do you want to go more than one night"?  I love my mom   I told her the price of  the tickets were going to be between $50-$60.  She didn't seem to care


That's awesome!  I went to two parties last year and it was a lot of fun!


----------



## 2tinkerbell

Our first day is 9/30.  I am thinking we should be at the DLH around 10am.  My plan is to check in, even though I know our room would most likely not be ready.  Then it is going to be park time.  I think we will go back to the DLH around 3pm - rest, recoup, and have dinner.  We should be back for the party around 5pm so we can hopefully do the pre-party at Toon Town.  My must dos are some Trick or Treating and the Fireworks and soak up the Halloween atmosphere.  

So here are my questions:
Do you think that this is too much?  We are there 9/30, 10/1, and will have to leave the parks around 4pm on 10/2 to fly home.  

My DD utilizes the DAS (along with FP) to tour the parks.  Would this be available during the party?

What time do you suggest we get our place for the Fireworks?  Would you find a place for the early parade and then just hang loose for the Fireworks?

Thanks!  I am super excited!

(Oh as an update on the super birthday surprise - which is this trip.  My DD really doesn't like surprises and is already nervous about her birthday - 10/1 -  and what we are going to do.  She has picked out what she wants for her birthday already   So, I don't think that I can hold off until we are on our way to the airport to tell her.  I have come up with Plan B: which is to celebrate her birthday on the Sunday before with family and give her the information all wrapped up.  That way she can have a little fun anticipating and she doesn't have Mom packing her suitcase and deciding what she needs/wants)


----------



## figment_jii

2tinkerbell said:


> Do you think that this is too much?


Some of this depends on what you plan to do for dinner.  My sense is that two hours really isn't as much time as you think it would be.  The walk to DLH is about half of a mile, so I'd allow about 10 minutes each way just so you don't have to rush.  TS meals can take between 60-90 minutes if you're planning on that.  Assuming they're doing it again this year (and they haven't announced it and it wasn't part of the Disneyland.com MHP description), the Toontown event will start at 5:00 pm (on nights when the party starts at 6:00 pm).  If you just want to get there somewhere between 5 and 6, I think you'll be okay, but if you want to be there at opening, then I don't think you really have enough time for the break and a meal.



2tinkerbell said:


> My DD utilizes the DAS (along with FP) to tour the parks.  Would this be available during the party?


FPs were not available to get or use during the party in previous years.



2tinkerbell said:


> What time do you suggest we get our place for the Fireworks?  Would you find a place for the early parade and then just hang loose for the Fireworks?


That's probably not a bad option if you don't mind waiting a bit.  The first Cavalcade started at 8:30 pm and Halloween Screams (fireworks) was at 9:30 pm.  I generally watch fireworks from Main Street (just after the last of the shops) and I would normally recommend finding a fireworks spot about 45 minutes early anyway.  You can certainly watch the Cavalcade from Main Street.  Just make sure you can see the left(ish) side of the castle from where ever you watch fireworks.  That's where a lot of the projects will appear.


----------



## 2tinkerbell

Thanks for your input.  I was thinking of grabbing a burger at the terrace restaurant (can't remember the name) in the DLH.  You are right 2 hours probably doesn't give us a lot of time.  Especially for a travel day.  

Another option that is possible is to have a late lunch/early dinner in the Parks before we head over to DLH and then pick up a corn dog on Main Street during the party when we go find our nice comfortable curb. 

I am not one to over plan and I have learned to go with the flow on a lot of things, but, I also have never been to a Disney hard ticket event/party before.


----------



## laura&fam

What is the Toon Town pre-party?


----------



## DenaRox

Is the toon town pre party even on this year? I have last years description of MHP and it lists it but didn't see it in this years??

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards


----------



## figment_jii

DenaRox said:


> Is the toon town pre party even on this year? I have last years description of MHP and it lists it but didn't see it in this years??


It was new last year, so at this point, it isn't clear if it was a "one-off" or if they'll have it again this year.  They didn't say anything about it in the Halloween Time announcement, so I think we'll have to a wait a bit for more details.


----------



## laura&fam

I was starting to think I was totally clueless 2 years ago and just missed the Pre-party.  I'll watch for more info on it as it gets closer.  I'm still overjoyed that we even have dates!


----------



## briggscreek

Yay, we'll be there for the first Halloween party. Since I have a Disney visa, I'll be able to buy tickets on the 16th, right? Can I purchase them online or do I have to call?


----------



## DenaRox

figment_jii said:


> It was new last year, so at this point, it isn't clear if it was a "one-off" or if they'll have it again this year.  They didn't say anything about it in the Halloween Time announcement, so I think we'll have to a wait a bit for more details.



Just something I noticed that they took the time to remove from the disney website MHP description. For the most part the wording is almost identical to last years, just a few little changes and the whole removal of the pre-party.  Sounded kind of fun.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards


----------



## Sherry E

*I just had a quick second to pop over here, but I will be back later.

By the way, I filled in most of the noteworthy dates in the Dates To Remember post (I have a similar post in my Christmas/Holiday Superthread) -- Here.  Let me know if I left out or forgot about any major, important dates, big school breaks, etc.



My feeling is that the more extensive details of anything "new" (new treat trails, new character photos spots, whatever) at the MHP are still being sorted out, and that includes whether or not the Toontown pre-party will return.  I don't think that everything has been figured out yet. 

I tend to think that the MHP info on the DLR site is, for now, just the preliminary, basic info.  Chances are, a couple of treat trails will be added in or change, and the maps will have to reflect that, and maybe they will decide on the fate of the Toontown pre-party as we get closer as well.  

I can't see any reason why the Toontown pre-party would not come back, unless it was a horrible disaster, a massive inconvenience or somehow caused a huge financial loss, but one never knows.  It was a good idea because: (1) It involved Toontown in Halloween Time in some way, shape or form -- whereas, previously it had not been involved because it always has to close early; and (2) It gave the youngest MHP attendees the chance to collect some candy before having to get home early and go to bed!

So I think that Disney is probably still brainstorming, and we will find out more about Halloween Time and the MHP as we go along.  (Even the text on the DLR website can change over time, or be incomplete -- it's happened before!)  At this rate we are lucky that we even got the MHP dates, the Halloween Time dates, the MHP prices and the dates on which the MHP tickets will go on sale, so we can't expect miracles from them!*


briggscreek said:


> Yay, we'll be there for the first Halloween party. Since I have a Disney visa, I'll be able to buy tickets on the 16th, right? Can I purchase them online or do I have to call?



*briggscreek --*

Unless Disney has a different set-up this year for Disney Rewards Visa holders and Disney Vacation Club members to order online and get those discounts applied, you will have to call the phone number (I have all of that info in the MHP FAQ post on page 1, Question #7, I think) and order that way.  They usually have a link set up for AP holders to order online and get the discount, but the Visa and DVC people have had to call in to get the discount applied.  Unless that has changed this year, that's what you'd have to do.


----------



## sgrap

Did anyone find prices for the various dates yet?  Someone mentioned it, but I could find prices anywhere.

Also, what is your opinion about a Wednesday (Oct. 22nd) vs. Friday (Oct. 24th) if you have a choice?  We will have a 13 and a 12 year old with us, so late evening is not a factor (for them at least--for us parents it might be!    ).  I'd rather have things less crowded, or clear out earlier.  What about days of the week surrounding those MHP dates?  Will we be missing anything if we don't stay a weekend that time of year?

So glad to be finally talking specifics instead of guessing!


----------



## Sherry E

sgrap said:


> Did anyone find prices for the various dates yet?  Someone mentioned it, but I could find prices anywhere.
> 
> Also, what is your opinion about a Wednesday (Oct. 22nd) vs. Friday (Oct. 24th) if you have a choice?  We will have a 13 and a 12 year old with us, so late evening is not a factor (for them at least--for us parents it might be!    ).  I'd rather have things less crowded, or clear out earlier.  What about days of the week surrounding those MHP dates?  Will we be missing anything if we don't stay a weekend that time of year?
> 
> So glad to be finally talking specifics instead of guessing!





All the prices are in the MHP FAQ post on page 1 (post #3, Question #8)!


----------



## sgrap

Sherry E said:


> All the prices are in the MHP FAQ post on page 1 (post #3, Question #8)!


AH, now I see it!  Thanks!  I think I had only been looking on the blog.


----------



## mummabear

So we will be there for Halloween opening but my hopes for an earlier party dates like WDW have been dashed  . Sadly Irvine pumpkin patch doesn't open until 2 days after we leave as well.
I am looking forward to the carnival and have my fingers crossed for a Pirates league announcement soon.


----------



## defnjeb

Does anyone know if I can buy MHP tickets for all of my family using my annual pass?


----------



## sgrap

defnjeb said:


> Does anyone know if I can buy MHP tickets for all of my family using my annual pass?


I think you can buy 8 tickets, right?  Is that 8 tickets with each AP?


----------



## crystal1313

defnjeb said:


> Does anyone know if I can buy MHP tickets for all of my family using my annual pass?



You can only buy 8 tickets with your AP I believe.


----------



## Sherry E

This press release from Disneyland News basically says the same thing that the Disney Parks Blog said yesterday (I think they trade info!), but here it is:



"After-hours ‘Mickey’s Halloween Party’ Expands to 14 Nights as Disneyland Resort Celebrates Halloween Time 2014" -- Disneyland News, July 3, 2014 

​


----------



## she who must read

Thanks for all of this info - I did not read every page...so excuse me if I am repeating.

For our first Halloween party, we are picking between Friday, Oct 10th OR Friday, Oct 31...I love the idea of Halloween but fear it will be more crowded.

Opinions?

Thanks all!

Wendy


----------



## ALittleBitWitchy

I had no idea the dates for the Halloween party were announced! I'm so frustrated. What does it take to get e-mail notifications? We are annual pass holders and have a profile/account through GoDisneyland.com. We've had this account for over a year. We love Halloween time at Disney and go every year.


----------



## sgrap

ALittleBitWitchy said:


> I had no idea the dates for the Halloween party were announced! I'm so frustrated. What does it take to get e-mail notifications? We are annual pass holders and have a profile/account through GoDisneyland.com. We've had this account for over a year. We love Halloween time at Disney and go every year.


The info just came out and the tickets aren't on sale yet, so you haven't missed anything.  We have AP's too and didn't get any info--thank goodness for DISboards!


----------



## ALittleBitWitchy

That's so good to hear! I thought we were the only ones! 

It silly they don't send out an e-mail for this. I was just on the GoDisneyland site and it didn't say anything about the Halloween party (no dates or info listed). Maybe I wasn't logged in? Or does it just come up when you go to your annual pass holder page (with current daily events and hours)? 

DISboards are such a lifesaver!


----------



## sgrap

ALittleBitWitchy said:


> That's so good to hear! I thought we were the only ones!
> 
> It silly they don't send out an e-mail for this. I was just on the GoDisneyland site and it didn't say anything about the Halloween party (no dates or info listed). Maybe I wasn't logged in? Or does it just come up when you go to your annual pass holder page (with current daily events and hours)?
> 
> DISboards are such a lifesaver!


My guess is that they will send out an e-mail, but I agree it would be nice if it came at the same time that they posted the info.

I've only just checked the link--I haven't checked into my AP page yet.  https://disneyland.disney.go.com/ev...h14NightsofMickey’sHalloweenParty000502-07-14


----------



## figment_jii

she who must read said:


> Thanks for all of this info - I did not read every page...so excuse me if I am repeating.
> 
> For our first Halloween party, we are picking between Friday, Oct 10th OR Friday, Oct 31...I love the idea of Halloween but fear it will be more crowded.  Opinions?



I think either party will be fun regardless of crowds.   I would say it's almost a certainty that Halloween night will sell out.  The 10th will probably also sell out because it's the Friday before Columbus Day weekend.  So in that way I do think both parties will be sell outs so there will be crowds.  I haven't been to a Halloween night party, but the other sell out parties I've been to haven't felt that bad to me.  There were crowds, but I found moving around the park wasn't that hard.  I would probably opt to go to which ever party works better for you.  However, if there is a chance to go to both, I would do that!


----------



## PHXscuba

I just found out my sister and her family are finally going back to DLR this fall! They haven't been in about 6 years. Her brother-in-law works for one of the video game companies Disney owns and is getting them passes. So I get to give them some tips for a 3-day trip. Biggest challenge will be restraining myself from giving them an overload of advice.  I am glad to see the Halloween Party news so they can plan their days around it.

Have a great weekend to all!

PHXscuba


----------



## figment_jii

ALittleBitWitchy said:
			
		

> It silly they don't send out an e-mail for this. I was just on the GoDisneyland site and it didn't say anything about the Halloween party (no dates or info listed). Maybe I wasn't logged in? Or does it just come up when you go to your annual pass holder page (with current daily events and hours)?



I didn't see anything listed on the AP website either.  I think most of us found out about it through the post on Facebook or the tweet on Twitter that linked to the Disney Parks Blog.  The rest of the info is posted on various pages in Disneyland.com, but they aren't all easy to find, nor is all of the info on one page.  You just kind of have to look around or trust that most everything will be posted on the Disboard fairly quickly.


----------



## sgrap

I'm wondering if it is worth it to go to MHP for 2 nights. We are planning a trip Oct. 21-25/26 (haven't decided yet how long to stay) with me, dh, and 2 dd's.  I was going to get tickets for Wednesday 10/22's MHP.  However, our 20-year old ds had Friday 10/24 off as a 'Fall Break' from college, so we're debating whether he should fly down on Thursday night and stay the rest of the trip with us.  This, of course, is throwing a kink in my MHP planning, but I know I only have a couple more years with him before he is completely off on his own (and an Army officer . . . so who know where . . :-(   ), so I'm willing to uproot basically anything if he is willing to come with us for part of the time.

So questions:
1)  Is MHP something that will really interest a 20-year old guy with his family?
2) Would it be worth it to buy tickets for both 10/22 and 10/24?  It seems ridiculous one on hand, but I'm wondering what we will do Wednesday night if we don't do MHP.  How late is DCA usually open on October weekdays?  Do they keep it open later when there is a MHP going on in DL?  Would DCA become ridiculously crowded with everyone hopping over there who isn't doing MHP?
3) Is a weeknight MHP (10/22) less crowded than a Friday?


----------



## figment_jii

sgrap said:


> So questions:
> 1)  Is MHP something that will really interest a 20-year old guy with his family?
> 2) Would it be worth it to buy tickets for both 10/22 and 10/24?  It seems ridiculous one on hand, but I'm wondering what we will do Wednesday night if we don't do MHP.  How late is DCA usually open on October weekdays?  Do they keep it open later when there is a MHP going on in DL?  Would DCA become ridiculously crowded with everyone hopping over there who isn't doing MHP?
> 3) Is a weeknight MHP (10/22) less crowded than a Friday?



I think MHP is a lot of fun for adults, but it does matter a little if he likes Halloween.  I think the Calvalcade is cute and the fireworks are fun.  Does he normally like fireworks and Halloween themed events?

I did two MHP last year and it was great!  It meant getting to see the Calvalcade and fireworks twice.  It also meant I didn't feel rushed to get things done.  I didn't feel like it was a waste of time or money to go twice.

Last year it looks like DCA closed at 8 pm on weekdays and until midnight on Fridays.  From what I've read, DCA does seen an attendance increase when MHP starts and DL closes to non-party guests.

In terms of the crowds, almost all of them sold out last year.  I went to a sold out Tuesday and Friday party and they felt about the same to me in terms of crowds.  There were a lot of people in DL, but it didn't feel unmanageable or like a zoo.  That being said, I didn't try to do many rides; I focused on the Halloween Party activities.


----------



## mikana876

Any tips on how to get a good spot for the Halloween fireworks? How early should we plan on reserving a spot? Can I lay a blanket down?


----------



## figment_jii

mikana876 said:


> Any tips on how to get a good spot for the Halloween fireworks? How early should we plan on reserving a spot? Can I lay a blanket down?



I like watching from the end of Main Street, just past the last of the buildings.  I would get there between 45-60 minutes early; I think you could cut it closer, but you might end up further back or off to the side.  Make sure you can see the left side of the castle (the side closer to Frontierland) because that's where a lot of the projection effects appear.  You can put down a blanket for some of the wait, but they will ultimately ask everyone to stand up and move forward.  There might be some seating only areas close to the castle, but I've not been wiling to wait that long (I think folks up there start showing up hours in advance).


----------



## laura&fam

figment_jii said:


> I like watching from the end of Main Street, just past the last of the buildings.  I would get there between 45-60 minutes early; I think you could cut it closer, but you might end up further back or off to the side.  Make sure you can see the left side of the castle (the side closer to Frontierland) because that's where a lot of the projection effects appear.  You can put down a blanket for some of the wait, but they will ultimately ask everyone to stand up and move forward.  There might be some seating only areas close to the castle, but I've not been wiling to wait that long (I think folks up there start showing up hours in advance).



Do they ever do a sort of half show if they can't do the fireworks due to high winds?  Or are these lower fireworks that don't get cancelled?  I'm just paranoid because the first time I went as an adult during the 50th we waited forever for the fireworks each night and they cancelled them every single night we were there.  It was very disappointing.


----------



## figment_jii

laura&fam said:


> Do they ever do a sort of half show if they can't do the fireworks due to high winds?  Or are these lower fireworks that don't get cancelled?  I'm just paranoid because the first time I went as an adult during the 50th we waited forever for the fireworks each night and they cancelled them every single night we were there.  It was very disappointing.



As far as I know, it's all or nothing in terms of the fireworks.  Either they do all elements of the show or none.  I have never seen them only do the projections and lower fireworks. I have seen them do the first half of a show, in that they cancelled the show after it started due to changing weather conditions.  Halloween Screams has been cancelled due to weather; it's not super common, but it does seems to happen at least once per year.


----------



## DLmama

figment_jii said:
			
		

> As far as I know, it's all or nothing in terms of the fireworks.  Either they do all elements of the show or none.  I have never seen them only do the projections and lower fireworks. I have seen them do the first half of a show, in that they cancelled the show after it started due to changing weather conditions.  Halloween Screams has been cancelled due to weather; it's not super common, but it does seems to happen at least once per year.



We went to one of the parties last year where they canceled the Halloween Screams fireworks.  They ended up doing then the next day, on a non party night.  I really wish we had known, because we decided to ride POTC and missed the beginning of them.  We caught the end near the exit, but it would've been great to see from the front of the castle. 

We didn't even think about the possibility that they would run the Halloween Screams fireworks on a non party night.  So, if they do get canceled during your party and you're still there the next day, don't miss the fireworks.  You might just get lucky.


----------



## mikana876

figment_jii said:


> I like watching from the end of Main Street, just past the last of the buildings.  I would get there between 45-60 minutes early; I think you could cut it closer, but you might end up further back or off to the side.  Make sure you can see the left side of the castle (the side closer to Frontierland) because that's where a lot of the projection effects appear.  You can put down a blanket for some of the wait, but they will ultimately ask everyone to stand up and move forward.  There might be some seating only areas close to the castle, but I've not been wiling to wait that long (I think folks up there start showing up hours in advance).



Thank you!

So would the area in front of the Jolly Holliday Bakery be a good spot? Also the first calvacade starts 60 minutes for the fireworks... So should we just get a good spot before the parade and stay there for the fireworks?


----------



## CassieF

DLmama said:


> We went to one of the parties last year where they canceled the Halloween Screams fireworks.  They ended up doing then the next day, on a non party night.  I really wish we had known, because we decided to ride POTC and missed the beginning of them.  We caught the end near the exit, but it would've been great to see from the front of the castle.
> 
> We didn't even think about the possibility that they would run the Halloween Screams fireworks on a non party night.  So, if they do get canceled during your party and you're still there the next day, don't miss the fireworks.  You might just get lucky.



The past several years they have consistently set them off the following night (much easier than unloading them) unless winds push them back again.  It's a great thing to know so if you are local you can see the fireworks at least once a year without buying a party ticket.  With Sanat Ana winds that time of year it's not uncommon for it to happen at least once, if not more.  Bummer for party guests, great for people the next night!


----------



## she who must read

Thanks, figment jii, for your answer...guess we will just have to pick!

Wendy


----------



## figment_jii

mikana876 said:


> Thank you!
> 
> So would the area in front of the Jolly Holliday Bakery be a good spot? Also the first calvacade starts 60 minutes for the fireworks... So should we just get a good spot before the parade and stay there for the fireworks?



What do you mean by "In front" of Jolly Holiday?  If you mean in the area by the Jolly Holiday entrance near the Adventureland bridge, I would probably not watch from there.  The globe where a lot of the projections appear is to the left of the castle, so if you cannot clearly see the left side, you'll miss out on some of the show.
http://i963.photobucket.com/albums/...Halloween 2012/MHP/Fireworks/DSC_0688_1-1.jpg

On a unrelated note, I just noticed that the Disneyland AP Facebook finally announced HalloweenTime and MHP.


----------



## mikana876

figment_jii said:


> What do you mean by "In front" of Jolly Holiday?  If you mean in the area by the Jolly Holiday entrance near the Adventureland bridge, I would probably not watch from there.  The globe where a lot of the projections appear is to the left of the castle, so if you cannot clearly see the left side, you'll miss out on some of the show.
> http://i963.photobucket.com/albums/...Halloween 2012/MHP/Fireworks/DSC_0688_1-1.jpg
> 
> On a unrelated note, I just noticed that the Disneyland AP Facebook finally announced HalloweenTime and MHP.



Just looking at the map, the Jolly Holliday bakery is the closest building on main street (closest to the castle) on the left side of main street. So I was thinking that was about where you talking about.


----------



## figment_jii

mikana876 said:


> Just looking at the map, the Jolly Holliday bakery is the closest building on main street (closest to the castle) on the left side of main street. So I was thinking that was about where you talking about.



Ah, sorry, I tend to think of the buildings at the end of the Main Street as being Coke Corner and the Camera/Photopass shop.  However, I can see where Jolly Holiday and Plaza Inn could be considered the end of Main Street (I think of them as being part of the hub area).  I tend to watch from somewhere inside the red box area, with a slight preference to be slightly to the right of center).





It's worth noting that lots of folks have different opinions about where to watch the fireworks from.  Some folks love to be between the Partners Statue and the castle, while others enjoy being closer to Tomorrowland/Frontierland entrances/bridges, over by Fantasmic, or Small World Mall.  Basically, I do think where you normally like to watch the fireworks from is probably a good bet for Screams as well.


----------



## mikana876

Thank you!


----------



## figment_jii

And so begins another Monday...any guesses when the #GetHappier event will be announced today?


----------



## sgrap

figment_jii said:


> And so begins another Monday...any guesses when the #GetHappier event will be announced today?


I was having that exact same thought 2 minutes ago!


----------



## figment_jii

First cryptic clue has been posted (3:35 pm):


> A little 'extra' magic is in the air! We’ll announce our next #GetHappier surprise soon, so stay tuned!!



This one sounds fun and more folks get to participate (4:51 pm):


> #GetHappier w/ an extra hour! First 1,500 to find us on Big Thunder Trail get access to select attractions after closing tonight from 12-1a!



And it lasted longer than any of the others (6:46 pm):


> That completes today's #GetHappier distribution! Thank you for participating!! Stay tuned for more surprises each Monday this summer!



Here are my notes for #GetHappier so far...

6/09 It's a mystery

6/16 11:58 am -12:52 pm Critter Country Mickey Ear Hats ($14) [50]
6/16 3:00 pm - 3:27 pm HollywoodLand Oswald Ear Hats ($17) [50]

6/23 (did not announce) - Wishing Well photo op with the Seven Dwarves (-) [?]
6/23 5:21 pm - 5:30 pm Paradise Pier WOC Voucher and Glow with the Show Ears ($25) [50]

6/30 1:56 pm - 2:05 pm Tomorrowland Vinylmations ($12) [50]
6/30 3:46 pm - 3:53 pm Grizzly River Rapids Vinylmations ($12) [50]

7/07 4:51 pm - 6:46 pm Extra Hour in DL (-) [1,500]


----------



## Amilo

figment_jii said:
			
		

> First cryptic clue has been posted (3:35 pm):
> 
> This one sounds fun and more folks get to participate (4:51 pm):




That's a good get happier prize! Too bad I am not there!


----------



## Kilala

I'm plannning on going on the first day of MHP or on the 3rd of October. Those are the cheepest Friday night. I kind of want to shoot for the 3rd. What do you guys think. I wanted to check it out before I go with my friends. I hope the Carousel will be open this year for MHP. Last year me and my friends were dissapointed that it wasn't open.


----------



## figment_jii

Kilala said:


> I'm plannning on going on the first day of MHP or on the 3rd of October. Those are the cheepest Friday night. I kind of want to shoot for the 3rd. What do you guys think. I wanted to check it out before I go with my friends. I hope the Carousel will be open this year for MHP. Last year me and my friends were dissapointed that it wasn't open.



I think any MHP will be fun!  I think the 10/3 will sell out in advance because it's the Friday of Gay Days weekends.  Last year, that party, along with the first one were among the first to sell out.

I like to go to the first party because it's the start of the parties and it's fun to be surprised and find out for myself what is new.  That being said, going to a non-first party is also fun because by then the early reviews have been posted and I had a better sense of what some things were (like the Toontown Pre-Party last year) and what things should be seen (like the change over of the Villains at the meet & greet).  So there are advantages of going to the non-first party.  

I haven't heard anything about the Carousel going down this year.  I wouldn't be surprised if it goes down at some point late this year or early next year in advance of the 60th, but so far it hasn't been on the list of planed rehabs.  I would keep watching the refurb list and see what shows up.  At this point, the only thing that is known to be down during HalloweenTime is the Matterhorn.
http://www.wdwinfo.com/disneyland/plan.htm#rehab


----------



## addicted2dizney

general question about the operations of things at DLR during Halloweentime... so I will be missing the parties since my vacation time will be 9/13-9/19.  Is is safe to assume that since Halloween time will be starting on the 12th that Haunted mansion, ToT and Space Mountains change ups for Halloween should be up and running?  I would hate to think of these rides as closed during our visit due to the changes.   Any insight would be much appreciated!


----------



## Amilo

addicted2dizney said:
			
		

> general question about the operations of things at DLR during Halloweentime... so I will be missing the parties since my vacation time will be 9/13-9/19.  Is is safe to assume that since Halloween time will be starting on the 12th that Haunted mansion, ToT and Space Mountains change ups for Halloween should be up and running?  I would hate to think of these rides as closed during our visit due to the changes.   Any insight would be much appreciated!



Sorry, I do not know the answer to your question, but TOT has a Halloween overlay!?!? Totally didn't know that.


----------



## figment_jii

addicted2dizney said:


> general question about the operations of things at DLR during Halloweentime... so I will be missing the parties since my vacation time will be 9/13-9/19.  Is is safe to assume that since Halloween time will be starting on the 12th that Haunted mansion, ToT and Space Mountains change ups for Halloween should be up and running?  I would hate to think of these rides as closed during our visit due to the changes.   Any insight would be much appreciated!



Yes, baring some unforeseen delay in installing the overlay, HMH and SMGG will re-open when HalloweenTime starts (9/12).  Likewise, Big Thunder Ranch Jamboree/Carnival will also open that Friday (again, baring some unforeseen delay).

As far as I know, Tower of Terror does not have a Halloween overlay.  I think they just toss it into the description of HalloweenTime because it's kind of a spooky/ghostly ride to begin with.


----------



## addicted2dizney

figment_jii said:


> Yes, baring some unforeseen delay in installing the overlay, HMH and SMGG will re-open when HalloweenTime starts (9/12).  Likewise, Big Thunder Ranch Jamboree/Carnival will also open that Friday (again, baring some unforeseen delay).
> 
> As far as I know, Tower of Terror does not have a Halloween overlay.  I think they just toss it into the description of HalloweenTime because it's kind of a spooky/ghostly ride to begin with.



 thanks.. yes, I just re read the description and it does not state it's done over.. but I agree. probably because it's ghostly to begin with.    fingers crossed for a smooth install!


----------



## Kilala

figment_jii said:


> I think any MHP will be fun!  I think the 10/3 will sell out in advance because it's the Friday of Gay Days weekends.  Last year, that party, along with the first one were among the first to sell out.
> 
> I like to go to the first party because it's the start of the parties and it's fun to be surprised and find out for myself what is new.  That being said, going to a non-first party is also fun because by then the early reviews have been posted and I had a better sense of what some things were (like the Toontown Pre-Party last year) and what things should be seen (like the change over of the Villains at the meet & greet).  So there are advantages of going to the non-first party.
> 
> I haven't heard anything about the Carousel going down this year.  I wouldn't be surprised if it goes down at some point late this year or early next year in advance of the 60th, but so far it hasn't been on the list of planed rehabs.  I would keep watching the refurb list and see what shows up.  At this point, the only thing that is known to be down during HalloweenTime is the Matterhorn.
> http://www.wdwinfo.com/disneyland/plan.htm#rehab



I might planning on going the first day of MHP then. I will be dressed up as cat on that night.


----------



## laura&fam

Kilala said:


> I'm plannning on going on the first day of MHP or on the 3rd of October. Those are the cheepest Friday night. I kind of want to shoot for the 3rd. What do you guys think. I wanted to check it out before I go with my friends. I hope the Carousel will be open this year for MHP. Last year me and my friends were dissapointed that it wasn't open.



The Carousel was one of my favorites at MHP when I went.  I loved seeing Batman and Kermit the Frog and Belle and all these characters on it.  Also you have an excellent view of the castle all Halloween-ed up.


----------



## TulipsNZ

Do many people dress up? If they do is it in character or other type of costumes?


----------



## zanzibar138

TulipsNZ said:


> Do many people dress up? If they do is it in character or other type of costumes?



Any type of costume is fine as long as it is within the Disney guidelines for morality and safety (eg nothing offensive, nothing dragging on the ground, and nothing that could be mistaken for a weapon).

I've seen pictures of all sorts of costumes.


----------



## figment_jii

TulipsNZ said:


> Do many people dress up? If they do is it in character or other type of costumes?



The guidelines from last year are posted in the third post on this thread (Question #15).  As _zanzibar138_ said, you can come as any character you want (it doesn't have to be Disney), but as MHP is a family friendly event, so please keep that in mind.  You'll see a pretty good split of guests in costumes and guests not in costume.  I don't wear a costume, but I've never felt out of place.  It's fun to see all the different costumes, but I've generally noticed a stronger presence of Disney costumes than any other group.


----------



## TulipsNZ

figment_jii said:


> The guidelines from last year are posted in the third post on this thread (Question #15).  As _zanzibar138_ said, you can come as any character you want (it doesn't have to be Disney), but as MHP is a family friendly event, so please keep that in mind.  You'll see a pretty good split of guests in costumes and guests not in costume.  I don't wear a costume, but I've never felt out of place.  It's fun to see all the different costumes, but I've generally noticed a stronger presence of Disney costumes than any other group.



I'm a mother of 5 I don't think anything in my life is not family friendly anymore lol. I guess I was more thinking should we stay in Disney theme or more Halloween, I might just dress in orange & black


----------



## aidensmom31

I dont know if it is coming back but trying to get info from anyone who did it last year.....did anyone do the pirates league last year?  If so do you remember cost?


----------



## figment_jii

TulipsNZ said:


> I'm a mother of 5 I don't think anything in my life is not family friendly anymore lol. I guess I was more thinking should we stay in Disney theme or more Halloween, I might just dress in orange & black


Orange & black clothing will be fine!  I often wear the Halloween Party t-shirt from the year before.  You would think that people with families would know what is generally considered "family friendly" but I remember someone asking over on the WDW boards whether or not people thought that if she dressed up her whole family (little kids included) as blood splattered zombies would it be okay.   Luckily it sounded like she was re-thinking it after most folks said it didn't sound very family/child friendly.  People sometimes have interesting ideas about what is "family friendly."



aidensmom31 said:


> I dont know if it is coming back but trying to get info from anyone who did it last year.....did anyone do the pirates league last year?  If so do you remember cost?


Based on the Disney Parks Blog entry from last year, the prices ranged from $29.95 to $34.95 plus tax.  I would add a few dollars for this year's prices. Now, if they start adding more elaborate packages, then I could see the prices being even higher.
http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...a-limited-time-only-at-the-disneyland-resort/


----------



## yeheyprincex2

We have decided we will attend the first Halloween party ending our three days at the park with a BANG! as my DH says.
Now I'm trying to work out a 3 day park hopper plan with a Halloween party on our last night Friday 9/26.
We arrive in San Diego 9/23 around 12:20 then straight to Anaheim, staying off site.  
could we have a productive half day?
any suggestion on how to do a half day? which park for a possible half day DCA or DL?


----------



## LisaT91403

I'm a long-time AP holder, but have never ponied up the extra cash for MHP. Now that DS(6) is a bit older and can stay up later, I'm considering it. Here are my questions:

1. If I have an AP that's valid through mid-September, am I able to purchase the discounted MHP tickets and then use them in October (even if I don't have an AP then?)

2. Am I limited to purchasing 1 ticket per AP (meaning, I could buy 3 tickets for the 3 AP holders in my family, but not for my nephews)?

3. I've read mixed reviews about how crowded the parties are in regards to both trick-or-treat lines and rides. Are there any strategies here, such as maybe rides first then trick-or treat later in the night? Do they ever run out of treats if you save the T-O-Ting for towards the end of the night?

4. Is a Friday night party any more crowded than a mid-week party? I know it will be more crowded from 4:00 - 7:00, but I'm wondering about the party itself.

Thanks!


----------



## Imdboss

LisaT91403 said:


> I'm a long-time AP holder, but have never ponied up the extra cash for MHP. Now that DS(6) is a bit older and can stay up later, I'm considering it. Here are my questions:
> 
> 1. If I have an AP that's valid through mid-September, am I able to purchase the discounted MHP tickets and then use them in October (even if I don't have an AP then?)
> 
> 2. Am I limited to purchasing 1 ticket per AP (meaning, I could buy 3 tickets for the 3 AP holders in my family, but not for my nephews)?
> 
> 3. I've read mixed reviews about how crowded the parties are in regards to both trick-or-treat lines and rides. Are there any strategies here, such as maybe rides first then trick-or treat later in the night? Do they ever run out of treats if you save the T-O-Ting for towards the end of the night?
> 
> 4. Is a Friday night party any more crowded than a mid-week party? I know it will be more crowded from 4:00 - 7:00, but I'm wondering about the party itself.
> 
> Thanks!



I'm not an annual pass holder so not sure on #1. For #2 I have read on here that you can purchase 8 tickets per annual pass, someone else can verify that I'm sure. #3, the first time I went to MHP we did treat lines first and found that we should have waited until later in the evening. Around 10-11 there weren't any lines, just walk right through for treats and none of the trails we went to were out of treats. Also if you wait until the end of the party then you won't need to carry all of that candy all night long! #4, it seems that MHP is becoming so popular and selling out on most nights (if not all of them) that the crowds will be the same any night you choose.


----------



## figment_jii

yeheyprincex2 said:


> Could we have a productive half day?  Any suggestion on how to do a half day? which park for a possible half day DCA or DL?


I don't think you can completely do either park in half of day, but you can get a fair amount done depending on what you want to do.  My family often likes to go DL on our arrival day.  Given that it's HalloweenTime, we head for HMH first and then do whatever else seems relatively short lined at that point (and maybe grab a FP for Indy or BTMRR or Space if they're still available).  So, yes, I think you can have a productive half day, but you aren't going to finish the entire park (one land maybe at most).



LisaT91403 said:


> 1. If I have an AP that's valid through mid-September, am I able to purchase the discounted MHP tickets and then use them in October (even if I don't have an AP then?)


I have not had to show my AP when using my MHP ticket to enter the park or pick up the wristband.  You do have to have a valid AP at the time of purchase to buy the tickets.



LisaT91403 said:


> 2. Am I limited to purchasing 1 ticket per AP (meaning, I could buy 3 tickets for the 3 AP holders in my family, but not for my nephews)?


Each AP holder is limited to purchasing 8 tickets at the discounted price.  Post #529 on this thread confirmed the limit from last year was still in place this year.



LisaT91403 said:


> 3. I've read mixed reviews about how crowded the parties are in regards to both trick-or-treat lines and rides. Are there any strategies here, such as maybe rides first then trick-or treat later in the night? Do they ever run out of treats if you save the T-O-Ting for towards the end of the night?


The treats are the same whether you go trick-or-treating at the start, middle, or end of the party.  I usually save it for the middle to end of the party, but the lines do move pretty fast.



LisaT91403 said:


> 4. Is a Friday night party any more crowded than a mid-week party? I know it will be more crowded from 4:00 - 7:00, but I'm wondering about the party itself.


Almost all of the parties sold out last year, so the crowds felt roughly the same to me (I went to a sold out Tuesday and a sold out Friday crowd).  Disney never releases the number of tickets of they sell, so it's all a guess about crowds.  I do think the first party will sell out for certain, so there will be "crowds" but nothing like a high crowd holiday day.


----------



## Swtonscrappn

Imdboss said:


> For #2 I have read on here that you can purchase 8 tickets per annual pass, someone else can verify that I'm sure.



This is true. I did this last year. I was the only one in my family with an annual pass and I got 6 of the 8 tickets available to me.


----------



## LisaT91403

figment_jii said:


> Almost all of the parties sold out last year, so the crowds felt roughly the same to me (I went to a sold out Tuesday and a sold out Friday crowd).  Disney never releases the number of tickets of they sell, so it's all a guess about crowds.  I do think the first party will sell out for certain, so there will be "crowds" but nothing like a high crowd holiday day.



Thanks for the info. I just want to make sure I understand what you are saying -- that it's crowded, but not as crowded as a "holiday" crowd? How does it compare to a typical Sunday crowd?


----------



## figment_jii

LisaT91403 said:


> Thanks for the info. I just want to make sure I understand what you are saying -- that it's crowded, but not as crowded as a "holiday" crowd? How does it compare to a typical Sunday crowd?



I'll preface this by saying that what is crowded to one person might not be crowded to another person.  I don't do rides at MHP, so I can't really comment on how long the lines are other than HMH seemed popular.  I don't think it's as crowded as a typical Sunday afternoon, but it doesn't mean the rides are walk-up or that you can wait until the last minute to find a good fireworks/Cavalcade spot.


----------



## LisaT91403

figment_jii said:


> I'll preface this by saying that what is crowded to one person might not be crowded to another person.



I couldn't agree more! If you read enough trip reports here, you will learn how true this is. I've gone and thought the park was quite pleasant, and then have come here and read reports about how miserably crowded it was on the same day I was there!




figment_jii said:


> I don't do rides at MHP, so I can't really comment on how long the lines are other than HMH seemed popular.



Okay, good to know...as I'm mostly concerned about ride wait times. If I am going to pay a big premium to be there for only a few hours, I want to be able to get the kids onto lots of rides. It doesn't matter as much to DS, as we have our APs, but my nephews don't get to visit DLR much and they will be wanting to ride everything.

Thanks for your help!


----------



## figment_jii

LisaT91403 said:


> Okay, good to know...as I'm mostly concerned about ride wait times. If I am going to pay a big premium to be there for only a few hours, I want to be able to get the kids onto lots of rides. It doesn't matter as much to DS, as we have our APs, but my nephews don't get to visit DLR much and they will be wanting to ride everything.


Oh...so you're going to go the party to do rides?  Or are you going to do the party events (e.g., fireworks, Cavalcade, character meet and greets, dance parties, trick-or-treating)?  I mainly ask because most folks go to the party to do the party exclusive events, but if you do that, you won't have a lot of time to do rides.  The party only lasts five hours and it goes by very fast.  Most of the major rides are open (baring an unexpected closure), but a few things do close (e.g., Tiki Birds, the Railroad, Toontown, etc.).


----------



## LisaT91403

figment_jii said:


> Oh...so you're going to go the party to do rides?  Or are you going to do the party events (e.g., fireworks, Cavalcade, character meet and greets, dance parties, trick-or-treating)?  I mainly ask because most folks go to the party to do the party exclusive events, but if you do that, you won't have a lot of time to do rides.  The party only lasts five hours and it goes by very fast.  Most of the major rides are open (baring an unexpected closure), but a few things do close (e.g., Tiki Birds, the Railroad, Toontown, etc.).



Rides and trick-or-treating for sure. I'm not sure about the other events...we'd probably play it by ear and see what looks like fun when we are there. I figured we could also use the 4:00-7:00 time for rides (but, on a Friday, I know it will be very crowded then).


----------



## figment_jii

LisaT91403 said:


> Rides and trick-or-treating for sure. I'm not sure about the other events...we'd probably play it by ear and see what looks like fun when we are there. I figured we could also use the 4:00-7:00 time for rides (but, on a Friday, I know it will be very crowded then).



How many days are you going?  If you aren't really interested in the MHP events, I would consider forgoing the party and going over to the DCA at that point.  The parks opened at 8:00 am last year and DCA opened until midnight on Fridays in October.  So if you had tickets for the whole day you would get 17 hours of time in the parks and you could split your day between DL and DCA (though DCA did get more crowded once the party started).  Otherwise, with the party, you'll only be able to visit DL and the crowds do ramp up during the 4-7 pm period so I wouldn't count on doing that many rides in that three hour time period.

I just realized that only the first Friday MHP in October (which happens to coincide with Gay Days weekend, which means the party will most likely sell out) has any type of discount.  The other Friday night parties in October (10/10, 10/17, 10/24, and 10/31) do not offer any AP/DVC/Disney Visa discount.  The tickets are $70 regardless of purchase date.


----------



## laura&fam

LisaT91403 said:


> Rides and trick-or-treating for sure. I'm not sure about the other events...we'd probably play it by ear and see what looks like fun when we are there. I figured we could also use the 4:00-7:00 time for rides (but, on a Friday, I know it will be very crowded then).



This is what we did at MHP two years ago.  We found the ride lines to be shorter during the party than they had been the day before (Thursday) but we avoided HM and SM since we knew the lines would be long for those.  The time does go by very fast.  You mostly need to pick rides or Halloween stuff (characters and parades, etc.) and forgo the other.  My family was fine not doing character meet and greets or the parade/cavalcade.


----------



## mummabear

laura&fam said:


> This is what we did at MHP two years ago.  We found the ride lines to be shorter during the party than they had been the day before (Thursday) but we avoided HM and SM since we knew the lines would be long for those.  The time does go by very fast.  You mostly need to pick rides or Halloween stuff (characters and parades, etc.) and forgo the other.  My family was fine not doing character meet and greets or the parade/cavalcade.



Out of curiosity why would you spend the money on the party if you are not interested in the party stuff?



Was 2010 the first year DLR held MHP?


----------



## laura&fam

All the decor and atmosphere were really fun.  We did dress up and watch the Halloween fireworks and the kids liked the trick or treating.  We're going this year to Legoland so we're only able to fit in a little bit of time at Disneyland.  Since we only get there every couple of years or so the rides are a big deal to us.  Not that the other isn't fun and we wouldn't like it we just picked more rides since it was one or the other.

Also cost wise MHP is about half the price of a one day ticket and if we're there on a party night and it gets crazy at 3pm it's a short day anyway.


----------



## Kilala

mummabear said:


> Was 2010 the first year DLR held MHP?



no ti wasn't the first year. It was the first year for it to be at Disnayland. All of the years that I was there was in DCA. I have been going since 2006. My friend went when they first had it in 1996 I think.


----------



## scrappymel

zulily has some nice prices on girls costumes today... the queen of hearts is ADORABLE. 

http://www.zulily.com/e/enchanted-p...s&sPos=1&cSec=0&ns=ns_404211020|1405178201402


----------



## Sherry E

*Hi, everyone!

I haven't abandoned you all (I know that's disappointing news!).  I wanted to kind of hang back and let the conversation flow.  I know from previous years that when this thread picks up steam it's best to let it roll, and sometimes if I keep quiet more people will jump in and start talking.   (Also, there is a massive, 3 month+ Theme Week Countdown [with prizes and all] that is about to take place in my Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread in one week and I have been busy trying to play with some ideas for that to make it a little more challenging.  Muahahahahahahaha!)


I'm glad to see that more people have been joining in and speaking up -- and  to all of you!

Thank you to figment_jii and everyone else who has answered questions and helped out!

I will suggest to everyone who is new to the thread (and/or new to Halloween Time) to be sure to read the MHP FAQ post on page 1, as well as the Dates to Remember post, the Ghoulish Grub post, the Haunted Happenings post, etc.  A lot of the questions that come up about the MHP are probably in that FAQ post somewhere!


I am still planning to do some sort of mini-Theme Week Countdown here, in this thread, but am waiting for the right time.  Initially I wanted to start it at the same time I kick off the Theme Week Countdown in the Holiday thread, but this thread tends to get busier in big waves, and trying to wedge in a Countdown is awkward (I know -- I tried it in the past) and tends to then discourage questions and conversation.  The pace of this thread is a little different than it is in my other Superthread.   

This upcoming week we have the first wave of MHP ticket sales and that always generates conversation, as does the General Public ticket sale day.  After the tickets have gone on sale to everyone, then it's just a matter of waiting for any additional Halloween Time "news" to trickle in.  So I may just launch the mini-Theme Week Countdown in this thread after the tickets have gone on sale to everyone, as we then wait for any morsels of info about the season.

On a side note, as I'm sure you all saw last week, the Parks Blog came out with a piece about the "Legends of Frontierland: Gold Rush" event that is currently taking place in DLR.

I thought that Legends was an interesting idea and a great way for guests to have an interactive, immersive, themed experience.  I also thought that it seemed like a concept that has legs, as it could carry over to different lands (with different themed stories created for each land) in the future.

And then I thought that the whole concept of the story-driven, themed, interactive, immersive experience could also work wonderfully for Halloween Time -- or even for the holidays.  The story/experience during Halloween Time could be slightly spooky (but not very spooky), with a sort of 'mystery' theme befitting the season, and different characters in the story could be created just for that event.

A similar Holiday Season story/experience could involve the Citizens of Buena Vista Street, Molly the Messenger, etc.

I wonder if DLR currently has plans to continue the same sort of themed experience/story in other lands or for other seasons.*




she who must read said:


> Thanks for all of this info - I did not read every page...so excuse me if I am repeating.
> 
> For our first Halloween party, we are picking between Friday, Oct 10th OR Friday, Oct 31...I love the idea of Halloween but fear it will be more crowded.
> 
> Opinions?
> 
> Thanks all!
> 
> Wendy



*Wendy --*

I just wanted to say welcome!  

I, too, am considering a Halloween night party.  Halloween night parties usually sell out anyway, but if Halloween is on an earlier weeknight is always possible that people will have to leave a tad early to get the little ones home.  

This time, since Halloween is on a Friday, that makes me think that no one will go home before midnight!  I could be wrong, but I just have a feeling that a Friday night Halloween party will be very popular -- but there may not be any more tickets sold for that night than there are for, say, a Tuesday night party.




ALittleBitWitchy said:


> I had no idea the dates for the Halloween party were announced! I'm so frustrated. What does it take to get e-mail notifications? We are annual pass holders and have a profile/account through GoDisneyland.com. We've had this account for over a year. We love Halloween time at Disney and go every year.



*ALittleBitWitchy --*

Do you get any of the feeds?  The Disney Parks Blog appears to have stopped sending out their daily email summaries of the previous days' Blogs, but I am subscribed to their feed and that is effective.    I am also subscribed to the Disneyland News feed.  When new Blogs and Press Releases come through, they will pop up in your browser within 15 minutes to one hour of going live (depending on your settings), which is helpful if you're sitting at a computer.

Either that, or you could follow the pages on Facebook or Twitter and set up mobile alerts that way.





PHXscuba said:


> I just found out my sister and her family are finally going back to DLR this fall! They haven't been in about 6 years. Her brother-in-law works for one of the video game companies Disney owns and is getting them passes. So I get to give them some tips for a 3-day trip. Biggest challenge will be restraining myself from giving them an overload of advice.  I am glad to see the Halloween Party news so they can plan their days around it.
> 
> Have a great weekend to all!
> 
> PHXscuba



*Hi, PHX --*



Can you work your way into being their "guide" and go along on the trip?  Tell them that sooooooo much has changed in 6 years and that you just _have_ to show them around!

Will your sister and family be trying to avoid the MHP, or work it into the schedule?  If they're going to the MHP, be sure to refer them to the MHP FAQ on page 1!





figment_jii said:


> And so begins another Monday...any guesses when the #GetHappier event will be announced today?



*figment_jii --*

I didn't pop in here to comment, but I was following the Facebook pages last week and saw when the Get Happier thing popped up.  I guess that was an okay giveaway for those who were able to stay that late and enjoy the extra hour.

Well, who knows what amazing wonders are in store for tomorrow's Monday Summer Surprise?



figment_jii said:


> As far as I know, Tower of Terror does not have a Halloween overlay.  I think they just toss it into the description of HalloweenTime because it's kind of a spooky/ghostly ride to begin with.



*figment_jii --*

I believe that someone said that, at one point several years ago, there were some Halloween decorations or banners of some kind in the queue/waiting area for ToT.  Then the decorations disappeared.  I think it's kind of misleading for Disney to bring up ToT when talking about Halloween Time if there are no actual ties to Halloween in that ride.  Yes, it is a spooky ride to begin with, but it's spooky all year, and not just during Halloween Time!

I guess DLR has to grasp at straws, though, since they removed almost all other traces of Halloween from DCA (the Mad T party isn't enough to cover even one land, let alone several lands)!

Did you notice that in the Disneyland News piece I posted the link for a few pages back it said, _"...Halloween Time at the Disneyland Resort transforms Disneyland and Disney California Adventure Parks into cheerfully spooky, family-friendly Halloween environments beginning Friday, Sept. 12..." _?

As you can imagine, while reading I was mumbling to myself, "Yeah, right.... California Adventure is not transformed!"




figment_jii said:


> The guidelines from last year are posted in the third post on this thread (Question #15).  As _zanzibar138_ said, you can come as any character you want (it doesn't have to be Disney), but as MHP is a family friendly event, so please keep that in mind.  You'll see a pretty good split of guests in costumes and guests not in costume.  I don't wear a costume, but I've never felt out of place.  It's fun to see all the different costumes, but I've generally noticed a stronger presence of Disney costumes than any other group.



Same here -- I haven't worn a costume yet either, and have never felt out of place.





mummabear said:


> Out of curiosity why would you spend the money on the party if you are not interested in the party stuff?
> 
> Was 2010 the first year DLR held MHP?



*mummabear --*

I wrote about this in the MHP FAQ post on page 1, but "Mickey's Halloween Party" -- as we know it, by that specific name -- did, indeed, begin in 2010, and 2010 was the first year (in a long time) that it took place in DL, after being in DCA for several years.  Prior to 2010 it was called Mickey's Trick or Treat Party and Mickey's Halloween Treat.

The Halloween party -- by any name -- actually predates the Halloween Time season, meaning that the party was already an official event before Disneyland ever gave an official name to its Halloween season.  The party began back in the '90s, then was shelved for 9 years, and then returned in the year of Disneyland's 50th anniversary (2005).  Halloween Time officially began (with that name) in 2006.


​


----------



## sgrap

I know this question has been tossed around, but with tickets going on early sales this week, I need to decide!  And I need help!    If we are at DLR for a time period with 2 MHP's, is it worth it to buy tickets for both of them?  We'd be there on Wednesday 10/22 and Friday 10/24.  I'd love any input!  Thanks~


----------



## laura&fam

sgrap said:


> I know this question has been tossed around, but with tickets going on early sales this week, I need to decide!  And I need help!    If we are at DLR for a time period with 2 MHP's, is it worth it to buy tickets for both of them?  We'd be there on Wednesday 10/22 and Friday 10/24.  I'd love any input!  Thanks~



If you have the chance you could take more time and not worry about having to see everything in one night however if you're trying to go to the park the next day that would be very hard.  Do you want to see all the Halloween stuff (fireworks/cavalcade/etc.) and get character photos?  Will you be there during the day each party day or the next day?  The party goes pretty late (for me and my kids at least) so an entire day plus a party or rope drop the next day would be difficult.


----------



## BayGirl22

I didn't see this answered in the FAQ and want to be sure before tickets go on sale:
I have an AP, I'm taking my 5yo son to DL for MHP (sooo excited, he doesn't know yet), he does not have an AP.  So can I buy an AP rate ticket for me and a regular ticket for him in the same transaction when they go on sale to AP-holders?  And it looks like there are no child rates for the party, correct?

Just want to be sure I'm not limited to buying only for AP-holders this week, because it won't really work out if our date sells out before the general sales start.  We're planning on the first party in September. 
TIA!


----------



## sgrap

laura&fam said:


> If you have the chance you could take more time and not worry about having to see everything in one night however if you're trying to go to the park the next day that would be very hard.  Do you want to see all the Halloween stuff (fireworks/cavalcade/etc.) and get character photos?  Will you be there during the day each party day or the next day?  The party goes pretty late (for me and my kids at least) so an entire day plus a party or rope drop the next day would be difficult.


Yes, we'd probably want to do all the Halloween stuff and get some character photos.  We'd be there Tuesday-Saturday most likely.  I agree that especially doing the Friday party, we probably wouldn't try to do rope drop on Saturday.  My guess would be that we would do rope drop Wednesday, go back at some point mid-day to the hotel and then return for MHP.  Is there an optimum time for returning for the parties so that you are not caught up in the turnstiles with MHP people arriving?


----------



## Sherry E

BayGirl22 said:


> I didn't see this answered in the FAQ and want to be sure before tickets go on sale:
> I have an AP, I'm taking my 5yo son to DL for MHP (sooo excited, he doesn't know yet), he does not have an AP.  So can I buy an AP rate ticket for me and a regular ticket for him in the same transaction when they go on sale to AP-holders?  And it looks like there are no child rates for the party, correct?
> 
> Just want to be sure I'm not limited to buying only for AP-holders this week, because it won't really work out if our date sells out before the general sales start.  We're planning on the first party in September.
> TIA!



*BayGirl22 --*

As an AP holder you can buy up to 8 tickets at the discounted rate (including a ticket for your son)!  So you can buy both of your tickets at a discount in the same transaction!  

Correct -- no separate rates for a child's ticket.


----------



## theworldneedscolor

So I just discovered that my dates match up with Dapper Days. I actually am pretty excited about this, because I get to participate and get a great discount at the Disney hotels!  

I am concerned about the crowds, since I will just be there for the weekend. How crowded does it normally get during the Dapper Days weekend?


----------



## Sherry E

sgrap said:


> I know this question has been tossed around, but with tickets going on early sales this week, I need to decide!  And I need help!    If we are at DLR for a time period with 2 MHP's, is it worth it to buy tickets for both of them?  We'd be there on Wednesday 10/22 and Friday 10/24.  I'd love any input!  Thanks~




*sgrap --*

My personal feeling is that 2 parties would probably not be a bad idea, just to be able to get in all of the character meet & greets, the fireworks, Cavalcade, hit some treat trails, dance parties, etc., but you could probably get away with only one.  

I think that one party certainly gives enough of a dose of Halloween fun that one isn't left feeling bored or unfulfilled, but 2 parties may be too much for some people.  It's hard to tell who will be glad they did more than one party and who will regret it.

As for a good time to arrive at DL to avoid MHP gridlock at the turnstiles, good question!  I'm not sure.  A whole bunch o' people enter Disneyland at 3 p.m. or 4 p.m. (depending on which party night it is), so the turnstiles get pretty packed, pretty quickly) and I think there may only be one or two gates through which you can enter.


----------



## sgrap

Sherry E said:


> *sgrap --*
> 
> My personal feeling is that 2 parties probably wouldn't be a bad idea, just to be able to get in all of the characters meet & greets, the fireworks, Cavalcade, hit some treat trails, dance parties, etc., but you could probably get away with only one.
> 
> I think that one party certainly gives enough of a dose of Halloween fun that one isn't left feeling bored or unfulfilled, but 2 parties may be too much for some people.  It's hard to tell who will be glad they did more than one party and who will regret it.
> 
> As for a good time to arrive at DL to avoid MHP gridlock at the turnstiles, good question!  I'm not sure.  A whole bunch o' people enter Disneyland at 3 p.m. or 4 p.m. (depending on which party night it is), so the turnstiles get pretty packed, pretty quickly) and I think there may only be one or two gates through which you can enter.



Thanks for the input!  Am I correct in assuming that the Halloween party starts at the time when the park closes to other guests (6 p.m. or 7 p.m.), not the 3 hours earlier when the park opens to MHP ticket holders?  In other words, would I be missing out on anything if I didn't re-enter until say 5 p.m.?


----------



## BayGirl22

Sherry E said:


> *BayGirl22 --*
> 
> As an AP holder you can buy up to 8 tickets at the discounted rate (including a ticket for your son)!  So you can buy both of your tickets at a discount in the same transaction!
> 
> Correct -- no separate rates for a child's ticket.



Oh that's great news. Discounts for both do us.  I can't wait. 
Thanks for the quick response!


----------



## figment_jii

sgrap said:


> I know this question has been tossed around, but with tickets going on early sales this week, I need to decide!  And I need help!    If we are at DLR for a time period with 2 MHP's, is it worth it to buy tickets for both of them?  We'd be there on Wednesday 10/22 and Friday 10/24.  I'd love any input!  Thanks~



I agree with _Sherry_, that if you can go to two parties, I would go to two parties!  It gives you more time to do thigns and you can do things at a more relaxed pace.  I went to two parties last year (for the first time) and I really enjoyed just being able to sit down and soak up the atmosphere more easily.  For the first party, we hit all of the things we normally do (fireworks, Cavalcade, trick-or-treating, etc.) and then on the second party we used what we had learned at the first party to do them again, plus check out a few other things (villains mini-show, Cadaver Dans, etc.). 



BayGirl22 said:


> Just want to be sure I'm not limited to buying only for AP-holders this week, because it won't really work out if our date sells out before the general sales start.  We're planning on the first party in September.


As _Sherry_ said, you'll be able to purchase your son's ticket at the discounted rate this week.  In truth, I would be pretty surprised if tickets sold out at this point.  While most of the parties did sell out last year, I don't think they began selling out until late-August/early-September at the earliest.  So, while there are a lot of AP/DVC/Disney Visa members out there, I do think there will still be tickets available when they go on sale to the general public.



sgrap said:


> Thanks for the input!  Am I correct in assuming that the Halloween party starts at the time when the park closes to other guests (6 p.m. or 7 p.m.), not the 3 hours earlier when the park opens to MHP ticket holders?  In other words, would I be missing out on anything if I didn't re-enter until say 5 p.m.?


Yes and no...assuming this year is something like last year, the majority of the party events won't start until the party official starts (at 6:00 pm or 7:00 pm).  They did have the Toontown Pre-Party last year, which started one hour before the party (so at either 5:00 pm or 6:00 pm) and only ran until the party started (at least I'm pretty sure they ended it at the start of the party - can anyone that went last year remember?).  So if you arrive at least one hour before the party starts, then (if they have it) you can go to the pre-party event.  At a minimum, I would plan to arrive a little before the party official starts so you can already be in the park when the party starts.  Basically, because the party time is limited, I would want to make the most of it!


----------



## figment_jii

As _Sherry_ mentioned, it's another Monday!  What will be today's #GetHappier surprise...will it be something in the park or online?  Will it be another give away or maybe extra hours DCA?  Oh, the suspense!

The first teaser tweet is up! (10:48 am)


> It's that time! #GetHappier Monday Magic is upon us. Retweet if you're ready for a sweet surprise!!



It's another give away! (11:55 am)


> Time to #GetHappier! First 300 to find us near "it's a small world" and say "Smile" will get a sweet treat!



The "Sweet Treat" giveway has ended (12:24 pm), but it looks like there might be another one this afternoon.  DCA anyone?


> We've concluded this morning's #GetHappier giveaway. Stay tuned for more surprises later on!



Next update has been posted (3:57 pm)


> It's that time! #GetHappier Monday Magic isn't done yet. Retweet if you're ready for some more sweet surprises!!



This time they're over in DCA (4:44 pm).


> It's time to #GetHappier! First 300 to find us near Paradise Bay in DCA and say "SWEET" will get a tasty surprise!



No more cookies (5:17 pm).


> Our cookie distribution has officially concluded. Thanks for making Monday Happier! #GetHappier



Here are my notes for #GetHappier so far...

6/09 It's a mystery

6/16 11:58 am -12:52 pm Critter Country Mickey Ear Hats ($14) [50]
6/16 3:00 pm - 3:27 pm HollywoodLand Oswald Ear Hats ($17) [50]

6/23 (did not announce) - Wishing Well photo op with the Seven Dwarves (-) [?]
6/23 5:21 pm - 5:30 pm Paradise Pier WOC Voucher and Glow with the Show Ears ($25) [50]

6/30 1:56 pm - 2:05 pm Tomorrowland Vinylmations ($12) [50]
6/30 3:46 pm - 3:53 pm Grizzly River Rapids Vinylmations ($12) [50]

7/07 4:51 pm - 6:46 pm Extra Hour in DL (-) [1,500]

7/14 11:55 am - 12:24 pm It's A Small World Sweet Treat (~$5) [300]
7/14 4:44 pm - 5:17 pm Paradise Bay Sweet Treat (~$5) [300]


----------



## titansgal

I apologize if this was already asked.  I looked in the first few pages, but couldn't find the answer . What time do the phone lines open on Wednesday for Visa presale?   I know WDW opens at 7:00 am, but couldn't find info on DL.  Is there a special number for Visa members to call?  Thanks in advance.  This is our first DL Halloween party.


----------



## figment_jii

titansgal said:


> I apologize if this was already asked.  I looked in the first few pages, but couldn't find the answer . What time do the phone lines open on Wednesday for Visa presale?   I know WDW opens at 7:00 am, but couldn't find info on DL.  Is there a special number for Visa members to call?  Thanks in advance.  This is our first DL Halloween party.



Last year, folks reported calling the regular Disneyland ticket phone number and being able to order tickets.  One person indicated they were able to get their tickets around 7:40 am (PT), but most of the reports indicated that the phone lines were available from 8:00 am or so.  They aren't going to sell out on the first hour, so I would wait until after 8:00 am to try and call.


----------



## tinks_1989

We will be there for 27, 29, 31. Which date is likely to be quietest? We have a 3 year old with us so couldn't cope with it being too busy. X


----------



## madasax12

So excited - we are leaving on the 12th and will be in DL right after the changeover, the Nightmare Before Christmas was, and still is, one of my all time faves. Now i get to relive it in person for my first trip to DL with my kids. Priceless......


----------



## DisneyJamieCA

Has there been any information about the Toontown pre-party this year? And what exactly does it entail? Sounds like something that might be fun, if they do it again this year. Is it only for party guests?


----------



## figment_jii

tinks_1989 said:


> We will be there for 27, 29, 31. Which date is likely to be quietest? We have a 3 year old with us so couldn't cope with it being too busy.


In truth, I think all of them will be busy because you're getting very close to the actual day of Halloween.  Almost for certain, Halloween night (10/31) will sell out.  I'm guessing that the 27th and 29th will also sell out, but between them, I think it's a flip of a coin as to which one will be busier.  The 27th is a Monday and the 29th is a Wednesday, so they're both weekdays, so neither really has an advantage over the other.



DisneyJamieCA said:


> Has there been any information about the Toontown pre-party this year? And what exactly does it entail? Sounds like something that might be fun, if they do it again this year. Is it only for party guests?


They haven't said whether there will be a Toontown Pre-Party event this year, so it's still all a guessing game.  Last year, the event started one hour before the party began (so at either 5:00 pm or 6:00 pm).  It was only for guests of MHP (you had to already have your party wristband on).  It was basically a bunch of treat trails (Minnie's house, Mickey's house, Donald's boat, and two in Toontown Square, I think) and a few character meet and greets (I remember seeing Roger Rabbit).  It was fun and a great way to get a lot of candy _before_ the MHP actually started.


----------



## tinks_1989

figment_jii said:


> In truth, I think all of them will be busy because you're getting very close to the actual day of Halloween.  Almost for certain, Halloween night (10/31) will sell out.  I'm guessing that the 27th and 29th will also sell out, but between them, I think it's a flip of a coin as to which one will be busier.  The 27th is a Monday and the 29th is a Wednesday, so they're both weekdays, so neither really has an advantage over the other.



I thought that would be the answer. But wanted to check with some experts lol!


----------



## DisneyJamieCA

figment_jii said:


> They haven't said whether there will be a Toontown Pre-Party event this year, so it's still all a guessing game.  Last year, the event started one hour before the party began (so at either 5:00 pm or 6:00 pm).  It was only for guests of MHP (you had to already have your party wristband on).  It was basically a bunch of treat trails (Minnie's house, Mickey's house, Donald's boat, and two in Toontown Square, I think) and a few character meet and greets (I remember seeing Roger Rabbit).  It was fun and a great way to get a lot of candy before the MHP actually started.



I sure hope it's back! That sounds like so much fun. And a great way to spend some time in Toontown without it feeling so crowded.


----------



## Sherry E

*figment_jii -- 


I noticed that #GetHappier teaser on Twitter about the "sweet surprise"!  Maybe today they are giving out some food??!  Candy?  Fudge?  Pineapple spears?  Free ice cream?  Maybe free cake in honor of Disneyland's 59th birthday?*




​



theworldneedscolor said:


> So I just discovered that my dates match up with Dapper Days. I actually am pretty excited about this, because I get to participate and get a great discount at the Disney hotels!
> 
> I am concerned about the crowds, since I will just be there for the weekend. How crowded does it normally get during the Dapper Days weekend?



*theworldneedscolor -*

You know, I've never attended a Dapper Days event, but I have heard that the crowds can be pretty substantial (partially due to the fact that they have that special discounted hotel rate that lures a lot of people in!).  

I think that all of the Dapper Days events are growing in popularity every year -- it seems like more people are talking about them every year.  However, I haven't heard anything to indicate that the crowds are comparable to peak season crowds, necessarily.

I think the combination of Dapper Days and the start of Halloween Time will probably bring a good number of people into Disneyland over that weekend.






sgrap said:


> Thanks for the input!  Am I correct in assuming that the Halloween party starts at the time when the park closes to other guests (6 p.m. or 7 p.m.), not the 3 hours earlier when the park opens to MHP ticket holders?  In other words, would I be missing out on anything if I didn't re-enter until say 5 p.m.?



*sgrap -*

You're welcome!  As *figment_jii* mentioned, the majority of the party-specific activities will not begin until the actual start of the party and you wouldn't miss anything if you didn't enter until 5 p.m., with the possible exception of the Toontown thing. 

My feeling is that the jury is still out on the fate of the Toontown pre-party, so that may or may not be something taking place before the party officially begins.  I think that Disney is probably figuring out where the treat trails will be this year -- and the Toontown location was a spot for at least a couple of treat stations last year, so its fate is likely still being determined.



BayGirl22 said:


> Oh that's great news. Discounts for both do us.  I can't wait.
> Thanks for the quick response!



*BayGirl22 --*

You're very welcome!  I'm glad you can get both tickets at a discount.  They're not cheap (even with the discount)!





titansgal said:


> I apologize if this was already asked.  I looked in the first few pages, but couldn't find the answer . What time do the phone lines open on Wednesday for Visa presale?   I know WDW opens at 7:00 am, but couldn't find info on DL.  Is there a special number for Visa members to call?  Thanks in advance.  This is our first DL Halloween party.



*titansgal --*

Welcome!

The phone line opening times have not been mentioned anywhere prior to your question, so you have not missed anything!  As for the special number for Visa or DVC ticket orders, see Question #7 in this post. 







DisneyJamieCA said:


> Has there been any information about the Toontown pre-party this year? And what exactly does it entail? Sounds like something that might be fun, if they do it again this year. Is it only for party guests?



*Jamie --*

*figment_jii* basically just told you what it entailed, but did you see the question about the Toontown pre-party in the FAQ  (Question #22)??


----------



## figment_jii

Sherry E said:


> I noticed that #GetHappier teaser on Twitter about the "sweet surprise"!  Maybe today they are giving out some food??!  Candy?  Fudge?  Pineapple spears?  Free ice cream?  Maybe free cake in honor of Disneyland's 59th birthday?



I think it's a cookie...maybe a sugar cookie?  I can't really tell from the photo.  So, this give away was at DL.  I wonder if they'll be another one later today in DCA.  I've been updating my post from this morning when I notice a new tweet is posted and once today finishes, I'll update the running list at the bottom of the post as well.


----------



## Sherry E

figment_jii said:


> I think it's a cookie...maybe a sugar cookie? * I can't really tell from the photo.*  So, this give away was at DL.  I wonder if they'll be another one later today in DCA.  I've been updating my post from this morning when I notice a new tweet is posted and once today finishes, I'll update the running list at the bottom of the post as well.



I know what you mean.  In the photo, they don't exactly look like cookies -- except for the round shape.  You know what they do look like?  Un-baked discs of shortbread dough.

That's right, everyone -- run and get your discs o' dough before they disappear!


----------



## figment_jii

I'm kind of hoping someone will tweet back a comment saying what it was...


----------



## Sherry E

figment_jii said:


> I'm kind of hoping someone will tweet back a comment saying what it was...



Someone posted on Facebook and said "Cookies!"  I think they are probably shortbread cookies, but they still don't look fully baked to me!

I wonder when the Monday Surprises will finally venture into the online world, Limited Time Magic-style?  Sooner or later there will be some sort of online giveaway, or announcement of some kind made on the Parks Blog (probably next Monday, when I am not home to see it).

But as far as the in-park surprises, it's not like they are giving away trips to DLR or stays in the Dream Suite or anything (so far).  At this rate, wouldn't it be great if Disney could keep up this little Monday surprise deal through the fall and holiday season?  They could just stand on Main Street and hand out 500 free zombie cookies and candy canes or something.


----------



## figment_jii

I wonder if the same type of cookie you can buy that comes pre-packaged in the shops around DLR.

Yeah, it would be great if they continued to have these GetHappier things through the rest of the year (I kind of doubt it though) or maybe move them to a different day of the week (I only say that because I'm almost never at DLR on a Monday).  Still it's kind of fun tracking these give aways on Monday...at least it's something fun to think about...


----------



## mvf-m11c

Sherry E said:


> But as far as the in-park surprises, it's not like they are giving away trips to DLR or stays in the Dream Suite or anything (so far).  At this rate, wouldn't it be great if Disney could keep up this little Monday surprise deal through the fall and holiday season?  They could just stand on Main Street and hand out 500 free zombie cookies and candy canes or something.



That would be amazing to have a special giveaway during the #GetHappier on those Monday's like you said Sherry. It will be nice if it continue all the way to fall and thru the holiday season.

I just saw the picture on facebook and the cookies look alright.


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## Sherry E

figment_jii said:


> I wonder if the same type of cookie you can buy that comes pre-packaged in the shops around DLR.
> 
> Yeah, it would be great if they continued to have these GetHappier things through the rest of the year (I kind of doubt it though) or maybe move them to a different day of the week (I only say that because I'm almost never at DLR on a Monday).  Still it's kind of fun tracking these give aways on Monday...at least it's something fun to think about...



Oh, I definitely agree!  Every Monday I sit here, combing Facebook, Twitter and the Parks Blog for any hint of what is to come!   I am in it for the long haul -- I want to follow this promotion until its bitter end!

I truly think that what will happen is that we will continue on for a while, with these sorts of not-so-exciting giveaways in the parks.  Maybe they will begin to get slightly more interesting as time rolls on.   

Then, when we least expect it, Disney will whip out one of their "big" prizes -- maybe only awarded to one person or 5 people, or whatever.  

And, one of these days the surprise will be an online announcement, when we expect it to be in the parks.

If there is going to be any sort of Christmas party (I hope not), hopefully they will "surprise" us with it soon (before the end of August).  If there is anything "surprising" coming to us for Halloween Time (like any semblance of Halloween in DCA, other than Duffy and Mad T Party), they will probably announce it in August.





mvf-m11c said:


> That would be amazing to have a special giveaway during the #GetHappier on those Monday's like you said Sherry. It will be nice if it continue all the way to fall and thru the holiday season.
> 
> I just saw the picture on facebook and the cookies look alright.



*Bret --*

Yes, indeed!  They should show the Halloween Time and holiday season people some love too -- not just the summer people!  We would like to get happier on Mondays (or other days) in fall and winter too!  

If Disney is aiming to do this kind of promo while it is peak season, they can certainly do it during the holidays too.  That's peak season.  If their goal is to try and lure people in during the off-peak season, well they could get more people showing up on Mondays (or whichever day) in the middle of September and October if they hand out free goodies!


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## figment_jii

Sherry E said:


> If there is anything "surprising" coming to us for Halloween Time (like any semblance of Halloween in DCA, other than Duffy and Mad T Party), they will probably announce it in August.


In honestly, I hope that they don't use the Monday #GetHappier surprise to announce things like added Halloween elements to DCA or changes to the holiday offerings.  I'm glad they announced HalloweenTime on the Parks Blog as a regular entry.  In some ways, I'm surprised they didn't hold off on the DisneySide decal as one of the online surprises (I'm guessing it was because that promo was tied into WDW and the start of summer).  Still, things like that are fun (and cute).



Sherry E said:


> If Disney is aiming to do this kind of promo while it is peak season, they can certainly do it during the holidays too.  That's peak season.  If their goal is to try and lure people in during the off-peak season, well they could get more people showing up on Mondays (or whichever day) in the middle of September and October if they hand out free goodies!


I also think they're doing it to get people to watch their social media streams (Twitter, Facebook, etc.).  I know that during the 24-Hour day, the pin trading opportunities were announced via Twitter and more than one "Suit"-CM asked me I'd seen the announcement on Twitter.  So I think they were trying to gauge how many people, in the park, are following "Disneyland Today" and other feeds.


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## Sherry E

figment_jii said:


> In honestly, I hope that they don't use the Monday #GetHappier surprise to announce things like added Halloween elements to DCA or changes to the holiday offerings.  I'm glad they announced HalloweenTime on the Parks Blog as a regular entry.  In some ways, I'm surprised they didn't hold off on the DisneySide decal as one of the online surprises (I'm guessing it was because that promo was tied into WDW and the start of summer).  Still, things like that are fun (and cute).
> 
> 
> I also think they're doing it to get people to watch their social media streams (Twitter, Facebook, etc.).  I know that during the 24-Hour day, the pin trading opportunities were announced via Twitter and more than one "Suit"-CM asked me I'd seen the announcement on Twitter.  So I think they were trying to gauge how many people, in the park, are following "Disneyland Today" and other feeds.



The decals would have been a good online surprise.

So, too, would the sneak peek at the 60th anniversary events (which is taking place this coming Thursday, 7/17).  That would have been a great Monday Surprise from the Parks Blog, as it was very limited, and probably only 50 or 100 people got into it.  However, they announced it on a Tuesday instead of a Monday, so there went that idea!


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## mvf-m11c

Sherry E said:


> If Disney is aiming to do this kind of promo while it is peak season, they can certainly do it during the holidays too.  That's peak season.  If their goal is to try and lure people in during the off-peak season, well they could get more people showing up on Mondays (or whichever day) in the middle of September and October if they hand out free goodies!



For sure. If they do it during the peak season, they should do the same thing when we get to fall and the holiday season. It will be a nice promotion for the travels to come on Monday's instead of the weekends.

Monday's during the off-season are very unpredictable. Sometimes those days are quiet while other can be busy. When I went in April on a Monday when the parks opens at 10am during the off-peak season, there was a huge line at the security check area at the bus area side and I was surprised to see there was a line to get into the DLR. Mostly that is for the peak season. I didn't get to go in the park that day when I left. It also shows that there are so many AP's today and the locals are trying to get in before they are blocked out during the summertime.


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## TahoeMom

DisneyJamieCA said:


> I sure hope it's back! That sounds like so much fun. And a great way to spend some time in Toontown without it feeling so crowded.



Toontown is actually INSANELY crowded during this pre-party.  We didn't try to go on any rides back there but there were so many people it was hard to move around from one area to another.


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## zanzibar138

figment_jii said:


> I also think they're doing it to get people to watch their social media streams (Twitter, Facebook, etc.).  I know that during the 24-Hour day, the pin trading opportunities were announced via Twitter and more than one "Suit"-CM asked me I'd seen the announcement on Twitter.  So I think they were trying to gauge how many people, in the park, are following "Disneyland Today" and other feeds.



If they want more people to follow their social media while in the park, they need to implement resort wide free wifi. Most international visitors would not be accessing data on their smart phones in the parks because of ridiculous charges for international roaming.


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## Vala

figment_jii said:


> They did have the Toontown Pre-Party last year, which started one hour before the party (so at either 5:00 pm or 6:00 pm) and only ran until the party started (at least I'm pretty sure they ended it at the start of the party - can anyone that went last year remember?).  So if you arrive at least one hour before the party starts, then (if they have it) you can go to the pre-party event.  At a minimum, I would plan to arrive a little before the party official starts so you can already be in the park when the party starts.  Basically, because the party time is limited, I would want to make the most of it!



They closed the lines, but they didn't toss us out of Toontown when the party started. I was still in line for Goofy and Donald at official party start.


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## laura&fam

TahoeMom said:


> Toontown is actually INSANELY crowded during this pre-party.  We didn't try to go on any rides back there but there were so many people it was hard to move around from one area to another.



Thanks for the info.  The pre-party sounds fun but I want to factor in the crowds when deciding to go or not if they do it again.  I really have a hard time when I feel like I can't move.


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## figment_jii

laura&fam said:


> Thanks for the info.  The pre-party sounds fun but I want to factor in the crowds when deciding to go or not if they do it again.  I really have a hard time when I feel like I can't move.



It might also depend on the night...I went to two parties last year (Tuesday, 10/8 and a Friday, 10/11) and went to the Toontown event both nights.  The Friday night event was much more crowded and there were fairly long lines for the candy.  At the Tuesday event, I was there at opening and the crowds weren't that bad at all.  They did pick up over the course of the hour (both nights), but I didn't experience any time when it was hard to move around in Toontown.


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## DisneyJamieCA

Sherry, either I didn't see it or I read it so early on I had forgotten about it, but thank you for pointing back to the first page about the Toontown pre-party. I still hope it is back this year.

Now another question - I have read (on the first page and in other reports) that the parties are the only place Jack Sparrow makes an appearance anymore. Is he at every party or just some? And he switches off with the Peter Pan characters at that location? DD10 REALLY wants to meet him and I'm sure his line gets long, so wondering if there isn't a TT pre-party, if we should hang out in this area in the time leading up to the official party starting. We didn't even venture to this part of the park the last time doing the party.


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## Sherry E

You know, I am happy for the lucky few people in the parks who are getting little treats as part of these Monday Surprises.  The big smiles on their faces (shown in photos) speak volumes!

But....as an online follower-from-afar of all of the mirth and madness happening on Mondays, I am getting bored with the in-park giveaways.  

Mix it up, Disney CMs!  Leave the parks!  Go to the hotels or stand in the middle of Downtown Disney and wave giant #GetHappier signs in front of ESPN Zone!  Something!  Anything!  Run up to people in the lobby of the GCH and randomly hand them treats.  Jump out from behind a topiary at the DLH and give guests some festive ears!  

The in-park surprises are getting too predictable (not the actual prizes themselves so much as just the fact that they will be given out/taking place in the parks).  I want the CMs to go and stand somewhere totally unexpected, and jump out at people, yelling "Surprise!  Get Happier!" 

Even if they did something fun like lurk near the exit of a ride and hand out treats as people walked out, it would be mixing it up a bit while they were in the parks.  But I want them to broaden their horizons and leave the confines of DL and DCA (although they have not hit Cars Land yet, have they?)!





DisneyJamieCA said:


> Sherry, either I didn't see it or I read it so early on I had forgotten about it, but thank you for pointing back to the first page about the Toontown pre-party. I still hope it is back this year.
> 
> Now another question - I have read (on the first page and in other reports) that the parties are the only place Jack Sparrow makes an appearance anymore. Is he at every party or just some? And he switches off with the Peter Pan characters at that location? DD10 REALLY wants to meet him and I'm sure his line gets long, so wondering if there isn't a TT pre-party, if we should hang out in this area in the time leading up to the official party starting. We didn't even venture to this part of the park the last time doing the party.



No problem, *Jamie*!

I hope the TT pre-thingy comes back this year too.  It is a way to include TT in Halloween Time -- even if only briefly -- and it's a way for the very little children to get some candy in before having to go home and go to sleep early.

*figment_jii* will be able to give a more recent recap of Jack's comings and goings from 2013, but during the last party I went to Jack was definitely trading off with Captain Hook and other PP characters.  When I was in the line, it was the PP crew.  Jack showed up later, after I moved out of the area.


----------



## DisneyJamieCA

Sherry E said:


> You know, I am happy for the lucky few people in the parks who are getting little treats as part of these Monday Surprises.  The big smiles on their faces (shown in photos) speak volumes!
> 
> But....as an online follower-from-afar of all of the mirth and madness happening on Mondays, I am getting bored with the in-park giveaways.
> 
> Mix it up, Disney CMs!  Leave the parks!  Go to the hotels or stand in the middle of Downtown Disney and wave giant #GetHappier signs in front of ESPN Zone!  Something!  Anything!  Run up to people in the lobby of the GCH and randomly hand them treats.  Jump out from behind a topiary at the DLH and give guests some festive ears!
> 
> The in-park surprises are getting too predictable (not the actual prizes themselves so much as just the fact that they will be given out/taking place in the parks).  I want the CMs to go and stand somewhere totally unexpected, and jump out at people, yelling "Surprise!  Get Happier!"
> 
> Even if they did something fun like lurk near the exit of a ride and hand out treats as people walked out , it would be mixing it up a bit while they were in the parks.  But I want them to broaden their horizons and leave the confines of DL and DCA (although they have not hit Cars Land yet, have they?)!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> No problem, *Jamie*!
> 
> I hope the TT pre-thingy comes back this year too.  It is a way to include TT in Halloween Time -- even if only briefly -- and it's a way for the very little children to get some candy in before having to go home and go to sleep early.
> 
> *figment_jii* will be able to give a more recent recap of Jack's comings and goings from 2013, but during the last party I went to Jack was definitely trading off with Captain Hook and other PP characters.  When I was in the line, it was the PP crew.  Jack showed up later, after I moved out of the area.



Thanks for the info on Jack. I'll wait for figment-jii to chime in 

And I agree with you on the #GetHappier stuff. And I was there for a Monday giveaway! The problem I have with it is that I personally don't want to be on my phone the entire time we're in the parks and like what happened to us, we were too late (not that we tried) by the time we did see it. I would like to see at least one online surprise.


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## figment_jii

From what I recall, he switched off with Peter Pan and Wendy or Captain Hook during the parties at the Meet & Greet area over by the Columbia during the parties.  I'm pretty sure he's at all of the parties, but I don't think he's available all of the time.  I suspect it rather like any of the face characters; they have to switch off, but they do not announce when so it's kind of luck of the draw when you get up there.  I didn't see him outside of MHP, so I do think he's a party exclusive character.


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## zanzibar138

DisneyJamieCA said:


> And I agree with you on the #GetHappier stuff. And I was there for a Monday giveaway! The problem I have with it is that I personally don't want to be on my phone the entire time we're in the parks and like what happened to us, we were too late (not that we tried) by the time we did see it. I would like to see at least one online surprise.



I agree too. The last thing I want to do when I'm at Disneyland is spend all day on my phone and miss what's right there in front of me! Also, I feel it's a little unfair to those who don't have internet access in the park.

I don't mind the current format as part of a larger promotion where everyone has a fair chance of 'winning'. It would be nice to see them add a few random giveaways too (like Sherry said, maybe at the exit for a ride, or in DTD, one of the hotel lobbies etc). Or maybe they only want paying park guests to receive the extra magic.

An online surprise would be nice too, for those of us who aren't actually in the parks to share in a little magic.


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## DisneyJamieCA

figment_jii said:


> From what I recall, he switched off with Peter Pan and Wendy or Captain Hook during the parties at the Meet & Greet area over by the Columbia during the parties.  I'm pretty sure he's at all of the parties, but I don't think he's available all of the time.  I suspect it rather like any of the face characters; they have to switch off, but they do not announce when so it's kind of luck of the draw when you get up there.  I didn't see him outside of MHP, so I do think he's a party exclusive character.



Thanks for the information. Hopefully we're successful!


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## Sherry E

DisneyJamieCA said:


> Thanks for the info on Jack. I'll wait for figment-jii to chime in
> 
> And I agree with you on the #GetHappier stuff. And I was there for a Monday giveaway! The problem I have with it is that I personally don't want to be on my phone the entire time we're in the parks and like what happened to us, we were too late (not that we tried) by the time we did see it. I would like to see at least one online surprise.



*Jamie --*

I never use my phone or check my phone in the parks.  It usually stays turned off the entire time I'm there, unless I am specifically waiting to hear from a friend who is going to meet me or something.  The last thing I'd be doing is checking my phone for tweets and updates.

I have a feeling that a lot of the people who have scored the #GetHappier prizes are people who just happened to be wandering by a certain location and saw the signs.  Lucky timing.   I am having a hard time believing that too many people have been able to run from wherever they were after getting a Twitter or Facebook alert, just in time to get some ears or cookies or whatever.  

And if whoever happened to be walking by at the right time didn't know the "secret word" to get the prize, all they'd have to do is just stand within inches away from someone who did know the secret word and listen in!  Do we really think that everyone is going up to the CMs and whispering "sweet" or whatever the secret word is?  Of course not.  They are probably running up and loudly proclaiming, "SWEET!!!!!"  And then, guess what?  They just told the next 5 people near them what the secret word was!

Back in the good ol' Year of a Million Dreams days, as *figment_jii* has said, there was no real social media to contend with.  The CMs just walked to random areas, or up to randomly selected people, and began handing out prizes -- and the prizes were varied.  Sometimes people got a free character meal.  Sometimes they got a hotel stay.  Sometimes they got Disney gift cards.  Sometimes they got a button.  Sometimes they ended up in the Dream Suite.  Sometimes they got Fast Passes for a bunch of rides.  There were all sorts of prizes, on all levels, so the guests never really knew what they could/might get.

With this current promotion I am sure that at least one prize will eventually be a "really good one" (like a big prize), but who knows if that will end up being an online giveaway or another in-park giveaway, and who knows if only one person will win it, or maybe 5 people, or however many?






zanzibar138 said:


> I agree too. The last thing I want to do when I'm at Disneyland is spend all day on my phone and miss what's right there in front of me! Also, I feel it's a little unfair to those who don't have internet access in the park.
> 
> I don't mind the current format as part of a larger promotion where everyone has a fair chance of 'winning'. It would be nice to see them add a few random giveaways too (like Sherry said, maybe at the exit for a ride, or in DTD, one of the hotel lobbies etc). Or maybe they only want paying park guests to receive the extra magic.
> 
> An online surprise would be nice too, for those of us who aren't actually in the parks to share in a little magic.



*zanzibar138 --*

Very true.  My phone doesn't even function properly when I am at DLR half of the time (which is why I leave it turned off for most trips), so I am sure that any kind of Twitter alert would end up coming through for me 6 hours after it had been announced online!

I just like the idea of the CMs mixing it up a bit and not doing the same old "Let's put up our Get Happier signs and hand out prizes in this park.  Now let's put up the signs and hand out prizes in that park."  That is getting old and predictable.

They could still give out prizes IN the parks if they wanted to, but why not randomly select people here or there?  If they are only giving out 50 of one item, they could easily pick 50 people at random (in different lands or locations) and give out the items, OR stand near the exits of the rides and hand them out.  I still think they need to get out of the parks and move into DTD or into the hotels, just to go where no one is expecting them to go.

As *figment_jii* said a while back, this seems to be a very social media-focused giveaway.  Its intent is to spread the word of the giveaways via social media and see how quickly people show up and claim their prizes, but, as I mentioned to *Jamie* above, my hunch is that a lot of people are not actually following social media to get the prizes and are simply walking up at the right time, and/or they're hearing someone else give the "secret word" and copying them.

I really thought there would be more variety involved, and that the Get Happier giveaways would alternate between in-park stuff, online stuff, DTD or hotels stuff, back to in-parks, back to online, etc.  As you said, maybe they only want paying park guests to receive the extra magic for right now?


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## figment_jii

Sherry E said:


> I really thought there would be more variety involved, and that the Get Happier giveaways would alternate between in-park stuff, online stuff, DTD or hotels stuff, back to in-parks, back to online, etc.  As you said, maybe they only want paying park guests to receive the extra magic for right now?


I do generally think there is a preference for things to be done in the parks (at least they've doing things in both DL and DCA).  In some ways, I'm not surprised that nothing has happened out at DTD or in the hotel lobbies.  Based on the photos, it looks like there was a pretty good line formed for the cookie give away (probably because there was 300 cookies each time) and my guess is they don't want the congestion in the hotel lobbies.  In truth, I'd almost rather that they didn't do anything major (like a vacation give away or anything like that).  I like that they're relatively simple, but I do hope they continue to keep the number up (600 cookies this time opposed to 100 ear hats or vinylmations) so that more people can enjoy the event.


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## Sherry E

figment_jii said:


> I do generally think there is a preference for things to be done in the parks (at least they've doing things in both DL and DCA).  In some ways, I'm not surprised that nothing has happened out at DTD or in the hotel lobbies.  Based on the photos, it looks like there was a pretty good line formed for the cookie give away (probably because there was 300 cookies each time) and my guess is they don't want the congestion in the hotel lobbies.  In truth, I'd almost rather that they didn't do anything major (like a vacation give away or anything like that).  I like that they're relatively simple, but I do hope they continue to keep the number up (600 cookies this time opposed to 100 ear hats or vinylmations) so that more people can enjoy the event.



DTD could handle some congestion.  Maybe the hotel lobbies couldn't, but the CMs don't have to hand out 300 cookies in a lobby.  They could venture out of the parks and hand out one or two or five of their "bigger" prizes to randomly selected guests in DTD or in the hotels, and then be done with it.

That's the part I am not thrilled with -- "_Let's go stand in DL with our sign and wait for people to run up to us and pretend to know the secret word, when they really just heard it from the person next to them, who shouted it_," and "_Let's now take our signs and move to DCA and do the same thing_."  As an online follower from afar, that stuff is getting boring for me to see on the Facebook and Twitter pages.

If we, the people at home, cannot participate in this Get Happier event, then I at least want to see some sort of variety happening in how the in-park items are handed out, to make it more interesting for me to read about!

I don't even like the ideas of the lines forming.  If the CMs were just kind of handing out things at random, lurking near the exits to rides or jumping out at people when they least expect it, they could hand out a few things and then leave.

I guess that, overall, I think there could be a little more creativity put into executing this idea, no matter how large or small the prizes are.


----------



## DisneyJamieCA

Sherry E said:


> DTD could handle some congestion.  Maybe the hotel lobbies couldn't, but the CMs don't have to hand out 300 cookies in a lobby.  They could venture out of the parks and hand out one or two or five of their "bigger" prizes to randomly selected guests in DTD or in the hotels, and then be done with it.  That's the part I am not thrilled with -- "Let's go stand in DL with our sign and wait for people to run up to us and pretend to know the secret word, when they really just heard it from the person next to them, who shouted it," and "Let's now take our signs and move to DCA and do the same thing."  As an online follower from afar, that stuff is getting boring for me to see on the Facebook and Twitter pages.  If we, the people at home, cannot participate in this Get Happier event, then I at least want to see some sort of variety happening in how the in-park items are handed out, to make it more interesting for me to read about!  I don't even like the ideas of the lines forming.  If the CMs were just kind of handing out things at random, lurking near the exits to rides or jumping out at people when they least expect it, they could hand out a few things and then leave.  I guess that, overall, I think there could be a little more creativity put into executing this idea, no matter how large or small the prizes are.



I'm sure this is actually just a marketing campaign to judge the effectiveness of their online social media presence, but I still agree with you. First, it's hard to judge who effective it is when a) Facebook decides how to filter things and whether somebody gets to see it without specifically searching out the page and b) like you said, my guess is many people are just following what the people ahead of them are doing and haven't actually seen the Twitter/FB post.

We only went once during the YOMD, but it was so much fun wondering if/when you might get something special. As it was we did win Dream Fastpasses coming off the Matterhorn. But I like that is was more random and you could still enjoy the parks without worrying about missing something (even if you did keep a close eye on those CMs in the blue Dream Team vests!)


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## Kristina4109

In the YOMD I won a pin lanyard with two starter pins on it.  I so don't care about pin trading so I randomly gave it to someone else.  Made her day.


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## Sherry E

I really liked that YOMD promo (and it lasted for 2 years!).  Even though I didn't get anything more than Dream Fast Passes out of too (like Jamie did), I liked the true element of surprise.  No one knew if the Dream Squad/Team would be out and about in any given day, and they really would just stop and hand out things to random people -- sometimes just one person, and sometimes many people.  No code word needed.

Also, there was a great variety of prizes given out in YOMD.  Plus, if I recall correctly, I think that some people did get approached by random CMs at the hotels here and there -- not as often as in the parks, but there were some hotel occurrences in which CMs stopped guests headed in or out of a hotel.

This year, the Parks Blog _tried_ to add in that element of surprise by hinting that we'd never know where or when the Get Happier people would pop up, but because they made the announcement in the first place, and because we knew we'd have to be checking various forms of social media to find out what the surprises were and where they were given out, it added in an element of frustration too!


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## figment_jii

But how much of the difference between YOMD and GetHappier is driven by the changing times?  YOMD had "random" surprises, but at that time, there was no way to really announce where the surprises would be (no Twitter or Facebook yet).  I don't really think that GetHappier is really all that different, except that they are making use of social media.  I suppose the biggest difference is that the surprises are only happening a couple of times on Monday and not randomly throughout the day on any day.  Still, I haven't felt frustrated by the promotions or the slightly repetitious nature of the events (mostly give aways).  And while not all of us are living on our phones while in the parks, I do think there is a good chunk of folks who are.  I suppose I just find it fun to see what they're up to and wish I was in the parks, but knowing that I can't, I might as well live vicariously through those that are in the parks.


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## Sherry E

Yeah, but...I'm still not feeling this Get Happier thing.  I'm just not.  I am following along with it to see what happens every week, but the way it's being handled is boring to me.  

I liked YOMD much better.  I realize the differences are driven by the changing times, but Disney didn't have to use the social media aspect of it this time around.  They could have done exactly what they did for YOMD, except without the social media involvement. The fact that they are relying so heavily on social media is also annoying to me.

I just don't like it.  It's great for the people who are in the right spot at the right time, and winning something because they overhear someone else say the secret word, but it's boring to me!

I liked the fact that there was no way to announce when and where the surprises would be back in 2007 and 2008!


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## sgrap

So, as a new first-time AP holder and first-time MHP ticket purchaser, what should I expect tomorrow morning?  I gather it is online only, no over the phone purchases?  I have a busy day, so I'd like to buy the tickets right away at 8 a.m  PST if possible.  How has it gone the 1st day in years' past?  Thanks!


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## titansgal

Sherry E said:


> figment_jii --  I noticed that #GetHappier teaser on Twitter about the "sweet surprise"!  Maybe today they are giving out some food??!  Candy?  Fudge?  Pineapple spears?  Free ice cream?  Maybe free cake in honor of Disneyland's 59th birthday?    theworldneedscolor -  You know, I've never attended a Dapper Days event, but I have heard that the crowds can be pretty substantial (partially due to the fact that they have that special discounted hotel rate that lures a lot of people in!).  I think that all of the Dapper Days events are growing in popularity every year -- it seems like more people are talking about them every year.  However, I haven't heard anything to indicate that the crowds are comparable to peak season crowds, necessarily.  I think the combination of Dapper Days and the start of Halloween Time will probably bring a good number of people into Disneyland over that weekend.  sgrap -  You're welcome!  As figment_jii mentioned, the majority of the party-specific activities will not begin until the actual start of the party and you wouldn't miss anything if you didn't enter until 5 p.m., with the possible exception of the Toontown thing.  My feeling is that the jury is still out on the fate of the Toontown pre-party, so that may or may not be something taking place before the party officially begins.  I think that Disney is probably figuring out where the treat trails will be this year -- and the Toontown location was a spot for at least a couple of treat stations last year, so its fate is likely still being determined.  BayGirl22 --  You're very welcome!  I'm glad you can get both tickets at a discount.  They're not cheap (even with the discount)!  titansgal --  Welcome!  The phone line opening times have not been mentioned anywhere prior to your question, so you have not missed anything!  As for the special number for Visa or DVC ticket orders, see Question #7 in this post.  Jamie --  figment_jii basically just told you what it entailed, but did you see the question about the Toontown pre-party in the FAQ  (Question #22)??




Thanks so much!


----------



## figment_jii

sgrap said:


> So, as a new first-time AP holder and first-time MHP ticket purchaser, what should I expect tomorrow morning?  I gather it is online only, no over the phone purchases?  I have a busy day, so I'd like to buy the tickets right away at 8 a.m  PST if possible.  How has it gone the 1st day in years' past?  Thanks!



Um...kind of wonky...the phone lines opened at 8:00 am (or maybe earlier, it wasn't clear), but folks reported fairly long hold times with just dead air (no music or anything to indicate you were connected).  You were able to buy the tickets online, but that part of the site did not "go live" until later in the morning (I want to say around 9 or 10).

I really do not think tickets are going to sell out tomorrow.  So if you want to avoid long(ish) phone waits and see if the online option appears, I would just wait until Wednesday afternoon/evening or Thursday.


----------



## sgrap

Have you seen a phone # posted?


----------



## Sherry E

sgrap said:


> Have you seen a phone # posted?



See Question #7.

That phone number (which was used by some people in the past) should work for any over-the-phone sales, not just Visa and DVC people, I would guess.


----------



## Newsiemj

FYI I was just trying to cash out the remainder of my Disney Vacation Account into a gift card so I could use it to buy my Halloween tickets July 30, and they told me you can use the account to purchase those tickets too. Don't know if anyone else on here has one of those accounts, but I thought I would let you know anyway.


----------



## figment_jii

sgrap said:


> Have you seen a phone # posted?



I have not seen a phone number posted, but last year, folk's reported calling Disneyland ticketing at (714) 781-4400 or (714) 781-4565.  I'm pretty sure a number will be posted tomorrow.

At some point, the website should also go live.  Last year, the first successful online purchase was reported at 8:45 am.  It was listed under the annual passholder offers page.
https://disneyland.disney.go.com/offers-discounts/?type=passholder-offer
https://disneyland.disney.go.com/tickets/events/


----------



## zanzibar138

I have to agree with Sherry on this one. While it's great for the people at the park getting this stuff, it's a little repetitive and predictable for those 'playing along' at home.

Unfortunately I only started researching Disney parks towards the end of the YOMD promotion. I was so upset when it finished, and none of the promotions since then have been that great. The year we ended up going it was when they had The Magic, The Memories & You show, where guests sent in their photos to be part of the show. Even if I'd wanted to be part of that, it was our first trip, so I didn't have any photos to send in. Since then they've had the celebrate promotion where you got free entry on your birthday. Well, that's all right if you can get there on your birthday. Then it was the 'Give a Day, Get a Disney Day'. I enjoy doing volunteer work, but any that I did in Australia wasn't going to be eligible for the promotion so again, even if I did go to a Disney park that year I wouldn't be able to participate in it. Even this promotion will finish by the time I get there.

I guess it would just be nice to have another promotion that EVERYONE who goes to Disney can participate in, and have an equal chance of benefiting from, and that what was so nice about the YOMD. You didn't need to *do* anything, just be there. You were just as likely to be selected at any time of year, and on any day, if it was your first trip/one of a thousand, you were an international/local guest, you were/weren't celebrating a special occasion, staying onsite or not etc.


----------



## mvf-m11c

I know this is not part of the Halloween thread at DL or anything Disney but I just wanted to share this picture when I went to the California State Fair today when I was walking in the exhibits and saw this Halloween gingerbread house.


 

The interesting part of this gingerbread house is that there are four sides with different seasons from Halloween, Valentine's, Christmas and the other side I didn't get.

A Valentine's theme




And a Christmas theme. I didn't get the other side of the gingerbread house.


----------



## zanzibar138

That is awesome!


----------



## Sherry E

Oooooh!

Thank you so much for posting those pictures, *Bret*!  I am so glad you did!  That is amazing!  When I looked at the first photo, I thought, "What a cute Halloween gingerbread house."

When I got to the next photos, I thought, "Wait...is that the same house?"

You know I am a sucker for all of the fun holidays, so a house with decorations devoted to 3 (or 4) different fun holidays is exactly what I would love!  We don't very often see a Valentine's Day gingerbread house (or section of a house), so that is quite interesting!  Plus, I love a  good gingerbread house/creation to begin with!

I wonder which holiday was represented on the other side you didn't get to?  Easter?  St. Patrick's Day?


----------



## sgrap

I have a room booked already at GCH with the current AP discount.  I know sometimes they offer a better AP room discount eventually for the fall.  When do those tend to show up, and do they notify AP holders?


----------



## mvf-m11c

That was my first impression as well when I saw the gingerbread house which had the Halloween theme and when I looked at the other sides, it had the different seasons on them. I will remember when I go back to the State Fair and get a picture of the other side of that gingerbread house that i missed. After reading the Halloween thread this morning and seeing it at the exhibits, I had to post this since it was very interesting.


----------



## zozmd

I just tried to purchase my advance tickets to MHP over the phone with my Disney Rewards Redemption Card.  Unfortunately, DLR's computers haven't been loaded with the tickets yet.  The CM I spoke to suggested that I try again in about an hour, which would be about 8:15 in CA.  

He also answered a question I had been wondering about which others may find useful...Photo Pass Photographers WILL be present at MHP!  

Looking forward to my first visit to DLR!


----------



## leslieboehm

zozmd said:


> I just tried to purchase my advance tickets to MHP over the phone with my Disney Rewards Redemption Card.  Unfortunately, DLR's computers haven't been loaded with the tickets yet.  The CM I spoke to suggested that I try again in about an hour, which would be about 8:15 in CA.
> 
> He also answered a question I had been wondering about which others may find useful...Photo Pass Photographers WILL be present at MHP!
> 
> Looking forward to my first visit to DLR!



Thanks for the heads up!  I have been waiting "patiently" to start calling, have work calls starting at 9AM and I want to get those tickets before real life takes over, lol.


----------



## figment_jii

For those of you online, it looks like the online AP ticket sales has "gone live".  Sign into your Disneyland.com AP account and then click on Park & Tickets and Special Events Tickets.  You should see MHP as an option with the prices listed.  The link is below:
https://disneyland.disney.go.com/tickets/events/


----------



## BayGirl22

I just went to buy tickets on the site, I have an AP and I'm purchasing for me and my DS (no AP).  Here's the note at the bottom:



> Important Single Day Ticket Details
> Price for Passholders
> Item(s) are priced for Passholders only.  For each ticket or pass purchased at the Passholder price you must show a valid Passholder ID at the park entrance.  For room reservations you must show a valid adult Passholder ID at Resort check-in.



I'm reading that to mean I can't buy my son's ticket at the AP price if he doesn't have an AP.  Is that correct?  Seems different than what I heard was done in the past.


----------



## sgrap

Quick question:  I am buying the MHP tickets online.  My son is going with us who does not have an AP, and it says on the site that the ticket holders must have an AP at the entrance.  However, I'm buying him a ticket on one of the nights that there isn't a discount.  Will that be a problem?


----------



## BayGirl22

sgrap said:


> Quick question:  I am buying the MHP tickets online.  My son is going with us who does not have an AP, and it says on the site that the ticket holders must have an AP at the entrance.  However, I'm buying him a ticket on one of the nights that there isn't a discount.  Will that be a problem?



I need to know the same thing.  I'm calling to be sure, so I don't end up with an AP holder ticket I can't use.  On hold now.  I'll report back if I ever get through.


----------



## sgrap

It also isn't giving me the passholder price for the 10/22 tickets, and of course the line is busy.  I signed in as an AP holder.  ARGH.  Can you ask that too if you get through?  Thx


----------



## figment_jii

I saw that same note and at first I wondered if it meant that each person using the AP priced tickets have to have an AP.  However, the wording isn't entirely clear to me and it might just mean that you have to show that someone in the party has a valid AP which was needed to purchase the ticket.  This could also be an issue for folks that have a valid AP now, but their AP ticket expires before the event date.  It is new language that wasn't included in past years, so exactly what is meant is not clear to me.

The further muddy the water, the eTickets do not have that same language on it, but it does say "Annual Passholder" at the top.


----------



## leslieboehm

Just called the phone number, waited on hold for 30 mins, and was told they are not available yet, though they should have been at 7AM.  Was told to call back this evening and, basically, to relax and that they won't sell out today.  Guess I sounded more stressed about it than I intended, lol. Will wait for someone else to get through before calling again.


----------



## BayGirl22

figment_jii said:


> I saw that same note and at first I wondered if it meant that each person using the AP priced tickets have to have an AP.  However, the wording isn't entirely clear to me and it might just mean that you have to show that someone in the party has a valid AP which was needed to purchase the ticket.  This could also be an issue for folks that have a valid AP now, but their AP ticket expires before the event date.  It is new language that wasn't included in past years, so exactly what is meant is not clear to me.
> 
> The further muddy the water, the eTickets do not have that same language on it, but it does say "Annual Passholder" at the top.



I'd like to assume it means you need just 1 AP, but the wording "for each pass purchased" has me concerned.  Hopefully its just standard text.

I know they won't sell out quickly but I'm off today and just want to get it taken care of.  Really didn't want to do this over the phone.  I've been on hold for 17 minutes already.





leslieboehm said:


> Just called the phone number, waited on hold for 30 mins, and was told they are not available yet, though they should have been at 7AM.  Was told to call back this evening and, basically, to relax and that they won't sell out today.  Guess I sounded more stressed about it than I intended, lol. Will wait for someone else to get through before calling again.



They are up on the site if you have an AP.  Its letting me purchase online.  Or are you calling as a Visa cardholder?


----------



## titansgal

Waited on hold for 30 minutes only to be told that they still aren't in the system.  Ugh!  Now the million dollar question is when to try back?  Should I keep calling back to back,or give it about 30 minutes?   Decisions decisions!


----------



## DisneyJamieCA

Bought my tickets online (AP holder)!!! Happy Dance!!! Going to the Oct 17th party


----------



## BayGirl22

I got through and confirmed - an AP holder can still buy up to 8 tickets for anyone, non-AP holders included.  Just one AP needs to be shown at the gate. 

He also said their systems are not up to sell tickets yet, the only way to buy them is online.


----------



## DisneyJamieCA

zozmd said:


> I just tried to purchase my advance tickets to MHP over the phone with my Disney Rewards Redemption Card.  Unfortunately, DLR's computers haven't been loaded with the tickets yet.  The CM I spoke to suggested that I try again in about an hour, which would be about 8:15 in CA.  He also answered a question I had been wondering about which others may find useful...Photo Pass Photographers WILL be present at MHP!  Looking forward to my first visit to DLR!



When we went 2 years ago, there were Photopass photographers every where during the party. Even though it just a weekend trip for us, it totally made PP+ worth it!


----------



## figment_jii

sgrap said:


> It also isn't giving me the passholder price for the 10/22 tickets, and of course the line is busy.  I signed in as an AP holder.  ARGH.  Can you ask that too if you get through?  Thx


I noticed that the price for 10/22 and 10/27 are both $63 (the general public price), so I'm wondering if they decided to eliminate the AP/DVC/Visa discount on those nights.  Given how close they are to Halloween, I wouldn't be surprised.  



leslieboehm said:


> Just called the phone number, waited on hold for 30 mins, and was told they are not available yet, though they should have been at 7AM.  Was told to call back this evening and, basically, to relax and that they won't sell out today.  Guess I sounded more stressed about it than I intended, lol. Will wait for someone else to get through before calling again.


Yeah, I agree with the CM (for once!).  The tickets are not going to sell out in one day.  I'd be utterly stunned if anything sold out out before the general public sale begins.



BayGirl22 said:


> They are up on the site if you have an AP.  Its letting me purchase online.  Or are you calling as a Visa cardholder?


At this point, it looks like Visa card holders have to call in to purchase tickets.  I remember this happening last year as well; it took a bit for the tickets to show up in the system.  



titansgal said:


> Waited on hold for 30 minutes only to be told that they still aren't in the system.  Ugh!  Now the million dollar question is when to try back?  Should I keep calling back to back,or give it about 30 minutes?   Decisions decisions!


I'd give it some time so you know the tickets are in the system.


----------



## sgrap

Got through . . . CM is saying that AP holders can buy fine even for non AP's (within the limit).  He is asking a manager about the price problem with 10/22


Online help says you can purchase up to 8 tickets with your AP and can  use them for family members.


----------



## Kilala

I have noticed that they are late this year in releasing the tickets this year.


----------



## DisneyJamieCA

Am I right in recalling that there can be a delay between purchasing online and the email coming through? Now I am impatiently waiting for the email with my tickets to come through!


----------



## sgrap

You can only buy 8 tickets in one transaction.  So if you want to buy tickets for separate nights, more than 8 total, you have to do them in separate transactions.  Sounds like it is fine for AP holders to bring non-AP holders with them when using the tickets.




DisneyJamieCA said:


> Am I right in recalling that there can be a delay between purchasing online and the email coming through? Now I am impatiently waiting for the email with my tickets to come through!



Mine came through about 5 minutes later.  I bought the 10/24 tickets, still waiting for them to clear up the AP pricing on 10/22.  If you look here, the pricing for 10/22 is listed at $56, but not when you go to buy them.  https://disneyland.disney.go.com/events-tours/mickeys-halloween-party/


----------



## Sherry E

zozmd said:


> I just tried to purchase my advance tickets to MHP over the phone with my Disney Rewards Redemption Card.  Unfortunately, DLR's computers haven't been loaded with the tickets yet.  The CM I spoke to suggested that I try again in about an hour, which would be about 8:15 in CA.
> 
> He also answered a question I had been wondering about which others may find useful...Photo Pass Photographers WILL be present at MHP!
> 
> Looking forward to my first visit to DLR!




PhotoPass photographers are always at the MHP!


----------



## DisneyJamieCA

sgrap said:


> Mine came through about 5 minutes later.  I bought the 10/24 tickets, still waiting for them to clear up the AP pricing on 10/22.  If you look here, the pricing for 10/22 is listed at $56, but not when you go to buy them.  https://disneyland.disney.go.com/events-tours/mickeys-halloween-party/



Mine still haven't come through


----------



## zozmd

CM told me their computers still aren't able to process my tickets to MHP using my Disney Visa Rewards card by phone.  There is no online option for this.  I'll try again later...much later.  Beautiful day here...must go outside and live life!


----------



## Swtonscrappn

I just tried to call the number and it came up disconnected.


----------



## DisneyJamieCA

Swtonscrappn said:


> I just tried to call the number and it came up disconnected.




 I got the same thing. What number are people calling.

(Sherry, this is the number listed in the FAQ)


----------



## titansgal

DisneyJamieCA said:


> I got the same thing. What number are people calling.  (Sherry, this is the number listed in the FAQ)



I called   (714) 781-4400 and he told me it was right number, but tickets aren't in system yet.  Maybe it's overloaded with calls now?


----------



## DisneyJamieCA

titansgal said:


> I called   (714) 781-4400 and he told me it was right number, but tickets aren't in system yet.  Maybe it's overloaded with calls now?



When I tried it had a recording that said the line had been disconnected or is no longer in service. Just tried again and got the same thing. Hmm...Maybe they took it down until the tickets are available over the phone? I just wanted to see if they could look up my tickets since they still haven't been emailed. I am not patient today!


----------



## Sherry E

titansgal said:


> I called   (714) 781-4400 and he told me it was right number, but tickets aren't in system yet.  Maybe it's overloaded with calls now?




That's the number I have in the FAQ, I think, correct?  (I can't remember off hand without looking at it.)

I think that the phone lines get overloaded and sometimes a message pops up that indicates the line is not valid or not working or not in service or whatever -- that has happened to me when I have called other non-Disney numbers that got very busy.  They get slammed with calls all at once and the phone lines jam up.

The number I have in the FAQ is the same one that I know at least some people were using in the past, but there is probably more than one way to get to the ticket lines (through various automated system options!).

I think they're just overloaded right now.  People are afraid their nights are going to sell out immediately (they won't) and are anxious to get in!


----------



## figment_jii

DisneyJamieCA said:


> Am I right in recalling that there can be a delay between purchasing online and the email coming through? Now I am impatiently waiting for the email with my tickets to come through!





DisneyJamieCA said:


> When I tried it had a recording that said the line had been disconnected or is no longer in service. Just tried again and got the same thing. Hmm...Maybe they took it down until the tickets are available over the phone? I just wanted to see if they could look up my tickets since they still haven't been emailed. I am not patient today!



Did you get the email confirmation yet?  It 's titled "Disneyland Confirmation" and comes from "Disneyland Reservations"?  If you've gotten that one, that's how you get your tickets (they aren't email the pdf anymore).  At the bottom of the email is a link that says "View of Print Your Disney eTickets".  Click that and it'll take you to your tickets and you can print them or print them to pdf.


----------



## Sherry E

DisneyJamieCA said:


> When I tried it had a recording that said the line had been disconnected or is no longer in service. Just tried again and got the same thing. Hmm...Maybe they took it down until the tickets are available over the phone? I just wanted to see if they could look up my tickets since they still haven't been emailed. I am not patient today!



Be patient, *Jamie*!  You can do it! 

You have to realize that thousands of people are currently bombarding Disneyland with calls and online transactions.  Just give it a bit of time for the phone lines to calm down. It's only 9:43 a.m. (West Coast time!).


----------



## DisneyJamieCA

figment_jii said:


> Did you get the email confirmation yet?  It 's titled "Disneyland Confirmation" and comes from "Disneyland Reservations"?  If you've gotten that one, that's how you get your tickets (they aren't email the pdf anymore).  At the bottom of the email is a link that says "View of Print Your Disney eTickets".  Click that and it'll take you to your tickets and you can print them or print them to pdf.



I haven't gotten ANYTHING from Disney. No confirmation. And of course the the confirmation page when I purchased, quickly timed out so I don't even have my confirmation number, hence why I'm a little stressed about it. I was hoping they could look them via my AP number and figure out how to get them to me.




Sherry E said:


> Be patient, Jamie!  You can do it!  You have to realize that thousands of people are currently bombarding Disneyland with calls and online transactions.  Just give it a bit of time for the phone lines to calm down. It's only 9:43 a.m. (West Coast time!).



I know I need to patient and I do feel like I remember a time right before a price increase where it was taking people along time to get their AP/tickets via email. I just bought 8 party tickets, so not chump change - and I hate not having anyway to prove it   I am very type A and like things neat & orderly!


----------



## figment_jii

DisneyJamieCA said:


> I haven't gotten ANYTHING from Disney. No confirmation. And of course the the confirmation page when I purchased, quickly timed out so I don't even have my confirmation number, hence why I'm a little stressed about it. I was hoping they could look them via my AP number and figure out how to get them to me.



Did you pay using a credit card?  Can you check you credit card to see if there is a pending payment to Disney?

I do remember that sometimes the delay can be several hours before the confirmation email shows up.  My guess is that the system is slow right now...


----------



## Sherry E

Well?  I know that some of you are probably calling the out-of-service ticket number.  Is it still not working?  Is it working?  Report back to us here!


----------



## LisaT91403

figment_jii said:


> This could also be an issue for folks that have a valid AP now, but their AP ticket expires before the event date.



That's my situation. My AP expires in Sept, and I'm not sure if we are going to renew or not.

The only benefit I'm getting from buying an AP ticket is the ability to purchase early (no discount).  I just can't see showing up for the party and being denied admission after spending $70/ticket. That wouldn't make sense.


----------



## Sherry E

LisaT91403 said:


> That's my situation. My AP expires in Sept, and I'm not sure if we are going to renew or not.
> 
> The only benefit I'm getting from buying an AP ticket is the ability to purchase early (no discount).  I just can't see showing up for the party and being denied admission after spending $70/ticket. That wouldn't make sense.



It wouldn't make sense at all!   I think you'll get in without issue.  I would have to assume that a lot of people buy MHP tickets while their APs are still valid, and then the APs expire before the MHP rolls around.  They also often buy tickets for friends and family too (who do not have APs).  

All anyone needs is an MHP ticket to get into the parties, so I don't think you'd be denied.  For all Disney knows (once you're at the turnstiles), someone could have given you the ticket as a gift.


----------



## DisneyJamieCA

Sherry E said:


> Well?  I know that some of you are probably calling the out-of-service ticket number.  Is it still not working?  Is it working?  Report back to us here!



It is working again! I've been on hold for 35 minutes now.

ETA: Got through - she was able to look up my order and it was there! She is surprised it hadn't emailed yet, but said to give it 24 hours just for the overload. She said if the email didn't arrive, to bring my confirmation number (which she gave me) to the ticket booth and they'll be happy to print them out for me. Feeling much better


----------



## figment_jii

I agree with _Sherry_ in that I think the information is meant to convey that you have to have a valid AP at the time of purchase.  Nothing on the ticket itself says you have to have a valid AP to use the ticket and you don't put your name on it or anything like that.  So baring some major change in policies, I think you'll be fine using the ticket whether or not you have a valid AP at the time of the party.


----------



## Sherry E

DisneyJamieCA said:


> It is working again! I've been on hold for 35 minutes now.
> 
> ETA: Got through - she was able to look up my order and it was there! She is surprised it hadn't emailed yet, but said to give it 24 hours just for the overload. She said if the email didn't arrive, to bring my confirmation number (which she gave me) to the ticket booth and they'll be happy to print them out for me. Feeling much better



That's wonderful news, *Jamie*!  I'm glad to hear it.

I know it is a huge relief for you to get through to an actual human and to find out that the order is there.  And you're absolutely right -- it's not chump change or just a few bucks being spent, so you want to make sure that DLR's system actually recognized your order if it didn't appear to complete correctly!


----------



## sand2270

The wait time is long but you can now purchase tickets with the Visa discount.


----------



## figment_jii

For a resort that seems to want to try and push their social media network, you gotta love the fact that only two of the streams announced that MHP tickets went on sale today for AP, DVC, and Disney Visa Card Holders.  At least it was one Twitter and one Facebook feed each!  

Disneyland Resort Twitter: Yes (~noon)
Disneyland Today Twitter: No
Disneyland Annual Passholder Twitter: No
Disneyland Today Facebook: No
Disney Parks Blog Facebook: No
Disneyland Facebook: No
Disneyland Annual Passholder Facebook: Yes (~9:00 am)
Disneyland Halloween Time Facebook: No


----------



## Sherry E

figment_jii said:


> For a resort that seems to want to try and push their social media network, you gotta love the fact that only two of the streams announced that MHP tickets went on sale today for AP, DVC, and Disney Visa Card Holders.  At least it was one Twitter and one Facebook feed each!
> 
> Disneyland Resort Twitter: Yes (~noon)
> Disneyland Today Twitter: No
> Disneyland Annual Passholder Twitter: No
> Disneyland Today Facebook: No
> Disney Parks Blog Facebook: No
> Disneyland Facebook: No
> Disneyland Annual Passholder Facebook: Yes (~9:00 am)
> Disneyland Halloween Time Facebook: No



^^^For some reason, I love reading stats/bits on info like that!  I don't know why, but I find it endlessly entertaining.  Thank you for doing such a good job of keeping track of it all, *figment_jii*!

That Halloween Time Facebook page is just...pitiful.  As I've said in the past, Disney could certainly find ways to engage the readers and make it interesting all year long, to get people excited about seeing DLR at Halloween Time when the season is finally here.

BUT...let's forget my idea.  Let's just say that the Halloween Time Facebook page exists only to report on Halloween Time-related things each year, as they happen or are announced.

Using that reasoning, wouldn't it make sense for the Halloween Time page to, for example, put up a post when the MHP tickets go on sale?  Or when the dates of Halloween Time and the MHP were first announced, 2 weeks ago?  

They don't even do that much with the page. They literally don't start posting anything on that Halloween Time page until September, and by that time everyone has had to get their Halloween info elsewhere!


----------



## figment_jii

I sometimes wonder if they didn't make all of these social media streams as a means of preventing anyone else from taking the name.  I'm sure there is some process (perhaps legal, perhaps through Facebook or Twitter account policies or something like that) why which Disney could get back the name if someone else created an account using it, but this way it's already under their control.  However, they really aren't planning on using it that much (except during the applicable season), so it just kind of sits there like a lump of coal.  It would be great if they did something else with it, but I get the feeling that as much as Disney is trying to embrace new technology and communications methods, they don't really have a clear vision/plan yet.


----------



## leslieboehm

Tickets officially purchased for 10/24, somehow making this trip more real for me.  I could not be more excited (unless I was already there) :


----------



## zozmd

I'm so happy I finally had success on my third call!  I got my MHP tickets using my about to expire Disney Visa Rewards Redeption Card. Whew!


----------



## laura&fam

zozmd said:


> I'm so happy I finally had success on my third call!  I got my MHP tickets using my about to expire Disney Visa Rewards Redeption Card. Whew!



What was the price?  Did they give you the discount with the rewards card or do you have to use the actual Visa to get the AP price?  I'm planning to get my tickets tomorrow with my rewards points card.


----------



## Swtonscrappn

Just ordered the first 8 of my 12 tickets.  I had absolutely no wait time on my call which was nice and unexpected.  It sounds like I can order my other 4 tickets tomorrow, but I cannot get the visa price for them, but I will be charged at the advance purchase price.  I will let you know how it goes tomorrow with the other 4 tickets.


----------



## Sherry E

Well, the official Disneyland Halloween Time Facebook page may not have released any info about the MHP tickets being on sale, but at least the Disney Visa debit/credit website folks are not asleep on the job!:

https://disneydebit.com/offers/dlrmhpjuly14/



​


----------



## pixiepirate

Thanks to everyone who posted their experiences earlier today.  I decided to wait to call until I got home from work. Got through with absolutely no wait and bought 2 tickets for my very first MHP on Oct 17.


----------



## aidensmom31

I was actually able to purchase my tickets for all 3 Halloween parties happening during my trip yesterday at like 100am online.  I went on to check and just see since I was up at work and it was open.  Originally I was just going to do 2 parties but I recently got a surprise bonus at work and decided to use some of it and go to that 3rd party.  My son and I are excited because this will give us more time to get character autographs like Jack Sparrow and other ones not out all the time plus let us go at a more relax pace not our got to do it all pace   We are so much alike we both said that at the same time when I told him we could do all 3 parties


----------



## Sherry E

*Soon I will post a few links to reviews/recaps of last year's Mickey's Halloween Party (and some other helpful info), so that those who are new to the MHP this year can get a sense of what people said about it in 2013.  Stay tuned to this Superthread, and please don't hesitate to join in and chat with us, or ask questions, or help answer questions, or whatever.  


Congratulations to everyone who is now a proud owner of MHP tickets!  Even if you have not yet been able to get your tickets, you will.

Thank you to those who reported back in this thread about what was going on with the ticket phone lines, and whether you did or did not get through!  I know we all appreciate the information.  


The next phase of the ticket sales happens in a couple of weeks, and after that... the mini-Theme Week Countdown in this thread will commence!  

And then we sit and wait for any kinds of info or news to trickle in about this year's Halloween Time celebration!  

In just about 2 months/8 weeks, we will be celebrating the official start of Halloween Time!  Time will fly by at warp speed (this thread is already more than 2 months old, and look at how quickly the time has flown by)!   

Personally, I can't wait for any tiny glimpse of fall and Halloween, as I am over summer at this point (even though I know that the worst of the summer heat hasn't even hit us yet in SoCal ).  I like to see little signs of things beginning to appear, here and there.  I don't want a full Halloween onslaught when I set foot in the stores now, but just a tiny glimpse.  Then, as the weeks roll on there will be more and more signs of the season appearing, and it helps to build up anticipation!

Last year at this time, it was reported that Costco already had some Halloween things on display.  Various craft stores apparently already have Halloween and Christmas things out now (which makes sense, if people have to actually have the time to make things for the assorted holidays).  

Has anyone seen any early signs of Halloween in their stores yet?







​*


----------



## DisneyJamieCA

FWIW, 24 hours later and still no email with my tickets  I may call again in a few days to see if they can resend and if not, at least confirm they will print them there for me.


----------



## Sherry E

DisneyJamieCA said:


> FWIW, 24 hours later and still no email with my tickets  I may call again in a few days to see if they can resend and if not, at least confirm they will print them there for me.




Hmmm... In the back of my mind somewhere, I remember someone else reporting that the same thing happened (a delay of the emailed MHP tickets).  I cannot recall if it was last year or 2012.  I am trying to recall what the end result was -- I mean, obviously it all worked out and they got into the MHP, but I am trying to remember if they had to deal with it at the ticket booths when they arrived at DLR, or if it was taken care of before they got to DLR.

If I stumble upon that info in a previous Superthread, I will post it and let you know (or anyone else who has not yet received their emailed tickets).


----------



## DisneyJamieCA

Sherry E said:


> Hmmm... In the back of my mind somewhere, I remember someone else reporting that the same thing happened (a delay of the emailed MHP tickets).  I cannot recall if it was last year or 2012.  I am trying to recall what the end result was -- I mean, obviously it all worked out and they got into the MHP, but I am trying to remember if they had to deal with it at the ticket booths when they arrived at DLR, or if it was taken care of before they got to DLR.  If I stumble upon that info in a previous Superthread, I will post it and let you know (or anyone else who has not yet received their emailed tickets).



Thanks, I appreciate that


----------



## kaci

I found these posts about not getting the tickets via email

http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=45491047&postcount=3690

http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=45496618&postcount=6


----------



## DisneyJamieCA

kaci said:


> I found these posts about not getting the tickets via email  http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=45491047&postcount=3690 http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=45496618&postcount=6



Thanks for finding those  Unfortunately I didn't get a confirmation email, but I was able to to get the confirmation number from the CM I spoke to yesterday. Hopefully that and the credit card will be enough! Now I'm curious if it's something they can do at the hotel (staying at the DLH) or if I have to go the ticket booths. And can the print them out the night before us?


----------



## Sherry E

Thank you, *kaci*, for finding those very helpful bits of info!  

Those were not the reports or recaps I was thinking of (I think the one that I am remembering came from a different person), and I'm not even entirely sure that the person posted in a Superthread, but if I find it (the one that I am thinking of), I will post it!


----------



## kaci

DisneyJamieCA said:


> Thanks for finding those  Unfortunately I didn't get a confirmation email, but I was able to to get the confirmation number from the CM I spoke to yesterday. Hopefully that and the credit card will be enough! Now I'm curious if it's something they can do at the hotel (staying at the DLH) or if I have to go the ticket booths. And can the print them out the night before us?



I don't know anything about doing it at the hotel... but I don't see any reason why you shouldn't be able to get the tickets printed out the night before (whether that is at the hotel or ends up being at the ticket booth.) 

I know how frustrating it is to have a loose end floating around, especially when it involves $$$. I hope it's no big deal to get your tickets printed when the time comes, or that your email just took the long way around the internet and shows up soon 



Sherry E said:


> Thank you, *kaci*, for finding those very helpful bits of info!



Happy to! We're having a slow day around here and digging through old threads on the DIS is a great way to spend it


----------



## figment_jii

DisneyJamieCA said:


> Thanks for finding those  Unfortunately I didn't get a confirmation email, but I was able to to get the confirmation number from the CM I spoke to yesterday. Hopefully that and the credit card will be enough! Now I'm curious if it's something they can do at the hotel (staying at the DLH) or if I have to go the ticket booths. And can the print them out the night before us?



I don't know about having the hotel print them, but with the confirmation number and credit card, you should be fine.  I know you didn't forget your tickets, but the process should be pretty much the same.



> What if I forget to bring my Disney's eTicket?
> Don't worry! If you forget your Disney's eTicket, just visit Guest Services at the Main Entrance Will Call window with the credit card used to purchase your tickets and a photo I.D. such as a driver's license or passport. A Guest Services Cast Member will be able to locate your order and re-issue your tickets. For security reasons, only the Guest whose name appears on the credit card used to purchase the tickets will be able to pick them up.


http://disneyland.disney.go.com/disneyland/en_US/general/loadGeneric?genericName=ETicketFAQ

When you called, did you confirm with the CM that the email address on file was correct?  It's also possible that the tickets will show up at some point.  It's not the same, but it took the Buzz Lightyear ride photo almost two-three weeks to show up at one point!  I've had WDW resort reservation confirmation emails take a few days to arrive as well.  So, there is still a chance it'll show up at some point in the next week or so.  Regardless, you should be fine with the confirmation number, your credit card, and an ID.



Sherry E said:


> Last year at this time, it was reported that Costco already had some Halloween things on display.  Various craft stores apparently already have Halloween and Christmas things out now (which makes sense, if people have to actually have the time to make things for the assorted holidays).  Has anyone seen any early signs of Halloween in their stores yet?


I've only seen things in the craft/fabric stores as well.  Unless you count all of the costumes and stuff they sell year-round at the Disney Stores.    There have been a few blog entries about Halloween on the Disney Cruise Lines, so they're getting into the game as well.


----------



## DisneyJamieCA

figment_jii said:


> I don't know about having the hotel print them, but with the confirmation number and credit card, you should be fine.  I know you didn't forget your tickets, but the process should be pretty much the same.  http://disneyland.disney.go.com/disneyland/en_US/general/loadGeneric?genericName=ETicketFAQ  When you called, did you confirm with the CM that the email address on file was correct?  It's also possible that the tickets will show up at some point.  It's not the same, but it took the Buzz Lightyear ride photo almost two-three weeks to show up at one point!  I've had WDW resort reservation confirmation emails take a few days to arrive as well.  So, there is still a chance it'll show up at some point in the next week or so.  Regardless, you should be fine with the confirmation number, your credit card, and an ID.  I've only seen things in the craft/fabric stores as well.  Unless you count all of the costumes and stuff they sell year-round at the Disney Stores.    There have been a few blog entries about Halloween on the Disney Cruise Lines, so they're getting into the game as well.



Thanks for that info! I know I'm worrying over something probably not worth worrying over, but I do hate loose ends! I'm glad to know the process seems straight forward. I don't mind going to the ticket booth the night before since we weren't going into the parks - I just don't want to waste park time doing it, lol! And I'll ask at the hotel - the worst that happens is they say no and I go to guest relations. Yes, I did confirm my email with them yesterday. I'm sure it's just floating around cyberspace somewhere right now.


----------



## momof6princesses

I think its been at least a few weeks since I have had a chance to really log on here.  My #4 princess had to have emergent surgery for a burst appendix that the doctor thinks ruptured 5 days before.    11 days in the hospital then a return visit 2 more times because of complications its been a rough few weeks!  But back to Disney planning now that the doctors think they have everything under control. 

I'm getting excited, just bought our MHP tickets yesterday!  Had planned on going the 22nd but decided to change the date to the Monday the 20th because it saved us about $50.    Only a few princesses have decided who they want to dress like:  Princess #6 Izzy (Jake and the Neverland Pirate)  and Princesses #3 & 4 both want to be Elsa.  The rest of us want to go as a group theme but haven't agreed on what, maybe Alice and Wonderland, having Alice, Mad Hatter, Queen, and tweedle dee and tweedle dum.  Other ideas welcome there are 5 of us all female and one daddy.  Only around 93 more days until we are in our Happy Place!


----------



## Sherry E

While this is great for the Disney Cruise Line's Halloween celebration, extra details about our own DLR Halloween Time season (beyond the dates and ticket info that we already know) have to wait for a while, I suppose.

_(And, by the way, Disney Cruise Line -- WE had the Ray Bradbury-inspired Halloween/Pumpkin Tree first_!!!)


----------



## zanzibar138

momof6princesses said:


> I think its been at least a few weeks since I have had a chance to really log on here.  My #4 princess had to have emergent surgery for a burst appendix that the doctor thinks ruptured 5 days before.    11 days in the hospital then a return visit 2 more times because of complications its been a rough few weeks!  But back to Disney planning now that the doctors think they have everything under control.



Poor little thing! Hope she's ok now and no more complications.



Sherry E said:


> Has anyone seen any early signs of Halloween in their stores yet?



Here in Australia, only a few very select stores will have Halloween merchandise come in late September, including the craft stores  Supermarkets will start getting a small selection of Halloween treats in October.

So this thread is the only glimpse of Halloween I'll get before our trip!


----------



## Mysteryincorp

I bought my tickets yesterday for the MHP, super excited!! I'm hoping my daughter can stay awake a little later this year!


----------



## Kilala

Here are some progress pics of my new Demeter costume. I will be wearing this on a day at MHP.













There are more pictures here http://s499.photobucket.com/user/Naruto-Kitten/library/Demeter 2014 costume?sort=2&page=1

I won't be able to finish this unitard untill next month. I ran out of yellow paint.



I finally found a named for my un-named cat character. Her name is Autumn Mist. Here are pictures of the unitard I painting. I can't finish painting the unitard untill next month when I can get some dark red paint for the unitard. One of the photos has marks on it where I'm making plans for the unitard. 














One of the shoes I will be using. This will be the color of the red paint I will be getting for the unitard.


----------



## Sherry E

I love the name Autumn Mist, *Kilala*!  

You picked a great one!  As usual, I love all the work and care that you put into making your costumes, and into Halloween in general!


​

*momof6princesses -- *

I hope your daughter is doing better now.  That's scary to think that her appendix may have ruptured 5 days before she was seen by a doctor, but thankfully it was caught before anything got worse.

I'm so glad that you were able to get your MHP tickets.


​




zanzibar138 said:


> Here in Australia, only a few very select stores will have Halloween merchandise come in late September, including the craft stores  Supermarkets will start getting a small selection of Halloween treats in October.
> 
> So this thread is the only glimpse of Halloween I'll get before our trip!




*zanzibar138 --*

Well, I'm happy that this thread can give you a bit of Halloween when it seems there is a lack of it where you live!

Are there any theories or ideas as to why Halloween has really never caught on in Australia or New Zealand?  I keep hearing that Halloween is barely recognized at all, and there aren't any fun pumpkin patches or Halloween things to do.  But Easter is a big deal there, apparently (merchandise hits the shelves in January), and Christmas in July is picking up some steam, and Christmas is big.




Mysteryincorp said:


> I bought my tickets yesterday for the MHP, super excited!! I'm hoping my daughter can stay awake a little later this year!



*Mysteryincorp --*

Welcome! 

Hopefully she can stay awake and not miss too much of the fun!

​


----------



## zanzibar138

Sherry E said:


> Well, I'm happy that this thread can give you a bit of Halloween when it seems there is a lack of it where you live!
> 
> Are there any theories or ideas as to why Halloween has really never caught on in Australia or New Zealand?  I keep hearing that Halloween is barely recognized at all, and there aren't any fun pumpkin patches or Halloween things to do.  But Easter is a big deal there, apparently (merchandise hits the shelves in January), and Christmas in July is picking up some steam, and Christmas is big.



I'm not sure why Halloween hasn't caught on down here. It's starting to come in a bit more now, but pumpkins are a different time of year so that doesn't really work  Personally I always forget about it so I hope that we don't get any trick or treaters because I won't have anything to give them 

I guess Easter is a pretty big deal. Easter eggs and hot cross buns start appearing straight after Christmas (to give you plenty of time to buy your Easter eggs, eat them, and have to buy more ). There are a few Easter Egg hunt activities around for kids, and some people walk around with rabbit ears and stuff on the day. Schools often have Easter hat parades. We get both the Friday before and the Monday after off work, not sure if that's the same for you. But no one really decorates or anything.

Christmas is really the only occasion that people decorate for over here. It seems to be hitting stores earlier and earlier. Big department stores seem to be starting to set up their Christmas sections in August these days, which I think is far too early!


----------



## Alohagirl73

Hopefully we will be going to the party the first night just like last year. My DD loved it and now that she's into actually being near the characters it should be even more fun. 

Hope to get our tickets next week or so!


----------



## Sherry E

*By the way, yesterday I neglected to comment about the Disney Parks Blog's announcement of the photo-based contest taking place right now (and through August), involving submissions of our Disneyland photos from the '50s, '60s '70s, '80s, '90s and all the way up to now.

The timing of this contest struck me as amusing because -- just the other day in this thread -- we were discussing social media as it relates to these Disneyland giveaways (like the #GetHappier/Monday Summer Surprises madness).

This photo/decade-based contest is relying only on specific social media as the means of submission.  There is no other way to enter it.  In fact, people are not even allowed to submit their photos on Facebook (and Facebook is a HUGE presence in social media)!!!!!!!  They/we may only enter the contest via Twitter or Instagram.

As someone who has a lot of Disneyland photos from the '70s and beyond, this would seem to be the perfect contest for me!  

However, I don't have an Instagram account (my phone is a basic phone, and I don't think it could open Instagram if it tried).  And...I HATE Twitter.  I hate the layout of Twitter.  I hate the whole tweeting and re-tweeting process.  Hashtags annoy me.  I just don't like it.   But, for me, my only option will be to enter the contest via Twitter, which really bothers me.  

I can't even fathom why Facebook is not being allowed as way to enter the contest, or why Disney didn't set up a separate page or website solely for contest entries/submissions.

Another thing that I find ironic and interesting is that a lot of people who have photos from the '50s or '60s to submit are possibly a bit 'older' than many of the people who are Twitter-crazy these days -- and those folks might not even have a Twitter account, or an Instagram account.

I recall meeting a lovely, nice lady at DLR last December.  She was on my Carthay Circle Tour, and we later struck up a conversation outside a shop on Buena Vista Street.  She had been at DLR on its opening day -- how wonderful would it be to have that claim?  It's something that most of us cannot claim!  She had recently recovered from major heart surgery and was treating herself to a solo trip to DLR for the holidays.  She was not on social media.  She was not on Disneyland-related discussion forms.  In fact, even though she had visited DLR every year for decades, she wasn't even aware of the Candlelight Ceremony/Processional!  Still, she loved Disneyland and she was having a great time (the last time I saw her, she was waiting in line to meet the Princesses in Fantasyland!).

Yesterday I thought of the lady that I spoke with last December.  Surely she has a photo or two from being at DLR on opening day in 1955, but because she is not on social media and could not enter the current photo contest unless she had a Twitter or Instagram account, she'd be unable to share her wonderful photos.  I'm sure there have to be more folks out there like her.

So, even though "the times" have changed and social media is all the rage, there are older folks who probably have fantastic, vintage Disneyland photos to share, and won't be able to because they either won't know about the contest or won't want to try to figure out how to use Twitter/Instagram!*


----------



## 2tinkerbell

I think you are right Sherry.  I have a great picture of me with Chip from about 1960 when I was probably 6 years old.  My mother is standing there wearing capris with Keds and carrying a black patten leather purse (square)...lol!  There is no way that I want a Twitter account or an Instagram account.  

What is remarkable is how much Chip has changed over the years.  He looks much better now than 54 years ago.  He has aged just as beautifully as I have


----------



## Sherry E

*Before I forget...

As I do every year, I am inviting my Halloween Time Superthread friends to join in on the 4th Annual Theme Week Countdown in my Disneyland at Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread (some of the participants here are already part of that thread too  ).  The Countdown begins in that Superthread this coming Monday, July 21st, with the first theme, and there will be a total of 22 themes rolled out over the course of 3-1/2 months.  The final theme will be on Monday, November 3rd.  

These are the Rules/Guidelines - HERE.  

You don't need to participate in every theme to participate.  You may contribute photos to one theme, or to all 22 themes.  You may post one photo or multiple photos to a theme.  You may even repeat photos -- a photo used in one theme can be used in another theme, as long as it fits the theme in question.

On 11/10/14, I will draw two names at random from the list of photo contributors, and they will each win a $25 Disney Gift Card.


​

For those who don't have any Disneyland holiday photos to contribute, I have a separate competition for the non-photo contributors, and that winner will have to give the correct answer (on or after 11/3/14) to a Code Word Challenge I set forth, which will involve following along with the Countdown each week and paying attention.

On or after 11/3/14, the first person to give me the correct, complete Code Word Challenge answer will also win a $25 Disney Gift Card.

(Last year I gave out 2 gift cards.  The Theme Week Countdown was a smash success, so this year I am giving out 3.)

Even if you have never been to DLR for the holidays at all but have been for Halloween Time, there will be at least a couple of themes to which you can contribute over the course of the Theme Week Countdown.

Even if you have never been to DLR for either Halloween Time or the holiday season, if you have any kind of holiday season/Christmas/Hanukkah photos at all, you can, at the very least, participate in the final theme, which will be the "Holiday Cornucopia/A Few of My Favorite Things" theme on November 3rd.  So everyone can enter into at least one theme, if not more.

You may not, however, enter into both the photo submission segment and the Code Word Challenge segment.  Pick which one you are participating in and stick to it!

​

I will be gone all day on Monday, and won't be back until late at night -- which means I will miss the thrilling, spine-tingling #GetHappier/Monday Summer Surprise revelation -- but I will post the first theme of the Theme Week Countdown in the Disneyland at Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread before I leave in the morning.  (Not all of the themes will be posted that early, of course, but I have to post that one early or it won't be posted!)

​*


----------



## figment_jii

Sherry E said:


> I will be gone all day on Monday, and won't be back until late at night -- which means I will miss the thrilling, spine-tingling #GetHappier/Monday Summer Surprise revelation --





I haven't decided whether or not to post Monday's GetHapper updates as they come out because it seems like most folks are already tired of the promotion.


----------



## zanzibar138

Once again, I agree with Sherry on the social media thing. Not that it affects me anyway since, as an international guest, I am not eligible for the competition.

I actually tried to download Instagram on my phone a couple of months ago for an American Airlines promotion. However, it seems my phone doesn't like Instagram, and kept crashing until I removed it.

I am also not a fan of Twitter. It was another account I set up for the AA promo and I'm now regretting it. I want to delete my account, but it has to stay inactive for 30 days. Someone keeps hacking it before the 30 days is up, so I'm not sure how I'm going to get rid of it!

I have to say I'm really confused about how this theme countdown thing works  Is there just one countdown for all the holidays combined, or is there a separate Halloween one? And my photos must be from DLR? There won't be any chance for me to upload Disney Halloween themed photos that aren't actually at DLR? I'm sure I will understand once it starts!


----------



## Sherry E

zanzibar138 said:


> Once again, I agree with Sherry on the social media thing. Not that it affects me anyway since, as an international guest, I am not eligible for the competition.
> 
> I actually tried to download Instagram on my phone a couple of months ago for an American Airlines promotion. However, it seems my phone doesn't like Instagram, and kept crashing until I removed it.
> 
> I am also not a fan of Twitter. It was another account I set up for the AA promo and I'm now regretting it. I want to delete my account, but it has to stay inactive for 30 days. Someone keeps hacking it before the 30 days is up, so I'm not sure how I'm going to get rid of it!
> 
> I have to say I'm really confused about how this theme countdown thing works  Is there just one countdown for all the holidays combined, or is there a separate Halloween one? And my photos must be from DLR? There won't be any chance for me to upload Disney Halloween themed photos that aren't actually at DLR? I'm sure I will understand once it starts!



I'm glad I'm not the only one who is not a fan of Twitter, and who doesn't use Instagram!  I am really baffled that the photo contest entries are not being allowed on Facebook too!  That is surprising!


As for the Theme Week Countdown -- No, there is no Halloween countdown right now, and even when I do a mini-Halloween-themed Countdown in _this_ thread (eventually) it will not involve prizes and it will not last for 3-1/2 months.

The Countdown beginning on Monday is a DLR holiday season/Christmas-oriented Theme Week Countdown.   That's why I specified above that I was inviting the Halloween Superthread friends to participate in the Countdown in the Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread.  

No one has to participate in that thread or that Countdown -- I am just extending the offer here for those that would like to join in over there too!

It won't be confusing once the Countdown gets going.  It's not hard to follow.  People either have photos to fit the DLR holiday themes, or they don't. 

The Code Word Challenge is the most complicated part of the Countdown -- and the photo contributors don't have to deal with it -- and even that won't be TOO complicated for those who choose to do that challenge, as long as they pay attention.


However, there _may_ be a couple of themes in the Holiday Season/Christmas Theme Week Countdown to which you can contribute if you want to (you will have to stay tuned for those!).  

Or, you can post any non-Disney Christmas/Holiday photo you'd like to post in the final theme on 11/3 -- like if you have a favorite family holiday photo or something.


----------



## zanzibar138

Sherry E said:


> As for the Theme Week Countdown -- No, there is no Halloween countdown right now, and even when I do a mini-Halloween-themed Countdown in _this_ thread (eventually) it will not involve prizes and it will not last for 3-1/2 months.
> 
> The Countdown beginning on Monday is a DLR holiday season/Christmas-oriented Theme Week Countdown.   That's why I specified above that I was inviting the Halloween Superthread friends to participate in the Countdown in the Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread.
> 
> No one has to participate in that thread or that Countdown -- I am just extending the offer here for those that would like to join in over there too!
> 
> It won't be confusing once the Countdown gets going.  It's not hard to follow.  People either have photos to fit the DLR holiday themes, or they don't.
> 
> The Code Word Challenge is the most complicated part of the Countdown -- and the photo contributors don't have to deal with it -- and even that won't be TOO complicated for those who choose to do that challenge, as long as they pay attention.
> 
> 
> However, there _may_ be a couple of themes in the Holiday Season/Christmas Theme Week Countdown to which you can contribute if you want to (you will have to stay tuned for those!).
> 
> Or, you can post any non-Disney Christmas/Holiday photo you'd like to post in the final theme on 11/3 -- like if you have a favorite family holiday photo or something.



Oh, sorry I missed the part where you invited us to join in on the other thread  That makes much more sense


----------



## Sherry E

2tinkerbell said:


> I think you are right Sherry.  I have a great picture of me with Chip from about 1960 when I was probably 6 years old.  My mother is standing there wearing capris with Keds and carrying a black patten leather purse (square)...lol!  There is no way that I want a Twitter account or an Instagram account.
> 
> What is remarkable is how much Chip has changed over the years.  He looks much better now than 54 years ago.  He has aged just as beautifully as I have



*2tinkerbell --*

 Chip and Dale have both improved in appearance over the years!  I have a photo of myself with one of them in Tomorrowland from the '70s (why were Chip and Dale in Tomorrowland?) and the costume looked quite different than it does today.


As far as I know, people can't even post photos on Instagram without doing it from a cell phone/smart phone.  I don't think that photos can be posted from a desktop computer on Instagram.   (_Instagram users, am I correct about that_?)  So, if I am correct, what are people with older photos supposed to do?  Take a picture of the older photo with their smart phone?  Or I suppose there is some way to load the photo from the PC to a phone?  Too much trouble.

Twitter is the less complicated option, but again, it's a format that people either love or don't love. I do not love it.

Facebook would have been the best social media option, but the photo entries are not allowed via Facebook.

The best option overall would have been to set up a separate mini-site or web page to take the contest entries, just like the recent/current WDW photo contest did, if I recall correctly.  The WDW contest was not relying on entries from Twitter or Instagram.




Alohagirl73 said:


> Hopefully we will be going to the party the first night just like last year. My DD loved it and now that she's into actually being near the characters it should be even more fun.
> 
> Hope to get our tickets next week or so!



*Alohagirl73 --*

Was your DD getting used to the characters at last year's MHP?  It seems like some kids take to (and embrace) the characters right away, and others have to slowly get comfortable with them.





figment_jii said:


> I haven't decided whether or not to post Monday's GetHapper updates as they come out because it seems like most folks are already tired of the promotion.



*figment_jii --*

It doesn't hurt to give it a quick mention.  I've mentioned it here myself in the past, and I'm sure I will again.  I think that a lot of folks know to check for the Get Happier giveaways on Mondays on their own at this point, or they may have lost interest.   Ultimately, I would play it by ear, though.  If someone asks about what the surprise is/was, then of course we can tell them.

If the prizes end up being something really big and interesting, then we can mention it.  If it's just another giveaway of ears or cookies or an extra hour in the park -- anything like that -- it's not anything that we can use in this thread so it's probably not necessary to devote much time to it.

At this rate, unless the Monday Surprise is specifically related to -- or could otherwise affect -- Halloween Time, it's not urgent to mention it here, especially if it is not an online giveaway.

If the Get Happier surprise finally ends up being something online, that anyone can have access to, then it's fine to mention it.  If it turns out to be an announcement of some kind, specifically pertaining to Halloween Time or the holiday season or whatever, then of course, we mention it here or in the Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread.





zanzibar138 said:


> Oh, sorry I missed the part where you invited us to join in on the other thread  That makes much more sense



*zanzibar138 --*

No problem!


----------



## momof6princesses

Thanks for all the well wishes for my princess. 

As for FB, I wouldn't be surprised if they have some kind of silly rule that doesn't allow Disney to use them for the contest?


----------



## yeheyprincex2

The party city store close to my house is getting ready for Halloween.  They already had two aisles full of costumes.  We are still waiting to buy our tickets as soon as the 30th rolls around we will.  I'm still working on out touring plans.


----------



## Sherry E

momof6princesses said:


> Thanks for all the well wishes for my princess.
> 
> As for FB, I wouldn't be surprised if they have some kind of silly rule that doesn't allow Disney to use them for the contest?



*momof6princesses --*

Possibly so.  I guess I am also surprised that the recent, similar WDW photo-based contest offered a way to enter on a website without using Twitter or Instagram, but our DLR photo contest is forcing everyone to Twitter and Instagram.  Strange!

Nonetheless, I have a lot of old photos from the '70s, '80s, '90s and beyond, so I will force myself to deal with that infernal Twitter to be able to enter some of them.





yeheyprincex2 said:


> The party city store close to my house is getting ready for Halloween.  They already had two aisles full of costumes.  We are still waiting to buy our tickets as soon as the 30th rolls around we will.  I'm still working on out touring plans.



*yeheyprincex2 --*

Wow!  The party store has Halloween things already?  See, I thought that it might be the craft stores that were already stocked with Halloween and Christmas things (and, in August, signs of Halloween-themed foods will begin to creep into supermarkets and places like Target), but I didn't even think about the party supply stores!

Then again, I don't know why I am surprised.  Halloween is becoming a much bigger deal every year (in the U.S.) -- and more people are either hosting their own elaborate Halloween events or attending other elaborate Halloween events.  There are people here on the DIS who are planning and/or making their costumes for the MHP now, in advance (such as *Kilala*), so time is needed to prepare -- which means that supplies need to be available early.


----------



## fiddlesticks

Hi all...  We are going to DL in Oct for our 3rd (and final) trip of our annual passes!  It was our Christmas present to us last year and we are going out with a bang...9 days! My sister and brother in law are coming down for three days in the middle of ours (Tues-Thurs) but I thought it would be fun to get tickets for Mickey's Halloween Party and get an extra night for them!  I have never been in the fall and it being my favorite season I am beyond excited!

So, I logged into tonight and bought the tickets for the five of us.  I got the email confirmation and then looked at the tickets and all five say Annual Passholder Tickets.  My brother in law and sister aren't passholders though...  Have I just thrown away $112?  Will I be able to pay the difference?  Do I need to pay the difference?  It was an honest mistake...I don't want to take advantage of the discount. Should I call?  

Any advice?


----------



## sgrap

fiddlesticks said:


> Hi all...  We are going to DL in Oct for our 3rd (and final) trip of our annual passes!  It was our Christmas present to us last year and we are going out with a bang...9 days! My sister and brother in law are coming down for three days in the middle of ours (Tues-Thurs) but I thought it would be fun to get tickets for Mickey's Halloween Party and get an extra night for them!  I have never been in the fall and it being my favorite season I am beyond excited!
> 
> So, I logged into tonight and bought the tickets for the five of us.  I got the email confirmation and then looked at the tickets and all five say Annual Passholder Tickets.  My brother in law and sister aren't passholders though...  Have I just thrown away $112?  Will I be able to pay the difference?  Do I need to pay the difference?  It was an honest mistake...I don't want to take advantage of the discount. Should I call?
> 
> Any advice?



My understanding--and I was asking before I bought because our adult son who does not have an AP is going with us one of the nights--is that as long as an annual passholder is with them, it is fine.  Up to 8 tickets per AP per purchase.  The ticket I bought for our son is for a night when there isn't a discount, though, but the cast member I spoke with on the phone indicated it was fine as long as the passholder was in the group.  At least that was my understanding.


----------



## laura&fam

Sherry E said:


> There are people here on the DIS who are planning and/or making their costumes for the MHP now, in advance (such as *Kilala*), so time is needed to prepare -- which means that supplies need to be available early.



We decided a few days ago what our costumes would be: Woody, Po Beep, Jessie, and one or two toy soldiers (depends on if my 9 year old stops sulking about not being a gory skeleton and will dress up).  Since I don't sew at all I need every minute I can get to try to figure out the most basic stuff.  I'm not sure 3 months is enough.


----------



## sgrap

What percentage of people at the MHP's dress up in costumes? We are going for the 1st time this year with our DD's 13 and 12 and DS 20.  None of them (including DH) is very excited about dressing up--in fact, I'm pretty sure they will refuse!  DH, DD's and I are going to 2 parties and DS is joining us for the 2nd one.  So I'd love some great family pictures!  What do people wear who don't dress in costume?


----------



## Kilala

Sherry E said:


> *momof6princesses --*
> 
> Possibly so.  I guess I am also surprised that the recent, similar WDW photo-based contest offered a way to enter on a website without using Twitter or Instagram, but our DLR photo contest is forcing everyone to Twitter and Instagram.  Strange!
> 
> Nonetheless, I have a lot of old photos from the '70s, '80s, '90s and beyond, so I will force myself to deal with that infernal Twitter to be able to enter some of them.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *yeheyprincex2 --*
> 
> Wow!  The party store has Halloween things already?  See, I thought that it might be the craft stores that were already stocked with Halloween and Christmas things (and, in August, signs of Halloween-themed foods will begin to creep into supermarkets and places like Target), but I didn't even think about the party supply stores!
> 
> Then again, I don't know why I am surprised.  Halloween is becoming a much bigger deal every year (in the U.S.) -- and more people are either hosting their own elaborate Halloween events or attending other elaborate Halloween events.  There are people here on the DIS who are planning and/or making their costumes for the MHP now, in advance (such as *Kilala*), so time is needed to prepare -- which means that supplies need to be available early.



LOL! Thank you. I'm working on two costumes right now. I will try to post progress pictures of the Autumn Mist costume tomorrow. I used a sponge on a unitard for the first time. I think I did a good job. I'm also working on the leg warmers for this costume too. This is the best time for me to work on costumes and to work on losing weight.


----------



## Sherry E

*This will probably be my only chance to check in here today.  I'll be busy with assorted tasks throughout the day and then gone all day tomorrow. *





fiddlesticks said:


> Hi all...  We are going to DL in Oct for our 3rd (and final) trip of our annual passes!  It was our Christmas present to us last year and we are going out with a bang...9 days! My sister and brother in law are coming down for three days in the middle of ours (Tues-Thurs) but I thought it would be fun to get tickets for Mickey's Halloween Party and get an extra night for them!  I have never been in the fall and it being my favorite season I am beyond excited!
> 
> So, I logged into tonight and bought the tickets for the five of us.  I got the email confirmation and then looked at the tickets and all five say Annual Passholder Tickets.  My brother in law and sister aren't passholders though...  Have I just thrown away $112?  Will I be able to pay the difference?  Do I need to pay the difference?  It was an honest mistake...I don't want to take advantage of the discount. Should I call?
> 
> Any advice?



Welcome, *fiddlesticks*!  Thank you for joining us!

As *sgrap* said, AP holders (and Disney Rewards Visa holders, and DVC members) are allowed to buy up to 8 tickets (I think it's up to 8 in a single transaction, but some AP holders go to the MHP on more than one night and probably buy more tickets for other nights).

My hunch is that there are many people who buy their groups' tickets in advance and give them as gifts, or just hang onto them until MHP night and give them to their group then. 

Your sister and BIL will be fine, as long as they enter the party when the AP holder who purchased the tickets (you) enters.  

In the past, I don't even think it was necessary for the AP holder who purchased the tickets to be there with every member of their party whose tickets the AP holder had bought, but this year I'm not sure what's happening. Disney may be tightening up their rules a little bit.




sgrap said:


> My understanding--and I was asking before I bought because our adult son who does not have an AP is going with us one of the nights--is that as long as an annual passholder is with them, it is fine.  Up to 8 tickets per AP per purchase.  The ticket I bought for our son is for a night when there isn't a discount, though, but the cast member I spoke with on the phone indicated it was fine as long as the passholder was in the group.  At least that was my understanding.



Yes. that's my understanding too (the Passholder being in the group) -- I think it will be fine.  





laura&fam said:


> We decided a few days ago what our costumes would be: Woody, Po Beep, Jessie, and one or two toy soldiers (depends on if my 9 year old stops sulking about not being a gory skeleton and will dress up).  Since I don't sew at all I need every minute I can get to try to figure out the most basic stuff.  I'm not sure 3 months is enough.



*laura&fam --*

I can relate -- my sewing skills are horrendous!  I am lucky if I can even temporarily mend a rip or hole in something (I usually can't!).  So it always amazes me to see that there are so many talented people out there who can make their own costumes from scratch!

Do you think your son will eventually come around to the idea of being a toy soldier, or is he fixated on the gory skeleton costume?  I had to giggle at that, because I remember -- as a child -- getting attached to the idea of certain Halloween costume ideas, even if they were not possible, too expensive, made no sense, etc.   And now, even though I know there are photos somewhere, I can't even remember what most of my costumes were!

That's another reason why some families need to start preparing for Halloween very early on as well -- they may have to tinker with a few ideas and try out a few of them first, to be sure they will work.  The kids may change their minds and want to be something else instead of the original idea.




sgrap said:


> What percentage of people at the MHP's dress up in costumes? We are going for the 1st time this year with our DD's 13 and 12 and DS 20.  None of them (including DH) is very excited about dressing up--in fact, I'm pretty sure they will refuse!  DH, DD's and I are going to 2 parties and DS is joining us for the 2nd one.  So I'd love some great family pictures!  What do people wear who don't dress in costume?



I'd say it's probably a 50/50 mix of those in costume and not in costume.  *Figment_jii* does not dress in costume.  I don't dress in costume (though I might if I went to the MHP with a group of fun people).  I just dress in normal clothes.  At some point I might wear a Halloween-themed t-shirt.

From *Question #15 of the MHP FAQ*:



> "There is good mixture of guests both in costume and in regular street clothes; enough so that neither group will feel out of place or left out. You can certainly enjoy the party if you choose to not wear a costume. Some folks elect to simply complement their daywear with a festive Halloween-themed hat or shirt. You will see a fair number of Disney character costumes, but there will also be non-Disney character costumes. You will not see very many guests dressed in “adult”-oriented costumes.
> 
> Part of the fun of attending Mickey’s Halloween Party is to witness the array of creative costumes displayed by your fellow guests. As long as the costumes fit within Disney’s guidelines and are not inappropriate, let your imagination run wild! If you have ever had the desire to dress up as a giant banana, an enormous Crayola crayon or an oversized rooster, this is your time to shine!"







Kilala said:


> LOL! Thank you. I'm working on two costumes right now. I will try to post progress pictures of the Autumn Mist costume tomorrow. I used a sponge on a unitard for the first time. I think I did a good job. I'm also working on the leg warmers for this costume too. This is the best time for me to work on costumes and to work on losing weight.



*Kilala --*

And, really, Halloween Time starts in 2 months anyway.  That will be here in the blink of an eye, so there is no time to waste!  Plans and preparations have to take place early!


----------



## ashleysev

Trying to come up with a costume for my hubby who is 6'8". I've tried to convince him in previous years to do the Jolly Green Giant and I could go as Sweet Pea, but he's not having the green tights. 

Decided today that this is going to be an adults-only trip. Our 17yo has zero interest in going during Halloween. He's way too cool to dress up anymore.


----------



## adudeinblue

My girlfriend and I (25 and 22) are going to our first holiday theme visit to DLR and DCA. She's excited because its her favorite holiday. Because of how work and school played out for us, we are only able to go during the busiest time of the Halloween Festivals (Oct 30 - Nov 1). Trying to budget ourselves but our game plan is:


Staying at the Camelot Hotel Inn across the street
*Oct 30th, Thursday: DLR Single Park Pass;*
Girlfriend hasn't seen the World of Color yet and I don't know if DCA would have it on a weekday, or even if its open late enough. But then again it's the day before Halloween, so there's a chance. But we're hoping to spend as much time at Disneyland with the Halloween decorations first.
*Oct 31st, Friday, Halloween: DLR MHP Pass;*
I hope I am understanding the MHP Pass correctly that we wouldn't need to purchase a normal park day pass to enter the MHP. Since we would be able to enter the park around 4PM, we can sleep in a little and get our costumes ready and not be as tired for the whole night. I'm still debating if we should do the Halloween Tour, but I'm certain then we would need to an actual day park pass.
*Nov 1st, Saturday: DCA Single Park Pass;*
I liked DCA a lot more after all the renovations, but it's definitely something we can do within a day. And for certain we would be able to catch the 

Any suggestion or tips? 

I feel like the Park Hopper would be nice to have, but not necessary since we are only spending 2 whole days and half a day on our trip. The park hopper would also be rushing us between both parks. Not buying it would limit ourselves (and saving a few dollars) and force us to take our time and enjoy ourselves more. 

Girlfriend also wants to dress up as Wilderness Exolorers like Russell from Up for Halloween. It's going to be a little weird for me because I haven't dressed up for Halloween since I was like 13, but she's so excited with the costume that it's starting to rub off on me as well.


----------



## Swtonscrappn

Update to my post from last week:

On ticket opening day, I bought 8 tickets with my Disney Visa.  I was able to get the visa discount of $56 (or whatever it was).  I bought my remaining 4 tickets today (before general tickets are released)--I was able to buy them with no issue, my price was the pre-buy price of $63. 

So you can buy more that 8 tickets before the general tickets are released, but you can only get the special price for 8 of them. And you can only buy 8 a day, so you have to wait til the next day to buy more.

If anyone was wondering or cared


----------



## figment_jii

adudeinblue said:


> Girlfriend hasn't seen the World of Color yet and I don't know if DCA would have it on a weekday, or even if its open late enough.


For the most part, WoC runs nightly.  It's Fantasmic and fireworks that run on a reduced schedule in the non-holiday/non-summer/non-spring break season.  Unless WoC is down for refurb, it should be running nightly in October.



adudeinblue said:


> I hope I am understanding the MHP Pass correctly that we wouldn't need to purchase a normal park day pass to enter the MHP. Since we would be able to enter the park around 4PM, we can sleep in a little and get our costumes ready and not be as tired for the whole night. I'm still debating if we should do the Halloween Tour, but I'm certain then we would need to an actual day park pass.


Yes, the MHP tickets grants guest entrance into Disneyland three hours before the start of the party.  Given that, the Halloween night party starts at 7:00 pm, you'll be allowed in starting at 4:00 pm.  There will be separate/specific turnstyles for guests with MHP tickets, so make sure you're in line for one of those.



adudeinblue said:


> Any suggestion or tips?


I would almost consider flipping your two days.  DLR will be running an "off-season" schedule by the end of October, which means short hours on the weekdays and reduced entertainment.  If you want to see Remember fireworks and/or Fantasmic, you'll have to go to DL on Saturday because there won't be any fireworks or Fantasmic on Thursday.  There will be Halloween Screams fireworks at MHP, but no Fantasmic.  WoC is likely to be offered on both Thur and Sat.  The hours for Thur are likely to be something like 10-8 and on Saturday the parks are likely to be open from 9 to midnight.  So much longer hours on Saturday.


----------



## laura&fam

ashleysev said:


> Trying to come up with a costume for my hubby who is 6'8". I've tried to convince him in previous years to do the Jolly Green Giant and I could go as Sweet Pea, but he's not having the green tights.
> 
> Decided today that this is going to be an adults-only trip. Our 17yo has zero interest in going during Halloween. He's way too cool to dress up anymore.



A really tall friend of mine dressed up as the cat in the hat one year.  It looked pretty simple.  I think it was a hat, red bow tie, white shirt, black jacket, and a cane.  No green tights involved.   Just an idea.


----------



## scrappymel

Purchased my MHP tickets today... We are going on 10/14. Woohoo! DH and I will be pirates. DD is an "evil" mermaid.


----------



## zanzibar138

adudeinblue said:


> My girlfriend and I (25 and 22) are going to our first holiday theme visit to DLR and DCA. She's excited because its her favorite holiday. Because of how work and school played out for us, we are only able to go during the busiest time of the Halloween Festivals (Oct 30 - Nov 1). Trying to budget ourselves but our game plan is:
> 
> 
> Staying at the Camelot Hotel Inn across the street
> *Oct 30th, Thursday: DLR Single Park Pass;*
> Girlfriend hasn't seen the World of Color yet and I don't know if DCA would have it on a weekday, or even if its open late enough. But then again it's the day before Halloween, so there's a chance. But we're hoping to spend as much time at Disneyland with the Halloween decorations first.
> *Oct 31st, Friday, Halloween: DLR MHP Pass;*
> I hope I am understanding the MHP Pass correctly that we wouldn't need to purchase a normal park day pass to enter the MHP. Since we would be able to enter the park around 4PM, we can sleep in a little and get our costumes ready and not be as tired for the whole night. I'm still debating if we should do the Halloween Tour, but I'm certain then we would need to an actual day park pass.
> *Nov 1st, Saturday: DCA Single Park Pass;*
> I liked DCA a lot more after all the renovations, but it's definitely something we can do within a day. And for certain we would be able to catch the
> 
> Any suggestion or tips?
> 
> I feel like the Park Hopper would be nice to have, but not necessary since we are only spending 2 whole days and half a day on our trip. The park hopper would also be rushing us between both parks. Not buying it would limit ourselves (and saving a few dollars) and force us to take our time and enjoy ourselves more.
> 
> Girlfriend also wants to dress up as Wilderness Exolorers like Russell from Up for Halloween. It's going to be a little weird for me because I haven't dressed up for Halloween since I was like 13, but she's so excited with the costume that it's starting to rub off on me as well.



I agree with Figment - I would switch your park days. You are very likely to get to see WOC on a Thursday, but definitely not F! or the non-holiday fireworks. Saturday will be your only chance for that.


----------



## figment_jii

I know folks are not as interested in the #GetHappier promotion anymore, but they've announced today's.  Rather like the one the 7th, they're "giving way" an extra hour in DCA (select attractions).  No secret word required.  I think things like this one is fun...it's kind of like the AP EMH that they had for Limited Time Magic, except this is from the first 1,500 guests that find them in Paradise Bay.

Update: someone just tweeted a photo of the flyer.  It's basically the rides in Paradise Pier that will be open: Screamin', Games of the Midway, Goofy's Sky School, Carousel, Silly Symphony Swings, and TSMM.

Here are my notes for #GetHappier so far...

6/09 It's a mystery

6/16 11:58 am -12:52 pm Critter Country Mickey Ear Hats ($14) [50]
6/16 3:00 pm - 3:27 pm HollywoodLand Oswald Ear Hats ($17) [50]

6/23 (did not announce) - Wishing Well photo op with the Seven Dwarves (-) [?]
6/23 5:21 pm - 5:30 pm Paradise Pier WOC Voucher and Glow with the Show Ears ($25) [50]

6/30 1:56 pm - 2:05 pm Tomorrowland Vinylmations ($12) [50]
6/30 3:46 pm - 3:53 pm Grizzly River Rapids Vinylmations ($12) [50]

7/07 4:51 pm - 6:46 pm Extra Hour in DL (-) [1,500]

7/14 11:55 am - 12:24 pm It's A Small World Sweet Treat (~$5) [300]
7/14 4:44 pm - 5:17 pm Paradise Bay Sweet Treat (~$5) [300]

7/21 4:24 pm - 7:09 pm Extra Hour in DCA (-) [1,500]

7/28 1:44 pm - 2:03 pm Non-Ride/Non-Time Specific DL Fastpass (-) [100]
7/28 4:14 pm - 4:26 pm Non-Ride/Non-Time Specific DCA Fastpass (-) [100]

8/4 4:43 pm - 6:39 pm Extra Hour in DL (-) [1,500] (Buzz, Space, Star Tours)

8/11 11:20 am - 11:31 am VIP Viewing to Disney's Aladdin (-) [100]

8/18 5:00 pm - 6:42 pm Extra Hours in DL (-) [1,500] (Fantasyland)

8/25 1:40 pm - 2:28 pm Clarabelle's Ice Cream Sundae (~$12) [50]

9/01 1:35 pm - 1:44 pm Churro (~$4) [100] (DL)
9/01 4:12 pm - 4:19 pm Churro (~$4) [100] (DCA)


----------



## zanzibar138

figment_jii said:


> Rather like the one the 7th, they're "giving way" an extra hour in DCA (select attractions).  No secret word required.  I think things like this one is fun...it's kind of like the AP EMH that they had for Limited Time Magic, except this is from the first 1,500 guests that find them in Paradise Bay.



I think the 'experience' giveaways are fun too  I think I prefer when it's something you can't get otherwise (ie anyone can buy a vinylmation or a cookie, but you HAVE to be part of this promotion to get an extra hour in the park).


----------



## ashleysev

laura&fam said:


> A really tall friend of mine dressed up as the cat in the hat one year.  It looked pretty simple.  I think it was a hat, red bow tie, white shirt, black jacket, and a cane.  No green tights involved.   Just an idea.



Great idea!  I'll see what he says about that one.


----------



## Kilala

It looks as if I'm only going two days this year. Unless if I can sneak in a 3rd date.


----------



## Sherry E

I'm checking in to say that I'll be checking in again later!

Oh, and I also wanted to say that it looks like I missed another lackluster Get Happier Monday.  The extra time in the parks is only good for people who are in the parks, and only if people CAN stay that long!

And, once again, Paradise Pier was at the center of the giveaway action later on.  Yawn.

Let's not forget the *Get Happier contest announced on the Parks Blog yesterday too* -- http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...u-happy-about-disneyland-resort-on-instagram/.

Now they are only limiting it to Instagram!  The photo/decades contest for the 60th anniversary at least involves Twitter too (which is bad enough, as I hate Twitter).  

But this new Get Happier photo contest is ONLY for Instagram.  So they finally do a Get Happier thing online, and it is only for Instagram users...which does not include me.

Sigh.

I was interested in Get Happier at first, because I thought it could involve some sort of Halloween Time/MHP dates announcement.  Unless and until Get Happier involves Halloween Time, or involves news of/dates for the holiday season, or unless it involves something I can actually participate in, they are rapidly losing me and my interest!

Oh well.  Enough of that silly Get Happier business.  I am sick of summer and am looking forward to fall and to Halloween Time!!


----------



## zanzibar138

Sherry E said:


> I was interested in Get Happier at first, because I thought it could involve some sort of Halloween Time/MHP dates announcement.  Unless and until Get Happier involves Halloween Time, or involves news of/dates for the holiday season, or unless it involves something I can actually participate in, they are rapidly losing me and my interest!



I actually enjoy hearing about unique experiences given away through the Get Happier promotion, so this week was a good one for me  However, I am still waiting for something I can participate in. I saw the announcement for the Instagram competition and didn't even bother reading as (A) I don't do Instagram and (B) most of those competitions are for US residents only.


----------



## Sherry E

zanzibar138 said:


> I actually enjoy hearing about unique experiences given away through the Get Happier promotion, so this week was a good one for me  However, I am still waiting for something I can participate in. I saw the announcement for the Instagram competition and didn't even bother reading as (A) I don't do Instagram and (B) most of those competitions are for US residents only.



I will still be following what kinds of surprises are given out, but there should be separate Get Happier thread (if there is not one already).   I don't want to be tempted to keep talking about it here in this thread unless and until it has something to do with Halloween. 

A few mentions early on in the Get Happier promo were okay, but now it's carried on a while and, so far, Get Happier has nothing to do with Halloween Time at all.  We've still got all the way to Labor Day to go with the Monday Surprises, and that will be a lot more Get Happier mentions. 

Plus, if we don't keep this thread at least 98% focused on Halloween, or related Halloween-ish topics (like, for example, last year a lot of us were discussing various spooky TV shows we like, and strange occurrences we had experienced), people who just occasionally tune in could end up getting confused and thinking that Get Happier is somehow involved with Halloween Time (which, so far, it is not).   

That is also the reason why I kind of stopped the Get Happier talk in the Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread -- so far, at the moment, Get Happier has nothing to do with the holidays.  It might at some point, if something is announced, but right now...it doesn't.  I didn't want anyone who pops into that thread to get confused and think that the Monday Surprises would be carrying over into the holiday season.


----------



## zanzibar138

Sherry E said:


> I will still be following what kinds of surprises are given out, but there should be separate Get Happier thread (if there is not one already).   I don't want to be tempted to keep talking about it here in this thread unless and until it has something to do with Halloween.
> 
> A few mentions early on in the Get Happier promo were okay, but now it's carried on a while and, so far, Get Happier has nothing to do with Halloween Time at all.  We've still got all the way to Labor Day to go with the Monday Surprises, and that will be a lot more Get Happier mentions.
> 
> Plus, if we don't keep this thread at least 98% focused on Halloween, or related Halloween-ish topics (like, for example, last year a lot of us were discussing various spooky TV shows we like, and strange occurrences we had experienced), people who just occasionally tune in could end up getting confused and thinking that Get Happier is somehow involved with Halloween Time (which, so far, it is not).
> 
> That is also the reason why I kind of stopped the Get Happier talk in the Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread -- so far, at the moment, Get Happier has nothing to do with the holidays.  It might at some point, if something is announced, but right now...it doesn't.  I didn't want anyone who pops into that thread to get confused and think that the Monday Surprises would be carrying over into the holiday season.



Sorry, seems like I misunderstood again  I don't think we need to keep tabs on it in this thread either. But I will still be following along for now on FB.


----------



## figment_jii

I also apologize for continuing to post about the GetHappier events.  I just thought it was something fun to talk about as we wait for Halloween to get going.


----------



## DisneyJamieCA

When we did the Halloween party two years ago, there weren't many food places open during the party - and we didn't want to waste valuable party time eating. It seems last year there was more open? So advice needed - would you eat in DTD prior to coming in or eat in DL? What time would you pick? And any suggestions on where to eat? All but one of us will have APs, but that last person will be coming in at 4pm on the ticket only that day.  We ate at Cafe Orleans two years ago, but since we're doing BB the following day, I think they may be too much like each other? 

My thought is we could do a late morning breakfast and an earlier dinner and then grab a snack later in the night if needed. I know how to plan a regular day at DLR, but I feel a little lost with the MHP since we've only done it once!


----------



## figment_jii

DisneyJamieCA said:


> When we did the Halloween party two years ago, there weren't many food places open during the party - and we didn't want to waste valuable party time eating. It seems last year there was more open? So advice needed - would you eat in DTD prior to coming in or eat in DL? What time would you pick? And any suggestions on where to eat? All but one of us will have APs, but that last person will be coming in at 4pm on the ticket only that day.  We ate at Cafe Orleans two years ago, but since we're doing BB the following day, I think they may be too much like each other?
> 
> My thought is we could do a late morning breakfast and an earlier dinner and then grab a snack later in the night if needed. I know how to plan a regular day at DLR, but I feel a little lost with the MHP since we've only done it once!



It depends on what you plan to order...the Monte Cristo is pretty similar, but I think the rest of the venue is different enough that you could enjoy eating at both.  Otherwise, maybe a late lunch or early dinner at Carnations?  They're pretty good and very different from BB and CO.  You could go big and eat at Big Thunder Ranch BBQ (if they're open); that should keep you pretty full until well into the party!

Otherwise, I like the idea of a late breakfast, early dinner and then snacking during the party.  There is always all of the candy from trick-or-treating (gotta make room on the bag to get more candy, right?) and the usual Disney snacks (pretzels, ice cream, popcorn, churros, sweets from the Candy Palace, etc.).


----------



## 2tinkerbell

This is a surprise birthday trip for my DD.  I am planning on purchasing the tickets for MHP on 7/30.  Do you get the actual tickets mailed to you or do you print out your email or voucher to pick up at the Ticket Booth?  

I really don't want them mailed to me, for obvious reasons.


----------



## figment_jii

2tinkerbell said:


> This is a surprise birthday trip for my DD.  I am planning on purchasing the tickets for MHP on 7/30.  Do you get the actual tickets mailed to you or do you print out your email or voucher to pick up at the Ticket Booth?
> 
> I really don't want them mailed to me, for obvious reasons.



It depends on which option you select.  When I purchased tickets there were four options: Disney eTicket ($0), US Domestic Standard ($5), US Domestic Express ($15), and International Express ($25).  If you select the Disney eTicket option, you should be an email confirmation.  On the bottom of the confirmation is a link that will take you to your tickets.  You'll need to print them and then bring them with you to DL.  These are you actual tickets, so you'll use them to enter the park.


----------



## 2tinkerbell

figment_jii said:


> It depends on which option you select.  When I purchased tickets there were four options: Disney eTicket ($0), US Domestic Standard ($5), US Domestic Express ($15), and International Express ($25).  If you select the Disney eTicket option, you should be an email confirmation.  On the bottom of the confirmation is a link that will take you to your tickets.  You'll need to print them and then bring them with you to DL.  These are you actual tickets, so you'll use them to enter the park.



Thanks!  It looks like I will be choosing the e-ticket option.  

When you print out your tickets, are they designed so that I can scrapbook them later?  Do they keep them when you enter the park?

Okay - I've got to stop.  I think I am beginning to over plan.


----------



## figment_jii

2tinkerbell said:


> When you print out your tickets, are they designed so that I can scrapbook them later?  Do they keep them when you enter the park?


I don't know about the Scrapbooking part, because they're a regular 8.5" by 11" piece of paper.  Mine had a drawing of Oswald on one side and the ticket information on the rest of the page.  

They keep the page when you enter DL (at least they did last year).  If you want to scrap book the page, I would just print to a pdf and then print out the copies to take to the park and another set to scrap book.  You can print as many copies as you want, but you can only the ticket once to enter.


----------



## Vala

You got to keep the page? They kept mine.


----------



## figment_jii

Vala said:


> You got to keep the page? They kept mine.



Um...no...I said "they keep the page" in reference to _2tinkerbell_ question about the print at home tickets.  I suppose if you bought the ticket at the ticket gates and were already issued one of the credit card sized tickets, that you probably got to keep, but it's just a regular park ticket (so nothing Halloween(ish) about it).


----------



## yeheyprincex2

As I plan this trip things activities have been added/ taken off the itinerary.
so far I have: 3 day hopper passes with MHP for Sept 26

Sept 23 arrive, maybe half day at a park
Sept 24 Start day RD at Disneyland, late character breakfast, dinner at Cafe Orleans
Sept 25 Start day RD at DCA, WOC, lunch or dinner at Carthay Circle
Sept 26 MHP(thinking maybe a beach during the morning for a few hrs, or hotel pool)
Sept 27 leave for San Diego (maybe beach)
Sept 28 Legoland
Sept 29 beach day or half day at a park Dont know
Sept 30 Leave for home
Trying to get my DH to stay in Anaheim area since we are no longer going to San Diego zoo, but he loves San Diego
Trying to figure out how to best use the three day hoppers


----------



## Vala

figment_jii said:


> Um...no...I said "they keep the page" in reference to _2tinkerbell_ question about the print at home tickets.  I suppose if you bought the ticket at the ticket gates and were already issued one of the credit card sized tickets, that you probably got to keep, but it's just a regular park ticket (so nothing Halloween(ish) about it).



Sorry, our heat wave is getting to me. I could have sworn there was a "didn't" in your post.


----------



## figment_jii

Vala said:


> Sorry, our heat wave is getting to me. I could have sworn there was a "didn't" in your post.



No worries!    I've done things like that before (used the wrong word and it completely changed the meaning of the post!).    I wish the hard tickets had something Halloween on them, but alas, they were the usual tyvek ticket (I think I ended up with Snow White, one of the Cars, and Donald or something like that last year).


----------



## 2tinkerbell

Thanks for the information.  I was hoping they were a Halloween designed tyvek type ticket that you exchanged your email for at the Ticket Booth and they scanned as you enter Disneyland.

I had to talk to Disney Travel about another issue and I got some other information.  I can call on July 30th and have the tickets added to our package, which is being delivered to the hotel.  So, I have a couple of options: e-ticket or adding it to our package.


----------



## whjensen

My growing teenage boy has been excited about the Big Thunder Ranch BBQ.  I seem to remember this shifts over for Halloween.  Am I completely wrong and it keeps serving the bbq fare?


----------



## zanzibar138

whjensen said:


> My growing teenage boy has been excited about the Big Thunder Ranch BBQ.  I seem to remember this shifts over for Halloween.  Am I completely wrong and it keeps serving the bbq fare?



The restaurant remains the same. I believe it is the area where the petting zoo is etc that gets a Halloween makeover (please excuse me if this is not a good description - I've never actually been to this area of the park ).


----------



## figment_jii

2tinkerbell said:


> Thanks for the information.  I was hoping they were a Halloween designed tyvek type ticket that you exchanged your email for at the Ticket Booth and they scanned as you enter Disneyland.
> 
> I had to talk to Disney Travel about another issue and I got some other information.  I can call on July 30th and have the tickets added to our package, which is being delivered to the hotel.  So, I have a couple of options: e-ticket or adding it to our package.


Unless there is a pressing reason to add it to the package, I would probably just opt to order the tickets and go the eTicket route.  For some, they like having everything together, but I like having the tickets (okay, granted it's a paper copy) in my hand!  One less thing to have to worry about if sometime goes wonky with the package.



whjensen said:


> My growing teenage boy has been excited about the Big Thunder Ranch BBQ.  I seem to remember this shifts over for Halloween.  Am I completely wrong and it keeps serving the bbq fare?


Big Thunder Ranch BBQ serves the same food regardless of the season.  Some of the decorations on the stage and the small show change for the season.  I believe the colors are more autumn-based during Halloween and I remember hearing one of the singers sing Ghost Riders in the Sky during HalloweenTime.

The Petting Zoo also gets some Halloween theme, especially the little cottage/house across from the goats (near where Woody/Jessie usually meets).  The Jamboree is actually in the area just past the petting zoo area.  That's where Conjurer a Villain and the other Halloween Carnival activities were located last year.


----------



## 2tinkerbell

figment_jii said:


> Unless there is a pressing reason to add it to the package, I would probably just opt to order the tickets and go the eTicket route.  For some, they like having everything together, but I like having the tickets (okay, granted it's a paper copy) in my hand!  One less thing to have to worry about if sometime goes wonky with the package.



Thanks for the advise.  I think I am going to go the e-ticket route.  I worry too much and like to have it in hand.  Also, I can print it out and give to my DD as part of her itinery folder that she is getting on the way to the airport.


----------



## figment_jii

2tinkerbell said:


> Thanks for the advise.  I think I am going to go the e-ticket route.  I worry too much and like to have it in hand.  Also, I can print it out and give to my DD as part of her itinery folder that she is getting on the way to the airport.



How old is your DD?  I ask because I would consider giving her a copy of the ticket (maybe with the bar code crossed out or something to render it void) and then keep all of the tickets together in one place.  I always worry that if things are in multiple places, I might forget about them.


----------



## zanzibar138

2tinkerbell said:


> Thanks for the advise.  I think I am going to go the e-ticket route.



I just had to comment about how the meaning of E-ticket has changed since the early days of DL


----------



## figment_jii

Oh...the 2014 Halloween Vinylmation has been announced!
http://disneyparksmerchandise.com/vinylmation/vinylmation-halloween-2014-grave-digger-eachez/


----------



## 2tinkerbell

My DD will be 28 on October 1st.  She is neurologically compromised, but, she is a rule follower and a keeper.  She does much better at keeping track of things when we travel than I do.  She is also better with maps and directions.  I will give her the folder of our boarding passes, email confirmations, e-tickets, photopass + voucher, and budget sheets along with the tip envelopes and her own daily $ envelopes.  She will have it all figured out and arranged appropriately by the time we get to the airport.  In fact, it is known that I follow behind and let her do everything.  I am just "Mom, wallet."  When we are at restaurants, she computes the tip and adds the bill and I just sign.  

The budget sheets are how much I have budgeted a day for food and snacks.  I purchase 2 meals a day along with 1 snack within my budget (which I take into account Character meals, etc.)  I also purchase all the water you want/need.  This works very well for us when we travel.  She will keep track of the expenditures for the day.   I also give my DD $20 a day for whatever she wants above what I purchase.  She keeps track of her expenditures. 

On the plane she will figure out what attractions she will want to go on and have a schedule written out of when she is to be at Surf's Up, MHP, etc.  She will have figured out where she most likely wants to eat outside the ADR's that I've made.  

She will be super excited about MHP.  I have printed out the post that has the 30 questions and the answers so she can read up about it.


----------



## figment_jii

2tinkerbell said:


> My DD will be 28 on October 1st.  She is neurologically compromised, but, she is a rule follower and a keeper.


Sounds like you have a good plan in place!  I couldn't tell if 'DD' was an older child/adult or a small child, so I thought it would be worth mentioning.


----------



## laura&fam

figment_jii said:


> The Petting Zoo also gets some Halloween theme, especially the little cottage/house across from the goats (near where Woody/Jessie usually meets).



When are Woody/Jessie typically there?  Since we'll be dressing up as Toy Story characters it would be fun to get a photo with them.  If we head over as soon as we enter the park 3 hours before the party do you think we'd have a good chance of seeing them?  My family, DS in particular, isn't big on the character meets so I don't have much experience with them.


----------



## ashleysev

Sherry E said:


> I am sick of summer and am looking forward to fall and to Halloween Time!!



ME TOO!

This summer has been awful and I'm ready for it to be over.


----------



## figment_jii

laura&fam said:


> When are Woody/Jessie typically there?  Since we'll be dressing up as Toy Story characters it would be fun to get a photo with them.  If we head over as soon as we enter the park 3 hours before the party do you think we'd have a good chance of seeing them?  My family, DS in particular, isn't big on the character meets so I don't have much experience with them.



I honestly don't know...they're not among the meet and greets that are listed on the Times Guide (from what I remember).  I know I've seen them (not usually together), but I don't remember specifically when or how often.


----------



## Sherry E

Swtonscrappn said:


> Update to my post from last week:
> 
> On ticket opening day, I bought 8 tickets with my Disney Visa.  I was able to get the visa discount of $56 (or whatever it was).  I bought my remaining 4 tickets today (before general tickets are released)--I was able to buy them with no issue, my price was the pre-buy price of $63.
> 
> So you can buy more that 8 tickets before the general tickets are released, but you can only get the special price for 8 of them. And you can only buy 8 a day, so you have to wait til the next day to buy more.
> 
> If anyone was wondering or cared



*Swtonscrappn --*

Thank you for reporting back about this.  I appreciate it!  While I knew about the 8-ticket limit, I wasn't sure if it actually meant that no more than 8 tickets could be purchased at a discount in a single transaction (but maybe another purchase on another day would yield the same discounts), or if it meant that no more than 8 tickets would be discounted, period!

It's good to have clarification on exactly how it works!





figment_jii said:


> It depends on what you plan to order...the Monte Cristo is pretty similar, but I think the rest of the venue is different enough that you could enjoy eating at both.  *Otherwise, maybe a late lunch or early dinner at Carnations*?  They're pretty good and very different from BB and CO.  You could go big and eat at Big Thunder Ranch BBQ (if they're open); that should keep you pretty full until well into the party!
> 
> Otherwise, I like the idea of a late breakfast, early dinner and then snacking during the party.  There is always all of the candy from trick-or-treating (gotta make room on the bag to get more candy, right?) and the usual Disney snacks (pretzels, ice cream, popcorn, churros, sweets from the Candy Palace, etc.).



*figment_jii --*

Carnation Café is exactly where my friend and I ate before the TOTP (when it was still held in DCA).  It worked out nicely, timing-wise, though CC was very busy.  

Going to a Downtown Disney eatery (Earl of Sandwich?) or even a restaurant at one of the hotels (like Storytellers or PCH Grill) before the party might not be a bad idea.





2tinkerbell said:


> Thanks!  It looks like I will be choosing the e-ticket option.
> 
> When you print out your tickets, are they designed so that I can scrapbook them later?  Do they keep them when you enter the park?
> 
> Okay - I've got to stop.  I think I am beginning to over plan.



*2tinkerbell --*

I wish the MHP tickets (the actual small, rectangular versions) were Halloween-ized!  It seems to me that, even though I had an e-ticket the last time I went to the MHP, a CM at the gate gave me an actual ticket to hold on to after I handed over my e-ticket.  That seems to happen for some people and not for others.  But it was not anything fun and Halloween-ish, as *figment_jii* indicated -- at least not from what I can remember.




yeheyprincex2 said:


> As I plan this trip things activities have been added/ taken off the itinerary.
> so far I have: 3 day hopper passes with MHP for Sept 26
> 
> Sept 23 arrive, maybe half day at a park
> Sept 24 Start day RD at Disneyland, late character breakfast, dinner at Cafe Orleans
> Sept 25 Start day RD at DCA, WOC, lunch or dinner at Carthay Circle
> Sept 26 MHP(thinking maybe a beach during the morning for a few hrs, or hotel pool)
> Sept 27 leave for San Diego (maybe beach)
> Sept 28 Legoland
> Sept 29 beach day or half day at a park Dont know
> Sept 30 Leave for home
> Trying to get my DH to stay in Anaheim area since we are no longer going to San Diego zoo, but he loves San Diego
> Trying to figure out how to best use the three day hoppers



*yeheyprincex2 --*

I think that if you do go to the beach on your MHP day, make sure to allow enough time to de-sand everyone and even to rest up if anyone is tired.  I know that sometimes a few hours at a beach can be tiring, with all of that sun.

On 9/23 and 9/29 -- When you say maybe a half-day at a park, do you mean an actual park, or either Disneyland or California Adventure?  If you have 3-day Hoppers, you'd only be able to use them on 3 days (not half a day here and half a day there), so I am guessing the dilemma is in which one of those days to use as a half-day.

I would keep 9/24 and 9/25 as Park Hopping days, of course.  If you have time to get into one park or another on 9/23, then you might as well go with that...unless you want to park hop before the MHP, earlier that day (and you skip the beach).

But...if you go to the beach before the MHP, then you don't need to go to the beach on 9/29, so you could skip going into DL or DCA on 9/23 and use your third Hopper day for half a day on 9/29.

I'm sure I'm not helping at all.  I'm just kind of sounding it out and repeating it so I understand what the choices are!





whjensen said:


> My growing teenage boy has been excited about the Big Thunder Ranch BBQ.  I seem to remember this shifts over for Halloween.  Am I completely wrong and it keeps serving the bbq fare?



*whjensen --*

As others have already said, the actual food at the BBQ does not change, with the exception of, perhaps, some fall-inspired desserts added to the menu (maybe a more autumnal version of their cobbler or something).

The Halloween Carnival is the current incarnation of what was formerly known as the Halloween Roundup (which is located adjacent to the Big Thunder Ranch BBQ).  There is still a portion of it called the Halloween Roundup, but it basically flows into the Halloween Carnival and I tend to think of the whole area as one big hotbed of Halloween fun.

The Carnival includes various Halloween-themed crafts, games and treats, as well as character pumpkin carvers/artists and the Conjure a Villain tent (in which you can meet only one Villain at a time).  Characters wearing Halloween-ish attire can be found at this location as well.

Last year, Pirates League could also be found at the Carnival.  This year, I'm not sure if it will be there or not.  

Also, Billy Hill and the Haunted Hillbillies used to perform at the Carnival, but I don't know who will be there this year.

If you stroll from the Carnival over to the petting zoo area, you will find cute animals in Halloween scarves and various "Pumpkin People," such as the "Roy Rogers and Dale Evans" pumpkin figures.  You will also find the Scare-Dy-Crow Shack, which is basically not much more than a cabin to display more Pumpkin People and many Halloween-themed knick-knacks and pictures!

Read more about the Halloween Carnival -- Here.

See photos of the Carnival and Roundup -- Here and Here and Here.





zanzibar138 said:


> The restaurant remains the same. I believe it is the area where the petting zoo is etc that gets a Halloween makeover (please excuse me if this is not a good description - I've never actually been to this area of the park ).



*zanzibar138 --*

Correct -- the food remains the same (with maybe a seasonal dessert or two added in place of the summer desserts).  

There are some fall/Halloween decorations around the actual dining area too, but it all kind of blends in to the Carnival and the Roundup/petting zoo.  Except for the tables at which people are sitting and eating, the whole area sort of looks like one big Halloween-themed festival, from the Carnival to the Roundup, to the petting zoo and the Scare-Dy-Crow Shack.   





figment_jii said:


> ....Big Thunder Ranch BBQ serves the same food regardless of the season.  Some of the decorations on the stage and the small show change for the season.  I believe the colors are more autumn-based during Halloween and I remember hearing one of the singers sing Ghost Riders in the Sky during HalloweenTime.
> 
> The Petting Zoo also gets some Halloween theme, especially *the little cottage/house *across from the goats (near where Woody/Jessie usually meets).  The Jamboree is actually in the area just past the petting zoo area.  That's where Conjurer a Villain and the other Halloween Carnival activities were located last year.



*figment_jii --*

That's the Scare-Dy-Crow Shack -- that's where all of the retro Halloween pictures and pumpkin knick-knacks can be found, along with the Saloon Girl Pumpkin Person, the Card-Playing Pumpkin People and the Cowboy Pumpkin People.

I have only seen Woody and Jessie outside of the Shack, but my hunch is that the Shack is kept as is (a.k.a. empty, except for the décor) so that the characters can go inside and pose with guests if it should start raining.  I think that's what happens with Santa too -- on days when there is rain or a threat of rain, Santa goes inside the Cabin to pose with people, but he sits outside on most other days.





2tinkerbell said:


> ....She will be super excited about MHP.  I have printed out the post that has the 30 questions and the answers so she can read up about it.



*2tinkerbell -*

I hope the questions and answers are helpful and interesting to her!




ashleysev said:


> ME TOO!
> 
> This summer has been awful and I'm ready for it to be over.



*ashleysev --*

Thank goodness I'm not the only one who feels this way!  I know that so many people love summer, and I feel guilty when I say that I hate it and want it to go away (not that I can do anything to speed up its departure)! 

I know that we haven't even seen the worst of our "summer heat" in SoCal yet -- it is still coming -- but I have been miserable with what we've already had, and I am ready for fall!  Not that fall will be much cooler right away, but at least it is heading in the right direction and it means that Halloween is rapidly approaching!





figment_jii said:


> I honestly don't know...they're not among the meet and greets that are listed on the Times Guide (from what I remember).  I know I've seen them (not usually together), but I don't remember specifically when or how often.



*figment_jii --*

I don't remember specific times either.  Woody seems to be there in the afternoon (at one point in time, that area was called Woody's Halloween Roundup -- pre-Carnival, etc.).  Jessie seems to be hit or miss.


----------



## figment_jii

Sherry E said:


> I don't remember specific times either.  Woody seems to be there in the afternoon (at one point in time, that area was called Woody's Halloween Roundup -- pre-Carnival, etc.).  Jessie seems to be hit or miss.


I should clarify that Woody/Jessie are not Halloween specific characters, even when the little house becomes the Scare-Dy-Crow Shack (I never knew it had a name!).  They aren't in Halloween attire.  I've seen them out in that area during the non-Halloween season, so I think their meet and greet is independent of the Jamboree area activity/overlay.


----------



## Newsiemj

Are there any good quiet spots during MHP that I can take my kiddo for a sensory break if he needs it? I have a few spots during regular hours, but I know things are different during the party.


----------



## figment_jii

Newsiemj said:


> Are there any good quiet spots during MHP that I can take my kiddo for a sensory break if he needs it? I have a few spots during regular hours, but I know things are different during the party.



I think most of the quieter spots during regular park hours are still going to be okay during MHP.  There are some differences, due primarily to treat trails and/or dance parties, but you should be able to find some.  If you tell us which specific locations you tend to go we can probably identify whether it'd still be similar or if it's markedly different during the party.


----------



## Sherry E

*Newsiemj --*

To answer the question you just posted in the October check-in thread, the schedule for October of 2013 can be found HERE (to give you an idea of what to expect this year).  And remember, on MHP nights Disneyland will close earlier.

These are Dates/Days/Events to remember for Halloween Time/September/October at DLR.


​


----------



## Newsiemj

figment_jii said:


> I think most of the quieter spots during regular park hours are still going to be okay during MHP.  There are some differences, due primarily to treat trails and/or dance parties, but you should be able to find some.  If you tell us which specific locations you tend to go we can probably identify whether it'd still be similar or if it's markedly different during the party.



Our favorite two spots are The Hungry Bear and the area next to BTMRR -   Between Mark Twain and the ranch. Thanks!


----------



## figment_jii

Newsiemj said:


> Our favorite two spots are The Hungry Bear and the area next to BTMRR -   Between Mark Twain and the ranch. Thanks!


Do you mean the pathway that leads from Frontierland to Fantasyland?  I know the Mickey & Minnie used to meet closer to the entrance to Big Thunder Ranch.  The area across from BTMRR's exit (there is a pond on one side, with an abandoned looking track) is still pretty quiet.  They have some fog coming out of the cave where the tracks are, but not much else.  Hungry Bear is open for dining, but it should be pretty much like normal.  There was a treat trail that ran along the walkway into Critter Country, but it did not venture into Hungry Bear.


----------



## Newsiemj

figment_jii said:


> Do you mean the pathway that leads from Frontierland to Fantasyland?  I know the Mickey & Minnie used to meet closer to the entrance to Big Thunder Ranch.  The area across from BTMRR's exit (there is a pond on one side, with an abandoned looking track) is still pretty quiet.  They have some fog coming out of the cave where the tracks are, but not much else.  Hungry Bear is open for dining, but it should be pretty much like normal.  There was a treat trail that ran along the walkway into Critter Country, but it did not venture into Hungry Bear.



Yes, the area by cave is where I meant, thanks!


----------



## DisneyJamieCA

I was checking the onsite hotels for our dates (somebody was possibly interested in joining us) and they are completely sold out. Some of the 3rd party sites still have rooms, but it makes me nervous about the crowds. I haven't paid much attention to availability after we book, so is it normal for them to be sold out?


----------



## zanzibar138

DisneyJamieCA said:


> I was checking the onsite hotels for our dates (somebody was possibly interested in joining us) and they are completely sold out. Some of the 3rd party sites still have rooms, but it makes me nervous about the crowds. I haven't paid much attention to availability after we book, so is it normal for them to be sold out?



What are your dates? Are you going over CHOC walk weekend or Gay Days?


----------



## DisneyJamieCA

zanzibar138 said:


> What are your dates? Are you going over CHOC walk weekend or Gay Days?



Nope, we're there Oct 16-19th (Thurs-Sun)


----------



## theluckyrabbit

UEA is scheduled for 10/16-17, but many families extend their stay as far as the 21st. That time period will be crowded, but doable with good planning.


----------



## ashleysev

> *ashleysev --*
> 
> Thank goodness I'm not the only one who feels this way!  I know that so many people love summer, and I feel guilty when I say that I hate it and want it to go away (not that I can do anything to speed up its departure)!
> 
> I know that we haven't even seen the worst of our "summer heat" in SoCal yet -- it is still coming -- but I have been miserable with what we've already had, and I am ready for fall!  Not that fall will be much cooler right away, but at least it is heading in the right direction and it means that Halloween is rapidly approaching!




It hasn't been the heat so much as our kids! 

Eldest home from college and having some major relationship issues with his fiancee and her mom and generally just wanting us to fund his summer activities (which we refuse to do); middle being disrespectful, not wanting to hang with his older brother at all, and getting into trouble; youngest lying and stealing (but he's ALWAYS had those issues, unfortunately). As much as I'd like to ignore it all and still have the fun summer we'd planned on having, I can't do it. 

Three teenage boys = stressful summer. 

I'm ready for them all to be back in school.


----------



## DisneyJamieCA

theluckyrabbit said:


> UEA is scheduled for 10/16-17, but many families extend their stay as far as the 21st. That time period will be crowded, but doable with good planning.



Thanks for the heads up  We were there the same weekend two years ago and I didn't remember it being horrible.


----------



## sgrap

ashleysev said:


> *ashleysev --*
> 
> Thank goodness I'm not the only one who feels this way!  I know that so many people love summer, and I feel guilty when I say that I hate it and want it to go away (not that I can do anything to speed up its departure)!
> 
> I know that we haven't even seen the worst of our "summer heat" in SoCal yet -- it is still coming -- but I have been miserable with what we've already had, and I am ready for fall!  Not that fall will be much cooler right away, but at least it is heading in the right direction and it means that Halloween is rapidly approaching!
> 
> 
> 
> It hasn't been the heat so much as our kids!
> 
> Eldest home from college and having some major relationship issues with his fiancee and her mom and generally just wanting us to fund his summer activities (which we refuse to do); middle being disrespectful, not wanting to hang with his older brother at all, and getting into trouble; youngest lying and stealing (but he's ALWAYS had those issues, unfortunately). As much as I'd like to ignore it all and still have the fun summer we'd planned on having, I can't do it.
> 
> Three teenage boys = stressful summer.
> 
> I'm ready for them all to be back in school.


We have our 20-year old at home this summer from college.  For the most part, he's been great, but it definitely adds to the chaos.  He's in ROTC and will be in the Army after graduation, though, so I'm trying to tell myself to treasure this time with him home!  We talked him into flying down to join us for part of our trip in October during a 3-day weekend his college has for Fall Break, so I'm excited (and a tad nervous) about having him with us at DLR.  He can be great with his sisters, or tease them mercilessly, so it could go either way!  Good thing is that he is plenty old enough to go off on his own if he wants a break.


----------



## Vala

I thought I had put off booking my flight waaaaaay too long and was already seeing myself running through Atlanta to make my connection. Then this morning bam - stroke of luck. Lufthansa is now offering three direct flights from Frankfurt and for some absurd reason the middle one dropped in price by almost 40 percent which was just the upper end of my budget. 

It's not that I am a particular fan of immigration at LAX. But after having spent over 2 hours in immigration at Detroit when I ventured to WDW in May and pretty much running up to the gate when they were closing the doors to my connecting flight I am very, very relieved that I'm being spared this time.


----------



## zanzibar138

Vala said:


> I thought I had put off booking my flight waaaaaay too long and was already seeing myself running through Atlanta to make my connection. Then this morning bam - stroke of luck. Lufthansa is now offering three direct flights from Frankfurt and for some absurd reason the middle one dropped in price by almost 40 percent which was just the upper end of my budget.
> 
> It's not that I am a particular fan of immigration at LAX. But after having spent over 2 hours in immigration at Detroit when I ventured to WDW in May and pretty much running up to the gate when they were closing the doors to my connecting flight I am very, very relieved that I'm being spared this time.



That's great news! It's always hard trying to time international connections. Too much time and you've got hours sitting around in an airport with nothing to do. Too short and it's rushed and stressful trying to make your connection. Direct flights are definitely the way to go


----------



## dolphingirl47

One of my Facebook friends shared this yesterday and this does kind of fit with the Halloween theme:

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...chandise-appearing-this-fall-at-disney-parks/

I am so excited about the Haunted Mansion shoes and the Haunted Mansion Dooney and Bourke Tote. I always loved the design of the original Haunted Mansion purse, but not the shape. I am hoping that I will be able to get the purse and the shoes while I am at Disneyland in November.

Corinna


----------



## zanzibar138

dolphingirl47 said:


> One of my Facebook friends shared this yesterday and this does kind of fit with the Halloween theme:
> 
> http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...chandise-appearing-this-fall-at-disney-parks/
> 
> I am so excited about the Haunted Mansion shoes and the Haunted Mansion Dooney and Bourke Tote. I always loved the design of the original Haunted Mansion purse, but not the shape. I am hoping that I will be able to get the purse and the shoes while I am at Disneyland in November.
> 
> Corinna



OMG I'll take one of each please!

Top of my list will be the purse, scarf and hat


----------



## dolphingirl47

zanzibar138 said:


> OMG I'll take one of each please!
> 
> Top of my list will be the purse, scarf and hat



I rather like the hat, too and if it is not too expensive, this may follow me home.

Corinna


----------



## leslieboehm

Super excited about this merch, as HM is one of my faves. Wonder if they will have the shoes in kid size, they would be cute for DD...


----------



## Sherry E

*Vala --* 

That's excellent news!  I'm so glad you scored a direct flight -- and one within your budget, which is even better!  It seems as though putting off the booking worked in your favor -- though you didn't realize it at the time you were putting it off.  I guess that everything happens for a reason!


*Corinna --*

I love Haunted Mansion merchandise -- though I tend to be lured in more by the knick knacks/collectibles over the wearable merchandise.  I like the various figurines, dishes, snow globes, sculptures, candelabras, mugs, etc.   In my old collecting heyday I would have been all about Haunted Mansion watches!

In fact, I think it was last year -- on the Unleash the Villains day at DL -- that I kept getting distracted by all of the fun Haunted Mansion merchandise as I was trying to get a good supply of photos of the Halloween Time-specific merchandise to bring back to this thread!  I had to eventually tear myself away from the HM stuff and go back to taking pictures of the (less interesting) $5.00 Halloween Time tote bag that was behind me!


​


----------



## Vala

zanzibar138 said:


> That's great news! It's always hard trying to time international connections. Too much time and you've got hours sitting around in an airport with nothing to do. Too short and it's rushed and stressful trying to make your connection. Direct flights are definitely the way to go



I wasn't even given the option of hanging around hours, with the exception on the way back where I would have been stuck in Paris forever. Boyfriend was already saying "take that one if you can get your luggage out in Paris, I'll meet you there and we'll check out Disney Paris one last time." 



Sherry E said:


> *Vala --*
> 
> That's excellent news!  I'm so glad you scored a direct flight -- and one within your budget, which is even better!  It seems as though putting off the booking worked in your favor -- though you didn't realize it at the time you were putting it off.  I guess that everything happens for a reason!



Unfortunately I had no choice but to put it off. I collect pins. Paris decided to change the date of their summer pin event on us - the one time we had booked non refundable hotel for the original dates.  That meant our budget was shot to hell. Not going wasn't an option. It's Princess themed and there'll be two Frozen pins and one Rapunzel pin released. Not that I collect princess pins, but 99 percent of the pin collectors are crazy about those. A couple of my friends in California almost had a heart attack. I couldn't leave them hanging in limbo.

I guess fate decided it owed me one for that.


----------



## Sherry E

Okay, I'm just putting this out there for anyone lurking or actively following this thread, who happens to like the scarier, more macabre side of Halloween too (and I know that there are some of you out there who do).  

Although I am not personally a fan of the gruesome and grisly side of Halloween, I want to at least present a tiny bit of info about other events for those who are!


Also, if you happen to be headed to SoCal for your first Halloween season visit, and you want to complement your family-friendly Disneyland Halloween experience with something a little more horrifying, the L.A. Haunted Hayride might be just the thing for you!

I have links to the Hayride's website on page 1 of this thread, but this fun little description of the 2014 Haunted Hayride appeared on Facebook a couple of days ago:




> Introducing Los Angeles Haunted Hayride Year #6...
> 
> ECHOES FROM THE RIFT
> 
> Stand on the edge of madness and peer into the gaping maw of terror! The earth will quake as the RIFT cracks open, bearing witness to horrifying leviathan abominations that will emerge from the depths of the abyss. Take the journey into the bowels of Hell, where sinners and demons await, and come face to face with the Devil of himself.
> 
> 
> -NEW Two Epic New Scare Zones
> -NEW World Famous Blood Drums appearing nightly
> -NEW Theatre Macabre - audience participation theatre
> -Best Haunted Hayride Trail Ever with Leviathan sized creatures
> -In-Between Dark Maze is darker and more viscous
> -Purgatory is jam packed with Death Row, Pumpkin Carving, Psychics, House Of Mirrors, Scary Go Round, Rituals, performers, Grub Shack and more
> 
> Oh yeah and....
> 
> TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW http://losangeleshauntedhayride.com/
> 
> Keyword: RIFT for Presale Discount




From what I could tell, this funfest takes place from October 3rd - October 31st.

After I read the first paragraph about the "..._bearing witness to horrifying leviathan abominations that will emerge from the depths of the abyss_," I burst out laughing. 

The reason I was laughing was because this type of Halloween celebration is very, very, VERY different from what you will find at Disneyland.  I assure you that Mickey Mouse will not be accompanied by any leviathan abominations, nor will he emerge from the depths of the abyss.  

Mickey may be wearing a Halloween-themed outfit at the Halloween Carnival and at Mickey's Halloween Party, but that's about the extent of that.


----------



## zanzibar138

That sounds awful 

I'm sure for others though it sounds like a fun night!


----------



## Sherry E

zanzibar138 said:


> That sounds awful
> 
> I'm sure for others though it sounds like a fun night!



 I know!  I was thinking, "Thankfully I'm not going to be a part of _that_ Halloween celebration!" 

I don't even want to know what or who the "Blood Drums" are, or what lurks in the "gaping maw of terror." 

But, alas, as you said, *zanzibar138*, for others it will be a fun night.  

I think that there are certain folks who love all sides of the Halloween celebration, as it were -- they love the fun, whimsical, playful, family-friendly side;  they love the more "harvest"-centered celebrations involving scarecrows, corn mazes, Oktoberfest and fall foods; and then they love the terrifying, gory, "_horrifying-leviathan-abominations-that-will-emerge-from-the-depths-of-the-abyss_" side of things too!

I do know of a few people who like to go to DLR for Halloween Time, and then to Knott's Scary Farm/Halloween Haunt back-to-back, as well as maybe a visit to Universal Studios Hollywood's Halloween Horror Nights too (which has a _Walking Dead_-themed segment that is extremely popular).  Then there is also Dark Harbor at the Queen Mary.

If someone were going to be in Orange County for a few days they could do Knott's and DLR, and if they were going to be in L.A./Hollywood for a couple of days they could do Universal and the L.A. Haunted Hayride!

So I guess there are a lot of scary, shocking things to do for Halloween in SoCal, but Halloween Time at DLR is a nice, safe, lighthearted way to celebrate for all ages!


----------



## figment_jii

Sherry E said:


> So I guess there are a lot of scary, shocking things to do for Halloween in SoCal, but Halloween Time at DLR is a nice, safe, lighthearted way to celebrate for all ages!


I'm glad DL's HalloweenTime is relatively tame; I'm not into the blood and gore.  I always read the descriptions of Universal Studios' Halloween Horror Nights and think that those would give me nightmare for the rest of the year!   Aside from the Halloween events at DL and WDW, I accidently got to see some of what the Halloween Party at Marine World looks like.  It's much more like Universal (I think, but I've not gone to Universal).  At Marine World, some of the decor was out all day; lots of tombstones, spider webs, and skeletons.  By early evening, there were zombies, axe murders, blood-covered things out and about (i.e., costumed party actors; guests also came in costume).  It was not my cup of tea.  Rather like how MHP and day-guests overlap for a bit, the same happened at Marine World.  I remember one mother (I assume it was a mother) not looking happy at all as one of the zombie/undead actors made a bee line for her daughter (probably about 8 or so).  She stepped right in front of the girl, put her hand out, and said "no" in a very clear and loud voice.  The costumed character was actually looked pretty surprised and stopped in his tracks.  I think they thought everyone there was for the party, so it would be okay to scare kids.  They didn't realize that a good chunk of the guests were "day guests" and just trying to get out of the park.  My group didn't realize that the gruesome stuff was going to come out before the party started, so we had to figure out how to get out of the park without the little ones (4 and 2) getting freaked out.  The worse part was the Halloween Party gruesome stuff started at the front of the park, so we had to get through it all before we could get to the exit!  We vowed (after that) to never go again on a Halloween Party night or we were going to leave no later than 3 pm!  So, I am very grateful that MHP is cute, rather than gruesome!


----------



## TulipsNZ

Ugh, I'm all for friendly fun Halloween but the scary stuff ick! 
Back to thinking we will go in costume jedi's all


----------



## tarheelalum

Has anyone here been to Knotts Scary Farms,  Universal and the Queen Mary for their Halloween. If so could you rank them for me? We are going to go to a least one of these this fall but can't do all of them. The scarier the better!


----------



## BebopAngel88

tarheelalum said:


> Has anyone here been to Knotts Scary Farms,  Universal and the Queen Mary for their Halloween. If so could you rank them for me? We are going to go to a least one of these this fall but can't do all of them. The scarier the better!



*Its been about 10 years since I've been to a couple of these places but they are SO much fun!! Knotts Scary Farm, I would rate it between 8-9. They have a lot of fun mazes and scary characters that hang around in shadows just waiting for to walk by.  

I really enjoyed Queen Mary and I would rate that as an 8, but I prefer Knotts Scary Farm. It is really neat going into the ship where they have some mazes and than they more mazes on the ground. 

I have never been to Universal Studios for the Halloween season but I am trying really hard to go this year. My bf and I are huge fans of Walking Dead, so we want to check it out. *


----------



## Kilala

Has anyone heard yet if Toon Town is open for MHP yet?


----------



## figment_jii

Kilala said:


> Has anyone heard yet if Toon Town is open for MHP yet?


I haven't seen anything yet...


----------



## TulipsNZ

BebopAngel88 said:


> *Its been about 10 years since I've been to a couple of these places but they are SO much fun!! Knotts Scary Farm, I would rate it between 8-9. They have a lot of fun mazes and scary characters that hang around in shadows just waiting for to walk by.
> 
> I really enjoyed Queen Mary and I would rate that as an 8, but I prefer Knotts Scary Farm. It is really neat going into the ship where they have some mazes and than they more mazes on the ground.
> 
> I have never been to Universal Studios for the Halloween season but I am trying really hard to go this year. My bf and I are huge fans of Walking Dead, so we want to check it out. *




Are mazes a normal part of the park or a special Halloween thing?  We love mazes and had not been considering Knotts but if they have mazes I may rethink things.


----------



## Sherry E

_I just burst out laughing again, at the overly-dramatic descriptions of hideousness and horror (again, courtesy of that Halloween gem, the *Los Angeles Haunted Hayride *Facebook page):_



> "The gibbering of mad men echo through the twisting halls of this insane asylum turned Temple to the Apocalypse. The Revelation scriptures scribbled on the walls, etched in deep by broken and bloodied fingernails. With the pages of Mystics in the hands of Psychotics, the inmates have crowned themselves Unholy Vessels of the great Horsemen, and sit in judgment of your flesh in the bowels of their House.
> 
> Seven Sins Sideshow is an ALL NEW EXPERIENCE this year."




Knott's Scary Farm/Haunt and Universal's Halloween Horror Nights aren't even _that_ over-the-top in their descriptions of their own events (nor is Dark Harbor)!






And on a much more family-friendly Halloween note (as an idea for an alternate Halloween activity if you happen to be in Anaheim on Saturday, October 25th) -- the *Anaheim Halloween Parade (which Disneyland was actually part of last year) and Fall Festival*.  From their website:



> "Since 1924, Halloween has held special magic for the people of Anaheim. A nighttime pageant of ghosts, goblins, jack-o-lanterns, and witches stretching a mile and a half through the darkened streets of downtown, the annual Anaheim Halloween Parade has become a Southern California family favorite.
> 
> The Parade was first held on October 30th, 1924 as part of the larger Anaheim Halloween Festival that was begun the year before. An estimated 20,000 residents and neighbors from nearby towns crowded onto the sidewalks on both sides of Center Street to watch the 45-minute procession led by baseball superstars Babe Ruth and Walter Johnson.
> 
> Begun as a device for discouraging Anaheim youngsters from mischievous Halloween pranks such as soaping windows, uprooting fences and damaging property, the Festival and Parade were instantly successful and continued to grow in size and scope with each passing year. In the mid-1950s, the Los Angeles Times heralded it as the biggest Halloween party in the nation, with nearly 150,000 spectators lining the parade route during the height of its popularity. By the late 1960s, the parade was being televised live each year throughout Los Angeles and Orange County on KTLA....."





So there you have it -- two different ideas of alternate Halloween fun either before or after your DLR Halloween Time visit!

​


----------



## figment_jii

I was looking around the Disney Florist website today and they had listing for Halloween 2014 (under Holidays).  I wonder if this is what this year's Halloween Mickey ears will look like...
http://disneyworld.disneyfloralandg...useearhathalloween.do?sortby=ourPicks&from=fn


----------



## 2tinkerbell

Question:  How fast do you think tickets for the September 30th party will sell out?  Do you think that I can purchase them over the weekend?  Should I jump on them on the 30th when they go on sale?  

Thanks!


----------



## figment_jii

2tinkerbell said:


> Question:  How fast do you think tickets for the September 30th party will sell out?  Do you think that I can purchase them over the weekend?  Should I jump on them on the 30th when they go on sale?



I suspect that the first parties to sell out will be Halloween night, the first party, and the one on 10/3 (Gay Days Weekend).  Those will most likely sell out sometime in early(ish) September.  The rest of the parties will more likely sell out in late-September or a couple weeks ahead of the date at the earliest.  I _highly_ doubt anything will sell out this first weekend; if anything did, I would be absolutely stunned.


----------



## 2tinkerbell

figment_jii said:


> I suspect that the first parties to sell out will be Halloween night, the first party, and the one on 10/3 (Gay Days Weekend).  Those will most likely sell out sometime in early(ish) September.  The rest of the parties will more likely sell out in late-September or a couple weeks ahead of the date at the earliest.  I _highly_ doubt anything will sell out this first weekend; if anything did, I would be absolutely stunned.



Thanks for the information.  I have these and the Tinkerbell 1/2 Marathon and 2 5K's to register for.  I've planned/budgeted for them but just need to spread it out a little.  

My Supervisor is also going, but, over UEA (Utah Escapes to Anaheim) so he is purchasing his tickets on the 30th.


----------



## figment_jii

2tinkerbell said:


> My Supervisor is also going, but, over UEA (Utah Escapes to Anaheim) so he is purchasing his tickets on the 30th.



I expect the 30th to be another morning when the DLR phone lines will be swamped (like they were when tickets went on sale to AP, DVC, and Disney Visa Card holders).  I would advise him to wait until mid-afternoon to call or to see if they're available online (they should be) rather than to try an call first thing in the morning.


----------



## ashleysev

figment_jii said:


> I was looking around the Disney Florist website today and they had listing for Halloween 2014 (under Holidays).  I wonder if this is what this year's Halloween Mickey ears will look like...
> http://disneyworld.disneyfloralandg...useearhathalloween.do?sortby=ourPicks&from=fn



Those are pretty neat!


----------



## zanzibar138

TulipsNZ said:


> Are mazes a normal part of the park or a special Halloween thing?  We love mazes and had not been considering Knotts but if they have mazes I may rethink things.



'Mazes' are a special Halloween thing. They are terrifying, dark mazes though, where scary things jump out at you. I can't imagine anything worse! I think I would end up sitting in a corner with my eyes shut until the whole thing was over 

I just googled Knotts Scary Farm mazes and came up with these images (there were also plenty showing some of the scary characters within the mazes, but for the sake of keeping these boards family friendly, I left them out - I might have nightmares tonight though!).













Just warning you because I thought I remembered you saying you didn't like scary Halloween stuff.


----------



## TulipsNZ

Thank-you I think I will leave those *shudder*


----------



## leslieboehm

figment_jii said:


> I was looking around the Disney Florist website today and they had listing for Halloween 2014 (under Holidays).  I wonder if this is what this year's Halloween Mickey ears will look like... http://disneyworld.disneyfloralandgifts.com/product/mickeymouseearhathalloween.do?sortby=ourPicks&from=fn



Those are AWESOME! Do you know I purchase those ahead of time and get them delivered to my hotel room (staying at the DLH)?


----------



## LisaT91403

figment_jii said:


> I suspect that the first parties to sell out will be Halloween night, the first party, and the one on 10/3 (Gay Days Weekend).  Those will most likely sell out sometime in early(ish) September.  The rest of the parties will more likely sell out in late-September or a couple weeks ahead of the date at the earliest.  I _highly_ doubt anything will sell out this first weekend; if anything did, I would be absolutely stunned.



I'm torn. I need to buy 7 tickets for 10/10, and I can buy them now with my AP (no discount for that night). However, I'm hesitant to buy $500 worth of non-refundable tickets so far in advance. When you have kids involved, anything can happen in the course of 2 1/2 months! On the other hand, I don't want the tickets to sell out, as then we'd be out of luck.

Any thoughts about 10/10?


----------



## Sherry E

LisaT91403 said:


> I'm torn. I need to buy 7 tickets for 10/10, and I can buy them now with my AP (no discount for that night). However, I'm hesitant to buy $500 worth of non-refundable tickets so far in advance. When you have kids involved, anything can happen in the course of 2 1/2 months! On the other hand, I don't want the tickets to sell out, as then we'd be out of luck.
> 
> Any thoughts about 10/10?



*LisaT91403-*

October 10th is the party right before Columbus Day.  That's a holiday weekend, of course, so it could always sell out sooner than later.  It's possible.  

As I posted in the MHP FAQ on page 1, there were a bunch of parties that sold out in rapid succession over two or three weeks (roughly between late September and mid-October-ish), but I can't recall when the party before Columbus Day sold out.  

Also mentioned in the MHP FAQ is the fact that onsite hotel guests have a chance to get tickets on the morning of the event.  Will you be staying onsite?

You might want to check Geemo's thread from 2013, tracking the sellouts, as there is a mention of Columbus Day weekend on the first page and that may give you an idea of when the MHP right before it sold out.


----------



## mummabear

Universal Studios Halloween:


----------



## laura&fam

figment_jii said:


> I was looking around the Disney Florist website today and they had listing for Halloween 2014 (under Holidays).  I wonder if this is what this year's Halloween Mickey ears will look like...
> http://disneyworld.disneyfloralandg...useearhathalloween.do?sortby=ourPicks&from=fn



This is a little off topic, but I was wondering which holidays they make ears for.  I have a Halloween one (of course I can always buy another ) and a Christmas one and it would be fun to get more for other holidays.


----------



## Sherry E

^^^^ Oh dear (*mummabear's* photos)!  Not my cup of tea (both Universal and Knott's), but a lot of people will love it!

I don't think that Universal and Knott's use quite the overly dramatic/cheesy descriptions of their events that the Los Angeles Haunted Hayride people use.  It seems like the Hayride people take themselves way too seriously and try way too hard to be "scary" in their descriptions.  Now that doesn't mean that the Hayride is not scary -- I am sure it is -- but they need to tone down all of that hokey 'depths of the abyss/leviathan abomination' nonsense!  It's just silly.


----------



## LisaT91403

Sherry E said:


> *LisaT91403-*
> 
> October 10th is the party right before Columbus Day.  That's a holiday weekend, of course, so it could always sell out sooner than later.  It's possible.
> 
> As I posted in the MHP FAQ on page 1, there were a bunch of parties that sold out in rapid succession over two or three weeks (roughly between late September and mid-October-ish), but I can't recall when the party before Columbus Day sold out.
> 
> Also mentioned in the MHP FAQ is the fact that onsite hotel guests have a chance to get tickets on the morning of the event.  Will you be staying onsite?
> 
> You might want to check Geemo's thread from 2013, tracking the sellouts, as there is a mention of Columbus Day weekend on the first page and that may give you an idea of when the MHP right before it sold out.



Thanks, Sherry. I had read Geemo's thread previously...I am 100% convinced that the 10/10 party will sell out. I just don't see a Friday night party *not* selling out. I'm trying not to worry about Columbus Day crowds per se. I think any Friday is going to be crowded, especially in the afternoon when party-goers start to arrive. 

I think I could probably wait until the end of August to purchase tickets. But it's a risk, for sure!


----------



## mon8key

Hello
I'm hoping to take my boys down for a few days early October & attend the Fri 10/3 Halloween Party. I know Gay Days start that night & that this party will sell out fast. But how fast? Can I log in at midnight on 7/30 to get tickets? Or is there a certain time they actually open for sale? 
thanks!


----------



## TulipsNZ

So tomorrow is the 30th here, I'm trying to figure out what time over here tickets go on sale over there?  I'm so excited and also nervous we will miss out.  What time do tickets go on sale and how likely is it that the first party will sell out?


----------



## Solomani

TulipsNZ said:


> So tomorrow is the 30th here, I'm trying to figure out what time over here tickets go on sale over there?  I'm so excited and also nervous we will miss out.  What time do tickets go on sale and how likely is it that the first party will sell out?



Where is here?  NZ?  I am in Australia and assuming you want to ring at 7am PST when the tickets open its midnight tonight to be first thing.  That's AEST.


----------



## mikana876

I'm also wondering what time tickets go on sale Pacific Time tomorrow? I'm hoping the first party doesn't sell out!


----------



## Solomani

mikana876 said:


> I'm also wondering what time tickets go on sale Pacific Time tomorrow? I'm hoping the first party doesn't sell out!



7am PST.


----------



## BebopAngel88

TulipsNZ said:


> Are mazes a normal part of the park or a special Halloween thing?  We love mazes and had not been considering Knotts but if they have mazes I may rethink things.



Yea, they all have mazes. It is a lot of fun! If I can get one of my family members to babysit, than my bf and I will definitely be going.


----------



## figment_jii

mon8key said:


> Hello
> I'm hoping to take my boys down for a few days early October & attend the Fri 10/3 Halloween Party. I know Gay Days start that night & that this party will sell out fast. But how fast? Can I log in at midnight on 7/30 to get tickets? Or is there a certain time they actually open for sale?
> thanks!





TulipsNZ said:


> So tomorrow is the 30th here, I'm trying to figure out what time over here tickets go on sale over there?  I'm so excited and also nervous we will miss out.  What time do tickets go on sale and how likely is it that the first party will sell out?





mikana876 said:


> I'm also wondering what time tickets go on sale Pacific Time tomorrow? I'm hoping the first party doesn't sell out!



As the PP said, tickets via phone and online should go live _around_ 7:00 am PDT.  I emphasized the "around" part because in the past, while the phone lines do open at 7:00 am, they haven't always had access to the MHP tickets right at 7:00 am.  So it's usually best to wait until later in the morning because a) the hold times are shorter and b) everything is loaded into the system.  For the online system, this year AP holders could buy them online in the morning, but last year, it took a couple hours for the online links to be found.  So again, I wouldn't count on everything going live right at 7:00 am.

As many of us have said, it's very unlikely that any of the parties will sell out on the first day.  Most parties are likely to have tickets until late-August/early-September.  While I do think most parties will ultimately sell-out, it's not going to happen tomorrow.  

When tickets do go on sale tomorrow, I would guess they'll be available online via the current Special Events Ticket link:
https://disneyland.disney.go.com/tickets/events/


----------



## Sherry E

From those wacky, fun-loving characters over at the Los Angeles Haunted Hayride Facebook page....



> "To be more clear...
> 
> Voyeurism takes on a new meaning...... Take in sights that can not be unseen: Flesh and furniture melting into one....... a forest of sinners whose eyes are the feast of crows; and even a race of carnivorous celestial Entities thriving on the fat from human hosts..."




  Their Facebook page just might become my favorite Facebook page -- and not for the "right reasons" at all!  You will never catch me on that silly hayride in October, but their waaaaaaaaaay-over-the-top descriptions and synopses (that are supposed to terrify us, I suppose) are providing me with endless entertainment and giggles.  

Surely they are not taking themselves seriously and thinking that these synopses are actually scary... I hope.  When they have to try that hard to 'sound' scary, maybe the actual event is not that exciting.  But I wouldn't know, because I won't be doing it!  

If anyone lurking out there ends up going on the L.A. Haunted Hayride for Halloween season this year, please report back and let me know if it lived up to all of the hype!  I need to know!


----------



## figment_jii

_It was a dark and stormy night..._
Maybe their writers are from the "It was a dark and stormy night" contest!

_mummabear_, I've seen photos form Universals Halloween Horror nights and I have to say that it's just not for me.  Some of it doesn't see to bad in the daylight, but I do think once it gets dark, it does seem much creepier.


----------



## mummabear

Sherry E said:


> ^^^^ Oh dear (*mummabear's* photos)!  Not my cup of tea (both Universal and Knott's), but a lot of people will love it!.



I'm generally ok with it, except people jumping out at me in mazes that scares the c**p out of me! I think it's great that their Halloween party is aimed at an older crowd. 
However this stuff was right as you walk into the park and I seem to remember someone with a chainsaw walking around (normal park hours) and it really scared our kids, I am thinking twice about whether we head to Universal this trip (both so they don't get scared and because there is not a lot for the under 5's there)


----------



## Sherry E

figment_jii said:


> _It was a dark and stormy night..._
> Maybe their writers are from the "It was a dark and stormy night" contest!
> 
> _mummabear_, I've seen photos form Universals Halloween Horror nights and I have to say that it's just not for me.  Some of it doesn't see to bad in the daylight, but I do think once it gets dark, it does seem much creepier.



*figment_jii --*

At this rate I think that Snoopy could write better material and descriptions for the L.A. Haunted Hayride than the ones they write for themselves.   They are overselling the 'scare factor,' I think, and if they didn't talk it up so much it would probably stand on its own as a nice little horrifying hayride in the hills! 




mummabear said:


> I'm generally ok with it, except people jumping out at me in mazes that scares the c**p out of me! I think it's great that their Halloween party is aimed at an older crowd.
> However this stuff was right as you walk into the park and I seem to remember someone with a chainsaw walking around (normal park hours) and it really scared our kids, I am thinking twice about whether we head to Universal this trip (both so they don't get scared and because there is not a lot for the under 5's there)



*mummabear --*

I don't want anything jumping out at me from anywhere, nor do I want anyone chasing after me with a chainsaw, hatchet or other weapon.  I don't like being startled, so this sort of event is not for me, nor is Knott's Scary Farm/Halloween Haunt.

Have you done the Knott's event?

Yes, that 'crossover' period of time (which *figment_jii* also mentioned in a post from a couple of days ago, I think), in which regular guests in the park are suddenly faced with some of the menacing "characters" from the party before the party has begun, or close to it, is a problem.  There should most definitely be a clear separation of the regular daytime activities/characters in the park and the nighttime, more intense Halloween activities/characters, just for that very reason -- to avoid scaring young children or the easily scare-able adults!

For years Knott's seemed to be the leader in the "scary party" concept for Halloween.  Then, for a couple of years, Universal gained some ground because, supposedly, their special effects were/are better.  Also, Universal has the whole _Walking Dead_ portion of Halloween Horror Nights, and that draws in a lot of people.  

It seems that Knott's is still holding its own, though, and is not really losing any business (although people have said that there seem to be more teenagers at Knott's than at Universal).  I think that the people who like the more terrifying aspects of Halloween -- the "haunters" and haunt community, etc. -- embrace both Knott's and Universal and Dark Harbor at the Queen Mary (and probably the Los Angeles Haunted Hayride, too!).

Here is a fun October 2013 DIS Unplugged Blog from Michael Bowling, all about Knott's Scary Farm and Halloween Haunt.

...And then there is Six Flags' Fright Fest, which no one ever talks about!  I don't think anyone wants to drive all the way out to Valencia, CA to attend Fright Fest, when the Knott's and Universal events are more than enough to satisfy that craving for Halloween horror.


----------



## figment_jii

Sherry E said:


> ...And then there is Six Flags' Fright Fest, which no one ever talks about!  I don't think anyone wants to drive all the way out to Valencia, CA to attend Fright Fest, when the Knott's and Universal events are more than enough to satisfy that craving for Halloween horror.


That's what it was called!  I couldn't remember...I went to Six Flags' on Fright Fest night (although, I was at the Six Flag's in Vallejo, but I'm betting there are some similar elements).

I understand that some of the stuff is to hard/time consuming to take down during the day and it's generally okay when it's "flat" stuff (like props that don't move or the dye in the fountain), but it just doesn't work when it's the "interactive" element.  I'm still very grateful that the little ones I was with did not notice the zombies, etc.  We had two things going for us at that point.  It was pretty crowded, so she could only really see one person away from her.  So as long as the adults in her party formed a small barrier, she couldn't really see very much at a distance.  And then we bribed her...I had a slushie container and held it in front of her face, and promised her that if she focused on that she could have what was left in when we got to the parking lot.  That seemed to do the trick...the other kiddo was in a stroller and we just put the top down!  Sigh...

Someday, I think this kids would love Mickey's Halloween Party, but they can't stay up that late yet!


----------



## PixiDustDears

Now that we have out tickets we are starting to think costumes. DD wants to be Elsa of course.  Ds is actually thinking Olaf.

(From Amazon)




Dh would be a simple Sven (Brown clothes and antlers) but I'm having trouble coming up with a cheap and easy idea for myself that fits.  
Anna dresses are a bit much and they don't really come in my size.  Any ideas?


----------



## figment_jii

Would your DH be willing to be Kristoff and then you could go as Sven?


----------



## TulipsNZ

I've been looking at Anna dresses too and there are some nice Coronation dresses in plus size on Etsy.


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## PixiDustDears

figment_jii said:


> Would your DH be willing to be Kristoff and then you could go as Sven?



We could do that.  He could carry around a bag of carrots.


----------



## WanderlustNZ

In case anyone is interested tickets are on sale.  So excited because I have just bought some.    

 I think they went on sale shortly after midnight, not 7am as predicted.


----------



## TulipsNZ

WanderlustNZ said:


> In case anyone is interested tickets are on sale.  So excited because I have just bought some.
> 
> I think they went on sale shortly after midnight, not 7am as predicted.





WOOOHHHOOOO thank you so much Wanderlust, we have tickets for Sept 26th!!!


----------



## WanderlustNZ

TulipsNZ said:


> WOOOHHHOOOO thank you so much Wanderlust, we have tickets for Sept 26th!!!



It is so exciting!    

I doubt the parties will sell out over the next day or two, but it's still a nice feeling to know tickets and dates are locked in.  Particularly given the time and money we've already committed to getting there in the first place.


----------



## meagus

Yep, got ours too!! One more thing to cross off the list! So excited!!!!!!!!!!


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## mikana876

I was just coming here to post the same thing! We got our tickets! Yay!


----------



## Kilale

Is there a way to buy a combination ticket for the events?  Instead of having to buy a regular admission ticket AND the party ticket?

My fiance and I will be there for our honeymoon and we only have one day for Disneyland, so we wanted to make it a whole day.. but it seems expensive to pay for regular admission tickets for only an extra 5 or so hours.


----------



## DisneyJamieCA

Kilale said:


> Is there a way to buy a combination ticket for the events?  Instead of having to buy a regular admission ticket AND the party ticket?  My fiance and I will be there for our honeymoon and we only have one day for Disneyland, so we wanted to make it a whole day.. but it seems expensive to pay for regular admission tickets for only an extra 5 or so hours.



 No there isn't. They only way would be to buy a hopper and go over to DCA when the party starts and forgo the party.


----------



## figment_jii

Kilale said:


> Is there a way to buy a combination ticket for the events?  Instead of having to buy a regular admission ticket AND the party ticket?  My fiance and I will be there for our honeymoon and we only have one day for Disneyland, so we wanted to make it a whole day.. but it seems expensive to pay for regular admission tickets for only an extra 5 or so hours.



Unfortunately, there is no combination ticket.  MHP is a hard ticket event, so you must purchase a party ticket if you want to stay.  Basically, DL's operating hours end at the start of the party and the party is considered an "after hours" activity.  DCA will likely be open, so you could "hop" to DCA if you didn't want to buy a MHP ticket (assuming you have a park hopper ticket).


----------



## Kilale

She wants to do the party more than anything else on the trip so not going to the party isn't an option 

I also wanted to spend the morning at Disneyland to try and get as many rides in as possible as I imagine it will only get busier the closer to the party we get..  ah well the is the first time we are there together and probably the last time before we have kids, might as well enjoy it price be damned.

Thanks for the responses, much appreciated.  And fast!


----------



## Sherry E

*Congratulations to the new group of Mickey's Halloween Party ticket holders who were/are able to buy tickets today!  I know it's an exciting feeling, isn't it?  It's also a relief and a comfort to know that you have that part of the planning out of the way and can now just focus on mapping out the rest of your trip!

Everyone is correct that -- unless there is a weird surge in ticket sales and a fluke occurs in which parties begin to sell out in a couple of days -- the party nights should not sell out immediately.  

Still, there are certain nights you might want to keep an eye on, and act quickly if need be (such as the first night of the MHP; the final night/Halloween; the second party of the season; the second Friday party of the MHP; and maybe even the Friday party right before Columbus Day).

Anyway, I am dreading August (the sun ), but I am so glad that July is almost done, as now we have just over 6 weeks until Halloween Time begins!  Wheeeeeeeee!!!!

All we have to do now is wait for any info about new Halloween Time details to come in via the Parks Blog.  Even if not much has changed for 2014, there will still be at least a few Halloween Time blogs about the season that roll in.*




Kilale said:


> She wants to do the party more than anything else on the trip so not going to the party isn't an option
> 
> I also wanted to spend the morning at Disneyland to try and get as many rides in as possible as I imagine it will only get busier the closer to the party we get..  ah well the is the first time we are there together and probably the last time before we have kids, might as well enjoy it price be damned.
> 
> Thanks for the responses, much appreciated.  And fast!



*Kilale --*

We have some awesome contributors here, who make sure to get the questions answered as quickly (and as accurately) as possible!


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## 2tinkerbell

Add me to the group who have their MHP tickets!!!  I was going to wait until after the weekend (payday) to make the purchase, but, my Supervisor just walked in and announced that he had his tickets and I got jealous 

I am SO EXCITED!!!


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## DisneyJamieCA

Just wanted to share a small piece of excitement for our family. Just got new school shoes for the kids and measured my youngest with them on. Right now, she is just above 40 in! Hopefully that means in 2.5 months, the time of our trip, she'll be well over it. It will be the first time that EVERYBODY in my family has been tall enough to ride the majority of the rides! No more waiting out and switching off! DS hits 46 in his, which means hopefully he's tall enough for Indy 

I know this isn't really Halloween related, but I had to share somewhere!


----------



## Sherry E

*2tinkerbell --* That's great that you got your tickets!  Why let the Supervisor have all the fun?  It's exciting to have them now, and as long as you were able to purchase them now, why not?



*Jamie -- *I forgot to ask you a couple of days ago.  Did you ever end up getting a confirmation email from DLR for your MHP tickets?  Or did the tickets show up in your email?  Any developments in that area since you called and got them to look up your order?

That's a big deal that your whole family will be able to ride most of the rides now that your little one will reach the height requirement!  It is probably a pain to have to switch off and wait on the sidelines.  It will be more fun when everyone can ride together.

​


----------



## Kilale

Got both sets of tickets handled, feels good to check that off the list.  Thanks again for the help.

Now more questions, if you could give one piece of advice for a DL newbie, what would it be?  Last time I was here I was 3 years old and I don't remember much 

Also, has anyone else done the transition from day goer to party goer before?  Do you just need to go back to the front and get your bracelet for the Halloween party at 3 PM or after?  Or can you just get both put on first thing in the morning?  Not having to leave the park and wait in line again would be ideal.  

Also how does the monorail from Downtown Disney work?  As long as you have already entered the park once and are within your time constraint (10-5 for the day ticket or 3-11 for the Halloween party) you can take it right into the park to avoid any line ups?

Just trying to figure out the easiest way for us to leave the park, go back to our hotel, shower up, put on the costumes, maybe have a 20 minute siesta and then get back in for the Halloween party.


----------



## DisneyJamieCA

Sherry E said:


> 2tinkerbell -- That's great that you got your tickets!  Why let the Supervisor have all the fun?  It's exciting to have them now, and as long as you were able to purchase them now, why not?  Jamie -- I forgot to ask you a couple of days ago.  Did you ever end up getting a confirmation email from DLR for your MHP tickets?  Or did the tickets show up in your email?  Any developments in that area since you called and got them to look up your order?  That's a big deal that your whole family will be able to ride most of the rides now that your little one will reach the height requirement!  It is probably a pain to have to switch off and wait on the sidelines.  It will be more fun when everyone can ride together.



No, never did get the email. I don't know if I should call back and see if they can re-email them (can they do that?) or just wait. I do feel better that they found them in the system, but I'm still really nervous they're may be problems and I'd hate to get all the way down there and find out then.


----------



## TulipsNZ

DisneyJamieCA said:


> Just wanted to share a small piece of excitement for our family. Just got new school shoes for the kids and measured my youngest with them on. Right now, she is just above 40 in! Hopefully that means in 2.5 months, the time of our trip, she'll be well over it. It will be the first time that EVERYBODY in my family has been tall enough to ride the majority of the rides! No more waiting out and switching off! DS hits 46 in his, which means hopefully he's tall enough for Indy
> 
> I know this isn't really Halloween related, but I had to share somewhere!



I remember the first time my two oldest boys could ride together with us (local theme park only), it was so exciting.


----------



## figment_jii

DisneyJamieCA said:


> Just wanted to share a small piece of excitement for our family. Just got new school shoes for the kids and measured my youngest with them on. Right now, she is just above 40 in! Hopefully that means in 2.5 months, the time of our trip, she'll be well over it. It will be the first time that EVERYBODY in my family has been tall enough to ride the majority of the rides! No more waiting out and switching off! DS hits 46 in his, which means hopefully he's tall enough for Indy
> 
> I know this isn't really Halloween related, but I had to share somewhere!


That is great!  Congrats!



DisneyJamieCA said:


> No, never did get the email. I don't know if I should call back and see if they can re-email them (can they do that?) or just wait. I do feel better that they found them in the system, but I'm still really nervous they're may be problems and I'd hate to get all the way down there and find out then.


If calling isn't a problem, I would probably just call.  At worse, they say they cannot resend the email.  Basically, aside from the time it takes, I really don't see a major downside to calling and asking.



Kilale said:


> Also, has anyone else done the transition from day goer to party goer before?  Do you just need to go back to the front and get your bracelet for the Halloween party at 3 PM or after?  Or can you just get both put on first thing in the morning?  Not having to leave the park and wait in line again would be ideal.


For the last few years, they had a location set-up inside the park where you could pick up your wristbands, treat bag, and map starting at 3:00 pm or 4:00 pm.  Last year, the stations were located at the entrance to Frontierland.  You cannot use your MHP ticket to enter DL earlier than 3:00 pm or 4:00 pm (depending on when the party starts) and they do not start distributing wristbands until when the MHP tickets are valid.



Kilale said:


> Also how does the monorail from Downtown Disney work?  As long as you have already entered the park once and are within your time constraint (10-5 for the day ticket or 3-11 for the Halloween party) you can take it right into the park to avoid any line ups?


You know, I don't know how MHP tickets work with the monorail.  Under normal circumstances, you would use your MHP ticket and get your wristband and treat bag when you enter.  The monorail takes you into the park (Tomorrowland), so either they have to have the wristbands at the DTD monorail station or you would have to go to the main gate.  Hopefully someone will chime in about how the monorail worked last year.

I'm not sure what you mean by time constraints...day guests can use their valid park ticket to enter DL using the monorail any time during the normal operating day.  It's the "10-5" that has me confused.  On days when the park is open until 6 pm, I would assume you could use the monorail until 6:00 pm (assuming it's running).

The monorail is fun, but not necessarily the most time efficient way to get to DL.  The cars aren't that big and guests are not required to exit at the DTD station.  So you may have to wait for more than one monorail if you go this route.

On an unrelated note, at least Disneyland Today remembered to announce that MHP tickets are now on sale to the general public on their Facebook and Twitter feeds!


----------



## pudinhd

I was hoping this would have info about Toon Town, but nope...

Five Things You Cant Miss During Mickeys Halloween Party at Disneyland Park

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...g-mickeys-halloween-party-at-disneyland-park/


----------



## Sherry E

pudinhd said:


> I was hoping this would have info about Toon Town, but nope...
> 
> Five Things You Can’t Miss During Mickey’s Halloween Party at Disneyland Park
> 
> http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...g-mickeys-halloween-party-at-disneyland-park/



Thanks so much for posting, *pudinhd*!

Not only does it not involve anything about Toontown, but it really doesn't involve anything new.  That Blog seems to have been thrown together today -- because today is the day when the general public can get MHP tickets -- as an MHP reminder.  There is nothing new or revealing in it at all!  Boo!  

But, as I mentioned on the previous page, "_Even if not much has changed for 2014, there will still be at least a few Halloween Time blogs about the season that roll in_."

Did I call it, or did I call it?  It's good to know that the Parks Blog is paying attention (and they DO know about this Superthread and the Christmas Superthread, so I'm not even making that up!).

​

I'm still planning to post a list of other MHP-related threads, articles and blogs in a few days, including reviews and recaps from some of our DIS'ers last year!


​



I just needed to point this out too, lest anyone should ever doubt me when I say that I know what I'm talking about!

Back on June 22nd, I said to momof6princesses in this post: 



> "What's funny is that, when the Parks Blog does release any kind of tiny morsel of info about Halloween in the summer, *they will always make some sort of statement along the lines of, "We know that summer just started, but..." or "We know that Halloween is a long way off, but..." *Something like that. It's almost as if they feel the need to excuse or justify the reasons for posting Halloween (or holiday season) info in advance!!!"




Erin didn't use that kind of wording when she posted the first July Parks Blog about the Halloween Time and MHP dates, but what did she say in today's Parks Blog (which *pudinhd* linked above)?:



> "*It may be July, but* the time has come to get ready once again for Mickey’s Halloween Party at Disneyland park!"


 


See what I mean?  They always throw in some kind of wording like that, as if they have to excuse, explain, qualify or otherwise justify bringing up Halloween Time or the holidays in summer -- even though people want to know about Halloween Time and the holidays in the summer!!!!!!!!!!

​


----------



## crystal1313

DisneyJamieCA said:


> Just wanted to share a small piece of excitement for our family. Just got new school shoes for the kids and measured my youngest with them on. Right now, she is just above 40 in! Hopefully that means in 2.5 months, the time of our trip, she'll be well over it. It will be the first time that EVERYBODY in my family has been tall enough to ride the majority of the rides! No more waiting out and switching off! DS hits 46 in his, which means hopefully he's tall enough for Indy
> 
> I know this isn't really Halloween related, but I had to share somewhere!




SO exciting!!!  DS6 hit over 48 inch this past trip and rode Screamin for the first time.  He loved it!  Talked DS4 who is over 42 inches into finally riding Space Mtn, Splash Mtn and BTMR!  It's SO nice to be able to ride together


----------



## BebopAngel88

Yahh bought tickets this morning for Oct 8th!!!


----------



## LisaT91403

Do the adults trick-or-treat, or is it really just for the kids?

Also, do the lockers have in-and-out privileges? We were thinking of stashing jackets in a locker during the day, and then stashing some candy in the evening. Not sure if want to pay twice, though! Did they re-open the Main St lockers yet?


----------



## DisneyJamieCA

LisaT91403 said:


> Do the adults trick-or-treat, or is it really just for the kids?  Also, do the lockers have in-and-out privileges? We were thinking of stashing jackets in a locker during the day, and then stashing some candy in the evening. Not sure if want to pay twice, though! Did they re-open the Main St lockers yet?



I can't answer the part about the lockers, but yes adults TOT! I think my DH had more fun than the kids doing it!


----------



## Alohagirl73

My DH and I also went trick or treating especially when our DD fell asleep in one of the lines. There were also several adults also in line without the kids. It was sooo much fun.


----------



## DisneyJamieCA

figment_jii said:


> That is great!  Congrats!  If calling isn't a problem, I would probably just call.  At worse, they say they cannot resend the email.  Basically, aside from the time it takes, I really don't see a major downside to calling and asking.



I agree, even if for my own comfort of confirming what the original CM told me! I will call in the morning, when hopefully some of the excitement of today has settled down and I'll update after I do.


----------



## Sherry E

LisaT91403 said:


> Do the adults trick-or-treat, or is it really just for the kids?
> 
> Also, do the lockers have in-and-out privileges? We were thinking of stashing jackets in a locker during the day, and then stashing some candy in the evening. Not sure if want to pay twice, though! Did they re-open the Main St lockers yet?



*LisaT91403 --*

I had no problem collecting candy and healthy goodies (love those apple slices!)!  Plenty of adults were doing it -- perhaps some of them brought the candy back home to give out to trick-or-treaters on Halloween, or to bring to work?  Or maybe they kept it!  With the prices of the tickets as high as they are, all is fair as far as collecting treats goes!

In fact, I think that the MHP is a place where a lot of adults who secretly miss the days of being able to trick-or-treat can let loose and unleash their inner candy collectors!  We can't 'legitimately' trick-or-treat in the real world, but in Disneyland we can!

I remember, after my friend and I did one of the Halloween parties several years ago, we compared what we got and traded certain pieces for others -- just like we would have done as kids!

I think the lockers on Main Street are still closed, as the work on the back alley project continues.

I have not used a locker for the MHP, but I _thought_ I had heard a while back that some people had issues with keeping the same locker all day long, and into the MHP -- but maybe that is not the case anymore (especially if you get one outside of Disneyland)?  Maybe people can keep the same locker all day?


----------



## strawberryblondie

I hope this isn't a silly question, but does anyone have any advice on riding rides in a ballgown? I'm thinking about wearing a princess dress, but I'm worried about doing some rides (Pirates, Indy, Alice...). Anyone have any experience getting on rides in big costumes?


----------



## sgrap

DisneyJamieCA said:


> Just wanted to share a small piece of excitement for our family. Just got new school shoes for the kids and measured my youngest with them on. Right now, she is just above 40 in! Hopefully that means in 2.5 months, the time of our trip, she'll be well over it. It will be the first time that EVERYBODY in my family has been tall enough to ride the majority of the rides! No more waiting out and switching off! DS hits 46 in his, which means hopefully he's tall enough for Indy
> 
> I know this isn't really Halloween related, but I had to share somewhere!


I know exactly how exciting it is!!!  Our youngest daughter didn't hit 40' until she was 8 or 9 years old.  It was P A I N F U L because she is our little dare devil and will do every wild ride there is.  4 year olds would be on rides and she couldn't ride them yet.  She handled it well, but it was quite the big celebration when she could ride everything!!!    Woo-Hoo for your DD!!  Our last trip was the first one when everyone could ride everything, and it was fabulous!


----------



## LisaT91403

sgrap said:


> I know exactly how exciting it is!!!  Our youngest daughter didn't hit 40' until she was 8 or 9 years old.  It was P A I N F U L because she is our little dare devil and will do every wild ride there is.  4 year olds would be on rides and she couldn't ride them yet.  She handled it well, but it was quite the big celebration when she could ride everything!!!    Woo-Hoo for your DD!!  Our last trip was the first one when everyone could ride everything, and it was fabulous!



I know how you feel. My DS(6) is a roller coaster junkie, but he's not tall enough for Screamin...actually, not even tall enough for Indy! Poor guy. He handles it well when we are on our own, but when he goes with friends, it's really rough that they can ride and he can't.





Sherry E said:


> *LisaT91403 --*
> 
> I had no problem collecting candy and healthy goodies (love those apple slices!)!  Plenty of adults were doing it -- perhaps some of them brought the candy back home to give out to trick-or-treaters on Halloween, or to bring to work?  Or maybe they kept it!  With the prices of the tickets as high as they are, all is fair as far as collecting treats goes!
> 
> In fact, I think that the MHP is a place where a lot of adults who secretly miss the days of being able to trick-or-treat can let loose and unleash their inner candy collectors!  We can't 'legitimately' trick-or-treat in the real world, but in Disneyland we can!
> 
> I remember, after my friend and I did one of the Halloween parties several years ago, we compared what we got and traded certain pieces for others -- just like we would have done as kids!
> 
> I think the lockers on Main Street are still closed, as the work on the back alley project continues.
> 
> I have not used a locker for the MHP, but I _thought_ I had heard a while back that some people had issues with keeping the same locker all day long, and into the MHP -- but maybe that is not the case anymore (especially if you get one outside of Disneyland)?  Maybe people can keep the same locker all day?



Thanks, Sherry. You are right -- if I'm paying $70 for a ticket, I think I should be allowed to collect some candy! 

Too bad about the lockers, but maybe they will be open by October. And I will try getting one around 2:00...and hope that I can keep it for the evening as well. Candy gets heavy, doesn't it?


----------



## Davidg83

I just left Costco and they have their first Halloween displays up! Not much yet but it's a start. Halloween is getting closer!!


----------



## Sherry E

LisaT91403 said:


> Thanks, Sherry. You are right -- if I'm paying $70 for a ticket, I think I should be allowed to collect some candy!
> 
> Too bad about the lockers, but maybe they will be open by October. And I will try getting one around 2:00...and hope that I can keep it for the evening as well. Candy gets heavy, doesn't it?



*LisaT91403 --*

Candy certainly does get heavy, especially considering how much the CMs tend to hand out.  Those teeny little plastic bags that they hand out when we enter the party barely hold much!  




Davidg83 said:


> I just left Costco and they have their first Halloween displays up! Not much yet but it's a start. Halloween is getting closer!!



*Davidg83 --*

I'm very excited to read this news!  I don't even think I have a Costco near me, but I remember that Costco was where it all started last year too!  

Not counting anything that might be up in the craft or party supply stores right now (because that's kind of a different situation, and people need supplies way in advance), Costco was the first store last year that was reported to have Halloween things out on the shelves (in July)!  

After Costco, it was a continuous stream of Halloween merriment appearing in stores throughout August and into September, such as Target, CVS and various grocery stores.   I can't wait to see the first "Fall/Halloween food" package of the season, whether it's a Candy Corn Oreos (and, later, Candy Cane for the holiday season) package, or a Pumpkin Pie Pop Tart package, or a Caramel Apple Milky Way bag!  I have not eaten any of those things, but I love seeing which common items get the Halloween and holiday makeovers!


----------



## DisneyJamieCA

LisaT91403 said:


> Thanks, Sherry. You are right -- if I'm paying $70 for a ticket, I think I should be allowed to collect some candy!   Too bad about the lockers, but maybe they will be open by October. And I will try getting one around 2:00...and hope that I can keep it for the evening as well. Candy gets heavy, doesn't it?



One of the reasons I'm glad we still travel with a stroller. It may not hold a kid for long, but it comes in great for holding all the candy!


----------



## laura&fam

LisaT91403 said:


> I know how you feel. My DS(6) is a roller coaster junkie, but he's not tall enough for Screamin...actually, not even tall enough for Indy! Poor guy. He handles it well when we are on our own, but when he goes with friends, it's really rough that they can ride and he can't.



I have the opposite problem.  My middle DS has tried a few of the more intense rides and hates them.  Really hates them.  We get strange looks asking to do child swap and taking our younger dare devil son and one of us waiting with the older one, but what do you do?


----------



## Amilo

Good and bad news re:MHP

Good: bought my party tickets today! Going oct 6 and 8

Bad: the ticket sale person informed me that her dept. Was told officially that there will be NO Ultimate Halloween Experience this yr. She was not sure whether there will be a happiest haunts tour or not offered. Unfortunately, she told me this AFTER I had purchased my tickets for the 6th, so I had to do a separate transaction for my ticket for the 8th, which included additional shipping/handling fees (I had planned to purchase tix for the 8th as part of the ultimate experience package)

Anyway, soooo excited!


----------



## Sherry E

Amilo said:


> Good and bad news re:MHP
> 
> Good: bought my party tickets today! Going oct 6 and 8
> 
> Bad: the ticket sale person informed me that her dept. Was told officially that there will be NO Ultimate Halloween Experience this yr. She was not sure whether there will be a happiest haunts tour our not offered. Unfortunately, she told me this AFTER I had purchased many tickets for the 6th, so I had to do a separate transaction for my ticket for the 8th, which included additional shipping/handling fees (I had planned to purchase tix for the 8th as part of the ultimate experience package)
> 
> Anyway, soooo excited!



*Amilo --*

I'm so glad that you got your MHP tickets, but that is crazy that there won't be an Ultimate Experience!  To be honest, I don't trust any of the CMs on the phone this far out (even if they sound knowledgeable), as they would be the last to know anything, BUT, if that is true -- I wonder why they would get rid of the Ultimate Experience?

I would think that there has to be a Happiest Haunts Tour -- or some sort of Halloween tour of some kind (maybe with a new name??)!  It's too popular to not have, and the Halloween Time offerings are slim to begin with.  To remove the tour would just be cutting them down even more.

Maybe there is a new tour or event in the works?  Maybe Disney just decided to not offer guests the "savings" of purchasing the MHP and tour together, and that it was more lucrative to keep them separate?

Maybe the Ultimate Experience didn't have a lot of takers last year, and more people bought the tour and MHP separately?  Very weird.

Thank you for reporting back to us and filling us in!  I appreciate it!


----------



## Amilo

Sherry E said:
			
		

> Amilo --
> 
> I'm so glad that you got your MHP tickets, but that is crazy that there won't be an Ultimate Experience!  To be honest, I don't trust any of the CMs on the phone this far out (even if they sound knowledgeable), as they would be the last to know anything, BUT, if that is true -- I wonder why they would get rid of the Ultimate Experience?
> 
> I would think that there has to be a Happiest Haunts Tour -- or some sort of Halloween tour of some kind (maybe with a new name??)!  It's too popular to not have, and the Halloween Time offerings are slim to begin with.  To remove the tour would just be cutting them down even more.
> 
> Maybe there is a new tour or event in the works?  Maybe Disney just decided to not offer guests the "savings" of purchasing the MHP and tour together, and that it was more lucrative to keep them separate?
> 
> Maybe the Ultimate Experience didn't have a lot of takers last year, and more people bought the tour and MHP separately?  Very weird.
> 
> Thank you for reporting back to us and filling us in!  I appreciate it!



Yeah I never know what to believe, because CM's have been wrong with things they've told me in the past (but then again, no one can be right alll the time,  so I try to be understanding). I do hope they will have a happiest haunts tour! I'll definitely do it if so. So excited for Halloween time at dlr... a first for me!


----------



## Davidg83

Sherry E said:


> After Costco, it was a continuous stream of Halloween merriment appearing in stores throughout August and into September, such as Target, CVS and various grocery stores.   I can't wait to see the first "Fall/Halloween food" package of the season, whether it's a Candy Corn Oreos (and, later, Candy Cane for the holiday season) package, or a Pumpkin Pie Pop Tart package, or a Caramel Apple Milky Way bag!  I have not eaten any of those things, but I love seeing which common items get the Halloween and holiday makeovers!



I actually work for Target and today I made a display that has our first pumpkin flavored food on it! Pumpkin Spice Jif Whips. Of course I had to sample it and it was pretty good!  I love all pumpkin foods. I was totally addicted to the candy corn Oreos last year too. Thankfully I have some races coming up to help keep off the pounds during this season! Lol


----------



## Sherry E

Davidg83 said:


> I actually work for Target and today I made a display that has our first pumpkin flavored food on it! Pumpkin Spice Jif Whips. Of course I had to sample it and it was pretty good!  I love all pumpkin foods. I was totally addicted to the candy corn Oreos last year too. Thankfully I have some races coming up to help keep off the pounds during this season! Lol



*Davidg83 --*

Pumpkin Spice Jif Whips!?!  Wow!  Is it already for sale at Target, right now?  I have a smaller CityTarget near me (which seems to have most of the same stuff that the larger Targets have).  I wonder if they would have those Jif Whips now?

I'm not sure if I even thought to look at Jif's products last year, for any kinds of seasonal flavors.  Who knew?  (Then again, Pringles had some crazy holiday season flavors for their potato chips last year, so why wouldn't I expect a peanut butter brand to have some seasonal stuff too?)

I know that, in 2013, I noticed a lot more seasonal packaging, scents and flavors of familiar products -- even ones that I didn't expect -- than I had in the past, _specifically_ in the Fall/Harvest/Halloween arena.  I don't know that I noticed _more_ Holiday/Christmas/Winter products, but I noticed a few _different/new_ aromas and flavors that were Holiday-inspired.  In the Fall/Harvest/Halloween theme, though, it seemed like I was seeing many _more_ items than before.

One of the fun things for me is seeing the new seasonal versions of well-known products every year.  Some of the ideas are great and seem to work well, and some are terrible and you wonder how the manufacturer ever thought it was a good idea.

I never even tried the Candy Corn Oreos, either last year or the year before.  I want to try one of them, just to see if I like it, before investing in a whole package.  

And as far as pumpkin-flavored foods, I am not a huge fan of most of them -- but I will say that every so often I will get a craving for something pumpkin-flavored.  I don't hate pumpkin.   I am not opposed to eating a pumpkin-flavored something or another, if it's good, but not all pumpkin products are created equal.  Some of them taste more natural and less processed.  Some of them are sweeter than others.  Sometimes pumpkin filling can be too thin or too dense.  There are all kinds of variables involved!

Anyway, I was planning to run some errands today anyway, and I feel like I should start scouting out the seasonal goodies in CityTarget and CVS!  I'm so anxious to be done with summer that I don't care if pumpkin-flavored or scented items are appearing before July is over!


----------



## figment_jii

Sherry E said:


> I have not used a locker for the MHP, but I _thought_ I had heard a while back that some people had issues with keeping the same locker all day long, and into the MHP -- but maybe that is not the case anymore (especially if you get one outside of Disneyland)?  Maybe people can keep the same locker all day?


I don't know about the lockers outside of the parks, but I have had a locker inside DL and haven't had any problems getting into and out of it during the day and then into the party.  I usually rent the lockers when I get into the park in the morning and then use it until the end of the party (have to store the candy and souvies somewhere!).

I would guess the same holds true for the lockers out in the Esplanade.  For certain on days when DCA is open until midnight (or so), the locker rental should cover through that closure time.  I would guess that they do not reset/clear the lockers until the middle of the night (say 1 or 2 am) so that way folks that are in DTD can use them until they finish up there.


----------



## Sherry E

figment_jii said:


> I don't know about the lockers outside of the parks, but I have had a locker inside DL and haven't had any problems getting into and out of it during the day and then into the party.  I usually rent the lockers when I get into the park in the morning and then use it until the end of the party (have to store the candy and souvies somewhere!).
> 
> I would guess the same holds true for the lockers out in the Esplanade.  For certain on days when DCA is open until midnight (or so), the locker rental should cover through that closure time.  I would guess that they do not reset/clear the lockers until the middle of the night (say 1 or 2 am) so that way folks that are in DTD can use them until they finish up there.



Thank you, *figment_jii*, for clarifying the locker info!  It is very important to know, as there will inevitably be many guests who are only there for one day or for the MHP and nothing else, and having a locker could be pivotal.

The last time I rented a DL locker was, I think, 2010 -- and not for a Halloween party but just to stash things for the day.  I don't _think_ I rented one at DLR on any day trip since then, although maybe I am forgetting something.

I wonder when the Main Street lockers will reopen?  I think that the back alley work was scheduled to be done by "Fall," but that covers a broad spectrum!  It could be the front end of Fall -- like right when it hits in September -- or the back end, right before Christmas!  I think that having the Main Street lockers available to guests for the MHP will be helpful, so they don't have to rely only on the ones in the Esplanade.

​


----------



## figment_jii

Sherry E said:


> Thank you, *figment_jii*, for clarifying the locker info!  It is very important to know, as there will inevitably be many guests who are only there for one day or for the MHP and nothing else, and having a locker could be pivotal.
> 
> The last time I rented a DL locker was, I think, 2010 -- and not for a Halloween party but just to stash things for the day.  I don't _think_ I rented one at DLR on any day trip since then, although maybe I am forgetting something.
> 
> I wonder when the Main Street lockers will reopen?  I think that the back alley work was scheduled to be done by "Fall," but that covers a broad spectrum!  It could be the front end of Fall -- like right when it hits in September -- or the back end, right before Christmas!  I think that having the Main Street lockers available to guests for the MHP will be helpful, so they don't have to rely only on the ones in the Esplanade.
> 
> ​








For my family, we don't tend to go back to the hotel room during the day, we take out sweatshirts/jackets with us in the morning to the parks.  We don't really like to carry them around all day, so we get a locker to store the jackets.  As some might have guessed, we also like to shop and buy souvenir food containers.  So having a lockers is great place to store all of that stuff.  So my family is exactly the opposite, we get a locker everyday on our trip!  On party nights, it's a great place to store the candy (that way our bag looks empty and we can go get some more without feeling guilty ).

I really do hope that the DL lockers re-open by the MHPs.  Having to outside of DL and then back in whenever we wanted to get stuff or put stuff into the locker was no where as convenient as normal.  I'd still get one, but it wasn't as quick of a process.


----------



## Sherry E

*After I posted my reply to Davidg83 on the previous page, I gleefully went searching on the Internet for this wondrous seasonal Jif product of which he spoke.

And here it is -- Pumpkin Pie Spice Jif Whips!!!  Along with Maple Brown Sugar Jif Whips!!! 


On top of that... Limited Edition Pumpkin Pie Pillsbury Toaster Strudel!!!!!  Apparently it has already been out for 2 weeks!

I love this paragraph from the accompanying article about the Strudel:*



> "_For years, we’ve chronicled the terrifying rise of holiday creep, a phenomenon where retailers put holiday-related items out before any rational person would shop for Santa hats or turkey centerpieces. Other retail seasons creep, too, like back-to-school. And pumpkin season_."




*Bring on the "holiday creep," I say!  Or, more specifically, right now, at this moment, bring on "pumpkin season"!  I am ready for it!

In honor of the holiday/pumpkin creep, here is Creepy Dancing Guy!  


​

Let us know when YOU start spotting signs of Fall/Harvest/October/Halloween at your local stores (or in Disneyland, if you are visiting before September!!!!), and any fun seasonal products you discover!*

​


----------



## Kilala

I'm going shopping tomorrow so I can take pictures for everyone here.


----------



## Sherry E

Kilala said:


> I'm going shopping tomorrow so I can take pictures for everyone here.



*Kilala --*

Oh good!  I remember last year you spotted an early Halloween/Fall item or two at the store and reported back, so I'll be curious to see if you spot anything that hasn't leaked out online yet (besides the Jif product and the Toaster Strudel)!

There have got to be more things lurking in the stock rooms of certain stores, waiting until August begins to appear on the shelves!  I would bet that certain store managers are thinking, "Well, it's too early to put out Halloween stuff in July, but in August, anything goes!"


----------



## DisneyJamieCA

Carters (children's clothing) had their Halloween costumes out on Wed. I think other stores like Target, will wait to get rid of their Back to School stuff and the immediately start changing over to Halloween. I was able to buy peppermint mocha coffee creamer there the other day, though  I don't know if it's now offered year round (it wasn't in the past) and it's certainly not Winter Wonderland ice cream, but it'll do!


----------



## Sherry E

DisneyJamieCA said:


> Carters (children's clothing) had their Halloween costumes out on Wed. I think other stores like Target, will wait to get rid of their Back to School stuff and the immediately start changing over to Halloween. I was able to buy peppermint mocha coffee creamer there the other day, though  I don't know if it's now offered year round (it wasn't in the past) and it's certainly not Winter Wonderland ice cream, but it'll do!



*Jamie --*

Is it Coffee Mate Peppermint Mocha?  I wonder if it is sold year round now?  I haven't checked the creamers recently, but it seems like the last limited edition flavor of Coffee Mate that I saw may have been something Girl Scout Cookie-ish?  Did you see that one?  I can't recall the actual flavor.  Several products in the Nestle Family (including Dreyer's, Nestle Crunch and Coffee Mate, I believe) have put out a limited Girl Scout Cookie flavor here and there.

This seems like it would be unusually early for peppermint mocha creamer in the "seasonal" realm, so maybe they've made it an all-year deal.

I don't think I'm ready to _eat_ peppermint ice cream yet -- other ice cream, yes, but not peppermint -- and probably won't be until September and beyond.  However, after last year's sketchy, unpredictable availability/unavailability of that flavor of Dreyer's in and out of DLR, and into the first half of this year!!!!, I don't think I trust Dreyer's to put out the peppermint ice cream when I need it, in a couple of months!  So I feel like I should hoard it and stash it if I happen to see it in a store relatively soon.

It's funny because it's hot enough to where I am parched and guzzling water non-stop, and I keep thinking, "I could go for a really good glass of refreshing lemonade."  (The trouble is, I don't know where to get a really good glass of lemonade anymore!)  A nice summery beverage.  Or a nice fruit salad, with juicy peaches, berries and sweet pineapple.

The next day, I have already abandoned summer in my mind and I am thinking, "Yay!  Pumpkin Pie Spice Jif Whips and Pumpkin Pie Toaster Strudel!  Wheeeeeeee!"


----------



## DisneyJamieCA

Sherry E said:


> Jamie --  Is it Coffee Mate Peppermint Mocha?  I wonder if it is sold year round now?  I haven't checked the creamers recently, but it seems like the last limited edition flavor of Coffee Mate that I saw may have been something Girl Scout Cookie-ish?  Did you see that one?  I can't recall the actual flavor.  Several products in the Nestle Family (including Dreyer's, Nestle Crunch and Coffee Mate, I believe) have put out a limited Girl Scout Cookie flavor here and there.  This seems like it would be unusually early for peppermint mocha creamer in the "seasonal" realm, so maybe they've made it an all-year deal.  I don't think I'm ready to eat peppermint ice cream yet -- other ice cream, yes, but not peppermint -- and probably won't be until September and beyond.  However, after last year's sketchy, unpredictable availability/unavailability of that flavor of Dreyer's in and out of DLR, and into the first half of this year!!!!, I don't think I trust Dreyer's to put out the peppermint ice cream when I need it, in a couple of months!  So I feel like I should hoard it and stash it if I happen to see it in a store relatively soon.  It's funny because it's hot enough to where I am parched and guzzling water non-stop, and I keep thinking, "I could go for a really good glass of refreshing lemonade."  (The trouble is, I don't know where to get a really good glass of lemonade anymore!)  A nice summery beverage.  Or a nice fruit salad, with juicy peaches, berries and sweet pineapple.  The next day, I have already abandoned summer in my mind and I am thinking, "Yay!  Pumpkin Pie Spice Jif Whips and Pumpkin Pie Toaster Strudel!  Wheeeeeeee!"



Yes, the Coffee Mate Peppermint Mocha. I don't know if I didn't pay attention before and it was there or if it's just coming back out. The Girl Scout ones (Thin Mint & Samoa) are still out and may end up being year round. The benefit of the climate up here is that we are heavily fogged in in the morning, so I can happily pretend we're close to Fall/Winter - and then it warms up and I'm guzzling water like you. We are in the countdown to back to school (just under 3 weeks!) which signifies the (unofficial) beginning of Fall to me.


----------



## Sherry E

DisneyJamieCA said:


> Yes, the Coffee Mate Peppermint Mocha. I don't know if I didn't pay attention before and it was there or if it's just coming back out. The Girl Scout ones (Thin Mint & Samoa) are still out and may end up being year round. The benefit of the climate up here is that we are heavily fogged in in the morning, so I can happily pretend we're close to Fall/Winter - and then it warms up and I'm guzzling water like you. We are in the countdown to back to school (just under 3 weeks!) which signifies the (unofficial) beginning of Fall to me.



That is, indeed, a benefit -- we don't have too, too many heavy fog mornings down here, at least not this far away from the ocean.  Every once in a while it happens, but not often.

I don't have kids, but I am perfectly fine with considering back-to-school time in 3 weeks to be the unofficial beginning of Fall too!  That works for me!   If it means that I can mentally cut summer short in my mind, I'm all for it!


----------



## aidensmom31

I have called several times (getting different CMs each time) and each time I have been told that the Ultimate Experience is out this year but the Happy Haunts Tour will be available they just dont have the info on it yet.  I know it sounds a little crazy to call more than once but with how often you hear more than one thing from them I decided to do a little research


----------



## DisneyJamieCA

Sherry E said:


> That is, indeed, a benefit -- we don't have too, too many heavy fog mornings down here, at least not this far away from the ocean.  Every once in a while it happens, but not often.  I don't have kids, but I am perfectly fine with considering back-to-school time in 3 weeks to be the unofficial beginning of Fall too!  That works for me!   If it means that I can mentally cut summer short in my mind, I'm all for it!



Glad you're on board 

So I called again about our MHP tickets. He says he shows the email was sent and not bounced back, yet I don't have it and again we confirmed the email address was correct. He said they won't resend them, but did confirm that taking my confirmation number & ID to a ticket booth is enough to have them printed down there. He said the hotel can't do it, which I suspected, but was worth a shot. So is there a time of day that ticket booths are the least busy? We arrive at about 9pm Thursday night - I think DL will close at 10pm - would that be a good time to do it or just go sometime Friday before the party?


----------



## Sherry E

aidensmom31 said:


> I have called several times (getting different CMs each time) and each time I have been told that the Ultimate Experience is out this year but the Happy Haunts Tour will be available they just dont have the info on it yet.  I know it sounds a little crazy to call more than once but with how often you hear more than one thing from them I decided to do a little research



Very true, *aidensmom31*!  Good thinking!

It's quite possible that there won't be an Ultimate Experience, but I'm still curious to see what happens.

The Happiest Haunts tour should be available for booking on August 12th or 13th, I would think.    

*If* there were going to be an Ultimate Experience this year (or some newly-named tour/party combo), it's _possible_ that the tour/party package _might_ not be available for purchase until 30 days out from the first MHP night (so, on August 26th-ish, or right around there).

A lot of times the CMs that people reach on the phone at DLR have last year's schedule (or another year) in their systems.  I remember that, one time, someone in my Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread was trying to find out info on the Holiday tour.  I told her it was too early, and that no info about the tour would be out besides the info from previous years.  She called DLR and a CM on the phone gave her info about the Holiday tour -- from 2 holiday seasons/years past!!!  It wasn't even info from the previous year.  It was from 2 years prior!  But the CM didn't realize that he/she was pulling up old info because there was no obvious mention of it in their system.

So let's wait and see what mid-to-late August brings us.  The telephone CMs may be right _this time_, but as I always advise, they are usually the last to know anything.  They may have even been led to think that there will be no Ultimate Experience for the time being, while Disney sorts out details of it behind the scenes.  Anything is possible.






DisneyJamieCA said:


> Glad you're on board
> 
> So I called again about our MHP tickets. He says he shows the email was sent and not bounced back, yet I don't have it and again we confirmed the email address was correct. He said they won't resend them, but did confirm that taking my confirmation number & ID to a ticket booth is enough to have them printed down there. He said the hotel can't do it, which I suspected, but was worth a shot. So is there a time of day that ticket booths are the least busy? We arrive at about 9pm Thursday night - I think DL will close at 10pm - would that be a good time to do it or just go sometime Friday before the party?



*Jamie --*

Hmmm... That's really too bad that they cannot resend the email.  It would save you so much time and hassle.  At least it's not a lost cause though, and you will be able to get in! That's the most important thing.

I had to take care of some nighttime ticket booth business a few years ago, and I remember a few people in line -- but it was not busy at all.  

For some reason, my first instinct was to think that dealing with the ticket booths on Friday may be more hectic, although you'd probably have a wider range of time in which to deal with them on Friday than the night before.


----------



## LisaT91403

Just got back from a Costco run, and they had an aisle full of...HALLOWEEN COSTUMES! I couldn't believe it...Halloween in July!


----------



## Amilo

aidensmom31 said:
			
		

> I have called several times (getting different CMs each time) and each time I have been told that the Ultimate Experience is out this year but the Happy Haunts Tour will be available they just dont have the info on it yet.  I know it sounds a little crazy to call more than once but with how often you hear more than one thing from them I decided to do a little research



Awesome! That sounds like it's pretty definite then! Thanks for your sleuthing!


----------



## Sherry E

LisaT91403 said:


> Just got back from a Costco run, and they had an aisle full of...HALLOWEEN COSTUMES! I couldn't believe it...Halloween in July!



*LisaT91403 --*

Well, that is certainly a leap from when Halloween costumes and décor used to pop up in stores when I was a kid -- which was certainly not 3 months before Halloween!  Then again, back in those days Halloween wasn't nearly the huge thing that it is today, and people were not decorating their houses with elaborate lights and effects that take 2 months to install, or turning their homes into wild haunted attractions.

If I didn't have such a problem with summer, heat, sun and all of that, I might be annoyed at these early signs of Autumn... but I really don't mind it!  As I told *Jamie* above, if her unofficial start of Fall is in 3 weeks, when it's back to school time, then that will be my unofficial start of Fall too!


----------



## MermaidHair

Count me in for the Halloween party on Halloween itself!  We got tickets for our family of 4 yesterday and my sister's family got hers today.  We will be there for 2 nights and 3 days staying at GCH - thanks to the friends and family rate!   Got 2 day park hoppers for Sat & Sun so all is ready.  This will be a trip of firsts- first Halloween party, first time traveling to DLR with another family, first time for sis' s family to stay at GCH.  I am so looking forward to this trip!  Now I need to come up with costumes...


----------



## 2tinkerbell

I am doing the 'happy 60 day' dance today.  I am so excited! 

I work by the airport and watch the planes take off and land outside my window every day.  This morning it was 60 more days and I will be on a plane to Disneyland!

It is getting harder and harder to keep this big secret.  I am just plain and simply really excited.  The last time we went I was running a 1/2 marathon and I was focused on my training and nervous.  This time is so totally different.  I am glad that we are doing it.

I need to make sure I have this right: You can make ADR's 60 days out.  Disney posts the Park hours 45 days out.  Right or wrong?


----------



## Sherry E

2tinkerbell said:


> I am doing the 'happy 60 day' dance today.  I am so excited!
> 
> I work by the airport and watch the planes take off and land outside my window every day.  This morning it was 60 more days and I will be on a plane to Disneyland!
> 
> It is getting harder and harder to keep this big secret.  I am just plain and simply really excited.  The last time we went I was running a 1/2 marathon and I was focused on my training and nervous.  This time is so totally different.  I am glad that we are doing it.
> 
> I need to make sure I have this right: You can make ADR's 60 days out.  Disney posts the Park hours 45 days out.  Right or wrong?



*2tinkerbell --*

Right!   You can book your meals at the 60-day point, and the entertainment schedule/hours/calendar are supposed to be updated 6 weeks in advance, so there should be something filled in every day or every week.

(And anyone who wants to book the Happiest Haunts tour will probably be able to start booking by August 12th or 13th, I would guess.)

However, I should point out that even when things appear or do not appear on the calendar (well within that 6-week time frame), that is not always the final schedule!  Sometimes DLR skips around and adds certain things to certain days, but not to others.  It is very frustrating, but it happens.

For example, last year there was something missing from the calendar on a bunch of days in November and December (the Castle lighting), but it was showing on the schedule for other days.  I knew that the Castle lighting would happen every night even if it wasn't showing on the calendar for certain days, but it's hard to convince other people on this board of that! 

So, inevitably, I had to contact my "source" -- which is definitely not anyone on the phones at CM, as they are the last ones to know anything -- to confirm that, indeed, the Castle lighting was taking place every night, even though it was only showing on the calendar for certain nights.  It was an oversight.

It seems that there is no division or section of Disney that can be relied upon 100%, as there has been misinformation, misprints and missing information taking place quite a bit more than should be the case over the last couple of years!

You'll have a great trip!  I am excited for you!


----------



## 2tinkerbell

Thanks Sherry!

My DD was playing her game last night as we were walking.  She asked, "What ride is the first ride you would want to go on?"  I answered, "Matterhorn."  I asked her the same question and she wants, "California Screamin'"  That is my least favorite because I am scared to death of getting stuck and them having to evacuate me.  I actually think they would have to sedate me to get me out of the ride car.  LOL!  Seeing as I have tickets for MHP our first day and we will still have the 3 day park hoppers, I guess my first ride is going to be California Screamin.  Yikes!


----------



## kkmcan

I jumped ship from the Christmas/Holidays board over to here since we changed our holiday trip in November to an Oct Halloween trip. 

Booked us at Paradise Pier for 2 nights. First time staying there.  Our friends are going with us so we are super excited. Then we all head down to San Diego for 4 nights of relaxation on the beach after Disney.  

On another note..... I've been reading about all the fall food sightings and I saw Coffeemate Peppermint Mocha mentioned. It used to be that was only out for fall and through Christmas but there was such a demand that the company decided to sell it all year long. I used to stock pile that stuff!  It was my absolute fav and I would get so happy when it hit shelves and so sad when it disappeared. I would buy 3 at a time to keep my stock pile going as long as could before I ran out and it was gone for the year. Somewhere along the way after many years I got bored with the flavor and haven't really even liked it the last few times I bought it. So sad!

Last year I discovered Thomas's made a Pumpkin spice bagel. That was yum!  I love pumpkin products but not the spice part. This one was not spiced at all or so little I didn't notice.  Hope they come back again this year!

Also last year I bought several boxes of Archer Farms Pumpkin pancake and waffle mix from Target. I think they might carry this year round but it is yummy also!


----------



## DisneyJamieCA

kkmcan said:


> .  On another note..... I've been reading about all the fall food sightings and I saw Coffeemate Peppermint Mocha mentioned. It used to be that was only out for fall and through Christmas but there was such a demand that the company decided to sell it all year long. I used to stock pile that stuff!  It was my absolute fav and I would get so happy when it hit shelves and so sad when it disappeared. I would buy 3 at a time to keep my stock pile going as long as could before I ran out and it was gone for the year. Somewhere along the way after many years I got bored with the flavor and haven't really even liked it the last few times I bought it. So sad!  Last year I discovered Thomas's made a Pumpkin spice bagel. That was yum!  I love pumpkin products but not the spice part. This one was not spiced at all or so little I didn't notice.  Hope they come back again this year!  Also last year I bought several boxes of Archer Farms Pumpkin pancake and waffle mix from Target. I think they might carry this year round but it is yummy also!



Thanks for the answer about the Coffeemate Peppermint Mocha. I also used to wait all year for it come back out, but in the past year or so hadn't paid as much attention to it. I still used it during the winter  months, but as it warmed up, I didn't really keep looking for it. 

I'm not a fan of pumpkin flavored stuff


----------



## Sherry E

Welcome, *kkmcan*!  I knew you'd get here to join us soon!

Yes, see, what you described about the Peppermint Mocha creamer is exactly what I fear will happen with my beloved Dreyer's Peppermint Wonderland ice cream.  I am afraid that if it starts to become too available at random times of year (like this year, for example, people were spotting that ice cream at Grocery Outlet in spring and up to June, and I saw it at CVS in April), I will lose interest in it.  The novelty will be lost.   I think that Dreyer's/Edy's got the word last year that the peppermint ice cream was in hot demand -- suddenly, many more people were hunting for it than had been the case in the past, and word was spreading around the Internet -- and they made too much of the product...which stayed in stores for way too long, and way past the holiday season.  It used to be that the ice cream would hit the shelves in September or even October, in some cases, and stick around through December.  That was it.  I like the seasonal products to stay seasonal, so I have time to get excited for them to appear!

I had no idea that Thomas's made a Pumpkin spice bagel!  I know that there is probably a whole hotbed o' seasonal versions of foods and drinks out there that have escaped me.  I usually zero in on the regular, expected ones -- the Oreos, the M&Ms, Reese's, ice cream brands, etc.  Often times I don't think to check out other types of foods that may have been given the Halloween or holiday treatment!  Even though I am not the biggest pumpkin-flavored fan, I am willing to try certain things because some pumpkin flavoring is better than others.


----------



## DisneyJamieCA

Sherry E said:


> Welcome, kkmcan!  I knew you'd get here to join us soon!  Yes, see, what you described about the Peppermint Mocha creamer is exactly what I fear will happen with my beloved Dreyer's Peppermint Wonderland ice cream.  I am afraid that if it starts to become too available at random times of year (like this year, for example, people were spotting that ice cream at Grocery Outlet in spring and up to June, and I saw it at CVS in April), I will lose interest in it.  The novelty will be lost.   I think that Dreyer's/Edy's got the word last year that the peppermint ice cream was in hot demand -- suddenly, many more people were hunting for it than had been the case in the past, and word was spreading around the Internet -- and they made too much of the product...which stayed in stores for way too long, and way past the holiday season.  It used to be that the ice cream would hit the shelves in September or even October, in some cases, and stick around through December.  That was it.  I like the seasonal products to stay seasonal, so I have time to get excited for them to appear!  I had no idea that Thomas's made a Pumpkin spice bagel!  I know that there is probably a whole hotbed o' seasonal versions of foods and drinks out there that have escaped me.  I usually zero in on the regular, expected ones -- the Oreos, the M&Ms, Reese's, ice cream brands, etc.  Often times I don't think to check out other types of foods that may have been given the Halloween or holiday treatment!  Even though I am not the biggest pumpkin-flavored fan, I am willing to try certain things because some pumpkin flavoring is better than others.



I totally agree with you. There is something about these coming out for the season, much like the red cup at Starbucks, that make is special. I look forward to the Winter Wonderland ice cream every year - it's my special treat and I don't think it would be special if offered year round.


----------



## Sherry E

DisneyJamieCA said:


> I totally agree with you. There is something about these coming out for the season, much like the red cup at Starbucks, that make is special. I look forward to the Winter Wonderland ice cream every year - it's my special treat and I don't think it would be special if offered year round.



That's exactly it, *Jamie*!

If certain season-specific goodies (and they could be specific to any season, not just Fall or Winter) suddenly became accessible year-round, they would lose their specialness.  Imagine Candy Corn Oreos available 365 days a year!

I think that Coffee-Mate jumped the gun in thinking that they needed to make the Peppermint Mocha flavor available all year.  They (or Nestle, the parent company) probably saw that they had a hit on their hands with that flavor, and they thought they would try to profit off of it all year.  However, I would bet that a huge part of the reason _why_ that flavor was a hit was because it was seasonal and not available all year!  It's the novelty that draws people in.

It's the same thing for me with Halloween TV specials (like any of Travel Channel's Halloween celebration/activities-related shows) and Christmas movies/TV specials.  Yes, it is fun to get a little glimpse of them at a non-seasonal, unexpected time of year (like, say, Christmas in July or something), but I really don't want to be able to watch them all year long -- only in specific months.  I may start watching those TV shows/movies way before other people do, and my "seasons" may start earlier than other people's seasons do (in my mind!), but after the New Year I don't want to watch those kinds of shows or movies for at least 6 months, and then, after mid-July, I have to take another break of maybe 2 months or so, to have time to get in the spirit of the season and build up excitement again.

Novelty is a good thing!  It makes it so much more thrilling when Caramel Apple Milky Ways, Gingerbread Jell-O and Reese's Peanut Butter Pumpkins hit the shelves!


----------



## SusanMatt

2tinkerbell said:


> I am doing the 'happy 60 day' dance today.  I am so excited!



We are also doing the 60 day happy dance since Sunday. I was super surprised to see Blue Bayou early reservations get filled up so fast. I got busy at work yesterday morning and couldn't go book it till after 2p. All the 11:30a tables were gone already. I snagged one this morning for the next day instead.


----------



## mummabear

Well last year they announced Pirates League on Aug 1st. I have my fingers crossed this Mondays #GetHappier will be the announcement.


----------



## Sherry E

mummabear said:


> Well last year they announced Pirates League on Aug 1st. I have my fingers crossed this Mondays #GetHappier will be the announcement.



I am crossing my fingers for you, *mummabear*, and sending out good thoughts!  I know you have been hoping all along that PL would return this year, so let's hope it does!

If -- and "if" is the operative word -- it is true that Disneyland is removing the Ultimate Experience (tour-party combo package) from its Halloween Time offerings this year (and I am still waiting until we get to mid/late August to see what happens with that), I certainly hope that they are not discontinuing Pirates League too!  

At this rate, unless DLR starts adding in some "Halloween" to DCA, if they keep removing things from the season, there won't be much left of Halloween Time other than the MHP in a few years!

We won't even get "Billy Hill and the Haunted Hillbillies" at the Halloween Carnival this year, so who knows what the musical entertainment will be?


----------



## abminer

I'm not sure if this is the right place to ask this, but...  We're going to DLR for Gay Days Anaheim which occurs the first weekend of Oct.  We'd like to go to MHP that Friday, Oct 3. Our hotel and park tickets were discounted through group sales, but are there group discounts for the Halloween party?  I'm sorry this wasn't clear on either the gay days page or Disneyland's.  I can't find the group sales phone number either.


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## figment_jii

I have not heard of there being any discounted group sale tickets for MHP.  The only discounts that I am aware of for AP, DVC, Disney Visa Card holders and the advance purchase discount.


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## Sherry E

abminer said:


> I'm not sure if this is the right place to ask this, but...  We're going to DLR for Gay Days Anaheim which occurs the first weekend of Oct.  We'd like to go to MHP that Friday, Oct 3. Our hotel and park tickets were discounted through group sales, but are there group discounts for the Halloween party?  I'm sorry this wasn't clear on either the gay days page or Disneyland's.  I can't find the group sales phone number either.



*abminer --*

I could be wrong -- and *if anyone is out there who knows differently, please jump in and give us the correct info*-- but I don't _think_ there are group discounts on the MHP tickets.  If you don't see any mentioned on the Gay Days site, I am inclined to think there are none.

I have never heard of group discounts on the MHP, though it is entirely possible that there could be.  

You may end up with just the regular pre-purchase discount for 10/3/14 ($56 for AP holders/DVC members/Disney Rewards Visa holders, and/or $63 for General Public Advance Purchase), but only 8 tickets can be purchased at a discount through each of those options.


----------



## ashleysev

The family we're supposed to go with in October still hasn't decided on a date they want to go, so we haven't purchased our tickets yet. And now... now, I'm feeling that it may be a blessing... 'Cause I'm just not feeling it. 

I'm a 2nd year grad student and I don't have a break in school until Christmas. I'm feeling a little overwhelmed trying to throw a trip in there! Going to give it a week to see if I feel differently.


----------



## Sherry E

ashleysev said:


> The family we're supposed to go with in October still hasn't decided on a date they want to go, so we haven't purchased our tickets yet. And now... now, I'm feeling that it may be a blessing... 'Cause I'm just not feeling it.
> 
> I'm a 2nd year grad student and I don't have a break in school until Christmas. I'm feeling a little overwhelmed trying to throw a trip in there! Going to give it a week to see if I feel differently.



*ashleysev --*

Oh no!  

Well, as you said, maybe the fact that the family is taking a while to decide on a date is a blessing.  Maybe it is working out for the best if you are truly not feeling it.  Only you know if it will be worthwhile to you to push forward with the plan, despite your hectic schedule.  With no break in school for several months, it would definitely be tricky to squeeze in a trip -- albeit, a fun trip!

I think that mulling it over in a week is a good idea.  Maybe this is just a passing moment of doubt and in a few days you will be gung ho to go, *or* will decide that a trip is not the wisest choice at the moment.


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## aidensmom31

Has anyone here done the Happy Haunts tour?  Feedback?  What was included?  Did you get a special pin?  Trying to decide if my son and me want to do this tour or not.  So many choices and just not enough time 

Thank you for any feedback.


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## Sherry E

aidensmom31 said:


> Has anyone here done the Happy Haunts tour?  Feedback?  What was included?  Did you get a special pin?  Trying to decide if my son and me want to do this tour or not.  So many choices and just not enough time
> 
> Thank you for any feedback.



*aidensmom31 -*

I know that somewhere in my subscribed threads there was a more recent thread, but this one from 2011 (provided by *GeneralTso*) offers a good review, although it is mistakenly referred to as the "Happy Hauntings" tour --   when it is actually called the "Happiest Haunts" tour:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2805377

I don't think the tour has changed too much since then.


Also, I like this blog from the Disney Food Blog, also from 2011 --

*"Dining in Disneyland: Storytellers Cafe and the Happiest Haunts Tour" --  Disney Food Blog;  Oct 13th, 2011 by Heather Sievers*


​


----------



## zanzibar138

With all this talk of seasonal peppermint coffee creamer and ice-cream, I'm a little confused  Don't you usually have peppermint flavoured things in the US? Peppermint is one of my favourite flavours for pretty much everything! I'd be devastated if I could only get it at Christmas time 

We really don't get seasonal flavoured things over here. The seasonal products are more just in different shapes and colours than anything else. We do get 'Scream Eggs' for Halloween (Creme Eggs), but they are the same flavour, the 'yolk' is just coloured green instead of yellow. We don't get any seasonal Oreos or coffee yet.

I love pumpkin, but I'm not sure how I would feel about pumpkin flavoured things. It's similar with banana or cherry - I like the fruit, but not the flavour.

What on earth is candy corn and what does it taste like???


----------



## Sherry E

*I'm going to recommend another Halloween-ish thing to do if you happen to be heading out to Southern California and visiting Disneyland, and you find yourself with an extra day or night to play.  And this one seems AWESOME (and family-friendly!)!!!!!!!!

It's called....



Rise of the Jack O' Lanterns!!!!!  



Here is the "Rise" website.



From October 3rd to November 2nd, "Rise" (featuring over 5,000 hand-carved Jack O'Lanterns!) is taking place at a location called Descanso Gardens, in La Canada Flintridge, which is near Pasadena (for those who are unfamiliar with the area).  From Anaheim, it's approximately 42 minutes' drive time, and 35 miles/56 km, according to Travel Math.

From Descanso Gardens' Facebook page:




			"The RISE is a night-time Halloween experience suitable for all ages which will be on display from October 3 to November 2 at Descanso Gardens. Imagine more than 5,000 artist-carved jack o' lanterns depicting celebrities, seasonal themes, pop culture, as well as sculptures created from carved jack o'lanterns. 

Celebrity artist Ray Villafane (The Food Network's "Halloween Wars") will kick off The RISE on October 3 and 4 by demonstrating his jack o' lantern sculpting skills."

Tickets to The RISE are sold in advance and online only -- there are no tickets available at the gate. Get your tickets here: http://www.therise.org/dgsocial

Click to expand...



I've never attended "Rise," but it sounds and looks amazing -- and it's a great, alternate option for something else Halloween-ish to do, either before or after you head to Disneyland!*



​



zanzibar138 said:


> With all this talk of seasonal peppermint coffee creamer and ice-cream, I'm a little confused  Don't you usually have peppermint flavoured things in the US? Peppermint is one of my favourite flavours for pretty much everything! I'd be devastated if I could only get it at Christmas time
> 
> We really don't get seasonal flavoured things over here. The seasonal products are more just in different shapes and colours than anything else. We do get 'Scream Eggs' for Halloween (Creme Eggs), but they are the same flavour, the 'yolk' is just coloured green instead of yellow. We don't get any seasonal Oreos or coffee yet.
> 
> I love pumpkin, but I'm not sure how I would feel about pumpkin flavoured things. It's similar with banana or cherry - I like the fruit, but not the flavour.
> 
> What on earth is candy corn and what does it taste like???



*zanzibar138 --*

We have all kinds of mint-flavored things out here year-round, but they tend to often be green or even white a lot of the time.    

The pink peppermint things -- or the ones that are red and white-swirled -- have a slightly different flavor and are _more_ associated with Christmas and the holiday season, such as Dreyer's/Edy's Peppermint Wonderland ice cream.  Baskin-Robbins is one place that serves pink peppermint ice cream year-round, and there are others, but it is a flavor strongly connected with the holidays.

A lot of our regular products -- foods, candles, bath products -- get seasonal versions, and the flavors/scents tend to be peppermint, gingerbread, pumpkin pie, cinnamon, eggnog, nutmeg, pine, etc.  Or, if it's something like a room spray or candle, it could be called "Autumn Rain" or something similar!

Some pumpkin-flavored things are definitely better than others.  I know what you mean -- I love bananas and cherries, but not all banana-flavored and cherry-flavored things are good.

Candy corn -- how can I describe it?  Well, you've probably seen pictures of it.  It's shaped like a little triangle, basically, and it's striped with yellow, orange and white.  There are also Christmas and Easter versions of it, colored in appropriate seasonal hues!

I think that candy corn is one of those things people either like or don't like.  It's sweet.  It's not a soft candy like chocolate.  It's kind of hard and chewy -- almost like a jelly bean, in a way.  I mainly like it for color and for decoration, because it brightens up a room if it's placed in a nice glass vase or bowl or something.  I don't really love the flavor of candy corn.  It's okay, but I couldn't eat a lot of it.

Much like Christmas is associated with candy canes, and Easter is associated with jelly beans, and Valentine's Day is associated with conversation hearts, Halloween has candy corn!

​


----------



## zanzibar138

Thanks for clearing that up, Sherry 

We have candy canes over here which are red and white striped and peppermint flavoured. Is that a similar sort of thing? I've never really heard of pink peppermint before  Obviously we associate candy canes with Christmas, but not really peppermint flavour in general. Gingerbread is pretty common though, and we do the gingerbread Christmas houses/villages etc, so I could see that being a seasonal flavour for us.

I have seen pictures of candy corn, but never a description of what it actually is. So, it's just candy? It has nothing to do with actual corn?

The jack o'lantern thing sounds great! Wish it started a bit earlier.


----------



## Sherry E

zanzibar138 said:


> Thanks for clearing that up, Sherry
> 
> We have candy canes over here which are red and white striped and peppermint flavoured. Is that a similar sort of thing? I've never really heard of pink peppermint before  Obviously we associate candy canes with Christmas, but not really peppermint flavour in general. Gingerbread is pretty common though, and we do the gingerbread Christmas houses/villages etc, so I could see that being a seasonal flavour for us.
> 
> I have seen pictures of candy corn, but never a description of what it actually is. So, it's just candy? It has nothing to do with actual corn?
> 
> The jack o'lantern thing sounds great! Wish it started a bit earlier.




Take a look at all of this pink peppermint ice cream.  Our peppermint ice cream (Peppermint Wonderland, Peppermint Stick, Candy Cane, etc.) often involves that pink coloring, and crushed up pieces of candy canes, or swirly, red and white peppermint sticks or candies.  So, because of the candy cane connection, it is associated with the holidays.  There are also things that come out around then like peppermint tea and the previously mentioned peppermint mocha goodies.  You can also find peppermint baked goods.


What is sold year-round and is commonly known as maybe "mint chocolate chip" ice cream, or something similar, is usually green in color, as shown here -- and not really associated with the holidays.  It's also a slightly different kind of mint flavor than the other kind. 


Candy corn is just candy, but I think it was given its original name because of the shape. Supposedly the shape resembles a kernel of corn, but it's kind of a long kernel of corn if that's the case!


I thought of you when I saw the Rise of the Jack O' Lanterns thing (with Ray Villafane from "Halloween Wars" appearing for a couple of nights, which I forgot to mention above).  I was thinking that you'd already be gone!   If only the other Halloween events around town could start as early as Halloween Time begins at DLR -- but they all seem to start in late September or in October.


----------



## Wrangler

Our last day in DL is Sept 19, what are the chances we'll see some of the characters in costumes?


----------



## Sherry E

Wrangler said:


> Our last day in DL is Sept 19, what are the chances we'll see some of the characters in costumes?



*Wrangler --*

I'd say your chances are very good for at least a few character costumes!  Sometimes the characters may wear different themed attire in the daytime from they wear at the Halloween Party, and other times it's the same outfits.

Since you won't be attending the MHP, your best chances for characters in costumes will be at the Halloween Carnival in Frontierland.  That's where Goofy, Mickey, Minnie, Donald and other characters  in Halloween-ish garb usually greet guests, assuming nothing will have changed this year.  Donald wears a pumpkin costume.  Goofy often dresses as a skeleton.  That's also where you will be able to Conjure a Villain, see the pumpkin carvers, play Halloween games, etc.


----------



## TulipsNZ

ashleysev said:


> The family we're supposed to go with in October still hasn't decided on a date they want to go, so we haven't purchased our tickets yet. And now... now, I'm feeling that it may be a blessing... 'Cause I'm just not feeling it.
> 
> I'm a 2nd year grad student and I don't have a break in school until Christmas. I'm feeling a little overwhelmed trying to throw a trip in there! Going to give it a week to see if I feel differently.



Sometimes a change is as good as a rest, it may be just the pick me up you need to get through to Christmas.  I found I could get quite overwhelmed by study and even a short complete out could bring back my enthusiasm.  Good luck whatever you choose.






zanzibar138 said:


> Thanks for clearing that up, Sherry
> 
> We have candy canes over here which are red and white striped and peppermint flavoured. Is that a similar sort of thing? I've never really heard of pink peppermint before  Obviously we associate candy canes with Christmas, but not really peppermint flavour in general. Gingerbread is pretty common though, and we do the gingerbread Christmas houses/villages etc, so I could see that being a seasonal flavour for us.
> 
> I have seen pictures of candy corn, but never a description of what it actually is. So, it's just candy? It has nothing to do with actual corn?
> 
> The jack o'lantern thing sounds great! Wish it started a bit earlier.



There's an American store near me that imports American candy, I always thought it meant the coloured sugared popcorn but no I was quite surprised when I saw it.


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## Davidg83

So I'm sitting at work right now planning out my month and it looks like the first signs of Halloween at Target will be about 3 weeks away ... Including a display of one of my hard to resist treats... candy corn!


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## Sherry E

Davidg83 said:


> So I'm sitting at work right now planning out my month and it looks like the first signs of Halloween at Target will be about 3 weeks away ... Including a display of one of my hard to resist treats... candy corn!




  I do enjoy seeing candy corn appear, because it definitely heralds the changing of the seasons!  I am hoping that the Caramel Apple Milky Ways, the White Chocolate Candy Corn M&Ms and the Reese's Peanut Butter Pumpkins are right on the heels of the candy corn!

I am tempted to go into my local CityTarget this weekend and look at the Pumpkin Pie Spice Jif Whips up close (and also see if I can find the Pillsbury Pumpkin Pie Toaster Strudel too)!  I thought I was headed that way the other day, but my errand-running plans changed.  I may not be able to resist looking for these things!


----------



## Swtonscrappn

aidensmom31 said:


> Has anyone here done the Happy Haunts tour?  Feedback?



I did the Happiest Haunt tour last year with my husband.  We are going again this year and going on the tour again with my BFF who LOVES LOVES LOVES halloween.  I thought she would really enjoy it, but didnt want to just send her off by herself so we are going again.  We enjoyed it last time and look forward to going again.


----------



## mummabear

Interestingly Space Mountain is not listed on the refurb schedule for the days prior to the 12th


----------



## Sherry E

mummabear said:


> Interestingly Space Mountain is not listed on the refurb schedule for the days prior to the 12th



I think it's probably just an oversight or delay in updating the refurb list.  I'm fairly certain that Ghost Galaxy will be back.


----------



## LisaT91403

Sherry E said:


> I think it's probably just an oversight or delay in updating the refurb list.  I'm fairly certain that Ghost Galaxy will be back.



Ghost Galaxy was listed in the AP mailing I got yesterday. Did you all receive it? It's a glossy brochure about Halloween Time and also MHP. Funny, it says to buy MHP tickets "early", but they didn't deliver the brochure until after the tix went on sale to the general public.


----------



## laura&fam

Sherry E said:


> I think it's probably just an oversight or delay in updating the refurb list.  I'm fairly certain that Ghost Galaxy will be back.



Too bad.  From what I've seen/heard I'm fairly certain my kids would be terrified and it didn't seem worth it to me to go by myself.  I think I'd prefer plain old Space Mountain.  Still, I know some people really like it.

On another note, at some candle store at the mall they had orange and black balloons and a 'Halloween Preview' today.


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## Sherry E

I got the Halloween/MHP-themed brochure for AP holders in the mail (the one that *LisaT91403* mentioned above), and -- this bit of news is for *mummabear...*


*There will be a "Limited-time return of The Pirates League"!!!  

*


It says to "Call for reservations and prices"!!  (No number is listed, but try 714-781-STYLE or 714-781-7895 from 2013.)  There's no other info, but I'm sure PL will be at the Halloween Carnival again!

You got your wish, *mummabear*!!!  Pirates League will be back!!!!!


​


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## figment_jii

laura&fam said:


> Too bad.  From what I've seen/heard I'm fairly certain my kids would be terrified and it didn't seem worth it to me to go by myself.


I can see where SMGG can be scary.  If you really wanted to try riding it or having your kids ride it, I would recommend asking to be seated at the rear of the car.  Some of the images/elements are are timed to the front of ride vehicle, so by the time the back of the car passes the point, some of the image is over.  Also, it's worth noting that there is lightening storm projected on the outside of Space Mountain and at night it can be kind of startling (loud crashing noises with some accompanying screeches).  I saw several folks jump when it happened because it's unexpected.


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## mikana876

Sherry E said:


> I got the Halloween/MHP-themed brochure for AP holders in the mail (the one that *LisaT91403* mentioned above), and -- this bit of news is for *mummabear...*
> 
> 
> *There will be a "Limited-time return of The Pirates League"!!!
> 
> *
> 
> 
> It says to "Call for reservations and prices"!!  There's no other info, but I'm sure PL will be at the Halloween Carnival again!
> 
> You got your wish, *mummabear*!!!  Pirates League will be back!!!!!
> 
> 
> ​



I know you were specifically speaking to mummabear, but I was really hoping this would return! What number does it say to call?


----------



## 2tinkerbell

I checked the first few pages and didn't find my answer.  What is Pirates League?  

TIA


----------



## Sherry E

mikana876 said:


> I know you were specifically speaking to mummabear, but I was really hoping this would return! What number does it say to call?



*mikana876 --*

I posted for everyone, but I only mentioned *mummabear* because she had been so hopeful that PL would return, and had just mentioned it yesterday, and I thought she was the one who was the most interested in it!  If others are interested too, even better!

There is no phone number listed with the PL mention in the AP brochure, strangely. It literally just said to "Call for reservations and prices."   I assume that the number from last year (which I just looked up) will work?:  714-781-STYLE or 714-781-7895.




2tinkerbell said:


> I checked the first few pages and didn't find my answer.  What is Pirates League?
> 
> TIA



*2tinkerbell --*

We've only touched on it briefly here before -- it was part of the Halloween Carnival in 2013, and was in the Court of Angels in NOS in 2012.  This was a Parks Blog about it from August of last year: http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...a-limited-time-only-at-the-disneyland-resort/


​


----------



## DisneyJamieCA

I'm an AP holder and didn't get the brochure! *pout* Maybe it'll come early next week.

I guess still no word on if the pre-party in Toontown will return?


----------



## Sherry E

DisneyJamieCA said:


> I'm an AP holder and didn't get the brochure! *pout* Maybe it'll come early next week.
> 
> I guess still no word on if the pre-party in Toontown will return?



Nope.  Nothing revealing in the brochure at all (that we didn't already know) other than the confirmation of Pirates League.


----------



## ashleysev

Sherry E said:


> *ashleysev --*
> 
> Oh no!
> 
> Well, as you said, maybe the fact that the family is taking a while to decide on a date is a blessing.  Maybe it is working out for the best if you are truly not feeling it.  Only you know if it will be worthwhile to you to push forward with the plan, despite your hectic schedule.  With no break in school for several months, it would definitely be tricky to squeeze in a trip -- albeit, a fun trip!
> 
> I think that mulling it over in a week is a good idea.  Maybe this is just a passing moment of doubt and in a few days you will be gung ho to go, *or* will decide that a trip is not the wisest choice at the moment.



I know. It would be tricky but... ugh.  

If we didn't go, we still have our Disney Christmas cruise next year!


----------



## MadMim

We're in!  My husband just got the days off from work, so now we need to renew our passes & buy tickets to the party!!  I cant find the list of sold out dates like last year.  Does one exist yet?  

CANT WAIT!!!


----------



## mummabear

Sherry E said:


> I got the Halloween/MHP-themed brochure for AP holders in the mail (the one that *LisaT91403* mentioned above), and -- this bit of news is for *mummabear...*
> 
> 
> *There will be a "Limited-time return of The Pirates League"!!!
> 
> *
> 
> 
> It says to "Call for reservations and prices"!!  (No number is listed, but try 714-781-STYLE or 714-781-7895 from 2013.)  There's no other info, but I'm sure PL will be at the Halloween Carnival again!
> 
> You got your wish, *mummabear*!!!  Pirates League will be back!!!!!
> 
> 
> ​



Yay Yay Yay! 
Off to call now!






2tinkerbell said:


> I checked the first few pages and didn't find my answer.  What is Pirates League?
> 
> TIA



Think Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique but Piratey.


----------



## Wrangler

Sherry E said:


> Nope.  Nothing revealing in the brochure at all (that we didn't already know) other than the confirmation of Pirates League.



Does it say anything about dates?


----------



## Sherry E

MadMim said:


> We're in!  My husband just got the days off from work, so now we need to renew our passes & buy tickets to the party!!  I cant find the list of sold out dates like last year.  Does one exist yet?
> 
> CANT WAIT!!!



*MadMim --*

There are no sold out dates yet, but the list of party dates is in the MHP FAQ post on page 1 of this thread!  There may not always be a list of sold out parties -- that was just something that *Geemo* thought to do last year -- but this year *figment_jii* will keep track of the MHPs selling out.




Wrangler said:


> Does it say anything about dates?



*Wrangler --*

Do you mean dates for Pirates League?  No.  I assume PL will be available every day at the Halloween Carnival, but reservations will be needed.  The only thing the brochure said about Pirates League was what I posted above.  There wasn't even a phone number listed to call about PL -- I just looked up the number from last year.  Everything else in the brochure is what we already know -- Ghost Galaxy, Haunted Mansion Holiday, meeting Villains, treats, etc., etc.

Hopefully you saw my previous response to you here, about seeing the characters in costume by or before September 19th (your last day at Disneyland) -- you will see characters in costume at the Halloween Carnival, most likely, as Halloween Time starts on 9/12 and the Carnival will be open then.  Characters in Halloween-ish attire hang out at the Carnival all through Halloween Time.


----------



## mummabear

Doing a happy dance PL is booked 

So:
Opens Sept 12th until Oct 31st
Firstmate Package $35
Empress Package $35
Jake Package $29.99

CC guarantee required. Cancellations prior to 24 hours notice no charge, $10 per person charge for cancellations within 24hours. $20 per person charge for no shows.

At the Halloween carnival area, outdoors so effected by inclement weather.


----------



## sgrap

mummabear said:


> Doing a happy dance PL is booked
> 
> So:
> Opens Sept 12th until Oct 31st
> Firstmate Package $35
> Empress Package $35
> Jake Package $29.99
> 
> CC guarantee required. Cancellations prior to 24 hours notice no charge, $10 per person charge for cancellations within 24hours. $20 per person charge for no shows.
> 
> At the Halloween carnival area, outdoors so effected by inclement weather.


Is there a link online, or do you have to call?  Is there a more detailed description online? Does anyone have pictures from last year?  Thanks!


----------



## mummabear

sgrap said:


> Is there a link online, or do you have to call?  Is there a more detailed description online? Does anyone have pictures from last year?  Thanks!



Here is the WDW link. There is nothing showing on DL's site yet.


----------



## Wrangler

Thank-you Sherry E!!!!. I just googled Halloween Carnival, so glad you used that phrase. I had no idea all of that took place!!!


----------



## Sherry E

Wrangler said:


> Thank-you Sherry E!!!!. I just googled Halloween Carnival, so glad you used that phrase. I had no idea all of that took place!!!



You're very welcome!

The Halloween Carnival is one of the main hubs of activity during the Halloween Time season -- there are a lot of things going on there!


----------



## scrappymel

mummabear said:


> Doing a happy dance PL is booked
> 
> So:
> Opens Sept 12th until Oct 31st
> Firstmate Package $35
> Empress Package $35
> Jake Package $29.99
> 
> CC guarantee required. Cancellations prior to 24 hours notice no charge, $10 per person charge for cancellations within 24hours. $20 per person charge for no shows.
> 
> At the Halloween carnival area, outdoors so effected by inclement weather.



Yay! Yay! Yay! How far in advance can you book PL? 60 days?


----------



## mummabear

scrappymel said:


> Yay! Yay! Yay! How far in advance can you book PL? 60 days?



I would assume, I have made mine today for the 16th, which is over 30 days.


----------



## scrappymel

mummabear said:


> I would assume, I have made mine today for the 16th, which is over 30 days.



Ok. Thanks.  I just have a few more days to wait then.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards


----------



## mummabear

scrappymel said:


> Ok. Thanks.  I just have a few more days to wait then.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards







So Space Mountain is now showing as closing on Monday 8th.
Pleased we are planning on heading in after dinner on the 7th to watch Magical so will take DD4 on SM then, I'm worried she will be too scared if its SMGG.
Although I'm honestly not sure about whether the first day in the park being so late will make it less exciting for the kids.


----------



## 6Smiles

So excited... the Skywalker's and R2D2 are Spending 12 days at Disneyland, going to the Halloween Party and relaxing with our deluxe APs. We have been trying to arrange Halloween time since 2008 without success. Great deal of 20% off at Ramada Maingate left us enough money to book 2 nights at PPH for our twentieth Anniversary ! So excited. 1st AP, 1st Halloween, 1st DL hotel and 1st time eating at Blue Bayou. Pure


----------



## Sherry E

6Smiles said:


> So excited... the Skywalker's and R2D2 are Spending 12 days at Disneyland, going to the Halloween Party and relaxing with our deluxe APs. We have been trying to arrange Halloween time since 2008 without success. Great deal of 20% off at Ramada Maingate left us enough money to book 2 nights at PPH for our twentieth Anniversary ! So excited. 1st AP, 1st Halloween, 1st DL hotel and 1st time eating at Blue Bayou. Pure



That's great to hear, *Kris*!

Twelve days is a long time!  Wow!

I didn't realize that you had never stayed onsite before -- for some reason I was thinking you had.

Since you have an AP now, will you be heading back for another holiday season trip before the year is over?


----------



## Disneycanuk

Just curious, noticed it currently shows no fireworks the 12, 13 and 14.  Does anyone know if they perhaps are showing the Halloween fireworks those nights?


----------



## Sherry E

Disneycanuk said:


> Just curious, noticed it currently shows no fireworks the 12, 13 and 14.  Does anyone know if they perhaps are showing the Halloween fireworks those nights?



*Disneycanuk --*

Are you referring to the 12th, 13th and 14th of September?   If so, that's a Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and those nights _should_ feature the regular, non-Halloween fireworks.

October 12, 13 and 14 would be Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, respectively.  Regular fireworks _should_ run on 10/12 and 10/13 (Columbus Day).  Halloween Screams would run during the MHP on Tuesday, 10/14.

The Halloween fireworks _should_ only take place on Mickey's Halloween Party nights, as that's part of what MHP guests are paying for.  The only situations in which Halloween Screams might or could run unexpectedly, on a non-party night, are if Halloween Screams gets postponed/cancelled on a party night due to weather/wind.  For example, if wind were to cancel Halloween Screams on Tuesday, 10/14, it would be possible -- though not definite -- that Halloween Screams might run unannounced on Wednesday, 10/15.


----------



## mummabear

Disneycanuk said:


> Just curious, noticed it currently shows no fireworks the 12, 13 and 14.  Does anyone know if they perhaps are showing the Halloween fireworks those nights?



You are right (I was about to post that it was there but just 2 F! each night)
I would except (hope) it will be added shortly. They don't need to close it to prepare for Halloscreams.
I am expecting it to be RDCT.


----------



## Disneycanuk

ya sorry was referring to Sept 12, 13 and 14 as October wasn't posted yet on their calendar.  But ya they have everything else like Fantasmic and the parade but no fireworks 

Hope its just not updated yet and they ad it, was looking forward to it for my family first time to Disneyland!


----------



## Sherry E

Disneycanuk said:


> ya sorry was referring to Sept 12, 13 and 14 as October wasn't posted yet on their calendar.  But ya they have everything else like Fantasmic and the parade but no fireworks
> 
> Hope its just not updated yet and they ad it, was looking forward to it for my family first time to Disneyland!



*Disneycanuk --*

I think it is a case of Disney just being slow to add to the calendar, but I am fairly certain that the non-Halloween fireworks will run as usual on 9/12, 9/13 and 9/14 -- assuming there is no wind, of course!  The wind will shut the fireworks down if it kicks in.  Hope for no wind!

Even when Disney gets the DLR calendar updated, it's not always completely filled in or correct!  (That happened last year during the holiday season.)


----------



## Disneycanuk

Sherry E said:


> *Disneycanuk --*
> 
> I think it is a case of Disney just being slow to add to the calendar, but I am fairly certain that the non-Halloween fireworks will run as usual on 9/12, 9/13 and 9/14 -- assuming there is no wind, of course!  The wind will shut the fireworks down if it kicks in.  Hope for no wind!
> 
> Even when Disney gets the DLR calendar updated, it's not always completely filled in or correct!  (That happened last year during the holiday season.)



Awesome thanks for the help.


----------



## mummabear

DisneyCanuck-

RDCT is now showing at 9.25 on the 12/13th, schedule past the 14th is not showing yet (even park hours)


----------



## Disneycanuk

Perfect!! One part I really wanted the family to see!


----------



## mummabear

Disneycanuk said:


> Perfect!! One part I really wanted the family to see!



Yeah I don't quite feel like I have done Disney until I see the fireworks.


----------



## laura&fam

mummabear said:


> DisneyCanuck-
> 
> RDCT is now showing at 9.25 on the 12/13th, schedule past the 14th is not showing yet (even park hours)



I keep seeing info about stuff I love but will miss this trip since we're just going to MHP.  I need to keep reminding myself that 6 hours at Disneyland is better than nothing and LEGOland will be fun too.  At least I'm getting some time at Disneyland!


----------



## rosanab1031

Well... I am both overjoyed and saddened. I bought my tickets for the Halloween party for the first two Fridays (9/26 and 10/3). I did two nights this year since the fireworks were cancelled on our party night last year and I was very upset. Then I got a call from Disney and they offered me a job! Lol. I start right before Halloween time and I don't see them giving a new hire two Fridays off in a row  Maybe I will get off in time to make the parties. Lol. If not I might need to find some people looking for party tickets.


----------



## DisneyJamieCA

Sherry, to follow up on our weather/seasonal items conversation, it rained overnight up here with a chance of more this afternoon. Fall is on its way


----------



## pattyduke34

I am sooo excited...only 40 days to go!!  I am so happy I get to go back for Halloween time this year, but sadly no party this year..too early!  I just wanted to share a few pics to get everyone in the spirit... These are from the party last year!

























this one we were just headed to the party!


----------



## Sherry E

*pattyduke34 --* 

Awesome, fun, colorful pictures -- and it looks like you guys had an amazing Halloween Time trip!  I was planning to do a mini-Theme Week Countdown in this thread, but I guess I won't.  It seems to work better in the Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread. 


*rosanab1031 --*

Congratulations on your new Disney job!  Can you tell us, without going into specifics, what you will be doing for Disney?  Are you working in the offices in Anaheim, in the parks, or in the Glendale/Burbank offices?  And are you working for the Disney Parks division, or another division of Disney (there are so many)?

I'm curious because it seems that so many people try to work for Disney and don't get hired unless they have already worked for Disney in the past, or have a direct connection to a job.  I wonder if certain departments and divisions hire more often than others.  It seems like more people get hired to work in the parks and around DLR than they get hired to work on the business/corporate side of things.

If you end up needing to get rid of your tickets, just remember that you can't sell them here on this site.  It's not allowed.  You can give tickets away for free, but no selling here.







DisneyJamieCA said:


> Sherry, to follow up on our weather/seasonal items conversation, it rained overnight up here with a chance of more this afternoon. Fall is on its way



*Jamie --*

I hope Fall is on its way sooner rather than later!  I am sick of summer, and the alternating dry heat and humid heat!  

You know, it's very odd -- for the last 2 Sundays in a row we've had sudden, short-lived sprinklings of rain in the afternoon...and then they were over just like that.  The ground barely even got wet.  However, 2 Sundays ago was when a few people were struck by lightning in Venice (someone was struck on a golf course in Catalina too!), so that super-brief rain was enough to do some serious damage.

I had planned to mosey on over to CityTarget the other day and prowl the aisles in search of any signs of new seasonal products.  Instead I ended up at CVS (where I had gift cards), which is usually good about having at least a couple of Fall or Halloween things on display in August.

However, as I roamed every aisle of CVS, I saw nothing Autumn-esque or Fall-ish whatsoever.  Not yet.  Not one single item.  No random pumpkin votive holders; no black cat-embossed welcome mats; not a single bag of "Harvest" M&Ms.  Nothing.  And no Pumpkin Spice Jif Whip either!  

So I can see I will have to go to CityTarget for my early Fall fix!  CVS is clearly sleeping on the job!  They've still got -- gasp! -- _summer and back-to-school things_ on the shelves, and I can't have that madness!


----------



## pattyduke34

Oh Yes Sherry! Do a mini theme,...I have a lot a great pics to share!  lol


----------



## Sherry E

pattyduke34 said:


> Oh Yes Sherry! Do a mini theme,...I have a lot a great pics to share!  lol




Please just go ahead and post them!  The Countdowns don't work as well in this thread as they do in the Christmas/Holiday Superthread, for whatever reasons (I noticed this in the past, too).  I have a harder time getting everyone to kind of follow my lead in this thread, whereas in the Christmas/Holiday Superthread I can get folks to follow along better (because there are gift cards at stake!).

Plus, Halloween Time starts next month and I'm sure people are very anxious to see photos now, to get in the spirit -- so please... post away if you have a lot of pictures!

However, in the future, if I decide to do a Countdown in this thread that involves gift card giveaways, people will have to follow my lead!


----------



## pattyduke34

Sherry E you know I love doing the countdowns, so if you start I will follow!   I will post a few here and there ...


----------



## TulipsNZ

Well for being from NZ where we don't really do Halloween I got a huge surprise when I went to Spotlight yesterday and they had a Halloween section with decorations and costumes on display.  I guess it is growing over here.

I just got LASIK so now I am going to able to really SEE everything.  

I love seeing photos and I'm getting so excited, I'd love to see some sort of countdown/theme going


----------



## Sherry E

pattyduke34 said:


> Sherry E you know I love doing the countdowns, so if you start I will follow!   I will post a few here and there ...



Yes, please post photos!  Don't wait for me!

The whole idea behind the Countdowns is to not post any pictures in the threads for quite a while leading up to the Countdowns (like months), to retain some mystery and build anticipation.  It's all about the "reveal."  It's all about the unveiling of photos in a certain theme, and pulling back the curtain, slowly, over time.  

The Halloween Time Superthread doesn't lend itself well to holding back the photos until a certain point in time, because -- needless to say -- people want to see photos of costumes and of various other elements of the season and of the MHP, before buying tickets (understandably).  Also, there are just not as many "themes" to cover for Halloween Time, so we'd have to wait longer to start a mini-Countdown than we do for the Countdown in the Christmas/Holiday Superthread.

Over in the Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread, there isn't that same kind of necessity to post photos sooner because, so far, there is no party, there are no costumes, and nothing that people have to buy separate tickets for. Plus, there are enough holiday themes that I can start the Countdown in July, so no one has to wait very long.

So I say, go ahead and share those photos!  We don't have too much longer until Halloween Time begins, so let's start seeing some amazing Halloween Time and MHP images!


----------



## Swtonscrappn

I would love to do a themed photo of the week post for halloween.  

I do have a fun Disney Halloween story from last year (but sadly, I dont think I have a photo).  (POSSIBLE MINOR SPOILER ABOUT HAPPIEST HAUNTS TOUR (something that you get on the tour))






Last year, my dh and I took the Happiest Haunts tour as part of our anniversary celebration.  At the end of the tour, we got our pins and a little treat.  The treat we got was a fairly large candy corn shaped sugar cookie in a sealed bag.  My dh and I both looked at it and thought--that looks like an over sweet, over frosted, processed dry cookie.  So we didn't eat them, and we brought them home. 

About 2 weeks later, I was desiring something sweet and didn't have any treats in the house.  So I saw these cookies on my desk and decided I would eat one of them.  It was the softest, tastiest cookie I HAVE EVER HAD IN MY ENTIRE LIFE!!! It had something like an almond extract that just gave it a wonder flavor.   

When my dh got home from work, I asked him if he was sure he didnt want to eat his cookie. (That he had pretty much forgotten about by that time.) He asked me why I was asking...and I honestly told him that it tasted so good I wanted to eat his.   So he tried his and also loved it.

So, last week we were discussing possibly taking the tour again, and he said, "I dont mind taking the tour, but we definitely need to find some more of those cookies.  

So, the moral of the story is...Eat the other cookie before others realize how good it is!


----------



## mummabear

Sherry E said:


> However, in the future, if I decide to do a Countdown in this thread that involves gift card giveaways, people will have to follow my lead!



We're following the leader, the leader, the leader, we're following the leader, where ever he may go...


----------



## Sherry E

A new Blog for today, courtesy of the Parks Blog:

"Find the Perfect Look for Halloween at the Disneyland Resort" - Disney Parks Blog; posted on August 5th, 2014 by Michelle Harker, Manager, Merchandise Marketing & Communications, Disneyland Resort



ETA:  Notice that the Blog begins with:  "_I know summer isn’t quite over yet and I don’t want to be the one to rush things, but_..."    Any of you who have paid attention to my previous rants about how Disney begins their Halloween and holidays blogs in summer will know why I find that wording amusing!

​


----------



## crystal1313

So we were planning on going in October to MHP and at Christmas time but now it's looking like we won't be able to swing both trips.  Asked the boys last night, and they picked Christmas time (which was my first choice too since it's our family tradition).  We will see if we can do both.  I have a free two night stay at the Ramada Maingate....and that will come in handy!  Really the price of the MHP is what we are second guessing.  It's just a lot for all 4 of us.  I totally think it is worth it, but right now money is tighter.


----------



## Sherry E

crystal1313 said:


> So we were planning on going in October to MHP and at Christmas time but now it's looking like we won't be able to swing both trips.  Asked the boys last night, and they picked Christmas time (which was my first choice too since it's our family tradition).  We will see if we can do both.  I have a free two night stay at the Ramada Maingate....and that will come in handy!  Really the price of the MHP is what we are second guessing.  It's just a lot for all 4 of us.  I totally think it is worth it, but right now money is tighter.



*crystal1313 --*

That's too bad, and I hope you can swing it but I totally understand the dilemma!  MHP is worth it _when one feels he or she can afford it_.  Is it worth it to go to extreme measures and break the bank to try and attend the MHP?  No -- not in my opinion.  It is expensive for even one person, let alone 4 people!  Halloween Time in general is enough for me if I can't swing the extra cost of the MHP too.

If you use your Ramada nights on just a general, fairly short, Halloween Time trip, you will still at least get a lot of Halloween Time fun in without the MHP.

However, if it turns out that a holiday season trip is the plan and Halloween Time is off the table, I don't think you will be making a bad choice because -- as you well know from your previous trips -- you get _a lot_ of bang for your buck during the holidays, and that is without any kind of hard ticket party (knock on wood)!  Plus, you can continue the tradition.


----------



## crystal1313

Sherry E said:


> *crystal1313 --*
> 
> That's too bad, and I hope you can swing it but I totally understand the dilemma!  MHP is worth it _when one feels he or she can afford it_.  Is it worth it to go to extreme measures and break the bank to try and attend the MHP?  No -- not in my opinion.  It is expensive for even one person, let alone 4 people!  Halloween Time in general is enough for me if I can't swing the extra cost of the MHP too.
> 
> If you use your Ramada nights on just a general, fairly short, Halloween Time trip, you will still at least get a lot of Halloween Time fun in without the MHP.
> 
> However, if it turns out that a holiday season trip is the plan and Halloween Time is off the table, I don't think you will be making a bad choice because -- as you well know from your previous trips -- you get _a lot_ of bang for your buck during the holidays, and that is without any kind of hard ticket party (knock on wood)!  Plus, you can continue the tradition.



Thanks Sherry!  That's exactly what we are thinking right now.  We LOVE the holidays at DL.  I asked each boy separately and they both picked going at Christmas time.  I'm actually thinking of going Nov 21-22, rather than the second weekend in December that we normally go.  Time will tell!


----------



## TulipsNZ

Does anyone have pictures of their costumes?  I'm looking for ideas


----------



## crystal1313

Click the link in my signature for photos of our TRON costumes.


----------



## Cheshirecatty

Love those costumes *Crystal*---so creative!


----------



## Kilala

crystal1313 said:


> Click the link in my signature for photos of our TRON costumes.



I love your costumes!!!
I'm working on mine right now. I will put up some WIP pictures tomorrow. Here are the costumes I wore last year at WDW and at MHP.
This is costume based on my cat Kilala. These pictures were taken at MNSSHP.










These were Also taken at MNSSHP. This is a costume based on a special needs cat I use tohave named Saiyuki.










This was taken at last years MHP. I wore the same costume twice last year.
I went to the party on the 18th and the 30th.
























I'm the one on the left






This is my baby girl Lillie. She is now a year old.


----------



## Cheshirecatty

*Kilala*….the pic of you with Jack is my favorite---how fun!

Also, your Lillie kitty is precious!


----------



## Sherry E

*Kilala* always has the best costume/MHP pictures -- Kilala, you always look like you're having such an amazing time!  I love Lillie!  What a sweet baby she is! 


​


Seasonal Changes Sightings/Update (and I say this with a wink and a nudge):

While I have still not seen the elusive Jif Pumpkin Pie Spice Whips or Pillsbury Pumpkin Pie Toaster Strudel as of yet, I did notice that one random, lone tree on a nearby street had some colored leaves (they were in the process of changing colors, and were in various stages of yellows and oranges), which will probably all be dead and on the ground by the time Fall actually starts. 

Woo hoo!

In my area of California, sadly, we don't have those long, empty, meandering paths (like the kind you see in photos or paintings) framed by glorious, vibrant rows of towering trees, drenched in autumnal beauty.  So we have to take whatever snippets of Fall we can get!  Some of our trees stay green and the leaves never change color at all.

​


----------



## zanzibar138

Sherry E said:


> Seasonal Changes Sightings/Update (and I say this with a wink and a nudge):
> 
> While I have still not seen the elusive Jif Pumpkin Pie Spice Whips or Pillsbury Pumpkin Pie Toaster Strudel as of yet, I did notice that one random, lone tree on a nearby street had some colored leaves (they were in the process of changing colors, and were in various stages of yellows and oranges), which will probably all be dead and on the ground by the time Fall actually starts.
> 
> Woo hoo!
> 
> In my area of California, sadly, we don't have those long, empty, meandering paths (like the kind you see in photos or paintings) framed by glorious, vibrant rows of towering trees, drenched in autumnal beauty.  So we have to take whatever snippets of Fall we can get!  Some of our trees stay green and the leaves never change color at all.
> 
> ​



In Australia, most of our trees are evergreen. We don't have any native deciduous trees, so you only see them in gardens and parks. This is especially the case in Perth, where I grew up. It has a VERY similar climate to LA and there are hardly any deciduous trees around.

Where I am now it's a bit cooler and is an area where lots of Europeans settled in the early days, bringing their lovely deciduous trees and bulbs with them. Autumn is now my favourite season, and I love the splashes of colour from the trees. It's actually surprising how beautiful the deciduous trees look among the temperate rainforest (tree ferns and eucalypts).

Ok, now you've made me miss Autumn, and we're only just at the end of winter  Soon we'll be seeing all the deciduous trees covered in flowers and new baby leaves. In fact, some of the magnolias are already starting to flower, and I've seen some early daffodils around too.


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## TulipsNZ

Kilala, those costumes are amazing, I am very inspired!
Crystal I'm off to have a peep at yours 


Our Magnolias are beginning to flower here, I can't wait till my cherry blooms.  Autumn is my favourite season though.




Crystal I love your Tron costumes, where did you get them?


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## laura&fam

Here are our costumes from 2 years ago (assuming I can figure out how to upload the photo).  I'm sort of paranoid about having photos posted especially of my kids so that's why the faces are weird.


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## Kilala

Thank you guys so much!! Just to let everyone know here I do take commission on Cats stlye costumes. I'm hoping to launch a Etsy shop this week or next week.


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## adudeinblue

My girlfriend and I are on the fence of what to dress up as. Since we are going to the Halloween Day MHP, we feel like we should dress up something recognizable and family park appropriate. 

She really wants to dress up as Disney's and Marvel's upcoming Big Hero 6 movie as Hiro Hamada and Honey Lemon because we racially fit the characters profiles perfectly (I'm Chinese and she's Caucasian). But I was just curious if many people in this thread planning their MHP visits are exposed to these characters before? I know some media sites like Tumblr and Instagram are slowly trending with young adults, but I was just curious with DIS Board community. 

I originally wanted to do Wilderness Explorers from Pixar's UP so I can carry a backpack around for our candy haha


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## rosanab1031

Sherry E said:


> *pattyduke34 --*
> 
> Awesome, fun, colorful pictures -- and it looks like you guys had an amazing Halloween Time trip!  I was planning to do a mini-Theme Week Countdown in this thread, but I guess I won't.  It seems to work better in the Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread.
> 
> 
> *rosanab1031 --*
> 
> Congratulations on your new Disney job!  Can you tell us, without going into specifics, what you will be doing for Disney?  Are you working in the offices in Anaheim, in the parks, or in the Glendale/Burbank offices?  And are you working for the Disney Parks division, or another division of Disney (there are so many)?
> 
> I'm curious because it seems that so many people try to work for Disney and don't get hired unless they have already worked for Disney in the past, or have a direct connection to a job.  I wonder if certain departments and divisions hire more often than others.  It seems like more people get hired to work in the parks and around DLR than they get hired to work on the business/corporate side of things.
> 
> If you end up needing to get rid of your tickets, just remember that you can't sell them here on this site.  It's not allowed.  You can give tickets away for free, but no selling here.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Jamie --*
> 
> I hope Fall is on its way sooner rather than later!  I am sick of summer, and the alternating dry heat and humid heat!
> 
> You know, it's very odd -- for the last 2 Sundays in a row we've had sudden, short-lived sprinklings of rain in the afternoon...and then they were over just like that.  The ground barely even got wet.  However, 2 Sundays ago was when a few people were struck by lightning in Venice (someone was struck on a golf course in Catalina too!), so that super-brief rain was enough to do some serious damage.
> 
> I had planned to mosey on over to CityTarget the other day and prowl the aisles in search of any signs of new seasonal products.  Instead I ended up at CVS (where I had gift cards), which is usually good about having at least a couple of Fall or Halloween things on display in August.
> 
> However, as I roamed every aisle of CVS, I saw nothing Autumn-esque or Fall-ish whatsoever.  Not yet.  Not one single item.  No random pumpkin votive holders; no black cat-embossed welcome mats; not a single bag of "Harvest" M&Ms.  Nothing.  And no Pumpkin Spice Jif Whip either!
> 
> So I can see I will have to go to CityTarget for my early Fall fix!  CVS is clearly sleeping on the job!  They've still got -- gasp! -- _summer and back-to-school things_ on the shelves, and I can't have that madness!



Thanks! I will be a vacation planner working at the parks  I'm super excited. I had a current employee as a reference


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## RuthieT

where can I find the link to purchase trick or treat tickets for annual pass holders??


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## rosanab1031

My sister and I were planning for Anna and Elsa costumes but wearing wigs and dresses to trek around the park just didn't sound fun. Lol. We like to do all the rides and if we lost a wig I'd be pretty upset. Lol. So it's back to the drawing board, might end up without costumes since money is also pretty tight.


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## Sherry E

RuthieT said:


> where can I find the link to purchase trick or treat tickets for annual pass holders??



You have to sign into your Disneyland account or AP account and order from the DLR website (make sure that your AP is "linked" to your Disneyland account, so their system will recognize that you get AP discounts!).  Here is the Special Events ticket page.  The discount should be reflected automatically, if Disneyland recognizes that you are an AP holder.


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## Davidg83

Today's fall season treat find: pumpkin pie at Costco! One MAY have come home with me. I just couldn't resist.


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## Sherry E

Davidg83 said:


> Today's fall season treat find: pumpkin pie at Costco! One MAY have come home with me. I just couldn't resist.



*Davidg83 --*

  Pumpkin pie is a true sign of the seasons preparing to rapidly change!

It's funny -- for some reason I can associate "pumpkin-_flavored_" things (like Jif Whips or M&Ms or Pop Tarts or whatever) with early Fall and beyond, but, for some reason I don't associate actual pumpkin pie with anything other than Thanksgiving (and maybe Christmas)!  That makes no sense, of course, because if I am going to accept Pumpkin Pie Spice Jif Whips or Pumpkin Pie Pillsbury Toaster Strudel as parts of the early pre-arrival of Fall, I don't know why I can't make that leap for actual pumpkin pie too!

In any case, thank you for reporting in on the various food items and seasonal changes you are seeing in the stores -- so far I have not seen anything, but I think it can literally change overnight.  One day there are no traces of anything Fall-like in the stores, and then the next day there they are!


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## TulipsNZ

I've never tried pumpkin pie, it's on my to do list while I'm over there, any ideas where to find a nice authentic one?


----------



## Sherry E

TulipsNZ said:


> I've never tried pumpkin pie, it's on my to do list while I'm over there, any ideas where to find a nice authentic one?



*TulipsNZ -*

I'm not sure at which point in the season they will start serving it, but Carnation Café on Main Street usually has pumpkin pie at some point in the Fall (and then it sticks around through the holidays as well).

Plaza Inn _may_, perhaps, have some pumpkin pie too.

I wonder if Flo's in Cars Land might have pumpkin pie (since they have other types of pie there throughout the year)?


----------



## Davidg83

Sherry E said:


> *TulipsNZ -*
> 
> I'm not sure at which point in the season they will start serving it, but Carnation Café on Main Street usually has pumpkin pie at some point in the Fall (and then it sticks around through the holidays as well).
> 
> Plaza Inn _may_, perhaps, have some pumpkin pie too.
> 
> I wonder if Flo's in Cars Land might have pumpkin pie (since they have other types of pie there throughout the year)?



I didn't even realize they have pumpkin pie in the parks!  I always end up with the pumpkin cheesecake or the pumpkin fritters. I'm super excited that I'll be back at Disneyland 3 weeks from today but pretty bummed I'll be missing fall treats by about a week. I guess that just means I'll have to go extra crazy with the treats when I'm back in October!


----------



## Sherry E

Davidg83 said:


> I didn't even realize they have pumpkin pie in the parks!  I always end up with the pumpkin cheesecake or the pumpkin fritters. I'm super excited that I'll be back at Disneyland 3 weeks from today but pretty bummed I'll be missing fall treats by about a week. I guess that just means I'll have to go extra crazy with the treats when I'm back in October!



*Davidg83 -*

Yes, pumpkin pie! -- and I think it has been spotted in more places than just Carnation Café and possibly Plaza Inn, but I'm not sure where (perhaps other table service restaurants like Storytellers Café??)!  I just don't know exactly when it appears on a menu or in a restaurant for the first time -- September or October?

You never know.  You may, perhaps, catch early glimpses of a few of the Fall goodies in 3 weeks.  I have read reports in the past that indicated that a few Fall treats were already out at the end of August -- not the full array, but some of them.  You may be in luck.  If not, as you said, you'll be back in October and then you can go all out with the full array of seasonal yumminess!


----------



## TulipsNZ

Sherry E said:


> *TulipsNZ -*
> 
> I'm not sure at which point in the season they will start serving it, but Carnation Café on Main Street usually has pumpkin pie at some point in the Fall (and then it sticks around through the holidays as well).
> 
> Plaza Inn _may_, perhaps, have some pumpkin pie too.
> 
> I wonder if Flo's in Cars Land might have pumpkin pie (since they have other types of pie there throughout the year)?



Oh I didn't think they would have it in the parks, I'm super excited


----------



## yeheyprincex2

I am off sweets now I'm in a bet with my sister and if I win I get $100 disney gift card.
 but, yum fall treats, fall is my favorite time of the year and I love the food what comes with it.
I will have to do my research on the fall treats at the park, if anyone would like to help me out go right ahead.  

I will say the pumpkin cheese cakes from cheesecake factory is one of my fav treats.


----------



## Sherry E

yeheyprincex2 said:


> I am off sweets now I'm in a bet with my sister and if I win I get $100 disney gift card.
> but, yum fall treats, fall is my favorite time of the year and I love the food what comes with it.
> I will have to do my research on the fall treats at the park, if anyone would like to help me out go right ahead.
> 
> I will say the pumpkin cheese cakes from cheesecake factory is one of my fav treats.



*yeheyprincex2 --*

Have you checked out any of the links in this "Ghoulish Grub" post?  You'll see a lot of the treats mentioned specifically in the titles (like Pumpkin Fritters or Pumpkin Squash Chowder, or whatever), but other links you might have to click on to see more treats.  You don't have to read them, but there are lots of photos of all of the seasonal treats in those blogs and articles.

I recommend clicking on as many of the links in that Ghoulish Grub post as possible -- even the ones from pre-2013, because some of the treats from 2012, 2011 and beyond are still sold in the parks for Halloween Time but may not be referenced in newer blogs that come out.  In other words, many of the food items that are shown in older Blogs will still be available this year.

I find that when I go through the various Blogs by the various sites that have reported on Fall treats, I always find something that I didn't know existed. There are a lot of hidden edible treasures in the parks, I think!


----------



## mummabear

I LOVE Pumpkin Pie, in fact I have it as my (July) Birthday "cake" every year as well as Thanksgiving-didn't think I may find it in the US in Sept though I will be on the lookout.
I bring can of Libbys back to NZ with us (among many random grocery stuff we can't get here), we can now buy it here but it is $8 a can 
In fact  but whenever I make it to the US or back home I basically live on Turkey, Cherry & grape flavours and Root Beer as I just can't get it here on a day to day basis


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## Sherry E

*Since we're on the subject of seasonal treats and meals...

Currently I am in the process of typing up a semi-comprehensive list of Fall & Halloween food and drink items and where to find them at Disneyland Resort!  When I am done (hopefully later today), I will post that list here, in this thread!!!

I've been saying that I am always surprised when I look at the various blogs and articles in the "Ghoulish Grub, Terrifying Treats and Perilous Potions" post on page 1 of this thread, as there are always things that I never knew existed, both on the sweet side of things and on the savory side of things.

Also, I find that the various blogs and articles that come out each year do not cover all of the food finds in one swoop -- they usually just cover the "new discoveries" or the things that are new to a specific year.  So there are plenty of other seasonal foods, drinks and snacks that people don't know about each year, because if it is their first time visiting for the Halloween Time season they have to idea what was sold one or two years ago!

In any case, I am compiling and typing up one master list of all of the sweet and savory seasonal foods and beverages that have been seen or mentioned over the last couple of years.  (If I inadvertently leave anything out, hopefully figment_jii will give me the info to fill in!)

The problem with these sorts of master lists -- and a huge reason why I didn't do this list a while back -- is because many of the items mentioned will change or relocate over time.  Certain dishes or treats may be available at A, B and C shops/restaurants in one year, and then they may be available at X, Y and Z shops/restaurants the next year.  Or, they may change design slightly --  one version of a Pumpkin Muffin might be different from the Pumpkin Muffin that comes out the following year.

Certain restaurants such as Blue Bayou or Café Orleans may serve special seasonal meals and desserts specific to certain years, and then the next year those meals and desserts are gone and new ones have moved in!  It's hard to know exactly what will be brought back each year, and what it will look like or where it will be located -- and if I include it on the master list (which I am doing) and it's not in the parks, I don't want anyone to be disappointed if they don't find whatever that treat is that they are looking for.

However, that said, it's good to have lists like this one that I am typing up because, even if the items vary a bit or disappear from year to year, it helps to have an idea of certain restaurants or shops to look in and what types of Fall foods you might find in them.  The whole point of this list is that I think there are a lot of foods that people will not know to look for, or have not known to look for in the past, and now they will know!

On that note, after all of this food talk I have to go fix myself some lunch so I have some energy to continue on with compiling the rest of the Seasonal Foods list!*


----------



## figment_jii

adudeinblue said:


> She really wants to dress up as Disney's and Marvel's upcoming Big Hero 6 movie as Hiro Hamada and Honey Lemon because we racially fit the characters profiles perfectly (I'm Chinese and she's Caucasian). But I was just curious if many people in this thread planning their MHP visits are exposed to these characters before? I know some media sites like Tumblr and Instagram are slowly trending with young adults, but I was just curious with DIS Board community.


I think by the time September/October rolls around, more and more information and images from Big Hero 6 will be floating around.  However, I don't think they're going to have the same level of recognition as characters from movies that have been released.  If the parties were after the movie opened (and the in-park character meet and greet began) you might have a better chance of being recognized.



Sherry E said:


> In any case, I am compiling and typing up one master list of all of the sweet and savory seasonal foods and beverages that have been seen or mentioned over the last couple of years.  (If I inadvertently leave anything out, hopefully figment_jii will give me the info to fill in!)


I will do my best to look through my photos from years past to see what items were offered and where.  I can't wait to go this year and see what the parks have to offer!



Sherry E said:


> I was wondering where you had disappeared to the last several days! I hadn't seen you around over on the Halloween Superthread and I wondered if you had gone out of town or gotten extremely busy!


I know this was originally posted on the Christmas/Holiday SuperThread, but given that I'm more active over here, I figured this was a good place to answer.  I was away on a business trip to a place that has very limited internet connection!  Sigh...you never know how used to having internet you are until you go somewhere where you don't have much!  Where I was (up by the Oregon border), it did rain on Monday night (complete with thunder and lightning).


----------



## Sherry E

*List of Sweet & Savory Fall/Halloween Time Foods and Seasonal Drinks at Disneyland Resort
(items may vary slightly from year to year)*​

_****I compiled this list from information given in the *Disney Parks Blog, the DIS Unplugged Blog, the Mouse for Less, Mouse Planet and the Disney Food Blog  (as well as drew a bit from my own experience and asked other DIS'ers).*  This is not a complete list, as there are probably more sweet and savory seasonal foods yet to be discovered, and more places around Disneyland Resort at which they are sold than what I am aware of.

****Note that, while most of the items listed below were reported to have been available in Fall of 2014 and Fall of 2013, some items listed were reported in 2012 and 2011, and some were limited edition items.  There may be similar – if not identical – versions of them in the candy and bake shops every year.

****Many of the returning edible favorites – the cupcakes, muffins, cookies, cake pops, caramel apples, marshmallow wands, pretzel rods, etc. – will have slightly different designs from year to year, and what was available in 2013 may not look exactly the same in 2014.

****Some of the desserts and savory dishes may only be available at certain restaurants for one year, and then replaced by a new, seasonal sweet or savory dish the following year.

****Some of the items listed below may appear earlier or later in the Fall – either in early September, specifically timed to coincide with Disneyland’s Halloween Time season, or towards the end of October, timed to extend from the end of Halloween Time into the holiday season.

****Some of the restaurants and shops in Downtown Disney – such as Haagen-Dazs, Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen and Catal -- offer special Fall items or Limited Edition seasonal menus as well.  No additional information is available at this time._


​



*Anti-Vampire Chicken Flatbread* – *With roasted garlic, plus smoked Gouda cheese, mozzarella and a balsamic glaze.* _(Available at Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta in California Adventure.)_

*Apple Pie Funnel Cake* _(2014 -- Available at the Hungry Bear Restaurant in Critter Country)_

*Banana Fritters* _(2014 -- Available at Royal Street Verandah in New Orleans Square)_

*Blue Cheese and Onion Marmalade Burger* _(Available at the Hungry Bear Restaurant in Critter Country)_

*Brownie* *-- (May have different seasonal designs and flavors beyond just Chocolate, though Chocolate is available too)* _(2014 -- Available at Jolly Holiday Bakery on Main Street/Disneyland.)_

*Buffalo Chicken Flatbread* _(2014 -- Available at the Village Haus in Fantasyland/Disneyland)_

*Cake Pops* -- *Bats; Jack-o-lantern Mickey; Mummy Mickey; spider; Jack Skellington. * _(Found at the Candy Palace on Main Street in Disneyland; Pooh Corner in Critter Country in DL;  Trolley Treats on Buena Vista Street in California Adventure; Marceline’s Confectionery in Downtown Disney.  A Salted Caramel Cake Pop was seen at Fiddler, Fifer & Practical Café in 2012.)_

*Candy Corn* _(Pre-packaged and ready to go, this Halloween treat is available at many gift shops that sell Halloween merchandise, and at all candy shops around Disneyland Resort.)_

*Candy Corn Cotton Candy* – *This popular confection is swirled and colored to look like candy corn, but does not taste like candy corn.* _(Available at the Halloween Carnival in Frontierland.)_

*(Hot Spiced) Caramel Apple Cider* _(Available at the Jolly Holiday Bakery and Carnation Café on Main Street; Mint Julep Bar and Royal Street Veranda in New Orleans Square; and at the Disneyland Hotel Coffee House.)_

*Caramel Apple Muffins* _(Available at Schmoozies in California Adventure, The Coffee House at the Disneyland Hotel and Surfside Lounge at the Paradise Pier Hotel)_

*Caramel Apple Smoothie* _(2014 -- Available at Schmoozies in Hollywood Land/California Adventure)_

*Caramel Apples* – *New in 2014: a candy corn-dipped apple.  Other designs may include:  Skulls; ghost Mickeys; Mickey pumpkins; Minnie witches; Jack Skellington; Dirt and Worms; Poison apple, etc. * _(Found at the Candy Palace on Main Street in Disneyland; Pooh Corner in Critter Country, in DL;  Trolley Treats on Buena Vista Street in California Adventure; Marceline’s Confectionery in Downtown Disney.)_

*Caramel Éclair* *-- (Traditional éclair filled with Caramel Pastry Cream)* _(2014 -- Available at Jolly Holiday Bakery on Main Street/Disneyland)_

*Chicken Waldorf Sandwich (Cold)* *-- (Brioche Bun, Chicken Breast, Green Apple, Celery, Craisins, Mango Chutney)
* _(2014 -- Available at Jolly Holiday Bakery on Main Street)_

*Chocolate Chai Tea Latte *_(Available at the Market House on Main Street; Fiddler, Fifer & Practical Café in DCA and at Starbucks in Downtown Disney.)_

*Cobbler* –* Assorted seasonal flavors.* _(Sometimes available at Goofy’s Kitchen in the Disneyland Hotel.)_

*"Cobweb"-topped (Swiss cheese, grilled onions and mushrooms) burger or grilled chicken sandwich* _(2014 --  Available at Taste Pilots' Grill in California Adventure)_

*Cookies* *(Sugar cookies and shortbread) – Bat Mickey; candy corn cookie; pumpkin-shaped cookie; Mickey pumpkin cookie and ghost Mickey cookie. * _(Available at Pooh Corner in Critter Country; Jolly Holiday Bakery on Main Street; and Marceline’s Confectionery in Downtown Disney.)_

*Coq au Vin* -- *Chicken braised with wine, bacon, mushrooms and garlic.* _(Available at Café Orleans in New Orleans Square.)_

*Cream Puff* -- *Ring-shaped with Dulce de leche filling and sprinkles.* _(Available as part of the Dia de los Muertos offerings at Rancho del Zocalo on Frontierland, in 2012.)_

*Creole-brined Bone-In Pork Chop* *-- (Served with Roasted Garlic-Boursin Mashed Potatoes, Sautéed Baby Spinach, Champagne-Pear Coulis, and Tomato Relish)* _(2014 -- Available at the Blue Bayou Restaurant in New Orleans Square/Disneyland)_

*Crispy Fish Sandwich* _*-- With tartar sauce and jicama-mango slaw.*_ _(At Hungry Bear Restaurant in Critter Country.)_

*Cupcakes* *– Decorated with various pumpkin Mickeys, ghostly Mickey embellishments; candy corn colors or worms and dirt.* _(Found at the Candy Palace on Main Street in Disneyland; Pooh Corner in Critter Country, in Disneyland; Trolley Treats on Buena Vista Street in California Adventure; Marceline’s Confectionery in Downtown Disney and Pacific Wharf Café in California Adventure).  Also look for the *Caramel Apple Cupcake* at the above-referenced locations, the *Red Velvet Cupcake with Cream Cheese Frosting and Strawberry Chocolate Shavings* at the Jolly Holiday Bakery, and the *Pumpkin Cupcake* (which has been spotted at Marceline’s Confectionery in the past)._

*Demitasse Dessert* – *Usually served in a character pumpkin mug, this dessert is made up of flourless chocolate cake, pumpkin and dark chocolate mousse, then garnished with chocolate shavings and a candy corn.  Other versions have included combinations of a mini-caramel apple muffin or spice cake and pumpkin mousse.* _(Typically found at Jolly Holiday Bakery, Carnation Café, and Plaza Inn on Main Street in Disneyland; also sometimes available at Rancho del Zocalo in Frontierland.)_

*Eerie Green Frozen Lemonade** – Part of Limited Time Magic in 2013. * _(Available at the frozen lemonade cart closest to Haunted Mansion Holiday in New Orleans Square.)_

*Fall Time Yule Log* _*— Spice cake with pumpkin mousse, Lingonberry marmalade and more.*_ _(Usually available into early November, at the Plaza Inn on Main Street.)_

*Fiery Meatloaf Sliders with Cajun House Chips* *– Part of Limited Time Magic in 2013.* _(Available at the French Market in New Orleans Square.)_

*Frank & Weenie* *– A bacon-wrapped hot dog served in a cheesy jalapeño roll with grilled onion and barbecue sauce.* _(Available at Award Wieners in California Adventure, in 2012.)_

*Frankenfusion* *– Minute Maid light lemonade, wild grape syrup and blackberry syrup topped with lemon-lime foam. * _(Available at Award Wieners in California Adventure, in 2012.)_

*Fried Apple Burrito* _(At the Halloween Carnival in Frontierland.)_

*Gingerbread Beignets with Eggnog Anglaise* _(At Café Orleans in New Orleans Square; more commonly associated with the Holidays, but they sometimes appears during Halloween Time too.)_

*Gingerbread Cookies with Chocolate-Dipped Mickey Ears and Chocolate Buttons.* _(Available at the Candy Palace on Main Street in Disneyland; Pooh Corner in Critter Country, in DL; Trolley Treats on Buena Vista Street in California Adventure; Marceline’s Confectionery in Downtown Disney.)_

*Glow Cubes* *-- Pumpkin Mickey, Poison Apple and Jack Skellington designs* _(2014 -- Available at various lemonade carts around Disneyland)_

*Goth Goodies* *– Including Bones & Skulls, purple & black candy corn, chocolate roses and gummi worms. * _(Available at most candy shops and shops that sell Halloween merchandise around Disneyland Resort.)_

*Gummi Candy Corn, Gummi Pumpkins and Gummi Worms. * _(Available at most gift shops that sell Halloween merchandise, and at most candy shops around Disneyland Resort.)_

*Halloween Wicked Grilled Chicken* *-- With roasted mushrooms, Swiss cheese, arugula and spicy roasted red pepper aioli.* _(At Village Haus Restaurant in Fantasyland, in Disneyland.)_

*Halloween Time Cookie Bake* *-- Snicker-doodle cookie, pumpkin ice cream and caramel drizzle*  (*2014* -- _Available at Big Thunder Ranch BBQ in Frontierland, in Disneyland_.)

*Hatter's Holiday Cocktails** -- Such as the "Zombie" -- an "eerie blue concoction of rum and fruit juices" -- and a "Frightfully delicious" frozen strawberry daiquiri.*_ (Available at the Mad T Party location in Hollywood Land, California Adventure.)_

*Haunted Chicken* *-- Pan-seared chicken breast dressed with chili cream sauce, served with purple garlic mash and sautéed carrots. * _(Available at Café Orleans in New Orleans Square, in 2012.)_

*Hazelnut Tiramisu topped with Pumpkin Spice Mousse* *– Sold as one of the Demitasse desserts in 2011.* _(Was available at Carnation Café and at Café Orleans in 2011.)_

*Hot drink mug with black-and-white images from the 1929 Silly Symphony animated short, "The Skeleton Dance"* _(2014 -- Available throughout Disneyland and DCA)_

*Ice Cream Nachos* _(2014 -- Available at the Golden Horseshoe in Frontierland)_

*Jack Skellington’s Coffin Dessert* *-- With white chocolate mousse, Oreo crumbs and Skellington white chocolate decoration.* _(At the French Market in New Orleans Square, and a different version of the Coffin dessert has been spotted at Rancho del Zocalo in Frontierland, for Dia de los Muertos.)_

*Jelly Beans* – *Candy corn-flavored.* _(Available at Marceline’s Confectionery in 2011.)_

*Korean BBQ Skewer* _(2014 -- Available at Bengal BBQ in Adventureland/Disneyland, but *ONLY on Halloween)*_

*Lollipops* _*– In assorted Halloween colors and designs.*_ _(Usually available at most of the candy shops and shops that sell Halloween merchandise around Disneyland Resort.)_

*Mango Habanero Lime Iced Tea* _(2014 -- Available at the Golden Horseshoe in Frontierland/Disneyland)_

*Maple Creme Brulee* *-- (in a Tart Shell)* _(2014 -- Available at the Jolly Holiday Bakery on Main Street/Disneyland)_

*Marshmallow Cones* *– Mickey ghosts in a cone!* _(Available at Trolley Treats on Buena Vista Street in California Adventure.)_

*Marshmallow Wands* _*– Assorted Halloween designs, such as pumpkins and ghosts. *_ _(Found at the Candy Palace on Main Street in Disneyland; Pooh Corner in Critter Country;  Trolley Treats on Buena Vista Street in California Adventure; Marceline’s Confectionery in Downtown Disney.)_

*Mediterranean Chicken Salad (Cold)* *-- (Lettuce Mix, Grilled Chicken, Cucumber, Calamata Olives, Tomato, Red Bell Pepper, Pepperoncini, Feta Cheese, Balsamic Vinaigrette)* _(2014 -- Available at the Jolly Holiday Bakery on Main Street/Disneyland)_

*Mickey Shaped French Macaron* *-- ( Chocolate Hazelnut filled with Chocolate Nutella Mousse, and Raspberry Rose filled with Raspberry Mousse)* _(2014 -- Available at the Jolly Holiday Bakery on Main Street/Disneyland)_

*Midnight Chocolate Tart Temptation* *-- A sweet-salty indulgence with milk chocolate budin filling, caramel popcorn ice cream, olive oil and a flourish of Down Under flake salt. * _(Available at the Blue Bayou in New Orleans Square in 2012.)_

*Monster Mac ‘n Cheese Pizza* _(Available at Redd Rockett’s Pizza Port in Tomorrowland.)_

*Monster U Burgers* *-- Cheeseburger with special sauce, grilled onions and fries with “Parmesan-ranch ooze.” * _(Available during Mickey’s Halloween Party in 2013, at Tomorrowland Terrace in Disneyland.)_

*Muffuletta sandwich** -- Stuffed with layered meats, cheese and olive salad on a round loaf, and served with homemade chips.* _(Available at the French Market Restaurant in New Orleans Square.)_

*Pan-Roasted Wild Boar Chop* *-- With a blood orange fruit reduction, accompanied by a tri-color layered potato stack and veggies. * _(Available at the Blue Bayou in New Orleans Square in 2012.)_

*Pastrami Reuben Sandwich (Warm)* *-- (Rye Bread, Pastrami, Swiss Cheese, Sauerkraut, House Sauce)* _(2014 -- Available at Jolly Holiday Bakery on Main Street/Disneyland)_

*Pepper Jack Skellington Burger* _*-- On grilled sourdough with white cheddar, pepper jack, red onions and spicy burger sauce.*_ _(At Carnation Cafe in Disneyland.)_

*Popcorn* * – Sold in Halloween tins or with collectible souvenir buckets.  The designs for the collector/souvenir buckets change every couple of years, and certain designs may only be available at certain popcorn carts in certain areas of the parks, but in past years there have been Hatbox Ghost Mickeys, Ghost Mickeys and Jack Skellington Coffin buckets, among others.* _(The tins are available at any shop that sells Halloween merchandise.)_ *****The 2014 bucket designs are reported to be Zero's Doghouse -- available at the New Orleans Square popcorn cart -- and a bucket with black-and-white images from the 1929 Silly Symphony animated short, "The Skeleton Dance" -- available throughout both DL and DCA.*****

*Pretzel Rods –* _*Assorted Halloween designs and colors. *_ _(Found at the Candy Palace on Main Street in Disneyland; the Pooh Corner in Critter Country in DL;  Trolley Treats on Buena Vista Street in California Adventure; Marceline’s Confectionery in Downtown Disney.)_

*Pretzels*_* – Miniature white chocolate-covered pretzels in Halloween colors, pre-packaged.  *__(Available in most candy shops and shops that sell Halloween souvenirs around Disneyland Resort.)_

*Pumpkin Beignets with Vanilla Crème Anglaise.* _ (At Café Orleans, French Market and the Mint Julep Bar in New Orleans Square.)_

*Pumpkin Bread* _(At the Market House in Disneyland; Fiddler, Fifer & Practical Café in DCA; and at Starbucks in Downtown Disney.)_

*Pumpkin Cheesecake with a Spiced Whipped Topping* _(Available at the Harbour Galley in Critter Country and at the Jolly Holiday Bakery on Main Street.)_

*Pumpkin Espresso*_ (Available at the Mint Julep Bar in New Orleans Square.)_

*Pumpkin Flan with Orange Cake* _(Available at Rancho del Zocalo in Frontierland, in Disneyland, as part of the Dia de los Muertos celebration.)_

*Pumpkin Fudge*_ (Found at the Candy Palace on Main Street in Disneyland and at Marceline’s Confectionery in Downtown Disney.)_

*Pumpkin Muffins with Cream Cheese Frosting* *-- With Streusel and Pepita Seeds.* _(Available at the Jolly Holiday Bakery and at the Market House in Disneyland, and at Fiddler, Fifer & Practical Café in DCA.)_

*Pumpkin Patch Crème Brûlèe*_* -- Topped with cinnamon whipped cream. *_ _(Available at Café Orleans in New Orleans Square in 2012.)_

*Pumpkin Pie* _(Available in Disneyland at Carnation Café and Plaza Inn on Main Street, as well as at the French Market in New Orleans Square.  Also available at La Brea Bakery in Downtown Disney.)_

*Pumpkin Pie Hot Chocolate* _(Available at Pacific Wharf Café, Award Wieners and Flo's V8 Café in California Adventure.)_

*Pumpkin Scones* _(Available at the Market House on Main Street; Fiddler, Fifer & Practical Café in DCA and at Starbucks in Downtown Disney.)_

*Pumpkin-Shaped Loaf of Boudin Bakery’s famous sourdough bread*.  _(Available at Pacific Wharf Café, the Disney California Adventure bread cart, Mortimer’s Market, and Boardwalk Pizza & Pasta in California Adventure.)_

*Pumpkin Smash Smoothie* _(Available at Jamba Juice in Downtown Disney, generally from late September through early November.)_

*Pumpkin Soup* (In *2014*, _available on Mickey's Halloween Party nights at La Brea Bakery in Downtown Disney_.)

*Pumpkin Spice Brittle* *– With cinnamon, nutmeg and pumpkin seeds. * _(Found at the Candy Palace on Main Street in Disneyland; the Pooh Corner in Critter Country in DL; Trolley Treats on Buena Vista Street in California Adventure; Marceline’s Confectionery in Downtown Disney.)_

*Pumpkin Spice Caramel Chocolate* *-- Get your free sample at the door!* _(Available at Ghirardelli, in the Pacific Wharf area of California Adventure.)_

*Pumpkin Spice Latte* _(Available at various locations around Disneyland Resort, including Royal Street Veranda and the Mint Julep Bar in NOS;   the Market House on Main Street;  Fiddler, Fifer & Practical Café in California Adventure and Starbucks in Downtown Disney; Also available at the Disneyland Hotel Coffee House; and Carnation Café and the Jolly Holiday Bakery on Main Street.) _

*Pumpkin Squash Chowder* _(Available at Harbour Galley in Critter Country.)_

*Pumpkin Squash Fritters*_ (At Royal Street Veranda in New Orleans Square.)_

*Pumpkin Twist* _(2014 -- Available at the Cozy Cone Motel in Cars Land/California Adventure, and at Maurice's Treats in Fantasyland/Disneyland)_

*Raspberry Magnolia lemonade* _(2014 -- Available at the Mint Julep Bar in New Orleans Square)_

*Red's Apple Freeze* *-- (Technically, this is not exclusive to the Fall/Halloween Time season at Disneyland Resort, but the flavor is Fall-friendly!  It's a frozen apple juice concoction.)* _(Available at the Cozy Cone Motel in Cars Land/California Adventure)_

*Rice Crispy Snacks* –* In various seasonal shapes and sizes, on or off a stick.  The 2014 versions include:  Mummy Mickey and a "Haunted Mansion Clock.  Previous versions have included Mike Wazowski’s “eye.”  *_ (Usually found at the Candy Palace on Main Street, at Pooh Corner in Critter Country, or at Marceline’s Confectionery in Downtown Disney, BUT the Wazowski-themed Crispy Treat was available at Tomorrowland Terrace and at Redd Rockett’s Pizza Port in Tomorrowland, during Mickey’s Halloween Party 2013.)_

*Roast Beef & Manchego Sandwich (Cold)* *-- (French Baguette, Roast Beef, Arugula, Pickled Red Onion, Tomato, Manchego Cheese, Whole Grain Mustard Aioli)* _(2014 -- Available at the Jolly Holiday Bakery on Main Street)_

*Roasted Pork Tenderloin Wellington* *-- With scotch bonnet pepper harissa sauce! * _(At the Blue Bayou Restaurant in New Orleans Square.)_

*Sally Coffin Cake* _(Available at the French Market in New Orleans Square/Disneyland)_

*Salted Caramel Mocha* _(Available at the Market House on Main Street; Fiddler, Fifer & Practical Café in DCA and at Starbucks in Downtown Disney.)_

*S'mores Bar/Tart* *-- (Chocolate Tart filled with Caramel Chocolate Ganache topped with Graham Crackers, and Toasted Marshmallow Fluff.)* _(2014 -- Available at Jolly Holiday Bakery on Main Street/Disneyland)_

*Snickerdoodles* -- *With vanilla ice cream, pumpkin sauce, caramel sauce and orange sugar sprinkles.* _(At Big Thunder Ranch Barbecue in Frontierland.)_

*Souvenir Sipper* *-- (Maleficent Dragon design* _(2014 -- Available at Award Wieners in Hollywood Land/California Adventure/Hollywood Land and at multiple New Orleans Square locations in Disneyland.)_

*Spiced Bundt Cake Topped with a Cream Cheese Glaze and a Candied Orange Rind* _(2014 -- Available at Jolly Holiday Bakery on Main Street/Disneyland)_

*Spooky Kooky Gingerbread “Zombie” Cookie* *-- To commemorate Haunted Mansion Holiday’s 13th Year, this cookie was part of Limited Time Magic in Fall 2013.* _(Available at the frozen lemonade cart nearest to Haunted Mansion Holiday, and at the Mint Julep Bar and Royal Street Veranda in NOS.)_

*Sprinkles* _*– Halloween colors and tiny Mickey shapes to top your favorite cakes, cookies and cupcakes.*_ _(Available at most stores where Halloween merchandise is sold, as well as in the candy shops around Disneyland Resort.)_

*Sweet Potato Pie* _(Available at Tomorrowland Terrace.)_

*Tamales (Pork or Chicken)* _(Available at Rancho del Zocalo in Frontierland, as part of the Dia de los Muertos celebration.)_

*Tropical Habanero Punch* _(2014 -- Available at Royal Street Veranda in New Orleans Square)_

*Turkey Pot Pie Soup* _(2014 -- Available at Pacific Wharf Café in California Adventure.)_

*Whoopie Pie* *-- (Peanut butter-filled whoopie pie with peanut butter chocolate drizzle.)* _(2014 -- Available at the Jolly Holiday Bakery on Main Street/Disneyland) _









*Oktoberfest Food and Drink
(items may or may not return in 2014))*​

****_All items were available at Bayside Brews in the Paradise Pier section of California Adventure, from October 14-31, 2013_


*Bavarian Pretzels* -- *With choice of mustard*

*Bratwurst Sandwich*_ (Bratwurst Sausage is served in a Boursin-garlic brioche with a side of hickory-smoked bacon sauerkraut.)_

*Mini-Gingerbread Bundt Cake* 



*Two specialty beers on tap:*

*Hofbrau Munchen Beer

Karl Strauss Oktoberfest *


​

*Are we hungry yet??*

​


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## adventuregirl

Wow - that list is amazing!  

We moved to New Zealand a few years back.  My DD14 and I will be meeting up with my Mum and Aunt for a DL trip Oct 27-31.  We have tickets to MHP for Monday the 27th (hoping the crowds are a little less on the Monday).  My daughter is soooooo pumped to go trick-or-treating in the park because they don't do much for Halloween over here.  She is salivating at the thought of candy corn and other "American candy".  Not to mention all the other goodies and treats.

Thanks for all the info!


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## figment_jii

Awesome list...makes me hungry for Halloween/Autumn-themed foods!

Popcorn and collecting popcorn buckets is one of my favorite things to do...so a little expansion on that...for the past few years there had been both a premium bucket and a standard round bucket. Last year they debuted the Mickey Hatbox Ghost bucket (in previous years they has the Mickey Ghost or Jack Skellington Coffin buckets).  I saw Mickey Ghost buckets over in DCA last year, but they might have been "clearing" then out, so that design might not re-appear this year.  I did not see the Jack Skellington coffin in either park (they were usually at the popcorn cart by HMH and in the French Market (as part of the sandwich offering)).  So those might also be gone.  In terms of the round buckets, there have been two Halloween designs for the last few years: one that is for HMH (sold at the popcorn cart by HMH) and a general Disney Parks Halloween design (also sold in WDW).

Scrolling through my photos from last year, there was also a specialty drink at the Mad T Party for Halloween.


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## 2tinkerbell

Oh my.  Looking over that list it would appear that I could be eating my way around DLR instead of riding attractions.  This could be bad on my 1/2 Marathon training.


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## Davidg83

My friend is in the parks today and said that World of Disney has some  Halloween merchandise out! I'm excited that I'll get an early glimpse of Halloween when I'm there in three weeks!


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## DisneyJamieCA

We were talking about signs of Halloween in stores earlier this week and last night a friend told me the local Spirit Halloween store is already up & running! We also have started to get Halloween themed catalogs a lot!


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## Sherry E

adventuregirl said:


> Wow - that list is amazing!
> 
> We moved to New Zealand a few years back.  My DD14 and I will be meeting up with my Mum and Aunt for a DL trip Oct 27-31.  We have tickets to MHP for Monday the 27th (hoping the crowds are a little less on the Monday).  My daughter is soooooo pumped to go trick-or-treating in the park because they don't do much for Halloween over here.  She is salivating at the thought of candy corn and other "American candy".  Not to mention all the other goodies and treats.
> 
> Thanks for all the info!



*adventuregirl --*

You're very welcome!  It was fun putting it together!  As I mentioned earlier yesterday, the problem with these sorts of food/snacks/dining-related lists and posts is that a lot of the items will change or vary from year to year.  They move around to different restaurants, or are suddenly not available where they were available last year.  Some restaurants or shops might not make/sell certain items that they sold in 2013, 2012 or 2011, but they may have something even better this year!

There may still be even more undiscovered treasures lurking in restaurants that we are not expecting -- for example, does Tangaroa Terrace at the Disneyland Hotel have any unique Fall-ish items on its menu?  What about Steakhouse 55, or the PCH Grill?  Does White Water Snacks in the GCH sell any Halloween treats, like the Pumpkin Muffins or whatever?  And what will the restaurants in DTD have (I know that Catal has seasonal menu items)?

Without going into every shop and restaurant all around DLR to make a complete log of each and every seasonal snack, drink and meal, the list will probably never be complete...or completely up-to-date (because things are always changing).  At least it will give people a good idea of where to look, and the variety of things to look for -- even if the designs, names and flavors change a bit from year to year.

If history repeats, your MHP night may not even sell out -- so you may be in luck as far as lower crowds!

I think your daughter will be very pleased with the selection of candy at the MHP (there is a lot of it!), and the seasonal goodies around the parks.

Strangely, there are some stores -- grocery stores and candy stores outside of Disneyland -- that sell candy corn all year, and it's not even candy corn in different colors.  It's the typical orange/yellow/white Halloween-colored candy corn. I have seen bags of it in the store at odd times of the year, although we mostly associate it with Halloween in America.  I guess it's like the (pink) peppermint ice cream that I was telling *zanzibar138* about a while back -- some places (outside of DLR) sell it all year, but we really associate it with the holiday season and Christmas!




figment_jii said:


> Awesome list...makes me hungry for Halloween/Autumn-themed foods!
> 
> Popcorn and collecting popcorn buckets is one of my favorite things to do...so a little expansion on that...for the past few years there had been both a premium bucket and a standard round bucket. Last year they debuted the Mickey Hatbox Ghost bucket (in previous years they has the Mickey Ghost or Jack Skellington Coffin buckets).  I saw Mickey Ghost buckets over in DCA last year, but they might have been "clearing" then out, so that design might not re-appear this year.  I did not see the Jack Skellington coffin in either park (they were usually at the popcorn cart by HMH and in the French Market (as part of the sandwich offering)).  So those might also be gone.  In terms of the round buckets, there have been two Halloween designs for the last few years: one that is for HMH (sold at the popcorn cart by HMH) and a general Disney Parks Halloween design (also sold in WDW).
> 
> Scrolling through my photos from last year, there was also a specialty drink at the Mad T Party for Halloween.



Thank you so much for the extra info, *figment_jii*!

I added the Hatter's Holiday Cocktails to the list.  

I just know that there has to be a whole undiscovered hotbed o' Halloween-ish food/meals/snacks lurking around DLR, but some of the items are probably only available in one place, or certain things were there last year and prior, but won't be there this year.

As for the popcorn, I almost didn't add it to the list because it's not the actual popcorn itself that has been colored or flavored for the season (correct?), but, rather, the cute buckets and tins are the selling points, I think.  I decided to include it so that people would know to at least look at the popcorn tins in the gift shops, and at the various popcorn carts around the parks!

Actually, I hesitated to even add in any descriptions of the designs of seasonal muffins, cupcakes, cookies, apples, etc., and/or what they have been in the past, because the designs and ingredients could change from year to year.  The Demitasse dessert has changed ingredients over the years.  The cupcakes often change designs.  Some of the apples change.  It is highly likely that most of the savory dishes/meals in restaurants last year will either not be available or will be called something else this year!

Also, some of the locations of where these things can be found will change -- they may suddenly be available in more places or fewer places.

So the list is acting as kind of a general guideline, for lack of a better word, for where to look and the kinds of items to look for -- but a lot of the food and drinks will always change in some way, every year.  




2tinkerbell said:


> Oh my.  Looking over that list it would appear that I could be eating my way around DLR instead of riding attractions.  This could be bad on my 1/2 Marathon training.



*2tinkerbell --*

  Very true!  Enjoying all of those seasonal goodies could negate the efforts to train for the Marathon.  I don't even think it would be possible to get to all of those locations to even _see_ the different food and drinks, let alone try to eat most of them.  There is not enough time in a day, or in a trip!  That's why so many things go undiscovered.




Davidg83 said:


> My friend is in the parks today and said that World of Disney has some  Halloween merchandise out! I'm excited that I'll get an early glimpse of Halloween when I'm there in three weeks!



*Davidg83 --*

That's where it all started at DLR last year in August -- World of Disney!  I remember reading a report that said that Halloween things were spotted at WoD in August 2013, and then the merchandise trickled into the shops in the parks (especially Disneyland), along with the in-store displays.

I think you will actually catch many more glimpses of Halloween than you expect to see when you are there in a few weeks.  Three weeks is a long time in terms of getting merchandise and décor up and out.  I think that some -- though not all -- of those food items in the big list I posted above will even be quietly available at certain shops in the parks.  I think you will see a lot of merchandise and displays already in the stores on Main Street.

And then, when you go back in October, you will get the full Halloween Time experience!


----------



## figment_jii

Sherry E said:


> Without going into every shop and restaurant all around DLR to make a complete log of each and every seasonal snack, drink and meal, the list will probably never be complete...or completely up-to-date (because things are always changing).  At least it will give people a good idea of where to look, and the variety of things to look for -- even if the designs, names and flavors change a bit from year to year.
> 
> I just know that there has to be a whole undiscovered hotbed o' Halloween-ish food/meals/snacks lurking around DLR, but some of the items are probably only available in one place, or certain things were there last year and prior, but won't be there this year.
> 
> As for the popcorn, I almost didn't add it to the list because it's not the actual popcorn itself that has been colored or flavored for the season (correct?), but, rather, the cute buckets and tins are the selling points, I think.



Things do seem to move around, change names, or slightly change for year-to-year, which makes keeping up with it all pretty hard.  Some of the things are tied into the latest movie, so those will change every year.

In terms of the popcorn, yup, it's the same (yummy) popcorn, just the outside bucket design changes.  I suppose to me, the Halloween-themed containers also count as part of the seasonal "food" offerings because you have to eat something to get them!  I collect the popcorn buckets, thermal mugs (seasonal designs), demitasse cups, and pretty much anything else that is associated with food.


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## Sherry E

Breaking news!!!


There have been Autumn/Halloween candy and alcohol sightings at K-Mart (not by me, though)!!!

I belong to almost every possible Halloween page and Christmas page (and every other page for every other holiday) known to man on Facebook, and one of the people who runs one of the Halloween pages just reported her findings at K-Mart, with photographic proof!  

What did she find?

1.  Peeps Pumpkins!

2.  Skittles in pumpkins and green ghost dispensers (to give out to trick-or-treaters on 10/31, I assume)

3.  Blue Moon Harvest Pumpkin Ale

4.  Samuel Adams' Octoberfest Seasonal Brew

5.  Lots of candy corn in big bags

6.  Cotton Candy in Halloween containers

7.  Brach's S'mores Candy Corn!!

8.  Brach's Mellowcreme Autumn Mix



Whether or not I eat or drink any of the above-listed items, the important thing is that Fall is creeping in, thankfully and mercifully, and it will be here in no time!!!


​


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## figment_jii

I was at Joann Fabrics (an arts and craft store) and they had a lot of Fall/Autumn decor on display (and already on sale!).  They also had Halloween fabric and patterns, but that was less surprising because folks that are making their own Halloween costumes are probably already starting to make it.


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## Sherry E

*In the Chase/Disney Visa booklet/mini-magazine that I received in the mail -- it's the Fall 2014 edition, titled "Treats and Traditions for Fall Festivities" -- all of the descriptions about Halloween Time are to be expected.  There is nothing newsworthy or new in any of the text.  At all.  Nothing.  Not one single thing.

The one and only notable thing is the wording of this sentence, which I think is just Disney's way of trying to play up the Villains angle of things:*


*"Throughout your day, challenge your family to see how many photos you can take with Disney Villains who are creeping about."*



*That sentence annoys me because -- unless something is changing this year -- it implies that multiple Villains can be met throughout the day!  (They were not talking about Mickey's Halloween Party, by the way -- they were talking about the general Halloween Time season.)  

There is one tent at the Halloween Carnival, in which you can "Conjure a Villain."  One Villain at a time.  That's right.  You meet one Villain only, and if you want to meet any other Villains you have to get in the line to Conjure at another point in the day -- and even then, you could end up meeting the same Villain you already met earlier in the day!  You are not guaranteed to meet a different Villain than the one you just met!

So, if one were to "challenge" one's family to see how many photos they could each take with Villains throughout the day, then that must mean that the "family" in question is spending all day at the Halloween Carnival, getting in the line to Conjure over and over again -- from a possible selection of only 3 or 4 Villains! 

It's not as if lots of Villains are roaming freely about in the park(s) outside of the MHP, ready to pose for photos, in other words.  They have been made more exclusive and limited in the last couple of years.*


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## Amilo

Hmmm... I hope that means they've decided to have more villains out and about, but like Sherry said, it's likely just their attempt to make things sound exciting....


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## pudinhd

Sherry E said:


> *In the Chase/Disney Visa booklet/mini-magazine that I received in the mail -- it's the Fall 2014 edition, titled "Treats and Traditions for Fall Festivities" -- all of the descriptions about Halloween Time are to be expected.  There is nothing newsworthy or new in any of the text.  At all.  Nothing.  Not one single thing.
> 
> The one and only notable thing is the wording of this sentence, which I think is just Disney's way of trying to play up the Villains angle of things:*
> 
> 
> *"Throughout your day, challenge your family to see how many photos you can take with Disney Villains who are creeping about."*
> 
> 
> 
> *That sentence annoys me because -- unless something is changing this year -- it implies that multiple Villains can be met throughout the day!  (They were not talking about Mickey's Halloween Party, by the way -- they were talking about the general Halloween Time season.)
> 
> There is one tent at the Halloween Carnival, in which you can "Conjure a Villain."  One Villain at a time.  That's right.  You meet one Villain only, and if you want to meet any other Villains you have to get in the line to Conjure at another point in the day -- and even then, you could end up meeting the same Villain you already met earlier in the day!  You are not guaranteed to meet a different Villain than the one you just met!
> 
> So, if one were to "challenge" one's family to see how many photos they could each take with Villains throughout the day, then that must mean that the "family" in question is spending all day at the Halloween Carnival, getting in the line to Conjure over and over again -- from a possible selection of only 3 or 4 Villains!
> 
> It's not as if lots of Villains are roaming freely about in the park(s) outside of the MHP, ready to pose for photos, in other words.  They have been made more exclusive and limited in the last couple of years.*



Thanks for the update, Sherry!!!  This information actually annoys me...  I already feel the "Conjure a Villain" is misleading with the pictures of various villains around the tent.  I suppose there was a chance you could have met them, but not according to the castmembers we spoke with.

We actually took a break from DL APs this year (we already have AP vouchers we will redeem before 12/31 this year), but we will be doing an Adventures by Disney Backstage Magic trip this fall.  I guess we will have to see what others say about the Halloween Carnival to decide if we want to visit during our trip.

We are doing 2 MHPs, so I will hopefully get my villain fix then!


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## figment_jii

Maybe if folks are lucky it means that they intend to have more villains roaming around the parks during the day.  Maybe Captain Hook, Cruella, and the Evil Queen will be (back) out in the park and some other villains will be at the Carnival.  One can hope...it's early enough in the season, I'll be optimistic!


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## laura&fam

I've always felt bad for people when their favorite villain can only be seen after a long wait at the Halloween party.  I'm just lucky in that my favorite villain, Cruella, is one of the most common and can be seen almost anytime of the year at the park.  Definitely not worth the wait in the conjure a villain tent on the chance that I might see her.  Of course I think the conjure a villain is a big waste of time anyway.


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## Dot2Vegas

figment_jii said:
			
		

> Maybe if folks are lucky it means that they intend to have more villains roaming around the parks during the day.  Maybe Captain Hook, Cruella, and the Evil Queen will be (back) out in the park and some other villains will be at the Carnival.  One can hope...it's early enough in the season, I'll be optimistic!



DH and I literally just finished talking about this. Our party focus this year will be on villains. We have met most of the villains over the past few years but have been dying to meet Hades. He was at the party last year and as we were on our way to meet him a CM pulled us aside and said that we may want to stick around the princess meet and greet for someone special. So of course we did. We ended up meeting Pocahontas (another one on our character bucket list). 
We are really hoping for an awesome villain selection this year!


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## Sherry E

*MiceAge/MiceChat's latest Dateline Disneyland article/blog features some photos of some of the Halloween merchandise that has appeared at DLR so far (in the last week) -- which, to be honest, looks like pretty much the standard Halloween Time fare, with different designs for some items.   I don't see anything new and interesting so far that is much different from what has been available in the past. 

It's still early yet, though, so, we'll see what pops up!  And all of the merchandise will be new to anyone who has never experienced Halloween Time, so it's important to show!

A random pumpkin has even appeared in a Main Street store window display (the first of many that will appear as the decorations go up)!!

I prefer not to post MiceChat's actual photos here on our forum, but I don't mind linking people to their article/blog (even though they are "The Competition"), so that other people can enjoy the photos!

Here is the link:  "Haunted Mansion celebrates 45 years as the first signs of Halloween materialize at Disneyland" by Andy Castro, Dateline Disneyland, August 11, 2014, 10:50 am*

​

And welcome to *Dot2Vegas*!   Thank you for joining us!

​


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## clydeisme

Yay very first post!! I feel like I can actually post now that we booked our hotel for Oct 12-16! First time staying at the GCH so hoping its worth all the over time my Husband has been working  This will also be the first time back at Halloween time with our two kids, last time was in 2009 when my Husband and I were dating! Halloween Time is my absolute favorite but we normally go at Christmas time for the kids but can't this year since Baby 3 will be arriving in December!! Please excuse my rambling, I'm so excited!!


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## Sherry E

*Oh, I forgot to mention to everyone who is planning to do the Happiest Haunts tour -- unless something changes, you should be able to start booking it for at least the first day of tours (which should be September 12th) within the next couple of days or so (by tomorrow or Wednesday, I would guess).  

I don't know if you'd be able to book the tours that take place past 9/12 just yet, but the booking window for the first day of the HH tour should open up this week.   We're right around that 30-day time frame.*


​


clydeisme said:


> Yay very first post!! I feel like I can actually post now that we booked our hotel for Oct 12-16! First time staying at the GCH so hoping its worth all the over time my Husband has been working  This will also be the first time back at Halloween time with our two kids, last time was in 2009 when my Husband and I were dating! Halloween Time is my absolute favorite but we normally go at Christmas time for the kids but can't this year since Baby 3 will be arriving in December!! Please excuse my rambling, I'm so excited!!





*clydeisme --*

Welcome!   Thank you for joining us.

I don't blame you for being excited (though you're not rambling at all!)!  I'm happy for you that are finally getting to return to DLR during your favorite time!

Congratulations on your upcoming holiday arrival!  Another one of our DIS'ers is expecting a holiday bundle of joy too, as I recall.  

Many, many people love staying at the GCH.  The location can't be matched!

Halloween Time is still a lot of fun, but it has changed a lot since you last enjoyed it in 2009!  As you probably know, there is no more Candy Corn Acres in California Adventure, sadly.  The floral, masked Halloween Mickey at the entrance to Disneyland is sometimes there and sometimes not there.  The Villains no longer have a daytime photo spot in the traditional sense (rather, you can "Conjure a Villain" at the Halloween Carnival and meet one at a time).   Halloween Screams fireworks is now a hard ticket party exclusive.


On the positive side, Mickey's Halloween Party in Disneyland offers a lot of cool effects and lots of treat trails and stations (more than there were when the party was in DCA, I think)!  The Halloween Carnival in Frontierland is the new version of the Halloween Roundup.  The Roundup is still there, for all intents and purposes, but some things have been moved around and the whole general area was expanded.  The Carnival now features the pumpkin carvers, some sort of musical entertainment, Halloween-themed crafts and games, candy corn-colored cotton candy, characters in Halloween-ish attire, etc.  It's a highlight of the season, I think.  

And -- if you saw the list I posted on the previous page -- there seem to be more Fall/Halloween meals, snacks and beverages at DLR than there were several years ago (though maybe that is just wishful thinking on my part)!

​


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## figment_jii

Sherry E said:


> MiceAge/MiceChat's latest Dateline Disneyland article/blog features some photos of some of the Halloween merchandise that has appeared at DLR so far (in the last week) -- which, to be honest, looks like pretty much the standard Halloween Time fare, with different designs for some items.   I don't see anything new and interesting so far that is much different from what has been available in the past.


Hopefully this is just the first wave of Halloween merchandise.  I agree that the basic logo (thus far) appears to be the same as the last two years (just a new date).  I do kind of like the Mickey Mouse ears this year (it was the same as the pair featured on the Disney Florist site!)...at least they're kind of different.  I've got my fingers crossed that there is still more merchandise to come!


----------



## Sherry E

figment_jii said:


> Hopefully this is just the first wave of Halloween merchandise.  I agree that the basic logo (thus far) appears to be the same as the last two years (just a new date).  I do kind of like the Mickey Mouse ears this year (it was the same as the pair featured on the Disney Florist site!)...at least they're kind of different.  I've got my fingers crossed that there is still more merchandise to come!



I agree -- it's definitely still early yet, so there is lots of time to get more items in the shops.  It's fantastic that anything is even appearing now at all, before we even hit mid-August!

The ears are cute -- I especially like the Mickey eyes (do they glow in the dark, I wonder?) on the actual round ears.   I also really like the Mickey pumpkin ears ornament. 

In fact, I don't know if DLR does for Halloween Time what they do for the holidays, but they seem to get big shipments of holiday season merchandise in two waves -- one wave is the one that covers the early part of the holiday season (including the things that start to appear before Halloween Time is over), and the second wave is the one that is supposed to cover the Thanksgiving-ish time frame on through the New Year (of course, certain items sell out along the way).

If Halloween Time is handled the same way, right now they're in the first major wave of merchandise at DLR, I suppose (I think that more things have to be unpacked, logged and then put on the shelves this week).  Maybe a second major wave of Halloween merchandise would hit right before the first MHP, and then last through 10/31??


----------



## figment_jii

Sherry E said:


> If Halloween Time is handled the same way, right now they're in the first major wave of merchandise at DLR, I suppose (I think that more things have to be unpacked, logged and then put on the shelves this week).  Maybe a second major wave of Halloween merchandise would hit right before the first MHP, and then last through 10/31??


I'm keeping my fingers crossed!  If nothing else, they have to put out the MHP merchandise at that point (I'm guessing a t-shirt and pins at a minimum).  Hopefully there will be some new (and neat) stuff coming out for the Halloween season.  (And hopefully lots of food!)


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## mvf-m11c

My DA and I made our reservations at the DLR during the Halloween season next month and we will be there just a couple of days when the Halloween season starts. It will be a shame not to go during MHP but it is always fun to go during the Halloween season.

You are the best Sherry to write up all the different types of the Halloween food at the DLR last year (from what you gathered). There were some I remembered at specific restaurants and I wasn't able to try any last year. This year I will be trying something from the list when I go back in September. 

When I checked out MiceChat Dateline Disneyland today and looked at the Halloween merchandise, most of it almost looks the same from years past. Just like what you and figment said that it will only be the first wave and new ones when we get closer to the Halloween season. I'm hoping they have a new popcorn bucket this year where the Ghost Mickey Popcorn Bucket is very nice.


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## yeheyprincex2

bought our MHP tickets yesterday wooohooo, looking forward to everything the night will have to offer.

I am still brain storming a family theme costume idea for my family.


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## figment_jii

mvf-m11c said:


> I'm hoping they have a new popcorn bucket this year...


I'm banking on a new round bucket and hopefully a new round HMH bucket, but I kind of doubt there is going to be a new premium bucket this year.  The Hatbox Ghost Mickey bucket was new last year and most designs seem to last more than one year.  Still, we'll probably get our first hints on September 1st when the first MNSSHP occurs in WDW (they debuted the Hatbox Mickey bucket there first last year).

Hopefully they'll have a new demitasse cup this year.  So far, I have a Mickey, a Minnie, and a Donald.  Wouldn't it be cool if they did Goofy or Pluto?  One can hope, right?


----------



## mvf-m11c

figment_jii said:


> I'm banking on a new round bucket and hopefully a new round HMH bucket, but I kind of doubt there is going to be a new premium bucket this year. The Hatbox Ghost Mickey bucket was new last year and most designs seem to last more than one year.  Still, we'll probably get our first hints on September 1st when the first MNSSHP occurs in WDW (they debuted the Hatbox Mickey bucket there first last year).
> 
> Hopefully they'll have a new demitasse cup this year.  So far, I have a Mickey, a Minnie, and a Donald.  Wouldn't it be cool if they did Goofy or Pluto?  One can hope, right?



We are all hoping for the same thing. But with everything going on the last couple of years, it will be hard but Disney can surprise us.   

I tried to find the hatbox bucket last year in September but was unsuccessful. Maybe they will have it when I go in September. It will be nice to hear any new information about the Halloween merchandise. The demitasse cup from last year was nice which I got the Mickey cup. That will be neat if they have a Goofy or Pluto. We can only hope that Disney will do new merchandise to keep the guests coming back.    

I am also looking forward to what the new gingerbread house will be like at the HMH this year.


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## figment_jii

mvf-m11c said:


> I tried to find the hatbox bucket last year in September but was unsuccessful. Maybe they will have it when I go in September.


Disneyland was weird about the Hatbox Ghost buckets; at least initially.  I was there in early-October and I remember seeing it on display at one stand (by the Mark Twain) on a Tuesday morning.  When I went to order it, the CM said they were not selling them that day.  I thought maybe they were going to be only available at MHP, but they weren't on sale at that night's party either.  Ultimately I did see them for sale at the stand across from City Hall the next day.  By the end of of the week, they were more readily available, but on the flip side, the Dumbo premium buckets were no longer on display at any of the carts.  Hopefully, whatever they do this year, it'll be easier to get any new style buckets they come out with.

It's mostly the same items, but DisneyGeek.com has also posted photos of the Halloween displays at WoD.
http://disneygeek.com/disneyland/pictures/2014/08/08/31


----------



## mvf-m11c

figment_jii said:


> Disneyland was weird about the Hatbox Ghost buckets; at least initially.  I was there in early-October and I remember seeing it on display at one stand (by the Mark Twain) on a Tuesday morning.  When I went to order it, the CM said they were not selling them that day.  I thought maybe they were going to be only available at MHP, but they weren't on sale at that night's party either.  Ultimately I did see them for sale at the stand across from City Hall the next day.  By the end of of the week, they were more readily available, but on the flip side, the Dumbo premium buckets were no longer on display at any of the carts.  Hopefully, whatever they do this year, it'll be easier to get any new style buckets they come out with.
> 
> It's mostly the same items, but DisneyGeek.com has also posted photos of the Halloween displays at WoD.
> http://disneygeek.com/disneyland/pictures/2014/08/08/31



That was weird that the Hatbox Ghost buckets were on the stands and they weren't selling them even during MHP last year. Hopefully they will be there in mid September or a new bucket this year. 

Thanks for the link figment.


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## TulipsNZ

I'm hoping there will be something small light and fun to buy.  I want to get the boys the glow with the show ears so they will take up room. With Disney being the end of a world trip I think we will be running out of luggage room.


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## figment_jii

TulipsNZ said:


> I'm hoping there will be something small light and fun to buy.  I want to get the boys the glow with the show ears so they will take up room. With Disney being the end of a world trip I think we will be running out of luggage room.


There is also lots of things to buy at DLR!    If nothing else, they should be some Halloween pins.  They might have glow necklaces (they had Mickey pumpkins last year).  They also have t-shirts, which can be worn, so they're useful!    And there are always the non-permanent souvenirs...Halloween treats!


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## Sherry E

figment_jii said:


> I'm keeping my fingers crossed!  If nothing else, they have to put out the MHP merchandise at that point (I'm guessing a t-shirt and pins at a minimum).  Hopefully there will be some new (and neat) stuff coming out for the Halloween season.  (And hopefully lots of food!)



*figment_jii --*

Well, we know that we can probably count on at least one or two (most likely more) new savory seasonal dishes/meals (in place of whatever was there last year) at some of the restaurants -- but who knows if those will appear earlier or later in the season?  

And we know that some of the designs of some of the returning snacks/treats will have changed -- there will probably be a new cupcake design, a new cake pop design, a new apple design, a new marshmallow wand a pretzel rod, etc. (along with items with familiar designs returning too).  So there will also be something to scout out on the edible horizon!





mvf-m11c said:


> My DA and I made our reservations at the DLR during the Halloween season next month and we will be there just a couple of days when the Halloween season starts. It will be a shame not to go during MHP but it is always fun to go during the Halloween season.
> 
> You are the best Sherry to write up all the different types of the Halloween food at the DLR last year (from what you gathered). There were some I remembered at specific restaurants and I wasn't able to try any last year. This year I will be trying something from the list when I go back in September.
> 
> When I checked out MiceChat Dateline Disneyland today and looked at the Halloween merchandise, most of it almost looks the same from years past. Just like what you and figment said that it will only be the first wave and new ones when we get closer to the Halloween season. I'm hoping they have a new popcorn bucket this year where the Ghost Mickey Popcorn Bucket is very nice.



*Bret --*

Thank you for the kind words!  Some of the food items may vary a bit (or drastically) from year to year, but at least we know the types of things to look for in various places around DLR.

That's great to hear that you and your DA made a plan to visit DLR again for Halloween Time.   Were you not interested in attending the MHP again, or is your schedule not open for you to go to DLR later in September or October??


----------



## kim3339

I saw on the other page talk of the popcorn buckets; do you think they would still have the 45th for HM available at the end of Sept/beginning of Oct or is there a completely separate one for Halloween?


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## TinkerJR

I am SO excited!   I just bought our MHP tickets!!!! 

I can't wait until October 22nd!!  Now I just have to get everyone to decide on their costumes.......


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## Sherry E

kim3339 said:


> I saw on the other page talk of the popcorn buckets; do you think they would still have the 45th for HM available at the end of Sept/beginning of Oct or is there a completely separate one for Halloween?



*kim3339 --*

Hopefully *figment_jii* will offer some thoughts.

I think there will definitely be some sort of separate Halloween-themed bucket (whatever that design may be is anyone's guess) for the whole season, but it's possible, I suppose, that they could keep the HM bucket available too (unless it has been designated as a "limited time" deal).





TinkerJR said:


> I am SO excited!   I just bought our MHP tickets!!!!
> 
> I can't wait until October 22nd!!  Now I just have to get everyone to decide on their costumes.......



*TinkerJR --*



What are the ideas for costumes so far?

You'll have an amazing trip and a fun party! October is a great time to go.   Even though my last couple of Halloween Time visits to DLR have been during September, and I can't wait for September to get here simply because it will mean the end of summer, I actually prefer doing Halloween-ish things (like the Halloween Party) in October.  September tends to feel too summer-ish, while October seems more Halloween-ish.


----------



## kim3339

Sherry E said:


> *kim3339 --*
> 
> Hopefully *figment_jii* will offer some thoughts.
> 
> I think there will definitely be some sort of separate Halloween-themed bucket (whatever that design may be is anyone's guess) for the whole season, but it's possible, I suppose, that they could keep the HM bucket available too (unless it has been designated as a "limited time" deal).



Thanks Sherry!


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## figment_jii

kim3339 said:


> I saw on the other page talk of the popcorn buckets; do you think they would still have the 45th for HM available at the end of Sept/beginning of Oct or is there a completely separate one for Halloween?



I'm hoping they'll still have the 45th HM bucket for HalloweenTime, but the NOS popcorn stand is where they've historically had the HMH popcorn buckets.  I doubt they'd have two different round buckets at the same stand (but you never know), so my guess is that if the 45th is still available at HalloweenTime, they won't have a HMH one or vice-a-versa.  (Or they could still have both and just alternate which one they sell.  Or they could move one of the two buckets to a different location.  Basically, it's hard to say what will happen.)  There should still be a general Disney Parks Halloween bucket that is sold at both DLR and WDW.  That one will probably be available at popcorn stands throughout the resort.


----------



## perlster

from page 1:
_In 2013 the following rides and attractions were not operating during MHP:
Main Street Vehicles
...
Toontown (e.g., Roger Rabbits Car Toon Spin, Gadgets Go Coaster, etc.)_

Well ... RRCTS was running during the "pre-party" I attended last year
--------------------------------------------------------------------
minor correction to same post - It's highly unlikely that Merida will be appearing near iasw this yar


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## Sherry E

perlster said:


> from page 1:
> _In 2013 the following rides and attractions were not operating during MHP:
> Main Street Vehicles
> ...
> Toontown (e.g., Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin, Gadget’s Go Coaster, etc.)_
> 
> Well ... RRCTS was running during the "pre-party" I attended last year
> --------------------------------------------------------------------
> minor correction to same post - It's highly unlikely that Merida will be appearing near iasw this yar





figment_jii is the person to ask.

*figment_jii?*


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## pudinhd

Here is a link to some merchandise pictures...

micechat.com/77010-haunted-mansion-45/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+micechat%2FDisney%2FNews+(MiceChat%3A+A+Different+Look+At+Disney+)

"With summer winding down, Disneyland is now gearing up for the launch of its increasingly popular Halloween Time season, which will debut earlier than ever this year on September 12. The first themed jack-o-lantern has popped up in the China Closet window on Main Street, with seasonal merchandise starting to take over the Disney Showcase shop in Town Square.

Inside Disney Showcase, the summer vignettes are still up but will soon make way for Halloween Time displays, as seasonal merchandise has already taken over a good portion of the shop."


----------



## kim3339

figment_jii said:


> I'm hoping they'll still have the 45th HM bucket for HalloweenTime, but the NOS popcorn stand is where they've historically had the HMH popcorn buckets.  I doubt they'd have two different round buckets at the same stand (but you never know), so my guess is that if the 45th is still available at HalloweenTime, they won't have a HMH one or vice-a-versa.  (Or they could still have both and just alternate which one they sell.  Or they could move one of the two buckets to a different location.  Basically, it's hard to say what will happen.)  There should still be a general Disney Parks Halloween bucket that is sold at both DLR and WDW.  That one will probably be available at popcorn stands throughout the resort.



Thank you!


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## Sherry E

pudinhd said:


> Here is a link to some merchandise pictures...
> 
> micechat.com/77010-haunted-mansion-45/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+micechat%2FDisney%2FNews+(MiceChat%3A+A+Different+Look+At+Disney+)
> 
> "With summer winding down, Disneyland is now gearing up for the launch of its increasingly popular Halloween Time season, which will debut earlier than ever this year on September 12. The first themed jack-o-lantern has popped up in the China Closet window on Main Street, with seasonal merchandise starting to take over the Disney Showcase shop in Town Square.
> 
> Inside Disney Showcase, the summer vignettes are still up but will soon make way for Halloween Time displays, as seasonal merchandise has already taken over a good portion of the shop."




I posted that link in this thread yesterday morning -- Here!


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## pudinhd

Sherry E said:


> I posted that link in this thread yesterday morning!



But yesterday was so long ago...  

Sorry!  Not sure how I missed it!


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## TulipsNZ

Wow so merchandise is showing up a month before the official opening of Halloween season which is over a month before Halloween lol.

I loved the food post, that was amazing, I am so looking forward to trying some of them


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## mvf-m11c

Sherry E said:


> *Bret --*
> 
> Thank you for the kind words!  Some of the food items may vary a bit (or drastically) from year to year, but at least we know the types of things to look for in various places around DLR.
> 
> That's great to hear that you and your DA made a plan to visit DLR again for Halloween Time.   Were you not interested in attending the MHP again, or is your schedule not open for you to go to DLR later in September or October??



I will be looking forward to what kind of food and drinks will be available during the Halloween season.

It is nice to be going back during the Halloween season at the DLR. I will be there on the 14th to 16th with the Halloween decorations all up. I really wanted to attend MHP this year in September which I haven't done MHP since 2010. The dates that I was looking at during MHP was on the 26th or 30th but my DA can't go on those dates and she can't go in October since she will be working. I am also busy in October with basketball tryouts (unless I can get away on the weekends). One day I will be going back and attending MHP unless we have a Christmas party next year during the Christmas season which might change everything.


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## Sherry E

TulipsNZ said:


> Wow so merchandise is showing up a month before the official opening of Halloween season which is over a month before Halloween lol.
> 
> I loved the food post, that was amazing, I am so looking forward to trying some of them



Yes, indeed, *TulipsNZ*!  Merchandise is rolling out!

I had heard reports of Halloween things slowly appearing in DL in August over the last couple of years, and it usually starts with merchandise.  The window displays on Main Street slowly turn to Halloween themes too, and the in-store Halloween displays/scenes go up.  

By a few days before September 12th, everything should really be up (decorations-wise and merchandise-wise) in DL except for the giant Mickey pumpkin.  Even the character pumpkins above the turnstiles will go up several days before 9/12.  I can't recall if the giant Mickey pumpkin goes up one day early, or overnight, but it is usually the last thing to be put in place.  

The Halloween Carnival will open on 9/12.  

Certain treats/snacks may be available before 9/12, and some things will not be available until 9/12 and beyond.


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## TulipsNZ

Got to make the most of a one day event! 

I'm teasing really as I am so excited to get to experience a true American style Halloween!!


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## Sherry E

mvf-m11c said:


> I will be looking forward to what kind of food and drinks will be available during the Halloween season.
> 
> It is nice to be going back during the Halloween season at the DLR. I will be there on the 14th to 16th with the Halloween decorations all up. I really wanted to attend MHP this year in September which I haven't done MHP since 2010. The dates that I was looking at during MHP was on the 26th or 30th but my DA can't go on those dates and she can't go in October since she will be working. I am also busy in October with basketball tryouts (unless I can get away on the weekends). One day I will be going back and attending MHP unless we have a Christmas party next year during the Christmas season which might change everything.



*Bret --*

Well, at least you know that nothing really "new" has been added to the MHP -- nothing major that you're missing out on, in any case -- so it probably won't make a difference to miss it another year.  

You've had a super-active DLR visiting schedule this year, and you've still got a holiday season trip too, in addition to the Halloween Time trip, so it's understandable if you can't get away all the time, for every event.  Some things you have to miss every now and then!






TulipsNZ said:


> Got to make the most of a one day event!
> 
> I'm teasing really as I am so excited to get to experience a true American style Halloween!!



  Very true, *TulipsNZ*!  

I know what you mean, though -- Halloween used to be just a single holiday when I was a kid (in prehistoric times), with maybe a week or two of 'costume discussion,' but now it has become a whole season!  

As much as I love Halloween Time, and Fall, and any season between Summer and Spring, I still find it amusing that the first signs of anything Halloween-ish appear in stores (not at DLR, but in other stores) in July, and then a lot of stuff pops up in August.  

It still surprises me that DLR devotes as much time to the Halloween Time season as they devote to the holiday season (they both tend to run about 7 weeks, sometimes slightly over 7 weeks), when they don't put as much effort into Halloween Time as they do into the holidays.  The holiday season has so much more to see during those 7-ish weeks, so you get a lot of 'bang for your buck,' as the saying goes, without a hard ticket party (so far).  

The fact that Halloween Time lasts as long as it does at DLR has always seemed odd to me -- and imbalanced somehow -- and yet I have absolutely no complaints about it, as I hate Summer and want it to end, and I love Autumn!!    I don't mind pumpkin foods and Halloween merchandise appearing in July and August, respectively, because it is a sign that we'll be done with the current season next month!


----------



## mvf-m11c

Sherry E said:


> *Bret --*
> 
> Well, at least you know that nothing really "new" has been added to the MHP -- nothing major that you're missing out on, in any case -- so it probably won't make a difference to miss it another year.
> 
> You've had a super-active DLR visiting schedule this year, and you've still got a holiday season trip too, in addition to the Halloween Time trip, so it's understandable if you can't get away all the time, for every event.  Some things you have to miss every now and then!



After reading everything about MHP this year, it almost seems like not much has change since 2010. I did enjoy watching Halloween Screams fireworks back in 2010 which is the highlight of MHP in my opinion. That's one thing I want to see again in person which watching HS on video is not the same when you watch the fireworks in person and inside the park with the music going on. 

I have been so active with the DLR trips since April this year. Even though I do enjoy visiting the DLR during the summertime, it is not the same during the Halloween and holiday season. I know that you don't like the summertime and enjoy the parks when it is cold like the holiday season. I have no problem in the summertime especially at night where it is not that hot while watching the fireworks, F!, or WoC. I am looking forward to both trips these next few months. It is understandable that we can't go during anytime especially with work. It's great to be able to go and enjoy the DLR during any season. 

I have read that you are planning on going to the holiday season right around the CP which you usually go during the holiday season in December. Are you still planning on going during the Halloween season?


----------



## TinkerJR

Sherry E said:


> *TinkerJR --*
> 
> 
> 
> What are the ideas for costumes so far?
> 
> You'll have an amazing trip and a fun party! October is a great time to go.   Even though my last couple of Halloween Time visits to DLR have been during September, and I can't wait for September to get here simply because it will mean the end of summer, I actually prefer doing Halloween-ish things (like the Halloween Party) in October.  September tends to feel too summer-ish, while October seems more Halloween-ish.



I love fall weather and Halloween in general.  It is my favorite holiday (I am pretty sure I have more Halloween decorations than Christmas).

As for costumes, DD (4) had declared that she will be Elsa, and that I was rather silly for even thinking there might be another answer.    Silly Mommy!  Now lets see if I can find an Elsa costume.....

DS (10) will probably be a Jedi or a MineCraft character.  I won't let him walk around the park with a square box on his head, so that limits his choices.   Luckily, he still fits into the Jedi costume that a family friend made for him last year.  

DH is undecided, and might stay that way until the weekend before we leave.  

I have lots of ideas for me, but they usually exceed my available time and occasionally my skill level.     I like the idea of us all wearing the same "theme" of costume, but I am pretty sure I couldn't get us all to agree.  

I am loving this thread and thank you Sherry for all your work!


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## Sherry E

*I've got to sign off and go do some things, but I wanted to pop in here quickly.

The other day I mentioned the silly sentence, "Throughout your day, challenge your family to see how many photos you can take with Disney Villains who are creeping about" during Halloween Time, in the Disney Visa Fall 2014 newsletter/magazine (titled "Treats and Traditions for Fall Festivities").  It is silly because it seems to imply that people will be able to find multiple Villains throughout the day, when -- for the last 2 Halloween seasons -- there has been just one Villain per 'shift' at the Conjure a Villain tent of the Halloween Carnival in the daytime (often times the same Villain is there repeatedly), and most of the Villains have been at Mickey's Halloween Party (a separate, hard ticket event).

Of course, things could change this year and maybe the Villains will suddenly be more available in the daytime (like another photo spot similar to the old photo spot they used to have, pre-2012) this year.

When probing further, I noticed that on the Disney Rewards website there is a reference to a "Disney Villains Meet ‘n’ Greet" (in the paragraph about Halloween Time), at the very bottom of THIS PAGE.

Rhetorical questions (because no one has the answers):   Does this mean that there will actually be a "Villains Meet 'n' Greet" beyond the (almost pointless) Conjure a Villain tent?  Or, is Disney just being clever with the wording and is actually referring to the Conjure tent as the Meet 'n' Greet?  

It would be great if Disney decided to put a surprise Villain at the Visa Meet 'n' Greet in California Adventure, instead of Pluto or Chip and Dale, or whoever is usually there.  Could that be it (another rhetorical question)?




​


Meanwhile, my aforementioned "Treats and Traditions" newsletter/mini-magazine from Disney Visa/Chase was a little banged up and ripped in certain spots when I received it last week.  I decided to try to find the online PDF version of it to see if I was missing anything in the ripped spot.  What I had read of the text about Halloween Time didn't look all that interesting or noteworthy, at first.

However when I pulled up the online version of the Disney Visa Fall 2014 newsletter/booklet and zeroed in on the section of my page that was mangled/ripped, I noticed that -- in the "Seeking More Screams" paragraph near the bottom right of page 4 -- it says that "...Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum welcome Guests to a 'Dead Man's Party' featuring Halloween music and a chilling new look," at the Mad T Party (in Hollywood Land).

A chilling new look?  I guess that means that the Mad T Party will have a different Halloween-ish design this year??  And, have Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum always been involved in the Mad T Party (or were they there last year during Halloween Time)?



​



The other thing that I did notice the other day, but didn't mention -- when I first posted about the Villains thing -- is that there is a sentence in this article about picking up a Fastpass for Haunted Mansion Holiday (during Halloween Time -- nothing is specifically mentioned about a FP being available during Mickey's Halloween Party).  The text also says that this is the "only time of year" when FPs are available for the attraction (meaning Haunted Mansion in general, I suppose).  

I think I just skipped past the reference to the FP at HMH the other day because I know that the FP situation at Haunted Mansion Holiday is sketchy and I figured that there may or may not be FPs available during Halloween Time this year.  We won't know for sure until we get to DL and see for ourselves what the situation is -- and, even then, the FPs might be available for parts of the season and not for others.  There have been times in the past (during Halloween Time, the season) when FPs were supposed to have been available for HMH and they were not.  

There are usually no FPs for HMH (or any other rides) at Mickey's Halloween Party, either.  

Yesterday one of CMs on the phone at DLR apparently told one of our fellow DIS'ers that there will be FPs at HMH for the season, and that there will be FPs for HMH during the actual MHP too.  

In my heart of hearts, I think that the well-meaning CMs on the phone really have no idea of whether or not FPs will be available at the MHP.  They are usually not as well-informed and 'in the know' as we would like them to be about events happening outside of a 6-week period of time.  

Unless we see some sort of 'announcement' from Disney that says something like, "New this year:  Fastpasses for Haunted Mansion Holiday at Mickey's Halloween Party!" I think that the phone CMs have no way of guaranteeing that FPs will be available during the MHP for HMH.  

However, it will be interesting to see if DL implements FPs for Haunted Mansion Holiday outside of the actual party hours, just during the non-party segments of Halloween Time season, and if FPs will be all season long, or just at certain times.  As I said, I saw that text in the booklet the other day and barely paid attention to it because I figured it will be one of those "wait and see" sorts of situations that may come up empty.

In any case, here is the link to the PDF version of the "Treats and Traditions" newsletter, so you can all read it for yourself! - https://disneydebit.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2014/08/newsletteraug14_debit.pdf.*

​


----------



## figment_jii

Sherry E said:


> However when I pulled up the online version of the Disney Visa Fall 2014 newsletter/booklet and zeroed in on the section of my page that was mangled/ripped, I noticed that -- in the "Seeking More Screams" paragraph near the bottom right of page 4 -- it says that _"...Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum welcome Guests to a 'Dead Man's Party' featuring Halloween music and a chilling new look,"_ at the Mad T Party (in Hollywood Land).
> 
> A chilling new look?  I guess that means that the Mad T Party will have a different Halloween-ish design this year??  And, have Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum always been involved in the Mad T Party (or were they there last year during Halloween Time)?


Maybe...it's be great if they did have new decor and new elements for the Mad T Party to celebrate Halloween.  Last year there were spiders on the entry, ghostly lanterns hanging overhead, and the band performed "This is Halloween".  There was also the Halloween cocktail.  In terms of Tweedle Dee and Dum (the Mad T Party version), they had a modified opening dialog that incorporated references to Halloween.  They may have some new dialog this year, but I would guess much of it will be similar to last year (I'm not sure they'd opt to have the Mad T Party characters dress up in Halloween costumes...it might be kind of hard to tell who they are without they usual outfits).


----------



## laura&fam

Sherry E said:


> *
> The other thing that I did notice the other day, but didn't mention -- when I first posted about the Villains thing -- is that there is a sentence in this article about picking up a Fastpass for Haunted Mansion Holiday (during Halloween Time -- nothing is specifically mentioned about a FP being available during Mickey's Halloween Party).  The text also says that this is the "only time of year" when FPs are available for the attraction (meaning Haunted Mansion in general, I suppose).
> 
> I think I just skipped past the reference to the FP at HMH the other day because I know that the FP situation at Haunted Mansion Holiday is sketchy and I figured that there may or may not be FPs available during Halloween Time this year.  We won't know for sure until we get to DL and see for ourselves what the situation is -- and, even then, the FPs might be available for parts of the season and not for others.  There have been times in the past (during Halloween Time, the season) when FPs were supposed to have been available for HMH and they were not.
> 
> There are usually no FPs for HMH (or any other rides) at Mickey's Halloween Party, either.
> 
> Yesterday one of CMs on the phone at DLR apparently told one of our fellow DIS'ers that there will be FPs at HMH for the season, and that there will be FPs for HMH during the actual MHP too.
> 
> In my heart of hearts, I think that the well-meaning CMs on the phone really have no idea of whether or not FPs will be available at the MHP.  They are usually not as well-informed and 'in the know' as we would like them to be about events happening outside of a 6-week period of time.
> 
> Unless we see some sort of 'announcement' from Disney that says something like, "New this year:  Fastpasses for Haunted Mansion Holiday at Mickey's Halloween Party!" I think that the phone CMs have no way of guaranteeing that FPs will be available during the MHP for HMH.
> *



I know the wait is pretty long for HMH during the Halloween party but that's the only time we'll be there.  Can anyone give me an idea of how long a wait it might be, assuming there aren't FP since there haven't been before?


----------



## figment_jii

laura&fam said:


> I know the wait is pretty long for HMH during the Halloween party but that's the only time we'll be there.  Can anyone give me an idea of how long a wait it might be, assuming there aren't FP since there haven't been before?



I would guess between 25 and 45 minutes.


----------



## LostGen

I wish they wouldn't decorate the one spooky ride in the park with Christmas decorations just in time for Halloween. Nightmare Before Christmas is a Christmas movie, and not a very good one at that.


----------



## kylie71

LostGen said:


> I wish they wouldn't decorate the one spooky ride in the park with Christmas decorations just in time for Halloween. Nightmare Before Christmas is a Christmas movie, and not a very good one at that.


Its pretty popular around these parts....

--lori


----------



## figment_jii

LostGen said:


> I wish they wouldn't decorate the one spooky ride in the park with Christmas decorations just in time for Halloween. Nightmare Before Christmas is a Christmas movie, and not a very good one at that.



It's interesting you should say "Nightmare Before Christmas" is a Christmas movie because there was a discussion here on the board about whether it was a Christmas or Halloween movie (I can't remember if it's was it's own thread or on the previous Halloween SuperThread).  It was pretty evenly split whether folks felt it was a Halloween or Christmas movie.

I do agree with _kylie71_ that's it's a fairly popular ride.  It has it's detractors here on the Disboard, so not eveyrone likes it.  Yet, enough must like it that DLR keeps doing it each year.  When I first saw the overlay, I wasn't impressed with it, but it's since grown on me.  I'm not a big NBC fan, so that really doesn't have any bearing on the ride for me.


----------



## Sherry E

figment_jii said:


> Maybe...it's be great if they did have new decor and new elements for the Mad T Party to celebrate Halloween.  Last year there were spiders on the entry, ghostly lanterns hanging overhead, and the band performed "This is Halloween".  There was also the Halloween cocktail.  In terms of Tweedle Dee and Dum (the Mad T Party version), they had a modified opening dialog that incorporated references to Halloween.  They may have some new dialog this year, but I would guess much of it will be similar to last year (I'm not sure they'd opt to have the Mad T Party characters dress up in Halloween costumes...it might be kind of hard to tell who they are without they usual outfits).



It's so hard to tell what the wording means in certain Disney articles/press releases/blogs, because they have a way of spinning certain things to make it seem as if something new and different is happening, even if the same events/decorations/whatever are being recycled.

When I saw the "...chilling new look" description in reference to whatever is happening at the Mad T Party, I thought, "But do they mean 'new' as in new for 2014, or 'new' as in different-from-the-usual-look-of-the-Mad-T-Party during non-holiday seasons?"

I would guess that if there is anything new at the Mad T Party this year (or anywhere else), there will be a Blog or press release about it at some point...as well as the yearly Parks Blogs about the seasonal merchandise, foods and treats!




laura&fam said:


> I know the wait is pretty long for HMH during the Halloween party but that's the only time we'll be there.  Can anyone give me an idea of how long a wait it might be, assuming there aren't FP since there haven't been before?



I think that what *figment_jii* said sounds about right.  Assuming there is no FP at the MHP (and never say never, of course, but we'll see), I would guess that 20-45 minutes could be about right, and it will probably move a little bit faster than whatever the wait time says.  I can't remember what the wait time for HMH was the last time I went to the MHP, but the line was not short.  That's one of those areas where people like to congregate during the MHP.





mvf-m11c said:


> After reading everything about MHP this year, it almost seems like not much has change since 2010. I did enjoy watching Halloween Screams fireworks back in 2010 which is the highlight of MHP in my opinion. That's one thing I want to see again in person which watching HS on video is not the same when you watch the fireworks in person and inside the park with the music going on.
> 
> I have been so active with the DLR trips since April this year. Even though I do enjoy visiting the DLR during the summertime, it is not the same during the Halloween and holiday season. I know that you don't like the summertime and enjoy the parks when it is cold like the holiday season. I have no problem in the summertime especially at night where it is not that hot while watching the fireworks, F!, or WoC. I am looking forward to both trips these next few months. It is understandable that we can't go during anytime especially with work. It's great to be able to go and enjoy the DLR during any season.
> 
> I have read that you are planning on going to the holiday season right around the CP which you usually go during the holiday season in December. Are you still planning on going during the Halloween season?



*Bret --*

I'll definitely be there during the Halloween season at some point, of course!  It's sort of my duty to go, so I can come back with updated details or info for this thread, not to mention new photos that I can use for the thumbnails on page 1.  I usually lean towards the beginning of the Halloween Time season, but I may lean more towards the end of the season this time.  I have to play it by ear.

I'm not sure of the date yet, though.  Nothing has been figured out for Halloween Time or for the holidays yet, but I'll be there!


----------



## mvf-m11c

Sherry E said:


> *Bret --*
> 
> I'll definitely be there during the Halloween season at some point, of course!  It's sort of my duty to go, so I can come back with updated details or info for this thread, not to mention new photos that I can use for the thumbnails on page 1.  I usually lean towards the beginning of the Halloween Time season, but I may lean more towards the end of the season this time.  I have to play it by ear.
> 
> I'm not sure of the date yet, though.  Nothing has been figured out for Halloween Time or for the holidays yet, but I'll be there!



I said it wrong on my last post and meant to say when are you going during the Halloween season. I see that you answered my question. It will be nice to hear what are your dates for the Halloween season and to see all your pictures.


----------



## KOUKLI

Hello everyone!

Long time lurker, first time poster! I'm very much looking forward to MHP this year. It will be the third trip for my husband and I to the USA but the first time for my brother and sister so we are very excited. We will be between both parks from October 26th - 31st and are all attending two MHP's one on the 27th (my birthday) and 31st for Halloween! 

I've seen some Halloween merchandise is already in the park and am hoping that they are still there by the time we arrive. It seems like we must miss a lot of the good stuff as they go on sale quite early.


----------



## zanzibar138

I hope that if they do introduce a villain meet n greet it will be one that everyone can get to (not just those with a Disney Visa). I read that Constantine was going to appear at the villains thing at WDW, which I thought was pretty cool! I'd love a muppet meet n greet 

LostGen - I don't think you can really make a sweeping statement that a movie is 'not very good', especially when it has such a massive following like NBC does. It's not to everyone's tastes, and you personally might not like it, but there are definitely people out there who think it is good, me included. I can't wait to ride HMH! FWIW, the movie is about what happens when 'two holidays collide', making it both a Halloween AND a Christmas movie.

Personally I don't like Star Wars, and wish Disney didn't have anything to do with it. Clearly there are plenty of people who do like it though and obviously it's a big drawcard for Disney, so I understand that they will continue to run with it.


----------



## KOUKLI

Here are a few shots of our Halloween Time trips.

Here are two, one on our first trip having been together for 3 months and the other on our Honeymoon 2 years later 

The rest are from last years trip. So excited for this year!!


----------



## mummabear

figment_jii said:


> It's interesting you should say "Nightmare Before Christmas" is a Christmas movie because there was a discussion here on the board about whether it was a Christmas or Halloween movie (I can't remember if it's was it's own thread or on the previous Halloween SuperThread).  It was pretty evenly split whether folks felt it was a Halloween or Christmas movie.
> 
> I do agree with _kylie71_ that's it's a fairly popular ride.  It has it's detractors here on the Disboard, so not eveyrone likes it.  Yet, enough must like it that DLR keeps doing it each year.  When I first saw the overlay, I wasn't impressed with it, but it's since grown on me.  I'm not a big NBC fan, so that really doesn't have any bearing on the ride for me.



I much prefer it with the overlay, in fact without the overlay I could easily skip it.
We bought the movie because we liked the overlay so much and couldn't even sit through the whole thing, it was not our cup of tea at all, yet the ride (with overlay) is one of my favourite rides.

I think it os both a Christmas and Halloween movie (they collide don't they?)






TulipsNZ said:


> I'm hoping there will be something small light and fun to buy.  I want to get the boys the glow with the show ears so they will take up room. With Disney being the end of a world trip I think we will be running out of luggage room.



Oh good luck. Stuff is so much cheaper in the US, we take 2 bags over and 5 home....





Sherry E said:


> The other day I mentioned the silly sentence, "_Throughout your day, challenge your family to see how many photos you can take with Disney Villains who are creeping about_" during Halloween Time, in the Disney Visa Fall 2014 newsletter/magazine (titled "_Treats and Traditions for Fall Festivities_").  It is silly because it seems to imply that people will be able to find multiple Villains throughout the day, when -- for the last 2 Halloween seasons -- there has been just one Villain per 'shift' at the Conjure a Villain tent of the Halloween Carnival in the daytime (often times the same Villain is there repeatedly), and most of the Villains have been at Mickey's Halloween Party (a separate, hard ticket event).
> 
> Of course, things could change this year and maybe the Villains will suddenly be more available in the daytime (like another photo spot similar to the old photo spot they used to have, pre-2012) this year.
> 
> When probing further, I noticed that on the Disney Rewards website there is a reference to a "Disney Villains Meet n Greet" (in the paragraph about Halloween Time), at the very bottom of THIS PAGE.
> 
> Rhetorical questions (_because no one has the answers_):   Does this mean that there will actually be a "Villains Meet 'n' Greet" beyond the (almost pointless) Conjure a Villain tent?  Or, is Disney just being clever with the wording and is actually referring to the Conjure tent as the Meet 'n' Greet?



I hope it's not a Disney Visa only meet-those of us overseas are not eligible for one...


----------



## TulipsNZ

mummabear said:


> Oh good luck. Stuff is so much cheaper in the US, we take 2 bags over and 5 home....



I'm glad it's not just us, hubby has been eyeing up so much that I'm worried about our return luggage costs.  His is justifiable from a work perspective but I still think my shopping needs some room


----------



## zanzibar138

mummabear said:


> Oh good luck. Stuff is so much cheaper in the US, we take 2 bags over and 5 home....





TulipsNZ said:


> I'm glad it's not just us, hubby has been eyeing up so much that I'm worried about our return luggage costs.  His is justifiable from a work perspective but I still think my shopping needs some room



I'm so jealous! This is going to be a total budget trip for me - I haven't managed to save up much spending money


----------



## mummabear

zanzibar138 said:


> I'm so jealous! This is going to be a total budget trip for me - I haven't managed to save up much spending money



We buy nothing here in NZ, then buy all the kids clothes, shoes for everyone, toys etc when we visit. Much cheaper more choice.


----------



## zanzibar138

mummabear said:


> We buy nothing here in NZ, then buy all the kids clothes, shoes for everyone, toys etc when we visit. Much cheaper more choice.



I had heaps saved up and blew it all on DH's birthday present this year 

To be honest though, I'm not sure we'll even have time for shopping on this trip (yes, for those following along, I have nearly a month in the US and am not willing to take a morning/afternoon off from sightseeing for shopping...). I'm really not the shopping type


----------



## mummabear

TulipsNZ said:


> I'm glad it's not just us, hubby has been eyeing up so much that I'm worried about our return luggage costs.  His is justifiable from a work perspective but I still think my shopping needs some room



Dump anything like shampoo from your luggage to gain weight, make use of your carry ons (4x7kg plus a personal item-ie a camera bag or purse each) wear your heaviest clothes/shoes onto the flight.


----------



## Vala

figment_jii said:


> Maybe...it's be great if they did have new decor and new elements for the Mad T Party to celebrate Halloween.  Last year there were spiders on the entry, ghostly lanterns hanging overhead, and the band performed "This is Halloween".  There was also the Halloween cocktail.  In terms of Tweedle Dee and Dum (the Mad T Party version), they had a modified opening dialog that incorporated references to Halloween.  They may have some new dialog this year, but I would guess much of it will be similar to last year (I'm not sure they'd opt to have the Mad T Party characters dress up in Halloween costumes...it might be kind of hard to tell who they are without they usual outfits).



Last year the costumes and make up got more "spooky" over the course of the sets. The storyline was that someone had "spiked the tea" and the band was slowly turning into zombies. Dormouse tried to eat me. 

Start of the show:






Changes oved the course of the other three sets:































Sorry, I guess you can tell I am a member of Team Dormouse.  

Mad Hatter during the last set - that shot gives you an idea of some of the spookyness they worked in. Some of the effects were really amazing.


----------



## Sherry E

*We've (I've??)  been keeping track of the early appearances of Fall/Halloween-ish things in various stores, which began in July and have continued into this month.

It seems that I am not the only one who is eager for the seasons to change.  There must be a big push for the end of summer by people who are anxious for autumn, and now even more retailers are getting on board (those who were not already on board to begin with).   


One of the many, many, many, many Fall/Halloween/Holiday-related pages I belong to on Facebook reported that the popular Pumpkin Spice Lattes that Starbucks makes every year are going to be available at Starbucks locations starting Monday, August 25th this year -- which is, apparently, earlier than they have been available in the past.  (I don't know -- I've never bought a Pumpkin Spice Latte at Starbucks.)

Here is an article, titled "Pumpkin Spice Lattes returning earlier than usual" that I just found.

That means that everyone should be able to get the lattes at the 3 Starbucks locations at Disneyland Resort (Market House; Fiddler, Fifer & Practical Café; Starbucks in Downtown Disney) as of that date!*


----------



## Sherry E

*Vala *-- Amazing photos of the Mad T Party!



*Bret* -- I'll let you know if, for some reason, I end up at DLR during the same time you're there over Halloween Time!   There are certain reasons why going earlier in the month would be good, and certain reasons why going later would be good.  I just have to decide.



*zanzibar138 & mummabear* -- I doubt that the wording in the Disney Visa newsletter/magazine meant anything.  Everything is probably going to be business as usual on the Halloween Time front this year. 

I am not suggesting that Disney _should_ do a Villains meet & greet for only Visa people, of course.  They already do enough events/contests that exclude a lot of people, as we know.  

However, Disney already has a character photo spot for Visa card members in DCA, and the characters there are pretty standard.  It would be a nice surprise/perk for the Visa Card/Rewards members if Disney put a surprise Villain there for the members to get photos with, and I wouldn't be unhappy about it.  I doubt that they _will_ do that, but if they did I'm sure there would only be one Villain.   

Either way, they will still have the silly Conjure a Villain tent in DL, for everyone to meet one Villain at a time.  In fact, putting a surprise Villain at the Visa spot in DCA might possibly shorten the long line at the Halloween Carnival for the Conjure a Villain tent!  It could work to everyone's advantage if they ever did it that way.

Again, though, I really _don't_ think it will happen (a Villain for Disney Visa/Rewards folks).  I won't complain if it does, but I am not expecting anything like that, at all.






KOUKLI said:


> Hello everyone!
> 
> Long time lurker, first time poster! I'm very much looking forward to MHP this year. It will be the third trip for my husband and I to the USA but the first time for my brother and sister so we are very excited. We will be between both parks from October 26th - 31st and are all attending two MHP's one on the 27th (my birthday) and 31st for Halloween!
> 
> I've seen some Halloween merchandise is already in the park and am hoping that they are still there by the time we arrive. It seems like we must miss a lot of the good stuff as they go on sale quite early.



*KOUKLI --*

Welcome!

Thank you so much for joining us, and for sharing your beautiful, festive pictures!  You and your husband are an adorable couple!

You're absolutely right about the merchandise's early release contributing to certain things selling out.  I think it happens for the holiday season as well as Halloween.  The earlier the merchandise appears outside of the actual seasons in question (Halloween things appearing in summer;  holiday/Christmas things appearing during Halloween Time), the more of a chance there will be for them to sell out early.

I suspect that Disney probably got in one big supply of merchandise now, which is presumably intended to last into the first couple of weeks of Halloween Time.  Around the time of the MHP's first night, there would probably be another supply of merchandise (though maybe slightly smaller than the first supply) coming in to cover the time frame extending to October 31st.  Some things will sell out along the way, and some things mysteriously seem to disappear and never get restocked.  Along the way, before Halloween, Christmas things will also begin to appear in the shops as the Halloween things sell out, a little at a time.

Anyway, it sounds like you have another great Halloween trip coming up (with 2 MHPs), and being at the MHP on October 31st will be amazing.  In fact, that's a date I seriously have my eye on for the MHP too.  I am considering a 10/31 MHP.  I haven't made up my mind, but it is definitely a strong possibility!

​


----------



## figment_jii

Vala said:


> Changes over the course of the other three sets


Great photos!  I only stayed to watch the first set (had to head over to DL for fireworks and Fantasmic!), so I didn't get to see the progression.  It's great to see that they did do something for Halloween!  Did they do in any other Halloween-ish songs?  They did "This is Halloween" for the first set (when I was there), which seems like it's one of the "standard" Halloween songs in Disney because it's in the fireworks show and the Cadaver Dans sang it as well.


----------



## 2tinkerbell

I can't remember if I have asked this before or not (I am old and tired):

Would it be best to watch NBC before riding the HM with the overlay?  My DD and I could certainly do that before our trip.  

TIA


----------



## figment_jii

2tinkerbell said:


> Would it be best to watch NBC before riding the HM with the overlay?  My DD and I could certainly do that before our trip.



I don't think you have to watch NBC to enjoy HMH, but it doesn't really hurt either.  If you've never seen NBC, then I would probably watch it once before you go to get a sense of who is who and to get a sense of the overall story (i.e., in the words of the host: "I know you’re curious to see what’s inside… It’s what happens when two holidays collide...").  The ride is not a re-telling of the movie, so in that way, it's less critical to watch the movie.  It uses some of the same characters (e.g., you'll see Jack, Sally, Zero, Lock, Shock and Barrel, Oogie Boogie, etc.) but doesn't really have any scenes in the ride that are from the movie.


----------



## Sherry E

*Continuing "Pumpkin Watch 2014".....*


Upon further investigation on a fantastic site called The Impulsive Buy, which actually has a section called "SPOTTED ON SHELVES" (in which they report on interesting new, limited edition and seasonal food items as people spot them), I found another pumpkin item that has apparently sneaked into at least one store without fanfare!  _Pumpkin Spice Milano Cookies_!



So, let's recap the Fall/Halloween foods and drinks that have been spotted so far, by various people in various places (not at Disneyland Resort, but just around various stores):


Blue Moon Harvest Pumpkin Ale (spotted at K-Mart)

Brach's Apple Pie Candy Corn has been spotted (at Walgreens)!!

Brach's Caramel Macchiato Candy Corn has been spotted (at Walgreens)!

Brach's Mellowcreme Autumn Mix (K-Mart)

Brach's S'mores Candy Corn!! (K-Mart)

Candy Apple Milk Chocolate M&M's have been spotted (at Walmart)!!!!

Caramel Apple Oreos have appeared at Target, though it is unclear as to whether they will be a Target exclusive or available in many stores (reported by DIS'er *Davidg83*)

Caramel Apple Twizzlers (spotted at Walgreens)

Dannon Oikos Caramel Macchiato flavor (spotted at Ralphs)

Entenmann's Salted Caramel Iced Cake!!!!  (Spotted at Stop & Shop)

Godiva Caramel Nut Brownie Truffles (not sure if this is a "Fall item"?)

Godiva Pecan Caramel Sundae (not sure if this is supposed to be a "Fall item"?)

Peeps Pumpkins (spotted last week at K-Mart by a Halloween-related Facebook page admin)

Pepperidge Farm Pumpkin Spice Milano Cookies!!!!  (Reported on The Impulsive Buy on August 4th; spotted at Walmart)

Pillsbury Pumpkin Pie Toaster Strudel (spotted on July 16th, at Walmart)

Pumpkin Noosa Yoghurt (at Target)

Pumpkin Pie Spice Jif Whips (which we already learned about back in July, from DIS'er *Davidg83*  -- spotted at Target)

Pumpkin Spice Oreos are rumored to be headed to store shelves near you!

Samuel Adams' Octoberfest Seasonal Brew (spotted at K-Mart)

Siggi's Pumpkin and Spice Yogurt (spotted at Target, August 20th)

Skittles in pumpkins and green ghost dispensers (to give out to trick-or-treaters on 10/31, I assume -- also spotted at K-Mart)





*Additionally...*


Lots of regular candy corn in big bags (it was spotted at K-Mart)

Cotton Candy in Halloween containers (K-Mart)


And, of course, we now know that the Pumpkin Spice Lattes are headed to Starbucks (and probably to DLR) by 8/25 or 8/26 for some folks via a scavenger hunt sort of thing (as reported by *DisneyJamieCA*), and by 9/2 for the general public!




Glade's Fall Collection (featuring a "Pumpkin Pie Diner" fragrance) appears to be out or about to hit the shelves.

Apparently, Autumn-ish Yankee Candles are available now, and there was a 'sneak peek' of Bath and Body Works' annual Fall line of products a couple of weeks ago.

"Fall Décor" has arrived at Rite Aid, at a discount!

Halloween décor (ceramic pumpkins, etc.) has appeared at Smith's grocery store (as reported by DIS'er *laura&fam*)

And we know that Halloween costumes have appeared at Costco and at party supply stores, while Halloween-ish décor and knick knacks are at the craft stores.

Fall and Halloween décor has arrived at Cost Plus World Market and at Pottery Barn (as reported by *sgrap* and *2tinkerbell*, respectively)!


Autumn is coming, folks!!!!




But... are you ready for the shocker?  Here goes.  Even _I_ can't believe this one, and I am pretty lenient and open-minded about the early appearances of seasonal décor, merchandise and goodies.  You may want to sit down for this one.

*Reese's Peanut Butter Ice Cream CHRISTMAS TREES were spotted at Walmart!!!!!!!!!!!!*  On August 11th!!!!!!!

I am strangely horrified and delighted by this news, all at the same time!  The regular Reese's Peanut Butter Trees haven't even hit the shelves yet (nor have the Reese's Peanut Butter Pumpkins, from what I have heard), but the ice cream versions are already out!


​


----------



## figment_jii

Sherry E said:


> *Reese's Peanut Butter Ice Cream CHRISTMAS TREES were spotted at Walmart!!!!!!!!!!!!*  On August 11th!!!!!!!


Okay, I gotta say it...could those be left over from last year?  I'd check the expiration date before buying them.  I'm having a hard time picturing Christmas treats showing up in stores in August.  Though, stranger things have happened...


----------



## DisneyJamieCA

figment_jii said:


> Okay, I gotta say it...could those be left over from last year?  I'd check the expiration date before buying them.  I'm having a hard time picturing Christmas treats showing up in stores in August.  Though, stranger things have happened...



I was thinking the same thing. Somewhere, somebody found a case of unopened ones in the freezer and decided to put them on the shelves. But now, I'm going to start walking up and down the aisles at stores just to see what might be out there


----------



## Sherry E

A random, old, leftover box of ice cream trees would make sense (much like the leftover Peppermint Wonderland ice cream that was lurking on shelves well into June at Grocery Outlet).

I don't know if the Trees are old and leftover, or brand new on the shelves.  Maybe Walmart got in an earlier shipment than what they expected?  

Decide for yourselves.  Here is the page (the Trees are the very last photo in the blog) - http://www.theimpulsivebuy.com/wordpress/2014/08/11/spotted-on-shelves-8112014/.

​


----------



## mummabear

zanzibar138 said:


> I had heaps saved up and blew it all on DH's birthday present this year
> 
> To be honest though, I'm not sure we'll even have time for shopping on this trip (yes, for those following along, I have nearly a month in the US and am not willing to take a morning/afternoon off from sightseeing for shopping...). I'm really not the shopping type



We are a well oiled machine at this now, shopping with 3 kids under 5=not a lot of fun. So we hit 1x walmart super store and then 1 x outlet and be out in a couple of hours, we know what shops to go in and skip all the others...

This is us after about 20 minutes in Walmart:


----------



## KOUKLI

Sherry E said:


> *KOUKLI --*
> 
> Welcome!
> 
> Thank you so much for joining us, and for sharing your beautiful, festive pictures!  You and your husband are an adorable couple!
> 
> You're absolutely right about the merchandise's early release contributing to certain things selling out.  I think it happens for the holiday season as well as Halloween.  The earlier the merchandise appears outside of the actual seasons in question (Halloween things appearing in summer;  holiday/Christmas things appearing during Halloween Time), the more of a chance there will be for them to sell out early.
> 
> I suspect that Disney probably got in one big supply of merchandise now, which is presumably intended to last into the first couple of weeks of Halloween Time.  Around the time of the MHP's first night, there would probably be another supply of merchandise (though maybe slightly smaller than the first supply) coming in to cover the time frame extending to October 31st.  Some things will sell out along the way, and some things mysteriously seem to disappear and never get restocked.  Along the way, before Halloween, Christmas things will also begin to appear in the shops as the Halloween things sell out, a little at a time.
> 
> Anyway, it sounds like you have another great Halloween trip coming up (with 2 MHPs), and being at the MHP on October 31st will be amazing.  In fact, that's a date I seriously have my eye on for the MHP too.  I am considering a 10/31 MHP.  I haven't made up my mind, but it is definitely a strong possibility!
> 
> ​




Thank you for the warm welcome Sherry!

Such a shame about the merchandise.. back in 2011 there seemed to be a lot of stuff still in the DL park as well as at the local Target and Walmart. Last year there wasn't a great deal in the parks and Targer and Walmart were bare by the 28th Oct! I'm hoping we get lucky again this time since in Australia Halloween isn't greatly celebrated and it's hard to find year round Halloween stuff for our house. I'm hoping to at least get my hands on the light up Mickey trick-or-treat bucket and a Halloween Time pin that isn't Hook!

Hubby and I LOVE Halloween and even had a Halloween themed wedding 









So we very much like to Halloween stuff up year round in our house. finger crossed!!

We decided on two MHP's this year as last year we went straight into the park looking for the Villains only to find that they were all in Main Street and we missed out on most of them  So to avoid this happening again we decided to do two MHP's and anything we happen to stuff up/miss in the first we can aim for the in the second! Hopefully we can cover mostly everything on the 27th so we can just sit back and cruise through the 31st and really enjoy the atmosphere!


----------



## bearette

Yet another is it worth it question, if we have annual pass is it worth doing?  I don't care about dressing up and my kids (2 year old twin) are scared of characters.  From my research the fireworks are the best part ( I saw them when they first debuted before they were part of the party).  


Last year being inside right before we were kicked out on a party day, we were tempted to try it since the kids were free, but we backed out because we didnt want to pay full price for ourselves (if they were even available). Is it something we should just try once?  I'm so torn!


----------



## zanzibar138

Sherry E said:


> But... are you ready for the shocker?  Here goes.  Even _I_ can't believe this one, and I am pretty lenient and open-minded about the early appearances of seasonal décor, merchandise and goodies.  You may want to sit down for this one.
> 
> *Reese's Peanut Butter Ice Cream CHRISTMAS TREES were spotted at Walmart!!!!!!!!!!!!*  On August 11th!!!!!!!
> 
> I am strangely horrified and delighted by this news, all at the same time!  The regular Reese's Peanut Butter Trees haven't even hit the shelves yet (nor have the Reese's Peanut Butter Pumpkins, from what I have heard), but the ice cream versions are already out!



Last year our major department stores started setting up their Christmas areas in late August. Over here we don't have any major holiday between Easter and Christmas, so there's nothing really stopping people from starting early.

IMHO, August is far too early for Christmas stuff. It really takes the magic out of it when it actually IS Christmas time.



mummabear said:


> We are a well oiled machine at this now, shopping with 3 kids under 5=not a lot of fun. So we hit 1x walmart super store and then 1 x outlet and be out in a couple of hours, we know what shops to go in and skip all the others...
> 
> This is us after about 20 minutes in Walmart:



I love it! 



KOUKLI said:


> Hubby and I LOVE Halloween and even had a Halloween themed wedding
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> So we very much like to Halloween stuff up year round in our house. finger crossed!!



OMG your wedding looks amazing! I'm interested though, how did your guests react? Our parents may have killed us if we had a Halloween themed wedding  Although we have some friends who would have LOVED it!


----------



## KOUKLI

Haha I can understand that. Well hubby is really into Dracula and horror movies and I've always loved all things strange and spooky so I don't think our families really expected anything less from us actually! Not to mention with weddings, if your the one paying for it then you get to do it your way  

I think everyone was more worried about me having a Bridesman  Otherwise very much a traditional wedding, church and all. Our photos at Melbourne's Luna Park were something a little different too.

I tried to keep it kinda classy though so there wasn't any dress ups and nothing too crazy. Just went with a black and orange theme and a bit of spook here and there. Those glass pumpkins were the favors for each guest and kids got a Halloween coloring book to amuse themselves with 



























​


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## Vala

Sherry E said:


> *Vala *-- Amazing photos of the Mad T Party!



Thank you. Front row and 300mm zoom lens. 

We camped some hours for that spot, but it was worth it.




figment_jii said:


> Great photos!  I only stayed to watch the first set (had to head over to DL for fireworks and Fantasmic!), so I didn't get to see the progression.  It's great to see that they did do something for Halloween!  Did they do in any other Halloween-ish songs?  They did "This is Halloween" for the first set (when I was there), which seems like it's one of the "standard" Halloween songs in Disney because it's in the fireworks show and the Cadaver Dans sang it as well.



The first night my local friend took me we had the Fantasmic dessert package. Thankfully my friend who was travelling with me was so sweet and got in line to choose seats. But in the end I was still kicking myself for having to leave DCA.

I probably won't book the dessert package this year for the first time since I've been coming to Disneyland to make sure I don't miss out on anything important at the T Party. There's different combinations of band members, so each performance has unique things.

Last year "This is Halloween" appeared in all sets, always as the last song before the band took a break. The big finale song was Thriller and that one simply blew me away. I can't recall any other songs that did strike me as typical Halloween. But the local friend I mentioned said it's definitely a slightly altered play list.


----------



## zanzibar138

KOUKLI said:


> Haha I can understand that. Well hubby is really into Dracula and horror movies and I've always loved all things strange and spooky so I don't think our families really expected anything less from us actually! Not to mention with weddings, if your the one paying for it then you get to do it your way
> 
> I think everyone was more worried about me having a Bridesman  Otherwise very much a traditional wedding, church and all. Our photos at Melbourne's Luna Park were something a little different too.
> 
> I tried to keep it kinda classy though so there wasn't any dress ups and nothing too crazy. Just went with a black and orange theme and a bit of spook here and there. Those glass pumpkins were the favors for each guest and kids got a Halloween coloring book to amuse themselves with



It looks great! I love subtle theming. I agree too, if you're paying for it, do it how you want  We got married at Healesville Sanctuary (a local wildlife sanctuary for those unfamiliar with it) and our theme was a combination of elegant Australian BBQ (including native flora and fauna) and subtle red and navy colours for DH's favourite footy team  Sounds weird, but it came together pretty well 

 Sorry Sherry  Please return to your scheduled programming.


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## KOUKLI

zanzibar138 said:


> It looks great! I love subtle theming. I agree too, if you're paying for it, do it how you want  We got married at Healesville Sanctuary (a local wildlife sanctuary for those unfamiliar with it) and our theme was a combination of elegant Australian BBQ (including native flora and fauna) and subtle red and navy colours for DH's favourite footy team  Sounds weird, but it came together pretty well
> 
> Sorry Sherry  Please return to your scheduled programming.



Thanks you zanzibar  Oh wow that sounds awesome too! I am yet to visit Healseville, should really get on to it. Couldn't imagine a better theme to go with a venue like that! Yay for original weddings! 

 Sorry Sherry! Didn't mean to go off track, just sharing my general appreciation for the spooky season


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## Sherry E

bearette said:


> Yet another is it worth it question, if we have annual pass is it worth doing?  I don't care about dressing up and my kids (2 year old twin) are scared of characters.  From my research the fireworks are the best part ( I saw them when they first debuted before they were part of the party).
> 
> 
> Last year being inside right before we were kicked out on a party day, we were tempted to try it since the kids were free, but we backed out because we didnt want to pay full price for ourselves (if they were even available). Is it something we should just try once?  I'm so torn!




*bearette --*

In your case, I'm not sure if the MHP would be worth it.  It _may_ be.  I think that it definitely should be determined on a case-by-case basis.  For some people the MHP will be worth it and even necessary to the overall Halloween Time experience.  For others it may not be the best thing.

You've seen the fireworks (back in 2009 was when Halloween Screams was available to the general public), and only you know if your kids would enjoy those.  The fireworks are awesome, but is the ticket price of the MHP worth it to see the show (even with the AP discount)?

Then there is also the little Cavalcade/mini-parade, with characters in costumes -- if the kids are uncomfortable with the idea of characters, would this appeal to them?

And...there is the candy at the treat stations.  Lots and lots of candy.  Is that important to you at all?

Other than that, there are spooky effects here and there -- fog over the Rivers of America and eerie lighting along the Big Thunder Trail.  There are also cool projections onto various facades, such as the Castle (spider webs, skulls, ghosts and things like that).

Overall, it is a fun party and I think that it's worth it to try at least once for a lot of people, but again...I think it varies, depending on the people. 

For me, personally, I don't need to do the MHP every year, but I enjoy it a lot when I go to it every now and then (which I am planning to do this year).  It's fun to see all of the elaborate costumes people wear!  In general, it's more important to me to be there for Halloween Time and enjoy that season than to specifically go to the party.


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## figment_jii

_bearette_ - I largely agree with _Sherry_ that it hard to say whether it would be worth it for you to go or not.  In terms of the characters, you can (for the most part) avoid them at MHP.  They aren't really out randomly, so in most cases you can see the line and know that means there is likely a character there.  The fireworks is the best part, but the Cavalcade is cute and there is lots of trick-or-treating.  It's a fun party and very family friendly (for the most part).

I would ask three other question:
1) Are you kids likely to be able to stay up until 11:00 pm or midnight?  If they are not (or at least can't make it through most of the time), then I would probably consider forgoing the party until they're able to enjoy it.  Though, if they could nap/sleep in a stroller or something like that, then this might not be as much of an issue.

2) When you say "2 year old", do you mean they were 2 last year, so they're 3 now (and would need a ticket) or are they 2 now and still "free".  If they're free, then I would probably put more weight on trying the party this year because it'll be half the price of next year (when you'd need four tickets).  It'll be a good chance to see if you like the party and would want to go back in the next few years when your kids are small.

3) Do your kids like Halloween?  The MHP version is pretty tame (not very gruesome), but there are still some elements that can scare some children/folks.  If they frighten easily, then this might not be something to do.  If they don't frighten easily and/or like Halloween, then the party can be a lot of fun.

I suppose you could leave it up to chance/fake.  If there are still tickets available the day/night you're there, then you can make a declension.  If tickets aren't available, then you don't have to worry.


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## laura&fam

There has been some discussion about the fall/Halloween merchandise but does anyone know anything about the HM merchandise?  There are a couple of kitchen things that I'm interested in but one in particular isn't showing up on the online store.  Also I'll have so little time in the actual park that I'd like to pick it up at World of Disney if possible.
What is the time frame for the HM merchandise? Will they be restocking it during the Halloween season?  Where is it available?  It's cruel for them to keep showing pictures when I'm not sure I can get it


----------



## figment_jii

I do think some of the new Haunted Mansion merchandise are out at DL (mostly t-shirts from what I've seen in photos).
http://disneygeek.com/disneyland/pictures/2014/08/08/22

I suspect it's trickling into the parks, but I think it should be available for a while. (I also think it'll be around a while because the HM store in WDW isn't going to open until later this year and I would think they'd want to have the newest merchandise available there.)

I don't know about WoD, but my guess is that most of the merchandise will be at the cart at HM's exit and at the store in NOS (next to the Pirate shop).


----------



## Sherry E

I don't _*think*_ this has anything at all to do with Halloween Time, specifically -- because the date in September is way too early -- but I will mention it because there is a photo of a pumpkin on the front of the postcard!  And pumpkins are Halloween-ish!

My AP expires relatively soon (mid-November).  I received a postcard in the mail (with Mickey and a pumpkin on the front!) from the Annual Passport program, and the text says:



> "Thank you for being a Disneyland Resort Annual Passholder!  We hope you've enjoyed your time in the parks this year!  To celebrate, we are having a special party for those of you coming up on your Passholder Anniversary.  We invite you to fall back to fun for an exciting after-hours event at Disney California Adventure Park with a throwback theme and a variety of special entertainment, including special Character greeting experiences and surprises along the way."



It appears that I can bring up to 5 additional Passholder Guests, and I have to register on August 20th.

The date of the event is Tuesday, September 2nd, from 8 p.m. - 12 a.m.


Since everyone's APs expire at different times, I am guessing that Disney is grouping people together, i.e., anyone whose AP is expiring in the next few months, to celebrate the "anniversary."  Then, another group will probably be celebrating its "anniversary" during the next 'down time' in the parks (in other words, not the peak holiday season).

The "throwback theme" sounds interesting, and I wonder what it means.

And I guess that the "fall back to fun" reference just means 'after Labor Day.'





It's very strange -- and this is not the only thread where this has happened -- when I try to go in and make corrections to typos or mistakes I made in my text, as I was trying to do with the above post ^^, only one or two changes save, and I have to keep going in and re-correcting certain things over and over until everything saves.  This happened to me in the Christmas thread too, and it is very odd!  

Weird technical glitches!  I would like to just correct everything in one swoop and be done with it, instead of having to keep editing over and over!


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## Davidg83

A few finds off our truck at work today. Product just waiting to get to the floor!  We also received an assortment of fall foods and candy! It's getting closer!

imagejpg1_zpsfe2f08b3.jpg.html]
	

	
	
		
		

		
			
		
		
	


	




[/URL]


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## Sherry E

*Davidg83 --*

Yay!   I love seeing the Fall things sneaking in, ever so quietly, while summer still rages on!

Are you guys supposed to use the pumpkins and Fall flowers to showcase some sorts of Fall foods/candy in a big display?  Or will it just be random décor placed around the store?

I've got to revisit the stores in my neighborhood this weekend -- City Target, CVS, Ralphs, etc., and see if any signs of Fall have crept in.

Keep us posted on the Fall foods and candy -- even though I'm sure a lot of the items will be the same as what was available last year, there is always something new and surprising -- some new version of Oreos, Hershey's Kisses, M&M's, etc.

It's funny -- I've heard a few people say (usually anchor people on the local news) things like "Now that summer is coming to an end," or "Now that summer is almost over," and so on.    There's no one who wants to believe that summer is almost over more than I, but technically it's not really "almost over."  We've still got about 5.5 weeks to go, roughly.

But, thankfully and mercifully, we are now closer to the end of summer than the beginning of summer, so it is a step in the right direction!  As of tomorrow it will be 8 weeks since summer began.  I don't know how I have tolerated it as long as I have!


----------



## mvf-m11c

I will be going during October during the Halloween season and will be attending MHP on the 14th. But when I was trying to purchase the tickets online while I am an AP since I can save about $7 each. When I try to add it to the cart it said that they can't identify me as an AP holder. I don't know what is the problem so I will possibly try back tomorrow morning to see if I can purchase the MHP tickets with the AP discount. I'm wondering if any other AP holder is having the same problem online? It will be very nice to attend another MHP since it came back to DL in 2010.


----------



## Sherry E

As I have said, I'm not a huge pumpkin pie fan at all, but I discovered that I can get a free pie at Ralphs!  That's right -- they are giving away a free pumpkin pie this weekend (with a Facebook digital coupon that I had to load to my Ralphs card), and I have to head to Ralphs anyway, so... I guess I will be taking the Fall plunge and getting a free seasonal treat!  

I will just have to get a tub of Cool Whip or a can of whipped cream to pile on it, I suppose.

So if you happen to live in Southern California and shop at Ralphs (I don't think they have them in NorCal??), go to their Facebook page before this weekend ends and load their digital coupon for a free pumpkin pie to your Ralphs card.  The pie offer expires on Monday, 8/18/14.

It's nice to see that Ralphs recognizes that some of us are sick of summer and want to move on to the next season!  (Now, if they would only give out free cartons of peppermint ice cream...)


​



mvf-m11c said:


> I will be going during October during the Halloween season and will be attending MHP on the 14th. But when I was trying to purchase the tickets online while I am an AP since I can save about $7 each. When I try to add it to the cart it said that they can't identify me as an AP holder. I don't know what is the problem so I will possibly try back tomorrow morning to see if I can purchase the MHP tickets with the AP discount. I'm wondering if any other AP holder is having the same problem online? It will be very nice to attend another MHP since it came back to DL in 2010.



*Bret --*

So you are going to the MHP after all?  I thought you wouldn't be able to get away to go in October, since you're already going for Halloween Time in September!  What changed your mind/schedule?  That's great to hear that you will be able to go and can once again see Halloween Screams!

I have no idea what craziness the DLR website is up to with not recognizing you as an AP holder.  If you get that same message again when you try to order online, you should probably just call the ticket number (the same one the Visa people and DVC people have to use - 714-781-4400) and order that way.  

Since DLR revamped the whole website and changed its layout, the AP section has been weird.  I signed on a week ago and the site was telling me my AP was not linked to my DL account.  So I linked it -- even though I thought it was already linked -- and then it showed me that I have TWO APs registered to my name, which is not true.  There is only one.

I opted to do the live chat on the DLR site, and the CM kept me waiting for 30 minutes while she/he tried to figure out why the DLR site said I had two APs and find out how to remove one of the AP listings.  It was never figured out.  My account is still showing I have two linked APs.  I just hope they don't charge me for two when it comes time for payment.

I Googled something about AP problems and saw a thread on MousePlanet/MousePad in which people were talking about the weird stuff going on with their APs, especially since the website changed layouts.

Quite frankly, I was shocked to see the AP postcard in the mail for the event in DCA on 9/2, with the "throwback theme."  I figured that sort of thing would be emailed out rather than mailed.  Actually, I figured that with all of the confusion on the DLR website in the AP section, I might not get any mailings or offers at all!


----------



## mvf-m11c

Sherry E said:


> *Bret --*
> 
> So you are going to the MHP after all?  I thought you wouldn't be able to get away to go in October, since you're already going for Halloween Time in September!  What changed your mind/schedule?  That's great to hear that you will be able to go and can once again see Halloween Screams!
> 
> I have no idea what craziness the DLR website is up to with not recognizing you as an AP holder.  If you get that same message again when you try to order online, you should probably just call the ticket number (the same one the Visa people and DVC people have to use - 714-781-4400) and order that way.
> 
> Since DLR revamped the whole website and changed its layout, the AP section has been weird.  I signed on a week ago and the site was telling me my AP was not linked to my DL account.  So I linked it -- even though I thought it was already linked -- and then it showed me that I have TWO APs registered to my name, which is not true.  There is only one.
> 
> I opted to do the live chat on the DLR site, and the CM kept me waiting for 30 minutes while she/he tried to figure out why the DLR site said I had two APs and find out how to remove one of the AP listings.  It was never figured out.  My account is still showing I have two linked APs.  I just hope they don't charge me for two when it comes time for payment.
> 
> I Googled something about AP problems and saw a thread on MousePlanet/MousePad in which people were talking about the weird stuff going on with their APs, especially since the website changed layouts.
> 
> Quite frankly, I was shocked to see the AP postcard in the mail for the event in DCA on 9/2, with the "throwback theme."  I figured that sort of thing would be emailed out rather than mailed.  Actually, I figured that with all of the confusion on the DLR website in the AP section, I might not get any mailings or offers at all!



You are correct that I was originally not planning on going in October due to basketball tryouts. But I talked to my other coach and since we are planning on starting trouts in late October, I was able to clear a little time off on the weekdays with basketball since my DA and I will be there for a DISMeet. This was the only time we can meet them at the parks. My DA and I both worked out our schedules to go during those days. I would normally don't go during the weekdays during the off-season at the DLR since with less park hours and less entertainment than on the weekends but this was the time that we can have the DISMeet so we had no problem with it. The September trip is with my other DA (not the one that goes with me all the time in November during the holiday season) and the October is with my DA that goes with me a lot. The only thing that will make me want to go during MHP is Halloween Screams. I haven't see HS a lot like RDCT, BIHM, or Magical where it is only available during MHP. It will be nice to see it in person again and I can take pictures of the fireworks. Also it will be nice to go around the parks during MHP with the trick or treat stations and take pictures of the Columbia at the dock during MHP, Mickey's Cavalcade parade, etc. The hotel rates during the trip around on Harbor Blvd are way so high that they are like weekend/peak season prices. So I had some points to use at Best Western so we will be staying down there for free.

I don't like the new DLR website layout especially on the AP site. It looks so boring and it is hard to find certain links like MHP for example on the AP website to talk about the Halloween season. I have linked my AP to the DL AP website and it recognizes me as an AP when I log in but when I was about to purchase the tickets tonight, it doesn't recognize me. It said to re-sign in and go back to the page and I did that and the outcome was the same. I can't call them right now since I will have to wait tomorrow morning. I'm thinking of calling it tomorrow morning if I can't get back on.

I got the same thing when I renewed my AP back in June and I was told that I haven't renewed my AP. But after a couple of weeks, it said that I was renewed till 2015. There are so many problems with the AP websites since the DLR updated it.

I still haven't got any mail from the AP and when I talked to a CM about my AP, they asked me if I want to receive mail from the AP. I told them yes and the only thing I received was the Halloween season card. That is neat that you were able to get a postcard for the event at DCA.


----------



## bearette

Sherry E said:


> *bearette --*
> 
> In your case, I'm not sure if the MHP would be worth it.  It _may_ be.  I think that it definitely should be determined on a case-by-case basis.  For some people the MHP will be worth it and even necessary to the overall Halloween Time experience.  For others it may not be the best thing.
> 
> You've seen the fireworks (back in 2009 was when Halloween Screams was available to the general public), and only you know if your kids would enjoy those.  The fireworks are awesome, but is the ticket price of the MHP worth it to see the show (even with the AP discount)?
> 
> Then there is also the little Cavalcade/mini-parade, with characters in costumes -- if the kids are uncomfortable with the idea of characters, would this appeal to them?
> 
> And...there is the candy at the treat stations.  Lots and lots of candy.  Is that important to you at all?
> 
> Other than that, there are spooky effects here and there -- fog over the Rivers of America and eerie lighting along the Big Thunder Trail.  There are also cool projections onto various facades, such as the Castle (spider webs, skulls, ghosts and things like that).
> 
> Overall, it is a fun party and I think that it's worth it to try at least once for a lot of people, but again...I think it varies, depending on the people.
> 
> For me, personally, I don't need to do the MHP every year, but I enjoy it a lot when I go to it every now and then (which I am planning to do this year).  It's fun to see all of the elaborate costumes people wear!  In general, it's more important to me to be there for Halloween Time and enjoy that season than to specifically go to the party.


y

It doesn't sound like that much different then the normal park but as they are two now it would be cheaper to try it out.  They aren't easily spooked and characters from afar, parade style, they like.

The other questions, since we left Disney last night at midnight with them wide awake I think we may try it.

Are there special food offerings only available at the party or are they also in the regular admision too?


----------



## Sherry E

bearette said:


> y
> 
> It doesn't sound like that much different then the normal park but as they are two now it would be cheaper to try it out.  They aren't easily spooked and characters from afar, parade style, they like.
> 
> The other questions, since we left Disney last night at midnight with them wide awake I think we may try it.
> 
> Are there special food offerings only available at the party or are they also in the regular admision too?




*bearette --*

There will probably be a couple of items made or available only during the party, but I don't know how widely publicized they will be, and if they will differ from last year.  In *this list*, you will see that the Monster U Burger was available at the party last year (an MHP exclusive, apparently), and there was a Rice Crispy snack (Mike Wazowski's eye!) that was available during the party.  I'm sure that this year the MHP exclusives would be different.

The rest of those foods and drinks will probably be available in some form or another during the whole Halloween Time season (though some of them may be slightly different this year), and some of them should be available at certain open food locations during the party.

I only wish that the full Halloween Carnival was kept open during the Halloween Party (with the full array of crafts, games, pumpkin carvers, etc., that can be found during the daytime) too, but I don't _think_ it was open at full capacity last year.  At best the Carnival would be used as a treat trail/station for candy collecting, and a spot for character meet and greets.  The regular Halloween Carnival (with the pumpkin carvers and crafts/games) will be open in the daytime during regular park hours, and it is a gem.


----------



## laura&fam

Sherry E said:


> I only wish that the full Halloween Carnival was kept open during the Halloween Party (with the full array of crafts, games, pumpkin carvers, etc., that can be found during the daytime) too, but I don't _think_ it was open at full capacity last year.  At best the Carnival would be used as a treat trail/station for candy collecting, and a spot for character meet and greets.  The regular Halloween Carnival (with the pumpkin carvers and crafts/games) will be open in the daytime during regular park hours, and it is a gem.



I thought the same thing.  I love the pumpkin carving and that whole area and since it's Halloween-ish why don't they have it open for the party?  I'll have to hit it when we first go in when the park is super crowded for those few hours when the day guests and MHP overlap.


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## pudinhd

Sherry E said:


> I only wish that the full Halloween Carnival was kept open during the Halloween Party (with the full array of crafts, games, pumpkin carvers, etc., that can be found during the daytime) too, but I don't _think_ it was open at full capacity last year.  At best the Carnival would be used as a treat trail/station for candy collecting, and a spot for character meet and greets.  The regular Halloween Carnival (with the pumpkin carvers and crafts/games) will be open in the daytime during regular park hours, and it is a gem.



Totally great idea!  They have Mickey & Minnie greeting right outside the entrance and a treat trail / (Woody & Jessie meet & greet??) in the Thunder Ranch area...  So close to such a huge available space!!


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## LisaT91403

How are the crowds at DCA during the "overlap" hours between MHP and regular DL hours? We have AP's, and were thinking if hitting DCA from 3:00-7:00ish. It would be on a Friday.


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## figment_jii

I was both surprised and unsurprised that Big Thunder Carnival wasn't open during MHP.  Even on non-party nights it's still closed around dusk, so perhaps it has something to do with operating that area at night.

Regarding the food, I agree that there might an item or two that is exclusive to MHP, but for the most part things will be available all day.


----------



## Sherry E

"Fall décor" has made its way into Rite Aid!  They are selling Fall wreaths, candles and other knick knacks at 50% off, I think the sign said.  

It's always good to get a lot of these seasonal sorts of decorations way before the actual season begins, or way after the season ends, as they are on sale then and there is a good supply.  The worst time (price-wise) to get Halloween and Fall decorations is probably in October, just as getting Christmas decorations in December is a terrible idea.

Tomorrow I am heading to Ralphs, and while there I will stalk the aisles in search of Fall-ish products.  If Rite Aid had some things in stock, I know that Ralphs has to have something too.


----------



## sgrap

I saw a whole bunch of fall decorations and treats (like the popcorn candy mix bags) at World Market today.  Sigh . . . even though I'm excited about our October DLR trip, I could use a few more extra weeks of our beautiful PNW summer!


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## Sherry E

sgrap said:


> I saw a whole bunch of fall decorations and treats (like the popcorn candy mix bags) at World Market today.  Sigh . . . even though I'm excited about our October DLR trip, I could use a few more extra weeks of our beautiful PNW summer!



Ooooh!  Thank you for the idea, *sgrap*!  I didn't even think of Cost Plus World Market -- I have one of those near me, too.  It's in the Farmers Market.  There should be a circular for World Market stuck in my Sunday newspaper, so I will see if they are showing pictures of any of their seasonal stuff yet.  It could be that they have it in stock but don't want to advertise it in print just yet!

Well, you do have a good 5 weeks left (slightly over 5 weeks) of summer, so that is something.  That's a good chunk of time to enjoy what's left of the season.  

Unfortunately, our fall weather in SoCal will still seem summer-like for a month or two after summer ends!


----------



## sgrap

Sherry E said:


> Ooooh!  Thank you for the idea, *sgrap*!  I didn't even think of Cost Plus World Market -- I have one of those near me, too.  It's in the Farmers Market.  There should be a circular for World Market stuck in my Sunday newspaper, so I will see if they are showing pictures of any of their seasonal stuff yet.  It could be that they have it in stock but don't want to advertise it in print just yet!
> 
> Well, you do have a good 5 weeks left (slightly over 5 weeks) of summer, so that is something.  That's a good chunk of time to enjoy what's left of the season.
> 
> Unfortunately, our fall weather in SoCal will still seem summer-like for a month or two after summer ends!



Yeah, our weather usually stays decent until toward the end of September, but all the summer fun ends by Labor Day.  College DS goes back to school, 2 DD's and I start homeschooling again, etc.  It's all good, but I could use a few more laid-back weeks with everyone home and without a schedule to keep.  Although this summer has been way more scheduled than I prefer.   DD 13 broke her pinky on June 2nd and that led to surgery, multiple doctor appts and physical therapy!  On top of orthodontist x 2, piano lessons, voice lessons, guitar lessons . . . no wonder I need another summer break.  

I am super excited that college DS is flying down to meet us at DLR in October when he has a 3-day weekend for "Fall Break."  He'll get to go to a MHP with us, too.  He hasn't been to Disney with us since . . . good gravy, 2005?  We've been 3 times without him!  And he went once on his senior class trip (lucky kids . . . class of 15 students can pull off some cool stuff!) for one day in 2012.  Anyway, I'm trying to focus on the fun that fall will bring!  Right?!?!  

Any brainstorms on costumes that are 'cool' enough for a college-age son, a teen daughter and a tween daughter to wear?  I'm not going to get away with anything cute-sie anymore!  Likely, I'm not going to get away with talking them into anything except maybe a Halloween type t-shirt, if I'm lucky.  I have really no idea what to expect at MHP since we've never been.  Other than what I have learned from this thread, that is, which is quite a bit!


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## Sherry E

*Other things I keep an eye on as far as watching for signs of Autumn creeping in are the coupon inserts in the Sunday newspaper!  I look at all the store circulars too (which is what clued me in to check Rite Aid for their Fall décor), but I know that when I see the first "Fall ads" in a coupon insert it is 'Game On!!!' from that point forward!  

So, in one of the coupon inserts this morning, there it was... the 2-page Glade "Fall Collection" ad!  (Am I the only one who loves the assorted seasonal collections that Glade puts out every year?)  I only saw one scent though -- "Pumpkin Pie Diner."  Or maybe it was supposed to be "Diner:  Pumpkin Pie."  In any case, that was the only aroma in the Fall Collection.  (Maybe more are coming up?  They always have an apple something-or-other.)

And then I found a small, less in-your-face ad for the Fall/Harvest Hershey's, Rolo and Reese's candies -- in fact, the Pumpkin Spice Kisses were show in the photo, as well as the "harvest" Hershey Miniatures Assortment.

There is no turning back now, as the "Fall ads" will only get bigger and more prolific from this point forward, paving the way to the eventual holiday season ads!!!!!  Wheeeeeee!!!*​




sgrap said:


> Yeah, our weather usually stays decent until toward the end of September, but all the summer fun ends by Labor Day.  College DS goes back to school, 2 DD's and I start homeschooling again, etc.  It's all good, but I could use a few more laid-back weeks with everyone home and without a schedule to keep.  Although this summer has been way more scheduled than I prefer.   DD 13 broke her pinky on June 2nd and that led to surgery, multiple doctor appts and physical therapy!  On top of orthodontist x 2, piano lessons, voice lessons, guitar lessons . . . no wonder I need another summer break.
> 
> I am super excited that college DS is flying down to meet us at DLR in October when he has a 3-day weekend for "Fall Break."  He'll get to go to a MHP with us, too.  He hasn't been to Disney with us since . . . good gravy, 2005?  We've been 3 times without him!  And he went once on his senior class trip (lucky kids . . . class of 15 students can pull off some cool stuff!) for one day in 2012.  Anyway, I'm trying to focus on the fun that fall will bring!  Right?!?!
> 
> Any brainstorms on costumes that are 'cool' enough for a college-age son, a teen daughter and a tween daughter to wear?  I'm not going to get away with anything cute-sie anymore!  Likely, I'm not going to get away with talking them into anything except maybe a Halloween type t-shirt, if I'm lucky.  I have really no idea what to expect at MHP since we've never been.  Other than what I have learned from this thread, that is, which is quite a bit!



*sgrap --*

It almost sounds as if you need a vacation from your summer vacation -- it has been jam-packed with activities!

I hope your DD13 is doing well now!  That kind of thing can be so traumatic, especially for a young person.  And it isn't 'fixed' in one doctor visit, which prolongs the misery even more.  

I know that last year (also in summer, as I recall), *DisneyJamieCA/Jamie's* daughter suffered an injury too.   I don't know how parents keep from losing their sanity and keep staying calm -- I think I would be a nervous wreck all the time if I were a parent, constantly worrying about making sure that my child was safe and unharmed!

Well, the good thing is that your son will be going with you to the MHP!  Even if no costumes are involved, it will be a fun time (and there are many people not in costume, so I don't think anyone would feel odd or left out)!   If he likes fireworks, I think he will love Halloween Screams.  The Halloween t-shirts are pretty cool these days -- and I think that as long as they are Disney-appropriate and not too violent or risqué, a themed shirt is enough to commemorate the occasion if you can't talk your son into any other kind of costume.

I was thinking a few days ago... In the wake of the recent Robin Williams tragedy, I wonder if there will suddenly be a lot of Genies at the MHP this year... or Morks... or Mrs. Doubtfires!


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## Davidg83

I can officially confirm this years new seasonal Oreo flavor... caramel apple! I'm not sure if it will be a Target exclusive (like the candy corn flavor the past few years) or if it will be available everywhere. Hopefully the candy corn flavor comes back too! 

As for the glade scents I know there were a few other seasonal ones on the display but I didn't pay too much attention because I was excited about the pumpkin one. I'll have to look again today.


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## Sherry E

Davidg83 said:


> I can officially confirm this years new seasonal Oreo flavor... caramel apple! I'm not sure if it will be a Target exclusive (like the candy corn flavor the past few years) or if it will be available everywhere. Hopefully the candy corn flavor comes back too!
> 
> As for the glade scents I know there were a few other seasonal ones on the display but I didn't pay too much attention because I was excited about the pumpkin one. I'll have to look again today.



*Davidg83 --*

I am glad to know that Glade is expanding its horizons beyond just the Pumpkin Pie scent (even though they didn't show another scent in the ad)!  I was thinking, "They've got to have another Fall-ish aroma besides just Pumpkin Pie!"  Maybe they will show the other aromas/versions in future ads.

Caramel Apple Oreos!!!!  That _is_ totally new, isn't it?  I don't recall hearing anything about a Caramel Apple flavor of Oreos in the past -- I hope they're good!  I have not tried the Candy Corn version yet -- I need to find someone who buys a whole package of them and will let me try one cookie before I can commit to buying a package.  I haven't even tried the "Candy Cane" versions of Oreos.

I did see a Caramel Apple version of Milky Way last year, and there is a Candy Apple version of M&M's this year (the first of many seasonal M&M's, I'm sure).

I notice that Walmart has gotten into the "exclusives" game too.  Last year, both Target and Walmart had different exclusive flavors of something or another, whether it was M&M's, Oreos, Hershey's Kisses, etc.  I don't have any Walmarts near me, so Target will have to do!


Thank you for the report!  I am loving hearing about which seasonal delights are trickling in, slowly (before the onslaught in a couple of weeks)!


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## bearette

I went to Disney last year on on overlap, avoid it!  I think we rode one ride in three hours. Go to California instead.

Thanks for the food thread.  I will have to hit the craft area during the day since I never made it there yet.


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## Kilala

Here are the progress pictures of my Autumn Mist unitard. I will be wearing this costume on September 26th.




































There are more pictures here http://s499.photobucket.com/user/Naruto-Kitten/library/Autumn Mist costume?sort=2&page=1


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## DisneyJamieCA

Sherry E said:


> sgrap --  It almost sounds as if you need a vacation from your summer vacation -- it has been jam-packed with activities!  I hope your DD13 is doing well now!  That kind of thing can be so traumatic, especially for a young person.  And it isn't 'fixed' in one doctor visit, which prolongs the misery even more.  I know that last year (also in summer, as I recall), DisneyJamieCA/Jamie's daughter suffered an injury too.   I don't know how parents keep from losing their sanity and staying calm -- I think I would be a nervous wreck all the time if I were a parent, constantly worrying about making sure that my child was safe and unharmed!



Good memory, Sherry! Sept, 7th will mark one year since her injury (and for those who weren't on the Christmas thread last year, she had her pinky severed off (and then amputated) in a freak accident). I put on a brave face for her, but I was a mess inside and would often come home after school drop off and burst into tears feeling so helpless. But time does heal and she is completely fine with it now (and has been for about 6 months). We are in such a different place than we were when I shared about it last year - in some ways I can't believe a year has gone by already and in others I can't believe it's only been a year. And I do worry all the time they're going to get hurt 

But back to the fun of this thread - I am so excited to see all the holiday flavor treats out! The kids go back to school on Wed (!!!), so I think a trip to Target may be in store to see what I can find. It'll be fun hunting over the next month to see what comes out.


----------



## sgrap

DisneyJamieCA said:


> Good memory, Sherry! Sept, 7th will mark one year since her injury (and for those who weren't on the Christmas thread last year, she had her pinky severed off (and then amputated) in a freak accident). I put on a brave face for her, but I was a mess inside and would often come home after school drop off and burst into tears feeling so helpless. But time does heal and she is completely fine with it now (and has been for about 6 months). We are in such a different place than we were when I shared about it last year - in some ways I can't believe a year has gone by already and in others I can't believe it's only been a year. And I do worry all the time they're going to get hurt
> 
> But back to the fun of this thread - I am so excited to see all the holiday flavor treats out! The kids go back to school on Wed (!!!), so I think a trip to Target may be in store to see what I can find. It'll be fun hunting over the next month to see what comes out.


Good gravy, the broken pinky doesn't seem quite so terrible now!  We have 4 kids, and now only 1 (the oldest--a boy) hasn't broken anything.  Parenting is definitely not for the faint of heart--or stomach.  

We are almost to the 60 day out point, so talking to the kids today about dining reservations.  So far the only food they want is counter service.  Debating about Big Thunder BBQ--haven't done that in forever.  With college age DS coming, he wants to maximize time with rides and such, so I don't think long character meals will be on his priority list.  Wondering about if he'd like the BBQ though.  Does it tend to be a long meal?  Or just as long as you want to sit there and eat?


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## DisneyJamieCA

sgrap said:


> Good gravy, the broken pinky doesn't seem quite so terrible now!  We have 4 kids, and now only 1 (the oldest--a boy) hasn't broken anything.  Parenting is definitely not for the faint of heart--or stomach.



Oh no, it's plenty scary! Although it was very hard on us at the time to not have it reattached, it ended up the best thing. No surgeries and except for a few appts in the first  few weeks, it's just been time needed. We also have 4 and DS just bruised his thumb. I've been watching it like crazy to keep an eye on the swelling & bruising because I'm afraid it may be broken. 

Sherry, I just came across this article about the PSL at Starbucks.. Apparently the Aug. 26th date isn't for everybody. Sept. 2 remains the general release.
http://www.nbcnews.com/business/con...mpkin-spice-lattes-early-theres-twist-n182741


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## laura&fam

At Smith's (grocery store) yesterday they had a big display right when you walk in 'Get your Spooktacular Pumpkins here' next to a bunch of ceramic decorative pumpkins.  Wasn't expecting that at the grocery store!  I have to admit I'm getting a little nervous about finishing the costumes in time.  These are definitely the most ambitious costumes I've attempted, and they're not what most people would consider hard


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## Sherry E

*Kilala --* The costume is coming along very nicely!





DisneyJamieCA said:


> Sherry, I just came across this article about the PSL at Starbucks.. Apparently the Aug. 26th date isn't for everybody. Sept. 2 remains the general release.
> http://www.nbcnews.com/business/con...mpkin-spice-lattes-early-theres-twist-n182741



*Jamie --*

Thank you for posting that!  Very interesting, indeed!  That's good to know, just in case people start making a beeline for Starbucks on 8/25 or 8/26 to get their fix o' Pumpkin Spice Lattes (I wouldn't have been one of them, but others might).  That article must have just popped up once more information came in.  

I think the first bit of news of the Lattes appearing on 8/25 caught on, as a few of the Halloween-related Facebook pages I follow mentioned it, and there are still a couple of articles floating around online about an 8/25 PSL date, like this one, from last week.  Those sites/pages are either not aware of or are just not mentioning the whole "scavenger hunt" aspect of it, which is important to remember, nor are they mentioning that the PSL officially appears as of 9/2.

The day after Labor Day makes much more sense to start trotting out the seasonal foods and drinks in restaurants, I think, but it won't stop the stores from trotting out the seasonal food items to go on the shelves! 

I love seeing which seasonal things (décor, candles, treats -- all of it) begin to appear over the course of time -- especially which things appear before Labor Day and which ones appear after Labor Day.

Let us know what discoveries you make on your trip to Target!


ETA:  It appears that even the E! website has not gotten the memo that the PSL are only available for certain people on 8/25, and will be widely available on 9/2.  They are reporting it as if 8/25 is the date for everyone to get the PSL -- *Here*.  (I just got an email alert from E!, which is how I knew that this article went up on their site!)





laura&fam said:


> At Smith's (grocery store) yesterday they had a big display right when you walk in 'Get your Spooktacular Pumpkins here' next to a bunch of ceramic decorative pumpkins.  Wasn't expecting that at the grocery store!  I have to admit I'm getting a little nervous about finishing the costumes in time.  These are definitely the most ambitious costumes I've attempted, and they're not what most people would consider hard



*laura&fam --*

Did you get your family to agree on costumes?  I know you had some holdouts who didn't want to stick to your theme.


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## Sherry E

Pumpkin Spice Oreos?  I had no idea!!!!  See this article -- *Here*.

And look, there is also a small photo of the Caramel Apple Oreos that *Davidg83* told us about!


ETA -- Apparently the Candy Apple M&M's are not worth the money -- *Review Here*.


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## laura&fam

Yes, my boys did finally agree on Toy Story green army men.  My DS9 wanted to go as a gory skeleton (blood and guts not just bones) and I told him no way.  I said he could be that for Halloween but for MHP it was a Toy Story character or nothing.  I felt a little bad not letting him decide but he wouldn't budge on the gross skeleton and I didn't want that at MHP.  I'm glad he decided it would be more fun to dress up with us than not.


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## mummabear

Disney Store has trick or treat bags and some Halloween shirts in stock.
http://www.disneystore.com/disney/s...ll_Shopping&Ntt=treat&D=treat&Dr=pPublished:1


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## perlster

The post is also about Anna & Elsa conquering even more territory.

_Set sail in the direction of Halloween Carnival at Big Thunder Ranch Jamboree from September 12 through October 31! Here, a world of themed offerings await you, including special Halloween entertainment and activities, pumpkin carvers, yummy treats and the return of The Pirates League. Recruits three and older can chart their own course, choosing from a selection of pirate-inspired looks that are both swashbuckling and spooky.

Now, Halloween Time wouldn’t be same without a little help from our Fairy Godmother, or in our case our Fairy Godmothers-in-Training at Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. Keeping with their simply sweet tradition, we welcome back the Halloween Minnie Mouse-inspired transformation through October 31. Just a quick reminder, transformations at Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique in Fantasyland at Disneyland park are only for our younger fans, ages 3 – 12 years. Quick Tip: Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique will offer extended operating hours on Mickey’s Halloween Party nights for any Trick-or-Treaters in need of a royal transformation._


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## Sherry E

perlster said:


> The post is also about Anna & Elsa conquering even more territory.
> 
> _Set sail in the direction of Halloween Carnival at Big Thunder Ranch Jamboree from September 12 through October 31! Here, a world of themed offerings await you, including special Halloween entertainment and activities, pumpkin carvers, yummy treats and the return of The Pirates League. Recruits three and older can chart their own course, choosing from a selection of pirate-inspired looks that are both swashbuckling and spooky.
> 
> Now, Halloween Time wouldnt be same without a little help from our Fairy Godmother, or in our case our Fairy Godmothers-in-Training at Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. Keeping with their simply sweet tradition, we welcome back the Halloween Minnie Mouse-inspired transformation through October 31. Just a quick reminder, transformations at Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique in Fantasyland at Disneyland park are only for our younger fans, ages 3  12 years. Quick Tip: Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique will offer extended operating hours on Mickeys Halloween Party nights for any Trick-or-Treaters in need of a royal transformation._



*perlster --*

I chuckled at the "breaking non-news" heading of your post!  There has really been a lot of non-news or, let's say, "typical news" coming from the official Disney camps as far as Halloween Time is concerned, and there has been nothing announced about the holiday season yet at all, which is not consistent with the way things have gone in August for the last couple of years.    

I kept thinking Disney might add in something a bit new -- maybe one little new Halloween-ish thing -- to DCA or wherever, and do a blog about it, but so far...no such luck.  There is still time to do it, of course, but who knows?

I saw the Elsa and Anna Boutique thing mentioned in the Parks Blog a little earlier, and I was surprised to see that it would be taking place in Studio Disney 365.  I wonder if that entire location is now going to be _Frozen_-themed all year long, every year.

I didn't read far enough down the page, however, to see the reference to the "Halloween Minnie Mouse-inspired transformation" or the extended hours at the BBB on MHP nights, so I'm glad you posted because it brought my attention to what I missed!


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## DisneyJamieCA

Sherry E said:


> perlster --  I chuckled at the "breaking non-news" heading of your post!  There has really been a lot of non-news or, let's say, "typical news" coming from the official Disney camps as far as Halloween Time is concerned, and there has been nothing announced about the holiday season yet at all, which is not consistent with the way things have gone in August for the last couple of years.  I kept thinking Disney might add in something a bit new -- maybe one little new Halloween-ish thing -- to DCA or wherever, and do a blog about it, but so far...no such luck.  There is still time to do it, of course, but who knows?  I saw the Elsa and Anna Boutique thing mentioned in the Parks Blog a little earlier, and I was surprised to see that it would be taking place in Studio Disney 365.  I wonder if that entire location is now going to be Frozen-themed all year long, every year.  I didn't read far enough down the page, however, to see the reference to the "Halloween Minnie Mouse-inspired transformation" or the extended hours at the BBB on MHP nights, so I'm glad you posted because it brought my attention to what I missed!



There has been some conversation on these boards about the SD365 becoming Frozen inspired. They are in fact currently under refurbishment or just about to go down to make it a Frozen store. There were some early reports that they would lose the makeover aspect, ironically the same week the announced the Frozen makeovers, but more current reports are saying they will reopen with the Frozen hairstyles and possible revamped older styles.

ETA: I see they now have it going down Sept. 2nd. That is pushed back from the early Aug date originally given.


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## Sherry E

DisneyJamieCA said:


> There has been some conversation on these boards about the SD365 becoming Frozen inspired. They are in fact currently under refurbishment or just about to go down to make it a Frozen store. There were some early reports that they would lose the makeover aspect, ironically the same week the announced the Frozen makeovers, but more current reports are saying they will reopen with the Frozen hairstyles and possible revamped older styles.
> 
> ETA: I see they now have it going down Sept. 2nd. That is pushed back from the early Aug date originally given.



I always felt that SD365 was forgotten about to a large degree.  Or it was missing something.  It seemed like a space that could be used in a better way.  I would venture to say that there were probably a lot of DLR guests who didn't even know it was there.  If you enter DTD from the GCH you walk right past SD365 and out into DTD, but if people don't venture into any of the hotels or even into DTD while they are at DLR, they probably don't realize it's there.

I guess that Disney wants to strike while the iron is hot and _Frozen_ is still fresh on people's minds.  Also, when the holiday season rolls around and the Olaf ice rink inevitably returns to DTD, having Elsa and Anna's Boutique nearby won't hurt.  It will keep people in that _Frozen_ mindset.  

Heck, at this rate, I'll be surprised if Disney doesn't turn DTD into one big _Frozen_ festival, all holiday season long, with the Winter Village becoming Olaf's Village.  The only problem with that would be that the DTD restaurants don't fit in with that theme at all, and it would be awkward to have an all-_Frozen_ DTD with the restaurants and shops remaining as is....that is, unless ESPN Zone wants to have a giant Olaf holding a basketball as its mascot, stationed out in front of the restaurant.


----------



## mummabear

perlster said:


> The post is also about Anna & Elsa conquering even more territory.
> 
> _Set sail in the direction of Halloween Carnival at Big Thunder Ranch Jamboree from September 12 through October 31! Here, a world of themed offerings await you, including special Halloween entertainment and activities, pumpkin carvers, yummy treats and the return of The Pirates League. Recruits three and older can chart their own course, choosing from a selection of pirate-inspired looks that are both swashbuckling and spooky.
> 
> Now, Halloween Time wouldnt be same without a little help from our Fairy Godmother, or in our case our Fairy Godmothers-in-Training at Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. Keeping with their simply sweet tradition, we welcome back the Halloween Minnie Mouse-inspired transformation through October 31. Just a quick reminder, transformations at Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique in Fantasyland at Disneyland park are only for our younger fans, ages 3  12 years. Quick Tip: Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique will offer extended operating hours on Mickeys Halloween Party nights for any Trick-or-Treaters in need of a royal transformation._



Well I will be calling tomorrow to book into the new Studio 365!


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## CassieF

Has there been any info on the Happiest Haunt Tour that is combined with the Halloween Party?  Do you get reserved seating for the fireworks and/or calvacade with it? I seem to remember reading that the combo tour/party had some extra perks.  We want to spend most of our time with characters, not staking out a spot for fireworks but we still want a decent view!  Any idea on how early we'd need to wait for the sept 30th party (early in the season and weekday...hoping for low(er) crowds) for a good spot?


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## Sherry E

*Caramel Apple Twizzlers have been spotted at Walgreens!!*


​



CassieF said:


> Has there been any info on the Happiest Haunt Tour that is combined with the Halloween Party?  Do you get reserved seating for the fireworks and/or calvacade with it? I seem to remember reading that the combo tour/party had some extra perks.  We want to spend most of our time with characters, not staking out a spot for fireworks but we still want a decent view!  Any idea on how early we'd need to wait for the sept 30th party (early in the season and weekday...hoping for low(er) crowds) for a good spot?



*CassieF --*

A couple of people (including fellow DIS'er *Amilo*) called DLR 2 or 3 weeks ago and were told by the CMs on the phone that the Ultimate Experience (which is the name of the MHP-Happiest Haunts tour combo package) was not going to be offered this year.  The HH tour will still be offered (in fact, it _should_ be open for booking/reservations now, for the earlier September tour dates).

_However_ -- _just to put out this disclaimer, because I have seen what has happened in the past_ -- the CMs on the phone are often not up-to-date or 'in the know' about things that are happening in advance, especially not outside of a 6-week window of time.  They are often the very last ones to know anything, and they sometimes give out incorrect or outdated information.

Even though the CMs may have told Amilo and others that there would be no Ultimate Experience offered this year, I would not be 100% certain of that fact until we get to the 30-day point before the MHP begins, give or take a day.

In other words, on or around August 26th (because the MHP starts on 9/26), I would check back with DLR about the Ultimate Experience again.  It could be that the UE just wasn't showing in the DLR system at the point the other DIS'ers got the information, or it could be that the combo package will have a new name (something catchier than "Ultimate Experience").  You never know.   I just wouldn't count anything out until we get to the _30-days-before-the-start-of-the-MHP_ stage.

I'm not sure if Cavalcade seating is/was included in the Happiest Haunts tour/MHP combo package.  I know you get priority boarding on Ghost Galaxy, Haunted Mansion Holiday and Tower of Terror.  You may get an extra ride or two thrown in there too -- like BTMRR or Snow White (those have been randomly included in the past, but not consistently).  You get a treat of some kind, and a collectible pin.

The Cavalcade is not quite the big production that A Christmas Fantasy Parade is, so the tour seats for ACFP are more of a big deal and more of a selling point for the Holiday tour than the Cavalcade/mini-parade would be for the Happiest Haunts tour, I think.

There will still be a lot of people waiting for the fireworks, even though it is a limited ticket event.  Halloween Screams is one of the main reasons people buy a ticket to the MHP, so the fact that it's an early weeknight probably won't make a difference.  I think that the last time I did the MHP I walked up to the Hub maybe 20 minutes before Halloween Screams was due to start, and there were already many, many people all around the Hub.

Maybe *Bret/mvf-m11c* has more insight into how early you should wait for the fireworks!

I think that *Cheshirecatty* did the Ultimate Experience either last year or the year before, so maybe she can add some insight as to whether or not there were seats for the Cavalcade.  *Beth/mommaU4* reported back about the UE in 2012, and she did not mention any seats for the Cavalcade.  Her recap is HERE.


​


----------



## 2tinkerbell

I thought Disney put their park hours out 45 days in advance.  Our trip is in 41 days and when I checked the official Disneyland website the hours are only listed to the 27th.  Is this normal?

Obviously they don't realize that I am excited and anxious.



Oh, and Pottery Barn has their Halloween decorations up and their catalog this time has Halloween decorations.  Not that I can afford Pottery Barn, but, it was fun to look at.


----------



## Sherry E

2tinkerbell said:


> I thought Disney put their park hours out 45 days in advance.  Our trip is in 41 days and when I checked the official Disneyland website the hours are only listed to the 27th.  Is this normal?
> 
> Obviously they don't realize that I am excited and anxious.



*2tinkerbell --*

 

Their typical pattern seems to be to start updating their Entertainment Calendar and hours 6 weeks in advance (and the CMs on the phone will claim that they update 6 weeks ahead of time), but it's not always reliable.  

And, even when they do put the hours and some of the entertainment up, sometimes they still end up adjusting the schedule later on, or removing things and adding them back in later.

ETA:  I can't afford Pottery Barn either, but I love seeing the seasonal things popping up in the stores!  Woohoo!


----------



## 2tinkerbell

Thanks Sherry.  I guess I will be patient a little longer.


----------



## Sherry E

This is not Halloween Time-specific news, nor is it even a Halloween-specific rumor...but it is something that _could_ affect Halloween Time down the road, if the rumor turns out to be true.

A helpful DIS'er (shout out to *Misskitty3*!) in my Disneyland at Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread just alerted us to an article posted on MiceAge yesterday.  (For some odd reason, I could only see the first paragraph of this article yesterday, and today I can see that there is a whole section about a possible _Frozen_ mini-land coming to DCA this holiday season!)

In this MiceAge Update/article from yesterday, there is talk about the rumored Star Wars addition to DL (a Star Wars land, I guess it would be), whereas Marvel would have more of a presence in DCA.

In any event, all along people have assumed that a 'Star Wars land' would somehow take over Tomorrowland, or would be wedged into Tomorrowland somewhere.  However, MiceAge is claiming -- _and they are *not* an official Disney source, so this may all turn out to be nothing _-- that it's actually Toontown that would be torn down and used for Star Wars Land.

But here is the part that would affect Halloween Time (and the holiday season too, but especially Halloween Time) if the rumors turned out to be true -- part of the proposed, rumored Star Wars expansion would involve taking over Big Thunder Ranch.

Big Thunder Ranch is where the Halloween Carnival is held, as well as the Jingle Jangle Jamboree during the holidays, and the Springtime Roundup around Easter, etc.  This area is most important to Halloween Time, I think, more than the other seasons. 

Without the Halloween Carnival, a huge chunk of the daytime Halloween festivities would be gone, leaving Haunted Mansion Holiday, Ghost Galaxy, the Dia de los Muertos display, the Ray Bradbury Halloween Tree and the pumpkins on Main Street (and above the turnstiles) as the only real Halloween Time offerings in DL.  

The Carnival is where the Conjure a Villain tent is; it's where Pirates League is; it's where the pumpkin carvers are; it's where the Halloween crafts and games are;  and it's where the characters in Halloween garb can be found outside of the MHP.  The Villains would have to be relocated again (maybe to a better photo spot this time around), and the pumpkin carvers would have to go somewhere else.

Anyway, none of this is official and it may not come to fruition at all, but IF Disney has Big Thunder Ranch in mind for part of the Star Wars expansion (if there is going to be a Star Wars expansion at all), they would probably announce it next year at the D23 Expo, and the work would probably commence in 2016.  

So, if the Ranch is on the chopping block, we may have this coming Halloween Time season and next year's Halloween Time to enjoy the Halloween Carnival, and then, after that...who knows?

...All the more reason for Disney to hustle and start bringing some Halloween back to DCA!


----------



## Kristina4109

The last time I was at CA during Halloween time was at least five years ago, but I loved how they played candy inspired music.  I also loved the candy corn theme going around the place.


----------



## mikana876

I would be very sad if they tore down ToonTown


----------



## Dot2Vegas

Sherry E said:
			
		

> This is not Halloween Time-specific news, nor is it even a Halloween-specific rumor...but it is something that could affect Halloween Time down the road, if the rumor turns out to be true.
> 
> A helpful DIS'er (shout out to Misskitty3!) in my Disneyland at Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread just alerted us to an article posted on MiceAge yesterday.  (For some odd reason, I could only see the first paragraph of this article yesterday, and today I can see that there is a whole section about a possible Frozen mini-land coming to DCA this holiday season!)
> 
> In this MiceAge Update/article from yesterday, there is talk about the rumored Star Wars addition to DL (a Star Wars land, I guess it would be), whereas Marvel would have more of a presence in DCA.
> 
> In any event, all along people have assumed that a 'Star Wars land' would somehow take over Tomorrowland, or would be wedged into Tomorrowland somewhere.  However, MiceAge is claiming -- and they are not an official Disney source, so this may all turn out to be nothing -- that it's actually Toontown that would be torn down and used for Star Wars Land.
> 
> But here is the part that would affect Halloween Time (and the holiday season too, but especially Halloween Time) if the rumors turned out to be true -- part of the proposed, rumored Star Wars expansion would involve taking over Big Thunder Ranch.
> 
> Big Thunder Ranch is where the Halloween Carnival is held, as well as the Jingle Jangle Jamboree during the holidays, and the Springtime Roundup around Easter, etc.  This area is most important to Halloween Time, I think, more than the other seasons.
> 
> Without the Halloween Carnival, a huge chunk of the daytime Halloween festivities would be gone, leaving Haunted Mansion Holiday, Ghost Galaxy, the Dia de los Muertos display, the Ray Bradbury Halloween Tree and the pumpkins on Main Street (and above the turnstiles) as the only real Halloween Time offerings in DL.
> 
> The Carnival is where the Conjure a Villain tent is; it's where Pirates League is; it's where the pumpkin carvers are; it's where the Halloween crafts and games are;  and it's where the characters in Halloween garb can be found outside of the MHP.  The Villains would have to be relocated again (maybe to a better photo spot this time around), and the pumpkin carvers would have to go somewhere else.
> 
> Anyway, none of this is official and it may not come to fruition at all, but IF Disney has Big Thunder Ranch in mind for part of the Star Wars expansion (if there is going to be a Star Wars expansion at all), they would probably announce it next year at the D23 Expo, and the work would probably commence in 2016.
> 
> So, if the Ranch is on the chopping block, we may have this coming Halloween Time season and next year's Halloween Time to enjoy the Halloween Carnival, and then, after that...who knows?
> 
> ...All the more reason for Disney to hustle and start bringing some Halloween back to DCA!



I have mixed feelings about this if it does come true. I would not miss Toon Town. Never been a fan. However DD8 gasped and said "But where will Mickey and Minnie live?!?!". I love the Big Thunder ranch area and would miss that. But, overall, its an under used space so it makes sense. 
As for Halloween time- when we made our first Halloween visit in 2008 or 2009 I remember that the villains were over near IASW during the day. I wonder if they could do this again in place of the conjure a villain? And maybe incorporate some other aspects from within Big Thunder jamboree.  Just a thought if this rumor does come true!


----------



## Sherry E

Kristina4109 said:


> The last time I was at CA during Halloween time was at least five years ago, but I loved how they played candy inspired music.  I also loved the candy corn theme going around the place.



*Kristina4109 --*

I remember always hearing "I Want Candy" played in DCA!  I loved the themed music in DCA (sometimes they played songs like "Monster Mash" or other appropriate Halloween-ish tunes).  And I loved Candy Corn Acres, with all of the candy corn "plants" and the candy corn hanging from the Golden Gate Bridge, as well as the candy corn tower/factory.

At one point there was even a candy corn version of the CALIFORNIA letters in front of DCA.

That's all gone.  In fact, Candy Corn Acres hasn't been there since 2009, so you probably saw it in its final year.

DCA has been sorely lacking in Halloween décor and music over the last several years.  There's a Halloween version of the Mad T Party, but it's not really obvious to a lot of people and it's tucked out of the way.  Also, Duffy has a photo spot and he is wearing a pumpkin costume.






mikana876 said:


> I would be very sad if they tore down ToonTown



*mikana876 --*

I would be as well.  Even though I really only make a point of spending time back there during the holiday season (when all of the wonderful themed decorations are up), I actually love the Car Toon Spin ride.  That land is one of the best lands in terms of the famous Disney details, which is why I love it.  I see something new every time I go -- not that new things are being added, but I am just noticing them for the first time.  There is always something to see.

Toontown was the first all-new land that went up since I began going to DLR (all of the other lands were already built and in place in my younger years, though Bear Country changed to Critter Country over time, and Fantasyland had its expansion/makeover in 1983), and I remember the excitement my friends and I felt over being able to see an all-new land from the start, before it was 'worn in.'  We spent a lot of time in TT back in the '90s.

I can't even imagine a Star Wars Land taking over Toontown and the Ranch, and it may never happen at all -- but we will probably find out next year, at the Expo!





Dot2Vegas said:


> I have mixed feelings about this if it does come true. I would not miss Toon Town. Never been a fan. However DD8 gasped and said "But where will Mickey and Minnie live?!?!". I love the Big Thunder ranch area and would miss that. But, overall, its an under used space so it makes sense.
> As for Halloween time- when we made our first Halloween visit in 2008 or 2009 I remember that the villains were over near IASW during the day. I wonder if they could do this again in place of the conjure a villain? And maybe incorporate some other aspects from within Big Thunder jamboree.  Just a thought if this rumor does come true!



*Dot2Vegas --*

The Villains used to be in DCA (there were several of them out and about in the Hollywood area), through Halloween Time 2008.  In 2009 the Villains moved over to one concentrated photo spot near IASW (where you saw them), and there were often 3 of them there to meet at a time.  They remained near IASW through 2011.  

In 2012, the Halloween Carnival opened up at the Ranch (and it expanded the existing concept of the Halloween Roundup), and the silly Conjure a Villain tent was the new place to meet Villains -- except for that people could literally only meet one Villain at a time, and if they wanted to meet more than that they would have to get back in line or return later in the day.  Even then, they were not guaranteed to meet a different Villain than the one they had just met earlier in the day because there was no way to see who was being "Conjured."

So, to that end, relocating the Villains and putting them back into some sort of multi-Villain photo spot out in the open (where everyone could see who they were meeting) would be better.  I suspect/think that Disney is trying to limit the Villains in the daytime and make them more exclusive to the Halloween Party so people will buy tickets to meet them.


----------



## DisneyJamieCA

Sherry, today was the first day of school - aka the official "unofficial" start of Fall  It's been totally overcast here all day, although we're supposed to warm up later this week.


----------



## Cheshirecatty

*Hi CassieF!*

Like *Sherry said*, we *did *do the Ultimate Experience, a couple of years ago!  

Boy howdy, *Sherry*, I *knew* you were good, but I *can't **believe* you remembered that!g!

We *did* get priority seating on the three attractions Sherry mentioned(Haunted Mansion, Tower of Terror, Space Mt. Ghost Galaxy), and also *Big Thunder Mt. RR*(pre-renovation!)

We got treats(can't remember what they were---sorry),  hot apple cider, and really cute pins.

We were not given priority seating for the Cavalcade OR the Fireworks---Darn!  We would have loved that!.

Our *Ultimate Experience* began at 3:30pm(check-in time at 3:15pm), and ended about 6:30pm(1/2 an hour after the Halloween Party had started---we did the *UE* on a Tuesday).

They were still tweaking things, when we did the *UE*, so I believe a few things may have changed after that!


----------



## Sherry E

DisneyJamieCA said:


> Sherry, today was the first day of school - aka the official "unofficial" start of Fall  It's been totally overcast here all day, although we're supposed to warm up later this week.



*Jamie -*

Woohoo!  That's good for me -- it will be Fall here too, as far as I'm concerned!  Let's make it Fall for everyone!  (It's supposed to get hotter by the weekend here as well.)  I'm surprised that kids have to go back to school on a Wednesday -- that seems like an odd day to start school!  Whatever happened to Monday start days?

Well, what better way to kick off the new school year and the unofficial start of Fall than with Caramel Apple Oreos -- which are now on sale at Target (exclusively)?!  I just got an alert on my RSS feed that the Caramel Apple Oreos arrive today.  I wonder if the "apple" taste would be any good.  The filling is half-green and half-brown, so the colors are fitting.  I have tried the lemon Oreos and those are great (if you like lemon cookies), but I just wonder how good the Caramel Apple versions would be.  Hmmm....






Cheshirecatty said:


> *Hi CassieF!*
> 
> Like *Sherry said*, we *did *do the Ultimate Experience, a couple of years ago!
> 
> Boy howdy, *Sherry*, I *knew* you were good, but I *can't **believe* you remembered that!g!
> 
> We *did* get priority seating on the three attractions Sherry mentioned(Haunted Mansion, Tower of Terror, Space Mt. Ghost Galaxy), and also *Big Thunder Mt. RR*(pre-renovation!)
> 
> We got treats(can't remember what they were---sorry),  hot apple cider, and really cute pins.
> 
> We were not given priority seating for the Cavalcade OR the Fireworks---Darn!  We would have loved that!.
> 
> Our *Ultimate Experience* began at 3:30pm(check-in time at 3:15pm), and ended about 6:30pm(1/2 an hour after the Halloween Party had started---we did the *UE* on a Tuesday).
> 
> They were still tweaking things, when we did the *UE*, so I believe a few things may have changed after that!



*Cheshirecatty --*

I am slipping!  I only remembered that you had spoken of doing the UE in the past, but I couldn't recall if you said that you did it in 2013 or in 2012.  Thank you for coming in to give the details.  (Hopefully Cassie will come back!)

I love the idea of the hot apple cider (as opposed to the hot chocolate on the Holiday tour) -- it would be nice if the weather were actually cool enough to fully appreciate the cider, so let's hope for a drop in temperatures in the Fall.  Fall cannot get here soon enough for me -- although it usually takes until November for the weather to truly get cooler.


----------



## Kilala

It's 2 weeks before I go back to work. I work at a elementary school in Tustin and we don't start until September 3rd. The school in Orange where I live started today 9/20




I forgot to mention that NONE of the MHP's dated have sold out yet. I will buy my ticket for the 26th of September 3rd. And if I can afford it I will get my ticket for the 31st next month after I get food for myself and my cats. I have been trying to manage my money better since April. So far it is working.


----------



## SusanMatt

They stopped updating the park calendar at Sept. 27th. I keep refreshing the page daily for the day we will arrive, 9/28, but it's not there. I'm starting to feel paranoid.  

https://disneyland.disney.go.com/accessible-calendar/month/2014-09-01/


----------



## abminer

Just bought our tickets for Oct 3. I'm also eager for park hours to come out. 

We won't have standard park tickets for that day, so we plan to head into the park at the 3 hours early mark. Do long lines form at the special event turnstiles before that time?  Do we have to enter them at the main gates or could we monorail in (staying at DLH)?


----------



## Dot2Vegas

abminer said:
			
		

> Just bought our tickets for Oct 3. I'm also eager for park hours to come out.
> 
> We won't have standard park tickets for that day, so we plan to head into the park at the 3 hours early mark. Do long lines form at the special event turnstiles before that time?  Do we have to enter them at the main gates or could we monorail in (staying at DLH)?



We are going on the 3rd also! 
We always arrive at 3 pm for a 4pm entry. I have a huge anxiety issue with being late so I am always too early. Id say a line starts forming about 30 minutes prior to opening for the event. By the time the gate opens for the party there is a long but manageable line. Not sure about mono rail entry. Its a marked entry for party guests at the main gates. Im assuming that they dont do that at the monorail.


----------



## TulipsNZ

SusanMatt said:


> They stopped updating the park calendar at Sept. 27th. I keep refreshing the page daily for the day we will arrive, 9/28, but it's not there. I'm starting to feel paranoid.
> 
> https://disneyland.disney.go.com/accessible-calendar/month/2014-09-01/



I knowhow you feel, I need the schedule for the next two days 28th/29th so I can book reservations but the calendar has stalled!

Ok what's even weirder is they have the dates from the 20th - 31st Oct up but not the end of Sept or beginning of Oct.


----------



## PixiDustDears

Since I had photobucket open for the Holiday thread, I thought I'd post some Halloween photos as well.

Halloween 

















Haunted Mansion












Party


----------



## sgrap

PixiDustDears said:


> Since I had photobucket open for the Holiday thread, I thought I'd post some Halloween photos as well.
> 
> Halloween
> 
> ]


These are great photos!!  Thank you for sharing them!
Are any of them from MHP, just to be curious?  Thanks!


----------



## Diszona

TulipsNZ said:


> I knowhow you feel, I need the schedule for the next two days 28th/29th so I can book reservations but the calendar has stalled!
> 
> Ok what's even weirder is they have the dates from the 20th - 31st Oct up but not the end of Sept or beginning of Oct.



I am in the same boat.  The dates they have for October don't actually look like the right dates, it looks like they just copied the August calendar to October.


----------



## PixiDustDears

sgrap said:


> These are great photos!!  Thank you for sharing them!
> Are any of them from MHP, just to be curious?  Thanks!



The last 5 are from. MHP.  And the ones with Clairabell, Goofy, and Donald were taken during the toon town pre-party.


----------



## Solomani

sgrap said:


> These are great photos!!  Thank you for sharing them!
> Are any of them from MHP, just to be curious?  Thanks!



Indeed, great pics!  Do Phineas and Ferb get a Halloween makeover as well?  My kids are big fans.


----------



## PixiDustDears

Solomani said:


> Indeed, great pics!  Do Phineas and Ferb get a Halloween makeover as well?  My kids are big fans.



They have a photo spot where they switch out with Agent P.  They were not in costume however. 
These are from 2011 and aren't very good.


----------



## Vala

I got a couple from last year. The background was tweaked meanwhile apparently.


----------



## TulipsNZ

PixiDustDears said:


> The last 5 are from. MHP.  And the ones with Clairabell, Goofy, and Donald were taken during the toon town pre-party.



I so hope they do the toon-town pre party, your photos are fantastic!


----------



## Solomani

Great, thanks for clarifying.


----------



## CassieF

Thanks for your input!  Without reserved seating I have no interest.  I'm a local with an AP so rides are not an issue.  our main focus will be for villains, which my 2 yo niece adores, and rare characters.  We are planning on sept 30th but that may change once a friend or two finds out which parties they are working.

So, for rare characters and villains...what are all the Halloween party exclusives?  I believe Wendy is one, and Jack Sparrow.  For villains, we have yet to meet the Queen of Hearts, Hades, The Tremaines, Jafar...who else is there?  We've got the Evil a Queen, Cruella, Hook, and Maleficent...

And for Mickey and Friends, are their outfits the same during the party as during the day at Big Thunder Ranch?

Oh, and does Darth Vader make appearances or just storm troopers?


----------



## Vala

Going from last year: 

Besides Jack Sparrow and Wendy Phineas and Ferb plus Agent P were party exclusives. I think I read someone met Mr Smee at the pirate stop too, but I can't definitely recall. Pocahontas was at the Princess meet seemingly random. Took me ages to get her. Rabbit was at the Pooh photo stop about every three sets. Roger Rabbit was in Toontown during the pre trick or treating along Donald in wizard costume and Chip and Dale as sailors. I didn't see those outfits anywhere else. As seen in the pictures Clarabelle and Goofy in special outfit were there too. Pluto's color also looked different to his day one.

Mickey's and Minnie's party outfits are different from the day outfits, and if they do Toontown pre trick or treating again those outfits were again different from the main party outfits. 

There was a rumor Darth would be coming out one night I was at the party, but at the switches we caught it was always Stormtroopers for Stormtroopers.

For the villains the two main sets I saw last year were Evil Queen, Malificent, Jafar first set. Facilier, Hades and Cruella second set. The Tremaines were at a separate photo stop near where the characters came in, but it seemed pretty random. Sometimes they went in with the carriage, sometimes they stayed out. I only saw the Queen of Hearts once, walking randomly around Town Square. She seemed on her way in and only paused for a photo really quickly. Was hard not too because I pretty much pounced on her squealing.


----------



## laura&fam

I wondered about Darth Vader too so I checked on the first page of this thread in the post about MHP near the bottom there is a section on what characters were seen last year and if they are exclusive to MHP or not.  Sorry, I don't know how to post a link to that particular post.


----------



## Dizzy4DL

Hope this is the right thread...I am wondering about early November.

We'll arrive mid-morning on November 2nd, which is a Sunday. I'm hoping that since Halloween falls on a (Friday) weekend night, Disney won't feel the need to begin removing decorations and the Space Mountain overlay until at least the (Monday) 3rd. Would love to get a picture in front of the big Mickey pumpkin with my family.

Any thoughts?


----------



## Sherry E

*Let me just say that my Ralphs store (Ralphs is in the Kroger family of stores, and it seems to be exclusive to California, for those who don't know Ralphs) is apparently sleeping on the job!  I went up and down every single aisle in the store today, scanning the shelves for signs of Fall/Harvest/Autumn versions of things.  I don't even think they had the Fall Collection/Pumpkin Pie Diner stuff from Glade on the shelves, let alone anything else!   

No Pumpkin Spice Milano Cookies.  No Pumpkin Pie Spice Jif Whips.  No Pumpkin Pie Pillsbury Toaster Strudel.  No Halloween candy.  No Halloween Oreos of any kind.  Nothing.  

How is it that the "pharmacy stores" such as Walgreens, Rite Aid and CVS are getting their Fall stuff in, and Target and Walmart each have exclusive seasonal products, and yet at Ralphs, a grocery store -- nothing?!  It was all back-to-school stuff!  Madness!  With this horrible lack of Fall merchandise, you'd almost think that it was still summer or something! 

In any event, I read somewhere -- can't recall where -- that Twix Ghosts are now at CVS!!!  *


​

*Vala* and *Amanda* -- Thank you so much for posting those amazing photos!  I know that, as the MHP looms large, people who have never been to it before will want to see what they can expect.  Those photos help a lot!



​




abminer said:


> Just bought our tickets for Oct 3. I'm also eager for park hours to come out.
> 
> We won't have standard park tickets for that day, so we plan to head into the park at the 3 hours early mark. Do long lines form at the special event turnstiles before that time?  Do we have to enter them at the main gates or could we monorail in (staying at DLH)?



*abminer --*

*Dot2Vegas* explained a bit about the lines at the gates/turnstiles.  You know, my first guess and instinct is to say no, you can't take the Monorail in with just an MHP ticket.  But since you're going to be heading to the park 3 hours before the MHP starts, I wonder if you would be allowed?  I don't think anyone has ever asked that, or reported on doing it that way!  If you are allowed to take the Monorail in at 4 p.m., you'd have to find the wristband distribution station inside DL.





CassieF said:


> Thanks for your input!  Without reserved seating I have no interest.  I'm a local with an AP so rides are not an issue.  our main focus will be for villains, which my 2 yo niece adores, and rare characters.  We are planning on sept 30th but that may change once a friend or two finds out which parties they are working.
> 
> So, for rare characters and villains...what are all the Halloween party exclusives?  I believe Wendy is one, and Jack Sparrow.  For villains, we have yet to meet the Queen of Hearts, Hades, The Tremaines, Jafar...who else is there?  We've got the Evil a Queen, Cruella, Hook, and Maleficent...
> 
> And for Mickey and Friends, are their outfits the same during the party as during the day at Big Thunder Ranch?
> 
> Oh, and does Darth Vader make appearances or just storm troopers?



*Cassie --*

I just realized now (I'm a little slow on the uptake, apparently!) that I've seen you post on MiceChat before!  I've seen your threads -- in fact, you were the one I remember who was posting about being at DL for one of the #GetHappier Mondays, and I think you had your niece with you (was that the 7 Dwarfs Monday, or am I totally imagining that detail?)!  You have the ongoing trip report thread as well, which I've looked through (it's great!).  Anyway, hi!

I don't post on MiceChat, obviously (I'm sure there would be some sort of conflict of interest or something, since I'm a mod on _this_ board), but I do go over there and 'peek in on' what people are discussing.  I think that all of the Disneyland-related discussion boards spy on each other from time to time, just to see if anyone has any inside intel!

*Vala* gave you some great info above, about the characters at the MHP.  I don't know if you've had a chance to look over this MHP FAQ post from page 1 (which *laura&fam* mentioned), but it may give you additional info as to what you can expect at the MHP as far as characters, etc.  





laura&fam said:


> I wondered about Darth Vader too so I checked on the first page of this thread in the post about MHP near the bottom there is a section on what characters were seen last year and if they are exclusive to MHP or not.  Sorry, I don't know how to post a link to that particular post.



*laura&fam --*

It's the thought that counts!  At least you checked the MHP FAQ for the info and tried to refer Cassie to it!   Thank you! 

To link specific posts (just in case you ever have to do it in any thread), look for the post # in the upper right corner of any post you want to link.  Click on that number, which will then open up a separate tab/window with just that post only.  Copy the link as you would copy any page's link, and it should have the post # at the very end.  For example, the MHP FAQ is post #3, so the link to that post looks like this - http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=51326916&postcount=3.





Dizzy4DL said:


> Hope this is the right thread...I am wondering about early November.
> 
> We'll arrive mid-morning on November 2nd, which is a Sunday. I'm hoping that since Halloween falls on a (Friday) weekend night, Disney won't feel the need to begin removing decorations and the Space Mountain overlay until at least the (Monday) 3rd. Would love to get a picture in front of the big Mickey pumpkin with my family.
> 
> Any thoughts?



*Dizzy4DL -*

Well, I think it is highly _possible_ that Ghost Galaxy _could_ remain open through the weekend following Halloween -- because a lot of Halloween night visitors will probably stay over that weekend and it would make sense to keep a big ride like that open for them.  Plus, Space Mountain doesn't have to rapidly shift gears into "holiday mode" or anything, so there isn't as much of a need to close it down on 11/1.

However, that said, it is pushing it to hope/expect/think that all of the decorations are going to remain up until "at least the 3rd."   Disney has to rapidly transform Disneyland and DCA into a holiday wonderland, and the holiday season decorations are much, much, much more extensive and they require more work.  For example, the Christmas parade will probably be taped on November 7th and November 8th, and most of the Disneyland decorations have to be up and in place by that time, as do many of the holiday events.  That's only one week from Halloween.

Also, the Halloween Carnival has to shut down to go into Jingle Jangle Jamboree mode.

My guess is that you may see some lingering, stray pumpkins around the Hub.  You may even see a few random pumpkins left in window displays on Main Street.  The Dia de los Muertos display in Frontierland is likely to stay up a couple of days past 10/31 so you should be able to see that.  Of course, Haunted Mansion Holiday will be open.

As for the above-turnstile pumpkins and the giant Mickey pumpkin in Town Square... I think that there is always a chance they _could_ be left up a little beyond Halloween rather than the CMs trying to dismantle everything over a weekend, but again, keeping in mind that the Christmas parade will probably be taped on 11/7 and 11/8, any signs of Halloween have to come down from the areas that will be part of the filming (including Main Street).  

I tend to think that, if DLR wanted to guarantee that they'd keep the Halloween Time stuff up past 10/31, they would have announced that Halloween Time was ending on 11/2 (which is what I expected they would do, and they did not do it).  Instead, they very definitely stated that Halloween Time was ending on 10/31, so that means that some things -- if not all things -- will start coming down as of 11/1 to begin the transformation into holiday mode.


----------



## 2tinkerbell

I feel like some kind of stalker.  I check the Disneyland website everyday for the park hours to be posted.  We are down to 39 days and counting.

I guess one reason I am so anxious for the hours to be posted is somewhere I read that the DL restaurants are all closing at 5pm.  I want to know if that is true.  But, on the other hand, we will most likely be doing CA that night for WOC as that is our only night for that.  

Okay, back to your regularly scheduled programming.  I will continue to stalk away.


----------



## Sherry E

2tinkerbell said:


> I feel like some kind of stalker.  I check the Disneyland website everyday for the park hours to be posted.  We are down to 39 days and counting.
> 
> I guess one reason I am so anxious for the hours to be posted is somewhere I read that the DL restaurants are all closing at 5pm.  I want to know if that is true.  But, on the other hand, we will most likely be doing CA that night for WOC as that is our only night for that.
> 
> Okay, back to your regularly scheduled programming.  I will continue to stalk away.



*2tinkerbell --*

  I don't blame you!  Stalking is all that can be done at this time until their calendar and schedule are updated.  

...But it has just been really quiet on the seasonal news front in general, it seems.  Maybe I am imagining that, and I will have to go back and look at the assorted Blogs and Press Releases from last year to see when the Halloween Time info came in.

Now, realistically, I do realize we are still in August (though basically in the home stretch of August) and I shouldn't necessarily expect to see an onslaught of Halloween Time news and info rolling in right now.   

However, the Halloween-related Parks Blogs continue to come in about the Halloween trees on the Disney Cruise Line's ships this year.  They've done 3 Blogs about those trees so far (they've even done a blog about the Holiday season on the ships!) and we have basically gotten the Blog with the announcement of the Halloween Time season dates and the MHP dates, as well as a "what are your favorite things about the MHP" Blog.  Beyond that, there have just been fleeting Halloween references in Blogs about costumes or makeovers, or the Elsa and Anna Boutique or whatever.

And, there has been nothing announced about the DLR holiday season start dates at all, which is inconsistent with what happened last year and in 2012.

One thing we can be 100% certain of (in September or early October, most likely) is that there will be at least one Parks Blog about Halloween Time food.  They may be broken up into two blogs -- one about the savory meals and menu items, and one about the sweets and treats -- or there could be one main blog covering it all.  But, one way or another, there will be a Halloween Time food blog at some point, and Pam Brandon will probably be the one writing it!


----------



## pattyduke34

Wish I were going to the party again this year but at least I will be there for the Halloween season...


----------



## Kristina4109

I'm not changing my ticker just yet, but there is a possibility that my Imagineer buddy will be able to get my family in to DL Park this Saturday to play Legends of Frontierland!  Fingers crossed...


----------



## DisneyJamieCA

I'm headed to Target tomorrow, but I did go to Costco today. They have their costumes out already (and there are some Anna coronation - obviously not Disney quality, but for $18, quite a steal I think). They had some Halloween decorations for sale, along with candy (the big mix bags), but I didn't see that any of their food offerings have switched over to Fall yet (soups, butternut squash, etc). They did however have some Christmas books my littlest one spied - I don't know if those are out year round or not though.


----------



## valiamo

pattyduke34 said:


> Wish I were going to the party again this year but at least I will be there for the Halloween season...



Just love the picture of the 3 witches and the warlock, great picture.   Are they CM's, the one in red I swear I have seen on TV.


----------



## laura&fam

Here is a link to about a dozen photos from Halloween season two years ago: http://s930.photobucket.com/user/laura_fam/library/Halloween DL 2012

Some photos, mostly the night ones, are from MHP and the rest are during regular park hours.  I loved the pumpkin carving at the carnival area so there are a bunch of photos from that.


----------



## Kilala

I won't be able to go shopping again untill the 3rd of September. I'm pretty sure that at least Wal-Mart will have some decorations up. For some reason the Target in my city is always 2 weeks behind Wal-Mart. They are across the street from each other. I will take pics with my digital camera since it is easy for me to upload them here. I'm so excited I can't wait untill I get my tickets!!! I might try to sqeezz in a 3rd date.


----------



## CassieF

Sherry, yes, I'm over on micechat, usually more than here as the DL section seems to be more active there than here.  I did spend a lot of time here planning my WDW vacay and now try to keep up with both sites if I have time!  

We were there for the 7dwarfs Monday....it was totally unplanned but a character host on Main Street gave us the hint so we were able to line up and be the very first!  Plus she happened to be wearing her Snow White shirt!  It just worked perfectly!  If only they had Snow and the Evil Queen out with them for a complete set!

Yes, my ongoing trip report is fun....plus it gives me motivation to diversify my activities so I have different pictures to post, although if there's a villain there we usually spend most of our day meeting her!  

I did look over the first page and the info posted.  It looks like we'll have to head over to the pre party for extra character costumes (I know Roger was a big draw last year but we met him at Easter) and then meet Mickey and friends again during the party.  We'll have the daytime outfits done for sure, since we'll be spending a LOT of time up at conjure a villain!  

We may end up going to a second party, depending on the schedule of a few villain friends...






Only three more weeks to go!!!!  I'm quite excited for Halloween and especially for the return of the Evil Queen!  My niece is going to be so happy!


----------



## Davidg83

I know it may only be 6am but when I saw these on my desk I had to break into them! Amazing!!


----------



## jessicaerv

abminer said:


> Just bought our tickets for Oct 3. I'm also eager for park hours to come out.
> 
> We won't have standard park tickets for that day, so we plan to head into the park at the 3 hours early mark. Do long lines form at the special event turnstiles before that time?  Do we have to enter them at the main gates or could we monorail in (staying at DLH)?



Lurker here, finally able to provide unique information! 

We've attended MHP 2 of the last 3 years. In 2011 the Monorail CMs had a small table with the wristbands and goodie bags, and did allow us entrance into the park with our MHP tickets.  Unfortunately, that option was not available in 2012.  I can't answer for last year, but I would guess that there were solid business reasons for no longer allowing that practice, and we will all have to check in through the main gates for the MHP.

HTH!


----------



## briggscreek

So they just added this year's Halloween in-room celebration package to the website - has anyone done this? Was it worth it?

http://disneyland.disneyfloralandgi...lainous+halloween.do?sortby=ourPicks&from=fn#


----------



## Pigletears

Oct. 3rd party Sold Out!!


----------



## Kilala

Wow!. I hope the 26th or the 31st don't sell out before I can get to them.


----------



## Diszona

Pigletears said:


> Oct. 3rd party Sold Out!!



If anyone is interested in the party call the Tickets and Reservations line.  We had the same issue with this party last year and in a last ditch attempt I called them.  It turned out that while the tickets through the website were gone they still had a small number of tickets sold over the phone.  I don't know if that is still the case this year but it would be worth a call if this is the party you want to attend.





Kilala said:


> Wow!. I hope the 26th or the 31st don't sell out before I can get to them.



That Friday party tends to sell out early because it is during Gay Days, so the demand tends to be higher.


----------



## CassieF

Diszona said:


> That Friday party tends to sell out early because it is during Gay Days, so the demand tends to be higher.



Wow, I knew that day would sell out first but it surprises me it sold out before the actual Halloween one!


----------



## Diszona

CassieF said:


> Wow, I knew that day would sell out first but it surprises me it sold out before the actual Halloween one!



True, even last year when it sold out, if I remember correctly it was only a few weeks before the party, not August.  We got our tickets this year for the Sep 30th party instead and will probably use Friday as our relax day before finishing our trip on Saturday.  I will say that even with the sell out last year the party itself didn't seem too crowded to me (the 3 hour early entry is another story )


----------



## Kristina4109

It's really happening!

Remember my Imagineer friend?  He was on the team who designed the Legends of Frontierland role playing game/show at Disneyland.  Of course he couldn't tell me anything while it was in development, but now that it's "live" he's really proud of his "baby."

Well, turns out he has to work on site tomorrow, and they're getting my family in there FREE so that we can play Legends!  We haven't told DD8 yet; we're going to wake her up, convince her to wear her cowgirl dress that her Aunt made her and her cowgirl hat, and get her in the car.  It's so hard to keep the surprise.


----------



## DisneyJamieCA

So I went to Target today and the only holiday offerings I found were Pumpkin Spice M&Ms and Candy Corn M&Ms.


----------



## Sherry E

*Since my Ralphs came up empty-handed in terms of any and all signs of Fall/Harvest/Halloween packaging, I shall head back to CVS this weekend (and possibly Target too) and stalk the aisles.  If the Twix Ghosts are at CVS (and they have been reported to be), I know that there have to be other items too -- just not as wide of a selection of seasonal goods as what would be in the supermarket.

But, at this point, even the 99 Cents Only store has some Halloween stuff in stock.  Ralphs is really dragging its heels.


By the way, am I the only one who is slightly annoyed by the fact that the Parks Blog continues to do blogs about all of the wondrous Halloween happenings at MNSSHP at WDW, and on the Disney Cruise Line, but they seem to be giving us very little news about our Halloween Time and MHP?  Today there was yet another Parks Blog about the extra Villains and "enhancements" being added into MNSSHP! Are we getting more Villains and "enhancements" at the MHP too?

The lack of/delay in information/news this year (on both the Halloween and Holiday season fronts) is very odd.*


​



*pattyduke34* -- I love your photos!  They're always so much fun!


​



Kristina4109 said:


> I'm not changing my ticker just yet, but there is a possibility that my Imagineer buddy will be able to get my family in to DL Park this Saturday to play Legends of Frontierland!  Fingers crossed...



*Kristina4109 --*

That's wonderful!  Get in there and play it before it goes away!  I have a feeling that Legends will be back at some point, or a similarly themed, interactive game will be back, with a new story, but who knows when?




laura&fam said:


> Here is a link to about a dozen photos from Halloween season two years ago: http://s930.photobucket.com/user/laura_fam/library/Halloween DL 2012
> 
> Some photos, mostly the night ones, are from MHP and the rest are during regular park hours.  I loved the pumpkin carving at the carnival area so there are a bunch of photos from that.



*laura&fam --*

Those are great pictures!  I agree.  The pumpkin carvers are amazing.  It's hard to believe they can get so creative with pumpkins and gourds of various shapes and sizes.  I also love the fact that those pumpkins change as the season rolls along -- what is there one week will not necessarily be there the following week, as some of the pumpkins have a longer lifespan than others.  So they have to keep replenishing the supply of carved pumpkins.




Kilala said:


> I won't be able to go shopping again untill the 3rd of September. I'm pretty sure that at least Wal-Mart will have some decorations up. For some reason the Target in my city is always 2 weeks behind Wal-Mart. They are across the street from each other. I will take pics with my digital camera since it is easy for me to upload them here. I'm so excited I can't wait untill I get my tickets!!! I might try to sqeezz in a 3rd date.



*Kilala --*

I don't have any Walmarts in my area, so that is not even an option for me, but they do seem to be getting in exclusive seasonal products every year -- while Target gets the other exclusive products.





CassieF said:


> Sherry, yes, I'm over on micechat, usually more than here as the DL section seems to be more active there than here.  I did spend a lot of time here planning my WDW vacay and now try to keep up with both sites if I have time!
> 
> We were there for the 7dwarfs Monday....it was totally unplanned but a character host on Main Street gave us the hint so we were able to line up and be the very first!  Plus she happened to be wearing her Snow White shirt!  It just worked perfectly!  If only they had Snow and the Evil Queen out with them for a complete set!
> 
> Yes, my ongoing trip report is fun....plus it gives me motivation to diversify my activities so I have different pictures to post, although if there's a villain there we usually spend most of our day meeting her!
> 
> I did look over the first page and the info posted.  It looks like we'll have to head over to the pre party for extra character costumes (I know Roger was a big draw last year but we met him at Easter) and then meet Mickey and friends again during the party.  We'll have the daytime outfits done for sure, since we'll be spending a LOT of time up at conjure a villain!
> 
> We may end up going to a second party, depending on the schedule of a few villain friends...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Only three more weeks to go!!!!  I'm quite excited for Halloween and especially for the return of the Evil Queen!  My niece is going to be so happy!




*Cassie --*

I do notice that MiceChat seems to be very active and the DL forum pages turn quickly, but a lot of the threads seem to be "how would you change X, Y and Z" sorts of subjects or "what if..." sorts of topics rather than discussions about what is actually happening or going to happen at DLR.  We put most of the just-for-fun stuff that doesn't directly have to do with planning DLR trips over in the Disneyland Community forum, so that kind of breaks up some of the posts and threads that come in.

I think that we definitely tend to get more in-depth with the year-round Halloween Time and Christmas/Holiday Season discussion on this forum than what I've seen on MiceChat.


I wonder if the Toontown pre-party will even be happening this year.  There has been so little information about what is taking place at the MHP that it's anyone's guess!

I love your pictures -- your little niece is so cute!  She will love the MHP, I think.

I have to admit -- I just had to do a double take.  I have been leading the charge to Fall, Halloween and the Holiday Season in this thread and in my Holiday/Christmas Superthread, monitoring all of the early signs of seasonal products appearing on shelves and waiting for news from any and all Disney sources.  

But when I saw your sentence that said "_Only three more weeks to go_," it didn't seem possible.  I had to re-read the sentence and then look at my calendar to confirm to myself that, indeed, Halloween Time is starting in THREE WEEKS!   I couldn't believe it.  It seemed unreal.  I have spent all of this time trying to wish summer away and pray for the sweet relief of Autumn, that it somehow escaped me that Halloween Time is starting in 3 weeks!

Where has the time gone?  I feel like I have been locked in a vault and lost track of time, only to come out and realize that the giant Mickey pumpkin will be winking at people in Town Square in the blink of an eye!  It's a very odd feeling, because everything seemed sooooo far away at one point -- and now it doesn't!




Davidg83 said:


> I know it may only be 6am but when I saw these on my desk I had to break into them! Amazing!!



*Davidg83 --*

Yay!  So are they on the shelves at Target now? And, do they taste anything like caramel apple?  I like the lemon Oreos, but I wonder how the apple flavor would taste.

I wonder if the Candy Corn Oreos will be returning this year, or if they have been replaced by Caramel Apple.






jessicaerv said:


> Lurker here, finally able to provide unique information!
> 
> We've attended MHP 2 of the last 3 years. In 2011 the Monorail CMs had a small table with the wristbands and goodie bags, and did allow us entrance into the park with our MHP tickets.  Unfortunately, that option was not available in 2012.  I can't answer for last year, but I would guess that there were solid business reasons for no longer allowing that practice, and we will all have to check in through the main gates for the MHP.
> 
> HTH!




*jessicaerv --*

Thank you so much for stepping in to answer that question!  I wasn't sure if anyone would know because I had never seen it mentioned before.  I am thinking you're probably right and that the Monorail won't be an option this time around.





briggscreek said:


> So they just added this year's Halloween in-room celebration package to the website - has anyone done this? Was it worth it?
> 
> http://disneyland.disneyfloralandgi...lainous+halloween.do?sortby=ourPicks&from=fn#



*briggscreek --*

DIS'er *Lucrezia* ordered it last year.  In *this post*, she shared some photos of what she got with the in-room celebration.

*Lucrezia* also did a trip report, and in *this post* and *this post* she included some amazing, detailed photos of the in-room celebration.






Pigletears said:


> Oct. 3rd party Sold Out!!



*Pigletears --*

Wow! Thanks for letting us know.  DIS'er *figment_jii* is going to keep a list of the sellouts as they happen, but I can add a note about 10/3 being sold out in the MHP post on page 1.





Diszona said:


> If anyone is interested in the party call the Tickets and Reservations line.  We had the same issue with this party last year and in a last ditch attempt I called them.  It turned out that while the tickets through the website were gone they still had a small number of tickets sold over the phone.  I don't know if that is still the case this year but it would be worth a call if this is the party you want to attend.
> 
> That Friday party tends to sell out early because it is during Gay Days, so the demand tends to be higher.



*Diszona --*

Very true.  Gay Days is a big factor in that particular night selling out.  When Gay Days has been closer to the first night of the party in the past, the first night sold out faster.





Diszona said:


> True, even last year when it sold out, if I remember correctly it was only a few weeks before the party, not August.  We got our tickets this year for the Sep 30th party instead and will probably use Friday as our relax day before finishing our trip on Saturday.  I will say that even with the sell out last year the party itself didn't seem too crowded to me (the 3 hour early entry is another story )



*Diszona --*

Traditionally, it used to always be that the very first party night and Halloween night would sell out first.  Then, the Gays Days party night (when it was no longer falling on the night of the first MHP) began to sell out fast.

Last year, there were 8 parties that sold out over a couple of weeks between late September and mid-October, and one of the parties right before Halloween night did not sell out.  Out of the 13 parties that took place last year, that means that 4 of the parties sold out earlier on, before late September.




Kristina4109 said:


> It's really happening!
> 
> Remember my Imagineer friend?  He was on the team who designed the Legends of Frontierland role playing game/show at Disneyland.  Of course he couldn't tell me anything while it was in development, but now that it's "live" he's really proud of his "baby."
> 
> Well, turns out he has to work on site tomorrow, and they're getting my family in there FREE so that we can play Legends!  We haven't told DD8 yet; we're going to wake her up, convince her to wear her cowgirl dress that her Aunt made her and her cowgirl hat, and get her in the car.  It's so hard to keep the surprise.



*Kristina4109 --*

Have a great time playing Legends of Frontierland, and at Disneyland in general!




DisneyJamieCA said:


> So I went to Target today and the only holiday offerings I found were Pumpkin Spice M&Ms and Candy Corn M&Ms.




*Jamie --*

Thanks for reporting back!  You may have only seen two things, but those are two major seasonal goodies!  Neither version of M&M's was at Ralphs, and so now I have to stalk the aisles at Target and CVS!  I couldn't even find the Pumpkin Pie Spice Jif Whips at Ralphs!


----------



## adventuregirl

Davidg83 said:


> I know it may only be 6am but when I saw these on my desk I had to break into them! Amazing!!



These look horrific.  I want one.  or more   Hope they are still around when we head to the States in October


----------



## zanzibar138

Sherry E said:


> By the way, am I the only one who is slightly annoyed by the fact that the Parks Blog continues to do blogs about all of the wondrous Halloween happenings at MNSSHP at WDW, and on the Disney Cruise Line, but they seem to be giving us very little news about our Halloween Time and MHP.  Today there was yet another Parks Blog about the extra Villains and "enhancements" being added into MNSSHP! Are we getting more Villains and "enhancements" at the MHP too?
> 
> The lack of/delay in information/news this year (on both the Halloween and Holiday season fronts) is very odd.



No, you are not the only one who's annoyed. And I'm not even going to a MHP 

Yes, Halloween time is certainly coming up fast. Only 3 more sleeps until I leave for my trip!


----------



## Sherry E

adventuregirl said:


> These look horrific.  I want one.  or more   Hope they are still around when we head to the States in October



*adventuregirl --*

 I had to chuckle at the "These look horrific.  I want one..." statement!  I wasn't willing to commit to buying a package of Candy Corn Oreos last year or the year before because I wasn't sure if I would like the taste.  The Caramel Apple Oreos might not be too horrible, and I might risk getting a package.




zanzibar138 said:


> No, you are not the only one who's annoyed. And I'm not even going to a MHP
> 
> Yes, Halloween time is certainly coming up fast. Only 3 more sleeps until I leave for my trip!



*zanzibar138 --*

Even aside from the MHP, it seems strangely quiet on the Halloween Time front, news-wise.  Let's assume for a second that nothing new is happening for Halloween Time this season (which is probably the case).  Usually Disney will try to take whatever returning or existing seasonal entertainment they have and write about it in a way that sounds like it's new and exciting (even if it's not).

Instead, I keep reading Blog after Blog about the Disney Cruise Line's Halloween and MNSSHP at WDW...and Epcot is taking New Year's reservations now...and there's a big gingerbread creation on the DCL ships this year for the holiday season, etc., etc.  Our Halloween Time seems to be getting overlooked, and we've heard nothing of the holiday season at DLR at all (which is not consistent with how things went for the last couple of years).

I know that we will eventually get the standard Halloween food/treats Blog (there's always one or two of those every year), and we will get a Blog that tells us what this year's gingerbread house inside Haunted Mansion Holiday looks like.  Other than those...??

Wow! You are leaving soon!  Are you all packed and ready to go?


----------



## Imdboss

For those that are anxiously waiting on calendar updates, info is posted through 9/30.


----------



## Sherry E

*figment_jii* is supposed to be keeping the list of the MHP dates as they sell out this year, but I did make notations in red next to the October 3rd MHP listings in the Days/Dates/Events to Remember post on page 1 and in the MHP FAQ post (under Questions #5 and #8).  

If I happen to hear of any other dates selling out, I will add the SOLD OUT in red to those same posts and if you guys hear of any other parties selling out, let me know so I can add the SOLD OUT next to the dates!


----------



## zanzibar138

Sherry E said:


> Wow! You are leaving soon!  Are you all packed and ready to go?



Packing this weekend. Which reminds me, I need to do a load of washing


----------



## Sherry E

zanzibar138 said:


> Packing this weekend. Which reminds me, I need to do a load of washing



*zanzibar138 --*

You'll have a great trip!  I still can't believe your trip is practically here.  It seems like so long ago when you were first starting to plan it out.


----------



## zanzibar138

Sherry E said:


> *zanzibar138 --*
> 
> You'll have a great trip!  I still can't believe your trip is practically here.  It seems like so long ago when you were first starting to plan it out.



It *was* long ago  I've been counting down for 2 years! Can't believe it's finally here


----------



## figment_jii

Sherry E said:


> *figment_jii* is supposed to be keeping the list of the MHP dates as they sell out this year, but I did make notations in red next to the October 3rd MHP listings in the Days/Dates/Events to Remember post on page 1 and in the MHP FAQ post (under Questions #5 and #8).
> 
> If I happen to hear of any other dates selling out, I will add the SOLD OUT in red to those same posts and if you guys hear of any other parties selling out, let me know so I can add the SOLD OUT next to the dates!


Just a quick check-in...I'll get the post set-up as soon as I get back!  

Sherry...the Hershey World store in Times Square is featuring Halloween candy and even have two large inflatable pumpkins with witch cats on them in the store!


----------



## mvf-m11c

Sherry E said:


> If I happen to hear of any other dates selling out, I will add the SOLD OUT in red to those same posts and if you guys hear of any other parties selling out, let me know so I can add the SOLD OUT next to the dates!



I seen that October 3rd is sold out on the DL website. But when I talked to a CM about October 3rd MHP day (since I was making dining reservations for my September trip), she told me that the online tickets was sold out. I believe she told me on the phone that there are tickets available on that day by ordering it on the phone. I don't know if this is true or not when I talked to the CM about it but someone will have to confirm if its true.


----------



## Davidg83

Sherry... The cookies aren't officially on any displays until the 31st but there was so much media attention about them this morning that many stores are finding a place to put them out for the next week so you might be able to find them. They really do taste like apple!

I'm hoping the candy corn Oreo still makes a return.  I'll be so bummed if it doesn't!


----------



## Diszona

mvf-m11c said:


> I seen that October 3rd is sold out on the DL website. But when I talked to a CM about October 3rd MHP day (since I was making dining reservations for my September trip), she told me that the online tickets was sold out. I believe she told me on the phone that there are tickets available on that day by ordering it on the phone. I don't know if this is true or not when I talked to the CM about it but someone will have to confirm if its true.



I don't know about this year but that was the case last year.


----------



## mummabear

zanzibar138 said:


> No, you are not the only one who's annoyed. And I'm not even going to a MHP
> 
> Yes, Halloween time is certainly coming up fast. Only 3 more sleeps until I leave for my trip!



We leave in 11....in that time I am throwing a baby shower and DD's 3rd birthday party (a wee bit early) plus 2 other birthday parties 
Where to find time to pack?!?

Zanzibar-I think our DLR dates are very similar, I wonder if we will "see" each other =)





CassieF said:


> Thanks for your input!  Without reserved seating I have no interest.  I'm a local with an AP so rides are not an issue.  our main focus will be for villains, which my 2 yo niece adores, and rare characters.  We are planning on sept 30th but that may change once a friend or two finds out which parties they are working.
> 
> So, for rare characters and villains...what are all the Halloween party exclusives?  I believe Wendy is one, and Jack Sparrow.  For villains, we have yet to meet the Queen of Hearts, Hades, The Tremaines, Jafar...who else is there?  We've got the Evil a Queen, Cruella, Hook, and Maleficent...
> 
> And for Mickey and Friends, are their outfits the same during the party as during the day at Big Thunder Ranch?
> 
> Oh, and does Darth Vader make appearances or just storm troopers?



Oh I am green with envy 

Wish DLR did earlier MHP dates like WDW has! We are Character hunters and are dying to see some of the rarer villians.





2tinkerbell said:


> I feel like some kind of stalker.  I check the Disneyland website everyday for the park hours to be posted.  We are down to 39 days and counting.
> 
> I guess one reason I am so anxious for the hours to be posted is somewhere I read that the DL restaurants are all closing at 5pm.  I want to know if that is true.  But, on the other hand, we will most likely be doing CA that night for WOC as that is our only night for that.
> 
> Okay, back to your regularly scheduled programming.  I will continue to stalk away.



God I thought DLR was bad waiting for 45 days. We have been stalking SeaWorld waiting for their hours and to book Dine with Shamu....it was 2 1/2 weeks out from our date before they came out! then after we booked we got an email a couple of days later to say that our dining had been cancelled due to a change in schedule and we were rebooked for xx. Really even at 2.5 weeks you still can't work out what you are doing infuriating. 

I know DLR is largely a "locals" park but I feel like things like MHP dates need to be released much earlier. Some of us are flying at great expense from quite a distance, we cannot plan these trips within 45 days...


----------



## laura&fam

mummabear said:


> We leave in 11....in that time I am throwing a baby shower and DD's 3rd birthday party (a wee bit early) plus 2 other birthday parties
> Where to find time to pack?!?
> 
> Zanzibar-I think our DLR dates are very similar, I wonder if we will "see" each other =)



Wow!  That's crazy!  You made me realize that I'm not that busy   I hope you're able to find time for everything and still get some sleep before your trip.  That's usually what gets cut out when I get really busy.


----------



## Kilala

I'm working on a 3rd cat costume just incase if I can go a third time. I dyed the unitard and it came out to dark and the purple has a a little bit of red in it. It's funny the blue that i had put on the unitard is showing up threw the dye. I will just keep on washing the unitard to see if I can make it lighter. I can't use bleach on the unitard becase, it will ruin the unitard.


----------



## zanzibar138

mummabear said:


> Zanzibar-I think our DLR dates are very similar, I wonder if we will "see" each other =)



For the September part of the trip we arrive on the 8th, and leave on the 16th  Yell out if you see us!


----------



## TulipsNZ

mummabear said:


> I know DLR is largely a "locals" park but I feel like things like MHP dates need to be released much earlier. Some of us are flying at great expense from quite a distance, we cannot plan these trips within 45 days...



I hear you!  Our park hours just got released & I've been booking and rearranging things as the hours weren't the same as historical ones.  They are better but it changes my plans


----------



## Sherry E

zanzibar138 said:


> It *was* long ago  I've been counting down for 2 years! Can't believe it's finally here



*zanzibar138 --*

These days, even 2 years seem to fly by quickly.  You're almost there!







figment_jii said:


> Just a quick check-in...I'll get the post set-up as soon as I get back!
> 
> Sherry...the Hershey World store in Times Square is featuring Halloween candy and even have two large inflatable pumpkins with witch cats on them in the store!



No problem, *figment_jii*!  I doubt that a whole slew of MHPs are going to sell out right away.  

You're in New York?  Hershey World is clearly more advanced than my stores out here if they are already at the stage where they have large inflatable pumpkins in the store!  I have seen no traces of pumpkins or Halloween candy when I have looked, but I think that things must be sneaking into stores after I stop looking!





mvf-m11c said:


> I seen that October 3rd is sold out on the DL website. But when I talked to a CM about October 3rd MHP day (since I was making dining reservations for my September trip), she told me that the online tickets was sold out. I believe she told me on the phone that there are tickets available on that day by ordering it on the phone. I don't know if this is true or not when I talked to the CM about it but someone will have to confirm if its true.



*Bret --*

I would guess that the tickets still available over the phone don't last for long.  Once people figure out that they should be calling and ordering even after the website says sold out, I'm sure that the few tickets that are left over the phone will sell out quickly too.

Sometimes non-discounted tickets become available at the ticket booths on the day of the event, and sometimes onsite DLR hotel guests can get tickets on the morning of the event.  So if someone has to go on a particular night, even without a discount, and can't change the date, there may still be ways to get tickets even after they sell out online.




Davidg83 said:


> Sherry... The cookies aren't officially on any displays until the 31st but there was so much media attention about them this morning that many stores are finding a place to put them out for the next week so you might be able to find them. They really do taste like apple!
> 
> I'm hoping the candy corn Oreo still makes a return.  I'll be so bummed if it doesn't!



*Davidg83 --*

How funny (about the media attention)!  Word spreads really fast on the Internet too.  When sites like Consumerist, The Impulsive Buy and the Junk Food Guy start reviewing and/or talking about the assorted pumpkin and caramel apple goodies already sneaking onto the shelves, a lot of people pick up on it (like myself!) and take to Facebook or other forums and blogs and talk about it.  It sounds like the advance buzz is what is prompting places like Walmart, Rite Aid and Target to get their Fall treats out sooner!  If there is a demand for it, they will supply it.

Isn't it WDW that is starting its Halloween Party (MNSSHP) this year on September 1st (Labor Day)?  That's in 9 days!  If WDW can begin handing out candy to trick-or-treaters in 9 days, Target can certainly get the Caramel Apple Oreos on the shelves a bit earlier than planned!

Maybe Nabisco decided to pass on the Candy Corn Oreos to another store chain this year, and gave the Caramel Apple ones to Target for their yearly exclusive?  Or maybe last year was the end of the Candy Corn Oreos.

Speaking of media attention and word spreading quickly, I remember when Ellen DeGeneres showed a packaged of the Candy Corn Oreos on her talk show two years ago (Halloween season 2012), and she was goofing on them, basically.  I think she is vegan and pretty healthy, so it didn't appear that those Candy Corn Oreos were the least bit appetizing to her.  I think she thought the idea of them was horrid.  I was thinking, "Now that Ellen has shown the Candy Corn Oreos on TV and told people where to find them, I'm sure they will be more popular than ever!"

What I am noticing is that the Fall/Halloween flavors of food/snacks sold at stores seem to consist of:

Pumpkin Spice
Pumpkin Pie
Pumpkin Pie Spice
Candy Corn
Caramel Apple
Candy Apple
Apple-Cinnamon






mummabear said:


> .... Wish DLR did earlier MHP dates like WDW has! We are Character hunters and are dying to see some of the rarer villians.
> 
> ...I know DLR is largely a "locals" park but I feel like things like MHP dates need to be released much earlier. Some of us are flying at great expense from quite a distance, we cannot plan these trips within 45 days...



*mummabear --*

Even if DLR didn't start its Halloween party as early as September 1st, as WDW is doing, but just started it on the first day of the Halloween Time season (9/12), I think it would be great.  

As I've said before, if they are not going to be adding anything new into the daytime roster of Halloween Time events at all, DLR might as well add more MHP nights, or start them earlier in the season.  Just a couple of weeks earlier could make a big difference to a lot of people.

Believe me -- and I am someone who would be considered a "local" to DLR by many people (though I am not really local by Southern California/Los Angeles standards) -- I agree with you.  I think that DLR should release season dates and special event dates way in advance too -- or at least when WDW releases their info. 

I think it's crazy that Disney seems to feel that we locals don't need to know dates and info way in advance just because we live closer to DLR.  

It's even crazier that New Year's Eve reservations are now being taken for Epcot, while we still have not gotten confirmed, official Holiday Season start and end dates for DLR!  The holiday season is starting in just about 11 weeks, give or take a few days. I only know that because of my experience with the holiday season and the pattern of the last few years.  Otherwise, Disney has told us nothing -- they've given us no start date at all -- and we are less than 3 months away from the season starting!!!!!  How is that logical or sensible?  

There are people coming out from Australia or New Zealand, and other countries too, I'm sure, to see Disneyland Resort in all of its holiday season splendor.  There are people who need to book their hotel rooms and flights when the rates drop at random times -- and yet, they can't be sure that Viva Navidad or World of Color-Winter Dreams or the Christmas Fantasy Parade will even be running for their entire trips because they don't know the schedule or the starting date of the season!  Madness!  Eleven weeks, roughly, is not a long time at all, and it's certainly not enough "advance notice" for long-distance travelers!


----------



## mgpan

So can't find the extra to justify tickets to the party, but looking to a great October trip nonetheless.  On party days, I'd obviously be looking to go to DCA around 6 or 7 at latest when the party starts.  Will I be lost in a sea of ticketholders at DL beginning three hours prior, and a sea of non-ticketholders at DCA on party days?  Between CHOC, MHP's and later openings/earlier closings I'm wondering if going in October (a supposed slower month, at least as much as there is at DLR these days) was a mistake?  Any guidance on crowds?  I have a five year old who is not the best in lines!


----------



## mummabear

zanzibar138 said:


> For the September part of the trip we arrive on the 8th, and leave on the 16th  Yell out if you see us!



We are 7-18 at DLR. Did you end up booking the F! dessert party?







Sherry E said:


> *mummabear --*
> 
> Even if DLR didn't start its Halloween party as early as September 1st, as WDW is doing, but just started it on the first day of the Halloween Time season (9/12), I think it would be great.
> 
> As I've said before, if they are not going to be adding anything new into the daytime roster of Halloween Time events at all, DLR might as well add more MHP nights, or start them earlier in the season.  Just a couple of weeks earlier could make a big difference to a lot of people.
> 
> Believe me -- and I am someone who would be considered a "local" to DLR by many people (though I am not really local by Southern California/Los Angeles standards) -- I agree with you.  I think that DLR should release season dates and special event dates way in advance too -- or at least when WDW releases their info.
> 
> I think it's crazy that Disney seems to feel that we locals don't need to know dates and info way in advance just because we live closer to DLR.
> 
> It's even crazier that New Year's Eve reservations are now being taken for Epcot, while we still have not gotten confirmed, official Holiday Season start and end dates for DLR!  The holiday season is starting in just about 11 weeks, give or take a few days. I only know that because of my experience with the holiday season and the pattern of the last few years.  Otherwise, Disney has told us nothing -- they've given us no start date at all -- and we are less than 3 months away from the season starting!!!!!  How is that logical or sensible?
> 
> There are people coming out from Australia or New Zealand, and other countries too, I'm sure, to see Disneyland Resort in all of its holiday season splendor.  There are people who need to book their hotel rooms and flights when the rates drop at random times -- and yet, they can't be sure that Viva Navidad or World of Color-Winter Dreams or the Christmas Fantasy Parade will even be running for their entire trips because they don't know the schedule or the starting date of the season!  Madness!  Eleven weeks, roughly, is not a long time at all, and it's certainly not enough "advance notice" for long-distance travelers!



Yes it all about people being able to make informed decisions about when to come. Hours, Parties etc are all part of that. I have said it before but how can DLR allow me to make dining reservations before the hours are even out.


----------



## Sherry E

mgpan said:


> So can't find the extra to justify tickets to the party, but looking to a great October trip nonetheless.  On party days, I'd obviously be looking to go to DCA around 6 or 7 at latest when the party starts.  Will I be lost in a sea of ticketholders at DL beginning three hours prior, and a sea of non-ticketholders at DCA on party days?  Between CHOC, MHP's and later openings/earlier closings I'm wondering if going in October (a supposed slower month, at least as much as there is at DLR these days) was a mistake?  Any guidance on crowds?  I have a five year old who is not the best in lines!



*mgpan --*

Maybe *figment_jii* or *Cheshirecatty* can weigh in on this as well.

I don't think going in October is a mistake at all!  I think you'll have a great time, even without the MHP!  The Halloween Carnival is a lot of fun in and of itself.

October is really only "slower" in that it is not considered the peak season by DLR, and there are fewer people in the parks during that whole time frame than during a peak season.  (Random days here and there can be quite busy.)  Peak seasons or periods would be Spring Break, summer and the holiday season.  September (after Labor Day) and October are technically considered to make up the off-peak season at DLR, but the thing is that Halloween Time has become so popular over the last several years that when you're there, walking around, it doesn't really appear to be slow or off-peak!

Now, that doesn't mean that October is ridiculous New Year's Eve-crazy or something.  It's not anywhere near that bad.  But there will be a lot of people in the parks at _certain_ times of that month, and then it will probably quiet down a little bit after mid-month and before the week of Halloween.

There will be a lot of people in Disneyland during those 3 hours of "crossover time" on party days.  So, once the party guests enter DL at 3 or 4 p.m., expect to see a lot of people milling about on Main Street, in New Orleans Square, in Adventureland, etc.  If you're concerned that the crowds will be too annoying, you could just leave at 3 or 4 p.m. and head to DCA then.

People have said -- in fact, someone said it earlier in this thread, I think -- that DCA does see an increase in crowds from the exodus of non-MHP people.  I think those crowds probably thin out after a while, though...maybe.  At the very least, DCA handles crowds a lot better in some ways because many of the paths and walkways are wider and easier to get through, so it doesn't always seem as packed in DCA as it does in DL (in my opinion).


----------



## zanzibar138

mummabear said:


> We are 7-18 at DLR. Did you end up booking the F! dessert party?



I haven't booked yet. Have you booked one (I'm having trouble keeping up with everyone's plans )? I'll be looking at the 14th for ours, but thought it would be easier to just book when I get there now.


----------



## mummabear

zanzibar138 said:


> I haven't booked yet. Have you booked one (I'm having trouble keeping up with everyone's plans )? I'll be looking at the 14th for ours, but thought it would be easier to just book when I get there now.



I have trouble keeping track of my own plans 
We are booked for the 13th.


----------



## SusanMatt

TulipsNZ said:


> I hear you!  Our park hours just got released & I've been booking and rearranging things as the hours weren't the same as historical ones.  They are better but it changes my plans



Yes, I noticed that the parks are opening earlier most days of the week we are there than the parks opened last year. That's good for us since we are choosing not to go to MHP. Did anyone notice the parks closing awfully early on October 1st, a non-MHP day? There might be a private event, but that's disappointing for us.


----------



## Sherry E

*I do hope that all of our Northern California friends are doing well this morning after the big earthquake, and that no one suffered any damage or injury.

I must admit that, yesterday, when there was a very small quake in the Big Bear area (which was the site of a much larger quake back in 1992), as well as after a couple of recent small quakes off the coast of Malibu, I thought, "Oh dear...it's probably time for another significant quake."  (I hate any and all quakes.)  However, I expected that it would be here in SoCal and not in NorCal!  NorCal is just as susceptible to quakes as SoCal is, and they can do major damage, often because of liquefaction.*


​

*Today, the 'glimpses of Fall and Halloween' in the Sunday newspaper coupon inserts were less obvious than they were in the 2-page Glade "Fall Collection" layout in the coupons last weekend.  This time, there was just a very small ad with a coupon for the Halloween/Harvest versions of candy (can't recall if it was Hershey's or Mars, but I think it was Mars).  

My Rite Aid circular didn't show any "Fall décor" this week, but it showed a small picture of the White Chocolate Candy Corn M&M's, as did the CVS circular.  The Cost Plus World Market flyer didn't really show anything blatantly Fall-like.  I don't think there was anything Fall-ish in the Target circular either.

So, the early signs of Autumn are still quietly sneaking in, but in a very subtle way.  Nothing too obvious yet.

Nonetheless, I am so anxious for August to be over and for Halloween Time to arrive (even though it arrives while it is still Summer)!*


​




SusanMatt said:


> Yes, I noticed that the parks are opening earlier most days of the week we are there than the parks opened last year. That's good for us since we are choosing not to go to MHP. Did anyone notice the parks closing awfully early on October 1st, a non-MHP day? There might be a private event, but that's disappointing for us.



*SusanMatt --*

Well, one thing we can be certain of is that Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon will not be renting out Disneyland again for another private event to celebrate their marriage...so they can't be the cause of the closure.


----------



## Kristina4109

Legends was AMAZING!  Gecko Adams, Coyote Brown and Lamb had a great time.  My daughter loved it so much that we played it pretty much non stop from 11:30am until the game wrapped up.

And, here's the best part, at the closing of the game ceremony in the Golden Horseshoe, my daughter was called up to be named a Hero of Frontierland!  She's got her Hero coin upstairs in her treasure box.

What an awesome experience.


----------



## Sherry E

Kristina4109 said:


> Legends was AMAZING!  Gecko Adams, Coyote Brown and Lamb had a great time.  My daughter loved it so much that we played it pretty much non stop from 11:30am until the game wrapped up.
> 
> And, here's the best part, at the closing of the game ceremony in the Golden Horseshoe, my daughter was called up to be named a Hero of Frontierland!  She's got her Hero coin upstairs in her treasure box.
> 
> What an awesome experience.



*Kristina4109 --*

That is awesome!  Congratulations to your daughter!  It sounds like it was a great, rewarding and fun day.


----------



## DisneyJamieCA

We are pretty close to the epicenter and it was a big one! Woke us all up (well except for my son) and really scared the girls. We don't have any reported damage in our city, and personally just some things off shelves and picture frames knocked over. However, Napa, our neighbor to the east was hit very hard. It was very reminiscent of the Loma Prieta quake in '89 - except this time I'm the parent!


----------



## mgpan

Maybe others will chime in with specific recommendations on how to go "against the flow".  The trip seems to be more and more planning and stress than it should be. 

The closer we get to our travel dates, the worse things seem to get.  Touring plans just now went from 3,2,2 on three of our travel dates to 6,5,4.  Perhaps it's due to the fact they begin using "Crowd Calendar 4" today, whatever that is (would have been nice to get an email or posting to the dashboard of paying subscribers that this was happening don't you think?)  Between the increasing crowd levels (I'm beginning to wonder if I need to ask for a refund from TP if they can't predict crowds any better than this, in fact Labor Day is listed as lower crowds), 3 parties with early park close over our travel dates when last year there would have only been two, etc. is making it nearly impossible to plan which days we should go to parks and which to other sites in the area. 

 I've gone back and forth and have multiple lunch reservations that I need to let go so someone else can have them, and the planning of trying to do what's best is worse than planning for WDW!  So much for the "Oh it's DL, just go with the flow" attitude!  Being from the East Coast, and with airfare, rental car expenses,I don't have the luxury of just enjoying Halloween time and then "dropping back by" later to enjoy attractions if it's too busy.  I was much more excited for the trip several weeks ago.



Sherry E said:


> *mgpan --*
> 
> Maybe *figment_jii* or *Cheshirecatty* can weigh in on this as well.
> 
> I don't think going in October is a mistake at all!  I think you'll have a great time, even without the MHP!  The Halloween Carnival is a lot of fun in and of itself.
> 
> October is really only "slower" in that it is not considered the peak season by DLR, and there are fewer people in the parks during that whole time frame than during a peak season.  (Random days here and there can be quite busy.)  Peak seasons or periods would be Spring Break, summer and the holiday season.  September (after Labor Day) and October are technically considered to make up the off-peak season at DLR, but the thing is that Halloween Time has become so popular over the last several years that when you're there, walking around, it doesn't really appear to be slow or off-peak!
> 
> Now, that doesn't mean that October is ridiculous New Year's Eve-crazy or something.  It's not anywhere near that bad.  But there will be a lot of people in the parks at _certain_ times of that month, and then it will probably quiet down a little bit after mid-month and before the week of Halloween.
> 
> There will be a lot of people in Disneyland during those 3 hours of "crossover time" on party days.  So, once the party guests enter DL at 3 or 4 p.m., expect to see a lot of people milling about on Main Street, in New Orleans Square, in Adventureland, etc.  If you're concerned that the crowds will be too annoying, you could just leave at 3 or 4 p.m. and head to DCA then.
> 
> People have said -- in fact, someone said it earlier in this thread, I think -- that DCA does see an increase in crowds from the exodus of non-MHP people.  I think those crowds probably thin out after a while, though...maybe.  At the very least, DCA handles crowds a lot better in some ways because many of the paths and walkways are wider and easier to get through, so it doesn't always seem as packed in DCA as it does in DL (in my opinion).


----------



## sgrap

We are finally less than 60 days out and I want to make dining reservations.  We have 2 MHP days with tickets:  October 22nd and 24th.  Would it be a good idea to make reservations for times during the 3-hour window where MHP ticket holders can enter and when MHP actually starts?  I'm trying to figure out the best use of that window of time.  

I'm also thinking we will want to go back to our room (GCH, yay!) and regroup for a late night/chilly weather.  When is the best time to do that and re-enter for MHP without it being insanely busy trying to get in?  We will have AP's/PH's so we can enter/re-enter whenever during the day.  This will be our first October trip and first MHP's, so I really have no clue what to expect--except what I have learned on here already (which is quite a bit of knowledge.  ;-)  ).  

What should be our top priorities during MHP?  We will have 4 full days plus 2 partial days in the parks, plus 2 MHP's, so I'm not worried about doing anything during MHP that we can do at any other time.  For the first one, we'll have me, dh, dd 13 and dd 12.  For the second one, ds 20 will be with us as well.  No little kiddie stuff anymore . . . :-(  .  So I'd love to hear what everyone has to recommend for MHP priorities!  Thanks!


----------



## pattyduke34

Sherry,
Felt it pretty good here!  Pictures sideways on walls, few things fell of the shelves and water all over the place from splashing out of our 55 gallons fish tank!  I never woke up so fast in my life!!!! After spending all day at the Walt Disney Family Museum yesterday I was exhausted could not believe it jumped so high when it happened!


----------



## Davidg83

Sherry E said:


> *I do hope that all of our Northern California friends are doing well this morning after the big earthquake, and that no one suffered any damage or injury.
> 
> I must admit that, yesterday, when there was a very small quake in the Big Bear area (which was the site of a much larger quake back in 1992), as well as after a couple of recent small quakes off the coast of Malibu, I thought, "Oh dear...it's probably time for another significant quake."  (I hate any and all quakes.)  However, I expected that it would be here in SoCal and not in NorCal!  NorCal is just as susceptible to quakes as SoCal is, and they can do major damage, often because of liquefaction.*



I would have slept right through it if the dog wasn't going crazy and barking. Thankfully I'm far enough away that it was just enough to rattle things and shake the bed a bit.


----------



## dnamertz

sgrap said:


> What should be our top priorities during MHP?  We will have 4 full days plus 2 partial days in the parks, plus 2 MHP's, so I'm not worried about doing anything during MHP that we can do at any other time.  For the first one, we'll have me, dh, dd 13 and dd 12.  For the second one, ds 20 will be with us as well.  No little kiddie stuff anymore . . . :-(  .  So I'd love to hear what everyone has to recommend for MHP priorities!  Thanks!



Your top priorities during the MHP depend on what you are interested in.  Since you are going to 2 MHPs, I think you'd be able to get a taste of most of the party specific activities. We went to 1 part last year (on Monday night in mid/late October) and I thought we did quite a lot during the 6 hours (including the 1 hour pre-party in ToonTown...not sure if they are doing that this year).  We did about 6 trick-or-treat lines, 8 rides (including Space Mt twice), 3 character meet-n-greets with Woody, Stormtroopers, and Mickey/Minnie in costume in ToonTown (that was our only long wait...at least 30 minutes), and got a good view of the fireworks (waited about 20 minutes).

Since you are not worried about doing things you can do at other times, then skip the rides.  My priorities if I went again would be the fireworks show (with view of front of castle), character meet-n-greets if there are characters you want photos with that you aren't available outside the MHP, and just checking out the atmosphere (some trick-or-treat lines have additional decor).  The fog over Rivers of America is cool, and try to be in that area when the Cadaver Dans are performing, and the Big Thunder Trail has a good vibe.  Also check out one of the dance parties, and all the additional lighting and decor around the park that makes the MHP a whole new way to see Disneyland.


----------



## laura&fam

My daughter came home Friday from the second day of school and informed me that her choir concert is the night of the day we were suppose to be leaving on our trip.  They get out of school early on Wednesday, they have Thursday, Friday and Monday off of school and the choir teacher thought Wednesday night would be a good time to have the concert?  Not sure what he was thinking.

So, we may be down one day at Legoland since it closes at 5 pm daily (not used to that since DL is open so much later).  Luckily it doesn't affect our MHP since that's at the end of our trip.  We're still trying to decide if we want to drive most of the night or just arrive in the evening.  Driving while the kids are sleeping sounds very appealing but DH and I would be tired the next day.


----------



## sgrap

dnamertz said:


> Your top priorities during the MHP depend on what you are interested in.  Since you are going to 2 MHPs, I think you'd be able to get a taste of most of the party specific activities. We went to 1 part last year (on Monday night in mid/late October) and I thought we did quite a lot during the 6 hours (including the 1 hour pre-party in ToonTown...not sure if they are doing that this year).  We did about 6 trick-or-treat lines, 8 rides (including Space Mt twice), 3 character meet-n-greets with Woody, Stormtroopers, and Mickey/Minnie in costume in ToonTown (that was our only long wait...at least 30 minutes), and got a good view of the fireworks (waited about 20 minutes).
> 
> Since you are not worried about doing things you can do at other times, then skip the rides.  My priorities if I went again would be the fireworks show (with view of front of castle), character meet-n-greets if there are characters you want photos with that you aren't available outside the MHP, and just checking out the atmosphere (some trick-or-treat lines have additional decor).  The fog over Rivers of America is cool, and try to be in that area when the Cadaver Dans are performing, and the Big Thunder Trail has a good vibe.  Also check out one of the dance parties, and all the additional lighting and decor around the park that makes the MHP a whole new way to see Disneyland.


Great helpful ideas, thank you! That is exactly the type of thing I was looking for!


----------



## Kilala

Did you guys see this yet? http://blog.wdwinfo.com/2014/08/24/...eaves-guests-in-long-lines-most-of-the-night/
I's about unleash the villans


----------



## Jennafoo

So my first-ever trip, solo, birthday trip to Disneyland during Halloweentime is getting closer to reality. I have had to cut down on expenses and time due to a bunch of work and personal stuff, but I'm still determined to make it happen.

I have my MHP tickets and dining reservations for my first two days. Here are my plans so far:

Wednesday, 10/22 - Fly down in the afternoon from SF and get settled. Go to DCA that evening. No dinner reservations.

Thursday, 10/23 - DL. Dinner at Cafe Orleans.

Friday, 10/24 - DL during the day. Birthday lunch at 11:30 at Blue Bayou. MHP.

Saturday, 10/25 - DL or DCA. Brunch at carnation cafe at 10-10:30. Dinner at Carthay Circle at 6pm. Mad T Party.

Sunday, 10/26 - Depart. Maybe go to Goofy's Kitchen on the way out.

I plan to meet friends one day (not sure which), do a "Halloween pumpkin treats crawl" and maybe do the JuJu game. So excited!


----------



## Sherry E

A few things...

1.  Here is another article/blog from Dateline Disneyland (on our competing site, MiceAge) -- "Halloween Time creeps in across the Disneyland Resort as summer comes to an end" - Written by Andy Castro; Published on August 25, 2014 at 5:05 am; 

2.  They make Pumpkin Spice Gum???  I had no idea, but *here* is the proof! ; and

3.  A review of the Caramel Apple Oreos, from the Junk Food Guy -- *Here*.




That's our Halloween Time/Halloween-Fall fun for Monday, August 25, 2014!


​



Jennafoo said:


> So my first-ever trip, solo, birthday trip to Disneyland during Halloweentime is getting closer to reality. I have had to cut down on expenses and time due to a bunch of work and personal stuff, but I'm still determined to make it happen.
> 
> I have my MHP tickets and dining reservations for my first two days. Here are my plans so far:
> 
> Wednesday, 10/22 - Fly down in the afternoon from SF and get settled. Go to DCA that evening. No dinner reservations.
> 
> Thursday, 10/23 - DL. Dinner at Cafe Orleans.
> 
> Friday, 10/24 - DL during the day. Birthday lunch at 11:30 at Blue Bayou. MHP.
> 
> Saturday, 10/25 - DL or DCA. Brunch at carnation cafe at 10-10:30. Dinner at Carthay Circle at 6pm. Mad T Party.
> 
> Sunday, 10/26 - Depart. Maybe go to Goofy's Kitchen on the way out.
> 
> I plan to meet friends one day (not sure which), do a "Halloween pumpkin treats crawl" and maybe do the JuJu game. So excited!




*Jennafoo --*

It sounds like it will be an awesome trip.  You've got some good meals planned and a pumpkin crawl to boot!  (I hope you saw the list I posted a while back, with all of the different seasonal, sweet and savory foods, so you don't miss anything on the crawl!)





Kilala said:


> Did you guys see this yet? http://blog.wdwinfo.com/2014/08/24/...eaves-guests-in-long-lines-most-of-the-night/
> I's about unleash the villans



*Kilala --*

I only read the whole blog after you posted the link (prior to that -- knowing it wasn't about DLR -- I had only read the first few sentences).

It appears that the Villains event was a mess yet again -- even though it had a few good points.  I am certain that if DLR decided to do the same event, it, too, would have been a mess.

It sounds like Disney just oversells tickets to all of its hard ticket events, and it results in crowds that people are not expecting.  In the comments under the article someone mentioned the WDW Christmas Party and what it's like when it is sold out (too crowded).  Many people have felt that Mickey's Halloween Party was getting too crowded in the last couple of years.  The overselling of tickets takes away the feeling of exclusivity a bit, and makes things unpleasant in the parks.


----------



## elamarca

This has been such a great thread to read - thanks for all the info everyone! Though I consider myself a Disneyland fan, to a ridiculous extent, I've never been during Halloween time. I've always wanted to, but can never bring myself NOT to go during Christmas, so Halloween takes a back seat. This year, I finally talked my husband into going to MHP, while still keeping our Christmas plans. YAY!!! We will only be down in SoCal on October 3rd, and I just saw the party sold out. Holy smokes, that was fast. Thankfully I bought our tickets just last week, right before. I can't wait!!


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## Davidg83

The latest fall food find: pumpkin cheesecake with graham cracker swirl ice cream from Ben and Jerry's. 

I'm in the middle of packing for my trip this weekend. I'm really, really tempted to pack my Halloween Mickey ears. I keep telling myself it's too early but it might happen!


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## Sherry E

*The Halloween candy angels are really ramping things up now -- I don't know why I doubted that there would be early signs of Fall/Halloween.

Behold...Hershey's Candy Corn Crème Bars!!!!  Candy corn creme with candy bits!!!! See the photo HERE.

Now, for some strange reason, this Hershey's candy corn crème concoction sounds good to me -- better than the Candy Corn Oreos, in fact!  I'm not a huge candy corn fan (too sweet), but I would bet that Hershey's did a good job with it!*


​



elamarca said:


> This has been such a great thread to read - thanks for all the info everyone! Though I consider myself a Disneyland fan, to a ridiculous extent, I've never been during Halloween time. I've always wanted to, but can never bring myself NOT to go during Christmas, so Halloween takes a back seat. This year, I finally talked my husband into going to MHP, while still keeping our Christmas plans. YAY!!! We will only be down in SoCal on October 3rd, and I just saw the party sold out. Holy smokes, that was fast. Thankfully I bought our tickets just last week, right before. I can't wait!!



Welcome, *elamarca*!

I know what you mean -- to be very honest, I would never miss a holiday season trip.  Even if it were just for one day, Christmas time is my top choice because there is soooooo much to see and do during that time.

That said, Halloween Time is great fun -- and it could be a lot more fun if DLR would ever put more effort into it -- and should be experienced at least once.  The decorations on Main Street and in Frontierland are great.  The treats are fun.  The MHP is fun.  It's a good time!

I'm so glad you joined us, and that you are finally getting to experience your first Halloween Time at Disneyland!



Davidg83 said:


> The latest fall food find: pumpkin cheesecake with graham cracker swirl ice cream from Ben and Jerry's.
> 
> I'm in the middle of packing for my trip this weekend. I'm really, really tempted to pack my Halloween Mickey ears. I keep telling myself it's too early but it might happen!




*Davidg83 --*

Ben & Jerry's already put out their pumpkin product?  Wow!

If you don't have time to check in again before you leave, I will wish for you an awesome trip now, and I hope have a great time!  Be sure to check in with us when you return.  So far, only reports of decorations are trickling in, but no one has reported on any Fall goodies/treats in Disneyland yet.  Hopefully there will be some when you're there!


----------



## Jennafoo

SherryE, I can't find the pumpkin treats post you mentioned! Is it in this thread?


----------



## Sherry E

Jennafoo said:


> SherryE, I can't find the pumpkin treats post you mentioned! Is it in this thread?



*Jennafoo --*

*Here* is the list of Sweet and Savory foods to look for on your Halloween Time trip (some of them may change in design from year to year, but these are the basic things you will be looking for), and where to find them.


----------



## TulipsNZ

Sherry E said:


> It sounds like Disney just oversells tickets to all of its hard ticket events, and it results in crowds that people are not expecting.  In the comments under the article someone mentioned the WDW Christmas Party and what it's like when it is sold out (too crowded).  Many people have felt that Mickey's Halloween Party was getting too crowded in the last couple of years.  The overselling of tickets takes away the feeling of exclusivity a bit, and makes things unpleasant in the parks.




Are you talking about the DLR Halloween party?  Will it be overly crowded?  I'm looking forward to it regardless.


----------



## Sherry E

TulipsNZ said:


> Are you talking about the DLR Halloween party?  Will it be overly crowded?  I'm looking forward to it regardless.



*TulipsNZ --*

Under the article that *Kilala* linked (about the Villains event at WDW), someone commented about the crowds at the various hard ticket events, and they specifically mentioned the Christmas party (MVMCP) at WDW as an example of a crowded hard ticket event.  That's what I was referring to when I mentioned the Christmas Party.

However, that said, there have been people who have commented on the MHP (the party at DLR) becoming too crowded in the last year or two.  Some disagree and think that the crowds are fine.  Others think that there are probably too many people in the park for what should be a more exclusive event.   Disney apparently keeps overselling tickets to all of its hard ticket events, including the MHP, MVMCP, and this recent mess of a Villains event at WDW, and it creates crowds.

I don't know if the MHP will be overly crowded -- it may be open to interpretation -- but it won't be empty and quiet, that's for sure!  It will still be a lot of fun, whatever happens!


----------



## sgrap

What do you MHP-experience people recommend for dinner plans?  Would it be a good idea to make reservations for somewhere in Disneyland during the 3-hour overlap window before the MHP starts?  Or what is the best thing to do during those 3 hours?  We will be there for 5 days, so we won't want to be battling insane crowds to do rides we can do at other times.  Thanks!


----------



## Cheshirecatty

We've done *Dinner* both ways---*before* the Halloween Party, and *during* the Halloween Party, and actually enjoyed it both ways.

For us, it just comes down to what one might want to accomplish during those Party hours.  

Some don't want to "waste" time eating(we don't consider eating to be a waste of time---ever!

We've eaten right after the Party began, and later in the evening, and each was a good experience.


If you are worried you might run out of time to get everything you desire "done", you might want to eat before the Party begins.  We've done that as well, and then just focused on making the rounds to try out the special food/treat offerings, which might just be available during the Party!

Whichever you choose----Happy Eating!!!


----------



## DisneyJamieCA

Sherry, apparently the Starbucks down the street from me is not requiring any code word/Twitter challenge to get the PSL early this year!


----------



## Jennafoo

Sherry E said:


> *Jennafoo --*
> 
> *Here* is the list of Sweet and Savory foods to look for on your Halloween Time trip (some of them may change in design from year to year, but these are the basic things you will be looking for), and where to find them.



You rock so hard, Sherry. I could spend my whole trip on a Halloween snack crawl! I'll be sure to do a special post if I do.


----------



## sgrap

Cheshirecatty said:


> We've done *Dinner* both ways---*before* the Halloween Party, and *during* the Halloween Party, and actually enjoyed it both ways.
> 
> For us, it just comes down to what one might want to accomplish during those Party hours.
> 
> Some don't want to "waste" time eating(we don't consider eating to be a waste of time---ever!
> 
> We've eaten right after the Party began, and later in the evening, and each was a good experience.
> 
> 
> If you are worried you might run out of time to get everything you desire "done", you might want to eat before the Party begins.  We've done that as well, and then just focused on making the rounds to try out the special food/treat offerings, which might just be available during the Party!
> 
> Whichever you choose----Happy Eating!!!


Thanks so much!  I don't think we want to take much time out of the actual party time for a long meal. Are the special things they offer general counter service items?

Is anything special going on during the 3 hours where people with MHP tickets can come in, but MHP hasn't started yet?  I'm wondering if it would be a good idea to make reservations for the 4-5 range, using that overlapping time (which I'm guessing is kind of crazy busy in the park?) to eat.

Or is there another best use of those 3 hours before MHP starts?

And when should we make sure to enter if we don't want an insane line to get back into Disneyland?  We'll have AP's and PH's, so we'll go in the morning, probably run back to the room for a bit to get some warmer clothes for the evening and maybe rest a bit, but we will want to get back in before a huge amount of people are at the turnstiles and on Main Street.


----------



## 2tinkerbell

Keep in mind that not all restaurants are open during MHP.  Personally, I plan on going back to DLH around 3pm and having dinner there before heading back.  I guess I am a glutton for crowds...lol!


----------



## Swtonscrappn

2tinkerbell said:


> Keep in mind that not all restaurants are open during MHP.  Personally, I plan on going back to DLH around 3pm and having dinner there before heading back.  I guess I am a glutton for crowds...lol!



I think some of the resturants started closing at 4pm last year for the 6pm party.  We ate dinner really early and when we were sitting there, they were tearing down all the outdoor sitting. We were the last ones served.  This was at Rancho del Zocalo in Frontierland.


----------



## sgrap

2tinkerbell said:


> Keep in mind that not all restaurants are open during MHP.  Personally, I plan on going back to DLH around 3pm and having dinner there before heading back.  I guess I am a glutton for crowds...lol!


How do we find out what will be open in the 3-hour overlap window?  Thanks!


----------



## JeriLee

Oct 3rd is sold out?!?  How can that be?  That is the ONLY day my girls and I can go!  That is the ONLY day that is sold out!  My girls have been working on their costumes for months...  Here I thought I was getting things done early - I just made the hotel reservation and went to buy the tickets...  Why the 3rd?  Is there something else going on???


----------



## DznyDiva13

JeriLee said:


> Oct 3rd is sold out?!?  How can that be?  That is the ONLY day my girls and I can go!  That is the ONLY day that is sold out!  My girls have been working on their costumes for months...  Here I thought I was getting things done early - I just made the hotel reservation and went to buy the tickets...  Why the 3rd?  Is there something else going on???



It is the annual unofficial Gay Days weekend.


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## mikedoyleblogger

JeriLee said:


> Oct 3rd is sold out?!?  How can that be?  That is the ONLY day my girls and I can go!  That is the ONLY day that is sold out!  My girls have been working on their costumes for months...  Here I thought I was getting things done early - I just made the hotel reservation and went to buy the tickets...  Why the 3rd?  Is there something else going on???



Try calling (immediately.) There may be tickets left from the phone-purchase allotment. If you're staying on-site, you might also be able to purchase day-of tickets from your hotel, but the pool of those tickets is small.


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## laura&fam

I got an email today from the Legoland hotel saying that Legoland will now be closed some days that their calendar previously said they would be opened   So I spend 45 minutes freaking out trying to figure out how to change our trip around before I finally realize . . . wait a minute . . . _Tuesday_ October 15? . . . the calendar they sent out was WRONG!  It doesn't affect our trip at all, unless you consider that the park may be more crowded because it's closed two other days.


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## elamarca

Sherry E said:


> Welcome, *elamarca*!
> 
> I know what you mean -- to be very honest, I would never miss a holiday season trip.  Even if it were just for one day, Christmas time is my top choice because there is soooooo much to see and do during that time.
> 
> That said, Halloween Time is great fun -- and it could be a lot more fun if DLR would ever put more effort into it -- and should be experienced at least once.  The decorations on Main Street and in Frontierland are great.  The treats are fun.  The MHP is fun.  It's a good time!
> 
> I'm so glad you joined us, and that you are finally getting to experience your first Halloween Time at Disneyland!



Sherry,

Both my husband and I grew up down south, so we've been to Disneyland more times than I can count. Or.. perhaps I've dragged him to Disneyland once or twice. LOL I refuse to ever give up the holiday season at Disneyland because it's just MAGIC. It's hard to explain to someone that's never been, but it's just amazing. I'm SO excited to be experiencing Halloween time this year, too! We have a six year old son, so I'm sure MHP will be amazing for him. 

Speaking of crowds, for some reason I'm not all that worried about MHP. Maybe it's that we always go to Disneyland between Christmas and New Years, when crowds are totally insane, so everything else seems manageable. For those that avoid crowded times of the year, I can see being concerned about the crowds at MHP or Halloween time in general. For those of us that are gluttons for punishment and like to go when the park is at it's absolute peak - I can't imagine ever being worried about crowds. I can't count the number of times we've been during the holidays when they've started turning people away by lunch time. Hopefully this isn't famous last words and MHP isn't some horribly crowded event with wall to wall people, as it is during the holidays.


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## ashleysev

Well, we decided NOT to go. 

The big family party we were going to attend was cancelled because he wants to spend the money on plane stuff. LOL We could still go for a visit and hit the parks, but I don't want to take my kiddo out of school. He's a junior this year but his counselor said if he took one extra English class he could graduate a whole year early. So he's of course doing that. CRAZY how things can change so quickly!!

Our 2015 Disney cruise was going to be his graduation gift, so now that's up in the air, too! My husband and I will definitely still go, but I don't know about my son now. I'll have to figure something else out!


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## bouds

I finally was about to order my MHP tickets and saw they were sold out online. Major disappointment since it's the only day we could go and trip is otherwise all booked. So I came here thinking if anyone knows how I can get tickets, it'll be the DISers. I just called and got tickets to the MHP on Oct 3rd over the phone! PHEW!

Once again DISers save the day. Thanks guys!


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## mikedoyleblogger

bouds said:


> I finally was about to order my MHP tickets and saw they were sold out online. Major disappointment since it's the only day we could go and trip is otherwise all booked. So I came here thinking if anyone knows how I can get tickets, it'll be the DISers. I just called and got tickets to the MHP on Oct 3rd over the phone! PHEW!
> 
> Once again DISers save the day. Thanks guys!



Yay! I hope PPer JeriLee sees this! I just PM'd her.





So I'm going to be a huge hypocrite here. We're going back to DLR over Rosh Hashanah weekend at the end of September (first time staying at DLH--hurray!). Our stay includes the first MHP party night, Fri Sept. 26, so after saying it's not our cup of tea...what the heck, we just got our MHP tickets anyway!

So maybe we did it the wrong way last year--we ate during the party (while things got crowded) and we missed the Cavalcade and fireworks. We really want to _*love *_MHP--so how should we do it "right" this year? Sell me a little?


----------



## Diszona

mikedoyleblogger said:


> So I'm going to be a huge hypocrite here. We're going back to DLR over Rosh Hashanah weekend at the end of September (first time staying at DLH--hurray!). Our stay includes the first MHP party night, Fri Sept. 26, so after saying it's not our cup of tea...what the heck, we just got our MHP tickets anyway!
> 
> So maybe we did it the wrong way last year--we ate during the party (while things got crowded) and we missed the Cavalcade and fireworks. We really want to _*love *_MHP--so how should we do it "right" this year? Sell me a little?



I would recommend eating during the 3 hour overlap, prior to the start of the party.  That will be when the largest crowds will be there.  Are you interested in rides?  If so I would do the rides early, the lines (which are never really bad during the party except for the Haunted Mansion and Space Mountain) are almost nonexistent early in the night.  We have done this in the past and still had time to trick-or-treat (almost no lines later in the night), snack, take in the parade, etc.  Last year we were in Fantasyland, which was not very crowded when the Cavalcade started and we basically just had to turn around to watch it.


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## 2tinkerbell

This might be the wrong thing but, this is what I am planning on doing:  We arrive in the morning of our MHP day.  We are checking into the hotel and still going to the Parks.  I plan on leaving the Parks around 3pm and having an early dinner at Tangora Terrace, regrouping and then hitting MHP.  

I am focusing on Trick or Treating, the Cavalcade, and the Fireworks.  I plan on not focusing too much on the rides.  However, the next night DL also closes early (6pm) and there are some rides we like to do at night.  I am playing that part by ear.  

I hope you have a great time.  Even though I've not been to MHP, this Forum has been full of suggestions and information.


----------



## figment_jii

mgpan said:


> Maybe others will chime in with specific recommendations on how to go "against the flow".  The trip seems to be more and more planning and stress than it should be.
> 
> The closer we get to our travel dates, the worse things seem to get.  Touring plans just now went from 3,2,2 on three of our travel dates to 6,5,4.  Perhaps it's due to the fact they begin using "Crowd Calendar 4" today, whatever that is (would have been nice to get an email or posting to the dashboard of paying subscribers that this was happening don't you think?)  Between the increasing crowd levels (I'm beginning to wonder if I need to ask for a refund from TP if they can't predict crowds any better than this, in fact Labor Day is listed as lower crowds), 3 parties with early park close over our travel dates when last year there would have only been two, etc. is making it nearly impossible to plan which days we should go to parks and which to other sites in the area.
> 
> I've gone back and forth and have multiple lunch reservations that I need to let go so someone else can have them, and the planning of trying to do what's best is worse than planning for WDW!  So much for the "Oh it's DL, just go with the flow" attitude!  Being from the East Coast, and with airfare, rental car expenses,I don't have the luxury of just enjoying Halloween time and then "dropping back by" later to enjoy attractions if it's too busy.  I was much more excited for the trip several weeks ago.


I agree with _Sherry_ that October isn't really a "slow" period anymore.  The first two wekends are busy, but I do think the weekdays and later part of the month might be more manageable.  I would opt to make dining reservations if you know you want to eat at a specific TS location, but I wouldn't stress about it as much as one tends to need to plan WDW trips (ADRs, FP+).  I went the week of CHOC walk last year and the weekend was busy, but the weekdays were generally manageable.  I would make every effort to get there at rope drop and use FP wisely.



sgrap said:


> What do you MHP-experience people recommend for dinner plans?  Would it be a good idea to make reservations for somewhere in Disneyland during the 3-hour overlap window before the MHP starts?  Or what is the best thing to do during those 3 hours?  We will be there for 5 days, so we won't want to be battling insane crowds to do rides we can do at other times.  Thanks!


If you want to eat at a TS location prior to the start of the start of the party, then I would make an ADR to avoid having to wait long or being told they are not taking walk-ups.  There are also several very good QS options (I like French Market because you can see/hear HMH from the dining area).



sgrap said:


> Thanks so much!  I don't think we want to take much time out of the actual party time for a long meal. Are the special things they offer general counter service items?


I think there was only one party specific items in the past year.  For the most part, the options are the same during the day and the party.



sgrap said:


> Is anything special going on during the 3 hours where people with MHP tickets can come in, but MHP hasn't started yet?  I'm wondering if it would be a good idea to make reservations for the 4-5 range, using that overlapping time (which I'm guessing is kind of crazy busy in the park?) to eat.


I would opt to eat during the overlap.  Aside from the Toontown pre-party (which hasn't been confirmed for this year), there aren't any special activities prior to the start of the party.  You can watch some of the decor go up, but that's about it that I remember.



sgrap said:


> And when should we make sure to enter if we don't want an insane line to get back into Disneyland?  We'll have AP's and PH's, so we'll go in the morning, probably run back to the room for a bit to get some warmer clothes for the evening and maybe rest a bit, but we will want to get back in before a huge amount of people are at the turnstiles and on Main Street.


There is always a long line when the party goers are first allowed in (3pm or 4 pm).  I'd probably wait until about 5 pm or so, but either way, it's probably not super bad.



Swtonscrappn said:


> I think some of the resturants started closing at 4pm last year for the 6pm party.  We ate dinner really early and when we were sitting there, they were tearing down all the outdoor sitting. We were the last ones served.  This was at Rancho del Zocalo in Frontierland.


Some of the TS locations stop seating guests about an hour before the party starts.  Likewise, a few of the QSDP locations that will not be open for the party will also close early to get set-up for the party (Rancho del Zocalo is used as a dance party area for MHP).  Things like Jolly Holiday and Redd Rockett are both open during the party (I've eaten at both just before and during the party).


----------



## sgrap

Thank you for the help!  I made 4:00 Cafe Orleans res's for 10/22 and 5:00 BTRBBQ res's for 10/24.  Hopefully those will work well with the party start times 2 hours after.


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## figment_jii

sgrap said:


> Thank you for the help!  I made 4:00 Cafe Orleans res's for 10/22 and 5:00 BTRBBQ res's for 10/24.  Hopefully those will work well with the party start times 2 hours after.


Great choices!  I really like both of those.  



Sherry E said:


> No problem, *figment_jii*!  I doubt that a whole slew of MHPs are going to sell out right away.
> 
> You're in New York?  Hershey World is clearly more advanced than my stores out here if they are already at the stage where they have large inflatable pumpkins in the store!  I have seen no traces of pumpkins or Halloween candy when I have looked, but I think that things must be sneaking into stores after I stop looking!


I was in New York on vacation for about a week (seeing lots of Broadway shows!) and Hershey World had some signs of Halloween.  The candy and inflatable decoration was right in the entrance, so you couldn't miss them!  M&Ms Store didn't really have any Halloween decor or candy (yet).


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## figment_jii

One MHP has already sold out!  This post will track the online sell out dates for the 2014 MHPs.  

_Disclaimer_: Even if the date is listed as sold out online, it is possible that tickets may still be available via the phone or in person at the ticket booths.  A limited number of tickets may also be available for "day of" purchase for onsite hotel guests, but it is not known if that will be the case again this year.


Friday, September 26 (Sold Out: Thursday, August 28, 2014)
Tuesday, September 30
Friday, October 3 (Sold Out: Friday, August 22, 2014)
Monday, October 6 (Sold Out: Tuesday, September 30, 2014)
Wednesday, October 8 (Sold Out: Monday, September 29, 2014)
Friday, October 10 (Sold Out: Thursday, September 18, 2014)
Tuesday, October 14 (Sold Out: Friday, September 26, 2014)
Friday, October 17 (Sold Out: Monday, September 22, 2014)
Monday, October 20 (Sold Out: Tuesday, September 30, 2014)
Wednesday, October 22 (Sold Out: Friday, October 3, 2014)
Friday, October 24 (Sold Out: Monday, September 22, 2014)
Monday, October 27 (Sold Out: Friday, October 3, 2014)
Wednesday, October 29 (Sold Out: Wednesday, October 8, 2014)
Friday, October 31 (Sold Out: Thursday, September 11, 2014)


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## Imdboss

Park hours are now posted through 10/8! Getting so excited for our trip, especially now that the hours for our first day are available. Even though it's what I figured it would be it's just nice to see it on the website calendar.

Angela


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## Vintage Mouseketeer

figment_jii said:


> I was in New York on vacation for about a week (seeing lots of Broadway shows!) and Hershey World had some signs of Halloween.  The candy and inflatable decoration was right in the entrance, so you couldn't miss them!  M&Ms Store didn't really have any Halloween decor or candy (yet).  [/QUOTE
> 
> 
> That is pretty neat!!! I really can't afford a last minute trip to New York right now, but a road trip to see their store in Las Vegas maybe possible. Thanks for sharing :-D


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## Sherry E

Little Debbie Brownie Pumpkins -- HERE.  Enough Said.


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## Kilala

WOW!!! WOW!! You guys are making soooo excited about Halloween Time and MHP. I will have update pictures of my Autumn Mist costume. I have to redo the wig. The red came out way to dark.


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## 2tinkerbell

Imdboss said:


> Park hours are now posted through 10/8! Getting so excited for our trip, especially now that the hours for our first day are available. Even though it's what I figured it would be it's just nice to see it on the website calendar.



I figured they would post them when I got too busy to stalk them every hour...lol!  Thanks for the heads up.

Does anyone know the specific reason why DL is closing early on October 1st?  It is fine and we will be happy to work around it, just curious.  TIA


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## Sherry E

*My "Pumpkin Watch" is yielding many discoveries this year!

As I mentioned a day or two ago, the Halloween/Fall food angels are really stepping it up now!  New seasonal items are being spotted every day, such as the aforementioned Little Debbie Brownie Pumpkins and the Wrigley's Pumpkin Spice Gum I referenced a while back.

Behold, Welch's Sparkling Juice Cocktails' seasonal flavors -- Pumpkin Spice and Caramel Apple (mercifully, no candy corn "juice").  Could these drinks possibly be any good at all?  In any way?  Sparkling Caramel Apple juice might be okay, but Sparkling Pumpkin Spice Juice?  Hmmm...

In any case, I am love, love, loving that the Fall/Halloween stuff is taking over and quickly booting the summer stuff out on its behind, and the next time I am at CVS I intend to grab one of the Twix Ghosts that has been spotted.*




Thank you, *figment_jii*, for sharing the photos of the fun Halloween stuff from New York, and for starting the MHP sellout list!







2tinkerbell said:


> I figured they would post them when I got too busy to stalk them every hour...lol!  Thanks for the heads up.
> 
> Does anyone know the specific reason why DL is closing early on October 1st?  It is fine and we will be happy to work around it, just curious.  TIA



*2tinkerbell --*

It could be another private event that DL is having.  Because Disney sees September and October as the off-peak season (despite the popularity of Halloween Time), they will do things like that -- private events.  It could be an exclusive CM event of some kind, too.  There are fewer private after-hours events during the peak seasons.


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## Kilala

What is the best time see Jack Skellington? If tickets don't sell out for the 26th. I want to line up to see Jack. I plan on getting there no later than 5pm. Should I go see Jack first? One other thing will we see the map to MHP before the 26th?


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## figment_jii

Kilala said:


> What is the best time see Jack Skellington? If tickets don't sell out for the 26th. I want to line up to see Jack. I plan on getting there no later than 5pm. Should I go see Jack first? One other thing will we see the map to MHP before the 26th?



In the past, Jack Skellington was not a MHP exclusive character, so he should be out during the non-party hours.  I would head over there as soon as you arrive and try to see him before the party so you don't have to spend party time seeing him.

Last year, they did post the MHP map before the first party.  Hopefully they will do that again on the Disney Parks Blog.  I don't think it'll show up until mid-to-late September (close to the date of the first party).


----------



## Nimbusteach

Hello everyone! My boyfriend and I just booked our Oct 22-26 trip!! We have recently moved to CA from NY and will be making our first trip to Disneyland  It is also our first Halloween party. 

This thread is amazing and packed with information. Thanks Sherry for putting in so much work.  I have read the first page and skimming my way through the rest of the thread as well as Hyrdroguy's (thanks to him too) super thread information. Any tips are welcomed!

We will be doing the MHP the 24th, and now trying to figure out our costumes.  BF is not thrilled with that part so I am trying for something low keyed.


----------



## figment_jii

Nimbusteach said:


> We will be doing the MHP the 24th, and now trying to figure out our costumes.  BF is not thrilled with that part so I am trying for something low keyed.


You'll see everything from professional looking costumes to t-shirt costumes to regular clothing.  They do sell t-shirt "costumes" which are pretty low-key (here is an example from the DisneyStore.com).


----------



## KOUKLI

Wow I just saw a video for Villains Unleashed. I've never seen even close to that many villains at MHP, that's a shame


----------



## Sherry E

*Halloween TV alert!!!*

For those of you are fans of the popular series on Food Network, _Halloween Wars_ -- in which cake artists/bakers, sugar artists/confectioners and pumpkin carvers team up to make really elaborate Halloween creations -- you will be pleased to know that it is coming back for a 4th season this year, starting on Sunday, October 5th!!  *HERE* is the press release.

October 5th features a "Haunted Farm" episode.

October 12th is "Don't Go Into the Forest."

October 19th is "Mummies vs. Werewolves."

October 26th has a "Haunted Carnival" theme!


----------



## figment_jii

KOUKLI said:


> Wow I just saw a video for Villains Unleashed. I've never seen even close to that many villains at MHP, that's a shame


You have to remember that Villians Unleashed was a hard ticket, one-evening (5 hours) only event at DHS.  It comparable in price to MHP/MNSSHP, but it was it's own event.


----------



## ClosetDisneyJunkie

Not sure if this has been mentioned in the thread before (apologies if it has) but I discovered a little tidbit when I bought my MHP ticket today that I wanted to flag for those few people who, like me, are addicted to Mr. Camel:

*No Smoking at Mickey’s Halloween Party: Mickey’s Halloween Party is a completely non-smoking event, and there will be no designated smoking areas within the Park. Exit and re-entry is permitted to designated smoking areas in the Esplanade outside the Disneyland Main Entrance.*

Not noting this to open debate (personally even though I smoke I don't mind it, I really hate smoking around people, even in designated areas, especially kids) but just as a FYI and planning point for those, like me, who may need to take a short break from the park from time to time to smoke during the party


----------



## figment_jii

As mentioned by _ClosetDisneyJunkie_, for those that are interested, they also updated the Smoking section of the Gust Services FAQ to include the information about MHP being a smoke free event.
https://disneyland.disney.go.com/plan/guest-services/smoking/


----------



## Dot2Vegas

ClosetDisneyJunkie said:
			
		

> Not sure if this has been mentioned in the thread before (apologies if it has) but I discovered a little tidbit when I bought my MHP ticket today that I wanted to flag for those few people who, like me, are addicted to Mr. Camel:
> 
> No Smoking at Mickey’s Halloween Party: Mickey’s Halloween Party is a completely non-smoking event, and there will be no designated smoking areas within the Park. Exit and re-entry is permitted to designated smoking areas in the Esplanade outside the Disneyland Main Entrance.
> 
> Not noting this to open debate (personally even though I smoke I don't mind it, I really hate smoking around people, even in designated areas, especially kids) but just as a FYI and planning point for those, like me, who may need to take a short break from the park from time to time to smoke during the party



I haven't smoked regularly in a few years and can not remember if the Halloween party was always non smoking or if this is new? Just curious! 
And I was the same type of smoker as you and hated smoking around others. I always felt rude. We occasionally will hit the strip casinos and clubs and I will have one or two cigarettes with my drinks. Even then, in a crowd full of smokers,  I feel weird doing it!


----------



## ClosetDisneyJunkie

Dot2Vegas said:


> I haven't smoked regularly in a few years and can not remember if the Halloween party was always non smoking or if this is new? Just curious!
> And I was the same type of smoker as you and hated smoking around others. I always felt rude. We occasionally will hit the strip casinos and clubs and I will have one or two cigarettes with my drinks. Even then, in a crowd full of smokers,  I feel weird doing it!



I was wondering the same thing.  I haven't been before so I don't know for sure but I thought I saw a review of MHP (maybe in here actually?) from a couple of years ago that noted that one of the lines for a character meet and greet was right next to a smoking section, and that smoke was drifting over.  I think that was 2012 maybe?  Or my memory is failing me.  But I think that it wasn't always non-smoking.  I'm sure someone in here will know for sure.

Yeah it's totally weird!  Seattle went smoke-free in public places years and years ago so I'm very used to having to go 'outside" to smoke.  I feel very uncomfortable when my smoke blows toward someone else or smoking in crowds, even with other smokers.


----------



## KOUKLI

figment_jii said:


> You have to remember that Villians Unleashed was a hard ticket, one-evening (5 hours) only event at DHS.  It comparable in price to MHP/MNSSHP, but it was it's own event.



This is true but it would be nice to see some of those rarer villians during MHP. It seems to be a lot of the same and not many exclusives for those that are big fans of the villains anyway. Have to put Villians Unleashed on my bucket list now


----------



## figment_jii

KOUKLI said:
			
		

> This is true but it would be nice to see some of those rarer villians during MHP. It seems to be a lot of the same and not many exclusives for those that are big fans of the villains anyway. Have to put Villians Unleashed on my bucket list now



MHP does have  Dr. Facillier, Hades, Jafar, Lady Tremaine and the Stepsisters, Darth Vader, Malificient, and Jack Sparrow (I know he's not a villain) out and about.  They aren't terribly common outside of MPH.


----------



## Kilala

figment_jii said:


> In the past, Jack Skellington was not a MHP exclusive character, so he should be out during the non-party hours.  I would head over there as soon as you arrive and try to see him before the party so you don't have to spend party time seeing him.
> 
> Last year, they did post the MHP map before the first party.  Hopefully they will do that again on the Disney Parks Blog.  I don't think it'll show up until mid-to-late September (close to the date of the first party).



Thanks! Hopefully Toon Town will be open this year. I will do that right after Jack if they have this year.





Sherry E said:


> *Halloween TV alert!!!*
> 
> For those of you are fans of the popular series on Food Network, _Halloween Wars_ -- in which cake artists/bakers, sugar artists/confectioners and pumpkin carvers team up to make really elaborate Halloween creations -- you will be pleased to know that it is coming back for a 4th season this year, starting on Sunday, October 5th!!  *HERE* is the press release.
> 
> October 5th features a "Haunted Farm" episode.
> 
> October 12th is "Don't Go Into the Forest."
> 
> October 19th is "Mummies vs. Werewolves."
> 
> October 26th has a "Haunted Carnival" theme!



That is so Awesome!!! I love that show!! I've watching the Simpsons 12 days 552 episode marathon and everytime they have thier Halloween shows I get really excited. I love watching Halloween shows.


----------



## Sherry E

Kilala said:


> That is so Awesome!!! I love that show!! I've watching the Simpsons 12 days 552 episode marathon and everytime they have thier Halloween shows I get really excited. I love watching Halloween shows.



Same here, *Kilala*!  

I love any kinds of Halloween and holiday TV specials that involve elaborate decorations!  I love seeing the decked out neighborhoods with wild, extensive Christmas displays or pumpkin/ghost displays, and I love seeing those shows about different ways to celebrate Halloween.  

Every year the Travel Channel seems to produce 2 or 3 brand new shows about Halloween-related things, although one of the shows may be an updated version of an older show.  It was around this time last year that I found out about the new 2013 Halloween shows on Travel Channel, but so far I don't see anything about this year's Halloween programming.  I can't imagine that Travel wouldn't make some new shows, as Halloween as a holiday and overall celebration only seems to be getting bigger and more involved with each passing year.


----------



## abminer

Does anyone have tips specific to seeing the MHP parade and fireworks?  Good viewing spots, how early to get to your spot....  We're going on Oct 3 which already sold out (glad I bought tickets when I did, 2 days later they were gone) so crowds will be crazy.


----------



## Sherry E

Okay, I m getting the feeling that someone sent out a memo to every brand/manufacturer this year and said "Make a Pumpkin Spice version and a Caramel Apple version of everything you sell, no matter what it is."

Now, we have Nestle Tollhouse Pumpkin Spice Morsels, Café Escapes Pumpkin Spice coffee (K-Cups) and Intense Caramel Apple Milk -- all shown *HERE*.

I must say -- I am not really minding this sort of "Fall Domination" or "Pumpkin Takeover" that is happening in the stores!  It will only intensify over the next month (and then the holiday season stuff starts to move in).  I am getting a hoot out of seeing exactly which items get Halloween makeovers.  I don't know how many of these items I will actually try or buy, but I like seeing what's out there.  It helps me to deal with the final month of summer and wait not-so-patiently for the seasons to change!


​



abminer said:


> Does anyone have tips specific to seeing the MHP parade and fireworks?  Good viewing spots, how early to get to your spot....  We're going on Oct 3 which already sold out (glad I bought tickets when I did, 2 days later they were gone) so crowds will be crazy.




*abminer --*

Well, I think that *figment_jii*, *Cheshirecatty* and *Bret/mvf-m11c* would be good ones to tackle the Cavalcade and fireworks viewing tips for you.  I wouldn't recommend my way of viewing the fireworks, which was to just saunter up about 20 minutes before Halloween Screams started and work my way through the existing crowd of people who were waiting, and then stand at the back.  There is a better way of viewing the fireworks than what I did.  And I was sitting at a table outside Refreshment Corner when the Cavalcade went by.  That's not a good plan either.


​


----------



## 2tinkerbell

abminer said:


> Does anyone have tips specific to seeing the MHP parade and fireworks?  Good viewing spots, how early to get to your spot....  We're going on Oct 3 which already sold out (glad I bought tickets when I did, 2 days later they were gone) so crowds will be crazy.



I will definitely be interested in the answer to this.  

I know that I said that I didn't want to focus on rides or Characters, but, I might have changed my mind on the Characters.  I would like to see Lady Tremaine and the Step Sisters, Jack Sparrow, Malificient, and the Evil Queen.  Do you think that is doable or should I forget about it.  Are they all exclusive to the MHP or are some available during the day?  

I just made my last payment on our trip! I am SO EXCITED!!!!  I just hope that I can keep it a secret until September 28th.  My DD heard me on the computer this morning as I was printing out the receipt.  She wants something from Amazon for her birthday and has been bugging me about it for a couple of weeks now.  So this morning she asked, "So did you order something for me from Amazon?"  I responded with, "I ordered something, I hope it is the right thing."    Before you think that I am a mean Mom and not getting her what she wants, my sister has ordered the coveted item from Amazon.  I was going to get it for her for Christmas, but, this works out good.


----------



## mvf-m11c

abminer said:


> Does anyone have tips specific to seeing the MHP parade and fireworks?  Good viewing spots, how early to get to your spot....  We're going on Oct 3 which already sold out (glad I bought tickets when I did, 2 days later they were gone) so crowds will be crazy.



As for the Halloween Screams fireworks, the best spot to watch the fireworks (during any season) is in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle. I have seen people wait to stake out a spot for the fireworks when the party starts at it's specific time during MHP at DL and even at MVMCP & MNSSHP at WDW. It will require some stake out time like 1 to 2 hours or more (depends if you want a bench, curb side or in front on the street) if you want to get the best spot. I have seen people walk up in front of the castle about 30 minutes before the fireworks started (but that is forcing their way in). It is also a standing show where you will have to stand in order to see the fireworks. Anywhere along the Hub from the Frontierland side or Tomorrowland side are nice spots with less wait time over in front of SB Castle.

For Mickey's Costume Party Cavalcade, anywhere along the parade route. The first cavalcade will get huge crowds while the second one will be less crowded. Main Street which will draw the most crowds on the parade route, another good spot to watch the cavalcade is from IASW Plaza which is less wait time during the regular parades. I don't know about the crowd levels for cavalcade at IASW Plaza but this is my experience with the regular parades at DL.


----------



## Sherry E

2tinkerbell said:


> I will definitely be interested in the answer to this.
> 
> I know that I said that I didn't want to focus on rides or Characters, but, I might have changed my mind on the Characters.  I would like to see Lady Tremaine and the Step Sisters, Jack Sparrow, Malificient, and the Evil Queen.  Do you think that is doable or should I forget about it.  Are they all exclusive to the MHP or are some available during the day?
> 
> I just made my last payment on our trip! I am SO EXCITED!!!!  I just hope that I can keep it a secret until September 28th.  My DD heard me on the computer this morning as I was printing out the receipt.  She wants something from Amazon for her birthday and has been bugging me about it for a couple of weeks now.  So this morning she asked, "So did you order something for me from Amazon?"  I responded with, "I ordered something, I hope it is the right thing."    Before you think that I am a mean Mom and not getting her what she wants, my sister has ordered the coveted item from Amazon.  I was going to get it for her for Christmas, but, this works out good.



*2tinkerbell -*

It sounds like your daughter is in for a great Halloween and she will get what she wanted from Amazon!  You're certainly not a mean mom for taking her to Disneyland for Halloween Time!

I would see the Villains at the party.  I can assure you that you will not see Lady Tremaine and the Stepsisters in the daytime.  The Evil Queen may or may not be out in the daytime during Halloween Time, but she will likely be there at night.  There are Villains like Frollo, Ratcliffe and others who only appear for the MHP.  Maleficent is rare in the non-MHP hours.  

Jack Sparrow isn't out in the daytime anymore and has become rare.

The whole point of there being only one Villain to "Conjure" up at a time at the Halloween Carnival in the daytime is that Disney is making the Villains a bigger 'thing' and more exclusive.  They stick most of the Villains in the party so that people will buy tickets.  Have you seen what Disney is doing at WDW?  They are making a huge deal out of the Villains, and making whole events and hard ticket dessert meals out of meeting Villains.

At the Halloween Carnival, chances are there will be a rotation of 3 or 4 villains, and you will only meet one at a time.  It could be Captain Hook, Cruella or Jafar -- maybe, possibly, the Evil Queen, but who knows?  The Queen of Hearts may be at the Conjure tent too.  But the lion's share of Villains will be at the MHP, as well as a few rarely seen characters and characters in Halloween garb.


----------



## figment_jii

In terms of the Calvalcade, I generally agree with _mvf-m11c_: most of the parade route has good viewing.  I tend to arrive about 30-45 minute early so I get a place to sit (i.e., the front row).  About the only major advice I would have is to avoid being on the inside of the bend in the route.  For example, the first Calvalcade goes from IaSW to MS.  If you watch up by IaSW, be on the side of the route where the pretzel sand is located opposed to side where the Princesses used to meet.  If you're on the princess-side, you won't be able to see the Calvalcade until it's almost upon you.  Otherwise, I've watched from both Small World Mall and Main Street and both are great places to watch.

For Halloween Screams (fireworks), I like watching anywhere from Main Street.  The spots between the Partners Statue and the Castle fill up far in advance (at _mvf-m11c_ mentioned, you'll need to get there hours in advance).  I generally watch from Main Street, somewhere between the Candy Palace and the Partner's Statue.  I arrive about 45 minutes in advance.  Make sure you can see the left side of the castle (when facing the castle) because that's where the projection globe will appear.  So if you have to be to one side of Main Street, be on the Tomorrowland side (opposed to the Adventureland side).


----------



## briggscreek

Ugh, I'm going crazy trying to find a shirt for my son's Indy costume. That basic style is usually pretty easy to find, but not this year! I only have three weeks left and I've looked everywhere.


----------



## Sherry E

briggscreek said:


> Ugh, I'm going crazy trying to find a shirt for my son's Indy costume. That basic style is usually pretty easy to find, but not this year! I only have three weeks left and I've looked everywhere.



*briggscreek --*

Did you see my response to your question about the in-room celebration a while back?  I provided links to posts with photos of last year's in-room celebration.  If you didn't see my response, let me know and I will find it and re-post it!




​

This just in:

* "New and Returning Frightful Favorites During Mickey's Halloween Party at Disneyland Park" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on August 28th, 2014 by Erin Glover, Social Media Director, Disneyland Resort*

There's nothing all that new or revealing, however, other than the _Frozen_ gang.

No mention of a Toontown pre-party.



​


----------



## figment_jii

Sherry E said:


> This just in:
> 
> *"New and Returning Frightful Favorites During Mickey's Halloween Party at Disneyland Park" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on August 28th, 2014 by Erin Glover, Social Media Director, Disneyland Resort*



Beat me to it!  

Well...not really anything "new" to speak of...except the addition of the Anna, Elsa, and Olaf pre-Cavalcade float.  Still no word on Toontown Pre-Party Party (I'm kind of guessing "no" at this point because there hasn't been anything about it at all).

Last year, I recall seeing Hades or Frollo (I can't remember), the Evil Queen, Maleficent, Facilier, Cruella, and Jafar as the villains in "Villains Square" with the Queen of Hearts wandering by occasionally.  Lady Tremaine and the Stepsisters wandered about after the carriage came out.  So it doesn't sound like they've added any "new" villians to the mix (at least at this point).


----------



## 2tinkerbell

I wish they would let us know about the Toontown pre-party.


----------



## pudinhd

figment_jii said:


> Last year, I recall seeing Hades or Frollo (I can't remember), the Evil Queen, Maleficent, Facilier, Cruella, and Jafar as the villains in "Villains Square" with the Queen of Hearts wandering by occasionally.  Lady Tremaine and the Stepsisters wandered about after the carriage came out.  So it doesn't sound like they've added any "new" villians to the mix (at least at this point).



When I read this (thanks, Sherry!) it made me wonder if Maleficent and the Evil Queen will appear with Snow White & Sleeping Beauty at PFF like they are doing at MNSSHP...  Not that there is anything wrong with them, but I would be really disappointed if Cruella De Vil, the Queen of Hearts, Judge Frollo and Lady Tremaine were the only villains around.


----------



## mcjingles

If arriving at the MHP about 5 from DD would you take the monorail? Or walk to main gates?


----------



## Sherry E

New, as of today:

*"Sneak Peek at Much-Anticipated Gingerbread Creation for Haunted Mansion Holiday at Disneyland Park" - Disney Parks Blog; posted on August 28th, 2014 by Pam Brandon, Disney Parks Food Writer*


----------



## figment_jii

mcjingles said:


> If arriving at the MHP about 5 from DD would you take the monorail? Or walk to main gates?


I would walk...the monorail from DTD can have a long line because folks do not have to disembark at the DTD monorail station (they make every get off at Tomorrowland).  It's not a really long walk from the DTD station to the main gate at DL.  Besides, if you walk to the main gate, you'll get to see the Halloween decor over the gates and on Main Street!


----------



## Sherry E

Spotted on shelves!  *Betty Crocker's Maple Bacon and Candy Corn Cookie mixes and frostings*!!!!

Maple bacon cookie mix and frosting????  I like maple.  I like bacon.  I like cookies.  But all together?  Will that be good?

As I said earlier, it's "Fall Domination"!  (I like the terms "Pumpkin Takeover" or "Pumpkin Domination" better, but there was nothing pumpkin-y about this food item, so it did not apply!)


----------



## CassieF

pudinhd said:


> When I read this (thanks, Sherry!) it made me wonder if Maleficent and the Evil Queen will appear with Snow White & Sleeping Beauty at PFF like they are doing at MNSSHP...  Not that there is anything wrong with them, but I would be really disappointed if Cruella De Vil, the Queen of Hearts, Judge Frollo and Lady Tremaine were the only villains around.



That's what I noticed too!  Hopefully they will be easily accessible and not locked away with the princesses, although, for Maleficent, I guess that would make it easier to control the lines...


----------



## Kilala

Thank you Sherry for all the food info. I will let everyone here know what I find.


----------



## briggscreek

Sherry E said:


> *briggscreek --*
> 
> Did you see my response to your question about the in-room celebration a while back?  I provided links to posts with photos of last year's in-room celebration.  If you didn't see my response, let me know and I will find it and re-post it!



I just went back and found it - thank you for the links! It looks like so much fun, but I don't think that my kids would love all of the stuff in the current package, so I decided to make one myself! I just went on disneystore.com and bought a bunch of Haunted Mansion and Jack Skellington stuff and am going to decorate the room myself while they're off with my husband, I'll bring along some lights and spider webs too. I also got the coolest Jack Skellington ornament at Hallmark today, it lights up and plays music. Then I'll probably pick up some candy in the parks to put in the Jack coffin popcorn bucket I just found on ebay. I'm super excited, I LOVE decorating for Halloween.


----------



## Sherry E

*The Disney Parks Halloween Collection* seems to be expanding on the Disney Store website.   Every time I check it more things have been added in -- *HERE*.


​


----------



## Kilala

The 26th just sold out online. I will call them on the 3rd to see if they have any tickets left. If not I will go on the 30th.


----------



## Sherry E

Kilala said:


> The 26th just sold out online. I will call them on the 3rd to see if they have any tickets left. If not I will go on the 30th.



Thanks for letting us know, *Kilala*!  I will make a note of it on page 1, in the applicable spots, and *figment_jii* can update the Sell Out list.


----------



## briggscreek

Sherry E said:


> *The Disney Parks Halloween Collection* seems to be expanding on the Disney Store website.   Every time I check it more things have been added in -- *HERE*.
> 
> 
> ​



I keep checking it to make sure that I don't "need" anything else for my homemade in-room celebration! I love the Haunted Mansion stuff, but I wish they still had the Tomb Sweet Tomb pillow. Has anyone seen those in the park lately?


----------



## Davidg83

Hello from Disneyland!  After getting checked in for my runs this weekend I went into the parks and I've found a few signs of Halloween popping up. 
Some pumpkins are starting to show up in windows:





And this adorable Mickey pumpkin is going home with me!





I'll keep my eyes open this weekend and report back!


----------



## Sherry E

Which beignet do you prefer? The regular Mickey beignet?  The gingerbread beignet?  The pumpkin beignet?  Or the regular, non-Mickey-shaped beignet at Jazz Kitchen?  Here is a blog from the Disney Food Blog to help you sort it all out:

*"Disneyland Duel:  Battle of the Beignets!" -- Disney Food Blog; posted on August 28th, 2014 by AJ. *



​



Thank you for posting the photos, *Davidg83*!! 

 I definitely think you will see more things appearing in the window displays and shops over the weekend.  Maybe even by tomorrow.  For some reason, all of a sudden Halloween Time seems like it is happening incredibly soon -- like it just sneaked up out of nowhere -- so I think that Disney will be using the "after hours" as much as possible to get all the signs of Halloween in place!

I am realizing that some of the Main Street pumpkins are new each year.  Many of them have looked the same to me in the past, but now it seems like they are adding in a couple of new ones (based on what I saw last year and in your photo above).

Have fun!

​


----------



## TulipsNZ

I adore that teapot pumpkin! I want one!

Wow our party sold out!  I'm glad we have tickets now but how exciting.


----------



## mikana876

Kilala said:


> The 26th just sold out online. I will call them on the 3rd to see if they have any tickets left. If not I will go on the 30th.



So glad I got my tickets already!


----------



## KOUKLI

I hopethat Mickey pumpkin is still available by the time I get there


----------



## WendyTJ

*waves from Sydney Australia *
Husband and I are having are first visit to WDW this Oct.  We have our tickets for the Mackey party.  
Just waiting on the date we want for the other Halloween party  

Thank you for this thread it is great  Sherry
Ps I have read the beginning and the first twenty pages


----------



## figment_jii

Kilala said:


> The 26th just sold out online. I will call them on the 3rd to see if they have any tickets left. If not I will go on the 30th.


Thanks!  I've updated the tracking post on page 85.



TulipsNZ said:


> I adore that teapot pumpkin! I want one!


I'm pretty sure the Mickey pumpkin in _Davidg83's_ photo is a candle holder.  I have one from last year and it's pretty cute.



KOUKLI said:


> I hopethat Mickey pumpkin is still available by the time I get there


I'm pretty sure the Mickey pumpkin is the same one that is also available via the Disney Store's online website.
http://www.disneystore.com/mickey-mouse-jack-olantern-candle-holder/mp/1313861/1000401/



Sherry E said:


> Which beignet do you prefer? The regular Mickey beignet?  The gingerbread beignet?  The pumpkin beignet?  Or the regular, non-Mickey-shaped beignet at Jazz Kitchen?



My preference: regular Mickey beignets, Jazz Kitchen beignets, gingerbread beignets, pumpkin beignets.  I like the Mickey shapes and they taste great!  The Jazz Kitchen are also good, but the Mickey shape gives the ones inside DL the edge. The gingerbread ones were okay and I'm not a big pumpkin fan (although, the flavor is very light).

Another Disney Parks Blog Entry: http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...eetly-spook-tacular-at-the-disneyland-resort/
This one is on the treats that should be showing up next month!  They only described the returning items, but the post does say there should be some new treats.


----------



## Sherry E

In case you need a bit of energy to get you through the day, don't forget to reach for your... *Pumpkin Spice Monster Trail Mix from Archer Farms, including pumpkin spice peanuts and pumpkin spice M&M's*!


​
Also, I suppose that Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen will soon announce the (limited) dates for this year's Haunted House Gingerbread Workshop in October (they will probably announce it on their Facebook page), but the special Jazz Kitchen Haunted House event for D23 members has already been announced -- *HERE*.  

The date for D23 members is Sunday, October 19th but, again, there should be at least 3 other days open for booking for the general public when the dates are announced.

​






WendyTJ said:


> *waves from Sydney Australia *
> Husband and I are having are first visit to WDW this Oct.  We have our tickets for the Mackey party.
> Just waiting on the date we want for the other Halloween party
> 
> Thank you for this thread it is great  Sherry
> Ps I have read the beginning and the first twenty pages



Welcome, *WendyTJ*! 

Thank you so much for joining us, and for wading through the first 20 pages (which wasn't necessary, but it is much appreciated)!  Thank you, also, for the kind words.  I just updated several of the posts on page 1 past night, adding in little bits and pieces of things that I had been saving.  I'm still adding more -- but I'm just trying to put in links to things that I think will be useful or interesting.  

Are you going to be visiting both WDW and DLR, and attending the Halloween parties in both locations?  That will be a busy Halloween season!  As I am learning from all of our friends in Australia on this board, Halloween is not really a big deal over there -- or not as much as it is here in the U.S.  I wish that DLR would do a bit more with Halloween Time and invest a little more in it, but it is still great fun in many ways!

​


----------



## dolphingirl47

Sherry E said:


> New, as of today:
> 
> *"Sneak Peek at Much-Anticipated Gingerbread Creation for Haunted Mansion Holiday at Disneyland Park" - Disney Parks Blog; posted on August 28th, 2014 by Pam Brandon, Disney Parks Food Writer*



I can't wait to see this in person.

Corinna


----------



## Sherry E

figment_jii said:


> Thanks!  I've updated the tracking post on page 85.
> 
> 
> I'm pretty sure the Mickey pumpkin in _Davidg83's_ photo is a candle holder.  I have one from last year and it's pretty cute.
> 
> 
> My preference: regular Mickey beignets, Jazz Kitchen beignets, gingerbread beignets, pumpkin beignets.  I like the Mickey shapes and they taste great!  The Jazz Kitchen are also good, but the Mickey shape gives the ones inside DL the edge. The gingerbread ones were okay and I'm not a big pumpkin fan (although, the flavor is very light).
> 
> Another Disney Parks Blog Entry: http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...eetly-spook-tacular-at-the-disneyland-resort/
> This one is on the treats that should be showing up next month!  They only described the returning items, but the post does say there should be some new treats.



*figment_jii --*

Thank you again for keeping up with the list of sellouts as they happen.  It's good to have a post with just that information only (and nothing else), to be able to link it out in other threads if people are wondering about when dates are selling out!  Plus, it's just interesting to really study the sellouts and see how much time passes between one sellout and the next one!

There is a teapot pumpkin in *Davidg83's* photo above (which *TulipsNZ* mentioned) -- it's not the Mickey candle holder.  In fact, it's not even Mickey's face (or...is it?  It's hard to tell!  Lol).  It looks more like Mrs. Potts, in pumpkin form (sort of)!  I am guessing it is one of the display pumpkins for decoration, but not one that is for sale.

I was hoping you would weigh in on the beignets, as I knew you had tried all of them!  I have tried none of them so far.  Is it true that the gingerbread beignets are very dense?  I seem to recall hearing that some people did not care for them because they were not light and airy, like other beignets.  I would have assumed that the pumpkin ones would be a bit dense too, but maybe not?


Thank you, also, for posting that treats blog link!  (We knew there would be a treats blog -- and there will probably be another Halloween/Fall food blog from the Parks Blog later in September and/or in October!)  I had not yet checked the Blog this morning for anything new -- though they had better get hustling and give the start date of the holiday season!  The delay on that announcement is just bizarre, based on how they did it the last few years.


----------



## figment_jii

Sherry E said:


> There is a teapot pumpkin in *Davidg83's* photo above (which *TulipsNZ* mentioned) -- it's not the Mickey candle holder.  In fact, it's not even Mickey's face.  It looks more like Mrs. Potts, in pumpkin form (sort of)!


 Oh, when _TulipsNZ_ said she wanted to take the teapot pumpkin home, I thought she meant the candle holder (it was the wanting one that threw me!).  I'm pretty sure the Mrs. Potts pumpkin is a window display (i.e., not something sold in the stores).  Although...with a few of the foam pumpkins and a foam gourd from a craft store...some glue...and some paint...one might be able to re-create it!



Sherry E said:


> I was hoping you would weigh in on the beignets, as I knew you had tried all of them!  I have tried none of them so far.  Is it true that the gingerbread beignet are very dense?  I seem to recall hearing that some people did not care for them because they were not light and airy, like other beignets.  I would have assumed that the pumpkin ones would be a bit dense too, but maybe not?


You know, I don't remember them all very clearly, but, yes, I think they were denser than the normal beignets.  The flavors weren't very strong, so it's not like they were overwhelmingly gingerbread-y or pumpkin-y.  The seasonal ones are worth trying once (especially if you like either flavor).



Sherry E said:


> I had not yet checked the Blog this morning for anything new -- though they had better get hustling and give the start date of the holiday season!  The delay on that announcement is just bizarre, based on how they did it the last few years.


I almost wonder if with the popularity of Frozen and the addition of the Avenger's Marathon, if they aren't scrambling a bit to figure out what to do and when to start it all.


----------



## mikedoyleblogger

Kilala said:


> The 26th just sold out online. I will call them on the 3rd to see if they have any tickets left. If not I will go on the 30th.



Confuzled. Are you wanting to go on the 26th? Pretty sure if you call right now there will still be some tickets for 9/26 left available by phone.


----------



## Sherry E

figment_jii said:


> Oh, when _TulipsNZ_ said she wanted to take the teapot pumpkin home, I thought she meant the candle holder (it was the wanting one that threw me!).  I'm pretty sure the Mrs. Potts pumpkin is a window display (i.e., not something sold in the stores).  Although...with a few of the foam pumpkins and a foam gourd from a craft store...some glue...and some paint...one might be able to re-create it!
> 
> 
> You know, I don't remember them all very clearly, but, yes, I think they were denser than the normal beignets.  The flavors weren't very strong, so it's not like they were overwhelmingly gingerbread-y or pumpkin-y.  The seasonal ones are worth trying once (especially if you like either flavor).
> 
> 
> I almost wonder if with the popularity of Frozen and the addition of the Avenger's Marathon, if they aren't scrambling a bit to figure out what to do and when to start it all.



*figment_jii --*

Yes, I was thinking along the same lines (about the delay in announcing the season start date).  It would be really easy to just say, "Okay, everyone, the holidays begin on such-and-such date."  However, that wouldn't necessarily mean that all of the holiday events were running yet.  Because of the marathon, the people who plan out the seasonal schedules may have had to rethink when things like Viva Navidad begin.  If they were to put in a _Frozen_ area of Hollywood Land, as suggested by MiceAge, would they have time to get that in place and ready before the marathon weekend?

In fact, if the ice rink is removed from DTD, I wonder if that has to do with the marathon as well.  Maybe they wanted to keep DTD more open and spacious, without the rink in the way near Earl of Sandwich, so the marathon folks have more room to mill about in their off-time.  Who knows?  All I know is that we have a weird Tuesday end date for the holiday season...but no start date!

I love gingerbread, and don't love pumpkin (don't hate it, but don't love it).  I have been curious about the gingerbread beignets, so I may have to give in and try one.




mikedoyleblogger said:


> Confuzled. Are you wanting to go on the 26th? Pretty sure if you call right now there will still be some tickets for 9/26 left available by phone.



*mikedoyleblogger --*

If I am not mistaken, I _think_ *Kilala* meant that when she gets paid on the 3rd she will call and ask about tickets for the 26th (to see if any tickets are left)!  I may be totally off base with that one, but that's my guess!


----------



## 2tinkerbell

Runners go through DTD on both the 10K and the 1/2 Marathon.  I would think that the ice rink in the middle would make it a tight fit as RunDisney tries to keep DTD for the race AND for guests either getting to the Parks or spectating.  Just my thoughts.


----------



## Sherry E

2tinkerbell said:


> Runners go through DTD on both the 10K and the 1/2 Marathon.  I would think that the ice rink in the middle would make it a tight fit as RunDisney tries to keep DTD for the race AND for guests either getting to the Parks or spectating.  Just my thoughts.



*2tinkerbell --*

Aha!  Thank you so much for speaking about that.  That makes more sense now, as the MiceAge rumor said that Disney is planning to put the ice rink in DCA this year, with a _Frozen_ mini-land in that area too.  I was thinking it was a bad idea to take the rink out of DTD because it brought more people into DTD to ice skate (not to mention the fact that _Frozen_ doesn't fit in Hollywood Land).  

However, since the Avengers marathon weekend is taking place on what I assume will also be the first weekend of the holiday season, you're right -- it would be a tight fit in DTD if the rink returned.  They'd either have to put the rink up after the marathon was over, and after the season had already begun...or move it indoors.

Good insight!  Yep, it sounds like there won't be a rink in DTD this year!


----------



## DisneyJamieCA

Sherry E said:


> 2tinkerbell --  Aha!  Thank you so much for speaking about that.  That makes more sense now, as the MiceAge rumor said that Disney is planning to put the ice rink in DCA this year, with a Frozen mini-land in that area too.  I was thinking it was a bad idea to take the rink out of DTD because it brought more people into DTD to ice skate (not to mention the fact that Frozen doesn't fit in Hollywood Land).  However, since the Avengers marathon weekend is taking place on what I assume will also be the first weekend of the holiday season, you're right -- it would be a tight fit in DTD if the rink returned.  They'd either have to put the rink up after the marathon was over, and after the season had already begun...or move it indoors.  Good insight!  Yep, it sounds like there won't be a rink in DTD this year!



I don't know if I should discuss this here or over on the holiday thread, but do you think they'll have the ice rink be a free event or a paid one? I know it was a pay event in DTD and obviously they have "extras" in the park you pay for, but I wonder what the plan for this would be (if the rumor is true of course).


----------



## mom2rtk

DisneyJamieCA said:


> I don't know if I should discuss this here or over on the holiday thread, but do you think they'll have the ice rink be a free event or a paid one? I know it was a pay event in DTD and obviously they have "extras" in the park you pay for, but I wonder what the plan for this would be (if the rumor is true of course).



You have to pay to skate at DHS with an ice rink inside the park. So I'd be shocked if you didn't still have to pay if it moved into DCA.


----------



## figment_jii

DisneyJamieCA said:


> I don't know if I should discuss this here or over on the holiday thread, but do you think they'll have the ice rink be a free event or a paid one? I know it was a pay event in DTD and obviously they have "extras" in the park you pay for, but I wonder what the plan for this would be (if the rumor is true of course).



My instinctive guess is that it would still be a paid for event even if it was located inside DCA.  The closest example we have (that I can think of) is the ice skating rink over at DHS (part of the Frozen Summer Fun event).  They charge for that (based on 30 minute increments and it includes the skate rental) and it's located inside DHS.  If they do have a mini-Frozen land of some sort in DCA, I would think it would similar to what they have in DHS.


----------



## DisneyJamieCA

mom2rtk said:


> You have to pay to skate at DHS with an ice rink inside the park. So I'd be shocked if you didn't still have to pay if it moved into DCA.



See, I didn't even know there was one at DHS! (I honestly don't pay much attention to WDW). Then, yes I would agree it would be done the same.


----------



## mom2rtk

DisneyJamieCA said:


> See, I didn't even know there was one at DHS! (I honestly don't pay much attention to WDW). Then, yes I would agree it would be done the same.



It's been a pretty big deal there. It started this summer and has been extended a couple times already. It began as "Frozen Summer Fun" but is extending through October.

They added a small opening deal (which has really bottlenecked things at rope drop. Late morning they do a short little processional/parade that includes Kristoff on one float and A/E riding in on a sleigh. But they pilfered a variety of elements from the Christmas parade, so nobody knows what they'll do from November forward because they'll need those parts back (presumably).

They also included a sing-a-long and Frozen themed fireworks (the park previously did not offer regular fireworks). It has been a huge hit. No meet and greet at that park though. They are only in the MK to meet.


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## Sherry E

And after you have recharged your batteries with the Pumpkin Spice Monster Trail Mix I mentioned here earlier this morning...stop in at Dunkin' Donuts to pick up a *Pumpkin Crème Brulee Latte or a Pumpkin Mocha*!!!!!!!!

The Pumpkin Domination continues!!!  I am not even a fan of pumpkin flavoring, but I love that the pumpkin (and caramel apples, and candy corn, and maple) is taking over, and everything -- even unexpected things such as gum -- is getting a Fall/Halloween flavor makeover!  It means summer is almost gone, thank the heavens!

​



DisneyJamieCA said:


> See, I didn't even know there was one at DHS! (I honestly don't pay much attention to WDW). Then, yes I would agree it would be done the same.



*Jamie --*

You're not the only one who didn't realize that there was an ice rink in DHS!   I only pay attention to certain WDW-related things, such as specific holiday things or Halloween things, and I even pay attention to the Flower and Garden Festival, but I pay no attention to summer stuff at WDW. 

I was aware that there was a _Frozen Summer Fun_ thing happening, but I didn't look at the details of the event at all.  

I'm glad that *Janet* and *figment_jii* were able to answer your question, and now that I see that there is a rink in DHS, I agree that an ice rink in DCA/HL would probably be run like the one in DHS (if an ice rink is coming to DCA/HL, that is -- but all signs seem to be pointing in that general direction).


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## WendyTJ

WendyTJ said:


> *waves from Sydney Australia *
> Husband and I are having are first visit to WDW this Oct.  We have our tickets for the Mackey party.
> Just waiting on the date we want for the other Halloween party
> 
> Thank you for this thread it is great  Sherry
> Ps I have read the beginning and the first twenty pages



darn see what happens when you do something at midnght

Ok we are going to disneyland in Anaheim. Sheesh and my wonderful spell checker didnt like Mickey


----------



## TulipsNZ

figment_jii said:


> Oh, when _TulipsNZ_ said she wanted to take the teapot pumpkin home, I thought she meant the candle holder (it was the wanting one that threw me!).  I'm pretty sure the Mrs. Potts pumpkin is a window display (i.e., not something sold in the stores).  Although...with a few of the foam pumpkins and a foam gourd from a craft store...some glue...and some paint...one might be able to re-create it!



Oh I know it's a window display it's just so cute! I love Beauty & the Beast though.


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## briggscreek

I'm getting so excited for our trip, only 3 weeks to go! Here's a couple of pics of the man-eating wreath that my husband made me, I absolutely love Haunted Mansion Holiday.


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## Vintage Mouseketeer

Sherry E said:


> And after you have recharged your batteries with the Pumpkin Spice Monster Trail Mix I mentioned here earlier this morning...stop in at Dunkin' Donuts to pick up a Pumpkin Crème Brulee Latte or a Pumpkin Mocha!!!!!!!!  The Pumpkin Domination continues!!!  I am not even a fan of pumpkin flavoring, but I love that the pumpkin (and caramel apples, and candy corn, and maple) is taking over, and everything -- even unexpected things such as gum -- is getting a Fall/Halloween flavor makeover!  It means summer is almost gone, thank the heavens!   ).



I wished there was a Dunkin' Donuts in my area! I am all about Pumpkin everything. The kids are back in school,  I think it is time for summer to be over and bring on the fall, especially the weather! 





briggscreek said:


> I'm getting so excited for our trip, only 3 weeks to go! Here's a couple of pics of the man-eating wreath that my husband made me, I absolutely love Haunted Mansion Holiday.  http://s51.photobucket.com/user/bri...e-4f99-ac49-474b308a580b_zpscd9ddce6.jpg.html http://s51.photobucket.com/user/bri...d-4fd8-a769-b55ada4c341d_zpsa3de6c7c.jpg.html



That is really cool and so creative! My 4 year old has recently become obsessed with NBC and cannot wait to see Zero fly during MHP.


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## Sherry E

Vintage Mouseketeer said:


> I wished there was a Dunkin' Donuts in my area! I am all about Pumpkin everything. The kids are back in school,  I think it is time for summer to be over and bring on the fall, especially the weather!




Did you ever end up using your Sprinkles Cupcakes gift card, *Vintage Mousketeer*?  I meant to tell you before that I think you can use it online, on their website, though I could be wrong.  There is a store in Newport Beach too, so maybe that one is more convenient for you?? 

There is pretty much pumpkin, caramel apple and candy corn-flavored/scented everything hitting the shelves right now, and I think it will probably increase (more items will appear) over the next month.  I have been waiting for summer to end since it began!


----------



## Vintage Mouseketeer

Sherry E said:


> Did you ever end up using your Sprinkles Cupcakes gift card, Vintage Mousketeer?  I meant to tell you before that I think you can use it online, on their website, though I could be wrong.  There is a store in Newport Beach too, so maybe that one is more convenient for you??  There is pretty much pumpkin, caramel apple and candy corn-flavored/scented everything hitting the shelves right now, and I think it will probably increase (more items will appear) over the next month.  I have been waiting for summer to end since it began!




I have yet to use it..... It is always a case of I forget when I am in an area of one of the Sprinkle stores or I do not have the energy to fight for parking since it seems like they're not centrally located.  Lol 

Will you be in the parks at all for the first weekend of Halloween/ Dapper Day ? I would love to meet you


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## laura&fam

I have a question about watching the MHP fireworks from main street.  If we arrive about 20-25 minutes before the fireworks could we get a spot near the back edge of the hub (not necessarily in it) towards the main street photo store and would me and my short kids be able to see there?

Also I thought I read a suggestion to arrive about 30 minutes before 3pm (for a 6 pm party) to get in quicker for the party.  Is that correct?


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## Cheshirecatty

I don't know how it went for everybody else watching the MHP Fireworks last year, but if we had waited until only 20-25 minutes before they began, to find a spot on Main Street, we would have been out of luck for any kind of *decent viewing*!

We had to stake out a spot a full hour ahead(as it was already getting crowded on Mn. St.), and it wasn't that great---adequate, but not great.  We were there the week of Oct. 6th--12th.


----------



## clydeisme

In the last couple of years have they been selling Minnie Mouse Witch Hat? The last time I went at Halloween (2009) it's all I wanted but could never find one to buy. I'm not sure if it's a normal idem they carry annually in the resort or if I should find one online?


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## Davidg83

So this morning as we were running backstage during the 10k I saw this and knew I had to stop and take a picture for you guys!


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## Sherry E

*Davidg83 --*

I love that behind-the-scenes shot!  I love seeing the giant Mickey pumpkin outside of his usual post in Town Square! 

Might I add, the Mickey pumpkin looks better in Town Square.  For some reason...he is not as impressive backstage!


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## D23Ry

quick question, do most of the people dress up at the halloween party? What would you say is the percentage of people that dress up? 10%? 90%!?


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## Sherry E

D23Ry said:


> quick question, do most of the people dress up at the halloween party? What would you say is the percentage of people that dress up? 10%? 90%!?



*D23Ry --*

To me, it seems to be about a 50/50 split (at least, that's my perception of it).  Or, maybe it could be 60% in costume and 40% not in costume in some years.


----------



## figment_jii

laura&fam said:


> I have a question about watching the MHP fireworks from main street.  If we arrive about 20-25 minutes before the fireworks could we get a spot near the back edge of the hub (not necessarily in it) towards the main street photo store and would me and my short kids be able to see there?
> 
> Also I thought I read a suggestion to arrive about 30 minutes before 3pm (for a 6 pm party) to get in quicker for the party.  Is that correct?


I also agree that is you wait until 20-25 minutes before the start of the fireworks, it is unlikely you'll get a good spot anywhere near the hub unless you're lucky.  If you want a spot anywhere at the end of Main Street, I think you need to get there at least 45 minutes early, more if you want to b closer to the castle.  You can wait until 20-25 minutes if you're okay with being further down Main Street (I'd say somewhere around the Starbucks).
At every partying gone to, there has been a line of guests waiting to get in with their party tickets.  Last year, I vaguely recall seeing the line extend to the middle of the Esplanade at 3:00 pm when they started letting folks in.  The MHP will only be accepted at specific ticket gates (they'll have signs).  If you get there 30 minutes early, I would guess you'll be near the front/middle of the line.



D23Ry said:


> quick question, do most of the people dress up at the halloween party? What would you say is the percentage of people that dress up? 10%? 90%!?


I agree with _Sherry_ that it seems like 50/50.  It's an even enough split that neither group (those in costume and those not in costume) will feel out of place.


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## MermaidHair

Hey all, I need some advice. We are going to DLR 10/31-11/2, my sister's family of 4 and my family of 4. We will go to the party in 10/31- got tix already!  I am trying to convince my mom to join us but I think she will want to wait till October to decide. If I were to buy her a Halloween party tix now and she decided to pass would I be able to resell the ticket(for face value of course!)?  I can't afford to buy the tix if she does not come.


----------



## figment_jii

MermaidHair said:


> If I were to buy her a Halloween party tix now and she decided to pass would I be able to resell the ticket(for face value of course!)?  I can't afford to buy the tix if she does not come.


No...the tickets clearly state "Not for resale.  Non-refundable.  Non-transferable."


----------



## Sherry E

*Did anyone here (who is on Facebook) get the email from Facebook about the upcoming Disney-related pages that are going to merge?  

In case you didn't get it, basically all of the separate "event" pages related to WDW -- the F&W Festival page, the Flower and Garden Festival page, the WDW Holidays page and  the MNSSHP page -- will be merged into the main WDW Facebook page.

On the Disneyland side of things, the totally useless Halloween Time page and the even more useless Holidays Facebook page will be merged into the main Disneyland page (not the Disneyland Today page, but just regular Disneyland).

The good news is that at least there is a chance that someone from Disney might actually answer Halloween and Holidays-related questions, now that allllllllllll of the Mickey's Halloween Party questions and allllllllllll of the Halloween Time questions and allllllllllllllll of the Holidays questions will end up on the main Disneyland page, or perhaps on Disneyland Today's page.  I notice that the Disneyland Today folks seem to try to answer things -- however canned, generic and non-specific those answers may be -- when they can.

All of the page merging will be done by September 13th.*

​



MermaidHair said:


> Hey all, I need some advice. We are going to DLR 10/31-11/2, my sister's family of 4 and my family of 4. We will go to the party in 10/31- got tix already!  I am trying to convince my mom to join us but I think she will want to wait till October to decide. If I were to buy her a Halloween party tix now and she decided to pass would I be able to resell the ticket(for face value of course!)?  I can't afford to buy the tix if she does not come.



*MermaidHair --*

Well, here's the thing.  As *figment_jii* pointed out above, technically the tickets are not supposed to be resold unless they are sold/resold through a Disney-authorized merchant.  However, we know the ticket sales happen a lot, and I'm sure Disney knows they happen a lot.

Even beyond that issue of whether or not Disney would be okay with it, we don't allow any sales-related posts here on this board/website, about anything Disney-related or non-Disney-related.  It's one of the rules.  So, in other words, no "_I'm selling a ticket_" posts, and no "_I need to buy a ticket_" posts are allowed. Every year there are people who try to sell MHP tickets here and we have to end up deleting the posts or closing them down.  Other boards may be okay with it, but we can't allow it here.

I'm glad you asked about it, though -- just so you know what to expect!:


----------



## CassieF

You guys have been so helpful... And now I have another question! I've never done conjure a villain but now we will Venice my niece loves the villains.  How often are the "shows" done?  From my reading I know a line forms, but is it just waiting for the next show to start or do they get long enough that it can be a cycle or two before entering?  And typically, it's just two villains flip flopping right?  Is it possible to leave one show and get into the one immediately following?


----------



## Sherry E

CassieF said:


> You guys have been so helpful... And now I have another question! I've never done conjure a villain but now we will Venice my niece loves the villains.  How often are the "shows" done?  From my reading I know a line forms, but is it just waiting for the next show to start or do they get long enough that it can be a cycle or two before entering?  And typically, it's just two villains flip flopping right?  Is it possible to leave one show and get into the one immediately following?



*Cassie --*

Those are excellent questions, and I hope that *figment_jii*, *laura&fam*, *pudinhd* and all the others who waited in the Conjure line will chime in and help because I am curious to know too!

I spent a lot of time at and around the Halloween Carnival, but I did not get in the Conjure line (it was too long and I didn't have the patience)!  The only thing I know is that there is a tent, and around the tent there are pictures of the supposed Villains you might be able to "conjure" while there (some of whom were never conjured, apparently).







clydeisme said:


> In the last couple of years have they been selling Minnie Mouse Witch Hat? The last time I went at Halloween (2009) it's all I wanted but could never find one to buy. I'm not sure if it's a normal idem they carry annually in the resort or if I should find one online?



*clydeisme --*

I've seen what appeared to be slightly different versions of the Minnie Witch ears/hat in different years.

I saw this pair last year (2013):












Were those ^^^ the ones you were interested in?


----------



## MermaidHair

Sherry E said:


> technically the tickets are not supposed to be resold unless they are sold/resold through a Disney-authorized merchant.  However, we know that ticket sales happen a lot, and I'm sure Disney knows they happen a lot.



Sherry E & figment - thanks for the insight!  I understand the policy I just think for a limited ticket event if we had an extra there would likely be *someone* who would be happy to have it. Not that I would know how to find them. Well no matter what we decide I will definitely respect the DIS policies!


----------



## Sherry E

MermaidHair said:


> Sherry E & figment - thanks for the insight!  I understand the policy I just think for a limited ticket event if we had an extra there would likely be *someone* who would be happy to have it. Not that I would know how to find them. Well no matter what we decide I will definitely respect the DIS policies!



*MermaidHair --*

You're very welcome!  It's always good to ask to be sure before you do anything, just so you know what you're getting into.  A lot of people don't ask and they just burst on to this board with "I'm selling tickets" posts, or they try to find clever ways to get away with selling, thinking that we won't catch on!

In 2013 I noticed a lot of people flooding the aforementioned useless Halloween Time Facebook page (useless because Disney doesn't update it or maintain it) with posts about needing to buy or sell tickets.  I have also heard stories of people having unsuccessful transactions on Craig's List, where one party backed out or didn't deliver.  So it can turn ugly -- which is probably one major reason why sales aren't allowed on this board.  

These days, Disney seems to really be cracking down on ticket and Hopper issues (because there are so many cases of people selling unused days on Hoppers to other people).   The MHP is still a single ticket/single park event for the time being, and I'm sure lots of people buy tickets early on for the rest of their party, only to have something come up later that prevents someone from going.  It probably happens a lot.


----------



## CassieF

Sherry E said:


> *Cassie --*
> 
> Those are excellent questions, and I hope that *figment_jii*, *laura&fam*, *pudinhd* and all the others who waited in the Conjure line will chime in and help because I am curious to know too!
> 
> I spent a lot of time at and around the Halloween Carnival, but I did not get in the Conjure line (it was too long and I didn't have the patience)!  The only thing I know is that there is a tent, and around the tent there are pictures of the supposed Villains you might be able to "conjure" while there (some of whom were never conjured, apparently).



We know some of the villains' friends so if they are there on a particular day we'd like to be able to see them instead of missing them by getting stuck in line...plus she's 2.5years old and while she loves her villain friends waiting for a long time isn't going to be super easy!  We just want our villains, why do they have to make it so difficult!


----------



## laura&fam

CassieF said:


> You guys have been so helpful... And now I have another question! I've never done conjure a villain but now we will Venice my niece loves the villains.  How often are the "shows" done?  From my reading I know a line forms, but is it just waiting for the next show to start or do they get long enough that it can be a cycle or two before entering?  And typically, it's just two villains flip flopping right?  Is it possible to leave one show and get into the one immediately following?



I went 2 years ago and was very unimpressed with the conjure a villain so I think I blocked it from my mind  but I'll answer what I can.  The line goes nowhere for a long time then they let about 20 people into the tent, do a short (5 minute?) show with a CM, and the villain appears.  The villain then poses for photos and interacts with all 20 people, which takes a while.  I would be astounded if you were able to leave with a villain and get in with the next villain.  The park wasn't very busy the day we were there and the line seemed short and I think we waited 45 minutes.  I think it was the 3rd or 4th villain after we got into line that we got to see.  It would be difficult with small children because the line literally doesn't move for a long time and then it moves a lot and you get excited but still don't get in.  

If you have the time you might want to try it but be prepared for a long wait.  I am glad I did it once to see what it was but I have no desire to do it again.


----------



## DisneyJamieCA

laura&fam said:


> I went 2 years ago and was very unimpressed with the conjure a villain so I think I blocked it from my mind  but I'll answer what I can.  The line goes nowhere for a long time then they let about 20 people into the tent, do a short (5 minute?) show with a CM, and the villain appears.  The villain then poses for photos and interacts with all 20 people, which takes a while.  I would be astounded if you were able to leave with a villain and get in with the next villain.  The park wasn't very busy the day we were there and the line seemed short and I think we waited 45 minutes.  I think it was the 3rd or 4th villain after we got into line that we got to see.  It would be difficult with small children because the line literally doesn't move for a long time and then it moves a lot and you get excited but still don't get in.  If you have the time you might want to try it but be prepared for a long wait.  I am glad I did it once to see what it was but I have no desire to do it again.



We had a similar experience. Went back there midday and I waited with the older two, while DH did other stuff back there with the little two. I think we waited in line 3-4 cycles before getting to go in. Even more of a disappointment was our villain was Cruella de Ville, somebody who usually isn't hard to find around the parks.


----------



## laura&fam

figment_jii said:


> I also agree that is you wait until 20-25 minutes before the start of the fireworks, it is unlikely you'll get a good spot anywhere near the hub unless you're lucky.  If you want a spot anywhere at the end of Main Street, I think you need to get there at least 45 minutes early, more if you want to b closer to the castle.  You can wait until 20-25 minutes if you're okay with being further down Main Street (I'd say somewhere around the Starbucks).
> At every partying gone to, there has been a line of guests waiting to get in with their party tickets.  Last year, I vaguely recall seeing the line extend to the middle of the Esplanade at 3:00 pm when they started letting folks in.  The MHP will only be accepted at specific ticket gates (they'll have signs).  If you get there 30 minutes early, I would guess you'll be near the front/middle of the line.



Thanks for the info.  I was hoping to get close to the photo store for the fireworks but I'll have to decide if I'm willing to wait longer or just want a worse view.  I hadn't noticed Starbucks last trip and it isn't listed on the map I found online.  Can you tell me what it's by?


----------



## pudinhd

Sherry E said:


> *Cassie --*
> 
> Those are excellent questions, and I hope that *figment_jii*, *laura&fam*, *pudinhd* and all the others who waited in the Conjure line will chime in and help because I am curious to know too!
> 
> I spent a lot of time at and around the Halloween Carnival, but I did not get in the Conjure line (it was too long and I didn't have the patience)!  The only thing I know is that there is a tent, and around the tent there are pictures of the supposed Villains you might be able to "conjure" while there (some of whom were never conjured, apparently).



Conjure a Villain...  My favorite!  

You get in line and about 20-30 people go into the tent.  A CM starts the mini-show with a child waving a wand over a bubbling cauldron and a villain will appear.  It is only about 5 minutes or so once everyone is in the tent.  But, then everyone in the tent has the opportunity to meet the villain.

Depending on how long the line is and how many villains are available, you could potentially see the same villain.

Also, there are villain posters displayed on the tents.  Unfortunately, I was never able to see some of those villains, nor did I hear of anyone else meeting them.

I don't mean to imply this isn't a fun thing to do.  I just went in with the hope of meeting a rare character and was disappointed.  Hope this helps!


----------



## CassieF

Thanks for the help!  It sounds like we are going to do a lot of waiting around... I guess I'll have to get specific times that our friends will be there and if we don't make it for one we'll have to let others go ahead until it's time for the next one.  Bummer!


----------



## Sherry E

Thank you, *laura&fam* and *pudinhd*, for helping *Cassie* with the details about the Conjure a Villain fiasco.   Oops!   I meant 'Conjure a Villain experience.'

I was really hoping that Disney would decide to put 2 or 3 Villains back in a regular photo spot (like they had pre-2012), where everyone in line could see exactly who they were going to be meeting.  But, alas, no.  They insist on making the Villains more exclusive and elusive, little by little, over time -- to try to make the MHP seem more valuable when it comes time to buy tickets.


----------



## mom2rtk

Sherry E said:


> Thank you, *laura&fam* and *pudinhd*, for helping *Cassie* with the details about the Conjure a Villain fiasco.   Oops!   I meant 'Conjure a Villain experience.'
> 
> I was really hoping that Disney would decide to put 2 or 3 Villains back in a regular photo spot (like they had pre-2012), where everyone in line could see exactly who they were going to be meeting.  But, alas, no.  They insist on making the Villains more exclusive and elusive, little by little, over time -- to try to make the MHP seem more valuable when it comes time to buy tickets.



At least they didn't take those villains out to put into a more exclusive "paid event within a paid event" like they appear to be doing over on the WDW side of things.


----------



## pudinhd

Sherry E said:


> Thank you, *laura&fam* and *pudinhd*, for helping *Cassie* with the details about the Conjure a Villain fiasco.   Oops!   I meant 'Conjure a Villain experience.'
> 
> I was really hoping that Disney would decide to put 2 or 3 Villains back in a regular photo spot (like they had pre-2012), where everyone in line could see exactly who they were going to be meeting.  But, alas, no.  They insist on making the Villains more exclusive and elusive, little by little, over time -- to try to make the MHP seem more valuable when it comes time to buy tickets.



If that rumor about replacing the ranch area and ToonTown becomes a reality, I will be really curious to see what Disney does with the fun events they have at the ranch with the characters.


----------



## Sherry E

mom2rtk said:


> At least they didn't take those villains out to put into a more exclusive "paid event within a paid event" like they appear to be doing over on the WDW side of things.



*Janet --*

It's coincidental that you posted here, as I was just over in your TR thread, looking at the latest installment.  (I agree with you about the Critter Breakfast at Storytellers -- lovely setting, especially during the holiday season, but the characters are not that interesting.  Chip and Dale can be found at other meals!)

Yes, I am still getting a kick out of that "paid event within a paid event" deal that is happening at WDW this year (because it verges on greed)!  Of course, I am only getting a kick out of it until it ends up happening in DLR too!  Then I won't be getting a kick out of it!

I would be fine with the Villains' exclusivity if the Villains that were part of the paid events within paid events, or paid events in general, were truly rare or scarce.  However, many of the Villains are Villains that one might meet on a regular day in spring, perhaps -- like Cruella or the Queen of Hearts.  Other Villains at the paid events are Villains that were just available throughout the year until fairly recently -- and then removed 2 seconds ago, such as the Evil Queen.


----------



## CassieF

Sherry E said:


> *Janet --*
> 
> It's coincidental that you posted here, as I was just over in your TR thread, looking at the latest installment.  (I agree with you about the Critter Breakfast at Storytellers -- lovely setting, especially during the holiday season, but the characters are not that interesting.  Chip and Dale can be found at other meals!)
> 
> Yes, I am still getting a kick out of that "paid event within a paid event" deal that is happening at WDW this year (because it verges on greed)!  Of course, I am only getting a kick out of it until it ends up happening in DLR too!  Then I won't be getting a kick out of it!
> 
> I would be fine with the Villains' exclusivity if the Villains that were part of the paid events within paid events, or paid events in general, were truly rare or scarce.  However, many of the Villains are Villains that one might meet on a regular day in spring, perhaps -- like Cruella or the Queen of Hearts.  Other Villains at the paid events are Villains that were just available throughout the year until recently -- and then removed 2 seconds ago, such as the Evil Queen.




Awww, the Evil Queen.  I'm really hoping she'll be available outside conjure a villain!  Hopefully they'll have a villain or two in town square in addition to conjure a villain.   It will be unfortunate if they are more scarce during Halloween time due to conjure than regular times...


----------



## Sherry E

pudinhd said:


> If that rumor about replacing the ranch area and ToonTown becomes a reality, I will be really curious to see what Disney does with the fun events they have at the ranch with the characters.



*pudinhd --*

Same here.  

I really hope there is another way to work Star Wars into Disneyland so that those areas don't have to be disturbed, but a lot of people view the whole Halloween Carnival/Jingle Jangle Jamboree area (which was also great, and quite festive, during spring/Easter) as a waste of space and would be glad to see it go.  I think it has lots of potential and it is a great spot for seasonal festivities.  I think it is especially crucial during the Halloween Time season because the Halloween offerings are minimal to begin with.  If they take the Halloween Carnival out of DL, there isn't all that much "Halloween" left in DL!  The holiday season could probably survive -- though it would be a lot less festive -- without the JJJ, but the Halloween Carnival is the hub of daytime/non-MHP Halloween activity in the park! The pumpkin carvers need a home!





CassieF said:


> Awww, the Evil Queen.  I'm really hoping she'll be available outside conjure a villain!  Hopefully they'll have a villain or two in town square in addition to conjure a villain.   It will be unfortunate if they are more scarce during Halloween time due to conjure than regular times...



*Cassie --*

Unless I missed seeing the Villains out and about, as far as I know they were taken out of Town Square as soon as the Halloween Carnival first went up in 2012.  As soon as that Conjure a Villain thing came along, that was the only way to meet Villains during Halloween Time -- outside of Mickey's Halloween Party.  (Of course, Cruella and others could be found during the rest of the year.)  

From 2009-2011, the Villains were stationed at a regular photo spot near IASW.  In 2008 and prior, there were Villains (Frollo, Ratcliffe, Don Karnage and the Queen of Hearts) at a photo spot in DCA, in Hollywood, as well as others in DL too.


----------



## pudinhd

Sherry E said:


> *pudinhd --*
> 
> Same here.
> 
> I really hope there is another way to work Star Wars into Disneyland so that those areas don't have to be disturbed, but a lot of people view the whole Halloween Carnival/Jingle Jangle Jamboree area (which was also great, and quite festive, during spring/Easter) as a waste of space and would be glad to see it go.  I think it has lots of potential and it is a great spot for seasonal festivities.  I think it is especially crucial during the Halloween Time season because the Halloween offerings are minimal to begin with.  If they take the Halloween Carnival out of DL, there isn't all that much "Halloween" left in DL!  The holiday season could probably survive -- though it would be a lot less festive -- without the JJJ, but the Halloween Carnival is the hub of daytime/non-MHP Halloween activity in the park! The pumpkin carvers need a home!



Very good points!!  With the thought that Conjure a Villain is making the villains seem more exclusive at MHP, I can't help but think the villains would not be offered at all without the Halloween Carnival. 

I think I mentioned this before, but while Cars Land and Bugs Land work at DCA, I love the variety in each land at DL.  I don't have anything against Star Wars, Marvel, etc., but don't want a land specifically for them.  Modify rides, take some out and build new, whatever, but just do a variety like the rest of the park!


----------



## figment_jii

laura&fam said:


> Thanks for the info.  I was hoping to get close to the photo store for the fireworks but I'll have to decide if I'm willing to wait longer or just want a worse view.  I hadn't noticed Starbucks last trip and it isn't listed on the map I found online.  Can you tell me what it's by?



It's the Main Street Bakery.  I call it Starbucks because they serve Starbucks drinks there, but I think it's still formally called the Main Street Bakery.



Sherry E said:


> Yes, I am still getting a kick out of that "paid event within a paid event" deal that is happening at WDW this year (because it verges on greed)!  Of course, I am only getting a kick out of it until it ends up happening in DLR too!  Then I won't be getting a kick out of it!


I honestly think that the Sinister Soirée at MNSSHP has to do with all the villains they had to train for the Unleash the Villians event.  I feel like the logic was: they had them, so why not use them again?  It'll be interesting to read how it goes and whether folks thinks it's worth $99!


----------



## Sherry E

figment_jii said:


> It's the Main Street Bakery.  I call it Starbucks because they serve Starbucks drinks there, but I think it's still formally called the Main Street Bakery.
> 
> 
> I honestly think that the Sinister Soirée at MNSSHP has to do with all the villains they had to train for the Unleash the Villians event.  I feel like the logic was: they had them, so why not use them again?  It'll be interesting to read how it goes and whether folks thinks it's worth $99!





Starbucks is in the Market House on Main Street.  

There used to be a Blue Ribbon Bakery on Main Street, but that closed when Carnation Café was re-expanded to include indoor seating, and Gibson Girl Ice Cream and Candy Palace were temporarily closed during that time as well as well.

The Jolly Holiday Bakery is what took over for Blue Ribbon Bakery, although it is located in a totally different spot than where BRB was located.


Yes, I'm very curious to read the feedback on the Soiree and see if it gets good or bad reviews! 

I can't wait for Halloween Time to arrive!


----------



## figment_jii

Yikes!  Brain hiccup!    Right, sorry about...it's called the Market House at DL (it's the Main Street Bakery at MK!).


----------



## CassieF

Sherry E said:


> *Cassie --*
> 
> Unless I missed seeing the Villains out and about, as far as I know they were taken out of Town Square as soon as the Halloween Carnival first went up in 2012.  As soon as that Conjure a Villain thing came along, that was the only way to meet Villains during Halloween Time -- outside of Mickey's Halloween Party.  (Of course, Cruella and others could be found during the rest of the year.)
> 
> From 2009-2011, the Villains were stationed at a regular photo spot near IASW.  In 2008 and prior, there were Villains (Frollo, Ratcliffe, Don Karnage and the Queen of Hearts) at a photo spot in DCA, in Hollywood, as well as others in DL too.



Yikes, that is a major disappointment!  We frequently stop and see Cruella several times throughout the day (same for the Queen when she was out) but if it's going to be 30+ minutes without even knowing who we see Halloween time, which we've been looking forward to so much, is going to be a big bummer of two months!  Sure, we'll have two, possibly three, Halloween parties that we are going to but if we can't see our "friends" easily on regular visits I'm going to have one very disappointed little niece!


----------



## mom2rtk

Sherry E said:


> *Janet --*
> 
> It's coincidental that you posted here, as I was just over in your TR thread, looking at the latest installment.  (I agree with you about the Critter Breakfast at Storytellers -- lovely setting, especially during the holiday season, but the characters are not that interesting.  Chip and Dale can be found at other meals!)
> 
> Yes, I am still getting a kick out of that "paid event within a paid event" deal that is happening at WDW this year (because it verges on greed)!  Of course, I am only getting a kick out of it until it ends up happening in DLR too!  Then I won't be getting a kick out of it!
> 
> I would be fine with the Villains' exclusivity if the Villains that were part of the paid events within paid events, or paid events in general, were truly rare or scarce.  However, many of the Villains are Villains that one might meet on a regular day in spring, perhaps -- like Cruella or the Queen of Hearts.  Other Villains at the paid events are Villains that were just available throughout the year until fairly recently -- and then removed 2 seconds ago, such as the Evil Queen.



I really enjoyed Storytellers, but feel the same way about the characters. I wanted to go to see if we could find someone more obscure. We did meet Koda and Kenai, but were hoping to find Meeko. As much as we enjoyed it, we probably won't do it again. I love Chip and Dale, but we were seriously on C/D overload by the end of that trip!

I have subscribed here and to the MNSSHP threads on the WDW side because we will likely swap to Halloween time next year and I want to be up to date.

I guess we'll know tonight (the night of the first MNSSHP) whether Disney really had the gall to remove 2 of the most popular villains from the paid event to make them exclusive to the paid event within the paid event. If they do, it will be an all new low in my opinion.

So all that stuff is going on over at WDW, yet here sits DLR chugging along mostly unchanged. I'm good with that since we're headed that direction this year again, but it makes me nervous that maybe they're just holding off and unleashing a pile of new stuff next year for the 60th. I hope this isn't just the calm before the storm........





CassieF said:


> Awww, the Evil Queen.  I'm really hoping she'll be available outside conjure a villain!  Hopefully they'll have a villain or two in town square in addition to conjure a villain.   It will be unfortunate if they are more scarce during Halloween time due to conjure than regular times...



I didn't experience "conjure up a villain" but I can tell from everyone's descriptions that I would have absolutely hated it! Right up there with the old Princess Fantasy Faire that used to open an hour after regular park time and offer "princess roulette"!


----------



## Sherry E

*Now that we have reached September (thank the heavens for that!) -- or, as was plastered all over my Facebook newsfeed yesterday, the start of the "Ber" months! -- the appearance of Fall/Halloween-related goodies on store shelves will probably ramp up dramatically.  There have already been many things popping up, as you have seen from my updates.  The Pumpkin Domination will continue, and the Caramel Apple and Candy Corn flavors and scents will creep into the most unexpected products!

In fact, this just in:  Go to Baskin-Robbins to get your Pumpkin Cheesecake Ice Cream, which is the flavor of the month for September at BR!

I wouldn't be shocked if we start seeing Halloween TV commercials right around now (I remember that a couple of us posted last year when we saw our first TV commercials of the season, and it was close to this time, if not sooner!).  How long until the Reese's Peanut Butter Cups ad with the spooky music hits the screen?  When will the annual M&M's Halloween ad air?

Meanwhile, over at Disneyland, we have seen (thanks to Davidg83) the giant Mickey pumpkin in his backstage setting, probably getting ready to be spruced up and dusted off for showtime on September 12th, which is, I should point out, at the end of next week!!!*




​



*I mentioned a while back that I would eventually post some links to reports/reviews about Mickey's Halloween Party (the good and the bad!) over the last couple of years, from first-timers and from MHP vets, so that everyone can get an idea of what to expect.*

So, today I will start out with a link to a report from DIS'er (and former DIS Unplugged podcast guest) *tayalltheway (Taylor), *who has a very popular TR thread (a "Life Report") in the Disneyland Trip Reports section of the board, though he stopped doing the actual TR in the thread and, instead, now just posts links to his blog, which continues the report.

Taylor attended his first MHP last year (I think it was on 10/21/13 -- a Monday night).  In the TR thread he said this:  



> _ *"We were totally hesitant about paying extra for the party as well (though at least we don't have kids to pay for/worry about). In our experience, it was definitely worth it, though you have to adjust your expectations. It is VERY crowded, and there's absolutely no way to do everything, but I think that if you can figure out a way to stop worrying about what you're going to miss due to time constraints, then it's a way to have a unique experience at Disneyland that you can't get at any other time of the year." * _



Taylor's actual MHP review/blog installment (which is quite good) begins *HERE*, and you will have to click on "Continued in Next Post" at the bottom of that page to get to the next installment.  So far, from what I can gather, there are only 2 MHP installments, but he is not done posting the report yet.  I noticed that there is nothing about Halloween Screams yet, so that must be coming up soon! 




​








CassieF said:


> Yikes, that is a major disappointment!  We frequently stop and see Cruella several times throughout the day (same for the Queen when she was out) but if it's going to be 30+ minutes without even knowing who we see Halloween time, which we've been looking forward to so much, is going to be a big bummer of two months!  Sure, we'll have two, possibly three, Halloween parties that we are going to but if we can't see our "friends" easily on regular visits I'm going to have one very disappointed little niece!



*Cassie --*

Yes, the whole Villains set-up from 2012 and 2013 was annoying, and it was very evident that Disney staged it that way to make the Villains more elusive and exclusive to the actual parties.  They didn't want to remove the Villains entirely, so up went the Conjure tent, but they mainly want people to buy tickets to the MHP because that's where they will be able to meet most of the Villains.

It makes no sense to have Cruella out and about in the middle of spring, for example, but then remove her from Halloween Time unless she is the Villain to be "conjured" at the Carnival, or unless one buys a ticket to the MHP to meet her.  And yet, that is what appeared to happen in 2012 and 2013, and that is likely what is going to happen again this year.

What Disney _could_ and _should_ have done at DLR was leave the "regular" Villains (such as Cruella, the Queen of Hearts, Captain Hook, etc.) out in the daytime during Halloween Time -- as they might have been at other times of year -- at a photo spot other than Conjure.   _Then_, over at the Conjure a Villain tent they could have put the slightly more rare Villains (the ones that you wouldn't see on any old random day during the year), like Frollo or Ratcliffe or whoever.  And _then_, at the actual hard ticket MHP, they could trot out the _really_ rare and/or unexpected Villains (Oogie Boogie, for example).





mom2rtk said:


> I really enjoyed Storytellers, but feel the same way about the characters. I wanted to go to see if we could find someone more obscure. We did meet Koda and Kenai, but were hoping to find Meeko. As much as we enjoyed it, we probably won't do it again. I love Chip and Dale, but we were seriously on C/D overload by the end of that trip!
> 
> I have subscribed here and to the MNSSHP threads on the WDW side because we will likely swap to Halloween time next year and I want to be up to date.
> 
> I guess we'll know tonight (the night of the first MNSSHP) whether Disney really had the gall to remove 2 of the most popular villains from the paid event to make them exclusive to the paid event within the paid event. If they do, it will be an all new low in my opinion.
> 
> So all that stuff is going on over at WDW, yet here sits DLR chugging along mostly unchanged. I'm good with that since we're headed that direction this year again, but it makes me nervous that maybe they're just holding off and unleashing a pile of new stuff next year for the 60th. I hope this isn't just the calm before the storm........
> 
> 
> I didn't experience "conjure up a villain" but I can tell from everyone's descriptions that I would have absolutely hated it! Right up there with the old Princess Fantasy Faire that used to open an hour after regular park time and offer "princess roulette"!



*Janet --*

It makes a lot of sense to stay up to date and apprised of what's happening for Halloween Time, just in case this is in your future for 2015.  I would be doing the exact same thing if I were headed to WDW!

DLR does seem to be abnormally and eerily quiet as far as announcing much of anything new or interesting for this year, either on the Halloween Time front or on the holiday season front.  It does seem like a sort of calm before the storm, like they are gearing up to make a huge announcement about something coming this year.  At the same time, as you said, they could be holding back/cutting back this year because of whatever is being planned for next year.

​


----------



## Sherry E

*Earlier I posted the first of what will eventually be several links to MHP reviews/reports/recaps, so those who are headed to the MHP this year will know what to expect.

Halloween Time starts in 11 days, so it's time to ramp up the Halloween photo fun as well!  Let's talk Villains!

This is not going to be an "official" Theme Week/Day Countdown (I decided to scrap that idea in this thread this year, for a few reasons, but I may do it next year), but I will say that if anyone else has Villain photos from previous Halloween Time trips that they would like to share, now might be a good time to do it!*


*Since we've spent a lot of time talking about the Conjure a Villain tent in Disneyland, and how it differs from the Villains' set-ups in previous years (prior to 2012), let's take a look at the evolution of the Villains over the last few Halloween Time seasons.*


*In 2008 (and prior), during Halloween Time certain Villains were stationed in California Adventure, in the Hollywood Pictures Backlot area.  (How often do you see the Queen of Hearts hobnobbing with Don Karnage and Ratcliffe??)  The Queen of Hearts wanted to cut off my hair...








Frollo joined in the fun as well...












From 2009-2011, a different set of Villains (and the ever-present Queen of Hearts) held court and met guests in Fantasyland, near It's a Small World.  There were usually 3 of them there at a time, but if one went on a break there was not always another one available to step in...














In 2012, with the arrival of the Halloween Carnival at the old Halloween Roundup location in Disneyland, the brand new Conjure a Villain tent became the place to meet Villains -- or, rather, to conjure one Villain at a time (a process which was nicely explained by pudinhd and laura&fam on the previous page).  The Conjure tent was very popular in 2013 as well, and I did not wait in the line (because it got very long, very fast!), but this is what the Conjure area looked like...













































This was the schedule for Conjuring in 2013...







*​

*If anyone has Villain photos from your past Halloween Time trips, please share them!  

In the next "themed post" I do (that's what I'll call it -- not a Countdown, but random "themed posts with photos"), I will focus on a different aspect of the Halloween Carnival -- not the Villains.  Stay tuned to this thread to find out what that will be!*

​


----------



## pattyduke34

Here are a few I have..




This is who we got at Conjure a Villan


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## clydeisme

Sherry E said:


> clydeisme --  I've seen what appeared to be slightly different versions of the Minnie Witch ears/hat in different years.  I saw this pair last year (2013):  Were those ^^^ the ones you were interested in?



The one I saw was solid purple with an orange bow but honestly I'm not picky, as long as I get one this year I'll be one happy camper!! I'm just happy that they sold them last year so hopefully they sell them again this year


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## mikana876

So I'm getting myself confused I think. Which characters are exclusive to the party ONLY? I see on that schedule that the conjure a villain thing starts at 10:30, and I thought it was a party exclusive thing. We have four other days at the parks besides the Halloween Party, so I don't want to waste any MHP time doing things that we could do during the day the other 4 days. From the post on the first page:

Phineas & Ferb- Not exclusive, they are in DCA for a midday dance party correct?
Friends from Aladdin- Not exclusive, they meet during the day too right?
Jack Skellington & Sally- Not exclusive
Winnie the Pooh & Friends- Not exclusive
Disney Pirate Pals- Yes, exclusive to MHP. 
Goofy, Pluto, Chip & Dale and Donald in pirate costumes over at Rancho Zocalo.- Yes, exclusive to MHP
Toy Story Pals Not exclusive
Mickey & Minnie - Not exclusive
Disney Villains   Yes, exclusive to MHP
Disney Princesses  Not exclusive
Merida- Not exclusive
Star Wars Stormtroopers- Yes, exclusive
Conjure a villain- Not exclusive
Halloween Carnival- Not exclusive


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## Kilala

I never did a conjuring a villian. Here are some pictures from 2012 of the Villans from MHP










This is when the villans were by IASW


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## figment_jii

mikana876 said:


> So I'm getting myself confused I think. Which characters are exclusive to the party ONLY? I see on that schedule that the conjure a villain thing starts at 10:30, and I thought it was a party exclusive thing.


Conjure a Villain, at the Carnival, is available during the day (I think the Carnival area often closed around dusk).  If I remember correctly, the Carnival area was not open during MHP.

The Stormtroopers are often out during the day.  If he's there, Darth Vader is a party exclusive.

Yes, you can see Phineas & Ferb at DCA.  I don't know if they do a meet & greet after the show.  Last year, some folks reported seeing Agent P at the Phineas & Ferb meet and greet during the party (he was the alternate when the boys were on break).

As noted in the posts talking about Conjure a Villain, the villains do seem limited to that activity, but there are more villains available during the party.


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## Sherry E

Conjure a Villain is part of the regular, daily Halloween Time festivities.  It is located within the Halloween Carnival in Frontierland.

Also at the Carnival you will find The Pirates League, the pumpkin carvers, various Halloween games and crafts, characters in Halloween attire (perhaps Pumpkin Donald or Skeleton Goofy) and some treats, such as the candy corn-colored cotton candy and the fried apple burritos.

Conjure a Villain will only allow you to meet one Villain at a time, as explained by *pudinhd* and *laura&fam* on the previous page, and you can never be sure which Villain you will meet (there are only 3 or 4 of them who rotate shifts, I think), but chances are it will be someone who is not all that rare or obscure.  (You won't be meeting Oogie Boogie at the Conjure a Villain tent, in other words.)

The Carnival closes early, as indicated on the schedule that I posted above.

At the MHP, many more Villains are out and about, and some of them are somewhat rare, but they are stationed in different spots (not at the Carnival).  Jack Sparrow appears at the MHP as well.

While you can meet Pooh & friends during the daytime, as you can see in *Taylor/tayalltheway's* report on the MHP (which I linked earlier today, above), during the MHP Pooh is in Halloween attire.  During the daytime Pooh is not in Halloween garb and his friends are not in Halloween garb.  

Some of the other characters may or may not be wearing different Halloween attire during the party than the Halloween attire they wear in the daytime.  Goofy will have a different costume in the daytime at the Carnival than what he has at the party, for example.   The same goes for Donald -- he is a pumpkin by day, and he wears some sort of pirate-themed attire, I guess, at the MHP.



Thank you, *figment_jii*, for helping *mikana876*!  And thank you to *pattyduke34* and *Kilala* for sharing the great Villains photos!


​


----------



## figment_jii

clydeisme said:


> The one I saw was solid purple with an orange bow but honestly I'm not picky, as long as I get one this year I'll be one happy camper!! I'm just happy that they sold them last year so hopefully they sell them again this year



DisneyGeek.com has a picture of this year's version (at least the version that is currently available at the Emporium):
http://disneygeek.com/disneyland/pictures/large/2014/08/22/59/2


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## Sherry E

figment_jii said:


> DisneyGeek.com has a picture of this year's version (at least the version that is currently available at the Emporium):
> http://disneygeek.com/disneyland/pictures/large/2014/08/22/59/2



I posted pictures of that ears hat (the 2013 version) 2 days ago, in this thread!  I guess they are selling the same ones again this year?  They look the same as the ones I posted on Saturday, I _think_.  I don't see any obvious differences from the 2013 version.




By the way, I laughed out loud at one person's comment on the Disneyland Today Facebook page that said:  "The final Get Happier moment is - a churro??"



Not that there is anything wrong with a free churro, but it was a tad anticlimactic, I suppose!

Anyway, unless the Parks Blog suddenly pops up with one final online GetHappier surprise for today, I am glad that promo is almost over (after the final, final surprise).  No Halloween Time announcements were included in it, nor were there any holiday season announcements, and all of the surprises were rather so-so.


----------



## figment_jii

Sherry E said:


> I posted pictures of that ears hat (the 2013 version) 2 days ago, in this thread!  I guess they are selling the same ones again this year?  They look the same as the ones I posted on Saturday, I _think_.  I don't see any obvious differences from the 2013 version.


I can't see the back of the hat in the DisneyGeek photo, but otherwise they look the same to me as well.  I figured it was worth posting the link to the DisneyGeek photo so that _clydeisme	_ would know they were being sold this year (although, I have no idea about big of a supply they have and for long into HalloweenTime they'll have them).



Sherry E said:


> I posted pictures of that ears hat (the 2013 version) 2 days ago, in this thBy the way, I laughed out loud at one person's comment on the Disneyland Today Facebook page that said:  "The final Get Happier moment is - a churro??"


I agree that the last GetHappier offering was kind of anti-climatic.  I thought perhaps they would repeat the ear hat give away or something like that.  I know we stopped talking about the GetHappier offerings on this thread, but I did continue to update the post (on page 51) that listed each offering and how long it took to run out.  Overall, the giveaways went quickly, whereas the extra hour wristbands lasted longer.


----------



## Sherry E

figment_jii said:


> I can't see the back of the hat in the DisneyGeek photo, but otherwise they look the same to me as well.  I figured it was worth posting the link to the DisneyGeek photo so that _clydeisme	_ would know they were being sold this year (although, I have no idea about big of a supply they have and for long into HalloweenTime they'll have them).
> 
> 
> I agree that the last GetHappier offering was kind of anti-climatic.  I thought perhaps they would repeat the ear hat give away or something like that.  I know we stopped talking about the GetHappier offerings on this thread, but I did continue to update the post (on page 51) that listed each offering and how long it took to run out.  Overall, the giveaways went quickly, whereas the extra hour wristbands lasted longer.



*figment_jii --*

I'm glad you posted the link to the photo because it's definitely good to see what the merchandise looks like this year -- there could be even the slightest, most subtle, differences in items. That's why I was kind of staring at the photos of this year's Minnie witch ears hat and last year's, trying to determine if anything looked even remotely different.  It would not be unlike Disney to release a version of the ears/hat that is ever-so-slightly different, but I think they're the same.

I'm glad the GetHappier thing is over because I was so tired of checking the Disneyland Today and Disneyland pages on Facebook, as well as the Parks Blog more often than I would like to, every Monday, all day long.  It was good to stop the discussion in this thread because it literally ended up having nothing to do in any way with Halloween Time at all (no announcements or anything), but I figured that if anything came up that was actually relevant to Halloween Time we would discuss it.  

I just had to laugh at that one girl's comment about the final Get Happier moment being a churro.  For some reason, that just amused me.  A summer of surprises over 3 months, and it all comes down to a churro!


----------



## DisneyJamieCA

mikana876 said:


> So I'm getting myself confused I think. Which characters are exclusive to the party ONLY? I see on that schedule that the conjure a villain thing starts at 10:30, and I thought it was a party exclusive thing. We have four other days at the parks besides the Halloween Party, so I don't want to waste any MHP time doing things that we could do during the day the other 4 days. From the post on the first page:  Phineas & Ferb- Not exclusive, they are in DCA for a midday dance party correct? Friends from Aladdin- Not exclusive, they meet during the day too right? Jack Skellington & Sally- Not exclusive Winnie the Pooh & Friends- Not exclusive Disney Pirate Pals- Yes, exclusive to MHP. Goofy, Pluto, Chip & Dale and Donald in pirate costumes over at Rancho Zocalo.- Yes, exclusive to MHP Toy Story Pals&#150; Not exclusive Mickey & Minnie - Not exclusive Disney Villains  &#150; Yes, exclusive to MHP Disney Princesses &#150; Not exclusive Merida- Not exclusive Star Wars Stormtroopers- Yes, exclusive Conjure a villain- Not exclusive Halloween Carnival- Not exclusive



Phineas & Ferb do the dance party in DCA, but they are not out for a meet & greet. The only way to meet them is the party, to the best of my knowledge.


----------



## Sherry E

*Spotted today at Target (not by me):*

The return of the Pumpkin Pie Pop Tarts

Starbucks' 2014 Fall Blend (K-Cups)

Green Mountain Coffee -- Pumpkin Spice (K-Cups)

Archer Farms Coffee -- Pumpkin Spice (K-Cups)

Eggo "Seasons" -- Pumpkin Spice Waffles (with cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger)!!!!!!

"Halloween" Oreos -- Not to be confused with the Caramel Apple Oreos or the Candy Corn Oreos, the Halloween Oreos are the ones with a haunted house on the dark cookie, and orange filling




*I love, love, love this time of year!  Now that we are out of August, it should be game on with the pumpkin/candy corn/caramel apple/Fall/Harvest mania!!*


​


----------



## DisneyJamieCA

Headed back to Target this week - hoping ours will have started carrying the Fall foods too!


----------



## figment_jii

Sherry E said:


> I'm glad you posted the link to the photo because it's definitely good to see what the merchandise looks like this year -- there could be even the slightest, most subtle, differences in items. That's why I was kind of staring at the photos of this year's Minnie witch ears hat and last year's, trying to determine if anything looked even remotely different.  It would not be unlike Disney to release a version of the ears/hat that is ever-so-slightly different, but I think they're the same.


I know what you mean...at first glance I thought the Halloween shirt was the same this year as last (the black one with the gang coming out of the HM's gates).  However, easyWDW posted a photo of this year's shirt and then a photo of last year's shirt and there are subtle differences.  Not enough to say it's a entirely new design, but more things were different than I thought at first.

(For those that are interested, the comparison is in this easyWDW post, about 1/4 of the way down.  The 2014 photo is first and the 2013 photo is second.  I think among the biggest difference is that Minnie is not on this year's shirt, not is Madame Leota.)


----------



## Sherry E

*Reviews/Recaps/Reports of Mickey's Halloween Party 2014 and 2013*​



Below you will find a bounty of links with recaps, commentary and reviews of Mickey's Halloween Party 2014 and 2013.  Some of the comments are very short and won't require a lot of time spent reading, while others are more detailed.  I want you to have a wide variety of opinions and perspectives, as some people attended their very first MHP this year and last year, while others have been to the MHP in the past and may have different observations.


​ 



_*2014*_​

*Friday, September 26, 2014*

DIS'er *ClosetDisneyJunkie* said,  "_Not crazy crowded at all. The treat trail lines are long but move at a reasonable pace_."  Read the rest of the brief recap -- *HERE*.

DIS'er *figment_jii* said, "_Tons of candy! The peanut chews are the dominant candy, but a good assortment in general..._"  Read the rest of the noteworthy highlights of the night -- *HERE*.  (See the 2014 MHP Map that figment_jii scanned -- *HERE*.)

Read *figment_jii's* complete 9/26/14 MHP report (with lots of photos) -- *HERE*, *HERE*,  *HERE* and *HERE*. 

DIS'er *BayGirl22* -- an MHP first-timer -- said, "_We had short lines for rides too. SMGG was close to walk on during the first Cavalcade."_  The rest of her review can be found -- *HERE*.

DIS'er *mikana876* said, "_Crowds were pretty much how I expected. Probably a 7-8 on a scale of 10. It got kind of nuts as 7 hit and the regular park guests were told to leave._"  Read the rest of the review/report -- *HERE*.

DIS'er *briggscreek* said, "_We didn't care much for the Cavalcade (too cutesy and it was really short)..._"  See the rest of the Halloween Time/Mickey's Halloween Party recap -- *HERE*.

*TulipsNZ *attended the MHP for the first time and said that it was a "_...walk on for many rides..._"  Read the rest of the very brief recap -- *HERE* -- and see photos *HERE* and *HERE*.

*casperghost* said, "_We wont be wasting money or time on it again and certainly wont recommend it to others unless DL Event Management picks up its act._"  Read the rest of the recap -- *HERE*.




​



*Tuesday, September 30, 2014*

DIS'er *ten6mom* said, "_We are just back from the MHP. It seemed very crowded to me but I don't have a good recollection of last year so no real basis for comparison._"  Read the rest of her recap -- *HERE*.

*kim3339* had a great time at her MHP and added, "_The treat lines were kinda long, especially the Monorail one._"  Her detailed review can be found -- *HERE*.

*starshine514* said, "_If I had one piece of advice for those entering just for the party at the 3-hour mark, it would be to arrive early. They were putting the wristbands on us as we entered, and it severely slowed the line._"  Read the rest of the recap -- *HERE*.

*bearette* said, "_As a mom to 2.5 year olds I recommend the party. Not scary and my kids loved it._"  Read the rest of the recap -- *HERE*.

*CassieF* said, "_We waited once for the villains in town square, and it was a long wait, plus we missed out on a good set of characters and got Jafar, Queen, and Hook._"  The rest of the review can be found -- *HERE*.  She also elaborated on the characters at the *Toontown Pre-Party* -- *HERE*.

*APE*, an MHP first-timer, said of the *Toontown Pre-Party*, "_They had three character spots going on at once by the gazebo. When we got in line, they had Chip and Dale, Clarabelle & Horace and Goofy. Then they switched to Mickey & Minnie, Pluto and Donald._"  Read the full recap -- *HERE*.

*2tinkerbell* attended her first MHP and said, "_The entire Main Street was wall to wall people. It was something to see - I don't think I've ever seen Main Street so full of people before._"  She added, "_Overall it was very much worth it.  I appreciated the CM's as they were checking for wristbands a lot._"  Read her detailed review and recap (including some observations about the *Toontown Pre-Party*) -- *HERE*.

*Diszona* said, "_One bit of advice, at least from our experience, is if you have little ones who want to meet Mickey and Minnie, their meet and greet by Big Thunder Ranch was pretty empty later in the evening, plus Woody was also back there with no line at all._"  Read additional comments -- *HERE* and *HERE*.

*Kilala* said, "_I got there around 5pm. The line to wait to get in wasn't that bad. I tried to get pictures in front of the Mickey Pumpkin but, know one knew were the line was._"  Read her further comments -- *HERE*.  Her photos are *HERE*.

*Vala*, an MHP vet, said, "_...Definitely felt less crowded than the year before...._" and "_I agree that some of the character lines were moving very slowly. The villains line took almost an hour and we joined the line at a point where it was relatively short._"  Read the more her observations -- *HERE*.




​


*Friday, October 3, 2014*

DIS'er *bouds* said, "_Seemed much more crowded around NOS than the rest of the park._"  The rest of the recap, including details about the *Toontown Pre-Party*, can be found -- *HERE*.

*grnflash* posted about the *Toontown Pre-Party*, "_We went on Friday when the pre-party started at 6. We got our wristbands from inside the park around 4:30 and people were already lining up for Toontown._"  See the rest of the comments -- *HERE*.

*abminer* said about the *Toontown Pre-Party*, "_Characters we saw were Clarabelle and Horace, Halloween Mickey and Minnie (big line even during the pre party), regular Pluto, and Sailor Donald._"  Read the rest of the recap -- *HERE*.

*kkmcan* attended the MHP and said, "_We were extremely happy with crowd levels and ride waits. I didn't expect it to be like that at all. Our candy bags were full and we rode almost everything we wanted to except Small World and Buzz._"  Read the rest of the recap -- *HERE*.




​



*Monday, October 6, 2014*

*CassieF* said of her second MHP of the season, "_I went to last night's party, 10/6 and it was a very different experience from the pervious one I went to on 9/30. It was sold out, yet we stayed in town square the whole night and it felt surprisingly empty._"  Read the rest of the review (and comparison to the 9/30/14 MHP) -- *HERE*.




​



*Wednesday, October 8, 2014*

DIS'er *Amilo* attended the MHP for the first time and said, "_Overall I was quite impressed with how methodically staff filtered non-party guests out. No complaints!_"  Read the rest of the review (including comments about the *Toontown Pre-Party*) -- *HERE*.

*alical04* said, "_I do not feel that it was as crowded this year as it was last year but last year I went on a Friday party so I don't know if the middle of the week was different or not._"  Read the rest of the detailed recap (including comments about *Toontown's Pre-Party*) -- *HERE*.

*wendydarling33* said, "_We really liked all the decorations and atmosphere. It was great that most of the rides had no lines._"  Read the rest of the report -- *HERE*.  She elaborated on her experience at the brand new *Big Thunder Ranch/Halloween Carnival Pre-Party* (which was not announced) -- *HERE*.




​



*Friday, October 10, 2014*

*marypoppins6325* joined DISboards to post her review of her very first MHP experience!  She said, "_...Rides/Value: Wow! If we had wanted to, we could have done a TON of rides in the 8 hours we were there for quite a bit less than the price of a 1 day ticket. We didn't wait more than 20 minutes for a ride all night._"  Read the rest of the awesome, detailed review -- *HERE*.

*LisaT91403* said, "_But in regards to the areas we visited, the park did not seem crowded to us at all. People were friendly and in a good mood, and we didn't encounter any rowdy kids. If we were to do it again next year, we would eat dinner before the party started -- probably instead of the TT pre-party -- so that we could have more time to see things._"  Read the rest of her fantastic, detailed review (with candy photo) -- *HERE*.  Photos of the Annual Passholders' Treat Trail Big Hero 6 backpack -- *HERE*.

*pycees312* went to her very first MHP and said, "_...I am super sad I have never attended this event before! We had a fabulous time._"  Read the rest of the recap -- *HERE*.

*audrey2580* said of the *Toontown Pre-Party*, "_...6:15 walked right on into toon town preparty. Treat trail lines at Minnie and Mickeys moved and by the end our bags were 1/3 full!_"  See the rest of the review -- *HERE*.

*titansgal* said of the *Toontown Pre-Party*, "_By the time we left Toon Town we had a ton of candy, which allowed us to focus on parades, fireworks, and rides the rest of the night._"  Read the rest of the brief recap -- *HERE*.

*Imdboss* said, "_DH loved the party so much (lower crowds, really short ride wait times) that he said next year we should do two parties!_"  The rest of the review can be found -- *HERE*.





​



*Tuesday, October 14, 2014*

*PenguinoMF*, a MNSSHP vet, attended Mickey's Halloween Party for the first time and said, "_The party was okay overall and I'm not mad I went but I'm disappointed. The parties sell out day after day, year after year so I can't blame Disneyland for putting in less effort._"  Read the rest of the review -- *HERE*.

*Mysteryincorp* said, "_We went to MHP last night (10/14) and I felt like the crowds were LESS crazy this year. Moving around the park was a breeze, no lines for food or bathrooms, minimal waits for rides. Halloween is such a busy, crowded season it was so nice to enjoy the park without the crowds. We really took our time and enjoyed the atmosphere._"  Read the rest of the review -- *HERE*.

*mvf-m11c (Bret)* said of the *Toontown Pre-Party* (which was reportedly much more crowded than the Big Thunder Ranch/Halloween Carnival Pre-Party), "_There were also character meet & greet by City Hall which had three areas. The best one was getting picture with Mickey and Minnie or Chip & Dale. They were in their costumes and we waited a while to get a picture with them. We were hoping to get Mickey & Minnie but we got Chip & Dale. It took about 15 minutes for us to get Chip & Dale where we wanted to get Mickey & Minnie._"  See Bret's amazing photos from Mickey's Halloween Party -- *HERE* and *HERE*.

*pudinhd* attended two parties this year.  About the first one she said, "_We went through our second treat trail and the Cast Members said something about guests not liking the Peanut Chews.  My husband and I mentioned how much we liked them and received huge handfuls._"  Read the rest of the review -- *HERE*.




​



*Friday, October 17, 2014*

*whistlinmickey* drove in from out of town to attend the MHP and said of the experience, "_This was an exhausting trip, especially with a full day of driving both the day before and the day after Mickeys Halloween Party. But we had a wonderful time and felt it was well worth the effort to make it happen. This is a trip we would consider repeating again in two or three years. _"  Read the rest of the trip summary -- *HERE*.

*cmpeter* enjoyed the MHP and said, "_We had a fabulous time at the party and my teen dd said we need to make this an annual tradition._"  Read the rest of her review -- *HERE*.

*DisneyJamieCA* did the MHP and said, "_We all had a wonderful time. It didn't feel crowded at all and all the lines moved quickly._"  Read her recap -- *HERE*.

*pudinhd* attended two parties this year.  About her second MHP's *Toontown Pre-Party* she said, "_We trick-or-treated from Minnie's house to Mickey's house and then Donald's boat._"  Read the rest of the review -- *HERE*.





​



*Monday, October 20, 2014*

*BigCheese* attended MHP for the first time and said, "_MHP was a great time. Lines for rides were short, the park was crowded during the transition period between 3:00-6:00 but it never felt too crowded (or at least not like a typical day when crowds are high), treat trail lines moved quickly and it was great being able to see some characters that you normally dont get to see._"  Read the rest of the review -- *HERE*.

*laura&fam* went to the MHP and said, "_I need 2 nights to do everything I want and really soak in the atmosphere._"  Read the rest of her review and see the photo of her costume -- *HERE*.

*lorijohnhill* attended the MHP for the first time and said, "_...this was a first for us. I'm not sure it was worth the extra money for us. It seemed more crowded for the party than it was during the day._"  Read the rest of the review -- *HERE*.






​



*Wednesday, October 22, 2014*

*Renae De Liz* attended her first MHP and said, "_But I have to say that I thought it was much too crowded as well. More crowded than it was all day long. I feel like if I'm paying $250 for my family of 4 to attend, I shouldn't feel jostled and cramped all night._"  Read the rest of the review -- *HERE*.




​



*Friday, October 24, 2014*

*Ember* attended the MHP and said, "_For not being sure if it was going to be worth the money, I wish I'd bought tickets to two parties, because I'd totally go a second time!!_"  Read her brief recap and see her photo -- *HERE*.












_*2013*_​

*Friday, September 27, 2013*

From DIS'er *twinspirit*, who attended the first night of the MHP, on 9/27/13.  The very brief recap starts out with the sentence, "_It was nuts!"  _Read the rest of the recap -- *HERE*.


DIS'er *DPickering* also apparently attended the 9/27/13 MHP.  One comment that stands out is: "_So many staff telling us we could not walk or stand or whatever in so many places._"  Another comment says:  "_But overall a very fun night._"  Read the rest of the recap -- *HERE*.


*tdhickey* was at the Friday, September 27, 2013 MHP as well, and had fun.  One quote:  "_Fireworks were spectacular, best part of the night!!!!_"   Read the rest of the recap -- *HERE*. 

DIS'er *pudinhd* (who you may be familiar with from this thread!) attended the Fri., 9/27/13 party and said, "_...I FINALLY MET MALEFICENT!!!!!"_  Another quote of interest:  "_The lines for the treat trails were very deceptive. The first spot would be a short line and then the next spot would have a huge line._"   Read the more detailed report -- *HERE*.

*Susie63* attended her very first MHP on 9/27/13, and she starts out by saying, "_We had a blast!"_  She also says, "_...I had the best party ever_."  Read her review -- *HERE*.

*adreamoldastime* was at the 9/27/13 MHP and said:  "_My family and I had a wonderful time, due in part to spectacular timing._"  Read the rest of the recap -- *HERE*.

*Alohagirl73* (who has posted in this thread recently) went to the MHP on 9/27/13 and said, "_My family and I went to the party on Friday night and had a BLAST!!!_"  Read the rest of her detailed recap -- *HERE*.

*CluelessDisFan* loved the Cadaver Dans.  See the brief recap -- *HERE*.

*siburdue* attended both the Friday, 9/27/13 MHP and the Tuesday, 10/1/13 MHP.  She said, "_We had photos taken with 14 characters at the first party and 12 different characters at the second party._"  Read her review and see her photos of the 9/27 MHP -- *HERE*.

*Morgan063006* said of the Monorail treat trail, "_We almost left the line, and watched several people who did, it was that slow._"  Read the very short recap -- *HERE*.



​



*Now, on to the Halloween Party that took place on Tuesday, October 1, 2013!!!*


DIS'er *Ratfinks* attended the Mon., 10/1/13 MHP and said, "_Let me start off by saying it was one of the funnest nights I've had there._"  Read the rest of the recap, with photos -- *HERE*.

*I'm mikey* posted some awesome Halloween Screams photos, from the Tues., 10/1/13 party (at which he had a fantastic time).  See them -- *HERE*.

*siburdue's* review and photos from 10/1/13 can be found -- *HERE*.




​


*From the Friday, October 4, 2013 Halloween Party...NOTE:  Halloween Screams was cancelled for this party due to high winds, but it ran the following night, 10/5/13, for the general public!!*

*Majik9* says, "_...had a GREAT time._"  Read the brief recap -- *HERE*.



​



*Tuesday, October 8, 2013*


DIS'er *dddarrington* said, "_Well, I've now been to a Halloween Party and I have mixed feelings._"  Read the rest of the recap -- *HERE*.

*Padres19* said, "_We went last night and it was fantastic."_  Read the recap -- *HERE*.

*Pinup Mommy (who is now Vintage Mousketeer)* said, "_...we had an overall good experience_" and "_I feel there are too many people for an exclusive event..._"  Read her detailed recap (with a photo) - *HERE*.

*redheadtove* did not have a great first-time MHP experience, stating "_Once it was time for the parade we went to find a place and it was nuts, once again, people everywhere and being rude when you walked by them looking for a spot._"  Read her detailed recap -- *HERE*.

*figment_jii *attended the 10/8/13 MHP, had a great time, and posted a brief rundown, with a few photos.  See the recap -- *HERE*.

*AussieCaribou* said, "_It was crowded but manageable."_  Read the recap -- *HERE*.


​


*Friday, October 11, 2013*

*crystal1313* said, "We had a great time and wouldnt hesitate to go again!"  Her Trip Report can be found -- *HERE*.

*Doulanobles* attended the 10/11/2013 MHP and said, "_...my review of the party is some good, some not so much._"  Read the review -- *HERE*.

*mikedoyleblogger* said of the 10/11/13 MHP, "_Friday (10/11) was our first and last MHP as well._"  Read his additional comments -- *HERE*.

*figment_jii *not only attended the 10/8/13 MHP, but also went to the 10/11/13 MHP!  See photos and a thorough recap -- *HERE*, *HERE*, *HERE*,  *HERE* and *HERE*.

*Caroline94501* went to the 10/11/13 party, and said "_We decided it was well worth the extra cost..._"  Read the review -- *HERE*.

*Goofy_Mom*, a huge Halloween and MHP fan, said, "_...I think in the future we'll skip the party. This year just wasn't as much fun as last year._"  Read the reasons why -- *HERE*.

*DisFam95* enjoyed the 10/11/13 MHP and said, "_Crowds were there but manageable._"  Additional comments and photos can be found -- *HERE*.



​


*Tuesday, October 15, 2013*

*theluckyrabbit* had a great time at the 10/15/13 party.  Read the brief recap -- *HERE*.

*mydisneyfix* said "_We hit a ton of rides with little wait._"  The very brief recap is *HERE*.

*Tasscrapper* said, "_Crowds didn't seem bad to us at all._"  Read the detailed recap -- *HERE*.



​


*Friday, October 18, 2013*

*Doctor Who* and family had a great time at the 10/18/13 MHP.  Read the recap -- *HERE*.

*Amommy21* said of her 10/18/13 MHP, "_I can't say if I would do this again, it's not a usual time of the year for us to visit. But we had so much fun. It was SUPER crowded, but we stayed ahead of the game and did well for the most part._"  Her fantastic recap with lots of photos can be found -- *HERE*.

*Kilala* shared photos from her 10/18/13 MHP -- *HERE*.



​

*Monday, October 21, 2013*

*tayalltheway* said in his DISboards TR thread, "_We were totally hesitant about paying extra for the party as well (though at least we don't have kids to pay for/worry about). In our experience, it was definitely worth it, though you have to adjust your expectations. It is VERY crowded, and there's absolutely no way to do everything, but I think that if you can figure out a way to stop worrying about what you're going to miss due to time constraints, then it's a way to have a unique experience at Disneyland that you can't get at any other time of the year._"   Taylor's blog with a still-in-progress MHP report can be found -- *HERE*.

*WestMom2two* said, "_Our first day in the park was today along with our Mickey`s Halloween party and I have to say it was amazing! Largely in part to the amazing crowd levels!_"  Read the rundown -- *HERE* and *HERE*.

*Tinkerbelle's Mom* had a great time on 10/21/13.  Read the recap -- *HERE*.

*dnamertz* attended the MHP for the first time on 10/21/13 and said, "_To me, aside from the crowds, the MHP was great mostly because of the atmosphere and all the people in costumes. It was worth the money because all the time I've spent at Disneyland during my life, this was like experiencing DL in a whole new way_."  Read the full, detailed review -- *HERE*.

*teacherlisa1978* said, "_We were a bit overwhelmed by the crowds in ToonTown at first but went in to have a great time._"  Read her recap -- *HERE*.



*Vala* attended at least one MHP prior to 10/22/13, but I'm not sure which ones.  She said, "_There were party crowds, but by no means it was insane._"  Read her comments -- *HERE*.



​

*Wednesday, October 23, 2013*


*pharmama* attended the 10/23 MHP and said, "_I didn't think the crowds were too bad. We did skip the villain M&G due to long line when we came in..._"  Read the recap -- *HERE*.

*vladimir p* said, "_...i just got back from the oct 23 party and i had a wonderful time!_"  Read the review -- *HERE*.

*pattyduke34* said, "_Was not that crowded at all."  _Her recap can be found -- *HERE*.

*1dorseer* said, "We had a blast!" Read further comments -- *HERE*.

*Gamegrl1*, and MHP vet, said, "_I've been blessed to be able to go 5 times in the last 3 years (4 of those five were either just the Party or a 1/2 day visit) and I notice it's a lot easier to relax and enjoy if you can go more frequently. I don't stress about not doing everything, or even close to it, because I figure I'll be back within a year._"  Her full review can be found -- *HERE*.

*rowan1813* said, "_Our party on 10/23 was a complete success!!!!_"  Read her review and see her photos -- *HERE*.



​

*Friday, October 25, 2013*

*tlovesdis* had "_an awesome time_" at the MHP on 10/25/13.  Her brief commentary can be found -- *HERE*.

*bellanapoli* said, "_No issues with crowds._"  Read the brief comments -- *HERE*.

*AndyR* posted some amazing photos -- *HERE*.

*kmedina* attended both MNSSHP at WDW and the MHP at DLR and said, "_We went to the party at Disneyland on 10/25 and the one at the Magic Kingdom tonight. The MK one was WAY better and WAY less crowded._"  Her detailed review can be found -- *HERE*.



*Lucrezia* bought tickets for 3 MHP nights, but only ended up attending 2 of them (and I am uncertain as to the dates at the moment, but I know they took place no later than 10/25/13)!!!  She had mixed feelings about the MHP, with both good and not-so-good assessments of it.  She said, "_Anyway, I can't say I hated the parties because I didn't. I loved the lighting. Main Street looked absolutely amazing. When they 'switched out' the meet-and-greet villains, it was epic. New Orleans Square, as well, looked very festive, and the Cadaver Dans were amazing!!  But, sadly, those are about the only compliments I can give MHP._"   Read her detailed comments -- *HERE*,  *HERE* and *HERE*.



​

*Monday, October 28, 2013*

*JAG107* said, "_It was DEFINITELY worth it!_"  Read the recap -- *HERE*.


​

*Thursday, October 31, 2013*


*Corpsebride* went to the MHP on Halloween night and said, "_We had so much fun!!_"  See her video -- *HERE*.    Her very brief recap and photos can be found -- *HERE*.


​

*I hope that these reviews and reports will be helpful for those who are headed to Mickey's Halloween Party this year!

If there is an MHP night missing from the above list of reviews, it is because no one posted a review of that night in the Superthread, or anywhere that I knew to look!

I had hoped to find more reviews/recaps/reports on the Halloween night 2013 party, but I couldn't find any in the previous Superthread.  It is possible that people created separate threads and/or reports for their reviews, but as I have said in the past -- if you don't post your reviews here, in this thread, or at least come here to let us know where to find your MHP review, I am not necessarily going to go hunting down separate threads just to round up more reviews if I don't have the time to do it.  

So if you would like your MHP review to be used in future Superthreads and as a reference when I assemble info for the threads, it will help if you post something in this actual thread!*

​


----------



## Sherry E

Did everyone read Pete (owner of this website)'s article/blog about the Villains Soiree at WDW?

*"Villains' Soiree -- Wickedly Disappointing" -- The DIS; by Pete Werner, September 2, 2014*

Yep. It sounds like it was a mess, most likely due to the fact that it was hastily thrown together.

I actually wonder if, perhaps, the reason why Disneyland is supposedly not doing the Ultimate Experience tour-MHP combo package for Halloween Time this year is because they are planning some sort of different _paid-event-within-a-paid-event_ deal like the Soiree at WDW.  

It is possible.  It could happen.  The Parks Blog didn't announce the Soiree until one week before MNSSHP began, so we could still see some sort of pop-up event announcement by 9/19/14, one week before MHP begins.  I hope not, but it is possible.


​

*Also read (about Disneyland -- nothing really all that new here, though):*

*"The Happiest Place on Earth Shows a Spooky Disney Side! Disneyland Resort Celebrates Halloween Time 2014, Sept. 12 through Oct. 31" -- Disneyland News press release; September 2, 2014*



> "_New to Halloween Time at Disneyland this year are the latest twists at Haunted Mansion Holiday and additional entertainment experiences at the Halloween Carnival at Big Thunder Ranch, with more mysterious fun joining the Astounding Cauldron of Magic."_




​


----------



## figment_jii

Sherry E said:


> Did everyone read Pete (owner of this website)'s article/blog about the Villains Soiree at WDW?
> 
> *"Villains Soiree -- Wickedly Disappointing" -- The DIS; by Pete Werner, September 2, 2014*
> 
> Yep. It sounds like it was a mess, most likely due to the fact that it was hastily thrown together.
> 
> I actually wonder if, perhaps, the reason why Disneyland is supposedly not doing the Ultimate Experience tour-MHP combo package for Halloween Time this year is because they are planning some sort of different _paid-event-within-a-paid-event_ deal like the Soiree at WDW.
> 
> It is possible.  It could happen.  The Parks Blog didn't announce the Soiree until one week before MNSSHP began, so we could still see some sort of pop-up event announcement by 9/19/14, one week before MHP begins.  I hope not, but it is possible.


I saw the wdwinfo Blog and it was kind of surprising, because it didn't jive with the early reports up on the Theme Parks Board.  So I'm not quite ready to call this a disaster, because his was pretty much the only completely negative review I read.  Some folks actually said it was great and they loved it.  So I don't think this is going to be another Villains Unleashed where the reviews were universally bad.

This is the main Villain's Soiree thread: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3321440.  The reviews/live reports start around page 36.

There are plenty of folks on that thread complaining about the Soiree, but they seem more unhappy that Disney has made some previously available characters unavailable .  They aren't complaining about how the Soiree itself went, but rather what it takes away from non-Soiree guests.  Valid points, but not the same as saying it is a disaster.  I think we need to read reviews of a few more to get a sense of things are overall.



Sherry E said:


> *Also read (about Disneyland -- nothing really all that new here, though):*
> 
> *"The Happiest Place on Earth Shows a Spooky Disney Side! Disneyland Resort Celebrates Halloween Time 2014, Sept. 12 through Oct. 31" -- Disneyland News press release; September 2, 2014*


Other than it was another Halloween news release that doesn't have anything about the Toontown pre-party.  Given the complete lack of it in any of the info that has been trickling out, I'm beginning to doubt they'll have it again this year.


----------



## pudinhd

Sherry E said:


> Did everyone read Pete (owner of this website)'s article/blog about the Villains Soiree at WDW?
> 
> *"Villains' Soiree -- Wickedly Disappointing" -- The DIS; by Pete Werner, September 2, 2014*
> 
> Yep. It sounds like it was a mess, most likely due to the fact that it was hastily thrown together.
> 
> I actually wonder if, perhaps, the reason why Disneyland is supposedly not doing the Ultimate Experience tour-MHP combo package for Halloween Time this year is because they are planning some sort of different _paid-event-within-a-paid-event_ deal like the Soiree at WDW.
> 
> It is possible.  It could happen.  The Parks Blog didn't announce the Soiree until one week before MNSSHP began, so we could still see some sort of pop-up event announcement by 9/19/14, one week before MHP begins.  I hope not, but it is possible.



I have been watching this closely, hoping for a WDW trip for our first MNSSHP next year.  Here is another review with a very positive spin.  I really do think it's a matter of opinion and experience.  I also think Disney will be able to modify the event to get more organized as they get more experience.

http://wdwnt.com/blog/2014/09/revie...more-at-mickeys-not-so-scary-halloween-party/

I would be open to something like this at Disneyland, just like I would be open to a Holiday party event scared, but I think they came up with the idea too late and are trying to rush it in.  I was excited about the thought of meeting Maleficent with Sleeping Beauty and the Wicked Queen with Snow White, but that was taken down from the blog almost as fast as it was posted.  Most likely because of this added event, I guess...






Sherry E said:


> DIS'er *pudinhd* (who you may be familiar with from this thread!) attended the Fri., 9/27/13 party and said, "_...I FINALLY MET MALEFICENT!!!!!"_  Another quote of interest:  "_The lines for the treat trails were very deceptive. The first spot would be a short line and then the next spot would have a huge line._"   Read the more detailed report -- *HERE*.



Hey, that's me!  

Last year was our first time at the first party of the season.  I know some people really like going to those, but not me.  I much prefer to see the map and hear reviews and tips from others before the party we attend.  I guess that's just the planner in me!


----------



## dolphingirl47

I got really excited today. When I got my morning coffee at Starbucks, I was told that the official launch date for the Pumpkin Spice Latte in the UK was on Thursday. This is almost a month earlier than last year. I was also told that they already had the syrup and as a regular, I was welcome to get a little sneak peek. Unfortunately by the time I found out, I had already ordered my coffee. Still, there is always tomorrow.

Corinna


----------



## DisneyJamieCA

dolphingirl47 said:


> I got really excited today. When I got my morning coffee at Starbucks, I was told that the official launch date for the Pumpkin Spice Latte in the UK was on Thursday. This is almost a month earlier than last year. I was also told that they already had the syrup and as a regular, I was welcome to get a little sneak peek. Unfortunately by the time I found out, I had already ordered my coffee. Still, there is always tomorrow.  Corinna



Yay! I had my first ever PSL last week and I liked it more than I thought I would. I went to Starbucks this morning and was thrilled to see they have the Salted Caramel Mocha back...and their pumpkin (shape) sugar cookies. I was so excited, I took a picture of it!


----------



## Sherry E

Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf doesn't want to be left out of the Fall fun.  I got an email from them that said *"Celebrate Fall:  A Harvest of Pumpkin Deliciousness"* in the subject line.  All of their pumpkin drinks appear to now be available, both in the stores/restaurants and by mail (the Pumpkin Spice blend).

Spotted at Walgreens (not by me) -- Russell Stover Pecan Pie Candy Pumpkins -- *HERE*.

​


----------



## Kilala

I called yesterday to see if they have any tickets left for the 26th party and I asked the CM about the Toon Town pre-party and she said it was too soon to know. I can call them back mid September about if you guys want me too if we don't find out about it. Hopefully they will still have tickets for the 26th tomorrow when they open in the morning.
I have my 3 costumes for MHP
the 26th or the 30th Autumn Mist
the 27th of October a purple and blue tabby
the 31st Butterscotch she's a cat I've always wanted to make.
I will have more photos up of the Autumn Mist warmers unitard and tail later on this week. I will also have pictures up for the Butterscotch unitard later on this week too.


----------



## figment_jii

Kilala said:


> I called yesterday to see if they have any tickets left for the 26th party and I asked the CM about the Toon Town pre-party and she said it was too soon to know. I can call them back mid September about if you guys want me too if we don't find out about it.


You are welcome to call back and ask, but as _Sherry_ tends to point out, the CMs on the phone are often the last to know.  I think if they were planning on having the Toontown Pre-Party again this year (or something along those lines), it'll be announced on one of various websites, social media outlets, etc. as soon as they know for sure.


----------



## Sherry E

*Halloween TV Alert:*

ABC Family's 16th Annual "13 Nights of Halloween" is returning this year, from Sunday, October 19th through Friday, October 31st.   The press release can be found -- *HERE*.

Whoever put that press release together forgot to change the year from "2013" to 2014 in the first sentence of the first paragraph, but they are referring to this year's event, as you can see by the specific dates and days of the week.

​



figment_jii said:


> You are welcome to call back and ask, but as _Sherry_ tends to point out, the CMs on the phone are often the last to know.  I think if they were planning on having the Toontown Pre-Party again this year (or something along those lines), it'll be announced on one of various websites, social media outlets, etc. as soon as they know for sure.



Well, the good thing is that at least the CM on the phone told *Kilala* that it was too soon to know about the Toontown Pre-Party.  That's a better, more honest answer than telling someone on the phone that something definitely is _or_ is not happening (_especially way before the 6-week point, like when a CM recently told another DIS'er that Fastpasses would be available for Haunted Mansion Holiday at the MHP, when I really don't think they would be in a position to guarantee that so far in advance_).  

It seems like the Toontown event won't happen again this year, but I guess it is a minimal enough thing to throw together rather hastily if Disney decides to do it a week in advance (like 9/19 or so).  It doesn't seem like it would require a lot of time and thought to put some treat stations in Toontown and make sure a few characters are there before the MHP begins, but there must be a reason why it is not happening -- IF it doesn't happen.


----------



## ToodlesRN

Were booked for the party on the Oct 14th! It will be our 2nd, first one was in 2011. The kids are getting excited about picking costumes. Now to the question!!

Our daughter(4) wants to be a witch and I found out Minnie Mouse has a witch costume!! I also found out BBB has a Minnie Witch package for $134.99. Has anyone ever done the holiday themed package before and is it worth it? The sad part is you do not get the FP to royal hall as you do for the castle package which is the one we have done before and that is what I'd pay the extra for so we don't have to wait in those long lines!

Also I have not seen this costumes in person I saw a picture of it. If anyone is and about in the parks and your looking at costumes can you let me know what you think of it? Debating on waiting or just going with completely different costume.

Thanks!!!


----------



## JoRo

Jumping into the fun! 

We are going to the halloween party on Oct 20 hoping this will be a slower night??? THoughts?

We thought about going Oct 17 too on DD 8 Bday but worried about crowds on the weekend?

This will be our 2nd DL halloween party the last 3 years have been at WDW the last DL we attended was at CA.  I hope to just focus on characters and parties as opposed to rides this time, seems we always miss all the little things as we are so focused on candy and rides...DS is now 6 so its realy fun for all of us...starting to really "run" the park.


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## Sherry E

*ToodlesRN --* 

Welcome!

I don't have the answer about the Minnie Witch package, but hopefully someone will!


​



JoRo said:


> Jumping into the fun!
> 
> We are going to the halloween party on Oct 20 hoping this will be a slower night??? THoughts?
> 
> We thought about going Oct 17 too on DD 8 Bday but worried about crowds on the weekend?
> 
> This will be our 2nd DL halloween party the last 3 years have been at WDW the last DL we attended was at CA.  I hope to just focus on characters and parties as opposed to rides this time, seems we always miss all the little things as we are so focused on candy and rides...DS is now 6 so its realy fun for all of us...starting to really "run" the park.



*JoRo --*

Welcome!

How funny!  I was just replying to you over in the October Check-In Thread, but I'm glad you joined us here in this thread!

Did you read any of the reviews of the MHP from Monday, 10/21 last year (which would be the equivalent of your date this year), *in this post*?   It looks like a few people thought it was quite crowded on that date in 2013, but still very fun and worth the money.

I think that once you get past the Utah/UEA event that brings lots of folks to DLR, the crowds will thin out a little bit, until Halloween week, probably.  The actual parties may seem pretty busy in spots.


----------



## figment_jii

Sherry E said:


> Well, the good thing is that at least the CM on the phone told *Kilala* that it was too soon to know about the Toontown Pre-Party.  That's a better, more honest answer than telling someone on the phone that something definitely is _or_ is not happening (_especially way before the 6-week point, like when a CM recently told another DIS'er that Fastpasses would be available for Haunted Mansion Holiday at the MHP, when I really don't think they would be in a position to guarantee that so far in advance_).
> 
> It seems like the Toontown event won't happen again this year, but I guess it is a minimal enough thing to throw together rather hastily if Disney decides to do it a week in advance (like 9/19 or so).  It doesn't seem like it would require a lot of time and thought to put some treat stations in Toontown and make sure a few characters are there before the MHP begins, but there must be a reason why it is not happening -- IF it doesn't happen.


I agree that it doesn't seem like it would be that hard to put it together at the last minute (or at least wait to announce it at the last minute).  After all, WDW pulled together the Villains Soiree in short order!  I liked the Toontown Pre-Event and would be happy to see it happen again (it was a great way to get a lot of candy early!), but I don't think it would "ruin" the party for me if they don't have it again.

Yeah, it was good that the CM told _Kilala_ that it was too early to know.     It would be interesting to see what range of responses one gets if someone called multiple times with the same question.  I bet some CMs would say it's happening, others would say it's not happening, and some would say there hasn't been any official information.


----------



## Kilala

I just called to get a ticket for the 26th of September. They are completly sold out. So I got a ticket for the second party on the 30th. The CM told me that the Friday nights are the nights that are going to sell out fast. I also got a ticket for the 31st on Halloween night. I told my friend to get her ticket for Halloween night now. The weekdays Monday, Tuesday, Wendesday are the dates that will sell out the last. The CM said the parents don't have to worry about kids going to school the next day. I do have Halloween day off this year. I'm also planning a getting a ticket for the 27th of October on October 3rd. They have alot of tickets left for that date.






figment_jii said:


> I agree that it doesn't seem like it would be that hard to put it together at the last minute (or at least wait to announce it at the last minute).  After all, WDW pulled together the Villains Soiree in short order!  I liked the Toontown Pre-Event and would be happy to see it happen again (it was a great way to get a lot of candy early!), but I don't think it would "ruin" the party for me if they don't have it again.
> 
> Yeah, it was good that the CM told _Kilala_ that it was too early to know.     It would be interesting to see what range of responses one gets if someone called multiple times with the same question.  I bet some CMs would say it's happening, others would say it's not happening, and some would say there hasn't been any official information.



I will call them again around the 15th of this month. I can't believe it's September already


----------



## figment_jii

Kilala said:


> I just called to get a ticket for the 26th of September. They are completly sold out.


Thanks for the update!


----------



## Sherry E

Kilala said:


> I just called to get a ticket for the 26th of September. They are completly sold out. So I got a ticket for the second party on the 30th. The CM told me that the Friday nights are the nights that are going to sell out fast. I also got a ticket for the 31st on Halloween night. I told my friend to get her ticket for Halloween night now. The weekdays Monday, Tuesday, Wendesday are the dates that will sell out the last. The CM said the parents don't have to worry about kids going to school the next day. I do have Halloween day off this year. I'm also planning a getting a ticket for the 27th of October on October 3rd. They have alot of tickets left for that date.



*Kilala --*

I had a feeling that the tickets available over the phone were just "excess" tickets and that there were not very many left over after the online tickets sold out.

Yes, it's true that kids don't have to go to school on Saturdays, but all of the nights of the MHP have sold out (early weeknights too) for the last couple of years -- with the exception of the party night immediately before Halloween.  It's just that some sell out faster than others, while some nights may not sell out until later this month and into the first week of October or so.  And it could shift from year to year, with certain nights becoming more popular than others, and selling out faster than they had in the past.

People want the discounted nights.  They want the nights where they can get some sort of advance purchase MHP ticket price at the best possible discount, and not have to pay full price -- or they want the full price/non-discounted Halloween night party (just for the fun of it).  

So it's good that you told your friend to hurry and get the ticket for 10/31, because that could suddenly sell out quickly, when we least expect it, or before September is over.  Halloween night would have sold out anyway (despite there being no discounts), but I wonder if the fact that it is on a Friday night will speed up the sellout and cause it to happen sooner than it would have in previous years.


----------



## TinkerJR

48 days left,  and we are starting to get our costumes figured out.  We were thinking of having DH go as Olaf to (DD is Elsa).  Do you think this kind of costume would be okay?  The picture shows the model with their head down, but it is actually more of a hoodie style (doesn't cover the face).


----------



## Sherry E

TinkerJR said:


> 48 days left,  and we are starting to get our costumes figured out.  We were thinking of having DH go as Olaf to (DD is Elsa).  Do you think this kind of costume would be okay?  The picture shows the model with their head down, but it is actually more of a hoodie style (doesn't cover the face).




*TinkerJR --*

In my opinion, the costume looks fine (as far as being acceptable by Disney's standards)!  I can't see that there would be any problem with it (though hopefully *figment_jii* and *Kilala* will chime in on this too).  

It's a really cute costume!  I would expect that this year there will be a wide variety of Olaf costumes of all sorts, so your DH should fit right in!  I think some of them will be more subtle nods to Olaf, while others will be crazy, elaborate 'presentations.'  I am curious to see what's out there!

I was just mentioning in Dena's Trip Report (Dena is also the DIS'er who is running the October Check-In thread, with the list of October travelers and their hotels) that one costume I have heard about that is going to be hitting the Halloween/trick-or-treat circuit this year is the "Ice Bucket Challenge" costume.  (Those of us who are on Facebook have seen the endless parade of Ice Bucket Challenge videos on our newsfeeds, every single day, from every actor, musician, comedian, mom, everyman, pet -- and even some politicians -- known to man.)  I have no idea how it will work other than the bucket being attached to someone's head, but I am curious to see if it turns up at Mickey's Halloween Party this year.


----------



## figment_jii

TinkerJR said:


> We were thinking of having DH go as Olaf to (DD is Elsa).  Do you think this kind of costume would be okay?  The picture shows the model with their head down, but it is actually more of a hoodie style (doesn't cover the face).


I think the costume looks fine!  I don't see anything about it that would go against the MHP costume rules.  In fact, given the popularity of Frozen, I expect to see a lot of Elsas, Annas, and Olafs (and maybe a few Kristoffs) at MHP.

The only caveat I have (and it has nothing to do with the rules of Disney) is to have something in mind in case you're there on one of those hot/warm nights!  That costumes looks like it could get pretty warm.  One of my favorite costumes stories is of this fellow dressed up in full body Sully costume.  This was at MNSSHP in Florida (where it's usually still hot and humid in Sep/Oct).  I saw him at the start of the party in the full costume (PJ like outfit (like the Olaf costume) with head piece).  The rest went something like this: by the start of the first parade, he had taken the head piece (a hoodie like thing) off.  By the end of the parade he had unzipped the top half of the costume (he had a shirt one underneath).  Later he had taken the top off and it was tied around his waist.  By the second parade, he had taken the entire costume off and it was draped over the stroller's handlebars!


----------



## Jennafoo

I got my tickets for October 24th, which is also my birthday! 

I also got all of my dining reservations for the weekend of October 22-26 (Blue Bayou lunch, Cafe Orleans, Carnation Cafe for brunch and dinner at Carthay Circle). Just have to get plane tickets...I'll do that this weekend.

So excited!


----------



## Sherry E

Jennafoo said:


> I got my tickets for October 24th, which is also my birthday!
> 
> I also got all of my dining reservations for the weekend of October 22-26 (Blue Bayou lunch, Cafe Orleans, Carnation Cafe for brunch and dinner at Carthay Circle). Just have to get plane tickets...I'll do that this weekend.
> 
> So excited!



*Jennafoo --*

That's great to hear!  It will be an amazing Halloween-ified birthday for you (at MHP) on the 24th.  It also sounds like you have some really good meals lined up (I love Carnation Café).  Are you still going to do the Pumpkin Treats Crawl (or Halloween Snack Crawl, or whatever it is being called) with your friends?


I must say -- as much as I have been wishing for Fall to hurry and get here (still have to wait 20 days for that glorious event), Halloween Time at DLR is really sneaking up on me!  In all of my wishing and hoping it seemed to get here much faster than I expected, and yet I still expected it!  In only 9 days, Halloween Time will be in full swing at DL!  In fact, the pumpkins above the turnstiles at DL will probably go up by this weekend, or in 5 days or so.


----------



## Jennafoo

Sorry about any duplicate posts...

Yes, Sherry...still planning a Halloween treats crawl! I have a whole list of goodies I want to try!


----------



## Sherry E

*Fall Fever and Pumpkin Pandemonium continue to sweep the nation (and the grocery store shelves)...*

*Today's seasonal sightings (not by me) are:*


*Bud Light Lime Limited Fall Edition Apple-Ahhh-Rita*

*Cheetos Bag of Bones* (which appears to be Cheetos in skeletal shapes) -- _I did not know these existed!!!_

*Archer Farms Pumpkin Spice Hot Cocoa Mix* (Archer Farms seems to really be stepping up its Fall game this year, already providing us with Pumpkin Spice coffee and trail mix)

*Blue Moon Caramel Apple Spiced Ale* (I think I mentioned their Harvest Pumpkin Ale, which is also out on the shelves, in a previous post)


It is still early on in the "season," as it were (if we are to consider anything past Labor Day part of a general Halloween/Fall season).  Judging by the bounty of Autumnal foods and drinks that are already hitting the shelves (many of which appeared early in August)  -- and I have a feeling we have only scratched the surface of what is to come -- I can't even begin to wrap my mind around the plethora of holiday season goodies that are inevitably headed to the stores in the near future!!


Strangely, though, I have not yet seen a Halloween TV commercial of any kind (for non-Disney brands).  I checked the previous Halloween Superthread, and it appears that I saw my first Halloween commercial of 2013 on September 16th (a Monday).  It was the "Horseless Headsman" ad for either Snickers or Milky way (can't recall which candy it was).  

I would have thought that the ads would begin airing earlier this year because it really seems like the various brands and stores are getting swept up in the Fall/Halloween madness.  I fully expected to begin seeing Autumn-ish ads as soon as Labor Day was behind us.  

We'll see.  Maybe something will pop up on TV soon.  Otherwise, I guess I expect the non-Disney Halloween TV ads to start running in about 12 days (around 9/15, if not sooner), and the Disneyland Resort Halloween Time ads should begin running on 9/12, or maybe a day or two early.

​





Jennafoo said:


> Sorry about any duplicate posts...
> 
> Yes, Sherry...still planning a Halloween treats crawl! I have a whole list of goodies I want to try!



*Jennafoo --*

I think you will find some gems on your Crawl!  According to the Parks Blog that came out last week (with the sneak peek of the Halloween/Fall goodies headed to DLR), it sounds as if there will be a lot of the same things, and then some new things as well!  There are always new designs of the seasonal apples, cupcakes, cake pops, various sweets, etc., but I suppose there should also be some all new Fall-inspired savory foods and meals (probably at some of the restaurants you have plans for!).

I am hoping that they (whoever makes the decisions about which treats to sell in the parks) bring back the Spooky Kooky Zombie Gingerbread Cookie that was part of Limited Time Magic last year (in celebration of the 13th year of Haunted Mansion Holiday).  I remember that *figment_jii* was not all that impressed with that Zombie cookie, but the one I ate on 9/13/13 was soft, chewy, fresh and delicious (better than the usual gingerbread cookies with mouse ears that I always buy)!  Yum!


----------



## Kilala

TinkerJR said:


> 48 days left,  and we are starting to get our costumes figured out.  We were thinking of having DH go as Olaf to (DD is Elsa).  Do you think this kind of costume would be okay?  The picture shows the model with their head down, but it is actually more of a hoodie style (doesn't cover the face).



I think you will be just fine with your costume. It's a hoddie so you can take the hood down if the CM's need you too




Tiss the season I guess. Destination America is showing 9/11 stories. It's 8 days untill 9/11. Last year the middle school right by my house blared  the song "I'm proud to be an American" at 7:45 am!! I love that but please don't play it so loud that wakes me up. I did see a new Pop Tart flavor at Wal-Mart. I will remeber to bring my camera this time.


----------



## disneylover2005

ToodlesRN said:


> Were booked for the party on the Oct 14th! It will be our 2nd, first one was in 2011. The kids are getting excited about picking costumes. Now to the question!!
> 
> Our daughter(4) wants to be a witch and I found out Minnie Mouse has a witch costume!! I also found out BBB has a Minnie Witch package for $134.99. Has anyone ever done the holiday themed package before and is it worth it? The sad part is you do not get the FP to royal hall as you do for the castle package which is the one we have done before and that is what I'd pay the extra for so we don't have to wait in those long lines!
> 
> Also I have not seen this costumes in person I saw a picture of it. If anyone is and about in the parks and your looking at costumes can you let me know what you think of it? Debating on waiting or just going with completely different costume.
> 
> Thanks!!!



I don't know about the package but my daughter was minnie witch last year. I got the costume off of the disney store website within a week of them adding it plus the hat which is separate. They sold out of the hat the next day. We had tons of people commenting on her costume last year and specially the hat since no one could find it in the parks. My daughter still wears her costume all the time and loves it.


----------



## briggscreek

We're getting more excited every day! I think our costumes are finally figured out - I'm going to be a fortune teller, DD is a reptile queen (it's a crazy costume!), DS is Indy (have a shirt coming that will hopefully fit!) and DH is just wearing his Captain Hammer t-shirt. I also finished putting together my homemade "in-room celebration", I think my kids are going to love it.


----------



## RuthieT

Is there dates yet for the haunted house making at Ralph's? What about a full schedule for all of October.. We are going October 14-22 and we got our Halloween party tickets and going the 20th!! Looking forward to it


----------



## ClosetDisneyJunkie

briggscreek said:


> DH is just wearing his Captain Hammer t-shirt.



Your DH is clearly awesome.


----------



## Sherry E

*One thing I found out on Facebook is that a truck was spotted in Anaheim last night, carrying the Halloween decorations that will be placed along the tram path (which people will see if they take the tram to and from the Mickey and Friends parking lot, though the decorations can be hard to photograph from the tram)!!!!!  *


​




briggscreek said:


> We're getting more excited every day! I think our costumes are finally figured out - I'm going to be a fortune teller, DD is a reptile queen (it's a crazy costume!), DS is Indy (have a shirt coming that will hopefully fit!) and DH is just wearing his Captain Hammer t-shirt. I also finished putting together my homemade "in-room celebration", I think my kids are going to love it.



*briggscreek --*

It sounds awesome!  The reptile queen costume sounds incredibly fun and intriguing!


​





RuthieT said:


> Is there dates yet for the haunted house making at Ralph's? What about a full schedule for all of October.. We are going October 14-22 and we got our Halloween party tickets and going the 20th!! Looking forward to it



*RuthieT --*

Jazz Kitchen has not released the dates of the Haunted House workshop yet, but it usually just takes place over 3 or 4 dates (one of the dates being a D23-specific day).  I asked them yesterday on their Facebook page about the dates -- and they are usually good about replying to people's questions -- but they have not replied yet.

I don't think the full schedule for October is up on the Disneyland Resort website yet.  They seem to be taking their sweet time in getting the info up on the site this year.

​


----------



## perlster




----------



## Sherry E

^^^^^That's part of the aforementioned Halloween tram path display, that *perlster* showed us in the photo above (thank you, *perlster*!)!

There is also another section/display further along the path, with ghosts.  

If you are heading from Mickey and Friends to Downtown Disney, the displays will be on your right-hand side, and then they will obviously be on your left if you head from DTD to Mickey and Friends.  Try to sit as close to those sides of the tram as you can, and have your cameras poised and ready to snap quickly!

I mentioned this tram display mainly because the folks who have either not been to DLR for Halloween Time in the past, or the ones who are staying at a hotel and would not ordinarily be taking the tram, may miss out on seeing this _sort-of-hidden-but-not-really-hidden_ gem!  It may be worth getting on the tram and riding it to and from Mickey & Friends just to see the fun display!


----------



## DisneyJamieCA

I don't know if it's been mentioned yet, but the new Passholder News email (Disney Destinations) says that Elsa & Anna will join the Calvacade this year at MHP and that there will be Frozen inspired photo backdrops (unsure of where though).


----------



## figment_jii

DisneyJamieCA said:


> I don't know if it's been mentioned yet, but the new Passholder News email (Disney Destinations) says that Elsa & Anna will join the Calvacade this year at MHP and that there will be Frozen inspired photo backdrops (unsure of where though).



I hadn't seen the bit about the Frozen-inspired photo back drop, but the Disney Parks Blog said "the stars of Frozen  Elsa, Anna and Olaf  will appear in their special pre-parade prior to Mickeys Costume Party cavalcade."  It would awesome if they did something to make it Halloween-inspired (could you image it if A&E were in Halloween costumes? ), but I'm guessing it'll be the same it is when it runs before Soundsational.


----------



## briggscreek

ClosetDisneyJunkie said:


> Your DH is clearly awesome.



LOL, we were originally all going to do Dr. Horrible, we're huge fans. My son was going to be Dr. Horrible, DH Captain Hammer, I was going to be Penny, and DD was going to be Bad Horse LOL. I was afraid that their costumes would be too hot though for September, the only horse costume I could find was a big plush thing. Maybe next year...



Sherry E said:


> *
> 
> briggscreek --
> 
> It sounds awesome!  The reptile queen costume sounds incredibly fun and intriguing!
> 
> *


*

Thanks, I'll definitely post pictures! She always has to be some kind of animal, it sort of looks like a dragon to me, but with lots of tulle LOL.*


----------



## DisneyJamieCA

figment_jii said:


> I hadn't seen the bit about the Frozen-inspired photo back drop, but the Disney Parks Blog said "the stars of &#147;Frozen&#148; &#150; Elsa, Anna and Olaf &#150; will appear in their special pre-parade prior to &#147;Mickey&#146;s Costume Party&#148; cavalcade."  It would awesome if they did something to make it Halloween-inspired (could you image it if A&E were in Halloween costumes? ), but I'm guessing it'll be the same it is when it runs before Soundsational.



The link in the email takes you to the blog you mentioned. Here is the text of the email though

"  Anna and Elsa from Disney's Frozen join the cavalcade this year—plus partygoers can pose in front of photo backdrops inspired by the hit film!"

Them being in their regular pre-parade isn't quite as exciting as them being in the cavalcade, but I guess it's better than nothing


----------



## Sherry E

This is either one of the greatest ideas ever (for kids) or a diabolical experiment in terror.

Behold... Candy Corn Pebbles -- *HERE*.


I stopped eating extra-sugary cereal like this many years ago (bye, bye Cap'n Crunch!), but I used to love me some Cocoa Pebbles and Fruity Pebbles.  I am trying to decide if I would have enjoyed Candy Corn Pebbles.  Hmmm...


​


----------



## pudinhd

Happiest Haunts Tour info...

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...land-resort-with-new-stories-and-experiences/


----------



## Sherry E

pudinhd said:


> Happiest Haunts Tour info...
> 
> http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...land-resort-with-new-stories-and-experiences/



Thanks, *pudinhd*!

The Blog just came through on my feed, right after you posted (sometimes my RSS feed is faster/slower than other times).  So it sounds like they removed Tower of Terror from the tour!

I like the idea of the Halloween traditions through history!


----------



## pudinhd

Sherry E said:


> Thanks, *pudinhd*!
> 
> The Blog just came through on my feed, right after you posted (sometimes my RSS feed is faster/slower than other times).  So it sounds like they removed Tower of Terror from the tour!
> 
> I like the idea of the Halloween traditions through history!





I totally rushed posting the info and didn't even read it until after!  It does sound interesting!!!  I also noticed the removal of ToT and it sounds like they don't go to DCA at all.


----------



## Sherry E

pudinhd said:


> I totally rushed posting the info and didn't even read it until after!  It does sound interesting!!!  I also noticed the removal of ToT and it sounds like they don't go to DCA at all.



*pudinhd --*

I don't blame you for posting right away -- anything that is breaking Halloween Time news (or holiday news, for the other Supethread) must be shared right away!  Disney seems to be revealing so little this year -- which may just mean that less is happening in the parks -- that we have to jump on whatever morsels we can get!

I hope that whatever was added to this tour in terms of storytelling or whatever it is makes up for the loss of ToT from the tour (for those folks who enjoyed that aspect of it).

I always thought it was kind of silly to even include DCA in the Happiest Haunts tour once all of the Halloween decorations were removed from DCA, because there are almost no traces of Halloween in DCA at all.  It's sort of like drawing more attention to the fact that Disneyland has decorations, but DCA doesn't have any!  Visiting Duffy's Pumpkin Patch photo spot wouldn't exactly qualify as seeing/enjoying substantial Halloween décor!


----------



## pudinhd

Sherry E said:


> *pudinhd --*
> 
> I don't blame you for posting right away -- anything that is breaking Halloween Time news (or holiday news, for the other Supethread) must be shared right away!  Disney seems to be revealing so little this year -- which may just mean that less is happening in the parks -- that we have to jump on whatever morsels we can get!
> 
> I hope that whatever was added to this tour in terms of storytelling or whatever it is makes up for the loss of ToT from the tour (for those folks who enjoyed that aspect of it).
> 
> I always thought it was kind of silly to even include DCA in the Happiest Haunts tour once all of the Halloween decorations were removed from DCA, because there are almost of traces of Halloween in DCA at all.  It's sort of like drawing more attention to the fact that Disneyland has decorations, but DCA doesn't have any!  Visiting Duffy's Pumpkin Patch photo spot wouldn't exactly qualify as substantial Halloween décor!



Very good points, as always!!  I haven't done a Halloween tour at DL, but I would think just the time it takes to switch parks should contribute to the quality of the tour...  I wonder how many of the "popular Disneyland park attractions" will be included and which ones.  I also just read the "trick or treat for special goodies along Main Street" and that is really making me curious!!


----------



## Jennafoo

Interesting about the HH Tour...

It says that it happens every night; I wonder if that includes nights of the party? I wonder how crowded/crazy that would be? Or maybe it would be a good option on the night I'm not going to the party.

Hmm....


----------



## pudinhd

ABC Family To Scare Up 13 Nights of Special Halloween Programming

http://blogs.disney.com/insider/201...p-13-nights-of-special-halloween-programming/


----------



## ncarrier

Looong time lurker here lol but I'm a faithful follower! We'll be there Oct 4-12th and I'm wondering the same thing about the Happiest Haunts tours on MHP nights. We have our tickets for the party on the 8th but the tour might be a great way to spend the crossover times between day guest and party guests on Monday the 6th.

I've read some mixed reviews about the happiest haunts tour so I'm still trying to decide if we want to do it as we're already planning on doing the Walk in Walt's Footseps tour hopefully on Friday the 10th for DD's 14th birthday


----------



## pudinhd

Here's an article from D23 about Halloween activities at Disneyland.
https://d23.com/halloween-at-disneyland-resort/
Apparently the Conjure a Villain will now be called the Astounding Cauldron of Magic...    Hope it has more power to conjure some rare villains than last year!

Here's a D23 article about other Disney parks in case you are interested...
https://d23.com/090414_halloween-parties-around-the-world/?CMP=EMC-eml&att=20140904_D23_FanFare


----------



## Priory

pudinhd said:


> Very good points, as always!!  I haven't done a Halloween tour at DL, but I would think just the time it takes to switch parks should contribute to the quality of the tour...  I wonder how many of the "popular Disneyland park attractions" will be included and which ones.  I also just read the "trick or treat for special goodies along Main Street" and that is really making me curious!!



The last couple of years they took you into the candy shop on BV Street and had you yell trick or treat at a guy who handed out some small goodie. I assume they'll just move that bit over to the Penny Arcade. 

I imagine they'll just stick Big Thunder in TOT's place and call it a day. The rest of the tour will probably be the same.


----------



## LisaT91403

Question about parking for MHP. I know that your ticket includes parking for the event. Does it matter what time you enter the parking structure? We have AP's, and will probably arrive at the parking structure around 1:00...but the party early entry isn't until 4:00. I'm assuming we'd still get to park for free, even if it's not party time just yet. Right?


----------



## Amilo

When I asked I was told it's for all day.


----------



## DenaRox

In regards to HH tour, this is from the cm I talked to so take it for what it's worth... The tour on party nights does not end before the MHP starts so if you do both you will miss some of it ( she said the tour was 3 hours and started at 5 or 515). She also said that this year the tour stays in disneyland and does not cross over into DCA. She also confirmed they were bot continuing the ultimate experience but didn't have any other info.   Hoping she was wrong.

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards


----------



## mikana876

Another MHP question!!

Do all of the meet and greets stay open until the party is over at midnight? And the rides, treat trails, villains in townsquare, and whatever other activities?


----------



## Amilo

DenaRox said:
			
		

> In regards to HH tour, this is from the cm I talked to so take it for what it's worth... The tour on party nights does not end before the MHP starts so if you do both you will miss some of it ( she said the tour was 3 hours and started at 5 or 515). She also said that this year the tour stays in disneyland and does not cross over into DCA. She also confirmed they were bot continuing the ultimate experience but didn't have any other info.   Hoping she was wrong.
> 
> Sent from my iPad using DISBoards



The "no ultimate experience" part is consistent with what I've been told too.


----------



## figment_jii

mikana876 said:


> Do all of the meet and greets stay open until the party is over at midnight? And the rides, treat trails, villains in townsquare, and whatever other activities?


I cannot remember about the meet and greets, but the treat trails and rides do remain open until the end of the party (midnight or 11:00 pm depending on the party day).  A few dining locations do also remain open until the end of the party or very near to the end (Jolly Holiday and Coke Corner come to mind).


----------



## Sherry E

Jazz Kitchen must have just put this up on their website in the last couple of days, because it was not there when I asked them the question about the gingerbread workshop on their Facebook page 2 days ago!

Anyway.... the dates are up for both the Haunted *and* the Holiday Gingerbread House Building Workshops at Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen in Downtown Disney (I have a link to Nancy Johnson's blog about this event in the Downtown Disney section on page 1 of this thread)!!

There are only 2 dates for the Haunted Workshop, for the general public in October (not counting the D23 date that I posted a while back):


Saturday, October 25 & Sunday, October 26 -- 12 pm - 2 pm




Tickets for the Haunted Workshop will be available on September 29, 2014.

$48 per Gingerbread Kit (plus tax & online service feeds) 
Price of Kit Includes 2 seats 
Additional Seats May be Purchased for $12 per seat 
Advance Payment by Credit Card Required 
Refunds: only with a 72 hour notice of the date selected 



More info on the website -- *HERE*. 


​


----------



## JoRo

I had never heard of the gingerbread event for halloween thanks for posting, I am very bummed we wont be able to do it Oct 17-22.  

We also decided to skip the party on the 17 and do the 20th hoping crowds will be down a little.  We thought about doing the party on both days as a really special treat but we dont need that much candy.  Going to focus on the activities of the party (characters, parades, foods) instead of the rides.. no I just hope there is fun halloween popcorn bucket and a special halloween pin.

Everyone in the family has a costume but me....ugh...mommy must get it together...time is flying!


----------



## figment_jii

JoRo said:


> ...no[w] I just hope there is fun halloween popcorn bucket and a special halloween pin.


I haven't heard about any special new Halloween popcorn buckets, but if DLR has a new one, it probably won't debut until HalloweenTime starts on the 12th.

In terms of the pins, you can see what the Halloween pins look like on the Disney Parks Merchandise website.  They list by release month: September and October.  Just note that there is a chance some of the pins may sell out before the end of HalloweenTime and (of course) release date and designs are subject to change.


----------



## WanderlustNZ

DenaRox said:


> In regards to HH tour, this is from the cm I talked to so take it for what it's worth... The tour on party nights does not end before the MHP starts so if you do both you will miss some of it ( she said the tour was 3 hours and started at 5 or 515). She also said that this year the tour stays in disneyland and does not cross over into DCA. She also confirmed they were bot continuing the ultimate experience but didn't have any other info.   Hoping she was wrong.



Thanks for sharing.  
I have just booked a HH tour for early October and the one I am on begins at 5:30pm.  We need to check in between 5 and 5:15.  
I asked the CM what the extra rides would be this year, but apart from Haunted Mansion and Space Mountain, she didn't know. 

I'm hoping someone on the first tour of the season comes on here to let us know which rides they are and what Halloween treats they receive.

Feeling very excited.


----------



## Jennafoo

figment_jii said:


> In terms of the pins, you can see what the Halloween pins look like on the Disney Parks Merchandise website.  They list by release month: September and October.  Just note that there is a chance some of the pins may sell out before the end of HalloweenTime and (of course) release date and designs are subject to change.



Heh...I looked at the pins and when I got to "Chewbacca Covered in Lights", I read it as: 

"Chewbacca Covered in Lice."

For one second, I was all: "WHY? Why would you want that??"


----------



## scrappymel

We saw boxes of frozen Halloween cheese puffs and "lic-a-stix" tonight at walmart. In the Halloween candy area. Had to grab the cheese puffs for backpack treats!

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards


----------



## bigt0513

We are coming from Florida and visiting MHP for the first time. We are really hoping for the pre-party to see Roger Rabbit if they bring that all back from last year and Hades! Lately we only get the Hades face version on stage or at the last 24hr day where one would had to wait over 4 hrs to meet him! He is one of the very few villains we would love to meet!


----------



## disneylover2005

mikana876 said:


> Another MHP question!!
> 
> Do all of the meet and greets stay open until the party is over at midnight? And the rides, treat trails, villains in townsquare, and whatever other activities?



Last year towards the end of the night alot of treat trails ran out of candy (I guess they didn't want to restock them) and were closing them up.


----------



## mikana876

disneylover2005 said:


> Last year towards the end of the night alot of treat trails ran out of candy (I guess they didn't want to restock them) and were closing them up.



Thank you!

Do you know if/when the meet and greets started shutting down?


----------



## laura&fam

Made a bunch of progress on the costumes today!  Jessie's  (DD) chaps are almost finished and Woody's (DH) cow print vest has the outside layer.  I'm still trying to find a cheap/easy way to paint my boy's green army man clothes but there's so much to paint that I need a gallon I think.


----------



## disneylover2005

mikana876 said:


> Thank you!
> 
> Do you know if/when the meet and greets started shutting down?



When we were leaving the park about 20-30 minutes before it closed they had closed the line for the villains up at main street. Other then that I don't know about the others.


----------



## pudinhd

disneylover2005 said:


> When we were leaving the park about 20-30 minutes before it closed they had closed the line for the villains up at main street. Other then that I don't know about the others.



If this was in 2013, it could be because they had a little villain show outside the Main Street train station right before the party ended.

Unfortunately, I do not have any information about when the other character lines closed.


----------



## figment_jii

disneylover2005 said:


> Last year towards the end of the night alot of treat trails ran out of candy (I guess they didn't want to restock them) and were closing them up.



Interesting...which party did you go to?  Do you remember which trails closed up early?  I ask because I _think_ the treat trails on Main Street were admitting guests right up until closing on the two parties I went to last year.  I have to admit that I didn't check what the time was, so it could have still been before midnight when I looked last.


----------



## pudinhd

figment_jii said:


> Interesting...which party did you go to?  Do you remember which trails closed up early?  I ask because I _think_ the treat trails on Main Street were admitting guests right up until closing on the two parties I went to last year.  I have to admit that I didn't check what the time was, so it could have still been before midnight when I looked last.



We ran into this at least once last year at the first party at the monorail station treat trail.  There was the first station on the ground level, but the last of the 3 stations on the platform was closed.  I just looked at my pictures and I am a little surprised, but it would have been around 10:30 pm.  That seems really early for a party ending at 12:00 am.


----------



## ten6mom

Sorry if this has been asked...  The search feature doesn't work well on my phone.   I bought MHP tickets with my AP and it said each guest must have an AP to use them,  but I am being told that is not actually the case.   Can anyone confirm one way or the other?


----------



## clydeisme

Where would you all recommend sitting to watch both the Mickey's Costume Cavalcade Parade and then saying for the Halloween Scream Fireworks? I'm ok getting a spot super early since I'll be pregnant and don't mind sitting for awhile snacking on tummy treats


----------



## Drnifer

This will be my fist Halloween party and I'm wondering if the villains sign autographs. I've been to Mnsshp at WDW and they do not. Thanks for any info!


----------



## 2tinkerbell

Do you think it is still a possibility that MHP will still have the Toontown pre-party?


----------



## mikana876

Thanks for the help! Any info helps 

I asked about when the meet and greets close because I plan on getting a spot early for the calvacade and hanging out there while my family does some trick or treating and then I plan on staying there in that spot for the fireworks. So I won't be able to head to the meet and greets until after the fireworks. I was hoping to catch some of the villains and the pirate pals by the dock.


----------



## TulipsNZ

Just ordered our costumes, they will be delivered to the hotel, so excited to see the boys faces when they open the boxes  .I'm thinking we will need an extra bag on the way home but at least we haven't dragged costumes all over the world.


----------



## figment_jii

pudinhd said:


> We ran into this at least once last year at the first party at the monorail station treat trail.  There was the first station on the ground level, but the last of the 3 stations on the platform was closed.  I just looked at my pictures and I am a little surprised, but it would have been around 10:30 pm.  That seems really early for a party ending at 12:00 am.


Interesting...I wonder if there was a problem with the candy supply the first night or an issue with the monorail treat trail.  I didn't get over to that one when I was there last year.  I know that at least some of the treat trails remained open well past 10:30 pm at the two parties I went to (I know I was at the one along the Rivers of America near the end of the party; after the Cadaver Dan's last set).  Hopefully the early closing of the monorail treat trail was just a fluke.



ten6mom said:


> Sorry if this has been asked...  The search feature doesn't work well on my phone.   I bought MHP tickets with my AP and it said each guest must have an AP to use them,  but I am being told that is not actually the case.   Can anyone confirm one way or the other?


The first party has not yet happened, but from what folks have been told and reported back here, that is correct.  You needed to have a valid AP to purchase the tickets at the AP price, but you do not need an AP to use the ticket.



clydeisme said:


> Where would you all recommend sitting to watch both the Mickey's Costume Cavalcade Parade and then saying for the Halloween Scream Fireworks? I'm ok getting a spot super early since I'll be pregnant and don't mind sitting for awhile snacking on tummy treats


For Halloween Screams! I like being on Main Street, between the Partners Statue and the last shop (Camera or Coke Corner).  Just make sure you have a good view of the left side of the castle (when facing the castle).  For the Cavalcade, pretty much anywhere on the route has a good view, except perhaps spots where you are in the wrong side of the bend.  For example, if you watch the first Cavalcade from IaSW Mall, I would sit on the left side of the route (when facing IaSW), so that you're on the outside of the bend, rather than the inside.  I've watched from IaSW and Main Street and equally enjoyed both locations.



Drnifer said:


> This will be my fist Halloween party and I'm wondering if the villains sign autographs. I've been to Mnsshp at WDW and they do not. Thanks for any info!


The villains M&G at MHP is more like a traditional M&G (assuming no major changes from last year).  I'm pretty sure they sign autographs; at least I thought I saw them signing things last year, but I can't remember for sure. 



2tinkerbell said:


> Do you think it is still a possibility that MHP will still have the Toontown pre-party?


It's always a possibility, but it's getting less likely with each passing day and no announcement.


----------



## 2tinkerbell

Thanks - I was afraid that the Toontown pre-party wouldn't happen.  However, I am keeping my fingers crossed as it seems like Disney is slow in making announcements this year - or I am excited


----------



## pudinhd

Halloween Carnival news...

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...ig-thunder-ranch-jamboree-at-disneyland-park/


----------



## figment_jii

From the Disney Parks Blog entry that _pudinhd_ linked:


> This season, the Mystic Magic Show will appear on the Jamboree stage to amaze you with feats of illusion and sleight-of-hand.


Well, at least we now know (at least at this point) what is happening on the main stage in place of Billy Hill and the Hillbillies.  The description of "Conjure a Villain" sounds the same, as does much of the activities at the Halloween Carnival.


----------



## Sherry E

*It is truly hard to believe that Halloween Time officially starts at Disneyland Resort in 4 Days!!!!!!!!!!!!  I am both elated and stunned by that fact.

Don't get me wrong -- I am thrilled that the season is about to start (I will be even more thrilled when the seasons actually change from Summer to Fall!), but... where has the time gone?  The months have zipped by at lightning speed.  Ideally, I would like to speed through Summer at lightning speed, but linger and revel in the Halloween and Holiday seasons for a long time, and it doesn't seem to work that way!!

Can it even be possible that in a mere 16.5 weeks, we will be wishing each other a "Happy New Year"???? 

Anyway, this is going to be another fairly hot week, weather-wise, in Southern California, with alternating humidity and dryness.  That is the one and only issue I have with Halloween Time starting in mid-September -- the weather does not seem Fall-like most of the time.  And when it does rain, it's not normal rain.  

I remember the crazy rain that happened over the opening weekend of Halloween Time 7 years ago -- off and on heavy, messy rain and hot sun.  I didn't know whether to grab for my umbrella or my sunscreen for most of the day.  My friends and I were bedraggled messes by the end of the day, because every time we would start to recover from the last round of rain, we'd become hot and uncomfortable, only to be rained on again (usually when we had just gotten fully dry).

That September 2007 trip was, by far, the weirdest one in terms of weather that I have ever experienced, but preferable to awful heat any day.



​


I would expect to hear that the character pumpkins above the turnstiles at Disneyland have appeared by today or tomorrow, as they usually pop up fairly early.

Andy Castro at Dateline Disneyland (MiceAge) posted more photos of the early signs of Halloween Time:

"Food prices go up and Halloween Time creeps in as Disneyland enjoys a brief off-season" -- Dateline Disneyland;  by Andy Castro; Published on September 08, 2014 at 5:05 am 

It appears that the Scare-Dy Crow Shack at the Halloween Carnival/Roundup has not been decorated with its vintage Halloween décor just yet.


ETA:  I saw the Disney Parks Blog about the Halloween Carnival come through on my RSS feed as I was typing up this post, and I just thought to myself, "Well, they are certainly not enhancing or adding to the Halloween Time season that much this year, are they?"  (The stage show at the Carnival doesn't sound all that exciting or significant.)

All of the "seasonal budget" must be going towards the 60th Anniversary next year, as we have not heard about anything new -- or anything at all -- for the Holiday Season either!


​

Also, in Halloween/Fall food news...Pillsbury Caramel Apple Cookie Mix and Perfectly Pumpkin Cake Mix have now hit the shelves....along with Entenmann's Pumpkin Pop'ems!!!!!

I have said all along that I am not even a huge fan of pumpkin flavoring or of candy corn flavoring, but I must admit that I have been tempted to try some of the items I have been reading about for the last month!*​


ncarrier said:


> Looong time lurker here lol but I'm a faithful follower! We'll be there Oct 4-12th and I'm wondering the same thing about the Happiest Haunts tours on MHP nights. We have our tickets for the party on the 8th but the tour might be a great way to spend the crossover times between day guest and party guests on Monday the 6th.
> 
> I've read some mixed reviews about the happiest haunts tour so I'm still trying to decide if we want to do it as we're already planning on doing the Walk in Walt's Footseps tour hopefully on Friday the 10th for DD's 14th birthday




Welcome, *ncarrier*!  

I'm glad you joined us!

I will be interested to hear about the changes in the HH tour once it gets going this week -- hopefully someone will report back.  The fact that Tower of Terror and DCA were removed from the tour is kind of significant, as it appears to lessen part of the value of the tour -- maybe.  

And the fact that the Ultimate Experience HH Tour-MHP combo was removed from the schedule of Halloween Time offerings this year is even more puzzling.






scrappymel said:


> We saw boxes of frozen Halloween cheese puffs and "lic-a-stix" tonight at walmart. In the Halloween candy area. Had to grab the cheese puffs for backpack treats!
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards



*scrappymel --*

Frozen Halloween cheese puffs???





bigt0513 said:


> We are coming from Florida and visiting MHP for the first time. We are really hoping for the pre-party to see Roger Rabbit if they bring that all back from last year and Hades! Lately we only get the Hades face version on stage or at the last 24hr day where one would had to wait over 4 hrs to meet him! He is one of the very few villains we would love to meet!



Welcome, *bigt0513*!



I really can't see why another Toontown Pre-Party couldn't be thrown together on short notice, but the fact that it has not been mentioned yet by Disney is suspicious.

​


----------



## 2tinkerbell

22 days!!  

My DD had/has the 2014 Birnbaums Official Guide to Disneyland.  I know she did because I purchased it for her and stuck it in her Christmas stocking as we went in January 2014.  Well, the other day I asked her where it was.  Poor girl couldn't find it to save her.  She even clean out the underneath of her bed.   Well, I was resigned to purchase her a new one.  She likes to read up and to study everything, multiple times.  Yesterday she came into my room laughing because she finally found it!  She spent most of the afternoon studying it.  Oh will she ever be surprised!  She keeps talking about the DLH.  She even commented that we never seem to go swimming while at DLR because we are too busy with the parks.  We have a swimming pool so we don't really make it a priority.  Little does she know that I've worked in some swimming time so she can enjoy the Monorail slides.


----------



## disneylover2005

figment_jii said:


> Interesting...which party did you go to?  Do you remember which trails closed up early?  I ask because I _think_ the treat trails on Main Street were admitting guests right up until closing on the two parties I went to last year.  I have to admit that I didn't check what the time was, so it could have still been before midnight when I looked last.



I honestly don't remember the exact date we went but it was the first or second week before Halloween and during the week.


----------



## cmpeter

Really sorry if this has already been discussed...but with 99 pages in the thread, it's a little hard to get through them all!  I really appreciate all the information.

My dd (14) and I are headed to DL Oct 15-17.  We have tickets to the Halloween Party on 10/17.  Trying to plan when it's best to be in the park.  Right now, I was thinking we would spend the morning in DCA (she prefers the rides there) and head over to DL for the party at...what time?  Is it best to get there at 3:00 or closer to 7:00 (or does it not make a difference.)

She's dressing up as the Mad Hatter.  Not sure what (if anything I'll be.)


----------



## figment_jii

cmpeter said:


> My dd (14) and I are headed to DL Oct 15-17.  We have tickets to the Halloween Party on 10/17.  Trying to plan when it's best to be in the park.  Right now, I was thinking we would spend the morning in DCA (she prefers the rides there) and head over to DL for the party at...what time?  Is it best to get there at 3:00 or closer to 7:00 (or does it not make a difference.)



Guests with party tickets can get into DL starting at 4:00 pm on 10/17 (Friday parties start at 7:00 pm), so expect to see a bump in crowds at that point.  None of the party related activities start until 7:00 pm, so in that sense it doesn't really matter what time you get to the park (as long as it is before 7:00 pm).  

Personally, I would get there either early enough to do a little in DL before the crowds pick-up (so somewhere between 2:00 pm and 3:00 pm) or wait until a little past 4:00 pm so the line at the ticket gates can shorten a bit (there is usually a long line right when the tickets are first valid).  My family is usually in the park by 4:00 pm, so we get our wristbands at 4:00 pm (at the in-park location) and then have a meal before the party starts.  Then we can focus on party stuff during the party time and not worry about trying to find somewhere to eat.


----------



## Vala

Jafar didn't sign for me at the party last year and I heard mixed reports if Hades signs or not. The Queen of Hearts was roaming and I didn't see her sign. The Tremaines, Facilier, Maleficent, the Queen and Cruella definitely did sign.


----------



## Kilala

Me and my friend last year at MHP were asked to be in the Cavalcade. Of course we said yes. Do you think that they will do that again this year? It was on a Friday last year that we did it. We were in the second parade.


----------



## figment_jii

Kilala said:


> Me and my friend last year at MHP were asked to be in the Cavalcade. Of course we said yes. Do you think that they will do that again this year? It was on a Friday last year that we did it. We were in the second parade.



My guess is that the Cavalcade will largely be the same again this year, so they will probably still have the vehicle where they feature a handful of guests.


----------



## Drnifer

Vala said:


> Jafar didn't sign for me at the party last year and I heard mixed reports if Hades signs or not. The Queen of Hearts was roaming and I didn't see her sign. The Tremaines, Facilier, Maleficent, the Queen and Cruella definitely did sign.



Thanks so much for the info. My brother is so excited to see Dr. Facilier and would love to add him to the villains picture mat he started a few years ago


----------



## pudinhd

I posted in the wrong superthread!  

I almost did it last week, but I did it today!


----------



## figment_jii

pudinhd said:


> I posted in the wrong superthread!
> 
> I almost did it last week, but I did it today!



No worries!  HMH works great in both threads.


----------



## scrappymel

pudinhd said:


> I posted in the wrong superthread!
> 
> I almost did it last week, but I did it today!



I loved seeing HMH pics!


----------



## pudinhd

figment_jii said:


> No worries!  HMH works great in both threads.





scrappymel said:


> I loved seeing HMH pics!



Yay!!  I guess we can just pretend I meant to post it here...


----------



## scrappymel

Sherry E said:


> *
> scrappymel --
> 
> Frozen Halloween cheese puffs???
> 
> ​*


*

not literally FROZEN, but from the movie Frozen.  Haha.  The packages have olaf, anna, and elsa on them.*


----------



## abminer

figment_jii said:


> For Halloween Screams! I like being on Main Street, between the Partners Statue and the last shop (Camera or Coke Corner).  Just make sure you have a good view of the left side of the castle (when facing the castle).  For the Cavalcade, pretty much anywhere on the route has a good view, except perhaps spots where you are in the wrong side of the bend.  For example, if you watch the first Cavalcade from IaSW Mall, I would sit on the left side of the route (when facing IaSW), so that you're on the outside of the bend, rather than the inside.  I've watched from IaSW and Main Street and equally enjoyed both locations.



How far in advance do you grab your spot for the parade?  What time does that usually start?


----------



## figment_jii

pudinhd said:


> Yay!!  I guess we can just pretend I meant to post it here...


Sounds good to me!

On a related note, I can't wait to see photos from this year's HMH.  It should debut on Friday, so hopefully someone will be there this weekend and can post photos soon!



scrappymel said:


> not literally FROZEN, but from the movie Frozen.  Haha.  The packages have olaf, anna, and elsa on them.


 I was thinking it was kind of dinner roll type thing!  I love how they'll cross market anything...I mean, cheese puffs and Frozen don't exactly seem like the most obvious pairing.  Frozen and ice cream...now that would make sense to me...



abminer said:


> How far in advance do you grab your spot for the parade?  What time does that usually start?


For the parade, I usually aim to be there about 30-45 minutes ahead of the start for the first parade.  I watched from IaSW Mall, so that's the start of the parade.  Assuming this year's schedule is like last year's, the Cavalcade was presented at 8:30 pm and 10:30 pm (with Screams at 9:30 pm).  For the second Cavalcade (starting on MS), I tend to cut it closer because I'm not necessarily aiming for a front row spot to take photos.


----------



## cmpeter

Thanks Figment!  I like the idea of going in early and grabbing some dinner before the show!


----------



## mikana876

figment_jii said:


> Sounds good to me!
> 
> On a related note, I can't wait to see photos from this year's HMH.  It should debut on Friday, so hopefully someone will be there this weekend and can post photos soon!
> 
> 
> I was thinking it was kind of dinner roll type thing!  I love how they'll cross market anything...I mean, cheese puffs and Frozen don't exactly seem like the most obvious pairing.  Frozen and ice cream...now that would make sense to me...
> 
> 
> For the parade, I usually aim to be there about 30-45 minutes ahead of the start for the first parade.  I watched from IaSW Mall, so that's the start of the parade.  Assuming this year's schedule is like last year's, the Cavalcade was presented at 8:30 pm and 10:30 pm (with Screams at 9:30 pm).  For the second Cavalcade (starting on MS), I tend to cut it closer because I'm not necessarily aiming for a front row spot to take photos.



Were those times for the calvacade the same for both party times? (7pm and 6pm parties)


----------



## figment_jii

mikana876 said:


> Were those times for the calvacade the same for both party times? (7pm and 6pm parties)


They have not yet released the schedule of events for this year's party, but last year the schedule was the same regardless of when the party started.
This was the schedule for *2013*:
8:30 & 10:30 pm Mickey's Costume Party Cavalcade
9:30 pm Halloween Screams (fireworks)
7:45, 8:45, 9:45 pm, and 10:45 pm Monsters U Dance Party
7:45, 8:45, 9:45 pm, and 10:45 pm Cadaver Dans
(Basically, for the parties that end at 11:00 pm, the last set for the Cadaver Dans and Monster U Dance Party pretty much close out the event.)
Just to make sure folks don't get confused...this was the schedule from 2013, the *2014 schedule has not been posted/announced*.


----------



## Kilala

Awesome pictures!!



Hey guys
I just saw on Facebook that part of Colosis at 6 flags collapsed. I know this isn't Disneyland related 20000000000 but, I thouhgt I mentioned it.http://ktla.com/2014/09/08/firefigh...e-at-magic-mountains-colossus-roller-coaster/


----------



## Amilo

pudinhd said:
			
		

> Halloween Carnival news...
> 
> http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2014/09/halloween-carnival-returns-to-big-thunder-ranch-jamboree-at-disneyland-park/



The magic show sounds really cool!


----------



## TinkerJR

Sherry E said:


> *TinkerJR --*
> 
> In my opinion, the costume looks fine (as far as being acceptable by Disney's standards)!  I can't see that there would be any problem with it (though hopefully *figment_jii* and *Kilala* will chime in on this too).
> 
> It's a really cute costume!  I would expect that this year there will be a wide variety of Olaf costumes of all sorts, so your DH should fit right in!  I think some of them will be more subtle nods to Olaf, while others will be crazy, elaborate 'presentations.'  I am curious to see what's out there!





figment_jii said:


> I think the costume looks fine!  I don't see anything about it that would go against the MHP costume rules.  In fact, given the popularity of Frozen, I expect to see a lot of Elsas, Annas, and Olafs (and maybe a few Kristoffs) at MHP.
> 
> The only caveat I have (and it has nothing to do with the rules of Disney) is to have something in mind in case you're there on one of those hot/warm nights!  That costumes looks like it could get pretty warm.  One of my favorite costumes stories is of this fellow dressed up in full body Sully costume.  This was at MNSSHP in Florida (where it's usually still hot and humid in Sep/Oct).  I saw him at the start of the party in the full costume (PJ like outfit (like the Olaf costume) with head piece).  The rest went something like this: by the start of the first parade, he had taken the head piece (a hoodie like thing) off.  By the end of the parade he had unzipped the top half of the costume (he had a shirt one underneath).  Later he had taken the top off and it was tied around his waist.  By the second parade, he had taken the entire costume off and it was draped over the stroller's handlebars!





Kilala said:


> I think you will be just fine with your costume. It's a hoddie so you can take the hood down if the CM's need you too



Thanks Ladies!  The idea of wearing a full suit (especially made of fleece) does not thrill DH.  He tends to run warm anyways, and we are afraid that he would last only moments in it before he would be miserable.  Ain't nobody got time for that!  

So off to the next idea. I REALLY would love  to have us all wearing a group costume, and we are leaning towards The Incredibles.  It would be a pretty easy set of costumes to get together and pretty comfortable also.  

Also, the Target near me was already setting up the Halloween candy isles!  WooHoo!


----------



## figment_jii

TinkerJR said:


> So off to the next idea. I REALLY would love  to have us all wearing a group costume, and we are leaning towards The Incredibles.  It would be a pretty easy set of costumes to get together and pretty comfortable also.


The DisneyStore.com has a Mr. Incredible t-shirt 'costume' that might work.  I bet that a t-shirt would be cooler than a full body Olaf costume (although, that sure looked cute).  Add in some red pants and black shoes and you'd be pretty close without having do to anything too elaborate.
http://www.disneystore.com/mr-incredible-costume-tee-for-men/mp/1355647/1000228/


----------



## briggscreek

We're leaving next weekend, I've started tossing stuff in the suitcases so I don't forget anything important! Reservations are made, cannot wait to be back at DL!

I do have a question though. My DS will be 10 in October, but he's really big, people usually think he's 12 or so. Do I need to take proof of his age or will they not question it?


----------



## figment_jii

briggscreek said:


> I do have a question though. My DS will be 10 in October, but he's really big, people usually think he's 12 or so. Do I need to take proof of his age or will they not question it?


That's kind of touchy subject...(not meaning you asked anything wrong, but some folks get pretty riled up when they get asked to provide proof that there child is a certain age).  I think in general the CMs will take your word for it that he's still 9 and therefore qualifies for the child's ticket.  I have had a CM ask a child how old they were when she did not yet have a ticket (she was 2 years and eleven months old at the time and proudly stated she was 9 and held up five fingers (or something like that)).  Aside from that one instance, no one asked if she was 2 or 3 or gave us a hard time.  So some CMs at the ticket gates may ask your son when he was born or his age, but that's probably the extent of it.

I suppose if you have something handy with his birth date on it, it probably wouldn't hurt to have it with you.  However, I don't think you _need_ to have it because, as I said, I do think most CMs will trust that you are honest.


----------



## Jaina

The park has reportedly been pretty dead lately. I'm sure it will be busy Friday as everythiing kicks off, but what about this Thursday? We are taking an extremely last-minute trip (just found out yesterday) just to Disneyland (no hopper) for the day, and I'm wondering if it will already be starting into the busy-ness... Excited to see some decor, even if the HM is probably still closed. (We're doing a baby-toddler-pregnant ladies trip, so we'll be sticking to the tame stuff and soaking in the atmosphere!)


----------



## figment_jii

The Parks Blog has another short entry on some upcoming HalloweenTime and MHP pins:
http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...-merchandise-coming-to-the-disneyland-resort/

The pin info has been available via the Disney Pins website for a while now, so nothing really "new" in terms of the merchandise in the photo (although the dates differ from the pin page, but I'd go with the Blog entry on that one).  There was mention that there would a t-shirt (youth, ladies, and adult sizes) and a zip fleece.



Jaina said:


> The park has reportedly been pretty dead lately. I'm sure it will be busy Friday as everythiing kicks off, but what about this Thursday? We are taking an extremely last-minute trip (just found out yesterday) just to Disneyland (no hopper) for the day, and I'm wondering if it will already be starting into the busy-ness... Excited to see some decor, even if the HM is probably still closed. (We're doing a baby-toddler-pregnant ladies trip, so we'll be sticking to the tame stuff and soaking in the atmosphere!)


I haven't been at the start of HalloweenTime, but my guess is that Thursday will still be on the quiet side.  With HMH and Space being closed (I don't think they do a soft opening, but I could be mistaken), and the Halloween Carnival not yet started, I think most folks will wait for Friday and/or the weekend to go to DLR.  There might be a slight bump in crowds (compared to last Thursday, for example) due to early arrivals for Dapper Days, but that's about all I can think of that would impact Thursday crowds.


----------



## Sherry E

figment_jii said:


> No worries!  HMH works great in both threads.



*pudinhd* only gets an entry into the contest to win a Disney gift card if the HMH photos are posted in the Disneyland at Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread (which, of course, has been taken care of now).  

So, even though -- thematically -- the Haunted Mansion Holiday theme certainly works in this thread, and the photos are greatly appreciated, it actually makes a difference that the photos are posted in the actual Christmas/Holiday Superthread.  (And I say that as the person in charge of both the Halloween and the Christmas/Holiday Season threads, and as the one who is giving away the gift cards!)

*So, anyone here who wants to throw their hat into the ring to possibly win a $25 Disney Gift Card in early November, post your Haunted Mansion Holiday photos in the Disneyland at Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread this week (until Sun., 9/14/14, 11:59 p.m., P.S.T.)!!!!*


----------



## figment_jii

Sorry for any confusion!  I only meant that photos of HMH are very fitting for the HalloweenTime thread - HMH is as much a Halloween attraction as it is a Christmas attraction.  It would have been odd for photos of Christmas Trees or things like that to show up in this thread, but luckily HMH works well.  I was _not_ implying that the countdown drawing entries would be earned by posting to this thread.


----------



## Sherry E

Not to be outdone or upstaged by the *Wrigley's Extra Pumpkin Spice gum* that popped up last month, *Trident has released its own Pumpkin Spice version of its Layers gum*. 

However, on the cookie front, Nestle has released its *Pumpkin Spice Cookie Dough, as well as its "Halloween morsels."*

BUT wait!  What is that I see?  I will have to go over to the Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread to reveal that *Nestle has apparently also put out its Dark Chocolate Peppermint Cookie Dough, with "creamy peppermint chunks"*!!!!!!!

As someone who really has no issues with Halloween and Christmas colliding for a while, and as someone who occasionally partakes in pepperminty products (such as Dreyer's Peppermint Wonderland ice cream -- Grand, not Slow Churned), I really don't have a problem with this turn of events.  I figured that the holiday things would start moving in early, as there are probably even more of them coming up than there are Halloween/Fall things.

However, I do have to admit that -- even without trying a single Halloween/Harvest/Fall/Maple/Pumpkin Spice/Caramel Apple/Candy Corn-flavored/scented/shaped/colored item this year (yet) -- I already feel like I am going to need to go through seasonal product withdrawals when 2015 begins.  I may have to go to Pumpkin Spice & Peppermint rehab....if there is such a place. (This _is_ Los Angeles -- where anything is possible, of course.)




​




figment_jii said:


> Sorry for any confusion!  I only meant that photos of HMH are very fitting for the HalloweenTime thread - HMH is as much a Halloween attraction as it is a Christmas attraction.  It would have been odd for photos of Christmas Trees or things like that to show up in this thread, but luckily HMH works well.  I was _not_ implying that the countdown drawing entries would be earned by posting to this thread.



Oh I know what you meant, and I know that you understand how it works.  No worries.   It's important to me to be specific about it because I know there are lurkers out there -- people who have not gone back to the beginning of the Theme Week Countdown in the other thread, or people who don't understand that there _is_ a Countdown -- who may get confused and think that if they post photos here in this thread they will be entered into a random draw, or that if they post HMH photos at any old random time in the Christmas/Holiday thread (beyond this week), that it will be okay. 

I just wanted to make sure that it's clear about where and when the HMH photos are supposed to go _this week_ (in order to enter the contest, that is).

HMH photos can be posted in this Halloween thread at any time of year, but not with an entry into the Disney Gift Card random draw.





2tinkerbell said:


> 22 days!!
> 
> My DD had/has the 2014 Birnbaums Official Guide to Disneyland.  I know she did because I purchased it for her and stuck it in her Christmas stocking as we went in January 2014.  Well, the other day I asked her where it was.  Poor girl couldn't find it to save her.  She even clean out the underneath of her bed.   Well, I was resigned to purchase her a new one.  She likes to read up and to study everything, multiple times.  Yesterday she came into my room laughing because she finally found it!  She spent most of the afternoon studying it.  Oh will she ever be surprised!  She keeps talking about the DLH.  She even commented that we never seem to go swimming while at DLR because we are too busy with the parks.  We have a swimming pool so we don't really make it a priority.  Little does she know that I've worked in some swimming time so she can enjoy the Monorail slides.



*2tinkerbell --*

I used to buy those Birnbaum guides every year, back in the '80s and '90s.  I used to do what your daughter does -- read them multiple times and study up!

I think your DD will be thrilled with the upcoming trip -- all of it, from the Halloween fun to the hotel fun and everything in between.  Chances are you will get some great weather for swimming.





cmpeter said:


> Really sorry if this has already been discussed...but with 99 pages in the thread, it's a little hard to get through them all!  I really appreciate all the information.
> 
> My dd (14) and I are headed to DL Oct 15-17.  We have tickets to the Halloween Party on 10/17.  Trying to plan when it's best to be in the park.  Right now, I was thinking we would spend the morning in DCA (she prefers the rides there) and head over to DL for the party at...what time?  Is it best to get there at 3:00 or closer to 7:00 (or does it not make a difference.)
> 
> She's dressing up as the Mad Hatter.  Not sure what (if anything I'll be.)



*cmpeter --*

*figment_jii* already took care of answering your questions (thank you, figment_jii!), but I just wanted to say please don't hesitate to just jump in and join us, ask questions, share your Halloween experiences, etc.!  You don't need to read all of the pages in any of my threads!  It's not necessary.  Sometimes the info that people want can be found in the posts on page 1 of the threads, but if it's not there or if you need further info, please feel free to join us at any time and we will try to answer or point you in the direction of where to find the answer.  The more the merrier!




pudinhd said:


> Yay!!  I guess we can just pretend I meant to post it here...



*pudinhd --*

You're not the first person to accidentally post Theme Week Countdown photos in a thread other than the Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread.  I think that people see "Superthread" in the title and they forget which one they are posting in, so the photos end up going elsewhere! 





scrappymel said:


> not literally FROZEN, but from the movie Frozen.  Haha.  The packages have olaf, anna, and elsa on them.



*scrappymel --*

  I'm glad you cleared that up!  Originally I was wondering if you meant "frozen" as in Cheese Puffs in the freezer aisle, next to the ice cream and DiGiorno pizza.  My first thought was, "That sounds horrible!"  Then, when I thought about it, I realized that you meant _Frozen_ cheese puffs (which, I guess, is a relief)!!!

Good Lord, let's hope that someone doesn't get the wild idea to start making frozen Cheese Puffs or Cheetos.  No good could come from that.  It might be the end of civilization as we know it.





Amilo said:


> The magic show sounds really cool!



*Amilo --*

I think that, for those who love magic and magicians, it will be cool.  For newcomers to the Halloween Time season, it will be cool.  I can even understand how sticking some magic into the Halloween Carnival makes sense.

However, I must confess that I am not a huge magic fan, for some reason.  (Don't judge -- I hate clowns too.)  I even turned down a chance to go to the Magic Castle here in L.A. when it was presented to me.  So, other than forcing myself to stand there and take some photos of the stage at the Carnival for the purposes of this thread, I will probably be ignoring the magic and juggling.

I loved the Carnival in its former version, when there was toe-tapping music playing in the background -- which really set the tone and kept up a lively atmosphere around the whole area.  However, once Billy Hill and the Hillbillies left Disneyland (or whatever happened) I wondered if Disney would replace them with another musical act.  But It appears they have been replaced with a magical act!





TinkerJR said:


> Thanks Ladies!  The idea of wearing a full suit (especially made of fleece) does not thrill DH.  He tends to run warm anyways, and we are afraid that he would last only moments in it before he would be miserable.  Ain't nobody got time for that!
> 
> So off to the next idea. I REALLY would love  to have us all wearing a group costume, and we are leaning towards The Incredibles.  It would be a pretty easy set of costumes to get together and pretty comfortable also.
> 
> *Also, the Target near me was already setting up the Halloween candy isles!  WooHoo*!



*TinkerJR --*

  It is funny that so many things were/are out so early, and yet I am enjoying hearing about everything that pops up!   Target seems to be the hub of Halloween treats!  They get exclusive seasonal products that other places don't get.

I was really surprised that I didn't see full page or 2-page Halloween/Fall layouts in the Sunday coupon inserts of the newspaper this past weekend.  Even the store circulars (CVS, Walgreens, Rite-Aid, Target) didn't have big, splashy ads.  Now that August is behind us and summer will be over in 2 weeks cheer2:), I really expected the coupon people to start ramping up the sizes of the seasonal ads.  Back in August there was a 2-page spread for Glade's Fall Collection, but since then all of the references to Fall, Harvest and to Halloween that I have seen have been in small photos or on coupons.  

It seems like the actual products are coming out and hitting the shelves at lightning speed, but the people who put together the print ads are holding back.




Jaina said:


> The park has reportedly been pretty dead lately. I'm sure it will be busy Friday as everythiing kicks off, but what about this Thursday? We are taking an extremely last-minute trip (just found out yesterday) just to Disneyland (no hopper) for the day, and I'm wondering if it will already be starting into the busy-ness... Excited to see some decor, even if the HM is probably still closed. (We're doing a baby-toddler-pregnant ladies trip, so we'll be sticking to the tame stuff and soaking in the atmosphere!)



*Jaina --*

I agree with figment_jii.  Other than maybe some early Dapper Days arrivals, I wouldn't expect it to be terribly crowded in DL on Thursday, 9/11.  You will probably see most of the decorations in Disneyland, though I am not sure if the giant Mickey Pumpkin in Town Square will be out yet, or if he will show up overnight before Halloween Time begins.

I think that there is even a good chance that most of the Fall foods and drinks will already be out on Thursday, as well as the Halloween Time merchandise.

There is always a slight chance that Haunted Mansion Holiday may soft open late in the afternoon or that night.  It has soft opened in the past, though I cannot recall if it happened last year.  I think it just depends on how quickly the overlay can be installed.  If all the work is done by Thursday and HMH is just sitting there doing nothing, the CMs could very well decide to open it early.

Have a great trip!





figment_jii said:


> The Parks Blog has another short entry on some upcoming HalloweenTime and MHP pins:
> http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...-merchandise-coming-to-the-disneyland-resort/
> 
> The pin info has been available via the Disney Pins website for a while now, so nothing really "new" in terms of the merchandise in the photo (although the dates differ from the pin page, but I'd go with the Blog entry on that one).  There was mention that there would a t-shirt (youth, ladies, and adult sizes) and a zip fleece.
> 
> 
> I haven't been at the start of HalloweenTime, but my guess is that Thursday will still be on the quiet side.  With HMH and Space being closed (I don't think they do a soft opening, but I could be mistaken), and the Halloween Carnival not yet started, I think most folks will wait for Friday and/or the weekend to go to DLR.  There might be a slight bump in crowds (compared to last Thursday, for example) due to early arrivals for Dapper Days, but that's about all I can think of that would impact Thursday crowds.



*figment_jii --*

What I am noticing from the assorted Parks Blogs that have come out is that there are very few truly "new" offerings of any kind for Halloween Time this year.  There may be a few new designs of the standard cupcakes, cake pops and apples, and there are a few pieces of merchandise with different designs, but everything else is the same as always -- or just _barely_ qualifying as new.  

The magician, fortuneteller and juggler seem to be thrown into the Carnival to fill the void left by Billy Hill and the Haunted Hillbillies, but not really anything "extra" added in on top of the existing festivities.

Even Duffy appears to be getting kicked out of his California Adventure Pumpkin Patch photo spot -- and we know how lacking in Halloween décor DCA already is.  All that seems to be left of Halloween in DCA this year is the Mad T Party -- which a lot of people won't even see or notice.

I wonder if the lack of anything new being added in -- no new Halloween World of Color and no new TSMM Halloween overlay -- is due to Disney wanting to push everyone into buying MHP tickets.  Or, maybe they are holding back (reserving funds) only because they are gearing up for the 60th anniversary activities in 2015.

I would have said (hoped) that if Halloween is going to stay as is and not evolve, maybe this means that the holiday season will be bigger and better.  And yet, here we are on SEPTEMBER 9th, without even as much as an official start date to the holiday season (unless I overlooked something)? Something tells me that the holiday season is not going to evolve all that much this year either, and that taking the existing _Frozen_ elements of the season and grouping them together in Hollywood is going to be the big "new" highlight for 2014.


----------



## figment_jii

Sherry E said:


> I wonder if the lack of anything new being added in -- no new Halloween World of Color and no new TSMM Halloween overlay -- is due to Disney wanting to push everyone into buying MHP tickets.  Or, maybe they are holding back (reserving funds) only because they are gearing up for the 60th anniversary activities in 2015.


I do get the sense that things are kind of in a holding pattern this year and the main focus is on the 60th anniversary next year.  If MiceAge is accurate then there is also some "holding pattern" mentality due to the budget issues from WDW.  So, all-in-all, I'm not totally surprised that there isn't really anything "new" for MHP or HalloweenTime in general.  It could also be a little of "things went so well last year (i.e., almost all of the MHP sold out), so why change things?" mentality.



Sherry E said:


> I would have said (hoped) that if Halloween is going to stay as is and not evolve, maybe this means that the holiday season will be bigger and better.  And yet, here we are on SEPTEMBER 9th, without even as much as an official start date to the holiday season (unless I overlooked something)? Something tells me that the holiday season is not going to evolve all that much this year either, and that taking the existing _Frozen_ elements of the season and grouping them in together in Hollywood is going to be the big "new" highlight for 2014.


Again, I think the budget considerations come into play here.  While, they are consolidating the Frozen elements, I do think you can consider this relatively "new" for the holiday season.  The meet & greet already exists and they did the ice rink last year, but the stage show would be new.  I am hopeful that this combination of elements will look good (though...I do wonder what it will mean for Mad T Party...).  You could look at it on the positive side: it's seem less likely with each passing day that they'll do a hard ticket Christmas party this year.


----------



## Sherry E

figment_jii said:


> I do get the sense that things are kind of in a holding pattern this year and the main focus is on the 60th anniversary next year.  If MiceAge is accurate then there is also some "holding pattern" mentality due to the budget issues from WDW.  So, all-in-all, I'm not totally surprised that there isn't really anything "new" for MHP or HalloweenTime in general.  It could also be a little of "things went so well last year (i.e., almost all of the MHP sold out), so why change things?" mentality.
> 
> 
> Again, I think the budget considerations come into play here.  While, they are consolidating the Frozen elements, I do think you can consider this relatively "new" for the holiday season.  The meet & greet already exists and they did the ice rink last year, but the stage show would be new.  I am hopeful that this combination of elements will look good (though...I do wonder what it will mean for Mad T Party...).  You could look at it on the positive side: it's seem less likely with each passing day that they'll do a hard ticket Christmas party this year.




  I did think of that aspect of it (the lack of a hard ticket Christmas party)!  Although... if Disney decided to have a hard ticket party in DCA with all of the _Frozen_ elements as the 'star' of the party, along with Winter Dreams and Viva Navidad -- which are still fairly new -- that makes sense to me.  

The Mad T Party -- if left uninterrupted by all of the _Frozen_ madness nearby -- could provide some additional music, as well as party-exclusive drinks, and snowfall.  Cars Land would be less crowded, and there could be party-exclusive snacks served at the Cozy Cone, as well as over near Viva Navidad.  It could work.  DCA is where I thought they should have a Christmas party anyway, rather than disrupting what has been happening in DL for many years (which will probably be disrupted next year, when the 60th anniversary stuff goes on).

Well, at least we still have the 2 ride overlays, the Halloween Carnival, the Ray Bradbury Halloween Tree, the Dia de los Muertos display and the pumpkins on Main Street...and the Halloween display along the tram path.  Duffy's Pumpkin Patch may have been abandoned, but a pumpkin patch photo spot on an otherwise _not-decorated-for-Halloween_ Paradise Pier made very little sense to begin with.  Duffy's holiday photo spot on the Pier made more sense, as there were at least some other decorations nearby in the area!


----------



## briggscreek

figment_jii said:


> That's kind of touchy subject...(not meaning you asked anything wrong, but some folks get pretty riled up when they get asked to provide proof that there child is a certain age).  I think in general the CMs will take your word for it that he's still 9 and therefore qualifies for the child's ticket.  I have had a CM ask a child how old they were when she did not yet have a ticket (she was 2 years and eleven months old at the time and proudly stated she was 9 and held up five fingers (or something like that)).  Aside from that one instance, no one asked if she was 2 or 3 or gave us a hard time.  So some CMs at the ticket gates may ask your son when he was born or his age, but that's probably the extent of it.
> 
> I suppose if you have something handy with his birth date on it, it probably wouldn't hurt to have it with you.  However, I don't think you _need_ to have it because, as I said, I do think most CMs will trust that you are honest.



Thanks, that's kind of what I thought. I might bring something just to make me feel better, although I'm not sure I have anything besides his birth certificate!


----------



## pudinhd

Sherry E said:


> *pudinhd --*
> You're not the first person to accidentally post Theme Week Countdown photos in a thread other than the Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread.  I think that people see "Superthread" in the title and they forget which one they are posting in, so the photos end up going elsewhere!



Phew!  I was a little embarrassed.  

I think I am so focused on Halloween, I keep going to that thread!  I was just so excited to post my Cadaver Dans on the Haunted Mansion photos, I didn't stop to think.  




figment_jii said:


> I do get the sense that things are kind of in a holding pattern this year and the main focus is on the 60th anniversary next year.  If MiceAge is accurate then there is also some "holding pattern" mentality due to the budget issues from WDW.  So, all-in-all, I'm not totally surprised that there isn't really anything "new" for MHP or HalloweenTime in general.  It could also be a little of "things went so well last year (i.e., almost all of the MHP sold out), so why change things?" mentality.
> 
> 
> Again, I think the budget considerations come into play here.  While, they are consolidating the Frozen elements, I do think you can consider this relatively "new" for the holiday season.  The meet & greet already exists and they did the ice rink last year, but the stage show would be new.  I am hopeful that this combination of elements will look good (though...I do wonder what it will mean for Mad T Party...).  You could look at it on the positive side: it's seem less likely with each passing day that they'll do a hard ticket Christmas party this year.



If the rumor is true, and Anna & Elsa will be meeting in CA, I am really curious to see what they do with the current space in Fantasyland...


----------



## Jaina

Thanks for the replies. I've never seen any of the Halloween decorations, and I'm super excited!  (only been once in November, so I've seen a lot of the Christmas stuff - otherwise, just during the "normal" part of the year!


----------



## Sherry E

*Well...this is new (and expensive...and limited!!!!)...*

*"‘Mahaloween Luau’ Coming to Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar at Disneyland Hotel September 29" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on September 9th, 2014 by Pam Brandon, Disney Parks Food Writer*


----------



## figment_jii

I thought it was interesting that it was a Monday...not a Friday or Saturday or even Sunday, but a Monday!


----------



## Sherry E

figment_jii said:


> I thought it was interesting that it was a Monday...not a Friday or Saturday or even Sunday, but a Monday!



Yes -- a very odd choice for a day!  It sounds like an interesting, fun event -- and the most shocking thing is that it actually brings a tiny bit of Halloween into Trader Sam's!  That is quite a price tag on the event, but I have a feeling it will book up in minutes when it opens up for reservations tomorrow!


----------



## ten6mom

figment_jii said:
			
		

> The first party has not yet happened, but from what folks have been told and reported back here, that is correct.  You needed to have a valid AP to purchase the tickets at the AP price, but you do not need an AP to use the ticket..



Thank you!


----------



## figment_jii

Sherry E said:


> Yes -- a very odd choice for a day!  It sounds like an interesting, fun event -- and the most shocking thing is that it actually brings a tiny bit of Halloween into Trader Sam's!  That is quite a price tag on the event, but I have a feeling it will book up in minutes when it opens up for reservations tomorrow!



Well according to the blog, there are 100 spaces per seating and four seatings, so that's 400 people.  My guess is the later times (6 and 7:30 pm) will fill up first, but they'll all probably sell out.  I'm trying to imagine how they will get 100 individuals into Trader's Sam...it wasn't that big!  Or will they be using part of Tangaroa Terrace?  I can't quite picture how this will work out.  It's be pretty neat if someone goes and reports back!  For me, it's an interesting sounding event, but I don't know if I would go (if I was at DLR at that time).


----------



## abminer

Is it much easier to get a good viewing spot for the second showing of the cavalcade parade?  Which direction does it go on the second pass?


----------



## figment_jii

abminer said:


> Is it much easier to get a good viewing spot for the second showing of the cavalcade parade?  Which direction does it go on the second pass?


I do think it's easier to get a good viewing spot for the second Calvacade.  You probably can't wait for it to start and expect to a front row spot, but you probably don't have to get there 30-45 minutes early either.  The second Calvacade goes from Main Street to IaSW.

_pudinhd_, I meant to ask about the photos of the Cadaver Dans on the Haunted Mansion's balcony...I've never seen them on the HM before (I've only seen them on the Rivers of America during MHP).  Do you remember if that was during one of the MHPs or was it when they were out for the Limited Time Magic event last year or some other time?


----------



## DLmama

abminer said:
			
		

> Is it much easier to get a good viewing spot for the second showing of the cavalcade parade?  Which direction does it go on the second pass?



We found curb seats for the second cavalcade last year about 10 minutes before it started. We were actually on our way out of the park when we saw the space available, so we decided to stay and watch. It was cute! 

It ran from Main Street to IASW.


----------



## abminer

DLmama said:


> We found curb seats for the second cavalcade last year about 10 minutes before it started. We were actually on our way out of the park when we saw the space available, so we decided to stay and watch. It was cute!
> 
> It ran from Main Street to IASW.



Great, with so much waiting around for shows we'll be glad for a shorter wait, maybe 20 min. When a parade starts at main st where is the best place to watch it?  Maybe left side of the hub?


----------



## figment_jii

abminer said:


> Great, with so much waiting around for shows we'll be glad for a shorter wait, maybe 20 min. When a parade starts at main st where is the best place to watch it?  Maybe left side of the hub?



Assuming the route remains the same this year, it's worth noting that the route does not go by City Hall or the Train Station (at least it did not in 2013).  The second Cavalcade starts between the Mad Hatter Hat Shop and the Disney Showcase shop (right side of Town Square as you look towards the Castle).  It turns right onto Main Street at the Disney Showcase corner.  The Cavalcade then heads north on Main Street, passing the Partners Statue on the Tomorrowland side, then heads towards IaSW.  

So, when you say "left side of the hub" is that the Tomorrowland or Frontierland side?  You'll want to be on the Tomorrowland side of the hub.  Personally, when you get there, I would look at the angle and see which one gives you a better view.  My feeling (based on the map) would be that if you're going to watch from somewhere south of the Partners Statue (i.e., closer to Main Street), I would watch from the Partners side of the street.  If you're north of the statue, I would watch from Tomorrowland side of the street.  Basically, I don't like being on the inside of the curve, because you can't really see anything until the Cavalcade is right in front of you.


----------



## bigt0513

I don't know if anyone has seen this tweet for this account on twitter, but they are saying the toon town pre party is coming back. This is the first I've heard of it coming back. I'm hoping this is the case as it will be out very first MHP and want to see Roger Rabbit as we never see him in Florida. 

twitter.com/dcharacternews/status/509657548870254592


----------



## figment_jii

bigt0513 said:


> I don't know if anyone has seen this tweet for this account on twitter, but they are saying the toon town pre party is coming back. This is the first I've heard of it coming back. I'm hoping this is the case as it will be out very first MHP and want to see Roger Rabbit as we never see him in Florida.
> twitter.com/dcharacternews/status/509657548870254592


Just to clarify, this is not an official Disney tweet, so I would still chalk this up as a rumor at this point.  Hopefully, this is a good sign, but I'd like to see it posted on one of the official social media outlets before I start planning for it!


----------



## bigt0513

I agree, completely rumor but, thought id share as people have been curious like myself. Gives some light of hope.


----------



## Sherry E

*Good morning, folks!  

This is going to be one of those extremely hot Halloween Time season start weeks -- September often provides some of our warmest weather of the entire summer.   It's way too hot for me.  Stay hydrated and apply lots of sunscreen as you enjoy the Halloween offerings this week!

And don't forget to enjoy other seasonal snacks, such as:  Caramel Apple Laffy Taffy; Caramel Apple Pirate's Booty; Dannon Light & Fit Greek Yogurt -- Caramel Apple Pie flavor; and Palmer Eye Scream! "chocolaty sandwitches" [sic]!!!*


*Here is a highlight reel of some of the things you can expect to see at Disneyland in 2 days (and all during Halloween Time) -- it's just a peek, not the full array o' fun!*





*Signage in Downtown Disney (this photo is from 2013, which is why it says September 13th instead of 12th)...










Character pumpkins over the Disneyland turnstiles (photo from 2013)...










Halloween Time signs (photo from 2013)!










Ads for Mickey's Halloween Party (again, this shot is from 2013, so the start date of the MHP was different than it is this year)...











Giant Mickey Pumpkin holding court in Town Square (photo from 2011)...










The Main Street Pumpkin Festival (photos from 2013)...
















Vintage-ish Halloween-themed window displays (photo from 2011)...









Pumpkins representing each land in Disneyland, gathered 'round the Hub (photo from 2011)...








Seasonal goodies!!! (photo from 2013)...










Seasonal souvenirs!!!! (such as this glowing, twinkling bag that can be used for treat collecting at Mickey's Halloween Party, which usually costs around $10 before discounts -- photo from 2013)...










Haunted Mansion Holiday (photo from 2012)...









The Dia de los Muertos display in Frontierland (photo from 2011)...









The Ray Bradbury Halloween Tree in Frontierland (photo from 2013)...













The Halloween Carnival/Halloween Roundup in Frontierland (I already posted photos of the Conjure a Villain area here last week, so I am leaving that part of the Carnival out of this post -- photos from 2013)....















Random Pumpkin People around the Roundup (these two are supposed to be Roy Rogers and Dale Evans -- photo from 2011)...










The Scare-Dy-Crow Shack (which has a lot of cool retro Halloween décor and pumpkin-y details inside -- photo from 2011)...










Animals in Halloween neckwear (photo from 2011)...










Amazing carved pumpkins...

(2011)







(2013)










The Pirates League (photo from 2013)....









Games (photo from 2013)...









Crafts (photo from 2013)...









Candy Corn-colored cotton candy (photo from 2013)...







*​

*That's just a glimpse of what will be happening during Halloween Time.  Again, I showed photos of the Conjure a Villain area last week, so I left them out of this post.  I also do not have any photos of Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy, but that will be there too!*


----------



## ricardol

Quick question:

Anyone know if the Disney Halloween Recyclable bags are already being sold? Last year we got to Disney the last week of October and they were already sold out. We are going again the last week of October but a coworker is going this weekend and I might ask her to grab one for me if they are available already.


----------



## Sherry E

ricardol said:


> Quick question:
> 
> Anyone know if the Disney Halloween Recyclable bags are already being sold? Last year we got to Disney the last week of October and they were already sold out. We are going again the last week of October but a coworker is going this weekend and I might ask her to grab one for me if they are available already.



*ricardol --*

Do you mean like the orange/black one that I posted a photo of above?  They will be on sale as of Friday, 9/12, if not before.  The may not have the exact same design or color, but there are always at least two tote bags each year -- one that costs about $5.00 and has a Halloween design on it, and one that costs about $10 and has a twinkling, glow in the dark sort of thing happening (like the orange/black one above).  They should both be available in 2 days!

I think that the bags tend to sell out faster when the actual party begins, because people want something to carry their candy.


----------



## ricardol

Sherry E said:


> *ricardol --*
> 
> Do you mean like the orange/black one that I posted a photo of above?  They will be on sale as of Friday, 9/12, if not before.  The may may not have the exact same design or color, but there are always at least two tote bags each year -- one that costs about $5.00 and has a Halloween design on it, and one that costs about $10 and has a twinkling, glow in the dark sort of thing happening (like the orange/black one above).  They should both be available in 2 days!
> 
> I think that the bags tend to sell out faster when the actual party begins, because people want something to carry their candy.




Yeah the Tote bags is what I was referring too. Thanks for the headsup I will ask my coworker to pick one up for me, because yeah they might run out again this year.


----------



## Sherry E

ricardol said:


> Yeah the Tote bags is what I was referring too. Thanks for the headsup I will ask my coworker to pick one up for me, because yeah they might run out again this year.



Very good idea.  The bag that I posted the photo of above was there on the first day of the season last year, which was 9/13/13.  (There has been a green and black version of it in the past as well.)

I think that the supply of bags will be there on 9/12, but may start to sell out by 9/26 or shortly thereafter -- as soon as the MHP begins and people realize they need bags!


----------



## figment_jii

Based on the photo from DisneyGeek.com, the bag looks pretty much the same this year (only it says '2014' on it instead of '2013').  Looks like they're at the Disney Showcase shop for sure, but I'm betting there all over the park at this point.
http://disneygeek.com/disneyland/pictures/large/2014/08/29/29/2

The Minnie Mouse tote is also available via the DisneyStore.com (the flaming pumpkin Mickey one does not appear to be available at this point).



Sherry E said:


> I think that the supply of bags will be there on 9/12, but may start to sell out by 9/26 or shortly thereafter -- as soon as the MHP begins and people realize they need bags!


I think they might last longer than the first MHP...I recall seeing both the regular bag and the one that lights up last year during the second week of October (CHOC walk weekend).  (Not sure if you were joking or serious about the potential sell out of the bags after the first MHP.)


----------



## 2tinkerbell

figment_jii said:


> Based on the photo from DisneyGeek.com, the bag looks pretty much the same this year (only it says '2014' on it instead of '2013').  Looks like they're at the Disney Showcase shop for sure, but I'm betting there all over the park at this point.
> http://disneygeek.com/disneyland/pictures/large/2014/08/29/29/2
> 
> The Minnie Mouse tote is also available via the DisneyStore.com (the flaming pumpkin Mickey one does not appear to be available at this point).
> 
> 
> I think they might last longer than the first MHP...I recall seeing both the regular bag and the one that lights up last year during the second week of October (CHOC walk weekend).  (Not sure if you were joking or serious about the potential sell out of the bags after the first MHP.)



I hope they still have some bags when we arrive on Sept 30th.  I just don't know if I can keep purchasing things and hiding them before the big surprise reveal.

Speaking of the surprise, my DD is going to love reading all these posts - especially when it is revealed who I am on here.  I love this thread and have it listed for her to look at the day before we leave.


----------



## Kilala

I have a light up bag from last year. I might get the non-light up bag this year. Dose anyone know if any lockers will be avalibale for the party this year?


----------



## Sherry E

figment_jii said:


> Based on the photo from DisneyGeek.com, the bag looks pretty much the same this year (only it says '2014' on it instead of '2013').  Looks like they're at the Disney Showcase shop for sure, but I'm betting there all over the park at this point.
> http://disneygeek.com/disneyland/pictures/large/2014/08/29/29/2
> 
> The Minnie Mouse tote is also available via the DisneyStore.com (the flaming pumpkin Mickey one does not appear to be available at this point).
> 
> 
> I think they might last longer than the first MHP...I recall seeing both the regular bag and the one that lights up last year during the second week of October (CHOC walk weekend).  (Not sure if you were joking or serious about the potential sell out of the bags after the first MHP.)




I wasn't joking when I said that the bags "may start to sell out by 9/26 or shortly thereafter," but there is no guarantee how long the bags will last.  One year Disney may order more, and one year they may order fewer bags.  One year the bags may be more popular.  One year they may be less popular.  It's best to get them early on, just to be safe.

I went to the second MHP of the season in 2011, on a Monday, and the bag I got that day (which was the green and black version of the orange and black bag I showed on the previous page) was gone/sold out from every single store I checked but one.  And it was actually gone from that one lone store earlier in the day, but the CMs found a stash "in the back" before the party began.  They said that the bag was very popular and people had been snapping it up.


----------



## LisaT91403

Sherry E said:


> I think that the supply of bags will be there on 9/12, but may start to sell out by 9/26 or shortly thereafter -- as soon as the MHP begins and people realize they need bags!



I'm confused. I thought you were given a bag when you checked in for MHP.


----------



## figment_jii

LisaT91403 said:


> I'm confused. I thought you were given a bag when you checked in for MHP.


Yes, they do hand out bags when you arrive with your MHP ticket.  These are generally small, plastic bags (probably about a gallon or so in volume).  The bags that _ricardol_ was asking about, are the ones that they sell in the stores.


----------



## ricardol

figment_jii said:


> Yes, they do hand out bags when you arrive with your MHP ticket.  These are generally small, plastic bags (probably about a gallon or so in volume).  The bags that _ricardol_ was asking about, are the ones that they sell in the stores.



Back in 2011 the consensus was the CM's gave you a bit more candy when you trick or treat using the tote bags. The small bags they give when you enter you can probably fill pretty quick with candy they don't hold much volume.

Now you don't have to use a disney bag but hey it is a cool tote bag!


----------



## Sherry E

LisaT91403 said:


> I'm confused. I thought you were given a bag when you checked in for MHP.



*LisaT91403 --*

I posted photos on the previous page -- one of them was of a tote bag.  There are usually 2 or 3 tote bags that are sold in the parks each year, and many people buy them for their candy collecting because the plastic bags that we are given at the MHP don't hold too much candy.  One tote bag is twinkly and costs more (about $10).  One is cheaper (about $5) and is less sturdy.

What I was commenting on (which you asked me about) was in response to ricardol's questions about the tote bag in my photo (it's orange and black), not about the bags handed out at the MHP.:






ricardol said:


> Back in 2011 the consensus was the CM's gave you a bit more candy when you trick or treat using the tote bags. The small bags they give when you enter you can probably fill pretty quick with candy they don't hold much volume.
> 
> Now you don't have to use a disney bag but hey it is a cool tote bag!



*ricardol --*

I like it!  I still have my green and black bag (which is exactly like the orange and black bag), which I got in 2011 and used for candy.  It was in hot demand that year.  It's a cool bag because you can press a button and it twinkles, which is fun!


----------



## KOUKLI

All these photos are making me so excited! I hope there is still that much merch around by the time I get there. Seems very doubtful though


----------



## LisaT91403

Thank for the clarification on the tote bags vs. the "free" bags handed out at MHP. We will adjust our candy storage strategy accordingly


----------



## figment_jii

ricardol said:


> Back in 2011 the consensus was the CM's gave you a bit more candy when you trick or treat using the tote bags. The small bags they give when you enter you can probably fill pretty quick with candy they don't hold much volume.


I didn't notice any difference in amount of candy being handed out in 2012 or 2013 and I've used both the free bags and the purchased totes.  I think it's just a matter of which CMs you get.  Some grab bigger handfuls of candy than others.  



KOUKLI said:


> All these photos are making me so excited! I hope there is still that much merch around by the time I get there. Seems very doubtful though


On the bright side...you might get there when the first of the Christmas/Holiday merchandise starts to appear.



LisaT91403 said:


> Thank for the clarification on the tote bags vs. the "free" bags handed out at MHP. We will adjust our candy storage strategy accordingly


I knew I'd measured the bags last year!  The plastic candy bags that Disneyland provides upon entry to the MHP are 9” tall, by 7” wide, by 3” deep.  The totes that they sell (like the one _Sherry_ described are 15.5" tall by 11.5" wide by 6" deep.  So the free bags hold a little less than a gallon ziploc bag full of candy, whereas the bags you buy can hold over 4.5 gallon bags!


----------



## LisaT91403

figment_jii said:


> I knew I'd measured the bags last year!  The plastic candy bags that Disneyland provides upon entry to the MHP are 9 tall, by 7 wide, by 3 deep.  The totes that they sell (like the one _Sherry_ described are 15.5" tall by 11.5" wide by 6" deep.  So the free bags hold a little less than a gallon ziploc bag full of candy, whereas the bags you buy can hold over 4.5 gallon bags!



I'm assuming the totes are only sold in-park, as I don't see them on the Disney Store site. What are the odds they will still have them available for the 10/10 party? Or is there a way to purchase them ahead of time?


----------



## Kilala

LisaT91403 said:


> I'm assuming the totes are only sold in-park, as I don't see them on the Disney Store site. What are the odds they will still have them available for the 10/10 party? Or is there a way to purchase them ahead of time?



You can go to DTD and there should be stores there that sell them. I found them there in the past. I will probally do that again this October 3rd.


----------



## Sherry E

LisaT91403 said:


> I'm assuming the totes are only sold in-park, as I don't see them on the Disney Store site. What are the odds they will still have them available for the 10/10 party? Or is there a way to purchase them ahead of time?



*LisaT91403 --*

As I was telling figment_jii and ricardol above, the twinkly, good tote bags for $10 (I bought one) were in hot demand back in 2011.  I went to the second MHP of that season, and the bags were already gone from all stores I checked but one.  Then, the Disney Showcase store found another stash of bags in the back, shortly before the MHP was to start.

I think that the cheaper, less sturdy tote bags (for $5) were a bit more available.

figment_jii was saying that the tote bags were available well into October last year.  

I think it can change from year to year -- some years the bags will be more or less popular, and some years more or fewer people will buy them, so I don't think it's predictable other than to say that the twinkly bags like the one in my photo on the previous page are very popular, and a lot of people get both versions (the good bag and the cheaper bag) of the tote bags for candy collecting!


----------



## LisaT91403

Sherry E said:


> *LisaT91403 --*
> 
> As I was telling figment_jii and ricardol above, the twinkly, good tote bags for $10 (I bought one) were in hot demand back in 2011.  I went to the second MHP of that season, and the bags were already gone from all stores I checked but one.  Then, the Disney Showcase store found another stash of bags in the back, shortly before the MHP was to start.
> 
> I think that the cheaper, less sturdy tote bags (for $5) were a bit more available.
> 
> figment_jii was saying that the tote bags were available well into October last year.
> 
> I think it can change from year to year -- some years the bags will be more or less popular, and some years more or fewer people will buy them, so I don't think it's predictable other than to say that the twinkly bags like the one in my photo on the previous page are very popular, and a lot of people get both versions (the good bag and the cheaper bag) of the tote bags for candy collecting!



Thanks for the recap -- I didn't read carefully enough the first time!

On another note, this past weekend I gave my nephews (just turned 9 & 11) MHP tickets for their birthdays. I also got them Mickey skeleton "boo" t-shirts from the Disney Store. They are BEYOND excited about the gift! They will be joining DS(6), DH and myself...all going to our first MHP. Can't wait!

On a different note, I have a fast pass question. I know that there are no FP's during MHP. I'm guessing that means that FP's for Ghost Galaxy and the like will be gone very early since the latest return time would be before 7:00pm. Does that sound correct? We will arrive in the parks around 2:00pm, and I'm trying to figure out if there will be FP's available for any attraction at that point...or if it will just be too late.


----------



## figment_jii

LisaT91403 said:


> On a different note, I have a fast pass question. I know that there are no FP's during MHP. I'm guessing that means that FP's for Ghost Galaxy and the like will be gone very early since the latest return time would be before 7:00pm. Does that sound correct? We will arrive in the parks around 2:00pm, and I'm trying to figure out if there will be FP's available for any attraction at that point...or if it will just be too late.


I do think that there will still be some FPs available for some of the rides.  I do think SMGG will be iffy...so I would check out SMGG as soon as you arrive.


----------



## LisaT91403

figment_jii said:


> I do think that there will still be some FPs available for some of the rides.  I do think SMGG will be iffy...so I would check out SMGG as soon as you arrive.



Star Tours is DS's favorite. I would think we'd have a better chance with that than SMGG or HMH (if they even have any for this). BTMM is also a possibility, I'd think. Hoping someone will post about the situation once the parties start.


----------



## laura&fam

TinkerJR said:


> So off to the next idea. I REALLY would love  to have us all wearing a group costume, and we are leaning towards The Incredibles.  It would be a pretty easy set of costumes to get together and pretty comfortable also.  :



We did Incredibles costumes 2 years ago and they were very simple.  We just got long sleeved red shirts and bought iron on designs (from ebay I think).  Add some red pants with black athletic shorts over the top and you're done.  They were much easier than the Toy Story costumes we're doing this year.  It takes forever to paint a pair of pants with green wall paint


----------



## DisneyJamieCA

We heard our first Halloweentime at Disneyland ad on the radio today  They have been playing for awhile, but it's the first for us!  

We used the free bags when we went two years ago and just dumped into larger bags. The free bags are about the only size the little ones can carry for very long.


----------



## Dot2Vegas

DisneyJamieCA said:
			
		

> We heard our first Halloweentime at Disneyland ad on the radio today  They have been playing for awhile, but it's the first for



Yay! I love hearing the adds while driving.  We saw the commercial for the first time this season this morning.  I can not wait!!


----------



## momof6princesses

Only 36 days for us!  I'm trying to make our plans but can't remember what time Alice and the Mad Hatter play musical chairs, does anyone know?  Thanks


----------



## bearette

figment_jii said:


> I do think that there will still be some FPs available for some of the rides.  I do think SMGG will be iffy...so I would check out SMGG as soon as you arrive.



I had an annual pass last year and arriving in the afternoon you could never get a fast pass for ghost galaxy.  It always had at least a 45 min wait too.  The nights I visited on party days the park was super crowded so plan for a long wait.


Going to try to visit this week to see all the Halloween stuff we can be for the party.


----------



## ClosetDisneyJunkie

LisaT91403 said:


> Star Tours is DS's favorite. I would think we'd have a better chance with that than SMGG or HMH (if they even have any for this). BTMM is also a possibility, I'd think. Hoping someone will post about the situation once the parties start.



I'll be in the park on Friday the 26th (and going to the party that night!) and will check on the fastpass situation around 2pm as an example.  Feel free to send me a private message if I forget to post the update by Sept 29 or so after I get back!  

Also, at some point please remember to toast me while you are at MHP, because 10/10 is my birthday.


----------



## figment_jii

LisaT91403 said:


> I'm assuming the totes are only sold in-park, as I don't see them on the Disney Store site. What are the odds they will still have them available for the 10/10 party? Or is there a way to purchase them ahead of time?


Yes, I think the twinkly light bag is only available in the park.  The non-twinkly light bag is available from the DisneyStore.com.  I don't think there is any way to reliably predict if they'll still have them on 10/10.  The best you can do is ask periodically if folks are still seeing them in the park (i.e., are they everywhere, only a few stores, etc.).  If you're willing to pay for shipping (which can be pricey), you can see if Disneyland Merchandise Mail Order ((877) 560-6477) can send them to you.



LisaT91403 said:


> Star Tours is DS's favorite. I would think we'd have a better chance with that than SMGG or HMH (if they even have any for this). BTMM is also a possibility, I'd think. Hoping someone will post about the situation once the parties start.


They did not have HMH FPs last year, so the guessing is that they won't have them again this year.  I think BTMRR and Star Tours are possiblities for still having FPs in the afternoon.  My guess is the SMGG and Indy will run out first...maybe Splash, but only if the weather is hot/warm.    Still, I would either head straight to SMGG when you get in or head to the Times Board and they might be able to tell you if there are still SMGG FPs being distributed.



bearette said:


> I had an annual pass last year and arriving in the afternoon you could never get a fast pass for ghost galaxy.  It always had at least a 45 min wait too.  The nights I visited on party days the park was super crowded so plan for a long wait.


It's kind of double-whammy to me...Space is already a fairly popular rides and FPs can run out early even without the Halloween overlay.  Waits of 45 minutes are pretty common throughout the year (at least when I've been there).  I do think there is a chance that FPs will still be available on some days, primarily because the party goers won't get into the parks until 3 or 4 pm.  At that point, I doubt FPs will still be available.



DisneyJamieCA said:


> We used the free bags when we went two years ago and just dumped into larger bags. The free bags are about the only size the little ones can carry for very long.


I did this too!  After the first round of trick-or-treating, the big bag went into the locker.  We tried carrying around the candy one year and it got heavy!


----------



## letitsnow

Do you think there will be soft openings today?


----------



## figment_jii

letitsnow said:


> Do you think there will be soft openings today?



That's a good question.  My guess is that they probably won't do a soft opening because this isn't like a major refurb where they need to see how it does under normal operating conditions (like when they refurb'ed BTMRR).   They're done these overlays for years, so it should be pretty smooth to install.  At most, either ride might be running intermittently during the day or for a short period.  I'd be surprised to hear that either ride was running the entire day.


----------



## SusanMatt

We got our tickets and document portfolio from the Disneyland Hotel today!


----------



## Sherry E

*While some of you are enjoying the last vestiges of summer, you may enjoy snacking on some Pumpkin Spice Oreos (headed to a store near you on September 24th) or Nestle Rolled and Ready Cookie Dough Sheets in packaging with Halloween pictures on it as you sip your refreshing lemonade or iced tea.

So that means there are Caramel Apple Oreos, Pumpkin Spice Oreos and "Halloween Oreos" this year -- but no sign of the Candy Corn Oreos again???  Madness!



Pumpkin Pandemonium continues!!

(Notice that there was a Limited Edition peppermint "frozen dairy dessert" sighting too -- just in time for the holidays! -- on one of the sites to which I linked, above.)*


​




DisneyJamieCA said:


> We heard our first Halloweentime at Disneyland ad on the radio today  They have been playing for awhile, but it's the first for us!
> 
> We used the free bags when we went two years ago and just dumped into larger bags. The free bags are about the only size the little ones can carry for very long.



*Jamie --*

I haven't heard any Halloween Time ads yet, nor have I seen any commercials!  Boooooo!  Then again, I may have missed something as I have not been paying a lot of attention to the TV.

I know that in the next few days it should be time for the Halloween commercials to begin -- such as the "Horseless Headsman" ad!





momof6princesses said:


> Only 36 days for us!  I'm trying to make our plans but can't remember what time Alice and the Mad Hatter play musical chairs, does anyone know?  Thanks



*momof6princesses --*

I have never paid attention to the schedule for that.  Hopefully someone will know!




ClosetDisneyJunkie said:


> I'll be in the park on Friday the 26th (and going to the party that night!) and will check on the fastpass situation around 2pm as an example.  Feel free to send me a private message if I forget to post the update by Sept 29 or so after I get back!
> 
> Also, at some point please remember to toast me while you are at MHP, because 10/10 is my birthday.



*ClosetDisneyJunkie --*

I am very curious to find out if the FP machines will be open for Haunted Mansion Holiday at all this year, in or out of the party.  It seems that they are very unpredictable in terms of when they are open for HMH and when they are not.  




letitsnow said:


> Do you think there will be soft openings today?



*letitsnow --*

As I was saying to Jaina a couple of pages back, I would not be shocked if HMH soft opens today -- maybe by tonight -- but it's anyone's guess.  I have heard of early HMH openings happening before -- though I cannot recall if it happened last year.

If the HMH overlay is already done and HMH is just sitting there doing nothing, with no further work to be done on it, I can't see why Disney couldn't/wouldn't open it up early, especially if they anticipate that there could be some early Dapper Days arrivals.  If there are finishing touches still to be added, however, then it wouldn't open until tomorrow.

As for SMGG, I don't think I have heard of any soft openings but I may have missed something


----------



## figment_jii

DisneyJamieCA said:


> We heard our first Halloweentime at Disneyland ad on the radio today  They have been playing for awhile, but it's the first for us!


I heard one this morning!!!

Less than 24-hours to the official start of HalloweenTime at DLR!  (I wish I could be there...)


----------



## I'm mikey

To everyone going to the DLR for Halloweentime this year, I hope you all have a fantastic visit.


----------



## 2tinkerbell

WOW - Great pictures!  Thanks for posting them.

Looking at the pictures again has me even more excited for our trip.


----------



## Kristina4109

We'll be there on September 20th!  We purposefully chose a non-party night since we're all about seeing Fantasmic!  (We got rained out during our June WDW visit -grrrr.)

Can't wait to see the park in it's Fall fineness!


----------



## figment_jii

Kristina4109 said:


> We'll be there on September 20th!  We purposefully chose a non-party night since we're all about seeing Fantasmic!  (We got rained out during our June WDW visit -grrrr.)


The Mark Twain is supposedly down for a refurb until November, which means it'll be missing from the finale of Fantasmic (if past refurbs are an indication).  Just something to keep in mind so you aren't surprised (in a bad way) when the end is a little different.

HALLOWEEN NIGHT MHP UPDATE
Just noticed, but the Halloween night MHP is now showing as sold out online!  If you were thinking of going Halloween night and have not yet bought your tickets, I'd give ticketing a call as soon as possible and see if they have left to sell.  If anyone calls and gets told there are none left, please let us know!

I've updated the tracking post.  So at this point, three of the fourteen parties have sold out!


----------



## Kilala

Sherry My friend and co-worker Cynthia bought me Pumkin Pie Popt Tearts. I will be posting pictures of the finished unitard for Butterscotch this weekend. I don't know if I will take pictures in my Autumn Mist costume this weekend. Also I hope it's not too hot or very humid on the 30th of this month. If it is I will not be dressing up in a full cat costume. I will wear ears and a tail though.


----------



## ldymcbth

figment_jii said:


> Just noticed, but the Halloween night MHP is now showing as sold out online!  If you were thinking of going Halloween night and have not yet bought your tickets, I'd give ticketing a call as soon as possible and see if they have left to sell.  If anyone calls and gets told there are none left, please let us know!
> 
> I've updated the tracking post.  So at this point, three of the fourteen parties have sold out!



Thank you so, so, so much for posting this. I had no idea that I could call and see if tickets were still available. We were able to get 4 after they showed as sold out online for 10/31. You saved our trip, seriously. My husband was dragging his feet on making a commitment and so I hadn't bought tickets. I was crushed when I saw it was sold out a few minute ago!


----------



## Kilala

figment_jii said:


> Just noticed, but the Halloween night MHP is now showing as sold out online!  If you were thinking of going Halloween night and have not yet bought your tickets, I'd give ticketing a call as soon as possible and see if they have left to sell.  If anyone calls and gets told there are none left, please let us know!
> 
> I've updated the tracking post.  So at this point, three of the fourteen parties have sold out!



WOW!!!!!  I'm so glad my friend got her ticket when she did. My friend got her ticket last Friday.


----------



## lorijohnhill

I don't know if this has been mentioned already (my brain is Swiss cheese these days).... I saw Candy Apple M&Ms, Candy Corn M&Ms, along with the usual selection of bulk packaged Halloween candy when I was at WalMart the other day. Oh, and JoAnns has pumpkin shaped Reece's Peanut Butter Cups. I was very tempted to try the candy apple M&Ms, but opted for the peanut butter M&Ms instead.


----------



## figment_jii

ldymcbth said:


> Thank you so, so, so much for posting this. I had no idea that I could call and see if tickets were still available. We were able to get 4 after they showed as sold out online for 10/31. You saved our trip, seriously. My husband was dragging his feet on making a commitment and so I hadn't bought tickets. I was crushed when I saw it was sold out a few minute ago!



Your welcome!  I'm glad to hear you were able to get tickets.  I've never been on Halloween night, but it's always sounded like fun.  Have a great time!


----------



## Mcky36

figment_jii said:


> Your welcome!  I'm glad to hear you were able to get tickets.  I've never been on Halloween night, but it's always sounded like fun.  Have a great time!



Another big THANK YOU here!!  Our entire trip is booked for Halloween except for the Party tickets that night.  I was planning to buy then tomorrow and saw your post that they were sold out. I just called and was able to get 4 tickets.  Whew!!!!


----------



## Sherry E

*And...my very first Halloween/Fall commercial of 2014 (which I saw on TV today) was an ad for...... 


Twizzlers!!!  (Frankenstein was the star of the ad.)


If I am not mistaken, I think that there is a crazy version of Twizzlers with caramel apple filling, so I guess that makes sense.*


​

Great photos, as always, *I'm mikey*!!


Thank you, *figment_jii*, for alerting folks to the fact that they can call and possibly buy tickets if the website says sold out!  It sounds like that info made a huge difference in at least a couple of trips!


I do want to also give credit to *Diszona* and *Bret/mvf-m11c*, as they were the reason that I, personally, became aware of any tickets still being available over the phone (after website tickets sell out) when they reported it in this thread a while back!  I even updated the MHP FAQ with a paragraph (under Question #11) about possibly being able to buy the tickets over the phone after tickets sell out online, based on what they said -- and I crossed my fingers and hoped it would be accurate as the MHPs begin to sell out!  So far, so good!


​



Kilala said:


> Sherry My friend and co-worker Cynthia bought me Pumkin Pie Popt Tearts. I will be posting pictures of the finished unitard for Butterscotch this weekend. I don't know if I will take pictures in my Autumn Mist costume this weekend. Also I hope it's not too hot or very humid on the 30th of this month. If it is I will not be dressing up in a full cat costume. I will wear ears and a tail though.




*Kilala --*

Are the Pop Tarts any good?

The heat and humidity are lousy right now!  I, too, hope that it cools down by the end of the month, or sooner.  It's only getting hotter for the next several days, unfortunately.  I can't take it.  It makes me ill.





lorijohnhill said:


> I don't know if this has been mentioned already (my brain is Swiss cheese these days).... I saw Candy Apple M&Ms, Candy Corn M&Ms, along with the usual selection of bulk packaged Halloween candy when I was at WalMart the other day. Oh, and JoAnns has pumpkin shaped Reece's Peanut Butter Cups. I was very tempted to try the candy apple M&Ms, but opted for the peanut butter M&Ms instead.



*lorijohnhill --*

You know,  the Candy Apple M&M's didn't get such a great review -- *HERE*.  It's not a horrible review, but it sounds like there is no apple flavoring in the M&M's at all.  Maybe you were better off not getting them!

​


----------



## DisneyJamieCA

I bought the caramel apple Oreos at Target on Monday - at first I wasn't sure about them, but they grew on me by day 2. And for my family, since the entire package is gone now 

I am so ready for Fall weather. This 90 stuff is getting old. And we're into that hard time of year; it's foggy & cold in the mornings and hot by mid-afternoon. The kids don't know how to dress for school! I have a friend in the midwest who got a huge dumping of snow last night. I don't actually want snow, but I have to admit to being envious right now!


----------



## ClosetDisneyJunkie

Sherry E said:


> *ClosetDisneyJunkie --*
> 
> I am very curious to find out if the FP machines will be open for Haunted Mansion Holiday at all this year, in or out of the party.  It seems that they are very unpredictable in terms of when they are open for HMH and when they are not.



I'll let you know how it's looking!


----------



## lorijohnhill

Here's an odd question for you...  Does anyone know if Disneyland is willing to, or has the ability to, cut the candy apples for us when purchased? I know that eons ago in Disney World they wouldn't cut them. I love candy apples, but hate the mess. I don't even eat a plain apple without cutting it up. LOL!


----------



## tanyaegangibson

lorijohnhill said:


> Here's an odd question for you...  Does anyone know if Disneyland is willing to, or has the ability to, cut the candy apples for us when purchased? I know that eons ago in Disney World they wouldn't cut them. I love candy apples, but hate the mess. I don't even eat a plain apple without cutting it up. LOL!



I don't know if they can/will cut it up for you, but I don't think it's an odd question at all! The kids and I find it impossible to eat those apples without cutting them up, so we actually bring a paring knife in our (checked) luggage, and always end up bringing the apples back to the hotel room to cut up.  (Yeah, we're serious about our candy apples!)


----------



## mikayla73

lorijohnhill said:


> Here's an odd question for you...  Does anyone know if Disneyland is willing to, or has the ability to, cut the candy apples for us when purchased? I know that eons ago in Disney World they wouldn't cut them. I love candy apples, but hate the mess. I don't even eat a plain apple without cutting it up. LOL!



I know they can do it at Marceline's in DTD. A couple other places I asked it was a no. I think it depends on if they have a kitchen that is easily accessible.


----------



## Kilala

Sherry E said:


> *[
> Kilala --
> 
> Are the Pop Tarts any good?
> 
> The heat and humidity are lousy right now!  I, too, hope that it cools down by the end of the month, or sooner.  It's only getting hotter for the next several days, unfortunately.  I can't take it.  It makes me ill.
> 
> ​*


*
Yes they do taste good. I had some last year. I did see a Halloween comercial for Party City*


----------



## ldymcbth

Is it for sure that the Conjure a Villain tent will be back this year? I am dying to do that!

Also, it is only available during party time, or is it available all day long?

THANKS!


----------



## fcanal

lorijohnhill said:


> Here's an odd question for you...  Does anyone know if Disneyland is willing to, or has the ability to, cut the candy apples for us when purchased? I know that eons ago in Disney World they wouldn't cut them. I love candy apples, but hate the mess. I don't even eat a plain apple without cutting it up. LOL!



Marceline's used to be able to cut them up, but the stopped doing it about a year ago.  You might be able to get a rogue employee there to do it, but not likely.  I'd suggest getting a knife from your hotel.


----------



## 2tinkerbell

I've had Candy Corn in my candy dishes at home and work for about 2 weeks now.  My favorite.  I decided to purchase some Candy Corn flavored M&M's.  They were okay, but, the real thing is so much better.  My DD saw some Candy Corn Cotton Candy at WinCo.  She was so excited for me as I love Cotton Candy and Candy Corn.  I declined on purchasing me some - I will wait until Disney.  

Airfare-check
Hotel-check
Park Tickets-check
Dining Reservations-check
MHP Tickets-check
PhotoPass + -check
Ground Transportation-check
Box for balloon-check
Tag and itinerary notebook mad-check

I am so excited!  18 more days!  I can't begin to even think about packing until the night of the 28th but since it should take us only about an hour I won't pack until I get home from work on the 29th.  

I know that I am being a stick in the mud about this, but, I decided that we were not going to go to the MHP in costume.  I have purchased us both orange rugby shirts and I will hopefully get the Minnie Treat bags.  If my DD agrees and they have it, I will purchase her the Minnie Witch Hat.  That is enough for us (well me at least...lol!).


----------



## figment_jii

ldymcbth said:


> Is it for sure that the Conjure a Villain tent will be back this year? I am dying to do that!
> 
> Also, it is only available during party time, or is it available all day long?


Hopefully if someone is at the parks today (or this weekend), they'll be able to report how things are at the Big Thunder Ranch Halloween Carnival.  I suspect it, or some variation, is at the Carnival again this year.

We won't know for sure until after the first party, but last year, the Carnival area closed before the party started.  It usually closed at dusk or there about (I want to say around 6:00 pm).  I should add, that the Carnival area generally closed at dusk on all days (not just party days).



2tinkerbell said:


> I know that I am being a stick in the mud about this, but, I decided that we were not going to go to the MHP in costume.  I have purchased us both orange rugby shirts and I will hopefully get the Minnie Treat bags.  If my DD agrees and they have it, I will purchase her the Minnie Witch Hat.  That is enough for us (well me at least...lol!).


I don't think you're being a stick in the mud!  I don't wear a costume to MHP either and I don't feel like there is anything wrong with that!  There is enough folks both in and out of costume that neither group really feels out of place.


----------



## 2tinkerbell

figment_jii said:


> Hopefully if someone is at the parks today (or this weekend), they'll be able to report how things are at the Big Thunder Ranch Halloween Carnival.  I suspect it, or some variation, is at the Carnival again this year.
> 
> We won't know for sure until after the first party, but last year, the Carnival area closed before the party started.  It usually closed at dusk or there about (I want to say around 6:00 pm).



Thanks for this information.  I guess I hadn't given it much thought, but, I assumed that the Carnival would be open during the Party.  Again, I appreciate knowing this.  My DD will do her planning on the Monday before we leave, so I will make sure she knows this.


----------



## Sherry E

ldymcbth said:


> Is it for sure that the Conjure a Villain tent will be back this year? I am dying to do that!
> 
> Also, it is only available during party time, or is it available all day long?
> 
> THANKS!



Conjure a Villain was reported to be coming back in *this Disney Parks Blog from September 8th*.  It says "And don’t forget the astounding “Conjure A Villain” sideshow tent."



This was the schedule for the Villains back in 2013.  I'm sure it will be similar this year.











​





2tinkerbell said:


> Thanks for this information.  I guess I hadn't given it much thought, but, I assumed that the Carnival would be open during the Party.  Again, I appreciate knowing this.  My DD will do her planning on the Monday before we leave, so I will make sure she knows this.



*2tinkerbell -*

I think you missed it when we were talking about the Carnival not being open during the MHP a while back!  There are character meet & greets outside or around the perimeters of the Carnival, and there may or may not even be a couple of treat stations in the area, but all of the Carnival entertainment is shut down during the MHP.

By the way, I don't wear costumes to the party either.  It's not a big deal at all.  Lots of people are not in costume.



​


----------



## 2tinkerbell

Sherry - I obviously did miss it.  No problems though.  I am giving my DD the link to this thread and she has all day Monday to read up and plan.  That is one of the main reasons why I decided to tell her on Sunday.  She likes to research and plan and is much better at it than I am.  In fact, this is one of the first times in about 6 years that I've purchased the airfare, made hotel reservations, etc.  She usually is in charge of things like that and I am just, "Mom! Wallet!"   I actually prefer it that way.


----------



## figment_jii

I got myself confused...I remember reading the Blog article, but for some reason I thought that there might be some changes to how the Villains meet and greet occurred, but I think the "something new" header was only for the "Mystic Magic Show".  So, unless they tweek something inside (maybe some new decor or things in different places) it sounds like it'll the same as the last few years.

In terms of the Halloween Carnival, I think they might have a treat trail in the general area (Big Thunder Ranch), but I'm pretty sure the Carnival area is closed off.  At least, I'm pretty sure that when I wandered by there one night (after the listed hours ended), the gates into the actual Carnival area were closed.


----------



## DisneyJamieCA

2tinkerbell said:


> I've had Candy Corn in my candy dishes at home and work for about 2 weeks now.  My favorite.  I decided to purchase some Candy Corn flavored M&M's.  They were okay, but, the real thing is so much better.  My DD saw some Candy Corn Cotton Candy at WinCo.  She was so excited for me as I love Cotton Candy and Candy Corn.  I declined on purchasing me some - I will wait until Disney.  Airfare-check Hotel-check Park Tickets-check Dining Reservations-check MHP Tickets-check PhotoPass + -check Ground Transportation-check Box for balloon-check Tag and itinerary notebook mad-check  I am so excited!  18 more days!  I can't begin to even think about packing until the night of the 28th but since it should take us only about an hour I won't pack until I get home from work on the 29th.  I know that I am being a stick in the mud about this, but, I decided that we were not going to go to the MHP in costume.  I have purchased us both orange rugby shirts and I will hopefully get the Minnie Treat bags.  If my DD agrees and they have it, I will purchase her the Minnie Witch Hat.  That is enough for us (well me at least...lol!).



Just be aware the candy corn looking cotton candy does NOT taste like candy corn. Nor does the candy cane looking one at Christmastime taste like candy cane. It's just regular old cotton candy, which isn't bad, but a let down when you're expecting a special flavor. We learned this the hard way


----------



## Sherry E

fcanal said:


> Marceline's used to be able to cut them up, but the stopped doing it about a year ago.  You might be able to get a rogue employee there to do it, but not likely.  I'd suggest getting a knife from your hotel.



*fcanal --*

I'm glad you posted about this, as this was what I thought was the case too.  I thought I had recalled reading a while back that all of the various candy shop CMs stopped cutting up the apples for guests, but I wasn't sure if it was still the case.

I had to giggle at the "rogue employee" reference -- for some reason that struck me as funny (I have the image of an employee sneakily cutting up apples for guests behind the scenes, when no one is looking!).





2tinkerbell said:


> Sherry - I obviously did miss it.  No problems though.  I am giving my DD the link to this thread and she has all day Monday to read up and plan.  That is one of the main reasons why I decided to tell her on Sunday.  She likes to research and plan and is much better at it than I am.  In fact, this is one of the first times in about 6 years that I've purchased the airfare, made hotel reservations, etc.  She usually is in charge of things like that and I am just, "Mom! Wallet!"   I actually prefer it that way.



*2tinkerbell --*

  You seem to have a great attitude about it!  

I hope your daughter enjoys reading through the thread and planning everything out.  As I mentioned a few days ago, I, too, used to read the Birnbaum guides back in the '80s and early '90s (I would always buy the updated versions), so I know how fun those can be!  I would absorb every bit of information from them!






figment_jii said:


> I got myself confused...I remember reading the Blog article, but for some reason I thought that there might be some changes to how the Villains meet and greet occurred, but I think the "something new" header was only for the "Mystic Magic Show".  So, unless they tweek something inside (maybe some new decor or things in different places) it sounds like it'll the same as the last few years.
> 
> In terms of the Halloween Carnival, I think they might have a treat trail in the general area (Big Thunder Ranch), but I'm pretty sure the Carnival area is closed off.  At least, I'm pretty sure that when I wandered by there one night (after the listed hours ended), the gates into the actual Carnival area were closed.



The Carnival is closed for the MHP (or was closed up until last year), and all of the Carnival entertainment shuts down, as I mentioned.  

The reason I said that "there may or may not even be a couple of treat stations in the area" (depending on whether or not that changes this year) is because the Carnival and the Roundup are right next to each other and literally transition into each other.   It's all the same general area (the Carnival/Roundup/Ranch), so I think that once people get to the actual treat trail they won't know whether they are in the Carnival or the Roundup, really.  But, yes, technically, the treat trail will probably not be inside the actual Carnival portion of the area.


----------



## figment_jii

Sherry E said:


> The reason I said that "there may or may not even be a couple of treat stations in the area" (depending on whether or not that changes this year) is because the Carnival and the Roundup are right next to each other and literally transition into each other.   It's all the same general area (the Carnival/Roundup/Ranch), so I think that once people get to the actual treat trail they won't know whether they are in the Carnival or the Roundup, really.  But, yes, technically, the treat trail will probably not be inside the actual Carnival portion of the area.


Ah, okay.  I tend to think of them as two distinct areas, probably because there is an operable gate between them!  To me, the Carnival is the part where most of the HalloweenTime activities occur (pumpkins, Conjure a Villian, the stage, Pirates League, etc.) and is only open seasonally.  The Ranch/Roundup is the area before the gate where the petting zoo animals area and tends to be open/available all year.  I can see where folks would not make the distinction, but I do think it's worth noting the difference between the areas because they do operate on different schedules.


----------



## Sherry E

*I am copying my post from earlier this week (below) -- so everyone headed out to Halloween Time festivities today (and anyone new to this thread) knows what to be on the lookout for, and where the primary Halloween fun can be found!


If anyone sees any signs of Halloween-ish anything in California Adventure, please report back!  That is what I am most curious about!!  A loaf of bread shaped like a pumpkin... a random strand of Fall garland... anything!!!


If anyone sees the return of the Spooky Kooky Gingerbread Zombie Cookie anywhere in New Orleans Square, please report back!*





Sherry E said:


> *Good morning, folks!
> 
> This is going to be one of those extremely hot Halloween Time season start weeks -- September often provides some of our warmest weather of the entire summer.   It's way too hot for me.  Stay hydrated and apply lots of sunscreen as you enjoy the Halloween offerings this week!
> 
> And don't forget to enjoy other seasonal snacks, such as:  Caramel Apple Laffy Taffy; Caramel Apple Pirate's Booty; Dannon Light & Fit Greek Yogurt -- Caramel Apple Pie flavor; and Palmer Eye Scream! "chocolaty sandwitches" [sic]!!!*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Here is a highlight reel of some of the things you can expect to see at Disneyland in 2 days (and all during Halloween Time) -- it's just a peek, not the full array o' fun!*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Signage in Downtown Disney (this photo is from 2013, which is why it says September 13th instead of 12th)...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Character pumpkins over the Disneyland turnstiles (photo from 2013)...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Halloween Time signs (photo from 2013)!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Ads for Mickey's Halloween Party (again, this shot is from 2013, so the start date of the MHP was different than it is this year)...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Giant Mickey Pumpkin holding court in Town Square (photo from 2011)...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The Main Street Pumpkin Festival (photos from 2013)...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Vintage-ish Halloween-themed window displays (photo from 2011)...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Pumpkins representing each land in Disneyland, gathered 'round the Hub (photo from 2011)...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Seasonal goodies!!! (photo from 2013)...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Seasonal souvenirs!!!! (such as this glowing, twinkling bag that can be used for treat collecting at Mickey's Halloween Party, which usually costs around $10 before discounts -- photo from 2013)...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Haunted Mansion Holiday (photo from 2012)...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The Dia de los Muertos display in Frontierland (photo from 2011)...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The Ray Bradbury Halloween Tree in Frontierland (photo from 2013)...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The Halloween Carnival/Halloween Roundup in Frontierland (I already posted photos of the Conjure a Villain area here last week, so I am leaving that part of the Carnival out of this post -- photos from 2013)....
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Random Pumpkin People around the Roundup (these two are supposed to be Roy Rogers and Dale Evans -- photo from 2011)...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The Scare-Dy-Crow Shack (which has a lot of cool retro Halloween décor and pumpkin-y details inside -- photo from 2011)...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Animals in Halloween neckwear (photo from 2011)...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Amazing carved pumpkins...
> 
> (2011)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> (2013)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The Pirates League (photo from 2013)....
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Games (photo from 2013)...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Crafts (photo from 2013)...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Candy Corn-colored cotton candy (photo from 2013)...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *​
> 
> *That's just a glimpse of what will be happening during Halloween Time.  Again, I showed photos of the Conjure a Villain area last week, so I left them out of this post.  I also do not have any photos of Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy, but that will be there too!*


----------



## Sherry E

*FOOD NEWS!!!!*


*A new installment from the Disney Food Blog (which is not an official Disney site):*

*"Dining in Disneyland: The Pumpkin Muffin is Back!" - Sep 12th, 2014 by Heather Sievers*


​

*Spotted on Shelves -- 9/12/14 -- **HERE*

Kraft Jet-Puffed Candy Corn Marshmallows
Pumpkin Spice Pie Popcorn (??)
Apple Crumble Pie Popcorn


​


From *MousePlanet*, our competitor site (I always give credit to other sites, even if some of them sometimes 'get ideas' from this site and don't give us credit ):

Halloween Time 2014 food and beverage -- *HERE*

Seasonal/Fall Menu at Jolly Holiday Bakery -- *HERE*

​




*New:*

*"Halloween Time 2014 at the Disneyland Resort Fun Facts: Haunted Mansion Holiday" -- Disneyland News press release; September 12, 2014*



> "Tradition Continues with 14 Creepy Creation: Gingerbread House Traps a Gingerbread Zombie"




​

*"Top 5 ways to celebrate HalloweenTime at Disneyland" - by Tom Bell (DIS Unplugged Correspondent); September 12, 2014*


​


----------



## figment_jii

> Hurry Back!  New for 2014, a more animated Sally bids farewell to Sandy Claws Jack Skellington as he, and Haunted Mansion Holiday guests, depart from the Mansion.


I'm curious about this part too!  The other elements sound pretty similar, but this says it's specifically new for this year.

I can't wait to see the Gingerbread house this year!


----------



## Sherry E

figment_jii said:


> I'm curious about this part too!  The other elements sound pretty similar, but this says it's specifically new for this year.
> 
> I can't wait to see the Gingerbread house this year!



Same here!  I love that Gingerbread house!  I can't get a photo of it to save my life, but I love seeing it and smelling all of the piped-in gingerbready goodness!

I notice that what Disneyland News does is to recycle its older pieces and then just adds in a few updated sentences.  There was a "Fun Facts" release about HMH in 2013.  I just tried to access it and the link is now dead.  So I think they took the bulk of what was in that one and revised it a bit for 2014, and then deleted the 2013 piece.


----------



## Sherry E

*There is some footage of Haunted Mansion Holiday (standard HMH footage -- I don't think it's anything new from this year) at the end of the video clip:*

*"Haunted Mansion at Disneyland Park: An Idea that Couldn’t be Laid to Rest"  -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on September 12th, 2014 by Valarie Sukovaty, Disneyland Public Relations*

​


----------



## Kilala

@Sherry
Do you know if there any lockers I can rent on Halloween night? Me and my friend plan on getting there early. I hope by 4pm.


----------



## figment_jii

Kilala said:


> @Sherry
> Do you know if there any lockers I can rent on Halloween night? Me and my friend plan on getting there early. I hope by 4pm.


Not _Sherry_, but...you might ask if one of the folks in the parks today could check to see if the lockers inside DL have re-opened.  They closed in early spring and were slated to re-open sometime in the fall, but the dates have not yet been announced.  I don't recall reading that the lockers have re-opened yet, so they might still be the temporary location of First Aid.  Otherwise, there are lockers out in the Esplande (both by DL and DCA).  I don't know how fast lockers sell out on Halloween (a Friday).


----------



## Sherry E

Kilala said:


> @Sherry
> Do you know if there any lockers I can rent on Halloween night? Me and my friend plan on getting there early. I hope by 4pm.



*Kilala --*

I didn't even have a chance to answer your question to me before figment_jii answered it for me (I was busy doing something in the kitchen), but I would have said basically the same thing.


----------



## figment_jii

Sherry E said:


> *Kilala --*
> 
> I didn't even have a chance to answer your question to me before figment_jii answered it for me (I was busy doing something in the kitchen), but I would have said basically the same thing.


A tangential discussion (not Halloween-related), but that's something I do wonder about.  When someone posts something asking a question to a specific person, does that mean they only want that person to answer?  Even if it is a general information question?  I can see where it would be specific if they're asking an opinion (e.g., did you like something), but I've never been sure about general info/non-opinion questions.


----------



## Kristina4109

I think it's perfectly fine if you answer a question posed to someone else as long as you know the answer.

By the way, saw on the Disney Food Blog that the Jolly Holiday Cafe is serving Pumpkin Muffins - they're going for $2.99 and look more like a cupcake.  I know how the nice folks on this list are looking for signs of fall - there's one for you!


----------



## Sherry E

I have added to the List of Sweet & Savory Fall/Halloween Time Foods and Seasonal Drinks at Disneyland Resort -- *HERE*.  Included in the latest round of updates were the Pumpkin Twist, the Turkey Pot Pie Soup, the Spiced Bundt Cake, a couple of 2014 Popcorn Bucket designs and quite a few other items.  

Remember that not all of the items on the list will be available -- different versions of certain items and dishes/meals will pop up each year, and sometimes one restaurant might feature something while a totally different restaurant might feature that item or dish the next year.  The list is just meant to be a general guideline as to the types of things to look for based on what has been available in recent years, and to provide a general idea of where to look for them.

Most of the items will be available somewhere at Disneyland Resort, however.

These most recent updates I got from Mouse Planet and the Disney Food Blog.  Some of the items didn't really seem too "autumnal" to me.  They seemed like they could be available at any time of year, but are supposedly part of a Fall menu of some sort.   

I fully expect that we will see at least a couple of Disney Parks Blogs featuring the sweet side and the savory side of Halloween Time food, both this month and next month, and I will be adding to the list once again.  



​


Kristina4109 said:


> I think it's perfectly fine if you answer a question posed to someone else as long as you know the answer.
> 
> By the way, saw on the Disney Food Blog that the Jolly Holiday Cafe is serving Pumpkin Muffins - they're going for $2.99 and look more like a cupcake.  I know how the nice folks on this list are looking for signs of fall - there's one for you!




I posted a link to the Disney Food Blog about the muffins in this thread, earlier today -- *HERE*!





figment_jii said:


> A tangential discussion (not Halloween-related), but that's something I do wonder about.  When someone posts something asking a question to a specific person, does that mean they only want that person to answer?  Even if it is a general information question?  I can see where it would be specific if they're asking an opinion (e.g., did you like something), but I've never been sure about general info/non-opinion questions.



It's really not a huge deal, but it is a case-by-case basis sort of thing for me, based on how urgent the question is, who is asking it, when it was asked, who is being asked and how long it takes for them to answer -- or if it is a general question not directed at anyone in particular.  Also, sometimes people will answer things when they don't really have the accurate info to give, and I consider that too. 

It's not an exact science.  It's just a 'play it by ear' sort of thing, I think.


----------



## Kilala

figment_jii said:


> A tangential discussion (not Halloween-related), but that's something I do wonder about.  When someone posts something asking a question to a specific person, does that mean they only want that person to answer?  Even if it is a general information question?  I can see where it would be specific if they're asking an opinion (e.g., did you like something), but I've never been sure about general info/non-opinion questions.



Sorry about that Figment. The reason I did that is because, I asked the question and nobody awnsered the question. Also I saw at Target most of the Halloween candy. They usually wait untill untill September 15th or later to put stuff up.


----------



## Sherry E

I was going to answer you today, *Kilala* -- but didn't have the chance!  I see that you did ask about the lockers 2 days ago, and you were not answered -- for that I apologize!  We were talking tote bags at that moment!

To be honest, if I see a specific name mentioned in a post, most of the time I will leave it alone -- at least at first, and especially in threads that are not Halloween or holiday-related threads.  If I see that someone is asking something of someone in particular, I don't think it hurts to wait a bit and let the person answer, especially if the question is not urgent and if I know that the person being asked is going to give the accurate, right answer.  If a long time has passed without an answer, that is a different story.  If the person being asked is not going to know the answer, that's different too.

But, as I mentioned above, for me it is a case-by-case basis sort of thing.  Not a huge deal at all.  I just kind of look at each individual situation and take it from there.

For the record, though, on many occasions I have taken time to compose carefully worded and well thought out responses, and most of the time (or at least half the time) the person to whom I am responding never sees the reply! Lol.


----------



## perlster

From the dog that I didn't see get past bag check ...




Sorry, Cruella - no spots by perlster, on Flickr

... to the smoking crystal ball (News: It's *not* supposed to do that), _Halloween Time_ had an .... _interesting _first day. 

Perhaps as an allowance to _Dapper Day_, it seemed that _Disney_ was *not* enforcing the "no costumes" rule strictly.   Beyond _cosplay_, there were some guests wearing what look almost exactly like a _Disney_ character's costume.

_Space Mountain Ghost Galax_y experienced one major, and at least one minor, interruption of operation.   _Star Tours_ was also down for perhaps more than an hour at one point.

Again, there are *no* fastpasses available for _Haunted Mansion Holiday_.

As far as I know, for the first time ever (on a regular operating day), there were no, count 'em, zero, characters in the entrance show.  The usual fuzzies were in the castle show, but _Alice_ and _Mad Hatter_ were still AWOL.   _Alice_ did show up for musical chairs, and with some help from _Robert_, ran the game.

Early on, _Jack_ was by himself, but _Sally_ was present in later sets.
Here is some good news, but ...
*****MAGIC SPOILER***** It appears that Jack and Sally now have multiple friends.  *****MAGIC SPOILER*****

Happy Holidays from Jack and Sally

Characters in BTRJ for the_ Halloween Carnival_ - in costume - included_ Mickey_,_ Minnie_, _Chip_, _Dale_, _Donald_ and _Goofy_

On the one occasion I was in line for the _Conjure Up a Villain_ tent, some people were talking about *not* wanting to see _Cruella_, but their wish did *not* come true.  It seems that the _Queen_ (probably _Snow White's_) was the only other villain seen previously.




Zester the Jester by perlster, on Flickr




"Double, double toil and trouble" by perlster, on Flickr




Madame Beauchance by perlster, on Flickr




Jack and Sally by perlster, on Flickr




Alice and Copycat by perlster, on Flickr


----------



## Sherry E

perlster said:


> From the dog that I didn't see get past bag check, to the smoking crystal ball (News: It's *not* supposed to do that), _Halloween Time_ had an .... _interesting _first day.
> 
> Perhaps as an allowance to _Dapper Day_, it seemed that _Disney_ was *not* enforcing the "no costumes" rule strictly.   Beyond _cosplay_, there were some guests wearing what look almost exactly like a _Disney_ character's costume.
> 
> _Space Mountain Ghost Galax_y experienced one major, and at least one minor, interruption of operation.   _Star Tours_ was also down for perhaps more than an hour at one point.
> 
> Again, there are *no* fastpasses available for _Haunted Mansion Holiday_.
> 
> As far as I know, for the first time ever (on a regular operating day), there were no, count 'em, zero, characters in the entrance show.  The usual fuzzies were in the castle show, but _Alice_ and _Mad Hatter_ were still AWOL.   _Alice_ did show up for musical chairs, and with some help from _Robert_, ran the game.
> 
> Early on, _Jack_ was by himself, but _Sally_ was present in later sets.
> Here is some good news, but ...
> *****MAGIC SPOILER***** It appears that Jack and Sally now have multiple friends.  *****MAGIC SPOILER*****
> 
> Happy Holidays from Jack and Sally



*perlster --*

Thank you for the recap of today!  I really appreciate it!  Very interesting, indeed.

Did you see any characters at the Halloween Carnival (or did anyone see them)??

Thank you, also, for specifically mentioning the lack of Fastpasses at HMH.  I suppose the FPs could be available as the season progresses, but I had a feeling that they would not be available for at least some of the time -- if not the entire season.  I thought the bit that I read in a recent Disney Visa newsletter about the "only time of year" that FPs are available for HM is during Halloween Time was bogus, or at least misleading.


----------



## figment_jii

Kilala said:


> Sorry about that Figment. The reason I did that is because, I asked the question and nobody awnsered the question. Also I saw at Target most of the Halloween candy. They usually wait untill untill September 15th or later to put stuff up.



Hi _Kilala_ - _blackjackdelta_ was in the parks today and he said the Main Street lockers were still closed.  So at this point they have not re-opened.  I sent Disneyland an email asking if there is a scheduled re-opening date, but I haven't heard back yet.  I would ask this question again closer to when you're going to see if things have changed.


----------



## Jennafoo

Not sure if this is one the foods list yet or not, but I was making my Blue Bayou reservations and noticed this under "Halloween Entree"

Creole-brined Bone-In Pork Chop
served with Roasted Garlic-Boursin Mashed Potatoes, Sautéed Baby Spinach, Champagne-Pear Coulis, and Tomato Relish

Sounds good!

(It appears on the menu now, so I assume it's 'Halloween Time' and not just Halloween day)


----------



## ClosetDisneyJunkie

figment_jii said:


> Hi _Kilala_ - _blackjackdelta_ was in the parks today and he said the Main Street lockers were still closed.  So at this point they have not re-opened.  I sent Disneyland an email asking if there is a scheduled re-opening date, but I haven't heard back yet.  I would ask this question again closer to when you're going to see if things have changed.



I tweeted @DisneylandToday about this today (trying to plan for my little trip as well).  They responded saying that the lockers are scheduled to reopen "after this fall season" so i take that to mean sometime after Halloween, or later, but it sounds like the timing is still a little squishy.

https://twitter.com/DisneylandToday/status/510848285939343360


----------



## Sherry E

*perlster --* Thanks for adding in the extra comments about the Carnival.  I was curious about which Villains would be conjured this year, and so far it doesn't sound like anyone unexpected was there.  I wish they would put some rarely seen Villains in that tent, to make waiting the line really worthwhile.  Even if they just had two rare Villains there it would be better -- in my opinion -- than 2-4 not-so-rare Villains.




Jennafoo said:


> Not sure if this is one the foods list yet or not, but I was making my Blue Bayou reservations and noticed this under "Halloween Entree"
> 
> Creole-brined Bone-In Pork Chop
> served with Roasted Garlic-Boursin Mashed Potatoes, Sautéed Baby Spinach, Champagne-Pear Coulis, and Tomato Relish
> 
> Sounds good!
> 
> (It appears on the menu now, so I assume it's 'Halloween Time' and not just Halloween day)



*Jennafoo --*

That dish was not on the Foods list until you posted about it, but it is on the list now!  Thank you so much for letting me know so I could add it in.

You're right -- it does sound good!  I don't think I have eaten a pork chop in years, but this one sounds tasty!





ClosetDisneyJunkie said:


> I tweeted @DisneylandToday about this today (trying to plan for my little trip as well).  They responded saying that the lockers are scheduled to reopen "after this fall season" so i take that to mean sometime after Halloween, or later, but it sounds like the timing is still a little squishy.
> 
> https://twitter.com/DisneylandToday/status/510848285939343360



*ClosetDisneyJunkie --*

You could be right -- maybe the lockers will open in between Halloween Time and the start of the holiday season in November.   It would help to have the lockers open for Mickey's Halloween Party but it doesn't sound like that is what's going to happen.  Having them open for the Avengers Marathon weekend would also be handy.


----------



## LisaT91403

ClosetDisneyJunkie said:


> I tweeted @DisneylandToday about this today (trying to plan for my little trip as well).  They responded saying that the lockers are scheduled to reopen "after this fall season" so i take that to mean sometime after Halloween, or later, but it sounds like the timing is still a little squishy.
> 
> https://twitter.com/DisneylandToday/status/510848285939343360



Thanks for this info. So to clarify, there are no lockers available inside the park, correct? We would have to use the ones in the esplanade?


----------



## ClosetDisneyJunkie

LisaT91403 said:


> Thanks for this info. So to clarify, there are no lockers available inside the park, correct? We would have to use the ones in the esplanade?



Correct, the esplanade or DCA if you are hopping and it's convenient.


----------



## ldymcbth

Anyone have any thoughts on how warm it will be on Halloween? We are going as the Gravity Falls gang (Mabel, Dipper, Grunkle Stan, and Waddles the Pig) and I am trying to decide fabrics etc. Advice? I haven't been to Southern CA at Halloween time - just the Bay Area, which is a different animal when it comes to temps!


----------



## Sherry E

ldymcbth said:


> Anyone have any thoughts on how warm it will be on Halloween? We are going as the Gravity Falls gang (Mabel, Dipper, Grunkle Stan, and Waddles the Pig) and I am trying to decide fabrics etc. Advice? I haven't been to Southern CA at Halloween time - just the Bay Area, which is a different animal when it comes to temps!



*Idymcbth --*

The Bay Area is different, indeed.

HydroGuy compiled some interesting "Detailed Weather Data for DLR" *in this thread* a while back.  That info largely deals with averages.

I live in SoCal -- about 40/45 minutes from Anaheim.  To me, it seems like the temperatures have been getting warmer in general over the last decade, with weather that can go in all sorts of directions between September and December.  

That said, my guess is that the temperatures will have cooled down a bit by late October and 10/31 -- cooled down compared to what they are now, which is very unpleasant.  That doesn't mean it will drop to 50 degrees in the daytime or anything.  It probably won't even be raining.  It could be windy -- that is always a possibility.

I _think_ that we will _probably_ end up with temperatures in the upper 70's or low 80's in late October, if I were to predict.  Sure, we could have a crazy 90+ degree heat wave, but probably not.  The evenings will probably cool down to the 60's or so, or maybe 50-something.

We don't really begin to get noticeably chilly or cold air -- in my opinion -- until November.  After being in the sun all day, however, even the slightest breeze at night can feel like an Arctic blast.


----------



## Kilala

ldymcbth said:


> Anyone have any thoughts on how warm it will be on Halloween? We are going as the Gravity Falls gang (Mabel, Dipper, Grunkle Stan, and Waddles the Pig) and I am trying to decide fabrics etc. Advice? I haven't been to Southern CA at Halloween time - just the Bay Area, which is a different animal when it comes to temps!



It is a the chilly side around Halloween night. I have noticed that once the sun goes down the temp drops. The seasons are changing already


----------



## figment_jii

Sherry E said:


> It's really not a huge deal, but it is a case-by-case basis sort of thing for me, based on how urgent the question is, who is asking it, when it was asked, who is being asked and how long it takes for them to answer -- or if it is a general question not directed at anyone in particular.  Also, sometimes people will answer things when they don't really have the accurate info to give, and I consider that too.
> 
> It's not an exact science.  It's just a 'play it by ear' sort of thing, I think.





Sherry E said:


> I was going to answer you today, *Kilala* -- but didn't have the chance!  I see that you did ask about the lockers 2 days ago, and you were not answered -- for that I apologize!  We were talking tote bags at that moment!
> 
> To be honest, if I see a specific name mentioned in a post, most of the time I will leave it alone -- at least at first, and especially in threads that are not Halloween or holiday-related threads.  If I see that someone is asking something of someone in particular, I don't think it hurts to wait a bit and let the person answer, especially if the question is not urgent and if I know that the person being asked is going to give the accurate, right answer.  If a long time has passed without an answer, that is a different story.  If the person being asked is not going to know the answer, that's different too.
> 
> But, as I mentioned above, for me it is a case-by-case basis sort of thing.  Not a huge deal at all.  I just kind of look at each individual situation and take it from there.



Sorry about that...it was one of those, "oh, I know that and help out" type of responses and then afterwards I realized that I probably should not have done that.  I can't promise that I'll always remember, but I'll try to avoid answer questions asked of a specific person in the future.



Kilala said:


> Sorry about that Figment. The reason I did that is because, I asked the question and nobody answered the question.


Sorry about missing it the first time you asked!


----------



## bearette

We spent a few hours there this afternoon. It was so hot I am already home. Check the weather as you get closer as we had a very hot October last year, but it does get cool after the sun sets.

The carnival area was very cute and the best part the conjour the villain was air conditioned.  We got Maleficent so we were happy or "witch" as my daughter calls her.

I saw the same characters but out in front Jessie was greeting guests as well.


We didn't see too much because we took long air conditioned breaks but I did see an Olaf cup with straw I hadn't seen before. (Wrong holiday, but holiday)

I saw three types of Halloween bags. A pumpkin with Mickey face/ears that lights up ( glows in the dark), a mickey and Minnie design.  They even had safety lights in a skull and pumpkin mickey. 

Very festive in DL but didn't make it to DCA so no reports there.  The Disney fall season was in the air even if the weather wasnt.


----------



## Kristina4109

Thanks for the update!  I am hoping the weather cools off next week but I am not holding my breath.


----------



## lorijohnhill

Red Robin has Pumpkin Pie Milkshakes now. I didn't try it, as that sounds kind of nasty to me....


----------



## Sherry E

*bearette* --  Thank you so much for the update on the Carnival, the characters, the bags, etc.!!  It was so hot I didn't even try to go to DLR yesterday or today.  I have to wait until it cools down just a tad.  It's only getting hotter over the next few days, but there is a slight bit of relief towards the end of the week, I think.






lorijohnhill said:


> Red Robin has Pumpkin Pie Milkshakes now. I didn't try it, as that sounds kind of nasty to me....



*lorijohnhill --*

Now that you mention Red Robin and the milkshake, that reminds me that I think I saw an ad for or photo of Dairy Queen's own pumpkin something-or-another the other day.

I have never tried pumpkin ice cream.  It comes out every year and I just cannot commit to a whole carton of it without tasting it first!

A couple of DIS'ers reported (in my separate Disneyland at Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread) that they just saw the annual Dreyer's/Edy's Pumpkin Patch ice cream in their stores.  That pumpkin ice cream is only supposed to be out in September and October, I think, but if it doesn't sell out then the stores will keep it until it does sell, I suppose.  It's probably not as popular as the Dreyer's Peppermint Wonderland ice cream (which is also out now), but it must have a following because it comes back every year.


----------



## Kilala

I finally saw the ABC Family pro-mo on the 13 days to Halloween. I still have not seen anything on Halloweentime


----------



## Sherry E

Kilala said:


> I finally saw the ABC Family pro-mo on the 13 days to Halloween. I still have not seen anything on Halloweentime



*Kilala --*

I haven't see a Halloween Time ad either!  I always see one on the day Halloween Time begins, or the day before, and this year -- nothing!  I thought for sure I would see an ad for Halloween Time on ABC, since ABC and Disney are in the same family.  But nothing!

As a matter of fact, I can't even seem to find out what -- if any -- new Halloween specials will be on Travel Channel this year.  Last year it was easy to find out.  This year I got the info about _Halloween Wars_ on Food Network, but not anything about the Travel Channel shows.


----------



## briggscreek

Ugh, we leave in a week and the kids are coming down with a cold! I swear this happens to us almost every time. I'm sure they'll be over it by then, but it's me we have to worry about since I take meds to lower my immune system. At this point, I'm just trying to stay about three feet away from them and disinfect everything LOL. At least I bought travel insurance...


----------



## amyg1975

We arrive November 1st.  Will the Halloween decorations be down by then?


----------



## Sherry E

amyg1975 said:


> We arrive November 1st.  Will the Halloween decorations be down by then?



*amyg1975 --*

Many of the decorations will be down, or in the process of coming down.  You may see some lingering pumpkins here and there, but they will not be around for long.

Haunted Mansion Holiday will still be running, of course (it stays open through early next year).  There is a possibility that Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy could stay open through 11/2, but it is not scheduled to stay open beyond 10/31 at this point.

What happens is that Disneyland has to make a quick transition into holiday mode, as there is a Christmas parade taping for ABC on or around 11/7 and 11/8, and décor has to be in place in many areas so that Disneyland looks Christmasy on camera.

The holiday season officially begins on 11/13, which also means that the current Halloween Carnival -- which is the hub of daytime Halloween activities in Disneyland -- will have to transition into Jingle Jangle Jamboree mode between 10/31 and 11/13, at the latest.  Realistically, JJJ will probably start to show signs of holiday décor by 11/7.

The transformation from Halloween Time to Holidays has to happen fast.  The snow on the Winter Castle will appear even before 10/31, as will some of the holiday merchandise, but as soon as Halloween is over, the pumpkins begin to come down from Main Street and Frontierland, and the window and store displays are taken down to make way for holiday displays.


----------



## Kilala

Here are more pictures of the Autumn Mist costume. I will have more up later on today. Along with pictures of the Butterscotch costume.












I will be wearing this costume on September 30th.


----------



## Sherry E

Very nice, *Kilala*!  You're doing a great job on your costumes, as always!


​

By the way, I should mention that *Bret/mvf-m11c* is, if I recall correctly, enjoying Halloween Time at Disneyland Resort today (through Tuesday).  He will bring back a lot of amazing photos for us to enjoy, as he always does.  (And I have a feeling he might be enjoying a Dole Whip or two in this awful, oppressive heat!)

As I usually try to do for this thread, I had planned to head to DLR this weekend -- specifically, this past Friday/opening day of Halloween Time -- and come back with lots of details and photos, but when I saw that the weather was going to be so hot, I decided against it.  I am extremely sensitive to harsh sun and heat, and I can get ill in much less harsh weather than this.  

It is too hot for me, and I would literally probably pass out in the middle of DL if I tried to tackle walking around the park in this hot sun.  For example, it's 100 degrees in Anaheim right now, at 4:50 p.m. (with a "feels like" temperature of 104 degrees).  Um...yeah... no way.  Sorry, giant Mickey Pumpkin in Town Square, but you will have to wait for me!

So I am waiting until it cools down a bit, which probably won't be until Thursday and Friday, before I take on one of my massive photo sprees in Disneyland.

As I always say, September is a tricky month because it can go in a few different directions, weather-wise, but it is often one of our hottest summer months.  Sometimes we don't get the worst heat of the summer until September -- and that seems to be the case this year.  We had 100+ degree days in May -- at the unofficial beginning of summer -- and now we have 100+ degree days at the end of summer, but in June, July and August we didn't hit 100 (that I can recall).  Crazy!

However, because it is so hot I am craving one of those juicy, delicious pineapple spears from the fruit carts around DLR!  YUM!


----------



## ImTooExcitedToSleep

Here's a DIS Blog with lots of pictures from this weekend.

HalloweenTime 2014


----------



## Sherry E

ImTooExcitedToSleep said:


> Here's a DIS Blog with lots of pictures from this weekend.
> 
> HalloweenTime 2014



I saw that, *Tom* -- thanks!

The funny thing was that I was trying to link your blog even before you posted here about it.  I had the tab open and I was trying to link it in my General Info post on page 1, and then was going to jump to the last page of the thread and mention it.  Suddenly, the whole page/screen went blank -- just white, with nothing on it.  And then all of my tabs froze up.  This is a new computer, so I was not going to accept that things were locking up on me so soon.  I had to exit out of the browser, run CCleaner and Defender to be sure everything was cleared out and okay, and then I was able to get back online and to your blog page without issue.

So I don't know if the page froze up at the same time you were accessing it to link it here or what happened.  Maybe it was the massive solar flare that was supposed to be wreaking havoc this weekend...


----------



## ImTooExcitedToSleep

Sherry E said:


> Maybe it was the massive solar flare that was supposed to be wreaking havoc this weekend...




That must be it!


----------



## Kristina4109

Tom and Sherry, thanks for keeping us all in the loop!  In case you can't tell from my ticker, I'm pretty darn excited!


----------



## laura&fam

Does Kilala or anyone else know of a good smear proof face paint?  I know my boys would look much better as green army men with green face paint but in the past face paint has always rubbed off onto hands which then gets on everything.  I'd rather just skip it than deal with that.


----------



## Kilala

laura&fam said:


> Does Kilala or anyone else know of a good smear proof face paint?  I know my boys would look much better as green army men with green face paint but in the past face paint has always rubbed off onto hands which then gets on everything.  I'd rather just skip it than deal with that.



There really it not any smear proof face paint. I use ben Nye's final seal. It's a sealer that will make it so the makeup won't smear. For the Makeup I use is Ben Nye's Magic color. It's water based. I also use thier cream base for the white. I hope that helps.


----------



## Sherry E

1.  Planters' Harvest Medley is out, as is Archer Farms Caramel Apple Cashew Trail Mix -- *HERE*;


2.  I was stunned and amazed to see (in another Dateline Disneyland piece, on MiceAge) that a few Halloween decorations actually made their way to the entrance of Toontown!  See photos *HERE*.  It's not much -- some brightly colored bunting and some small Mickey pumpkins -- but it's a start!!  For years I have thought that Toontown should at least be partially decorated for Halloween, because half of the town is a neighborhood -- and neighborhoods have houses with pumpkins on the doorsteps or in windows, or wherever.  The houses don't appear to be decorated, but it is a start, as I said.

So, this makes me wonder if, indeed, there might be a treat trail and characters in Toontown again this year after all (before the MHP begins)??; and


3.  Looking at the menu from the Halloween Carnival, it appears that the fried apple burrito is missing.  I had heard and read nothing but good things about that treat last year, and it lasted all through the holidays and beyond, so I'm not sure why it would be gone now.  Hopefully, the burrito will appear as we get further into Halloween Time.   

​


----------



## figment_jii

Sherry E said:


> 2.  I was stunned and amazed to see (in another Dateline Disneyland piece, on MiceAge) that a few Halloween decorations actually made their way to the entrance of Toontown!  See photos *HERE*.  It's not much -- some brightly colored bunting and some small Mickey pumpkins -- but it's a start!!  For years I have thought that Toontown should at least be partially decorated for Halloween, because half of the town is a neighborhood -- and neighborhoods have houses with pumpkins on the doorsteps or in windows, or wherever.  The houses don't appear to be decorated, but it is a start, as I said.


The bunting on the gazebo inside Toontown is interesting!  I don't recall seeing the bunting out there last year, so it'll be interesting to see anything else appears or whether they do anything with Tontown during MHP.

After thinking about it a little more, I think whatever they do would be limited to either pre-party hours or at the start of the party only because they still have to close Toontown for fireworks.  I do recall a treat trail up by the entrance to Toontown (before you go down the ramp and under bridge), so they might have that one again this year.


----------



## Amilo

figment_jii said:
			
		

> The bunting on the gazebo inside Toontown is interesting!  I don't recall seeing the bunting out there last year, so it'll be interesting to see anything else appears or whether they do anything with Tontown during MHP.



Hmmmm... this makes me think Toontown might be included somehow. I'll see in three weeks


----------



## laura&fam

Kilala said:


> There really it not any smear proof face paint. I use ben Nye's final seal. It's a sealer that will make it so the makeup won't smear. For the Makeup I use is Ben Nye's Magic color. It's water based. I also use thier cream base for the white. I hope that helps.



Thanks. I think I'll just live with a less impressive costume.  It's sounding a little too involved with the makeup, sealer, and then remover.  We'll be pressed for time at Legoland for the brick or treat and I'm lazy and don't want to do that at MHP either


----------



## perlster

Maleficent was present in the Conjure Up a Villain tent on Saturday.


----------



## Kilala

laura&fam said:


> Thanks. I think I'll just live with a less impressive costume.  It's sounding a little too involved with the makeup, sealer, and then remover.  We'll be pressed for time at Legoland for the brick or treat and I'm lazy and don't want to do that at MHP either



I don't blame you. I won't dress up in full costume on the 30th of September if it's really hot like last weekend. I will call Disneyland on Wednesday to see if Toon Town is open during MHP.


----------



## Sherry E

figment_jii said:


> The bunting on the gazebo inside Toontown is interesting!  I don't recall seeing the bunting out there last year, so it'll be interesting to see anything else appears or whether they do anything with Tontown during MHP.
> 
> *After thinking about it a little more, I think whatever they do would be limited to either pre-party hours or at the start of the party only because they still have to close Toontown for fireworks.  I do recall a treat trail up by the entrance to Toontown (before you go down the ramp and under bridge), so they might have that one again this year*.



Yep.  That's why I said "So, this makes me wonder if, indeed, there might be a treat trail and characters in Toontown again this year after all (before the MHP begins)??" in my post above.   I knew that Toontown had to close for fireworks, so I was thinking along the lines of the pre-party happening again -- before the actual MHP officially begins.  

When I saw the bunting on the gazebo I thought it seemed like a good place for a character photo spot...especially since Duffy was booted out of his photo spot/pumpkin patch in DCA!


----------



## figment_jii

...I was thinking of the treat trail that was outside of Toontown during the parties last year.  It was along the pathway that goes up to Troubadour Tavern. You can see the train station from it, so the decor is great for that one.  Not that there is necessarily any correlation between Halloween decor during the day and treat trail locations during MHP.  

It'll be interesting to see if anything happens with Toontown pre-party.

(Comment: I know you know about Toontown having to close for fireworks, but others may not be as familiar with that.  I could have added the updated thoughts as a new post, but I was trying to save space on the thread because you've mentioned saving space in the past, so I just added the updated thoughts as an edit to the original post.  I did not mean it to sound like you didn't know about the limited hours in Toontown.)


----------



## 2tinkerbell

I think the Toontown Pre-party is Disney's best kept secret.  Sort of like a certain upcoming trip


----------



## ldymcbth

If we conjure Maleficent during our DLR trip I will FALL OUT. That would be amazing!


----------



## Sherry E

Conjuring Maleficent (who DIS'er *bearette* saw on Saturday) would actually be much more interesting and worth standing in line for than Cruella or some of the other Villains who may or may not appear in the Conjure tent.

It sounds like there is a Sally Coffin Cake at the French Market in Disneyland -- according to the Disney Debit (Visa) email I got, which says _"...Then, grab a bite to eat at the French Market with your Cardmember savings of 10%  to pick up a Sally Coffin Cake..."_

I am not sure if the Sally Coffin Cake was available last year?  Maybe it was and I missed it.  I know that in the past there has been a Jack Skellington Coffin Dessert/cake at the French Market, and even a different type of coffin dessert at Rancho del Zocalo.  Maybe both the Jack and Sally versions are being sold this year, or perhaps just Sally?  In any case, it's there.

The other "Fall news" tidbit I thought was interesting was the fact that pumpkin spice ice cream and pumpkin spice macaron ice cream sandwiches are being sold at L'Artisan des Glaces in Epcot/WDW. This sounds like a fairly new development.

As I mentioned to *lorijohnhill* the other day, Dreyer's/Edy's makes a Pumpkin Patch ice cream (which is available in stores right now), and Dreyer's is usually the primary brand of ice cream available at Disneyland Resort.  It's not Pumpkin Spice, but it's still pumpkin-flavored.

However, to my knowledge, pumpkin ice cream has not been available at DLR in previous years.  Peppermint ice cream for the holiday season, yes, but not pumpkin for Halloween Time.  So I wonder if DLR will start ordering the pumpkin ice cream -- or if it is already there, lurking in some unexpected place right now -- for Halloween Time?  Last year was such a fiasco as far as where, when and if the peppermint ice cream was available at DLR due to some "tub size" issues, that I wonder if Dreyer's would provide the right "tub size" for the pumpkin ice cream.

I think that if there is no pumpkin ice cream available at any of the actual ice cream shops at DLR, one place to look for it might be at the Big Thunder Ranch BBQ in DL, or maybe even the Blue Bayou (both of which had the peppermint ice cream last year).


ETA:  I finally, finally saw my second Halloween commercial (I say that as if it is October 30th and I haven't see any Halloween ads, when really it is only September 15th!).  The first one was the Frankenstein ad for Twizzlers, last week, and the one today was the trick-or-treat commercial for Kit Kat.  I have not yet seen the Horseless Headsman ad -- which is one of my favorites -- nor have I seen any commercials for Halloween Time at Disneyland Resort! 

​


----------



## CassieF

Maleficent was around on Saturday, splitting tent time with the Queen.  Friday it was Cruella and the Queen, although I did see a picture of Hook as well on Instagram...?  

Maleficent did get a nose/chin job this year, same as the pics that were showing up from WDW




She was quite the character!


----------



## Sherry E

*Cassie -- *Thank you so much for sharing those awesome pictures with us!  Your little niece is so cute!

I love seeing Maleficent because she is not commonly seen at DLR.  I think the fact that the movie came out really helped.  Otherwise, I don't know if she would be Conjured this year.  She was supposed to have been part of the Conjure tent last year, but I don't think anyone ever Conjured her!

​

I forgot to mention earlier...

DIS'er *Vintage Mouseketeer* shared some photos of this year's Haunted Mansion Holiday (she visited DLR in the last few days) in my Disneyland at Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread -- *HERE*.  (We had a New Orleans Square/Haunted Mansion Holiday theme week last week, so the new 2014 photos fit that theme!)


Also... 

There is a fun hidden Mickey in HMH (there are probably several, but one that I know of for sure), but I don't think it is in the ride during Halloween Time.  If the past is any indication, I don't think that the extra hidden Mickey on the ballroom/dining room floor appears until the holiday season officially commences -- or at least, not until later in the Halloween Time season.

Still, just in case... when you get to the scene with the gingerbread house on the table, look on the floor, towards the right side of the room.  Somewhere in that general area -- although it moves around -- there is a Mickey shape that used to represent a snowdrift near a window/door, but then it appeared to be a smaller Mickey cut-out of cotton fluff under a Christmas tree.  At times it has looked more like a white, puffy bathroom rug than a snowdrift.  Again, I don't think it is there during Halloween Time -- or not this early, in any case -- but it can't hurt to look for it just in case!

You can see what the hidden Mickey looked like -- and where it was in Haunted Mansion Holiday -- in December 2013, in DIS'er *Janet/mom2rtk's* TR.   The hidden Mickey is in one of the photos in *THIS POST*.  Can you see it?


​


----------



## figment_jii

Along with the seasonal Hidden Mickey, don't forget to look for the Monkey Bride(s) hidden in HMH!  I wonder where it will be this year...


----------



## Sherry E

figment_jii said:


> Along with the seasonal Hidden Mickey, don't forget to look for the Monkey Bride(s) hidden in HMH!  I wonder where it will be this year...



Yes, indeed!  We talked about her in the Halloween Time podcast for DIS Unplugged last year, and I recall that one of the Superthread followers didn't understand something that Mary Jo said while we were on the subject of HMH and the Bride, and thought it was something non-Disney friendly!
The Monkey Bride supposedly moves around, though I noticed that she was on the same side of the vehicle both times I saw her.  That was probably a coincidence, though.  She is much harder to spot than the seasonal Hidden Mickey.


----------



## figment_jii

Does she moves around during the season or from year-to-year?  I think she was in the same spot during both my Halloween and Christmas trip last year, but I'm not 100% sure.  There were two of them last year, right?  In truth, I hadn't heard of her until last year, but it was kind of fun to look for her.  She is _kinda_ creepy, though...


----------



## CassieF

Sherry E said:


> *Cassie -- *Thank you so much for sharing those awesome pictures with us!  Your little niece is so cute!
> 
> I love seeing Maleficent because she is not commonly seen at DLR.  I think the fact that the movie came out really helped.  Otherwise, I don't know if she would be Conjured this year.  She was supposed to have been part of the Conjure tent last year, but I don't think anyone ever Conjured her!
> 
> ​



Thanks...I think she's super cute too!  

It was so fun to see her...we only saw her once before, at the AP sleeping beauty party but it was a super quick snapped picture, and she was much younger.  This time we got such great interaction, especially with 4 visits that day.  The first was cute, she had her dragon and stuffed Maleficent, wearing black and green.  The second we transformed her into Aurora with the help of her stuffed fairies.  The faces Maleficent made were so perfect!  

The second two visits were the last two sets of the night, tend the very last one was super fun, with a friend of a friend in line in front of us...great interactions!  Maleficent should be around more this year than last, I think.


----------



## ldymcbth

FYI, our Walgreens have already put out Disney Halloween items, such as a spinning light-up Mickey head light for kids to carry while ToTing, and ToT plastic pails with cool light-up handles - ours had a Mickey and Friends version, a Spiderman version, and a Princesses version.

There were also quite a few Jack Skellington items, including a large plush pillow, notepads and pens, and socks.


----------



## DisneyJamieCA

I was in Kohl's yesterday and they had both their Halloween & Christmas stuff up! I love seeing the holiday stuff out, even if our temps here don't reflect it yet.


----------



## Kilala

I finally here the Halloweentime comercial on KLOS on my way home from work!! The only other Halloween Comercials I have seen on TV are Jolly Ranchers and Party City ones.


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## rosanab1031

I get to go on the 26th! WOOHOO! I got the day off! Didn't think it was going to happen but it did! Hopefully there is no crazy wind and I can see the fireworks this year


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## Sherry E

*Bret/mvf-m11c *-- who, I think, will eventually come back to this thread and post -- shared some Halloween Time photos in his trip report (I think he took them yesterday, 9/14) -- *HERE*.  I love the "Hear Haunted Hillbillies" reference on the Carnival banner/sign (10th picture down, I think) -- when Billy Hill and the Haunted Hillbillies are gone!



figment_jii said:


> Does she moves around during the season or from year-to-year?  I think she was in the same spot during both my Halloween and Christmas trip last year, but I'm not 100% sure.  There were two of them last year, right?  In truth, I hadn't heard of her until last year, but it was kind of fun to look for her.  She is _kinda_ creepy, though...



*figment_jii --*

Good questions, and I don't know the answers!  I had barely even paid attention to the Monkey Bride talk prior to a couple of years ago -- I always read references to "Monkey Bride _this_" and "Monkey Bride _that_," and prior to maybe 2012, I don't think I knew or cared what it meant!  Finally, I actually decided to pay attention and look for the Bride, and then once I found her I decide to look again on another ride through the Mansion.

So I have no clue if she moves around based on seasons, or maybe all throughout the year, or once per year.  I don't even know if she stays in the same general vicinity or moves to totally different spots.  All I know is that she supposedly moves, and I guess -- now that I think of it -- she was in a different spot the last time I saw her.

By the way -- remember, a while back, you were saying that you wondered if Disney maybe claimed the Halloween Time Facebook page (which was useless) to take ownership of the name and page so that no one else (an unofficial Disney source) could claim it?

I think you might be on to something with that theory.  

The Halloween Time Facebook page is no more, as it was merged into the main Disneyland Facebook page as of 9/13 (as was the Holidays page).  

But... I noticed an unofficial page on Facebook a couple of weeks ago -- I think it was simply called "Disney Halloween" or something like that -- which featured any and all photos of anything Disney/Halloween, whether it was a photo of décor from one of the parks, or a still shot from an animated piece, or just artwork depicting Disney characters with pumpkins or other Halloween symbols.  It appeared to be run by a fan who just wanted to create a place to round up any photos of Disney-Halloween things she found online.

And, suspiciously, as soon as I noticed that the official Halloween Time page was gone, I also noticed that the unofficial Disney Halloween fan page was gone!  I don't know if it was temporarily suspended, or maybe Facebook is making the person change the name of the page, or maybe Disney made Facebook take that page down, but whatever the case, the "Disney Halloween" fan page did not exist the last time I looked for it (this morning), and the timing was suspicious.


----------



## mvf-m11c

Hi Sherry,

Just resting in my room after the parks were open till 8pm tonight. Here is my experience at the DLR during the Halloween season. 

Most of the decorations at MS are the same over time during the past season. But some of the buildings on MS are tarp up for refurbishment It is nice to see the pumpkins outside or inside the windows of MS. 








The giant Mickey pumpkin at MS Town Square.




Dia de Los Muertos and Ray Bradbury tree are the same like every other year.








The Haunted Mansion Holiday was well decorated and the gingerbread house in the dining room was very interesting where the door opens and you see the gingerbread man.
















Can't forget about the Halloween Carnival at Big Thunder Ranch. This years HC looks a lot better decorated during the halloween season from last year in my opinion with Pirates League added to the HC along with Conjure a Villain. 








Can't forget about the pumpkin carvers station












One of the CM carvers was working on the Hatbox Ghost




Elvis Stitch




Groot




Scar




We got to go inside Conjure a Villain tent that morning.








Got to see the Evil Queen




The "Hear Haunted Hillbillies" was on the banner outside of Big Thunder Ranch but it wasn't on the schedule for Monday. What was playing that day was Halloween Magic and Mickey's Mask-Arade a new magic show that is on the main stage at the Festival Arena.

We didn't go on Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy but I will get the chance during the October trip.

Overall the park was nicely decorated during Halloween season even though with all the construction going on. 

I wasn't able to get a picture of Halloween decorations at Mickey's Toontown entrance above Mickey's Toontown Depot which had a pumpkin along with some Halloween banners. I saw it when I was riding the DLRR around the park.


Non-Halloween info during our trip. For the Frozen M&G which was doing the new FP system we were able to get FP's for the M&G this morning at 10:40am (when the park opens at 10am) and our return time when we got the FP's that morning was to return at 4:10pm to 4:30pm. Talk about a long wait time until we are able to enter the Frozen M&G that morning.


----------



## Sherry E

On your way home from work, or as you're out running errands, don't forget to stop into a local store and pick up some *Krispy Kreme "Pumpkin Spice Krispy Juniors"* (whatever "Juniors" are...), as well as a carton of *Almond Dream "Pumpkin Spice with Cinnamon Almond Drink."*  Or, perhaps a bag of *Werther's Original "Limited Edition Spiced Caramel Apple Caramel Popcorn"* will suit your tastes a bit more.  (All of the aforementioned items can be seen -- *HERE*.)

Pumpkin Pandemonium, Candy Corn Confusion and Caramel Apple Chaos continue on!!!  

In fact, the vast number of Pumpkin Spice products (which seems to be increasing by the day, even as early signs of peppermint and cranberry begin to sneak in for the Holidays) has apparently annoyed Bravo personality Andy Cohen, who hosts the late-night TV show, _Watch What Happens Live_.  Imagine my surprise when Andy went on a pumpkin spice rant on WWHL last night!  He is fed up with it, as apparently the streets and stores of New York are currently filled with all things pumpkin spice.

​




mvf-m11c said:


> Hi Sherry,
> 
> Just resting in my room after the parks were open till 8pm tonight. Here is my experience at the DLR during the Halloween season.
> 
> Most of the decorations at MS are the same over time during the past season. But some of the buildings on MS are tarp up for refurbishment It is nice to see the pumpkins outside or inside the windows of MS.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The giant Mickey pumpkin at MS Town Square.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Dia de Los Muertos and Ray Bradbury tree are the same like every other year.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The Haunted Mansion Holiday was well decorated and the gingerbread house in the dining room was very interesting where the door opens and you see the gingerbread man.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Can't forget about the Halloween Carnival at Big Thunder Ranch. This years HC looks a lot better decorated during the halloween season from last year in my opinion with Pirates League added to the HC along with Conjure a Villain.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Can't forget about the pumpkin carvers station
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> One of the CM carvers was working on the Hatbox Ghost
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Elvis Stitch
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Groot
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Scar
> 
> 
> 
> 
> We got to go inside Conjure a Villain tent that morning.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Got to see the Evil Queen
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The "Hear Haunted Hillbillies" was on the banner outside of Big Thunder Ranch but it wasn't on the schedule for Monday. What was playing that day was Halloween Magic and Mickey's Mask-Arade a new magic show that is on the main stage at the Festival Arena.
> 
> We didn't go on Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy but I will get the chance during the October trip.
> 
> Overall the park was nicely decorated during Halloween season even though with all the construction going on.
> 
> I wasn't able to get a picture of Halloween decorations at Mickey's Toontown entrance above Mickey's Toontown Depot which had a pumpkin along with some Halloween banners. I saw it when I was riding the DLRR around the park.
> 
> 
> Non-Halloween info during our trip. For the Frozen M&G which was doing the new FP system we were able to get FP's for the M&G this morning at 10:40am (when the park opens at 10am) and our return time when we got the FP's that morning was to return at 4:10pm to 4:30pm. Talk about a long wait time until we are able to enter the Frozen M&G that morning.




*Bret --*

Thank you so much for taking the time (in the middle of your DLR trip) to come here and share your photos and a recap of what's new or exactly the same this year!  I really appreciate it, as I'm sure many folks do!  

I like this year's gingerbread house in HMH, but I think I prefer last year's house.

I think that the "Hear Haunted Hillbillies" was on that banner last year, and Disney didn't get a new banner made to reflect the fact that Billy Hill and the Haunted Hillbillies are no longer at DLR!

I love the carved pumpkins at the Carnival but, as one of the carvers told me last year, the heat is not a good thing for the pumpkins because they rot faster.  If it's dry heat as opposed to humidity, it's even worse.  This weather is not doing any favors for the carved pumpkins, I would guess!

Wow!  That's a long time to wait to get into the _Frozen_ M&G!  Yikes!  I wonder if that system is going to stay in place for the holidays too.


​


----------



## 2tinkerbell

Another question for my Halloween experts.  

I mentioned that my Supervisor is coming to DLR during Utah Escapes to Anaheim (October 16th - 19th).  He has 2 children and has tickets for MHP on the 17th.  He was wondering about getting his children costumes in DL and having them get dressed up there in DL.  I don't believe that they will have regular tickets that day - maybe just the party tickets.  So, is this even a possibility?  Where would they opt to do that?  

TIA!  He wanted the 411 beforehand so not to disappoint his children (son in 1st grade and daughter is younger than that)


----------



## MadMim

Tickets, BOUGHT!  

So last year I was dying to see this lighted dragon (between Fantasyland/Frontierland?), but never got a chance.  Id really love to see it this year.  Am I right on the location?  

IM SO EXCITED!!!!!


----------



## figment_jii

2tinkerbell said:


> Another question for my Halloween experts.
> 
> I mentioned that my Supervisor is coming to DLR during Utah Escapes to Anaheim (October 16th - 19th).  He has 2 children and has tickets for MHP on the 17th.  He was wondering about getting his children costumes in DL and having them get dressed up there in DL.  I don't believe that they will have regular tickets that day - maybe just the party tickets.  So, is this even a possibility?  Where would they opt to do that?
> 
> TIA!  He wanted the 411 beforehand so not to disappoint his children (son in 1st grade and daughter is younger than that)


I would expect that they'll still be selling some of the costumes (mainly Princesses) at that point.  Most all of the big stores (WoD, Emporium, BBB, Elias & Co) will probably carry multiple styles.  For the son, I don't know how much they'll have...there never seems to be as many costumes for boys as there are for girls in the parks.  Children ages 9 and under are allowed to wear costumes in the park during normal operating hours.  If he buys something at the parks, they can always change in the bathroom.  Alternatively, you might recommend he look at the DisneyStore.com and buy the costumes from them so that he'll have the costumes in hand (right style, right size, etc.).



MadMim said:


> TSo last year I was dying to see this lighted dragon (between Fantasyland/Frontierland?), but never got a chance.  Id really love to see it this year.  Am I right on the location?


Lighted dragon?  Do you have a photo or somewhere with a photo?  I don't recall seeing a lighted dragon last year.


----------



## briggscreek

Well, hopefully we'll be leaving this weekend. Our son is still sick, but so far no symptoms for me or DD, although he did sneeze right in her face on Sunday!  

We have 5-day parkhoppers and tickets to the MHP on Friday. I can't decide whether to go to the parks starting late Sunday afternoon and just use the party ticket on Friday, or go Mon - Fri. We won't be able to get in until 4:00 with the party ticket, right?


----------



## figment_jii

briggscreek said:


> Well, hopefully we'll be leaving this weekend. Our son is still sick, but so far no symptoms for me or DD, although he did sneeze right in her face on Sunday!
> 
> We have 5-day parkhoppers and tickets to the MHP on Friday. I can't decide whether to go to the parks starting late Sunday afternoon and just use the party ticket on Friday, or go Mon - Fri. We won't be able to get in until 4:00 with the party ticket, right?


Yup...the party on Friday starts at 7:00 pm, so MHP tickets will be valid for entry into DL starting at 4:00 pm.  There will be long(ish) line of guests waiting to get into the park at 4:00 pm using their MHP ticket, but I would hope that the line will move fairly quickly.


----------



## Sherry E

briggscreek said:


> Well, hopefully we'll be leaving this weekend. Our son is still sick, but so far no symptoms for me or DD, although he did sneeze right in her face on Sunday!
> 
> We have 5-day parkhoppers and tickets to the MHP on Friday. I can't decide whether to go to the parks starting late Sunday afternoon and just use the party ticket on Friday, or go Mon - Fri. We won't be able to get in until 4:00 with the party ticket, right?



*briggscreek --*

Well, sneezing in her face was definitely not a good thing.  If that happened just 2 days ago, it is possible your DD could still begin to get sick.  In another couple of days, if she hasn't gotten ill then she is probably off the hook.  Maybe your son was out of the highly contagious stage when he sneezed, although sneezing in someone's face is never a good thing!   Being at Disneyland when feeling ill is no fun at all -- it's very hard to have a good time -- so I am crossing my fingers for you in hopes that your son gets better and no one else in your family gets sick!

Correct -- you will not be able to get into a Friday MHP until 4 p.m.


----------



## briggscreek

Sherry E said:


> *briggscreek --*
> 
> Well, sneezing in her face was definitely not a good thing.  If that happened just 2 days ago, it is possible your DD could still begin to get sick.  In another couple of days, if she hasn't gotten ill then she is probably off the hook.  Maybe your son was out of the highly contagious stage when he sneezed, although sneezing in someone's face is never a good thing!   Being at Disneyland when feeling ill is no fun at all -- it's very hard to have a good time -- so I am crossing my fingers for you in hopes that your son gets better and no one else in your family gets sick!
> 
> Correct -- you will not be able to get into a Friday MHP until 4 p.m.



Ugh, I know - I couldn't believe it, we had just talked about covering his face, using tissue, etc. I was not happy! I've been loading dd up with immune boosters so hopefully she'll be ok. And it seems like a mild cold so I'm sure he'll be fi e by then. I did buy trip insurance though, and we won't go if anyone is sick. We had a horrible experience a few years ago when dd got sick the night we arrived! It traumatized me and I'm always paranoid that it will happen again.


----------



## starshine514

I just wanted to say hi  over here on this thread. We just bought tickets for the Sept 30 party today. We'll be in San Diego that week and are just going to drive up for the party. Just realized that this was a possibility this morning and within a couple hours of that realization had bought tickets. I think I'm more excited than my girls are!  

I actually have a weird question. Since I bought the tickets so late, they told me I'll need to pick them up at the ticket booth. I hear that there is a ticket booth at the Toy Story lot (where we'll be parking), can I pick up the party tickets there?


----------



## elamarca

Only two weeks from Friday until we're at DLR for our first MHP! Now if only this weather would cooperate. 100 degrees when we're supposed to be celebrating Halloween is just not right! Yuck.


----------



## Kilala

starshine514 said:


> I just wanted to say hi  over here on this thread. We just bought tickets for the Sept 30 party today. We'll be in San Diego that week and are just going to drive up for the party. Just realized that this was a possibility this morning and within a couple hours of that realization had bought tickets. I think I'm more excited than my girls are!
> 
> I actually have a weird question. Since I bought the tickets so late, they told me I'll need to pick them up at the ticket booth. I hear that there is a ticket booth at the Toy Story lot (where we'll be parking), can I pick up the party tickets there?


I don't think they have any booths in the parking lots. There is a will call ticket booth.


----------



## Sherry E

briggscreek said:


> Ugh, I know - I couldn't believe it, we had just talked about covering his face, using tissue, etc. I was not happy! I've been loading dd up with immune boosters so hopefully she'll be ok. And it seems like a mild cold so I'm sure he'll be fi e by then. I did buy trip insurance though, and we won't go if anyone is sick. We had a horrible experience a few years ago when dd got sick the night we arrived! It traumatized me and I'm always paranoid that it will happen again.



*briggscreek --*

Well, at least the insurance is in place, so that is something.  

I am always amazed at the people who manage to make it through trips to DL when someone in their party gets sick.  It really is such a difficult thing to deal with because you just can't enjoy yourself fully when not feeling well.  

I am lucky to have not gotten ill in the middle of more than a couple of trips over the years (after I got home from many trips, however, that was a different story), but the last time I did, just recognizing those early signs of being ill while in the parks was so discouraging for me.  I tried to fight it off but I ended up resting in the hotel room and wasting most of my last full day.  And that illness turned into a 2-month ordeal for me, so I know what you mean when you say you are paranoid it will happen again!  I am so paranoid to even be in the vicinity of anyone I know who is sick!





starshine514 said:


> I just wanted to say hi  over here on this thread. We just bought tickets for the Sept 30 party today. We'll be in San Diego that week and are just going to drive up for the party. Just realized that this was a possibility this morning and within a couple hours of that realization had bought tickets. I think I'm more excited than my girls are!
> 
> I actually have a weird question. Since I bought the tickets so late, they told me I'll need to pick them up at the ticket booth. I hear that there is a ticket booth at the Toy Story lot (where we'll be parking), can I pick up the party tickets there?



*starshine514 --*

   Hello and welcome!

I could be totally and completely wrong, but I would have assumed the tickets have to be picked up at the main ticket booths near the parks, unless you were directed to go to a specific, separate will call window or something.  

However, if the booth in the TS lot (which I have not heard of) is a full-service ticket booth with all of the trappings of the other booths, and if they have a computer system in place (to pull up your order), I can't see why the TS booth wouldn't work.

Let us know what happens with that -- I will be curious to know if the TS lot booth is a viable option for the future!





elamarca said:


> Only two weeks from Friday until we're at DLR for our first MHP! Now if only this weather would cooperate. 100 degrees when we're supposed to be celebrating Halloween is just not right! Yuck.



*elamarca --*

You are not kidding!  I hate hate hate this heat.  I don't even like this heat in the peak of summer, let alone close to autumn.  I want Fall-like weather!  It's been too hot for the last several days, and being at DLR in heat like this is not fun.  Being at the MHP, in costume, in this heat would be horrible!





Kilala said:


> I don't think they have any booths in the parking lots. There is a will call ticket booth.



*Kilala --*

I didn't think I had heard of a booth anywhere outside of the main ticket booth area, but I assumed I had just not seen it (because when I am at DLR I am usually not in the Toy Story lot)!  Maybe there is one??


----------



## francileb

Hi everyone! 

I've been lurking on this thread for a while now, and finally decided to pop my head up because I need some expert advice  

We're visiting the last week of October.  We'll have 5 day hoppers and do most of our park days during the week--but in order to see Fantasmic and/or fireworks, we'll need to visit DL either Saturday 10/26 or Sunday 10/27.  I'm going back and forth between the two days, and which one would be better (less crowded).  My first instinct is Sunday would be less busy, especially at night, because locals would have work/school the next day.  Then I think perhaps Saturday would be less busy because the SoCal Select APs are blocked that day.

Anyone with insight please help!!

Thanks


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## ClosetDisneyJunkie

elamarca said:


> Only two weeks from Friday until we're at DLR for our first MHP! Now if only this weather would cooperate. 100 degrees when we're supposed to be celebrating Halloween is just not right! Yuck.



Us too!  And yeah I've been watching the extended extended weather reports with trepidation.  It's still far enough out it's hard to know anything with anything close to certainty, but right now it looks pretty toasty.


----------



## Sherry E

francileb said:


> Hi everyone!
> 
> I've been lurking on this thread for a while now, and finally decided to pop my head up because I need some expert advice
> 
> We're visiting the last week of October.  We'll have 5 day hoppers and do most of our park days during the week--but in order to see Fantasmic and/or fireworks, we'll need to visit DL either Saturday 10/26 or Sunday 10/27.  I'm going back and forth between the two days, and which one would be better (less crowded).  My first instinct is Sunday would be less busy, especially at night, because locals would have work/school the next day.  Then I think perhaps Saturday would be less busy because the SoCal Select APs are blocked that day.
> 
> Anyone with insight please help!!
> 
> Thanks




*francileb --*

Welcome!  I'm glad you joined us!

Well, this is a tough call.  Hopefully others will speak up as well, but when I think it through I have a feeling that most people would suggest going on Saturday because of the SoCal APs being blocked.  

However, your point about the locals (and some non-locals too) having to go to work or school the next day and possibly leaving before nighttime is a good one as well.  There would probably be a good number of people leaving before nighttime.

My own choice (if I were going over your dates) likely would have been Sunday, but I keep thinking that others will say to go on Saturday.


----------



## starshine514

Kilala said:


> I don't think they have any booths in the parking lots. There is a will call ticket booth.



That might be what I would need. Thanks!






Sherry E said:


> *starshine514 --*
> 
> Hello and welcome!
> 
> I could be totally and completely wrong, but I would have assumed the tickets have to be picked up at the main ticket booths near the parks, unless you were directed to go to a specific, separate will call window or something.
> 
> However, if the booth in the TS lot (which I have not heard of) is a full-service ticket booth with all of the trappings of the other booths, and if they have a computer system in place (to pull up your order), I can't see why the TS booth wouldn't work.
> 
> Let us know what happens with that -- I will be curious to know if the TS lot booth is a viable option for the future!



I'll report back what I find.


----------



## ClosetDisneyJunkie

I'm not sure about the MHP ticket question, but here's a thread on the Toy Story booth that's pretty recent.  it sounds like it's relatively full service but may have some limitations (can't renew a premiere AP, at least)

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3302108


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## Sherry E

*New Disney Parks Blog:*

*"Whats This? Disneyland Resort Entertainment Team Shares Top Pics for Haunted Mansion Holiday" - Disney Parks Blog; posted on September 16th, 2014 by Shannon Swanson, Public Relations Manager, Disneyland Resort*


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## Jennafoo

On HMH, I'm probably going to get myself into trouble, but...

Am I the only one who thinks the "iron maiden" with an impaled zombie is a bit...MUCH for Disney? HMH strikes me as fun scary, not gory scary.


----------



## Sherry E

Jennafoo said:


> On HMH, I'm probably going to get myself into trouble, but...
> 
> Am I the only one who thinks the "iron maiden" with an impaled zombie is a bit...MUCH for Disney? HMH strikes me as fun scary, not gory scary.



You're not the only one, *Jennafoo*!

When I first heard that was what was happening with HMH this year, I have to admit that I, too, thought it was a bit...um..._dark_, I suppose.  It doesn't seem like a concept Disney would go for -- even though it's done with a lot of whimsy and fun (and gingerbread)!


----------



## pudinhd

Sherry E said:


> You're not the only one, *Jennafoo*!
> 
> When I first heard that was what was happening with HMH this year, I have to admit that I, too, thought it was a bit...um..._dark_, I suppose.  It doesn't seem like a concept Disney would go for -- even though it's done with a lot of whimsy and fun (and gingerbread)!



I agree that it sounded over the top for Disney, however, I don't think the pictures or video makes it look at bad...  I think it looks more like candy corn.


----------



## Sherry E

I had to finally go to YouTube to see this year's Disneyland Halloween Time TV commercial, as I had not yet seen it on TV (not even on ABC)!  Now that I have seen it I realize that it looks almost identical to last year's TV ad (and the one from 2012), but I was beginning to wonder why I hadn't seen it anywhere.

​


pudinhd said:


> I agree that it sounded over the top for Disney, however, I don't think the pictures or video makes it look at bad...  I think it looks more like candy corn.



*pudinhd --*

The spikes are probably made with some sort of candy!


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## Jennafoo

Sherry E said:


> [SIZE="3"
> The spikes are probably made with some sort of candy!



Spikes look like pulled sugar to me.


----------



## perlster

I have deduced that the _Toontown _pre-party will take place again this year.   I didn't get any information from an insider.  I didn't find some official announcement in an obscure place.  I did see some data Disney officially published, and logically extrapolated from it, that the party will take place.

Care to guess exactly what I saw?


----------



## mikana876

Jennafoo said:


> On HMH, I'm probably going to get myself into trouble, but...
> 
> Am I the only one who thinks the "iron maiden" with an impaled zombie is a bit...MUCH for Disney? HMH strikes me as fun scary, not gory scary.



You're definitely not the only one! I agree with you. I had the same thoughts when I first saw the iron maiden gingerbread man, but since this will be my first time seeing HMH, I wasn't sure if that was typical. But then again I also thought Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy's ghosts weren't Disney's style either.


----------



## MadMim

> Lighted dragon?  Do you have a photo or somewhere with a photo?  I don't recall seeing a lighted dragon last year.



Heres a short video.  Im thinking I read it was by the restrooms where Fantasyland meets Frontierland, but I could really use some confirmation.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQbQdFQ4tQg


----------



## briggscreek

Well, DS feels better today and DD is still not showing any symptoms, so I'm hopeful we'll be good to go! We decided to drive to Santa Nella on Saturday and drive the rest of the way on Sunday. This way we can go to the parks on Sun-Thurs and do the Halloween party on Friday. We've never gone longer than 4 days at a time, so I hope we don't get sick of being there for almost 6 whole days! We're always running around in such a hurry that I think it'll be nice to slow down and relax a bit.


----------



## Sherry E

perlster said:


> I have deduced that the _Toontown _pre-party will take place again this year.   I didn't get any information from an insider.  I didn't find some official announcement in an obscure place.  I did see some data Disney officially published, and logically extrapolated from it, that the party will take place.
> 
> Care to guess exactly what I saw?



Do tell!

The orange bunting on the gazebo in Toontown, the Mickey pumpkin heads and more bunting at the entrance to Toontown were what made me think there might be a pre-party this year, but that was all I saw to lead me in that direction.


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## DisneyJamieCA

MadMim said:


> Heres a short video.  Im thinking I read it was by the restrooms where Fantasyland meets Frontierland, but I could really use some confirmation.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQbQdFQ4tQg



That says Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party which is WDW, not DL. I've only done one Halloween party, so I am not an expert, but I don't think this is in DL at all.


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## perlster




----------



## Sherry E

perlster said:


>



Good catch, *perlster*!  

Very smart sleuthing -- and it is in such an obvious place (that I never thought to look in, apparently).  That seems to indicate that something will be happening in Toontown, indeed.


----------



## DisneyJamieCA

I am so excited that the Toontown Pre-Party may be a serious possibility! I think it will be so much fun and such a great start to the party festivities. 

I need to go back and read the first page again, but am I correct that they'll check wristbands to get in to it? And it's one hour before the party starts (or was last year?)


----------



## figment_jii

MadMim said:


> Heres a short video.  Im thinking I read it was by the restrooms where Fantasyland meets Frontierland, but I could really use some confirmation.
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQbQdFQ4tQg





DisneyJamieCA said:


> That says Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party which is WDW, not DL. I've only done one Halloween party, so I am not an expert, but I don't think this is in DL at all.


I agree with _DisneyJamieCA_ that the video was probably from MK's MNSSHP.  Although...Fantasyland and Frontierland don't meet up in MK...Fantasyland has a connector to Liberty Square.  Still, it makes more sense to me that this is something from MK because they had the dragon promo for New Fantasyland and I would have thought if this was at DL, someone would have mentioned it in last year's SuperThread reviews.  Still...more investigation is needed!

Update: I did some more searching and someone else mentioned seeing a dragon peaking out from it's "cave" in Disneyland during MHP.  No photos, so still not really sure where it was or if it will be there again.  The description was pretty clear that it was in FL and wasn't the cave across from Big Thunder.  Anyone remember is any caves are visible from Casey Jr or Storybook Canal?



perlster said:


>


Great find!  Let's hope it means there will be some pre-party Toontown event!



DisneyJamieCA said:


> I am so excited that the Toontown Pre-Party may be a serious possibility! I think it will be so much fun and such a great start to the party festivities.
> 
> I need to go back and read the first page again, but am I correct that they'll check wristbands to get in to it? And it's one hour before the party starts (or was last year?)


Last year was the first year they had the Toontown pre-party event.  They were checking wristbands at the entrance to Toontown and the pre-party started one hour before the party started.


----------



## laura&fam

2tinkerbell said:


> Another question for my Halloween experts.
> 
> I mentioned that my Supervisor is coming to DLR during Utah Escapes to Anaheim (October 16th - 19th).  He has 2 children and has tickets for MHP on the 17th.  He was wondering about getting his children costumes in DL and having them get dressed up there in DL.  I don't believe that they will have regular tickets that day - maybe just the party tickets.  So, is this even a possibility?  Where would they opt to do that?
> 
> TIA!  He wanted the 411 beforehand so not to disappoint his children (son in 1st grade and daughter is younger than that)



If I understand your question correctly you are asking if you could enter the park to go to an appointment at Pirates League before the party enter time without a day ticket.  I don't have any sources to back it up but my guess would be no.  You could purchase a costume as mentioned however a pirates league appointment would most likely only be an option during a time you are allowed by your ticket to be in the park.


----------



## lorijohnhill

perlster said:


>



I don't understand. How does this point to a Toontown party? Not doubting you at all, but I don't get it...


----------



## DisneyJamieCA

lorijohnhill said:
			
		

> I don't understand. How does this point to a Toontown party? Not doubting you at all, but I don't get it...



The parks would normally be open to regular guests until 6 pm that day, which means so would the ride. They are showing the ride closing at 5pm, which would leave the reasonable assumption that Toontown is being closed early for the pre-party/party guests only.


----------



## elamarca

What exactly IS the Toon Town pre-party?


----------



## ClosetDisneyJunkie

elamarca said:


> What exactly IS the Toon Town pre-party?



From the first page of the thread (but it's a ways down, I missed it initially too and had the same question until I did some searching):

22. What is the Toontown Treat Pre-Party?

**Note -- As of today, July 3, 2014, there is no official information to tell us that the Toontown Treat Pre-Party is returning to Mickey's Halloween Party in 2014. The fate of this event remains a mystery for the moment. I will leave the following information in this post until we find out for sure, one way or the other, if the Pre-Party is returning in September 2014.**

In 2013, Disneyland included Toontown in the Halloween festivities by offering the Toontown Treat Pre-Party for guests of MHP. It began one hour before the start of the party (and lasted from either 5:00 pm to 6:00 p.m., or 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.). There were several treat trails set-up within Toontown -- such as in Mickeys House, Minnies House, Donalds Boat, and two in Toontown Square -- for guests to do some early candy collecting. There were also character meet and greets featuring a few rare characters. Guests reported seeing Clarabelle Cow and Roger Rabbit, along with Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto, Donald, and Chip & Dale. Guests were required to have their MHP wristbands to gain entrance into the pre-party.


----------



## perlster

From what was posted last year, the pre-party was stated to be *two* hours in length.  So, to be technical, only half of it is actually "pre".


----------



## Sherry E

*New Parks Blog:*

*"Halloween Time Novelty Items to Materialize at Disneyland Resort" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on September 17th, 2014 by Rachel Brent, Food & Beverage Marketing Communications Coordinator*



Also, *Spotted on Shelves (in random stores around the U.S.)*:

Swiss Miss Caramel Delight Cocoa

Alpine Pumpkin Spiced Cider

Paqui Hatch Chile Harvest Tortilla Chips

Market Pantry Dipped Caramel Apple Chewy Granola Bars

Market Pantry Candy Corn Chewy Granola Bars


​


----------



## briggscreek

Sherry E said:


> *New Parks Blog:*
> 
> *"Halloween Time Novelty Items to Materialize at Disneyland Resort" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on September 17th, 2014 by Rachel Brent, Food & Beverage Marketing Communications Coordinator*



That dragon sipper will be mine!


----------



## 2tinkerbell

I am excited for the Toontown Pre-Party.  Glad that someone finally noticed that it is a possibility.  Thanks!


----------



## Sherry E

briggscreek said:


> That dragon sipper will be mine!



The sipper actually looks much better than I thought it would.  I read about it last week, I think, and I had a different image in my mind of what it would look like...which was not as good as what it turned out to be!  I have a feeling the sippers will be a big hit this year.


----------



## tksbaskets

I'm hoping some of the NBC items are still available in December!


----------



## Jennafoo

I'm digging that dragon sipper too! And I don't consider myself a 'souvenir' girl...


----------



## momof6princesses

[/URL][/IMG]
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




Not the best picture but just finished and wanted to show everyone.  My little's will be excited when they get home!

Sorry its so big, first time posting a picture.


----------



## mvf-m11c

Sherry E said:


> *New Parks Blog:*
> 
> *"Halloween Time Novelty Items to Materialize at Disneyland Resort" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on September 17th, 2014 by Rachel Brent, Food & Beverage Marketing Communications Coordinator*[/CENTER]



Thanks for the link Sherry. 

I saw most of those items at the parks this past trip and all of them were very nice for the Halloween season. I was able to purchase the Mickey Hatbox Ghost popcorn bucket which i didn't get last year. It was interesting to see the Mickey Ghost Popcorn bucket at DCA where I didn't see it at DL. The Maleficent Dragon Sipper looked nice but I didn't buy one. The one that I was surprised that I didn't see during the trip was the Zero popcorn bucket.


----------



## Imdboss

- momof6princesses

The dresses are adorable!!! You'll get some great pics with them dressed so cute.


----------



## lorijohnhill

DisneyJamieCA said:


> The parks would normally be open to regular guests until 6 pm that day, which means so would the ride. They are showing the ride closing at 5pm, which would leave the reasonable assumption that Toontown is being closed early for the pre-party/party guests only.



Ah! Thank you! I knew I was missing something....


----------



## TinkerJR

Sherry E said:


> The sipper actually looks much better than I thought it would.  I read about it last week, I think, and I had a different image in my mind of what it would look like...which was not as good as what it turned out to be!  I have a feeling the sippers will be a big hit this year.



Hopefully the won't sell out before we get there!  It is high on my must-get list, along with the Jack Alex & Ani bracelet.


----------



## WendyTJ

this forum has a lot to answer for

cause I am getting a costume for the Not so scarey party heaven help us 

at least no one will know us


----------



## figment_jii

I'm very curious about the "Novelty" items as well!  The dragon sipper looks interested...it looks like the same one that's being given to guests attending the Villains Soiree in Disney World.  My favorite item in the post is the Zero popcorn bucket, so hopefully they'll have them when I go (and they'll be selling them - not like last year when they weren't selling that Hatbox Ghost one day for one particular reason.).

The Hatbox Ghost popcorn bucket is interesting...it's the same design as last year, but if the photo is of the actual bucket (and not an concept one), the colors have changed.  My Hatbox Mickey from 2013 has blue hair and a dark blue hat (see the photo below):




This year's Hatbox looks like has white/grey hair, hands, shoes, and hat.


----------



## Kilala

Here are some photos of the Butterscotch unitard and wamers. I plan on wearing this costume on the 31st.



















































The rest of the pictures can be found here http://s499.photobucket.com/user/Naruto-Kitten/library/Butterscotch costume?sort=2&page=1


----------



## Kristina4109

I am so happy that the temps will be dipping down this weekend!


----------



## pattyduke34

Just got back and the heat was horrible..,over 100 everyday...Sunday 104!!  Halloween stuff looked amazing...but it was just toooooo hot.  It was like that everyday we were there!


----------



## perlster

https://disneyland.disney.go.com/news/passholder-halloween/

In this special Passholder area, youll get to watch ongoing screenings of Halloween-themed Disney classics and enjoy a tasty treat.
No registration is required. Just present your valid Annual Passport and a Mickey's Halloween Party wristband valid for that days party to the Cadavermake that Cast Memberat the door.

Note: Each member of your party over age 3 must have a valid Annual Passport and a Mickeys Halloween Party wristband for admittance to this Passholder area.

Separate tickets to Mickey Halloween Party are required. Purchase your tickets now.


Location: 
Disneyland Park  the Opera House at Town Square, Main Street, U.S.A.

Dates: 
This Annual Passholder treat station is open on all 14 nights of Mickeys Halloween Party this year:
September 26 and September 30
October 3, 6, 8, 10, 14, 17, 20, 22, 24, 27, 29 and 31 

Time:
Doors open when the party starts (6:00 PM or 7:00 PM depending on the date) and close 1 hour before the party ends.


----------



## figment_jii

That sounds interesting!  The Opera House was used a treat trail location last year, but I don't recall seeing Halloween-classics showing.  It was a great station because it was very conveniently located while waiting for the parade!


----------



## Vala

Someone remind me please... that Sally coffin dessert mentioned in the blog post... that would probably be at French Market, right?

Is there a list of locations for that Maleficent cup somewhere? 

Going alone this year and those announcements have slightly mixed up my scheduled eating plan cause three people have already asked me to bring them a cup as souvenir.


----------



## Sherry E

Vala said:


> Someone remind me please... that Sally coffin dessert mentioned in the blog post... that would probably be at French Market, right?
> 
> Is there a list of locations for that Maleficent cup somewhere?
> 
> Going alone this year and those announcements have slightly mixed up my scheduled eating plan cause three people have already asked me to bring them a cup as souvenir.



*Vala --*

The Sally Coffin Cake is at the French Market, according to my Disney Visa newsletter.

Look under Souvenir Sipper -- *HERE*.


​


----------



## kim3339

I'm going down on the 30th just for the day and party. I figure by the time I get in from the airport and buy my AP, I should be in DL by 9:30. I'm going for the party and pictures, b/c when I was down there last time they didn't come out well. Aside from pics, I really want to stop in the Big Thunder Ranch for the stuff going on there and the pre-party, b/c I did the UE Tour and missed it last time. That should be enough time right?  Outside of Space (FP 1st thing in the morning), rides aren't important; mostly if I have time and b/c I'll be back mid-Nov. 

And I looked at the update pics on the other site and saw there isn't really anything going on in DCA for Halloween so can I just stick to DL or is there some stuff in DCA too?


----------



## DisneyJamieCA

perlster said:


> https://disneyland.disney.go.com/news/passholder-halloween/  In this special Passholder area, you&#146;ll get to watch ongoing screenings of Halloween-themed Disney classics and enjoy a tasty treat. No registration is required. Just present your valid Annual Passport and a Mickey's Halloween Party wristband valid for that day&#146;s party to the Cadaver&#151;make that Cast Member&#151;at the door.  Note: Each member of your party over age 3 must have a valid Annual Passport and a Mickey&#146;s Halloween Party wristband for admittance to this Passholder area.  Separate tickets to Mickey&#146; Halloween Party are required. Purchase your tickets now.  Location: Disneyland Park &#150; the Opera House at Town Square, Main Street, U.S.A.  Dates: This Annual Passholder treat station is open on all 14 nights of Mickey&#146;s Halloween Party this year: September 26 and September 30 October 3, 6, 8, 10, 14, 17, 20, 22, 24, 27, 29 and 31  Time: Doors open when the party starts (6:00 PM or 7:00 PM depending on the date) and close 1 hour before the party ends.



This sounds interesting. My family of 6 has APs, but the people we are traveling with do not, so we'll have to wait and see if there is a gracious way to sneak this treat station in. It's the first AP "event' of any kind, we've actually been there for!


----------



## mvf-m11c

figment_jii said:


> I'm very curious about the "Novelty" items as well!  The dragon sipper looks interested...it looks like the same one that's being given to guests attending the Villains Soiree in Disney World.  My favorite item in the post is the Zero popcorn bucket, so hopefully they'll have them when I go (and they'll be selling them - not like last year when they weren't selling that Hatbox Ghost one day for one particular reason.).
> 
> The Hatbox Ghost popcorn bucket is interesting...it's the same design as last year, but if the photo is of the actual bucket (and not an concept one), the colors have changed.  My Hatbox Mickey from 2013 has blue hair and a dark blue hat (see the photo below):
> 
> 
> 
> 
> This year's Hatbox looks like has white/grey hair, hands, shoes, and hat.



When I picked up the Hatbox Ghost popcorn bucket from my trip, I got the white hat and white hair and then later on at another stand, they had the one with the blue hat and blue hair. That was weird to see two different types at the parks.

The 2014 Hatbox Ghost Popcorn bucket


----------



## Sherry E

kim3339 said:


> I'm going down on the 30th just for the day and party. I figure by the time I get in from the airport and buy my AP, I should be in DL by 9:30. I'm going for the party and pictures, b/c when I was down there last time they didn't come out well. Aside from pics, I really want to stop in the Big Thunder Ranch for the stuff going on there and the pre-party, b/c I did the UE Tour and missed it last time. That should be enough time right?  Outside of Space (FP 1st thing in the morning), rides aren't important; mostly if I have time and b/c I'll be back mid-Nov.
> 
> And I looked at the update pics on the other site and saw there isn't really anything going on in DCA for Halloween so can I just stick to DL or is there some stuff in DCA too?



*kim3339 --*

From all that I have seen, the only things even remotely related to Halloween in DCA this year are the Halloween-ified version of the Mad T Party, the sourdough bread shaped like a pumpkin at the bread cart in Pacific Wharf, and the free samples of pumpkin chocolate given out at Ghirardelli (of course, there is Halloween merchandise in shops too)!

I think you should have enough time for what you plan to do.  The Halloween Carnival (Ranch/Roundup) is a lot of fun, but it won't take all day.  I'd basically do the same sort of thing that you're doing -- pictures, the Carnival and maybe a ride on HMH (instead of SMGG), and then the MHP.

Don't forget to visit the Dia de los Muertos display and the Ray Bradbury Halloween Tree!


----------



## goooof1

I actually DID see the DL Halloween Time ad on TV.  I think it was Monday or Tuesday evening....not sure what network....(ABC, likely).  We just got back, so it was fun seeing the ad after seeing the real thing!


----------



## figment_jii

mvf-m11c said:


> When I picked up the Hatbox Ghost popcorn bucket from my trip, I got the white hat and white hair and then later on at another stand, they had the one with the blue hat and blue hair. That was weird to see two different types at the parks.


Interesting!  Maybe the blue haired/hat ones are leftover from last year.  It'll be interesting to see if those are available throughout the season or if they run out at some point.  I'm hoping they'll have the white haired/hat one when I go (and the Zero bucket!).


----------



## Sherry E

goooof1 said:


> I actually DID see the DL Halloween Time ad on TV.  I think it was Monday or Tuesday evening....not sure what network....(ABC, likely).  We just got back, so it was fun seeing the ad after seeing the real thing!



I still have not seen it on TV, oddly (only on YouTube)!  

I did, however, see the hosts of _The Chew_ talking about the abundance of pumpkin spice products the other day -- everyone seemed to be against the Pumpkin Pandemonium that is currently taking place.  They don't want anything to taste or smell like pumpkin unless it's pumpkin pie.  

Mario Batali was the only one of the 5 hosts who was in favor of the prolific seasonal scents and flavors -- he said he thinks it is a great thing to honor the seasons and put out different products for different times of year, instead of trying to have raspberry and strawberry things all year long.


----------



## LisaT91403

perlster said:


> https://disneyland.disney.go.com/news/passholder-halloween/
> 
> In this special Passholder area, youll get to watch ongoing screenings of Halloween-themed Disney classics and enjoy a tasty treat.
> No registration is required. Just present your valid Annual Passport and a Mickey's Halloween Party wristband valid for that days party to the Cadavermake that Cast Memberat the door.
> 
> Note: Each member of your party over age 3 must have a valid Annual Passport and a Mickeys Halloween Party wristband for admittance to this Passholder area.
> 
> Separate tickets to Mickey Halloween Party are required. Purchase your tickets now.
> 
> 
> Location:
> Disneyland Park  the Opera House at Town Square, Main Street, U.S.A.
> 
> Dates:
> This Annual Passholder treat station is open on all 14 nights of Mickeys Halloween Party this year:
> September 26 and September 30
> October 3, 6, 8, 10, 14, 17, 20, 22, 24, 27, 29 and 31
> 
> Time:
> Doors open when the party starts (6:00 PM or 7:00 PM depending on the date) and close 1 hour before the party ends.



Interesting. I wonder if the treat will be the same as the regular candy being handed out on the treat trails, or if it will be unique.


----------



## Vala

Sherry E said:


> *Vala --*
> 
> The Sally Coffin Cake is at the French Market, according to my Disney Visa newsletter.
> 
> Look under Souvenir Sipper -- *HERE*.
> 
> 
> ​



Thank you Sherry. I forgot about your handy list. Pre-packing panic I guess.


----------



## kim3339

Sherry E said:


> *kim3339 --*
> 
> From all that I have seen, the only things even remotely related to Halloween in DCA this year are the Halloween-ified version of the Mad T Party, the sourdough bread shaped like a pumpkin at the bread cart in Pacific Wharf, and the free samples of pumpkin chocolate given out at Ghirardelli (of course, there is Halloween merchandise in shops too)!
> 
> I think you should have enough time for what you plan to do.  The Halloween Carnival (Ranch/Roundup) is a lot of fun, but it won't take all day.  I'd basically do the same sort of thing that you're doing -- pictures, the Carnival and maybe a ride on HMH (instead of SMGG), and then the MHP.
> 
> Don't forget to visit the Dia de los Muertos display and the Ray Bradbury Halloween Tree!



Thanks Sherry! The tree is one of the big reasons!  The day photos came out well but the night ones of the tree, the Grave Diggers on the raft and images on the buildings on Main Street not so well. Thanks again!


----------



## Imdboss

So I'm pretty sure the answer to my question is in this thread somewhere but I can't find it so....

Is there a pin that you can only purchase during MHP? Or just the pins that you can get anytime during the Halloween season?

Thanks!!!


----------



## mvf-m11c

Imdboss said:


> Is there a pin that you can only purchase during MHP? Or just the pins that you can get anytime during the Halloween season?
> 
> Thanks!!!



Yes, there are MHP merchandise that will only be available during MHP. There will be regular Halloween pins at the parks during the Halloween season. But if you want to get the exclusive MHP pins, you will have to attend MHP to get them.

You can check out this blog about the merchandise including the MHP pins: New Mickeys Halloween Party Merchandise Coming to the Disneyland Resort


----------



## Sherry E

*New:*


*"Disney Parks After Dark:  Haunted Mansion Holiday at Disneyland Park" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on September 18th, 2014 by Paul Hiffmeyer, Chief Photographer for Public Relations, Disneyland Resort*


​


----------



## Kilala

The 10th sold out! I'm not surprized since it's a Friday.


----------



## Sherry E

Kilala said:


> The 10th sold out! I'm not surprized since it's a Friday.



That's so bizarre -- I literally just looked at the MHP calendar/dates within the last 45 minutes and the same 3 dates were sold out that we already knew about.  I saw nothing about 10/10!  It must have just happened.

*Folks out there who were planning to go on 10/10 -- remember, even though the DLR website says the 10/10 MHP is sold out, you have a small window of time in which you can call Disneyland and most likely still order tickets for 10/10 over the phone.  Do it NOW though.  Don't wait another 2 days to do it!*


​


----------



## laura&fam

I'm pretty sure that hitchhiking ghost pin is going to manage to find a way home with me.  Is there a particular store/cart that has the MHP merchandise during the party?

Sorry, just found the fine print at the bottom of the article that says exactly where to find the MHP merchandise!


----------



## DisneyJamieCA

Oh I'm excited by the MHP pins!

We saw our first Halloweentime commercial this morning - I believe during GMA. Or should I say my children saw it while I was busy getting ready. So technically I have yet to see one. It did make they all very excited for our trip!


----------



## Ozland

Has any one spotted the new demitasse cups yet?


----------



## figment_jii

Kilala said:


> The 10th sold out! I'm not surprized since it's a Friday.



Thanks for letting everyone know!  I updated the tracking post on page 85.  So now, 4 of the 14 parties have sold out...all of which are Friday night parties!  I'm curious to see which party will sell out next!


----------



## 2tinkerbell

I heard a Disneyland MHP commercial on the radio last night as I was driving home from work.


----------



## Elk Grove Chris

HM Gingerbread House:


----------



## BebopAngel88

That gingerbread house looks so cool! I can't wait to see it!


----------



## Imdboss

mvf-m11c said:


> Yes, there are MHP merchandise that will only be available during MHP. There will be regular Halloween pins at the parks during the Halloween season. But if you want to get the exclusive MHP pins, you will have to attend MHP to get them.
> 
> You can check out this blog about the merchandise including the MHP pins: New Mickeys Halloween Party Merchandise Coming to the Disneyland Resort



Thank you for the info and link, just what I was looking for!


----------



## aidensmom31

I cant wait to be there......27 days left


----------



## Sherry E

*New:*

*"Halloween Time Treats at the Disneyland Resort" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on September 19th, 2014 by Michelle Harker, Manager, Merchandise Marketing & Communications, Disneyland Resort*


​

Hmmm... I'm not sure how I feel about Pumpkin Pie Pretzels and Pumpkin Pasta Sauce... ???

However, the Alexia corn and sweet potato products look good (and very Fall-like)!

And the Entenmann's Apple Danish Twist is probably delicious!

See all of the above products (along with Pumpkin Bisque, which is not all that unusual) -- *HERE*.


ETA:  If anyone happens to spot Gingerbread Oreos this year, please let me know ASAP!  I don't think I knew they even existed last year, but I have heard that out of all of the seasonal Oreos that exist for the Fall and Winter holidays, the gingerbread version is actually delicious and worthwhile!  I must have it!

​


*Jeri (if you're still out there!)--*

Unfortunately -- and I have stated this in the thread before -- there is no selling of tickets or anything else allowed on this board, nor are posts along the lines of "I need to buy a ticket."  No posts even hinting at it are allowed either, but I realize that people may not know it and may innocently post without realizing it is not allowed.

Every year it happens (someone needs a ticket or needs to get rid of/sell a ticket) and every year we have to delete posts or close threads because of it.  

Maybe other forums/boards allow it, but we don't allow it here.  I'm sorry! 

​


----------



## LisaT91403

Kilala said:


> The 10th sold out! I'm not surprized since it's a Friday.



There were still some tickets for the 10th available when I called this morning. I was able to buy two for those in our group who still aren't sure if they can go. Hopefully, I won't get stuck with the tickets.


----------



## Jennafoo

Sherry E said:


> *New:*
> 
> *"Halloween Time Treats at the Disneyland Resort" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on September 19th, 2014 by Michelle Harker, Manager, Merchandise Marketing & Communications, Disneyland Resort*



I can't tell if that Candy Corn Caramel Apple looks delicious or frightening...


----------



## Sherry E

Jennafoo said:


> I can't tell if that Candy Corn Caramel Apple looks delicious or frightening...



I agree, *Jennafoo*!  I kind of thought the same thing!  It is either a fantastic idea or a diabolical experiment in terror (and tooth decay).


----------



## figment_jii

Oh...the Haunted Mansion clock rice crispie treat looks interesting!


----------



## Sherry E

figment_jii said:


> Oh...the Haunted Mansion clock rice crispie treat looks interesting!



It does!  At least it's a new design!  I was kind of hoping that the Parks Blog peeps would have shown photos of the pumpkin marshmallow wand and the bat cake pop, but they didn't.

I also hoped they would have shown a photo of the new Pumpkin Twist from Maurice's, etc., but they didn't even mention it let alone show a photo.






Ozland said:


> Has any one spotted the new demitasse cups yet?



*Ozland --*

I listened to the DIS Unplugged podcast about Halloween Time -- solely to hear what Nancy Johnson said about the demitasse, as I know she loves them!  She said she did not see the demitasse anywhere (so far).  It is a very popular item for Halloween Time and for the holidays, so it may pop up before the season is over, or it may pop up in a place that Nancy didn't look.  For the moment, however, it appears to not be there, or she didn't find it anywhere.


----------



## figment_jii

Sherry E said:


> It does!  At least it's a new design!  I was kind of hoping that the Parks Blog peeps would have shown photos of the pumpkin marshmallow wand and the bat cake pop, but they didn't.
> 
> I also hoped they would have shown a photo of the new Pumpkin Twist from Maurice's, etc., but they didn't even mention it let alone show a photo.


I'll put those on my running list of things to look for (and take a photo of) when I'm down in DLR for HalloweenTime!    There are so many yummy things to look for (and try)!


----------



## scrapshappen

I saw mention of a Monster Mac and Cheese Pizza at Pizza Port on the post about food.  But it didn't mention a year (and I'm guessing that was last year since Monster's U was still relevant).  Any sitings of it this year?  That is something my 11 yo DS would LOVE.


----------



## Sherry E

scrapshappen said:


> I saw mention of a Monster Mac and Cheese Pizza at Pizza Port on the post about food.  But it didn't mention a year (and I'm guessing that was last year since Monster's U was still relevant).  Any sitings of it this year?  That is something my 11 yo DS would LOVE.



The food offerings don't appear to be too different this year -- nothing all that new, so far, but a lot of the same!

The Mac & Cheese Pizza was initially introduced last year, but I wouldn't be shocked if it is still there this year.  The Monsters U burger is back (last year it was an MHP exclusive, but I think it is part of the regular Halloween Time menu this year).

Hopefully we will find out more as more folks return from their Halloween trips.  Honestly, I think the scorching weather over the last week has thrown a lot of people off and many of them probably did not fully investigate the food at DLR to uncover what is there!


ETA: I just checked another source -- the mac & cheese pizza is back this year!



​


----------



## scrapshappen

Sherry E said:


> The food offerings don't appear to be too different this year -- nothing all that new, so far, but a lot of the same!
> 
> The Mac & Cheese Pizza was initially introduced last year, but I wouldn't be shocked if it is still there this year.  The Monsters U burger is back (last year it was an MHP exclusive, but I think it is part of the regular Halloween Time menu this year).
> 
> Hopefully we will find out more as more folks return from their Halloween trips.  Honestly, I think the scorching weather over the last week has thrown a lot of people off and many of them probably did not fully investigate the food at DLR to uncover what is there!
> 
> 
> ETA: I just checked another source -- the mac & cheese pizza is back this year!
> 
> 
> 
> ​



  My son will be thrilled!  Thanks Sherry!


----------



## Sherry E

As you head to Disneyland Resort to enjoy the Halloween happenings, don't forget to stop in at Cinnabon and grab a *Pumpkin Caramel Classic Roll and a Pumpkin Pie Chillatta*. 

​




scrapshappen said:


> My son will be thrilled!  Thanks Sherry!



You're welcome!  I've noticed a lot of buzz about mac & cheese lately (not at DLR but on TV), and people seem to be putting it on lots of things (hot dogs, for example).  It would only make sense for Disney to cash in on that fad while it's happening.

I am actually a wee bit surprised that we haven't gotten a more detailed Parks Blog about seasonal foods (sweet or savory) so far this year -- even if, in fact, the majority of the items mentioned on my list will be returning in some capacity and there aren't any big surprises.  I know that at least one more food-related Blog will be coming up at some point (naming meals and Fall-inspired dishes at certain restaurants), but I would have expected a more detailed blog about the sweet treats!  Oh well, maybe something will come out before the end of September.


----------



## cmpeter

I know the first party isn't until 9/26...but I can't wait to start reading trip reports!  This will be our first year going and I am getting so excited.  We still have to wait until Oct 17, so I am hoping to start living vicariously through other people's trip reports.  


Sherry E - you can sign up on amazon.com to be notified when Gingerbread Oreos are back in stock.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009V0KX1Q


----------



## Kilala

Dose any one know if a map is avalible for MHP yet?


----------



## lorijohnhill

We went to IHOP tonight on our way to the drive-in to see Planes: Fire Rescue (which wasn't actually showing.... Big disappointment. I was looking forward to seeing that!). Anyway, IHOP has Pumpkin Pancakes on the menu. I'm not a huge fan of pumpkin, so I didn't try them....


----------



## MermaidHair

cmpeter said:


> Sherry E - you can sign up on amazon.com to be notified when Gingerbread Oreos are back in stock.
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009V0KX1Q



If you end up liking these you all should try Newman's Ginger-Os. They are available in my market year round and are like Oreos made with ginger snaps and a cream filling that is lightly ginger spiced.  So good I had to stop buying them because I are them too fast!


----------



## MadMim

Sherry E said:


> ETA: I just checked another source -- the mac & cheese pizza is back this year!



You just made my day!!!


----------



## scrapshappen

cmpeter said:


> I know the first party isn't until 9/26...but I can't wait to start reading trip reports!  This will be our first year going and I am getting so excited.  We still have to wait until Oct 17, so I am hoping to start living vicariously through other people's trip reports.



This is our third trip during Halloween time, but we are doing MHP for the first time this year and I'm very excited.  All the final details of our trip fell into place this week (booked the second half of our stay on site, got our party tickets and our photopass+).  One month from today we will be there!!

I love all things pumpkin spice, but I'm trying to lose 10 lbs before our cruise in January.  So I'm going to have to restrain myself and maybe limit myself to one decadent treat while I'm there.  Any suggestions for the one pumpkin treat not to be missed.  (I don't like chocolate at all except white chocolate if that matters).


----------



## JohnTodd

Maybe you all can help me sort something out...

We're making our first Halloween visit this year, on the 21st, 22nd and 23rd of October. We bought Party tickets also. We have 3-day parkhoppers. What I'm wondering is, would it be worthwhile to skip the park on Wednesday, the day of the Party, and add another day on the front or rear of our trip? With the 3pm entry, we'll be in the park for 8 hours on Wednesday. Should we do the 8am to 11pm schedule on Wednesday, or wait and add Friday, which would put us in the park for another full 11 hours?

Anyone have suggestions on what to do before heading to Disneyland at 3pm?


----------



## Speechphi

JohnTodd said:


> Maybe you all can help me sort something out...  We're making our first Halloween visit this year, on the 21st, 22nd and 23rd of October. We bought Party tickets also. We have 3-day parkhoppers. What I'm wondering is, would it be worthwhile to skip the park on Wednesday, the day of the Party, and add another day on the front or rear of our trip? With the 3pm entry, we'll be in the park for 8 hours on Wednesday. Should we do the 8am to 11pm schedule on Wednesday, or wait and add Friday, which would put us in the park for another full 11 hours?  Anyone have suggestions on what to do before heading to Disneyland at 3pm?



I haven't been at Halloweentime yet, but there is a TON to do at DLR . This summer we had a "no park" day to sleep in, relax by the pool, and do everything at Downtown Disney without feeling like we were missing out on anything at the parks. 

So yes, if I were you, I'd skip the parks on your party day. I'd probably add a day at the beginning, so I'd go to the parks on Mon, Tues, rest on Weds til party time, then parks again on Thurs.


----------



## bearette

JohnTodd said:


> Maybe you all can help me sort something out...
> 
> We're making our first Halloween visit this year, on the 21st, 22nd and 23rd of October. We bought Party tickets also. We have 3-day parkhoppers. What I'm wondering is, would it be worthwhile to skip the park on Wednesday, the day of the Party, and add another day on the front or rear of our trip? With the 3pm entry, we'll be in the park for 8 hours on Wednesday. Should we do the 8am to 11pm schedule on Wednesday, or wait and add Friday, which would put us in the park for another full 11 hours?
> 
> Anyone have suggestions on what to do before heading to Disneyland at 3pm?


I agree, check out the hotels, pool if it is still warm and Downtown Disney.  This way you aren't over tired for the party and can get a whole extra day at the same price.


----------



## Sherry E

*Since we have not been hearing too much about the current incarnation of the Happiest Haunts tour in this specific thread, I will share an interesting, detailed review of it that I found on another site, LaughingPlace, complete with photos too*:

*"Happiest Haunts" Disneyland Tour Review -- LaughingPlace.com; posted by Alex Reif on September 18, 2014*

​

*Kilala* -- I don't think the MHP maps come out until the day of the MHP, or maybe the day before?  Unless the Parks Blog posts the new map ahead of time, we probably won't see it until 9/26 or shortly thereafter! All we have are the old maps.


​


----------



## pudinhd

Sherry E said:


> *Kilala* -- I don't think the MHP maps come out until the day of the MHP, or maybe the day before?  Unless the Parks Blog posts the new map ahead of time, we probably won't see it until 9/26 or shortly thereafter! All we have are the old maps.



We went to the first party last year I definitely did not see a map before we were at the party.


----------



## Amilo

Sherry E said:
			
		

> Since we have not been hearing too much about the current incarnation of the Happiest Haunts tour in this specific thread, I will share an interesting, detailed review of it that I found on another site, LaughingPlace, complete with photos too:
> 
> "Happiest Haunts" Disneyland Tour Review -- LaughingPlace.com; posted by Alex Reif on September 18, 2014
> 
> 
> 
> Kilala -- I don't think the MHP maps come out until the day of the MHP, or maybe the day before?  Unless the Parks Blog posts the new map ahead of time, we probably won't see it until 9/26 or shortly thereafter! All we have are the old maps.



Thank you so much Sherry! I've been dying for a recent review, since I'll be taking the tour! In a few weeks!


----------



## ClosetDisneyJunkie

RE MHP tour maps, if anyone wants me to send them one send me a private message.  I'm there on the 26th and will grab a few extras if I can (subject to availability and my accidentally soaking them if we decide to do a late night splash mountain run   )


----------



## Sherry E

As I've mentioned in this thread before, I am not a fan of the gory-bloody-terrifying side of Halloween festivities.  I like cleverly crafted jack-o'-lanterns and pumpkin patches.  I appreciate friendly scarecrows and bales of hay, artfully arranged in harvest displays punctuated with stalks of Calico corn.  I still watch _It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown_.  I don't want to be chased by chainsaw-wielding maniacs through a maze, or encounter grotesque creatures with scythes popping out at me from behind bushes.  I don't like the whole "evil clown"  phenomenon either.

However, there is no denying the market for the scarier, darker side of Halloween.  Knott's Scary Farm/Halloween Haunt and Universal Studios Hollywood's Halloween Horror Nights are extremely popular attractions here in SoCal (the latter of which has gained some steam because of the inclusion of elements from _The Walking Dead_).   

I know that there are many people out there who prefer their haunts to be a little more..._horrific_, shall we say.  Chances are, some of the people who are headed to Disneyland for whimsical, happy Halloween Time fun will complement those visits with a trip to Knotts, or to USH, or to Dark Harbor at the Queen Mary -- or even to the Los Angeles Haunted Hayride, which demands that its guests "_Stand on the edge of madness and peer into the gaping maw of terror! The earth will quake as the RIFT cracks open, bearing witness to horrifying leviathan abominations that will emerge from the depths of the abyss_." 

Um...yeah... so I'll be skipping that little hayride 'round the hills.  I have no need for leviathan abominations, or for gaping maws, or RIFTS cracking open.  


I do have to marvel, however, at the work that some of these places put into their Halloween events.  Knott's, in particular, really seems to embrace Halloween as well as the whole "haunt" aspect of the season.  I was reading this recent article from MiceAge about the early preparations for Halloween Haunt -- *HERE* -- and was actually quite impressed.


Not to be outdone, Universal Studios Hollywood lured in a bunch of cool people when it debuted this year's Halloween Horror Nights, and it even updated its _Walking Dead_ area to include a nod to Terminus (those of you who watch TWD will know Terminus).  (Oddly, Terminus seems even less promising and safe at UHS than it does on the show!)   See the review and unpleasant photos of HHN 2014 -- *HERE*.  


Anyway, be sure to check out the *"Other Haunted Happenings and Spooky Sights to See..."* post from page 1 of this thread (which includes a link to Michael Bowling's DIS Unplugged blog about Knott's Scary Farm/Halloween Haunt in 2013)  -- *HERE* -- in case you are looking for ideas of other scary and not-so-scary Halloween activities to enjoy while you are in SoCal and have a bit of time away from Disneyland.  I've listed everything from a parade, to a pumpkin patch, to Rise of the Jack o'-Lanterns, to a regular ol' Fall Festival.


​



scrapshappen said:


> My son will be thrilled!  Thanks Sherry!



*scrapshappen --*

You're welcome!




cmpeter said:


> I know the first party isn't until 9/26...but I can't wait to start reading trip reports!  This will be our first year going and I am getting so excited.  We still have to wait until Oct 17, so I am hoping to start living vicariously through other people's trip reports.
> 
> 
> Sherry E - you can sign up on amazon.com to be notified when Gingerbread Oreos are back in stock.
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009V0KX1Q



*cmpeter --*

I'm anxious for the reports too!

Thank you for the link, although I hope I don't have to order them from Amazon!  Amazon usually does a terrible job with packing up items, and I think that the cookies would probably be crumbled to bits if I had to trust Amazon to ship them.   I may have to resort to that, though, out of desperation if the cookies don't appear in stores.  I haven't figured out if the Gingerbread Oreos were a Walmart exclusive of some kind in the past, or if they were available in all stores.  There are no Walmarts anywhere near me, so if that's where the cookies end up I will have to order them in the mail.  If they're at Target, then that's no problem.





lorijohnhill said:


> We went to IHOP tonight on our way to the drive-in to see Planes: Fire Rescue (which wasn't actually showing.... Big disappointment. I was looking forward to seeing that!). Anyway, IHOP has Pumpkin Pancakes on the menu. I'm not a huge fan of pumpkin, so I didn't try them....



*lorijohnhill --*

That's right -- I completely forgot that IHOP has seasonal menus (I think they have different items for the holiday season too, if I recall correctly)!  

I'm not a huge fan of pumpkin flavor either.  I don't hate it, but I don't love it.  I'd have to really be in a mood for it if I were going to eat it.  Some pumpkin pies are better than others.  Some food items probably work better with pumpkin flavoring than other items.  The pancakes might not actually be bad -- I could picture that working well, to some degree.  Things like pumpkin spice chewing gum and pretzels are a bit baffling.





MermaidHair said:


> If you end up liking these you all should try Newman's Ginger-Os. They are available in my market year round and are like Oreos made with ginger snaps and a cream filling that is lightly ginger spiced.  So good I had to stop buying them because I are them too fast!



*MermaidHair --*

I bet they are good!  I tried Newman's Own Organics chocolate/peppermint cups (they look like Reese's Peanut Butter Cups) not too long ago, and those were surprisingly good.  I don't know what I expected, but they were delicious.  So I can picture myself scarfing down the Ginger-Os.

I love gingerbread and ginger snaps but I feel that I can't eat that kind of thing outside of a certain time of the year.  I don't need to wait until Nov-Dec, but I have to at least wait until September.  And then I can't eat gingerbread beyond January.  I need to keep it somewhat seasonal.





MadMim said:


> You just made my day!!!



*MadMim --*

Awesome! It sounds like that mac & cheese pizza is going to please at least a few palates this year!





scrapshappen said:


> This is our third trip during Halloween time, but we are doing MHP for the first time this year and I'm very excited.  All the final details of our trip fell into place this week (booked the second half of our stay on site, got our party tickets and our photopass+).  One month from today we will be there!!
> 
> I love all things pumpkin spice, but I'm trying to lose 10 lbs before our cruise in January.  So I'm going to have to restrain myself and maybe limit myself to one decadent treat while I'm there.  Any suggestions for the one pumpkin treat not to be missed.  (I don't like chocolate at all except white chocolate if that matters).




*scrapshappen --*

A lot of people love the Pumpkin Beignets.

The Pumpkin Muffin is very popular -- I don't know if this year's version has raisins or not, but a lot of people like it.

If the demitasse dessert comes back this year (served in a festive character pumpkin mug), you might want to try it as it, too, is very popular.

For my own personal tastes, if I were gong to eat something pumpkin-y this year, I would probably go for the Pumpkin Twist.  It sounds like it could be tasty.

Nancy Johnson said on the recent DIS Unplugged podcast that the pumpkin pie she had at DLR last weekend was delicious -- I think she said she had it at either the French Market or Café Orleans, but it is probably served in a few places.





JohnTodd said:


> Maybe you all can help me sort something out...
> 
> We're making our first Halloween visit this year, on the 21st, 22nd and 23rd of October. We bought Party tickets also. We have 3-day parkhoppers. What I'm wondering is, would it be worthwhile to skip the park on Wednesday, the day of the Party, and add another day on the front or rear of our trip? With the 3pm entry, we'll be in the park for 8 hours on Wednesday. Should we do the 8am to 11pm schedule on Wednesday, or wait and add Friday, which would put us in the park for another full 11 hours?
> 
> Anyone have suggestions on what to do before heading to Disneyland at 3pm?



*JohnTodd --*

I think that I agree with *Speechphi* and *bearette* -- skip going into the park on the day of the party -- use that day for non-park time and to get ready for the party -- and then add a day at the beginning of the trip.




pudinhd said:


> We went to the first party last year I definitely did not see a map before we were at the party.



*pudinhd --*

Thank you for confirming that!  I was pretty sure that those maps did not see the light of day until MHP time, but I couldn't recall if they were out a couple of hours early.  



Amilo said:


> Thank you so much Sherry! I've been dying for a recent review, since I'll be taking the tour! In a few weeks!



*Amilo --*

You're welcome!  I remembered that you and a couple of other folks were especially interested in the Happiest Haunts tour, and -- although I have seen some general, overall comments about this year's tour -- I hadn't seen a really detailed report of the tour with photos until I found that one on LaughingPlace.  I've been waiting for someone to post a report here, in this thread.

​


----------



## WanderlustNZ

Sherry E said:


> Since we have not been hearing too much about the current incarnation of the Happiest Haunts tour in this specific thread, I will share an interesting, detailed review of it that I found on another site, LaughingPlace, complete with photos too:  "Happiest Haunts" Disneyland Tour Review -- LaughingPlace.com; posted by Alex Reif on September 18, 2014   Kilala -- I don't think the MHP maps come out until the day of the MHP, or maybe the day before?  Unless the Parks Blog posts the new map ahead of time, we probably won't see it until 9/26 or shortly thereafter! All we have are the old maps.



Thanks so much for sharing.  

I really enjoyed that review.


----------



## Sherry E

WanderlustNZ said:


> Thanks so much for sharing.
> 
> I really enjoyed that review.



*WanderlustNZ --*

You're very welcome!  I figured, even if we only get one really thorough, detailed review (with photos) of the new version of Happiest Haunts this season, at least it's better than nothing!


----------



## Kilala

I have a new kitten he is 5 months old. He is a black and white tuxedo. He is a little skittish. I wanted to know with you guys if Halloween would be a good name for a kitten? I LOVE everything to do with Halloween and the fall season. He dosen't respond to any name right now. If you guys can think of anything else for a male kitten let me know. I will have more updates on my Autumn Mist costume soon. I hope to dress up in that costume before the 30th. Also I have desided to make a costume based on the new kitten I will either wear that costume on the 27th or the 31st of October


----------



## cmpeter

> RE MHP tour maps, if anyone wants me to send them one send me a private message.



Thanks Closet!  I sent you a PM and would love one if you end up with extras that survive Splash.


----------



## figment_jii

I've been watching the Disney Parks Blog to see if they'll post the MHP map again this year (they did last year, a few days before the first party), but I don't know if they've even posted the MNSSHP map yet (and those parties started a while ago)! 

Even if the Parks Blog doesn't post the map beforehand, someone will scan/photograph the map and post it here soon after the first party.  Several Dis'ers are going to the first party, so I would expect to see the map posted either late Friday or Saturday.  

I don't recall seeing the maps readily available until the start of the party.  They were handing the MHP maps out to guests as they got their wristbands, but the guide map stands still had the regular map.  Once the party started, the MHP maps were fairly easy to find.


----------



## Amilo

Kilala said:
			
		

> I have a new kitten he is 5 months old. He is a black and white tuxedo. He is a little skittish. I wanted to know with you guys if Halloween would be a good name for a kitten? I LOVE everything to do with Halloween and the fall season. He dosen't respond to any name right now. If you guys can think of anything else for a male kitten let me know. I will have more updates on my Autumn Mist costume soon. I hope to dress up in that costume before the 30th. Also I have desided to make a costume based on the new kitten I will either wear that costume on the 27th or the 31st of October



Congrats on your new kitten I think Halloween is actually a cute name!


----------



## mummabear

We are back!


----------



## figment_jii

Just a note: We were talking about the light-up re-usable Mickey Pumpkin tote a while back and it looks like they just started selling it on the DisneyStore.com. 
http://www.disneystore.com/mickey-mouse-light-up-reusable-tote-halloween-2014/mp/1362500/1000291/


----------



## Sherry E

Archer Farms is all about Pumpkin goodies this year, as now they have added *Pumpkin Donut Muffins* (??) to their repertoire.

I also saw (on the Junk Food Guy Facebook page) that Pepperidge Farm Caramel Apple Swirl Bread and Snyder's of Hanover Oktoberfest Pretzels have been spotted!

Andy Castro's Dateline Disneyland installment is pretty good today -- full of lots of Halloween Time photos (including treats) -- *HERE*. 

​

Thank you for posting the great photos, *mummabear*!  I am guessing you had a good trip?


​


----------



## Wife2Grumpy

I just read all 117 pages. It took about a week on and off. You guys are fabulous.

I am a long time infrequent DIS member. Used to be a midwest girl who got to WDW every couple of years. At the beginning of 2014 we relocated to the Phoenix area. I now live 6 driving hours from Disneyland. Yes, it was a deciding factor in me agreeing to the move.

We are driving in for a long weekend and attending the MHP on Oct 10th. Luckily, I grabbed some tickets as soon as I saw the friday's start to sell out.

My kids are all considered adults now, so their favorite part when we went to the Halloween party at WDW was always the trick or treating. They like that disney still lets them do it. They are too old to do it at home now. So we will be trick or treating, checking out the sites, and hopefully hitting MHM to see NBC and SM for Ghost Galaxy. We hope to drive in for a weekend at Christmas and maybe do a longer trip next spring, so anything we miss we will just catch later.

BEYOND excited. I have never been to Disneyland before, but did WDW a bunch of times. So looking forward to it and being more of a regular here since we plan on traveling more often now.


----------



## ClosetDisneyJunkie

ClosetDisneyJunkie said:


> RE MHP tour maps, if anyone wants me to send them one send me a private message.  I'm there on the 26th and will grab a few extras if I can (subject to availability and my accidentally soaking them if we decide to do a late night splash mountain run   )



Just a quick note that I think I've hit the maximum number of requests I can accommodate without having to ask a CM for a box of maps  

For everyone who has PM'd me as of the time of this post, you're on the list if I can get enough!  first come first served of course, but it shouldn't be a problem.   I think i responded via PM to most or all of you, but even if I didn't i'm planning to grab a map for you if you've PM'd me.  

3 more days until I leave!


----------



## scrappymel

Mummabear! I love your pictures!! Thanks so much.


----------



## Sherry E

Wife2Grumpy said:


> I just read all 117 pages. It took about a week on and off. You guys are fabulous.
> 
> I am a long time infrequent DIS member. Used to be a midwest girl who got to WDW every couple of years. At the beginning of 2014 we relocated to the Phoenix area. I now live 6 driving hours from Disneyland. Yes, it was a deciding factor in me agreeing to the move.
> 
> We are driving in for a long weekend and attending the MHP on Oct 10th. Luckily, I grabbed some tickets as soon as I saw the friday's start to sell out.
> 
> My kids are all considered adults now, so their favorite part when we went to the Halloween party at WDW was always the trick or treating. They like that disney still lets them do it. They are too old to do it at home now. So we will be trick or treating, checking out the sites, and hopefully hitting MHM to see NBC and SM for Ghost Galaxy. We hope to drive in for a weekend at Christmas and maybe do a longer trip next spring, so anything we miss we will just catch later.
> 
> BEYOND excited. I have never been to Disneyland before, but did WDW a bunch of times. So looking forward to it and being more of a regular here since we plan on traveling more often now.



*Wife2Grumpy --*

Welcome! 

Thank you so much for joining us!  And thank you for taking the time to read through the whole thread -- which certainly wasn't necessary, but hopefully it was helpful and interesting!

Halloween Time is a lot of fun and I think you'll have a great time, although the MHP is a bit different from MNSSHP at WDW.

I have to agree that trick-or-treating is a big bonus for everyone.  As an adult, clearly I don't go out and hit the neighborhood, collecting candy, on October 31st.  I can't even remember when I last trick-or-treated at an acceptable age!  I love that in Disneyland I can collect candy in or out of a costume, just as I enjoyed being able to hunt for Easter eggs in the parks this past Spring.  Every once in a while it's fun to be able to do those "kid things" that we outgrow.  

I hope you are able to drive in for a holiday season trip too (and if you do, be sure to join us over in that Superthread as well!).  It is probably not quite on the same scale as the holidays at WDW, but it is amazing (and so much more detailed and extensive than Halloween Time is).

And next year the 60th anniversary events should begin in Spring at Disneyland Resort, so that will be a great time to come back if you are able.


----------



## ClosetDisneyJunkie

Kilala said:


> I have a new kitten he is 5 months old. He is a black and white tuxedo. He is a little skittish. I wanted to know with you guys if Halloween would be a good name for a kitten? I LOVE everything to do with Halloween and the fall season. He dosen't respond to any name right now. If you guys can think of anything else for a male kitten let me know. I will have more updates on my Autumn Mist costume soon. I hope to dress up in that costume before the 30th. Also I have desided to make a costume based on the new kitten I will either wear that costume on the 27th or the 31st of October



I like Halloween for a name!  You could call him Hal for short.  My only other thought would be "Samhain" which I also like for a male black cat, especially if you're a fan of Halloween.  "Sam" for short.


----------



## Kilala

The 24th has sold out. So if you want a ticket for the 24th call to see if there are any left. I thought the 17th would sell out before the 24th.


----------



## Wife2Grumpy

Thanks for the welcome Sherry. I will absolutely be checking out the Holiday super thread after this trip. Easter egg hunting at Disney? I know nothing about this. Could you point me to some info, so we don't clutter the Halloween thread?


----------



## Sherry E

New:

* "Danny Elfman Reads from Tim Burtons The Nightmare Before Christmas at Haunted Mansion Holiday in Disneyland Park" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on September 22nd, 2014 by Erin Glover, Social Media Director, Disneyland Resort*

​




Kilala said:


> The 24th has sold out. So if you want a ticket for the 24th call to see if there are any left. I thought the 17th would sell out before the 24th.



Thanks, *Kilala*!  

I will make a note of it in the appropriate posts on page 1! If this year follows last year's pattern, between next week and maybe the second week of October or so, the rest of the party nights should sell out at a pretty steady pace (except for maybe one of them).




Wife2Grumpy said:


> Thanks for the welcome Sherry. I will absolutely be checking out the Holiday super thread after this trip. Easter egg hunting at Disney? I know nothing about this. Could you point me to some info, so we don't clutter the Halloween thread?



*Wife2Grumpy --*

Here is a very short thread with some info about this year's Easter/Springtime Roundup festivities - http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3196159


Here are some Disney Parks Blogs about Easter/Springtime fun:

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...at-the-springtime-roundup-at-disneyland-park/

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...nds-at-springtime-roundup-at-disneyland-park/

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...at-the-springtime-roundup-at-disneyland-park/

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2014/03/eggs-istencial-event-returns-to-disney-parks/


I did the egg hunts in both Disneyland and California Adventure, and I absolutely loved the "egg art" at the Springtime Roundup (some of which was the work of one of the pumpkin carvers who works at the Halloween Carnival during Halloween Time!)!  I hope that these events return next year, before the events of the 60th anniversary kick in.


----------



## figment_jii

Kilala said:


> The 24th has sold out. So if you want a ticket for the 24th call to see if there are any left. I thought the 17th would sell out before the 24th.



Thanks _Kilala_!  I updated the tracking post.


----------



## iheartglaciers

Kilala said:


> The 24th has sold out. So if you want a ticket for the 24th call to see if there are any left. I thought the 17th would sell out before the 24th.



So glad I bought my tickets this weekend!  Can't wait!


----------



## Sherry E

All of the Friday night parties are sold out!


----------



## figment_jii

Sherry E said:


> All of the Friday night parties are sold out!



Wow!  That was two in one day!


----------



## Sherry E

figment_jii said:


> Wow!  That was two in one day!



I wonder if a whole bunch of people just got paid today!  Then again, it's the 22nd, and a Monday, so I don't know if this would be a day when a bunch of people get paid.


----------



## LisaT91403

Sherry E said:


> I wonder if a whole bunch of people just got paid today!  Then again, it's the 22nd, and a Monday, so I don't know if this would be a day when a bunch of people get paid.



I hadn't heard any radio commercials until this morning. I also noticed LOTS of billboards up for Halloween Time. I'm wondering if the sales are up because the marketing is really hitting now?


----------



## Sherry E

LisaT91403 said:


> I hadn't heard any radio commercials until this morning. I also noticed LOTS of billboards up for Halloween Time. I'm wondering if the sales are up because the marketing is really hitting now?



You could be right -- it may be that Disney (whoever is in charge of the advertising and marketing) decided to hold off until closer to the start of Fall (which isn't until tomorrow, really, but this is close enough) to really ramp up the advertising.


----------



## Kilala

That is quick with the last two Fridays sold out. I hope the 27th of October dosen't sell out untill after I get payed and buy my ticket. Also the kitten I was going to name Halloweeen I have desided to name him after Binx on the movie Hocus Pocus.


----------



## Sew into Disney

Hi,

Sort of joining the thread. We will be spending 2 days at the park in October for my 40th birthday.  Went online tonight to purchase tickets for the 17th and about cried when I saw it was sold out. Then I remembered reading here that you can try calling. Made the call and got my tickets!!  Thank you for posting all of the great information. 

As of about an hour ago they still had a few tickets left for the 17th and 24th. He said that the 24th was going very quick. 

I have never been in the fall and I am super excited. Need to get started on making our costumes. As we leave in less than 3 weeks


----------



## Dot2Vegas

Sherry E said:
			
		

> You could be right -- it may be that Disney (whoever is in charge of the advertising and marketing) decided to hold off until closer to the start of Fall (which isn't until tomorrow, really, but this is close enough) to really ramp up the advertising.



Thats got to be what they are doing. With us all being big Disney fans we knew when tickets went on sale as soon as the dates were posted. The general (non Disney obsessed) public is probably just really hearing about the parties now.


----------



## Sherry E

Sew into Disney said:


> Hi,
> 
> Sort of joining the thread. We will be spending 2 days at the park in October for my 40th birthday.  Went online tonight to purchase tickets for the 17th and about cried when I saw it was sold out. Then I remembered reading here that you can try calling. Made the call and got my tickets!!  Thank you for posting all of the great information.
> 
> As of about an hour ago they still had a few tickets left for the 17th and 24th. He said that the 24th was going very quick.
> 
> I have never been in the fall and I am super excited. Need to get started on making our costumes. As we leave in less than 3 weeks



*Sew into Disney --*

I'm glad you got your tickets!  I think that what happens is that the tickets seem to be on sale for a while with no real activity happening, and we all end up thinking that the dates will be open for a while.  And then, all of a sudden, there's a sellout!  I wish there were some sort of chart or graph we could monitor that would show us which MHP dates were getting close to selling out and which ones had a lot of tickets left, so that people knew what they were dealing with and how much (approximate) time they had left to get their tickets!





Dot2Vegas said:


> Thats got to be what they are doing. With us all being big Disney fans we knew when tickets went on sale as soon as the dates were posted. The general (non Disney obsessed) public is probably just really hearing about the parties now.



*Dot2Vegas --*

You're absolutely right.  I think -- because I'm so used to this board -- I always assume that the general public knows what's happening and when certain events are happening.  But, as you said, the non-obsessed folks are just hearing about things now, or after the fact -- or they may not even know about the MHP until they get to Disneyland and see the signs (hence, the last minute purchases).  The sudden wave of advertising lures a lot of people in -- especially with summer coming to an end and attention shifting to fall fun.


----------



## Dot2Vegas

Sherry E said:
			
		

> Sew into Disney --
> 
> I'm glad you got your tickets!  I think that what happens is that the tickets seem to be on sale for a while with no real activity happening, and we all end up thinking that the dates will be open for a while.  And then, all of a sudden, there's a sellout!  I wish there were some sort of chart or graph we could monitor that would show us which MHP dates were getting close to selling out and which ones had a lot of tickets left, so that people knew what they were dealing with and how much (approximate) time they had left to get their tickets!
> 
> Dot2Vegas --
> 
> You're absolutely right.  I think -- because I'm so used to this board -- I always assume that the general public knows what's happening and when certain events are happening.  But, as you said, the non-obsessed folks are just hearing about things now, or after the fact -- or they may not even know about the MHP until they get to Disneyland and see the signs (hence, the last minute purchases).  The sudden wave of advertising lures a lot of people in -- especially with summer coming to an end and attention shifting to fall fun.



I do the same thing. I wow my non Disney addict friends with all of my event and ride closure  knowledge, lol. I forget that most people we know don't know as much as DH and myself!


----------



## Sherry E

*The hillllllllls are alive...with the sound of muuu-sic......*



This was my mood/demeanor on June 21, 2014 (the start of Summer)....        





And here I am today (the start of Fall and the end of Summer)... 





*It's Autumn!  Yay!  Finally!  I am soooo sick of Summer!  Now, it is 'officially' acceptable to trot out the harvest décor and be seen publicly purchasing Fall-inspired products at the store!  Wheeeeeeeeee!


In honor of the start of Fall, let's take a look at a couple of Disneyland Resort's "conspicuously Autumnal trees."   These are trees that don't appear to have naturally, organically grown in their designated spots (as they are usually situated between many green trees), but were instead randomly placed around DLR to either give the appearance of seasons changing or to fit in with a specific theme.*



_This conspicuously Autumnal tree is in the area where Grizzly Peak meets Paradise Pier in DCA..._









_And this tree is somewhere in Critter Country..._






*Also, let's take a peek at what's going on in the world of Pumpkin Pandemonium today...

Spotted on Shelves (courtesy of The Impulsive Buy):  

Quaker Pumpkin Spice Instant Oatmeal; 

Market Pantry Candy Corn Kettle-Cooked Popcorn; and

Tastykake Pumpkin Spice Cupkakes (yes, that is the correct spelling)!*


----------



## Kittymomm

It was suggested I post my question over here so trying again 

We are going to Mickey's Halloween Party on Oct 6 - our last day in the parks. I feel pretty confident in planning the rest of our trip but I don't want DD to miss out on anything that night. Does anyone have any strategy they have worked out to make the most of the night? We will want to do some rides being it is our last night in the park. We will want pictures with some characters too (as I got her a cute Tink costume). What do you feel is a "must-do" or "must-see"? Any help planning or tips would be great..

Stina


----------



## figment_jii

Kittymomm said:


> It was suggested I post my question over here so trying again
> 
> We are going to Mickey's Halloween Party on Oct 6 - our last day in the parks. I feel pretty confident in planning the rest of our trip but I don't want DD to miss out on anything that night. Does anyone have any strategy they have worked out to make the most of the night? We will want to do some rides being it is our last night in the park. We will want pictures with some characters too (as I got her a cute Tink costume). What do you feel is a "must-do" or "must-see"? Any help planning or tips would be great..
> 
> Stina


  Glad to see you join us on the HalloweenTime SuperThread!

I would highly recommend seeing both the Calvacade and the fireworks.  The Cavalcade runs twice per night, and the second presentation is _generally_ less crowded than the first.  If you plan to watch Screams (fireworks), make sure you can see the left side the castle (when facing it) because that's where the special element (the globe) appears.  It is only presented once per night, so seeing it will require some time commitment (e.g., 45-30 minutes depending on how good of a viewing spot you want).

For a lot of things, we won't know for certain what will be happening until after the first MHP (this upcoming Friday).  After that, we should have a good idea of which characters will be out and about, if the Toontown pre-party event is happening (there are indications it will, but no official confirmation yet), and any other additions to park atmosphere, entertainment, etc.

Assuming things are similar to last year, I would highly recommend checking out the Villains meet and greet.  There _should_ be some fairly rare villains available.  This is usually the most popular meet and greet, so expect long lines.  When the villains change, there is a fun to watch processional, so i would ask the CMs about when that will happen and try to watch it at least once.  I also found the Cadaver Dans (on the Rivers of America) to be fun.


----------



## Sherry E

Kittymomm said:


> It was suggested I post my question over here so trying again
> 
> We are going to Mickey's Halloween Party on Oct 6 - our last day in the parks. I feel pretty confident in planning the rest of our trip but I don't want DD to miss out on anything that night. Does anyone have any strategy they have worked out to make the most of the night? We will want to do some rides being it is our last night in the park. We will want pictures with some characters too (as I got her a cute Tink costume). What do you feel is a "must-do" or "must-see"? Any help planning or tips would be great..
> 
> Stina



*Stina --*

I think that *figment_jii* and hopefully others will speak up to offer some suggestions and strategies for you (especially after this coming Friday night, when the party begins), but are the Halloween Screams fireworks important to you?  Do you want to see the Character Costume Cavalcade/mini-parade?  Do you want to hit many of the treat stations, or only a few?

I think that it's safe to say that you won't be able to do all of everything, but you should be able to so some of everything.  In other words, you may not make it to meet every character, but you'll get to some of them.  You may not get on all the rides, but you'll get on some.

If you plan to collect candy, some folks suggest doing that later in the evening as they feel that the treat lines are longer earlier on in the night.  If you don't care about seeing the fireworks you might want to collect candy during that time.

I think that the 'musts' would be to do the things that are exclusive to the party.  As for characters, I would try to go for the ones that are wearing special Halloween outfits (Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald, etc.) or the ones that are rare -- maybe Jack Sparrow and some of the Villains, if your DD is okay with Villains.

I recommend doing the treat trail that is located at the Golden Horseshoe, as there are extra Halloween decorations inside the building that you don't see unless you get in the line.

I also like the treat trail located in Pixie Hollow.  There are no extra decorations there, but the area looks very pretty at night and the line seemed to move fairly fast (because I think that a lot of people didn't know the trail was there).


ETA:  Glad to see that *figment_jii* offered some suggestions!


----------



## figment_jii

Sherry E said:


> ETA:  Glad to see that *figment_jii* offered some suggestions!


 

I had completely forgotten about the neat treat trail inside the Golden Horseshoe (I'll have to put that on my list!).  

The Main Street Town Square trail was also great last year...it has the special Werther's candy (I think).  I went to this one several times while waiting for the Villain's change over show.


----------



## kkmcan

Sherry E said:


> I also like the treat trail located in Pixie Hollow.  There are no extra decorations there, but the area looks very pretty at night and the line seemed to move fairly fast (because I think that a lot of people didn't know the trail was there).
> 
> 
> !



That one sounds amazing! I hope they have that trail as I can't wait to do that! I don't think we've ever been back in there before as my dd was never really into Tinkerbell or the fairies. But it always looks so pretty from outside.


----------



## iheartglaciers

Soooo, I want to dress up as the house from Up.  I'm planning to make a small cardboard house with a few small latex helium balloons attached to it that will hang around me (I'll be wearing cloud pajamas, so not risque!).  I'm designing the house so that it can be folded flat to enable me to ride the tram.  I don't plan on going on any of the rides.  

Sort of like this costume, less balloons:
http://ideas.coolest-homemade-costumes.com/2012/09/17/house/

I've never been to the Disneyland party before, do you think this will be allowed?


----------



## Swtonscrappn

Kittymomm said:


> It was suggested I post my question over here so trying again
> 
> We are going to Mickey's Halloween Party on Oct 6 - our last day in the parks. I feel pretty confident in planning the rest of our trip but I don't want DD to miss out on anything that night. Does anyone have any strategy they have worked out to make the most of the night? We will want to do some rides being it is our last night in the park. We will want pictures with some characters too (as I got her a cute Tink costume). What do you feel is a "must-do" or "must-see"? Any help planning or tips would be great..
> 
> Stina



I agree that you are not going to be able to do every single thing at the Halloween party.  You will have to pick and choose.  Last year, these are the things we did.

1) Our character priority was Jack Sparrow and the Tremaine sisters. (We had been able to see Jack Skellington earlier that day)  We headed to Jack Sparrow first and was probably in that line for 40-60 minutes.  I ended up missing the Tremaine Sisters

2) We went through 3 trick or treat trails (one of them being a line where we were able to watch the Cadaver Dans for about 10 minutes).  In just 3 trails we had TONS of treats.

3) We rode the Jungle Cruise ride in the dark...I think the line was 20-25 minutes. 

4) We hopped on the railroad, came all the way around and got off at Main Street just as the fireworks were starting.  They had closed the station but we got to stay on the platform and watch the fireworks from there...that was pretty cool.

5) I went shopping for about 30-45 minutes waiting for the cavalcade while my family went on the matterhorn and maybe one other ride.

6) After the cavalcade, the villians said goodnight and the park closed.

So that was our experience...be prepared to wait for a while in character lines...I found ride lines to be an average wait of 15-30 minutes a piece...not terrible.

ETA: we went to a Tuesday night party--which was 6-11pm


----------



## figment_jii

iheartglaciers said:


> Soooo, I want to dress up as the house from Up.  I'm planning to make a small cardboard house with a few small latex helium balloons attached to it that will hang around me (I'll be wearing cloud pajamas, so not risque!).  I'm designing the house so that it can be folded flat to enable me to ride the tram.  I don't plan on going on any of the rides.
> 
> Sort of like this costume, less balloons:
> http://ideas.coolest-homemade-costumes.com/2012/09/17/house/
> 
> I've never been to the Disneyland party before, do you think this will be allowed?


My guess is that it'll be fine.  I think as long as it is not a huge cardboard shape and you can move easily about in it, you should be okay.



Swtonscrappn said:


> I ended up missing the Tremaine Sisters


This is a good point...last year the Tremaines did not meet and greet like standard characters.  They came out with the processional and wandered, but they left with (or soon after) the processional.  They didn't go to one of the meet and greet areas, so you had to be there during the change over to see them.



Swtonscrappn said:


> 6) After the cavalcade, the villians said goodnight and the park closed.


Good point.  It's worth noting that last year the schedule of events were the same regardless of the party hours.  So on nights when the party ended at 11:00 pm, the last Cavalcade steps off close to the end of the night (e.g., 10:30 pm).  On nights when the party ends at midnight, there is a longer gap between the Calvacade and the end of the party.


----------



## Sherry E

​

Does anyone here live in Dallas?  Their Autumn at the Arboretum event (at the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden) looks awesome (be sure to select the slideshow option so you can see all of the amazing photos -- *HERE*!), and I wish we had something like that here in L.A.!  We do have Rise of the Jack o' Lanterns, which sounds great but is more specifically about Halloween and not so much about "Autumn."  I like both Halloween-specific things and Autumn-specific things.

​



iheartglaciers said:


> Soooo, I want to dress up as the house from Up.  I'm planning to make a small cardboard house with a few small latex helium balloons attached to it that will hang around me (I'll be wearing cloud pajamas, so not risque!).  I'm designing the house so that it can be folded flat to enable me to ride the tram.  I don't plan on going on any of the rides.
> 
> Sort of like this costume, less balloons:
> http://ideas.coolest-homemade-costumes.com/2012/09/17/house/
> 
> I've never been to the Disneyland party before, do you think this will be allowed?



*iheartglaciers --*

Well, my guess is that it will be allowed, but I suppose it could depend on how big and cumbersome the house would be, and whether there is any risk of the house poking other guests.  The costume guidelines are:



_Costumes should be child-friendly and may not be obstructive, offensive or violent. 

Guests may wear masks. However, masks must not obstruct vision, and eyes must be visible at all times. 

Costumes should not contain sharp objects, pointed objects or material that may accidentally strike another Guest. 

Guests that dress like Disney Characters may not pose for pictures or sign autographs for other Guests. 

Costumes should not drag on the ground. 

Costumes should not contain items which resemble or could easily be mistaken for an actual weapon. 

Guests of all ages may only wear costumes to the Mickey's Halloween Party event to which they have valid tickets. During normal park operating hours, costumes are only permitted for Guests ages 9 and younger. 

Guests who do not adhere to these guidelines may be refused entry into the event unless their costumes can be modified to meet the above standards. Information subject to change without notice. _



I _think_ it should be okay, though -- and it sounds very clever!


----------



## briggscreek

Well, we've been here since Sunday and the night we arrived DD finally got her brothers cold. Luckily it's been really mild and she's just stuffed up! We've been able to get a lot done, finally saw World of Color with a rail spot, it's so much better when you can actually see! Lunch at Wine Country Trattoria was really good too.

We had a great time at the Halloween carnival, our DS got to conjure the evil Queen and DD got picked to go on stage and help with the magic show. She helped pull the rabbit out of his hat and got to pet it.  The kids also love Ghost Galaxy. 

We always visit at slower times and Sunday was crazy busy and the bathrooms were just gross, reminded me of gas station bathrooms LOL.  Magic morning was also crazy this morning, wish we would have just skipped it entirely! Seemed like the line for the fastpass for Anna and Elsa took up half of fantasyland, we decided it wasn't worth it. We got the Maleficent dragon sipper and the zero popcorn bucket, but we haven't really had many of the holiday treats. Can someone remind me where to get the Sally coffin cake?


----------



## Sherry E

briggscreek said:


> Well, we've been here since Sunday and the night we arrived DD finally got her brothers cold. Luckily it's been really mild and she's just stuffed up! We've been able to get a lot done, finally saw World of Color with a rail spot, it's so much better when you can actually see! Lunch at Wine Country Trattoria was really good too.
> 
> We had a great time at the Halloween carnival, our DS got to conjure the evil Queen and DD got picked to go on stage and help with the magic show. She helped pull the rabbit out of his hat and got to pet it.  The kids also love Ghost Galaxy.
> 
> We always visit at slower times and Sunday was crazy busy and the bathrooms were just gross, reminded me of gas station bathrooms LOL.  Magic morning was also crazy this morning, wish we would have just skipped it entirely! Seemed like the line for the fastpass for Anna and Elsa took up half of fantasyland, we decided it wasn't worth it. We got the Maleficent dragon sipper and the zero popcorn bucket, but we haven't really had many of the holiday treats. Can someone remind me where to get the Sally coffin cake?



You can get the Sally Coffin Cake at the French Market.

I'm glad to read that you're all having a great time (despite crowds, the bathrooms and the sudden cold that your DD caught)!


----------



## corinne76

Sherry E said:


> In honor of the start of Fall, let's take a look at a couple of Disneyland Resort's "conspicuously Autumnal trees."   These are trees that don't appear to have naturally, organically grown in their designated spots (as they are usually situated between many green trees), but were instead randomly placed around DLR to either give the appearance of seasons changing or to fit in with a specific theme.[/B]
> 
> 
> _This conspicuously Autumnal tree is in the area where Grizzly Peak meets Paradise Pier in DCA..._
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _And this tree is somewhere in Critter Country..._




Totally thread jacking because we're not going to DL this year (but we are planning a trip next Oct! so I'll be on the next Halloween thread)
I just wanted to say these pics are lovely. I hadn't even thought about autumn trees and I can't wait to see some. Lame I know, but I'm in Hawaii and our trees don't change color like that.


----------



## Sherry E

corinne76 said:


> Totally thread jacking because we're not going to DL this year (but we are planning a trip next Oct! so I'll be on the next Halloween thread)
> I just wanted to say these pics are lovely. I hadn't even thought about autumn trees and I can't wait to see some. Lame I know, but I'm in Hawaii and our trees don't change color like that.



Welcome, *corinne76*!

Thank you!  

It's not lame at all -- to be honest, we don't really have trees with vibrant colored leaves like that in Southern California either, and I would love it if we did!  Our trees either stay green all year, or the leaves die off early and fall to the ground in sort of a boring beige-colored heap, way before Fall really even kicks in.  Up north, however, it may be a different story, I think.  

I see these great photos of people walking along quiet, brightly colored, tree-lined lanes, with millions of red, orange and yellow Autumn leaves as far as the eye can see, and I think, "Yep.  We sure don't have any of those lanes in Los Angeles."

That's why I find the conspicuously autumnal trees in Disneyland and California Adventure so amusing, in a way -- they stick out because they are usually near a bunch of green trees, or they seem to be totally isolated from all other trees.  It seems very obvious to me that Disney's horticulture department ordered some of those trees and placed them in very deliberate, specific spots around the parks to fit themes.  A couple of the trees that I have seen have had leaves that were so "perfect" in their color and design that I actually wondered for a moment if they were fake.  The leaves looked as if they had been dipped in paint, they were so picture-perfect.

I have a feeling that your Hawaiian sunsets, blue ocean, white beaches and lush green hillsides would put everything we have out here in L.A. to shame too! 

You're not thread jacking at all -- anyone is welcome to jump in, whether they are headed to DLR for Halloween Time or not!  Some people like to subscribe and follow along because they plan to go eventually -- within a couple of years -- and they just want to keep up with what's happening during the season so they'll know what to expect down the road.


----------



## corinne76

Sherry E, I think it's a case of the grass is always greener you know? I've lived here my whole life and I know I don't appreciate it like visitors do. 
When we visited DLR last year, it was hot, crowded and foggy. Did I care? Not one bit. I love DLR so much and it was my first visit since my teenaged years. I was so happy. Seriously, we went during that dreaded grad night time and it didn't bother me one bit. 

And I too would wonder if the trees are fake. The little kid in me would have to touch them to make sure. I'm the one who sees and random light switch and flicks it to see what it does. I worked in a restaurant and did that in the kitchen once. The staff wasn't too happy to suddenly be in total darkness


----------



## Sew into Disney

Sherry E said:


> Welcome, *corinne76*!
> 
> 
> 
> It's not lame at all -- to be honest, we don't really have trees with vibrant colored leaves like that in Southern California either, and I would love it if we did!  Our trees either stay green all year, or the leaves die off early and fall to the ground in sort of a boring beige-colored heap, way before Fall really even kicks in.  Up north, however, it may be a different story, I think.



Sherry, it is true that up north (Oregon) the trees are beautiful.  I grew up in Southern California and there were never trees like we have here. I love the variation of colors. Yellows, oranges, pinks and shades of brown. I love watching the trees go from full green to spots of fall to full blown fall.   Fall is my favorite season ... hands down.


----------



## starshine514

So, my DD7 is still Pooh obsessed. Is Pooh typically out at the Halloween party (we're only going with our party ticket, so no extra days)? If yes, does he wear a Halloween costume? Where will we find Pooh at the party? Any timing tips?

DD9 has requested that we meet Maleficient. We went during Halloweentime (but not to a party) last year and the year before and never managed to conjure her. Where do you think we'll find her during the party? Any timing tips?

The girls would also like to meet Mickey and Minnie (the baby loves the mice), but I'm thinking that may be too much to plan on...

Also, are there any timing tips in general? We'd like to see the fireworks, ride HMH, BTMRR, Pooh, Star Tours, Alice and Small World (of course, we'd like to ride more, but with the M&G requests, I'm not sure we can). We're going next Tuesday, and plan to enter the park at 3.00. I'm usually so good with coming up with a plan of attack, but I'm at a bit of a loss with planning for a Halloween party (especially with it being our only park time this year).


----------



## figment_jii

starshine514 said:


> So, my DD7 is still Pooh obsessed. Is Pooh typically out at the Halloween party (we're only going with our party ticket, so no extra days)? If yes, does he wear a Halloween costume? Where will we find Pooh at the party? Any timing tips?


He was out last year in his Halloween costume back by Pooh Corner (near the exit to the Winnie the Pooh ride).  He's also out during the day (probably not in costume).  We'll know for certain if he's out again this year (and who is out with him) on Friday night (the first MHP of the year).



starshine514 said:


> DD9 has requested that we meet Maleficient. We went during Halloweentime (but not to a party) last year and the year before and never managed to conjure her. Where do you think we'll find her during the party? Any timing tips?


Again, if things are the same as last year, she'll be with the other villains at the meet and greet in Town Square (by the train station).  She was in the set with the Evil Queen.  They switched out every 45 minutes or so (I think), so you'll have to ask the CMs when the next switch is slated and try to time your visit.  They have also been reports that she's been conjured this year, so you might see if she's at the Jamboree while you're there.



starshine514 said:


> The girls would also like to meet Mickey and Minnie (the baby loves the mice), but I'm thinking that may be too much to plan on...


Mickey (and I think Minnie) are at the Jamboree in costume.  They probably won't be together, but you can probably find both there at some point.



starshine514 said:


> Also, are there any timing tips in general? We'd like to see the fireworks, ride HMH, BTMRR, Pooh, Star Tours, Alice and Small World (of course, we'd like to ride more, but with the M&G requests, I'm not sure we can). We're going next Tuesday, and plan to enter the park at 3.00.


I would try to knock out as many rides as possible during the overlap (3-6 pm) and then towards the end of the party.  HMH is generally fairly busy, so I would either do that first or last.  I would see if you could get a FP for BTMRR or Star Tours.  Honestly, I think you will probably have to try to get in the rides during the overlap and at the very end of the party, because the meet and greets and MHP activities will take up a fair amount of time.


----------



## briggscreek

Sherry E said:


> You can get the Sally Coffin Cake at the French Market.
> 
> I'm glad to read that you're all having a great time (despite crowds, the bathrooms and the sudden cold that your DD caught)!



Thanks Sherry, hopefully we'll have one today! My DD wants to meet Jack and Sally so I guess we'll be hanging out in NOS anyway.

Does anyone know why the parks open at 8am tomorrow? Thursday isn't generally a much busier day than the rest o f the week...


----------



## kkmcan

starshine514 said:


> Also, are there any timing tips in general? We'd like to see the fireworks, ride HMH, BTMRR, Pooh, Star Tours, Alice and Small World (of course, we'd like to ride more, but with the M&G requests, I'm not sure we can). We're going next Tuesday, and plan to enter the park at 3.00. I'm usually so good with coming up with a plan of attack, but I'm at a bit of a loss with planning for a Halloween party (especially with it being our only park time this year).



Hi Starshine! It's Kelly. I don't have any tips for you but I wanted to say hi and that we'll be there on the 3rd doing the party and a one day ticket to DCA on the 4th.  It is hard planning for this knowing you only have 1 evening to fit it all in.  Our focus is rides and some candy and of course the fireworks. We haven't been to DL in 2 years so we want to hit as many rides as possible. The kids want their candy bag filled to the top as they don't trick or treat at home anymore

You've got an advantage I think going on a weeknight rather than a Friday night. I think our party is going to be packed but its when we could go and we are so super excited..... counting down the days like when the kids were younger

Have fun and report back how it went!


----------



## figment_jii

briggscreek said:


> Does anyone know why the parks open at 8am tomorrow? Thursday isn't generally a much busier day than the rest o f the week...


I was guessing that it has to do with the early closure of DCA tomorrow in the evening.

On an unrelated note, I just picked us a bag of Spiced Caramel Apple Caramel Corn by Werther's from Target.  Hopefully it Tate's as good as the regular caramel corn.


----------



## elamarca

Sherry E said:


> Welcome, *corinne76*!
> 
> Thank you!
> 
> It's not lame at all -- to be honest, we don't really have trees with vibrant colored leaves like that in Southern California either, and I would love it if we did!  Our trees either stay green all year, or the leaves die off early and fall to the ground in sort of a boring beige-colored heap, way before Fall really even kicks in.  Up north, however, it may be a different story, I think.
> 
> I see these great photos of people walking along quiet, brightly colored, tree-lined lanes, with millions of red, orange and yellow Autumn leaves as far as the eye can see, and I think, "Yep.  We sure don't have any of those lanes in Los Angeles."
> 
> That's why I find the conspicuously autumnal trees in Disneyland and California Adventure so amusing, in a way -- they stick out because they are usually near a bunch of green trees, or they seem to be totally isolated from all other trees.  It seems very obvious to me that Disney's horticulture department ordered some of those trees and placed them in very deliberate, specific spots around the parks to fit themes.  A couple of the trees that I have seen have had leaves that were so "perfect" in their color and design that I actually wondered for a moment if they were fake.  The leaves looked as if they had been dipped in paint, they were so picture-perfect.
> 
> I have a feeling that your Hawaiian sunsets, blue ocean, white beaches and lush green hillsides would put everything we have out here in L.A. to shame too!
> 
> You're not thread jacking at all -- anyone is welcome to jump in, whether they are headed to DLR for Halloween Time or not!  Some people like to subscribe and follow along because they plan to go eventually -- within a couple of years -- and they just want to keep up with what's happening during the season so they'll know what to expect down the road.



One of the very BEST things about moving from So-Cal to Nor-Cal is the changing of the leaves. I grew up at the beach in Ventura, without any official season change and no real trees to speak of besides palm trees. Now up here in Sacramento, we get everything. It's lovely. That being said, I'm now 6 hours away from DLR.. BOOOO!


----------



## Kittymomm

Are FP available during the party?  I was thinking of starting to collect right as the party starts (potentially)...


----------



## starshine514

figment_jii said:


> He was out last year in his Halloween costume back by Pooh Corner (near the exit to the Winnie the Pooh ride).  He's also out during the day (probably not in costume).  We'll know for certain if he's out again this year (and who is out with him) on Friday night (the first MHP of the year).



Thanks! So, even during the Halloween Party, he's still in his same area! 



figment_jii said:


> Again, if things are the same as last year, she'll be with the other villains at the meet and greet in Town Square (by the train station).  She was in the set with the Evil Queen.  They switched out every 45 minutes or so (I think), so you'll have to ask the CMs when the next switch is slated and try to time your visit.  They have also been reports that she's been conjured this year, so you might see if she's at the Jamboree while you're there.



Great! Do they usually start being there as soon as the party officially begins?



figment_jii said:


> Mickey (and I think Minnie) are at the Jamboree in costume.  They probably won't be together, but you can probably find both there at some point.



I think we'll be fine with one or the other. The Jamboree area, that's Big Thunder Ranch, right?



figment_jii said:


> I would try to knock out as many rides as possible during the overlap (3-6 pm) and then towards the end of the party.  HMH is generally fairly busy, so I would either do that first or last.  I would see if you could get a FP for BTMRR or Star Tours.  Honestly, I think you will probably have to try to get in the rides during the overlap and at the very end of the party, because the meet and greets and MHP activities will take up a fair amount of time.



Thanks! That's exactly what I was trying to figure out. 



kkmcan said:


> Hi Starshine! It's Kelly. I don't have any tips for you but I wanted to say hi and that we'll be there on the 3rd doing the party and a one day ticket to DCA on the 4th.  It is hard planning for this knowing you only have 1 evening to fit it all in.  Our focus is rides and some candy and of course the fireworks. We haven't been to DL in 2 years so we want to hit as many rides as possible. The kids want their candy bag filled to the top as they don't trick or treat at home anymore
> 
> You've got an advantage I think going on a weeknight rather than a Friday night. I think our party is going to be packed but its when we could go and we are so super excited..... counting down the days like when the kids were younger
> 
> Have fun and report back how it went!



Hi Kelly! It is hard to plan because you have to decide what parts of the special Halloween party you want to attend and what regular park parts you can't bear to miss. It's like the pressure is really on to have a plan. I don't *think* our party is sold out (yet), so maybe it won't be too bad. I'm at least hoping the overlap period isn't as horrible as it could be.

If you guys do Sea World, they also have trick-or-treating on the weekends, and everyone can trick or treat there as well. I don't think we're going to make it this year, though. We will be going to Sea World this trip (we have APs there right now), but we're traveling on the Sundays and we're supposed to do something else with our friends on the Saturday. Oh well, we can do without individual peanut butters, potato chips, mini bananas and chocolate rocks.


----------



## figment_jii

Kittymomm said:


> Are FP available during the party?  I was thinking of starting to collect right as the party starts (potentially)...


Last year, they are still issuing FPs (if there are any available) during the three hour overlap, but once the party starts, they no longer issue or honor FPs.



starshine514 said:


> Do they usually start being there as soon as the party officially begins?  The Jamboree area, that's Big Thunder Ranch, right?


I haven't been out there at the start of the party, but I would gues they show up at the start or very soon thereafter.  Yes, the Jamboree/Carnival is at Big Thunder Ranch, just beyond the petting zoo area.


----------



## Sherry E

*New:*


*"Planning for a Spooktacular Time at Mickey’s Halloween Party at Disneyland Park" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on September 24th, 2014 by Tyler Slater, Social Media Content Coordinator*


​


*Pumpkin Pandemonium Product Sighting Update:


1.  The Coffee Mate "seasonal line of products" TV ad is now running, featuring Pumpkin Spice creamer;

2.  Pillsbury Cinnabon Pumpkin Spice Grands -- **HERE*.   _Okay, I might have to actually try these_; 

*3.  Sara Lee Iced Pumpkin Cakes -- *_Okay, I might have to try these too_; and

*4.  Prairie Farms "Halloween Favorites Spooktacular Egg Nog and Peanut Butter Chocolate Milk"?? -- **HERE*.  _Halloween Egg Nog??_ 

​



figment_jii said:


> I was guessing that it has to do with the early closure of DCA tomorrow in the evening.
> 
> On an unrelated note, I just picked us a bag of Spiced Caramel Apple Caramel Corn by Werther's from Target.  Hopefully it Tate's as good as the regular caramel corn.




*figment_jii *-- Report back when you try the Spiced Caramel Apple Caramel Corn!  I am curious to know how it tastes!




corinne76 said:


> Sherry E, I think it's a case of the grass is always greener you know? I've lived here my whole life and I know I don't appreciate it like visitors do.
> When we visited DLR last year, it was hot, crowded and foggy. Did I care? Not one bit. I love DLR so much and it was my first visit since my teenaged years. I was so happy. Seriously, we went during that dreaded grad night time and it didn't bother me one bit.
> 
> And I too would wonder if the trees are fake. The little kid in me would have to touch them to make sure. I'm the one who sees and random light switch and flicks it to see what it does. I worked in a restaurant and did that in the kitchen once. The staff wasn't too happy to suddenly be in total darkness



*corinne76 --*

You're absolutely right -- it is a case of the grass is always greener.  Every city and state (and country) has something amazing about it, and it's something that people from other cities and states would like to enjoy.  I would like to enjoy a nice snowfall once in my life -- I would love to be able to walk outside, in the middle of Los Angeles, and feel snowflakes on my face, or build a snowman, or make snow angels.  Will that ever happen?  Probably not, since we don't even get proper Fall-colored trees!  People in other states don't want to see snow at all (especially after the Polar Vortex mayhem of this past Winter).

We must get to the bottom of whether or not the conspicuously autumnal trees at DLR are fake!




Sew into Disney said:


> Sherry, it is true that up north (Oregon) the trees are beautiful.  I grew up in Southern California and there were never trees like we have here. I love the variation of colors. Yellows, oranges, pinks and shades of brown. I love watching the trees go from full green to spots of fall to full blown fall.   Fall is my favorite season ... hands down.



*Sew into Disney --*

Fall is amazing.  I was sooooo glad to be done with Summer.

Oregon is beautiful in so many areas, so it doesn't surprise me that the Fall trees are gorgeous too!




elamarca said:


> One of the very BEST things about moving from So-Cal to Nor-Cal is the changing of the leaves. I grew up at the beach in Ventura, without any official season change and no real trees to speak of besides palm trees. Now up here in Sacramento, we get everything. It's lovely. That being said, I'm now 6 hours away from DLR.. BOOOO!



*elamarca --*

In NorCal you have the benefit of still being near the ocean (as you were in Ventura), as well as enjoying actual Fall-colored leaves and cooler weather than the SoCal weather!  Six hours is a good chunk of time away from DLR, but at least it's not 16 hours or something.


----------



## Kittymomm

The 3rd is sold out but on the off chance tickets are available when we get there, would any of you go twice?  Seems like a lot of money since we have 5 day passes already + the party on Oct 6th.  That said, I am feeling like we are going to miss out on some stuff on our last night there...just wondering if anyone else has gone twice in one season (well, one week in this case).

Stina


----------



## Sherry E

Kittymomm said:


> The 3rd is sold out but on the off chance tickets are available when we get there, would any of you go twice?  Seems like a lot of money since we have 5 day passes already + the party on Oct 6th.  That said, I am feeling like we are going to miss out on some stuff on our last night there...just wondering if anyone else has gone twice in one season (well, one week in this case).
> 
> Stina



*Stina --*

I've never gone twice in one season (yet) but I have always wanted to.  I would easily be able to devote one party to seeing the fireworks and the Cavalcade, meeting some characters, and riding a few rides.  I could devote a second party to hitting the treat trails, meeting more characters, shopping, taking photos, etc.

I think that there are quite a few people who have gone to more than one party in a year/season/week (*figment_jii* and *Kilala*, for example).  I think that some people have even gone to 3 parties.

I think that you can have a great experience at one party, and you can get a bit of everything done.  I don't think that 2 parties are absolutely necessary, but I think they could be helpful in allowing a bit more time for each activity.


----------



## BayGirl22

I am going to the party this Friday with my 5 year old.  YAY!  So excited its finally here.  He's excited too - to the point that he can't sit still in kindergarten (ooooops!) but I can't blame the kid right?  We got lucky with him having an in-service day on the day of the first party.  

So I'm trying to catch up on the thread since I planned a while ago.  
1. Have we seen a treat trails map yet?  I don't see on on the main page or the last few pages but I may have missed it.  

2.  Would love tips on our ride order.  He's never done Big Thunder Mountain and of course we'll want to do SM and HM for the theming.  We are entering at 4pm.  Any suggestions for FPs vs. standby at that time?  Our priorities for the party I think will be to catch the parade, fireworks, and treat trails.  Beyond that I plan to leave it up to him and do what looks fun at the moment.  
(Huge step for me, I'm a planner and usually have a detailed touring plan.) I'm thinking we will go in, head to BTM for a FP, do HM, then ride BTM and grab a FP for SM.  If I'm estimating correctly we can get a SM FP before 7:00.  In between there will be some buying of treat bags, wandering and shopping.  And lots of dawdling because that's what 5yos do where ever they are.  

3.  Sounds like we still don't know about the Toon Town pre-party?  We would go to that for sure if its happening so that affects #2

4.  Donald is his favorite character.  Can I expect to see him in the parade or in a specific spot?  

Thanks in advance, love stopping in to this thread to stay excited!


----------



## Sherry E

New:

*"Seasonal Delights at Jolly Holiday Bakery Cafe in Disneyland Park" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on September 24th, 2014 by Pam Brandon, Disney Parks Food Writer*

​



BayGirl22 said:


> I am going to the party this Friday with my 5 year old.  YAY!  So excited its finally here.  He's excited too - to the point that he can't sit still in kindergarten (ooooops!) but I can't blame the kid right?  We got lucky with him having an in-service day on the day of the first party.
> 
> So I'm trying to catch up on the thread since I planned a while ago.
> 1. Have we seen a treat trails map yet?  I don't see on on the main page or the last few pages but I may have missed it.
> 
> 2.  Would love tips on our ride order.  He's never done Big Thunder Mountain and of course we'll want to do SM and HM for the theming.  We are entering at 4pm.  Any suggestions for FPs vs. standby at that time?  Our priorities for the party I think will be to catch the parade, fireworks, and treat trails.  Beyond that I plan to leave it up to him and do what looks fun at the moment.
> (Huge step for me, I'm a planner and usually have a detailed touring plan.)
> 
> 3.  Sounds like we still don't know about the Toon Town pre-party?  We would go to that for sure if its happening so that affects #2
> 
> 4.  Donald is his favorite character.  Can I expect to see him in the parade or in a specific spot?
> 
> Thanks in advance, love stopping in to this thread to stay excited!



*BayGirl22 --*

I hope that you have a great time at the MHP!

If this year's parties are like last year's parties, there should be a Pirate Pals or Pirate-Palooza area in Frontierland (on the dock), and Donald should be there.  I think he's in the Cavalcade as well.

Earlier in the day -- before the MHP officially begins -- Donald should be at the Halloween Carnival in a pumpkin outfit.

There are no maps for 2014 yet.  Unless the Parks Blog posts the MHP map tomorrow, there probably won't be any maps available until Friday.

There hasn't been any official word about the Toontown party in terms of an announcement, but I think that Car Toon Spin (and probablyToontown in general??) may be closing a bit earlier on 9/26, which seems to indicate that there could be something happening in Toontown on Friday, before the MHP begins.  See *perlster's* post -- *HERE*.

I think that *figment_jii* or others will be able to advise on question #2 better than I can.


----------



## Kilala

Kittymomm said:


> The 3rd is sold out but on the off chance tickets are available when we get there, would any of you go twice?  Seems like a lot of money since we have 5 day passes already + the party on Oct 6th.  That said, I am feeling like we are going to miss out on some stuff on our last night there...just wondering if anyone else has gone twice in one season (well, one week in this case).
> 
> Stina



I agree with Sherry you don't get to see and do everything going on one day. I go 2 to 3 times each year. I know I'm going twice and mabey a 3rd day if that datte dosen't sell out.


----------



## BayGirl22

Sherry E said:


> New:
> 
> *BayGirl22 --*
> 
> I hope that you have a great time at the MHP!
> 
> If this year's parties are like last year's parties, there should be a Pirate Pals or Pirate-Palooza area in Frontierland (on the dock), and Donald should be there.  I think he's in the Cavalcade as well.
> 
> Earlier in the day -- before the MHP officially begins -- Donald should be at the Halloween Carnival in a pumpkin outfit.
> 
> There are no maps for 2014 yet.  Unless the Parks Blog posts the MHP map tomorrow, there probably won't be any maps available until Friday.
> 
> There hasn't been any official word about the Toontown party in terms of an announcement, but I think that Car Toon Spin (and maybe Toontown in general??) may be closing a bit earlier on 9/26, which seems to indicate that there could be something happening in Toontown on Friday, before the MHP begins.  See *perlster's* post -- *HERE*.
> 
> I think that *figment_jii* or others will be able to advise on question #2 better than I can.



Thanks so much Sherry!  You are always really helpful.  Donald as a Pirate AND as a pumpkin would make his day!


----------



## perlster

Anyone can check the hours and see that *all* of _Toontown_ is closing two hours before _Disneyland Park_ does on *each* MHP day , so "it" is happening.   It might not be called the "Toontown Pre-party" this year, but shutting down a land early on already short days tells the story.


----------



## Sew into Disney

Sorry I don't have time to read through all of the pages  What is the Toon Town Pre-party? 

We are only getting two days in the park this trip. The second day will include the MHP. I don't want to miss anything that my kids might enjoy.


----------



## Sherry E

Sew into Disney said:


> Sorry I don't have time to read through all of the pages  What is the Toon Town Pre-party?
> 
> We are only getting two days in the park this trip. The second day will include the MHP. I don't want to miss anything that my kids might enjoy.



No need to read through all the pages when the answer is on page 1 of this thread, post #3 -- *HERE (See question #22).*!!


----------



## Kittymomm

Sherry E said:


> *Stina --*
> 
> I've never gone twice in one season (yet) but I have always wanted to.  I would easily be able to devote one party to seeing the fireworks and the Cavalcade, meeting some characters, and riding a few rides.  I could devote a second party to hitting the treat trails, meeting more characters, shopping, taking photos, etc.
> 
> I think that there are quite a few people who have gone to more than one party in a year/season/week (*figment_jii* and *Kilala*, for example).  I think that some people have even gone to 3 parties.
> 
> I think that you can have a great experience at one party, and you can get a bit of everything done.  I don't think that 2 parties are absolutely necessary, but I think they could be helpful in allowing a bit more time for each activity.



Thanks Sherry...I think I will let fate take it's course (if tickets are available, I don't think I will resist).  That said, I have an all day at DCA planned that day too...hmm


----------



## mgpan

Just wanted to be sure i have this correct. I'm already paying full price three days out of 6 for shorter park hours due to extra revenue Halloween Parties, now a part of the park during these shorter hours closes even earlier than that? It's not that big of a deal, but it will make other parts of the park even busier.  Maybe next I'll hear SM and HM are only open to ticket holders starting at 3 or 4 p.m. on a party day.  It's getting very frustrating going across country at $$$ for this trip and the hours/offerings get shorter and shorter.  We booked the trip before MHP dates (the only time we can go) were announced and for 2014 they changed the early weeks of October to 3 parties instead of 2 like in 2013.



perlster said:


> Anyone can check the hours and see that *all* of _Toontown_ is closing two hours before _Disneyland Park_ does on *each* MHP day , so "it" is happening.   It might not be called the "Toontown Pre-party" this year, but shutting down a land early on already short days tells the story.


----------



## 2tinkerbell

mgpan said:


> Just wanted to be sure i have this correct. I'm already paying full price three days out of 6 for shorter park hours due to extra revenue Halloween Parties, now a part of the park during these shorter hours closes even earlier than that? It's not that big of a deal, but it will make other parts of the park even busier.  Maybe next I'll hear SM and HM are only open to ticket holders starting at 3 or 4 p.m. on a party day.  It's getting very frustrating going across country at $$$ for this trip and the hours/offerings get shorter and shorter.  We booked the trip before MHP dates (the only time we can go) were announced and for 2014 they changed the early weeks of October to 3 parties instead of 2 like in 2013.



The parks are opening 2 hours earlier on MHP days.  This time of year the park hours are shortened anyway so if you look at it, even if you don't go to MHP you are getting about the same operating hours for the time of year.  Toontown normally has shortened hours during an operating day.  I suggest that if visiting Toontown is something you want to do, then visit before closing.


----------



## laura&fam

kkmcan said:


> Hi Starshine! It's Kelly. I don't have any tips for you but I wanted to say hi and that we'll be there on the 3rd doing the party and a one day ticket to DCA on the 4th.  It is hard planning for this knowing you only have 1 evening to fit it all in.  Our focus is rides and some candy and of course the fireworks. We haven't been to DL in 2 years so we want to hit as many rides as possible. The kids want their candy bag filled to the top as they don't trick or treat at home anymore
> 
> You've got an advantage I think going on a weeknight rather than a Friday night. I think our party is going to be packed but its when we could go and we are so super excited..... counting down the days like when the kids were younger
> 
> Have fun and report back how it went!



I was thinking I was the only one only going to MHP and not the parks/Disneyland during the day, nice to know I'm not alone.  We went to MHP two years ago and I'm still struggling to plan what to do.  The trouble is I want to do it all and there just isn't time  

I'm trying to prioritize on what I absolutely can't miss (fireworks, but I will take a far away spot), what is really high priority (a couple rides and at least a couple of treat stations), and then go with the flow after that.


----------



## BayGirl22

mgpan said:


> Just wanted to be sure i have this correct. I'm already paying full price three days out of 6 for shorter park hours due to extra revenue Halloween Parties, now a part of the park during these shorter hours closes even earlier than that? It's not that big of a deal, but it will make other parts of the park even busier.  Maybe next I'll hear SM and HM are only open to ticket holders starting at 3 or 4 p.m. on a party day.  It's getting very frustrating going across country at $$$ for this trip and the hours/offerings get shorter and shorter.  We booked the trip before MHP dates (the only time we can go) were announced and for 2014 they changed the early weeks of October to 3 parties instead of 2 like in 2013.



Toontown always has shorter hours (opens an hour later than rope drop) and really doesn't have much capacity or adult rides.  I don't think it being open or closed has much impact on park capacity at all.  It sounds like you haven't been there before, but I view TT more as a little kids area to walk through, and even with 2 little kids we spend about 1 hour there per trip.  We go right at TT rope drop, do everything, and are done.  From my perspective this is not a big deal at all.  The fact that they are opening the park earlier balances out the early closure from a ticket cost perspective.  

I'm not sure I agree with the comment above that since TT is closing earlier there is for sure a party there.  Couldn't they just close it earlier to prep for MHP with the characters, etc.?  I guess I'll find out at the gate tomorrow afternoon but I'm still not getting my hopes up.  
Although my DS already said he wants to play on Donald's Boat so I'm hoping there's something good going on back there to make it worth the walk.


----------



## Sherry E

What's new in Pumpkin Pandemonium/Halloween Hoopla today?

1.  Tru Moo Orange Scream Milk -- *HERE*; and

2.  Angie's Pumpkin Spice-flavored popcorn -- *HERE*.


​






mgpan said:


> Just wanted to be sure i have this correct. I'm already paying full price three days out of 6 for shorter park hours due to extra revenue Halloween Parties, now a part of the park during these shorter hours closes even earlier than that? It's not that big of a deal, but it will make other parts of the park even busier.  Maybe next I'll hear SM and HM are only open to ticket holders starting at 3 or 4 p.m. on a party day.  It's getting very frustrating going across country at $$$ for this trip and the hours/offerings get shorter and shorter.  We booked the trip before MHP dates (the only time we can go) were announced and for 2014 they changed the early weeks of October to 3 parties instead of 2 like in 2013.



*mgpan --*

I get the feeling that Disney was trying to be clever by having 13 parties in 2013, and 14 parties in 2014.  Quite possibly, there could be 15 parties in 2015.  Of course, when this year began we didn't know that they were going to have 14 parties.

The slightly earlier Toontown closure on MHP days will probably not affect the crowds in other areas of the park too much.  The crowds will already be pretty substantial in that 3 hours of crossover time in which the non-party people and the party people can be in Disneyland together.  Toontown won't have too much of an impact on that situation, one way or the other.





BayGirl22 said:


> ...I'm not sure I agree with the comment above that since TT is closing earlier there is for sure a party there.  Couldn't they just close it earlier to prep for MHP with the characters, etc.?  I guess I'll find out at the gate tomorrow afternoon but I'm still not getting my hopes up.
> Although my DS already said he wants to play on Donald's Boat so I'm hoping there's something good going on back there to make it worth the walk.



*BayGirl22 --*

I am not entirely sure what's happening in or near Toontown.  It could be that it is just closing earlier than usual for no real reason other than to prep for MHP in nearby areas, but I tend to think that there will at least be some sort of temporary treat trail or temporary character photo spot in place.  As *perlster* said, it may be called something else or it may not be referred to as an actual Pre-Party, but I think that Disney put the orange bunting on the gazebo in Toontown and the Mickey pumpkin heads at the entrance for a reason -- which is probably because they plan to have a treat station and a character or two in that location, for a brief time, and they wanted to display some semblance of Halloween décor (however minimal) in the area.


----------



## Dot2Vegas

Sherry E said:
			
		

> What's new in Pumpkin Pandemonium/Halloween Hoopla today?
> 
> 1.  Tru Moo Orange Scream Milk -- HERE; and
> 
> 2.  Angie's Pumpkin Spice-flavored popcorn -- HERE.
> 
> 
> 
> The slightly earlier Toontown closure on MHP days will probably not affect the crowds in other areas of the park too much.  The crowds will already be pretty substantial in that 3 hours of crossover time in which the non-party people and the party people can be in Disneyland together.  Toontown won't have too much of an impact on that situation, one way or the .



I agree. To the poster who was worried about the crowds in other lands during the TT closure- I wouldnt stress over it. We have been in the park with TT closed for various reasons and have not noticed it impacting crowds elsewhere.  As the above poster said, crowds will be heavy anyways during that 3 hours before the parties start.


----------



## BayGirl22

Sherry E said:


> *BayGirl22 --*
> 
> I am not entirely sure what's happening in or near Toontown.  It could be that it is just closing earlier than usual for no real reason other than to prep for MHP in nearby areas, but I tend to think that there will at least be some sort of temporary treat trail or temporary character photo spot in place.  As *perlster* said, it may be called something else or it may not be referred to as an actual Pre-Party, but I think that Disney put the orange bunting on the gazebo in Toontown and the Mickey pumpkin heads at the entrance for a reason -- which is probably because they plan to have a treat station and a character or two in that location, for a brief time, and they wanted to display some semblance of Halloween décor (however minimal) in the area.




Oh a Treat Trail back there would be perfect!  That will give me something fun to do and my DS a chance to go back there.  I don't think I've ever seen Toontown at night, we always go at rope drop, so it would be kinda cool if they have it open during the party.  

Either way I'm sure many of us will be reporting back tomorrow when we find out from the source!


----------



## momof6princesses

I'm so excited to hear how the party goes tomorrow!  Hope we hear from lots of you. 

We leave in 21 days and will be at the park in 22  days, can't wait.


----------



## mgpan

Your description makes me feel much better.  It is just a very busy week with three parties and we can't just hop on over for the weekend later!  We'll check out Toontown earlier, and being from the East Coast with a two hour time change, and a 5 year that doesn't sleep late anyway, we'll definitely be rope droppers anyway!



BayGirl22 said:


> Toontown always has shorter hours (opens an hour later than rope drop) and really doesn't have much capacity or adult rides.  I don't think it being open or closed has much impact on park capacity at all.  It sounds like you haven't been there before, but I view TT more as a little kids area to walk through, and even with 2 little kids we spend about 1 hour there per trip.  We go right at TT rope drop, do everything, and are done.  From my perspective this is not a big deal at all.  The fact that they are opening the park earlier balances out the early closure from a ticket cost perspective.
> 
> I'm not sure I agree with the comment above that since TT is closing earlier there is for sure a party there.  Couldn't they just close it earlier to prep for MHP with the characters, etc.?  I guess I'll find out at the gate tomorrow afternoon but I'm still not getting my hopes up.
> Although my DS already said he wants to play on Donald's Boat so I'm hoping there's something good going on back there to make it worth the walk.






Hope the parties are wonderful!



Sherry E said:


> What's new in Pumpkin Pandemonium/Halloween Hoopla today?
> 
> 1.  Tru Moo Orange Scream Milk -- *HERE*; and
> 
> 2.  Angie's Pumpkin Spice-flavored popcorn -- *HERE*.
> 
> 
> ​
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *mgpan --*
> 
> I get the feeling that Disney was trying to be clever by having 13 parties in 2013, and 14 parties in 2014.  Quite possibly, there could be 15 parties in 2015.  Of course, when this year began we didn't know that they were going to have 14 parties.
> 
> The slightly earlier Toontown closure on MHP days will probably not affect the crowds in other areas of the park too much.  The crowds will already be pretty substantial in that 3 hours of crossover time in which the non-party people and the party people can be in Disneyland together.  Toontown won't have too much of an impact on that situation, one way or the other.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *BayGirl22 --*
> 
> I am not entirely sure what's happening in or near Toontown.  It could be that it is just closing earlier than usual for no real reason other than to prep for MHP in nearby areas, but I tend to think that there will at least be some sort of temporary treat trail or temporary character photo spot in place.  As *perlster* said, it may be called something else or it may not be referred to as an actual Pre-Party, but I think that Disney put the orange bunting on the gazebo in Toontown and the Mickey pumpkin heads at the entrance for a reason -- which is probably because they plan to have a treat station and a character or two in that location, for a brief time, and they wanted to display some semblance of Halloween décor (however minimal) in the area.


----------



## figment_jii

Just some quick notes/observations...
1. Zero popcorn bucket is super cute and appears very popular.  The nose lights up!  He's only available at the popcorn stand in NOS by HMH.
2. The "white" Mickey Hatbox ghost popcorn bucket appears to only be available at the Buena Vista Street popcorn stand (I haven't explored all of DCA yet).  The "white" part glows in the dark!
3. The "blue" Mickey Hatbox Ghost is pretty readily available throughout DL.  (No Dumbos or Darth Vaders on the other hand).
4. The Skeleton Dance popcorn bucket is readily available.  They still have the Disney character stretching portrait popcorn bucket (HM 45th) at the NOS popcorn stand.
5. The Jack Skellington Glow Cube is at the NOS lemonade stand, the Mickey pumpkin one at the Frontierland lemonade/turkey leg stand and the lemonade stand on Small World Mall.  Still haven't found the Poison Apple one.
6. Maleficent sipper is pretty readily available at lots of locations in DL and at least one place (Award Weiner) in DCA.
7. No black and orange Minnie Halloween headbands in the park (at least not that I've seen).  The witch's hat is pretty common along with the purple/green sequin headband.
8. The MS lockers are still closed.
9. The Time Guide goes through today, so no information about Toontown (yet).
10. The Monkey Bride is again in HMH!


----------



## Sherry E

*I couldn't get back here to post earlier, so everyone may have already seen this blog -- but for anyone who hasn't seen it, this was a new installment from the Disney Parks Blog today:*

*"Halloween Time Snacks and Sweets at Disneyland Resort" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on September 25th, 2014 by Rachel Brent, Food & Beverage Marketing Communications Coordinator*


​

*Thank you for the update, figment_jii!  Have a great trip!  *

​


----------



## 2tinkerbell

figment_jii said:


> Just some quick notes/observations...
> 1. Zero popcorn bucket is super cute and appears very popular.  The nose lights up!  He's only available at the popcorn stand in NOS by HMH.
> 2. The "white" Mickey Hatbox ghost popcorn bucket appears to only be available at the Buena Vista Street popcorn stand (I haven't explored all of DCA yet).  The "white" part glows in the dark!
> 3. The "blue" Mickey Hatbox Ghost is pretty readily available throughout DL.  (No Dumbos or Darth Vaders on the other hand).
> 4. The Skeleton Dance popcorn bucket is readily available.  They still have the Disney character stretching portrait popcorn bucket (HM 45th) at the NOS popcorn stand.
> 5. The Jack Skellington Glow Cube is at the NOS lemonade stand, the Mickey pumpkin one at the Frontierland lemonade/turkey leg stand and the lemonade stand on Small World Mall.  Still haven't found the Poison Apple one.
> 6. Maleficent sipper is pretty readily available at lots of locations in DL and at least one place (Award Weiner) in DCA.
> 7. No black and orange Minnie Halloween headbands in the park (at least not that I've seen).  The witch's hat is pretty common along with the purple/green sequin headband.
> 8. The MS lockers are still closed.
> 9. The Time Guide goes through today, so no information about Toontown (yet).
> 10. The Monkey Bride is again in HMH!



Thanks for the tips and information.  I didn't realize that you were in the Parks.
Have a GREAT time!

Oh my, that Apple Pie Funnel Cake looks too delicious to pass up.  I might find myself eating my way through DLR.


----------



## kim3339

*figment*~ did you happen to notice if they still have the 45th anniversary HM stretching room popcorn bucket available?


----------



## Sherry E

2tinkerbell said:


> Oh my, that Apple Pie Funnel Cake looks too delicious to pass up.  I might find myself eating my way through DLR.



*2tinkerbell --*

I had read about the new funnel cake a few weeks ago (but didn't see a photo), and knew it was coming to this year's seasonal offerings -- but I must admit that it looks much, much better in the photo than it did in my mind!  I'm not even a big funnel cake person (I prefer regular cake if I'm going to eat cake), but it does look too delicious to pass up, as you said.  The question is -- will it look that good in person?  And will it taste good?


----------



## 2tinkerbell

kim3339 said:


> *figment*~ did you happen to notice if they still have the 45th anniversary HM stretching room popcorn bucket available?




Sorry I'm not figment and I don't want to step on their toes but I believe it was available at the NOS popcorn stand (according to Figment's #4).  Again, I apologize if I am out of line.


----------



## Sherry E

kim3339 said:


> *figment*~ did you happen to notice if they still have the 45th anniversary HM stretching room popcorn bucket available?



*kim3339 -*

From figment_jii's post above:  _"They still have the Disney character stretching portrait popcorn bucket (HM 45th) at the NOS popcorn stand."_

(I'm only answering because I'm not sure if figment_jii will get back here again until tomorrow or after the MHP!)





2tinkerbell said:


> Sorry I'm not figment and I don't want to step on their toes but I believe it was available at the NOS popcorn stand (according to Figment's #4).  Again, I apologize if I am out of line.



*2tinkerbell --*

In this case, figment_jii is at DLR and may not get back here to this thread until tomorrow.  We have no clue when figment_jii will return.  So I think it's okay to point out what *figment_jii* posted above about the bucket, since it was overlooked the first time around!


----------



## kim3339

2tinkerbell said:


> Sorry I'm not figment and I don't want to step on their toes but I believe it was available at the NOS popcorn stand (according to Figment's #4).  Again, I apologize if I am out of line.





Sherry E said:


> *kim3339 -*
> 
> From figment_jii's post above:  _"They still have the Disney character stretching portrait popcorn bucket (HM 45th) at the NOS popcorn stand."_
> 
> (I'm only answering because I'm not sure if figment_jii will get back here again until tomorrow or after the MHP.



Thanks guys! I totally missed that.


----------



## Sherry E

kim3339 said:


> Thanks guys! I totally missed that.



*kim3339 --*

No worries -- it's easy to miss certain bits of info on a forum like this!  I know that people miss a lot of things that I post, and I'm sure I've overlooked or skipped over a lot of things too!  

(Somehow I completely missed hearing about the fact that the Critter Breakfast at Storytellers Café no longer allows menu orders [it's now buffet only], and I'm not sure how that one slipped past me.  I only found out because another DIS'er pointed it out to me when I incorrectly posted that you could order off the menu or from the buffet, but the menu option has been discontinued since earlier this year!)


----------



## pudinhd

Sherry E said:


> (Somehow I completely missed hearing about the fact that the Critter Breakfast at Storytellers Café no longer allows menu orders [it's now buffet only], and I'm not sure how that one slipped past me.  I only found out because another DIS'er pointed it out to me when I incorrectly posted that you could order off the menu or from the buffet, but the menu option has been discontinued since earlier this year!)



I think I just read you could do menu orders or buffet orders at breakfast on the Character Super Thread.  I think it was recent information, but I guess it's possible it was old...  (Slightly off topic! )


----------



## Sew into Disney

Sherry E said:


> No need to read through all the pages when the answer is on page 1 of this thread, post #3 -- *HERE (See question #22).*!!




Thank you Sherry  I have read that first page a few times. No idea how I missed that.  

I am feeling a little nervous about this trip. We normally do 3 days in the park but will only be doing two this time (with the MHP on day 2). I have never been to the park at this time of year and I am afraid we will miss something.


----------



## Sherry E

pudinhd said:


> I think I just read you could do menu orders or buffet orders at breakfast on the Character Super Thread.  I think it was recent information, but I guess it's possible it was old...  (Slightly off topic! )



*pudinhd --*

Really?  Well, I am confused!  I replied to someone's post (they were asking about Storytellers/the Critter Breakfast) and I mentioned the menu and buffet options (because that had been the scenario for years).  Another DIS'er pointed out that the menu option was removed earlier this year (maybe in the Spring, I think?).  I corrected my original comment because I didn't want anyone to mistakenly think they could order off the menu if it's not possible, and I wondered how I totally missed hearing about that development.  I will mosey over to the Character Meal Superthread and see what the latest scoop is on the Critter Breakfast!




Sew into Disney said:


> Thank you Sherry  I have read that first page a few times. No idea how I missed that.
> 
> I am feeling a little nervous about this trip. We normally do 3 days in the park but will only be doing two this time (with the MHP on day 2). I have never been to the park at this time of year and I am afraid we will miss something.



*Sew into Disney --*

No problem!  As I mentioned to kim3339 above, I'm sure I miss or overlook a lot of things as well!  

Since this won't be your first trip to DLR, and you already know which things you enjoy and like to do, I would say that the "Halloween element" of the parks right now would not necessarily require a lot of extra time and days.  I think that 2 days will be fine.  The MHP will be reserved for day 2, and the other Halloween stuff -- the Carnival, the 2 ride overlays, the Dia de los Muertos display, the Ray Bradbury Halloween tree, the pumpkins on Main Street -- can easily be seen/done in one day.  You can even fit in a trip to World of Disney in DTD to see the extra Halloween displays.

Now if you were going for the holiday season and it was your first holiday season experience, I might suggest that having a 3rd day would be necessary or advantageous.  There are more things to see and do during the holidays that are not in place during Halloween Time, and there are more decorations and details everywhere.  Halloween Time has really been scaled down and confined to Disneyland, for the most part, so it's not like there are Halloween Time things all around both parks and the hotels, and in DTD and all of that.  It's limited, so it's more manageable in a shorter trip, I think (in my opinion).


----------



## zanzibar138

Sherry E said:


> *pudinhd --*
> 
> Really?  Well, I am confused!  I replied to someone's post (they were asking about Storytellers/the Critter Breakfast) and I mentioned the menu and buffet options (because that had been the scenario for years).  Another DIS'er pointed out that the menu option was removed earlier this year (maybe in the Spring, I think?).  I corrected my original comment because I didn't want anyone to mistakenly think they could order off the menu if it's not possible, and I wondered how I totally missed hearing about that development.  I will mosey over to the Character Meal Superthread and see what the latest scoop is on the Critter Breakfast!



I've been pretty quiet since I got back, but I can put this one to rest. We did the character breakfast at Storyteller's on 9th September, and there was no menu available. It was buffet only. Still good though


----------



## Sherry E

zanzibar138 said:


> I've been pretty quiet since I got back, but I can put this one to rest. We did the character breakfast at Storyteller's on 9th September, and there was no menu available. It was buffet only. Still good though



Welcome back, *zanzibar138*!!

Thank you for solving the mystery of the Critter Breakfast menu (or lack thereof)!

Now...tell us all about your trip!  How was it?  Did you enjoy the Halloween Time festivities?  Did everything go well during the trip, or were there any not-so-great moments?  Give us the scoop!


----------



## lorijohnhill

Would someone please educate me about the popcorn buckets? The picture I saw didn't look like a bucket to me, so I'm confused. I've never had popcorn at DL (and haven't been to DL for five years). Do they sell the popcorn in these buckets? Are they plastic, paper, or some other material? My daughter and I love popcorn, so I am very curious about these.


----------



## Sherry E

lorijohnhill said:


> Would someone please educate me about the popcorn buckets? The picture I saw didn't look like a bucket to me, so I'm confused. I've never had popcorn at DL (and haven't been to DL for five years). Do they sell the popcorn in these buckets? Are they plastic, paper, or some other material? My daughter and I love popcorn, so I am very curious about these.



*lorijohnhill --*

*figment_jii* is a popcorn bucket collector, so she will be able to give a better response the next time she checks in here.

I guess they are made of some sort of plastic.  Every year or every couple of years, Disney comes up with a clever new design for the buckets.  In the past there was a Ghost Mickey.  Now there is the Hatbox Ghost Mickey.  During the holidays there has been a Santa Mickey.  There is usually some sort of Nightmare Before Christmas-themed bucket.

You can get them with popcorn in them at the popcorn carts, but I think -- and hopefully someone will correct me if I'm wrong -- some of the buckets can be purchased without popcorn in them, as I think a lot of folks collect them and don't necessarily want popcorn.  I know that was the case for the old Ghost Mickey bucket -- it could be bought without popcorn in it, but you could get the popcorn separately.


----------



## zanzibar138

Sherry E said:


> Welcome back, *zanzibar138*!!
> 
> Thank you for solving the mystery of the Critter Breakfast menu (or lack thereof)!
> 
> Now...tell us all about your trip!  How was it?  Did you enjoy the Halloween Time festivities?  Did everything go well during the trip, or were there any not-so-great moments?  Give us the scoop!



Well the BIG news is that I finished both the 5k and the 10k and got my big shiny medals  But that's hardly Halloween related 

There was definitely NOT a huge Halloween prescence in the parks. You really had to go looking for it. I did notice that they changed out the flowers for yellow/orange/red ones though.

On the first day of Halloween time (which also happened to be Dapper Day), the crowds were absolutely insane! HMH was completely mobbed and we couldn't get anywhere near it. SMGG had over an hour's wait the whole day. The weekend was actually a lot quieter and we managed to do both HMH and SMGG then instead. Unfortunately I could never stomach the wait for Jack and Sally.

I did briefly stop by the Big Thunder Ranch area while on the lookout for Chip N Dale. Chip was there in his police costume, but the meet and greet experience was very casual and CMs not particularly useful for helping/taking photos for solo travellers etc. I didn't see the pumpkin carving artists (but I was there quite late in the day), but I did enjoy the little decorated house with the pumpkin people in them. The wait for Conjure a Villain was too long for me not knowing who I would get and being on my own with no one to talk to in line. However, they did have a gypsy providing entertainment to guessts in line.

I'm happy that I got to experience some of Halloween time, but I won't be in a hurry to go back at that time of year. I think it was just too half hearted to work for me - without having the novelty factor of it being completely over the top, I would prefer to have nothing at all. However, if I had the opportunity to actually go to a MHP it might make a difference 

In general though, we had an absolute BLAST and DH is already planning next year's trip


----------



## Sherry E

zanzibar138 said:


> Well the BIG news is that I finished both the 5k and the 10k and got my big shiny medals  But that's hardly Halloween related
> 
> There was definitely NOT a huge Halloween prescence in the parks. You really had to go looking for it. I did notice that they changed out the flowers for yellow/orange/red ones though.
> 
> On the first day of Halloween time (which also happened to be Dapper Day), the crowds were absolutely insane! HMH was completely mobbed and we couldn't get anywhere near it. SMGG had over an hour's wait the whole day. The weekend was actually a lot quieter and we managed to do both HMH and SMGG then instead. Unfortunately I could never stomach the wait for Jack and Sally.
> 
> I did briefly stop by the Big Thunder Ranch area while on the lookout for Chip N Dale. Chip was there in his police costume, but the meet and greet experience was very casual and CMs not particularly useful for helping/taking photos for solo travellers etc. I didn't see the pumpkin carving artists (but I was there quite late in the day), but I did enjoy the little decorated house with the pumpkin people in them. The wait for Conjure a Villain was too long for me not knowing who I would get and being on my own with no one to talk to in line. However, they did have a gypsy providing entertainment to guessts in line.
> 
> I'm happy that I got to experience some of Halloween time, but I won't be in a hurry to go back at that time of year. I think it was just too half hearted to work for me - without having the novelty factor of it being completely over the top, I would prefer to have nothing at all. However, if I had the opportunity to actually go to a MHP it might make a difference
> 
> In general though, we had an absolute BLAST and DH is already planning next year's trip



*zanzibar138 --*

Thank you for your review/recap!

Congratulations on finishing your races and for getting your medals!  That is big news, and it is something to be very proud of!  I am so glad that you had a blast for the most part, and that the trip was goodl!

I had planned to go on the first day of Halloween Time/Dapper Day, but it was way too hot for me!  I thought that the heat would have scared off some people, but I guess not.

You have discovered what I have been grumbling about for a while -- the lack of a really extensive, all-encompassing Halloween experience at DLR!  Now you see what I mean or have meant when I have repeatedly said that California Adventure needs some Halloween fun too, and that even in Disneyland it (the Halloween presence) is not _everywhere_!  

Halloween Time is only focused on Main Street, in Frontierland and in New Orleans Square -- and a lot of the things in NOS are not exclusive to Halloween Time, but are there through the holidays too.  SMGG almost doesn't even seem to fit into the season, as there are no Halloween decorations around it.  The Halloween Carnival is really the hub of activity during the daytime (I love the Scare-Dy-Crow Shack, with the pumpkin people and retro pumpkin decor), and a lot of things are confined to that one location.

It's very interesting to read the different perspectives and observations from people when they come back from their first Halloween Time trips, as some will excitedly say "There were Halloween decorations everywhere, all over the parks!" and others will say what you said, which is that you have to go looking for the Halloween presence (which I agree with!).  I have read comments along the lines of both of those sentiments.

I think that the MHP is definitely becoming more necessary to the overall Halloween Time experience than it used to be, as Disney continues to scale back and reduce what is available in the daytime/non-party hours.  It is certainly possible to enjoy Halloween Time for a day or two without going to the MHP, but I think that the whole Halloween Time experience is more complete with the Halloween Screams fireworks, the trick or treating and the Cavalcade, as well as all of the characters that are out at the MHP.  The MHP just fills in a Halloween Trip a little better -- it fills in some of the gaps.

The Halloween party existed before Halloween Time (the season) existed. I really think that Halloween Time was created around the MHP (and all of its previous versions/names), to give the party some context, and I think that the MHP, HMH and SMGG are supposed to be the main highlights that headline the entire season.  In the past, when the party was held in DCA, Disney made an effort to decorate that park too (at least in one area -- Candy Corn Acres).  Once the party was taken out of DCA, all of the decorations went with it (and those Candy Corn Acres decorations never appeared in Disneyland).

In the case of Thanksgiving/Christmas/the holiday season, because there is no party (thankfully), there have been decades to fine tune the seasonal events and enhance the entertainment. There are decorations, beautiful trees and lights everywhere, and all sorts of themed decor and themed holiday music in each land.  It is really an all-encompassing, thorough experience.  I guess I would never expect Halloween Time to reach that same level of detail, but I just wish that Disney would do _more_ with Halloween Time than what they're doing, instead of keeping it as is or scaling it back.


----------



## mummabear

zanzibar138 said:


> Well the BIG news is that I finished both the 5k and the 10k and got my big shiny medals  But that's hardly Halloween related
> 
> There was definitely NOT a huge Halloween prescence in the parks. You really had to go looking for it. I did notice that they changed out the flowers for yellow/orange/red ones though.
> 
> On the first day of Halloween time (which also happened to be Dapper Day), the crowds were absolutely insane! HMH was completely mobbed and we couldn't get anywhere near it. SMGG had over an hour's wait the whole day. The weekend was actually a lot quieter and we managed to do both HMH and SMGG then instead. Unfortunately I could never stomach the wait for Jack and Sally.
> 
> I did briefly stop by the Big Thunder Ranch area while on the lookout for Chip N Dale. Chip was there in his police costume, but the meet and greet experience was very casual and CMs not particularly useful for helping/taking photos for solo travellers etc. I didn't see the pumpkin carving artists (but I was there quite late in the day), but I did enjoy the little decorated house with the pumpkin people in them. The wait for Conjure a Villain was too long for me not knowing who I would get and being on my own with no one to talk to in line. However, they did have a gypsy providing entertainment to guessts in line.
> 
> I'm happy that I got to experience some of Halloween time, but I won't be in a hurry to go back at that time of year. I think it was just too half hearted to work for me - without having the novelty factor of it being completely over the top, I would prefer to have nothing at all. However, if I had the opportunity to actually go to a MHP it might make a difference
> 
> In general though, we had an absolute BLAST and DH is already planning next year's trip



If I remember right you were deciding whether to do the F! dessert party last time we "spoke", did you end up doing it?


----------



## zanzibar138

mummabear said:


> If I remember right you were deciding whether to do the F! dessert party last time we "spoke", did you end up doing it?



I ended up going with the Walk in Walt's Footsteps tour instead (Plan A) as I heard that they were including the Dream Suite while Walt's Apartment was out. It was fantastic!


----------



## mummabear

Sherry E said:


> I had planned to go on the first day of Halloween Time/Dapper Day, but it was way too hot for me!  I thought that the heat would have scared off some people, but I guess not..



Holy Smokes wasn't it hot-the whole 2 weeks we were there. I think we achieved a little less than we normally would in the parks as we just couldn't be bothered criss crossing the park/parks to pull and use FP's the way we normally would-plus I tell you, baby wearing in that heat was a new kind of torture!



Sherry E said:


> You have discovered what I have been grumbling about for a while -- the lack of a really extensive, all-encompassing Halloween experience at DLR!  Now you see what I mean or have meant when I have repeatedly said that California Adventure needs some Halloween fun too, and that even in Disneyland it (the Halloween presence) is not _everywhere_!
> 
> It's very interesting to read the different perspectives and observations from people when they come back from their first Halloween Time trips, as some will excitedly say "There were Halloween decorations everywhere, all over the parks!" and others will say what you said, which is that you have to go looking for the Halloween presence (which I agree with!).  I have read comments along the lines of both of those sentiments.



Had it not been for this super thread I would not have known about the BTR Jamboree, with hindsight I'm sure it was on during our last trip-same dates 2012. We have seen HHM each time since 2005 and SMGG last time as well but had no clue about the rest.
It is on the map and the map is "Halloweened" a very clear difference from the week before but doesn't say alot about the jamboree.


----------



## zanzibar138

mummabear said:


> Holy Smokes wasn't it hot-the whole 2 weeks we were there. I think we achieved a little less than we normally would in the parks as we just couldn't be bothered criss crossing the park/parks to pull and use FP's the way we normally would-plus I tell you, baby wearing in that heat was a new kind of torture!



Yes! It was disgustingly hot and humid  except for that one day when it actually rained and we got a very brief respite from the heat. It was even worse in mid-September than it had been on Labor Day weekend!

We're not normally midday break people, but we couldn't survive any other way on this trip. Between the crowds and the weather that weekend, we really didn't 'achieve' much at all. Still had a great time though 



mummabear said:


> Had it not been for this super thread I would not have known about the BTR Jamboree, with hindsight I'm sure it was on during our last trip-same dates 2012. We have seen HHM each time since 2005 and SMGG last time as well but had no clue about the rest.
> It is on the map and the map is "Halloweened" a very clear difference from the week before but doesn't say alot about the jamboree.



I didn't bother to pick up a map the whole time I was there - even forgot to get one as a souvenir  I agree the BTR area wasn't very well advertised.


----------



## figment_jii

kim3339 said:


> *figment*~ did you happen to notice if they still have the 45th anniversary HM stretching room popcorn bucket available?


Just a brief update...the NOS popcorn stand may not be open the entire day.  Thy closed around 8:15 pm tonight (Thur) and I asked the CM (I know, that can be unreliable) and he said they normally close about 1 to 2 hours before the park closes.  I don't know why, but it something to keep in mind if you're looking for the Zero or Stretching Room buckets.



lorijohnhill said:


> Would someone please educate me about the popcorn buckets? The picture I saw didn't look like a bucket to me, so I'm confused. I've never had popcorn at DL (and haven't been to DL for five years). Do they sell the popcorn in these buckets? Are they plastic, paper, or some other material? My daughter and I love popcorn, so I am very curious about these.


Thank you _Sherry_!  As she said, the buckets are made of plastic.  They are either cylindrical or in the shape of a character.  I'll post some photos of the Halloween ones when I get home.  You can usually ask the CMs if you get the popcorn in the standard cardboard container instead of in the bucket if you don't want to get it dirty (most premium buckets hold more popcorn than the cardboard containers, so it's a trade-off).  The round/cylindrical bucket is easy to wash, but the premium character ones are tougher to wash because some have odd shapes and/or things that don't do well getting wet (like Zero's light-up nose).


----------



## briggscreek

My husband said he doesn't mind waiting for the fireworks tonight, so where would be the best spot for him to stake out for us? I know it's been talked about but I'm having a hard time using the search function on my phone! We've never waited for the fireworks, we usually just catch what we can from IASW or Main St, so I'm not sure how early he needs to get there or where to send him.


----------



## Imdboss

I'm getting so excited for our trip I can hardly sit still! Really looking forward to the first reports on MHP to come out. Only 11 more sleeps until we leave and 12 until we are in the park.

Happy Friday everyone!


----------



## laura&fam

I posted this on another thread and didn't get any response so I'll try it here. What do you do if you don't have photopass and want your entire group in the photo? Do you snag a CM or have the photopass person take it with your camera (I have seen that)   We won't be doing a lot of character meet and greets but maybe one or two and the standard castle shot.

We've always done photopass before so now I'm clueless as to what to do without it


----------



## mom2rtk

laura&fam said:


> I posted this on another thread and didn't get any response so I'll try it here. What do you do if you don't have photopass and want your entire group in the photo? Do you snag a CM or have the photopass person take it with your camera (I have seen that)   We won't be doing a lot of character meet and greets but maybe one or two and the standard castle shot.
> 
> We've always done photopass before so now I'm clueless as to what to do without it



Pretend you have photopass, take the card, and let them take their photos. Then ask them to take some on yours too. Who knows, you might even be happy later that you have a few on photopass to purchase if your others don't turn out. I will add that if you want night shots in front of the castle, the photopass ones are far better because they have them set up on tripods.


----------



## CassieF

laura&fam said:


> I posted this on another thread and didn't get any response so I'll try it here. What do you do if you don't have photopass and want your entire group in the photo? Do you snag a CM or have the photopass person take it with your camera (I have seen that)   We won't be doing a lot of character meet and greets but maybe one or two and the standard castle shot.
> 
> We've always done photopass before so now I'm clueless as to what to do without it



You can have a photopass photographer take your picture with both their camera and yours.  They'll give you a card and you can view all their images even without buying any.  If you don't, you can just ask for your camera only


----------



## nonzerosum

We're doing our first Halloween Time and MHP trip in about 10 days.  This is a bucket list thing for me and I'm so excited, maybe even more than my kids.

I'm a huge fan of Nightmare Before Christmas and Haunted Mansion.  Any suggestions about the best locations or shops to buy merch?  I plan to go crazy!!


----------



## poison ivy

Hi,

just purchased tix for the 29th.  We are bringing our 2 grandkids (ages 3 & 4) for our first Halloween in DL.   We're from the East Coast and have been to MNSSHP many times. But only been to DL 3x and never during Halloween.

I've read thru all the information so far but still am not real clear on the parade and other Halloween areas.  I plan to take them early and trick or treat and do a few fun rides but keep it light and happy.  Really want to avoid anything that could accidentally frighten them as their image of Disney is seen thru the beautiful eyes of children.    

So if anyone can share some tips on where I should navigate vs avoid please help!


----------



## scrapshappen

laura&fam said:


> I posted this on another thread and didn't get any response so I'll try it here. What do you do if you don't have photopass and want your entire group in the photo? Do you snag a CM or have the photopass person take it with your camera (I have seen that)   We won't be doing a lot of character meet and greets but maybe one or two and the standard castle shot.
> 
> We've always done photopass before so now I'm clueless as to what to do without it



I was once told by a friend that no cast member at DL cannot refuse to take your picture unless it would interfere with park operations. (So no on ride operators).   So just ask any random cast member that you see.  We tried it one year when it was just DH and me and we had 100% success.





nonzerosum said:


> We're doing our first Halloween Time and MHP trip in about 10 days.  This is a bucket list thing for me and I'm so excited, maybe even more than my kids.
> 
> I'm a huge fan of Nightmare Before Christmas and Haunted Mansion.  Any suggestions about the best locations or shops to buy merch?  I plan to go crazy!!



In the areas around the Haunted Mansion, there are carts set up with Jack Skellington items.  I've also seen merchandise over at the shop where you exit from Tower of Terror and at World of Disney at Halloween time. There will be no shortage of Nightmare Before Christmas merchandise available.





poison ivy said:


> Hi,
> 
> just purchased tix for the 29th.  We are bringing our 2 grandkids (ages 3 & 4) for our first Halloween in DL.   We're from the East Coast and have been to MNSSHP many times. But only been to DL 3x and never during Halloween.
> 
> I've read thru all the information so far but still am not real clear on the parade and other Halloween areas.  I plan to take them early and trick or treat and do a few fun rides but keep it light and happy.  Really want to avoid anything that could accidentally frighten them as their image of Disney is seen thru the beautiful eyes of children.
> 
> So if anyone can share some tips on where I should navigate vs avoid please help!




This is our first party so I can't comment on the party experiences, but HM did freak my son out at that age.  The Nightmare Before Christmas overlay is a little less scary, but it's kind of a lot of visual stimulation that probably won't make sense to a 3 and 4 year old.


----------



## figment_jii

A quick note: signs are up in the Esplanade saying tonight's MHP is sold out!  Nothing in the Times Guide about in Toontown...


----------



## pudinhd

zanzibar138 said:


> I've been pretty quiet since I got back, but I can put this one to rest. We did the character breakfast at Storyteller's on 9th September, and there was no menu available. It was buffet only. Still good though



Thanks!!  After reading Sherry's response to my response to her comment confused, I was thinking I had gotten them mixed up.  Glad it was yummy!!


----------



## 2tinkerbell

figment_jii said:


> A quick note: signs are up in the Esplanade saying tonight's MHP is sold out!  Nothing in the Times Guide about in Toontown...



Thanks for the live update!  

So, is there a separate MHP "times guide" or is this it?  I think the Toontown Pre-Party is the best kept secret of all.


----------



## Kilala

figment_jii said:


> A quick note: signs are up in the Esplanade saying tonight's MHP is sold out!  Nothing in the Times Guide about in Toontown...



Figment are you going to the party tonight? If so are you able to take a picture of the map? Also please let us know if Toon Town is open. Also i looks as if take a photo shoot in my Autumn Mist costume this Saturday. I have to get up early to take a walk. I need to up my exercise when it it cool enough.


----------



## poison ivy

scrapshappen said:


> This is our first party so I can't comment on the party experiences, but HM did freak my son out at that age.  The Nightmare Before Christmas overlay is a little less scary, but it's kind of a lot of visual stimulation that probably won't make sense to a 3 and 4 year old.



I've actually gotten to see the Nightmare overlay at DL and really loved it but sadly will be avoiding it with the kids.  I agree completely, it's far too complex a visual for them.  thanks


----------



## iheartglaciers

Can't wait to hear from all those who are going to the party tonight!  Have fun!


----------



## dolphingirl47

To all of you heading to the party tonight, I hope you are having a magical time.



Sherry E said:


> *kim3339 --*(Somehow I completely missed hearing about the fact that the Critter Breakfast at Storytellers Café no longer allows menu orders [it's now buffet only], and I'm not sure how that one slipped past me.  I only found out because another DIS'er pointed it out to me when I incorrectly posted that you could order off the menu or from the buffet, but the menu option has been discontinued since earlier this year!)



Ah, that is good to know. I was just about ready to make a reservation for this for our second morning at Disneyland, but decided to hold off until the park hours are released. Now I am kind of on the fence about this.

Corinna


----------



## mummabear

zanzibar138 said:


> I ended up going with the Walk in Walt's Footsteps tour instead (Plan A) as I heard that they were including the Dream Suite while Walt's Apartment was out. It was fantastic!



OMG I am kicking myself, I decided not to do the tour as without the apartment or club 33 it seemed pointless, I would have done it for the dream suite. Gutted.


----------



## Sherry E

*Those of you who are headed out to the first Mickey's Halloween Party of the season tonight, have fun!!!!

Please report back to us here in this thread when you return, as a lot of people will be waiting to hear about what to expect from this year's parties (crowds, candy selection, characters, etc.). 

I compiled a list of links to reviews of/comments about the 2013 parties (which can be found in the MHP FAQ post on page 1 of this thread), and I would love to be able to include your reviews/comments of the 2014 events on that list (which will help the people who plan to go to the MHP in 2015) -- but it will be easier for me if the reviews are here, where I can quickly search and find them!!*



​


*Today's blog from the Disney Parks Blog is about the Halloween in-room celebrations (and mail order too!) that I know so many of you are interested in:

"New Halloween Celebrations at Disney Parks" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on September 26th, 2014 by Jean Volante, Manager of Dream Making, Disney Floral & Gifts/DEG*



​


*Today's Pumpkin Pandemonium sightings include (from The Impulsive Buy's website):


1.  Dannon Oikos Pumpkin Pie Greek Yogurt;

2.  Creative Snacks Co.'s Pumpkin Spice Yogurt Pretzels and Apple Cider Yogurt Pretzels;

3.  Celestial Seasonings' Caramel Apple Dream Herbal Tea

4. Duncan Hines' Autumn Velvets Cake Mix; and

5.  YoCrunch Pumpkin Pie with Pie Crust Topping Yogurt.*



​


----------



## ricardol

The suspense is killing me!!!!! Can't wait to hear back from people attending today..........


----------



## Sherry E

mummabear said:


> Holy Smokes wasn't it hot-the whole 2 weeks we were there. I think we achieved a little less than we normally would in the parks as we just couldn't be bothered criss crossing the park/parks to pull and use FP's the way we normally would-plus I tell you, baby wearing in that heat was a new kind of torture!
> 
> Had it not been for this super thread I would not have known about the BTR Jamboree, with hindsight I'm sure it was on during our last trip-same dates 2012. We have seen HHM each time since 2005 and SMGG last time as well but had no clue about the rest.
> It is on the map and the map is "Halloweened" a very clear difference from the week before but doesn't say alot about the jamboree.



*mummabear --*

The Halloween Carnival/Roundup is not promoted too well.  The addition of the fortuneteller, the jester and the magician seemed to mainly be a way to fill the void left behind by Billy Hill and the "Haunted" Hillbillies, but I get the feeling that those additions didn't contribute much to the Carnival in the grand scheme of things.

I don't blame you for not running around to get FPs and all of that.  The heat was ridiculous for about one or two weeks!  I couldn't deal with it -- I would have literally passed out in the middle of DLR if I had tried to go out and deal with it.  



briggscreek said:


> My husband said he doesn't mind waiting for the fireworks tonight, so where would be the best spot for him to stake out for us? I know it's been talked about but I'm having a hard time using the search function on my phone! We've never waited for the fireworks, we usually just catch what we can from IASW or Main St, so I'm not sure how early he needs to get there or where to send him.



*briggscreek --*

Here are fireworks viewing tips/suggestions from *Bret/mvf-m11c* and *figment_jii*:

*Bret/mvf-m11c* - http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=52168669&postcount=1289

*figment_jii* -- http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=52168793&postcount=1291






Imdboss said:


> I'm getting so excited for our trip I can hardly sit still! Really looking forward to the first reports on MHP to come out. Only 11 more sleeps until we leave and 12 until we are in the park.
> 
> Happy Friday everyone!



*Imdboss --*

I hope you have a great trip!

Same here -- I can't wait to hear/read the first MHP reports of the season!  I am so excited it's Fall...I'm so excited that Halloween Time is in full swing and the holidays are coming up soon... I'm so excited to be done with Summer!  The weather is still warm but it's not 104 degrees right now.  It's a great time of year!





nonzerosum said:


> We're doing our first Halloween Time and MHP trip in about 10 days.  This is a bucket list thing for me and I'm so excited, maybe even more than my kids.
> 
> I'm a huge fan of Nightmare Before Christmas and Haunted Mansion.  Any suggestions about the best locations or shops to buy merch?  I plan to go crazy!!



*nonzerosum --*

I always forget the name of the shop, but I think it's _Port Royal_ -- that's the shop in New Orleans Square that always has a lot of "_Nightmare Before Christmas_" items, as do the carts around New Orleans Square (as *scrapshappen* mentioned previously).

I have also seen things like Jack Skellington Mouse ears and Mickey Mouse-dressed-as-Jack Skellington plush toys in the Emporium on Main Street. There are lots of great Haunted Mansion collectibles (not necessarily Haunted Mansion Holiday, but regular Haunted Mansion) in several places around DLR -- such as in Frontierland, in the Showcase store on Main Street, etc.




poison ivy said:


> Hi,
> 
> just purchased tix for the 29th.  We are bringing our 2 grandkids (ages 3 & 4) for our first Halloween in DL.   We're from the East Coast and have been to MNSSHP many times. But only been to DL 3x and never during Halloween.
> 
> I've read thru all the information so far but still am not real clear on the parade and other Halloween areas.  I plan to take them early and trick or treat and do a few fun rides but keep it light and happy.  Really want to avoid anything that could accidentally frighten them as their image of Disney is seen thru the beautiful eyes of children.
> 
> So if anyone can share some tips on where I should navigate vs avoid please help!



*poison ivy --*

Welcome to the thread!

Did you happen to read *figment_jii's* comparison of the MHP vs. MNSSHP (there is a link in the MHP FAQ on page 1 of this thread)?  That may help clear things up a bit.

There isn't really anything overtly scary or frightening at the MHP.  It's mostly all light and happy.  The Cavalcade has characters and is upbeat and lively. 

There are some spookier effects on the Big Thunder Trail and over the Rivers of America -- fog and eerie lighting -- but it stops there.  You may want to avoid those spots.  You will see colored lights and images projected onto various facades (including the Castle and It's a Small World), such as skeletons, spider webs or pumpkins, etc.

The area around the Hub will likely be crowded with people waiting for the Halloween Screams fireworks, so steer clear of that if you don't want to see the fireworks.

I would stay tuned to this thread for reviews of the MHP as they come in (after tonight) -- maybe that will help give you an idea of what is happening at the parties this year.  

I would go to the treat trail in Pixie Hollow (very pretty at night) and maybe the treat trail at the Golden Horseshoe (for extra Halloween decorations inside the building).

If you're there in the daytime, before the party, go to the Halloween Carnival to see the amazing carved pumpkins and various pumpkin figures around the area (as well as the petting zoo).





pudinhd said:


> Thanks!!  *After reading Sherry's response to my response to her comment* confused, I was thinking I had gotten them mixed up.  Glad it was yummy!!









2tinkerbell said:


> Thanks for the live update!
> 
> So, is there a separate MHP "times guide" or is this it?  I think the Toontown Pre-Party is the best kept secret of all.



*2tinkerbell --*

There is an MHP map with info and times, and then there is a general Disneyland Times Guide.  I don't think there is a separate MHP Times Guide other than the map.



Kilala said:


> Figment are you going to the party tonight? If so are you able to take a picture of the map? Also please let us know if Toon Town is open. Also i looks as if take a photo shoot in my Autumn Mist costume this Saturday. I have to get up early to take a walk. I need to up my exercise when it it cool enough.



*Kilala --*

I know that *figment_jii* won't let you down!  I think that getting a map to scan and also finding out about the Toontown situation will be at the top of the list of MHP priorities!  *Perlster* usually scans a map as well, I think.




iheartglaciers said:


> Can't wait to hear from all those who are going to the party tonight!  Have fun!



*iheartglaciers --*

Same here!  I am excited to hear the first reviews!




dolphingirl47 said:


> To all of you heading to the party tonight, I hope you are having a magical time.
> 
> Ah, that is good to know. I was just about ready to make a reservation for this for our second morning at Disneyland, but decided to hold off until the park hours are released. Now I am kind of on the fence about this.
> 
> Corinna



*Corinna --*

I think that one of the big selling points of the Critter Breakfast was the fact that it offered a menu or a buffet.  It's too bad they got rid of it!  The menu items were not inexpensive, but it was nice to have that option.


----------



## DisneyJamieCA

I am also excited to hear the reports of the first party! Three weeks from today we will be getting ready for ours! I can't believe how the fast the time is going now, after feeling like it was dragging all summer!


----------



## pudinhd

Sherry E said:


> *Corinna --*
> I think that one of the big selling points of the Critter Breakfast was the fact that it offered a menu or a buffet.  It's too bad they got rid of it!  The menu items were not inexpensive, but it was nice to have that option.



I agree!!  This was a long time ago, but I remember being able to order off the menu as a part of the buffet.  That was cool!!


----------



## BayGirl22

pudinhd said:


> I agree!!  This was a long time ago, but I remember being able to order off the menu as a part of the buffet.  That was cool!!



Not so long. We were just there in Feb and ordered off the menu.


We are in Anaheim and super excited now. 4pm can't get here soon enough. I'll try to post pics too.


----------



## briggscreek

Thanks for the links Sherry! I'm nervous about the crowds, I'll be sure to report back later.


----------



## 2tinkerbell

Everyone going tonight - Have Fun!!!  

I am so excited for you and anxious to read the reports.


----------



## ClosetDisneyJunkie

4 more hours to party time!  We were there at opening this morning and just got back to FFI for a few hours of downtime before going back for the party.

Will report back!


----------



## Sherry E

There is about one hour and 10 minutes until the MHP guests can enter DL!!  I can't wait to hear about what the crossover/overlap crowds are like tonight in that 3-hour period of time (4 p.m. - 7 p.m.) before the non-party folks have to leave DL!


​
*New:* 

*"Danny Elfman Visits Haunted Mansion Holiday at Disneyland Park" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on September 26th, 2014 by Erin Glover, Social Media Director, Disneyland Resort*


​


----------



## poison ivy

Sherry E said:


> *poison ivy --*
> 
> Welcome to the thread!
> 
> Did you happen to read *figment_jii's* comparison of the MHP vs. MNSSHP (there is a link in the MHP FAQ on page 1 of this thread)?  That may help clear things up a bit.
> 
> There isn't really anything overtly scary or frightening at the MHP.  It's mostly all light and happy.  The Cavalcade has characters and is upbeat and lively.
> 
> There are some spookier effects on the Big Thunder Trail and over the Rivers of America -- fog and eerie lighting -- but it stops there.  You may want to avoid those spots.  You will see colored lights and images projected onto various facades (including the Castle and It's a Small World), such as skeletons, spider webs or pumpkins, etc.
> 
> The area around the Hub will likely be crowded with people waiting for the Halloween Screams fireworks, so steer clear of that if you don't want to see the fireworks.
> 
> I would stay tuned to this thread for reviews of the MHP as they come in (after tonight) -- maybe that will help give you an idea of what is happening at the parties this year.
> 
> I would go to the treat trail in Pixie Hollow (very pretty at night) and maybe the treat trail at the Golden Horseshoe (for extra Halloween decorations inside the building).
> 
> If you're there in the daytime, before the party, go to the Halloween Carnival to see the amazing carved pumpkins and various pumpkin figures around the area (as well as the petting zoo)



thank you so much!  This is very helpful.  I don't expect to get a whole lot accomplished.  they are so cute and will want to stop and look at everything so we'll probably get held up the minute we arrive!!

Your comment about the fireworks prompted me to watch a few youtube videos of the show which was enough to convince me to avoid it. They're just too little for that experience. 

 I am waiting for this years parade reviews before making a final decision on that too. 

It's going to be a ton of fun no matter what we do but we are getting there at 3 pm (our night is a 6-11 party) so I will definitely take them to see the pumpkin carvings.

I have to research what the cavalcade is and thank you for the advice on the treat trails.  I will check into that as well.

Now to figure out if there is anything happening at the DL Hotel on Halloween day.

thanks again.
christine


----------



## Sherry E

poison ivy said:


> thank you so much!  This is very helpful.  I don't expect to get a whole lot accomplished.  they are so cute and will want to stop and look at everything so we'll probably get held up the minute we arrive!!
> 
> Your comment about the fireworks prompted me to watch a few youtube videos of the show which was enough to convince me to avoid it. They're just too little for that experience.
> 
> I am waiting for this years parade reviews before making a final decision on that too.
> 
> It's going to be a ton of fun no matter what we do but we are getting there at 3 pm (our night is a 6-11 party) so I will definitely take them to see the pumpkin carvings.
> 
> I have to research what the cavalcade is and thank you for the advice on the treat trails.  I will check into that as well.
> 
> Now to figure out if there is anything happening at the DL Hotel on Halloween day.
> 
> thanks again.
> christine



*Christine --*

You're very welcome!  The first of the MHP guests should be entering Disneyland in 15 minutes, and the party will start 3 hours after that!  We should be hearing some info and seeing photos very soon.

From what I have read and heard, the 3 different hotels at Disneyland Resort (including the DLH) give out candy to trick-or-treaters on Halloween -- but I am not sure if they only give out candy to guests of the hotels, or to anyone who wanders in!

Mickey's Costume Party Cavalcade is the parade -- we don't have a Boo to You parade like the one at MNSSHP.  Ours is a mini-parade that supposedly pales in comparison to Boo to You!


----------



## aidensmom31

DisneyJamieCA said:


> I am also excited to hear the reports of the first party! Three weeks from today we will be getting ready for ours! I can't believe how the fast the time is going now, after feeling like it was dragging all summer!



We will be there for the party in 3 weeks too


----------



## poison ivy

Sherry E said:


> *Christine --*
> 
> You're very welcome!  The first of the MHP guests should be entering Disneyland in 15 minutes, and the party will start 3 hours after that!  We should be hearing some info and seeing photos very soon.
> 
> From what I have read and heard, the 3 different hotels at Disneyland Resort (including the DLH) give out candy to trick-or-treaters on Halloween -- but I am not sure if they only give out candy to guests of the hotels, or to anyone who wanders in!
> 
> Mickey's Costume Party Cavalcade is the parade -- we don't have a Boo to You parade like the one at MNSSHP.  Ours is a mini-parade that supposedly pales in comparison to Boo to You!



Great!  Can't wait to hear from tonight's party guests!  Actually that cavalcade sounds perfect for us if it's shorter than Boo to You.  

We're staying at the DL Hotel from the 29th to 31st so it sounds like we can dress them in costume again and walk around for more treats.  Are we allowed to visit all three resorts? and is there any trick or treating for kids in the DTD area? 

Since this is our check out day, we're keeping to the resort area before heading home.


----------



## Sherry E

*And.....they're in!  

The first MHP guests (the ones who are taking advantage of the early entry into DL with the MHP ticket) should be walking into the park right at this very moment, looking down Main Street at a sea of people milling about!!*

​



poison ivy said:


> Great!  Can't wait to hear from tonight's party guests!  Actually that cavalcade sounds perfect for us if it's shorter than Boo to You.
> 
> We're staying at the DL Hotel from the 29th to 31st so it sounds like we can dress them in costume again and walk around for more treats.  Are we allowed to visit all three resorts? and is there any trick or treating for kids in the DTD area?
> 
> Since this is our check out day, we're keeping to the resort area before heading home.



*Christine --*

I have not heard anything about trick-or-treating in DTD, but that doesn't mean anything.  It could be happening, and maybe no one has realized it or thought to speak up about it.  

If each individual hotel is only giving out candy to guests of that hotel, then I am guessing you wouldn't be able to get candy at all 3 hotels.  Something tells me that you will probably be able to go to each hotel and get candy, though -- that is, assuming the hotels are still giving out candy on Halloween.  

Another thing that may or may not still be in effect:   In previous years, I think it was the Grand Californian Hotel that had a special Halloween photo spot set up on Halloween only (not at any other time during the season -- only on 10/31).  I have no clue if that happened last year, or if it will happen this year -- for all I know, maybe they stopped putting up the photo spot 3 years ago! -- but it may be something to ask about or look into when you arrive at DLR.  

I am actually surprised that the Disneyland Hotel doesn't have a fun Halloween photo spot too -- if they don't do it -- because the DLH has some very nice holiday photo spots when the holiday season rolls around, and the overall tone of the DLH is more playful and whimsical than the tone of the GCH.


----------



## pudinhd

Sherry E said:


> *And.....they're in!
> 
> The first MHP guests (the ones who are taking advantage of the early entry into DL with the MHP ticket) should be walking into the park right at this very moment, looking down Main Street at a sea of people milling about!!*



Yay!!!  So excited to hear the reports and see the pictures and map!!


----------



## poison ivy

Sherry E said:


> *Christine --*
> 
> I have not heard anything about trick-or-treating in DTD, but that doesn't mean anything.  It could be happening, and maybe no one has realized it or thought to speak up about it.
> 
> If each individual hotel is only giving out candy to guests of that hotel, then I am guessing you wouldn't be able to get candy at all 3 hotels.  Something tells me that you will probably be able to go to each hotel and get candy, though -- that is, assuming the hotels are still giving out candy on Halloween.
> 
> Another thing that may or may not still be in effect:   In previous years, I think it was the Grand Californian Hotel that had a special Halloween photo spot set up on Halloween only (not at any other time during the season -- only on 10/31).  I have no clue if that happened last year, or if it will happen this year -- for all I know, maybe they stopped putting up the photo spot 3 years ago! -- but it may be something to ask about or look into when you arrive at DLR.
> 
> I am actually surprised that the Disneyland Hotel doesn't have a fun Halloween photo spot too -- if they don't do it -- because the DLH has some very nice holiday photo spots when the holiday season rolls around, and the overall tone of the DLH is more playful and whimsical than the tone of the GCH.



thanks again Sherry.  it doesn't surprise me that there isn't much mention of it.  In WDW they host it at the Boardwalk and other resorts but it's very low key.  I'm sure if there's anything going on around the DL Resorts it will be the same.  I'll casually inquire about DTD since we'll be there anyway.  But they're so young that any little treat will easily go a long way even if it's just at the hotel.


----------



## zanzibar138

mummabear said:


> OMG I am kicking myself, I decided not to do the tour as without the apartment or club 33 it seemed pointless, I would have done it for the dream suite. Gutted.



That was exactly what I thought too. There was an update on the 'No Walt's Apartment' thread that I saw - I thought you would have seen it too or else I would have sent you a PM letting you know


----------



## Sherry E

*The party on Tuesday, October 14th is now SOLD OUT!!!!!  I will update the MHP and Dates posts on page 1 with this info!

This is the first Tuesday or early weeknight party to sell out this year, by the way -- all of the other party nights that have sold out up until now have been Friday parties!!!

Hurry and call Disneyland and try to get tickets over the phone if you want to go on 10/14/14!!!  If they have any tickets left over the phone, they won't have them for long!!*


----------



## lorijohnhill

I noticed this morning that McDonalds is now selling Pumpkin Pies.


----------



## Sherry E

*In just over 45 minutes, the first Mickey's Halloween Party of the season will begin!!!!  Who will be the first person to report back with details?  Will it be figment_jii? Will it be perlster (if perlster went to the MHP tonight)?  Will it be ClosetDisneyJunkie??  Will it be BayGirl22?  Will it be someone else?*




lorijohnhill said:


> I noticed this morning that McDonalds is now selling Pumpkin Pies.



*lorijohnhill --*

Are those like their apple pies?  I have seen the holiday season version of those -- which have some sort of holiday sprinkles on them and may or may not be seasonally flavored -- but I didn't know they had pumpkin as well!  Then again, every other brand and manufacturer is cashing in on Pumpkin Pandemonium, so why not McDonald's too?

Since the McDonald's apple pies are so popular (and have been popular for decades), I am surprised they don't capitalize on Fall by offering a caramel apple version of the pie...or DO they offer a caramel apple version of the pie that I never knew existed?

What I do know is that I have located my Dreyer's Limited Edition Peppermint Wonderland ice cream, and as of tomorrow morning it will be resting comfortably in my freezer!  (While I am getting that, I may pick up a random pumpkin product at Starbucks or a Twix Ghost or something too!)


----------



## corinne76

I'm drinking a homemade pumpkin spiced latte. Thought of you all


----------



## Sherry E

corinne76 said:


> I'm drinking a homemade pumpkin spiced latte. Thought of you all



*corinne76 --*

Is homemade better than store bought?  I would guess that it has to be!

By the end of next week the temperatures are supposed to soar again here in SoCal , so I may have to try to squeeze in any warm seasonal beverages in the tiny window of time when it's cooler (only 80-something degrees instead of 100).  I can pretend it is a nice, chilly Fall day, with leaves whipping around in the breeze and a light sprinkling of rain falling on the ground.


----------



## corinne76

Sherry E said:


> *corinne76 --*
> 
> Is homemade better than store bought?  I would guess that it has to be!
> 
> By the end of next week the temperatures are supposed to soar again here in SoCal , so I may have to try to squeeze in any warm seasonal beverages in the tiny window of time when it's cooler (only 80-something degrees instead of 100).  I can pretend it is a nice, chilly Fall day, with leaves whipping around in the breeze and a light sprinkling of rain falling on the ground.



nah, probably not LOL. but the starbucks one for sure has a ton of extra chemicals. I use coffee or espresso, almond milk, pumpkin pie spice, sometimes a little pureed pumpkin if I have any and stevia or honey.


----------



## LisaT91403

So it's the first party, and it's during the dreaded "overlap" hours right now. I just took a quick look on my Mousewait app, and while I realize it can sometimes be hit or miss, I'm surprised at how short the wait times are. For example:

BTMRR: 25 min (5:34pm)
BTMRR FP Return: 6:20pm (at 5:33pm)

HMH: 20 min (6:17pm)

Matterhorn: 1 min (I guess not possible, but reported at 6:09pm)

Mr. Toad: 16 min (5:00pm)

Peter Pan: 36 min (5:00pm)

I will say, however, that there are other attractions looking more as I would have expected:

Indy: 50 min (6:03pm)

Pirates: 30 min (5:41pm)

SMGG: 60 min (6:17pm)

Splash: 45 min (5:22pm)

Star Tours: 45 min (6:19pm)


----------



## Sherry E

LisaT91403 said:


> So it's the first party, and it's during the dreaded "overlap" hours right now. I just took a quick look on my Mousewait app, and while I realize it can sometimes be hit or miss, I'm surprised at how short the wait times are. For example:
> 
> BTMRR: 25 min (5:34pm)
> BTMRR FP Return: 6:20pm (at 5:33pm)
> 
> HMH: 20 min (6:17pm)
> 
> Matterhorn: 1 min (I guess not possible, but reported at 6:09pm)
> 
> Mr. Toad: 16 min (5:00pm)
> 
> Peter Pan: 36 min (5:00pm)
> 
> I will say, however, that there are other attractions looking more as I would have expected:
> 
> Indy: 50 min (6:03pm)
> 
> Pirates: 30 min (5:41pm)
> 
> SMGG: 60 min (6:17pm)
> 
> Splash: 45 min (5:22pm)
> 
> Star Tours: 45 min (6:19pm)




*LisaT91403 --*

A live-from-the-scene report!!!!  This is the first one!! Some of those wait times are not too horrible (assuming they are correct).  Does it look particularly crowded?  I remember NOS and Main Street being very crowded during the dreaded overlap time.


----------



## BayGirl22

We got in just before 4:00. Crowds are medium level IMO. The wait for HM at 5:00 was 30 minutes. 

Party map shows 10 treat trails, no mention of anything in Toontown. They've been rolling out the treat carts. Party starts in just a few minutes.


----------



## Sherry E

BayGirl22 said:


> We got in just before 4:00. Crowds are medium level IMO. The wait for HM at 5:00 was 30 minutes.
> 
> Party map shows 10 treat trails, no mention of anything in Toontown. They've been rolling out the treat carts. Party starts in just a few minutes.



*BayGirl22 --*

Thank you for checking in and letting us know!

I think that last year there were 50-something treat stations scattered around between all of those trails.  I wonder if there are as many this year.


----------



## LisaT91403

Sherry E said:


> *LisaT91403 --*
> 
> A live-from-the-scene report!!!!  This is the first one!! Some of those wait times are not too horrible (assuming they are correct).  Does it look particularly crowded?  I remember NOS and Main Street being very crowded during the dreaded overlap time.



Sorry, Sherry, I'm not in the park. I was looking at my Mousewait app on my phone at home. Why? Because I'm weird like that. Sorry I didn't make it more clear in my original post.


----------



## Sherry E

LisaT91403 said:


> Sorry, Sherry, I'm not in the park. I was looking at my Mousewait app on my phone at home. Why? Because I'm weird like that. Sorry I didn't make it more clear in my original post.



*LisaT91403 --*

  Oh, it's okay!  No problem.  So *BayGirl22* was the first "live from the scene" reporter!

It sounds like it hasn't gotten too hideously crowded, so that's good.


----------



## BayGirl22

Sherry E said:


> *LisaT91403 --*
> 
> Oh, it's okay!  No problem.  So *BayGirl22* was the first "live from the scene" reporter!
> 
> It sounds like it hasn't gotten too hideously crowded, so that's good.



No not crazy crowded. I usually come I the low season and this wasn't bad for me. We've been in NOS and frontier land the whole time.


----------



## lorijohnhill

Sherry E said:


> In just over 45 minutes, the first Mickey's Halloween Party of the season will begin!!!!  Who will be the first person to report back with details?  Will it be figment_jii? Will it be perlster (if perlster went to the MHP tonight)?  Will it be ClosetDisneyJunkie??  Will it be BayGirl22?  Will it be someone else?  lorijohnhill --  Are those like their apple pies?  I have seen the holiday season version of those -- which have some sort of holiday sprinkles on them and may or may not be seasonally flavored -- but I didn't know they had pumpkin as well!  Then again, every other brand and manufacturer is cashing in on Pumpkin Pandemonium, so why not McDonald's too?  Since the McDonald's apple pies are so popular (and have been popular for decades), I am surprised they don't capitalize on Fall by offering a caramel apple version of the pie...or DO they offer a caramel apple version of the pie that I never knew existed?  What I do know is that I have located my Dreyer's Limited Edition Peppermint Wonderland ice cream, and as of tomorrow morning it will be resting comfortably in my freezer!  (While I am getting that, I may pick up a random pumpkin product at Starbucks or a Twix Ghost or something too!)



Yes, they are like the apple pies. Now, I would be all over a caramel apple pie! That would be awesome.


----------



## ClosetDisneyJunkie

Not crazy crowded at all.  The treat trail lines are long but move at a reasonable pace.  Many rides are walk-on (walked on to Indy and Jungle Cruise and many others looked quite short).  We haven't bothered with SMGG or HMH tonight because we rode both multiple times earlier today (very reasonable crowds today IMO).  We didn't get back for the party until almost 7 but according to a CM at the wait times board there was a small preparty in toontown tonight (can't confirm i wonder if anyone else can?)

Only bummer of the night has been the fireworks which were cut short due to some winds at higher altitudes, apparently.  

Busy, but not insane.  I just ran back to the hotel to grab a couple of sweatshirts for folks as it's cooling down (love being this close!!)  Headed back over now.

I was able to grab MHP maps for everyone I PM'd with btw, you'll see those coming your way starting Monday.  

Good times.


----------



## Imdboss

ClosetDisneyJunkie said:


> Not crazy crowded at all.  The treat trail lines are long but move at a reasonable pace.  Many rides are walk-on (walked on to Indy and Jungle Cruise and many others looked quite short).  We haven't bothered with SMGG or HMH tonight because we rode both multiple times earlier today (very reasonable crowds today IMO).  We didn't get back for the party until almost 7 but according to a CM at the wait times board there was a small preparty in toontown tonight (can't confirm i wonder if anyone else can?)
> 
> Only bummer of the night has been the fireworks which were cut short due to some winds at higher altitudes, apparently.
> 
> Busy, but not insane.  I just ran back to the hotel to grab a couple of sweatshirts for folks as it's cooling down (love being this close!!)  Headed back over now.
> 
> I was able to grab MHP maps for everyone I PM'd with btw, you'll see those coming your way starting Monday.
> 
> Good times.



Hello fellow PNW'er, good time to be down there and miss all this rain we are getting!

Sounds like you are having a great time tonight. I'm happy to hear the wait times are short for you. That's very interesting about Toontown, I'm anxious to get more details from other party goers. 

Hope the rest of the party is just as fun!


----------



## nikerbokers

I'm so glad I stopped by here today! I have 34 sleeps until I get to experience Halloween at DLR and I am looking for any taste of what to expect this year. Thanks in advance for all those that will be gracing us with little tidbits.


----------



## mvf-m11c

This has cross my mine tonight about MHP and I don't think I ever read on this thread or seen it. But it might have been talked about it. Another DISer talked about this to me tonight and ask what is the attendance capacity for MHP? With the tickets selling out quickly, I wonder how many tickets are available for the party?


----------



## mummabear

zanzibar138 said:


> That was exactly what I thought too. There was an update on the 'No Walt's Apartment' thread that I saw - I thought you would have seen it too or else I would have sent you a PM letting you know



No I missed it-another thing for another time....


----------



## figment_jii

A quick post-party update...
1. No mention of a Toontown event in the guide.  CMs at City Hall were saying nothing was planned, but hopefully someone at a future party will check it out.
2. The in the park wristband location was on Small World Mall (but that might change because Legends of Frontierland is ending this weekend).
3. I saw Cruella in Town Square this afternoon (before th overlap period).
4. Parade and Calvacade schedule is the same from last year.
5. I saw Cruella, Facilier, Maleficent, Lady Tremaine with Anastasia and Drusilla, Evil Queen, Frollo, Hades, and Jafar at the villains meet and greet (rotating).
6. They are still doing the Villains Entrance show (8, 9, and 9:55).  They've added some effects (I think).  The first set of villains showed up about 5 minutes after the party started (no show).
7. The AP treat trail (Mr. Lincoln's waiting area) is worth visiting.  They've giving out Big Hero 6 drawstring bags and a special treat.  You can only through once.
8. The Cafaver Dans (7:45, 8:45, 9:45, 10:45) are well worth seeing.
9. The shops on Main Street remained open to non-party guests for one hour.
10. No pins...the shipment did not artive.  The release date is estimated to be 10/6 or later.  Asked at several shops and finally a lead tracked down the info.
11. There is a black unisex t-shirt, a green ladies v-neck, a blue kids, and a blue adult zip sweatshirt with this year's logo.
12. Tons of candy!  The peanut chews are the dominant candy, but a good assortment in general.  They even had chocolate covered Crasins!
13. Darth Vader popcorn bucket were back in Tomorrowland.
14. The crowds seemed noticeably lighter this year.  The parade still had spots available with less than 15 minutes to go.  Fireworks crowds were only to the Photo Supply Co (which was open, as was the China Closet) with 15 minutes to go.  SMGG a was down to 20 minutes with about an hour to go.
15. Two-thirds of Screams was presented, but the show stopped due to high winds.
16. The guide map is pretty similiar to last year's. I think for the most part, you could use last year's and still find this year's treat trails and live entertainment.

I'll have a more detailed report when I get home, but that's the main points for now!


----------



## Vintage Mouseketeer

I know FP are not utilized during the party, but are we still able to use our DAS card? If so, are all the Information stations open? 

Ysell 

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards


----------



## perlster

from "that other site":
_Friday 9/26/14 was the first Halloween party and it was much more crowded than last years first party._


----------



## ClosetDisneyJunkie

perlster said:


> from "that other site":
> _Friday 9/26/14 was the first Halloween party and it was much more crowded than last years first party._



I didn't go to last year's party, but I think the crowds last night were pretty manageable.


----------



## iheartglaciers

perlster said:


> from "that other site": Friday 9/26/14 was the first Halloween party and it was much more crowded than last years first party.


  Does anyone know if last year's first party was sold out like this one?

Edit: Just looked online and it looks like last year's first party was sold out (and also on a Friday)


----------



## MermaidHair

Thanks to all the "eye-witnesses" who posted about the party last night.  This all seems very real now, even though I do not get to attend until the very last party!  Is there any chance someone can scan a map from the party to post here?


----------



## Sherry E

iheartglaciers said:


> Does anyone know if last year's first party was sold out like this one?
> 
> Edit: Just looked online and it looks like last year's first party was sold out (and also on a Friday)



*iheartglaciers --*

All parties sold out last year except for, I think, the one immediately before Halloween.  (I put something about that in the MHP FAQ on page 1 of this thread, question #11.)  The same thing happened in 2012, where the party right before Halloween did not sell out -- or if it did it was at the last minute.





mvf-m11c said:


> This has cross my mine tonight about MHP and I don't think I ever read on this thread or seen it. But it might have been talked about it. Another DISer talked about this to me tonight and ask what is the attendance capacity for MHP? With the tickets selling out quickly, I wonder how many tickets are available for the party?



The question has come up a lot, *Bret*, but Disney doesn't release that information, so I don't think anyone knows exactly how many tickets are sold or available.  





MermaidHair said:


> Thanks to all the "eye-witnesses" who posted about the party last night.  This all seems very real now, even though I do not get to attend until the very last party!  Is there any chance someone can scan a map from the party to post here?



*MermaidHair --*

Until someone scans the 2014 map...

*figment_jii* said above: "The guide map is pretty similar to last year's. I think for the most part, you could use last year's and still find this year's treat trails and live entertainment."

There is a link to the 2013 map (2 links, actually) in the MHP, under question #21 -- *HERE*.


----------



## mvf-m11c

Sherry E said:


> The question has come up a lot, *Bret*, but Disney doesn't release that information, so I don't think anyone knows exactly how many tickets are sold or available.



That's what I thought. It would be nice to know that answer.


----------



## BayGirl22

My 5yo made it through midnight last night! Actually we got on our last ride at midnight so left the park at 12:30. Then he asked me to wake him up this morning so he could ride TSMM first thing. Proud mama!

The fireworks were the only disappointment. They stopped right as Jack said "I saved the best for last". What we saw was amazing. Seemed like a technical difficulty to me. 
Ocean Spray was a sponsor so yogurt covered Craisins were the most popular "healthy" snack. Also giant graham cracker goldfish, some apples and carrots, apple crisps, and a few stops with Pirates Booty. We did about half the treat trails and that was way too much candy for us. (Is it wrong to give it away for Halloween?


----------



## DisneyJamieCA

Thanks for the updates from last night's party! I am so excited to go now. And I think we're going to have to peel off from the group to do the AP treat trail!


----------



## iheartglaciers

BayGirl22 said:


> There was a longish line for the Zero popcorn buckets. We went back at the end of the night to get one. Super Cute!  Overall I thougt crowds were reasonable and I'm so glad we did it.



Thanks for your report!  How much were the Zero popcorn buckets?


----------



## BayGirl22

iheartglaciers said:


> Thanks for your report!  How much were the Zero popcorn buckets?



$12.50ish I think?  Including popcorn. 
The nose lights up and flashes. So cute I couldn't resist.


----------



## kim3339

Thanks for the updates everybody! Cannot wait until Tuesday!!

If anybody watches the Disney Channel shows, we saw commercials last night that they're showing Halloween themed shows to kick off October. I saw stuff for Jessie, Girl Meets World and I think Dog w/ a Blog. There was also an ad for a witch-type movie mid-October.


----------



## mikana876

We went last night to the first MHP... Here's my report:

1)There was indeed a ToonTown pre-party. At 6pm they opened TT for party guests only. We did one treat trail and then hopped on Roger Rabbit and Goofy's Coaster with no wait at all. We left right at 7 to go get a spot for the parade and fireworks. There were characters meeting but we didn't want to wait because the lines were very long. We saw Goofy, Minnie and Mickey. There is no Roger Rabbit this year. 

2)We had to wait a long time to secure a good spot for the parade and then as soon as the parade ended everyone moved up to a good fireworks view. It was a madhouse! We got a good spot for the fireworks but they cut the fireworks right as Jack said "I saved the best for last". That was a total bummer. 

3)My kids fell asleep during the wait for the parade and fireworks so we headed out after the fireworks. So basically during the party we accomplished one treat trail during the TT pre party, two rides, the parade and the fireworks and that was it. We would have liked to meet some characters but the lines were always very very long for the characters. 

4)Crowds were pretty much how I expected. Probably a 7-8 on a scale of 10. It got kind of nuts as 7 hit and the regular park guests were told to leave. More than once CMs tried to direct my family out of the park! Once I couldn't get passed two CMs who were so busy explaining to me that it was a private party and I had to leave to look at my wristband or hear me say that I am a party guest! That was kind of annoying. 

5)ETA: If you have a child with a peanut allergy, the treat trail candies are a bummer. There were LOTS of peanut items, and there were no peanut safe alternatives. My son ended up with a bag of skittles, since that was the only safe candy for him. Since DL does so good with peanut allergies, I thought they would have some allergy friendly alternatives. Next time we will probably skip the treat trails altogether. 

OVERALL: We will probably do the party again another year, we still thought it was fun. We loved dressing as a family in costumes and seeing all of the other creative costumes. Hopefully the kids will stay awake a little bit longer next year


----------



## pudinhd

mikana876 said:


> 1)There was indeed a ToonTown pre-party. At 6pm they opened TT for party guests only. We did one treat trail and then hopped on Roger Rabbit and Goofy's Coaster we no wait at all. We left right at 7 to go get a spot for the parade and fireworks. There were characters meeting but we didn't want to wait because the lines were very long. We saw Goofy, Minnie and Mickey.



Very helpful info!!!  Thanks for sharing!!  I was hoping for more rare characters...  We missed this last year and I think Roger Rabbit and Clarabelle Cow were there.


----------



## Amilo

Thanks so much for the updates, everyone! I'm definitely looking forward to the Halloween party!


----------



## Dot2Vegas

So exciting to read the party reports! Keep them coming and thank you for sharing!


----------



## Fantaluminishes

So I read on another thread that is the Halloween fireworks are canceled during MHP, they show them the following night, which makes sense. My question is, what kind of show will they have tonight, due to the abbreviated show from last night? I'm thinking about heading over for the evening, and want to know what to expect.


----------



## mikana876

pudinhd said:


> Very helpful info!!!  Thanks for sharing!!  I was hoping for more rare characters...  We missed this last year and I think Roger Rabbit and Clarabelle Cow were there.



I ETA that Roger Rabbit was not there. Clarabelle was there but Roger Rabbit wasn't. When I asked a CM she said he wasn't going to be there this year.


----------



## Kilala

I'm so excited to see that Toon Town is open this year. I can't wait to see maps. I hope to get there by 5pm if not sooner on Tuesday.


----------



## pudinhd

mikana876 said:


> I ETA that Roger Rabbit was not there. Clarabelle was there but Roger Rabbit wasn't. When I asked a CM she said he wasn't going to be there this year.



I guess 1 for 2 isn't bad.    Thanks!


----------



## Sherry E

Thanks to everyone who is coming back here to give the MHP recaps and reviews.   It helps us all a lot -- both the people who have been to the MHP in the past and those who are brand new to it.

Keep the reports and reviews coming!

I am in the middle of rushing around and running errands at the moment, but when I get home and settled in I will add links to those reviews in the MHP Reviews post that I reference in the FAQ.

I see that both *figment_jii* and *mikana876* mentioned the strong presence of peanut candy this year.  Interesting.  I wonder if there is more peanut candy now than there was last year?  



*Fantaluminishes --*

Good question!  Since Halloween Screams were interrupted due to wind last night, I wonder if the entire HS show will run tonight.  It might.  It could very well happen.  I've only heard about what happens when the fireworks are cancelled entirely, but I've never heard about what happens when they are interrupted in the middle!


----------



## Soarin2day

I haven't made it through this whole thread yet but we will be there starting Oct. 8. We have tickets for the Halloween party that night. Do we need a regular ticket to get into the park earlier in the day or does our party ticket get us in all day?


----------



## mcjingles

Soarin2day said:


> I haven't made it through this whole thread yet but we will be there starting Oct. 8. We have tickets for the Halloween party that night. Do we need a regular ticket to get into the park earlier in the day or does our party ticket get us in all day?



Party ticket gets you in at 3 if the party starts at 6 or 4 if it starts at 7.


----------



## Peace.love.mickey

Reading all of this makes me soooo excited!  We are going on the 8th!!!!!!!!  Can't wait!


----------



## itsmedumdum

I'm also going on the 8th. Thank you everyone for they're reports and for everyone involved in this super thread


----------



## ncarrier

We're going on the 8th as well! Can't wait!!!


----------



## abminer

figment_jii said:


> 6. They are still doing the Villains Entrance show (8, 9, and 9:55).  They've added some effects (I think).  The first set of villains showed up about 5 minutes after the party started (no show).



Can someone please explain what this is?


----------



## Sherry E

I have updated the list of MHP reviews to include the 4 recaps/reviews that came in about last night's (9/26/14) MHP --*HERE*.  I will keep adding to it as we get more reviews and as more MHPs take place!




Vintage Mouseketeer said:


> I know FP are not utilized during the party, but are we still able to use our DAS card? If so, are all the Information stations open?
> 
> Ysell
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards



*Vintage Mouseketeer --*

Good question.  I don't know the answer, but I wanted to bump up your question so it didn't get lost in the shuffle before someone could see it!



kim3339 said:


> Thanks for the updates everybody! Cannot wait until Tuesday!!
> 
> If anybody watches the Disney Channel shows, we saw commercials last night that they're showing Halloween themed shows to kick off October. I saw stuff for Jessie, Girl Meets World and I think Dog w/ a Blog. There was also an ad for a witch-type movie mid-October.



*kim3339 --*

Is the Disney Channel event called "Monstober"?  I know that ABC Family has the "13 Nights of Halloween," but I think that one of Disney's other channels does "Monstober." 

Also, AMC will have "Fearfest" was well.  And TCM does some kind of all-day Halloween event on 10/31.





itsmedumdum said:


> I'm also going on the 8th. Thank you everyone for they're reports and for everyone involved in this super thread



*itsmedumdum --*

Well, thank you for joining us and sticking around for all of the reports to come in!  Welcome!





abminer said:


> Can someone please explain what this is?



*abminer --*

*figment_jii* can give a better answer, but I think it is literally the entrance that the Villains make into the MHP.  In other words, instead of just casually walking in and standing at their respective posts, they enter the MHP with fanfare and apparently some new effects!

Disney tried to do a bit of an entrance show at the Unleash the Villains event last year, but it fizzled.


----------



## Kilala

I did see the pro mo for the 13 night of Halloween on ABC family. They have not run the 31 days of Halloween on SyFy but, they have mentioned it on a couple of shows. Now I'm super excited about the 30th party.


----------



## briggscreek

We're back and had a great time, we discovered that 6 days in the parks is definitely not too much for us! We started on Sunday which was way too crowded in my opinion, and there were a lot of rude people which is something we haven't encountered before. We stayed at the Paradise Pier, which is actually my favorite of the Disney hotels. Had a theme park view and loved watching WOC from our room. 

The weekdays were much slower, a little busier than we're used to but not bad at all. For some reason the line for pirates always seemed long, normally when we go it's pretty much always walk on. My kids loved the Halloween carnival, we met Cruella, the Evil Queen, Captain Hook, and Jafar, and they were all really fun. I do wish that Jafar would be a talking face character though, they should totally make him look like he does in the Aladdin show instead! The magic show was fun too and my daughter loved it since she got to go on stage and help pull the bunny out of a hat.

Sherry, we found the Sally coffin cake and had it on two separate days! It was SO good, I wish I could have brought a few home with us.  We also shared a Maleficent candy apple, really yummy and the horns were rice crispy treats. Also grabbed a pumpkin shaped sourdough loaf in DCA. We ate so much good food, I'm sad to be home and have to cook again LOL. 

The Halloween party wasn't as crowded as I thought it would be. We didn't stand in line for any villains since my kids wanted to go on rides, we almost waited for Jack Sparrow but they changed their minds. We did a few treat trails and got plenty of candy, but I saw some people carrying huge totes full LOL. 

My husband decided to wait in front of the castle for the Cavalcade and fireworks, which turned out to be a mistake for us. We didn't care much for the Cavalcade (too cutesy and it was really short) and the fireworks were canceled midway through. Big time bummer, but oh well. We loved all of the lighting effects through the park and the rides were mostly walk on later in the night. Unfortunately, I didn't get to see the Cadaver Dans, we waited for the first show and they were late coming out so we left to go to treat trails and didn't make it back. I really wanted to buy the Jack Skellington Halloween party pin for a souvenir but I couldn't find any.  

Overall, the kids said they love Halloween time at DL the best and would love to go back. I would be willing to (and Halloween is my favorite holiday), but I think I like Christmas at DL a bit better. If they decorated both parks and did a bit more, I might change my mind.


----------



## pudinhd

briggscreek said:


> I do wish that Jafar would be a talking face character though, they should totally make him look like he does in the Aladdin show instead!



That is a brilliant idea!!!  I love it!


----------



## mon8key

I have read most of this thread, but cannot find the answer to this. Do they continue to let non-party guests into DL during the 'overlap' time 3-7pm? I'm thinking about coming in around 6pm for the party, but would like to avoid a sea of humanity going through the gates. I'm not sure if we'd be better off coming in around 2pm (we will have park hoppers) or waiting until 6pm. Thanks!


----------



## pudinhd

mon8key said:


> I have read most of this thread, but cannot find the answer to this. Do they continue to let non-party guests into DL during the 'overlap' time 3-7pm? I'm thinking about coming in around 6pm for the party, but would like to avoid a sea of humanity going through the gates. I'm not sure if we'd be better off coming in around 2pm (we will have park hoppers) or waiting until 6pm. Thanks!



Yes, regular park guests are still allowed into the park until it closes for the Halloween party.


----------



## Spacepest

I havent gone very deep in this thread yet, but I'm wondering if anyone could answer this question?

My husband wants to do a quick October trip to do the Marvel character meet and greets at Innoventions. Do they have the Marvel characters present an Innoventions on the Halloween party nights, or is it only during regular operating hours? We want to do one day at the park, and are trying to decide to go during a regular operating day or on a party night.


----------



## pudinhd

Spacepest said:


> I havent gone very deep in this thread yet, but I'm wondering if anyone could answer this question?
> 
> My husband wants to do a quick October trip to do the Marvel character meet and greets at Innoventions. Do they have the Marvel characters present an Innoventions on the Halloween party nights, or is it only during regular operating hours? We want to do one day at the park, and are trying to decide to go during a regular operating day or on a party night.



I don't think I heard anything about Marvel characters from the reports I have read so far this year.  Unless I missed something, last year the Marvel characters were not meeting during MHP.  Phineas and Ferb were in the middle of a treat trail in Innoventions.


----------



## LisaT91403

I understand that the Disneyland Railroad was not running during last year's parties. Does anyone know if it was closed again this year?


----------



## mikana876

BayGirl22 said:


> My 5yo made it through midnight last night! Actually we got on our last ride at midnight so left the park at 12:30. Then he asked me to wake him up this morning so he could ride TSMM first thing. Proud mama!
> 
> The fireworks were the only disappointment. They stopped right as Jack said "I saved the best for last". What we saw was amazing. Seemed like a technical difficulty to me.
> Ocean Spray was a sponsor so yogurt covered Craisins were the most popular "healthy" snack. Also giant graham cracker goldfish, some apples and carrots, apple crisps, and a few stops with Pirates Booty. We did about half the treat trails and that was way too much candy for us. (Is it wrong to give it away for Halloween?


----------



## LisaT91403

mikana876 said:


> We didn't see any of those healthy alternatives! I wish we would have, then DS could of had more than a bag full of skittles lol.



Do you have to ask for the alternatives? Or are they just at certain stations?


----------



## PixiDustDears

LisaT91403 said:


> Do you have to ask for the alternatives? Or are they just at certain stations?



When we went last year on Halloween, we saw healthy options at quite a few stops. At least one on each trail I would say but probably even more. We did have to ask most of the time for them though. They would drop candy in the bag just as we were asking for apples or carrots. So they would toss those in to.  I'm one of the odd few who really like the dried apple crisps and was disappointed that they didn't have as many last year. Looking forward to yogurt covered craisens though.


----------



## Sherry E

*Those of you who also follow my Disneyland at Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread may know that I am a sucker for the predictable, sweet, sappy, lightweight holiday movies that the Hallmark Channel provides in November and December.

Well, Hallmark only has a couple of Halloween or Fall-related movies, and they debuted a new Halloween one last night -- Midnight Masquerade.  I had high hopes for it (in the same way that I have high hopes for the predictable, sweet, sappy, lightweight holiday fare), and a Halloween movie that is not scary, bloody or solely for kids is a novelty, so I watched it... and was bored.  While I loved seeing all of the Halloween decorations in every scene -- in each shot there appeared to be random pumpkins, scarecrows, witches and Halloween-ish colors -- and the story has a bit of a Cinderella-theme to it, I could not get into it.

What I have learned from this is that Hallmark does Christmas better than Halloween!

But... you may enjoy Midnight Masquerade.   So if you want to watch a new Halloween romance-meets-Cinderella-themed movie that is family-friendly, check the Hallmark Channel for times.  I know that MM is airing again today, at least once, and I'm sure it will air again between now and 10/31.*




Kilala said:


> I did see the pro mo for the 13 night of Halloween on ABC family. They have not run the 31 days of Halloween on SyFy but, they have mentioned it on a couple of shows. Now I'm super excited about the 30th party.



*Kilala --*

Oh, that's right!  I forgot all about the 31 Days of Halloween on Syfy!  Yes -- they definitely get into the spirit of that holiday too.





briggscreek said:


> We're back and had a great time, we discovered that 6 days in the parks is definitely not too much for us! We started on Sunday which was way too crowded in my opinion, and there were a lot of rude people which is something we haven't encountered before. We stayed at the Paradise Pier, which is actually my favorite of the Disney hotels. Had a theme park view and loved watching WOC from our room.
> 
> The weekdays were much slower, a little busier than we're used to but not bad at all. For some reason the line for pirates always seemed long, normally when we go it's pretty much always walk on. My kids loved the Halloween carnival, we met Cruella, the Evil Queen, Captain Hook, and Jafar, and they were all really fun. I do wish that Jafar would be a talking face character though, they should totally make him look like he does in the Aladdin show instead! The magic show was fun too and my daughter loved it since she got to go on stage and help pull the bunny out of a hat.
> 
> Sherry, we found the Sally coffin cake and had it on two separate days! It was SO good, I wish I could have brought a few home with us.  We also shared a Maleficent candy apple, really yummy and the horns were rice crispy treats. Also grabbed a pumpkin shaped sourdough loaf in DCA. We ate so much good food, I'm sad to be home and have to cook again LOL.
> 
> The Halloween party wasn't as crowded as I thought it would be. We didn't stand in line for any villains since my kids wanted to go on rides, we almost waited for Jack Sparrow but they changed their minds. We did a few treat trails and got plenty of candy, but I saw some people carrying huge totes full LOL.
> 
> My husband decided to wait in front of the castle for the Cavalcade and fireworks, which turned out to be a mistake for us. We didn't care much for the Cavalcade (too cutesy and it was really short) and the fireworks were canceled midway through. Big time bummer, but oh well. We loved all of the lighting effects through the park and the rides were mostly walk on later in the night. Unfortunately, I didn't get to see the Cadaver Dans, we waited for the first show and they were late coming out so we left to go to treat trails and didn't make it back. I really wanted to buy the Jack Skellington Halloween party pin for a souvenir but I couldn't find any.
> 
> Overall, the kids said they love Halloween time at DL the best and would love to go back. I would be willing to (and Halloween is my favorite holiday), but I think I like Christmas at DL a bit better. If they decorated both parks and did a bit more, I might change my mind.



*briggscreek --*

Thank you for reporting back!  I added a link to your comments in the MHP Reviews post.

I love the PPH too.  I began staying there simply because it was less expensive than the DLH, but I grew to like it over the years.  Now, I almost can't envision staying anywhere but the PPH.  I love love love the view of DCA.  I even enjoy the walk from the PPH to the parks (using the GCH shortcut).

You mentioned that you like Christmas at DL a bit better (even though Halloween is your favorite holiday), and that if DLR did more for Halloween Time you might change your mind.  Exactly -- they need to do more!  Much more!  When you think about it, Disney has a Halloween Time season that is about 7 weeks long -- which is basically just as long as their Holiday season is -- and yet, look at all of the things they pack into the holiday season compared to what they include in Halloween Time!!  It's almost startling to consider that they get away with making a whole Halloween Time "season" out of so little.  (The Holidays at DLR are just over 7-1/2 weeks this year, but they buy extra time because they celebrate Three Kings Day as part of the Holidays too!)

I feel that -- since the MHP existed before the Halloween Time "season" officially existed -- DLR is basically building everything around the MHP.  The MHP is supposed to be the main event of the season, though HMH and SMGG are available outside of the MHP as well.  I think that it is possible to enjoy Halloween Time without doing the MHP, but the offerings are limited.  There are only a few areas of Disneyland where the Halloween décor is really concentrated, and there is next to nothing in DCA.  And the hotels are lacking in any Halloween fun too.

In the case of the holidays/Christmas at DL, there is no hard ticket party so far, but the immersion, depth and breadth of the Holiday merriment has existed for decades without a party.

I'm so glad you had a great trip -- and that you found the Sally Coffin Cake (as well as some other treats too)!!





mon8key said:


> I have read most of this thread, but cannot find the answer to this. Do they continue to let non-party guests into DL during the 'overlap' time 3-7pm? I'm thinking about coming in around 6pm for the party, but would like to avoid a sea of humanity going through the gates. I'm not sure if we'd be better off coming in around 2pm (we will have park hoppers) or waiting until 6pm. Thanks!



*mon8key --*

The crowds will be heavier in that 3 hours of overlap time (when non-party folks and party folks can be in DL together).  I'd probably still go in at 2 p.m., though, and just pick up a wristband for the MHP while in the park.  There is apparently candy being given out and there are characters greeting guests in Toontown again this year, and Toontown will probably open one hour before the MHP begins (it will also close early due to the fireworks).  So if you are interested in heading to Toontown to see what's happening, being in the park a bit earlier would be good.





pudinhd said:


> I don't think I heard anything about Marvel characters from the reports I have read so far this year.  Unless I missed something, last year the Marvel characters were not meeting during MHP.  Phineas and Ferb were in the middle of a treat trail in Innoventions.



*pudinhd --*

So far, I have not heard anything about Marvel characters at the MHP either -- unless I have overlooked it or missed something important.






LisaT91403 said:


> I understand that the Disneyland Railroad was not running during last year's parties. Does anyone know if it was closed again this year?





LisaT91403 said:


> Do you have to ask for the alternatives? Or are they just at certain stations?



*LisaT91403 --*

Hopefully *figment_jii* or one of our other 9/26/14 MHP-goers will confirm, but I would guess that the train is closed again this year.

Also, I'm not sure about this year (other than what we have already read), but at the last MHP I went to I had to ask the CMs to put apple slices, carrots and other healthy snacks in my bag -- and I don't think that those alternatives were at all of the treat stations; only at some of them.  They automatically assume people want candy, I suppose.  I took the candy as well, but I always had to say "I like apples too!"  or "I eat lots of apples!"  They would chuckle and throw some packets of apple slices and baby carrots in the bag on top of the candy.


----------



## kim3339

Sherry E said:


> *kim3339 --*
> 
> Is the Disney Channel event called "Monstober"?  I know that ABC Family has the "13 Nights of Halloween," but I think that one of Disney's other channels does "Monstober."
> 
> Also, AMC will have "Fearfest" was well.  And TCM does some kind of all-day Halloween event on 10/31.



They didn't use the Monstober term in the commercial, but I remember they called it that last year. I think the commercial was also b/c the shows on Thurs are usually on Fri.


----------



## Sherry E

kim3339 said:


> They didn't use the Monstober term in the commercial, but I remember they called it that last year. I think the commercial was also b/c the shows on Thurs are usually on Fri.



*kim3339 --*

Oh, I see.  I always thought "Monstober" was an interesting play on words!  It is kind of clever, and yet it doesn't quite sound right.



On the scarier, less family-friendly side of things, Bravo used to run this great series every year (for several years in a row) called The _100 Scariest Movie Moments_.  They made a couple of sequels as well, called _Even Scarier Movie Moments_ and something else like that.  The original was a 5-part series, with one hour airing every night as they counted down to the scariest movie moment.  It was just like all of those VH1 Countdown shows or shows with people who pop onscreen to comment (such as _I Love the '80s_ or whatever), except that all of the people commenting on the scary movies were people in that sort of genre (Rob Zombie and Eli Roth, for example), or actors who had been in those movies.  It was a really intriguing show, as it covered a wide range of movies -- both classic horror films (_Psycho_) and more obscure, lesser-known (but still horrifying) movies.

For some reason, Bravo stopped running the _Scariest Movie Moments_ series and the sequels, but another channel -- maybe Chiller?  Maybe Reelz? -- made a knock-off, similar series that airs every year around Halloween.

Oddly, though, I am not seeing any new Halloween shows on the schedule for the Travel Channel, which is very odd.  They usually make a couple of new Halloween shows every year.


----------



## BayGirl22

pudinhd said:


> I don't think I heard anything about Marvel characters from the reports I have read so far this year.  Unless I missed something, last year the Marvel characters were not meeting during MHP.  Phineas and Ferb were in the middle of a treat trail in Innoventions.



Same this year. We did the treat trail in Innovations and Phineas and Ferber were at the end. 



mikana876 said:


> We didn't see any of those healthy alternatives! I wish we would have, then DS could of had more than a bag full of skittles lol.



Almost every station had a bin in the middle with the "healthy" alternatives, but you had to ask for them. I realized we had more candy than we would eat but the healthy stuff could be snacks so I started asking every time. Plus we just prefer those kind of foods. Most times the CMs still gave us a handful of candy. 
It's a bit harder to get home, I have all the crackers packed inside popcorn buckets.


----------



## mikana876

BayGirl22 said:


> Same this year. We did the treat trail in Innovations and Phineas and Ferber were at the end.
> 
> 
> 
> Almost every station had a bin in the middle with the "healthy" alternatives, but you had to ask for them. I realized we had more candy than we would eat but the healthy stuff could be snacks so I started asking every time. Plus we just prefer those kind of foods. Most times the CMs still gave us a handful of candy.
> It's a bit harder to get home, I have all the crackers packed inside popcorn buckets.



Hmm well we did ask, but we only did one treat trail, in the ToonTown pre-party. So maybe those treat trails don't have the alternatives?


----------



## castmember19

I'm sure this question has been asked somewhere, but there's lots and lots of pages to get through. I want to know exactly when we can change into our costumes. We have tickets for early in the day as well as our Halloween party tickets. Should we change at the park? Should we go back to the hotel and change? If we change in the park, when is the best time? Do they not allow people into costume until exactly 6 o'clock? 3 o'clock?


----------



## DenaRox

castmember19 said:


> I'm sure this question has been asked somewhere, but there's lots and lots of pages to get through. I want to know exactly when we can change into our costumes. We have tickets for early in the day as well as our Halloween party tickets. Should we change at the park? Should we go back to the hotel and change? If we change in the park, when is the best time? Do they not allow people into costume until exactly 6 o'clock? 3 o'clock?



For what it's worth, when I called in regards to my tickets the CM told me we were allowed to show up and wear costumes all day. Maybe someone else can confirm or shoot down that info

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards



Darn iPad did a double post. Sorry


----------



## Sherry E

castmember19 said:


> I'm sure this question has been asked somewhere, but there's lots and lots of pages to get through. I want to know exactly when we can change into our costumes. We have tickets for early in the day as well as our Halloween party tickets. Should we change at the park? Should we go back to the hotel and change? If we change in the park, when is the best time? Do they not allow people into costume until exactly 6 o'clock? 3 o'clock?



*castmember19 --*

There's never a need to go through all the pages here!  Most information can be found on page 1 -- within the first few posts -- but if not, then please feel free to just jump in anytime and ask!  We're here to help.

As to your question -- If your party begins at 6 p.m., you can actually go into the park with your MHP ticket at 3 p.m.  If your party begins at 7 p.m. you can enter Disneyland with your MHP ticket at 4 p.m.  So you can wear your costume into Disneyland at 3 or 4 p.m., depending on when the party begins.  If the hotel is not far I would probably change there.  If you're not staying at a Disney hotel you could change in one of the hotel restrooms.  

I'm sure that people have changed while in Disneyland, but I don't know if they timed it to be in costume after 3 p.m. and then went to show their MHP tickets and get their wristbands.  I would assume they did.

As far as I know, the Main Street lockers are not open yet and will not be open for a while, so if you had your costume in a bag or something you might have to store it in the Esplanade lockers, which would require you to leave Disneyland anyway, and then reenter.  You could go out, get your costume from the locker, and change in a DTD or hotel bathroom.





DenaRox said:


> For what it's worth, when I called in regards to my tickets the CM told me we were allowed to show up and wear costumes all day. Maybe someone else can confirm or shoot down that info
> 
> Sent from my iPad using DISBoards



That could very well be true, *Dena*!  I wouldn't be shocked if something suddenly changed on that front.  If that's true, I wasn't aware of it but we definitely need to know it if people are allowed to wear costumes all day!  It would probably be a lot more convenient (depending on the costume) than having to worry about changing in the middle of the day!

The last time I went to the MHP they were only allowing guests in costume in at 3 or 4 p.m., but again -- they could have easily changed that rule and it would be good to know for sure, once and for all!


----------



## castmember19

Sherry E said:


> *castmember19 --*
> 
> There's never a need to go through all the pages here!  Most information can be found on page 1 -- within the first few posts -- but if not, then please feel free to just jump in anytime and ask!  We're here to help.
> 
> As to your question -- If your party begins at 6 p.m., you can actually go into the park with your MHP ticket at 3 p.m.  If your party begins at 7 p.m. you can enter Disneyland with your MHP ticket at 4 p.m.  So you can wear your costume into Disneyland at 3 or 4 p.m., depending on when the party begins.  If the hotel is not far I would probably change there.  If you're not staying at a Disney hotel you could change in one of the hotel restrooms.
> 
> I'm sure that people have changed while in Disneyland, but I don't know if they timed it to be in costume after 3 p.m. and then went to show their MHP tickets and get their wristbands.  I would assume they did.
> 
> As far as I know, the Main Street lockers are not open yet and will not be open for a while, so if you had your costume in a bag or something you might have to store it in the Esplanade lockers, which would require you to leave Disneyland anyway, and then reenter.  You could go out, get your costume from the locker, and change in a DTD or hotel bathroom.



Thank you so much for the quick reply! Truly is helpful.

Wearing our costumes all day long would be tiring, so we were planning to change mid day anyway. I didn't realize the lockers were closed-but surely helps us make our decision. We will walk back to the hotel and change sometime around three... Good thing the hotel is in walking distance!


----------



## Sherry E

castmember19 said:


> Thank you so much for the quick reply! Truly is helpful.
> 
> Wearing our costumes all day long would be tiring, so we were planning to change mid day anyway. I didn't realize the lockers were closed-but surely helps us make our decision. We will walk back to the hotel and change sometime around three... Good thing the hotel is in walking distance!



You're very welcome, *castmember19*!

I will be very curious to find out if what *Dena* was told turns out to be true, and that people can wear costumes all day.  I think it would be hilarious to see giant bananas or enormous, feathered chickens walking around at noon.

Yes, to my knowledge the Main Street lockers are still closed -- they have been closed for a while as the alley behind Main Street is prepped to eventually handle more traffic flow.  I think that the lockers are supposed to open sometime in the late Fall, but I don't know how late in the Fall.  Hopefully they will open earlier than scheduled.

In the meantime, I guess a lot of folks are using the Esplanade lockers.


----------



## MarchMadness2011

HELP!!!!!! My family and I will be going down to Disneyland for Halloween (10/31) however we will not be attending the Halloween Party. Im curious can we still wear costumes at night? (Kids ages 2, 7, and 7 + 2 Adults...


----------



## Sherry E

MarchMadness2011 said:


> HELP!!!!!! My family and I will be going down to Disneyland for Halloween (10/31) however we will not be attending the Halloween Party. Im curious can we still wear costumes at night? (Kids ages 2, 7, and 7 + 2 Adults...



*MarchMadness2011 --*

Well, if you're not going to the Halloween Party you'll have to leave Disneyland at 7 p.m.  Are you planning to head to California Adventure once you leave Disneyland?

As far as I know -- and _someone please correct me if I'm wrong_ -- I think that kids can wear some sort of costume or dress up any time.  Adults, however, can't be in costume in either park outside of a hard ticket event or some sort of event that allows costumes. So your kids could probably wear something costume-ish if you went to California Adventure, but you couldn't.  You may want to call Disneyland and double check on that one, though, just to be sure.


----------



## Mommy2PrincessAbby

Okay, I can't stand it anymore!  I just priced out PPH for 10/7 - 10/11, 2015... and the price doesn't seem horrible.  I know that is a busy weekend... I am hoping that if we fly down on Wed, we'd have half Wed and all Thursday as fairly quiet!  Then just bob and weave Fri-Sun morning?  What'cha all think?


----------



## MarchMadness2011

Yes that's the plan. I read that adults can wear costumes as long as they don't pose for pictures or sign autograph books. Hmppp... I'll call tomorrow..


----------



## Sherry E

Mommy2PrincessAbby said:


> Okay, I can't stand it anymore!  I just priced out PPH for 10/7 - 10/11, 2015... and the price doesn't seem horrible.  I know that is a busy weekend... I am hoping that if we fly down on Wed, we'd have half Wed and all Thursday as fairly quiet!  Then just bob and weave Fri-Sun morning?  What'cha all think?



*Mommy2PrincessAbby --*

If it is affordable and not too much trouble to make the trip, why not?  You've been to DLR for Halloween Time before.  You enjoyed it.  Live on the edge! Take a walk on the wild side!

You will be out of there before the CHOC Walk, so that's good timing!  You may see some Columbus Day weekend crowds, but you'll be bobbing and weaving during that time so hopefully you can avoid a lot of it.





MarchMadness2011 said:


> Yes that's the plan. I read that adults can wear costumes as long as they don't pose for pictures or sign autograph books. Hmppp... I'll call tomorrow..



*MarchMadness2011 --*

Adults can dress up during the party as Disney characters, as long as they don't pose for pictures or sign autographs.  They're not supposed to be in costume outside of the party or outside of any events that allow costumes -- unless that rule has changed without my knowledge.  If Disney is allowing people to be in costume all day long on party days (even if they aren't attending the party), that's a different, new thing!  (New to me, anyway!)  Let us know what they say.


----------



## 2tinkerbell

The secret is out!  It turned out better than I thought it would.  My DD was totally surprised.  She opened her most coveted gift first - the one she thought that I purchased for her.  She was kind of surprised that her Aunt had purchased it.  She was then looking at this huge box.  She opened it up and then I pulled off the tape (sealed it with one end folded over).  It was perfect because the balloon popped out but stayed low because of the tag.  She looked at me like "you got me a balloon?"  Then she saw the tag and read it.  My DD got the biggest grin on her face but it hadn't sunk in yet.  I gave her a notebook with all the stuff (first page was the air tickets, Costco travel confirmation, and then the 3 page was pictures of the DLHetc).  She opened the book and started reading when my younger brother ask when she was leaving.  She said, "September 30th"  Then she turned to the page with the DLH and I said, "So where are you staying?"  She held up the picture with the biggest grin on her face.  It took a bit for it to sink in and she just sat on the couch reading everything.  It was perfect!  Tonight as she was getting into bed, she gave me a huge hug and told me she was excited!


----------



## Mommy2PrincessAbby

Sherry E said:


> *Mommy2PrincessAbby --*
> 
> If it is affordable and not too much trouble to make the trip, why not?  You've been to DLR for Halloween Time before.  You enjoyed it.  Live on the edge! Take a walk on the wild side!
> 
> You will be out of there before the CHOC Walk, so that's good timing!  You may see the some Columbus Day weekend crowds, but you'll be bobbing and waving during that time so hopefully you can avoid a lot of it.



It really is killing me not to be down there this Halloween... I feel like every commercial is directed right at me--egging me into a trip.  SO maybe if I book for next year I can start planning and that will take the edge off!

Here is a big IF for you... IF the parties are the same nights next year as they were this year, there could be a Wed night and a Friday night party in my future.  My gut says to go with the Friday night MHP because its Friday night, and everyone without a ticket will have to go to DCA... and use Wed night to do WOC and have fun over at DCA in the dark.  You think my instinct is correct?


----------



## Sherry E

2tinkerbell said:


> The secret is out!  It turned out better than I thought it would.  My DD was totally surprised.  She opened her most coveted gift first - the one she thought that I purchased for her.  She was kind of surprised that her Aunt had purchased it.  She was then looking at this huge box.  She opened it up and then I pulled off the tape (sealed it with one end folded over).  It was perfect because the balloon popped out but stayed low because of the tag.  She looked at me like "you got me a balloon?"  Then she saw the tag and read it.  My DD got the biggest grin on her face but it hadn't sunk in yet.  I gave her a notebook with all the stuff (first page was the air tickets, Costco travel confirmation, and then the 3 page was pictures of the DLHetc).  She opened the book and started reading when my younger brother ask when she was leaving.  She said, "September 30th"  Then she turned to the page with the DLH and I said, "So where are you staying?"  She held up the picture with the biggest grin on her face.  It took a bit for it to sink in and she just sat on the couch reading everything.  It was perfect!  Tonight as she was getting into bed, she gave me a huge hug and told me she was excited!



*2tinkerbell --*

Oh, that's so awesome!  I know you were really excited to do the "big reveal" so she could start reading and absorbing all of the information (like she does with the Birnbaum Guides!).  And now she can get in on the planning and the excitement too!  What a great trip it will be, for both of you.





Mommy2PrincessAbby said:


> It really is killing me not to be down there this Halloween... I feel like every commercial is directed right at me--egging me into a trip.  SO maybe if I book for next year I can start planning and that will take the edge off!
> 
> Here is a big IF for you... IF the parties are the same nights next year as they were this year, there could be a Wed night and a Friday night party in my future.  My gut says to go with the Friday night MHP because its Friday night, and everyone without a ticket will have to go to DCA... and use Wed night to do WOC and have fun over at DCA in the dark.  You think my instinct is correct?



*Mommy2PrincessAbby --*

A lot of people say that if they have another trip to plan it makes them feel better about not being able to go this year, or go for a certain season, or for a certain event or whenever.  I guess it does take the edge off!

I think there will definitely be a Friday party during your trip.   The Wednesday party -- maybe or maybe not.  They could have the party on Tuesday of that week.  If there is a Wednesday party, there will be a lot of people heading to DCA then too (the ones who are not going to the MHP).  But I think I would still stick with the MHP on Friday, and go to DCA on Wednesday night, as you felt you should do.


----------



## figment_jii

I just got home and it'll take a while to process the photos and write-up the review, but some quick things.

I scanned the map...not the best scanner in the world, but hopefully legible.









A note about the Cavalcade...there was a few changes...the Anna & Elsa pre-parade float stepped off about 5-10 minutes for the Calvacade (both times).  Following behind the float were kids that came to the party dressed as a Frozen character (mostly Elsas and a few Annas).  I didn't see any of the adults that were dressed Anna or Elsa included in this bunch, so I think the CMs are focused on finding kids.

In terms of the Cavalcade, most of it was the same, but Duffy is gone and they no longer have the Main Street vehicle with the costumed guests in it.    



Fantaluminishes said:


> So I read on another thread that is the Halloween fireworks are canceled during MHP, they show them the following night, which makes sense. My question is, what kind of show will they have tonight, due to the abbreviated show from last night? I'm thinking about heading over for the evening, and want to know what to expect.


The ran the normally scheduled fireworks show (Remember)...it also stopped about half way through due to winds.  I asked at guest services earlier in the day and they said that they will show Screams only when the show was cancelled before it started.  Otherwise, they defuse the remaining fireworks from Screams and load Remember.  The CM said do not run half of a show and they will not run Screams during non-party nights unless the show did not start at all on the party night.



LisaT91403 said:


> Do you have to ask for the alternatives? Or are they just at certain stations?


Not all, but many of the stations did have an alternative item (e.g., Crasins, potato chips, Pirates Booty, Graham Crackers, etc.).  You had to ask for it because the CMs were giving out the candy by default.



DenaRox said:


> For what it's worth, when I called in regards to my tickets the CM told me we were allowed to show up and wear costumes all day. Maybe someone else can confirm or shoot down that info.


I did see adults dressed in costumes from nearly park opening.  The ticket clearly states that adults can only be in costume during the party, so I think it's one of those things they let slide, but if it becomes problematic, they can always fall back on the rules posted on the ticket and deny adult wearing costumes entrance into DL until 3:00/4:00 pm.



Sherry E said:


> Yes, to my knowledge the Main Street lockers are still closed -- they have been closed for a while as the alley behind Main Street is prepped to eventually handle more traffic flow.  I think that the lockers are supposed to open sometime in the late Fall, but I don't know how late in the Fall.  Hopefully they will open earlier than scheduled.
> 
> In the meantime, I guess a lot of folks are using the Esplanade lockers.


Yes, the lockers are still closed.  I visited First Aid and asked about how long they'll remain in their current location and the nurse said for a few more weeks.



MarchMadness2011 said:


> HELP!!!!!! My family and I will be going down to Disneyland for Halloween (10/31) however we will not be attending the Halloween Party. Im curious can we still wear costumes at night? (Kids ages 2, 7, and 7 + 2 Adults...


Yes, children ages 9 and under can wear costumes in either park, all day.  Adults can technically only wear costumes during MHP at DL.


----------



## Dot2Vegas

figment_jii said:
			
		

> A note about the Cavalcade...there was a few changes...the Anna & Elsa pre-parade float stepped off about 5-10 minutes for the Calvacade (both times).  Following behind the float were kids that came to the party dressed as a Frozen character (mostly Elsas and a few Annas).  I didn't see any of the adults that were dressed Anna or Elsa included in this bunch, so I think the CMs are focused on finding kids.
> 
> .



We have never stopped to watch the Cavalcade,  so I have no idea how it goes. Do they typically pick guests to walk in it? If so, how do they pick them? Or is this just a Frozen thing? My girls are not going as Frozen characters but would love to try to get picked to walk!


----------



## DenaRox

Thanks so much figment_jii for your post and  the scans. Made me giddy to see them  lol

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards


----------



## Kilala

I can't wait untill tomorrow night!!!  It has been nice and cool at night around sunset. I plan on eating around 2pm tomorrow afternoon and then get into costume. I should hopefully be done and getting ready to leave no later then 4:30pm. I couldn't sleep past 7:30 am this morning. Also I almost forgot to put snaps on my leg warmers for my Autumn Mist unitard.  I will take pictures in the unitard this morning. I might take some pictures in the wig and with makeup on today so I can practice on the face painting.


----------



## ToodlesRN

What do the halloween bags look like this year that they are giving out during the party? When we went in 2011 they were small bags and the kids had to keep dumping the candy out into a bigger DL bag or the CM's were being very generous to the kids! Thinking about bringing our own big bags for the kids if they are small bags again.


----------



## yeheyprincex2

We attended the first Halloween party in Friday and overall it went well. Time went by wayyyy to fast and we didn't do everything we planned.  The biggest disappointment is the fire works were stopped half way through because of wind and the times between 4-7 were super packed.  The parade in my opinion was ok I wish it was longer.  We only got in line about Five times for candy and it was plenty so happy about that.  I loved the ghost men Cadaver dans singing on the boat in New Orleans and the talking 
scarecrows, funny guys.
We also had a great meet and greet with captain hook, Peter Pan and Wendy at the same time and took a picture with all three of them.


----------



## figment_jii

Dot2Vegas said:
			
		

> We have never stopped to watch the Cavalcade,  so I have no idea how it goes. Do they typically pick guests to walk in it? If so, how do they pick them? Or is this just a Frozen thing? My girls are not going as Frozen characters but would love to try to get picked to walk!



In the past, they would select a few guests that were in pretty elaborate costumes to ride in one of the vehicles in the parade.  This year, they eliminated this element and instead had a group of children (and their adults) walk behind the Frozen pre-parade float.  The kids (and adults) were pretty universally dressed as a Frozen character, so I think they're looking for Frozen costumes.


----------



## Dot2Vegas

figment_jii said:
			
		

> In the past, they would select a few guests that were in pretty elaborate costumes to ride in one of the vehicles in the parade.  This year, they eliminated this element and instead had a group of children (and their adults) walk behind the Frozen pre-parade float.  The kids (and adults) were pretty universally dressed as a Frozen character, so I think they're looking for Frozen costumes.



Thanks for explaining! What a cute idea. Too bad they are only doing Frozen this year!


----------



## figment_jii

ToodlesRN said:


> What do the halloween bags look like this year that they are giving out during the party? When we went in 2011 they were small bags and the kids had to keep dumping the candy out into a bigger DL bag or the CM's were being very generous to the kids! Thinking about bringing our own big bags for the kids if they are small bags again.



The CMs are pretty consistent at handing out three pieces of candy at a time.  I was talking with a CM who said she had just finished going through the MHP training and they're told to hand out three per time.  The bags had an ad for Sleeping Beauty on side and Big Hero Six on the other side.  They're pretty much the same size as last year (about 9” tall, by 7” wide, by 3” deep).

I also just noticed that the Wednesday, October 8th party is showing as sold out!  I'll update the tracking post to reflect that both 10/14 and 10/8 are now sold out.


----------



## Vintage Mouseketeer

Hi Sherry! 

Found the answer to my question while I was in the park this weekend. I spoke to a plaid CM and he stated that the DAS cards are still used during the party. 

More importantly, I had guest confirm this information. She attended the first party and had no issues. 



Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards


----------



## itsmedumdum

Just took a look and the party on Oct 8 is sold out


----------



## Sherry E

*Pumpkin Pandemonium Rundown -- from The Impulsive Buy:

1.  Pumpkin Bread (not sure of brand)
2.  Quaker Real Medleys Caramel Apple Oatmeal
3.  Brach's S'mores Caramels, Candy Corn Gummies, Apple Caramel Royals and other tooth decaying treats*


​



figment_jii said:


> The CMs are pretty consistent at handing out three pieces of candy at a time.  I was talking with a CM who said she had just finished going through the MHP training and they're told to hand out three per time.  The bags had an ad for Sleeping Beauty on side and Big Hero Six on the other side.  They're pretty much the same size as last year (about 9” tall, by 7” wide, by 3” deep).
> 
> I also just noticed that the *Wednesday, October 8th party is showing as sold out*!  I'll update the tracking post to reflect that both 10/14 and 10/8 are now sold out.



 I just had to laugh about 10/8 selling out.  I always say that my timing is the absolute worst in these areas.  I can literally go to the DLR website and comb every possible area, looking for bits of new info or vague clues about the holidays or Halloween Time and come up with nothing.  And then, within 15 minutes, someone will post and say, "Hey, such-and-such is on the DLR website!"  

I was literally on the DLR website, checking the MHP calendar to see if any new dates had sold out since Friday (which is when 10/14 showed up as sold out), about 60 minutes ago.  There was nothing new showing at all.  No 10/8 sellouts.  So, that should have been a clear sign to me that something would be popping up within minutes, which it did!  When I saw your post about the 10/8 sellout, I thought, "Of course it's showing as sold out NOW."

Anyway, thank you for all of the details and info about the MHP, *figment_jii*!  I know that I and everyone else in this thread really appreciate it.  There are many people who are anxiously awaiting news of all early MHPs so they know what to expect when their own MHP rolls around.

I had no idea that there was special MHP training!  And I had no idea that they are instructed to give out 3 pieces of candy!  I wonder if that is a new rule for the CMs, as they were handing out more than 3 pieces in the past.

It makes sense, though, because I suspect a lot of the candy goes to waste, and the more they can do to limit the amount of waste, the better (plus, they spend less money on buying candy if they limit what they give out).  People will take the pieces they don't want -- especially if they get an abundance of it -- and set them aside on a table, or on top of a trashcan, or drop them on the ground.  Then it becomes trash.  The CMs can't take randomly placed candy and put it back in their stash to give out on future nights, as they have no idea what may have been done to that candy since it was taken from the treat stations (it could have been tampered with).  Once it leaves their eyesight and treat stations it's trash if it ends up put out anywhere else.  

People will still discard the pieces they don't want, of course, but at least if there is a limit to how much candy they get there should be less overall waste (and less money wasted in the process).

So Duffy was taken out of the Cavalcade too?  Wow!  I knew that Duffy had been kicked out of his photo spot in DCA, but I didn't know that all traces of him were being removed.

I'll add a link to your scanned map in the MHP FAQ post a bit later (not that anyone is checking that post, but it will help to have it there for next year!).


----------



## figment_jii

Sherry E said:


> I had no idea that there was special MHP training!  And I had no idea that they are instructed to give out 3 pieces of candy!  I wonder if that is a new rule for the CMs, as they were handing out more than 3 pieces in the past.


I didn't either until a CM in the Port Royal shop was mentioning it on Friday.  She was saying she'd be working the parties next week (this week now) and had just finished up the training.  During the party, I did also hear one CM ask another CM if they were starting to hand out five pieces yet, so it might depend on the time of the night and how big are the crowds.  



Sherry E said:


> So Duffy was taken out of the Cavalcade too?  Wow!  I knew that Duffy had been kicked out of his photo spot in DCA, but I didn't know that all traces of him were being removed.


Even his merchandise is starting to disappear!  No Agent P costume, but I did see the new Donald one and few of the HalloweenTime outfits.  Overall, there is very little Duffy left in the parks.  Mostly it's in the show next to Showcase in DL and the one by his old meet and greet in DCA.  Poor Duffy!


----------



## JoRo

figment_jii said:


> A quick post-party update...
> 
> 7. The AP treat trail (Mr. Lincoln's waiting area) is worth visiting.  They've giving out Big Hero 6 drawstring bags and a special treat.  You can only through once.
> !



Hi - Can you please clarify for me....as I was studying the map and our plan of attack over my morning coffee I saw there is a treat station on main street but is this a separate Annual Pass Holder Treat Trail?   Do you think its worth it to go from toontown pre party back up to the front of the park to go through this one?

This is our first DL party since its been at DL, we did CA years back.  We have been at WDW MNSSHP for the last 3 but school is getting in the way of our disney fun.  But we decided to do the halloween type stuff and less rides through the party this is a new plan.


Ok I also saw something about a sally coffin cake sounds really interesting - not sure where to find.

We are going on Oct 20, for DD 8 bday and our 9 year anniversary - I scored on a Minnie Mouse Dress at Goodwill so us girls went from being pirates with DH and DS6 to being matching Minnies - my daughter is so excited to match mommy....

Thanks for your time!


----------



## figment_jii

JoRo said:


> Hi - Can you please clarify for me....as I was studying the map and our plan of attack over my morning coffee I saw there is a treat station on main street but is this a separate Annual Pass Holder Treat Trail?   Do you think its worth it to go from toontown pre party back up to the front of the park to go through this one?


There are two treat trail locations on Main Street, plus the Annual Passholder treat location.  The first treat trail is in Town Square opposite of the Villains meet and greet area.  If you like Werther's Caramels, they have those at that trail.  The second trail is in the movie house, across from the Emporium.  The Annual Passholder Location is in the Mr. Lincoln waiting area and is worth going to.  All three locations are open throughout the party, so you don't have to go right at opening.



JoRo said:


> Ok I also saw something about a sally coffin cake sounds really interesting - not sure where to find.


It's at the French Market in New Orleans Square.


----------



## Sherry E

*JoRo --*

The Sally Coffin Cake is at the French Market.


​

*I wanted to remind everyone that the reservations for Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen's Haunted House Building/Gingerbread Workshop open today!!

Act quickly because there are only 2 days on which this Haunted Gingerbread Workshop takes place -- October 25th and 26th -- and the seats will fill up quickly.

You can find the ticket information -- HERE.

Links to reviews and photos of the Workshop can also be found -- HERE.*


​


----------



## perlster

Again, the AP-exclusive treat station closes one hour *before *the party ends.


----------



## castmember19

WHAT?!?! Where has Duffy gone?!?! I'm a huge Duffy fan... Will be sooooo disappointed if he's nowhere to be found anymore. At WDW in January he still had a pretty large presence...


----------



## iheartglaciers

Does anyone know what the Frozen photo opp by Small World is? (It's listed in the scanned map)


----------



## figment_jii

iheartglaciers said:


> Does anyone know what the Frozen photo opp by Small World is? (It's listed in the scanned map)


I didn't go, but from what I heard, it was a backdrop where you could take a photo.


----------



## Kilala

I have to wait untill Saturday to get my ticket for the party on the 27th. I hope that is one of the last days to sell out. I have noticed that the 30th has not sold out yet.


----------



## CassieF

We are going tomorrow....so excited!!!

Just a few prep questions....

Can anyone confirm Wendy and/or Smee were out at the Pirate greet location?

Was Darth Vader seen, or just Stormtroopers?



Ok, I know I have more, can't think of them now...too excited!!!


Any tips for meeting the villains?  We need Frollo, Hades, Jafar, Lady Tremaine (not necessary tomorrow, we'll be going just for her next week) , and the Shadow Man (he was out, right?).  We're their lines super long?  And they rotate out, so how many are out at once?


----------



## sgrap

We leave 3 weeks from tomorrow for our Halloween trip and 2 MHP's!!

I'm wondering if there are a few movies we should watch so we recognize all the villains.  I know I want to watch NBC again so I have that fresh in my mind, but are there other villains around during MHP that we might not know right away?  Is there a list of villains that show up during MHP?

I'm so excited to hear trip reports from MHP's!  Thank you to those of you who have shared from the first party!


----------



## BayGirl22

Sherry E said:


> [
> 
> 
> It makes sense, though, because I suspect a lot of the candy goes to waste, and the more they can do to limit the amount of waste, the better (plus, they spend less money on buying candy if they limit what they give out).  People will take the pieces they don't want -- especially if they get an abundance of it -- and set them aside on a table, or on top of a trashcan, or drop them on the ground.  Then it becomes trash.  The CMs can't take randomly placed candy and put it back in their stash to give out on future nights, as they have no idea what may have been done to that candy since it was taken from the treat stations (it could have been tampered with).  Once it leaves their eyesight and treat stations it's trash if it ends up put out anywhere else.
> 
> People will still discard the pieces they don't want, of course, but at least if there is a limit to how much candy they get there should be less overall waste (and less money wasted in the process).
> ...



Not only that, but it seemed that if a person even touches a piece of candy it needs to be set aside.  At the first treat station my son grabbed one of the graham cracker fish then put it down.  The CM went to set it behind the bin so it was trashed.  I said I'd take it since I didn't have one yet, so it wasn't wasted. I had to talk to my son about asking for the healthy treats after that, he didn't understand how it worked.

I guess it was only 3 pieces per station but it still seemed like a lot.  We only did about half the trails and after the first couple we needed to buy a big treat bag to hold it all.  Our tote bag was more than half full by the end of the night.

For whoever asked, we saw 2 tote bag styles.  1 was the flaming Mickey head with flashing lights.  I got the same logo in a shirt and pin for my DH.  The other was a Minnie bag with dark colors, and slightly smaller.  




iheartglaciers said:


> Does anyone know what the Frozen photo opp by Small World is? (It's listed in the scanned map)



There were two scenes you could be photographed in front of.  There seemed to be several magic shots available.  The line led you through both scenes so I suspect you'd end up with about 6 different shots.  
We waited in a short line then at the last minute my 5yo decided he "doesn't like pictures" so we didn't get any taken there.  It looked cute, I would have loved to see how the magic shots turned out.


----------



## DznyDiva13

Okay, I am starting to stress about the day of the CHoc walk....will it make the parks unmanageable?  Throughout the day?


----------



## ten6mom

It is sort of late for me to be asking now as we are going tomorrow, but are the Photo pass photographers out during MHP?   and, has anyone seen the Storm Troopers (or Troppers) this year?   Last year we waited where they were "supposed" to be and they never showed up.  This year all 6 of us are going in Star Wars costume and it would be great to get a picture with them.


----------



## Sherry E

ten6mom said:


> It is sort of late for me to be asking now as we are going tomorrow, but are the Photo pass photographers out during MHP?   and, has anyone seen the Storm Troopers (or Troppers) this year?   Last year we waited where they were "supposed" to be and they never showed up.  This year all 6 of us are going in Star Wars costume and it would be great to get a picture with them.



Troppers!  Who can forget that horrible error from the former MHP Map?  I think it said "Strom Troppers"!

There are PhotoPass photographers out during the party -- that much I know.  Hopefully *figment_jii* or someone who went to the Friday party will be able to answer about the "Troppers"!

P.S.  "Strom Troppers" was almost as good/bad as the "Tinkle Bell" that appeared on the DLR website in 2012, in the section describing the _Secret of the Wings_-themed ice rink!


----------



## figment_jii

castmember19 said:


> WHAT?!?! Where has Duffy gone?!?! I'm a huge Duffy fan... Will be sooooo disappointed if he's nowhere to be found anymore. At WDW in January he still had a pretty large presence...


Sorry, but there is very little Duffy left in DLR.  Just a few bits of merchandise left, but that's about it.



CassieF said:


> Can anyone confirm Wendy and/or Smee were out at the Pirate greet location?


I'm pretty sure I saw Wendy with Peter Pan.  I only walked by once, so I don't know who else was out there in alternate sets.



CassieF said:


> Any tips for meeting the villains?  We need Frollo, Hades, Jafar, Lady Tremaine (not necessary tomorrow, we'll be going just for her next week) , and the Shadow Man (he was out, right?).  We're their lines super long?  And they rotate out, so how many are out at once?


The standard set is three villains at a time at MHP.  The first set was Facilier, Maleficent, and Cruella (I also saw Cruella out during non-party hours).  Lady Tremaine and the stepsisters wandered around Town Square for a bit at the start of the party, but I think they left fairly soon thereafter.  Later in the evening, I saw the Evil Queen, Jafar, and Hades in a set.  The next set was the Queen of Hearts, Frollo, and the Termaines.

When you say "Shadow Man", do you mean Jack Skellington?  He was out both during the party and during normal park hours in New Orleans Square.  He was frequently meeting guests with Sally, though not always.



sgrap said:


> I'm wondering if there are a few movies we should watch so we recognize all the villains.  I know I want to watch NBC again so I have that fresh in my mind, but are there other villains around during MHP that we might not know right away?  Is there a list of villains that show up during MHP?


There is no published list, so you'll have to rely on the villains mentioned by folks who have gone.  The ones I saw were mostly the familiar ones, but I suppose Frollo (Hunchback of Notre Dame) is one of the less familiar/common ones.

_rigdisney_ - Unfortunately there is no selling or requesting for tickets allowed on this board.  Please see _Sherry's_ more detailed response in this post.



DznyDiva13 said:


> Okay, I am starting to stress about the day of the CHoc walk....will it make the parks unmanageable?  Throughout the day?


CHOC walk will definitely impact the crowds in the parks.  I would plan on a day with very high crowds and go with the expectations of long lines.



ten6mom said:


> It is sort of late for me to be asking now as we are going tomorrow, but are the Photo pass photographers out during MHP?   and, has anyone seen the Storm Troopers (or Troppers) this year?   Last year we waited where they were "supposed" to be and they never showed up.  This year all 6 of us are going in Star Wars costume and it would be great to get a picture with them.


I know there were Photopass photographers with the villains and the Phineas & Ferb characters, so I would guess that they're available for all of the meet and greets during MHP.  I don't recall seeing the Stormtroopers, but I wasn't looking for them either (I didn't go to Star Tours during the party, so I probably just missed them).  They're listed on the map, so I would hope that they were out and about.


----------



## BayGirl22

ten6mom said:


> It is sort of late for me to be asking now as we are going tomorrow, but are the Photo pass photographers out during MHP?   and, has anyone seen the Storm Troopers (or Troppers) this year?   Last year we waited where they were "supposed" to be and they never showed up.  This year all 6 of us are going in Star Wars costume and it would be great to get a picture with them.



I saw Storm Troopers out near the Star Wars store (outside Star Tours) during the party.  It was cute because there were some kids in Storm Trooper costumes and they were playing around with them.  I did not see a line, just a couple handlers directing them.  This was just after the first Cavalcade on Friday night.  

Then on Sunday I saw them coming out from near Plaza Inn, I assume to go back out to the same place.


----------



## JoRo

Another question - there are a lot of page. so hope its not a duplicate...

WDW MNSSHP - has Pins they pull out for just the halloween party - should I assume this is true for DL?  So that any of the "special" halloween stores on the map should have them?

Any other just the the party merchandise..are there any other popcorn buckets just for the party?  I have seen ghost mickey, zero, skeletons, but those appear to be out for the whole day.

Thanks again!  Getting excited 21 days to the party...18 to our arrival.


----------



## CassieF

figment_jii said:


> I'm pretty sure I saw Wendy with Peter Pan.  I only walked by once, so I don't know who else was out there in alternate sets.
> 
> The standard set is three villains at a time at MHP.  The first set was Facilier, Maleficent, and Cruella (I also saw Cruella out during non-party hours).  Lady Tremaine and the stepsisters wandered around Town Square for a bit at the start of the party, but I think they left fairly soon thereafter.  Later in the evening, I saw the Evil Queen, Jafar, and Hades in a set.  The next set was the Queen of Hearts, Frollo, and the Termaines.
> 
> When you say "Shadow Man", do you mean Jack Skellington?  He was out both during the party and during normal park hours in New Orleans Square.  He was frequently meeting guests with Sally, though not always.



The Shadow Man is Dr. Facilier.  Thanks for the detailed info on the town square sets...looks like that's where we'll spend a chunk of time...hopefully the lines aren't too terrible! Looks like we need 6 meets, and we'll get 8 new villains (3 Tremaines) to add to my niece's current 5!  So excited!




Does anyone know what time Conjure and Villain closes on party nights?


----------



## figment_jii

JoRo said:


> WDW MNSSHP - has Pins they pull out for just the halloween party - should I assume this is true for DL?  So that any of the "special" halloween stores on the map should have them?


They do have pins for MHP, *but* they may not have arrived yet.  I was looking for them on Friday (the first party) and after speaking with several CMS in several different stores and Guest Services, it turned out that pins had not yet arrived and they were not expecting them until early to mid-October.  



JoRo said:


> Any other just the the party merchandise..are there any other popcorn buckets just for the party?  I have seen ghost mickey, zero, skeletons, but those appear to be out for the whole day.


The only other party merchandise are the shirts (t-shirts and a zip up sweatshirt).  Those are available at several locations (including the Emporium, Disney Showcase, Star Traders, the big shop in Frontierland, Port Royal, etc.).  The locations are marked on the map with the shopping bag icon.



CassieF said:


> The Shadow Man is Dr. Facilier.  Thanks for the detailed info on the town square sets...looks like that's where we'll spend a chunk of time...hopefully the lines aren't too terrible! Looks like we need 6 meets, and we'll get 8 new villains (3 Tremaines) to add to my niece's current 5!  So excited!


The line looked pretty lengthy throughout the night.  You might ask the CMs at the line how often the sets change so you can try to time your visits.



CassieF said:


> Does anyone know what time Conjure and Villain closes on party nights?


The Halloween Carnival runs until 5:30 pm on nights when the party starts at 7:00 pm and until 4:30 pm on nights when the party starts at 6:00 pm (assuming the schedule for this week holds for future weeks).  I would guess the latest you could get into line for Conjure a Villain is 4:30/5:30 pm.

I have tons of photos from the trip, but because there has been some interest in the snacks, here are a few of the ones I saw last week!  The Sally Coffin Cake:





The Bat Cake Pop (so cute!) and the Mummy Cake Pop:





The Pumpkin Marshmallow Wand:





The Pumpkin Mickey Crisped Rice Treat:





And a (new?) Sally Cake Pop:


----------



## ten6mom

I cannot do the multi quote from my phone but thank you to all who responded to my questions about Photopass and the Storm "Troppers"


----------



## DznyDiva13

Love the treat pics!  Hoping that the CHOC walk day is not as horrible as I am picturing.  Either way I am excited!  Only 9 days left!


----------



## CassieF

Thank you, thank you.  I'll report back with which ones we end up seeing!  It's nice to have a backup night so we aren't so stressed!


----------



## figment_jii

The Monday, October 20, 2014 party is now showing as sold out online.  That means there are only four parties (not including tonight's) left with tickets available online!

I also noticed that you can no longer purchase tickets for tonight's party online.  I do not know if that means they sold out or if they suspend online sales on the day of the party.


----------



## Minnie Loves Mickey

figment_jii said:


> They do have pins for MHP, *but* they may not have arrived yet.  I was looking for them on Friday (the first party) and after speaking with several CMS in several different stores and Guest Services, it turned out that pins had not yet arrived and they were not expecting them until early to mid-October.
> 
> 
> The only other party merchandise are the shirts (t-shirts and a zip up sweatshirt).  Those are available at several locations (including the Emporium, Disney Showcase, Star Traders, the big shop in Frontierland, Port Royal, etc.).  The locations are marked on the map with the shopping bag icon.
> 
> 
> The line looked pretty lengthy throughout the night.  You might ask the CMs at the line how often the sets change so you can try to time your visits.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The Halloween Carnival runs until 5:30 pm on nights when the party starts at 7:00 pm and until 4:30 pm on nights when the party starts at 6:00 pm (assuming the schedule for this week holds for future weeks).  I would guess the latest you could get into line for Conjure a Villain is 4:30/5:30 pm.
> 
> I have tons of photos from the trip, but because there has been some interest in the snacks, here are a few of the ones I saw last week!  The Sally Coffin Cake:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The Bat Cake Pop (so cute!) and the Mummy Cake Pop:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The Pumpkin Marshmallow Wand:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The Pumpkin Mickey Crisped Rice Treat:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> And a (new?) Sally Cake Pop:



Does anyone have a Picture of the zip up jacket they are selling at the parties?


----------



## crystal1313

The Storm Troopers are the best!  At the 24 hour event in May, they literally ditched their line of people for photos and sought me out and it was the best character interaction I've ever had!  (I was dressed as a bad guy from TRON-the orange guy) and they totally had a pretend disc fight with me and spent tons of time playing around.  It was AWESOME!  I told my DH those CM must have a blast being a Storm Trooper!  

Photo isn't the best, but here ya go!


----------



## Kilala

For those of you that are going tonight here are some pictures of me wearing just the unitard of my Autumn Mist costume. If you see me please say Hi.



back of unitard



left side



right side



front






The rest of the pictures are found here http://s499.photobucket.com/user/Naruto-Kitten/library/Autumn Mist costume?sort=2&page=4
I will try to get alot of photos tonight. I will ask the CM's if they can take pictures. I will be going by myself tonight


----------



## figment_jii

Minnie Loves Mickey said:


> Does anyone have a Picture of the zip up jacket they are selling at the parties?



I don't have a photo handy, but it's bright blue, hooded, and made of sweatshirt material.  It has a small logo on the front and the large logo on the back.  You can see the logo in this Parks Blog Post:
http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...-merchandise-coming-to-the-disneyland-resort/


----------



## Kilala

The 20th of October just sold out.


----------



## Minnie Loves Mickey

figment_jii said:


> I don't have a photo handy, but it's bright blue, hooded, and made of sweatshirt material.  It has a small logo on the front and the large logo on the back.  You can see the logo in this Parks Blog Post:
> http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...-merchandise-coming-to-the-disneyland-resort/



Thank you, that is so cute!!!


----------



## Kittymomm

I can't believe we leave tomorrow!  I just got back from Toronto (business) so I haven't even packed yet..sigh.

Quick question since I am running out of time...do they sell adult costumes at the Disney store in DD?

Stina


----------



## figment_jii

Kittymomm said:


> Quick question since I am running out of time...do they sell adult costumes at the Disney store in DD?


They sell costume t-shirts (like this one), but no full costumes for adults.


----------



## Twinkling

Hey everyone! Long time lurker here and my first post! I've been following these boards and especially this thread for awhile and I've finally decided to take the plunge and sign up! My boyfriend and I are huge, longtime fans of Disney and we'll be making a trip together sometime next month. I'm super excited since he also bought tickets for one of the trick-or-treat parties which I've never been to before.

This is a pretty special trip for us and I think we'll be there around 3 days, so I REALLY want to try to add in things that are a little more unique. Problem is, we go so often I'm having difficulty thinking of things to do, even with the help of this thread, and I would love some further suggestions. Here's what I have so far:

*Take a ride on Lilly Belle if possible
*Sally's Coffin Cake (actually my boyfriend is pretty adamant about trying ALL the snacks, but of course we're on a budget and I want to choose the best ones...I only like this one because of it's name, I don't even know what type of cake it is or where to find it)
*Anna and Elsa's Boutique in Downtown
*Visit with more characters, particularly Stitch since I love him and would really like a photo with him
*Teacups at night (for some reason we only seem to go during the day, I think with the lights it would be beautiful at night)

Sadly, that's all I got! We can't really afford to splurge on the really expensive things like character meals and whatnot, but I would love any further suggestions, including downtown. Thank you guys, sorry for the question right away, but I figure you guys know best and I'll continue my research!


----------



## figment_jii

_Twinkling_ 



Twinkling said:


> Sally's Coffin Cake (actually my boyfriend is pretty adamant about trying ALL the snacks, but of course we're on a budget and I want to choose the best ones...I only like this one because of it's name, I don't even know what type of cake it is or where to find it)


The Sally Coffin Cake is only available at the French Market in New Orleans Square.  It was very rich and very good.  It is described as a "Chocolate Sandwich Cookie Mousse" cake.



Twinkling said:


> Visit with more characters, particularly Stitch since I love him and would really like a photo with him


Stitch isn't really a common character at DLR.  I've read that he's one of the regular characters at the Disney Visa meet and greet in DCA.  He might also be at one of the character breakfasts (Surf's Up?), but you mentioned not wanting to do character meals.  I haven't seen him wandering around the parks otherwise.


----------



## DisneyJamieCA

Twinkling said:


> Hey everyone! Long time lurker here and my first post! I've been following these boards and especially this thread for awhile and I've finally decided to take the plunge and sign up! My boyfriend and I are huge, longtime fans of Disney and we'll be making a trip together sometime next month. I'm super excited since he also bought tickets for one of the trick-or-treat parties which I've never been to before.  This is a pretty special trip for us and I think we'll be there around 3 days, so I REALLY want to try to add in things that are a little more unique. Problem is, we go so often I'm having difficulty thinking of things to do, even with the help of this thread, and I would love some further suggestions. Here's what I have so far:  *Take a ride on Lilly Belle if possible *Sally's Coffin Cake (actually my boyfriend is pretty adamant about trying ALL the snacks, but of course we're on a budget and I want to choose the best ones...I only like this one because of it's name, I don't even know what type of cake it is or where to find it) *Anna and Elsa's Boutique in Downtown *Visit with more characters, particularly Stitch since I love him and would really like a photo with him *Teacups at night (for some reason we only seem to go during the day, I think with the lights it would be beautiful at night)  Sadly, that's all I got! We can't really afford to splurge on the really expensive things like character meals and whatnot, but I would love any further suggestions, including downtown. Thank you guys, sorry for the question right away, but I figure you guys know best and I'll continue my research!



Have a great trip!

One thing I wanted to mentioned - while you can go to the Elsa & Anna Boutique, the makeovers are only for those ages 3-12. 

The teacups are so much fun at night!


----------



## Twinkling

Wow, such swift replies! I'm really relieved the coffin cake isn't actually a coffee cake as I had somewhat expected, it sounds divine! But that's such a shame about Stitch  I loved seeing him during the magical map show a few months ago, and I remember my cousin seeing him last month with her son...but now that I think about it she was at a restaurant so perhaps it was one of the character meals and I hadn't realized it. Darnit.

I really hope the boutique is still beautiful, even if us older guests can't partake in the make-overs. I know I probably sound childish, but I just KNOW Disney would have a huge customer base if they offered make-overs for adults too!

Thanks guys!


----------



## GPmice

I wouldn't want a whole makeover, personally.  However, I did see a friend post photos of her SUPER cute Minnie Mouse manicure last week and now I MUST do this before my trip!


----------



## figment_jii

They starting to sell out quickly now!  Monday, October 6, 2014 is now showing as sold out online.  Only 10/22, 10/27, and 10/29 are showing as still available online!


----------



## aidansmother

GPmice said:


> I wouldn't want a whole makeover, personally.  However, I did see a friend post photos of her SUPER cute Minnie Mouse manicure last week and now I MUST do this before my trip!



I'm thinking the same thing! I have been trying to find a cute mani idea. I wonder if there is a thread for that already?


----------



## figment_jii

aidansmother said:


> I'm thinking the same thing! I have been trying to find a cute mani idea. I wonder if there is a thread for that already?



I recall seeing several ideas posted on the Disney Parks Blog over the summer.
http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog?s=Nail+Tutorial


----------



## iheartglaciers

aidansmother said:


> I'm thinking the same thing! I have been trying to find a cute mani idea. I wonder if there is a thread for that already?



There's a lot of Disney nail art ideas on Pinterest!


----------



## aidansmother

figment_jii said:


> I recall seeing several ideas posted on the Disney Parks Blog over the summer.



Thanks Figment!


----------



## LisaT91403

Any idea if PhotoPass+ is worth it for a MHP night? I'm taking DS(6) and my nephews (9, 11)...I'm not positive that I can get them to slow down long enough for pictures, and/or if there would be enough photo opportunities during the party. Any thoughts?

I also don't know if it would get here in time, as our party is 10/10.


----------



## Imdboss

LisaT91403 said:


> Any idea if PhotoPass+ is worth it for a MHP night? I'm taking DS(6) and my nephews (9, 11)...I'm not positive that I can get them to slow down long enough for pictures, and/or if there would be enough photo opportunities during the party. Any thoughts?
> 
> I also don't know if it would get here in time, as our party is 10/10.



Personally I don't think it would be worth it for just the one night. Also you need to order at least 14 days in advance according to the website. I ordered mine for the first time ever for our upcoming trip and it was shipped on 9/17 and just arrived 9/29.

We'll be at the party same night as you.....so excited!


----------



## momof6princesses

We got some Mouse mail today, so excited (have two rooms so still waiting on one)!  Had the kids open it at dinner and the girls were fighting over the luggage tags.  Lucky 4 more will be coming soon. Can't wait.


----------



## ten6mom

We are just back from the MHP.  It seemed very crowded to me but I don't have a good recollection of last year so no real basis for comparison.  My kids were most interested in rides (we are here for 5 days so although I tried to explain that we could do rides at other times they really didn't care) so we only did one trick or treat trail.   My niece (not quite 3 years old) got to sing part of "Let it Go"  at the Tomorrowland Terrace stage with a dance party and she was just so stinking cute in her ewok costume!  We were lucky enough to catch the roving Storm Troopers for a group photo just as their handlers were shooing them away (probably only because we did all Star Wars costumes)  and that was my one goal so I am happy.  Hope you all had a fabulous time!


----------



## Mel522

JoRo said:


> Another question - there are a lot of page. so hope its not a duplicate...
> 
> WDW MNSSHP - has Pins they pull out for just the halloween party - should I assume this is true for DL?  So that any of the "special" halloween stores on the map should have them?
> 
> Any other just the the party merchandise..are there any other popcorn buckets just for the party?  I have seen ghost mickey, zero, skeletons, but those appear to be out for the whole day.
> 
> Thanks again!  Getting excited 21 days to the party...18 to our arrival.





figment_jii said:


> They do have pins for MHP, *but* they may not have arrived yet.  I was looking for them on Friday (the first party) and after speaking with several CMS in several different stores and Guest Services, it turned out that pins had not yet arrived and they were not expecting them until early to mid-October.



The Halloween Party pins were available last night.


----------



## figment_jii

Mel522 said:


> The Halloween Party pins were available last night.


Did they have all of them?  There should be three individual pins and a set of four.


----------



## elamarca

aidansmother said:


> I'm thinking the same thing! I have been trying to find a cute mani idea. I wonder if there is a thread for that already?



I had mine done in preparation for our October 3rd trip. They turned out really nice! I'd post a picture if I could figure out how to get it to work. Ha!


----------



## Mel522

figment_jii said:


> Did they have all of them?  There should be three individual pins and a set of four.



Yes, they had all of them.  I purchased mine in The Emporium, and I also asked in the store exiting Astro Blasters, and both had all of them.  I didn't go into any other stores.

Here is what I bought 




I passed on the set of four.


----------



## elamarca

Mel522 said:


> Yes, they had all of them.  I purchased mine in The Emporium, and I also asked in the store exiting Astro Blasters, and both had all of them.  I didn't go into any other stores.
> 
> Here is what I bought
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I passed on the set of four.



YAY!!! I'm so happy the pins came in! It's really the only thing I collect on each trip and I'd be so bummed to miss out.


----------



## figment_jii

It's great to hear that they got the pins.  At least it looks like only the folks that went to the first party are missing out.  Hopefully there will be a way for those of us who went to the first party to get the pins!


----------



## ldymcbth

I was able to get a ticket today for Walk in Walt's Footsteps on 10/31 - we are going to the party that evening. I am excited to go on this tour! The kids will stay with my husband and have a low-key hotel day that day - and so not only do I get to do the tour, I get to do so without anyone else needing my attention! Happy Birthday to me!


----------



## figment_jii

*Figment Goes to Mickey's Halloween Party, 9/26/14*

Figment and I (plus my family) went to the first MHP of the year (Friday, September 26, 2014)!  Overall the party was a lot of fun and we had a great time.  Party crowds felt lighter than when we went last year (akin to a weeknight in Disneyland).  Weather was warm and kind of breezy during the day.  I have lots of pictures to post, but I'll start with MHP because that was the big event for the trip





We arrived at Disneyland just after opening on Friday and headed to the park. There were signs out announcing that the party was sold out and that Disneyland would be closing at 7:00 pm.









Main Street was decorated with pumpkins and fall banners.  The Giant Mickey Pumpkin was in Town Square.  The HalloweenTime banners were up on the light posts as well.









We spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon having lunch and enjoying ourselves.  We rode the train around Disneyland and could see some party elements waiting to be brought out!









This year, there were no lockers inside Disneyland, so we had to get one out on the Esplanade.  We opted to head out there pick-up and drop-off some stuff and then use our party tickets to get back into Disneyland.  By the time we headed to the locker, the first rush of guests coming into Disneyland for MHP had tapered off and the lines at the Main Gate werent very long.  We got our wristbands (shiny green with the date on it), our treat bag (ad for Sleeping Beauty on one side and Big Hero Six on the other), and a party map.  

There was also an in-park check-in location down on Small World Mall.  The usually location in Frontierland was being used by Legends of Frontierland game.  (Aside: Now that Legends has ended, I dont know if theyre going to move the check-in back to Frontierland.)  

We headed towards Tomorrowland to have dinner.  (We did not know that there was going to be a Toontown event this year.  I had asked at Guest Services in City Hall earlier in the day and the CMs there (two of them!) both said that there was no Toontown pre-party event this year.  So, either it was a very last minute decision, or Disneyland wasnt doing a very good job of keeping their Guest Services CMs informed!)  

Anyway, as we walked around, we saw that they had already begun to set-up the party decorations. It was kind of funny to see the Mickey Ghosts set-up, but not yet inflated.  We finished up dinner and decided to head back to the front of the park to see if anything interesting happens at the start of the party!

We found a bench facing the train station and waited for the party start.  Main Street was really crowded with party guests coming in and day guests heading out.  There was a steady stream of guests going in both directions.  I was surprised, but the shops on Main Street remained open to day guests for one hour after park closing (so from 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm).  









About five minutes after the party official started, the first set of Villains appeared.  They just walked out (without any fanfare) and took their places below the train station.  This time, there was Dr. Facilier, Maleficent, and Cruella.  Lady Tremaine and her daughters also came out and mingled with guests for a little bit.  They were quite funny and willing to pose for photos, but CMs were checking for wristbands at this point (so there were some very disappointed guests leaving the park).  Later in the evening, I saw the Queen of Hearts, Frollo, Jafar, Hades, the Evil Queen either in the meet and greet and walking towards it.  

































I asked one of the CMs about whether or not they were going to do the Villains entrance show again and he said yes.  The show was scheduled to happen at 8:00 pm, 9:00 pm, and 9:55 pm (I dont know if there were any later times).  Its largely the same show from last year.  There is an introduction (I think its supposed to the Evil Queen) saying its the Villains time of year and then the undertakers appear escorting the horse drawn carriage.  The carriage brings out the new face villains and the previous face villains depart in the carriage.  

















The show is short, but worth seeing.  They shot off flames from the train station this year!  I dont recall that from last year, but it was pretty impressive.  
In the center of Town Square is a treat trail that was handing out Werthers Caramels!   I really liked how the treat trail stations had a sign indicating where they were.  This was the one across from the Villains.





Next time...the Cavalcade!


----------



## elamarca

I've been anxiously waiting for your pictures, thank you for posting! Can't wait for the rest.


----------



## kim3339

I went to the parks and party yesterday and had a blast! I got into the park around 9:15 or so and went straight to Space/Ghost Galaxy and walked right on. After that, I hoped over to HM and again walked right onto that one too. During the day I really wanted to get a lot of pics so rides were secondary but the lines didnt seem too bad. I got my HM popcorn bucket and super happy about that, but they sold out of the shirt I wanted. Thats okay though, I have too many shirts anyways. 

I tried the Habanero Punch and it was so-so. A little too sweet for me, and while I really liked the kick of the habanero, the flavor was gone about ½ way through the drink. I also tried the Fire Breathing Chicken Flatbread at the Village Haus. I thought it was good. The chicken were little Tyson Popcorn Chicken pieces; thought they were supposed to be Buffalo Chicken, but still good. There was a little too much of the aioli and it was a little too creamy, but I took some off and it was much better. 

Since I was already in the parks, I got my wrist band inside. We still picked them up at the Fantasy Theater. I got back into DL around 2:30 and there were already long lines waiting for the 3:00 entrance time.  

I hung out around Town Square when the party started and the villains came out. First up were Maleficient, Cruella and Frollo. Lady Tremaine and the Step Sisters were interacting but were taking pics later on in the night. I walked down Main Street right before the 1st Cavalcade and they were available for photos along w/ the Queen of Hearts. Not sure about the rest of the night though. Missed the entrance show, b/c I forgot, but that gives me another reason to go back. Mickey and Minnie were out by Big Thunder Ranch and still had a really long line around 10:40 or so. 

I went on a few rides after the beginning of the party. Buzz was a walk on and while the line for Autopia was short, they only had 2 sides and a few cars out so it took longer than normal. Ghost Galaxy was down at the beginning of the party, but think I saw that it was open later on. 

The treat lines were kinda long, especially the Monorail one. The one along the River was long only when the Daper Dans were performing. As soon as they were over, the lines seemed short for that one. It also seemed like they were sticking to a few pieces of candy at first but by the end of the night they were giving out handfuls. 

Fireworks were awesome; Zero didnt fly though. I was sitting in front of a CM who was there for the night and he pointed out a white balloon that was released a little bit before the show started and said that that is how they can tell if theres too much/direction of the wind. Dont know if its true or not, but that it was a fun little fact. Was right in front of the left side of the castle and it was perfect. I got there right at the end of the parade while everyone was still watching so I think I lucked out, b/c as soon as the parade was over it got really crowded really fast. 

Saw some great costumes as well. There were a group of friends who went as the Hatbox Ghost, Hitchhiking Ghosts and the Graveyard Guy and there was a family as everybody including a baby Crocodile from Peter Pan and one as Snow White w/ all 7 dwarves and the Old Hag. 

Sherry ~ Got home and had an email from TCM today about this months programming. Every Thurs. is Ghost Story themed, and on 10/28 theyre doing something called Horror Anthologies. It didnt say anything about the old Dracula, Wolf Man type movies but Im sure they play at some point during the month. 

Figment ~ love your crow pics! I took some last night too but they were around Space.


----------



## rosanab1031

LisaT91403 said:
			
		

> I understand that the Disneyland Railroad was not running during last year's parties. Does anyone know if it was closed again this year?



It was running last night during the party.


----------



## starshine514

We did the party last night. We arrived at the Toy Story lot about 2:00. By the time we got to the park, picked up our tickets (yes, they did reimburse for parking) and got in line, it was 2:30 and there were only a couple groups in front of us in the line. If I had one piece of advice for those entering just for the party at the 3-hour mark, it would be to arrive early. They were putting the wristbands on us as we entered, and it severely slowed the line. I was glad that there weren't many people ahead of us (and there were many behind us).

We didn't do everything we hoped to do, but we had a good time. We spent an hour meeting Winnie the Pooh, and after that, the girls decided to forego trying to meet Maleficient. We did 4 treat trails and ended up with a ton of candy. We slipped into the fireworks area just as they were taking down the ropes, and got a central spot just behind the hub about 13 minutes before the fireworks started. My 6 month old LOVED the fireworks! 

All in all, it was a successful and fun evening. We did do a lot of rides (my 7 year old rode 16 rides), so we missed out on some of the cool party stuff, but I think we reached a good balance for us. We also got the. Zero popcorn bucket - it's so cute!


----------



## bearette

We did the party last night too. As a mom to 2.5 year olds I recommend the party.  Not scary and my kids loved it.  I heard "witch mommy witch!" All night.  The Villain meet and greet line was so long it kept closing on us.  We accidentally hit the arrival show at 9pm which was great.  I recommend you try to make it.  We never made it to Tomorrowland but did the main street, Toon town and primates and beyond treat trails. Ride lines were short, 15  minutes was the longest and 5 min for haunted mansion.

As an annual pass holder I don't feel it is worth paying extra for.  I can trick or treat at home.  The parade while nice was small.  The best was the fireworks, but bad weather could ruin that.  I'm glad I did it once but I'm not going to do it again unless something new is added.  It was great getting into the  spirit of the holiday, but once I have to pay for the kids too expensive!

Holiday food : I tried the new I believe it was  pomegranate punch(at the mint julep bar) and it was tasty. Attempted  the banana dessert at the nearby bread bowl place but it was sold out by 10:30. We had dinner at the carnation cafe and ate its seasonal sausage sandwich, which was excellent.  Going to go back in the day time to have more.


----------



## CassieF

We were also at last night's party...I went with my sister, niece, and dad and we'll, let's just say I'm looking forward to my solo party with my niece on Monday!  My group was so focused on getting candy (they got 10-12 lbs each) and not super interested in party exclusive events.  Fireworks...eh, "they're just fireworks"...I caught a glimpse of them through the trees from the Winnie the Pooh line.  We waited once for the villains in town square, and it was a long wait, plus we missed out on a good set of characters and got Jafar, Queen, and Hook.  Jafar was a new villain, but he is occasionally at conjure a villain.  Hades and Dr. Facilier were not out at all.  We did find the Queen of Hearts wandering around, but she seemed to pick one party and focus on them for an extended time.  Luckily, she picked my niece!  We walked all over town square, took a picture in front of the Mickey Head, got shown off to Cruella while she waited for people to make it through to her, over to the firehouse, for some dancing..it was very cool!  I felt bad for others who tried to intrupt.  We did see Horace and Clarabelle, Smee, Wendy, plus Jafar and Queen of Hearts for new characters, which I guess isn't bad!  We did see Lady Tremaine and the stepsisters out and could have joined the mob to see them but I decided to just wait for Monday for them, since my niece will be doing rag dress Cindrella.


----------



## LisaT91403

rosanab1031 said:


> It was running last night during the party.



Awesome! Thanks for letting us know!


----------



## laura&fam

Mel522 said:


> Yes, they had all of them.  I purchased mine in The Emporium, and I also asked in the store exiting Astro Blasters, and both had all of them.  I didn't go into any other stores.
> 
> Here is what I bought
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I passed on the set of four.



Dang. I really wanted that hitchhiking ghosts pin but it looks like it's only for AP holders. Can anyone buy it or only AP holders?


----------



## Mister Skellington

Thanks to EVERYONE who is taking the time to post their experiences! We wont be there till the end of the month but it makes going to work tomorrow easier.


----------



## laura&fam

LisaT91403 said:


> Any idea if PhotoPass+ is worth it for a MHP night? I'm taking DS(6) and my nephews (9, 11)...I'm not positive that I can get them to slow down long enough for pictures, and/or if there would be enough photo opportunities during the party. Any thoughts?
> 
> I also don't know if it would get here in time, as our party is 10/10.



We've bought a photopass every trip until now. I didn't think it was worth it just for the party especially since we don't plan to ride Space Mountain or Splash Mountain. Also when we went 2 years ago the line for the castle shot and some of the other 'standard' shots were really long during the party so that was a factor in skipping it this time.


----------



## APE

We went to our first MHP (Tuesday) last night. Wow! So much fun. We got there at 3 and rode Small World, Buzz Light Year and Astro Orbitor. The overlap crowds were a little crazy. Especially with the parade running earlier at 4. (Just a note to plan for the early parade in trying to get around.) Our guide said nothing about the preparty, so I asked a CM at the gate and she didn't know about it. While we were down by Small World, we saw that Toon Town was closing at 4 and they were setting up ropes. I asked another CM about the preparty and he confirmed it would start at 5. So, we lined up outside of Toon Town at 4:30. They had three treat trails that went all throughout the area weaving in and out of Minnie and Mickey's houses, etc. Our little bags were mostly full after that. The people in front of us were asking for healthy alternatives and they said they only had candy at those stations. We then rode Roger Rabbit and Gadget with about a 5 minute wait on each. They had three character spots going on at once by the gazebo. When we got in line, they had Chip and Dale, Clarabelle & Horace and Goofy. Then they switched to Mickey & Minnie, Pluto and Donald.

At 6 we headed to Tomorrow Land and walked on Autopia. We did the treat trail through Innoventions and got in line to see Agent P while we were there. Then they switched to Pineas and Pherb. We continued on to as many rides and treat trails we could find along the way. We went on Space and Star Tours with 10 minute waits. Walked on Pirates and Jungle Cruise during the first Cavalcade.

We stopped for fireworks about 15 minutes before the show in the middle of the end of Main Street and saw the whole thing, Jack and all. After fireworks we waited 5 min for Matterhorn and did more treat trails. At about 10:30, we walked right on to Space and Matterhorn again. 

We left just a couple minutes to 11 with 2 back packs full of treats plus each of our little bags full for our group of 5 and we didn't even do all the treat trails. As far as non candy alternatives, at various treat stations we got: carrots, apples, dried apples, Cheez-Its, Pretzel Goldfish, Bug Bites Grahams, Giant Goldfish Grahams, Pirate's Booty, yogurt covered Craisins and chocolate covered Craisins. You do need to ask for these things. Nothing against candy. It's just nice to have a variety.

As we were heading out the top of Main Street, we caught the very end of a show that looked like they were retiring all the villains. We saw Maleficent, Wicked Stepsisters, Cruella, Captain Hook...There were probably more we missed. 

Had a blast! Hope to do it again. Thanks for everyone's help here to know better what to expect.


----------



## theluckyrabbit

laura&fam said:


> Dang. I really wanted that hitchhiking ghosts pin but it looks like it's only for AP holders. Can anyone buy it or only AP holders?



The AP pins are supposed to be only for passholders. At past parties, CMs have asked to see my pass when I bought the pins.


----------



## figment_jii

*Figment Goes to Mickey's Halloween Party, 9/26/14*

Continuing with Mickey's Halloween Party (9/26 review)...this time, Mickey's Costume Party Cavalcade! It runs at 8:30 pm and 10:30 pm. The 8:30 pm show starts at It's a Small World and progresses to Main Street. The 10:30 pm show starts at Main Street and heads back to It's a Small World. While not a full blown parade, it's still cute and fun to watch. In most cases (I think) you can get a pretty good view without waiting very long. For the first parade, I got a curb side spot about 25 minutes before the Cavalcade (down on Main Street).  For the second parade, I got a curb side spot on Main Street about 10 minutes before the Cavalcade!  Aside from a few things, the Cavalcade was largely the same this year as last.

The biggest change was the Frozen pre-parade float.  It steps off about 5 minutes before the Cavalcade.  Its the same as during the day, so not Halloween overlay.  Following behind the float is a group of guests dressed as Frozen characters.  It was interesting because it was entirely children dressed as Anna, Elsa, or Olaf (and their adults).  I saw plenty of adult Annas and Elsas at the party, but none were included in the pre-parade, so I think the CMs were focused on finding children and their families.













The Cavalcade starts with Vampire Mickey! 









Next up is the Costume Shop float (one of the only other floats in the parade). I loved all of the decorations on the float...many of which were Mickey hats from previous years. There were dancers before and after the float.









The next sequences of the parade consisted primarily of dancers and characters. I love the Mickey pumpkins! Pirate Mickey is followed by Peter Pan, Captain Hook, Wendy and friends.





Princess Minnie is followed by Snow White, Tiana, and Aurora (I think), plus several dancers.









Next up was Cowboy Mickey with Woody and Jessie.





Finally, Monster Mickey is followed by Sully and several monsters.





The next set of characters was kind of mish-mash of mostly animals. There was Clarabelle, Baloo, King Louie, and the bears from Country Bear.









The next sequence had ragdoll dancers and stilt walkers.  The stilt walkers are always very impressive.





And then it was time for the final float of the Cavalcade. Daisy was on the front, Minnie and Mickey on the main platform. Goofy and Chip & Dale were in the middle. If you were seated on left side (when facing the float) you saw Stormtrooper Donald and if you were on the right, you saw Biker Stitch. On the back of the float was Miss Piggy and Kermit pumpkin.

























Next up...Halloween Screams! and the Cadaver Dans!


----------



## kkmcan

starshine514 said:


> We did the party last night. We arrived at the Toy Story lot about 2:00. By the time we got to the park, picked up our tickets (yes, they did reimburse for parking) and got in line, it was 2:30 and there were only a couple groups in front of us in the line. If I had one piece of advice for those entering just for the party at the 3-hour mark, it would be to arrive early. They were putting the wristbands on us as we entered, and it severely slowed the line. I was glad that there weren't many people ahead of us (and there were many behind us).
> 
> We didn't do everything we hoped to do, but we had a good time. We spent an hour meeting Winnie the Pooh, and after that, the girls decided to forego trying to meet Maleficient. We did 4 treat trails and ended up with a ton of candy. We slipped into the fireworks area just as they were taking down the ropes, and got a central spot just behind the hub about 13 minutes before the fireworks started. My 6 month old LOVED the fireworks!
> 
> All in all, it was a successful and fun evening. We did do a lot of rides (my 7 year old rode 16 rides), so we missed out on some of the cool party stuff, but I think we reached a good balance for us. We also got the. Zero popcorn bucket - it's so cute!



Thank Carla for the review! All good advice. We will be there tomorrow for our party and are planning on getting to the turnstiles at 3:30 for the 4:00 pre-party time. We are hoping to get a decent viewing place for the fireworks without having to hold spots for an hour. 

We also are hoping to get a Zero popcorn bucket but I don't know how we'll carry it around all night. We don't carry much into the parks anymore. Not even a backpack, just small crossbody bags for the girls.  Well we'll see how that works out.  But we must have one!


----------



## DisneyJamieCA

I'm so happy to hear the Toontown pre-party is back again. We will definitely make time to make it back there.


----------



## figment_jii

kkmcan said:


> We also are hoping to get a Zero popcorn bucket but I don't know how we'll carry it around all night.


I don't know if it's true at the MHP nights (I forgot to check), but the NOS popcorn stand closed early on Thursday (9/25) night.  It was shutting down around 8:00 pm (the park was open until 10:00 pm) and I asked the CM about that because it seemed odd, but he said they usually close before the park.  So it's something to keep in mind because the NOS popcorn stand was the only one that had the Zero buckets.  Also, they may "sell out" during the day, but it might just means they're waiting for a replenishment.  So if you happen to get there when they don't have it, check back a little later.  It was amazing the number of Zero buckets I saw people carrying around the park!  He's really cute...the only other caution I would have is that his nose seems a little fragile, so be careful not to bump it into anything.

For those that are heading down in the near(ish) future and like to collect souvenir containers, there are a lot of choose from!  I found three different travel mugs (Skeleton Dance, HM 45th, and a Mickey Pearly Band), two popcorn buckets (Skeleton Dance and the HM 45th), four Premium popcorn buckets (Zero, White Mickey Hatbox, Blue Mickey Hatbox, and Ghost Mickey), the Maleficent Dragon Sipper and at least two glow cubes (Mickey Pumpkin and Jack Skellington)!


----------



## KatieJoy

I have a couple of questions...
We have tickets for the party on Halloween. My parents are going to the party with our kids (ages 6&9) rather than us. We're just going to hang out at the hotel or DCA.
1. Does Maleficent have specific place for meet & greet? DD is going as young maleficent, so I'd like to have a picture with them together. Really the only character photo we specifically want. 

2. How long will meet&greet lines be? On average, at a sold out party?

3. Several people have mentioned the kids dressed as Frozen characters can get the chance to follow the Frozen float. DD was upset when I told her that, since she's not going as a Frozen character. She really likes that kind of thing, like performing and being onstage. Are there any other opportunities like that? Someone mentioned singing on stage at a dance party, maybe in Tomorrowland.  

That's all my question for now, I'm sure I'll come up with more 
Thanks!


----------



## figment_jii

KatieJoy said:


> 1. Does Maleficent have specific place for meet & greet? DD is going as young maleficent, so I'd like to have a picture with them together. Really the only character photo we specifically want.


Kind of...Maleficent is one of the villains that meets below the Railroad Station on Main Street.  She is not out all of the time during the party (it's a rotating set of three villains at a time).  It sounds like she was in the first set for both of the parties that have happened, so that's your best bet.  Personally, I would probably get to the meet and greet area about 30 minutes before the start of the party in hopes of seeing the first set of villains.  I was pretty surprised that the line didn't really start forming until about 20 minutes before the party started last Friday, but that might (probably) have been a fluke.

I didn't really ask about the line length or check out the Monsters U Dance Party, so hopefully someone else can chime in about those.


----------



## Spacepest

Booyah!

I just booked a last minute Halloween trip, tacked onto the end of a convention! I'll be doing: 
Mickey's Halloween Party
regular park day (husband is determined to get Marvel Innoventions pictures)
Knott's Halloween Haunt 
Probably lots of shopping and eating (Downtown Disney and Mrs Knotts, here I come!)

And thank you to everyone who has posted in this thread, the advice has been most helpful!


----------



## iheartglaciers

Thanks to everyone who reported back!  Does anyone know more info about the AP treat station?  What is the special treat?


----------



## figment_jii

iheartglaciers said:


> Thanks to everyone who reported back!  Does anyone know more info about the AP treat station?  What is the special treat?



I'll post a photo as part of my MHP review, but if you want to see it before then...
http://i963.photobucket.com/albums/...014 October/MHP 2014/DSC_0063_zpsb92790a0.jpg


----------



## iheartglaciers

figment_jii said:


> I'll post a photo as part of my MHP review, but if you want to see it before then...
> http://i963.photobucket.com/albums/...014 October/MHP 2014/DSC_0063_zpsb92790a0.jpg



Thanks for posting!  It looks similar to the Frozen rice krispy I got at WDW last month. My sister is an AP so I'll make sure she picks one up!  Believe it or not, the Halloween party will be my first time at Disneyland!


----------



## Kilala

I will post my review of Tuesdays party later on this week. I have come down with a cold


----------



## iheartglaciers

figment_jii said:


> For those that are heading down in the near(ish) future and like to collect souvenir containers, there are a lot of choose from!  I found three different travel mugs (Skeleton Dance, HM 45th, and a Mickey Pearly Band), two popcorn buckets (Skeleton Dance and the HM 45th), four Premium popcorn buckets (Zero, White Mickey Hatbox, Blue Mickey Hatbox, and Ghost Mickey), the Maleficent Dragon Sipper and at least two glow cubes (Mickey Pumpkin and Jack Skellington)!



I'm hoping to pick up the HM 45th popcorn bucket when I'm there.  The images are so cute!


----------



## CassieF

Ok, any info on day of tickets for sold out parties?  I just found out a friend will be there on the 17th and of course, it's sold out and it's our only chance to see her!  Just trying to figure out if there's any chance for buying a day of ticket... I have heard of a handful being held for morning of hotel guests, but I'd hate to buy a room and not be guaranteed a party ticket.


----------



## Sew into Disney

CassieF said:


> Ok, any info on day of tickets for sold out parties?  I just found out a friend will be there on the 17th and of course, it's sold out and it's our only chance to see her!  Just trying to figure out if there's any chance for buying a day of ticket... I have heard of a handful being held for morning of hotel guests, but I'd hate to buy a room and not be guaranteed a party ticket.



Have you tried calling to see if they have any left. That is how I got mine for that day. 


Speaking of tickets for the party ... does anyone know how long it takes for the tickets to make it to you via mail? It's been about 10 days since I purchased them. The lovely gentleman I spoke with told me to keep watch for a plain white envelope. Getting antsy as we leave next Thursday.


----------



## Diznygrl

So are they still giving out mostly GOOD candy like they have in the past 4 years (talking about BRAND NAME CHOCOLATE here, people.  Snickers, Reeses, Almond Joy, KitKat, etc. ) or have they cheaped out yet?  With the price of party tickets on the rise I would be incredibly disappointed if they downgraded back to a disproportionate amount of cheap stuff like Lemon Heads and Smarties like they had when the parties were at DCA.


----------



## starshine514

Diznygrl said:


> So are they still giving out mostly GOOD candy like they have in the past 4 years (talking about BRAND NAME CHOCOLATE here, people.  Snickers, Reeses, Almond Joy, KitKat, etc. ) or have they cheaped out yet?  With the price of party tickets on the rise I would be incredibly disappointed if they downgraded back to a disproportionate amount of cheap stuff like Lemon Heads and Smarties like they had when the parties were at DCA.



They're still giving the good stuff. - M&Ms, Snickers, Milky Ways, KitKats, Reese's cups, etc. not a Smartie or Lemonhead to be seen!





kkmcan said:


> Thank Carla for the review! All good advice. We will be there tomorrow for our party and are planning on getting to the turnstiles at 3:30 for the 4:00 pre-party time. We are hoping to get a decent viewing place for the fireworks without having to hold spots for an hour.
> 
> We also are hoping to get a Zero popcorn bucket but I don't know how we'll carry it around all night. We don't carry much into the parks anymore. Not even a backpack, just small crossbody bags for the girls.  Well we'll see how that works out.  But we must have one!



If the kids want to do a lot of trick or treating, you may want to think about taking a backpack. We ended up dumping all our candy into our backpack so that we didn't have to bother with all the little bags on rides. If you have a carabiner attached to it, you can totally clip your Zero bucket to it.

I hope you guys have a great time!


----------



## Diznygrl

starshine514 said:


> They're still giving the good stuff. - M&Ms, Snickers, Milky Ways, KitKats, Reese's cups, etc. not a Smartie or Lemonhead to be seen!



Cool, thanks for the info!  Might seem silly, but this is a VERY important part of my enjoyment of MHP!  Yeah, I could go to Walmart and buy candy, but where's the fun in that?  I love being handed the good stuff by a happy CM on a super cool looking treat trail!   I do miss when they had a Ghirardelli station.  I might have went through THAT line a few times...or more than a few.


----------



## CassieF

Sew into Disney said:


> Have you tried calling to see if they have any left. That is how I got mine for that day.
> 
> 
> Speaking of tickets for the party ... does anyone know how long it takes for the tickets to make it to you via mail? It's been about 10 days since I purchased them. The lovely gentleman I spoke with told me to keep watch for a plain white envelope. Getting antsy as we leave next Thursday.



I tried calling, no luck, even tried the visa line.  So bummed!


----------



## Kittymomm

CassieF said:


> Ok, any info on day of tickets for sold out parties?  I just found out a friend will be there on the 17th and of course, it's sold out and it's our only chance to see her!  Just trying to figure out if there's any chance for buying a day of ticket... I have heard of a handful being held for morning of hotel guests, but I'd hate to buy a room and not be guaranteed a party ticket.



I am staying at the DL hotel and just called down.  They said they were given approx 400 tickets for tonights party and that if I want them I have to go down as they won't hold them for me...resort guests only.


----------



## Imdboss

Diznygrl said:


> Cool, thanks for the info!  Might seem silly, but this is a VERY important part of my enjoyment of MHP!  Yeah, I could go to Walmart and buy candy, but where's the fun in that?  I love being handed the good stuff by a happy CM on a super cool looking treat trail!   I do miss when they had a Ghirardelli station.  I might have went through THAT line a few times...or more than a few.



Glad you asked about the candy, I've been wondering the same thing! Completely agree with what you said


----------



## ToodlesRN

Sew into Disney said:


> Have you tried calling to see if they have any left. That is how I got mine for that day.
> 
> 
> Speaking of tickets for the party ... does anyone know how long it takes for the tickets to make it to you via mail? It's been about 10 days since I purchased them. The lovely gentleman I spoke with told me to keep watch for a plain white envelope. Getting antsy as we leave next Thursday.



I would call them and check, I waited 12 days and it turns out they had my address wrong and had to reissue my tickets which they overnighted without me asking, then yesterday a white envelope was delivered with my 1st round of tickets. Now I have to take 2 sets of tickets with us to see which ones are the good tickets.



Question..

We plan to spend our morning/afternoon in the park on our party date, do we have to exit the park and reenter through the party line or do they have a check in spot inside the park to get our brackets for the party?
Thanks!


----------



## DenaRox

ToodlesRN said:


> I would call them and check, I waited 12 days and it turns out they had my address wrong and had to reissue my tickets which they overnighted without me asking, then yesterday a white envelope was delivered with my 1st round of tickets. Now I have to take 2 sets of tickets with us to see which ones are the good tickets.



Same thing for me, waited two weeks then called. They express mailed tickets to me and then a few days later the original tickets came so I also have to take two sets to verify which are the good tickets.

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards


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## Sherry E

I feel like I have been trapped on an island, away from civilization, and am now trying to get caught up.  I was busy for a couple of days with various things and didn't have time to come to this thread or go to my Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread.  Tonight, when I finally had some time to sign in and catch up on some thread-related odds and ends, I couldn't get into the thread or onto The DIS.  I kept getting a "Server is too busy" message.  Then, when it seemed like things were working and a thread would finally open, I would try to scroll to a different page and would get that same "server is too busy" message again.  

Hopefully this post will go through!  I need to get caught up here and in the Holiday Superthread!


----------



## DisneyJamieCA

Sherry E said:


> I feel like I have been trapped on an island, away from civilization, and am now trying to get caught up.  I was busy for a couple of days with various things and didn't have time to come to this thread or go to my Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread.  Tonight, when I finally had some time to sign in and catch up on some thread-related odds and ends, I couldn't get into the thread or onto The DIS.  I kept getting a "Server is too busy" message.  Then, when it seemed like things were working and a thread would finally open, I would try to scroll to a different page and would get that same "server is too busy" message again.  Hopefully this post will go through!  I need to get caught up here and in the Holiday Superthread!



I finally had time tonight to read & catch up as well and got the same message for hours. So frustrating! Hopefully it's back to the land of the living now


----------



## Sherry E

DisneyJamieCA said:


> I finally had time tonight to read & catch up as well and got the same message for hours. So frustrating! Hopefully it's back to the land of the living now



*Jamie --*

We may have spoken too soon. The site is still acting buggy.  After I posted here I went over to the Christmas/Holiday thread and when I tried to post there I got the pesky "Server is too busy" message again, over and over.  The pages turned without an issue, and I logged everyone's photo entries, but I couldn't post.   

Finally I got the post to work and go through, but I may wait until tomorrow before I offer up any detailed responses in this thread or in the other thread -- the last thing I want to do is spend a bunch of time commenting and trying to update information, only to encounter the "server is too busy" message!


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## Kilala

Finally I ca post the 27th ans the 22nd are sold out online. I'm going to call in the morning and see if I can get a ticket for the 27th.


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## Sew into Disney

ToodlesRN said:


> I would call them and check, I waited 12 days and it turns out they had my address wrong and had to reissue my tickets which they overnighted without me asking, then yesterday a white envelope was delivered with my 1st round of tickets. Now I have to take 2 sets of tickets with us to see which ones are the good tickets.
> 
> 
> 
> Question..
> 
> We plan to spend our morning/afternoon in the park on our party date, do we have to exit the park and reenter through the party line or do they have a check in spot inside the park to get our brackets for the party?
> Thanks!




Thank you ToodlesRN. I will see if they come in tomorrows mail. If they are not there I will give them a call. We are not going until the party on the 17th but we leave town the 9th.


----------



## momof6princesses

Ugh, still getting survey busy!  I need my Disney fix, 14 days and we will be in the park. I'm so excited.


----------



## Kilala

I just got a ticket for the 27th. I can't wait!!!  They charge an extra $5 for prossing. They will send my ticket out to me. I should get by the 14th.


----------



## bouds

I quick report on last night's  we entered at 5. It was so incredibly hot (over 100 degrees) but was noticeably cooling off by then. There was maybe a 10 minute wait to get in via the special events turnstiles. We didn't do much until 6 when Toontown's pre-party started. We did ride Mr Toad with a less than 10 min wait. 

Got to Toontown right at 6. There was a long line, but right at 6 they opened up and it moved through super quick. Did two treat trails, one by roger rabbit, one through Mickey and Minnie's houses. Filled half the small bags they have with just those two trails, about 41 pieces of candy ( snickers, Reese's, etc). Road gadget coaster (5min wait) and Roger rabbit twice (5 min waits). By then it was 7:20. Toon town stayed open until 8. Road Small World and Canal boats, both about 10 min waits. Watched parade. 

Walked over to Frontierland to try to catch the Dapper Dans. Seemed much more crowded around NOS than the rest of the park. Heard the Dans, but couldn't see them from near Golden Horseshoe for all the fog. Probably need to be in NOS to see them. Too crowded in NOS to see any characters, and it was getting close to fireworks time, so walked on jungle cruise then walked to Hub at 9:25. Was crowded, but got a decent spot on the left side of the hub. Couldn't see the globe but enjoyed the show. Road Star Tours (10 min wait). Tried to meet storm troopers, but kind of a long wait, so left the park at 10:30 with two very tired but happy kids (and adults). Saw Evil Queen, Jafar, and Hades at the Town Square villain meet and greet in our way out.


----------



## figment_jii

*Figment Goes to Mickey's Halloween Party, 9/26/14*

Continuing with Figment Goes to Mickey's Halloween Party (9/26/14)....
Halloween Screams is the big fireworks spectacular.  Its my favorite fireworks show in all of Disney, partially because Zero flies!  It's harder and harder to find a good, non-hub spot because of the trees on both sides of the Partner Statue area. Those really can affect your ability to see the show. For Halloween Screams, make sure you can see the left side of the castle (when facing it) because that's where the ball appears.  Unfortunately, this year, only part of Screams was presented due to winds.  It started as normal, but ended just as the Maleficent sequence was beginning (so probably about 1/2 to 2/3rds of the way through).  Still, we got to see Zero fly at least once!

















The Cadaver Dans performed on the Rivers of America which was blanketed in a fog of dry ice.  The dry ice makes for a neat effect.  The Cadaver Dans sang Halloween or Halloween-inspired songs (e.g., This is Halloween, Grim Grinning Ghosts, Cruella DeVil, etc.).  Theyre really fun to watch and to listen to.


----------



## Sherry E

*Okay... I have to get caught up on some odds and ends in this thread, namely adding in all of the most recent MHP reviews to the dedicated MHP Reviews post (which is linked in the MHP FAQs) and updating a couple of different page 1 posts with the latest MHP sellout dates/info.  

I also have to add in a few links to other posts on page 1 (the tasks pile up quickly when I don't sign in for a few days!), as well as see if any of your questions went unanswered.  I think that figment_jii and others did a great job of answering questions and giving out info (and, by the way, figment_jii, thank you for the great MHP review with photos!), but I will double check to be sure nothing was missed or see if there is anything for which I want to give additional commentary.*


​

*Before I begin getting caught up, let me knock out some random Halloween-related items and/or links that I would have posted/shared over this past week anyway (if I'd had the time to sign in!).  Many of these will be things that you all may have already seen or heard about, but I am posting them for the people who have not seen or heard about them:*


*Halloween Television Fun!!!*

1)  As you may have already noticed, Travel Channel has begun airing its usual Halloween-related shows (_Halloween Crazier_, _Halloween Night Frights_, etc., etc.).  So far, I have not seen any indication that there will be new Travel Channel Halloween shows this year -- which is very odd, as they usually put out at least 2 new ones each year;

2)  The new season of _Halloween Wars_ on the Food Network begins tomorrow -- Sunday, October 5, 2014 -- and will have new episodes on 10/12, 10/19 and 10/26;

3)  ABC Family's "13 Nights of Halloween" begins on Sunday, October 19, 2014;

4)  The Disney Channel's full month of "Monstober" programming began on Thursday, October 2, 2014;

5)  The Syfy Channel's "31 Days of Halloween" began on Wednesday, October 1, 2014;

6)  AMC's "FearFest" programming begins on Friday, October 17, 2014;

7)  Turner Classic Movies is airing at least one classic horror movie or suspense movie every day this month, but towards the end of October the scary movies pick up, and there are marathons airing on 10/25, 10/28 and 10/31;

8)  The classic (and one of my personal favorites) _It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown_ will air on ABC on Wednesday, October 15, 2014;

9)  The same team who did the 2013 holiday competition show, _The Great Christmas Light Fight_, has made a new Halloween-specific special called _The Great Halloween Fright Fight_, which will air on Tuesday, October 28th, on ABC;

10) _Toy Story of TERROR!_ will repeat on ABC, on Wednesday, October 15, 2014; and

11)  Considering all of the Halloween and Fall-themed items taking up space on store shelves this year, I am surprised at the shortage of seasonal commercials.  I really have not seen many Halloween or Fall-specific TV ads so far -- Totino's, Twizzler and Twix are the ones that spring to mind, as well as the general "seasonal" Coffee Mate ad.  



​


*Pumpkin Pandemonium Updates (most info provided by The Impulsive Buy or GrubGrade)!!!*

New and/or current on the Halloween/Fall/Harvest food scene:

1)  Trick OREO Treat ice cream is the flavor of the month of October at Baskin Robbins;

2)  The Pumpkin Pie Blizzard is the Blizzard of the Month at Dairy Queen;

3)  The very confusing Russell Stover Milk Chocolate Apple Pie Candy Pumpkins (?? This is clearly candy that is suffering an identity crisis);

4)  International Delight's Caramel Marshmallow coffee creamer;

5)  Dannon Oikos' Caramel on Top Bananas Foster Greek Yogurt;

6)  Krusteaz's Crisp toppings and Cobbler toppings;

7)  (In stores) Starbucks Discoveries' Gingerbread Latte Iced Café Favorites;

8)  Libby's Pumpkin Cheesecake Kit;

9)  Apple Pear Strudel Clif Bars;

10) Duncan Hines' Decadent Caramel Apple Cupcake Mix; 

11) Jell-O Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake pudding; and

12) Gevalia Pumpkin Spice Coffee.



​


*Miscellaneous Disneyland Resort Halloween Time/Autumn Fun!!!*

1)  Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen's "_The Password is Murder_" Interactive Murder Mystery Show takes place on Wednesday, October 22, 2014, at 6 p.m.  Theme-specific costumes are encouraged.  Reservation Info and Menu can be found -- *HERE*;

2)  Uva Bar's Oktoberfest Menu (not sure of the available dates) can be found -- *HERE*;

3)  Catal's Fall Menu (which starts on Thursday, October 16, 2014) is -- *HERE*;

4)  Naples Ristorante e Pizzeria's Fall Menu begins on Monday, October 6, 2014, and can be found -- *HERE*;

5)  The Disney Food Blog did a piece on the Halloween glow cubes that can be found at DLR -- *HERE*;

6)  MiceChat offered up a couple of interesting Halloween Time and MHP-related articles -- *HERE* and *HERE*;

7)  From Disneyland News -- "#HalloweenTime Tweetable Tips" (press release, 10/1/14) -- *HERE*;

8) From the Disney Parks Blog -- "Time-Lapse Video: Haunted Mansion Holiday Gingerbread House Installed at Disneyland Park" -- 
posted on October 1st, 2014 by Erin Glover, Social Media Director, Disneyland Resort -- *HERE*;

9)  From the Disney Parks Blog -- "New Halloween Trick-or-Treat Totes at Disney Parks" -- posted on October 3rd, 2014 by Jean Volante, Manager of Dream Making, Disney Floral & Gifts/DEG -- *HERE*;

10) From the Disney Parks Blog -- "New, Yet Familiar Faces Animate Haunted Mansion Holiday at Disneyland Park" -- posted on October 3rd, 2014 by Shannon Swanson, Public Relations Manager, Disneyland Resort -- *HERE*; 

11) From the DIS Unplugged's Disneyland Podcast -- 10/2/14 -- *"A Tale of Two Halloween Parties"*, in which Tom Bell and Michael Bowling discuss their experiences at Mickey's Halloween Party and Universal Studios Hollywood's Halloween Horror Nights!!; and

12) From D23 -- *"11 Not-To-Miss Halloween Attractions at Disneyland Resort"* -- posted on September 4, 2014.


​

I'm so glad it's October!!   The Fun Months (Oct-Nov-Dec) are finally here!    If only it were not over 100 degrees outside, it would be even better!   The mornings are a bit cool, but it probably won't really start to become "Fall" until next month here in SoCal.  I am so sick of Summer -- because not only does Summer make me miserable for more than 3 months out of the year, it also tries to ruin my Fall fun too!

What is funny is that, for a few days before this current heat wave kicked in, when it dropped down to a glacial 75 degrees in L.A.  , one of our weather people said on the news that it was "refreshing" to be able to grab for the sweaters and sweatshirts and enjoy the "crisp, cool air."  

That gives you an idea of how warm it's been this year -- at the first sign of a 70-something day, people are running for the sweaters and sweatshirts.  Who do you know that wears sweaters or sweatshirts on a 75-degree day and thinks that it is "cool and crisp" outside?  It is still warm in SoCal when it is 75 degrees!  The sun is harsh.  It may not be 104 degrees, but it's still warm!  My idea of cool and crisp and "_Brrrrr, let me grab my sweater_" weather is a lot different (like... 50 degrees and lower)!


​


----------



## 6Smiles

Just back from our trip last night. Will post my review of Tuesdays party tomorrow. Fantastic trip will lots of magic!


----------



## lorijohnhill

Can anyone offer any advice on how the children in Frozen costumes get picked to walk in the parade?


----------



## Sherry E

*Anyone who is going to Mickey's Halloween Party before the end of the month and doesn't want to flip through the most recent pages to find the reviews that have already come in, here are most of the comments and reviews of the 3 MHPs that have taken place so far this year, courtesy of our helpful DIS'ers (I will continue to add to the list of MHP reviews as more people report back to us here, and as more MHPs take place.  The full list of 2013 and 2014 reviews can be found -- HERE):*



_*2014*_​

*Friday, September 26, 2014*

DIS'er *ClosetDisneyJunkie* said,  "_Not crazy crowded at all. The treat trail lines are long but move at a reasonable pace_."  Read the rest of the brief recap -- *HERE*.

DIS'er *figment_jii* said, "_Tons of candy! The peanut chews are the dominant candy, but a good assortment in general..._"  Read the rest of the noteworthy highlights of the night -- *HERE*.  (See the 2014 MHP Map that figment_jii scanned -- *HERE*.)

Read *figment_jii's* complete 9/26/14 MHP report (with lots of photos) -- *HERE*, *HERE* and *HERE*. 

DIS'er *BayGirl22* -- an MHP first-timer -- said, "_We had short lines for rides too. SMGG was close to walk on during the first Cavalcade."_  The rest of her review can be found -- *HERE*.

DIS'er *mikana876* said, "_Crowds were pretty much how I expected. Probably a 7-8 on a scale of 10. It got kind of nuts as 7 hit and the regular park guests were told to leave._"  Read the rest of the review/report -- *HERE*.

DIS'er *briggscreek* said, "_We didn't care much for the Cavalcade (too cutesy and it was really short)..._"  See the rest of the Halloween Time/Mickey's Halloween Party recap -- *HERE*.

*TulipsNZ *attended the MHP for the first time and said that it was a "_...walk on for many rides..._"  Read the rest of the very brief recap -- *HERE* -- and see photos *HERE*.



​


*Tuesday, September 30, 2014*

DIS'er *ten6mom* said, "_We are just back from the MHP. It seemed very crowded to me but I don't have a good recollection of last year so no real basis for comparison._"  Read the rest of her recap -- *HERE*.

*kim3339* had a great time at her MHP and added, "_The treat lines were kinda long, especially the Monorail one._"  Her detailed review can be found -- *HERE*.

*starshine514* said, "_If I had one piece of advice for those entering just for the party at the 3-hour mark, it would be to arrive early. They were putting the wristbands on us as we entered, and it severely slowed the line._"  Read the rest of the recap -- *HERE*.

*bearette* said, "_As a mom to 2.5 year olds I recommend the party. Not scary and my kids loved it._"  Read the rest of the recap -- *HERE*.

*CassieF* said, "_We waited once for the villains in town square, and it was a long wait, plus we missed out on a good set of characters and got Jafar, Queen, and Hook._"  The rest of the review can be found -- *HERE*.

*APE*, an MHP first-timer, said of the *Toontown Pre-Party*, "_They had three character spots going on at once by the gazebo. When we got in line, they had Chip and Dale, Clarabelle & Horace and Goofy. Then they switched to Mickey & Minnie, Pluto and Donald._"  Read the full recap -- *HERE*.

*2tinkerbell* attended her first MHP and said, "_The entire Main Street was wall to wall people. It was something to see - I don't think I've ever seen Main Street so full of people before._"  She added, "_Overall it was very much worth it.  I appreciated the CM's as they were checking for wristbands a lot._"  Read her detailed review and recap Including some observations about the *Toontown Pre-Party*) -- *HERE*.

*Diszona* said, "_One bit of advice, at least from our experience, is if you have little ones who want to meet Mickey and Minnie, their meet and greet by Big Thunder Ranch was pretty empty later in the evening, plus Woody was also back there with no line at all._"  Read additional comments -- *HERE*.



​


*Friday, October 3, 2014*

DIS'er *bouds* said, "_Seemed much more crowded around NOS than the rest of the park._"  The rest of the recap, including details about the *Toontown Pre-Party*, can be found -- *HERE*.

*grnflash* posted about the *Toontown Pre-Party*, "_We went on Friday when the pre-party started at 6. We got our wristbands from inside the park around 4:30 and people were already lining up for Toontown._"  See the rest of the comments -- *HERE*.

*abminer* said about the *Toontown Pre-Party*, "_Characters we saw were Clarabelle and Horace, Halloween Mickey and Minnie (big line even during the pre party), regular Pluto, and Sailor Donald._"  Read the rest of the recap -- *HERE*.


​
*And, currently the only upcoming MHP night that is not sold is Wednesday, October 29th (10/22 and 10/27 sold out yesterday).  This would be consistent with what happened in 2013 and 2012 -- when the MHPs immediately before Halloween night remained available all the way up until the time of the party, or just prior to it.

The other night that didn't appear to have sold out this year was the Tuesday, 9/30 party -- at least, according to the DLR website.  As figment_jii said, it was not possible to buy online tickets on 9/30, but most likely that was because the Day-of-Event tickets had to be purchased at the DLR ticket booths.*

​


----------



## Peace.love.mickey

Does anyone know what constitutes a sell out??? How many tickets? What is a normal DL sell out?


----------



## Sherry E

Peace.love.mickey said:


> Does anyone know what constitutes a sell out??? How many tickets? What is a normal DL sell out?



*Peace.love.mickey --*

No one really knows how many MHP tickets are sold, from what it seems.  I have heard/seen numbers tossed around -- and I think those were more guesses or speculation than actual inside intel -- that ranged from 10,000 to 40,000 tickets per party.  

I suppose that it's possible that Disney might also sell fewer or more tickets for certain nights, but I don't know if they do that.  For example, they could sell 20,000 tickets for an early weeknight party (which then sells out) and 40,000 tickets for a Friday party (which then sells out too).  I don't know if they sell the same number of tickets for each night, though I used to think they did.

I can't recall the capacity maximum/limit for a normal, non-party day at Disneyland (like, for instance, a day in the post-Christmas/pre-New Year's week) but I think it's easier to find that out than it is to find out the number of MHP tickets sold.


----------



## Peace.love.mickey

Sherry E said:


> Peace.love.mickey --  No one really knows how many MHP tickets are sold, from what it seems.  I have heard/seen numbers tossed around -- and I think those were more guesses or speculation than actual inside intel -- that ranged from 10,000 to 40,000 tickets per party.  I suppose that it's possible that Disney might also sell fewer or more tickets for certain nights, but I don't know if they do that.  For example, they could sell 20,000 tickets for an early weeknight party (which then sells out) and 40,000 tickets for a Friday party (which then sells out too).  I don't know if they sell the same number of tickets for each night, though I used to think they did.  I can't recall the capacity maximum/limit for a normal, non-party day at Disneyland (like, for instance, a day in the post-Christmas/pre-New Year's week) but I think it's easier to find that out than it is to find out the number of MHP tickets sold.



Interesting..... Thanks!


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## TulipsNZ

We went to the 26th Sept party, I had an issue with getting my tickets issued (overseas guest) so went to the ticket booth on the morning of the party, the guy in front of me managed to get 6 tickets to the party that night, I know it was sold out long before online so I'm not sure exactly what constitutes sold out.

We had an amazing time, walk on for many rides, normal characters dressed up, lots of walk ups to get candy and we loved the 11:50pm Villain show where they all said goodbye


----------



## grnflash

Sherry E said:


> *Anyone who is going to Mickey's Halloween Party before the end of the month and doesn't want to flip through the most recent pages to find the reviews that have already come in, here are most of the comments and reviews of the 3 MHPs that have taken place so far this year, courtesy of our helpful DIS'ers (I will continue to add to the list of MHP reviews as more people report back to us here, and as more MHPs take place.  The full list of 2013 and 2014 reviews can be found -- HERE):*



Hey Sherry, thanks for all this. I'm sure it takes a bit of your time. And although we already attended a party, I still love reading others' reports. And seeing a few come in before we went on 10/3 was helpful. Thanks again!


----------



## Sherry E

*Pumpkin Pandemonium rages on!!

Dunkin' Donuts is fully embracing its Halloween/Fall side!  Not only does DD sell Pumpkin Crème Brulee Coffee and Lattes (about which I posted quite a while back), but DD also sells:

(From GrubGrade)


Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate;

Pumpkin Coffee and Lattes;

Halloween Pumpkin Donuts;

Pumpkin Pie Donuts;

Pumpkin Donuts and MUNCHKINS® Donut Hole Treats; and

Pumpkin Muffins!!!!


I have said it before, and I will say it again -- I don't think I recall ever seeing quite as many different brands/stores/restaurants putting out Halloween or Autumn-inspired products as I have seen this year.  I could be wrong -- maybe I missed something somewhere along the line and this Pumpkin Pandemonium, Caramel Apple Chaos, Candy Corn Confusion and Halloween Hoopla on the store shelves and counters has been going on for a while.  (I remember once commenting to a friend years ago that I was suddenly beginning to see a lot of dresses with fish or seashell designs on them all over the place.  She wondered if there really was a sudden influx of ocean-themed dresses being sold/worn, or if they had been around all along -- and if once I noticed one of them I began to notice ALL of them.)  

I wish there were a way to get numbers, stats and figures after Halloween is over -- I would love to know what the sales were like for all of these products between July and October, and if, for example, Pumpkin-flavored items sold more than Caramel Apple-flavored items.
*


​



TulipsNZ said:


> We went to the 26th Sept party, I had an issue with getting my tickets issued (overseas guest) so went to the ticket booth on the morning of the party, the guy in front of me managed to get 6 tickets to the party that night, I know it was sold out long before online so I'm not sure exactly what constitutes sold out.
> 
> We had an amazing time, walk on for many rides, normal characters dressed up, lots of walk ups to get candy and we loved the 11:50pm Villain show where they all said goodbye



*TulipsNZ --*

Welcome back!

Were you able to go to the Irvine Park Railroad Pumpkin Patch?  I know it was part of your plan at one time or another.  If so, how was it?

I'm so glad to read that you had a great time at the MHP -- I'd love to hear more details!

I could be totally wrong about how the whole 'MHP ticket sellout' thing works, but I am going to guess it goes something like this (or close to it):

There is probably a general supply of MHP tickets that is initially divided up somehow (probably not an equal division), between online sales, phone orders and ticket booth purchases.  What may show as sold out online could still be available for a limited time over the phone or at the ticket booths in advance.  

I think that there may also be a certain number of tickets set aside to add to onsite hotel guests' accounts/reservations when they first book their rooms, as well as maybe some tickets set aside for special groups, businesses, VIPs, travel agencies, etc.

Whatever is left over from the various stashes or sub-stashes of tickets is probably then offered up to the onsite hotel guests on the mornings of the MHPs -- but they have to act quickly to get them at or shortly after 7 a.m.  

Whatever is not snapped up at the hotels, and whatever is left over from any other stashes that we don't know about is probably then released back to the ticket booths for those last minute, day-of-event purchases.  So sometimes there will be more tickets available at the ticket booths on the days of the events, and sometimes there will be fewer tickets available -- or none at all -- depending on how many tickets have been sold through the other options prior to the day of the event.

My guess is that, _most_ of the time, there will be some MHP tickets available at the ticket booths on the days of the events (Disney makes more money per ticket on those last minute sales, so it would benefit them to make some of them available), but the number will vary.  There will be times when there are no last minute tickets available at all, or they get snapped up very early in the day.







grnflash said:


> Hey Sherry, thanks for all this. I'm sure it takes a bit of your time. And although we already attended a party, I still love reading others' reports. And seeing a few come in before we went on 10/3 was helpful. Thanks again!



*grnflash --*

You're welcome -- and thank you for the kind words!  You're right -- it does take some time putting everything together (for this thread and for my Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread), but hopefully it is something that's useful.

Plus, assembling everyone's reviews also helps the reviewers to know that their recaps are being read and paid attention to, and that they will help future MHP guests -- both the party goers this year and in the next couple of years.  

On that note, let us know what your experience was at the MHP on 10/3!!

​


----------



## sandgrace

figment_jii said:


> *Figment Goes to Mickey's Halloween Party, 9/26/14*
> 
> Continuing with Figment Goes to Mickey's Halloween Party (9/26/14)....
> Halloween Screams is the big fireworks spectacular.  It’s my favorite fireworks show in all of Disney, partially because Zero flies!  It's harder and harder to find a good, non-hub spot because of the trees on both sides of the Partner Statue area. Those really can affect your ability to see the show. For Halloween Screams, make sure you can see the left side of the castle (when facing it) because that's where the ball appears.  Unfortunately, this year, only part of Screams was presented due to winds.  It started as normal, but ended just as the Maleficent sequence was beginning (so probably about 1/2 to 2/3rds of the way through).  Still, we got to see Zero fly at least once!



Thanks for your review and pics!  We're going on Wednesday and I can't wait! What time do you recommend getting there to save your spot for the fireworks?


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## MermaidHair

Hey there!  I love hearing all the stories from the Halloween parties.  Thanks to all for sharing.  I am starting to put together my "plan of attack" for our party on 10/31 and I have a couple of questions.  I think this will be our only evening in DL because we will be at DCA the next night for World of Color.  Will my favorite nighttime rides at DL be running during the MHP? Specifically, the Canal Boats, Tea Party, and BTMRR. (I also like Jungle Cruise at night but others in my party are indifferent - ! )

Also, I read about a pre party at the BTR Halloween Carnival on another site.  Does anyone here have any details or reports from that? I am particularly interested in the timing of that on Friday evenings.  

Finally, I am traveling with a group of 9, four of whom are ages 11-14.  In an effort to make sure the kids eat something other than candy I have made dinner reservations for the Carnation Cafe at 5:30 pm.  Any thoughts about the timing of that dinner reservation? Should I move it up or back at all to miss the end of regular park hours crush?  We will only have MHP on this day, not regular tickets. 

TIA for any help!


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## mommaU4

Hello, everyone! Quick question for anyone who might be able to help out. 

I'm looking at hotels in the area for the weekend of October 18 and 19. Many are showing as being sold out. We were thinking of going to the parks for one day, Saturday the 18th, but now I'm a bit concerned. 

Anyone care to hazard a guess on crowd levels that day?? I know it's Halloweentime which always brings big crowds, but should I be worried??


----------



## Peace.love.mickey

Where are the Villians this year???


----------



## Sherry E

MermaidHair said:


> Hey there!  I love hearing all the stories from the Halloween parties.  Thanks to all for sharing.  I am starting to put together my "plan of attack" for our party on 10/31 and I have a couple of questions.  I think this will be our only evening in DL because we will be at DCA the next night for World of Color.  Will my favorite nighttime rides at DL be running during the MHP? Specifically, the Canal Boats, Tea Party, and BTMRR. (I also like Jungle Cruise at night but others in my party are indifferent - ! )
> 
> Also, I read about a pre party at the BTR Halloween Carnival on another site.  Does anyone here have any details or reports from that? I am particularly interested in the timing of that on Friday evenings.
> 
> Finally, I am traveling with a group of 9, four of whom are ages 11-14.  In an effort to make sure the kids eat something other than candy I have made dinner reservations for the Carnation Cafe at 5:30 pm.  Any thoughts about the timing of that dinner reservation? Should I move it up or back at all to miss the end of regular park hours crush?  We will only have MHP on this day, not regular tickets.
> 
> TIA for any help!



*MermaidHair --*

*Bret/mvf-m11c* posted some photos of the Halloween Carnival this year, and you can see the hours it is open in one of the photos -- *HERE*.  *Mummabear* also posted some photos -- *HERE*.

The Carnival will close before nighttime, but in the daytime that's where Pirates League, the Pumpkin Carvers, the Conjure a Villain tent, the new magician and fortuneteller, characters in Halloween attire, Halloween-themed crafts, Halloween-themed games and treats (such as Candy Corn-colored Cotton Candy) can be found.

More info can be found *HERE*, under Frontierland/Halloween Carnival.

The list of MHP ride closures from 2013 is in the MHP FAQ post on page 1, but *figment_jii* will be able to tell us if there were any new closures or changes to that list this year.

Personally, I would make the Carnation Café reservation earlier than 5:30, but it depends on whether or not you plan to go to Toontown.  I would get Carnation Cafe out of the way right when the entry window opened to go into the park with the MHP ticket.  The Toontown Pre-Party will begin at 6 p.m. on 10/31, and it appears to only be open until 8 p.m., so if you want to go there for some treats and characters, you will want to be done with Carnation by that point.



mommaU4 said:


> Hello, everyone! Quick question for anyone who might be able to help out.
> 
> I'm looking at hotels in the area for the weekend of October 18 and 19. Many are showing as being sold out. We were thinking of going to the parks for one day, Saturday the 18th, but now I'm a bit concerned.
> 
> Anyone care to hazard a guess on crowd levels that day?? I know it's Halloweentime which always brings big crowds, but should I be worried??



Hi, *Beth*!

I just wanted to say hello and welcome, and hopefully someone else will chime in on your question.  I can't see any reason why that weekend would be more crowded than any other time, unless the UEA people are still there -- but because we're so close to 10/18 and 10/19 now, I guess it doesn't shock me that the hotels would be booked.

Did you decide to skip the MHP, or did you get tickets for 10/17?





Peace.love.mickey said:


> Where are the Villians this year???



*Peace.love.mickey --*

In the daytime you can "conjure" up one Villain at a time at the Conjure a Villain tent (at the Halloween Carnival -- I linked *mvf-m11c's* and *mummabear's* photos above, in the reply to *MermaidHair*).

At the MHP -- *this map* that *figment_jii* scanned shows where they are (looks like mainly Town Square).


----------



## MermaidHair

Thanks For all the info Sherry. I will see if my group is up for that earlier meal at the CC. 

Regarding the Halloween Carnival, I read on another site that they are doing a pre party there in addition to the toontown pre party. I will continue to keep my ear to the ground on that one and report back if I hear any more.


----------



## TulipsNZ

Peace.love.mickey said:


> Where are the Villians this year???



If you aren't concerned with meeting them and just want to see them then at 11:50pm they do a farewell dance in front of the railway station in the square.  I really enjoyed this and it was a nice way to end the night.


----------



## DisneyLuver2013

Has anyone done a TR for Mickey's Halloween Party yet? I know I've seen 1 on this thread, but I was wondering if anyone else has done one?


----------



## Peace.love.mickey

TulipsNZ said:


> If you aren't concerned with meeting them and just want to see them then at 11:50pm they do a farewell dance in front of the railway station in the square.  I really enjoyed this and it was a nice way to end the night.



10 min before it closes?  Our party is over at 11....


----------



## Sherry E

TulipsNZ said:


> If you aren't concerned with meeting them and just want to see them then at 11:50pm they do a farewell dance in front of the railway station in the square.  I really enjoyed this and it was a nice way to end the night.



*TulipsNZ --*

Did you see my post to you on the previous page?  I wanted to make sure you didn't miss it!





DisneyLuver2013 said:


> Has anyone done a TR for Mickey's Halloween Party yet? I know I've seen 1 on this thread, but I was wondering if anyone else has done one?



*DisneyLuver --*

*figment_jii* is the one who did the TR for the MHP.  I would imagine that other people will eventually do TRs for their whole Halloween Time trips, including the MHP.

These are all of the reviews and recaps of the MHP that have come in so far (some are more detailed than others) -- *HERE*.


​


----------



## TulipsNZ

Sherry E said:


> *TulipsNZ --*
> 
> Welcome back!
> 
> Were you able to go to the Irvine Park Railroad Pumpkin Patch?  I know it was part of your plan at one time or another.  If so, how was it?
> 
> I'm so glad to read that you had a great time at the MHP -- I'd love to hear more details!
> 
> 
> ​



We didn't make it, we were just so tired we opted for a pool & nap day instead, the boys didn't wake until 10am, then I had an issue with our tickets, by the time we got going it was midday and the party started at 4







Peace.love.mickey said:


> 10 min before it closes?  Our party is over at 11....



I presume it's just before the end, I'm a real novice so I have no idea
Here are some photos though






































Sorry photo overload


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## maleficent55

Hi Sherry E and everybody else! I think this may be my first post on this forum! I am finally adding a comment after lurking and reading every.single.page of this thread, but don't quiz me on anything, I don't think I'll remember 1/2 of it! 
We, husband, daughter (4) and I and my in-laws, to the MHP on 10/27. The party will be on the 4th day of our time in the parks and we are QUITE excited!
This will be all of our first MHP ever!

Let's see....question, question....I know I have questions! For now I have two. 
-Is it a mistake to reserve a spot for dinner in DL on the night of our party? I'm thinking we should eat early so that no time is taken away from our party time but I am not sure what time we should aim for or rather if we should just do counter service somewhere? What would be the best time to plan to eat, I know I have to get something healthy in my gal before she gorges on candy!

-we went to DL in April of this year and watched the fireworks two of our nights from the Tomorrowland side and had a great view...we were behind and to the right of the hub a little bit. Is it true that for the Halloween fireworks that being on the Adventureland side is better? To view the sphere? I think we will be watching the calvacade FIRST and then try to see the fireworks.

Thank you for putting so much effort into this for all of us to learn, get excited and plan! This is great so thanks! And thanks to everyone who adds a TR, those are fun and makes me very ansy for our trip!


----------



## Peace.love.mickey

TulipsNZ said:


> I presume it's just before the end, I'm a real novice so I have no idea Here are some photos though  Sorry photo overload



Awesome pics!!!! Thanks!!!!


----------



## Wife2Grumpy

So, what has been the news about the toontown pre-party? Is it really happening, just not on the map or official?

I have friends that went to an MHP in September and they said there was not one, but they only looked at the map and did not investigate.

We will be there for the party on the 10th. Wondering when toontown will be closing, and when re-opening, and when we should line up to get back in it.


----------



## grnflash

Wife2Grumpy said:


> So, what has been the news about the toontown pre-party? Is it really happening, just not on the map or official?
> 
> I have friends that went to an MHP in September and they said there was not one, but they only looked at the map and did not investigate.
> 
> We will be there for the party on the 10th. Wondering when toontown will be closing, and when re-opening, and when we should line up to get back in it.



Yes, it is happening. 

We went on Friday when the pre-party started at 6. We got our wristbands from inside the park around 4:30 and people were already lining up for Toontown. I think these are the same folks who line up early for wristbands. We walked right up to a CM for our wristbands at 4:30 and walked right into the Toontown preparty at 6:15. 

**A CM told us to go to the treat trail at Donald's first for the shortest wait. He could have said no wait, only about 5 people in line before the first station. We did all 3 trails, rode Gadget's (5 min wait), rode Roger (walk on), met the characters (mostly near Gag Factory) and let the kids goof around with the gags and were done right at 7. When we were leaving, the line to get into Toontown stretched past the bridge.


----------



## mommaU4

Sherry E said:


> Hi, *Beth*!
> 
> I just wanted to say hello and welcome, and hopefully someone else will chime in on your question.  I can't see any reason why that weekend would be more crowded than any other time, unless the UEA people are still there -- but because we're so close to 10/18 and 10/19 now, I guess it doesn't shock me that the hotels would be booked.
> 
> Did you decide to skip the MHP, or did you get tickets for 10/17?



Hello, Miss Sherry!  

I decided to skip the party and do a full day in the parks. Here's hoping it's not a mistake! lol  

Thanks for all the great info on here. It's helped a lot!


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## 2tinkerbell

We are back from our trip and things have settled down somewhat.  We had a great time at the 9/30 MHP.  Thanks so much for some of the tips that I received here.  

First, our experience could be a tad different than others.  My DD has some neurological challenges so things are worked around her.  It was her birthday trip after all.  

We were staying at the DLH and riding the Monorail into the parks was the greatest thing since sliced bread for my DD.  We had a late lunch, early dinner at Tanegora Terrace.  We headed over to DL around 4:00pm.  At the Monorail station, we were told that we couldn't get our MHP wristband.  We used our Park Hopper tickets to get into the park.  In hindsight, this didn't work out very well.  I thought that we could get into the parks and then get our wristbands at the Fantasyland Theater and things would be calmer, less hectic and therefore less overstimulating for DD.  Well, we get over to the Fantasyland Theater and the line is super long - like really long.  They had about 3 stations that took your ticket and activated it with only 2 people putting on the wristbands.  The line moved very slow.  I inquired of a CM how long it was taking and she said the quickest way would be to exit the park and re-enter at the turnstiles.  We experienced our second pixie dust of the evening when a suit came up to us as we were discussing what to do.  He took our e-tickets and came back with our bags, wristbands and paper tickets.  Thank you Steve!

We worked our way into Toontown to the pre-party.  The lines for the characters were really long and my DD wasn't as interested in them as she was in the treat trails.  We did the treat trail outside of Roger Rabbits, the treat trail that wound through Minnie's and Mickey's houses and the treat trail across the way at Donald's.    

My DD was really into the treat trails!  The CM's don't just put a piece of candy in, but, they were putting 3 pieces of candy into the bag.  My DD had the light up pumpkin bag and I had the Minnie Mouse bag.  We did a couple more treat trails - Fantasyland area and Pixie Hollow - as we were working our way down to Main Street.  They had a treat trail at Town Square which I wish I had done twice because I like Werthers.  

We were standing in line to see the Villians which were in front of the Train Station.  They had 3 of them: Captain Hook, Evil Queen, and someone else.  While we were in line they changed.  My DD really enjoyed the Villian changing parade.  She had left me standing in line so she could move over to see it.  Lady Tremaine and the step sisters were following the carriage and Drucella came over and talked to my DD.  The Queen of Hearts was around Town Square, but, she didn't seem to want to interact with anyone and kept running away.  My DD saw Frollo, Maleficent, and Cruella (who was congered up earlier at the Carnival Villian thingy).  They did have the Photopass Photographers there.  Maleficient was superb and very much in character.  

My DD was also able to get Lady Tremaine's autograph and picture.  

We walked up Main Street and it was apparent that if you wanted any place to watch the fireworks, that you better get your spot for the first parade then too.  This was not our plan, but, we rolled with it and found a spot on the curb.  Warning, my first rant:  My DD and I were seated on the curb and this family moved their stroller right up to the curb blocking any view that we may have.  Put your child on the curb and leave your big honking stroller in the back!  Besides, the stroller contained a 5-6 year old child who kept throwing fits (kicking her feet and screaming) when she wanted something.  It took 3 adults to cater to her wantings.  Because of the stroller and the child, I changed places with my DD and we played Uno while waiting for the parade. 

The Calvacade was fun and very much worth seeing.  Somehow, I think the second one would be better - less children and strollers, but, I don't know how to figure that out to get a spot for the fireworks too.  

We moved over towards the hub to watch the fireworks.  Warning my second rant:  My DD was standing there and this about 4 year old boy ran right into her, about knocking her over.  He just ran off and I didn't think much about it until this mother came up to my DD and started yelling at her.  Then she looked at me and was telling me that my DD ran over her kid.  My DD told me that wasn't what happened and that the kid ran into her.  There was a lady standing next to me and she said she saw the whole thing.  By now my DD is upset and the mother turns to yell at me again.  I asked, "What do you want me to do about it?"  She said, "You need to teach your kid to be more aware!"  I didn't respond and just went quiet.  The lady next to me started in on the mother and told her to "back off" and that her "son ran into [my DD]" and that she "needed to teach her son to be more aware."  The mother stomped off but she and her husband just glared at me for some time.  The lady and I tried to calm my DD down.  A CM came up to my DD.  He was really really nice and was asking her questions about things.  He suddenly looked at me and said, "There are 2 of you?" to which I replied, "Yes."  He said, "Come with me."  We had seats at the hub to view the fireworks.  Thanks! This was our 3rd pixie dust of the evening.  

The entire Main Street was wall to wall people.  It was something to see - I don't think I've ever seen Main Street so full of people before.  

My DD and I simply loved the fireworks!  However, I must have been tired or losing it, or something.  I never saw Zero fly.  I might not have been looking at the right place.  But, I thought the fireworks were the best I've seen Disney do.  They were awesome!  

The plan was to move over to the Golden Horseshoe area, which we did.  I love the interactive scarecrows!  My DD got quite a kick out of them and watching them.  

We were going to see Jack Sparrow and watch the Cadaver Dans.  However, my DD just looked at me and said she wanted to leave.  She was reaching her limit of trying to walk through the crowds.  I've learned not to push it when she says that she needs to leave.  Besides, she and I both were up at 4am MDST.  We worked our way through the stores and out of DL.  

Overall it was very much worth it.  I appreciated the CM's as they were checking for wristbands a lot.  In the line for the Villians, along Main Street for the parade, and prior to entering ToonTown.  I would definitely do it again.  

I would do less trick or treating next time.  We really have an overload of candy because we got caught up in the fun.  We didn't focus on rides, but, we had a DAS time for the Matterhorn so we rode that when we first entered the park, prior to trying to get our wristbands.  Therefore, I don't know if they were issuing DAS return times during the party or not.


----------



## Wife2Grumpy

grnflash said:


> Yes, it is happening.
> 
> We went on Friday when the pre-party started at 6. We got our wristbands from inside the park around 4:30 and people were already lining up for Toontown. I think these are the same folks who line up early for wristbands. We walked right up to a CM for our wristbands at 4:30 and walked right into the Toontown preparty at 6:15.
> 
> **A CM told us to go to the treat trail at Donald's first for the shortest wait. He could have said no wait, only about 5 people in line before the first station. We did all 3 trails, rode Gadget's (5 min wait), rode Roger (walk on), met the characters (mostly near Gag Factory) and let the kids goof around with the gags and were done right at 7. When we were leaving, the line to get into Toontown stretched past the bridge.



Thanks so much. Show up to Toontown a bit after 6:00. Check!!


----------



## abminer

Wife2Grumpy said:


> So, what has been the news about the toontown pre-party? Is it really happening, just not on the map or official?
> 
> I have friends that went to an MHP in September and they said there was not one, but they only looked at the map and did not investigate.
> 
> We will be there for the party on the 10th. Wondering when toontown will be closing, and when re-opening, and when we should line up to get back in it.



We went this past Friday. The pre party wasn't advertised on the map, but at 5 a rope went up blocking toontown and a cm was there checking wristbands. We didn't enter until 6, but when we did the treat trail line was already pretty long. We did it though, two candy stations that circled the area in front of Roger Rabbit (which we rode as a total walk on right after). Those CMs were giving out lots - the first guy gave me 6 pieces!  They didn't have any healthy alternatives. Characters we saw were Claribelle and Horace, Halloween Mickey and Minnie (big line even during the pre party), regular Pluto, and Sailor Donald.


----------



## audrey2580

Thanks for the report 2tinkerbell.  When we were there last January a couple was watching the parade and walking at the same time and rammed my son (10) with their stroller. It was so hard it knocked him down. They then proceeded to yell at him for "being in the way".  We were standing watching the parade in a designated area. 

Its unbelievable the way some people act.  I'm glad it worked out for you but sorry your DD had to go through that.  I know my son was pretty shaken.


----------



## DisneyJamieCA

grnflash said:


> Yes, it is happening.  We went on Friday when the pre-party started at 6. We got our wristbands from inside the park around 4:30 and people were already lining up for Toontown. I think these are the same folks who line up early for wristbands. We walked right up to a CM for our wristbands at 4:30 and walked right into the Toontown preparty at 6:15.  **A CM told us to go to the treat trail at Donald's first for the shortest wait. He could have said no wait, only about 5 people in line before the first station. We did all 3 trails, rode Gadget's (5 min wait), rode Roger (walk on), met the characters (mostly near Gag Factory) and let the kids goof around with the gags and were done right at 7. When we were leaving, the line to get into Toontown stretched past the bridge.



Thanks for this advice! I think we will try to follow this.


----------



## Wife2Grumpy

Ok, this may brand me as weird, but that never stopped me before.

I love fireworks, but I hate to battle crowds.

I hear that you need to stand with a view of the left side of the castle to see the fireworks and the big floating head/ball. (Along with the other million people at MHP that night)

I guess I am wondering - is this REALLY necessary. I would rather not stand in a sea of people, fighting for a spot, and everyone bumping into me.

Is there any other spot where you can see the fireworks well, but it is less crowded? Is seeing the head/ball that important? 

We have done the WDW MNSSHP and some villan talks during their fireworks, but there is no floating head. (OR wasn't last time I was there) Is seeing the head/ball that important?


----------



## figment_jii

Peace.love.mickey said:


> 10 min before it closes?  Our party is over at 11....


I would guess it will happen about 10 minutes before the party ends (so at 10:50 pm for a party that ends at 11:00 pm).



maleficent55 said:


> -Is it a mistake to reserve a spot for dinner in DL on the night of our party?


I don't think it's it's a mistake to make a dinner reservation for the night of the party.  As long as you time it so you're done by the start of the party.  I wouldn't spend party time having dinner, but making at ADR around 4:30 pm - 5:00 pm isn't a bad idea (I've done that in the past).



maleficent55 said:


> Is it true that for the Halloween fireworks that being on the Adventureland side is better? To view the sphere? I think we will be watching the calvacade FIRST and then try to see the fireworks.


I personally think the Tomorrowland side is still probably a better bet than the Advertureland side, but it depends on where you are standing.  You need to be able to see the left side of the castle (when facing it), so that you can see the ball that appears.  They do a lot of projects on the ball and it really adds to the show.  So I would make sure you can see the empty space to the left of the turret when you pick you spot.



Wife2Grumpy said:


> So, what has been the news about the toontown pre-party? Is it really happening, just not on the map or official?


All reports indicate that there is a Toontown even this year, it just wasn't listed on the official map or publications.



Wife2Grumpy said:


> Is there any other spot where you can see the fireworks well, but it is less crowded? Is seeing the head/ball that important?


That depends on each individual person preference.  If you just want to see the firework bursts and don't really care about the other elements, then you'll be fine if you don't see the globe.  If you want to see the "full" show, then you need to be able to see the globe.  I think the globe add important elements to the show, so you'll only be seeing part of the fireworks show if you skip seeing the globe.



			
				Wife2Grumpy said:
			
		

> We have done the WDW MNSSHP and some villan talks during their fireworks, but there is no floating head. (OR wasn't last time I was there) Is seeing the head/ball that important?


Halloween Screams! and HalloWishes are two very different shows.  You can't really compare the two, other than to say, HalloWishes is more like a traditional fireworks show, with lots of aerial bursts and a soundtrack.  Screams has those elements as well, but it uses the globe to tell the story.



MermaidHair said:


> Will my favorite nighttime rides at DL be running during the MHP? Specifically, the Canal Boats, Tea Party, and BTMRR. (I also like Jungle Cruise at night but others in my party are indifferent - ! )


I didn't check all for the rides, but the list from last year is still pretty much correct.  The only big difference is that the Railroad is running this year during the party.  Storybook Canal, the Tea Cups, and BTMRR are all listed as operating during the party.


----------



## poison ivy

after reading 2tinkerbell's report, the park entry seems a little confusing to me.

Are we permitted to board the monorail from downtown using only a Halloween ticket to get into DL? This was our plan.


----------



## figment_jii

poison ivy said:


> Are we permitted to board the monorail from downtown using only a Halloween ticket to get into DL? This was our plan.


Based on the reports in a thread asking about using MHP at the monorail station, it appears that they do not have the wristbands there, so you cannot use a MHP to enter the park.  You have to use a regular park ticket to enter DL using the monorail or walk to the main gate if you only have a MHP ticket.
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3336507

If you only have a MHP ticket, go to the Main Gate.  There will be turnstiles marked "Special Event Tickets" or something along those lines (those are the only ones you can use).  After they scan your ticket, you'll be given a wristband.

If you have a regular park ticket, you can enter via the monorail station.  Inside the park, they have a MHP check-in location.  They'll scan your ticket and give you your wristband there.  This is primarily for guests already in the park, who do not want to go back to the main gate (and exit the park and re-enter).


----------



## poison ivy

ok I'm glad I asked.  Thanks figment_jii


----------



## maleficent55

Originally Posted by maleficent55  
We have done the WDW MNSSHP and some villan talks during their fireworks, but there is no floating head. (OR wasn't last time I was there) Is seeing the head/ball that important?


not sure how this quote linked to me, I didn't ask this question! Weird! 

Anyway, Thanks for the tips on where to stand, tomorrowland side it is! Thats's where we stood in April and it was a great view.


----------



## Diszona

Just got back from our week long trip, boy am I exhausted but it was a blast.  Went to the 9/30 MHP and it was great.  It was probably the least crowded party that we have attended and we were able to strike a nice balance between trick-or-treating, catching the parade, meet and greets and rides.  One bit of advice, at least from our experience, is if you have little ones who want to meet Mickey and Minnie, their meet and greet by Big Thunder Ranch was pretty empty later in the evening, plus Woody was also back there with no line at all.  

The whole week was a great trip, even though Saturday was pretty crowded we used it to catch parades, shows, etc. and it worked out well.  Though it is expensive, we decided to do the Fantasmic desert package and it was well worth the money we spent to have a perfect view of the show, a nice and large box of deserts and cheese and crackers and a pretty good view of the fireworks.  One note on Fantasmic is the ending is a little different because the Mark Twain Riverboat is out of commission so they can't use it in the show.


----------



## figment_jii

*Figment Goes to Mickey's Halloween Party, 9/26/14*

Finishing up with Figment Goes to Mickey's Halloween Party (9/26/14)...

Scattered throughout Disneyland during MHP is atmospheric elements.  I really liked seeing the talking Scarecrows re-appear.  I saw two…both in Frontierland.





There were also lots of projections on the ground and on buildings.

























My favorite decorations are the giant Mickey pumpkin and ghost inflatable figures!

















There are lots of treat trails scattered throughout the park!  Most have the same candy (including a nice amount of chocolate ones!), but a few have some special/unique item.  The treat trail at Villains Square (aka Town Square) has Werther’s Caramels.  A few had chocolate covered Crasins.  It’s worth checking out the treat trail in the Golden Horseshoe Revue and at Rancho del Zocalo.

















There was even a special treat trail for annual passholders.  You need to have a valid AP to get into the Opera House (it’s the lobby for Mr. Lincoln).  They decorated the inside of the lobby (added Halloween-ish elements).  After they scan your AP, you get to go inside and pick up your treats.  They were handing out a drawstring Big Hero Six bag and a special treat.  They were also showing cartoons in the theater and you could sit and relax there if you wanted.









In terms of the crowds, I personally felt that it was less busy at MHP this year than last year, but I went to a party in early October last year.  It was a sold out party, but the crowds felt more like what you would expect on a mid-week night opposed to a Friday night.  This is about 15 minutes before fireworks.  I was standing in Main Street at about the Penny Aracde.  This is looking towards the castle.





And this is looking towards the Railroad Station.





I did not do any rides, but Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy was down to about 20 minutes at 11:00 pm (walked by on the way to the Innoventions’ treat trail).  We saw Agent P meeting guests in Innoventions!





By the end of the night, we had a ton of candy!  We collected a little over 13 pounds of candy and other treats!





Overall, my family and I had a really good time at MHP.  There was plenty to do and see and not enough time to do and see everything!  We made a point of focusing on the party specific activities (Cavalcade, fireworks, Cadaver Dans, etc.) and were able to do most everything we wanted.  I always have a good time at MHP and can’t wait to go back next year!


----------



## Sherry E

Sherry E said:


> *Anyone who is going to Mickey's Halloween Party before the end of the month and doesn't want to flip through the most recent pages to find the reviews that have already come in, here are most of the comments and reviews of the 3 MHPs that have taken place so far this year, courtesy of our helpful DIS'ers (I will continue to add to the list of MHP reviews as more people report back to us here, and as more MHPs take place.  The full list of 2013 and 2014 reviews can be found -- HERE):*
> 
> 
> 
> _*2014*_​
> 
> *Friday, September 26, 2014*
> 
> DIS'er *ClosetDisneyJunkie* said,  "_Not crazy crowded at all. The treat trail lines are long but move at a reasonable pace_."  Read the rest of the brief recap -- *HERE*.
> 
> DIS'er *figment_jii* said, "_Tons of candy! The peanut chews are the dominant candy, but a good assortment in general..._"  Read the rest of the noteworthy highlights of the night -- *HERE*.  (See the 2014 MHP Map that figment_jii scanned -- *HERE*.)
> 
> Read *figment_jii's* complete 9/26/14 MHP report (with lots of photos) -- *HERE*, *HERE*, *HERE* and *HERE*.
> 
> DIS'er *BayGirl22* -- an MHP first-timer -- said, "_We had short lines for rides too. SMGG was close to walk on during the first Cavalcade."_  The rest of her review can be found -- *HERE*.
> 
> DIS'er *mikana876* said, "_Crowds were pretty much how I expected. Probably a 7-8 on a scale of 10. It got kind of nuts as 7 hit and the regular park guests were told to leave._"  Read the rest of the review/report -- *HERE*.
> 
> DIS'er *briggscreek* said, "_We didn't care much for the Cavalcade (too cutesy and it was really short)..._"  See the rest of the Halloween Time/Mickey's Halloween Party recap -- *HERE*.
> 
> *TulipsNZ *attended the MHP for the first time and said that it was a "_...walk on for many rides..._"  Read the rest of the very brief recap -- *HERE* -- and see photos *HERE*.
> 
> 
> 
> ​
> 
> 
> *Tuesday, September 30, 2014*
> 
> DIS'er *ten6mom* said, "_We are just back from the MHP. It seemed very crowded to me but I don't have a good recollection of last year so no real basis for comparison._"  Read the rest of her recap -- *HERE*.
> 
> *kim3339* had a great time at her MHP and added, "_The treat lines were kinda long, especially the Monorail one._"  Her detailed review can be found -- *HERE*.
> 
> *starshine514* said, "_If I had one piece of advice for those entering just for the party at the 3-hour mark, it would be to arrive early. They were putting the wristbands on us as we entered, and it severely slowed the line._"  Read the rest of the recap -- *HERE*.
> 
> *bearette* said, "_As a mom to 2.5 year olds I recommend the party. Not scary and my kids loved it._"  Read the rest of the recap -- *HERE*.
> 
> *CassieF* said, "_We waited once for the villains in town square, and it was a long wait, plus we missed out on a good set of characters and got Jafar, Queen, and Hook._"  The rest of the review can be found -- *HERE*.
> 
> *APE*, an MHP first-timer, said of the *Toontown Pre-Party*, "_They had three character spots going on at once by the gazebo. When we got in line, they had Chip and Dale, Clarabelle & Horace and Goofy. Then they switched to Mickey & Minnie, Pluto and Donald._"  Read the full recap -- *HERE*.
> 
> *2tinkerbell* attended her first MHP and said, "_The entire Main Street was wall to wall people. It was something to see - I don't think I've ever seen Main Street so full of people before._"  She added, "_Overall it was very much worth it.  I appreciated the CM's as they were checking for wristbands a lot._"  Read her detailed review and recap Including some observations about the *Toontown Pre-Party*) -- *HERE*.
> 
> *Diszona* said, "_One bit of advice, at least from our experience, is if you have little ones who want to meet Mickey and Minnie, their meet and greet by Big Thunder Ranch was pretty empty later in the evening, plus Woody was also back there with no line at all._"  Read additional comments -- *HERE*.
> 
> 
> 
> ​
> 
> 
> *Friday, October 3, 2014*
> 
> DIS'er *bouds* said, "_Seemed much more crowded around NOS than the rest of the park._"  The rest of the recap, including details about the *Toontown Pre-Party*, can be found -- *HERE*.
> 
> *grnflash* posted about the *Toontown Pre-Party*, "_We went on Friday when the pre-party started at 6. We got our wristbands from inside the park around 4:30 and people were already lining up for Toontown._"  See the rest of the comments -- *HERE*.
> 
> *abminer* said about the *Toontown Pre-Party*, "_Characters we saw were Clarabelle and Horace, Halloween Mickey and Minnie (big line even during the pre party), regular Pluto, and Sailor Donald._"  Read the rest of the recap -- *HERE*.
> 
> 
> ​
> *And, currently the only upcoming MHP night that is not sold is Wednesday, October 29th (10/22 and 10/27 sold out yesterday).  This would be consistent with what happened in 2013 and 2012 -- when the MHPs immediately before Halloween night remained available all the way up until the time of the party, or just prior to it.
> 
> The other night that didn't appear to have sold out this year was the Tuesday, 9/30 party -- at least, according to the DLR website.  As figment_jii said, it was not possible to buy online tickets on 9/30, but most likely that was because the Day-of-Event tickets had to be purchased at the DLR ticket booths.*
> 
> ​





*Don't forget, everyone -- and I am pointing this out because I see questions about Toontown's Pre-Party coming in -- the recaps and reviews of all of the MHP nights so far this year (from the DIS'ers who have kindly provided them for us) are compiled ^^^^ above.  Some of the comments are very brief, and some are more detailed, but quite a few of them have mentioned the Toontown party so far (even more than just the ones I highlighted in red). 

So if you have missed some pages of this thread but want to know what to expect, the reviews and links above will lead you to all of the info that has come in so far, courtesy of our helpful DIS'ers!

Oh, and in Pumpkin Pandemonium news (from The Impulsive Buy):

SO Delicious' Pumpkin Spice Bars and Candy Corn Bars

Duff Goldman's Halloween Scream Cake Mix is new (isn't it?)!*

​


----------



## Brancaneve

It sounds like the MHP is amazing. Fellow DISers are discussing how to get TO the party but I, on the other hand, have the opposite situation. Does anyone have strategies or tips for avoiding the crowds associated with MHP? We will be there Tuesday, October 14th and Wednesday the 15th with the party being on Tuesday. What time should we leave DLR on Tuesday and head over to DCA? 

And how do the CM's know who is supposed to be in the parks and who is not? Will that pose a problem for us when we try to get in at rope drop? 

Thank you!!


----------



## figment_jii

Brancaneve said:


> What time should we leave DLR on Tuesday and head over to DCA?


Guests with MHP tickets only are allowed to enter DL three hours before the party starts (so, at 3:00 pm for a party that starts at 6:00 pm).  You'll see an influx of guests at that point.  I don't really think getting into DCA is an issue at the point.  My guess is that the biggest crowds enter DCA start a little before 7:00 pm.  So I would either plan to enter DCA before 6:30 pm or wait until the crowds thin out.



Brancaneve said:


> And how do the CM's know who is supposed to be in the parks and who is not? Will that pose a problem for us when we try to get in at rope drop?


Guests staying for MHP will be wearing a brightly colored wristband.  They won't need them until the start of the party.  It won't make any difference at rope drop because MHP tickets aren't valid until 3:00 pm (for a Tuesday party).


----------



## Wife2Grumpy

So what do you try and do first?

If you get into the park at 4 pm for the 7 pm MHP, where do you head first?

Assuming, that I am already planning on hitting Toontown at 6 pm.

Haunted Mansion, Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy, Halloween Carnival, or something else?

Just curious what everyone tries to get done before the official start of MHP.

We are only going for the party. No extra funds this year to do any other days at DLR. Have done WDW 6 times, but our first trip to DLR.

What should I try and do first?

My kids are older. They want candy and rides. Not very interested in standing in lines to see characters, unless the lines are super short, or doing any shows.


----------



## figment_jii

Hi _Wife2Grumpy_ - Personally, I would probably head straight to SMGG and try to get a FP for that (I don't know if they'd still have any when you get there).  Then head to HMH to do that because it's popular and unique to DL.  If you have time after HMH, I would then check out the Halloween Carnival.  It's fun to see the carved pumpkins and it's something that can take as long or as little time as you'd like.  If you cannot get onto SMGG with a FP, I would save it for the very end of the night (because the line is likely to be long during the overlap period and for the start of the party).


----------



## scrappymel

Figment's Halloween costume is adorable!!!


----------



## figment_jii

scrappymel said:


> Figment's Halloween costume is adorable!!!



Thanks!  It came from Build-A-Bear.


----------



## Diszona

figment_jii said:


> Hi _Wife2Grumpy_ - Personally, I would probably head straight to SMGG and try to get a FP for that (I don't know if they'd still have any when you get there).  Then head to HMH to do that because it's popular and unique to DL.  If you have time after HMH, I would then check out the Halloween Carnival.  It's fun to see the carved pumpkins and it's something that can take as long or as little time as you'd like.  If you cannot get onto SMGG with a FP, I would save it for the very end of the night (because the line is likely to be long during the overlap period and for the start of the party).



Good advice.  Also, if your key interests are candy and rides, I would hit the rides early and then trick-or-treating later.  The lines tend to be short for the rides (at the start of the party, it can be more crowded during the 3 hour overlap but it didn't seem too bad this year, at least on the 30th) while the trick-or-treat lines tend to be longer at the beginning of the party.  Even if you can't hit all of the stations, you will still have a ton of candy.  We probably hit 1/2 to 2/3 of the stations and still ended up with 3 large bags (not the ones they give the party, the bigger ones they sell at the Disney Store) full by the end of the night.  The only ride lines that seem long during the party are the ones figment mentioned but even HMH didn't seem that much longer than it does on a regular weekend night.





2tinkerbell said:


> We were staying at the DLH and riding the Monorail into the parks was the greatest thing since sliced bread for my DD.  We had a late lunch, early dinner at Tanegora Terrace.  We headed over to DL around 4:00pm.  At the Monorail station, we were told that we couldn't get our MHP wristband.  We used our Park Hopper tickets to get into the park.  In hindsight, this didn't work out very well.  I thought that we could get into the parks and then get our wristbands at the Fantasyland Theater and things would be calmer, less hectic and therefore less overstimulating for DD.  Well, we get over to the Fantasyland Theater and the line is super long - like really long.  They had about 3 stations that took your ticket and activated it with only 2 people putting on the wristbands.  The line moved very slow.  I inquired of a CM how long it was taking and she said the quickest way would be to exit the park and re-enter at the turnstiles.  We experienced our second pixie dust of the evening when a suit came up to us as we were discussing what to do.  He took our e-tickets and came back with our bags, wristbands and paper tickets.  Thank you Steve!



This was something I forgot to mention.  Even though the party didn't seem as crowded the process at the Fantasyland Theater was a mess.  In retrospect it probably would have been quicker at that time to have done what you said and exited and re-entered that park.  It ended up being ok, it was a long enough wait that the kids had time to go on Small World and walk around some while one of us waited in the line.


----------



## Kilala

Here is my report of the party on the 30th. I got there around 5pm. The line to wait to get in wasn't that bad. I tried to get a pictures infront of the Mickey Pumpkin but, know one knew were the line was. I went into the shops to get out of the heat a little bit. Alot of people took my picture. I got a lot of compliments. I made it to Toon Town the first treat trail by RR was a little wait. Then I got in line to see Goofy, Chip and Dale, and then Wizard Donald. The lines were short to see the characters. Then I did the trails at Minnies and Mickey's and Donald's. Then I went to Fantisyland and did the treat trails there. I went on the carousel. The carousel was decked out and had fog and had red light on it. Then I went to BTMR and there was a line across the way to get to the treat  trail. I should have went to see Woody too but, I didn't. I will remember that the the party on the 27th. The crowds were pretty light. The party was not sold out that night. Then I went to the other trails in Fronteier land. Sorry I can't spell today. The I did other trails I only repeated t 4 ot 5 of the trails and I still got alot of Candy. Also the treat trails in Toon Town had no apples just candy. The apples I did get went bad two days later.  Next time I will put them in the fridge. I will post pictures later on this week. I had a wonderful time going to MHP. I have two more parties to go this year.


----------



## Diznygrl

So on nights that the party starts at 6, I am assuming the pre party is at 5?


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## laura&fam

Diszona said:


> Just got back from our week long trip, boy am I exhausted but it was a blast.  Went to the 9/30 MHP and it was great.  It was probably the least crowded party that we have attended and we were able to strike a nice balance between trick-or-treating, catching the parade, meet and greets and rides.  One bit of advice, at least from our experience, is if you have little ones who want to meet Mickey and Minnie, their meet and greet by Big Thunder Ranch was pretty empty later in the evening, plus Woody was also back there with no line at all.



Was the Woody meet during MHP or in the day? I thought they closed off Big Thunder Ranch at night. Since we're dressing up as Toy Story characters I'd like a photo with Woody but my family hates waiting in line for any characters. Kind of funny that they love MHP


----------



## Diszona

laura&fam said:


> Was the Woody meet during MHP or in the day? I thought they closed off Big Thunder Ranch at night. Since we're dressing up as Toy Story characters I'd like a photo with Woody but my family hates waiting in line for any characters. Kind of funny that they love MHP



It was during the party.  The restaurant was closed (not serving) but the meet and greet for Woody was inside (Mickey and Minnie was just outside).  Sort of like how Village Haus was closed but had a trick or treat line running through it.


----------



## Brancaneve

figment_jii said:


> Guests with MHP tickets only are allowed to enter DL three hours before the party starts (so, at 3:00 pm for a party that starts at 6:00 pm).  You'll see an influx of guests at that point.  I don't really think getting into DCA is an issue at the point.  My guess is that the biggest crowds enter DCA start a little before 7:00 pm.  So I would either plan to enter DCA before 6:30 pm or wait until the crowds thin out.  Guests staying for MHP will be wearing a brightly colored wristband.  They won't need them until the start of the party.  It won't make any difference at rope drop because MHP tickets aren't valid until 3:00 pm (for a Tuesday party).



Thanks figment_jii!!


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## Diszona

figment_jii said:


> Guests with MHP tickets only are allowed to enter DL three hours before the party starts (so, at 3:00 pm for a party that starts at 6:00 pm).  You'll see an influx of guests at that point.  I don't really think getting into DCA is an issue at the point.  My guess is that the biggest crowds enter DCA start a little before 7:00 pm.  So I would either plan to enter DCA before 6:30 pm or wait until the crowds thin out.



We spent all of last Friday at DCA.  The crowds were small right up to 7 pm when there was a large uptick from people coming over after DL closed for the party.  I think you are 100% correct based on being in the park during this time period.





figment_jii said:


> Guests with MHP tickets only are allowed to enter DL three hours before the party starts (so, at 3:00 pm for a party that starts at 6:00 pm).  You'll see an influx of guests at that point.  I don't really think getting into DCA is an issue at the point.  My guess is that the biggest crowds enter DCA start a little before 7:00 pm.  So I would either plan to enter DCA before 6:30 pm or wait until the crowds thin out.



We spent all of last Friday at DCA.  The crowds were small right up to 7 pm when there was a large uptick from people coming over after DL closed for the party.  I think you are 100% correct based on being in the park during this time period.


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## adudeinblue

GF and I are all booked for MHP on 10/31! Everything is set and ready but our Halloween costume. We were split between costumes but I think we are planning to go as Glen and Maggie from the Walking Dead. I just wanted to be compliant with MHP's costume regulation and wanted everyone's opinion.

I don't think huge blood and gore would be appropriate, but GF just wanted to splatter a hint of color dye around our costume. Nothing over board, but I highly doubt that would be appropriate. Do you guys think a few drops around the sleeves would be a problem?

I know weapon is absolutely not welcomed, but I was thinking of using my air soft pistol leg holster (obviously not with the airsoft gun) and possibly using an Astro Blaster or or equivalent toy gun. Or even a stuffed pillow axe. Nothing serious, more kiddie than anything else.


----------



## theluckyrabbit

Wife2Grumpy said:


> Ok, this may brand me as weird, but that never stopped me before.
> 
> I love fireworks, but I hate to battle crowds.
> 
> I hear that you need to stand with a view of the left side of the castle to see the fireworks and the big floating head/ball. (Along with the other million people at MHP that night)
> 
> I guess I am wondering - is this REALLY necessary. I would rather not stand in a sea of people, fighting for a spot, and everyone bumping into me.
> 
> Is there any other spot where you can see the fireworks well, but it is less crowded? Is seeing the head/ball that important?
> 
> We have done the WDW MNSSHP and some villan talks during their fireworks, but there is no floating head. (OR wasn't last time I was there) Is seeing the head/ball that important?



For those who really don't do well in dense crowds or who don't want to wait in the Hub/Main Street areas, you can see the fireworks at IASW. The music plays and there are projections on the building. We have watched fireworks from both the Hub and IASW. The crowds at IASW were significantly smaller, and we walked right up about 10 minutes before the show. Both viewing spots have advantages and disadvantages, but it's nice to know you have options.


----------



## figment_jii

adudeinblue said:


> GF and I are all booked for MHP on 10/31! Everything is set and ready but our Halloween costume. We were split between costumes but I think we are planning to go as Glen and Maggie from the Walking Dead. I just wanted to be compliant with MHP's costume regulation and wanted everyone's opinion.
> 
> I don't think huge blood and gore would be appropriate, but GF just wanted to splatter a hint of color dye around our costume. Nothing over board, but I highly doubt that would be appropriate. Do you guys think a few drops around the sleeves would be a problem?
> 
> I know weapon is absolutely not welcomed, but I was thinking of using my air soft pistol leg holster (obviously not with the airsoft gun) and possibly using an Astro Blaster or or equivalent toy gun. Or even a stuffed pillow axe. Nothing serious, more kiddie than anything else.


My instinctive answer when I saw "Walking Dead" is that it's not really appropriate for MHP in general.  My rule of thumb is that if the costume would be appropriate for an elementary school gathering, then it will fit in at MHP.  Otherwise, I would not wear it to MHP.  The party is meant to be child and family friendly, so realistically, you won't see all that many gory, bloody or even slightly blooded, weapon wielding costumes at the party (you will see plenty of Jack Sparrow pirates and Jedi knights and they usually have some type of weapon - light a pirate sword or lightsaber).  That's not to say that there aren't guests that do dress in a more adult manner, but they are in the minority and generally stick out (and not in a good way).  So to answer your specific question about the blood, no, I do not think any blood is appropriate.  In terms of the weapon (especially the axe), I think it depends on the overall look of the costume, but in general, I would forgo it.


----------



## Dot2Vegas

adudeinblue said:
			
		

> GF and I are all booked for MHP on 10/31! Everything is set and ready but our Halloween costume. We were split between costumes but I think we are planning to go as Glen and Maggie from the Walking Dead. I just wanted to be compliant with MHP's costume regulation and wanted everyone's opinion.
> 
> I don't think huge blood and gore would be appropriate, but GF just wanted to splatter a hint of color dye around our costume. Nothing over board, but I highly doubt that would be appropriate. Do you guys think a few drops around the sleeves would be a problem?
> 
> I know weapon is absolutely not welcomed, but I was thinking of using my air soft pistol leg holster (obviously not with the airsoft gun) and possibly using an Astro Blaster or or equivalent toy gun. Or even a stuffed pillow axe. Nothing serious, more kiddie than anything else.



I personally love the Glen and Maggie idea-huge Walking Dead fan here! But, it probably wont be well received at the party. We did not see one gory/semi gory/bloodied costume at Friday's party.
As far as the weapons go, I think as long as they are clearly fake looking, like the Astro blaster or a stuffed axe, I think you are ok!


----------



## TulipsNZ

We saw one slightly gory costume and the guy was quite sheepish looking as he got lots of stares and frowns.  I think there is such a multitude of cool kid friendly costumes around why go for something that may be better received elsewhere.


----------



## theluckyrabbit

TulipsNZ said:


> We saw one slightly gory costume and the guy was quite sheepish looking as he got lots of stares and frowns.  I think there is such a multitude of cool kid friendly costumes around why go for something that may be better received elsewhere.



We saw this sort of thing last year at two parties. The costumes that were better suited for Knotts or Six Flags didn't go over so well at MHP.


----------



## CassieF

I went to last night's party, 10/6 and it was a very different experience from the pervious one I went to on 9/30.  It was sold out, yet we stayed in town square the whole night and it felt surprisingly empty.  We lined up for the villains about 20 minutes before they started and got Dr. Facilier, Maleficent, and Cruella.  One new villain down!  

We saw the Tremaines and headed over...they had a mob of people and no line, just Lady T picking the next visitor (with the host helping direct if a family had been there a while).  3 more new characters down!  We tried to see the Queen of Hearts again since my niece remembered walking around with her last week but she was wandering and it never seemed to work out.  The line was too long to make it to see the second set of villains, including Hades who we "needed" to see, so we did the treat trail (it opened late, like after 7).

We saw the Tremaines again (my niece was rag dress Cinderella!), waved to Cruella and Maleficent (my niece could just watch them all night!) and got in line for the villains again, hoping to time seeing Hades right.  We missed him by 5 minutes (they did a short set) and saw the Tremaines and Queen of Hearts.  I was getting nervous about not seeing Hades and the only time they said he'd be back was right after the fireworks but it would be a short set and they'd close the line early.  We watched the fireworks from midway down mainstreet, walked back to the pumpkin once Oogie took over, then ran to the line the second they were over and made it!  We saw Evil Queen, Jafar, and Hades. 

We walked the treat trail in between seeing characters all night and needed up with way more candy than last week...although there were two of us, so it was probably about the same per person.  We finished the night off with the end of party show (super fun!) but my niece was asleep about 15 minutes before it started. 

I had her in the carrier and took advantage of her being asleep to get great atmosphere pictures, mostly the castle, then took the tram out (at 11:30 lines were still 3 trams deep) and got her successfully transferred to bed , still asleep!  

It was very different from before, running around the park and all the great trails.  We saw 8 sets of villains tonight, plus two extra visits with the Tremaines, and got an assured amount of candy.  It was more relaxed (except when trying to get to see Hades!) which worked well with my tired state!


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## Imdboss

CassieF said:


> I went to last night's party, 10/6 and it was a very different experience from the pervious one I went to on 9/30.  It was sold out, yet we stayed in town square the whole night and it felt surprisingly empty.  We lined up for the villains about 20 minutes before they started and got Dr. Facilier, Maleficent, and Cruella.  One new villain down!
> 
> We saw the Tremaines and headed over...they had a mob of people and no line, just Lady T picking the next visitor (with the host helping direct if a family had been there a while).  3 more new characters down!  We tried to see the Queen of Hearts again since my niece remembered walking around with her last week but she was wandering and it never seemed to work out.  The line was too long to make it to see the second set of villains, including Hades who we "needed" to see, so we did the treat trail (it opened late, like after 7).
> 
> We saw the Tremaines again (my niece was rag dress Cinderella!), waved to Cruella and Maleficent (my niece could just watch them all night!) and got in line for the villains again, hoping to time seeing Hades right.  We missed him by 5 minutes (they did a short set) and saw the Tremaines and Queen of Hearts.  I was getting nervous about not seeing Hades and the only time they said he'd be back was right after the fireworks but it would be a short set and they'd close the line early.  We watched the fireworks from midway down mainstreet, walked back to the pumpkin once Oogie took over, then ran to the line the second they were over and made it!  We saw Evil Queen, Jafar, and Hades.
> 
> We walked the treat trail in between seeing characters all night and needed up with way more candy than last week...although there were two of us, so it was probably about the same per person.  We finished the night off with the end of party show (super fun!) but my niece was asleep about 15 minutes before it started.
> 
> I had her in the carrier and took advantage of her being asleep to get great atmosphere pictures, mostly the castle, then took the tram out (at 11:30 lines were still 3 trams deep) and got her successfully transferred to bed , still asleep!
> 
> It was very different from before, running around the park and all the great trails.  We saw 8 sets of villains tonight, plus two extra visits with the Tremaines, and got an assured amount of candy.  It was more relaxed (except when trying to get to see Hades!) which worked well with my tired state!



Thanks for the report, sounds like a wonderful time. That's awesome that you did two parties and got to experience them in different ways. By staying in town square the whole time sounds great to just be able to "take it all in". We go to the party on Friday and I can hardly wait. With each report I read I get more excited.


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## BigCheese

Thank you to everyone for posting their experiences at the MHP.  We've been to DLR during Halloweentime, but never to the MHP.  The 20th will be our first time, and everything sounds like fun!  Has anyone been to Rancho del Zocalo during the party?  I've seen some pictures of pirate Chip & Dale and pirate Goofy with a pirate backdrop.  Is that a M&G there for pirate costumed characters?  I know in the past it was more of an informal dance party (or something along those lines), but was just wondering if anyone experienced that this year.


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## adudeinblue

Thanks guys for the feedback! I was able to convince the GF to save the Maggie and Glen costume for another year and try to do Honey Lemon and Hiro Hamada from Big Hero 6 instead. Our MHP is on the last day and on Halloween, so we still have a lot of time to change our costumes. Definitely don't want to draw negative attention nor cause trouble.


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## figment_jii

BigCheese said:


> Thank you to everyone for posting their experiences at the MHP.  We've been to DLR during Halloweentime, but never to the MHP.  The 20th will be our first time, and everything sounds like fun!  Has anyone been to Rancho del Zocalo during the party?  I've seen some pictures of pirate Chip & Dale and pirate Goofy with a pirate backdrop.  Is that a M&G there for pirate costumed characters?  I know in the past it was more of an informal dance party (or something along those lines), but was just wondering if anyone experienced that this year.


Rancho del  Zocalo was being used a treat trail/character meet and greet on the 26th.  They had set up some PotC-themed decorations in the area.  The treat trail winds through the main courtyard seating area and then you can either opt to exit or get in line to see the character (I think i saw pirate Donald and Goofy while I was there).  There was no dance party this year; I remember reading it made it kind of chaotic in that area last year with the dance party and treat trail in one location.  This set-up seemed to move pretty smoothly.



adudeinblue said:


> Thanks guys for the feedback! I was able to convince the GF to save the Maggie and Glen costume for another year and try to do Honey Lemon and Hiro Hamada from Big Hero 6 instead. Our MHP is on the last day and on Halloween, so we still have a lot of time to change our costumes. Definitely don't want to draw negative attention nor cause trouble.


I think Big Hero 6 sounds like a good plan!


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## BigCheese

figment_jii said:


> Rancho del  Zocalo was being used a treat trail/character meet and greet on the 26th.  They had set up some PotC-themed decorations in the area.  The treat trail winds through the main courtyard seating area and then you can either opt to exit or get in line to see the character (I think i saw pirate Donald and Goofy while I was there).  There was no dance party this year; I remember reading it made it kind of chaotic in that area last year with the dance party and treat trail in one location.  This set-up seemed to move pretty smoothly.



Thanks!  Sounds perfect for meeting the pirate themed costumed characters!


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## Sjwillia

Thank you all for sharing your party experiences.  I will be going to my first MHP on October 24th.  Clearly I will not get to experience everything, so I am going to need to prioritize.  The Monsters U dance party and Cadaver Dans perform 4 times.  Can anyone tell me how long the performances are?  Also, of the 10 treat trails, which do you think are the top 3 or 4 to hit?  Any you wished you had not spent time on?  I appreciate everyone's perspective.


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## Crisi83

I have a couple of questions about Halloween time.

We went in 2011 (I think) and during the day you could also meet the villians in the park, is that still true?  We will be there for 3 days a head of time and I want to do as much stuff (like ride the special rides) before the party, so we can just focus on party specific stuff (Mickey and Minnie in costume is important to me, are they in toontown all night?)

Also, are Mike and Sully at the Monsters Inc dance party?  Have a 7 yr old who used to have a big crush on Mike 

Thanks for any advice!


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## figment_jii

Sjwillia said:


> Thank you all for sharing your party experiences.  I will be going to my first MHP on October 24th.  Clearly I will not get to experience everything, so I am going to need to prioritize.  The Monsters U dance party and Cadaver Dans perform 4 times.  Can anyone tell me how long the performances are?  Also, of the 10 treat trails, which do you think are the top 3 or 4 to hit?  Any you wished you had not spent time on?  I appreciate everyone's perspective.


The Cadaver Dans don't really have a long set (maybe five songs or so).  I would say not much more than 10 minutes.

In terms of the treat trails, I would say that the one at the Golden Horseshoe and Rancho del Zocalo are the most detailed/themed.  The other trails are all similar, in that there are multiple candy stops, but no additional decor.  I like the one at Villains Square (Town Square) because it has Werther's Caramels.  I would skip the monorail trail, because it's a long walk!  Innoventions was a pretty good trail as well (you might get a glimpse of Phineas & Ferb or Agent P, depending on the timing).



Crisi83 said:


> We went in 2011 (I think) and during the day you could also meet the villians in the park, is that still true?  We will be there for 3 days a head of time and I want to do as much stuff (like ride the special rides) before the party, so we can just focus on party specific stuff (Mickey and Minnie in costume is important to me, are they in toontown all night?)


There is a villain (single) meet and greet in the Halloween Carnival area during the day (Conjure a Villain).  You only get one villain at a time and you don't know which one it will be.  I did see Cruella out in Town Square in the afternoon, but she might not always be there.  If seeing villains are important, I would make an effort to get in line for them at MHP (get in line before the party starts to minimize your "during the party" wait time).

Mickey and Minnie are in their Halloween costumes at the Halloween Carnival during the day.  Toontown is open before the party, but I think it closes during the party (it did last year).


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## darlenesmommy

What characters can we expect to see out at Halloween time when not going to a party?   I heard of something going on at big thunder for Halloween.  What is it and is it something we can do when not eating there?  My kids wont eat the food there.  What else goes on during Halloween time that's not only for party guests?


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## figment_jii

*Halloween Carnival at Big Thunder Ranch*
The Halloween Carnival at Big Thunder Ranch was a fun place to check out the pumpkin carvers, watch a magic show, and meet some characters in their Halloween costumes.  The Halloween Carnival is open to all guests of Disneyland.  The Big Thunder Ranch area is roughly divided into three section: the petting zoo, the Big Thunder Ranch BBQ (restaurant), and the Halloween Carnival.  

The banner at the entrance:





More decorations at the entrance, plus the schedule of events:





The “ticket-taker”:





A decorated wagon on the walkway between the Big Thunder Ranch and the Big Thunder BBQ.





Decorations at Big Thunder Ranch BBQ:





More decorations around the Carnival:





Inside the *Scaredy Shack* décor.





















*Characters*
Several different characters wander around the Halloween Carnival, dressed in their Halloween costumes.  We saw Mickey and Minnie, Chip and Dale, Donald, and Goofy while we were there.  They don’t have a set meet and greet area and just “wander” so you have to go up to them and say “hi”.  

Mickey and Minnie in their Halloween Costumes





Figment got to meet Mickey!





On a side note, I was waiting for the Magic Show to begin and I noticed someone dressed kind of like a ghost, walk through the Carnival Area.  After a while, I realized, that’s how the Villain from *Conjure a Villain* gets to and from the tent!  Figment did not go to Conjure a Villain (he saw plenty of Villains at MHP), but it's a popular area of the Carnival.  The line appears to move slowly, but each group that they let in is pretty big (the rule of thumb I overheard was that pretty much everyone inside the hay bale waiting area will fit into the tent).


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## darlenesmommy

figment_jii said:


> The Cadaver Dans don't really have a long set (maybe five songs or so).  I would say not much more than 10 minutes.
> 
> In terms of the treat trails, I would say that the one at the Golden Horseshoe and Rancho del Zocalo are the most detailed/themed.  The other trails are all similar, in that there are multiple candy stops, but no additional decor.  I like the one at Villains Square (Town Square) because it has Werther's Caramels.  I would skip the monorail trail, because it's a long walk!  Innoventions was a pretty good trail as well (you might get a glimpse of Phineas & Ferb or Agent P, depending on the timing).
> 
> 
> There is a villain (single) meet and greet in the Halloween Carnival area during the day (Conjure a Villain).  You only get one villain at a time and you don't know which one it will be.  I did see Cruella out in Town Square in the afternoon, but she might not always be there.  If seeing villains are important, I would make an effort to get in line for them at MHP (get in line before the party starts to minimize your "during the party" wait time).
> 
> Mickey and Minnie are in their Halloween costumes at the Halloween Carnival during the day.  Toontown is open before the party, but I think it closes during the party (it did last year).






I just noticed the end of your post. Did not see this as I posted.






figment_jii said:


> *Halloween Carnival at Big Thunder Ranch*
> The Halloween Carnival at Big Thunder Ranch was a fun place to check out the pumpkin carvers, watch a magic show, and meet some characters in their Halloween costumes.  The Halloween Carnival is open to all guests of Disneyland.  The Big Thunder Ranch area is roughly divided into three section: the petting zoo, the Big Thunder Ranch BBQ (restaurant), and the Halloween Carnival.
> 
> The banner at the entrance:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> More decorations at the entrance, plus the schedule of events:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The ticket-taker:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> A decorated wagon on the walkway between the Big Thunder Ranch and the Big Thunder BBQ.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Decorations at Big Thunder Ranch BBQ:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> More decorations around the Carnival:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Inside the *Scaredy Shack* décor.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Characters*
> Several different characters wander around the Halloween Carnival, dressed in their Halloween costumes.  We saw Mickey and Minnie, Chip and Dale, Donald, and Goofy while we were there.  They dont have a set meet and greet area and just wander so you have to go up to them and say hi.
> 
> Mickey and Minnie in their Halloween Costumes
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Figment got to meet Mickey!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> On a side note, I was waiting for the Magic Show to begin and I noticed someone dressed kind of like a ghost, walk through the Carnival Area.  After a while, I realized, thats how the Villain from *Conjure a Villain* gets to and from the tent!  Figment did not go to Conjure a Villain (he saw plenty of Villains at MHP), but it's a popular area of the Carnival.  The line appears to move slowly, but each group that they let in is pretty big (the rule of thumb I overheard was that pretty much everyone inside the hay bale waiting area will fit into the tent).






Than you for the info and photos. I'm excited to see everything. We have seen normal disneyland, Christmas time and now going at halloween time.


----------



## Crisi83

Another question - Me and my daughter are going dressed as Rapunzel and Mother Gothel.  We plan to get there when they first let MHP in (though I have an annual pass, so I guess I could get in earlier.  Do they enforce adults not in halloween costumes ahead of time?)


So what is our best chance of meeting Rapunzel (and Flynn would be great too).  Should we go before, or will she be at the party?


----------



## figment_jii

Crisi83 said:


> Another question - Me and my daughter are going dressed as Rapunzel and Mother Gothel.  We plan to get there when they first let MHP in (though I have an annual pass, so I guess I could get in earlier.  Do they enforce adults not in halloween costumes ahead of time?)


The rules and what happens in practice are two different things in this case.  Technically, adult guests are not allowed to wear costumes into Disneyland prior to the time when the MHP ticket is valid.  In practice, I saw adults dressed in costume in the morning.  So you could probably come in earlier in costume, but if Disney opted to enforce the rules, you may be asked to change your outfit.



Crisi83 said:


> So what is our best chance of meeting Rapunzel (and Flynn would be great too).  Should we go before, or will she be at the party?


I thought they did a short meet and greet after the Tangled show at Princess Fantasy Faire.  Hopefully someone who's checked out the area recently can report back on that.


----------



## Crisi83

How does Princess Fantasy Faire work now?  Last time I was there, I think it was simply meetings and Tangled still had its own dedicated meet anyways.


----------



## figment_jii

Crisi83 said:


> How does Princess Fantasy Faire work now?  Last time I was there, I think it was simply meetings and Tangled still had its own dedicated meet anyways.



Hi _Crisi83_ - I have not had much experience with Princess Fantasy Faire, so hopefully someone with more experience will chime in (or you might consider asking this question on it's own thread).  From what I know, there is the traditional meet and greet for some princesses inside the Fantasy Faire building.  There is also a performance stage area where they do a comic retelling of Tangled (and maybe Beauty and the Beast).  Last I read, Rapunzel and Flynn rider come out to meet guests of the show after the performance ends (except the last performance, I think).  This is not a published meet and greet, so you won't find it on any schedule.  Merida also meets on the walkway in the Fantasy Faire area.  The old Tangled meet and greet area was re-purposed and is now where Anna & Elsa meet guests.


----------



## Crisi83

Okay, I'll try to investigate Princess Fantasy Faire more...  I figure out first day since we will only be there in the later part of the day, I will try to track down as much information as I can about when to meet the important characters. Merida is also high on the list. 

I knew Tangled was now Anna and Elsa, which makes me sad cause the tower was a great picture spot  Oh well, if I can even get my toddler to stay still for a pic, we will get other ones...


----------



## pycees312

of all my years of going to Disneyland I have NEVER been to this event. I am going on Friday and i feel like such a newbie! i am so excited and have no idea where to start lol. Even looking at this thread is overwelming lol. I am so happy to finally get to experience it now that all my kids are older, i figured i better go now as my last lil guy is now 11 and on to Universal Studios now. He is being a trooper and going with me for this last trip. Bitter sweet but im sure it will be a super blast!! Thanks Sherry for all your hard work throughout the years!!!


----------



## Sherry E

pycees312 said:


> of all my years of going to Disneyland I have NEVER been to this event. I am going on Friday and i feel like such a newbie! i am so excited and have no idea where to start lol. Even looking at this thread is overwelming lol. I am so happy to finally get to experience it now that all my kids are older, i figured i better go now as my last lil guy is now 11 and on to Universal Studios now. He is being a trooper and going with me for this last trip. Bitter sweet but im sure it will be a super blast!! Thanks Sherry for all your hard work throughout the years!!!



Well, hello there, *pycees312*!  Welcome!

Thank you for the kind words! 

You know, I think I mentioned you in my Catalina/Free Catalina Express boat ride thread (it's in the Southern California forum) quite a while back, as I was telling people that I had been looking at the photos from your trip on Facebook, and that you and your group seemed to be having a great time!

Am I imagining it, or weren't you trying to go to Mickey's Halloween Party last year?  I am guessing I am remembering incorrectly, or your plan just fell through.  I remember that you posted in the previous Halloween Time Superthread and had been considering the party.

You know, I just peeked over on MiceChat a while ago, and I noticed that someone claimed to have overheard a CM saying that this is the last year of the Halloween Party at Disneyland, as it is supposedly moving back to DCA next year.  Of course, the person who reported hearing that could have easily misunderstood or misheard the information, and everyone who replied in that thread seemed to have a bit of doubt about it.  So it is very much a rumor and not factual for now.

Nonetheless, next year IS Disneyland's 60th anniversary, and it _could_ be possible that the Halloween Party moves back to DCA for at least one year while Disneyland focuses on more anniversary-specific things.  Goodness knows that DCA is lacking in any and all Halloween fun and it needs something.  So they would have to roll out a whole Halloween decorations package for at least a couple of lands in DCA (like A Bug's Land or Cars Land??) to make the atmosphere festive if that were the case.

In any event, it's a good thing you're finally going to the MHP in Disneyland -- just in case it happens to move back to DCA in 2015!

I don't know if you caught the post in which I had compiled all of the MHP reviews so far this season (from everyone who has kindly provided them), but if you didn't see it I will re-post it, so you can glance at some of the reviews and get an idea of what to expect!


----------



## TinkerJR

figment_jii said:


> The DisneyStore.com has a Mr. Incredible t-shirt 'costume' that might work.  I bet that a t-shirt would be cooler than a full body Olaf costume (although, that sure looked cute).  Add in some red pants and black shoes and you'd be pretty close without having do to anything too elaborate.
> http://www.disneystore.com/mr-incredible-costume-tee-for-men/mp/1355647/1000228/



15 days until we leave!  

We decided on The Incredibles (and it was surprisingly easy to get everyone to agree). Since the Disney Store only had Mr. Incredible, I decided to make them!  



I also finished the leggings on Sunday and our shorts came in today's mail.  Now all I need are eye masks and we (I) will be done.


----------



## figment_jii

*Halloween Carnival at Big Thunder Ranch*

One the most interesting things at the Halloween Carnival are the pumpkin carvers.  This year, there seemed to be more etched and painted pumpkins.  The carvers said they last longer this way and are less prone to molding.





Haunted Mansion Wallpaper Pumpkin





Tinkerbell Pumpkin





Its a Small World and Winnie the Pooh Pumpkins





Pearly Band from Mary Poppins Pumpkin









Anna and Elsa Pumpkin





Olaf Pumpkin





Mickey Pumpkins





The Caterpillar from Alice in Wonderland Pumpkin





The Doorknob from Alice in Wonderland Pumpkin





Jack Skellington with Spider Pumpkin





Scar Pumpkin





Maleficent Pumpkin





Groot from Guardians of the Galaxy Pumpkin





Flik Pumpkin





Hatbox Ghost Pumpkin


----------



## CassieF

For those asking about non party villains, Cruella has been out around Town Square recently, despite conjure a villain going on.  Also, rumor has it the Evil Queen will be back in FL next week, as they are bringing out the characters that were cut at the beginning of a summer.  I have seen Fairy Godmother out a few times this month, and seen pictures of Genie out again as well.


----------



## Diszona

CassieF said:


> For those asking about non party villains, Cruella has been out around Town Square recently, despite conjure a villain going on.  Also, rumor has it the Evil Queen will be back in FL next week, as they are bringing out the characters that were cut at the beginning of a summer.  I have seen Fairy Godmother out a few times this month, and seen pictures of Genie out again as well.



We saw Cruella, Fairy Godmother and Genie out last week as well as Captain Hook out and about last week.  We didn't see the Evil Queen.


----------



## bouds

Non-Party Villains: We saw the Evil Queen and Malificent walking around, but i'm not sure where they stopped for M&Gs (we just saw them coming and going.) Jack Skellington is around all day near HMH. We saw him around 9:30 am Monday, and the line was about 10-15 mins (also, at that time there was no line for HMH). Lines were much longer in the evenings. He is well-worth meeting (totally in character and funny.) Of course, you can conjure a Villain at the Carnival at Big Thunder Ranch. We saw Cruella there, who was wonderful. Took a long time, both waiting outside the tent and once inside. But she is entertaining while you are waiting to meet her. If you are there with kids, one adult can wait in line for Conjuring, while the rest wander around the rest of the carnival. 

A note on the carnival: I thought the magic show was pretty lame (only saw about half of it.) But there was a dance party just before it started with Mickey, Minnie, pumpkin Donald, Chip, Dale, and Goofy. That was good fun for the kids. This was at about 11-11:30 am on Monday.


----------



## eileenkeeney

Almost all of the parties for October, are showing sold out (including the one I am attending).

Who would have guessed that October 29th would be the last party (in October) to sell out (or maybe the only one that won't sell out).

I am not able to see what sold out (or did not sell out) in September.  

How crowded is the DL party, when it is sold out?
How much below park capacity, do they set the party Capacity?
How does this compare to a typical fall day crowd?


----------



## Sherry E

eileenkeeney said:


> Almost all of the parties for October, are showing sold out (including the one I am attending).
> 
> Who would have guessed that October 29th would be the last party (in October) to sell out (or maybe the only one that won't sell out).
> 
> I am not able to see what sold out (or did not sell out) in September.
> 
> How crowded is the DL party, when it is sold out?
> How much below park capacity, do they set the party Capacity?
> How does this compare to a typical fall day crowd?



*eileenkeeney --*

The party immediately before Halloween hasn't sold out for the last couple of years (or, if it did sell out it was at the very last minute), so this year is just repeating that same pattern with 10/29 remaining open!

The one surprise this year in the sellout patterns is that the second MHP of the year -- 9/30 -- appeared to have not sold out, when it has sold out in every other year.

No one knows how many tickets are sold to the parties, and if the same number of tickets is sold for all of the nights.  So when a party sells out we don't know what that means in terms of numbers.  I have read "guesses" and speculation that ranged anywhere from 10,000 tickets to 40,000 tickets per party, but there could be more or fewer than that sold on any given night.

All of the MHP sellout info for this year (as far as which dates sold out and when they sold out) can be found in *this post* from page 1 of this thread, *this post* from page 1 of this thread and also in figment_jii's separate *tracking post*. 

Many of the reports that have come in about the MHP up until now have reported fairly substantial crowds either at the MHP itself, or in the 3 hour overlap period of MHP guests and non-MHP guests, or both.  However, no one has really said that the crowds were so daunting that they had a bad time.  I think that the MHP is, more or less, manageably crowded.  Personally, I feel that too many tickets are sold and I wish that it felt a little more exclusive.  Other people are not bothered by the crowds at the MHP, though.


----------



## pycees312

Yup that was my group at Catalina Island and we had a blast. Boy you sure are a wealth of info with a great memory!! The tickets were sold out last year while i was planning and we just went anyway just not the party. I do not know if i'd pay to go to DCA so now i am even more glad we are going now!!I have skimmed all the important threads now and i feel much much better lol. When in doubt always go back to the Dis Thanks again for everything and all the pics from everyone are fantastic!!! 





Sherry E said:


> Well, hello there, *pycees312*!  Welcome!
> 
> Thank you for the kind words!
> 
> You know, I think I mentioned you in my Catalina/Free Catalina Express boat ride thread (it's in the Southern California forum) quite a while back, as I was telling people that I had been looking at the photos from your trip on Facebook, and that you and your group seemed to be having a great time!
> 
> Am I imagining it, or weren't you trying to go to Mickey's Halloween Party last year?  I am guessing I am remembering incorrectly, or your plan just fell through.  I remember that you posted in the previous Halloween Time Superthread and had been considering the party.
> 
> You know, I just peeked over on MiceChat a while ago, and I noticed that someone claimed to have overheard a CM saying that this is the last year of the Halloween Party at Disneyland, as it is supposedly moving back to DCA next year.  Of course, the person who reported hearing that could have easily misunderstood or misheard the information, and everyone who replied in that thread seemed to have a bit of doubt about it.  So it is very much a rumor and not factual for now.
> 
> Nonetheless, next year IS Disneyland's 60th anniversary, and it _could_ be possible that the Halloween Party moves back to DCA for at least one year while Disneyland focuses on more anniversary-specific things.  Goodness knows that DCA is lacking in any and all Halloween fun and it needs something.  So they would have to roll out a whole Halloween decorations package for at least a couple of lands in DCA (like A Bug's Land or Cars Land??) to make the atmosphere festive if that were the case.
> 
> In any event, it's a good thing you're finally going to the MHP in Disneyland -- just in case it happens to move back to DCA in 2015!
> 
> I don't know if you caught the post in which I had compiled all of the MHP reviews so far this season (from everyone who has kindly provided them), but if you didn't see it I will re-post it, so you can glance at some of the reviews and get an idea of what to expect!


----------



## Sherry E

pycees312 said:


> Yup that was my group at Catalina Island and we had a blast. Boy you sure are a wealth of info with a great memory!! The tickets were sold out last year while i was planning and we just went anyway just not the party. I do not know if i'd pay to go to DCA so now i am even more glad we are going now!!I have skimmed all the important threads now and i feel much much better lol. When in doubt always go back to the Dis Thanks again for everything and all the pics from everyone are fantastic!!!



*pycees312 --*

You're very welcome!

Be sure to report back here and let us know how your first-ever MHP goes, if you think it's worth it, not worth it, etc.!

I still wonder if the MHP would actually move back to DCA, even for one year, although... when TSMM first opened in 2008 there was information that came out to indicate that TSMM was set up to receive both a Halloween overlay and a Christmas/Holiday overlay of some sort, and all it would require would be an easy swap of the games in the ride to more theme-specific ones.  Also, apparently there is already Halloween and holiday-themed Mr. Potato Head banter that was recorded years ago and then shelved for future use.

Not only that, but one or two Disney technical wizards said of World of Color when it opened that it, too, was set up to easily receive overlays.  We've already got Winter Dreams, but if a Halloween party were to move to DCA for a year, a Halloween version of World of Color could be a selling point, along with a Halloween TSMM.

I have thought all along that Cars Land could get away with some very cleverly executed Halloween décor since it showcases the Holiday season décor so well.


----------



## Kerri D

We're headed over for our first Disneyland AND first MHP experience in 3 weeks! I've got tickets to the 29th party (which i'm excited hasn't sold out yet).
I just want to say this forum is an absolute wealth of info and i'll be trawling it in the coming weeks finding out all the tips and tricks!

We land at 6.30am on the same day we're going to the party so I think we will be quite tired, but i'm hoping the adrenalin will kick in and keep us going throughout the night! We're backing it up with a visit to the park the following day, unfortunately this is the only time we're able to use, so I am trying to get the most out of our limited time there!

I like the idea of being able to see the core characters in their costumes during the day. Are there any of the rides that people highly recommend doing during the party/night time hours??


----------



## Princess13.1

pycees312 said:


> of all my years of going to Disneyland I have NEVER been to this event. I am going on Friday and i feel like such a newbie! i am so excited and have no idea where to start lol. Even looking at this thread is overwelming lol. I am so happy to finally get to experience it now that all my kids are older, i figured i better go now as my last lil guy is now 11 and on to Universal Studios now. He is being a trooper and going with me for this last trip. Bitter sweet but im sure it will be a super blast!! Thanks Sherry for all your hard work throughout the years!!!



I feel the same way!  Totally overwhelmed with all of this great info.  We get there Thursday and are attending the Friday party.


----------



## maleficent55

I'm beyond excited to meet Jack! My 4 year old daughter is as well. I was wondering, as far as Jack staying in character....does he speak? Is it the same inflection and almost accent as in the movie?
Ohhhh sooo excited!


----------



## figment_jii

Kerri D said:


> I like the idea of being able to see the core characters in their costumes during the day. Are there any of the rides that people highly recommend doing during the party/night time hours??


None of the rides have anything different about them during the party, so I would focus on doing rides during the day and then doing party specific activities during the party hours.  



maleficent55 said:


> I'm beyond excited to meet Jack! My 4 year old daughter is as well. I was wondering, as far as Jack staying in character....does he speak? Is it the same inflection and almost accent as in the movie?


He does speak...he sounds close to me, but I haven't watch NBC really recently so I don't know how close he is to the movie version.  _perlster_ had a video linked in his post from the start of HalloweenTime:
http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=52270211&postcount=1584


----------



## Kilala

Some of you have been saying that you got yogurt covered raisins. I saw the Milk Chocolate covered raisins. Where can I find the yogurt covered raisins?


----------



## figment_jii

Kilala said:


> Some of you have been saying that you got yogurt covered raisins. I saw the Milk Chocolate covered raisins. Where can I find the yogurt covered raisins?



I think it's hit or miss at any of the station that had the Crasins.  I don't know if they're initially mixed or not, but often the stations had them mixed together so it was just luck of the draw which one you got.  Other stations only had one type (when I was there, it was mostly the yogurt covered ones).  I don't think there was any pattern to which stations had the chocolate or yogurt ones, so it's just a matter of looking and asking at every one.


----------



## kkmcan

I just wanted to give a mini trip report on here about our MHP on 10/3 and our DCA day on 10/4.  

We entered DL at 4:00 ish and it was busy but the line moved quickly.  We noticed on the wait board at the end of main street that Indy on had a 15 minute line. I didn't believe it so we walked by to check it out. The sign did indeed say 15 minutes but the line was clear out to the walkway so we decided to grab fastpasses with a return time of 5:15.  We then headed to check out pirates and by passed it because it had a 30 minute line.  Headed straight over to Big Thunder which had a 15 min line. Rode that and then decided to head over to Haunted Mansion.  That had a huge line so we backtracked and did Pirates with a 20 min wait. We went back to Indy to use our fp but it was down.  While we were standing there trying to decide what to do next they re-opened it and we ended up on the second car out!

  We hit Space next. It had a 15 minute wait time which turned out to maybe 10.  Then we headed to Splash to meet up with our friends. The kids all wanted to ride that together.  The wait time was 75 minutes and I didn't want to wait but everyone else did. We timed it and it ended up being 25 minutes. Not to bad at all!  We jumped in line to get our Zero popcorn buckets (just a 5 minute wait) and then onto HM.  HM had a 30 minute wait still but we hoped it wouldn't actually be that long. It went down while we waited in line. We decided to stay in line as many people exited in hopes of it coming back up soon. We probably waited 20 minutes and it came back up and we were in the second elevator. 

Lines for candy were long and we weren't ready to wait so we headed over to Plaza Inn for dinner.  We watched the fireworks and then jumped in line to trick or treat at Pixie Hollow.  We went through several treat trails in tomorrow land and near Matterhorn. Then headed to Alice. That had a 30 minute wait which we weren't willing to wait for so we headed through Fantasyland and did the treat trail around Dumbo.  Went through the trail from Fantasyland to Big Thunder and jumped on BTMRR with no wait.  Went to try and do HM again as it was near the end of the night but there was a 35 minute wait so we got on Pirates with no wait.  Hit the treat trails that were in the area and headed out right as they party was ending.  

We were extremely happy with crowd levels and ride waits.  I didn't expect it to be like that at all.  Our candy bags were full and we rode almost everything we wanted to except Small World and Buzz.  

The next day we had a 1 day 1 park ticket that we used for DCA.  We didnt' make it to park opening, missed it by a half hour as we were exhausted from the night before.  We got to DCA and grabbed fp's for RSR with no wait, headed for Toy Story Mania.  It quoted a 10 minute wait and that's pretty much what it was.  The wait was the same after exiting so we jumped in line to do it again. We have never in all our years of DL trips ever made it onto TSMM in 10 minutes and we have never gotten to ride 2 times in a row!! That made our entire trip!

From there the kids rode Screamin,  Swings, Goofy's Sky School and Jumpin Jellyfish.  Alll no wait. Then we jumped on LM and waited 10 minutes for GRR.  Grabbed fastpasses for Soarin and went to do our RSR.  That was even better than I remember (from 2 years ago... our last DL trip).  Went back to do Soarin and had lunch at Whitewater Snacks.  Warning..... the nachos are smaller and they don't make the amazing brownie that we used to get everytime we went.    Booo!

After lunch it was time for a break so back to the hotel we went.  At 5:30 we headed back to DCA to do Monsters, HTH and see the Aladdin show.  I forgot to mention we had grabbed fps for RSR for the evening so we did that, ate dinner and the kids rode GRR again 3 times in a row. They were soaked!! We also rode Luigi's and Maters.  

For a super crowded weekend without much park time I feel like we got everything done we wanted to. We were completely exhausted though. The adults were hurting   But so happy! We couldn't have been happier with our short trip and are planning on doing it again next year.


----------



## eileenkeeney

figment_jii said:


> None of the rides have anything different about them during the party, so I would focus on doing rides during the day and then doing party specific activities during the party hours.



Extra fog?



figment_jii said:


> He does speak...he sounds close to me, but I haven't watch NBC really recently so I don't know how close he is to the movie version.  _perlster_ had a video linked in his post from the start of HalloweenTime:
> http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=52270211&postcount=1584



Awesome.  
My sister, niece, and nephew are dressing as Christmas elves.  My Dad as Santa, his wife as Mrs. Clause.  I was going to make a costume for the snowman from Christmas Town, and then one for Olaf.  But my sister made elf costumes already.  (I had Olaf about half finished when she told me that the nephew wanted to be an Elf, and that she had already made the elf costumes).  
I think that they are generic elves, not modeled after the movie.  
But it will be cute.


----------



## figment_jii

eileenkeeney said:


> Extra fog?


Sorry, I don't quite understand.  They have extra "fog" on the Rivers of America to make it seem more spooky, but none of the River boats are operating.


----------



## CassieF

figment_jii said:


> Sorry, I don't quite understand.  They have extra "fog" on the Rivers of America to make it seem more spooky, but none of the River boats are operating.



That is correct...no boats are running, but the Cadaver Dans do float around on rafts for a few minutes each hour singing halloween songs.  It gives the area great atmosphere, even if you don't get to take a ride on the river.


----------



## Newsiemj

So if the MHP starts at 6, Toontown pre-party starts at 5?


----------



## figment_jii

Is anyone else getting the "Someone Ate the Page" message for the MHP ticket site?  I just went to check and I can on longer access the page either through the link I had bookmarked or the link on the ticketing page.  The regular ticketing page is fine.  I don't know if these means anything, but if folks were thinking about getting tickets for the 29th, you might want to give the phone lines a call and see what is going on.


----------



## perlster

Apparently, you reached the page before the new version was uploaded.


----------



## figment_jii

Yup...that confirms what I was guessing!    When I saw that page it said to "Check Back Closer to the Event" (which didn't make sense).  So that means at this point, all MHP have sold out online.  Some tickets may still via available for phone orders and day-of tickets (primarily for hotel guests) may also be available.


----------



## Swtonscrappn

figment_jii said:


> Is anyone else getting the "Someone Ate the Page" message for the MHP ticket site?  I just went to check and I can on longer access the page either through the link I had bookmarked or the link on the ticketing page.  The regular ticketing page is fine.  I don't know if these means anything, but if folks were thinking about getting tickets for the 29th, you might want to give the phone lines a call and see what is going on.



When I clicked on it, it said "These tickets are no longer available online"


----------



## eileenkeeney

CassieF said:


> That is correct...no boats are running, but the Cadaver Dans do float around on rafts for a few minutes each hour singing halloween songs.  It gives the area great atmosphere, even if you don't get to take a ride on the river.



That might be what I read.
Too bad the boats are not running.  

It would be cool if they added the same fog effect to the Jungle cruise.





Newsiemj said:


> So if the MHP starts at 6, Toontown pre-party starts at 5?



What is the Toontown pre-party like?
Is it open to all park guests (not just party guests)?

We were going to head to ToonTown first, after entering the park at 4.
Hopefully we can get a picture with the Classic Mickey, with us in our Halloween Costumes.


----------



## figment_jii

eileenkeeney said:


> That might be what I read.
> Too bad the boats are not running.  It would be cool if they added the same fog effect to the Jungle cruise.


The fog on the Rivers of America is a great effect and really adds to the Cadaver Dans performance and it makes the Columbia look really eerie.  There are lots of atmospheric elements added throughout the park for MHP (e.g., the scarecrows), so it's worth exploring as much of the park as you can.



eileenkeeney said:


> What is the Toontown pre-party like?
> Is it open to all park guests (not just party guests)?  We were going to head to ToonTown first, after entering the park at 4. Hopefully we can get a picture with the Classic Mickey, with us in our Halloween Costumes.



From what I can tell, Toontown will be open to all guests until two hours before the party starts (so 5:00 pm on nights when MHP starts at 7:00 pm).  So, assuming that schedule holds, you should be able to get into Toontown to meet Mickey at his house from 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm.  He also makes appearances in Town Square during the day (I don't know if there is a schedule).


----------



## PenguinoMF

Are the villains signing autographs at the Halloween party and/or conjure a villain? We want to get Maleficent's autograph.


----------



## Diszona

figment_jii said:


> From what I can tell, Toontown will be open to all guests until two hours before the party starts (so 5:00 pm on nights when MHP starts at 7:00 pm).  So, assuming that schedule holds, you should be able to get into Toontown to meet Mickey at his house from 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm.  He also makes appearances in Town Square during the day (I don't know if there is a schedule).



You definitely want to get to Toontown before 5:00 even if you have party tickets.  He was not at his house during the party, there was a trick-or-treat station there instead.

We did see him in Town Square in morning and the early afternoon (Donald was also there in the afternoon) pretty much every day we were in the park.  The lines weren't too bad either.


----------



## lorijohnhill

I'm sorry to be repetitive, but I suspect my question got lost in the shuffle  

How do the children get selected to walk in the Frozen pre-parade?


----------



## figment_jii

lorijohnhill said:


> How do the children get selected to walk in the Frozen pre-parade?



Sorry about that...I don't have any first hand knowledge of how they select the children that get to walk behind the Frozen float.  My guess is that CMs are looking around the crowds to find children (and families) that are dressed up as Frozen characters.  I remember _Kilala_ mentioning that she was chosen to be part of the parade last year, so you might send her a PM to see if she has any suggestions/advice on how (or where she was) to be selected.


----------



## lorijohnhill

Thanks figment!


----------



## Kilala

figment_jii said:


> Sorry about that...I don't have any first hand knowledge of how they select the children that get to walk behind the Frozen float.  My guess is that CMs are looking around the crowds to find children (and families) that are dressed up as Frozen characters.  I remember _Kilala_ mentioning that she was chosen to be part of the parade last year, so you might send her a PM to see if she has any suggestions/advice on how (or where she was) to be selected.



There were CMs in the hub near the way to get to Toon Town close to the Matterhorn. They were asking people if they wanted to join in the parade. We got in the second parade. I don't know anything about the Frozen parade. I didn't see anyone looking for people when I got into the park. 

On a side note with the weather It has been cooling down alot at night once the sun starts to set.


----------



## lorijohnhill

Thank you! We will try to be in that area before the parade and see what happens. My daughter would absolutely love that!


----------



## Drnifer

PenguinoMF said:


> Are the villains signing autographs at the Halloween party and/or conjure a villain? We want to get Maleficent's autograph.


The villains that are physically able do sign. We saw Cruella at Conjure a Villain and she signed. We saw Frollo and Maleficent during the party and they signed also.  Jafar was not signing.


----------



## pycees312

I dont think i read about Ursula being anywhere? is she out at all? I will do a TR on my Oct 10th trip


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## figment_jii

pycees312 said:


> I dont think i read about Ursula being anywhere? is she out at all? I will do a TR on my Oct 10th trip


Sorry, no Ursula (or Vanessa) at MHP or Conjure a Villain.


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## Crisi83

Kilala said:


> On a side note with the weather It has been cooling down alot at night once the sun starts to set.



How cool is it getting?  Light jacket cool?  We're still packing to come out on saturday... Weather looks like it will pretty warm during the day.


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## Amilo

Tonight's party was amazing! Toontown pre party had awesome characters! Chip and Dale in sailor suit, Donald as wizard, Pluto in candy corn collar, Minnie in candy corn princess outfit, and Mickey as Halloween zoro. During the party I literally walked on Pinocchio, snow white, and toad. Jungle cruise was even better because I got my very own boat! At pirates wharf they had peter pan and Wendy but I ended up with captain hook at the last minute. Also met: genie with Aladdin in prince Ali outfit, jaguar, evil queen, and Hades. Halloween fireworks were spectacular! I also really enjoyed theparade. Short lines for btmrr (10 mins), pirates (15), storybook land canal boats (9?). Pirates had an insane line most of the night, but I finally found a time when it was slower. The thing that took longest was meeting captain hook (30?). Overall I was quite impressed with how methodically staff filtered non-party guests out. No complaints!


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## laura&fam

I've seen posts about ride wait times but none including Indiana Jones. My DD14 really wants to ride that. Does anyone have any experience on wait times for it during MHP or the 3 hour overlap?

Also I finished the bag to go with my Little Bo Peep costume. I love how it turned out! Especially since I'm really bad at sewing.


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## wendydarling33

laura&fam said:


> I've seen posts about ride wait times but none including Indiana Jones. My DD14 really wants to ride that. Does anyone have any experience on wait times for it during MHP or the 3 hour overlap?
> 
> Also I finished the bag to go with my Little Bo Peep costume. I love how it turned out! Especially since I'm really bad at sewing.




We rode Indiana Jones twice yesterday.  At 3PM we got a fastpass - I can't remember for sure the standby but I'm thinking it was 35 minutes.  At 9PM we rode standby and it was posted 15 minutes but really was about 10 (or less) - probably because the fireworks were about to start.


----------



## alical04

Party last night was awesome!!  I do not feel that it was as crowded this year as it was last year but last year I went on a Friday party so I don't know if the middle of the week was different or not.  I will give you a quick recap below and then answer some recent questions that people are posting.

Party guests allowed in at 3pm and we lined up to enter the park at around 2:20pm and were the second family in line on the 2nd to the left turnstile.  Lots of people lined up in the middle of the turnstiles because it was shady there.  There was sun where we were at but that was ok.  I recommend getting there as early as possible because it takes them a long time to scan the tickets and wristband everyone!  

Went right to Indiana Jones and had about a 25-30 minute wait. Some of our party got ice cream and did Jungle Cruise instead.  Met up with everyone and went to BTTM with a 10 minute wait.  Got more ice cream/drinks and walked around to go to the restrooms by Mickey's Magical Map to get dressed into the costumes.  Saw the regular parade along the way.  Got everyone dressed and went into the ToonTown Pre-Party line at around 4:30 for 5:00 entrance.  Line was already long for ToonTown by this point and we were in the 2nd row of the line up.  

Entered ToonTown around 5:05 and went right to the Minnie's treat station, nobody was there.  Went on the roller coaster with no wait and then onto the treat station at Donald's boat.  Did the last treat station by Roger Rabbit, long line for this one and then rode Roger Rabbit with no wait and kids played in the house by this area until 6pm.

Headed out to Disneyland and did the treat station by Small World and then did some Fantasyland rides with little wait times except for Alice which was probably 20 minutes.  Did the two Fantasyland treat stations and then ate dinner at Holly Jolly Bakery at around 7:45 or so.  Stayed there for the parade and only stayed for the Frozen pre-parade.  There were no kids walking during the pre-parade so I don't know if they got rid of that or not.   Went to Haunted Mansion with about a 15 minute wait.  Then headed back for the Fireworks.  After the Fireworks we did Space Mountain with a 10 minute wait and then headed home!  Saw the Frozen Pre-Parade on our way out.

To answer some recent questions:

1) Indiana Jones had about a 30-35 minute wait during the 3 hour overlap period but at around 8:40 there was only a 15 minute wait.  Do it during the party!

2) It is getting cool at night but I wore a t-shirt and shorts all night and was not freezing.  If you get cold easily bring a sweater.  Most of the kids costumes keep them warm though.

3) Ride wait times are really low during the party with most being 15 minutes or less.  Even Haunted and Space were a short wait!

4) We did not see any Elsa or Anna kids walking during the pre-parade so they might have done away with this or did not do this last night.  We saw the pre-parade for both of the parades and no kids walking each time.

5) Toontown party is only open to party guests.  Do it!!  It was awesome and you get tons of candy before the party starts and can ride both of the rides or meet characters.  There were a lot of people there so it is crowded but not horrible.  We rode both of the rides and did the 3 treat trails and let the kids play within that hour alone.  If you want to meet characters I suggest that you do that right away as the lines build but they were not too bad.

6) CM's did a great job of getting the non-party guests out and it was fast to filter them out.  They barely checked for the wrists bands but I did see them looking at everyone.  Last year it was different and I feel that last year they were constantly looking for them and this year was more relaxed but I did not see one person without a band on.

Let me know if you have specific questions and I will be happy to answer as best as I can!


----------



## wendydarling33

Thought I'd write my review of last night's MHP while it's fresh in my mind.  Thanks to all of you for helping me plan for it.  Overall we had a great time!  

I took my DS (6) as a surprise trip.  He hadn't been to DL for a year and a half so rides were important to him.  We're not really character people so we didn't spend much time on that.  We got to the main entrance in line about 2:30, and they let us in at 2:50.  We got our Zero popcorn (3 min), did HM (20 min), Thunder Mtn (10 min), Jungle Cruise (5 min), Tarzan's Treehpouse, Indiana Jones (FP but broke down so maybe 30 min) and then headed towards Toontown at about 5.

As we walked over there, we noticed that the Carnival/Jamboree/Big Thunder Ranch area was open as a MHP pre-party area.  I don't remember anyone mentioning that on the boards so I was surprised, but it was EMPTY!  There was probably 20 guests in there.  A nice treat trail with no line, all the games, musicians, Duffy, Jesse, Pluto, and a couple scarecrows wandering around.  

We headed to ToonTown around 5:30 but the treat trails were crazy long so we just rode RR and Gadget's (walk ons)  

Next we did the treat trail at Innoventions but it was long too for my likes.  We did Autopia twice, Star Tours, and Buzz - all no waits.  

We hit the treat trails on Main Street (not bad lines for either) and then headed to Fantasyland and did SW, Pinocchio, Casey Jr, and Tea cups (no waiting and then waited 20 minutes for Alice (really wanted to see the new projections).  Then we did the treat trails at Village Haus, Big Thunder Ranch again, and Golden Horseshoe with very short lines.

We squeezed on another ride on Indiana Jones (10 minutes) and then headed to the fireworks and got a pretty decent spot 5 minutes before.  It wasn't perfect but we saw Zero and the Jack globe and most of the sky and fire.  I was actually not super-impressed with it.  I think it had been hyped up too much to me.  It was a very good show but not my favorite.  Maybe if we'd had a better spot...

We did one more (walk on) ride on Star Tours and then called it a night at 10PM.  

We really liked all the decorations and atmosphere.  It was great that most of the rides had no lines.  My son dressed as Indiana Jones and he got a lot of attention from guests and cast members which was really fun for him.  At BTR the violinist even started playing the Indy theme song when he walked by.  He really liked the trick or treating even though he only ate one piece of candy.  I think he was mostly interested in the acquiring.  

We got on 18 rides and came home with a backpack full of candy so I think we got our money's worth!


----------



## laura&fam

wendydarling33 said:


> We rode Indiana Jones twice yesterday.  At 3PM we got a fastpass - I can't remember for sure the standby but I'm thinking it was 35 minutes.  At 9PM we rode standby and it was posted 15 minutes but really was about 10 (or less) - probably because the fireworks were about to start.



Thanks! I think this trip the whole family will be tall enough for every ride


----------



## DisneyJamieCA

wendydarling33- do you know what time the pre-party at Big Thunder Ranch starts? Is it also an hour prior to party start? And I assume it's for party guests only?


----------



## Dot2Vegas

laura&fam said:
			
		

> I've seen posts about ride wait times but none including Indiana Jones. My DD14 really wants to ride that. Does anyone have any experience on wait times for it during MHP or the 3 hour overlap?
> ]



We saw 20 minutes posted for Indy around 5pm, at the October 3rd party.  During the party we walked on into Indy twice!


----------



## wendydarling33

DisneyJamieCA said:


> wendydarling33- do you know what time the pre-party at Big Thunder Ranch starts? Is it also an hour prior to party start? And I assume it's for party guests only?



I'm guessing it started an hour before because I went in about 50 minutes before and like I said there was no one there!  And yes, they were checking wristbands so only party guests.


----------



## alical04

wendydarling33 said:


> Thought I'd write my review of last night's MHP while it's fresh in my mind.  Thanks to all of you for helping me plan for it.  Overall we had a great time!
> 
> I took my DS (6) as a surprise trip.  He hadn't been to DL for a year and a half so rides were important to him.  We're not really character people so we didn't spend much time on that.  We got to the main entrance in line about 2:30, and they let us in at 2:50.  We got our Zero popcorn (3 min), did HM (20 min), Thunder Mtn (10 min), Jungle Cruise (5 min), Tarzan's Treehpouse, Indiana Jones (FP but broke down so maybe 30 min) and then headed towards Toontown at about 5.
> 
> As we walked over there, we noticed that the Carnival/Jamboree/Big Thunder Ranch area was open as a MHP pre-party area.  I don't remember anyone mentioning that on the boards so I was surprised, but it was EMPTY!  There was probably 20 guests in there.  A nice treat trail with no line, all the games, musicians, Duffy, Jesse, Pluto, and a couple scarecrows wandering around.
> 
> We headed to ToonTown around 5:30 but the treat trails were crazy long so we just rode RR and Gadget's (walk ons)
> 
> Next we did the treat trail at Innoventions but it was long too for my likes.  We did Autopia twice, Star Tours, and Buzz - all no waits.
> 
> We hit the treat trails on Main Street (not bad lines for either) and then headed to Fantasyland and did SW, Pinocchio, Casey Jr, and Tea cups (no waiting and then waited 20 minutes for Alice (really wanted to see the new projections).  Then we did the treat trails at Village Haus, Big Thunder Ranch again, and Golden Horseshoe with very short lines.
> 
> We squeezed on another ride on Indiana Jones (10 minutes) and then headed to the fireworks and got a pretty decent spot 5 minutes before.  It wasn't perfect but we saw Zero and the Jack globe and most of the sky and fire.  I was actually not super-impressed with it.  I think it had been hyped up too much to me.  It was a very good show but not my favorite.  Maybe if we'd had a better spot...
> 
> We did one more (walk on) ride on Star Tours and then called it a night at 10PM.
> 
> We really liked all the decorations and atmosphere.  It was great that most of the rides had no lines.  My son dressed as Indiana Jones and he got a lot of attention from guests and cast members which was really fun for him.  At BTR the violinist even started playing the Indy theme song when he walked by.  He really liked the trick or treating even though he only ate one piece of candy.  I think he was mostly interested in the acquiring.
> 
> We got on 18 rides and came home with a backpack full of candy so I think we got our money's worth!



wendydarling33, this might seem weird but I think that you might have been behind us in the line to get into the party!  We had three adults and three kids and my brother wore a red coke shirt and was speaking with you and your son about his Indiana Jones costume and I had a Mickey shirt on.  Was that you behind us in the line for the party?  If so what a small world and if not there was another boy your son's age in the same costume!  Glad you guys had a great time, we had a blast riding lots of rides too!  I will have to keep Big Thunder Ranch in mind for next year.


----------



## Kilala

Dose anyone know how much the lockers are outside Disneyland cost? Me and my friend want to get a locker on Halloween night. Also do the lockers accept cash or just a card?


----------



## wendydarling33

alical04 said:


> wendydarling33, this might seem weird but I think that you might have been behind us in the line to get into the party!  We had three adults and three kids and my brother wore a red coke shirt and was speaking with you and your son about his Indiana Jones costume and I had a Mickey shirt on.  Was that you behind us in the line for the party?  If so what a small world and if not there was another boy your son's age in the same costume!  Glad you guys had a great time, we had a blast riding lots of rides too!  I will have to keep Big Thunder Ranch in mind for next year.



Yes, I think so!  That's so funny - glad you guys had fun too!  It's a small (DIS) world after all.


----------



## DisneyJamieCA

wendydarling33 said:


> I'm guessing it started an hour before because I went in about 50 minutes before and like I said there was no one there!  And yes, they were checking wristbands so only party guests.



So big decision- Big Thunder or Toon Town first. I'm tempted to do Big Thunder since it was so empty! Guess I'll ask the kids and see where they want to start.


----------



## Imdboss

DisneyJamieCA said:


> So big decision- Big Thunder or Toon Town first. I'm tempted to do Big Thunder since it was so empty! Guess I'll ask the kids and see where they want to start.



I was thinking the same thing! Just might switch our plans to Big Thunder also but we never go to Toon Town so that might be a good option for us also...ugh so many decisions! Either way I'm looking forward to the party and I'll see what everyone else wants to do. Can't wait for the party tomorrow although my feet are throbbing after our 12 hour day today.


----------



## PixiDustDears

DisneyJamieCA said:


> So big decision- Big Thunder or Toon Town first. I'm tempted to do Big Thunder since it was so empty! Guess I'll ask the kids and see where they want to start.



I just finished talking with dh about this!  lol  We figure start at Big Thunder since it's not as crowded.  We can get through it and head to Toon Town after most people have already gone in.  Do it the other way and we might get stuck in Toon Town due to crowds and not make it to Big Thunder.


----------



## Crisi83

Is big thunder also a preparty thing like Toon Town?


----------



## Princess13.1

Does anyone know how how they change the villain in Conjure?  If we went to back-to-back shows would we see the villain?  Went yesterday and saw the Evil Queen.  Loved the show and that entire area.


----------



## figment_jii

Princess13.1 said:


> Does anyone know how how they change the villain in Conjure?  If we went to back-to-back shows would we see the villain?  Went yesterday and saw the Evil Queen.  Loved the show and that entire area.


From what I've read, the best estimate is that each set for a villain is about 45 minutes in length.  So, my guess is that each villain probably sees 2 (maybe 3 on the outside) groups of guests.  So, if you got back in line immediately after exiting, there is a chance you'd see the same villain.  In terms of how they chance the villain, if you watch near the backstage entrance, you'll periodically see someone walking in dressed in a ghost costume (only ankles are visible).  It took me a few times of seeing the "ghost" to figure out that is how the villain enters and exits the Halloween Carnival without being seen.


----------



## Solomani

DisneyJamieCA said:


> So big decision- Big Thunder or Toon Town first. I'm tempted to do Big Thunder since it was so empty! Guess I'll ask the kids and see where they want to start.



I'll be attending the party Monday week and will be our first time - what's the difference between Big Thunder and Toon Town on the night ?  Some special transformation just for the party?


----------



## laura&fam

Those of you trying the Big Thunder Ranch pre-party please report back and let us know how it is. Thank you for all the reports so far it has really helped me to plan what to do for our party night.


----------



## DisneyJamieCA

PixiDustDears said:


> I just finished talking with dh about this!  lol  We figure start at Big Thunder since it's not as crowded.  We can get through it and head to Toon Town after most people have already gone in.  Do it the other way and we might get stuck in Toon Town due to crowds and not make it to Big Thunder.



I think that is our plan too


----------



## adudeinblue

figment_jii said:


> I scanned the map...not the best scanner in the world, but hopefully legible.




Thanks! I was using your scan for a while to plan our MHP trip, but I was on their main site today and noticed they also scanned a PDF online too.

https://wdpromedia.disney.go.com/me...en-party/pdf-mickeys-halloween-party-2014.pdf


----------



## figment_jii

adudeinblue said:


> Thanks! I was using your scan for a while to plan our MHP trip, but I was on their main site today and noticed they also scanned a PDF online too.
> 
> https://wdpromedia.disney.go.com/me...en-party/pdf-mickeys-halloween-party-2014.pdf



Thanks!  Glad to see that they finally put up the map.


----------



## alical04

wendydarling33 said:


> Yes, I think so!  That's so funny - glad you guys had fun too!  It's a small (DIS) world after all.



That is funny, glad that you guys had a great time too!!


----------



## figment_jii

*Haunted Mansion Holiday, 2014*
For the most part, this years Haunted Mansion Holiday is very similar to last years edition.  There are a few changes, most have to do with the removal of the extra items added for the 13th anniversary (last year).  Actually, in some ways it helped identify the groups of 13 from last year, because they were missing this year!  Last year (well, in SuperThread #3 and this one), I wrote up a more detailed review of HMH, so this year, itll be a little shorter!

*Outside* (Last Years Post)
Guests are greeted with the sight of the mansion all decked out by Jack Skellington.  

The man-eating wreathe is outside on the entrance.





The scarecrow is in the pumpkin patch.





The mansion is decked out with pumpkins and a clock.





The pumpkin patch graveyard.





The pets in the cemetery have festive bows. (Last Years Post)









































(This was one of the easier groups of 13 to spot last year, but this year, the eagle did not have a bow.)


----------



## Sherry E

I must get caught up in adding the most recent MHP reviews to my MHP Review List.   Again, thank you to everyone here who has been posting the reviews as they will not only help the people who are headed to the MHP within the next 3 weeks, but also the people who go for the first time next year and don't know what to expect (although, if there is any validity to certain rumors floating around 'out there,' the MHP could be see some big changes next year and might end up being quite different from this year's MHP)!

Since this is a Fall holiday weekend, let's cover one of the most important elements of any holiday weekend -- food!  Here are the latest articles and blogs about Disneyland Resort's Fall/Halloween food, as well as the latest Pumpkin Pandemonium sightings (courtesy of The Impulsive Buy, Consumerist, the Junk Food Guy and GrubGrade)!

1.   *"Pumpkin Mania at Disneyland Resort" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted by posted on October 10th, 2014 by Pam Brandon, Disney Parks Food Writer*;

2.  *"Dining in Disneyland: Caramel Apple Funnel Cake and Mango Habanero Lime Iced Tea at Hungry Bear" -- Disney Food Blog; posted on Oct 6th, 2014 by Heather.* _(I'm not even a huge funnel cake fan, but come on now.  This looks DELICIOUS!!!!)_;

3.  Califia Farms Pumpkin Spice Latte Cold Brew Coffee with Almond Milk;

4.  Entenmann's Apple Cinnamon Iced Cake (YUM!)  -- See it -- *HERE*;

5.  Philadelphia Cream Cheese Spread -- Pumpkin Spice and Caramel flavors;

6.  Russell Stover Caramel Apple Chews;

7.  Tru Moo Orange Scream Orange Cream-flavored milk;

8.  Chipotle's Boorito Promotion;

9.  Stacy's Salted Caramel Pita Chips;

10.  Hood's Pumpkin Eggnog; and

11.  Some nondescript brand's Pumpkin Spice milk -- See *HERE*!!!



Speaking of food.... does anyone here use Restaurant.com gift certificates for anything?  They usually allow like $25 off of $50 orders, or $10 off of $30 -- that sort of thing.  They are not tremendously valuable, and the restaurants that participate in Restaurant.com discounts are usually not convenient at all and are very limited (at least not to me), but I know that some folks use them.

One restaurant I noticed that is featured in the Anaheim list of participating Restaurant.com restaurants is Marri's Pizza (which is very close to DLR and usually gets good reviews).  The Restaurant.com gift certificate that I have cannot be used on deliveries -- only in the actual restaurants themselves -- but I _might_ be giving away a Restaurant.com e-gift card I have that I probably won't be using.  I won it through a panel last year, and I have waited for restaurants that I would eat at to be added to the list, but there have been none, or I wouldn't spend $50 to get $25 off.  I have to find out for sure that I can transfer the e-gift to someone else (I think I can), and then I will give it away if anyone would actually use it!



​


----------



## wendydarling33

laura&fam said:


> Those of you trying the Big Thunder Ranch pre-party please report back and let us know how it is. Thank you for all the reports so far it has really helped me to plan what to do for our party night.



Since it seems like a lot of people are interested in this, I'll elaborate on my experience as best I remember.  We got there about 5:10  on 10/8 when the party officially started at 6.  We saw a sign that said MHP pre-party so we decided to check it out.  You had to enter by the BBQ which I believe was still open for regular guests since the entertainment on the stage was still going on.  We were able to do this one treat trail (by showing our wristbands of course) which wraps around and exits by the petting zoo.  

The Carnival area was open as well as the Pirate's League.  Very few guests were in there - I'd guess 20.  Definitely more cast members than guests when we got there at least.  In the Carnival area they were playing the spin a wheel and pumpkin hoop toss games.  Pluto and Duffy were floating around and interacting with guests.  Jessie seemed to have her own meet and greet "space" over by Conjure a Villain but no one was in line for it or greeting with her most of the time.  

As we continued the treat trail there was a violinist playing in the petting zoo area and since we were the only ones in that area, he played the Indiana Jones theme for my son.  

Honestly, we didn't stay very long but it was nice to do the first treat trail without a line and to have a little character interaction before heading to ToonTown.

When we got to TT at 5:30 there was no line to get in but the treat trail lines and character greetings looked pretty long to me (especially after being spoiled at Big Thunder).  It definitely felt more festive there because there were more people and the music was Halloweeny.  We just went on the rides though and moved on.  

Hope that helps - not sure if it will be the same the rest of the party or if they'll start advertising it better.  I think most people just didn't realize it existed but I'm glad we wandered upon it.


----------



## CassieF

So I've spent a LOT of time up at the jamboree and have never seen Pluto out.  A quick search shows he has been out in previous years with a vampire type collar.  Do I just have really bad luck never seeing him or did they eliminate him this year?


----------



## Sherry E

I posted information about Uva Bar's Oktoberfest menu, Catal's Fall menu and Naples' Fall menu a while back.  I also posted about Jazz Kitchen's Murder Mystery event and their Haunted Gingerbread Workshop.

Not to be outdone, Tortilla Jo's in Downtown Disney is celebrating Dia de los Muertos on Saturday, November 1st, with a special menu -- *HERE*.  The churros sound good!  

They will also have kids' activities, face painting "and more," according to the newsletter I got!

So if you are at DLR on 11/1 and the pumpkins are coming down, you can still enjoy Dia de los Muertos food and fun!

​


----------



## Mister Skellington

Any costume threads? I would love to see what everyone was wearing!


----------



## MermaidHair

Sherry E said:


> I posted information about Uva Bar's Oktoberfest menu, Catal's Fall menu and Naples' Fall menu a while back.  I also posted about Jazz Kitchen's Murder Mystery event and their Haunted Gingerbread Workshop.  Not to be outdone, Tortilla Jo's in Downtown Disney is celebrating Dia de los Muertos on Saturday, November 1st, with a special menu -- HERE.  The churros sound good!  They will also have kids' activities, face painting "and more," according to the newsletter I got!  So if you are at DLR on 11/1 and the pumpkins are coming down, you can still enjoy Dia de los Muertos food and fun!



Thanks Sherry!  I was on the fence about what to do for my group of 9 people for dinner on Saturday 11/1.  I saw this and called and booked us a reservation for dinner.  How festive!  I also took your suggestion and moved my dinner reservation at CC earlier in the evening on Halloween itself so we could take advantage of the BTR and TT pre-parties.  Your tips and advice have been so helpful!


----------



## momof6princesses

Last weekend before we leave!  So excited, the kids will get packed and ready today as they have a busy school week. Only 6 more sleeps before we hit the road. 

Thanks to all for the tips and information it has played a huge part in our planning and excitement!


----------



## marypoppins6325

Hi everyone! I have lurked on this thread for a while, but never posted anything before, so bear with me.  My family and I went to MHP last night and had SO MUCH FUN!!! We live in SoCal and go up to Disneyland at least once a year, but had never done the Halloween party before and didn't really know what to expect. For those of you curious about the party, here was our experience: 

We got up to the Disneyland area around 2 pm the day of the party and checked into our hotel, the Sheraton Garden Grove (about 1.5 mi from Disneyland). We stayed there because we could use points and get a room for free and the closer 2 Sheratons were booked - it's fine if everywhere else is full, but I would not overly recommend this hotel. The roll-away bed was ancient, the room was very small and had a slight odor, and the parking lot is tiny. But, we didn't want to have an hour and a half drive home at midnight, and this worked out just fine. Once we settled in, we decided to head over to Downtown Disney to kill some time before the party started. We drove as far as the Toy Story lot and took the bus over - this was SO easy and I would highly recommend using this lot if you are coming from the Garden Grove direction. In DD, we wandered through the World of Disney and got a Starbucks...by that time we were ready to party! 

We lined up to get in around 3:45, and were in through the gates by 5 after 4...not bad, not bad at all. We got a quick picture by the pumpkin Mickey, then decided to wander over to the Frontierland/New Orleans Square area. The park was quite crowded with long lines for most rides, so we hopped on a raft over to Tom Sawyer Island and wandered around for a few minutes. For those of you who haven't been over to the island in a while, wow! They have done updates - including cool almost Audio-Animatronics in a few of the cave trails, and some pirate-themed lore along the trails. 

After returning from the island, it was time to meander over to Cafe Orleans, as we had 5 pm dinner reservations. This was our first time eating here, and the food was so good! We split the pommes frites, a cup of French Onion soup, a cup of gumbo, and 2 Monte Cristo sandwiches between all of us. Everything was absolutely delicious - the sandwiches were both sweet and savory, the fries were full of garlicky goodness, and the gumbo tasted like real down-home Southern cooking. 

After a leisurely dinner, we decided to check out the pre-parties. We went to Big Thunder Ranch first and hit the treat trail, checked out the cool pumpkin carvings, and met a few characters (Duffy, Pluto, and Jessie). Then we wandered over to Toontown and did 2 of the treat trails through the character houses and went on Gadget's Go Coaster....there was no line! 

By the time we were finished there, the party was in full swing. We enjoyed the projections on small world, and as there was no line, decided to take a trip around the world. We then walked past the Matterhorn and saw there was no line, so we also took a bobsled ride. We realized we hadn't done any of the Halloween rides, so we went to Space Mountain: Ghost Galaxy and rode that with around a 20 minute wait. 

By that point, we were all fairly thirsty, so we grabbed some sodas and wandered back over to Frontierland, enjoying the spooky atmosphere. We took a quick spin on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and caught the 8:45 Cadaver Dans performance before securing a spot for the fireworks. We all enjoyed the show, but didn't totally understand all the hype surrounding it. 

Afterwards, we stopped for some Halloween cookies at the Jolly Holiday bakery, went on Haunted Mansion Holiday, caught the mandatory Jungle Cruise boat ride (it's my dad's favorite ride), shopped along Main Street, and did one last treat trail at the front of the park before calling it a night around 11:30. 

This morning, we drove over to the Disneyland Hotel and had a lovely relaxed breakfast at Steakhouse 55 before heading home. 

Overall thoughts and impressions: 
1) Crowds: The crowds were heavy during the turnover period, but after that were quite manageable. It depends on what you want to do, but if you go trick or treating during the pre-parties, you can enjoy most of the party with relatively few lines and crowds. 
2) Atmosphere: We all agreed our favorite part was just strolling and taking all the special atmosphere in. Everyone is having a great time, it's fun seeing the creativity so many people have with their costumes, and the decorations are so neat. 
3) Rides/Value: Wow! If we had wanted to, we could have done a TON of rides in the 8 hours we were there for quite a bit less than the price of a 1 day ticket. We didn't wait more than 20 minutes for a ride all night. 

Hope this is helpful for those of you still planning for or dreaming about the party!


----------



## Renae De Liz

My family and I are going to DL for the first time at Halloween in about 9 days and I'm SO EXCITED!!!

I was wondering how the crowds are for the Halloween Party Fireworks and Parade? Will we have to scout out spots far in advance like regular times? I went during early December at Christmas time in 2012, and it was PACKED and so difficult to get spots. We're going to MHP two nights, but I still don't like the idea of wasting so much time during the parties sitting and holding a spot.

Can't wait to go! I'm making my husband a "Willy the Giant" Costume from Mickey and the Beanstalk for the party. So much fun!


----------



## TulipsNZ

Mister Skellington said:


> Any costume threads? I would love to see what everyone was wearing!








 This was us


----------



## Mister Skellington

marypoppins6325 said:


> Hi everyone! I have lurked on this thread for a while, but never posted anything before, so bear with me....


   Great 1st post! Thanks for sharing. 



TulipsNZ said:


> This was us


How fun! I love group costumes!!! We have three of us going as Lock, Shock, and Barrel from Nightmare Before Xmas. I am still making the masks.


----------



## violentlyserene

Quick date question: are the last Tuesday and Friday in September safe dates to plan on for next years MHP? We need to get the dates off work ASAP but it makes me nervous planning on dates that won't be announced for quite a while. 

Also are the weekday and weekend parties much different in business at that point?


----------



## BigCheese

Based on everyone's experience at the Toontown pre-party, do you think it's possible to meet & greet all of the different characters there within the first hour of the pre-party or so?  How quickly to they rotate the groups in & out? It sounds like standing in line at least 30 minutes before hand (if not more in advance) is advisable?


----------



## casperghost

Feedback on Halloween nights at Disneyland. We have run tour groups to California and DL since 1998 and made personal trips as well. Well what a shock to go this year. We have been coming from Australia to do Halloween nights in DL for several years now and always been very pleased. ..until now. For the first night this year (Friday 26thSept)Not only did we not get access to the park until an hour later than previous years(why ??), but the regular patrons of the park (without event tickets) were still filing in the gates at 6.55pm and not told to remove themselves from the park until 7PM (when a general announcement was made that they could stay shopping in Main St for another hour on top of that)then there were still non-ticketed patrons wandering around at 9pm and later!!! I even saw several people who were NOT tagged with a wrist bands running around getting candy from the trick or treat stations and sitting at the parades and fireworks .  I spoke to quite a few cast members and they were even perplexed at the lack of instruction and guidance from senior staff and how late the other patrons were removed from the park . What a waste of money on our behalf and what shoddy organisation from DL management. Shame on management for that night.. Previously we thought Halloween nights were great and a real treat for the family and the groups we go with. We wont be wasting money or time on it again and certainly wont recommend it to others unless DL Event Management picks up its act. And yes...I have forwarded this onto DL management... maybe they will take notice....but I wont hold my breath.


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## casperghost

we do toontown morning madness every year. You are in there for about 30 mins meeting characters, then a short show. It is possible, but the one you have to be quick off the mark for is Donald and especially Daisy (who usually appears over near Roger Rabbits toonnspin for about 10 minutes and then goes. The ticket says to arrive an hour before regular Toontown hours- but in my experience they someties let patrons in much earlier(we have been let in up to 10 mins earlier) and in that time toontown is empty. BUT you will be first off the mark for Mickey and Minnie who come out first, closely followed by Goofy and Pluto...we have often had Mickey all to ourselves for 5 minutes because of this. If you are not purchasing tickets through the DL travel company (which I recommend and is how you get the TMM tickets+ extras )you can sometimes purchase them on ebay.


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## Sherry E

violentlyserene said:


> Quick date question: are the last Tuesday and Friday in September safe dates to plan on for next years MHP? We need to get the dates off work ASAP but it makes me nervous planning on dates that won't be announced for quite a while.
> 
> Also are the weekday and weekend parties much different in business at that point?



*violentlyserene --*

I think that the last Friday is September 2015 will _most likely_ be a party date -- probably.  If Disney follows the pattern similar to the one they have followed for the last several years, then Friday, 9/25 should be a party date, and so should Tuesday, 9/29.

There is a rumor -- and it is only a rumor, which may never come to fruition at all -- to indicate that the MHP may move back to California Adventure in 2015, and that there are going to be "big changes" coming to the MHP next year. 

If the rumor is true and if there are big changes coming, then the whole schedule could change.  I'm sure that Fridays would still be involved, but the party could start on a different night of the week, there could be more nights or fewer nights, and Tuesdays may not be included.  It's anyone's guess.

When the party used to be held in DCA, it did not start in September.  It started in October.  However, that was before the DCA makeover.  Now that DCA is a more fully realized park (lacking in Halloween décor). it is possible that the same MHP schedule could apply if the MHP moves back there.

Some folks have reported that the early weeknight parties feel less crowded than the Friday parties.  That could be because local parents take their kids home so they can be up early for school the next day, while Friday nights are okay for party guests to linger and stay up late.  Also, I don't know if Disney sells fewer tickets for early weeknights than they do for Friday parties (no one seems to know).





MermaidHair said:


> Thanks Sherry!  I was on the fence about what to do for my group of 9 people for dinner on Saturday 11/1.  I saw this and called and booked us a reservation for dinner.  How festive!  I also took your suggestion and moved my dinner reservation at CC earlier in the evening on Halloween itself so we could take advantage of the BTR and TT pre-parties.  Your tips and advice have been so helpful!



*MermaidHair --*

Thank you for the kind words!  I appreciate it.  I'm so glad to have been of some assistance, and feel very happy that this thread has been of help to many people (thanks to everyone who is participating and sharing info and experiences).

Also, I'm happy to see that you're going to eat at TJ's and enjoy whatever they have going on for Dia de los Muertos!  I almost didn't post that menu link when I got the newsletter in my email, but then I thought, "Hmmm... some of our Halloween travelers will still be at DLR after 10/31, so maybe they'll be interested."

I think it's good that you moved the CC reservation to an earlier time.  At first I was only thinking of the Toontown Pre-Party and how the timing of your meal would work.  This whole Big Thunder Ranch/Carnival area Pre-Party is a surprise and quite new!  If it was happening last year, no one mentioned it.  I think it's a good idea to open a couple of spots ahead of when the party officially begins, especially for those who have to leave a bit earlier.


----------



## violentlyserene

Sherry E said:


> *violentlyserene --*
> 
> I think that the last Friday is September 2015 will _most likely_ be a party date -- probably.  If Disney follows the pattern similar to the one they have followed for the last several years, then Friday, 9/25 should be a party date, and so should Tuesday, 9/29.
> 
> There is a rumor -- and it is only a rumor, which may never come to fruition at all -- to indicate that the MHP may move back to California Adventure in 2015, and that there are going to be "big changes" coming to the MHP next year.
> 
> If the rumor is true and if there are big changes coming, then the whole schedule could change.  I'm sure that Fridays would still be involved, but the party could start on a different night of the week, there could be more nights or fewer nights, and Tuesdays may not be included.  It's anyone's guess.
> 
> When the party used to be held in DCA, it did not start in September.  It started in October.  However, that was before the DCA makeover.  Now that DCA is a more fully realized park (lacking in Halloween décor). it is possible that the same MHP schedule could apply if the MHP moves back there.
> 
> Some folks have reported that the early weeknight parties feel less crowded than the Friday parties.  That could be because local parents take their kids home so they can be up early for school the next day, while Friday nights are okay for party guests to linger and stay up late.  Also, I don't know if Disney sells fewer tickets for early weeknights than they do for Friday parties (no one seems to know).



Thanks for the rumor info. Apparently there was a miscommunication over my husband's availability for vacation so we are only able to be there in oct anyway so it should work out one way or the other. I'm a bit concerned over big changes but really I just hate not knowing what to expect.


----------



## Dot2Vegas

Sherry E said:
			
		

> violentlyserene --
> 
> I think that the last Friday is September 2015 will most likely be a party date -- probably.  If Disney follows the pattern similar to the one they have followed for the last several years, then Friday, 9/25 should be a party date, and so should Tuesday, 9/29.
> 
> There is a rumor -- and it is only a rumor, which may never come to fruition at all -- to indicate that the MHP may move back to California Adventure in 2015, and that there are going to be "big changes" coming to the MHP next year.
> 
> If the rumor is true and if there are big changes coming, then the whole schedule could change.  I'm sure that Fridays would still be involved, but the party could start on a different night of the week, there could be more nights or fewer nights, and Tuesdays may not be included.  It's anyone's guess.
> 
> When the party used to be held in DCA, it did not start in September.  It started in October.  However, that was before the DCA makeover.  Now that DCA is a more fully realized park (lacking in Halloween décor). it is possible that the same MHP schedule could apply if the MHP moves back there.



Oh I hope this does not happen!! We love the party as it is, where it is. I know it used to be at DCA but to us, it would not be the same without HMH, the effects on Rivers of America, and the spooky effects on the castle. For those that used to attend when it was in DCA, did you like it? What did you prefer (I know its a totally different park now, but I never heard much about the old DCA parties)? I told DH about the rumor and he says he would not go to the party if it moves-eek!


----------



## Sherry E

*Dot2Vegas & violentlyserene --*

So far I am not giving too much thought or applying too much credibility to the MHP rumor, but it is worth sort of keeping 'in the backs of our minds,' I suppose -- just in case.  It's very much second/third/fourth-hand information.  

Someone on MiceChat started a thread this past week about supposedly overhearing a CM at the MHP saying that this is the last year for the MHP to be held in DL, and that it is moving back to DCA next year.  I don't post there -- I merely spy on their threads to see what the competition is discussing -- but, from what I could see, most of the people who replied to the person who started the thread were doubtful and skeptical.

Then, someone else posted in that same thread and claimed that during the MHP training this year (_I swear, I never knew there was MHP training until this year_!), the CMs were told that "big changes" were/are coming to the MHP next year.  So, if we take that and tie it in with what the first person said about overhearing that the MHP is moving to DCA, then it becomes more of a "thing."

Of course, the "big changes" may be something totally different than a move to a different park.

If next year were not the DL 60th anniversary year, I would assume that the rumors were 100% false and that the information was simply misinterpreted or misunderstood.

The fact that 2015 is the 60th anniversary year is the only thing that keeps me thinking that a temporary relocation of the MHP could, possibly, perhaps, _maybe_ happen.  It is possible that Disney may want to run its supposed new fireworks and new parade all year long, without interrupting them for the MHP.

However, as you said, the facades and areas around DL lend a lot to the atmosphere and overall mood of the party.  What would the MHP be without Halloween Screams at this point?  There would have to be an all-Halloween World of Color to make up for it, and actual Halloween decorations around DCA (which would be great!).

I went to the party when it was in DCA and I liked it -- I wouldn't mind it returning to DCA if Disney would actually Halloween-ify DCA once again.  They can't leave DCA Halloween-less and have a party there.  But... in terms of atmosphere and interesting treat trail locations, I think that DL is a better showcase for all of it than DCA is.


----------



## CassieF

BigCheese said:


> Based on everyone's experience at the Toontown pre-party, do you think it's possible to meet & greet all of the different characters there within the first hour of the pre-party or so?  How quickly to they rotate the groups in & out? It sounds like standing in line at least 30 minutes before hand (if not more in advance) is advisable?



I've gone twice this year.  Both times we observed the same rotation of characters.  For starters, it opens an hour before the party starts and goes for 2 hours, which means each character is out twice, for half an hour each.  

The first group of characters were Clarabelle and Horace, Chip and Dale, then I think Goofy.

They switched out to Pluto, Mickey and Minnie, then Donald (or Goofy if Donals was out first).  

The longest line was Mickey and Minnie so the trick is to get in Chip and Dale's line about 5 minutes before he half hour mark (which is when Mickey and Minnie will come out) you'll have a short line.  We were able to get all 6 groups of characters in but it took until their last rotation.  I wouldn't plan on getting all in withing an hour, but if you were toward the front you could probably get the first three groups in, as the lines will stay short initially.  If you do that, then wait in chip and dales line until Mickey and Minnie come out, you might be able to do it.


----------



## Dot2Vegas

Sherry E said:
			
		

> Dot2Vegas & violentlyserene --
> 
> So far I am not giving too much thought or applying too much credibility to the MHP rumor, but it is worth sort of keeping 'in the backs of our minds,' I suppose -- just in case.  It's very much second/third/fourth-hand information.
> 
> Someone on MiceChat started a thread this past week about supposedly overhearing a CM at the MHP saying that this is the last year for the MHP to be held in DL, and that it is moving back to DCA next year.  I don't post there -- I merely spy on their threads to see what the competition is discussing -- but, from what I could see, most of the people who replied to the person who started the thread were doubtful and skeptical.
> 
> Then, someone else posted in that same thread and claimed that during the MHP training this year (I swear, I never knew there was MHP training until this year!), the CMs were told that "big changes" were/are coming to the MHP next year.  So, if we take that and tie it in with what the first person said about overhearing that the MHP is moving to DCA, then it becomes more of a "thing."
> 
> Of course, the "big changes" may be something totally different than a move to a different park.
> 
> If next year were not the DL 60th anniversary year, I would assume that the rumors were 100% false and that the information was simply misinterpreted or misunderstood.
> 
> The fact that 2015 is the 60th anniversary year is the only thing that keeps me thinking that a temporary relocation of the MHP could, possibly, perhaps, maybe happen.  It is possible that Disney may want to run its supposed new fireworks and new parade all year long, without interrupting them for the MHP.
> 
> However, as you said, the facades and areas around DL lend a lot to the atmosphere and overall mood of the party.  What would the MHP be without Halloween Screams at this point?  There would have to be an all-Halloween World of Color to make up for it, and actual Halloween decorations around DCA (which would be great!).
> 
> I went to the party when it was in DCA and I liked it -- I wouldn't mind it returning to DCA if Disney would actually Halloween-ify DCA once again.  They can't leave DCA Halloween-less and have a party there.  But... in terms of atmosphere and interesting treat trail locations, I think that DL is a better showcase for all of it than DCA is.



Wow! Thanks for taking the time to explain it! 
I did get DH to agree to go to a DCA party, in the event that this tiny rumor turns out to be true. We dont visit DCA during rhe Halloween season but I always hear hoe under decorated it is. It would be nice to see them amp it up. And a WOC Halloween show would be so cool!!


----------



## LisaT91403

We attended our first ever MHP last night, and I wanted to report back in case the info could help others in the future. We had a party of 8 -- DH, myself, DS(6), Grandma, SIL and BIL, and nephews DN(9) and DN(10).

Let me start by saying that our group was very mixed in that DH, DS(6) and myself have AP's, and have had them for the past several years. The rest of our group only visits once/year at the most, and sometimes not even that. This made our priorities very different -- DN's really wanted to go on rides, as they never get to visit the parks. We wanted to stay together, so we mostly stuck to rides and trick-or-treating. If my immediate family had been there on our own, we would have spent a lot more time on the things that make MHP unique.

DH, DS and I arrived at 1:00, and headed for the lockers outside the gates. The medium and large sizes were already sold out, so we rented a small locker for $7. We stashed jackets and a few other items in there, and then entered DL. It was hot (for us), and seemed moderately crowded. We grabbed SMGG fast passes (standby was 60 min, our FP return was at 5:15) and then rode Star Tours (posted wait of 25 minutes, actual wait about 17). We then rode BTMRR (also a posted wait of 25 minutes, with an actual wait of 20 min). We walked to Indy to see if DS could finally ride, but no such luck -- he missed by about 1/4 of an inch. 

DS really wanted to ride TSMM, so we decided to hop over to DCL for a little while. DH grabbed FP's for Goofy's Sky School (only had a 10 minute standby, but we grabbed the FP's anyway...return was for a half hour later). The posted wait time for TSMM was interesting. Otto said 30 min, the board in DCL said 45 min, and the posted time at the ride was 25 min. Our wait ended up being about 20 minutes. We then rode the swings (no wait) and used our FP's at Goofy's Sky School. 

The rest of our group had arrived for MHP, so we headed back to DL at 4:45. The line to get in was very short, with perhaps 5 people in front of us. We met our group after their Matterhorn ride, and then wanted to use our SMGG fast passes. The problem was...3 boys and only 3 FP's. I know the rules, and my 6 year old is not old enough to ride alone, so we had a problem. I decided that honesty is the best policy, so I took the boys to the FP entrance and told the CM I only had 3 FPs and wondered if the boys could ride alone (knowing that they couldn't). The CM said "Oh, I can fix that. Would you like one more FP? Here's one now." Yay for a little pixie dust! The boys were ecstatic, as the standby wait was 75 minutes at that point (5:20ish). Note that DH had gone to get FP's for Indy or BTMRR at around 5:00, but they were gone for the day.

After SMGG, we took the train from Tomorrowland to TT for the pre-party. It was not the fastest way to get there, but it was still pretty warm and we wanted to minimize the walking a bit for Grandma. We arrived in TT at around 6:15, and rode Roger Rabbit with no wait. We had agreed ahead of time that we weren't going to trick or treat until later in the night, but the boys couldn't resist. We went on the treat trail by Donald's boat (no wait), and then rode Gadget's with no wait. The line to meet Mickey & Minnie was 45 minutes long, so we did not do that. We did the treat trail through their houses, and there was no wait there. With just a couple of trails, we already had way too much candy. 

A few minutes before 7:00, we decided to have dinner. On our way out of TT, we stopped to ride IASW (no wait). We ate in Tomorrowland so as to satisfy those who wanted chicken/burgers as well as pasta/pizza. We caught a little bit of the Monsters Inc party while we ate.

After dinner, half the group went to Nemo subs (no wait) and the other half to Star Tours (no wait). When I say no wait...I mean no wait. We thought Star Tours was closed because there were NO people around it! SMGG only had a 10 minute wait, but we didn't want to repeat it because there was so much more to see. We did Buzz (no wait) and the Phineas & Ferb treat trail because DS(6) is a huge fan. They gave out chocolate covered Craisins at the start of this trail, and we ended up meeting Agent P.

The older boys wanted to ride Indy (the longest wait of the night, probably close to a half hour), so they went over there while my family went to the AP treat trail. We collected our Big Hero 6 backpacks and special treats, and DH and I gave ours to our nephews so that all 3 boys could have one.  DS and I watched the villains for a while while DH dumped everyone's candy in the locker (it filled the small locker, and the CM's were laughing at DH because of the amount of candy he was trying to stash). We then hopped on the train to New Orleans Square. We met up with our group at Pirates, and there was a 2 minute wait; I think the line was particularly short because the fireworks were on at this time. We took a break for Mickey beignets, then head to HMH. There was no posted wait time that we could see, but the CM said it was about 30 minutes. We got in line, but the boys decided they didn't want to wait and we bailed after just a couple of minutes. The older boys went on Splash (no wait, so they rode over and over without having to get back in line), and DS went on Pooh a couple of times. We then hit BTMRR...no wait. We also did a few treat trails here and there as we were walking from ride to ride. We never encountered any lines or crowds on the trails, but maybe we didn't do the "popular" ones? The trail by Splash and Pooh had a lot of healthy treats, such as Pirate's Booty and Pretzel Goldfish.

It was 11:20, so we worked our way out to Main St for a little shopping. We did the treat trail in the theater, and also the one in the square (that one was congested, but still no real wait).

The line for the trams was really long. The CM's were saying "there's another tram further down", so we walked with our exhausted boys. When we got down to the 2nd tram area, we found the crowds were much worse than the first area. It was disappointing to be directed there only to find the lines much longer. We walked back to the first area, and were able to get on the 3rd tram to arrive.

The attached picture shows just DS(6)'s candy. We did not try hard to gather candy, but still ended up with around 9 lbs of it between DH, DS and myself. DS did a good job of asking CM's for Skittles, his favorite  The CM's were very willing to give you the candy of your choice, so feel free to ask if you like something in particular.

Overall, we had a fun time at the party. As an AP holder, I wish I could have gotten to do more of the things unique to the party (Cavalcade, fireworks). But I have to say that I REALLY enjoyed not having to wait in line at the rides. I have no idea what Fantasyland was like, as we never made it back there...we just didn't have time. But in regards to the areas we visited, the park did not seem crowded to us at all. People were friendly and in a good mood, and we didn't encounter any rowdy kids. If we were to do it again next year, we would eat dinner before the party started -- probably instead of the TT pre-party -- so that we could have more time to see things.

Hope this helps!


----------



## violentlyserene

Thanks SherryE for all the information! This is all really interesting. I'm looking forward to seeing what they are planning on changing. 

Looking at crowds in previous years, I'm thinking maybe the last couple weeks in Oct would be a safe bet for lower crowds and whatever next years party is. I'm shocked at how low the crowds are during the weekdays. I suppose it makes sense though since people have school and such to deal with.


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## Mommy2PrincessAbby

Toying with two variations for dates next year... so I am watching this thread for reports... 

Variation A:  arrive Wed 10/7--WOC that night, F! on the 8th, MHP on Friday the 9th, regular fireworks on the 10th, have the morning of Sun 11th to do whatever and then fly home that afternoon.

Variation B:  arrive Fri 10/9--MHP that night, regular fireworks on the 10th, F! on Sunday the 11th, WOC on the 12th, have the morning of Tues the 14th to do whatever and then fly home that afternoon.

Lots of reports saying the week leading up to CHOC was nuts... if its nuts anyway, maybe coming in on Friday and staying till Tuesday would be okay--Tuesday might be quite nice actually.  Would consider staying till Wed the 14th too.  Other hand... maybe having fun until CHOC is the better plan and then flying out that Sunday while the madness is still happening?  

We don't get Columbus Day off... and apparently they aren't even calling it that in the PNW anymore.  So I am not even sure its a big holiday?  We do get the Friday off before.  So we would want to include that day in the vacation for sure.

And now... I just read the "rumor" that it might switch back to DCA next year (fine with me--that was where it was at the 1st year we did the party)... but adds another twist to my dates... which to pick with the best chance of having at least 1 night with an MHP that we can attend-- Wed thru Sun (with Sun being the day we leave) or Fri-Wed (with Wed being the day we leave.)


----------



## maleficent55

maleficent55 said:


> Hi Sherry E and everybody else! I think this may be my first post on this forum! I am finally adding a comment after lurking and reading every.single.page of this thread, but don't quiz me on anything, I don't think I'll remember 1/2 of it!
> We, husband, daughter (4) and I and my in-laws, to the MHP on 10/27. The party will be on the 4th day of our time in the parks and we are QUITE excited!
> This will be all of our first MHP ever!
> 
> Let's see....question, question....I know I have questions! For now I have two.
> -Is it a mistake to reserve a spot for dinner in DL on the night of our party? I'm thinking we should eat early so that no time is taken away from our party time but I am not sure what time we should aim for or rather if we should just do counter service somewhere? What would be the best time to plan to eat, I know I have to get something healthy in my gal before she gorges on candy!
> 
> -we went to DL in April of this year and watched the fireworks two of our nights from the Tomorrowland side and had a great view...we were behind and to the right of the hub a little bit. Is it true that for the Halloween fireworks that being on the Adventureland side is better? To view the sphere? I think we will be watching the calvacade FIRST and then try to see the fireworks.
> 
> Thank you for putting so much effort into this for all of us to learn, get excited and plan! This is great so thanks! And thanks to everyone who adds a TR, those are fun and makes me very ansy for our trip!



And to add: would WOC be insane on Friday night 10/24? With all the people who don't have tickets to the MHP that night, like us. Think it's better to go fast pass or WOC dining package?


----------



## adudeinblue

LisaT91403 said:


> The older boys wanted to ride Indy (the longest wait of the night, probably close to a half hour), so they went over there while my family went to the AP treat trail. We collected our Big Hero 6 backpacks and special treats, and DH and I gave ours to our nephews so that all 3 boys could have one.  DS and I watched the villains for a while while DH dumped everyone's candy in the locker (it filled the small locker, and the CM's were laughing at DH because of the amount of candy he was trying to stash). We then hopped on the train to New Orleans Square. We met up with our group at Pirate's, and there was a 2 minute wait; I think the line was particularly short because the fireworks were on at this time. We took a break for Mickey beignets, then head to HMH. There was no posted wait time that we could see, but the CM said it was about 30 minutes. We got in line, but the boys decided they didn't want to wait and we bailed after just a couple of minutes. The older boys went on Splash (no wait, so they rode over and over without having to get back in line), and DS went on Pooh a couple of times. We then hit BTMRR...no wait. We also did a few treat trails here and there as we were walking from ride to ride. We never encountered any lines or crowds on the trails, but maybe we didn't do the "popular" ones? The trail by Splash and Pooh had a lot of healthy treats, such as Pirate's Booty and Pretzel Goldfish.



Thanks for your update! Can you share more about your Big Hero 6 backpacks? Is it an exclusive AP Treat trail? My GF is super excited about Big Hero 6 and our MHP in general and I remember seeing a picture of treat bags of Big Hero 6 they give you when you enter the park, but wasn't sure what these backpacks you are talking about.

Super excited to hear lines were short for your party too. But I doubt ours 10/31 would be that short.


----------



## Kilala

Here are the pictures from September 30th party.



Me and Binx



Me and Kilala



















































My kitten Binx



Another picture of Binx



I just took this picture of me and Binx


----------



## BigCheese

CassieF said:
			
		

> I've gone twice this year.  Both times we observed the same rotation of characters.  For starters, it opens an hour before the party starts and goes for 2 hours, which means each character is out twice, for half an hour each.
> 
> The first group of characters were Clarabelle and Horace, Chip and Dale, then I think Goofy.
> 
> They switched out to Pluto, Mickey and Minnie, then Donald (or Goofy if Donals was out first).
> 
> The longest line was Mickey and Minnie so the trick is to get in Chip and Dale's line about 5 minutes before he half hour mark (which is when Mickey and Minnie will come out) you'll have a short line.  We were able to get all 6 groups of characters in but it took until their last rotation.  I wouldn't plan on getting all in withing an hour, but if you were toward the front you could probably get the first three groups in, as the lines will stay short initially.  If you do that, then wait in chip and dales line until Mickey and Minnie come out, you might be able to do it.



Thanks! This is really helpful,  especially with knowing how long each rotation stays out.


----------



## fiddlesticks

Hi...  I am starting to feel a bit of anxiety for our upcoming trip...in particular about the MHP.  We (myself, DH and DD) are arriving next Saturday (the 18th) and are staying until the next Saturday (the 25th).  This isn't our first trip but it is our first trip in October and our first MHP!  

My sister and BIL are flying in and joining us for part of the trip.  I decided to surprise them and get MHP tickets for all 5 of us for the 20th which I think will be awesome they get there at 1 in the afternoon on Monday but weren't planning on doing the parks until Tuesday.  This gets them a whole extra night! (On a side note, I am feeling a bit anxious about the fact that I bought all five tickets with the AP discount when 2 people aren't.  Should I double check that I don't need to pay the difference?)

Anyway, I keep reading things about a pre-party and have no idea that there was even a pre-party.  I thought we could get in at 3:00 with the tickets (a bigger deal for my sister and BIL) but can we wear our costumes that early?  

It sounds like there is treat or tricking at the pre-parties?  Are there characters along the way of the trick or treating? I am so confused...  I want to make sure we use the time wisely.  Do we need to prioritize rides vs trick or treating vs parade?  It seems like we could get a lot of rides in with low wait times but my DD (5) is super excited about the trick or treating part.  But a PP said she had 9 lbs of candy!?!  Should we rent a locker earlier in the day?

I have gone through and read previous posters but it feels like I am missing something! Help a MHP virgin out!!!


----------



## Vala

Yes, you can wear your costumes that early. The pre party only starts after you're allowed in with your tickets, not an issue at all.

No one ever asked to see our APs.

There's two character stops along treat trails, one being Phineas and Ferb/Agent P in Innovations and then Piratepalooza - I've seen Donald and Chip and Dale there. Nothing like that in Toontown, the Trick or Treating is separate there.

I can't tell much about Trick or Treating... anyone who read my trip reports knows that I'm the one you'll find going from character line to character line.


----------



## LisaT91403

fiddlesticks said:


> This gets them a whole extra night! (On a side note, I am feeling a bit anxious about the fact that I bought all five tickets with the AP discount when 2 people aren't.  Should I double check that I don't need to pay the difference?)



I don't think you should worry about this. You needed an AP to buy the tickets, not to use them.



fiddlesticks said:


> But a PP said she had 9 lbs of candy!?!  Should we rent a locker earlier in the day?



I was the PP who posted that. We had that much candy between the 3 of us, and we didn't even really try to go trick or treating much. We just did a few trails, and I will tell you that the candy gets heavy really fast. 

The lockers sold out very early in the day. We got a small locker at 1:00, as the other 2 sizes were already sold out. I'm not sure what time the small lockers sold out, but they were gone when we visited our locker at around 3:00.






adudeinblue said:


> Thanks for your update! Can you share more about your Big Hero 6 backpacks? Is it an exclusive AP Treat trail? My GF is super excited about Big Hero 6 and our MHP in general and I remember seeing a picture of treat bags of Big Hero 6 they give you when you enter the park, but wasn't sure what these backpacks you are talking about.
> 
> Super excited to hear lines were short for your party too. But I doubt ours 10/31 would be that short.



The Big Hero 6 backpacks were only being given out at the AP treat trail. They are different from the regular bags being handed out when you enter the park. They look like this:


----------



## adudeinblue

LisaT91403 said:


> The Big Hero 6 backpacks were only being given out at the AP treat trail. They are different from the regular bags being handed out when you enter the park. They look like this:


That is super simple and nice! I'm guessing these aren't sold in stores neither?  Maybe I can make one haha


----------



## Sherry E

*Reviews/Recaps/Reports of Mickey's Halloween Party 2014*​



*For anyone just joining in (or lurking), who wants to read some reviews before heading off to the MHPs over the next couple of weeks.... These are the MHP reviews that have come in so far this year -- I have the entire post (including reviews from 2013) linked in the MHP FAQ on page 1. If you don't see yourself on this list and you attended an MHP, be sure to give us your review so I can add you to the list!!!*



​ 



_*2014*_​

*Friday, September 26, 2014*

DIS'er *ClosetDisneyJunkie* said,  "_Not crazy crowded at all. The treat trail lines are long but move at a reasonable pace_."  Read the rest of the brief recap -- *HERE*.

DIS'er *figment_jii* said, "_Tons of candy! The peanut chews are the dominant candy, but a good assortment in general..._"  Read the rest of the noteworthy highlights of the night -- *HERE*.  (See the 2014 MHP Map that figment_jii scanned -- *HERE*.)

Read *figment_jii's* complete 9/26/14 MHP report (with lots of photos) -- *HERE*, *HERE*,  *HERE* and *HERE*. 

DIS'er *BayGirl22* -- an MHP first-timer -- said, "_We had short lines for rides too. SMGG was close to walk on during the first Cavalcade."_  The rest of her review can be found -- *HERE*.

DIS'er *mikana876* said, "_Crowds were pretty much how I expected. Probably a 7-8 on a scale of 10. It got kind of nuts as 7 hit and the regular park guests were told to leave._"  Read the rest of the review/report -- *HERE*.

DIS'er *briggscreek* said, "_We didn't care much for the Cavalcade (too cutesy and it was really short)..._"  See the rest of the Halloween Time/Mickey's Halloween Party recap -- *HERE*.

*TulipsNZ *attended the MHP for the first time and said that it was a "_...walk on for many rides..._"  Read the rest of the very brief recap -- *HERE* -- and see photos *HERE* and *HERE*.

*casperghost* said, "_We wont be wasting money or time on it again and certainly wont recommend it to others unless DL Event Management picks up its act._"  Read the rest of the recap -- *HERE*.




​



*Tuesday, September 30, 2014*

DIS'er *ten6mom* said, "_We are just back from the MHP. It seemed very crowded to me but I don't have a good recollection of last year so no real basis for comparison._"  Read the rest of her recap -- *HERE*.

*kim3339* had a great time at her MHP and added, "_The treat lines were kinda long, especially the Monorail one._"  Her detailed review can be found -- *HERE*.

*starshine514* said, "_If I had one piece of advice for those entering just for the party at the 3-hour mark, it would be to arrive early. They were putting the wristbands on us as we entered, and it severely slowed the line._"  Read the rest of the recap -- *HERE*.

*bearette* said, "_As a mom to 2.5 year olds I recommend the party. Not scary and my kids loved it._"  Read the rest of the recap -- *HERE*.

*CassieF* said, "_We waited once for the villains in town square, and it was a long wait, plus we missed out on a good set of characters and got Jafar, Queen, and Hook._"  The rest of the review can be found -- *HERE*.  She also elaborated on the characters at the *Toontown Pre-Party* -- *HERE*.

*APE*, an MHP first-timer, said of the *Toontown Pre-Party*, "_They had three character spots going on at once by the gazebo. When we got in line, they had Chip and Dale, Clarabelle & Horace and Goofy. Then they switched to Mickey & Minnie, Pluto and Donald._"  Read the full recap -- *HERE*.

*2tinkerbell* attended her first MHP and said, "_The entire Main Street was wall to wall people. It was something to see - I don't think I've ever seen Main Street so full of people before._"  She added, "_Overall it was very much worth it.  I appreciated the CM's as they were checking for wristbands a lot._"  Read her detailed review and recap (including some observations about the *Toontown Pre-Party*) -- *HERE*.

*Diszona* said, "_One bit of advice, at least from our experience, is if you have little ones who want to meet Mickey and Minnie, their meet and greet by Big Thunder Ranch was pretty empty later in the evening, plus Woody was also back there with no line at all._"  Read additional comments -- *HERE* and *HERE*.

*Kilala* said, "_I got there around 5pm. The line to wait to get in wasn't that bad. I tried to get pictures in front of the Mickey Pumpkin but, know one knew were the line was._"  Read her further comments -- *HERE*.  Her photos are *HERE*.




​


*Friday, October 3, 2014*

DIS'er *bouds* said, "_Seemed much more crowded around NOS than the rest of the park._"  The rest of the recap, including details about the *Toontown Pre-Party*, can be found -- *HERE*.

*grnflash* posted about the *Toontown Pre-Party*, "_We went on Friday when the pre-party started at 6. We got our wristbands from inside the park around 4:30 and people were already lining up for Toontown._"  See the rest of the comments -- *HERE*.

*abminer* said about the *Toontown Pre-Party*, "_Characters we saw were Clarabelle and Horace, Halloween Mickey and Minnie (big line even during the pre party), regular Pluto, and Sailor Donald._"  Read the rest of the recap -- *HERE*.

*kkmcan* attended the MHP and said, "_We were extremely happy with crowd levels and ride waits. I didn't expect it to be like that at all. Our candy bags were full and we rode almost everything we wanted to except Small World and Buzz._"  Read the rest of the recap -- *HERE*.




​



*Monday, October 6, 2014*

*CassieF* said of her second MHP of the season, "_I went to last night's party, 10/6 and it was a very different experience from the pervious one I went to on 9/30. It was sold out, yet we stayed in town square the whole night and it felt surprisingly empty._"  Read the rest of the review (and comparison to the 9/30/14 MHP) -- *HERE*.




​



*Wednesday, October 8, 2014*

DIS'er *Amilo* attended the MHP for the first time and said, "_Overall I was quite impressed with how methodically staff filtered non-party guests out. No complaints!_"  Read the rest of the review (including comments about the *Toontown Pre-Party*) -- *HERE*.

*alical04* said, "_I do not feel that it was as crowded this year as it was last year but last year I went on a Friday party so I don't know if the middle of the week was different or not._"  Read the rest of the detailed recap (including comments about *Toontown's Pre-Party*) -- *HERE*.

*wendydarling33* said, "_We really liked all the decorations and atmosphere. It was great that most of the rides had no lines._"  Read the rest of the report -- *HERE*.  She elaborated on her experience at the brand new *Big Thunder Ranch/Halloween Carnival Pre-Party* (which was not announced) -- *HERE*.




​



*Friday, October 10, 2014*

*marypoppins6325* joined DISboards to post her review of her very first MHP experience!  She said, "_...Rides/Value: Wow! If we had wanted to, we could have done a TON of rides in the 8 hours we were there for quite a bit less than the price of a 1 day ticket. We didn't wait more than 20 minutes for a ride all night._"  Read the rest of the awesome, detailed review -- *HERE*.

*LisaT91403* said, "_But in regards to the areas we visited, the park did not seem crowded to us at all. People were friendly and in a good mood, and we didn't encounter any rowdy kids. If we were to do it again next year, we would eat dinner before the party started -- probably instead of the TT pre-party -- so that we could have more time to see things._"  Read the rest of her fantastic, detailed review (with candy photo) -- *HERE*.  Photos of the Annual Passholders' Treat Trail Big Hero 6 backpack -- *HERE*.

*pycees312* went to her very first MHP and said, "_...I am super sad I have never attended this event before! We had a fabulous time._"  Read the rest of the recap -- *HERE*.





​


----------



## fiddlesticks

Sherry E! That list is amazing!  Thank you!

Can someone explain what the pre-party thing is?  I can't find any info on the  Disney site at all!


----------



## Sherry E

fiddlesticks said:


> Sherry E! That list is amazing!  Thank you!
> 
> Can someone explain what the pre-party thing is?  I can't find any info on the  Disney site at all!



*fiddlesticks --*

Thank you!  You're very welcome!  Hopefully those reviews will help people this year and next year.  I know that it can be confusing and tedious trying to wade through previous pages to find something, so I wanted to compile all of the reviews in one place so it would be easy to link out when people want to get first-hand accounts of the MHP!

Are you referring to the Toontown Pre-Party?  If so, that began last year.  It starts earlier than the official start of the MHP.  There are treat stations/trails and characters.  See Question #22 in the MHP FAQ -- *HERE*.  The MHP reviews that I posted above -- with the red Toontown Pre-Party references -- should tell you more. Disney did not tell us that this Pre-Party was coming back this year, and so our first MHP guests (on 9/26) had to figure it out when they got there.

The Big Thunder Ranch Pre-Party is new this year, or if it was happening last year no one knew about it at all.  It was not announced.  It seems to be a similar set-up as Toontown -- an early opening (before the official start of the MHP), some treat stations and some characters.  *Wendydarling33* offered some good comments about it in one of her posts about her 10/8/14 MHP experience.


----------



## CassieF

The pre party in Toon Town starts an hour before the party and has character meets and treat trails.  There is also one up at big thunder ranch but I don't have any personal experience with it, but it also has treat trails and characters


----------



## fiddlesticks

Sherry E said:


> *fiddlesticks --*
> 
> Thank you!  You're very welcome!  Hopefully those reviews will help people this year and next year.  I know that it can be confusing and tedious trying to wade through previous pages to find something, so I wanted to compile all of the reviews in one place so it would be easy to link out when people want to get first-hand accounts of the MHP!
> 
> Are you referring to the Toontown Pre-Party?  If so, that began last year.  It starts earlier than the official start of the MHP.  There are treat stations/trails and characters.  See Question #22 in the MHP FAQ -- *HERE*.  The MHP reviews that I posted above -- with the red Toontown Pre-Party references -- should tell you more. Disney did not tell us that this Pre-Party was coming back this year, and so our first MHP guests (on 9/26) had to figure it out when they got there.
> 
> The Big Thunder Ranch Pre-Party is new this year, or if it was happening last year no one knew about it at all.  It was not announced.  It seems to be a similar set-up as Toontown -- an early opening (before the official start of the MHP), some treat stations and some characters.  *Wendydarling33* offered some good comments about it in one of her posts about her 10/8/14 MHP experience.




Thank you again!  It is funny to me that they don't advertise it.  And I was chatting online with the Disney chat about Fantasmic and asked about the pre-party and two different people (I thought I would ask the 2nd person just to see) and they both said, "There are no pre-parties."  What is the harm in letting people know!?!  

I am full planning mode and trying to balance what everyone will want to do! While it isn't as fun as being in Disneyland, it sure comes close!!!!


----------



## Sherry E

*I'm sure that everyone has seen these videos, but I will post the links for anyone who hasn't.  Somehow I didn't know they existed until now -- my DIS email update didn't come through, I guess -- or I certainly would have mentioned them yesterday or 2 days ago, especially because one of the videos involves treats!*


*From Tom Bell, of DIS Unplugged (I think that both of these videos are from October 10th):*

*Halloween and the Cadaver Dans at Disneyland Resort*

*Halloween Treats at Disneyland Resort* 


​


----------



## pharmjenn

Sherry E said:


> *I'm sure that everyone has seen these videos, but I will post the links for anyone who hasn't.  Somehow I didn't know they existed until now -- my DIS email update didn't come through, I guess -- or I certainly would have mentioned them yesterday or 2 days ago, especially because one of the videos involves treats!*
> 
> 
> *From Tom Bell, of DIS Unplugged (I think that both of these videos are from October 10th):*
> 
> *Halloween and the Cadaver Dans at Disneyland Resort*
> 
> *Halloween Treats at Disneyland Resort*
> 
> 
> ​



Those pumpkin puffs look delicious!





My DS6 is dressing as Indiana Jones for this Fridays party. He has a whip and a toy gun on his belt. The gun is a cheap Western gun with the orange tip.  
The instructions on our party tickets say something about no weapons. Will these likely be a problem? He will be heartbroken if he can't complete his costume.


----------



## Dot2Vegas

pharmjenn said:
			
		

> My DS6 is dressing as Indiana Jones for this Fridays party. He has a whip and a toy gun on his belt. The gun is a cheap Western gun with the orange tip.
> The instructions on our party tickets say something about no weapons. Will these likely be a problem? He will be heartbroken if he can't complete his costume.



If the gun is obviously fake looking then it probably won't be an issue. But, toy guns can look so realistic these days. If it were me I would call Disneyland and ask directly.  Hopefully folks on here can answer too. Not sure about the whip!


----------



## maleficent55

pharmjenn said:


> Those pumpkin puffs look delicious!


 Yes they do! But I have to know...where can I find the Ursula cupcake?!?! I heard them say DCA, but where exactly?


----------



## Imdboss

Well here I am in our hotel room on our 6th and final night  at least we have a partial day tomorrow. I've kept notes of each day of our trip so when I return I can give a detailed report, including MHP from 10/10. Reading the posts before our trip were so helpful, hopefully I can return the favor in my trip report. I'm thinking I will start a new thread with my post so those that don't follow this thread will see it,  unless it would be best to post here. Maybe Sherry will chime in on that???


----------



## Vala

maleficent55 said:


> Yes they do! But I have to know...where can I find the Ursula cupcake?!?! I heard them say DCA, but where exactly?



I saw it at FiddlerFifer & Pratical Cafe.





fiddlesticks said:


> Thank you again!  It is funny to me that they don't advertise it.  And I was chatting online with the Disney chat about Fantasmic and asked about the pre-party and two different people (I thought I would ask the 2nd person just to see) and they both said, "There are no pre-parties."  What is the harm in letting people know!?!
> 
> I am full planning mode and trying to balance what everyone will want to do! While it isn't as fun as being in Disneyland, it sure comes close!!!!



I was told the exact same thing when I asked at City Hall even. "No pre parties."

Then a CM who knows I love my characters noticed me in Frontierland shortly before the pre parties started and was kind enough to come up to me and ask: "Hey, why aren't you in Toontown?" "Why should I be in Toontown?" "Cause there's a pre party with characters, and at Big Thunder Carnival too." I'm hoping not too many people within ear shot spoke German cause my cursing wasn't pretty. 

Sprinting from the Big Thunder Mountain entrance to Toontown is something I always wanted to try in 100 degree heat. Even worse, my friends had gone to the hotel to get changed and their cell phones were acting up. They finally came running in almost an hour later after some pretty frantic attempts to reach them.


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## figment_jii

Vala said:


> I was told the exact same thing when I asked at City Hall even. "No pre parties."


This is the official line, even today (well, yesterday).  I sent a message to Disneyland commenting that I missed the pre-party because the CMs at Guest Services/City Hall said there was no party.  The Disneyland Guest Services CM that called me back about the message said that there is no Toontown pre-party this year.  So, while we all know there is a pre-party, "official" there is no pre-party.


----------



## laura&fam

Has anyone seen the white square HM house plan plates shown in the third merchandise photo in this post: http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...chandise-appearing-this-fall-at-disney-parks/
And if so can you please tell me where? We won't have much time at Disneyland this trip (but I'm just glad we get any time at all ) so I won't be able to shop around and hunt for them.


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## figment_jii

laura&fam said:


> Has anyone seen the white square HM house plan plates shown in the third merchandise photo in this post: http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...chandise-appearing-this-fall-at-disney-parks/
> And if so can you please tell me where? We won't have much time at Disneyland this trip (but I'm just glad we get any time at all ) so I won't be able to shop around and hunt for them.



I didn't see them at the end of September, but my guess is that if they're going to be anywhere, it'll be at Port Royal (the Jack Skellington/Haunted Mansion shop) in NOS.


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## perlster

There are several posts about _Disney_ not announcing the Toontown pre-party.  Well, color me *not* shocked.  Does anyone have any evidence that _Disney _announced that there would be a _Toontown _pre-party last year?

The "announcement" that people remember is probably what I repeated from the highly reliable source. 

I have the map from last year's _MHP _and there is no mention of a _Toontown_ pre-party.  I looked for a photo that might show a sign at or near the _Disneyland _entrance mentioning a pre-party, but couldn't find one.  

As for this year, there wasn't any doubt on my part it would be held again, as I explained earlier. 

So, it seems to have started quietly last year, and it just as un-publicized this year.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As for the _Big Thunder Ranch_ pre-party, it would be helpful to note the exact dates on which MHP guests have attended it.    Using the same logic as in the earlier post, I don't see how it could happen on Tuesday the 14th.   _BTR _is listed as closing at 6PM with the rest of _Disneyland Park_.  On Friday evening, _BTR _also closes at 6 PM, but that is an hour before the park closes for _MHP_.  Even then, there's an issue - that is time for an hour of pre-party (before the regular _MHP _start), but no time would be allotted for the changeover from regular to pre-party.


----------



## pycees312

First off I have to say I am super sad i have never attended this event before! We had a fabulous time. I can only speak from my own experience becuase i've seen people post in other groups andplaces that seemed to have a very different view than myself.
My son and I since we are Dis Vets did not see a reason to go into the park at 4:00. I'm wondering if this is the reason people were reporting elsewhere that is was super packed. Anyway we left our room at Park Vue inn at 6:20pm. We were in the park by 6:35. We knew we wanted to hit all of the big attractions so that was our focus. Space Mountain, Matterhorn, Big Thunder, Indiana, Pirates, star tours.
We headed to space Mountian and the time was still at 75 mins and the cast member told us to come back shortly as the park was getting people out for the party etc. So we went to Star Tours it said 20 min wait and it was less than 10.
We exited star tours puchased a churro then headed to Materhorn. This was walk on and only 2 trains left before us while in line.The lady in front of us here already had her bag fulland i asked where did she go and she said the toon town pre party she had waiting in line for it. We then got in the treat line right behind the matterhorn. It looked long but as people reported it went very fast. We then hit the trails by storybrook, and in the villiage house. We then headed over to big thunder and it was walk on.. We walked right up to the train and loaded litterally. At this point I felt the price was well worth it. We hit the treat trail in the ice cream shop( i forget the name). Oh this is where the live scarecrow was and he was a hoot!!! loved him. went through the treat train in front of the water where fantasmic is. curved back and did Pirates. This was our longest line of 20 mins. Indian Jones was next again maybe 15 mins. At this point we headed back to space mountain 10 mins.
We went into innoventions for the treat trail and this was our longest treat trail line for some reason. We watched the fireworks from innoventions.  Went back to star tours and also did buzz light year. We were done but decided to hang around and watch the parade at 10:30 so we got a bite to eat. The parade to me was not all that and we could hve went home at 10 and been done. ooh i forgot we did winnie he pooh before pirates. So i imagine those folks who did fantasy land may have a different view but even when we were over there the lines were VERY short. and from what i saw people were wasting time waiting for parades and the fireworks shows. When leaving there was another treat line in the area where you saw mickey cartoons( i had forgotten about that place.) As we exited there was Elsa and Anna  no line for pics, and i think it was hades and The evil Queen. I got a pic with her. It was litterally one of the only pics we took becuase my iphone camera is not the best. When we saw lines for characters earlier the lines were LONG for that type of stuff. So overall if you had small kids, needed to see the parade, fireworks, and fantasyland with chaacter pics then yes your experience was much different from mine. we had a blast. We left at 10:20 after the parade and were very content with that.  sorry this report probably looks like a huge run on sentence im at work trying to hurry.


----------



## figment_jii

perlster said:


> There are several posts about _Disney_ not announcing the Toontown pre-party.  Well, color me *not* shocked.  Does anyone have any evidence that _Disney _announced that there would be a _Toontown _pre-party last year?



There was a sign last year at the entrance to the parks that said "Mickey's Toontown Will close at 4:00 pm today for Mickey's Halloween Party" in 2013 (not this year).  It didn't mention anything about a pre-party, but it did state Toontown would be closing due to the party.

You actually had a link (no longer active) to the Passholder page, which is where I thought you probably got the information for the Toontown event.  This was the only/first reference I could find in the previous HalloweenTime SuperThread.
http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=48894312&postcount=1569


----------



## Sherry E

perlster said:


> There are several posts about _Disney_ not announcing the Toontown pre-party.  Well, color me *not* shocked.  Does anyone have any evidence that _Disney _announced that there would be a _Toontown _pre-party last year?
> 
> The "announcement" that people remember is probably what I repeated from the highly reliable source.
> 
> I have the map from last year's _MHP _and there is no mention of a _Toontown_ pre-party.  I looked for a photo that might show a sign at or near the _Disneyland _entrance mentioning a pre-party, but couldn't find one.
> 
> As for this year, there wasn't any doubt on my part it would be held again, as I explained earlier.
> 
> So, it seems to have started quietly last year, and it just as un-publicized this year.
> 
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> As for the _Big Thunder Ranch_ pre-party, it would be helpful to note the exact dates on which MHP guests have attended it.    Using the same logic as in the earlier post, I don't see how it could happen on Tuesday the 14th.   _BTR _is listed as closing at 6PM with the rest of _Disneyland Park_.  On Friday evening, _BTR _also closes at 6 PM, but that is an hour before the park closes for _MHP_.  Even then, there's an issue - that is time for an hour of pre-party (before the regular _MHP _start), but no time would be allotted for the changeover from regular to pre-party.




*perlster --*

I appreciate your insight.  I have devoted many, many, many, many hours/weeks/months to making this thread helpful, and I am sorry if you don't feel it is helpful enough.  Duly noted.

No, the memory of the Toontown event being "announced" last year has nothing to do with your report from the other source, though I do remember your photos and the fact that I referred to one candy corn accessory that Pluto was wearing (shown in your photo) and not another.  

The Toontown Pre-Treat or Pre-Party (or whatever the heck the name of it was) was actually posted in some official Disney capacity and given that name.   It may have been on the DLR website, or a brief mention in a Parks Blog talking about other elements of the Toontown event. but it was officially mentioned or "announced" (made public) by Disney.  My use of the word "announce" or "didn't announce" is simply another way of saying that the info was not publicized or posted in an official capacity.

Also, other sites -- such as babble ("courtesy of Disney") -- mentioned it last year -- *HERE*.


----------



## LisaT91403

I did hear one "official" mention of the TT pre-party from a CM. When we rode the Disneyland RR to TT at 6:00pm last Friday, the CM made an announcement over the loudspeaker as we approached the station. I don't remember his exact words, but it was something to the effect of "We are approaching Toontown, and if you are attending Mickey's Halloween Party tonight, you can go in now for some early trick-or-treating."


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## Sherry E

maleficent55 said:


> Yes they do! But I have to know...where can I find the Ursula cupcake?!?! I heard them say DCA, but where exactly?



*maleficent55 --*

*This Parks Blog* seems to imply that the Ursula cupcake is a California Adventure thing (which would fit with where Vala saw it), meaning you could probably find it in any of the places that sell baked goods, or possibly even in Trolley Treats (cupcakes can usually be found in the candy shops around DLR).  The cupcake may be available in Disneyland as well, but at least you know for sure that it should be in DCA.





Imdboss said:


> Well here I am in our hotel room on our 6th and final night  at least we have a partial day tomorrow. I've kept notes of each day of our trip so when I return I can give a detailed report, including MHP from 10/10. Reading the posts before our trip were so helpful, hopefully I can return the favor in my trip report. I'm thinking I will start a new thread with my post so those that don't follow this thread will see it,  unless it would be best to post here. Maybe Sherry will chime in on that???



*Imdboss --*

If you do an actual trip report, make sure you put it in the Disneyland TR forum.  

I would at least post a short MHP synopsis here in this thread -- which is what everyone else has been doing -- even if you do a more detailed report elsewhere.  While there may be people who don't follow this thread, we have a lot of views of this thread (well over 100,000) and Disney's social media people are aware of this thread (they watch the hot spots around the Internet where there is a lot of discussion going on about particular subjects).  So it never hurts to put some comments and thoughts in a thread where Disney people might be lurking!  

Also, it's easier and faster for me to search within the thread and look for something specific (if I have to reference it later) than it is to search elsewhere.  

Maybe you could do a mini-MHP recap here (which I will add to our list of MHP reviews), and then you can do your more detailed trip report elsewhere, and link it here for us?





Vala said:


> I saw it at FiddlerFifer & Pratical Cafe.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I was told the exact same thing when I asked at City Hall even. "No pre parties."
> 
> Then a CM who knows I love my characters noticed me in Frontierland shortly before the pre parties started and was kind enough to come up to me and ask: "Hey, why aren't you in Toontown?" "Why should I be in Toontown?" "Cause there's a pre party with characters, and at Big Thunder Carnival too." *I'm hoping not too many people within ear shot spoke German cause my cursing wasn't pretty*.
> 
> *Sprinting from the Big Thunder Mountain entrance to Toontown is something I always wanted to try in 100 degree heat.* Even worse, my friends had gone to the hotel to get changed and their cell phones were acting up. They finally came running in almost an hour later after some pretty frantic attempts to reach them.



*Vala --*

The sentences I bolded above made me laugh out loud!!  So funny....





pycees312 said:


> First off I have to say I am super sad i have never attended this event before! We had a fabulous time. I can only speak from my own experience becuase i've seen people post in other groups andplaces that seemed to have a very different view than myself.
> My son and I since we are Dis Vets did not see a reason to go into the park at 4:00. I'm wondering if this is the reason people were reporting elsewhere that is was super packed. Anyway we left our room at Park Vue inn at 6:20pm. We were in the park by 6:35. We knew we wanted to hit all of the big attractions so that was our focus. Space Mountain, Matterhorn, Big Thunder, Indiana, Pirates, star tours.
> We headed to space Mountian and the time was still at 75 mins and the cast member told us to come back shortly as the park was getting people out for the party etc. So we went to Star Tours it said 20 min wait and it was less than 10.
> We exited star tours puchased a churro then headed to Materhorn. This was walk on and only 2 trains left before us while in line.The lady in front of us here already had her bag fulland i asked where did she go and she said the toon town pre party she had waiting in line for it. We then got in the treat line right behind the matterhorn. It looked long but as people reported it went very fast. We then hit the trails by storybrook, and in the villiage house. We then headed over to big thunder and it was walk on.. We walked right up to the train and loaded litterally. At this point I felt the price was well worth it. We hit the treat trail in the ice cream shop( i forget the name). Oh this is where the live scarecrow was and he was a hoot!!! loved him. went through the treat train in front of the water where fantasmic is. curved back and did Pirates. This was our longest line of 20 mins. Indian Jones was next again maybe 15 mins. At this point we headed back to space mountain 10 mins.
> We went into innoventions for the treat trail and this was our longest treat trail line for some reason. We watched the fireworks from innoventions.  Went back to star tours and also did buzz light year. We were done but decided to hang around and watch the parade at 10:30 so we got a bite to eat. The parade to me was not all that and we could hve went home at 10 and been done. ooh i forgot we did winnie he pooh before pirates. So i imagine those folks who did fantasy land may have a different view but even when we were over there the lines were VERY short. and from what i saw people were wasting time waiting for parades and the fireworks shows. When leaving there was another treat line in the area where you saw mickey cartoons( i had forgotten about that place.) As we exited there was Elsa and Anna  no line for pics, and i think it was hades and The evil Queen. I got a pic with her. It was litterally one of the only pics we took becuase my iphone camera is not the best. When we saw lines for characters earlier the lines were LONG for that type of stuff. So overall if you had small kids, needed to see the parade, fireworks, and fantasyland with chaacter pics then yes your experience was much different from mine. we had a blast. We left at 10:20 after the parade and were very content with that.  sorry this report probably looks like a huge run on sentence im at work trying to hurry.



Thank you so much for reporting back to us, *pycees312*!

I added your review to the list of MHP Reviews that I have linked in the MHP FAQ post on page 1.

I'm so glad you had a great time!  Now that you know you enjoyed the party, maybe you will go again next year!


----------



## figment_jii

*Haunted Mansion Holiday, 2014*

*Inside the Mansion and Stretching Room*
The extra skulls decorating the entry way were absent this year, but otherwise, the waiting area looked much the same as last year.  (Last Years Post)  It all starts out looking so Christmas-ythen it changes




(Anyone spot the Hidden Mickey?)













*Hallway*
Last year they added the portraits that included Zero flying from image to image.  Those were back this year!  (Last Years Post)  This is still one my favorite additions for the 13th Anniversary.

*Endless Hallway* (Last Years Post)
After boarding your Doombuggy, its into the Mansion you go!  Most of this was the same, but again, some of the extra décor was missing, so it was easier to figure out what added for the groups of 13 (gift tags, bones, etc.).





*Ballroom* (Last Years Post)
Every year, the HMH has a different gingerbread creation!  This year, it wasumdifferent









When you enter the ballroom, there is coffin full of presents scattered on the ground.  Can you spot the Hidden Mickey and Jack Skellington face?





As you exit the Ballroom, look to the top of the Christmas tree!  Zero is flying there.





The ghostly Monkey couple is still dancing at the base of the tree (theyre the greenish thing by the purple present).  Theyre hard to see on the ride and tough to take a picture of!


----------



## iheartglaciers

I'm going to the party on the 24th (can't wait!!) and am wondering when/where is the best place to get a picture with Halloween themed Mickey and Minnie.  I know we'll have to wait on a long line, but would like to go when the line is hopefully shorter.  Should we line up before the Toon Town pre-party opens?

Thanks!


----------



## figment_jii

iheartglaciers said:


> I'm going to the party on the 24th (can't wait!!) and am wondering when/where is the best place to get a picture with Halloween themed Mickey and Minnie.  I know we'll have to wait on a long line, but would like to go when the line is hopefully shorter.  Should we line up before the Toon Town pre-party opens?



You can usually see Minnie and Mickey in their Halloween attire at the Big Thunder Ranch Halloween Carnival during non-MHP hours.  They do not generally meet together (they wander around the area separately), but they don't really have a long wait.  They might meet together during the party near Big Thunder Ranch (hopefully someone who has meet up with them can chime in!).


----------



## audrey2580

Just got back and had so much pixie dust this trip!   Here's a brief TR: 

Arrived late Thursday night.
Friday morning: Arrived at M&F parking structure at 7:20 and was directed to park in the handicap area on the ground open area (no idea why) but it was great parking   Walked up right as a tram was arriving.  Park opened at 8:00 and we hit: matterhorn, autopia, space mtn, buzz, haunted mansion, pooh.  Used FP for Star Tours and grabbed some for Big Thunder - ALL BEFORE 10:00am!  We walked up minutes before the 11:00 magic show was starting at the Halloween Carnival and grabbed seats - perfect timing.  My son was picked to be levitated by the magician!  He loves magic so this was so cool!  Through out the show they picked: 2 girls to pull a rabbit, 3 moms to help with the cups/balls trick, and my son.  Then my nephew was picked to Conjure the Villain in that show!  He got the evil queen and loved it.   Had lunch and then headed to DCA.  Walked on Mater and then maybe a 5 min wait for RSR single rider.  I honestly haven't been to the parks this light in forever.  We did Goofy's, Juppin Jelly Fish, Golden Zepher and then Redwood Creek before we decided we wanted to go back and swim (3:00 ish?).   Now to the party.  Arrived back at the gates at 5:00 and the line to get in was pretty long.  We used our regular tickets and walked right in.  Rancho was closed for dinner and the line at Stage Door was a good 20 mins.  We raced through dinner and saw the pre party was going at Big Thunder area but we still needed bracelets.  No wait at the Fantasyland theater!  6:15 walked right on into toon town preparty.  Treat trail lines at Minnie and Mickeys moved and by the end our bags were 1/3 full!  CM's loved the kids jawa costumes and were handing them handfuls.  Kids walked on gadgets and we played in toontown until 6:45 ish.  The music just super loud - only complaint.  We walked over to tomorrowland and they opened the innovations trail a few mins early.  We walked around there for awhile and the Captain American line was only 20 mins which I understand is short??  We went into stores and they were checking wristbands.  5 min wait for Star Tours - the Jawa's insisted we ride.  We saw a stormtropper meet n greet (10 mins wait approx) but the kids wanted to trick or treat instead.  Rode alice and did the trail in Village Haas which I thought was decorated the best.  Then we did the one in Golden Horseshoe. Rode BTM which was maybe 5 mins.  At this point the kids were getting cranky.  So we headed to Jolly Holiday bakery for hot choc and lattes and to rest.  We did the trail at the opera house and called it a night.  Overall we had a great time and would do it again!


----------



## Diszona

figment_jii said:


> You can usually see Minnie and Mickey in their Halloween attire at the Big Thunder Ranch Halloween Carnival during non-MHP hours.  They do not generally meet together (they wander around the area separately), but they don't really have a long wait.  They might meet together during the party near Big Thunder Ranch (hopefully someone who has meet up with them can chime in!).



They do meet together in their Halloween attire near BTR during MHP.  There wasn't much of a line when we were there.


----------



## cmpeter

We will be there tomorrow night!  Can't wait. We'll be in the parks Wed - Fri and have three day hoppers with party tickets for Friday. 

How early can we get our wristbands?  And I where is the best place to get them?


----------



## figment_jii

cmpeter said:


> How early can we get our wristbands?  And I where is the best place to get them?



You can get your wristbands starting at about 4:00 pm (three hours before the party starts) at either the in-park check-in location (Small World Mall) or at the main gate (exit the park and then re-enter using the MHP ticket).  I went the main gate route for the first party and in general it was pretty quick (I waited until the initial rush at 4:00 pm got into the park, so the lines were pretty short).


----------



## Vala

figment_jii said:


> You can get your wristbands starting at about 4:00 pm (three hours before the party starts) at either the in-park check-in location (Small World Mall) or at the main gate (exit the park and then re-enter using the MHP ticket).  I went the main gate route for the first party and in general it was pretty quick (I waited until the initial rush at 4:00 pm got into the park, so the lines were pretty short).



I had gone the Fantasyland Theater route on the 30th and that was a nightmare. The line stretched up the hill, past the theater, down again and mingled with the train station line.

I'm working on an overall mini review to be added to the list, should hopefully be done tomorrow.






figment_jii said:


> You can usually see Minnie and Mickey in their Halloween attire at the Big Thunder Ranch Halloween Carnival during non-MHP hours.  They do not generally meet together (they wander around the area separately), but they don't really have a long wait.  They might meet together during the party near Big Thunder Ranch (hopefully someone who has meet up with them can chime in!).



Yes, they do. At the photo set up outside the Ranch, at least that's where I saw the line going to. I didn't even try cause it was so long and I wanted to do some lines I had missed last year.




Sherry E said:


> *Vala --*
> 
> The sentences I bolded above made me laugh out loud!!  So funny....



Now I can definitely laugh about it too. But that afternoon it was definitely an "oh *bleep*" moment.


----------



## cmpeter

Thanks!  We'll try the main gate route. My daughter will want to head back to the hotel to change into her costume, so that would work perfectly from a timing point of view.


----------



## Kerri D

2 weeks and 1 day until we fly out of aus and head straight for MHP that night, I come back and read this thread daily and it's getting me super excited (and well prepared!) for what sounds like it's going to be an awesome experience!
just wanted to say thanks to everyone who's contributed so far


----------



## Sherry E

*New:*

*"Disneyland Resort Gets in the Spirit of Halloween Time with Bewitching Bites" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on October 13th, 2014 by Pam Brandon, Disney Parks Food Writer*



*Pumpkin Pandemonium/Halloween Hoopla is slowly quieting down, but there are still some things popping up here and there, such as (from The Impulsive Buy):

Trader Joe's Pumpkin Joe-Joes

Trader Joe's Mini-Ginger Pumpkin Ice Cream Mouthfuls

Yoplait Caramel Apple Greek Yogurt*


​


----------



## Jennafoo

Some of those menu items sound really tasty, though they only seem marginally connected to Halloween. 

However I was glad that figment_jii reviewed the French Market shrimp po boy in another thread, because the blog didn't mention there were two versions of the sandwich. The special one is what they described: deep fried popcorn shrimp; but they showed the regular one, with unbreaded shrimp.


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## KOUKLI

11 days until our trip. Getting super excited now!!


----------



## iheartglaciers

Diszona said:


> They do meet together in their Halloween attire near BTR during MHP.  There wasn't much of a line when we were there.



Thanks Diszona and Figment for the info!


----------



## Mister Skellington

KOUKLI said:


> 11 days until our trip. Getting super excited now!!


  We will be there at the same time.


----------



## CaptainEIEIO

Wow, lots of info. Quick question......Does the Haunted Mansion stay with the Jack Skeleton theme until after Christmas, or does it end on October 31st?


----------



## laura&fam

Has anyone been to the World of Disney store in DTD after a Halloween party? It's open for an hour after the party but I don't know how crowded it would be.





CaptainEIEIO said:


> Wow, lots of info. Quick question......Does the Haunted Mansion stay with the Jack Skeleton theme until after Christmas, or does it end on October 31st?



It stays up through Christmas. Not sure the exact take down time hopefully someone else can answer that but I am guessing first week in January.


----------



## figment_jii

CaptainEIEIO said:


> Wow, lots of info. Quick question......Does the Haunted Mansion stay with the Jack Skeleton theme until after Christmas, or does it end on October 31st?



HMH is slated to run through January 6, 2015 this year (the end of the Christmas/holiday season).


----------



## figment_jii

The Disney Parks Blog just put an entry about the Halloween edition of the Mad T Party in DCA:
http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...-t-party-at-disney-california-adventure-park/

If you like Mad T Party, I highly recommend you go check out the Halloween edition.  They decorated the set and area for Halloween.













The story is that someone spiked the tea...when I saw it, the Mad Hatter said it was the Door Mouse (not sure if it's always the same).  They do "This is Halloween" generally, but the last set of the night is a little different...they do Thriller instead, with Tweedle Dee and Dum starting off the song and then they are joined by the House of Cards.  It's pretty fun.


----------



## Spacepest

Jennafoo said:


> However I was glad that figment_jii reviewed the French Market shrimp po boy in another thread, because the blog didn't mention there were two versions of the sandwich. The special one is what they described: deep fried popcorn shrimp; but they showed the regular one, with unbreaded shrimp.



Me too! I'm on dietary restrictions and can't eat breaded, fried food. I'm totally down for a non fried shrimp po' boy. Normally I don't plan to eat at the French Market but seeing reviews like this makes me reconsider my decision.


----------



## Mommy2PrincessAbby

figment_jii said:


> The Disney Parks Blog just put an entry about the Halloween edition of the Mad T Party in DCA: http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2014/10/its-halloween-time-at-the-mad-t-party-at-disney-california-adventure-park/  If you like Mad T Party, I highly recommend you go check out the Halloween edition.  They decorated the set and area for Halloween.  The story is that someone spiked the tea...when I saw it, the Mad Hatter said it was the Door Mouse (not sure if it's always the same).  They do "This is Halloween" generally, but the last set of the night is a little different...they do Thriller instead, with Tweedle Dee and Dum starting off the song and then they are joined by the House of Cards.  It's pretty fun.



Love mad t party!  The Christmas edition was so fun, hope this is still there next year!


----------



## cmpeter

Thanks for the tip about how fun the Mad T Party can be...I have always just ignored that area before.  But, if they end with Thriller by dd will love it!

We leave in two hours!


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## figment_jii

cmpeter said:


> Thanks for the tip about how fun the Mad T Party can be...I have always just ignored that area before.  But, if they end with Thriller by dd will love it!
> 
> We leave in two hours!



Thriller is pretty neat. The only perform it during the last set of the night, which usually starts one hour before DCA closes.  Have a great time and travel safe!


----------



## Diszona

laura&fam said:


> Has anyone been to the World of Disney store in DTD after a Halloween party? It's open for an hour after the party but I don't know how crowded it would be.



We went there after the party last year and while it was crowded it wasn't anything exceptional.  It may also depend on if it is a Monday or Tuesday party or if it is a Friday party when both MHP and DCA are both closing at the same time (midnight).


----------



## figment_jii

*Haunted Mansion Holiday, 2014*

*Attic* (Last Years Post)
Then its on to the attic, where Jacks presents are waitinglurking









The present for Bill was also back this year (see this post for more information).





The Monkey Bride was also back!





*The Graveyard* (Last Years Post)

Jack and Zero are still waiting to greet guests as they enter the graveyard.









The skeleton reindeer playing fetch





One of the snowflakes is still there!





The pumpkin singers.









*Finale* (Last Years Post)
Oogie Boogie is still waiting to give you one last gift





Sally has a new look this year!  Shes not sitting on a pile of 13 presents anymore and has a more animated face (sorry, not photo to share).

Overall, the 2014 edition of Haunted Mansion Holiday is similar to the previous versions.  There were some changes, but its still generally the same ride.  As for this years gingerbread houselets just say it was different.










*2012*





*2013*





*2014*


----------



## titansgal

figment_jii said:


> You can usually see Minnie and Mickey in their Halloween attire at the Big Thunder Ranch Halloween Carnival during non-MHP hours.  They do not generally meet together (they wander around the area separately), but they don't really have a long wait.  They might meet together during the party near Big Thunder Ranch (hopefully someone who has meet up with them can chime in!).


     We met them during the Toon Town "preparty" on the 10th.  Minnie looked adorable in her candycane dress and Mickey looked like Zoro(?).   He wasn't too cute, but she was precious.   We had to wait two sets of lines though since they are only out for 30 minutes at a time and switch out with Chip and Dale.   I stood in line while DH and DD met the other characters and checked out the treat trails.  The mickey/Minnie line was super long though.  It was worth it though and I was very happy to score that picture.   By the time we left Toon Town we had a ton of candy, which allowed us to focus on parades, fireworks, and rides the rest of the night.  We flew home yesterday and our piece of luggage with only party candy in it weighed 34 pounds.   Our backs hurt by the end of the night


----------



## Vala

titansgal said:


> We met them during the Toon Town "preparty" on the 10th.  Minnie looked adorable in her candycane dress and Mickey looked like Zoro(?).   He wasn't too cute, but she was precious.   We had to wait two sets of lines though since they are only out for 30 minutes at a time and switch out with Chip and Dale.   I stood in line while DH and DD met the other characters and checked out the treat trails.  The mickey/Minnie line was super long though.  It was worth it though and I was very happy to score that picture.   By the time we left Toon Town we had a ton of candy, which allowed us to focus on parades, fireworks, and rides the rest of the night.  We flew home yesterday and our piece of luggage with only party candy in it weighed 34 pounds.   Our backs hurt by the end of the night



The Toontown outfit is again different from the regular party outfit. Yeah, they couldn't have made it any more complicated.  The regular party outfit is an orange version of the day Big Thunder outfits.


----------



## PenguinoMF

So I went to the party last night (14th) and I hate to say that I'm disappointed in this party. I've gone to the MNSSHP at WDW the last couple years and always had a great time. Here's the good and the bad.

The good:
-Liked that the trick or trick trails had multiple stations on each. WDW only has a couple of those.
-Fireworks were good and were able to go off. I was worried about winds canceling them.
-Lines were very organized and the wristband checkpoints were very thorough.
-The Halloween costumes on the characters were cute.

The bad:
-It was so crowded. I've never seen so many people at an event at WDW. The line at the gates was horribly slow too.
-Many of the CM seemed like they didn't want to be there. They rarely commented on our costumes, that's if they even spoke to you at all.
-The waits for characters were so long. I know to expect lines for Halloween party characters but they were long and moved very slowly. Some of the delay was from people using their meeting time as a personal photo shoot. Get in there, take a couple pictures and move on. Other people are waiting behind you.
-While on the topic of pictures...don't take pictures of other guests while they are with characters. It's rude and creepy. Wait a second for that moment that the characters are between guests.
-The parade was disappointingly short. I knew that coming in to the party though. It was cute though.

So I definitely enjoy MNSSHP more. The party was okay overall and I'm not mad I went but I'm disappointed. The parties sell out day after day, year after year so I can't blame Disneyland for putting in less effort.


----------



## laura&fam

PenguinoMF said:


> -While on the topic of pictures...don't take pictures of other guests while they are with characters. It's rude and creepy. Wait a second for that moment that the characters are between guests.



I thought I was the only person who thought that!

This year my friend, who is a costume designer, made my costume and it looks really good. I understand that people may want to get a photo of the amazing costume but I just wish I wasn't in it at the time.


----------



## iheartglaciers

Vala said:


> The Toontown outfit is again different from the regular party outfit. Yeah, they couldn't have made it any more complicated.  The regular party outfit is an orange version of the day Big Thunder outfits.



Is the Big Thunder outfit purple and the Toontown pre-party outfit the candy corn one?


----------



## figment_jii

iheartglaciers said:


> Is the Big Thunder outfit purple and the Toontown pre-party outfit the candy corn one?



From what I understand:
Halloween Carnival: Purple outfits
Toontown Pre-Party: Mickey as Zorro, Minnie in a Candy Corn Dress
MHP: Orange outfits

This is the purple outfits at the Halloween Carnival:


----------



## iheartglaciers

figment_jii said:


> From what I understand: Halloween Carnival: Purple outfits Toontown Pre-Party: Mickey as Zorro, Minnie in a Candy Corn Dress MHP: Orange outfits  This is the purple outfits at the Halloween Carnival:



Thanks for the clarification!  Getting a picture with Halloween Mickey and Minnie is high on our list so this info is great


----------



## Sherry E

PenguinoMF said:


> So I went to the party last night (14th) and I hate to say that I'm disappointed in this party. I've gone to the MNSSHP at WDW the last couple years and always had a great time. Here's the good and the bad.
> 
> The good:
> -Liked that the trick or trick trails had multiple stations on each. WDW only has a couple of those.
> -Fireworks were good and were able to go off. I was worried about winds canceling them.
> -Lines were very organized and the wristband checkpoints were very thorough.
> -The Halloween costumes on the characters were cute.
> 
> The bad:
> -It was so crowded. I've never seen so many people at an event at WDW. The line at the gates was horribly slow too.
> -Many of the CM seemed like they didn't want to be there. They rarely commented on our costumes, that's if they even spoke to you at all.
> -The waits for characters were so long. I know to expect lines for Halloween party characters but they were long and moved very slowly. Some of the delay was from people using their meeting time as a personal photo shoot. Get in there, take a couple pictures and move on. Other people are waiting behind you.
> -While on the topic of pictures...don't take pictures of other guests while they are with characters. It's rude and creepy. Wait a second for that moment that the characters are between guests.
> -The parade was disappointingly short. I knew that coming in to the party though. It was cute though.
> 
> So I definitely enjoy MNSSHP more. The party was okay overall and I'm not mad I went but I'm disappointed. The parties sell out day after day, year after year so I can't blame Disneyland for putting in less effort.



*PenguinoMF --*

Thank you for posting your recap.  I'm very glad you reported back, even though you were a bit disappointed!  It's important to get all opinions of the MHP, both the positive and negative ones, and there are probably many people who feel as you do about the MHP and who will have the same opinions/observations that you have when they eventually go to their own MHP.  

To be honest, I have actually been a bit surprised because the majority of the reviews that have come in this season have been positive -- very few negatives in the bunch -- and yet I knew that there had to be people out there who didn't think the MHP was all that great.  It seemed like there were more negative or critical comments about the MHP last year and the year before than there have been this year!

The thing that I am noticing more and more -- as the regular daytime Halloween Time offerings outside of the MHP seem to be getting stripped away or scaled down -- is that, unlike the holiday/Christmas season, DLR created a Halloween Time season _around_ the Halloween party, to showcase the party as the main event of the Halloween Time season.  The holidays can exist and function at DLR just fine without a party, as the "season" has already been in effect for decades without a party.  So, that said, if DLR is going to hang its hat on the MHP as being the main attraction of Halloween Time I think that Disney needs to pay special attention to the MHP and make sure that it is loaded with worthwhile party exclusives (a parade that is better than the Cavalcade), and also make sure that it is not too crowded.


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## aidansmother

We leave tonight! I've been reading the boards, especially this one, looking for little touches to add to this trip. We have been to DL many times and during Halloween a few times, so I'm hoping to find ways to make this trip stand out. I have a list of seasonal treats to try and we want to try to catch Alice and the Mad Hatter doing musical chairs in the afternoon. This time tomorrow we will be in the park!


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## Sherry E

New:

"Fortune Teller Ivana Mystic Predicts Fun for Halloween Time at the Disneyland Resort" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on October 15th, 2014 by Erin Glover, Social Media Director, Disneyland Resort


​


----------



## Imdboss

Below is the portion of my trip report I posted that's from the MHP. Such a great party!!! If interested in reading my entire report (it's a small book) you can find it here: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3341052


Fri 10/10 - MHP tonight! Arrived in the park at 4:25pm. Lines to get in weren't too bad and moved pretty quick, it only took us appx 15 min to get in. Had ADR at Cafe Orleans for 4:40, we were a few min late getting there since we stopped to buy Halloween bags. I've wanted to try the Monte Cristo for several trips and finally did, it was amazing! Next trip we will definitely eat here again but DH and I will share it, way too much food for one person. After dinner we headed to TT for the preparty, not sure exactly when we got there but I think it was around 6:15, it wasn't too busy when we arrived. We did all 3 treat trails here and rode RR and GGC. We had 2 other friends join us so now we are a group of 9. I rounded everyone up and we headed to FL. We did the treat trail here twice, rode Tea Cups, Canal Boats, CJRR. Our 3 friends broke away to go do their own thing, whew a bit easier to manage people now. We then headed to TL. Here we did the treat trail, rode BLAB twice, ST, SMGG (I stayed with DS when others did this) & Orbitor. Then off to NOS, Here we did 3 treat trails, rode PoC, IJA and got pics with Peter Pan & Wendy. Now it's time to head out, party is coming to an end and my family is exhausted, I did make them stand in line for a pic at the giant Mickey though. We loved the party, it was so much fun (my 3rd time), the only downside was being with other people. It's so much easier when it's just the 4 of us. Our 2 friends that joined us just for the party are easy, they just follow us wherever we go but the other 3 that joined us for the trip were a bit more difficult. Not that it ruined our trip but their DD is just a bit more to deal with because she was pretty picky about what rides she wanted to do. DH loved the party so much (lower crowds, really short ride wait times) that he said next year we should do two parties!


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## Mysteryincorp

We went to MHP last night (10/14) and I felt like the crowds were LESS crazy this year. Moving around the park was a breeze, no lines for food or bathrooms, minimal waits for rides. Halloween is such a busy, crowded season it was so nice to enjoy the park without the crowds. We really took our time and enjoyed the atmosphere.
Arrived at 5pm, headed straight to toon town. Hit the treat trail around the fountain, took about 5 minutes total to get through the trail. It moved quickly. My daughter curtsied while trick or treating and theCM loved it and gave a lot of double helpings! We did roger rabbit (walked on) and then the roller coaster twice. Hit the treat trail through Donald's boat twice and already had very heavy treat bags. 
I had really wanted to enter the park after dark because Main Street is really amazing and it's a great way to start the party so we headed there to meet my husband and make our grand entrance  it wasn't dark yet! So we headed into Lincoln theater to get out annual pass holder treat. Loved it....the theater is decorated and you get a bag, candy and a big Rice Krispie treat. 
Still not dark! So we headed to carnation and had dinner at the table right on the railing  so we could costume watch....so much fun! Baked potatoe soup was amazing! Salad was boring, my husbands meatloaf was really good. Daughter got Mac n cheese, her usual.
Finally dark! Headed down Main Street, took pictures in front of the castle and then hit SMGG. About a Ten minute wait. Hit some fantasyland rides and treat trails and then went to jolly Holiday bakery for a s'mores bar and cookie. Decadence. 
Daughter was not impressed with parade so wee watched the cadaver dans in the river.....so unbelievably cool. Daughter was starting to cough (I think this was day one of a cold) and was getting really tired. I had been hoping since she was a year older she would have made it late but no........ So sad. We hit thunder moutnain (great ride in the dark) and headed home. Reluctantly. 
I was so excited to see the fireworks but I couldn't keep the little one awake any longer so unfortunately ewe headed home about 920, even earlier than last year! I was very disappointed but overall we had a great time.
We got sooooooo much candy and really enjoyed ourselves. We will definitely do the party again next year.


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## Sherry E

*Bret/mvf-m11c* attended last night's MHP -- I'm sure he will eventually pop back to this thread and let us know how it went, but I think he is still at DLR right now.

From what I can see in the photo that Bret posted in his TR so far, it looks as though he had quite a good spot for the Halloween Screams fireworks -- *HERE*.

​


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## Vala

figment_jii said:


> From what I understand:
> Halloween Carnival: Purple outfits
> Toontown Pre-Party: Mickey as Zorro, Minnie in a Candy Corn Dress
> MHP: Orange outfits
> 
> This is the purple outfits at the Halloween Carnival:



Yes, that's correct.


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## Mysteryincorp

The Mickey and Minnie in toon town were super cute, the costumes were the Zorro and candy corn as previously stated and really, really cute!


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## Vala

Short summary for 9/30 

- Definitely felt less crowded than the year before. Friends were in and out of Innovations in 20 minutes whereas last year we almost needed 20 minutes to get to the Phineas and Ferb photostop.

- Ticket hand out in the park didn't go so well. The booth they had set up near Small World had a line stretching all over the hill up to the Fantasyland Theater and then back down to the train station. Suggestions were made to actually exit the park and get the ticket that way as it would be more fast. 

- Loved the AP gift and the special set up for that treat trail in the theater. The rice krispie was tasty too and I'm usually not too fond of the packaged ones. 

- Really bad communication about the pre party. I even asked at City Hall and was told no, there was none. In the end I was saved by a kind CM who grabbed me when he saw me in the completely wrong spot. I was sad that Roger Rabbit didn't appear, but seeing Horace was a huge plus.

- I agree that some of the character lines were moving very slowly. The villains line took almost an hour and we joined the line at a point where it was relatively short. But in return the pirates line seemed to move way faster than last year, I actually got through for a change. Aladdin photo stop was always deserted when I walked past, but we managed to catch Rabbit at the Pooh stop which was pretty much number one on our priority list.

- Yes, the parade is short. Still I think it's cute and worth watching. We enjoyed it a lot.

- Small World is a really great spot for the fireworks. Projections are done on the Small World facade. You miss some of the lower level castle stuff, but the time savings may be worth it. I walked up just when the music started and got a perfect spot. 

Overall... when do the 2015 tickets go on sale?


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## figment_jii

I just wants to wish everyone a Happy Early Halloween and that everyone still planning on going to see HalloweenTime has a great trip!  Figment and I are on our way to Disney World, so I won't be able to check in as often.  So happy Halloween everyone!


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## audrey2580

figment_jii said:


> I just wants to wish everyone a Happy Early Halloween and that everyone still planning on going to see HalloweenTime has a great trip!  Figment and I are on our way to Disney World, so I won't be able to check in as often.  So happy Halloween everyone!



Happy Halloween and safe travels!


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## Sherry E

*I was saying a while back that I wondered if Disneyland Resort would start selling pumpkin ice cream (presumably, Dreyer's Pumpkin Patch) since it appears that at least one place at WDW (in Epcot) is selling it, and DLR usually has peppermint ice cream for the holidays every year -- so why not pumpkin too?

Up until today -- and we are already just about 5 weeks into Halloween Time -- I had heard nothing of pumpkin ice cream at DLR.  Maybe people noticed it but didn't mention it, or if they mentioned it somewhere else on this board I didn't see it.  I have never seen it at DLR during any previous Halloween Time seasons.

But... it's there!  I just happened to glance at the Disneyland Today Facebook page to discover that the Big Thunder Ranch BBQ is serving its "Halloween Time Cookie Bake" with "pumpkin ice cream"?!?!

I have no idea if the pumpkin ice cream is available at any of the actual ice cream shops, or if it is only available at Big Thunder Ranch BBQ, but supposedly it is there for the time being (although the ice cream doesn't really look pumpkin-y in the photo on Facebook).

Last year, the Dreyer's Peppermint Wonderland ice cream was in hot demand at DLR, but it was not available when or where it was expected to be.  It would have normally been at Gibson Girl Ice Cream and at Clarabelle's, but it was not at either of those places in November.  It was spotted by people at Ghirardelli, and then it disappeared almost immediately.  It finally popped up at the BBQ and at the Blue Bayou, but it was not available in "cone form" at any ice cream shop around DLR -- that is, until the week of Christmas only, when it appeared as a "Limited Time Magic" thing.   

I have no clue what the fate of the peppermint ice cream will be at DLR this year for the holidays, and the pumpkin ice cream may not be available in cone form either -- but at least there is one restaurant that supposedly has it (though I am still suspicious of whether it is actually pumpkin ice cream) if anyone wants it before Halloween Time ends!*


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## dnamertz

PenguinoMF said:


> -While on the topic of pictures...don't take pictures of other guests while they are with characters. It's rude and creepy. Wait a second for that moment that the characters are between guests.



I've never known anyone to want a picture of a stranger.  I have taken pictures just before it was our turn to try to get the settings on my camera just right (so I didn't have to adjust it while people are waiting).  That is probably why most people would do something like this.


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## TulipsNZ

I have a complaint, I had so much fun but I only got to go to one party and now I'm back on the other side of the world and I can't go again for years.  I want to go back now!


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## Sew into Disney

dnamertz said:


> I've never known anyone to want a picture of a stranger.  I have taken pictures just before it was our turn to try to get the settings on my camera just right (so I didn't have to adjust it while people are waiting).  That is probably why most people would do something like this.



Two years ago when my youngest was just shy of being 2 we had at least five people stop and ask to take pictures of her. It was very bizarre to me. When she took pictures with Pilot Minnie in DCA and with Jessie on the Pier I noticed others taking pictures of her also. 

I personally think my daughter is beautiful  It was just very shocking to see others take pictures of her and to stop us and ask for pictures. 

By the way she was wearing a white onesie and a red/white polka dot skirt that I had made her. So nothing fancy.


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## TulipsNZ

Sew into Disney said:


> Two years ago when my youngest was just shy of being 2 we had at least five people stop and ask to take pictures of her. It was very bizarre to me. When she took pictures with Pilot Minnie in DCA and with Jessie on the Pier I noticed others taking pictures of her also.
> 
> I personally think my daughter is beautiful  It was just very shocking to see others take pictures of her and to stop us and ask for pictures.
> 
> By the way she was wearing a white onesie and a red/white polka dot skirt that I had made her. So nothing fancy.



I have 5 boys including twins, when I line them up for photos at tourist spots it's amazing how often other people take photos.


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## Vala

TulipsNZ said:


> I have 5 boys including twins, when I line them up for photos at tourist spots it's amazing how often other people take photos.



Yes, it happens a lot. In summer last year I had a fun interaction with Gaston in Paris - pictures of us showed up on several forums. At least 2 users had tried to crudely photoshop me out, the others didn't quite care.


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## Sherry E

Can you believe that there are only 2 weeks left until Halloween -- and, more importantly, only 2 more weeks left of Halloween Time and Mickey's Halloween Party at DLR?   Where has the time gone??  

In two more weeks, Pumpkin Pandemonium will also end.  It's been a fun season of pumpkin spice _this_ and caramel apple _that_.  There _should_ be some lingering pumpkin-y things (and maybe even some apple-ish things) left on the store shelves and at Disneyland Resort up until maybe Thanksgiving or so, but the constant release of new pumpkin spice and caramel apple products will come to a screeching halt very soon, making room for the wave of peppermint, cranberry, gingerbread, eggnog and Winter-ish goodies.

Here in the Halloween Time Superthread, however, Halloween and Fall are still in full swing.  I'm not letting go so easily.  Either tomorrow or Sunday I am going to the Farmers Market Fall Festival (this is the Farmers Market next door to The Grove in L.A.)... which means a stop in at See's Candy for a sample!  They have a petting zoo, music, lots of pumpkins, pony rides, crafts and all sorts of things, and some of the vendors in the market sell Fall-ish foods.  I am going to revel in the Autumnal fun while I can -- I only wish that it were breezy and kind of drizzly outside, to make it seem more like Fall!  I can't justify drinking cider or hot cocoa when it's 77 degrees outside.


​

*In the meantime, here's what's new in the world of Pumpkin Pandemonium and Halloween Hoopla, at Disneyland Resort and out of Disneyland Resort...*

1.  Disneyland Today's Facebook page reported that *La Brea Bakery in Downtown Disney is serving Pumpkin Soup on Mickey's Halloween Party nights, and Pumpkin Pie*;

2.  From the Disney Food Blog -- *"Dining in Disneyland: Pumpkin Beignets & Maleficent Sipper from the Mint Julep Bar," posted on Oct 16th, 2014 by Heather*;

3.  From Disney Insider -- *"Disneyland Pumpkin Food Crawl," posted October 14, 2014*; and

4.  From Disney Style -- *"5 Things To Do This Weekend: All Things Pumpkin," posted "recently" -- October 2014*.




​


*And, Spotted on Shelves (The Impulsive Buy website) revealed these sightings (some items are not "new", but have just recently been seen in stores):


1.  Hostess Twinkies with Orange S'Cream filling; 

2.  Thomas' Limited Edition Pumpkin Spice Swirl Breakfast Bread;

3.  Trader Joe's Pumpkin O's (TJ's is really turning up the pumpkin heat in these last few weeks before Halloween);  

4.  Trader Joe's Pumpkin Pie Mochi Ice Cream;  and 

5.  Over the Top's Zombie Dance Party Cookie Kit and Eerie Brains Cupcake Kit.  *


​


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## poison ivy

Thanks Sherry for that brief summary of pumpkin treats in DL.  Will definitely be seeking a few items out during our trip.

also - A couple of general questions for everyone:

Is IASW closed right now? and

How does free parking work if you are staying at a resort with a vehicle?
are we given a day free or do we lose out on this benefit entirely unless we park in a certain lot?


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## Sherry E

poison ivy said:


> Thanks Sherry for that brief summary of pumpkin treats in DL.  Will definitely be seeking a few items out during our trip.
> 
> also - A couple of general questions for everyone:
> 
> Is IASW closed right now? and
> 
> How does free parking work if you are staying at a resort with a vehicle?
> are we given a day free or do we lose out on this benefit entirely unless we park in a certain lot?



You're welcome! 

IASW will be closed as of this coming Monday, 10/20/14, and on through 11/6/14.

As far as I know, if you stay onsite with parking and are attending MHP, you won't get any kind of free parking day.  The free parking with the MHP ticket comes in handy, I suppose, for those who are not staying overnight at all, or who are staying far enough away from Disneyland that they need to drive in and park in the actual general Disney parking lot.  I don't think the onsite guests benefit from the free parking in any way if they keep their vehicle at the hotel, though I could be wrong.


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## mvf-m11c

I just got back from the Disneyland Resort (10/14 to 10/16) and we attended Mickeys Halloween Party on 10/14 along with DISer *PrincessInOz* and her family. This was my first time attending MHP since 2010 when the party was moved from Disney California Adventure to DL that year. I know that this year MHP was well improved over the 2010 year where it was a little disfunction from 2010. There were some areas where it can be improved and have been improved over the time.

We all went together to DLR that afternoon around 3:30pm to attend MHP. The party started until 6pm but we were able to get in 3 hours before the party started. I knew that going the first three hours would be busy with the regular guests and the party attendees. But PrincessInOz didnt check-in to their hotel until 3pm so we waited for them at our hotel until they arrived. 

No surprised that it was sold out that night.




When we approached the MHP turnstiles which is separated from the regular and party turnstiles, there was quite a number of people even around 3:30pm that afternoon which we did have to wait in the queues to enter DL. There were a lot of people all dressed up for the party and there were a lot of interesting costumes.




After going through the turnstiles, there were CMs waiting to give the guests the bags and put the wristband on the guests. Just like in 2010, the area is all roped off from the party attendees and regular guests so that there wont be any non-party guests getting the wristbands for the party.




The wristbands arent that special like the ones at WDW for Mickeys Not So Scary Halloween Party or Mickeys Very Merry Christmas Party. But these are way better over the 2010 which is just a simple purple band without any letters.




The party didnt start until 6pm (we got in around 4pm) so we had about 2 hours until it started and less than one hour until the pre-party began at the Halloween Carnival and Mickeys Toontown. While we were in the park, we were able to watch the 4pm Mickeys Soundsational Parade coming from Main Street Town Square to Its a Small World Plaza. Than we were able to go on over to Frontierland to ride Big Thunder Mountain Railroad with only a 20 minute wait time.

After riding BTMRR, it was around 5pm and we head on over to Big Thunder Ranch Halloween Carnival which is one of the two pre-party areas for the party attendees to go in. When we were in the Halloween Carnival, it was not that busy where there were some people meeting the characters, playing games and the treat stations. The treat stations were not that busy that day where I have heard from other DISers that Mickeys Toontown is far busier than at the Halloween Carnival. This is a good place to start for getting candy at the stations since it is not that busy and you will be able to meet some characters and play games. 

Than we head on over to Mickeys Toontown for the pre-party and as expected, most of the Halloween party attendees were in Toontown that day. Most of the treat lines were quite long where the longest we waited in line was about 10 minutes which was not that bad but still long to get candy at three stands. We were able to get candy right by Roger Rabbits Car Toon Spin as well as Donalds Boat. There was a long line to get candy at Mickey and Minnies house that we just pass by it. 
















There were also character meet & greet by City Hall which had three areas. The best one was getting picture with Mickey and Minnie or Chip & Dale. They were in their costumes and we waited a while to get a picture with them. We were hoping to get Mickey & Minnie but we got Chip & Dale. It took about 15 minutes for us to get Chip & Dale where we wanted to get Mickey & Minnie. Also at the character m&g, Clarabelle Cow and Horace Horsecollar were getting pictures with the guests and we were able to get pictures with them. Donald, Pluto and Goofy were out there greeting the guests as well.
















Just when the party started at 6pm, we head straight on over to the Hub so we could get our spots for Halloween Screams fireworks. I had some doubts of getting there early since the fireworks start at 9:30pm and wait for 3 hours for a spot for the fireworks. I know that is crazy but I have seen people wait that long or even longer to get a spot for the fireworks. But we all had our DSLRs and tripods that we wanted to get good pictures of the fireworks that night. 

While walking around the parks when the party started, there were CMs around at certain spots (mostly around the Hub) to check the guests to see if they have a wristband for the party or not. There were some CMs around the whole park to see if the guests have them. The CMs were well organized to make sure that the guests have the wristbands to stay in the park that night without being rude.

We had a plan since we had multiple people that night, we got the curb side right close to the Partner statue side and set up our blankets so we can watch the fireworks from my favorite spot. It was a 3 hour wait but we can take turns and let the other party members go do something that night. I am so used to wait for hours for the nighttime shows. The only thing I was concerned that night was the wind. But luckily it wasnt that windy that night and HS would go as planned.

While someone was waiting in our spot for HS fireworks, I was able to go to the Emporium to buy MHP merchandise and I was able to buy a shirt along with pins. During the party, DA and I were able to go to the Opera House during the party since there was an Annual Passholder station where we were able to get a bag and an Annual Passholder rice crispy treat. DA was glad that we got something out of the MHP ticket since we are AP holders.




While walking around the park during the party, there were projections on the ground and buildings just like at the MK during those parties.








While during the party, the crowds were not that bad as I have thought from hearing from other DISers report the first couple of weeks. Most of the rides didnt hat those long wait times like during the day where they are at the treat stations, shows, and character m&g.

When passing by some of the rides that night, the wait times for most of them were not that bad. I didnt go on any rides that night during the party since I spent most of it walking around taking pictures, getting food, shopping and the treat stations.

When it was about one and a half hours until the fireworks, we were asked by the CMs if we wanted to move up closer to the rope off area to watch the fireworks. I was a little surprised that we were able to move up closely to watch the fireworks that night. I moved up along with PrincessInOz DH to take pictures that night while PiO was with my DA and her DS at the curb spot. We spent part of our time during the party waiting for HS fireworks and we didnt regret it one bit since we got good spots for the fireworks.

Sleeping Beauty Castle had the projections on the castle during the party.




It was time for HS at 9:30pm. I was amazed how good the front row spot was since I am used to being in the back for the fireworks. Also the CMs told the guests that were on the streets to not stand up for the fireworks. This is like what happened during my trip last month where guests are now sitting on the ground instead of standing up like in the past. The DLR must have made this change some time ago where there arent that many CMs managing the area like in the past.

Here are some of my firework trail shots that night from the rope off area.
















HS is a little different from 2010 where they added pyro techniques to the show but Zero and the sphere shaped balloon is still the same. When I compare HS fireworks to HalloWishes fireworks at the MK during MNSSHP, I really like HS over HalloWishes where HS has Zero and the sphere on the left hand side of SB Castle.

After HS fireworks was over, we went on over to Frontierland to see the Rivers of America and it was blanket with fog.












Most of the treat stations around Frontierland were quite busy that night even after the fireworks from the Golden Horseshoe & Rancho del Zocalo. The one that was fast was close to the RoA that night while most of the treat stations were quite busy. 

Continue with my next update


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## mvf-m11c

Part 2 of MHP on October 14, 2014.

We were able to get a nice spot by the Hub for the 10:30pm Mickeys Costume Party Cavalcade. I remember during the 2010 when the cavalcade was used for the party and it is almost exactly the same (but without the honoring guests that are in the cavalcade). MCPC is not even a parade like Mickeys Boo-to-You Halloween Parade at the MK during MNSSHP. 

The first cavalcade was way more packed over the second one where you are able to see it with little wait time around Main Street. 

Some pictures from that night. Including the Frozen pre-parade that is used during Mickeys Soundsational Parade.
























































Projection on the MS buildings during the party.




On the streets. This is like how MNSSHP does the same thing where DL has incorporated.




After the cavalcade was over, we started to head on out of the park since it was close to 11pm which is the closing time and we were able to see the Disney Villians show at MS Town Square that night just before 11pm.








As for my observation of MHP this year when I compare it to the 2010 which I attended it the last time and it was well organized and better managed than 2010. There are some things that can be improved to the party just like the one at MK during MNSSHP. Getting candy at the treat stations can be a long wait or short wait while there are some stations that are walk-ons and some that do take as long as going on a ride at the park. The character m&g were not that bad where I dont do character m&g that often but it was nice to do some. The characters were all nicely dressed up for the party along with characters that you dont see too often at the parks. The rides we didnt since it was all about the party, shows, treat stations, character m&g etc. but they were all manageable with short wait times. We did had to wait a while for Halloween Screams fireworks that night which was less than 3 hours for a prime spot. I thought it was worth it where we were able to see HS at the best spot and the shots proved that. Mickeys Costume Party Cavalcade hasnt change much from 2010 but it needs a parade like Mickeys Boo-to-You Halloween Parade at the MK.

Overall the party was great and we all had a blast. If I wanted to do it again, it would be to enjoy all the full experience of the party instead of waiting for the fireworks. There were some places during the party that we were able to experience like Cadaver Dans, Monsters U Dance Party, some of the trick-or-treating stations and character m&g. I will attend MHP again in the near future maybe in a couple of years unless there is something new added to the party.


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## Nimbusteach

Amazing pictures mvf-m11c!!! They really get us excited for the party next week!


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## Sherry E

*Bret --*

Thank you so, so much for posting those wonderful photos and sharing your MHP experience with us!    The pictures really capture the overall essence of the MHP, and they give people an idea of a lot of the things they will find there.  I'm glad you had a good time -- you really had a great viewing spot for the fireworks!


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## Kilala

I'm almost done with the Binx costume. I still have to finish painting the white on the legs, paint the leg wamers and the gloves. I have to start the wig. I'm going to try to get the wig done this weekend. I'm almost done with the tail. I will take pictures on my Binx costume sometime next week.


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## poison ivy

mvf-m11c:

thank you for those amazing photos and excellent review of your night.
It really helps a newcomer like myself get an idea of exactly what to expect.

Wow!  that Fog!  and great fireworks shots.

I also want to thank you for the parade pics.  I wasn't going to watch this with my grandkids but after seeing the characters and floats, I really think they'll enjoy it.

Does anyone know if ToonTown empties out later on during the night?  Want to visit but not sure if the crowds are going to work against us. 

Also, what time does the Anna and Elsa float go by ahead of the parade?
Don't want to miss that.


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## Sherry E

poison ivy said:


> mvf-m11c:
> 
> thank you for those amazing photos and excellent review of your night.
> It really helps a newcomer like myself get an idea of exactly what to expect.
> 
> Wow!  that Fog!  and great fireworks shots.
> 
> I also want to thank you for the parade pics.  I wasn't going to watch this with my grandkids but after seeing the characters and floats, I really think they'll enjoy it.
> 
> Does anyone know if ToonTown empties out later on during the night?  Want to visit but not sure if the crowds are going to work against us.
> 
> Also, what time does the Anna and Elsa float go by ahead of the parade?
> Don't want to miss that.



*poison ivy --*

Someone else will have to tackle the Anna and Elsa float question, but as far as Toontown -- I wouldn't wait too long to go to Toontown.  Unless something has changed and I am getting my information incorrect, it opens for the Pre-Party and stays open for, I think, 2 hours. 

So if the MHP officially begins at 7 p.m., the Toontown Pre-Party would begin at 6 p.m. and stay open until 8 p.m., I suppose.  On a night when the MHP begins at 6 p.m., the TT Pre-Party would begin at 5 p.m. and close at 7 p.m.  

Toontown has to close early because of the Halloween Screams fireworks, so it's not a matter of staying open with fewer people visiting it throughout the night.  It will close at either 7 p.m. or 8 p.m., depending on whether the MHP begins at 6 p.m. or 7 p.m., respectively.  (Toontown also closes earlier than the rest of Disneyland on non-MHP nights too, for the same reason -- fireworks.)


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## nikerbokers

Wow these pictures are amazing and are getting me SO excited to head down to Anaheim in 12 days. My first Halloween Time at DL after 15+ trips in my life. Thank you all for sharing the magic.


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## calilou

poison ivy said:


> mvf-m11c:
> 
> thank you for those amazing photos and excellent review of your night.
> It really helps a newcomer like myself get an idea of exactly what to expect.
> 
> Wow!  that Fog!  and great fireworks shots.
> 
> I also want to thank you for the parade pics.  I wasn't going to watch this with my grandkids but after seeing the characters and floats, I really think they'll enjoy it.
> 
> Does anyone know if ToonTown empties out later on during the night?  Want to visit but not sure if the crowds are going to work against us.
> 
> Also, what time does the Anna and Elsa float go by ahead of the parade?
> Don't want to miss that.



The Frozen float goes by about 10-15 minutes ahead of the rest of the parade. It's a really well done parade. We've seen it many times and my girls still love to watch.


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## Vala

Yeah, 10 to 15 minutes is about alright for the Frozen float. We had totally forgotten about it, showed up half an hour before parade time and were like "why is it so full?" 

Sherry is right about Toontown. During the party it's only open for those 2 hours pre party.


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## TinkerJR

Well our costumes are done, packing this weekend, Tuesday is almost here and we will start out fall pilgrimage to Disneyland.   Can.Not.Wait 

We have been to DL a few times so there isn't much planning needed for most days, (I have been known to plan the fun out of anything, including vacations)  but the MHP on Wednesday has me a little worried. 

We will be in the park most of Wednesday, so we will be concentrating on "party only" things during the party.  Parades, Fireworks and Treat-Trails are high on our list.  We like to see characters, but it is not high on our list to do Meet & Greets.  I would love  some feedback on my tentative schedule, I want to make sure I am not missing anything, or having to sprint across the park, dragging my DH, DS (10) and DD (4) with me, to make it to something.  

3:00 pm:  Get our check-in stuff done, sounds like exiting the park and re-entry is better than the Fantasy Land check-in point.  This will allow us to store our costumes and extra treat bags in a locker in the esplanade and grab them before the party starts and swap out our street clothes.

4:00 pm:  Grab something to eat.  We are not planing on ADR's but Plaza Inn will be our first choice.  It will allow us to do some people watching, too. 

5:00 pm:  Not sure if we should do the BTR or the Toontown Pre-party first.  We would like to do both, and I think there will be time.  How long should we allow for these?

6:30 pm:  There is a Monster U Dance Party on the schedule, but I haven't seen much about it here.  Is it worth doing?  

8:30 pm:  Cavalcade Parade. How long before the parade, should we stake out a place?  DD wants to see the Frozen pre-parade float, so will want to be in the front.  We are open to doing either the 8:30 or the 10:30 parade, depending on which one makes more sense.

9:30 pm:  Fireworks.  This is a big one for us.  I know mvf-m11c was there 3 hours before the start (Wonderful pictures, BTW) and got a fantastic spot. How much time would you say we should get our spots?  Would it work to get a spot hear Jolly Holiday and just stay there until after the fireworks.  Do the CM's make everyone sit down for all of the MHP fireworks?  If so, that will allow us to be a little more flexible on where we sit.

Whew   Sounds like a lot just typing it out.  Thank you, in advance to everyone!


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## mvf-m11c

Nimbusteach said:


> Amazing pictures mvf-m11c!!! They really get us excited for the party next week!



Thank you Nimbusteach.  It was an exciting party that I haven't done in quite some time. Hope you have a great time during MHP next week. 




Sherry E said:


> *Bret --*
> 
> Thank you so, so much for posting those wonderful photos and sharing your MHP experience with us!    The pictures really capture the overall essence of the MHP, and they give people an idea of a lot of the things they will find there.  I'm glad you had a good time -- you really had a great viewing spot for the fireworks!



Your welcome and thank you Sherry. I also like to thank all the DISers that have contributed to the Superthread as well since I was able to know all the different activities that are happening during MHP. The party was well organized this trip then in 2010 when it was a little unorganized. Very interesting that the DLR is changing the ways of how you watch the fireworks from the Hub area. 




poison ivy said:


> mvf-m11c:
> 
> thank you for those amazing photos and excellent review of your night.
> It really helps a newcomer like myself get an idea of exactly what to expect.
> 
> Wow!  that Fog!  and great fireworks shots.
> 
> I also want to thank you for the parade pics.  I wasn't going to watch this with my grandkids but after seeing the characters and floats, I really think they'll enjoy it.
> 
> Does anyone know if ToonTown empties out later on during the night?  Want to visit but not sure if the crowds are going to work against us.
> 
> Also, what time does the Anna and Elsa float go by ahead of the parade?
> Don't want to miss that.



Your welcome poison ivy.

Thank you. You will enjoy seeing the RoA at night when the river is all covered in a blanket of fog as well as seeing the Columbia. HS firework trails were not that bad that night and glad that we got a great spot in front of SB Castle.

Mickey's Costume Party Cavalcade is a nice show to watch. Even though it doesn't have a lot of floats like Mickey's Soundsational parade, at least they have characters you don't see too often at the parks. Another tip is that you should watch the second parade at 10:30pm over the 8:30pm parade since it won't be as busy as the first one.

Just as Sherry said that Toontown opens for 2 hours until it is closed so they would clear Toontown for HS fireworks.

Just as everyone said that the Frozen pre-parade float will appear 10-15 minutes before the cavalcade starts. It is just like as Mickey's Soundsational parade which starts about 10-15 minutes before the parade starts.




TinkerJR said:


> 9:30 pm:  Fireworks.  This is a big one for us.  I know mvf-m11c was there 3 hours before the start (Wonderful pictures, BTW) and got a fantastic spot. How much time would you say we should get our spots?  Would it work to get a spot hear Jolly Holiday and just stay there until after the fireworks.  Do the CM's make everyone sit down for all of the MHP fireworks?  If so, that will allow us to be a little more flexible on where we sit.
> 
> Whew   Sounds like a lot just typing it out.  Thank you, in advance to everyone!



Thank you TinkerJR. My group got there 3 hours to be sure to get a good spot so we can set up our tripods that night and get the fireworks trail shots. As for how much time would be to get a spot, it depends on what location you want to watch Halloween Screams fireworks from. If you want a view in front of SB Castle, I would say at least an hour (in the streets) to get a good spot. People do wait 2+ hours for a good spot in front of the castle (from the benches, curb sides, front rope, etc.). The only problem I have with watching from Jolly Holiday Bakery is that the trees (from Adventureland/Frontierland side) will be in the way of watching the fireworks.

Lately when I was there on Tuesday during HS fireworks, the CM's told the guests before the show in the middle of the viewing area to sit down when it starts. Lately since last month when I was there watching the fireworks, most of the people around that area have been sitting down on the ground watching the fireworks instead of standing up like they have been doing in the past. It almost feels like the DLR management are changing the policies of watching the fireworks in front of SB Castle where you have to stand up no matter what. If you are in the middle and in front of SB Castle for the fireworks, you will sit on the ground. When I looked on the other sides of the viewing area by Frontierland side and Tomorrowland side, the guests in those areas were standing up for the fireworks.


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## momof6princesses

So today was our first day in the parks and all I can say is we are having a blast!  Had MM at Disneyland and got on 5 FL rides, tickets for the Anna/Elsa meet/greet (it was great we had a 5min wait and lots of time visiting because there wasn't anyone in line behind us) return time 9:40, 2 times on Matterhorn, 2 times on Space, BLAB, ST, and Slash all before noon. Great times!  Forgot we also saw Peter Pan, Tinkerbell, Rosetta, Alice and the Mad Hatter. The kids reminded me!  It was a busy, fun and productive  morning.


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## sgrap

I know this has been discussed, but I'm having a hard time finding an exact answer with the search feature.   What is the best/good spot to watch Screams?  I'm not willing to wait 3 hours, although the pictures that resulted from that wait were fantastic.  But I am willing to get there ahead of time.  I know we need to be able to see the left side of the castle.  If the center of the hub is the center of a clock with SB castle at 12:00, where is the good range to stand?  12:00-3:00?

Also, where will the CM's let you stand/sit at what point in time?   

Thanks!


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## mvf-m11c

sgrap said:


> I know this has been discussed, but I'm having a hard time finding an exact answer with the search feature.   What is the best/good spot to watch Screams?  I'm not willing to wait 3 hours, although the pictures that resulted from that wait were fantastic.  But I am willing to get there ahead of time.  I know we need to be able to see the left side of the castle.  If the center of the hub is the center of a clock with SB castle at 12:00, where is the good range to stand?  12:00-3:00?
> 
> Also, where will the CM's let you stand/sit at what point in time?
> 
> Thanks!



The best spot to watch Halloween Screams or any firework shows (RDCT, Magical, BIHM, etc.) is in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle. The center of the Hub and facing the castle is 12:00 on the clock. Waiting 2+ hours in front of the castle is for the benches, curbside by the Hub, or front of the rope off area towards the castle is what people are willing to wait for. You can still get a view of the castle within about an hour to hour and a half. People do have preference of where they like to watch the fireworks of in front of the castle, Tomorrowland side, Frontierland side, etc. You also will want to watch in front of the castle since it will have the sphere shaped balloon on the left hand side of the castle during HS fireworks. And don't forget about the projections on the castle during HS as well.

Here is an example where I watched the fireworks from around 12:00 on the clock of the Hub facing the castle.




In the past, everyone that is around the Hub will have to stand up for the fireworks. Lately, the people that are in front of the castle for the fireworks have been sitting on the ground. This is what I have seen during the fireworks and the guests that are on the left (Frontierland side) and right hand (Tomorrowland) side of watching the fireworks are standing while the center is sitting on the ground.


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## mcjingles

momof6princesses said:


> So today was our first day in the parks and all I can say is we are having a blast!  Had MM at Disneyland and got on 5 FL rides, tickets for the Anna/Elsa meet/greet (it was great we had a 5min wait and lots of time visiting because there wasn't anyone in line behind us) return time 9:40, 2 times on Matterhorn, 2 times on Space, BLAB, ST, and Slash all before noon. Great times!  Forgot we also saw Peter Pan, Tinkerbell, Rosetta, Alice and the Mad Hatter. The kids reminded me!  It was a busy, fun and productive  morning.


So glad to hear! This is my exact hope for us next Saturday!


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## Mommy2PrincessAbby

mvf-m11c said:


> In the past, everyone that is around the Hub will have to stand up for the fireworks. Lately, the people that are in front of the castle for the fireworks have been sitting on the ground. This is what I have seen during the fireworks and the guests that are on the left (Frontierland side) and right hand (Tomorrowland) side of watching the fireworks are standing while the center is sitting on the ground.



I hope the trend of sitting during fireworks continues!  It is so hard to see when you are short when everyone is standing!


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## Renae De Liz

Leaving tomorrow and so excited!  Thanks to everyone who posted information in this thread. It's been so helpful! This is our first time at Halloween, and our first time _driving_ to the park instead of doing some massive travel-by-plane trip. I gotta say... it's really nice!

I'll have to post a picture of my poor husband's costume when we go to MHP. He wanted to be Willy the Giant (from Mickey and the Beanstalk) which is a little difficult to pull off, so he'll either look like the character, or a giant weirdo in a really bad renaissance fair costume


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## nrain02

With no intentions on beating a dead horse, here's yet another question on screams... When facing the middle of SB castle you want to be off to the left? Because when I think of 12-3 o'clock that makes me think right and now I'm confused. Sorry guys.

Also, are the lockers inside DL park open yet for 10/24? If so, if we are in DL all day and there for MHP, will we have to purchase a locker twice, once for a.m. and then for the party?


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## Mister Skellington

Renae De Liz said:


> Leaving tomorrow and so excited!  Thanks to everyone who posted information in this thread. It's been so helpful! This is our first time at Halloween, and our first time _driving_ to the park instead of doing some massive travel-by-plane trip. I gotta say... it's really nice!
> 
> I'll have to post a picture of my poor husband's costume when we go to MHP. He wanted to be Willy the Giant (from Mickey and the Beanstalk) which is a little difficult to pull off, so he'll either look like the character, or a giant weirdo in a really bad renaissance fair costume



Travel safe!  I am intrigued by the costume...lol.


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## poison ivy

Thanks everyone for the heads up on Toontown.  Don't know how I missed that closing time, but will try to visit earlier at the party next week.  We're going on the 29th.

Ok so I've got a strategy somewhat.  Will arrive before 3pm at the main gate. At 5 I plan to follow mvf-m11c's path by starting out in BTR and then Toontown.  

Would love to catch the second parade, but I think the kids are too young to hang in at 10:30pm.  I'll have to check the map again and figure out the route.

We're thinking about renting a double stroller to avoid having to carry our grandkids back to the DLH and to make it easier on them if they both need a break from walking. (they're 3 and 4.5)  I'm worried this may be too cumbersome to maneuver with the crowds and walking thru treat trails - not to mention parade viewing.  Has anyone managed with one of these?  Please share.


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## whistlinmickey

We appreciate all of the other reviews and trip reports. It has been helpful having information from others about their experiences so that we could manage our own expectations and plan our time at Mickeys Halloween Party. Attending MHP would be our one an only visit to Disneyland Resort this year.  We drove in from out of town and attended only the party. So we wanted to utilize our Disneyland time as much as possible during the time our tickets allowed entry.  Hopefully this summary of our visit will be somewhat helpful to others that are planning an upcoming visit.

Date attended: Friday, October 17th, 2014
Parked in Toy Story lot
Arrived at DLR 11 AM
Downtown Disney window shopping, starting at World of Disney and working our way toward Disneyland Hotel.
Saw Chip 'n' Dale, Minnie, Pluto, and Goofy, almost all at once, in the lobby of the Disneyland Hotel at around 12:30 or so.
Walked to Whitewater Snacks for a snack.
Relaxed and rested up in Grand Californian lobby for a while.
Ate a late lunch at Storytellers Cafe
Souvenir shopping at World of Disney
Went to gates around 3:30 pm
Party guests started to enter about 3:40 pm
After our party assembled, we entered around 4 PM
Picked up FastPasses for Splash Mountain (return time 5:30)
Got in line for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, after about 20 minutes, the ride shut down and we were sent away with a FastPass for our group to use on another attraction.
We used our choice" FastPass on Star Tours
Rode Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters (15 minute wait)
Purchased trading pins at Little Green Men Store Command. They seemed to have all the Mickeys Halloween Party pins. They even offered the Annual Pass exclusive pin. We werent interested in that one, so we dont know if they would have sold it to us since we dont have APs.
Rode Splash Mountain with our 5:30 FastPasses
Went to the pre-party at Big Thunder Ranch - We met Duffy and Jessie, and we went through the treat trails. We played ring toss with Duffy and the children spun the wheel for a prize. They got cute temporary tattoos.
Went toward Mickey's Toon Town and stopped at the Frozen photo backdrops for pictures.
Went to the pre-party at Mickey's Toon Town. We went through the treat trail in Donald's house, rode on Gadget's Go Coaster (5 minute wait), went through the treat trails throughMinnie & Mickey houses, rode on Roger Rabbits Car Toon Spin (no wait), and went through one more treat trail.
Rode on its a small world (no wait)
Rode on Mad Tea Party (no wait)
Went through the treat trail behind Dumbo the Flying Elephant
Rode on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (10 minute wait)
Went through part of the treat trail in Critter Country
Rode on Splash Mountain with no wait (two times, second time without exiting the log)
Watched the Halloween Screams Fireworks. We got a spot by the curb on the street in front of Jolly Holiday, right where the path to Adventureland meets the hub. We chose a spot on the outside of the hub so my daughter could sit on my shoulders without blocking others behind us. We could see Zero flying and the projections on the castle really well, but not the orb with Jack Skellington. Although my daughter on my shoulders said she could see him. So if youre really tall and trust the report of a preschooler, you might consider this spot OK.  We saw the Halloween Screams fireworks in 2012 from a spot on the curb by Coke Corner. We were able to see the orb just fine from there.  But even without being able to see the orb this year, we thought the show was great.
Rode Jungle Cruise (5 minute wait)
Ate a late dinner at Jolly Holiday
Watched Frozen pre-parade while we ate dinner. It went by at about 10:20 pm. We could sort of see some of the Mickeys Costume Party Cavalcade. But Jolly Holiday isnt really a great location for that.
Rode Haunted Mansion Holiday (25 minute wait)
Rode Pirates of the Caribbean (no wait)
Tried to ride Big Thunder Mountain Railroad again, but it was closed for the rest of the night.
Rode Mr. Toads Wild Ride (2 minute wait)
Got in line for Dumbo the Flying Elephant, just as the park was closing (5 minute wait)
Took pictures and enjoyed the last of our evening as the park closed down
Stood in line for buses back to Toy Story lot (about 15 minute wait)

This was an exhausting trip, especially with a full day of driving both the day before and the day after Mickeys Halloween Party. But we had a wonderful time and felt it was well worth the effort to make it happen.  This is a trip we would consider repeating again in two or three years.


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## cmpeter

We also went to the party on Friday, October 17th.  Two big thumbs up from us!  The party was the last thing we did at the end of a three day trip to DLR.

We spent the morning and afternoon at DL and then left around 2:00 to head back to the hotel for my dd to change into her costume.  We came back into the parks at 4:30 and had an early dinner at Cafe Orleans.  I had a salad and the pomme frittes (yummy) and dd had one of the specials (beef short ribs), she loved them.

After eating we walked over to Toon Town to get in line for the pre-party.  It was 5:30 and we were in the third line to enter...the lines moved really fast.  We hit up the treat trail by Roger Rabbit and then rode the ride (very short wait).  Then did the treat trail through Donald's house, Minnie's house and Mickey's house.  The CM said there were 17 total stations in Toon Town.  After Mickey's we rode Gadget's Go Coaster (maybe a 5 minute wait.)

We left Toon Town and went on IASW...very short wait, two boats in front of us went out empty.  After that we did the Matterhorn...practically a walk on.  After Matterhorn we did Tea Cups and Alice, again with hardly any wait.

We headed over to Big Thunder and did the treat trail on the way.  Road Big Thunder with  about a 10 minute wait.  Walked over to Haunted Mansion to see if Jack and Sally were out for a meet-n-greet, but they were not out then.  Caught Cadaver Dans show.  

Headed to Indiana (hardly any wait) and Jungle Cruise (no wait.)  After Jungle we started moving towards the Hub for fireworks.  Genie and Aladdin were just coming out at Aladdin's Oasis, so we stopped for pictures with them.  Made it to the Hub about 30 minutes before the fireworks.  I thought we were in a good spot, but we couldn't see the sphere.  We did see Zero. 

We left after the fireworks...this was our third day in the parks and we had an 8:30 am flight out of LAX the next day.

Loved seeing all the costumes, there are some seriously creative folks out there!  We had a fabulous time at the party and my teen dd said we need to make this an annual tradition.


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## letitsnow

Hi! Our party is finally here!!! Do you know which side they start the parade? Also, how do they pick the kids to walk in the parade? 

It has been a busy weekend at the parks especially Saturday. Busier than I have ever experienced in the past 10 years as AP holder. I have never been during any major holidays but I'd have to say busier than even summertime. 

I'm so excited! I have been reading every post daily when I wake up every morning. After today I don't know what I'll do. 

Weather is perfect!  I don't want this vacation to end!


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## DisneyJamieCA

Just back from our quick weekend trip! We also did the MHP on Oct 17th. We focused mostly on M&G and treat trails.

We ate "dinner" at the Jazz Kitchen at 3pm. Entered the parks at about 4:30pm, got our bracelets, took some pictures in front of the pumpkin (2 min wait) and headed towards BTMRR, which was down. Went to Pirates, where my youngest decided she didn't want to ride. Posted time was 25 minutes, but after 40 minutes, sent DH a text telling him I was taking the little one over to Big Thunder Ranch. In the end, Pirates went down but they didn't tell the line - I think they waited an hour total. I did the treat trails over at BTMR and we saw Jessie & Duffy. Neither characters had lines. Pluto had been out, but disappeared before we got to him. We then all met up at Toon Town. The longest treat trail was by Roger Rabbit, but it moved quickly. Did RRTS twice, met Pluto & Goofy and then did the treat trails at Mickey & Minnie's and Donald's. At this point we all had full bags.

My brother's family split off and went to Tomorrowland, while we headed to FL. We rode the Canal Boats with zero wait and then did the treat trail behind Dumbo. Did the one at Village Haus (theming is amazing in there!) and then rode the carousel. By this point there were starting to rope things off for the fireworks. My parents left and my family headed towards Frontierland. I got in line with the little one to meet Peter & Wendy while DH took the older 3 on BTMRR, which broke down. They joined me in line and it switched out to Capt. Hook & Smee. Got back in line because my little one really wanted to meet Peter (and my son was dressed as Peter Pan) and we got back to the front right as they were switching out, so perfect timing! Fireworks started while we were in line, so we watched them from the dock. Headed to Critter Country from here, DH & DS went on Splash 3x while I took the girls to meet Pooh & Eeyore and then we rode Pooh 2x. Oh we did all the treat trails through NOS and Critter Country along the way. Went through Adventureland on our way out and meet Aladdin & Genie. Did the the treat trails down Main Street, including the AP exclusive ones. Thought about getting in line to meet the villains, but the only ones we we really wanted to see were Lady Tremaine and the stepsisters and we knew the line was so long they'd switch out before we got there.

We all had a wonderful time. It didn't feel crowded at all and all the lines moved quickly.


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## Kilala

Wow!!! One week left before I got to MHP for the second time. I plan on doing BTR treat trails this time. I will also take picture with what ever characters are there then I will head to toon town after that. I hope that works that way. 
What time dose the pre-party open for BTR?
 I will be doing that one the 27th. If it works out that way I will let my friend know for the 31st Halloween night that what we need to first.


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## DisneyJamieCA

Kilala said:


> Wow!!! One week left before I got to MHP for the second time. I plan on doing BTR treat trails this time. I will also take picture with what ever characters are there then I will head to toon town after that. I hope that works that way. What time dose the pre-party open for BTR? I will be doing that one the 27th. If it works out that way I will let my friend know for the 31st Halloween night that what we need to first.



I believe it also opens 1 hr before the official party start. I got over there at about 6:15 and people were in there (7pm party). It's not an obvious area, so it was VERY empty. We got in & out in less than 15 minutes. I'm sure you could spend more time there playing all the games, but we wanted to get to Toon Town also. We had finished both areas by 7:20pm.


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## Sherry E

*New:*

*"Pumpkin Carvers Show Their Disney Side During Halloween Time at Disneyland Park" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on October 20th, 2014 by Shannon Swanson, Public Relations Manager, Disneyland Resort*

​


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## Mommy2PrincessAbby

Booked!  Arrival Sunday October 25th, 2015 until Thursday October 29th! DLH pool view room, thru Costco which throws in a character meal and a small gift card!  

I waffled waffled waffled on dates... Found out that 6th grade outdoor school is somewhere between the last week of Sept and the 1st two weeks of October.  So, avoiding all that and trying for the last week of the month, and still coming home in time to do the school Halloween party on Friday and trick-or-treat on Saturday 

I think that Sunday night might be our only chance for F!, hopefully there will be a MHP on Mon, Tues or Wed (gotta be one of those right?!) And we'll fit WOC in wherever we can.

Super excited!!


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## goooof1

Not sure if this has been mentioned, but I ran across a cool Halloween goodie at Trader Joe's in the Bay Area the other day.  It was a "Haunted Gingerbread House" kit.  Had to buy it and will be putting it together soon......  and looking for a few more fun things to add on to it!


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## Sherry E

goooof1 said:


> Not sure if this has been mentioned, but I ran across a cool Halloween goodie at Trader Joe's in the Bay Area the other day.  It was a "Haunted Gingerbread House" kit.  Had to buy it and will be putting it together soon......  and looking for a few more fun things to add on to it!



*goooof1 --*

Trader Joe's seems to be behind many other stores in putting out pumpkin spice things and Halloween-ish things (I guess they just refused to cave in to the pressure!), but some other items have been popping up there in the last couple of weeks.

I had not heard about the Hunted Gingerbread House kit at TJ's though!!!  That sounds fun!


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## iheartglaciers

Just four more days til the party for us!!  Does anyone know where we can take a picture with skeleton Goofy?

I remember reading here that Mickie and Minnie can be found at the Halloween Carnival.  Do the Halloween character M&Gs here rotate and we would need to keep coming back to get pictures with multiple characters?  We're mainly looking for Mickey, Minnie, and Goofy.

Thanks!


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## Sherry E

iheartglaciers said:


> Just four more days til the party for us!!  Does anyone know where we can take a picture with skeleton Goofy?
> 
> I remember reading here that Mickie and Minnie can be found at the Halloween Carnival.  Do the Halloween character M&Gs here rotate and we would need to keep coming back to get pictures with multiple characters?  We're mainly looking for Mickey, Minnie, and Goofy.
> 
> Thanks!



In the daytime (before the MHP) Skeleton Goofy _should_ be at the Carnival, if he is in his skeleton outfit (along with Pumpkin Donald and other characters).  He used to be out in Town Square in the skeleton outfit, but then all of the Halloween characters were moved to the Halloween Carnival 2 years ago.

The characters may rotate out, or there could be some characters there while others are on break.


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## CassieF

Goofy is very frequently out as a skeleton at the carnival.  If he's not out when you get there he should be within a half an hour or so.  Goofy, Mickey, Minnie, Chip and Dale and Donald are out most of the day.  We have not seen Pluto out at all this year, and we have spent a LOT of time up there!


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## BigCheese

Thank you to everyone who have posted their experiences at MHP and also for Halloweentime in general. It has been extremely helpful!! We attended our first MHP tonight and had a blast! It wasn't as crowded as we expected, but we were in the park all day leading up to the party so we got in a lot of things beforehand. Our main goal was to see as many unique characters as possible. During the day, the festivities at Big Thunder Ranch was great. The Villain conjuring is really neat and moves along pretty quickly (they rotate villains every half hour and the CMs tell you the schedule if you ask nicely). Roaming around the carnival today were Mickey (purple magician outfit), Minnie (purple witch outfit), skeleton Goofy, pumpkin Donald, and police Chip & Dale. They were all around during the span of an hour, but be warned that they don't have a formal meet & greet (if that's what you're interested in). They roam around and stop for pictures, but it's not your typical character meet & greet with organized lines and set spots, so you need to be patient. I remember vampire Pluto from the other year but didn't see him there today when we were there. 

As for the MHP, we did the ToonTown pre party at 5:00 and they started letting people line up at 4:30. It was nicely organized and there were lots of CMs directing guests where to go. They allowed guests into the pre-party in a single file line right at 5:00 and we headed over to City Hall for the various character meet & greets. The first set of three was Claribelle & Horace (by Daisy's Diner/Pluto's dog house), Sailer Chip & Dale ( right in front of City Hall) and Candyman Goofy (on the right side of City Hall by the Library). After 30 min they rotated to the next set of characters. We were able to get the first set within 15 min and waited for the second set. Pluto replaced Claribelle and Horace, Wizard Donald replaced Goofy and Mickey & Minnie replaced Chip & Dale. When they rotated out, the line for Pluto was short so we got him first, then went to Wizard Donald. During this time the line for Mickey & Minnie was relatively short, but by the time we met Donald, the line for Mickey & Minnie went all the way from City Hall to Goofy's house! A total miscalculation on my part.  We should have done Mickey & Minnie first, then Donald then Pluto (as Pluto's line really never got that long). We could have gotten both sets of 3 done in the first hour but I totally dropped the ball. Rather than wait until 6:30 to see Mickey & Minnie we left to enjoy the rest of the party.  It was a great time. Hit some treat trails, saw Pirate Donald at Rancho del Zocalo, Aladdin & Genie (first time seeing Genie!) at Aladdin's Oasis, Stormtroopers in Tomorrowland,  and Jafar/Evil Queen/Hades on Main Street at the villain set. We were fortunate though. We really wanted Hades and his set with Jafar and the Queen was at 8:00-8:30. We got in line at 7:40 and it wrapped around to the front of the park. At that time Dr Facilier,  Maleficient, and Cruella were featured. Before they switched out, a very friendly CM went down the line to inform guests that they would be rotating soon and let everyone know the next set of three villains that were arriving at 8:00. When they did the switch, Dr. Facilier stayed behind a bit and greeted guests in line, so we were lucky to get a pic with him. At the end, we just made it in time to get Jafar/Queen/Hades!

MHP was a great time. Lines for rides were short, the park was crowded during the transition period between 3:00-6:00 but it never felt too crowded (or at least not like a typical day when crowds are high), treat trail lines moved quickly and it was great being able to see some characters that you normally dont get to see. I only wish we could have stayed longer to see some of the other pirate characters (at Rancho del Zocalo as well as Mr. Smee or Jack Sparrow at the pirate landing), and Rabbit and Bee Pooh at Critter Country...but maybe next year!


----------



## cmpeter

> We have not seen Pluto out at all this year, and we have spent a LOT of time up there!



We saw Pluto twice.  Both times it was near the front entrance, across from City Hall (sort of where you can catch the double decker bus that will take you down Main Street.)  This was on Thur or Fri of last week.  We saw him there when we came into DL and then again when we left.  Lines were forming and he was doing a meet-n-greet.


----------



## momof6princesses

Amazing the difference in MM when opening is 9am and not 7am!  Saturday I was in heaven and didn't understand people saying how crowded it was. Now Tuesday and I totally get it!  If you have a choice the earlier MM is way worth it even if you don't get your hair brushed!


----------



## Sherry E

*New:

"More Pumpkin Yum from Disneyland Resort" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on October 21st, 2014 by Pam Brandon, Disney Parks Food Writer


​*


----------



## CassieF

cmpeter said:


> We saw Pluto twice.  Both times it was near the front entrance, across from City Hall (sort of where you can catch the double decker bus that will take you down Main Street.)  This was on Thur or Fri of last week.  We saw him there when we came into DL and then again when we left.  Lines were forming and he was doing a meet-n-greet.



Regular Pluto has been out in town square, just no halloween Pluto at the Jamboree...


----------



## Sherry E

*New:*

*"Dining in Disneyland: Zero Premium Popcorn Bucket and Other Halloween Time Popcorn Souvenirs" -- Disney Food Blog; posted on October 21st, 2014 by Heather *


​


----------



## BigCheese

Sherry E said:
			
		

> New:
> 
> "Dining in Disneyland: Zero Premium Popcorn Bucket and Other Halloween Time Popcorn Souvenirs" -- Disney Food Blog; posted on October 21st, 2014 by Heather



The Zero popcorn bucket is definitely sweet! Not sure if it was a one time thing but they were also selling them at the popcorn cart in the hub this morning just to the west of the Partners statue. We picked one up today and they had a whole container of them at that cart today.


----------



## Vala

CassieF said:


> Regular Pluto has been out in town square, just no halloween Pluto at the Jamboree...



Let me check my pictures to make really sure, but I thought we saw him at least once during the week of September 28. I thought I remembered cause my friend got so excited when we left the conjuring tent. She loves Pluto.


----------



## Sherry E

BigCheese said:


> The Zero popcorn bucket is definitely sweet! Not sure if it was a one time thing but they were also selling them at the popcorn cart in the hub this morning just to the west of the Partners statue. We picked one up today and they had a whole container of them at that cart today.




*BigCheese --*

I suspect that if you saw the buckets at the Hub this morning, they will be there until they sell out (so now through 10/31, or however long it takes for them to be sold).  I have always had a feeling that certain items may start out at one or two locations only, and so those are the ones that are reported on and written about -- and then they pop up in other places over time.  Of course, sometimes the opposite issue happens and the items disappear from locations too, but that's a different story!

I added your MHP review to the list of MHP reviews I have been compiling (which is linked through the MHP FAQ on page 1).  I'm glad you had such a great time!  It seems like most of the MHP reviews have been favorable this year -- there haven't been as many negative reviews as I expected, or as there have sometimes been in the past.


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## vladimir p

doing the party tomorrow, can't wait!!!!!
who else is going to be there??


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## TinkerJR

After the long drive from Sacramento, we are checked into our hotel, unpacked and resting for tomarrow.  Our first day in the park (this visit) and our first MHP!


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## vladimir p

TinkerJR said:


> After the long drive from Sacramento, we are checked into our hotel, unpacked and resting for tomarrow.  Our first day in the park (this visit) and our first MHP!


are you guys going in costume??? i'd like to spot some fellow disers


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## Jennafoo

I just arrived too! Worked a full day then headed down from SF. I just walked down to the park to see how far it is; can't wait for tomorrow!


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## DrClinky

Does anyone know the hours for the halloween carnival at the big thunder ranch?  I can not find them on Disney's site.  Thank you!


----------



## Kyjin

DrClinky said:


> Does anyone know the hours for the halloween carnival at the big thunder ranch?  I can not find them on Disney's site.  Thank you!



I went yesterday, so here are they hours they had listed for this week at least:
Fri to Sun, Tue & Thu: 10:30-5:30
Mon & Wed: 10:30-4:30

My friend and I went for a few hours last night; both our first time in Disneyland during Halloween. It was fantastic!!! We loved all the decorations, and we were both freaking out about HMH and SM:GG. Definitely going to make more time to go during Halloweentime next year.


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## DrClinky

Thank you Kayjin!  That's perfect!!!!


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## Sherry E

*The last vestiges of Pumpkin Pandemonium/Halloween Hoopla in the stores reveal themselves (courtesy of Spotted on Shelves/The Impulsive Buy and GrubGrade):*

*
Archer Farms' Pumpkin Toffee Cupcake Mix
Archer Farms Pumpkin Caramel Streusel Blondie Mix
Project 7 Sour Caramel Apple Gourmet Gum
Free Krispy Kreme doughnut (including the special Halloween doughnuts) when you go to Krispy Kreme on October 31st, dressed in costume
*
*And in Disneyland Resort Halloween Time fun, new today is the Parks Blog video of how to make a Pumpkin Twist.  They're a little slow with this -- Tom Bell of DIS Unplugged already beat them to the "Pumpkin Twist-making video" a couple of weeks ago!*

*"VIDEO: How to Make Pumpkin Twists from Disneyland Resort" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on October 22nd, 2014 by Rachel Brent, Food & Beverage Marketing Communications Coordinator*


​


----------



## CassieF

Has anyone seen the poison apple glow cubes?  I'd like to pick up a couple but can't seem to find them....

I think they are supposed to be somewhere in FL...?


----------



## Sherry E

CassieF said:


> Has anyone seen the poison apple glow cubes?  I'd like to pick up a couple but can't seem to find them....
> 
> I think they are supposed to be somewhere in FL...?



*Cassie --*

Did you check the places mentioned in *this blog* (from the Disney Food Blog)?   Maurice’s Treats or the Small World Lemonade Cart. 

ETA:  You're right -- it sounds like that particular cube is only available in Fantasyland.


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## CassieF

I'm going today, I'll check those two locations!  Anyone know if you can just buy the glow cube, or is it one per drink only...I want at least two


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## Sherry E

*New (finally, a blog about this wonderful gem in Disneyland!):*

*"The Halloween Tree at Disneyland Park" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on October 22nd, 2014 by Erin Glover, Social Media Director, Disneyland Resort*


​


----------



## Kilala

I'm going again to MHP in 5 days!! I'm almost done with the Binx wig. I have to redo the unitard when I get the money to get more fabric.


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## Sherry E

Kilala said:


> I'm going again to MHP in 5 days!! I'm almost done with the Binx wig. I have to redo the unitard when I get the money to get more fabric.



*Kilala --*

Can you believe the season is almost over?  I mean, Fall will still be here -- in real life -- for another couple of months, thankfully, but Halloween is almost upon us and the Halloween Time season is ending one week from Friday!  Time just zips by.


----------



## Kilala

Sherry E said:


> *Kilala --*
> 
> Can you believe the season is almost over?  I mean, Fall will still be here -- in real life -- for another couple of months, thankfully, but Halloween is almost upon us and the Halloween Time season is ending one week from Friday!  Time just zips by.



No I can't believe it's almost over. I can't believe it has been going by soooo fast. Next thing you know it will be Thanksgiving.


----------



## Sherry E

*It seems that as we are heading into the home stretch of Halloween Time, all of a sudden there is a surge of blogs about it from various sources (including the Parks Blog and the unofficial Disney Food Blog).  

Once again, from the Disney Food Blog...*

*"Dining in Disneyland: More Halloween Treats at the Disneyland Resort" -- Disney Food Blog; posted on October 22nd, 2014 by Heather Sievers *


*I don't know about you, but I love reading and seeing any and all articles, videos or blogs about seasonal goodies at DLR!!*

​


----------



## Vala

CassieF said:


> I'm going today, I'll check those two locations!  Anyone know if you can just buy the glow cube, or is it one per drink only...I want at least two



I got mine at Maurice's, but they seem to come and go. I got food there a couple of times and the glow cube was only available the last morning, October 6.

I seem to recall a sign saying "with drinks purchase", but I may be remembering wrong.


----------



## Renae De Liz

I was there tonight and saw some kind of glow-cube  on the menu of Cafe Orleans, but don't remember if it was the Poison Apple one or not....

Went to our first MHP tonight The atmosphere was %100 awesome. Some of the treat trails I really loved because they wound around really well decorated areas and through buildings. I also really enjoyed the lights/sounds in that back trail by BTMRR, and the various little side areas that were given attention just for those that take the time to look around. The Dapper Dans on the foggy river was also really enjoyable.

But I have to say that I thought it was much too crowded as well. More crowded than it was all day long.  I feel like if I'm paying $250 for my family of 4 to attend, I shouldn't feel jostled and cramped all night. Many of the cool party options felt closed to me because of the lines/crowds (character meets, parades, fireworks, some of the treat trails). We were there the entire 5 hours, and didn't feel like we did very much. The ride lines for the most part were short, which was very nice, but we were so busy trying to partake in MHP activities we missed out on most of them.

Anyway, still got another MHP to go to next monday, and hopefully we can get in what we missed this time


----------



## CassieF

Thanks for you help...I ended up in the park today and got my poison apples!  Maurice's had them for $4 with a drink, $5 solo but I wasn't feeling like apple.  I went to the lemonade stand and they had then for $4.25 with a drink so I got two with my lemonade.  My niece will love it!  I also picked up a baby Cruella doll that they just got in...so adorable.  

Then, last minute, thanks to hanging around shopping and my brother being in the right place at the right time, I got to go to the halloween party!  Someone had an extra ticket they were giving away free (one person in their party wasn't able to make it) so I ran back and got checked in!  My brother and sister in law were already at the party so I hung out with them and got to enjoy another party!  

And to think I'll be back again this morning with my niece....


----------



## vladimir p

CassieF said:


> Thanks for you help...I ended up in the park today and got my poison apples!  Maurice's had them for $4 with a drink, $5 solo but I wasn't feeling like apple.  I went to the lemonade stand and they had then for $4.25 with a drink so I got two with my lemonade.  My niece will love it!  I also picked up a baby Cruella doll that they just got in...so adorable.
> 
> Then, last minute, thanks to hanging around shopping and my brother being in the right place at the right time, I got to go to the halloween party!  Someone had an extra ticket they were giving away free (one person in their party wasn't able to make it) so I ran back and got checked in!  My brother and sister in law were already at the party so I hung out with them and got to enjoy another party!
> 
> And to think I'll be back again this morning with my niece....


i'am just now realizing you are the loving nurse on instagram


----------



## Sherry E

Renae De Liz said:


> I was there tonight and saw some kind of glow-cube  on the menu of Cafe Orleans, but don't remember if it was the Poison Apple one or not....
> 
> Went to our first MHP tonight The atmosphere was %100 awesome. Some of the treat trails I really loved because they wound around really well decorated areas and through buildings. I also really enjoyed the lights/sounds in that back trail by BTMRR, and the various little side areas that were given attention just for those that take the time to look around. The Dapper Dans on the foggy river was also really enjoyable.
> 
> But I have to say that I thought it was much too crowded as well. More crowded than it was all day long.  I feel like if I'm paying $250 for my family of 4 to attend, I shouldn't feel jostled and cramped all night. Many of the cool party options felt closed to me because of the lines/crowds (character meets, parades, fireworks, some of the treat trails). We were there the entire 5 hours, and didn't feel like we did very much. The ride lines for the most part were short, which was very nice, but we were so busy trying to partake in MHP activities we missed out on most of them.
> 
> Anyway, still got another MHP to go to next monday, and hopefully we can get in what we missed this time



*Renae De Liz --*

Thank you so much for posting your review of the MHP for us -- I'll add it to the list of MHP reviews that I've compiled (which is linked in the FAQ post on page 1).

I'm always especially interested to hear what MHP first-timers thought.  I must say that I agree with what you said about crowds.  I thought the MHP was too crowded (for my tastes) -- for being a separate, hard ticket event (the tickets for which are not cheap).  I still had people banging into the backs of my ankles with their strollers because they were close behind me in a group of people, just as if it were a regular crowded day in the park.  

I also totally agree about the atmosphere -- great eerie lighting and cool effects in certain spots, and some treat trails are better decorated and more interesting than others.


----------



## laura&fam

MHP was amazing! We went on the 20th.

My thoughts
Good:
Cadaver Dans were really neat. Glad I took the time to see them.
Lots of CM around to direct, check wrist bands, answer questions, and take photos for you
Lots of treat trails (seemed like more than 2 years ago but that could just be me not remembering)
Short ride lines, basically walk on
Character lines that I saw were manageable

Bad:
Getting around in the park was difficult due to areas closed off for treat trails and the amount of strollers/scooters
the hub was roped off some and closed during cavalcades, fireworks, etc. made getting anywhere even harder
CM seemed stingier with candy. We got much less than 2 years ago even though we did more trails

Overall:
I need 2 nights to do everything I want and really soak in the atmosphere. I hardly got any photos. I would do it again definitely. My view might be different because I don't have an AP so I have to pay a bunch for any time in the park anyway. It's not more than a day pass for the park would be.

If anyone is interested here is my costume. Obviously this photo was from the Legoland Brick or Treat not MHP.


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## dolphingirl47

That is a gorgeous costume.

Corinna


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## Vala

Renae De Liz said:


> I was there tonight and saw some kind of glow-cube  on the menu of Cafe Orleans, but don't remember if it was the Poison Apple one or not....



They have the Jack Skellington one.


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## lorijohnhill

We are back from our trip


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## Sherry E

*Because the Pumpkin Twist just can't get enough coverage this year...*

*"Dining in Disneyland: The Pumpkin Twist from Maurice’s Treats" -- Disney Food Blog; posted on October 24th, 2014 by Heather Sievers*


_*Also...*_ 


*"15 Halloween Time Foods To Sink Your Teeth Into at Disneyland" -- Oh My Disney (under the "Yum" category); posted on October 18, 2014*



*"The Haunted Mansion Holiday Transformation Trivia Quiz" -- Disney Insider; posted on October 21, 2014*


​

*laura&fam *-- Thank you so much for reporting back to us about your MHP experience -- I love the costume! 




*lorijohnhill --* 

Thank you so much for reporting back to us.  I'm glad that your Halloween Time trip was a great one, and I know what you men about the party.  It's fun, and it definitely enhances the range of Halloween-related activities at Disneyland, but it's more crowded than it probably should be and it is definitely not going to be worth it for everyone.  I think it will be a one-time thing for many people, or maybe just a once-every-other-year sort of thing.

Was your MHP the one on 10/22?  I want to add your review to the list of reviews I put together.

​


----------



## pudinhd

We recently got back from an Adventures by Disney Backstage Magic trip and I am in the middle of writing a trip report.  Sherry asked for Mickey's Halloween Party reports, so here are two.  They are pretty different as one hasn't been put into the trip report yet.  Please let me know if you have any questions.  I would be happy to answer!

10/14  Part of the ABD trip
Yay!!  Mickeys Halloween Party!  We stopped for a quick talk and surprises once we had gotten our party bracelets and goodie bags.  Surprise #1 - We were given 1 Fast Pass.  Surprise #2  We would have a surprise at 11:30 pm after the park had closed.  We were also reminded about the VIP seating for the calvalcade and fireworks.  We joined up with a couple from Canada as this was their first trip to Disneyland.  We started with rides:  Thunder Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Indiana Jones.  (Yes, after every ride I asked how it compared to Disney World!)  We headed over to the awesome VIP parade seating.  We had a lot of fun with everyone as we waited for the cavalcade to begin.  There were a lot of people trying to get into our reserved section and had to be (politely) asked to move by our guides or Disneyland Cast Members.  At one point even Summer-Rose was almost asked to leave the area!  After the cavalcade, the Canadians and I weaved our way quickly through the crowds to Star Tours before the fireworks, while my husband stayed at the benches.

We watched the fireworks and had a great view of the big ball (what would you call it?) and Zero flying.  Before we separated again, we were told that we needed to meet at the Haunted Mansion at 11:00 pm.  Then we went through our first treat trail while waiting for Fantasyland to open.  We decided to use our Fast Passes for Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy.  I am not a fan of this version and it was not a big hit with the other couple.  My husband passed on this ride and gave his Fast Pass to a single rider he found.  Walking toward Fantasyland I saw the Storybook Land Canal Boats only had about 5 people in the line.  We rushed over there and were on a boat within a couple minutes.  A young woman on our boat had a large bag of candy and offered some to the Cast Member piloting the boat.  Because she was so nice, the Cast Member said she would show us a hidden Mickey in the Cave of Wonders.  Its on the right near the very beginning of the cave.  She stopped the boat and pointed her flashlight at the spot until everyone saw it!

We went through our second treat trail and the Cast Members said something about guests not liking the Peanut Chews.  My husband and I mentioned how much we liked them and received huge handfuls.  Mr. Toads Wild Ride (why do I keep going on rides that I do not like?) was next and then I led everyone to the treat trail through the Pinocchio Village Haus restaurant.  I really love what they do for atmosphere there!  We walked over to Big Thunder Ranch for the treat trail and I was the last guest through one of the Cast Members lines.  He asked what my favorite was, I looked at the candy bin and said everything, so he scooped up a large amount of candy and put it in my bag!  We continued on toward the Haunted Mansion and did the Rivers of America treat trail while listening to the Cadaver Dans.  Even without trying, our goodie bags were full by this time!

We met at the Haunted Mansion and we were given the news once everyone was there  We would go on a private ABD ride and then have a talk with the Head Technical person, Joseph.  That was really special and very informative.  My highlight was when I asked about the Monkey Bride (Yes, I saw it during the ride) and learned about the history from the beginning and a couple other secrets I didnt know about, including that about 95% of the Haunted Mansion decorations are actually stored in the mansion itself.

We enjoyed the walk back to the hotel and I was surprised at how many people were still in the park!

10/17  On our own
We got there early and waited for ToonTown to open
My husband got candy while I asked about where the characters would be
Horace & Clarabelle were first and my husband ran up just in time
We trick-or-treated from Minnie's house to Mickey's house and then Donald's boat
I took a picture with Chip & Dale while my husband got more candy
We both took a picture with Mickey & Minnie (loved their costumes!)
I took a picture with Donald
We got in line for the villains in separate spots to get both groups  first was Dr Facilier, Maleficent, Cruella (I was wearing an Abby Cadabby shirt and she said she had always wanted a Muppet coat, but I said there was not much fur. She was upset that I already been shaved and said she would have to wait for the fur to grow back.) Second group was Jafar, Evil Queen, Hades.
Pictures with Hook & Smee
Pictures with Belle, Tiana, Aurora
Pictures with Genie
Pictures with Tigger, Pooh
Treat Trail
Treat Trail with pictures with Phineas & Ferb
Treat Trail with pictures with Agent P
Treat Trail
We were exhausted and left around 11


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## Kilala

I need help in planning my next MHP. I wanted to know what will be better yo go to first Toon Town or BTR. I don't know what opens earlyer. If I can get the wig and the rest of the tail done on time I will dress up as Butterscotch on Monday. I will be dressing up as my kitten Binx for sure on Halloween  night. I will need to let my friend know where we should go first on Halloween night. I will check everything out on Monday when I go again. I just know where to go first and how long is BTR pre-party open till?


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## KatieJoy

We're going on Halloween too, and I was wondering the same thing. ToonTown or BTR first?


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## laura&fam

I didn't go to Toontown however when we left BTR at about 5:30 (the party started at 6pm) it was still pretty empty. It would guess you would want to go to Toontown first before it gets super busy then head over to BTR. I think it might be hard to fit both in before the party starts though.


----------



## mpalea

We got back on the 13th.  Spent 1.5 days at Disneyland, 1.5 at California Adventure + Mickey's Halloween Party.

Here's my blog post with some pics and a little more on Halloween Time at Disneyland

livinthemommylife.com/2014/10/halloween-time-at-disneyland.html


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## KatieJoy

What is happening before 5pm, on a 7pm party night? We'll get into the park around 4pm, on Halloween. My parents and my kids have party tickets (DH and I have APs but will be leaving them)
My plan is to go to BTR shortly after we arrive, after 4pm. Then by 6pm guide them over to toon town. Any better advice? I'm kind of at a loss, can only guide them on their way, then rely upon DD9 to get everything else done.


----------



## lorijohnhill

Sherry E said:


> *lorijohnhill --*
> 
> Thank you so much for reporting back to us.  I'm glad that your Halloween Time trip was a great one, and I know what you men about the party.  It's fun, and it definitely enhances the range of Halloween-related activities at Disneyland, but it's more crowded than it probably should be and it is definitely not going to be worth it for everyone.  I think it will be a one-time thing for many people, or maybe just a once-every-other-year sort of thing.
> 
> Was your MHP the one on 10/22?  I want to add your review to the list of reviews I put together.
> 
> ​



Sorry, I had replied earlier, but I guess it got lost...

We went to the party on 10/20. To be fair to Disney, I'm sure I would have enjoyed the party more if my scooter had been working properly and also if my mom hadn't been terrified of the crowds in the dark. 

I think the highlight of the night was watching my daughter marching around the ranch pre-party area hugging Goofy around his back. I couldn't get a photo of it, they were moving too fast! It was so cute!


----------



## Ember

We had a FABULOUS time at our first the Halloween Party on Friday, Oct. 24!!

We got there at about 4:30 and were in the park in no time.  We popped into the Toontown pre-party and did a few quick treat trails, which was fun.  We didn't do many rides (my dress and wig weren't the best for rides) but we did do Pirates and HM with very little wait for either.  We also saw the amazing fireworks and short costume parade, did a little bit of trick or treating, and generally had a wonderful time!

For not being sure if it was going to be worth the money, I wish I'd bought tickets to two parties, because I'd totally go a second time!!


----------



## Kilala

I can't believe this but, I made a Cats the musical type of wig in one day. I started around noonish and I just finished the around 3:30 pm. Now I have to style it. I will WILL be wearing my Butterscotch costume tomorrow night at MHP.


----------



## Sherry E

KatieJoy said:


> What is happening before 5pm, on a 7pm party night? We'll get into the park around 4pm, on Halloween. My parents and my kids have party tickets (DH and I have APs but will be leaving them)
> My plan is to go to BTR shortly after we arrive, after 4pm. Then by 6pm guide them over to toon town. Any better advice? I'm kind of at a loss, can only guide them on their way, then rely upon DD9 to get everything else done.



*KatieJoy --*

I would have suggested to head to the Halloween Carnival at the Ranch, but you were already planning it!  You could also check out the Dia de los Muertos display in Frontierland, as well as the Ray Bradbury Halloween Tree.  You can try to find all 300+ pumpkins along Main Street (the "Main Street Pumpkin Festival").  You can even see the Christmas decorations which have just gone up (and are still going up) in New Orleans Square -- NOS is one of the first lands to get holiday decorations as Halloween Time transitions into the Holidays.  You could pick up a Pumpkin Twist at Maurice's or a Halloween cupcake at the Candy Palace!  




lorijohnhill said:


> Sorry, I had replied earlier, but I guess it got lost...
> 
> We went to the party on 10/20. To be fair to Disney, I'm sure I would have enjoyed the party more if my scooter had been working properly and also if my mom hadn't been terrified of the crowds in the dark.
> 
> I think the highlight of the night was watching my daughter marching around the ranch pre-party area hugging Goofy around his back. I couldn't get a photo of it, they were moving too fast! It was so cute!



*lorijohnhill --*

It must have been adorable to watch your daughter playing with Goofy!  I think that the Halloween Carnival -- the whole area -- is a lot of fun during the Halloween Time season.




Kilala said:


> I can't believe this but, I made a Cats the musical type of wig in one day. I started around noonish and I just finished the around 3:30 pm. Now I have to style it. I will WILL be wearing my Butterscotch costume tomorrow night at MHP.



*Kilala --*

You made the wig in one day?!  You are awesome!  I am not creative like that -- I am creative in other ways, but not as far as sewing and making outfits, etc.  That takes a lot of talent!  Only 3 more MHPs to go, and you will be there tomorrow night...as Butterscotch!


----------



## Kilala

Sherry E said:


> *Kilala --*
> 
> You made the wig in one day?!  You are awesome!  I am not creative like that -- I am creative in other ways, but not as far as sewing and making outfits, etc.  That takes a lot of talent!  Only 3 more MHPs to go, and you will be there tomorrow night...as Butterscotch!



Thank you Sherry. I will post some pictures of the wig and the unitard tomorrow before work. I will be dressing as my kitten Binx on the 31st. I can't believe Halloween is almost here.


----------



## PenguinoMF

I know this is a long shot and hopefully allowed.

During my trip I was purchasing the Mickey and Friends Haunted Mansion posters from the 4 restaurants (INFO) and I purchased the first 3 then went to the Plaza Inn only to find out they were sold out of the Daisy poster.

Does anyone happen to have a poster they are willing to part with? It isn't the same with a missing poster. I will gladly pay a little extra for it.


----------



## DallasToDis

mikana876 said:


> We went last night to the first MHP... Here's my report:
> 
> 1)There was indeed a ToonTown pre-party. At 6pm they opened TT for party guests only. We did one treat trail and then hopped on Roger Rabbit and Goofy's Coaster with no wait at all. We left right at 7 to go get a spot for the parade and fireworks.
> 
> 2)We had to wait a long time to secure a good spot for the parade and then as soon as the parade ended everyone moved up to a good fireworks view. It was a madhouse!
> 
> 3)My kids fell asleep during the wait for the parade and fireworks so we headed out after the fireworks. So basically during the party we accomplished one treat trail during the TT pre party, two rides, the parade and the fireworks and that was it.



We're attending the party on Oct 31. We plan to go to Toontown at 6PM. We also want to see the fireworks and parade. We're getting in to CA from central time zone the day before so I think my kids will be dragging by the time FW are over (they are 8 and 11, but not night owls to begin with even before time change). Given all that, I can see our evening going as posted above, which is fine, but is there a better way?

We will have other park days so aren't too concerned about rides. Character meets are nice, but not their focus. They really want to do the treat trails (I know you can get candy anywhere, but trick or treating at DL sounds exciting to them!) and we just want to have some time to walk around and take it all in.

So my questions are:
-Is there a better way than post above to do things if we want to see FW and parade, but also make an early exit?
-What is the duration of the parade and fireworks show?
-Is it advised to stake out one spot where you can watch BOTH parade and FW or moving as the person above did? The relocating sounds stressful to me. One thought was to have DH stake out a spot and take the kids to some treat trails.
-Exactly where on Main St does the 10:30 parade start? Another idea was to skip the 8:30 parade and watch the 10:30 instead from Town Square and then make a quick exit to bed. I wasn't sure if that would be too far down though and how hard it would be to get down there after 9:30 FW.

Thanks for any advice and sorry if any of this has been discussed before. I've read a lot of these posts, but not all!


----------



## Sherry E

*DallasToDis --*

Welcome!

I think that *Bret/mvf-m11c* would be a good one to answer those questions -- hopefully he is still checking this thread!


----------



## mvf-m11c

DallasToDis said:


> So my questions are:
> -Is there a better way than post above to do things if we want to see FW and parade, but also make an early exit?
> -What is the duration of the parade and fireworks show?
> -Is it advised to stake out one spot where you can watch BOTH parade and FW or moving as the person above did? The relocating sounds stressful to me. One thought was to have DH stake out a spot and take the kids to some treat trails.
> -Exactly where on Main St does the 10:30 parade start? Another idea was to skip the 8:30 parade and watch the 10:30 instead from Town Square and then make a quick exit to bed. I wasn't sure if that would be too far down though and how hard it would be to get down there after 9:30 FW.



There are a lot of different ways to see the cavalcade and HS fireworks. The best one in my opinion is to stake out a spot for HS fireworks around the Hub/MS and watch the second cavalcade at 10:30pm since it has little wait time to see it.

HS fireworks is about 12 minutes and Mickey's Costume Party Cavalcade is about 10-15 minutes. 

If you thinking of staking a spot for both the fireworks and cavalcade it will be around MS Hub. I would stake a spot for the 9:30pm HS fireworks around the Hub/MS to see the full effects of the fireworks and watch the second cavalcade at 10:30pm which has the least amount of wait time. He wait time for staking a spot for HS can be around an hour in front of SB Castle.

The second cavalcade at 10:30pm starts at MS Town Square to IASW Plaza.


----------



## CassieF

I was up at the Jaboree this weekend and wow, it was crazy crowded!  Yesterday they closed off Conjure a Villain line at 440 because it was so long...with an end meeting time of 6pm.  The line was almost back to the main gate!


----------



## Jennafoo

Yes, the Halloween Carnival was definitely crowded this weekend. I went on Wednesday afternoon (10/22) and was able to get in the tent in about 15 minutes. (Got Cruella.) 

As for the party, I went on Friday, October 24th and I REALLY enjoyed the Toon Town pre-party. Was so glad I went to that. The treat lines went pretty fast, I got a lot of candy, and got to ride both rides there (Roger Rabbit and Gadget's Go Coaster) with basically no wait. I also got to see Mickey's and Minnie's Houses, which were super cute and something I probably would have skipped as a solo adult otherwise.

As for the rest of the party, I didn't enjoy it as much. It was super, super crowded and seemed to bring out the worst behavior in people. Everything was dark and spread out, and while I got a lot of candy, it was a lot of walking for a little payout. I ended up leaving early. I think Toontown worked better because it was contained and easier to maneuver.

Not sure I'd do the party again as a solo, but I did have fun and have a huge bowl full of candy.


----------



## Sherry E

*Bret --*

Thank you for stepping in to answer DallasToDis' questions!

​




Jennafoo said:


> Yes, the Halloween Carnival was definitely crowded this weekend. I went on Wednesday afternoon (10/22) and was able to get in the tent in about 15 minutes. (Got Cruella.)
> 
> As for the party, I went on Friday, October 24th and I REALLY enjoyed the Toon Town pre-party. Was so glad I went to that. The treat lines went pretty fast, I got a lot of candy, and got to ride both rides there (Roger Rabbit and Gadget's Go Coaster) with basically no wait. I also got to see Mickey's and Minnie's Houses, which were super cute and something I probably would have skipped as a solo adult otherwise.
> 
> As for the rest of the party, I didn't enjoy it as much. It was super, super crowded and seemed to bring out the worst behavior in people. Everything was dark and spread out, and while I got a lot of candy, it was a lot of walking for a little payout. I ended up leaving early. I think Toontown worked better because it was contained and easier to maneuver.
> 
> Not sure I'd do the party again as a solo, but I did have fun and have a huge bowl full of candy.



*Jennafoo --*

I saw your other thread about the disaster at Carthay Circle.    As someone who also once found herself crying in DCA in the recent past (though not due to a CM/restaurant, but due to a supposed friend and a budding 2-month illness), I know that it's not a fun feeling.  You just feel so defeated because you have spent time, money and energy on trying to plan out the best trip ever.

I'm very glad you did the Goofy's meal, though -- I've always loved Goofy's and have never had the extremely negative experiences there that others said they've had.  Also, you have inspired me, as you did Goofy's solo.  I love my solo trips and solo time -- I have actually kind of grown to prefer solo trips in a way -- but the one thing I am always uncomfortable with is solo dining.  When I have eaten in a restaurant by myself, it was not a character meal.  I have contemplated taking that next step into solo character dining -- and Goofy's is a place I am well-versed in, so it would be a good meal to start with -- but I haven't done it yet.  You have given me hope that solo character dining can be fun and rewarding -- and not too scary!

I agree about the parties being crowded -- I don't think they should be as crowded as they are for a hard ticket event.  I want them to feel more exclusive.

Now I must ask -- because I know this was on your list of things to do -- did you do the Pumpkin Food Crawl with your friends?


----------



## Jennafoo

> *Jennafoo --*
> 
> Now I must ask -- because I know this was on your list of things to do -- did you do the Pumpkin Food Crawl with your friends?



No, we didn't. The heat affected me a LOT more than I expected it to, and I ended up actually not eating that much. I had a few treats here and there, but didn't try many of the HalloweenTime treats, sadly. 

And I definitely recommend Goofy's solo. Everyone was SUPER nice and the buffet seems to be more comfortable since you're not sitting alone at your table waiting for food. The food is really good, too.

The only thing is that it's sometimes hard to get pictures WITH the characters, though the CMs said they would take pics if they were around. In two cases (Pluto and Dale) no one was there, but it was still fun.


----------



## DallasToDis

*Bret --*

Thank you so much for your reply! Your answers are quite helpful, especially show durations. Couldn't seem to find that info anywhere! This is my first time to Disneyland since 1987. It's changed a LOT!


----------



## hilarys

DallasToDis said:


> We're attending the party on Oct 31. We plan to go to Toontown at 6PM. We also want to see the fireworks and parade. We're getting in to CA from central time zone the day before so I think my kids will be dragging by the time FW are over (they are 8 and 11, but not night owls to begin with even before time change). Given all that, I can see our evening going as posted above, which is fine, but is there a better way?
> 
> We will have other park days so aren't too concerned about rides. Character meets are nice, but not their focus. They really want to do the treat trails (I know you can get candy anywhere, but trick or treating at DL sounds exciting to them!) and we just want to have some time to walk around and take it all in.
> 
> So my questions are:
> -Is there a better way than post above to do things if we want to see FW and parade, but also make an early exit?
> -What is the duration of the parade and fireworks show?
> -Is it advised to stake out one spot where you can watch BOTH parade and FW or moving as the person above did? The relocating sounds stressful to me. One thought was to have DH stake out a spot and take the kids to some treat trails.
> -Exactly where on Main St does the 10:30 parade start? Another idea was to skip the 8:30 parade and watch the 10:30 instead from Town Square and then make a quick exit to bed. I wasn't sure if that would be too far down though and how hard it would be to get down there after 9:30 FW.
> 
> Thanks for any advice and sorry if any of this has been discussed before. I've read a lot of these posts, but not all!



We will be there for the party on Friday night too!  We are also flying in Thursday night (late for us).  This is our second year heading to the Halloween party on Halloween night.  It was so much fun last year, we decided to go again.  My kids are 9 (one week shy of 10) and 11 and they think it is a great way to trick or treat.  Last year we went to TT party right when it started and did the treat trails there.  This was the only spot that we did treat trails the whole evening and still ended up with WAY more candy than we needed.  I also liked the TT treat trails because last year they went through some of the houses.  We missed the parade and fireworks works last year as we were having dinner at Cafe Orleans and then on a ride.  We plan to make sure we see the fireworks this year.  Don't miss the Haunted Dapper Dans floating on the Rivers of America with mist all around them.  Also you must go on Haunted Mansion on Halloween night!  One of the things I liked best about the party was that there were so many people in costume, adults and kids.  It was really festive.  My whole family will be in costume.  Our friends did not go in costume and that is fine too, they did not feel out of place.

Have fun!

Hilary


----------



## mvf-m11c

DallasToDis said:


> Bret --
> 
> Thank you so much for your reply! Your answers are quite helpful, especially show durations. Couldn't seem to find that info anywhere! This is my first time to Disneyland since 1987. It's changed a LOT!



Your welcome. Have a great time during MHP.


----------



## Renae De Liz

Just got back from our trip and our second MHP last night  Had a better experience this time, mostly because we went to the Toon Town and Carnival pre-parties. We stood in line for Toon Town at 4:45, so went in with the first bunch of people, and we able to do all the treat trails and meet Horace and Clarabell with hardly any wait. It was nice seeing Toon Town so un-crowded, but as we were leaving around 5:30 the crowds were definitely picking up. We went to the Carnival pre-party and found it pretty un-crowded as well, and got to see the Dapper Dans up close on stage and met Woody with a tiny line. Vampire Pluto came out and walked around the carnival with his humorous handler and got into mischief here and there (vampire-biting people left and right), and invited kids to follow him around and dance with him. It was pretty awesome.

After those two places, we had MORE than enough candy for any sane family, so we didn't feel the need to do anymore treat trails, which freed the rest of the night on meeting characters my kids wanted to meet and riding the last rides of our trip (Pirates and Story Boats were walk-ons, but Peter Pan and Haunted Mansion had 30 min. waits still!). We chose not to watch fireworks or the parade because of the crowds. My kids got to meet Pirate Donald and Chip & Dale (at Zocalo Treat Trail) and Jack Sparrow (in front of the Columbia, who switched out about every hour with Peter, Wendy and Hook. 

Jack Sparrow was definitely the highlight of the night and was HILARIOUS. The lady before me had a 3 month old baby, and when presented with meeting the infant, Jack circled him like it was a strange animal and he'd never seen such a thing. So funny! Hearing how rare Jack is on a usual basis, I would suggest anyone interested on meeting him ask the handler ahead of time on when the characters switch out, and plan to be in line at the right times. It saved us a lot of grief and time.

Finally, my 11 year old wanted to hunt down a Storm-Trooper. We had been circling Tomorrow-land off and on all night, with no luck. Finally, 10 minutes before party close, we saw THREE of them all at once in an a (by then) very cleared out tomorrow land!  They were stomping around like bullies knocking people's candy bags around, and properly annoyed at being bothered by my son (they ARE villains after all) and refused to sign anything, but let my son take a picture with him (after my son used the "force" on one of them, as suggested by a handler. Apparently they usually deny even pictures!)


So after one un-fun Halloween night and one very fun one, I would suggest to definitely try to go to the pre-parties early on and get a few characters in and do the treat-trails to get the candy out of the way so the rest of the night you can focus on other things. All of the treat trails were ridiculously packed until around 9:30 or 10pm (on a 11pm close night). If I had known that the first night I would have waited to trick-or-treat till then. Even while crowded they moved along well, but I much preferred when the trails were loose and could easily keep walking than squished into a a slow line by a hundred people. Frontier-Land and New-Orleans were still the most packed areas, so we stayed out of there except to ride HMH and to go to the Stage-Door and Zocalo treat trails (which was really well decorated).

Anyway, sorry for the book!  I think we'll maybe try to come back for one night next year, maybe. The ambiance itself is too cool to miss, but hoping next year they'll temper the crowds a bit more.


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## CassieF

Just an update...the crowds at the carnival from this weekend did not carry over into the week!  We were able to get into back to back conjure shows at 11 and 1120 with small groups of people (it's all that was there!).  I'm guessing it got crowded later but it was really nice in the morning with GREAT character interactions from The Evil Queen and Cruella!


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## Sherry E

*The Disney Food Blog is clinging to the final days of Halloween Time  -- and I can't say that I mind.  I wouldn't mind it if the Fall/Halloween goodies just carried on through to the start of the holidays,  at which point the new wave of seasonal/holiday snacks could take over.*

*"Dining in Disneyland: Caramel Apple Smoothie & Pumpkin Muffin from Schmoozies" -- Disney Food Blog; posted on October 29th, 2014 by Heather. *



*And the Disney Parks Blog is focusing on Dia de los Muertos!*

*"Dia de los Muertos at Disneyland Park" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on October 29th, 2014 by Erin Glover, Social Media Director, Disneyland Resort*



​


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## ArchOwl

I just wanted to pop in and say thank you to everyone who provided such great information on this thread and especially Sherry for compiling it.  A good friend and I had a marvelous time at the 10/24 Halloween Party, in large part because of the good information I had here.  

I guess I had prepared myself for the worst, for I found the parks to be less crowded than I had feared.  The lines were also much shorter than I was expecting for Treat Trails and Meet and Greets.  We had a great time at the Big Thunder Ranch Pre-Party and were one of the first guests to arrive.  We saw the Cadaver Dans perform and did some trick or treating.  We met with Pluto and Pumpkin Duffy as well as Woody and Jessie.  For whatever reason, they were not doing Conjure a Villian, which was sort of a bummer.  

We spent a lot of time in Frontierland, meeting all the Pirate Pals, Jack Sparrow, Captain Hook, Chip and Dale dressed as pirates, Pirate Donald, and Pirate Pluto.  I was expecting to wait for hours, but for each round only waited 5-10 minutes.  

The longest wait for M&Gs was for the Villians.  We waited about 25 minutes and saw Jafar, Evil Queen, and Hades.  They were all amazing and as we had PhotoPass+, the photographers did tons of photos.  Hades was sooo tall!  We did some more trick or treating and I did the AP one and got the bag and Rice Krispie treat.  

We also did Tomorrowland treat trails and met with the Stormtroopers.  The Innoventions trail was fun and Perry was doing M&Gs when we went through.  Again, I was expecting huge lines, but nothing took longer than 15 minutes.  

The fireworks were amazing!  We made sure to get a clear view of the projections and were both blown away.  We grabbed a bench for the second calvacade and took turns getting snacks.  The calvacade was fun and cute, but I probably wouldn't wait for it if I went again.  

After the second cavalcade, we checked out New Orleans Square and it was much more crowded in that area of the park.  People here were shoulder to shoulder and the line to meet Jack and Sally was quite extensive.  We skipped it as we already had pictures with both of them.  We kept going to Critter Country and trick or treated along the way.  We met with Rabbit and Pooh (in costume).  We were slightly disturbed by one groups attempts to take dirty pictures with Rabbit, but the CMs put a stop to that right away.  We saw this same group later on put Jack Sparrow in a choke hold, which Jack did not appreciate.  Weird.  

Anyway, we also tracked down the party exclusive pins, which was rather difficult.  We got sent to two different stores, but scored them at last.  My friend loves exclusive type pins, so he was happy.  

The only thing we did not accomplish was getting Mickey and Minnie photos as they were not out during the Pre-Party and we kept missing them throughout the night.  Oh well, something to look forward to next time!  

Oh, and I dressed as Belle and my friend was DJ Lance Rock from Yo Gabba Gabba.  He killed it with the younger set, who loved his costume.  So cute!  

All in all, an excellent night.  Where else can two grown adults act like kids all night and have a great time?  I felt silly at first trick or treating, but got over it quickly.  We ended up with lots of candy and snacks.  And most of all, lots of pictures and good memories.  It was fun!

Thanks again to everyone who contributed to this thread!


----------



## iheartglaciers

ArchOwl said:


> The only thing we did not accomplish was getting Mickey and Minnie photos as they were not out during the Pre-Party and we kept missing them throughout the night.  Oh well, something to look forward to next time!



I was at that party too in an Up house costume!  We really wanted a picture with Halloween themed Mickey and Minnie.  We went to BTR first but didn't see them (we did get a picture with skeleton Goofy).  We then went to Toontown. They weren't there at first but we asked a CM and he told us they'd be switching in in 15 mins, so we waited and hopped in line before it got long.

I'm sure this thread prepared me, but the crowds weren't as bad as I thought they would be.  It was definitely manageable.


----------



## Kilala

Here's my plan for MHP on Halloween night.
1. toontown
2. BTR pre-party
3. Jack skellition?
4. Treats!!!
5. HM
My friend may not come. She has her ticket any everything. She pulled something in her shoulder


----------



## vladimir p

ArchOwl said:


> Oh, and I dressed as Belle and *my friend was DJ Lance Rock from Yo Gabba Gabba*.


haha that is awesome!!!


----------



## PixiDustDears

Kilala said:


> Here's my plan for MHP on Halloween night.
> 1. toontown
> 2. BTR pre-party
> 3. Jack skellition?
> 4. Treats!!!
> 5. HM
> My friend may not come. She has her ticket any everything. She pulled something in her shoulder



I'll be there on Halloween night as well and have a very similar plan so maybe we'll run it to each other.  Dh and I will be wearing plain I'm her Mickey/Minnie tee shirts and escorting around an Elsa and Olaf (so not very standoutish lol). I hope you won't mind if I come say hi!


----------



## Kilala

PixiDustDears said:


> I'll be there on Halloween night as well and have a very similar plan so maybe we'll run it to each other.  Dh and I will be wearing plain I'm her Mickey/Minnie tee shirts and escorting around an Elsa and Olaf (so not very standoutish lol). I hope you won't mind if I come say hi!



That would be so cool to meet you!! I will be dressed up as my kitten Binx. He is a black and white tuxedo. I will post pictures soon of Binx.


----------



## nicole88s

Just wanted to add my review.  My family did the party on Monday, the 27th.  We had a blast.  We arrived about about 5:15 and had no line to get in. We did Matterhorn and Pirates, each with about a 15 minute wait.  Then we headed to the Big Thunder Ranch pre-party. It was pretty empty.  We went around to all the treat stations with no wait and got our bags pretty much half full.

After that, it was starting to get dark and the atmosphere was so cool!  All the fog, fun halloween soundtracks playing and projected images were awesome.  It was so fun to people watch too.  Almost everyone we saw was dressed up.

We had dinner and then decided to hit Haunted Mansion Holiday.  It was posted at 45 minutes, but took exactly 30 minutes to get through the line.  In our stretching room we had 2 people with those flashing light mickey ears and it was so annoying!  So at the point where it is supposed to be pitch black all we could see were those flashing ears!  Can you not turn them off?  Then someone was talking flash photography during the ballroom scene and they had to come on the loudspeaker and tell them to stop.  Those two things took me out of the moment a little, but it was still such a cool ride!

We hit a few more rides with zero wait and then made our way to Small World to watch the fireworks.  I loved it!!  Best place to watch from.  We had seats and no people up in our space. It was the first time I have really enjoyed the fireworks (I hate being in super crowded spaces).  The projections on Small World were amazing and we loved all the songs!

Then we did more rides.  We were basically running from ride to ride with no wait times.  Right before 11:00 we ran back to Big Thunder Railroad and slipped on just in time to make it as our last ride of the night.  We headed out of the park and had a short wait for the bus ride back to the Woody parking lot.

We had such an amazing time.  Even my husband, who isn't a huge Disney fan, had so much fun and was saying the parties are where it is at!  SO much less crowded than any regular day if you are wanting to ride rides and the atmosphere makes it so much more fun!!  We will do another party for sure!


----------



## Kilala

I just saw the weather report and it looks like there will be rain tomorrow night. If it rains anytime before I leave for MHP I will not be in full costume. I will wear my halloween t-shirt and cat ears and a cat tail. If it dosen't rain I will wear my full Binx costume. Do you think it is wise to bring a small umbrella?


----------



## Ember

Kilala said:


> I just saw the weather report and it looks like there will be rain tomorrow night. If it rains anytime before I leave for MHP I will not be in full costume. I will wear my halloween t-shirt and cat ears and a cat tail. If it dosen't rain I will wear my full Binx costume. Do you think it is wise to bring a small umbrella?



I would take a small one, if you have room to carry it.

I will be sending pixie dust thoughts for a no-rain night!! We went on the 24th and it was a fantastic event, but now we can't decide what to do tonight.  We may just brave the California Adventure and Downtown Disney crowds, because I don't really want to stay home.


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## figment_jii

Figment and I are finally back from WDW and I just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Halloween!


----------



## pudinhd

I can't remember if anyone posted this link already...  It's a fun video with Disney Villains singing to One Republic's Counting Stars.  

http://blogs.disney.com/oh-my-disney/2014/10/27/counting-scars/


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## CassieF

We were there for the overlap today and with the chance of rain they moved the villains meet and greet inside the Opera House instead of in front of the train station.  The Queen of hearts did come out and wander around, followed by Cruella who formed a line under an overhang.  It didn't start sprinkling until 7:20 and we were almost back to our cars so I'm not sure if that changed the characters out in town square...


----------



## KatieJoy

If anyone saw a young Maleficent (brown dress and wings) and a green ninja tonight, those were my kiddos


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## Torchness

I'm currently AT Mickey's Halloween party, on Halloween, and I've never felt more cheated in my life. We paid $77 apiece for 3 people, and what did we get? A park absolutely choked with crowds, ride lines with a 30-45 minute wait minimum (not including an hour wasted waiting for Peter Pan as it broke down mid wait and we had no way to get out of line nor were we offered one). Treats were three measly pieces of candy per stop and some Cheezits, and they threatened to cancel the fireworks and then started them early with no warning. The only villain we saw was another 30 minute line to meet. What a horrible time we have had. Clearly they sold too many tickets for tonight. Lines with zero wait are a myth. I'm so very disappointed. I wish we had just stuck to our park hopper passes and given this waste of money and time a miss. Never, ever again.


----------



## figment_jii

Torchness said:


> I'm currently AT Mickey's Halloween party, on Halloween, and I've never felt more cheated in my life.



I am sorry to hear that you are having such a bad time at the party. 



Torchness said:


> Treats were three measly pieces of candy per stop and some Cheezits, and they threatened to cancel the fireworks and then started them early with no warning.


In defense, the CMs were only handing out three pieces of candy at the first parties as well.  In fact, one CM I spoke with before the first party (in September) said that the were told to hand out three pieces per guest as part of the party training.  So in that way at least, you did not experience anything out of the ordinary.

I am surprised that they started the fireworks early, but at least they were presented.  Perhaps they started them early because of the weather.  The fireworks are very weather sensitive and it's not uncommon for the show to be cancelled or aborted.  So at least you saw some (or all?) of the show.  Try to look at the positive!


----------



## KatieJoy

My parents and my kids had a great time tonight! Tons of candy (too much), good amount of rides, even got pulled aside and put ahead on Jungle Cruise along with Jungle Cruise maps! We've never gotten those before. 
They are now passing out in the hotel bed


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## Torchness

figment_jii said:


> I am sorry to hear that you are having such a bad time at the party.



I just thought from all I had heard that the extra $$ for the party was because it was to be a limited ticket event. But it wasn't. There were vastly more crowds last night than there are at Disneyland right now on a Saturday.  It was a complete waste of money, especially if you already had park hopper passes like we did.


----------



## figment_jii

Torchness said:


> I just thought from all I had heard that the extra $$ for the party was because it was to be a limited ticket event. But it wasn't. There were vastly more crowds last night than there are at Disneyland right now on a Saturday.  It was a complete waste of money, especially if you already had park hopper passes like we did.



Yes and no...the party is a limited ticket event, but that does not mean the park will be empty.  You did go to MHP on Halloween night, which is generally expected to be one of the busiest and most popular parties of the year.  It was among first parties to sell out.  You are paying the extra money for the party specific activities and events (e.g., fireworks, Calvacade, dance parties, characters, trick-or-treating, and atmospheric elements) that you can't get with park hopper.  So while I am sorry that you did not have a good time, I don't think it's fair to say that the party is a waste of money if you had a park hopper.  Having a park hopper won't let me see the Cadaver Dans or see Zero fly during the fireworks or go trick-or-treating.


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## MadMim

I found the dragon!  He was tucked away between Fantasyland & Frontierland, by the old Skyway.  Every few minutes, glowing eyes would light up, smoke would pour from the bushes, and you could hear him growl.  Pretty neat!


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## figment_jii

MadMim said:


> I found the dragon!  He was tucked away between Fantasyland & Frontierland, by the old Skyway.  Every few minutes, glowing eyes would light up, smoke would pour from the bushes, and you could hear him growl.  Pretty neat!



That's cool!  Hopefully he'll be back next year and then I can see him!


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## CAFarmerGirl

We went to the party last night and had a great time.  My kids each came back with a large backpack filled with candy.  My husband and I filled another backpack.  My son is currently graphing his candy on a spreadsheet.  I can update with the amount once he finishes (not counting the ton he ate walking around!).

Fireworks were cool...thought they would cancel due to weather, but they didn't.  

The one ride we did was walk on....we only rode the submarine because my kids were focused on the candy!  We hit every treat trail and got gobs of candy.  Luckily, my husband is a teacher and will be doling it out to his teenagers over the coming months.

It was less crowded than I expected.  The treat lines were long, but they went quickly....except the one at the Thunder Ranch Barbecue.  We had to laugh because it was the slowest line and the least amount of treat stations.  We found it quite amusing.

Costumes were fun, everyone was polite and the crowds were well managed.

My family had a great time.




Here is a picture of my daughter's candy...so, some of the candy one person can get in a night!  I did cut my son off at about 11:30; he wanted to revisit some of the stations, but the rest of us were tired!


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## laura&fam

We were very surprised at the amount of masks we saw at MHP this year. They're against the stated rules but none of the CM seemed to say anything. Did anyone else notice that this year? Just curious.


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## DisneyJamieCA

laura&fam said:


> We were very surprised at the amount of masks we saw at MHP this year. They're against the stated rules but none of the CM seemed to say anything. Did anyone else notice that this year? Just curious.



I thought you just had to be able to see out of them? My kids didn't wear masks, but my 4 yr old nephew did (Hulk) - for as long as he kept it on.


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## Ember

laura&fam said:


> We were very surprised at the amount of masks we saw at MHP this year. They're against the stated rules but none of the CM seemed to say anything. Did anyone else notice that this year? Just curious.



I'm not sure they're enforcing many dress code rules these days. We were there today and saw adults in costume (full pirate dress) and a young lady in what was basically a bra with shorts so short her butt cheeks were clearly on display.  It's a little disappointing that they set rules but don't care if people follow them.


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## DisneyJamieCA

Ember said:


> I'm not sure they're enforcing many dress code rules these days. We were there today and saw adults in costume (full pirate dress) and a young lady in what was basically a bra with shorts so short her butt cheeks were clearly on display.  It's a little disappointing that they set rules but don't care if people follow them.



I have to agree with this. We saw so many adults dressed up in costume, even on non-party days. Some I guess could have been considered cosplay, but for most that was crossing over that very fine line.


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## laura&fam

DisneyJamieCA said:


> I thought you just had to be able to see out of them? My kids didn't wear masks, but my 4 yr old nephew did (Hulk) - for as long as he kept it on.



That may be it. I didn't really read exact wording since we weren't wearing masks. 

Too bad about people wearing inappropriate costumes though. It's Disneyland and with all the kids you would think people would wear kid friendly costumes regardless of what the rules say.


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## figment_jii

From this year's MHP tickets:
"Guests may wear masks. However, masks must not obstruct vision, and eyes must be visible at all times."

It is unfortunate that some guests opt to dress in inappropriate outfits, but I wouldn't put all the blame on the CMs at the gates.  I saw someone enter the park in one outfit (t-shirt and shorts) and then obviously changed at some point after entering the park (she now was dressed like Tinkerbell - her hair made her memorable).  This was a few years ago before they were allowing/encouraging Disney-Bounding.  So she was dressed okay upon entering the park and then changed afterwards.  Still, it's to bad no one said anything to the underdressed lady or reported her to security.


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## poison ivy

just wanted to give a quick recap of our Halloween night on 10/29/14.

Thanks to everyone on this thread we had a great night with two toddlers (ages 3 & 4) in tow. 

rented a double stroller from City Strollers and can't recommend them enough. It was ready and waiting at bell services at the DL Hotel.  Such a convenience for the night.  We were able to walk it through all the treat trails and navigate throughout the park with no problems.

We arrived around 3:45 and were lucky to catch Mickey's Soundsational Parade coming up Main St. 

For the party, we started off at Big Thunder Ranch and it was perfect.  No crowds. No lines.  really festive.  The kids loved the games and we really enjoyed the Cadaver Dans performing on stage.

From there we headed to Toon Town and waiting in two lines for trick or treating.  One by CarToon Spin and the other weaving its' way thru Minnie and Mickey's House.  It was hard to tear the kids away from all the fun inside the houses.  We hung around and let them play in Donald and Goofys areas and walked on CarToon Spin.

From there it got really crowded pretty fast.  We managed a couple more trails during the night, including Pixie Hollow but their treat bags were so full they couldn't hold much more!  Tons of Candy and we passed on a lot of trick or treating.

We barely managed a few more rides - Teacups/Dumbo/Submarines and watched the parade and fireworks.  

With the ages of the kids it was a full night.  They keep talking about all the Elsa's they saw!!  We had a ton of fun and kept it light and stress free.  

Thanks again for all the help.

oh and btw - the DL Hotels do host Trick or Treating on Halloween Day at the resorts.  You have to sign up at Guest Services but it's free for resort guests and you are given a treat bag / wristbands / and map with multiple treat stations set up throughout all three resorts.  It was open for the entire family.

Unfortunately it ran from 5-7pm. on our check-out day (Halloween 10/31) and we weren't able to participate.  I'll scan the map when I get back to NJ.

We're sitting in the airport now.  Boo Hoo!!!


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## maizeydaizey

We were disappointed this time around. The parade was SUPER lame compared to a few years ago, crowds were big, Christmas decorations randomly scattered among Halloween.... It was just off to us this year. I heard a few cast members commenting on how glad they were it was over this week as they were tired of it all. Just pretty lame I guess. We were really bummed


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## figment_jii

maizeydaizey said:


> The parade was SUPER lame compared to a few years ago, crowds were big, Christmas decorations randomly scattered among Halloween.


I'm curious about the parade...what did you think was different from a few year's ago?  I mainly ask because the Calvacade seemed largely the same for the last few years to me.  I know Duffy was missing this year and they added the Frozen pre-parade.


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## iheartglaciers

figment_jii said:


> I'm curious about the parade...what did you think was different from a few year's ago?  I mainly ask because the Calvacade seemed largely the same for the last few years to me.  I know Duffy was missing this year and they added the Frozen pre-parade.



I thought the Frozen pre-parade felt really random.  It would've been nice if they at least put a simple Halloween costume on Anna/Elsa... or maybe just give them masquerade masks?!


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## ldymcbth

First, a thank you to everyone on this thread - you helped plan our trip and it was really magical thanks to all of you!

We did the party on Halloween night - it was great. We loved it. We felt it was incredibly UNcrowded - we rode a bunch of rides with short or no waits, did the Toontown pre-party, the cavalcade, and the fireworks. We entered the park around 5p and left around 10 because my kids were tired. We only hit 5 treat trails and we had SO MUCH CANDY - my kids LOVED that part so much. I was the one who said "no more trails" because I didn't think we could get any more back on the airplane! I also loved the Cadaver Dans and the general atmosphere, as well as seeing all of the costumes!

We dressed as Mabel, Dipper, Waddles, and Soos. Not everyone "got" our costumes, but those who did were so enthusiastic about them that it made the kids SO happy. 

We did DL on Thurs, Halloween Party on Fri (Halloween), and then DCA on Sat. We felt crowds were awesomely small and we rode our butts off - 4 times on California Screamin, Ghost Galaxy 6 times in a row, etc. There were some weather hiccups and I was really worried fireworks would get cancelled, but it all worked out in the end and we had SUCH fun. We did all have to buy a new sweatshirt on Saturday because it just got so chilly and we had not packed for really chilly weather!

Personally, the highlights of my trip were Haunted Mansion with the Nightmare overlay (it is simply amazing), the Conjure a Villain tent - we got Maleficent, and the Walk in Walt's Footsteps tour. The tour was unable to go to Walt's apartment, which was a bummer, but we did get to see the Dream Suite, which is breathtaking. 

I will say, contrary to WDW where you really HAVE to buy a party ticket to enjoy the Halloween offerings, at DL we felt it was really not necessary to have a great time. The Halloween jamboree area was CHARMING and so much fun. The kids loved the party and it was a once in a lifetime thing for us, but I think if I went more often I would probably be ok not attending the party since they do such a nice job everywhere else.

As WDW vets, we really enjoyed DL/DCA SO much - we were relaxed, not rushed, were able to enjoy our time, etc. I can't recommend it enough. I really felt the "magic" at DL.


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## ricardol

Torchness said:


> I'm currently AT Mickey's Halloween party, on Halloween, and I've never felt more cheated in my life. We paid $77 apiece for 3 people, and what did we get? A park absolutely choked with crowds, ride lines with a 30-45 minute wait minimum (not including an hour wasted waiting for Peter Pan as it broke down mid wait and we had no way to get out of line nor were we offered one). Treats were three measly pieces of candy per stop and some Cheezits, and they threatened to cancel the fireworks and then started them early with no warning. The only villain we saw was another 30 minute line to meet. What a horrible time we have had. Clearly they sold too many tickets for tonight. Lines with zero wait are a myth. I'm so very disappointed. I wish we had just stuck to our park hopper passes and given this waste of money and time a miss. Never, ever again.



Hey there I'm sorry you had a bad time during Halloween, but like ppl have said maybe you were expecting something completely different in your mind and you got disappointing.

We went to that party and yes you only get 3 pcs of candy at the beginning of the party. By 10:30 we hit some trail stations and they were giving 5 , and by 11:00 they were just giving out hand loads of candy. I did the treat station in Main street, and there are 3 stations in a circle, the CM there told me to just keep doing circles If I wanted, they were really unloading everything on Halloween night.

I don't get why you said the fireworks started early, they started on time, we camped in front of the castle for the parade then the fireworks and we were really worried they might cancel them. The parade was almost cancelled as the floor was wet, but fortunately it dried on time.


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## ldymcbth

Torchness said:


> I'm currently AT Mickey's Halloween party, on Halloween, and I've never felt more cheated in my life. We paid $77 apiece for 3 people, and what did we get? A park absolutely choked with crowds, ride lines with a 30-45 minute wait minimum (not including an hour wasted waiting for Peter Pan as it broke down mid wait and we had no way to get out of line nor were we offered one). Treats were three measly pieces of candy per stop and some Cheezits, and they threatened to cancel the fireworks and then started them early with no warning. The only villain we saw was another 30 minute line to meet. What a horrible time we have had. Clearly they sold too many tickets for tonight. Lines with zero wait are a myth. I'm so very disappointed. I wish we had just stuck to our park hopper passes and given this waste of money and time a miss. Never, ever again.



Hey, we were there Halloween night as well. They did indeed start the fireworks a smidge early (maybe 10m) - my husband and son missed the beginning of them because of that. However, I think they did that because they were really afraid they were going to have to cancel them if they waited much longer due to the wind forecast. So I am actually thankful they did they best they could, even if that meant starting them early.

We did not think it was crowded at all! It's funny how perceptions can be different. We attended WDW's MNSSHP a couple of years ago and my husband HATED it because it was wall to wall people - this one was so much better from a crowd perspective.

We got a TON of candy from Toontown - did you do those treat trails? I did notice that my husband and I only got 3 pieces at a time, but my kids got handfuls. Trick or treating was not our main priority but even with just doing a few trails we were covered up in candy. 

We must have chosen different rides, because we were able to ride Ghost Galaxy, Astro-Orbiters, Matterhorn, Teacups, Pirates, Buzz Lightyear, and a couple of others with very minor lines - like maybe 10-15m at most. 

I'm sorry you didn't have a good time. I have found that when I pay extra for something, like this party, I have high expectations, and it's more painful when those are not met. So I do understand your frustration! I hope you were able to have a happy Halloween anyway.


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## ricardol

I just came back form a long Disney Trip. We attended Monday 27th and Halloween Day parties.

We managed to get everything done except the Monster U party because it was cancelled due to rain on Halloween day.

I will try to make time to post my report from both parties tomorrow, but I can tell you we had an AMAZING time!!





ldymcbth said:


> Hey, we were there Halloween night as well. They did indeed start the fireworks a smidge early (maybe 10m) - my husband and son missed the beginning of them because of that. However, I think they did that because they were really afraid they were going to have to cancel them if they waited much longer due to the wind forecast. So I am actually thankful they did they best they could, even if that meant starting them early.




So the fireworks did actually start early?  I didn't notice I was camped in front of the castle and all I could think was it's not raining now, please go ahead and start don't cancel them!!!!   Honestly I think if it had been any other party day they might had cancel them but the pressure of Halloween night was too much, and I was really happy that both the parade and fireworks did not got cancelled. To me the Highlight of the party are the fireworks.


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## ldymcbth

ricardol said:


> So the fireworks did actually start early?  I didn't notice I was camped in front of the castle and all I could think was it's not raining now, please go ahead and start don't cancel them!!!!   Honestly I think if it had been any other party day they might had cancel them but the pressure of Halloween night was too much, and I was really happy that both the parade and fireworks did not got cancelled. To me the Highlight of the party are the fireworks.



Yes, they were about 8-10 minutes early. They had come on the speakers saying that they might be cancelled, etc., and then shortly thereafter with little fanfare they started! I was so glad - I was really concerned they would be cancelled and while it wouldn't have been the end of the world, I really wanted to see them!


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## ricardol

Hello, I apologize in advance for the long text, but here are my two Party Reports from last week:

Our Pre Strategy was no attractions at all (We were there for a week), and no Trick or Treating on the first party except on no line trails, the objectives in order of importance were this:

1)Fireworks (plus parade to get a good spot)
2)Photos with Disney characters in Halloween costume
3)Photos with Villians
4) Cadaver Dans
5) Monster U Party
6) Trick or Treating

My party consisted of , myself ,DW, DD7, DS2, And my father in law and mother in law which they helped us a lot by securing a spot early and helped with lines in toontown.

*Monday Oct 27th MHP Report!*

We entered the park at 4:45 and head straight to Toontown. We made it to the line and they let us into toontown by 5:10 or so. We skipped all the Candy Trails, and went directly to the center to get photos, we first got in line to meet Clairbelle and Horace. Its funny that they are so rare to find and ppl were just ignoring that line, they only had like 2 ppl in front of us. Then we got in line to meet Chip and Dale and Grandpa helped us get in line to meet Goofy. We successfully did the 3 Meet and Greets before we noticed they were about to rotate so we got in line where Clairbelle was and Donald came up there. Mickey and Minnie rotated in the center line and Grandma helped get in line , and then Pluto on the right and Grandpa helped us get in that line. With that tremendous help from my inlaws we got all the photos!!

We exited toontown and since I had bought a Photo Pass + We did the Frozen Photo op in front of IASW. Then we headed to Big Thunder Ranch to get in line for Mickey and Minnie in their special suits, My Party did the Trail while I was in line. The line was pretty big and we aborted it and headed down to Frontierland, we noticed Peter and Wendy where there and got in line but by the time we got there they rotated to Jack Sparrow (Lucky!!!) the whole family was dressed up as pirates so it was awesome!

After we headed for the Hub to find a spot for Parade/Fireworks, all the benches were already taken so we had to camp in the floor. Grandma and Grandpa camped in the spot and we headed to the Entrance to meet the Villians. The line was very big I probably did 45 mins wait time and we got Hades, The Evil Queen and Jafar. Meanwhile my wife took my DD and DS and they caught The Red Queen who was doing circles in there, and I think also The Evil Stepmother and one of her daughters.

After the long wait I bought some hotdogs for dinner and went to our spot in front of the castle, we got a bench since a party left after the parade ended, we were just in front of the route where parade turns when coming from IASW. The parade was good, they changed it a little bit from last year and we enjoyed it. Then the fireworks were AMAZING! The full show, zero flying out and the fireworks in all its splendor, that is really worth the ticket.

After that we hit tomorrow land and we did the Trail inside innovations and we got to meet Phineas and Ferb, I was tempted to wait for Agent P but decided to move along. Then since it was already late we hit some Trails and we got a bunch of candy without even really trying for it. The monorail Trail is a Long Ramp to push a stroller but hey Free Candy!! We did the AP special station and got our bags and the Rice Krispy Treat.

The end was approaching so we secured a bench in front of Main Street train terminal to watch the mini Villain Show at 10:50 and meanwhile we did the candy trail there. We watched the show which I missed lat year and it was pretty good.

At 11:00 they announced the end of the party and we headed with a happy face to our hotel. We had an amazing time and got so much things done!


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## ricardol

Friday October 31st MHP Report!

I saw the weather forecast in the morning and I freaked out at the Rain forecast! We spent the morning at the parks then we headed after lunch to the hotel for a Nap and get our costumes. We used the same Pirate costumes 

We entered the park at about 5:30 and headed to Toontown. Got in line and they let us in at 6:05. We noticed the Trail that is typically a circle to the right was changed to inside the small buildings in front of Roger Rabbit. Later we realized that Disney had changed everything to indoors anticipating Rain during the party. We did that trail , then we did Minnie and Mickey's House which is in fact the best trail of all, and we got so much candy just in there, probably there are about 8-10 stations. Then we hit the trail at Goofy's and we exited Toontown.

On this party we noticed very few Healthy options, the Monday party was full of them but we hardly got some carrots. 

We then decided to try and get the other 3 villains we didn't get on Monday and we headed for the entrance. We noticed the Prop backgrounds were not there in front of the station and I asked a couple of CM's where the meet and greet would be and they said they hadn't made the decision yet but most probably indoors, they told to just hang around in front of the theater. Then I was getting a little worried since there was no pre line and asked another CM who confirmed that in fact the preline was already inside the Theater, so we headed there and there were ppl, but not too many so it was fine. They had a curtain covering up where the M&G and they opened the curtain about 7:10, and surprise the there were 2 Villains which we didn't get. Turns out there was only space for 2 and the third one was outside. Inside the Theater was Dr Facillier and Maleficient. We noticed we had lost our pen and my wife a DD went to buy one (7 bucks for one!! ouch!!) and got lucky as she saw Cruella Devile starting form a line outside and she got inline. My Father in law stayed in line inside the theater and DD, DS headed to meet Cruella. We came back and did Maleficient and Dr Facilier which were really great interactions.

When we exited it was raining a little and I got bummed, my first thought is they will cancel the fireworks but decided to stay positive. Since the party Started an hour later there was no much time for anything else so we headed to secure a spot for Fireworks and Parade. We were able to get the same spot as of Monday on a Bench in front of the castle to the right. I noticed the street was wet and was worried they might cancel the show. So grandma and Grandpa camped for the spot and we headed to Monster U party meanwhile and turns out it got cancelled, so they changed it to a M&G with Sully and Mike W. We got in line and we got our photos. We headed back to our spots for fireworks. While we were in line for Monsters M&G the Frozen Preparade announcement got up and they kill the announcement midway, and I thought Oh oh that is a bad sign.

While we were waiting in our spots the rain had stopped and the streets were dried up and they made the "in just 15 minutes" parade announcement and we got excited. It turns out they did not had the Frozen pre parade but they did have the regular Parade. After the Parade me and DD went to buy some salads for dinner and we came back to our spot waiting for the fireworks. Then it started raining again! and ppl started to freak out a little, I saw some moms leaving their spot with their kids to get out of the rain. The rain was light it passed over quick and then they announce on the speakers "Due to weather and wind conditions the fireworks might get cancelled, but at this time no final decision has been made" so I got bummed but then the last sentence made me had hope! We stayed at our spots and all I could think of was please go ahead and start it now there is no rain, please don't cancel them! 

So I lost track of time but as ldymcbth pointed out they started the fireworks earlier, I didn't notice it I was just so happy!  The fanfare started and I saw them inflating the balloon were Jack's head gets projected and got really happy. I didn't notice it immediately but they skipped Zero flying out at the castle. The show was awesome but somehow I thought it was shorter than Monday, don't know if it was just me or they speed up the pauses or something because they indeed had the full show. I was really glad and relieved after the show, and I sat down for a moment to eat dinner since the stress before I couldn't eat while waiting for the Fireworks.

After the Show it was Cadaver Dans time. We hit Rivers of America and we saw the full show, the wind was picking up and the fog in the lake was clearing up really quickly. I did not find the Trail that is there in front of rivers, so we headed to frontierland to hit the Golden Shoe Trail, then we did the Piratepalooza trail, and the pirates there gave my DD and DS a bunch of chocolate Gold Doubloons as we were all dressed up as pirates. There was a very small line to Meet Goofy in pirate costume but they rotated by the time we got in front, and got Sailor Donald, and Pirate Crew Chip and Dale.

We hit some other trails, and tried to catch the 10:45 Monster U show, but it was cancelled, just M&G again. I tried to meet the Storm troopers which were inside Star Tours, but the line was pretty big. So we hit more candy trails.

At 11:20 or so I tried to do the Storm troopers but again line was too big, so we headed to main street and we did the trail there. In this trail we got so much candy, by this time they were unloading all the candy they had, the CM told me to just keep doing the circle until I had enough and we got bunches and bunches. It's funny I said let's go that is enough but my father in law wanted more he was having so much fun doing Trick or Treating so we hit the trail about 3 more times and I can tell you Officially Disney gave us more candy than I could actually carry back to the hotel.

Since it was 11:40 I convinced my party to stay for the mini Villain Exit show and we exited the park at midnight. I really struggled carrying the Candy Bag all the way to the HOJO, it was really heavy, I had to stop 2 times to rest my arms, we had the Halloween Tote bag completely full and I was carrying it like a football in my arms, cause the handles were hurting my fingers. And we had several other small bags with more treats hanging in the strollers, so we really got a whole bunch of candy.

It was a full day we got everything done, except the Monster U party which is ok since we did that last year. Excellent time and Great Party we really enjoyed it!


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## adudeinblue

Following up on our MHP Trip (10/30/2014 to 11/1/2014) for the Halloween Day MHP. Thanks again for everyone's tips and feedback. It greatly helped planned out our night. Hopefully this will give insight for others for next year or any year where Halloween lands on a Friday night. 

It was just my GF and I, and to supplement the MHP Tickets, we purchased 2 Day 1 Park non-park hoppers. Our schedule was a full day at Disneyland (10/30/2014) to fully experience the Halloween Decorations, the MHP (10/31/2014) and ending with a full day at California Adventure (11/1/2014). We stayed at the Camelot Inn


*10/30/2014 Disneyland Day Before Halloween Report*
The park was nearly empty at opening on 10/30/2014. We were going to do fast pass for rides, but ended up not needing to because the waits were 5-15mins long. We were hopping between rides so quick that we almost missed our 11:30AM reservation at the Blue Bayou. Arrived 5 mins before our reservation and was immediately seated the second to last table near the water side. Loved the Monte Cristo! The Lemonade was awesome as well.

The decorations throughout the park were really well planned out, especially Main Street and Frontier Land. We did find the most dense crowds at the Haunted Mansion and the Halloween Carnival area. 

*10/31/2014 Disneyland MHP Report*
We slept in on Halloween after a full day at Disneyland the previous day. We got into the park during the early admission of the MHP (roughly around 3:45PM). It was pretty crowded during this transition time. The wait time for rides were long (30+ mins) and MHP activities didn't start yet, so we ended up going to the Meet and Greet for Captain America and Thor in our Big Hero 6 Costumes. GF was dressed as Honey Lemon (a lot of people recognized her) and I was Hiro Hamda (no one knew who I was), but our stuffed plush Baymax got the most attention during the day. 

When the MHP started, we were around the Carnival area so we stopped by. It was empty. Nothing really happened but treat trails. Toontown Preparty was crowded for treat trails, but no one rode the Roger Rabbit ride. Leaving the Party, it was a lot of Cast Members checking our bands, pretty aggressively. We didn't mind because they were only doing their jobs and assuring our crowd was minimal. 

A lot of Elsa and Anna costumes! Of all size and shapes (no kidding). It was pretty neat seeing a lot of people dressed up, but no one knew who we were, not even the cast members passing out candy. Probably because they're rushing to pass out candy. 

We got to get on a lot of rides with little wait time. The longest one we actually waited was for Space Mountain and Haunted Mansion. We also caught the fireworks last min in the main hub without waiting. It did sprinkle a little, but it didn't really stop crowd. We ended up calling it a night 15 mins before the end of the MHP. We were so beat with all the candy I was carrying around. 

There was definitely a lot of kids, probably because the next day was Saturday and no school that parents were willing to bring their kids along. Not too many younger adults like us, probably because it's a Friday Night and Halloween and are at actual parties with adult activities. But we enjoyed ourselves since we are kids at heart.

*11/1/2014 California Adventure Report*
I think a lot of people ended up doing what we planned out. 3 Day trip ending with DCA on the last day. The crowds were pretty big. Got to the park an hour late and was still able to get a FP to RSR for 1PM. We came back later and found the return time was at 6PM and I really wanted to do the RSR at night when its all lit up, but our FP was blocked. Luckily when we asked the CM to trade FP, he was more than willing to just give it to us. 

We were pretty relaxed on what we wanted to do. Not rushed but crowds were normal to me because I normally visit the parks during the Summer.



Thanks again for everyone's report and feedback. Hope to do it again! Sorry for the massive photos x.x


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## CAFarmerGirl

ricardol said:


> Friday October 31st MHP Report!
> 
> I saw the weather forecast in the morning and I freaked out at the Rain forecast! We spent the morning at the parks then we headed after lunch to the hotel for a Nap and get our costumes. We used the same Pirate costumes
> 
> We entered the park at about 5:30 and headed to Toontown. Got in line and they let us in at 6:05. We noticed the Trail that is typically a circle to the right was changed to inside the small buildings in front of Roger Rabbit. Later we realized that Disney had changed everything to indoors anticipating Rain during the party. We did that trail , then we did Minnie and Mickey's House which is in fact the best trail of all, and we got so much candy just in there, probably there are about 8-10 stations. Then we hit the trail at Goofy's and we exited Toontown.
> 
> On this party we noticed very few Healthy options, the Monday party was full of them but we hardly got some carrots.
> 
> We then decided to try and get the other 3 villains we didn't get on Monday and we headed for the entrance. We noticed the Prop backgrounds were not there in front of the station and I asked a couple of CM's where the meet and greet would be and they said they hadn't made the decision yet but most probably indoors, they told to just hang around in front of the theater. Then I was getting a little worried since there was no pre line and asked another CM who confirmed that in fact the preline was already inside the Theater, so we headed there and there were ppl, but not too many so it was fine. They had a curtain covering up where the M&G and they opened the curtain about 7:10, and surprise the there were 2 Villains which we didn't get. Turns out there was only space for 2 and the third one was outside. Inside the Theater was Dr Facillier and Maleficient. We noticed we had lost our pen and my wife a DD went to buy one (7 bucks for one!! ouch!!) and got lucky as she saw Cruella Devile starting form a line outside and she got inline. My Father in law stayed in line inside the theater and DD, DS headed to meet Cruella. We came back and did Maleficient and Dr Facilier which were really great interactions.
> 
> When we exited it was raining a little and I got bummed, my first thought is they will cancel the fireworks but decided to stay positive. Since the party Started an hour later there was no much time for anything else so we headed to secure a spot for Fireworks and Parade. We were able to get the same spot as of Monday on a Bench in front of the castle to the right. I noticed the street was wet and was worried they might cancel the show. So grandma and Grandpa camped for the spot and we headed to Monster U party meanwhile and turns out it got cancelled, so they changed it to a M&G with Sully and Mike W. We got in line and we got our photos. We headed back to our spots for fireworks. While we were in line for Monsters M&G the Frozen Preparade announcement got up and they kill the announcement midway, and I thought Oh oh that is a bad sign.
> 
> While we were waiting in our spots the rain had stopped and the streets were dried up and they made the "in just 15 minutes" parade announcement and we got excited. It turns out they did not had the Frozen pre parade but they did have the regular Parade. After the Parade me and DD went to buy some salads for dinner and we came back to our spot waiting for the fireworks. Then it started raining again! and ppl started to freak out a little, I saw some moms leaving their spot with their kids to get out of the rain. The rain was light it passed over quick and then they announce on the speakers "Due to weather and wind conditions the fireworks might get cancelled, but at this time no final decision has been made" so I got bummed but then the last sentence made me had hope! We stayed at our spots and all I could think of was please go ahead and start it now there is no rain, please don't cancel them!
> 
> So I lost track of time but as ldymcbth pointed out they started the fireworks earlier, I didn't notice it I was just so happy!  The fanfare started and I saw them inflating the balloon were Jack's head gets projected and got really happy. I didn't notice it immediately but they skipped Zero flying out at the castle. The show was awesome but somehow I thought it was shorter than Monday, don't know if it was just me or they speed up the pauses or something because they indeed had the full show. I was really glad and relieved after the show, and I sat down for a moment to eat dinner since the stress before I couldn't eat while waiting for the Fireworks.
> 
> After the Show it was Cadaver Dans time. We hit Rivers of America and we saw the full show, the wind was picking up and the fog in the lake was clearing up really quickly. I did not find the Trail that is there in front of rivers, so we headed to frontierland to hit the Golden Shoe Trail, then we did the Piratepalooza trail, and the pirates there gave my DD and DS a bunch of chocolate Gold Doubloons as we were all dressed up as pirates. There was a very small line to Meet Goofy in pirate costume but they rotated by the time we got in front, and got Sailor Donald, and Pirate Crew Chip and Dale.
> 
> We hit some other trails, and tried to catch the 10:45 Monster U show, but it was cancelled, just M&G again. I tried to meet the Storm troopers which were inside Star Tours, but the line was pretty big. So we hit more candy trails.
> 
> At 11:20 or so I tried to do the Storm troopers but again line was too big, so we headed to main street and we did the trail there. In this trail we got so much candy, by this time they were unloading all the candy they had, the CM told me to just keep doing the circle until I had enough and we got bunches and bunches. It's funny I said let's go that is enough but my father in law wanted more he was having so much fun doing Trick or Treating so we hit the trail about 3 more times and I can tell you Officially Disney gave us more candy than I could actually carry back to the hotel.
> 
> Since it was 11:40 I convinced my party to stay for the mini Villain Exit show and we exited the park at midnight. I really struggled carrying the Candy Bag all the way to the HOJO, it was really heavy, I had to stop 2 times to rest my arms, we had the Halloween Tote bag completely full and I was carrying it like a football in my arms, cause the handles were hurting my fingers. And we had several other small bags with more treats hanging in the strollers, so we really got a whole bunch of candy.
> 
> It was a full day we got everything done, except the Monster U party which is ok since we did that last year. Excellent time and Great Party we really enjoyed it!



I am glad you mentioned Zero not flying...I thought I missed him!  

My kids also circled several times in Main Street!  My husband and I stopped...when my husband weighed our backpack full of candy, it was 20 lbs!  The kids carried their own.  I thought my dd was going to tip over from the weight.  Lol


----------



## ricardol

CAFarmerGirl said:


> I am glad you mentioned Zero not flying...I thought I missed him!
> 
> My kids also circled several times in Main Street!  My husband and I stopped...when my husband weighed our backpack full of candy, it was 20 lbs!  The kids carried their own.  I thought my dd was going to tip over from the weight.  Lol



Yeah it was an insane amount of candy!!! LOL. while we were heading towards Harbor Street someone stopped me and asked me if that bag was actually full of candy and they were like "OMG seriously???"  

I already put a big bowl of candy at my desk at work to start unloading the candy!!!


----------



## CAFarmerGirl

ricardol said:


> Yeah it was an insane amount of candy!!! LOL. while we were heading towards Harbor Street someone stopped me and asked me if that bag was actually full of candy and they were like "OMG seriously???"
> 
> I already put a big bowl of candy at my desk at work to start unloading the candy!!!



Mu husband will be taking his to work for his students.


----------



## Kilala

I will post my report trips for the 27th and the 31st this weekend along with pictures


----------



## DisneyJamieCA

I don't think I ever updated on our MHP ticket situation. I apologize. Obviously the parties are over for this year, but hopefully this may help somebody in the future, should it happen to them.

You'll remember that I ordered our tickets the first morning they were available for presale (AP/Disney Visa) and because their system got overloaded the email containing my tickets never arrived. I called twice with my confirmation number (screen shot or write that down!) and they were able to look it up, but couldn't email it again. Double checked the email address, checked my junk mail - they simply never came. I was told to go the ticket booths with the confirmation number and credit card used and they would print them out for me there.

While checking in at the DLH, I explained what had happened (was trying to find out how late the ticket booths were open that night). She checked if she could print them there for me, but as I had been told on the phone, she couldn't. I went to the ticket booth the next afternoon and at first the ticket agent was confused, but called over a lead, who was able to do it in a matter of minutes. They never did check my ID or credit card, but I wouldn't assume they won't. Anyways, although stressful leading up to it, the actual process was very easy.


----------



## Sherry E

*I've been so busy over in the Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread (wrapping up our Theme Week Countdown and now prepping for the official start of the holidays next week) that I can't believe I forgot to come back here to comment on a very intriguing rumor!

You may or may not recall that a few weeks ago I was saying that I read a thread on Mice Chat in which someone claimed to have overheard a CM at the MHP saying that the Halloween party would move back to California Adventure next year.  

The people who replied to that person's report seemed skeptical.  Truthfully, I could see it happening -- a temporary relocation of the party to DCA, especially if there is something going on for the 60th anniversary of DL that would be interrupted by a hard ticket party -- but there would have to be a whole decorations package added into a couple of DCA's lands, and something Halloween-ish there during the daytime for people to enjoy outside of the party.  They couldn't just throw in a party at DCA in its current state, without a couple of Halloween-ified attractions to use as the selling points.

Anyway, one of the people in that thread mentioned that the CMs who did the mysterious "training" for the MHP this year were told that there are "big changes" coming to Mickey's Halloween Party in 2015.  Big changes could mean a relocation of the MHP, or it could mean something else.

... And that "something else" might be an extended schedule for the MHP!  More nights!  

I have said for a while that I am surprised that Disney doesn't start Mickey's Halloween Party when Halloween Time begins -- that's a whole extra 2 weeks that they could be using to make more money on MHP tickets.   I don't think they would ever begin the MHP as early as WDW's Halloween parties begin, but starting the MHP when the Halloween Time season begins doesn't seem unreasonable -- especially since Disney doesn't appear to be adding in any new daytime Halloween highlights that people can enjoy outside of the MHP.  They seem to be revolving their season around the MHP.

So, lo and behold, MiceAge/MiceChat mentioned in its recent Disneyland Update:  




"Looking a year out, Michael Colglazier has tasked TDAs planners to find a way to add an additional two weeks of Halloween parties to the 2015 fall calendar.  In 2014 nearly every party sold out, often months in advance, and there were a lot of people still trying to buy tickets who were turned away at the ticket booths and hotel lobbies the day of the events.  Expect to see an extra couple weeks of parties added to the September calendar next year, and perhaps an extra few parties added in the last few weeks in October."

Click to expand...



The questions now are:  Will the party merely get some extra nights added to the front end?  Or will the party move back across the Esplanade to DCA, to not interfere with any new nighttime parade and fireworks in place for the 60th anniversary?  Or, will both things happen -- the party will begin two weeks earlier... in California Adventure??  Will any of these rumors pan out?

If any of these things happen, there could be a lot to chat about in 2015!*


​


----------



## Mister Skellington

We attended on the 27th and had a fantastic time. We did 3/4 of the trails. Rode several rides, sat down for dinner, and got a front row seat for the fireworks. We missed the parade but after hearing how Magic Kingdoms was so much better we didn't worry too much. We opted instead for the spot on the ropes for the fireworks. Totally worth the wait!  
   My sister, wife, and myself dressed up as Lock, Shock, and Barrel and we met lots of nightmare before xmas fans. We had alot of great conversations with folks from all over. I highly recommend adults dress up and get into the spirit. You will have a great time!
   This was my first time seeing the Haunted Holiday and OMG!! I just loved it! 
   Thanks for all who helped us plan this trip and thanks SOOOO much for the DIS and all of the help I have received over the years.  
  Here is a couple shots of our costumes.


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## cmpeter

Awesome costumes!


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## crystal1313

Awesome costumes mister skellington!!! Great job.


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## DSNY4ever

Mister Skellington- those costumes are AWESOME!! I bet you got lots of compliments that night.  Way to go.


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## Mister Skellington

Thanks everyone. We did get a lot of compliments and lots of folks asking to take our picture. IT was super fun to make the masks. (paper mache')  My favorite pic of the whole trip was our ride photo from splash mountain. Super funny!


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## JenKate

I am loving this thread!  I will study it over and over again.  My entire in-law clan (30 of us, 14 adults and sixteen kids!) will be in California from October 21-25th 2015.  It's our first trip during October, and it will probably seem empty to us compared to our usual Christmas time visit!

It's going to be a chaotic blast.  Most of us have been been, but we had five (5!) babies this last year, so we'll have 5 babies between the ages of 14 and 22 months.

Anyways.  Here's my question.  What are the decorations like at DCA?  Specifically Tower of Terror?

I'm doing a fun little countdown on our family Facebook page, every 10 days before we go, and the first thing I want to talk about is Tower of Terror...  Because last time we rode it my sister-in-law screamed the entire time.


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## Sherry E

JenKate said:


> I am loving this thread!  I will study it over and over again.  My entire in-law clan (30 of us, 14 adults and sixteen kids!) will be in California from October 21-25th 2015.  It's our first trip during October, and it will probably seem empty to us compared to our usual Christmas time visit!
> 
> It's going to be a chaotic blast.  Most of us have been been, but we had five (5!) babies this last year, so we'll have 5 babies between the ages of 14 and 22 months.
> 
> Anyways.  Here's my question.  What are the decorations like at DCA?  Specifically Tower of Terror?
> 
> I'm doing a fun little countdown on our family Facebook page, every 10 days before we go, and the first thing I want to talk about is Tower of Terror...  Because last time we rode it my sister-in-law screamed the entire time.



*JenKate --*

Welcome!  I'm always surprised when I see someone posting in the Halloween Superthread right after Halloween is over and the holiday season is about to kick into high gear.  I guess I assume that no one will really begin thinking about Halloween again until after the New Year!

Let me preface this by saying that, in 2015, things could be totally different -- for the better -- and what I am saying right now may not be applicable by Halloween Time 2015, but... DCA is almost completely lacking in Halloween décor of any kind.  This wasn't the case prior to 2010 -- there used to be some decorations, and the Halloween party was even held in DCA.  From 2010 on, Halloween has been missing from DCA.

This past Halloween Time season, the only signs of Halloween Time in DCA were very minimal and under the radar.  The Mad T Party had a Halloween-ish set with the decorations in the general vicinity, and there were a couple of in-store seasonal displays (one of them being at the gift shop outside of Tower of Terror, I believe, and another one being in the Paradise Pier area).  Oh, and you could get pumpkin-shaped sourdough from the Boudin Bakery bread cart.

Otherwise, zilch.  Tower of Terror -- from I have seen and read -- used to have some minor Halloween décor in the general waiting area and queue before people boarded the ride.  However, I think the décor was done away with a while back.

As I said, though, in 2015 things could be very different, and DCA could once again get back in the Halloween Time fun!


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## JenKate

Thanks for your super quick response Sherry!

To get all 30 of us in one place at one time usually requires planning a year in advance.  Luckily I don't get trip planning burn out!

I'll probably have more questions as we get closer, but I bet I find a lot of the answers thanks to your amazing thread!


----------



## figment_jii

I've read about the original Pet Cemetary still being next to the Haunted Mansion (along the wheelchair/ECV entrance to the attraction).  I stopped by to take a look last week.  There are four tombstones in a large grassy area: a dog, a frog, a skunk, and a cat.

The Dog..."Big Jake...Here lies my good dog Jake, chasing a toad down a well was his one mistake."





The Skunk..."In loving memory of our pet Stripey...You may be departed but your essence will always linger on."





The Frog..."R.I.P. Bully...You didn't drink, you didn't smoke, I just can't figure what made you croak."





The Cat..."In Memoriam Miss Kitty...After losing eight lives you still had no fear.  You caught a snake in your ninth, and that's why you're here."





No HMH decor on these tombstones...


----------



## DenaRox

Sherry E said:


> Let me preface this by saying that, in 2015, things could be totally different -- for the better -- and what I am saying right now may not be applicable by Halloween Time 2015, but... DCA is almost completely lacking in Halloween décor of any kind.  This wasn't the case prior to 2010 -- there used to be some decorations, and the Halloween party was even held in DCA.  From 2010 on, Halloween has been missing from DCA.  This past Halloween Time season, the only signs of Halloween Time in DCA were very minimal and under the radar.  The Mad T Party had a Halloween-ish set with the decorations in the general vicinity, and there were a couple of in-store seasonal displays (one of them being at the gift shop outside of Tower of Terror, I believe, and another one being in the Paradise Pier area).  Oh, and you could get pumpkin-shaped sourdough from the Boudin Bakery bread cart.  Otherwise, zilch.  Tower of Terror -- from I have seen and read -- used to have some minor Halloween décor in the general waiting area and queue before people boarded the ride.  However, I think the décor was done away with a while back.  As I said, though, in 2015 things could be very different, and DCA could once again get back in the Halloween Time fun!



Just an interesting tidbit to tie in to your "suspicions"... I received a request from disney to do a survey in relation to my oct 2014 trip to DL. It was all based on Halloween time, thoughts on decorations, rides, food etc and many questions about my expectations and satisfaction with theming in DCA!!!!!


----------



## Sherry E

DenaRox said:


> Just an interesting tidbit to tie in to your "suspicions"... I received a request from disney to do a survey in relation to my oct 2014 trip to DL. It was all based on Halloween time, thoughts on decorations, rides, food etc and many questions about my expectations and satisfaction with theming in DCA!!!!!



*Dena -*

Time got away from me (it's been busy over in the Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread!) and I forgot to reply.

How was your trip?  Did you have a good time?

Thank you so much for letting us know this bit if info!  It is very interesting, indeed.  Disneyland Resort usually seems to have specific agendas with specific surveys -- for example, they will have surveys that are primarily about Viva Navidad, or about Winter Dreams, or about onsite hotel stays and possible packages, etc.

So if you got a survey that focused on Halloween Time offerings, with a heavy slant towards theming in DCA, then at least that shows they are thinking about what they may be doing in DCA for Halloween Time in the future.  It's better that they are thinking about it and looking into it than _not_ thinking about it!

Frankly, I always had a problem with Disney selling its Halloween Time offerings (usually for 6 or 7 weeks of the year!) just based on what was in Disneyland alone.  I understood that some things had to come down in DCA when all of the major work began on Buena Vista Street and Cars Land back in 2010, but once those two lands were up and running there was no reason that a bit of Halloween Time couldn't have been reinstated in DCA, as a complement to what was in Disneyland!  There is so much Halloween potential in Cars Land, on Buena Vista Street, in Hollywood Land, in A Bug's Land, with World of Color, in Grizzly Peak, etc.


Right now, the big Halloween Time/Mickey's Halloween Party 2015/2016 rumors are (and they are only rumors as of yet -- nothing has been confirmed or announced):


Mickey's Halloween Party could possibly move back to California Adventure (which would probably involve the removal of Halloween Screams and would include something new like a Halloween World of Color, or a Halloween overlay of some other ride -- but it would make sense if Disneyland wanted to focus all of its attention on a new nighttime fireworks show and parade specifically for the 60th anniversary);


Mickey's Halloween Party could begin 2 weeks earlier -- like when Halloween Time starts in mid-September -- and have many more nights added to its schedule;


Supposedly, the Cast Members who received training for the 2014 MHP were told that there are "big changes coming" to Mickey's Halloween Party in 2015; and


IF the rumors end up being true about some sort of Star Wars land coming to Disneyland that could involve a segment of Frontierland, then the whole Halloween Carnival area would have to be relocated or done away with -- but that may not happen until 2016, IF it turns out to be true at all.  Clearly, the Halloween Carnival is a major part of Halloween Time, so something else would have to be added in somewhere -- maybe to DCA -- to make up for its loss, IF the Star Wars land rumor is accurate and it impacts that section of Frontierland.

I think a seaside carnival (in the Paradise Pier area of DCA) could be fun!

One other thing to note is that the Mad T Party is now gone from DCA (to make way for the new _Freeze the Night_ party), and no one knows if it will return in or after May, or if the Halloween version of the Mad T Party will return for Halloween Time 2015.


----------



## DenaRox

Sherry E said:


> Dena -  Time got away from me (it's been busy over in the Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread!) and I forgot to reply.  How was your trip?  Did you have a good time?  Thank you so much for letting us know this bit if info!  It is very interesting, indeed.  Disneyland Resort usually seems to have specific agendas with specific surveys -- for example, they will have surveys that are primarily about Viva Navidad, or about Winter Dreams, or about onsite hotel stays and possible packages, etc.  So if you got a survey that focused on Halloween Time offerings, with a heavy slant towards theming in DCA, then at least that shows they are thinking about what they may be doing in DCA for Halloween Time in the future.  It's better that they are thinking about it and looking into it than not thinking about it!  Frankly, I always had a problem with Disney selling its Halloween Time offerings (usually for 6 or 7 weeks of the year!) just based on what was in Disneyland alone.  I understood that some things had to come down in DCA when all of the major work began on Buena Vista Street and Cars Land back in 2010, but once those two lands were up and running there was no reason that a bit of Halloween Time couldn't have been reinstated in DCA, as a complement to what was in Disneyland!  There is so much Halloween potential in Cars Land, on Buena Vista Street, in Hollywood Land, in A Bug's Land, with World of Color, in Grizzly Peak, etc.  Right now, the big Halloween Time/Mickey's Halloween Party 2015/2016 rumors are (and they are only rumors as of yet -- nothing has been confirmed or announced):   [*]Mickey's Halloween Party could possibly move back to California Adventure (which would probably involve the removal of Halloween Screams and would include something new like a Halloween World of Color, or a Halloween overlay of some other ride -- but it would make sense if Disneyland wanted to focus all of its attention on a new nighttime fireworks show and parade specifically for the 60th anniversary);  [*]Mickey's Halloween Party could begin 2 weeks earlier -- like when Halloween Time starts in mid-September -- and have many more nights added to its schedule;  [*]Supposedly, the Cast Members who received training for the 2014 MHP were told that there are "big changes coming" to Mickey's Halloween Party in 2015; and  [*]IF the rumors end up being true about some sort of Star Wars land coming to Disneyland that could involve a segment of Frontierland, then the whole Halloween Carnival area would have to be relocated or done away with -- but that may not happen until 2016, IF it turns out to be true at all.  Clearly, the Halloween Carnival is a major part of Halloween Time, so something else would have to be added in somewhere -- maybe to DCA -- to make up for its loss, IF the Star Wars land rumor is accurate and it impacts that section of Frontierland.  I think a seaside carnival (in the Paradise Pier area of DCA) could be fun!   One other thing to note is that the Mad T Party is now gone from DCA (to make way for the new Freeze the Night party), and no one knows if it will return in or after May, or if the Halloween version of the Mad T Party will return for Halloween Time 2015.



Interesting rumours. 

Our trip was excellent. The surprise was funny as my daughter didn't believe me for quite some time. Lol.  We had such a grand time and were very lucky to have loads of wonderful cm's go out of their way to make our fist trip so awesome. From special fast passes to being first to ride space mountain to being walked to front of line for haunted mansion to being brought back allowing to skip line, to meet jack and Sally. 

All the information here was a lifesaver, wide right was pure perfection and allowed us to ride RSR 3x In a day. 

Definitely will look forward to planning another disneyland trip sooner than I thought. Have to get in WDW and a trip to Japan first though. 

Thanks for asking


----------



## kkmcan

We had such a blast on our quick trip for the party and 1 day at DCA! We are already looking forward to next year. Not sure how the timing will work out for us (whether we are still going for the party over fall break). DD will be in college and they don't get a fall break.  But we hate to not come over at all so it could be a quick weekend trip.  Who knows.  

But I sure am sad that my favorite times of the year (Oct-Dec) are coming to an end very soon. I need to keep my spirits up by planning next years trips.  I am aiming for annual passes so we can visit for Halloween time, Christmas time and maybe a nice longer summer trip.


----------



## Sherry E

DenaRox said:


> Interesting rumours.
> 
> Our trip was excellent. The surprise was funny as my daughter didn't believe me for quite some time. Lol.  We had such a grand time and were very lucky to have loads of wonderful cm's go out of their way to make our fist trip so awesome. From special fast passes to being first to ride space mountain to being walked to front of line for haunted mansion to being brought back allowing to skip line, to meet jack and Sally.
> 
> All the information here was a lifesaver, wide right was pure perfection and allowed us to ride RSR 3x In a day.
> 
> Definitely will look forward to planning another disneyland trip sooner than I thought. Have to get in WDW and a trip to Japan first though.
> 
> Thanks for asking




*Dena --* 

I'm so glad that your trip was a successful one!  I know it was very important to make it perfect and to pull off the surprise, even though your daughter didn't believe you!  Also, I know you love Halloween so much, so it's good to hear that the trip went well.  It sounds as though you encountered some wonderful Cast Members!







kkmcan said:


> We had such a blast on our quick trip for the party and 1 day at DCA! We are already looking forward to next year. Not sure how the timing will work out for us (whether we are still going for the party over fall break). DD will be in college and they don't get a fall break.  But we hate to not come over at all so it could be a quick weekend trip.  Who knows.
> 
> But I sure am sad that my favorite times of the year (Oct-Dec) are coming to an end very soon. I need to keep my spirits up by planning next years trips.  I am aiming for annual passes so we can visit for Halloween time, Christmas time and maybe a nice longer summer trip.



*kkmcan --*

I know what you mean -- I'm sad too!  I can't believe that a new year will have begun in just under 3 weeks, and that all of the merriment will be over!  All year I wait for October - December.  Actually, all year I just wait for Halloween Time to start in mid-September, because from that point on it seems like the rest of the year (and into the first couple of days of January) is one big, extended celebration.  

The time flies so quickly.  That is both a good thing and a bad thing.  It means that the 'less fun' times (and the super hot months) pass by quickly, but it also means that the fun months (September - December) pass by quickly.  

Heck, I can remember lamenting the first day of summer (I cannot stand really hot weather) in my Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread this year, as though the next 3 months would be an eternity.  

And in this very Halloween Time Superthread I remember saying to Jamie/DisneyJamieCA that when her kids started school in August, I would go along with August being the unofficial start of _my_ Fall season too!  (Anything to speed up the seasons in my mind!)

Here we are, and it's December 13th.  I know that the next round of "fun months" will get here soon enough, and that Halloween Time and the Holidays will be here before I know it.  It will seem like forever at the beginning of the year, but time will fly -- especially as the events of 2015 unfold, i.e., Frozen Fun, the 60th anniversary details, the D23 Expo in August (which is sure to produce some big announcements from Disney about future plans), and details of the coming Halloween and holiday seasons.

Still, though, it seems sad to see it all end in (less than) 3 weeks!


----------



## ACDSNY

Dropping in and doing some snooping to see when the slowest part of the Halloween Time might be for 2015.  Might need to sneak in a short return to DL in the Fall.


----------



## Sherry E

ACDSNY said:


> Dropping in and doing some snooping to see when the slowest part of the Halloween Time might be for 2015.  Might need to sneak in a short return to DL in the Fall.



Hi there, *Angela*!

It's funny that you posted here because -- just a few hours ago -- I was telling myself to remember to revise assorted posts on page 1 of this thread after the New Year begins (changing all the references of "2014" to 2015 and other odds and ends).

As for the slowest part of Halloween Time... _maybe_ the third week of September, or the next-to-last week of October, but there might not be a simple answer for 2015.  Here's why...

Ordinarily I would have probably said that a less crowded time might be somewhere in the first two weeks of the season, in mid-to-late September, before the actual Halloween Party starts.  In the past, Mickey's Halloween Party began 2 weeks after Halloween Time began.

However, 2015 will be a question mark for a while, for several reasons.  

First, I am not certain whether or not Halloween Time will officially begin on Friday, September 11th.  Normally that would be the day of the week (Friday) that Halloween Time begins, but the actual _date_ is bad.  To me, September 11th seems like a bad day to start any kind of festive season (because of the horrible events of 2001, which are still fairly recent in our history).   

So I keep thinking that Disney may decide to "officially" begin the Halloween Time season on Monday, 9/14 or by Friday, 9/18 at the very latest.  They _may_ do a similar thing to what they do for the holiday season -- which is to soft launch or soft open certain things early, maybe before September 11, and then officially launch the season after September 11.  For example, the Holiday season never officially begins on or before Veterans Day anymore, but a lot of things will soft launch before Veterans Day.

So the Halloween Time start date will be a mystery for a while, as will the end date.  Halloween is usually the last day of the Halloween Time season, but in 2015 it will be on a Saturday.  There will have to be a party on Saturday night because there is always a party on Halloween night -- but... I can't picture Disneyland park closing at 7 p.m. on a Saturday night, especially in the middle of the 60th anniversary events.  

And would Halloween Time end after Saturday, 10/31, or would it end after Sunday, November 1st?


Then there are the rumors I was mentioning to *Dena* above -- (1) about the possible relocation of the Halloween Party to DCA next year (which, I think, would work better with a Saturday night party/early park closure); and (2) about Mickey's Halloween Party beginning 2 weeks earlier than usual -- in other words, right around when the Halloween Time season begins.

Personally, my feeling is that the party will move to DCA in 2015.  I could be wrong, and we won't find out for a while, but I think that it's very likely to happen.  It may not stay in DCA after 2015 -- it may move back to Disneyland in 2016 -- but I think it would be a better fit in DCA in 2015 because of the events of the 60th anniversary taking place in Disneyland.  And I can totally envision extra party nights added in, so if that happens I won't be shocked.

So -- all of that said, the bottom line is that the slower times of the season will be unpredictable.  If Mickey's Halloween Party does not begin when the season begins, then I'd say a slower time would be somewhere in the first 2 weeks of the season, in mid/late September (weekdays, not weekends).  

In October... the same school breaks and other events that take place every year -- which affect crowds -- will happen again, but maybe you'd find a small window of time in the next-to-last week of October that wasn't too busy (after UEA and before Halloween).

Needless to say, we will be anxiously awaiting any morsels of info, any clues or details, to let us know what is happening with the Halloween Time dates in 2015, and with the events of the 60th anniversary -- and how it will all tie in together!


----------



## ACDSNY

Hi Sherry,

 How ironic that the year I think about going for Halloween the party might be back in DCA?  The last one I attended was in DCA.

 I was thinking about the very end of Sept. or the week before Halloween might be a good time too.  Since we hit the Christmas season this year I thought we'd switch to Halloween next year.  I'll have to decide pretty soon if I want to get my room (DVC).


----------



## mvf-m11c

It will be very interesting if the Halloween party moves to DCA next year with the 60th anniversary coming up.



ACDSNY said:


> I was thinking about the very end of Sept. or the week before Halloween might be a good time too.  Since we hit the Christmas season this year I thought we'd switch to Halloween next year.  I'll have to decide pretty soon if I want to get my room (DVC).



I would not go around the first weekend of October since it is during Gay Days. I have been there that weekend and it did felt busy. The weeks that you are considering are not that bad Angela since they are not close to the first parties or the last ones.


----------



## ACDSNY

mvf-m11c said:


> It will be very interesting if the Halloween party moves to DCA next year with the 60th anniversary coming up.
> 
> 
> 
> I would not go around the first weekend of October since it is during Gay Days. I have been there that weekend and it did felt busy. The weeks that you are considering are not that bad Angela since they are not close to the first parties or the last ones.



Maybe 9/27 - 10/1  or  10/18 - 10/22  hmm I'll mull it over for a while.


----------



## Kilala

So sorry for the delay in photos. I have decided to post all of my photos in my Facebook account. I'm having problems with Photbucket. They want me to pay for more space.
https://www.facebook.com/cristine.a...38521060586.1073741828.100002533279827&type=3
these are from Halloween night. Went as a cross between my kitten Binx and my character Autumn Mist. I was the one with the black and white face. I painted both unitards. I made my own costume.


----------



## Sherry E

Kilala said:


> So sorry for the delay in photos. I have decided to post all of my photos in my Facebook account. I'm having problems with Photbucket. They want me to pay for more space.
> https://www.facebook.com/cristine.a...38521060586.1073741828.100002533279827&type=3
> these are from Halloween night. Went as a cross between my kitten Binx and my character Autumn Mist. I was the one with the black and white face. I painted both unitards. I made my own costume.



Well, happy New Year, *Kilala*! 

I hope you had a good holiday season.

I have two Photobucket accounts (one per email address), and they started out as free but I ended up paying for one of them because I needed the extra storage space.  I take too many photos and I didn't want to end up with 5 different accounts, so I figured it was worth it to pay for one that I can keep adding to.  I still have the other free one, though, but I don't think I can add much to it because it is probably near the limit.  

Photobucket fixed it a while back so that all the photos we load to our accounts will upload at their full, original sizes whether we want them to or not (but they will "display" at the sizes we choose) -- whereas, in the past, we could choose the size of the photo for uploading and it would actually upload at the size we chose.  So, the larger the photos we upload now, the more space they take up in our accounts, forcing more people to pay for accounts.

Anyway, thank you for linking us to your Facebook account!  Your photos are always so much fun!

What are your thoughts on the rumors (only rumors -- nothing confirmed or official) about this year's Halloween parties?

The rumors are:


Mickey's Halloween Party could possibly move back to California Adventure (which would probably involve the removal of Halloween Screams and would have to include something new like a Halloween World of Color, or a Halloween overlay of a ride -- but it would make sense if Disneyland wanted to focus all of its attention on a new nighttime fireworks show and parade specifically for the 60th anniversary);

Mickey's Halloween Party could begin 2 weeks earlier than usual -- like when Halloween Time starts in mid-September -- and there could be many more nights added to its schedule; and

Supposedly, the Cast Members who received training for the 2014 MHP were told that there are "big changes coming" to Mickey's Halloween Party in 2015.

Are you hoping that the rumors are true, and that the MHP moves back to DCA?  

Are you hoping that the MHP will begin 2 weeks earlier than normal, like when Halloween Time begins?

Are you hoping that there will be a lot more nights added into the MHP schedule?  For example, let's say that Disney decided to go with 20 nights for the MHP -- is that too many nights, or not enough nights?  

Would Disney be bold enough to move the MHP to DCA *and* add in a bunch of nights in the same year -- even without Halloween Screams as the "star of the show"?  If they created all new entertainment to be the focus of a party in DCA, and Halloween Screams was nowhere to be found, would they actually add in a lot of nights or just stick to 14 (or 15, because it will be 2015)?

​


----------



## Kilala

Sherry E said:


> Well, happy New Year, *Kilala*!
> 
> I hope you had a good holiday season.
> 
> I did I hope you did too. Happy New years to you Sherry.
> 
> I have two Photobucket accounts (one per email address), and they started out as free but I ended up paying for one of them because I needed the extra storage space.  I take too many photos and I didn't want to end up with 5 different accounts, so I figured it was worth it to pay for one that I can keep adding to.  I still have the other free one, though, but I don't think I can add much to it because it is probably near the limit.
> 
> Photobucket fixed it a while back so that all the photos we load to our accounts will upload at their full, original sizes whether we want them to or not (but they will "display" at the sizes we choose) -- whereas, in the past, we could choose the size of the photo for uploading and it would actually upload at the size we chose.  So, the larger the photos we upload now, the more space they take up in our accounts, forcing more people to pay for accounts.
> 
> Anyway, thank you for linking us to your Facebook account!  Your photos are always so much fun!
> 
> What are your thoughts on the rumors (only rumors -- nothing confirmed or official) about this year's Halloween parties?
> 
> The rumors are:
> 
> 
> Mickey's Halloween Party could possibly move back to California Adventure (which would probably involve the removal of Halloween Screams and would have to include something new like a Halloween World of Color, or a Halloween overlay of a ride -- but it would make sense if Disneyland wanted to focus all of its attention on a new nighttime fireworks show and parade specifically for the 60th anniversary);
> 
> Mickey's Halloween Party could begin 2 weeks earlier than usual -- like when Halloween Time starts in mid-September -- and there could be many more nights added to its schedule; and
> 
> Supposedly, the Cast Members who received training for the 2014 MHP were told that there are "big changes coming" to Mickey's Halloween Party in 2015.
> 
> Are you hoping that the rumors are true, and that the MHP moves back to DCA?
> 
> Are you hoping that the MHP will begin 2 weeks earlier than normal, like when Halloween Time begins?
> 
> They should start MHP earlyer. It would be nice to see DCA for MHP. I would love to see decorations there.
> 
> Are you hoping that there will be a lot more nights added into the MHP schedule?  For example, let's say that Disney decided to go with 20 nights for the MHP -- is that too many nights, or not enough nights?
> 
> They need way more nights.
> 
> Would Disney be bold enough to move the MHP to DCA *and* add in a bunch of nights in the same year -- even without Halloween Screams as the "star of the show"?  If they created all new entertainment to be the focus of a party in DCA, and Halloween Screams was nowhere to be found, would they actually add in a lot of nights or just stick to 14 (or 15, because it will be 2015)?
> 
> They need to do add more then one day a year. I have noticed that the price of the ticket to MHP has gone up every year since they moved MHP to Disneyland.
> 
> ​



Also I just got another mannaquin that is full body I got it a store that is closing for only $10. That is a big steal for me. I'm already starting my costumes for this year. I will be starting on leg and arm warmers hopefully tomorrow. Here is a list of the costumes I will be working on this year. I reddish brown colored coyote, my 7 month old kitten Binx, Demeter from the musical cats, a blue and purple tortishell cat, liver spotted Dal/cat mix, a costume based on the cat Tantomile from the musical Cats in the color of light pink, light blue and light green.


----------



## Mommy2PrincessAbby

Just have to say I am sooooo freaking excited for next October!  We will be there for 4 nights, 5 days... And seeing all the new stuff they are doing... All the rides in refurb now, getting ready for the 60th... For once my planning looks amazing... It will all be done and in full Halloween swing (yes the parks will be busy)... But I am soooo


----------



## figment_jii

Sherry E said:


> What are your thoughts on the rumors (only rumors -- nothing confirmed or official) about this year's Halloween parties?



Hi all and Happy Post-Holidays!  I can't believe the holidays are over (well, they are at least for me because it's been back to work this week), but at least it means it's time to start thinking about Halloween rotfl.

I'm of two minds about the various rumors for the 2015 HalloweenTime and MHP changes, but I'm leaning more towards starting the parties earlier and/or adding more parties into the schedule over moving MHP to DCA.

I think the 60th anniversary works both for and against the rumors of moving the party to DCA.  I agree that DL would probably want to present the 60th anniversary parade and fireworks as much as possible and on MHP nights that would not happen.  So that's a reason to move the party, but at that point, they only do fireworks on weekends anyway (Fri, Sat, Sun), so they might be willing to forgo one night to do MHP.  It gets dark fairly early, so they might be able to run the nighttime parade just before closing...so it might be possible to present that on MHP nights.

As mentioned, if the parties move to DCA, they would have to (I hope) increase the Halloween decorations in DCA and do something to replace Halloween Screams fireworks.  Developing new decorations and a new nighttime show (even if it is just a Halloween version of WoC) requires funds and time.  So, my inclination is to say that DLR has put a fair amount of budget into the 60th, so I'm not sure I can see them spending more money this year to modify MHP.  They might be able to dust off some decorations from storage and/or modify the existing DL decor, but that still takes funds.  They would also have to develop a Halloween version of WoC (or some nighttime show, I would think), which takes fund (they've shown they can do it quickly with the addition of Frozen to WoC).  Still, I'm just not sure how much money and staff time they'll willing to put into this with all of the focus on DL's 60th.

On the flip, I can see where Halloween Screams might actual be a solid reason to move the parties to DCA and substitute a WoC based show instead.  Screams is billed as one of the major events of MHP, but given the uncertainty about whether fireworks will go off on any given night, I could see them wanting to have something less iffy as a major selling point.  WoC is almost always presented as planned, whereas fireworks seem pretty iffy in the fall.  I've always guessed that one of the major complaints they get at Guest Service is if fireworks are cancelled and at MHP, I would bet the complaints get even worse.  So in this way, I could see them moving to DCA.

I know that they're available all day long, but moving the parties to DCA also means no HMH or SMGG during the party.  They are listed as activities, selling points for the parties, so that's another thing that they couldn't mention if the party is at DCA.  While probably not a lot of people used the MHP as they only entry into DL during HalloweenTime, it's still something to consider.

So, all things considered, I just can't quite see them allocating the budget _this year_ to move MHP to DCA.  I could see it happening in the future, but not quite yet in 2015.


----------



## Mommy2PrincessAbby

Our first ever Halloween party was in DCA when dd was 3.  DCA needed the party then because it was so dead over there (pre-refurbs).  We still had a lot of fun...

I could picture cars land looking really cool for Halloween, and a fun themed party in the mad-t party area, plus woc... We love DCA so much now, I really don't care where the party is held... As long as they do one while we are there lol


----------



## Sherry E

*Welcome to anyone who is just now tuning in to this thread for the first time (lurking or debating on whether or not to say hello), as you begin to plan your trips for Halloween Time 2015! 

A few things to keep in mind:

1.  Although this thread was started last year (in May), don't let that confuse you.  I don't start a new thread with each new year -- I only start a new Superthread when we are at or near the page limit (250).



2.   Any new information that comes in for 2015's Halloween season will be added to the applicable posts on page 1 of this thread -- but in some cases there may not be any new info for a long, long time, if at all, so the info you see there will be whatever is/was the most recent.  Don't be thrown off by any references to 2014 that you see in the posts on page 1 -- it just means that I have to go through and change all of them (which I have to do with my Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread too).  I will be updating page 1 to change the dates to reflect this year, but there is still a lot of general info in the posts on page 1 that you can reference or use for research any time of the year, in any year.

Feel free to jump in and ask questions or chat about Halloween Time at any time.




3.  We probably won't begin to get in any actual, official Halloween Time/Mickey's Halloween Party info until at least May (and that's a stretch), and more than likely June or July.  However, rumors will probably trickle out before then, and we welcome all of those too!  Any time there is any sort of rumor or bit of news, we will discuss it here.

Supposedly there are "big changes" coming to Mickey's Halloween Party this year, so we will await news of what those changes actually entail!*

​




figment_jii said:


> Hi all and Happy Post-Holidays!  I can't believe the holidays are over (well, they are at least for me because it's been back to work this week), but at least it means it's time to start thinking about Halloween rotfl.
> 
> I'm of two minds about the various rumors for the 2015 HalloweenTime and MHP changes, but I'm leaning more towards starting the parties earlier and/or adding more parties into the schedule over moving MHP to DCA.
> 
> I think the 60th anniversary works both for and against the rumors of moving the party to DCA.  I agree that DL would probably want to present the 60th anniversary parade and fireworks as much as possible and on MHP nights that would not happen.  So that's a reason to move the party, but at that point, they only do fireworks on weekends anyway (Fri, Sat, Sun), so they might be willing to forgo one night to do MHP.  It gets dark fairly early, so they might be able to run the nighttime parade just before closing...so it might be possible to present that on MHP nights.
> 
> As mentioned, if the parties move to DCA, they would have to (I hope) increase the Halloween decorations in DCA and do something to replace Halloween Screams fireworks.  Developing new decorations and a new nighttime show (even if it is just a Halloween version of WoC) requires funds and time.  So, my inclination is to say that DLR has put a fair amount of budget into the 60th, so I'm not sure I can see them spending more money this year to modify MHP.  They might be able to dust off some decorations from storage and/or modify the existing DL decor, but that still takes funds.  They would also have to develop a Halloween version of WoC (or some nighttime show, I would think), which takes fund (they've shown they can do it quickly with the addition of Frozen to WoC).  Still, I'm just not sure how much money and staff time they'll willing to put into this with all of the focus on DL's 60th.
> 
> On the flip, I can see where Halloween Screams might actual be a solid reason to move the parties to DCA and substitute a WoC based show instead.  Screams is billed as one of the major events of MHP, but given the uncertainty about whether fireworks will go off on any given night, I could see them wanting to have something less iffy as a major selling point.  WoC is almost always presented as planned, whereas fireworks seem pretty iffy in the fall.  I've always guessed that one of the major complaints they get at Guest Service is if fireworks are cancelled and at MHP, I would bet the complaints get even worse.  So in this way, I could see them moving to DCA.
> 
> I know that they're available all day long, but moving the parties to DCA also means no HMH or SMGG during the party.  They are listed as activities, selling points for the parties, so that's another thing that they couldn't mention if the party is at DCA.  While probably not a lot of people used the MHP as they only entry into DL during HalloweenTime, it's still something to consider.
> 
> So, all things considered, I just can't quite see them allocating the budget _this year_ to move MHP to DCA.  I could see it happening in the future, but not quite yet in 2015.



It will be interesting to see it all unfold in the next several months. Lots of mysteries will be unraveled and secrets will be revealed!   The last time the Halloween party switched parks (in 2010), there was a blog about it in May, so IF there were to be a temporary relocation of the party this year they would probably let us know a bit earlier than the usual MHP ticket/dates announcement.




Mommy2PrincessAbby said:


> Our first ever Halloween party was in DCA when dd was 3.  DCA needed the party then because it was so dead over there (pre-refurbs).  We still had a lot of fun...
> 
> I could picture cars land looking really cool for Halloween, and a fun themed party in the mad-t party area, plus woc... We love DCA so much now, I really don't care where the party is held... As long as they do one while we are there lol



 I think you'll be in luck and get at least one party during your trip!

My first Halloween party was in DCA too.  It was fun, and I was still able to enjoy Haunted Mansion Holiday in the other park.  The party lasted in DCA for 5 years (2005-2009), and began during the year of the 50th anniversary (after being gone for almost a decade).  Halloween Screams debuted over in DL during 2009 and ran every single night, all season long, for everyone to enjoy. Then the party moved to DL for 5 years (2010-2014), and Halloween Screams became an exclusive.

I always wondered if the party would have remained in DCA had the billion dollar makeover of DCA not kicked into high gear in 2010.  I think it only moved over to DL because there was going to be a lot of construction going on in DCA, which wasn't conducive to having a nice Halloween party full of atmosphere.

Who knows?  The year of the 60th anniversary might be a good year to shake things up with the MHP again -- you know, mix it up every 5 years!!

Not only did DCA need the Halloween party pre-2010, but it was also much less disruptive in the scheme of things to hold the party in DCA than to hold it in DL.  It didn't make as much of a difference to close DCA early for a party, whereas it was a bigger deal to close DL early.

Cars Land, Buena Vista Street, A Bug's Land and whatever becomes of this new extension of Grizzly Peak (the area that used to be Condor Flats) would all be excellent spots for Halloween overlays and treat trails.  Tons of potential in those lands.   Much more could be done in Hollywood Land too.  The party might be missing Halloween Screams and the Cavalcade for one year, but I think it would survive.


----------



## Betsy82

I just found this thread as I finally got our dates narrowed down.

We'll be arriving in LA 10/7, departing 10/11. I was planning on the 8th, 9th & 10th being park days (2 day hopper + MHP) so I'm crossing my fingers there is a party that Friday, the 9th, even if it's in DCA! 

This will be my first trip staying off-property. We stayed Grand Cali for my first and Paradise Pier Concierge for the second so this will definitely be different! 

Eager for more information to be released for sure. I'm hoping my dates work out!


----------



## Sherry E

Betsy82 said:


> I just found this thread as I finally got our dates narrowed down.
> 
> We'll be arriving in LA 10/7, departing 10/11. I was planning on the 8th, 9th & 10th being park days (2 day hopper + MHP) so I'm crossing my fingers there is a party that Friday, the 9th, even if it's in DCA!
> 
> This will be my first trip staying off-property. We stayed Grand Cali for my first and Paradise Pier Concierge for the second so this will definitely be different!
> 
> Eager for more information to be released for sure. I'm hoping my dates work out!



Welcome, *Betsy82*!

Thank you for joining us!  I think that -- no matter where the Halloween party is held -- there will be a Halloween party on either the 8th, 9th *or* 10th, with the 9th being the most likely day, of course.

This year will be a rare year in which there is at least one Saturday night party -- and that one will be on Halloween night.  If the party were to move back to DCA this year, I wouldn't be shocked if Disney added in another Saturday night party or two somewhere in the schedule.  There may end up being more than one Saturday party if it is not held in Disneyland.  

I wish we didn't have to wait so long for info -- especially when Disney probably knows the basic schedule for the year right now -- but unless something major is changing in terms of the party, we might not hear anything until June or July.  If any major developments are coming, there could be an earlier announcement.

Are you staying at one of the Good Neighbor hotels/motels this time around (Candy Cane Inn, Desert Inn & Suites, Best Western, HoJo's, etc.)?  

The GCH and the PPH are both great places to stay, for different reasons, so it will be quite a change staying offsite.    A lot of people swear by staying off-property and would never consider staying onsite.  Others are strictly onsite guests.  Some may try staying onsite one time and then go back to off-property -- or stay off-property once and then go back to onsite!  As you said, it will definitely be different!


----------



## Mommy2PrincessAbby

We've stayed at all 3 on-site hotels, and love them all for different reasons.  It has been awhile since we stayed at DLH, which was my least favorite because it seemed soooo far to walk thru DTD 4 times a day (back when DD napped.)  I have us booked in a DLH pool view, but now DH says he may not come (girl's trip! )... that will save me some $$$ (in airline tix, park tix and mostly food!)  We will probably just stay at DLH, possibly enjoy the new pool and the new food options... but it is making me consider GCH again.  *sigh* such problems to have


----------



## Betsy82

Paradise Pier was great last fall, my kids were (just turned 3) & 4 so the walk was perfect. They loved the theming! We went when Christmas decorations were up so it was a great trip all around. 

They'll be 5 & 6 this fall. I booked the HoJo, I think they'll have a lot of fun with the pool. 

I wish it didn't take so long for Disneyland to release information! We are leaving the country on the 11th for two weeks so I'm "stuck" with 7-11th now that those flights have been booked. I couldn't be in LA and not visit Disneyland! It started with 1 day and then I kept adding and adding and staying at the HoJo vs on-site let me add some more!


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## bcwife76

Joining this thread! Can't wait to hear more about the Halloween happenings the closer we get; we will be at the parks October 1-3.


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## FireflyFi

Jumping in   Thank you for all the detailed info on the first page!

My friend and I will be flying in from Australia Friday 16 October, probably around 7am.  Between then and the end of Thursday 22 October we want to squeeze in a few Disneyland days, a MHP, a day at Universal, a night at HHN and a night at Knott's Scary Farm.  Not expecting too much, huh?!

I know this is a little off topic, but hopefully there are some experts here that can help!

This is our penciled in plan so far:

Friday 16 October - fly into LAX, Knott's Scary Farm
Saturday 17 October - Disneyland
Sunday 18 October - Disneyland
Monday 19 October - Disneyland
Tuesday 20 October - Universal Studios
Wednesday 21 October - HHN
Thursday 22 October - fly out of LAX

So, from what I've read on the first page, the likely day of a MHP while we're in the area of Disneyland would be Monday?  Or Friday if we switch Knott's out, but I'm not sure what night we could switch that to - does anyone know what nights this is held?


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## Sun Lover

We are planning to visit in October and want to go to DLR for my husband's birthday on the 13th, which is a Tuesday.  Do you think it will be super crowded because of the holiday on the 12th?  Will all the Halloween decorations/activities be in place at that time?  We've never been there in October.


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## Mommy2PrincessAbby

Sun Lover said:


> We are planning to visit in October and want to go to DLR for my husband's birthday on the 13th, which is a Tuesday.  Do you think it will be super crowded because of the holiday on the 12th?  Will all the Halloween decorations/activities be in place at that time?  We've never been there in October.



Columbus Day weekend and the days right before and after are super busy, but any day at Disneyland is better than a day at home


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## Betsy82

FireflyFi said:


> Jumping in   Thank you for all the detailed info on the first page!
> 
> My friend and I will be flying in from Australia Friday 16 October, probably around 7am.  Between then and the end of Thursday 22 October we want to squeeze in a few Disneyland days, a MHP, a day at Universal, a night at HHN and a night at Knott's Scary Farm.  Not expecting too much, huh?!
> 
> I know this is a little off topic, but hopefully there are some experts here that can help!
> 
> This is our penciled in plan so far:
> 
> Friday 16 October - fly into LAX, Knott's Scary Farm
> Saturday 17 October - Disneyland
> Sunday 18 October - Disneyland
> Monday 19 October - Disneyland
> Tuesday 20 October - Universal Studios
> Wednesday 21 October - HHN
> Thursday 22 October - fly out of LAX
> 
> So, from what I've read on the first page, the likely day of a MHP while we're in the area of Disneyland would be Monday?  Or Friday if we switch Knott's out, but I'm not sure what night we could switch that to - does anyone know what nights this is held?



We're flying TO Australia when we leave Disneyland the 11th! 

Have a great trip!!


----------



## FireflyFi

Betsy82 said:


> We're flying TO Australia when we leave Disneyland the 11th!
> 
> Have a great trip!!



Oh, nice one!  Not sure if you've been over to the Australia area of the board (I haven't been around for a while), but if you need any advice, there's lots of helpful people there (or you can just ask me ).


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## WestMom2two

We  did Halloween time 2 years ago but last year tried out Christmas time. Im obsessed with everything Christmas! I have to say that we just prefer Halloween time in the parks. We love everything about it so we are planning a trip this year the last week of October! So very excited to take my kids back for this. We plan to Trick or Treat on Halloween in the park.




Sun Lover said:


> We are planning to visit in October and want to go to DLR for my husband's birthday on the 13th, which is a Tuesday.  Do you think it will be super crowded because of the holiday on the 12th?  Will all the Halloween decorations/activities be in place at that time?  We've never been there in October.



Yes. Halloween time is much busier now and if you go on a holiday or weekend you are going to hit some very heavy crowds.




ACDSNY said:


> Maybe 9/27 - 10/1  or  10/18 - 10/22  hmm I'll mull it over for a while.



10/18 to 10/22 is perfect time! We hit the parks that time and we experienced such low crowd levels! You skip all the days that schools are out of session too.


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## disneyfanatick

WestMom2two said:


> We  did Halloween time 2 years ago but last year tried out Christmas time. Im obsessed with everything Christmas! I have to say that we just prefer Halloween time in the parks. We love everything about it so we are planning a trip this year the last week of October! So very excited to take my kids back for this. We plan to Trick or Treat on Halloween in the park.



We are planning almost the same time arriving on Friday Oct 30 and doing the Halloween party. 

We also are planning on staying at the Desert Inn sorry not stalking you  any reviews for the hotel? 

Are party is little different, dd and Dni early twenties, mom is 77 and I am somewhere in the middle. Not too concerned about the breakfast, but cleanliness would be a major concern.


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## Meemoo

WestMom2two said:


> 10/18 to 10/22 is perfect time! We hit the parks that time and we experienced such low crowd levels! You skip all the days that schools are out of session too.



It was nice to read your post, we arrive 10/20  the less the crowds the better and more rides me for


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## Tyggress

Last year our family went to DLR the weekend in between Labor Day and Halloweentime.  The crowds were SUPER low and I chose that weekend because I KNEW people were waiting another week for Halloweentime to start.

Don't get me wrong, I love Halloweentime...but my MIL wants low crowds and that means skipping the start of Halloweentime and Dapper Days.

*Just curious if people feel Halloweentime is likely to start on the 11th this year, or if DL will wait until the 18th?*  Labor Day is late in the month (date-wise) this year, which is making me nervous about crowd scheduling.

Of course, all the 60th Anniversary stuff will be in full play by then, so it will be busier than 2014 anyways!  LOL


----------



## Sherry E

Tyggress said:


> Last year our family went to DLR the weekend in between Labor Day and Halloweentime.  The crowds were SUPER low and I chose that weekend because I KNEW people were waiting another week for Halloweentime to start.
> 
> Don't get me wrong, I love Halloweentime...but my MIL wants low crowds and that means skipping the start of Halloweentime and Dapper Days.
> 
> *Just curious if people feel Halloweentime is likely to start on the 11th this year, or if DL will wait until the 18th?*  Labor Day is late in the month (date-wise) this year, which is making me nervous about crowd scheduling.
> 
> Of course, all the 60th Anniversary stuff will be in full play by then, so it will be busier than 2014 anyways!  LOL




*Tyggress --*

I have been saying since last year that I don't believe it will start on 9/11 (my personal belief, which could be wrong), just as the holidays never start on Veterans Day anymore -- but I also think that 9/18 might be too late.  

Unless the 60th anniversary events somehow interfere with the start of Halloween Time, my _guess_ is that it will "officially" begin somewhere between Sat., 9/12 and Wed., 9/16.  They may even do something odd like start the season _before_ 9/11 -- perhaps on 9/10.  I just don't think that 9/11 will be the specific, official, publicized start date.

I would not be shocked if there are things that soft open (unofficially) before 9/11 -- which is what happens with the holidays.  The holidays don't officially begin until after Veterans Day (I think that it is done out of respect for Veterans Day), but many things soft open, unofficially and quietly, before 11/11.   I would not be shocked if Haunted Mansion Holiday and Ghost Galaxy soft opened on 9/10, but I think that everything will, for sure, be officially up and running by 9/16.


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## figment_jii

Tyggress said:


> Just curious if people feel Halloweentime is likely to start on the 11th this year, or if DL will wait until the 18th?


Your guess is as good as mine...but given the popularity of HalloweenTime, I'm not sure I can see Disney opting to reduce the number of days during the "season".  I could see them starting on Saturday (9/12/15) this year, so that way Space Mtn could remain open on Labor Day Monday and then close to have overlay installed (assuming the minimum number of days needed is 5).  If it wasn't for the fact that the HMH installation takes over two weeks, I could even see them starting HalloweenTime pre-Labor Day, but that would mean closing HM even earlier in August.  And as you mentioned, it also all depends on what impact the 60th anniversary events will have.  So many unknowns at this point!


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## Tyggress

Gotcha...right now we're planning for the 10th - 13th.  I guess we'll see how it all plays out as the year goes by.  Thank you!


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## Mommy2PrincessAbby

So, DH is for sure a no-go... I had to press him... I was looking at flights, and had enough miles to get our RT from PDX to SNA on Alaska for $132 each... total... so like $67 each way pp.    I prefer jet blue... but I really hate waiting on them to publish fares... and the lowest I have seen for them in awhile was $99 each way pp... so this is a good deal.  So, hubby is out.  Girl's Trip!  

Called Disney to modify our Costco package, did not get the brightest bulb of a cm... but the confirmation email is right.  Without DH going, I have already saved $$ lol 

Good thing we have an upcoming cruise to keep me occupied... cause I am pretty freaking excited!


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## Sherry E

I totally neglected to welcome *bcwife76*, *disneyfanatick*, *Sun Lover*, *FireflyFi* and any other newcomers (silent or otherwise) to the thread!    Thank you for joining us.  I hope you will find this to be a fun and informative thread, as the months roll along and we await Halloween Time dates and details.


​



Mommy2PrincessAbby said:


> So, DH is for sure a no-go... I had to press him... I was looking at flights, and had enough miles to get our RT from PDX to SNA on Alaska for $132 each... total... so like $67 each way pp.    I prefer jet blue... but I really hate waiting on them to publish fares... and the lowest I have seen for them in awhile was $99 each way pp... so this is a good deal.  So, hubby is out.  Girl's Trip!
> 
> Called Disney to modify our Costco package, did not get the brightest bulb of a cm... but the confirmation email is right.  Without DH going, I have already saved $$ lol
> 
> Good thing we have an upcoming cruise to keep me occupied... cause I am pretty freaking excited!



*Mommy2PrincessAbby --*

I had to laugh about the less-than-bright bulb/CM!  Some of them seem to be really sharp and on the ball, and others... Well... 

The cruise should be a lot of fun, and you're right -- it will keep you occupied and help pass the time until Halloween Time rolls around.

That's a very good deal for the flights.  It should be a great Halloween Time trip.

I think that, once we get to about mid-March or so, I will really be chomping at the bit for fall to hurry along and get here again.  Usually, after the holiday season ends, I need a good couple of months to pass before I start looking ahead to fall and all it brings.  I think we (in SoCal) have to go through our delayed winter weather first (probably lots of rain to come, next month or so), and then it will start to get warm.  And when it gets warm is when I start getting eager for fall to arrive!


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## Gisele

Hey, wait a minute now, it's only January. I can't handle the idea of any holiday time right now.   lol


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## bcwife76

Thanks for the shout-out Sherry E! Looking forward to reading all the updates as we get closer lol


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## Mommy2PrincessAbby

Sherry E said:


> *Mommy2PrincessAbby --*
> 
> I had to laugh about the less-than-bright bulb/CM!  Some of them seem to be really sharp and on the ball, and others... Well...:




I know... What really made me go  was I commented that I missed the six day park hopper... (I mean they even have Buzz commercials that say you're gonna need more time!) and the cm was all... You can buy a single day ticket and then you'd have six days... Ummm  technically... But for way more $$$!

60 days till I am in the Florida sun... And a whole lot more till Halloween time... I am looking forward to the news on any changes/additions as it trickles in!


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## Davidthedfactor

This is my first post here, but I have been lurking for awhile.


First of all thanks for starting this thread and providing all the amazing info you have taken the time to include, it helped make my Disneyland visit perfect this past Halloween 


Unfortunately I live in South Carolina and only get to visit Disneyland once a year (if I'm lucky) but of all the times to visit Halloween is definitely my favorite.  I will be visiting the park from 10/15-10/18, this year is a special year for me because I will be taking my long-time girlfriend and it will be her first visit to California and Disneyland and I'm so excited.  She is a huge doubter about the magic of Disneyland, but I know it will change after she goes because her standard of theme parks is 6 flags or the local fair (sad I know!! lol).  Anyway...I don't have much to add about the discussion here, just wanted to check in and say hi.  


Don't know what I think about MHP being at DCA this year...I have only been to the party at Disneyland and it has a really special feel to me there!  Interested to see what happens


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## disneyfanatick

Sherry E said:


> I totally neglected to welcome *bcwife76*, *disneyfanatick*, *Sun Lover*, *FireflyFi* and any other newcomers (silent or otherwise) to the thread!    Thank you for joining us.  I hope you will find this to be a fun and informative thread, as the months roll along and we await Halloween Time dates and details.




Thanks for the shout out we are in the very beginning stages of planning and dreaming.

DD turns 25 during the trip so she will be in charge of the things to do, hoping to get tickets to MHP on Halloween as WDW vets we understand it will be very crowded only concern is how dark it will be with mom in tow she is normally a "slow" walker but add limited lighting and she slows to almost a stop (she won't do a wheelchair even for safety)

Thanks for updating the blog and keeping us all in the loop


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## WestMom2two

So excited to be coming back for Halloween time! We are going October 28th to November 1st! We've got a good size group coming with us this time so it should be great. Trick or Treating in the park on Halloween this time!


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## ejdmomma

My husband and I are planning on taking our 15th anniversary trip to DL.  We'll be there Oct. 4-6th.  Hoping the dates work out and we'll be able to attend the party one night!  First trip to DL!!!


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## HopLow1968

My DGF and I are planning an October Halloween time trip.  

My DGF and I have a significant age difference.  I am in my 40s, while she is in her mid-20s.  And she is very much young at heart.  She sings along with Disney movies, one of her favorite stuffies is Olaf, and she can squee with the best of them, cynicism is an attitude unknown to her.   She is, in short, the perfect candidate for Disneyland magic.  She has; however, never been to Disneyland.  She grew up very poor and a visit to Disneyland was out of the question.  Even now, she retains a sense of Disneyland being epic but ultimately mythological.

As for me I have been to Disneyland before (but not DCA).  In fact, I have been a lot.  Probably at least 100 times.  I had an annual pass back when they first started offering one.  I used to be obsessed with the park (and all things Disney).  I used to belong to a BBS called Maushaus, etc. 
But, all of this was long ago.  I haven't been in well over 20 years.  This planning stage has been a strange time-warp for me, as I read about rides and spaces and experiences that I had forgotten about, but are now welling up in my emotional memory.  Fuzzy at first, but then snapping into crystal clear focus.

What she most wants to avoid...
- A sense of feeling rushed.
- A sense that everything is so regimented that it feels like a military campaign.

What I most want to avoid.
- Battling cranky pushy crowds to go stand in hour plus lines for every ride.

Things she most wants to get out of the trip...
- She wants time to smell the roses and take it all in.
- To meet favorite Characters: those from Frozen, Pocahontas, and some others.
- Shows
- Rides, but not the scary roller-coaster ones with big drops (No ToT or CS).
Above all, the ability to feel and act like a kid without being judged for it.

What I most want to get out of the trip...
- To revisit my old favorites rides, HM, PoTC, etc
- To see what's new
- A decent amount of night time in Disneyland (by far my favorite time).
- To have those little quiet moments of magic that Disneyland is so good at; a romantic moment at Snow White's grotto, great sight-lines and magical backdrops.  That awe moment between the end of F! And the crowd's erupting cheer.
- To craft a trip that makes her gasp in awe, and makes her eyes shine in delight.

Here is what I have so far... (I'd love to know if you spot any problems or have comments or suggestions!)

Oct 20th (Tues):  Fly out, check into hotel (within walking distance), receive grocery deliver from Vons, eat dinner at Rainforest Cafe, drinks at Trader Sam's, walk around Downtown Disney District.

Oct 21st (Wed):  First day at the Parks.  Absolutely no schedule or agenda for most the day.  Let her follow her nose, exploring the parks.  Use my knowledge (both old experience, and new knowledge gleaned from these forums) to make things smooth as possible.  Aladdin show that afternoon.  Dinner and drinks at Trader Sam's after the Park closes.

Oct 22nd (Thurs):  Magic Morning Early entry!  Start being a touch more assertive and gently making sure we have FP for popular rides, start filling in gaps we missed from yesterday, etc.  WoC dining package at Ariel's Grotto.  Go from there directly to wait for WoC (following the 90 min rule).  Watch a Disney movie at hotel after the park.

Oct 23rd (Friday):  Character breakfast at Storyteller's Cafe (Pocahontas is one of her favorite movies).  Explore the parks, etc.  Take a break in the afternoon, rest at hotel and change into costumes, Mickey's Halloween Party that night (Villains, fireworks, candy  yay!)

Oct 24th (Sat):  Breakfast and lunch at hotel.  Dinner at Blue Bayou as part of F! Package.  

Oct 25th (Sunday):  Breakfast and lunch at hotel.  Yummy snacks at park.  Fireworks tonight!  Say goodnight and goodbye to Disneyland.

Oct 26th (Monday):  Fly back home...Sleep.

Specifics beyond this regarding shows, parades, etc  all will firm up as it gets closer and more specific information is made available.

So what do you all think?


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## Canadian Harmony

Hi everyone! I'm planning a surprise birthday trip for my kids. They'll turn 11 and 9, two days apart... at the beginning of October!! So how happy was I when I heard about the MHP?!

I noticed that the parties have traditionally been held on the Monday and Wednesday nights (we arrive on a Sunday and leave the Friday), but the CM I talked to when planning said the first week it'll be the Tuesday... Any ideas on that? Was he mistaken...? Because, I'm planning this trip right out... it's a once-in-a-lifetime for our family and Hubby wants to know what we're doing (not necessarily how much it'll cost ) and my oldest has anxiety so she needs pretty much a detailed timeline of what we're doing. And so do I if I'm getting the tickets!

My idea was to hit the BBB the afternoon of the party so the girls would have smokin' costumes. I was thinking of reserving for 3 or 3:30 so they could enjoy the party for a while (we're taking a pool break between 1 and 3). We're staying at PPH.

If we do the Monday party, that's my oldest's birthday. I was planning on eating at the Carnation Cafe and having a cake delivered. Is that restaurant open that day? I read the first page and it didn't look like it. I want us to catch the fireworks as we'll probably not be able to watch F! on the Sunday (I don't want to pay for another day if we arrive at 4:30 and then eat. By the time we hit the park it'll be late and is it worth it? I'm not sure now...). Does WOC run every night?

Wednesday is the youngest's birthday and we're eating at Ariel's grotto for an early dinner so that night's taken care of. If there's a party that night at DL, will DCA close early? I guess we hang out at DD if we want to or go to bed early?

This place is a great resource. I look forward to the answers!


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## Kilala

Welcome to all the new people to board!!!
I have started on plans for new costumes this year. I will be painting one of the costumes this weekend and start some leg and arm wamers for some of my costumes. I'm so excited for MHP!!! I was so not motoivated to work on costumes last year. For some reason late last year I got the motovation to work on costumes again. I will be dying a unitard for my my red coyote unitard tomorrow


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## WestMom2two

Kilala said:


> Welcome to all the new people to board!!!
> I have started on plans for new costumes this year. I will be painting one of the costumes this weekend and start some leg and arm wamers for some of my costumes. I'm so excited for MHP!!! I was so not motoivated to work on costumes last year. For some reason late last year I got the motovation to work on costumes again. I will be dying a unitard for my my red coyote unitard tomorrow


Ive been planning our costumes already too! We are going as Toy Story characters but I don't like store bought ones where you look like everyone else so it takes lots of planning when I do ours! I remember your costumes from when I was on the Halloween thread 2 years ago! So cool! I'm excited to be able to participate in the photo contests on here now that we've been during this season! Yay!


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## Kilala

WestMom2two said:


> Ive been planning our costumes already too! We are going as Toy Story characters but I don't like store bought ones where you look like everyone else so it takes lots of planning when I do ours! I remember your costumes from when I was on the Halloween thread 2 years ago! So cool! I'm excited to be able to participate in the photo contests on here now that we've been during this season! Yay!



I didn't know there was a photo contest. Is there a link to the contest?


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## westcoastminnie

All this talk about Halloween reminds me I need to figure out costumes for our trip this year! In 2013 we went as relations of Billy Hill and the Hillbillies! I was Milly Hill  Boy I sure missed those guys this last trip!


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## corinne76

I'm back! I followed this thread a little last year, mainly because I wanted to see all the festive decor (and talk to SherryE about the orange and yellow trees)

This year we are going! DD has a week off from school in October we we're looking at Oct 3-10. Hotel is booked but so far that's it. We plan to do 5 days, plus a MHP.


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## Sherry E

Welcome back, *corinne76*!  Yes -- the conspicuously autumnal trees in random, non-autumnal spots around the parks!  Those trees make me giggle -- they are pretty, but so arbitrary.


Welcome to everyone who has recently joined us here for the first time!  


As most of you probably know, many (but not all) of the events and highlights coming up for Disneyland's 60th anniversary this year were officially announced last night.  


The Disney Parks Blog has done many pieces on the Diamond Celebration so far:



 *"All-New ‘World of Color’ Show Coming to Disney California Adventure Park for Disneyland Resort Diamond Celebration, Beginning May 22" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on January 28th, 2015 by Shawn Slater, Communications Manager, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Creative Entertainment*

* "‘Paint the Night’ Parade Starts May 22 as Part of the Disneyland Resort Diamond Celebration" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on January 28th, 2015 by Shawn Slater, Communications Manager, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Creative Entertainment*

 *"‘Disneyland Forever’ Fireworks Spectacular Announced for Disneyland Resort Diamond Celebration" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on January 28th, 2015 by Shawn Slater, Communications Manager, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Creative Entertainment*

 *"Disneyland Resort Diamond Celebration to Begin May 22, Will Feature Sparkling Decor and More" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on January 28th, 2015 by Erin Glover, Social Media Director, Disneyland Resort*

*"Disneyland Resort Diamond Celebration to Begin May 22 with New Nighttime Spectaculars and More" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on January 29th, 2015 by Erin Glover, Social Media Director, Disneyland Resort*

 *"Disneyland Resort Diamond Celebration – 60 Years of Popcorn" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on January 29th, 2015 by Rachel Brent, Food & Beverage Marketing Communications Coordinator*

*"Disneyland Resort Diamond Celebration Merchandise Art Revealed" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on January 30th, 2015 by Michelle Harker, Manager, Merchandise Marketing & Communications, Disneyland Resort*






And, for a more consolidated overview of what's happening, Disneyland News posted a couple of press releases:



*Disneyland Resort Adds Dazzling, New Nighttime Spectaculars for Its Diamond Celebration, Beginning May 22 - Disneyland News; January 28, 2015*


*Sleeping Beauty Castle Will Sparkle for Diamond Celebration -- Disneyland News; January 28, 2015*




And Tom Bell from The DIS/DIS Unplugged did a blog as well, after attending the announcement event last night:

 *"Disneyland announces Diamond Celebration details" -- January 29, 2015*




So, we can expect:


_Paint the Night_ (nighttime parade)


_Disneyland Forever_ fireworks spectacular


_World of Color – Celebrate! The Wonderful World of Walt Disney_


Sparkly decorations on the Castle and on the Carthay Circle Theatre, as well as Diamond Anniversary-related decorations around Disneyland.




Someone on MiceChat said that it was stated (at the Q&A following the announcement last night) by Disney that there will be no Christmas fireworks this year, and the fate of the Christmas parade is still uncertain.


So... how will the Diamond Celebration affect Halloween Time and, specifically, Mickey's Halloween Party?    Will it have any effect on the MHP at all?   

We've already talked a bit about the possible impact of the 60th on Mickey's Halloween Party in this thread, but it is worth repeating that there is a _rumor_ (which has been 'out there' since the 2014 Halloween Time season) that the MHP will move back to California Adventure this year, and that "big changes" are coming to the MHP.  

There is another rumor to indicate that extra nights will be added in to the party, and that the party will start earlier in September than it usually does.

However, if the party were to move back to DCA, there would be no _Halloween Screams_ fireworks -- which is a big loss to the MHP.  Why would anyone want _more_ nights to be added in to the party if there is _less_ entertainment?

And if the MHP were to stay in Disneyland, would Disney work the new _Disneyland Forever_ fireworks show and _Paint the Night_ parade into the party, or would they still run _Halloween Screams_ and the _Cavalcade_?

It's possible that the new _World of Color -- Celebrate_ could take on a Halloween theme and become the focal point of a party in DCA, but there would have to be something else added in as well.  They couldn't just have one lone Halloween element in DCA and nothing else, and suddenly try to sell 20 nights of a party as a hard ticket event.

So that begs the question -- is Halloween finally going to return to California Adventure?  It's been missing from that park (as far as big decorations and what not, as well as the party) for the last 5 Halloween Time seasons.

Even though the Halloween party technically began back in the '90s and took place on a few nights over 2 different years, it was shelved for 9 years after that.  Out of sight, out of mind.   The _'real'_ Halloween party -- as a big event -- started 10 years ago, in California Adventure, while the bulk of the festivities for the 50th anniversary were taking place in Disneyland.

I think it would be nice for the MHP to return to DCA, the park where it really all began 10 years ago -- and it would be less disruptive to do it that way -- than to try to work it into DL with all the focus on the 60th anniversary.

However, DCA in its usual non-Halloween-ish state is not going to fly.  Disney would have to trot out some Halloween decorations packages -- for Buena Vista Street and Cars Land, at the very least, if not A Bug's Land too.  Maybe they could have a 'seaside' Halloween Carnival in the Paradise Pier area.  I'm sure that the whole Grizzly Peak area could be used in some cool way for Halloween Time.

Unfortunately, this year's Halloween Time and the MHP -- as impacted by the Diamond Celebration -- remain a mystery!  They will definitely still happen -- the Halloween party is too big of a hit to not happen -- but where and when it will all take place, and what will be included in it, is the biggest question mark!


​


----------



## HopLow1968

Sherry E said:


> Unfortunately, this year's Halloween Time and the MHP -- as impacted by the Diamond Celebration -- remain a mystery!  They will definitely still happen -- the Halloween party is too big of a hit to not happen -- but where and when it will all take place,..., is the biggest question mark!



I'm just hoping they announce all this stuff soon enough for me to do all my planning.  So much of my trip seems to hinge on this.


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## Canadian Harmony

HopLow1968 said:


> I'm just hoping they announce all this stuff soon enough for me to do all my planning.  So much of my trip seems to hinge on this.



Ack, ours too! My one kid (who knows, the other doesn't) was really looking forward to tick or treating at DL/DCA.

I'm sure they'll move the MHP back to DCA in order to keep the DL anniversary feeling going. This would be all kinds of awesome for those of us spending 3+ days at the park because then we could get lots of celebrating in. I'd hope they'd trade off the new WOC with the HS show, seeing as how MHP isn't every night throughout HTime anyway.

I'm also hoping there'll be Frozen stuff still going on in October, and not ENDING ending (if you catch my drift) in April or whenever they said.


----------



## Sherry E

HopLow1968 said:


> I'm just hoping they announce all this stuff soon enough for me to do all my planning.  So much of my trip seems to hinge on this.



That's one of Disneyland's biggest flaws -- waiting forever to release info!  I don't doubt that there will be a party -- they will definitely have a Halloween party, but -- as the rumors suggested last year -- there could be "big changes" on the horizon for this year's party.




Canadian Harmony said:


> Ack, ours too! My one kid (who knows, the other doesn't) was really looking forward to tick or treating at DL/DCA.
> 
> I'm sure they'll move the MHP back to DCA in order to keep the DL anniversary feeling going. This would be all kinds of awesome for those of us spending 3+ days at the park because then we could get lots of celebrating in. I'd hope they'd trade off the new WOC with the HS show, seeing as how MHP isn't every night throughout HTime anyway.
> 
> I'm also hoping there'll be Frozen stuff still going on in October, and not ENDING ending (if you catch my drift) in April or whenever they said.



When I first read the rumor (this past Halloween Time) about the MHP moving back to DCA in 2015, I thought that the person who reported it was probably mistaken, or had misinterpreted some bit of information.

Then, as I began to kind of map out how it could all work in my mind, I realized that, yes, they _could_ still keep the MHP in DL and not change anything, but it would be more likely that the party would move across the Esplanade to free up Disneyland to celebrate its 60th anniversary.

Then, upon reading that the Believe in Holiday Magic fireworks are supposedly not happening this year, I thought that the chances of Halloween Screams taking place are possibly lower.  I thought, "Yep.  California Adventure seems like the logical place for a Halloween party this year."

What I suspect will happen with the Frozen Fun is that it will disappear for only a short while -- some of it _may_ linger past May, and then other elements may disappear... but then it will reappear later in the year, "by popular demand."

If DCA is to once again get in on the Halloween action, they could throw some sort of "Freeze the Fright" or "Frightfully Frozen Fun" element into Hollywood Land, as part of the seasonal activities.  Disney would have to really throw in any possible Halloween-ish thing they could manage to round up to get DCA back in the Halloween sing, because it has been lacking Halloween fun for a long time.


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## KalamityJane

Ack! This makes it so much harder to resist Halloweentime! We were planning on Christmastime at DL but with the news about the fireworks/parades... we may be back for Halloweentime instead. 

We also have placeholder bookings on the DCL 5 night Mexico cruises in October, so it would be cool to pair them with some time at Disney. 

I really really hope they go all out and do HalloweenTime at DCA. Think of ToT all decked out! California SCREAMIN plays right in... They could even decorate Mickey's Fun Wheel of Death (for real )


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## Sherry E

KalamityJane said:


> Ack! This makes it so much harder to resist Halloweentime! We were planning on Christmastime at DL but with the news about the fireworks/parades... we may be back for Halloweentime instead.
> 
> We also have placeholder bookings on the DCL 5 night Mexico cruises in October, so it would be cool to pair them with some time at Disney.
> 
> I really really hope they go all out and do HalloweenTime at DCA. Think of ToT all decked out! California SCREAMIN plays right in... They could even decorate Mickey's Fun Wheel of Death (for real )



I agree!

I just can't see how the Halloween Party would work in Disneyland this year, without causing disruption to the 60th anniversary events.  I suppose it's _possible_ that the party could still happen in DL, but to me it doesn't seem very likely unless the plan is to scale back the schedule for _Paint the Night_ and _Disneyland Forever_ after summer ends.

But for some odd reason no one asked or answered any Halloween Time-related questions at the Q&A after the announcement last night.   The holidays were mentioned, as we know, but Halloween Time is the giant elephant in the room, as it involves a popular Halloween party and fireworks that would probably take place on at least 14 nights, if not more -- some of which would include several Fridays and a Saturday.

Clearly Disney is not going to miss out on a chance to make lots of money from MHP ticket sales, so they will definitely have the party -- but where, when and how?  They can't very well make _Paint the Night_ and _Disneyland Forever_ paid Halloween party exclusives, when they are going to be running those for the general public from May 22nd on through 2016!  

So, the more I think about it, I think the party will have to be held in DCA this year.  It just makes sense.  Something will have to be the selling point of the party in DCA, but there is a lot of potential there if they actually tap into it!

I really think they could do a seaside Halloween Carnival (with that same fortune teller who appeared at the Halloween Carnival in DL last year), and they could use Grizzly Peak to their advantage with the fog and spooky projections.  Hollywood Land would work too, if they played up a sort of monster movie theme (or Frightfully Frozen Fun).  Buena Vista Street could get retro Halloween décor (just like the window displays on Main Street).  Cars Land has tons of whimsical Halloween potential!  DLR just has to have a couple of selling points to make people want to buy tickets.


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## KalamityJane

They could use Monsters Inc/Monsters University for a monster theme too, that is back there in HollywoodLand. The more I think about it, the better I think it would work at DCA


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## dolphingirl47

This was supposed to be a no Disneyland year for me, but I still have some spare leave plus an annual pass and I wonder if I can swing a quick trip (a week) in the second half of September. I need my Halloween fix and I really want to experience the 60th anniversary celebration.

Corinna


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## KalamityJane

dolphingirl47 said:


> This was supposed to be a no Disneyland year for me, but I still have some spare leave plus an annual pass and I wonder if I can swing a quick trip (a week) in the second half of September. I need my Halloween fix and I really want to experience the 60th anniversary celebration.
> 
> Corinna



DO IT!!

Also, how's the weather end of October? We went in '12 for Gay Days and it was HOT (like it had been above 100 the week before and was in the 90s while we were there). Does it average a bit cooler later? Trying to figure out when we would go, and my hubs gets grumpy with hot weather.


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## Kilala

KalamityJane said:


> DO IT!!
> 
> Also, how's the weather end of October? We went in '12 for Gay Days and it was HOT (like it had been above 100 the week before and was in the 90s while we were there). Does it average a bit cooler later? Trying to figure out when we would go, and my hubs gets grumpy with hot weather.



It will be cooler at night at the end of October. The weather is all over the place in October
I have decided it open a new Photobucket account. This will be only for my costumes only. I will add more space on it next month. My other photobucket will be for trip and family things



Here is are some photos  of one of the characters Demeter from the musical Cats. I will be doing a cross between tour 5 and tour 4 and a little freestlye.



Tour 5



tour 4
I have the yellow painted on the unitard. I will do a touch up on the yellow and then I will put the black stripes on it hopefully today. I will have progress pictures up by next weekend


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## iKristin

YEEEEESSSSS I am BACK in the Halloween time game this year!!


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## KalamityJane

Kilala said:


> It will be cooler at night at the end of October. The weather is all over the place in October
> I have decided it open a new Photobucket account. This will be only for my costumes only. I will add more space on it next month. My other photobucket will be for trip and family things



Wow, your costumes are AWESOME! Definitely upping the ante here 

Ok, crowdwise, which week is more ideal? Oct 18-24 or 24-31 (I'd probably switch up the dates but trying to get a gauge on things). We could also go midweek to midweek. Not looking for the Gay Days crowds, it was a little too crazy and hot for us last time.


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## iKristin

I always would go the week before halloween (usually between the 18th - 23rd) and the crowds were never bad


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## Kilala

iKristin said:


> I always would go the week before halloween (usually between the 18th - 23rd) and the crowds were never bad



I agree. Although I went the second night of MHP and there was hardly any crowds. Don't go on Halloween night it was crazy crowded.


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## lorijohnhill

Ok, I want to give the MHP another try. I now know a good company for renting my scooter, so that problem should be solved. Does anyone have any idea when dates may be announced and ticket sales will begin? I know it's really early yet. I'm just trying to get a gauge on my planning. 

9/3/15 will be our 10th anniversary; 9/29 is DH's birthday; 10/2 is my birthday; and 10/20 is our daughter's birthday. So, I've decided we need to celebrate at DLR. (I haven't broken the news to my husband yet). 

Our passes expire on 10/18, so we will need to go before then. 

Needless to say, I will be keeping my eyes glued to this thread to keep up on the news!


----------



## HopLow1968

Sherry E said:


> I really think they could do a seaside Halloween Carnival (with that same fortune teller who appeared at the Halloween Carnival in DL last year).



Well, if they do a Halloween Carnival than they should definetly tap into, and give a nod to, Disney's movie version of "Something Wicked This Way Comes"  A very underrated movie in my opinion.


----------



## Kilala

Kilala said:


> Here is are some photos  of one of the characters Demeter from the musical Cats. I will be doing a cross between tour 5 and tour 4 and a little freestlye.
> 
> 
> 
> Tour 5
> 
> 
> 
> tour 4
> I have the yellow painted on the unitard. I will do a touch up on the yellow and then I will put the black stripes on it hopefully today. I will have progress pictures up by next weekend


Just to let you guys know I did NOT make these costumes. These are from productions of CATS. I wil be sewing up three unitards tomorrow afternoon.


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## Canadian Harmony

I'm going to go as Merida. I've picked out my costume from Halloween Wholesalers (and buy through ebates to get some cashback) and I have the wig from when my daughter wanted to be Merida (it fits my small head!), so I'll be all set to go! I think we'll send the girls through the BBB that afternoon after our planned break around lunch and then they'll be in costume and ready for the trick-or-treating that night. My oldest DD is so excited to be ToT in the park this year! Her little sister doesn't know when we're leaving - I'm not telling her til the night before.


----------



## dolphingirl47

I am quite torn. I have made up my mind that I will go to Disneyland this year. I even picked out the perfect dates: September 17th to 28th. Unfortunately there are 4 days in that period of time that I can't get leave. I could gamble and hope that they become available or try to swap, but then I may end up with nothing. So there are essentially 3 alternatives: I could go during the first half of September and that would mean that I would hopefully experience the beginning of the Halloween season, but the chances of a party would be slim. I have the first week in October booked off already and it would be easy to extend it a little in either direction. However, this is likely to be a solo trip and DH birthday falls into this. Maybe that is a little cruel. So maybe the best option is towards the end of October. I will have to see how this will develop.

Corinna


----------



## KOUKLI

So sad we won't be making it for Halloween Time this year . Very excited to see what changes are in store for DCA, hoping that they are finalized/still around for our 2016 Halloween Time trip!


----------



## figment_jii

HopLow1968 said:


> Well, if they do a Halloween Carnival than they should definetly tap into, and give a nod to, Disney's movie version of "Something Wicked This Way Comes"  A very underrated movie in my opinion.


To be honest, even if they did a sea side carnival, I highly doubt it would be anything reminiscent of Something Wicked This Way Come.  The Halloween Carnival is something for children and families, so it has to be cute and whimsical.  Something Wicked isn't cute or whimsical; it would fit in better with Halloween Horror Nights over at Universal.


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## Mommy2PrincessAbby

This thread got super buried... Even though I am excited for spring and summer to come... I think I am more excited about Halloween time news... Can't wait to hear something!


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## Kilala

I will be starting on one of my costumes . I will post pictures as I go on the costumes.


----------



## CassieF

So I've scanned through the recent posts since the 60th anniversary and nothing specifically has been discussed about Conjure a Villain.  Seeing villains is such a popular draw for Halloween (as seen by the 30-60 minute waits) but do you think they'll have it at the ranch this year?  Will there be the whole halloween carnival back there?  If not, do you think they'll still do some sort of villan M&G in DCA instead?


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## dolphingirl47

I am tentatively planning to return to Disneyland between September 22nd and October 1st. Can't wait.


----------



## figment_jii

CassieF said:


> So I've scanned through the recent posts since the 60th anniversary and nothing specifically has been discussed about Conjure a Villain.  Seeing villains is such a popular draw for Halloween (as seen by the 30-60 minute waits) but do you think they'll have it at the ranch this year?  Will there be the whole halloween carnival back there?  If not, do you think they'll still do some sort of villan M&G in DCA instead?


I think that's because no one really know how the 60th anniversary will impact HalloweenTime.  We don't even know when HalloweenTime will start, how many parties there will be, or even where the party will be (truthfully, I don't know that we'll know anything about HalloweenTime until after the 60th anniversary - so late July at the earliest).  My _guess_ is that they will continue to do the Halloween Carnival (unless they end up using the area for some 60th event/activity).  I'd be inclined to say that as many things as possible will remain the same because it's usually easier to do something that they already have plans for opposed to come up with something new.  That being said, even if the bulk of the HalloweenTime activities move to DCA, I do think they'll still have some kind of Villains meet and greet (like Conjure a Villain) because of the popularity of the villains.  I'm still holding out hope that the parties will remain in DL (I like have the Halloween overlay attractions and Halloween Screams fireworks at MHP)...


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## lorijohnhill

What was the date of the first party last year? I'm thinking the earlier the least amount of crowds?


----------



## KalamityJane

figment_jii said:


> I think that's because no one really know how the 60th anniversary will impact HalloweenTime.  We don't even know when HalloweenTime will start, how many parties there will be, or even where the party will be (truthfully, I don't know that we'll know anything about HalloweenTime until after the 60th anniversary - so late July at the earliest).  My _guess_ is that they will continue to do the Halloween Carnival (unless they end up using the area for some 60th event/activity).  I'd be inclined to say that as many things as possible will remain the same because it's usually easier to do something that they already have plans for opposed to come up with something new.  That being said, even if the bulk of the HalloweenTime activities move to DCA, I do think they'll still have some kind of Villains meet and greet (like Conjure a Villain) because of the popularity of the villains.  I'm still holding out hope that the parties will remain in DL (I like have the Halloween overlay attractions and Halloween Screams fireworks at MHP)...




Oh, you make a good point - one of my favorite parts of Halloween is the holiday overlay on Haunted Mansion! That would definitely be odd to miss that at DCA. That being said, I wonder if they would do a special WOC for the Halloween parties...


----------



## figment_jii

lorijohnhill said:


> What was the date of the first party last year? I'm thinking the earlier the least amount of crowds?


The first party has been on the last Friday in September since 2011.  So there was usually a two week period between the start of HalloweenTime and the first party.  However, there are rumors that the parties may start earlier this year or there may be more of them, so at this point we don't know what will be happening in terms of MHP's schedule.  In terms of the MHP themselves, the first one tends to be one of the first parties to sell out (along with Halloween night and the ones that overlap with Gay Days weekend).  The second party tends to takes longer to sell out than the first one, though, eventually all of them (or almost all) sell out.  



KalamityJane said:


> Oh, you make a good point - one of my favorite parts of Halloween is the holiday overlay on Haunted Mansion! That would definitely be odd to miss that at DCA. That being said, I wonder if they would do a special WOC for the Halloween parties...


I do hope if they move MHP to DCA that they do something to make up for the lack of Halloween Screams.  Some kind of Halloween-themed WoC seems like the most likely thing to do, but even if they do, it does seem like a step down from seeing Zero fly over the castle!  Sigh...or maybe they'll do something to make the parade more a full-fledged parade.  We'll have to wait and see (and hope for the best)!


----------



## Canadian Harmony

Are the Parties usually Monday/Wednesday/Friday for the first couple of weeks?


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## figment_jii

The schedule was much more consistent in 2013, with the first weeks having parties on Tuesdays and Fridays.  Last year (2014) was a bit less consistent.  The pattern was either Tuesday and Friday _or_ Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

_Sherry_ has the list of historical MHP dates on the first page of this thread.  I don't know if we can really use the past dates to do much in the way of predicting this year's dates, even if there weren't the rumors about the changes coming to the parties.


----------



## Canadian Harmony

WHY does July have to be so.far.away?? Doesn't Disney know that I must PLAN every second of our vacation NOW??


----------



## lorijohnhill

Well, I did it. I booked a room at the HoJo Water Park hotel for Sept 26 - Oct 3, 2015! Hopefully there will be at least one Halloween party during that week.


----------



## Mommy26

How busy is it during Halloween time? 

We want to go Wed September 23 to Sat Sep 26.


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## corinne76

lorijohnhill said:


> Well, I did it. I booked a room at the HoJo Water Park hotel for Sept 26 - Oct 3, 2015! Hopefully there will be at least one Halloween party during that week.


We're booked at Park Vue Inn for the following week, 3rd thru 10th. Still not sure if I want to do 4 days plus a Halloween or 5 days plus a Halloween. I just want to figure it all out already. This is driving me nuts!


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## lorijohnhill

corinne76 said:


> We're booked at Park Vue Inn for the following week, 3rd thru 10th. Still not sure if I want to do 4 days plus a Halloween or 5 days plus a Halloween. I just want to figure it all out already. This is driving me nuts!


I know.  I hate having to wait until the last minute to try and plan things.


----------



## Mommy2PrincessAbby

So I am all excited about mad-t party coming back.  We saw it on our Christmas trip, and it had a Christmas twist... And was sooooo fun!  I am hoping for a Halloween twist (I heard maybe thriller is played?) it was such a nice way to just chill and sing along with the songs and people watch at the end of a busy night!

Also thinking about all the yummy treats we have been missing!  I really really hope they still have dill pickle popcorn on the rotation in cars land.... Omg I still crave it!


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## figment_jii

Mad T Party does have a Halloweeen-twist (at least they have for the past few years at least).  The story is that someone spiked the tea and they are slowly being "zombie-fied."  The band looks pretty normal at fist, but as the evening progresses, they get "spookier."  They performed "This is Halloween" in most sets (I think), but for the final set of the night they performed "Thriller" with the assistance of the Tweedles and the Hottest Deck in Town.  I'm hoping they do this again this year!

I posted some pictures earlier in this thread (post #2271):
http://www.disboards.com/threads/ha...ween-time-2015.3270919/page-114#post-52451966


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## JenKate

Well, I called last night and was told that "definitely" there would still be special Halloween fireworks & a parade.   Not sure how accurate that is, but that's what the cast member told me!  She did say she wasn't sure if the Halloween party would be at DCA or not.


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## dolphingirl47

I got my leave confirmed for my sneaky Halloween season trip. I will be at Disneyland from September 22nd to October 1st. I am hoping that there will be a parties on September 25th and either the following Monday or Tuesday.

Corinna


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## Kilala

You guys have some good info. Also I keep getting really excited about MHP when I see people post in this thread. It is finally cold here in So. Cal with wind and a little rain. I'm working on my costumes. I have finally started leg warmers for one of my costumes. I also have one unitard finished. I have two half finished . I will be sewing them up today and tonight. I have this really cool unitard I just painted a foxy red, orange, and tan colors. I will post photos sometime next week. I will be making a fox/cat character with it. The one character from the musical CATS that I will be working on first is Electra. I will post some pictures of Electra later on today so that way you know what the character looks like.


----------



## Vala

figment_jii said:


> Mad T Party does have a Halloweeen-twist (at least they have for the past few years at least).  The story is that someone spiked the tea and they are slowly being "zombie-fied."  The band looks pretty normal at fist, but as the evening progresses, they get "spookier."  They performed "This is Halloween" in most sets (I think), but for the final set of the night they performed "Thriller" with the assistance of the Tweedles and the Hottest Deck in Town.  I'm hoping they do this again this year!
> 
> I posted some pictures earlier in this thread (post #2271):
> http://www.disboards.com/threads/ha...ween-time-2015.3270919/page-114#post-52451966


 
Yes, "This is Halloween" was performed in all sets. Thriller was the closing song for the night.

I got a couple of close ups showing the "zombie-fication" in my trip report from last year.

Halloween Homecoming 2014 (9/25 - 10/6/2014) (update 12/01 - COMPLETE)

Halloween Homecoming 2014 (9/25 - 10/6/2014) (update 12/01 - COMPLETE)

Halloween Homecoming 2014 (9/25 - 10/6/2014) (update 12/01 - COMPLETE)

Halloween Homecoming 2014 (9/25 - 10/6/2014) (update 12/01 - COMPLETE)

Halloween Homecoming 2014 (9/25 - 10/6/2014) (update 12/01 - COMPLETE)

Halloween Homecoming 2014 (9/25 - 10/6/2014) (update 12/01 - COMPLETE)


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## Tyggress

So I heard that WDW announced dates for their Halloween Parties (2015)...still no word on the DL side, eh?


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## figment_jii

Historically, DLR does not announce the MHP dates until later in the year.  In 2013 and 2014, they announced the dates in early-July.


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## californiamomof4grls

We have decided to cancel our summer trip to do a September trip and do the MHP this year instead! We booked the DI&S for the last week of September 5 nights. We are so excited! We went for the first time the year before last during Halloween and we fell in LOVE!! I went for Christmas for the first time this November and may I dear say I think I like Halloween better! So we are going to take the kids out of school for a week and we are bringing my best friend and her family. So in all we will be a group of 9 kids and 4 adults!  I had to tell someone so I came here! LOL!! Let the planning and saving begin! I am 6 months out! LOL!!! I'll be following the thread again for announcements and stuff! Can't wait!!


----------



## CasandraC

I went to Mickey's Halloween party in 2013 and it was so much fun, but I felt it was really crowded.  It could have just been the time that I went.  Does anyone know what the crowds are like between the start of Halloween time and the actual party dates?  I know there is usually a couple of weeks between.  I'd like to go when the decorations are up and less rides are down, but I am trying to avoid the majority of the crowds that go along with the parties.


----------



## mom2rtk

CasandraC said:


> I went to Mickey's Halloween party in 2013 and it was so much fun, but I felt it was really crowded.  It could have just been the time that I went.  Does anyone know what the crowds are like between the start of Halloween time and the actual party dates?  I know there is usually a couple of weeks between.  I'd like to go when the decorations are up and less rides are down, but I am trying to avoid the majority of the crowds that go along with the parties.


 

I've always heard that nearly every party sells out. That give me pause as we are considering whether to move our annual trip to Halloween time.


----------



## figment_jii

As _mom2rtk _said, for the past two years (at least) all but one MHP has sold out.  There are rumors that MHP will be undergoing "big changes" this year and most common rumors are that the parties will move to DCA and/or they will add more party dates and/or the parties will start earlier in the season.  Any of these things could potentially affect attendance at the party.  That being said, if you're asking about the first half of HalloweenTime in general (from mid-September until the end of September), the week day seem pretty manageable, but high weekend crowds are likely.


----------



## CasandraC

Yes, that's what I was wondering.  I'm thinking about going Saturday (Sunday, if they are showing fireworks that day) thru Wednesday. That way we can see the shows, but be able to enjoy the rides.  We are meeting my sisters and their kids there, so I know we will be moving a little slow.  I don't want to feel rushed either.  I've heard the first few weeks in September are really quiet, I just wasn't sure if it was the same at the end of September.  Thanks!


----------



## figment_jii

When did you go in 2013?  Other events may have impacted crowds more than the party during the day.


----------



## CasandraC

If I remember right it was October 21st thru 25th. We did the halloween party one night. I think it was on a Tuesday. It was great fun, and the rides were easy to get on during the trick or treating, but the day times seemed pretty busy. The trick or treat lines were a little crazy at some points, but we skipped the really long lines. It was how busy it was during the day times that surprised me. We still had a ton of fun, and the fireworks were fantastic!


----------



## figment_jii

October seems to have become another fairly popular month for visiting DLR, so much that there really isn't a "slow" time in October anymore.  HalloweenTime (not just the MHP) is very popular and a lot of folks visit to see the decor and the overlays.  It also seems like a fair number of school districts have fall breaks scattered throughout October which probably increases weekday attendance.  The first two weekends in October are well known for being very busy (Gay Days and CHOC Walk/Columbus Day weekend).  I think September will still be quieter (in general) than October (even if they start MHP in early-September) because fewer schools are out.

The Halloween Screams fireworks were among my favorite things to see at MHP!  If the parties move to DCA, there probably won't be any Halloween Screams! this year, but hopefully they'll add something to the party to make up for the loss of fireworks.  My fear is that it's going to be a version of WoC.  Hopefully, the current refurb will drastically improve the viewing area, so that most folks can have a good view (and not just those at the railing).


----------



## keltiesmom

californiamomof4grls said:


> We have decided to cancel our summer trip to do a September trip and do the MHP this year instead! We booked the DI&S for the last week of September 5 nights. We are so excited! We went for the first time the year before last during Halloween and we fell in LOVE!! I went for Christmas for the first time this November and may I dear say I think I like Halloween better! So we are going to take the kids out of school for a week and we are bringing my best friend and her family. So in all we will be a group of 9 kids and 4 adults!  I had to tell someone so I came here! LOL!! Let the planning and saving begin! I am 6 months out! LOL!!! I'll be following the thread again for announcements and stuff! Can't wait!!



We are also going the last week in September and staying at DI&S Sept 23-30th. There will hopefully be 15 of us total, maybe we can get together for a snack at some point.


----------



## CasandraC

I must say being able to get away with trick or treating as an adult with my daughter was a lot of fun!


----------



## khippster

mvf-m11c said:


> I would not go around the first weekend of October since it is during Gay Days. I have been there that weekend and it did felt busy.





ACDSNY said:


> 9/27 - 10/1



Do you really think this week will be bad for the crowds? We are booked for these dates as well, first time during the Halloween season.


----------



## figment_jii

I don't think Gay Days necessarily impacts the earlier part of the week (e.g., 9/28 to 9/30).  I think on Sunday (9/27) there will be crowds just because it's a Sunday and weekends always seem busy in the parks as locals and AP holders come in to see the Halloween decor and activities.  There might be an uptick in crowds on Thursday (10/1) as the Gay Day crowds start to arrive.  Almost certainly the weekend (Fri to Sun) will be busy.


----------



## mvf-m11c

khippster said:


> Do you really think this week will be bad for the crowds? We are booked for these dates as well, first time during the Halloween season.



From my experience, in 2010 that was the year when MHP was back at DL and when I went that weekend. That weekend, MHP on Friday, Halloween season and Gay Days contributed the big crowds. In my opinion I would not go that weekend but as figment mentioned that it won't be as bad.


----------



## iKristin

I've gone almost every year to the Halloween parties and never really trick or treat because taking candy back in luggage requires space. Now that I'm a local, I'm gonna trick or treat the heck out of those candy stations!! I'll have candy for a year


----------



## Canadian Harmony

Candy is my youngest's 'crack'. Halloween is her favourite holiday because of candy. Then it's Easter, and THEN Christmas! Yup, she's got a mouthful of "sweet tooth". She's going to flip out when she realizes she's going trick or treating at DL. Usually what I do is offer the girls a trade: their candy for a toy of their chosing under $20. (DH usually eats the candy for me) Hopefully I can pull it off again at DL.Good thing we're bringing an 'empty' suitcase for souvenirs.


----------



## khippster

figment_jii said:


> I don't think Gay Days necessarily impacts the earlier part of the week (e.g., 9/28 to 9/30). I think on Sunday (9/27) there will be crowds just because it's a Sunday and weekends always seem busy in the parks as locals and AP holders come in to see the Halloween decor and activities. There might be an uptick in crowds on Thursday (10/1) as the Gay Day crowds start to arrive. Almost certainly the weekend (Fri to Sun) will be busy.





mvf-m11c said:


> From my experience, in 2010 that was the year when MHP was back at DL and when I went that weekend. That weekend, MHP on Friday, Halloween season and Gay Days contributed the big crowds. In my opinion I would not go that weekend but as figment mentioned that it won't be as bad.



Thank you to you both. We were planning Sun - Wed. Sunday to catch Fantasmic and the fireworks, but maybe that is not such a good idea.. Would you switch to a different week? And if so, would I switch my days to encompass Friday for Fantasmic and fireworks?


----------



## figment_jii

Canadian Harmony said:


> Candy is my youngest's 'crack'. Halloween is her favourite holiday because of candy. Then it's Easter, and THEN Christmas! Yup, she's got a mouthful of "sweet tooth".


I had a colleague that once said "candy season" is the longest season of the year.  It starts with Halloween, then progresses to Christmas, then Valentines, and ends with Easter!  



khippster said:


> Thank you to you both. We were planning Sun - Wed. Sunday to catch Fantasmic and the fireworks, but maybe that is not such a good idea.. Would you switch to a different week? And if so, would I switch my days to encompass Friday for Fantasmic and fireworks?


It depends on what weekends are available for you to go...lately October has been very tough because of Gay Days, CHOC Walk/Columbus Day weekend, UEA, and various other activities that occur on the weekend.  I've been tracking some of the activties and events that may impact DLR crowds in the 2015 Calendar of Events and School Breaks.

In terms of Fridays, it depends a lot on what happens with MHP this year.  In past years, there has been a MHP on every Friday night from when the parties start until Halloween.  If that happens, then there won't be F! or regular fireworks.  If the parties move to DCA this year, this might not be an issue, but we don't know what is happening yet.


----------



## khippster

figment_jii said:


> It depends on what weekends are available for you to go...lately October has been very tough because of Gay Days, CHOC Walk/Columbus Day weekend, UEA, and various other activities that occur on the weekend. I've been tracking some of the activties and events that may impact DLR crowds in the 2015 Calendar of Events and School Breaks.
> 
> In terms of Fridays, it depends a lot on what happens with MHP this year. In past years, there has been a MHP on every Friday night from when the parties start until Halloween. If that happens, then there won't be F! or regular fireworks. If the parties move to DCA this year, this might not be an issue, but we don't know what is happening yet.



Thank you so much figment. This thread has been very eye opening and your insight is extremely helpful. I will keep watching and see how things go.


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## iKristin

I've learned to ride the rides first and then trick or treat the last part of the party. Reason being, it's a lot of younger kids who are more interested in character meetings and trick or treating than they are in the rides so the ride lines tend to be shorter during the first half of the event  Plus, during the last half the trick or treat lines aren't long at all.


----------



## ACDSNY

Well Sherry my family convinced me to set up a family Halloween trip Oct. 25 - 29th.  In 2005 we had 25 of us and we're trying to top that for 2015.  Do you mind if I copy one of your pics for our secret FB page?


----------



## bcwife76

figment_jii said:


> I don't think Gay Days necessarily impacts the earlier part of the week (e.g., 9/28 to 9/30).  I think on Sunday (9/27) there will be crowds just because it's a Sunday and weekends always seem busy in the parks as locals and AP holders come in to see the Halloween decor and activities.  There might be an uptick in crowds on Thursday (10/1) as the Gay Day crowds start to arrive.  Almost certainly the weekend (Fri to Sun) will be busy.



Yikes, well looks like we're in for a busy visit this time around. We will be at the parks Thurs Oct 1, Fri Oct 2 and Sat Oct 3. Oh well, the more the merrier I guess ;-) Just need to plan our ride strategies a bit better.


----------



## figment_jii

bcwife76 said:


> Yikes, well looks like we're in for a busy visit this time around. We will be at the parks Thurs Oct 1, Fri Oct 2 and Sat Oct 3. Oh well, the more the merrier I guess ;-) Just need to plan our ride strategies a bit better.


Closer to the dates, you might check out the Gay Days website to see if they've posted their schedule of events.  I know that the have a meet-up at the Mark Twain, which is pretty awesome to see (a boat full of folks wearing red), but it might mean that line for the Mark Twain would be longer than you'd normally expect.


----------



## Sherry E

Okay, folks... I am poking my head out of the sand again!

In the first few months of every year I usually let this thread and my Disneyland at Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread simmer down a bit -- or, rather, I let my activity in them simmer down a bit, while everyone else is still welcomed and encouraged to continue to post and share info, questions and answers here.    Around March or April I start revving up the ol' engines to begin getting into Halloween Time Superthread mode and Disneyland at Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread mode again (when the weather starts hitting 90 degrees I can only think ahead to the sweet relief of autumn).

And, let's face it -- signs of Halloween and fall will be appearing relatively soon, if you think about it.   If you followed along with this thread last year you will recall that I was paying close attention to the increasing appearances of random fall and Halloween goodies and merchandise on store shelves (remember Pumpkin Pandemonium, Candy Corn Chaos and Caramel Apple Confusion?), beginning in July.  It has not gone unnoticed by me that in a mere 4 months we will begin seeing or hearing about a new wave of autumnal things hitting the shelves!!!!  And in 4 months, tickets for whatever kind of Halloween party DLR has this year should be going on sale.  However, hopefully we will get party news or Halloween Time news by May or June.

Alas, when DISboards was moved over to the new platform/layout early this year, a lot of formatting and details that I had carefully crafted, typed, assembled, organized, etc. (for the posts on page 1 of this thread and of my Christmas/Holiday Superthread) were knocked out of whack.  To be honest, after glancing at the wreckage once or twice I was discouraged, disheartened and daunted by the notion of having to go through and fix anything, or everything.  I stopped looking at what was wrong and pretended the mess didn't exist.  I couldn't even change or fix anything yet because I knew the webmasters were going to try to fix some of what went awry in the transition, and for me to correct anything might mean that my repair work would be reversed once the webmasters waved their magic wands.

I think the webmasters have done all they can do at this point to reverse some of the wonky occurrences in people's random threads, but there is still a lot that needs to be cleaned up in this one and in the Christmas/Holiday thread  -- links that no longer link where they are supposed to link, punctuation that simply vanished and has to be replaced, font sizes that suddenly got very small, and who knows what else.  So I feel like I am slowly, nervously, hesitantly creeping into a house after a tornado or earthquake has hit it, with my hands covering my eyes, afraid to assess the damage.

I may have to tackle each post on page 1 individually, one at a time, as I try to fix everything -- which will not happen overnight -- and I have to keep in mind that, when news of this year's Halloween Time season finally comes out I may have to change even more things if the details turn out to be vastly different.  But, bear with me.  This thread is still open for business to discuss all things Halloween Time, and hopefully there is still enough salvageable information in the assorted posts on page 1 that will give you an idea of what happened last year and during previous years' Halloween Time seasons, so you know what to expect this year (although the mystery surrounding the 60th anniversary's impact on seasonal events looms large).  Thank you to figment_jii and everyone else who has continued to keep the thread going in some way! 

On a non-Halloween Time note, I sat in as a guest on (co-mod) Mary Jo's latest "Day Six" segment for the DIS Unplugged: Disneyland Edition podcast.  This installment in Mary Jo's ongoing Day Six series is about Catalina Island, so we chatted about all things Catalina as it's a great place to go for a day trip (or a weekend) when in Southern California.  You can find the Day Six Adventure: Catalina segment here:  http://www.disunplugged.com/2015/03/23/dis-unplugged-podcast-032215-disneyland-show/

Now I have to mosey over to my Disneyland at Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread and assure everyone that I have not jumped ship.  That thread is a slightly bigger fish to fry, so I am walking even more slowly into that tornado-ravaged house.


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## Oswald23

Does anyone dare to say what the chances are that the Halloween Party really moves to DCA. So how trustworthy are the rumours?

And if So, wil the Haunted Mansion still got the overlay?


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## Sherry E

Oswald23 said:


> Does anyone dare to say what the chances are that the Halloween Party really moves to DCA. So how trustworthy are the rumours?
> 
> And if So, wil the Haunted Mansion still got the overlay?


 

Hi, Oswald23!

Well, first of all, I think that Haunted Mansion Holiday and Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy will both be back.  HMH was running during the 50th anniversary so I can't imagine it would be any different now.  Plus, quite frankly, HMH is essential to the roster of seasonal/Halloween Time activities at this point.

Mickey's Halloween Party, on the other hand, is something that can move if it needs to.  It was held (under a different name) in DCA for 5 years in a row (starting in 2005, the 50th anniversary year).  Then it moved to Disneyland in 2010, where it ran for 5 consecutive Halloween Time seasons.  It seems like this year might be good, timing-wise, for the MHP to head back to DCA -- even if only for this year.

Most of the rumors come from the MiceChat mill, but I don't think that it's a stretch to conclude that the party could move back to DCA this year -- simply because the 60th anniversary is turning out to be a bigger deal than many people thought, and Disney is putting a lot of focus on the new fireworks and new parade.  To stop running those new (limited edition) shows on party nights would not make sense, and to include the parade and fireworks as "party exclusives" would not make sense if they are running on all the non-party nights too.  Of course, if the party were to head to DCA, then it would interfere with the new World of Color show, unless there are plans to do a Halloween-ified version of it.  In any case, that's only one new event that would be impacted by a party, whereas there would be two major new shows impacted by a party in Disneyland.

These are the rumors and tidbits that have floated around so far (none of which has been confirmed):

1.  Last year someone reported on MiceChat that she/he overheard Cast Members saying that the MHP would be moving back to DCA this year.  She/he initially labeled the thread as "News," but the skeptical MiceChatters doubted the story and the thread label was changed to "Rumor";

2.  Also on MiceChat, someone posted last year that, apparently, the Cast Members who trained for the MHP were told that there would be "big changes" coming to the Halloween party in 2015;

3.  Quite a while back, in one of the Update blogs that MiceAge puts out (the kind that Al Lutz used to do), the writer said that the Disney powers-that-be were looking at expanding the number of nights for the MHP, and starting it a bit earlier in the Halloween Time season.  As it stands now, the party generally begins 2 weeks after the actual Halloween Time season has begun.  They could feasibly add more nights and start the party when Halloween Time starts.  The last MHP ran for 14 nights.  I can picture them going up to 20 nights at some point. It may not happen this year, but if any extra nights are to be added in this year, then that would be even more nights to interfere with the new parade and fireworks or the 60th; and

4.  One of our DIS'ers, Dena, posted here a while back that she did a survey after her Halloween Time trip last year, and the focus of the survey seemed to be on decorations and theming (in DCA).  That tells us that Disney is looking into what to do with DCA for Halloween Time.  DCA used to be part of Halloween Time, long ago!  There used to be a giant candy corn photo spot, candy corn hanging from trees, and theme-appropriate music.  DCA became separated from Halloween Time in 2010, when the extensive work on the "reimagining" of DCA kicked in.


So, if we put on our detective hats and string all of the clues together, it seems like there is a very good possibility of the party moving back to DCA this year.  To me, it just makes sense to do it that way so that there is no disruption of the 60th anniversary celebration in DL.



However, I do look at the other side of the coin as well:

1.  There have been no rumors to indicate that a new "Halloween decorations package" is headed to DCA this year; and

2.  There have been no rumors trickling out about new Halloween attraction overlays or events lined up for DCA this year, and it seems like that would be big enough news to where it would leak out somehow.  

Supposedly TSMM was originally intended to eventually get a Halloween overlay and a Holiday season overlay (as was World of Color), but that could happen anytime, in any year.  So far, we have only seen the Holiday version of World of Color, but no Halloween World of Color and no overlay on TSMM of any kind.

It is possible that some things could be announced at the Expo this coming August, but the MHP tickets would have already gone on sale in July so we'd have to know something before August.

So I think that if anything major is happening for Halloween Time or Mickey's Halloween Party, or both, this year -- such as a change of party location or a new Halloween overlay, or brand new decorations in DCA -- we would probably hear about it via the Parks Blog in May, or early June at the latest.  Otherwise, if no major changes are afoot and the MHP will be business as usual this year -- with Halloween Screams fireworks and all -- then there won't be any special blogs and we will just get the regular blog announcing the MHP dates in June.


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## Oswald23

Thanks for the detailed response!

My feeling is that for now the chances are 50/50


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## Kilala

Nice to see you on the board again Sherry I will be starting painting of on of my cat costumes this weekend. My Grandma passed away last Friday morning


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## iKristin

I wonder though if since they're adding a "new" figure to the HM for the 60th, if they might be planning on keeping things original just for this year's Halloween time...Idk, just a thought. I know how popular HMH is, but with the time and effort they're putting into the changes to celebrate the 60th, I just don't see them shutting it down after only a couple months of experience for guests, you know what I mean?


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## bcwife76

Sherry you are AWESOME!! Really, really appreciate all that you have to offer in this thread and for keeping it going.


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## keishashadow

Oswald23 said:


> Does anyone dare to say what the chances are that the Halloween Party really moves to DCA. So how trustworthy are the rumours?
> 
> And if So, *wil the Haunted Mansion still got the overlay*?


oh, nooooooos  is this rumor from a reliable source(s)?

I have finally managed to work in a trip to catch the holiday overlay at the HM & will be shocked if it's eliminated.  Taking a long-standing tradition away doesn't seem very in tune with this year's big anniversary celebration imo.

Working on our schedule, trying to decide whether to brave what, from several accounts, appears to be a very big crowd for the Gay Days' Saturday Mickey Halloween party.  Normally, I'd work in the first weekday one that follows it but will be up late the night before for Universal's HHN and figured it'd work best with our sleep patterns. 

For those who have attended both DL & WDW's parties, can you tell me if the crowd levels are similar at both parks?. We typically do the week prior to Columbus Day @ WDW and it has gotten more crowded every year.  Now that the race date has been moved, perhaps some relief will be coming.


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## kkmcan

Sherry I'm so glad your are back! I've just started our planning for Oct trip and stopped in to see what was going on in this thread. I'm stalking it for info on MHP of course. We did the party last year Oct 3rd and loved it but we may or may not do the party this year depending on where it ends up being and on what nights.  I wanna make all of our touring plans now and can't until its been decided where the party will be.  So hurry up Disneyland and give us some hints!  LOL!


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## Sherry E

Kilala said:


> Nice to see you on the board again Sherry I will be starting painting of on of my cat costumes this weekend. My Grandma passed away last Friday morning



I'm so sorry about your Grandma, Kilala.  Hopefully, when you begin to work on your costumes -- which I know you love doing -- it will help get your mind off of feeling sad for a brief time.  



iKristin said:


> I wonder though if since they're adding a "new" figure to the HM for the 60th, if they might be planning on keeping things original just for this year's Halloween time...Idk, just a thought. I know how popular HMH is, but with the time and effort they're putting into the changes to celebrate the 60th, I just don't see them shutting it down after only a couple months of experience for guests, you know what I mean?



It is possible, though I tend to think that HMH will return.  I considered that HMH could be affected in some way (with the probable return of the Hatbox Ghost), but I think that HMH was running during the 50th anniversary.  I tend to think that it would be overkill to remove HMH from the Halloween Time and holiday season offerings, when they are already removing the Holiday fireworks, the Winter Castle Enchantment lighting and probably the Christmas Fantasy Parade too.  Halloween Time (as a season) is not really 'developed' enough to be able to do without HMH.  It really needs it.  Plus, although the 60th anniversary is a big deal to Disneyland and to many Disneyland fans, there is still a large portion of people who will be making their trips for the purpose of Halloween Time or for the purpose of the holiday season.



bcwife76 said:


> Sherry you are AWESOME!! Really, really appreciate all that you have to offer in this thread and for keeping it going.



Thank you so much for the kind words!  I continue to keep it going (and all of the subsequent threads too), but it was definitely a setback when I saw that the new website platform transition messed up so many things.  That is a hard pill to swallow.  For example, in the MHP FAQ post on page I, there is a link to a post with DIS'ers' reviews of the past 2 years of Halloween parties.  Not only does that link probably not go to the post it is supposed to go to, but allllllllllllllll of those links to alllllllllllllllll of the DIS'ers reviews are probably messed up.  That is just depressing.



keishashadow said:


> oh, nooooooos  is this rumor from a reliable source(s)?
> 
> I have finally managed to work in a trip to catch the holiday overlay at the HM & will be shocked if it's eliminated.  Taking a long-standing tradition away doesn't seem very in tune with this year's big anniversary celebration imo.
> 
> Working on our schedule, trying to decide whether to brave what, from several accounts, appears to be a very big crowd for the Gay Days' Saturday Mickey Halloween party.  Normally, I'd work in the first weekday one that follows it but will be up late the night before for Universal's HHN and figured it'd work best with our sleep patterns.
> 
> For those who have attended both DL & WDW's parties, can you tell me if the crowd levels are similar at both parks?. We typically do the week prior to Columbus Day @ WDW and it has gotten more crowded every year.  Now that the race date has been moved, perhaps some relief will be coming.



I don't know if this will help, but if you take a peek at the MHP FAQ post, Question #2 -- http://www.disboards.com/threads/ha...ut-halloween-time-2015.3270919/#post-51326916 -- you will see that there is a link to figment_jii's comparison of MNSSHP vs. MHP, as well as a link to a comparison provided by Craig Williams of The DIS.  Those posts may give you some perspective on the crowds at the MHP as they relate or compare to MNSSHP.



kkmcan said:


> Sherry I'm so glad your are back! I've just started our planning for Oct trip and stopped in to see what was going on in this thread. I'm stalking it for info on MHP of course. We did the party last year Oct 3rd and loved it but we may or may not do the party this year depending on where it ends up being and on what nights.  I wanna make all of our touring plans now and can't until its been decided where the party will be.  So hurry up Disneyland and give us some hints!  LOL!



Thank you for the kind words, kkmcan!  I will never abandon my threads for too long.  It's always so frustrating that we can't find out (from Disney) any official details of the Halloween Time and Holiday seasons well in advance.  It could be that the MHP will be business as usual and nothing different is happening -- in which case, we probably would not get a Parks Blog about the tickets going on sale until mid or late June, but if there is major news to be told, I suspect we'd know something in a couple of months.  I certainly hope they don't wait until the Expo in August to break news about Halloween Time!



ACDSNY said:


> Well Sherry my family convinced me to set up a family Halloween trip Oct. 25 - 29th.  In 2005 we had 25 of us and we're trying to top that for 2015.  Do you mind if I copy one of your pics for our secret FB page?



Angela, I totally neglected to reply to this message when I fired off my other replies!  Lol.  I apologize.

No, I don't mind -- thank you for asking.  I appreciate being asked (having been the victim of people stealing photos of mine and claiming them as their own online)!  Which photo are you using?


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## dolphingirl47

I can't wait to find out more information about the Halloween season and particularly about when and where the parties will be. I should hopefully be safe for at least one party as I will be there from September 22nd to October 1st, but I am hoping to get to do two. At the moment I am a little stumped as to ideas for costumes. I have one vague idea, but I am sure things will fall into place.

Corinna


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## JenKate

kkmcan said:


> Sherry I'm so glad your are back! I've just started our planning for Oct trip and stopped in to see what was going on in this thread. I'm stalking it for info on MHP of course. We did the party last year Oct 3rd and loved it but we may or may not do the party this year depending on where it ends up being and on what nights.  I wanna make all of our touring plans now and can't until its been decided where the party will be.  So hurry up Disneyland and give us some hints!  LOL!


 
No kidding!  I'm in charge of planning for 31 of us.  I need some info!!


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## ACDSNY

Sherry E said:


> Angela, I totally neglected to reply to this message when I fired off my other replies!  Lol.  I apologize.
> 
> No, I don't mind -- thank you for asking.  I appreciate being asked (having been the victim of people stealing photos of mine and claiming them as their own online)!  Which photo are you using?



Thanks Sherry, I'll use one of the Halloween Time sign with the Mickey pumpkin.  I have our villa finally all booked as I had to wait until yesterday to get our last night.  Snagged $49 flights each way.  Our DGS will have a blast at the Halloween Party, I'm hoping it stays at DL.


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## keishashadow

sherry - thanx!  I've got lots of homework to do lol.


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## Sherry E

I asked a Cast Member that I know if any whisperings or discussions about Mickey's Halloween Party (as it relates to the 60th anniversary events) have come up yet this year, or been swirling about in the CM rumor mill.  This specific CM has heard nothing -- no one has even mentioned it (including CMs who worked the party) this year.  This CM happens to think that MHP will not move back to DCA and that it will stay in DL, because the backlash from having no Halloween Screams and no Cavalcade would be significant, and because charging the same price or more for an MHP ticket in DCA without party exclusives or special Halloween overlays would be controversial.  This CM also doesn't think there would be a special Halloween World of Color in the same year that we are getting "World of Color - Celebrate."

However... all of that said... my CM friend said that it appears that something is a-brewin' in terms of special events (the category that Mickey's Halloween Party falls into) and things happening in the _second half of the year_, based on some big staff additions and changes, and another possible wave of staff changes this coming fall.   The CM has no clue if any of the second-half-of-the-year activity has to do with MHP or something else totally unrelated, but it seems that preparations are being made for something to happen later this year -- or maybe several somethings (like assorted pop-up events that last only a day or a weekend).

Actually, there will be special events happening all throughout this year, it seems, but what (and where) those events will be from, say, September on through December, is the real mystery!!


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## mom2rtk

Sherry, you're nothing but a big tease! 

And I love it. 

Keep the rumors and facts coming.

I'm glad to see you posting again.


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## ACDSNY

Nice scouting Sherry.  I'll be a happy camper if Halloween Party stays at DL since I haven't been to one there yet.


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## Sherry E

mom2rtk said:


> Sherry, you're nothing but a big tease!
> 
> And I love it.
> 
> Keep the rumors and facts coming.
> 
> I'm glad to see you posting again.



Thank you, *Janet* : --

I'm never too far away.  Sometimes, depending on how much time I have, I might just lurk without signing in.  Other times I do have to pop in and do some moderator things here and there -- such as make an appearance in my Superthreads  -- and I did sit in on the Catalina Island segment of DIS: Unplugged this past week, with Tom Bell and Mary Jo.  For a few weeks I had been planning to pop in with an Easter/Egg-stravaganza thread, but my goal was to put it up on the board 2 days before the hunt began so that the details of how the hunt works would be fresh in everyone's mind before they did it.  It just so happened that the Catalina segment and the Egg-stravaganza thread took place in the same week, and I had just asked the CM about the MHP this past week as well... so now I am back in action!

I still have to go through and assess how big of a mess was left on page 1 after the switch to the new site platform, but at least I'm here!  

I also finally (slooooowly)  started adding friends and photos to a Facebook account I had been keeping friend-less for the past year!  Lol.  I finally decided to make it my "Disney-related friends page."  So if anyone wants to send me a friend request, you can find me on Facebook under "Sherry InCalifornia." (Facebook wouldn't let me put a space in between the "In" and "California.")   I got a friend request from someone last night and I didn't recognize the name, but I saw that she was friends with Tom Bell so I happily accepted the request.  I found out it was DIS'er Speechphi!  (Hello, *Speechphi*! )

I don't know if I really uncovered anything all that interesting, even teaser-wise, about the MHP happenings -- but it's more material for discussion.  I was told by the CM that (based on the changes within the staff regarding special events) "stuff is happening in the second half of the year" -- so that could cover the bulk of summer, as well as Halloween Time and the Holiday season.  It's a broad range of time.   It may not mean that there is anything different happening with MHP at all -- but, rather, just extra surprises thrown into the mix for the 60th.




ACDSNY said:


> Nice scouting Sherry.  I'll be a happy camper if Halloween Party stays at DL since I haven't been to one there yet.



*Angela* --

I really liked the party when it was in DCA -- cheaper ticket price, wider walkways, no overlap/crossover/extra-crowded time when party guests and non-party guests could be in the park together and so on.  However, just as I think that Disneyland park provides a more interesting array of hiding spots for character Easter eggs, I also think that it provides a more interesting array of locations for treat trails and treat stations than what was found in DCA.  There seems to be more 'spooky atmosphere' in the locations around Disneyland.

And, frankly, DCA would have to actually get involved in Halloween Time again -- with significant decorations and probably some sort of Halloween overlay on a ride or attraction.  They can't just have a party there with no traces of Halloween, and yet there have not been any rumors or leaks to indicate that DCA is getting a Halloween decorations package this year.  That's not to say that it couldn't still happen, but if it is happening it is being kept well under wraps!


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## pudinhd

Sherry E said:


> *Angela* --
> 
> I really liked the party when it was in DCA -- cheaper ticket price, wider walkways, no overlap/crossover/extra-crowded time when party guests and non-party guests could be in the park together and so on.  However, just as I think that Disneyland park provides a more interesting array of hiding spots for character Easter eggs, I also think that it provides a more interesting array of locations for treat trails and treat stations than what was found in DCA.  There seems to be more 'spooky atmosphere' in the locations around Disneyland.
> 
> And, frankly, DCA would have to actually get involved in Halloween Time again -- with significant decorations and probably some sort of Halloween overlay on a ride or attraction.  They can't just have a party there with no traces of Halloween, and yet there have not been any rumors or leaks to indicate that DCA is getting a Halloween decorations package this year.  That's not to say that it couldn't still happen, but if it is happening it is being kept well under wraps!



I thought the party in DCA was great!!  I agree about the (much) cheaper price, but it seemed like there was a lot less people than at DL!  It's completely possible they sell more tickets now, but I really appreciated how exclusive it seemed!  

Don't get me wrong...  I love the party at DL, too!


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## ACDSNY

I agree with you both on the space and cheaper price, I'd just like to see it one time at DL before it moves back to DCA.  Either way it's fun for all.  How crazy are the crowds the last week of October?  Need to prepare my group what to expect.


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## Sherry E

pudinhd said:


> I thought the party in DCA was great!!  I agree about the (much) cheaper price, but it seemed like there was a lot less people than at DL!  It's completely possible they sell more tickets now, but I really appreciated how exclusive it seemed!
> 
> Don't get me wrong...  I love the party at DL, too!



I know what you mean.   I liked having more room to move around in DCA.   It was definitely less crowded, but I suppose that was also because DCA was in its pre-reimagining phase and there were no real Halloween ride overlays in DCA (except for the decorations that used to be in ToT, I suppose).  

Let's face it -- between Cars Land, Buena Vista Street, Grizzly Peak, Hollywood Land and even A Bug's Land, there is a lot of fun potential for Halloween décor.  And there could definitely be a Halloween World of Color.  I just don't know if Disney would be able to pull it off this year.  At this point, we can't even get a clear answer as to whether or not the Christmas Fantasy Parade is returning to DL this holiday season (I just posted about it in the Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread -- AllEars says it's returning this year and MiceChat says it is not returning), and the last real rumors about MHP moving back to DCA were last year.  No new rumors have really come out this year.  Maybe a party relocation was on the table as a possibility at one time and now it won't happen??  It's hard to say.



*Angela --*

It's been a long time since I've gone to DL in late October but, of course, the whole 60th anniversary element is a mystery in terms of crowds for the rest of this year, but I think the crowds are reported to generally pick up quite a bit during the week of Halloween.


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## pudinhd

Sherry E said:


> I know what you mean.   I liked having more room to move around in DCA.   It was definitely less crowded, but I suppose that was also because DCA was in its pre-reimagining phase and there were no real Halloween ride overlays in DCA (except for the decorations that used to be in ToT, I suppose).
> 
> Let's face it -- between Cars Land, Buena Vista Street, Grizzly Peak, Hollywood Land and even A Bug's Land, there is a lot of fun potential for Halloween décor.  And there could definitely be a Halloween World of Color.  I just don't know if Disney would be able to pull it off this year.  At this point, we can't even get a clear answer as to whether or not the Christmas Fantasy Parade is returning to DL this holiday season (I just posted about it in the Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread -- AllEars says it's returning this year and MiceChat says it is not returning), and the last real rumors about MHP moving back to DCA were last year.  No new rumors have really come out this year.  Maybe a party relocation was on the table as a possibility at one time and now it won't happen??  It's hard to say.



Very true about the "old DCA!"  I also agree about the potential for decorating!!  I wish DL would be more forthcoming with the info!!!!!!!  It would be so helpful!


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## PixiDustDears

I'm ready for some Halloween news!  We're planing another Halloween night party. In fact we were riding the train during last years party when Dh began talking about this year!  Last year seemed different to me.  It was fuller but seemed to have less options if you know what I mean. The treat trails didn't seem as well done.  And the rain threw things off a little (which is not Disney's fault of course).  It was still fun, and worth it, but I look forward to seeing what they do this year.


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## Kilala

I have pictures from Mickey's Halloween Treat in 2006. This was my first year going to the party. There are some pictures of the TOT.


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## azdisneylover

While checking out the Disneyland Events listing on the Dis boards, I noticed the date listed for Halloween Time is from September 11 - October 31, 2015. Is this the date, or is this just a guess by someone?


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## Sherry E

azdisneylover said:


> While checking out the Disneyland Events listing on the Dis boards, I noticed the date listed for Halloween Time is from September 11 - October 31, 2015. Is this the date, or is this just a guess by someone?



The season dates have not been officially announced (by Disney) anywhere -- it's way too early for that.  We would have discussed the dates here in this thread if they had been announced.   

I have a hard time believing that Disney would begin a festive occasion/season on an otherwise somber date in fairly recent history.  September 11th is not exactly a date that I think of when I think, "Woo hoo!  Let's whoop it up for Halloween Time!!!"  The Holiday season doesn't (officially) begin on Veterans Day anymore either.

However, that said, I can picture something happening like a sort of quiet, unofficial Halloween Time start date _before_ 9/11 (with soft openings of HMH and SMGG, perhaps), and then an "official" start date on Saturday, 9/12 -- which would have the season starting and ending on a Saturday.  That's the kind of thing they do for the Holidays -- roll out the decor and the entertainment before Veterans Day, but officially start the season after Veterans Day. 

But, DLR may also decide to officially begin the season _before_ 9/11 too.  I just think that it could be perceived as tacky and in bad taste if they officially began the season on the actual date of 9/11.

I'm not quite sure if the season would end on 10/31, either.  I suppose it depends on how soon they will be starting the holidays, and if there is going to be any kind of taping for ABC in early November, but I can easily see Halloween Time officially lasting through Sunday, 11/1.


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## ten6mom

Sherry E said:


> Thank you, *Janet* : --
> 
> I also finally (slooooowly)  started adding friends and photos to a Facebook account I had been keeping friend-less for the past year!  Lol.  I finally decided to make it my "Disney-related friends page."  So if anyone wants to send me a friend request, you can find me on Facebook under "Sherry InCalifornia." (Facebook wouldn't let me put a space in between the "In" and "California.")   I got a friend request from someone last night and I didn't recognize the name, but I saw that she was friends with Tom Bell so I happily accepted the request.  I found out it was DIS'er Speechphi!  (Hello, *Speechphi*! )
> 
> Sherry, I think i messed up this quote.  But in any case, I keep seeing 2 names I thought were you on facebook (both with mutual friends.. all from the DIS of course)... thanks for clarifying which you want to use!



I knew I messed it up..... ^


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## JadeDarkstar

ACDSNY said:


> Thanks Sherry, I'll use one of the Halloween Time sign with the Mickey pumpkin.  I have our villa finally all booked as I had to wait until yesterday to get our last night.  Snagged $49 flights each way.  Our DGS will have a blast at the Halloween Party, I'm hoping it stays at DL.



I just have to ask where and how you got such good flight prices. I am desperately looking for cheap flights from AZ to Disney Land for dec time. So far it looks like 100 each way southwest will be close. But if you know of any other places to check out. I would be very thankful.


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## ACDSNY

JadeDarkstar said:


> I just have to ask where and how you got such good flight prices. I am desperately looking for cheap flights from AZ to Disney Land for dec time. So far it looks like 100 each way southwest will be close. But if you know of any other places to check out. I would be very thankful.


Once in a great while Southwest runs a great sale up and down California I just stumbled upon them as they aren't usually advertised.


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## azdisneylover

Sherry E said:


> The season dates have not been officially announced (by Disney) anywhere -- it's way too early for that. We would have discussed the dates here in this thread if they had been announced.
> 
> I have a hard time believing that Disney would begin a festive occasion/season on an otherwise somber date in fairly recent history. September 11th is not exactly a date that I think of when I think, "Woo hoo! Let's whoop it up for Halloween Time!!!" The Holiday season doesn't (officially) begin on Veterans Day anymore either.



Sherry, I totally agree with you, so imagine my surprise when I was looking over the events listed under DIS Boards Disneyland and seeing the date September 11, 2015 thru October 31, 2015 listed as Halloween time! This is why I came to this thread and posted my question. If there isn't an exact date, perhaps it would be wise to have someone change the information until the time is released so people who do not check the specific Halloween time thread would know. 

Linda


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## Sherry E

azdisneylover said:


> Sherry, I totally agree with you, so imagine my surprise when I was looking over the events listed under DIS Boards Disneyland and seeing the date September 11, 2015 thru October 31, 2015 listed as Halloween time! This is why I came to this thread and posted my question. If there isn't an exact date, perhaps it would be wise to have someone change the information until the time is released so people who do not check the specific Halloween time thread would know.
> 
> Linda



I just have to say that, on this new platform, it's so annoying to have to click 3 buttons just to quote one person's comment!  Good grief!  Isn't there a way to reduce the number of clicks for one quote?  Okay, rant over....

*Linda --*

You know, I don't know how those occasional incorrect dates end up there.  I assume you're talking about this section -- http://www.wdwinfo.com/disneyland/events.html#Halloween 

I know that Tom Bell from DIS Unplugged doesn't add anything to the wdwinfo Disneyland section (date-wise) until it's confirmed, officially, by Disney.  It could be that the website's system retains a certain date or weekday in its memory and then just automatically 'adjusts' it (for lack of a better word) to the date that it expects the event will happen in the following year.   But I really have no clue.  It is confusing, though!



ten6mom said:


> I knew I messed it up..... ^



Lol.  No problem.  Yes, the Sherry InCalifornia is the page where I will be (if I am going to be on Facebook at all) most of the time, and that's where I will add all the Disney-related friends and Disney/SoCal photos from this point forward.  And I hate Twitter, so I doubt that anyone will ever see me tweeting anything there!


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## azdisneylover

Sherry E said:


> You know, I don't know how those occasional incorrect dates end up there. I assume you're talking about this section -- http://www.wdwinfo.com/disneyland/events.html#Halloween
> 
> I know that Tom Bell from DIS Unplugged doesn't add anything to the wdwinfo Disneyland section (date-wise) until it's confirmed, officially, by Disney. It could be that the website's system retains a certain date or weekday in its memory and then just automatically 'adjusts' it (for lack of a better word) to the date that it expects the event will happen in the following year. But I really have no clue. It is confusing, though!



That is exactly where I saw the information and I immediately searched out this thread to check out the information. When I saw there was a difference, I posted because I know many people do not know about this thread and search just the events page to get quick info. I do hope they will post some information for the holiday seasons soon so planning can be started by many. 

Your tireless efforts on keeping the holiday threads up to date and enjoyable are not overlooked and appreciated my many! Thank you very much.


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## dolphingirl47

I have sorted out my Halloween costumes for this year. I am hoping to go to Mickey's Halloween Party twice this year. For one I am hoping to convince a friend to join me and the other one I am going to do solo. I am going to dress up as Steampunk Princess for one and as Ursula for the other. I am now kind of hoping that the rumours that Mickey's Halloween Party will return to DCA will become true as I would love to ride the Ariel ride and the carousel dressed as Ursula.

Corinna


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## Sherry E

dolphingirl47 said:


> I have sorted out my Halloween costumes for this year. I am hoping to go to Mickey's Halloween Party twice this year. For one I am hoping to convince a friend to join me and the other one I am going to do solo. I am going to dress up as Steampunk Princess for one and as Ursula for the other. I am now kind of hoping that the rumours that Mickey's Halloween Party will return to DCA will become true as I would love to ride the Ariel ride and the carousel dressed as Ursula.
> 
> Corinna



I think that would be a lot of fun, *Corinna* (riding the Little Mermaid-related rides dressed as Ursula)!!

I would be thinking that the chances of MHP moving back to DCA are still strong _if_ the rumors were continuing to trickle out this year (from more people and more websites), or if there had been any recent whisperings among CMs in the parks, or any discussion, or anything.   I almost tend to think that it was an idea that was being tossed around by Disney last year, and maybe they decided it wouldn't work in 2015 and scrapped it.  

The strange thing is that there seems to be no talk of Halloween Time, Mickey's Halloween Party or how any of it would  be affected by the Diamond Celebration events at all.  And yet, the Disney people that spoke at the Q&A following the announcement about the 60th anniversary shows clearly said that by the time the holiday season comes around, the Diamond Celebration will still be happening and it will still be "60th all the time."  They completely glossed over Halloween Time -- and none of the people asking the questions seemed to ask about it either.  

So if the 60th stuff is still going strong by the time the holidays get here in November, as the Disney folks said it would be, I would have to assume it will still be going strong in Sept-Oct.  And if the number of nights that fireworks can run is limited in Sept-Oct, then it seems like the special, limited-run, 60th anniversary fireworks would take a big hit if they had to take a back seat to 14+ nights of Halloween Screams and the Halloween party, some of which will be Fridays and at least one Saturday.  And to include those new fireworks in an exclusive party makes no sense if the same fireworks are being offered on other nights outside of the party (not to mention the fact that they won't be Halloween-themed).

So I am very confused because nothing makes sense, no matter how I play out the assorted scenarios in my head!  Lol.


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## dolphingirl47

So do you think that they may actually scrap the Halloween parties for this year?

Corinna


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## Sherry E

dolphingirl47 said:


> So do you think that they may actually scrap the Halloween parties for this year?
> 
> Corinna



No, I think the parties are way too popular -- and Halloween Time as a season by itself would be too 'thin' without the parties.  There will be parties.

I think it's just a matter of where the parties will be held and for how many nights that is the main question.  If the 60th stuff is still supposed to be going strong, I don't know how it will all work but there will be a party of some sort.  It's just very weird that no one at the Q&A asked the Disney people about Halloween Time, nor did the Disney folks address Halloween Time when they said that the 60th stuff would still be happening during the holidays.


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## lorijohnhill

dolphingirl47 said:


> So do you think that they may actually scrap the Halloween parties for this year?
> 
> Corinna



Oh, I really hope that is not the case! I am so looking forward to going to one (or maybe even two) this year. I missed out on half of the party last year due to scooter issues and am really hoping to get the full experience this year.

Given the popularity of the parties, I find it difficult to believe that Disney would give up the parties because of the anniversary.


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## dolphingirl47

That is a relief. I did not think Disney would be inclined to turn away a guaranteed profit and the parties seem to be quite a nice money spinner for them.

Corinna


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## keishashadow

dolphingirl47 said:


> That is a relief. I did not think Disney would be inclined to turn away a guaranteed profit and the parties seem to be quite a nice money spinner for them.
> 
> Corinna



indeed, we cancelled our usual WDW MNSSHP portion of our "Halloween" trip to experience DL's festivities (admittedly, mostly interested in the HM overlay). 

Sadly, if the party is not offered, we would certainly think twice as to cancelling the trip this year & push the visit back to next year.

I realize that DL is often termed a locals' park and those on the west coast have to jump thru hoops to visit WDW.  However, if they want to entice people who would normally visit WDW that time frame but would like to try DL instead, they need to get their ducks in a row as to pinning down this year's Halloween events and how they will coincide with the anniversary celebration.  If they don't, then they likely will lose that market of potential guests.  It's a prime opportunity for them to promote the park to those who might be on the fence as to a DL trip in lieu of a WDW.  Really surprised they haven't run with this since many people tend to make plans far in advance for Disney parks and might be otherwise commited.


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## corinne76

We may not do a MHP afterall. Still watching this thread tho. I'm curious to see when (and where?) the parties will be held. We're not normally hopper people, so the parties will still greatly affect my planning


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## Sherry E

This is really right around the time when I start getting eager for any random morsels of news or rumors of Halloween Time or holiday stuff.  I think I need a few months at the beginning of the year to de-holiday-ize my mind, so I can start with a blank slate and a renewed sense of excitement for September through December at DLR.  After Easter passes (that's my last "fun" holiday until Halloween), the urgency for info really kicks in!

Of course, it doesn't help matters any when I see that tickets have already gone on sale for WDW's Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party and for Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party... in April.  WDW is so far ahead of the game when it comes to their special events and releasing details about those events early on.  That is one area where DLR seriously suffers.

The most we can hope is that, IF there were to be a major, significant announcement about the fate of Mickey's Halloween Party -- such as a relocation from DL to DCA -- we might get a Parks Blog about it as early as May (that's what happened in 2010, when the party moved from DCA to DL).  

Otherwise, if nothing major is changing on the MHP front, we will probably have to wait until late June or the very beginning of July before even getting a confirmation of when the MHP starts this year (will it be Friday, 9/25, or an earlier date such as 9/18?), let alone when tickets go on sale.

As keishashadow indicated above, this (the 60th anniversary year at DL) is a prime opportunity to lure people who may be contemplating a DLR trip instead of a WDW trip, and releasing as many details of holiday/seasonal activities early on can only be a good thing.


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## iKristin

I want to trick or treat dang it!!!


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## bcwife76

Don't the powers that be realize there are so many of us who like to plan MONTHS in advance because that is what keeps our world spinning?!!! Sheesh

teehee.....I just really want to know because I'm trying to plan out which restaurants I want to make ADR's at (again I wish they would let us do that more than 60 days out, too!) And trying to figure out if we'll do costumes for DH and I or just the kids. And other assorted details


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## Sherry E

It always seems as if the people who plan out the seasonal events for DLR assume that DL and DCA are "locals parks" and that the locals wouldn't/shouldn't/don't need or want to know dates and details early on in the year.  

Let's just assume that's true for the moment, and that the majority of year-round visitors are locals.  Is there any reason why locals shouldn't know or wouldn't want to know DLR's MHP dates, Halloween Time start and end dates and Holiday season start and end dates at the same time WDW's seasonal event dates come out?  That has never made sense to me.  Even if only locals are in the parks, there's no real reason to withhold dates and details -- especially when it is almost certain that Team Disney Anaheim/DLR knows exactly what is going to happen for the entire remainder of the year, and has already mapped everything out!

In many ways DLR tries to emulate WDW, and the DLR powers that be try to make DLR more of a vacation destination like WDW is ... but they certainly don't follow WDW's lead in this way at all!


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## iKristin

I wanna know the dates so I can figure out which day I wanna go so I can ask for the day off work (and the next morning for recovery lol)


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## keishashadow

Sherry E said:


> It always seems as if the people who plan out the seasonal events for DLR assume that DL and DCA are "locals parks" and that the locals wouldn't/shouldn't/don't need or want to know dates and details early on in the year.
> 
> *Let's just assume that's true for the moment, and that the majority of year-round visitors are locals*.  Is there any reason why locals shouldn't know or wouldn't want to know DLR's MHP dates, Halloween Time start and end dates and Holiday season start and end dates at the same time WDW's seasonal event dates come out?  That has never made sense to me.  Even if only locals are in the parks, there's no real reason to withhold dates and details -- especially when it is almost certain that Team Disney Anaheim/DLR knows exactly what is going to happen for the entire remainder of the year, and has already mapped everything out!
> 
> In many ways DLR tries to emulate WDW, and the DLR powers that be try to make DLR more of a vacation destination like WDW is ... but they certainly don't follow WDW's lead in this way at all!



Do you think in a way Disney is leveling the playing field for those who live locally (who might not start to get in the mind frame to plan a trip to the parks for a specific time frame more than 60 days prior)?  Otherwise they could run into backlash from angry locals who could be shut out by infrequent visitors who, accustomed to how the other park rolls, sit up until midnight or 1 am to make ADRs.


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## Sherry E

keishashadow said:


> Do you think in a way Disney is leveling the playing field for those who live locally (who might not start to get in the mind frame to plan a trip to the parks for a specific time frame more than 60 days prior)?  Otherwise they could run into backlash from angry locals who could be shut out by infrequent visitors who, accustomed to how the other park rolls, sit up until midnight or 1 am to make ADRs.



Most likely that's a large part of what is going on, but the end result is a poor compromise, that's for sure.  

Also, I suspect that Team Disney Anaheim just assumes that the majority of the locals/people who visit DLR more often aren't in a Halloween mindset way in advance, nor are they in a holiday season mindset way in advance.   Last year the Disney Parks Blog didn't even officially announce the start date of the holiday season -- which begins in November -- until September!!!!!!!!   In the past they had announced the date earlier than that, so I have no clue what the delay was about -- but waiting that long to announce holiday dates is not very conducive to long distance travelers planning in advance!  It's like Disney just assumes that no one really needs the DLR seasonal info ahead of time (like when WDW info is released), so they don't even bother with it.

But, as you said earlier, now -- of all years -- is a time to release dates and details early, when people who don't live locally will be considering flocking to DLR to experience all of the 60th anniversary fun.  For example, if a family that usually travels to WDW for their annual Christmas/Holiday season trip is now contemplating heading west in December for DLR's Diamond Celebration, they may want to also be assured that certain holiday season events/overlays/activities will be going on as well, i.e., Viva Navidad, Jingle Cruise, Olaf's Ice Rink in DTD, Jingle Jangle Jamboree, etc.

It seems like Disney is tiptoeing on the line between treating DLR as a vacation destination and treating it as a locals-based destination, and they haven't found a good happy medium yet (meaning a solution that would please both the infrequent visitors and the locals).


​

What's sad is that, more than likely, the dates for all of the other really popular Southern California Halloween season events -- Knott's Scary Farm/Halloween Haunt; Queen Mary's Dark Harbor; Universal Studios Hollywood's Halloween Horror Nights; the Los Angeles Haunted Hayride;  Six Flags Magic Mountain's Fright Fest, etc. -- will be announced before we ever get the dates for Mickey's Halloween Party.  Without going back and looking it up, I _think_ that the dates for all of those events were released before the MHP dates came out in 2014.  I know that I was already amusing myself by reading the colorful, vivid descriptions of the Los Angeles Haunted Hayride's Echoes from the Rift 2014 event before I knew what was happening at Disneyland.

But, again, the Disney Parks Blog -- for some wacky reason -- thought that people didn't need to know 2014 holiday season dates (and people often treat their holiday trips as a big deal, as those may be the only trips they take all year) until September, even though the season was starting in November!  So, when I take that into consideration I suppose it doesn't seem too shocking that they would wait until June or July to start giving us morsels of Halloween Time/Halloween party info, when the season will begin in September.

The good news is, I don't think that Disney can wait any longer than July to reveal info and put party tickets on sale, so we know that in 3 months we will definitely know something, if not sooner.  I could be misremembering this, but to the best of my recollection I don't _think_ the Halloween party tickets have gone on sale in August since back in the days when the party was still held at DCA and didn't begin until early October.  I think that when the party moved to DL in 2010, the tickets went on sale earlier because the party started slightly earlier (late September).


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## Drnifer

I agree totally! We're going to WDW in Sept. and want to make a quick trip to DL for the 60th festivities. Our choices are the end of October or mid December. Last year we were at DL for Halloweentime and really enjoyed it compared to the WDW version, although we missed Fantasmic and the fireworks since we weren't there on a weekend. I'd really like to know what's going to happen regarding the Halloween parties so I can choose a date. Without a Halloween party or Halloween fireworks, December is more appealing.


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## Sherry E

This is not specifically Halloween Time-related (at least not yet -- maybe some of the daily prizes might include Fast Passes for Haunted Mansion Holiday or Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy or something, but we won't find out about that for a while), but it's something to make your Halloween Time trips to Disneyland Resort a little sweeter.   (Unless an online angle to this sweepstakes is eventually announced, right now it appears that all winners will be people on the DLR premises -- so that could be in Downtown Disney, or in the Esplanade, or at one of the hotels, etc.)

Here is a Disney Parks Blog about the new Diamond Days sweepstakes (it's kind of along the lines of the Year of a Million Dreams giveaways back in 2007 and 2008): 

 *"Disneyland Diamond Days Sweepstakes to Give Away Dazzling Prizes During Disneyland Resort Diamond Celebration" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on April 14th, 2015 by Erin Glover, Social Media Director, Disneyland Resort*

So far there is no end date for this promo.  Erin of the Parks Blog said in her replies that the Diamond Days sweepstakes "...will run throughout the Disneyland Resort Diamond Celebration," so it will likely go on for the rest of the year in some capacity -- and that includes Halloween Time!   

The Diamond Days sweepstakes begins on May 22nd, to be exact, when the 60th Anniversary celebration begins 

​
From Disneyland News (it's a press release site for media, and the releases often have a lot of the same verbiage and info that the Parks Blogs have, but occasionally -- if you read closely -- you will find extra little details and nuggets o' info in the press releases that the Parks Blog does not disclose until later.  For example, it was through Disneyland News that I first learned about the gingerbread house in the GCH lobby last year -- not from the Parks Blog):


 *"Disneyland Diamond Days Sweepstakes Will Give Away Diamonds, Stays in the Disneyland Dream Suite and Daily Prizes During Dazzling Diamond Celebration" -- Disneyland News; posted on April 14th, 2015*


 *"Unique Dining, Shopping and Interactive Street Entertainment Add to the Fun of Disneyland Resort Diamond Celebration"-- Disneyland News; posted on April 14th, 2015*


 *"Disneyland Resort Diamond Celebration Adds Disneyland Diamond Days Sweepstakes and Dazzling, New Nighttime Spectaculars Beginning May 22"-- Disneyland News; posted on April 14th, 2015*

​


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## iKristin

Mmk so I need to visit every single day to try and win something lol


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## Sherry E

iKristin said:


> Mmk so I need to visit every single day to try and win something lol



Yep!

Apparently we all have to just hang out somewhere on DLR property to have a chance to win something, and we have to do it every day!  Lol.  I didn't get a single Year of a Million Dreams prize until December of 2008!  The giveaway was almost over by the time I won something.


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## kaoden39

Hi everybody!
Sherry, I decided to jump in with both feed. We'll be going on our first trip to DLR during the time of Halloween decorations. I'm really hoping to at least see some of them. We are going to be there 9/13-9/19, so who knows we may be there too early for it anyway.


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## Sherry E

kaoden39 said:


> Hi everybody!
> Sherry, I decided to jump in with both feed. We'll be going on our first trip to DLR during the time of Halloween decorations. I'm really hoping to at least see some of them. We are going to be there 9/13-9/19, so who knows we may be there too early for it anyway.



Hi, *Michele*! 

I'm glad you joined us! 

That's great that you will finally be experiencing Halloween Time!   Your last trip was your end-of-the-holiday-season trip, wasn't it?  Or did you go to DLR again after that and I am blanking out on it?  I remember that you were supposed to do the Diva trip and then couldn't make it.

In any case, although we don't really know what is happening with Halloween Time and how much of a production it will be this year (due to all of the 60th anniversary events), I think that you will see whatever Halloween decorations there are to be seen in Disneyland during your trip, and that would probably include all of this fun:

http://www.disboards.com/threads/ha...ut-halloween-time-2015.3270919/#post-51326955

http://www.disboards.com/threads/ha...ut-halloween-time-2015.3270919/#post-51326963

http://www.disboards.com/threads/ha...ut-halloween-time-2015.3270919/#post-51326968

I tend to wonder how decked out Main Street will be (with the 300+ pumpkins in the Pumpkin Festival) if there are all kinds of Diamond Celebration decorations around.  Halloween Time really needs the decorations on Main Street and in Frontierland, though, so I really hope Disney doesn't skimp on them in September and October.  So far, there are no rumors to indicate that California Adventure is getting any kind of Halloween decorations package, so I wouldn't expect to see too much in the way of Halloween in that park at this point in time (unless they surprise us).

Halloween Time -- whatever there is of the general seasonal décor, treats and merchandise -- should be in full swing by the time your trip begins, including Haunted Mansion Holiday, Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy and the Halloween Carnival.  The thing that you might, possibly, miss out on is Mickey's Halloween Party.  There have been rumors that MHP could start earlier in September than it usually starts, in which case you'd be in luck.  However, as you know, Disney is notoriously slow in releasing dates and info about Halloween Time or the holidays, so IF MHP is extended this year we may not find out about it for another 3 months!

Another thing you should be prepared for is that it will likely be extremely hot in September.  While I have been to DLR in September and encountered heavy rain and/or overcast skies and temperatures in the 70s, September has also been unbearably hot at times, reaching well over 100 degrees.  More often than not it seems to be very hot -- and the sun is so harsh at that time of year.  So, be prepared with whatever tools you use to stay comfortable in super hot weather, just in case!


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## kaoden39

Hi Sherry!

Our last trip was in January of last year. I'm feeling the pull. The girls and I are doing the trip just the three of us. One of the main reasons we are going is to do Dapper Day. So, we will be dressing up for that. If we don't have MHP we'll be okay. Especially since we are adults. What's fun is the planning going into the outfits we're wearing. Unfortunately I see the problems with the decorations for the Diamond Celebration and Halloween. Maybe they can just transfer all the Halloween to DCA. I can see some cute ideas for decorating it. I can just see a vampire Mater.  Who knows? I know that no matter what Disney decides I will love it.


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## tiffjoy

Joining in on the fun!  We have APs this year and plan to go for a weekend every month after August.  So I am thinking if they start early this year, we might see Halloween decorations twice.  We have been once before to a Halloween party, a few years back.  It was very crowded, but fun.  I'm hoping they will hold some on Friday nights so we could go to one. I'm also interested in seeing if they stay at DL or transfer it to DCA because of the anniversary stuff.  I'd kinda like it to go to DCA because that could be fun to have something totally new and different.


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## Mommy2PrincessAbby

Dd and I won yomd ear hats on Snow White on the last day of our visit that year... Totally made my trip!  Maybe we'll get lucky again this October!


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## lorijohnhill

I'm working on creating my autograph book for our Sept/Oct trip (which I am hoping will include two MHPs). Would any of you guys that went last year please list the villains and/or unique characters that were out and about last year? We were only able to stay for part of the party and didn't get to see any of the villains or unique characters.

I like to err on the side of too many characters in my book. I just love how excited they get when they see that they have their own page. On our recent trip the Easter Bunny spent a good minute hopping up and down in excitement and hugging the book. It was so much fun to see!


----------



## Sherry E

kaoden39 said:


> Hi Sherry!
> 
> Our last trip was in January of last year. I'm feeling the pull. The girls and I are doing the trip just the three of us. One of the main reasons we are going is to do Dapper Day. So, we will be dressing up for that. If we don't have MHP we'll be okay. Especially since we are adults. What's fun is the planning going into the outfits we're wearing. Unfortunately I see the problems with the decorations for the Diamond Celebration and Halloween. Maybe they can just transfer all the Halloween to DCA. I can see some cute ideas for decorating it. I can just see a vampire Mater.  Who knows? I know that no matter what Disney decides I will love it.



I suspect that there has been some discussion behind the scenes about putting Halloween décor back into DCA, but I don't know if it will happen this year.  It should be this year, of all years, but I don't know if it will.   I think a Vampire Mater would be adorable, and I think that Cars Land would be a great place to put some creative and clever Halloween décor.




tiffjoy said:


> Joining in on the fun!  We have APs this year and plan to go for a weekend every month after August.  So I am thinking if they start early this year, we might see Halloween decorations twice.  We have been once before to a Halloween party, a few years back.  It was very crowded, but fun.  I'm hoping they will hold some on Friday nights so we could go to one. I'm also interested in seeing if they stay at DL or transfer it to DCA because of the anniversary stuff.  I'd kinda like it to go to DCA because that could be fun to have something totally new and different.



Welcome, tiffjoy!

How early are you planning to go in September?  The Halloween decor begins to go up in the week leading up to the start of Halloween Time, so there will probably be pumpkins popping up a few days after Labor Day, assuming that the start of the season is somewhere in the range of 9/10-9/14.  Labor Day is late this year, though, and I don't know if Disney would start the season just 4 days after Labor Day -- on September 11th (a horrible day in history), no less.   And yet, I think that starting the season on Friday, 9/18 may be too late.  So my guess is that the season will start on another day that is not a Friday -- like maybe 9/12, 9/14 or 9/15.

You will probably get to enjoy the Halloween Time fun in both September and October, but depending on when the party begins you may not experience that part of it until October.   

I think that there will be Friday parties from whenever MHP starts in September and all through October.  Every Friday night should have a party once MHP begins.   There will also be other nights thrown in -- probably a total of at least 14 nights again, but possibly many more.

I really liked the party back when it was held in DCA, even though I think the locations for the treat trails are more interesting in Disneyland.  The thing is, back then (2005 - 2009), it was perfectly acceptable to have a Halloween party in DCA without any real Halloween ride overlays or Halloween nighttime spectaculars.  The characters, the decorations, the shorter lines for rides and the treats seemed to be enough for everyone, and DCA really needed the extra attendance.  Plus, it was easy to close DCA early back then, get everyone out of the park, and then reopen it for the party guests.

The problem is that now that people have gotten used to 5 years of the party being held in Disneyland, complete with Halloween Screams fireworks and the Cavalcade, it will probably be tough for Disney to go back to holding the party in DCA -- unless they plan to decorate DCA for Halloween once again, and add some sort of nighttime Halloween event....and also lower the ticket price!  I would love to see the party return to DCA, but it may be a tough sell to just go back to treat trails and characters and not much else.

This would be a really good year to switch the party location, though.  A perfect year, really.  I just have not heard any recent rumors (nothing new in 2015, in other words) about DCA getting Halloween-ified this year, and it seems like that kind of info would leak out.  They could shock us all, though!




lorijohnhill said:


> I'm working on creating my autograph book for our Sept/Oct trip (which I am hoping will include two MHPs). Would any of you guys that went last year please list the villains and/or unique characters that were out and about last year? We were only able to stay for part of the party and didn't get to see any of the villains or unique characters.
> 
> I like to err on the side of too many characters in my book. I just love how excited they get when they see that they have their own page. On our recent trip the Easter Bunny spent a good minute hopping up and down in excitement and hugging the book. It was so much fun to see!



This may help some -- scroll down to Question #14 and the list of characters that were at MHP last year are listed -- http://www.disboards.com/threads/ha...ut-halloween-time-2015.3270919/#post-51326916


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## lorijohnhill

Sherry, you are the best! I don't know how you keep so much info in your memory banks. I am so impressed!


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## tiffjoy

Sherry E said:


> Welcome, tiffjoy!
> 
> How early are you planning to go in September?  The Halloween decor begins to go up in the week leading up to the start of Halloween Time, so there will probably be pumpkins popping up a few days after Labor Day, assuming that the start of the season is somewhere in the range of 9/10-9/14.  Labor Day is late this year, though, and I don't know if Disney would start the season just 4 days after Labor Day -- on September 11th (a horrible day in history), no less.   And yet, I think that starting the season on Friday, 9/18 may be too late.  So my guess is that the season will start on another day that is not a Friday -- like maybe 9/12, 9/14 or 9/15.
> 
> You will probably get to enjoy the Halloween Time fun in both September and October, but depending on when the party begins you may not experience that part of it until October.
> 
> I think that there will be Friday parties from whenever MHP starts in September and all through October.  Every Friday night should have a party once MHP begins.   There will also be other nights thrown in -- probably a total of at least 14 nights again, but possibly many more.
> 
> I really liked the party back when it was held in DCA, even though I think the locations for the treat trails are more interesting in Disneyland.  The thing is, back then (2005 - 2009), it was perfectly acceptable to have a Halloween party in DCA without any real Halloween ride overlays or Halloween nighttime spectaculars.  The characters, the decorations, the shorter lines for rides and the treats seemed to be enough for everyone, and DCA really needed the extra attendance.  Plus, it was easy to close DCA early back then, get everyone out of the park, and then reopen it for the party guests.
> 
> The problem is that now that people have gotten used to 5 years of the party being held in Disneyland, complete with Halloween Screams fireworks and the Cavalcade, it will probably be tough for Disney to go back to holding the party in DCA -- unless they plan to decorate DCA for Halloween once again, and add some sort of nighttime Halloween event....and also lower the ticket price!  I would love to see the party return to DCA, but it may be a tough sell to just go back to treat trails and characters and not much else.
> 
> This would be a really good year to switch the party location, though.  A perfect year, really.  I just have not heard any recent rumors (nothing new in 2015, in other words) about DCA getting Halloween-ified this year, and it seems like that kind of info would leak out.  They could shock us all, though!


 

Thank you for all this info!  We haven't decided on an exact weekend for September yet, although I'm going to book a hotel sometime in the next couple months for that and our October trip.  It would either be the second or third weekend.

I do wish that DLR would share info sooner like WDW does.  I don't get why they think locals or AP holders don't want to plan things out.  And especially people who need to travel further want to plan.


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## jammyjam25

Sherry E said:


> I suspect that there has been some discussion behind the scenes about putting Halloween décor back into DCA, but I don't know if it will happen this year.  It should be this year, of all years, but I don't know if it will.   I think a Vampire Mater would be adorable, and I think that Cars Land would be a great place to put some creative and clever Halloween décor.



I'm thinking Mater and the Ghostlight could be a really cute Halloween-time incorporation into Carsland!


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## Abbey1

How crazy are the crowds the week of Halloween? We'll be in San Diego through October 25th we're planning on heading to DL for (hopefully) Mickey's Halloween Party on Monday night and then maybe a full day at the park on Tuesday. We've only been during low-crowd level times, so I am wondering how Halloween week compares. Also, anything not to miss for Halloweentime? We've never been in October- so exciting!


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## iKristin

I still don't consider October to be a busy visiting time aside from the parties. It's still considered off season


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## princesszelda

Count us in! We will be going just for our Anniversary which Halloween! I think we may do the Halloween tour and the party.


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## Sherry E

Abbey1 said:


> How crazy are the crowds the week of Halloween? We'll be in San Diego through October 25th we're planning on heading to DL for (hopefully) Mickey's Halloween Party on Monday night and then maybe a full day at the park on Tuesday. We've only been during low-crowd level times, so I am wondering how Halloween week compares. Also, anything not to miss for Halloweentime? We've never been in October- so exciting!



*Hi, Abbey1*  -- 

Chances are, during the week leading up to Halloween there will probably be at least 2 parties -- maybe more -- and then a party on Halloween night.

Kristin is right in that October is still considered off-peak season by Disney.  Disney doesn't count as many bodies in the parks in September and October as they do during peak times.   But it's not necessarily considered off-peak by the visitors who are there among the crowds.  Disney considers summer and the holiday season to be the peak seasons, as well as a time like spring break.  So any other time of the year between those peak timeframes is prone to refurbishments, closures, shorter hours, etc. -- and that would include most of September and October.

However, the Halloween Time season in general has grown in popularity over the years.  Many, many people report that they find October to be very busy or much busier than it used to be in the good old days.  Some have even said that they wouldn't go back during October because it's too crowded.

That said, I don't think that you will run into low crowds, but you also won't run into insanely ridiculous crowds.   In other words, the parks will not be empty, but I think they will probably be tolerable and manageable, especially very early in that specific week when you will be there.  The closer it gets to Halloween, the busier the parks will get -- especially if there are multiple parties that week.

Needless to say, this year's 60th anniversary festivities are the wild card, and we don't know how the crowds over the rest of the year will be impacted.  I would guess that there would be some sort of an overall increase in crowds for the rest of 2015 because it is expected that the 60th anniversary events will be a 'limited time only' sort of thing, but the crowds will probably still be tolerable and manageable during the times when they are normally tolerable and manageable.

As for what not to miss, assuming that nothing Halloween-ish is happening in California Adventure, Disneyland will be the main hub of Halloween activity.    

http://www.disboards.com/threads/ha...ut-halloween-time-2015.3270919/#post-51326923


In Disneyland you will find:

-- The Happiest Haunts tour 

http://www.laughingplace.com/w/articles/2014/09/18/happiest-haunts-disneyland-tour-review/


-- Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy in Tomorrowland

-- Haunted Mansion Holiday in New Orleans Square 

-- The Dia de los Muertos display in Frontierland

-- The Ray Bradbury Halloween Tree in Frontierland

http://www.disboards.com/threads/ha...ut-halloween-time-2015.3270919/#post-51326963


-- The Halloween Carnival and Round-up in the Big Thunder Ranch area of Frontierland (and there you will find pumpkin carvers, Villains, characters in Halloween attire, Halloween games and crafts, entertainment, a fortuneteller, goats in Halloween scarves at the petting zoo, etc.)

http://www.disboards.com/threads/ha...ut-halloween-time-2015.3270919/#post-51326955


-- The Main Street Pumpkin Festival (featuring over 300 artificial pumpkins displayed in windows, on balconies, on awnings, etc., along Main Street)

http://www.disboards.com/threads/ha...ut-halloween-time-2015.3270919/#post-51326968


-- Seasonal foods (both sweet and savory) - 

http://www.disboards.com/threads/ha...oween-time-2015.3270919/page-52#post-52040420 

http://www.disboards.com/threads/ha...ut-halloween-time-2015.3270919/#post-51326928



Of course, Mickey's Halloween Party is held in Disneyland -- barring any changes in the location this year, due to the 60th anniversary -- and features some extra decorations, enhancements and eerie effects, even more Villains, characters in Halloween attire, the Cadaver Dans (the "spooky" version of the Dapper Dans), Halloween Screams fireworks, a mini-parade/Cavalcade and lots and lots of candy to be collected at the assorted treat stations and trails around the park.  

More info here:  

http://www.disboards.com/threads/ha...ut-halloween-time-2015.3270919/#post-51326916

http://www.disboards.com/threads/ha...oween-time-2015.3270919/page-70#post-52201459


​


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## Abbey1

Sherry E - You are awesome! Thanks for all the info. I am getting ridiculously excited!


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## iKristin

I love Halloween time  It's my favorite time of the year at the park. I highly recommend everyone go at least once


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## Sherry E

Abbey1 said:


> Sherry E - You are awesome! Thanks for all the info. I am getting ridiculously excited!



You're very welcome!  Summer hasn't even begun yet, and I'm already ready to fast forward to fall so we can get to the Halloween Time fun.  I'll be happy when July rolls around -- only because that's when the first signs of autumn/Halloween décor and merchandise will begin creeping into random stores (like Costco and various art supply stores), so it will seem like the Halloween season is not too far away!   The Pumpkin Pandemonium starts slowly, appearing little by little on store shelves, and then in August the Halloween stuff starts showing up much more rapidly.   And then, in September, Halloween Time will begin at Disneyland.  So I always think that once I get to July, the rest of the year will be one big celebration!



iKristin said:


> I love Halloween time  It's my favorite time of the year at the park. I highly recommend everyone go at least once



I agree that I think everyone should experience Halloween Time at least once.   It's a good family-friendly alternative to all of the other Halloween offerings around SoCal.   I just wish that Disney would do more with the season to include both parks.  It feels very lopsided the way it has been for the last several years.  But I love the Halloween Time and Holiday seasons, and I can't think of a better way to finish off the last 4 months of the year than by celebrating those two seasons at DLR!!


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## mom2rtk

Sherry E said:


> You're very welcome!  Summer hasn't even begun yet, and I'm already ready to fast forward to fall so we can get to the Halloween Time fun.  I'll be happy when July rolls around -- only because that's when the first signs of autumn/Halloween décor and merchandise will begin creeping into random stores (like Costco and various art supply stores), so it will seem like the Halloween season is not too far away!   The Pumpkin Pandemonium starts slowly, appearing little by little on store shelves, and then in August the Halloween stuff starts showing up much more rapidly.   And then, in September, Halloween Time will begin at Disneyland.  So I always think that once I get to July, the rest of the year will be one big celebration!
> 
> 
> 
> I agree that I think everyone should experience Halloween Time at least once.   It's a good family-friendly alternative to all of the other Halloween offerings around SoCal.   I just wish that Disney would do more with the season to include both parks.  It feels very lopsided the way it has been for the last several years.  But I love Halloween Time and the Holiday seasons, and I can't think of a better way to finish off the last 4 months of the year than by celebrating those two seasons at DLR!!


 

We are really leaning more heavily toward Halloweentime this year. It just seems time to mark this one off my Disney "to do" list. The one thing that might throw a monkey wrench into my plans would be if they opted to add a hard ticket Christmas party this year. I'm hoping they don't so we can keep this an easy decision. I tried for a bit to find a way to take  2 short trips, but I just think it would be too much travel without enough payoff. I think I'll have to pick one or the other and go with it.


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## dolphingirl47

Sherry E said:


> I agree that I think everyone should experience Halloween Time at least once.



The trouble is that it is unlikely to stay once. I have been desperate to come back during the Halloween season ever since I experienced it in 2011. I still can't quite believe that this year will be the year for this to happen.

Corinna


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## Sherry E

mom2rtk said:


> We are really leaning more heavily toward Halloweentime this year. It just seems time to mark this one off my Disney "to do" list. The one thing that might throw a monkey wrench into my plans would be if they opted to add a hard ticket Christmas party this year. I'm hoping they don't so we can keep this an easy decision. I tried for a bit to find a way to take  2 short trips, but I just think it would be too much travel without enough payoff. I think I'll have to pick one or the other and go with it.



That sounds like a good plan.  And you know, even if there were to be a hard ticket Christmas party for some reason, Disney probably wouldn't let us know about it until December 1st anyway.   

Seriously, though, you've experienced DLR's holiday season for the last two years -- and short of possibly missing the return of the Christmas star to the top of the Matterhorn this year, you probably won't miss too much if you go for Halloween Time instead.  So it's probably a great time to experience Halloween Time and MHP (wherever it ends up happening).


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## mom2rtk

Sherry E said:


> That sounds like a good plan.  And you know, even if there were to be a hard ticket Christmas party for some reason, Disney probably wouldn't let us know about it until December 1st anyway.
> 
> Seriously, though, you've experienced DLR's holiday season for the last two years -- and short of possibly missing the return of the Christmas star to the top of the Matterhorn this year, you probably won't miss too much if you go for Halloween Time instead.  So it's probably a great time to experience Halloween Time and MHP (wherever it ends up happening).


 

OK, I actually just laughed out loud at that. 

Remember how hard it was for me to adjust to later planning on the DL side of things? Well, I'm adjusting and actually starting to embrace that side of it. But still, it was hard to watch Christmas and Halloween party tickets go on sale in the past week on the WDW side of things. I'm really hoping for something a teensy bit earlier than December! LOL. Maybe November? 

I'm really glad we saw the Christmas parade 4 times over the past 2 years. I feel like we've done that thoroughly and now look forward to embracing a new season. Although the thought of experiencing the debut of a new hard ticket event would still call my name......... 

It wouldn't be right if I wasn't conflicted about something, right? 

The good part is that we never experienced the party in DL. So if it moves, it won't feel like a lesser event to us.


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## Sherry E

mom2rtk said:


> OK, I actually just laughed out loud at that.
> 
> Remember how hard it was for me to adjust to later planning on the DL side of things? Well, I'm adjusting and actually starting to embrace that side of it. But still, it was hard to watch Christmas and Halloween party tickets go on sale in the past week on the WDW side of things. I'm really hoping for something a teensy bit earlier than December! LOL. Maybe November?
> 
> I'm really glad we saw the Christmas parade 4 times over the past 2 years. I feel like we've done that thoroughly and now look forward to embracing a new season. Although the thought of experiencing the debut of a new hard ticket event would still call my name.........
> 
> It wouldn't be right if I wasn't conflicted about something, right?
> 
> The good part is that we never experienced the party in DL. So if it moves, it won't feel like a lesser event to us.




Very true.

I still can't figure out why Disney assumes that no one -- not even the locals -- wants to know details and dates well in advance, but that seems to be the case.  I couldn't believe it when I saw that the Halloween and Christmas party tickets had gone on sale for WDW, and yet I know it happens every year.  They are way ahead of us in terms of lining up their special events.  Their Candlelight narrators should be announced very soon, too, shouldn't they?  Whereas our CP narrators are kept a mystery because Disney doesn't want to draw attention to the fact that there is a CP at DL before it happens.  

I guess the question is, if you go forward with planning to visit for Halloween Time and set the planning wheels in motion, how late would be too late to suddenly change the trip to a holiday trip if some big 'holiday season event news' were to come out?  In other words, is there a month at which point it would be too late to switch from Halloween to Christmas if we were to find out about some sort of party?  Or would you be more inclined to keep the Halloween trip plan and then just try to squeeze in a short holiday season trip?


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## lorijohnhill

I was talking on the phone with a CM about a DVA question. You can use it to pay for room only at WDW but not at DLR. I said it was as if Disneyland was the "red-headed step-child" and he got quite a laugh out of that. We both agreed that it made no sense seeing as how Disneyland is where it all began!


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## mom2rtk

Sherry E said:


> Very true.
> 
> I still can't figure out why Disney assumes that no one -- not even the locals -- wants to know details and dates well in advance, but that seems to be the case.  I couldn't believe it when I saw that the Halloween and Christmas party tickets had gone on sale for WDW, and yet I know it happens every year.  They are way ahead of us in terms of lining up their special events.  Their Candlelight narrators should be announced very soon, too, shouldn't they?  Whereas our CP narrators are kept a mystery because Disney doesn't want to draw attention to the fact that there is a CP at DL before it happens.
> 
> I guess the question is, if you go forward with planning to visit for Halloween Time and set the planning wheels in motion, how late would be too late to suddenly change the trip to a holiday trip if some big 'holiday season event news' were to come out?  In other words, is there a month at which point it would be too late to switch from Halloween to Christmas if we were to find out about some sort of party?  Or would you be more inclined to keep the Halloween trip plan and then just try to squeeze in a short holiday season trip?


 

For me the point of no return will be when I make the Halloweenified princess gown Katie and I have been kicking around for several years. Once I cut fabric, I will be fully committed! (Or ready to BE committed! )

I jest. A little........

I think any hotel reservation we make could be changed. And we usually fly Southwest, and those tickets can be changed without penalty. Maybe I NEED something to pin me down! 

I don't think the CP narrators at WDW are announced until summer, maybe late July? And even then there are usually some holes in the lineup while they are waiting for the stars to commit. I suppose it's possible even some celebrities don't like to plan as far ahead as WDW does!

I would love to try and squeeze in 2 holiday trips. But we can't do Halloween until the very last week because I think Katie will be playing volleyball and won't finish up until just before then. And since she's starting high school I don't want her to miss any days late in the semester, so December is out. So that leaves only November if we want to do Christmas. I doubt I can sell anyone here on two trips 2 weeks apart!


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## lorijohnhill

mom2rtk said:


> I doubt I can sell anyone here on two trips 2 weeks apart!



What about one really long trip???


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## mom2rtk

lorijohnhill said:


> What about one really long trip???


 

I do like your thinking! 

But I'm pushing my luck already. She has one day off already that last week of October so she'd miss 4 days of school. Anything more and she'd have too big a battle catching up when we get back.


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## lorijohnhill

Yeah, I tell ya', life does have a way of getting in the way of Disney plans.


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## mom2rtk

lorijohnhill said:


> Yeah, I tell ya', life does have a way of getting in the way of Disney plans.


 

Precisely!


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## iKristin

I've only experienced Christmas at Disneyland once, so I'm super happy to be able to go whenever I want now and go this year!! My birthday is during the Christmas time so I really want to go for my birthday for once. Halloween is still my favorite though  But it's also my favorite time of year and my favorite holiday!


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## Mommy2PrincessAbby

Just checked my Alaska flights on a whim... And they changed the times--and for once it worked out in my favor!  We now arrive at SNA 30 minutes earlier on 10/25 (9 am now) and leave two hours later on 10/29 (3:10 pm now)!  Now I can really justify that last day park hopper.  I was struggling with doing a 5 day when our flight left at 1 pm.  Knowing we would only have maybe 8-10 am in the park that morning... Now we have till lunch time! Whoot whoot!


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## TLPL

I have a question  but I am afraid you guys might flame me:
What is it so special about this Halloween party? Seriously I would like to know if it worth going. 
The reason I asked is that we are planning a trip to Disneyland Resort at the beginning of October.  We will be staying on site for 4 nights. I am trying to decide which ticket to get for my trip.  I understand the per day cost would be cheaper if I purchase a 4 or 5 day pass and the Halloween party is a separate ticket event. If I decide to go to the party I will need to buy the party ticket on top of the regular multi day tickets.  I am trying to figure out if it worth the extra money.  
What do you get for the extra party ticket that you can't get during the regular non party park time?  
Please help me decide if it worth the extra money or should I use it for some other experience during my trip.  

Thanks


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## Mommy2PrincessAbby

We've done two parties, and I know Halloweentime has gotten a lot busier.  But what we like about the parties is the decor, relatively short ride lines (especially early when everyone is hoarding candy), the uniqueness of trick or treating in Disneyland (which we do later after the candy lines have died down), we even like the meet and greets... But we don't go stand in long lines for those, we kinda wander and if a line is short we'll hop in it lol

Depending on when a party hits for us, we will probably do the parks in the morning, go back for a nap and get cleaned up and then the party that night... So we will need a day ticket as well.  Others use that day as a sleep in, do the pools etc hotel day, and then hit the party as soon as it opens that night.


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## Sherry E

TLPL said:


> I have a question  but I am afraid you guys might flame me:
> What is it so special about this Halloween party? Seriously I would like to know if it worth going.
> The reason I asked is that we are planning a trip to Disneyland Resort at the beginning of October.  We will be staying on site for 4 nights. I am trying to decide which ticket to get for my trip.  I understand the per day cost would be cheaper if I purchase a 4 or 5 day pass and the Halloween party is a separate ticket event. If I decide to go to the party I will need to buy the party ticket on top of the regular multi day tickets.  I am trying to figure out if it worth the extra money.
> What do you get for the extra party ticket that you can't get during the regular non party park time?
> Please help me decide if it worth the extra money or should I use it for some other experience during my trip.
> 
> Thanks



*TLPL --*

Oh goodness, no -- we won't flame you!  If you've skimmed through any of the pages of this thread you will see that we are friendly people.    This is not a 'flaming kind of thread.'   We're here to help, and to give useful information.   I have been managing this Halloween Time Superthread (starting with the original version of it) for years now, and although I encourage people to visit for Halloween Time I have always been vocal about the season's strengths and weaknesses, as well as whether or not I think Mickey's Halloween Party is worth the cost.  I will always give an honest opinion, but that opinion could change over time.

I will start by saying that I enjoy Mickey's Halloween Party.  I think it's fun.  I like the interesting treat trails around Disneyland.  I like the eerie nighttime effects (such as the projections and lighting on the Castle) and extra decorations that go up in a few places.  I like the crazy costumes that many of the guests wear.  I like the special photo spots with characters (some of whom don't appear anywhere outside of the party).  I like the Halloween Screams fireworks (a party exclusive).  It's just an overall good time.  

What I don't like about the party is that the tickets keep getting more expensive even though nothing new is really being added in to the roster of party-specific entertainment, but I guess that is typical.  I also don't like that the party feels more crowded than it should for a hard ticket, exclusive event.  I think that Disney oversells the tickets and it shouldn't feel as crowded.

I think the issue is that Mickey's Halloween Party has become almost necessary to be able to fully enjoy Halloween Time at Disneyland.  Disneyland Resort has scaled back its Halloween décor quite a bit from what it once was.  California Adventure has been almost completely lacking in Halloween décor since 2010, and feels very detached from the season.  There are generally no noteworthy, annual, Halloween-specific events or decorations to be found at any of the hotels or even in Downtown Disney (unlike at WDW, where some of the resort CMs get involved in a pumpkin carving contest).  Disneyland park pretty much has the bulk of all things Halloween, and even then, the decorations are primarily concentrated on Main Street and in Frontierland, though you will find Haunted Mansion Holiday in New Orleans Square and Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy in Tomorrowland.  The rest of Disneyland doesn't feel very Halloween-ish to me, honestly.  

Personally, I can go to the park, skip the actual party and still have a good day of Halloween Time fun, while still thinking that Disney should increase the Halloween Time offerings around the whole resort.  Other people -- like, perhaps, those who have never been to Disneyland for Halloween Time -- may find that, outside of the party and the 2 ride overlays, the offerings are a little thin.  And they wouldn't be incorrect about that.  The Halloween Carnival in Frontierland is a great place with a lot of things going on (including incredible pumpkin carvers), but it is one location -- and it's a location that a lot of people never even visit because it's out of their way.

So I think that the Halloween party itself becomes more integral to the Halloween season simply because it 'fills in the gaps,' I guess you could say.  It kind of completes the whole Halloween picture and makes Halloween Time at DLR a more fully-fleshed out season.  I don't need to do Mickey's Halloween Party every year -- I can skip it here and there -- but other people go every year and love it.  It's worth it for me... sometimes, but not always.   Some people will feel the ticket price is worth it, and some will not.

This post that will tell you all about Mickey's Halloween Party, and if click the link near the top of the post to read reviews -- from first-timers and veterans -- of the party you will find out what kinds of experiences were had: http://www.disboards.com/threads/ha...ut-halloween-time-2015.3270919/#post-51326916

​


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## HopLow1968

I haven't been to the Park in 20 years (excited to go again soon!), but one thing I remember from the halloween party I went to way back when was that they had a ton of smoke machines going at night along the river front in NOS.  So much so that at times you could almost think you were in a Victorian London scene (ok, maybe it was just the thick "fog" and the lamp-posts).  I haven't heard anybody mention whether Disneyland uses smoke machines during MHP.  Seems like a good relatively cheap way to add to the ambience.


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## lorijohnhill

We loved the Halloween Carnival, though you don't need party tickets to experience it during the day. The pre-party was really fun. Only ticket holders can enter and the characters had different costumes than they wore during the day.


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## Sherry E

HopLow1968 said:


> I haven't been to the Park in 20 years (excited to go again soon!), but one thing I remember from the halloween party I went to way back when was that they had a ton of smoke machines going at night along the river front in NOS.  So much so that at times you could almost think you were in a Victorian London scene (ok, maybe it was just the thick "fog" and the lamp-posts).  I haven't heard anybody mention whether Disneyland uses smoke machines during MHP.  Seems like a good relatively cheap way to add to the ambience.



My goodness!  You have a lot of catching up to do at Disneyland after all that time away!  A lot of things will seem familiar, and a lot of things will seem so new and different.  

One person in my Disneyland at Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread went to DLR last year for her first trip in over 30 years.  I expected it to be more overwhelming for her than it was -- so many things had changed since her previous trip. Certain things were gone forever; certain things were brand new; certain things had been moved around or remodeled.  There was a whole extra park, two extra hotels and Downtown Disney added in since her trip in the '80s!  Plus, on top of all of that, she had all of the holiday events and décor to take in.  I was really impressed that she seemed to go in expecting the huge changes (and she had been keeping up with all of the news as well), dealing with them accordingly, knowing what she wanted to see, do and eat in the two parks and at the hotels, and coming out of it having had a great time, and not too terribly overwhelmed.

They do have a "fog effect" along the river front and over the Rivers of America during Mickey's Halloween Party.  It's very cool.  There is also a bit of fog and some nifty lighting effects in spots along the Big Thunder Trail.  

I didn't go to the party back when it was held in Disneyland in the mid-'90s, but after that it was shelved completely for almost a decade, only to finally make its grand return at California Adventure in 2005 (coincidentally, the year of DL's 50th anniversary).  And then in 2010 the party moved over to Disneyland again.  Who knows what will happen this year?  I can't wait to find out!


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## keishashadow

Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy ??? I need to research this, first I've seen it referenced.  more stuff is good lol

TLPL referenced buying both regular park tix and the party tix for the same day.  I had assumed we could just enter with the party tix either at the state time or perhaps a bit earlier (WDW's versions starts at 7 pm but permits entrance @ 4 pm).


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## iKristin

keishashadow said:


> Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy ??? I need to research this, first I've seen it referenced.  more stuff is good lol
> 
> TLPL referenced buying both regular park tix and the party tix for the same day.  I had assumed we could just enter with the party tix either at the state time or perhaps a bit earlier (WDW's versions starts at 7 pm but permits entrance @ 4 pm).



Ghost Galaxy is pretty neat, but the projectors inside Space Mountain are definitely in need of updating soon. I like the music more than the projections of weird skeleton aliens trying to chase you down in the coaster (which again, bad projectors...you can't see much really well). Though I DO love that the inside and outside has been taken over during it as well. I love the sounds and lights on the outside of the ride  I use the first part of the ride sound as my halloween ring tone every year hehe.  Enjoy a great video of the ride below. The video has been altered so the projections are brighter than they actually are when you're on the ride. Also, if staying anywhere within visual range of Space Mountain (hotels, motels...) you can hear the outside sounds even after closing. They are really loud. 

OUTSIDE:





INSIDE:


----------



## keishashadow

iKristen thank you so much!  I cannot wait to see it in RL


----------



## iKristin

keishashadow said:


> iKristen thank you so much!  I cannot wait to see it in RL



I think you'll love it


----------



## White Rose

Weird question....we are going in Oct....does anyone sell the music from ghost galaxy? My hubby loves it. We do a big Halloween display and we have halloween Disney music...but not the ghost galaxy sounds...


----------



## iKristin

White Rose said:


> Weird question....we are going in Oct....does anyone sell the music from ghost galaxy? My hubby loves it. We do a big Halloween display and we have halloween Disney music...but not the ghost galaxy sounds...



I have it if you'd like it 

Here's the Ghost Galaxy ride soundtrack for those that want it. If this isn't allowed, feel free to delete  

http://www.4shared.com/mp3/AKgbY2Qzce/Space_Mountain_Ghost_Galaxy_Fu.html?


----------



## Sherry E

Kristin -- If you hadn't posted a link to the music then I probably would have posted it from some site or another, but I'm not sure if it is actually sold anywhere.  I don't think it is -- I've never heard of the SMGG music ending up on a formal soundtrack.


----------



## iKristin

Yeah I haven't ever seen it on a soundtrack, I just have it as part of my Disneyland collection


----------



## lorijohnhill

I just had to share... I just picked up a Disney Jessie (Toy Story) costume at JC Penney for $3.97!! I spent $50.00 and for two Disney bathing suits (Frozen & Ariel), two Disney Minne Mouse dresses (casual, not costumes), the Jessie costume, and a pair of jeans. 

At the Disney Store I picked up an Olaf shirt for $2.99. 

It was a great day to go to the mall!


----------



## Sherry E

lorijohnhill said:


> I just had to share... I just picked up a Disney Jessie (Toy Story) costume at JC Penney for $3.97!! I spent $50.00 and for two Disney bathing suits (Frozen & Ariel), two Disney Minne Mouse dresses (casual, not costumes), the Jessie costume, and a pair of jeans.
> 
> At the Disney Store I picked up an Olaf shirt for $2.99.
> 
> It was a great day to go to the mall!



It was, indeed!  You got some great deals on Disney garb!


----------



## mummabear

Quick Question: What time does the party ticket let you in? At the party start time or earlier like 4pm?


----------



## JadeDarkstar

4 pm. I think the rule is 3 hours early


----------



## Sherry E

mummabear said:


> Quick Question: What time does the party ticket let you in? At the party start time or earlier like 4pm?





JadeDarkstar said:


> 4 pm. I think the rule is 3 hours early



Yes, as JadeDarkstar said, you can get in at 4 p.m. if the party begins at 7 p.m., and you can get in at 3 p.m. if the party begins at 6 p.m.

The 7 p.m. parties are generally the Friday night MHPs.  Anything earlier in the week starts at 6 p.m.  I suspect that this year's Halloween night party will begin at 7 p.m.


----------



## mummabear

Sherry E said:


> Yes, as JadeDarkstar said, you can get in at 4 p.m. if the party begins at 7 p.m., and you can get in at 3 p.m. if the party begins at 6 p.m.
> 
> The 7 p.m. parties are generally the Friday night MHPs.  Anything earlier in the week starts at 6 p.m.  I suspect that this year's Halloween night party will begin at 7 p.m.



Yay! Now just to wish with all my might for a Oct 29th party!


----------



## Sherry E

mummabear said:


> Yay! Now just to wish with all my might for a Oct 29th party!



I think that even if the location of MHP does not change, there is still a good chance that the number of MHP nights could increase from last year's 14 parties.   We could see at least 15 parties (because this is 2015, of course!), and if even more party nights are added in I would not be at all shocked if we see some back-to-back party nights popping up at some point in the schedule.  We could feasibly see a party on 10/29 as well as on 10/30 and 10/31.  Or, perhaps what would have ordinarily been a party on 10/30 will be scrapped in favor of the Saturday party on 10/31 -- which would make a 10/29 party even more likely.

I tend to think that the only specific date that matters in the MHP schedule is 10/31 -- there has to be a party on Halloween night.  All of the other party night dates can change, because the specific days of the week are probably what factor into the equation a little bit more.  But we shall see!  If only we could get the dates now, we would know exactly what we were up against!


----------



## mummabear

Sherry E said:


> I think that even if the location of MHP does not change, there is still a good chance that the number of MHP nights could increase from last year's 14 parties.   We could see at least 15 parties (because this is 2015, of course!), and if even more party nights are added in I would not be at all shocked if we see some back-to-back party nights popping up at some point in the schedule.  We could feasibly see a party on 10/29 as well as on 10/30 and 10/31.  Or, perhaps what would have ordinarily been a party on 10/30 will be scrapped in favor of the Saturday party on 10/31 -- which would make a 10/29 party even more likely.
> 
> I tend to think that the only specific date that matters in the MHP schedule is 10/31 -- there has to be a party on Halloween night.  All of the other party night dates can change, because the specific days of the week are probably what factor into the equation a little bit more.  But we shall see!  If only we could get the dates now, we would know exactly what we were up against!



I know, it is such a shame that the park hours on a Thursday are short so if there isn't a party it is not worth us going as we land (from a 13 hour flight) at 12ish, if there is a party we will rent a car, stay in Anaheim and hit the party, if there was longer park hours we would come to see the new parade/fireworks but since it will close at 8ish then its not worth it which means we wont come to Anaheim at all. We fly out the next morning
So my whole plans are on hold waiting....waiting....waiting... 



Sherry E said:


> I asked a Cast Member that I know if any whisperings or discussions about Mickey's Halloween Party (as it relates to the 60th anniversary events) have come up yet this year, or been swirling about in the CM rumor mill.  This specific CM has heard nothing -- no one has even mentioned it (including CMs who worked the party) this year.  This CM happens to think that *MHP will not move back to DCA* and that it will stay in DL, because the backlash from having no Halloween Screams and no Cavalcade would be significant, and because charging the same price or more for an MHP ticket in DCA without party exclusives or special Halloween overlays would be controversial.  This CM also doesn't think there would be a special Halloween World of Color in the same year that we are getting "World of Color - Celebrate."
> 
> However... all of that said... my CM friend said that it appears that something is a-brewin' in terms of special events (the category that Mickey's Halloween Party falls into) and things happening in the _second half of the year_, based on some big staff additions and changes, and another possible wave of staff changes this coming fall.   The CM has no clue if any of the second-half-of-the-year activity has to do with MHP or something else totally unrelated, but it seems that preparations are being made for something to happen later this year -- or maybe several somethings (like assorted pop-up events that last only a day or a weekend).
> 
> Actually, there will be special events happening all throughout this year, it seems, but what (and where) those events will be from, say, September on through December, is the real mystery!!



Damn I was thinking that would be quite cool DD3 has just hit 40" and I am dying for her to ride RSR, this would be the only way it would happen this trip.
They could still do the Cavalcade at DCA, don't you think?
They set fireworks off during WOC, do you think they could develop a Hallowscreams for DCA?


----------



## Sherry E

mummabear said:


> I know, it is such a shame that the park hours on a Thursday are short so if there isn't a party it is not worth us going as we land (from a 13 hour flight) at 12ish, if there is a party we will rent a car, stay in Anaheim and hit the party, if there was longer park hours we would come to see the new parade/fireworks but since it will close at 8ish then its not worth it which means we wont come to Anaheim at all. We fly out the next morning
> So my whole plans are on hold waiting....waiting....waiting...



The fact that DLR doesn't release dates for significant events (like a multi-night Halloween party!) and immensely popular seasons until just a couple of months beforehand (if not later) is maddening!  They didn't announce the official holiday/Christmas season dates until September last year   -- and the season started in November!  In the past they have told us (or released) the holiday season dates in August, or even July at one point.  Why September?    People who want to book their flights and reserve hotel rooms in advance -- for special holiday trips -- either have to wait for Disney to finally post dates on the DLR website or make an announcement in a blog, or they have to find their way to websites like DISboards and others so they can get a sense of when everything will be up and running.

Sometimes I think that Disney doesn't take into account exactly how many people from other states and other countries go to DLR -- especially now, since the "reimagined" version of DCA was introduced in 2012.  I mean, I know they crunch numbers and analyze data, and I'm sure they have statisticians in place to tell them exactly what the ratio is of local guests to non-local guests, so they must see proof that there are many more locals and semi-locals in the park than anyone else.  

However, all of that said, DLR keeps taking little steps -- little measures here and there -- to treat DLR as more of a vacation destination for a multi-night stay, and to attract visitors who might have otherwise gone to WDW.  They do little things to make DLR like WDW in some regards.  I am sure that whoever it is that sits down and figures out the DLR schedule for the whole year knows exactly when big events and seasons will happen, but for some reason they hold on to the info until almost the last possible moment.    So they will treat DLR like WDW in some ways, but not in others.



mummabear said:


> Damn I was thinking that would be quite cool DD3 has just hit 40" and I am dying for her to ride RSR, this would be the only way it would happen this trip.
> They could still do the Cavalcade at DCA, don't you think?
> They set fireworks off during WOC, do you think they could develop a Hallowscreams for DCA?



There are certainly plenty of ways Disney could make the party happen in DCA again.  There could be some sort of Cavalcade or a full parade.  There could be a Halloween version of World of Color, if not fireworks.  There could be dance stations set up in Cars Land, in Hollywood Land, etc.  There could be fog and spooky effects in the Grizzly Peak area, as well as in the Paradise Pier area.

Not counting the super short 2-year run of the Halloween party back in the mid-'90s, basically the Halloween party has been happening for 10 years now.  After almost a decade of no Halloween party, it was brought back in 2005 -- and it took place in DCA.  After the past 5 years of a party in DL, this could be a good opportunity for Disney to shake things up a bit and do something different with the party for its (unofficial) "10th anniversary."  And, because the new nighttime parade and new fireworks will be happening in DL, it would be a perfect time to reintroduce the party in DCA.  Frankly, I can't think of a better time.

Alas... unless Disney is somehow keeping things so hush-hush that nothing is leaking out to anyone, it doesn't sound like there are any plans in place to Halloween-ify DCA this year.  I suspect they were considering it or toying with the idea at one point, but something tells me that if MHP were going to move back to DCA this year there would be little tidbits trickling/leaking out.  Things have been quiet since the year began.


----------



## TraderCharlie

Hi Everyone,
I have had a very Disney year so far!  Our first year as APs, and we enjoying it immensely!  I am planning our next DL trip this fall during the Halloween season.  I am planning around a Oct. 1 birthday, so I thought the first weekend would work out great.  I noticed that weekend is Gay Days.  How busy will it be? 
This is mainly an adult trip, so I am not worried about characters or rides being super busy.  We will just try to go on our favorites and enjoy the atmosphere and food!
Thank you all!


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## JadeDarkstar

We went on Gay days one year and I don't think it was any more crowded then any other time.


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## Sherry E

TraderCharlie said:


> Hi Everyone,
> I have had a very Disney year so far!  Our first year as APs, and we enjoying it immensely!  I am planning our next DL trip this fall during the Halloween season.  I am planning around a Oct. 1 birthday, so I thought the first weekend would work out great.  I noticed that weekend is Gay Days.  How busy will it be?
> This is mainly an adult trip, so I am not worried about characters or rides being super busy.  We will just try to go on our favorites and enjoy the atmosphere and food!
> Thank you all!



It's been a while since I was at DLR over the Gay Days weekend, and a lot has changed with the crowd situation since then, I think, but I didn't notice a substantial increase in crowds until later in the day on Saturday of that weekend.  The earlier part of the day was fine.  I tend to think the crowds will be more along the lines of general "Halloween Time season weekend crowds" than really specific to Gay Days, although some people say that there is a substantial increase in crowds because of Gay Days.


​



Okay, folks -- there is no Disney Halloween Time news yet, but it's time to start rolling out the "Halloween TV news" (something I do every year)!!    It is still too early for Pumpkin Pandemonium -- the onslaught of all things Fall/Harvest/Halloween/caramel apple/candy corn/pumpkin spice hitting the store shelves -- to begin.  We should see the first signs of Pumpkin Pandemonium in July, with a rapid increase in August.  

But news of just some of this year's Halloween programming is already trickling out!!  I know that some folks here absolutely love Halloween (as I do) and love the yearly specials with Halloween themes.  I'm sure there will be many more announced over the next few months, but let's get started!

Coming this year to *Food Network* in the Fall:


*New Primetime Series*

_Halloween Baking Championship_ -- Series Premiere: October 2015


> Six of the country’s top bakers battle it out in a four-episode culinary battle to create Halloween’s spookiest and most irresistible treats. From mummy meringues, creepy cakes and bat wing whoopie pies to towering confections of terror, one of these bakers has what it takes to land the $25,000 prize and title of Halloween Baking Champion! Produced by Triage Entertainment for Food Network





*Returning Primetime Series*

_Halloween Wars_ -- Season Five Premiere: October 2015


> Food Network puts viewers in the Halloween spirit serving up the fifth season of deliciously scary series, Halloween Wars. The four-episode competition, hosted by Rossi Morreale, places five teams – comprised of cake decorators, candy makers and pumpkin carvers– working in unison to create the ultimate Halloween-themed display. One team is eliminated each week, with the winner taking home $50,000. Produced by Super Delicious for Food Network





*New Daytime Series*

_Giada’s Holiday Handbook_ -- Series Premiere: October 2015


> Giada’s Holiday Handbook is the ultimate resource for creative, doable and fun entertaining ideas. In each episode, host Giada De Laurentiis tackles an entertaining or holiday-focused theme, and offers a clever and accessible plan for pulling off the perfect party. Whether it is a big holiday bash or an intimate meal with the family, Giada can help you make it a success! Produced by Linguine Pictures for Food Network




*Specials*

_Outrageous Halloween_ --  Premiere: October 2015


> The spookiest of holidays gets scarily outrageous in Outrageous Halloween, a trick-or-treat showcase of epic proportions uncovering the most extreme Halloween treats, sweets and eats. Produced by Sharp Entertainment for Food Network







And over on the *Cooking Channel* you will find:


*Rosanna Pansino Baking Specials* -- Premiere: October/December 2015


> Youtube baking sensation Rosanna Pansino joins the Cooking Channel family for two specials focused on Halloween and the holidays. For Halloween she shares her favorite ghoulish treats and her best food-inspired costume ideas as she gets ready to celebrate the spookiest of holidays. Then Rosanna goes all out for the holidays as she preps amazing meals and her signature sweet treats for a holiday extravaganza of delicious proportions. Produced by Magical Elves for Cooking Channel


 

Source: http://www.scrippsnetworksinteracti...-and-Cooking-Channel's-2015-Upfront-Menu.aspx



I'm really looking forward to the return of _Halloween Wars_ and the new _Outrageous Halloween_ special!


​


----------



## westcoastminnie

I came here tonight to ask a bunch of questions about Halloween time, only to find every single one answered on post #3!

2015 will be my second MHP/Halloween trip, but a first for my DH - he is really looking forward to dressing up, and he's not normally someone that would do that, so I am super excited. 

The first time we went to MHP was in 2013... we were at the park for rope drop and planned to head back to our room at noon to rest up. But we were having too much fun and didn't actually go back until after 2pm, which didn't give us much chance for a rest before we had to get dressed and head back. It made for a long day/night, but ds was a real trooper, and we had so much fun! This time though we will definitely plan to head back earlier in the day. We're going for a week this time too, so we won't feel as much pressure to do everything on the same day as the party lol. 

Thanks again for compiling all this information in one place!


----------



## DisneyloverinWA

Question Re: Halloween Party on 10/31......we will be at DLR 10/30  - 11/2.  We plan to do the MHP on 10/31.  Am I going to have to watch for a release date and get tickets the day they are released to have a chance at attending on Halloween?  I have never attended a party so I don't know how fast the tickets sell out.


----------



## dolphingirl47

DisneyloverinWA said:


> Question Re: Halloween Party on 10/31......we will be at DLR 10/30  - 11/2.  We plan to do the MHP on 10/31.  Am I going to have to watch for a release date and get tickets the day they are released to have a chance at attending on Halloween?  I have never attended a party so I don't know how fast the tickets sell out.



I don't think they ever sold out on the day they were released, but most dates do sell out eventually and Halloween itself tends to be one of the date that sells out earlier than some of the others.

Corinna


----------



## mommy2mrb

thinking of coming down the first weekend of October to see all the 60th anniversary fun and attend MHP!  last party we did was back in 2007 when it was in DCA!


----------



## muppetfreak

This will be our first trip during Halloween time & I was wondering if the regular music that is played around the park changes like the Christmas music that is played in December?


----------



## Kilala

Well I'm finaaly getting started on my first costume of the season today. I will be wearing this costume at the Anime Expo this year. I don't know if I will be wearing this costume for MHP. I will put up the costume design in the next few hours


----------



## Sherry E

westcoastminnie said:


> I came here tonight to ask a bunch of questions about Halloween time, only to find every single one answered on post #3!
> 
> 2015 will be my second MHP/Halloween trip, but a first for my DH - he is really looking forward to dressing up, and he's not normally someone that would do that, so I am super excited.
> 
> The first time we went to MHP was in 2013... we were at the park for rope drop and planned to head back to our room at noon to rest up. But we were having too much fun and didn't actually go back until after 2pm, which didn't give us much chance for a rest before we had to get dressed and head back. It made for a long day/night, but ds was a real trooper, and we had so much fun! This time though we will definitely plan to head back earlier in the day. We're going for a week this time too, so we won't feel as much pressure to do everything on the same day as the party lol.
> 
> Thanks again for compiling all this information in one place!



*westcoastminnie --*

You're very welcome!   I'm so glad you joined us, and that you were able to get answers by looking at the MHP post on page 1.   That is why I always tell people that they should do exactly what you did -- go to page 1 of the Superthread first because, chances are, they will find a lot of the info and answers that they need in the posts on that page.  And if they don't know where to start or are not sure of which links and info might lead them to what they need, they should never hesitate to jump in here and ask us!  

Are you going to do MHP in October, or in late September (assuming the schedule is pretty much the same this year)?




DisneyloverinWA said:


> Question Re: Halloween Party on 10/31......we will be at DLR 10/30  - 11/2.  We plan to do the MHP on 10/31.  Am I going to have to watch for a release date and get tickets the day they are released to have a chance at attending on Halloween?  I have never attended a party so I don't know how fast the tickets sell out.



*DisneyloverinWA --*

I agree with *Corinna/dolphingirl47* that the tickets for 10/31 probably won't sell out immediately, but I would try to get them as soon as you can.  As Corinna mentioned, Halloween is a date that has sold out ahead of a lot of other party nights in the past -- and I think that this year, because Halloween is on a Saturday, the appeal of a Halloween night party may be even greater than the Friday night party last year.  

The MHP tickets went on sale in July last year (7/16 for AP holders, Disney Visa card holders and DVC members, and 7/30 for the general public) - http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...31-with-14-nights-of-mickeys-halloween-party/

And just to give you an idea of how quickly the MHP nights (all but one of them) sold out last year, see this post - http://www.disboards.com/threads/ha...ut-halloween-time-2015.3270919/#post-51326911

All of the bold red notations reference when the MHP nights sold out in 2014.  You will notice that last year's Friday night Halloween party sold out on September 11th -- or, at least, the Disneyland website was updated on 9/11 to show that 10/31 was sold out, but it may have sold out the previous night.  

In previous years, I think that Halloween night parties have sold out much earlier than that.




mommy2mrb said:


> thinking of coming down the first weekend of October to see all the 60th anniversary fun and attend MHP!  last party we did was back in 2007 when it was in DCA!



*mommy2mrb--*

Welcome!  I liked the party in DCA -- and that was back when DCA has actual Halloween decorations!  Now, of course, that has changed.  The DCA party seemed simpler -- just trick or treating, characters, dance stations and costumes -- but it was still a lot of fun.  




muppetfreak said:


> This will be our first trip during Halloween time & I was wondering if the regular music that is played around the park changes like the Christmas music that is played in December?



*muppetfreak--*

Welcome!  

To answer your question -- not really.  There might be some sort of soundtrack playing in Frontierland that is theme-specific, but I haven't noticed it.  The Dapper Dans will sing a few theme-specific tunes on Main Street.  There could be some sort of Halloween-ish music at the Halloween Carnival.  When DCA used to have Halloween décor, there was theme-appropriate music playing near the entrance -- things like "Monster Mash" and other songs I am forgetting.  

During the holiday season, the parks really go all out -- and there is music everywhere, as you know.  If you go to New Orleans Square you will hear jazz-inspired Christmas songs.  In Critter Country or Frontierland you might hear twangy versions of  familiar songs.  On Main Street the vehicle drivers will sometimes honk out a holiday tune on their horns.  Even Toontown has its own holiday soundtrack.  Buena Vista Street, Cars Land and Hollywood Land each have their own holiday soundtracks.  Downtown Disney gets into the action.

Sadly, unfortunately, Halloween Time is not quite as immersive and all-encompassing as that.  It seems that the holiday season really covers a lot of details and nuances that are just ignored or not invested in for Halloween Time.



Kilala said:


> Well I'm finaaly getting started on my first costume of the season today. I will be wearing this costume at the Anime Expo this year. I don't know if I will be wearing this costume for MHP. I will put up the costume design in the next few hours



*Kilala --*

Whatever you come up with, I'm sure it will be great -- you put so much work into your costumes!


----------



## westcoastminnie

Sherry E, our dates are a Saturday to a Saturday, but our friends leave on the Friday,,which leaves a weekday party as long as they keep the same schedule as last year... Fingers crossed!


----------



## Mommy2PrincessAbby

I do seem to remember songs from Nightmare before Christmas and Heffalumps and Woozles played more often during Halloween time


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## PinkBudgie

Joining in to say I'm bound and determined to go to DLR this fall! I've never been in the fall, and now that we have APs again I want to make it happen this time. At work we are working on the school calender for next year so I'm trying to see what days I can miss. On top of that, I'm not sure if I want to go to the party or not. If not, I probably want to avoid a party day since the park closes early. However, it does seem like fun. And I'm not sure I'll have time to think up a costume. Actually, two- one for DH also. Can't really do much at this point except get excited about it!  (This is me planning a second trip before I've taken the first one!)


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## smchristy

I just wanted to say "hi" for now. I have a lot of research to do as it looks like my 7 year old daughter and I will be at Disney the end of September 2015 (24/25/26). We will be in town for a wedding and I have decided to turn our trip into a major surprise for her.  I need to learn all there is to know about Halloween at the parks etc...thanks for having such a complete post/blog. My hope is to only tell her about the wedding and completely surprise her with the trip to Disney. She has never been to DL or WDW so this will blow her mind


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## jammyjam25

Officially booked our trip for my best friend's 30th birthday celebration over the weekend!  We'll be staying at the DLH September 28-October 3! She's never stayed on property before so I'm SO excited for her to have the experience!

Now just impatiently waiting for all the Halloween festivities to be announced....it'll be the first time there during the Halloween season for both of us.


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## Sherry E

I'll be back a bit later today with replies to the recent posts and additional comments.  I have to rush off and do a couple of things right now.

I just wanted to quickly say that -- this is not Halloween-related, but something to add more fuel to the fire of speculation and conversation -- in my Disneyland at Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread a helpful DIS'er (whose relatives usually perform in the yearly Christmas parade at DL for the ABC taping in early November) confirmed what we suspected.  There is no Christmas parade happening at DL this year.  That was pretty much already assumed when Steve Davison announced back in January that there would be "no holiday shows" this year, to keep the focus on the events of the 60th anniversary, but Mr. Davison never specifically named the parade, so it left a bit of gray area.   MiceChat also posted that there would be no Christmas parade in one of their blogs.  The only thing that left any doubt in our minds about it, and kept the speculation alive, was that AllEars posted in one of its blogs that the Christmas Fantasy Parade would be happening in the daytime this year, and it seemed like that could be feasible, as the parade is part of the holiday tour.

But, nope.  No Christmas parade at DL.  No holiday fireworks.  No holiday World of Color in DCA.  Most likely no Winter Castle Enchantment Lighting.  It's going to be "all 60th, all the time" for the rest of the year.

...Which, again, leaves me wondering about the fate of Mickey's Halloween Party, where it will be held, what will be included in it, etc.  Disney is not going to miss a chance to make all of that extra money on MHP tickets -- that much we know -- but if DLR is willing to put that big of a dent in the roster of season-specific activities usually available during the immensely popular holiday season, are they really going to devote at least 14 nights in Sept/Oct to shutting Disneyland down/kicking non-party guests out early for a Halloween Party, which will directly impact the schedule of the Paint the Night parade and the Disneyland Forever fireworks (on certain nights)??

The plot thickens!!!  I want to know if MHP is going to be business as usual this year!  I have to know!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  

​


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## bcwife76

Thanks for the latest update Sherry! Like you said, the plot thickens........and an interesting development re: Christmas season!


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## mommy2mrb

that's going to mess up people's Christmas trips big time! hope they will still have MHP...but if not we will still have fun seeing all the 60th fun!  which is our main reason for going!


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## tehvalerie

Well that's interesting. We just booked our flight last night to come out on Sept. 28 thinking we could go to the (theoretical) party on Tuesday the 29th. But we purposefully avoided booking at Christmas because we want to see all the 60th stuff and were worried Christmas might trump it. I'd love to see DL decked out for Halloween but the 60th anniversary is definitely our reason for coming out from the east coast! (Related, for anyone in the area, we snagged RT flights on United from Charlotte to LAX for $160 each! Basically a steal.)


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## PinkBudgie

That's a good point Sherry. I wonder if fall decorations will be less. I assume fall and winter overlays on rides would still take place though- I hope! I've never seen Ghost Galaxy or Jingle Cruise.


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## seobaina

This has probably been asked a billion times (sorry). But when do tickets usually go on sale? The wait us killing me lol

Ignore me, I found it. Just wasn't easy on a mobile! Thanks


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## KalamityJane

Sherry E said:


> I'll be back a bit later today with replies to the recent posts and additional comments.  I have to rush off and do a couple of things right now.
> 
> I just wanted to quickly say that -- this is not Halloween-related, but something to add more fuel to the fire of speculation and conversation -- in my Disneyland at Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread a helpful DIS'er (whose relatives usually perform in the yearly Christmas parade at DL for the ABC taping in early November) confirmed what we suspected.  There is no Christmas parade happening at DL this year.  That was pretty much already assumed when Steve Davison announced back in January that there would be "no holiday shows" this year, to keep the focus on the events of the 60th anniversary, but Mr. Davison never specifically named the parade, so it left a bit of gray area.   MiceChat also posted that there would be no Christmas parade in one of their blogs.  The only thing that left any doubt in our minds about it, and kept the speculation alive, was that AllEars posted in one of its blogs that the Christmas Fantasy Parade would be happening in the daytime this year, and it seemed like that could be feasible, as the parade is part of the holiday tour.
> 
> But, nope.  No Christmas parade at DL.  No holiday fireworks.  No holiday World of Color in DCA.  Most likely no Winter Castle Enchantment Lighting.  It's going to be "all 60th, all the time" for the rest of the year.
> 
> ...Which, again, leaves me wondering about the fate of Mickey's Halloween Party, where it will be held, what will be included in it, etc.  Disney is not going to miss a chance to make all of that extra money on MHP tickets -- that much we know -- but if DLR is willing to put that big of a dent in the roster of season-specific activities usually available during the immensely popular holiday season, are they really going to devote at least 14 nights in Sept/Oct to shutting Disneyland down/kicking non-party guests out early for a Halloween Party, which will directly impact the schedule of the Paint the Night parade and the Disneyland Forever fireworks (on certain nights)??
> 
> The plot thickens!!!  I want to know if MHP is going to be business as usual this year!  I have to know!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
> 
> ​


Crap. We were planning on going a little before Christmas because hello, holiday decorations. Now I'm wondering if we should just wait until January because if there is going to be no holiday decorations and such, what's the point?

Also, that totally makes me hope that they will still have the Halloweentime stuff because I was wavering in between both.


----------



## Mommy2PrincessAbby

So, even though it means absolutely nothing, I was excited when I talked to the cm at Costco Disney reservations this morning (to make a payment) when she brought up that Halloween party tickets are usually announced and go on sale in July... And to keep a look out and call them when I want to buy my tickets


----------



## Kilala

Here are the drawings of the Nevada cat costume


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## dolphingirl47

This looks amazing.

Corinna


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## RobertaMomof2

Well just made my hotel reservations for September 24-28th with the hopes of a Friday the 25th MHP!  Fingers crossed.


----------



## Sherry E

I'm just now about to go back over the posts I wanted to comment on or reply to, but I had to say that *Pumpkin Pandemonium 2015* has already begun!!!!!     I was tipped off by someone on the Hallmark Channel Countdown to Christmas page, who took a photo and posted it as "proof."  It's May... and Hobby Lobby now has whole shelves devoted to Halloween/harvest/turkey things.  I saw a decoration that said "Gobble gobble," right above an entire row of pumpkins.

Summer?  What is this summer of which you speak?  Is that a season?   Does it involve pumpkins and harvest wreaths?

​
In case you're new to this thread or were not around last year or the year prior, Pumpkin Pandemonium is the name I use for the gradual wave (and then, later, a tsunami!) of Halloween/Autumn/Harvest décor appearing on store shelves.  It can also be referred to as Candy Corn Chaos or Caramel Apple Confusion -- or any variation of those titles!!!  It starts in just one or two stores, with a few random items creeping in and set off to the side somewhere, and then the full displays start popping up as the weeks progress.  Before you know it, every store is in the middle of a swarm of pumpkin spice, candy corn, caramel apple, apple spice, pumpkin pie and even some gingerbread products.  Seemingly every brand out there has some sort of seasonal version of their most popular products, and every year they put out something new.  M&M's and Oreos usually lead the charge of brand new seasonal flavors, but last year every product -- _everything edible/consumable_ -- had a pumpkin spice alter ego.

Last year I was paying close attention to the first sightings of anything even remotely resembling Halloween/Fall/Harvest/Pumpkins, and all of the products that popped up after that.  July seems to be the usual month when items begin sneaking into Costco, and then by August there is an onslaught in various stores.  Once September rolls around, forget about it -- it's all Halloween, all the time, in the stores.  


I am all for bypassing or shortening summer and heading straight into fall (just because I hate heat)  -- if only the calendar would follow along and the weather would cooperate with that plan too!   I just wonder if this early, early May appearance of Pumpkin Pandemonium is typical for craft stores, or if this is a new trend of some sort?  Does anyone know if this is the usual pattern for craft stores?  Will we see a full array of Christmas trees and dancing snowmen in July?

In any case, my feeling is that if Hobby Lobby can begin 'selling' Halloween/Harvest/Autumn to the public now, then Disneyland Resort should follow suit and start 'selling' their Halloween Time festivities now too!   Instead, they assume that no one wants to know anything until a couple of months before hand, or less -- and that would be the case even in a non-Diamond Celebration year.  That may have been the case 10 years ago, but not now.  People start preparing early nowadays.  Disneyland needs to jump into the Pumpkin Pandemonium too!

​


----------



## PinkBudgie

Well, the weather up here is Northern California certainly feels like fall or winter! It is supposed to be cloudy and 60's all week! I'm like Olaf and I love the summer and the heat. So let's not skip over that. I hate seeing trick or treat candy in Costco in the middle of summer! But I am looking forward to seeing fall at DLR this year. Trying to pick a good time to come. Maybe the last weekend in September?


----------



## Sherry E

PinkBudgie said:


> Well, the weather up here is Northern California certainly feels like fall or winter! It is supposed to be cloudy and 60's all week! I'm like Olaf and I love the summer and the heat. So let's not skip over that. I hate seeing trick or treat candy in Costco in the middle of summer! But I am looking forward to seeing fall at DLR this year. Trying to pick a good time to come. Maybe the last weekend in September?



You do realize that most people around the U.S. would banish you from this continent for using the word "winter" in the same paragraph with the words "cloudy and 60s all week"?    To me, it barely even feels like what fall should feel like -- but it's closer to that than to winter.  Then again, hot weather makes me physically ill, literally, so anything that is not considered hot is a relief to me. 

I guess the last weekend in September is as good a time as any.  MHP should have begun by then, if not earlier.  I think that once the Diamond Celebration has begun and has been going strong for a while, we will get a better sense of what the crowds are like, if they are substantially larger than usual over a prolonged period of time, etc.  That kind of info may give us a better idea of what to expect for Halloween Time and the Holidays.  

Also, once the 60th events have been going on for a while, we may begin to start hearing more rumors or "leaks" about what is coming up for the rest of the year.  Everything has pretty much been quiet on the Halloween and Holiday front this year in terms of new rumors or legitimate info, and the leaks seem to have dried up.  I tend to think that's because everyone at DLR has been caught up in preparing for the start of the Diamond Celebration, so anything else has taken a back seat.


----------



## Mommy2PrincessAbby

Is anyone else going nuts with all the Disneyland commercials on tv right now?  I don't want to wish summer away... But I am really glad we have a trip booked.  Both dd and I are more than excited!  I can handle not knowing park hours or entertainment options... I am just chomping at the bit to hear when/if the Halloween parties will be!


----------



## Sherry E

Mommy2PrincessAbby said:


> Is anyone else going nuts with all the Disneyland commercials on tv right now?  I don't want to wish summer away... But I am really glad we have a trip booked.  Both dd and I are more than excited!  I can handle not knowing park hours or entertainment options... I am just chomping at the bit to hear when/if the Halloween parties will be!



I haven't seen as many commercials as I would expect to at this time.  I don't have the right channels on at the right times, I guess.  But tomorrow the first _Live with Kelly & Michael_ show from Disneyland airs (although it will be pre-taped), and I will be watching that!

You're not wishing anything away.  You're just looking forward to your trip, which is understandable!    You couldn't wish anything away even if you wanted to.  Summer (and any other season, for that matter) will happen when and how it happens, and nothing we look forward to is going to stop it, nor will any early signs of Pumpkin Pandemonium on the shelves.  Personally, I don't like summer because I get sick in the heat.  So, clearly it's not something I look forward to and I would like it to hurry and be done with.  But it's going to start and end when it's going to start and end, no matter what I like or dislike, so I just look ahead to the fun that is on the other side of summer -- Halloween Time and the Holidays!  We all need something to look forward to in life -- it doesn't mean you aren't enjoying whatever else life has to offer in the meantime, but you're just anticipating something fun happening in the future.


----------



## PinkBudgie

Sherry E said:


> You do realize that most people around the U.S. would banish you from this continent for using the word "winter" in the same paragraph with the words "cloudy and 60s all week"?



So, then I probably shouldn't mention that 40 to 50 degrees is my extreme winter?  

Fortunately, I don't have to wait until fall to go. We will be going on July 18th for week, which should be its own kind of nuts.  I am expecting fall to be a barren waste land by comparison. I hope...


----------



## Mommy2PrincessAbby

Sherry E said:


> I haven't seen as many commercials as I would expect to at this time.  I don't have the right channels on at the right times, I guess.  But tomorrow the first _Live with Kelly & Michael_ show from Disneyland airs (although it will be pre-taped), and I will be watching that!



Not sure how you are missing the commercials... They are all for the diamond anniversary of course, but between the radio and TV they are relentless!  And I watch them every time lol... Fast forwarding thru everything else... Yeah, that is how stupid excited we are to go in October!


----------



## fiddlesticks

We are thinking about going Oct 21-25. What are the chances there will be a MHP on the 21st? Provided they are the same-ish as last year.


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## Sherry E

I just wanted to point out something interesting that I noticed.  

In the fine print on the Diamond Days Sweepstakes page (which begins today -- both the daily prize giveaways and the weekly prize giveaways), it says, _"Sweepstakes starts 5:00 AM PT on 5/22/15 and ends 6:59 AM PT on 9/11/15."_   I noticed it when I entered the weekly contest earlier this morning.   Did anyone else catch it too?

Originally, when the Parks Blog announced this Sweepstakes, there was no end date.  In fact, it was implied that it would last for the duration of the Diamond Celebration/festivities, and it is assumed that the Diamond Celebration events will be running all year long.

However, now we know that there is an actual end date and time for this contest/giveaway.  I am guessing that Disney wants to wrap it up just before Halloween Time begins, and they switch into Halloween Time mode.  

I don't _think_ that this Sweepstakes end date necessarily means that Halloween Time is beginning on Friday, 9/11 -- again, let's remember that 9/11 is only 4 days after Labor Day and Halloween Time never starts that close to Labor Day, and it's a date that carries with it a lot "history" that might not fit well with the start of a celebratory event.  I still think that the start date of Halloween Time could be somewhere between 9/12-9/16, or by 9/18, at the very latest, but the official end of the contest seems to imply a shifting of some kind -- shifting from one season to another or whatever.

And it also tells us that there won't be any Diamond Days prizes given away during Halloween Time!  Drat!!!



fiddlesticks said:


> We are thinking about going Oct 21-25. What are the chances there will be a MHP on the 21st? Provided they are the same-ish as last year.



*fiddlesticks -- *

If there are more dates added into the MHP schedule this year, I would think that there is a very good chance that Wed., 10/21 could be on the agenda.  If they primarily stick to a (mostly) Tuesday and Friday schedule for MHP, then the party would likely just happen on Friday, 10/23 during your trip.  In fact, even it happens on 10/21, I think it will happen on 10/23 too.


----------



## Mommy2PrincessAbby

I saw that end date too!  I guess we will just have to win the weekly online giveaways!


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## lorijohnhill

I thought the end date was interesting as well. I was disappointed that it wouldn't be running during my long trip, but then I looked at how many (few?) prizes there are and realized that I don't stand a chance at winning anyway! LOL When they first announced this sweepstakes, I thought they would be handing out little prizes all over the place daily (like hats, pins, fast passes, etc.). It's a bit harder to get excited about a sweepstakes with one daily winner out of the many thousands of guest visiting each day.


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## dolphingirl47

Sherry E said:


> I don't _think_ that this Sweepstakes end date necessarily means that Halloween Time is beginning on Friday, 9/11 -- again, let's remember that 9/11 is only 4 days after Labor Day and Halloween Time never starts that close to Labor Day, and it's a date that carries with it a lot "history" that might not fit well with the start of a celebratory event.



I actually wondered if this might mean that the first day of the Halloween season would be 9/12. This would kind of make sense with the last day of the Sweepstakes being 9/11. Has the Halloween season ever started on a Saturday?



Sherry E said:


> And it also tells us that there won't be any Diamond Days prizes given away during Halloween Time! Drat!!!



I was rather looking forward to this even though I would not have been eligible.

Corinna


----------



## Sherry E

dolphingirl47 said:


> I actually wondered if this might mean that the first day of the Halloween season would be 9/12. This would kind of make sense with the last day of the Sweepstakes being 9/11. Has the Halloween season ever started on a Saturday?
> 
> 
> 
> I was rather looking forward to this even though I would not have been eligible.
> 
> Corinna



The Halloween Time season has never officially begun on a Saturday, but I have thought for a while that this would be a good year for it IF they plan to also end the season on a Saturday (which would be 10/31, of course).  They could have a Saturday start and Saturday end!    Something about 9/11 just doesn't sit right with me this year -- even aside from the historical significance of the date, I think that starting the season only 4 days after Labor Day is really pushing it.  That has not happened at all in recent years.

Also, it bears mentioning that Haunted Mansion Holiday ran for a few extra days this past holiday season -- it ended several days later in January than it usually ends.  That could indicate that it is going to get a slightly later start this year too (like if Halloween Time starts a few days later than expected).  Maybe it was a compensation of some kind -- because it could start slightly later than usual this year, Disney let it run for a bit longer this past season.  I'm just guessing, but who knows?


----------



## Kilala

I finally dyed two unitards. I will be finally started to paint one of the unitards tomorrow.


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## JinglePoem

I know it sounds AWFUL- and I'm starting to get excited about some of the 60th stuff, like fireworks- but I just feel relieved in thinking that perhaps the 60th won't totally eclipse the Halloween and Christmas seasons...because, if it did, it would make me resent the 60th, like a bratty kid, lol!


----------



## Sherry E

JinglePoem said:


> I know it sounds AWFUL- and I'm starting to get excited about some of the 60th stuff, like fireworks- but I just feel relieved in thinking that perhaps the 60th won't totally eclipse the Halloween and Christmas seasons...because, if it did, it would make me resent the 60th, like a bratty kid, lol!



It doesn't sound awful to me at all, *JinglePoem*.  I'm right there with you.  I am excited for the 60th stuff (although I am soooooooo glad I was not there today, as the crowds appear to be insane, and there are 2-hour lines for food, and the Esplanade is jam-packed), and excited for the general celebration of it all.  However, I love Halloween Time and the Holidays, and I would be annoyed if those got completely obliterated by 60th stuff.  There has to be a good balance between 60th and holidays!

As it is, 3 of the regular pieces of Holiday season entertainment are not happening this year (the Christmas parade, World of Color-Winter Dreams, and Believe in Holiday Magic fireworks), so if anything else were to be wiped off of the Halloween Time or Holiday season schedules, there would be a huge dent in the _seasonal_ festivities.  And, as I've said before, a lot of people who don't follow discussion forums or social media may not be keeping up with the Diamond Celebration news.  They will go to DLR in Sept-Oct or Nov-Dec and want to see Halloween or Holiday things, respectively, and wonder what happened to the Christmas parade!


----------



## JinglePoem

Sherry E said:


> ...As it is, 3 of the regular pieces of Holiday season entertainment are not happening this year (the Christmas parade, World of Color-Winter Dreams, and Believe in Holiday Magic fireworks), so if anything else were to be wiped off of the Halloween Time or Holiday season schedules, there would be a huge dent in the _seasonal_ festivities.  And, as I've said before, a lot of people who don't follow discussion forums or social media may not be keeping up with the Diamond Celebration news.  They will go to DLR in Sept-Oct or Nov-Dec and want to see Halloween or Holiday things, respectively, and wonder what happened to the Christmas parade!



I so agree with this. I live here (in Long Beach), we have annual passes (thankfully and gratefully), I follow everything from MouseWait to FB pages to Disney Parks blogs, yet I still want to experience what Disney has to offer, seasonally. If I didn't have those things, it would be even MORE pronounced for me. I would be happy that DL has been around for 60 years, but if I was taking my family for a once-in-a-lifetime (or once-every-few-years) trip and planning for Halloween or Holidays, I'd be very disappointed to see nothing but diamond things and offerings.

(And while we are on the subject- I can handle the loss of Holiday fireworks (kind of) and Winter Dreams, but I almost want to cry that the Christmas parade won't be happening, even during daylight hours. I've been reading and watching your Holiday thread, too. It makes me so sad. Told you- I'm a bratty kid, lol!)


----------



## violentlyserene

fiddlesticks said:


> We are thinking about going Oct 21-25. What are the chances there will be a MHP on the 21st? Provided they are the same-ish as last year.


Those are our dates too. I figure at some point there will be a party and we'll work around that. We are going in October specifically for the Halloween festivities though which I'm really hoping has occurred to Disney as a possibility. The anniversary is nice and all but what I really want is Halloween at Disney.


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## HopLow1968

Yep, We also specifically are going in October for Halloween stuff.  I'm looking forward to the 60th parade, WoC, etc - but we will really be there for the Halloween stuff.


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## superme80

Have the dates of the Party been announced? If so what page are they on here?


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## Sherry E

superme80 said:


> Have the dates of the Party been announced? If so what page are they on here?



*superme80 -- *

Not yet, sadly!  If the party is going to be business as usual (in other words, no major changes to the schedule,  exclusive entertainment or location), we probably won't find out the dates until July -- maybe late June, if we're very lucky.  However, if there is any kind of major change coming -- like the party moves back to DCA, or the number of MHP nights suddenly increases dramatically, or there is something new added into the entertainment -- the Parks Blog might do a special announcement by the end of this month or in early June.

At this moment, there aren't really any new rumors floating around or trickling out.  The last wave of rumors was in the last few months of last year.  All has been quiet since then.

By the way, whenever any dates come out, I will always post them on page 1 of this thread.  Right now you can see the 2014 info on page 1 -- that's only because we don't know anything about this year yet.  But that's where I will post them, and/or post the link to the blogs or articles that announce the dates.  Also, I will add something to the title of the thread to indicate that there is news.  I might say something like, "MHP dates announced!!" or "Breaking news just in!"  If you see anything other than what I have in the title now ("Awaiting Info About Halloween Time 2015...") you will know that something new -- however minor or major -- has been revealed/announced!


----------



## superme80

Thank you!!!! Will keep waiting.


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## Mommy2PrincessAbby

Interested to see how things calm down after summer... Reading about long long stakeouts for the parade and fireworks now.  Right now we are flying in Sunday morning, and planned on BB F! meal and to watch the new fireworks from there.  Which works, but probably can't do PtN the same evening.  5 months till our trip yesterday... Lots to speculate about until then


----------



## HopLow1968

I'm still desperately hoping for nightly fireworks during Halloween season.


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## revwog1974

I'm going to Disneyland Sept. 19-22.  I honestly hadn't realized I'd be there for Halloween.  I should have done more checking because I really wanted to experience the 60th festivities.  I will be there Saturday-Tuesday.  I know the schedule isn't out yet, but what are your best guesses about a Halloween party on the night of the 19th?  I was hoping to see the special 60th Anniversary fireworks.  If they do a party on the 19th do you think they might do the 60th fireworks on the night of the 20th?  I know this would be speculation but I'd love to hear some speculation, please. 

As beautiful as Halloween is at Disneyland, I've done that and I want to experience the glory of the Diamond celebration too so I hope they aren't taking things down or getting rid of the special treats.  I'm going without any kids so I can have a cupcake for lunch and I don't have to be a good example for anyone.


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## dolphingirl47

I think September 19th would be very early for a Halloween party. I expect the first one to be on September 26th, but I suppose you never know until they are actually announced.

Corinna


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## revwog1974

You mean I have to wait?  

Just kiding.  I figured I'd need to wait until official dates are announced.  I just thought the experts here might have some theories.


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## Sherry E

revwog1974 said:


> You mean I have to wait?
> 
> Just kiding.  I figured I'd need to wait until official dates are announced.  I just thought the experts here might have some theories.



There are a few scenarios that could take place this year, during Fall/Halloween Time.  Some of this speculation is based on previous rumors that trickled out last year, and some of it is just based on deductive reasoning when putting all the pieces of the puzzle together.

One scenario is that the current Disneyland Forever fireworks could have some sort of extended schedule, running on nights when fireworks might not ordinarily be shown in the off season (which is what happened in 2009, when Halloween Screams debuted for the general public and ran every night, all Halloween season long, with the exception of any nights that were affected by weather) -- simply because these are special fireworks created for a special year, and Disney may want to make them available to as many people as possible, for as long as possible, in 2015.  I don't know if they'd have to get approval from the City of Anaheim to run the fireworks on nights when there ordinarily would not be any fireworks, but there must have been some sort of arrangement made in 2009.  Presumably, Paint the Night will run on most non-party nights for the rest of the year as well.

Another scenario is that the Halloween Time season could start on a day other than a Friday this year.  Instead of September 11th (only 4 days after Labor Day), or September 18th (which seems too late), the season could start anywhere between Saturday, 9/12 and maybe Wednesday, 9/16.  They could even do something cute -- because this is 20*15* -- and start the season on 9/15/15. ( Interestingly, WDW's Halloween parties seem to be getting a later start this year than they have in some other years.  Wasn't it just a year or two ago when their Halloween party started on September 1st?  This year, MNSSHP is starting on 9/15/15.)  

Because Halloween falls on a Saturday, and 10/31 would normally be the end date of Halloween Time, it's possible that the season could extend through Sunday, 11/1 -- especially if there is not going to be a Christmas parade taping on Main Street several days later (no Christmas parade this year).

Another scenario is that, in keeping with the "15" theme, there could be 15 Halloween parties this year (up from 14 last year)... or there could be even more than that.  One of the rumors from MiceChat/MiceAge a while back was that Disney wants to add more nights to Disneyland's Halloween parties, and start them earlier in September than they would normally start them.

So, while a typical MHP schedule would probably have MHP kicking off on Friday, 9/25, if the rumors are true the party could begin a week or week and half earlier than usual, and include more nights.

Of course, then we have the rumor of MHP possibly moving over to DCA.  While I think that this would most certainly be a good year to do that, there have not been any recent 2015 rumors of this happening -- which leads me to believe that it may have been a consideration at one time, and is now off the table.  

In fact, yesterday I was trying to find the 2014 thread on MiceChat where a forum member first posted that he/she had overheard some CMs saying that the party would be moving to DCA this year (it was originally posted as "News" until the MiceChatters complained and said that it should be labeled as a "Rumor").   That thread was active for at least a few weeks in October-November last year, and I can no longer find it!   I searched and searched, using all of the keywords I thought would pull it up, and I am normally very good at locating old posts and old threads.... and it is nowhere to be found.  I have no idea what happened to it.

In that same thread, if I recall correctly, another person said that the CMs who trained for MHP last year were told that big changes would be coming to MHP in 2015.  So that is another scenario -- MHP location aside, it is possible that the events included in MHP could change somehow too.


All of that said, I don't think there will be a party on Saturday, September 19th.  Disneyland seems to like to avoid Saturdays and Sundays for parties whenever possible, and the only reason there will be at least one Saturday in the schedule this year is because Halloween night is a Saturday.  They can't skip a Halloween night party.  But... if the rumors pan out, the party might not be in DL and could be in DCA instead, in which case it wouldn't interfere with the 60th's entertainment.

I think there would definitely be both Disneyland Forever and Paint the Night on Sunday, 9/20.

While certain elements of the 60th anniversary are going to last all year and into next year, Disney is not going to completely turn its back on Halloween Time -- and especially not on the holiday season -- when it is such a popular time of year for people to visit.  Some aspects of the season could be impacted, but there are not a whole lot of Halloween decorations to begin with (outside of Main Street and Frontierland), so I don't expect the pumpkins to take a back seat to blue bunting or signs that say "D" or "60" or that have diamond shapes on them.  People who are Halloween Time regulars will want to see the giant Mickey pumpkin in Town Square, 60th anniversary or not.  If anything, Disney will probably find a way to integrate the décor and make everything work somehow.

I'm sure some of the 60th-specific treats will still be around, but again... Halloween Time is very popular, so there will be Halloween treats too.


----------



## PHXscuba

Sherry E said:


> ( Interestingly, WDW's Halloween parties seem to be getting a later start this year than they have in some other years.  Wasn't it just a year or two ago when their Halloween party started on September 1st?  This year, MNSSHP is starting on 9/15/15.)



Yes, I was at WDW when their Halloween party started on Sept. 1 last year, Labor Day. It was very odd to see Halloween stuff up the night we arrived on Aug. 31, and people in costume at the bus stops when it was hell-hot-humid that week. They may have gotten some pushback about doing it that early.

I will be interested to see what DL decides to do with their dates and what entertainment. With such a large proportion of (repeat) locals, I can't see how they could cut back on what they offer during the party, like fireworks. But they are really pumping the 60th stuff too. Maybe that dilemma is part of why so little is known, and they might still be deciding based on the numbers/guest satisfaction they are getting from the new offerings?

PHXscuba


----------



## JinglePoem

I was super excited that the party was moving over to DL, but once it did, DCA stopped decorating for Halloween...so now I'll be super excited if it moves back to DCA, if it means they'll at least drag the candy corn stuff back in, lol!


----------



## Sherry E

DCA always feels incredibly detached from the Halloween Time season.   It feels like Halloween is only being celebrated in DL, and only in very specific parts of DL.  All of that fun candy corn (not just the giant candy corn photo spot with the bite taken out of it by Heimlich, but all of the smaller candy corn hanging from the bridge and from the plants too, and the candy corn factory/tower) at least made DCA feel somewhat... Halloween-ish.  Plus, they also played themed music in DCA back then.  I remember hearing "Monster Mash" and some other magic/witch/eerily-themed songs playing in DCA (I think that "Witchy Woman" and "Abracadabra" may have been among the songs playing on a loop).   That all stopped too -- the themed music left when the candy corn left!

Hopefully, the survey that DIS'er Dena did after her Halloween trip last year is a good sign -- she said that the questions seemed to focus on the theming in DCA, and decorations.  Hopefully this means that Disney is actually thinking of bringing back some Halloween décor to DCA. There haven't been any rumors this year about a new Halloween decorations package, but it would more than likely happen after the 60th has simmered down a bit.

There is so much potential in DCA for interesting, theme-specific Halloween décor -- particularly in Cars Land and on Buena Vista Street, but certainly the other lands have potential too.   Since there are really just two lands in DL that have a lot of Halloween-specific décor (Main Street and Frontierland), then I would expect at least 2 lands in DCA to get Halloween-ified.   I kind of think that Disney may not put any decorations back in DCA until they add in some sort of Halloween event or ride overlay.  In other words, the Halloween version of the Mad T Party is not enough to decorate other lands as well.  But if they ever do a Halloween-themed World of Color and slap a Halloween overlay on TSMM, I think that we will see decorations appearing in DCA again.   Needless to say, moving MHP back to DCA would be enough of a reason to decorate that park.


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## JinglePoem

Can you imagine how darling Buena Vista Street could be at Halloween??? I actually expected it and was floored that nothing happened. That era had the very best "spooky but cheerful", "twisty but not twisted" Halloween items. 

My fingers and toes are all crossed.

Oh- and also adding- you are correct- I definitely remember "Monster Mash" in the loop.


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## mummabear

@Sherry E so you think there is a possibility of DLR running Paint the night each night? What about with an early 7pm close like a Thursday? And the same for Disneyland forever?

Also are the ticket prices a flat cost (no adult/child tickets)?


----------



## Sherry E

JinglePoem said:


> Can you imagine how darling Buena Vista Street could be at Halloween??? I actually expected it and was floored that nothing happened. That era had the very best "spooky but cheerful", "twisty but not twisted" Halloween items.
> 
> My fingers and toes are all crossed.



They could definitely play up the retro Halloween angle for BVS, and play up the kooky/wacky/automotive angle for Cars Land.  They could put up monster movie posters or banners in Hollywood Land, or at least do something with a "monster" theme since that's where the Mike & Sulley ride is located.  They could turn Paradise Pier into some sort of waterfront carnival with fortune tellers and that sort of thing.  They could pump some fog into Grizzly Peak so that it's kind of spooky at night.  They could put some giant trick or treat buckets (and candy corn) in a Bug's Land.   Lots of possibilities.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who remembers that there was themed music in DCA for Halloween Time... until 2010, that is.  Halloween Time basically left DCA after 2009.



mummabear said:


> @Sherry E so you think there is a possibility of DLR running Paint the night each night? What about with an early 7pm close like a Thursday? And the same for Disneyland forever?
> 
> Also are the ticket prices a flat cost (no adult/child tickets)?



I think that if Disneyland is looking at these new nighttime events as limited-run events -- in other words, if they don't expect to run them for the next few years -- they will probably treat them as such, and want to make them available to more people this year, before the schedule possibly gets reduced in 2016.  So I think there is a good chance of Paint the Night running nightly on non-MHP nights, as well as the fireworks running on some nights when there might not ordinarily be fireworks.  On MHP nights (when there is an early closure), there probably wouldn't be PTN -- unless it was included as part of the MHP events.  It's so hard to say what will happen, though.  It really would be easier if MHP were just held in DCA this year, but without all of the usual party exclusives I think people would be upset.

There are no MHP ticket prices for kids -- just a flat cost for everyone -- but, of course, the prices can vary depending on the day or date, AP or other discounts, etc.


----------



## Kilala

If you guys would like for me too I can put some Halloween decoration pictures up from DCA. I'm working on a costume right now. I will post pictures of the unitard by this weekendI will post some pictures of me paiting the unitard too.


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## mummabear

Sherry E said:


> They could definitely play up the retro Halloween angle for BVS, and play up the kooky/wacky/automotive angle for Cars Land.  They could put up monster movie posters or banners in Hollywood Land, or at least do something with a "monster" theme since that's where the Mike & Sulley ride is located.  They could turn Paradise Pier into some sort of waterfront carnival with fortune tellers and that sort of thing.  They could pump some fog into Grizzly Peak so that it's kind of spooky at night.  They could put some giant trick or treat buckets (and candy corn) in a Bug's Land.   Lots of possibilities.
> 
> I'm glad I'm not the only one who remembers that there was themed music in DCA for Halloween Time... until 2010, that is.  Halloween Time basically left DCA after 2009.



Man wouldnt it be great if we didnt have to pick and they either did the party across 2 parks or alternated nights and had 2 different parties where one had the fireworks the other had a Halloween WOC, different ride layovers etc.


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## Sherry E

Kilala said:


> If you guys would like for me too I can put some Halloween decoration pictures up from DCA. I'm working on a costume right now. I will post pictures of the unitard by this weekendI will post some pictures of me paiting the unitard too.



Go right ahead! 




mummabear said:


> Man wouldnt it be great if we didnt have to pick and they either did the party across 2 parks or alternated nights and had 2 different parties where one had the fireworks the other had a Halloween WOC, different ride layovers etc.



That would be great!  I've pondered scenarios like that in the past -- I wonder how hard it would be and how much effort it would require to have the party in DL on some nights and other nights have it in DCA -- within one season.  I am guessing that it would be too inconvenient, but it would be cool if they could pull it off at DLR.  It doesn't seem like it would be a huge hassle to simply move the treat stations from one park to another, but I would guess that there is more involved than that.

I still think that this is not a typical year -- this year is not like any regular year at DLR.  This is a special year with new shows that are presumably not going to stick around forever, which is why I tend to think that a few out-of-the-ordinary experiences might happen, such as fireworks running on nights when there would ordinarily not be any fireworks (like what happened in 2009, when Halloween Screams debuted), and maybe some changes to MHP or other seasonal events.  Disney is really pushing this 60th anniversary in commercials and in their online media -- I can't see them wanting to just let the nighttime entertainment reduce to a regular off season schedule during Halloween Time... but at the same time, I can't see them wanting to completely turn their backs on Halloween Time and MHP either!   Not to mention the fact that they do have some limitations (in a typical year) with fireworks.

So, it will be interesting to see what actually ends up happening!   It will be nice when all of our questions can finally be answered and we can know what to expect!


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## kylie71

Gosh, I will miss the start by 1 day!!
We will be in the park Sept 7-11th!!

I wonder if the Pumpkin will be in the Plaza yet??

Hi Sherry  for the awesome thread as always!

--Lori


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## Sherry E

kylie71 said:


> Gosh, I will miss the start by 1 day!!
> We will be in the park Sept 7-11th!!
> 
> I wonder if the Pumpkin will be in the Plaza yet??
> 
> Hi Sherry  for the awesome thread as always!
> 
> --Lori



  Hi, *Lori*!

We don't know when Halloween Time is officially starting just yet.  It hasn't been announced.  This year's Halloween Time season is a big mystery.  We actually know more about the Holiday season at this point than we do Halloween Time, in that we know that the Christmas parade, holiday fireworks and Winter Dreams are all supposed to be shelved this year in favor of the 60th anniversary entertainment.  

September 11th is only 4 days after Labor Day this year -- and Halloween Time at DLR never begins that close to Labor Day.  Also, September 11th is... well, September 11th.  It's not exactly a day associated with celebration and whooping it up.

I could be wrong, but I don't think that Halloween Time will start on 9/11 (officially).   I have stuck by that belief for the last year or two and will stick with it until I am proven wrong!    However, I would expect that random pumpkin-y things will have begun appearing in shops and on Main Street before the official start date -- just like how the holiday season sort of unofficially begins before Veterans Day and then officially begins after Veterans Day.    The pumpkins may even be situated above the turnstiles.  Haunted Mansion Holiday may even soft open before the official start date.  The giant Mickey pumpkin in Town Square is, if I recall, the last thing to go up in the decorating process, and it appears maybe a day or so before Halloween Time begins. Last year, I recall that a helpful DIS'er in this thread spotted the giant pumpkin "backstage" and snapped a candid shot of it, well before it was ever put in Town Square.

I just tend to think that Halloween Time will officially begin somewhere between 9/12 and 9/16.  I think that 9/17 or 9/18 would be too late, but it's possible one of those dates could be the start date as well.

Seeing that I know that Halloween is not a holiday you particularly enjoy, I'm glad to see that you are forging ahead with an almost-Halloween Time trip!

ETA: Don't stray too far from the Christmas/Holiday Superthread either, as there will be another Theme Week Countdown starting in the not-so-distant future!  It will be Year #5 of the Countdown -- can you believe it?

​


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## kylie71

Thank You Sherry!  I have not even been on the Christmas Thread yet, I will look for it!  I have literally pictures of everything possible after last Thanksgiving there...
Yes, its true Halloween is not my favorite holiday, but I do love fall related things. I would enjoy BTR if it was open.... 
The park is opening later and closing earlier the wee I am there, also a BIG change for me.. might be fun to sleep in a little and take a little time in the morning, before rushing out.  I am very excited!
Did you ever make it last year?
Now off to look for the Holiday thread........

--Lori


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## maltdizzy

Sherry E said:


> September 11th is only 4 days after Labor Day this year -- and Halloween Time at DLR never begins that close to Labor Day.  *Also, September 11th is... well, September 11th.  It's not exactly a day associated with celebration and whooping it up.*
> 
> I could be wrong, but I don't think that Halloween Time will start on 9/11 (officially).



Events get scheduled on Sept. 11 all the time anymore, even by Disney at WDW (and even in my native D.C. area). The date seems to have normalized and don't believe its history will be a deterrent to Disney. But it's easy enough to do a soft open on the 11th and list the 12th in all the materials.


----------



## calilou

Sherry E said:


> They could definitely play up the retro Halloween angle for BVS, and play up the kooky/wacky/automotive angle for Cars Land.  They could put up monster movie posters or banners in Hollywood Land, or at least do something with a "monster" theme since that's where the Mike & Sulley ride is located.  They could turn Paradise Pier into some sort of waterfront carnival with fortune tellers and that sort of thing.  They could pump some fog into Grizzly Peak so that it's kind of spooky at night.  They could put some giant trick or treat buckets (and candy corn) in a Bug's Land.   Lots of possibilities.



This would be so cool! I would love to see MHPs move to DCA this year and that park transformed as well as DLP. And it makes a lot of sense considering the current 60th happenings going on this year. I can see the 60th décor and traditional DLP Halloween décor both work at the same time. 

Has this already been covered - how did the holiday décor work when they did the 50th celebration? As far as both Halloween and Christmas. I know they didn't do MHPs then (at least I don't think they did), but what about any special holiday parades or fireworks back then?


----------



## Sherry E

maltdizzy said:


> Events get scheduled on Sept. 11 all the time anymore, even by Disney at WDW (and even in my native D.C. area). The date seems to have normalized and don't believe its history will be a deterrent to Disney. But it's easy enough to do a soft open on the 11th and list the 12th in all the materials.



Not at Disneyland, they don't.  WDW is a bit different.  Disneyland never starts the holiday season on or even before Veterans Day anymore, either -- and it's been that way for many years.  At one point they did start earlier in November, but for a long time now they have begun only (officially) starting the season after Veterans Day... even though most of the holiday décor and some of the events are in place and up and running before November 11th.

I don't _think_ Halloween Time will start (officially) on 9/11.  It's too close to Labor Day, and it would actually be before WDW's own Halloween festivities kick off.  Usually, Disneyland's Halloween Time starts after or at least around the same time as WDW's MNSSHP.  MNSSHP is starting on 9/15 this year, so I don't expect Halloween Time at DLR to start on 9/11.  The only reason why I would even think 9/12 (a Saturday) is a possibility for an official start date is because the season will probably end on a Saturday (10/31), although it could stretch through 11/1 (which has happened in the distant past).

At one point I thought that Halloween Time could even officially begin on 9/10, or just before 9/11 -- just not on 9/11 -- but then I remembered how late Labor Day is happening this year and I think it might be too soon to start Halloween Time immediately after it.

You never know, though -- just when I think I can safely nail Disney down to a pattern, they go and switch things up on me! 




calilou said:


> This would be so cool! I would love to see MHPs move to DCA this year and that park transformed as well as DLP. And it makes a lot of sense considering the current 60th happenings going on this year. I can see the 60th décor and traditional DLP Halloween décor both work at the same time.
> 
> Has this already been covered - how did the holiday décor work when they did the 50th celebration? As far as both Halloween and Christmas. I know they didn't do MHPs then (at least I don't think they did), but what about any special holiday parades or fireworks back then?



In 2005, Believe in Holiday Magic fireworks did not run during the holiday season, to keep the focus on the 50th anniversary.   I think the Christmas Fantasy Parade still took place, but I could be wrong.  There were holiday decorations around the parks, and IASW Holiday was open as well.  Haunted Mansion Holiday was open.

The Halloween Party (after a 9-year absence) actually started up again in 2005, during the 50th anniversary -- but it was in DCA!  But Halloween Time, as an official season, did not begin until 2006.


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## BobearQSI

I really agree it is way up in the air this year.

If you look on the first page of this thread, you can see the historical start dates of halloween time.  When Mickey's Halloween Party moved to Disneyland in 2010, that is when the pattern began of Halloween time starting the second Friday after Labor Day:

2010: Labor Day Sept 6, Halloween Time Sept 17
2011: Labor Day Sept 5, Halloween Time Sept 16
2012: Labor Day Sept 3, Halloween Time Sept 14
2013: Labor Day Sept 2, Halloween Time Sept 13
2014: Labor Day Sept 1, Halloween Time Sept 12

So this is the first year on that schedule where Labor Day falls on the 7th.  What's going to happen is anyone's guess.  If we were following the pattern, it would start on Sept 18.  I will add that if it were to start on the 11th, they would have to close Space Mountain on Labor Day to start the overlay, if they take the same amount of time as they have the past few years.  Also, they are busy with the half marathon on Labor Day weekend, so trying to do all holiday decorations in 4 days where they've had 11 days in the past is a stretch.  And of course, all the points Sherry's already made regarding the calendar, 60th anniversary, etc. factor in as well.

So I really think everyone's just going to have to wait and see - there really is no better guess at this point.  Either we'll hear something, or you could also watch when Disney releases the calendar for the end of August - again, simply going by the patterns, Haunted mansion would close on Aug 24 for a Sept 11 start, or Aug 31 for Sept 18 start, etc.

Personally, I'm really hoping for a later, as I'm going to be there Sept 8th and want to Space Mountain.


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## Sherry E

BobearQSI said:


> I really agree it is way up in the air this year.
> 
> If you look on the first page of this thread, you can see the historical start dates of halloween time.  When Mickey's Halloween Party moved to Disneyland in 2010, that is when the pattern began of Halloween time starting the second Friday after Labor Day:
> 
> 2010: Labor Day Sept 6, Halloween Time Sept 17
> 2011: Labor Day Sept 5, Halloween Time Sept 16
> 2012: Labor Day Sept 3, Halloween Time Sept 14
> 2013: Labor Day Sept 2, Halloween Time Sept 13
> 2014: Labor Day Sept 1, Halloween Time Sept 12
> 
> So this is the first year on that schedule where Labor Day falls on the 7th.  What's going to happen is anyone's guess.  If we were following the pattern, it would start on Sept 18.  I will add that if it were to start on the 11th, they would have to close Space Mountain on Labor Day to start the overlay, if they take the same amount of time as they have the past few years.  Also, they are busy with the half marathon on Labor Day weekend, so trying to do all holiday decorations in 4 days where they've had 11 days in the past is a stretch.  And of course, all the points Sherry's already made regarding the calendar, 60th anniversary, etc. factor in as well.
> 
> So I really think everyone's just going to have to wait and see - there really is no better guess at this point.  Either we'll hear something, or you could also watch when Disney releases the calendar for the end of August - again, simply going by the patterns, Haunted mansion would close on Aug 24 for a Sept 11 start, or Aug 31 for Sept 18 start, etc.
> 
> Personally, I'm really hoping for a later, as I'm going to be there Sept 8th and want to Space Mountain.



All excellent points (and I appreciate the fact that you looked on page 1 and saw the info I put there!).  You're right -- 2010 was a turning point of sorts.  The party moved to DL.  Halloween Time began starting earlier in September.  That was the last year for an October party start date.  And the Halloween décor disappeared from DCA!  

I forgot about Space Mountain having to close on Labor Day for a 9/11 season start date.  I was just thinking that 9/11 seemed too close to Labor Day in general, but with HM already closed at that point, and the half-marathon going on, there would be a lot happening  -- that makes me believe even more firmly that Halloween Time will not begin on 9/11.

Chances are we won't have to wait too much longer to find out the MHP dates and Halloween Time start date, assuming that the Parks Blog delivers the news somewhere around the 4th of July again.  We're already in June, so we're almost in the home stretch!  They'd better not wait until late July to let us know!  Then again, last year the Parks Blog decided to tell us the holiday season's November start date... in September.    So anything is possible!  The more time that passes without a big announcement, the less chance there is of anything out of the ordinary happening with MHP this year or with Halloween Time.  I think that if some major event is coming, or something that would impact MHP in a big way, they'd probably do a blog about it very soon, to try to get everyone revved up and excited about it.  If time passes and we don't get a big announcement, the only things that might be slightly different this year are the start dates of the season and of MHP.


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## maltdizzy

Meh.

Won't change my travel days back to L.A. At best might move my hotel reservation back or forth two days...or just my park plans.


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## ALittleBitWitchy

This Superthread is so awesome! Thank you Sherry for keeping us updated. 

I have a question concerning Halloween party tickets and annual passes. We let our APs expire early this year. We have an early October trip booked and will be buying APs again before we go (via online or by phone). Do the APs need to be activated for us to buy Halloween party tickets in advance or will the voucher (is that what it's called?) be ok? I hope that made sense.


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## lorijohnhill

Last October I was able to purchase my AP and my Halloween tickets in the same phone call.


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## ALittleBitWitchy

Thanks lorijohnhill! That would be nice!


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## IWannaCruise

I just checked the website. No news yet


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## Sherry E

IWannaCruise said:


> I just checked the website. No news yet



Sadly, no.  The website will probably not post news before the Disney Parks Blog announces something -- however, it is worth keeping an eye on the DLR website to see if anything suddenly goes missing!  

For example, right now we can pull up certain text and summaries of Halloween Time and Mickey's Halloween Party on the Disneyland website, and it _looks like_ everything will be as normal from the descriptions -- the party will be in Disneyland, the fireworks will be Halloween Screams, etc. 

If we ever happen to notice that some of the text or descriptions have suddenly vanished, then that could mean something is brewing!

I keep looking at the Holidays section of the DLR website for the same reason -- not so much because I expect to see anything new, but because I want to see if any of the descriptions and text have been removed.  Interestingly, after the paragraph where it says 





> _In anticipation of our coming 2015 holiday celebrations, here’s a look back at some of the Seasonal Events that warmed our hearts and cocoa in 2014!_


 ... it goes on to list some of the events that took place last year.  It mentions the Christmas Fantasy Parade -- which is supposedly not happening this year (at all) -- but it does not mention the Believe in Holiday Magic fireworks, which were definitely happening last year but are not happening this year.

So it almost seems as if Disneyland wants us to forget that Believe in Holiday Magic took place in 2014 -- since there is no chance it is happening this year -- but that they haven't fully committed to the "no Christmas parade" concept yet, and don't want to remove it until they figure it out.  Supposedly there will be no Christmas parade, but the reference to it is still there.


----------



## Meemoo

Hi there, I have been tuning in to this thread for a while now. We have a 10 night vacation booked for October for DL, first trip in 10 years, the kids first trip ever and probably the last for a long time. We have 10 day park hopper tickets. I am considering the Halloween Party. My kids will be 7 & 9, boy and girl. I am trying to make up my mind as to whether we should do the Halloween Party. Is the experience that different to what we would see during our normal entry aside from the trick or treating? We don't go all out for Halloween in Australia so in that sense it would be a fun experience for the kids, we did a Halloween party at Aulani a couple of years back which they enjoyed, decorated our first ever pumpkin  My son is a little scared of well, scary looking things, is there anything particularly scary in the Halloween Party or is it all kept cute scary?


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## lorijohnhill

I attended part of a Halloween Party last year, and it was all cute scary, family friendly stuff. The trick or treating was fun! At the party you get to see character in different costumes than you can normally see them wearing. There are also some different characters available during the party. It's a mystery to all of us as to what surprises this year's parties may hold, but it will surely be a good time to be had by all!


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## Sherry E

Meemoo said:


> Hi there, I have been tuning in to this thread for a while now. We have a 10 night vacation booked for October for DL, first trip in 10 years, the kids first trip ever and probably the last for a long time. We have 10 day park hopper tickets. I am considering the Halloween Party. My kids will be 7 & 9, boy and girl. I am trying to make up my mind as to whether we should do the Halloween Party. Is the experience that different to what we would see during our normal entry aside from the trick or treating? We don't go all out for Halloween in Australia so in that sense it would be a fun experience for the kids, we did a Halloween party at Aulani a couple of years back which they enjoyed, decorated our first ever pumpkin  My son is a little scared of well, scary looking things, is there anything particularly scary in the Halloween Party or is it all kept cute scary?



I'm so glad you're with us here, *Meemoo*! 

It's all cute scary/whimsical, as only Disney can do!  The scary Halloween events (which focus more on gore, shock and menacing people popping out at guests and running after them with hatchets and things like that) happen at Knott's Berry Farm, Six Flags Magic Mountain and Universal Studios.  Disneyland's celebration of Halloween Time is very family-friendly and palatable for even the youngest visitors.

Because Halloween is something that is not as big of a deal in Australia, I think that attending Mickey's Halloween Party would be a great thing to do.

Assuming that this year's Halloween Time season is not going to be drastically different from previous years' seasons, then what you would see _without_ attending MHP includes:  character pumpkins over the Disneyland entrance turnstiles; a giant Mickey pumpkin in Town Square; the Pumpkin Festival on Main Street, which involves lots of expressive gourds perched atop awnings, balconies and in window displays; character-embossed pumpkins representing each land in Disneyland, surrounding the Partners statue;  the Dia de los Muertos/Day of the Dead display in Frontierland; the Ray Bradbury Halloween Tree in Frontierland; Haunted Mansion Holiday; Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy; and the Halloween Carnival/Round-Up at the Big Thunder Ranch area of Frontierland, which includes pumpkin carving (and some awesome character pumpkins), the Conjure a Villain tent, Halloween-themed crafts and games, characters in seasonal attire, a fortuneteller and other entertainment.  

There are also lots of Fall and Halloween-ish foods to be enjoyed, both sweet and savory, during that time of year.

Mickey's Halloween Party includes:  the fantastic Halloween Screams fireworks; treat trails and stations around Disneyland, and lots of candy;  additional spooky effects like fog and Halloween-ish projections on assorted facades; the Character Costume Cavalcade -- a mini-parade of sorts; additional Villains and characters who wouldn't be out in the daytime; some extra merchandise and treats that are exclusive to MHP; and lots of other guests in wacky costumes!


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## lorijohnhill

One other thing to mention as far as scary things.  My daughter (8) found Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy to be quite scary. In fact, it took my brother everything he had to convince her to give the regular ride a try last month. She was glad she did it, because she loved the ride, but swears she will never set foot in the place when the ghosts are there.


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## maltdizzy

My son's first ride on Space Mountian was Ghost Galaxy when he was 3. We felt like horrible parents by going on it with him ...

He loved it! Been a coaster junkie ever since and always looked forward to Ghost Galaxy time.


----------



## HopLow1968

I just hope that they don't sell MHP tickets first and then announce that it will be moved to DCA with minimal decorations, and everything scaled down.  I would be upset if I spent money for a ticket to one thing, and then was given a lesser thing.  But I have faith that it's all going to turn out wonderful.


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## IWannaCruise

My wife doesn't like ghost Galaxy. But we both love HM when 2 holidays collide. We get our picture taken with the giant pumpkin. We dress up and go trick or treating just the two of us. We enjoy the fireworks. We just love the whole experience!! I can't wait !!!


----------



## Meemoo

Thank you for all your tips & warm welcome  I think I will wait until they release the details. It honestly wouldn't seem as appealing to me if it was is DCA. I'd rather be in DL enjoying the 60th festivities if that was the case. I think the kids would have so much fun collecting all the candy though, and would be severely disappointed come next year on Halloween in Australia  We are spending Halloween at Aulani again this year, we are stopping over in Hawaii on our way home to Sydney to break the dreaded long flight and enjoy paradise They will get to go to Aulani's Halloween party again which consisted of trick or treating, fun games, pumpkin decorating and characters in costume, so weighing up if they really need a double dose of candy (lucky our airline has a very generous baggage allowance!) and 2 x Halloween Parties, I will wait for the juicy details of the DL Party first see what they are offering 

I took my daughter on Space Mountain at HKDL when she was around 5. I remember all the tight turns and the speed of it, and thinking the whole time, gosh what have I done - she is probably petrified she is going to slide out! When the ride was over she was in hysterics laughing and wanted to go again, me, not so much! I don't think i'd like Ghost Galaxy, but something tells me my little thrill seeker daughter might. Daddy can take her this time hopefully he can handle it because the tea cups give him a headache!


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## IWannaCruise

2 questions. When were dates released last year and were AP holders able to buy tickets before the general public?


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## tjcrabb

IWannaCruise said:


> 2 questions. When were dates released last year and were AP holders able to buy tickets before the general public?



According to the first couple of posts (aka "FAQ") it was announced on the disney parks blog 07/02/14 and AP holders were able to purchase them starting 07/16 and then the general public on 07/30. Hope that helps
Tricia


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## Sherry E

tjcrabb said:


> According to the first couple of posts (aka "FAQ") it was announced on the disney parks blog 07/02/14 and AP holders were able to purchase them starting 07/16 and then the general public on 07/30. Hope that helps
> Tricia



That's exactly how it all played out!

I'm so glad that the info on the first page is not getting overlooked -- I leave it there (even if it's from last year or prior) specifically for that reason, so we can reference it to help answer questions and figure out what might or might not be happening in future years!

I can tell you, I am definitely starting to get in the mood for fall and Halloween now.  I've had it with summer even though it hasn't even begun yet.   We had a pretty mild May in terms of temperatures in SoCal, and the air was comfortable (for me) -- not too warm, not too chilly.  Not really humid.  All of a sudden, now that it's June, we have been slapped with humidity.  The temperature might not even be that warm, but those of you who live in states that deal with humidity all the time (which we don't!) know that the humidity can be just as uncomfortable if not more so.  It may only be 75 degrees outside at some point today or right now, but if there is 78% humidity too, it's just not good.   

I am ready for some Halloween news!


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## lorijohnhill

Me too! I am so done with summer! The heat affects one of my medical conditions (a debilitating headache that we have been unable to get of for going on 5+ years). It gets so much worse in the heat and my mess can't keep up with it. So, I always end up wishing the summer away!


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## IWannaCruise

I should've looked at the first page. I only started reading a few pages back. Ok. I'll just impatiently wait for July


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## Kilala

I will be posting photos for you of Halloween decorations at DCA, MK, and DL tomorrow. I will also be posting photos of the progress of the Electra unitard.


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## mommy2mrb

Hear you on the heat Sherry....we've had such a mild winter and spring here the Seattle area...been in 70-80 the past few days, this is our July/August weather.  Most people don't have A/C here either.  Makes me a bit anxious for the actual summer. 
Hope the announcement will come soon about the party details, waiting to book our trip!


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## IWannaCruise

We will be there 10/1-5. I sure hope there's a party during our stay.


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## bcwife76

mommy2mrb said:


> Hear you on the heat Sherry....we've had such a mild winter and spring here the Seattle area...been in 70-80 the past few days, this is our July/August weather.  Most people don't have A/C here either.  Makes me a bit anxious for the actual summer.
> Hope the announcement will come soon about the party details, waiting to book our trip!



We live just north of you, just outside of Vancouver BC and yes it's been a HOT week. We had a couple of days where it was near 30C (90F) and are lucky because we live in a new subdivision and actually have central a/c. We were rather popular with our friends this week ;-) I am a little worried what the months of July and August will bring lol


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## tjcrabb

IWannaCruise said:


> We will be there 10/1-5. I sure hope there's a party during our stay.


'

We are staying about the same time 10/01 - 10/4. The airfare has already been purchased, we were able to book a SW round trip for 88.00. Now I am just using the waiting time to look into hotels.


----------



## kdj78

hi ) Does anyone know when the halloween special event tickets go on sale for Disneyland (Not Disney World) ??

Thanks!!


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## mommy2mrb

bcwife76 said:


> We live just north of you, just outside of Vancouver BC and yes it's been a HOT week. We had a couple of days where it was near 30C (90F) and are lucky because we live in a new subdivision and actually have central a/c. We were rather popular with our friends this week ;-) I am a little worried what the months of July and August will bring lol



Hi neighbor!  thankfully we are getting some cooler weather the next few days!   your should charge an entrance fee LOL


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## tjcrabb

kdj78 said:


> hi ) Does anyone know when the halloween special event tickets go on sale for Disneyland (Not Disney World) ??
> 
> Thanks!!


Welcome! You have come to the right place for disneyland information. We do not know when the halloween tickets go on sale yet because it has not been announced. If they follow the pattern of last year they will announce sometime in July. WDW is a little different because everything is scheduled 180 days in advance, DL is more of a 60 days out. You might find the first several posts of this thread a helpful read while you are waiting for the big news


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## Abbey1

Hi! I have two quick questions. First, should I expect prices for the Halloween party to go up in price from last year? Will they still be around $65-$70 do you think?

And second, We will only be there for two days- the Monday and Tuesday before Halloween. We will attend the party one night (hopefully our stay will coincide with a party, maybe Monday?), but won't be buying tickets for that day. So we will only be in the park from 4-close. I'm wondering everyone's opinion- would it be best to spend the second day (our only full day) again at Disneyland Park (if that's where the party will be), or should we do California Adventure the next day? We love both parks. I'm just wondering if we'll be able to accomplish a lot of our "musts" during the party, or if everything will be super busy. We normally travel during low crowd times. 

Sorry that second question was a bit convoluted. I hope it makes sense.


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## IWannaCruise

Airfare, shuttle & hotel are booked


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## Sherry E

Abbey1 said:


> Hi! I have two quick questions. First, should I expect prices for the Halloween party to go up in price from last year? Will they still be around $65-$70 do you think?
> 
> And second, We will only be there for two days- the Monday and Tuesday before Halloween. We will attend the party one night (hopefully our stay will coincide with a party, maybe Monday?), but won't be buying tickets for that day. So we will only be in the park from 4-close. I'm wondering everyone's opinion- would it be best to spend the second day (our only full day) again at Disneyland Park (if that's where the party will be), or should we do California Adventure the next day? We love both parks. I'm just wondering if we'll be able to accomplish a lot of our "musts" during the party, or if everything will be super busy. We normally travel during low crowd times.
> 
> Sorry that second question was a bit convoluted. I hope it makes sense.



Hi there!  

Question #1 -- My guess is that the tickets will increase in price a bit -- maybe by a few dollars -- but not too drastically, unless there is something major and different happening with the party this year that would warrant a bigger increase.  As usual, there will probably be discounts available for AP holders, Disney Visa card holders and DVC members for certain nights, but other nights will not be discounted at all (which likely will include your night).

Question #2 -- Personally, if getting Park Hoppers is not an option, then I would probably choose to do one park on one day and the other park on the other day.  

By the way, if there is a Halloween Party on your Monday or Tuesday night you can get into Disneyland at 3 p.m.  The 4 p.m. entrance is generally for Fridays (and probably weekend night parties too).  It will be extra crowded from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., before all of the non-party guests have to exit the park.  So those 3 hours may be a little frustrating in terms of doing certain things in DL that you want to do, but you'll manage.  Then, when the actual party starts, most rides will be operating and many of them will have shorter lines (see Question #13 for the list of rides that were closed during the party in 2014 - http://www.disboards.com/threads/ha...ut-halloween-time-2015.3270919/#post-51326916, and note that the Halloween Carnival was open at the very beginning of the party or just before the party started, but closed shortly thereafter).

You said you love both parks, so I think it all boils down to how many attractions you want to do in Disneyland and how many you want to do in California Adventure.  If you think you will need a lot of extra time in DL, then you might want to skip DCA and do DL on the second day too.  However, since we have not yet heard what -- if anything -- might be happening in DCA this year during Halloween Time, we don't know if there will be a "must-do" in that park.  Hopefully, the mysteries of Halloween Time and the Halloween Party will be solved within the next few weeks, and then we will all know exactly what we're up against and how to plan!


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## tjcrabb

So I need a little clarification about the discount tickets. I did search the thread but I am still not sure on the answer. It lists that there is a disney rewards visa discount but does that also apply to the disney debit card as well? I feel that sometimes they are used interchangeably. Thanks!


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## kdj78

tjcrabb said:


> Welcome! You have come to the right place for disneyland information. We do not know when the halloween tickets go on sale yet because it has not been announced. If they follow the pattern of last year they will announce sometime in July. WDW is a little different because everything is scheduled 180 days in advance, DL is more of a 60 days out. You might find the first several posts of this thread a helpful read while you are waiting for the big news


Thankyou ! Im flying all the way from Australia just to see Disneyland during the halloween period. id hate to miss out of the event tickets - ill keep keeping my eyes peeled


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## Meemoo

kdj78 said:


> Thankyou ! Im flying all the way from Australia just to see Disneyland during the halloween period. id hate to miss out of the event tickets - ill keep keeping my eyes peeled


Welcome! And that makes 2 of us - I am from Sydney  Have you done Halloween at DL before? This will be our first.


----------



## calilou

Abbey1 said:


> Hi! I have two quick questions. First, should I expect prices for the Halloween party to go up in price from last year? Will they still be around $65-$70 do you think?
> 
> And second, We will only be there for two days- the Monday and Tuesday before Halloween. We will attend the party one night (hopefully our stay will coincide with a party, maybe Monday?), but won't be buying tickets for that day. So we will only be in the park from 4-close. I'm wondering everyone's opinion- would it be best to spend the second day (our only full day) again at Disneyland Park (if that's where the party will be), or should we do California Adventure the next day? We love both parks. I'm just wondering if we'll be able to accomplish a lot of our "musts" during the party, or if everything will be super busy. We normally travel during low crowd times.
> 
> Sorry that second question was a bit convoluted. I hope it makes sense.



If it were me I would go ahead and plan to get park hopper tickets for that second day so that you have the flexibility of going into both parks. You'll probably find that you're able to do much of what you want at DLP on Monday night but not everything. If you have a hopper you can go in right when the park opens and finish up there then move to DCA at lunch time for the rest of the day.


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## Sherry E

tjcrabb said:


> So I need a little clarification about the discount tickets. I did search the thread but I am still not sure on the answer. It lists that there is a disney rewards visa discount but does that also apply to the disney debit card as well? I feel that sometimes they are used interchangeably. Thanks!



Yes, indeed, the Disney Visa debit can get you the discount as well!  (I have the debit card too.)  Just as long as you have some form of a Disney Visa -- credit or debit card --- and use that card to buy your tickets, then the discount will be applied.  However, unless something different happens this year, in order for the Disney Visa folks and DVC people to get the discounts applied, they will have to call the phone number that is referenced in the MHP FAQ and order the tickets that way.  So far, only the Annual Pass holders are able to order their discounted tickets online (when they go on sale), but the other discounted tickets have to be purchased over the phone.

The good thing is that the Disney Visa and DVC people can get their tickets at the same time the AP holders can get theirs -- so they all get a jump start on the general public's sales.


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## Comicbookmommy

Joining as well! Going on a few day trip in October so we can enjoy all the decorations and the kids and Trick-or-treat.  Can't decide whether to stay over Halloween or go the week before. I'll have to do some research!

Whoever said they're over summer already, I'm right there with you. We just moved from Maine late last year so this is our first California summer. And while we're up in the San Bernadino mountains, it's still HOT! And it's not even officially summer yet! No East Coast mugginess though, that's a plus!

Anyway, I am SO READY for fall! I actually made muffins last night and put in pumpkin pie spice just so I could smell a bit of fall


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## Sherry E

I mentioned this in the Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread, but I'll mention it here -- if you happen to visit a 99 Cents Only Store near you (which is a treasure trove of good finds), you may find a supply of Pumpkin Pie Pop Tarts, which were part of the Pumpkin Pandemonium last year.  My 99 Cents Only Store has tons of boxes of them, and for 99 cents it's a good deal.  I didn't get any when I was there the other day, but I suspect that they will still be there if I go back.  I might get a box, just to taste a little bit of fall -- although I generally don't eat Pop Tarts.

They had 99 cent Edy's/Dreyer's Peppermint Wonderland ice cream too, which was an even better deal, seeing as that ice cream costs $5.99 - $6.99 when it's not on sale.  

I guess that stores like 99 Cents Only and Grocery Outlet get in all of the leftover seasonal goodies that the other stores couldn't sell.





Comicbookmommy said:


> Joining as well! Going on a few day trip in October so we can enjoy all the decorations and the kids and Trick-or-treat.  Can't decide whether to stay over Halloween or go the week before. I'll have to do some research!
> 
> Whoever said they're over summer already, I'm right there with you. We just moved from Maine late last year so this is our first California summer. And while we're up in the San Bernadino mountains, it's still HOT! No East Coast mugginess though, that's a plus!
> 
> Anyway, I am SO READY for fall! I actually made muffins last night and put in pumpkin pie spice just so I could smell a bit of fall



Welcome to the Halloween Time Superthread! 

So, are you going to DLR for both Halloween Time and the Holidays this year?   I know you were tossing around the two different sets of holiday season dates.   I can't think of a better way to finish off the last few months of the year than with Disneyland at Halloween Time and Disneyland during the holiday season! 

I am the one who initially spoke up and said I was over summer already (even though it has not even technically begun yet) , and, fortunately, it seems that a few other folks here feel the same, so I am not alone!  Bring on the fall!!! 

Actually, if we're just talking about 'things' associated with summer -- lovely flowers, berries, peaches, the ocean, the beach, BBQs, pool parties, lemonade, picnics, piers and boardwalks, etc. -- I love all of those things if I have access to them.  The problem I have is simply the super hot weather.  It just ruins everything for me because it makes me ill.  If it could just stay a nice, reasonable 70 degrees or so, all summer long, I would be a much bigger fan of summer.  I just can't deal with the really harsh heat.  And, sadly, late summer/early fall can often be the hottest time of the year.   Last year it didn't even start to feel like fall in Los Angeles until Halloween night, when it was a bit windy and I think there was either a chance of rain, or it had just rained.  Then, in mid-to-late-November-ish, the morning air began to get really crisp, whereas in summer, the morning air usually doesn't feel all that cool and crisp.

If you do end up at Disneyland on Halloween, you will see the beginnings of the holiday decorations going up but of course it won't be in full holiday mode for another couple of weeks.


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## Comicbookmommy

Hello again, Sherry! I must echo the other post in that you do an incredible job with these threads! I don't know how you do it! They are endlessly helpful, so thank you, thank you, thank you. 

And yes, we're planning to go for a little bit at Halloween (because we just can't miss it!) and leave while the kids are still craving some major Disneyland time,  then later surprise the kids with the giant Christmas trip! If we can afford it, we're going to try and go on our first Disney cruise right before Thanksgiving too. We've had a rough year and we work at home non-stop (comic book artists) without weekends or days off, and just had a baby in January (working again 3 days after birth and through those difficult early months!) so at the end of the year we're going to have a big Disney Blow-out 

I'm with you on the harsh heat, I can't deal with it at ALL. So I'm a bit terrified that it's already in the mid-80's here and summer hasn't started! That is indeed a lovely list of summery things to be excited about  But like you, the heat keeps me from enjoying those types of things! So bring on the fall! Bring on the Holidays! The sooner the better


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## poseys

I wonder if they would start Halloween time on September 18 because that is also Dapper Day. I feel like that would be too much going on for one day?


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## Abbey1

Thanks for all the info, Sherry! You are such a great resource and help! My husband isn't really wanting to buy park hoppers. This is an in between short trip. We did a big Disneyland trip in February and are planning a long trip to the world for next February. I just really want to see Disneyland at Halloween. It's my favorite place and my favorite holiday. 

I think we'll just try to fit everything in during the party, and do DCA the next day. My son will be tall enough for RSR and Soarin' will be open for us!!


----------



## Sherry E

Comicbookmommy said:


> Hello again, Sherry! I must echo the other post in that you do an incredible job with these threads! I don't know how you do it! They are endlessly helpful, so thank you, thank you, thank you.
> 
> And yes, we're planning to go for a little bit at Halloween (because we just can't miss it!) and leave while the kids are still craving some major Disneyland time,  then later surprise the kids with the giant Christmas trip! If we can afford it, we're going to try and go on our first Disney cruise right before Thanksgiving too. We've had a rough year and we work at home non-stop (comic book artists) without weekends or days off, and just had a baby in January (working again 3 days after birth and through those difficult early months!) so at the end of the year we're going to have a big Disney Blow-out
> 
> I'm with you on the harsh heat, I can't deal with it at ALL. So I'm a bit terrified that it's already in the mid-80's here and summer hasn't started! That is indeed a lovely list of summery things to be excited about  But like you, the heat keeps me from enjoying those types of things! So bring on the fall! Bring on the Holidays! The sooner the better



Thank you for the kind words!  I'm so glad these threads can be of help.  Sometimes I don't know how I do it either.    I have a love of Halloween Time and the entire Holiday season (which, in my mind, starts with Halloween), as well as Easter and the other fun, colorful holidays, so this is all a natural extension of my love of holidays!

What a fun and interesting job you have -- even though it keeps you working every day.  It's not often that someone says they are a comic book artist, so it's definitely unique.  I think that all at-home jobs involve working daily to some degree, but anything like what you're doing probably involves strict deadlines as well.

It definitely sounds as though a big Disney blowout is in order to cap off the year!  I hope the cruise can be worked out as well.

Congratulations on the newest addition to the family!

Our weather can go a few different ways once September hits -- it can either get ridiculously, insanely hot (100+ degrees), or it can rain, or it can be dry and windy, or it can be overcast and kind of muggy.  The last 3 months of the year are sort of unpredictable as well, as we never know if they are going to be super hot or super rainy.  This winter we are supposedly (and it is becoming more certain) going to get hit with a lot of rain (El Nino rain), but I don't know if that will begin in December or early next year.

So we just have to make it through summer to the other side, and then the last few months of the year will be fun, fun, fun!



poseys said:


> I wonder if they would start Halloween time on September 18 because that is also Dapper Day. I feel like that would be too much going on for one day?



I think that 9/18 could certainly be a possibility as a start date.  Dapper Day's Fall events seem to coincide with when Halloween Time begins, or within a day or two of the start date.  It would fit the tradition of Halloween Time starting on the Friday after Labor Day week as well.  I am inclined to think that 9/18 might be too late because Halloween Time is so popular, and that Disneyland may choose to start it on a weekday, like 9/15 or 9/16, or on Saturday, 9/12.  But we shall soon find out!




Abbey1 said:


> Thanks for all the info, Sherry! You are such a great resource and help! My husband isn't really wanting to buy park hoppers. This is an in between short trip. We did a big Disneyland trip in February and are planning a long trip to the world for next February. I just really want to see Disneyland at Halloween. It's my favorite place and my favorite holiday.
> 
> I think we'll just try to fit everything in during the party, and do DCA the next day. My son will be tall enough for RSR and Soarin' will be open for us!!



You're very welcome!   Thank you for the kind words.

I will say that -- because Halloween is your favorite holiday and I don't want you to miss any of the Halloween highlights -- it might be a good idea to head to the Halloween Carnival in Frontierland as soon as you enter the park (at 3 p.m. or whenever), or soon after.  The Carnival will be closed for the majority of the party, and I don't want you to miss out on seeing the awesome carved character pumpkins and pumpkin carvers.  You won't have to worry about the Conjure a Villain tent as much because there will be Villains at the party, but you can see the cute vintage Halloween decorations inside the Scare-Dy Crow Shack, and the whimsical "pumpkin people" (the ones that I show in the photos further down on page 1) around the Round-Up section.


----------



## BobearQSI

Abbey1 said:


> We will only be there for two days- the Monday and Tuesday before Halloween. We will attend the party one night (hopefully our stay will coincide with a party, maybe Monday?), but won't be buying tickets for that day. So we will only be in the park from 4-close. I'm wondering everyone's opinion- would it be best to spend the second day (our only full day) again at Disneyland Park (if that's where the party will be), or should we do California Adventure the next day? We love both parks. I'm just wondering if we'll be able to accomplish a lot of our "musts" during the party, or if everything will be super busy.





Sherry E said:


> Personally, if getting Park Hoppers is not an option, then I would probably choose to do one park on one day and the other park on the other day.





Abbey1 said:


> I think we'll just try to fit everything in during the party, and do DCA the next day.


Another option - if the party ends up being on Monday - I believe Disneyland tickets do not specify which park they are for (unless this has changed since I last went).  You could decide the night after the party, depending on what you actually accomplished, if you want to go back to DL or go to DCA the next day.  Whichever park you go into in the morning will be locked to the ticket at that point.  Although, you also don't want to start a fight with your family in the middle of your trip either


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## dolphingirl47

Today is my double digit day. In 99 days I am on my way to Disneyland.

Corinna


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## Meemoo

dolphingirl47 said:


> Today is my double digit day. In 99 days I am on my way to Disneyland.
> 
> Corinna


We are having a little party when we get to our 99 days prior, in about 25 more days! I bet it feels close now!


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## kdj78

Meemoo said:


> Welcome! And that makes 2 of us - I am from Sydney  Have you done Halloween at DL before? This will be our first.


hi Meemoo, brisbane here. yes very first time for halloween. can't wait !!! hope you have a great time .... I'm sure you will )


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## Sherry E

I just about fell out of my chair for a false alarm.   I saw the RSS feed alert for the Disney Parks Blog -- there is an alert whenever new blogs go up, but it may be a few minutes delayed -- and, as usual, my eyes quickly scanned the title of the new blog.  I saw the word "Halloween" and was about to shout "Whee!  Finally!" ... followed by a dance of joy.

Of course, upon closer inspection I realized that the blog was actually referencing Tokyo Disneyland's Halloween festivities (which begin on September 8th and last through November 1st, just in case you're planning on high-tailing it to Tokyo).  

So, WDW's Halloween info and dates are out (and they don't get going until 9/15/15).  Tokyo's Halloween events have been announced.  And, more than likely, within the next week or two, all of the other Southern California Halloween attractions/locations will announce their 2015 events (Knott's Scary Farm/Halloween Haunt; Universal Studios' Halloween Horror Nights; Six Flags Magic Mountain's Fright Fest; Queen Mary's Dark Harbor; the Los Angeles Haunted Hayride, etc.).

But, as usual, Disneyland Resort is crawling along at a snail's pace behind everyone else, always the last to make an announcement.


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## PlutoRocks

Hi Sherry!   For the first time EVER, we are planning a trip to see Halloween at Disneyland.  My two sisters and I went on our regular trip the first week of June and of course had a fantastic time so we decided to get Annual Passes at the end of our trip!!  I am so excited to visit DL at different times of the year - we have gone first week of June for the past 5 or 6 years due to scheduling issues.  I am watching this thread and reading what I can to get a handle on what it's going to be like and what we need to be sure to see and do.  102 days until our trip in late September.  YAY


----------



## Sherry E

This has nothing at all to do with Halloween Time, but I just had to mention it.  Did anyone else here know that there was a whole Facebook page devoted to celebrity sightings at Disneyland?  I had no idea until today, but I love it!   It's called "Disneyland Celebrity Sightings."

I was just on Facebook and one of my Facebook friends shared a photo of Kim and Kanye at Disneyland today (Kanye looked annoyed, and, yes, they are walking around in the daylight, with the rest of the masses -- no park closures for them), and I noticed that the photo came from the Disneyland Celebrity Sightings page.  

So I quickly popped over and looked at a lot of the photos.  I have to admit -- for some weird reason that I can't explain, it is fascinating to see which famous people visit Disneyland.  I have no idea why I am interested in this.  Some of the photos are candid shots, but some are actually posed photos with fans.  I was bummed out that I missed some of the celebs in question.   For example, Aaron Paul -- one of the stars of one of my all-time favorite series, _Breaking Bad_ -- was just there 8 days ago, so I am sorry I missed that.   Of course, Bieber was there... Nicolas Cage... Chris Martin from Coldplay (who posed for a close-up shot with a fan)... Kevin Nealon (from _SNL_ and _Weeds_)... all sorts of celebrities, from the A-List to the D-List.

Anyway, if you can find the page, I suggest checking it out -- I don't know how long it will last.  Sometimes those sorts of pages and threads with photos get shut down -- I think we used to have one on this forum, with photos, and it got closed or deleted because I think a lot of people were posting photos that were not their own, but photos that belonged to other people.




PlutoRocks said:


> Hi Sherry!   For the first time EVER, we are planning a trip to see Halloween at Disneyland.  My two sisters and I went on our regular trip the first week of June and of course had a fantastic time so we decided to get Annual Passes at the end of our trip!!  I am so excited to visit DL at different times of the year - we have gone first week of June for the past 5 or 6 years due to scheduling issues.  I am watching this thread and reading what I can to get a handle on what it's going to be like and what we need to be sure to see and do.  102 days until our trip in late September.  YAY



Well, hello, *Dawn*!  

Long time no see on this board!  Actually, I think I did see you over in one of the Diva threads quite a while back, but you disappeared from the Disneyland Holiday/Christmas thread, and my TR thread closed down a couple of years ago so I lost track of you.

I can't recall -- did you ever end up going to DLR for the holidays?  I know you were looking into it, but I don't remember what happened.  In any case, Halloween Time is a lot  less extensive and involved than the holiday season is, so it's easier to zero in on what to see and do that is specific to the season.  Since you will be there in late September, hopefully there will be a Halloween party during your trip.

Otherwise, be sure to check out Haunted Mansion Holiday, the Halloween Carnival/Round-Up, the Ray Bradbury Halloween Tree, the Dia de los Muertos display, the Pumpkin Festival (300 artificial pumpkins on display) on Main Street and Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy (if you like thrill rides).  I have photos of some of these things on page 1, towards the end.


----------



## tjcrabb

I have been looking at hotel rooms for the first weekend of October and things are booking up fast. I know it's not UEA or fall break in UT yet so can anyone account for the popularity? I know it could just be halloween time is popular and it's safe to assume the parties will have started.


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## Mommy2PrincessAbby

tjcrabb said:


> I have been looking at hotel rooms for the first weekend of October and things are booking up fast. I know it's not UEA or fall break in UT yet so can anyone account for the popularity? I know it could just be halloween time is popular and it's safe to assume the parties will have started.



I think the 1st weekend is Gay Days.


----------



## jammyjam25

tjcrabb said:


> I have been looking at hotel rooms for the first weekend of October and things are booking up fast. I know it's not UEA or fall break in UT yet so can anyone account for the popularity? I know it could just be halloween time is popular and it's safe to assume the parties will have started.


 


Mommy2PrincessAbby said:


> I think the 1st weekend is Gay Days.


 
Friday October 2-Sunday October 4 is indeed Gay Days! I think that combined with Halloween, combined with 60th Anniversary happenings is accounting for the popularity of that particular weekend. I'll be there myself that week!


----------



## mummabear

Sherry E said:


> But, as usual, Disneyland Resort is crawling along at a snail's pace behind everyone else, always the last to make an announcement.


I know!  I hate this feeling of limbo waiting for this announcement and the park hours. Not sure what advantage they see in holding out.


----------



## tjcrabb

Of course! I totally forgot about that. Thank you all for reminding me


----------



## IWannaCruise

Does anyone know if I get the AP discount, can I pay with my Disney Visa and stack discounts?


----------



## ACDSNY

I've never been able to stack discounts in the past.  I wish since I'd have DVC, VISA and AP.


----------



## Sherry E

Definitely no stacked discounts -- it's one or the other.  Either pay with the Disney Visa and get the discount that way (over the phone), or pay with any credit/debit card and apply the AP discount, on the DLR website.  Actually, the AP holders will have a special section set up for them to buy discounted tickets on the website, so you would just access that area and buy the pre-discounted tickets.  The Disney Visa discount has to be taken care of over the phone.


----------



## PlutoRocks

Sherry E said:


> Well, hello, *Dawn*!
> 
> Long time no see on this board!  Actually, I think I did see you over in one of the Diva threads quite a while back, but you disappeared from the Disneyland Holiday/Christmas thread, and my TR thread closed down a couple of years ago so I lost track of you.
> 
> I can't recall -- did you ever end up going to DLR for the holidays?  I know you were looking into it, but I don't remember what happened.  In any case, Halloween Time is a lot  less extensive and involved than the holiday season is, so it's easier to zero in on what to see and do that is specific to the season.  Since you will be there in late September, hopefully there will be a Halloween party during your trip.
> 
> Otherwise, be sure to check out Haunted Mansion Holiday, the Halloween Carnival/Round-Up, the Ray Bradbury Halloween Tree, the Dia de los Muertos display, the Pumpkin Festival (300 artificial pumpkins on display) on Main Street and Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy (if you like thrill rides).  I have photos of some of these things on page 1, towards the end.



Thank you for the reply Sherry!  Yes I was in both of those threads - I read a lot but don't post much.  It has been a crazy year at work - too much to do and as I think is always the case, the administration has very little idea of what it is like down here in the "trenches" so the policies seem to come from left field somewhere and then have to be implemented and then repealed a month or so later - utter nonsense!!  

I'm going to spend some more time reading through your posts to get an idea of what to expect.  Hopefully there will be a halloween party while we are there - that would be awesome!  I'll probably have more questions as the time gets closer...


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## Diszona

Sadly this will be the first time in years we will not be making a DL trip in October.  We are going to Florida to visit family instead. However, we decided to go to one of the WDW Halloween parties to get in a cheap Disney trip while we were there.  The kids decided we should stay a few nights at the Port Orleans resort, since they will miss New Orleans Square.  It's funny because I grew up going to WDW but we have been to DL so many times I feel like someone making my first trip to the Orlando park.  For the first time in years I will have to actually plan some and look at a map.


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## Kilala

Here ares some photos I found from MHP, MHT, and MK's party. The years start from 2006 at my first party. Sorry this is photo heavy. Forgot to mention that the dates are off by one day in some of the photos they are one day behind.




































Lillie when she was a kitten in 2013. This was taken two days after I adopted her. I went to the party on the 30th of October that year.















My cat Lillie with all the candy I got. The rest of the photos are found here http://s1365.photobucket.com/user/Cristine_Armstrong/library/Halloween Decorations?sort=2&page=1

If anyone wants any photos of me in costumes from years past let me know. I will put up last years photos this week. I was having problems with photobucket last year. I had to open a new account just for my costumes. I have started on my Nevada cat costume yesterday. I will be wearing this at the Anime Expo and to MHP this year. I will be posting photos this weekend. I should be taking a photoshoot in the Nevada costume next weekend


----------



## IWannaCruise

Ok 1 more question. I'm renewing my AP in a few days but my current one expires in 7/28. So can I still get the AP discount even though mine expires before October?


----------



## StyledSugar

I'm not sure if this has been asked yet or not and I know the dates haven't been released yet but I'm curious as to what people think regarding the dates around Halloween. With it being on Saturday this year, do you think they will do both the Friday and Saturday or just a regular park night on the Friday and do the party on the Saturday? We're trying to get our dates pinned down and since we are doing Vegas first and DL second, we're trying to figure out if we fly home on the Saturday or the Sunday....


----------



## bcwife76

jammyjam25 said:


> Friday October 2-Sunday October 4 is indeed Gay Days! I think that combined with Halloween, combined with 60th Anniversary happenings is accounting for the popularity of that particular weekend. I'll be there myself that week!



That's when we are going to be there, too! Well Oct 1-3, but still....guess it will be a popular weekend ;-)


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## lorijohnhill

bcwife76 said:


> That's when we are going to be there, too! Well Oct 1-3, but still....guess it will be a popular weekend ;-)



Yep.  We'll be there too! 9/25-10/4. Now I just need the party dates and Southwest to give me the fares I want and we'll be good to go!


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## bigb83

Ugh I'm getting so impatient! We originally booked our trip for the 21st-25th and had to move it due to a business trip that came up that my wife can't miss. We had to move it up to the 14th-17th. I have a feeling we are just going to miss Halloween...and it's her and my sons first time to DL. We are huge Halloween family and start celebrating in September. Hopefully it works out.


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## DLmama

Sherry E said:


> This has nothing at all to do with Halloween Time, but I just had to mention it.  Did anyone else here know that there was a whole Facebook page devoted to celebrity sightings at Disneyland?  I had no idea until today, but I love it!   It's called "Disneyland Celebrity Sightings."
> 
> I was just on Facebook and one of my Facebook friends shared a photo of Kim and Kanye at Disneyland today (Kanye looked annoyed, and, yes, they are walking around in the daylight, with the rest of the masses -- no park closures for them), and I noticed that the photo came from the Disneyland Celebrity Sightings page.
> 
> So I quickly popped over and looked at a lot of the photos.  I have to admit -- for some weird reason that I can't explain, it is fascinating to see which famous people visit Disneyland.  I have no idea why I am interested in this.  Some of the photos are candid shots, but some are actually posed photos with fans.  I was bummed out that I missed some of the celebs in question.   For example, Aaron Paul -- one of the stars of one of my all-time favorite series, _Breaking Bad_ -- was just there 8 days ago, so I am sorry I missed that.   Of course, Bieber was there... Nicolas Cage... Chris Martin from Coldplay (who posed for a close-up shot with a fan)... Kevin Nealon (from _SNL_ and _Weeds_)...



I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who looks up celebrities at Disneyland. My husband thinks I'm crazy.   He was slightly interested when we were there at the same time Travis Barker was, as he's a big fan of Blink 182.  Never did see him though.


----------



## bigb83

I look at that site too. Wife is obsessed with John Stamos and has made it her mission to meet him there haha


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## Babysaurs

Another aussie here impatiently awaiting the halloween dates we will be there from 25 sept until oct 2nd cant wait! We should know something soon right?


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## Comicbookmommy

StyledSugar said:


> I'm not sure if this has been asked yet or not and I know the dates haven't been released yet but I'm curious as to what people think regarding the dates around Halloween. With it being on Saturday this year, do you think they will do both the Friday and Saturday or just a regular park night on the Friday and do the party on the Saturday? We're trying to get our dates pinned down and since we are doing Vegas first and DL second, we're trying to figure out if we fly home on the Saturday or the Sunday....



I'm wondering this as well. I'm hoping the Party is on Halloween (Saturday) as we are hoping to Trick-or-Treat at Disneyland on the actual day.

Wonderful pictures, Kilala! 

In my mind the build-up for Halloween is starting already! I need to start making costumes early as I can only do a tiny bit every day between work/baby/kids/house.

This year my 12 y/o wants to be Gordon Freeman from the game Half-Life (so lots of armor... again! Takes forever!). Last year he was Doomguy from the game Doom.

My 5 y/o wants to be an alien from the movie "Aliens", though he's changeable so probably not the final for him. He was Godzilla last year.

Husband not sure yet. He was Willy from Mickey and the Beanstalk last year.

My little baby will be Dumbo I think! 

I will probably just be a frazzled mother with way too much to do. Costume already done. 

Anyone else have any costumes planned?


----------



## Canadian Harmony

My costume planning consists of putting the girls into the BBB the afternoon of the MHP and letting them do it 

I'm going as Merida - I have the wig and I'm going to splurge on the dress. I'll pick up a fake bow at the BBB and be good to go. I have NO idea what DH wants to go as, but it'd better be something easy to pack.


----------



## keishashadow

StyledSugar said:


> I'm not sure if this has been asked yet or not and I know the dates haven't been released yet but I'm curious as to what people think regarding the dates around Halloween. With it being on Saturday this year, do you think they will do both the Friday and Saturday or just a regular park night on the Friday and do the party on the Saturday? We're trying to get our dates pinned down and since we are doing Vegas first and DL second, we're trying to figure out if we fly home on the Saturday or the Sunday....



we're doing Vegas first too (followed by a one night stop @ HHN @ universal).  MGM has been showering us with great offers, combined with myvegas points a no brainer.  I'm not a big gambler, hope to not do too much damage.

As much as I enjoy Vegas I'd be just as happy to spend 2 nights @ universal to enjoy both the park & HHN.



bcwife76 said:


> That's when we are going to be there, too! Well Oct 1-3, but still....guess it will be a popular weekend ;-)



I booked DLH for 4 nights beginning Saturday, 10/3.  Eagerly awaiting release of the party dates to decide between that Saturday (which I assume will be crazy crowded) or the following Monday or Tuesday (I hope one will be party date!)

Starting to think the costumes @ DL will put WDW's to shame.  We have fancy pirate ones but so hot & humid over Columbus day weekend, rarely do they make the trip.  Last year we wore Jason hockey jerseys & were still uncomfortable.

So, who is going to channel Madame Leota and tell me how warm it'll likely be in DL this year the first weekend of the month?


----------



## keishashadow

Diszona said:


> Sadly this will be the first time in years we will not be making a DL trip in October.  We are going to Florida to visit family instead. However, we decided to go to one of the WDW Halloween parties to get in a cheap Disney trip while we were there.  The kids decided we should stay a few nights at the Port Orleans resort, since they will miss New Orleans Square.  It's funny because I grew up going to WDW but we have been to DL so many times I feel like someone making my first trip to the Orlando park.  For the first time in years I will have to actually plan some and look at a map.



welcome to the dark side lol

If you have a preference of which building @ POR (French Quarter I assume), you can fax them approx. 10 days out.  We've had great success in getting a specific building, floor & even the coveted corner rooms.  There's a thread here somewhere with sample fax & the number.


----------



## Sherry E

It's already too hot for me!  It's weird because, supposedly, the temperature is only in the upper 70s in L.A. right now, but I am sitting next to a big window and the sun beaming through the curtains feels especially harsh.  A 79-degree day in winter feels less harsh than a 79-degree day in late spring or summer.  It feels much hotter than upper 70s.   I am trying to forget that summer begins in 3 days.  I will keep reminding myself that winter and spring seemed to zip by rather quickly, and hopefully summer will do the same!




PlutoRocks said:


> Thank you for the reply Sherry!  Yes I was in both of those threads - I read a lot but don't post much.  It has been a crazy year at work - too much to do and as I think is always the case, the administration has very little idea of what it is like down here in the "trenches" so the policies seem to come from left field somewhere and then have to be implemented and then repealed a month or so later - utter nonsense!!
> 
> I'm going to spend some more time reading through your posts to get an idea of what to expect.  Hopefully there will be a halloween party while we are there - that would be awesome!  I'll probably have more questions as the time gets closer...



We'll be here when you have questions or just want to jump on in at any old time!




Diszona said:


> Sadly this will be the first time in years we will not be making a DL trip in October.  We are going to Florida to visit family instead. However, we decided to go to one of the WDW Halloween parties to get in a cheap Disney trip while we were there.  The kids decided we should stay a few nights at the Port Orleans resort, since they will miss New Orleans Square.  It's funny because I grew up going to WDW but we have been to DL so many times I feel like someone making my first trip to the Orlando park.  For the first time in years I will have to actually plan some and look at a map.



Well, I'm glad that you will at least get some sort of Disney-Halloween fix, even though you will be missing Halloween Time at DLR.   At this rate we don't even know exactly what Halloween Time or MHP will entail with all of the 60th anniversary stuff going on, but there probably won't be anything new and major added into the line-up.




IWannaCruise said:


> Ok 1 more question. I'm renewing my AP in a few days but my current one expires in 7/28. So can I still get the AP discount even though mine expires before October?



If you're just about to renew your AP then you should have a valid, active AP by the time the MHP tickets go on sale, I would think.  If the old AP expires and you don't have a renewed AP, then you might have a problem getting the discount.  Are you planning on having a lapse of time in between July 28th and when you get your renewed AP?



StyledSugar said:


> I'm not sure if this has been asked yet or not and I know the dates haven't been released yet but I'm curious as to what people think regarding the dates around Halloween. With it being on Saturday this year, do you think they will do both the Friday and Saturday or just a regular park night on the Friday and do the party on the Saturday? We're trying to get our dates pinned down and since we are doing Vegas first and DL second, we're trying to figure out if we fly home on the Saturday or the Sunday....



I can't imagine there not being a party on Halloween night.  That seems to be the tradition.  It will be unusual to have a party on a Saturday, and I wonder if it will be held in DL or in DCA, but there should be one.  I do wonder about back-to-back parties in Disneyland on 10/30 and 10/31, though.  Those are two nights when Disneyland would ordinarily have extended hours and would close later, and to close DL at 7 p.m. on both nights might meet with some outrage from non-MHP guests.

I suppose there is always a chance they could skip 10//31 and just have a party on 10/30, but not having a Halloween party on Halloween night would be disappointing.  I think it would be easier to get away with closing DCA early on a Saturday than to close DL early on a Friday and a Saturday.



bigb83 said:


> Ugh I'm getting so impatient! We originally booked our trip for the 21st-25th and had to move it due to a business trip that came up that my wife can't miss. We had to move it up to the 14th-17th. I have a feeling we are just going to miss Halloween...and it's her and my sons first time to DL. We are huge Halloween family and start celebrating in September. Hopefully it works out.



I'm impatient too!  I found it amusing that, under the Parks Blog piece about Tokyo Disney's Halloween fun, most of the comments (including mine) were about Disneyland and Halloween Time!  That should tell the Parks Blog people that people want to know about Disneyland's Halloween Time (and Holiday Season) dates before hearing about Tokyo's dates!

I hope it works out for you.  I think you will definitely see some pumpkins in Disneyland during your dates, and my guess is that some part of Halloween Time will have begun by or during your trip -- even if it's just the Halloween Carnival, or Haunted Mansion Holiday.  I don't think you will completely miss everything remotely Halloween-ish, but you will probably miss the Halloween party (if it sticks to its typical schedule this year).



DLmama said:


> I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who looks up celebrities at Disneyland. My husband thinks I'm crazy.   He was slightly interested when we were there at the same time Travis Barker was, as he's a big fan of Blink 182.  Never did see him though.



Travis goes there quite often, doesn't he?  He is one of those -- much like Gwen Stefani and John Stamos -- who is spotted there several times a year.

I wouldn't have even thought to look up a page like that on Facebook, if not for my Facebook friend sharing a photo of Kim and Kanye at DLR.  That's what drew my attention to the page, but once I found it then I couldn't stop scrolling through the photos to see who has been there recently!    It's fascinating for some odd reason.



bigb83 said:


> I look at that site too. Wife is obsessed with John Stamos and has made it her mission to meet him there haha



Hopefully he will stay out of trouble with the law so he can return to DLR and meet your wife!    He has always been a celebrity who has stayed out trouble and scandals.  His recent 'incident' made me a bit disappointed in him, as I'd hoped he was above that kind of thing -- it's dangerous for him and dangerous for everyone on the road.   I hope it was a one-time mistake.



Babysaurs said:


> Another aussie here impatiently awaiting the halloween dates we will be there from 25 sept until oct 2nd cant wait! We should know something soon right?



Welcome! Yes -- unless the Disney Parks Blog just wants to torture us, they should be revealing Halloween Time and Halloween Party details and dates between now and early July (like within the first several days of July).




Comicbookmommy said:


> I'm wondering this as well. I'm hoping the Party is on Halloween (Saturday) as we are hoping to Trick-or-Treat at Disneyland on the actual day.
> 
> Wonderful pictures, Kilala!



It would be very unusual to not have a party on Halloween night, but this is not a typical year simply because of all of the focus on the 60th anniversary.  And it will be odd to close Disneyland early on a back-to-back Friday night and Saturday night.  So there is a possibility that something out of the ordinary could happen, but we shall soon find out...



Comicbookmommy said:


> In my mind the build-up for Halloween is starting already! I need to start making costumes early as I can only do a tiny bit every day between work/baby/kids/house.
> 
> This year my 12 y/o wants to be Gordon Freeman from the game Half-Life (so lots of armor... again! Takes forever!). Last year he was Doomguy from the game Doom.
> 
> My 5 y/o wants to be an alien from the movie "Aliens", though he's changeable so probably not the final for him. He was Godzilla last year.
> 
> Husband not sure yet. He was Willy from Mickey and the Beanstalk last year.
> 
> My little baby will be Dumbo I think!
> 
> *I will probably just be a frazzled mother with way too much to do. Costume already done.  *
> 
> Anyone else have any costumes planned?



  In my mind, as soon as anything remotely Halloween-ish or autumnal shows up in stores or in advertisements (which should be July), it's time to count down to fall.  Hobby Lobby had Halloween things last month, but they're a craft store so they get a pass.  Other stores -- non-craft stores -- such as Costco should have Halloween things on the shelves in July.  That's what I have come to expect from them.  And then the real Pumpkin Pandemonium begins, with the onslaught of all things pumpkin spice, caramel apple and candy corn hitting the shelves in every store in August and September. 



Canadian Harmony said:


> {B]My costume planning consists of putting the girls into the BBB the afternoon of the MHP and letting them do it  [/B]
> 
> I'm going as Merida - I have the wig and I'm going to splurge on the dress. I'll pick up a fake bow at the BBB and be good to go. I have NO idea what DH wants to go as, but it'd better be something easy to pack.



That BBB idea sounds like my kind of costume plan!    Easy breezy!




keishashadow said:


> we're doing Vegas first too (followed by a one night stop @ HHN @ universal).  MGM has been showering us with great offers, combined with myvegas points a no brainer.  I'm not a big gambler, hope to not do too much damage.
> 
> As much as I enjoy Vegas I'd be just as happy to spend 2 nights @ universal to enjoy both the park & HHN.
> 
> I booked DLH for 4 nights beginning Saturday, 10/3.  Eagerly awaiting release of the party dates to decide between that Saturday (which I assume will be crazy crowded) or the following Monday or Tuesday (I hope one will be party date!)
> 
> Starting to think the costumes @ DL will put WDW's to shame.  We have fancy pirate ones but so hot & humid over Columbus day weekend, rarely do they make the trip.  Last year we wore Jason hockey jerseys & were still uncomfortable.
> 
> So, who is going to channel Madame Leota and tell me how warm it'll likely be in DL this year the first weekend of the month?



One of those days -- Monday or Tuesday -- should, indeed, be a party date.

I think the Halloween Horror Nights info should be coming out soon too, if I am not mistaken.  All of the major Halloween attraction details for Knott's, Universal, the Queen Mary, Six Flags and the L.A. Haunted Hayride should be released before we hear anything about Disneyland's Halloween Time.

I am no Madame Leota -- nor am I a meteorologist -- but I can tell you that the last few months of the year can be unpredictable.  There have been awful heat waves in October.  There have also been nice, pleasant days in the mid-70s.  There could be a lot of wind and dry air, resulting in wildfires.  There could even be a sprinkle or two.  More than likely it will be on the hot side instead of on the cool side, with temperatures at least in the 80s, if not hotter.

Our "fall weather" is delayed in SoCal.  Sometimes it doesn't begin to feel like fall until late November or December, or it doesn't begin to feel like winter until February.


----------



## tjcrabb

keishashadow said:


> So, who is going to channel Madame Leota and tell me how warm it'll likely be in DL this year the first weekend of the month?



That would be awesome! I just remember the one time I was there (5 years ago?) it was really warm and muggy. We don't have the humidity that they do and it makes it hotter for me. I was so scarred by that weather so I am going to make sure its a cooler costume, its easier to add clothes than to take them off.  I think I have decided to go with a doc mcstuffins costume. I am going to put it together myself. It is one that is easy to move around in and not bad weather wise. 

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/266134659205272094/
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/146015212892033769/

We watch a lot of the show in the pediatric clinic where I work so it will be prefect to use for work and family party as well.


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## lorijohnhill

I'm really hoping for an MHP on Oct 2nd, as that is my birthday. We began our "Year of Disney" with a surprise trip for my daughter's birthday, with an MHP on her actual birthday, so I think it would be really fun to finish out the year by going to an MHP on mine!


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## IWannaCruise

I'm hoping for a party on the 2nd as well. I'm renewing my AP tomorrow or the next day. So there won't be a lapse

ETA: I have renewed!!!


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## keishashadow

Sherry E said:


> It's already too hot for me!  It's weird because, supposedly, the temperature is only in the upper 70s in L.A. right now, but I am sitting next to a big window and the sun beaming through the curtains feels especially harsh.  A 79-degree day in winter feels less harsh than a 79-degree day in late spring or summer.  It feels much hotter than upper 70s.   I am trying to forget that summer begins in 3 days.  I will keep reminding myself that winter and spring seemed to zip by rather quickly, and hopefully summer will do the same!
> 
> 
> One of those days -- Monday or Tuesday -- should, indeed, be a party date.
> 
> I think the Halloween Horror Nights info should be coming out soon too, if I am not mistaken.  All of the major Halloween attraction details for Knott's, Universal, the Queen Mary, Six Flags and the L.A. Haunted Hayride should be released before we hear anything about Disneyland's Halloween Time.
> 
> I am no Madame Leota -- nor am I a meteorologist -- but I can tell you that the last few months of the year can be unpredictable.  There have been awful heat waves in October.  There have also been nice, pleasant days in the mid-70s.  There could be a lot of wind and dry air, resulting in wildfires.  There could even be a sprinkle or two.  More than likely it will be on the hot side instead of on the cool side, with temperatures at least in the 80s, if not hotter.
> 
> Our "fall weather" is delayed in SoCal.  Sometimes it doesn't begin to feel like fall until late November or December, or it doesn't begin to feel like winter until February.



   it has to be soon for the details to be released!  Would just like to finalize the travel plans & the dreaded 'the budget' lol.  Glad I booked SWA for the flexibility jik I need to tweak things.  Especially need HHN to be offered the first Friday of October to work everything in this trip.

does it cool off rapidly at night in the parks that time of year?  Didn't notice big shift in when we've visited in the past from daytime temps (spring, summer & winter).


----------



## CassieScraps

So, I got this in the mail today and now I am super excited.  Seems like confirmation that MHP will happen for sure! Now, if they would just release dates, I'd be EXTRA super excited!


----------



## Kilala

CassieScraps that is a wonderful find you have there!!! I can't wait myself my friend is coming down from Oregon to go to the party


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## CassieScraps

With all the rumors floating around, the fact that they sent out a mailer with MHP on it eases my mind a bit.    I was so worried about booking a trip and the entire reason I'm going not happening.


----------



## Sherry E

I think it was always expected that MHP would happen -- Disney wouldn't pass up a chance to make all of that extra money!  The logistics of it were the question -- where, when, how, etc.  But even the DLR website still lists MHP as taking place at Disneyland Park, so at least they are staying consistent in their text.

You know, I got that cardstock insert with my decal last year, and it had all of the same things in it that are in yours, Cassie -- except mine ended with a mention of the Holidays at DLR.  In fact, it was a big mystery in the Disneyland at Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread, because it said "Holidays at Disneyland Resort - Select nights Nov. and Dec."  We were all abuzz with confusion over what that meant, as the "Holidays" are not a "select nights" sort of event like Mickey's Halloween Party is.  If there were a Christmas party, that would be a different story.  But the holidays, just as they are, are nightly as soon as the season begins.

It's interesting that they don't say "Halloween Time," and instead just mention MHP.

ETA:  It's important to note that there have not been any new rumors in a long time.  The last rumors were last year, and anything could have changed since then.  Since the Diamond Celebration has begun, speculation kicked in because it seems like Disney is putting a huge focus on that, and it is supposed to run through the end of this year and probably into next year.


----------



## Meemoo

So maybe that's confirmation it is at DL Park not California Adventure.


----------



## Sherry E

Meemoo said:


> So maybe that's confirmation it is at DL Park not California Adventure.



Probably so.  If it were just one official Disney website or piece of text that talked about MHP being in Disneyland, I'd say that there was still a chance the location could be DCA and that maybe the text had just not been corrected yet.

But... since it's still in the insert for the Disney Side decal (which CassieScraps posted the photo of above) as well as mentioned on the Disneyland website, that makes two places where MHP is referred to taking place at Disneyland...which makes it less likely that it will be in DCA.

If we suddenly see Disney making references to MHP and not mentioning a location, then that would be cause for suspicion.

I think that if Disney had a plan to add anything Halloween-ish to DCA, the party would have more of a chance of moving back to that park for a year or two.  So far, there are no rumors to indicate anything is happening in DCA, so I think MHP will remain in DL this year.  What the schedule is or what it entails will be a mystery until they tell us something, but it will likely be in DL.


----------



## mummabear

Sherry E said:


> I can't imagine there not being a party on Halloween night. That seems to be the tradition. It will be unusual to have a party on a Saturday, and I wonder if it will be held in DL or in DCA, but there should be one. I do wonder about back-to-back parties in Disneyland on 10/30 and 10/31, though. Those are two nights when Disneyland would ordinarily have extended hours and would close later, and to close DL at 7 p.m. on both nights might meet with some outrage from non-MHP guests.
> 
> I suppose there is always a chance they could skip 10//31 and just have a party on 10/30, but not having a Halloween party on Halloween night would be disappointing. I think it would be easier to get away with closing DCA early on a Saturday than to close DL early on a Friday and a Saturday



I'm putting my money on there being one on the Saturday but would lean towards there not being one on the Friday.
In 2013 they did 2 nights back to back on the Wednesday and the Thursday if I am not mistaken but they are both nights where the park would normally shut pretty early with no fireworks anyhow. But then last year I am seeing conflicting reports on whether there was a party on the Wednesday the 29th or just the Monday (27th) then the Friday (31st)?
So for me the question is will they:
a)Do the last parties Wed and Friday with no party on Halloween (least likely imo)
b)Do parties both Fri and Saturday-if they do this will they open later than previous years on the Thursday to allow day guests a chance to see the 60th anniversary fireworks?
c)Do a Party on the Wednesday and the Saturday?
d) Do a Party the Thursday and the Saturday?
e) Do the party on Monday and Saturday.

Come Disney just tell us!!!!!

Personally what I will find frustrating is that if there is no party on 29th then I will need to wait until September to confirm park hours for that day and whether they will be as usual or extended with Fireworks as part of the 60th celebrations


----------



## Sherry E

mummabear said:


> I'm putting my money on there being one on the Saturday but would lean towards there not being one on the Friday.
> In 2013 they did 2 nights back to back on the Wednesday and the Thursday if I am not mistaken but they are both nights where the park would normally shut pretty early with no fireworks anyhow. But then last year I am seeing conflicting reports on whether there was a party on the Wednesday the 29th or just the Monday (27th) then the Friday (31st)?
> So for me the question is will they:
> a)Do the last parties Wed and Friday with no party on Halloween (least likely imo)
> b)Do parties both Fri and Saturday-if they do this will they open later than previous years on the Thursday to allow day guests a chance to see the 60th anniversary fireworks?
> c)Do a Party on the Wednesday and the Saturday?
> d) Do a Party the Thursday and the Saturday?
> e) Do the party on Monday and Saturday.
> 
> Come Disney just tell us!!!!!
> 
> Personally what I will find frustrating is that if there is no party on 29th then I will need to wait until September to confirm park hours for that day and whether they will be as usual or extended with Fireworks as part of the 60th celebrations



There shouldn't be any conflicting reports about when parties took place last year.  I don't know who is giving out incorrect or incomplete info.  The info is right on page 1 of this thread (look at all of the red text, where it says "SOLD OUT" http://www.disboards.com/threads/ha...ut-halloween-time-2015.3270919/#post-51326911.   There were parties on 10/27, 10/29 and 10/31.  However, that doesn't mean that this year's schedule will be a replica of last year's.  They added in an extra night last year, so there were a couple of Wednesdays thrown in that might not have been part of the schedule in the past.

When in doubt, remember to always come to the Superthread.  I find that when a thread is dedicated to one specific subject all year long, every year, the info is more accurate and specific because that is all that is discussed and covered in the thread.  When people get information outside of the Superthread -- or outside of any thread that is dedicated to a particular subject -- and random people (who may not closely follow that specific subject all year, every year) try to answer questions, they may not always present the full and complete picture, or they may get some of the details mixed up -- which then adds to the confusion for people reading the posts.  Also, sometimes people don't want to post in a Superthread, but they take bits of info from the thread and try to repeat it or pass it on elsewhere, inevitably getting something mixed up in the translation.  

So that's why I always recommend that people go to a Superthread or existing, established, active thread about any subject (whether it's WOC or Fantasmic or the GCH, or whatever) to get the best and most accurate info.  Chances are, the people who follow and participate in those threads are people who either know a lot about the subject in question, or they have a big interest in it and want to know all there is to know.  

In any case, your guesses are as good as mine on which scenario will take place for MHP!  Even though I know we will likely get the confirmed, official schedule within the next couple of weeks, I do wish they would just tell us now and end our misery!    Another option is that the party could be held in DCA on some nights, and in DL on other nights -- although that seems much less likely and too cumbersome and confusing.

Having back-to-back parties on earlier weeknights is expected at some point, just because they'd be closing earlier on those nights anyway and the MHP closure would not be as extreme.  Closing the park early on a back-to-back Friday and Saturday would be the real surprise.

There is no getting around the fact that MHP will put a dent in the schedule of the current 60th anniversary parade and fireworks (several Fridays are involved, and probably a Saturday), and Disney has obviously spent so much time and money on promoting the Diamond Celebration.  Plus, Disney has said that the new nighttime shows will still be going on even during the holiday/Christmas season, but they never addressed Halloween Time and what would happen.  It would be silly to charge folks for a party that features Paint the Night and Disneyland Forever -- because those are available to the general public and are not exclusive.  And yet, having Halloween Screams fireworks on at least 14 nights (probably 15), with 6 of those being Fridays and Halloween being a Saturday, would interfere a bit with some the showings of PtN and DF.





Remember a couple of weeks back I was saying that it was so frustrating because I was looking for the thread that was on MiceChat last year in which the OP claimed that Mickey's Halloween Party would be moving back to DCA this year? I guess I was using the wrong search engine (Google failed me), because I could not find the thread at all -- no matter what combinations of keywords I used from what I remembered of the thread.

Anyway, using a different search engine tonight (Bing), I found the thread where the rumors first started!!!!!!  

This is also the same thread in which a totally different person mentions that people at the MHP training were told there are "BIG" changes coming to MHP this year.  Here is the 2014 thread (which has not been active since 2014, and actually, I can tell that some of the posts were deleted; I remember that the OP posted again, and yet that post seems to have vanished):

http://micechat.com/forums/disneyland-resort/198352-mickey-halloween-party-moving-dca.html


And this was the MiceAge Disneyland Update article (also from 2014) in which it is mentioned that Team Disney Anaheim was supposedly tasked with adding on two weeks of extra Halloween parties in September 2015 and an extra few parties in October: 

http://micechat.com/85860-miceage-update-bridge-to-nowhere/comment-page-2/

Anyway, these are old rumors and no new rumors have come out this year, but I just wanted you guys to see for yourselves exactly where the rumors initially came from!


----------



## ACDSNY

Either way we'll be attending one of the parties.  I'm still hoping for DL since I haven't been to one there yet.  We've been to some at DCA and the Magic Kingdom.


----------



## mom2rtk

Sherry E said:


> Remember a couple of weeks back I was saying that it was so frustrating because I was looking for the thread that was on MiceChat last year in which the OP claimed that Mickey's Halloween Party would be moving back to DCA this year? I guess I was using the wrong search engine (Google failed me), because I could not find the thread at all -- no matter what combinations of keywords I used from what I remembered of the thread.
> 
> Anyway, using a different search engine tonight (Bing), I found the thread where the rumors first started!!!!!!
> 
> This is also the same thread in which a totally different person mentions that people at the MHP training were told there are "BIG" changes coming to MHP this year.  Here is the 2014 thread (which has not been active since 2014, and actually, I can tell that some of the posts were deleted; I remember that the OP posted again, and yet that post seems to have vanished):
> 
> http://micechat.com/forums/disneyland-resort/198352-mickey-halloween-party-moving-dca.html
> 
> 
> And this was the MiceAge Disneyland Update article (also from 2014) in which it is mentioned that Team Disney Anaheim was supposedly tasked with adding on two weeks of extra Halloween parties in September 2015 and an extra few parties in October:
> 
> http://micechat.com/85860-miceage-update-bridge-to-nowhere/comment-page-2/
> 
> Anyway, these are old rumors and no new rumors have come out this year, but I just wanted you guys to see for yourselves exactly where the rumors initially came from!


 


Hey, I don't care if the rumors are old. I need SOMETHING! (Even if it's out of date and turns out to be wrong! ) It's fun to speculate.


----------



## Geemo

mom2rtk said:


> Hey, I don't care if the rumors are old. I need SOMETHING! (Even if it's out of date and turns out to be wrong! ) It's fun to speculate.


You'll take_ anything_??????   Well let's see what I can do for you.

And the rumor is......




Nah....No specifics....  Darn IT...  All I got was _*"Yes!"*_ there will be parties.

6-21-15 Rumor creation date...

I'm also waiting impatiently.  But that's why I've booked a 6days for the October trip.

Geemo


----------



## Sherry E

mom2rtk said:


> Hey, I don't care if the rumors are old. I need SOMETHING! (Even if it's out of date and turns out to be wrong! ) It's fun to speculate.





Janet, it was driving me nuts that I couldn't find the MiceChat thread a couple of weeks ago, as I am usually very good about being able to track down old threads and blogs and posts.  I figured that MiceChat must have deleted the thread.  So, on a whim I decided to try Bing as the search engine and that worked.

But... something is different with that thread now, from when I last looked at it early this year or late last year -- I think that some posts were deleted, as I remember that it went to at least 3 pages (if not 4).  I remember the OP posting again and saying something along the lines of (and I am completely paraphrasing), "You'll see I was right when the party happens in DCA next year."  I also remember more people giving the OP a hard time about it not being "News," which it was originally labeled as, but being a rumor.

So I'm not sure why anything was deleted, but at least the original post is there, and the other post within the thread (talking about the BIG changes to MHP) is there.

It took some doing to find that old MiceAge article as well, but I kept typing in keywords ("Colglazier," "Halloween Party," etc.) until I hit the right one that I was trying to find!

MiceAge seems to have dried up the rumor mill this year -- in part because Al Lutz is not well, and also most likely because some of the "leaks" are no longer at Disney??


----------



## mom2rtk

Don't mess with Sherry's memory for details!


----------



## Sherry E

mom2rtk said:


> Don't mess with Sherry's memory for details!



  Exactly!  This is what I keep trying to tell people!   My memory -- combined with the fact that I archive and save a lot of things -- helps me to locate threads, posts and articles.  I might remember that, for example, someone used the phrase "mint tea" in an old thread.  That may be the only thing I remember from the thread, but I will type it into various search boxes (either in my email, or on The DIS, or in Google, or now Bing) until I find what I am looking for.  I refused to accept Google not giving me the results I wanted, but now Bing has risen up in the ranks and I may use Bing more often!


----------



## Canadian Harmony

I'm new to the Dis game, but based on a business train of thought (which, I admit, Disney does things in their own way, not in a typical business fashion), they could potentially increase profits by moving the MHP back to DCA and really doing up a bunch of decorating there while keeping the 60th Anniversary stuff going on in DLP on the same nights.

But... I could be completely wrong.

I'm just tapping my foot waiting impatiently for the dates so I can plan our other festivities around a party night.


----------



## Sherry E

Canadian Harmony said:


> I'm new to the Dis game, but based on a business train of thought (which, I admit, Disney does things in their own way, not in a typical business fashion), they could potentially increase profits by moving the MHP back to DCA and really doing up a bunch of decorating there while keeping the 60th Anniversary stuff going on in DLP on the same nights.
> 
> But... I could be completely wrong.
> 
> I'm just tapping my foot waiting impatiently for the dates so I can plan our other festivities around a party night.



I think that it would have been a smart idea to move the party back to DCA this year, even if only for this one year, or at least have some of the parties in DCA and some in DL.  They'd have to have a draw, though -- something to get people to buy tickets -- so they'd have to add something Halloween-ish to that park.  

For a while I was really thinking that's what would happen -- the party would move back to DCA -- because it would make sense to do it that way and not interrupt the new nighttime shows in Disneyland.   However, there have not been any new rumors (this year) to indicate that a party is heading to DCA, or that a Halloween decorations package is coming to DCA.  I would think that it would trickle out somewhere along the line if that were the plan.  But, as I mentioned to Janet above, the rumor mill at MiceChat/MiceAge has dried up significantly -- so even if there are plans for something to happen, I'm not sure they could even report on it at this point.  They may not have the same contacts at Disney anymore.

So I don't know if the 'silence' on the rumor front is because there is actually nothing new or out of the ordinary happening with MHP and with Halloween Time this year, or if it's because the "leaks" stopped leaking info to MiceAge and other sources.


----------



## DisneyHysteria

We are planning an October or December visit, but from the recent posts I've read in this thread - it's still not known how Disneyland will handle the Halloween and Christmas deco on Main Street (lamps/bunting and overlay for the Castle and the Mansion) - is that an accurate statement?


----------



## Sherry E

DisneyHysteria said:


> We are planning an October or December visit, but from the recent posts I've read in this thread - it's still not known how Disneyland will handle the Halloween and Christmas deco on Main Street (lamps/bunting and overlay for the Castle and the Mansion) - is that an accurate statement?



It's an accurate statement.   Everything is a mystery right now.  But it also could be that nothing much will be different at all, and that the usual Main Street Halloween décor will be in place, as well as the usual holiday season décor.  

Personally, I don't think that the 60th anniversary bunting and diamond-esque things should take the place of the pumpkins on Main Street.  The pumpkins on Main Street comprise some of the only Halloween décor at DLR.  Without Halloween décor on Main Street, the Halloween overlay of Disneyland will be even 'thinner' than it already is.  I think the pumpkins on Main Street and the giant Mickey pumpkin are crucial to the season.

And, if the party is once again held in Disneyland this year, there have got to be decorations to set the mood.

So, my feeling is that the Halloween things will go up on Main Street.  Disney will probably just cut back on some of the 60th stuff, or find a way to make Halloween + Diamonds work together!  

I think that most of the holiday season décor on Main Street will go up (lamppost decor included), with the exception of the overhead garland, suspended above Main Street.  That's my guess.  The Castle may stay exactly as it is now, with the "Diamond" overlay, and it may not get the usual icicle lights for the holiday season.  On the other hand, it may become even more sparkly than it is now.

I am almost certain that Haunted Mansion Holiday will be back.  It was running during the 50th anniversary, so this year should be no different.  Again, without it, the Halloween offerings at Disneyland would be even slimmer than they already are.

In my opinion, the actual nighttime shows and the Castle are the main focuses of the Diamond Celebration.  The other assorted decorations are just icing on the cake and not that important in the big picture.  I don't think that the décor for the 60th is going to totally take over Halloween Time and the Holidays.  I mean, the Holidays have themed decorations in many lands, and as I said above, the pumpkins on Main Street are crucial to Halloween Time.  I think that having decorations for Halloween Time and the Holidays -- two extremely popular seasons -- is more important in the scheme of things than having some random blue bunting or "D"s with diamonds on posts or whatever.  I'm pretty sure the parks were decorated for the holidays during the year of the 50th anniversary too, so I think that most -- probably not all -- of the décor will be back for both seasons.  

But the Winter Castle and some of the holiday entertainment are likely to not happen this year.


----------



## JessieD

I've been before, but we are currently planning our first trip with our 5 year old son. We will be there 10/26-10/31. I am an over planner and this is killing me!!! I don't understand why WDW releases their schedule so soon and DLR is so slow about it!!!


----------



## Sherry E

JessieD said:


> I've been before, but we are currently planning our first trip with our 5 year old son. We will be there 10/26-10/31. I am an over planner and this is killing me!!! I don't understand why WDW releases their schedule so soon and DLR is so slow about it!!!



It is something that is more baffling as the years go on!  In the past maybe there wasn't as much of a reason to let Disneyland visitors know things way in advance, but now -- especially this 60th anniversary year, when a lot of people will be heading to Disneyland who might not have otherwise gone -- Disneyland is trying to get more vacationers to visit.  It seems to make sense to put out the info at least a few months in advance (or when WDW's info comes out) so those travelers can book rooms, flights, figure out their dining, etc.  Last year they told us the holiday season dates in September, and the holidays started only 2  months after that.  People traveling from far away can't plan like that!

Even if it were only locals going to DLR for Halloween Time and the holiday season, I still don't see the harm in releasing dates and details in advance.  It can't hurt anything, no matter who is going to be in the parks!


----------



## maltdizzy

JessieD said:


> I've been before, but we are currently planning our first trip with our 5 year old son. We will be there 10/26-10/31. I am an over planner and this is killing me!!! I don't understand why WDW releases their schedule so soon and DLR is so slow about it!!!



Disneyland has always been more "flexible" that WDW. Ultimately that's part of it's charm. WDW has been built/re-built to deal with massive amounts of on-site guests and keep everyone moving as efficiently as possible. What that has meant is a lot more pre-arrangement and rigid schedules...meet-n-greets that are treated like attractions instead of interaction; restaurants designed to feed thousands of people at once, etc., ADR's, FP+, etc. Thankfully, DL more "day-park" nature, with it's 45-day schedule, has keep it a lot more intimate with more of a personal touch. I would hate it to be treated the same as WDW.

DL isn't worried about getting people in for October right now, their marketing is deigned to get people to come for the summer! Then, get them back in October with the Halloween promotion.


----------



## kylie71

Waiting too!
Hi Sherry!!


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## FoodieFriend

Thanks for the link to this Superthread, Sherry! Can't wait til the dates are released!


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## Sherry E

FoodieFriend said:


> Thanks for the link to this Superthread, Sherry! Can't wait til the dates are released!



You're very welcome!  You're the one getting Halloween party tickets for a friend, correct?   I definitely think that we should be getting the info sometime between now and 4th of July-ish.  I can't see that Disney would want us to wait much longer than that for them to announce all the info, unless they were planning to put the tickets on sale later than usual.  If the tickets, for some weird reason, are going on sale later than they normally would, then there could be a later announcement -- but let's hope that doesn't happen!


----------



## Meemoo

Hey there. Thanking you all for your advice, I am excited to say that we've decided to try the Halloween Party. I was now hoping all you experts could offer me some costume advice. We are very boring here down under and adults never get the fun of dressing up. Now, I don't want to pack a heap of stuff for it but I was wondering if you have any suggestions on how to create something fun and simple so I feel part of it. My daughter wants to go as Mulan, which I have covered! My son is perhaps going pirate. He has a costume, but I saw from a couple of years back they had pirate make overs near Big Thunder Ranch area, does anyone know if they still do it? And, bigger treat bags I have heard is suggested, so 1 backpack for a family of 4 or more?!! haha - I am very glad I am flying with Hawaiian this year we get 2 x 32kg baggage allowance per person, so I can bring home lots of candy if necessary


----------



## Sherry E

*Meemoo* -- Pirates League was definitely still taking place at the Halloween Carnival last year.  In fact, *mummabear* can fill you in on how it worked.

Yes, you can either bring or buy larger bags if you want more candy.  The bags that are handed out are rather small -- but if you don't want a lot of candy they may be enough.  If you buy tote bags at DLR, there are cheaper ones that run close to $5.00, and the ones that light up and twinkle at night cost closer to $10.00.

*Kilala and Janet/mom2rtk* can probably help with the costume questions.

I'm hoping you really enjoy the party!


----------



## lorijohnhill

I picked up some red w/ white polka dot fabric to make a skirt and a black shirt. I will wear the skirt over black leggings and top off with Minnie ears. Nice and easy Minnie costume.


----------



## Meemoo

lorijohnhill said:


> I picked up some red w/ white polka dot fabric to make a skirt and a black shirt. I will wear the skirt over black leggings and top off with Minnie ears. Nice and easy Minnie costume.


That does sound lovely - and easy if I can find someone crafty to make my skirt for me


----------



## mummabear

Meemoo said:


> Hey there. Thanking you all for your advice, I am excited to say that we've decided to try the Halloween Party. I was now hoping all you experts could offer me some costume advice. We are very boring here down under and adults never get the fun of dressing up. Now, I don't want to pack a heap of stuff for it but I was wondering if you have any suggestions on how to create something fun and simple so I feel part of it. My daughter wants to go as Mulan, which I have covered! My son is perhaps going pirate. He has a costume, but I saw from a couple of years back they had pirate make overs near Big Thunder Ranch area, does anyone know if they still do it? And, bigger treat bags I have heard is suggested, so 1 backpack for a family of 4 or more?!! haha - I am very glad I am flying with Hawaiian this year we get 2 x 32kg baggage allowance per person, so I can bring home lots of candy if necessary


I know what you mean. We are doing 1 MNSSHP on 11/1 (and a 2nd if I can talk on 10/31 if I can convince DH) plus SW on Halloween Day and if I get my way and the stars align then MHP on 10/29, there are 5 of us coming from NZ and I am trying to work out what to go as that doesn't cost too much and isn't too cumbersome to take. We have 3 girls who will be 6,4 and almost 2.
I am thinking of Peter (DD6 already has the costume) Tink (DD4 has wings and a skirt) plus Hook (DH) Smee (Me) and Tick Tock (DD1) or Dug (DD6), Kevin (DD4), Russell (DD1) and DH & I would be carl and ellie otherwise the 5 emotions from Inside Out if I can convince any of us to be Fear and Sadness.
DH on the otherhand just wants the kids to dress up (I may have to accept this as he is already sucking up attending the parties)


----------



## Meemoo

mummabear said:


> I know what you mean. We are doing 1 MNSSHP on 11/1 (and a 2nd if I can talk on 10/31 if I can convince DH) plus SW on Halloween Day and if I get my way and the stars align then MHP on 10/29, there are 5 of us coming from NZ and I am trying to work out what to go as that doesn't cost too much and isn't too cumbersome to take. We have 3 girls who will be 6,4 and almost 2.
> I am thinking of Peter (DD6 already has the costume) Tink (DD4 has wings and a skirt) plus Hook (DH) Smee (Me) and Tick Tock (DD1) or Dug (DD6), Kevin (DD4), Russell (DD1) and DH & I would be carl and ellie otherwise the 5 emotions from Inside Out if I can convince any of us to be Fear and Sadness.
> DH on the otherhand just wants the kids to dress up (I may have to accept this as he is already sucking up attending the parties)



Oh goodness, sounds just like my DH. I'm lucky to get him to attend, no way he will dress up. I told him I will buy him one of those 'Grumpy' shirts - Grumpy 100% guaranteed or something!  I think what he doesn't realize is he will probably be one of the only ones who doesn't dress up! It sounds like you are all very into the Halloween festivities then. Have you done any of them b4? We are quite new to it with the exception of the Halloween Party we attended at Aulani 2 years ago which was fun, and we get to go again this year as we will be on our Hawaii stop over for actual Halloween! It sounds like you have your costumes under control. I would love to do the Pirates League make over for my son but he can be funny, especially with things like temp tattoos and if they use make up on his face he doesn't like things on his skin! But I hope he will try it, he would look so cute!


----------



## mummabear

Sherry E said:


> *Meemoo* -- Pirates League was definitely still taking place at the Halloween Carnival last year.  In fact, *mummabear* can fill you in on how it worked.
> 
> I'm hoping you really enjoy the party!



@Meemoo Last year it was out at the Halloween Carnival, it was outside rather than indoors like at WDW.
It was about $34.95 for the Empress Package, I found this much better value than BBB both at DLR and WDW but I didn't find the pirate masters in character like they are at WDW and they didn't do their hair at DLR either.
The package had their makeup done, the nails painted and they were given the nail polish and lip gloss to keep in a little pirate bag, they also got a sash and a sword and a pirate necklace.
It was hot, like 39C and we all had sweat pouring from us, the poor pirate masters, it wasn't comfortable that day at all. We were told that if it cracked 40C the staff would be pulled for safety reasons
There was a photopass photographer who took photos during the transformation but there isn't a secret room for portraits or a pirate parade.
We pre booked but would have been able to walk up-however this was mid Sept pre MHP dates.
They got a good amount of attention from the villians in the tent, particularly Cpt Hook. 









 






Meemoo said:


> Oh goodness, sounds just like my DH. I'm lucky to get him to attend, no way he will dress up. I told him I will buy him one of those 'Grumpy' shirts - Grumpy 100% guaranteed or something!  I think what he doesn't realize is he will probably be one of the only ones who doesn't dress up! It sounds like you are all very into the Halloween festivities then. Have you done any of them b4? We are quite new to it with the exception of the Halloween Party we attended at Aulani 2 years ago which was fun, and we get to go again this year as we will be on our Hawaii stop over for actual Halloween! It sounds like you have your costumes under control. I would love to do the Pirates League make over for my son but he can be funny, especially with things like temp tattoos and if they use make up on his face he doesn't like things on his skin! But I hope he will try it, he would look so cute!



We live in NZ, my husband is a Kiwi but I am a Canuck, I am keen to dress up but like you can't take too much with us so not as easy as if it were near home. Funny thing Kiwis dress up all the time, every damn party is a dress up but Halloween is a non starter here, we have a party at our place for the kids.
We haven't been to one of the parties before, our dates are normally at the start of Sept and cross into the start of Halloween time, this time we are pulling the kids out of school and heading over to WDW with our dates covering both the Halloween and the Christmas parties. Hoping to hit DLR in some capacity on our overnight layover.

I don't think your DH would be the only one not dressed up, from what I have read it is 50/50.
DD6 was just talking about it over dinner and she wants to be Peter, DD1 could be Princess TigerLily but DD4 wants to be Jack Skellington. They don't have to match as lovely as that would be.


----------



## mummabear




----------



## mommy2mrb

so many great photos mummabear!  excited to go to the party!

my DD and I are going simple for our costumes and she agreed to be matching - huge for a 15 year old LOL

going to make Halloween colors tutu's, black t-shirts with a Minnie head and Halloween bow and attempt to make our own Minnie ears headbands to match.


----------



## maltdizzy

Meemoo said:


> Oh goodness, sounds just like my DH. I'm lucky to get him to attend, no way he will dress up. I told him I will buy him one of those 'Grumpy' shirts - Grumpy 100% guaranteed or something!  I think what he doesn't realize is he will probably be one of the only ones who doesn't dress up! It sounds like you are all very into the Halloween festivities then. Have you done any of them b4? We are quite new to it with the exception of the Halloween Party we attended at Aulani 2 years ago which was fun, and we get to go again this year as we will be on our Hawaii stop over for actual Halloween! It sounds like you have your costumes under control. I would love to do the Pirates League make over for my son but he can be funny, especially with things like temp tattoos and if they use make up on his face he doesn't like things on his skin! But I hope he will try it, he would look so cute!



I can say he won't be the only one out of costume. Many adults wear costumes, especially family themes, but I would say most do not. Though it's been a few years since I was at DL for MHP, we will be going this year (expecting a party on Tues, 10/13).

My wife was in Australia (Adelaide) over Halloween last year and it was interesting for her to see the holiday just starting to take hold over there. She was told things like trick-or-treating had been resisted for years as being "too American" but was now just starting to take hold, so she saw a few kids in costumes. Changes in local culture usually evolve, so locals don't notice the gradual change, but as Americans who have traveled aboard for decades, we get to pop in from time to time and note the changes that occur while we were away; we have spotted a definite shift toward Americanization in so many countries over the last 30 years or so.


----------



## Kilala

mummabear those are great photos. I don't know how many times I will be going to MHP this year. I want to go once by myself. I will ask my friend Christine if we can go twice this year. I do want to go at least 3 times this year.


----------



## JessieD

Great photos! Thanks for sharing them! I'm so thankful for this whole site, but especially this thread! I can't wait to plan every detail of our trip! My husband thinks I am crazy, so it's nice that there are others planning and waiting (impatiently) as well!!!


----------



## mummabear

JessieD said:


> waiting (impatiently)


----------



## FoodieFriend

Sherry E said:


> You're very welcome!  You're the one getting Halloween party tickets for a friend, correct?   I definitely think that we should be getting the info sometime between now and 4th of July-ish.  I can't see that Disney would want us to wait much longer than that for them to announce all the info, unless they were planning to put the tickets on sale later than usual.  If the tickets, for some weird reason, are going on sale later than they normally would, then there could be a later announcement -- but let's hope that doesn't happen!


 
yes, that's me! while my friend will be in DL, I will be in WDW! I've already purchased my MNSSHP tickets for that. i'm surprised the DL tickets come out so much later! I hope she & her family will have fun at DL. thanks again for the info!


----------



## lorijohnhill

Every time I see a new message on this thread, my heart skips a little beat. I think to myself, "Is this the one? Have they announced the dates?" LOL 

The waiting is killing me! Patience is NOT one of my virtues!


----------



## mummabear

lorijohnhill said:


> Every time I see a new message on this thread, my heart skips a little beat. I think to myself, "Is this the one? Have they announced the dates?" LOL
> 
> The waiting is killing me! Patience is NOT one of my virtues!



I know what you mean. If July 3rd (because we are in the future here in NZ  ) comes and goes without an announcement I will likely reduce to a sobbing mess.


----------



## wdwfan22

So assuming the party is in DL, which I know is just a guess now, if the park closes at 6, how late can I make reservations for dinner if I'm not attending the party? I'm thinking Café Orleans.

I'm so tired of waiting for info, I'm just want to make some assumptions and plan stuff. Even if I have to change it, which I'm sure I will, I just like to plan. Haha!!


----------



## mummabear

So found these snaps from 2005 (Disney's 50th), I didn't take many pictures this trip (our honeymoon) we were only at DLR for 3 days on the way home from Greece. I know we were there on 10/31 but cannot remember if the park shut early for a party or not (I do remember this happening once on our first WDW trip for a Pirates and Princess Party). I didn't take many photos and most of them were really bad but from what I can tell there was no decorations on main street or pumpkins around the partners statue.










And from 2012:


----------



## Meemoo

Great photos Mummabear, thank you for sharing those and the Pirates League pics too. I found some pretty nice Captain Jack Sparrow costumes here, its genuine Disney and comes pretty complete for $37, I gather that would be cheaper than buying from DL. I just hope I can convince my boy to go pirate, I think he'd be happier playing a Prince or Knight but those costumes are harder to find...


----------



## mummabear

@Meemoo  They do a knights package at BBB, it gives them hair gel and confetti I think plus a sword and shield. If he was happy to be Prince Philip I have seen some pretty cute looking Disney bounding tops created that even my meagre skills could manage (I can sew buttons on *self five*)


----------



## IWannaCruise

mummabear said:


> I know what you mean. If July 3rd (because we are in the future here in NZ  ) comes and goes without an announcement I will likely reduce to a sobbing mess.




I think it'll be closer to July 6th but that's just a guess


----------



## Sherry E

*mummabear* -- There were no Main Street decorations in 2005 -- not like what's there for Halloween Time now.  As I detail in the MHP FAQ on page 1, the actual Halloween Time "season" -- as an official season -- did not begin until 2006. 

The Halloween party returned (after a 9 year absence) in 2005, and the Halloween Time season was created the following year to give the party some context and bring in people to what would otherwise be an off-season time to visit Disneyland Resort, I suppose.  

Haunted Mansion Holiday has been around since 2001, so there have always been decorations on the façade and around the queue, although they have changed a bit over the years.

In 2005, the party was called Mickey's Halloween Treat, and it was held in California Adventure -- not in Disneyland. Also, in 2005 there was apparently no party on Halloween night.  The last party took place on 10/30/05.


----------



## TraderCharlie

mummabear said:


>


These pictures are fantastic!  We are going for my first Halloween time DL trip, and these photos just make it harder to wait for autumn to begin! Thank you!!


----------



## Meemoo

Thank you Mummabear, I am not sure when he will decide what he wants to wear! I think we've been discussing this trip for so long now he probably feels like its so surreal and never going to happen  I was in our local Target today and they had a bunch of Halloween costumes on clearance for only $5 each but they were either too scary or the wrong size! And I thought having a daughter would be hard, but she's like, oh I'll just wear my Mulan costume from last time  super easy! Another one of our department stores recently opened a whole party section so I am going to check that out on the weekend and see what his thoughts are on various types of costumes. I'm finding with all the ladies costumes they all seem to be on the 'sexy' side and I don't do mini skirts and the like so! Goofy crossed my mind, to grab a Goofy hat when I am there and wear an orange shirt blue pants and vest.


----------



## Sherry E

TraderCharlie said:


> These pictures are fantastic!  We are going for my first Halloween time DL trip, and these photos just make it harder to wait for autumn to begin! Thank you!!



If you want to see photos, be sure to check out page 1 of this thread -- I have 3 whole posts full of photos in posts #13, 14 and 15 (the Carnival, the Halloween Tree, Dia de los Muertos, etc.), and in the Disneyland-specific information section (post #5 on page 1), I have links to posts with photos from Bret/mvf-m11c and figment_jii.  In fact, I have a previous post of photos from mummabear linked in that section as well, but I'm betting she didn't see it!


----------



## TraderCharlie

Sherry E said:


> If you want to see photos, be sure to check out page 1 of this thread -- I have 3 whole posts full of photos in posts #13, 14 and 15 (the Carnival, the Halloween Tree, Dia de los Muertos, etc.), and in the Disneyland-specific information section (post #5 on page 1), I have links to posts with photos from Bret/mvf-m11c and figment_jii.  In fact, I have a previous post of photos from mummabear linked in that section as well, but I'm betting she didn't see it!



Thank you!
I will go there right now!



Sherry E said:


> If you want to see photos, be sure to check out page 1 of this thread -- I have 3 whole posts full of photos in posts #13, 14 and 15 (the Carnival, the Halloween Tree, Dia de los Muertos, etc.), and in the Disneyland-specific information section (post #5 on page 1), I have links to posts with photos from Bret/mvf-m11c and figment_jii.  In fact, I have a previous post of photos from mummabear linked in that section as well, but I'm betting she didn't see it!



OK, the Halloween Tree is so cool!  Is the plaque there all year?  I have walked by or sat near there so many times this year alone and have never noticed it.


----------



## mummabear

Sherry E said:


> In fact, I have a previous post of photos from mummabear linked in that section as well, but I'm betting she didn't see it!



Sorry @Sherry E


----------



## DnA2010

Hi All,
I haven't read the whole thread, but we are considering going to DL from Sunday the 18th-Sunday 25th of October- Sunday the 18th would be a travel day, Sunday the 25th the flight leaves LAX around 6pm. We would buy 5 day hoppers- so I've got it clear- on the nights that there is a halloween party (Mon, Wed, Fri?) , the park will close early for the party? CA would still be open correct?


----------



## maltdizzy

DnA2010 said:


> Hi All,
> I haven't read the whole thread, but we are considering going to DL from Sunday the 18th-Sunday 25th of October- Sunday the 18th would be a travel day, Sunday the 25th the flight leaves LAX around 6pm. We would buy 5 day hoppers- *so I've got it clear- on the nights that there is a halloween party* (Mon, Wed, Fri?) *, the [DL] will close early for the party? CA would still be open correct?*



That is typical.

Historically, Tuesdays and Fridays are party nights and Wednesdays have been added before. We are all waiting for some sort of confirmation for 2015.


----------



## JessieD

Does anyone have an opinion of the likely hood of a party happening on Monday 10/26?


----------



## maltdizzy

JessieD said:


> Does anyone have an opinion of the likely hood of a party happening on Monday 10/26?



Past schedules would imply not. But no one here knows. We all find out together in the next month or so.


----------



## JessieD

maltdizzy said:


> Past schedules would imply not. But no one here knows. We all find out together in the next month or so.



I'm really hoping so since there was one on the Monday before Halloween last year! No matter what we will make it work, but that would be the ideal day for us!


----------



## maltdizzy

JessieD said:


> I'm really hoping so since there was one on the Monday before Halloween last year! No matter what we will make it work, but that would be the ideal day for us!



I was not aware of that Monday...maybe they will. Like I said...no one knows (that can say). Myself, I'm hoping for Tuesday after Columbus Day.


----------



## BobearQSI

JessieD said:


> Does anyone have an opinion of the likely hood of a party happening on Monday 10/26?


Last year, there were more Monday parties than Tuesday parties (according to the post on page 1).  The schedule was either Tuesday-Friday, or Monday-Wednesday-Friday.  So from that, chances look good.

However, Sherry posted a link a few posts back that had a rumor that they were going to add a significant number of more parties to the schedule this year.  So what happens this year is anyone's guess - you'll probably just have to wait for the schedule.


----------



## JessieD

Hopefully we both get the days we are hoping for! I hate the waiting game. I am very much a planner and this will be husband and sons first trip, which makes the waiting even harder!


----------



## haileymarie92

Just found this awesome thread!

Fiancé and I are annual passholders and are planning a trip around Halloween this year. It'll be our first trip during Halloween time and we definitely want to do one MHP!

We will be there Sept 29 - Oct 3. Any thoughts on whether there will be a MHP on one of those nights?


----------



## Kilala

yes there should be or two parties during thise nights. I'm almost done with my Electra Cats costume. I will be posting pictures today. I will hopefully be taking a photshoot n the costume on the 30th


----------



## DnA2010

Hi All,
I must have missed it, but just wondering what time we would have to be out of the park on a Halloween party night- possibly thinking about going from the 18th-25th (5 day hoppers, 18th and 25th being travel days) just trying to figure out how much time we would miss in the parks for the days that there would be parties as we would prob only get tickets to 1 day. Thank you


----------



## JessieD

DnA2010 said:


> Hi All,
> I must have missed it, but just wondering what time we would have to be out of the park on a Halloween party night- possibly thinking about going from the 18th-25th (5 day hoppers, 18th and 25th being travel days) just trying to figure out how much time we would miss in the parks for the days that there would be parties as we would prob only get tickets to 1 day. Thank you



If it's the same as last year it will be 6 on parties that fall m-th and 7 on Friday-Sunday. I'm new to all of this so I might be wrong. I hope they release dates soon!!! We are going 26-31 and I want to plan!!! Lol


----------



## Mommy2PrincessAbby

I feel like today would be a great day for Disney to release the dates.... Last day of June and all... Come on Disney!


----------



## lorijohnhill

Mommy2PrincessAbby said:


> I feel like today would be a great day for Disney to release the dates.... Last day of June and all... Come on Disney!


I like the way you think!


----------



## kylie71

July 1 would be a great day to let some news out...
--Lori


----------



## JessieD

Please oh please let it be soon!!!


----------



## Meemoo

I just want to buy my tickets!!!


----------



## Kilala

I agree with you guys


----------



## LeahMLee

In total agreement


----------



## bcwife76

Come ON DLR, let's get MOVING on the Halloween tix!!! *sigh*


----------



## mummabear

Maybe we need to start some sort of picket line at the gates demanding answers lol


----------



## missycakes99

I was told on the phone this morning (as I booked our room for late October) that the dates are *typically* released in August.


----------



## Sherry E

missycakes99 said:


> I was told on the phone this morning (as I booked our room for late October) that the dates are *typically* released in August.



That's not true at all, let alone typical!   The party starts in September, and people have to buy tickets.  They don't let people know in August.   If the party were starting in October they might release the dates in August.

This is another case of the CMs on the phones not knowing what is actually happening.  Always be very skeptical of anything the phone CMs tell you, as they are usually the very last ones -- literally, the very last -- to learn info.  Often times we (the visitors) will know things before they know.


​

 Anyway, folks, as we eagerly await the likely announcement of Halloween Time and Mickey's Halloween Party info in the next few days , I also wanted to announce (as I just did on Facebook) that Pumpkin Pandemonium has officially begun!!!!!  

I know that Halloween and Fall items were already in the craft stores a couple of months ago -- I don't even really count those, as craft stores have to put supplies out early for crafters to get an early start on their projects.

So, craft stores aside, Pumpkin Pandemonium/Candy Corn Chaos/Caramel Apple Confusion really begins (in July) when the Halloween items sloooowly start appearing on non-craft store shelves.

This year, Walgreens apparently decided to lead the way down the Pumpkin path, as on June 30th they put this out.  Behold, Muske_fears_ bars....

http://www.theimpulsivebuy.com/wordpress/2015/07/01/spotted-on-shelves-3-musketeers-muskefears-bars/


And so it begins!!!! Bring it on!  I am tired of the heat!  I am ready for Pumpkin Pandemonium!!!!!!!!  ​


----------



## kylie71

Hi Sherry!   Thanks for the update!  Let talk heat... 102 here yesterday in Northern Nevada, with a flash flood last night!
Fall sounds kinda nice right now!!



--Lori


----------



## nicolispicoli

I admit, I didn't search too much, but as well all know, the thread is huge. So if anyone knows, please let me know.

Are they still doing Halloweentime tours? If so, have they typically started when Halloweentime officially kicked off? We'll be there for Dapper Days and I know it will likely be Halloweentime officially, but there won't be any parties until later in the month. It would be fun to do something Halloween related, so I figured the tour would be perfect.


----------



## kylie71

Also Sherry, off topic, but I booked the PPH for my Sept trip.....  which floor and room numbers do your recommend, so I can make a request??
I know you love it there!

Thanks!

--Lori


----------



## Sherry E

nicolispicoli said:


> I admit, I didn't search too much, but as well all know, the thread is huge. So if anyone knows, please let me know.
> 
> Are they still doing Halloweentime tours? If so, have they typically started when Halloweentime officially kicked off? We'll be there for Dapper Days and I know it will likely be Halloweentime officially, but there won't be any parties until later in the month. It would be fun to do something Halloween related, so I figured the tour would be perfect.



No need to worry about searching for something within the thread if you don't have time.  Just remember, page 1 of this thread is always a source of info (the tour section is in the Disneyland post, under Main Street/Happiest Haunts - http://www.disboards.com/threads/ha...ut-halloween-time-2015.3270919/#post-51326923).  Otherwise, just do as you did and jump on in!  Either way, we're here to help! 

Yes, the Happiest Haunts tour took place last year, and I think it started right when Halloween Time began, or shortly thereafter -- however, it no longer took visitors into DCA too.  It focused only on Disneyland -- which really makes the most sense, as Disneyland is where the bulk of the Halloween décor and celebration can be found.  They also discontinued the combo package of the tour and Halloween Party, if I recall correctly (someone please correct me if I am wrong on that!).

This year I would have to assume there will still be a tour and that it will still focus on Disneyland, but I don't know if the 60th anniversary celebrations will have any kind of impact on it.

For all we know, the Halloween parties may begin earlier than when they usually begin -- IF the rumor that MiceAge posted last year is true (about adding in 2 extra weeks of parties in September).  So you may end up being in luck and having a party to attend as well, but we should find that out any day now! 



kylie71 said:


> Also Sherry, off topic, but I booked the PPH for my Sept trip.....  which floor and room numbers do your recommend, so I can make a request??
> I know you love it there!
> 
> Thanks!
> 
> --Lori



Lori --

If you are aiming to get a park view room, I found that my best view was on the 12th floor, all the way down at the end of the hallway (right next to the emergency exit door), facing DCA.  However, I have had other DCA views on other floors that were also great.  I would say that anything from floor 9 and higher up would be the best bet, and try to get placed down at the end of the hall, closest to DCA.

If you are not going for a DCA park view room, I would ask for anything that is not facing a parking lot.  Even a view of the pool would be decent (and I think the last pool view room I had was on the 5th floor).


----------



## nicolispicoli

Sherry E said:


> No need to worry about searching for something within the thread if you don't have time.  Just remember, page 1 of this thread is always a source of info (the tour section is in the Disneyland post, under Main Street/Happiest Haunts - http://www.disboards.com/threads/ha...ut-halloween-time-2015.3270919/#post-51326923).  Otherwise, just do as you did and jump on in!  Either way, we're here to help!
> 
> Yes, the Happiest Haunts tour took place last year, and I think it started right when Halloween Time began, or shortly thereafter -- however, it no longer took visitors into DCA too.  It focused only on Disneyland -- which really makes the most sense, as Disneyland is where the bulk of the Halloween décor and celebration can be found.  They also discontinued the combo package of the tour and Halloween Party, if I recall correctly (someone please correct me if I am wrong on that!).
> 
> This year I would have to assume there will still be a tour and that it will still focus on Disneyland, but I don't know if the 60th anniversary celebrations will have any kind of impact on it.
> 
> For all we know, the Halloween parties may begin earlier than when they usually begin -- IF the rumor that MiceAge posted last year is true (about adding in 2 extra weeks of parties in September).  So you may end up being in luck and have a party to attend as well, but we should find that out any day



Awesome, thank you Sherry!


----------



## missycakes99

I k


Sherry E said:


> That's not true at all, let alone typical!   The party starts in September, and people have to buy tickets.  They don't let people know in August.   If the party were starting in October they might release the dates in August.
> 
> This is another case of the CMs on the phones not knowing what is actually happening.  Always be very skeptical of anything the phone CMs tell you, as they are usually the very last ones -- literally, the very last -- to learn info.  Often times we (the visitors) will know things before they know.
> 
> 
> ​
> 
> Anyway, folks, as we eagerly await the likely announcement of Halloween Time and Mickey's Halloween Party info in the next few days , I also wanted to announce (as I just did on Facebook) that Pumpkin Pandemonium has officially begun!!!!!
> 
> I know that Halloween and Fall items were already in the craft stores a couple of months ago -- I don't even really count those, as craft stores have to put supplies out early for crafters to get an early start on their projects.
> 
> So, craft stores aside, Pumpkin Pandemonium/Candy Corn Chaos/Caramel Apple Confusion really begins (in July) when the Halloween items sloooowly start appearing on non-craft store shelves.
> 
> This year, Walgreens apparently decided to lead the way down the Pumpkin path, as on June 30th they put this out.  Behold, Muske_fears_ bars....
> 
> http://www.theimpulsivebuy.com/wordpress/2015/07/01/spotted-on-shelves-3-musketeers-muskefears-bars/
> 
> 
> And so it begins!!!! Bring it on!  I am tired of the heat!  I am ready for Pumpkin Pandemonium!!!!!!!!
> 
> ​


I kind of figured that wasn't the whole truth so I'm glad to hear you say July is the likely answer. I don't recall when I bought last year, but I want to say it was late July. Looking forward to it either way! Was also told that sometimes AP holders get discounts on the earlier Halloween Party dates. Won't apply to us. We went late October last year and loved it.


----------



## RobertaMomof2

Hoping to not have to wait till August!  Want to buy my tickets now!   We are planning to go Sept. 24-28 so hoping they do a party on the Friday the 25th...  I have to rethink my dates and time off of work if they haven't started Halloween and have the party when we are going.  Don't they understand people need to plan trips and time off work? Ugh!


----------



## kylie71

Thank You Sherry,
We are getting the Premium Park view room... I paid extra for it. So the right  tower, if looking at the park?  I asked for the 14th floor, but that's Concierge level the CM at the PPH said . 

Thanks for the info, as always.

--Lori


----------



## haileymarie92

Come on DLR!! I want to buy our tickets lol. We are so excited to do Halloween this year! And MHP! 

Do they typically release the info at a certain time in the day? Or a certain day of the week?


----------



## JessieD

I'm glad I'm not the only one feeling this way! My husband thinks I'm a nut job!!! Lol come on Disney!!!!!


----------



## BobearQSI

haileymarie92 said:


> Do they typically release the info at a certain time in the day? Or a certain day of the week?


It appears not.  Looking back at the Disney Parks Blog posts:
2014: Dates posted Wednesday July 2
2013: Dates posted Monday, July 1
2012: Dates posted Monday, June 25
2011: Dates posted Friday, July 1

All seem to have been posted before noon (PDT).

Given that Labor Day occurs 7 days later this year than last year, it's also possible the whole schedule could be shifted a week later.  Thus, tickets could go on sale a week later than last year, and the announcement may come next week instead of this week as well.  All just wild speculation and guessing.

Just have to keep watching, I suppose.


----------



## Sherry E

BobearQSI said:


> It appears not.  Looking back at the Disney Parks Blog posts:
> 2014: Dates posted Wednesday July 2
> 2013: Dates posted Monday, July 1
> 2012: Dates posted Monday, June 25
> 2011: Dates posted Friday, July 1
> 
> All seem to have been posted before noon (PDT).
> 
> Given that Labor Day occurs 7 days later this year than last year, it's also possible the whole schedule could be shifted a week later.  Thus, tickets could go on sale a week later than last year, and the announcement may come next week instead of this week as well.  All just wild speculation and guessing.
> 
> Just have to keep watching, I suppose.



Let me also add to this great info that, in 2010, the Parks Blog announced the fact that the party was moving across the Esplanade to Disneyland in May!!!! 

In 2011, even before the Parks Blog made an official announcement, the party dates popped up in the Annual Pass section of the DLR website in late May or early June -- but very quietly, without fanfare.  It was one of those things where if you were not checking the AP section you would not have known the info until the Parks Blog made the announcement.

And in 2013 -- some folks in this thread may remember -- the former Annual Pass newsletter/magazine/calendar, _Backstage Pass_, showed the start dates of Halloween Time, Mickey's Halloween Party AND the Holiday season in its May-released summer issue.  However, they made a big blunder, as the date they showed as being the first night of Mickey's Halloween Party was wrong!!    We were all so excited to get the info -- and several of us saw the date printed right there in the calendar-- and it turned out to be totally wrong!  They did not make that mistake again in 2014.


----------



## haileymarie92

Anyone have any reviews on the Halloween tour? We may be interested in doing that, too. We've never done any of the tours. What exactly do you tour? What's involved in the Happiest Haunts tour?


----------



## Sherry E

haileymarie92 said:


> Anyone have any reviews on the Halloween tour? We may be interested in doing that, too. We've never done any of the tours. What exactly do you tour? What's involved in the Happiest Haunts tour?



Until someone else replies here with some info for you, check out the Happiest Haunts Tour category (Under the Main Street section) in this Disneyland post - http://www.disboards.com/threads/ha...ut-halloween-time-2015.3270919/#post-51326923.  The 2 links under 2014 (one of which is a complete review) will give you a good idea of the most recent incarnation of the tour (since it changed a bit from previous years).


----------



## haileymarie92

Thank you! That review was exactly what I was looking for. 

I think we may try it out this year! Especially if they have bundle tickets with MHP.


----------



## bigb83

kylie71 said:


> Hi Sherry!   Thanks for the update!  Let talk heat... 102 here yesterday in Northern Nevada, with a flash flood last night!
> Fall sounds kinda nice right now!!
> 
> 
> 
> --Lori


This happened a street over from our home! It's a small world! (pun intended)


----------



## lorijohnhill

I am so done with heat right now! Bring on the Fall and Winter!


----------



## JessieD

I'm in SW Washington. We don't normally see temps in the 90s until mid August, and it's been high 80s to mid 90s almost daily for about two weeks now! I'm over it as well!


----------



## ACDSNY

Another one already tired of the heat (108 yesterday) and waiting impatiently for the dates to be released.


----------



## kylie71

bigb83 said:


> This happened a street over from our home! It's a small world! (pun intended)



Hi big B, so your in Sparks too??   What a mess huh??

--Lori


----------



## Mommy2PrincessAbby

Okay, it's July 2nd already... Maybe if I do a banana dance Disney will throw us a bone.


----------



## riostoker

I'm starting to think DLR just doesn't care about us East Coasters who have to plan ahead to travel!  Maybe they prefer having all their guests be local APers.       My dates are locked in at this point. I had some wiggle room to move things around some until about a week ago.  Now I guess I just sit and wait for an announcement.


----------



## JessieD

riostoker said:


> I'm starting to think DLR just doesn't care about us East Coasters who have to plan ahead to travel!  Maybe they prefer having all their guests be local APers.       My dates are locked in at this point. I had some wiggle room to move things around some until about a week ago.  Now I guess I just sit and wait for an announcement.



I know how you feel! I'm on the west coast, but with my husband's company he has to request his dates off fairly far in advanced. I'm assuming since we will be there the last week of October there will be a few nights of the party, but finalizing plans would be nice!


----------



## focusondisney

lorijohnhill said:


> I am so done with heat right now! Bring on the Fall and Winter!



Sorry for you west coasters dealing with drought & extreme heat. But  we had record breaking snow last winter (6+feet in 24 hours), a late spring & lots of rain & below average temps in June.  We're ready for some heat & sun here! And the only reason I want fall to get here is my trip to DL!!


----------



## DisneyLuver2013

Today should be the day for the announcement!! July 2nd was when they announced it last year. 


Everyone needs to cross their fingers! Come on Disneyland, we want to know!


----------



## Canadian Harmony

When will tickets for the unwashed masses go on sale do y'all think? IF they announce today, that is.


----------



## haileymarie92

Do they always announce it on the disney parks blog?


----------



## CassieScraps

> kylie71 said: ↑
> Hi Sherry! Thanks for the update! Let talk heat... 102 here yesterday in Northern Nevada, with a flash flood last night!
> Fall sounds kinda nice right now!!
> 
> 
> 
> --Lori
> This happened a street over from our home! It's a small world! (pun intended)



kylie71 and bigb83 - I'm in Sparks too!   I had gone to the grocery store and decided that I'd go home instead of going to the 99 cent store for produce.  I would have been right in the thick of that flash flood if I hadn't changed my mind.  Crazy weather these days!


----------



## kylie71

CassieScraps said:


> kylie71 and bigb83 - I'm in Sparks too!   I had gone to the grocery store and decided that I'd go home instead of going to the 99 cent store for produce.  I would have been right in the thick of that flash flood if I hadn't changed my mind.  Crazy weather these days!



Small World!!  Are you 2 planning a all trip too??

Yes, I am off Prater and Sparks BVLD, Prater was a river!!!  Crazy hot and muggy today, reminds me of Anaheim weather in August!

--Lori


----------



## CassieScraps

We have our hotel booked for Oct 8th-13th.   This is a surprise for my little one who turns 5 in Sept.   It will just be me, her and dad.  Our last few trips have been with everyone in the family or the school band and she kinda got lost in the shuffle.  This one is all about her and what she wants to do. 

I can't wait!   We spend Christmas at DL in 2013 and that was SO much better than Christmas at home!    Halloween is my favorite holiday, so I've been wanting to see what DL does for it.   I finally got my hubs to agree to the trip, lol. 

Now, I'm just waiting on MHP dates so I can buy those tix and adjust my hotel reservation if I need to. C'mon Disneyland, get it together! Hahahah!


----------



## Sherry E

Well, dare I say -- and I hesitate to say it, because just as I think I've got Disney figured out and nailed down to a predictable pattern, they will throw something in to surprise me! -- the longer Disney drags out the wait for the pending Disneyland Halloween Time/Mickey's Halloween Party announcements, the less of a chance there is that any major changes (losses) are happening to the season... which is good.   My guess is that if anything really substantial were going to change this year (such as a change in location for MHP), they would have probably let us know before now.   If they are simply adding in some extra party nights, starting them earlier in the Halloween Time season than usual, they wouldn't necessarily have to announce it early because the dates wouldn't affect the start of the Halloween Time season.

So I think we're _probably_ in the safe zone at this point -- meaning no big losses to the Halloween Time season as we know it, and there is still room for some "extras" to be thrown in!

Now that Walgreens has thrown down the Halloween gauntlet by putting the 3 Muske_FEARS_ bars out on the shelves, I would expect that other stores may be scrambling to get their Halloween items out soon too.  I know that Target gets a lot of their Fall/Halloween stuff in July, BUT they don't necessarily put it on the shelves until the beginning of August.  If they see that Walgreens has gotten an early start, they may hustle to stock the shelves with pumpkin-y things as well!  

Halloween merchandise should begin popping up in Disneyland Resort stores in August!

Also, I noticed that the Los Angeles Haunted Hayride (recommended for those "scary Halloween" fans who are visiting Los Angeles and love the more frightful side of the season) teased on its Facebook page that this year's event and theme will be announced very soon as well.  That's an event that is growing in popularity every year, especially for fans of Universal's Halloween Horror Nights, Queen Mary's Dark Harbor and Knott's Halloween Haunt.

I was out in the sun a couple of days ago, and although it was "only" supposed to be in the mid-80s, the heat was so harsh it felt like it was much hotter than that.  I felt like I was going to pass out.   When I got home I ran my head under cold water -- and then quickly turned it off, as I was worried about wasting water in this drought!    I dread what August and September will bring, in terms of heat, wildfires, etc. 




Canadian Harmony said:


> When will tickets for the unwashed masses go on sale do y'all think? IF they announce today, that is.



The tickets for the Annual Pass holders, Disney Visa holders and Disney Vacation Club members would probably go on sale by or before 7/17, and the tickets for the general public would go on sale by or before 7/31.  I don't think the general public tickets would go on sale any later than 7/31 -- especially if more parties are added into the schedule for earlier in September.  That's my guess -- which could always end up wrong!




haileymarie92 said:


> Do they always announce it on the disney parks blog?



The Disney Parks Blog is the one reliable Disney source that will announce the seasonal dates and info every year.  However, sometimes the dates have been posted in other places (on the Annual Pass section of the Disneyland website or in Annual Pass holder magazines) before the Parks Blog makes an announcement.  I think that the Parks Blog is the most dependable source of dates and info.


----------



## kaoden39

I'm watching all the AP news. Here's my guess, the Contest ends on September 11, so I think it will start becoming Halloween. Just an uneducated guess.


----------



## Canadian Harmony

Thanks Sherri. Just need to know how much money to put on the credit card and when!


----------



## Sherry E

kaoden39 said:


> I'm watching all the AP news. Here's my guess, the Contest ends on September 11, so I think it will start becoming Halloween. Just an uneducated guess.



Yeah, I noticed the contest end date a while back -- but that is too close to Labor Day to officially start the season.  There are things that may unofficially go up before the season start date (which is what happens with the holiday season), but Halloween Time never starts just a few days after Labor Day. (Although... with Disney, never say never...)

Also, WDW's Halloween festivities don't begin until 9/15 this year -- and when have we ever known Disneyland to get started on something before WDW gets going on it?    That would be a Halloween miracle!    I am still guessing that 9/18 may be too late of an official start date, but that 9/11 is too early.  I am still guessing somewhere between 9/12 and 9/16.  But, we shall soon see!


----------



## kaoden39

Sherry E said:


> Yeah, I noticed the contest end date a while back -- but that is too close to Labor Day to officially start the season.  There are things that may unofficially go up before the season start date (which is what happens with the holiday season), but Halloween Time never starts just a few days after Labor Day. (Although... with Disney, never say never...)
> 
> Also, WDW's Halloween festivities don't begin until 9/15 this year -- and when have we ever known Disneyland to get started on something before WDW gets going on it?    That would be a Halloween miracle!    I am still guessing that 9/18 may be too late of an official start date, but that 9/11 is too early.  I am still guessing somewhere between 9/12 and 9/16.  But, we shall soon see!



So, like my last trip the season will change before my eyes during our trip. Always loads of fun!


----------



## Sherry E

kaoden39 said:


> So, like my last trip the season will change before my eyes during our trip. Always loads of fun!



  Could be!  Last time the parks were transitioning out of the holidays and into 'normal mode' during your trip, correct?  If the Halloween Time season gets an 'unofficial' kickoff sometime before the official kickoff, I would expect that there will be some pumpkins already in place by that unofficial start-- probably the over-the-turnstiles pumpkins and maybe some Halloween-ish displays in the windows on Main Street (not the Enchanted windows, but the regular store windows).

The good thing is that the Halloween decorations are much less extensive than the holiday decorations, so it should not require as much time to get 2 or 3 lands in Disneyland park Halloween-ready as it takes to get two parks and 3 hotels Holiday-ready in November.  So, it seems to me that if Disney were pressed and forced to have to get those pumpkins in place in a shorter period of time than usual, it may be tricky -- but probably possible.  I think that the bulk of the time goes into transforming Haunted Mansion into Haunted Mansion Holiday -- and that will have to shut down in enough time to get it ready for the official season start date.


----------



## kaoden39

Sherry E said:


> Could be!  Last time the parks were transitioning out of the holidays and into 'normal mode' during your trip, correct?  If the Halloween Time season gets an 'unofficial' kickoff sometime before the official kickoff, I would expect that there will be some pumpkins already in place by that unofficial start-- probably the over-the-turnstiles pumpkins and maybe some Halloween-ish displays in the windows on Main Street (not the Enchanted windows, but the regular store windows).
> 
> The good thing is that the Halloween decorations are much less extensive than the holiday decorations, so it should not require as much time to get 2 or 3 lands in Disneyland park Halloween-ready as it takes to get two parks and 3 hotels Holiday-ready in November.  So, it seems to me that if Disney were pressed and forced to have to get those pumpkins in place in a shorter period of time than usual, it may be tricky -- but probably possible.  I think that the bulk of the time goes into transforming Haunted Mansion into Haunted Mansion Holiday -- and that will have to shut down in enough time to get it ready for the official season start date.



Our planning seems to be skewered. But, I kind of like seeing the changes during the trip. We're going to be at the parks 9/14-9/18. So we could see fun change in those days.


----------



## kylie71

I want to see some fall when I am there,,,,,,,,, but we leave on the 11th!!!  Bummed!

--Lori


----------



## Sherry E

kylie71 said:


> I want to see some fall when I am there,,,,,,,,, but we leave on the 11th!!!  Bummed!
> 
> --Lori



I think you will see some things -- as I mentioned above, even if the season has not officially begun yet, I would expect certain things to appear before the start date (turnstile pumpkins, window displays, merchandise, and even some of the fall treats).  In other words, most decorations for any season don't just magically appear overnight -- there is a process that takes place, either over weeks or days.  So, certain things inevitably appear before a season begins.


----------



## kylie71

Thanks Sherry!

--Lori


----------



## Jeff314

Man this is getting ridiculous. The wait for the dates is taking forever! I know they have to know when they're doing the parties by now. Let us know! Haha we already have the hotel booked and HOPING there's a party the last day we are there sept 25


----------



## Sherry E

Jeff314 said:


> Man this is getting ridiculous. The wait for the dates is taking forever! I know they have to know when they're doing the parties by now. Let us know! Haha we already have the hotel booked and HOPING there's a party the last day we are there sept 25



Someone at Disney (not out on the front lines in the parks, but higher up in the ranks) most definitely has the dates for the party.   Even if they assume that the Disneyland visitors don't plan all that far ahead and don't need to know information way in advance (an incorrect assumption), you can bet they have probably had the dates lined up for months!  Now, as to when the news/info actually gets into the hands of the Parks Blog is anyone's guess.  I don't know how far in advance the Parks Blog folks find out these things -- they may not actually find out until a couple of days before they have to write the blog announcing it.  But someone, somewhere, at Disney -- in the Team Disney Anaheim offices -- has had the Halloween Time, Mickey's Halloween Party AND Holiday season information for a long time, and is just sitting on it!

Madness!  Madness!!!


----------



## Jeff314

Sherry E said:


> Someone at Disney (not out on the front lines in the parks, but higher up in the ranks) most definitely has the dates for the party.   Even if they assume that the Disneyland visitors don't plan all that far ahead and don't need to know information way in advance (an incorrect assumption), you can bet they have probably had the dates lined up for months!  Now, as to when the news/info actually gets into the hands of the Parks Blog is anyone's guess.  I don't know how far in advance the Parks Blog folks find out these things -- they may not actually find out until a couple of days before they have to write the blog announcing it.  But someone, somewhere, at Disney -- in the Team Disney Anaheim offices -- has had the Halloween Time, Mickey's Halloween Party AND Holiday season information for a long time, and is just sitting on it!
> 
> Madness!  Madness!!!





Yeah disneyworld's has been out for months and months. What gives?


----------



## mummabear

Sherry E said:


> Someone at Disney (not out on the front lines in the parks, but higher up in the ranks) most definitely has the dates for the party.   Even if they assume that the Disneyland visitors don't plan all that far ahead and don't need to know information way in advance (an incorrect assumption), you can bet they have probably had the dates lined up for months!  Now, as to when the news/info actually gets into the hands of the Parks Blog is anyone's guess.  I don't know how far in advance the Parks Blog folks find out these things -- they may not actually find out until a couple of days before they have to write the blog announcing it.  But someone, somewhere, at Disney -- in the Team Disney Anaheim offices -- has had the Halloween Time, Mickey's Halloween Party AND Holiday season information for a long time, and is just sitting on it!
> 
> Madness!  Madness!!!



I know!
In general it is something that really frustrates me about DLR as a whole. 
If someone were looking to book an October trip now they would easily be mislead by looking at this month/next months park hours. A first time visitor would be unlikely to know that fireworks are weekends only.
There are so many people that would be helped by having information about hours/party dates/entertainment schedules being out 6 months in advance and it's rather simple for them to do.


----------



## bigb83

kylie71 said:


> Small World!!  Are you 2 planning a all trip too??
> 
> Yes, I am off Prater and Sparks BVLD, Prater was a river!!!  Crazy hot and muggy today, reminds me of Anaheim weather in August!
> 
> --Lori



We have Sep 14th-17th booked and am anxiously awaiting dates yes!


----------



## JessieD

mummabear said:


> I know!
> In general it is something that really frustrates me about DLR as a whole.
> If someone were looking to book an October trip now they would easily be mislead by looking at this month/next months park hours. A first time visitor would be unlikely to know that fireworks are weekends only.
> There are so many people that would be helped by having information about hours/party dates/entertainment schedules being out 6 months in advance and it's rather simple for them to do.



It's not the first time I've been, but this is my first trip where  I'm the mom, and the one doing all the planning. This is absolutely maddening to me! There was so much I learned after buying plane tickets and reserving a hotel. Not that my dates would change because I really want to have my son there for his birthday, but still...it's hard not being able to map out every detail!


----------



## Comicbookmommy

Sherry E said:


> Now that Walgreens has thrown down the Halloween gauntlet by putting the 3 Muske_FEARS_ bars out on the shelves, I would expect that other stores may be scrambling to get their Halloween items out soon too.



Wut.  At all Walgreens? I want some!

And hurry up, Disney! I have plans to make!


----------



## Crisi83

So do tickets usually go on sale to AP holders a little earlier?   Can they buy tickets for non AP holders? I'm going to be going with my dad who does not have a pass, so I'd want to buy them at the same time...


----------



## Pre

I just booked my flights oct 16-21. Now to determine where I'm going to stay, if I need a car, how many days, etc. I'm a WDW veteran, and went to DL 21 years ago. Everything is so excitingly different!!!


----------



## haileymarie92

Today would be a great day for some news!!

Though I have a feeling it'll be next week...


----------



## Sherry E

Crisi83 said:


> So do tickets usually go on sale to AP holders a little earlier?   Can they buy tickets for non AP holders? I'm going to be going with my dad who does not have a pass, so I'd want to buy them at the same time...



Yes -- the advance purchase/discounted/non-discounted tickets for AP holders should go on sale a week or two before the tickets go on sale to the general public.  Disney Visa card holders and Disney Vacation Club members may also purchase discounted tickets (certain dates excluded) and non-discounted tickets ahead of time.  AP holders/DVC members/Disney Visa people may buy tickets for non-AP/DVC/DV people, but there is a limit.  I believe the limit is that you can buy up to 6 or 8 tickets in total.

If you have time, check out the Mickey's Halloween Party Frequently Asked Questions -- http://www.disboards.com/threads/ha...ut-halloween-time-2015.3270919/#post-51326916.   Some of the specific details are from 2014 (as we don't have the 2015 info yet), but it will give you a good idea of when the tickets went on sale, when each night of the Halloween party sold out, and pretty much anything else you'd want to know!


----------



## mummabear

@Sherry E Scouts honour I checked the first page before asking 
Does DLR sell a party only Photopass like WDW does?


----------



## Sherry E

Crisi83 said:


> So do tickets usually go on sale to AP holders a little earlier?   Can they buy tickets for non AP holders? I'm going to be going with my dad who does not have a pass, so I'd want to buy them at the same time...





mummabear said:


> @Sherry E Scouts honour I checked the first page before asking
> Does DLR sell a party only Photopass like WDW does?



I don't think there is a party-exclusive PhotoPass set-up for MHP (yet) -- someone please correct me if I'm wrong -- but there are PhotoPass people at the party, of course, and you can add the MHP shots to your regular PhotoPass card/account that you use for the rest of the trip.


----------



## mummabear

Not sure if anyone has mentioned MNSSHP dates here:
October 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 9, 12, 13, 15, 16, 18, 20, 22, 23, 25, 27, *29, 31*, 2015
November 1, 2015


----------



## Sherry E

mummabear said:


> Not sure if anyone has mentioned MNSSHP dates here:
> October 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 9, 12, 13, 15, 16, 18, 20, 22, 23, 25, 27, *29, 31*, 2015
> November 1, 2015



MNSSHP (not to be confused with Mickey's Halloween Party/MHP at Disneyland) also includes: September 15, 18, 20, 22, 25, 27



But the number of party dates and ticket prices for Mickey's Halloween Party at Disneyland will likely be a bit different than what happens at MNSSHP at WDW.

​


----------



## mummabear

Sherry E said:


> your regular PhotoPass card/account that you use for the rest of the trip.



Darn, unless there is a WDW/DLR photopass this one afternoon is the whole trip, probably not worth spending the money on, shame it would be DD's 1st time on SM.
I am actually surprised, with the large local base I thought they would do better off the party only Photopass then WDW does.



Sherry E said:


> MNSSHP (not to be confused with Mickey's Halloween Party/MHP at Disneyland) also includes: September 15, 18, 20, 22, 25, 27
> 
> But the number of party dates and ticket prices for Mickey's Halloween Party at Disneyland will likely be a bit different than what happens at MNSSHP at WDW.
> 
> ​



Yes, I was more looking at how WDW is dealing with the Saturday night Halloween Date this year, since I believe they normally have Friday/Sunday parties. Although I am having trouble finding previous years MNSSHP dates to see how well (or not) the line up to MHP dates (I know WDW tends to start earlier/have more).
Frankly I am now grasping at straws!!!!


----------



## Sherry E

mummabear said:


> Darn, unless there is a WDW/DLR photopass this one afternoon is the whole trip, probably not worth spending the money on, shame it would be DD's 1st time on SM.
> I am actually surprised, with the large local base I thought they would do better off the party only Photopass then WDW does.
> 
> 
> 
> Yes, I was more looking at how WDW is dealing with the Saturday night Halloween Date this year, since I believe they normally have Friday/Sunday parties. Although I am having trouble finding previous years MNSSHP dates to see how well (or not) the line up to MHP dates (I know WDW tends to start earlier/have more).
> Frankly I am now grasping at straws!!!!



Good point.  Hmmm... well, seeing as WDW has 4 parks and a multitude of hotels to explore, if they are not closing MK early on 10/30 (Friday), then I tend to think that DLR -- with only 2 parks and 3 hotels -- might not want to close DL early on a back-to-back Friday and Saturday either.  But I would think that a Halloween night party would be inevitable, so maybe they, too, will go with 10/29 and 10/31, and just bypass 10/30?  

The mystery should soon be solved!


----------



## mummabear

Sherry E said:


> so maybe they, too, will go with 10/29 and 10/31, and just bypass 10/30?



Fingers crossed


----------



## Sherry E

Well, folks, it's now just about 3:15 p.m., West Coast time, and Erin at the Parks Blog just posted a 4th of July-themed Disneyland piece.  I hadn't seen anything from her yet today, so I was holding out hope that we might get our Halloween Time news.   But since she already did the piece about the 4th and it's getting late in the day... I think that we are now looking at a Halloween Time/Halloween Party announcement next week.     And that will be an even later announcement than the one we had last year.

Sigh.


----------



## lwanthony

Well, I was just looking at Disney Floral and Gifts web page looking for something fun for our Halloween trip this year and noticed that all the Halloween packages are order-able now, but not deliverable until 9-11 which matches what many people have been guessing as the start of the Halloween season at DLR. Just thought I would toss that out there in case someone else hasn't seen it.


----------



## Sherry E

lwanthony said:


> Well, I was just looking at Disney Floral and Gifts web page looking for something fun for our Halloween trip this year and noticed that all the Halloween packages are order-able now, but not deliverable until 9-11 which matches what many people have been guessing as the start of the Halloween season at DLR. Just thought I would toss that out there in case someone else hasn't seen it.



I'm glad you tossed it out there -- very interesting, indeed!  I think that's the most 'telling' info we have gotten so far, to be honest!   In my mind, just based on how Halloween Time has gone the last several years, I still think that 9/11 is too soon and too close to Labor Day to officially begin -- not to mention the whole, terrible '9/11' association.  But the season _could_ begin on that date -- or shortly thereafter, like 9/12 or 9/15.   Or, certain things could unofficially begin on that date and then officially begin a few days later.   Whatever the case, that 9/11 date is most certainly a transitional period in which Halloween Time is gearing up to start -- then, or soon after.

... Although, I did notice that some of the Christmas/Holiday stuff is available for delivery on 10/30/15, and we know that the holiday season is not starting then, so now I'm confused!   

WDW's Halloween stuff is available for delivery at the end of August!


----------



## haileymarie92

I dunno...

I'm starting to have a suspicion that it won't be announced until after Disneyland's anniversary. (7/17/15).


----------



## Sherry E

haileymarie92 said:


> I dunno...
> 
> I'm starting to have a suspicion that it won't be announced until after Disneyland's anniversary. (7/17/15).



Shhhhh!  Don't give them any ideas!     If they are planning on officially starting Halloween Time and Mickey's Halloween Party later than usual (like by a week or more), then I could envision a later announcement.  Otherwise, the MHP tickets should be going on sale to AP holders, etc., within the next 2 weeks.  So they had better not wait until after 7/17 -- there will be a mutiny on Disneyland at that point, as we all storm the offices of Team Disney Anaheim, demanding the info!


----------



## mummabear

haileymarie92 said:


> I'm starting to have a suspicion that it won't be announced until after Disneyland's anniversary. (7/17/15).



Noooooooooo! 



Sherry E said:


> there will be a mutiny on Disneyland at that point, as we all storm the offices of Team Disney Anaheim, demanding the info!



I'm in!

Did the first party dates sell well last year?


----------



## haileymarie92

Lol I didn't say I -want- it to be announced after the anniversary, but I can see them dragging it out .


----------



## dolphingirl47

haileymarie92 said:


> I dunno...
> 
> I'm starting to have a suspicion that it won't be announced until after Disneyland's anniversary. (7/17/15).



I have had that feeling for a while as well. I hope that this hunch does not come true though.

Corinna


----------



## Sherry E

I highly doubt that they will wait until after July 17th to tell us anything *if* the Halloween party is going to start in late September as usual, *OR* if more parties are being added to the line-up in mid-September.    The tickets would have to go on sale to AP holders/Disney Visa folks/DVC members by right around 7/17 or 7/24, at the very latest, and the general public tickets would follow within a week or two after that.  They'd have to give some advance notice before the tickets went on sale -- at least a full week, if not more.

The only scenarios in which I see that kind of extreme delay in an announcement happening would be if:

1.  The Halloween Party is not beginning until October; or

2.  There are more big announcements coming about events happening on July 17th or during the week of the 17th; or

3.  The Halloween Party is not happening at all.


Otherwise, July 17th comes and goes every year.  The bigger deal this year was/is the overall Diamond Celebration and the entertainment that goes with it.  And that is already well underway at this point.  Unless Disney has some extra gigantic plans for July 17th that they need to start hyping next week, I can't see how it would be beneficial to wait until after 7/17 to announce party dates -- especially if more dates have been added in somewhere.

But, as I mentioned a couple of days ago, the Parks Blog may not even find out the info until a day or two before they have to write a blog about it.  Who knows when the Team Disney Anaheim folks tell them anything?

Whenever Erin posts the blog about Halloween Time and Mickey's Halloween Party, you can bet that there will be some sort of sentence in it that says something like, "Even though it's summer, Halloween is just around the corner," or any variation of that message.  In other words, they always have to 'justify' why they are making a Halloween announcement in July!  

​


----------



## mummabear

@Sherry E I would think #3 is unlikely.
Have the September parties not been popular?
IMO the best thing for them to do with the 60th celebrations and parties is to extend the hours on at least some non party nights to make room for fireworks/ptn but it may be a city thing not allowing it.
At the end of the day Mon-Thursday hours are so short in Sept/Oct usually even on non party nights that the parties are not in the way exactly.
As we have said many times as awhile the release their info too late, about parties, general park hours, special in park events like 24 hour openings etc for any visitor (rather than local) to plan for it.
They don't have to put out their tickets that early really it what does
It hurt to have the party dates out months ago so people deciding when to visit have more info to go on then select nights in September/October and aren't left disappointed.
But I am preaching to the choir


----------



## haileymarie92

Well let's all hope for Monday!! . 

I really hope they don't decide to start the parties in October this year. We are going Sept 29- Oct 3rd so I'm hoping for at least one MHP that week!

Question...the MHP usually comes with parking, does anyone know how early we can use that parking pass? Like if we plan to be in the park all day, can we use it that morning?


----------



## Sherry E

As the classic rock song says,  "The waiting is the hardest part...."

​



haileymarie92 said:


> Well let's all hope for Monday!! .
> 
> I really hope they don't decide to start the parties in October this year. We are going Sept 29- Oct 3rd so I'm hoping for at least one MHP that week!
> 
> Question...the MHP usually comes with parking, does anyone know how early we can use that parking pass? Like if we plan to be in the park all day, can we use it that morning?



I've seen mixed reports on that.  One time I read someone's recap, which indicated they were allowed to park well before 3 p.m. or 4 p.m. (whenever their MHP ticket would allow them entrance), or almost the whole day.  And then it seems like I remember someone else saying that they were not allowed to park (with the MHP ticket) early in the day.


----------



## kylie71

Monday, Monday................


----------



## Sherry E

Erin hasn't done a blog yet.... It's time.... Come on, Erin, give us the news!!!


----------



## dolphingirl47

Sherry E said:


> Erin hasn't done a blog yet.... It's time.... Come on, Erin, give us the news!!!



That would make my day. I say another blog from Disneyland earlier about some more Diamond Anniversary merchandise and wondered if this means that we are out of luck today as well.

Corinna


----------



## Sherry E

End the suspense for us, Erin!  There are so many mysteries and questions surrounding this year's Halloween party and Halloween Time dates (because of the old rumors and the new Diamond Celebration events).  Put us out of our misery!!!!


----------



## mummabear

I have to say Monday made some sense, first business day after July 4th.
But now, who knows when they will tell us!


----------



## Oswald23

I think we are out of luck today

What is taking them So long?


----------



## mummabear

Oh god, maybe @haileymarie92 was right and we will have to wait another 11 days.


----------



## JessieD

mummabear said:


> Oh god, maybe @haileymarie92 was right and we will have to wait another 11 days.



I REALLY hope not!!!! It seems like it might be that way though


----------



## Sherry E

Erin is the one who will make the announcement, and she still has not done a blog.  It's only 1:37 p.m., PST.  There's still hope for today!  If a blog pops up from her about something else (non-Halloween news), then we are out of luck for today.


----------



## haileymarie92

I hope I'm not right!! I don't wanna wait another week and a half. It could still be today!


----------



## Sherry E

It is very interesting that everything has been so, so, so quiet on the rumor mill front this year.  As I've said before, the rumors of what would be happening this year actually circulated _last_ year.   Since MiceAge/MiceChat is the typical source of rumors, I am going to guess that their secret sources have dried up.  Even though Al Lutz is no longer writing the articles, you would think that the same contacts at Disney would be in place.  But I am guessing that, after the Frozen Fun details were leaked by MiceAge in advance of Disney's actual announcement about it, someone probably figured out that someone was leaking too much info and decided to put a stop to it.


----------



## Jeff314

Yeah it's pretty crazy there's no announcement on dates for the parties or even when they're starting. Something! 11 weeks until we go, have the hotel booked already but won't have much time to change (if need be) we all don't live in SO CAL. What would it hurt to just simply announce the dates for people planning on going?


----------



## Kilala

I can't wait too. I'm uploading the pictures I took of both of the Electra costume and of the the Nevada unitard now. I will post them in the next couple of hours.


----------



## lorijohnhill

I would like to book my flights, but I'm not going to do so until I know the party dates. With my luck, I'd book it and the party would be the day after we go home. LOL


----------



## StyledSugar

Sigh............I was so hoping that I'd come on here tonight and find out the Halloween details.................I'm not a patient person...............lol


----------



## lorijohnhill

StyledSugar said:


> Sigh............I was so hoping that I'd come on here tonight and find out the Halloween details.................I'm not a patient person...............lol



I'm not good with patience either! Lol


----------



## tzeitel

Question - so I know that there is limited entertainment (parades/fireworks) in Oct.  The only weekend day we will be there is Sunday (the day we arrive), are there usually fireworks/parades on that day?  The only parade I am interested in seeing is the Paint the Night (I love MSEP and I bet this new one would blow my socks off) and I would hate to miss it.  We are planning on being in the parks on Sunday since we arrive at SNA at 10AM so I am hoping it will go on that night (pretty please?).


----------



## mummabear

tzeitel said:


> Question - so I know that there is limited entertainment (parades/fireworks) in Oct.  The only weekend day we will be there is Sunday (the day we arrive), are there usually fireworks/parades on that day?  The only parade I am interested in seeing is the Paint the Night (I love MSEP and I bet this new one would blow my socks off) and I would hate to miss it.  We are planning on being in the parks on Sunday since we arrive at SNA at 10AM so I am hoping it will go on that night (pretty please?).



Depends on the party dates (that is what we are complaining haven't come out).
If there is a party then possibly not but if there isnt then it is likely. As @Sherry E has said we really dont know what will happen as far as the new fireworks/PTN schedules through Halloween time yet.
From the looks of the front page Sundays arent normally party nights.


----------



## lorijohnhill

Tomorrow is going to be the day. Let's all use the power of positive thinking!


----------



## DisneyLuver2013

It will (hopefully) be today! Erin hasn't posted anything for a while, so keep your fingers crossed!!


----------



## jammyjam25

It's my birthday today and I'm using my wish on...you guessed it, Halloween news! 

Let's cross all our fingers and toes it comes true and I didn't waste my wish.


----------



## Sherry E

tzeitel said:


> Question - so I know that there is limited entertainment (parades/fireworks) in Oct.  The only weekend day we will be there is Sunday (the day we arrive), are there usually fireworks/parades on that day?  The only parade I am interested in seeing is the Paint the Night (I love MSEP and I bet this new one would blow my socks off) and I would hate to miss it.  We are planning on being in the parks on Sunday since we arrive at SNA at 10AM so I am hoping it will go on that night (pretty please?).



As mummabear mentioned, Sundays are not typically Halloween party nights, so there shouldn't be anything interfering with Paint the Night and Disneyland Forever fireworks -- unless weather throws a wrench into the plan.  I think that, if all goes well, you should be able to see PtN.

At this point we don't know if the schedule might be extended a bit, to accommodate some extra weeknight showings of the fireworks, etc.  Disney invested so much publicity and promotion in these 60h anniversary shows, not to mention money, that they may have something worked out to where the fireworks run on certain nights when they ordinarily would not run.  But we'll see.



DisneyLuver2013 said:


> It will (hopefully) be today! Erin hasn't posted anything for a while, so keep your fingers crossed!!



Exactly -- Erin has been quiet since last Friday... which means she surely MUST be working on a giant Halloween Time/Mickey's Halloween Party announcement blog... right?


----------



## JessieD

jammyjam25 said:


> It's my birthday today and I'm using my wish on...you guessed it, Halloween news!
> 
> Let's cross all our fingers and toes it comes true and I didn't waste my wish.




 I hope your wish comes true!!!!


----------



## Sherry E

jammyjam25 said:


> It's my birthday today and I'm using my wish on...you guessed it, Halloween news!
> 
> Let's cross all our fingers and toes it comes true and I didn't waste my wish.


\

Happy, happy, happy birthday!    I hope your birthday wish comes true as well!

I'm also a July baby (two weeks from today) -- Moon Children unite!!!!


----------



## jammyjam25

Sherry E said:


> \
> 
> Happy, happy, happy birthday!    I hope your birthday wish comes true as well!
> 
> I'm also a July baby (two weeks from today) -- Moon Children unite!!!!



Thanks, and a happy early birthday to you!


----------



## Sherry E

For the Halloween fans who like their holiday on the scary/shocking side as well, I have been checking for info on the 'other' Southern California Halloween events too.  It seems that everyone is off to a slow start in announcing dates this year.   Maybe each location is waiting for the other ones to 'make a move,' and as soon as one of them announces details then the others will follow??

Actually, I think that Knott's would have announced its Scary Farm/Halloween Haunt dates and info well before now (like probably a month or two ago), but one of the actors/characters (do they call them Cast Members at Knott's too?) who was a regular at Halloween Haunt passed away, and so they held off on making any announcements.  I guess they have to get a new guy to play the role that the other gentleman played every year.

I'm surprised that Universal has not put out its Halloween Horror Nights info for the Hollywood location yet -- at least, it wasn't up the last time I checked.

The Los Angeles Haunted Hayride has been posting creepy pictures and cryptic 'clues' on Facebook, as they gear up to announce the theme of this year's Hayride.  But they, too, are stalling on revealing the details.

I have to check the Queen Mary Dark Harbor page and see if the dates are up.


----------



## Priory

Yeah, I'm trying to plan a big
October Halloween trip and dates aren't out for anything (except it was my understanding that Dark Harbor just runs every night, and is already on the website).


----------



## Sherry E

Priory said:


> Yeah, I'm trying to plan a big
> October Halloween trip and dates aren't out for anything (except it was my understanding that Dark Harbor just runs every night, and is already on the website).



I thought it was on "select" nights in previous years, though I definitely could be wrong.   When I click on the Select Dates button next to General Admission and the calendar pops up (here - https://tickets.queenmary.com/ItemList.aspx?node_id=292131 ), it looks like certain dates in October are not available for ticket purchase, so I'm confused!

Thank you for telling me that the info is on the site -- they are the only ones who have their info up!  

So here is the Queen Mary/Dark Harbor page, folks -- http://www.queenmary.com/events/dark-harbor/


​
I'm also waiting on the dates for Rise of the Jack O'Lanterns to be released (this year, there will be two Los Angeles locations and a San Diego location) - http://therise.org/.

I don't know what is wrong with all of these places but apparently no one is thinking about Halloween in the summer.


----------



## kylie71

My Mom's birthday was July 31st...  Happy early Birthday Sherry!
Are you going to Catalina this year?  

Happy Birthday to all July babies!  I'm an Aries... so March for me!

--Lori


----------



## Sherry E

kylie71 said:


> My Mom's birthday was July 31st...  Happy early Birthday Sherry!
> Are you going to Catalina this year?
> 
> Happy Birthday to all July babies!  I'm an Aries... so March for me!
> 
> --Lori




Of course!  As long as they're still offering the boat ride for free on birthdays, I'm still going.  Although.... last year I was one of the only women on my boat going over to the island.  It was a Monday morning -- early -- and my boat was full of what appeared to be fishermen, divers, etc.  Mostly men.  Not exactly the most comfortable situation.   So I don't know what's in store for me on a Tuesday morning, but I hope that it's a different kind of group, with some tourists and other birthday folk thrown in.


----------



## dolphingirl47

jammyjam25 said:


> It's my birthday today and I'm using my wish on...you guessed it, Halloween news!
> 
> Let's cross all our fingers and toes it comes true and I didn't waste my wish.



Happy birthday. I hope you are having a magical day.

Corinna


----------



## lorijohnhill

jammyjam25 said:


> It's my birthday today and I'm using my wish on...you guessed it, Halloween news!
> 
> Let's cross all our fingers and toes it comes true and I didn't waste my wish.





May all your wishes come true!


----------



## Sherry E

Refresh my memory -- exactly how many days does it take to install the Haunted Mansion Holiday overlay?  Is it exactly 2 weeks (14 days), or is it closer to 2-1/2 weeks (like, say, 17 days or so, which is about how long it takes It's a Small World to get its holiday overlay)?

Someone on MiceChat is saying that a CM on the phone at DLR (and we all know how reliable they can be ) told her that Haunted Mansion is closing on August 28th to get the HMH overlay.  So, would it be ready in time to open on Friday, 9/11, or would that date put it at an opening closer to 9/15?


----------



## Priory

In 2013 it was closed 8/26 - 9/12 so an 8/28 - 9/10 makes perfect sense.


----------



## Sherry E

Priory said:


> In 2013 it was closed 8/26 - 9/12 so an 8/28 - 9/10 makes perfect sense.



Thank you for looking up that info!   Unless I am counting wrong, that was about 17 days, though (8/26-9/12).  So if we are looking at 17 days again, then HMH would be reopening on 9/14.

Then again, 2013 was the year when all of the extra little surprises were added in (because it was the 13th year of HMH, and they had the 13 surprises and all of that), so it could have taken a few extra days.



Hmmm..... Maybe we are now 'Zero-ing' (see what I did there?) in on a date (which would validate my "no September 11th" timeline!!!)!!!


​


----------



## dolphingirl47

Priory said:


> In 2013 it was closed 8/26 - 9/12 so an 8/28 - 9/10 makes perfect sense.



 Based on the 2013 dates, would 08/28 - 09/14 not make more sense as it would be the same length of time?

Corinna


----------



## maltdizzy

By my calculations...18 days.

It typically is closed on the Monday one week before Labor Day and re-opens the second Friday after Labor Day. Using the 2013, it closed on Aug 26 (Monday before Labor Day) and re-opened on 13th (second Friday after Labor Day), I found similar dates for 2014 (closed Monday 8/25, re-opened Friday 9/12).

In this case, if it closes on the Friday, August 28, it could be open by September 16, but the 15th isn't out of question. But I bet it doesn't close until the 31st.


----------



## Sherry E

Even if the CM on the phone (who gave the Mice Chatter the 8/28 closure) is full of malarkey, at least we have something new to chew on.... as we wait the long wait for Erin to announce something!!!!!


----------



## Priory

Whoops my count was off. 9/14 does make more sense. I feel like they'd be more likely to launch the Halloween celebration on a Friday, but I also understand why they'd want to avoid 9/11.


----------



## Sherry E

I wonder if Disney is hatching a plan such as "Let's start Halloween at both WDW and at DLR on the same day," and will make 9/15 the official Halloween launch for both places (since we already know that 9/15 is when WDW's Halloween fun begins).



Priory said:


> Whoops my count was off. 9/14 does make more sense. I feel like they'd be more likely to launch the Halloween celebration on a Friday, but I also understand why they'd want to avoid 9/11.



Halloween Time does seem like a more Friday-ish sort of holiday season, or a Friday lends itself better to a start date!  I used to think that the holiday season would always begin on a Friday, but then it suddenly started on Mondays and Tuesdays, and any old random day of the week.


----------



## Priory

If we were going to Disney World, we'd already be too late to make a reservation for many restaurants on January 7th 2016. But here we are roughly 3 months from Halloweentime, and we don't even know party dates. It just cracks me up the differences between the parks when it comes to planning and schedules.


----------



## lorijohnhill

Priory said:


> If we were going to Disney World, we'd already be too late to make a reservation for many restaurants on January 7th 2016. But here we are roughly 3 months from Halloweentime, and we don't even know party dates. It just cracks me up the differences between the parks when it comes to planning and schedules.



I was told by a CM that the difference is because they have different markets. In my opinion, they are kind of forcing the parks to have different markets by discouraging visitors who need to plan in order to visit. I wonder how the demographics would change if they started announcing stuff sooner so that people at a distance could make plans and feel welcome to visit.


----------



## Sherry E

Disney wants to have it both ways.  In some ways it seems they want to copy certain things from WDW and apply them at DLR.  In some ways they want to now treat DLR as more of a vacation destination, complete with hefty premium prices for hotels, tickets, and so on.  Then, on the other hand, they still treat DL and DLR as a locals' hangout -- a place where people just casually decide on short notice to go, without any real planning involved (hence, no need for dates and helpful info to be revealed early ), like we used to do back in the '70s and '80s.

I am of the mindset that even if it were only a hangout for locals, and even if most guests just wandered over on short notice without planning, it still would not hurt anything to release seasonal info in advance.


----------



## maltdizzy

Sherry E said:


> Halloween Time does seem like a more Friday-ish sort of holiday, or a Friday lends itself better to a start date!  I used to think that the holiday season would always begin on a Friday, but then it suddenly started on Mondays and Tuesdays, and any old random day of the week.



I know Disneyland likes to start things on a Friday because they always have a Friday night/weekend crowd of locals and AP's to pump up the excitement...more than ever in the era of social media.

Tuesday the 15th? In a school/work week? Not a lot of people to pump.

Halloween Time is a huge draw for locals on weekends, making Fall is a busier season at DL than MK. WDW caters more on long-range travelers who book 6+ months out and make longer stays, which is harder in the school year.


----------



## Sherry E

maltdizzy said:


> I know Disneyland likes to start things on a Friday because they always have a Friday night/weekend crowd of locals and AP's to pump up the excitement...more than ever in the era of social media.
> 
> Tuesday the 15th? In a school/work week? Not a lot of people to pump.
> 
> Halloween Time is a huge draw for locals on weekends, making Fall is a busier season at DL than MK. WDW relies more on long-range travelers who book 6+ months out and make longer stays, which is harder in the school year.



The Holiday season -- which is an even bigger draw than Halloween Time -- begins on all kinds of days other than Fridays now (I'm talking about in an official sense, even though things soft open a week earlier).  It used to begin only on Fridays, but that changed several years ago.


----------



## Oswald23

I think Erin has a vacation 

Normally she posts Everyday.


----------



## Sherry E

Oswald23 said:


> I think Erin has a vacation
> 
> Normally she posts Everyday.



Shhhh!  Don't give her any ideas!


----------



## JessieD

You can blog while on vacation!!!!!


----------



## Sherry E

Exactly!  That's what laptops and WiFi and smartphones are for!


----------



## lorijohnhill

I don't recall any of us giving her permission to go on a vacation while we are anxiously awaiting the dates! So, that can't possibly be the holdup...


----------



## Sherry E

Well, whether Haunted Mansion closes on August 28th or on August 31st to get the holiday makeover, I think we can _probably_ safely say that Halloween Time (the season) will not _officially_ be starting on 9/11.  There will probably be some random pumpkin sightings on that date, and perhaps some things might soft open on that date, but chances are very likely that the official start date of the season will be post-9/11.  At least, that's the way it seems right now.

As for when Mickey's Halloween Party begins, that is the real question.... Will MiceAge's old rumor from their article/blog late last year prove to be correct, in that more party dates will be added into September?  Or, will the party continue to begin exactly 2 weeks after the Halloween Time season begins?


----------



## calilou

I hope the official Halloween Time start date is Friday, September 18th and the first MHP is Monday the 21st. We'll be there the 20th-22nd so this will perfect our plans!   Putting my wishful thinking vibes out there! 

If MHPs don't start until after the 22nd we will most likely miss out on going to one this year.   I doubt we'll fit another trip in for Halloween Time - I would rather wait and go at Christmas since we got to do MHP last year. Fingers crossed!


----------



## Sherry E

calilou said:


> I hope the official Halloween Time start date is Friday, September 18th and the first MHP is Monday the 21st. We'll be there the 20th-22nd so this will perfect our plans!   Putting my wishful thinking vibes out there!
> 
> If MHPs don't start until after the 22nd we will most likely miss out on going to one this year.   I doubt we'll fit another trip in for Halloween Time - I would rather wait and go at Christmas since we got to do MHP last year. Fingers crossed!



Obviously I don't know anything for a fact -- if I did, we wouldn't be sitting here waiting for info!   -- but my feeling/sense is that MHP will start sooner than usual this time around.  In other words, I don't _think_ that it will start a full 2 weeks after Halloween Time begins this year.  I don't know if MiceAge was correct about Team Disney Anaheim adding in an extra 2 weeks of September parties -- they may not be able to swing that many extra parties in the 60th anniversary year -- but I feel that there will be less of a gap between when Halloween Time begins and when MHP begins -- IF they don't begin on the same date, that is.

Of course, I could be completely wrong about all of my hunches, but since it is appearing that Halloween Time will probably not begin on 9/11 and could possibly even begin on a non-Friday weekday, then I am guessing that the MHP schedule could be shaken up a bit as well.  Of course, if Erin would stop her vacation and let us know something, we could end the suspense once and for all!!!!!


----------



## mummabear

I did find last years post from July 2nd (my bday) but it seems comments are closed so i wasn't able to say "Hey what about 2015?"


----------



## Kilala

Here are some progress photos of my Electra costume I will be wearing at this years MHP.






Me making the wig



Me painting the unitard






Me putting on the stripes












My cat Naruto helping me out.






the wig 















Me wearing the unitard



More pictures are found here http://s1365.photobucket.com/user/Cristine_Armstrong/library/Electra 2015?sort=2&page=1
I will post the pictures from the Anime expo of me in this costume.


----------



## Davidg83

It seems like the parks blog is holding back information on everything this year! A bunch of us on another thread are still waiting for the medals to be revealed for the Disneyland half marathon in September. Typically that's been posted by now too. I need my Halloween information AND my medal info. This double wait is killing me!!


----------



## tkitty

I've Only done this party once a few years ago and did a September Tuesday- and even that was sold out. Taking the grandkids again and wondered if there have always been Tuesday parties? Want to do maybe the last Tuesday in Sept. Hoping to find out soon because I've got lots of planning to do! I'll. Be hoping for a heads up from Disney Visa...
Of course tomorrow would be a good birthday surprise for me! Just had to say since there were other July birthdays out there. Happy birthday to you all!


----------



## mummabear

Sherry E said:


> I wonder if Disney is hatching a plan such as "Let's start Halloween at both WDW and at DLR on the same day



Pity it doesnt come with WDW style announcement date...


----------



## iKristin

They need to hurry up with dates cause I'm buying my Hogwarts robes in prep for the party!


----------



## Jeff314

Maybe today is the day? Disneyland website on the MHP section is different today. Saying it's sold out now (which I know isn't possible since they haven't even gone on sale yet) but all it's been saying is check back closer to event date. Part I'm worried about it says from sept 14 to oct 15. That mean the parties won't start until October this year?? We have our tripped paid for and booked banking on recent years that it starts the last Friday of Sept, which is when we are going, and the last day we are there (sept 25)


----------



## mommy2mrb

was being hopeful for party information yesterday and bought my materials to make our Minnie Halloween ears and shirts.  still need to buy the tulle for our tutus but waiting for a good sale on that!   still haven't booked anything for our trip since I'm using points for hotel and airline and will be adding to that during our trip in a couple of weeks, won't book until early August.


----------



## DisneyLuver2013

Jeff314 said:


> Maybe today is the day? Disneyland website on the MHP section is different today. Saying it's sold out now (which I know isn't possible since they haven't even gone on sale yet) but all it's been saying is check back closer to event date. Part I'm worried about it says from sept 14 to oct 15. That mean the parties won't start until October this year?? We have our tripped paid for and booked banking on recent years that it starts the last Friday of Sept, which is when we are going, and the last day we are there (sept 25)



No, I don't think that Disney would take away party dates in September. The parties are so popular that I'm pretty sure they will only add dates in Sept/Oct. I wouldn't be too worried!


----------



## haileymarie92

DisneyLuver2013 said:


> No, I don't think that Disney would take away party dates in September. The parties are so popular that I'm pretty sure they will only add dates in Sept/Oct. I wouldn't be too worried!


I agree. With almost all parties selling out last year (including those in September), I don't think they'll take party dates away.


----------



## JessieD

DisneyLuver2013 said:


> No, I don't think that Disney would take away party dates in September. The parties are so popular that I'm pretty sure they will only add dates in Sept/Oct. I wouldn't be too worried!



I agree! But, it is very exciting some text on the webpage changed! Fingers crossed that today is the day!!!


----------



## Sherry E

mummabear said:


> I did find last years post from July 2nd (my bday) but it seems comments are closed so i wasn't able to say "Hey what about 2015?"



The funny thing is that now, under random Parks Blogs about any subject -- could be WDW, the Candlelight Processional, Tokyo, Diamond Celebration merchandise, etc. -- people are leaving comments about Halloween/the Halloween Party and asking about the dates.    So all of the writers (some of whom have nothing to do with Disneyland) are getting the questions about DLR's Halloween festivities.  



Davidg83 said:


> It seems like the parks blog is holding back information on everything this year! A bunch of us on another thread are still waiting for the medals to be revealed for the Disneyland half marathon in September. Typically that's been posted by now too. I need my Halloween information AND my medal info. This double wait is killing me!!



It's good to see you back here with us again this year, Davidg83!  So it's not just the Halloween news that they are delaying.  Interesting.  Is the medal info normally out by this time?

Are you still at Target?  If so, make sure to let us know what new seasonal goodies appear in the store!  I remember that last year you got certain things in stock ahead of time, but didn't put them on the shelf until a few weeks later.




tkitty said:


> I've Only done this party once a few years ago and did a September Tuesday- and even that was sold out. Taking the grandkids again and wondered if there have always been Tuesday parties? Want to do maybe the last Tuesday in Sept. Hoping to find out soon because I've got lots of planning to do! I'll. Be hoping for a heads up from Disney Visa...
> Of course tomorrow would be a good birthday surprise for me! Just had to say since there were other July birthdays out there. Happy birthday to you all!




Happy birthday!!!! 

There are usually Tuesday night parties, with an exception or two.  For example, one Tuesday party might be swapped for a Monday party instead, but I don't know if that will happen this year.

You won't have to wait for news from Disney Visa.   The Disney Visa people will be able to buy their tickets at the same time the AP holders and Disney Vacation Club people buy theirs -- but you will have to call the ticket number at DLR and order them that way.  That's usually the only way to get the Disney Visa discount applied, unless an online system has been set up this year that can apply the Visa discount.  So we just have to wait on a blog from the Parks Blog.




Jeff314 said:


> Maybe today is the day? Disneyland website on the MHP section is different today. Saying it's sold out now (which I know isn't possible since they haven't even gone on sale yet) but all it's been saying is check back closer to event date. Part I'm worried about it says from sept 14 to oct 15. That mean the parties won't start until October this year?? We have our tripped paid for and booked banking on recent years that it starts the last Friday of Sept, which is when we are going, and the last day we are there (sept 25)



The sudden appearance of any changes happening on the Disneyland website generally means that announcements are afoot, and they are gearing up to add in the info to the site.   So I think you're on to something.  It IS weird that it says September 2014 to October 2015!  That's one loooooooong Halloween Party!   I think it's just a mistake.  I doubt that the parties would start in October, seeing that they're so popular.  Of course, never say never, but I think they should still begin in September.  Let's hope!


----------



## jammyjam25

I can't be the only one who was unreasonably upset when logging into fb this morning and seeing DPB posting an update on Christmastime happenings at WDW when we still haven't gotten our Halloween info, right?


----------



## Sherry E

jammyjam25 said:


> I can't be the only one who was unreasonably upset when logging into fb this morning and seeing DPB posting an update on Christmastime happenings at WDW when we still haven't gotten our Halloween info, right?



  You're not the only one!   I would have been happy to get some Disneyland Halloween OR Holiday season news instead of WDW holiday news, but I'm tired of seeing Halloween/holiday info for every other Disney entity and not for Disneyland!

Did anyone happen to see Disneyland Today's annoying, vague response to someone's question about the MHP dates on Facebook?  Their answer was:  "Keep your eye out on Disney Parks Blog for an announcement coming later this summer!"

Later this summer?  What the....   I mean... How much later can it be?  They don't know what they're talking about at Disneyland Today -- I am convinced of it.

It had better be "later today" or even "later this week," but later this summer is unacceptable!


----------



## Oswald23

If there is a pattern we have 2 blogs to go today. I think today is not the day either.


----------



## iKristin

Yep...


----------



## Oswald23

This answer is like, we know something bad but we are not gonna tell you So we are not to blame.

Sherry do you see an option they would skip the parties? I mean a real option?


----------



## mummabear

Jeff314 said:


> Maybe today is the day? Disneyland website on the MHP section is different today. Saying it's sold out now (which I know isn't possible since they haven't even gone on sale yet) but all it's been saying is check back closer to event date.



We my not be seeing the same thing but I cant see any changes on any of the Halloween time, Mickeys Halloween Party or party ticket pages


----------



## Sherry E

Oswald23 said:


> Sherry do you see an option they would skip the parties? I mean a real option?



I really don't think so.  I think there is too much money to be made on the MHP tickets.  Even if they cut a couple of dates out and had fewer parties than last year, or even if they had to adjust some of what is offered at MHP to allow for the 60th entertainment, I think they would still go forward with the parties.  Chances are, if anything, they'd probably add some dates to the line-up.  

I do think that there is a direct correlation between Erin's absence from the Parks Blog since Friday, and the lack of a Halloween/MHP announcement.  It could very well be that she has been on vacation, or that the dates and info have been sitting on her desk, waiting to be announced.    Or maybe she has been working on a post, but waiting for a final detail to add in.  She hasn't posted anything about anything since Friday!



mummabear said:


> We my not be seeing the same thing but I cant see any changes on any of the Halloween time, Mickeys Halloween Party or party ticket pages



The "September 2014 to October 2015" was there earlier -- I saw it too.  It was in the Special Events tickets section - https://disneyland.disney.go.com/tickets/events/.  However, someone went in and removed those dates.  I figured it was a mistake, as it made no sense!


----------



## violentlyserene

Sherry E said:


> Did anyone happen to see Disneyland Today's annoying, vague response to someone's question about the MHP dates on Facebook?  Their answer was:  "Keep your eye out on Disney Parks Blog for an announcement coming later this summer!"
> 
> Later this summer?  What the....   I mean... How much later can it be?  They don't know what they're talking about at Disneyland Today -- I am convinced of it.
> 
> It had better be "later today" or even "later this week," but later this summer is unacceptable!


That's sort of promising. I really want to get on some possible itineraries but I suspect touring plans having to guess on dates is messing things up.


----------



## PlutoRocks

Ugh!  Still nothing?!  This is the first year I've gone during Halloween time so I am anxious to see what all the options are and am hoping there is one during our dates.  Unfortunately, our dates are not flexible due to work/school schedules but we shall see...


----------



## maltdizzy

Disney Floral and Gifts start delivering the Halloween 2015 gift packages to the resorts on September 11. Means nothing in the big scope of things. Interested start date though since it was one possibility for Halloween Time to kick off.

http://disneyland.disneyfloralandgi...n+treat+bag+-+2015.do?sortby=ourPicks&from=fn


----------



## Sherry E

maltdizzy said:


> Disney Floral and Gifts start delivering the Halloween 2015 gift packages to the resorts on September 11. Means nothing in the big scope of things. Interested start date though since it was one possibility for Halloween Time to kick off.
> 
> http://disneyland.disneyfloralandgi...n+treat+bag+-+2015.do?sortby=ourPicks&from=fn



That was mentioned here on Friday, by another helpful DIS'er (lwanthony) - http://www.disboards.com/threads/ha...ween-time-2015.3270919/page-148#post-53971377.

At first I thought it was telling, but I realized that some of the holiday season items will be available for delivery on 10/30 -- and we know for a fact that the holidays are not starting on 10/30.


----------



## maltdizzy

Opps...I can't keep up with 152 pages.


----------



## Sherry E

Well, now that it's basically official that there is going to be another $1 billion expansion coming to Disneyland Resort (commencing by 2017 at the latest and being completed within 7 years after that), even though that money could go in all sorts of directions (new hotels, new parking structure, Downtown Disney expansion, Star Wars Land, etc.), I wonder if we will see an amped up Halloween Time season down the road (involving both parks), or possibly a real, bona fide Halloween parade (not a Cavalcade) like Boo to You in Florida?


----------



## BobearQSI

Oswald23 said:


> I think Erin has a vacation ... Normally she posts Everyday.



Just looking at the last month, she doesn't post every day - usually every other day, but she did even go 4 weekdays between posts (3 weekdays with nothing posted) in the beginning of June.  I don't think anyone should think yet that she is on vacation.  More likely preparing all the Halloween details 

I'm probably in the minority here, but I'm really hoping Halloween Time starts September 18th, so I can go the week after Labor Day and Space Mountain will still be open.  DS is finally tall enough and really excited to try it.  Ghost Galaxy isn't nearly as magical for a first experience, even though the scary images wouldn't be a problem for him.

But I am in the same boat as all of you - I need to book that hotel!  Prices are going up on some of them, and some of our preferred hotels are even sold out on some of the dates we're hoping for (Tuesday Sept 8 - Sunday Sept 13).

Labor Day with hotels is pretty much not an option now - I'd be fine going during the weekdays before, but only if it means we don't miss fireworks and Fantasmic.

Does anyone here know if historically the fireworks and Fantasmic still show every night on the weekdays before Labor Day?


----------



## Mommy2PrincessAbby

maltdizzy said:


> Disney Floral and Gifts start delivering the Halloween 2015 gift packages to the resorts on September 11. Means nothing in the big scope of things. Interested start date though since it was one possibility for Halloween Time to kick off.
> 
> http://disneyland.disneyfloralandgifts.com/product/mickeys’s+not-so-scary+halloween+treat+bag+-+2015.do?sortby=ourPicks&from=fn



Omg, I missed this... And I so really really want the room makeover thing... But may settle for the cute trick or treat bag and stuff as a surprise for dd!


----------



## Sherry E

BobearQSI said:


> Just looking at the last month, she doesn't post every day - usually every other day, but she did even go 4 weekdays between posts (3 weekdays with nothing posted) in the beginning of June.  I don't think anyone should think yet that she is on vacation.  More likely preparing all the Halloween details
> 
> I'm probably in the minority here, but I'm really hoping Halloween Time starts September 18th, so I can go the week after Labor Day and Space Mountain will still be open.  DS is finally tall enough and really excited to try it.  Ghost Galaxy isn't nearly as magical for a first experience, even though the scary images wouldn't be a problem for him.
> 
> But I am in the same boat as all of you - I need to book that hotel!  Prices are going up on some of them, and some of our preferred hotels are even sold out on some of the dates we're hoping for (Tuesday Sept 8 - Sunday Sept 13).
> 
> Labor Day with hotels is pretty much not an option now - I'd be fine going during the weekdays before, but only if it means we don't miss fireworks and Fantasmic.
> 
> Does anyone here know if historically the fireworks and Fantasmic still show every night on the weekdays before Labor Day?



I don't have a preference for when Halloween Time starts, really.   I thought it wouldn't start on 9/11 from the beginning (like going way back to early last year), but whenever it starts, it doesn't bother me.   In fact, I have jury duty in that week leading up to 9/18, and hopefully I will be done with it sooner rather than later.  All I know is that September is usually hot, and it's hard to get into 'Halloween mode' when it's blisteringly hot outside.

I mainly just want to see what, if anything, is going to be different about the season or about the party, and then also about the holiday season.   (However, at this rate, I think we can expect holiday season news and dates in late September! )   I don't want too many things to be removed from the usual array of seasonal decorations simply because there is blue bunting draped around the parks in honor of the 60th.  

I really just wish Disney would get on the ball and realize that it is a good idea to release dates and info well in advance -- at least a good 3 months in advance, if not more.


----------



## kylie71

So we can move on to the winter holidays..... 

I do not know how I feel about the expansion.......... I just wish they would put the Rockets back to where they belong, and bring back the People Mover!!
OK, I am Old School Disneyland......... Bah Humbug!  
--Lori


----------



## Sherry E

Michelle posted a Disneyland-related Parks Blog about Diamond Celebration pins. I have been watching the comments, as I just know someone will eventually post a question about when the Halloween Party dates are going to be announced.   I've been seeing comments about DLR's Halloween party under other blogs that have nothing to do with DLR, so hopefully someone will post under one that actually has to do with DLR (albeit, not about Halloween)!


----------



## Jeff314

Typically the first party is on a Friday? Just based on what I've looked up in the past. Website NOW says select days in September and October. So my guess (and really hope) the first party will be sept 25, if not sooner. Just says to check back closer to event date.


----------



## Sherry E

Jeff314 said:


> Typically the first party is on a Friday? Just based on what I've looked up in the past. Website NOW says select days in September and October. So my guess (and really hope) the first party will be sept 25, if not sooner. Just says to check back closer to event date.



Yes, the first party is usually the last Friday in September.  This year, it could start earlier or later.

I saw what you saw on the DLR website earlier this morning (September 2014 to October 2015), and it made no sense.  So I was glad when I noticed that someone had taken that little reference down!  Select nights in September and October is what is usually says.  But it shows that someone was poking around on the website earlier, probably getting ready to change some info.

Sigh.  Well... maybe the announcement will come tomorrow....


----------



## Chelsea524

Kilala, your costume is looking great!

While we are anxiously waiting for the party dates to be released, how about a question.  What is everyone wearing to the party? Does your family coordinate or each do your own thing? 

I would love to have the family coordinate, but it's just not going to happen.  DH will be going as a Jedi, DS16 is wanting to go as Donald Duck, DS11 is wanting to go as Chip or Dale, though I am trying to convince him to go with something a little easier and less furry, DS7 will most likely either go as Jack Sparrow or a Jedi and DD7 some sort of princess, she has 4 new dresses I've made her over the last 6 months so she will go as one of them.  Myself, I have no idea.  Maybe Briar Rose or Ariel, but possibly Minnie Mouse or Alice.


----------



## mummabear

Chelsea524 said:


> Kilala, your costume is looking great!
> 
> While we are anxiously waiting for the party dates to be released, how about a question. What is everyone wearing to the party? Does your family coordinate or each do your own thing?.



It won't happen for us either DH refuses to cooperate which is fine really he is putting up with coming.
I wanted to have the 5 of us go as Carl, Ellie, Russell, Dug and Kevin or Peter, Tink, Hook, Smee and Tigerlily.


----------



## DLmama

We might be able to coordinate this year, depending on if DS7 can decide what he wants to be. Right now he's thinking Hulk, so we could all dress as Avengers. If we don't coordinate, I'll probably go as Minnie. We coordinated two years ago as Woody, Buzz and Jessie.


----------



## lorijohnhill

We are hoping to go to two parties this year. I will go as Minnie to one of them. Not sure about the other. My daughter will be Zarina the Pirate Fairy for one and I'm not sure yet who she will be for the other.


----------



## Kilala

Chelsea524 said:


> Kilala, your costume is looking great!
> 
> While we are anxiously waiting for the party dates to be released, how about a question.  What is everyone wearing to the party? Does your family coordinate or each do your own thing?
> 
> I would love to have the family coordinate, but it's just not going to happen.  DH will be going as a Jedi, DS16 is wanting to go as Donald Duck, DS11 is wanting to go as Chip or Dale, though I am trying to convince him to go with something a little easier and less furry, DS7 will most likely either go as Jack Sparrow or a Jedi and DD7 some sort of princess, she has 4 new dresses I've made her over the last 6 months so she will go as one of them.  Myself, I have no idea.  Maybe Briar Rose or Ariel, but possibly Minnie Mouse or Alice.


Thanks. Me and my friends go as characters from the musical Cats. I hope to go twice with my friend Christine from Oregon.


----------



## JessieD

My son wants our family to go as the Avengers


----------



## lorijohnhill

Here is my daughter, in Pixie Hollow, wearing the Zarina costume I made for her. This was my first sewing attempt in about 15 years. I'm pretty proud of it!


----------



## Davidg83

Sherry E said:


> The funny thing is that now, under random Parks Blogs about any subject -- could be WDW, the Candlelight Processional, Tokyo, Diamond Celebration merchandise, etc. -- people are leaving comments about Halloween/the Halloween Party and asking about the dates.    So all of the writers (some of whom have nothing to do with Disneyland) are getting the questions about DLR's Halloween festivities.
> 
> 
> 
> It's good to see you back here with us again this year, Davidg83!  So it's not just the Halloween news that they are delaying.  Interesting.  Is the medal info normally out by this time?
> 
> Are you still at Target?  If so, make sure to let us know what new seasonal goodies appear in the store!  I remember that last year you got certain things in stock ahead of time, but didn't put them on the shelf until a few weeks later.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Happy birthday!!!!
> 
> There are usually Tuesday night parties, with an exception or two.  For example, one Tuesday party might be swapped for a Monday party instead, but I don't know if that will happen this year.
> 
> You won't have to wait for news from Disney Visa.   The Disney Visa people will be able to buy their tickets at the same time the AP holders and Disney Vacation Club people buy theirs -- but you will have to call the ticket number at DLR and order them that way.  That's usually the only way to get the Disney Visa discount applied, unless an online system has been set up this year that can apply the Visa discount.  So we just have to wait on a blog from the Parks Blog.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The sudden appearance of any changes happening on the Disneyland website generally means that announcements are afoot, and they are gearing up to add in the info to the site.   So I think you're on to something.  It IS weird that it says September 2014 to October 2015!  That's one loooooooong Halloween Party!   I think it's just a mistake.  I doubt that the parties would start in October, seeing that they're so popular.  Of course, never say never, but I think they should still begin in September.  Let's hope!



The medals are typically revealed by the end of June and still nothing! I can't remember if it's been Erin that writes the blog post in the past. 

I am still with Target and am keeping my eyes open for the first fall or Halloween items coming in. I'll be sure to let you know as soon as I see something, or get the scoop on this years big pumpkin/caramel apple/seasonal Oreo flavor!


----------



## dolphingirl47

Sherry E said:


> The "September 2014 to October 2015" was there earlier -- I saw it too.  It was in the Special Events tickets section - https://disneyland.disney.go.com/tickets/events/.  However, someone went in and removed those dates.  I figured it was a mistake, as it made no sense!



That page has been updated again. It now states:

*Mickey's Halloween Party **Select Nights September to October 2015
*
I just breathed an almighty sigh of relief. I have three Halloween costumes in the planning (Steampunk Princess, Ursula and Cinderella) and I am working on the premises that I will do two parties at Disneyland and one at Walt Disney World. I am all set as far as Walt Disney World is concerned. I doing that party on October 4th. I am leaning towards going with the Steampunk Princess and Cinderella for Disneyland so that I can meet Ariel and do the Little Mermaid ride dressed as Ursula at Walt Disney World.

Corinna


----------



## riostoker

Grrr.... "select nights" does not help those of us trying to figure out rental car reservations based on what night the Halloween party starts! GAH!!!  DLR why are you torturing us this way???


----------



## Sherry E

...Checking in for another day of singing the "No Halloween Time Information Blues."

I saw that the September 2014 to October 2015 had changed on the DLR website (back to "Select nights") but I didn't draw attention to it yesterday because that's what it usually says in assorted places where Disney puts text about the Halloween season or about MHP -- before it was tinkered with.  It was the regular text.

The "September 2014 to October 2015" was a weird mistake that never made sense!


----------



## Mommy2PrincessAbby

Oh but we know the CP dates at wdw now... Seriously?!


----------



## Davey Jones II

Can anyone confirm whether or not the Haunted Mansion Holiday is on this year? When would the Mansion be closing to install the overlay?


----------



## Sherry E

Davey Jones II said:


> Can anyone confirm whether or not the Haunted Mansion Holiday is on this year? When would the Mansion be closing to install the overlay?



Someone on MiceChat reported that a Cast Member on the phone at DLR (and they are not terribly reliable) told her that Haunted Mansion will close on (or maybe right after?) August 28th (which is a Friday) for the overlay installation.  If they were correct in that information, then we estimate that Haunted Mansion Holiday could reopen sometime between 9/14 and 9/16.

If the CM was mistaken and HM closes on Monday, August 31st, then I think we are definitely looking at a 9/17 or 9/18 opening for HMH.


----------



## maltdizzy

Davey Jones II said:


> Can anyone confirm whether or not the Haunted Mansion Holiday is on this year?



Disneyland's official website lists HMH, SM:Ghost Galaxy and the Halloween Carnival as part of Halloween Time. HMH is a massive draw for DL every year.



Davey Jones II said:


> When would the Mansion be closing to install the overlay?



??? Nothing official. I'm betting Monday, August 31, but I have no insider information.


----------



## Davey Jones II

Thanks for the info, Sherry E and maltdizzy. And that's perfect for us, since we will be arriving on Sept. 22.


----------



## Oswald23

At least Erin is in the air but no news


----------



## Sherry E

Oh goody!  Erin posted something -- and it's about ElecTRONica (something that no longer exists), and not about Halloween Time.  

Well, since she posted today, I am not sure she will post again later.  The Halloween info may come tomorrow, if ever.


----------



## kylie71

Un-Freaking-Believable!!!!!!!!  



--Lori


----------



## bcwife76

Waahhhhh....Erin, why do you tease us so?!!


----------



## Sherry E

kylie71 said:


> Un-Freaking-Believable!!!!!!!!
> 
> 
> 
> --Lori



I know.  I know.  I don't understand.  Honestly, I don't think the delay has anything to do with July 17th -- although they may wait until after that date to announce something at this rate, just because next week's posts leading up to 7/17 may be focused on that date's events.  July 17th comes and goes every year.  Announcing Halloween Party and Halloween Time info a week ahead of time (like now) is not going to detract from anything that is happening on 7/17, especially if the tickets didn't go on sale until after 7/17.

My guess is that either the Parks Blog has not been given the Halloween Time info, OR there is some final bit of info -- some specific detail -- that the Parks Blog is waiting on before revealing the info.  Maybe there is one final piece of the puzzle that has to fall into place before they can make an announcement.  But my hunch is that the original intention was not to wait until post-7/17 (like 7/20!!!!!!!!! ) to announce Halloween info.


----------



## BobearQSI

The past two years, Halloween Time was announced on the blogs 10 weeks before the start week.

So *if* this year Halloween Time is starting September 18th, then this week we're in now would be 10 weeks before.  Thus, getting the info this week would still be 'normal' and not late.

But the post is usually more about MHP dates.  So hopefully this late announcement in that sense doesn't mean MHP is starting later this year too.


----------



## Sherry E

BobearQSI said:


> The past two years, Halloween Time was announced on the blogs 10 weeks before the start week.
> 
> So *if* this year Halloween Time is starting September 18th, then this week we're in now would be 10 weeks before.  Thus, getting the info this week would still be 'normal' and not late.
> 
> But the post is usually more about MHP dates.  So hopefully this late announcement in that sense doesn't mean MHP is starting later this year too.



Disneyland Today's cryptic-yet-vague comment ("Keep your eye out on Disney Parks Blog for an announcement coming later this summer!") did not exactly instill a confident feeling about when the info would be released!  I don't think Disneyland Today knows anything, though -- they basically just give off the standard textbook answers to everything.  We probably know more about seasonal dates in this thread than the Disneyland Today Facebook page knows!



Mommy2PrincessAbby said:


> Oh but we know the CP dates at wdw now... Seriously?!



Forgot to comment on this...


AND we know about Tokyo's Halloween plans... AND we know about the Disney Cruise Line's Halloween and Holiday Season celebrations...

AND we know that MNSSHP tickets and MVMCP tickets have gone on sale.


----------



## lorijohnhill

This is so frustrating! At this point, travel costs are getting higher. Gah!!!


----------



## planningjollyholiday

I feel bad for everyone waiting for the news. It is so frustrating.  I am not going during Halloween time, but I am going during Christmas time.  If it is taking them this long to release Halloween info, how long is it going to take them to release Christmas into!?!?!?


----------



## haileymarie92

It is starting to get frustrating. People want to plan ahead with flights, hotel, etc and it can be really hard to do that if you don't know which dates you'll want to be there!! We have one full week off that we will be going, but without the MHP dates, we don't want to book a hotel because we may do a Tues-Fri thing or a Wed-Sat or even thurs-sun just depending. 

Okay rant over lol. Come on Erin! Give us the info!


----------



## lorijohnhill

planningjollyholiday said:


> I feel bad for everyone waiting for the news. It is so frustrating.  I am not going during Halloween time, but I am going during Christmas time.  If it is taking them this long to release Halloween info, how long is it going to take them to release Christmas into!?!?!?


You may get the Christmas info by January at this rate...


----------



## Sherry E

planningjollyholiday said:


> I feel bad for everyone waiting for the news. It is so frustrating.  I am not going during Halloween time, but I am going during Christmas time.  If it is taking them this long to release Halloween info, how long is it going to take them to release Christmas into!?!?!?



Remember last year -- when the holiday season date announcement was delayed until September?    September!!!!!!!!!  And the holiday season begins in November!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Ahhhhrrrrrggggghhhhhhh!  So, I would imagine that this year we will get another September announcement -- that is, unless there is some sort of surprise in store for the season that warrants an earlier announcement.



haileymarie92 said:


> It is starting to get frustrating. People want to plan ahead with flights, hotel, etc and it can be really hard to do that if you don't know which dates you'll want to be there!! We have one full week off that we will be going, but without the MHP dates, we don't want to book a hotel because we may do a Tues-Fri thing or a Wed-Sat or even thurs-sun just depending.
> 
> Okay rant over lol. Come on Erin! Give us the info!



Ranting is okay here!  There are so many reasons why it would be practical and helpful to reveal all of the important seasonal dates well in advance (not 2 months, but at least 3 or 4 months).  I think that many people are in your shoes --- they want to plan and book flights and hotels, maybe create some Halloween costumes for the party, etc., but they don't know if their trips will include a party night!  And they don't know if they will get to see Paint the Night, Disneyland Forever, Halloween Screams -- or maybe no nighttime entertainment at all, depending on the nights they are there!


----------



## Oswald23

In a comment on the New 60s pins someone asked about Halloween. Their answer was:

Michelle Harker
2 hrs, 18 mins ago
Hey Paul! I think we’re all hoping they will be announcing shortly. I will certainly keep you posted should I hear anything.


----------



## disneydreamer74

I have been waiting impatiently for the announcement about MHP dates. We are arriving Friday Oct. 9 -Oct.13. So I am concerned about being able to make it to the party. We have other things planned as well (Universal Studios Horror Nights-also no dates announced as of yet). We are super planners and this is beyond frustrating! Hotel prices for the times we will be there are out of this world! We finally bit the bullet and booked something for a decent price with hopes that we won't need to change our dates. I will keep watching!!


----------



## Sherry E

I think that this wait would still be frustrating -- but maybe a tiny bit less so -- if there were not such a shroud of mystery surrounding this year's seasonal celebrations (especially Halloween Time).   At the very least, it would be more predictable, even if we had to wait a while for dates.  This year, more than any other recent year, involves a lot of suspense.

First, the rumors came out late last year (about MHP moving back to DCA, about an extra 2 weeks of parties being added into September, about "big changes" coming to MHP this year, etc.). 

Then, when the details of the Diamond Celebration were revealed in January, Disney pretty much made it clear at their Q&A that the focus was going to remain on the 60th and related entertainment all year long.  They even referenced the holiday season, but they skipped over any reference to Halloween Time.

Then, all of a sudden, the rumor mill completely dried up -- nothing all year from MiceAge in terms of new rumors or details leaked in their articles.    Nothing else from them about extra parties or anything even related to Halloween Time.   There weren't even any whisperings among the CMs at DLR about what might be happening with MHP this year.  Everything got quiet.

Then, the Diamond Celebration began, and the focus does seem to be on the nighttime entertainment, which would obviously end up clashing or conflicting in some way with multiple MHP nights.

And now we have the new tidbit -- which may not be reliable, as it came from a telephone CM at DLR -- about Haunted Mansion supposedly shutting down on or after Friday, 8/28 (even though HM usually shuts down on a Monday), which would put Haunted Mansion Holiday at a post-9/11 opening.

All of this combined with the fact that Labor Day is late this year, and everything is topsy turvy!


----------



## planningjollyholiday

Sherry E said:


> Remember last year -- when the holiday season date announcement was delayed until September?  September!!!!!!!!! And the holiday season begins in November!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ahhhhrrrrrggggghhhhhhh! So, I would imagine that this year we will get another September announcement -- that is, unless there is some sort of surprise in store for the season that warrants an earlier announcement.



I remember clearly the agony of waiting for the Christmas dates.  I spent most of my days at work constantly refreshing the Disney parks blog for updates instead of actually doing any work  .


----------



## DisneyLuver2013

I saw Erin's post when I was checking a while ago and got all excited. Then I saw the headline about Electronica and thought, "Uh oh! The Halloween Time Super Thread people aren't going to be too pleased with this one!!" LOL

Just make the announcement already, Disney!! We're all anxiously waiting!!!!


----------



## lvdis

lorijohnhill said:


> You may get the Christmas info by January at this rate...


Nooooooo!!!!!!   Haha!


----------



## maltdizzy

Sherry E said:


> I know.  I know.  I don't understand.  Honestly, I don't think the delay has anything to do with July 17th -- although they may wait until after that date to announce something at this rate, just because next week's posts leading up to 7/17 may be focused on that date's events.  July 17th comes and goes every year.  Announcing Halloween Party and Halloween Time info a week ahead of time (like now) is not going to detract from anything that is happening on 7/17, especially if the tickets didn't go on sale until after 7/17.



I don't get their thinking on this. If I were Disney, I would have gotten the Halloween Time announcements out of the way, so that I would have the whole week before and after 7/17 to a) first promote the big date and b) then discuss how successful the event was.


----------



## bigb83

This is driving me insane. Ever since we had to move our trip up a week to the 13th I've been wondering when Halloween will start. We leave the 18th so naturally I'm hoping for earlier...uuuugggghh come on Disneyland!


----------



## mummabear

I have taken to asking the "When are the dates for MHP being announced?" question on every DLR post on the parks blog.
Maybe it will nag it out of them


----------



## DisneyLuver2013

mummabear said:


> I have taken to asking the "When are the dates for MHP being announced?" question on every DLR post on the parks blog.
> Maybe it will nag it out of them




Hahaha!! You go girl!


----------



## Sherry E

mummabear said:


> I have taken to asking the "When are the dates for MHP being announced?" question on every DLR post on the parks blog.
> Maybe it will nag it out of them



I've seen the question pop up even under non-DLR-related blogs, like blogs about totally different Disney things!  People are now beyond the point of frustration and are just asking anywhere!   

I double checked the date of last year's holiday season announcement, just to compare.  It was September 10, 2014 when the Parks Blog did the piece about the holiday season dates.  And the holiday season started on November 13th (though a lot of things soft opened about 6 days earlier).  So it was just about 9 weeks.  That's it -- 9 weeks!  So, if they can do that for the holidays I guess they can certainly drag out Halloween Time announcements too.


----------



## lorijohnhill

Sherry E said:


> So, if they can do that for the holidays I guess they can certainly drag out Halloween Time announcements too.



Sort of, but not really. The Holiday Season is a several week span, but doesn't have any particular event that only occurs on specific dates (with the exception of the Candlelight Processional, but isn't that ALWAYS on a particular weekend?). I'm not as grumpy about finding out when Halloween Time begins as I am about the dates of the parties. The parties require guests to visit on specific dates, which makes planning much more difficult.


----------



## Jeff314

It's going to be released tomorrow. I have a feeling!


----------



## Sherry E

lorijohnhill said:


> Sort of, but not really. The Holiday Season is a several week span, but doesn't have any particular event that only occurs on specific dates (with the exception of the Candlelight Processional, but isn't that ALWAYS on a particular weekend?). I'm not as grumpy about finding out when Halloween Time begins as I am about the dates of the parties. The parties require guests to visit on specific dates, which makes planning much more difficult.



Oh, no doubt there are many reasons why the info should be released early.  As I mentioned here earlier, people have to know if a party is falling within their dates, they need to book flights and hotels, maybe create costumes for the party, etc.  Also, there is so much mystery surrounding this year's Halloween Time season because of the rumors that were already planted. 

But, looking at it through Disney's lens, Halloween Time and the Halloween Party are popular -- but not as big of a draw as the holiday season.  So, for whatever reason, they ("they" being Team Disney Anaheim and whoever releases the dates to the Parks Blog and the media) don't feel it is as big of a deal to release the Halloween Time info in advance, despite the party being on set dates.  They may give us an extra week of notice for the Halloween Party than what they give for the holiday season, but the holiday season is their true peak season -- and even that they treat as not worthy of a lot of notice.  It's frustrating, to say the least.



Jeff314 said:


> It's going to be released tomorrow. I have a feeling!



Let's hope so!


----------



## mummabear

I just wonder, I know some party dates sell out but not all, maybe more would if people had enough notice to arrange their dates appropriately.


----------



## Sherry E

mummabear said:


> I just wonder, I know some party dates sell out but not all, maybe more would if people had enough notice to arrange their dates appropriately.



I wonder.  For the last couple of years the pattern has been that all of the MHP nights sold out except for one party night -- but that night was not the same in 2014 as it was in 2013.  In 2013, I think it was the Monday or Tuesday party of Halloween week that did not sell out.  Last year it was the second party of the season that did not sell out (or if it did, it was at the very last second).

This year, if there are more parties added in, I wonder if there will still be one lone MHP night that doesn't sell out, or if more than one night will not sell out?


----------



## Davidg83

I find it funny that there are now 5 comments in the elecTRONica post about Halloween time. You'd think disney would get a clue that people want this info!

In other news the medals for the Disneyland half marathon were FINALLY released today, however, it wasn't on the parks blog like it usually is. At least I can stop waiting around for that blog and focus on Halloween now!


----------



## Sherry E

Everyone is being greedy with revealing their Halloween info this year!  The Los Angeles Haunted Hayride (for you horror-Halloween fans) has been dropping clues and posting creepy pictures on its Facebook page, and these are all supposed to be hints as to what the theme of this year's Haunted Hayride will be.  Today, along with another creepy picture, the hint was:

"Traveling the world reveals the presence and underlying unity in all cultures in their experience of fear. The notion exists of a dark presence being uncomfortably close or of a mythical evil entity sitting and waiting for you to close your eyes and fall asleep so it can come out and 'get you.'"

I don't know what the theme is.  The Sandman?  The Bogeyman?

Universal is silent with the Halloween Horror Nights info.  Knott's is silent with the Halloween Haunt info.  No dates for Rise of the Jack O'Lanterns!  Come on, people!  It's July -- where is your Halloween spirit?  


​


----------



## Geemo

Sherry E said:


> Oh, no doubt there are many reasons why the info should be released early.  As I mentioned here earlier, people have to know if a party is falling within their dates, they need to book flights and hotels, maybe create costumes for the party, etc.  Also, there is so much mystery surrounding this year's Halloween Time season because of the rumors that were already planted.



Not knowing the dates for the MHP was a (fantastic) disadvantage when I was booking our trip.... 
I told my husband that's why I'll be gone from Saturday to Thursday with DGD for our "Seniors Trip".
I just had to book all those days to be sure we wouldn't miss a party.  Now all I have to do is wait for the tickets to go on sale.

Our trip is going to be one we'll both remember! 
DGD is a senior next school year and I turned 62 this year.  I felt we should "Senior" celebrate at DLR and we are!!! 

Geemo


----------



## Sherry E

Geemo said:


> Not knowing the dates for the MHP was a (fantastic) disadvantage when I was booking our trip....
> I told my husband that's why I'll be gone from Saturday to Thursday with DGD for our "Seniors Trip".
> I just had to book all those days to be sure we wouldn't miss a party.  Now all I have to do is wait for the tickets to go on sale.
> 
> Our trip is going to be one we'll both remember!
> DGD is a senior next school year and I turned 62 this year.  I felt we should "Senior" celebrate at DLR and we are!!!
> 
> Geemo



I like your way of thinking!  Very clever -- you "just had to book all those days" so you wouldn't miss a party!    What else were you to do?  Without the dates, who knows when a party would fall, and you'd have to be there long enough to fit a party in!  

I would have expected the tickets to go on sale to AP holders, etc., by the end of next week, and to the general public a couple of weeks after that, but at this rate... maybe not.  

I like the idea of the "Senior" celebration!  It will be a lot of fun.


----------



## Geemo

Sherry E said:


> I like your way of thinking!  Very clever -- you "just had to book all those days" so you wouldn't miss a party!    What else were you to do?  Without the dates, who knows when a party would fall, and you'd have to be there long enough to fit a party in!
> 
> I like the idea of the "Senior" celebration!  It will be a lot of fun.



Sherry, That's it exactly.........   Thank you Disney for the _procrastination of date notification_!

I have no problem waiting, I know the super thread will let me know the minute the tickets are on sale.
It's the last pre-trip purchase I have to do.  Then it's  GCH-DLR here we come!


----------



## mummabear

Sherry E said:


> The notion exists of a dark presence being uncomfortably close or of a mythical evil entity sitting and waiting for you to close your eyes and fall asleep so it can come out and 'get you"



One two freddys coming for you, three for better shut the door, 5 6 crucifix seven eight better stay awake!


----------



## Kilala

mummabear said:


> One two freddys coming for you, three for better shut the door, 5 6 crucifix seven eight better stay awake!


Love it!!! My friend keeps asking me about it.


----------



## haileymarie92

mummabear said:


> One two freddys coming for you, three for better shut the door, 5 6 get a crucifix seven eight better stay awake!


9 10 Never sleep again!!


----------



## CaliGrrl

The Rise is already selling tickets.  If you request a promo code, you can purchase tickets.  Dates are Thursdays-Sundays in October.  They have added 2 additional Southern California locations.  This year it will be held at Descanso again as well as Santa Anita and San Diego Safari Park.


----------



## HopLow1968

Have any of the parties sold out before the general public get a chance to buy tickets?  And for a member of the general public, where is the best way to buy party tickets?


----------



## lorijohnhill

Can advance party tickets be purchased at the ticket booths? Just wondering in case they go on sale while we are there at the end of this month.


----------



## violentlyserene

CaliGrrl said:


> The Rise is already selling tickets.  If you request a promo code, you can purchase tickets.  Dates are Thursdays-Sundays in October.  They have added 2 additional Southern California locations.  This year it will be held at Descanso again as well as Santa Anita and San Diego Safari Park.


What is The Rise?


----------



## BobearQSI

HopLow1968 said:


> Have any of the parties sold out before the general public get a chance to buy tickets?  And for a member of the general public, where is the best way to buy party tickets?



Looking at the first page of this thread, tickets went on sale to the general public on 7/30/2014 last year, and the first party to sell out was Friday, October 3rd which sold out on August 22.  You can look at the first page to see all the parties and when each sold out last year, including the one that didn't sell out.

As far as the best way - probably just through the Disneyland ticket webpage.  But someone else can chime in if there's a better way.  Someone posted a couple pages back that last year that to get the Disney Visa discount you


----------



## CaliGrrl

The Rise of the Jack O'Lanterns… therise.org


----------



## haileymarie92

Today's the day! The sun is shining! The tank is clean!

Lol come on Erin. Let's make for a good Friday!!


----------



## dolphingirl47

I finally jumped today and made my reservations for my Halloween trip. It is just as well that I did it now as for the first part, there was no availability at Paradise Pier using DVC points. So I am going to have 3 nights at the Disneyland Hotel. I then stay with friends for a couple of nights and then I have 4 nights at Paradise Pier Hotel. I am kind of excited to get to stay at the Disneyland Hotel. This means that by the end of the trip, I will have stayed at all three hotels at Disneyland.

Corinna


----------



## nicolispicoli

dolphingirl47 said:


> I finally jumped today and made my reservations for my Halloween trip. It is just as well that I did it now as for the first part, there was no availability at Paradise Pier using DVC points. So I am going to have 3 nights at the Disneyland Hotel. I then stay with friends for a couple of nights and then I have 4 nights at Paradise Pier Hotel. I am kind of excited to get to stay at the Disneyland Hotel. This means that by the end of the trip, I will have stayed at all three hotels at Disneyland.
> 
> Corinna



You're going to LOVE the DLH, it is definitely my favorite (yes even over GCH). I love the proximity of the GCH, but the DLH is so much more "disneyfied" than GCH. The grounds are great, the rooms are sooooo big and I've never had a bad stay there. The only thing is the walk to the parks, but I'm always a person who doesn't mind waiting for the monorail.


----------



## calilou

dolphingirl47 said:


> I finally jumped today and made my reservations for my Halloween trip. It is just as well that I did it now as for the first part, there was no availability at Paradise Pier using DVC points. So I am going to have 3 nights at the Disneyland Hotel. I then stay with friends for a couple of nights and then I have 4 nights at Paradise Pier Hotel. I am kind of excited to get to stay at the Disneyland Hotel. This means that by the end of the trip, I will have stayed at all three hotels at Disneyland.
> 
> Corinna



I didn't realize you could use DVC points for DLH and PPH. Could someone give me a quick lesson?


----------



## Sherry E

mummabear said:


> One two freddys coming for you, three for better shut the door, 5 6 crucifix seven eight better stay awake!




I thought it could be a "nightmare" theme -- but that almost seems too tame and safe for the Los Angeles Haunted Hayride.    Last year they had some crazy "Echoes from the Rift" theme, with all of these wild explanations and descriptions of what would be happening ("gaping maw of terror" was one phrase I seem to remember).  It was quite funny.





CaliGrrl said:


> The Rise is already selling tickets.  If you request a promo code, you can purchase tickets.  Dates are Thursdays-Sundays in October.  They have added 2 additional Southern California locations.  This year it will be held at Descanso again as well as Santa Anita and San Diego Safari Park.



I saw that the San Diego location and the Santa Anita location had been added in -- in fact, I mentioned it here in this thread a few days ago -- but at that time (Tuesday), I totally did not see that tickets were already on sale!!   It looked as if the dates were not yet posted.  I guess they were either there, hidden somewhere, and I didn't see them because I was in the wrong section of the site, or they just became available since Tuesday!  



HopLow1968 said:


> Have any of the parties sold out before the general public get a chance to buy tickets?  And for a member of the general public, where is the best way to buy party tickets?



As BobearQSI mentioned, you can see when all of the party dates sold out last year (I have the "SOLD OUT as of.... " referenced in bold red, in both the Dates to Remember post and in the MHP FAQ post on page 1).  I think you'll be fine, and you'll be able to get the tickets before they sell out.  I think that you could just order them online -- that would probably be the fastest way -- or you can call the ticket phone number.  Do you have a Disney Visa?  



lorijohnhill said:


> Can advance party tickets be purchased at the ticket booths? Just wondering in case they go on sale while we are there at the end of this month.



I'm pretty certain that you can buy MHP tickets in advance at the ticket booths, but I don't _think_ you can get them at a discounted rate at the ticket booths.  I'm pretty sure that, if you are planning to use an AP discount, you have to order them online via the link that is set up for AP holders, or over the phone.  I know that Disney Visa folks have to order the tickets over the phone in order to get the discount, but I don't know if they can get a discount if they buy the tickets from the booth with their Visa.  My hunch is that tickets bought at the ticket booths cannot be discounted, but I could be wrong on that. It's not something that comes up a lot, strangely -- I guess most people either get the tickets online or over the phone in advance, OR they get them at the last minute from a ticket booth (the day of the event).


----------



## MouseMomx2

calilou said:


> I didn't realize you could use DVC points for DLH and PPH. Could someone give me a quick lesson?



DVC members can use their points at non-DVC resorts in both WDW and DL.  At WDW you have to pay a $95 fee but in DL that fee is waived because there are so few DVC villas at the GCH.  Points charts are available on the member website.


----------



## dolphingirl47

nicolispicoli said:


> You're going to LOVE the DLH, it is definitely my favorite (yes even over GCH). I love the proximity of the GCH, but the DLH is so much more "disneyfied" than GCH. The grounds are great, the rooms are sooooo big and I've never had a bad stay there. The only thing is the walk to the parks, but I'm always a person who doesn't mind waiting for the monorail.



Thanks. We stayed three nights at Paradise Pier last year and I much preferred the rooms there to the rooms at the Grand Californian. I absolutely love the public areas at the Grand Californian, but there is nothing stopping me from sitting in the lobby for a while and listening to the piano player or getting a drink and a flatbread at the Hearthstone Lounge. I had not even thought about the monorail. I love the monorail and one thing on my bucket list is to be able to ride up front. Distance-wise, I actually thing the Disneyland Hotel is closer to the parks than Paradise Pier.



calilou said:


> I didn't realize you could use DVC points for DLH and PPH. Could someone give me a quick lesson?



Yes, there are points charts of the DVC member website and you either fill out a request form on there or call member services. I opted to call member services as the website states that it can take up to 3 days before you get a response to the request form.

Corinna


----------



## Sherry E

dolphingirl47 said:


> Thanks. We stayed three nights at Paradise Pier last year and I much preferred the rooms there to the rooms at the Grand Californian. I absolutely love the public areas at the Grand Californian, but there is nothing stopping me from sitting in the lobby for a while and listening to the piano player or getting a drink and a flatbread at the Hearthstone Lounge. I had not even thought about the monorail. I love the monorail and one thing on my bucket list is to be able to ride up front. Distance-wise, I actually thing the Disneyland Hotel is closer to the parks than Paradise Pier.
> 
> 
> 
> Yes, there are points charts of the DVC member website and you either fill out a request form on there or call member services. I opted to call member services as the website states that it can take up to 3 days before you get a response to the request form.
> 
> Corinna



I agree about the rooms at the PPH vs. the GCH.  I love, love, LOVE the GCH lobby and overall theme/feel/vibe -- especially during the holiday season when the decorations are up.   I would probably love staying in one of the Villas.   The standard room that I had was close to the elevator and it really made the walk to and from the parks seem quite short.  However, all of that aside, I was not thrilled with the rooms themselves, on either of the occasions I stayed there.  For me, the rooms felt too cramped and a bit too dark for my liking.   There wasn't much floor space to move around.   The PPH rooms -- even before they were remodeled and redecorated -- have always been more spacious and bright, cheery and sunny.

The DLH rooms are definitely more spacious as well.


----------



## bcwife76

Does Erin actually respond to comments on the blog? Because there are now several comments regarding Halloween and *crickets* Wonder if she has been told to stay MUM, not even give a generic response?


----------



## Sherry E

bcwife76 said:


> Does Erin actually respond to comments on the blog? Because there are now several comments regarding Halloween and *crickets* Wonder if she has been told to stay MUM, not even give a generic response?



She has, on occasion, replied to me in the past when I have posted something, and I've seen her reply to other people.  However, those responses were not anything revealing, and they were usually about something that didn't require her to give out any top secret info!   Just general commentary.  She seems to be busier and responds less often to commenters than some of the other Parks Blog writers do.  So if she does reply to all of those questions about Halloween Time at all, the answers will be very generic and not informative.

It really could be that the Parks Blog has not been given any of the info yet, or that they have most of the info but are waiting on one final piece of the puzzle before making an announcement (some lone detail or date).  I don't know who at Disney releases the info to the Parks Blog, or what channels it has to travel through before getting published.


----------



## ilovelucydog

Sherry....totally off topic, but where were your standard rooms located at the GCH?  I want to make a request for ours in December.


----------



## Sherry E

ilovelucydog said:


> Sherry....totally off topic, but where were your standard rooms located at the GCH?  I want to make a request for ours in December.



Oh goodness.  I can't recall which floor I was on.  Hmm... It was quite a few years back.  One time I stayed at the GCH and had a great view of Downtown Disney, but the room was located all the way back in the hinterlands of the GCH, down endless corridors.  

The second time I stayed at the GCH was when I had the standard/non-view room, and it was quite close to the elevator so it was just a quick jaunt to the parks from there.  I just can't remember which floor it was.  It was not the very top floor of the GCH.  I am trying to remember the location by visualizing -- I know that I stepped out of the room and was looking over the railing to the lobby below, where the carolers were singing Christmas songs (actually, we could hear them quite well up there).  So I must have been 2 or 3 floors up.


​



Today's horribly creepy picture on the Los Angeles Haunted Hayride Facebook page is accompanied by this new clue:  "Right behind you…you just can't see her."    I wish they would just announce the theme already!  What is with all of these places not giving up the Halloween info?  Are they all waiting to release and announce info on the same date?

All of the other Halloween attraction websites and Facebook pages should take advantage of Disney's delay in announcing MHP, and put out their own details first.


----------



## mummabear

So by 6:30am (our time) I had already reached my Disney Parks Nagging Quota-feeling mischievous


----------



## violentlyserene

So assuming for now that this year's party is essentially the same as previous years, what's the party exclusive stuff to hit? I know there's the parade and fireworks and trick or treating but I'm rather confused on what else is particular to the party versus a general Halloween time feature.


----------



## kylie71

So, Sherry can I pick your brain?
Do you think that PTN parade will be shown after Labor Day??  Sept 8-11th??
Since no other announcements are coming. I have no clue when the fall schedule will post............ hard to plan to say the least!

--Lori


----------



## Sherry E

violentlyserene said:


> So assuming for now that this year's party is essentially the same as previous years, what's the party exclusive stuff to hit? I know there's the parade and fireworks and trick or treating but I'm rather confused on what else is particular to the party versus a general Halloween time feature.



You've pretty much mentioned most of the party exclusives!  The parade is not a grand, full-fledged parade in typical Disney style.  It's more of a character costume mini-parade.  It's cute, but not a big, spectacular event or anything.  Other than what you mentioned, there are some characters (including Villains) who are out posing for photos, who aren't normally found in the daytime.  And some of the expected characters (like Mickey & Minnie) might be wearing special Halloween outfits.  There are some dance stations set up around the park.

There might be a few extra decorations up for the party that are not up during the daytime.  There are spooky effects, such as fog along the Big Thunder Trail and over the Rivers of America.  There are assorted images projected on the ground and on assorted facades (such as spider webs and skulls/crossbones, and other things like that).  There are shorter lines for certain rides.

There will be some extra MHP merchandise, but that can often be purchased even before the party begins.

There will be special PhotoPass locations.

There may be a couple of special food items that are only available during the party and not during the day.




kylie71 said:


> So, Sherry can I pick your brain?
> Do you think that PTN parade will be shown after Labor Day??  Sept 8-11th??
> Since no other announcements are coming. I have no clue when the fall schedule will post............ hard to plan to say the least!
> 
> --Lori



My guess -- and I could be totally wrong -- is that Paint the Night will continue after Labor Day, but maybe on a more reduced schedule.   I don't know if it will continue nightly, or will be cut back to only certain nights, but I don't think it will go away.  If you're there on 9/11, I'm certain that PtN and Disneyland Forever would at least be happening on that night, if not earlier in your trip.


----------



## JmineLovesMickey

New here! Hi!  
I can't believe I've missed out on so much! Especially all this Halloween Time info!  Did Halloween in 2011 and had a BLAST! Thanks for all the info! I better get going on planning and buying this years tickets!


----------



## Sherry E

JmineLovesMickey said:


> New here! Hi!
> I can't believe I've missed out on so much! Especially all this Halloween Time info!  Did Halloween in 2011 and had a BLAST! Thanks for all the info! I better get going on planning and buying this years tickets!



Welcome! 

Thank you for joining us!

Well, so far there are no tickets to buy this year.  That is what we are waiting on -- the announcement of the actual start date of the Halloween Time season, as well as the dates of Mickey's Halloween Party.  We would have expected the tickets to the party to go on sale by the end of next week, but seeing that the Disney Parks Blog has been slow in announcing anything, it looks unlikely that the tickets would go on sale for at least another couple of weeks.  They will go on sale to Annual Pass holders, Disney Visa Card holders and Disney Vacation Club Members first, and then a week or two after that the tickets should go on sale to the general public.

You've already experienced Halloween Time, but if you want to brush up or see if there is anything that you missed, skim down the posts on page 1.  I left the mentions of 2014 there for the time being, for informational/historical reference, as we await news about 2015.  When we get the 2015 news, I will adjust the posts on page 1 to reflect the latest info wherever necessary!

Otherwise, just hang out here with us as we (impatiently) wait for news!  It should come in any day now -- if not before the end of today, then it's GOT to be next week.


----------



## JmineLovesMickey

Sherry E said:


> Welcome!
> 
> Thank you for joining us!
> 
> Well, so far there are no tickets to buy this year.  That is what we are waiting on -- the announcement of the actual start date of the Halloween Time season, as well as the dates of Mickey's Halloween Party.  We would have expected the tickets to the party to go on sale by the end of next week, but seeing that the Disney Parks Blog has been slow in announcing anything, it looks unlikely that the tickets would go on sale for at least another couple of weeks.  They will go on sale to Annual Pass holders, Disney Visa Card holders and Disney Vacation Club Members first, and then a week or two after that the tickets should go on sale to the general public.
> 
> You've already experienced Halloween Time, but if you want to brush up or see if there is anything that you missed, skim down the posts on page 1.  I left the mentions of 2014 there for the time being, for informational/historical reference, as we await news about 2015.  When we get the 2015 news, I will adjust the posts on page 1 to reflect the latest info wherever necessary!
> 
> Otherwise, just hang out here with us as we (impatiently) wait for news!  It should come in any day now -- if not before the end of today, then it's GOT to be next week.



Thank you!!!! By the way, your pictures are amazing!


----------



## StyledSugar

Okay, seriously?!?!?!?!!!!!!! Halloweentime could potentially start in two months from tomorrow, yet we have zero information?!?!?!? Yet, WDW has Christmas info? Unreal! All DL fans aren't local and actually need to pre-plan our trips. I guess I just don't understand the delay.....


----------



## seobaina

We're coming from the uk and desperately trying to plan a whole California trip. We want to see fantasmic, woc, paint the night, fireworks and do a Halloween party. We also want to book a character meal. So yes we need to plan. This waiting is infuriating! *sigh*


----------



## mummabear

mummabear said:


> So by 6:30am (our time) I had already reached my Disney Parks Nagging Quota-feeling mischievous



So since I made my post Michelle from the parks blog has answered all the questions on the post but ignored any referring to MHP not even supplying a canned "keep checking for exciting news coming soon" crap


----------



## DisneyLuver2013

mummabear said:


> So since I made my post Michelle from the parks blog has answered all the questions on the post but ignored any referring to MHP not even supplying a canned "keep checking for exciting news coming soon" crap



That leads me to believe that the Disney Parks bloggers don't have any or all info for the party yet. I'm sure it isn't on their end on why they aren't getting the info announced, so it's not their fault. 

Plus, Michelle is the Merchandise Marketing and Communications Manager, so I doubt she has all the details on Mickey's Halloween Party.

To the people waiting on booking their trips for the party release dates:

If you have dates that fall on a Friday, Monday, or Thursday you can pretty much bet on having a party at least once. My family rarely ever waits to book our trip until after the Mickey's Halloween Party dates have been released. We typically just look at the patterns of the years past and book our trips so the dates fall on historical party days of the week. We booked our vacation for a little over a week in October last year and ended up being able to go to a few MHPs during our Disneyland vacation.


----------



## seobaina

DisneyLuver2013 said:


> To the people waiting on booking their trips for the party release dates:
> 
> If you have dates that fall on a Friday, Monday, or Thursday you can pretty much bet on having a party at least once. My family rarely ever waits to book our trip until after the Mickey's Halloween Party dates have been released. We typically just look at the patterns of the years past and book our trips so the dates fall on historical party days of the week. We booked our vacation for a little over a week in October last year and ended up being able to go to a few MHPs during our Disneyland vacation.



We're currently planning on going on a Sunday to tues (hoping for fantasmic Sunday and slightly quieter Halloween on the Monday) then a Thursday trip a week later. May have to change that one though if it's Halloween again. Unless we manage to do the normal parade/fireworks and fantasmic on the Sunday :-~


----------



## violentlyserene

Thanks a lot Sherry, that clarifies things. A mini costume parade is perfect for us. Enough for one twin to get excited about but not enough to test the patience of the other. Was Cruella a night villain? She's my only  Halloween  character priority besides costumed Minnie and whoever the other twin seems to like most. This will be their first time trick or treating so we'll definitely have to do that a little.

One more question-those of you who buy your costumes, where do you get them? I don't usually dress up but I will definitely be dressing up for the party. Whenever it will be.


----------



## mrsw94

Hi All, just popping in to say Hello!  I'm probably in the minority, but I am secrectly hoping for NO Halloween parties!   Or at least not on Friday, in hopes of seeing the Paint the Night Parage and fireworks.  We'll be in the parks Wed, Thur Fri, the 21-23rd.  We are doing Legoland Sunday and Monday 18th &19th, before, so our dates are pretty set.  We are really looking forward to the 60th celebrations, so hoping at least some of them are still around when we go!


----------



## Kilala

violentlyserene said:


> Thanks a lot Sherry, that clarifies things. A mini costume parade is perfect for us. Enough for one twin to get excited about but not enough to test the patience of the other. Was Cruella a night villain? She's my only  Halloween  character priority besides costumed Minnie and whoever the other twin seems to like most. This will be their first time trick or treating so we'll definitely have to do that a little.
> 
> One more question-those of you who buy your costumes, where do you get them? I don't usually dress up but I will definitely be dressing up for the party. Whenever it will be.


Yes Cruella is there at the party. I took some pictures with her last year. The lines are really long to see Minnie and Mickey. I make my own cat costumes.



mrsw94 said:


> Hi All, just popping in to say Hello!  I'm probably in the minority, but I am secrectly hoping for NO Halloween parties!   Or at least not on Friday, in hopes of seeing the Paint the Night Parage and fireworks.  We'll be in the parks Wed, Thur Fri, the 21-23rd.  We are doing Legoland Sunday and Monday 18th &19th, before, so our dates are pretty set.  We are really looking forward to the 60th celebrations, so hoping at least some of them are still around when we go!


They always have parties on Fridays.


----------



## bigb83

Over on Mice chat in a thread about HMH overlay a poster said on the disneyland website he saw that HM was closing Aug 24th for the overlay. Which if the 17 day time frame holds true like usual Sept 11th would indeed be the kickoff. Now I looked all over DL.com and couldn't find where he got that info so Idk. ..the plot thickens


----------



## mummabear

I'm now agreeing with the previous poster that we won't get the info until after the 17th now


----------



## CasandraC

I just looked at the calendar and it only goes until August 22nd. How do they expect people coming in from out of town (or the country) to plan with only 6 weeks notice of the events?!


----------



## maltdizzy

CasandraC said:


> I just looked at the calendar and it only goes until August 22nd. How do they expect people coming in from out of town (or the country) to plan with only 6 weeks notice of the events?!



DLR is not WDW. It still retains the feel a daytrip, local theme park(s), they tend to only flexible  and more responsive to the "pulse" of the park/guests/So. Cal.


----------



## CasandraC

I normally am very impulsive in my traveling, but my new job makes me put in 2 month advance notice for any time off over 4 days. So I want to make sure I time it right is all.  I only get a one week vacation all year and including travel time, I'll only have 4 days in the park.  This will be my last trip for several years and I just want to get the most out of it. I've never been to WDW and not really interested right now. That is toooo much advance planning for me. Lol. I just want to make sure I am going on days where I'll have the options to do the things I wanted, like seeing fantasmic. I've never seen it. No matter what, I know it will be fun. I think I'm just too excited and want to know what's going on while I'm there.


----------



## Kilala

Late last night they had Hocus Pocus on ABC family. Also Hallmark channel has been doing Christmas in July this week.


----------



## violentlyserene

maltdizzy said:


> DLR is not WDW. It still retains the feel a daytrip, local theme park(s), they tend to only flexible  and more responsive to the "pulse" of the park/guests/So. Cal.


Which I get to a point but we're driving two days each way for this. If we weren't planning a full week anyway, I'd be far more more annoyed about the lack of date or real confirmation that there will actually be a party. We've had tickets and reservations for months now.


----------



## Sherry E

JmineLovesMickey said:


> Thank you!!!! By the way, your pictures are amazing!



Thank you!  What a nice thing to say!  I appreciate it. 




violentlyserene said:


> Thanks a lot Sherry, that clarifies things. A mini costume parade is perfect for us. Enough for one twin to get excited about but not enough to test the patience of the other. Was Cruella a night villain? She's my only  Halloween  character priority besides costumed Minnie and whoever the other twin seems to like most. This will be their first time trick or treating so we'll definitely have to do that a little.
> 
> One more question-those of you who buy your costumes, where do you get them? I don't usually dress up but I will definitely be dressing up for the party. Whenever it will be.



You're very welcome!  As Kilala mentioned, Cruella is at the party, as well as out in the daytime, if I recall correctly.  If she is not one of the Villains to be "conjured" at the Halloween Carnival, then she may be on Main Street.

It seems like we have a couple of people in this thread who make their costumes.  I wonder where people buy them when they buy them.  I have not bought a Halloween costume in many years.




mrsw94 said:


> Hi All, just popping in to say Hello!  I'm probably in the minority, but I am secrectly hoping for NO Halloween parties!   Or at least not on Friday, in hopes of seeing the Paint the Night Parage and fireworks.  We'll be in the parks Wed, Thur Fri, the 21-23rd.  We are doing Legoland Sunday and Monday 18th &19th, before, so our dates are pretty set.  We are really looking forward to the 60th celebrations, so hoping at least some of them are still around when we go!



Hello!

With any luck, maybe Paint the Night and Disneyland Forever will run on Wednesday or Thursday of your trip as well (I don't know if they will run on a more extended schedule this year, or settle into the typical fall/off-season schedule).  But you're right -- there would almost certainly be a Halloween party on Friday, 10/23.  And who knows how Paint the Night will be handled on a party night?



bigb83 said:


> Over on Mice chat in a thread about HMH overlay a poster said on the disneyland website he saw that HM was closing Aug 24th for the overlay. Which if the 17 day time frame holds true like usual Sept 11th would indeed be the kickoff. Now I looked all over DL.com and couldn't find where he got that info so Idk. ..the plot thickens



I only see the calendar going as far as 8/22 -- exactly 6 weeks from today.  So I don't know how that MiceChatter discovered that HM would be closing on 8/24 (although I saw the comment).  It's possible that "they" (meaning Disney) were tinkering around on the website again and he caught the website at a moment when it was in transition, and then it changed after that.   Even if it were true, September 11th would not necessarily be the start of Halloween Time.  As I have maintained all along, certain things could soft open or open before the actual, official start of the season -- such as SMGG or HMH.  That's what they do with the holiday season, so why not do the same for Halloween Time?   

I'm not sure where the CM on the phone at DLR got the 8/28 HM closure date from (which is also mentioned in that same thread), but seeing as that is a Friday it seems peculiar.  The phone CMs are not the most reliable in terms of giving out up to the minute, accurate info!  



Kilala said:


> Late last night they had Hocus Pocus on ABC family. Also Hallmark channel has been doing Christmas in July this week.



Oh, believe me, I am all over Christmas in July on the Hallmark Channel!  It's been on my TV for the last week.


----------



## lorijohnhill

violentlyserene said:


> Which I get to a point but we're driving two days each way for this. If we weren't planning a full week anyway, I'd be far more more annoyed about the lack of date or real confirmation that there will actually be a party. We've had tickets and reservations for months now.


I also question the validity of their demographics. I went with my brother, who lives in a SoCal zip code (but still hours away from DLR), and my mother, who, like me, lives in a NorCal zip code. So, among the three of us, we represented three different zip codes. My brother was surveyed every single time he went through a turnstile. My mother and I were never surveyed at all. The results of these surveys have to be VERY skewed. I find it hard to believe that the vast majority of visitors live right around the corner from DLR. if that were the case, why are the hotels always so booked up?

Even those who live a couple hours away, who may be considered locals by some, will more than likely choose to stay in a hotel. Therefore, they also would need the info sooner rather than later so that they can make reservations.


----------



## Sherry E

lorijohnhill said:


> I also question the validity of their demographics. I went with my brother, who lives in a SoCal zip code (but still hours away from DLR), and my mother, who, like me, lives in a NorCal zip code. So, among the three of us, we represented three different zip codes. My brother was surveyed every single time he went through a turnstile. My mother and I were never surveyed at all. The results of these surveys have to be VERY skewed. I find it hard to believe that the vast majority of visitors live right around the corner from DLR. if that were the case, why are the hotels always so booked up?
> 
> Even those who live a couple hours away, who may be considered locals by some, will more than likely choose to stay in a hotel. Therefore, they also would need the info sooner rather than later so that they can make reservations.



I think that sometimes they survey people who fit a certain profile they are looking for (for example, middle aged Caucasian women, young Asian males, etc.).    In fact, I saw them single out Asian males for a survey on one occasion.  Another time, they just seemed to be going for males in general (any age, any race, etc.).   Another time I saw them approaching Hispanic females.   Other times they seem to just talk to anyone who is passing through a certain area, such as Viva Navidad or Downtown Disney.   There are probably other times when they target different demographics that we don't see.  I don't know how all of that data is compiled and assembled later on, but I'm sure that sometimes it can get skewed.

As for locals staying at hotels... I would guess that maybe the people who live within 5-10 miles from DLR probably don't stay at a hotel (onsite or Good Neighbor), but I think you're right in that there are likely a LOT of people who visit that are sort of local, but not really, and who stay in hotels.  I mean, I would be one of them.  To the average out-of-state resident, I am probably considered "local."  I am more local to DLR than, say, someone who lives in Arizona or Connecticut, obviously, but I live in Los Angeles -- which is not where Disneyland is.  Disneyland is in a totally separate county from where I live, and it takes a good 40 to 45 minutes to get to Disneyland at a time when there is NO traffic (and much, much longer when there is traffic, of course).  So, technically, yes, I live close enough to do day trips and come home at the end of the night -- which I will do -- but I live just far enough away to make coming home at the end of the night a pain.  I would rather stay in a hotel.  And the hotels are beginning to book up earlier in the year than they used to book up, so it's not always possible to wait until 2 weeks before arrival to book a room anymore!

I forgot to mention that, out of all of the "when will the MHP dates be announced" questions that have been pouring into the assorted Disney Parks Blog comment sections, most of them have been left there.  However, I noticed one comment late in the day or early evening yesterday (under Erin's blog about ElecTRONica), and it is no longer there!   I think the person was name "l" or something, and the message was very insistent that the dates be released right away.  I read the whole thing yesterday, but when I checked again today the comment was gone!


----------



## Metalliman98

Sherry E said:


> I forgot to mention that, out of all of the "when will the MHP dates be announced" questions that have been pouring into the assorted Disney Parks Blog comment sections, most of them have been left there.  However, I noticed one comment late in the day or early evening yesterday (under Erin's blog about ElecTRONica), and it is no longer there!   I think the person was name "l" or something, and the message was very insistent that the dates be released right away.  I read the whole thing yesterday, but when I checked again today the comment was gone!



I noticed that too, and it wasn't just one comment, but two or three like it toward the end of that group of comments.  The wonderful world of censorship!


----------



## Sherry E

Metalliman98 said:


> I noticed that too, and it wasn't just one comment, but two or three like it toward the end of that group of comments.  The wonderful world of censorship!



  There must have been more comments that sneaked in after I saw that one specific one from "l" late yesterday.  All of the other comments that came in before "l" are still there.

Honestly , one week ago I was certain that within a couple of days (right after 4th of July weekend) we would have the Halloween Time and Mickey's Halloween Party info in our hot little hands.  One week later, I can't believe we still have nothing!    I'm certain that the CMs on the phones at DLR are getting bombarded with phone calls, but they don't know anything yet.

Sometimes certain non-Disney owned travel agencies (the ones that are authorized to sell Disney tickets and packages) might know when a season is starting, or when MHP is starting.  They get the info, I suppose, from a secret travel agent site that the regular folks can't access.  Does anyone here use a travel agency?  If so, you might try calling an agent and seeing if they have any dates.


At one point I was saying that the longer the wait to find out dates, the less of a chance there would be for any major changes to happen with MHP or Halloween Time this year.  But now that we are beyond the time when I thought we would learn the dates, I am beginning to think that the more time that passes, there will be some sort of change happening.  I think MHP will still go on, but some aspect of the schedule might have changed.


----------



## Priory

You think they'd move it back to DCA to keep paint the night and disneyland forever running? I personally wouldn't mind that but only because I've been lucky enough to do the party at DL several times.

They could easily move the parade and introduce a haloween WOC to make up for the fireworks.


----------



## Sherry E

Priory said:


> You think they'd move it back to DCA to keep paint the night and disneyland forever running? I personally wouldn't mind that but only because I've been lucky enough to do the party at DL several times.
> 
> They could easily move the parade and introduce a haloween WOC to make up for the fireworks.



Well, at first (meaning earlier this year) I thought there was a really good chance that MHP could move back to DCA this year, for that exact reason -- to not conflict with the 60th anniversary entertainment.  

First of all, that is what someone on MiceChat reported late last year (she/he heard a CM say it at DLR, I guess) -- that MHP was moving to DCA in 2015.  So the seed was planted in my mind.  Also, someone on MiceChat said that the CMs who trained for MHP in 2014 were told that "big changes" were coming to MHP in 2015.

Plus, for the last decade, the Halloween party has been held in each park for 5 years (first in DCA for 5 years; then in DL for 5 years).  With this being the 60th anniversary year and so much of the celebration is revolving around nighttime entertainment (as opposed to daytime entertainment), it seemed very likely that MHP could end up back in DCA for at least this year.  This would seem like a good time to start off the next 5 years in a different location.

But, when I asked a CM I know if there had been any whisperings or rumors among the CMs who work in the parks, I was told that MHP hadn't even been mentioned.  There were no rumors; there was no news; nothing was said.  This CM I asked, however, did NOT think that MHP would move back to DCA, because MHP is too firmly connected to Halloween Screams fireworks and the little character cavalcade.  To move the party to DCA would mean a Halloween World of Color, at the very least (if not more), and the CM did not think that they would do a Halloween WoC in the same year as World of Color - Celebrate.  There would also have to be Halloween decorations in DCA.

All of the rumors dried up, and there has been nothing -- literally no trickles of info coming from anywhere -- all year long!  The only thing we really know is that, at the Q&A following the announcement of the Diamond Anniversary entertainment in January, Disney said that the focus would remain on the 60th anniversary all year long, even through the holiday season.  But Halloween Time was never mentioned!

My feeling is that, at one time -- last year -- the plan/intention was probably to relocate MHP to DCA this year.  My feeling is that the plan probably got shelved (which would explain the rumor mills drying up), and that it will continue on in DL.  But there could be some change to the schedule we would expect (fewer nights?  More nights?), or there could be some change to the entertainment that is included in the party, or there could be some change in when the party actually gets started (earlier in September, or later than usual?).


----------



## mummabear

maltdizzy said:


> DLR is not WDW. It still retains the feel a daytrip, local theme park(s), they tend to only flexible and more responsive to the "pulse" of the park/guests/So. Cal.



Sorry but for many dare I say most it is not a day trip theme park. I understand why they don't want to go to FP+ and why their ADRs don't open at 180 days but it is ridiculous that you can book ADR's prior to having park hours out.
If they want to retain a day trip/local theme park feel then charge like it and in fact many other parks have their hours out months ahead of Disney.
They are advertising internationally for visitors, they want more than just the AP holders-As I have discussed in another thread we spend as much or more in a 10 day visit than many AP holders would in a year.
It doesn't make sense to me for them to have information on their website about what time of year to visit-saying "hey September is great come check out Halloween time" but not provide the necessary information about the start date, so someone plans a trip for the 1st week in September to find out that it hasn't actually started yet.
Someone over here in NZ is booking a several thousand dollar airfare to LA in September, planning 3 days at Disney before heading off to San Diego or Las Vegas and then finds out only 6 weeks before their trip (if they think to look again) that actually the park shuts at 8pm that time of year not midnight like all the hours they could see when they investigated and they won't see Fireworks/F! or PTN because their days are Mon-Wed and they can't be changed now, people just don't have that flexibility nor should they need to.
What disadvantage would the local crowd have for others to have this info? As a local how would that possibly negatively impact you in any way?


----------



## Sherry E

I know that it certainly wouldn't impact me in any negative way, if the important seasonal dates, schedules and details were revealed many months in advance.  The information would be there for those who wanted it, and anyone who wasn't interested in it wouldn't bother looking at it.


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## mummabear

Sherry E said:


> I know that it certainly wouldn't impact me in any negative way, if the important seasonal dates, schedules and details were revealed many months in advance. The information would be there for those who wanted it, and anyone who wasn't interested in it wouldn't bother looking at it



Exactly.
I get booking too far in advance but still once you can book something more than a couple of weeks out does it matter if it is 30, 60 or 180-not really


----------



## Sherry E

I keep thinking, okay, what else can the Parks Blog (specifically, Erin) need to report next week?  You would think that if anything special were happening on 7/17 (other than dressing up in 1950s-style clothing), they would have announced it.  And I don't think anything else has been announced for 7/17, has it?  Or am I forgetting about a blog?

There is this new "Looking for Mickey" Quest - which starts on Thursday, 7/16 - http://www.disneyparksmerchandise.c...ing_wp_cron=1436307281.5131070613861083984375.   Correct me if I'm wrong, but the Parks Blog has not reported on this, have they?  If they did I am completely blanking out.   But, it could be something that either Erin or Michelle at the Parks Blog reports (since it kind of falls under the Merchandise category as well as being an activity).

In any case, I am just looking ahead to what else could delay the announcement of Halloween Time dates.  After seeing the piece about ElecTRONica -- an event that no longer exists at DCA -- I began to think that the Parks Blog either just didn't have any Halloween Time info to share, or they were stalling until they got some final bit of info to add in to the story.


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## maltdizzy

mummabear said:


> Sorry but for many dare I say most it is not a day trip theme park. I understand why they don't want to go to FP+ and why their ADRs don't open at 180 days but it is ridiculous that you can book ADR's prior to having park hours out.
> If they want to retain a day trip/local theme park feel then charge like it and in fact many other parks have their hours out months ahead of Disney.



My point isn't that they don't post park hours any earlier, it's that they don't *set* park hours any earlier. They aren't hiding them from you, to them is a big chess board of how to bakance overhead and payroll versus projected attendance. This gives them the flexibility to set hours, schedule fireworks, ride refurbs, closing all or part of a park for local rentals (which do happen), etc.

I can say that having the ability to go to the park almost anytime we wanted for years, I could see the ebb and flow of the park, from summers/weekends when the park is *packed* with obvious local So. Cal. locals and "off-season" (school year) weekdays when the only attendees looked like they came right out if the corn fields of Iowa, and I can safely say it is very, VERY much still dominantly a local, day-trip park.  When you are there on a crowded day, you can pick out the Navy tattooes from San Diego, the local O.C. "Disney Goths", the faded tattoos of the ex-Latino gang members that now have families, the West L.A. Families with nannies in two, and yes the ever-present celebrity (A listers usualky have a guide, but you'll see Ed Begley Jr in line wurh the rest of us)...is this is ignoring the whole crowd  that just come in the eveing after work/school for a show or a meal. Remember, Disneyland has nearly 20 million residents that live within 2-hour drive of it, with another 20 million within 6 hours of it. Most major cities have a local park or three they very highly loyal to...Disneyland is is king in L.A. (except with coaster freaks).

There is no reason for them to not have released the MHP dates yet except their 60th promotion. They don't really worry about other things like ADR's because they typically are still available long after the park schedule is released (mist are available only two days in advance...because locals rarely book any).

I'm not trying to defend them here but I like that Disneyland is a little less structured than WDW. It's easier for WDW because hey offer less individualized, less spontanious service to keep things evened out. DISboards almost instill this urgency that is everything isn't just so, the the tripmwill be ruined...I go to parks to relax and for fun. I do admit, it's much easier for me. We'll be back in L.A. For a full 11 days but only spending two weekdays and a Halloween Party at DLR; I know there will be a party Tuesday or Wednesday that week, just waiting to confirm it before booking a nearby hotel. But then...maybe we'll just drive from West L.A to the parks every day...we certainly did fine doing that when we lived there.


----------



## Jeff314

mummabear said:


> Sorry but for many dare I say most it is not a day trip theme park. I understand why they don't want to go to FP+ and why their ADRs don't open at 180 days but it is ridiculous that you can book ADR's prior to having park hours out.
> If they want to retain a day trip/local theme park feel then charge like it and in fact many other parks have their hours out months ahead of Disney.
> They are advertising internationally for visitors, they want more than just the AP holders-As I have discussed in another thread we spend as much or more in a 10 day visit than many AP holders would in a year.
> It doesn't make sense to me for them to have information on their website about what time of year to visit-saying "hey September is great come check out Halloween time" but not provide the necessary information about the start date, so someone plans a trip for the 1st week in September to find out that it hasn't actually started yet.
> Someone over here in NZ is booking a several thousand dollar airfare to LA in September, planning 3 days at Disney before heading off to San Diego or Las Vegas and then finds out only 6 weeks before their trip (if they think to look again) that actually the park shuts at 8pm that time of year not midnight like all the hours they could see when they investigated and they won't see Fireworks/F! or PTN because their days are Mon-Wed and they can't be changed now, people just don't have that flexibility nor should they need to.
> What disadvantage would the local crowd have for others to have this info? As a local how would that possibly negatively impact you in any way?




I couldn't agree more. Especially with prices getting higher and higher and higher, people need time to plan, book and get everything together to make the trip down there. No, not everyone lives around the corner. The MHP will sell out no matter what so I don't understand the delay on releasing just the dates. They don't even need to sell the tickets just yet, just dates, that's all. It takes a lot longer than a few weeks to plan out a vacation. If you're going for 3 days or so, to go before or after the MHP, you need to know that before going, for hotel and work reasons.


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## theluckyrabbit

violentlyserene said:


> ...One more question-those of you who buy your costumes, where do you get them? I don't usually dress up but I will definitely be dressing up for the party. Whenever it will be.



We're part of a group of party goers who buy items to make a costume. So we don't buy full costumes ready made (usually too expensive), but we comb through thrift shops, clearance racks, and ebay to find things that will work together to create a costume. The fun part about this is that the whole outfit can be inexpensive and that many pieces can be worn again as regular clothing.


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## mummabear

maltdizzy said:


> My point isn't that they don't post park hours any earlier, it's that they don't *set* park hours any earlier. They aren't hiding them from you, to them is a big chess board of how to bakance overhead and payroll versus projected attendance. This gives them the flexibility to set hours, schedule fireworks, ride refurbs, closing all or part of a park for local rentals (which do happen), etc.



Sorry but that is crap.
They know the MHP dates long before now.
They know the park hours well before 6 weeks out -they have no more projection of crowds 6 weeks out then 6 months out because the current crowd level has nothing to do with an upcoming weeks crowds. WDW is spontaneous and we have had parks extend their hours even on the very day in question.Lets be honest when are the hours really steady year on year it shows that they are following the same formula.
Given that last year there was 17 million international visitors that arrived at LAX alone I say that it is pretty even with the need to supply accurate and relevant information to those visitors. Thats before you add any domestic visitors or international visitors that arrive via another US airport.


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## violentlyserene

Sherry E said:


> I think that sometimes they survey people who fit a certain profile they are looking for (for example, middle aged Caucasian women, young Asian males, etc.).    In fact, I saw them single out Asian males for a survey on one occasion.  Another time, they just seemed to be going for males in general (any age, any race, etc.).   Another time I saw them approaching Hispanic females.   Other times they seem to just talk to anyone who is passing through a certain area, such as Viva Navidad or Downtown Disney.   There are probably other times when they target different demographics that we don't see.  I don't know how all of that data is compiled and assembled later on, but I'm sure that sometimes it can get skewed.
> 
> As for locals staying at hotels... I would guess that maybe the people who live within 5-10 miles from DLR probably don't stay at a hotel (onsite or Good Neighbor), but I think you're right in that there are likely a LOT of people who visit that are sort of local, but not really, and who stay in hotels.  I mean, I would be one of them.  To the average out-of-state resident, I am probably considered "local."  I am more local to DLR than, say, someone who lives in Arizona or Connecticut, obviously, but I live in Los Angeles -- which is not where Disneyland is.  Disneyland is in a totally separate county from where I live, and it takes a good 40 to 45 minutes to get to Disneyland at a time when there is NO traffic (and much, much longer when there is traffic, of course).  So, technically, yes, I live close enough to do day trips and come home at the end of the night -- which I will do -- but I live just far enough away to make coming home at the end of the night a pain.  I would rather stay in a hotel.  And the hotels are beginning to book up earlier in the year than they used to book up, so it's not always possible to wait until 2 weeks before arrival to book a room anymore!


45 min would not say hotel to me at all,though I get your reasoning.


Sherry E said:


> There must have been more comments that sneaked in after I saw that one specific one from "l" late yesterday.  All of the other comments that came in before "l" are still there.
> 
> Honestly , one week ago I was certain that within a couple of days (right after 4th of July weekend) we would have the Halloween Time and Mickey's Halloween Party info in our hot little hands.  One week later, I can't believe we still have nothing!    I'm certain that the CMs on the phones at DLR are getting bombarded with phone calls, but they don't know anything yet.
> 
> Sometimes certain non-Disney owned travel agencies (the ones that are authorized to sell Disney tickets and packages) might know when a season is starting, or when MHP is starting.  They get the info, I suppose, from a secret travel agent site that the regular folks can't access.  Does anyone here use a travel agency?  If so, you might try calling an agent and seeing if they have any dates.
> 
> 
> At one point I was saying that the longer the wait to find out dates, the less of a chance there would be for any major changes to happen with MHP or Halloween Time this year.  But now that we are beyond the time when I thought we would learn the dates, I am beginning to think that the more time that passes, there will be some sort of change happening.  I think MHP will still go on, but some aspect of the schedule might have changed.


we did use a travel agent and will be needing to book reservations for character meals  which is the real reason I need party dates. I will try to call and ask tomorrow.


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## disneydreamer74

I agree that it is beyond frustrating to try to plan a trip for those of us that are not locals. I drive 9 hours, which is not as far as others for sure. However, it takes a bit of planning with my job, DH's job, and Dd's time off school to make this happen. Besides that fact, we need to know when we are going, the costs associated with our trip, etc. so we can begin saving up for it. I can say that since I drive 9 hours to get there, I have never visited DLR for less than 4 park days. I don't do daytrips lol! However, for as many times as I have been there I can certainly see that Disney does cater to local attendees. This really does make a difference in the way the park  is run. Despite that, there is NO excuse for Disney to hold back  on planning information and special event dates. You will never convince me that these things have not been decided on long ago. And THAT is where my frustration begins.


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## BobearQSI

I've been following the micechat thread about Haunted Mansion closing the 24th.  It turns out it wasn't the calendar page, but the attractions page:
https://disneyland.disney.go.com/attractions/

If you type in 8/24/2015 in the box, HM shows up as closed for refurbishment (you have to type the date and press enter while the calendar is not visible).  HM also show as closed on 9/10, but open again on 9/11.

The Space Mountain closure doesn't show up there yet, however.


----------



## Priory

This delay is frustrating for disneyland as well as for the other area events. I am trying to plan a week-long Halloween themed trip. I want to do DL, Knott's, USH, Queen Mary, and Hayride. This will involve 3 hotels and I can't book anything or figure out which day to be where until I know what night is what. I have a rough outline based on past years, but I really want to know the dates. I can tell everyone is waiting to announce after Disney and I feel like they are delaying all of the information for the entire season in the entire region.


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## tkitty

Yes if only they would give us dates. We are over 5 hours away and need to book our room. If I could get Sept dates, I could get busy. I'm using timeshare (not DVC) and I'm worried it will be too late to get something. They can surprise me with the date that the tickets go on sale- that's no biggie.

There is no way that they don't know the days/dates yet, IMO. I don't even care which park, just the days/dates! Please? Pretty please, Disney?


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## mummabear

Wow 10 days after we thought it would be out


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## Comicbookmommy




----------



## Sherry E

violentlyserene said:


> 45 min would not say hotel to me at all,though I get your reasoning.
> 
> we did use a travel agent and will be needing to book reservations for character meals  which is the real reason I need party dates. I will try to call and ask tomorrow.



  I guess it depends on who you are and where you are.  I live almost 40 miles away from DLR.   To people who don't live in this area -- or people who are driving long distances on road trips! -- it sounds like I'm really close.  But DLR is in another county.   If I were to get on buses and go down to DLR and come home, it would take about 3 hours each way!  It's not exactly right next door.   And it only takes 45 minutes (by car) when traveling at a time with no traffic, which can be tricky in SoCal.  

No one that I personally know -- meaning my personal friends -- would want to drive almost 40 miles and 45+ minutes at the end of a long, tiring day at DLR.   They may do it if they have to, but they don't want to.   It was exhausting to drive home even when we were younger and doing day trips to DL.  It was hard to stay awake in the car, and keep each other awake.  Now that we're all older, we get tired even sooner.  So, in that context, from the perspective of someone who is sort of local but not really local, 45 minutes/almost 40 miles is just far enough away to make it a pain to come back home at the end of the night.  It is much easier to stay in a hotel.  I can't always stay in a hotel, of course, so sometimes the day trips are necessary -- but it is a pain, because at the end of a long day that 45 minutes can seem like 2 hours!

Let us know if your travel agent provides any insight.  I don't know if all travel agents get wind of seasonal dates/special event dates in advance, but some of them do.    

I don't put much stock in what the telephone CMs at DLR say, which is why I am not fully banking on the "8/28" Haunted Mansion closure that the MiceChat person was told this past week, but I am curious to find out what a totally different CM would say if I called.  I don't even want to mention to the CM that 8/28 was mentioned by anyone.  I don't want to mention any date.  I just want to ask "When is Haunted Mansion closing for the holiday overlay" and see what kind of answer is given.  I wonder if a second telephone CM would also give the 8/28 date, or if they would now say 8/24.




disneydreamer74 said:


> I agree that it is beyond frustrating to try to plan a trip for those of us that are not locals. I drive 9 hours, which is not as far as others for sure. However, it takes a bit of planning with my job, DH's job, and Dd's time off school to make this happen. Besides that fact, we need to know when we are going, the costs associated with our trip, etc. so we can begin saving up for it. I can say that since I drive 9 hours to get there, I have never visited DLR for less than 4 park days. I don't do daytrips lol! However, for as many times as I have been there I can certainly see that Disney does cater to local attendees. This really does make a difference in the way the park  is run. Despite that, there is NO excuse for Disney to hold back  on planning information and special event dates. You will never convince me that these things have not been decided on long ago. And THAT is where my frustration begins.



I've always said that I am pretty sure that someone at Team Disney Anaheim has had the dates for the rest of the year figured out since January or February -- especially this year, when so much of the focus is on the Diamond Celebration events, requiring the post-summer schedules to be mapped out to accommodate Paint the Night and Disneyland Forever on or around party nights.   

It's frustrating even for those of us who are 'sort of' locals to not have party dates.  Money is not a free-flowing thing for me.  So, I have to be choosy about which MHP date I attend, and I need to know in advance how much $$ to come up with for tickets.  I can't just buy tickets for multiple nights.  I had been planning on trying to do the Halloween night party because it's a weekend and I'd like to actually attend a party on Halloween night for once.  But that is also always the most expensive night (no discounts), and I don't know how much this year's tickets will cost.   Also -- especially if anything new or different is happening with the party -- being there on opening night may be necessary.  Being a mod here, while also manning this Halloween Time thread and potentially sitting in on podcasts and what not, it's good to stay informed and up to date about what's happening, so that I can explain about it here -- and that could require being there on the first night of MHP.  But, what will the prices be?  Will I be able to afford two parties?  

Also, because I am supposed to have jury duty in what I _think_ will be the opening week of Halloween Time, I want to know the official start date of the Halloween Time season so I can plan.  if opening day ended up being 9/11, then I could head to DLR for the start of Halloween Time and it wouldn't interfere or clash with jury duty.  However, if Halloween Time is starting on some odd day like a Tuesday or Wednesday of the following week (9/15 or 9/16), I will know that it will conflict with jury duty and I will have to determine when or if I can get to DLR, or try to postpone jury duty, or whatever.  

Having the dates of the season and the party would be beneficial to everyone, for a variety of reasons -- but certainly for the people who have to travel really long distances, book flights and hotels, save money, etc.!




BobearQSI said:


> I've been following the micechat thread about Haunted Mansion closing the 24th.  It turns out it wasn't the calendar page, but the attractions page:
> https://disneyland.disney.go.com/attractions/
> 
> If you type in 8/24/2015 in the box, HM shows up as closed for refurbishment (you have to type the date and press enter while the calendar is not visible).  HM also show as closed on 9/10, but open again on 9/11.
> 
> The Space Mountain closure doesn't show up there yet, however.



Interesting.   I typed it in and got the same thing you got.   I was wondering how in the heck they came up with the 8/24 closure date, but now I see.  

I have to say, though, that I would not rely on the DLR website this far out.  I have seen things change on that site over the weeks (like when I have been monitoring it for holiday season event schedules) -- even well inside the 6 week time frame.  One time the website showed no Winter Castle Enchantment Lighting on certain nights...even though the Enchantment Lighting was happening every single night of the season.  It was a mistake, or an oversight, but people saw it and were convinced that the Lighting would not be happening for most of their trips.  There have also been times when it looked as if It's a Small World Holiday was not happening on certain days/nights, even though it was open every day and night.

And then, of course, there is the mysterious "8/28" closure date for HM that the telephone CM at DLR gave to the other person in that same MiceChat thread.

So, I don't know.  All I have to say is, it's a good thing that we will probably be finding out the official dates pretty soon (though not soon enough), because I really don't trust the DLR website!  Lol.




Priory said:


> This delay is frustrating for disneyland as well as for the other area events. I am trying to plan a week-long Halloween themed trip. I want to do DL, Knott's, USH, Queen Mary, and Hayride. This will involve 3 hotels and I can't book anything or figure out which day to be where until I know what night is what. I have a rough outline based on past years, but I really want to know the dates. I can tell everyone is waiting to announce after Disney and I feel like they are delaying all of the information for the entire season in the entire region.



I do wonder what the hold up is with Universal and Knott's.  I know that Knott's had a setback when one of their regular Halloween Haunt actors passed away, but they should certainly be announcing something by now.  The Los Angeles Haunted Hayride person said on their Facebook page that their theme (and hopefully dates) will be announced tomorrow (Mon., 7/13).

What a fun week of Halloween activities you will have (once all the details get squared away)!




tkitty said:


> Yes if only they would give us dates. We are over 5 hours away and need to book our room. If I could get Sept dates, I could get busy. I'm using timeshare (not DVC) and I'm worried it will be too late to get something. They can surprise me with the date that the tickets go on sale- that's no biggie.
> 
> There is no way that they don't know the days/dates yet, IMO. I don't even care which park, just the days/dates! Please? Pretty please, Disney?



I'm certain that someone in the planning offices of Team Disney Anaheim knows and has the schedule.  I just don't know when they actually release it to the Parks Blog and other media, or what their reasoning is for holding back on the details if, indeed, the party is happening this year (which I'm sure it is).



BobearQSI said:


> I've been following the micechat thread about Haunted Mansion closing the 24th.  It turns out it wasn't the calendar page, but the attractions page:
> https://disneyland.disney.go.com/attractions/
> 
> If you type in 8/24/2015 in the box, HM shows up as closed for refurbishment (you have to type the date and press enter while the calendar is not visible).  HM also show as closed on 9/10, but open again on 9/11.
> 
> The Space Mountain closure doesn't show up there yet, however.



I forgot to mention in my reply above -- in that same MiceChat thread, there is one MiceChatter who keeps saying things like "Since the Halloween season starts on September 11th..." and "I'm sure the Haunted Mansion will shut down on the 24th to open up as Haunted Mansion Holiday on September 11th, the day Halloween season begins."   Either no one is catching that he/she keeps claiming that the Halloween season begins on 9/11, or they don't care -- but no one is questioning it!  I am waiting for someone to say "Where did you read that the Halloween season is starting on September 11th, when Disney has not posted any dates or announced anything?  A 9/11 start would be breaking the tradition of when Halloween Time usually starts (second Friday after Labor Day)!"  

Why is no one asking that person where the information came from?  Just because some things are going to be available for delivery from Floral & Gifts as of 9/11, it doesn't necessarily mean that the season is officially starting then.  I want to know how he/she knows!


----------



## BobearQSI

Sherry E said:


> there is one MiceChatter who keeps saying things like "Since the Halloween season starts on September 11th..." and "I'm sure the Haunted Mansion will shut down on the 24th to open up as Haunted Mansion Holiday on September 11th, the day Halloween season begins."   Either no one is catching that he/she keeps claiming that the Halloween season begins on 9/11, or they don't care -- but no one is questioning it!  I am waiting for someone to say "Where did you read that the Halloween season is starting on September 11th, when Disney has not posted any dates or announced anything?  A 9/11 start would be breaking the tradition of when Halloween Time usually starts (second Friday after Labor Day)!"


I noticed that as well, when I was searching MiceChat for halloween info.  That same person was originally guessing the 11th, saying things like "I'm thinking ..." and "I'm betting ..." with the reasoning of it being the second week in September, rather than the second Friday after Labor Day.  Then their posts just sort of stopped mentioning the guessing part 

I'm not putting my money on anything until Disney announces it


----------



## bigb83

Sherry E said:


> I forgot to mention in my reply above -- in that same MiceChat thread, there is one MiceChatter who keeps saying things like "Since the Halloween season starts on September 11th..." and "I'm sure the Haunted Mansion will shut down on the 24th to open up as Haunted Mansion Holiday on September 11th, the day Halloween season begins."   Either no one is catching that he/she keeps claiming that the Halloween season begins on 9/11, or they don't care -- but no one is questioning it!  I am waiting for someone to say "Where did you read that the Halloween season is starting on September 11th, when Disney has not posted any dates or announced anything?  A 9/11 start would be breaking the tradition of when Halloween Time usually starts (second Friday after Labor Day)!"
> 
> Why is no one asking that person where the information came from?  Just because some things are going to be available for delivery from Floral & Gifts as of 9/11, it doesn't necessarily mean that the season is officially starting then.  I want to know how he/she knows!



The last time Labor Day was on the 7th in 2009 it started on the 25th...the third Friday after labor day. I too tried entering the dates of the HM ride closure and got the same thing...Aug 24th til Sept 11th...the deliveries starting on the 11th too...not saying it's a sure thing but signs are pointing that way


----------



## BobearQSI

bigb83 said:


> The last time Labor Day was on the 7th in 2009 it started on the 25th...the third Friday after labor day.


2010 brought about a lot of changes - the party was moved from DCA to DL, the decorations at DCA went away, and the party was renamed to "Mickey's Halloween Party."

Every year since 2010 the Halloween Time schedule has been exactly the same: HM closes the Monday before Labor Day, Space Mountain closes the Monday after Labor Day, both open on the start of Halloween Time which is the 2nd Friday after Labor Day, and MHP starts exactly 2 weeks after Halloween Time begins.

Who knows, maybe they're changing it up again this year and for the years to come.  But the last 5 years have followed that schedule.


----------



## bigb83

Now that it's after midnight on the west coast you can pick 8/24 as the date...no park hours but it indeed does say HM is closed for refurbishment. ..hmmm


----------



## BobearQSI

I too see it on the official calendar now.  It's interesting . . .  Sunday the 23rd and the 24th have no schedule information for either day - everything says "Schedule Unavailable."  It's as if they posted these days for the sole purpose of showing that HM is closing on the 24th.


----------



## Metalliman98

With the delay in announcing the dates, and the apparent late closure of HM......maybe Halloween time is going to be shorter this year because of the 60th?  Like. maybe only during October, with fewer (and later) MHP dates?  If they're really trying to maximize the 60th stuff that makes sense.


----------



## JessieD

Metalliman98 said:


> With the delay in announcing the dates, and the apparent late closure of HM......maybe Halloween time is going to be shorter this year because of the 60th?  Like. maybe only during October, with fewer (and later) MHP dates?  If they're really trying to maximize the 60th stuff that makes sense.



This is what I've been thinking


----------



## Sherry E

BobearQSI said:


> I noticed that as well, when I was searching MiceChat for halloween info.  That same person was originally guessing the 11th, saying things like "I'm thinking ..." and "I'm betting ..." with the reasoning of it being the second week in September, rather than the second Friday after Labor Day.  Then their posts just sort of stopped mentioning the guessing part
> 
> I'm not putting my money on anything until Disney announces it



I agree.  I know that -- especially at a time when information is at a minimum, and people want to grab on to any kind of solid date -- if a CM on the phone says something, people can be too quick to buy what that CM said, even though the phone CMs know less than we do!  And the same goes for the DLR website and calendar -- something appears and it's too easy for people to say, "Okay, that's what's happening!"  But I am being cautious and even skeptical at this early stage, because I have seen with my own eyes how things change on the calendar even inside of a 6-week timeline.  

Now, if today were August 17th and the calendar was showing HM down for refurb on August 24th, obviously I would believe it.  But it's only July 13th -- and while we are technically at the 6-week point for details to be showing up for August 24th, it's still far enough away that something could suddenly change.

Let us not forget that just a few days ago, the DLR website said for MHP, "September 2014 to October 2015"... which made no sense.  So it's not as if incorrect info never appears on the DLR website.

Also, I should point out that one of the Parks Blog writers -- not Erin, but a different one (Pam) -- reported last year that Haunted Mansion Holiday would stay open until January 6th of this year... when, in actuality, it closed several days after that (it was down as of 1/12, if I recall correctly).  So they can and will sometimes give out incorrect info.

But I really think a few of us should call DLR and ask "When is the Haunted Mansion closing for the holiday overlay" and see what each one of us is told.  I want to see if other phone CMs are telling people the "August 28th" date that the MiceChatter was told last week, or if now they are all saying 8/24.  



bigb83 said:


> The last time Labor Day was on the 7th in 2009 it started on the 25th...the third Friday after labor day. I too tried entering the dates of the HM ride closure and got the same thing...Aug 24th til Sept 11th...the deliveries starting on the 11th too...not saying it's a sure thing but signs are pointing that way



As BobearQSI said, a lot changed in 2010, and the schedule has remained consistent for the last 5 Halloween Time seasons.  It could very well be that this year will start a new pattern of beginning Halloween Time earlier than usual (meaning one week ahead of when it would normally start) because the late Labor Day is throwing things off-kilter!     If they are adding in extra party nights this year, then I can see a need to start Halloween Time earlier than usual.

It's hard to say what will happen.  I've always thought that, given the popularity of the season, a 9/18 start date sounded too late.  And, in my mind, 9/11 still seems too early -- it's even earlier than when WDW's Halloween festivities begin, which never happens!  So, I don't know.  My guess was always that the official start date would fall on a day somewhere in between 9/11 and 9/18, but that some things might soft open a couple of days early, like what happens for the holiday season.  Also, Haunted Mansion Holiday stayed open a little bit longer into this past January, shutting down for overlay removal later than usual -- which made me wonder at that time if HMH would be opening a little bit later than expected this Halloween Time season.  

As for the Floral & Gift deliveries on 9/11... that doesn't mean much more than the fact that DLR is transitioning from one season to another and the gift baskets, etc., reflect that transition.  And some of their holiday season/Christmas items are going to be available for delivery on October 30th, but we know for a fact that the holiday season is not starting on 10/30 -- and probably will not start for at least 12 days after that.  It's just that they are beginning the transition from Halloween Time to the Holidays at that point.



BobearQSI said:


> I too see it on the official calendar now.  It's interesting . . .  Sunday the 23rd and the 24th have no schedule information for either day - everything says "Schedule Unavailable."  It's as if they posted these days for the sole purpose of showing that HM is closing on the 24th.



It is weird.  I don't know how the DLR system works, but it could be that with each passing year it automatically defaults to a certain date until someone changes it.  I see that happen here -- or, rather, on our sister site, wdwinfo.  Sometimes it will just default to a certain date -- in fact, wdwinfo has been set at 9/11 for a Halloween Time start date for months and months, even though no one actually knows the start date.  Last year Halloween Time began on 9/12, so it's like the wdwinfo system just reset itself to the date that it thought was most likely!  It's possible that, because last year HM closed on 8/25, the DLR system is automatically defaulting to 8/24 on its own, and will need to be manually changed if 8/24 is not the date.  Again, though, I have no idea how it works -- I just know that that kind of thing can happen.



Metalliman98 said:


> With the delay in announcing the dates, and the apparent late closure of HM......maybe Halloween time is going to be shorter this year because of the 60th?  Like. maybe only during October, with fewer (and later) MHP dates?  If they're really trying to maximize the 60th stuff that makes sense.



Well, if HM closes on 8/24 for the overlay installation, Halloween Time could start on 9/11 or within a few days after that date.  I think that, if anything, more party nights would be added in -- but they might start closer to when Halloween Time starts, instead of the usual 2-week delay between the season start date and the party start date.

Initially I thought that Halloween Time could start later than usual this year because Haunted Mansion Holiday stayed open a bit longer this past January, and because the focus of the 60th anniversary seems to be on the nighttime entertainment -- entertainment which is also going to still be going strong during the holiday season in Nov-Dec.  Having at least 14 party nights -- and probably more -- would interrupt the schedule of the new nighttime events on at least several nights.

So, I am out of guesses at this point!    I've applied logic, reason and historical patterns to my guesses and analyses, and at this rate I think that Disney will end up doing whatever I think they're NOT going to do.    I think they will do the opposite of what I expect, just to annoy me!  

I just hope that we get an answer to this mystery this week!


----------



## RichP1269

Erin posted her blog.

Nothing about Halloween.


----------



## asianway

RichP1269 said:


> Erin posted her blog.
> 
> Nothing about Halloween.


Must be shaking off the SDCC jetlag.  Nothing about July 17 either, yet Andy Castro just posted a pretty complete list of happenings on his blog.


----------



## Oswald23

I think it´s becoming more likely that there is something going on with the parties. Worst case no parties at all. Maybe Halloween lay over but no parties and the same evening entertainment every night. Unlike WDW there is no real tradition with parties in CA. I hope I´m wrong but I´m thinking this could be possible.


----------



## Sherry E

I think there will be parties and there will be Halloween Time -- it would be pretty misleading for Disney to have left references to Halloween Time and Mickey's Halloween Party up on the DLR website this whole year if they were not planning on offering those things in some way (whereas they took down the reference to Believe in Holiday Magic fireworks, as that is not happening this year).  The Halloween party has been happening yearly since 2005, in one park or another, so it's pretty much a tradition at this point.  The 60th may be a big deal to a lot of people, but some folks will just go there wanting to celebrate Halloween and the Holiday season.  So there will have to be something in the parks for those people.


----------



## Oswald23

I hope you´re right Sherry and you have a point. But I´m still not 100% sure


----------



## Priory

I can never seem to post a comment on the blog, but someone should comment on Erin's blog that their favorite thing about rivers of America is watching the cadaver dans perform on a raft DURING THE HALLOWEEN PARTY.


----------



## Sherry E

Oswald23 said:


> I hope you´re right Sherry and you have a point. But I´m still not 100% sure



Well, I never fully trust anything 100% with Disney, as told by CMs, Parks Blog writers or as posted on the actual DLR website!!  As I always say, never say never with Disney.  Just when we think they're going to turn right, they veer left.  Just when we think they're going to do one thing, they may switch it up and do another.  

I think that money will ultimately be the driving force, and there is too much money to be made on Mickey's Halloween Party, especially if they add in more nights.  It's too big of a hit for them to not have it this year.   I just don't know how they will strike the balance between the 60th anniversary nighttime entertainment and the Halloween parties, short of moving MHP back to DCA -- which doesn't seem likely at this point (unless Disney has been planning a top secret return to DCA for the party, and it has miraculously not leaked out to the rumor mills).



Priory said:


> I can never seem to post a comment on the blog, but someone should comment on Erin's blog that their favorite thing about rivers of America is watching the cadaver dans perform on a raft DURING THE HALLOWEEN PARTY.





I have to admit that when I first saw the subject of her blog, I was thinking, "What about the Magic of Disney Parks Storytelling: Haunted Mansion Holiday?"


----------



## Oswald23

Sherry E said:


> Well, I never fully trust anything 100% with Disney, as told by CMs, Parks Blog writers or as posted on the actual DLR website!! As I always say, never say never with Disney. Just when we think they're going to turn right, they veer left. Just when we think they're going to do one thing, they may switch it up and do another.



That being said. The thing that triggers me is that they avoid all the guests (Most likely from this forum ) questions about Halloween, even delete them. That's so crazy in my humble opinion.


----------



## Minnie Loves Mickey

Disney makes a lot of money from these parties, I doubt they will not have them.


----------



## GusGus77

I am really torn on the start of Halloween. We will be there September 9-16. On one hand I am really hoping for Halloween to start September 11th as we have never been there for Halloween and would love to see the haunted mansion overlay as the kids love The Nightmare Before Christmas. On the other hand, if Halloween doesn't start that early, there will maybe be less people in the parks as they will wait for Halloween season to start. But I would be sad if haunted mansion and space mountain are closed especially because DS if finally tall enough to ride spice mountain. I just want to know! This suspense is killing me!!!! (Especially as a WDW vet who is used to planning planning planning!)


----------



## Davidg83

Priory said:


> I can never seem to post a comment on the blog, but someone should comment on Erin's blog that their favorite thing about rivers of America is watching the cadaver dans perform on a raft DURING THE HALLOWEEN PARTY.



Done! We'll see if it makes it through moderation lol


----------



## Sherry E

Davidg83 said:


> Done! We'll see if it makes it through moderation lol



So far, it's not showing up.  That doesn't mean much, though, as there are times when it takes longer for comments to appear than others.  As long as the comment was not snippy or bordering on rude, I can't see why it would be left out -- unless they just want to make people forget that Halloween Time and the Halloween Party exist!

The comment about the lack of MHP dates that was deleted from the Blog a couple of days ago -- the one from "l" -- was a bit insistent, and it probably came across as vaguely demanding.  So I can kind of see why that one was taken down.  Although I guess there were others that came in after that comment, which were also taken down?

Whatever the case, it would seem to indicate that the Parks Blog people either don't have the Halloween info yet, or are just not ready to post it yet, for whatever reason -- and they probably want to try to keep the focus on the subjects of the blogs they are posting.



​


Woohoo!  At least I was right about something!  I hesitantly guessed The Bogeyman (as well as the Sandman) as the theme for this year's Los Angeles Haunted Hayride, and that's what it is -- except they use the Boogeyman spelling.  Same thing!

The quote from their Facebook page:

"THE TIME HAS COME...

Traveling the world reveals the presence and underlying unity in all cultures in their experience of fear. The notion of a dark presence being uncomfortably close or of a mythical evil entity that is inevitably always sitting and waiting for you to close your eyes and fall asleep so it can come out and “get you.” 

It may not always be shadowy. It may not always have pointed fingers or glowing eyes. It may not always live in the woods or under your bed. However, in every country and every culture the one fact remains…


THERE. IS. A. BOOGEYMAN.

Get on the darkest, scariest and most haunting experience to date, Los Angeles Haunted Hayride, Boogeyman. 

Tickets On Sale 7/21
LosAngelesHauntedHayride.com. "

So, *Priory* -- at least that's one Halloween attraction that is lining up for you!

​
To add to my "Halloween information that isn't about Disneyland" theme for today -- Not only have the L.A. Haunted Hayride's theme and date of ticket sales been announced , I saw that Universal Studios Hollywood's Halloween Horror Nights is starting on Friday, September 18, 2015.  But that's all I saw; no other dates -- oh, and that Guillermo del Toro's Crimson Peak Maze of Madness is going to be one of the mazes at this year's HHN.


​

The dates for Queen Mary's Dark Harbor appear to be:

October 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 9, 10, 11, 15, 16, 17, 18, 22, 23, 24, 25, 28, 29, 30, 31 and

November 1st

​


----------



## mummabear

BobearQSI said:


> I too see it on the official calendar now. It's interesting . . . Sunday the 23rd and the 24th have no schedule information for either day - everything says "Schedule Unavailable." It's as if they posted these days for the sole purpose of showing that HM is closing on the 24t



There is always a delay between the dates appearing and the schedule being available. I don't understand why but it is the norm. 



Davidg83 said:


> Done! We'll see if it makes it through moderation lol



Mine too.


----------



## seobaina

I'm desperately waiting for Halloween dates, like everyone, but I've got admit that the one thing I don't really want is the hm makeover. I like nbc but it's not my fave and with the 60th it would have been nice for the hm to be 'original'. I'm looking forward to seeing the 60th dec but I do want a Halloween party x


----------



## Davidg83

Sherry E said:


> So far, it's not showing up.  That doesn't mean much, though, as there are times when it takes longer for comments to appear than others.  As long as the comment was not snippy or bordering on rude, I can't see why it would be left out -- unless they just want to make people forget that Halloween Time and the Halloween Party exist!
> 
> The comment about the lack of MHP dates that was deleted from the Blog a couple of days ago -- the one from "l" -- was a bit insistent, and it probably came across as vaguely demanding.  So I can kind of see why that one was taken down.  Although I guess there were others that came in after that comment, which were also taken down?
> 
> Whatever the case, it would seem to indicate that the Parks Blog people either don't have the Halloween info yet, or are just not ready to post it yet, for whatever reason -- and they probably want to try to keep the focus on the subjects of the blogs they are posting.



This is what I wrote: 

"Taking a trip around the Rivers of America is a great way to take a break in the middle of the day! One of my favorite sights on the Rivers of America is during Mickey’s Halloween party when it’s covered in fog and the Cadaver Dans go floating by. It’s always a must see for my group when we go to the party each year!"

If they don't approve that they really are trying to make people forget that Halloween exists!


----------



## JessieD

Davidg83 said:


> This is what I wrote:
> 
> "Taking a trip around the Rivers of America is a great way to take a break in the middle of the day! One of my favorite sights on the Rivers of America is during Mickey’s Halloween party when it’s covered in fog and the Cadaver Dans go floating by. It’s always a must see for my group when we go to the party each year!"
> 
> If they don't approve that they really are trying to make people forget that Halloween exists!


I just checked. It's there


----------



## Sherry E

It looks like everyone's comments made it through to the Parks Blog -- for now!  Too funny!

I hope that Erin doesn't think I'm telling anyone to do this -- she knows about this Superthread and the Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread, and that I'm at the helm of both.  I mean, I want the info and am frustrated that it's not out, but I'm not going to hound her because I don't think it's doing any good.


----------



## lorijohnhill

Chat I just had... no new info. I'm getting very discouraged. 

Me: When will the Haunted Mansion be going down to change over to the Halloween overlay?

Me: Also, when will Halloween Time begin?

Me: Lastly, when will they release the dates for the Halloween parties?

Chat CM: Usually after the first week in September

Chat CM: We are hoping that these will be released shortly.

Me: I hope so too. Flight costs are increasing and this is making it very difficult to plan. thanks!

Chat CM: I know keep checking back with us and also on the Disney Blog

Me: Will do. Thanks.


----------



## missycakes99

Of course the higher ups and staff at Disney know when the Halloween dates will be. That kind of stuff is planned out at least 12 months in advance. For example, universities and high schools know graduation dates and venues years in advance. I think the same attention is given to the bigger events/seasons at Disney. As an event planning professional I can tell you that Disney, of all the companies, has their act together. They're just not releasing it for one reason or another and I'd bet it has to do with the 60th and the priority given to THOSE events. After all, a 60th only comes once in a lifetime. I love reading all the speculation though and I can't wait to hear what happens next! I refuse to believe they won't host Halloween at all  Plugging my ears to that idea at all!


----------



## JessieD

I just called as well. They had no info about anything. "It should be anytime now that the dates are released" was all she could say.


----------



## Sherry E

seobaina said:


> I'm desperately waiting for Halloween dates, like everyone, but I've got admit that the one thing I don't really want is the hm makeover. I like nbc but it's not my fave and with the 60th it would have been nice for the hm to be 'original'. I'm looking forward to seeing the 60th dec but I do want a Halloween party x



Haunted Mansion Holiday was up and running during the 50th, so it was always a safe bet that it would be back during the year of the 60th.

Without Haunted Mansion Holiday, the offerings for Halloween Time would be awfully thin.  That's the problem.   It is an underdeveloped season, anyway.   They can't afford to lose anything from the line-up of Halloween fare, unless they are adding something new to replace it.  I think they need Haunted Mansion Holiday.  The thing is that September-October used to be the off-peak season, and are still technically considered off-peak seasons in terms of overall attendance numbers compared to the peak seasons (summer; holiday season).  They needed Halloween Time to bring people in during the off-peak times, and they need a ride overlay other than Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy -- something that everyone can ride (since not everyone likes thrill rides) -- to be a selling point.  

Having just the regular old Haunted Mansion there during Halloween Time is not enough of a draw.  For people who feel nostalgic about Disneyland, it is -- but not everyone feels that way.  A lot of folks are not emotionally connected to or invested in Disneyland, and they just want to have a Halloween or Holiday experience, and Haunted Mansion Holiday is very much tied in with Halloween and the Holidays.


----------



## Davidg83

Back on the subject of how the official Disney calendar can be inaccurate ... I just noticed Innoventions isn't even listed on the refurbishment section and that's been behind walls for awhile now, so like Sherry said I wouldn't go off that Mansion refurb date until something official is announced... Or we get closer to the date.


----------



## CollegePrgm2000

We ditched (lol) my brother/SIL (WDW cast members) for DL's Halloween party. Plane tickets purchased, dates locked in (10/13-17). How fast will tickets sell out? I check the website 10x a day because I'm afraid I'll miss it and our dates will be sold out!


----------



## Sherry E

missycakes99 said:


> Of course the higher ups and staff at Disney know when the Halloween dates will be. That kind of stuff is planned out at least 12 months in advance. For example, universities and high schools know graduation dates and venues years in advance. I think the same attention is given to the bigger events/seasons at Disney. As an event planning professional I can tell you that Disney, of all the companies, has their act together. They're just not releasing it for one reason or another and I'd bet it has to do with the 60th and the priority given to THOSE events. After all, a 60th only comes once in a lifetime. I love reading all the speculation though and I can't wait to hear what happens next! I refuse to believe they won't host Halloween at all  Plugging my ears to that idea at all!



Very true.  I think we all think that the higher ups at Disney know the dates -- I don't think anyone doubts that.  Chances are they mapped it all out at the beginning of the year.  However, that doesn't mean that they release it to their media/press people right away.  I'm not sure what channels that kind of info has to go through before it gets to the Parks Blog people.  July 17th is not a new anniversary date -- it comes and goes every year.  The really "big" news this year was the Diamond Celebration, and that is already well under way.  When MHP tickets would presumably have to go on sale at some point very soon, it doesn't do any good to wait until July 20th or something crazy to announce dates.  So there might be some other reason for the delay.

Halloween Time is happening.  The Party is happening.  I don't have any doubts.  There may be some changes to certain aspects, but I think they will still happen.




Davidg83 said:


> Back on the subject of how the official Disney calendar can be inaccurate ... I just noticed Innoventions isn't even listed on the refurbishment section and that's been behind walls for awhile now, so like Sherry said I wouldn't go off that Mansion refurb date until something official is announced... Or we get closer to the date.



Yes!  See what I mean?  I have seen things that should be on the website totally disappear, and other things have appeared and then vanished.  This far out, I don't trust it.  If that 8/24 closure date stays put for a while then I will believe it -- but then again, hopefully we will have gotten the "official" announcement of the Halloween Time season date from the Parks Blog by that time!



CollegePrgm2000 said:


> We ditched (lol) my brother/SIL (WDW cast members) for DL's Halloween party. Plane tickets purchased, dates locked in (10/13-17). How fast will tickets sell out? I check the website 10x a day because I'm afraid I'll miss it and our dates will be sold out!



Tickets don't sell out immediately.  You'll have a bit of time.   In fact, if you look at the Dates to Remember post on page 1 of this thread (or at the MHP FAQ post), you will see that I listed off the sold out dates in bold red.  That will give you an idea of how long it took for each party night to sell out.  There was only one party night last year that did not sell out -- and that was the second party of the season -- so I did not put a bold red notation next to it.


​


Okay, I finally called DLR to try my hand at asking a phone CM about the mysterious Haunted Mansion closure date, and to see if I was told anything different than what everyone else was told.  I did not find out much, but what I learned (assuming it is true and accurate) was encouraging:

The CMs at DLR have apparently been told/given a heads up to expect the Halloween Time and Mickey's Halloween Party dates by the end of this week (so it could be tomorrow, or it could be Friday, or anywhere in between)!!!!!!  They've been told that the info is coming this week.  The CM I spoke to said that they all basically find out at the same time, and the Parks Blog doesn't find out that much earlier than they do at DLR (maybe a day earlier or so).  She said that if the Parks Blog has not done a piece about it by this coming Friday, call DL and see if the telephone CMs have gotten the info.

The CM I spoke to said that she has no idea where the "8/28" closure date for HM came from (which was reported by someone on MiceChat), BUT she also noted that the info on the DLR website calendar is not fully filled in yet, so at this far out from 8/24, since they have no information for 8/22 or 8/23, she can't be sure that the 8/24 closure date is accurate yet.  She said that when the info for 8/22 and 8/23 is filled in, if the HM refurb closure is still showing for 8/24 it is most likely accurate -- although she agreed that a 9/11 Halloween Time start date would be surprising.


Edited to add:  Of course, take all of this with a grain of salt, as we can't really rely on the phone CMs for up to the minute, hot off the press info.  But we'll see...


----------



## mummabear

Sherry E said:


> Okay, I finally called DLR to try my hand at asking a phone CM about the mysterious Haunted Mansion closure date, and to see if I was told anything different than what everyone else was told.  I did not find out much, but what I learned (assuming it is true and accurate) was encouraging:
> 
> The CMs at DLR have apparently been told/given a heads up to expect the Halloween Time and Mickey's Halloween Party dates by the end of this week (so it could be tomorrow, or it could be Friday, or anywhere in between)!!!!!!  They've been told that the info is coming this week.  The CM I spoke to said that they all basically find out at the same time, and the Parks Blog doesn't find out that much earlier than they do at DLR (maybe a day earlier or so).  She said that if the Parks Blog has not done a piece about it by this coming Friday, call DL and see if the telephone CMs have gotten the info.
> 
> The CM I spoke to said that she has no idea where the "8/28" closure date for HM came from (which was reported by someone on MiceChat), BUT she also noted that the info on the DLR website calendar is not fully filled in yet, so at this far out from 8/24, since they have no information for 8/22 or 8/23, she can't be sure that the 8/24 closure date is accurate yet.  She said that when the info for 8/22 and 8/23 is filled in, if the HM refurb closure is still showing for 8/24 it is most likely accurate -- although she agreed that a 9/11 Halloween Time start date would be surprising.
> 
> 
> Edited to add:  Of course, take all of this with a grain of salt, as we can't really rely on the phone CMs for up to the minute, hot off the press info.  But we'll see...


Typical-I am heading away for a couple of days skiing of course it will come out now!


----------



## Sherry E

mummabear said:


> Typical-I am heading away for a couple of days skiing of course it will come out now!



That's assuming that what I was told is accurate and true -- which is always iffy with the telephone CMs at DLR.  So we shall see.  You may not miss anything!   It's possible that, for whatever reason, maybe the Parks Blog won't do a piece on it by Friday -- like, say, for example, if the info doesn't come in until Friday, they may not be able to do a piece on it until Monday.  But hopefully the CMs on the phones at DLR will have the info by late in the day on Friday, at the latest.  This CM I spoke to seemed pretty certain that the info was coming this week, as I guess they had just been given that 'alert.'

What is encouraging is that she said they were told to expect the info for MHP, so it doesn't sound like there is even a glimmer of a chance that MHP won't happen.  It's just taking forever to get the info!


----------



## CaliGrrl

From the Dapper Days web page...  (Not sure if this is speculation based on previous years or they have actual knowledge.)

On select nights from Sept 25 to Oct 31, _Disneyland_ Park will be closing early to host Mickey’s Halloween Party. Separate admission is required. During Mickey’s Halloween Party at _Disneyland_ Park, there’s so much delightful and frightful family fun! This sensational seasonal event, part of Halloween Time at _Disneyland_ Park. You’re invited to dress up your little ones, don a costume of your own, and trick-or-treat at the ultimate neighborhood—_Disneyland_ Park! See  www.Disneyland.com/Halloween for details.


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## Sherry E

CaliGrrl said:


> From the Dapper Days web page...  (Not sure if this is speculation based on previous years or they have actual knowledge.)
> 
> On select nights from Sept 25 to Oct 31, _Disneyland_ Park will be closing early to host Mickey’s Halloween Party. Separate admission is required. During Mickey’s Halloween Party at _Disneyland_ Park, there’s so much delightful and frightful family fun! This sensational seasonal event, part of Halloween Time at _Disneyland_ Park. You’re invited to dress up your little ones, don a costume of your own, and trick-or-treat at the ultimate neighborhood—_Disneyland_ Park! See  www.Disneyland.com/Halloween for details.



Very good question -- do they actually know something, or are they just basing that text on last year's dates?  You know, I hadn't thought about Dapper Days, but last week I was thinking about Gay Days, and how they used to time it so that their weekend fell right around when MHP began (or shortly thereafter)  -- but I have no idea if they learn the dates from Disney in advance so that they can plan it that way, or if it is just a coincidence.

If there were no changes to MHP this year -- meaning no extra nights added in to the schedule -- then 9/25 would be the date I would expect it to start.


----------



## violentlyserene

What's the temperature at night typically in October? I see the average in late October is from 60-80. I'm looking at princess costumes and wondering if I'm going to have a heat stroke. I run hot so 70 even is pushing it for a big costumed dress.


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## CasandraC

I was looking on their website because I swear the other day is said there was trick or treating at both parks. I was trying to find it again but couldn't. Now I see that below nighttime entertainment it reads Disney California adventure park but it doesn't say anything about DCA when that link is clicked.

https://disneyland.disney.go.com/search/?searchQuery=Halloween&autoSuggestedQuery=


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## thedogatemyhomework

maybe the announcment got delayed because they made some last minute decision to change up the art to include some/more diamonds to keep with the 60th theme (assuming of course that it's still going to be in DL and not DCA)


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## JessieD

Erin replied to a comment about Halloween saying "I'll have that information for you soon" hopefully soon means this week!!!


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## Sherry E

Once again, someone on MiceChat is claiming they have information -- and so far, no one is questioning it.  The person started a new thread talking about July & August refurbs, and also in the title he says that Halloween Time is kicking off on September 11th.  In his first post, he claims that Haunted Mansion will be closed from August 24 - September 10.  And then he says it's safe to assume Halloween Time is beginning on September 11th (so he really doesn't know that, but is assuming).

That may all very well be true -- and maybe those dates will stick -- but who is this person and how would he know?  Does he work at DLR?   (I don't know because I don't follow MiceChat regularly -- only once in a while.)  Seeing that the info on the calendar wasn't even filled in for 8/22 and 8/23 just yet, how does he have the info on closures for late August?  Is the information on the Disneyland hotline or something?



violentlyserene said:


> What's the temperature at night typically in October? I see the average in late October is from 60-80. I'm looking at princess costumes and wondering if I'm going to have a heat stroke. I run hot so 70 even is pushing it for a big costumed dress.



If it's a hot October -- and that can happen -- it really could be as warm as 80 something at night!  I remember a heat wave in October where it was in the 100s for a few days, and the evening was barely a relief at all.  On the other hand, if it's a nice, reasonable 70-something day, then it could be 60 at night.  I run hot as well, so I would probably overheat in a costume.  October is generally not even jacket weather for me -- unless it happens to rain.  I still wear t-shirts at night.  I don't start to break out the sweaters, coats and jackets until November or December.  But everyone is different, and some people get cold much more easily.


----------



## McNs

We were there last year in October when it nudged 100 a couple of days (still have the screen grab on my phone, but shows 38 in my language). It does cool off when the sun goes down, and was really only scorching when in the sun. Being such a dry heat I don't find it overwhelming.


----------



## mummabear

McNs said:


> We were there last year in October when it nudged 100 a couple of days (still have the screen grab on my phone, but shows 38 in my language). It does cool off when the sun goes down, and was really only scorching when in the sun. Being such a dry heat I don't find it overwhelming.



We were there too and I had a baby in a front pack the whole time!



mummabear said:


> We were there too and I had a baby in a front pack the whole time!



Actually I lie, we were there in September when it was blisteringly hot


----------



## Priory

I'm glad Erin at least acknowledged everyone's cries for info. Well done, dis!


----------



## BobearQSI

I think the dates are starting to converge from multiple sources that the probability of a 9/11 start is going up.  So much so, I'm trying to see if I can plan backup dates around it now.  The closure on the official calendar, all the rumors, and now the dapper days info suggesting the party starts the 25th - following the pattern of 2 weeks after halloween time start.



Sherry E said:


> It is weird.  I don't know how the DLR system works, but it could be that with each passing year it automatically defaults to a certain date until someone changes it.  I see that happen here -- or, rather, on our sister site, wdwinfo.


It could be - however, I did notice that while HM is closed 9/10 and open 9/11, the Space Mountain closure is not listed anywhere in all of September.

When I first saw the closure appear on the calendar, right after barrages of comments all over unrelated posts on the blog, I thought, "what an ingenious way to let all the die hard fans know when Halloween Time is without publicly announcing anything to the masses."  But I'm well aware of the volatility of the end of the published calendar, waiting in anguish in the past for parades/fireworks/fantasmic to show up on my dates (on my last trip, the calendar and park hours were shown 6 weeks out, but fireworks/fantasmic didn't get posted until 3 1/2 weeks prior - I was a bit worried as I'd already bought plane tickets).



Sherry E said:


> the DLR website and calendar -- something appears and it's too easy for people to say, "Okay, that's what's happening!"  But I am being cautious and even skeptical at this early stage, because I have seen with my own eyes how things change on the calendar even inside of a 6-week timeline.


Point still well taken!


----------



## Djscarlette

I was just playing around on the DL website and noticed that the F! dinner option goes from being offered every night of the week back to only fri, sat, and sun nights the last week of August. Just a little food for thought about what happens in the Fall with the fireworks and ect. Good news for the Halloween parties/fireworks to be happening.


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## pixey-d

Copied from undercover  tourist:

BY MOMMY FROG ON MAY 27, 2015

We have the Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party 2015 dates, including details on when tickets will go on sale. The party will run for 25 dates in 2015, one day fewer than last year, and it's starting later. The full dates for Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party 2015 are as follows:

September 15, 18, 20, 22, 25, 27October 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 9, 12, 13, 15, 16, 18, 20, 22, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31November 1

Tickets have gone on sale for Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party 2015, with adult tickets ranging from $68-$87 without tax and children's tickets ranging from $63-82. Children are ages 3-9. Children under 3 are free. Because we get so many questions about the best days to attend the party, we have created a separate post for it!

The party officially begins at 7 p.m. inside the Magic Kingdom, although party guests are welcome to enter the park starting at 4 p.m., which we do recommend (see tip no. 4 below).  If you have any questions, please see the many comments below and add your own! Do know that FastPass+ is not available during this event.

Expected Entertainment Showtimes during Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party 2015:

Mickey's "Boo-To-You" Halloween Parade - 8:15 p.m. and 10:30 p.m.Celebrate the Magic - 9:15 p.m.HalloWishes - 9:30 p.m.Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular (brand new for 2015) - 7:45 p.m., 8:55 p.m. and 10 p.m.

List of attractions expected to be open during Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party 2015:

Astro OrbiterBig Thunder Mountain RailroadBuzz Lightyear's Space Ranger SpinCasey Jr. Splash 'N' Soak StationCountry Bear JamboreeDumbo the Flying ElephantEnchanted Tales With BelleHaunted Mansion"it's a small world"Mad Tea PartyMickey's PhilharMagicMonster's Inc. Laugh FloorPeter Pan's FlightPirates of the CaribbeanPrince Charming Regal CarrouselPrincess Fairytale HallSeven Dwarfs Mine TrainSpace MountainSplash MountainSwiss Family TreehouseStitch's Great EscapeThe BarnstormerThe Magic Carpets of AladdinThe Many Adventures of Winnie The PoohTomorrowland SpeedwayTomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMoverUnder the Sea~Journey of the Little Mermaid

New for 2015 - "Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular"


I wonder how true and accurate



pixey-d said:


> Copied from undercover  tourist:
> 
> BY MOMMY FROG ON MAY 27, 2015
> 
> We have the Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party 2015 dates, including details on when tickets will go on sale. The party will run for 25 dates in 2015, one day fewer than last year, and it's starting later. The full dates for Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party 2015 are as follows:
> 
> September 15, 18, 20, 22, 25, 27October 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 9, 12, 13, 15, 16, 18, 20, 22, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31November 1
> 
> Tickets have gone on sale for Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party 2015, with adult tickets ranging from $68-$87 without tax and children's tickets ranging from $63-82. Children are ages 3-9. Children under 3 are free. Because we get so many questions about the best days to attend the party, we have created a separate post for it!
> 
> The party officially begins at 7 p.m. inside the Magic Kingdom, although party guests are welcome to enter the park starting at 4 p.m., which we do recommend (see tip no. 4 below).  If you have any questions, please see the many comments below and add your own! Do know that FastPass+ is not available during this event.
> 
> Expected Entertainment Showtimes during Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party 2015:
> 
> Mickey's "Boo-To-You" Halloween Parade - 8:15 p.m. and 10:30 p.m.Celebrate the Magic - 9:15 p.m.HalloWishes - 9:30 p.m.Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular (brand new for 2015) - 7:45 p.m., 8:55 p.m. and 10 p.m.
> 
> List of attractions expected to be open during Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party 2015:
> 
> Astro OrbiterBig Thunder Mountain RailroadBuzz Lightyear's Space Ranger SpinCasey Jr. Splash 'N' Soak StationCountry Bear JamboreeDumbo the Flying ElephantEnchanted Tales With BelleHaunted Mansion"it's a small world"Mad Tea PartyMickey's PhilharMagicMonster's Inc. Laugh FloorPeter Pan's FlightPirates of the CaribbeanPrince Charming Regal CarrouselPrincess Fairytale HallSeven Dwarfs Mine TrainSpace MountainSplash MountainSwiss Family TreehouseStitch's Great EscapeThe BarnstormerThe Magic Carpets of AladdinThe Many Adventures of Winnie The PoohTomorrowland SpeedwayTomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMoverUnder the Sea~Journey of the Little Mermaid
> 
> New for 2015 - "Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular"
> 
> 
> I wonder how true and accurate



Nevermind,  I'm an idiot.  That's for WDW, just can't wait for these dates any longer.


----------



## White Rose

pixey-d said:


> Nevermind,  I'm an idiot.  That's for WDW, just can't wait for these dates any longer.



You and me both!


----------



## rwhistler92

It was 103 when we went in October a few years ago. By the end of the night he had all pretty much stripped off most of our costumes because it was so hot. We did has mister fans and hand held fans, but it was still pretty hot.
I would plan on having a nice light costume and adding a jacket if, for some reason, it gets chilly.


violentlyserene said:


> What's the temperature at night typically in October? I see the average in late October is from 60-80. I'm looking at princess costumes and wondering if I'm going to have a heat stroke. I run hot so 70 even is pushing it for a big costumed dress.


----------



## maltdizzy

On the flip side, I've been there on an October MHP night when it was high '50's or so (~12-15°C) and pouring rain.

_If_ California is lucky enough to get the El Nino storms they are hoping (praying?) for this Fall/Winter, it could be a soaking wet Halloween/holiday season. But that's a big "if," though the whole west coast, from Mexico to Alaska is desperate for those storms.


----------



## ImTooExcitedToSleep

Sherry E said:


> Once again, someone on MiceChat is claiming they have information -- and so far, no one is questioning it.  The person started a new thread talking about July & August refurbs, and also in the title he says that Halloween Time is kicking off on September 11th.  In his first post, he claims that Haunted Mansion will be closed from August 24 - September 10.  And then he says it's safe to assume Halloween Time is beginning on September 11th (so he really doesn't know that, but is assuming).
> 
> That may all very well be true -- and maybe those dates will stick -- but who is this person and how would he know?  Does he work at DLR?   (I don't know because I don't follow MiceChat regularly -- only once in a while.)  Seeing that the info on the calendar wasn't even filled in for 8/22 and 8/23 just yet, how does he have the info on closures for late August?  Is the information on the Disneyland hotline or something?



I can confirm those closure dates for the Haunted Mansion.  They weren't there when I looked yesterday, but now they are.


----------



## kylie71

Halloween kicks off on Sept 11th, saw it on another sight this morning.........

--Lori


----------



## dhorner233

pixey-d said:


> Nevermind,  I'm an idiot.  That's for WDW, just can't wait for these dates any longer.



I saw this stuff, got all excited and almost posted it here too!  Then later realized it said Magic Kingdom!  If they have announced the Disney World dates, surely Disneyland can't be far behind. Didn't someone say they didn't post last year's dates until July 30th? 

I'm hoping for the party to be in California Adventure this year!!


----------



## maltdizzy

Sherry E said:


> I don't start to break out the sweaters, coats and jackets until November or December.  But everyone is different, and some people get cold much more easily.



And, to be honest, Angelenos get so acclimated to the weather that 50°F feels as cold to us as 30°F feels to the rest of the country. I used to bundle up and turn on my motorcycle's heated handgrips riding past tourists in shorts in L.A. in January.


----------



## dhorner233

kylie71 said:


> Halloween kicks off on Sept 11th, saw it on another sight this morning.........
> 
> --Lori



Oh! Missed this! That's great! So it will be going on while I'm there!! I'm so excited! You must be getting excited too Lori!  Anything on the Halloween party?


----------



## Sherry E

McNs said:


> We were there last year in October when it nudged 100 a couple of days (still have the screen grab on my phone, but shows 38 in my language). It does cool off when the sun goes down, and was really only scorching when in the sun. Being such a dry heat I don't find it overwhelming.



It really depends on each individual person, to be honest.  I was out walking around in the post-5 p.m. sun yesterday, and it felt really harsh.  It was 'only' supposed to have been in the 80s at the peak of the heat yesterday, but even after 5 p.m. it felt like the sun was slicing into my skin.  At DLR, it can feel or be even hotter.  So, I guess my point is that what is overwhelming (or not) for one person will not necessarily be the same for another.  I can always relate when someone says they run hot or tend to think that even 70 degrees is hot, because I have the same issue.  I've always been extremely heat sensitive,  ever since childhood, and the sun has never done me any favors!    Dry heat, humidity, whatever it is -- if you are someone who runs hot and are heat sensitive, it will bother you.     We don't always have dry heat anymore either -- we have been getting quite a bit of humidity lately.




BobearQSI said:


> I think the dates are starting to converge from multiple sources that the probability of a 9/11 start is going up.  So much so, I'm trying to see if I can plan backup dates around it now.  The closure on the official calendar, all the rumors, and now the dapper days info suggesting the party starts the 25th - following the pattern of 2 weeks after halloween time start.
> 
> 
> It could be - however, I did notice that while HM is closed 9/10 and open 9/11, the Space Mountain closure is not listed anywhere in all of September.
> 
> When I first saw the closure appear on the calendar, right after barrages of comments all over unrelated posts on the blog, I thought, "what an ingenious way to let all the die hard fans know when Halloween Time is without publicly announcing anything to the masses."  But I'm well aware of the volatility of the end of the published calendar, waiting in anguish in the past for parades/fireworks/fantasmic to show up on my dates (on my last trip, the calendar and park hours were shown 6 weeks out, but fireworks/fantasmic didn't get posted until 3 1/2 weeks prior - I was a bit worried as I'd already bought plane tickets).
> 
> 
> Point still well taken!



That DLR calendar can change from day to day!  

Keep in mind, the comments I made were posted yesterday -- I fully realize that this waiting game of the Halloween Time announcements is a day-to-day thing.  It may even be an hour-to-hour thing.  All I know is that the schedule for 8/22 and 8/23 was not filled in yesterday, and the CM I spoke to didn't see anything about any Haunted Mansion closures on 8/28.  She wasn't even certain if the 8/24 closure was correct because she didn't have the info for 8/22 and 8/23.    

But, today, it seems like every indication is that Halloween Time is starting on 9/11 (or maybe right after that).  I wouldn't expect Space Mountain's closure to show up on the calendar quite yet.  We just barely got the HM closure, and that closes first.





Djscarlette said:


> I was just playing around on the DL website and noticed that the F! dinner option goes from being offered every night of the week back to only fri, sat, and sun nights the last week of August. Just a little food for thought about what happens in the Fall with the fireworks and ect. Good news for the Halloween parties/fireworks to be happening.



The CM I spoke to yesterday said that they were getting in the dates for Mickey's Halloween Party this week.  There was never really any doubt in my mind that the party would happen.    The main things I questioned were: 1) The start date of Halloween Time; 2) In which park would MHP take place;  3) Would extra nights be added in to the schedule, and would it start earlier in September than usual; and 4) How would MHP be juggled around or somehow integrated into the new nighttime entertainment, and would the party exclusives stay the same this year.  We will have all of those answers very soon! 



rwhistler92 said:


> It was 103 when we went in October a few years ago. By the end of the night he had all pretty much stripped off most of our costumes because it was so hot. We did has mister fans and hand held fans, but it was still pretty hot.
> I would plan on having a nice light costume and adding a jacket if, for some reason, it gets chilly.



I agree -- October is a very sneaky month.  It really can go in a few different directions, weather-wise and temperature-wise, but more often than not these years, it is too hot.  Last year it didn't even start to feel like fall (meaning... under 80 degrees ) until Halloween night.



maltdizzy said:


> On the flip side, I've been there on an October MHP night when it was high '50's or so (~12-15°C) and pouring rain.
> 
> _If_ California is lucky enough to get the El Nino storms they are hoping (praying?) for this Fall/Winter, it could be a soaking wet Halloween/holiday season. But that's a big "if," though the whole west coast, from Mexico to Alaska is desperate for those storms.



El Nino will _probably_ not hit in the Fall.  It _may_ not even hit in the first half of winter.  Sometimes we don't get pummeled with rain until the beginning of the year in an El Nino year.  But I definitely think it's coming -- it's not really as much of a question mark anymore.  The scientists are now saying that it is unlikely that the El Nino conditions will dissipate, and, in fact, what they see now is an even bigger El Nino than they expected.  The word they used is "massive."   From my experience with non-massive El Ninos in the past, I think a massive one is going to be a colossal mess.   It is not going to be the lucky break that you think it will be right away -- the rain has to end up in the right places for it to make a difference in the drought.  A lot of it will end up as runoff (wasted water).    It will also wreak a whole lot of havoc before any good comes from it -- all kinds of structural damage, accidents, mudslides, floods, etc.  It's not a pleasant, "Hey, let's go romp around in the rain" kind of thing.  It's usually heavy, relentless, pounding rain for weeks at a time, with a short break and not enough time to dry out and fix things, and then back at it again.  At Disneyland, it will mean closures for the outdoor rides quite often, I'm sure.

I remember in one El Nino year a long time ago, I was counting the number of consecutive days on the calendar that it was raining -- because it was going on for more than 3 weeks without a break.  I wanted to see if we were going to get to the "40 days and 40 nights" biblical-level rain.  I think that it let up for a bit before we got to 40 days, and then started up again not long after.



ImTooExcitedToSleep said:


> I can confirm those closure dates for the Haunted Mansion.  They weren't there when I looked yesterday, but now they are.



Thank you, Tom!  I figured you would get the closures soon (I know you always check for that info), but you're right -- yesterday the info was not there.  Well, the 8/24 closure date for HM was there, but there was no end date (9/10) at that point -- at least, not that the CMs could see.



kylie71 said:


> Halloween kicks off on Sept 11th, saw it on another sight this morning.........
> 
> --Lori



I mentioned here last night that it was posted on MiceChat.  But at that point I asked how the person knew.  In his post, he said it was "safe to assume" the Halloween Time kickoff, but he didn't name his sources.  When asked, he eventually just said "Disney" -- which could have meant 100 different things!



maltdizzy said:


> And, to be honest, Angelenos get so acclimated to the weather that 50°F feels as cold to us as 30°F feels to the rest of the country. I used to bundle up and turn on my motorcycle's heated handgrips riding past tourists in shorts in L.A. in January.



You're absolutely right -- it's all relative to where we live, and what we are acclimated to.  We can tell someone that we're cold when it's 30 degrees, or hot when it's 90 degrees.  And their weather in other states may be colder or hotter than ours is.  But we don't live in other states, so it doesn't mean anything in terms of the weather here.  Whatever is going on with another state's weather doesn't change whether I am cold or hot.  

I see a lot of my fellow L.A residents running for their parkas and winter gear when it drops to 50 or 60 degrees (and I giggle at them).  I don't.  I'll put on a jacket if it gets down to 40 degrees, but only if my teeth start chattering.  I will walk around with bare arms for as long as I can stand it, and only when I start shivering will I reach for warmth.  When it drops to 30 degrees, then I am doubling up on sweaters, grabbing coats and mittens and neck scarves!

The only other time I grab for a jacket is if I'm out on the ocean -- especially at night.  That wind can really get chilly.



dhorner233 said:


> Oh! Missed this! That's great! So it will be going on while I'm there!! I'm so excited! You must be getting excited too Lori!  Anything on the Halloween party?



That's what we're all waiting on!  The info is coming in this week.



Priory said:


> I'm glad Erin at least acknowledged everyone's cries for info. Well done, dis!



Did you see my post to you yesterday?  Halloween Horror Nights at Universal starts on 9/18.  The Los Angeles Haunted Hayride theme is The Boogeyman.  I also posted the specific dates for Dark Harbor at the Queen Mary.


----------



## newoski

Any idea whether the Hatbox Ghost would still be visible during the Nightmare Before Christmas overlay?


----------



## Priory

Sherry, thank you for the news on the other local events!!!


----------



## Sherry E

newoski said:


> Any idea whether the Hatbox Ghost would still be visible during the Nightmare Before Christmas overlay?



No idea.  This will be the first Haunted Mansion Holiday year when the Hatbox Ghost has been part of the regular Mansion ride.  I have no clue whatsoever -- and I could be completely wrong (as it seems I am going to be about the start date of Halloween Time! ) -- but my hunch is that Disney will find a way to keep him on display, even during Haunted Mansion Holiday.  They may throw a bow on him, or wrap him up in Christmas paper , but I feel that since he had been gone from the Mansion for so, so, so long, and it was a big deal when he returned, Disney might find a way to work him into the storyline of this year's HMH.



Priory said:


> Sherry, thank you for the news on the other local events!!!



No problem!   As soon as I saw the start date and the news of the new maze for HHN, as well as the Hayride's theme, I thought of you!    I think that Halloween in general is becoming a bigger deal each year, and more people are kind of jumping on the Halloween bandwagon, so it seems like it would be wise for ALL of the Halloween attractions (both horror-based and family-friendly) in SoCal to release their info well in advance, so they can all compete with each other (including Six Flags Magic Mountain's Fright Fest, the Los Angeles Zoo's Boo at the Zoo, the Rise of the Jack O'Lanterns -- which is apparently already rapidly selling tickets for its two SoCal locations this year, etc.).


----------



## kylie71

newoski said:


> Any idea whether the Hatbox Ghost would still be visible during the Nightmare Before Christmas overlay?



I am wondering this too.... I also am wanting the park hours for early Sept to post........ so I can plan my attack!

--Lori


----------



## BobearQSI

wdwinfo has changed their post to say Sept 11 as the start now too:
http://www.wdwinfo.com/disneyland/events.html (Scroll down to October, Halloween Time)


----------



## Sherry E

BobearQSI said:


> wdwinfo has changed their post to say Sept 11 as the start now too:
> http://www.wdwinfo.com/disneyland/events.html (Scroll down to October, Halloween Time)



wdwinfo is our sister site (or maybe parent site?) -- it's part of the same family as DISboards!  It actually said September 11th a long, long time ago -- which did not go unnoticed by some people on this board.  But maybe it was removed and then Tom Bell put it back?   In any case, it's Tom Bell who updates that info, and he posted here that he can confirm the Haunted Mansion closure dates that were posted on MiceChat.


----------



## maltdizzy

newoski said:


> Any idea whether the Hatbox Ghost would still be visible during the Nightmare Before Christmas overlay?





Sherry E said:


> No idea.  This will be the first Haunted Mansion Holiday year when the Hatbox Ghost has been part of the regular Mansion ride.  I have no clue whatsoever -- and I could be completely wrong (as it seems I am going to be about the start date of Halloween Time! ) -- but my hunch is that Disney will find a way to keep him on display, even during Haunted Mansion Holiday.  They may throw a bow on him, or wrap him up in Christmas paper , but I feel that since he had been gone from the Mansion for so, so, so long, and it was a big deal when he returned, Disney might find a way to work him into the storyline of this year's HMH.



I would bet against it. It would be really hard to build a context for the Hotbox Ghost without it seeming forced. HMH is a big draw already. They can save the hatbox Ghost to get people to come back next year. The post-holidays rebuild is often when they make noticeable changes to the attic area.

Would I like to see him when there in October?...kinda, but not out of context.


----------



## Sherry E

maltdizzy said:


> I would bet against it. It would be really hard to build a context for the Hotbox Ghost without it seeming forced. HMH is a big draw already. They can save the hatbox Ghost to get people to come back next year.
> 
> Would I like to see him when there in October?...kinda, but not out of context.



We shall see what happens!  I have a feeling that when the Parks Blog finally starts releasing info about Halloween Time and the various aspects of it (including the annual blogs about Haunted Mansion Holiday), if the Hatbox Ghost is not going to be worked into HMH somehow, they will avoid questions about it when people start asking about HBG in the blog comments!    However, if he is being worked into the overlay, they will make sure to include that tidbit in a blog somewhere, I think.


----------



## BobearQSI

kylie71 said:


> I am wondering this too.... I also am wanting the park hours for early Sept to post........ so I can plan my attack!
> 
> --Lori


You can at least get an estimate of park hours based on dining reservation availability.

https://disneyland.disney.go.com/dining/disneyland/

For example, if I filter out to only show Disneyland, and try to make an 8am reservation next week, I have an option for 8:10am, which matches the official opening time of 8am.  Ignore Plaza Inn, because they do pre-opening character breakfasts.

Wed Sept 2, I can only get a Carnation Cafe reservation for 10am or later.  For evening, I can only get 7:50pm. Wed Sept 9, is the same.  This matches the typical September weekday schedule of 10am-8pm for Disneyland.

Also keep in mind many of the restaurants close before the park does it, but only if the park is open later.


----------



## Kilala

Here are some drawings of the Halloween cat costume I will be working on in the next couple of weeks. 



The sides



the front and back. I have been working on the wig for this costume. More pictures to come. Hopefully I will take a photo shoot in my Electra costume by this Friday. I was going to do it yesterday but, a screwdriver fell on my left foot. It busied with a small hole in it


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## BobearQSI

Ha! Using my own advice, I also found out some other info for those of you going around Halloween Time start.  The week before Halloween Time is usually when they close Disneyland early for the cast member appreciation party.  According to the dining calendar, it looks like this is happening Thursday September 10th.  Disneyland will open an hour earlier, 9am, and close at 5pm (this is the times from the last 2 years).  Latest reservation I could get at DL is 3:50pm, but at CA I could reserve all evening.


----------



## Sherry E

Well, if Halloween Time is starting on 9/11 or anytime before 9/14, it won't conflict with my jury duty -- so that's a good thing!  It will probably be ridiculously hot, but at least I won't have to worry about missing something at DLR because I have to go to the courthouse.  I have a feeling that if I tried to postpone jury duty, they would reassign me to December -- which would then interfere with holiday season fun.  I'd rather just get it over with, but hopefully it won't conflict with Halloween Time's opening day.


----------



## kylie71

BobearQSI said:


> You can at least get an estimate of park hours based on dining reservation availability.
> 
> https://disneyland.disney.go.com/dining/disneyland/
> 
> For example, if I filter out to only show Disneyland, and try to make an 8am reservation next week, I have an option for 8:10am, which matches the official opening time of 8am.  Ignore Plaza Inn, because they do pre-opening character breakfasts.
> 
> Wed Sept 2, I can only get a Carnation Cafe reservation for 10am or later.  For evening, I can only get 7:50pm. Wed Sept 9, is the same.  This matches the typical September weekday schedule of 10am-8pm for Disneyland.
> 
> Also keep in mind many of the restaurants close before the park does it, but only if the park is open later.



Thank You, what a cool trick!  Now I see the park is closing early on the 10th, so if I want to go, I will have to buy a Halloween Party ticket? Hmmmmmmm  that was not in my plan that week.

Thanks again!

--Lori


----------



## Sherry E

kylie71 said:


> Thank You, what a cool trick!  Now I see the park is closing early on the 10th, so if I want to go, I will have to buy a Halloween Party ticket? Hmmmmmmm  that was not in my plan that week.
> 
> Thanks again!
> 
> --Lori



Unless we find out differently from the Parks Blog, presumably the Halloween Party is not beginning until 9/25/15.  It's Halloween Time that is most likely starting on 9/11.


----------



## kylie71

OK, I mis-read, the 10th is a cast member party....... Jeez, I jumped the gun.  Thanks Sherry!
Party On CM's, you deserve it!!
--Lori


----------



## Jeff314

Sherry E said:


> Unless we find out differently from the Parks Blog, presumably the Halloween Party is not beginning until 9/25/15.  It's Halloween Time that is most likely starting on 9/11.




We planned, booked and paid for the hopes of a 9/25 Halloween party months ago. We are there for 4 days but only got 3 day passes (buying the MHP tickets when they go on sale for that 4th day) all this delay and speculation is stressing us out haha so the last couple of days of 9/11 being the Halloween start date and 9/25 MHP start date is getting us excited again


----------



## BobearQSI

kylie71 said:


> OK, I mis-read, the 10th is a cast member party...


Just a guess, based on past years, but likely. And remember, DCA is still open until normal time.  When I did this week before, we left DL at 5 and used that evening to experience Ariel's Grotto and watch World of Color.


----------



## Sherry E

It's interesting that, in reading some comments around the Internet (now and in past weeks), people either seem surprised or even disappointed that all signs point to Halloween Time and especially the Holiday season commencing as usual (with the exception of maybe a couple of the holiday nighttime events not happening).  

I know that the 60th anniversary is a big deal, but most likely all of the nighttime entertainment for the Diamond Celebration is going to carry on for the rest of the year and into next -- so people will probably be able to enjoy all of the new entertainment through the next couple of seasons.  

But why would anyone have thought that the 60th anniversary would totally obliterate Holiday season decorations or the pumpkins on Main Street?  The actual 60th anniversary decorations, such as they are, are not enough to totally take the place of a fully immersive Holiday decorations package, which involves theme-specific décor all over both parks, in the hotels, restaurants, etc.  Disney takes its holiday season celebration very seriously -- it's not a casual, "Hmm... should we celebrate the holidays or not this year?"  It's a huge deal, and many people plan annual trips just to be there for the season.  The pumpkins on Main Street are integral to the whole Halloween Time experience as well.  Some blue bunting here and there and some random diamond-studded things are not going to replace all of the Halloween and Holiday season décor.  They may be integrated into the Holiday décor, but I'm pretty sure they will not replace all (or most) of it.


----------



## maltdizzy

I expect their will be some 60th additions to both Halloween and holiday decorations, even if small ones (a 60th pumpkin; diamonds; etc.). But come January, I would expect the 60th to kick back into fullswing and last until next September and parade and fireworks long after that.


----------



## Sherry E

maltdizzy said:


> I expect their will be some 60th additions to both Halloween and holiday decorations, even if small ones (a 60th pumpkin; diamonds; etc.). But come January, I would expect the 60th to kick back into fullswing and last until next September and parade and fireworks long after that.



That is what I expect as well.  I think that some of the existing 60th 'diamond-y' things will stay up.  I expect that most of the Halloween and Holiday season décor will return to its usual spots.  And I expect that there may be some new pieces added in -- as you said, a 60th pumpkin, or a diamond pumpkin (which sounds weird ), a diamond-decorated Christmas tree somewhere around DLR, maybe some extra sparkly Christmas decorations in certain spots, etc.  But it will be back.  That 'Castle cake' in the GCH lobby is not going to be there all year, so I'm sure that another gingerbread creation is coming to the GCH lobby for the holidays.


----------



## Tablefor5

So, what is everyone thinking for fireworks during Halloween Time?
I love the Halloween Screams but I am also wanting to see the Disneyland Forever...


----------



## Sherry E

Tablefor5 said:


> So, what is everyone thinking for fireworks during Halloween Time?
> I love the Halloween Screams but I am also wanting to see the Disneyland Forever...



I'm inclined  think that Halloween Screams will still be the Halloween Party exclusive fireworks on any nights that the parties happen.  It wouldn't make sense to run Disneyland Forever during the Halloween party, when people are paying extra for Halloween-specific entertainment.  I think that Disneyland Forever will be the fireworks that happen on any non-party nights that would usually involve fireworks (so, basically, most Saturdays except for Halloween night, and Sundays, and possibly Columbus Day).  I don't know if the fireworks schedule will be extended at all, so that they take place on extra nights when they ordinarily would not take place.


----------



## mummabear

My ideal scenario would be that they run Disneyland forever on non mhp nights but it may be that they run on weekends only (except weekend nights with mhp scheduled)


----------



## seobaina

mummabear said:


> My ideal scenario would be that they run Disneyland forever on non mhp nights but it may be that they run on weekends only (except weekend nights with mhp scheduled)




I thought they did the fireworks on all normal nights and it was just fantasmic that ran only on weekends


----------



## mummabear

seobaina said:


> I thought they did the fireworks on all normal nights and it was just fantasmic that ran only on weekends



Nope the park shuts at 8 Mon to Thurs with no F! Or fireworks. WOC normally runs nightly


----------



## seobaina

mummabear said:


> Nope the park shuts at 8 Mon to Thurs with no F! Or fireworks. WOC normally runs nightly




Argh that means out of our four nights we have one to do the fireworks and F!  Is the nighttime parade the same? X


----------



## dhorner233

seobaina said:


> Argh that means out of our four nights we have one to do the fireworks and F!  Is the nighttime parade the same? X



I guess I will have that same disappointment as I'm there Sunday through Thursday. Leaving Friday morning. Hoping to get a Halloween party while I'm there Sept. 20-25.


----------



## Tablefor5

mummabear said:


> My ideal scenario would be that they run Disneyland forever on non mhp nights but it may be that they run on weekends only (except weekend nights with mhp scheduled)


This is what I am hoping happens.


----------



## White Rose

Sherry E said:


> It's interesting that, in reading some comments around the Internet (now and in past weeks), people either seem surprised or even disappointed that all signs point to Halloween Time and especially the Holiday season commencing as usual (with the exception of maybe a couple of the holiday nighttime events not happening).
> 
> I know that the 60th anniversary is a big deal, but most likely all of the nighttime entertainment for the Diamond Celebration is going to carry on for the rest of the year and into next -- so people will probably be able to enjoy all of the new entertainment through the next couple of seasons.
> 
> But why would anyone have thought that the 60th anniversary would totally obliterate Holiday season decorations or the pumpkins on Main Street?  The actual 60th anniversary decorations, such as they are, are not enough to totally take the place of a fully immersive Holiday decorations package, which involves theme-specific décor all over both parks, in the hotels, restaurants, etc.  Disney takes its holiday season celebration very seriously -- it's not a casual, "Hmm... should we celebrate the holidays or not this year?"  It's a huge deal, and many people plan annual trips just to be there for the season.  The pumpkins on Main Street are integral to the whole Halloween Time experience as well.  Some blue bunting here and there and some random diamond-studded things are not going to replace all of the Halloween and Holiday season décor.  They may be integrated into the Holiday décor, but I'm pretty sure they will not replace all (or most) of it.




I will be disappointed a tiny bit that it will be Halloween themed if they take down all the diamond stuff...because we were hoping for 60th anniversary which is much more unique and for only a short time EVER...while Halloween comes every year. If it is both, then fine! 

We are east coasters doing ABD southern CA, and was really hoping to see paint the night and the special fireworks. In 5 years if we come again to CA we will see Halloween...but not the 60th stuff. It is bad enough that we do not get fantasmic or fireworks most likely during the tour because it is Oct. I really want to see the unique 60th stuff! Let's hope it will be both!


----------



## Jeff314

White Rose said:


> I will be disappointed a tiny bit that it will be Halloween themed if they take down all the diamond stuff...because we were hoping for 60th anniversary which is much more unique and for only a short time EVER...while Halloween comes every year. If it is both, then fine!
> 
> We are east coasters doing ABD southern CA, and was really hoping to see paint the night and the special fireworks. In 5 years if we come again to CA we will see Halloween...but not the 60th stuff. It is bad enough that we do not get fantasmic or fireworks most likely during the tour because it is Oct. I really want to see the unique 60th stuff! Let's hope it will be both!




I don't know for sure but I really doubt they'd take down or not do any 60th stuff with how much effort and money they put into doing it all year. I would think it'd be a combo of both depending on party nights and such


----------



## mummabear

seobaina said:


> Argh that means out of our four nights we have one to do the fireworks and F!  Is the nighttime parade the same? X



I don't know as there hasn't been a nighttime parade in so long


----------



## Sherry E

The 60th anniversary entertainment is one thing.  Blue bunting and random 'Ds' with faux diamonds here and there are another thing entirely.  Of course the entertainment is going to run for the rest of the year -- they said that even back in January at the Q&A.  It might be on a reduced schedule in September and October -- because that is technically an off-peak season and fireworks are more limited -- but I'm positive that Paint the Night and Disneyland Forever will still be happening.  

The 60th decorations, such as they are, are not as extensive and immersive as the decorations for the holiday season are, for example.  If the removal of _some_ of the blue bunting to put up Halloween décor or Holiday decor is going to be a deal breaker, it's probably not a good idea to go to the parks during Halloween Time or the Holidays, because that _could_ happen -- they might take down a few of the 60th accents in certain spots and leave other things up in other spots.  I think the Castle will stay as it is now for the rest of the year.   

Halloween Time doesn't involve really extensive decorations anyway.  You've basically got Main Street and Frontierland as the hubs of Halloween décor.  Without those pumpkins on Main Street, it would not feel very Halloween-ish in the park.  They have to have decorations up in whatever park the party is going to be held in, which is most likely going to be Disneyland.

This is a Halloween Time thread, so you will never find me hoping for a lack of Halloween in the parks!      I just can't hope for less Halloween.  Halloween Time is already underdeveloped as it is, and to remove anything from the decorations would make a big impact.


----------



## White Rose

Sherry E said:


> This is a Halloween Time thread, so you will never find me hoping for a lack of Halloween in the parks!      I just can't hope for less Halloween.  Halloween Time is already underdeveloped as it is, and to remove anything from the decorations would make a big impact.



We love Halloween...don't get me wrong...I mean...we get 150 kids and growing each year coming out to see our Halloween decorations. We stalk Halloween stores. We buy something new every year to add to the growing display. We cover 3 houses total. (We are THOSE people...) with not so scary animatronics, an inflatable walk through motion activated haunted house that lights up, bats hanging from the ceiling...a spooky green and purple lit graveyard and tons of animated miniatures in the garage,  a small bewitching area with funny witchy stuff on the walls and tables....we even have a remote controlled broom that chases adults...we give out toys AND candy, with options for allergy free, gluten free and sugar free alternatives so everyone can partipate. ( we are a teal pumpkin house for allergy free alternatives!.) oh... And dog treats!

We always go in vacation in Oct. we were lucky enough to visit DL once before and went to a Halloween party. We have not had the opportunity to be in DL for an anniversary celebration! I am hoping for both...! And yea.. I wanna trick or treat. But...if I had to choose a once in a lifetime experience to see the 60th anniversary stuff OR Halloween...see what I am saying? We are not local to CA...it is literally multiple thousands of miles away.

I think and hope we will get both. I just hope my hubby and I are there long enough to see the fireworks and PTN.


----------



## HopLow1968

How far in advance is the entertainment schedule released?  I'm wondering about PTN, WoC, F!, Fireworks, etc during the halloween season.  If there will be nightly shows on any of it, etc.  This and the MHP party dates are pretty much the last bits of info I really need to know before we go.


----------



## theluckyrabbit

Entertainment schedule info is usually released about 6 weeks or so out from the date in question. The schedule will fill in with more details as the date approaches.


----------



## seobaina

White Rose said:


> We always go in vacation in Oct. we were lucky enough to visit DL once before and went to a Halloween party. We have not had the opportunity to be in DL for an anniversary celebration! I am hoping for both...! And yea.. I wanna trick or treat. But...if I had to choose a once in a lifetime experience to see the 60th anniversary stuff OR Halloween...see what I am saying? We are not local to CA...it is literally multiple thousands of miles away.
> 
> I think and hope we will get both. I just hope my hubby and I are there long enough to see the fireworks and PTN.



Same here. I love Halloween and really want a party but I'm coming from the UK so I can't just PPP back after the holiday season. I want to see the 60th stuff because I won't get another chance for that x


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## mommy2mrb

excited I booked our airfare and hotel last night!  had enough points to cover airfare just paid taxes $22.40! and one night of our hotel!  just have to buy park tickets and the ever elusive Halloween party tickets...come on Disney we need details!


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## SDGal

Hi everyone! I'm planning a trip to DLR for the 2nd week in October. The last time we went, we missed the Halloween party, but would like to catch it this year, as we really loved the Christmas Party in WDW and wanted to see the west coast experience.  Our current plan is: 2 days at DL, 1 day at DCA and 1 day for Halloween party. So here are my questions (and I apologize if they've been addressed, which I'm sure they have!)

* Are there only fireworks on party nights? 
* Do partygoers get early admission (4-5pm) into the park? 
*Is it worth the extra crowds to rethink our current plan (Mon-Fri vacation) to a weekend to have an opportunity to have longer park hours, or is the park likely to close almost every night for the parties anyway?


----------



## maltdizzy

SDGal said:


> * Are there only fireworks on party nights?



For several years now the Halloween Screams fireworks are performed only on party nights. "Regular" fireworks and Fantasmic are usually presented on weekends. Non-party weekday nights usually do not have fireworks or Fantasmic, and the park usually closes around 8 PM.



SDGal said:


> * Do partygoers get early admission (4-5pm) into the park?



Historically, yes. Haven't been in some time, but you used to be able to get up as early as 3 PM for a 6PM party.



SDGal said:


> *Is it worth the extra crowds to rethink our current plan (Mon-Fri vacation) to a weekend to have an opportunity to have longer park hours, or is the park likely to close almost every night for the parties anyway?



That is really up to you. Crowds on Halloween weekends are usually busy, but they also may be your only chance to see the Anniversary Fireworks, Fantasmic! and possibly Paint the Night parade. However...schedules not out yet, so nothing is confirmed.

The last couple of years, it's been Tues and Fri parties early in October and Mon, Wed, and Fri parties later. If the rumors are right, we might at least know that part by the end of this week....of course, been waiting a while now already.


----------



## SDGal

Thanks so much for the answers! I am getting very antsy for dates! Looking at info from last year, it's easy to guess what the schedule is going to look like, but the second I schedule based on an assumption, I'll be proven wrong


----------



## haileymarie92

Guys look!!! I think we get an announcement today. The disneyland MHP ticket page has changed!! It says when tickets go on sale!!

https://disneyland.disney.go.com/tickets/events/


July 22 for AP. 
July 29 for general public!


----------



## SDGal

Wooooooooo!


----------



## violentlyserene

Hooray! does this mean the schedule is up or is that still coming?


----------



## haileymarie92

Also, it says "exclusive fireworks" in the little paragraph now. So I think we can assume Screams is still happening .


I haven't seen a schedule posted anywhere. But if we have a date to buy tickets, the announcement of dates can't be far behind.


----------



## RobertaMomof2

Fingers crossed, great news.  Hoping they have a MHP on 9/25 since I already booked everything, ugh....


----------



## tjcrabb

Now the only information left is how much and when!


----------



## haileymarie92

I'm just so happy to know that a week from today I can buy tickets!! Lol. So I'm sure they'll announce dates any day now, if not today!


----------



## RichP1269

from the Halloween Party Page:

*Chilling and Thrilling Attractions and Entertainment*


Monsters U Dance Party at Tomorrowland Terrace featuring Mike & Sulley in a spirited Monster Scare-Off.
Halloween Screams, a boo-tiful fireworks spectacular —exclusive viewing for Mickey’s Halloween Party Guests.
Special trick-or-treat stations with candy and healthy goodies.
Mickey's Costume Party Cavalcade, a Halloween parade presented for Party Guests.
Access to nearly all attractions, including all the Halloween-themed attractions such as Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy and Haunted Mansion Holiday.
Disney Villains encounters as they prowl the grounds.
Photo ops with popular Disney and Pixar Pals, and Disney Villains.
Dance parties with lively music, creepy crafts and activities for the whole family, and the chance to eat, drink and be (not so) scary throughout the park.


----------



## wendyt_ca

haileymarie92 said:


> Guys look!!! I think we get an announcement today. The disneyland MHP ticket page has changed!! It says when tickets go on sale!!
> 
> https://disneyland.disney.go.com/tickets/events/
> 
> 
> July 22 for AP.
> July 29 for general public!



Would DVC member tickets go on sale the same day?


----------



## haileymarie92

And dates are up!!!!

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...he-disneyland-resort-september-11-november-1/


Looks like they added more party dates. Party nights will have Paint the Night and Screams. Non-party nights will have Forever. So that's great news!!

No more cavalcade, but that's okay because we get paint the night! Lol


----------



## nicolispicoli

LOL, you beat me! I called and got the dates (she said they JUST got them) and was going to type them in, but this is much easier!

I was kinda hoping they would add the earlier dates like WDW, but alas they did not. So no Halloween party for me when we're there for Dapper Days, but I get the décor, so that works for me!


----------



## jackandzero

Hooray!!! *happy dance*  I'm going Sept 4-12th and have been following this board for a loooong time to check up on Halloween dates! I'm doing the half-marathon with my husband and we were really wishing Halloween would start Sept 11th to see HM Holiday! We love Nightmare before Christmas!


----------



## haileymarie92

wendyt_ca said:


> Would DVC member tickets go on sale the same day?



Yup!! Looks like July 22 is open for purchasing for AP, DVC, and Disney rewards visa members.


Also I have to say "yay!!!" Because they kept it in Disneyland!


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## RichP1269

Our last night in the Park for our September trip is the 25th!  Plan to get tickets for that night!!


----------



## haileymarie92

Hmmm I don't see prices listed anywhere. I hope they're not too far off from last year.


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## Oswald23

Yes so happy. 

Now I'm curious if there is a pre party like last year and if I can finally meet Hades


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## riostoker

So this is listed on the party page:
Mickey's Costume Party Cavalcade, a Halloween parade presented for Party Guests.

And it says this on the parks blog:
Mickey’s Costume Party cavalcade will not be featured this year;

I wonder which is correct. Do I care?  I've never been, so don't know what I might be missing!


----------



## riostoker

RichP1269 said:


> Our last night in the Park for our September trip is the 25th!  Plan to get tickets for that night!!


 
Same for us! This works out perfectly.


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## jammyjam25

So happy dates are out!! Looks like we will be attending September 30, smack dab in the middle of our trip!

Also SO happy to see that PTN and Disneyland Forever will be available to us!  I was really worried about not them since we're doing a mid-week trip.


----------



## Mommy2PrincessAbby

So excited!  Two Halloween parties during our dates... Now I am really not sure what to do lol.  We could do the party on Sunday the 25th, our first day so we will be all fresh. DCA will likely be very crowded once the party starts, so having party tickets sounds like a good idea.  Then there is another party on Tuesday night, could be a quieter party, and possibly a quieter night at DCA.  If they show Fantasmic or the regular fireworks on a weeknight, our only chance to see it/them will be Monday and Wednesday.  Oh I just don't know what to do... Buy tix for both nights or just Sunday.  Such a problem to have lol


----------



## lorijohnhill

Yay! There is a party on my birthday (Oct 2nd). Now, I just have to decide if we want to do another party on the Monday (9/28) or the Wednesday (9/30). 

Any opinions on which might be better between Monday or Wednesday?


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## haileymarie92

We will be doing the Sept 30 party also!!


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## Jeff314

Perfect! Stoked! Planned our trip far in advance for these dates to be how they came out. Last night of the week is the first party in sept. Woohoo!


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## Metalliman98

Finally!  We will have three dates during our trip.  Wonder if it would be a good idea to buy for two parties, do Halloween stuff at one, and just rides at the other?  Only if the party activities keep the ride crowds low enough though.  Can anyone speak to that?  Not sure how many tickets are sold for these events.  Might also be a good idea to have two dates in case of bad weather.

Really glad they are doing PTN too!  And they said DF will be on non-party nights.  Does that mean all non-party nights, or just weekend non-party nights, since it is off-season?


----------



## Canadian Harmony

YAY! We have two to choose from, but we're going for the 5th (DD10's 11th birthday!) vice the 7th (DD8's 9th birthday) because my kids would be CRUSHED to not participate the first night of the party.

SQUEEEEEE! Now to make sure there's more than enough $$$ on the credit card so we can purchase our tix. Hopefully the price is in line with last years'.

I'm glad they're incorporating the diamond decorations with the Halloween deco's. It can only add to the fun!


----------



## RichP1269

We won't be activating our APs until we arrive on September 22nd.  Will I still be able to buy our tickets on July 22nd or will I have to wait for the general sales to open up on the 29th?


----------



## haileymarie92

RichP1269 said:


> We won't be activating our APs until we arrive on September 22nd.  Will I still be able to buy our tickets on July 22nd or will I have to wait for the general sales to open up on the 29th?


I could be wrong, but I think you have to have an active annual pass. Once you activate it, you add the code on your pass to your disneyland site login. So I think it has to be active.


----------



## mom2rtk

Do I have to have my AP registered somewhere or is it enough that it's just active?


----------



## tkitty

Yay! Now to find a room! Let the planning begin!


----------



## lorijohnhill

RichP1269 said:


> We won't be activating our APs until we arrive on September 22nd.  Will I still be able to buy our tickets on July 22nd or will I have to wait for the general sales to open up on the 29th?



I would try on the 22nd and explain the situation. You may very well be able to purchase it as long as you have proof you have purchased the AP. I purchased my AP and MHP (with the discount) tickets in the same phone call last year. However, I paid for them with my Disney Visa, so I don't know for sure which discount code they used. I wasn't aware, at the time, that there was a Visa discount, so I thought I was getting the AP discount.

At any rate, I would call. The worst case would be you call again a week later.


----------



## lorijohnhill

They should be able to take your AP number over the phone. I don't know about you, but there is a technical issue with my AP on the website, so I can't access the AP section there. I have to do everything over the phone.


----------



## CassieScraps

Whoot!  There are 2 dates on my trip!  My Disney Visa is registered on the site, but I don't know how that works.  Guess I can call and buy tix once I decide the date I want.   Historically, do the party times get listed when the tickets go on sale?


----------



## haileymarie92

mom2rtk said:


> Do I have to have my AP registered somewhere or is it enough that it's just active?


Depends on if you call and buy tickets or buy them online. If you get them online through disneylands site, you'll need to make an account and link your AP to the account.


----------



## RichP1269

lorijohnhill said:


> I would try on the 22nd and explain the situation. You may very well be able to purchase it as long as you have proof you have purchased the AP. I purchased my AP and MHP (with the discount) tickets in the same phone call last year. However, I paid for them with my Disney Visa, so I don't know for sure which discount code they used. I wasn't aware, at the time, that there was a Visa discount, so I thought I was getting the AP discount.
> 
> At any rate, I would call. The worst case would be you call again a week later.



I will give that a try.  Thanks!


----------



## LeahMLee

Yay I'm so excited!! Three party nights to choose from and one on hubby's birthday. I hope they don't sell out before I can buy one on the 29th. Does the first week of party's sell out fast? I'm hoping for sept. 28th (hubby's bday) 30th or oct. 2.


----------



## lorijohnhill

Here is the list from the 1st page of this thread showing the sell out dates for the *2014 *parties...

*2014 Party Dates
Friday, September 26th* -- Mickey's Halloween Party begins (7 p.m. - 12 a.m.) -- *SOLD OUT (as of Thursday, August 28, 2014)!!*

*Tuesday, September 30th* -- Mickey's Halloween Party (6 p.m. - 11 p.m.)

*Friday, October 3rd* -- Mickey's Halloween Party (7 p.m. - 12 a.m.) -- *SOLD OUT (as of Friday, August 22, 2014)!!*

*Monday, October 6th* -- Mickey's Halloween Party (6 p.m. - 11 p.m.) -- *SOLD OUT (as of Tuesday, September 30, 2014)!!*

*Wednesday, October 8th* -- Mickey's Halloween Party (6 p.m. - 11 p.m.) -- *SOLD OUT (as of Monday, September 29, 2014)!!*

*Friday, October 10th* -- Mickey's Halloween Party (7 p.m. - 12 a.m.) -- *SOLD OUT (as of Thursday, September 18, 2014)!!*

*Tuesday, October 14th* -- Mickey's Halloween Party (6 p.m. - 11 p.m.) -- *SOLD OUT (as of Friday, September 26, 2014)!!*

*Friday, October 17th* -- Mickey's Halloween Party (7 p.m. - 12 a.m.) -- *SOLD OUT (as of Monday, September 22, 2014)!!*

*Monday, October 20th* -- Mickey's Halloween Party (6 p.m. - 11 p.m.) -- *SOLD OUT (as of Tuesday, September 30, 2014)!!*

*Wednesday, October 22nd* -- Mickey's Halloween Party (6 p.m. - 11 p.m.) -- *SOLD OUT (as of Friday, October 3, 2014)!!*

*Friday, October 24th* -- Mickey's Halloween Party (7 p.m. - 12 a.m.) -- *SOLD OUT (as of Monday, September 22, 2014)!!*

*Monday, October 27th* -- Mickey's Halloween Party (6 p.m. - 11 p.m.) -- *SOLD OUT (as of Friday, October 3, 2014)!!*

*Wednesday, October 29th* -- Mickey's Halloween Party (6 p.m. - 11 p.m.) -- *SOLD OUT (as of Wednesday, October 8, 2014)!!*

*Friday, October 31st* -- Mickey's Halloween Party (7 p.m. - 12 a.m.) -- *SOLD OUT (as of Thursday, September 11, 2014)!!*


----------



## Serial

Does anyone know when tickets go on sale online on July 22? Midnight? When have ticket sales opened historically?


----------



## Sherry E

I was waiting to comment because I knew there would be a sudden flood of posts and mine would get lost in the shuffle until the excitement calms down.   

SO I will say this -- I will be following the sellouts of the dates as they happen, as I did last year.     *SO IF YOU SEE THAT A DATE HAS SOLD OUT, PLEASE POST IT HERE SO I CAN UPDATE THE FIRST PAGE!!!!*  I will be adding in the red "Sold Out" notations to page 1, next to each date (after I add in the dates).

Remember, too, if you are new to Mickey's Halloween Party, there is an MHP FAQ on page 1 that will tell you almost everything you need to know -- or at least, the most sought after info.  I am going to change the dates and 2014 info to reflect the 2015 info, but everything else should still be applicable.

I'm glad to see that Halloween Time/MHP looks like it is business as usual, except for the Cavalcade.  

Also, I like the idea of "special sparkling Halloween décor."   There is no way they are going to not decorate for Halloween and for the holidays -- and I realize that some of you are looking at the 60th anniversary trip as a once in a lifetime thing, but some people will only be able to visit for Halloween and the holidays once in a lifetime as well.  So Disney is not going to turn its back on those people.   They'll strike a balance that will hopefully work for everyone who has their heart set on seeing the blue bunting!


----------



## Sherry E

lorijohnhill said:


> *Here is the list from the 1st page of the thread showing the sell out dates for the parties...
> 
> Friday, September 26th* -- Mickey's Halloween Party begins (7 p.m. - 12 a.m.) -- *SOLD OUT (as of Thursday, August 28, 2014)!!*
> 
> *Tuesday, September 30th* -- Mickey's Halloween Party (6 p.m. - 11 p.m.)
> 
> *Friday, October 3rd* -- Mickey's Halloween Party (7 p.m. - 12 a.m.) -- *SOLD OUT (as of Friday, August 22, 2014)!!*
> 
> *Monday, October 6th* -- Mickey's Halloween Party (6 p.m. - 11 p.m.) -- *SOLD OUT (as of Tuesday, September 30, 2014)!!*
> 
> *Wednesday, October 8th* -- Mickey's Halloween Party (6 p.m. - 11 p.m.) -- *SOLD OUT (as of Monday, September 29, 2014)!!*
> 
> *Friday, October 10th* -- Mickey's Halloween Party (7 p.m. - 12 a.m.) -- *SOLD OUT (as of Thursday, September 18, 2014)!!*
> 
> *Tuesday, October 14th* -- Mickey's Halloween Party (6 p.m. - 11 p.m.) -- *SOLD OUT (as of Friday, September 26, 2014)!!*
> 
> *Friday, October 17th* -- Mickey's Halloween Party (7 p.m. - 12 a.m.) -- *SOLD OUT (as of Monday, September 22, 2014)!!*
> 
> *Monday, October 20th* -- Mickey's Halloween Party (6 p.m. - 11 p.m.) -- *SOLD OUT (as of Tuesday, September 30, 2014)!!*
> 
> *Wednesday, October 22nd* -- Mickey's Halloween Party (6 p.m. - 11 p.m.) -- *SOLD OUT (as of Friday, October 3, 2014)!!*
> 
> *Friday, October 24th* -- Mickey's Halloween Party (7 p.m. - 12 a.m.) -- *SOLD OUT (as of Monday, September 22, 2014)!!*
> 
> *Monday, October 27th* -- Mickey's Halloween Party (6 p.m. - 11 p.m.) -- *SOLD OUT (as of Friday, October 3, 2014)!!*
> 
> *Wednesday, October 29th* -- Mickey's Halloween Party (6 p.m. - 11 p.m.) -- *SOLD OUT (as of Wednesday, October 8, 2014)!!*
> 
> *Friday, October 31st* -- Mickey's Halloween Party (7 p.m. - 12 a.m.) -- *SOLD OUT (as of Thursday, September 11, 2014)!!*



I want to make it clear to people that what you copied and pasted from what I typed is in reference to 2014's parties.  I don't want anyone to glance it quickly and think that it is referring to 2015 (it could easily happen)!!

​


----------



## lorijohnhill

Sherry E said:


> I want to make it clear to people that what you copied and pasted from what I typed is in reference to 2014's parties.  I don't want anyone to glance it quickly and think that is referring to 2015 (it could easily happen)!!
> 
> ​


Good point, I will edit...


----------



## LeahMLee

lorijohnhill said:


> *Here is the list from the 1st page of the thread showing the sell out dates for the parties...
> 
> Friday, September 26th* -- Mickey's Halloween Party begins (7 p.m. - 12 a.m.) -- *SOLD OUT (as of Thursday, August 28, 2014)!!*
> 
> *Tuesday, September 30th* -- Mickey's Halloween Party (6 p.m. - 11 p.m.)
> 
> *Friday, October 3rd* -- Mickey's Halloween Party (7 p.m. - 12 a.m.) -- *SOLD OUT (as of Friday, August 22, 2014)!!*
> 
> *Monday, October 6th* -- Mickey's Halloween Party (6 p.m. - 11 p.m.) -- *SOLD OUT (as of Tuesday, September 30, 2014)!!*
> 
> *Wednesday, October 8th* -- Mickey's Halloween Party (6 p.m. - 11 p.m.) -- *SOLD OUT (as of Monday, September 29, 2014)!!*
> 
> *Friday, October 10th* -- Mickey's Halloween Party (7 p.m. - 12 a.m.) -- *SOLD OUT (as of Thursday, September 18, 2014)!!*
> 
> *Tuesday, October 14th* -- Mickey's Halloween Party (6 p.m. - 11 p.m.) -- *SOLD OUT (as of Friday, September 26, 2014)!!*
> 
> *Friday, October 17th* -- Mickey's Halloween Party (7 p.m. - 12 a.m.) -- *SOLD OUT (as of Monday, September 22, 2014)!!*
> 
> *Monday, October 20th* -- Mickey's Halloween Party (6 p.m. - 11 p.m.) -- *SOLD OUT (as of Tuesday, September 30, 2014)!!*
> 
> *Wednesday, October 22nd* -- Mickey's Halloween Party (6 p.m. - 11 p.m.) -- *SOLD OUT (as of Friday, October 3, 2014)!!*
> 
> *Friday, October 24th* -- Mickey's Halloween Party (7 p.m. - 12 a.m.) -- *SOLD OUT (as of Monday, September 22, 2014)!!*
> 
> *Monday, October 27th* -- Mickey's Halloween Party (6 p.m. - 11 p.m.) -- *SOLD OUT (as of Friday, October 3, 2014)!!*
> 
> *Wednesday, October 29th* -- Mickey's Halloween Party (6 p.m. - 11 p.m.) -- *SOLD OUT (as of Wednesday, October 8, 2014)!!*
> 
> *Friday, October 31st* -- Mickey's Halloween Party (7 p.m. - 12 a.m.) -- *SOLD OUT (as of Thursday, September 11, 2014)!!*



Thank you


----------



## mgd

I think some people are worried tickets sell out as soon as they are available.  Please look at the records from last year posted above, and be comforted to know that you should have at least a month to purchase after release before sellouts happen.  So I wouldn't wait until late august to buy if you know you are going, but chances are you will have a lot of time, definitely more than a few days after release, so no need to set your alarms, etc...


----------



## Priory

After obsessing over getting these dates for weeks, I gleefully pulled out my October trip planning calendar. As I stared at it, I realized this info is meaningless to me until all the other places post their dates. Lol. Still glad it's out though!


----------



## Serial

mgd said:


> I think some people are worried tickets sell out as soon as they are available.  Please look at the records from last year posted above, and be comforted to know that you should have at least a month to purchase after release before sellouts happen.  So I wouldn't wait until late august to buy if you know you are going, but chances are you will have a lot of time, definitely more than a few days after release, so no need to set your alarms, etc...



Last year, I read about MHP tickets being resold for crazy amounts. Quite frankly, I'm worried about scalpers buying up bulk amounts of tickets -- especially for 10/31, which is really the only date on which my family can attend. Is that a valid concern?


----------



## Sherry E

lorijohnhill said:


> Good point, I will edit...



Thank you!

I wouldn't worry about it too much.  Honestly, this thread will move quickly and last year's sell out info will be lost in the shuffle and need to be posted again, OR the new dates will begin selling out and we will forget about last year.  In any case, I've got the old sell out info saved in case it needs to be referenced after I get page 1 edited.


Just remember, everyone, to let me know if you notice that a date has sold out on the DLR website, so I can add in the bold, red sell out info to Page 1!


----------



## justkeepswimmin

Does anyone have last year's price info?  Been a few years since I've gone and we are thinking of going for my daughter's 16th birthday.   Want to get an idea of costs.   I am a DVC member so I think there is a small discount.    Thank you!


----------



## kylie71

So, I will be at the park on the 11th, until we have to leave for the airport at 3pm...
I will get to photograph the decorations "colliding!  So cool!!!!!

--Lori


----------



## tlovesdis

So happy for all of you waiting for party dates, but a little bummed it's starting on the 11th. We planned Sept 11-14 thinking it would still be quiet and be before the halloween festivities begin.  I hope it's not too crazy that weekend!


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## pudinhd

Happy Wednesday!!  

I noticed the Disney Blog finally posted the information, but it showed up BELOW a post that had been online earlier.  (I hope this makes sense!)

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...he-disneyland-resort-september-11-november-1/


----------



## Sherry E

justkeepswimmin said:


> Does anyone have last year's price info?  Been a few years since I've gone and we are thinking of going for my daughter's 16th birthday.   Want to get an idea of costs.   I am a DVC member so I think there is a small discount.    Thank you!



The prices and all 2014 info can be found in the MHP FAQ post on page 1 (3rd post down) - http://www.disboards.com/threads/ha...ut-halloween-time-2015.3270919/#post-51326916.  

I am holding off on changing the info to 2015, but will be changing it within the next hour or two.



pudinhd said:


> Happy Wednesday!!
> 
> I noticed the Disney Blog finally posted the information, but it showed up BELOW a post that had been online earlier.  (I hope this makes sense!)
> 
> http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...he-disneyland-resort-september-11-november-1/



I thought I was imagining it when I noticed that the Halloween post was under another one I had just been reading (about Shanghai).  I thought that my browser was doing weird things.


----------



## RobertaMomof2

Wooo whooo they are having it on the 25th!  I need to get tickets for that day since it is the only day we are there and they are having a MHP.  Hoping since it is the first day it isn't a nightmare...   So excited.


----------



## Sherry E

I'm so glad the start of Halloween Time is not going to interfere with my jury duty!  I was totally, completely, utterly wrong for the last couple of years in thinking that Disney would not start Halloween Time on 9/11 -- but I don't mind being wrong at all, because at least my stupid jury duty won't be happening on that specific date!   

Now, if the weather can just stay at a nice, reasonable temperature in September and not soar up to 100+ degrees... 

What I am wondering, though, is why they are not beginning the Halloween Party earlier in September -- like closer to when Halloween Time begins?  Why not start it on 9/18?    They certainly did not add in an "extra 2 weeks of parties," as was reported by MiceAge last year.  They only added in 3 extra parties from last year's 14 parties.


----------



## mummabear

Oct 29th party here we come!


----------



## mgd

Serial said:


> Last year, I read about MHP tickets being resold for crazy amounts. Quite frankly, I'm worried about scalpers buying up bulk amounts of tickets -- especially for 10/31, which is really the only date on which my family can attend. Is that a valid concern?



I'm not an authority on it so I should probably stop posting like I am , just going off of last year's info, but it looks like 10/31 didn't sell out until Sept 11.  High priced resales probably didn't happen until after that.  Anyone really worried should buy as soon as they know which dates they will go to, but I am just saying I think all tickets should be available for normal prices directly from disney for at least a few days after release, possibly a month or more.


----------



## kaoden39

I'm so excited!! We actually get to be there during Halloween in the parks!! This has been something I have wanted to do in forever!! I don't mind there not being the party while we're there. I'm a Villain girl and I'm going to get to see some!! This is so exciting!!


----------



## Mommy2PrincessAbby

The prices are up... And judging by the prices, the 27th (Tuesday) is potentially going to be a busier party than the 25th (Sunday) which goes against my gut instinct... There are no discounts for the 27th and there are for the 25th, which tells me that Disney expects more people to want to go to the Tuesday party.


----------



## mgd

Sherry E said:


> What I am wondering, though, is why they are not beginning the Halloween Party earlier in September -- like closer to when Halloween Time begins?  Why not start it on 9/18?    They certainly did not add in an "extra 2 weeks of parties," as was reported by MiceAge last year.  They only added in 3 extra parties from last year's 14 parties.



Dapper Day and solar convention?


----------



## kaoden39

mgd said:


> Dapper Day and solar convention?



This was my guess too!!


----------



## haileymarie92

Also quick note for those interested in seeing the Hatbox Ghost on Haunted Mansion, per Erin he will be included in the NBC overlay!!


----------



## justkeepswimmin

Sherry E said:


> The prices and all 2014 info can be found in the MHP FAQ post on page 1 (3rd post down) - http://www.disboards.com/threads/ha...ut-halloween-time-2015.3270919/#post-51326916.
> 
> I am holding off on changing the info to 2015, but will be changing it within the next hour or two.



Thank you!


----------



## kylie71

Last Nov when we we're there for Thanksgiving it was in the 90's no joke! I brought 1 pair of shorts, on a whim, and had to wash them out at night....... it was CRAZY hot!

Are you going during Halloween Sherry?

--Lori


----------



## Sherry E

I was wrong about the 9/11 start date  -- BUT I was RIGHT about the Hatbox Ghost remaining in the mansion for Haunted Mansion Holiday!!!  I was right about something!  Woohoo!  



By the way, everyone, now that the dust is settling a bit and I can focus more on the details of today's big news, let me highlight a couple of interesting differences in the MHP dates this year:

1) There will be a party on Columbus Day (Monday, October 12th this year) -- which is normally not the case!; and

2) There is a Sunday night party -- which never happens -- on October 25th!!!  I knew that there would have to be a Saturday party, as Halloween is on a Saturday --but the Sunday party was a surprise!


​


----------



## violentlyserene

The dates work perfect for us.  I'm glad there is still most of the Halloween stuff but am super disappointed about the cavalcade. We never had any intention of seeing paint the night. We are going specifically for Halloween while the twins are don't need tickets but are old enough to get what's happening. while the 60th events are nice, it's largely irrelevant to us. For us, the party and Halloween is the once in a lifetime event.

Thanks all for the weather info. I may bring two costumes and see how the day is going. I was a bit aghast at the idea of a knee length Belle dress but it's starting to sound better and better.

I checked the site info and the description of events mentions Paint the Night and not the cavalcade. So so disappointed.


----------



## Geemo

...Disney...





Thank you!!!

Looks like we will be able to attend a Wednesday Party.


----------



## Sherry E

violentlyserene said:


> The dates work perfect for us.  I'm glad there is still most of the Halloween stuff but am super disappointed about the cavalcade. We never had any intention of seeing paint the night. We are going specifically for Halloween while the twins are don't need tickets but are old enough to get what's happening. while the 60th events are nice, it's largely irrelevant to us. For us, the party and Halloween is the once in a lifetime event.
> 
> Thanks all for the weather info. I may bring two costumes and see how the day is going. I was a bit aghast at the idea of a knee length Belle dress but it's starting to sound better and better.
> 
> I checked the site info and the description of events mentions Paint the Night and not the cavalcade. So so disappointed.



To be honest, I am kind of surprised at how they are handling the Paint the Night issue.  I knew that the 60th entertainment was going to conflict somehow with the Halloween party entertainment, or vice versa.  I am a bit surprised that Paint the Night -- which is currently available to everyone without an extra party ticket -- is going to be a selling point for a hard ticket Halloween Party.  I mean, the Cavalcade was not much of a spectacle, but it was still a party exclusive, and specific to Halloween.   People are paying for Halloween-specific entertainment.  Paint the Night is available to the general public.

And I agree about Halloween -- as I mentioned earlier, I realize that the 60th is once in a lifetime for many people, but there are inevitably people for whom Halloween Time AND the Holiday season will be a once in a lifetime trip, and to have any of the seasonal activities interrupted is going to make those holiday celebrations a little 'thinner.'


----------



## FireflyTrance

If we want to go on Oct 31st, do you think we will be able to purchase the tickets on July 29th? Do any of the tickets ever sell out before being made available to the general public?


----------



## GusGus77

So how scary is space mountain with the Halloween overlay? DS, 4 1/2, has been wanting to ride space mountain as he is tall enough and I was hoping he would have a chance to ride it before Halloween, but we do not arrive until the 10th so that will not be happening. We have never been there at Halloween before....


----------



## lorijohnhill

GusGus77 said:


> So how scary is space mountain with the Halloween overlay? DS, 4 1/2, has been wanting to ride space mountain as he is tall enough and I was hoping he would have a chance to ride it before Halloween, but we do not arrive until the 10th so that will not be happening. We have never been there at Halloween before....


It's hard to say. It scared the heck out of my 8 yr old daughter, who does not scare easily. It took quite a bit of convincing to get her onto the regular Space Mountain ride, which she loved. She absolutely refuses to go on the Halloween version again.


----------



## Sherry E

FireflyTrance said:


> If we want to go on Oct 31st, do you think we will be able to purchase the tickets on July 29th? Do any of the tickets ever sell out before being made available to the general public?



I think you'll be fine getting the tickets on 7/29.  Of course, never say never, but I don't _think_ that the Halloween night tickets will sell out quite that fast.

I have not changed the info in this MHP FAQ post yet, to reflect the 2015 details, as I know that it is currently needed for reference - http://www.disboards.com/threads/ha...015-info-is-finally-in.3270919/#post-51326916

That post has all of the info as to when last year's parties sold out, and also when they went on sale to the general public and AP holders, etc.  I will be changing it to reflect the 2015 info soon, though.


----------



## tkitty

September 30th for us! We just booked 3 nights at Peacock Suites. Woo hoo! Excited to go with my daughter and grandkids. This will be the first trip for my new (adopted) 2 1/2 year old grandson. He is autistic and doesn't say many words but, he now says Mickey Mouse! You're welcome.


----------



## Speechphi

So excited that the days are posted! Now we just need to finalize our plans 

We were originally planning on going Fri 10/16 - Sun 10/18, but I think that's the UEA weekend? And we don't get an AP discount for the Fri party...but I only have to take Fri off of work. Then thought about going to a Mon party, but would have to take Mon & Tues off of work. Now with a Sun party...I could get away with just being out on Monday...yay!

Decisions, decisions...and of course dh is on conference calls all day!


----------



## jessicaerv

Mommy2PrincessAbby said:


> The prices are up... And judging by the prices, the 27th (Tuesday) is potentially going to be a busier party than the 25th (Sunday) which goes against my gut instinct... There are no discounts for the 27th and there are for the 25th, which tells me that Disney expects more people to want to go to the Tuesday party.



Where did you see the prices? I went to the Special Event Ticket page and didn't see anything.  Can you share if there is an increase from last year's pricing?


----------



## Speechphi

jessicaerv said:


> Where did you see the prices? I went to the Special Event Ticket page and didn't see anything.  Can you share if there is an increase from last year's pricing?



the prices are here
https://disneyland.disney.go.com/events-tours/mickeys-halloween-party/
on the Halloween party page


----------



## CaliGrrl

Prices went up quite a bit for some nights.  Last year the first 2 Friday night parties were $56 with an AP/DVC/Disney Visa discount.  This year they are $69 for the first Friday and $77 for the second Friday.  I would say that is a pretty significant jump!


----------



## jessicaerv

Speechphi said:


> the prices are here
> https://disneyland.disney.go.com/events-tours/mickeys-halloween-party/
> on the Halloween party page



Thanks!


----------



## Meriweather

When do you think tickets will go on sale?


----------



## RichP1269

Meriweather said:


> When do you think tickets will go on sale?



The 22nd for Passholders, DVC Members and Disney Visa Holders.

The 29th for the general public.


----------



## Speechphi

Meriweather said:


> When do you think tickets will go on sale?



the website says 7/22 for APs, 7/29 for everyone else

I don't see where DVC or visa gets advance ticket sales, but I could be mistaken

https://disneyland.disney.go.com/events-tours/mickeys-halloween-party/


----------



## RichP1269

Speechphi said:


> the website says 7/22 for APs, 7/29 for everyone else
> 
> I don't see where DVC or visa gets advance ticket sales, but I could be mistaken
> 
> https://disneyland.disney.go.com/events-tours/mickeys-halloween-party/



Erin mentioned DVC and Visa on her blog.


----------



## Sherry E

Speechphi said:


> the website says 7/22 for APs, 7/29 for everyone else
> 
> I don't see where DVC or visa gets advance ticket sales, but I could be mistaken
> 
> https://disneyland.disney.go.com/events-tours/mickeys-halloween-party/



It says it in the Parks Blog today -- http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...he-disneyland-resort-september-11-november-1/

They always get advance sales too, but they usually have to purchase over the phone to get a discount whereas AP holders can purchase online.


----------



## bwang123

do they usually offer dvc discounts?


----------



## Sherry E

bwang123 said:


> do they usually offer dvc discounts?



Yes.  But as I mentioned above, DVC and Disney Visa people usually have to order over the phone to get the discounts applied, whereas AP holders can do it online.  There is lots more info about how it works in the MHP FAQ post on page 1 of this thread (post #3).  I am holding off on adding in the 2015 dates and prices until things have settled down a bit, but you can use that post as a guideline for how things worked with the discounts, etc.


----------



## Speechphi

Sherry E said:


> It says it in the Parks Blog today -- http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...he-disneyland-resort-september-11-november-1/
> 
> They always get advance sales too, but they usually have to purchase over the phone to get a discount whereas AP holders can purchase online.



thank you for clarifying Sherry   I knew it was somewhere, but couldn't find it (haven't opened the blog yet).


----------



## honicakes

So does this mean it is safe to assume that Space Mountain and HM will be open with their overlays by the 11th? We planned our first trip to DL for the 13-16th hoping for lower crowds, but I'd hate for either of those to be closed on our trip.


----------



## Kilala

This is great! I can finally can my friend from Christine the dates. She wants to go twice with me. I do want to go to the second party since it's not that crowded. Last year it didn't even sold out.


----------



## Sherry E

honicakes said:


> So does this mean it is safe to assume that Space Mountain and HM will be open with their overlays by the 11th? We planned our first trip to DL for the 13-16th hoping for lower crowds, but I'd hate for either of those to be closed on our trip.



Yes -- both of those ride overlays are integral to the Halloween Time season and have to be open when Halloween Time begins.  They'll be open.


----------



## kkmcan

I have been checking this thread almost daily for a few weeks now in anticipation of the release of party info.  Its good and bad.  There is a party on the Friday Oct 2nd just as there is every year now for a few years but..... the price went way up!! Last year we bought these tickets with our Disney Visa for $56. This year there is no discount for that night. That's $80 more for my family of 4.  I think we might skip the party this year. We've done the party just about every year since it was in DCA.  Maybe we don't need to do it again this year. what to do? what to do?  I know for sure we'll be there for the weekend and either doing a 2 day parkhopper or a 2 day one park per day ticket.  Just not sure about the party.


----------



## Kilala

I sent my friend the info and hopefully she can go on two days. I do plan on going on the  Monday, Sept. 28 party. I will be wearing my Halloween cat costume. I will be wearing the Demeter costume I will be starting on today. I will be posting my Electra costume from the Anime Expo today. I will hopefully be doing a photo shoot today in that costume.


----------



## Sherry E

kkmcan said:


> I have been checking this thread almost daily for a few weeks now in anticipation of the release of party info.  Its good and bad.  There is a party on the Friday Oct 2nd just as there is every year now for a few years but..... the price went way up!! Last year we bought these tickets with our Disney Visa for $56. This year there is no discount for that night. That's $80 more for my family of 4.  I think we might skip the party this year. We've done the party just about every year since it was in DCA.  Maybe we don't need to do it again this year. what to do? what to do?  I know for sure we'll be there for the weekend and either doing a 2 day parkhopper or a 2 day one park per day ticket.  Just not sure about the party.



The prices sure did go up!  And I realize that everyone wants to see Paint the Night, but... it is not a Halloween party exclusive.  Most likely it is going to run for the rest of the year --- including during the holiday season. So, essentially, MHP guests are paying more money for less Halloween-specific entertainment (with the loss of the Cavalcade).


----------



## LeahMLee

Does anyone know if I can use my Disney Savings Account to purchase party tickets?


----------



## tehvalerie

Am I reading Erin's post correctly that Disneyland Forever will be shown on non-party weeknights during Halloween season? This is the thing I've been most nervous about. We're flying out from the east coast and booked our trip a couple months ago when we caught an insane airfare deal. The only weekend night we'll be there is Friday, Oct. 2, so if they don't do the Forever fireworks on weeknights we wouldn't be able to see them!


----------



## Chelsea524

I am somewhat disappointed in the dates around our trip.  We are arriving midday on Sat 10/24 and was hoping a party was that night so we didn't use a full day pass for a half day.  And with two of the 3 days we were planning on having full days having parties, they just got cut to short days. One day we can just do the party in the evening and use a pass for our half day on Saturday, but I just don't know what to do.


----------



## haileymarie92

tehvalerie said:


> Am I reading Erin's post correctly that Disneyland Forever will be shown on non-party weeknights during Halloween season? This is the thing I've been most nervous about. We're flying out from the east coast and booked our trip a couple months ago when we caught an insane airfare deal. The only weekend night we'll be there is Friday, Oct. 2, so if they don't do the Forever fireworks on weeknights we wouldn't be able to see them!


I doubt that they will do Forever every day during the week. Remember it's still "off season" and fireworks are hardly ever everyday anyway. But maybe certain week days and weekends.


----------



## Vikesfan80

So I can assume the dates with the higher prices are the more popular dates?  Therefore, more crowded?  Was choosing between a Monday or Thursday, guess Ill go with a Monday.


----------



## jammyjam25

tehvalerie said:


> Am I reading Erin's post correctly that Disneyland Forever will be shown on non-party weeknights during Halloween season? This is the thing I've been most nervous about. We're flying out from the east coast and booked our trip a couple months ago when we caught an insane airfare deal. The only weekend night we'll be there is Friday, Oct. 2, so if they don't do the Forever fireworks on weeknights we wouldn't be able to see them!



That's how I read it as well, and I'm hoping it's true! Our trip is midweek (T-F) and Friday is a MHP date so no chance to catch Forever that night for us. If it's not running nightly we won't be seeing it this trip!


----------



## Talldewy

Question;

We have reservations at one of the DLR properties for the time period when one of the MHP is scheduled.  We also have AP's that as of yet have NOT been activated.

Is it possible to order tickets to the MHP through guest services at the hotel, ie charge them to our hotel bill as if they were regular tickets and will they apply the AP discount even though those are not yet active (AP's will be activated on this visit)?

Thank you all for any information in this direction.


----------



## Manapua

How do you guys think the crowds will be for PTN on party nights - better or worse than a regular night?


----------



## Sherry E

LeahMLee said:


> Does anyone know if I can use my Disney Savings Account to purchase party tickets?



You know, that is a really, really great question -- and it's one that I don't think any of us have an answer to because it didn't apply last year, when MHP tickets were on sale (that I am aware of).  I'll be honest, I don't know all the inner workings of the Vacation/Savings accounts and how the funds can be applied.  I would have to think that it could be used on something like an MHP ticket, but I honestly don't know.   It's good information to have!   That might be a good question to post under Erin's Blog from today.  Maybe she would know.



tehvalerie said:


> Am I reading Erin's post correctly that Disneyland Forever will be shown on non-party weeknights during Halloween season? This is the thing I've been most nervous about. We're flying out from the east coast and booked our trip a couple months ago when we caught an insane airfare deal. The only weekend night we'll be there is Friday, Oct. 2, so if they don't do the Forever fireworks on weeknights we wouldn't be able to see them!



What Erin posted could be interpreted a couple of different ways.  She could mean that (hopefully) Disneyland Forever will be presented on all non-party nights (including earlier weeknights, which is what happened with Halloween Screams in 2009 -- it ran every single night, all season long).  Or she could mean that Disneyland Forever will be presented on any night that would normally have fireworks (Fridays-Saturdays-Sundays) and that is not an MHP night.

My guess is that Disney got some sort of allowance for the fireworks to run on a more extended schedule in the off season this year.  It's not something they can do all the time, every year, but I think they probably pulled some strings with the City to be able to run fireworks more often this year, on certain nights when they would not ordinarily run them.


----------



## Meemoo

Yes, its all announced, although I can't see prices. The particular week I am there has a party on thursday, friday and sunday night. I really hope this doesn't mean I will only have 1 saturday night to experience the fireworks and fantasmic, was hoping to see the fire works in a couple of spots. My only trip in 10 years....be nice if they could release a schedule of what will happen around those dates.


----------



## Sherry E

Talldewy said:


> Question;
> 
> We have reservations at one of the DLR properties for the time period when one of the MHP is scheduled.  We also have AP's that as of yet have NOT been activated.
> 
> Is it possible to order tickets to the MHP through guest services at the hotel, ie charge them to our hotel bill as if they were regular tickets and will they apply the AP discount even though those are not yet active (AP's will be activated on this visit)?
> 
> Thank you all for any information in this direction.



Another good question.  You can definitely add the tickets to your hotel bill, and there have been mixed reports on whether or not you can get discounted tickets before your AP has been activated.  But ordering them through the hotel before the AP has been activated is a new one -- I don't think anyone has ever asked that!    That might be one that you have to ask the hotel.  Call them and ask.  My inclination is that you won't be able to get discounted tickets before your AP is activated, but I could be wrong.



Meemoo said:


> Yes, its all announced, although I can't see prices. The particular week I am there has a party on thursday, friday and sunday night. I really hope this doesn't mean I will only have 1 saturday night to experience the fireworks and fantasmic, was hoping to see the fire works in a couple of spots. My only trip in 10 years....be nice if they could release a schedule of what will happen around those dates.



You can't see the prices?  They're on this page - https://disneyland.disney.go.com/ev...attheDisneylandResortSeptember11November10003


----------



## planningjollyholiday

Talldewy said:


> Question;
> 
> We have reservations at one of the DLR properties for the time period when one of the MHP is scheduled.  We also have AP's that as of yet have NOT been activated.
> 
> Is it possible to order tickets to the MHP through guest services at the hotel, ie charge them to our hotel bill as if they were regular tickets and will they apply the AP discount even though those are not yet active (AP's will be activated on this visit)?
> 
> Thank you all for any information in this direction.



My guess is that no you can't charge them to your room ahead of time. Whenever we have stayed onsite and added extras through vacation planning we have always been charged in full the day that it was bought. We were in your shoes last year in that we were going to have activated AP'S once we got there,  but not before. I was charged full price for the tour i booked,  but on the day of the tour i explained to the CM'S  that i actually had an AP. They refunded me the difference between the regular tour rate and the AP tour rate with no problems.


----------



## seobaina

How many tickets can an ap holder buy?


----------



## Sherry E

seobaina said:


> How many tickets can an ap holder buy?



Up to 8 tickets (unless something has changed this year).  I've got it referenced under Question #9, here - http://www.disboards.com/threads/ha...015-info-is-finally-in.3270919/#post-51326916.


----------



## seobaina

tehvalerie said:


> Am I reading Erin's post correctly that Disneyland Forever will be shown on non-party weeknights during Halloween season? This is the thing I've been most nervous about. We're flying out from the east coast and booked our trip a couple months ago when we caught an insane airfare deal. The only weekend night we'll be there is Friday, Oct. 2, so if they don't do the Forever fireworks on weeknights we wouldn't be able to see them!




I'm hoping this too, it would make my life easier x



Sherry E said:


> Up to 8 tickets (unless something has changed this year).  I've got it referenced under Question #9, here - http://www.disboards.com/threads/ha...015-info-is-finally-in.3270919/#post-51326916.




Thank you. Sorry I missed that x


----------



## mom2rtk

I'm really disappointed that they won't have a costume cavalcade. I was just adjusting to accepting the fact that they don't do a full parade like they do at WDW, and now this. Why would I use time to stake out a spot to see Paint the Night if I could see it another night?

I assumed all along I would be buying tickets for 2 nights. Now I might have to rethink that.


----------



## Sherry E

mom2rtk said:


> I'm really disappointed that they won't have a costume cavalcade. I was just adjusting to accepting the fact that they don't do a full parade like they do at WDW, and now this. Why would I use time to stake out a spot to see Paint the Night if I could see it another night?
> 
> I assumed all along I would be buying tickets for 2 nights. Now I might have to rethink that.



It would be helpfu if Erin could clarify whether or not PtN is going to run on non-party nights.  She only addressed Disneyland Forever in her blog, and even that was not 100% clear.


----------



## mom2rtk

Sherry E said:


> It would be helpfu if Erin could clarify whether or not PtN is going to run on non-party nights.  She only addressed Disneyland Forever in her blog, and even that was not 100% clear.


 

I just can't imagine them making it a party exclusive that time of year. I think they'd have mutiny on their hands.

It would be fun though if they'd add some Halloween elements to PTN.


----------



## dolphingirl47

I could have sworn that the info gets released while I was out of town. Still, it could have been released on the weekend when I am out of the country.

I have breathed the sigh of relief. In theory I have three parties to choose from, but I don't think the Wednesday party (September 30th) will work for me as I am flying to Orlando the next morning and have an early flight. So I am going to go with September 25th and 28th if possible. I am actually OK with Paint the Night being shown. I did not see the Costume Calvacade during the two parties that I went to in 2011 and I had no intention to see it this year. I have not heard much positive about this and I will get to see the Boo To You Parade at WDW the week after. I am glad that the Hatbox Ghost will be included and I love the sound of sparkly Halloween decorations.

Corinna


----------



## iKristin

Woohoo!!! I'm gonna go October 13th


----------



## LeahMLee

Sherry E said:


> You know, that is a really, really great question -- and it's one that I don't think any of us have an answer to because it didn't apply last year, when MHP tickets were on sale (that I am aware of).  I'll be honest, I don't know all the inner workings of the Vacation/Savings accounts and how the funds can be applied.  I would have to think that it could be used on something like an MHP ticket, but I honestly don't know.   It's good information to have!   That might be a good question to post under Erin's Blog from today.  Maybe she would know.
> 
> 
> 
> What Erin posted could be interpreted a couple of different ways.  She could mean that (hopefully) Disneyland Forever will be presented on all non-party nights (including earlier weeknights, which is what happened with Halloween Screams in 2009 -- it ran every single night, all season long).  Or she could mean that Disneyland Forever will be presented on any night that would normally have fireworks (Fridays-Saturdays-Sundays) and that is not an MHP night.
> 
> My guess is that Disney got some sort of allowance for the fireworks to run on a more extended schedule in the off season this year.  It's not something they can do all the time, every year, but I think they probably pulled some strings with the City to be able to run fireworks more often this year, on certain nights when they would not ordinarily run them.



Thank you


----------



## RobertaMomof2

Just to confirm.  My mom wants to go JUST for the MHP night.  I don't need to purchase her a regular park ticket + MHP ticket correct?  I just need to purchase the MHP ticket and we can go in at 4pm (since the one we are going to starts at 7pm that night).  She is stressed about spending too much money, so she might go if she finds out I only have to purchase the MHP ticket...Thank you!

ETA:  Me and the kids are AP holders, so not a problem for us, just my mom.


----------



## JenKate

Critique my plan please, Sherry and all other knowledgeable Disneylanders. 

31 of us will be invading from October 21-24.  We have 2 day tickets.  I was hoping for a party on the 21st, as we'll all be in Anaheim and ready to head to a party by 2 or so, but that didn't happen.

SO - my new plan is:
Wednesday October 21st - enjoy vacation house/pool, maybe sightsee or hit the beach
Thursday October 22nd - lounge around, sightsee, whatever, MHP @ 3:00
Friday - DCA
Saturday - Disneyland (we're almost guaranteed Forever this night right?)

I think this seems like the most logical schedule.  Friday DCA will probably be open later than Disneyland because of the party, right?


----------



## mom2rtk

JenKate said:


> Saturday - Disneyland (we're almost guaranteed Forever this night right?)



While it's a safe bet it will be on the schedule, keep in mind there is always a chance of cancellation if winds are too strong.


----------



## Kilala

Do you know yet if Toon Town will and Thunder ranch be open for the party this year?


----------



## Meriweather

RichP1269 said:


> The 22nd for Passholders, DVC Members and Disney Visa Holders.
> 
> The 29th for the general public.



Great.....22nd is marked on my calendar!!


----------



## wdwfan22

There will be 3 parties while we are there. Can't decide if we should go to 1 or 2 parties. How late can I make a dining reservation if we are not staying for the party? Thinking of Café Orleans where we can sit outside and maybe see party stuff (like costumes and maybe a foggy Rivers of America) for a while. I know we will have to leave directly when we are done eating.  That's fine!


----------



## FireflyTrance

I also have a Disney Vacation savings account and I wondered the same thing. I know you can use the account to get gift cards, but I would like to buy the Halloween tickets directly from the account. I will attempt to call in to do it once tickets are on sale and report back.


----------



## Sherry E

RobertaMomof2 said:


> Just to confirm.  My mom wants to go JUST for the MHP night.  I don't need to purchase her a regular park ticket + MHP ticket correct?  I just need to purchase the MHP ticket and we can go in at 4pm (since the one we are going to starts at 7pm that night).  She is stressed about spending too much money, so she might go if she finds out I only have to purchase the MHP ticket...Thank you!
> 
> ETA:  Me and the kids are AP holders, so not a problem for us, just my mom.



Correct -- if you're going to a 7 p.m. party, then you should still be allowed to enter the park at 4 p.m.  Your mom would only need the MHP ticket to enter Disneyland at 4 p.m.  She would not need another park ticket unless she wanted to go in before 4 p.m.



Kilala said:


> Do you know yet if Toon Town will and Thunder ranch be open for the party this year?



I don't think we will find that out for a while.  We will have to keep an eye on the calendar and watch for any early closures for Toontown.  In fact, Erin didn't even mention the Halloween Carnival as being part of Halloween Time in her blog.  So I am hoping the Carnival is back this year.  She didn't mention the Pumpkin Festival on Main Street either, but those pumpkins are too important to the season to not have them there.


----------



## wdwfan22

Sherry beat me to it!! Haha!



RobertaMomof2 said:


> Just to confirm.  My mom wants to go JUST for the MHP night.  I don't need to purchase her a regular park ticket + MHP ticket correct?  I just need to purchase the MHP ticket and we can go in at 4pm (since the one we are going to starts at 7pm that night).  She is stressed about spending too much money, so she might go if she finds out I only have to purchase the MHP ticket...Thank you!
> 
> ETA:  Me and the kids are AP holders, so not a problem for us, just my mom.



That's correct. It has been common knowledge that people can get in early before the party. I'm not sure if it has been official before, but the Disney site confirms in this year stating that party guests can go in the park up to 3 hours before the official start of the party.


----------



## SDGal

Everyone beat me to it!



RobertaMomof2 said:


> Just to confirm.  My mom wants to go JUST for the MHP night.  I don't need to purchase her a regular park ticket + MHP ticket correct?  I just need to purchase the MHP ticket and we can go in at 4pm (since the one we are going to starts at 7pm that night).  She is stressed about spending too much money, so she might go if she finds out I only have to purchase the MHP ticket...Thank you!
> 
> ETA:  Me and the kids are AP holders, so not a problem for us, just my mom.



I'm not an expert by any means, but that is correct. She doesn't need an extra park admission. In fact, that is what I have done in the past for  parties. Sleep in, go to the park at 4 and then get 8 hours of park time in for $30 less than regular ticket price!


----------



## Sherry E

wdwfan22 said:


> Sherry beat me to it!! Haha!
> 
> 
> 
> That's correct. It has been common knowledge that people can get in early before the party. I'm not sure if it has been official before, but the Disney site confirms in this year stating that party guests can go in the park up to 3 hours before the official start of the party.



It's always been official.   People who go to 6 p.m. parties can enter at 3 p.m., and the 7 p.m. partyers can enter DL at 4 p.m.


----------



## Meemoo

When it says on Erin's blog, 'Disneyland Forever' fireworks will be presented on non-Halloween party nights - does this mean it will be nightly not just on the weekends?


----------



## Metalliman98

Meemoo said:


> When it says on Erin's blog, 'Disneyland Forever' fireworks will be presented on non-Halloween party nights - does this mean it will be nightly not just on the weekends?



I'd like to know that too. Right now we are staying su-sa with parties m, w, f, so if DF is not every non-party night, the only chance we'd have to see it would be Sunday night when we arrive.


----------



## Lewdannie

Meemoo said:


> When it says on Erin's blog, 'Disneyland Forever' fireworks will be presented on non-Halloween party nights - does this mean it will be nightly not just on the weekends?


God I hope so.

I am glad the dates are announced.  Unfortunately we had no intention of attending the Halloween nights and as we have only 3 nights at the resort, 2 of them are now blocked with parties.  Looks like we might miss Fantasmic (unless they do 2 shows).  My wife told me to stop being so spoiled, and she is right, we have 10 Days at WDW and 4 days at DL.  First world problems.


----------



## RobertaMomof2

Thanks so much for answering my question!  Now to talk my mom into going since it isn't as expensive.  HA HA HA


----------



## courtneybeth

mom2rtk said:


> I'm really disappointed that they won't have a costume cavalcade. I was just adjusting to accepting the fact that they don't do a full parade like they do at WDW, and now this. Why would I use time to stake out a spot to see Paint the Night if I could see it another night?.



This is exactly how I felt when I read the news! The only advantage I could see is that the parade routes get super busy crowded early and it could be an advantage to see it on a night where the park is limited in attendance. We love trick or treating and seeing the costume parade - it's not as great as WDW's version but at least it was something. Oh well.


----------



## mommy2mrb

yay so excited party on October 2nd!


----------



## Starlight821

Hi. I'm new here.  My family is going to be in Disneyland for the first time October 24th - 28th.  There are parties on Sunday the 25th and Tuesday the 27th.  Which one would everyone guess would be less crowded?  I expect huge crowds, but I was thinking a party in the middle of the week might be a little less busy.  However, the Tuesday party costs more, so are they expecting more attendance for that party or is it just more because it is closer to Halloween?


----------



## adalsolica

Yeessss! Erin did just confirm that fireworks are happening every non-party  night during Halloween time!!! She cautioned that the schedule could always change though.


----------



## Sherry E

adalsolica said:


> Yeessss! Erin did just confirm that fireworks are happening every non-party  night during Halloween time!!! She cautioned that the schedule could always change though.



All nights, with the exception of September 10th!

And that is one more thing that I was right about (I was wrong about the start date of the season, so I have to count my wins as well as my losses!) -- while lots of people have said on this forum that they figured the fireworks would be scaled back to regular off season schedules this year (not nightly, in other words),  I said that it was possible that the fireworks would be extended this year, to run every night (just as they did in 2009, with Halloween Screams).  This is a special year, so I had a feeling an exception would be made to the usual off season schedule.



Starlight821 said:


> Hi. I'm new here.  My family is going to be in Disneyland for the first time October 24th - 28th.  There are parties on Sunday the 25th and Tuesday the 27th.  Which one would everyone guess would be less crowded?  I expect huge crowds, but I was thinking a party in the middle of the week might be a little less busy.  However, the Tuesday party costs more, so are they expecting more attendance for that party or is it just more because it is closer to Halloween?



This is the first time for Mickey's Halloween Party that there has been a Sunday night event.  So there is no telling what kinds of crowds there would be.  The next day would be a work day, so I am inclined to think people will clear out a little earlier.  Yes, I think the Tuesday party is more expensive because it's closer to Halloween, and more people begin to show up several days before Halloween for a multi-day trip.

If they sell the same number of tickets to each night of the party (and I don't know if they do), and if each night sells out, then each night could be crowded at some point.  But, again, I am inclined to think that local party guests might leave early on Sunday, as they could have work or school the next day.  I think it's a toss-up, really.  Either date is probably fine, but Sunday is cheaper.


----------



## White Rose

Time to call ABD to see if party tickets are included, before we buy some!


----------



## tehvalerie

adalsolica said:


> Yeessss! Erin did just confirm that fireworks are happening every non-party  night during Halloween time!!! She cautioned that the schedule could always change though.



That was my question.  SUPER thrilled with her answer! We're planning on three park days, so we'll have one night for Disneyland Forever, one for WOC and one for the Halloween party!


----------



## lorijohnhill

Need opinions....

Which do you think will be better, crowd-wise. Monday 9/28 or Wednesday 9/30?

Does anyone happen to know if WDTC books airfare with Southwest?


----------



## Metalliman98

Sherry (or anyone else), do you happen to know how many tickets are sold per party?  Trying to figure out if it's worth it to go to two parties, one for Halloween stuff, one for easier ride access.  If parties are capped at a reasonable figure, probably, but if they are allowed to max out (80,000 or something), then I would figure not.


----------



## theluckyrabbit

There is no fixed number on party tickets sold. I've asked several CMs about this, and they all agree that the number can vary according to the day of the week (e.g. Tuesdays vs. Fridays), the proximity to Halloween itself, and the number of comp tickets given out. Rest assured that even a sold out party on the 31st itself is nowhere near 80,000 guests.


----------



## mummabear

GusGus77 said:


> So how scary is space mountain with the Halloween overlay? DS, 4 1/2, has been wanting to ride space mountain as he is tall enough and I was hoping he would have a chance to ride it before Halloween, but we do not arrive until the 10th so that will not be happening. We have never been there at Halloween before....



Do did it just before she turned 4 and was fine, we were lucky that she got to do it without the overlay first.
Our middle dd will just be tall enough this trip so she will do it, we played a game where we roared back at the ghosts



Speechphi said:


> the prices are here
> https://disneyland.disney.go.com/events-tours/mickeys-halloween-party/
> on the Halloween party page



Ouch $84!


----------



## ADLFAN

lorijohnhill said:


> Need opinions....
> 
> Which do you think will be better, crowd-wise. Monday 9/28 or Wednesday 9/30?



Wednesday because people will not include it in a long weekend trip like I suspect they do with Mondays.

Does anyone know if that means that the fireworks will stay every night till Labor Day and then in the short period before the official start of Halloween time?

I am tempted to plan SO MANY trips right now! Halloween, Christmas, Dapper Day next year...!


----------



## ACDSNY

Yay we finally have dates...now to choose between Sunday or Tuesday.


----------



## haileymarie92

So excited! We just booked our hotel!

Question...does anyone else use Disneyland Kennel Club? Wondering if they will stay open until the party is over...


----------



## Babysaurs

We are coming from Australia for the first time from sept 25th to oct 2nd we have the option of parties on the 25,28,30th sept. We will also have 5 day park hoppers for the other days. Is one party enough to do everything? Not so fussed about rides as we can do that other days, but mostly to see the villians? 
We will also be going to halloween things at seaworld, disney cruise line and legoland so it wont be our only halloween experience.


----------



## CallieMar

This is great!  We are going mid-September, just in time for the Halloween decorations to go up but before the parties start, AND we'll get fireworks every night (hopefully)!!!

Off-peak hours have historically been 10am-8pm, and sunset is at 7:19pm at the beginning of September.  If it takes approximately 30 minutes from sunset to full darkness, I wonder what time would they start fireworks on non-party weeknights?  Obviously this isn't an issue as we move further into fall and sunset starts earlier, but I am secretly hoping they will extend their weeknight hours


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## Meemoo

Does Disney typically extend the hours of California Adventure Park on the nights DL closes early for the parties? What time would they usually close mid week on a party night?


----------



## Sherry E

Metalliman98 said:


> Sherry (or anyone else), do you happen to know how many tickets are sold per party?  Trying to figure out if it's worth it to go to two parties, one for Halloween stuff, one for easier ride access.  If parties are capped at a reasonable figure, probably, but if they are allowed to max out (80,000 or something), then I would figure not.



You know, theluckyrabbit pointed out something I never thought much about -- comp tickets.  I would guess that certain nights have approximately the same number of tickets sold, but I don't think an official number has ever been released as to how many tickets are sold.  People seem to agree that some nights seem busier than others, even if they are all sold out.  So that could have to do with the number of tickets sold and comps. etc., or it could be that on some weeknights a lot of local guests leave early.



Babysaurs said:


> We are coming from Australia for the first time from sept 25th to oct 2nd we have the option of parties on the 25,28,30th sept. We will also have 5 day park hoppers for the other days. Is one party enough to do everything? Not so fussed about rides as we can do that other days, but mostly to see the villians?
> We will also be going to halloween things at seaworld, disney cruise line and legoland so it wont be our only halloween experience.



I think that each person's view may vary on the answer to this question.  I'll put it this way -- I don't think it's necessary to do two parties.  One party would be enough to have a good time, collect some candy at the treat stations, see the fireworks and parade and meet Villains.  However, if doing two parties is a viable option and something that wouldn't cause any hardship, then it might not be a bad idea to go to two parties.  It's not imperative, but it wouldn't hurt -- just to give you more time to see and do things.   Some people think one party is plenty, and others do 2 or 3 parties each year.



CallieMar said:


> This is great!  We are going mid-September, just in time for the Halloween decorations to go up but before the parties start, AND we'll get fireworks every night (hopefully)!!!
> 
> Off-peak hours have historically been 10am-8pm, and sunset is at 7:19pm at the beginning of September.  If it takes approximately 30 minutes from sunset to full darkness, I wonder what time would they start fireworks on non-party weeknights?  Obviously this isn't an issue as we move further into fall and sunset starts earlier, but I am secretly hoping they will extend their weeknight hours



You never know -- maybe they will extend them a little.  At this rate we don't know if Paint the Night is going to be running on non-party nights, so that could factor in to whether or not the hours are extended a wee bit as well.  Hopefully we will find that out very soon.



Meemoo said:


> Does Disney typically extend the hours of California Adventure Park on the nights DL closes early for the parties? What time would they usually close mid week on a party night?



California Adventure -- if I recall correctly -- should stay open at least a couple of hours beyond when Disneyland closes on MHP nights, and sometimes much longer than that.  Here are last year's schedules for September and October, and you can see California Adventure's hours on the nights that Disneyland closed at 6 p.m and 7 p.m.:

September 2014 - http://www.wdwinfo.com/disneyland/park-hours.cfm?month=9&year=2014

October 2014 - http://www.wdwinfo.com/disneyland/park-hours.cfm?month=10&year=2014



​


Okay, since today involved a flurry of activity and excitement about the long awaited Halloween Time/Halloween Party news, and many people have joined us, perhaps missing some of the key highlights along the way, I am going to sum them up here:


Halloween Time begins on Friday, September 11, 2015, and ends on Sunday, November 1, 2015;

Mickey's Halloween Party begins on Friday, September 25, 2015 (see full schedule and additional info here - http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...-disneyland-resort-september-11-november-1/);

This year there will be 17 Halloween Party nights (up from 14 parties in 2014), and prices have gone up rather significantly (see all dates and info here - https://disneyland.disney.go.com/events-tours/mickeys-halloween-party/);

Halloween Party tickets go on sale to AP holders, DVC members and Disney Visa card holders on Wednesday, July 22nd, while tickets go on sale to the general public on Wednesday, July 29th;

This year there will be no Costume Party Cavalcade at the Party; instead, Paint the Night will be the featured parade at MHP; Paint the Night will also run on all non-MHP nights as well, so it is not exclusive to the Halloween Party;

Halloween Screams fireworks will still be part of Mickey's Halloween Party;

Disneyland Forever fireworks will run on all non-party nights (including early weeknights) throughout Halloween Time, with the exception of Thursday, September 10th (which doesn't really count, as Halloween Time doesn't begin until 9/11);

There is a Halloween Party on Columbus Day this year (which never happens), as well as very rare Saturday and Sunday parties (Halloween night and October 25th, respectively);

We can expect "special sparkling Halloween decor in honor of the Disneyland Resort Diamond Celebration" this year, so it sounds like there will be some new Halloween decorations that somehow fit the Diamond theme; and

The Hatbox Ghost is going to stay in place for the Haunted Mansion Holiday overlay -- no one knows how he will be worked into the story, but he will be there!

Today I left the Mickey's Halloween Party Frequently Asked Questions post on page 1 as is, because it was needed for reference in order to answer certain questions (such as how quickly tickets sell out, etc.).  Right now it still has the 2014 dates and info in it.  Tomorrow I will change those dates to the 2015 dates (as well as revamp the Dates to Remember post on page 1 to include all party dates and significant events in September and October), but I will save the info about last year's sold out dates, in case we need it.   In the meantime, that FAQ post on page 1 (here - http://www.disboards.com/threads/ha...015-info-is-finally-in.3270919/#post-51326916) has a lot of answers to a lot of questions about MHP, so if you are new to the party and want to know what to expect, that's a great place to start!

​


----------



## CallieMar

Sherry E said:


> You never know -- maybe they will extend them a little. At this rate we don't know if Paint the Night is going to be running on non-party nights, so that could factor in to whether or not the hours are extended a wee bit as well. Hopefully we will find that out very soon.



You bring up a good point about Paint the Night and whether it will run on non-party nights.  A lot of people are asking that exact question on the Disney Park Blog, so hopefully they clarify soon.  It would be great if it did!  Since we are going next week (yay!!!) we will have many opportunities to see it, but I can see how others who are going on a once in a lifetime trip during Halloween season would be disappointed if going to one of the parties was not in their plans.  I personally really enjoy all the Halloween elements but do not care to go to the party, which is why we go when we do in mid-September.


----------



## whistlinmickey

LeahMLee said:


> Does anyone know if I can use my Disney Savings Account to purchase party tickets?





FireflyTrance said:


> I also have a Disney Vacation savings account and I wondered the same thing. I know you can use the account to get gift cards, but I would like to buy the Halloween tickets directly from the account. I will attempt to call in to do it once tickets are on sale and report back.



We used our Disney Vacation Account to purchase tickets for our family to attend Mickey's Halloween Party last year. We bought the tickets online. We just used the option to use a Disney Gift Card and entered the full 16-digit DVA account number in that field. Our order was confirmed in an email that included a link to a document that could be downloaded and printed or that could be displayed on a smart phone to be scanned at the park entrance. We also showed that same document to the attendant at the Toy Story parking lot for free parking. It was much easier than trying to enter several separate gift cards online or over the phone.


----------



## mummabear

Quick question: is tax additional to the ticket prices listed? And if so how much?


----------



## HopLow1968

Couple of questions...

Are there any issues with in-and-out privileges during the parties? We will be buying party tickets, but we also already have park hopper regular tickets. Presumably we can hop from the party at Disneyland to DCA and back again at will, correct?




I did a chat with a representative at Disneyparks.disney.go.com, who said that while the parks do shut down earlier on party days, they also open earlier so that guests who do not have party tickets have the same amount of hours in the park as they would if the party wasn't running. Can anybody confirm this?


Oh, and do they still run F! on Friday nights that are Party nights?


----------



## planningjollyholiday

HopLow1968 said:


> Couple of questions...
> 
> Are there any issues with in-and-out privileges during the parties? We will be buying party tickets, but we also already have park hopper regular tickets. Presumably we can hop from the party at Disneyland to DCA and back again at will, correct?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I did a chat with a representative at Disneyparks.disney.go.com, who said that while the parks do shut down earlier on party days, they also open earlier so that guests who do not have party tickets have the same amount of hours in the park as they would if the party wasn't running. Can anybody confirm this?


Yes you can leave the party and come back as long as you have your wristband on,  and probably a hand stamp. not sure why you would want to leave and go to DCA when you have paid to be at the party though. Not to mention DCA will be more crowded on party nights because lots of people don't buy tickets for the party and need a place to go. Seems like a bad plan.
yes disneyland opens earlier than normal on party days to make up for closing early.


----------



## HopLow1968

Disneyland opening early enough to compensate for a 6pm closure on Sunday the 25th might be a bit rough; doesn't DL usually stay open until Midnight on Sundays?


----------



## Meemoo

I'd be interested to know if tax is included in the prices too.


----------



## BobearQSI

CallieMar said:


> Off-peak hours have historically been 10am-8pm, and sunset is at 7:19pm at the beginning of September.  If it takes approximately 30 minutes from sunset to full darkness, I wonder what time would they start fireworks on non-party weeknights?  Obviously this isn't an issue as we move further into fall and sunset starts earlier, but I am secretly hoping they will extend their weeknight hours



In the past, the days before Labor Day the parks have been open later than 8pm.  The day after Labor Day, sunset is at 7:08pm and civil twilight ends at 7:33pm, so it should be dark enough.

Another option: World of Color regularly starts after park closing in the off-season (at 8:15).  The shops remain open for an hour after closing time, it is just the attractions that close.  So they could do something similar with the fireworks, starting them right at 8 or 8:15.


----------



## Meemoo

I am really on the fence as to whether I should purchase tickets for my family. Now there isn't a special Halloween parade, is the fireworks in itself worth attending for? I know it will be an experience, being from Australia, but we are attending Aulani's Halloween Party on the 31st and have a 10 day pass to DL for our entire stay.



BobearQSI said:


> In the past, the days before Labor Day the parks have been open later than 8pm.  The day after Labor Day, sunset is at 7:08pm and civil twilight ends at 7:33pm, so it should be dark enough.
> 
> Another option: World of Color regularly starts after park closing in the off-season (at 8:15).  The shops remain open for an hour after closing time, it is just the attractions that close.  So they could do something similar with the fireworks, starting them right at 8 or 8:15.



Does the same apply to California Adventure Park, as in the park closes at 8pm but do the shops and dining venues stay open an extra hour?


----------



## BobearQSI

CallieMar said:


> You bring up a good point about Paint the Night and whether it will run on non-party nights.  A lot of people are asking that exact question on the Disney Park Blog, so hopefully they clarify soon.  It would be great if it did!


The way the schedule runs now, the fireworks start within a few minutes after the parade finishes by Small World.  It's probably a good bet that Paint the Night will still run since the fireworks are running - but of course, it would be nice to have official confirmation!



Meemoo said:


> Does the same apply to California Adventure Park, as in the park closes at 8pm but do the shops and dining venues stay open an extra hour?


Actually, I don't think any dining stays open, but I could be wrong, I've never done dining that late before.  But yes, shops stay open at CA too.  It might not be all the shops, just the ones near the park entrance.  Hopefully someone else with more experience can give you an exact answer.



HopLow1968 said:


> Disneyland opening early enough to compensate for a 6pm closure on Sunday the 25th might be a bit rough; doesn't DL usually stay open until Midnight on Sundays?


It is not open the same number of hours earlier that it closes - generally just one hour earlier than normal. How about a couple examples?

2014:
Tuesday, Oct 8 (no party): Disneyland 9am to 9pm, with 8am early entry, California Adventure 9am to 8pm
Wednesday, Oct 8 (party): Disneyland 8am to 6pm, California Adventure 8am to 8pm with 7am early entry

Friday, Sept 19 (no party): Disneyland 9am to midnight, California Adventure 9am to 10pm with 8am early entry
Friday, Sept 26 (party): Disneyland 8am to 7pm, California Adventure 8am to 10pm with 7am early entry


----------



## adalsolica

CallieMar said:


> This is great!  We are going mid-September, just in time for the Halloween decorations to go up but before the parties start, AND we'll get fireworks every night (hopefully)!!!
> 
> Off-peak hours have historically been 10am-8pm, and sunset is at 7:19pm at the beginning of September.  If it takes approximately 30 minutes from sunset to full darkness, I wonder what time would they start fireworks on non-party weeknights?  Obviously this isn't an issue as we move further into fall and sunset starts earlier, but I am secretly hoping they will extend their weeknight hours



Agreed! We booked our September trip last November with the hope that we would catch that 'sweet spot' between the start of Halloween time and when the parties begin.  Like you, I will love seeing the Halloween décor/overlays, but am not interested in the parties.  I'm so happy with today's news.  We'll be in the parks Sept. 20-23rd.  I'm really happy to hear about the fireworks happening every night and anxiously awaiting news about PTN and possible extended hours! We're planning to do BB F! on our first night (the only weekend night of our trip) and will watch the fireworks at ROA afterwards, but I'm so glad we'll have the chance to see them from a more central location as well. 

I feel like I can finally get the bulk of my planning underway!  Can't wait for the schedules to be released!


----------



## mummabear

Sherry E said:


> To be honest, I am kind of surprised at how they are handling the Paint the Night issue.  I knew that the 60th entertainment was going to conflict somehow with the Halloween party entertainment, or vice versa.  I am a bit surprised that Paint the Night -- which is currently available to everyone without an extra party ticket -- is going to be a selling point for a hard ticket Halloween Party.  I mean, the Cavalcade was not much of a spectacle, but it was still a party exclusive, and specific to Halloween.   People are paying for Halloween-specific entertainment.  Paint the Night is available to the general public.
> 
> And I agree about Halloween -- as I mentioned earlier, I realize that the 60th is once in a lifetime for many people, but there are inevitably people for whom Halloween Time AND the Holiday season will be a once in a lifetime trip, and to have any of the seasonal activities interrupted is going to make those holiday celebrations a little 'thinner.'



I am in 2 minds, I am excited about having a chance to see PTN since it is our only chance this trip but disappointed to miss the normal costume cavalcade, the cavalcade isn't meant to be a "big" thing so I don't see why they don't do both.

So photo pass plus thoughts.
We will be doing 1 party only, do you think it is worth $70 to get photo pass plus for it?
Can anyone tell me how much a single ride photo is?


----------



## dolphingirl47

I am glad that Disneyland Forever will be shown on all non-party nights. After I never got to see the Believe in Holiday Magic fireworks as they were always cancelled when I was in the parks in the evening, it did not fill me with joy that I would only get one chance. This has also made up my mind which park to head to on my arrival day. All going according to plan, I will arrive at LAX at 11:45 AM on September 22nd. I am hoping that I get lucky and my room will be ready when I get to the hotel. If that is the case, I will have an afternoon nap and will then head to Disneyland at some stage between 5 and 6. I don't intend to do any rides that evening, but just enjoy the atmosphere and hopefully see the fireworks.



mummabear said:


> We will be doing 1 party only, do you think it is worth $70 to get photo pass plus for it?



If you are just going to the party and have no other park time, then I don't think it it worth it. On the other hand, the first time I did Photopass+ I had two full days in the park and ended up with 150 photos before editing.



mummabear said:


> Can anyone tell me how much a single ride photo is?



The digital downloads are $14.99 for the ride photos. Disneyland only has two locations where they offer ride photos: Space Mountain and Splash Mountain..



Meemoo said:


> I am really on the fence as to whether I should purchase tickets for my family. Now there isn't a special Halloween parade, is the fireworks in itself worth attending for? I know it will be an experience, being from Australia, but we are attending Aulani's Halloween Party on the 31st and have a 10 day pass to DL for our entire stay.



It is not just the fireworks, but they are pretty spectacular in their own right. I have not seen Disneyland Forever yet, but of the fireworks I have seen at Disneyland and Walt Disney World, they are by far my favourite.

One of the highlights for me during the Halloween parties is the Rivers of America made all spooky with fog and light effects. The Cadaver Dans are also performing from a raft on the Rivers of America. This was not offered in 2011 when I went to two parties, but has been offered every year since and I cannot wait to see it this year. Two years ago, they started a pre-party at Mickey's Toon Town with some characters that are rarely seen in the parks. Last year they offered this and also a pre-party at Big Thunder Ranch. Of course there is no guarantee that they will offer this again, but it sounded a lot of fun. For me a big draw are the villains. They are out in force during the parties. During the day, you have the Conjur A Villain tent, but you only get to conjur one villain and you don't know who you are going to get.

Corinna


----------



## mom2rtk

OK, I'm glad dates are out. But I'm not really as excited as I thought I'd be about all of this. I was looking forward to the costume cavalcade which is not happening. I was already going to see Paint the Night. I know some get excited about the trick or treating, but we don't care that much about it.

What's left for us, and what will get me to still buy tickets is meeting the villains. Can those who have been there before give me a rundown on which villains they met and how hard it is to find all of them? Do they have set spots and times or do I just have to be lucky to find them. I remember reading about "Conjure up a Villain" but don't remember if that was what they did during the party or during regular park hours.

I suppose since all the parties generally sell out, I will need to commit on doing one party or two well in advance so I need to evaluate this now.

It just dawned on me that we are staying for a week but with the addition of a Sunday night Halloween party, it appears we have only one night to see Fantasmic. (Saturday 10/24). The 2 Fridays on our schedule are travel days. I wonder if there's any chance Disney will add Fantasmic that Monday to make up for it.


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## iKristin

The parade wasn't really worth anything so don't worry, you aren't missing much with it being gone. It wasn't really much of a parade. There was on or two floats and just a march down Main Street by a bunch of characters, some in costume and some dressed normal. Your ticket value doesn't go down because of the lack of parade. I saw it once and ignored it every year after that.


----------



## Mommy2PrincessAbby

mom2rtk said:


> It just dawned on me that we are staying for a week but with the addition of a Sunday night Halloween party, it appears we have only one night to see Fantasmic. (Saturday 10/24). The 2 Fridays on our schedule are travel days. I wonder if there's any chance Disney will add Fantasmic that Monday to make up for it.



We are in the same boat, Sunday 25th arrival, leaving Thursday 29th.  Originally I had planned for Fantasmic on Sunday night, but now that is a party.  Because of the effects on ROA, I doubt F! will be shown during the party, so I am hoping they will show it Monday or Wednesday night to make up for Sunday.  Which will also be our only two nights to go see WOC, since I think I have decided to go ahead and do both parties.


----------



## V.I.N.C.E.N.T.

So what exactly does the start date of Sept 11th signify?  Decorations just starting to appear?  Or fully installed by then?  HM and Space should both be open on the 11th right?


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## nicolispicoli

V.I.N.C.E.N.T. said:


> So what exactly does the start date of Sept 11th signify?  Decorations just starting to appear?  Or fully installed by then?  HM and Space should both be open on the 11th right?



Decorations in place, HM and Space open. If there is a Halloween tour again, they would start that day. Treats in the shops, merchandise, etc.


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## gavakie

WE did the Halloween party last year and are going back again this year.  We are going to be at the party on Halloween this year.  Is it any different?


----------



## bethwc101

So does that mean the 8-11 they will be putting up the decorations?  We will be there and were hoping to miss the opening week of Halloween craze. Ugh looks like we just hit it


----------



## wdwfan22

I think my question got lost in the flurry of activity a couple pages ago. Does anyone know how late I can make a dining reservation on a party night that I am not staying for??

I am deciding between 1 or 2 parties, so if I just go for one, I would like to make the latest reservation possible at Café Orleans so we can sit outside and maybe see some costumes and maybe a foggy Rivers of America. I am not trying to partake of any party activities and will leave as soon as our meal is over.

I know someone knows the answer to this! Thanks so much!!


----------



## V.I.N.C.E.N.T.

nicolispicoli said:


> Decorations in place, HM and Space open. If there is a Halloween tour again, they would start that day. Treats in the shops, merchandise, etc.



Thank you! 



bethwc101 said:


> So does that mean the 8-11 they will be putting up the decorations?  We will be there and were hoping to miss the opening week of Halloween craze. Ugh looks like we just hit it



We will be there the 6-11. Not too concerned, I've been to the park as the Christmas decorations went up.  Was not bad at all.  I think most people wait until October and/or the Halloween parties to go.  Friday should be more crowded than the rest of the week anyway.  Would be a good time to reserve a dinner at the Blue Bayou and take it slow


----------



## jammyjam25

wdwfan22 said:


> I think my question got lost in the flurry of activity a couple pages ago. Does anyone know how late I can make a dining reservation on a party night that I am not staying for??
> 
> I am deciding between 1 or 2 parties, so if I just go for one, I would like to make the latest reservation possible at Café Orleans so we can sit outside and maybe see some costumes and maybe a foggy Rivers of America. I am not trying to partake of any party activities and will leave as soon as our meal is over.
> 
> I know someone knows the answer to this! Thanks so much!!



My understanding is that all non-party guests have to be completely out by the time the party starts (6 or 7 depending on the night), so I don't think they'd let any reservations be made late enough that would allow non-party guests to "linger" to see any of the festivities. I guess we'll have to wait until the reservation calendar goes out far enough to the first party date to see what the options are!

Also, you will be able to see costumes even without a dinner reservation because party guests are allowed in three hours prior to the start time.


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## adalsolica

Erin just now confirmed that Paint the Night will run every night during Halloween time!!!


----------



## tzeitel

Has anyone gone to the Rise of the Jack O'Lanterns? The DLR Halloween party prices are a little high for us this year so I was looking around the area for other Halloween activities.  We don't want anything too scary (don't know how DD would react) and this looked good. Checked TripAdvisor and it only has 5 reviews (4 good ones).  Anyway, has anyone gone? There are 2 locations - Santa Anita Park in Arcadia and Descanso Gardens - is one better than the other?


----------



## paul16451

Darn it...I made a decision that I would apply for a Disney Visa card so I could buy my Halloween party tickets a week in advance, only to be told that the card approval process can take up to 10 business days.  I stopped the process before finalizing the card, as I don't really need or want another credit card, but this particular Disney perk convinced me to try, LOL!  Other perks offered by the card don't interest me, as I plan on buying a Premier annual pass while I'm down there (as I have an additional weeklong trip to DW scheduled this December!), and the perks from that nice big pass are equivalent or better than a Disney Visa card.

So now I have to rely that at least 4 tickets for the eve we need to go...in fact, the only eve we CAN go (Oct 2)...will still be available on July 29....  I'll probably be OK since the earlier parties have a history of not selling out so quickly...(*crosses fingers*)...


----------



## gavakie

paul16451 said:


> Darn it...I made a decision that I would apply for a Disney Visa card so I could buy my Halloween party tickets a week in advance, only to be told that the card approval process can take up to 10 business days.  I stopped the process before finalizing the card, as I don't really need or want another credit card, but this particular Disney perk convinced me to try, LOL!  Other perks offered by the card don't interest me, as I plan on buying a Premier annual pass while I'm down there (as I have an additional weeklong trip to DW scheduled this December!), and the perks from that nice big pass are equivalent or better than a Disney Visa card.
> 
> So now I have to rely that at least 4 tickets for the eve we need to go...in fact, the only eve we CAN go (Oct 2)...will still be available on July 29....  I'll probably be OK since the earlier parties have a history of not selling out so quickly...(*crosses fingers*)...




You can open up a checking with Chase and get there Disney Visa.  You can still order early.  We did this last year.


----------



## MickeyMinnieMelanie

Does anyone think they'll show Fantasmic during the week on non-party nights?


----------



## Comicbookmommy

WOOO yeah!! Going to go to MHP Halloween night!!


----------



## bcwife76

adalsolica said:


> Erin just now confirmed that Paint the Night will run every night during Halloween time!!!



Phew!!! Thank goodness. We are NOT doing the party and our only opportunity to see both the Disneyland Forever fireworks and PTN would be Thurs Oct 1.


----------



## mummabear

mom2rtk said:


> OK, I'm glad dates are out. But I'm not really as excited as I thought I'd be about all of this. I was looking forward to the costume cavalcade which is not happening. I was already going to see Paint the Night. I know some get excited about the trick or treating, but we don't care that much about it.
> 
> What's left for us, and what will get me to still buy tickets is meeting the villains. Can those who have been there before give me a rundown on which villains they met and how hard it is to find all of them? Do they have set spots and times or do I just have to be lucky to find them. I remember reading about "Conjure up a Villain" but don't remember if that was what they did during the party or during regular park hours.
> 
> I suppose since all the parties generally sell out, I will need to commit on doing one party or two well in advance so I need to evaluate this now.


Conjure a villain is available during normal park hours, I don't know if it is available during the parties.
It took us about 45 minutes a time between he wait in line and the "show" part 
It is cool but frustrating as you have no idea who you will meet so you can invest that time and end up with the same villain as last time.
When we did it we noticed a lot of people leaving once the villain was revealed presumably because they had wanted a different one


----------



## mom2rtk

mummabear said:


> Conjure a villain is available during normal park hours, I don't know if it is available during the parties.
> It took us about 45 minutes a time between he wait in line and the "show" part
> It is cool but frustrating as you have no idea who you will meet so you can invest that time and end up with the same villain as last time.
> When we did it we noticed a lot of people leaving once the villain was revealed presumably because they had wanted a different one


 

Sounds as frustrating as it used to be looking for a specific princess at Princess Fantasy Faire. Yuck.

I hope they have a different arrangement during the parties.


----------



## kaoden39

I have a question for you all. I know in past years there has been holiday related food. Does anyone have any ideas of different offerings they might have?


----------



## mummabear

wdwfan22 said:


> I think my question got lost in the flurry of activity a couple pages ago. Does anyone know how late I can make a dining reservation on a party night that I am not staying for??
> 
> I am deciding between 1 or 2 parties, so if I just go for one, I would like to make the latest reservation possible at Café Orleans so we can sit outside and maybe see some costumes and maybe a foggy Rivers of America. I am not trying to partake of any party activities and will leave as soon as our meal is over.
> 
> I know someone knows the answer to this! Thanks so much!!



I know at WDW you can make an ADR for 5 minutes before closing time but not after "closing" time unless you have a party ticket.
A CM will escort you out and you are not allowed to stop for anything even the bathroom.
This however doesn't really mean anything for DLR



mom2rtk said:


> Sounds as frustrating as it used to be looking for a specific princess at Princess Fantasy Faire. Yuck.
> 
> I hope they have a different arrangement during the parties.



Even worse, at least with the princesses they would tell you who was there before you wait in line


----------



## mom2rtk

mummabear said:


> Even worse, at least with the princesses they would tell you who was there before you wait in line


 

They do now. But they didn't when PFF was over where Mickey and the Magical Map is now. They wouldn't even tell you when you were next to go in. And that line was much slower because there was only one set ever meeting at one time.


----------



## JessieD

So, this will be my husband and son's first time at the parks. I haven't been since 2001-2002ish and I know air has changed since then. We will be in CA 26-31st of October with the 26 and 31 being travel days. We plan on doing the party the Tuesday the 27th. My son will turn 5 during our trip. So, my question is should I get a 3 day hopper pass for wed, thurs, fri or get a 2 day hopper pass and have a "down" day. I want to be in the parks as much as possible, but I'm not sure how much is too much for a 5 year old.


----------



## nicolispicoli

JessieD said:


> So, this will be my husband and son's first time at the parks. I haven't been since 2001-2002ish and I know air has changed since then. We will be in CA 26-31st of October with the 26 and 31 being travel days. We plan on doing the party the Tuesday the 27th. My son will turn 5 during our trip. So, my question is should I get a 3 day hopper pass for wed, thurs, fri or get a 2 day hopper pass and have a "down" day. I want to be in the parks as much as possible, but I'm not sure how much is too much for a 5 year old.


 
I think you'll be fine with 3 days, just do 3 at a slower pace. I mean, you know your son better, but my dd is 4 and we usually do 4 days no problem. She manages to make it to fireworks each night and then she's out like a light on the way back to wherever we're staying. I should add we usually go when I consider it to be fairly quiet (February/November), so the hours are usually 10-8 except for any weekend days we go, that helps a lot. She doesn't nap at all, but we usually have to go back to the room and chill out for a bit so she doesn't turn into a crab apple.


----------



## lorijohnhill

JessieD said:


> So, this will be my husband and son's first time at the parks. I haven't been since 2001-2002ish and I know air has changed since then. We will be in CA 26-31st of October with the 26 and 31 being travel days. We plan on doing the party the Tuesday the 27th. My son will turn 5 during our trip. So, my question is should I get a 3 day hopper pass for wed, thurs, fri or get a 2 day hopper pass and have a "down" day. I want to be in the parks as much as possible, but I'm not sure how much is too much for a 5 year old.



It really depends upon your child's energy level and whether he needs naps. We went when my daughter had just turned 4 (for Thanksgiving) and she did just fine for 4 days (and with no stroller). We didn't do the fireworks with her because she couldn't handle the noise at the time, but we also did not go back during the day for rest or naps. You could always purchase the 2 day hopper and gauge it as you go... you can upgrade your 2 day to a three day any time during your trip.


----------



## JessieD

nicolispicoli said:


> I think you'll be fine with 3 days, just do 3 at a slower pace. I mean, you know your son better, but my dd is 4 and we usually do 4 days no problem. She manages to make it to fireworks each night and then she's out like a light on the way back to wherever we're staying. I should add we usually go when I consider it to be fairly quiet (February/November), so the hours are usually 10-8 except for any weekend days we go, that helps a lot. She doesn't nap at all, but we usually have to go back to the room and chill out for a bit so she doesn't turn into a crab apple.





lorijohnhill said:


> It really depends upon your child's energy level and whether he needs naps. We went when my daughter had just turned 4 (for Thanksgiving) and she did just fine for 4 days (and with no stroller). We didn't do the fireworks with her because she couldn't handle the noise at the time, but we also did not go back during the day for rest or naps. You could always purchase the 2 day hopper and gauge it as you go... you can upgrade your 2 day to a three day any time during your trip.




Thanks he no longer naps, and is pretty high energy. I think we will stick to our original plan of 3 days, plus a party night. Thank you


----------



## lorijohnhill

Have a great time! I think he will love it!


----------



## Kilala

I know I will be going with my friend Christine and Valerie on October 14th. I plan on getting a ticket for the 28th of September. I hope to get a ticket for the 12th too but, not until September that's when I can afford a 3rd ticket. If anyone here is going on the 28th maybe we can meet up somewhere at the party.


----------



## Sherry E

kaoden39 said:


> I have a question for you all. I know in past years there has been holiday related food. Does anyone have any ideas of different offerings they might have?



Michele --

I am doing a quick drive-by post.  I had to post in my Christmas/Holiday Superthread (I learned that A Christmas Fantasy Parade is returning this year, contrary to previous information!!!!), and now I have to eat something before I pass out.  I will be back to this thread later to revise page 1 and try to answer anything that didn't get answered by our other helpful DIS'ers.

I wanted to give you the link to the Halloween/Fall food post from page 1 -- http://www.disboards.com/threads/ha...015-info-is-finally-in.3270919/#post-51326928.  Not only will you see many articles about various foods, but at the top of the post you will also see a link to a big list of Fall/Halloween foods that I created last year!


----------



## kaoden39

Sherry E said:


> Michele --
> 
> I am doing a quick drive-by post.  I had to post in my Christmas/Holiday Superthread (I learned that A Christmas Fantasy Parade is returning this year, contrary to previous information!!!!), and now I have to eat something before I pass out.  I will be back to this thread later to revise page 1 and try to answer anything that didn't get answered by our other helpful DIS'ers.
> 
> I wanted to give you the link to the Halloween/Fall post from page 1 -- http://www.disboards.com/threads/ha...015-info-is-finally-in.3270919/#post-51326928.  Not only will you see many articles about various foods, but at the top of the post you will also see a link to a big list of Fall/Halloween foods that I created last year!



I'll go look at that now. Thank you. Get some food in you!


----------



## Nicolette11785

Sorry if this has already been asked but will DL still have all halloween decorations up and ride overlays on Nov 1st? Will the characters still be in costumes? It says it goes until Nov 1st but since there is no party that night I just wanted to make sure.


----------



## Sherry E

Nicolette11785 said:


> Sorry if this has already been asked but will DL still have all halloween decorations up and ride overlays on Nov 1st? Will the characters still be in costumes? It says it goes until Nov 1st but since there is no party that night I just wanted to make sure.



Since Disney actually made a point of naming November 1st as the end date -- which is not normally the case -- then, yes, all of the Halloween Time things (with the exception of the Halloween party), whatever they are, will be in place.  Haunted Mansion Holiday runs through the end of the year and into next year.  You will probably see some early traces of Christmas décor as well, as the holiday overlay of the parks is much more extensive than Halloween Time and it needs more time to be set up.


----------



## kaoden39

Sherry, that list is amazing!!


----------



## lorijohnhill

Sherry, for your Pumpkin Pandemonium... I saw Pumpkin Pop Tarts at Big Lots. Also Candy Corn cookie mix.


----------



## wdwfan22

mummabear said:


> I know at WDW you can make an ADR for 5 minutes before closing time but not after "closing" time unless you have a party ticket.
> A CM will escort you out and you are not allowed to stop for anything even the bathroom.
> This however doesn't really mean anything for DLR



I have done this at DW, had my ADR right before the park closed for MNSSHP. I just thought someone - umm.. Sherry?? - would know the rule at DL. There has to be some specified cut off. It can't just be that you have to be done before the party. That leaves a lot of variables, like how long you have to wait to be seated, service time, plus everyone just eats as a different pace.

Anyone that knows for sure here??

If not, I guess I can just ask on the main forum and hope someone there knows. I just don't trust the CMs on the phone with info like this. HaHa! I know us Disers are much more knowledgeable!


----------



## MickeyMinnieMelanie

bcwife76 said:


> Phew!!! Thank goodness. We are NOT doing the party and our only opportunity to see both the Disneyland Forever fireworks and PTN would be Thurs Oct 1.


So they are showing the Disneyland Forever  fireworks  on non party nights during the week????


----------



## bcwife76

MickeyMinnieMelanie said:


> So they are showing the Disneyland Forever  fireworks  on non party nights during the week????



According to Erin's blog post, yes!!


----------



## Peace.love.mickey

Hi!  Do you think the weekend of the 16th or the weekend of the 23rd will be better to go?  We will do the MHP on Friday night, so I am not worried about the night, more of crowds on Saturday and Sunday.  

Thoughts?


----------



## pudinhd

mom2rtk said:


> OK, I'm glad dates are out. But I'm not really as excited as I thought I'd be about all of this. I was looking forward to the costume cavalcade which is not happening. I was already going to see Paint the Night. I know some get excited about the trick or treating, but we don't care that much about it.
> 
> What's left for us, and what will get me to still buy tickets is meeting the villains. Can those who have been there before give me a rundown on which villains they met and how hard it is to find all of them? Do they have set spots and times or do I just have to be lucky to find them. I remember reading about "Conjure up a Villain" but don't remember if that was what they did during the party or during regular park hours.
> 
> I suppose since all the parties generally sell out, I will need to commit on doing one party or two well in advance so I need to evaluate this now.



This picture isn't the best, but hopefully it will give you an idea of the villains meet and greet.  They were located in front of Main Street station the past two years.  You line up to meet 3 in a row, like the princesses.  They would switch off in groups of 3, but you can see who is meeting as they aren't indoors.  FYI - The princesses meet in the PFF Theater, 3 at a time, but you can also see who is there since they aren't inside the royal hall.


----------



## CallieMar

Wow, Paint the Night AND Disneyland Forever Fireworks on weeknights!  Now I am very curious to see if they will extend hours as well.


----------



## mummabear

CallieMar said:


> Wow, Paint the Night AND Disneyland Forever Fireworks on weeknights!  Now I am very curious to see if they will extend hours as well.



I have to say I'm a little jealous, we often come this time of year and get nothing, this year we got to WDW instead and they do Fireworks every night


----------



## Meemoo

I'd love a pic with the Shadow Man


----------



## CallieMar

mummabear said:


> I have to say I'm a little jealous, we often come this time of year and get nothing, this year we got to WDW instead and they do Fireworks every night



We have gotten used to the minimal entertainment in the offseason as well, so this is a very nice surprise!  I'm so glad we decided to get APs again for the 60th Anniversary!


----------



## MickeyMinnieMelanie

bcwife76 said:


> According to Erin's blog post, yes!!


Yayyyyyyy.  I really wanted to see these and we're not going to be there on a weekend night except for a )


----------



## Metalliman98

How many different villains are usually out and about?  Pretty much any and all villains from any Disney movie?  I have a sister-in-law that would go nuts if Ursula was out for a meet and greet.  Though I'm not sure if the logistics of that costume could be worked out.


----------



## pudinhd

Here were the different groups on the nights we did MHP.  I have never seen Ursula at DLR.  Other villains I have seen at MHP in other picture spots have been Hook and Smee, the Tremaines, and the Queen of Hearts.

2013 villain groups
Evil Queen, Maleficent(!), Hades
Cruella, Dr. Facilier, Jafar

2014 villain groups
Dr. Facilier, Cruella, Maleficent (!)
Jafar, Evil Queen, Hades


----------



## LeahMLee

whistlinmickey said:


> We used our Disney Vacation Account to purchase tickets for our family to attend Mickey's Halloween Party last year. We bought the tickets online. We just used the option to use a Disney Gift Card and entered the full 16-digit DVA account number in that field. Our order was confirmed in an email that included a link to a document that could be downloaded and printed or that could be displayed on a smart phone to be scanned at the park entrance. We also showed that same document to the attendant at the Toy Story parking lot for free parking. It was much easier than trying to enter several separate gift cards online or over the phone.



Thank you so much for the info I will try it.


----------



## mummabear

pudinhd said:


> Here were the different groups on the nights we did MHP.  I have never seen Ursula at DLR.  Other villains I have seen at MHP in other picture spots have been Hook and Smee, the Tremaines, and the Queen of Hearts.
> 
> 2013 villain groups
> Evil Queen, Maleficent(!), Hades
> Cruella, Dr. Facilier, Jafar
> 
> 2014 villain groups
> Dr. Facilier, Cruella, Maleficent (!)
> Jafar, Evil Queen, Hades



Oh Jafar and Dr.Facilier are on my list! Yay.

Do they all autograph?

Is there a MHP specific autograph book?


----------



## Meemoo

Which party is everyone thinking to attend - I have my eye on the 25th of October! I am thinking costumes now, getting excited!


----------



## mummabear

Meemoo said:


> Which party is everyone thinking to attend - I have my eye on the 25th of October! I am thinking costumes now, getting excited!



We will be doing the 29th.
We land at LAX (from NZ) at 11:45am and we are flying out to Orlando the next morning at 9:45am.
We have 3 girls who will be 6,4 and 19 months at the time.
Not sure what we will go as, DH has basically put the kibosh on a family costume (well the adults dressing up anyway).
We are surprising the kids with the trip, DH doesnt want to tell them until we pick them up from school what is going on-I think that sounds fun but I fear that DD6 is a little anxious and may be stressed by this (and this may also result in DH not getting the reaction he is hoping for and leaving him feeling disappointed). I am thinking of making her a little video of a few people like her teacher saying stuff like "don't worry your mom has your homework" and her best friend saying "have fun you can come over for a play when you get home" not sure if I am over thinking things.
Anyway the point of that story is that I can't ask them what they want to be as they dont really do Halloween here. We do a party every year so I could bring it up like it is for the party but we probably wont do one this year since we will be away (so if we did it it would have o be the weekend before) but still can't ask if they would want to wear the same thing to the WDW as the DLR party....
Ah what terrible problems I have


----------



## seobaina

CallieMar said:


> Wow, Paint the Night AND Disneyland Forever Fireworks on weeknights!  Now I am very curious to see if they will extend hours as well.



So pleased! Means we can focus on fantasmic on the Sunday and these on a later thurs x


----------



## poseys

Is there a chance Erin means that the Disneyland Forever fireworks will be presented on weekend nights that aren't also party nights or does she really mean every night between September 11-November 1?


----------



## wendyt_ca

MickeyMinnieMelanie said:


> Does anyone think they'll show Fantasmic during the week on non-party nights?


I've been wondering the same. I really hate that they don't release hours at least a few months out because I really want to plan my vacation...But I need to work our plans around seeing Fantasmic as well as everything else.


----------



## haileymarie92

poseys said:


> Is there a chance Erin means that the Disneyland Forever fireworks will be presented on weekend nights that aren't also party nights or does she really mean every night between September 11-November 1?


She clarified in a later comment that Paint the Night and Forever will run EVERY day (week nights included), except for party nights which will have PTN and Screams.


----------



## paul16451

gavakie said:


> You can open up a checking with Chase and get there Disney Visa.  You can still order early.  We did this last year.



There's the rub, already have a Chase checking account, just not the Disney Visa .  So I've got no choice but to wait at this point.  I'm sure it will be fine...


----------



## poseys

haileymarie92 said:


> She clarified in a later comment that Paint the Night and Forever will run EVERY day (week nights included), except for party nights which will have PTN and Screams.


I am soooo excited now! Thanks for clarifying!


----------



## lorijohnhill

mummabear said:


> Is there a MHP specific autograph book?



I created one last year, but need to do some edits as it came out a little pixelated (the dpi changed and I didn't realize it). I will post it once I get it finished, if you would be interested in using it. You can then either print out and bind it yourself, or put it into one of the photo book sites... Let me know if you'd like it.


----------



## JinglePoem

pudinhd said:


> This picture isn't the best, but hopefully it will give you an idea of the villains meet and greet.  They were located in front of Main Street station the past two years.  You line up to meet 3 in a row, like the princesses.  They would switch off in groups of 3, but you can see who is meeting as they aren't indoors.  FYI - The princesses meet in the PFF Theater, 3 at a time, but you can also see who is there since they aren't inside the royal hall.



Also adding- if you get to see the character switch off, it's quite a treat. It resembles a turn of the century funeral procession, with pallbearers carrying lit candelabras, a horse-drawn carriage...pretty stinking awesome.


----------



## violentlyserene

Meemoo said:


> Which party is everyone thinking to attend - I have my eye on the 25th of October! I am thinking costumes now, getting excited!


We'll there that same week. Not sure which party yet though. Stupid things like feeding the children and sleep keep getting in the way of planning our final(ish) itinerary. I really wish costume stores would open! I'm thinking I need to try some on to get a feel for how comfortable and hot they'll be. I can't imagine not being a princess though, even if other things would be cooler.


----------



## Mommy2PrincessAbby

Meemoo said:


> Which party is everyone thinking to attend - I have my eye on the 25th of October! I am thinking costumes now, getting excited!



We're splurging and doing that night and the 27th!  DD said she wants to skip the frilly dress this year and be more comfortable.  I already snuck and bought her one of the spendy glow in the dark HM tees, so that will be for one party.  Then I am looking for NBC shirts for us for the other party   it's tricky with an 11 year old, she still wants to dress up for trick or treat, but is practical enough to know a princess dress isn't awesome for rides lol


----------



## Canadian Harmony

We're going to the Oct 5th party. Seems our week will be AWESOME: Sunday we get F!, Monday the MHP, PTN, and Screams, Tuesday PTN and anniversary fireworks, Wednesday WOC, and Thursday an early night because we're leaving early Friday morning.


----------



## gottalovepluto

Disney Visa just put out an email offering card member ticket prices of $63 for select nights of the Halloween Party. I'm new to the Disney Visa, is this type of offer something they do every year?


----------



## lorijohnhill

gottalovepluto said:


> Disney Visa just put out an email offering card member ticket prices of $63 for select nights of the Halloween Party. I'm new to the Disney Visa, is this type of offer something they do every year?


Yes, it's the same discount as for AP holders.


----------



## Kilala

I hope Monday, October 12, 2015 Dosen't sell out before September 3rd. From what I remeber from last year, Fridays ans Halloween sold out before the weekday parties sold out.


----------



## mummabear

What are the lines like for Character meets?


----------



## Meemoo

Mommy2PrincessAbby said:


> We're splurging and doing that night and the 27th!  DD said she wants to skip the frilly dress this year and be more comfortable.  I already snuck and bought her one of the spendy glow in the dark HM tees, so that will be for one party.  Then I am looking for NBC shirts for us for the other party   it's tricky with an 11 year old, she still wants to dress up for trick or treat, but is practical enough to know a princess dress isn't awesome for rides lol



If you are going for 2 nights that really gives me the confidence that I am making the right decision to attend a party!


----------



## JessieD

We are going to the October 27th party. My 4 year old wants us to go as avengers, but I'm sure his mind will change a few times between now and then


----------



## Djscarlette

wendyt_ca said:


> I've been wondering the same. I really hate that they don't release hours at least a few months out because I really want to plan my vacation...But I need to work our plans around seeing Fantasmic as well as everything else.



If you try to make a F! dinner reservation starting the last week of August and on, you cannot make one for weekdays (with the exception of labor day). So... I would assume that there is not going to be Fantasmic during the week in the fall.


----------



## whistlinmickey

mummabear said:


> What are the lines like for Character meets?


When we saw Mickey and Minnie in 2012, the line was pretty long, 30+ minutes, maybe even close to an hour. To us, it was worth it to get photos with them in their party-specific costumes. But from where they were near Big Thunder Ranch, the line stretched back toward the entrance of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. The trail was kept dark; and "spooky" sounds were playing along the way as part of the party-specific atmosphere. It was actually a little too scary for our little ones. We didn't do character meets last time we did a party. Hopefully they have improved the flow and locations of things since our experience.


----------



## Meriweather

Plan on going Oct. 19

We went to MNSSHP last year as pumpkin pies, so plan on doing that this year at MHP


----------



## CallieMar

Meriweather said:


> Plan on going Oct. 19
> 
> We went to MNSSHP last year as pumpkin pies, so plan on doing that this year at MHP



This sounds so cute!


----------



## Meriweather

CallieMar said:


> This sounds so cute!



Thanks, easy and cool....much needed in FL. DD comes up with these kinds of costumes for us  (math teacher) Last time we went as deviled eggs.....very fun to watch people and, especially CMs figure the costumes out.


----------



## Kilala

Meriweather said:


> Thanks, easy and cool....much needed in FL. DD comes up with these kinds of costumes for us  (math teacher) Last time we went as deviled eggs.....very fun to watch people and, especially CMs figure the costumes out.


Very cool!!!


----------



## Mommy2PrincessAbby

Meemoo said:


> If you are going for 2 nights that really gives me the confidence that I am making the right decision to attend a party!



LOL!  We went to a party in '07 when it was in DCA and had a great time, even tho dd was little (3) and we had to crash early.  Then she and I went again in '10 when she was 6 (seems like she was older than that lol), and it was in DL and we had so much fun!  Loved the whole thing, although we focused on rides and waited to get candy near the end of the night (partly so we didn't have to haul it.)  So, I asked her, which would she rather, 2 parties, or 1 party and focus on DCA the 2nd night instead.  She pleaded for 2 parties.  We love the theming and for us, it was easy to do rides, and skip the villains and candy while everyone else is focused on those.  Then when people start petering out, go back and do the candy and character meets


----------



## kaoden39

Meriweather said:


> Thanks, easy and cool....much needed in FL. DD comes up with these kinds of costumes for us  (math teacher) Last time we went as deviled eggs.....very fun to watch people and, especially CMs figure the costumes out.



What a great costume idea!! I love it!!


----------



## CallieMar

Meriweather said:


> Thanks, easy and cool....much needed in FL. DD comes up with these kinds of costumes for us  (math teacher) Last time we went as deviled eggs.....very fun to watch people and, especially CMs figure the costumes out.



So clever, I love it!!!


----------



## bswift

I'll be there the 15th and 16th of October, my first ever trip to DL, and I can't decide whether or not to do MHP! I'm going to WDW a few weeks later and going to MNSSHP so I'm not sure if I want to pay another $77 for MHP. I was originally planning on flying up to Sacramento on the Friday night but ended up adding an extra night to my hotel stay so I could have a little extra DL time. Since I only have 2 days in the park, should I just do DL on Thursday night (so glad the fireworks are running every night!) and then DCA on Friday night? I know it will be crowded but it's also my only chance to see the nighttime entertainment there.


----------



## MichelleWDWfan

I'm a little bummed. I'm making my 1st visit to DL the week before the MNSSHP's start.
I was hoping they would start the week before so I could attend MNSSHP at DL.


----------



## mummabear

MichelleWDWfan said:


> I'm a little bummed. I'm making my 1st visit to DL the week before the MNSSHP's start.
> I was hoping they would start the week before so I could attend MNSSHP at DL.



I sympathise-that was us last year!
I can tell you that you will have a great Halloween time at the Halloween carnival during normal hours though.


----------



## rwhistler92

This will be our first year going to the Halloween party as AP holders. I hope they have an AP treat line like last year. Was that the first year they offered that or is offered every year? If so, is the treat similar?

We are just excited to go again. I ordered the shirts we will wear this week. Thanks to the Disney store 25% off and free shipping code. We will be set after next week.


----------



## MichelleWDWfan

mummabear said:


> I sympathise-that was us last year!
> I can tell you that you will have a great Halloween time at the Halloween carnival during normal hours though.



Cool what is the Halloween Carnival? 
I'll be there Sept 17 but doing the parks 18, 19, 20.


----------



## mummabear

Over at Big Thunder Ranch (on the path between Fantasyland Big Thunder Mountain) last year there was pumpkin carvers, characters on Halloween costumes, the conjure a villain tent, a magic show and pirates league.


----------



## haileymarie92

rwhistler92 said:


> This will be our first year going to the Halloween party as AP holders. I hope they have an AP treat line like last year. Was that the first year they offered that or is offered every year? If so, is the treat similar?
> 
> We are just excited to go again. I ordered the shirts we will wear this week. Thanks to the Disney store 25% off and free shipping code. We will be set after next week.


I was wondering this as well!! We are AP holders and this will be our first MHP. I heard last years AP treats were neat!


----------



## Lebestiole

I must admit I'm a little stressed here. Mom and I want to go to MHP so bad, but I dont understand how Paint the Night and Disneyland Forever will affect the party's entretainment? Also, we'll spend 3 days at Disneyland, 1 day for DCA and 1 for DL, the other one we'll pobly park hop. So I don't want to miss WOC (does it run every night?) and I dont want to miss F! either! AH! I need help here! Also, 1st time at DL in over 12 years! I'm lost!


----------



## bigb83

If they are showing paint the night and forever during the week one would have to assume hours will be extended. Normal 8pm closing time would only give them roughly an hour or a little less to do both.


----------



## theluckyrabbit

wdwfan22 said:


> I have done this at DW, had my ADR right before the park closed for MNSSHP. I just thought someone - umm.. Sherry?? - would know the rule at DL. There has to be some specified cut off. It can't just be that you have to be done before the party. That leaves a lot of variables, like how long you have to wait to be seated, service time, plus everyone just eats as a different pace.
> 
> Anyone that knows for sure here??
> 
> If not, I guess I can just ask on the main forum and hope someone there knows. I just don't trust the CMs on the phone with info like this. HaHa! I know us Disers are much more knowledgeable!



I'm not 100% sure, but last year when we ate at BB on our MHP night, the Dine Line CM had asked me whether we would be attending the party. I think she said that BB closed early on party nights to make sure that all guests would be done and out by the start of the party or shortly thereafter. Our reservation was earlier than I normally would have made it, but it worked out fine. I'm not sure if the TS restaurants stay open after the party starts. Many, if not all, of the CS restaurants do. Hope this info helps.


----------



## mummabear

bigb83 said:


> If they are showing paint the night and forever during the week one would have to assume hours will be extended. Normal 8pm closing time would only give them roughly an hour or a little less to do both.



Possibly.
My guess is that the fireworks will run after closing time much like WOC does (or F! At WDW)
I'm not sure how long the parade takes to run the course.



Lebestiole said:


> I must admit I'm a little stressed here. Mom and I want to go to MHP so bad, but I dont understand how Paint the Night and Disneyland Forever will affect the party's entretainment? Also, we'll spend 3 days at Disneyland, 1 day for DCA and 1 for DL, the other one we'll pobly park hop. So I don't want to miss WOC (does it run every night?) and I dont want to miss F! either! AH! I need help here! Also, 1st time at DL in over 12 years! I'm lost!



So you will have 3 night plus a party or 3 nights and or could be used for a party?
Erin on the parks blog has stated that PTN and DF will run every night including weekdays.
PTN will be replacing the costume cavalcade during the party.
Hallo Screams will "play" on party nights instead of DF.
What days of the week are you at the resort and I assume only one of them is a party night?
Options are:
1) don't do a party, assuming the schedule for F! Fits your days of the week then do F! One night, WOC the night that DL has the party that you aren't attending and do DF the third night (not necessarily in that order)
2) do a party. Do WOC one night, DF one night and if there is a 2nd showing of F! Catch that, or watch F! Then catch DF from that spot(not the view I would really want though)
3) do a party, catch WOC one night followed by DF, catch F! A seperate night
4) do a party, catch F! One night, DF another and leave the party to watch WOC since this should play at 8:15 you would make it back in time to catch Hallowscreams.



Lebestiole said:


> I must admit I'm a little stressed here. Mom and I want to go to MHP so bad, but I dont understand how Paint the Night and Disneyland Forever will affect the party's entretainment? Also, we'll spend 3 days at Disneyland, 1 day for DCA and 1 for DL, the other one we'll pobly park hop. So I don't want to miss WOC (does it run every night?) and I dont want to miss F! either! AH! I need help here! Also, 1st time at DL in over 12 years! I'm lost!




The frustrating thing really is waiting on he schedule/hours to be released by DLR so you have a better idea of which days F! Is running and if there are two showings as well as confirming what time DF! Is running, particularly on week nights where there isn't the historical data to give you an idea


----------



## mom2rtk

pudinhd said:


> This picture isn't the best, but hopefully it will give you an idea of the villains meet and greet.  They were located in front of Main Street station the past two years.  You line up to meet 3 in a row, like the princesses.  They would switch off in groups of 3, but you can see who is meeting as they aren't indoors.  FYI - The princesses meet in the PFF Theater, 3 at a time, but you can also see who is there since they aren't inside the royal hall.


 


That's great! Thanks for the photo. I just caught up and see you posted the villains. Thanks so much!

Are the princesses the same ones you might tend to meet during the day at PFF? Do they add any Halloween touches to their costumes at all? I'm guessing no, but just want to be clear. We'll have to seek out Aurora since I'm making my daughter a Halloweenified Aurora to wear to the party.



Sherry E said:


> Michele --
> 
> I am doing a quick drive-by post.  I had to post in my Christmas/Holiday Superthread (I learned that A Christmas Fantasy Parade is returning this year, contrary to previous information!!!!), and now I have to eat something before I pass out.  I will be back to this thread later to revise page 1 and try to answer anything that didn't get answered by our other helpful DIS'ers.
> 
> I wanted to give you the link to the Halloween/Fall food post from page 1 -- http://www.disboards.com/threads/ha...015-info-is-finally-in.3270919/#post-51326928.  Not only will you see many articles about various foods, but at the top of the post you will also see a link to a big list of Fall/Halloween foods that I created last year!


 

I know this is the Halloween thread, but that's great to hear about the Christmas Fantasy Parade! I won't even be there then, but it made me sad to think it might not run.


----------



## pudinhd

mom2rtk said:


> That's great! Thanks for the photo. I just caught up and see you posted the villains. Thanks so much!
> 
> Are the princesses the same ones you might tend to meet during the day at PFF? Do they add any Halloween touches to their costumes at all? I'm guessing no, but just want to be clear. We'll have to seek out Aurora since I'm making my daughter a Halloweenified Aurora to wear to the party.



2013 - Cinderella, Tiana, Snow White (don't have pictures of the princesses they switched with)
2014 - Tiana, Aurora, Belle (switched with Mulan and 2 others that I don't have pictures of)


----------



## seobaina

I've lost where it was but did someone say they had done or were doing an autograph book for the Halloween party specifically? x


----------



## lorijohnhill

seobaina said:


> I've lost where it was but did someone say they had done or were doing an autograph book for the Halloween party specifically? x


Yes, I am working on one. I should have the pages finished in the next couple of days. I will post them in the Creative DISigns forum and post a link here.


----------



## Lebestiole

mummabear said:


> So you will have 3 night plus a party or 3 nights and or could be used for a party?
> Erin on the parks blog has stated that PTN and DF will run every night including weekdays.
> PTN will be replacing the costume cavalcade during the party.
> Hallo Screams will "play" on party nights instead of DF.
> What days of the week are you at the resort and I assume only one of them is a party night?
> Options are:
> 1) don't do a party, assuming the schedule for F! Fits your days of the week then do F! One night, WOC the night that DL has the party that you aren't attending and do DF the third night (not necessarily in that order)
> 2) do a party. Do WOC one night, DF one night and if there is a 2nd showing of F! Catch that, or watch F! Then catch DF from that spot(not the view I would really want though)
> 3) do a party, catch WOC one night followed by DF, catch F! A seperate night
> 4) do a party, catch F! One night, DF another and leave the party to watch WOC since this should play at 8:15 you would make it back in time to catch Hallowscreams.



We arrive on October 20 (at 9 pm) and leave on Oct 25 (at 2 pm). We're only doing 3 days at the DLR. So our full day at DL will be on party night. That leaves me with 1 day for DCA and 1 day to park hop. 

I like option 4! I mean, things would be easier if Disney could only release their friggin schedule! If WOC runs every night then that's one problem less. I want to go to MHP on Thursday, Oct 22, my guess is that it's going to be less crowded than Friday's party. 

As for F!... I really want to see it but it complicates everything.


----------



## seobaina

lorijohnhill said:


> Yes, I am working on one. I should have the pages finished in the next couple of days. I will post them in the Creative DISigns forum and post a link here.




Fab, thank you! We're hoping to go Oct 5th x


----------



## mummabear

Lebestiole said:


> If WOC runs every night then that's one problem less.



It should be, as far as I'm aware it always has. And we normally travel mid Sept. It is the F! schedule that you won't have a lot of flexibility with.
Yes I would do a Thursday party over a Friday one.


----------



## Sherry E

I'm certain that World of Color will still run every night, with the exception of any weather-related events that interrupt it.


I am reposting the important points that we learned this past week about Halloween Time and Mickey's Halloween Party, for anyone new who is tuning in:


Halloween Time begins on Friday, September 11, 2015, and ends on Sunday, November 1, 2015;

Mickey's Halloween Party begins on Friday, September 25, 2015 (see full schedule and additional info here - http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...-disneyland-resort-september-11-november-1/);

This year there will be 17 Halloween Party nights (up from 14 parties in 2014), and prices have gone up rather significantly (see all dates and info here - https://disneyland.disney.go.com/events-tours/mickeys-halloween-party/);

Halloween Party tickets go on sale to AP holders, DVC members and Disney Visa card holders on Wednesday, July 22nd, while tickets go on sale to the general public on Wednesday, July 29th;

This year there will be no Costume Party Cavalcade at the Party; instead, Paint the Night will be the featured parade at MHP; Paint the Night will also run on all non-MHP nights as well, so it is not exclusive to the Halloween Party;

Halloween Screams fireworks will still be part of Mickey's Halloween Party;

Disneyland Forever fireworks will run on all non-party nights (including early weeknights) throughout Halloween Time, with the exception of Thursday, September 10th (which doesn't really count, as Halloween Time doesn't begin until 9/11);

There is a Halloween Party on Columbus Day this year (which never happens), as well as very rare Saturday and Sunday parties (Halloween night and October 25th, respectively);

We can expect "special sparkling Halloween decor in honor of the Disneyland Resort Diamond Celebration" this year, so it sounds like there will be some new Halloween decorations that somehow fit the Diamond theme; and

The Hatbox Ghost is going to stay in place for the Haunted Mansion Holiday overlay -- no one knows how he will be worked into the story, but he will be there!


​

Moving on... First, let me say that I am sick of summer and the heat already!  Boo!  It's alternately dry and then humid, and just very uncomfortable.  I can't even believe that there are 2 more months of this nonsense before fall begins.  I was just saying to someone the other day, "It's only July and I'm already over summer."  She replied, "Just wait until September, when it gets even hotter."  Sadly, I know that to be true.  September is often one of our hottest months.  I dread it.  Really, November is the month where it actually begins to get cool again.

Let me try to zoom through a bunch o' posts here and give some quick responses (not as detailed as my usual replies, but I just wanted to throw in some comments.  In most cases, our very, very helpful DIS'ers have stepped up and answered questions here -- which I really appreciate!   It really helps me, and it keeps the thread from disappearing into the pages of the forum, when I get tied up with other goings on in my "real life."  The last month or two have been kind of hectic for me, and will continue this way until I get my stupid jury duty out of the way in September, so I can't always jump in to answer something right away -- even though I may read it.



mummabear said:


> Quick question: is tax additional to the ticket prices listed? And if so how much?



No tax.




HopLow1968 said:


> Couple of questions...
> 
> Are there any issues with in-and-out privileges during the parties? We will be buying party tickets, but we also already have park hopper regular tickets. Presumably we can hop from the party at Disneyland to DCA and back again at will, correct?
> 
> 
> I did a chat with a representative at Disneyparks.disney.go.com, who said that while the parks do shut down earlier on party days, they also open earlier so that guests who do not have party tickets have the same amount of hours in the park as they would if the party wasn't running. Can anybody confirm this?
> 
> 
> Oh, and do they still run F! on Friday nights that are Party nights?



F! should most likely not run on Fridays that are party nights.  It's not included in MHP< and there is not enough time to run it before MHP begins.   Here are last year's schedules for September and October (MHP began on Friday, 9/26) - http://www.wdwinfo.com/disneyland/park-hours.cfm?month=9&year=2014 and http://www.wdwinfo.com/disneyland/park-hours.cfm?month=10&year=2014.  You can see when the parks closed and opened, and when F! ran.

You should be able to enter, exit and re-enter DL with your MHP ticket, and you would only need the Park Hopper to go into DCA.  The MHP ticket will not allow entrance to DCA.





HopLow1968 said:


> Disneyland opening early enough to compensate for a 6pm closure on Sunday the 25th might be a bit rough; doesn't DL usually stay open until Midnight on Sundays?



Disneyland is usually open until midnight on Sundays, and would typically open in the morning at 8 a.m.   I am actually surprised that the Sunday party on 10/25 begins at 6 p.m. and ends at 11 p.m.  I would have expected a 7 p.m. - Midnight schedule.




Meemoo said:


> I am really on the fence as to whether I should purchase tickets for my family. Now there isn't a special Halloween parade, is the fireworks in itself worth attending for? I know it will be an experience, being from Australia, but we are attending Aulani's Halloween Party on the 31st and have a 10 day pass to DL for our entire stay.
> 
> Does the same apply to California Adventure Park, as in the park closes at 8pm but do the shops and dining venues stay open an extra hour?



I could be wrong, but I don't think that anything in DCA stays open an extra hour past closing.

The Halloween Screams fireworks are a lot of fun and the music is great.  However, the lofty price tag of the MHP tickets is making it seem (to me) like MHP is losing value.  Paint the Night is great and all, but it can be seen on any other night.  That's the issue I have.  If you were not going to do any other Halloween event this year, I would say that MHP would be good to do.  Since you're already doing the one at Aulani, I don't think that Mickey's Halloween Party is quite as necessary.  However, that said, I think it is worth going to at least once.  I think you'll have fun.



mummabear said:


> I am in 2 minds, I am excited about having a chance to see PTN since it is our only chance this trip but disappointed to miss the normal costume cavalcade, the cavalcade isn't meant to be a "big" thing so I don't see why they don't do both.
> 
> So photo pass plus thoughts.
> We will be doing 1 party only, do you think it is worth $70 to get photo pass plus for it?
> Can anyone tell me how much a single ride photo is?



I think Corinna already answered your PhotoPass questions.  It's a lot to pay for just the party pictures.

I don't know why the Cavalcade couldn't have been kept in the party -- unless there is just not enough room backstage to house the floats for Paint the Night, Soundsational and the Cavalcade.




iKristin said:


> The parade wasn't really worth anything so don't worry, you aren't missing much with it being gone. It wasn't really much of a parade. There was on or two floats and just a march down Main Street by a bunch of characters, some in costume and some dressed normal. Your ticket value doesn't go down because of the lack of parade. I saw it once and ignored it every year after that.



The Cavalcade itself was anti-climactic and not very exciting.  The thing is, though, that it was exclusive to the Halloween party.  Disney has removed an MHP Halloween exclusive, jacked up the prices of the party tickets, and thrown in a parade that they are running every night during summer, fall and probably the holiday season too.  So, because of that, the ticket does lose a bit of value for me.  They are essentially charging much more for a party that includes a parade that the general public can see on any other night.  It's kind of shady!  Even if they had kept the MHP prices the same as last year it would have been a bit shady, but the fact that the prices increased rather significantly is even shadier.  Some people will be paying $84 -- that's a lot of money to not have a party full of only party exclusives.




gavakie said:


> WE did the Halloween party last year and are going back again this year.  We are going to be at the party on Halloween this year.  Is it any different?



Halloween night is when I would like to go as well.  In reading reviews, I haven't heard of any major difference between the Halloween night party and the other parties.  I suppose that there could be more people dressed up in costume, though.




bethwc101 said:


> So does that mean the 8-11 they will be putting up the decorations?  We will be there and were hoping to miss the opening week of Halloween craze. Ugh looks like we just hit it



I think so -- although this year is kind of weird because Halloween Time is starting so close to Labor Day, which is usually not the case.   I think that the decorations will probably even begin going up by Labor Day.  Usually, the character pumpkins above the turnstiles appear a few days before Halloween Time begins.  The assorted Halloween-themed window displays on Main Street are among the first things to go up.  The Halloween Carnival (assuming it is back this year), will be prepped and decorated in the days leading up to 9/11.  Among the last things to go into place are the giant Mickey pumpkin in Town Square, and the "Pumpkin Festival" on Main Street (which involves 300 pumpkins on display in windows, on balconies, etc.).




wdwfan22 said:


> I think my question got lost in the flurry of activity a couple pages ago. Does anyone know how late I can make a dining reservation on a party night that I am not staying for??
> 
> I am deciding between 1 or 2 parties, so if I just go for one, I would like to make the latest reservation possible at Café Orleans so we can sit outside and maybe see some costumes and maybe a foggy Rivers of America. I am not trying to partake of any party activities and will leave as soon as our meal is over.
> 
> I know someone knows the answer to this! Thanks so much!!



I have heard and read different things about how close you can get a dining reservation to when the party begins.  I think that one time I read that someone got one only 30 minutes before a party was set to begin.  Another time I read 45 minutes.  Another time I read one hour.  I honestly don't know.  I know that some restaurants are open during the party, but you are talking about dining on a night when you don't go to the party, correct (if you decide to skip one of the party nights)?

If you don't have a party ticket and you are not attending the party that night, you'll have to be out of the park by the time the party begins (at 6 p.m. or 7 p.m.).  The CMs are quite diligent about checking wristbands.  However, as I think someone already mentioned, you will see costumes in the 3 hours of crossover time, as the MHP guests can enter the park 3 hours before their party begins, so they will pile in at 3 p.m. or 4 p.m.  I don't recall the fog piling in until just before the party began, or right at the start.




tzeitel said:


> Has anyone gone to the Rise of the Jack O'Lanterns? The DLR Halloween party prices are a little high for us this year so I was looking around the area for other Halloween activities.  We don't want anything too scary (don't know how DD would react) and this looked good. Checked TripAdvisor and it only has 5 reviews (4 good ones).  Anyway, has anyone gone? There are 2 locations - Santa Anita Park in Arcadia and Descanso Gardens - is one better than the other?



I am really the only one who has even mentioned or talked about Rise of the Jack O'Lanterns!  I mentioned it last year -- and last year there was only one location, not two as there are this year -- and mentioned it again this year, but no one really seemed to express an interest.  I think it looks really cool.  I would love to know if anyone has actually gone.  I suggested to Mary Jo that she should go to the Rise for her "Day Six" series on the DIS Unplugged podcast.  It could be a Halloween-themed installment of Day Six.




paul16451 said:


> Darn it...I made a decision that I would apply for a Disney Visa card so I could buy my Halloween party tickets a week in advance, only to be told that the card approval process can take up to 10 business days.  I stopped the process before finalizing the card, as I don't really need or want another credit card, but this particular Disney perk convinced me to try, LOL!  Other perks offered by the card don't interest me, as I plan on buying a Premier annual pass while I'm down there (as I have an additional weeklong trip to DW scheduled this December!), and the perks from that nice big pass are equivalent or better than a Disney Visa card.
> 
> So now I have to rely that at least 4 tickets for the eve we need to go...in fact, the only eve we CAN go (Oct 2)...will still be available on July 29....  I'll probably be OK since the earlier parties have a history of not selling out so quickly...(*crosses fingers*)...



I think you'll be fine waiting until 7/29 to get your tickets.   AP holders/DVC members/Disney Visa holders can still get their advance discounts any time up to the day before their MHP begins, as long as the tickets are not sold out.  If the discounts were only available for one week (7/22-7/29), I could see a lot more people scrambling to buy tickets on 7/22, and then they might sell out before 7/29.  But I think you'll be safe!



MickeyMinnieMelanie said:


> Does anyone think they'll show Fantasmic during the week on non-party nights?



I don't think so, but have a look at last year's October schedule so you can get a sense of when F! took place (even though it has the name of this year's parade and fireworks, the hours that you see are actually last year's hours) -- http://www.wdwinfo.com/disneyland/park-hours.cfm?month=10&year=2014.



lorijohnhill said:


> Sherry, for your Pumpkin Pandemonium... I saw Pumpkin Pop Tarts at Big Lots. Also Candy Corn cookie mix.



You know, my local 99 Cents Only Store has Pumpkin Pie Pop Tarts and Candy Corn Pebbles cereal -- but it's from last year's supply!    What you saw -- was it a new supply for this year?  



wdwfan22 said:


> I have done this at DW, had my ADR right before the park closed for MNSSHP. I just thought someone - umm.. Sherry?? - would know the rule at DL. There has to be some specified cut off. It can't just be that you have to be done before the party. That leaves a lot of variables, like how long you have to wait to be seated, service time, plus everyone just eats as a different pace.
> 
> Anyone that knows for sure here??
> 
> If not, I guess I can just ask on the main forum and hope someone there knows. I just don't trust the CMs on the phone with info like this. HaHa! I know us Disers are much more knowledgeable!



I answered above, but I really don't know for 100% sure.  And you're right -- the phone CMs usually don't know much more than what we know, but it's worth a try asking them.




Peace.love.mickey said:


> Hi!  Do you think the weekend of the 16th or the weekend of the 23rd will be better to go?  We will do the MHP on Friday night, so I am not worried about the night, more of crowds on Saturday and Sunday.
> 
> Thoughts?



My hunch is that the weekend of 10/23 would be slightly better.  I believe that the UEA crowds will be at DLR on the weekend of 10/16.  Double Check figment_jii's calendar of events (that could contribute to crowds) to be sure - http://www.disboards.com/threads/2015-calendar-of-events-school-breaks-mhp-and-dlr.3358090/.



Metalliman98 said:


> How many different villains are usually out and about?  Pretty much any and all villains from any Disney movie?  I have a sister-in-law that would go nuts if Ursula was out for a meet and greet.  Though I'm not sure if the logistics of that costume could be worked out.



These were the characters that were at Mickey's Halloween Party in 2014:

Phineas & Ferb (Tomorrowland near Innoventions) – Guests also reported seeing Agent P when Phineas & Ferb took their breaks.

Friends from Aladdin (Aladdin’s Oasis, Adventureland) – Guests reported seeing Aladdin, Jasmine and the Genie.

Jack Skellington & Sally (French Market) – Guests reported that seeing Jack was more common than seeing Sally, or Jack & Sally together. These two characters are generally available during normal Halloween Time and holiday season park hours as well.

Winnie the Pooh & Friends (Critter Country) – Guests reported seeing Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Rabbit, and Eeyore.

Disney Pirate Pals (Frontierland Dock) – Guests reported seeing Peter Pan, Wendy, Captain Hook, and/or Captain Jack Sparrow. Guests also reported seeing Goofy, Pluto, Chip & Dale and Donald in pirate costumes over at Rancho Zocalo.

Toy Story Pals (Big Thunder Ranch Area) – Guests reported seeing Jessie or Woody. These characters are generally available during normal park hours as well.

Mickey & Minnie (Big Thunder Ranch Area) - These two characters are generally available during normal park hours as well, as part of the Halloween Carnival.

Disney Villains (Town Square, Main Street) – Guests reported seeing Maleficent, the Evil Queen, Hades, Jafar, Cruella and/or Dr. Facilier in groups of three (two “face” characters and one “head” character). Maleficent and Evil Queen were one set of “face” characters and Cruella and Dr. Facilier were the other set. Jafar and Hades switched out (but not at the same time as the “face” characters). Lady Tremaine and the Stepsisters were also out and about, but they, like Judge Frollo, did not have a formal meet and greet area.

Disney Princesses (Fantasy Faire) – Guests reported seeing Cinderella, Pocahontas, and Rapunzel or Belle, Snow White, and Tiana.

Star Wars Stormtroopers (Tomorrowland) – Guests also reported seeing Darth Vader.


We won't know about this year's line-up until MHP begins.  During the daytime, at the Halloween Carnival (in Frontierland), you can Conjure a Villain.  It could be the Evil Queen, the Old Hag, Captain Hook, Jafar, Cruella, the Queen of Hearts and someone else I am forgetting.  You can only conjure one Villain at a time, however.




mummabear said:


> Oh Jafar and Dr.Facilier are on my list! Yay.
> 
> Do they all autograph?
> 
> Is there a MHP specific autograph book?



I think that most of them autograph.  I have not seen an MHP-specific book for sale, but I could have missed it.  Most of the MHP merchandise seems to be available earlier in the day, even outside of the party.




Meemoo said:


> Which party is everyone thinking to attend - I have my eye on the 25th of October! I am thinking costumes now, getting excited!



I want to do the first party night of the season (9/25).  However, I am supposed to have jury duty the week beginning 9/14, and if, for some reason, I get roped into having to serve at a trial or something, it could last into the following week.  So I hesitate to get a ticket for 9/25, only because I don't know what my jury situation will be.  If I am not recruited to serve by 9/18, then I am off the hook.  But if they pull me in on 9/18 and I have to serve, then I'd be stuck in court the next week too, and possibly on the day of MHP.  It would be cutting it too close and be too much of a scramble to get down to DLR.  So I have to play that one by ear. 

 I would also like to go on October 31st, though!



poseys said:


> Is there a chance Erin means that the Disneyland Forever fireworks will be presented on weekend nights that aren't also party nights or does she really mean every night between September 11-November 1?



I thought that at first, too -- but she clarified that she meant that the fireworks will be presented every non-party night -- weekdays and weekends -- except for 9/10.  The last time the off season fireworks were extended to a nightly schedule throughout Halloween Time was in 2009!



Kilala said:


> I hope Monday, October 12, 2015 Dosen't sell out before September 3rd. From what I remeber from last year, Fridays ans Halloween sold out before the weekday parties sold out.



Last year's sellout schedule:

Fri., 9/26/14 --  SOLD OUT (as of Thursday, August 28, 2014)!!

Tues., 9/30/14 -- DID NOT SELL OUT

Fri., 10/3/14 -- SOLD OUT (as of Friday, August 22, 2014)!!

Mon., 10/6/14 -- SOLD OUT (as of Tuesday, September 30, 2014)!!

Wed., 10/8/14 -- SOLD OUT (as of Monday, September 29, 2014)!!

Fri., 10/10/14 -- SOLD OUT (as of Thursday, September 18, 2014)!!

Tues., 10/14/14 --SOLD OUT (as of Friday, September 26, 2014)!!

Fri., 10/17/14 -- SOLD OUT (as of Monday, September 22, 2014)!!

Mon., 10/20/14  -- SOLD OUT (as of Tuesday, September 30, 2014)!!

Wed., 10/22/14 -- SOLD OUT (as of Friday, October 3, 2014)!!

Fri., 10/24/14 -- SOLD OUT (as of Monday, September 22, 2014)!!

Mon., 10/27/14 -- SOLD OUT (as of Friday, October 3, 2014)!!

Wed., 10/29/14 -- SOLD OUT (as of Wednesday, October 8, 2014)!!

Fri., 10/31/14 -- SOLD OUT (as of Thursday, September 11, 2014)!!






mummabear said:


> What are the lines like for Character meets?



I have seen some very long lines for all characters at MHP, unless you happen to have good timing and get to the line before the character even shows up.




Meriweather said:


> Thanks, easy and cool....much needed in FL. DD comes up with these kinds of costumes for us  (math teacher) Last time we went as deviled eggs.....very fun to watch people and, especially CMs figure the costumes out.



Oh my goodness!  Those costumes are so cute -- did people catch on to the "pumpkin pi" idea, or were they clueless?




bswift said:


> I'll be there the 15th and 16th of October, my first ever trip to DL, and I can't decide whether or not to do MHP! I'm going to WDW a few weeks later and going to MNSSHP so I'm not sure if I want to pay another $77 for MHP. I was originally planning on flying up to Sacramento on the Friday night but ended up adding an extra night to my hotel stay so I could have a little extra DL time. Since I only have 2 days in the park, should I just do DL on Thursday night (so glad the fireworks are running every night!) and then DCA on Friday night? I know it will be crowded but it's also my only chance to see the nighttime entertainment there.



I don't think that MHP is absolutely necessary to do to have a good trip during Halloween Time, and I think your plan would be fine.  I think it depends on how much you like Halloween, and if the Halloween Screams fireworks interest you.  




MichelleWDWfan said:


> I'm a little bummed. I'm making my 1st visit to DL the week before the MNSSHP's start.
> I was hoping they would start the week before so I could attend MNSSHP at DL.



I was really surprised that MHP is not starting a little earlier than usual this year, especially with the added nights.



mummabear said:


> I sympathise-that was us last year!
> I can tell you that you will have a great Halloween time at the Halloween carnival during normal hours though.



Let's hope the Carnival is back this year.  I can't see why it wouldn't be back, but I notice that Erin did not mention it in her blog, nor did she mention the Pumpkin Festival on Main Street.




rwhistler92 said:


> This will be our first year going to the Halloween party as AP holders. I hope they have an AP treat line like last year. Was that the first year they offered that or is offered every year? If so, is the treat similar?
> 
> We are just excited to go again. I ordered the shirts we will wear this week. Thanks to the Disney store 25% off and free shipping code. We will be set after next week.



If I recall correctly, last year was the first time for the AP treat line.




MichelleWDWfan said:


> Cool what is the Halloween Carnival?
> I'll be there Sept 17 but doing the parks 18, 19, 20.




See this post - http://www.disboards.com/threads/ha...015-info-is-finally-in.3270919/#post-51326923 - and this post - http://www.disboards.com/threads/ha...015-info-is-finally-in.3270919/#post-51326955 - from page 1 of this thread, for lots of info and photos of the Halloween Carnival!




haileymarie92 said:


> I was wondering this as well!! We are AP holders and this will be our first MHP. I heard last years AP treats were neat!



There was a bag of some sort, and a goodie -- nothing too exciting, just a treat that wasn't being handed out at non-AP treat stations.




Lebestiole said:


> I must admit I'm a little stressed here. Mom and I want to go to MHP so bad, but I dont understand how Paint the Night and Disneyland Forever will affect the party's entretainment? Also, we'll spend 3 days at Disneyland, 1 day for DCA and 1 for DL, the other one we'll pobly park hop. So I don't want to miss WOC (does it run every night?) and I dont want to miss F! either! AH! I need help here! Also, 1st time at DL in over 12 years! I'm lost!



Paint the Night is being included in MHP, but it will also run every non-MHP night as well.  Disneyland Forever will run on any and all non-MHP nights.  WoC should be running every night.  F! won't run on MHP nights, and it probably won't run on early weeknights.  It would only be running on Saturdays and Sundays, more than likely, if last year's schedule is any indication.

You'll have a great time!



theluckyrabbit said:


> I'm not 100% sure, but last year when we ate at BB on our MHP night, the Dine Line CM had asked me whether we would be attending the party. I think she said that BB closed early on party nights to make sure that all guests would be done and out by the start of the party or shortly thereafter. Our reservation was earlier than I normally would have made it, but it worked out fine. I'm not sure if the TS restaurants stay open after the party starts. Many, if not all, of the CS restaurants do. Hope this info helps.



A couple of the TS restaurants stay open for at least a portion of MHP.  Last year, Carnation Café and Café Orleans were the ones that stayed open.  As you said, lots of CS restaurants stay open.






mom2rtk said:


> That's great! Thanks for the photo. I just caught up and see you posted the villains. Thanks so much!
> 
> Are the princesses the same ones you might tend to meet during the day at PFF? Do they add any Halloween touches to their costumes at all? I'm guessing no, but just want to be clear. We'll have to seek out Aurora since I'm making my daughter a Halloweenified Aurora to wear to the party.
> 
> 
> 
> I know this is the Halloween thread, but that's great to hear about the Christmas Fantasy Parade! I won't even be there then, but it made me sad to think it might not run.



I was glad to see that the Christmas Fantasy Parade will be back too -- even though I don't know how it will be worked into the holiday season.  It could end up being a daytime only thing (so the holiday tour people can still get seats).  It could end up being thrown into some surprise hard ticket Christmas party.  But it is most definitely coming back in some way, as Disney is holding auditions for it.  Disneyland without a Christmas parade just doesn't seem right.



Lebestiole said:


> We arrive on October 20 (at 9 pm) and leave on Oct 25 (at 2 pm). We're only doing 3 days at the DLR. So our full day at DL will be on party night. That leaves me with 1 day for DCA and 1 day to park hop.
> 
> I like option 4! I mean, things would be easier if Disney could only release their friggin schedule! If WOC runs every night then that's one problem less. I want to go to MHP on Thursday, Oct 22, my guess is that it's going to be less crowded than Friday's party.
> 
> As for F!... I really want to see it but it complicates everything.



The only time that F! would be presented that week (between 10/20 and 10/25) -- unless the F! schedule gets extended somehow -- would probably be Saturday, 10/24.  That would be it.

​


----------



## mummabear

Woe @Sherry E you are a machine!
Thanks for the answers


----------



## ten6mom

Sherry.  You are amazing.

Not sure this has been specifically addressed.  If I get a PP+, is it good for the Party also???


----------



## Sherry E

Thank you!  

PP+  should be good at the parties too!  As far as I know, there is not a separate PP card or account needed for MHP alone.  You should just need one PP+ for your entire trip, MHP included.


----------



## Meriweather

Sherry E said:


> Oh my goodness!  Those costumes are so cute -- did people catch on to the "pumpkin pi" idea, or were they clueless?



Some did, some didn't. The CM's always seemed so proud of themselves when they did and especially so if the other CMs with them didn't get it


----------



## CassieF

As for the villains, at the tent the only villains conjured during 2014 were Cruella, Queen, Maleficent, and Hook.  It was usually two face characters and then Hook each day in 45 minute sets for face and half hour for Hook, so 2 hour rotations.  

For the parties I went to (3 last year) Queen of hearts and the Tremaines were the ones that wandered around town square without a specific location most of the time while the three set villains included Queen, Cruella, Maleficent, Facilier, Jafar, then Hades or Frollo.  The Tremaines and Queen of Hearts did have one set at the backdrops right after fireworks, if I recall correctly.  

I do wish they'd have ALL the villains out...Gaston especially!


----------



## mummabear

CassieF said:


> I do wish they'd have ALL the villains out


I wish for Hans, The Duke of Weaselton, Mother Gothal and Oogie Boogie


----------



## rwhistler92

ten6mom said:


> Sherry.  You are amazing.
> 
> Not sure this has been specifically addressed.  If I get a PP+, is it good for the Party also???


Yes, PP+ is good at the parties.


----------



## lorijohnhill

@sherry 

The cookies and pop tarts both had later 2015 exp dates, so they could be last year's, but I'm not sure.


----------



## CassieF

mummabear said:


> I wish for Hans, The Duke of Weaselton, Mother Gothal and Oogie Boogie



None of these have actually been meet and greet characters, and not that I wouldn't LOVE to have them, I'd be happy to have the ones that currently exist, like Gaston, Prince John & Sheriff of Nottingham, Brer Fox, Radcliff, Honest John, Shan Yu, the Old Hag etc....


----------



## Abbey1

Hoping for everyone's opinion- We will be going up to Anaheim for 2 days, October 26-27th. I was originally planning on buying halloween party tickets for the first day and then 1-day tickets for the second day. With the Halloween party ticket price increase, it would only be around $50 more for us to buy 2-day tickets instead for our family. Would it make more sense to skip the party and just do California Adventure that day and Disneyland the other? And just skip the Halloween party altogether? Especially knowing that we can see Paint the Night and Disneyland Forever... I just wonder if there is anything at the party that we will be super disappointed to miss. Does it make more sense to just skip the party and get 2 full days in the parks? 

Side note: We'll be spending a week in Disney World next January, so I am not super concerned about riding the most rides. I just want us to get to experience the Halloween and Diamond Celebration specific festivities.


----------



## mummabear

CassieF said:


> None of these have actually been meet and greet characters, and not that I wouldn't LOVE to have them, I'd be happy to have the ones that currently exist, like Gaston, Prince John & Sheriff of Nottingham, Brer Fox, Radcliff, Honest John, Shan Yu, the Old Hag etc....



Maybe not at DLR but Ophir boogie was at villains unleashed at wdw 



Abbey1 said:


> Hoping for everyone's opinion- We will be going up to Anaheim for 2 days, October 26-27th. I was originally planning on buying halloween party tickets for the first day and then 1-day tickets for the second day. With the Halloween party ticket price increase, it would only be around $50 more for us to buy 2-day tickets instead for our family. Would it make more sense to skip the party and just do California Adventure that day and Disneyland the other? And just skip the Halloween party altogether? Especially knowing that we can see Paint the Night and Disneyland Forever... I just wonder if there is anything at the party that we will be super disappointed to miss. Does it make more sense to just skip the party and get 2 full days in the parks?
> 
> Side note: We'll be spending a week in Disney World next January, so I am not super concerned about riding the most rides. I just want us to get to experience the Halloween and Diamond Celebration specific festivities.



So its a Monday/Tuesday with the Halloween party on the 27th (Tuesday) from 6-11. You can get in with your ticket at 3 giving you 8 hours in the park, so really about 2 hours less than normal full day hours on an October weekday.
Were you planning on getting hopper tickets for your one day?
If you do the party, go to DCA with your full day and don't get hoppers on your pass (because they are $56 per person ) then you would miss Disneyland Forever Fireworks otherwise you could skip the party do Disneyland on the Monday and DCA on the Tuesday and should be able to catch them both but miss the party/Halloscreams)

I guess the last option if money allows is to add hoppers onto your one day ticket as well as the party and catch both WOC and DF on the first night if the schedule allows-since they haven't run fireworks on weeknights in October historically we don't really have an idea of what time they will run (so its possible DF and WOC will clash) and do the part the Tuesday


----------



## tjcrabb

I keep forgetting to post this:


I saw this about a week ago at my local walgreens (Provo, UT) Not pictured are the bags of candy corn and candy corn mixes. Ironically it is in the seasonal isle with all of the summer stuff.


----------



## lorijohnhill

I posted the pages for the MHP autograph book in the Creative DISigns forum. Here is the link!

http://www.disboards.com/threads/new-4x6-disneyland-mhp-autograph-pages.3430890/


----------



## mummabear

On my to do list this trip is to taste candy corn!


----------



## Meemoo

mummabear said:


> On my to do list this trip is to taste candy corn!



What is candy corn - off to google it


----------



## mummabear

Meemoo said:


> What is candy corn - off to google it



Funny. I don't really know. Some sort of candy that comes out for Halloween plus I keep seeing stuff that uses it on pintrest so I want to give it a go.


----------



## Mommy2PrincessAbby

Multiple "what is candy corn?" posts kind of crack me up... These are an old fashioned candy, more nostalgic than anything.  If you aren't from the U.S. I'm not even sure if you would like them, they are pure sugar with a hard to describe flavor... Other than "sweet".


----------



## Sherry E

lorijohnhill said:


> @sherry
> 
> The cookies and pop tarts both had later 2015 exp dates, so they could be last year's, but I'm not sure.



It's hard to tell these days, isn't it?    With the seasonal items (meaning fall and holiday items) appearing early every year, and then the extra/excess seasonal products sticking around long past the holidays and ending up in the bargain stores, it becomes a weird situation where we suddenly don't know if the products are old or new!    In fact, not only does my 99 Cents Only Store have Pumpkin Pie Pop Tarts and Candy Corn Pebbles Cereal from last year's Halloween season, it also has Edy's/Dreyer's Slow Churned Peppermint Wonderland ice cream from last year's holiday season (and no one is buying the ice cream -- even at 99 cents!!! -- because the Slow Churned Peppermint tastes like frozen toothpaste).  This year's supply of Edy's/Dreyer's Halloween and Holiday Season ice cream flavors should be out in 2 months -- they hit the store shelves in September!



Abbey1 said:


> Hoping for everyone's opinion- We will be going up to Anaheim for 2 days, October 26-27th. I was originally planning on buying halloween party tickets for the first day and then 1-day tickets for the second day. With the Halloween party ticket price increase, it would only be around $50 more for us to buy 2-day tickets instead for our family. Would it make more sense to skip the party and just do California Adventure that day and Disneyland the other? And just skip the Halloween party altogether? Especially knowing that we can see Paint the Night and Disneyland Forever... I just wonder if there is anything at the party that we will be super disappointed to miss. Does it make more sense to just skip the party and get 2 full days in the parks?
> 
> Side note: We'll be spending a week in Disney World next January, so I am not super concerned about riding the most rides. I just want us to get to experience the Halloween and Diamond Celebration specific festivities.



mummabear brought up a lot of great points, so I don't know if I can add much more to what she said.  I just wanted to make sure I understood correctly.  If you decide to do the party, does that mean you would do the party in Disneyland on one day, and then do Disneyland on the other day too?  Or would you do the party on one day and then California Adventure on the other day?

I am kind of going back and forth on the issue for you.  On the one hand, as you said, you will still be able to see Paint the Night and Disneyland Forever -- party or no party.  You said that rides are not the primary concern.   I don't know what Disneyland is going to offer for Halloween this year outside of the Halloween Party.  I have to assume that the Halloween Carnival will be back.  As long as the Halloween Carnival is back in the daytime, and as long as there are Halloween decorations on Main Street, you should be able to get enough of a Halloween Time experience even if you decided to skip the party.  The party has Halloween Screams fireworks, though, which are really cool, as well as the foggy Rivers of America and some other cool effects around Disneyland.  I don't think that MHP is 100% necessary to have a fun Halloween trip, but I think it would enhance the Halloween aspect of the trip.

I'm not sure if anything Halloween-ish is going to appear in DCA this year, though.  Right now, I have to assume that it won't (unless the Halloween version of Mad T Party returns).  But if you want to see World of Color - Celebrate, you'd have to go to DCA.



tjcrabb said:


> I keep forgetting to post this:
> View attachment 110968
> 
> I saw this about a week ago at my local walgreens (Provo, UT) Not pictured are the bags of candy corn and candy corn mixes. Ironically it is in the seasonal isle with all of the summer stuff.



  That's awesome!  I love it!  Pumpkin Pandemonium has begun, and will only intensify next month and in September.   (Next month is actually when the Glade fall/autumn line of products should hit the shelves.)  Walgreens is leading the pack this year in terms of early seasonal goodies.  They must not want Target to steal their Halloween thunder.   Walgreens was also the store to throw down the Halloween gauntlet and get in the first (non-craft store) Halloween item of the season -- the Three MuskeFEARS bars -- on or before June 30th!    For some reason, I am extremely amused by Pumpkin Pandemonium. I can't wait for autumn.



Meemoo said:


> What is candy corn - off to google it



You know, Mommy2PrincessAbby summed it up well -- I'm not sure if you would like them.  I'm not even sure if I like them.  I can't decide.   They are small, triangular pieces of pure sugar and they have a very distinct flavor and look -- it's not a bad flavor or a good flavor, but it is sweet.  Just as candy canes are the candy most associated with Christmas, and jelly beans are associated with Easter, and conversation hearts are associated with Valentine's Day, candy corn is the main candy associated with Halloween.  In its Halloween form, it should be yellow, orange and white.  However, in recent years, other versions of candy corn have begun to pop up in Easter colors, Christmas colors and even in red, white and blue for 4th of July!  Candy corn is not something I could ever eat a lot of.  I don't necessarily dislike the taste of it, but I just couldn't eat a lot of it.   A lot of candy corn-flavored products have popped up in the last couple of years (Candy Corn Oreos, for example), just in case people can't get enough of a candy corn fix with the actual candy corn itself!  

What I will say is that, just in terms of decorations for fall/Halloween, candy corn looks great in a glass, bowl or even a vase.  If you fill some vases, jars or any sorts of containers of different sizes (made of clear glass) with lots of candy corn and place them around a room, they pack a big punch of seasonal color and look pretty.



Mommy2PrincessAbby said:


> Multiple "what is candy corn?" posts kind of crack me up... These are an old fashioned candy, more nostalgic than anything.  If you aren't from the U.S. I'm not even sure if you would like them, they are pure sugar with a hard to describe flavor... Other than "sweet".



It's a flavor that is very specific to candy corn, and yet I have a hard time even recalling what it tastes like until I eat a piece of candy corn!  Right now, I am hard pressed to remember the flavor, but if I were to eat some candy corn I know I would be thinking, "Ah yes, there's that flavor I know so well."    It is hard to describe.


----------



## keishashadow

YIPPEEEEE for the release of the dates for the party

BOOOOO to Universal for still dragging their feetfor HHN

For some reason I had expected a Sunday party over Gay Days.   only DL dates that would work for me are Friday 10/2 or Monday 10/5.  Hotel accommodations set already for onsite @ U/HHN on 10/2, then onto DL for remainder of CA stay.

Id be able to buy our tix this Wednesday, slightly concerned there might be a conflict w/whatever HHN dates.  Does anybody know if I can change the date of my Disney party tix if it turns out it doesn't work out for us?   Worst case I'd just lop off HHN but really wanted to catch it.  Saw the schedule posted of sell out dates (below), not sure if I should take the chance and wait it out for U to get it together or not.

_*Mon., 10/6/14 -- SOLD OUT (as of Tuesday, September 30, 2014)!!*_

Are the party tickets offered as will call?  Have been able to switch dates around with those sort of tix for the WDW MNSSHP a few times over the years.

ps my DH's main food group is candy.   candy corn is in his top 5.  they sell it year round here:  traditional orange, yellow & brown but also change it up for the holidays.  I don't get the fuss honestly, imo those wax lips these sell for Halloween have more taste lol.


----------



## Sherry E

keishashadow said:


> YIPPEEEEE for the release of the dates for the party
> 
> BOOOOO to Universal for still dragging their feetfor HHN
> 
> For some reason I had expected a Sunday party over Gay Days.   only DL dates that would work for me are Friday 10/2 or Monday 10/5.  Hotel accommodations set already for onsite @ U/HHN on 10/2, then onto DL for remainder of CA stay.
> 
> Id be able to buy our tix this Wednesday, slightly concerned there might be a conflict w/whatever HHN dates.  Does anybody know if I can change the date of my Disney party tix if it turns out it doesn't work out for us?   Worst case I'd just lop off HHN but really wanted to catch it.  Saw the schedule posted of sell out dates (below), not sure if I should take the chance and wait it out for U to get it together or not.
> 
> _*Mon., 10/6/14 -- SOLD OUT (as of Tuesday, September 30, 2014)!!*_
> 
> Are the party tickets offered as will call?  Have been able to switch dates around with those sort of tix for the WDW MNSSHP a few times over the years.
> 
> ps my DH's main food group is candy.   candy corn is in his top 5.  they sell it year round here:  traditional orange, yellow & brown but also change it up for the holidays.  I don't get the fuss honestly, imo those wax lips these sell for Halloween have more taste lol.



My browser Is doing weird things, and I just lost the text I was typing to you.  Let me try to recall what I said!

All I know about Universal's HHN is that it begins on Friday, 9/18.  I would imagine that it will last through November 1st, but if it operates like Queen Mary's Dark Harbor,  it may skip certain nights in Sept-Oct -- and, of course, you need to be sure it doesn't skip the date you want.

I don't know about the will call situation with MHP tickets (I have only ordered them online and printed them out), but I know that others order them to be delivered by mail as well.  I think that *Corinna/dolphingirl47* has some will call experience with MHP tickets, if I remember correctly.    I have not heard of anyone switching dates after they have purchased an MHP ticket for a different date.  There is always a chance that a kindly CM could pull some strings and get that done for you, but I don't think that it's supposed to be done that way at DLR.  I could be wrong, though!

Last year's sellout dates are a good guideline for which dates were most or least popular last year, but not necessarily a good indicator for this year.  So, while 10/6 took a long time to sell out last year, this year 10/5 might sell out in a few weeks.  I can tell you that the second party of the season did not appear to sell out last year, but it had previously sold out in prior years -- in fact, in prior years, the second party night sold out before a lot of other nights!     So there's no telling what will happen from year to year, especially as more party nights are added in.  The fact that we now have 17 parties instead of 14 could mean that people will switch to different nights, and previously sold out parties will not sell out.  It will be interesting to watch what happens once the tickets go on sale!


----------



## lorijohnhill

Ok, I need some ideas for a second costume. For one party I will be Minnie Mouse. I'm making a red & white polka dot skirt that I can wear over leggings with a black shirt and Minnie ears. 

I need something for the second party that would be suitable for a very large woman with a mobility disability (so using a scooter). I don't want a lot of pieces that will get tangled up trying to get on and off the scooter, and I need to avoid tripping hazards. I also need something very inexpensive to put together. I wear lanyards and a camera, so a simple print on a tshirt won't really work well.

Creative ideas would be appreciated! Thanks!


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## Sherry E

I noticed that the Parks Blog RSS alerts stopped showing up in my feeds, or on my browser (the one I am using is IE11).  All of my other RSS feed subscriptions are working and coming through, so there must be a specific issue with the Parks Blog's feeds and Internet Explorer.  Even when I refresh the Parks Blog feed, it does not show up with the newest blogs -- or any blogs that have come in since Friday!  I will have to try Firefox and see if I can get the feed to work on that browser.  Now, when we are about to launch into a wave of Halloween Time news and eventual holiday season news, I need the RSS feed to work!


----------



## Abbey1

mummabear said:


> Maybe not at DLR but Ophir boogie was at villains unleashed at wdw
> 
> 
> 
> So its a Monday/Tuesday with the Halloween party on the 27th (Tuesday) from 6-11. You can get in with your ticket at 3 giving you 8 hours in the park, so really about 2 hours less than normal full day hours on an October weekday.
> Were you planning on getting hopper tickets for your one day?
> If you do the party, go to DCA with your full day and don't get hoppers on your pass (because they are $56 per person ) then you would miss Disneyland Forever Fireworks otherwise you could skip the party do Disneyland on the Monday and DCA on the Tuesday and should be able to catch them both but miss the party/Halloscreams)
> 
> I guess the last option if money allows is to add hoppers onto your one day ticket as well as the party and catch both WOC and DF on the first night if the schedule allows-since they haven't run fireworks on weeknights in October historically we don't really have an idea of what time they will run (so its possible DF and WOC will clash) and do the part the Tuesday




Yeah I feel like the park hoppers would be a waste of money, so I would either do DCA one day and Disneyland the next, or DCA and the party the other day. You make a really good point about the difference only being about 2 hours. I think I'll do DCA on Monday and then the party on Tuesday. The only thing I am going back and forth about is missing the DF fireworks. Do you think they would still be doing this show next December? Are they only for the diamond celebration? 



Sherry E said:


> mummabear brought up a lot of great points, so I don't know if I can add much more to what she said.  I just wanted to make sure I understood correctly.  If you decide to do the party, does that mean you would do the party in Disneyland on one day, and then do Disneyland on the other day too?  Or would you do the party on one day and then California Adventure on the other day?
> 
> I am kind of going back and forth on the issue for you.  On the one hand, as you said, you will still be able to see Paint the Night and Disneyland Forever -- party or no party..  You said that rides are not the primary concern.   I don't know what Disneyland is going to offer for Halloween this year outside of the Halloween Party.  I have to assume that the Halloween Carnival will be back.  As long as the Halloween Carnival is back in the daytime, and as long as there are Halloween decorations on Main Street, you should be able to get enough of a Halloween Time experience even if you decided to skip the party.  The party has Halloween Screams fireworks, though, which are really cool, as well as the foggy Rivers of America and some other cool effects around Disneyland.  I don't think that MHP is 100% necessary to have a fun Halloween trip, but I think it would enhance the Halloween aspect of the trip.
> 
> I'm not sure if anything Halloween-ish is going to appear in DCA this year, though.  Right now, I have to assume that it won't (unless the Halloween version of Mad T Party returns).  But if you want to see World of Color - Celebrate, you'd have to go to DCA.



I actually posted on this thread about a month ago, debating between doing DCA or Disneyland our second day. I *think* I settled on DCA, but I am wondering if I will be super disappointed to miss the DF fireworks. We've actually never seen WOC, the crowds intimidate me and I would want my son to be able to see the show. Is the new show the same as before, where if you are not near the front, you don't see much of anything (that's what I've read at least)? 

Thanks everyone! I really appreciate this thread and how helpful everyone is!


----------



## PHXscuba

Sherry E said:


> Just as candy canes are the candy most associated with Christmas, and jelly beans are associated with Easter, and conversation hearts are associated with Valentine's Day, candy corn is the main candy associated with Halloween.  In its Halloween form, it should be yellow, orange and white.  However, in recent years, other versions of candy corn have begun to pop up in Easter colors, Christmas colors and even in red, white and blue for 4th of July!  Candy corn is not something I could ever eat a lot of.  I don't necessarily dislike the taste of it, but I just couldn't eat a lot of it.   A lot of candy corn-flavored products have popped up in the last couple of years (Candy Corn Oreos, for example), just in case people can't get enough of a candy corn fix with the actual candy corn itself!



In addition to making other things taste like candy corn, now they are making candy corn taste like other things! While I have seen candy corn with different colors (but the same flavor), I saw bags of birthday-cake flavor and also red/white/blue that was supposed to be cherry/vanilla/raspberry (??). Neither flavor sounded like something I wanted to eat a whole bag of if my kids didn't like it, so I left them behind even though they were on clearance.

And I too am I gearing up for the Most Wonderful Eating Season of the year with all my favorite flavors. It's hard to feel festive when it's 105 out, but it could be that way until October!!

PHXscuba


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## Meemoo

@ Sherry E, Re: Candy Corn..


As soon as I Googled them I knew what they were -  I just didn't relate the name to them, to be honest I thought they were 'Smore's' - now I realize I don't know what a Smore is....I thought Candy Corn' s tasted like caramel when I tried them, and I did like them, can't wait to get me some more!


----------



## Sherry E

Abbey1 said:


> Yeah I feel like the park hoppers would be a waste of money, so I would either do DCA one day and Disneyland the next, or DCA and the party the other day. You make a really good point about the difference only being about 2 hours. I think I'll do DCA on Monday and then the party on Tuesday. The only thing I am going back and forth about is missing the DF fireworks. Do you think they would still be doing this show next December? Are they only for the diamond celebration?
> 
> 
> 
> I actually posted on this thread about a month ago, debating between doing DCA or Disneyland our second day. I *think* I settled on DCA, but I am wondering if I will be super disappointed to miss the DF fireworks. We've actually never seen WOC, the crowds intimidate me and I would want my son to be able to see the show. Is the new show the same as before, where if you are not near the front, you don't see much of anything (that's what I've read at least)?
> 
> Thanks everyone! I really appreciate this thread and how helpful everyone is!



I have not seen World of Color either (honestly, it never interested me all that much, other than the holiday season version, but even that was not enough to motivate me to stand there and wait for it) -- but from all that I hear it seems like the viewing situation for Celebrate is about the same as with the other versions of WoC.

I suspect that the Disneyland Forever fireworks will run nightly (or as close to nightly as it can get, around all of those Halloween parties and assorted weather-affected nights) for the rest of this year.  My guess is that it will taper off a bit early next year -- maybe no longer run nightly.  It could pick back up to a nightly schedule next summer.  But by December of 2016 I would think that we'd have the holiday season fireworks back (though I could be wrong).  That's what happened with the 50th anniversary -- there were no holiday season fireworks that year, in 2005, in honor of the 50th anniversary, but the holiday fireworks returned in 2006.



PHXscuba said:


> In addition to making other things taste like candy corn, now they are making candy corn taste like other things! While I have seen candy corn with different colors (but the same flavor), I saw bags of birthday-cake flavor and also red/white/blue that was supposed to be cherry/vanilla/raspberry (??). Neither flavor sounded like something I wanted to eat a whole bag of if my kids didn't like it, so I left them behind even though they were on clearance.
> 
> And I too am I gearing up for the Most Wonderful Eating Season of the year with all my favorite flavors. It's hard to feel festive when it's 105 out, but it could be that way until October!!
> 
> PHXscuba



Interesting!  I didn't realize that the different-colored candy corn had different flavors as well.  I assumed it was the same flavor, but just colored differently for the assorted holidays.   I think it should stick to being a Halloween-specific candy.  You don't see conversation hearts trying to force their way into Halloween and Christmas.  They stick to Valentine's Day.  

I don't blame you for leaving the candy corn behind -- even on clearance.  As I mentioned above, my 99 Cents Only store has cartons and cartons and cartons of 99 cent Edy's (Dreyer's) Slow Churned Peppermint Wonderland ice cream.  It has been there for weeks and weeks, and no one seems to be buying it.  Even though I don't start to crave peppermint ice cream until at least September, if not later than that, I would happily eat it or at least buy it at 99 cents a carton in July -- except for the fact that it Slow Churned.  I just can't.  There is a reason why the 99 Cents Only store has so many cartons of the Slow Churned Peppermint Wonderland ice cream, and it is because people must have realized that the full fat (Grand) variety is 100 times better, and that Slow Churned is akin to frozen toothpaste!




Meemoo said:


> @ Sherry E, Re: Candy Corn..
> 
> 
> As soon as I Googled them I knew what they were -  I just didn't relate the name to them, to be honest I thought they were 'Smore's' - now I realize I don't know what a Smore is....I thought Candy Corn' s tasted like caramel when I tried them, and I did like them, can't wait to get me some more!



There should be no shortage of candy corn and candy corn-flavored things out here in the stores by the time of your trip.  There should be candy corn in Disneyland's candy shops too.

Oh yes, S'mores are a whole different thing, involving marshmallows, chocolate bars and graham crackers.  They are quite delicious!


----------



## mummabear

Abbey1 said:


> Yeah I feel like the park hoppers would be a waste of money, so I would either do DCA one day and Disneyland the next, or DCA and the party the other day. You make a really good point about the difference only being about 2 hours. I think I'll do DCA on Monday and then the party on Tuesday. The only thing I am going back and forth about is missing the DF fireworks. *Do you think they would still be doing this show next December?* Are they only for the diamond celebration?



It is for the 60th but Remember Dreams Come True was for the 50th and that was still running right up until Disneyland Forever started....


----------



## Sherry E

mummabear said:


> It is for the 60th but Remember Dreams Come True was for the 50th and that was still running right up until Disneyland Forever started....



RDCT was on a reduced schedule, though, as other fireworks entered into the picture.    The holiday season (which would include December) has the Believe in Holiday Magic fireworks.  The only time when BIHM fireworks have not run in the last decade was during the actual year of the 50th anniversary.  I don't think they will run this year either.  Next year, by December, BIHM will most likely be back.


----------



## mummabear

Sherry E said:


> RDCT was on a reduced schedule, though, as other fireworks entered into the picture.    The holiday season (which would include December) has the Believe in Holiday Magic fireworks.  The only time when BIHM fireworks have not run in the last decade was during the actual year of the 50th anniversary.  I don't think they will run this year either.  Next year, by December, BIHM will most likely be back.



Yes I just mean that it is unlikely that we wont see them at all after the end of the year.
I believe Magical has run through Summer and obviously the Holiday Fireworks in Dec.
I expect for Disneyland Forever to still be running in some capacity (so some nights or seasons) for many years


----------



## Sherry E

mummabear said:


> Yes I just mean that it is unlikely that we wont see them at all after the end of the year.
> I believe Magical has run through Summer and obviously the Holiday Fireworks in Dec.
> I expect for Disneyland Forever to still be running in some capacity (so some nights or seasons) for many years



I think that Disneyland Forever will run indefinitely to some degree, on some sort of schedule, but it will eventually be cut back to the "normal" fireworks schedule (not nightly), and then the holiday fireworks will return in December 2016, more than likely.  Abbey1 asked about "next December," which I assumed meant December 2016.  If we are talking about December of this year, then I think that Disneyland Forever will run for the rest of the year and there will be no holiday fireworks.


----------



## WallEve1086

I apologize if this question has been asked and answered already but can annual passholders buy tickets for non annual passholders on July 22?


----------



## dolphingirl47

Sherry E said:


> I think that *Corinna/dolphingirl47* has some will call experience with MHP tickets, if I remember correctly.



My experience is going back to 2011, when will call was not an option. Because of this, I nearly missed out on one of the parties I had planned to attend as contrary to what I was advised, by the time I arrived at Disneyland, the party was sold out. This time round I am prepared. I have finally managed to register my annual pass online so I can make use of the print at home ticket.

Corinna


----------



## Sherry E

WallEve1086 said:


> I apologize if this question has been asked and answered already but can annual passholders buy tickets for non annual passholders on July 22?



Yes.   On 7/22, a live link will appear on DLR website for AP holders to purchase tickets.  AP holders may buy up to 8 tickets.  The discounted tickets (or non-discounted ones)  don't have to be purchased on 7/22 -- the discounts can be obtained any time up until the day before the party in question, as long as the party has not sold out.  It's just that that is the date on which the tickets become available for purchase.


----------



## mummabear

Sherry E said:


> I think that Disneyland Forever will run indefinitely to some degree, on some sort of schedule, but it will eventually be cut back to the "normal" fireworks schedule (not nightly), and then the holiday fireworks will return in December 2016, more than likely.  Abbey1 asked about "next December," which I assumed meant December 2016.  If we are talking about December of this year, then I think that Disneyland Forever will run for the rest of the year and there will be no holiday fireworks.



Your right Sherry, it's funny I was reading the question as "will Disneyland Forever still be running after this year" even though the words said something quite different!


----------



## Kilala

I hope that there are more parties that are not sold out this year on the weekdays. My friend Christine dosen't like heavy crowds.


----------



## tzeitel

Are there special magic shot available at the party?  I know there is a Haunted Mansion shot with the hitchhiking ghosts but I do not remember if this an every night shot during Halloween time or just during the party.


----------



## Comicbookmommy

Haha just found a pic of my husband's costume last year. He went as Willy the Giant. It was really fun but not many people got it, so he just looked like a weirdo in tights and red hair to most everyone, lol!


----------



## theluckyrabbit

He looks great! What was your costume?


----------



## mommy2mrb

opinions please....

we arrive late on the 1st, going to party on the 2nd (will spend day in DL) Saturday planning on DCA and Sunday not sure yet, will be leaving hotel around 3 for our flight.  We haven't seen the new WOC but would also like to see Disneyland Forever fireworks, Saturday night is the only night to see them, know it might be possible to see both if we get hoppers, but if the schedule doesn't warrant that which one would you rather see?

TIA


----------



## WallEve1086

So I will be attending the Thursday October 22 party for my birthday but plan to be at the parks before the party starts. I'm planning to wear a costume but this means I will have to leave the park at some point to change correct? Any suggestions for an easy wardrobe change? I unfortunately won't be staying onsite too. And will I be able to wear the costume the 3 hours prior to actual party start time? Lots of questions, sorry! It's my first Mickey's Halloween Party! Thanks in advance!


----------



## jammyjam25

WallEve1086 said:


> So I will be attending the Thursday October 22 party for my birthday but plan to be at the parks before the party starts. I'm planning to wear a costume but this means I will have to leave the park at some point to change correct? Any suggestions for an easy wardrobe change? I unfortunately won't be staying onsite too. And will I be able to wear the costume the 3 hours prior to actual party start time? Lots of questions, sorry! It's my first Mickey's Halloween Party! Thanks in advance!



If your costume/makeup isn't too complex you could always rent a locker for the day and stash your costume there? And then change after 3pm (or whatever the time is they start letting party guests in)?


----------



## haileymarie92

Did anyone notice that the MHP tickets page says AP can buy tickets now? It -says- that but I am an AP holder and it doesn't show an option for me to buy them. What the heck? Lol.


----------



## Sherry E

haileymarie92 said:


> Did anyone notice that the MHP tickets page says AP can buy tickets now? It -says- that but I am an AP holder and it doesn't show an option for me to buy them. What the heck? Lol.



I think someone behind the scenes at the DLR website jumped the gun and put it up early!  The link/section to order discounted AP tickets will go live tomorrow morning.  Disney Visa Card holders and Disney Vacation Club members will have to order over the phone if they want discounts applied -- and the ticket lines should open up somewhere in the vicinity of 7 a.m. or 8 a.m., PST.


----------



## DisneyLuver2013

Sherry E said:


> I think someone behind the scenes at the DLR website jumped the gun and put it up early!  The link/section to order discounted AP tickets will go live tomorrow morning.  Disney Visa Card holders and Disney Vacation Club members will have to order over the phone if they want discounts applied -- and the ticket lines should open up somewhere in the vicinity of 7 .a.m. or 8 a.m., PST.



Do you know what time they will go on sale online tomorrow morning? I was wondering if they were going to go on sale online tomorrow at 12 a.m. PST?


----------



## Sherry E

DisneyLuver2013 said:


> Do you know what time they will go on sale online tomorrow morning? I was wondering if they were going to go on sale online tomorrow at 12 a.m. PST?



I was trying to find a time stamp of some sort for you, from last year's first ticket sale date.  I can see where figment_jii announced that the AP link had gone live - http://www.disboards.com/threads/ha...o-is-finally-in.3270919/page-34#post-51869368 -- but there is no time stamp on the post. It's in this same thread, though (just a lot further back).  I am guessing it was at approximately 7 a.m. or 7:15 a.m.  You might want to read through a few pages from last year, just to see what happened as people attempted to buy tickets online and/or call.  The link to that section of the thread from last year is here - http://www.disboards.com/threads/ha...ead-4-2015-info-is-finally-in.3270919/page-34


----------



## DisneyLuver2013

Sherry E said:


> I was trying to find a time stamp of some sort for you, from last year's first ticket sale date.  I can see where figment_jii announced that the AP link had gone live - http://www.disboards.com/threads/ha...o-is-finally-in.3270919/page-34#post-51869368 -- but there is no time stamp on the post. It's in this same thread, though (just a lot further back).  I am guessing it was at approximately 7 a.m. or 7:15 a.m.  You might want to read through a few pages from last year, just to see what happened as people attempted to buy tickets online and/or call.  The link to that section of the thread from last year is here - http://www.disboards.com/threads/ha...ead-4-2015-info-is-finally-in.3270919/page-34



I appreciate that!! Thank you!


----------



## Kilala

I got another wig done for my costumes. I will have photos up by this weekend. I will be starting on painting the Halloween cat costume and start on the Demeter wig today.


----------



## Vikesfan80

What number should I call tomorrow morning?  I am a Disney Visa Card holder.

Thanks


----------



## Sherry E

Vikesfan80 said:


> What number should I call tomorrow morning?  I am a Disney Visa Card holder.
> 
> Thanks



Anyone calling and ordering MHP tickets over the phone should use the 714-781-4400 number.  This was also the number I saw mentioned in an email from Disney Visa, but it can apply for anyone ordering tickets on the phone.

​


----------



## lorijohnhill

Do you have any experience with ordering on a smart phone? If so, does it work well? We'll be heading down to San Juan Capistrano tomorrow, so was wondering about ordering online on my phone.


----------



## keishashadow

Sherry E said:


> Anyone calling and ordering MHP tickets over the phone should use the *714-781-4400* number.  This was also the number I saw mentioned in an email from Disney Visa, but it can apply for anyone ordering tickets on the phone.
> 
> ​


thanks for the number!  Going to assume you are using PST as to the possible 7 am-ish time.  I'm going to try to call DVC MS tomorrow & order when they open @ 9 am EST.  Will post back if I get lucky & as to will-call availability.


----------



## seobaina

lorijohnhill said:


> I posted the pages for the MHP autograph book in the Creative DISigns forum. Here is the link!
> 
> http://www.disboards.com/threads/new-4x6-disneyland-mhp-autograph-pages.3430890/



Gorgeous!!!


----------



## lorijohnhill

seobaina said:


> Gorgeous!!!


Thank you! I hope they are of some use to people.


----------



## HydroGuy

Does anyone know how the Happiest Haunts Tour is impacted by MHP? It sounds like MHP starts at 6PM or 7PM, and the tour starts at 6PM. I am interested in the tour but not MHP. Do they just run in parallel? What if you finish the tour in the middle of MHP but do not have an MHP ticket?


----------



## Sherry E

keishashadow said:


> thanks for the number!  Going to assume you are using PST as to the possible 7 am-ish time.  I'm going to try to call DVC MS tomorrow & order when they open @ 9 am EST.  Will post back if I get lucky & as to will-call availability.



Yes, PST.  It may not be 7 a.m. -- it could be 8 a.m. or somewhere in that vicinity -- but the tickets should be available sometime before 9 a.m.  

And the phone lines might jam up if a lot of people call at once, so those who are calling and can't get through right away, just be patient and keep trying.  The tickets are not going to sell out that quickly, so I don't think there will be any worry about missing out if you can't get through on the phone right away.



HydroGuy said:


> Does anyone know how the Happiest Haunts Tour is impacted by MHP? It sounds like MHP starts at 6PM or 7PM, and the tour starts at 6PM. I am interested in the tour but not MHP. Do they just run in parallel? What if you finish the tour in the middle of MHP but do not have an MHP ticket?



I don't recall hearing about the Happiest Haunts tour taking place during or overlapping with MHP last year.  At one point (prior to 2014) there was something called the "Ultimate Experience" package -- which was a combo of MHP and the tour for one 'bargain' price -- but last year I believe that the Ultimate package was discontinued.   Maybe the Ultimate Experience package is being resurrected this year, which would explain the colliding MHP and HH tour (maybe)?

ETA:  Last year the tour was also only in Disneyland, whereas in previous years it had tiptoed into DCA too.


----------



## Comicbookmommy

theluckyrabbit said:


> He looks great! What was your costume?



Haha, Thanks!  The few people in the park who got it seemed to get a kick out of it, lol. 

Alas, I didn't have time to make a costume for myself. I had two sons who want costumes every year too so I never get to make one myself! One day!


----------



## ten6mom

What are everyone's thoughts on the Happiest Haunts tour?  I have never taken a tour but I am getting curious about them from reading people's comments on different ones. I am considering the Behind the Magic (I think that's it), since we will have 4 kids with us this trip, but perhaps we should do HH instead while it's available during the season?


----------



## Serial

So I'm up early and logged in this morning at 4:30 a.m. (I have my AP linked to my Disney account), can check availability for tickets, and the site even takes me to a page to select the number of tickets and date to put into a cart. It looks like all the dates are available except for October 31! Any idea if Halloween night is already "sold out" or if this is just a glitch?


----------



## DisneyLuver2013

The tickets are up for sale!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We just got both of our party date tickets. On one of them, we got a notice that our order is pending due to system availability. I think the website is so busy right now, it's having a hard time processing the orders.

YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Serial said:


> So I'm up early and logged in this morning at 4:30 a.m. (I have my AP linked to my Disney account), can check availability for tickets, and the site even takes me to a page to select the number of tickets and date to put into a cart. It looks like all the dates are available except for October 31! Any idea if Halloween night is already "sold out" or if this is just a glitch?




Let's keep our fingers crossed it's just a glitch....


----------



## Meriweather

Just bought ours for Oct 19!


----------



## CassieScraps

Are these paper tickets shipped to your door?  If so, is there a shipping cost?   Just curious whilst I wait on a phone line to open up.


----------



## Meriweather

There was a shipping cost for delivery.
I chose e-ticket and already printed them out and put them in my trip folder.


----------



## dotfurio

Just got mine online.  7 was about as early in the morning as I could manage lol

They still show Halloween unavailable.  I wasn't planning for that date, but just FYI.  There's no way it's sold out...!?!


----------



## CassieScraps

Meriweather said:


> There was a shipping cost for delivery.
> I chose e-ticket and already printed them out and put them in my trip folder.



What was the shipping cost?

I'll probably choose eticket as well.


OOOHHHH - I thought of another question while I am on hold.

In past years, are the hardstock tickets special?  Like Halloween themed?  If you got eTickets to pick up in the park, did you get specially themed tickets?  {sorry, my inner scrapbooker is showing!}


----------



## Vikesfan80

Phone has been busy since 7am pst


----------



## fantasmicfantastic

CassieScraps said:


> What was the shipping cost?


$5


----------



## CassieScraps

Vikesfan80 said:


> Phone has been busy since 7am pst



I put my cell phone on auto redial and got into the hold queue after about 4 redials.    I'm on hold now, listening to Monsters Inc.


----------



## Vikesfan80

CassieScraps said:


> I put my cell phone on auto redial


Good idea


----------



## Serial

Can someone who's on the phone with Disney ask about the status of tickets for Halloween night? Thanks in advance!


----------



## spragueito

I got in right at 7:00am PT and was told that they weren't ready to take orders for Disney Visa cardholders and that I should try back in an hour.


----------



## CassieScraps

spragueito said:


> I got in right at 7:00am PT and was told that they weren't ready to take orders for Disney Visa cardholders and that I should try back in an hour.



Well, cool.  By the time they answer, I should be good to go.  28 mins and counting on hold now, lol.


----------



## gavakie

CassieScraps said:


> Well, cool.  By the time they answer, I should be good to go.  28 mins and counting on hold now, lol.



i cant get any of the numbers to work.  what numbers are you calling?


----------



## Davey Jones II

We're interested in doing the Party (either on Wed., Sept. 30 or Fri., Oct. 2) but primarily to enjoy lower wait times for rides. What average wait times can we expect on those dates? Is it worth shelling out money for tickets if we are primarily interested in shorter wait times? Thanks in advance to anyone who can share their personal experience.


----------



## CassieScraps

gavakie said:


> i cant get any of the numbers to work.  what numbers are you calling?



I called 714-781-4400, but I set my cell phone to auto redial and it tried until it got a ring tone.   Now I'm just enjoying Disney music for 38 mins now, hahaha.   Thank goodness for bluetooth headphones.


----------



## Priory

Today's mchat article said there's an option to have the ticket on your mobile device. Has anyone tried that yet? I want to do that but after months of dealing with Disney technology for wdw, I'm frightened.


----------



## mom2rtk

I haven't bought anything with an AP discount from home before. Will I just need the AP number or do I need to register it somewhere ahead of time?


----------



## spragueito

CassieScraps said:


> I called 714-781-4400, but I set my cell phone to auto redial and it tried until it got a ring tone.   Now I'm just enjoying Disney music for 38 mins now, hahaha.   Thank goodness for bluetooth headphones.


 Cassie - Are you buying with a Disney Visa? I can't get through anymore.


----------



## DisneyLuver2013

mom2rtk said:


> I haven't bought anything with an AP discount from home before. Will I just need the AP number or do I need to register it somewhere ahead of time?



You'll need to create an account on the Disneyland website and link it to your AP.


----------



## Jkpark

As DVC I can buy 8 tickets. But I have to wait on hold. I can buy online as an AP, but the website says
*Price for Passholders*
Item(s) are priced for Passholders only. For each ticket or pass purchased at the Passholder price, you must show a valid Passholder ID at the park entrance. For room reservations, you must show a valid adult Passholder ID at Resort check-in.

I was buying 4 for my immediate family and 4 for my sister's family - no APs. Is this okay or do I need to wait on hold?


----------



## CassieScraps

spragueito said:


> Cassie - Are you buying with a Disney Visa? I can't get through anymore.



I'm trying too.   Been on hold now for 58 mins.   I'm going to forget why I called pretty soon.  I've been working and reading emails, going through the mail, talking to my boss.....


----------



## mershell

Serial said:


> Can someone who's on the phone with Disney ask about the status of tickets for Halloween night? Thanks in advance!


I too am trying to find this info.  It seems you can buy tix on the web for the other dates, but Halloween is unavailable?  What gives?  Of course, I can't get through to speak to anyone and chat is unavailable.


----------



## AcuraTL

On hold music..."It's a small world after all, it's a small world after all, it's a small world after all...it's a small, small, world".


----------



## jammyjam25

Jealous (but happy for) of all you AP and Disney Visa folks getting your tickets today! I'm anxiously staring at the 29th on my calendar!


----------



## mom2rtk

DisneyLuver2013 said:


> You'll need to create an account on the Disneyland website and link it to your AP.


 

Thanks! Since we don't live in the area and couldn't get back since our last visit, I really had no reason to even check on this before.


----------



## Mommy2PrincessAbby

So, I booked through Costco, and called their number just now: 8778492730, and was the first person she has had on the phone today, added both party nights to our package and paid with my Disney visa. All set!


----------



## tehvalerie

Someone commented on Erin's post that they waited on hold for 45 minutes only to be told that Disney Visa tickets haven't been loaded into the system yet and to try back later. I've been trying to get through on and off since about 10am EST but haven't gotten past the busy signal yet, but I'm trying to buy Visa tickets so now I don't know if I should just wait until later or what. Has anyone successfully bought tickets as a Disney Visa cardholder?


----------



## Vikesfan80

Mommy2PrincessAbby said:


> So, I booked through Costco, and called their number just now: 8778492730, and was the first person she has had on the phone today, added both party nights to our package and paid with my Disney visa. All set!


Thanks for this. I also got in right away.


----------



## NMcowboy

what the heck....?!  still busy???  i've been trying for awhile now.....


----------



## AcuraTL

1 hour 8 minutes on hold and counting...


----------



## Mommy2PrincessAbby

Vikesfan80 said:


> Thanks for this. I also got in right away.



Yep, thanks to Costco I didn't even get hold music they were on the line so fast.  I kinda like the hold music lol.


----------



## Vikesfan80

tehvalerie said:


> Someone commented on Erin's post that they waited on hold for 45 minutes only to be told that Disney Visa tickets haven't been loaded into the system yet and to try back later. I've been trying to get through on and off since about 10am EST but haven't gotten past the busy signal yet, but I'm trying to buy Visa tickets so now I don't know if I should just wait until later or what. Has anyone successfully bought tickets as a Disney Visa cardholder?



I was able to but I called the Costco travel number(I have a Costco reservation btw).  They did verify I had a Disney Visa


----------



## Meriweather

Wow....glad I didn't have to call.....I hate being on hold!


----------



## CassieScraps

My oldest child disconnected the call. Over an hour and 15 mins on hold.  I may have to disown her.

FYI - you can't buy just MHP tix through Costco. (if you don't have a Costco package)

Ugh.   Back to work I suppose.


----------



## tehvalerie

I finally just got past the busy signal. Guess it's a good think I packed my lunch today so I don't have to leave my desk for a while!


----------



## DisneyLuver2013

mom2rtk said:


> Thanks! Since we don't live in the area and couldn't get back since our last visit, I really had no reason to even check on this before.



Sure! We live out of state, but have had annual passes for a while. I don't even remember creating our Disneyland account, but somehow we have one and it's linked to our current annual passes. Who knows!


----------



## Metalliman98

Mommy2PrincessAbby said:


> So, I booked through Costco, and called their number just now: 8778492730, and was the first person she has had on the phone today, added both party nights to our package and paid with my Disney visa. All set!



can you do this if you are just buying the party tix and not booking a travel package through them?


----------



## gavakie

Im sitting at hour and 10 minutes.  Hopefully not much longer lol


----------



## TDS533

1 hour 15 minutes and 52 sec. on hold so far. Man this is worst than waiting for SDMT.lol.


----------



## Vikesfan80

Metalliman98 said:


> can you do this if you are just buying the party tix and not booking a travel package through them?


No, you need a reservation through them.


----------



## RobertaMomof2

Woooo whooo got ours online just now for the 25th.  Can't wait!

Do AP holders get a special gift, or no?  I see last year they did, but didn't read anywhere where we do this year...


----------



## DisneyLuver2013

CassieScraps said:


> My oldest child disconnected the call. Over an hour and 15 mins on hold.  I may have to disown her.
> 
> FYI - you can't buy just MHP tix through Costco. (if you don't have a Costco package)
> 
> Ugh.   Back to work I suppose.



Oh no!!! I'm upset _for you_!! If she were my daughter, she would already be disowned like 15 minutes ago!! LOL

Hope you can get back on there soon!


----------



## Metalliman98

Vikesfan80 said:


> No, you need a reservation through them.


thanks. my in-laws finally got through and got tix after about an hour and a half.


----------



## Dvc CA

I just got through after about an hour & 45 minutes on hold.  I was able to buy tix for the Oct 31st party. I did ask why they aren't available on line and the cast member didn't know.  She only knew that they were available in her system.


----------



## AcuraTL

1 hour 43 minutes and counting....

Got mine after 1 hour and 45 minute wait....got it for 10/31/15.


----------



## Starlight821

I got my tickets for October 25th about 40 minutes ago.  I called at 7:03 and was on hold for 1 hour and 45 minutes.


----------



## kkdlfry

I'm currently at 1 hour and 15 minutes. Good thing today is a little slow at work, lol!


----------



## TDS533

1 hour and about 30 mins. but got my tickets, yay!


----------



## courtneybeth

We got ours for the October 16th party - see you all there. Hubs and I will be dressed as Ralph and Vanellope from Wreck it Ralph. He doesn't know it yet but i'm making him the Hero medal because he is my hero.


----------



## CassieScraps

Okay, trying again..... 25 mins now.  

You would think that DL would figure out a way to let all entitled users (AP holders, DVC, Disney Visa) to order online.    Like registering the AP's, others could register DVC account numbers and Visa cards.   Anyway, just me thinking out loud. 

Good thing work is slow today, lol.


----------



## kkdlfry

Have patience - took 1 hr. and 30 minutes. Going on Monday, October 19, have not decided what we're wearing yet.


----------



## spragueito

1 hour and 25 minutes, but I got through. I asked if I could have tickets emailed, but said mailing them with the $5.00 processing fee was the only option.


----------



## Jkpark

Jkpark said:


> As DVC I can buy 8 tickets. But I have to wait on hold. I can buy online as an AP, but the website says
> *Price for Passholders*
> Item(s) are priced for Passholders only. For each ticket or pass purchased at the Passholder price, you must show a valid Passholder ID at the park entrance. For room reservations, you must show a valid adult Passholder ID at Resort check-in.
> 
> I was buying 4 for my immediate family and 4 for my sister's family - no APs. Is this okay or do I need to wait on hold?


 
*UPDATE*
I tried calling but wasn't getting anywhere. I called DVC MS just to see if I could buy through them - nope. I went online to Disneyland.com and acted like I wanted a hotel reservation until chat popped up and then I asked her to confirm the above language just means one AP for that group of tickets - which she did.  PHEW. So I bought my 8 tickets for Sept 25th.  Now to work on costume ideas...


----------



## Hmsmolen

Jkpark said:


> As DVC I can buy 8 tickets. But I have to wait on hold. I can buy online as an AP, but the website says
> *Price for Passholders*
> Item(s) are priced for Passholders only. For each ticket or pass purchased at the Passholder price, you must show a valid Passholder ID at the park entrance. For room reservations, you must show a valid adult Passholder ID at Resort check-in.
> 
> I was buying 4 for my immediate family and 4 for my sister's family - no APs. Is this okay or do I need to wait on hold?



I just got off the phone for the exact same reason, not all in my party have AP's, after an hour and 50 minute wait they told me that I could buy up to 8 and not everyone in the party needed an AP and they would not be checking any ID at the gates the day of the party so you should be good to go online


----------



## tehvalerie

1 hr 19 minutes on hold, just got two tickets for the party on 9/30! Now to figure out what to wear...


----------



## stephanie22

So this is my first post. The first thing I want to say is thank you to everyone who posts for all the help and info you've all provided. 

Second I got off the phone about 20 minutes ago, we purchased tickets for the parties on Oct 12, and Oct 14. The CM i spoke to said that part of why its taking so long is that they are having to call in the cards for the purchase due to the high volume of sales they're doing.


----------



## Glendamax

Hey DISers......I'm going to Disneyland for the first time EVER, the week of September 13th. Since the Halloween season starts the 11th, does that mean that I will get to see the Halloween theming inside the Haunted Mansion and Space Mountain? Or does that only take place during the Halloween Party? Please let me know! Thanks!


----------



## chttyangel

Okay; question and maybe it is in here but I missed it. I am in town for a conference the last week of Sept. My DD and DMIL are coming on 9/30 and 10/1. Just got the email on the Halloween party and one of the nights is on the 9/30. DMIL hasn't been to the parks in over 20 years. DD and I are going because we are in area and its the 60th. So bottom line; we don't care about the party and don't want to buy the extra ticket. So how does that work; at around 6 will they just make us leave DL and head to DCA or...?? Seems like that would be hard to control and just wondering how it all works. THANKS!


----------



## smchristy

I have an odd question...

DD 7 and I will be visiting 9/24 through 9/27.  I am considering buying tickets to the party on 9/25, but here is the catch. We are in town for a wedding that weekend and have to attend a family dinner at 5:30 on 9/25 down in San Juan Capistrano.  We will be in the park all day on the 25th until about 3:30/4:00 when we leave to head down to SJC for dinner.

How terrible do you think traffic will be coming back from dinner? If the party starts at 7:00 pm, do you think it will be worth trying to rush to get back?

The main reason I am trying to make all of this work out is because my DD has NEVER been to DL.  She and my DH have been reading the Kindgdom Keeper books and the first book talks about the Halloween overlys and the Mickey parties. It all just fits so well.

Any thoughts or advise is appreciated. THANKS!


----------



## Sherry E

I'm glad to see that so many of you have gotten your tickets now!    I did warn that the phone lines can jam up.  Everyone is frantically calling (or trying to order online) at the same time, because everyone is either excited, or worried the tickets will sell out, or thinking that they will somehow not get another chance to order.  And then, on top of that, the CMs have to process each phone order, and they are also getting inundated with calls about glitches in the online system as well.  It can be a mess.

The tickets are not going to sell out instantaneously, so it won't hurt to just wait it out for a few hours and try again later -- or even wait until tomorrow.  The dates won't sell out by the time the tickets go on sale to the general public next week either.  The Halloween night ticket unavailability thing is just some kind of weird glitch.




Davey Jones II said:


> We're interested in doing the Party (either on Wed., Sept. 30 or Fri., Oct. 2) but primarily to enjoy lower wait times for rides. What average wait times can we expect on those dates? Is it worth shelling out money for tickets if we are primarily interested in shorter wait times? Thanks in advance to anyone who can share their personal experience.



I don't know what the average wait times are -- they will be different for each ride -- but some of them are walk-ons, while some of them still have a bit of a wait (such as Haunted Mansion Holiday and Ghost Galaxy).  One time I saw next to no line for Splash Mountain -- the queue was so empty I thought that it was closed, but it was actually open and just empty!  I think that if shorter lines are the most important factor, It might be worth the price  just as long as you know that certain rides will still have some lines.



Jkpark said:


> As DVC I can buy 8 tickets. But I have to wait on hold. I can buy online as an AP, but the website says
> *Price for Passholders*
> Item(s) are priced for Passholders only. For each ticket or pass purchased at the Passholder price, you must show a valid Passholder ID at the park entrance. For room reservations, you must show a valid adult Passholder ID at Resort check-in.
> 
> I was buying 4 for my immediate family and 4 for my sister's family - no APs. Is this okay or do I need to wait on hold?



I'm glad you got it figured out, but I was going to say that, since 8 tickets can be purchased by AP holders, there's no way Disney is going to require that each one of the 8 people has an AP, or even a separate Hopper.  People buy tickets for their guests all the time, I am sure.



jammyjam25 said:


> Jealous (but happy for) of all you AP and Disney Visa folks getting your tickets today! I'm anxiously staring at the 29th on my calendar!



Your time is coming!  But do note that you will run into some of the same frantic madness that today's batch of ticket buyers is encountering, in terms of phone wait times.  Everyone scrambles to order at the same time, so there is no way to avoid it!




tehvalerie said:


> Someone commented on Erin's post that they waited on hold for 45 minutes only to be told that Disney Visa tickets haven't been loaded into the system yet and to try back later. I've been trying to get through on and off since about 10am EST but haven't gotten past the busy signal yet, but I'm trying to buy Visa tickets so now I don't know if I should just wait until later or what. Has anyone successfully bought tickets as a Disney Visa cardholder?



Lots of people buy tickets using a Disney Visa, but sometimes the process is delayed for whatever reason.  Some kind of glitch happens every year.   It all ends up working out.



RobertaMomof2 said:


> Woooo whooo got ours online just now for the 25th.  Can't wait!
> 
> Do AP holders get a special gift, or no?  I see last year they did, but didn't read anywhere where we do this year...



Last year there was a special AP treat trail/line at MHP, and the AP holders got bags and a treat.  We don't know about this year yet.  Only the very basic details have been released -- dates, prices and MHP tickets.  More details will probably be filled in later, closer to when MHP begins in September.  We're still 2 months out from the MHP start right now!



CassieScraps said:


> Okay, trying again..... 25 mins now.
> 
> You would think that DL would figure out a way to let all entitled users (AP holders, DVC, Disney Visa) to order online.    Like registering the AP's, others could register DVC account numbers and Visa cards.   Anyway, just me thinking out loud.
> 
> Good thing work is slow today, lol.



Visa folks can order online next week, when the general public's tickets go on sale, but they would not get a discount that way.  They can only get the discount if they order over the phone.  You're right -- there should be a special link set up so that the discounted tickets can be purchased online by Disney Visa and DVC people.  It is the 21st century, after all.  



stephanie22 said:


> So this is my first post. The first thing I want to say is thank you to everyone who posts for all the help and info you've all provided.
> 
> Second I got off the phone about 20 minutes ago, we purchased tickets for the parties on Oct 12, and Oct 14. The CM i spoke to said that part of why its taking so long is that they are having to call in the cards for the purchase due to the high volume of sales they're doing.



Welcome to the Halloween Time at DLR Superthread!   Thank you for joining us!  I'm so glad you got your tickets! 

There is always some sort of glitch or delay every year, and they always get flooded with calls.  It's really no different this year.  Either the people buying tickets should just wait it out for a day or two, until things calm down, OR Disneyland should get more Cast Members on the phone lines just for days when special hard ticket events go on sale, to handle the call volume!  However, it doesn't seem like either of those things will happen!



Glendamax said:


> Hey DISers......I'm going to Disneyland for the first time EVER, the week of September 13th. Since the Halloween season starts the 11th, does that mean that I will get to see the Halloween theming inside the Haunted Mansion and Space Mountain? Or does that only take place during the Halloween Party? Please let me know! Thanks!



Hello, and welcome!

Yes, yes, yes!  You will, indeed, get to experience Haunted Mansion Holiday and Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy, as well as whatever else is going on for Halloween Time.  Hopefully, the Halloween Carnival will be back in Frontierland.  Hopefully, the Pumpkin Festival will be back on Main Street.  The Dia de los Muertos display in Frontierland will be back, along with the Ray Bradbury Halloween Tree.

​


----------



## courtneybeth

Glendamax said:


> Hey DISers......I'm going to Disneyland for the first time EVER, the week of September 13th. Since the Halloween season starts the 11th, does that mean that I will get to see the Halloween theming inside the Haunted Mansion and Space Mountain? Or does that only take place during the Halloween Party? Please let me know! Thanks!



Haunted Mansion Holiday and Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy overlays stay up for the duration of the Halloween time... so you can see them without going to Halloween.


----------



## DisneyLuver2013

chttyangel said:


> Okay; question and maybe it is in here but I missed it. I am in town for a conference the last week of Sept. My DD and DMIL are coming on 9/30 and 10/1. Just got the email on the Halloween party and one of the nights is on the 9/30. DMIL hasn't been to the parks in over 20 years. DD and I are going because we are in area and its the 60th. So bottom line; we don't care about the party and don't want to buy the extra ticket. So how does that work; at around 6 will they just make us leave DL and head to DCA or...?? Seems like that would be hard to control and just wondering how it all works. THANKS!



Disneyland has a very organized system for getting the nonparty guests out of the park. Everyone who is in attendance to the party will have a wristband with a different color for each night of the parties. They will start telling people who don't have wristbands to exit the park at around 6 p.m. (when the party officially starts on select nights). Eventually, they don't allow anyone who doesn't have a wristband past certain points in the park. It's a pretty organized system, and I've seen a couple of people who didn't have wristbands waiting for the Halloween parade get kicked out of the park before when the line of CMs did their sweep down Main Street checking for wristbands.


----------



## Nicolette11785

Has anyone got tickets for 10/31 yet? I don't want to wait on hold forever if they still don't have those available


----------



## Sherry E

chttyangel said:


> Okay; question and maybe it is in here but I missed it. I am in town for a conference the last week of Sept. My DD and DMIL are coming on 9/30 and 10/1. Just got the email on the Halloween party and one of the nights is on the 9/30. DMIL hasn't been to the parks in over 20 years. DD and I are going because we are in area and its the 60th. So bottom line; we don't care about the party and don't want to buy the extra ticket. So how does that work; at around 6 will they just make us leave DL and head to DCA or...?? Seems like that would be hard to control and just wondering how it all works. THANKS!



All non-party guests have to leave the park at 6 p.m. or 7 p.m., depending on when the party begins.  Shops on Main Street may stay open for a bit longer, but the rest of the park is considered closed to non-party guests.   Cast Members begin sectioning off areas and checking wristbands.  It's not as hard as you would think -- they do a pretty good job of making sure that no one is staying in the park without a ticket and wristband, and the wristbands will probably have to be shown at various spots throughout the night.  They've got it down to a science.   California Adventure stays open, though, so if you have to leave Disneyland at 6 p.m., then you can still go to DCA, or just wander around Downtown Disney and the hotels.



smchristy said:


> I have an odd question...
> 
> DD 7 and I will be visiting 9/24 through 9/27.  I am considering buying tickets to the party on 9/25, but here is the catch. We are in town for a wedding that weekend and have to attend a family dinner at 5:30 on 9/25 down in San Juan Capistrano.  We will be in the park all day on the 25th until about 3:30/4:00 when we leave to head down to SJC for dinner.
> 
> How terrible do you think traffic will be coming back from dinner? If the party starts at 7:00 pm, do you think it will be worth trying to rush to get back?
> 
> The main reason I am trying to make all of this work out is because my DD has NEVER been to DL.  She and my DH have been reading the Kindgdom Keeper books and the first book talks about the Halloween overlys and the Mickey parties. It all just fits so well.
> 
> Any thoughts or advise is appreciated. THANKS!



That will be a bit of a drive and a lot of rushing.   But the party is going on until midnight.  Your dinner begins at 5:30.  When would you begin driving back to Anaheim?

The tickets are a lot of money.  I don't know when your drive would begin, but I am not sure it's worth it unless you can be there at 7 p.m.   Is 9/25 your only day to be in DL?  In other words, you can't be there on 9/26 or 9/24 too?  I think it's up to you -- you will get Disneyland time earlier in the day, but driving to SJC and back is going to eat up a chunk of time for such expensive party tickets.


----------



## CassieScraps

Yay!! It only took 2 long holds, but I have my tickets.   I wasn't given the option for eTickets either, which is a bummer.   I don't trust my post office, they can't seem to figure out that I do indeed live here, even after 3.5 years, lol.

I cannot wait for Oct 12th!!


----------



## smchristy

Sherry E said:


> That will be a bit if a drive and a lot of rushing. But the party is going on until midnight. Your dinner begins at 5:30. When would you begin driving back to Anaheim?
> 
> The tickets are a lot of money. I don't know when your drive would begin, but I am not sure it's worth it unless you can be there at 7 p.m. Is 9/25 your only day to be in DL? In other words, you can't be there on 9/26 or 9/24 too? I think it's up to you -- you will get Disneyland time earlier in the day, but driving to SJC and back is going to eat up a chunk of time for such expensive party tickets.


 

We will be in the parks all day 9/24 (we get in at 8:30 am and will head straight over) and all day 9/26.  My gut feeling all along has been that we will have to miss the party, but it is such a huge bummer. I honestly can't say how long the dinner will be. It is hard to tell and I'm not even sure how many people will be there. I feel like a jerk for saying it, but I am really annoyed that the dinner is cutting into our Disney time 

Thanks for your thoughts!


----------



## Sherry E

smchristy said:


> We will be in the parks all day 9/24 (we get in at 8:30 am and will head straight over) and all day 9/26.  My gut feeling all along has been that we will have to miss the party, but it is such a huge bummer. I honestly can't say how long the dinner will be. It is hard to tell and I'm not even sure how many people will be there. I feel like a jerk for saying it, but I am really annoyed that the dinner is cutting into our Disney time
> 
> Thanks for your thoughts!



I totally understand!  It's great that at least you will be in the parks on 9/24 and 9/26 as well, but seeing that 9/25 is the only party night during your trip, I can't blame you for being annoyed at the family dinner!  It's not like you have a choice of 2 parties during your trip.  It's too bad it couldn't have been a "family breakfast" that day instead of a dinner!


----------



## PlutoRocks

I'm glad my sister is a night owl...she got our tickets online at about 12:15am for Sept. 25th...she said it was super quick and easy...I was dead asleep at that time of night.   Good luck to all those waiting on hold...I hope they can clear the backlog and get you guys through quickly.

YAY!!!  I'm going to Mickey's Halloween Party for the first time ever!!   I'm ridiculously excited about that!


----------



## Glendamax

courtneybeth said:


> Haunted Mansion Holiday and Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy overlays stay up for the duration of the Halloween time... so you can see them without going to Halloween.



YAY!!!!!! Thank you!!!! 



Sherry E said:


> Hello, and welcome!
> 
> Yes, yes, yes!  You will, indeed, get to experience Haunted Mansion Holiday and Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy, as well as whatever else is going on for Halloween Time.  Hopefully, the Halloween Carnival will be back in Frontierland.  Hopefully, the Pumpkin Festival will be back on Main Street.  The Dia de los Muertos display in Frontierland will be back, along with the Ray Bradbury Halloween Tree.
> 
> ​



YAY!!!! Thank you!!!!


----------



## kath00

Hi there.  What number are you guys calling?  When I log in to the online account, it give me an error for a different AP member even though I have repeatedly associated my AP number with my account.  And I try to call the number it gives me and it is busy.  


This pass or ticket is already linked to an account. Please enter a different ID number or call (714) 520-6222 for assistance. Guests under 18 years of age must have parent or guardian permission to call.


----------



## Alohadan

Just got off the phone.  It was just under an hour.  Total time on hold and to purchase tickets was 57 minutes.


----------



## Sherry E

kath00 said:


> Hi there.  What number are you guys calling?  When I log in to the online account, it give me an error for a different AP member even though I have repeatedly associated my AP number with my account.  And I try to call the number it gives me and it is busy.
> 
> 
> This pass or ticket is already linked to an account. Please enter a different ID number or call (714) 520-6222 for assistance. Guests under 18 years of age must have parent or guardian permission to call.



To order tickets over the phone, everyone has been calling 714-781-4400.


----------



## TACK

Got on-line this morning through the AP website at 7:00 mountain time - no problem with purchasing, September 25th.  I had already booked the flights, hotel, etc. so I was hoping for the party.  This is the first Disneyland party I have ever been to.  I have been to the Disneyworld MNSSHP many times so I'm looking forward to the one at Disneyland.



kath00 said:


> Hi there.  What number are you guys calling?  When I log in to the online account, it give me an error for a different AP member even though I have repeatedly associated my AP number with my account.  And I try to call the number it gives me and it is busy.
> 
> 
> This pass or ticket is already linked to an account. Please enter a different ID number or call (714) 520-6222 for assistance. Guests under 18 years of age must have parent or guardian permission to call.


I had this very same problem when I was testing the site a few weeks ago in anticipation of the tickets going on sale.  Turns out that they had to open a ticket for me with their IT department because it would not accept my A/P number.  They did verify that it was my pass and the correct number.  In a couple of days it was fixed but it did take a couple of days.  I was also called back from a cast member making sure my account was okay.

I went on this morning with my log in and no problem with purchasing my ticket.  Even if you get your tickets on the phone you will want to fix that problem with your AP because it is a hassle if you can't access the website.


----------



## Drnifer

I was able to purchase tickets for both Oct. 27 and 31 with no problems with availability. The whole process took about an hour including hold time.  We're doing Halloween parties at both WDW and DL this year and I'm so excited!


----------



## JessieD

I hope my date isn't sold out by the time they go onsale to everyone next week!!!!!


----------



## DisneyloverinWA

I had to call in because the tickets for the 31st weren't available on the website.  I waited about 1 hour and 15 minutes and got the tickets I wanted.  So excited.  This is our first party.  We usually got in mid-September and the parks are decorated but there aren't any parties.  Can't wait!!


----------



## paul16451

We all hope that.  Does this same franticness with long hold times happen every year?  Or is it just the fact that they waited so long to announce the sale dates?


----------



## Sherry E

JessieD said:


> I hope my date isn't sold out by the time they go onsale to everyone next week!!!!!



I think so.  They don't put all of the tickets up for grabs right when they go on sale today.  They hold some back for the general public.  Look at the sell out dates for last year (in the MHP post on page 1).  You can see that a lot of dates stayed available for a while.



DisneyloverinWA said:


> I had to call in because the tickets for the 31st weren't available on the website.  I waited about 1 hour and 15 minutes and got the tickets I wanted.  So excited.  This is our first party.  We usually got in mid-September and the parks are decorated but there aren't any parties.  Can't wait!!



 I think the 10/31 online purchase glitch is temporary.  Hopefully people will be able to buy those tickets online soon, instead of having to buy over the phone.

I just wanted to clarify, so no one gets the wrong idea from your comment.  Disneyland is decorated (well, Main Street and Frontierland are decorated for Halloween; New Orleans Square is just decorated with "Nightmare Before Christmas"-specific touches) --  but California Adventure has next to nothing in terms of Halloween décor.  It did have some decorations in the immediate Mad T Party area, but I don't know if the Halloween version of Mad T Party s coming back this year.  And I think there were a couple of Halloween displays inside a couple of shops.  Otherwise, nada on the décor front.  Not even any orange bunting in DCA.   Maybe that will change this year.  Of course, there are Halloween treats and fall foods available in DCA (pumpkin-shaped bread and what not).



paul16451 said:


> We all hope that.  Does this same franticness with long hold times happen every year?  Or is it just the fact that they waited so long to announce the sale dates?



Every year... though I imagine the wait times may vary from year to year.  People get frantic and excited, all at once, along with the fact that they have waited so long to get information and are just bursting at the seams to get their tickets.   A lot of folks think that they won't have another chance to get tickets if they don't get them immediately.


----------



## pixey-d

Hello

I apologize if this has been asked recently, however,  I am not able to get through wit that phone number ro even wt into rhe que to hold. Do you think there may just be too many people already holding?

Than you for all the help


----------



## Sherry E

pixey-d said:


> Hello
> 
> I apologize if this has been asked recently, however,  I am not able to get through wit that phone number ro even wt into rhe que to hold. Do you think there may just be too many people already holding?
> 
> Than you for all the help



Yes -- too many people flooding the phone lines at the same time.  It happens every year.  Just give it some time.  The tickets are not going to disappear right away.


----------



## Serial

October 31 tickets are now AVAILABLE through the DL website!


----------



## haileymarie92

Just ordered our tickets for Sept 30!!! So excited!!

I did notice that Oct 31 seems available to purchase online now.


----------



## DisneyloverinWA

When I was on the phone with Disney they did say they were close to resolving the October 31st ticket issue.  Glad it's fixed!!


----------



## Canadian Harmony

Would I be able to purchase the general tix online next week or is that only for AP holders?


----------



## hollykinzzz

Does anyone know what time the phone lines close for the day? I was thinking 5 pm EST but not too sure. Didn't want to stay on hold and not have anybody ever pick up lol.


----------



## Sherry E

Canadian Harmony said:


> Would I be able to purchase the general tix online next week or is that only for AP holders?



You will be able to buy your tickets online when they go on sale to the GP next week -- or over the phone.  Whichever you prefer.




hollykinzzz said:


> Does anyone know what time the phone lines close for the day? I was thinking 5 pm EST but not too sure. Didn't want to stay on hold and not have anybody ever pick up lol.



Drat!  I remember a phone Cast Member telling me the closing time for phone calls at one point, and now I have completely blanked out on what that time was.  It's the same time year-round, of course (or at least the same time every summer), not just on MHP sale days.  For the life of me I cannot recall if she told me that the closing time was 7 p.m., 8 p.m. or 9 p.m.  PST.


----------



## kkmcan

WOW! This is exciting over here in this thread! I will be buying tickets for Oct 2nd with my Disney Rewards card.  But I think I will try tomorrow. Hopefully the wait won't be that long.


----------



## Sherry E

kkmcan said:


> WOW! This is exciting over here in this thread! I will be buying tickets for Oct 2nd with my Disney Rewards card.  But I think I will try tomorrow. Hopefully the wait won't be that long.



Yep!  Things are hopping on the Halloween front!  Tickets are on sale, Halloween things are slowly sneaking into stores (or at least into Walgreens), and Halloween Time begins in under 2 months!


----------



## Djscarlette

I just bought tix to October 27th party!!

I only waited 25 minutes for holding time and purchase time. Now seems to be a good time to call!


----------



## tkitty

On hold now. Tried earlier but only got a busy signal. Buying for the Sept 30th party. At least I'm listening to Disney music!


----------



## wendyt_ca

Just bought ours for Oct 12th!! Wait time was 22 mins


----------



## wendyt_ca

tkitty said:


> On hold now. Tried earlier but only got a busy signal. Buying for the Sept 30th party. At least I'm listening to Disney music!



That's what I was thinking too lol!


----------



## spragueito

hollykinzzz said:


> Does anyone know what time the phone lines close for the day? I was thinking 5 pm EST but not too sure. Didn't want to stay on hold and not have anybody ever pick up lol.


I called about 6:58 this morning and the recording said to call back between the hours of 7:00am and 8:00pm PT.


----------



## nhoch123

Thank you to the ones that posted about calling Costco Travel if you are booked with them already.  I just called in to Costco Travel to add Halloween Party tickets and it took about 30 seconds to get through and we now have them booked for the Oct 7th party!!! Excited to go back during Halloween time!!!


----------



## tkitty

All set! Tickets for 9/30 bought. On hold for about 25 min. Very nice cast member too. Woo hoo!


----------



## hollykinzzz

spragueito said:


> I called about 6:58 this morning and the recording said to call back between the hours of 7:00am and 8:00pm PT.


Wow that's pretty late but yay! Calling now...thanks for the info!


----------



## keishashadow

Jkpark said:


> *UPDATE*
> I tried calling but wasn't getting anywhere. I called DVC MS just to see if I could buy through them - nope. I went online to Disneyland.com and acted like I wanted a hotel reservation until chat popped up and then I asked her to confirm the above language just means one AP for that group of tickets - which she did.  PHEW. So I bought my 8 tickets for Sept 25th.  Now to work on costume ideas...



were you able to order using DVC discount thru chat?  never thought of that, doh

Member Services told me they'll be linked to DL for tix purchases very soon...um, ok define 'soon' lol

kept hitting redial shortly before @ 10 am EST. waited almost an hour but had to hang up to make an appointment. 

tried again @ 2 pm EST, exactly 55 minutes later I was golden.  Was told to allow 10 business days for their receipt & that they will be arriving in plain, white envelope. 

trip seems more real now.will need to figure out how many days I need to put on regular tix & purchase.  Since we can enter party @ 3 pm, thinking perhaps we will spend earlier time that day poolside & grab a late lunch before entering the park.


----------



## seobaina

I'm confused. My friend is an ap holder. He's hoping to come with us but not certain yet. He said he'd get us tickets (5) but when he's tried he said they'll have his name on so if he can't come they wouldn't be valid. Is this true? If not, how does he get us out tickets? Thanks x


----------



## focusondisney

About 20 minutes on hold, 26 minutes total with the survey  n& we're set for Sept 25!!!  

Very friendly & efficient CM "David".  Got the same "plain white envelope for your protection" spiel.   Wonder if people have accidently thrown them out!


----------



## Jeff314

Hello all, might be kinda off the Halloween topic but we are trying to decide which character breakfast to do when we go late sept. Taking our little 3 yr old girl. Are they any different Halloween time? We did plaza inn last year and really like the experience. Thinking about goofy's kitchen but we've never been there. Any recommendations??


----------



## theluckyrabbit

seobaina said:


> I'm confused. My friend is an ap holder. He's hoping to come with us but not certain yet. He said he'd get us tickets (5) but when he's tried he said they'll have his name on so if he can't come they wouldn't be valid. Is this true? If not, how does he get us out tickets? Thanks x



I  purchased our tickets today as an AP, and my name is not on the tickets. There is a bar code which is probably linked to my pass, since that is what I used for the discount. You friend must have a valid AP to purchase the tickets for you and a valid AP to use his own ticket on the party date. But we've never been asked to show our passes when we've attended the party.

_*But*_ this is from my ticket confirmation:

*Important Details*



*Price for Passholders *Item(s) are priced for Passholders only. For each ticket or pass purchased at the Passholder price, you must show a valid Passholder ID at the park entrance. For room reservations, you must show a valid adult Passholder ID at Resort check-in

So leave it to Disney to make this a bit more confusing. This makes it sound like your friend should be prepared to have his pass checked, in which case he would have to be with you. If you are not planning on being at the 10/31 party, your friend has more time to solidify his schedule. I think the AP checking is up to Disney's discretion.

Does anyone in your group have a Disney Visa card? You could purchase your tickets using that discount and not have to worry about having your card checked.


----------



## Geemo

Not an AP holder but considering calling just to sit on hold and listen to the Disney music....   To be part of the "IN" crowd.
I don't mind being on hold with Disney because of the music.

I'll be making my official call for tickets when they open to the general public next week.

Thanks for all the updated info.

Geemo


----------



## theluckyrabbit

Geemo said:


> Not an AP holder but considering calling just to sit on hold and listen to the Disney music....   To be part of the "IN" crowd.
> I don't mind being on hold with Disney because of the music...



lol!


----------



## tjcrabb

2 tickets for the 10/09 party have been purchased. It took about 40 minutes but once you put the phone on speaker it isn't a big deal. The cast member was very sweet, the poor girl was tongue tied after the long day


----------



## DisneyLuver2013

Looks like people are already trying to make a quick buck on scalping tickets for Mickey's Halloween Party on October 31st... 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/10-31-1-6-T...871?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4199fb1b87 


Looks like they can't even get the name for Disneyland's party right, calling it Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party.


----------



## Sherry E

Jeff314 said:


> Hello all, might be kinda off the Halloween topic but we are trying to decide which character breakfast to do when we go late sept. Taking our little 3 yr old girl. Are they any different Halloween time? We did plaza inn last year and really like the experience. Thinking about goofy's kitchen but we've never been there. Any recommendations??



Sadly, none of the character meals really seem to do anything different for Halloween Time, though you may find a few autumn-specific foods at the buffets or on the menus.

Personally, I am a fan of Goofy's Kitchen, but everyone's opinion varies -- some folks really love it and some don't like it at all.  You will see Goofy, Minnie, Chip, Dale and Pluto.  The buffet is much larger and there are more items than there are at Minnie & Friends.  If you want more of a selection of food, Goofy's is the place to go.  If you want somewhere to eat a character breakfast, brunch or dinner, Goofy's is the place to go.  If you want to meet the most characters (for a slightly cheaper price than Goofy's), stick with Minnie & Friends at Plaza Inn.



DisneyLuver2013 said:


> Looks like people are already trying to make a quick buck on scalping tickets for Mickey's Halloween Party on October 31st...
> 
> 
> Looks like they can't even get the name for Disneyland's party right, calling it Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party.



Yikes!  

Oh, and that's another thing I should mention now, as I neglected to mention it before -- inevitably, every year, someone is unable to buy tickets for a night they want, and they post threads in hopes that someone will sell them tickets.  OR, someone will post and say that they have tickets to sell.

There is no buying or selling of tickets on this forum, and we end up having to delete posts or threads every year.  So, if any of you guys spot a thread or a post clearly indicating that someone is trying to buy or sell Mickey's Halloween Party tickets, please let us know!  We won't rat you out and divulge who told us, so don't worry!


----------



## LeahMLee

Were you able to buy the tickets online starting at midnight pacific time? Trying to figure out when I can go on to buy for next week. I live in Hawaii so I believe I am three hours behind. If you choose to have your tickets mailed will it be a hard ticket?


----------



## seobaina

theluckyrabbit said:


> I  purchased our tickets today as an AP, and my name is not on the tickets. There is a bar code which is probably linked to my pass, since that is what I used for the discount. You friend must have a valid AP to purchase the tickets for you and a valid AP to use his own ticket on the party date. But we've never been asked to show our passes when we've attended the party.
> 
> _*But*_ this is from my ticket confirmation:
> 
> *Important Details*
> 
> 
> 
> *Price for Passholders *Item(s) are priced for Passholders only. For each ticket or pass purchased at the Passholder price, you must show a valid Passholder ID at the park entrance. For room reservations, you must show a valid adult Passholder ID at Resort check-in
> 
> So leave it to Disney to make this a bit more confusing. This makes is sound like your friend should be prepared to have his pass checked, in which case he would have to be with you. If you are not planning on being at the 10/31 party, your friend has more time to solidify his schedule. I think the AP checking is up to Disney's discretion.
> 
> Does anyone in your group have a Disney Visa card? You could purchase your tickets using that discount and not have to worry about having your card checked.




Nope, I'm in the UK so we can't get a Disney Visa card, otherwise I would  and he's prob not gonna know for weeks so I guess I'll just have to wait til next week and hope there's not a mass sell out. We're hoping for oct 5th. X


----------



## Sherry E

LeahMLee said:


> Were you able to buy the tickets online starting at midnight pacific time? Trying to figure out when I can go on to buy for next week. I live in Hawaii so I believe I am three hours behind. If you choose to have your tickets mailed will it be a hard ticket?



I think that only one person mentioned being able to get tickets shortly after midnight, but no one else seemed to have been able to do that.    It seemed like everything should have been up and running by 7 a.m. or 8 a.m., PST,  but if you read any of the comments that were posted this morning, you saw that a lot of people experienced lengthy waits and delays, along with glitches.

Yes -- if you opt for the tickets to be mailed, they will be actual tickets.  You won't have to go to Will Call or print out anything.


----------



## ten6mom

So... I thought I was keeping up with the info, but ... in the past, I have always purchased my MHP tickets, with AP discount, online.  Is that not an option this year?  The online part?  Are they making everyone call now?


----------



## tjcrabb

Sherry E said:


> Sadly, none of the character meals really seem to do anything different for Halloween Time, though you may find a few autumn-specific foods at the buffets or on the menus. Personally, I am a fan of Goofy's Kitchen, but everyone's opinion varies -- some folks really love it and some don't like it at all.  You will see Goofy, Minnie, Chip, Dale and Pluto.  The buffet is much larger and there are more items than there are at Minnie & Friends.  If you want more of a selection of food, Goofy's is the place to go.  If you want somewhere to eat a character breakfast, brunch or dinner, Goofy's is the place to go.  If you want to meet the most characters (for a slightly cheaper price than Goofy's), stick with Minnie & Friends at Plaza Inn.



Okay I am glad someone suggested Goofy's kitchen first. I hesitated to suggest it because I haven't been in about 5 years. I went the first time actually on Sherry's recommendation, she was so right! My family loved it so much that we went the very next day as well. In fact Goofy recognized us from the day before. I know part of it was the gluten free waffles. I was literally misty eyed at the fact I was eating like a "normal" person in a restaurant. We also had an adorable chef that made the comment that if he and his wife had been given girls (he had all boys) they would have looked like my niece. They had really wanted a girl. I think it was Chef Oscar? Its funny because she was very olive skinned as a small child but her family is casper pale. I am flying in super late the day before the party. The plan is to have a late brunch at goofys the day of the party and go to DTD instead of using a park ticket.



LeahMLee said:


> Were you able to buy the tickets online starting at midnight pacific time? Trying to figure out when I can go on to buy for next week. I live in Hawaii so I believe I am three hours behind. If you choose to have your tickets mailed will it be a hard ticket?



Yes if it is mailed it is a hard ticket. I was unfortunately not given a choice, that stresses me out. I will have nightmares about loosing the tickets. I texted my friend to let her know I have the tickets and she suggested to put it in my luggage when the arrive. What if I use a different bag?


----------



## Sherry E

For *Priory* and anyone else out there who is also going  to enjoy the scarier side of Halloween, the Los Angeles Haunted Hayride tickets went on sale (presale) yesterday, I think.  Some of the presale tickets are discounted, I believe.  http://losangeleshauntedhayride.com/

I don't know what the delay is with Universal putting its Halloween Horror Nights tickets on sale.  

Knott's apparently just lost another member of its usual Halloween Haunt family -- that's two Halloween Haunt actors that have passed away within a few months of each other.  So that would explain the delay in releasing Halloween Haunt info, as they have to keep finding actors who can play the roles left open after the very sad deaths of their team, in audition to the regular new people they hire every year.


----------



## JinglePoem

DisneyLuver2013 said:


> Looks like people are already trying to make a quick buck on scalping tickets for Mickey's Halloween Party on October 31st...
> 
> http://www.ebay.com/itm/10-31-1-6-T...871?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4199fb1b87
> 
> 
> Looks like they can't even get the name for Disneyland's party right, calling it Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party.



That is so scandalous. It irritates me beyond a rational reaction. Not only is it scalping the idiotic buyer (who can get the same tickets, in a few days, for far less), it takes tickets away from people who are genuinely entitled by Disney with the discounted price. 

Makes me cranky-ish.


----------



## White Rose

We have a Disney Visa, but I'm unsure if we need to buy tickets, because we are going as part of ABD. I called Adventures By Disney last week asking if tickets were included and if so, for what night, and they have not gotten back to me.

I'm glad the tickets do not sell out instantly, because if tickets are not included we might want to get some! Our trip is Oct 11-16, and we are in DL Oct 13-16 as part of ABD - Southern CA. If they are included it would have to be for Oct 14. We are extending our stay over the weekend, so if tickets are not included for the 14th, we will buy them for the 16th..if they are, I see no need to do the party on the 16th.

How long would you wait to hear back from ABD? I do not want to be a pest and call again, and I also do not want to waste $ or not be able to go because they sold out.


----------



## Sherry E

ten6mom said:


> So... I thought I was keeping up with the info, but ... in the past, I have always purchased my MHP tickets, with AP discount, online.  Is that not an option this year?  The online part?  Are they making everyone call now?



Online is still an option!  There were some quirks and glitches earlier, but hopefully it's all ironed out now.  I think that a lot of folks were calling because they could not order tickets for 10/31 online, at first.  But that issue was resolved.




tjcrabb said:


> Okay I am glad someone suggested Goofy's kitchen first. I hesitated to suggest it because I haven't been in about 5 years. I went the first time actually on Sherry's recommendation, she was so right! My family loved it so much that we went the very next day as well. In fact Goofy recognized us from the day before. I know part of it was the gluten free waffles. I was literally misty eyed at the fact I was eating like a "normal" person in a restaurant. We also had an adorable chef that made the comment that if he and his wife had been given girls (he had all boys) they would have looked like my niece. They had really wanted a girl. I think it was Chef Oscar? Its funny because she was very olive skinned as a small child but her family is casper pale. I am flying in super late the day before the party. The plan is to have a late brunch at goofys the day of the party and go to DTD instead of using a park ticket.
> 
> 
> Yes if it is mailed it is a hard ticket. I was unfortunately not given a choice, that stresses me out. I will have nightmares about loosing the tickets. I texted my friend to let her know I have the tickets and she suggested to put it in my luggage when the arrive. What if I use a different bag?



I'm glad my Goofy's recommendation worked out for you all those years ago!   I know that Goofy's goes through phases in which a lot of people report negative experiences with it, and then it goes through phases in which a lot of people post about positive experiences.  I suppose that happens with any restaurant, character meal or otherwise.   I am not thrilled that they cut the number of characters down to 5, and the price is lofty, but I remain a Goofy's fan.  I've had too many good experiences there to give up on it after so long!   Minnie & Friends definitely has the most characters, though.


----------



## LeahMLee

Sherry E said:


> I think that only one person mentioned being able to get tickets shortly after midnight, but no one else seemed to have been able to do that.    It seemed like everything should have been up and running by 7 a.m. or 8 a.m., PST,  but if you read any of the comments that were posted this morning, you saw that a lot of people experienced lengthy waits and delays, along with glitches.
> 
> Yes -- if you opt for the tickets to be mailed, they will be actual tickets.  You won't have to go to Will Call or print out anything.



Thank you so much for the info Sherry! It's our first party so I don't want to miss anything lol


----------



## tjcrabb

It was a winner I had read that they had cut down the number of characters, that is so sad! We had a bunch of princesses, goofy etc. back in the day. I do like the entry way remodel a lot better though. This time it will be 2 adults so meeting characters is of no interest at all. Is there anyway we can not have them stop at our table? I would rather they spend time with the kids in the room instead of us. Is there much of a difference between the 2 meals besides the characters?


----------



## LeahMLee

tjcrabb said:


> Okay I am glad someone suggested Goofy's kitchen first. I hesitated to suggest it because I haven't been in about 5 years. I went the first time actually on Sherry's recommendation, she was so right! My family loved it so much that we went the very next day as well. In fact Goofy recognized us from the day before. I know part of it was the gluten free waffles. I was literally misty eyed at the fact I was eating like a "normal" person in a restaurant. We also had an adorable chef that made the comment that if he and his wife had been given girls (he had all boys) they would have looked like my niece. They had really wanted a girl. I think it was Chef Oscar? Its funny because she was very olive skinned as a small child but her family is casper pale. I am flying in super late the day before the party. The plan is to have a late brunch at goofys the day of the party and go to DTD instead of using a park ticket.
> 
> 
> 
> Yes if it is mailed it is a hard ticket. I was unfortunately not given a choice, that stresses me out. I will have nightmares about loosing the tickets. I texted my friend to let her know I have the tickets and she suggested to put it in my luggage when the arrive. What if I use a different bag?



Oh I didn't even think about losing them  that is exactly what I would do I am famous for switching out bags and not taking everything out!


----------



## Sherry E

White Rose said:


> We have a Disney Visa, but I'm unsure if we need to buy tickets, because we are going as part of ABD. I called Adventures By Disney last week asking if tickets were included and if so, for what night, and they have not gotten back to me.
> 
> I'm glad the tickets do not sell out instantly, because if tickets are not included we might want to get some! Our trip is Oct 11-16, and we are in DL Oct 13-16 as part of ABD - Southern CA. If they are included it would have to be for Oct 14. We are extending our stay over the weekend, so if tickets are not included for the 14th, we will buy them for the 16th..if they are, I see no need to do the party on the 16th.
> 
> How long would you wait to hear back from ABD? I do not want to be a pest and call again, and I also do not want to waste $ or not be able to go because they sold out.



Hmm... That's a good question.  I've never dealt with ABD, so I don't know how good or fast they are at responding.

Last year, it took a while before the MHP(s) around the dates of your trip sold out -- but that doesn't mean that the same thing will happen this year, of course.  Just for reference, here is the breakdown of the sellout dates in 2014:

Friday, September 26 -- SOLD OUT (as of Thursday, August 28, 2014)!!

Tuesday, September 30 - DID NOT SELL OUT!!!

 Friday, October 3 -- SOLD OUT (as of Friday, August 22, 2014)!!

 Monday, October 6 -- SOLD OUT (as of Tuesday, September 30, 2014)!!

 Wednesday, October 8 -- SOLD OUT (as of Monday, September 29, 2014)!!

 Friday, October 10 -- SOLD OUT (as of Thursday, September 18, 2014)!!

 Tuesday, October 14 -- SOLD OUT (as of Friday, September 26, 2014)!!

 Friday, October 17 -- SOLD OUT (as of Monday, September 22, 2014)!!

 Monday, October 20 -- SOLD OUT (as of Tuesday, September 30, 2014)!!

 Wednesday, October 22 -- SOLD OUT (as of Friday, October 3, 2014)!!

 Friday, October 24 -- SOLD OUT (as of Monday, September 22, 2014)!!

 Monday, October 27 -- SOLD OUT (as of Friday, October 3, 2014)!!

 Wednesday, October 29 -- SOLD OUT (as of Wednesday, October 8, 2014)!!

 Friday, October 31 -- SOLD OUT (as of Thursday, September 11, 2014)!!




I think that a safe bet might be to wait another week, until the tickets go on sale to the general public.  You should still be able to get the discounted tickets with the Disney Visa at that point, just in case that's what you need to do.  Or maybe wait _almost a week_ -- like 5 days -- and then try contacting ABD again.  I can understand not wanting to be a pest, but it is a very legitimate question.  You need to know if MHP tickets are going to be included so, in case you have to buy them, you can do it before they sell out.


----------



## ten6mom

Thanks, Sherry.  I would say the site is still glitchy.  It kept saying "your card is declined" so I finally called my credit card company... who hasn't heard or seen a thing from Disney today.  Will keep trying.

ETA:  Nope, still not working.  I will try again in a few hours when NORMAL people are asleep.  I guess there are advantages to the graveyard shift.


----------



## Sherry E

tjcrabb said:


> It was a winner I had read that they had cut down the number of characters, that is so sad! We had a bunch of princesses, goofy etc. back in the day. I do like the entry way remodel a lot better though. This time it will be 2 adults so meeting characters is of no interest at all. Is there anyway we can not have them stop at our table? I would rather they spend time with the kids in the room instead of us. Is there much of a difference between the 2 meals besides the characters?[/



You know, I've mostly gone to Goofy's with adult friends (only once did we have a child with us), but we've never asked for no characters.  I'm sure that if you talked to a Cast Member at the front and explained your situation, they could arrange for the characters to avoid you.

Do you mean differences between the older Goofy's and new Goofy's, or differences between Goofy's and another character meal?   I haven't been to Goofy's in a while, but I'm sure the prices have gone up somewhat.  On some days their "brunch" lasts until 2 p.m.  On other days it lasts until noon or 1 p.m. (I think it depends on the season and the day of the week).  So keep that in mind when you go.  Otherwise, I _think_ mostly everything else is more or less the same, from what I can tell.


----------



## Serial

LeahMLee said:


> Were you able to buy the tickets online starting at midnight pacific time? Trying to figure out when I can go on to buy for next week. I live in Hawaii so I believe I am three hours behind. If you choose to have your tickets mailed will it be a hard ticket?



What high school you went?!

Haha, local jokes aside, I was up early this morning in California, checked at 4:30 a.m. PDT, and tickets for all dates except Halloween night were available online. (Halloween night has since been added/fixed.) That was the earliest I checked, and I believe I was the first one who reported availability in this thread. I read elsewhere that someone checked at 12:30 a.m. PDT and the tickets weren't up yet. So that would've been sometime between 9:30 p.m. and 1:30 a.m. Hawaii time. I was a little surprised the tickets popped up overnight since I had been reading they'd become available around 7 a.m this morning.


----------



## tjcrabb

Sherry E said:


> You know, I've mostly gone to Goofy's with adult friends (only once did we have a child with us), but we've never asked for no characters.  I'm sure that if you talked to a Cast Member at the front and explained your situation, they could arrange for the characters to avoid you.
> 
> Do you mean differences between the older Goofy's and new Goofy's, or differences between Goofy's and another character meal?   I haven't been to Goofy's in a while, but I'm sure the prices have gone up somewhat.  On some days their "brunch" lasts until 2 p.m.  On other days it lasts until noon or 1 p.m. (I think it depends on the season and the day of the week).  So keep that in mind when you go.  Otherwise, I _think_ mostly everything else is more or less the same, from what I can tell.



Sorry I should have been a little more clear. I mean the difference between goofy and minnie and friends. I know that goofy serves some non breakfast items and minnie is strictly breakfast but they seem to pretty much be the same.


----------



## haileymarie92

We hope to try goofys this coming trip. 

We did do chip and dales breakfast back in May and really liked it. Not a huge selection of food, but what was there was really tasty! Characters we saw were Chip, Dale, Meeko, Kenai, and Koda.


----------



## ten6mom

Sometimes I really hate the Disneyland website.  I have been trying on and off for a few hours and finally it logged me out... and now when I sign back in, it doesn't "recognize" me as an AP holder.... even tho it says "Hi Karisa!"


----------



## mummabear

tjcrabb said:


> It was a winner I had read that they had cut down the number of characters, that is so sad! We had a bunch of princesses, goofy etc. back in the day. I do like the entry way remodel a lot better though. This time it will be 2 adults so meeting characters is of no interest at all. Is there anyway we can not have them stop at our table? I would rather they spend time with the kids in the room instead of us. Is there much of a difference between the 2 meals besides the characters?



I am curious about why you are interested in Goofy's Kitchen if you aren't interested in the characters?
There are several wonderful restaurants at DLR without characters.


----------



## seobaina

theluckyrabbit said:


> I  purchased our tickets today as an AP, and my name is not on the tickets. There is a bar code which is probably linked to my pass, since that is what I used for the discount. You friend must have a valid AP to purchase the tickets for you and a valid AP to use his own ticket on the party date. But we've never been asked to show our passes when we've attended the party.
> 
> _*But*_ this is from my ticket confirmation:
> 
> *Important Details*
> 
> 
> 
> *Price for Passholders *Item(s) are priced for Passholders only. For each ticket or pass purchased at the Passholder price, you must show a valid Passholder ID at the park entrance. For room reservations, you must show a valid adult Passholder ID at Resort check-in
> 
> So leave it to Disney to make this a bit more confusing. This makes it sound like your friend should be prepared to have his pass checked, in which case he would have to be with you. If you are not planning on being at the 10/31 party, your friend has more time to solidify his schedule. I think the AP checking is up to Disney's discretion.
> 
> Does anyone in your group have a Disney Visa card? You could purchase your tickets using that discount and not have to worry about having your card checked.




Just wondered if anyone else had any comments on this? If he ordered hard tickets would his name still be on them? Thanks


----------



## Crisi83

So excited they finally posted dates and I can buy tickets!  We did Halloween Party last year, but because of our visit dates we only had one date choice.  This year we will be there Oct 4-9 (traveling 9th, but get in early enough 4th to spend the evening at the park) and I'm trying to figure out which of our party days would be the better choices - Monday the 5th or Wednesday the 7th.  Looks like they both sold out last year, but it seems like it sold out most nights.  Any thoughts on either one being better or worse?  We'll just spend the evening of the party we don't chose over at DCA. 

Also, this would probably be a question for another thread, but so I have an AP, toddler is free, so we only have one other person in our party who will need a 5 day park hopper.   Best to buy it on Disney site or are there going to be any better deals around? Do have a AAA member.   Haven't started researching this, figured I'd ask.


----------



## seobaina

Also…if you buy tickets to be posted…what do they look like? Are they special Halloween decorated tickets? Or are they plain. IE is it worth paying extra to get them to just take etickets?


----------



## spragueito

DisneyLuver2013 said:


> Looks like people are already trying to make a quick buck on scalping tickets for Mickey's Halloween Party on October 31st...
> 
> http://www.ebay.com/itm/10-31-1-6-T...871?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4199fb1b87
> 
> 
> Looks like they can't even get the name for Disneyland's party right, calling it Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party.



How did that guy get his physical tickets already?


----------



## keishashadow

Re Goofy's kitchen - one of the best character meals we've enjoyed at either WDW or DL.  Not for the food, which was good, but limited as to offerings compared to most WDW buffets, but we go for the interaction with the actors who are engaging and convincing.  We try to work it in each visit. 

We appreciate the CM's top-notch talent & enthusiasm that is in evidence @ DL and USH.  True professionals, might have something to do with being Hollywood lol

Re the AP ticket holder restrictions being mentioned here - has me scratching head a bit.  I used DVC discount, same discount.  I did have to provide a membership # but it was never mentioned by the CM (or the DVC agent I spoke to earlier) as to bringing DVC ID card to present at the gate with the tickets.  At WDW they remind you that you will have to provide a photo ID & DVC card when picking up tix at will-call.  They don't want people buying them for others when they won't be present.  Guess I better make sure to toss the card in travel folder this trip.



spragueito said:


> How did that guy get his physical tickets already?



Cast member? If so, would think practice is frowned upon at the very least.

stinks in general, moreso for people who might get 'carded' at gate for AP and get turned away.

jmho AP holders should get a head-start ahead of Disney Visa and DVC.  Especially @ DL the locals are the park's bread & butter and should have 1st dibs as to prime party dates.


----------



## ten6mom

FINALLY got the website to work and tickets purchased!  Holy Cow that was frustrating.


----------



## MasonsG

spragueito said:


> How did that guy get his physical tickets already?


I would suspect the tickets he is selling are really for the Halloween Party at WDW in FL, their tickets went on sale some time ago and that is the name of the WDW Halloween Party.  Wouldn't that be a surprise that you had tickets for an event 3,000 miles away from DL.
We really appreciate all the help everyone has shared on this thread, we are going to our first DL Halloween party and because we picked the date that last year sold out the fastest by a LOT- the first Fri of Oct, I was online early (just past 8am yesterday) and not only was able to purchase them online immediately (AP), but the email with the e-tickets to print was in my email within 20 min.  We will be complete newbies exploring this experience as grandparents with a 5 yr old grandson- so if anyone attends the first couple of party nights- everyone hopes you will post any tips- ie- characters in costume in toontown?  or special AP trick or treat trail?  Actually everyone would be thrilled to hear anything about what to put on their 'not to be missed' list :0)  Thanks so much and hope everyone has a great time!


----------



## Meriweather

Well, not sure about it all, but the tickets he has posted show the back and they are marked Oct. 31, 2015 at Disneyland. The front shows Diamond celebration


----------



## MasonsG

Meriweather said:


> Well, not sure about it all, but the tickets he has posted show the back and they are marked Oct. 31, 2015 at Disneyland. The front shows Diamond celebration


hmmm, that is interesting... I had not looked at them, just hoping no one gets scammed.  Maybe he has a really good printer and skills?  Funny he used the name of the WDW party though.  And that he has them before anyone else.  They could be legit but I would hate to see anyone scammed, so appreciate that everyone on these disboards are helping each other out.


----------



## Kuilima

Can I buy tix with Disney Rewards or do I have to charge it with my Disney Visa?


----------



## Starlight821

Kuilima said:


> Can I buy tix with Disney Rewards or do I have to charge it with my Disney Visa?



Yes you can.  I used my Rewards card for half of my tickets and my visa for the rest.  You do have to know your exact balance though if you do not have enough rewards to cover your purchase.


----------



## nightmaremama

spragueito said:


> How did that guy get his physical tickets already?


I saw that you could buy them in person at the main gates- i'm guessing that is what they did. Still strange they wouldn't have the right name on the listing.... $200/ticket.... smh....


----------



## Crisi83

I'm confused about buying the tickets now as an AP holder.   I have an AP, my dad I am traveling with does not.  Can I purchase two tickets right now and be fine?   Last year I hadn't gotten my AP yet, so I had bought mine the regular way...


----------



## tzeitel

Crisi83 said:


> Also, this would probably be a question for another thread, but so I have an AP, toddler is free, so we only have one other person in our party who will need a 5 day park hopper.   Best to buy it on Disney site or are there going to be any better deals around? Do have a AAA member.   Haven't started researching this, figured I'd ask.


 I got mine through Orbitz.  They had a deal for buy 3 days get the 4th free plus got cashback from Ebates.  I just checked and Orbitz does not have the same deal right now - but that could change later in the Summer.  You could wait a bit to see if there is a better deal - Orbitz (and Cheaptickets which is the same company) do many special throughout the year and I think they do a special for Fall tickets.  They send you an email immediately with your ticket info which you use to get the tickets at will call. If anything you can still buy through Orbitz and use Ebates for a bit of cash back (3.75%).


----------



## chttyangel

Sherry E said:


> All non-party guests have to leave the park at 6 p.m. or 7 p.m., depending on when the party begins.  Shops on Main Street may stay open for a bit longer, but the rest of the park is considered closed to non-party guests.   Cast Members begin sectioning off areas and checking wristbands.  It's not as hard as you would think -- they do a pretty good job of making sure that no one is staying in the park without a ticket and wristband, and the wristbands will probably have to be shown at various spots throughout the night.  They've got it down to a science.   California Adventure stays open, though, so if you have to leave Disneyland at 6 p.m., then you can still go to DCA, or just wander around Downtown Disney and the hotels.




THANK YOU, THANK YOU!! I know I am probably the ONLY one on here that wants to avoid the party and was not excited to see the dates yesterday. I love Halloween; I was just hoping this was going to be the first time in years I got to go when the Parks were not crowded and was surprised to see them having a mid week one so early in the season (oh well!). Have fun to all of those people going!


----------



## Crisi83

tzeitel said:


> I got mine through Orbitz.  They had a deal for buy 3 days get the 4th free plus got cashback from Ebates.  I just checked and Orbitz does not have the same deal right now - but that could change later in the Summer.  You could wait a bit to see if there is a better deal - Orbitz (and Cheaptickets which is the same company) do many special throughout the year and I think they do a special for Fall tickets.  They send you an email immediately with your ticket info which you use to get the tickets at will call. If anything you can still buy through Orbitz and use Ebates for a bit of cash back (3.75%).



Was orbtz only if you booked other stuff for the vacation, or if just for disney tickets?   I'll keep an eye on them.


----------



## tzeitel

Crisi83 said:


> Was orbtz only if you booked other stuff for the vacation, or if just for disney tickets?   I'll keep an eye on them.


Just tickets, they are under activities.


----------



## lorijohnhill

I ordered online yesterday and got an email stating that my order was not complete due to system availability and that I would get a notice when it was processed. I still have not gotten a notice, but am seeing that many people have ordered on line. Has anyone else gotten this message?

ETA: the money was deducted from my DVA.


----------



## FireflyTrance

I'm nervous about getting my tickets since I can't buy them until they go on sale to the general public and I really want 10/31. We already booked our hotel. Does anyone know what time they go on sale on 7/29 and what the fastest way to get them would be? Website, calling in, etc? I know historically they didn't sell out right away, but still I get irrationally nervous about it


----------



## BobearQSI

Crisi83 said:


> Best to buy it on Disney site or are there going to be any better deals around?


This year, I got mine through aRes Travel
I haven't used them yet, but they are reported as safe and legit from MouseSavers.com

You must purchase at least 48 hours in advance, print out a voucher (must be printed out, can't use phone), and take it to the ticket windows to get hard tickets, which you can then use to enter the park.


----------



## GXIncognto

Just an FYI for anybody anxious about calling because of all the reports of huge wait times yesterday...I called in a half hour ago and was only on hold for 8 minutes before talking to a CM that took my order for 2 tickets with my Disney Visa card.  So it's safe to call now!


----------



## BobearQSI

DisneyLuver2013 said:


> Looks like people are already trying to make a quick buck on scalping tickets for Mickey's Halloween Party on October 31st...
> 
> http://www.ebay.com/itm/10-31-1-6-T...871?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4199fb1b87
> 
> Looks like they can't even get the name for Disneyland's party right, calling it Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party.



They look legit - there is a picture on the auction of the back of the tickets, showing the date, and the correct name.  I'd guess as well that he got them at the gate.

I would also guess the "Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party" is intentional.  Clueless people searching ebay might not realize the party names are different at Disneyland.  The title he used would cover searches for both names.

Someone's probably likely to buy them after it sells out.  It would be quite the bummer if they asked to see the AP at the gate, though!


----------



## Sherry E

I am getting very annoyed with this browser (Explorer 11).  Every browser I use ends up giving me trouble at some point, or there is something I don't like about it.  But IE11 is just going nuts.  It hates DISboards, apparently, as every time I try to open a thread and begin to type responses, it starts flickering and spazzing out, and ultimately I end up losing all of my typed text.  I had just begun typing some replies, and the flickering and spazzing began, and I lost the text that I typed.  Sooooo annoying!   Let me try this again!




tjcrabb said:


> Sorry I should have been a little more clear. I mean the difference between goofy and minnie and friends. I know that goofy serves some non breakfast items and minnie is strictly breakfast but they seem to pretty much be the same.



The main difference is that Goofy's has a wider array of food at the buffet, and that it offers a character dinner too.   Minnie & Friends has the most characters -- who could be harder to avoid if you wanted to be left alone!  I think it would be easier to keep Goofy's 5 characters away from your table than it would be to keep M&F's bounty of characters (could be as many as 11 or 12) away.




seobaina said:


> Just wondered if anyone else had any comments on this? If he ordered hard tickets would his name still be on them? Thanks



I don't recall reading or hearing of this happening, but I can't be sure.  All I know is that AP holders, DVC members and Disney Visa Card holders often buy tickets for guests, and probably for friends and family who may go separately.  It's a common thing, I would imagine.  In the past, I don't recall Disney cracking down at the turnstiles, and making sure that everyone with an MHP ticket was there with the people who actually bought the tickets, but that doesn't mean they couldn't begin enforcing it.  They are trying to thwart the efforts of people trying to buy and resell their tickets, and they may start getting a little more restrictive in some ways, or taking precautions to make sure that everything is on the level.



Crisi83 said:


> So excited they finally posted dates and I can buy tickets!  We did Halloween Party last year, but because of our visit dates we only had one date choice.  This year we will be there Oct 4-9 (traveling 9th, but get in early enough 4th to spend the evening at the park) and I'm trying to figure out which of our party days would be the better choices - Monday the 5th or Wednesday the 7th.  Looks like they both sold out last year, but it seems like it sold out most nights.  Any thoughts on either one being better or worse?  We'll just spend the evening of the party we don't chose over at DCA.
> 
> Also, this would probably be a question for another thread, but so I have an AP, toddler is free, so we only have one other person in our party who will need a 5 day park hopper.   Best to buy it on Disney site or are there going to be any better deals around? Do have a AAA member.   Haven't started researching this, figured I'd ask.



Normally I would have expected that the Wednesday night party would be slightly better, with slightly fewer people, but looking at last year's sell out dates, it looks like both the Monday and Wednesday parties of the week you'd be there this year sold out within one day of each other!  That makes me think that some people were staying at DLR for multiple days, and wanted to do more than one MHP during their trips, so they chose Monday and Wednesday.  I could be totally wrong, but it's just a theory/hunch.   It could be the Gay Days folks staying longer, or it could be people out on a fall break.

The last Monday party I went to was pretty crowded -- not oppressively so, but there were a lot of people there.




seobaina said:


> Also…if you buy tickets to be posted…what do they look like? Are they special Halloween decorated tickets? Or are they plain. IE is it worth paying extra to get them to just take etickets?



I didn't see what the hard tickets looked like in 2014, but in prior years I don't remember hearing about any special Halloween print on them -- I could be blanking out.  I think they were kind of plain.  I had e-tickets, but I recall seeing some tickets at some point, and they were not decorated.



keishashadow said:


> Re Goofy's kitchen - one of the best character meals we've enjoyed at either WDW or DL.  Not for the food, which was good, but limited as to offerings compared to most WDW buffets, but we go for the interaction with the actors who are engaging and convincing.  We try to work it in each visit.
> 
> We appreciate the CM's top-notch talent & enthusiasm that is in evidence @ DL and USH.  True professionals, might have something to do with being Hollywood lol
> 
> Re the AP ticket holder restrictions being mentioned here - has me scratching head a bit.  I used DVC discount, same discount.  I did have to provide a membership # but it was never mentioned by the CM (or the DVC agent I spoke to earlier) as to bringing DVC ID card to present at the gate with the tickets.  At WDW they remind you that you will have to provide a photo ID & DVC card when picking up tix at will-call.  They don't want people buying them for others when they won't be present.  Guess I better make sure to toss the card in travel folder this trip.
> 
> 
> 
> Cast member? If so, would think practice is frowned upon at the very least.
> 
> stinks in general, moreso for people who might get 'carded' at gate for AP and get turned away.
> 
> jmho AP holders should get a head-start ahead of Disney Visa and DVC.  Especially @ DL the locals are the park's bread & butter and should have 1st dibs as to prime party dates.



Yes, bring the DVC card just in case -- it seems like it should have been mentioned by the CM.  Picking up tickets at Will Call makes sense to me in terms of needing to show your DVC credentials, but as for people just entering through the turnstiles needing to show APs, DVC cards and such just to get their groups of 8 (or however many) in the parks with the MHP tickets they purchased, I'm not sure if Disney will be enforcing that.  



MasonsG said:


> I would suspect the tickets he is selling are really for the Halloween Party at WDW in FL, their tickets went on sale some time ago and that is the name of the WDW Halloween Party.  Wouldn't that be a surprise that you had tickets for an event 3,000 miles away from DL.
> We really appreciate all the help everyone has shared on this thread, we are going to our first DL Halloween party and because we picked the date that last year sold out the fastest by a LOT- the first Fri of Oct, I was online early (just past 8am yesterday) and not only was able to purchase them online immediately (AP), but the email with the e-tickets to print was in my email within 20 min.  We will be complete newbies exploring this experience as grandparents with a 5 yr old grandson- so if anyone attends the first couple of party nights- everyone hopes you will post any tips- ie- characters in costume in toontown?  or special AP trick or treat trail?  Actually everyone would be thrilled to hear anything about what to put on their 'not to be missed' list :0)  Thanks so much and hope everyone has a great time!



I really appreciate that you've joined us and that you are finding the info in this thread helpful -- which is the goal!   I'm also glad that last year's sell out dates are coming in handy for reference in regards to this year's MHP dates!

I totally agree -- we want as many people as possible to report back to this thread with their party experiences.  That's precisely why I assembled the reviews of the 2013 and 2014 parties in a post in this thread -- so that new party goers will be able to read them and get a sense of what most people thought, good and bad.  We'll likely find out about the AP treat trail (if there is one) before the party begins, and we should have a sense of whether there will be another pre-party in Toontown before the party begins, hopefully!




Crisi83 said:


> I'm confused about buying the tickets now as an AP holder.   I have an AP, my dad I am traveling with does not.  Can I purchase two tickets right now and be fine?   Last year I hadn't gotten my AP yet, so I had bought mine the regular way...



You'll be fine.  You'll be able to get tickets for both you and your dad!




chttyangel said:


> THANK YOU, THANK YOU!! I know I am probably the ONLY one on here that wants to avoid the party and was not excited to see the dates yesterday. I love Halloween; I was just hoping this was going to be the first time in years I got to go when the Parks were not crowded and was surprised to see them having a mid week one so early in the season (oh well!). Have fun to all of those people going!



I think the parks are more crowded than people expect during Halloween Time.  It used to be a slow time of year to visit, but since Disney has amped up its Halloween celebration -- and Halloween as a holiday in general seems to be getting more popular and more elaborate every year (not at Disneyland, but across America) -- more people are heading to Disneyland to enjoy the season.  Plus, since it starts in September, people can stretch out their Halloween festivities for a month and a half!    It's no longer a slow time.  It won't be New Year's Eve-level crowded, but there will be some crowds here and there.



lorijohnhill said:


> I ordered online yesterday and got an email stating that my order was not complete due to system availability and that I would get a notice when it was processed. I still have not gotten a notice, but am seeing that many people have ordered on line. Has anyone else gotten this message?
> 
> ETA: the money was deducted from my DVA.



I have neither heard nor read about anyone getting that precise message, though I have to imagine people are getting it.  If you have not gotten the confirmation or emailed e-tickets within a day or so, I would call Disney and tell them what happened.  It sounds like the order was processed, but for some reason there is just a delay in actually sending you the tickets.  When you first paid, did you get a confirmation number?



GXIncognto said:


> Just an FYI for anybody anxious about calling because of all the reports of huge wait times yesterday...I called in a half hour ago and was only on hold for 8 minutes before talking to a CM that took my order for 2 tickets with my Disney Visa card.  So it's safe to call now!



I think that waiting is usually the best thing.  The whole problem is that not enough people wait to buy tickets, and they all try to do it at the same time, when apparently Disneyland is not prepared to handle the call volume, or large numbers of simultaneous online transactions.


----------



## lorijohnhill

Sherry E said:


> I have neither heard nor read about anyone getting that precise message, though I have to imagine people are getting it.  If you have not gotten the confirmation or emailed e-tickets within a day or so, I would call Disney and tell them what happened.  It sounds like the order was processed, but for some reason there is just a delay in actually sending you the tickets.  When you first paid, did you get a confirmation number?



No, I didn't get a confirmation number with the email. I'll have to contact the tomorrow. It's kind of difficult to deal with while traveling, but it'll get done. It's just frustrating!


----------



## Kilala

I was think of adding an extra day Friday October 16th. I have that day off of work. From the sell out date for the 17th last year it didn't sell out until late September. So if it works out and I can get that ticket on September 3rd them I will be going Monday September 28th, October 14th an October 16th. I will be getting Monday the 28th and October 14th on the 3rd of August. It's really nice on the weekdays as I remebered from last year. If I do get October 16th part tickets then I should be hopefully be getting there around the 4pm time.


----------



## theluckyrabbit

seobaina said:


> Also…if you buy tickets to be posted…what do they look like? Are they special Halloween decorated tickets? Or are they plain. IE is it worth paying extra to get them to just take etickets?



Our etickets have Mickey in a vampire costume. Last year, our hard tickets were regular tickets (Lightning McQueen and Mater).


----------



## Sherry E

FireflyTrance said:


> I'm nervous about getting my tickets since I can't buy them until they go on sale to the general public and I really want 10/31. We already booked our hotel. Does anyone know what time they go on sale on 7/29 and what the fastest way to get them would be? Website, calling in, etc? I know historically they didn't sell out right away, but still I get irrationally nervous about it



If you're going to be "irrationally nervous," then be prepared for me to be the voice of reason!     Don't be nervous!  The tickets only went on sale yesterday, and Disney holds some tickets back for the general public.  Lots of people don't have APs, Disney Visas or DVC memberships.  There will be tickets available for you on 7/29 -- it's only 6 days from now.  Don't worry.     In some years tickets may sell out sooner than other times -- but never right away.    

No one really knows if the tickets will be available online at midnight, PST, on 7/29, or within a few hours of that time, or closer to 7 a.m. or 8 a.m.  All you can do is check the DLR website that day.   I think online is the fastest way, but others will have the same idea and will be ordering that way too, so you may run into some glitches (as people reported yesterday).


----------



## SDGal

Just got off the phone with a lovely CM who helped me order tickets for the party on 10/07! No time on hold! So excited!!!


----------



## Meemoo

Just a silly question I was just wondering, I love all the classic Disney music played around Disneyland - is that replaced by spooky Halloween music throughout Sept-Oct or only on party nights?


----------



## DisneyLuver2013

Meemoo said:


> Just a silly question I was just wondering, I love all the classic Disney music played around Disneyland - is that replaced by spooky Halloween music throughout Sept-Oct or only on party nights?



I believe it's only on party nights and then they play regular music during regular hours.


----------



## Kilala

Meemoo said:


> Just a silly question I was just wondering, I love all the classic Disney music played around Disneyland - is that replaced by spooky Halloween music throughout Sept-Oct or only on party nights?


I know they have certain songs they only play for the party. I don't remeber any of those songs playing during normal hours.


----------



## seobaina

Sherry E said:


> I don't recall reading or hearing of this happening, but I can't be sure.  All I know is that AP holders, DVC members and Disney Visa Card holders often buy tickets for guests, and probably for friends and family who may go separately.  It's a common thing, I would imagine.  In the past, I don't recall Disney cracking down at the turnstiles, and making sure that everyone with an MHP ticket was there with the people who actually bought the tickets, but that doesn't mean they couldn't begin enforcing it.  They are trying to thwart the efforts of people trying to buy and resell their tickets, and they may start getting a little more restrictive in some ways, or taking precautions to make sure that everything is on the level.
> 
> I didn't see what the hard tickets looked like in 2014, but in prior years I don't remember hearing about any special Halloween print on them -- I could be blanking out.  I think they were kind of plain.  I had e-tickets, but I recall seeing some tickets at some point, and they were not decorated.



Thanks. Might be safer then to just wait until next week? 




theluckyrabbit said:


> Our etickets have Mickey in a vampire costume. Last year, our hard tickets were regular tickets (Lightning McQueen and Mater).



Thanks


----------



## LeahMLee

Serial said:


> What high school you went?!
> 
> Haha, local jokes aside, I was up early this morning in California, checked at 4:30 a.m. PDT, and tickets for all dates except Halloween night were available online. (Halloween night has since been added/fixed.) That was the earliest I checked, and I believe I was the first one who reported availability in this thread. I read elsewhere that someone checked at 12:30 a.m. PDT and the tickets weren't up yet. So that would've been sometime between 9:30 p.m. and 1:30 a.m. Hawaii time. I was a little surprised the tickets popped up overnight since I had been reading they'd become available around 7 a.m this morning.



LOL ..Kalaheo
Thanks for the info I guess either way I will be up early.


----------



## Kilala

I wanted to know if you would like for me to take pictures in my costumes with Halloween decorations? I can take some out of the gargage. I will be take some photo shoots in my costume next week. Also do you thnk Ana ans Elsa wil be at the party this year?


----------



## Meemoo

Always love to see costumes! I am working on my son's (almost 7) costume. He wants to be a Prince. I am not making any particular prince, but I kind stole Prince William's style and made the colors to match for the 60th Anniversary. It is a work in progress at the moment and no doubt will take me forever as my sewing skills are limited and I will be sticking with hand sewing since there is lots of little fiddly details I don't think I could manage any more than a straight line on a machine I am still not sure about myself except that I would like to dress up, since this may be my only Halloween Party in forever! My daughter is planning on going as Mulan if she can squeeze into her costume which is size 7 and she is turning 9  and DH, is boring - doesn't want to dress up  I think I should track down one of those 'Grumpy' shirts for him, I think it may suit


----------



## tjcrabb

mummabear said:


> I am curious about why you are interested in Goofy's Kitchen if you aren't interested in the characters?
> There are several wonderful restaurants at DLR without characters.



Okay true confessions time, in real life I am an extremely shy introvert and I feel really uncomfortable with the characters. It doesn't matter if they are face characters or not they still have to pretend to be who they are even without kids around. There is just something about that which makes me embarrassed. I wish it were different because it would be fun to do photo ops. On a side note I find anamatronics really creepy but there is something about disney that I still love the rides etc. My craziness aside we go because of a couple of reasons. The first one is that I have happy memories of going from a previous visit. Two the food is really good as well as the variety. Lastly it is also a must do restaurant for the friend that I am traveling with, its also a good option for a non park day since it is in one of the hotels.


----------



## mummabear

So since it is a surprise trip I will pack a bunch of costumes and may get a better idea of what they want to be closer to Halloween. We have 3 Halloween nights though (MHP on 29th, Halloween on 31st and MNSSHP on Nov 1). I am not 100% sure at this time what we will be doing on Halloween yet, we may buy tickets to another MNSSHP or we may go trick or treating at Fort Wilderness. Anyway we need potentially 3 sets of stuff.
I have asked my wonderful MIL to help me make something similar to these for the girls (and another Christmas themed set of MVMCP). She made pirate ones(below) for our last WDW trip that thankfully still fit when when we hit DLR last year.


----------



## nightmaremama

Hey Everyone! I should introduce myself as I have been lurking on this thread for months 
My family and I are heading to DL for October 18-22... with party tickets on the 19th. This will be my husband and daughter's fist visit! I am so excited and have been planning this trip for almost 2 years now! Just had to wait for the little to be a bit bigger to have fun. She is just like her mama and loves the nightmare before christmas- I can't wait for her to see the Haunted Mansion Holiday and meet Jack  

I have been waiting over 10 years to see the Haunted Mansion Holiday- so this is a pretty big thing for me too. 

Anyways, I love all of the great discussion and awesome information on this thread and I'm excited to jump in finally


----------



## Meriweather

nightmaremama said:


> Hey Everyone! I should introduce myself as I have been lurking on this thread for months
> My family and I are heading to DL for October 18-22... with party tickets on the 19th. This will be my husband and daughter's fist visit! I am so excited and have been planning this trip for almost 2 years now! Just had to wait for the little to be a bit bigger to have fun. She is just like her mama and loves the nightmare before christmas- I can't wait for her to see the Haunted Mansion Holiday and meet Jack
> 
> I have been waiting over 10 years to see the Haunted Mansion Holiday- so this is a pretty big thing for me too.
> 
> Anyways, I love all of the great discussion and awesome information on this thread and I'm excited to jump in finally



Welcome....we will be at the party on the 19th too......watch for the pumpkin pies (pi)


----------



## Talldewy

Sherry E said:


> Another good question.  You can definitely add the tickets to your hotel bill, and there have been mixed reports on whether or not you can get discounted tickets before your AP has been activated.  But ordering them through the hotel before the AP has been activated is a new one -- I don't think anyone has ever asked that!    That might be one that you have to ask the hotel.  Call them and ask.  My inclination is that you won't be able to get discounted tickets before your AP is activated, but I could be wrong.


Update FYI;    Sherry, thank you for all your help,

Disneyland is sticking to their guns, you must have an active AP in order to MHP tickets even when charging them to your DLR hotel room reservation.  Two different cm's, on separate phone calls, thought that I would be able to purchase MHP tickets with my unactivated AP ( I was clear to mention that it was not activated both times).  When I was passed on to Annual pass holder services the cm was helpful in checking numbers and whatever he could but it just did not work out.  So iI will be adding them next week

Thanks


----------



## Sherry E

Let me be the bearer of bad Halloween Time news.  That's what we are all here for -- Halloween Time chat and news.  So I've got some news.  Now, keep in mind -- it may be news that changes.  It might not be set in stone or definite.  But let's just say that I have an unfortunate Halloween Time _update_.

It sounds very much like the Halloween Carnival (photos of which can be found on page 1 of this thread) may NOT be back this year. And if the Carnival DOES return, it sounds as though the pumpkin carvers may NOT be there.  There may not be pumpkin carvers anywhere at DLR.   This makes me soooooooooo mad.  The Carnival is tucked out of the way, in Frontierland, and I don't see how it could possibly interfere with anything 60th anniversary-related.

How did I learn this info?  I follow one of the pumpkin carvers on Facebook, and he said that he has not heard anything about pumpkins one way or the other for this year (meaning Disney has not lined him up for carving so far -- and yet, they are already auditioning people for the Christmas Fantasy Parade).  A Cast Member spoke up as well and said that one of the decorators at Disneyland told her that "they" (the decorators) are not having anything this year (meaning nothing to decorate in that area).

This supports my suspicion when Erin did not mention the Carnival as returning in her announcement blog.  She specifically mentioned Dia de los Muertos, SMGG and HMH, but not the Carnival.  

Let me tell you -- if that Carnival does not come back this year, the Halloween-specific offerings at Disneyland are realllllllly thin.  I don't know what the "sparkling" new decorations will be, but they cannot take the place of the entire Halloween Carnival and especially the pumpkin carvers.   Disney had better get its head out of the 60th anniversary for two minutes and rethink this.  I will be writing a letter of complaint when and if I find out the Carnival is not back -- I am not going to jump the gun and write now, as I will wait and see what the final scenario is -- and that there are no pumpkin carvers (a highlight of the whole season).

Let's hope this changes or doesn't come to fruition.

Sigh.  This does not look good for the Jingle Jangle Jamboree during the holidays either. 

Why do I have a feeling that Disney has other eventual plans for that whole festival area of Frontierland (such as a Star Wars Land), and that they are going to start getting us used to the area not being open for seasonal celebrations?  I hope I am wrong.

ETA:  I remembered that Erin also left out any mention of the Main Street Pumpkin Festival in her blog as well.


----------



## Mommy2PrincessAbby

The carved pumpkins being gone would really put a damper on the Halloween spirit, I hope they are just slow at talking to the carvers


----------



## Sherry E

Mommy2PrincessAbby said:


> The carved pumpkins being gone would really put a damper on the Halloween spirit, I hope they are just slow at talking to the carvers



I hope so too.  But seeing that Disney is already lining up its holiday season entertainment, it stands to reason that they would have already lined up the carvers too (before now).  And, considering that the other CM spoke up on the page and said that one of the decorators told her they aren't having anything (in the Carnival area, I suppose) this year, it doesn't look good.  Let's hope they come to their senses (whoever it is a DLR that makes these decisions).


----------



## haileymarie92

On the MHP page on the DLR website it says:
"

Take a spooky stroll down Main Street, U.S.A., which is transformed into a Pumpkin Festival with hundreds of hand-carved pumpkins on display—and no two alike."


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## Sherry E

haileymarie92 said:


> On the MHP page on the DLR website it says:
> "
> 
> Take a spooky stroll down Main Street, U.S.A., which is transformed into a Pumpkin Festival with hundreds of hand-carved pumpkins on display—and no two alike."



I've seen that, but it doesn't mean much.  It's been there all year in the Halloween Time section.  It could be that the people who update the website don't have any info.  All I know is that Erin did not mention the Pumpkin Festival in her blog, and it is a major thing to leave out when you're talking about Halloween Time.  

The pumpkins on Main Street are not carved -- or they're not fresh, in other words -- like the ones at the Carnival are.  So all Disney has to do is drag the pumpkins out of storage and put them on Main Street.  No carvers required.  Whether they will do that or not is up in the air.  The Carnival is the thing that is really looking like it's in jeopardy, which is not good.


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## rreading

Digging through the pages but unable to find an answer

We're going to be at DLR for 2 1/2 days Oct 9-11.

Had planned to to the Halloween Party with the parade/fireworks and catch a few rides.  Then we'd have to decide on Fantasmic/WOC/DF over the next two nights.

Bringing my parents who've never been to DL but WDW tons of times.

My question is regarding crowds: if many are worried about the parties "selling out" - does that mean the the crowds for rides (Space Mountain, others...) will not be too bad, or is it pretty much like a normal night?

TIA


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## Sherry E

rreading said:


> Digging through the pages but unable to find an answer
> 
> We're going to be at DLR for 2 1/2 days Oct 9-11.
> 
> Had planned to to the Halloween Party with the parade/fireworks and catch a few rides.  Then we'd have to decide on Fantasmic/WOC/DF over the next two nights.
> 
> Bringing my parents who've never been to DL but WDW tons of times.
> 
> My question is regarding crowds: if many are worried about the parties "selling out" - does that mean the the crowds for rides (Space Mountain, others...) will not be too bad, or is it pretty much like a normal night?
> 
> TIA



The lines for rides like Ghost Galaxy and Haunted Mansion Holiday will still be on the long-ish side -- because they're so popular.   They may not be as long as they could be on a normal night or day, but there will still  be a lot of people.  A lot of the other rides will have short lines, or will be walk-ons.


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## JinglePoem

haileymarie92 said:


> On the MHP page on the DLR website it says:
> "
> 
> Take a spooky stroll down Main Street, U.S.A., which is transformed into a Pumpkin Festival with hundreds of hand-carved pumpkins on display—and no two alike."



That is good news, but it doesn't mean they will have the pumpkin carving at the Carnival area, sadly. And now I'm with Sherry, in being worried there won't BE a Carnival nor a Jingle Jangle...and both are huge hits with my six year old (and, to be honest, with me as well) 

(Feeling that nagging resentment over the 60th, again, lol!)


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## Sherry E

JinglePoem said:


> That is good news, but it doesn't mean they will have the pumpkin carving at the Carnival area, sadly. And now I'm with Sherry, in being worried there won't BE a Carnival nor a Jingle Jangle...and both are huge hits with my six year old (and, to be honest, with me as well)
> 
> (Feeling that nagging resentment over the 60th, again, lol!)



Well, before it was just a suspicion of mine -- when Erin did not mention the Carnival in the blog, but she specifically mentioned other things, my Halloween radar went off and I wondered.  But now that I have seen first-hand that the carvers have not been lined up, AND that the decorators have been told that they are "not having anything this year," I think it stands to reason that the Halloween Carnival is going to take a hit in some way.  Either it just won't come back at all this year, or it will be lacking a big highlight -- the pumpkin carvers.

I don't know if the JJJ will suffer the same fate.  The holiday season is a bigger deal at DLR than Halloween is, so they may treat it with a little more care.  But we'll see.  I don't trust it.


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## jammyjam25

The Halloween Carnival potentially going away is not the kind of news I was wanting to hear today! I've loved seeing the carved pumpkins via photos the last couple of years and was so looking forward to seeing them in person finally this year! 

What a bummer!


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## Sherry E

jammyjam25 said:


> The Halloween Carnival potentially going away is not the kind of news I was wanting to hear today! I've loved seeing the carved pumpkins via photos the last couple of years and was so looking forward to seeing them in person finally this year!
> 
> What a bummer!



I'm very annoyed, and hope that Disney somehow comes to its senses at the last minute and throws together a Halloween Carnival.  Unless they are secretly adding in some new Halloween thing that has not been announced yet, that season cannot afford to lose ANY of its highlights.  It is underdeveloped as it is anyway.  The Halloween Carnival was a hub of many Halloween activities in one spot!

Supposedly, Santa will be back in his log cabin this year -- meaning, he won't be out in the festival part of the Jingle Jangle Jamboree, which now gives me more reason to wonder if the JJJ is going away too.


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## stephanie22

Oh no! I hope the Halloween Carnival doesn't go away! That was one of the best parts of our trip last year, and we were really looking forward to enjoying it again this year.  

ETA: if it does go away and we want to write in to complain where would we find the address to do so?


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## Sherry E

stephanie22 said:


> Oh no! I hope the Halloween Carnival doesn't go away! That was one of the best parts of our trip last year, and we were really looking forward to enjoying it again this year.  I



It was, indeed, a highlight. There were many things all located in that one spot, but the pumpkin carvers were the best!  I just cant even imagine why having the Carnival in the area would be a problem -- unless it's just a monetary issue on Disney's end.  I am hoping they put something together in that area for Halloween Time.  What else could it be used for?


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## mummabear

@Sherry E I wonder what that means for Pirates League and Villians meet?


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## Sherry E

mummabear said:


> @Sherry E I wonder what that means for Pirates League and Villians meet?



Well, if, indeed, there is nothing going on, Halloween-wise, in that specific area this year, either the Conjure a Villain "tent" could move somewhere else -- maybe somewhere in the Paradise Pier area of California Adventure?? -- or they could just set up a separate Villains photo spot somewhere else, out in the open (no tent), like they did in the old days, before the Halloween Carnival was a thing.

Or, they could make the Villains MHP exclusives, or somehow exclusive to a hard ticket event of some sort (like what they did at WDW last year -- a hard ticket Villain event within a hard ticket party event!).

Pirates League -- who knows?  If it gets displaced I suppose it could be set up elsewhere.


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## pudinhd

Sherry E said:


> It sounds very much like the Halloween Carnival (photos of which can be found on page 1 of this thread) may NOT be back this year. And if the Carnival DOES return, it sounds as though the pumpkin carvers may NOT be there.  There may not be pumpkin carvers anywhere at DLR.   This makes me soooooooooo mad.  The Carnival is tucked out of the way, in Frontierland, and I don't see how it could possibly interfere with anything 60th anniversary-related.
> 
> Sigh.  This does not look good for the Jingle Jangle Jamboree during the holidays either.



I have to admit that this makes me very nervous...  I love this area and the fun you can find tucked away from the madness!!  I am really worried they are taking this away (along with ToonTown) for whatever new areas they have planned.  :/  If they don't have this area open, it makes me think it is the beginning of the end...


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## lorijohnhill

So, my question is.... If we are getting so much less (no cavalcade parade and if no carnival, that means no carnival pre-party) why do the tickets cost so much more?


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## Kilala

I hope they at least have the Toon Town pre-party. That's a bummer that they will not have the Halloween Carnival this year. That was fun going to see last year.


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## Sherry E

pudinhd said:


> I have to admit that this makes me very nervous...  I love this area and the fun you can find tucked away from the madness!!  I am really worried they are taking this away (along with ToonTown) for whatever new areas they have planned.  :/  If they don't have this area open, it makes me think it is the beginning of the end...



Yeah, it seems like that area would have to be used for something at some point.   So if it is not going to be used for seasonal events, then it might have another purpose in the bigger picture, down the road.   The Halloween Carnival could always return this year  - and maybe just without pumpkin carvers (though that would be ridiculous).  Seeing that the season begins on 9/11 and we're already at 7/24 (where is the year going?), it seems unlikely that Disney would not have already contacted their pumpkin carvers to lock them in for Halloween Time.  

Perhaps the little "Scare-Dy Crow Shack" will be back (with the vintage Halloween décor inside), as that was sort of on the fringe of the Carnival, originally being part of the Halloween Round-Up in the pre-Carnival days.  They've got to position the pumpkin people around the area, or put them somewhere in the park!  I realize there are "sparkling" new decorations for Halloween (with a Diamond anniversary theme), but I doubt they would be sparkling in Frontierland.

Santa Claus is supposedly going to be back inside his cabin this year (meaning not out in the open) -- which is much better for weather purposes, if we get pummeled with the El Nino-related rain that is expected in the winter.  But his being in the cabin could also be a sign that the festival area -- the part that would normally encompass the Jingle Jangle Jamboree -- is not going to be operating this year.  Now we have to hold our collective breath on that too! 




lorijohnhill said:


> So, my question is.... If we are getting so much less (no cavalcade parade and if no carnival, that means no carnival pre-party) why do the tickets cost so much more?



I think it's crazy that Disney raised the prices of MHP and then stuck a parade in the party that can be seen on any other night this year.  The Cavalcade was underwhelming -- it was not a big deal -- but it was Halloween party-specific.


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## mummabear

Kilala said:


> I hope they at least have the Toon Town pre-party



More than anything yes! I want the girls to trick or treat Minnies house!


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## seobaina

Ok feels big dumb here but what pre-party? And carnival? I was at mhp in 2013 and we stumbled across the conjure a villain area. Met Donald there too but it was by chance. Didn't notice anything major in pumpkins apart from a couple of kids carving. Is that what ur talking about? I totally get people being upset about less 'Halloween' stuff but I am personally glad they're keeping 60th stuff on too cause I only get to Disneyland every couple of years and am looking forward to seeing the 60th celebrations. But I know for some of you the trip is more about the Disney Halloween than the park. X


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## Sherry E

seobaina said:


> Ok feels big dumb here but what pre-party? And carnival? I was at mhp in 2013 and we stumbled across the conjure a villain area. Met Donald there too but it was by chance. Didn't notice anything major in pumpkins apart from a couple of kids carving. Is that what ur talking about? I totally get people being upset about less 'Halloween' stuff but I am personally glad they're keeping 60th stuff on too cause I only get to Disneyland every couple of years and am looking forward to seeing the 60th celebrations. But I know for some of you the trip is more about the Disney Halloween than the park. X




Believe me, I have been going to Disneyland since at least 1972, if not earlier, and Disneyland will always hold a huge place in my heart and in my life.  I'm thrilled that it has been around for 60 years.   I love the park.  But if they are going to have a Halloween Time season, I want Halloween themes and décor.  Otherwise, they should not call it Halloween Time and market it as such if the 60th anniversary is going to eclipse it.    They could still have MHP without Halloween Time, per se.  That's what they did before Halloween Time was created.  They just had the party.

The Halloween Carnival would have in no way interfered with the 60th anniversary.   It is tucked out of the way, unlike the pumpkins on Main Street -- which are right there in the spotlight at DL.

The Halloween Carnival is/was a major hub of Halloween Time activity.  The pumpkin carvers are amazing -- one of them is also someone who decorates the character eggs around Easter.  They are skilled, professional carvers, who make elaborate, creative Disney character pumpkins, every day, all season long.  It's a highlight of the season and of that specific area.

Also at the Halloween Carnival -- Conjure a Villain, Pirates League, the Scare-Dy Crow Shack, Halloween games, crafts and treats, entertainment, all kinds of rustic pumpkins and fall decor, etc.  The characters are there in costume as well, but they can be stationed elsewhere.

Last year there were two pre-parties (basically, characters and some treat stations) that started a little bit before MHP began, and they were held in Toontown and at the Carnival/Ranch area.  It's for little ones who have to get home and go to sleep, and can't necessarily hang around the MHP all night, collecting candy.


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## seobaina

Wow, I've missed most of that in the past. Is pirates league where they have had jack or Peter? What's scare dy crow?


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## Sherry E

seobaina said:


> Wow, I've missed most of that in the past. Is pirates league where they have had jack or Peter? What's scare dy crow?



The Scare-Dy Crow Shack is a little log cabin sort of situation, which houses some cool vintage Halloween decorations, and some of the "Pumpkin People" I have mentioned (figures with pumpkin heads and different outfits).  I think the Shack is there mainly to be a back-up photo/meet & greet spot in case it rains.  That is kind of what it's used for when Santa Claus meets guests during the holidays.  His photo spot (at the Jingle Jangle Jamboree) is outdoors, but if there is a threat of rain or wind, or if it is really cold, he goes inside the cabin and poses for photos there.  During Halloween Time, I think it can be used as a back up for Woody or maybe any of the other characters in costume there, who pose for photos and meet guests.

Jack Sparrow is not at the Pirates League.  He's only out at MHP these days.  The spot where he and Peter Pan, Captain Hook, etc. are stationed at the party is in a different location than the Carnival.   Pirates League is for kids to get made up as pirates, complete with accessories and make-up and so on.  The individual stations around the Carnival could probably all be moved to other places if the Carnival is not back this year, but it was convenient having them all in that one main spot.


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## PlutoFan76

I just bought my party tickets for the DL on Oct 31st. I'm so excited.  Now I need to find costumes!!!


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## Dranna2000

Hi All!  New here and I just wanted to get definite confirmation on tickets. My husband, myself and our son are all AP's so we are buying Halloween party tickets but thru the presale. I just wanted to know if I could purchase 2 additional tickets for people who are not pass holders. Don't want to run into issues. Thanks all!


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## Sherry E

I neglected to mention earlier that Pepperidge Farm Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies, Pumpkin Spice Swirl Bread and Caramel Apple Swirl Bread have apparently been spotted at Target somewhere.  I'm not sure which Target -- I saw the update on a Halloween-related page on Facebook, so it could be anywhere.

Halloween is slowly (or quickly?) creeping up on us!  Since the seasonal items are just kind of quietly tiptoeing into stores right now, I expect there should be a loud stampede into stores from mid-August on through September!!


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## seobaina

Ah ok I see. I've done the permanent pirates league in Wdw. Thanks for the explanations x


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## Sherry E

Dranna2000 said:


> Hi All!  New here and I just wanted to get definite confirmation on tickets. My husband, myself and our son are all AP's so we are buying Halloween party tickets but thru the presale. I just wanted to know if I could purchase 2 additional tickets for people who are not pass holders. Don't want to run into issues. Thanks all!



Welcome!  

Yes, as an AP holder you can buy up to 8 tickets at the discounted price.  There is some question as to whether or not Disney is going to crack down and require people who bought multiple tickets with an AP discount to show that AP before entering the park with everyone who has the discounted tickets.  In other words, for example, if you bought 8 tickets with your AP discount, you might have to show your AP and enter the park with the other 7 people -- you wouldn't need the AP for admission, but just to connect it with all of the tickets that were bought using its discount. 

Again, I don't _think_ Disney will do all of that, but if you and your group/family can enter the party together, at the same time, you might want to do that just to be on the safe side.


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## jsgrant5

How much is the AP discount on the party tickets? We are going to the Sept.25th party and plan on getting our AP's when we get to the park on the 19th. Not sure if I should get the tickets now with no discount or take a chance that they will still have them available when we arrive to use the discount.


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## Dranna2000

Thanks so much for the reply!  We are all going together. I feel much better!  I look forward to all the great info on this board!  Everyone is so kind.


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## theluckyrabbit

Sherry E said:


> Let me be the bearer of bad Halloween Time news.  That's what we are all here for -- Halloween Time chat and news.  So I've got some news.  Now, keep in mind -- it may be news that changes.  It might not be set in stone or definite.  But let's just say that I have an unfortunate Halloween Time _update_.
> 
> It sounds very much like the Halloween Carnival (photos of which can be found on page 1 of this thread) may NOT be back this year. And if the Carnival DOES return, it sounds as though the pumpkin carvers may NOT be there.  There may not be pumpkin carvers anywhere at DLR.   This makes me soooooooooo mad.  The Carnival is tucked out of the way, in Frontierland, and I don't see how it could possibly interfere with anything 60th anniversary-related.
> 
> How did I learn this info?  I follow one of the pumpkin carvers on Facebook, and he said that he has not heard anything about pumpkins one way or the other for this year (meaning Disney has not lined him up for carving so far -- and yet, they are already auditioning people for the Christmas Fantasy Parade).  A Cast Member spoke up as well and said that one of the decorators at Disneyland told her that "they" (the decorators) are not having anything this year (meaning nothing to decorate in that area).
> 
> This supports my suspicion when Erin did not mention the Carnival as returning in her announcement blog.  She specifically mentioned Dia de los Muertos, SMGG and HMH, but not the Carnival.
> 
> Let me tell you -- if that Carnival does not come back this year, the Halloween-specific offerings at Disneyland are realllllllly thin.  I don't know what the "sparkling" new decorations will be, but they cannot take the place of the entire Halloween Carnival and especially the pumpkin carvers.   Disney had better get its head out of the 60th anniversary for two minutes and rethink this.  I will be writing a letter of complaint when and if I find out the Carnival is not back -- I am not going to jump the gun and write now, as I will wait and see what the final scenario is -- and that there are no pumpkin carvers (a highlight of the whole season).
> 
> Let's hope this changes or doesn't come to fruition.
> 
> Sigh.  This does not look good for the Jingle Jangle Jamboree during the holidays either.
> 
> Why do I have a feeling that Disney has other eventual plans for that whole festival area of Frontierland (such as a Star Wars Land), and that they are going to start getting us used to the area not being open for seasonal celebrations?  I hope I am wrong.
> 
> ETA:  I remembered that Erin also left out any mention of the Main Street Pumpkin Festival in her blog as well.



So sad about this. Please, folks! For those of us who love the Carnival, send a comment to DL telling them how much the Carnival means to your Halloween Time experience. It really does make a difference if enough of us do this. A CM at City Hall told me that each comment usually represents 40 other people who agree but didn't send in anything. So let's tell DL that the Carnival is important to us!


----------



## Sherry E

jsgrant5 said:


> How much is the AP discount on the party tickets? We are going to the Sept.25th party and plan on getting our AP's when we get to the park on the 19th. Not sure if I should get the tickets now with no discount or take a chance that they will still have them available when we arrive to use the discount.



The AP price for 9/25 is $69.00.  The regular advance price (for the general public, when the tickets go on sale next week) for that date looks like it will also be $69.  The day-of-event price is $77.

The discounts and prices vary, depending on the night.  All of the prices can be found here - https://disneyland.disney.go.com/events-tours/mickeys-halloween-party/.  Some nights have no discounts at all.  Some nights are slightly more discounted than other nights.



theluckyrabbit said:


> So sad about this. Please, folks! For those of us who love the Carnival, send a comment to DL telling them how much the Carnival means to your Halloween Time experience. It really does make a difference if enough of us do this. A CM at City Hall told me that each comment usually represents 40 other people who agree but didn't send in anything. So let's tell DL that the Carnival is important to us!



I want to have hope, and assume that Disney is just a little delayed in contacting the pumpkin carvers this year -- but the season begins on 9/11, so they need to get a move on if that's the case!  I keep thinking that there's no way they could leave the Carnival out of the Halloween Time season -- and I hope they don't -- but seeing as the decorators have been told that there's not going to be anything there, I have my doubts! I hope they are going to bring it back.   I am trying to keep hope alive!!!


----------



## theluckyrabbit

Even if worse comes to worse and the Carnival is not scheduled for this year, enough comments could help bring it back again next year. We tend to think our comments don't matter in the huge Disney scheme of things, but I got a call about something I sent in about the last 24 hour party to tell me that my comment was headed straight for the VP's desk. Wow. So Disney management does listen!


----------



## mummabear

seobaina said:


> Ok feels big dumb here but what pre-party? And carnival? I was at mhp in 2013 and we stumbled across the conjure a villain area. Met Donald there too but it was by chance. Didn't notice anything major in pumpkins apart from a couple of kids carving. Is that what ur talking about? I totally get people being upset about less 'Halloween' stuff but I am personally glad they're keeping 60th stuff on too cause I only get to Disneyland every couple of years and am looking forward to seeing the 60th celebrations. But I know for some of you the trip is more about the Disney Halloween than the park. X



I get what you are saying, during our MHP is our only time we are seeing DLR during the 60th. But for many others they are also coming other times of this year and want normal Halloween.
IMO Halloween time (outside of MHP) is pretty thin without the carnival, just some pumpkins on Main Street and some Halloween treats in the stores.
The carnival was out of the way in fact, in 2 other Halloween time visits we didnt even know it was there, we had a great time this last visit thought.


----------



## seobaina

mummabear said:


> I get what you are saying, during our MHP is our only time we are seeing DLR during the 60th. But for many others they are also coming other times of this year and want normal Halloween.
> IMO Halloween time (outside of MHP) is pretty thin without the carnival, just some pumpkins on Main Street and some Halloween treats in the stores.
> The carnival was out of the way in fact, in 2 other Halloween time visits we didnt even know it was there, we had a great time this last visit thought.




Yep to be fair I stumbled across it and conjured a villain. Didn't realise what it was but it was fun so I hope they'll at least have some aspects of it x


----------



## nightmaremama

Meriweather said:


> Welcome....we will be at the party on the 19th too......watch for the pumpkin pies (pi)


Awesome! I saw your costumes a few pages back- very clever! 

Our little is going as Anna.... I am going as a HSS and my husband is going to take on RoR, the little was going to be PNK but she's beyond obsessed with Anna and I just know she will have more fun that way. We have other family coming but I don't know if they are going to dress up


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## JinglePoem

(Edited because one should not sip wine, whilst posting on forums. I neglected to quote the initial post to which I was responding...sorry all, lol!)



jsgrant5 said:


> How much is the AP discount on the party tickets? We are going to the Sept.25th party and plan on getting our AP's when we get to the park on the 19th. Not sure if I should get the tickets now with no discount or take a chance that they will still have them available when we arrive to use the discount.



To be honest with you, I wouldn't be comfortable with waiting until the 19th to buy tickets for the 25th. If you can swing it, buy them at the higher price and just look forward to getting the discount next year.

If you can't swing it, cross your fingers and your toes that they will still be available. You never know.


----------



## Nicolette11785

Is there a post explaining what Halloween things there are to do during Halloween?

Are there Characters dressed up at Big Thunder Ranch? Anything else they do there?

Is there still the place you can get a pirate makeover?

Anything else?

Thanks


----------



## mom2rtk

Sherry....... blame me if they take out the carnival. Because I'm guessing it's only because we decided to visit during Halloween time this year. 

Seriously though, first the cavalcade...... now maybe this? On TOP of the big increase in price? They're making this really hard to swallow. I really hope there's a surprise along the way somewhere........ you know.....a positive surprise instead of all these negative ones.


----------



## Sherry E

Nicolette11785 said:


> Is there a post explaining what Halloween things there are to do during Halloween?
> 
> Are there Characters dressed up at Big Thunder Ranch? Anything else they do there?
> 
> Is there still the place you can get a pirate makeover?
> 
> Anything else?
> 
> Thanks



Big Thunder Ranch has the Halloween Carnival that we've been talking about today -- which may or may not be back this year (though it is sounding like it won't be back at full capacity).  The Halloween Carnival has characters in Halloween attire (such a Donald in a pumpkin outfit), the Scare-Dy-Crow shack (which has vintage Halloween décor and "Pumpkin People"), the Conjure a Villain tent (in which you can only conjure one villain at a time), awesome pumpkin carvers who make elaborate, detailed Disney character pumpkins, Pirates League, Halloween, crafts, treats, games, entertainment, a fortuneteller and lots of fall/Halloween décor.  Over closer to the Scare-Dy Crow Shack is the petting zoo, with the cute goats in Halloween scarves.  All of these things are in one location in Frontierland.  

If the Carnival is not open this year, then I imagine that Disney will set up another spot for the villains in the daytime.  They may put Pirates League somewhere else.  It doesn't sound like they have a plan to bring the pumpkin carvers on board this year, and that is very unfortunate if it happens.



Here are some posts that may be of interest (from page 1 of the thread), though, again, we have no clue what will actually be back this year:

http://www.disboards.com/threads/ha...015-info-is-finally-in.3270919/#post-51326923

http://www.disboards.com/threads/ha...015-info-is-finally-in.3270919/#post-51326928

http://www.disboards.com/threads/ha...015-info-is-finally-in.3270919/#post-51326955

http://www.disboards.com/threads/ha...015-info-is-finally-in.3270919/#post-51326963

ttp://www.disboards.com/threads/halloweentime-at-dlr-superthread-4-2015-info-is-finally-in.3270919/#post-51326968


Those should be a good start!  There will also be some things happening in Downtown Disney, such as the Jazz Kitchen Haunted Gingerbread House Workshop, but it only takes place on 2 days in October (the dates are not out yet).  And also last year at Jazz Kitchen they had an interactive murder mystery dinner/show, but only on one night.  Tortilla Jo's will have a special menu for Dia le los Muertos right at the end of October/beginning of November.  Catal will have a special fall menu.  La Brea Bakery will serve some fall items as well.

Last year there was something called the Mahaloween Luau at Trader Sam's at the Disneyland Hotel.  It was supposed to involve an imagineer or two talking about Disney things, and assorted food.  People paid a lot of money (over $100, if I recall) and some said it was not worth it because they couldn't sit down, and the presentation by the Disney person wasn't what was expected.  I seem to recall that Tom Bell of DIS Unplugged went to the Luau.





mom2rtk said:


> Sherry....... blame me if they take out the carnival. Because I'm guessing it's only because we decided to visit during Halloween time this year.
> 
> Seriously though, first the cavalcade...... now maybe this? On TOP of the big increase in price? They're making this really hard to swallow. I really hope there's a surprise along the way somewhere........ you know.....a positive surprise instead of all these negative ones.



 

I agree.  I keep thinking, okay, they can't remove the _whole_ Carnival, can they?  They have to at least leave the little section with the log cabin/shack open, and the petting zoo.  Santa Claus is supposed to be IN that cabin this year for the holidays, so that means it will be decorated for that season, though it may not be the Jingle Jangle Jamboree anymore.

But that little cabin area is more what used to be called the Halloween Round-Up (and the Reindeer Round-Up for the holidays), and it's on the fringe of the Carnival location.  It was there before the whole "Halloween Carnival" came to be.  So they might decorate the Round-Up area and the cabin.  But if the pumpkin carvers have not been recruited to appear during Halloween Time, and the decorators have been told that they're not having anything there, to me it sounds like the actual Carnival in the Festival area of the Ranch is in jeopardy.  So that means that some things might get moved to separate locations (villains, characters in costume), and some things might not return this year (like the carvers). I have no doubt that characters will be out somewhere in Disneyland, in Halloween attire -- it just might not be at that location!

There's got to be some surprise, somewhere... Maybe the surprise is the "sparkling" décor we can look forward to (sparkly pumpkins? ) -- but I doubt that anything in Frontierland is going to sparkle!


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## lorijohnhill

I'm getting a little impatient in waiting for a response from Disney Ticketing regarding our MHP tickets. The took the $280, but have yet to send us tickets, or even a confirmation.


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## Sherry E

lorijohnhill said:


> I'm getting a little impatient in waiting for a response from Disney Ticketing regarding our MHP tickets. The took the $280, but have yet to send us tickets, or even a confirmation.



It definitely sounds like it's time to call, though it will be tough to do without a confirmation # for the transaction.  You will have to just give them whatever info you can about the date and time that the money was taken from your card (if you have the info), and the card #, etc.


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## Nicolette11785

Thank you for all your help!

Is there any place that you can meet lots of villains by standing in just one line like they do on the cruise ships? It sucks to have to get in so many lines that are all super long 



Sherry E said:


> Big Thunder Ranch has the Halloween Carnival that we've been talking about today -- which may or may not be back this year (though it is sounding like it won't be back at full capacity).  The Halloween Carnival has characters in Halloween attire (such a Donald in a pumpkin outfit), the Scare-Dy-Crow shack (which has vintage Halloween décor and "Pumpkin People"), the Conjure a Villain tent (in which you can only conjure one villain at a time), awesome pumpkin carvers who make elaborate, detailed Disney character pumpkins, Pirates League, Halloween, crafts, treats, games, entertainment, a fortuneteller and lots of fall/Halloween décor.  Over closer to the Scare-Dy Crow Shack is the petting zoo, with the cute goats in Halloween scarves.  All of these things are in one location in Frontierland.
> 
> If the Carnival is not open this year, then I imagine that Disney will set up another spot for the villains in the daytime.  They may put Pirates League somewhere else.  It doesn't sound like they have a plan to bring the pumpkin carvers on board this year, and that is very unfortunate if it happens.
> 
> 
> 
> Here are some posts that may be of interest (from page 1 of the thread), though, again, we have no clue what will actually be back this year:
> 
> http://www.disboards.com/threads/ha...015-info-is-finally-in.3270919/#post-51326923
> 
> http://www.disboards.com/threads/ha...015-info-is-finally-in.3270919/#post-51326928
> 
> http://www.disboards.com/threads/ha...015-info-is-finally-in.3270919/#post-51326955
> 
> http://www.disboards.com/threads/ha...015-info-is-finally-in.3270919/#post-51326963
> 
> ttp://www.disboards.com/threads/halloweentime-at-dlr-superthread-4-2015-info-is-finally-in.3270919/#post-51326968
> 
> 
> Those should be a good start!  There will also be some things happening in Downtown Disney, such as the Jazz Kitchen Haunted Gingerbread House Workshop, but it only takes place on 2 days in October (the dates are not out yet).  And also last year at Jazz Kitchen they had an interactive murder mystery dinner/show, but only on one night.  Tortilla Jo's will have a special menu for Dia le los Muertos right at the end of October/beginning of November.  Catal will have a special fall menu.  La Brea Bakery will serve some fall items as well.
> 
> Last year there was something called the Mahaloween Luau at Trader Sam's at the Disneyland Hotel.  It was supposed to involve an imagineer or two talking about Disney things, and assorted food.  People paid a lot of money (over $100, if I recall) and some said it was not worth it because they couldn't sit down, and the presentation by the Disney person wasn't what was expected.  I seem to recall that Tom Bell of DIS Unplugged went to the Luau.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I agree.  I keep thinking, okay, they can't remove the _whole_ Carnival, can they?  They have to at least leave the little section with the log cabin/shack open, and the petting zoo.  Santa Claus is supposed to be IN that cabin this year for the holidays, so that means it will be decorated for that season, though it may not be the Jingle Jangle Jamboree anymore.
> 
> But that little cabin area is more what used to be called the Halloween Round-Up (and the Reindeer Round-Up for the holidays), and it's on the fringe of the Carnival location.  It was there before the whole "Halloween Carnival" came to be.  So they might decorate the Round-Up area and the cabin.  But if the pumpkin carvers have not been recruited to appear during Halloween Time, and the decorators have been told that they're not having anything there, to me it sounds like the actual Carnival in the Festival area of the Ranch is in jeopardy.  So that means that some things might get moved to separate locations (villains, characters in costume), and some things might not return this year (like the carvers). I have no doubt that characters will be out somewhere in Disneyland, in Halloween attire -- it just might not be at that location!
> 
> There's got to be some surprise, somewhere... Maybe the surprise is the "sparkling" décor we can look forward to (sparkly pumpkins? ) -- but I doubt that anything in Frontierland is going to sparkle!


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## nightmaremama

All this talk of the carnival being cancelled has me bummed. Not that I've been before... but it seems like it would be so much fun for the little... sigh....


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## lorijohnhill

Sherry E said:


> It definitely sounds like it's time to call, though it will be tough to do without a confirmation # for the transaction.  You will have to just give them whatever info you can about the date and time that the money was taken from your card (if you have the info), and the card #, etc.


I emailed them Thursday, so waiting for a reply.


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## Sherry E

Nicolette11785 said:


> Thank you for all your help!
> 
> Is there any place that you can meet lots of villains by standing in just one line like they do on the cruise ships? It sucks to have to get in so many lines that are all super long



While I _think_ I remember Cruella being out somewhere in the daytime last year outside of the tent (and maybe someone else too?), the Conjure a Villain tent at the Halloween Carnival IS the primary place to meet Villains during Halloween Time, but only one at a time.  The whole point of the Conjure a Villain tent, in my opinion, was to cut down on the villains' availability and accessibility, and to make them more of a Halloween Party exclusive.  If Disney makes the villains less prominent and available in the daytime or on non-party days, then more people will have a need to buy party tickets to meet villains.    

In the old days, there was a villains spot like what you're talking about -- where you'd stand in a line to meet villains and you'd see exactly who you were going to meet.  There were usually 2-4 of them out at one time, and then they'd take breaks and swap out with other villains.  The villains used to be in California Adventure, and then they moved to Fantasyland, near It's a Small World.  As soon as the Halloween Carnival was created, the villains ended up in the Conjure a Villain tent, and you could only conjure one at a time.  No one really knew who they would be conjuring, and sometimes ended up conjuring the same villain each time they got in line.

With the Halloween Carnival almost certainly on the chopping block this year (which still makes me mad! ), I don't know what will become of the villains.  I am certain that there will be someone out every day -- just because not everyone will go to the Halloween Party, and they might want to meet villains.    I don't know if Disney will revert to the old photo spot idea of having 2-4 out in the open, or if they will only put out one villain at a time.  I'm not sure how it will be handled.  What you can bank on, though, is that, most likely, the villains that are out in the daytime will probably not be too rare, or even less common.  You probably won't see Hades or Dr. Facilier out in the daytime, but you'd more than likely see Cruella, the Queen of Hearts, Captain Hook or maybe Jafar -- along those lines.  The 'common' villains!



nightmaremama said:


> All this talk of the carnival being cancelled has me bummed. Not that I've been before... but it seems like it would be so much fun for the little... sigh....



It is/was a fun area, and it had so many things in one spot, which made it a hub of Halloween activity.  Honestly, though, it is/was really essential to Halloween Time as a season.  If the Jingle Jangle Jamboree does not come back for the holidays it will be disappointing too, but the holiday season is more developed and extensive at Disneyland Resort than Halloween Time is.   So -- not that I want to lose the Jingle Jangle Jamboree either -- if the JJJ ends up on the chopping block this year, there will still be other holiday things to see and do, most likely.  It won't be quite as noticeable to lose JJJ as it will be to lose the Halloween Carnival.  As it is, Disney is milking this Halloween Time concept and calling it a season, when the offerings are on the limited side.  To take anything away from what is already there will really put a crimp in the season.  They will put the characters (like Pumpkin Donald) somewhere, and they will put out a villain or two somewhere, but I don't know where they will put Pirates League (if it returns).  It doesn't sound like they are going to employ the pumpkin carvers at all this year, which is disappointing.  As for the Halloween crafts and games -- who knows?



lorijohnhill said:


> I emailed them Thursday, so waiting for a reply.



I would still call if you have not heard anything in another couple of days.  What you don't want to do is to get put on the backburner as the next massive wave of ticket sales begins on Wednesday.  They need to figure out your situation before Wednesday.    The Cast Members are going to have their hands full again on Wednesday morning, as the general public begins to buy tickets -- and the phone lines and online systems get jammed up again.


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## lorijohnhill

I got an email saying that if my tickets don't arrive on time, I can go to a ticket booth with the confirmation number (which I don't have) and the credit card I used to pay (which was DVA, so don't have a card for that) and they will give me tickets. So, a phone call it will be.


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## SeattleSuz

Oh my gosh....  September 30th is a party date and just so happens to be my 42nd birthday...  Debating running this by DH.  Hmmmm.  So much to think about with so little time.  Are ticket prices listed in the thread?

Does that also mean that the party will close early because of the Halloween party?


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## mom2rtk

SeattleSuz said:


> Does that also mean that the party will close early because of the Halloween party?


 

DL closes at 6 or 7 on party nights. DCA stays open later.


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## SeattleSuz

mom2rtk said:


> DL closes at 6 or 7 on party nights. DCA stays open later.


 Sugar britches!  Guess I WILL have to convince DH to do the Halloween party then...  Dang dang.


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## lorijohnhill

I overheard my mother-in-law talking to one of her great grandchildren yesterday. She was saying how Sea World is more fun than Disneyland. I almost bit through my tongue!!!  I thought to myself, give the woman a break, she turns 90 tomorrow. I'm sorry, but there is no place better than Disney!


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## pudinhd

Happy Monday!!    I have a question for those of you that have seen the Halloween Screams fireworks both in front of the castle and from another area in the park.  Did you really miss not seeing the Jack Skellington "ball"?  We have always watched the fireworks in direct view of the castle but my husband doesn't want to spend the time waiting.  I would appreciate any thoughts you have to share.  Thank you very much!!!


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## tjcrabb

I have seen halloween fireworks without being able to see Jack and it was somewhat of a disappointment; but was it a deal breaker no not really. This year I will know better and be in a position where I can see better Honestly the only reason why it bothered me at all was because I knew it was there, not because I actually missed anything.


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## Sherry E

I had one experience in which I could see "the ball" (I always think of it as a crystal ball of sorts) a bit better, and one occasion when I could barely see it at all.  It's a cool effect, and I think that if someone has not seen Halloween Screams ever before, it would be nice to see as much of the effects as possible -- ball and all! 

However, pudinhd, in your case, you have seen Halloween Screams before so I think it's not as essential to get the whole "ball effect" this time around.  It does feel a bit like it is missing something when the ball is out of view, but as tjcrabb said, it's not a deal breaker -- especially when you've seen HS in the past.


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## violentlyserene

Sherry E said:


> I'm very annoyed, and hope that Disney somehow comes to its senses at the last minute and throws together a Halloween Carnival.  Unless they are secretly adding in some new Halloween thing that has not been announced yet, that season cannot afford to lose ANY of its highlights.  It is underdeveloped as it is anyway.  The Halloween Carnival was a hub of many Halloween activities in one spot!
> 
> Supposedly, Santa will be back in his log cabin this year -- meaning, he won't be out in the festival part of the Jingle Jangle Jamboree, which now gives me more reason to wonder if the JJJ is going away too.


This makes me very grumpy. Im not seeing any point now to the halloween party. We very specifically picked oct for halloween stuff and we cant postpone since we planned to go when the twins were still two. So disappointing.


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## Sherry E

violentlyserene said:


> This makes me very grumpy. Im not seeing any point now to the halloween party. We very specifically picked oct for halloween stuff and we cant postpone since we planned to go when the twins were still two. So disappointing.



I don't blame you for being grumpy!  I keep hoping that this is just a false alarm, and that Disney is going to open up the Halloween Carnival and/or surprise us with some new, unexpected Halloween thing.  But... a few different bits of information are now pointing to the likelihood of the Halloween Carnival being gone this year.  I might understand it better if I knew why.  I see no reason for the Carnival to interfere with the 60th anniversary stuff, and it is needed for Halloween Time because the offerings are slim to begin with.

All I can guess is that Disney has some other plan for that area -- either later this year, or starting next year, and they don't want to go through the trouble of setting up the Carnival and Jingle Jangle Jamboree.

I do believe, though, that the usual characters who would be found at the Halloween Carnival will be out somewhere -- maybe back in Town Square, where they used to be (Donald in his pumpkin outfit, Skeleton Goofy, etc.).  And I think that there will be some sort of daytime Villain photo spot -- but maybe with just a couple of Villains.  The bulk of the Villains will be at the actual Halloween Party.

The Halloween Carnival has usually been closed for most of the Halloween Party, but it was really a highlight for people who visited Disneyland in the daytime, and who wanted some kind of Halloween experience without paying for party tickets.  Taking it away leaves very little for people to enjoy of Halloween Time if they choose to not go to the party.

We can all only hope that the "sparkling" new Halloween decorations that supposedly tie in Halloween with the Diamond Anniversary are widespread!  Disney had better not just bedazzle some orange bunting and throw it on a balcony, calling it a day!  They had better get Main Street chock full of bright orange, sparkly pumpkins everywhere!


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## HopLow1968

pudinhd said:


> Happy Monday!!    I have a question for those of you that have seen the Halloween Screams fireworks both in front of the castle and from another area in the park.  Did you really miss not seeing the Jack Skellington "ball"?  We have always watched the fireworks in direct view of the castle but my husband doesn't want to spend the time waiting.  I would appreciate any thoughts you have to share.  Thank you very much!!!



In your experience, how early did you have to set up in front of the castle to make sure you had a view that included the Ball?


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## pudinhd

tjcrabb said:


> I have seen halloween fireworks without being able to see Jack and it was somewhat of a disappointment; but was it a deal breaker no not really. This year I will know better and be in a position where I can see better Honestly the only reason why it bothered me at all was because I knew it was there, not because I actually missed anything.





Sherry E said:


> I had one experience in which I could see "the ball" (I always think of it as a crystal ball of sorts) a bit better, and one occasion when I could barely see it at all.  It's a cool effect, and I think that if someone has not see Halloween Screams ever before, it would be nice to see as much of the effects as possible -- ball and all! However, pudinhd, in your case, you have seen Halloween Screams before so I think it's not as essential to get the whole "ball effect" this time around.  It does feel a bit like it is missing something when the ball is out of view, but as tjcrabb said, it's not a deal breaker -- especially when you've seen HS in the past.



Thanks to you both!!  My husband doesn't want to devote the time to waiting for the fireworks, but I am having a hard time thinking of watching the HS fireworks anywhere but in front of the castle!  



HopLow1968 said:


> In your experience, how early did you have to set up in front of the castle to make sure you had a view that included the Ball?



I would say you should be in place where you can see the left of the castle before the cavalcade.  That being said, I don't know if more people or less people will be watching the PTN parade as it will be running rather than the cavalcade.


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## violentlyserene

Sherry E said:


> I don't blame you for being grumpy!  I keep hoping that this is just a false alarm, and that Disney is going to open up the Halloween Carnival and/or surprise us with some new, unexpected Halloween thing.  But... a few different bits of information are now pointing to the likelihood of the Halloween Carnival being gone this year.  I might understand it better if I knew why.  I see no reason for the Carnival to interfere with the 60th anniversary stuff, and it is needed for Halloween Time because the offerings are slim to begin with.
> 
> All I can guess is that Disney has some other plan for that area -- either later this year, or starting next year, and they don't want to go through the trouble of setting up the Carnival and Jingle Jangle Jamboree.
> 
> I do believe, though, that the usual characters who would be found at the Halloween Carnival will be out somewhere -- maybe back in Town Square, where they used to be (Donald in his pumpkin outfit, Skeleton Goofy, etc.).  And I think that there will be some sort of daytime Villain photo spot -- but maybe with just a couple of Villains.  The bulk of the Villains will be at the actual Halloween Party.
> 
> The Halloween Carnival has usually been closed for most of the Halloween Party, but it was really a highlight for people who visited Disneyland in the daytime, and who wanted some kind of Halloween experience without paying for party tickets.  Taking it away leaves very little for people to enjoy of Halloween Time if they choose to not go to the party.
> 
> We can all only hope that the "sparkling" new Halloween decorations that supposedly tie in Halloween with the Diamond Anniversary are widespread!  Disney had better not just bedazzle some orange bunting and throw it on a balcony, calling it a day!  They had better get Main Street chock full of bright orange, sparkly pumpkins everywhere!


Thanks. Im going to email and ask some questions and definitely wont be considering tickets until the parties start. They didnt sell out for our dates until the end of September so there should be some wiggle room. If we dont do the party, we'll just do another regular day. We have  4 days passes already so it wouldnt be much even with adding park hopping.

I am still really attached to the idea of a real party to attend in costume (not something thats an option at home) and for the twins first trick or treating to be at disney so we'll see.


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## dolphingirl47

I got my party tickets today. My plans have slightly changed. I am still going on September 25th, but instead of September 28th, I am now going on September 30th. It also looks that I will get to share both parties with friends, which makes this even better. I can't wait.

Corinna


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## SeattleSuz

I am wondering if these parties sell out as fast as MNSSHP at WDW do?  We are hoping to be able to go on September 30th, and since that's the middle of the week, it will probably not sell out as fast, right?


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## Canadian Harmony

theluckyrabbit said:


> So sad about this. Please, folks! For those of us who love the Carnival, send a comment to DL telling them how much the Carnival means to your Halloween Time experience. It really does make a difference if enough of us do this. A CM at City Hall told me that each comment usually represents 40 other people who agree but didn't send in anything. So let's tell DL that the Carnival is important to us!


 
I'll do it. Is there a specific email to send it to? My computer at work doesn't like the DL site (oooold OS), so it's quicker to ask here than to go looking.


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## Sherry E

SeattleSuz said:


> I am wondering if these parties sell out as fast as MNSSHP at WDW do?  We are hoping to be able to go on September 30th, and since that's the middle of the week, it will probably not sell out as fast, right?



I can't speak to the MNSSHP comparison, as I have never been to WDW, but this is the sellout info for MHP last year:

Friday, September 26 -- *SOLD OUT  (as of Thursday, August 28, 2014)!!*
Tuesday, September 30 -- DID NOT SELL OUT!!!!

Friday, October 3 -- *SOLD OUT (as of Friday, August 22, 2014)!!*
Monday, October 6 -- *SOLD OUT (as of Tuesday, September 30, 2014)!!*
Wednesday, October 8 -- *SOLD OUT  (as of Monday, September 29, 2014)!!*
Friday, October 10 -- *SOLD OUT  (as of Thursday, September 18, 2014)!!*
Tuesday, October 14 -- *SOLD OUT  (as of Friday, September 26, 2014)!!*
Friday, October 17 -- *SOLD OUT (as of Monday, September 22, 2014)!!*
Monday, October 20 -- *SOLD OUT (as of Tuesday, September 30, 2014)!!*
Wednesday, October 22 -- *SOLD OUT (as of Friday, October 3, 2014)!!*
Friday, October 24 -- *SOLD OUT (as of Monday, September 22, 2014)!!*
Monday, October 27 -- *SOLD OUT (as of Friday, October 3, 2014)!!*
Wednesday, October 29 -- *SOLD OUT (as of Wednesday, October 8, 2014)!!*
Friday, October 31 -- *SOLD OUT (as of Thursday, September 11, 2014)!!*


Last year there were 14 parties, and this year there are 17.  Last year the second party of the season did not sell out, but in previous years it sold out.  Last year the parties immediately before Halloween sold out, but in previous years the Monday party before Halloween did not sell out (or if it did, it was at the last minute).

Each year things could be different, though.  Adding in more party nights means that people may favor one night over another night, and the sellouts could shift or change.


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## SeattleSuz

Thanks for the information.  Looks like I might be safe waiting a couple of weeks at least to decide if we can book Sept 30th or not.


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## chttyangel

Sherry E said:


> I think the parks are more crowded than people expect during Halloween Time.  It used to be a slow time of year to visit, but since Disney has amped up its Halloween celebration -- and Halloween as a holiday in general seems to be getting more popular and more elaborate every year (not at Disneyland, but across America) -- more people are heading to Disneyland to enjoy the season.  Plus, since it starts in September, people can stretch out their Halloween festivities for a month and a half!    It's no longer a slow time.  It won't be New Year's Eve-level crowded, but there will be some crowds here and there.



I'm starting to think there is no longer a time when the parks are not busy. We use to go in October; but your right...they ramped up Halloween and that changed. Then we went in early November; but this last time they started Christmas early and added a race so things were crazy. Now I was thinking Sept would be good but they started the Halloween parties earlier then last year. Oh well; I guess everyone just loves going to Disneyland so it is always packed. Can you blame them?


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## dolphingirl47

chttyangel said:


> Now I was thinking Sept would be good but they started the Halloween parties earlier then last year.



The Halloween parties start at the same Friday in September they have since at least 2011. I went to the first party of the season then and will do so again this year.

Corinna


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## Sherry E

chttyangel said:


> I'm starting to think there is no longer a time when the parks are not busy. We use to go in October; but your right...they ramped up Halloween and that changed. Then we went in early November; but this last time they started Christmas early and added a race so things were crazy. Now I was thinking Sept would be good but they started the Halloween parties earlier then last year. Oh well; I guess everyone just loves going to Disneyland so it is always packed. Can you blame them?



I think that there are probably still days or even groups of days here and there that are less busy than others.  In other words, it's not non-stop madness all year long.  There are varying levels of crowds.  But I also think that the old days of the more extended, reliable, predictable, prolonged periods of low crowds are gone.  Disney purposely adds things in during the less busy times to bring in more people -- for example, debuting Frozen Fun immediately after the holiday season officially ended and they knew there would be a drop in crowds.  They timed it so that Frozen Fun would begin and bring in another wave of people during what would have been a slower time.  They built up Halloween Time as a whole season (even as they remove elements of that season and make it less than it was), specifically to draw in people during what would have been a slow time in September many years ago.


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## seobaina

What sort of time (Pacific?) do you think I should start trying for tickets tomorrow? I can book online right?


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## Sherry E

seobaina said:


> What sort of time (Pacific?) do you think I should start trying for tickets tomorrow? I can book online right?



Yes -- there should be a live link for online orders for the general public.  You could start checking after midnight, PST, to see if you have any luck.  I would imagine the online link should be set up and ready for business well before 7 a.m.  The phone lines, however, will probably open at the usual times they open on any regular day, so the people ordering over the phone for whatever reason will likely encounter waits again.


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## ricardol

I just bought my tickets for the 19th and 23rd of October!  

It's a bummer reading some of the comments, but I'm sure Disney will not let us down for this Year Diamond Celebration Haloween parties!!


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## BigCheese

Sherry E said:


> Friday, October 31 -- *SOLD OUT (as of Thursday, September 11, 2014)!!*
> 
> 
> Last year there were 14 parties, and this year there are 17.



Sherry E- thank you for all of the updates in the Halloween thread!!! We typically visit DLR in October but recently moved to Southern California and are first time AP holders. We're still adjusting to the traffic and I'm glad that Halloween falls on a Saturday, but do you know if that party in particular has a higher ticket allocation, or are all party dates equal in that regard?


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## Kuilima

We're planning to do the party only on October 9th. What could we do to fill the time in the morning? My kids are ages 17, 14, 11, and 7. We love the beach, but would that take too much time if we want to be back around 1:00 to get ready for party time?


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## theluckyrabbit

BigCheese said:


> ...I'm glad that Halloween falls on a Saturday, but do you know if that party in particular has a higher ticket allocation, or are all party dates equal in that regard?



In the past, CMs have told me that the party on the 31st does have a higher ticket allocation. Since Halloween falls on a Saturday this year, I don't know if that would increase the usual number of tickets designated for that party.



Canadian Harmony said:


> I'll do it. Is there a specific email to send it to? My computer at work doesn't like the DL site (oooold OS), so it's quicker to ask here than to go looking.



The only email link I know of is at the bottom of the DL website under "contact us." If someone else knows of another way to email DL, I hope they chime in.


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## tjcrabb

Kuilima said:


> We're planning to do the party only on October 9th. What could we do to fill the time in the morning? My kids are ages 17, 14, 11, and 7. We love the beach, but would that take too much time if we want to be back around 1:00 to get ready for party time?



We will be at the same party! Our plan is to sleep in since we will be flying in late the night before and then having a lateish (10am) brunch at goofy's kitchen. After that we will wander around DTD for a while. That is about the only plan we have. We will not have transportation so that limits where we will be going. We are also toying with the thought of purchasing APs so going to the parks after that


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## seobaina

Sherry E said:


> Yes -- there should be a live link for online orders for the general public.  You could start checking after midnight, PST, to see if you have any luck.  I would imagine the online link should be set up and ready for business well before 7 a.m.  The phone lines, however, will probably open at the usual times they open on any regular day, so the people ordering over the phone for whatever reason will likely encounter waits again.



Thank you x


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## jammyjam25

Kuilima said:


> We're planning to do the party only on October 9th. What could we do to fill the time in the morning? My kids are ages 17, 14, 11, and 7. We love the beach, but would that take too much time if we want to be back around 1:00 to get ready for party time?



On our HP day we're not doing the parks either and we're planning to spend it hanging out at the hotel pool and wandering the Disney hotels. We were tempted to actually plan something for that morning but then realized we don't want to be so tired we don't enjoy the party!


----------



## kdj78

well .... it's after midnight.. come on already i want those tickets hehe 

i am looking in the right place yeah? just go to the disneyland website, tickets, event tickets ?


----------



## Djscarlette

MHP tix are now available online!!

Has anyone who ordered last Wednesday received their tix in the mail? Mine have not yet shown up.


----------



## RichP1269

Just bought my tickets for the 25th!!!


----------



## HopLow1968

Looks like general public tickets are up on the website.


----------



## mummabear

So thank god then went on at midnight since it is only 7pm here!
I got this message:
*Your Order Has Not Been Completed*
Thank you for your order.

Your confirmation is currently pending due to system availability. You will soon receive an email to inform you of the status of your order, once it is processed. If you have any questions, please contact the *Disney Tickets Online Guest Services at ticketinquiries@disneyonline.com or by calling (714) 781-4400*. Guests younger than age 18 must have parent or guardian permission to call.

Did you get this message @RichP1269 ?


----------



## LeahMLee

Wahoo just got my tickets for September 30th so excited!! I'm so glad I don't have to wake up at 3am.


----------



## RichP1269

mummabear said:


> So thank god then went on at midnight since it is only 7pm here!
> I got this message:
> *Your Order Has Not Been Completed*
> Thank you for your order.
> 
> Your confirmation is currently pending due to system availability. You will soon receive an email to inform you of the status of your order, once it is processed. If you have any questions, please contact the *Disney Tickets Online Guest Services at ticketinquiries@disneyonline.com or by calling (714) 781-4400*. Guests younger than age 18 must have parent or guardian permission to call.
> 
> Did you get this message @RichP1269 ?



Yes I did.  I just figure their card processing is down and my order is sitting in the que waiting until it comes back up.


----------



## mummabear

RichP1269 said:


> Yes I did.  I just figure their card processing is down and my order is sitting in the que waiting until it comes back up.



Ok, I feel better then (well slightly)
When we ordered our MNSSHP ones they arrived instantly.


----------



## Dee2015

Hi everyone - first time poster but have been lurking/learning about the MHP nights experts for a few months. 

I just wanted to say thank you to everyone (especially the vets) for all the information they have been sharing while we waited for the tickets to be released and I can't recall who posted that her sister had bought their tickets during the first release just after midnight but whoever you were - thank you, thank you, thank you!

I'd been checking all arvo today and sure enough just before 5pm our time (so about 3 hours ago and just after midnight) up it came. I nearly fell over with excitement! 

We're coming over from Australia to celebrate my 40th, on Halloween (how lucky am I?!), at a MHP during the 60th year celebration - I mean seriously - does it get any better?!!

The girls and I have been looking at our tickets all night and as soon as I got them to bed, I wanted to get on here and say a huge THANKS.

Wishing you ALL, all the very best!


----------



## seobaina

mummabear said:


> So thank god then went on at midnight since it is only 7pm here!
> I got this message:
> *Your Order Has Not Been Completed*
> Thank you for your order.
> 
> Your confirmation is currently pending due to system availability. You will soon receive an email to inform you of the status of your order, once it is processed. If you have any questions, please contact the *Disney Tickets Online Guest Services at ticketinquiries@disneyonline.com or by calling (714) 781-4400*. Guests younger than age 18 must have parent or guardian permission to call.
> 
> Did you get this message @RichP1269 ?




I've had this message too  How long do you think we'll have to wait?


----------



## JessieD

mummabear said:


> So thank god then went on at midnight since it is only 7pm here!
> I got this message:
> *Your Order Has Not Been Completed*
> Thank you for your order.
> 
> Your confirmation is currently pending due to system availability. You will soon receive an email to inform you of the status of your order, once it is processed. If you have any questions, please contact the *Disney Tickets Online Guest Services at ticketinquiries@disneyonline.com or by calling (714) 781-4400*. Guests younger than age 18 must have parent or guardian permission to call.
> 
> Did you get this message @RichP1269 ?



I got this message as well!


----------



## Abbey1

Once I put in my credit card info etc, and click "Purchase", it takes me back to the review screen and says, "Some of the required payment information is missing or invalid. Please check your entries and try again." 

I know that I am putting in all the info correctly. Is anyone else having this problem? Currently on hold...


----------



## RichP1269

Abbey1 said:


> Once I put in my credit card info etc, and click "Purchase", it takes me back to the review screen and says, "Some of the required payment information is missing or invalid. Please check your entries and try again."
> 
> I know that I am putting in all the info correctly. Is anyone else having this problem? Currently on hold...



I had to select a title from the drop down menu.  It makes you choose Mr, Mrs, etc...


----------



## Abbey1

RichP1269 said:


> I had to select a title from the drop down menu.  It makes you choose Mr, Mrs, etc...



I went to check, and I've put in that info. Not sure what I'm missing. Still on hold, but hopefully I'll get through soon. Thanks!


----------



## jammyjam25

BFF and I just purchased our tickets for September 30!


----------



## paul16451

Don't worry!  I got this same "Order is Not Completed" message when I ordered my tickets at midnight, and was worried when my card was charged despite the order not being completed.  But this morning I called the Disney representative to inquire about it (about a half hour wait to get through); he looked up my ticket order and said it was indeed a confirmed order despite the message, and gave me a confirmation number.  Said I would get an official e-mail within 24 hours, and to have fun at the party!


----------



## lorijohnhill

mummabear said:


> So thank god then went on at midnight since it is only 7pm here!
> I got this message:
> *Your Order Has Not Been Completed*
> Thank you for your order.
> 
> Your confirmation is currently pending due to system availability. You will soon receive an email to inform you of the status of your order, once it is processed. If you have any questions, please contact the *Disney Tickets Online Guest Services at ticketinquiries@disneyonline.com or by calling (714) 781-4400*. Guests younger than age 18 must have parent or guardian permission to call.
> 
> Did you get this message @RichP1269 ?


I got this last week when AP tix went on sale. I still have not received a confirmation. I emailed and was told that if I bring my conf number, ID, and credit card I used, I can pick them up at the ticket booth. I'm going to check on that when we are at DL this week.


----------



## JessieD

I called a out that email this morning. The phone CM was able to find my tickets from my credit card number. She gave me my confirmation number and told me I should get an email with the tickets shortly. She also said, if for any reason I do not get the email with the tickets I could take my confirmation number, ID and credit card to the ticket window at DL and they would give me tickets.


----------



## Canadian Harmony

Ok, So I wrote a letter to Disney. Here's hoping it gets results (I still have to buy our tickets this week):

Hi. My family and I are planning our first trip to DLR for my daughters' birthdays in October. We were so excited to find out that not only will we be able to celebrate 60 years of Disney magic, but also participate in Halloween Time.
We booked with our travel agent back in February/March and began planning all the exciting events we can attend. I waited for the announcement of dates for the Mickey Halloween Party and was over the moon to find out that the party we want to attend is falling on our oldest daughter's birthday!
But then I looked to see what was included for the higher cost this year:
- NO cavalcade - just the Paint The Night parade. While that's awesome, it's not really 'Halloween' specific. But ok, it's a parade.
- NO Carnival. Without the pumpkin carving, Day of the Dead, Conjure a Villain, crafts or games, it doesn't seem much like a Halloween Party.
I'm still going to take our kids because we've been talking up the whole "trick-or-treating at Disney on YOUR birthday" thing to them, but it's going to be quite a disappointment after spending so much money (even more after the lousy exchange rate we have now) to receive so little of the Disney magic.
It seems to me the high standard that Disneyland has always held itself to has slipped a little with this year's Halloween celebration. I really hope The Powers That Be change course slightly and bring back the Carnival area at Big Thunder Ranch for Halloween Time at Disneyland Resort.
Kind Regards


----------



## emmybee

I remembered to buy tickets just before I went to bed last night.  I'm so happy to be able to cross it off the list!  I was suddenly so paranoid, even though we are going on what I consider to be an "off" date, I couldn't let it wait until this morning.  *feeling relieved*


----------



## mummabear

lorijohnhill said:


> I got this last week when AP tix went on sale. I still have not received a confirmation. I emailed and was told that if I bring my conf number, ID, and credit card I used, I can pick them up at the ticket booth.



Well that makes me nervous! I don't want to stop at the ticket booth!


----------



## Sherry E

Canadian Harmony said:


> Ok, So I wrote a letter to Disney. Here's hoping it gets results (I still have to buy our tickets this week):
> 
> Hi. My family and I are planning our first trip to DLR for my daughters' birthdays in October. We were so excited to find out that not only will we be able to celebrate 60 years of Disney magic, but also participate in Halloween Time.
> We booked with our travel agent back in February/March and began planning all the exciting events we can attend. I waited for the announcement of dates for the Mickey Halloween Party and was over the moon to find out that the party we want to attend is falling on our oldest daughter's birthday!
> But then I looked to see what was included for the higher cost this year:
> - NO cavalcade - just the Paint The Night parade. While that's awesome, it's not really 'Halloween' specific. But ok, it's a parade.
> - NO Carnival. Without the pumpkin carving, Day of the Dead, Conjure a Villain, crafts or games, it doesn't seem much like a Halloween Party.
> I'm still going to take our kids because we've been talking up the whole "trick-or-treating at Disney on YOUR birthday" thing to them, but it's going to be quite a disappointment after spending so much money (even more after the lousy exchange rate we have now) to receive so little of the Disney magic.
> It seems to me the high standard that Disneyland has always held itself to has slipped a little with this year's Halloween celebration. I really hope The Powers That Be change course slightly and bring back the Carnival area at Big Thunder Ranch for Halloween Time at Disneyland Resort.
> Kind Regards



Day of the Dead/Dia de los Muertos is coming back -- it's not part of the Halloween Carnival.  It's just a display set up in Frontierland.   

The Carnival is usually not part of the Halloween Party, per se.  The Carnival is usually closed for the bulk of the party -- so no crafts or games during the party.  The Carnival was/is mainly part of the daytime roster of Halloween Time enjoyment, available for anyone to enjoy (even if they don't buy party tickets).  I am certain that some sort of Villain photo spot will be put somewhere in the daytime, as will the other characters in Halloween attire.  Pirates League may even be put somewhere else in Disneyland.  It's just the pumpkin carvers that appear to not be back this year (unless something top secret is in the works), and the general Carnival area sounds as though it is not happening this year (with everything concentrated in one place).  There will likely be elements of the Carnival broken up and put elsewhere, but the actual Carnival sounds as if it is not happening.

But none of this has been officially publicized by Disney, so there is no telling what's in the works.  I brought the info here to this thread to share with everyone, but it's not anything that the people reading the emails will know anything about just yet. They may not know until Halloween Time begins, sadly.




mummabear said:


> Well that makes me nervous! I don't want to stop at the ticket booth!



I would just call, as I recommended to lorijohnhill to do.  Don't wait to take care of it in person.  Just call -- even though it's inconvenient when you live on another continent! -- and make sure they can look up your order with your credit card number.


----------



## Canadian Harmony

Sherry E said:


> Day of the Dead/Dia de los Muertos is coming back -- it's not part of the Halloween Carnival.  It's just a display set up in Frontierland.
> 
> The Carnival is usually not part of the Halloween Party, per se.  The Carnival is usually closed for the bulk of the party -- so no crafts or games during the party.  The Carnival was/is mainly part of the daytime roster of Halloween Time enjoyment, available for anyone to enjoy (even if they don't buy party tickets).  I am certain that some sort of Villain photo spot will be put somewhere in the daytime, as will the other characters in Halloween attire.  Pirates League may even be put somewhere else in Disneyland.  It's just the pumpkin carvers that appear to not be back this year (unless something top secret is in the works), and the general Carnival area sounds as though it is not happening this year (with everything concentrated in one place).  There will likely be elements of the Carnival broken up and put elsewhere, but the actual Carnival sounds as if it is not happening.
> 
> But none of this has been officially publicized by Disney, so there is no telling what's in the works.  I brought the info here to this thread to share with everyone, but it's not anything that the people reading the emails will know anything about just yet. They may not know until Halloween Time begins, sadly.


 
I understand. Thing is, if I have misinformation in there, then they'll send me an email clarifying, yes? And then we'll know for sure what's what! At least I've mentioned how I believe the increase in price doesn't reflect the value for the money.


----------



## mummabear

Sherry E said:


> I would just call, as I recommended to lorijohnhill to do. Don't wait to take care of it in person. Just call -- even though it's inconvenient when you live on another continent! -- and make sure they can look up your order with your credit card number.



So I called, thank god there was no wait time, and got my confirmation number she said it should come through in 24-48 hours otherwise I would have to go to the ticket booth when we arrive.
It annoys me that they wouldn't resend them (because let's face it they aren't resending them if they never sent them), I don't want to waste my time at arrival lining up at the ticket booth.


----------



## Sherry E

BigCheese said:


> Sherry E- thank you for all of the updates in the Halloween thread!!! We typically visit DLR in October but recently moved to Southern California and are first time AP holders. We're still adjusting to the traffic and I'm glad that Halloween falls on a Saturday, but do you know if that party in particular has a higher ticket allocation, or are all party dates equal in that regard?



You're very welcome!  As theluckyrabbit said, there is probably a higher ticket allocation for Halloween night.  And I suspect that, with this year's Saturday Halloween, there will be even more people (as opposed to, say, a Wednesday Halloween).  I think that some of the other party nights may have an almost equal number of tickets available (though no one knows what that number is), and may be comparable in crowds.  And then still other parties will have more or fewer people based on the day of the week, comp tickets, and other variables.



Dee2015 said:


> Hi everyone - first time poster but have been lurking/learning about the MHP nights experts for a few months.
> 
> I just wanted to say thank you to everyone (especially the vets) for all the information they have been sharing while we waited for the tickets to be released and I can't recall who posted that her sister had bought their tickets during the first release just after midnight but whoever you were - thank you, thank you, thank you!
> 
> I'd been checking all arvo today and sure enough just before 5pm our time (so about 3 hours ago and just after midnight) up it came. I nearly fell over with excitement!
> 
> We're coming over from Australia to celebrate my 40th, on Halloween (how lucky am I?!), at a MHP during the 60th year celebration - I mean seriously - does it get any better?!!
> 
> The girls and I have been looking at our tickets all night and as soon as I got them to bed, I wanted to get on here and say a huge THANKS.
> 
> Wishing you ALL, all the very best!



Welcome!    Thank you for joining us!   I'm so glad this thread has been helpful to you.  It sounds as though you have a great birthday-Halloween-60th anniversary trip in store.  I think you will have a wonderful time.  Are you doing anything else Halloween-ish while you are out here (since I know that Halloween is not as big of a deal in Australia as it is out here in the U.S.)?

If I am not mistaken, I think it was Dawn (PlutoRocks), whose sister got the tickets after midnight one week ago... though I could be mis-remembering.  Edited to add --  here is Dawn's quote:



PlutoRocks said:


> I'm glad my sister is a night owl...she got our tickets online at about 12:15am for Sept. 25th...she said it was super quick and easy...I was dead asleep at that time of night.   Good luck to all those waiting on hold...I hope they can clear the backlog and get you guys through quickly.
> 
> YAY!!!  I'm going to Mickey's Halloween Party for the first time ever!!   I'm ridiculously excited about that!


----------



## Abbey1

Eek! I'm so excited- we got our tickets for the October 27th party this morning. It will be our first time at Disneyland during Halloween time.

 I have a quick question - which area would be best to do pre-party (from 3-7)? Does one area tend to be more congested during the party? I think I want to save New Orleans Square for the party for sure (can't wait to see the Cadaver Dans)! I am thinking of trying to do all our favorite rides in Fantasyland pre-party, is that a good plan? We are also planning on dinner at Jolly Holiday. Would it be better to plan on dinner before the party? I want to make sure that we maximize our time.


----------



## Sherry E

Canadian Harmony said:


> I understand. Thing is, if I have misinformation in there, then they'll send me an email clarifying, yes? And then we'll know for sure what's what! At least I've mentioned how I believe the increase in price doesn't reflect the value for the money.



The answers that come from people on the other end of the emails are usually quite generic.  I wouldn't expect much.  They don't know much -- and if they do, they are not supposed to reveal it.    The info I brought was the "off the grid" insider info, not anything that Disney is going to publicly acknowledge.

But they may go as far as to tell you that Dia de los Muertos is coming back -- because that much has been publicized by Disney.  They don't like to focus on the things that are not coming back because they want to entice people to visit.

The price increase absolutely does not reflect the value, in my opinion -- unless there is something unknown in store.  There may be some surprises!


----------



## Canadian Harmony

Perhaps I'll get a teaser then? You'd think if the DdlM is back, then they'd add in the rest of HT stuff... *sigh* Oh well, it is what it is I suppose. But I can still be a little sad about missing the cool stuff I've seen in photos.


----------



## Sherry E

Canadian Harmony said:


> Perhaps I'll get a teaser then? You'd think if the DdlM is back, then they'd add in the rest of HT stuff... *sigh* Oh well, it is what it is I suppose. But I can still be a little sad about missing the cool stuff I've seen in photos.



Dia de los Muertos is set up in another area of Frontierland, not near the Carnival.   They just have to put up decorations and the displays in that one spot.  I have to assume that there is some kind of secret plan for the Carnival area -- like maybe Disney is going to do something else with it or use it for some other reason, and didn't feel it was worthwhile to decorate it and pack it with seasonal things. 

However, the little log cabin that is on the fringes of the Carnival (but is not really considered part of the Carnival) could possibly be decorated.  That's the Scare-Dy-Crow Shack, with the vintage/retro Halloween decor inside, and "pumpkin people" stationed inside it and around the general area.  It is an area that kind of flows into the Carnival so it all seems like part of the same thing, but the little cabin was part of the pre-Carnival area called the Halloween Round-Up years ago.  That's where the pumpkin carvers used to be, before they moved into the Carnival.   There were a lot of autumnal decorations all around the little shack and around the petting zoo, and closer to the BBQ restaurant as well.    I have not gotten a sense of whether that section of the area will be decorated this year, or if the whole area -- Carnival, Round-Up and all -- is going to be lacking decor.    

Supposedly, Santa Claus is going to be back in that same log cabin this year (for photos) during the holidays, so that means the cabin will have to at least be decorated for that season -- even if the Jingle Jangle Jamboree/festival area is not open.  So, if they can decorate that little area with holiday decor, they might do it for Halloween too -- which will be better than nothing, I suppose.  The carvers may not be back, but at least the area would have some fall decor and not be a vast wasteland of nothingness!  

Dia de los Muertos was mentioned by Erin at the Parks Blog as returning, but she specifically did not mention the Halloween Carnival -- which is what first set off my "Halloween Time radar" and made me start investigating it!   http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...he-disneyland-resort-september-11-november-1/  Every year, for both Halloween Time and the Holidays, I am on alert to see what is newly added into the seasons, or what has been quietly removed.  A lot of things go missing over the years, but to a lot of people they are insignificant -- you'd be surprised how many people don't notice what's missing!



Abbey1 said:


> Eek! I'm so excited- we got our tickets for the October 27th party this morning. It will be our first time at Disneyland during Halloween time.
> 
> I have a quick question - which area would be best to do pre-party (from 3-7)? Does one area tend to be more congested during the party? I think I want to save New Orleans Square for the party for sure (can't wait to see the Cadaver Dans)! I am thinking of trying to do all our favorite rides in Fantasyland pre-party, is that a good plan? We are also planning on dinner at Jolly Holiday. Would it be better to plan on dinner before the party? I want to make sure that we maximize our time.



Hmm... Good question.  So your party would begin at 6 p.m., correct?  You can enter Disneyland with the MHP ticket at 3 p.m., but, honestly, that time frame from 3 p.m. - 6 p.m. is going to be super crowded, because all of the people who are not going to MHP will still be in the park until 6 p.m.  I would think that Fantasyland will be a madhouse during that time, though I could be wrong.

I would plan to eat before the party, to maximize your time, as you say.  In fact, you could plan to eat before 6 p.m., during that overlap time.

Keep in mind that there could be a Toontown pre-party again -- which would start about one hour before the actual MHP began, if I recall correctly.  There would be characters there and treat stations.  We probably won't find out if the pre-party is happening until next month, but I think it is likely.


​

Not only has Pumpkin Pandemonium started to creep into all the craft stores, into Walgreens, Target and Costco, it is also now creeping into Disney Parks!  

Halloween pins have been spotted today!  See Laughing Place's Twitter page - https://twitter.com/laughing_place

Notice that they all just say "Halloween" and not "Halloween Time."  Is that what happened last year?  I didn't pay attention to what was on the seasonal pins last year, but I know that they used to say "Halloween Time" in the past (and the MHP-specific ones will say "Mickey's Halloween Party"). 

Anyway, the Halloween and fall-ish goodies/treats should begin to slowly appear in August, and if there are going to be any Halloween window displays they would appear in August too. 


Edited to add:  When I first saw a mention of this on LP's website, I could have sworn it said that these pins were spotted in Disneyland today.  But now I don't see the initial mention of it, and the Twitter feed makes me think that the pins are at WDW -- which would explain why they say "Halloween" and not "Halloween Time."  WDW does not call its Halloween "season" Halloween Time.

In any case, if you happen to be at Disneyland today, take a peek in the Emporium or Disney Showcase and see if you see any early signs of Halloween merchandise. 

​


----------



## seobaina

seobaina said:


> I've had this message too  How long do you think we'll have to wait?




So I've still not heard anything and I can't check at the moment to see if the money has gone out (paid on fairfx card and their site is having issues loading). Should I be worried that I've had nothing from Disney? I'm in the UK so I don't really wanna have to phone up and sit on hold for ages.


----------



## chttyangel

dolphingirl47 said:


> The Halloween parties start at the same Friday in September they have since at least 2011. I went to the first party of the season then and will do so again this year.
> 
> Corinna


I was expecting one on the first Friday but not the Wednesday based off last year.....maybe i misread last year thou


----------



## TakeMeToNeverland

I started a thread with questions that I actually ended up finding the answers to had I read this thread more thoroughly...now I don't know how to delete it. Is it possible to delete a thread? 
But I still had one thing I am not clear about...Does the MHP include all of the carnival activities...like the villain conjuring...pumpkin carvers and such?


----------



## Sherry E

seobaina said:


> So I've still not heard anything and I can't check at the moment to see if the money has gone out (paid on fairfx card and their site is having issues loading). Should I be worried that I've had nothing from Disney? I'm in the UK so I don't really wanna have to phone up and sit on hold for ages.



I don't think you'll be sitting on hold for ages at this point, or tomorrow.  If you can't check the card's transactions to be sure the money was taken out, then it probably would be a good idea to call DLR -- if for no other reason, just to get an official confirmation number for your purchase.    It sounds like a lot of people's transactions were somehow delayed or held up in the system for some reason.   If the e-tickets never show up in your email, you will still need a confirmation number to bring with you to the ticket window on the day of the party.




TakeMeToNeverland said:


> I started a thread with questions that I actually ended up finding the answers to had I read this thread more thoroughly...now I don't know how to delete it. Is it possible to delete a thread?
> But I still had one thing I am not clear about...Does the MHP include all of the carnival activities...like the villain conjuring...pumpkin carvers and such?



I'll delete the thread.

The Carnival is not part of Mickey's Halloween Party.  It's a daytime activity that is/was part of the general Halloween Time season, and the Carnival is most likely not happening this year (which I discovered last week).  There is no pumpkin carving at MHP.   No Pirates League at MHP.   No Halloween crafts and games at MHP.   The Conjure a Villain tent is not operating as usual (though there are Villains out at the party for photos).  

Make sure to stay tuned to this thread for incoming news and rumors, etc.!


----------



## TakeMeToNeverland

Sherry E said:


> I don't think you'll be sitting on hold for ages at this point, or tomorrow.  If you can't check the card's transactions to be sure the money was taken out, then it probably would be a good idea to call DLR -- if for no other reason, just to get an official confirmation number for your purchase.    It sounds like a lot of people's transactions were somehow delayed or held up in the system for some reason.   If the e-tickets never show up in your email, you will still need a confirmation number to bring with you to the ticket window on the day of the party.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I'll delete the thread.
> 
> The Carnival is not part of Mickey's Halloween Party.  It's a daytime activity that is/was part of the general Halloween Time season, and the Carnival is most likely not happening this year (which I discovered last week).  There is no pumpkin carving at MHP.   No Pirates League at MHP.   No Halloween crafts and games at MHP.   The Conjure a Villain tent is not operating as usual (though there are Villains out at the party for photos).
> 
> Make sure to stay tuned to this thread for incoming news and rumors, etc.!



Thank you Sherry!! I will keep an eye out. Still on the fence whether to but tix to the MHP.


----------



## Goose&mavie

I just bought tix for MHP over the phone. They unfortunately made me pay $5 for shipping charge even though I didn't want them shipped.  Is this normal? How should I have done e-tix?


----------



## mummabear

Sherry E said:


> The answers that come from people on the other end of the emails are usually quite generic. I wouldn't expect much. They don't know much -- and if they do, they are not supposed to reveal it. The info I brought was the "off the grid" insider info, not anything that Disney is going to publicly acknowledge.





Canadian Harmony said:


> Perhaps I'll get a teaser then? You'd think if the DdlM is back, then they'd add in the rest of HT stuff... *sigh* Oh well, it is what it is I suppose. But I can still be a little sad about missing the cool stuff I've seen in photos.



@canadianharmony

Unfortunately however responds to the emails are infuriatingly vague and unhelpful at all times on any subject, trying to get information not published on the website ( and I'm talking about something as simple as ordering a cake) is like getting blood from a stone.
Even if you say "the options and pricing for ordering a cake are not listed on the website" they will respond with the website link that says nothing more than if you are celebrating you can order a cake.
And then if by some miracle you get info (like you ask "if I am at DLR and I buy the PP+ package and the girls do the courtyard package at BBB, are the photos uploaded onto your pass without having to purchase the BBB imaging package) it will be wrong ( they said yes and when we got there we were told no even with a print out of the email from Disney saying yes)
They make me want to


----------



## BigCheese

Sherry E said:


> You're very welcome!  As theluckyrabbit said, there is probably a higher ticket allocation for Halloween night.  And I suspect that, with this year's Saturday Halloween, there will be even more people (as opposed to, say, a Wednesday Halloween).  I think that some of the other party nights may have an almost equal number of tickets available (though no one knows what that number is), and may be comparable in crowds.  And then still other parties will have more or fewer people based on the day of the week, comp tickets, and other variables.



Thank you Sherry & theluckyrabbit!!  That's good to know about potentially higher crowds on Halloween.  We went ahead and bought tickets for the 31st, and although it might be a bit more crowded than the other party dates, it will be exciting attending a party on actual Halloween this year.  We always liked the pre-parties in the past, and I hope Toon Town will still have one this year!


----------



## Sherry E

Goose&mavie said:


> I just bought tix for MHP over the phone. They unfortunately made me pay $5 for shipping charge even though I didn't want them shipped.  Is this normal? How should I have done e-tix?



For e-tickets you can order online, on the DLR website.  Phone orders seem to incur that pesky $5 more often now, but the CMs used to waive it in the old days.


----------



## Babysaurs

So we will be at disney from sept 25th until oct 2nd. We are considering to do a party on the 28th or the 30th sept. I origionally though the wed party would be the best to do as quieter, but it seems that everyone going around the same dates as us in this thread are also going that wednesday. So no im wondering if maybe the Monday would be better to go? Or am i just over thinking this lol


----------



## HopLow1968

We just bought MHP online and went with the e-tix.  Got an email right away with confirmation number and printable bar code.


----------



## lorijohnhill

Ok, I went to the ticket booth tonight on the way back to our hotel. It took some time, and three CMs/leads, but I now have my tickets for the MHP on 9/28 and 10/2. Now I just have to keep track of them! They said the tickets cannot be replaced if lost. 

In order to give me the tickets, they needed to see the original email I received (that stated the order was not complete), the email from ticketing with my confirmation number, and my ID. 

I feel so much better now that I have them in hand!


----------



## mummabear

Babysaurs said:


> So we will be at disney from sept 25th until oct 2nd. We are considering to do a party on the 28th or the 30th sept. I origionally though the wed party would be the best to do as quieter, but it seems that everyone going around the same dates as us in this thread are also going that wednesday. So no im wondering if maybe the Monday would be better to go? Or am i just over thinking this lol



I would venture a guess that more people from this thread are going on the Wednesday because it will be quieter. I am sure it seems like it will be busy because of the number of people saying they are going but this thread will represent such a small percentage of visitors.



lorijohnhill said:


> Ok, I went to the ticket booth tonight on the way back to our hotel. It took some time, and three CMs/leads, but I now have my tickets for the MHP on 9/28 and 10/2. Now I just have to keep track of them! They said the tickets cannot be replaced if lost.
> 
> In order to give me the tickets, they needed to see the original email I received (that stated the order was not complete), the email from ticketing with my confirmation number, and my ID.
> 
> I feel so much better now that I have them in hand!



This is exactly what I am worried about!
I have my confirmation number now but only via phone.


----------



## theluckyrabbit

lorijohnhill said:


> Ok, I went to the ticket booth tonight on the way back to our hotel. It took some time, and three CMs/leads, but I now have my tickets for the MHP on 9/28 and 10/2. *Now I just have to keep track of them! They said the tickets cannot be replaced if lost*...



This is a good reminder for everyone who has bought their tickets to make copies or take photos, making sure that the bar code is especially clear. This way there is a back up in case the tickets are misplaced or lost. A photo on a phone or a photocopy can alleviate a huge headache.


----------



## lorijohnhill

mummabear said:


> This is exactly what I am worried about!
> I have my confirmation number now but only via phone.


I think that as long as you have the confirmation number so that they can look up your order, the initial email to show there was an error, and your ID, they should be able to help you. We are not the only ones with this issue. The closer it gets to the party date, the more familiar they will be with the issue.


----------



## mummabear

theluckyrabbit said:


> This is a good reminder for everyone who has bought their tickets to make copies or take photos, making sure that the bar code is especially clear. This way there is a back up in case the tickets are misplaced or lost. A photo on a phone or a photocopy can alleviate a huge headache.



This is the first thing we do on our trip, after loosing them one trip that is!


----------



## McNs

Booked for Wednesday 7th . Decided on the Wed as we will have late nights Sat/Sun, so will be wanting an early night on the Monday (or maybe Mrs McN and I go to Napa Rose and the kids in to Pinocchios )


----------



## tjcrabb

theluckyrabbit said:


> This is a good reminder for everyone who has bought their tickets to make copies or take photos, making sure that the bar code is especially clear. This way there is a back up in case the tickets are misplaced or lost. A photo on a phone or a photocopy can alleviate a huge headache.



You are a genius!!! I didn't even  think about that! I have the confirmation number but this is better. I feel much better about keeping track of them.


----------



## RichP1269

Still hadn't received a confirmation email for my order, so I called and got a confirmation number.  Not too bad of a wait.  15 minutes on hold and maybe 5 minutes with the Cast Member getting the info.


----------



## Abbey1

Sherry E said:


> Hmm... Good question.  So your party would begin at 6 p.m., correct?  You can enter Disneyland with the MHP ticket at 3 p.m., but, honestly, that time frame from 3 p.m. - 6 p.m. is going to be super crowded, because all of the people who are not going to MHP will still be in the park until 6 p.m.  I would think that Fantasyland will be a madhouse during that time, though I could be wrong.
> 
> I would plan to eat before the party, to maximize your time, as you say.  In fact, you could plan to eat before 6 p.m., during that overlap time.
> 
> Keep in mind that there could be a Toontown pre-party again -- which would start about one hour before the actual MHP began, if I recall correctly.  There would be characters there and treat stations.  We probably won't find out if the pre-party is happening until next month, but I think it is likely.
> 
> 
> ​
> 
> Not only has Pumpkin Pandemonium started to creep into all the craft stores, into Walgreens, Target and Costco, it is also now creeping into Disney Parks!
> 
> Halloween pins have been spotted today!  See Laughing Place's Twitter page - https://twitter.com/laughing_place
> 
> Notice that they all just say "Halloween" and not "Halloween Time."  Is that what happened last year?  I didn't pay attention to what was on the seasonal pins last year, but I know that they used to say "Halloween Time" in the past (and the MHP-specific ones will say "Mickey's Halloween Party").
> 
> Anyway, the Halloween and fall-ish goodies/treats should begin to slowly appear in August, and if there are going to be any Halloween window displays they would appear in August too.
> 
> 
> Edited to add:  When I first saw a mention of this on LP's website, I could have sworn it said that these pins were spotted in Disneyland today.  But now I don't see the initial mention of it, and the Twitter feed makes me think that the pins are at WDW -- which would explain why they say "Halloween" and not "Halloween Time."  WDW does not call its Halloween "season" Halloween Time.
> 
> In any case, if you happen to be at Disneyland today, take a peek in the Emporium or Disney Showcase and see if you see any early signs of Halloween merchandise.
> 
> ​



Thanks for always taking the time to answer my questions, Sherry E! Would Tomorrowland likely be a bit less crowded before the party? We will definitely plan on eating an early dinner pre-party. 

One more question, what kinds of wait times can I expect for during the party? I am starting to make a semi-schedule, and right now I am thinking around 20 minutes for most rides. Does that sound about right?

 Thanks again! I seriously love this thread. I just bought my son his costume for the party for a steal from the Disney Store. We got last season's Darth Vader costume for only $20. I am thinking of ordering these ears to wear to the party from Etsy.  Is it frowned upon to wear non-Disney branded ears to the parks? Lol. I don't want to do a full costume, but fell in love with these ears!


----------



## dolphingirl47

Sherry E said:


> Halloween pins have been spotted today! See Laughing Place's Twitter page - https://twitter.com/laughing_place



What a shame. None of them really grab me. I hope that they will have a pin for MNSSHP that I like.



chttyangel said:


> I was expecting one on the first Friday but not the Wednesday based off last year



I am pretty sure that in the wake week last year there were only two parties: Tuesday and Friday.



Abbey1 said:


> Is it frowned upon to wear non-Disney branded ears to the parks? Lol. I don't want to do a full costume, but fell in love with these ears!



I don't think so. It better not be as I have custom ears as part of two of my Halloween costumes.

Corinna


----------



## jammyjam25

People wear homemade ears they purchase from Etsy, etc. in the parks all the time, I think you'll be just fine!


----------



## Sherry E

TakeMeToNeverland said:


> Thank you Sherry!! I will keep an eye out. Still on the fence whether to but tix to the MHP.



You're very welcome!  It can be a tough choice, whether or not to get tickets.  The tickets are not inexpensive, and I think a lot of the decision really comes down to how much MHP will or won't enhance your trip in any way, how much of a fan of Halloween (as a holiday and season) you are, if there is anything in the party that is necessary to see/do, etc.




BigCheese said:


> Thank you Sherry & theluckyrabbit!!  That's good to know about potentially higher crowds on Halloween.  We went ahead and bought tickets for the 31st, and although it might be a bit more crowded than the other party dates, it will be exciting attending a party on actual Halloween this year.  We always liked the pre-parties in the past, and I hope Toon Town will still have one this year!



Halloween is the night I have my eye on too, though that price tag makes it a bitter pill to swallow, quite frankly.   I can't see why there wouldn't be a pre-party this year, somewhere (even if not in Toontown).

I tend to think that even if there were not more tickets sold for 10/31, a lot of people would be able to stay for the duration of the party on a Saturday night (or a Friday).  I picture earlier weeknight party crowds as thinning out before the end of the night, as they may have school or work the next day.  But a Saturday night Halloween party probably means that people will be in it for the long haul, so it will seem crowded throughout the night.




Babysaurs said:


> So we will be at disney from sept 25th until oct 2nd. We are considering to do a party on the 28th or the 30th sept. I origionally though the wed party would be the best to do as quieter, but it seems that everyone going around the same dates as us in this thread are also going that wednesday. So no im wondering if maybe the Monday would be better to go? Or am i just over thinking this lol



  Maybe overthinking it... but you have a point!  Also, last year the second party night of the season (which was Tues., 9/30) did not sell out, for whatever reason.  It is possible that the second party night of this season -- Mon., 9/28, won't sell out either.  Then again, it might.  There is really no way to tell.   You might as well stick with Wednesday!  




lorijohnhill said:


> Ok, I went to the ticket booth tonight on the way back to our hotel. It took some time, and three CMs/leads, but I now have my tickets for the MHP on 9/28 and 10/2. Now I just have to keep track of them! They said the tickets cannot be replaced if lost.
> 
> In order to give me the tickets, they needed to see the original email I received (that stated the order was not complete), the email from ticketing with my confirmation number, and my ID.
> 
> I feel so much better now that I have them in hand!



I'm so glad you got that taken care of and can now breathe a sigh of relief!




lorijohnhill said:


> I think that as long as you have the confirmation number so that they can look up your order, the initial email to show there was an error, and your ID, they should be able to help you. We are not the only ones with this issue. The closer it gets to the party date, the more familiar they will be with the issue.



Last year and this year, it seems a lot of people have run into the issue of either not getting their tickets via email, or not getting the confirmation #.  The CMs should be very accustomed to this issue by now.  I don't even know why the problem keeps happening -- you'd think that their IT people could figure something out to avoid this issue.




tjcrabb said:


> You are a genius!!! I didn't even  think about that! I have the confirmation number but this is better. I feel much better about keeping track of them.



The confirmation # is essential too, though, in case you have to call!




Abbey1 said:


> Thanks for always taking the time to answer my questions, Sherry E! Would Tomorrowland likely be a bit less crowded before the party? We will definitely plan on eating an early dinner pre-party.
> 
> One more question, what kinds of wait times can I expect for during the party? I am starting to make a semi-schedule, and right now I am thinking around 20 minutes for most rides. Does that sound about right?
> 
> Thanks again! I seriously love this thread. I just bought my son his costume for the party for a steal from the Disney Store. We got last season's Darth Vader costume for only $20. I am thinking of ordering these ears to wear to the party from Etsy. View attachment 112811 Is it frowned upon to wear non-Disney branded ears to the parks? Lol. I don't want to do a full costume, but fell in love with these ears!



You're welcome, and thank you for hanging in there with us!   It's possible that Tomorrowland could be less crowded than Fantasyland before the party begins, but not in the Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy area.  I think that a lot of people who are not going to the party will be trying to squeeze in whatever rides they can manage in those hours leading up to 6 p.m. 

 A ride like POTC can often have a very long line that looks incredibly ominous, but the line tends to move quickly.  So that one might be worth getting on before the party.

These were the rides/attractions that were not open during MHP last year, so if you are interested in any of these you might need to do them before MHP begins:

•Main Street Vehicles
•Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln
•Enchanted Tiki Room
•Pirate’s Lair/Tom Sawyer’s Island
•Anything on the Rivers of America (i.e., Mark Twain, Columbia, Canoes)
•Sleeping Beauty Castle Walkthrough
•Tarzan's Treehouse
•Halloween Carnival at Big Thunder Ranch (which probably won't even be open this year at all!)
•Toontown (e.g., Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin, Gadget’s Go Coaster, etc.) -- The Toontown rides were not operating during the actual MHP, but Car Toon Spin was open during the Toontown Pre-Party 
•Innoventions (the building was used for a treat trail and non-Marvel character meet & greet -- don't know what the plan is for this building later this year)
•Pixie Hollow (the path is used for a treat trail)
•Main Street Cinema (used for a treat trail)


At the party, some of the rides will be walk-ons, not even 20 minutes.  I remember once going past Splash Mountain and thinking it was closed, only to discover that it was open but there was simply no line!  Things like Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy could have a long wait, and Haunted Mansion Holiday could have a wait of 20 minutes or more.  

I think those ears will be fine!




dolphingirl47 said:


> What a shame. None of them really grab me. I hope that they will have a pin for MNSSHP that I like.
> 
> 
> 
> Corinna



I thought the same thing!  Well, first I was trying to deduce whether those pins were at WDW or at DLR, and I figured they must have been spotted at WDW because they only say "Halloween" and not "Halloween Time."  But, regardless, I'm sure there are now pins at DLR too, since DLR's Halloween fun is kicking off earlier than WDW's Halloween fun this year!

None of them jumped out at me at all.  I mean, years ago the designs would have been new and fresh, but now it just seems like "same old same old."  Hopefully some of DLR's pins will be better!


----------



## Kilala

Well It looks like I'm only doing 2 parties this year Oct 14th ans Oct 16th. I have the day off of work since the school I work at has no kids that day. So that way I can get in early and try to get in photos in with Jack and Sally if Sally's there.


----------



## Sandi E

I don't have an AP, so I bought my MHP tickets with my Disney Visa over the phone on the 22nd. Has anyone else received theirs yet?  I thought they would have arrived by now.


----------



## focusondisney

Sandi E said:


> I don't have an AP, so I bought my MHP tickets with my Disney Visa over the phone on the 22nd. Has anyone else received theirs yet?  I thought they would have arrived by now.


 I ordered mine on the 22nd too.  They said 8 - 10 days.  Tomorrow is 8 days, so should be here soon.


----------



## seobaina

Sherry E said:


> I don't think you'll be sitting on hold for ages at this point, or tomorrow.  If you can't check the card's transactions to be sure the money was taken out, then it probably would be a good idea to call DLR -- if for no other reason, just to get an official confirmation number for your purchase.    It sounds like a lot of people's transactions were somehow delayed or held up in the system for some reason.   If the e-tickets never show up in your email, you will still need a confirmation number to bring with you to the ticket window on the day of the party.




I emailed them on wed with as much info as possible asking for confirmation etc. not heard yet but the money has gone from my account so I assume that means I have tickets. If I don't hear soon or properly I'll phone. Thanks


----------



## Skipper03

I'm not an AP or Disney Visa holder - and I purchased tix for Wed. Sept. 30 on the morning of Wed. July 29 when they were open to the public.

Almost immediately I received the etickets email, and was able to download and print the tix off at home. They really pushed your phone being your ticket once you save it, but I'm cautious enough to not let a tech failure mess with my Halloween Party experience! So we're all set to go!


----------



## lorijohnhill

Maybe a tidbit of hope for the Carnival. I was talking with a CM tonight while waiting for the parade to begin. This CM is working on developing the Halloween Haunts tour. I asked him about the Carnival and he said it would absolutely be happening this year.

So, there is some hope!

ETA: I am definitely booking the tour this year also!


----------



## Sherry E

lorijohnhill said:


> Maybe a tidbit of hope for the Carnival. I was talking with a CM tonight while waiting for the parade to begin. This CM is working on developing the Halloween Haunts tour. I asked him about the Carnival and he said it would absolutely be happening this year.
> 
> So, there is some hope!
> 
> ETA: I am definitely booking the tour this year also!



I don't mean to burst anyone's bubble or be a killjoy, but I am realistic -- and I don't like anyone to get their hopes up when all signs are pointing to a different end result.  Also, I try very hard to let people know which info to actually pay attention to, which info to take with a grain of salt and which to disregard.  

Remember, it was also supposedly a CM in the park last year who said that MHP would be moving back to DCA in 2015.  We see how that went.  The CM to whom you spoke likely had no clue (on his own) that the main pumpkin carver has not been contacted, and that the decorators were told that nothing is happening.

Unfortunately, there are so many different CMs and employees involved in the Disney company, and they are not all on the same level or in possession of the same knowledge.  Some know more than others.  Some don't know anything.  Some work in different areas of DLR -- both in the parks and behind the scenes.  Some of them assume that they know what is happening, but they don't have updated info.

All I can tell you is that 3 different people revealed 3 different pieces of info -- one of which flat out said that the decorators were told that they are not having anything there (in the Carnival/Festival location) -- and all 3 of those bits of info point to the Carnival not taking place this year, at least in the format we know it.  Add to that the fact that Erin did not mention the Carnival as returning in her Halloween Time Parks Blog, and it is not mentioned on the DLR website.

Also, the fact that Santa Claus is supposed to be back in his log cabin this year would indicate that the Festival area (where the Carnival takes place) is not going to be used for the Jingle Jangle Jamboree either.

There are way too many signs pointing to no Halloween Carnival.  :

But, as I have said before, the little cabin on the outskirts of the Carnival -- meaning the Scare-Dy-Crow Shack, which is technically part of what used to be called the Halloween Round-Up, could have some decorations, and there could be décor in the general area of the petting zoo (which is how it used to be pre-Carnival).  The characters will be moved somewhere.  There will probably be a daytime Villain photo spot of some sort, away from that location.  Pirates League may even return somewhere -- although Michelle did not mention PL in her Halloween Time blog from today - http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...ring-halloween-time-at-the-disneyland-resort/.

Or, there could be a surprise in store and the "Carnival" -- in some different format -- could move to DCA.  There is still plenty of time for surprises and unexpected revelations.  But I have a feeling that that the Festival area -- where the Carnival and the Jamboree take place -- is going to be used for something else this time around.  It might not be anything that we can see and enjoy, but Disney might need that space for something.


----------



## mummabear

Sherry E said:


> All I can tell you is that 3 different people revealed 3 different pieces of info -- one of which flat out said that the decorators were told that they are not having anything there (in the Carnival/festival location) -- and all 3 of those bits of info point to the Carnival not taking place this year, at least in the format we know it. Add to that the fact that Erin did not mention the Carnival as returning in her Halloween Time Parks Blog, and it is not mentioned on the DLR website



Erin also didnt reply to my question asking if the carnival was returning.
They seem to "answer" lots of questions but ignore any that are too hard or they dont want to answer.





I want it!


----------



## Sherry E

mummabear said:


> Erin also didnt reply to my question asking if the carnival was returning.
> They seem to "answer" lots of questions but ignore any that are too hard or they dont want to answer.



Also... they probably just don't know.  The Parks Blog doesn't find things out too much in advance of when the CMs on the phones at DLR find them out.  So unless they are specifically given the information about the Carnival not returning -- which they would not want to draw attention to in their blogs -- they would have to take the time to look it up or go asking someone else.  Chances are, the writers are all busy working on future pieces and don't have a lot of time to look things up to answer additional questions.  They're not there to help people plan trips, but just to report on "news."   So they often end up just giving us the usual, frustrating "Stay tuned..." replies!


----------



## Davidg83

Pumpkin pandemonium is in full swing at Target now! In addition to the pepperidge farm cookies that were seen earlier there is now pumpkin yogurt, pumpkin coffee creamer and pumpkin pjs in the baby department. Halloween is getting closer!


----------



## Sherry E

Davidg83 said:


> Pumpkin pandemonium is in full swing at Target now! In addition to the pepperidge farm cookies that were seen earlier there is now pumpkin yogurt, pumpkin coffee creamer and pumpkin pjs in the baby department. Halloween is getting closer!



Woohoo!   That's what I like to hear!  Bring on Pumpkin Pandemonium!    Thank you for reporting in with that bit of good news!  I'm over summer.  It's July 31st -- time to roll out the harvest/autumn/Halloween goodies.

Have you guys gotten a peek at any new Fall or Halloween flavors of Oreos?  Every year there seems to be a Target exclusive -- but, really, Oreo has already covered Caramel Apple, Candy Corn and Pumpkin Spice.  What else could there be that's new (as far as Fall/Halloween flavors)?  M&M's have covered everything too. I think that all of the big brands are running out of seasonal flavors!  

I have a City Target that is near me.  It's pretty big -- but supposedly City Targets don't have a lot of things that the regular Targets have (for example, Boston Market frozen meals are sold at Target -- or they were -- but they were nowhere to be found at City Target when I looked).  Do you think City Target would have the Target exclusives during Halloween Time and the Holidays?


----------



## Davidg83

Sherry E said:


> Woohoo!   That's what I like to hear!  Bring on Pumpkin Pandemonium!    Thank you for reporting in with that bit of good news!  I'm over summer.  It's July 31st -- time to roll out the harvest/autumn/Halloween goodies.
> 
> Have you guys gotten a peek at any new Fall or Halloween flavors of Oreos?  Every year there seems to be a Target exclusive -- but, really, Oreo has already covered Caramel Apple, Candy Corn and Pumpkin Spice.  What else could there be that's new (as far as Fall/Halloween flavors)?  M&M's have covered everything too. I think that all of the big brands are running out of seasonal flavors!
> 
> I have a City Target that is near me.  It's pretty big -- but supposedly City Targets don't have a lot of things that the regular Targets have (for example, Boston Market frozen meals are sold at Target -- or they were -- but they were nowhere to be found at City Target when I looked).  Do you think City Target would have the Target exclusives during Halloween Time and the Holidays?



I saw an upcoming display for late August titled Caramel Apple Oreo, but that could just be a generic name given to it if they don't know what this years seasonal flavor will be.  I have no clue what they could come up with this year! It's nothing to do with Halloween but I do know the next "limited edition" Oreo is brownie batter. I guess that's a decent option to get me by till the fall flavor comes out! 

City Target should get a majority of the fall foods in, however, I know they get much less decor in than the bigger stores.  The only ones that probably don't have the full seasonal food offerings are probably Target Express stores (think of a Target about the size of a Walgreens or CVS).


----------



## CassieScraps

I just received an email from Disneyland that read:
This fall, experience the dazzle of the Diamond Celebration mixed with the spooky fun of Halloween Time during this private, after-hours bash in _Disneyland_® Park, featuring: 
•  Exclusive Halloween Screams fireworks spectacular and special Paint the Night Parade performances 
•  Trick-or-treating at nearly 50 locations throughout the Park—come in costume if you like! 
•  Halloween Time attractions Space Mountain: Ghost Galaxy and Haunted Mansion Holiday 
•  Dazzling décor inspired by the _Disneyland_® Resort Diamond Celebration
•  *Special Disney Character Appearances*, including Jack Skellington and Sally, plus some rarely seen Disney villains

So, no mention of carving pumpkins or a carnival (bummer), but what caught my eye was the phrase "special Paint the Night Parade performances"  so maybe they are changing it a bit for party nights?  Fingers crossed anyway. 

Quite honestly, if we can meet Jack Skellington and Sally, my party bucket list is checked off, hahaha.  My daughter will love it too, because she loves that movie, except Oogie Boogie, and she has not stopped asking me to take her the HM to see NBC again.


----------



## Sherry E

Davidg83 said:


> I saw an upcoming display for late August titled Caramel Apple Oreo, but that could just be a generic name given to it if they don't know what this years seasonal flavor will be.  I have no clue what they could come up with this year! It's nothing to do with Halloween but I do know the next "limited edition" Oreo is brownie batter. I guess that's a decent option to get me by till the fall flavor comes out!
> 
> City Target should get a majority of the fall foods in, however, I know they get much less decor in than the bigger stores.  The only ones that probably don't have the full seasonal food offerings are probably Target Express stores (think of a Target about the size of a Walgreens or CVS).



Brownie batter?  My goodness -- those people who work for Nabisco (and, specifically, Oreo) are constantly coming out with new flavors, all year long!  I just read a review of the Key Lime Pie Oreos the other day.  It seems they have an endless stream of flavor ideas -- but when they get to Fall/Halloween and Winter/Holiday Season flavors, they get backed into a corner because there are only so many flavors associated with those holidays.

I've never seen a Target Express, but it would be small if it is about the size of a CVS or Walgreens!  I was so happy when City Target opened up in my neighborhood early last year, because this area is chock full of all kinds of stores -- and the one thing that was missing for years was a Target.  The nearest Target (a regular store, not City Target) is in West Hollywood.  So, the City Target was a welcome addition.  But I was instantly skeptical when I heard that City Targets have fewer items than regular Targets, so I am glad to hear that they should probably get in most of the Target-exclusive seasonal food items!



CassieScraps said:


> I just received an email from Disneyland that read:
> This fall, experience the dazzle of the Diamond Celebration mixed with the spooky fun of Halloween Time during this private, after-hours bash in _Disneyland_® Park, featuring:
> •  Exclusive Halloween Screams fireworks spectacular and special Paint the Night Parade performances
> •  Trick-or-treating at nearly 50 locations throughout the Park—come in costume if you like!
> •  Halloween Time attractions Space Mountain: Ghost Galaxy and Haunted Mansion Holiday
> •  Dazzling décor inspired by the _Disneyland_® Resort Diamond Celebration
> •  *Special Disney Character Appearances*, including Jack Skellington and Sally, plus some rarely seen Disney villains
> 
> So, no mention of carving pumpkins or a carnival (bummer), but what caught my eye was the phrase "special Paint the Night Parade performances"  so maybe they are changing it a bit for party nights?  Fingers crossed anyway.
> 
> Quite honestly, if we can meet Jack Skellington and Sally, my party bucket list is checked off, hahaha.  My daughter will love it too, because she loves that movie, except Oogie Boogie, and she has not stopped asking me to take her the HM to see NBC again.



Good point -- they may add in some sort of Halloween-ish float to PtN, or add in some sort of brief Halloween element.  Let's hope!


----------



## lorijohnhill

I know someone somewhere was asking about the Halloween pins that are now available at DLR. Here is a snapshot from the Grizzly Peak Airfield store. It's not a frat shot, but should give you some idea. Two of them are Star Wars Halloween pins.


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## Kilala

I just went to Wal-Mart in Orange, CA where I live and I did not see any fall candy or Oreos. I will be going shopping on Monday morning I will take my camera with me so if I see any signs of Fall/Halloween things I will take photos for everyone


----------



## Sherry E

lorijohnhill -- Thank you for posting that photo.  Yes, I had wondered about the pins.   After I saw the photo posted on Laughing Place's Twitter feed the other day, I was not sure if the pins they spotted were at DLR or at WDW.  The interesting thing is that Disneyland's pins (or at least the cardboard that the pins are attached to) used to say "Halloween Time," and these say "Halloween."  Maybe they began saying "Halloween" last year and I didn't realize it?

In any case, the Star Wars pins are cute -- especially the one of the silhouettes.


----------



## lorijohnhill

Sherry E said:


> lorijohnhill -- Thank you for posting that photo.  Yes, I had wondered about the pins.   After I saw the photo posted on Laughing Place's Twitter feed the other day, I was not sure if the pins they spotted were at DLR or at WDW.  The interesting thing is that Disneyland's pins (or at least the cardboard that the pins are attached to) used to say "Halloween Time," and these say "Halloween."  Maybe they began saying "Halloween" last year and I didn't realize it?
> 
> In any case, the Star Wars pins are cute -- especially the one of the silhouettes.


You're welcome! There's another one I saw that isn't in the photo. It's a witch with a cauldron dipping a poison apple.


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## Dee2015

lorijohnhill - sitting here with my 9 year old daughter and we were SUPER excited to see those pins!  We've picked our favourites (inc. a couple of non-Halloween ones) so let's just hope we can actually find them lol!!


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## lorijohnhill

I'm making myself wait to see if any more come out that I might like better. Hopefully I won't regret it!

My 8yr daughter got to pilot to Mark Twain yesterday! She was so excited! We have been scouring the pin stores to try to find one of the boat, but so far, no luck.


----------



## tzeitel

We will bet at DLR for 6 nights in Oct.  I have been searching for stuff to do outside of DLR for one day and one of things I wanted to do is El Capitan Theater.  Was pretty bummed that we will miss Aladdin(shown in Sept) and was waiting for the Oct schedule as impatiently and the Halloween schedule at DLR!  So found this today - https://elcapitantheatre.com/events/coming_soon 

Soooo excited that NBC is actually starting on the day I had already planned to go to El Capitan!  That is one ticket I am buying in advance


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## Dee2015

Sherry E - yes you're right it was Dawn (PlutoRocks), thanks heaps Dawn!!!

and yes Sherry you are right again, this is my chance to properly celebrate my birthday Halloween style this year.  I always love to celebrate both together but this will be the first time doing it US style and I'm soooooooooooooooooo excited! Thanks for the welcome to the forum too.

We've looked at Rise of the Jack O'Lanterns came across that one and then saw that you had also mentioned it but not sure yet if we can get to one of the locations yet. That will depend on our itinerary and this will depend on when/if we can see F! during our trip. Would love to find out about that!


----------



## jenhelgren

Is there a listing of which MNSSHP dates will have the lowest/highest crowds? Touring plans has a blog for Disney World but I couldn't find anything for Disney Land. We are thinking about visiting the week of Halloween-which day would be best or are all the parties packed that close to Halloween? Thank you for any and all advice-this will be our first trip and first MNSSHP at Disney Land!


----------



## Sherry E

jenhelgren said:


> Is there a listing of which MNSSHP dates will have the lowest/highest crowds? Touring plans has a blog for Disney World but I couldn't find anything for Disney Land. We are thinking about visiting the week of Halloween-which day would be best or are all the parties packed that close to Halloween? Thank you for any and all advice-this will be our first trip and first MNSSHP at Disney Land!



There's no listing for MHP dates like that.  No one knows exactly how many tickets are sold for each night, which makes a difference -- but we can assume that Friday parties would have a lot of people who are able to stay until the very end, whereas earlier weeknight parties might have some guests who need to leave early because they have work and school the next day (a lot of the visitors are locals).  So the weeknight parties may seem less crowded if people clear out before the end of the night.

At the same time, if there is any kind of special event or gathering of large groups of people in the parks around the time of a party (like Gay Days), and those people also attend a party, any night could seem extra crowded -- even an earlier weeknight.

I think that Halloween night should be pretty busy because it's a Saturday.  I think the first party of Haloween week would probably have the fewest people (compared to other parties that week), but it's anyone's guess.  

All we know is that last year, all party nights but one sold out.  The year before last, I think all nights but one sold out as well -- but the night that didn't sell out in 2013 (which was right before Halloween) was different than the one that didn't sell out in 2014 (which was the second party of the season)!  This year, I'll track which nights sell out on which dates, but there could still be more tickets sold for one night than other nights and we just don't know how many are sold.

This is last year's sellout info, so you can get a sense of which nights were popular early on:

Friday, September 26 -- SOLD OUT (as of Thursday, August 28, 2014)!!

Tuesday, September 30 - DID NOT SELL OUT!!!

 Friday, October 3 -- SOLD OUT (as of Friday, August 22, 2014)!!

 Monday, October 6 -- SOLD OUT (as of Tuesday, September 30, 2014)!!

 Wednesday, October 8 -- SOLD OUT (as of Monday, September 29, 2014)!!

 Friday, October 10 -- SOLD OUT (as of Thursday, September 18, 2014)!!

 Tuesday, October 14 -- SOLD OUT (as of Friday, September 26, 2014)!!

 Friday, October 17 -- SOLD OUT (as of Monday, September 22, 2014)!!

 Monday, October 20 -- SOLD OUT (as of Tuesday, September 30, 2014)!!

 Wednesday, October 22 -- SOLD OUT (as of Friday, October 3, 2014)!!

 Friday, October 24 -- SOLD OUT (as of Monday, September 22, 2014)!!

 Monday, October 27 -- SOLD OUT (as of Friday, October 3, 2014)!!

 Wednesday, October 29 -- SOLD OUT (as of Wednesday, October 8, 2014)!!

 Friday, October 31 -- SOLD OUT (as of Thursday, September 11, 2014)!!


----------



## Dee2015

tzeitel said:


> We will bet at DLR for 6 nights in Oct.  I have been searching for stuff to do outside of DLR for one day and one of things I wanted to do is El Capitan Theater.  Was pretty bummed that we will miss Aladdin(shown in Sept) and was waiting for the Oct schedule as impatiently and the Halloween schedule at DLR!  So found this today - https://elcapitantheatre.com/events/coming_soon
> 
> Soooo excited that NBC is actually starting on the day I had already planned to go to El Capitan!  That is one ticket I am buying in advance



How did you hear that the Aladdin show wouldn't be on in Sept? Do you know if it will be on in October/November? Or has it finished/been replaced? Was hoping to see that too. Will have a look at the info you have shared above too.


----------



## Abbey1

Will most of the Halloween merchandise be sold out by the week of Halloween? I'm really hoping to pick up some Halloween souvenirs on our trip, but have read that the merchandise tends to sell out quickly.


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## Sith

Dee2015 said:


> How did you hear that the Aladdin show wouldn't be on in Sept? Do you know if it will be on in October/November? Or has it finished/been replaced? Was hoping to see that too. Will have a look at the info you have shared above too.



They were referring to the Aladdin movie being shown at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood. Not the live show at DCA.


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## Dee2015

Thanks Sith


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## jenhelgren

What time can you enter the park with a Halloween Party ticket? I know last year in FL the party was 7-12 but we were allowed to start entering for the night at 4. I am also wondering how a party night affects crowds during the day since CA has more local attendance. We will be arriving on a Sunday morning and there is a party that night. Will the park be fairly empty during the day because there is a party that night or does that FL trick not apply because of the local visitors? Also-Sorry in advance for all the FL comparisons-we have done that party multiple times and have never visited CA so I am trying to get a feel for what is alike and different!!


----------



## Sherry E

Abbey1 said:


> Will most of the Halloween merchandise be sold out by the week of Halloween? I'm really hoping to pick up some Halloween souvenirs on our trip, but have read that the merchandise tends to sell out quickly.



To be honest, I think that there is a chance that a lot of it will be sold out by Halloween week -- and I say that not from experience (I have not yet been to DLR on Halloween or during the week leading up to Halloween, but I hope to change that this year!), but because I have read comments from a couple of people in the past who have gone really close to Halloween, only to discover that most of the really interesting and cute merchandise they saw photos of early in the season was then out of stock.  Now, this year -- because everything is so focused on the 60th anniversary -- maybe that will influence how much of the merchandise sells out, or which specific items sell out.  People may be leaning more towards Diamond Anniversary merchandise than Halloween things.  Or, on the other hand, there could be special 60th-themed Halloween merchandise that flies off the shelves because it's unique.

I think that part of the issue is that Disney begins to get its seasonal merchandise in stock really early.  Halloween things slowly begin appearing around now and over the next couple of weeks, and people have a chance to buy them way before Halloween Time even begins.  Also, I think that -- if Halloween Time is handled like the Holiday season is handled -- there are two major shipments of merchandise, and maybe some smaller deliveries in between.  So one major shipment would be around now (even if not all of the merchandise is on the shelves yet), and the next major shipment would be closer to when Halloween Time starts.  (During the holiday season, they get in one major shipment of merchandise before the holidays begin, and then they get in another one closer to Thanksgiving -- so a lot of things have sold out by the last week of the holiday season.)



jenhelgren said:


> What time can you enter the park with a Halloween Party ticket? I know last year in FL the party was 7-12 but we were allowed to start entering for the night at 4. I am also wondering how a party night affects crowds during the day since CA has more local attendance. We will be arriving on a Sunday morning and there is a party that night. Will the park be fairly empty during the day because there is a party that night or does that FL trick not apply because of the local visitors? Also-Sorry in advance for all the FL comparisons-we have done that party multiple times and have never visited CA so I am trying to get a feel for what is alike and different!!



No worries about the MNSSHP comparisons -- it is to be expected when many of the new MHP guests have only been to MNSSHP.  Of course you'd want to know which things are similar and which are different!

If MHP begins at 6 p.m., you can enter with your MHP ticket (in costume) at 3 p.m.   If the party begins at 7 p.m., you can use the MHP ticket to enter at 4 p.m.

I don't think Sunday will ever really have low crowds, because it is a weekend day and more people are available to be in the parks (locals and non-locals).  It won't be empty before the party, but it may not be total madness either.  During the 3 hours of overlap time, in which MHP guests and non-party guests can be in the park at the same time (either from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., or from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.), it will be very, very busy, so be aware of that.

Have you read this Mickey's Halloween Party FAQ post? - http://www.disboards.com/threads/ha...015-info-is-finally-in.3270919/#post-51326916

Keep in mind that the party dates I currently have listed in the FAQ post are the 2014 dates (I was keeping them there until the first couple of waves of ticket sales passed, so people could get a sense of how quickly last year's parties sold out before getting their tickets) and I have to update the 2014 references to 2015, but in that post there are links to 2 comparisons of MHP and MNSSHP.  There is also a link to a lot of reviews (from party regulars and from party first-timers) in 2014 and 2013, so you can get a sense of what people said about their experiences.  And there are a lot of questions about the party that will help you to know what to expect.


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## westcoastminnie

To do list:
Buy tickets for MHP - check!
ADR for anniversary dinner - check!
Halloween costumes - still working on it! 

DH was asking if everyone dresses up for the party. I've only been once but it seemed to me that a lot of people don't do full costumes, maybe just Halloween T-shirts or ears/hats. I personally love seeing the elaborate costumes but am not very creative. The one time we went (DH wasn't with us) there were four of us and we went as cousins of Billy Hill - three Milly's and a Billy lol. We even got a picture with Billy Hill and the Hillbillies  It was fun but wearing denim overalls was hot! 

One other thing... This was my first time making an ADR. Many people have said to let them know if you are celebrating something special (in this case it's our 20th anniversary ) but I didn't see anywhere to add a note. Should I just call Steakhouse 55 when we get there? 

Thanks and have a great weekend everyone


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## Sherry E

westcoastminnie said:


> To do list:
> Buy tickets for MHP - check!
> ADR for anniversary dinner - check!
> Halloween costumes - still working on it!
> 
> DH was asking if everyone dresses up for the party. I've only been once but it seemed to me that a lot of people don't do full costumes, maybe just Halloween T-shirts or ears/hats. I personally love seeing the elaborate costumes but am not very creative. The one time we went (DH wasn't with us) there were four of us and we went as cousins of Billy Hill - three Milly's and a Billy lol. We even got a picture with Billy Hill and the Hillbillies  It was fun but wearing denim overalls was hot!
> 
> One other thing... This was my first time making an ADR. Many people have said to let them know if you are celebrating something special (in this case it's our 20th anniversary ) but I didn't see anywhere to add a note. Should I just call Steakhouse 55 when we get there?
> 
> Thanks and have a great weekend everyone



A lot of people don't wear costumes to the party.  Also, a lot of people just put on a crazy hat, or a Halloween-ish t-shirt (as you mentioned) and make that their costume.  When I went to MHP and to the old party back in DCA, I did not wear a costume.  

You might want to actually call Disneyland Dining and make the reservation that way, so you can tell them that you're celebrating and they can make a note on your reservation.   Otherwise, you can tell them when you arrive at the restaurant.  I don't think it's necessary to call Steakhouse 55 when you get there.


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## mummabear

Hi!
A couple of questions I could see any answers on the first page.
1) If I dont have my MHP ticket (because I have had this error where it hasnt been sent) will that cause a problem with parking (since the parking is included)?
2) Is rider swap available during the party?


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## Sith

I have a question for anyone that ordered MHP tickets over the phone on the 22nd using Disney Visa. Did any of you receive your tickets in the mail yet?


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## Jimmiesatx

I got my tickets for October 14th!!!!!!! I called DLR and got them over the phone, and should be on their way soon enough


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## stephanie22

Sith said:


> I have a question for anyone that ordered MHP tickets over the phone on the 22nd using Disney Visa. Did any of you receive your tickets in the mail yet?



I just got my tickets for the party in the mail today.


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## mummabear

Mine still havent come through by email, I am going to call Monday (US time) and ask for them to send them through-not sure if I will have any luck but will ask to speak with a supervisor.


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## focusondisney

Sith said:


> I have a question for anyone that ordered MHP tickets over the phone on the 22nd using Disney Visa. Did any of you receive your tickets in the mail yet?



No, I haven't gotten mine yet.  But the CM said 8-10 days til I got them.   I ordered them later in the evening so I figured might not be processed til the  next day.  Today is day 10, but I am outside Buffalo,  NY, so I suspect  it might  take an extra few days to get to me.  If I don't get them by Wednesday, I'll call.


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## Sherry E

Yesterday I was checking the comments under Michelle Harker's Park's Blog - http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...oween-time-at-the-disneyland-resort/#comments -- and I guess I went to sleep before she responded to some of them.  My question to her was whether or not Pirates League would be back this year (because the subject of her blog was Halloween Time/Disney Side makeovers}.

Just now I checked and noticed that she responded:

_"Hi Sherry! I don’t believe The Pirates League will be returning this year for Halloween Time at the Disneyland Resort, however if you are visiting Magic Kingdom Park in Walt Disney World, you can definitely make reservations there."_


So... what does this mean?  Pirates League was yet another part of the Halloween Carnival, and PL is not coming back this year.

This adds up to several pieces of information, all pointing to no Halloween Carnival:

-- Main pumpkin carver was not contacted about pumpkins (and the pumpkins are at the Carnival);

-- The decorators were told that they are not having anything (in the Carnival space) this year;

-- Another source (who I cannot name) clued me in to another piece of information that is indicative of no Carnival;

-- Michelle Harker said in her reply to me (under her blog) that she doesn't think Pirates League (part of the Carnival) is coming back this year; and

-- Erin Glover did not mention the Halloween Carnival as returning in her original Halloween Time Parks Blog, but she did mention other returning things, and there is no mention of the Carnival on the DLR website.


So, I think it is safe to say that there will not be a Halloween Carnival this year (and probably not a Jingle Jangle Jamboree either ).  As I've said before, I am guessing that Disney needs that specific space for some other purpose.  I don't see how it could clash or interfere with the 60h anniversary.  BUT... I think that the little log cabin (the Scare-Dy-Crow Shack) on the outside of the Carnival area could possibly be decorated with Halloween knick-knacks, and the little goats might be wearing their Halloween scarves... hopefully.


----------



## Canadian Harmony

I had a lovely phone call from a CM who called me on a Saturday! She said there may not be a 'carnival' per se, but there may be other events that they haven't announced yet. She said that sometimes things aren't released until right up to the very start.

And now we have our 4 tickets!! Which is costing me a LOT in exchange, but it'll be worth it.


----------



## Sith

focusondisney said:


> No, I haven't gotten mine yet.  But the CM said 8-10 days til I got them.   I ordered them later in the evening so I figured might not be processed til the  next day.  Today is day 10, but I am outside Buffalo,  NY, so I suspect  it might  take an extra few days to get to me.  If I don't get them by Wednesday, I'll call.



Only 8-10 days? I was told 14. I still figured I would have received them by now, since I only live 6 hours away(Bay Area). Oh well. I'll just keep waitin'.


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## nightmaremama

Sith said:


> I have a question for anyone that ordered MHP tickets over the phone on the 22nd using Disney Visa. Did any of you receive your tickets in the mail yet?


I did, and we just received them yesterday! We are in Colorado if that helps


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## HopLow1968

So the entertainment schedule only shows up to Sept 12th so far.  That is 2 days into Halloween season, so is it pretty likely that this is what we can expect for Fridays and Saturdays in autumn?  Obviously party days will impact things.  Mostly I'm wondering what kind of schedule things run on during "off-season".


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## pudinhd

I had one of "those" Cast Member conversations...  We were having some artist sketches done in Disneyland and the artist asked if we were going to MHP.  I said yes and one of us mentioned the PTN parade instead of the cavalcade.  The Cast Member mentioned that the woman she is going with hasn't seen any of the 60th stuff yet, so she hopes DLR doesn't change the PTN parade to the cavalcade and that they haven't heard anything about it.  I thought it was a pretty weird comment to make.  DLR has announced to the public that the PTN parade would be running on party nights.  I would find it pretty strange to believe that they would change their plans and switch to the cavalcade again.


----------



## Sherry E

HopLow1968 said:


> So the entertainment schedule only shows up to Sept 12th so far.  That is 2 days into Halloween season, so is it pretty likely that this is what we can expect for Fridays and Saturdays in autumn?  Obviously party days will impact things.  Mostly I'm wondering what kind of schedule things run on during "off-season".



I think that, if anything, the hours could be extended a bit at some point -- but, if not, then 9/12's hours would be indicative of most Saturday nights (with the exception of Halloween night).  Almost all Fridays but one will have an MHP.  So, the 9/11 hours would be indicative of Fridays before 9/25, and also 10/30, I suppose.

September 2014 hours (just pay attention to the park hours; disregard the parade and fireworks, as that is out of whack, or not updated) -- http://www.wdwinfo.com/disneyland/park-hours.cfm?month=9&year=2014

October 2014 hours - http://www.wdwinfo.com/disneyland/park-hours.cfm?month=10&year=2014





pudinhd said:


> I had one of "those" Cast Member conversations...  We were having some artist sketches done in Disneyland and the artist asked if we were going to MHP.  I said yes and one of us mentioned the PTN parade instead of the cavalcade.  The Cast Member mentioned that the woman she is going with hasn't seen any of the 60th stuff yet, so she hopes DLR doesn't change the PTN parade to the cavalcade and that they haven't heard anything about it.  I thought it was a pretty weird comment to make.  DLR has announced to the public that the PTN parade would be running on party nights.  I would find it pretty strange to believe that they would change their plans and switch to the cavalcade again.



This just goes to show that, because there are so many different people working for Disney on so many different levels, they are not all in possession of the same information.  Some of them know more than others; some think they know things but they don't know certain things; and some of them don't even pretend to know!    It sounds like your sketch artist was not up to date on the fact that it had already been announced that PTN would be replacing the Cavalcade.



Canadian Harmony said:


> I had a lovely phone call from a CM who called me on a Saturday! She said there may not be a 'carnival' per se, but there may be other events that they haven't announced yet. She said that sometimes things aren't released until right up to the very start.
> 
> And now we have our 4 tickets!! Which is costing me a LOT in exchange, but it'll be worth it.



I'm glad you have your tickets!

It was kind of the Disney person to call you.  I've heard that they do that a lot more often these days (call people who write in).

While it's true that there could be some surprises in store -- which I have said all along -- and there is plenty of time for more  announcements, I would expect the CMs to say something along those lines.  Their goal is to get the guests to focus on what IS there in the parks, instead of focusing on what is NOT there.  Disney did not publicize (via blog or press release) anything to say that there wouldn't be a Carnival, and I'm sure they would prefer that it didn't get out, but if information leaks out from behind the scenes and people put two and two together about anything that is not returning, they have to do damage control, for lack of a better phrase!


----------



## pudinhd

Sherry E said:


> This just goes to show that, because there are so many different people working for Disney on so many different levels, they are not all in possession of the same information.  Some of them know more than others; some think they know things but they don't know certain things; and some of them don't even pretend to know!    It sounds like your sketch artist was not up to date on the fact that it had already been announced that PTN would be replacing the Cavalcade.



I totally agree!!    I didn't want to debate the topic, so I didn't continue the conversation.  I just thought it was so weird!!!!


----------



## theluckyrabbit

mummabear said:


> Hi!
> A couple of questions I could see any answers on the first page.
> 1) If I dont have my MHP ticket (because I have had this error where it hasnt been sent) will that cause a problem with parking (since the parking is included)?
> 2) Is rider swap available during the party?



Regarding question #1, I would think that if you don't have a ticket in hand when you park for MHP, you would just pay the fee and keep your parking stub. Then when you pick up your tickets, show the parking stub and explain the situation. Your parking fee should be refunded.


----------



## Sherry E

Dee2015 said:


> Sherry E - yes you're right it was Dawn (PlutoRocks), thanks heaps Dawn!!!
> 
> and yes Sherry you are right again, this is my chance to properly celebrate my birthday Halloween style this year.  I always love to celebrate both together but this will be the first time doing it US style and I'm soooooooooooooooooo excited! Thanks for the welcome to the forum too.
> 
> We've looked at Rise of the Jack O'Lanterns came across that one and then saw that you had also mentioned it but not sure yet if we can get to one of the locations yet. That will depend on our itinerary and this will depend on when/if we can see F! during our trip. Would love to find out about that!



Last year was the first year I had ever heard of Rise of the Jack O' Lanterns.  I am not sure if it was happening prior to 2014 and I was just not aware, or if 2014 was the first year.  In any case, I thought it looked really interesting and cool, and like a good 'Halloween-ish' thing to do that does not involve horror, blood, gore and chainsaw-wielding maniacs chasing after guests!  From all photos and descriptions, Rise sort of looks like the Halloween equivalent of going to look at elaborate Christmas lights and displays.

Unfortunately, no one else seemed interested in Rise last year when I first posted about it, and I tend to think that most people still really don't even know it exists.  This year, only you and tzeitel expressed an interest!  Someone needs to go and actually report back to us about it!  Or I need to go.

I suggested to Mary Jo (co-moderator here and member of the DIS Unplugged team) that she should do a Halloween edition of her Day Six installments for the DIS Unplugged podcasts (she has covered a lot of territory in her previous segments), and go to Rise of the Jack O' Lanterns.  Or maybe Tom Bell, Nancy Johnson or Michael Bowling could go.  It's newer and different from just the usual Halloween 'scare' events, such as Halloween Horror Nights, Halloween Haunt, Dark Harbor, Fright Fest and the Los Angeles Haunted Hayride.




mummabear said:


> Hi!
> A couple of questions I could see any answers on the first page.
> 1) If I dont have my MHP ticket (because I have had this error where it hasnt been sent) will that cause a problem with parking (since the parking is included)?
> 2) Is rider swap available during the party?




I haven't heard of rider swap being available during MHP, but maybe it just hasn't been talked about?  I tend to think that it's not, but it's just a guess.  I really have no clue!


----------



## Dee2015

Sherry E are there any other family friendly Halloween events?


----------



## Sherry E

Dee2015 said:


> Sherry E are there any other family friendly Halloween events?



Yes -- there is also the Irvine Park Railroad's Pumpkin Patch - http://www.irvineparkrailroad.com/content/pumpkin-patch.  It begins on September 19th and ends on Halloween.  Supposedly this is a very fun event (they also do a popular Christmas event), and Irvine is in Orange County (just as Anaheim is).  It doesn't appear to be the spectacle that I think Rise of the Jack O' Lanterns might be, but it is very family friendly.

The Los Angeles Zoo usually has something called Boo at the Zoo - http://www.lazoo.org/boo/

Sea World in San Diego has a "Halloween Spooktacular" - http://seaworldparks.com/seaworld-sandiego/events/halloween-spooktacular/

Other than that, there are various little mini-Fall festivals around Los Angeles and probably Orange County too, but none of them are really big Halloween destinations.  Most of the popular, well-known Halloween-centric attractions and events in Southern California are horror-based.


----------



## FoodieFriend

Sith said:


> I have a question for anyone that ordered MHP tickets over the phone on the 22nd using Disney Visa. Did any of you receive your tickets in the mail yet?



i forgot to post when i ordered them, but I did order 8 tickets for 2 different party days on the 22nd & just received the tickets in the mail on Friday (in Hawaii) July 31. they didn't require names or even my DVC member number to order them & mailed without any fees according to my invoice. it was about a 30 minute wait at 7am PST with no problems. the only weird thing is that the CM said that we could go to the turnstiles at 330pm for the 7pm party. i questioned her about it, but she said we will be allowed in at that time. *shrug*


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## Sith

FoodieFriend said:


> i forgot to post when i ordered them, but I did order 8 tickets for 2 different party days on the 22nd & just received the tickets in the mail on Friday (in Hawaii) July 31. they didn't require names or even my DVC member number to order them & mailed without any fees according to my invoice. it was about a 30 minute wait at 7am PST with no problems. the only weird thing is that the CM said that we could go to the turnstiles at 330pm for the 7pm party. i questioned her about it, but she said we will be allowed in at that time. *shrug*



I was also told 3:30 for the Oct 31st party.


----------



## spragueito

Our tickets came in the mail today. I ordered on 7/22 with our Disney Visa for the party on Oct. 7th. Now to keep them hidden from the kids for the next few months. And I have to be sure I don't leave them at home when we go.


----------



## Sherry E

FoodieFriend said:


> i forgot to post when i ordered them, but I did order 8 tickets for 2 different party days on the 22nd & just received the tickets in the mail on Friday (in Hawaii) July 31. they didn't require names or even my DVC member number to order them & mailed without any fees according to my invoice. it was about a 30 minute wait at 7am PST with no problems. the only weird thing is that the CM said that we could go to the turnstiles at 330pm for the 7pm party. i questioned her about it, but she said we will be allowed in at that time. *shrug*





Sith said:


> I was also told 3:30 for the Oct 31st party.




People start lining up at the turnstiles a bit early -- so I am assuming that's why they suggested 3:30 for the 7 p.m. parties.  Either that, or the CMs may let you in a tiny bit before 4 p.m.  As long as they didn't tell anyone to show up at 3:30 p.m. for a 6 p.m. party, then it should be a pretty normal party night!


----------



## Kilala

I just got my ticket for the Oct 14th party. I might be able to go to the September 28th party. I may or may not go on the 16th of October. I have to wait until September 3rd to make my decision on one or two of the dates I want to go. I would love to go 3 times.


----------



## maltdizzy

Been busy the last couple of weeks...looks like most fo the discussion I missed was on the system being overwhelmed. 

Bought 3 tix for Oct. 12 last night. No issues...but wasn't expecting any by then. Waiting too long to try and book PPH via Orbitz though for my 15% off.


----------



## Sherry E

maltdizzy said:


> Been busy the last couple of weeks...looks like most fo the discussion I missed was on the system being overwhelmed.
> 
> Bought 3 tix for Oct. 12 last night. No issues...but wasn't expecting any by then. Waiting too long to try and book PPH via Orbitz though for my 15% off.



I wondered what happened to you when the tickets went on sale!

Yes --  lots of discussion about the system being overwhelmed, but also discussion of no Halloween Carnival this year (which is unfortunate).


----------



## maltdizzy

Sherry E said:


> I wondered what happened to you when the tickets went on sale!
> 
> Yes --  lots of discussion about the system being overwhelmed, but also discussion of no Halloween Carnival this year (which is unfortunate).



My big thing was knowing when the parties were...I knew I would have plenty of time to get tickets.

Our plan was to hit a party as day 1 and use a two-day ticket for days 2 and 3. I was really hoping for a Tuesday party Columbus Day week...there are so many parties, it'll limit our DL time on a day we aren't doing MHP...but we will do Columbus Day party and just plan on finishing up Day 3 at DCA on Wednesday.

The rest of our 10 days trip is hitting our old haunts in L.A. I kinda wish we had decided to go two weeks earlier, we could have seen a USC game (I'm a Cinema School grad) and I could have seen AC/DC at Dodgers Stadium (and had smaller DLR crowds).


----------



## seobaina

I've had an email from Disney with my confirmation number but I'm one of the ones with missing tickets (email) so I guess I'll be going to the ticket office. But we have tickets for oct 5th. X


----------



## mummabear

Grrr just got off the phone to DL-A CM, IT and a lead.
Apparently nothing they can do and no option but to waste time going to the ticket window.
Not happy.


----------



## JessieD

mummabear said:


> Grrr just got off the phone to DL-A CM, IT and a lead.
> Apparently nothing they can do and no option but to waste time going to the ticket window.
> Not happy.



Same here! Super annoying


----------



## tanyaegangibson

We're excited to be going to the Halloween party for the first time this year (Thursday, October 22nd) and I was wondering what the best way is to handle checking in for the party if we're already in the park (we have APs). I assume we have to leave the park and reenter? Is there a good/better time to do this at a certain time of the day?


----------



## Sherry E

It's really a shame that after all of these years of the technical glitches involved in getting people's MHP tickets to them, Disney has not established a way to re-email the tickets or replace the e-tickets with hard tickets, or something.  It's a shame that people have to waste any time going to the ticket booths when they are at DLR, when they did everything right and tried to get their tickets squared away before arriving at DLR.  So frustrating.  



Anyway, I am going to be kicking off the 5th Annual Theme Week Countdown in my Disneyland at Christmas/Holiday Season Superthead next Monday, August 10th.  I bring it up here in the Halloween thread because I know that some of you belong to both threads.  And those who don't belong to both threads may have been to DLR during Halloween Time before, and may have photos of Haunted Mansion Holiday (HMH will pop up during one of the theme weeks in the Holiday thread) that you'd like to contribute. 

Or, if you have not been to Disneyland Resort for either Halloween Time OR the Holiday season, the final theme week of the Countdown will be Holiday Cornucopia (starting on Monday, November 2nd).  As long as you have any kind of holiday picture, taken anywhere (doesn't even have to be a Disney park), you will be able to contribute to that final theme week.

At the end of the Theme Week Countdown in the Christmas/Holiday Superthread, on Monday, 11/9/15, there will be a random draw for small Disney gift cards,  Last year I gave away 3 Disney gift cards.    Each person will gain one entry into the random draw for each theme to which he or she contributes -- but it is not always the person with the most contributions who wins a gift card.  Last year one of the winners was someone who contributed to almost every theme, but another person that won had contributed to only 2 or 3 themes in the entire 3-1/2 months.  So, the random draw really is very random and everyone has a chance to win!


​


tanyaegangibson said:


> We're excited to be going to the Halloween party for the first time this year (Thursday, October 22nd) and I was wondering what the best way is to handle checking in for the party if we're already in the park (we have APs). I assume we have to leave the park and reenter? Is there a good/better time to do this at a certain time of the day?



If you're already in the park and don't need to change into a costume or anything, you should be able to get wristbands somewhere in Disneyland without needing to exit and then re-enter.  From the MHP FAQ on page 1:



> 28. Where do I get wristbands?
> 
> Guests who are already inside Disneyland and who have an MHP ticket can obtain a wristband inside the park beginning three hours before the party officially starts. In 2014, the station was set-up next to It's a Small World, near Toontown. Each ticket will be scanned and then the guest will be given a wristband. The CMs will place the wristband on each guest, so make sure all members of your party are present. They will also have candy bags and party maps available.
> 
> For guests entering Disneyland using the MHP ticket, specific ticket gates will be dedicated to MHP guests. Look for the sign boards over the ticket gate that say “Event Entry,” or ask a CM for directions. MHP tickets will not be accepted at the non-Event Entry ticket gates, just as regular tickets will not be accepted at the Event Entry ticket gates. Once the MHP ticket has been scanned, the guest will be given a wristband upon entering the park. Do NOT bypass the CM with the wristbands when you enter Disneyland at this point. Make sure you get your wristband before proceeding. Candy bags and park maps will also be available at (or just inside) the ticket gates.



I don't know where the wristband station will be set up this year, but it should work pretty much the same way, I would think.


----------



## seobaina

Sherry E said:


> If you're already in the park and don't need to change into a costume or anything, you should be able to get wristbands somewhere in Disneyland without needing to exit and then re-enter.  From the MHP FAQ on page 1:
> 
> 
> 
> I don't know where the wristband station will be set up this year, but it should work pretty much the same way, I would think.




They still have lockers in the park right?


----------



## Sherry E

seobaina said:


> They still have lockers in the park right?



Yes, they're still there.


----------



## lorijohnhill

Last year we were able to get our wristbands by the path to Mickey and the Magical Map.


----------



## missycakes99

Friends -- just wrote a new thread on the topic, but did anyone else have issues with the wrong date being selected at purchase? I selected Oct 25 and the page was being wonky and I triple checked, but Sept 25 got chosen instead. And now Disney won't let me exchange for the right date. Lesson learned, I guess. I'll take a screenshot next time. Anyone have tips on how to offload these tickets? I'm asking friends, coworkers, etc. but I'm terrified that we won't be able to go at all. If we can't offload these we'll have to miss the party altogether. Help!


----------



## Sherry E

missycakes99 said:


> Friends -- just wrote a new thread on the topic, but did anyone else have issues with the wrong date being selected at purchase? I selected Oct 25 and the page was being wonky and I triple checked, but Sept 25 got chosen instead. And now Disney won't let me exchange for the right date. Lesson learned, I guess. I'll take a screenshot next time. Anyone have tips on how to offload these tickets? I'm asking friends, coworkers, etc. but I'm terrified that we won't be able to go at all. If we can't offload these we'll have to miss the party altogether. Help!



I had to delete your thread, unfortunately.  There is no selling or buying on this board, and we don't even leave threads open that ask where or how to buy/sell MHP tickets, as that opens up the field for people to contact you behind the scenes.  If something goes awry, and one person stiffs someone else, it can end up coming back to this board somehow -- which the webmasters don't want.  There have even been Facebook transactions in the past that ended up circling back to this board when someone did not deliver on whatever it was they were selling or paying.   Every year we have to delete posts and threads about  buying or selling MHP tickets.


----------



## missycakes99

AHH i wondered. No worries. Fair enough. Thanks!


----------



## lorijohnhill

missycakes99 said:


> Friends -- just wrote a new thread on the topic, but did anyone else have issues with the wrong date being selected at purchase? I selected Oct 25 and the page was being wonky and I triple checked, but Sept 25 got chosen instead. And now Disney won't let me exchange for the right date. Lesson learned, I guess. I'll take a screenshot next time. Anyone have tips on how to offload these tickets? I'm asking friends, coworkers, etc. but I'm terrified that we won't be able to go at all. If we can't offload these we'll have to miss the party altogether. Help!


Did you try escalating the issue to management at Disney? I know the tickets say no transfer, return, or exchange, but this seems like special circumstances. I'd call again and ask to speak to a supervisor. If you can't do that, try emailing Guest Services.


----------



## Sandi E

spragueito said:


> Our tickets came in the mail today. I ordered on 7/22 with our Disney Visa for the party on Oct. 7th. Now to keep them hidden from the kids for the next few months. And I have to be sure I don't leave them at home when we go.



Gah!  It's making me crazy. I ordered on the 22nd for October 7th, too! But I still haven't gotten my tickets in the mail and I'm only a couple states away in WA.


----------



## seobaina

lorijohnhill said:


> Did you try escalating the issue to management at Disney? I know the tickets say no transfer, return, or exchange, but this seems like special circumstances. I'd call again and ask to speak to a supervisor. If you can't do that, try emailing Guest Services.



Yep might be worth a try. We were able to change our WDW Halloween party tickets last sept on the day for a later party. It had been raining heavily for 8 hours and even with ponchos on we were cold wet and miserable. Lots of people were changing. Disney don't have to change them but this early on they might be willing to.

I am now concerned though cause I don't have the etickets thanks to disneys comp glitch and I'm now worried they won't be for the right night. Any suggestions sherry?


----------



## lorijohnhill

seobaina said:


> I am now concerned though cause I don't have the etickets thanks to disneys comp glitch and I'm now worried they won't be for the right night. Any suggestions sherry?



If you aren't able to go to a ticket booth prior to your party night, you can call the number in the error email you received. They can verify your order and give you the confirmation number. You can also email the address listed in the error message and get the same info. 

Plan for a little extra time at the ticket booth getting your tickets printed. It took me about 15 - 20 mins and three people to get it done.


----------



## seobaina

lorijohnhill said:


> If you aren't able to go to a ticket booth prior to your party night, you can call the number in the error email you received. They can verify your order and give you the confirmation number. You can also email the address listed in the error message and get the same info.
> 
> Plan for a little extra time at the ticket booth getting your tickets printed. It took me about 15 - 20 mins and three people to get it done.




I have an email confirming I have tickets and with a reference number but I don't remember it giving date information, so I'm not sure how I'd check that. I don't get to the USA until a day before so if they are the wrong date for any reason then I'm in trouble. They shouldn't be because I checked at every stage of booking but now, with the pp comments, I'm concerned x


----------



## missycakes99

lorijohnhill said:


> Did you try escalating the issue to management at Disney? I know the tickets say no transfer, return, or exchange, but this seems like special circumstances. I'd call again and ask to speak to a supervisor. If you can't do that, try emailing Guest Services.


I'm not sure how to escalate it other than to just respond back...I did and said this was incredibly disappointing and very un-Disney. Now researching I see other families have encountered similar issues (except that they had travel plans that changed) and just had to sell elsewhere.

Any tips on who/what number to call to escalate? What really irks me is that we DO want to go! All I can guess is that I hit the arrow for the next month and maybe it didn't go or it reset? I just went back into the system to test it out and it doesn't actually advertise the date you selected past that first step. If you click on the teeny writing "more details" and expand that section it will show you the date you selected. I'm sure this is how I missed it.

anyhow -- Appreciate the tips, everyone! This just seems so un-Disney.


----------



## lorijohnhill

seobaina said:


> I have an email confirming I have tickets and with a reference number but I don't remember it giving date information, so I'm not sure how I'd check that. I don't get to the USA until a day before so if they are the wrong date for any reason then I'm in trouble. They shouldn't be because I checked at every stage of booking but now, with the pp comments, I'm concerned x


Double check your confirmation email, it should state the dates. If not, I'd email the ticketing email address and ask them to verify the dates for you. They should have no problem doing that for you.



missycakes99 said:


> I'm not sure how to escalate it other than to just respond back...I did and said this was incredibly disappointing and very un-Disney. Now researching I see other families have encountered similar issues (except that they had travel plans that changed) and just had to sell elsewhere.
> 
> Any tips on who/what number to call to escalate? What really irks me is that we DO want to go! All I can guess is that I hit the arrow for the next month and maybe it didn't go or it reset? I just went back into the system to test it out and it doesn't actually advertise the date you selected past that first step. If you click on the teeny writing "more details" and expand that section it will show you the date you selected. I'm sure this is how I missed it.
> 
> anyhow -- Appreciate the tips, everyone! This just seems so un-Disney.


Try calling tel714) 781-4400
That is the ticketing number. If they can't help you ask to speak to a supervisor.


----------



## Sith

Sandi E said:


> Gah!  It's making me crazy. I ordered on the 22nd for October 7th, too! But I still haven't gotten my tickets in the mail and I'm only a couple states away in WA.



I live right up in the Bay Area. Only about 6 hours away and I have yet to receive my tickets. It's interesting that people farther away, such as Hawaii and Colorado, started receiving their tickets last week. 

The CM did tell me 14 days, and it's only been 12. Less if you only count mail days. And I do have a confirmation number. So, I'm not worried. I'm just curious why my tickets take longer when I'm so close.


----------



## Djscarlette

Sith said:


> I live right up in the Bay Area. Only about 6 hours away and I have yet to receive my tickets. It's interesting that people farther away, such as Hawaii and Colorado, started receiving their tickets last week.


I live in Colorado and have not received my tix. I ordered mid-afternoon on July 22nd. There doesn't seem to be rhyme or reason to the ticket receiving madness.


----------



## SeattleSuz

DH is still kind of on the fence about getting tickets for the HP on 9.30.  He gave DD a goal to get up on a surfboard before summer is over and "then we can go to the Halloween party", which is great, but what if the tickets are sold out by the time she does it?!!!   What are their policies on having to cancel?  I am considering getting tickets just to have them, but what if I need to cancel?  Can I do that?  If so, how far in advance?


----------



## maltdizzy

SeattleSuz said:


> DH is still kind of on the fence about getting tickets for the HP on 9.30.  He gave DD a goal to get up on a surfboard before summer is over and "then we can go to the Halloween party", which is great, but what if the tickets are sold out by the time she does it?!!!   What are their policies on having to cancel?  I am considering getting tickets just to have them, but what if I need to cancel?  Can I do that?  If so, how far in advance?



No refunds.


----------



## SeattleSuz

maltdizzy said:


> No refunds.


 Dang.  Guess I will wait and keep my fingers crossed then...


----------



## tanyaegangibson

Sherry E said:


> If you're already in the park and don't need to change into a costume or anything, you should be able to get wristbands somewhere in Disneyland without needing to exit and then re-enter.  From the MHP FAQ on page 1:
> 
> 
> 
> I don't know where the wristband station will be set up this year, but it should work pretty much the same way, I would think.



Thank you so much!


----------



## Sherry E

I wonder if this counts as part of Pumpkin Pandemonium/Halloween Hoopla/Candy Corn Chaos and Caramel Apple Confusion?  It's Kellogg's Limited Edition Apple Cinnamon Crunch cereal - http://www.theimpulsivebuy.com/word...limited-edition-apple-cinnamon-crunch-cereal/.  "Apple cinnamon" makes me think of fall, and it IS a Limited Edition cereal, which makes me think it is supposed to be around during the fall.  It's not quite clear though.

Also -- I am missing out on all of the Halloween and holiday fun that Michaels provides!  I don't have a Michaels anywhere near me, unfortunately, so I had no idea what I was missing out on.  How long have they had these adorable Halloween nutcrackers - https://prettymuchpacked.files.wordpress.com/2014/09/screen-shot-2014-09-01-at-5-00-30-pm1.png??  I saw a photo of these nutcrackers on Facebook last night, and one of my friends said that she thinks they were in stock last year too?  I need Halloween nutcrackers in my life!!!!


​




seobaina said:


> Yep might be worth a try. We were able to change our WDW Halloween party tickets last sept on the day for a later party. It had been raining heavily for 8 hours and even with ponchos on we were cold wet and miserable. Lots of people were changing. Disney don't have to change them but this early on they might be willing to.
> 
> I am now concerned though cause I don't have the etickets thanks to disneys comp glitch and I'm now worried they won't be for the right night. Any suggestions sherry?



I don't have any suggestions beyond what lorijohnhill recommended.  With the confirmation number you have, you should be able to contact Disney (via email or on the phone) and have a Cast Member check which date the party is actually for.

It's just such a shame -- and understandably annoying -- that so many of you guys have to go through this hassle; some without tickets, some without confirmation numbers, and now one person with tickets for the wrong night.  I know it will be a big relief once it's all out of the way.




tanyaegangibson said:


> Thank you so much!



No problem at all!


----------



## Kilala

I went to both Target and Wal-Mart in the city of Orange where I live and I didn't see any sign of Halloween/Fall goodies. It's all Back to School sale right now. I will keep my eye out for everyone here.


----------



## Sherry E

Kilala said:


> I went to both Target and Wal-Mart in the city of Orange where I live and I didn't see any sign of Halloween/Fall goodies. It's all Back to School sale right now. I will keep my eye out for everyone here.



Really?  Not even at Target?  Not a Pumpkin Cheesecake cookie in sight?  Shameful!  Target of Orange is lagging behind!  It's usually Target or Walmart -- or both -- that would get in an exclusive Oreo or M&Ms product of some sort.  Maybe Oreo and M&Ms finally ran out of every possible Halloween or Fall-related flavor to put in cookie or candy form and they can't think of anymore!    I guess the well runs dry after a while.


----------



## seobaina

Sherry E said:


> I don't have any suggestions beyond what lorijohnhill recommended.  With the confirmation number you have, you should be able to contact Disney (via email or on the phone) and have a Cast Member check which date the party is actually for.
> 
> It's just such a shame -- and understandably annoying -- that so many of you guys have to go through this hassle; some without tickets, some without confirmation numbers, and now one person with tickets for the wrong night.  I know it will be a big relief once it's all out of the way.



Thanks, Ive emailed to confirm


----------



## lorijohnhill

seobaina said:


> Thanks, Ive emailed tpto confirm


Let us know how it goes!


----------



## seobaina

lorijohnhill said:


> Let us know how it goes!


 

Will do! X


----------



## adamkat

Not sure if this is the right place for this question however does anyone know if the Sanderson sisters are present during MHP?

Thanks, Kat


----------



## kaoden39

Sherry,
I'm just as Bad as the stores. I've been making Halloween hair bows. I think that people start thinking of Halloween with the dreams of the cooler weather. I know I do.


----------



## Sherry E

adamkat said:


> Not sure if this is the right place for this question however does anyone know if the Sanderson sisters are present during MHP?
> 
> Thanks, Kat



You came to the right place!  You mean the sisters from "Hocus Pocus"?  I didn't see them and I have not heard of them ever being at MHP, although that would be really interesting and different if they ever appeared!




kaoden39 said:


> Sherry,
> I'm just as Bad as the stores. I've been making Halloween hair bows. I think that people start thinking of Halloween with the dreams of the cooler weather. I know I do.



I saw the picture of your bow with the spider on it -- very cute!  I definitely agree, Michele -- mentally I am trying to block out the fact that temperatures are probably going to soar to ridiculous heights before the summer is over, and I am trying to think ahead to the fun and cooler weather that awaits on the other side!


----------



## Djscarlette

adamkat said:


> Not sure if this is the right place for this question however does anyone know if the Sanderson sisters are present during MHP?
> 
> Thanks, Kat



They are supposed to have a new show at MNSSHP in WDW this year.... but idk about DL.


----------



## Sherry E

Djscarlette said:


> They are supposed to have a new show at MNSSHP in WDW this year.... but idk about DL.



Maybe they will show up at MHP this year?  That would be really cool.


----------



## maltdizzy

Sherry E said:


> Also -- I am missing out on all of the Halloween and holiday fun that Michaels provides!  I don't have a Michaels anywhere near me, unfortunately, so I had no idea what I was missing out on.  How long have they had these adorable Halloween nutcrackers - https://prettymuchpacked.files.wordpress.com/2014/09/screen-shot-2014-09-01-at-5-00-30-pm1.png??  I saw a photo of these nutcrackers on Facebook last night, and one of my friends said that she thinks they were in stock last year too?  I need Halloween nutcrackers in my life!!!​


​
Don't know if it's still there but there used to be a Michaels in Santa Monica near the Promanade.


----------



## Kuilima

I just bought our tickets for the party on October 9th. Woo hoo! Now we're really excited for our fall break trip. Still have to purchase our military salute tickets, which is such an amazing deal. Only $132 for 3-day hopper passes!!! Sweet, right? We arrive early morning on Thursday, Oct 8th, which will be our first full day in Disneyland. Staying at the Best Western Raffles Inn for the first time. Friday we're doing party only. I think we'll just sleep in that morning, maybe cruise around downtown Disney a little before we get into costumes for the party. Saturday and Sunday full days at the parks. Head back to Gallup, New Mexico on Monday, Columbus Day. Best part is that we racked up enough Disney rewards to pay for all of our tickets in full. Eight of us going on this trip: me, DH, DS 17, DS 14, DD 11, DD 7, SisIL, niece 8. First time for niece, so extra special trip. Plus Halloween is my favorite holiday! I love disboards. Helped to make our Christmas trip in 2013 a huge success! Thanks, Sherry!


----------



## justgrace

Does anyone know if the Annual Pass trick-or-treat trail will be back this year? We loved it last year, and are keeping our fingers crossed!


----------



## lorijohnhill

justgrace said:


> Does anyone know if the Annual Pass trick-or-treat trail will be back this year? We loved it last year, and are keeping our fingers crossed!


I missed it last year, so I'm really hoping it will be back!


----------



## jammyjam25

Kind of random but my order from Kohl's of shirts and shorts to wear (including my orange striped shirt to match the Halloween ears I plan on purchasing) on my trip arrived today! Being able to cross one more "to do" off my list just makes it feel that much closer!


----------



## Sherry E

Kuilima said:


> I just bought our tickets for the party on October 9th. Woo hoo! Now we're really excited for our fall break trip. Still have to purchase our military salute tickets, which is such an amazing deal. Only $132 for 3-day hopper passes!!! Sweet, right? We arrive early morning on Thursday, Oct 8th, which will be our first full day in Disneyland. Staying at the Best Western Raffles Inn for the first time. Friday we're doing party only. I think we'll just sleep in that morning, maybe cruise around downtown Disney a little before we get into costumes for the party. Saturday and Sunday full days at the parks. Head back to Gallup, New Mexico on Monday, Columbus Day. Best part is that we racked up enough Disney rewards to pay for all of our tickets in full. Eight of us going on this trip: me, DH, DS 17, DS 14, DD 11, DD 7, SisIL, niece 8. First time for niece, so extra special trip. Plus Halloween is my favorite holiday! I love disboards. Helped to make our Christmas trip in 2013 a huge success! Thanks, Sherry!



You're very welcome! :  Halloween Time and the Holiday Season at DLR are my two favorite DLR subjects, so I love to share the fun with people on this board!  

It sounds like everything is falling into place for you -- you are getting a great price on the Hoppers,  you can use your Rewards to pay for tickets, you have a nice group going with you, and you'll be celebrating your favorite holiday at DLR (as well as Disneyland's 60th anniversary)!  It will be a wonderful trip!




justgrace said:


> Does anyone know if the Annual Pass trick-or-treat trail will be back this year? We loved it last year, and are keeping our fingers crossed!



My feeling -- and, of course, I could be completely wrong -- is that there will be another AP-only treat trail this year.  Whether or not it is in the same location is anyone's guess -- maybe it will be somewhere else -- but I think there will be something like that again.



jammyjam25 said:


> Kind of random but my order from Kohl's of shirts and shorts to wear (including my orange striped shirt to match the Halloween ears I plan on purchasing) on my trip arrived today! Being able to cross one more "to do" off my list just makes it feel that much closer!



It's nice when everything begins to get squared away, and the trip becomes more of a reality!  And, really, I think that time is flying by (as much as the part of me who thinks summer drags on disagrees with that idea)!  It seems like it was just a couple of weeks ago that summer officially began, and that the 60th anniversary kicked off.  Now, Disneyland is already slowly preparing to wind down summer and usher in Halloween Time.  Last week those Halloween pins appeared (which lorijohnhill kindly showed us).  This week I would bet that there is some other bit of Halloween merchandise that has appeared -- if not in the parks, then possibly in World of Disney.  By the end of this month there should even be some fall/Halloween-ish treats somewhere in DL.

And... Halloween Time begins in a mere 5 weeks and 2 days!  It's hard to believe it's that soon when it's hot and summery outside, but it's coming soon!

Sadly, fall doesn't begin for another 7 weeks -- which seems like an eternity -- but it will get here eventually.


----------



## tjcrabb

Was the AP "extra" just a exclusive trail or was it a special item last year? We are talking about purchasing APs this year but I still haven't decided.


----------



## theluckyrabbit

It was an exclusive trail with a special item. There was a rice krispy treat and a cinch bag for Big Hero 6.


----------



## lconn

I apologize if this has already been talked about but I just wanted to confirm that regular fireworks and fantasmic will only be done on Saturday and sundays in October....even though it's the 60th anniversary?


----------



## only hope

I'm going to DL for the first time in October and purchased MHP tickets through the Disney Visa discount. Are the tickets that arrive in the mail ready to use at the gate, or do we need to activate them first? Thanks!


----------



## RichP1269

lconn said:


> I apologize if this has already been talked about but I just wanted to confirm that regular fireworks and fantasmic will only be done on Saturday and sundays in October....even though it's the 60th anniversary?



Fantasmic on Friday, Saturday and Sunday if there is no MHP.  Paint the Night and Disneyland Forever fireworks on all non party nights, including weekdays.


----------



## Sherry E

lconn said:


> I apologize if this has already been talked about but I just wanted to confirm that regular fireworks and fantasmic will only be done on Saturday and sundays in October....even though it's the 60th anniversary?



This is the first time in 6 years that the fireworks are going to be nightly in the off season (Halloween Time is technically considered the off season, although it is very popular).  As RichP1269 said, Paint the Night will be nightly (and also part of Mickey's Halloween Party) and Disneyland Forever will run on any night that is not a party night -- even weeknights!   The last time this happened was when Halloween Screams debuted to the public in 2009.  This is a special year, so I think that Disney got special approval for more nights of fireworks.  More than likely, those fireworks will continue to run all through the holidays too.



only hope said:


> I'm going to DL for the first time in October and purchased MHP tickets through the Disney Visa discount. Are the tickets that arrive in the mail ready to use at the gate, or do we need to activate them first? Thanks!



The tickets that you receive in the mail should be ready to use at the gate/turnstiles.  If you are already in Disneyland and don't have to leave the park for any reason, you can bring your ticket to the wrist band distribution station that should be set up somewhere in Disneyland.


----------



## lconn

Wow, that's really cool that they'll be doing fireworks during the week!!! Thanks!


----------



## theluckyrabbit

Didn't the Parks Blog say that the only night PNT and DF wouldn't run in Oct. is the 10th (because of the media event)? I would hate for someone to plan for that to be their big night when DL closes early that night.


----------



## Sherry E

theluckyrabbit said:


> Didn't the Parks Blog say that the only night PNT and DF wouldn't run in Oct. is the 10th (because of the media event)? I would hate for someone to plan for that to be their big night when DL closes early that night.



September 10th is the Cast Member party/ceremony (not a media event).  That's the night with no fireworks.


----------



## bigb83

Ugh it looks like pirates is going to be closed the first week of Halloweentime  and of course this is when we are going


----------



## Sherry E

bigb83 said:


> Ugh it looks like pirates is going to be closed the first week of Halloweentime  and of course this is when we are going



I'm glad you mentioned that --  I had been meaning to bring it up earlier today and promptly forgot.  If it still has the same refurb schedule I saw last week, it will be closed for the first MHP too. I don't know if the schedule has changed since I last looked at it.


----------



## only hope

Sherry E said:


> The tickets that you receive in the mail should be ready to use at the gate/turnstiles.  If you are already in Disneyland and don't have to leave the park for any reason, you can bring your ticket to the wrist band distribution station that should be set up somewhere in Disneyland.



Thank you.


----------



## Kilala

I hope the first day of the party dosen't sell out before October 3rd. I have an opertunity to go 3 times this year. I hope with more parties this year that not all parties will sell out this year or right before the party. I just to have too keep checking the tickets for which days will sell out. If I can't go on the 25th I might get a ticket for the 12th and the 16th parties.


----------



## HopLow1968

So its confirmed that there will NOT be any Fantasmic showings during MHP nights?   We're going on a weekend that has parties on both Friday and Sunday.


----------



## princesszelda

We purchased our tickets on 7/22 and we still have not gotten ours et. We were told 7-10 days. Has anyone else recieved theres?


----------



## Sherry E

Pumpkin Pandemonium is creeping in more and more each week...

Today we have Kellogg's Pumpkin Spice Frosted Mini Wheats!!   http://www.theimpulsivebuy.com/word...ed-edition-frosted-mini-wheats-pumpkin-spice/ 




HopLow1968 said:


> So its confirmed that there will NOT be any Fantasmic showings during MHP nights?   We're going on a weekend that has parties on both Friday and Sunday.



Fantasmic doesn't happen on any MHP nights -- neither as part of the party, nor before the party begins.



princesszelda said:


> We purchased our tickets on 7/22 and we still have not gotten ours et. We were told 7-10 days. Has anyone else recieved theres?



From what I've been reading here and around the Internet, it sounds as though there are still quite a few people who have not gotten their tickets.  We're still at the beginning  August, basically, and the 7-10 days are probably business days (not weekends).  So, just counting Mon-Fri, the 10-day point should have been yesterday, 8/5 (if I counted correctly).


----------



## jammyjam25

Sherry I saw this yesterday and thought of you. Pumpkin spice, caramel apple, and candy corn PEEPS will be out starting August 31! - http://time.com/3985460/pumpkin-spice-peeps/


----------



## Sherry E

jammyjam25 said:


> Sherry I saw this yesterday and thought of you. Pumpkin spice, caramel apple, and candy corn PEEPS will be out starting August 31! - http://time.com/3985460/pumpkin-spice-peeps/



Oh dear.   Those... um... kind of sound awful!  

My favorite phrase from that article is "pumpkin spice reign of terror."


----------



## jammyjam25

Sherry E said:


> Oh dear.   Those... um... kind of sound awful!
> 
> My favorite phrase from that article is "pumpkin spice reign of terror."



I agree, they do sound really gross, LOL!


----------



## seobaina

lorijohnhill said:


> Let us know how it goes!



I had a reply from Disney today. As expected they won't resend the missing etickets but they did confirm the amount of tickets and date they were booked for so at least I have that in email now x


----------



## lorijohnhill

seobaina said:


> I had a reply from Disney today. As expected they won't resend the missing etickets but they did confirm the amount of tickets and date they were booked for so at least I have that in email now x


Yes, having something in writing will make the process at the ticket booth go easier.



Sherry E said:


> Oh dear.   Those... um... kind of sound awful!
> 
> My favorite phrase from that article is "pumpkin spice reign of terror."


I have to agree! On both counts...


----------



## kaoden39

Sherry E said:


> I'm glad you mentioned that --  I had been meaning to bring it up earlier today and promptly forgot.  If it still has the same refurb schedule I saw last week, it will be closed for the first MHP too. I don't know if the schedule has changed since I last looked at it.



It looks like I will be going into the park the Sunday that we get there so that I can ride Pirates. That is my favorite ride in Disneyland and last trip I only got to ride on it once. Looks like this trip will be the same. I guess that means I just have to plan another trip after refurb. Darn!


----------



## dolphingirl47

Sherry E said:


> f it still has the same refurb schedule I saw last week, it will be closed for the first MHP too.



That does not fill me with joy. It is kind of a tradition for a friend and me to go on Pirates together. Unfortunately we only get to the parks together twice: on September 23rd and for the first Halloween Party. Still that gives me an excuse to plan another visit. I remember when I went to Mickey's Halloween Party in 2011, Pirates was closed for refurbishment as well and they used the line for this as a treat trail.

Speaking of Mickey's Halloween Party, I really start to want a hammer. I bought my tickets for Mickey's Halloween Party last week and had no issues whatsoever. I have been trying all day to get one more ticket and still have not succeeded. I have tried on my iPad and my laptop, with Chrome, Firefox and Safari. I have tried to log in or not. Either nothing happens after I have entered my card details or it goes to the next screen saying that some details are incorrect or missing and then just throws me back to a blank payment screen. I really want to do this online so that I can get an eticket, but I think I may have to bite the bullet and call tomorrow.


----------



## mummabear

seobaina said:


> I had a reply from Disney today. As expected they won't resend the missing etickets but they did confirm the amount of tickets and date they were booked for so at least I have that in email now x



That's a good idea, I have emailed them now


----------



## Sherry E

kaoden39 said:


> It looks like I will be going into the park the Sunday that we get there so that I can ride Pirates. That is my favorite ride in Disneyland and last trip I only got to ride on it once. Looks like this trip will be the same. I guess that means I just have to plan another trip after refurb. Darn!



If the dates listed on our sister site, wdwinfo, are correct, it's closed from 09/14/15 - 09/29/15.  Is your last park day on 9/11, or are you arriving after 9/11?  I remember, for a while, we were not sure when Halloween Time would start and if you would see it.





dolphingirl47 said:


> That does not fill me with joy. It is kind of a tradition for a friend and me to go on Pirates together. Unfortunately we only get to the parks together twice: on September 23rd and for the first Halloween Party. Still that gives me an excuse to plan another visit. I remember when I went to Mickey's Halloween Party in 2011, Pirates was closed for refurbishment as well and they used the line for this as a treat trail.
> 
> Speaking of Mickey's Halloween Party, I really start to want a hammer. I bought my tickets for Mickey's Halloween Party last week and had no issues whatsoever. I have been trying all day to get one more ticket and still have not succeeded. I have tried on my iPad and my laptop, with Chrome, Firefox and Safari. I have tried to log in or not. Either nothing happens after I have entered my card details or it goes to the next screen saying that some details are incorrect or missing and then just throws me back to a blank payment screen. I really want to do this online so that I can get an eticket, but I think I may have to bite the bullet and call tomorrow.



Oh yes, I remember that the POTC queue was used as a treat trail at the 2011 MHP!   It was kind of a cool trail, with a few different stations, but I love the POTC ride and would rather that it's open.

See, this is how everyone can tell that Disney still considers Halloween Time to be an off season (despite its popularity) -- because they close a hugely popular ride such as POTC.  They can't do it in the summer.  They can't do it during the holidays.  But it's unfortunate that it will be closed for the first one or two MHP nights, as well as for some of Halloween Time.


----------



## Sith

princesszelda said:


> We purchased our tickets on 7/22 and we still have not gotten ours et. We were told 7-10 days. Has anyone else recieved theres?



I also ordered by phone on 7/22 and have not received tickets in mail. I called last night. The CM on the phone double checked that my order and address were correct. They were. She said that demand has been very high, and she is not surprised tickets are taking a little longer than usual to get to people.


----------



## kaoden39

Sherry E said:


> If the dates listed on our sister site, wdwinfo, are correct, it's closed from 09/14/15 - 09/29/15.  Is your last park day on 9/11, or are you arriving after 9/11?  I remember, for a while, we were not sure when Halloween Time would start and if you would see it.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Oh yes, I remember that the POTC queue was used as a treat trail and the 2011 MHP!   It was kind of a cool trail, with a few different stations, but I love the POTC ride and would rather that it's open.
> 
> See, this is how everyone can tell that Disney still considers Halloween Time to be an off season (despite its popularity) -- because they close a hugely popular ride such as POTC.  They can't do it in the summer.  They can't do it during the holidays.  But it's unfortunate that it will be closed for the first one or two MHP nights, as well as for some of Halloween Time.



We're arriving on 9/13 but we weren't going to the parks until 9/14. But, I will leave my girls to cruise around DTD while I go into Disneyland. I honestly wanted to anyway so this works out real well for that reason.


----------



## courtneybeth

The Halloween merch is out, as of this evening. 

As expected, people are already buying it... I got the Mickey pumpkin for my desk at work with a surprise guest. Sweatshirts, tshirts and dolls are already being picked and chosen over. Mad rush on costumes.


----------



## Dee2015

RichP1269 said:


> Fantasmic on Friday, Saturday and Sunday if there is no MHP.  Paint the Night and Disneyland Forever fireworks on all non party nights, including weekdays.



I had wondered about that too. So you think Oct 30th & Nov 1st will both have F! I really hope so as this will fit it beautifully for us


----------



## keishashadow

haven't received our MHP tix here either yet

banging head slowly...was only able to make dining res for 10/3.  called and was told that until DL sets their park hours, they are unable to book dinner, only breakfast & lunch.  

was told they should be out within the next 2 weeks.  sigh, the one thing my DH requested was dinner @ Blue Bayou.  I wanted to book fantastic pkg @ blue bayou on one of the non-party nights, afraid i'll miss when they open the schedule..  eeeeeeee


----------



## Ellester

Bought our tickets for the first party this morning! It's our first Disneyland trip, hubby and I are going for 7 nights for our 25th anniversary. The kids are staying with grandma and grandpa much to their chagrin! Can't wait!!!!!


----------



## MommyMissy

Got our tickets last night to the party on Oct 7th! Taking my DS2 for his birthday trip with my sister. We will be there from 10/6-10/11. Starting to get excited but am not so good at patiently waiting for Disney to release schedules so I can plan!


----------



## keishashadow

just got our tix in the mail


----------



## Sherry E

I just saw that someone posted a link to this Halloween Time at DLR Superthread over on MiceChat (I'm sure MiceChat is thrilled that their members are promoting DISboards), in the context of helping them to see when last year's Halloween parties sold out.

What's coincidental is that I was, once again, just about to go into the posts on page 1 and try to review/update them today -- the last couple of times I tried to do anything to update the info my browser began flipping out and crashing (it hates DISboards, apparently), and I was so paranoid that all of my info in the post was going to be lost or inadvertently deleted that I left it alone and didn't do anything.  I have had entire posts and trip report installments disappear and get wiped out in the past due to technical glitches (and, in fact, I worry that these glitches will interfere with my Theme Week Countdown, which is beginning in the Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread in 3 days).

I will find a way to keep last year's MHP sellout dates visible on page 1, even as I add in the new sellout information for this year's dates, as it seems to be needed for reference.  

In the meantime, welcome to the MiceChat folks who are peeking in or joining us, and thank you to the person over there who unexpectedly referred them to this thread!


----------



## kkmcan

Just purchased our party tickets for Oct 2nd!! Whohoo!


----------



## riostoker

So, I'm curious why so many of you are having the HP tickets mailed to you. I opted for the electronic version that said I could either display on my phone or print out. Is there some advantage to the mailed ones?


----------



## dolphingirl47

riostoker said:


> So, I'm curious why so many of you are having the HP tickets mailed to you. I opted for the electronic version that said I could either display on my phone or print out. Is there some advantage to the mailed ones?



I think all of the people who are waiting for the tickets bought them in the week before they went on general sale. For a week, annual pass holders, DVC Members and Disney Visa holders could order them before they were available for the general public. Annual pass holders could order online and had the option to get etickets, but DVC members and Disney Visa holders had to call and therefore etickets were not an option.

Corinna


----------



## riostoker

dolphingirl47 said:


> I think all of the people who are waiting for the tickets bought them in the week before they went on general sale. For a week, annual pass holders, DVC Members and Disney Visa holders could order them before they were available for the general public. Annual pass holders could order online and had the option to get etickets, but DVC members and Disney Visa holders had to call and therefore etickets were not an option.
> 
> Corinna


 
Ahhh... that makes a lot of sense! Thanks!  I was getting worried that I was missing out on something by doing the e-ticket rather than a mailed one!


----------



## dolphingirl47

I finally succeeded in buying the extra ticket that I needed for the September 25th party. I wasted the best part of two days achieving this, but fortunately this evening it let me buy the ticket on my iPhone of all things. I started to get worried that by the time I would be done fighting with the system, the night would be sold out.

Corinna



riostoker said:


> Ahhh... that makes a lot of sense! Thanks!  I was getting worried that I was missing out on something by doing the e-ticket rather than a mailed one!



Not at all. You can take the eticket straight to the turnstiles, but there they will void the eticket and give you a normal ticket. I don't really understand why they are doing this. You then take this ticket just inside the entrance area where you are given your wristband and a small bag for trick or treating.

Corinna


----------



## princesszelda

Sherry, are you going to do who is going and what dates etc like you have in the past. There is just so much onthe thread I may have missed it. If so here is our info.

We are going for Halloween we will be a group of 6 we are doing and Alice in Wonderland theme. We are also staying at the BWPPI trip dates 10/31 11/1


----------



## Sith

riostoker said:


> Ahhh... that makes a lot of sense! Thanks!  I was getting worried that I was missing out on something by doing the e-ticket rather than a mailed one!



Nope. Not missing out. I purchased with Disney Visa, and mail was the only option. She gave me a confirmation number over the phone, but said she could not email that confirmation.

Today is day 16, and still no tickets in my mailbox. Maybe I should have just waited a week and got e-tickets.


----------



## Dee2015

princesszelda said:


> Sherry, are you going to do who is going and what dates etc like you have in the past. There is just so much onthe thread I may have missed it. If so here is our info.
> 
> We are going for Halloween we will be a group of 6 we are doing and Alice in Wonderland theme. We are also staying at the BWPPI trip dates 10/31 11/1


SNAP to the above but with a family of four doing the Alice theme


----------



## dolphingirl47

I have a question please. I am not so patiently waiting for the times to be released for my trip. At the moment we are three days away from the beginning of my trip. I just had a look at the times for Tuesday September 15th. Can I assume that the times will be the same or at least very similar on September 22nd?

Corinna


----------



## Oswald23

I need Some advise. I'm doubting if I should attend 2 parties. I'm all into characters. Last year there where a couple of rare characters and I don't want to miss any of them. Next to this we have 5 days in the park. Please what is your take on this?


----------



## dolphingirl47

Oswald23 said:


> I need Some advise. I'm doubting if I should attend 2 parties. I'm all into characters. Last year there where a couple of rare characters and I don't want to miss any of them. Next to this we have 5 days in the park. Please what is your take on this?



I did two parties in 2011 and I am doing two parties again this year. For me that it was ideal. I concentrated on trick or treating and characters the first time round and rides and characters the second time round. I watched the fireworks on both nights, but missed the costume calvacade on both occasions. This time round, things are a little up in the air as I am going with friends on both occasions, but I assume both will be a mix of fire works, characters, rides and trick or treating. My one most do thing is getting photos with the villains, but other than that, I will go with the flow.

Corinna


----------



## Sherry E

I've got to stop using Internet Explorer.    Even though I usually end up having trouble with most browsers sooner or later, and some websites don't support certain browsers, my Explorer (Version 11, so it's not like it's old) is completely running amok and crashing every time I get on DISboards, in the middle of when I am typing or trying to edit things.  It's weird how Explorer is acting so wonky all of a sudden -- at the exact convenient moment when the Windows 10 free previews are being pushed, and the new "Edge" browser is replaced Explorer.  Hmm... suspicious timing. It almost seems like deliberate sabotage by Microsoft, to get me to switch to Windows 10 and Edge.  I just barely got used to Windows 8/8.1, and got my desktop to look the way I want it to look.  I'm not ready to switch to a new version of Windows again -- and then have to learn a new browser too (Edge supposedly looks nothing like what I'm used to, and nothing is at the top of the screen or on the left side, where it should be).

Anyway, I'm on Firefox now.....


 By the way, if any of you are on Facebook and want to start ramping up to a "Fall" state of mind, there are some really great fall-oriented Facebook pages that post lovely fall photos all the time.   I follow any and all Facebook pages that have to do with Fall, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Winter, Christmas and holidays in general, but some are better than others because of the photos.  Some of the ones I like are:

Autumn Scented - https://www.facebook.com/IMissAutumn?fref=ts

All About Fall - https://www.facebook.com/AllAboutFall1976?fref=ts

Fall Fans - https://www.facebook.com/FallFans?fref=ts

Fans of Fall - https://www.facebook.com/pages/Fans-of-Fall/137338413075384?fref=ts


My only sorrow in seeing those pages is that the autumns we get here in Southern California look nothing at all like the dreamlike autumns in all of the photos on those pages!  Not even close!  Around here, no one will even let leaves accumulate on the sidewalk or in the street -- so it's not like we can go romping merrily through the leaves to celebrate the glory of fall.  As soon as leaves accumulate, someone comes along and sweeps them away.   




princesszelda said:


> Sherry, are you going to do who is going and what dates etc like you have in the past. There is just so much onthe thread I may have missed it. If so here is our info.
> 
> We are going for Halloween we will be a group of 6 we are doing and Alice in Wonderland theme. We are also staying at the BWPPI trip dates 10/31 11/1



Jenn -- You know, I should have done that.  I should have created and maintained the Check-In list of who is going and when, from the beginning.  I don't know why I didn't.    I wasn't thinking.   It seems to be a natural fit for this thread, and it would make sense to just keep everything October/Halloween Time/MHP-related in one place/thread, so everything is not so scattered about.  Stupidly, I didn't leave an extra post or two free on page 1 (which is where I would put a check-in list for October/MHP) when I started this thread last year, and I should have.  We will have to switch to a new thread when this one hits page 250 (49 pages from now), but that will be a while.  When I do start the new thread, I will leave an extra couple of posts empty in it to use as check-in lists for October/MHP next year.    

The current October Check-In list is here (started by Canadian Harmony) -- http://disboards.com/threads/october-2015-check-in-thread.3434271/.  Give your travel/MHP dates there.


----------



## dolphingirl47

Sherry E said:


> The current October Check-In list is here (started by Canadian Harmony) -- http://disboards.com/threads/october-2015-check-in-thread.3434271/. Give your travel/MHP dates there.



Do you know if there is one for September, too. I am looking for this at the moment, but don't seem to have much joy.

Corinna


----------



## Sherry E

dolphingirl47 said:


> I have a question please. I am not so patiently waiting for the times to be released for my trip. At the moment we are three days away from the beginning of my trip. I just had a look at the times for Tuesday September 15th. Can I assume that the times will be the same or at least very similar on September 22nd?
> 
> Corinna



I would think that the hours and times would be the same, or very comparable.  Although... it appears that last year Disneyland closed one hour later on Tuesday, 9/23 than it did on 9/16 - http://www.wdwinfo.com/disneyland/park-hours.cfm?month=9&year=2014.



Oswald23 said:


> I need Some advise. I'm doubting if I should attend 2 parties. I'm all into characters. Last year there where a couple of rare characters and I don't want to miss any of them. Next to this we have 5 days in the park. Please what is your take on this?



Well, as Corinna mentioned above, with 2 parties you can break things up a bit more, just to be sure you don't miss anything or anyone.  However, that said, the prices are not cheap for these parties -- and I think that one party would be sufficient if characters were what you focused on, and everything else took a back seat.  If you want to do a bit of everything as well as meet all of the characters, you might want to take the plunge and do 2 nights.  In my own situation, if I were going to MHP every year I would probably just do one party each year.  When I don't go every year, and I go maybe every other year or every few years, I feel more of a need to do more than one party.



dolphingirl47 said:


> Do you know if there is one for September, too. I am looking for this at the moment, but don't seem to have much joy.
> 
> Corinna



There is one, and I will find it for you.



dolphingirl47 said:


> Do you know if there is one for September, too. I am looking for this at the moment, but don't seem to have much joy.
> 
> Corinna



Here it is -- http://www.disboards.com/threads/september-2015-checkin-thread.3387416/page-8#post-54163181

(Note to self -- When it's time to switch to the new thread after this one hits Page 250, be sure to leave enough empty posts on page 1 for next year's September, October and MHP Check-In Lists!!!)


----------



## dolphingirl47

Sherry E said:


> I would think that the hours would be the same, or very comparable. Although... it appears that last year Disneyland closed one hour later on Tuesday, 9/23 than it did on 9/16 - http://www.wdwinfo.com/disneyland/park-hours.cfm?month=9&year=2014.



An extra hour I can deal with. If all goes accordingly to plan, I will arrive at LAX at 11:45 AM on the 22nd. I am hoping to be at the hotel by around 2:00PM and that they may have a room ready for me then. The UK is 8 hours ahead of Los Angeles so by then it will feel like bedtime for me. The idea is that I will have an afternoon nap and then head to the parts around 6:00. I am hoping to quickly head inside California Adventure to get my Photopass+ lanyard and say "hi" to Oswald before going over to Disneyland to stake out a spot for Paint the Night and Disneyland Forever.



Sherry E said:


> There is one, and I will find it for you.





Sherry E said:


> Here it is -- http://www.disboards.com/threads/september-2015-checkin-thread.3387416/page-8#post-54163181



Thank for doing this for me.

Corinna


----------



## Sith

It only took 17 days, but my tickets finally came today!!! Woooohoooooo!!!


----------



## dolphingirl47

Sith said:


> It only took 17 days, but my tickets finally came today!!! Woooohoooooo!!!



I am glad that they have arrived.

Corinna


----------



## StyledSugar

It's been a few years since we've done the MHP and we never stayed onsite during that trip. Does anyone recall any sort of hotel discounts during the month of October for the onsite hotels? Discounts on hotels for AP holders? Just trying to figure out where we are going to stay.

Also, has anyone ever booked a Disney hotel in advance only to find a discount afterwards? Will Disney honor that discount?

Can I put our MHP tickets onto my reservation or do I need to purchase those separately?


----------



## Sherry E

StyledSugar said:


> It's been a few years since we've done the MHP and we never stayed onsite during that trip. Does anyone recall any sort of hotel discounts during the month of October for the onsite hotels? Discounts on hotels for AP holders? Just trying to figure out where we are going to stay.
> 
> Also, has anyone ever booked a Disney hotel in advance only to find a discount afterwards? Will Disney honor that discount?
> 
> Can I put our MHP tickets onto my reservation or do I need to purchase those separately?



I would get the MHP tickets now or as soon as possible, before they sell out for whatever night you want.  A discounted hotel room may not come along until next month, and the MHP night you want could be gone by then.  The onsite hotels will probably have a very limited number of tickets available to guests on the mornings of the actual parties, but they wouldn't be discounted.

Yes, I have booked onsite hotels and then changed my reservation when a discount came along.  I have changed the number of nights I was staying.  I've changed hotels.  I've changed from one type of discount to another.  I've changed from one weekend to another.  Disney honored the discounts and changes after I booked, but every year they could do something different and stop allowing those changes.    I think that, more than likely, as long as you book a room-only reservation (don't include tickets with it or anything), they should be able to easily apply a discount if one comes along after the fact.  It's when you book a package that things get a little trickier.

There are usually discounts for AP holders and for the general public on hotels every year (with the exception of 2012).  Some people on this board have recently said that they were told that there are no more AP discounts on rooms, and that the discounts are just going to be available to everyone.  I don't know if that was bad information given to them, or if it is true.  Last year there was a special AP Fall rate, and a different Fall discount rate for the general public (the former was a slightly larger savings than the latter).  However, these discounts are covering fewer dates and time frames.  I would imagine that a Fall discount will come along in September, and will cover very specific time frames in October, November and December, but it will also exclude a lot of dates.


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## bluedietcoke04

Will be staying at Disneyland Hotel from Oct 28 - Nov 1. Will be there during two parties. Don't know which one to go to. Should I go to the Thursday one or go on Halloween?  Will the party be busier on Halloween or is it the same due to limited tickets? Thanks!!!


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## Sherry E

bluedietcoke04 said:


> Will be staying at Disneyland Hotel from Oct 28 - Nov 1. Will be there during two parties. Don't know which one to go to. Should I go to the Thursday one or go on Halloween?  Will the party be busier on Halloween or is it the same due to limited tickets? Thanks!!!



My initial reaction is to say that the Halloween night party will probably be busier.  No one knows exactly how many tickets are sold (or given away as comp tickets) for any given night, but since Halloween night is undoubtedly very popular -- and this year it is a Saturday -- I would have to imagine that it will be quite busy.  Not crazy like New Year's Eve or anything, but much busier than you would expect for a hard ticket party.  At the same time, I think it will be a lot of fun!

So I guess it depends on how much you want to be in the whole Halloween experience and if actually celebrating it on 10/31 is important.  Otherwise, if you want to take a chance on slightly lower crowds, go for the Thursday party.

I'm going to aim for Halloween night, if I can -- but that ticket price is really painful since there is no discount.


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## Kilala

I just checked the Disneyland site for sold out tickets and it says that Halloween night is Sold Out!!! I don't know if that's right or not. That is super super fast if that's correct.


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## tjcrabb

Kilala said:


> I just checked the Disneyland site for sold out tickets and it says that Halloween night is Sold Out!!! I don't know if that's right or not. That is super super fast if that's correct.



I am seeing that too. Hopefully not for Sherrys sake! That is a really fast sell out.


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## violentlyserene

Kilala said:


> I just checked the Disneyland site for sold out tickets and it says that Halloween night is Sold Out!!! I don't know if that's right or not. That is super super fast if that's correct.


It says the same for me. Im a bit concerned abput waiting to get tickets forvthe 22nd now. Its not halloween week but thats so much faster than last year!


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## Sherry E

I actually noticed the sold out -- because I was in the middle of trying to revise a post on page 1, and I had the DLR MHP ticket page open.  I was updating the dates to add in the sold out and many other things... and my tab closed and I lost EVERYTHING I had changed in the post.    I have to now make the changes in MS Word all over again and then re-copy them to the post on page 1.  I don't trust trying to make detailed, extensive changes in the actual post itself.

Soooooo angry.........


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## Dee2015

Oh Sherry, I so hope you were able to get tickets before it sold out. After all the help you have been to everyone here it would be terrible if you missed out. 

I can not believe it has sold out 10 days after being released to the public (have I calculated that right?!).  I wonder how many tickets were made available for this night.

I guess it has also answered the question of how busy it will be Halloween night - it will be VERY busy.


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## Sherry E

Dee2015 said:


> Oh Sherry, I so hope you were able to get tickets before it sold out. After all the help you have been to everyone here it would be terrible if you missed out.
> 
> I can not believe it has sold out 10 days after being released to the public (have I calculated that right?!).  I wonder how many tickets were made available for this night.
> 
> I guess it has also answered the question of how busy it will be Halloween night - it will be VERY busy.




No.  I didn't get any tickets -- the last time I checked the calendar before today it was not sold out yet.    I had a feeling that a Saturday night party was going to be popular.  It's okay -- honestly, I really didn't like the idea of paying that high price (which, to me, is not really worth it when there are cheaper nights available).

I am really just angry because I did soooooo much revising of one particular post on page 1 over a couple of hours -- to the point where I was about to save it, then come here and mention that 10/31 was sold out, and then move on to the next post to revise -- and the tab closed out for a split second and I couldn't get the screen with my edits back, and now I have to do it all over again.  That burns me more than missing out on the Halloween night MHP.  I could have bought my ticket last week, but I kept second guessing whether or not being there on Halloween night was really worth over $80.

Yes -- 10 days since the tickets went on sale to the general public (7/29)!



​


By the way, folks -- if you were planning on going on Halloween night and you hadn't gotten your tickets yet, call Disneyland's ticket number -- sometimes they still have very few tickets available over the phone, even after the online calendar says sold out!!!!  Those over-the-phone tickets will not be available for long, but it's worth a try if the 10/31 tickets just got logged as sold out within the last day.



​


Okay, I finally got finished revising only one post -- I would have had two posts revised by now if I hadn't had to redo this one!!  Anyway, here is the revised Days/Dates to Remember post from Page 1 - http://www.disboards.com/threads/ha...een-night-mhp-sold-out.3270919/#post-51326911.

Not only did I add in all of the new MHP nights and make note of the 10/31 sellout, I also kept the sellout info from last year as well.  AND... I also went back through the Historical Halloween Party dates over the last 20 years, and I referenced how many party nights there were in each year, going back to 1995!  So, you can see how the Halloween Party has evolved over the years and how many more nights were added each year (depending on which park the party was being held in, the nights may have been fewer or greater).

I also added links to the two check-in threads, for anyone who wants to give their dates.

Now... I have to revise the actual MHP FAQ post!  And it's done -- ttp://www.disboards.com/threads/halloweentime-at-dlr-superthread-4-halloween-night-mhp-sold-out.3270919/#post-51326916.




​


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## Kilala

I will be sooo lucky if the 25th dosen't sell out by the 3rd of September. If it dose I can still get tickets for the 12th and or the 16th


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## Oswald23

Thank you for your help I think I Will do 2 parties.

1 solo and 1 with the family. I don't mind waiting 40 minutes for a character my girls is a whole different story


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## Dee2015

Sherry, that is technology at it's worst - been there a few times and it almost makes me cry!

Let us know if you decide to try and get tickets for the 31st or if you've taken it as a sign and chose another night. We'll keep our fingers crossed for you either way


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## PinkBudgie

Need help for NOT going to the Halloween Party. So I put in at work to take off Sept 28 and 29. My thinking is drive down Sat morning. Go to the parks Sun and Monday. Drive back Tuesday. We plan to take our college age boys with us. There is a party on Monday night but I'm thinking we won't go. We'll already have to pay for the boys since they don't have APs. Plus their food! The amount they can eat is scary! And we just took an Alaskan cruise in addition to spending a week at DLR this summer. So not sure I want to spend extra money on the party right now. Will DCA be full of people who won't be in DL for the party? I wanted to see the fall offerings at DLR since I never have before. It isn't easy for teachers to leave work in September but we are going to try this year! Any advice on touring in 2 days in the fall? One son hasn't seen Carsland yet. The other has been more recently. My goals are to see HMH (again) and Ghost Galaxy on Space.
Or do you really really think it is worth it to go to the party on Monday? And why? Just needing some fall help here. Thanks!


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## tjcrabb

I have been looking into doing the happiest haunts tour again and it looks like the price has gone up on that too.  Thankfully it isn't as much as the party, just 5.00 per person. I understand that prices go up and that it is a natural progression but it is getting to the point that I am getting priced out. Anyway assuming that they do things relatively the same as last year they will do it every night starting 9/11 people can start booking on wednesday (30 days out) just FYI. I am not sure why the disney blog doesn't start promoting it until a few days before halloween starts.


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## Kiotzu

Curious how things work for people who are in the park on the days of the party but do not have tickets. Are attractions still open to people without the party tickets or no?


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## Sherry E

PinkBudgie said:


> Need help for NOT going to the Halloween Party. So I put in at work to take off Sept 28 and 29. My thinking is drive down Sat morning. Go to the parks Sun and Monday. Drive back Tuesday. We plan to take our college age boys with us. There is a party on Monday night but I'm thinking we won't go. We'll already have to pay for the boys since they don't have APs. Plus their food! The amount they can eat is scary! And we just took an Alaskan cruise in addition to spending a week at DLR this summer. So not sure I want to spend extra money on the party right now. Will DCA be full of people who won't be in DL for the party? I wanted to see the fall offerings at DLR since I never have before. It isn't easy for teachers to leave work in September but we are going to try this year! Any advice on touring in 2 days in the fall? One son hasn't seen Carsland yet. The other has been more recently. My goals are to see HMH (again) and Ghost Galaxy on Space.
> Or do you really really think it is worth it to go to the party on Monday? And why? Just needing some fall help here. Thanks!



Well, the truth of the matter is that the fall/Halloween Time offerings are thin -- unless something new is going to be added in to surprise us all this year.  The Halloween Carnival appears to not be returning -- but worse than that is the fact that some of the individual elements of the Carnival don't appear to be returning either (even in different locations), such as Pirates League, the Pumpkin Carvers and the Conjure a Villain tent (even though I'm sure that at least a couple of Villains will be out and about in the daytime, somewhere in DL).

We really don't know how much the 60th anniversary is going to impact the Halloween Time decorations on Main Street, or event the usual Halloween-themed window displays on Main Street.  There are supposedly going to be "sparking" new Halloween/Diamond decorations somewhere, but I guarantee that those will not be all over Disneyland, and they may be nothing more than sparkly pumpkins on the lampposts.   Ordinarily, once you get past Main Street you have to go to Frontierland before you find more decorations, or to NOS for HMH, and even then the biggest concentration of Halloween décor in Frontierland was at the Carnival/Round-Up.  Even if the Carnival s not open, I hope that there will still be some décor in that general area. Other than that, you have the Dia de los Muertos display and the Ray Bradbury Halloween Tree.  And SMGG in Tomorrowland.  

So, I guess my point is that, by removing more things from the daytime array of Halloween fun, the Halloween Party becomes more necessary to have a complete Halloween experience!   Paint the Night is not a party exclusive, but you'll see the Cadaver Dans, Halloween Screams, some characters who are less common, etc.  I don't think that the price of MHP should have gone up so much for what is being offered, but the MHP becomes more important and valuable when the daytime pickings get slimmer, unfortunately.

DCA does get more crowded with people who leave DL when the party begins, but DCA can handle extra people much better than DL, so I don't think it ever feels packed to the brim like DL can feel.



Kiotzu said:


> Curious how things work for people who are in the park on the days of the party but do not have tickets. Are attractions still open to people without the party tickets or no?



Yes -- you can ride Haunted Mansion Holiday and Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy during the day without going to the party, but if you don't have an MHP ticket you'd have to leave the park when the party starts (at either 6 p.m. or 7 p.m.).  Cast Members will begin diligently checking for wristbands.


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## StyledSugar

Sherry E said:


> I would get the MHP tickets now or as soon as possible, before they sell out for whatever night you want.  A discounted hotel room may not come along until next month, and the MHP night you want could be gone by then.  The onsite hotels will probably have a very limited number of tickets available to guests on the mornings of the actual parties, but they wouldn't be discounted.
> 
> Yes, I have booked onsite hotels and then changed my reservation when a discount came along.  I have changed the number of nights I was staying.  I've changed hotels.  I've changed from one type of discount to another.  I've changed from one weekend to another.  Disney honored the discounts and changes after I booked, but every year they could do something different and stop allowing those changes.    I think that, more than likely, as long as you book a room-only reservation (don't include tickets with it or anything), they should be able to easily apply a discount if one comes along after the fact.  It's when you book a package that things get a little trickier.
> 
> There are usually discounts for AP holders and for the general public on hotels every year (with the exception of 2012).  Some people on this board have recently said that they were told that there are no more AP discounts on rooms, and that the discounts are just going to be available to everyone.  I don't know if that was bad information given to them, or if it is true.  Last year there was a special AP Fall rate, and a different Fall discount rate for the general public (the former was a slightly larger savings than the latter).  However, these discounts are covering fewer dates and time frames.  I would imagine that a Fall discount will come along in September, and will cover very specific time frames in October, November and December, but it will also exclude a lot of dates.




Thank you Sherry. I think I will just go ahead and book it but keep checking the prices for a discount to apply later. I will make sure to ask if they will honor a new price down the road.


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## Brancaneve

Hello my Halloween Friends...... Has anyone recieved their tickets? I purchased mine on the first day of the AP/DVC discount and everyday I check the mail hoping to find them and NOTHING.


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## Kiotzu

Sherry E said:


> Yes -- you can ride Haunted Mansion Holiday and Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy during the day without going to the party, but if you don't have an MHP ticket you'd have to leave the park when the party starts (at either 6 p.m. or 7 p.m.).  Cast Members will begin diligently checking for wristbands.



We will only be at the parks for one party day so would it be smart to go to DCA during that day? or will we face absurd crowd levels? We also have a day at Universal that maybe would be smart to use that day.


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## Spyral

Brancaneve said:


> Hello my Halloween Friends...... Has anyone recieved their tickets? I purchased mine on the first day of the AP/DVC discount and everyday I check the mail hoping to find them and NOTHING.



I too ordered the first day.  Received them in the mail this past Friday (I'm in AZ).


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## Sherry E

Kiotzu said:


> We will only be at the parks for one party day so would it be smart to go to DCA during that day? or will we face absurd crowd levels? We also have a day at Universal that maybe would be smart to use that day.



So you will have another day at Disneyland that is not a party day, or would that be your only day at Disneyland?  if you have another day to do Disneyland without a party cutting the day short, then you could go to DCA on the party day (it will be a bit crowded, but not absurd in DCA) -- but you may not need a full day in DCA.  A lot of people don't see DCA as a full-day park, but I guess it all depends on the person.  Universal might be a good idea for that day.


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## Kiotzu

Sherry E said:


> So you will have another day at Disneyland that is not a party day, or would that be your only day at Disneyland?  if you have another day to do Disneyland without a party cutting the day short, then you could go to DCA on the party day (it will be a bit crowded, but not absurd in DCA) -- but you may not need a full day in DCA.  A lot of people don't see DCA as a full-day park, but I guess it all depends on the person.  Universal might be a good idea for that day.



We are staying at the Fairfield Inn by Marriott from the 16th - 22nd of October, DTD the evening of the 16th, then 3 days at DLR, one day at Universal with the option of a second but will probably be driving down to San Diego for a day and since we have 3 day passes for DLR, we will have more than one day at Disneyland . I think that we probably spend the day at Universal then.


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## PinkBudgie

Thanks for your help Sherry. Sounds like of the all years to pick going in the fall, I picked a not as good year. Do you think PTN will be just crazy packed crowds during the party as they are on a regular day? I would think people would not want to spend the entire party sitting on Main Street but who knows. Do they say yet what time the party ends? 

I will check with the boys. Maybe if they want to go, they can pay for the party themselves. That might help. If we do go, it may have to be only if tickets are still available mid September. Before that their schedule may be a little iffy and can't commit.


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## Sherry E

PinkBudgie said:


> Thanks for your help Sherry. Sounds like of the all years to pick going in the fall, I picked a not as good year. Do you think PTN will be just crazy packed crowds during the party as they are on a regular day? I would think people would not want to spend the entire party sitting on Main Street but who knows. Do they say yet what time the party ends?
> 
> I will check with the boys. Maybe if they want to go, they can pay for the party themselves. That might help. If we do go, it may have to be only if tickets are still available mid September. Before that their schedule may be a little iffy and can't commit.



On the nights that MHP starts at 6 p.m., it ends at 11 p.m.  On the nights it starts at 7 p.m., it ends at midnight.

I think you're right -- a lot of people won't want to spend their party time waiting for a parade, especially a parade that can be seen on any other night outside of the party, and that is not exclusive to MHP.  At the same time, I can see some people thinking, "I'll wait to see Paint the Night at Mickey's Halloween Party, when it's less crowded."  And, therefore, a lot of people will end up waiting to see it during MHP because they will assume it will be less crazy than on a regular non-party night.

I don't think the crowds would be the same as they are on a regular night -- let's hope not since those tickets are not cheap! -- but the party did not seem as un-crowded as I would have hoped it to seem.  In other words, it's not going to be crazy like New Year's Eve or something, but there are more people at the party than I think there should be for an expensive hard ticket event.  A lot of those people congregate and wait for the Halloween Screams fireworks, and I suppose that many of them will also wait for the parade.


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## Self-Rescuing Princess

First thank you everyone for all the info.

For years I have read but not participated. This year I decided it was time to say 'Hi"

I have the dumb question of the day. How tickets per night for each are sold for the Halloween party . I mean compared to an average day, how ham people will be there once only ticketed people are left? We are taking our 5 year old to Halloween night( got our tickets already) and we are just curious.

We went last year in the end of Sept and got more candy then we knew what to do and didn't even hot every line. Had a blast.


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## tjcrabb

Self-Rescuing Princess said:


> I have the dumb question of the day. How tickets per night for each are sold for the Halloween party ..



Its not a dumb question at all its just that the only person who actually knows that info is disney. They do not release actual numbers of attendees. The theory is that there are probably a little more tickets sold halloween night than other parties. Will it be busy? Definitely, but not as busy as a regular park day or so I assume.


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## keishashadow

sorry if this is OT but now I need to figure out which regular park tickets to purchase for DH & myself.  Any DL decision comes hard to me

Appears to be a difference of approx. $50 for us to do PHs.  I realize the parks are a short stroll apart but honestly don't recall hopping much our last visit but that was right before Cars opened.  I do recall years ago merrily gathering FPs early on in the day then using them at our leisure .  too bad that loophole went poof.

Think I will skip buying a day of tix for our MHP day.  Since we can enter @ 3 pm, might as well enjoy the pool and catch our breath.  We still would have 3 other days (arrival date is 1/2 day) and I plan on doing the early entry when available.


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## Sherry E

Self-Rescuing Princess said:


> First thank you everyone for all the info.
> 
> For years I have read but not participated. This year I decided it was time to say 'Hi"
> 
> I have the dumb question of the day. How tickets per night for each are sold for the Halloween party . I mean compared to an average day, how ham people will be there once only ticketed people are left? We are taking our 5 year old to Halloween night( got our tickets already) and we are just curious.
> 
> We went last year in the end of Sept and got more candy then we knew what to do and didn't even hot every line. Had a blast.



Welcome! 

I'm so glad you decided to join us and say hello, and you made this thread your first stop!  

It's not a dumb question at all -- I think it is a very typical question that makes sense, given the fact that the parties are not quiet and uncrowded.

I only wish someone knew the answer!  There has never really been any solid, reliable info to clue us in to how many tickets are sold, or what the maximum number of party guests could be.  I would guess that, on some nights, the same number of tickets might be sold, and on other nights there could be more.  There could also be giveaways/comp tickets (tickets that people win in contests, or that they get through their jobs or from other sources).  Then there are probably nights for which people buy tickets, and then they can't go at the last minute.  

One way to look at is that, on a regular crowded day in Disneyland, not only are all of the common walkways and thoroughfares packed with people (we all know what Adventureland is like on a bad day), the lines for most rides are long and filled with people too.  There are people packed into every available space.    At a Halloween Party, while there are a lot of people in a lot of the common walkways, many of the lines for many of the rides are very short, if not walk-ons.   And the lines for characters and candy are generally shorter than the lines for really popular rides.  So, right there, we can see any area where there is a lack of people.  But I don't think anyone knows an actual number, really -- and the parties seem pretty busy.


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## Self-Rescuing Princess

Thanks. We did the 24 and week before christmas so we can handle busy. And from what I saw last year it's really New Orleans Square were the worst is. We were done with two huge bags of candy before we even got there. All we had to wait for was to see Jack and Sally. Hope they will be out a  few days before so we can get that done then.

Did I read that they got rid of the AP treat trail? Heck, I did't even know they had that till I read it here. LOL

Is it definite about the carnival? That is to bad. Last year my daughter got to sit down and draw with Mickey. It was awesome they drew on the same page for  like five minutes. Is the villain summoning going too? We saw Cruella last year.


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## stephanie22

I'm so excited! We bought our tickets for legoland today, and then on Friday we will be buying the tickets for Disneyland! Now we just need to figure out what our costumes for the two parties were doing will be. 
Any suggestions for someone who can't sew? Last year ds was 2.5 and went as Captain Hook, I was Mr. Smee, and dh was bones from jake and the never land pirates. Cast members knew who ds and I were but not dh lol. They called him mr. Smees friend.


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## Sherry E

keishashadow said:


> sorry if this is OT but now I need to figure out which regular park tickets to purchase for DH & myself.  Any DL decision comes hard to me
> 
> Appears to be a difference of approx. $50 for us to do PHs.  I realize the parks are a short stroll apart but honestly don't recall hopping much our last visit but that was right before Cars opened.  I do recall years ago merrily gathering FPs early on in the day then using them at our leisure .  too bad that loophole went poof.
> 
> Think I will skip buying a day of tix for our MHP day.  Since we can enter @ 3 pm, might as well enjoy the pool and catch our breath.  We still would have 3 other days (arrival date is 1/2 day) and I plan on doing the early entry when available.



I think that your plan for the day of the party is a good one!  Relax and enjoy the pool! 

Do you think you might get one-park-per-day tickets instead of Hoppers?  The savings is significant if you don't think you will be hopping.  When I have not had an AP, I've preferred to have Hoppers to have the option of Hopping.  I liked having that flexibility in case I got to one park and changed my mind and wanted to be in the other park.  It came in handy for those occasions.  At the same time, I have also found that there were times when I thought I would be hopping, but I ended up staying in one park for the whole day.  So I think I could get by without hopping if I had to, and to save money.



Self-Rescuing Princess said:


> Thanks. We did the 24 and week before christmas so we can handle busy. And from what I saw last year it's really New Orleans Square were the worst is. We were done with two huge bags of candy before we even got there. All we had to wait for was to see Jack and Sally. Hope they will be out a  few days before so we can get that done then.
> 
> Did I read that they got rid of the AP treat trail? Heck, I did't even know they had that till I read it here. LOL
> 
> Is it definite about the carnival? That is to bad. Last year my daughter got to sit down and draw with Mickey. It was awesome they drew on the same page for  like five minutes. Is the villain summoning going too? We saw Cruella last year.



The AP treat trail was brand new last year, so I am guessing it will be back again this year in some way.

The Halloween Carnival news is not something that Disney announced or publicized -- they wouldn't want to draw attention to it not returning -- but all of the info that I have found out (both behind the scenes info and the fact that the Parks Blog said that Pirates League is not returning this year) points to no Carnival.  Again, it's not something that Disney will broadcast -- and if questioned on it they will talk around it, ignore it, or try to focus on what IS going to be back -- but all signs indicate that there will not be a Carnival this year.

My guess is that there will be Villains out and about somewhere in Disneyland, as well as characters in costume -- but just not at the Carnival.  Hopefully the little log cabin/Scare-Dy-Crow Shack will be decorated, at least!


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## violentlyserene

Does the likely lack of carnival mean there will be no crafts  or anything  for kids? I guess that doesnt really affect the party but it puts a damper on my excitement.


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## Self-Rescuing Princess

Yeah, My little one really liked that part. And it was a nice breather. It's quiet back there and a little creepy. lol


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## Sherry E

I suppose the Halloween crafts could always be moved elsewhere -- though I'm not sure where.  There has to be somewhere between the two parks!   Maybe there will be things like the crafts set up somewhere, but they just won't call it a "Carnival," and won't have pumpkin carvers or Pirates League, or the Conjure a Villain tent.  

If we could even get just the little cabin decorated, and the little area immediately around the cabin and the petting zoo decorated-- that would be better than nothing.  It wouldn't be a Carnival, but at least it would feel like it was part of Halloween Time.


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## Dee2015

Wow, just read your work - Disney should pay you for this and give you a free ticket!

So now I have a new question...what has been done in previous years for this celebration?  Sounds like something else we should be embracing/experiencing 

*Sunday, November 1st – Monday, November 2nd* – Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead)

***Waiting on details of Tortilla Jo’s (Downtown Disney) Dia de los Muertos celebration.** *


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## Sherry E

Dee2015 said:


> Wow, just read your work - Disney should pay you for this and give you a free ticket!
> 
> So now I have a new question...what has been done in previous years for this celebration?  Sounds like something else we should be embracing/experiencing
> 
> *Sunday, November 1st – Monday, November 2nd* – Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead)
> 
> ***Waiting on details of Tortilla Jo’s (Downtown Disney) Dia de los Muertos celebration.** *



Thank you! :  And yes -- I agree!  They should!   I have promoted their Halloween Time and Holiday seasons all for the love of it, and for free!  

Last year was the first year I became aware of TJ's doing something for Dia de los Muertos, though I suspect they have probably celebrated it all along and just didn't advertise it too well.  They had a special menu for 2 or 3 days, and they had face painting and crafts for kids, as well as music, I think.  Also, Rancho del Zocalo in Disneyland should have some special Dia de los Muertos items on the menu too.

The Dia de los Muertos display in Frontierland is up all through Halloween Time, though -- even though Day of the Dead is not celebrated until November 1st.


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## Ellester

So sad that PotC will be down during our trip (9/19-26). We are WDW people and this will be our first and maybe only time to DL, PotC was one of the main reasons I wanted to go. It won't ruin the trip but I am super disappointed. Oh well, onward and upward right? It will still be a great vacation!!!!!! And I am excited about MHP, HM and all the other things that will be new for us!!


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## keishashadow

Sherry E said:


> I think that your plan for the day of the party is a good one!  Relax and enjoy the pool!
> 
> *Do you think you might get one-park-per-day tickets instead of Hoppers?*  The savings is significant if you don't think you will be hopping.  When I have not had an AP, I've preferred to have Hoppers to have the option of Hopping.  I liked having that flexibility in case I got to one park and changed my mind and wanted to be in the other park.  It came in handy for those occasions.  At the same time, I have also found that there were times when I thought I would be hopping, but I ended up staying in one park for the whole day.  So I think I could get by without hopping if I had to, and to save money.
> !



yes, was thinking the one park per day might work well for us.  Trying to trim the fat a bit on the trip.  Was thinking other than possibly missing out on the extra hour early entry, we'd likely be happy to spend 1 day @ CA & 2 @ DL.  Not sure if the DL tix are upgradeable at Guest Services if we do change our mind and would want to PH, especially as i'll be purchasing our tix thru the convention link.

I'm trying to be patient and wait for both DL & USH to release their park hours.  WDW & USO have me so conditioned to jump thru the hoops early, this last minute planning is stressful.  Sounds crazy but true lol.


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## Self-Rescuing Princess

So is that area just going to be closed or used for photo ops??


----------



## keishashadow

Ellester said:


> So sad that PotC will be down during our trip (9/19-26). We are WDW people and this will be our first and maybe only time to DL, PotC was one of the main reasons I wanted to go. It won't ruin the trip but I am super disappointed. Oh well, onward and upward right? It will still be a great vacation!!!!!! And I am excited about MHP, HM and all the other things that will be new for us!!



aw, that's a shame.  I understand completely.  You have the right attitude.


----------



## PinkBudgie

In discussing pros and cons of the party with my family another question came up. Is it worth it to have shorter hours on Monday (it seems the parks could open as late at 10am, DCA may close at 8pm. Looking at past years) in order to have maybe lighter crowds on a Monday during the day? We could change it to go to the parks on Sat and Sun and skip the party but are weekends during this time very crowded. At least they would have longer hours. This July was really crowded for July because of the 60th. (But still not as bad as New Year's Day.)  How are crowds normally on a weekend or weekday at the end of September?


----------



## Kilala

Sherry do you anything about Innoventions building yet? Will they have to ope for treat trails in October?


----------



## tkitty

Tickets are finely here! I ordered on 7/22 Visa over the phone but have been away for a couple nights. Took a while but now we're all set!


----------



## Dee2015

> Last year was the first year I became aware of TJ's doing something for Dia de los Muertos, though I suspect they have probably celebrated it all along and just didn't advertise it too well.  They had a special menu for 2 or 3 days, and they had face painting and crafts for kids, as well as music, I think.  Also, Rancho del Zocalo in Disneyland should have some special Dia de los Muertos items on the menu too.



I bet the face painting looked fab - I have liked their FB page and will keep an eye out for any announcements.

I've also just downloaded the new Disney app - looks fantastic. I'm wondering if there is a forum discussing this. Off to have a look now. I live in this thread (and on TA), have never ventured further on DIS....yet


----------



## Spyral

Dee2015 said:


> I bet the face painting looked fab - I have liked their FB page and will keep an eye out for any announcements.
> 
> I've also just downloaded the new Disney app - looks fantastic. I'm wondering if there is a forum discussing this. Off to have a look now. I live in this thread (and on TA), have never ventured further on DIS....yet




There is a thread here about the new Disneyland App: http://www.disboards.com/threads/new-disneyland-app-is-up-and-running.3435497/


----------



## Sherry E

I just had to giggle for a moment.  The MiceChat people are JUST NOW, JUST TODAY figuring out that there are no pumpkin carvers at Disneyland this year, and no Halloween Carnival.  JUST NOW!

When did I first break the news here, in this thread?  Was it... at least 2 weeks ago, if not longer?

That's right -- DISboards scooped MiceChat on that one!!!!  Hee hee!!!! Score!     


Edited to add: I just checked -- I broke the news on July 24th!!!!!!!

​
I forgot to mention earlier that MiceChat's/MiceAge's Dateline Disneyland has a lot of photos of some of this year's Halloween merchandise at DLR -- http://micechat.com/107769-disneyland-mobile-app/.  You have to scroll  down to get to the photos, but they're there.  Much of what is shown is the standard Halloween Time fare that you'd see every year, or very similar.  There are a few new and interesting things -- I think the lantern decals featuring the different lands are new, and they are quite cool!


----------



## Self-Rescuing Princess

OH, I love the candy dish and lanterns.

Are these at DL now? Will be there this weekend. Last year by the time Halloween rolled around it was slim pickings.


----------



## Sherry E

Self-Rescuing Princess said:


> OH, I love the candy dish and lanterns.
> 
> Are these at DL now? Will be there this weekend. Last year by the time Halloween rolled around it was slim pickings.



Yes -- I think that the article is implying that those items were seen and photographed at DLR sometime in the last week.

They start to get their Halloween things in so early, that a lot of the items are gone by the time 10/31 rolls around.  The same thing happens with holiday merchandise -- it starts to appear before Halloween Time ends, and some of it is gone by the time Christmas arrives.


----------



## Sherry E

Now the MiceChat folks -- who just caught on today that there will be no pumpkin carvers, 2.5 weeks after I revealed it here in this thread   -- are speculating that the pumpkin carvers are not coming back because of the drought's effect on pumpkins this year.  

Now... it's not that there isn't some logic  to that theory, and it would make sense if ONLY the carvers were not coming back, but.... there's also no Pirates League, no Conjure a Villain tent, and apparently no decorators needed at the specific Carnival location (probably no fortuneteller and no entertainment either, I suppose)!  That is not ALL drought-related, of course.   And Santa Claus is back in his cabin for the holidays which likely means no Jingle Jangle Jamboree.  That would not be drought-related either.

So... clearly, we have several choices as to what could be the reason for no Halloween Carnival in Frontierland:

1.  Disney is being cheap -- er, um... 'frugal' -- since they spent so much money on the 60th anniversary;

2.  Disney doesn't want to have anything in that location this year because they feel it will detract from the 60th anniversary; 

3.  They need that space for something else this year (storage, rehearsals, etc.); or

4.  It is going to be involved in future development in the park (Star Wars Land or whatever).


----------



## dotfurio

(Sorry if these have been asked - I skimmed and didn't see them)

I haven't been to MHP in a few years and I have a couple questions:
1.  I have tickets for the 16th and we were going to stay the night, but now find out DD may have to be back in town early Sat morning, so we're thinking of leaving the party about an hour early to get a head start back home.  If we do that, will we miss much that last hour?

2.  How early in the day do people wear costumes?  Can we wear them when we get there late morning, or should we plan on changing when MHP ticket holders are allowed in around 4?


----------



## SeattleSuz

Hoping to purchase our tickets for the 9.30 party next week (DH has a deal worked out with DD to "earn" her party, so I have to wait).  Hopefully, tickets are still plentiful for that night.  Middle of the week, probably pretty safe still, right?


----------



## Sherry E

Self-Rescuing Princess said:


> So is that area just going to be closed or used for photo ops??



No one knows, because I don't think anyone expected that Carnival/Jamboree/Festival Arena area to be closed.  All I can guess is that, if what I learned was accurate and that Santa Claus will be back inside his log cabin for photos this year, then there is a chance that the little cabin/Scare-Dy-Crow Shack will be there for Halloween Time, and there may be photos ops around that specific area (which is also right by the petting zoo).  In other words, if there is a plan for the little cabin during the holiday season, I don't see why it can't be decorated for Halloween -- even if the actual Carnival is not happening.

MiceAge is claiming in their latest Update -- http://micechat.com/108619-disneyland-rumors-starwars/  -- that the plans are going forward with a Star Wars Land that will wipe out Toontown, the Festival Arena and the Circle D Ranch.  However, they don't think it will be announced at D23 this weekend.  IF they are correct, chances are, I doubt that any work would be done on that area until next year, at the earliest -- and they may have to wait through all of the El Nino rain before they can get anything done.

So... in the meantime, why would the Festival Arena be closed this year?  It seems that it could be used for something.  But... as I have been saying over in the Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread, my hunch -- and it is only a theory, which could be completely wrong -- is that, due to the Star Wars premiere that is coming to the Magic Eye Theater, and whatever else may be done to the theater, the Candlelight Ceremony people won't have a place to rehearse.  They usually rehearse in the Magic Eye Theater.  The Candlelight Ceremony is a tradition of more than 50 years.  I doubt it would be shelved, but the performers would need a new place to rehearse in the weeks and months leading up to December.

Hmm... where could they rehearse that is an open space, closed off to the public, with a stage?  You guessed it!   The Festival Arena!!!





PinkBudgie said:


> In discussing pros and cons of the party with my family another question came up. Is it worth it to have shorter hours on Monday (it seems the parks could open as late at 10am, DCA may close at 8pm. Looking at past years) in order to have maybe lighter crowds on a Monday during the day? We could change it to go to the parks on Sat and Sun and skip the party but are weekends during this time very crowded. At least they would have longer hours. This July was really crowded for July because of the 60th. (But still not as bad as New Year's Day.)  How are crowds normally on a weekend or weekday at the end of September?



The crowds pick up when Mickey's Halloween Party begins, so I would expect that the weekends will be pretty busy -- especially if people who are not going to the MHP are trying to squeeze in all of their Disneyland activities earlier in the day!  It won't be like New Year's Eve busy, but it will be busy.



Kilala said:


> Sherry do you anything about Innoventions building yet? Will they have to ope for treat trails in October?



I have no clue -- but take a peek at the MiceAge Update that I linked above.  It sounds like the original plans for Innoventions somehow fell through, but I think that it is still going to be used for something Star Wars-related or Marvel-related this year.  I would nto be shocked if there is no treat trail there this year.



dotfurio said:


> (Sorry if these have been asked - I skimmed and didn't see them)
> 
> I haven't been to MHP in a few years and I have a couple questions:
> 1.  I have tickets for the 16th and we were going to stay the night, but now find out DD may have to be back in town early Sat morning, so we're thinking of leaving the party about an hour early to get a head start back home.  If we do that, will we miss much that last hour?
> 
> 2.  How early in the day do people wear costumes?  Can we wear them when we get there late morning, or should we plan on changing when MHP ticket holders are allowed in around 4?



I think that what you'd miss in the last hour would be lighter crowds, as a lot of people will clear out after the fireworks and parade.  I don't know when the Paint the Night parade will run during the party, so there is a chance you could miss it... but probably not.

Technically, people are not supposed to be wearing costumes in Disneyland until 3 p.m. or 4 p.m., depending on when the MHP ticket allows entry that day.  However, I think that Disney has relaxed the rules a bit, as people have reported seeing costumes before 3 p.m. or 4 p.m.  I probably wouldn't try to get away with elaborate, cumbersome costumes in the morning,  but you might be able to get away with costumes well before 4 p.m. (if 4 p.m. is your entry time).



SeattleSuz said:


> Hoping to purchase our tickets for the 9.30 party next week (DH has a deal worked out with DD to "earn" her party, so I have to wait).  Hopefully, tickets are still plentiful for that night.  Middle of the week, probably pretty safe still, right?



Probably so.  I think you'll be okay  -- but, honestly, seeing how fast Halloween night sold out this year, it's hard to say.  It's hard to predict what the ticket buyers will do.  It's quite possible that Disney increased the number of tickets sold for each party this year, which would mean that they might not sell out right away.  I think that the combo of Halloween night and Saturday was destined to attract a lot of people (even more than a Friday MHP).


----------



## justgrace

Sherry E said:


> I just had to giggle for a moment.  The MiceChat people are JUST NOW, JUST TODAY figuring out that there are no pumpkin carvers at Disneyland this year, and no Halloween Carnival.  JUST NOW!
> 
> When did I first break the news here, in this thread?  Was it... at least 2 weeks ago, if not longer?
> 
> That's right -- DISboards scooped MiceChat on that one!!!!  Hee hee!!!! Score!
> 
> 
> Edited to add: I just checked -- I broke the news on July 24th!!!!!!!
> 
> ​
> I forgot to mention earlier that MiceChat's/MiceAge's Dateline Disneyland has a lot of photos of some of this year's Halloween merchandise at DLR -- http://micechat.com/107769-disneyland-mobile-app/.  You have to scroll  down to get to the photos, but they're there.  Much of what is shown is the standard Halloween Time fare that you'd see every year, or very similar.  There are a few new and interesting things -- I think the lantern decals featuring the different lands are new, and they are quite cool!



Wow there!! Don't be hating on my MiceChat! I love that site!!


----------



## Sherry E

justgrace said:


> Wow there!! Don't be hating on my MiceChat! I love that site!!



Who's hating?  I always give them credit when I read a rumor or an article from them -- and I link it here, which is very nice of me to do... seeing that we are a competing board.

But the fact remains that I beat them to the punch on this one -- there is no getting around that fact -- and that they don't seem to be aware that the whole Carnival is not happening.  They only just caught on to the lack of pumpkin carvers.

You have to give credit where credit is due -- and, in this case, I scooped them and beat them to the punch!


----------



## nicolispicoli

Sherry E said:


> Now the MiceChat folks -- who just caught on today that there will be no pumpkin carvers, 2.5 weeks after I revealed it here in this thread   -- are speculating that the pumpkin carvers are not coming back because of the drought's effect on pumpkins this year.
> 
> Now... it's not that there isn't some logic  to that theory, and it would make sense if ONLY the carvers were not coming back, but.... there's also no Pirates League, no Conjure a Villain tent, and apparently no decorators needed at the specific Carnival location (probably no fortuneteller and no entertainment either, I suppose)!  That is not ALL drought-related, of course.   And Santa Claus is back in his cabin for the holidays which likely means no Jingle Jangle Jamboree.  That would not be drought-related either.
> 
> So... clearly, we have several choices as to what could be the reason for no Halloween Carnival in Frontierland:
> 
> 1.  Disney is being cheap -- er, um... 'frugal' -- since they spent so much money on the 60th anniversary;
> 
> 2.  Disney doesn't want to have anything in that location this year because they feel it will detract from the 60th anniversary;
> 
> 3.  They need that space for something else this year (storage, rehearsals, etc.); or
> 
> 4.  It is going to be involved in future development in the park (Star Wars Land or whatever).


 
Ugh, that's a real bummer. I've recently come to love that little area during Halloweentime and Holidaytime. It seemed that when we went, which attendance was already what I consider low in the parks, those areas were sooooo nice and quiet. We loved hanging back there with my dd4, the crafts were always fun and I always feel like the character interactions back there are so much nicer than anywhere else in the parks. I was excited to head back there for Halloweentime next month. Boooo Disney!


----------



## Sherry E

nicolispicoli said:


> Ugh, that's a real bummer. I've recently come to love that little area during Halloweentime and Holidaytime. It seemed that when we went, which attendance was already what I consider low in the parks, those areas were sooooo nice and quiet. We loved hanging back there with my dd4, the crafts were always fun and I always feel like the character interactions back there are so much nicer than anywhere else in the parks. I was excited to head back there for Halloweentime next month. Boooo Disney!



I really think and thought that the Halloween Carnival is essential to the Halloween Time season, as Halloween Time is thin to begin with.  Charging more money for MHP tickets does not a fully developed Halloween Time season make!

Even beyond the Carnival, though, there is the possibility of no Jingle Jangle Jamboree -- I'm not entirely sure about that yet, though.  If I am right in my hunch/theory that the Candlelight folks could need that space to rehearse this year, there probably would not be a JJJ.  if I'm wrong, there could be a JJJ -- although I don't see why there would be a JJJ if there is no Halloween Carnival.

And even beyond the holiday season... that whole Festival Arena just recently became the Springtime Roundup (it started in 2014 and returned this year), where the egg decorators were stationed (and one of those decorators is also a pumpkin carver).  There have to be egg decorators somewhere in Disneyland Resort!

So the loss of that Festival Arena to a Star Wars Land or whatever is coming means a big impact on 3 different holiday seasons too!  Halloween, Christmas and Easter -- all diminished a bit, because of the lack of a Festival Arena (IF MiceAge is correct about the coming Star Wars Land).


----------



## Sherry E

Oh -- by the way!    The Pumpkin Pandemonium Reign of Terror continues!!!  Spotted on Shelves:   Fiber One Limited Edition 90 Calorie Pumpkin Bar - http://www.theimpulsivebuy.com/word...r-one-limited-edition-90-calorie-pumpkin-bar/!


----------



## justgrace

Sherry E said:


> Who's hating?  I always give them credit when I read a rumor or an article from them -- and I link it here, which is very nice of me to do... seeing that we are a competing board.
> 
> But the fact remains that I beat them to the punch on this one -- there is no getting around that fact -- and that they don't seem to be aware that the whole Carnival is not happening.  They only just caught on to the lack of pumpkin carvers.
> 
> You have to give credit where credit is due -- and, in this case, I scooped them and beat them to the punch!



I was just joking!!!  I love both the DISboard's big superthreads that you have on here (always super helpful!) and MiceChat's MiceAge articles which always have the latest (mostly confirmed) rumors and the like. So I guess I need to give you credit for having Superthreads on Halloween and Christmas as well, which MiceChat doesn't have!     Halloweentime doesn't get as much love on MiceChat as on the DISboards, which I think is why a newer member posted that they just saw it on Facebook. Much easier to find info on the DISboards via superthreads!


----------



## Sherry E

justgrace said:


> I was just joking!!!  I love both the DISboard's big superthreads that you have on here (always super helpful!) and MiceChat's MiceAge articles which always have the latest (mostly confirmed) rumors and the like. So I guess I need to give you credit for having Superthreads on Halloween and Christmas as well, which MiceChat doesn't have!     Halloweentime doesn't get as much love on MiceChat as on the DISboards, which I think is why a newer member posted that they just saw it on Facebook. Much easier to find info on the DISboards via superthreads!



Oh, I know you were just joking!  It's all in good fun and friendly competition (between sites)!  I love to read their rumors and tidbits of info  -- I was glad to finally see a big Update this morning -- and their endless threads about what they would change at DLR!      I peek in on all of the Disney discussion sites, but MiceChat is the only one that I really keep going back to.

I have noticed that they are not as holiday focused all year long, so a lot of the news and info may not get to them until later -- unless MiceAge releases an update.  Of course, in today's MiceAge Update, it was mentioned that the Christmas parade may move over to DCA this year -- which is something I did not know or even consider!  I knew that the parade was returning, but I thought it might run on a limited schedule in DL -- it never even dawned on me that it could be in DCA.  So, if MiceAge is right, I have to tip my hat to them because that is big news!  In fact, I can't even envision ACFP in DCA, to be honest.


----------



## mrsw94

Finally got caught up on a good chunk of this.  Thanks Sherry for keeping it so up to date!!  We are headed to see the Mouse in October.  First to Legoland, and then Disneyland.  We arrive in DL on the Tue the 20th.  In the parks Wed-Fri.  Our original plan was to possibly only get single day tickets to save on $$, but with Parties on both Thur and Friday that week, I think we'll do Hoppers.  No party for us.  Can't justify over $300 for characters and trick or treating (my kids think the Halloween Fireworks are too scary).  Now I'm thinking we should pay the extra $100 to add a 1/2 day on Tuesday to increase our chances of seeing Paint the Night and Fireworks.  Decisions, Decisions!!

One question...Does the Pre-Party in Toontown require a Party Wristband?  Just curious....


----------



## tzeitel

In case anyone was interested - the El Capitan Spooktacular parties for Hocus Pocus and Nightmare Before Christmas 4D are sold out!  The Black Cauldron still has availability but not sure for how long.  I am soooo mad at myself for putting off buying the NBC party tickets - thought I had longer than a couple of weeks to get them


----------



## SeattleSuz

Sherry E said:


> Oh -- by the way!    The Pumpkin Pandemonium Reign of Terror continues!!!  Spotted on Shelves:   Fiber One Limited Edition 90 Calorie Pumpkin Bar - http://www.theimpulsivebuy.com/word...r-one-limited-edition-90-calorie-pumpkin-bar/!


 And only 9 grams of sugar.  That's not too terrible.  Might have to pick some of these up when I see them in my local store.


----------



## Sherry E

mrsw94 said:


> Finally got caught up on a good chunk of this.  Thanks Sherry for keeping it so up to date!!  We are headed to see the Mouse in October.  First to Legoland, and then Disneyland.  We arrive in DL on the Tue the 20th.  In the parks Wed-Fri.  Our original plan was to possibly only get single day tickets to save on $$, but with Parties on both Thur and Friday that week, I think we'll do Hoppers.  No party for us.  Can't justify over $300 for characters and trick or treating (my kids think the Halloween Fireworks are too scary).  Now I'm thinking we should pay the extra $100 to add a 1/2 day on Tuesday to increase our chances of seeing Paint the Night and Fireworks.  Decisions, Decisions!!
> 
> One question...Does the Pre-Party in Toontown require a Party Wristband?  Just curious....



If there is a pre-party in Toontown this year (and there should be), a wristband would probably be required.  It would start before the party, but within the period of time when people can enter the parks early with their MHP ticket. I'm sure that Disney would not be handing out candy to guests without a wristband, and there are treat stations there.


----------



## stephanie22

mrsw94 said:


> Finally got caught up on a good chunk of this.  Thanks Sherry for keeping it so up to date!!  We are headed to see the Mouse in October.  First to Legoland, and then Disneyland.  We arrive in DL on the Tue the 20th.  In the parks Wed-Fri.  Our original plan was to possibly only get single day tickets to save on $$, but with Parties on both Thur and Friday that week, I think we'll do Hoppers.  No party for us.  Can't justify over $300 for characters and trick or treating (my kids think the Halloween Fireworks are too scary).  Now I'm thinking we should pay the extra $100 to add a 1/2 day on Tuesday to increase our chances of seeing Paint the Night and Fireworks.  Decisions, Decisions!!
> 
> One question...Does the Pre-Party in Toontown require a Party Wristband?  Just curious....



Last year when we went they checked us for the wristband when we got in line for the Toontown preparty.


----------



## seobaina

El Niño rain? Should I be concerned for oct? I was rained on 8hrs plus a day every day last year in Wdw. Really don't need it this year x


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## Sherry E

seobaina said:


> El Niño rain? Should I be concerned for oct? I was rained on 8hrs plus a day every day last year in Wdw. Really don't need it this year x



Of course I am no weatherman, but my guess is that El Nino won't have a rainy effect on October, and maybe not even November.  It could cause a heat wave or two -- that happens as well -- but I think that the really messy rain (if it happens) will come along in December and carry on through February or March, to varying degrees of intensity.


----------



## kaoden39

Sherry E said:


> Of course I am no weatherman, but my guess is that El Nino won't have a rainy effect on October, and maybe not even November.  It could cause a heat wave or two -- that happens as well -- but I think that the really messy rain (if it happens) will come along in December and carry on through February or March, to varying degrees of intensity.



I'm inclined to agree. I remember an El Niño year that the biggest rain fell in January. It rained everyday that month. How do I remember this? Because we were first married and DH worked for a car wash, he didn't work a single day that month. It was the last month he worked for them too.


----------



## seobaina

Weathermen/women or not that's reassuring. Thank you x


----------



## Kuilima

So I just received my Disney Rewards fall flyer in the mail. On pg. 5 it reads, "Stop by Big Thunder Ranch to meet your favorite Disney Villains at the Halloween Carnival...."
Things that make you go Hmmmmmm.


----------



## kaoden39

I'm sad because to me it looks as though I won't be see any Villains other than Cruella and the Evil Queen because of the changes. We're going to early to go to the party so there goes that too. Sigh, maybe someday.


----------



## Sherry E

kaoden39 said:


> I'm inclined to agree. I remember an El Niño year that the biggest rain fell in January. It rained everyday that month. How do I remember this? Because we were first married and DH worked for a car wash, he didn't work a single day that month. It was the last month he worked for them too.



See, that's an effect of steady rain that most of us would never think of -- someone being out of work every day for a month.   It can cause a lot of problems that are not even considered.   

You're right - indeed, a lot of times the worst of the rain comes along in January through March, but it might start kicking in here and there in the second half of December.  Or, we might see some short-lived storms in December, but we won't get to the non-stop/never lets up kind of rain until January and beyond.



seobaina said:


> Weathermen/women or not that's reassuring. Thank you x



I can't blame you for not wanting to deal with a lot of rain -- while it does keep crowds away, it is messy and inconvenient (especially if you like to take photos and ride outdoor things), and you end sitting in puddles left by other people, which is gross.  I think you'll be spared all of that.



Kuilima said:


> So I just received my Disney Rewards fall flyer in the mail. On pg. 5 it reads, "Stop by Big Thunder Ranch to meet your favorite Disney Villains at the Halloween Carnival...."
> Things that make you go Hmmmmmm.



It does evoke a "Hmmmmm," but I don't put much stock into the Visa/Rewards info.  First of all, I think they write up all of that text well in advance, and things can change after it goes to press.  Even beyond that, last year they reported that Haunted Mansion Holiday would have Fast Passes -- and they indicated that the FPs would be available during Halloween Time.  It was unequivocally untrue -- those FPs did not come along until the holiday season.  They were totally wrong.

Also, again, there is no mention of the Carnival on the DLR website; the decorators were told that nothing is happening there; supposedly the Conjure a Villain tent is not happening (though Villains might be there anyway); there is no Pirates League; and no pumpkin carvers.  So unless it is going to be an all-new Carnival with all new entertainment, or unless it is going to be a half-hearted Carnival with a few characters and nothing else, then I think there will not be a Carnival as we have known it in the past.  But there could be decorations and characters in the Round-Up portion of the area -- not in the Festival Arena, but closer to the little cabin.


----------



## seobaina

Sherry E said:


> I can't blame you for not wanting to deal with a lot of rain -- while it does keep crowds away, it is messy and inconvenient (especially if you like to take photos and ride outdoor things), and you end sitting in puddles left by other people, which is gross.  I think you'll be spared all of that



Im also British and sick of rain  nah I don't mind the odd bit of rain but last year we were soaked all day every day and they closed all the rides due to lightning all the time. I love California and the team I'm travelling with have never been. We're going up to Yosemite, San Fran etc too so praying it's nice and dry and sunny x


----------



## Lauren in NC

So, it looks like we may still be in DL for the first day of Halloween time.  Besides HMH and Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy, is there anything else that would specifically start then?  It sounds like if there's no carnival, it's just going to be decorations and those two rides!


----------



## Sherry E

Lauren in NC said:


> So, it looks like we may still be in DL for the first day of Halloween time.  Besides HMH and Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy, is there anything else that would specifically start then?  It sounds like if there's no carnival, it's just going to be decorations and those two rides!



Whatever is happening for Halloween Time would start on 9/11, except for MHP.

Unless there is some sort of surprise in store -- something that Disney has yet to announce about the Halloween Time season -- then what would be left with are Haunted Mansion Holiday and some "Nightmare Before Christmas"-esque accents and touches in certain places in New Orleans Square (not a lot of them), Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy, the Ray Bradbury Halloween Tree in Frontierland, the Dia de los Muertos display in Frontierland, and some decorations on Main Street (assuming that the "Pumpkin Festival," which is 300+ foam pumpkins on display on Main Street, is still there this year).  Hopefully the giant Mickey pumpkin will be in Town Square, and the Disney character pumpkins will be stationed above the turnstiles.

The Disney Parks Blog indicated that there would be new "sparkling" Halloween décor (to tie in Halloween Time with the Diamond Anniversary), but I don't know where that will be.  I guess it would be on Main Street.

I think that there will be Disney characters in Halloween attire (like Donald dressed as a pumpkin and Goofy as a skeleton or something else) -- but I don't know if they will be back at a non-Carnival version of the Big Thunder Ranch, or if they will be in Town Square.  Same thing with the Villains -- I think that there will be some sort of Villain photo spot/meet & greet set up somewhere, but whether it's back at the non-Carnival Ranch, or in Town Square, is anyone's guess.

Or, there could be an all new kind of Carnival, with new booths and highlights, though that would be inconsistent with the decorators being told that they weren't having anything there this year.  It just doesn't sound like the actual Conjure a Villain tent would be happening, nor would Pirates League, nor would the pumpkin carving -- but maybe they have a new Carnival in mind?


----------



## lorijohnhill

I was looking at the Halloween Haunts tour and noticed that they still don't have dates listed. Does anyone have an idea of when that tour might begin? I know they are having the tour this year, because I was talking with a CM that is developing it. 

Also, any idea how fast they sell out? I was planning to schedule it at the 30 day Mark, but may have to wait now as my husband has become unemployed this week. Ugh! (Prayers will be gratefully accepted).


----------



## Sherry E

lorijohnhill said:


> I was looking at the Halloween Haunts tour and noticed that they still don't have dates listed. Does anyone have an idea of when that tour might begin? I know they are having the tour this year, because I was talking with a CM that is developing it.
> 
> Also, any idea how fast they sell out? I was planning to schedule it at the 30 day Mark, but may have to wait now as my husband has become unemployed this week. Ugh! (Prayers will be gratefully accepted).



I am sending good thoughts and positive vibes your way, in hopes that your husband can find work.  

The Happiest Haunts Tour should begin right when Halloween Time starts -- on 9/11.  Maybe 9/12 at the latest, although I don't really understand why it would start 1 day late.  

I haven't heard of the tours selling out particularly fast -- and if you couldn't get into one tour, you'd be able to get into another tour.  If your tour date is later in September, the booking window wouldn't pop up until 30-ish days (give or take a couple) before that date.


----------



## abbey_maree

Hey everyone!  This is my first post here...I have lurked for a wee while though 
Anyway...my boyfriend & I have just bought our tickets for the October 27 Halloween Party & I'm already beyond excited! 

This will be our third trip to Disneyland (if only it wasn't a 12 hour flight...I'd be there every weekend!) and our first Halloween party!  I just wanted to share my excitement


----------



## Sherry E

abbey_maree said:


> Hey everyone!  This is my first post here...I have lurked for a wee while though
> Anyway...my boyfriend & I have just bought our tickets for the October 27 Halloween Party & I'm already beyond excited!
> 
> This will be our third trip to Disneyland (if only it wasn't a 12 hour flight...I'd be there every weekend!) and our first Halloween party!  I just wanted to share my excitement



Welcome!   I'm so glad you joined us.   Have you been to Disneyland during Halloween Time in the past (just without going to the party), or is this the first Halloween Time experience in general?

I think you'll enjoy the party -- it's a lot of fun, especially to try at least one time!  If only those darn tickets weren't so costly... 

So far there don't appear to be anymore sellouts yet -- only Halloween night is sold out so far.  I expect the onslaught of sellouts to start within the next couple of weeks.


----------



## abbey_maree

Thanks Sherry!  This is our first Halloween experience at Disneyland!  Our other trips were both happened to fall in April, so there was nothing too fancy going on.  It was a tough decision whether to come for Halloween or to wait for the Holiday Season, but Halloween won out this time.  I'm sure we'll be back to experience the holiday season, though.

The tickets are kinda costly, but we don't have a separate park ticket for that day, so I guess it almost works out the same price?

Now to dust off my Snow White costume for the party!


----------



## Sherry E

abbey_maree said:


> Thanks Sherry!  This is our first Halloween experience at Disneyland!  Our other trips were both happened to fall in April, so there was nothing too fancy going on.  It was a tough decision whether to come for Halloween or to wait for the Holiday Season, but Halloween won out this time.  I'm sure we'll be back to experience the holiday season, though.
> 
> The tickets are kinda costly, but we don't have a separate park ticket for that day, so I guess it almost works out the same price?
> 
> Now to dust off my Snow White costume for the party!



The holiday season is not to be missed -- well, usually... I'm not sure what it's going to look like this year, but normally it is great!

I suspect that the reason why Disney keeps hiking up the prices of the MHP tickets is because a lot of people are starting to do that very thing -- use the MHP tickets as their park tickets for that day, and not buy tickets for earlier in the day.  I think that Disney wants to eventually make the MHP ticket almost the price of a one-day/one park ticket, just so they don't feel they are losing anything!


----------



## Abbey1

I'm wondering if there is any sort of rough schedule available for the party events (what time the pre-party starts, paint the night, fireworks etc). Do the fireworks normally start when the party ends? I think I read that its was earlier than closing (11pm on the party night we are attending). Also, is there a map given to party guests of where all of the party features are (treat trails, villains etc.)?


----------



## Sherry E

Abbey1 said:


> I'm wondering if there is any sort of rough schedule available for the party events (what time the pre-party starts, paint the night, fireworks etc). Do the fireworks normally start when the party ends? I think I read that its was earlier than closing (11pm on the party night we are attending). Also, is there a map given to party guests of where all of the party features are (treat trails, villains etc.)?



You'll get a map.

Questions #21 and #22 should help with the map question, times, the pre-party, etc.- http://www.disboards.com/threads/ha...een-night-mhp-sold-out.3270919/#post-51326916

Of course, this year the times could be adjusted for Paint the Night, as it is  full parade and not a little Cavalcade, but you'll get a general idea.


----------



## adamkat

We bought our MHP tickets since Halloween is sold out we are going for our 10th wedding anniversary. Oct 29th.  Any tips for us as this is our first Disney trip and of course first MHP.   Excited!!!


----------



## Sherry E

adamkat said:


> We bought our MHP tickets since Halloween is sold out we are going for our 10th wedding anniversary. Oct 29th.  Any tips for us as this is our first Disney trip and of course first MHP.   Excited!!!



That's wonderful!  You'll have a great time.

Well, one tip that many people suggest is to hold off on collecting candy at the treat trails until the end of the night.  They say that the lines for treats are really short or non-existent at that point.  

I would suggest that, in case you plan to collect a lot of candy, bring an extra bag with you -- like a tote bag or backpack or something -- because the little plastic bag that you will get when you get your wristband is kind of small and doesn't hold a lot,  It's fine for those who don't need a lot of candy, but it fills up very quickly.


----------



## adamkat

Great idea!  We will have our two boys with us8 and 6 they will want lots of candy mom and dad- not so much. lol

Sounds great.   Thanks for your help.   Now to figure out dinner plans that night.  Such a newbie.


----------



## Self-Rescuing Princess

We brought one of those shopper bags you can get at the Disney store, it was filled to the brim, and we did not even hit every line. They give handfuls and then even insist mom and dad have some. They also have healthy treats at ever area.

Those tiny bags the give out tear very easily.


The Plaze Inn is a good place for dinner. It has both pasta and chicken meals for kids. Or Pizza port. I have one little minion and she loves the chicken meal at the plaza inn. Comes with apples and carrots.


----------



## StyledSugar

Sherry E said:


> That's wonderful!  You'll have a great time.
> 
> Well, one tip that many people suggest is to hold off on collecting candy at the treat trails until the end of the night.  They say that the lines for treats are really short or non-existent at that point.
> 
> I would suggest that, in case you plan to collect a lot of candy, bring an extra bag with you -- like a tote bag or backpack or something -- because the little plastic bag that you will get when you get your wristband is kind of small and doesn't hold a lot,  It's fine for those who don't need a lot of candy, but it fills up very quickly.



I second both of these tips. When we went a few years ago, the later it got, the lines were pretty much non-existent for the treat trails later in the evening and the cast members would give you HANDFULS of candy the closer it got to the end. We did go on Halloween night though, so that might have had something to do with them dumping the candy into our bag at every station. Maybe trying to get rid of it since it was the last party of the season? Either way, we had way more than we could handle and the kids LOVED it! lol

WE BOOKED OUR TRIP!!! We are going to Vegas for a few nights first and then heading to DL on October 26. We're staying at the DLH, which is our first time! We stayed at GCH in February and loved it, so we sure hope we love the DLH just as much!

We are doing MHP on the 27th. I purchased these over the phone while booking my room and I was told something that I haven't read yet in this thread. The cast member told me that I will be receiving a hard ticket and they will be sending it out three weeks prior to my party date.......? Anyone else hear that? I've seen people being told 10-14 days from date of purchase but haven't seen three weeks before the actual party.

She also said I wouldn't get an email receipt for the MHP tickets and gave me a confirmation number instead. 45 minutes later......I got an email receipt. Just found it strange. Happy to have it but strange lol


----------



## lorijohnhill

StyledSugar said:


> WE BOOKED OUR TRIP!!! We are going to Vegas for a few nights first and then heading to DL on October 26. We're staying at the DLH, which is our first time! We stayed at GCH in February and loved it, so we sure hope we love the DLH just as much!
> 
> We are doing MHP on the 27th. I purchased these over the phone while booking my room and I was told something that I haven't read yet in this thread. The cast member told me that I will be receiving a hard ticket and they will be sending it out three weeks prior to my party date.......? Anyone else hear that? I've seen people being told 10-14 days from date of purchase but haven't seen three weeks before the actual party.
> 
> She also said I wouldn't get an email receipt for the MHP tickets and gave me a confirmation number instead. 45 minutes later......I got an email receipt. Just found it strange. Happy to have it but strange lol


Three weeks prior to your trip is the standard for receiving travel documents and tickets, etc... while booking a package. Did you book as a package? If not, she may have just said that by habit.


----------



## keishashadow

lorijohnhill said:


> I was looking at the Halloween Haunts tour and noticed that they still don't have dates listed. Does anyone have an idea of when that tour might begin? I know they are having the tour this year, because I was talking with a CM that is developing it.
> 
> Also, any idea how fast they sell out? I was planning to schedule it at the 30 day Mark, but may have to wait now as my husband has become unemployed this week. Ugh! (Prayers will be gratefully accepted).



Hang in there!!!  DH is dealing with labor dispute for last few months over contract negotiations here, it's starting to get really ugly as neither the company or international union is budging.  pixie dust


----------



## mommy2mrb

Ordered our MHP tickets yesterday for 10/2 and made all our dining reservations and ordered our photopass!  just need to book shuttle and park tickets and pick up the remaining supplies for our costumes!

arriving 10/1 around 5:30 - dinner at Catal at 8:00 and DTD shopping
10/2 Disneyland & MHP!! late lunch at Carnation Café
10/3 DCA WOC lunch at Carthay Circle
10/4 DCA again until 3:00 - flying home


----------



## Spyral

Sherry E said:


> The holiday season is not to be missed -- well, usually... I'm not sure what it's going to look like this year, but normally it is great!
> 
> I suspect that the reason why Disney keeps hiking up the prices of the MHP tickets is because a lot of people are starting to do that very thing -- use the MHP tickets as their park tickets for that day, and not buy tickets for earlier in the day.  I think that Disney wants to eventually make the MHP ticket almost the price of a one-day/one park ticket, just so they don't feel they are losing anything!



That's what we did!  Our flight is arriving on 9/28 just before noon.  So we got MHP tickets for that day. We'll see if we can get an early check-in at GCH, hang out for a bit, then off to MHP.  We'll use regular park hopper tickets for rest of the days   This will be our first time in Disneyland for Halloweentime.  Worked out great this year as far as traveling goes (school switched to modified year round, so have 2 weeks off for fall break, and got a good deal on a flight, so don't need to spend so much time driving  (coming from AZ)).


----------



## Jeff314

I guess you guys that bought your tickets on the 22nd weren't kidding about not receiving them in the mail on time. I bought mine right away when I could on the 29th, supposed to arrive BY the 8th and still aren't here.


----------



## Lauren1027

I bought my tickets on the first day available for Disney Visa members and just got my tickets on Monday.


----------



## tjcrabb

Jeff314 said:


> I guess you guys that bought your tickets on the 22nd weren't kidding about not receiving them in the mail on time.



I am one of those people that bought them on the 22nd. I finally received mine on Monday, the printed receipt had a printed date of August 8. next year I am waiting until general purchase so I can get digital tickets. There was no discount for the day I am going so I basically paid 5.00 for the privilege of buying them a week early. It's not worth it particularly since they don't sell out that fast.


----------



## Jeff314

tjcrabb said:


> I am one of those people that bought them on the 22nd. I finally received mine on Monday, the printed receipt had a printed date of August 8. next year I am waiting until general purchase so I can get digital tickets. There was no discount for the day I am going so I basically paid 5.00 for the privilege of buying them a week early. It's not worth it particularly since they don't sell out that fast.




Haha yeah. I know they'll get here before we go but yeah paid the $5 for the tickets to come in the mail. I don't know, I'm a little old school and like the actual hard copy ticket in my hand haha


----------



## DisneyloverinWA

We ordered our tickets on the first day that AP's could order and I just got them in the mail on Friday.


----------



## disnygirl55

Jeff314 said:


> I guess you guys that bought your tickets on the 22nd weren't kidding about not receiving them in the mail on time. I bought mine right away when I could on the 29th, supposed to arrive BY the 8th and still aren't here.



I am relieved we are not the only ones. We also bought on the 22nd - and to be fair - I think they told me 10-15 business days, and today is business day 15. I figure I'll give them until the end of NEXT week, since we don't need them until October 9, before I call them back to figure out next steps. I'll report back here if I receive them before then.


----------



## maltdizzy

Jeff314 said:


> Haha yeah. I know they'll get here before we go but yeah paid the $5 for the tickets to come in the mail. I don't know, I'm a little old school and like the actual hard copy ticket in my hand haha



You can print e-tickets. I always have a print out as back-up, plus I like being able to print them again or use the phone if I left my copies at home or wherever.


----------



## Oswald23

Super excited! I´m going to 2 Parties! One with the family and 1 One on my own. Scoring Characters!!


----------



## StyledSugar

lorijohnhill said:


> Three weeks prior to your trip is the standard for receiving travel documents and tickets, etc... while booking a package. Did you book as a package? If not, she may have just said that by habit.



No, just hotel and MHP tickets. Oh well, I'm sure I'll find out sooner or later lol


----------



## Sherry E

StyledSugar said:


> WE BOOKED OUR TRIP!!! We are going to Vegas for a few nights first and then heading to DL on October 26. We're staying at the DLH, which is our first time! We stayed at GCH in February and loved it, so we sure hope we love the DLH just as much!
> 
> We are doing MHP on the 27th. I purchased these over the phone while booking my room and I was told something that I haven't read yet in this thread. The cast member told me that I will be receiving a hard ticket and they will be sending it out three weeks prior to my party date.......? Anyone else hear that? I've seen people being told 10-14 days from date of purchase but haven't seen three weeks before the actual party.
> 
> She also said I wouldn't get an email receipt for the MHP tickets and gave me a confirmation number instead. 45 minutes later......I got an email receipt. Just found it strange. Happy to have it but strange lol



That is the first time I've heard of a CM specifically stating that the MHP tickets will be sent out 3 weeks prior to your party date.  Even if it has worked out that way in the past, I've never heard of the CMs stating that, so I'm glad you mentioned it to us!  That's interesting to know.

I also had to chuckle at the CM telling you that you wouldn't get an email receipt, and then, of course, you got an email receipt!    I just kind of shook my head and thought, "Why is it that the phone CMs seem to always be in the dark about what's going on?"


----------



## DZNEE4US

Sherry, I was reading my Disney Rewards newsletter that came today, and it had some Halloween news about Disneyland!  "Stop by Big Thunder Ranch to meet your favorite Disney Villains at the Halloween Carnival and try the candy corn flavored cotton candy in yellow, orange, and white like the traditional Halloween treat.  Thirsty folks can wet their whistles with a specialty drink brewed up and served in a new Poison Apple Mug." 
So maybe there is some hope for the area after all!?!


----------



## Mr. Bastos

Glad I found this thread, I haven't gotten our tickets either. This will my fiance and my first MHP, we'll be going on the 31st. Not sure what we're going to be. We have some thinking to do haha.


----------



## Sherry E

DZNEE4US said:


> Sherry, I was reading my Disney Rewards newsletter that came today, and it had some Halloween news about Disneyland!  "Stop by Big Thunder Ranch to meet your favorite Disney Villains at the Halloween Carnival and try the candy corn flavored cotton candy in yellow, orange, and white like the traditional Halloween treat.  Thirsty folks can wet their whistles with a specialty drink brewed up and served in a new Poison Apple Mug."
> So maybe there is some hope for the area after all!?!



Kuilima mentioned that here yesterday -- http://www.disboards.com/threads/ha...t-mhp-sold-out.3270919/page-205#post-54222695.    I don't know what to make of it -- unless this is a whole new Carnival without many of the existing elements.  It's also possible that Disney/Visa printed up that info before things changed.

All I know is -- no Pirates League, no pumpkin carvers, no Conjure a Villain tent (though I expect that there could be Villains in the general area or close by to meet people), AND a CM on Facebook reported that the decorators were told that they're not having anything there.  Add to that the fact that the Carnival is not mentioned on the DLR website, and people asked both Erin and Michelle at the Disney Parks Blog if the Halloween Carnival was returning, and neither of them answered the question -- or, if they did, they gave a vague, non-revealing answer that told us nothing.

There could be a surprise in store, which I've said all along, with some new roster of events at a new Carnival.  It just seems like all signs are pointing to no Carnival -- or at least a very different Carnival from what has happened for the last few years.  And if that area of DL is on the chopping block because of a future Star Wars Land, maybe Disney wasn't sure what they would do with that location this year, if anything, and now have to try to scramble to put something there.

I am hoping there is a Carnival -- or something like it -- because Halloween Time needs it... badly!  I'm just not going to be shocked if it doesn't happen.





Mr. Bastos said:


> Glad I found this thread, I haven't gotten our tickets either. This will my fiance and my first MHP, not sure what we're going to be. We have some thinking to do haha.



I'm glad you found us too!


----------



## Sherry E

Oh, I almost forgot!

Today's Pumpkin Pandemonium installment is not really Pumpkin at all... nor is it Caramel Apple... nor is it Candy Corn.

That's right -- M&M's came up with a new seasonal flavor!  Pecan Pie!!!!   http://www.theimpulsivebuy.com/wordpress/2015/08/12/spotted-on-shelves-pecan-pie-mms/   Just when I think there could not possibly be anymore seasonal flavors for Halloween-Fall-Holiday M&M's, they surprise me!  What's next?  Pecan Pie Oreos'?

​


----------



## Spyral

I see on the Disney Website for Halloween Time that they will have hand-carved pumpkins on Main Street.  Thought I read elsewhere before the pumpkins on Main Street are plastic/foam ones?  Do they mean real hand-carved pumpkins will now be on Main Street, or do they mean hand-carved foam pumpkins?



> Take a spooky stroll down Main Street, U.S.A., which is transformed into a Pumpkin Festival with hundreds of hand-carved pumpkins on display—and no two alike.



Really bummed about the Carnival if that holds true.  This is our first time there for Halloween, and was one thing we were looking forward to.


----------



## Sherry E

Spyral said:


> I see on the Disney Website for Halloweentime that they will have hand-carved pumpkins on Main Street.  Thought I read elsewhere before the pumpkins on Main Street are plastic/foam ones?  Do they mean real hand-carved pumpkins will now be on Main Street, or do they mean hand-carved foam pumpkins?
> 
> 
> 
> Really bummed about the Carnival if that holds true.  This is our first time there for Halloween, and was one thing we were looking forward to.



Unless Disney is suddenly planting the pumpkin carvers on Main Street, then their description is totally misleading.  The pumpkins all along Main Street (on balconies, in window displays, perched atop awnings, etc.) are in no way real.   They have to sit out in the heat for 1-1/2 months, so they can't be real.   I'm sure someone used their hands to make them, but they're not "carved" in the way the real pumpkins are/were carved at the Carnival.  They are foam, or some other sort of material.  They all have different expressions.

You can see what just a few of them look like in this post - http://www.disboards.com/threads/ha...een-night-mhp-sold-out.3270919/#post-51326968.


I am hoping Disney throws together some sort of a Carnival in the same location -- but without the pumpkin carvers it will be lacking a true highlight and gem.

The Disney Rewards flyer/newsletter that has been mentioned in this thread yesterday and today is also available online -- for those folks who do not have Disney Visas and would like to read about what is supposedly coming up.  I know that I am intrigued by the new Apple Cake Pop!!!   -- https://disneydebit.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2015/08/AugNewsDebit7.1_070115_2.pdf


​


----------



## tzeitel

Sherry E said:


> The Disney Rewards flyer/newsletter that has been mentioned in this thread yesterday and today is also available online -- for those folks who do not have Disney Visas and would like to read about what is supposedly coming up.  I know that I am intrigued by the new Apple Cake Pop!!!   -- https://disneydebit.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2015/08/AugNewsDebit7.1_070115_2.pdf
> ​


​It is funny that they have new info (the apple cake pop and the new glow in the dark Zero bucket) but would mention the Carnival will be there.


----------



## Sherry E

tzeitel said:


> ​It is funny that they have new info (the apple cake pop and the new glow in the dark Zero bucket) but would mention the Carnival will be there.



There may be a "Carnival," or something with that name, but it will be missing the things that we already know it will be missing (pumpkin carvers, Pirates League, Conjure a Villain tent, and possibly some decorations).

Another possibility is that the Disney Visa text is just incorrect -- as was the case last year, when they said that there would be Fast Passes for Haunted Mansion Holiday during Halloween Time... when there were no FPs until the holiday season.  Maybe there was a plan for a Carnival, and then it got shelved after this item had gone to the printer's.   The Disneyland Annual Pass newsletter (Backstage Pass) was wrong a couple of years ago too -- they printed the incorrect start date for MHP!


if that Festival Arena space is needed for something else --- which is what I was suspecting -- that need may have popped up after this newsletter was sent to the printer's.  

We just won't know what's happening until Halloween Time begins, or until the Parks Blog posts about a "brand new Carnival"!


----------



## Lebestiole

Sherry E said:


> You can see what just a few of them look like in this post - http://www.disboards.com/threads/ha...een-night-mhp-sold-out.3270919/#post-51326968.



They may not be real, but I'm dying to see them! Never been to DL nor DW in Halloween and the decorations are just amazing. DD BTW, Sherry, you're the best. I wonder how you can keep up with all the posting, I see you everywhere! Haha. 

OH, and I have a question guys! So, I have a Snow White costume that I used for Halloween but it drags a bit and I'm not so sure but I read somewhere that if your costume touches the ground then you're not allowed to wear it at the parks. So I was thinking that maybe I could just dress in black and paint my face Catrina Style: 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			
		
		
	


	



BUUUUT... That probably isnt allowed either!! :C

What do you guys, think?


----------



## Sandi E

Jeff314 said:


> I guess you guys that bought your tickets on the 22nd weren't kidding about not receiving them in the mail on time. I bought mine right away when I could on the 29th, supposed to arrive BY the 8th and still aren't here.


They're coming soon, I just know it!  I finally got mine yesterday.  Checked them over to make sure they are for the correct date (October 7th!) and they are.  

I'm so excited, only 55 days until we land at SNA! We have an early flight, so we'll be in the park by noon .  However, I am frustrated because we are trying to get our Fantasmic and WOC dinners reserved, and even though we are less than 60 days out, they won't/can't make reservations yet. Which makes me wonder if they still aren't sure which days will even have Fantasmic and WOC shows...?  My friend has been calling every day, and I have been trying online.  I guess we'll just keep at it, but I am a planner and I want it all set in stone now!

Love these boards


----------



## tjcrabb

Sandi E said:


> I'm so excited, only 55 days until we land at SNA! We have an early flight, so we'll be in the park by noon .  However, I am frustrated because we are trying to get our Fantasmic and WOC dinners reserved, and even though we are less than 60 days out, they won't/can't make reservations yet.  I guess we'll just keep at it, but I am a planner and I want it all set in stone now!



I know what you mean, we are anxiously waiting to book our fantasmic package as well. Today is my 60 days and my BFF tried to to make the reservation. She then texted me that "they aren't showing fantasmic at all in october!" I was extremely skeptical of this so I called the and the CM said that they are just waiting for Oct hours to be released then they can start booking. She seemed to think it would be sometime next week.  I plan on checking every day anyway.


----------



## abbey_maree

Lebestiole said:


> OH, and I have a question guys! So, I have a Snow White costume that I used for Halloween but it drags a bit and I'm not so sure but I read somewhere that if your costume touches the ground then you're not allowed to wear it at the parks.


I was wondering about this too, are they very strict on it?  My Snow White costume just touches the ground when I wear it with flats.  I don't know whether I should have it taken up an inch or so.


----------



## Dee2015

Found it thanks Spyral


----------



## Comicbookmommy

*sigh* Sadly I had to wait until today to buy tickets, and now the 31st has sold out. Was sooooo looking forward to taking the kids on Halloween night! 

Anyway, I was looking to go during the week of October 5th, as a backup, but Touring Plans says that week is a crowd level 4/5 versus 2/3 for later in the month.

Anyone know why is this? I'd like to go earlier in the month, but not if it's more crowded.


----------



## RichP1269

Comicbookmommy said:


> *sigh* Sadly I had to wait until today to buy tickets, and now the 31st has sold out. Was sooooo looking forward to taking the kids on Halloween night!
> 
> Anyway, I was looking to go during the week of October 5th, as a backup, but Touring Plans says that week is a crowd level 4/5 versus 2/3 for later in the month.
> 
> Anyone know why is this? I'd like to go earlier in the month, but not if it's more crowded.



Gay Days is the first weekend in October.


----------



## Sith

tjcrabb said:


> I am one of those people that bought them on the 22nd. I finally received mine on Monday, the printed receipt had a printed date of August 8. next year I am waiting until general purchase so I can get digital tickets. There was no discount for the day I am going so I basically paid 5.00 for the privilege of buying them a week early. It's not worth it particularly since they don't sell out that fast.



Yeah I ordered on the 22nd, and my tickets just came this past Saturday. The receipt was printed on Aug 4, which is 13 days after I ordered! I'm just happy they finally came, but I am surprised it took them 13 days just to put 3 tickets in an envelope.


----------



## disnygirl55

We finally got our tickets on 8/12 - exactly 15 BUSINESS days (or three weeks) after they were ordered. Glad to see that quite a few others are receiving their "missing" tickets as well.


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## Comicbookmommy

RichP1269 said:


> Gay Days is the first weekend in October.


 Thank you. I see that it's the weekend of 2-4. Does that "unofficially" extend into the week of 5-9 (people sticking around longer) and that's why the crowd rating is higher?


----------



## RichP1269

Comicbookmommy said:


> Thank you. I see that it's the weekend of 2-4. Does that "unofficially" extend into the week of 5-9 (people sticking around longer) and that's why the crowd rating is higher?



If it's like Dapper Days, there are discounted rates at the 3 Disney hotels the week before and week after the event.  I don't know what the Gay Days rates are at the Grand, but Dapper Days rates were something like $279 a night for a Standard room.  "Cheap" pricing like that for the Disney hotels draw in more people.


----------



## haileymarie92

Okay I need your opinion. 

We will be at DL Sept 29-Oct 3. We have annual passes. We bought tickets to the MHP on Sept 30. We've never been to an MHP before, this is our first halloween time at DL. 

Do you think the one MHP will be enough to see all there is to see for the halloween stuff? We aren't super huge on standing in line for characters. We mostly want to experience the atmosphere, do some trick or treating, rides, and halloween screams of course. Should we splurge and buy tickets to the Oct 2 MHP as well? 

Thoughts?


----------



## tlovesdis

haileymarie92 said:


> Okay I need your opinion.
> 
> We will be at DL Sept 29-Oct 3. We have annual passes. We bought tickets to the MHP on Sept 30. We've never been to an MHP before, this is our first halloween time at DL.
> 
> Do you think the one MHP will be enough to see all there is to see for the halloween stuff? We aren't super huge on standing in line for characters. We mostly want to experience the atmosphere, do some trick or treating, rides, and halloween screams of course. Should we splurge and buy tickets to the Oct 2 MHP as well?
> 
> Thoughts?



Other than the trick or treating, you can do all of that during regular hours during Halloweentime!  Especially if you don't want to wait in line for characters.  I don't think two parties are necessary.


----------



## Self-Rescuing Princess

Last year with our 4 year old we did ALL that and more. The only line we didn't stand in was for Mickey and you can always find him around.


----------



## jammyjam25

haileymarie92 said:


> Okay I need your opinion.
> 
> We will be at DL Sept 29-Oct 3. We have annual passes. We bought tickets to the MHP on Sept 30. We've never been to an MHP before, this is our first halloween time at DL.
> 
> Do you think the one MHP will be enough to see all there is to see for the halloween stuff? We aren't super huge on standing in line for characters. We mostly want to experience the atmosphere, do some trick or treating, rides, and halloween screams of course. Should we splurge and buy tickets to the Oct 2 MHP as well?
> 
> Thoughts?



I think one party should be enough, especially if you get there at 3 or 4 pm when they start allowing Halloween Party guests in and stay until the end of the party at 11 or midnight, that's 8 hours! Since you're not interested in characters that should hopefully be plenty of time for trick or treating, rides, and Halloween Screams.

If you decide to do the party on October 2, it coincides with the first night of Gay Days, so it may be busier than the one on the 30th as well (and both parks may be busier overall on that day). Just something to consider when deciding whether to add the second party to your plans. 




tlovesdis said:


> Other than the trick or treating, you can do all of that during regular hours during Halloweentime! Especially if you don't want to wait in line for characters. I don't think two parties are necessary.



They would not be able to do Halloween Screams during regular hours as that only runs during the parties. "Forever" is shown on non-party nights.


----------



## focusondisney

Well, I've got a new one for you all!   I ordered 2 party tickets for Sept 25th on July 22. Been waiting patiently for them to arrive. I expected them to take a little longer since I'm in Buffalo NY.   Well, got home from work today & found 2 envelopes from Anaheim in the mail.  Opened the first one & found 5 tickets to the Oct 19th party!! My name, confirmation number & correct party date were on the accompanying paperwork. Mild panic!! Second envelope had my correct party tickets, thankfully. 

So if any of you are missing your tickets, I might have them!      Guess I'll be calling tomorrow & see what I need to do with the extras. Wish I could fly back for a second party, but that's not gonna happen.


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## SeaKerina

I hope I didn't miss the answer to this question somewhere - do you have to be out of Disneyland by the end of the party or does Main St stay open after the "official" end of the party?


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## Sherry E

SeaKerina said:


> I hope I didn't miss the answer to this question somewhere - do you have to be out of Disneyland by the end of the party or does Main St stay open after the "official" end of the party?



Hmm... I think -- and I could be totally wrong -- that when the party ends, that's it.  I don't _think_ that anyone can shop after MHP is over.  I have not stayed long enough to find that out first-hand!  Hopefully someone will post and let us know for sure, one way or the other!


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## jenhelgren

I need opinions on the Monday, October 19th or Thursday, October 22nd party. Will the 19th have lower crowds being on a Monday night? We will be arriving the 18th and I wanted to do MHP on 10/22 toward the end of our trip but Disney Visa discounts are offered for the 19th and not the 22nd. The 22nd also has the highest tier pricing so there is quite a difference in price for our family between the two nights. I am assuming that means that there will be higher ticket sales for the 22nd so Disney isn't offering anything through Visa. We have never been to DLR so I wanted to know my way around before the Halloween Party but if Monday the 19th will be cheaper and easier to manage crowd wise it would worth it!


----------



## keishashadow

RichP1269 said:


> If it's like Dapper Days, there are discounted rates at the 3 Disney hotels the week before and week after the event.  I don't know what the Gay Days rates are at the Grand, but Dapper Days rates were something like $279 a night for a Standard room.  "Cheap" pricing like that for the Disney hotels draw in more people.


At this point most of the 3 DL hotels are sold out of the room block.   It was a bit less for GC.  You do need to be registered attendee to access the rates for hotels & tickets.

We aren't gay but proud to count many as our friends who wish they could've come along for the party.  we've been instructed to take lots of pics.  I cannot wait


----------



## Sherry E

jenhelgren said:


> I need opinions on the Monday, October 19th or Thursday, October 22nd party. Will the 19th have lower crowds being on a Monday night? We will be arriving the 18th and I wanted to do MHP on 10/22 toward the end of our trip but Disney Visa discounts are offered for the 19th and not the 22nd. The 22nd also has the highest tier pricing so there is quite a difference in price for our family between the two nights. I am assuming that means that there will be higher ticket sales for the 22nd so Disney isn't offering anything through Visa. We have never been to DLR so I wanted to know my way around before the Halloween Party but if Monday the 19th will be cheaper and easier to manage crowd wise it would worth it!



I think you're right -- the Thursday party is more expensive, with no discounts, so Disney must expect that night to be pretty busy for some reason (not sure why, other than the fact that it's the day before Friday).  At the same time, I wonder if there might be some people hanging around past the weekend to do the cheaper 10/19 party.

My feeling is that 10/19 might be slightly better (and hopefully all of the people who come out during the Utah conference will be back at home by then) -- as well as being cheaper.  Also, I tend to think that any locals who go to the 10/19 party will be more inclined to leave a bit early due to work and school the next day, leaving the latter part of the night to feel less crowded.  The locals who go to the 10/22 party, however, could very well have Friday off or take Friday off to make it a long weekend, in which case it might feel a bit more crowded throughout the night.


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## Kilala

I have noticed that it is getting darker earlyer now. It is going to be soooo hot this weekend. I will sitting inside with my A/C on and finishing knitting the warmers for Halloween cat costume


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## jenhelgren

Thank you for the advice! I originally thought Thursday would be fine being a weeknight also but there must be some reason that Disney isn't over any discounts and raised the cost for tickets for that night so I guess we will commit to Monday! What time will it be dark in October? We are from the Midwest and this will be our first trip and I never even considered sunset times!


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## Sherry E

jenhelgren said:


> Thank you for the advice! I originally thought Thursday would be fine being a weeknight also but there must be some reason that Disney isn't over any discounts and raised the cost for tickets for that night so I guess we will commit to Monday! What time will it be dark in October? We are from the Midwest and this will be our first trip and I never even considered sunset times!



Hmm... I don't know the exact times, but it seems like the sunsets really become vivid and bright around 6 p.m.-ish or so.  Maybe a little bit later.  It's probably totally dark by 7 p.m. or 7:30 or so.  I'll have to find a sunset/sunrise chart online because now I'm curious to see how far off base I am!  I am just trying to remember off the top of my head when it has gotten dark and I think it's totally dark by then.


----------



## kandeebunny

I have hunted, but can't find the answer.

Can someone who has been in previous years give me a general idea of the schedule?  (Parades/fireworks/castle shows?)  As well as what characters do M&G in either special costumes or aren't out normally during the party?  We're WDW vets trying to plan for this for the first time, and feeling super overwhelmed.


----------



## Sherry E

kandeebunny said:


> I have hunted, but can't find the answer.
> 
> Can someone who has been in previous years give me a general idea of the schedule?  (Parades/fireworks/castle shows?)  As well as what characters do M&G in either special costumes or aren't out normally during the party?  We're WDW vets trying to plan for this for the first time, and feeling super overwhelmed.



See Question #21 in this MHP FAQ (from page 1 of this thread) - http://www.disboards.com/threads/ha...een-night-mhp-sold-out.3270919/#post-51326916.

It has links to the maps, which will have schedules from last year, and the character meet & greets.  Keep in mind that this year Paint the Night is part of the party, so the schedule could be a bit different because it's a full parade as opposed to a small Cavalcade like in the past.

Also in the FAQ, you will see a list of characters that were out at the party last year and a lot of other helpful info.

I think that -- by most accounts -- DLR is less overwhelming than WDW, so you'll be fine!

Hmmm... edited to add... there WERE map photos showing in the posts I linked in the MHP FAQ post -- just a few days ago -- but figment_jii must have moved the photos around in Photobucket or Photobucket is acting up and not displaying photos, as one of the linked posts is no longer displaying them.   The one that is showing (the second one labeled "Here") is helpful, though!


----------



## Kilala

I forgot to mention that I saw Halloween/Fall decorations at TJ Maxx and Ross for less yesterday


----------



## jenhelgren

Is there anything "collectible" at MHP? At MNSSHP we always get the special Sorcerer's of the Magic Kingdom card that is available to party guests only.


----------



## Comicbookmommy

RichP1269 said:


> If it's like Dapper Days, there are discounted rates at the 3 Disney hotels the week before and week after the event.  I don't know what the Gay Days rates are at the Grand, but Dapper Days rates were something like $279 a night for a Standard room.  "Cheap" pricing like that for the Disney hotels draw in more people.



Ah, thank you for explaining that! I didn't realize about the hotel rates extending throughout the week!


----------



## Sherry E

jenhelgren said:


> Is there anything "collectible" at MHP? At MNSSHP we always get the special Sorcerer's of the Magic Kingdom card that is available to party guests only.



I pulled up a sunrise/sunset chart for Anaheim in October, by the way -- http://www.timeanddate.com/sun/usa/anaheim?month=10&year=2015.  It looks like I wasn't too far off base in what I was remembering about when the sunset appears.  I do think that it should be just about totally dark by 7 p.m. or 7:15 at that point in October when you go.

There are some merchandise items that say Mickey's Halloween Party on them, and have special designs -- but it seems like some of them are available in the shops even before the party begins.  So they're not exactly exclusive to MHP guests only, unfortunately.  I think that there may be more collectible items for the general Halloween Time season than there are actually for Mickey's Halloween Party, from what I have observed.  I don't think there is anything really rare and exciting, unless I am forgetting about something.


----------



## rwhistler92

They have some AP Halloween Party pins that they keep behind the counter. 
I am pretty sure they have normal Party pins, but I don't know when or how they make those available.


----------



## Kilala

I'm thinking of going to DTD on the 3rd of September and try to get some bags this year for MHP. I got the light up one in 2013 and it didn't last until the end of MHP last year.


----------



## Sherry E

Kilala said:


> I'm thinking of going to DTD on the 3rd of September and try to get some bags this year for MHP. I got the light up one in 2013 and it didn't last until the end of MHP last year.



You mean it couldn't hold all of the candy in 2014, or did the bottom of the bag fall out?  Or did the lights just stop blinking?  I like those bags but, at almost $10, I would like them to last for a few years!  I wonder if the bags that are closer to $5 are any more durable?  Probably not.


----------



## Comicbookmommy

I'm now trying to decide about going the week of Sept. 28th (29th is my birthday!) to Oct 1st, or late October. Can anyone tell me what the weather will likely be like in late september? Would it be much hotter than late october? I know it's a toss-up but any input helps! Thanks again


----------



## mummabear

Can anyone confirm if characters sign autographs during MHP?


----------



## lorijohnhill

mummabear said:


> Can anyone confirm if characters sign autographs during MHP?


Yes, any characters that have the ability to sign, will do so at the parties.


----------



## Sherry E

Comicbookmommy said:


> I'm now trying to decide about going the week of Sept. 28th (29th is my birthday!) to Oct 1st, or late October. Can anyone tell me what the weather will likely be like in late september? Would it be much hotter than late october? I know it's a toss-up but any input helps! Thanks again



It's always possible that we could have hot weather all through October, but it's less likely to be uncomfortably hot in late October than it is in late September.  I would stick with late October.



mummabear said:


> Can anyone confirm if characters sign autographs during MHP?



I remember this was asked before, and I was waiting for someone to answer more thoroughly.  By my recollection, some of the characters were signing autographs -- but I don't know if all of them were.  I remember waiting in a photo line, and saw a little girl handing over an autograph book.


----------



## lorijohnhill

While we were at the MHP last year, at the photo op for Mickey & Minnie, my daughter handed over her autograph book. Each character danced with my daughter while the other was signing her book. It was awesome!


----------



## Mommy2PrincessAbby

Did anyone order their MHP tickets thru Costco (we have a package with them), wondering if the tickets will be mailed in advance or with the package.


----------



## Kilala

Sherry E said:


> You mean it couldn't hold all of the candy in 2014, or did the bottom of the bag fall out?  Or did the lights just stop blinking?  I like those bags but, at almost $10, I would like them to last for a few years!  I wonder if the bags that are closer to $5 are any more durable?  Probably not.


The lights were going dim. The side of the bag was falling apart. I know I scaped up the bottom pretty good.


----------



## Abbey1

Did everyone who received their tickets already purchase early with their Disney Visa? I bought our tickets for the party on October 27th on the first day they were available to the general public, but was told to expect them in September. Is that information correct?


----------



## mummabear

So I really would like to eat at BTRBBQ but I can see on page one that it isn't open during the party. If I look at another party night It shows as being open for lunch until 3.55 (our ticket allows us in at 3)
Do we just need to be seated prior to 3.55 or would we need to be finished by then?
Does anyone know if they have high chairs?
And am I likely to be able to get in without and ADR? We will be straight off a 13 hour flight and I am not 100% what people will be feeling like, we may be too hungry to wait until we get to the park and then not be hungry again until much later.
I noticed on page 1 it lists the CS places open and with variable closing times. Is there at least something open until the very end of the party?


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## Davidg83

So apparently Pumpkin Spice m&ms weren't good enough for this year so instead we get Pumpkin Spice Latte lol





Also out were the fall glade scents with the usual pumpkin and apple scents. What caught my attention was the one called "Fall Antiquing" ... It seems as though they're out of ideas for new scents as this is a bit of a stretch!


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## Kilala

I don't like the anything that are milk chocolate it takes away from the taste. I love anything M&Ms make with white chocolate. I asked a staff lady in Target when they will have the fall stuff out and she said by the end of the month or the first week of September.


----------



## Sherry E

Mommy2PrincessAbby said:


> Did anyone order their MHP tickets thru Costco (we have a package with them), wondering if the tickets will be mailed in advance or with the package.



Of course, I have no clue how it works through Costco, but I would be inclined to think that the MHP tickets would arrive with the package.  Are you going to call Costco?  I'm curious to know how that works -- it will be good to know for future reference.



Kilala said:


> The lights were going dim. The side of the bag was falling apart. I know I scaped up the bottom pretty good.



From what I have noticed, a lot of reusable bags (from any store) do not seem to be very sturdy and durable... which is ironic, as they are intended to be used over and over again.  I think that a lot of them only last for a few uses, if that much.  I've noticed the same thing with the reusable grocery bags too -- many of them are flimsy and weak, and cannot hold many groceries.  The paper bags with handles actually hold more in some cases and last much longer, which is surprising!



Abbey1 said:


> Did everyone who received their tickets already purchase early with their Disney Visa? I bought our tickets for the party on October 27th on the first day they were available to the general public, but was told to expect them in September. Is that information correct?



Some people are being told that the tickets will arrive 3 weeks before the actual party date, but that would mean you wouldn't get yours until early October.   I am surprised you haven't gotten them by now (since you ordered them on 7/29), but maybe they told you September just to cover their bases.

I could be misremembering, but it seems like, in the past, people did not always have to wait this long for the tickets.  Again, I could be totally wrong, but it just seems like there is a bigger delay this time around.




mummabear said:


> So I really would like to eat at BTRBBQ but I can see on page one that it isn't open during the party. If I look at another party night It shows as being open for lunch until 3.55 (our ticket allows us in at 3)
> Do we just need to be seated prior to 3.55 or would we need to be finished by then?
> Does anyone know if they have high chairs?
> And am I likely to be able to get in without and ADR? We will be straight off a 13 hour flight and I am not 100% what people will be feeling like, we may be too hungry to wait until we get to the park and then not be hungry again until much later.
> I noticed on page 1 it lists the CS places open and with variable closing times. Is there at least something open until the very end of the party?



I would think -- and I could be wrong -- that the last seating time is at 3:55 on a night when the party starts at 6 p.m.  It's hard to say, though, as we don't know if there will be any kind of pre-party at the Ranch area, which could require them to close up a bit early.  If I were you, I would just go to BTRBBQ right at 3 p.m., when you get in with the MHP ticket, just to be on the safe side.

I think there are high chairs, but I could be wrong.

I think that you could get in without any kind of reservation, but you might have to wait a while to be seated.  And just in case they close at 3:55 or shortly thereafter, you might not want to risk waiting around.

There is probably at least one counter service place open for the duration of the party, or almost to the end of the party, if not most of them -- but I have no idea which ones.




Davidg83 said:


> So apparently Pumpkin Spice m&ms weren't good enough for this year so instead we get Pumpkin Spice Latte lol
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Also out were the fall glade scents with the usual pumpkin and apple scents. What caught my attention was the one called "Fall Antiquing" ... It seems as though they're out of ideas for new scents as this is a bit of a stretch!



*
Davidg83* -- Thank you so much for the inside scoop on the seasonal goodies at Target!  I follow a few different sites that giddily report on and review seasonal products every year, and while they caught on to the new Pecan Pie M&M's this year, no one has mentioned the Pumpkin Spice Latte M&M's, so that makes me think that they are Target exclusives that are yet to be discovered?

  That's fantastic, though!  I just laughed out loud, because you're right -- regular Pumpkin Spice M&M's clearly weren't good enough  .  So, M&M's had no other choice but to up their pumpkin spice game and add a "latte" element to them! 

Meanwhile, Oreo has been suspiciously silent as far as a new Fall/Halloween flavor.  This makes me wonder what they have up their sleeve.  I suspect they will not want to be outdone by the other major brands churning out the Fall flavors.

And... "Fall Antiquing"??  I love the Glade seasonal scents, but "antiquing" makes me think of a stale, musty antique shop.  The Glade version might smell great, but it doesn't necessarily conjure up a nice image that could translate well to a scent like "Ocean Breeze," or "Summer Day," or "Winter Night," or "Gingerbread Cookie."   Even "Autumn Leaves" evokes a better image.   I think you're right -- they have run out of ideas for the season, and yet they can't throw in the towel and give up, so they are now grasping at ideas for Fall.


----------



## Mommy2PrincessAbby

Called to make an additional payment to Costco for our trip.  The CM I got said that 21 days before our arrival I would get our whole package and the MHP tix would be included.


----------



## Sith

Abbey1 said:


> Did everyone who received their tickets already purchase early with their Disney Visa? I bought our tickets for the party on October 27th on the first day they were available to the general public, but was told to expect them in September. Is that information correct?


I purchased on 7/22 with Disney Visa. Received tickets 8/8.


----------



## Sherry E

Now that Star Wars Land is official, the question of where it is going to go looms large.  DIS'er sheetz reported that in the Los Angeles Time it says that the new land will replace the Ranch.

I knew there was something suspicious about the lack of all of the different Halloween Carnival elements this year (even if there ends up being a semi-Carnival)!  I figured that Disney either needed that Festival Arena space for something else (storage or rehearsal), or that they had other plans for it (like Star Wars Land), and were going to start clearing it out and moving the animals fairly soon!!

So, I don't know if we are going to get some sort of sad little barely-there Halloween Carnival this year, with characters only and nothing else, or if -- as we already suspected -- the Carnival won't happen at all.   But if it is back in any way -- by some miracle -- this will almost certainly be the very last year for it.   I doubt it would be open for next year's Halloween Time.  So, if it is there this year, enjoy it while you can!

ETA: My hunch -- and I could be wrong -- is that Mickey's Halloween Party will relocate to DCA when the construction kicks into high gear in DL (if not in 2016, then in 2017 or 2018).  They probably would not be able to use the Big Thunder Trail for spooky effects and lighting and fog while the Ranch is being torn down, and there will be major construction going on beyond that specific spot.


----------



## dolphingirl47

Sherry E said:


> Now that Star Wars Land is official, the question of where it is going to go looms large.  DIS'er sheetz reported that in the Los Angeles Time it says that the new land will replace the Ranch.
> 
> I knew there was something suspicious about the lack of all of the different Halloween Carnival elements this year (even if there ends of being a semi-Carnival)!  I figured that Disney either needed that Festival Arena space for something else (storage or rehearsal), or that they had other plans for it (like Star Wars Land), and were going to start clearing it out and moving the animals fairly soon!!
> 
> So, I don't know if we are going to get some sort of sad little barely-there Halloween Carnival this year, with characters only and nothing else, or if -- as we already suspected -- the Carnival won't happen at all.   But if it is back in any way -- by some miracle -- this will almost certainly be the very last year for it.   I doubt it would be open for next year's Halloween Time.  So, if it is there this year, enjoy it while you can!
> 
> ETA: My hunch -- and I could be wrong -- is that Mickey's Halloween Party will relocate to DCA when the construction kicks into high gear in DL (if not in 2016, then in 2017 or 2018).  They probably would not be able to use the Big Thunder Trail for spooky effects and lighting and fog while the Ranch is being torn down, and there will be major construction going on beyond that specific spot.


I have read multiple articles stating that Star Wars Land will be build were Big Thunder Ranch is plus some backstage areas that include storage and maintenance facilities. The storage and maintenance facilities will be moved across the road to the land that houses the Carousel Inn at the moment.

This concerns me on a number of levels. First of all, I am not really into Star Wars at the best of times. I know a lot of people who are and I am genuinely happy for them. I also don't feel that this will fit thematically where it is going to go. I personally feel that California Adventure would have been a better fit. If it has to go into Disneyland, then I could see it either (partially) replacing Tomorrowland or going in the vicinity of this. However, trying to shoe-horn it between Frontierland and Fantasyland is just plain crazy. I am also very sad to the ranch go. This is one of those quirky and charming area that makes Disneyland so special and I will be very sad to see this leave. This also takes away and area where people and especially families with young children can have some downtime away from the crowds. Last but not least, I also don't like the sound of one of the hotels in easy walking distance to the park being torn down to make room for storage and maintenance facilities. Anaheim needs more of those and not less.

 I agree with your hunch. My thoughts were that either they scrap the Halloween season completely for a few years while construction goes on or they move it to California Adventure. Now, the Halloween parties are such a nice moneyspinner for them so I don't think they would be willing to give up on that revenue so a move is more likely.

Corinna

Finally the schedule for first few days at Disneyland has been released. This has come with a few surprises. I had expected both parks to open at 10:00 with California Adventure closing at 20:00 and Disneyland at 21:00 with the exception of the party nights. Well, the only thing I called right is the closing time of California Adventure and even then I was surprised that the park is open until midnight on 25th September. I suppose this is to give people who are not heading to the party somewhere to go. On the day I arrive, Disneyland will be open until 22:00, which suits me just fine. When I arrive, I am planning to nap for three or four hours. I am then planning to head to the parks around 18:00. If Oswald is still due out then, I will head to California Adventure first to pick up my Photopass+ lanyard and to say “hi” to Oswald. I then have plenty of time to go over to Disneyland to stake out a spot. Paint the Night is on at 20:45 and Disneyland Forever at 21:30. By then I will be ready for my bed.


The next two days, the parks open at 9:00 and Disneyland is open until 23:00. This has given me an interesting problem. I had originally made a reservation for Goofy’s Kitchen for 7:40 on the first full day at Disneyland. I figured that the parks would not open until 10:00 so that would give me plenty of time to have a leisurely breakfast and maybe go for a swim before meeting friends at around 10:00 for a day in the parks. However, now I am second-guessing this and wonder if I should bring my breakfast reservation  forward to 7:10 and go and enjoy some of Magic Morning at California Adventure before meeting up with my friends. I do however think that this may proof too much of a good thing and I am better off just sticking to my original plan. After all, I am getting more than enough park time on this trip.


One thing that utterly confuses me is that there are still not details about the Happiest Haunts Tour. I have not made up my mind if I want to do this or not, but I thought this could be fun. In past years, this started as soon as the Halloween season started. As tours can be booked 30 days in advance, I would have expected that by now we would have details for this. However, it still says schedule unavailable so this may require a phone call to see if this is bookable. I will wait until I come back from Dubai though that if it is bookable and I fancy it, I can make the booking on the same call.

Corinna


----------



## tjcrabb

dolphingirl47 said:


> One thing that utterly confuses me is that there are still not details about the Happiest Haunts Tour. I have not made up my mind if I want to do this or not, but I thought this could be fun. In past years, this started as soon as the Halloween season started. As tours can be booked 30 days in advance, I would have expected that by now we would have details for this. However, it still says schedule unavailable so this may require a phone call to see if this is bookable. I will wait until I come back from Dubai though that if it is bookable and I fancy it, I can make the booking on the same call.



Historically the blog doesn't really mention it until after it has started. I too think that is silly. I guess that just means more room for us. 

So forgive my DL ignorance but isn't the thunder mountain bbq in the area where they are tearing down/constructing? I wonder if they will move it or close it completely? I have a friend that loves it and we will be there in oct and may of next year. If they are closing the area I want to make sure she goes one more time, plus I have never been before.


----------



## mom2rtk

Has the Happiest Haunts tour included any special parade seating before?


----------



## dolphingirl47

tjcrabb said:


> Historically the blog doesn't really mention it until after it has started. I too think that is silly. I guess that just means more room for us.



I did not mean the blog, but the schedule would show up on the Tours and Events page at about 30 days out. If I look on this page for September 13th to 15th, it still says schedule unavailable. 



tjcrabb said:


> So forgive my DL ignorance but isn't the thunder mountain bbq in the area where they are tearing down/constructing?



Indeed.



tjcrabb said:


> I wonder if they will move it or close it completely?



I was thinking about this earlier, but could not think of an alternative location.

Corinna


----------



## tjcrabb

mom2rtk said:


> Has the Happiest Haunts tour included any special parade seating before?



It hasn't in the past because it was just the cavalcade but I don't know if it will for PTN. I would be a little surprised if it did though. It will be interesting to see what we learn when someone calls to purchase, I can't yet my 30 days aren't until september.


----------



## pudinhd

Sherry E said:


> Now that Star Wars Land is official, the question of where it is going to go looms large.  DIS'er sheetz reported that in the Los Angeles Time it says that the new land will replace the Ranch.
> 
> I knew there was something suspicious about the lack of all of the different Halloween Carnival elements this year (even if there ends of being a semi-Carnival)!  I figured that Disney either needed that Festival Arena space for something else (storage or rehearsal), or that they had other plans for it (like Star Wars Land), and were going to start clearing it out and moving the animals fairly soon!!
> 
> So, I don't know if we are going to get some sort of sad little barely-there Halloween Carnival this year, with characters only and nothing else, or if -- as we already suspected -- the Carnival won't happen at all.   But if it is back in any way -- by some miracle -- this will almost certainly be the very last year for it.   I doubt it would be open for next year's Halloween Time.  So, if it is there this year, enjoy it while you can!
> 
> ETA: My hunch -- and I could be wrong -- is that Mickey's Halloween Party will relocate to DCA when the construction kicks into high gear in DL (if not in 2016, then in 2017 or 2018).  They probably would not be able to use the Big Thunder Trail for spooky effects and lighting and fog while the Ranch is being torn down, and there will be major construction going on beyond that specific spot.



I think I have said before that I really enjoyed MHP when it was at CA.  The tickets were so CHEAP and the park seemed so empty!  It was really enjoyable!  I am sure that would not be the case in the future, but I will keep an open mind about moving the party back there.    This may be a stupid question, but I am going to ask it anyway...  Is there any possibility of doing a fireworks show at CA?  I don't know that I would be excited about a Halloween WOC, but we love the fireworks, and think they would need some nighttime spectaculars for the party.


----------



## Sherry E

tjcrabb said:


> Historically the blog doesn't really mention it until after it has started. I too think that is silly. I guess that just means more room for us.
> 
> So forgive my DL ignorance but isn't the thunder mountain bbq in the area where they are tearing down/constructing? I wonder if they will move it or close it completely? I have a friend that loves it and we will be there in oct and may of next year. If they are closing the area I want to make sure she goes one more time, plus I have never been before.



Yep -- the BBQ place is at the Ranch!   That is a very popular place, and there is no other BBQ place anywhere in Disneyland Resort.  I don't know if it would be possible to open up a BBQ place somewhere in DCA -- it would have to be theme-appropriate, and the only land that would fit thematically would be Grizzly Peak.  I don't know if there is anywhere to put a restaurant there.




mom2rtk said:


> Has the Happiest Haunts tour included any special parade seating before?



It will be interesting to see if this year's HHT includes seats for Paint the Night.  In the past, they just charged a lot of money for the tour without any parade seats! 



pudinhd said:


> I think I have said before that I really enjoyed MHP when it was at CA.  The tickets were so CHEAP and the park seemed so empty!  It was really enjoyable!  I am sure that would not be the case in the future, but I will keep an open mind about moving the party back there.    This may be a stupid question, but I am going to ask it anyway...  Is there any possibility of doing a fireworks show at CA?  I don't know that I would be excited about a Halloween WOC, but we love the fireworks, and think they would need some nighttime spectaculars for the party.



As I was looking up all the party nights going back to the '90s (to add info to the second post on page 1), I had to chuckle at a thread or forum I found online, in which people were talking about how the prices had increased to $15.00.  Of course, the party didn't have much content to it back then so $15 was more appropriate, but compared to the $84 or whatever it is just to go on Halloween night these days, $15 is practically free!  I can remember getting into Disneyland for $15, way back when.   

I don't know the logistics of pyrotechnics and fireworks and all of that, so I don't know how easy or hard it would be to pull them off in DCA.  I'd have to imagine there is some way they could do it, but I don't know if Disney would do it.  They may just whip out a Halloween WoC and a Halloween version of TSMM, finally put some Halloween decor back in DCA, throw in the Cavalcade and call it a day -- but still hike up the price, of course!


----------



## ACDSNY

I finished purchasing the party tickets for 19 of us on Oct. 25th yesterday so now I'm impatiently waiting for the park schedules to come out for October.


----------



## Sherry E

In "_Pumpkin Pandemonium/Halloween Hoopla/Candy Corn Chaos/Caramel Apple Confusion/Fall Fever_ news".... 

I forgot to mention that I think the new Pecan Pie M&M's are Walmart exclusives.  The Pumpkin Spice Latte M&M's that *Davidg83* showed us a photo of in this thread may or may not be Target exclusives. 


Davidg83 mentioned the oddly named new Glade seasonal scent -- "Fall Antiquing."    See it here - http://www.glade.com/en/fragrances/collections/limited-edition-fall-collection/fall-antiquing.   I wonder if that one is a Target exclusive?  

I happened to notice that Glade has a totally separate new Fall scent that is supposedly exclusive to Walmart this year -- it is called "Sunset Walk."  See it here - http://www.glade.com/en/fragrances/collections/limited-edition-fall-collection/sunset-walk.


But... Glade doesn't want us to forget that Fall means pumpkins too, so they named their latest pumpkin scent "Pumpkin Pit Stop."  Pumpkin Pit Stop?  Are they running out of names?  (Last year they had "Pumpkin Pie Diner.") That sounds ridiculous, though it probably smells great.  http://www.glade.com/en/fragrances/collections/limited-edition-fall-collection/pumpkin-pit-stop.

Then there is "Apple Tree Picnic," which is a better name than Pumpkin Pit Stop - http://www.glade.com/en/fragrances/collections/limited-edition-fall-collection/apple-tree-picnic.


And, of course, there is the very Fall-evocative name, "Hit the Road."   http://www.glade.com/en/fragrances/collections/limited-edition-fall-collection/hit-the-road.



​


----------



## LisaT91403

Just bought our 8 tickets for 10/16!  I know it's UEA, but DS(7) has a minimum day so we can head down at 1:00 without having to miss any school. I figure that a sold out party is a sold out party...so UEA shouldn't really matter. That's what I keep telling myself, anyway


----------



## Sherry E

LisaT91403 said:


> Just bought our 8 tickets for 10/16!  I know it's UEA, but DS(7) has a minimum day so we can head down at 1:00 without having to miss any school. I figure that a sold out party is a sold out party...so UEA shouldn't really matter. That's what I keep telling myself, anyway




That's basically it -- if it's sold out, it's sold out, and there shouldn't be any extra people in the park beyond whatever tickets are sold or given away for MHP.


----------



## mummabear

So looks like I will have to squeeze in BTRBBQ this trip or it will be gone!



pudinhd said:


> The tickets were so CHEAP



I don't think that will ever happen again 

I wouldn't mind the party moving, pros and cons to both, my ideal scenario would have them doing parties on different nights at both parks...


----------



## pudinhd

mummabear said:


> I don't think that will ever happen again
> 
> I wouldn't mind the party moving, pros and cons to both, my ideal scenario would have them doing parties on different nights at both parks...



I don't know if DLR could handle that much planning in the same year!    But I would definitely attend both parties!!


----------



## haileymarie92

LisaT91403 said:


> Just bought our 8 tickets for 10/16!  I know it's UEA, but DS(7) has a minimum day so we can head down at 1:00 without having to miss any school. I figure that a sold out party is a sold out party...so UEA shouldn't really matter. That's what I keep telling myself, anyway


What's UEA?


----------



## tjcrabb

Sherry E said:


> It will be interesting to see if this year's HHT includes seats for Paint the Night.  In the past, they just charged a lot of money for the tour without any parade seats!



That would be nice considering the price was raised again this year... like everything else. I won't hold my breath.



Sherry E said:


> Glade doesn't want us to forget that Fall means pumpkins too, so they named their latest pumpkin scent "Pumpkin Pit Stop."  Pumpkin Pit Stop?  Are they running out of names?  (Last year they had "Pumpkin Pie Diner.") That sounds ridiculous, though it probably smells great.  http://www.glade.com/en/fragrances/collections/limited-edition-fall-collection/pumpkin-pit-stop.




Not to be crass but I would think most people would associate "pit stop" with a bathroom break on a road trip. So the candle is really called pumpkin pee?  



haileymarie92 said:


> What's UEA?



UEA= Utah Education Association. Its basically a UT school holiday. DL is a very popular place for Utahans to vacation so crowd levels are and can be affected by school days off.


----------



## Mommy2PrincessAbby

We went to Bath and Body Works today, and not only did they have all their anti-bacs in the fall scents already, but they had the Halloween scents... we picked up Ghoul Friends and Vampire's Blood


----------



## haileymarie92

tjcrabb said:


> UEA= Utah Education Association. Its basically a UT school holiday. DL is a very popular place for Utahans to vacation so crowd levels are and can be affected by school days off.


Ohhh thanks for the info! That's good to know. Looks like our trip is two weeks before that, so I'm hoping for low crowds!


----------



## stephanie22

So we just got back from target and they had the glade fall scents out. The fall antiqueing one reminds me of my grandma, not fall lol.


----------



## tjcrabb

haileymarie92 said:


> Ohhh thanks for the info! That's good to know. Looks like our trip is two weeks before that, so I'm hoping for low crowds!



Well 2 weeks before is Gay days so it is probably going to be a bit busier anyway. The second weekend is the CHOC walk so most of Oct is going to be popular.


----------



## haileymarie92

tjcrabb said:


> Well 2 weeks before is Gay days so it is probably going to be a bit busier anyway. The second weekend is the CHOC walk so most of Oct is going to be popular.


We are there the week before gay days. Just our Friday will intersect, which is fine by us. Fiancé and I are both female, so it'll be neat to be a small part of gay days, even if it's just one day!


----------



## Sherry E

tjcrabb said:


> That would be nice considering the price was raised again this year... like everything else. I won't hold my breath.
> 
> 
> Not to be crass but I would think most people would associate "pit stop" with a bathroom break on a road trip. So the candle is really called pumpkin pee?



You read my mind!  That's what I was thinking when I said that Pumpkin Pit Stop sounded ridiculous.  I think of bathrooms when I hear the phrase "pit stop" -- not a pumpkin orchard or patch!    Who wants to be reminded of pee?  





Mommy2PrincessAbby said:


> We went to Bath and Body Works today, and not only did they have all their anti-bacs in the fall scents already, but they had the Halloween scents... we picked up Ghoul Friends and Vampire's Blood



Oh, I love Bath & Body Works' Fall and Halloween products!!!   Even if I don't buy them, I love smelling them, looking at the packaging (which is always colorful) and reading the clever names (much better than "Pumpkin Pit Stop").



stephanie22 said:


> So we just got back from target and they had the glade fall scents out. The fall antiqueing one reminds me of my grandma, not fall lol.



  And, it's not that there's anything wrong with grandma, but if you are going to buy a Fall-inspired candle or room spray, you want it to evoke visions and sensations of Fall!  Glade is struggling this year with their Pumpkin Pit Stop and Fall Antiquing.  

Did you see the Pumpkin Spice Latte M&M's?


----------



## jenhelgren

Are there any "secret" candy spots at MHP that are not printed on the map? We have been to MNSSHP a few times and there are always secret spots that are not on the map but most of the CM's know about in advance....


----------



## LisaT91403

jenhelgren said:


> Are there any "secret" candy spots at MHP that are not printed on the map? We have been to MNSSHP a few times and there are always secret spots that are not on the map but most of the CM's know about in advance....



I don't think it was a "secret", but there was a special treat trail just for AP holders last year. They gave out Big Hero 6 drawstring backpacks and a really cool frosted Rice Krispie Treat.

I hope they do it again this year. Star Wars backpacks would be awesome!


----------



## Sherry E

jenhelgren said:


> Are there any "secret" candy spots at MHP that are not printed on the map? We have been to MNSSHP a few times and there are always secret spots that are not on the map but most of the CM's know about in advance....



I don't know that there are necessarily any secret spots, purposely kept off of the map, but I know that people have often complained that the map doesn't show all of the treat trails or stations.  The giant Mickey ghosts in the park usually mark an approximate start of a treat trail -- but take that very loosely, as sometimes the ghosts are not exactly where the trail begins.  Once following the trail -- or even if you don't follow a specific trail -- look for the lanterns with Mickey's face stationed around the park.   They look like earless Mickey faces, but really the "ears" are the hooks or whatever are suspending Mickey's face.  Those mark the actual treat stations/stops with the candy and healthy treats.  The Mickey faces/lanterns may be orange, white, purple and possibly other colors too.


----------



## stephanie22

Sherry E said:


> You read my mind!  That's what I was thinking when I said that Pumpkin Pit Stop sounded ridiculous.  I think of bathrooms when I hear the phrase "pit stop" -- not a pumpkin orchard or patch!    Who wants to be reminded of pee?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Oh, I love Bath & Body Works' Fall and Halloween products!!!   Even if I don't buy them, I love smelling them, looking at the packaging (which is always colorful) and reading the clever names (much better than "Pumpkin Pit Stop").
> 
> 
> 
> And, it's not that there's anything wrong with grandma, but if you are going to buy a Fall-inspired candle or room spray, you want it to evoke visions and sensations of Fall!  Glade is struggling this year with their Pumpkin Pit Stop and Fall Antiquing.
> 
> Did you see the Pumpkin Spice Latte M&M's?



No they didn't have the fall themed candy out. The glade candles and scents were the only fall things out so far. But I go to Target at least three times a week so I'll be sure to let you know when I see more fall stuff.


----------



## wendyt_ca

Since you can go into the park 3 hours prior to the party can/do adult guests wear their costumes then since it is before the actual party hours?


----------



## rwhistler92

Yes. 


wendyt_ca said:


> Since you can go into the park 3 hours prior to the party can/do adult guests wear their costumes then since it is before the actual party hours?


----------



## jenhelgren

Are there any face painting stations in DTD or the resorts near Halloween? My son is trying to decide what to be and one year we had a makeup artist do his paint before the party and it looked much better than anything I could do!!


----------



## Sherry E

jenhelgren said:


> Are there any face painting stations in DTD or the resorts near Halloween? My son is trying to decide what to be and one year we had a makeup artist do his paint before the party and it looked much better than anything I could do!!



No -- not in DTD or at the hotels, as far as I know, unless Torilla Jo's restaurant is doing some face painting for Dia de los Muertos a bit earlier than usual.  I have not heard of any face painters in DTD or the hotels (someone please correct me if I'm wrong).  In the parks, Pirates League is not supposed to be coming back this year, and that was a good place for a pirate makeover!


----------



## nicolispicoli

They used to do face painting at a kiosk in DTD, I had my nephews faces painted there when we stayed at DLH, but it's been a couple years.


----------



## Sherry E

Breaking news on the Pumpkin Pandemonium Reign of Terror front....


Starbucks has announced that it is adding _actual_ pumpkin to its famous and popular Pumpkin Spice Latte this year (the previous version did not have actual pumpkin, apparently).  Read the shocking news here - http://consumerist.com/2015/08/17/s...pumpkin-will-be-added-to-pumpkin-spice-latte/  -- and here - http://blogs.starbucks.com/blogs/customer/archive/2015/08/17/pumpkin-spice-latte-2015.aspx.

I hope that information was not too much to absorb, and that everyone will be able to go on with their day!   



​


----------



## RichP1269

Just got home to find the Tickets I ordered on the 29th arrived in the mail.

Also got the Photopass + I ordered last week and the Show Your Disney Side sticker from the free giveaway a couple months ago.

Over half my mail today was Disney items.


----------



## Sherry E

RichP1269 said:


> Just got home to find the Tickets I ordered on the 29th arrived in the mail.
> 
> Also got the Photopass + I ordered last week and the Show Your Disney Side sticker from the free giveaway a couple months ago.
> 
> Over half my mail today was Disney items.



You had a bonanza of Disney mail!

I love when that happens -- opening the mail and finding several Disney items (expected or unexpected)!  I was getting annoyed because it seemed that everyone else who should have received the Disney Visa Fall newsletter/magazine had received it, but mine had not arrived.  I looked at the online version of the newsletter, but I like to actually hold it in my hands.  It finally got here, but well after other people said they received theirs.


----------



## dolphingirl47

jenhelgren said:


> Are there any face painting stations in DTD or the resorts near Halloween?



There has always been a face painting kiosk at Downtown Disney near the Lego Store. If I remember correctly it is on the left-hand side if you are heading towards the Disneyland Hotel. It was still there last November.

Corinna


----------



## Doctor Who

Received my 12 tickets ordered July 29th for the Oct 16th show. Yep I live in Utah!


----------



## bwang123

During Halloween party days, do the extra magic hour days remain the same? Example, on Tuesday Oct 27, there is a Halloween party. Do days like this, traditionally still have the extra magic hour?

Disneyland Park: Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays
Disney California Adventure Park (including access to Cars Land): Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays


----------



## nicolispicoli

dolphingirl47 said:


> There has always been a face painting kiosk at Downtown Disney near the Lego Store. If I remember correctly it is on the left-hand side if you are heading towards the Disneyland Hotel. It was still there last November.
> 
> Corinna



That's the same one I remember. They also do face painting (or did this past March) in DCA near where they have the Mad Hatter party in the evening, although that one is a moving cart, so I suppose it could be anywhere.


----------



## Mr. Bastos

dolphingirl47 said:


> There has always been a face painting kiosk at Downtown Disney near the Lego Store. If I remember correctly it is on the left-hand side if you are heading towards the Disneyland Hotel. It was still there last November.
> 
> Corinna



Yeah, there was a face painter there this past weekend when we were there. May be a year round thing ?!?


----------



## lorijohnhill

My husband said that Michael's is in "full-on Halloween mode", which is to be expected since it is an arts and crafts store, but thought I'd mention it anyway.

I ordered my daughter's yellow/gold tights last night for the Daisy Duck costume I will be sort of making her. I hope it comes out cute! I still need to sew my Minnie Mouse skirt and figure out what to do for the other party. I need to get my butt in gear!


----------



## Sherry E

lorijohnhill said:


> My husband said that Michael's is in "full-on Halloween mode", which is to be expected since it is an arts and crafts store, but thought I'd mention it anyway.
> 
> I ordered my daughter's yellow/gold tights last night for the Daisy Duck costume I will be sort of making her. I hope it comes out cute! I still need to sew my Minnie Mouse skirt and figure out what to do for the other party. I need to get my butt in gear!



I think that many stores -- both online and brick & mortar locations -- are sloooooowly trying to transition into Halloween mode, without seeming like they are rushing things.  For example, every specialty store that is putting out Halloween-specific products now won't just say, "Hey, folks -- we know it's August, but Halloween is coming up in 2-1/2 months and we really want to sell our stuff now," but they WILL say, "Here is a sneak preview of our Halloween products."  They make you think they are giving you a preview waaaaaaaay in advance, but if the items start flying off the shelves then there is no "preview" -- then they are officially selling the Halloween merchandise.

Today I got an email from Dylan's Candy Bar (Dylan's Candy Bar was founded and created by the daughter of Ralph Lauren, and there is a location at the Farmers Market, near where I live) -- giving me a "sneak peek" at their Haunted Nights Halloween goodies.  I have not checked all of my email, but I'm pretty sure that Starbucks was also "previewing" its Fall line of coffees via mail order a year ago at this time too.

Fine with me -- bring on Fall and Halloween (and then the Holidays!)!!!!


----------



## MommyMissy

lorijohnhill said:


> I ordered my daughter's yellow/gold tights last night for the Daisy Duck costume I will be sort of making her. I hope it comes out cute! I still need to sew my Minnie Mouse skirt and figure out what to do for the other party. I need to get my butt in gear!



My sister and I are taking my 7 year old for his birthday and he suggested going as Donald Duck. my sister will be Daisy and I will be Minnie. It will be neat to see each other's costumes!


----------



## mommy2mrb

Finished our Minnie mouse headbands, t-shirts and tutus yesterday!  had to go back to Hobby Lobby for some more tulle for our tutus!  they have ROWS of Christmas stuff out already, with only a few with Halloween items.


----------



## SeattleSuz

I am happy to say that my DD accomplished her goal (getting up on a wakeboard) on Sunday and I purchased our tickets for the September 30th Halloween Party!  Happy Birthday to me!  lol  Soooooo excited now!!!  DD was already plotting out what rides we could do during the Halloween party and trying to figure out where the TOT stations were and if they'd have long lines.  lol
One question though, if we are in the parks starting at rope drop, will we have to leave to go change into our costumes and then come back?  Or can I carry my costume in my backpack and change after 3??


----------



## lorijohnhill

My daughter outgrew the shirt we were going to use for her Daisy Duck costume. Gha! Time to hit the thrift stores. Wish me luck!


----------



## jammyjam25

SeattleSuz said:


> I am happy to say that my DD accomplished her goal (getting up on a wakeboard) on Sunday and I purchased our tickets for the September 30th Halloween Party!  Happy Birthday to me!  lol  Soooooo excited now!!!  DD was already plotting out what rides we could do during the Halloween party and trying to figure out where the TOT stations were and if they'd have long lines.  lol
> One question though, if we are in the parks starting at rope drop, will we have to leave to go change into our costumes and then come back?  Or can I carry my costume in my backpack and change after 3??




You could always rent a locker for the day that way at 3 you can just go grab it and change, and not have to worry about hauling them around all day!


----------



## SeattleSuz

jammyjam25 said:


> You could always rent a locker for the day that way at 3 you can just go grab it and change, and not have to worry about hauling them around all day!


 My costume is small (just a little Cap American dress) and my DH will probably just wear his Cap America shirt all day, so it's not that much to haul.


----------



## Comicbookmommy

Okay, Summer, I am seriously done with you! You may go now! Purchased my nights of Halloween Party, so please proceed with all your sweat-inducing temperatures out the nearest exit. Thank you! 

Also, I think we may move back to Maine next year... missing the fall foliage already


----------



## Jeff V.

Just got our tickets for sept 23-25 but I accidently bought the 2 day passes which I meant to buy 3 day passes. They said to take the tickets to the ticket booth at the park and pay the difference which is amazing I was mad I messed it up but oh well I hope I still get magic morning passes too.


----------



## Sherry E

I am assuming that everyone saw the Disney Parks Blog today, with the rather underwhelming and slim "Halloween-specific" offerings -- and, again, the conspicuous absence of any mention of the Halloween Carnival.  I've been saying for weeks that there would be no Halloween Carnival based on all of the info I had accumulated.   Even when the Disney Visa newsletter mentioned the Carnival, I didn't believe that it was correct because of all of the 'behind the scenes info' that had leaked out (and, of course, now we know that the Carnival area is on the chopping block due to Star Wars plans).  I was, however, hoping that maybe Disney was still trying to decide whether or not to do a last minute, half-hearted Carnival, or surprise us with something new and exciting.

They're not surprising us so far, but I am keeping hope alive!!!  Anyway, here is the blog -- http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...bout-halloween-time-at-the-disneyland-resort/.



​

This press release -- http://disneylandnews.com/2015/08/1...ebration-adds-sparkle-to-halloween-time-2015/ -- gives us some extra details about Mickey's Halloween Party this year (such as the "new superhero-themed dance party at Tomorrowland Terrace" and "Villains Square").

But... guess what?  It sounds like the Disney characters will ONLY be wearing their Halloween attire at the Halloween Party!!!   Remember how they used to wear their Halloween attire in the daytime... at THE HALLOWEEN CARNIVAL?  Well, the release says, "For Mickey’s Halloween Party only, Disney characters will be dressed in their Halloween costumes. During the day and on non-Halloween Party nights, Disney characters will wear their special Diamond Celebration attire."

So, basically, they are realllllly stripping away the daytime Halloween offerings this year, which were thin to begin with.  That is very sad.  No Halloween Carnival.  No Pirates League.  No pumpkin carvers (which is what I am most upset about).  No Conjure a Villain tent in the daytime.  No Disney characters in Halloween attire in the daytime or outside of the party.

And, at the Halloween Party, you get a parade that is also running on every non-party night all year long!

I certainly hope that they get back to normal once this 60th anniversary is over. 

​



Comicbookmommy said:


> Okay, Summer, I am seriously done with you! You may go now! Purchased my nights of Halloween Party, so please proceed with all your sweat-inducing temperatures out the nearest exit. Thank you!
> 
> Also, I think we may move back to Maine next year... missing the fall foliage already



Did you take my advice and end up going with the late October dates?  September can be brutally hot!

And I agree 100%!  March on out the door, summer -- be gone!  I am tired of being hot and uncomfortable, and the "worst" of the heat has not even happened yet.


----------



## gottalovepluto

Is the DAS system available during the Halloween Party?


----------



## Sherry E

gottalovepluto said:


> Is the DAS system available during the Halloween Party?



It seems to be... I think.

Here is a post from DIS'er Vintage Mousketeer, from last year - http://www.disboards.com/threads/ha...ht-mhp-sold-out.3270919/page-99#post-52366032.

Hopefully that is still the case.


----------



## Self-Rescuing Princess

At least it sounds like you get your money's worth  for the Halloween Party.

Anyone hear if the Passholder trail will be there this this year?


----------



## lorijohnhill

I'm disappointed that there won't be any characters in Halloween attire during the day. I liked that they had some during the day and then different ones during the party. Halloween Time is definitely scaled down this year. It ads more pressure to get more done during the party.

I hit the thrift store today and picked this shirt up to make the Daisy Duck costume top. It's not exactly like Daisy's, but I think it will work. Yes? I'll cut the sleeves short and add elastic so that they puff out a little. 


And look what else I found!

  

It's an adult large Cheshire Cat costume, so it is quite large on my 8 year old daughter. Some tucks here and there and I think she'll be able to wear it though. And, hey, she'll be able to wear it for many years! They are pajama style, so should be comfy.


----------



## Metalliman98

Sherry E said:


> This press release -- http://disneylandnews.com/2015/08/1...ebration-adds-sparkle-to-halloween-time-2015/ -- gives us some extra details about Mickey's Halloween Party this year (such as the "new superhero-themed dance party at Tomorrowland Terrace" and "Villains Square").
> 
> But... guess what?  It sounds like the Disney characters will ONLY be wearing their Halloween attire at the Halloween Party!!!   Remember how they used to wear their Halloween attire in the daytime... at THE HALLOWEEN CARNIVAL?  Well, the release says, "For Mickey’s Halloween Party only, Disney characters will be dressed in their Halloween costumes. During the day and on non-Halloween Party nights, Disney characters will wear their special Diamond Celebration attire."
> 
> So, basically, they are realllllly stripping away the daytime Halloween offerings this year, which were thin to begin with.  That is very sad.  No Halloween Carnival.  No Pirates League.  No pumpkin carvers (which is what I am most upset about).  No Conjure a Villain tent in the daytime.  No Disney characters in Halloween attire in the daytime or outside of the party.
> 
> And, at the Halloween Party, you get a parade that is also running on every non-party night all year long!
> 
> I certainly hope that they get back to normal once this 60th anniversary is over.
> 
> ​



How disappointing.  This will be our first year going for Halloween time, we are going for a whole week but only planned to do one party, thinking there would be a lot of Halloween stuff to do during the nonparty days.  I guess not.

I had been considering going down during Christmas time too, but maybe I need to reconsider, if they are going to scale back so much.


----------



## stephanie22

Sherry E said:


> This press release -- http://disneylandnews.com/2015/08/1...ebration-adds-sparkle-to-halloween-time-2015/ -- gives us some extra details about Mickey's Halloween Party this year (such as the "new superhero-themed dance party at Tomorrowland Terrace" and "Villains Square").
> 
> But... guess what?  It sounds like the Disney characters will ONLY be wearing their Halloween attire at the Halloween Party!!!   Remember how they used to wear their Halloween attire in the daytime... at THE HALLOWEEN CARNIVAL?  Well, the release says, "For Mickey’s Halloween Party only, Disney characters will be dressed in their Halloween costumes. During the day and on non-Halloween Party nights, Disney characters will wear their special Diamond Celebration attire."
> 
> So, basically, they are realllllly stripping away the daytime Halloween offerings this year, which were thin to begin with.  That is very sad.  No Halloween Carnival.  No Pirates League.  No pumpkin carvers (which is what I am most upset about).  No Conjure a Villain tent in the daytime.  No Disney characters in Halloween attire in the daytime or outside of the party.
> 
> And, at the Halloween Party, you get a parade that is also running on every non-party night all year long!
> 
> I certainly hope that they get back to normal once this 60th anniversary is over.
> 
> ​



Does this mean that villains will only be out at the Halloween party?


----------



## rwhistler92

It doesn't sound like anything too new or exciting is going to be offered for Halloween this year. 
Let's hope the food offerings are better.
Bring it on! I am ready for some tasty treats.


----------



## Sherry E

Self-Rescuing Princess said:


> At least it sounds like you get your money's worth  for the Halloween Party.
> 
> Anyone hear if the Passholder trail will be there this this year?



One could look at it as getting your money's worth at MHP... or one could look at it as Disney stripping away elements of the Halloween Time season to put it into the party, forcing more people to spend extra money on  tickets to see things that they won't see during the daytime.

No one knows about the AP trail this year.  It's too early to know.  I'm posting here whenever I find out anything -- fact, rumor or otherwise -- but I don't know about that yet.  We'll find out eventually, but I would have to imagine the AP treat station/trail will be there again this year.




lorijohnhill said:


> I'm disappointed that there won't be any characters in Halloween attire during the day. I liked that they had some during the day and then different ones during the party. Halloween Time is definitely scaled down this year. It ads more pressure to get more done during the party.



You're absolutely right.  It does add more pressure -- more characters to meet, more stops to make at the party, more reasons to be forced to buy tickets for 2 nights.  

What's sad is that Halloween Time -- the more popular a season it becomes -- has really been getting scaled back for years.  Since 2010 I have watched it become less and less and less, withering away a little at a time.  How long before Disney decides that Haunted Mansion Holiday and Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy should be MHP exclusives too? 

Back when Halloween Time was really in its heyday, there were decorations in both parks.  The giant Mickey pumpkin in DL, and the giant candy corn in DCA.   Themed music played in DCA.  Candy corn hung from the Golden Gate Bridge and from palm trees.  Candy Corn was growing on plants.  There was a whole Candy Corn Acres.  The CALIFORNIA letters outside of DCA were colored to look like candy corn!

Then, over in Disneyland, there was a Halloween-themed floral Mickey at the entrance -- Mickey was wearing an eye mask, and that floral display (made up of many small pumpkins) has come and gone over the years.  You'd head down Main Street and see a sea of orange -- pumpkins everywhere; Halloween-themed window displays, etc.   Then you'd have all of the autumnal decorations at the Halloween Round-Up and the baby goats in their Halloween scarves.  Eventually the Round-Up grew to be the Carnival.  The pumpkin carvers were amazing, creating intricate masterpieces every day, all season long.  Billy Hill and the Haunted Hillbillies played themed songs.  Several characters in Halloween garb greeted guests.

Of course, there was also Ghost Galaxy, Haunted Mansion Holiday, the Dia de los Muertos display and the Ray Bradbury Halloween Tree.

But now?  We are left with the 2 ride overlays in the daytime -- one of which is not exclusive to Halloween Time, and will be there through the end of the year and into January -- hopefully some pumpkins on Main Street, probably the Halloween Tree and the Dia de los Muertos display.  Otherwise, everything that's left of Halloween Time is at MHP.

Really, at this point Disney shouldn't even be calling it Halloween Time.  WDW doesn't have a name for their Halloween season.  They just have MNSSHP, and some other Halloween-ish things going on in different parks or hotels.  Since we don't really have anything Halloween-ish going on at our hotels or in DCA, why is it even a season? 



Metalliman98 said:


> How disappointing.  This will be our first year going for Halloween time, we are going for a whole week but only planned to do one party, thinking there would be a lot of Halloween stuff to do during the nonparty days.  I guess not.
> 
> I had been considering going down during Christmas time too, but maybe I need to reconsider, if they are going to scale back so much.



I know what you mean.  I would be lying if I said I wasn't concerned with how the holidays are going to be handled.  On the one hand I think that Disney treats the holiday season as a very special time, and they wouldn't dare cut it back so significantly -- as they have been doing to Halloween Time for years.  On the other hand, because the holiday season has always been much more developed and all-encompassing that Halloween Time has been, I wonder if Disney will strip away even more things from the holiday season because there is more to take away.  Know what I mean?  If they think it's okay to leave Halloween Time a shadow of its former self -- especially during the year of the 60th -- what on earth will they do to the holiday season, which has always been more thorough and immersive?  Will they remove more elements simply because there is more to remove?  Or will they still treat the holidays as a very special time?



stephanie22 said:


> Does this mean that villains will only be out at the Halloween party?



That's the sad feeling I am getting, but they certainly were not clear on it, were they?  As you know, I was certain that, even in the absence of an actual Carnival or Conjure a Villain tent, there would be a designated Villains photo spot in the daytime.  Even if there are only 2 or 3 Villains there every day, I was sure there would be something.  Now I wonder if that will happen.  Maybe Cruella will be out and about in Town Square somewhere, and maybe the Queen of Hearts, but will there actually be a Villains photo spot?


----------



## Comicbookmommy

Sherry E said:


> Did you take my advice and end up going with the late October dates?  September can be brutally hot!
> 
> And I agree 100%!  March on out the door, summer -- be gone!  I am tired of being hot and uncomfortable, and the "worst" of the heat has not even happened yet.



Yes, I did take your advice! Got tickets for Oct 27th and 29th!  Thank you for the tips on the weather, it would have been miserable to be hot on a "fall" getaway. I know it could still be hot the last week of October, but the chances sound better it'll be at least tolerable


----------



## Sherry E

Comicbookmommy said:


> Yes, I did take your advice! Got tickets for Oct 27th and 29th!  Thank you for the tips on the weather, it would have been miserable to be hot on a "fall" getaway. I know it could still be hot the last week of October, but the chances sound better it'll be at least tolerable



You're right -- it could still be hot at the end of October, but there is a greater chance of a horrible heat wave in September!


----------



## Comicbookmommy

Yeah, I just lit pumpkin spice candles and sprayed pumpkin air freshener around the house. Not ashamed one bit


----------



## Sherry E

Comicbookmommy said:


> Yeah, I just lit pumpkin spice candles and sprayed pumpkin air freshener around the house. Not ashamed one bit



You might as well!  Glade's Fall products are out.  Various pumpkin foods and Halloween candies are popping up in stores.  Bath & Body Works is selling its Fall/Halloween items.  Other stores are trotting out the Halloween displays.  M&M's Pecan Pie and Pumpkin Spice Latte flavors are in Walmart and Target, respectively.  Starbucks is getting ready to unleash its Pumpkin Spice Latte -- now with actual pumpkin puree in it -- later this month.  Kids are back in school.  Everything is slowly (or quickly?) transitioning into Fall and Halloween.

Which brand of pumpkin spice candle do you use?  I hear that Yankee Candle's seasonal scents are really good.  I've never tried them.


----------



## Oswald23

Sherry was the pre-party announced last year before the first party?

I hope this wil happen this year.

And I agree there is only a slim chance of villains during the day except for the usual ones.


----------



## mom2rtk

Bah Humbug.

Oops.... wrong holiday.  But it sort of sums up my feelings.

I'm glad we already bought tickets for 2 parties. But just so irritated that they're cutting back on everything (both during the day and during the party) so substantially while still raising the prices so much.


----------



## stephanie22

I really hope they still have villains out during the day, they are one of my favorite parts of visiting during Halloween time.  back before they had the Halloween party in Disneyland my husband and I went and I got to meet the old hag from Snow White, she pushed me out of the picture so it would just be her and my hubby lol.


----------



## gottalovepluto

We're a family of DL vets but we've only ever done the parks during summer and have talked about seeing them during Halloween and Christmas but it just never happens. We don't have the budget right now for a full on trip (we usually do 3-5 days every couple years and we were just in the parks for 5 days this summer). I'm thinking a nice way to experience some of the Halloween holiday might be through a trip down just for Mickeys Halloween Party and spend the night in a local hotel. (We drive about 4 hours to get to DL.)  I guess I'm really just soliciting opinions on... Is the Halloween Party a good way to enjoy this season at DL without having to make a large time/money commitment?


----------



## rwhistler92

Last year we didn't have the time or money for a full blown Disneyland vacation. 
So we went to just the Halloween party. 
It was just enough Disney to hold us over until our next trip.
It was worth it for us and we had a 10-11 hour drive 


gottalovepluto said:


> We're a family of DL vets but we've only ever done the parks during summer and have talked about seeing them during Halloween and Christmas but it just never happens. We don't have the budget right now for a full on trip (we usually do 3-5 days every couple years and we were just in the parks for 5 days this summer). I'm thinking a nice way to experience some of the Halloween holiday might be through a trip down just for Mickeys Halloween Party and spend the night in a local hotel. (We drive about 4 hours to get to DL.)  I guess I'm really just soliciting opinions on... Is the Halloween Party a good way to enjoy this season at DL without having to make a large time/money commitment?


----------



## Comicbookmommy

Sherry E said:


> You might as well!  Glade's Fall products are out.  Various pumpkin foods and Halloween candies are popping up in stores.  Bath & Body Works is selling its Fall/Halloween items.  Other stores are trotting out the Halloween displays.  M&M's Pecan Pie and Pumpkin Spice Latte flavors are in Walmart and Target, respectively.  Starbucks is getting ready to unleash its Pumpkin Spice Latte -- now with actual pumpkin puree in it -- later this month.  Kids are back in school.  Everything is slowly (or quickly?) transitioning into Fall and Halloween.
> 
> Which brand of pumpkin spice candle do you use?  I hear that Yankee Candle's seasonal scents are really good.  I've never tried them.



Yep, hopped on that air freshener as soon as I saw it!  I need to find those Yankee Candles! Mine are from Hobby Lobby, they have all kinds of giant, fall-scented candles on sale. I also get ridiculously excited when "Method" comes out with their line of seasonal hand soaps/ cleaning sprays, lol.

Also putting pumpkin pie spice coffee creamer in my morning cup-o-joe!  That Starbucks sounds amazing, though I gotta say, being on the west coast, I'm missing Dunkin' Donuts and all their glorious fall related drinks!


----------



## lorijohnhill

Ahhhh, Dunkin' Donuts... how I miss those donuts...


----------



## TXHauntedMansionFan

I have to say that this thread has been great in our planning for our first trip to DL for the Halloween season. However, I have to admit that all of this new knowledge has made me regret picking up the tickets for the Halloween Party. We expected it to be great after enjoying MNSSHP in the past...but it sounds like there won't be much other than the fireworks that we couldn't have seen during the normal park day.

Thanks everyone (and especially Sherry) for all the info on here!


----------



## Doctor Who

I've been to the Halloween party 3 times. I never went in to the ranch. I never saw the parade. I never got autographs. My point is my kids and I had a GREAT time. We are going again on the 16th.  The fireworks are wonderful. The trick or treating is so much fun. The whole atmosphere is wonderful. Seeing everyone dressed up is also a lot of fun. The lines for 90% of the rides are short. None of those things you can get on a normal park day. 

Thanks Sherry for all you do


----------



## lorijohnhill

TXHauntedMansionFan said:


> I have to say that this thread has been great in our planning for our first trip to DL for the Halloween season. However, I have to admit that all of this new knowledge has made me regret picking up the tickets for the Halloween Party. We expected it to be great after enjoying MNSSHP in the past...but it sounds like there won't be much other than the fireworks that we couldn't have seen during the normal park day.
> 
> Thanks everyone (and especially Sherry) for all the info on here!


Actually, there will be very little of Halloween Time available during the day. Most of the stuff is now limited to the Halloween Party. If Halloween is the reason you are going, you will be glad you got tickets to the party.


----------



## LisaT91403

Doctor Who said:


> I've been to the Halloween party 3 times. I never went in to the ranch. I never saw the parade. I never got autographs. My point is my kids and I had a GREAT time. We are going again on the 16th.  The fireworks are wonderful. The trick or treating is so much fun. The whole atmosphere is wonderful. Seeing everyone dressed up is also a lot of fun. The lines for 90% of the rides are short. None of those things you can get on a normal park day.
> 
> Thanks Sherry for all you do



I agree! We went for the first time last year. We have had annual passes for several years, but had never been to MHP. We were with some family members who don't have passes, and rarely get to visit the park...so they wanted rides, rides, rides, candy, and more rides. We had a blast. The atmosphere was really fun, the boys loved trick or treating, and the lines for rides were short. 

I will say that DS(7) is bummed that the carnival is gone, as he really enjoyed it. And we love that area of the park because it has spontaneous and "organic" character meets. You could be sitting and coloring a mask, and then all of a sudden a character is at your table with you. But we are certain we will have fun no matter what, and are looking forward to this year's party!


----------



## Davidg83

I'm sad that Erin has finally confirmed that the carnival will not be returning this year!  I'm also sad that it looks like Oreo has run out of fall cookie ideas since we got cases of caramel apple Oreos in at work today.  This is not a good news day!!


----------



## kkmcan

gottalovepluto said:


> We're a family of DL vets but we've only ever done the parks during summer and have talked about seeing them during Halloween and Christmas but it just never happens. We don't have the budget right now for a full on trip (we usually do 3-5 days every couple years and we were just in the parks for 5 days this summer). I'm thinking a nice way to experience some of the Halloween holiday might be through a trip down just for Mickeys Halloween Party and spend the night in a local hotel. (We drive about 4 hours to get to DL.)  I guess I'm really just soliciting opinions on... Is the Halloween Party a good way to enjoy this season at DL without having to make a large time/money commitment?



Absolutely!  We only did the party and one day in DCA. Tt was a whirlwind and our only trip for the year but we really felt we got our Disney Fix.  4 hour drive isn't that bad either. We drive 8 hours to get to DL.  Since we had such a short trip we focused on rides and some trick or treating. We also caught the fireworks too but didn't stake out spots. The last hour of the night we ran from ride to ride as they were all pretty much no wait. We did Big Thunder twice, Space Mtn, Haunted Mansion and Pirates and still had 10 minutes left before closing but we just were tired to even get on another ride. I think Indiana Jones had no wait but we couldn't even think about walking through that massive queue.


----------



## Comicbookmommy

TXHauntedMansionFan said:


> I have to say that this thread has been great in our planning for our first trip to DL for the Halloween season. However, I have to admit that all of this new knowledge has made me regret picking up the tickets for the Halloween Party. We expected it to be great after enjoying MNSSHP in the past...but it sounds like there won't be much other than the fireworks that we couldn't have seen during the normal park day.
> 
> Thanks everyone (and especially Sherry) for all the info on here!



While not an activity, per se, what I like most about the Halloween Party is the added atmosphere. The creepy lighting, the spooky soundtracks, the talking scarecrow guy and Dapper Dans on the river... I bought one night to do all the activities, and another just to relax and absorb the atmosphere, I love it that much. So if that kind of thing is important to you, you may enjoy it more than you think.



lorijohnhill said:


> Ahhhh, Dunkin' Donuts... how I miss those donuts...



Mmmmmm Dunkin's Pumpkin Donuts....


----------



## Sherry E

Davidg83 said:


> I'm sad that Erin has finally confirmed that the carnival will not be returning this year!  I'm also sad that it looks like Oreo has run out of fall cookie ideas since we got cases of caramel apple Oreos in at work today.  This is not a good news day!!



This made me laugh out loud, Davidg83!!!    I was just coming here to shamelessly gloat (but with a tinge of sadness) about being right, because Erin had confirmed what I have been saying here for weeks -- that there would be no Halloween Carnival this year (remember that you heard it here in this thread first, folks -- not on MiceChat!!!  Muahahahahaha! ).  But I read your comment about Oreo running out of Fall cookie ideas and burst out laughing!   

It's so true -- it's not a good Halloween/Fall news day at all.  Oreo has run out of ideas!  This must be the end of the world or something.  Oreo is the last bastian of hope for Halloween flavors, and they have fallen flat.  Between the lack of Fall Oreos and the lack of a Halloween Carnival, I may not be able to recover for weeks!


----------



## lorijohnhill

Maybe Oreo should come out with M&M flavored cookies and M&M can have Oreo flavored M&Ms.


----------



## Sherry E

I just posted this in the Christmas/Holiday thread, but should post here as well...

If you are a fan of the Big Thunder Ranch BBQ and you are planning to visit DLR for Halloween Time this year, be sure to get in one last meal there -- while you can.  We knew it was coming -- the whole Ranch is being razed as it gets rebuilt to be part of Star Wars Land.    It was only a matter of time before the BBQ closed.   

Today I saw something posted on Facebook (from a non-official Disney page) that said that the BBQ is closing on Monday, January 11, 2016.    Disney has not 'announced' that info yet, and I don't know if it's true, but the date makes sense, seeing as they are removing the Halloween Carnival and probably the Jingle Jangle Jamboree this year.  They are basically wrapping up everything at the Ranch and winding it down.

So, be sure to get in a final helping of all-you-care-to-eat ribs and chicken -- just in case this report/rumor turns out to be true!

​


----------



## briggscreek

That is really a bummer about the Halloween Carnival. We loved the Conjure a Villain tent and the pumpkins. Wish they would have kept it in the Ranch for one last year.


----------



## Spyral

Sherry E said:


> I just posted this in the Christmas/Holiday thread, but should post here as well...
> 
> If you are a fan of the Big Thunder Ranch BBQ and you are planning to visit DLR for Halloween Time this year, be sure to get in one last meal there -- while you can.  We knew it was coming -- the whole Ranch is being razed as it gets rebuilt to be part of Star Wars Land.    It was only a matter of time before the BBQ closed.
> 
> Today I saw something posted on Facebook (from a non-official Disney page) that said that the BBQ is closing on Monday, January 11, 2016.    Disney has not 'announced' that info yet, and I don't know if it's true, but the date makes sense, seeing as they are removing the Halloween Carnival and probably the Jingle Jangle Jamboree this year.  They are basically wrapping up everything at the Ranch and winding it down.
> 
> So, be sure to get in a final helping of all-you-care-to-eat ribs and chicken -- just in case this report/rumor turns out to be true!
> 
> ​



We set a reservation there for our upcoming stay, which will be the first time we will have ever eaten there.  Sadly it will probably be our last time we ever eat there as well.


----------



## stephanie22

Sherry E said:


> I just posted this in the Christmas/Holiday thread, but should post here as well...
> 
> If you are a fan of the Big Thunder Ranch BBQ and you are planning to visit DLR for Halloween Time this year, be sure to get in one last meal there -- while you can.  We knew it was coming -- the whole Ranch is being razed as it gets rebuilt to be part of Star Wars Land.    It was only a matter of time before the BBQ closed.
> 
> Today I saw something posted on Facebook (from a non-official Disney page) that said that the BBQ is closing on Monday, January 11, 2016.    Disney has not 'announced' that info yet, and I don't know if it's true, but the date makes sense, seeing as they are removing the Halloween Carnival and probably the Jingle Jangle Jamboree this year.  They are basically wrapping up everything at the Ranch and winding it down.
> 
> So, be sure to get in a final helping of all-you-care-to-eat ribs and chicken -- just in case this report/rumor turns out to be true!
> 
> ​


I booked our reservation for lunch at Big Thunder Ranch BBQ today for lunch on October 12! I'm excited to eat there as I've heard good things about it, but it's bitter sweet since this will be our only time eating there. 

In other news this will probably be our last trip to Disneyland for awhile as we are going to be moving to the east coast at the beginning of the year.


----------



## mom2rtk

I guess I don't see why they can't keep the Carnival one more year if the BBQ is going to be open until January.


----------



## nicolispicoli

mom2rtk said:


> I guess I don't see why they can't keep the Carnival one more year if the BBQ is going to be open until January.



I agree!! Why not one more hurrah for both seasons?? I will seriously miss that area during Halloween and Christmas, my daughter loved it so much. And for the love of all things Ranch related, where will the goats go!?!? I will be so angry if those goats are taken away


----------



## rwhistler92

I am so glad we went last year. We were surprised that Duffy was there at the carnival.  I am glad we spent so much time with him. I was hoping he would be there again this year.


----------



## Sherry E

Oswald23 said:


> Sherry was the pre-party announced last year before the first party?
> 
> I hope this wil happen this year.
> 
> And I agree there is only a slim chance of villains during the day except for the usual ones.



If I recall correctly -- and someone please correct me if I'm wrong -- I don't think the pre-parties for Toontown or for the Big Thunder Ranch area was announced, per se -- but I _think_ it may have popped up on the Disneyland website closer to start of the parties.  Well, actually, for the Toontown one, I remember DIS'er perlster checking the DLR website and noticing that Toontown was closing early on an MHP night, so that's how we figured out there would be another pre-party in TT.   They probably won't make a big announcement about it in the Parks Blog, unless they are really trying to hype up MHP and make it seem worth the money!     I can't see why there wouldn't be some sort of pre-party somewhere this year -- obviously not at the Big Thunder Ranch this time around.

Yes, I agree -- if any Villains are out in the daytime at all, it will likely be the usual, expected ones.



mom2rtk said:


> Bah Humbug.
> 
> Oops.... wrong holiday.  But it sort of sums up my feelings.
> 
> I'm glad we already bought tickets for 2 parties. But just so irritated that they're cutting back on everything (both during the day and during the party) so substantially while still raising the prices so much.



Bah humbug fits many occasions!  Oh, you got tickets for 2 parties?  

Yes, they are really cutting back -- and I'd like to think it's just for the sake of the 60th anniversary, but who knows.  It doesn't seem like it would have been a huge issue -- even though Star Wars Land is coming in the next few years -- to keep the Carnival and the Jamboree open for one more Halloween Time and Holiday season, respectively.  Or they could have at least moved elements of the Carnival elsewhere.



stephanie22 said:


> I really hope they still have villains out during the day, they are one of my favorite parts of visiting during Halloween time.  back before they had the Halloween party in Disneyland my husband and I went and I got to meet the old hag from Snow White, she pushed me out of the picture so it would just be her and my hubby lol.



  She is a sly old hag, that's for sure!

I remember when the Villains used to be in DCA (in the days when Halloween Time actually extended to both parks).  Then, in 2009, they moved them over to DL, near IASW.  I think it was 2012, wasn't it -- when the Halloween Carnival officially took over what used to be the Halloween Round-Up?  And now -- it's all gone.    That was a short-lived Carnival.



gottalovepluto said:


> We're a family of DL vets but we've only ever done the parks during summer and have talked about seeing them during Halloween and Christmas but it just never happens. We don't have the budget right now for a full on trip (we usually do 3-5 days every couple years and we were just in the parks for 5 days this summer). I'm thinking a nice way to experience some of the Halloween holiday might be through a trip down just for Mickeys Halloween Party and spend the night in a local hotel. (We drive about 4 hours to get to DL.)  I guess I'm really just soliciting opinions on... Is the Halloween Party a good way to enjoy this season at DL without having to make a large time/money commitment?



I think so -- especially since it seems that everything Halloween-related will be available during the party.  So it's not like if you choose to not go to DL earlier in the day you would miss something.  There's no Carnival, so anything Halloween-specific will be available to you at the party.  You might as well do the party and enjoy the Halloween experience.  It's a cheaper way to enjoy all of the Halloween fun than paying for a regular ticket.



Comicbookmommy said:


> Yep, hopped on that air freshener as soon as I saw it!  I need to find those Yankee Candles! Mine are from Hobby Lobby, they have all kinds of giant, fall-scented candles on sale. I also get ridiculously excited when "Method" comes out with their line of seasonal hand soaps/ cleaning sprays, lol.
> 
> Also putting pumpkin pie spice coffee creamer in my morning cup-o-joe!  That Starbucks sounds amazing, though I gotta say, being on the west coast, I'm missing Dunkin' Donuts and all their glorious fall related drinks!



There are Dunkin' Donuts out here in SoCal, with the Fall donuts and drinks!

I have never paid attention to the seasonal versions of Method.  What am I missing?  I get ridiculously excited over seasonal versions of anything -- it could be hand soap, dish liquid, cookies, coffee creamer, ice cream, air freshener, you name it!  If there is a seasonal version of it -- especially for Fall and Winter -- I love it!  




TXHauntedMansionFan said:


> I have to say that this thread has been great in our planning for our first trip to DL for the Halloween season. However, I have to admit that all of this new knowledge has made me regret picking up the tickets for the Halloween Party. We expected it to be great after enjoying MNSSHP in the past...but it sounds like there won't be much other than the fireworks that we couldn't have seen during the normal park day.
> 
> Thanks everyone (and especially Sherry) for all the info on here!



You're very welcome!  I'm glad the thread has helped.   I do hope you enjoy the party.  It's fun, and the atmosphere is cool.  But yes, it is questionable that they took a parade that is running every night and threw it into MHP.  Now it looks as though things from the daytime (characters in Halloween garb) are being relegated to the party only, so at least that something extra that won't be available in the daytime.

We sorely need a full-fledged Halloween parade, though -- like Boo to You.  Even before Disney decided to put Paint the Night in MHP, there was a short, cute, anticlimactic, underwhelming Cavalcade -- but at least it was Halloween party-specific.




Doctor Who said:


> I've been to the Halloween party 3 times. I never went in to the ranch. I never saw the parade. I never got autographs. My point is my kids and I had a GREAT time. We are going again on the 16th.  The fireworks are wonderful. The trick or treating is so much fun. The whole atmosphere is wonderful. Seeing everyone dressed up is also a lot of fun. The lines for 90% of the rides are short. None of those things you can get on a normal park day.
> 
> Thanks Sherry for all you do



You're very welcome!

I agree -- seeing everyone in costume is a lot of fun, and it is great to be able to have such short lines for a lot of rides.   I even enjoy enjoy trick or treating as an adult -- which I can only do in a Disney park!



LisaT91403 said:


> I agree! We went for the first time last year. We have had annual passes for several years, but had never been to MHP. We were with some family members who don't have passes, and rarely get to visit the park...so they wanted rides, rides, rides, candy, and more rides. We had a blast. The atmosphere was really fun, the boys loved trick or treating, and the lines for rides were short.
> 
> I will say that DS(7) is bummed that the carnival is gone, as he really enjoyed it. And we love that area of the park because it has spontaneous and "organic" character meets. You could be sitting and coloring a mask, and then all of a sudden a character is at your table with you. But we are certain we will have fun no matter what, and are looking forward to this year's party!



That Festival Arena area of the park was perfect for the Carnival, the Jingle Jangle Jamboree and the Springtime Round-Up.  Where will all of the famous Disney Rabbits now greet guests before Easter?  I hope Disney starts brainstorming and comes up with a back-up plan.  Those Disney character eggs and carved Disney character pumpkins are too integral to their respective seasons to not bring back.




lorijohnhill said:


> Maybe Oreo should come out with M&M flavored cookies and M&M can have Oreo flavored M&Ms.



Now there is an idea!  Once they run out of ideas, that's the only way they can go.  I'm so disappointed in Oreo for not coming up with anything new for Fall.  If M&M's can do it, so should Oreo.



Spyral said:


> We set a reservation there for our upcoming stay, which will be the first time we will have ever eaten there.  Sadly it will probably be our last time we ever eat there as well.



I'm glad you're going before it closes!

Someone who supposedly works at the BBQ commented on Facebook (under the Mouse For Life's post about the closure) and confirmed that 1/10/16 is the last day the restaurant will be open.  They were given the news/notice.



stephanie22 said:


> I booked our reservation for lunch at Big Thunder Ranch BBQ today for lunch on October 12! I'm excited to eat there as I've heard good things about it, but it's bitter sweet since this will be our only time eating there.
> 
> In other news this will probably be our last trip to Disneyland for awhile as we are going to be moving to the east coast at the beginning of the year.



I've never eaten there either -- I have procrastinated -- but I had always planned to eat there sooner or later, because it gets such great reviews.  Of course, now I am making sure to eat there before the end of the year.  I want to try one of their desserts (they always have seasonal desserts as well as some year-round things).

Now that you're going to be moving, do you think you will visit WDW more often than DLR?  Or no Disney trips at all for a while?



mom2rtk said:


> I guess I don't see why they can't keep the Carnival one more year if the BBQ is going to be open until January.



You'll get no argument from me.  It's not like they are going to start bulldozing the area before next year.  Why not have the Carnival and the JJJ?  I am keeping hope alive for the JJJ, but it's probably pointless.  



nicolispicoli said:


> I agree!! Why not one more hurrah for both seasons?? I will seriously miss that area during Halloween and Christmas, my daughter loved it so much. And for the love of all things Ranch related, where will the goats go!?!? I will be so angry if those goats are taken away



I will really miss it during Halloween Time, the Holidays and around Easter/Springtime.  They just started the Springtime Roundup in 2014!  It was brand new!  Lots of cute spring-y decorations everywhere, just like the wonderfully rustic Halloween/Autumn décor and the Christmas/reindeer décor.  And one of the pumpkin carvers also decorated the character Easter eggs!  They had better find a place to put those eggs and the artists.  

I love the goats in their Halloween scarves! 

Also, there is a really lovely CM -- and older lady -- who works somewhere in that whole Ranch area.  She is delightful to talk to, and so friendly and personable.  Now I wonder where she will end up, and if she will go to another area of DLR.



rwhistler92 said:


> I am so glad we went last year. We were surprised that Duffy was there at the carnival.  I am glad we spent so much time with him. I was hoping he would be there again this year.



Poor Duffy got booted out of DCA, so it was good that they brought him to the Carnival.


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## StyledSugar

So as some of you might remember, when I ordered my MHP tickets over the phone a couple of weeks ago, the cast member said we would receive our tickets in the mail about three weeks prior to the party and that I wouldn't receive a receipt. Well, I did get that receipt via email. Anyways, fast forward to today, I get an envelope in the mail from the Walt Disney Travel Company. I was so excited! Then I opened it.......IT WAS ANOTHER RECEIPT! No tickets, just a duplicate receipt.  Yes, I was disappointed but then I thought I'd ask here. Is everyone receiving hard copy tickets for this or is it just a receipt or piece of paper?

I remember when we went in 2011, we printed out the tickets at home so this is all new to us. Wish I would have just ordered online and printed the tickets out. I think it would have been easier....


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## Sherry E

StyledSugar said:


> So as some of you might remember, when I ordered my MHP tickets over the phone a couple of weeks ago, the cast member said we would receive our tickets in the mail about three weeks prior to the party and that I wouldn't receive a receipt. Well, I did get that receipt via email. Anyways, fast forward to today, I get an envelope in the mail from the Walt Disney Travel Company. I was so excited! Then I opened it.......IT WAS ANOTHER RECEIPT! No tickets, just a duplicate receipt.  Yes, I was disappointed but then I thought I'd ask here. Is everyone receiving hard copy tickets for this or is it just a receipt or piece of paper?
> 
> I remember when we went in 2011, we printed out the tickets at home so this is all new to us. Wish I would have just ordered online and printed the tickets out. I think it would have been easier....



You're kidding?!  So no tickets, but now you have two receipts?  They are obviously backlogged or understaffed or something in that Ticket dept. of DLR.  The trouble people have to go through just to get some MHP tickets is astounding!


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## StyledSugar

Sherry E said:


> You're kidding?!  So no tickets, but now you have two receipts?  They are obviously backlogged or understaffed or something in that Ticket dept. of DLR.  The trouble people have to go through just to get some MHP tickets is astounding!



Yep, two receipts.....when I was told I wouldn't receive one at all Makes no sense at all. Just want to know if hard copy tickets are being received or if what I got is all I will receive. I'm assuming they are actual tickets, since that's what people keep saying.


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## Sherry E

I'm actually still wondering if one of my original theories about why the Carnival (and possibly the Jingle Jangle Jamboree) isn't happening is correct.  Rehearsal.  The Candlelight Processional people rehearse in Disneyland.  Specifically, they usually rehearse in Tomorrowland, in the Magic Eye Theater.  Since I _think_ that we might see something Star Wars-related popping up in that theater this year (a movie preview, a movie premiere, or something), before the new movies opens, I am wondering if the Candlelight folks can't rehearse there.  Maybe something is being done to the theater to get it Star Wars-ready?

In that case -- IF my theory is correct -- maybe the Candlelight folks will need to rehearse in the Festival Arena area of the Ranch.  They have a lot of songs to practice and a lot of rehearsal to go through to be ready by the beginning of December, and they have to practice the actual "procession."   So, perhaps they need that space to rehearse and it was decided that trying to decorate it would be too intrusive?  It's just a guess and a theory, but it could make sense.  


​

 Not Halloween-specific, but since this will be going on during the Halloween Time season I will report it here....... It looks like.... in all probability.... 

Star Wars Launch Bay is beginning on or by... Sunday, October 11th???!!!!  Sunday is a weird day to start it -- but that is CHOC Walk day and Columbus Day weekend, so there is a method to the madness.   I just read official Disney info that indicates the Launch Bay will be up and running by 10/11. 


​




StyledSugar said:


> Yep, two receipts.....when I was told I wouldn't receive one at all Makes no sense at all. Just want to know if hard copy tickets are being received or if what I got is all I will receive. I'm assuming they are actual tickets, since that's what people keep saying.



You're supposed to get actual tickets in the mail, unless something has drastically changed.  One person did mention (I think it was in this thread?) receiving two envelopes, and there were tickets for an MHP that they are not going to in one of the envelopes.  Clearly they were sent someone else's tickets.


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## DisneyloverinWA

Sherry E said:


> You're supposed to get actual tickets in the mail, unless something has drastically changed.  One person did mention (I think it was in this thread?) receiving two envelopes, and there were tickets for an MHP that they are not going to in one of the envelopes.  Clearly they were sent someone else's tickets.


 
We DID NOT receive a receipt but we did receive our hard tickets in the mail about a week ago. We are going to the Halloween night party on October 31st.  I bought them on the first day you could purchase with an AP,


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## only hope

I've never been to DLR before and because of my job, can't visit during the Christmas season which is my first choice. I was so looking forward to all the Halloween offerings and now much of it isn't happening! I'm looking forward to the Diamond Anniversary things and the overlays. I do hope for other people that next year once the celebration is over they bring back some things in one form or another but that doesn't help people like us who can't afford frequent trips.


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## Sherry E

only hope said:


> I've never been to DLR before and because of my job, can't visit during the Christmas season which is my first choice. I was so looking forward to all the Halloween offerings and now much of it isn't happening! I'm looking forward to the Diamond Anniversary things and the overlays. I do hope for other people that next year once the celebration is over they bring back some things in one form or another but that doesn't help people like us who can't afford frequent trips.



I know exactly what you mean.  It's very expensive to go, and many people carefully select the times they can go so they can enjoy certain seasons.   As I've said all along, there are people out there who don't necessarily follow discussion boards and blogs.  They may not be that invested in whether or not it's the 60th anniversary.  They will just want to go to Disneyland for Halloween Time and/or for the holidays.  They will want to see decorations for those seasons and eat holiday treats and hear holiday music.   Let's hope the pumpkins are there on Main Street, at the very least.  

I don't know if the lack of Halloween things in the daytime this year is because of the 60th, because of the Star Wars Land preparations, or because they need the Festival Arena space for rehearsals.  But it's looking pretty sad unless there is a surprise coming.  I guess the introduction of the Star Wars Launch Bay is supposed to make up for it.

I was just discussing this with someone earlier today -- she accurately pointed out that the decorations for the 60th (the blue bunting, the faux diamond accents here and there) are pretty.... but they are just decorations, and they're not the reason why you would make a visit to DLR for the 60th.  The entertainment is the real reason.  The overall celebration.   It's not a case like with the holiday season, where there are layers upon layers of themed decorations in almost every land, so you could literally walk around all day and look at the different, detailed décor.  The 60th décor is not like that -- it's not like it's themed to each land, and that you would walk around and see different details.  It's just some very pretty décor that complements the 60th anniversary festivities.  

So if the holiday season gets cut back too, aside from the expected loss of the Jingle Jangle Jamboree, I will be really, reallllllllly annoyed.


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## CassieF

So I was at Company D yesterday and they had all sorts of Halloween stuff in the cage...from what looked like window decorations to the spider web and orange banners around the park to some "vote for" villain posters (a promo from something?) as well as the round popcorn buckets at the Zero ones ($2!).  

It was cool to see them there until i then realized they'd no longer be used in the park.  Perhaps that means next year we'll get fun new Halloween decor?


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## Sherry E

CassieF said:


> So I was at Company D yesterday and they had all sorts of Halloween stuff in the cage...from what looked like window decorations to the spider web and orange banners around the park to some "vote for" villain posters (a promo from something?) as well as the round popcorn buckets at the Zero ones ($2!).
> 
> It was cool to see them there until i then realized they'd no longer be used in the park.  Perhaps that means next year we'll get fun new Halloween decor?



You mean they might not even have the Halloween window decorations this year?   And the orange bunting is gone too?  Sigh.

Well, the Parks Blog said a while back that there would be some "sparkling" new décor for Halloween Time, but they didn't make it sound as though there would be a lot of it.

Maybe next year they will move MHP back to DCA and there will be brand new décor in that park!  I just really hope that the pumpkin carvers/egg decorators come back and end up somewhere next year, and that all of the CMs at the Ranch will find other Disney jobs.  I will miss those cute goats!


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## gottalovepluto

Comicbookmommy said:


> Mmmmmm Dunkin's Pumpkin Donuts....


 Pumpkin *DONUTS*?! *mind blown*   (I guess it's obvious I have never lived in a Dunkin Donuts area lol)


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## Oswald23

Thanks for the reply on the pre-party.  If Toon Town shuts down early we should know in a couple of days



Sherry E said:


> Not Halloween-specific, but since this will be going on during the Halloween Time season I will report it here....... It looks like.... in all probability....
> 
> Star Wars Launch Bay is beginning on or by... Sunday, October 11th???!!!!  Sunday is a weird day to start it -- but that is CHOC Walk day and Columbus Day weekend, so there is a method to the madness.   I just read official Disney info that indicates the Launch Bay will be up and running by 10/11.
> 
> ​


 
Will the Marvel meet and greet also move back inside at that point?


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## Sherry E

Oswald23 said:


> Thanks for the reply on the pre-party.  If Toon Town shuts down early we should know in a couple of days
> 
> 
> 
> Will the Marvel meet and greet also move back inside at that point?



You're very welcome!

Yes, it looks as though the Marvel meet & greet is taking up residence in the same spot with the Launch Bay (and they will both be in the Innoventions building, I think).

From the Disneyland News press release I linked several days ago, it says:

 "Star Wars Launch Bay will be located in the Animation Courtyard at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and in Tomorrowland at Disneyland park.  Also at Disneyland park, Star Wars Launch Bay will share the space with the reimagined Super Hero HQ, featuring opportunities to meet and take photos with super heroes like Captain America and Thor, as well as experience the returning Iron Man Tech Presented by Stark Industries. Both experiences will be available for guests later this year."


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## Oswald23

Thank you again 

We are there 17 oct till 24 oct hope it is ready very curious.


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## Doctor Who

I have received 3 envelopes all with hard tickets in them!


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## stephanie22

Sherry E said:


> I've never eaten there either -- I have procrastinated -- but I had always planned to eat there sooner or later, because it gets such great reviews.  Of course, now I am making sure to eat there before the end of the year.  I want to try one of their desserts (they always have seasonal desserts as well as some year-round things).
> 
> Now that you're going to be moving, do you think you will visit WDW more often than DLR?  Or no Disney trips at all for a while?



Both actually. It'll probably be at least a year before we will be able to afford to visit WDW after the move, because we are buying a house for the first time yay! I'm super sad it will be the first time since 2006 that my husband haven't been to a Disney park at least once a year. (Spoiled I know) 

But then yeah we hope to start visiting WDW after that, it'll be the same six hours away that Disneyland is from us now. There is a special place in my heart for Disneyland though because I've been going there since I was a little girl. It will forever be my home park lol.


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## briggscreek

So the Carnival won't be there, but do we think the Ranch area with the goats will still be open along with the BBQ? I know my DD would love to see the goats one last time.


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## CassieF

briggscreek said:


> So the Carnival won't be there, but do we think the Ranch area with the goats will still be open along with the BBQ? I know my DD would love to see the goats one last time.



Yes, the (rumored) planned date for the BBQ closure is 1/11 so you should be fine through the holiday season


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## mummabear

Weird for some reason Disboards isn't altering me of new posts here even though it is a watched thread.
It sure sounds like the Halloween offering this year will be a little thin-especially during the daytime since Erin has confirmed no Villians except at the party-what kind of Halloween time doesn't allow day guests to meet the Villians?


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## gottalovepluto

We have a date fellow Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte lovers- due to hit all stores Sept 8!
http://fortune.com/2015/08/21/starbucks-pumpkin-spice-latte-release/


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## jammyjam25

gottalovepluto said:


> We have a date fellow Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte lovers- due to hit all stores Sept 8!
> http://fortune.com/2015/08/21/starbucks-pumpkin-spice-latte-release/



Dang! My husband and I had a pool going and I guessed August 31!  Maybe that will be the "early release" date, LOL!


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## mummabear

Sherry E said:


> Pirates League is not supposed to be coming back this year, and that was a good place for a pirate makeover!



I honestly don't understand why they don have it year round like the do at WDW. BBB is open all year and think it could be sustained year round-what do you think?


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## Sherry E

In this piece from MiceAge/MiceChat -- http://micechat.com/109304-disneyland-update-4/ -- notice the photo that shows that a "Fall centerpiece" has been installed at the China Closet, and accented with faux "diamonds" (crystals).   Is this part of the "sparkling new décor" that Erin told us about in her Halloween Time announcement blog last month?  Do diamonds/crystals and Fall/Halloween go together well?  Look at the Fall centerpiece and decide.

I wonder if they are just going to hang crystals on anything that looks Fall-ish and call it sparkling new décor.....

​



stephanie22 said:


> Both actually. It'll probably be at least a year before we will be able to afford to visit WDW after the move, because we are buying a house for the first time yay! I'm super sad it will be the first time since 2006 that my husband haven't been to a Disney park at least once a year. (Spoiled I know)
> 
> But then yeah we hope to start visiting WDW after that, it'll be the same six hours away that Disneyland is from us now. There is a special place in my heart for Disneyland though because I've been going there since I was a little girl. It will forever be my home park lol.



It will be exciting to move into your first house, but sad to not be able to visit a Disney park for a while -- especially Disneyland because you have been going there for so long.  Houses can eat up a lot of money!




briggscreek said:


> So the Carnival won't be there, but do we think the Ranch area with the goats will still be open along with the BBQ? I know my DD would love to see the goats one last time.



I could be completely wrong, but my feeling is that the goats will not be there for the rest of the year.  I think the goats will be gone.   The BBQ will, of course, be open for a while longer, but I am getting the sense that Disney wants to just shut the doors on that whole Ranch area outside of the restaurant and be done with it.  Otherwise, if they left the goats there it would seem like they could have the Carnival, and the pumpkin carvers.

I will miss the goats.  They are so sweet.




mummabear said:


> Weird for some reason Disboards isn't altering me of new posts here even though it is a watched thread.
> It sure sounds like the Halloween offering this year will be a little thin-especially during the daytime since Erin has confirmed no Villians except at the party-what kind of Halloween time doesn't allow day guests to meet the Villians?



I have that issue with not getting alerts quite often.   

Halloween Time was already a little thin, but now it is hanging on by a thread!  I saw Erin's response about the Villains, and I wondered if *stephanie22* saw it, as she wondered about the Villains.  Can you believe that not only are the regular characters in Halloween costumes being relegated to party-only status, but the Villains too?  I can't believe that.  There has to be at least one or two "regular" Villains out somewhere in the daytime.  What kind of Halloween Time season is this?  Good grief!  I am very disappointed in how this season is shaping up, and I don't know if it's all happening because of the 60th anniversary or because of Star Wars plans, or what.  It's sad, though.  



gottalovepluto said:


> We have a date fellow Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte lovers- due to hit all stores Sept 8!
> http://fortune.com/2015/08/21/starbucks-pumpkin-spice-latte-release/



Okay, maybe I have become jaded by the early signs of Pumpkin Pandemonium in July (or May!!), but September 8 seems -- dare I say it -- late to me.    My mind has been programmed to expect Halloween things in July and August.  September 8th seems like a late arrival.  Maybe the fact that they are using actual pumpkin puree this year requires a more time-consuming process?   

I'm still trying to get over the fact that Oreo was unable to come up with a new Fall flavor this year.  They let me down.  Gevalia came through, however, and fulfilled their pumpkin spice requirement for the time being -- http://www.theimpulsivebuy.com/wordpress/2015/08/21/spotted-on-shelves-8212015/.



jammyjam25 said:


> Dang! My husband and I had a pool going and I guessed August 31!  Maybe that will be the "early release" date, LOL!



Last year it appeared early, didn't it?!  It appeared/previewed in August, or something seasonal from Starbucks appeared in August.  I'm telling you, I have been brainwashed to think that something is not right with the world if Halloween things don't appear until September!



mummabear said:


> I honestly don't understand why they don have it year round like the do at WDW. BBB is open all year and think it could be sustained year round-what do you think?



I don't understand it either.  It seems like it could be a great year-round thing.  At the very least, they could have relocated it to somewhere else in the parks.


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## seobaina

Star Wars launch bay?


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## Sherry E

seobaina said:


> Star Wars launch bay?



Yes.  From the info I gathered, it looks like it should be opening on or around October 11th.  There is a paragraph about it in this press release - http://disneylandnews.com/2015/08/1...tertainment-and-experiences-at-d23-expo-2015/ and in this Parks Blog - http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...-to-walt-disney-world-and-disneyland-resorts/. 

It should be in Innoventions.


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## lorijohnhill

It seems like Disney is trying to shuttle every Halloween thing they have left into being "party only" to justify the price increases. It sure is disappointing that they are advertising Halloween Time but have no Halloween happenings.


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## mom2rtk

lorijohnhill said:


> It seems like Disney is trying to shuttle every Halloween thing they have left into being "party only" to justify the price increases. It sure is disappointing that they are advertising Halloween Time but have no Halloween happenings.


 

Yet there's still less Halloween stuff, even during the party (or so it seems).


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## rwhistler92

Now the lines to see characters and villains at the party are going to be twice as long.


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## stephanie22

I did see that about the villains and it stinks!


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## seobaina

Maybe they'll surprise us. We'll know in a couple of weeks time.


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## Sherry E

seobaina said:


> Maybe they'll surprise us. We'll know in a couple of weeks time.



That is very true -- there is definitely still time for some sort of surprise (and not just a Fall centerpiece with dangling crystals!)!


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## seobaina

And the fact they still haven't announced/decided on park times might mean something. I'm still waiting for them to open meal bookings for early October x


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## Sherry E

Well, in the meantime, let's bid a fond farewell to the Halloween Carnival and the Halloween Round-Up.... pumpkin people, pumpkin carvers, cute animals in Halloween scarves, autumnal decor and so much more......

Below I quoted my post from page 1 of this thread, with pictures of a lot of the fun things  to be found at the Carnival/Round-Up.  Click on image for full size.




Sherry E said:


> *Photos, Photos, Photos!!!*
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## LisaT91403

I ordered my MHP tickets on Sunday, and received them today...so maybe they've gotten things under control and are shipping more quickly now.

I like the 60th Anniversary ticket design! I hadn't seen that before, since we have AP's. Very nice!


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## HopLow1968

This thread is becoming depressing.  I'm not a resident of SoCal, do not have an AP, I haven't been to Disneyland in 20 years, and my gf has never been.  We're going for 5 days in Oct, and we've bought party tickets for 2 of those nights. 

I'm sorry that we won't be seeing the Cavalcade.  I'm sorry that there won't be pumpkin carvers, and my gf will be surprisingly dissappointed if the goats are gone.  
And, it kinda sucks that after paying $600 for park tickets, we are being presented with the situation of being kicked out early the majority of our days (turns out there are 3 parties during our 5 days) or pay extra for the parties.  So, pony up an additional, unexpected, $300.

But...
- *Fireworks every night!*  Thats awesome!  In fact, we'll be seeing *two different fire works shows!*
- Reserved viewing area for *Fantasmic*.  I'm gonna be able to show her this show and we won't have to stake out our seats hours in adavance.  Oh, and we'll be able to see the fireworks, *with mist projections,* from that area.
- The chance to see *Paint the Night* on a party night with it's lower crowds, more likely to get a great spot!
- Parks are staying open until late 4 out of the 5 nights we'll be there (due to the parties and such), despite it being off-season!  I remember *Disneyland at night* being my favorite!
- *A whole new park!  DCA *wasn't around last time I went.  How many amazing new rides is that?
- Reserved dining at Wine Country will give us good spots to see the *Pixar Parade and World of Color*.
- The empty America Sings building is going to have some sort of *Star Wars exhibit*, yay!
- People actually talk positive about the food at Disneyland now.  With a few exceptions, I remember over-priced cardboard tasting burgers.  Now people actually *like* the food.  Can't wait to try a Corn Dog!
- Apparently they've redone Sleeping Beauty's Castle, and improved the effects.  And Alice in Wonderland, and Peter Pan, and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and, and, and.
- This *Fastpass system* apparently lets you pick the major rides, and ride them without standing 90 minutes or more in line.  So you can spend more time either doing non-E-ticket rides, or just enjoying the ambiance of the Park.

Is it disappointing that there won't be pumpkin carvers?  Sure, but hell the last time I went to a Disneyland Halloween Party they had trucked in a bunch of 1,000 pound Giant Pumpkins.   I'm thrilled to be going.  I hope that others enjoy Halloween time at Disneyland as much as I plan to.


----------



## adamkat

So we have our tickets for MHP on Oct 29th (yay!!!!)   Wondering if anyone knows what happens at DD on Halloween since we missed getting MHP tickets for actual Halloween and it will be our last night at DL?  
Thanks,  K


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## Sherry E

HopLow1968 said:


> This thread is becoming depressing.  I'm not a resident of SoCal, do not have an AP, I haven't been to Disneyland in 20 years, and my gf has never been.  We're going for 5 days in Oct, and we've bought party tickets for 2 of those nights.
> 
> I'm sorry that we won't be seeing the Cavalcade.  I'm sorry that there won't be pumpkin carvers, and my gf will be surprisingly dissappointed if the goats are gone.
> And, it kinda sucks that after paying $600 for park tickets, we are being presented with the situation of being kicked out early the majority of our days (turns out there are 3 parties during our 5 days) or pay extra for the parties.  So, pony up an additional, unexpected, $300.
> 
> But...
> - *Fireworks every night!*  Thats awesome!  In fact, we'll be seeing *two different fire works shows!*
> - Reserved viewing area for *Fantasmic*.  I'm gonna be able to show her this show and we won't have to stake out our seats hours in adavance.  Oh, and we'll be able to see the fireworks, *with mist projections,* from that area.
> - The chance to see *Paint the Night* on a party night with it's lower crowds, more likely to get a great spot!
> - Parks are staying open until late 4 out of the 5 nights we'll be there (due to the parties and such), despite it being off-season!  I remember *Disneyland at night* being my favorite!
> - *A whole new park!  DCA *wasn't around last time I went.  How many amazing new rides is that?
> - Reserved dining at Wine Country will give us good spots to see the *Pixar Parade and World of Color*.
> - The empty America Sings building is going to have some sort of *Star Wars exhibit*, yay!
> - People actually talk positive about the food at Disneyland now.  With a few exceptions, I remember over-priced cardboard tasting burgers.  Now people actually *like* the food.  Can't wait to try a Corn Dog!
> - Apparently they've redone Sleeping Beauty's Castle, and improved the effects.  And Alice in Wonderland, and Peter Pan, and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and, and, and.
> - This *Fastpass system* apparently lets you pick the major rides, and ride them without standing 90 minutes or more in line.  So you can spend more time either doing non-E-ticket rides, or just enjoying the ambiance of the Park.
> 
> Is it disappointing that there won't be pumpkin carvers?  Sure, but hell the last time I went to a Disneyland Halloween Party they had trucked in a bunch of 1,000 pound Giant Pumpkins.   I'm thrilled to be going.  I hope that others enjoy Halloween time at Disneyland as much as I plan to.



I think it's great what you listed, and you have a very positive attitude!  For you, because it's been so long since you've been there, I think that California Adventure will be the main event -- and the changes in Disneyland.  The Halloween Time stuff would not be the main event after you have been away all these years.

I don't mean to depress anyone but, you must understand... this is a Halloween Time thread.  While the 60th anniversary stuff is wonderful, I am here to tell people what to expect and what not to expect of the Halloween season.  I'm being real and honest.  I've watched it become less and less over the years.   Not many people who have followed the season would disagree.   

Maybe some folks won't miss the same things I will miss -- as you can see from my above post with photos, there is a lot more than pumpkin carvers that is going away, although the carvers happened to be a highlight for me.  People who want a Halloween Time-specific experience will want to know what is there and what it not there.

There may be some surprises in store.  Who knows?  But the fact is that a lot of things have been wiped out in one fell swoop, and for people who aren't really that excited about the 60th anniversary but were looking forward to Halloween Time, the reality is that it is looking rather lackluster.  Sure, the party is fun, but it is a tad overpriced.

I'm not going to sugar coat what is happening.  If things are being taken away, I am going to talk about it.  If things are being added in, I am going to talk about it.  Good or bad, I talk about whatever is going on in the season.  It's up to you guys to take the information and make what you will of your trips! 




adamkat said:


> So we have our tickets for MHP on Oct 29th (yay!!!!)   Wondering if anyone knows what happens at DD on Halloween since we missed getting MHP tickets for actual Halloween and it will be our last night at DL?
> Thanks,  K



I don't think there is anything specific going on in Downtown Disney (that I am aware of).  There are things that go on in DTD during the general season, like a Haunted Gingerbread workshop at Jazz Kitchen for a couple of nights, but I don't know of anything that is happening specifically on Halloween night (yet!).


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## tjcrabb

Has anyone tried to book the happiest haunts tour yet? When they updated the cost of the tour they also took out the phrase occurring nightly during the halloween season. I know the blog won't be announcing anything about it for a month or so, if at all. I am curious to see if it is nightly or party nights only.


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## lorijohnhill

tjcrabb said:


> Has anyone tried to book the happiest haunts tour yet? When they updated the cost of the tour they also took out the phrase occurring nightly during the halloween season. I know the blog won't be announcing anything about it for a month or so, if at all. I am curious to see if it is nightly or party nights only.


I've been wondering the same thing. I also find it interesting that there are NO available dates showing yet. Even those that are within the 30 day booking time.


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## Kyjin

Just ordered my tickets for the October 25th party! Now comes the fun part: putting together costumes. My current plan is to be a female version of Gaston. (Best Disney villain imho.) One member of our group is going at Tiana, and we're trying to get the third to be Snow White, but there's time to convince her yet.


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## Kilala

I found some Halloween /Harvest thing at CVS this evening. I plan on doing a photo shoot in my Halloween cat costume tomorrow. I will take some photos with some Halloween decorations. I think one of the Jack-O-Lanters we have is from 1992.


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## gottalovepluto

When MHP ends at 11pm, do the shops on Main St stay open another hour like on regular park nights?


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## mommy2mrb

got our MHP tickets and photopass package yesterday!!! need to purchase our park tickets (next month's budgeted item) and we are set to go see Mickey!


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## mom2rtk

Sherry E said:


> Bah humbug fits many occasions!  Oh, you got tickets for 2 parties?



We've done a lot of hard ticket parties at WDW. And I always enjoy myself more if I know I have 2 parties to fit it all in. It takes some of the pressure off.

And I wanted to see the goats in their Halloween scarves too! 

I ordered our tickets Monday and they arrived yesterday.



Sherry E said:


> I don't know if the lack of Halloween things in the daytime this year is because of the 60th, because of the Star Wars Land preparations, or because they need the Festival Arena space for rehearsals.  But it's looking pretty sad unless there is a surprise coming.  I guess the introduction of the Star Wars Launch Bay is supposed to make up for it.


 

I'd be shocked to see any of that come back. They Disney hand giveth.....and it taketh away. I think this all just gives them some cover to cut back in these areas. In general, the hard ticket parties at WDW have had a variety of things removed through the years and there just never seems to be much given back.



Sherry E said:


> Well, in the meantime, let's bid a fond farewell to the Halloween Carnival and the Halloween Round-Up.... pumpkin people, pumpkin carvers, cute animals in Halloween scarves, autumnal decor and so much more......
> 
> Below I quoted my post from page 1 of this thread, with pictures of a lot of the fun things  to be found at the Carnival/Round-Up.  Click on image for full size.


 

I'd like to "like" this post....... but I just can't. 

And thanks for posting the link to the merchandise thread. I hope the hoodie shows up on Disneystore.com. I want one but have a hunch they'll be out of a lot of that stuff by the time we get there in late October.

And on the sparkling Halloween certerpiece........ I love Halloween. And I love sparkly things.......... but that just seems......... odd.


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## Comicbookmommy

Do you think the Toon Town pre-party will srill happen? That was a blast!


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## Oswald23

Comicbookmommy said:


> Do you think the Toon Town pre-party will srill happen? That was a blast!



_I asked the same question one  or two pages ago  (no attack please just stating I want it to know as bad as you are) But it is still not sure. They downgraded the Halloween time so much I don't think it will happen. But that's just me being negative 

Sherry's tip was to wait and see what happens to the schedule of ToonTown attractions on party nights. I can tell you they are not up yet. Funny thing is on non-party nights they are up even after the first party. That can be a good thing, or they still don't know what they're gonna do._


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## dolphingirl47

I am hope that I am reading something in here that is not there, but I looking at the schedules, after 12th September it states "Schedule Unavailable" for the ranch and all the Toon Town Attractions. I thought that Toon Town was safe from the chop, but now I start to wonder.

Corinna


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## lorijohnhill

All of the Rivers of America attractions are listed as "schedule unavailable" also... hmmm...


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## tjcrabb

I think several of the schedules are wonky. I am (not so) patiently waiting to book a fantasmic dinner at BB. I was checking the website and fantasmic is showing 10/03 but not showing up under the dining packages for that date.


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## HopLow1968

mom2rtk said:


> And on the sparkling Halloween certerpiece........ I love Halloween. And I love sparkly things.......... but that just seems......... odd.



My first thought was autumn leaves caught in a frost.


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## Comicbookmommy

Oswald23 said:


> _I asked the same question one  or two pages ago  (no attack please just stating I want it to know as bad as you are) But it is still not sure. They downgraded the Halloween time so much I don't think it will happen. But that's just me being negative
> 
> Sherry's tip was to wait and see what happens to the schedule of ToonTown attractions on party nights. I can tell you they are not up yet. Funny thing is on non-party nights they are up even after the first party. That can be a good thing, or they still don't know what they're gonna do._



Thanks for the information! I really hope it happens. My son got to meet Clarabel Cow and Horace and was so happy (two of his favorites) and going on treat trails throughout Toon Town was awesome! Fingers crossed!


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## Mr. Bastos

Ordered our Ticket's for the 31st on the 8th, and haven't gotten them yet. Hopefully today or early this coming week. We really need to figure out our costumes though haha. Also on an unrelated note, we decided to dine at Big Thunder Ranch during a quick trip next weekend, since we've never eaten there and we read it will be closing (possibly soonish), we need to try it.


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## DnA2010

Hi guys, we are very close to booking a trip to DL for Oct- our dates are going to be 
Oct 18th - arrive LAX around 6pm-
Oft 25th - depart LAX around 6:30pm- 

We will have 5 day hoppers and buy tickets to a Halloween party- just curious what day in this time you would do the party?


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## Kilala

I just took a photo shoot in my Halloween cat costume. I will try to post the by next Tuesday.I have some pics up on Facebook Here's the link https://www.facebook.com/cristine.armstrong/posts/921855321242235?pnref=story


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## Sherry E

tjcrabb said:


> Has anyone tried to book the happiest haunts tour yet? When they updated the cost of the tour they also took out the phrase occurring nightly during the halloween season. I know the blog won't be announcing anything about it for a month or so, if at all. I am curious to see if it is nightly or party nights only.



Mind you, I have never done the Happiest Haunts tour, but I didn't think -- or realize -- that it ever took place during Mickey's Halloween Party.   Did it/does it?   I thought that it was always worked around the MHP schedule -- except for when the Ultimate package was being offered (which was the combo of the tour and the party).   There are so many parties though -- 17 of them -- that I wonder if the tour is not happening on those nights?  I don't know.  I am just speculating, like we all are.  But it is curious.




lorijohnhill said:


> I've been wondering the same thing. I also find it interesting that there are NO available dates showing yet. Even those that are within the 30 day booking time.



Even if the tour were to start a couple of days into the Halloween Time season, the dates and info should be up by now.   I don't know what is going on with that whole Disney system -- between the Dining reservations issues for October, and the problems people had and are having with receiving their MHP tickets, etc.  It's all askew.



gottalovepluto said:


> When MHP ends at 11pm, do the shops on Main St stay open another hour like on regular park nights?



I am not 100% sure, but I think they may stay open a little bit past the end.  I could be totally wrong.  I don't think I have ever heard anyone talk about staying past the closing of the party to shop, but I would not be shocked.




mom2rtk said:


> We've done a lot of hard ticket parties at WDW. And I always enjoy myself more if I know I have 2 parties to fit it all in. It takes some of the pressure off.
> 
> And I wanted to see the goats in their Halloween scarves too!
> 
> I ordered our tickets Monday and they arrived yesterday.



I'm glad you got your tickets already.  While I think the party is too expensive, and I think that one party will suffice, it helps to have two parties to kind of spread things out a bit more... especially now that it seems that all of the characters wearing anything even remotely Halloween-ish are going to be party exclusives!   The lines for the characters will be longer, so more waiting will be involved.

The goats in their Halloween scarves are so cute.  They love attention from humans!



mom2rtk said:


> I'd be shocked to see any of that come back. They Disney hand giveth.....and it taketh away. I think this all just gives them some cover to cut back in these areas. In general, the hard ticket parties at WDW have had a variety of things removed through the years and there just never seems to be much given back.



Yes -- I agree.  All of the other stuff going on is the excuse to take more things and make them party exclusives, and then continue to hike up the MHP prices.  Now it's to a ridiculous point, though.  At least WDW doesn't call it a season, correct?  They have MNSSHP and some other things scattered around, but they don't label the season Halloween Time or anything.  It seems like DLR is trying to get closer to that WDW model of doing things, so I don't even know why they call it a Halloween Time "season" at this point, except for that now they have backed themselves into a corner and people expect it.   There might be lower expectations if they just had Mickey's Halloween Party and then 'surprised' us with whatever decorations they manage to put up somewhere in Disneyland, but didn't call it Halloween Time.

At one point long ago there was a Food & Wine Festival in DCA.  That's been gone for years, and it doesn't look like it's ever coming back either.   And why not, I wonder?




mom2rtk said:


> I'd like to "like" this post....... but I just can't.
> 
> And thanks for posting the link to the merchandise thread. I hope the hoodie shows up on Disneystore.com. I want one but have a hunch they'll be out of a lot of that stuff by the time we get there in late October.
> 
> And on the sparkling Halloween certerpiece........ I love Halloween. And I love sparkly things.......... but that just seems......... odd.



 

When Erin at the Parks Blog first mentioned the "sparkling new décor" or whatever she called the new 60th-themed Halloween décor in her blog last month, I think a lot of people were scratching their heads about it.  "Halloween" and "sparkly" don't seem to go together.   When you think of Halloween and Fall, you think of something a bit more rustic... oranges and browns... rusts.... yellows....   Fall décor is generally not sparkly.  Holiday season/Christmas décor can be sparkly, so that might make some sense.  I wasn't sure what the Halloween-Diamond décor would look like.

However, I guess that the Fall centerpiece is supposed to essentially represent dew drops dripping off of leaves.




Comicbookmommy said:


> Do you think the Toon Town pre-party will srill happen? That was a blast!



I don't see why it shouldn't, but this year.... anything can happen.  I don't trust them.




Oswald23 said:


> _I asked the same question one  or two pages ago  (no attack please just stating I want it to know as bad as you are) But it is still not sure. They downgraded the Halloween time so much I don't think it will happen. But that's just me being negative
> 
> Sherry's tip was to wait and see what happens to the schedule of ToonTown attractions on party nights. I can tell you they are not up yet. Funny thing is on non-party nights they are up even after the first party. That can be a good thing, or they still don't know what they're gonna do._



I can't blame you for thinking it might not happen.  This year everything is so scaled back that I can't help but wonder too...

Yes, that's what happened last year -- it was noticed that Toontown was closing earlier than usual (or Car Toon Spin had different hours, or something along those lines), and that's how it was concluded that Toontown was going to have the pre-party again.  Hopefully, within another few days, we might have a better idea..



dolphingirl47 said:


> I am hope that I am reading something in here that is not there, but I looking at the schedules, after 12th September it states "Schedule Unavailable" for the ranch and all the Toon Town Attractions. I thought that Toon Town was safe from the chop, but now I start to wonder.
> 
> Corinna



While I don't fully trust that Toontown is 100% safe over the next few years, I don't think it would be closed down yet.




lorijohnhill said:


> All of the Rivers of America attractions are listed as "schedule unavailable" also... hmmm...



You mean unavailable every day after Halloween Time starts on 9/11?




HopLow1968 said:


> My first thought was autumn leaves caught in a frost.



Yes!  Exactly!  That makes more sense than dew drops.   I think that is what it's supposed to be -- icicles dangling from leaves.




Mr. Bastos said:


> Ordered our Ticket's for the 31st on the 8th, and haven't gotten them yet. Hopefully today or early this coming week. We really need to figure out our costumes though haha. Also on an unrelated note, we decided to dine at Big Thunder Ranch during a quick trip next weekend, since we've never eaten there and we read it will be closing (possibly soonish), we need to try it.



Supposedly the BBQ restaurant is closing after 1/10/16, so it's a good idea to eat there before it does.  During summertime I know that in the past they have had desserts like strawberry shortcake, cobbler, etc.  They have also had desserts more specific to Fall and the Holidays.  Next week I don't know if they will still be in summer mode or transitioning into Fall mode, but check the dessert menu as well.



DnA2010 said:


> Hi guys, we are very close to booking a trip to DL for Oct- our dates are going to be
> Oct 18th - arrive LAX around 6pm-
> Oft 25th - depart LAX around 6:30pm-
> 
> We will have 5 day hoppers and buy tickets to a Halloween party- just curious what day in this time you would do the party?



Welcome!   I'm glad you joined us.

If I had to pick a Halloween Party date in that time frame, I think I would go for the party on Monday, October 19th.  There are two reasons I choose that one.  For one thing, the advance price is cheaper than the subsequent party nights that week.  The other reason is that, because the advance price is cheaper, it means that Disney is expecting fewer people at that party.  You can always tell when they expect a night to be more crowded or more popular, as the prices are higher.  Since 10/19 is less expensive, it's probably not going to be quite as busy -- still busy, but less so than the other party nights later in the week.


----------



## mom2rtk

Sherry E said:


> I'm glad you got your tickets already.  While I think the party is too expensive, and I think that one party will suffice, it helps to have two parties to kind of spread things out a bit more... especially now that it seems that all of the characters wearing anything even remotely Halloween-ish are going to be party exclusives!   The lines for the characters will be longer, so more waiting will be involved.
> 
> The goats in their Halloween scarves are so cute.  They love attention from humans!
> 
> 
> 
> Yes -- I agree.  All of the other stuff going on is the excuse to take more things and make them party exclusives, and then continue to hike up the MHP prices.  Now it's to a ridiculous point, though.  At least WDW doesn't call it a season, correct?  They have MNSSHP and some other things scattered around, but they don't label the season Halloween Time or anything.  It seems like DLR is trying to get closer to that WDW model of doing things, so I don't even know why they call it a Halloween Time "season" at this point, except for that now they have backed themselves into a corner and people expect it.   There might be lower expectations if they just had Mickey's Halloween Party and then 'surprised' us with whatever decorations they manage to put up somewhere in Disneyland, but didn't call it Halloween Time.
> 
> At one point long ago there was a Food & Wine Festival in DCA.  That's been gone for years, and it doesn't look like it's ever coming back either.   And why not, I wonder?



I want to spend one party mostly doing characters, and the other one catching the few we missed and staking out a nice spot for the fireworks.

Good point about WDW not having a Halloween season. I wonder if that little detail slipped their minds as they cut everything back this year? If they want to call it a season, they really do need something other than an exclusive (extra cost) party, don't they?


----------



## lorijohnhill

Sherry E said:


> You mean unavailable every day after Halloween Time starts on 9/11?


The unavailability seems to begin on 9/13. I didn't click on every single day, but clicked many of them and they show unavailable the days I clicked through 10/3 (which is the last day showing on the schedule).


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## DnA2010

Welcome!   I'm glad you joined us.

If I had to pick a Halloween Party date in that time frame, I think I would go for the party on Monday, October 19th.  There are two reasons I choose that one.  For one thing, the advance price is cheaper than the subsequent party nights that week.  The other reason is that, because the advance price is cheaper, it means that Disney is expecting fewer people at that party.  You can always tell when they expect a night to be more crowded or more popular, as the prices are higher.  Since 10/19 is less expensive, it's probably not going to be quite as busy -- still busy, but less so than the other party nights later in the week.[/QUOTE]


Thanks! We are so thrilled! The next task will be easy, pack-able costumes! I just booked the flights, and ordered park hoppers from Airmiles, we are officially booked! 
The only reason I am considering not doing the Monday as it will be hard to not enter parks till 3pm- although we could sleep in, swim, get ready and then it would be time to go!


----------



## Sherry E

mom2rtk said:


> I want to spend one party mostly doing characters, and the other one catching the few we missed and staking out a nice spot for the fireworks.
> 
> Good point about WDW not having a Halloween season. I wonder if that little detail slipped their minds as they cut everything back this year? If they want to call it a season, they really do need something other than an exclusive (extra cost) party, don't they?



They initially just had the party at DLR.  The party (which was in DCA at that point) was a hit, and Haunted Mansion Holiday (in DL) was a hit, so they created a "season" with a name later on -- maybe just to give the party some context.  There were decorations in both parks, and everything felt more involved.   Now they have backed themselves into a corner with the season, even as so, so many Halloween things have fallen to the wayside in the last 5-6 years.

When the first signs of Halloween merchandise appeared a few weeks ago -- pins -- I wondered why the pins only said "Halloween" and didn't say "Halloween Time."  I don't know if that has been happening for a while -- I have not looked at the pins in a long time -- but in the past there were pins that actually said "Halloween Time."


----------



## lorijohnhill

Sherry E said:


> Mind you, I have never done the Happiest Haunts tour, but I didn't think -- or realize -- that it ever took place during Mickey's Halloween Party. Did it/does it? I thought that it was always worked around the MHP schedule -- except for when the Ultimate package was being offered (which was the combo of the tour an the party). There are so many parties though -- 17 of them -- that I wonder if the tour is not happening on those nights? I don't know. I am just speculating, like we all are. But it is curious.


When I was talking with the CM that said he was developing the tour, he said the tour would be scheduled in the evening on non-party days (beginning around 6:30 pm or so) and then scheduled earlier on party nights so that the tour would end prior to the start of the party.


----------



## Sherry E

lorijohnhill said:


> The unavailability seems to begin on 9/13. I didn't click on every single day, but clicked many of them and they show unavailable the days I clicked through 10/3 (which is the last day showing on the schedule).



Interesting! I have no idea what is happening.  Let's hope they're not shutting down the Rivers of America too.  They have to make it foggy for the party!




DnA2010 said:


> Thanks! We are so thrilled! The next task will be easy, pack-able costumes! I just booked the flights, and ordered park hoppers from Airmiles, we are officially booked!
> 
> The only reason I am considering not doing the Monday as it will be hard to not enter parks till 3pm- although we could sleep in, swim, get ready and then it would be time to go!



You could swim, sleep in, do a character meal, explore Downtown Disney a little bit -- you'll be able to fill the time!




lorijohnhill said:


> When I was talking with the CM that said he was developing the tour, he said the tour would be scheduled in the evening on non-party days (beginning around 6:30 pm or so) and then scheduled earlier on party nights so that the tour would end prior to the start of the party.



That makes sense -- it fits with what I thought.  I thought that the tour was kind of worked around the MHP schedule, and that it happened earlier on party nights.  I wonder why it's not showing up yet.  That whole DLR system is so wacky.


----------



## DnA2010

Whoops- I meant the next task will Not be easy! Pack-able costumes!!


----------



## Sherry E

DnA2010 said:


> Whoops- I meant the next task will Not be easy! Pack-able costumes!!



  True!  Unless you have costumes that are totally flat, without any layers, bulk, padding, accessories, etc., it is hard to get a costume down to packing size without ruining it.  I once saw party guests walking around dressed as giant Crayola Crayons, and there was also a guy in a giant chicken suit of some sort -- feathers and all.  I wondered how those were packed -- or maybe they were not packed, if the guests were locals and could just drive over.


----------



## tjcrabb

Sherry E said:


> Mind you, I have never done the Happiest Haunts tour, but I didn't think -- or realize -- that it ever took place during Mickey's Halloween Party.   Did it/does it?   I thought that it was always worked around the MHP schedule -- except for when the Ultimate package was being offered (which was the combo of the tour and the party).   There are so many parties though -- 17 of them -- that I wonder if the tour is not happening on those nights?  I don't know.  I am just speculating, like we all are.  But it is curious. Even if the tour were to start a couple of days into the Halloween Time season, the dates and info should be up by now.   I don't know what is going on with that whole Disney system -- between the Dining reservations issues for October, and the problems people had and are having with receiving their MHP tickets, etc.  It's all askew. At one point long ago there was a Food & Wine Festival in DCA.  That's been gone for years, and it doesn't look like it's ever coming back either.   And why not, I wonder?



I think the only year it was the same night was the year of the ultimate package aka the year I went I hope they do it more than just party nights, its a lot to do both and you cut into expensive party. I wonder what is causing the behind the behind the scenes chaos. The additional announcements shouldn't be the cause because it is only news to the public (for the most part) not the company. I had forgotten about food and wine at DCA! You are right it makes more sense at DCA than epcot.


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## kailuagirl

Wait……  Toontown is open during MHP?  haha  We have been the last 5 years and did not know that at all!!  How have we been missing that?  Do they do anything special in there besides Treat Trails?

Funny thing is, I can't get my family to Main Street either on party nights.  They just want to ride, ride, ride.  So other than the fireworks, we've been missing out on all that too.  I think I'm planning this years party plans 

My dd is going to be Princess Leila for the Halloween Party.  I have been wracking my brain trying to figure out something very easy for my dh and I to dress up in that could go with her.  Any suggestions?  Thanks!!


----------



## lorijohnhill

kailuagirl said:


> My dd is going to be Princess Leila for the Halloween Party.  I have been wracking my brain trying to figure out something very easy for my dh and I to dress up in that could go with her.  Any suggestions?  Thanks!!


You could do brown robes and go as Jedi.


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## BigCheese

kailuagirl said:


> Wait……  Toontown is open during MHP?  haha  We have been the last 5 years and did not know that at all!!  How have we been missing that?  Do they do anything special in there besides Treat Trails?



Other than treat trails they have character M&Gs with costumes unique to MHP only. Last year Mickey was dressed as Zorro, Minnie had a candy corn themed outfit, Donald was a wizard, Pluto had a candy corn collar, Goofy had a colorful tuxedo type outfit, Chip & Dale were in sailor outfits, and Clarabelle and Horace were also there as well (in their normal attire but they are rare characters in their own right). It's a pre party and has opened up an hour before the normal party start. I think it's only open for two hours though, and closes after that (so it's not open during the entire duration of the MHP). With the news that characters won't be in their normal Halloween attire during normal park hours (and only dressed in Halloweem themed outfits during MHP) who knows what costumes they will have in Toontown.


----------



## Sherry E

Thank the heavens!  Something Halloween-ish has appeared in Disneyland!  Hallelujah!  It's not much, but it is a sign that -- at the very least -- Main Street will still be in the Halloween spirit, if nothing else.

I already linked you to the installment from MiceChat/MiceAge, which just showed us a bit of Halloween merchandise and the curious "Fall centerpiece" with dangling crystals.

Well, I knew that the website Mint Crocodile would not let me down.   Not only did Mint show a photo of a Halloween pin I love -- "Count Truckula"!!!!!!!!!! -- but Mint has also shared photos of some of the Halloween window displays as they appear.     I think that, technically, some of the pumpkins in the windows are supposed to count as part of the pumpkins in the Main Street Pumpkin Festival each year, but the ones in the window displays are easier to put up first, while the pumpkins that will be perched atop awnings and balconies and such will go up last.

Anyway, here is the Mint Crocodile installment (from yesterday, 8/21) with some random Halloween photos and other things.  The Halloween-ish photos are scattered throughout the piece, so you have to scroll through the whole thing.  But again... Count Truckula!!!!!!!  

http://mintcrocodile.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2015-08-22T19:00:00-07:00&max-results=1

(Also, on a non-Halloween note, I love the miniature Diamond Celebration Castles.  I also love the Bug's Land photo op)

​


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## disneydreamer74

I can ditto what Mint Crocodile mentioned. I am starting to question why Haunted Mansion has not closed down yet to do the Nightmare Before Christmas overlay. Hmm.. I am starting to wonder if it will be ready when we arrive in Sept. I am hoping to see it for the first time!


----------



## Spyral

According to the calendar, the Haunted Mansion is closed for refurbishment 8/25-9/10.  Opening on 9/11 for Halloween Time.


----------



## Kilala

it's a month away from Fall today. I'm getting excited I don't know if i can go on the 25th of September. I will get another ticket for the 16th party.


----------



## stephanie22

Got most of my sons Gus costume done, we need to shorten his shirt, and find a green hat


----------



## Sherry E

Kilala said:


> it's a month away from Fall today. I'm getting excited I don't know if i can go on the 25th of September. I will get another ticket for the 16th party.



That makes two of us who are excited for Fall, Kilala!   While I am not looking forward to the monster/Godzilla/massive El Nino-related weather coming up late this year, normally Fall and Winter are my favorite seasons, and I just love the last few months of the year.

I just wish that it actually seemed/felt like Fall on the day it begins!   It's too hot most of the time.

It's interesting with the MHP... I was trying to tell people back in July that the tickets would not sell out that fast and that they didn't need to scramble to get the tickets right away.  We see that is mostly true -- with the exception of Halloween night (one of the most expensive nights to go to MHP), nothing has sold out yet, not even the least expensive nights.  

However, we can never count on a pattern.  Just as we think that tickets will not sell out right away, they probably will!     And if we think they will sell out right away, they will end up being available and open for 2 months!  

I think that this is the calm before the storm.  The tickets for other nights are probably going to start selling out in rapid succession very soon, one night after another.  I get the feeling that a lot of people are waiting until they get paid at the end of the month, and then they will start buying.  After a bunch of nights have sold out, then there will probably be a pause, with maybe 3 or 5 nights still open.   And then, at the end of it all, there may be at least one night still open all the way up until when the party begins.

I wish I could go to the party on 9/25, but as I have mentioned before, I have jury duty coming up in about 3 weeks -- boooooooo! -- and I have no idea how much of a commitment that is going to be.  I don't know if I will be used for anything, or if I will just have to go in for one day and then leave.  If I end up having to serve on any kind of trial, I could still be involved in it when 9/25 rolls around, and it would be too much of a scramble to try to get to MHP that day/night.

On the other hand, if I am NOT going to end up on a trial, I wouldn't find out for sure until 9/18 -- and I am certain that the tickets for 9/25 would be gone by then.  Stupid jury duty!!!


----------



## Mommy2PrincessAbby

1.5 days now till my 60 day mark, here's hoping that everyone wakes up tomorrow to being able to make dining ressies and WOC and F! ressies and everything else they have been hoping for so that on Tuesday I can make mine


----------



## lorijohnhill

When those reservations finally open, it's going to be an even bigger mess. Hopefully they can straighten out whatever is going on behind the scenes soon!


----------



## haileymarie92

I hope they come out with more info on the happiest haunts tour soon. We are interested in trying it out, but not on our halloween party night. 

We also want to do another character meal this time...so I'd like to be able to schedule that! Come on disneyland! Lol


----------



## chloelovesdisney

I booked tickets to our very first MHP for October 2nd (we have a family wedding that weekend and are coming in a couple days early for Disneyland, I couldn't pass it up!).  Any tips for what time we need to find a spot for the parade and the fireworks and where is a good area to sit for both? 

We don't plan to try and see that many characters, the parade and fireworks are our main events plus some rides and a little trick or treating. 

Any attractions that will likely have short waits?  I am interested in POTC, Toad's Wild Ride, Nemo, Snow White and It's a Small World.  Oh, also Pinocchio!  I know the Haunted Mansion will have a long wait, does it ever go down towards later in the evening?  

Since we can enter at 4pm is there a chance we can get a FP for anything or are they all likely gone by that time and it's not even worth the effort to try and check for them??? 

Any tips at all are much appreciated!!!

Also, are the lines for the toontown pre-party usually long (if it even happens this year)?  

Thanks!


----------



## only hope

How does the free parking the day of the party work? Do we just show our party tickets? Thanks


----------



## Kilala

only hope said:


> How does the free parking the day of the party work? Do we just show our party tickets? Thanks


Yes you just show your tickets to the parking attendant. I always go to the Mickey's and friends lot. I saw some Halloween Decor at Big lots. They even hae Christmas lights up too for sale. I saw Halloween goodies for sale at Petsmart too. Nothing at my local Target in Orange. I will be going shopping sometime this coming up week and I will let you know if i find anything then at Wal-Mart or Target.


----------



## Sherry E

I only have a quick minute, as I am in the middle of preparing the 3rd theme in the Theme Week Countdown (over in the Disneyland at Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread), which has to go up in the next hour or two, but I wanted to spread some Halloween joy for a Monday morning.

First, MiceChat's weekly Dateline Disneyland piece is up, and features some additional Halloween Time-ish photos (of décor as it is going up in the stores and in the window displays) beyond what Mint Crocodile already posted a couple of days ago.  Sadly, Dateline also shows a whole lot of empty photos of Big Thunder Ranch and what would have been the Scare-Dy-Crow Shack, as well as the cute animals at the petting zoo.   It also shows the closed Festival Arena location, which would have been the Carnival.   Here - http://micechat.com/109539-little-man-of-disneyland/

And in Pumpkin Pandemonium Reign of Terror news.... 

Keebler has jumped into the pumpkin spice wars, and has introduced Pumpkin Spice Fudge Stripes Cookies.  Here - http://www.theimpulsivebuy.com/word...ed-batch-pumpkin-spice-fudge-stripes-cookies/

I'll be back later to answer *chloelovesdisney's* questions posted above, unless someone else can help her here in the meantime....



​


----------



## lorijohnhill

Two things... first, when shopping online at Target, I noticed that Skittles has a new "Orchard" flavor pack. I guess they are hopping onto the Apple Wagon.

Second, I called Disney Tours to get some info about the Happiest Haunts Tour. I spoke with Amanda. She said the tour will be running daily from Sept 11 through October 31st. It will be a 3 hour tour that includes some attractions, a pin, and a special Halloween treat. It does not include seating for a parade or show. The tour will tell the history of Halloween in a fun, Disney way. She said the tours would start around 5 or 5:30 pm. The tours can be scheduled 30 days from the date you want to schedule.

It will cost $85 per person.


----------



## Sherry E

lorijohnhill said:


> Two things... first, when shopping online at Target, I noticed that Skittles has a new "Orchard" flavor pack. I guess they are hopping onto the Apple Wagon.
> 
> Second, I called Disney Tours to get some info about the Happiest Haunts Tour. I spoke with Amanda. She said the tour will be running daily from Sept 11 through October 31st. It will be a 3 hour tour that includes some attractions, a pin, and a special Halloween treat. It does not include seating for a parade or show. The tour will tell the history of Halloween in a fun, Disney way. She said the tours would start around 5 or 5:30 pm. The tours can be scheduled 30 days from the date you want to schedule.
> 
> It will cost $85 per person.



Skittles had some kind of seasonal flavor last year, but I don't remember what it was.  It wasn't Orchard.  Yep -- they jumped aboard the apple bandwagon to join in the Fall fun!

I just read a review of the Pumpkin Spice Latte M&M's, and they got a high score!  Supposedly they are quite good!

Thank you for letting us know that, indeed, the Happiest Haunts Tour is still happening!

So it sounds like the tour is the same as usual in terms of content and schedule -- daily is what it should be -- but that the Disneyland website is still just messed up because it's not showing any dates for the tour.  What is going on with that wacky DLR system?  Good grief!  Some people still have not gotten their MHP tickets in the mail.  Some people can't make dining reservations.  No tour dates.  Crazy!


----------



## LisaT91403

It looks like October 25th is sold out!


----------



## Kilala

Both first party September 25th and October 25th sold out as well. I hope the 16th dosen't sell out before September 3rd. I want to go bad on that day since I have that day off


----------



## Sherry E

chloelovesdisney said:


> I booked tickets to our very first MHP for October 2nd (we have a family wedding that weekend and are coming in a couple days early for Disneyland, I couldn't pass it up!).  Any tips for what time we need to find a spot for the parade and the fireworks and where is a good area to sit for both?
> 
> We don't plan to try and see that many characters, the parade and fireworks are our main events plus some rides and a little trick or treating.
> 
> Any attractions that will likely have short waits?  I am interested in POTC, Toad's Wild Ride, Nemo, Snow White and It's a Small World.  Oh, also Pinocchio!  I know the Haunted Mansion will have a long wait, does it ever go down towards later in the evening?
> 
> Since we can enter at 4pm is there a chance we can get a FP for anything or are they all likely gone by that time and it's not even worth the effort to try and check for them???
> 
> Any tips at all are much appreciated!!!
> 
> Also, are the lines for the toontown pre-party usually long (if it even happens this year)?
> 
> Thanks!



Welcome! I'm glad you joined us here!

Fellow DIS'er *Bret/mvf-m11c* is a pro at waiting for both fireworks and parades.  This year I am not sure if the parade schedule might be slightly different than what the former Cavalcade schedule was during the parties of previous years, as the Cavalcade was just a short event, while Paint the Night is a full-fledged parade.   Here is one post from Bret (from 2014), explaining about when to wait - ttp://www.disboards.com/threads/halloweentime-at-dlr-superthread-4-halloween-night-mhp-sold-out.3270919/page-120#post-52527208.  Hopefully he will return to this thread soon and can give you additional info.   I kind of just wandered up to the Hub to see the fireworks about 20 minutes before they began, but there were already many people camped out on the ground and all around the area.

If you are facing the Castle and can try to get to the left side as much as possible, you will be able to see the "ball" (it's kind of an orb/crystal ball type of thing), which has different images projected into it.  Jack Skellington is the "Master of Scare-omonies," and there is an emphasis on Villains.  It's a great fireworks show.

As for FP -- you might be able to get one right at 4 p.m., but I's not sure.  Fast Passes are not used during the party, so you'd have to be able to get a FP with a return window before 7 p.m. (if that's when your party begins), and that might be unlikely.  I probably just wouldn't even bother with FP.

The lines for most rides will be short, or much shorter than usual, during the party -- with the exception of Haunted Mansion Holiday and Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy.  POTC always has a long time, but the line seems to zip right along -- even in the daytime, when it's most crowded.   

Some people reported some lines at the Toontown Pre-Party -- either for characters or for treats.  I don't think anyone said that the lines were horrible (not that I remember), but there were definitely quite a few people back there.

Hopefully someone else will speak up and give some additional info and help!



LisaT91403 said:


> It looks like October 25th is sold out!





Kilala said:


> Both first party September 25th and October 25th sold out as well. I hope the 16th dosen't sell out before September 3rd. I want to go bad on that day since I have that day off



Thank you, ladies!  I will updated the necessary posts on page 1!

The DLR system must have just updated, as they were not sold out last night! What was I saying yesterday, about a sudden, rapid succession of sellouts?  And so it begins!

Okay... posts are updated with MHP sellout info.   Halloween night selling out makes sense.  September 25th makes sense.  But why October 25th?  Out of all of the other nights during the busier part of October, why would 10/25 sell out?  Is it because it is a Sunday, and MHP never happens on Sundays?  Does that mean that Monday, 10/26, will be busier than usual in the parks because people stick around after the party?  Or, are people arriving on 10/25 and staying all week?


----------



## chloelovesdisney

Thanks Sherry!  I am super excited even for a quick day at Disneyland.    I will keep checking back for new info, I get obsessed before any Disney trip.


----------



## mvf-m11c

chloelovesdisney said:


> I booked tickets to our very first MHP for October 2nd (we have a family wedding that weekend and are coming in a couple days early for Disneyland, I couldn't pass it up!).  Any tips for what time we need to find a spot for the parade and the fireworks and where is a good area to sit for both?
> 
> We don't plan to try and see that many characters, the parade and fireworks are our main events plus some rides and a little trick or treating.
> 
> Any attractions that will likely have short waits?  I am interested in POTC, Toad's Wild Ride, Nemo, Snow White and It's a Small World.  Oh, also Pinocchio!  I know the Haunted Mansion will have a long wait, does it ever go down towards later in the evening?
> 
> Since we can enter at 4pm is there a chance we can get a FP for anything or are they all likely gone by that time and it's not even worth the effort to try and check for them???
> 
> Any tips at all are much appreciated!!!
> 
> Also, are the lines for the toontown pre-party usually long (if it even happens this year)?
> 
> Thanks!



That is good that you will be attending your first MHP.

As for tips for the parade (which will be Paint the Night instead of Mickey's Costume Party Cavalcade) and Halloween Screams fireworks, it will depend on what you want to see first that night. From my experience during last year's MHP, Mickey's Costume Party Cavalcade had two showings at 8:30pm and 10:30pm. If this is true to Paint the Night Parade, it makes sense to see the second parade later that day where you can stake out a spot in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle for the 9:30pm Halloween Screams fireworks. Watching the fireworks in front of the SB Castle is the best spot to watch especially with Zero flying during the fireworks. It will require at least 2 hours if you want the best spot. You can always get a decent spot in front of the castle in less than an hour but there will be people in the way which might obstruct your view.

Here is a spot that I was in front for HS last year. It did require 2 hours but it was worth it for that spot.





As for the parade which you can see during the regular park hours, I would not stake out a long time for PtN (unless that is the only time you can see it). If you plan on seeing PtN and want to see the first show, then you will lose a good spot to watch HS fireworks. You can get a spot on the parade route by the Hub and watch the first parade and you will have to be in that area to watch the 9:30pm HS fireworks. It is an okay spot but you will also want to see the sphere on the left hand side of SB Castle during the fireworks. I would watch HS first and than see PtN during the second show. After HS is over, you can go on MS to find a decent spot and wait less than an hour for PtN. The parade will start from IASW Plaza and all the way to Main Street Town Square. The second parade will start from MSTS to IASW Plaza.

Most of the attractions will have short wait times (not like during the regular park hours) which popular rides like HMH and SMGG will have some wait time but not like during the regular hours.

When you enter the park at 4pm at the start of MHP, most of the FP's will be likely gone. There might be some available (depends on which ride). Just as Sherry pointed out that FP's won't be distributed during the party.

The Toontown pre-party can get quite crowded the first hour before the party starts at it's designated time. In the past, it was at Toontown along with the Halloween Carnival. There were times when getting candy at the pre-party can be about at least a 10 minute wait where I have been in it last year. But there won't be a Halloween Carnival this year which is a shame.

You can check out my trip report from last year which might give you some idea of what it will take to stake out a spot for HS fireworks and what to do during MHP. http://www.disboards.com/threads/se...st-632-634-8-21.3236707/page-18#post-52493790


----------



## Nonsuch

Sherry E said:


> ...Out of all of the other nights during the busier part of October, why would 10/25 sell out?  Is it because it is a Sunday, and MHP never happens on Sundays?


Sunday is a very busy day for check-in / check-out, half the rooms at GCH "turn-over" on Sunday (that is just the hotel I'm most familiar with, but other hotels are likely similar).  MHP is a great value for guests checking in on Sunday.


----------



## Sherry E

Thank you so much, *Bret*, for helping *chloelovesdisney*!  She has a limited amount of time at DL that day -- only at the MHP, and only that one day -- and I know she wants to make the most of it.




Nonsuch said:


> Sunday is a very busy day for check-in / check-out, half the rooms at GCH "turn-over" on Sunday (that is just the hotel I'm most familiar with, but other hotels are likely similar).  MHP is a great value for guests checking in on Sunday.



Okay, that makes sense.   I'm so used to MHP not including a Sunday in the line-up that it's interesting to see what happens with that night.  Clearly it is a popular night!


----------



## mvf-m11c

Sherry E said:


> Thank you so much, *Bret*, for helping *chloelovesdisney*!  She has a limited amount of time at DL that day -- only at the MHP, and only that one day -- and I know she wants to make the most of it.



Your welcome Sherry and hope this helps you out @chloelovesdisney. We all have things we want to do and how to do it. Also, if you do on planning on staking out a spot for the fireworks or parade, I would bring a blanket so you can mark your area for the shows. You will need to have someone to watch the spot or you will lose it if you leave the blanket unattended. The good thing about bringing a blanket is that you can have your other party members do things like go on rides, candy run, restroom, etc. while one person watches the spot. This helps out a lot where you and your party don't have to spend most of staking out for the fireworks or parade. But if you try to go back to the spot when the even starts, it will get crazy. I would show up at least half an hour or early for the show before it starts. Going back to your spot where other people are waiting can get ugly.


----------



## chloelovesdisney

Thank you, love your great pics!  We will definitely plan stake out a spot for the fireworks and then the 2nd parade.  Is there a less preferred spot for the parade?  In WDW we head to Frontierland and even when it is packed on Main Street it's almost empty over there.  We aren't picky about a certain spot and would be happy to see the parade anywhere along the route that may not be as crowded.

Also if party guests are allowed in at 4pm when is a good time to get lined up at the gates so we can plan to get in pretty much at that time?  Thanks!!!


----------



## mvf-m11c

chloelovesdisney said:


> Thank you, love your great pics!  We will definitely plan stake out a spot for the fireworks and then the 2nd parade.  Is there a less preferred spot for the parade?  In WDW we head to Frontierland and even when it is packed on Main Street it's almost empty over there.  We aren't picky about a certain spot and would be happy to see the parade anywhere along the route that may not be as crowded.



Your welcome and thank you @chloelovesdisney. For the parade, the less preferred spot is around IASW Plaza. That area is one of the less crowded spots for the parade better then staking out a spot on Main Street, Hub and TS. 




chloelovesdisney said:


> Also if party guests are allowed in at 4pm when is a good time to get lined up at the gates so we can plan to get in pretty much at that time?  Thanks!!!



I have seen people line up at least half an hour or early until the party starts at it's designated time. There will be a queue for the MHP attendees along with the regular queue to enter the park.


----------



## chloelovesdisney

Great, I really appreciate the info!  We will head to IASW for the parade viewing and then to go on the attraction, it is one of my son's favorites.


----------



## Mommy2PrincessAbby

Sherry E said:


> Okay... posts are updated with MHP sellout info.   Halloween night selling out makes sense.  September 25th makes sense.  But why October 25th?  Out of all of the other nights during the busier part of October, why would 10/25 sell out?  Is it because it is a Sunday, and MHP never happens on Sundays?  Does that mean that Monday, 10/26, will be busier than usual in the parks because people stick around after the party?  Or, are people arriving on 10/25 and staying all week?



We are arriving on the 25th and staying till Thursday... It was a good week to take off as far as school goes.  Glad I ordered my tix, but I do not have them because I ordered thru Costco.  Hears hoping nothing gets messed up!


----------



## lorijohnhill

Do we know for sure that there will be two parades at MHP? Fireworks are listed for 9:30 pm, but no parade is listed at all for MHP nights. Curious....


----------



## bwang123

Nonsuch said:


> Sunday is a very busy day for check-in / check-out, half the rooms at GCH "turn-over" on Sunday (that is just the hotel I'm most familiar with, but other hotels are likely similar).  MHP is a great value for guests checking in on Sunday.



We check-in Saturday, doing the Sunday party and staying half the week.


----------



## Speechphi

LisaT91403 said:


> It looks like October 25th is sold out!



BUMMER! That's the party we wanted to go to, but I haven't been able to buy tickets yet (dh says I have to wait until I get paid on the 31st...ugh!).

So back to the drawing board. Oh well...


----------



## Kyjin

Wow, really glad I got my tickets a few days ago for Oct. 25th! o.o I have one friend who was pondering going, but looks like she missed out. 

Personally, I went with the Sunday party because I'm a SoCal Select passholder and never get to go on the weekends. Figured if I'm going to shell out for the party, might as well go on a day that I normally would not be able to enter the park! Plus it's easier with my school/work schedule.


----------



## theluckyrabbit

lorijohnhill said:


> Do we know for sure that there will be two parades at MHP? Fireworks are listed for 9:30 pm, but no parade is listed at all for MHP nights. Curious....



I was wondering this, too. Somehow I remember reading something on the Parks Blog about there being one parade showing per party. Hmmm. Have to go back to look that up.


----------



## mom2rtk

I'm glad I got my tickets for the 25th last week! I bought for the 25th and 27th and one of those 2 nights had a discount and the other didn't. I'm thinking the 25th was the discounted night, so I'm guessing that's why people were choosing that one.

Maybe I could go dressed as a football linebacker so we can push our way around the park that night.


----------



## riostoker

Sherry E said:


> Meanwhile, Oreo has been suspiciously silent as far as a new Fall/Halloween flavor.  This makes me wonder what they have up their sleeve.  I suspect they will not want to be outdone by the other major brands churning out the Fall flavors.



I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of candy corn oreos and will be devastated if they don't have them this year!!!


----------



## mom2rtk

Sherry E said:


> When the first signs of Halloween merchandise appeared a few weeks ago -- pins -- I wondered why the pins only said "Halloween" and didn't say "Halloween Time."  I don't know if that has been happening for a while -- I have not looked at the pins in a long time -- but in the past there were pins that actually said "Halloween Time."



That's a great observation. I think it's probably very telling.


----------



## riostoker

So, for our upcoming first trip to DLR, we will have one full day at DL plus the halloween party another night. I would like to see both fireworks shows plus PTN. I had originally been thinking we would do PTN at the halloween party for the lower crowds, but now I'm worried that will cut too much into our ability to enjoy the Halloween specific things. On our other night though, I made reservations at BTRB for 6:00. That messes up PTN for that night, right?  Thoughts? Should I just stick with PTN at the Halloween party?  Or change our BTRB reservations to lunch? Or a really early dinner?  I get so flustered trying to figure this stuff out!


----------



## SeattleSuz

Doctor Who said:


> I've been to the Halloween party 3 times. I never went in to the ranch. I never saw the parade. I never got autographs. My point is my kids and I had a GREAT time. We are going again on the 16th.  The fireworks are wonderful. The trick or treating is so much fun. The whole atmosphere is wonderful. Seeing everyone dressed up is also a lot of fun. The lines for 90% of the rides are short. None of those things you can get on a normal park day.
> 
> Thanks Sherry for all you do


 I think that's the biggest draw for my DH also, the fact that you can hop right on the rides with little to no line at all.  That's what he's been telling people anyway.  lol


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## iKristin

Yikes I'm glad I'm buying my tix next Tuesday. Don't want my date to sell out! 

Tried to make reservations at BTRBBQ for the 14th at around 4PM, but they aren't accepting reservations currently past the 3rd for anytime after 3:30PM


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## SeattleSuz

Ohhhhhhh!  Is that why I cant find anything past 3:40 on 9/30, cuz of the Halloween party?!  Will the restaurants all still be open though??  If we have tickets to the Halloween party, can we adjust our reservation to a later time?  I just booked an early dinner/late lunch for us at Blue Bayou for 3:40.  but I know that's going to be too early for dinner by at least an hour.


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## Kilala

I go back to work a week from today. The schools in Orange go back tomorrow


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## DnA2010

Sherry E said:


> Welcome!   I'm glad you joined us.
> 
> If I had to pick a Halloween Party date in that time frame, I think I would go for the party on Monday, October 19th.  There are two reasons I choose that one.  For one thing, the advance price is cheaper than the subsequent party nights that week.  The other reason is that, because the advance price is cheaper, it means that Disney is expecting fewer people at that party.  You can always tell when they expect a night to be more crowded or more popular, as the prices are higher.  Since 10/19 is less expensive, it's probably not going to be quite as busy -- still busy, but less so than the other party nights later in the week.





So we were all set to book the Monday, but then we realized that Monday will be our first park day, and I think DD11 will be wayyyyy to excited to focus on the Halloween Party specifics like characters and parades (which Mom here can't wait for!!) I can't see myself keeping her away from the rides- she loooves rides... If we do the Thursday party, we will have already had 3 good days in the parks and she will hopefully be able to humour me with character meets and parades


----------



## Nonsuch

lorijohnhill said:


> Do we know for sure that there will be two parades at MHP? Fireworks are listed for 9:30 pm, but no parade is listed at all for MHP nights. Curious....





theluckyrabbit said:


> I was wondering this, too. Somehow I remember reading something on the Parks Blog about there being one parade showing per party. Hmmm. Have to go back to look that up.


In prior years, I remember the online park schedule did not even list MHP or any events during the party.
My memory certainly might not be accurate, anyone else recall?
The official park schedules are dynamically generated online, so there is no way to see how they appeared a year ago.


----------



## iKristin

SeattleSuz said:


> Ohhhhhhh!  Is that why I cant find anything past 3:40 on 9/30, cuz of the Halloween party?!  Will the restaurants all still be open though??  If we have tickets to the Halloween party, can we adjust our reservation to a later time?  I just booked an early dinner/late lunch for us at Blue Bayou for 3:40.  but I know that's going to be too early for dinner by at least an hour.



Nope, Blue Bayou is never open during the parties. Only select places are open. Mainly just counter places


----------



## SeattleSuz

iKristin said:


> Nope, Blue Bayou is never open during the parties. Only select places are open. Mainly just counter places


 
OK, good to know.  I will keep my rezzie then and we will just snack later at the party.  Phew, glad I booked that this morning!


----------



## iKristin

Im hoping if I book at BTRBBQ for 3:30 and we're in the gate right at 3 (the three hour early entry) that we will be okay. I have a pass so I can go in before 3, but I'm bringing my cousin and she can't come in early


----------



## lorijohnhill

iKristin said:


> Im hoping if I book at BTRBBQ for 3:30 and we're in the gate right at 3 (the three hour early entry) that we will be okay. I have a pass so I can go in before 3, but I'm bringing my cousin and she can't come in early


If you think the time will be too tight, you could always run in, check in earlier, then run back and enter at 3 with your cousin. Lots of running, but it might help you feel better about the timing.


----------



## Sherry E

The Impulsive Buy website has now created a Flickr account to keep track of all of the brand new pumpkin products hitting the shelves this year - https://www.flickr.com/photos/theimpulsivebuy/sets/72157656471276389.   





Kyjin said:


> Wow, really glad I got my tickets a few days ago for Oct. 25th! o.o I have one friend who was pondering going, but looks like she missed out.
> 
> Personally, I went with the Sunday party because I'm a SoCal Select passholder and never get to go on the weekends. Figured if I'm going to shell out for the party, might as well go on a day that I normally would not be able to enter the park! Plus it's easier with my school/work schedule.



If your friend is able to purchase a ticket now, if she calls the Disneyland ticket number today she might still be able to get a ticket for that night.  What happens is that the DLR website shows "Sold Out," but there are usually still some tickets (not many) available over the phone within a day or two after the website shows the sell out.  If she calls today or maybe tomorrow, she might be able to get one before they are truly gone.  There could also very likely be some tickets available at the ticket booths on the day of the event, early in the morning, but they would not be discounted.




theluckyrabbit said:


> I was wondering this, too. Somehow I remember reading something on the Parks Blog about there being one parade showing per party. Hmmm. Have to go back to look that up.



I tend to think there will probably just be one Paint the Night parade during MHP.  I think the Cavalcade ran twice during MHP, didn't it?  If it did, of course, it made more sense because it was a short event.  Paint the Night is the first "real," full scale parade that has been included in MHP, and so I don't know how it will be handled.  It will be interesting to see how it unfolds.




riostoker said:


> I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of candy corn oreos and will be devastated if they don't have them this year!!!



  Last year, if I recall correctly, the Candy Corn Oreos were nowhere to be found (the Gingerbread Oreos were also gone forever).  Instead, Oreo trotted out the Pumpkin Spice Oreos and the Caramel Apple Oreos.  This year it doesn't look like there are any new Fall flavors for Oreo, sadly.  





mom2rtk said:


> That's a great observation. I think it's probably very telling.



I definitely thought it was strange -- "Halloween" instead of "Halloween Time" on the pins -- but I just don't know if the pins have been like that for a while and I didn't realize it.   Maybe there will be something that says "Halloween Time" this year.  In that MiceChat blog I linked here yesterday, it was said that we should expect to not see orange bunting on Main Street this year, and that the Halloween décor on the lamp posts -- which normally has Mickey and "Halloween Time" -- won't be there.    It sounds like they are really trying to push the 60th anniversary, and would rather leave the blue and diamond stuff up than the things that actually say Halloween Time.




riostoker said:


> So, for our upcoming first trip to DLR, we will have one full day at DL plus the halloween party another night. I would like to see both fireworks shows plus PTN. I had originally been thinking we would do PTN at the halloween party for the lower crowds, but now I'm worried that will cut too much into our ability to enjoy the Halloween specific things. On our other night though, I made reservations at BTRB for 6:00. That messes up PTN for that night, right?  Thoughts? Should I just stick with PTN at the Halloween party?  Or change our BTRB reservations to lunch? Or a really early dinner?  I get so flustered trying to figure this stuff out!



If I had your plan, I think I might first try to schedule the BBQ for lunch and see PTN on a non-party night.  Second choice would be to try to see Paint the Night during MHP.  While I don't think the crowds gathered for PTN at the party will be low, they probably won't be as bad as they would be on a non-party night.  I guess I just think that because PTN is not a party exclusive, it would not be my first choice to see it during MHP when I could focus on Halloween-specific things or shorter ride lines.




Nonsuch said:


> In prior years, I remember the online park schedule did not even list MHP or any events during the party.
> My memory certainly might not be accurate, anyone else recall?
> The official park schedules are dynamically generated online, so there is no way to see how they appeared a year ago.



I think you're right.  I seem to remember that the schedule did not list some things -- which is what tends to happen during the holiday season too.  Some things are mysteriously absent from the online schedule, but they are still happening in the parks.  Other things appear and disappear from the schedule, even if they are happening without interruption.


----------



## Mr. Bastos

Our tickets for the 31st arrived yesterday. Stoked. Still have no idea what we're going to be. Need to get on that.


----------



## Sherry E

Last year I remember reading somewhere that a popular Halloween costume was an "Ice Bucket Challenge" costume -- not at MHP, I don't think, but just in general.  It's funny how, this year, the Ice Bucket Challenge isn't even a thing anymore.  Last year it was impossible to sign into Facebook without seeing a barrage of Ice Bucket Challenge videos scrolling down the news feed.  This year... nothing!


----------



## mom2rtk

Sherry E said:


> I definitely thought it was strange -- "Halloween" instead of "Halloween Time" on the pins -- but I just don't know if the pins have been like that for a while and I didn't realize it.   Maybe there will be something that says "Halloween Time" this year.  In that MiceChat blog I linked here yesterday, it was said that we should expect to not see orange bunting on Main Street this year, and that the Halloween décor on the lamp posts -- which normally have Mickey and "Halloween Time" -- won't be there.    It sounds like they are really trying to push the 60th anniversary, and would rather leave the blue and diamond stuff up than the things that actually say Halloween Time.



SHERRY! 

I totally missed that post yesterday about the bunting. I'm heartbroken now. How can the park possibly look like it's ready for Halloween without the bunting?

I officially feel cheated now.


----------



## iKristin

Tried to make a reservation for October 14th online, no go. Called and the dining line says they aren't taking any reservations past October 3rd right now


----------



## Sherry E

mom2rtk said:


> SHERRY!
> 
> I totally missed that post yesterday about the bunting. I'm heartbroken now. How can the park possibly look like it's ready for Halloween without the bunting?
> 
> I officially feel cheated now.



The sentence about the bunting and the lamppost banners is kind of buried in the blog, but it's there - http://micechat.com/109539-little-man-of-disneyland/.

At least they are putting the pumpkins in the windows on Main Street.  Beyond that, who knows if the more visible pumpkins on Main Street -- the ones on balconies, etc. -- will be reduced?


----------



## jenhelgren

Any guesses for me on how long the villains lines will be during the party on a Monday night? This is our first trip to DLR and my kids have never been able to meet the villains at MNSSHP because the lines are incredibly long and it is total chaos when they come off the stage and everyone scrambles for a line! I was excited thinking that we could meet a few villains during the day without even cutting into our party time but now that doesn't seem the case. I know at MNSSHP the lines starts for Jack Skellington hours before the party start time-is that how villains will be this year? On a side note-can Jack or Sally be met anywhere at DLR in October?


----------



## stephanie22

jenhelgren said:


> Any guesses for me on how long the villains lines will be during the party on a Monday night? This is our first trip to DLR and my kids have never been able to meet the villains at MNSSHP because the lines are incredibly long and it is total chaos when they come off the stage and everyone scrambles for a line! I was excited thinking that we could meet a few villains during the day without even cutting into our party time but now that doesn't seem the case. I know at MNSSHP the lines starts for Jack Skellington hours before the party start time-is that how villains will be this year? On a side note-can Jack or Sally be met anywhere at DLR in October?



Last year Jack and Sally met out by Haunted Mansion. They were out during the day, though Sally was only out some of the time.


----------



## Sherry E

jenhelgren said:


> Any guesses for me on how long the villains lines will be during the party on a Monday night? This is our first trip to DLR and my kids have never been able to meet the villains at MNSSHP because the lines are incredibly long and it is total chaos when they come off the stage and everyone scrambles for a line! I was excited thinking that we could meet a few villains during the day without even cutting into our party time but now that doesn't seem the case. I know at MNSSHP the lines starts for Jack Skellington hours before the party start time-is that how villains will be this year? On a side note-can Jack or Sally be met anywhere at DLR in October?



Jack Skellington is definitely out to meet guests during both Halloween Time and the holiday season.  Hopefully he will be out in the daytime -- usually in New Orleans Square, somewhere near Haunted Mansion Holiday -- and not relegated to "party only" status like the Villains have been, though he is at the party as well.  I have seen him with and without Sally.

I have a feeling that, while there may not be an official Villains photo spot in the non-party hours, you still may see a couple of the "regulars" -- the ones that can be seen throughout the year, such as Cruella.  She may be in Town Square somewhere.   

Otherwise... I fear that if most of the Villains are made to be party exclusives, the lines will be even longer than normal.  I don't know if people would be waiting for hours, but the lines will be long.

Jack Sparrow -- another one who is usually only at the party -- has a long line too.

A couple of years back, when both DLR and WDW had their Unleash the Villains event on 9/13/13, the crowds were crazy at DLR.  That's a testament to how popular the Villains are.


----------



## iKristin

I haven't been to a Halloween Party in a few years, but I just got an email that says there's a special Passholder area with treats. Has this always been around and I just didn't know it?


----------



## Sherry E

iKristin said:


> I haven't been to a Halloween Party in a few years, but I just got an email that says there's a special Passholder area with treats. Has this always been around and I just didn't know it?



It was new last year!  They gave a treat and a gift.   Did it say where it is this year -- still on Main Street?


----------



## iKristin

Sherry E said:


> It was new last year!  They gave a treat and a gift.   Did it say where it is this year -- still on Main Street?



It doesn't say


----------



## Sherry E

iKristin said:


> It doesn't say



Hmm... maybe it will be moved to a different location.  I guess it doesn't matter where it is -- Main Street or otherwise -- just as long as the AP folks get a special treat (last year it was a rice crispy thing) and hopefully a gift (last year it was a bag sort of thing, promoting a movie).


----------



## iKristin

Neat! I can't wait! It's been too long since my last party


----------



## haileymarie92

Special AP area with treats and entertainment? Sweet! I was hoping they'd do something for AP holders this year! I'm so excited!


----------



## lorijohnhill

On last year's MHP maps, did they specify where the character meets were or did people just have to stumble over them? I don't remember from last year and we didn't get to do much of the party.


----------



## Sherry E

lorijohnhill said:


> On last year's MHP maps, did they specify where the character meets were or did people just have to stumble over them? I don't remember from last year and we didn't get to do much of the party.



The character locations are listed on the map (or, they were on last year's map)  - https://wdpromedia.disney.go.com/me...en-party/pdf-mickeys-halloween-party-2014.pdf.

Some of them are more specific (Innoventions), and some are more general (New Orleans Square).


----------



## rwhistler92

I am so glad to here the AP treat trail is still happening.
I was starting to get nervous with all the things disappearing.


----------



## haileymarie92

rwhistler92 said:


> I am so glad to here the AP treat trail is still happening.
> I was starting to get nervous with all the things disappearing.


And special "entertainment". Wonder what that could be? Thinking maybe they'll put the AP trail in the Main Street cinema and have special clips showing?


----------



## keishashadow

it's been a good 2 weeks since I was told hours for dining would be released any day.  would like to cross that task off my list

wondering if I need to keep stalking the DL website throughout the day (let's just say i'm wearing down my battery life) or if 'new' hours/dining are posted @ 7 am each day?


----------



## lorijohnhill

Sherry E said:


> The character locations are listed on the map (or, they were on last year's map)  - https://wdpromedia.disney.go.com/me...en-party/pdf-mickeys-halloween-party-2014.pdf.
> 
> Some of them are more specific (Innoventions), and some are more general (New Orleans Square).


Thank you! Hopefully I can grab a current one ahead of time so we can plot our route. I will start with last years, though, as a basis.

One more party question... is the "special merchandise" only available during party hours?


----------



## tzeitel

Sherry E said:


> I definitely thought it was strange -- "Halloween" instead of "Halloween Time" on the pins -- but I just don't know if the pins have been like that for a while and I didn't realize it.


  It could be that those are the pins found both at DLR and WDW, so they just put a generic "Halloween" on them since WDW does not do Halloween Time.


----------



## Self-Rescuing Princess

I noticed on the email mentioning the special AP treat only said the dates from Sept 25-Oct 30. Is there a reason the 31 is not mentioned? Is there no AP treat  that night?


----------



## Mr. Bastos

Self-Rescuing Princess said:


> I noticed on the email mentioning the special AP treat only said the dates from Sept 25-Oct 30. Is there a reason the 31 is not mentioned? Is there no AP treat  that night?



That's a good question. I didn't notice that.


----------



## HopLow1968

Sherry E said:


> The character locations are listed on the map (or, they were on last year's map)  - https://wdpromedia.disney.go.com/me...en-party/pdf-mickeys-halloween-party-2014.pdf.



Is there a reason why last year's Party brochure had a blurb about Fastpass?  I thought there weren't any fastpass during the party.


----------



## rwhistler92

lorijohnhill said:


> One more party question... is the "special merchandise" only available during party hours?



Yes, there has been for the past 2 years.



Self-Rescuing Princess said:


> I noticed on the email mentioning the special AP treat only said the dates from Sept 25-Oct 30. Is there a reason the 31 is not mentioned? Is there no AP treat  that night?


I am hoping it means you can get an AP discount on select nights between those dates.
 There is no discount for the 31st.


----------



## Self-Rescuing Princess

That's what I hope too.


----------



## iKristin

Self-Rescuing Princess said:


> I noticed on the email mentioning the special AP treat only said the dates from Sept 25-Oct 30. Is there a reason the 31 is not mentioned? Is there no AP treat  that night?



No that's just the dates for sale. The 31st is sold out so that's probably why they didn't mention it


----------



## Kilala

I forgot to mention that I saw a Target on Monday Pepperagefarm's Pumkin Cheesecake cookies. I will try to get some on the 3rd


----------



## Sherry E

Stop the presses!   Hostess (who we all know from their famous Ding Dongs, Cupcakes, Zingers and Twinkies) has jumped full throttle into Candy Corn Chaos!

Behold....  Candy Corn Cupcakes - http://www.theimpulsivebuy.com/word...hostess-limited-edition-candy-corn-cup-cakes/.

Apparently they will be coming out with Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes soon as well.







HopLow1968 said:


> Is there a reason why last year's Party brochure had a blurb about Fastpass?  I thought there weren't any fastpass during the party.



I always wondered that too.  Your guess is as good as mine.  I didn't create the map, so I have no clue why it's on there.  I think the 2013 map may have had the FP reference too.

The only thing I can think of is that, because you can use your MHP ticket to get into the park 3 hours before the party starts, you can use your MHP ticket to get a FP during that window of time.  For example, if you entered Disneyland right at 4 p.m. on a 7 p.m. MHP night, you could run over to a FP machine and use the MHP ticket to get a FP for something.    The only problem is that the return time for the FP may or may not be within that 3 hours,  and you can't use the FP at the actual party.


----------



## Tablefor5

Would love some input on which day you would choose for MHP.
Mon 10/5, this is our first day in the parks (M,T, & F): my rational is it is less $ and maybe a Monday would be less people, although if it sells out, it sells out...hahaha  
Fri 10/9, last day in parks: More expensive and if we didn't go we could take advantage of DCA open later (not confirmed but anticipating)
I think I just talked myself into the Monday but any reason the Friday would be better?

We NEED to get autographs for the Tremaine family. We saw them back at MHP in DCA a few years back and kicking myself for not getting autographs then. Would also love Capt. Jack Sparrow!
I am hoping they will be there!!!!!


----------



## Sherry E

Tablefor5 said:


> Would love some input on which day you would choose for MHP.
> Mon 10/5, this is our first day in the parks (M,T, & F): my rational is it is less $ and maybe a Monday would be less people, although if it sells out, it sells out...hahaha
> Fri 10/9, last day in parks: More expensive and if we didn't go we could take advantage of DCA open later (not confirmed but anticipating)
> I think I just talked myself into the Monday but any reason the Friday would be better?
> 
> We NEED to get autographs for the Tremaine family. We saw them back at MHP in DCA a few years back and kicking myself for not getting autographs then. Would also love Capt. Jack Sparrow!
> I am hoping they will be there!!!!!



Personally, I would go for the Monday.  I would always opt for a less expensive night over a more expensive night -- unless I wanted to go on Halloween.  I don't see any reason why Friday would be better in your case.

Hurry and get your tickets, though -- I have a feeling we are on the brink of a wave of sellouts!


----------



## Oswald23

Ok, I don´t know if I can trust the information but I will share it anyway. I send an email to Disney guest relations about te ToonTown pre-party and the answer is there is no pre-party this year!!


----------



## Sherry E

Oswald23 said:


> Ok, I don´t know if I can trust the information but I will share it anyway. I send an email to Disney guest relations about te ToonTown pre-party and the answer is there is no pre-party this year!!



Hmmm.... well, as you said, it's hard to know what to trust from anyone on the phones or responding to email at DLR.  The information -- even about something as simple as the Happiest Haunts Tour -- is inconsistent and all over the place.  They all seem to say different things.

But... if there is no Toontown pre-party this year, I certainly hope they are going to have a pre-party elsewhere.  They probably won't have it at Big Thunder Ranch again either, since that area is preparing to close.

Thank you for letting us know what you found out -- whether it's true or not, it's good to know what is being told to guests!

ETA:  If it is true that there is no TT pre-party this year, then that is one more thing being removed from the array of offerings for the season!


----------



## Tablefor5

Thanks Sherry! Gonna get those tickets soon.


----------



## Oswald23

I was not complete. The email stated no pre-party at all..... 
Here is the mail:
Dear Danny,

Thank you for your email to the DISNEYLAND® Resort.

Unfortunately, we are not offering a pre-party for Mickey's Halloween 
Party event.

Again, thank you for taking the time to write. We hope you will have the
opportunity to visit the DISNEYLAND® Resort soon and trust your visit 
will be pleasant in all regards.



If true there really scaling down the event...


----------



## Sherry E

Oswald23 said:


> I was not complete. The email stated no pre-party at all.....
> Here is the mail:
> Dear Danny,
> 
> Thank you for your email to the DISNEYLAND® Resort.
> 
> Unfortunately, we are not offering a pre-party for Mickey's Halloween
> Party event.
> 
> Again, thank you for taking the time to write. We hope you will have the
> opportunity to visit the DISNEYLAND® Resort soon and trust your visit
> will be pleasant in all regards.
> 
> 
> 
> If true there really scaling down the event...



Sigh.  What next?  What's on the chopping block next?  Good grief.  No Halloween Carnival (which wipes out several Halloween highlights in one fell swoop); probably no orange bunting on Main Street and no "Halloween Time Mickeys" on lampposts; no Cavalcade at the party (which was Halloween-specific); and now no pre-party for MHP either?   The Happiest Haunts Tour may get cut back, schedule-wise, too! (there have been conflicting reports from the people at DLR)

This year's Halloween Time is not instilling great confidence in me as to what the Holiday season will look like!  

Thank you again for letting us know. It is truly appreciated!


----------



## spragueito

Does anyone know how far in advance DLR releases the park hours? I was trying to reserve breakfast at Plaza Inn for the 6th of October, but park hours haven't been released yet so they aren't taking reservations yet. For some reason I thought they announced them 45 days out, but I must be wrong.

Thanks!


----------



## Oswald23

People are waiting to make reservations for weeks now. A whole bunch of restaurants are not available after 10-03. You can watch this thread: http://www.disboards.com/threads/early-october-dining-booking-issues.3436240/page-9#post-54306816

The dining folks at Disney say it will hapen the end of this week. But they said the same about last week...


----------



## spragueito

Oswald23 said:


> People are waiting to make reservations for weeks now. A whole bunch of restaurants are not available after 10-03. You can watch this thread: http://www.disboards.com/threads/early-october-dining-booking-issues.3436240/page-9#post-54306816
> 
> The dining folks at Disney say it will hapen the end of this week. But they said the same about last week...



Thanks Oswald!


----------



## rwhistler92

Oswald23 said:


> I was not complete. The email stated no pre-party at all.....
> Here is the mail:
> Dear Danny,
> 
> Thank you for your email to the DISNEYLAND® Resort.
> 
> Unfortunately, we are not offering a pre-party for Mickey's Halloween
> Party event.
> 
> Again, thank you for taking the time to write. We hope you will have the
> opportunity to visit the DISNEYLAND® Resort soon and trust your visit
> will be pleasant in all regards.
> 
> 
> 
> If true there really scaling down the event...



We asked several CM last year if there was going to be a pre party and they all said there wasn't.
Guess what....they were wrong.

I hope that is the case here.


----------



## stephanie22

rwhistler92 said:


> We asked several CM last year if there was going to be a pre party and they all said there wasn't.
> Guess what....they were wrong.
> 
> I hope that is the case here.



I too hope that's the case, last year I also asked a cm at town hall if Rabbit would be out during the party because I really wanted to meet him, but she said he wouldn't. And she was wrong as I later found out.


----------



## Abbey1

We'll be attending our first Halloween party on October 27th and hearing about all of the things that *aren't* happening this year has me a little bummed. Is it possible that Disney has a new Halloween party specific attraction planned that they haven't announced yet? Wishful thinking I know, but it seems crazy to raise the prices while cutting some favorite attractions.


----------



## lorijohnhill

There seems to be an entire aura of mystery surrounding Toontown happenings during Halloween Time. The schedule is still showing Toontown as unavailable from 9/13 forward. That may explain lack of a pre-party, or at least lack of knowledge of a pre-party.


----------



## Sherry E

Abbey1 said:


> We'll be attending our first Halloween party on October 27th and hearing about all of the things that *aren't* happening this year has me a little bummed. Is it possible that Disney has a new Halloween party specific attraction planned that they haven't announced yet? Wishful thinking I know, but it seems crazy to raise the prices while cutting some favorite attractions.



I think the issue is  more that they have cut back so many things from the whole Halloween Time season in general -- both out of the party and in the party.  I mean, if MiceChat is correct, it looks like we won't even see the traditional orange bunting and lamppost décor this year because all of the blue 60th anniversary stuff is up.   I highly doubt they will add anything else Halloween-specific to the party itself, other than maybe some new dance stations or new treat trails.  Nothing major.  They could always do what WDW does and have a 'paid event within a paid event' -- charge extra money for a special Villains meal or dessert within the Halloween Party -- but so far that has not happened (thankfully).

It's possible that we will still see more of the supposed "sparkling new décor" that was mentioned in the Disney Parks Blog last month too -- décor that somehow represents Halloween Time and the Diamond Anniversary.  That may be the biggest surprise.  I mean, yes, of course, there could be something that they are going to surprise us with and pull out of their hats for the Halloween Time season in general, but if they were to announce it I am guessing it would be once September begins and before 9/11.

Based on what was said back in January -- at the Q&A following the announcement of the 60th anniversary shows -- all along the plan has been to keep the focus on the 60th anniversary throughout this year.  So, I think that -- along with the fact that Star Wars Land is wiping out the Ranch/Carnival area -- is the driving force behind this whole 'minimalist Halloween Time.'   


ETA:  It could also be that DLR is moving more towards WDW and how they handle things -- they don't have an actual Halloween Time "season" with an official name.  Their nameless season mainly focuses on their hard ticket Halloween party/MNSSHP and that's it.  They have some decorations up here and there, but the focus is really the party.



lorijohnhill said:


> There seems to be an entire aura of mystery surrounding Toontown happenings during Halloween Time. The schedule is still showing Toontown as unavailable from 9/13 forward. That may explain lack of a pre-party, or at least lack of knowledge of a pre-party.



Very true.  And it also does not help matters any that every person at Disney who handles phone calls or emails (not to mention the ones working in the parks) seems to give conflicting info about so many things!  They're not all on the same page!


----------



## lorijohnhill

Sherry E said:


> Very true.  And it also does not help matters any that every person at Disney who handles phone calls or emails (not to mention the ones working in the parks) seems to give conflicting info about so many things!  They're not all on the same page!


True. And that is so very frustrating!

I remember reading somewhere that the Tomorrowland Dance Party (during MHP) is going to be Super Goof's Super Hero Dance Party. Has anyone done the dance parties before? Do the characters pose for pics or sign autographs during this time? Do they dance with the guests, or are they up on stage? What's the scoop?


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## Sherry E

The characters definitely dance -- or some of them do, at least.  The one and only time I spent actually watching one of the dance parties at length, characters were mainly dancing and not posing for photos or anything else.  However, I can't imagine the characters being out and about and not posing for photos and signing autographs at some point.


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## lorijohnhill

Goofy is our family's super hero (he saved my mom! He was marching along, with a line of people, heading to his meet and greet in Toontown and came across my family. We had gotten my mom's wheelchair stuck in the train tracks. He stopped his march, gently lifted my mom out of the chair, pulled the chair from the tracks (which was tight!), then re-seated my mom in the chair. It was awesome!). So, we will definitely be checking the dance party out!!


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## jsgrant5

Bought our tickets to the Sept. 25th party and then I got something in the mail saying you can save six dollars a ticket as a Disney Chase card holder. Not sure who I can contact to see about getting the difference refunded.


----------



## Sherry E

jsgrant5 said:


> Bought our tickets to the Sept. 25th party and then I got something in the mail saying you can save six dollars a ticket as a Disney Chase card holder. Not sure who I can contact to see about getting the difference refunded.



I don't think you'll be able to get it refunded.  Disney Visa card holders, along with Annual Passholders and Disney Vacation Club members, are able to purchase tickets before the general public can purchase them, as well as get discounts on certain nights.  You bought your ticket without knowing there would be a discount.  The way it works for Disney Visa card holders is that you would have to actually call the Disneyland ticket line and order your ticket over the phone, using your Disney Visa to buy the ticket and get the discount.  You can't order online and get the Visa discount.  But now that you have already bought tickets I don't think you would get a refund.


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## lorijohnhill

An interesting new rumor in the New Star Wars Land thread may shed some light (if it is correct) on why Toontown is showing as unavailable beginning 9/13... http://www.disboards.com/threads/star-wars-themed-lands-announced-for-dl-and-dhs.3439139/


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## Sherry E

I saw the original post from the person who claimed to be talking to his sources (I guess it was on MiceChat, but it could have been WDW Magic too -- I check both of those sites regularly and sometimes they blend together in my mind!  ), and I actually agree about Toontown not being  100% safe.  Even though Disneyland Today said on Twitter that Toontown was not being replaced, the very first thing I thought of when they said that was that there are many other things that could happen to Toontown even if it's not technically replaced.  I had a feeling it would be cut in half, but based on the map/graphic that the person put together, it looks like 3/4 of Toontown would end up on the chopping block.   

It seems evident that Disney does not want to invest any time or money into sprucing up Toontown, and they have basically let it fall to the wayside over the years.  Additionally, if there is going to be more than one entrance point to Star Wars Land/Galaxy, chances are that the second or third entrance would have to end up being somewhere in that part of Toontown in the "red zone," or somewhere in the far reaches of Fantasyland.  Since Disney is so attentive to details and themes, the transition from Toontown to Star Wars Land would be ridiculous and nonsensical.  So it would stand to reason that at least part of Toontown would have to be redone just to provide a path into Star Wars Land.   Putting a restaurant there and revamping that whole area to be part of Fantasyland would make for a better transition into Star Wars Land than Toontown would.

I'll be happy if Car Toon Spin is saved (it's a good dark ride).  I'll be sad if the rest of Toontown goes, but it is looking like it is probably headed that way.  Mickey and the characters may have a meet area near Car Toon Spin, but it still looks as if they will be without "homes."

I don't know why they couldn't just keep Toontown open through the end of the year, like they're doing with the BBQ, but I guess they need to start prep work and move things around.


----------



## lorijohnhill

I don't know why they have to close it so early. Especially without any notice! My daughter is in tears at the thought that she might not get to see Mickey and Minnie in their houses.


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## Sherry E

lorijohnhill said:


> I don't know why they have to close it so early. Especially without any notice! My daughter is in tears at the thought that she might not get to see Mickey and Minnie in their houses.



It is a sneaky way of handling it -- assuming that this is all true, and that the reason why Toontown is showing as unavailable after 9/13 is because it is scheduled for a "makeover" (which is one way of putting it)!   I have seen many comments online -- even before the suspicious absence of Toontown from the DLR site -- saying that the little ones will wonder why Mickey doesn't have a home if Toontown goes away.   Jaded, hardened adults may scoff at that, but it shouldn't be discounted that kids may think that way.   I guess -- if this all comes to fruition -- Disney probably feels that it will soften the blow just to keep Mickey and Minnie in Toontown, just to have an official meet area.

Well, last year was probably the last year for Toontown's Christmas decorations, as well as likely the last year for the Jingle Jangle Jamboree.


----------



## keishashadow

Tablefor5 said:


> Would love some input on which day you would choose for MHP.
> Mon 10/5, this is our first day in the parks (M,T, & F): my rational is it is less $ and maybe a Monday would be less people, although if it sells out, it sells out...hahaha
> Fri 10/9, last day in parks: More expensive and if we didn't go we could take advantage of DCA open later (not confirmed but anticipating)
> I think I just talked myself into the Monday but any reason the Friday would be better?
> 
> We NEED to get autographs for the Tremaine family. We saw them back at MHP in DCA a few years back and kicking myself for not getting autographs then. Would also love Capt. Jack Sparrow!
> I am hoping they will be there!!!!!



10/5 is our date, gay days attendees still able to book the discounted hotel rates early that week, i'm guessing it will be busy.


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## princesszelda

We ahve never eaten dinner inside the park when there is a halloween party. Do you think Big Thunder will be open for Dinner? Hoping for 5pm dinner at Big Thunder.


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## tjcrabb

princesszelda said:


> We ahve never eaten dinner inside the park when there is a halloween party. Do you think Big Thunder will be open for Dinner? Hoping for 5pm dinner at Big Thunder.



I would seriously doubt they would be open for dinner, you might however be able to get a late lunch reservation. Sherry compiled a list of what dining options were available at the party last year, I would assume they will be pretty similar this year 


*20. Which restaurants are open during the MHP, and should I eat before the MHP starts?*

There will be dining options available during MHP, but the general advice is to eat before the party starts so you can spend the limited party time (5 hours) doing party-specific activities! Note that not all of the dining venues remain open for the entire party.

In 2014, the following table service venues were open for at least part of the party (closing times varied):


Carnation Café (Main Street)
Café Orleans (New Orleans Square)

A larger number of the counter service venues were open in 2014 (closing times varied):


Jolly Holiday Bakery (Main Street)
Plaza Inn (Main Street)
Refreshment Corner (a.k.a. Coke Corner) (Main Street)
Gibson Girl Ice Cream Parlor (Main Street)
Market House (Starbucks) (Main Street)
Little Red Wagon (Main Street)
Royal Street Veranda (New Orleans Square)
Mint Julep Bar (New Orleans Square)
Stage Door Café (Frontierland)
Ship to Shore Market (Frontierland)
Hungry Bear Restaurant (Critter Country)
Bengal Barbecue (Adventureland)
Redd Rockett’s Pizza Port (Tomorrowland)
Tomorrowland Terrace (Tomorrowland)

Notably absent from the list above are the Golden Horseshoe and Pinocchio Village Haus, which were not open during MHP nights because they were used for treat trails. Rancho del Zocalo was also closed because it was used as a dance party area. The French Market is also absent from the list and was used as a character meet and greet location.


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## princesszelda

Booooooo!


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## Mommy2PrincessAbby

I was able to book the 3:30 lunch seating at the bbq place for our 1st MHP day.  I figure if we eat late then we can snack our way thru the party.  I will miss the dinner bits of the meal tho.  Only the 1st couple days of our trip are up and no dinners available yet.


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## Tablefor5

keishashadow said:


> 10/5 is our date, gay days attendees still able to book the discounted hotel rates early that week, i'm guessing it will be busy.


 got my tixs for 10/5. 
see ya!


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## Sherry E

A parade of new candy corn varieties/flavors has arrived, courtesy of Brach's -- including a "mini" version (how much smaller could candy corn be?  It's already miniature enough!) -- http://www.theimpulsivebuy.com/wordpress/2015/08/27/spotted-on-shelves-8272015/.


ETA:  And... just in... Little Debbie Pumpkin Spice Rolls - http://www.theimpulsivebuy.com/word...on-shelves-little-debbie-pumpkin-spice-rolls/.




​


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## haileymarie92

So disney parks blog posted about all the new things coming to WDW's MNSSHP this year. Take from DL and give to WDW. 

Sigh...I'm still excited, but it seems like we are getting the short end of the stick.


----------



## Sherry E

haileymarie92 said:


> So disney parks blog posted about all the new things coming to WDW's MNSSHP this year. Take from DL and give to WDW.
> 
> Sigh...I'm still excited, but it seems like we are getting the short end of the stick.



Yeah... we are getting the short end of the stick, as far as Halloween Time goes.  I don't mean to be Debbie Downer, but I can't help but notice how many things have been removed from the Halloween Time offerings since I first started enjoying them back in 2007.   It's just the reality of the situation -- a lot of things have vanished.  This year is an especially weird year for Halloween Time (and probably the holidays too) because of not only the Diamond Anniversary celebration, but also the plans for Star Wars Land -- which automatically wipe out the Carnival.  It seems like Halloween Time is really just being reduced to a hard ticket party.  And with all of the coming construction happening in DL over the next few years, I tend to wonder if Halloween Time will return to DCA in some form or another.


----------



## Chris9ty

Picked up the movie The Nightmare Before Christmas and Ray Bradbury's book The Halloween Tree in preparation for our trip in October!


----------



## Sherry E

If you want some additional options of things to do for the Halloween season (DIS'er Priory is doing a Halloween-themed trip and hitting several attractions in Southern California) and you have transportation so you can leave DLR and go elsewhere, there are quite a few from which to choose:


Family Friendly/For All Ages

Knott's Spooky Farm -- https://www.knotts.com/spookyfarm

Sea World San Diego's Halloween Spooktacular -- http://seaworldparks.com/seaworld-sandiego/events/halloween-spooktacular/

Irvine Park Railroad's Pumpkin Patch -- http://irvineparkrailroad.com/content/pumpkin-patch

Los Angeles Zoo's Boo at the Zoo -- http://www.lazoo.org/boo/

Rise of the Jack O' Lanterns -- http://therise.org/





Horror/Gore/Fright-Oriented Attractions

Knott's Scary Farm/Halloween Haunt -- https://www.knotts.com/scaryfarm/

Universal Studios Hollywood's Halloween Horror Nights  -- http://www.halloweenhorrornights.com/hollywood/2015/

Six Flags Magic Mountain's Fright Fest  -- https://frightfest.sixflags.com/magicmountain/frights/

Queen Mary's Dark Harbor  -- http://www.queenmary.com/events/dark-harbor/

Los Angeles Haunted Hayride -- http://losangeleshauntedhayride.com/





Also... Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen in Downtown Disney will offer a Haunted Gingerbread House Workshop (dates have not yet been released), but it is usually very limited.  I think there are only 2 dates in October for the Workshop and that's it.  

Jazz Kitchen may or may not also offer "The Password is Murder" interactive murder mystery show again this year, but if they do it will probably take place on only one night.






​


----------



## haileymarie92

I wonder how Disneyland justifies increasing the price while decreasing the value. I mean, obviously we are all still paying. But for them to increase the price just because they "can" is sad. I'm still hoping they surprise us with SOMETHING new that justifies the cost a little more.


----------



## Sherry E

haileymarie92 said:


> I wonder how Disneyland justifies increasing the price while decreasing the value. I mean, obviously we are all still paying. But for them to increase the price just because they "can" is sad. I'm still hoping they surprise us with SOMETHING new that justifies the cost a little more.



I hope so too.... some surprise... any surprise....   There was really no need to raise the MHP prices this year -- other than just doing it because they can -- since the parade that is being added to it can be seen on any other non-party night.

Last year Disney surprised us with the "Mahaloween" event at Trader Sam's in the DLH - http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...ed-tiki-bar-at-disneyland-hotel-september-29/.  At first I thought, "Yay!  They're finally adding something Halloween-ish to one of the hotels."   But the prices were very high, and many of the reviews of the event later declared that it was poorly organized, poorly staged and not worth the money.


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## princesszelda

How many tickets are issued for each party?


----------



## Sherry E

princesszelda said:


> How many tickets are issued for each party?



No one knows.  Apparently it's not even the same number of tickets for each night in some cases.  Some nights might offer more tickets, or some nights might involve comp tickets or tickets won in contests, etc.  I don't think anyone has ever gotten hold of conclusive info about the number of tickets, so we're all just left guessing.


----------



## kappyfamily

Hi guys- I apologize, I know I should know this but just want to make sure.  I'm only at Disney for 1 day on October 12th and was hoping to buy a 1 day pass AND a MHP party ticket. Am I able to go to California Adventure during the day then at 3pm when gates open for the party use my MHP party ticket to go in? OR do I need to buy a 1 day park hopper? I hope not.... but just making sure.   thank you!


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## princesszelda

hmmmmm. I just feel like with all the stuff being left out that it might not be worth going. But I feel bad because we promised my niece.


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## Sherry E

kappyfamily said:


> Hi guys- I apologize, I know I should know this but just want to make sure.  I'm only at Disney for 1 day on October 12th and was hoping to buy a 1 day pass AND a MHP party ticket. Am I able to go to California Adventure during the day then at 3pm when gates open for the party use my MHP party ticket to go in? OR do I need to buy a 1 day park hopper? I hope not.... but just making sure.   thank you!



Hello!  No need to apologize -- we're here to help.  You won't need a Hopper!  Your plan will be fine -- just buy the 1-day/1-park pass to use in DCA earlier in the day, and then buy an MHP ticket to use in DL from 3 p.m. on through 11 p.m.



princesszelda said:


> hmmmmm. I just feel like with all the stuff being left out that it might not be worth going. But I feel bad because we promised my niece.



Well, I think the party is still worth doing (especially for your niece), even though Disney seems to be cutting back in some areas.  The prices are too high -- that's for sure -- but it's a fun party.


----------



## kappyfamily

Sherry E said:


> Hello!  No need to apologize -- we're here to help.  You won't need a Hopper!  Your plan will be fine -- just buy the 1-day/1-park pass to use in DCA earlier in the day. and then buy an MHP ticket to use in DL from 3 p.m. on through 11 p.m.
> 
> 
> 
> Well, I think the party is still worth doing (especially for your niece), even though Disney seems to be cutting back in some areas.  The prices are too high -- that's for sure -- but it's a fun party.


thank you I appreciate the quick response!


----------



## AussieCaribou

Wow, so much has changed from when I went two years ago.  I can't believe that the carnival has been removed...and no pre-party?  

I went to the website to check out the offerings and in the Halloween Time at Disneyland it says that we can drop in on Tower of Terror for a spooky surprise.  Does anyone know if this means that they are doing some sort of Halloween overlay?  Or is it just a 'spooky ride' so add it to the list?

thanks
AussieCaribou


----------



## Sherry E

kappyfamily said:


> thank you I appreciate the quick response!



You're very welcome -- I'm glad it will work out for you!




AussieCaribou said:


> Wow, so much has changed from when I went two years ago.  I can't believe that the carnival has been removed...and no pre-party?
> 
> I went to the website to check out the offerings and in the Halloween Time at Disneyland it says that we can drop in on Tower of Terror for a spooky surprise.  Does anyone know if this means that they are doing some sort of Halloween overlay?  Or is it just a 'spooky ride' so add it to the list?
> 
> thanks
> AussieCaribou



I am very sad about the loss of the Carnival -- and especially about the loss of the pumpkin carvers (who were there even before there was a Carnival), and possibly the loss of the goats in Halloween scarves at the Ranch.  

As for the pre-party... I wouldn't count that out just yet.  I don't fully trust Disney, even though they claimed via email that there would be no pre-party.  We may still see a pre-party pop up somewhere, even if not in Toontown or at the Ranch.

Here I go being Debbie Downer again --  -- but sadly, no...  I don't think Tower of Terror will get a Halloween overlay.  They always throw ToT into the mix when listing off things to do for Halloween Time -- simply because it is a scary ride.  At one time there used to be some Halloween décor inside, before boarding, but I think that's been gone for a long time.

Are you by any chance looking at the Australian version of the DLR website?  On the one I am looking at, it only says "Drop in for ghostly encounters and hair-raising thrills at The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror."  I know that sometimes the descriptions and wording can be slightly different on the Australian version of the site (and the calendar dates sometimes appear earlier too).


----------



## DnA2010

haileymarie92 said:


> I wonder how Disneyland justifies increasing the price while decreasing the value. I mean, obviously we are all still paying. But for them to increase the price just because they "can" is sad. I'm still hoping they surprise us with SOMETHING new that justifies the cost a little more.




Me too...for those of us heading down for the first time, it's disappointing to read of the things being cut out...


----------



## kandeebunny

This is out first MHP, we do MNSSHP at WDW annually (like 3-4 times a season lol!)  My kidlet has multiple allergies, at WDW if we stop at City Hall they have allergen free treats, is this the same at DLR?


----------



## tzeitel

Chris9ty said:


> Picked up the movie The Nightmare Before Christmas and Ray Bradbury's book The Halloween Tree in preparation for our trip in October!


I got The Halloween Tree a few days ago at the library!


----------



## bwang123

kandeebunny said:


> This is out first MHP, we do MNSSHP at WDW annually (like 3-4 times a season lol!)  My kidlet has multiple allergies, at WDW if we stop at City Hall they have allergen free treats, is this the same at DLR?



interested in this as well. at our 1st MNSSHP, at City Hall they gave my son a $25 gift card to be used in the candy stores during the party. He has egg, nut, milk allergies and we loved that they did this for him.


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## rwhistler92

I have never heard of this at Disneyland. They do have healthy options at most Trick or Treat stand (carrots, craisians, apples....)


bwang123 said:


> interested in this as well. at our 1st MNSSHP, at City Hall they gave my son a $25 gift card to be used in the candy stores during the party. He has egg, nut, milk allergies and we loved that they did this for him.


----------



## Sherry E

rwhistler92 said:


> I have never heard of this at Disneyland. They do have healthy options at most Trick or Treat stand (carrots, craisians, apples....)



I was just going to say the exact same thing.  Perhaps City Hall can shed more light on any allergen-free sweet treats to be had, but there are most definitely the healthy treats you mentioned at many (if not all) of the treat stations.


----------



## keishashadow

Sherry E said:


> Yeah... we are getting the short end of the stick, as far as Halloween Time goes.  I don't mean to be Debbie Downer, but I can't help but notice how many things have been removed from the Halloween Time offerings since I first started enjoying them back in 2007.   It's just the reality of the situation -- a lot of things have vanished.  This year is an especially weird year for Halloween Time (and probably the holidays too) because of not only the Diamond Anniversary celebration, but also the plans for Star Wars Land -- which automatically wipe out the Carnival.  It seems like Halloween Time is really just being reduced to a hard ticket party.  And with all of the coming construction happening in DL over the next few years, I tend to wonder if Halloween Time will return to DCA in some form or another.



Since it will be our first visit to DL during Halloween season I can't say that I will 'miss' anything (it's all new & exciting to me, especially the Halloween overlay of HM).  However, I was looking forward to seeing many of the special parts of the party that appear to be disappearing. 

One of the things that makes DL _really_ special IMO is the historical aspect & traditions you can only find there.  It would be a real shame if the parks become cookie-cutter versions of each other.

It has to be disheartening to see many cherished traditions go by the wayside...feel for you guys.


----------



## Sandi E

I need some advice!  We are going to be at DL from Tuesday 10/6 at about noon (my birthday!) through the afternoon of Sunday 10/11.  We have MHP tickets for Wednesday. We want to do BB Fantasmic, and Wine Country WOC.  We are thinking Thursday night for Fantasmic, leaving Friday or Saturday for WOC.  I believe there is a MHP on Friday. 
So, would it make more sense to do WOC on Friday night, since we'll have to leave DL early anyway when MHP starts?  Or Saturday night because DL will likely have nightmarish crowds that night and we'll be happy to get out of there anyway?

Thanks!!!!


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## stephanie22

Has anyone noticed that the park hours for non party nights through October 8th go much later than in previous years, do you think this is due just to the special 60th fireworks and parades, or do you think it's going to be that much busier this year?


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## haileymarie92

Sandi E said:


> I need some advice!  We are going to be at DL from Tuesday 10/6 at about noon (my birthday!) through the afternoon of Sunday 10/11.  We have MHP tickets for Wednesday. We want to do BB Fantasmic, and Wine Country WOC.  We are thinking Thursday night for Fantasmic, leaving Friday or Saturday for WOC.  I believe there is a MHP on Friday.
> So, would it make more sense to do WOC on Friday night, since we'll have to leave DL early anyway when MHP starts?  Or Saturday night because DL will likely have nightmarish crowds that night and we'll be happy to get out of there anyway?
> 
> Thanks!!!!



I'm not sure if the schedule is out for this time frame yet, so take this with a grain of salt. But I don't believe Fantasmic will be playing on a Thursday. Typically in the off season (this is technically off season), Fantasmic is only presented Fri-Sun. I don't know if having a Friday party changes that, though. 

I would suggest Wine WOC on the Friday that you aren't going to the party. And BB Fantasmic on the Saturday.


----------



## mummabear

Sherry E said:


> It is a sneaky way of handling it -- assuming that this is all true, and that the reason why Toontown is showing as unavailable after 9/13 is because it is scheduled for a "makeover" (which is one way of putting it)! I have seen many comments online -- even before the suspicious absence of Toontown from the DLR site -- saying that the little ones will wonder why Mickey doesn't have a home if Toontown goes away. Jaded, hardened adults may scoff at that, but it shouldn't be discounted that kids may think that way. I guess -- if this all comes to fruition -- Disney probably feels that it will soften the blow just to keep Mickey and Minnie in Toontown, just to have an official meet area



I'm sure that they are looking that it went "well" at WDW when they removed toontown.
I don't think we ever set foot in the wdw version, even thought it was there our first trip.
I'm not a huge fan of the space, it is probably my least favourite area within DL park but I was looking forward to the pre-party.

I am starting to think it is worth an email to say "Hey, all this removal of party value while increasing the ticket price hasn't gone unnoticed"


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## lorijohnhill

In case anyone else was wondering, I was able to book and pay for the Discover the Magic tour with my Disney Vacation Account. I'll be calling on Sunday to do the same for the Happiest Haunts Tour!


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## mom2rtk

mummabear said:


> I am starting to think it is worth an email to say "Hey, all this removal of party value while increasing the ticket price hasn't gone unnoticed"


 

I was just starting to think that very thing.


----------



## CassieF

haileymarie92 said:


> I'm not sure if the schedule is out for this time frame yet, so take this with a grain of salt. But I don't believe Fantasmic will be playing on a Thursday. Typically in the off season (this is technically off season), Fantasmic is only presented Fri-Sun. I don't know if having a Friday party changes that, though.
> 
> I would suggest Wine WOC on the Friday that you aren't going to the party. And BB Fantasmic on the Saturday.



Yes, from a performer fantasmic will not be running throughout the week until after Thanksgiving.  

I've also hear from a reliable source that there will not be any replacement for the villain meet and greet, such as a small world set up.  Just plan on the regular day time ones being around with possibly an extra non face character villain here and there


----------



## iKristin

Disneyland is only allotted so much spending money on events throughout the year. Seeing how much money they've spent on the 60th, it doesn't surprise me that they don't have the money to fund other things during the holidays. Kind of like what they did with Duffy. They took the funds it cost to have him as a walk around character in his own section with 2 cast members being paid to follow him and take photos, and put Oswald in his place. So they pretty much just moved funds from one character to another. I know Disney has a lot of money, but the company has a lot of money by setting limits like this. Yes, ticket prices increased. But not only are you getting Halloween experience (though, not the same experience as in the past) you are also getting the 60th experience, which is pretty special on its own...as long as you aren't a local and have already seen it a billion times lol.

Also, with the large expansions happening over the next few years, funds will definitely be moved around a lot. So don't be surprised if we start to see other things taken away because of this. It's bound to happen.


----------



## mom2rtk

iKristin said:


> Disneyland is only allotted so much spending money on events throughout the year. Seeing how much money they've spent on the 60th, it doesn't surprise me that they don't have the money to fund other things during the holidays. Kind of like what they did with Duffy. They took the funds it cost to have him as a walk around character in his own section with 2 cast members being paid to follow him and take photos, and put Oswald in his place. So they pretty much just moved funds from one character to another. I know Disney has a lot of money, but the company has a lot of money by setting limits like this. Yes, ticket prices increased. But not only are you getting Halloween experience (though, not the same experience as in the past) you are also getting the 60th experience, which is pretty special on its own...as long as you aren't a local and have already seen it a billion times lol.
> 
> Also, with the large expansions happening over the next few years, funds will definitely be moved around a lot. So don't be surprised if we start to see other things taken away because of this. It's bound to happen.


 

Except that all of that 60th anniversary stuff has probably paid for itself already in extra crowds through the gates.


----------



## iKristin

But that doesn't mean their funding changes. The company at the end of the year sets the funds up for the next year. They don't normally change it once the amount is set for the year. Reason being, whatever funds they gain from not spending more money is a plus for the company and looks better at the end of the year (and for investors). It sucks, I know. But in the end, Disney is still a huge corporation, and they want to make as much money as possible without going over budgets that were set in advance for the year


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## haileymarie92

iKristin said:


> Yes, ticket prices increased. But not only are you getting Halloween experience (though, not the same experience as in the past) you are also getting the 60th experience, which is pretty special on its own...as long as you aren't a local and have already seen it a billion times lol.


I get your point, but the Halloween party isn't celebrating the 60th anniversary. It's celebrating Halloween. So to raise the Halloween party prices while taking things away from the party, seems wrong. Now if Disney surprises us and says, "Since it's the 60th anniversary, all MHPs will have a special 60th anniversary ________" then I'd get the point. Otherwise it's just Disney increasing customer cost and decreasing customer experience.


----------



## Sherry E

If they take anything else away from the Halloween Time season over the next few years (while construction is going on), there won't be a season!  It's a season that is barely hanging on by a thread right now.   But then, beyond the season itself, to throw a parade into MHP that can be seen by anyone on any non-party night (probably for the rest of the year and into next year), while hiking up the party prices, is nonsense.

I kind of tend to think that, while this is the 60th anniversary year and the next few years will be devoted to building Star Wars Land, what DLR is probably doing is fixing it so the Halloween Time season is more like WDW's season.  WDW doesn't call its season anything in particular -- no clever names for it -- but the main focus is on MNSSHP.  I think that DLR is leaning more towards the primary focus being on MHP and little else.

I don't know what I will be writing in about first, but one thing I will be writing about is the lack of pumpkin carvers this year (because it also may translate into a lack of egg decorators around Easter).   I was holding off on sending a letter to DLR because I wanted to see if any surprises were revealed, or if any new events were announced.  I also wanted to see what was going to happen with the holiday season (I think it will retain more of its elements than Halloween Time is retaining, but I don't have great confidence that the holidays will survive unscathed).

I shall be writing in, though.


----------



## mom2rtk

Sherry E said:


> If they take anything else away from the Halloween Time season over the next few years (while construction is going on), there won't be a season!  It's a season that is barely hanging on by a thread right now.   But then, beyond the season itself, to throw a parade into MHP that can be seen by anyone on any non-party night (probably for the rest of the year and into next year), while hiking up the party prices, is nonsense.
> 
> I kind of tend to think that, while this is the 60th anniversary year and the next few years will be devoted to building Star Wars Land, what DLR is probably doing is fixing it so the Halloween Time season is more like WDW's season.  WDW doesn't call its season anything in particular -- no clever names for it -- but the main focus is on MNSSHP.  I think that DLR is leaning more towards the primary focus being on MHP and little else.
> 
> I don't know what I will be writing in about first, but one thing I will be writing about is the lack of pumpkin carvers this year (because it also may translate into a lack of egg decorators around Easter).   I was holding off on sending a letter to DLR because I wanted to see if any surprises were revealed, or if any new events were announced.  I also wanted to see what was going to happen with the holiday season (I think it will retain more of its elements than Halloween Time is retaining, but I don't have great confidence that the holidays will survive unscathed).
> 
> I shall be writing in, though.


 


I was just starting to think it was seeming like Halloween at DLR is looking more and more like Halloween at WDW. Without the carnival and bunting on Main Street, will it even feel or look like a Halloween season? I guess the MK doesn't have a giant pumpkin in Town Square, so that's something. But seriously, if it comes down to one giant inflatable pumpkin being the difference, then that's pretty sad.

It's really starting to seem like they wanted to raise prices, but someone said "Look, nobody's going to pay these prices when they can just come in and experience Halloween Time during the day." So they decided to take away as much as possible to make people pay high party ticket prices if they want any sort of a Halloween experience.


----------



## Sherry E

mom2rtk said:


> I was just starting to think it was seeming like Halloween at DLR is looking more and more like Halloween at WDW. Without the carnival and bunting on Main Street, will it even feel or look like a Halloween season? I guess the MK doesn't have a giant pumpkin in Town Square, so that's something. But seriously, if it comes down to one giant inflatable pumpkin being the difference, then that's pretty sad.
> 
> It's really starting to seem like they wanted to raise prices, but someone said "Look, nobody's going to pay these prices when they can just come in and experience Halloween Time during the day." So they decided to take away as much as possible to make people pay high party ticket prices if they want any sort of a Halloween experience.



I think we'll have the giant Mickey pumpkin in Town Square, and the pumpkins along Main Street (the ones that are sitting on balconies, awnings, in windows, etc.).  If MiceChat is correct, we won't see the orange bunting and we won't see the Mickey/HalloweenTime lamppost decorations.  I think we should still have the pumpkins surrounding the Partners statue.  I certainly hope we will still have the character pumpkins over the DL turnstiles, but who knows?

Then, once we get past Main Street, we'll have the 2 ride overlays, the Dia de los Muertos display and the Halloween Tree.   Everything else Halloween-ish (décor-wise or merchandise-wise) will probably be inside the shops (like the curious "Fall centerpiece" in the China Closet), and the fall foods/treats will be in the candy shops, bake shops and restaurants.

There is usually a special Halloween display set up along the tram path -- but you won't see it unless you take the tram to and from Mickey & Friends.  So that is an added element of Halloween décor that a lot of people probably miss.  I hope it goes up this year, although half of the guests won't see it even if it's there, if they don't need to take the tram!


----------



## mom2rtk

Sherry E said:


> I think we'll have the giant Mickey pumpkin in Town Square, and the pumpkins along Main Street (the ones that are sitting on balconies, awnings, in windows, etc.).  If MiceChat is correct, we won't see the orange bunting and we won't see the Mickey/HalloweenTime lamppost decorations.  I think we should still have the pumpkins surrounding the Partners statue.  I certainly hope we will still have the character pumpkins over the DL turnstiles, but who knows?
> 
> Then, once we get past Main Street, we'll have the 2 ride overlays, the Dia de los Muertos display and the Halloween Tree.   Everything else Halloween-ish (décor-wise or merchandise-wise) will probably be inside the shops (like the curious "Fall centerpiece" in the China Closet), and the fall foods/treats will be in the candy shops, bake shops and restaurants.
> 
> There is usually a special Halloween display set up along the tram path -- but you won't see it unless you take the tram to and from Mickey & Friends.  So that is an added element of Halloween décor that a lot of people probably miss.  I hope it goes up this year, although half of the guests won't see it even if it's there, if they don't need to take the tram!


 

I think WDW gets lamp post decorations on Main Street. This might be a closer race than I thought. Well, there are the ride overlays. I bet if they could find a way to make them party exclusives they would though!


----------



## Sherry E

mom2rtk said:


> I think WDW gets lamp post decorations on Main Street. This might be a closer race than I thought. Well, there are the ride overlays. I bet if they could find a way to make them party exclusives they would though!



Definitely.  If there were a way to keep SMGG and HMH closed during the daytime and only open them for MHP without inciting some sort of mutiny, they'd probably do it.  I fully expect that one of these years in the not-too-distant future, one of the overlays will not happen.  Can't you just picture Disney saying, "After many years of taking over the Mansion, Jack Skellington is going on a much needed vacation this year... but you'll still find many Nightmare Before Christmas-inspired collectibles all around Disneyland Resort"?


----------



## mom2rtk

Sherry E said:


> Definitely.  If there were a way to keep SMGG and HMH closed during the daytime and only open them for MHP without inciting some sort of mutiny, they'd probably do it.  I fully expect that one of these years in the not-too-distant future, one of the overlays will not happen.  Can't you just picture Disney saying, "After many years of taking over the Mansion, Jack Skellington is going on a much needed vacation this year... but you'll still find many Nightmare Before Christmas-inspired collectibles all around Disneyland Resort"?


 

LOL, you crack me up Sherry!


----------



## Kilala

Hey all!! I wanted to know if I should wait to post my photos of the Halloween cat costume I took last week when we start a new thread. I'm still waiting on my friend Lori to find out what date she wants to go. I still want to go on the 16th if it dosen't sell out by the 3rd of September. I'm hoping that dates don't sell out as fast as they did last year. I agree with you guys about then taking away from Halloweentime. Also do you guys remeber the prices of the Monday and Friday parties of last year? I wanted to compare prices


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## Sherry E

Kilala said:


> Hey all!! I wanted to know if I should wait to post my photos of the Halloween cat costume I took last week when we start a new thread. I'm still waiting on my friend Lori to find out what date she wants to go. I still want to go on the 16th if it dosen't sell out by the 3rd of September. I'm hoping that dates don't sell out as fast as they did last year. I agree with you guys about then taking away from Halloweentime. Also do you guys remeber the prices of the Monday and Friday parties of last year? I wanted to compare prices



We won't be staring a new thread until we get to page 250, so you've still got some time to post here.  I would just go ahead and post them now.

I just looked at last year's prices the other day, and had this site handy  - http://www.disneysisters.com/2014/07/2014-mickeys-halloween-party-dates-and.html.


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## mom2rtk

And to rub salt into the wound....... WDW gets the Boo to You parade and a stage show. They released artwork today for the new stage show:

http://www.kennythepirate.com/2015/...mickeys-not-so-scary-halloween-party-details/

Looks pretty cool.


----------



## Sherry E

Dunkin' Donuts fans - just in time for fall, DD is introducing new Reese's Peanut Butter Squares and Pumpkin Cheesecake Squares.  Here - http://www.grubgrade.com/2015/08/28...utter-squares-and-pumpkin-cheesecake-squares/. 


And... could "Cinnamon Pear" be a brand new Fall flavor?  - http://www.theimpulsivebuy.com/word...ani-limited-batch-cinnamon-pear-greek-yogurt/.


​




mom2rtk said:


> And to rub salt into the wound....... WDW gets the Boo to You parade and a stage show. They released artwork today for the new stage show:
> 
> http://www.kennythepirate.com/2015/...mickeys-not-so-scary-halloween-party-details/
> 
> Looks pretty cool.



Are they doing the 'paid event within a paid event' thing again this year, as they did last year?


----------



## mom2rtk

Sherry E said:


> Are they doing the 'paid event within a paid event' thing again this year, as they did last year?



No Soiree this year. I think they got a lot of blow back from regular party goers over that. And rightly so.

They did offer (and sold out already, although it can be cancelled up to 5 days out and many booked it with a plan of waiting for reviews after the first few parties) a dessert party that includes seating for the fireworks (in the less than perfect viewing area at Tomorrowland Terrace where they have the nightly regular dessert party) and reserved viewing for the parade (in the spot in town square currently used for FP+) It's $69 for adults. No characters.


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## tzeitel

mom2rtk said:


> And to rub salt into the wound....... WDW gets the Boo to You parade and a stage show. They released artwork today for the new stage show:
> 
> http://www.kennythepirate.com/2015/...mickeys-not-so-scary-halloween-party-details/
> 
> Looks pretty cool.


Oogie Boogie!!!!!!!


----------



## Sherry E

The main pumpkin carver guy just announced on his Facebook page that he learned that Disneyland would not be having any pumpkin carvers this year.  Of course, we already knew it here -- in fact, I first figured it out when he said he had not heard from Disney last month -- but he has been busy working, I suppose, so he had not gotten the "official" word until today, it seems.    He has been at DLR for the last 8 or 9 HalloweenTime seasons -- carving, etching and painting amazing character pumpkins.  And he has been there for the last 2 Springtime/Easter seasons decorating amazing character eggs.  (He is not the only one -- there are a couple of other carvers and egg decorators as well.)  

Seriously, how hard could it have been to set up a carving station somewhere in either park?  All they need is a work station and then some tables or stands to display the pumpkins.  It can't require all that much space and effort.   A bad call on Disney's part, in my opinion....


----------



## mummabear

Sherry E said:


> The main pumpkin carver guy just announced on his Facebook page that he learned that Disneyland would not be having any pumpkin carvers this year.  Of course, we already knew it here -- in fact, I first figured it out when he said he had not heard from Disney last month -- but he has been busy working, I suppose, so he had not gotten the "official" word until today, it seems.    He has been at DLR for the last 8 or 9 HalloweenTime seasons -- carving, etching and painting amazing character pumpkins.  And he has been there for the last 2 Springtime/Easter seasons decorating amazing character eggs.  (He is not the only one -- there are a couple of other carvers and egg decorators as well.)
> 
> Seriously, how hard could it have been to set up a carving station somewhere in either park?  All they need is a work station and then some tables or stands to display the pumpkins.  It can't require all that much space and effort.   A bad call on Disney's part, in my opinion....



I do hope that you write them to let them know. I think they can easily think that they won't be missed as guest enjoyment from them isnt as quantifiable as some other things (i.e we know guests enjoyed x because they all sold out or the lines were long)


----------



## Sherry E

mummabear said:


> I do hope that you write them to let them know. I think they can easily think that they won't be missed as guest enjoyment from them isnt as quantifiable as some other things (i.e we know guests enjoyed x because they all sold out or the lines were long)



You're absolutely right -- when they have actual numbers, figures and dollar signs, it's easier for them to figure out what is presumably popular or not, and something like the pumpkin carvers is not anything that they can really put a number on in that same way.  They will definitely be hearing from me -- I just wasn't sure if I would only be writing in about the pumpkin carvers, or if I would wait and unleash on them about the whole Halloween Time season.  

I wish I knew the full names of the other carvers -- I would follow them on Facebook too.  I know that the female carver is named Georgina, but that's all I know of her name.

Anyway, the official Facebook quote from Ray (main pumpkin carver and egg decorator) is:

_"Unfortunately I have been informed that Disneyland will not have any pumpkin carving this year. I am grateful to have met so many friend's over the past nine years carving at Big Thunder Ranch Jamboree. I hope to see you all again real soon."_


----------



## unveilmyeyes

Thinking of extending a work trip in Oct to make time for DL. I've found a lot of blogs or TRs talking about parades and decorations but not a lot mentioned ride wise. It'd only be my second trip so my focus would be rides mostly. Just would like to set some expectations up front so I'm not disappointed by crowds. Anyone ever track how many rides they've gone on during a party? Targeting the Mon 10/5 party at this point.


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## disneygogetter

How much are the tickets for Mickey's Halloween Party?


----------



## Sherry E

unveilmyeyes said:


> Thinking of extending a work trip in Oct to make time for DL. I've found a lot of blogs or TRs talking about parades and decorations but not a lot mentioned ride wise. It'd only be my second trip so my focus would be rides mostly. Just would like to set some expectations up front so I'm not disappointed by crowds. Anyone ever track how many rides they've gone on during a party? Targeting the Mon 10/5 party at this point.



I'm sure someone has kept track, but I've never really noticed an exact number being mentioned.  Hopefully someone will let us know if they kept track.   I know that a lot of the rides are walk-ons or almost walk-ons (because a lot of guests will be focused on the party-specific or Halloween-specific things).  Other rides, such as Haunted Mansion Holiday and Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy, will still have lines (but lines that are probably better and a bit shorter than they would be in the daytime).  Also, if you see a long line for POTC, don't let that deter you -- the line for POTC (even when it looks hideously long) moves pretty quickly, even in the daytime during non-party hours.




disneygogetter said:


> How much are the tickets for Mickey's Halloween Party?




This Mickey's Halloween Party/Frequently Asked Questions post will give you the prices (they differ, depending on dates and discounts and things like that) - http://www.disboards.com/threads/ha...hp-nights-now-sold-out.3270919/#post-51326916.  See Question #8.


----------



## nikerbokers

Bought our 10/29 party tix on Friday! We usually go on the 31st but finances prevented us from being able to purchase them before selling out. No matter to us, we will still have a wonderful Halloween week at DLR.


----------



## Abbey1

My local Costco just got these pumpkin pretzels in. They had them last year too and they are seriously so delicious! I'm starting to see Halloween things pop up everywhere now!


----------



## unveilmyeyes

Sherry E said:


> I'm sure someone has kept track, but I've never really noticed an exact number being mentioned.  Hopefully someone will let us know if they kept track.   I know that a lot of the rides are walk-ons or almost walk-ons (because a lot of guests will be focused on the party-specific or Halloween-specific things).  Other rides, such as Haunted Mansion Holiday and Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy, will still have lines (but lines that are probably better and a bit shorter than they would be in the daytime).  Also, if you see a long line for POTC, don't let that deter you -- the line for POTC (even when it looks hideously long) moves pretty quickly, even in the daytime during non-party hours.



thanks for reply! really hoping to hit jungle cruise, POTC, and a couple of the mountains  was just curious what else to expect. hopefully i'll get a chance to find out!


----------



## gottalovepluto

I tried searching the thread but didn't see this (I'm always challenged on mobile sites lol), sorry if someone already posted it... According to the Disney Visa Rewards Fall 2015 issue there will be some sort of Halloween carnival. As I've never been I have no idea how this compares to years past. "Stop by Big Thunder Ranch to meet your favorite Disney Villains at the Halloween Carnival and try the candy-corn-flavored cotton candy in yellow, orange and white like the traditional Halloween treat."


----------



## Kilala

I noticed on Thursday when I went to the doctor there is a big Halloween store opening up on Chapman and Yorba. I will be going there to get me some gloves for my Demeter costume on Thursday. I will also take photos in Wal-Mart and Target if I find any Halloween things and food


----------



## haileymarie92

gottalovepluto said:


> I tried searching the thread but didn't see this (I'm always challenged on mobile sites lol), sorry if someone already posted it... According to the Disney Visa Rewards Fall 2015 issue there will be some sort of Halloween carnival. As I've never been I have no idea how this compares to years past. "Stop by Big Thunder Ranch to meet your favorite Disney Villains at the Halloween Carnival and try the candy-corn-flavored cotton candy in yellow, orange and white like the traditional Halloween treat."


Interesting... I think they probably have incorrect information though. Erin confirmed that there will not be a halloween carnival this year


----------



## gottalovepluto

haileymarie92 said:


> Interesting... I think they probably have incorrect information though. Erin confirmed that there will not be a halloween carnival this year


Wow, fail Disney Visa or fail Disney social relations! Sigh. Guess we'll just have to wait and see what does or doesn't pop up!


----------



## kappyfamily

Quick question on parking. I know it comes with the ticket. How does that work, you just show the MHP ticket to the parking attendant? Or is there an actual pass that comes with the ticket?

Also we were planning on going to CA at 9am the morning of the party then onto DL at 3pm. Am I able to get free parking as early as 9am do you think?

Thank you!


----------



## AussieCaribou

Sherry E said:


> I am very sad about the loss of the Carnival -- and especially about the loss of the pumpkin carvers (who were there even before there was a Carnival), and possibly the loss of the goats in Halloween scarves at the Ranch.
> 
> As for the pre-party... I wouldn't count that out just yet. I don't fully trust Disney, even though they claimed via email that there would be no pre-party. We may still see a pre-party pop up somewhere, even if not in Toontown or at the Ranch.
> 
> Here I go being Debbie Downer again --  -- but sadly, no... I don't think Tower of Terror will get a Halloween overlay. They always throw ToT into the mix when listing off things to do for Halloween Time -- simply because it is a scary ride. At one time there used to be some Halloween décor inside, before boarding, but I think that's been gone for a long time.
> 
> Are you by any chance looking at the Australian version of the DLR website? On the one I am looking at, it only says "Drop in for ghostly encounters and hair-raising thrills at The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror." I know that sometimes the descriptions and wording can be slightly different on the Australian version of the site (and the calendar dates sometimes appear earlier too).



Hmm...maybe it was the Aussie version of the website.  When I go there now, it just dumps me on the US site but that's not the one I was looking at before.  So maybe the Aussie site did have more and then was taken down for 'spoilers' or something?  I guess we will have to wait and see.

Can't believe that there wont be pumpkin carvers.  I figured that they would be someplace else in the park...not that they had been removed.  eeeppp.


----------



## Sherry E

gottalovepluto said:


> I tried searching the thread but didn't see this (I'm always challenged on mobile sites lol), sorry if someone already posted it... According to the Disney Visa Rewards Fall 2015 issue there will be some sort of Halloween carnival. As I've never been I have no idea how this compares to years past. "Stop by Big Thunder Ranch to meet your favorite Disney Villains at the Halloween Carnival and try the candy-corn-flavored cotton candy in yellow, orange and white like the traditional Halloween treat."



Thank you for mentioning it -- it's always better to mention something than not mention it, just in case -- but not only has that Disney Visa newsletter already been discussed here in the thread (in fact, I posted a link for it on a previous page!), but Erin confirmed in the Parks Blog that there is no Carnival -- which we knew as soon as I found out that the different elements of the Carnival would be missing last month, but it was nice to have her confirm it, officially. 

I stated  a while back that the Visa newsletter has been wrong in the past.  Last year they indicated that FastPasses would be available for Haunted Mansion Holiday during Halloween Time -- and there were no FPs for HMH during Halloween Time.

Also, a couple of years ago, in the newsletter for Annual Passholders, the incorrect start date for MHP was printed!  So, even when something is in print, it cannot be counted on.

Erin also said that the Villains would be at MHP -- so no official photo spot for the Villains this year (during the daytime), but I would not be shocked if a couple of the regular Villains are out in the daytime (like Cruella).




gottalovepluto said:


> Wow, fail Disney Visa or fail Disney social relations! Sigh. Guess we'll just have to wait and see what does or doesn't pop up!



I don't think that too much is going to pop up beyond what's known.  There is no Carnival, no characters in Halloween costumes outside of MHP, no pumpkin carvers, no official Villains photo spot outside of MHP, no Pirates League, less Halloween décor on Main Street (meaning less or no orange bunting and lamppost décor), and nothing in DCA. 

What will be there is the Dia de los Muertos display (which takes 5 minutes to look at), the Halloween Tree (another 5 minutes), the faux pumpkins on Main Street (in the windows and on balconies) and around the hub, Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy, Haunted Mansion Holiday and Mickey's Halloween Party.  There could be some surprises, but I suspect that if there are they won't be too significant.




kappyfamily said:


> Quick question on parking. I know it comes with the ticket. How does that work, you just show the MHP ticket to the parking attendant? Or is there an actual pass that comes with the ticket?
> 
> Also we were planning on going to CA at 9am the morning of the party then onto DL at 3pm. Am I able to get free parking as early as 9am do you think?
> 
> Thank you!



You show your MHP ticket to the parking folks -- at least, that's how it worked in the past, as I recall.  I have heard mixed stories about when people were allowed to park.  It might be pushing it to try to park at 9 a.m. when you can't get into DL with the MHP ticket until 3 p.m., but some people have said they've been able to park all day, while others have said that they can't.  You might want to call Disney before going and double check with them about how early you can park with the MHP ticket.



AussieCaribou said:


> Hmm...maybe it was the Aussie version of the website.  When I go there now, it just dumps me on the US site but that's not the one I was looking at before.  So maybe the Aussie site did have more and then was taken down for 'spoilers' or something?  I guess we will have to wait and see.
> 
> Can't believe that there wont be pumpkin carvers.  I figured that they would be someplace else in the park...not that they had been removed.  eeeppp.



I don't think there are any Halloween overlays coming to Tower of Terror.  It's just something they throw in to any Halloween Time description because it fits that 'scary' category -- never mind the fact that it's available all year long!  

I'm sad about the pumpkin carvers because it seems like it would have been easy enough to set them up elsewhere, in either park.  It may also mean that there will be no egg decorators around Easter, and no Jingle Jangle Jamboree during the holidays.



Abbey1 said:


> View attachment 120602 My local Costco just got these pumpkin pretzels in. They had them last year too and they are seriously so delicious! I'm starting to see Halloween things pop up everywhere now!



Pumpkin Pandemonium is taking over!  In just a couple of days we will be done with August, and fall is right around the corner.  As usual, in this last phase of summer our temperatures in SoCal are climbing.  This is what usually happens -- as summer begins to wind down, the weather heats up.  I was saying on Facebook today that I am usually good about what I drink throughout the year -- mainly just water and black coffee all year long, with only a few exceptions sprinkled in here and there -- but I have been desperately craving lemonade lately and I finally caved in and got some.  The heat made me do it!   

That said, I am ready to be done with this heat.  I am tired of being uncomfortable.  I can't wait for cool breezes and fall aromas wafting through the air.


----------



## Geemo

Abbey1 said:


> View attachment 120602 My local Costco just got these pumpkin pretzels in. They had them last year too and they are seriously so delicious! I'm starting to see Halloween things pop up everywhere now!


My Costco starts getting Eggnog just before Halloween.  
I go to Costco in the morning, I'll have to look for the pretzels.

Geemo


----------



## Oswald23

Sherry E said:


> Erin also said that the Villains would be at MHP -- so no official photo spot for the Villains this year (during the daytime), but I would not be shocked if a couple of the regular Villains are out in the daytime (like Cruella)



I know there will be villains during the night. But don't you think they will do a real photospot during the party nights? I can't imagine them roaming around during a night everybody wants to meet them. What are your thoughts on that?


----------



## Sherry E

Oswald23 said:


> I know there will be villains during the night. But don't you think they will do a real photospot during the party nights? I can't imagine them roaming around during a night everybody wants to meet them. What are your thoughts on that?



At the party there will be photo spots for all the characters.  I think the Villains are supposed to be concentrated in Town Square, but in the past sometimes they have had, for example, Captain Hook at the same location where Jack Sparrow can be found.  There's just not going to be an official Villain photo spot in non-party hours/in the daytime, as there has been in previous years.  I think that you might see someone like Cruella or the Queen of Hearts posing for photos in the daytime, but not at a designated Villains spot, if that makes sense.


​

I've been posting links to blogs about the assorted Halloween Time decorations that are sneaking into DLR's shops and Main Street store windows (I've shared links to both MiceChat/MiceAge's installments as well as to Mint Crocodile).

Today, MiceChat has another piece featuring a bit of Halloween Time, but this quote is important to note:

_"Guests should dial back their Halloween Time expectations this year as the on-going 60th Anniversary celebration will take priority with the Diamond Celebration decorations and entertainment running instead of traditional Halloween decorations and shows. Still, popular offerings including Haunted Mansion Holiday, Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy, and the Mickey Jack-O-Lantern in Town Square will all return by the upcoming start of Halloween Time."_

  Don't even get me started.  I've already expressed my annoyance at the lack of Halloween Time fare being offered for the Halloween Time season...

Anyway, here is the link to the full article -- http://micechat.com/109948-summer-ends-disneyland/ -- which shows some cute decorations inside the Penny Arcade/Candy Palace area.



​


----------



## mom2rtk

So during the 50th anniversary did they cut back on seasonal stuff like this?

Too bad they didn't dial back their ticket prices when they dialed back the seasonal décor.

And just an FYI for October people who aren't following the thread on dining issues. I finally was able to book RBT Fantasmic for 10/24. Since they don't show any dates between then and the 30th, it appears there will only be that one Fantasmic between Sunday the 18th and Friday the 30th.

Still waiting on the calendar to be updated. Only posted through the 12th so far.


----------



## Sherry E

mom2rtk said:


> So during the 50th anniversary did they cut back on seasonal stuff like this?
> 
> Too bad they didn't dial back their ticket prices when they dialed back the seasonal décor.



Well, conveniently, DLR did not have an official Halloween Time "season" in 2005, so there was not a lot in the way of decor.  What they did in '05 was to restart the Halloween party, which had been 'on hiatus' since 1996!!!    So, the party began anew in 2005, but it was held in DCA.  Haunted Mansion Holiday was going on over in DL, but no Ghost Galaxy.

In 2006 Disney suddenly decided to give the fall season a name and give the Halloween party some context, and thus began "Halloween Time."

For some stupid reason I skipped going to DLR during the year of the 50th.  I've been there for every other noteworthy anniversary year but I missed that one.  From what I have seen in photos, it appears that the holiday season involved more décor during the 50th -- but the Believe in Holiday Magic fireworks were shelved.  It's a Small World Holiday was running, of course.

However, in the last 10 years there has been a significant increase in holiday/Christmas décor in both parks and in the hotels... which is what has me worried.  There is more to put up for the holidays than for Halloween Time -- even in a "good" year for Halloween décor and events!!! -- so if there is more to put up, there is more to _not_ put up this year, while the focus is on the 60th anniversary.


----------



## jammyjam25

Sherry I was at Target last night wandering the aisles with a friend and before I even knew what happened I had a box of pumpkin spice Frosted Mini Wheats in my hand!  

They're currently sitting in my cupboard awaiting a test testing...I figured I should at least wait till September 1 before diving headfirst into fall flavors.


----------



## Sherry E

jammyjam25 said:


> Sherry I was at Target last night wandering the aisles with a friend and before I even knew what happened I had a box of pumpkin spice Frosted Mini Wheats in my hand!
> 
> They're currently sitting in my cupboard awaiting a test testing...I figured I should at least wait till September 1 before diving headfirst into fall flavors.



   You've got one day to wait, and then you can jump into full fall mode!  

That reminds me -- let me take a quick peek at the daily Spotted on Shelves update....

Hershey's Candy Corn bars are bigger now, apparently - http://www.theimpulsivebuy.com/wordpress/2015/08/31/spotted-on-shelves-8312015/.


----------



## mom2rtk

Sherry E said:


> Well, conveniently, DLR did not have an official Halloween Time "season" in 2005, so there was not a lot in the way of decor.  What they did in '05 was to restart the Halloween party, which had been 'on hiatus' since 1996!!!    So, the party began anew in 2005, but it was held in DCA.  Haunted Mansion Holiday was going on over in DL, but no Ghost Galaxy.
> 
> In 2006 Disney suddenly decided to give the fall season a name and give the Halloween party some context, and thus began "Halloween Time."
> 
> For some stupid reason I skipped going to DLR during the year of the 50th.  I've been there for every other noteworthy anniversary year but I missed that one.  From what I have seen in photos, it appears that the holiday season involved more décor during the 50th -- but the Believe in Holiday Magic fireworks were shelved.  It's a Small World Holiday was running, of course.
> 
> However, in the last 10 years there has been a significant increase in holiday/Christmas décor in both parks and in the hotels... which is what has me worried.  There is more to put up for the holidays than for Halloween Time -- even in a "good" year for Halloween décor and events!!! -- so if there is more to put up, there is more to _not_ put up this year, while the focus is on the 60th anniversary.


 

Thanks for that rundown Sherry.

I think if the 60th décor was the issue they would have moved it back to DCA this year. I think they just wanted to save some of the cost of decorating the park. Bummer to start seeing some of these suspicions confirmed.

I'll be curious to see what they do for Christmas. Will they still put the garlands over Main Street? Will the floats from PTN even fit under the garlands?

And of course it will be fascinating to see if anything that's gone this year will return next year.


----------



## Oswald23

Sherry E said:


> At the party there will be photos spots for all the characters. I think the Villains are supposed to be concentrated in Town Square, but in the past sometimes they have had, for example, Captain Hook at the same location where Jack Sparrow can be found. There's just not going to be an official Villain photo spot in non-party hours/in the daytime, as there has been in previous years. I think that you might see someone like Cruella or the Queen of Hearts posing for photos in the daytime, but not at a designated Villains spot, if that makes sense.




I misunderstood your previous post (I think). Last couple of years the villains had a photo spot at Town Square with 3 villains in a row. Erin mentioned something like it in her Halloween Blog. I was confused with your post, but we think the same. Something like this will return 

Thanks


----------



## Sherry E

Oswald23 said:


> I misunderstood your previous post (I think). Last couple of years the villains had a photo spot at Town Square with 3 villains in a row. Erin mentioned something like it in her Halloween Blog. I was confused with your post, but we think the same. Something like this will return
> 
> Thanks



Erin mentioned the Town Square location in regards to the party -- not to the daytime events.  Her quote was: "Disney Villains will appear in Town Square on Main Street, U.S.A., during Mickey’s Halloween Party. Unfortunately the “Conjure a Villain” tent will not be open this year."

In the last few years, the official Villains photo/meet spot for Halloween Time in the daytime (in other words, not at the party) was the Conjure a Villain tent at the Halloween Carnival.  Prior to that the Villains had been stationed in the Small World Mall area.  Before that, they were over in DCA.  However, I think that last year there may have been a random Villain or two or three out and about in Disneyland, like Cruella in Town Square or something.  But that Town Square location was not advertised as the non-party meet/photo spot for Halloween Time season.  

At the actual party, the Villains are at Town Square, as Erin mentioned.  While there is no Conjure a Villain tent this year, I expect that there will probably be at least a Villain or two meeting guests in DL -- unannounced -- during the daytime, while the majority of Villains will appear only at the Halloween Party.  

In other words, I think that you'll see most of the Villains at the actual party, but a few 'regulars' may show up somewhere in the non-party hours and days, even if Disney does not officially announce a non-party meet area.


----------



## mom2rtk

So I'm curious, have they been this slow in the past to release park hours? Does anyone have a guess what their holdup is? Do you think they're monitoring party ticket sales to get an idea of what overall crowds will be?


----------



## Oswald23

Sherry I meant a photospot during the party not during the day. Sorry for the confusion. We're on the same page


----------



## seobaina

So, just been making my meal bookings and they are holding F! On week nights as well as weekends (6th, 8th, 15th). Does this mean they're expecting it to be busier? Wish I'd known earlier cause I would have changed our plans to go 7-9th (midweek) not 4-6th when it'll prob be busier.  X


----------



## Sherry E

mom2rtk said:


> So I'm curious, have they been this slow in the past to release park hours? Does anyone have a guess what their holdup is? Do you think they're monitoring party ticket sales to get an idea of what overall crowds will be?



Well, as you know, DLR is usually slow in releasing any info -- and sometimes, even after the hours and events are filled in, things still change   --  but this year seems to be a particular brand of slow!    Their system -- right down to the dining reservation issues and the extended park hours suddenly appearing for certain times -- seems to be all kinds of wonky and hard to predict.  They could very well be waiting to see which MHP nights sell out first, or they could be paying attention to the hotel bookings to get a sense of which timeframes will be busier.  I wouldn't be surprised.



seobaina said:


> So, just been making my meal bookings and they are holding F! On week nights as well as weekends (6th, 8th, 15th). Does this mean they're expecting it to be busier? Wish I'd known earlier cause I would have changed our plans to go 7-9th (midweek) not 4-6th when it'll prob be busier.  X



This is probably something that they just recently decided to do.  In other words, it's probably not anything that could have been planned around or anticipated.  They probably do expect that it will be busier on those nights -- a combo of Halloween Time crowds and 60th anniversary crowds -- but also I think it comes down to money.  If they make Fantasmic so limited then they lose out on the money they could be making on the dining packages.

Also, because there are so many MHP nights it really puts a dent in F! on Fridays, on Saturday, 10/31 and on Sunday, 10/25 (I am not sure if F! would have been shown on Columbus Day if there were no party).  I am guessing that Disney decided to add in some extra F! nights to make up for the other nights when it can't be shown.  Maybe a lot of people have called or written and complained about not being able to see F!.


----------



## Davidg83

I'm starting to pack for my Disneyland half marathon trip this weekend and I'm trying to decide if it's too early to bring along the Halloween Mickey ears. I think I just may do it and get a jump start on the season.

As always I'll be on the lookout for the giant pumpkin Mickey as we run backstage. I'll be sure to snap a photo of its first sighting of the year!


----------



## Jeff314

Hello all, I'm sure these questions have been asked but with 226 pages, that's far to many for me to go back and read haha, this is our first Halloween party, do they release any type of schedule for shows or parades? Or is it a surprise when you go in the gates? I keep looking but it only shows their normal day hours. Also, we purschased the photo pass + are there photographers with the villions or are they all in their normal spots? Thanks guys.


----------



## Lauren in NC

I wonder - do you think Jack and Sally will still meet outside the Haunted Mansion this year during the day?  I don't think that area is affected by the 60th stuff, but with everything else they're making party exclusive, I'm not sure what is safe any more!


----------



## jammyjam25

Jeff314 said:


> Hello all, I'm sure these questions have been asked but with 226 pages, that's far to many for me to go back and read haha, this is our first Halloween party, do they release any type of schedule for shows or parades? Or is it a surprise when you go in the gates? I keep looking but it only shows their normal day hours. Also, we purschased the photo pass + are there photographers with the villions or are they all in their normal spots? Thanks guys.



I know the maps they hand out at the parties have the shows/parade times listed in them but I don't know if they're available at all prior to the 1st party.

I'm attending the party on September 30 and if I go to the daily hours page on the DL site it shows "Halloween Screams Fireworks at Mickey's Halloween Party" for 9:30pm on the schedule. It doesn't list Paint the Night, but I'm assuming it happens just beforehand (8:45ish or so).


----------



## Sherry E

Davidg83 said:


> I'm starting to pack for my Disneyland half marathon trip this weekend and I'm trying to decide if it's too early to bring along the Halloween Mickey ears. I think I just may do it and get a jump start on the season.
> 
> As always I'll be on the lookout for the giant pumpkin Mickey as we run backstage. I'll be sure to snap a photo of its first sighting of the year!



Oh, that's right -- last year you snapped the photo of the elusive Mickey pumpkin in its 'hiding place' backstage!  That may be one of the only Halloween things that actually makes an appearance this year, so hopefully you will see it.

Good luck on the marathon!




Jeff314 said:


> Hello all, I'm sure these questions have been asked but with 226 pages, that's far to many for me to go back and read haha, this is our first Halloween party, do they release any type of schedule for shows or parades? Or is it a surprise when you go in the gates? I keep looking but it only shows their normal day hours. Also, we purschased the photo pass + are there photographers with the villions or are they all in their normal spots? Thanks guys.



No worries -- no one is expected to read the whole thread.  You did the right thing by just jumping in and asking a question.   In fact, right in the first post on page 1, I have a paragraph titled "You Don't Have to Read the Whole Thread."    There is a Mickey's Halloween Party Frequently Asked Questions post (3rd post down on page 1) that might be of help to you.

There should be a map (as jammyjam25 mentioned) handed out at the party, and that will have the times of the fireworks and parade.  If we are lucky, the Disney Parks Blog may post the map before the party, but I am not counting on it.  This is the map from last year - https://wdpromedia.disney.go.com/me...en-party/pdf-mickeys-halloween-party-2014.pdf.  I expect that some of the times might shift a bit to allow for the full length of Paint the Night.

There should be photographers with all or most of the characters you see at the party -- Villains and otherwise.  There should also be some PP photographers set up at other spots with Halloween-ish backdrops.



Lauren in NC said:


> I wonder - do you think Jack and Sally will still meet outside the Haunted Mansion this year during the day?  I don't think that area is affected by the 60th stuff, but with everything else they're making party exclusive, I'm not sure what is safe any more!



I think they will be there, most likely.  I have seen Jack with and without Sally, so I think that, at the very least, he will be out in the daytime (and the party too) -- if not both of them.  You're right -- I don't trust Disney at all, with the way this year's Halloween Time season is being handled.  I hope they don't make Jack a party exclusive -- he is usually out during both Halloween Time and the holiday season.


----------



## Sandi E

seobaina said:


> So, just been making my meal bookings and they are holding F! On week nights as well as weekends (6th, 8th, 15th). Does this mean they're expecting it to be busier? Wish I'd known earlier cause I would have changed our plans to go 7-9th (midweek) not 4-6th when it'll prob be busier.  X


Damn!  I just booked on Sunday (online) for the BB F! dinner package and it only showed available on the weekends.  Which meant I had to book for Saturday night, when I would have preferred the 6th or 8th.  Someone on this thread also had  posted that F! would NOT be shown on weeknights during October.  :-(.


----------



## Geemo

Sandi E said:


> Damn!  I just booked on Sunday (online) for the BB F! dinner package and it only showed available on the weekends.  Which meant I had to book for Saturday night, when I would have preferred the 6th or 8th.  Someone on this thread also had  posted that F! would NOT be shown on weeknights during October.  :-(.


The October dates opened early Sunday morning online and by phone.
I booked Blue Bayou Fantasmic dinner package for Tuesday October 6th.  Confirmation number and email came through ... no problem....
Until Monday afternoon, I got an email from Disney asking me to call in.
When I finally got someone on the line, I was told Fantasmic through the week was an error.
Disney canceled my 10-6 BB F! reservation and booked me for Sunday 10-4.

Geemo


----------



## theluckyrabbit

Someone in another thread posted that they received a phone call from the Dine Line telling them that F! had been cancelled for the 6th and 8th and offering to reschedule their reservation. The CM in question was not very certain in his details. His information conflicted with what was available online. So for those who are thinking of changing reservations, I would call or check onine again beforehand just to be sure.

ETA: Geemo's experience confirms the information mix-up. This October scheduling issue is quickly becoming ludicrous!


----------



## Sherry E

Sandi E said:


> Damn!  I just booked on Sunday (online) for the BB F! dinner package and it only showed available on the weekends.  Which meant I had to book for Saturday night, when I would have preferred the 6th or 8th.  Someone on this thread also had  posted that F! would NOT be shown on weeknights during October.  :-(.



Someone in this thread posted that F! would not be shown on most weeknights during October because that's what usually happens.    You were given the correct information.   We only have what has happened in the past to inform us of what might happen in the future.  However, things can always change, unexpectedly.   Disney could always decide to add in some random weeknights for F! out of the blue, surprising all of us. It sounds like the weeknight thing is a mistake this time around, but it could always happen. It's just that it's not what usually happens, and that's all we have to go by. 



theluckyrabbit said:


> Someone in another thread posted that they received a phone call from the Dine Line telling them that F! had been cancelled for the 6th and 8th and offering to reschedule their reservation. The CM in question was not very certain in his details. His information conflicted with what was available online. So for those who are thinking of changing reservations, I would call or check onine again beforehand just to be sure.
> 
> ETA: Geemo's experience confirms the information mix-up. This October scheduling issue is quickly becoming ludicrous!



Thank you (and Geemo, too!) for letting us know about this.  I thought it seemed odd that Disney was going to add in some F! weeknights, but then I just assumed that maybe they were doing it because there are so many MHP nights this time around, and a lot of interruptions to the F! schedule.

I should have known that it was yet another mistake!  You're right -- the whole scheduling/calendar/reservations issue is crazy this year.  I have no idea what's going on over at DLR.   And the whole situation with people ordering and receiving their MHP tickets was crazy for a while too, with some people receiving no tickets, or receiving the incorrect tickets, or getting an extra receipt but no tickets!


----------



## Sandi E

Sherry E said:


> Someone in this thread posted that F! would not be shown on most weeknights during October because that's what usually happens.    You were given the correct information.   We only have what has happened in the past to inform us of what might happen in the future.  However, things can always change, unexpectedly.   Disney could always decide to add in some random weeknights for F! out of the blue, surprising all of us. It sounds like the weeknight thing is a mistake this time around, but it could always happen. It's just that it's not what usually happens, and that's all we have to go by.
> 
> I understand that yes, it is based on what has happened in past years.  And the way things are going this year, apparently almost nothing is the same as the years prior so I should have known .
> 
> Thank you (and Geemo, too!) for letting us know about this.  I thought it seemed odd that Disney was going to add in some F! weeknights, but then I just assumed that maybe they were doing it because there are so many MHP nights this time around, and a lot of interruptions to the F! schedule.
> 
> I should have known that it was yet another mistake!  You're right -- the whole scheduling/calendar/reservations issues is crazy this year.  I have no idea what's going on over at DLR.  And the whole situation with people ordering and receiving their MHP tickets was crazy for a while too, with some people receiving no tickets, or receiving the incorrect tickets, or getting an extra receipt but no tickets!



It sure makes it hard to plan when everything is so screwy.  I did my ressies online at about noon Pacific time on Sunday. At that time it only showed weekend F!.  Then when I looked a couple hours ago, it still showed the 8th, but not the 6th :-/.  So frustrating, but this being my first MHP, I have nothing to compare it to and I'm absolutely sure we'll still have a blast.


----------



## StyledSugar

Not DL Halloween related but I just need to comment on how envious I am of my US neighbours posting all of their special treats they are finding in the grocery store. It's VERY difficult to find such an assortment of Halloween items here in Canada (at least here in Alberta). I would LOVE some pumpkin spice yogurt pretzels that someone posted earlier in the thread and I will look at Costco but it is HIGHLY unlikely I'll find them....  So unfortunate! lol


----------



## Sherry E

Sandi E said:


> It sure makes it hard to plan when everything is so screwy.  I did my ressies online at about noon Pacific time on Sunday. At that time it only showed weekend F!.  Then when I looked a couple hours ago, it still showed the 8th, but not the 6th :-/.  So frustrating, but this being my first MHP, I have nothing to compare it to and I'm absolutely sure we'll still have a blast.



I hope so!  While DLR seems to be extremely disorganized behind the scenes this year, and it's such an odd year to begin with (schedule-wise and event-wise) because of the 60th anniversary and the announcement of the coming Star Wars Land, the party itself is fun and I think you'll enjoy it!



StyledSugar said:


> Not DL Halloween related but I just need to comment on how envious I am of my US neighbours posting all of their special treats they are finding in the grocery store. It's VERY difficult to find such an assortment of Halloween items here in Canada (at least here in Alberta). I would LOVE some pumpkin spice yogurt pretzels that someone posted earlier in the thread and I will look at Costco but it is HIGHLY unlikely I'll find them....  So unfortunate! lol



Is there a shortage of Halloween and Fall-themed treats in Canada?  I figured there might be a shortage in Australia, since Halloween is not as big of a deal there, but I never thought about Canada being short on seasonal goodies!  I guess I just assumed you would have all of the Pumpkin Spice, Caramel Apple, Candy Corn, etc. treats that are popping up in assorted stores.   Do you have the Glade products with the seasonal scents (such as "Fall Antiquing")?


----------



## Geemo

Sherry E said:


> *3. What is included in the MHP?*
> 
> Mickey’s Costume Party Cavalcade runs twice per MHP.  In 2013 and 2014, the Cavalcade began at roughly 8:30 pm and 10:30 pm.  The first parade travels from Small World to Main Street.  The second parade travels from Main Street back to Small World. * **New in 2014 -- Elsa, Anna and Olaf from Frozen appeared in a special pre-parade (the same one that can be enjoyed before Mickey's Soundsational parade at Disneyland ) prior to “Mickey’s Costume Party” cavalcade!***
> 
> *NOTE:  In 2015, Mickey's Costume Party Cavalcade will not be included in Mickey's Halloween Party.  Instead, the special Paint the Night parade (part of the Diamond Anniversary entertainment) will be included in MHP.*


I have MHP tickets for Wednesday 10-7.
I can't seem to find the scheduled time for PTN during the Halloween Parties.  
Since it will run once that night, which direction does it travel?  IASW to Main St or Main St to IASW?
If we don't get the parade in during one of the earlier days of the trip, I'd like to see it during the party.

Disney's schedule list the time for Fireworks on party nights, you'd think they'd do the same for PTN parade.
But we all know Disney has been challenged when it comes to October's schedule this year.
I have a feeling the time will be 10:45, since that is the time it usually runs.

Geemo


----------



## Sherry E

Geemo said:


> I have MHP tickets for Wednesday 10-7.
> I can't seem to find the scheduled time for PTN during the Halloween Parties.
> Since it will run once that night, which direction does it travel?  IASW to Main St or Main St to IASW?
> If we don't get the parade in during one of the earlier days of the trip, I'd like to see it during the party.
> 
> Disney's schedule list the time for Fireworks on party nights, you'd think they'd do the same for PTN parade.
> But we all know Disney has been challenged when it comes to October's schedule this year.
> I have a feeling the time will be 10:45, since that is the time it usually runs.
> 
> Geemo



Disney has been challenged in a lot of areas (mostly involving schedules and events) this year!  I don't know what's happening behind the scenes, but it seems very disorganized and out of whack.

My guess -- and it's only a guess, as obviously this is the first year that the Halloween party has included a full-fledged, "real" parade -- is that it will travel from IASW to Main Street.  I could be completely wrong, but we'll soon see.  I hope that the Disney Parks Blog posts a link to the MHP map for this year before the party begins.  Otherwise, we will have to wait for a map from the first party on 9/25.    

I wonder about the time of the parade too -- especially on an MHP night when the MHP ends at 11 p.m. vs. a night when it ends at midnight.  I tend to think PTN will happen late in the evening -- closer to the end of the party than to the beginning of it.


----------



## AussieCaribou

So, The Halloween Tree...do we think that it's going to show up again this year?  Or will it be 'downsized' this year too?


----------



## CassieF

Lauren in NC said:


> I wonder - do you think Jack and Sally will still meet outside the Haunted Mansion this year during the day?  I don't think that area is affected by the 60th stuff, but with everything else they're making party exclusive, I'm not sure what is safe any more!



I have heard from several very reliable sources that they will both be out during the day.  Last year Sally was often not out at the first set and on occasional days only part of the time but for the most part they both should be out during the day


----------



## haileymarie92

So I wrote an email about my concerns about all the Halloween offerings that they're removing. Just received a call...she had no information. Literally nothing. She said I could call guest services to get some information (same stuff as online), but that she hadn't been told any extra info for this year. But she said she would document my concerns. 

Sigh..


----------



## tzeitel

Does WOC usually run during the week in the off season?  For some reason I thought it was only on the weekends but I was able to book the WOC package for 10/19, and it was showing available for the whole week.  Just wondering if I will get a call like the people who booked the F! package during the week.


----------



## dolphingirl47

I was absolutely delighted when I walked into my local Starbucks this morning and Pumpkin Spice Latte was on the menu. So of course I had to have one.

Corinna


----------



## maltdizzy

tzeitel said:


> *Does WOC usually run during the week in the off season?*  For some reason I thought it was only on the weekends but I was able to book the WOC package for 10/19, and it was showing available for the whole week.  Just wondering if I will get a call like the people who booked the F! package during the week.



Yes. WOC runs nightly year-round (with exceptions).

The whole intention of WOC was to have a nighttime show they can run in the off-season when they traditionally suspend F! and fireworks due to noise agreements with the city.

This year is exceptional in that DL will be presenting fireworks nightly during the off-season because of the 60th. Traditionally, F! and fireworks only ran Fri-Sun during the off-season.


----------



## Comicbookmommy

Anybody have any of these beauties yet? I did and they're GLORIOUS!

Also, I'm decorating for Halloween on the 20th! Not gonna wait any longer!


----------



## Geemo

Geemo said:


> I can't seem to find the scheduled time for PTN during the Halloween Parties.
> Since it will run once that night, which direction does it travel?  IASW to Main St or Main St to IASW?
> Geemo



The schedule online has PTN at 8:50pm during the MHP nights.

Now I need to find which direction it will go when it only goes 1X a night.

Geemo


----------



## mom2rtk

I wonder if there's any chance they might add some small Halloween touches to PTN for the parties? I know..... I know...... I'm supposed to be bracing myself for less..... but a girl can hope, right?


----------



## Kilala

Comicbookmommy said:


> Anybody have any of these beauties yet? I did and they're GLORIOUS!
> 
> Also, I'm decorating for Halloween on the 20th! Not gonna wait any longer!


Those look really yummy. I need to take pictures too of what I find this Thursday. I'm kinda glad that more dates have not sold out yet. I'm still getting a ticket for the 16th on Thursday


----------



## theluckyrabbit

AussieCaribou said:


> So, The Halloween Tree...do we think that it's going to show up again this year?  Or will it be 'downsized' this year too?



Erin at the Parks Blog said it will be back.


----------



## lorijohnhill

mom2rtk said:


> I wonder if there's any chance they might add some small Halloween touches to PTN for the parties? I know..... I know...... I'm supposed to be bracing myself for less..... but a girl can hope, right?


Yes, they could at least have the characters wear their Halloween costumes in the parade. But, I'm not holding my breath.


----------



## Sherry E

Thank heavens August is over and done with!    I thought it would never leave!!!!!    Just 22 more days and Fall will be here!     Here I was, unsure of whether or not I should wait until September 23rd to change my Facebook profile and cover photos to something "autumnal," only to find that some of my Facebook friends have already switched into Fall mode!      Some of them were the "let's not rush summer" people -- but as soon as September 1st hit, the photos changed to Fall!  So I suppose that now I can get away with Fall-ish photos, and then after 9/23 I can go into full Halloween mode.

And now, folks, although Pumpkin Pandemonium already quietly began in July and picked up steam in August, September means it is GAME ON.  Prepare for a full onslaught of Fall and Halloween products hitting the shelves!  There is no turning back now.  Now all of the stores can unabashedly embrace their Fall merchandise without feeling guilty.  It will be Pumpkin Pandemonium/Fall Fever/Candy Corn Chaos/Caramel Apple Confusion/Halloween Hoopla all day and all night, with a dash of Pecan Pie and Cinnamon Pear thrown in for good measure.


Spotted on shelves:   belVita has jumped into Pumpkin Pandemonium with Pumpkin Spice Breakfast Biscuits!!!! - http://www.theimpulsivebuy.com/word...ion-pumpkin-spice-belvita-breakfast-biscuits/.








AussieCaribou said:


> So, The Halloween Tree...do we think that it's going to show up again this year?  Or will it be 'downsized' this year too?



Yes.  I've been saying that I think that is one of the things that will return.  It's not a big attraction.  It's just a tree with some pumpkins hanging on it.  It actually stands out more at night than in the daytime.  There is no reason to not bring it back.




haileymarie92 said:


> So I wrote an email about my concerns about all the Halloween offerings that they're removing. Just received a call...she had no information. Literally nothing. She said I could call guest services to get some information (same stuff as online), but that she hadn't been told any extra info for this year. But she said she would document my concerns.
> 
> Sigh..



"Sigh" is right!

I don't know what information they could give.   We probably know more than they do.  The best thing that can do is pass on the info to someone higher up.

I have been waiting to write in, as I wanted to see if the Parks Blog surprised us with something added in rather than just something else being taken away.   I will definitely write in soon, though -- in fact, if there is one thing I am good at, and one way I am effective, it is writing!  




tzeitel said:


> Does WOC usually run during the week in the off season?  For some reason I thought it was only on the weekends but I was able to book the WOC package for 10/19, and it was showing available for the whole week.  Just wondering if I will get a call like the people who booked the F! package during the week.



It's always nightly, weather permitting.




dolphingirl47 said:


> I was absolutely delighted when I walked into my local Starbucks this morning and Pumpkin Spice Latte was on the menu. So of course I had to have one.
> 
> Corinna



Apparently the PSL is not supposed to hit the Starbucks out here until next week??  That makes no sense!




Comicbookmommy said:


> Anybody have any of these beauties yet? I did and they're GLORIOUS!
> 
> Also, I'm decorating for Halloween on the 20th! Not gonna wait any longer!



I have not tried the cookies, but they sure are orange (judging by the package)!

I'm curious -- why the 20th?  Why not 9/15 or 9/23?  What was the deciding factor in 9/20 being Halloween decoration day?




mom2rtk said:


> I wonder if there's any chance they might add some small Halloween touches to PTN for the parties? I know..... I know...... I'm supposed to be bracing myself for less..... but a girl can hope, right?



Possibly.  You never know.  But it's such a new parade for DL that I don't expect anything.  I think that if PTN had been around for a few years it would be more likely.




Kilala said:


> Those look really yummy. I need to take pictures too of what I find this Thursday. I'm kinda glad that more dates have not sold out yet. I'm still getting a ticket for the 16th on Thursday



I think you'll be in luck.

I still think that there is going to be a wave of sellouts.  I think a lot of people were waiting to get paid right around now.  In fact, to be honest, the whole DLR online system seems to be so wacky this year, I wouldn't be shocked if some of the MHP nights sell out well before the sellouts appear on the DLR site!



theluckyrabbit said:


> Erin at the Parks Blog said it will be back.



Did Erin mention the Halloween Tree?  If she mentioned it somewhere (in her comments or blogs), I must have overlooked it -- but I definitely think the tree will be back because it doesn't take up any space, and it really requires very little effort to decorate -- compared to the 300+ pumpkins along Main Street.



Geemo said:


> The schedule online has PTN at 8:50pm during the MHP nights.
> 
> Now I need to find which direction it will go when it only goes 1X a night.
> 
> Geemo



That's an earlier parade time than I expected for MHP.  

My guess is still that PTN will begin at IASW and end on Main Street, but I will be curious as to what you find out!


----------



## Sandi E

Geemo said:


> I have MHP tickets for Wednesday 10-7.
> I can't seem to find the scheduled time for PTN during the Halloween Parties.
> Since it will run once that night, which direction does it travel?  IASW to Main St or Main St to IASW?
> If we don't get the parade in during one of the earlier days of the trip, I'd like to see it during the party.
> 
> Disney's schedule list the time for Fireworks on party nights, you'd think they'd do the same for PTN parade.
> But we all know Disney has been challenged when it comes to October's schedule this year.
> I have a feeling the time will be 10:45, since that is the time it usually runs.
> 
> Geemo



I'll be at MHP on the 7th as well! I was curious too about the parade route, although we are undecided if we'll do the parade that night or just go crazy with rides while the crowds are small. Adults only in the group this trip, so we can do whatever we want .


----------



## Comicbookmommy

Sherry E said:


> I have not tried the cookies, but they sure are orange (judging by the package)!
> 
> I'm curious -- why the 20th?  Why not 9/15 or 9/23?  What was the deciding factor in 9/20 being Halloween decoration day?



Haha, I guess because as soon as it clicks over into the 20's of September, it feels like it's close enough to the end of the month (and October) to decorate without it feeling weird. But I'm eyeballing the 16th, as that's _technically_ the latter half of the month, right? 

But we're already in Fall mode now, basically  Pumpkin candles, scents, cookies, coffee creamers... OH IT'S _SO _ON!!!

I've been busy trying to gather some Disney Halloween items to surprise my kids with for the trip! I'd really like to get some Disney Halloween lanyards/pins and some Halloween park goodies. Is there a place online I could buy those things, or are they only in parks? Hope not because I can't make it there until our trip!

I've also been building my kids a Halloween adventure map in Minecraft (both eldest are huge fans) to surprise them with the trip announcement at the end! First I have them solving puzzles in graveyards and tombs before making their way through a corn maze to a haunted house, where they solve more puzzles to get to the basement and their surprise trip announcement!

Also, bought this costume for my baby!  (pic is not my baby, just stock photo of costume) I think I may die of cute overload when he wears it!


----------



## iKristin

Loving the new Duffy costume that matches Mickey! Found these in World Of Disney today


----------



## haileymarie92

I saw some cute disney Halloween bags at my local Joanns Fabrics the other day! It had a cute scene of the fab five in their halloween costumes. I thought about getting them, but they were rather small. Only $.99 though!


----------



## only hope

mom2rtk said:


> I'll be curious to see what they do for Christmas. Will they still put the garlands over Main Street? Will the floats from PTN even fit under the garlands?



If the parade does not fit under the garlands, I would expect them to alter the decorations. They did that at MK last year due to the floats on our new daytime parade being too tall to fit under the garland. They hung wreaths up with bells on all the lampposts instead but the effect was not the same.


----------



## Davidg83

Ok my coworkers know me too well. I'm at home and just received this picture after they opened a box...





I think I know what I'll be snacking on tomorrow!


----------



## Speechphi

Woot! We are officially going now...dh & I are celebrating our 15th anniversary on 10/28, so this is our celebration trip (with the kids). We are going Thurs 10/22 a Sun 10/25, staying at the FFI, and going to the party on Thurs 10/22. I'm so excited!


----------



## Metalliman98

lorijohnhill said:


> Second, I called Disney Tours to get some info about the Happiest Haunts Tour. I spoke with Amanda. She said the tour will be running daily from Sept 11 through October 31st. It will be a 3 hour tour that includes some attractions, a pin, and a special Halloween treat. It does not include seating for a parade or show. The tour will tell the history of Halloween in a fun, Disney way. She said the tours would start around 5 or 5:30 pm. The tours can be scheduled 30 days from the date you want to schedule.
> 
> It will cost $85 per person.



So it will even be running during MHP?  We are going down the week of the 4th with MHP on the 7th, and we were thinking of doing this on the 5th.  We are AP holders, but would we need a ticket to MHP to do the tour on the 5th?


----------



## Sherry E

iKristin said:


> Loving the new Duffy costume that matches Mickey! Found these in World Of Disney today



That's adorable!  Duffy always has to stay hip to the latest fashion trends!




haileymarie92 said:


> I saw some cute disney Halloween bags at my local Joanns Fabrics the other day! It had a cute scene of the fab five in their halloween costumes. I thought about getting them, but they were rather small. Only $.99 though!



Anything Disney for 99 cents is a steal -- even if it is small!




Davidg83 said:


> Ok my coworkers know me too well. I'm at home and just received this picture after they opened a box...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I think I know what I'll be snacking on tomorrow!



  I remember hearing about that trail mix last year (during the 2014 Pumpkin Pandemonium Reign of Terror), and I thought that the idea of putting candy corn into trail mix was odd.  Then again, I know that some trail mixes have M&M's in them, and other candies, so why not candy corn too?




Speechphi said:


> Woot! We are officially going now...dh & I are celebrating our 15th anniversary on 10/28, so this is our celebration trip (with the kids). We are going Thurs 10/22 a Sun 10/25, staying at the FFI, and going to the party on Thurs 10/22. I'm so excited!



Refresh my memory -- is this your first Halloween Time experience, or have you been for Halloween Time in the past?  I know you've gone for the holidays but I am blanking out on Halloween Time.   It will be  a great way to spend your anniversary!



Metalliman98 said:


> So it will even be running during MHP?  We are going down the week of the 4th with MHP on the 7th, and we were thinking of doing this on the 5th.  We are AP holders, but would we need a ticket to MHP to do the tour on the 5th?



I could be completely wrong, but my understanding is that the Happiest Haunts tour will start and end earlier on MHP nights.  On non-MHP nights it will start and end a bit later.  You will not need an MHP ticket to do the tour.  You just need your regular park admission (APs in your case) to do the tour.  You only need an MHP ticket if you're going to MHP.



Comicbookmommy said:


> I've been busy trying to gather some Disney Halloween items to surprise my kids with for the trip! I'd really like to get some Disney Halloween lanyards/pins and some Halloween park goodies. Is there a place online I could buy those things, or are they only in parks? Hope not because I can't make it there until our trip!
> 
> I've also been building my kids a Halloween adventure map in Minecraft (both eldest are huge fans) to surprise them with the trip announcement at the end! First I have them solving puzzles in graveyards and tombs before making their way through a corn maze to a haunted house, where they solve more puzzles to get to the basement and their surprise trip announcement!
> 
> Also, bought this costume for my baby!  (pic is not my baby, just stock photo of costume) I think I may die of cute overload when he wears it!



What an adorable costume -- so sweet!

You can find a lot of seasonal Disney Parks items on the Disney Store website, but not all of them.  Some things you can only get in the parks.  I'm not sure if they sell lanyards on the Disney Store website.


----------



## Geemo

Metalliman98 said:


> So it will even be running during MHP?  We are going down the week of the 4th with MHP on the 7th, and we were thinking of doing this on the 5th.  We are AP holders, but would we need a ticket to MHP to do the tour on the 5th?


If you're in before the party starts (6pm) for a 5 or 5:30 Happy Haunts Tour, I wouldn't think you'd need a party ticket.  
If you wanted to stay after the tour then you'd need one.
Might be best to call and see what a CM has to say.

Geemo


----------



## Mommy2PrincessAbby

Still too early to look at the park hours for our dates, but I was taking a look at Sun-Thurs the 4th-8th to see if I could get an idea... boy those are long hours.  We are so used to May and EE might be at 8 or 9 am and the parks are closed at 8 or 9 pm... looks like the days there is no MHP they are making up for it by having DL open 7 am for EE till 11 or midnight.  I am already scheduling a nap on Tuesday (day 3) of our trip... I think we will need it!


----------



## Speechphi

Sherry, it's out first Halloween experience! We are so excited...even if I'm a bit bummed to see things, like the carnival that I was looking forward to, not be there. We've been twice at Christmastime.


----------



## mom2rtk

lorijohnhill said:


> Yes, they could at least have the characters wear their Halloween costumes in the parade. But, I'm not holding my breath.


 

Yeah, definitely not holding my breath here either.


----------



## lorijohnhill

Metalliman98 said:


> So it will even be running during MHP?  We are going down the week of the 4th with MHP on the 7th, and we were thinking of doing this on the 5th.  We are AP holders, but would we need a ticket to MHP to do the tour on the 5th?


I booked the Happiest Haunts tour for September 30th. They have one that begins at 4:00 pm and one that begins at 4:15 pm. I booked the 4:15 tour. She did not tell me that I needed a party ticket for the tour.


----------



## Jkpark

Sorry to ask for help but I keep scanning this thread and I see lots of references to what will be missing this year (compared to prior years) but I can't find that actual post. I know there is no character costume parade (because of PTN). And I saw the carnival area is gone. I'm going on the first night and have a big group with me - bigger than I usually like hitting the parks with - so I'm trying to stay on top of this. 

I'm also doing PhotoPass for the first time during Halloween. Are there special magic shots like they do aw WDW during Halloween?

Anyone else there on the 25th? I am seriously so excited about my girls' costumes!!!


----------



## isk8

Hi, we'll be there Oct 13-17 and plan to go to MHP one night. I imagine we'll do it on the 14th. We haven't seen PTN yet, so it is high on our to-do list. Should we see PTN during the party? Will the parade crowd be less on party nights? Or should we do PTN on a non-party night? I've been to many MHSSHP at WDW, but I've never attended the MHP at DL.


----------



## Sherry E

No one needs an MHP ticket to do the Happiest Haunts Tour.  You just need your regular park admission, and you need to pay for the tour itself.  The party is a separate event from the tour.  If Disney were offering the Ultimate package again, it might be a different story.


I forgot to post this yesterday, but I'm sure you guys already saw it:

"Top Ten Favorite Items for Halloween 2015 at Disney Parks" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on September 1st, 2015 by Steven Miller, Merchandise Communications Manager - http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...ite-items-for-halloween-2015-at-disney-parks/.


And then, today, we have:

"Top 9 Disney Parks Recipes for Fall" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on September 2nd, 2015 by Pam Brandon, Disney Parks Food Writer -- http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2015/09/top-9-disney-parks-recipes-for-fall/.

The Fall foods shown in today's Parks Blog are some of the usual items you will find.  I don't see anything new -- yet.  I'm sure there will be at least a couple of blogs between now and next month with info on new food items.


This blows my mind -- not only are Pumpkin Pandemonium and Candy Corn Chaos sweeping the nation as individual entities, NOW we have a weird hybrid of the two:  Pumpkin Spice Candy Corn!!!!!!!  - http://www.theimpulsivebuy.com/wordpress/2015/09/02/spotted-on-shelves-922015/.



​


Pumpkin Pandemonium/Halloween Hoopla/Fall Fever/Candy Corn Chaos/Caramel Apple Confusion continues into the afternoon!!!

New!   Kellogg’s Limited Edition Halloween Themed Froot Loops, Apple Jacks, and Krave Cereals -- http://www.theimpulsivebuy.com/wordpress/2015/09/02/spotted-on-shelves-kelloggs-limited-edition-halloween-themed-froot-loops-apple-jacks-and-krave-cereals/.

I have to say -- I love the boxes/package designs.  Good job, Kellogg's!


Also, ABC Family released its 13 Nights of Halloween lineup - http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2015/09/02/abc-familys-17th-annual-13-nights-of-halloween-programming-event-airs-october-19-31/457052/.



​





Speechphi said:


> Sherry, it's out first Halloween experience! We are so excited...even if I'm a bit bummed to see things, like the carnival that I was looking forward to, not be there. We've been twice at Christmastime.



You will find that it is a lot different than the holidays, but still fun.

The loss of Carnival itself would be fine if the individual elements of it were relocated around the parks, but that's not what's happening.  The pumpkin carvers have been there for the better part of a decade -- long before the Carnival -- so it is disappointing that Disney didn't feel they were important enough to bring back and set up somewhere this year.  



Jkpark said:


> Sorry to ask for help but I keep scanning this thread and I see lots of references to what will be missing this year (compared to prior years) but I can't find that actual post. I know there is no character costume parade (because of PTN). And I saw the carnival area is gone. I'm going on the first night and have a big group with me - bigger than I usually like hitting the parks with - so I'm trying to stay on top of this.
> 
> I'm also doing PhotoPass for the first time during Halloween. Are there special magic shots like they do aw WDW during Halloween?
> 
> Anyone else there on the 25th? I am seriously so excited about my girls' costumes!!!



There is no need to be sorry about asking for help!    We're here to help.  This thread is here to provide help.  You did the right thing in just jumping in and asking!

I'm not sure which "actual post" you're talking about -- we have just been discussing the different things that are not returning as they come up.  I found out about the Carnival in July.  The Carnival involves several things, all of which are not happening this year, including:  pumpkin carvers; Pirates League; Conjure a Villain; characters in Halloween costumes appearing in the daytime; Halloween crafts and games; Halloween-themed entertainment, etc.

The actual Halloween Party is losing the Cavalcade.

The Halloween decorations (which were limited to begin with) are expected to be scaled back even more this year.  The giant Mickey pumpkin should still be there in Town Square, but there is expected to be little to no orange bunting draped on Main Street's facades, nor will there be the usual Halloween lamppost decorations (at least, according to MiceChat).

I am going to assume that the Halloween version of the Mad T Party is not returning to DCA this year, and DCA has almost nothing else in the way of décor, short of some things that appear in the shops.  Right now Main Street has some Halloween window displays and in-store displays.

I don't think there are any special Magic Shots just for Halloween Time (unless there is something new this year), but there will be special Halloween borders, as well as lots of photo spots around MHP.



isk8 said:


> Hi, we'll be there Oct 13-17 and plan to go to MHP one night. I imagine we'll do it on the 14th. We haven't seen PTN yet, so it is high on our to-do list. Should we see PTN during the party? Will the parade crowd be less on party nights? Or should we do PTN on a non-party night? I've been to many MHSSHP at WDW, but I've never attended the MHP at DL.



I think that I, personally, would aim for seeing PTN on a non-party night, and just stick to the Halloween party-specific things during MHP.  Your priorities may be different, though.  If you want to meet and get photos with characters, a lot of them are only available at the party itself, so you might want to focus on that, and also on seeing Halloween Screams, the Cadaver Dans, etc.

The MHP should involve fewer people in the park than there would be on a normal day, but I would bet that there will still be a lot of people waiting for PTN.  In fact, a lot of people may skip seeing PTN on other nights because they expect low crowds at the MHP, only to find out that there are still a lot of people waiting to see it at MHP!


----------



## keishashadow

Geemo said:


> The October dates opened early Sunday morning online and by phone.
> I booked Blue Bayou Fantasmic dinner package for Tuesday October 6th.  Confirmation number and email came through ... no problem....
> Until Monday afternoon, I got an email from Disney asking me to call in.
> When I finally got someone on the line, I was told Fantasmic through the week was an error.
> Disney canceled my 10-6 BB F! reservation and booked me for Sunday 10-4.
> 
> Geemo


I booked the 6th too for the pkg @ BB.  Didn't receive a email or phone call as to it beging cancelled?!?

EDIT - growl!!!  i just checked DL dining website and saw that we were also moved to Sunday 10/4, same time as original one on the 6th but without any notification.  

Geemo thank you for posting or i'd have likely missed the change since DL hasn't notified me.


----------



## deetman

I tried to search--and I paged through a bunch of pages of this thread to no avail--so please forgive me if this is a repeat. 

Are the fireworks for the Halloween Party the same as in past years?


----------



## CassieF

deetman said:


> I tried to search--and I paged through a bunch of pages of this thread to no avail--so please forgive me if this is a repeat.
> 
> Are the fireworks for the Halloween Party the same as in past years?



Yes, it'll be Halloween Screams


----------



## Mommy2PrincessAbby

I just remembered that Disney dining often got tentative hours when the dining bookings opened.  So I thought I would try calling them.  As usual they stressed that these can change at any time.... But if it helps anyone (these are our dates  )

10/25 DL 8am to 6 pm & DCA 8am to 10 pm
10/26 DL 10am to 9 pm & DCA 10am to 8 pm
10/27 DL 8am to 6 pm & DCA 10am to 8 pm
10/28 DL 10am to 9 pm & DCA 8am to 8 pm
10/29 DL 8am to 6 pm & DCA 8am to 8 pm


----------



## lorijohnhill

Jkpark said:


> Are there special magic shots like they do aw WDW during Halloween?


We got a Halloween magic shot last year. It was in front of the huge Mickey pumpkin in Town Square. The shot was me holding a poison apple over a boiling cauldron.


----------



## dolphingirl47

Sherry E said:


> Apparently the PSL is not supposed to hit the Starbucks out here until next week?? That makes no sense!



I was very surprised about this. Normally we are always two weeks behind the USA when it comes to the release of Pumpkin Spice Latte, but looks like this time we got it first.

Corinna


----------



## Sherry E

deetman said:


> I tried to search--and I paged through a bunch of pages of this thread to no avail--so please forgive me if this is a repeat.
> 
> Are the fireworks for the Halloween Party the same as in past years?



Remember, page 1 has a lot of the info that people need -- but I think that many people forget to check it!   In the very first post on page 1 of this thread, there is a link to the Parks Blog about Halloween Time and Mickey's Halloween Party.  That blog mentions that Halloween Screams will be part of MHP again this year.

Otherwise, doing what you did is encouraged as well -- just jump on in and ask questions! 




lorijohnhill said:


> We got a Halloween magic shot last year. It was in front of the huge Mickey pumpkin in Town Square. The shot was me holding a poison apple over a boiling cauldron.



Oooh!  I'm glad you mentioned that.  I haven't used PhotoPass in a while -- especially not for Halloween Time in a really long while -- and I don't think I heard any talk about the poison apple magic shot last year.



dolphingirl47 said:


> I was very surprised about this. Normally we are always two weeks behind the USA when it comes to the release of Pumpkin Spice Latte, but looks like this time we got it first.
> 
> Corinna



You definitely got it first.  It appeared in late August last year, as I recall, but this year it is showing up on the day after Labor Day (so next Tuesday).


----------



## Kilala

Hey Sherry Did you find any info on Halloween Wars on Food network yet? I have been watching a few of thier shows and i have not seen anything yet


----------



## Sherry E

Kilala said:


> Hey Sherry Did you find any info on Halloween Wars on Food network yet? I have been watching a few of thier shows and i have not seen anything yet



I found out in April that it is definitely coming back, starting in October  - http://www.disboards.com/threads/ha...s-now-sold-out.3270919/page-134#post-53562350.

If I recall, it runs for 4 Sundays in a row, correct?  So it should premiere on October 4th, and then run on 10/11, 10/18 and 10/25.


----------



## Hippo87

Finally joining!  I've been stalking this thread since we were all waiting for the announcement of the party dates.  My family goes to DL every few years but this will be the first time that (1) it's a girls' trip, just me and my mom, and (2) going during the Halloween season!!!  

We're doing MHP our first day, so we have time to hit the rides on our other days.  Our priority is the enjoy the party experience, even if there are less offerings this year.  (Although my mom shares the same birth year as DL and is always excited to go on an special anniversary year.)

I do have a question though.  Are the treat trails fun for adults?  My mom dismisses it as a kid thing, but I'm interested.


----------



## Kilala

Hippo87 said:


> Finally joining!  I've been stalking this thread since we were all waiting for the announcement of the party dates.  My family goes to DL every few years but this will be the first time that (1) it's a girls' trip, just me and my mom, and (2) going during the Halloween season!!!
> 
> We're doing MHP our first day, so we have time to hit the rides on our other days.  Our priority is the enjoy the party experience, even if there are less offerings this year.  (Although my mom shares the same birth year as DL and is always excited to go on an special anniversary year.)
> 
> I do have a question though.  Are the treat trails fun for adults?  My mom dismisses it as a kid thing, but I'm interested.


The treat rails are for Adults and kids. I always go trick or treating myself and I'm 43. I come home with a ton of candy that covers almost half of my bed


----------



## tjcrabb

Hippo87 said:


> I do have a question though.  Are the treat trails fun for adults?  My mom dismisses it as a kid thing, but I'm interested.



Its just as Kilala said the adults definitely participate in the trick or treat. Everyone that purchases tickets to the party gets a treat bag to fill. If you want to fill it multiple times you totally could. I didn't get to all of the treat stops and my bag was completely full. Plus others in the thread have mentioned that if you go near the end of the night they hand you even more at a time. I think its totally worth doing particularly since its the good stuff Years ago they handed out dried apples (I don't know if they still do) as one of the healthy treats, they are really good!


----------



## kandeebunny

Can someone who has been on it please tell the perks of the Happiest Haunts Tour?  WDW has nothing like it, and this is our first Halloween at DLR.


----------



## Lauren in NC

So, we were in the parks today.  They put out the Halloween decorations around the Big Thunder Ranch area, but BTMBBQ is still July 4th.  Definitely a bit of a weird juxtaposition!  I took a quick photo on my phone, so sorry for the bad quality!


----------



## Kilala

Lauren in NC said:


> So, we were in the parks today.  They put out the Halloween decorations around the Big Thunder Ranch area, but BTMBBQ is still July 4th.  Definitely a bit of a weird juxtaposition!  I took a quick photo on my phone, so sorry for the bad quality!


Wow! it's like people that don't want to take down thier Chirstmas decorations until Febuary 1st


----------



## Sherry E

Hippo87 said:


> Finally joining!  I've been stalking this thread since we were all waiting for the announcement of the party dates.  My family goes to DL every few years but this will be the first time that (1) it's a girls' trip, just me and my mom, and (2) going during the Halloween season!!!
> 
> We're doing MHP our first day, so we have time to hit the rides on our other days.  Our priority is the enjoy the party experience, even if there are less offerings this year.  (Although my mom shares the same birth year as DL and is always excited to go on an special anniversary year.)
> 
> I do have a question though.  Are the treat trails fun for adults?  My mom dismisses it as a kid thing, but I'm interested.



Welcome!     I'm so glad you joined us.

As Kilala and tjcrabb mentioned, the treat trails are fun for all ages.  Personally, I like being able to trick or treat in Disneyland -- because it's the only place I can do it as an adult and not be given weird looks.    I haven't trick or treated in the "real" sense since I was a child, so it's fun to be able to do it once in a while at the party.   There is a great assortment of candy and healthy treats (apple slices, carrots, etc.).  I think you'll have a great time.  



kandeebunny said:


> Can someone who has been on it please tell the perks of the Happiest Haunts Tour?  WDW has nothing like it, and this is our first Halloween at DLR.



Here is a great review/article about the Happiest Haunts Tour from last year - http://www.laughingplace.com/w/articles/2014/09/18/happiest-haunts-disneyland-tour-review/.  It will tell you exactly what happened and what the perks were.  I don't know if anything will change this year, but we'll find out soon.




Lauren in NC said:


> So, we were in the parks today.  They put out the Halloween decorations around the Big Thunder Ranch area, but BTMBBQ is still July 4th.  Definitely a bit of a weird juxtaposition!  I took a quick photo on my phone, so sorry for the bad quality!



Thank you so much for letting us know about this and for sharing the photo!  First of all, yes -- it is a very weird juxtaposition.  It's "2 holidays colliding" -- but not the two holidays that we would expect to collide!  

My second thought when looking at the photo was, "Oh, thank goodness they're putting something Fall-ish at the Ranch!"

So... what this may or may not mean is that, although the actual Carnival is not back this year (and no pumpkin carvers), the little log cabin/Scare-Dy-Crow Shack could be decorated one last time (with all kinds of vintage Halloween décor inside).  The "pumpkin people" (shown in my post on page 1) might be back one last time.  

And maybe the goats in Halloween scarves will be there?!    Oh, let's hope so.     Even though I am still very annoyed at DLR for not bringing the pumpkin carvers back, I hope that they are putting all of the wonderful autumn décor all around the ranch and Roundup -- there is usually a lot of décor all around that area.  If they do, it will be the last year for it, but there may, indeed, be one final chance to see the goats in Halloween scarves!



Kilala said:


> Wow! it's like people that don't want to take down thier Chirstmas decorations until Febuary 1st



My hunch -- and it's only a guess -- is that the flags and patriotic touches stay up from 4th of July (or just after Memorial Day) to Labor Day, and then come down.  But at least there is some semblance of Halloween/Fall décor appearing there one final time!


----------



## HopLow1968

Sherry E said:


> I think that I, personally, would aim for seeing PTN on a non-party night, and just stick to the Halloween party-specific things during MHP.  Your priorities may be different, though.  If you want to meet and get photos with characters, a lot of them are only available at the party itself, so you might want to focus on that, and also on seeing Halloween Screams, the Cadaver Dans, etc.
> 
> The MHP should involve fewer people in the park than there would be on a normal day, but I would bet that there will still be a lot of people waiting for PTN.  In fact, a lot of people may skip seeing PTN on other nights because they expect low crowds at the MHP, only to find out that there are still a lot of people waiting to see it at MHP!



Doesn't the Screams fireworks pretty much immediately follow the PTN parade?  I was thinking that all the good spots for the fireworks would be taken by people who had already waited for PTN.  I'd especially like to get a spot on the hub that lets us see down the parade path to the matterhorn, but also has a good view of the castle and the "ball".  I assumed that I would have to wait at least an hour before the parade in order to do this.


----------



## jammyjam25

HopLow1968 said:


> Doesn't the Screams fireworks pretty much immediately follow the PTN parade?  I was thinking that all the good spots for the fireworks would be taken by people who had already waited for PTN.  I'd especially like to get a spot on the hub that lets us see down the parade path to the matterhorn, but also has a good view of the castle and the "ball".  I assumed that I would have to wait at least an hour before the parade in order to do this.



I'm worried about this as well as I'm planning not to see PTN during the party but want to see Halloween Screams with a decent view.


----------



## Mommy2PrincessAbby

We plan on trying to grab an okay spot for both about an hour before, so I guess around 7:45, we are going to two parties, so we have two shots at it... Kinda puts a big hole in the party.  I am hoping most people will leave after the fireworks and we can ride rides the last hour.


----------



## Kilala

I just got back from shopping and I saw very little in the way of Halloween/fall candy and food. I have to go back to Target today to get some of the Pepperage farms Pumpkin Cheesecake cookies. They are the only ones that has then. I can't believe i got this but at Wal-Mart I got a 3 pound bag of Candy Corn . It the kind with chocolate tips. I did take a few photos. Since I have to go out again today I will try to go a differnt Target. I also got my ticket for the 16th party. So I will be going twice this year maybe a third time If my friend Lori can't go on the 16th


----------



## Alohagirl73

Happy to be back here after taking a year off of Disneyland Halloween. We got our tickets in the mail yesterday for the first party on the 25th of September. My DD will be 4 and probably dressed as Anna or Elsa. My baby will get to go to Disneyland for the first time that night. Doubtful he will be dressed up.


----------



## Sherry E

HopLow1968 said:


> Doesn't the Screams fireworks pretty much immediately follow the PTN parade?  I was thinking that all the good spots for the fireworks would be taken by people who had already waited for PTN.  I'd especially like to get a spot on the hub that lets us see down the parade path to the matterhorn, but also has a good view of the castle and the "ball".  I assumed that I would have to wait at least an hour before the parade in order to do this.






jammyjam25 said:


> I'm worried about this as well as I'm planning not to see PTN during the party but want to see Halloween Screams with a decent view.






This is the first time there has been a real, full-length parade in Mickey's Halloween Party (with Halloween Screams following it), so I assume that Halloween Screams will run shortly thereafter -- but I don't know how long the down time will be between the two as compared to a normal, non-party night with a parade and fireworks.  I don't know if the fireworks time will be altered a bit.   I don't know if Cast Members will want people staying put in the middle of the street and around the Hub in between the parade and fireworks.  They may ask people to move (though most likely they won't).  I really have no idea because, again, this is the first time we have had a real parade included in the party.  I don't know how much it will mirror or follow what happens on a regular night.  You're probably right in that people will hang around, and there will be quite a lot of people milling about in that area.  Hopefully some folks will decide to skip PTN at the party.

It will be interesting to see how this works, with the full parade at the party, and if crowds seem better or worse because of it!




Kilala said:


> I just got back from shopping and I saw very little in the way of Halloween/fall candy and food. I have to go back to Target today to get some of the Pepperage farms Pumpkin Cheesecake cookies. They are the only ones that has then. I can't believe i got this but at Wal-Mart I got a 3 pound bag of Candy Corn . It the kind with chocolate tips. I did take a few photos. Since I have to go out again today I will try to go a differnt Target. I also got my ticket for the 16th party. So I will be going twice this year maybe a third time If my friend Lori can't go on the 16th



That's a lot of candy corn!  I'm surprised you didn't see more Halloween/Fall items.  Now is when the wave of seasonal goods should be taking over all of the store shelves!



Alohagirl73 said:


> Happy to be back here after taking a year off of Disneyland Halloween. We got our tickets in the mail yesterday for the first party on the 25th of September. My DD will be 4 and probably dressed as Anna or Elsa. My baby will get to go to Disneyland for the first time that night. Doubtful he will be dressed up.


  I wonder what your baby will be thinking as he looks around at all of the funny adults in crazy costumes!    What an introduction to Disneyland he will get!


----------



## SeattleSuz

Quick question, do they do character dance parties during the Halloween party?  When we went to MNSSHP 3 years ago, they had a Stitch Dance Party in Tomorrowland and I think a Toy Story dance party in Frontierland.  Do they do that at DLR?


----------



## Canadian Harmony

tjcrabb said:


> Its just as Kilala said the adults definitely participate in the trick or treat. Everyone that purchases tickets to the party gets a treat bag to fill. If you want to fill it multiple times you totally could. I didn't get to all of the treat stops and my bag was completely full. Plus others in the thread have mentioned that if you go near the end of the night they hand you even more at a time. I think its totally worth doing particularly since its the good stuff Years ago they handed out dried apples (I don't know if they still do) as one of the healthy treats, they are really good!


 
I'm unusually excited about this! I haven't been actively trick or treating since I was a kid. Taking my kids around doesn't count (even though I help them with the candy  )


----------



## SeattleSuz

My TA was telling me that when we go to the Parks the day of the HP, that they will give us our wristbands right away, instead of having to go back to the main gate at 3.  Can anyone confirm this?


----------



## Chris9ty

We may have to take some time from the party to watch Paint the night parade since we are going the first week of October and the days we are in the park the parade isn't scheduled until 10:45 with only one showing. At least the 8:50 during the party my kids may be awake for that. I was hoping for it to be earlier since it should be dark early. We'll play it by ear and see what happens!


----------



## Sherry E

SeattleSuz said:


> Quick question, do they do character dance parties during the Halloween party?  When we went to MNSSHP 3 years ago, they had a Stitch Dance Party in Tomorrowland and I think a Toy Story dance party in Frontierland.  Do they do that at DLR?



Yes, they do.   Last year's map (linked in the MHP FAQ on page 1) shows where the dance station was located - https://wdpromedia.disney.go.com/me...en-party/pdf-mickeys-halloween-party-2014.pdf.  I don't know what the dance station will be this year, but I'm sure there will be at least one (though, in the past, prior to 2014, I thought there was more than one).



Canadian Harmony said:


> I'm unusually excited about this! I haven't been actively trick or treating since I was a kid. Taking my kids around doesn't count (even though I help them with the candy  )



It is especially fun to revisit one of the great joys of youth and trick or treat as an adult, since it's not something we can really do in "real life."   Disneyland or any Disney park is really one of the only places where it feels acceptable and encouraged for all ages to hit the treat trails!  I think that some adults may not want so much candy, but they will hit the different stations and collect the candy to then bring home and hand out to trick or treaters on Halloween night.    There is just something fun and satisfying about opening up a bag and watching the candy fall into it!   

And one great bonus of trick or treating at Disneyland is that each stop is a sure thing.    We know we will get candy.  You know how, as a child, if you went trick or treating in a residential neighborhood there were always the houses that had candy... and the houses that didn't have candy?  There is always 'that house' (or maybe multiple houses) that wants nothing to do with Halloween.  All the lights are off.  No decorations are on the door.  No pumpkins on the doorstep.  The curtains are drawn.  Sometimes a person will answer the door and say "Oh, I forgot that it's Halloween."  Other times no one answers at all.  

At Disneyland we don't have to wonder which houses will have the candy -- because all of the treat trails will have candy (and healthy treats too)!!!



SeattleSuz said:


> My TA was telling me that when we go to the Parks the day of the HP, that they will give us our wristbands right away, instead of having to go back to the main gate at 3.  Can anyone confirm this?



I don't think you get the wristband right away, meaning early in the day.

There will be a station set up somewhere in the park.  So if you are already in Disneyland before 3 p.m., you can go to that station (wherever it ends up this year) at 3 p.m., show your MHP ticket and get your wristband.  You won't get a wristband until you show your MHP ticket, and you can't use your MHP ticket until 3 p.m. or 4 p.m. (depending on the party time that night).




Chris9ty said:


> We may have to take some time from the party to watch Paint the night parade since we are going the first week of October and the days we are in the park the parade isn't scheduled until 10:45 with only one showing. At least the 8:50 during the party my kids may be awake for that. I was hoping for it to be earlier since it should be dark early. We'll play it by ear and see what happens!



That's a very good point -- the latest PTN may be too late for kids, and the earlier time would be better.  That may be a great reason for a lot of people to choose to see PTN at the party instead of on another night.


----------



## SeattleSuz

Sherry E said:


> Yes, they do.   Last year's map (linked in the MHP FAQ on page 1) shows where the dance station was located - https://wdpromedia.disney.go.com/me...en-party/pdf-mickeys-halloween-party-2014.pdf.  I don't know what the dance station will be this year, but I'm sure there will be at least one (though, in the past, prior to 2014, I thought there was more than one).
> 
> I don't think you get the wristband right away, meaning early in the day.
> 
> There will be a station set up somewhere in the park.  So if you are already in Disneyland before 3 p.m., you can go to that station (wherever it ends up this year) at 3 p.m., show your MHP ticket and get your wristband.  You won't get a wristband until you show your MHP ticket, and you can't use your MHP ticket until 3 p.m. or 4 p.m. (depending on the party time that night).


 
Good to know!  I got all excited, looking at the map, forgot about how cool the parties are!  I am happy that Jack and Sally will be in NO square, probably near HM, right?  DD will be overjoyed to see them!!!    I am wondering now who the Tomorrowland dance party characters will be this year, since they were Monsters U last year.  Inside Out, maybe?

Thanks for the wristband info.  When we did the MNSSHP at WDW, we just came from another park and went to MK at around 5 or so.  I didnt realize that they had stations set up inside DLR.  Good to know!


----------



## Sherry E

SeattleSuz said:


> Good to know!  I got all excited, looking at the map, forgot about how cool the parties are!  I am happy that Jack and Sally will be in NO square, probably near HM, right?  DD will be overjoyed to see them!!!    I am wondering now who the Tomorrowland dance party characters will be this year, since they were Monsters U last year.  Inside Out, maybe?
> 
> Thanks for the wristband info.  When we did the MNSSHP at WDW, we just came from another park and went to MK at around 5 or so.  I didnt realize that they had stations set up inside DLR.  Good to know!



You're welcome!

In this press release, the same Monsters U Dance Party is mentioned - http://disneylandnews.com/2015/08/1...ebration-adds-sparkle-to-halloween-time-2015/ -- but when I read it I think I wondered if the text was just copied from last year, or if there really would be another Monsters U Dance Party.

There should be one wristband station set up inside Disneyland -- probably no more than one -- and then the one right near the entrance, which people will go to when they enter the park.

Jack and Sally (or just Jack, maybe) will be somewhere in NOS -- both at the party and hopefully in the daytime too.  Most likely they will be somewhere near HMH.


----------



## keishashadow

so, who wants to share their secret spot to watch hallowishes.  one we don't have to stake out hours early if possible.   
uncharted waters for us.  on past visits to DL have just looked up in the sky and seen FW well enough, usually back in area between alice and small world.  want to make sure we are in general correct spot this trip.


----------



## LisaT91403

Sherry E said:


> There should be one wristband station set up inside Disneyland -- probably no more than one -- and then the one right near the entrance, which people will go to when they enter the park.



Just an FYI that I recall the line being pretty long to get the wristbands inside the park last year. I guess we shall see where they set it up this year, and what the crowd control is like.


----------



## pudinhd

I don't know if this has already been mentioned and I missed it...  I was just thinking about the treat trail and meet and greet with Phineas and Ferb / Perry inside Innoventions.  With the new Innoventions opening in October, I am wondering if they will move the TT & M&G or if they will be another thing missing.

I also have a question...  I think the meet and greets near the parade route have stopped during the cavalcade and fireworks.  I am wondering if that also applies to meet and greets that are farther away and can't be seen from the parade route.  Does anyone know?


----------



## Kuilima

SeattleSuz said:


> Quick question, do they do character dance parties during the Halloween party?  When we went to MNSSHP 3 years ago, they had a Stitch Dance Party in Tomorrowland and I think a Toy Story dance party in Frontierland.  Do they do that at DLR?


I read somewhere that there will be a Superheroes Dance party in Tomorrowland. Anyone else hear about this?


----------



## Sherry E

keishashadow said:


> so, who wants to share their secret spot to watch hallowishes.  one we don't have to stake out hours early if possible.
> uncharted waters for us.  on past visits to DL have just looked up in the sky and seen FW well enough, usually back in area between alice and small world.  want to make sure we are in general correct spot this trip.



Well, I don't know if there are secret spots to view Halloween Screams, but as Bret says in this post - http://www.disboards.com/threads/ha...s-now-sold-out.3270919/page-218#post-54301685 - you can get a decent spot with less than an hour wait, but you will have people in front of you.    



pudinhd said:


> I don't know if this has already been mentioned and I missed it...  I was just thinking about the treat trail and meet and greet with Phineas and Ferb / Perry inside Innoventions.  With the new Innoventions opening in October, I am wondering if they will move the TT & M&G or if they will be another thing missing.
> 
> I also have a question...  I think the meet and greets near the parade route have stopped during the cavalcade and fireworks.  I am wondering if that also applies to meet and greets that are farther away and can't be seen from the parade route.  Does anyone know?



I wondered about the treat trail at Innoventions too.  I suspect there won't be one, as it is being prepped to reopen as the Launch Bay.  I could be wrong, but that would be my guess.

I assumed that there was always some meet & greet/active character photo spot going on throughout the night, even during the parade and fireworks, but maybe not?   I don't think I've tried to look for characters during the fireworks so I can't say for sure.



Kuilima said:


> I read somewhere that there will be a Superheroes Dance party in Tomorrowland. Anyone else hear about this?



The press release I linked on the previous page -- http://disneylandnews.com/2015/08/1...ebration-adds-sparkle-to-halloween-time-2015/ - came straight from Disney and it references a Monsters U dance party, with no reference to a Superhero Dance Party.  

However, when I pull up a cached version of the same press release, I see this paragraph:

"An all-new superhero-themed dance party comes to Tomorrowland Terrace. Super Goof invites all of his friends to join the party, which features a DJ, dancers, lively music and superhero dance moves. Super Goof is super-excited to host his very first dance party in Tomorrowland and he is bringing to the stage all of his special “BAM!” “POW! and “ZAP!” Guests are encouraged to show off their “superhero side,” no matter what costume they choose to wear this year."

Interesting!  This is another curious inconsistency.  I would have to imagine that the Superhero concept would be more relevant right now, and would be more likely to happen than a Monsters U dance party for another year.   Maybe the plan changed and Disney has not updated the press release yet?


----------



## Lauren in NC

Sherry E said:


> So... what this may or may not mean is that, although the actual Carnival is not back this year (and no pumpkin carvers), the little log cabin/Scare-Dy-Crow Shack could be decorated one last time (with all kinds of vintage Halloween décor inside). The "pumpkin people" (shown in my post on page 1) might be back one last time.
> 
> And maybe the goats in Halloween scarves will be there?!



They did have the log cabin closed off when we were there.  I'm not sure if it was just because it was later in the day (around 4ish).  We'll probably be back tomorrow (my son LOVES the goats) so I'll try to remember to ask one of the ladies who work there if the goats will get their Halloween scarves one last time!

We're here on and off until the 11th, so I'm hoping to see more Halloween decor go up.  As it is now, it's pretty sparse.  We did see that leaf/crystal thing someone else posted over the registers in one of the stores.  It actually looks pretty nice in person - it's got little sparkling fairy lights, too, which are quite pretty.


----------



## Sherry E

Lauren in NC said:


> They did have the log cabin closed off when we were there.  I'm not sure if it was just because it was later in the day (around 4ish).  We'll probably be back tomorrow (my son LOVES the goats) so I'll try to remember to ask one of the ladies who work there if the goats will get their Halloween scarves one last time!
> 
> We're here on and off until the 11th, so I'm hoping to see more Halloween decor go up.  As it is now, it's pretty sparse.  We did see that leaf/crystal thing someone else posted over the registers in one of the stores.  It actually looks pretty nice in person - it's got little sparkling fairy lights, too, which are quite pretty.



Ah yes -- the "Fall centerpiece" that was shown in a MiceAge/MiceChat blog, from the China Closet!   I was wondering if it would look better in person, so that's good to hear.

I am hoping they trot out the autumn décor all around that Ranch area one last time.    They can't decorate the Festival Arena area, but they can decorate around the restaurant and around that whole cabin area.  There are usually all kinds of rustic decorations -- scarecrows, hay, wagons, pumpkins (not the carved kind but the fake kind), Fall plants, etc.


----------



## pudinhd

Sherry E said:


> I wondered about the treat trail at Innoventions too.  I suspect there won't be one, as it is being prepped to reopen as the Launch Bay.  I could be wrong, but that would be my guess.
> 
> I assumed that there was always some meet & greet/active character photo spot going on throughout the night, even during the parade and fireworks, but maybe not?   I don't think I've tried to look for characters during the fireworks so I can't say for sure.



Well, I may be able to answer my own question this year since my husband doesn't want to stake out a spot in front of the castle this year.    Thanks, Sherry!


----------



## stephanie22

pudinhd said:


> I don't know if this has already been mentioned and I missed it...  I was just thinking about the treat trail and meet and greet with Phineas and Ferb / Perry inside Innoventions.  With the new Innoventions opening in October, I am wondering if they will move the TT & M&G or if they will be another thing missing.
> 
> I also have a question...  I think the meet and greets near the parade route have stopped during the cavalcade and fireworks.  I am wondering if that also applies to meet and greets that are farther away and can't be seen from the parade route.  Does anyone know?



Last year we met Captain Hook, Peter Pan and Wendy during the beginning of the fireworks, and we met Jack sparrow during the first calvacade.


----------



## pudinhd

stephanie22 said:


> Last year we met Captain Hook, Peter Pan and Wendy during the beginning of the fireworks, and we met Jack sparrow during the first calvacade.



Yay!!    Thanks so much for the confirmation!


----------



## Abbey1

Sherry E said:


> The press release I linked on the previous page -- http://disneylandnews.com/2015/08/1...ebration-adds-sparkle-to-halloween-time-2015/ - came straight from Disney and it references a Monsters U dance party, with no reference to a Superhero Dance Party.
> 
> However, when I pull up a cached version of the same press release, I see this paragraph:
> 
> "An all-new superhero-themed dance party comes to Tomorrowland Terrace. Super Goof invites all of his friends to join the party, which features a DJ, dancers, lively music and superhero dance moves. Super Goof is super-excited to host his very first dance party in Tomorrowland and he is bringing to the stage all of his special “BAM!” “POW! and “ZAP!” Guests are encouraged to show off their “superhero side,” no matter what costume they choose to wear this year."
> 
> Interesting!  This is another curious inconsistency.  I would have to imagine that the Superhero concept would be more relevant right now, and would be more likely to happen than a Monsters U dance party for another year.   Maybe the plan changed and Disney has not updated the press release yet?



I remember reading about the Super Goof party last week on the disneyland news site. Did they just change their minds? So strange. Maybe there will be two dance parties and they'll make an announcement about the new one soon? Wishful thinking, maybe, but I think the superhero party sounds really fun... and something new!


----------



## lorijohnhill

Abbey1 said:


> I remember reading about the Super Goof party last week on the disneyland news site. Did they just change their minds? So strange. Maybe there will be two dance parties and they'll make an announcement about the new one soon? Wishful thinking, maybe, but I think the superhero party sounds really fun... and something new!


I read about the Superhero party as well.


----------



## HopLow1968

Sherry E said:


> This is the first time there has been a real, full-length parade in Mickey's Halloween Party (with Halloween Screams following it), so I assume that Halloween Screams will run shortly thereafter -- but I don't know how long the down time will be between the two as compared to a normal, non-party night with a parade and fireworks.    You're probably right in that people will hang around, and there will be quite a lot of people milling about in that area.  Hopefully some folks will decide to skip PTN at the party.
> 
> It will be interesting to see how this works, with the full parade at the party, and if crowds seem better or worse because of it!



I'm definitely looking forward to hearing reports on this once the parties start to happen.


----------



## Sherry E

Abbey1 said:


> I remember reading about the Super Goof party last week on the disneyland news site. Did they just change their minds? So strange. Maybe there will be two dance parties and they'll make an announcement about the new one soon? Wishful thinking, maybe, but I think the superhero party sounds really fun... and something new!



When Kuilima mentioned it today, I was thinking to myself that it sounded familiar.  I was the one who posted the link to the press release when it was first published, and I remember mentioning the characters in their Halloween attire appearing only at the party and not outside of the party.  I think that original press release was where I saw the reference to the Superhero dance party.  However, as you can see from the version of the press release that I linked above (today), the reference to the Superhero thing is missing and Monsters U is in its place.  I could only find the Superhero reference in a cached version of the release, online, as well as on Disney fan sites.

Either the plan changed in the last week or two, and now there is not going to be a Superhero thing (maybe they don't want to have it because the Launch Bay is supposed to be opening in October??), or someone in the press dept. at Disney went in to revise the release, only to re-post an incorrect version.     I am baffled -- but this further indicates that things are askew behind the scenes at Disneyland Resort this year!  They are all mixed up and backwards!


ETA:  This is my original post, linking the press release, and I even mentioned the Superhero party! - http://www.disboards.com/threads/ha...s-now-sold-out.3270919/page-212#post-54274024.

However, if you follow the link in my post, it leads to the current version of the press release that mentions Monsters U!


----------



## Vala

Just quickly chiming in: Pooh and his friends went on break during the fireworks. That's about the most far away character spot from the parade route I can imagine.


----------



## rwhistler92

I seem to remember 2 dance parties in the past. Tomorrowland and Frontierland had a Pirates themed one.
Some of my kids can't handle loud noises, so we haven't been to any. I am hoping this year we will be able to.


----------



## stephanie22

pudinhd said:


> Yay!!    Thanks so much for the confirmation!



You're welcome! 

Edited to add - I've been looking at the park hours and schedule for the week of Columbus Day, the hours are a lot later than they were last year. Do you think it's really going to be that much busier this year? I just want to mentally prepare myself for big crowds, I keep reminding myself that when we went over the Fourth of July a few years ago it wasn't that bad.


----------



## Chris9ty

stephanie22 said:


> You're welcome!
> 
> Edited to add - I've been looking at the park hours and schedule for the week of Columbus Day, the hours are a lot later than they were last year. Do you think it's really going to be that much busier this year? I just want to mentally prepare myself for big crowds, I keep reminding myself that when we went over the Fourth of July a few years ago it wasn't that bad.



We are going the week before Columbus Day and I am surprised that they are opening so early- I thought 7 am Magic Mornings were a summertime thing!  We are staying long enough that we can take our time and take a daily break if it gets crowded.


----------



## ricardol

We are getting close to the First MHP of this year. Can't wait to hear all the details and to see the 2015 MAP. I'm also expecting Disney to give us a small or medium surprise for the Party because so far nothing new has been added and things have been eliminated. So I'm keeping my hopes Up.

Remember last year when Disney did not confirmed about the Toontown pre-party?and it was until the first party day that we found out they kept doing it. Hopefully this year all things about MHP will be cleared up front!


----------



## jammyjam25

No Pumpkin Spice Lattes at my local Starbucks yet (I'm in Seattle, you'd think we'd get those bad boys first?? ) but they did have pumpkin scones, so that was a nice surprise and made a delicious breakfast this morning!

Glad the first party is only three weeks away now so we will finally be able to find out what will *actually* be included in the festivities since DL can't seem to keep their facts straight!


----------



## gottalovepluto

Got my Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte pass. Instructions here to get it early! http://www.eater.com/2015/9/4/9260845/starbucks-pumpkin-spice-latte-psl-early-password

Got my pass texted to me, it's rather ridiculous but it's PSLs so I don't care! Can't wait to try this tomorrow!


----------



## Sherry E

Just the other day I posted that Hostess has put out a Candy Corn cupcake for this Halloween season - http://www.theimpulsivebuy.com/word...hostess-limited-edition-candy-corn-cup-cakes/.  

Now, here is the Hostess Pumpkin Spice cupcake - http://www.theimpulsivebuy.com/word...tess-limited-edition-pumpkin-spice-cup-cakes/.


(They also have Gingerbread Donettes during the holidays, so Hostess is jumping full throttle into the seasonal food wars!)


And, here are Pillsbury Mini-Pumpkins -- http://www.theimpulsivebuy.com/wordpress/2015/09/04/spotted-on-shelves-942015/.


The Pumpkin Pandemonium Reign of Terror Continues!  Muahahahahaha!!!  


​








rwhistler92 said:


> I seem to remember 2 dance parties in the past. Tomorrowland and Frontierland had a Pirates themed one.
> Some of my kids can't handle loud noises, so we haven't been to any. I am hoping this year we will be able to.



There used to be more than once dance party, but for some reason they only call one of them a "Dance Party."   On last year's map, the Monsters U thing is labeled as a Dance Party, but the Pirate area is in the separate Character Greetings category.



stephanie22 said:


> You're welcome!
> 
> Edited to add - I've been looking at the park hours and schedule for the week of Columbus Day, the hours are a lot later than they were last year. Do you think it's really going to be that much busier this year? I just want to mentally prepare myself for big crowds, I keep reminding myself that when we went over the Fourth of July a few years ago it wasn't that bad.



Keep in mind that the Star Wars Launch Bay is very likely to open on 10/11.  Even though it has not yet been announced by Disney (I discovered the info all on my own!), that's the date that the performers/characters at the Launch Bay are supposed to start work.  It could be that Disney is extending the park hours because they expect an influx of Star Wars fans in that week.  Now I would not have expected that the Launch Bay itself would bring in tons of people -- I would expect big crowds when the new Star Tours film/adventure opens later this year, as well as when Season of the Force and Hyperspace Mountain begin early next year -- but combined with the Halloween/Halloween Party crowds and the people coming out to see the Diamond Anniversary things, as well as any school breaks or other events bringing extra people to the parks... yes, I expect it to be quite busy!



ricardol said:


> We are getting close to the First MHP of this year. Can't wait to hear all the details and to see the 2015 MAP. I'm also expecting Disney to give us a small or medium surprise for the Party because so far nothing new has been added and things have been eliminated. So I'm keeping my hopes Up.
> 
> Remember last year when Disney did not confirmed about the Toontown pre-party?and it was until the first party day that we found out they kept doing it. Hopefully this year all things about MHP will be cleared up front!



Last year, before MHP began, DIS'er perlster noticed that Toontown's hours or Car Toon Spin's hours were short on the first MHP date.  That's how we first figured out that there would be another pre-party, but then when MHP began it was confirmed.  This year I don't trust anything that the people answering emails or phone calls at DLR say, because they are the last ones to know anything.  They may have said that there wouldn't be a pre-party this year, but I won't believe it until MHP begins!  

The whole point of the pre-party is for the little ones (the especially young kids) to be able to have an early trick or treat and character experience before having to go to sleep.  They cannot necessarily stay up late, so the pre-party allows them to have some Halloween fun.  That basic concept has not changed -- little children will still need to go to sleep -- which is why I think that some sort of pre-party will happen.  Maybe it won't be in Toontown.  Maybe it won't be at the Big Thunder Ranch.  But I think there will be one somewhere in Disneyland!  I am keeping hope alive too, ricardol!



jammyjam25 said:


> No Pumpkin Spice Lattes at my local Starbucks yet (I'm in Seattle, you'd think we'd get those bad boys first?? ) but they did have pumpkin scones, so that was a nice surprise and made a delicious breakfast this morning!
> 
> Glad the first party is only three weeks away now so we will finally be able to find out what will *actually* be included in the festivities since DL can't seem to keep their facts straight!



As I mentioned a while back, I have become so accustomed to the early appearances of seasonal items (in May-June-July) that the September 8th date for the PSL 2015 debut seems awfully late to me!   That seems like the date it should have debuted back in prehistoric days, when Halloween things didn't appear until September or later.  But now, when every store and every brand is trying to outdo itself and each other with early seasonal products, Starbucks should not wait until -- GASP! -- after Labor Day to release such an important seasonal beverage!  The world has gone mad!

And yes, being in Seattle, there is no excuse for Starbucks to not bring out the Pumpkin Spice Latte pre-Labor Day.  Let's face it -- even though summer does not officially end for another few weeks, most people already think summer has ended when kids have gone back to school and August is over.  Mentally -- and on Facebook -- people are already transitioning into Fall mode.

I thought it was very interesting that the holiday season dates (which were already kind of known anyway) were announced one week earlier this year than they were last year, while the Halloween Time and MHP dates were announced later this year than last year!    Considering the diminished Halloween offerings, I don't know why Disney took so long in releasing that info to the Parks Blog for an announcement!


----------



## jammyjam25

Another user (@Avery's mom) linked this in another thread - Looks like there is a new premium dining experience at BB only available during the Halloween parties that includes a three course meal, entertainment by Dr. Facilier and other guests including the Cadaver Dans, plus priority viewing for Halloween Screams! - https://disneyland.disney.go.com/dining/disneyland/blue-bayou-halloween-dinner-package/

I went through the reservation process for 2 guests and it totaled $300. So $150 per guest it seems. A little steep for me!


----------



## Sherry E

jammyjam25 said:


> Another user (@Avery's mom) linked this in another thread - Looks like there is a new premium dining experience at BB only available during the Halloween parties that includes a three course meal, entertainment by Dr. Facilier and other guests including the Cadaver Dans, plus priority viewing for Halloween Screams! - https://disneyland.disney.go.com/dining/disneyland/blue-bayou-halloween-dinner-package/
> 
> I went through the reservation process for 2 guests and it totaled $300. So $150 per guest it seems. A little steep for me!





They're doing the 'paid event within a paid event' thing that WDW does/did!   I doubt that anyone is shocked about that!

I do like the name -- "Mystical Spirits of the Blue Bayou."  The price is too steep for me!


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## Avery's mom

Thanks for posting this here jammyjam25!  I really wish it didn't take up so much park time, though!  $150 per adult OR child is do-able for a really great experience, but for so much park time - I know my kids would complain about being stuck in a restaurant for so long.


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## Sherry E

Between this Blue Bayou event and the Jungle Cruise breakfast (for a bargain price of $300!!!!), Disney is trying to ride this high roller dining thing all the way to the bank!


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## Drnifer

I just booked the Blue Bayou event when I read Dr. Facilier was going to be there. My brother loves him and was disappointed he wasn't at the Halloween party we attended last year.  I guess it will be a surprise early Christmas present, lol.


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## Sherry E

Drnifer said:


> I just booked the Blue Bayou event when I read Dr. Facilier was going to be there. My brother loves him and was disappointed he wasn't at the Halloween party we attended last year.  I guess it will be a surprise early Christmas present, lol.



Please report back and let us know how it goes.  I will be very curious to read and hear reviews, as this is the first time Disneyland has tried the 'paid event within the paid event/Halloween Party' deal.  I want to see if it turns out to be a success, or if it is something that works better at WDW than at DLR.


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## Spyral

Yeah, I would be interested in doing it, but it is just to expensive!  For a family of 5, that is $750 on top of the MHP tickets!  So that would mean would pay over $1050 for the night


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## Metalliman98

I would totally do this if we could get there at 7:30 and leave after eating (75-90 minutes) and take ourselves to the preferred fireworks viewing.  But committing 3 hours out of a five hour party is too much.


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## Sherry E

I am waiting for the Disney Parks Blog to make the announcement about this Blue Bayou/Mystical Spirits event!  They announced the Jungle Cruise breakfast thing, so they must still be working on the piece about the Blue Bayou.   It's a shame because it is soooo expensive, and the MHP is already costly enough.

Last year Disney rolled out the Mahaloween event at Trader Sam's at the DLH -- and, if I recall correctly, I believe the price was something like $250 for two people ($125 per person).  So, this year they are continuing the trend of expensive, limited dining events/experiences.

Edited to amend the per person price, per Serial's correction.


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## Drnifer

We're not going until Oct. 27, so hopefully someone will have gone before then because I'll be waiting for a review, too! I'm against the paid event within a paid event idea, but I think my brother will love it. We're leaving for WDW next week and his magic band has a Dr. Facilier theme including a lighted amulet.


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## Sherry E

Metalliman98 said:


> I would totally do this if we could get there at 7:30 and leave after eating (75-90 minutes) and take ourselves to the preferred fireworks viewing.  But committing 3 hours out of a five hour party is too much.



Absolutely.   More than half of MHP would be used up by the Blue Bayou event.


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## gottalovepluto

I just saw that $300 price tag on Jungle Crusie breakfast, be still my heart! I'm intrigued by the blue bayou idea, out of my price range and not really my sort of thing but I will be interested to see if they manage to fill it up every night of MHP. And the logistics of POTC. That would be pretty cool to ride by and catch a glimpse of the spirit shenanigans at play while floating through the bayou


----------



## Sherry E

gottalovepluto said:


> I just saw that $300 price tag on Jungle Crusie breakfast, be still my heart! I'm intrigued by the blue bayou idea, out of my price range and not really my sort of thing but I will be interested to see if they manage to fill it up every night of MHP. And the logistics of POTC. That would be pretty cool to ride by and catch a glimpse of the spirit shenanigans at play while floating through the bayou



Also, I guess this now explains the POTC closure right after Halloween Time begins, but it isn't supposed to be completed/open until 9/29 or after, correct (which is after MHP begins, and after this BB dining thing begins)?    I figured that they want to spruce up POTC for this event, but it would make more sense if they could get it open by 9/25!


----------



## Nonsuch

I booked the BB dinner for Oct 5, and will post a report.  Fireworks seating is a great part of the package.
MHP tickets are required to purchase the dinner (according to the website), but I did not need to provide any confirmation that I had already purchased tickets (I used the same Disney account, so the ticket check might happen "magically").  Party admission should be included.


gottalovepluto said:


> I just saw that $300 price tag on Jungle Crusie breakfast, be still my heart!...


Park admission should be included with this package as well.
I just tried to book (as a test), and there are no reservations available for any of the 8 dates.
Either capacity is very limited, or the event has not gone onsale.


----------



## Sherry E

I had recently just been wondering if there was going to be a return of the Mahaloween event (also costly) at Trader Sam's this year.  I figured that if it returned it probably would not be announced for another couple of weeks, at least.  Even though Mahaloween got mixed reviews -- people felt it was too disorganized for the high price tag -- it was a way to bring a bit of Halloween to one of the hotels.

Now I think that, between the Jungle Cruise breakfast and the Mystical Spirits/Blue Bayou event this year, there probably won't be another super expensive Mahaloween event again too.  Then again, never say never.  Just when I think I have Disney nailed down to a reliable schedule or pattern, they surprise me!


----------



## Abbey1

Will Dr. Facillier be confined to the exclusive event then? I was really hoping my son would have a chance to meet him, but the $350 cost for the event seems a bit steep in addition to the party tickets we've already purchased.


----------



## Serial

Sherry E said:


> Last year Disney rolled out the Mahaloween event at Trader Sam's at the DLH -- and, if I recall correctly, I believe the price was something like $200 or $250 per person.  So, this year they are continuing the trend of expensive, limited dining events/experiences.



Mahaloween was $125/pp, including tax and tip. The Tahitian Terrace Diamond Luau this year was $150/pp. both events sold out. But I get your point.

I actually appreciate Disneyland offering these unique experiences and don't quite feel like it's price gouging (unlike trying to charge fans $50 for the right to hand over more money for merchandise on Force Friday, or for any other merchandise event) because you're getting drinks, food, entertainment, usually an exclusive souvenir and an experience out of it. And these events do have to be planned around or outside of the park's normal operations. The price is what Disney needs to make a profit (or else why do it?) and what the market will bear, and clearly there are people who aren't letting the $300/pp price deter them from filling up the reservations for this event. The only thing I'd ask if I were to spend that kind of money is for the event to meet Disney's usual high standard of quality and hospitality. If an event is too much, Disney will backtrack and refund the price like they did for Force Friday or adjust the pricing on the next event.


----------



## Mommy2PrincessAbby

I booked it... Can't believe I booked it, but I booked the BB special dinner... we are doing two parties and I talked to dd and explained that it would mean less park time but we would get good seats for HS for sure.  We were doing dinner at BB another night so I just swapped things around so we would only have the one BB dinner.  I am getting pretty excited. Have all our sit down meals booked. Have tentative park hours... A lot of 7 am EEs... And only 50 more days to wait!


----------



## stephanie22

Sherry E said:


> Keep in mind that the Star Wars Launch Bay is very likely to open on 10/11.  Even though it has not yet been announced by Disney (I discovered the info all on my own!), that's the date that the performers/characters at the Launch Bay are supposed to start work.  It could be that Disney is extending the park hours because they expect an influx of Star Wars fans in that week.  Now I would not have expected that the Launch Bay itself would bring in tons of people -- I would expect big crowds when the new Star Tours film/adventure opens later this year, as well as when Season of the Force and Hyperspace Mountain begin early next year -- but combined with the Halloween/Halloween Party crowds and the people coming out to see the Diamond Anniversary things, as well as any school breaks or other events bringing extra people to the parks... yes, I expect it to be quite busy!



Well I guess I should start preparing myself for busier crowds than were used to. Hopefully I'll find it to be less busy than I'm expecting.

I have a question about costumes, my son really wants to go to on of the parties as a storm trooper, but I know they have strict guidelines regarding masks. Do you know if the storm trooper mask will be allowed?

Edited to fix spelling


----------



## Priory

A $150 hard ticket event inside of a hard ticket event is absolutely ridiculous.

And I totally just booked it.

Here's why.

A) I've done the party. Lots. I'm good. Plus there's no calvacade to worry about this year and I've seen paint the night 3 times.  B) I've always missed the cadaver dans no matter how hard I try to catch them (they'll be performing during the event according to the booking page) c) I've always had a lousy view of Halloween screams. d) wdw's up sell event looked pretty cool. E) I'm a sucker for an exclusive gift no matter how lame it usually turns out to be.

It just hit all the right little buttons for me. It's still ridiculous though. But doing ridiculous overpriced things comes with the park fan territory I guess.


----------



## Serial

These premium events kind of remind me of those experiences you could only otherwise win in a contest, like the family who got to have dinner and spend a night in the Haunted Mansion a year or two ago or the VIP character experiences offered up as prizes in the Diamond Days sweepstakes, which people always wish they could buy if only there were a price. Well now you can. Complain about the price if you want, but if it was cheap then just about everyone would jump on it and you'd complain that there's not enough space to accommodate everybody.


----------



## Sherry E

Serial said:


> Mahaloween was $125/pp, including tax and tip. The Tahitian Terrace Diamond Luau this year was $150/pp. both events sold out. But I get your point.
> 
> I actually appreciate Disneyland offering these unique experiences and don't quite feel like it's price gouging (unlike trying to charge fans $50 for the right to hand over more money for merchandise on Force Friday, or for any other merchandise event) because you're getting drinks, food, entertainment, usually an exclusive souvenir and an experience out of it. And these events do have to be planned around or outside of the park's normal operations. The price is what Disney needs to make a profit (or else why do it?) and what the market will bear, and clearly there are people who aren't letting the $300/pp price deter them from filling up the reservations for this event. The only thing I'd ask if I were to spend that kind of money is for the event to meet Disney's usual high standard of quality and hospitality. If an event is too much, Disney will backtrack and refund the price like they did for Force Friday or adjust the pricing on the next event.



I had the $250 figure stuck in my head for Mahaloween, but it was probably because I had looked into getting a seating for 2 people last year, so I was thinking of the total figure and mistakenly said it was per person instead of being for 2.  Still, it's not inexpensive, it excludes a lot of people who can't afford it, and people reported it as being too expensive for how disorganized it was.

My main point in the post that you quoted was that Disney is continuing the trend of expensive, limited dining experiences.   Whether or not people are willing to pay those prices is a separate issue in my mind.  They are willing to pay the money for MHP, and I think that the prices for MHP are too high.  Some people think the prices to get into the parks are too high, but many of the rest of us feel the cost is worth it.  There will always be people who are more than willing to pay or are simply unable to pay.  

The $300 per person is for the Jungle Cruise breakfast, not for the Blue Bayou event.  The Blue Bayou event is about half that price per person, correct?  Isn't it about $150 pp (of course, not counting the separate price tag for MHP), or is it more expensive than that?


----------



## Mommy2PrincessAbby

The BB thing sounds like a much better deal to me... Unless you have always wanted to be a skipper on one of those boats, then you may disagree... But the meal alone is worth $50 pp at BB, plus entertainment, plus the HS seating.... Compared to what I used to pay for dessert seating for F! $150 pp isn't outrageous.  Another thought I had, if PTN starts at 8:50 and they are escorting us to our seats at 9 pm, it is possible we will be in the HS seating as PTN goes by, they would have to pre-cordon off that area...


----------



## Drnifer

So, if we're doing BB during the party should I switch my Fantasmic dinner to RBT or eat at BB twice?  It looks like the menu will be different enough if we did go twice...


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## Mommy2PrincessAbby

Drnifer said:


> So, if we're doing BB during the party should I switch my Fantasmic dinner to RBT or eat at BB twice?  It looks like the menu will be different enough if we did go twice...



I love the ambiance in BB and the food will be different... So it is really up to what you prefer?  I did cancel our regular BB dinner plans for the special dinner...


----------



## Sherry E

Abbey1 said:


> Will Dr. Facillier be confined to the exclusive event then? I was really hoping my son would have a chance to meet him, but the $350 cost for the event seems a bit steep in addition to the party tickets we've already purchased.



Good question!  Seeing that the Parks Bog has not yet done a piece about this Mystical Spirits/Blue Bayou event, and all we have to go on is what popped up on the Disneyland Resort website, it's anyone guess about Dr. Facilier.   I really hope that he is not exclusive to that event, but seeing how Disney has been handling other things -- making the characters in Halloween attire exclusive to MHP, for example -- I would have to guess that he will probably be exclusive to the Blue Bayou event.   They have to throw something in there (in addition to Halloween Screams viewing) to make the price worthwhile.



Mommy2PrincessAbby said:


> I booked it... Can't believe I booked it, but I booked the BB special dinner... we are doing two parties and I talked to dd and explained that it would mean less park time but we would get good seats for HS for sure.  We were doing dinner at BB another night so I just swapped things around so we would only have the one BB dinner.  I am getting pretty excited. Have all our sit down meals booked. Have tentative park hours... A lot of 7 am EEs... And only 50 more days to wait!



Cool!   Let us know how the whole thing goes when you get back (although, hopefully, we will begin to read reviews before you go).



stephanie22 said:


> Well I guess I should start preparing myself for busier crowds than were used to. Hopefully I'll find it to be less busy than I'm expecting.
> 
> I have a question about costumes, my son really wants to go to on of the parties as a storm trooper, but I know they have strict guidelines regarding masks. Do you know if the storm trooper mask will be allowed?
> 
> Edited to fix spelling



I think that the mask should be allowed if his eyes are visible.  From the guidelines:

•Guests may wear masks. However, masks must not obstruct vision, and eyes must be visible at all times.
•Guests that dress like Disney Characters may not pose for pictures or sign autographs for other Guests.

Will his eyes be visible?  I know that the Storm Troopers generally don't show their eyes!

I doubt it will be New Year's Eve-level busy, of course, but with all of those things going on at once (as well as CHOC Walk on 10/11, Columbus Day on 10/12 and various other school breaks and things), I expect it to be pretty busy.




Priory said:


> A $150 hard ticket event inside of a hard ticket event is absolutely ridiculous.
> 
> And I totally just booked it.
> 
> Here's why.
> 
> A) I've done the party. Lots. I'm good. Plus there's no calvacade to worry about this year and I've seen paint the night 3 times.  B) I've always missed the cadaver dans no matter how hard I try to catch them (they'll be performing during the event according to the booking page) c) I've always had a lousy view of Halloween screams. d) wdw's up sell event looked pretty cool. E) I'm a sucker for an exclusive gift no matter how lame it usually turns out to be.
> 
> It just hit all the right little buttons for me. It's still ridiculous though. But doing ridiculous overpriced things comes with the park fan territory I guess.



True.  I mean, the whole Disney experience is not inexpensive in and of itself.  Many people across the planet don't think it is worth it, and many of us think it is.  And then, beyond the basic price, any extra costs are up for debate as to whether or not they are worth it.  It just boils down to the fact that some people will have the money or not have the money, and some people will think it's worth it and some will not (even if they have the money).  There's nothing wrong with either opinion or either way of thinking.

By the way, did you get all of your other Halloween activities booked and lined up for your special Halloween-themed trip (Universal, Knott's, Queen Mary, L.A. Haunted Hayride)??




Serial said:


> These premium events kind of remind me of those experiences you could only otherwise win in a contest, like the family who got to have dinner and spend a night in the Haunted Mansion a year or two ago or the VIP character experiences offered up as prizes in the Diamond Days sweepstakes, which people always wish they could buy if only there were a price. Well now you can. Complain about the price if you want, but if it was cheap then just about everyone would jump on it and you'd complain that there's not enough space to accommodate everybody.



Yes -- they do seem very reminiscent of contest wins or Diamond Days prizes.  In fact, I think that there have been 2 different 'spend a night in the Haunted Mansion' contests in the last 6 or 7 years -- haven't there been?

I should point out that just because something is cheap (if it were cheap) or even free does not mean that everyone would jump on it.  You have no idea how many of the Diamond Days weekly prizes I have not entered to win, because they didn't appeal to me.  Different strokes for different folks.   The Blue Bayou thing honestly is not that interesting to me on a whole (meaning interesting enough for me to want to do it), even if it were $100 cheaper than it is.  The Jungle Cruise thing is only a bit more interesting to me to begin with, and certainly much less so for $300.



Mommy2PrincessAbby said:


> The BB thing sounds like a much better deal to me... Unless you have always wanted to be a skipper on one of those boats, then you may disagree... But the meal alone is worth $50 pp at BB, plus entertainment, plus the HS seating.... Compared to what I used to pay for dessert seating for F! $150 pp isn't outrageous.  Another thought I had, if PTN starts at 8:50 and they are escorting us to our seats at 9 pm, it is possible we will be in the HS seating as PTN goes by, they would have to pre-cordon off that area...



$150 doesn't sound that bad to me -- if the MHP prices were not higher than I thought they should be too.  The two events combined make for a very expensive evening that doesn't even count the regular cost to get into the park on a non-MHP day.  But it's subjective -- as I mentioned above, people will either think it's worth it or not, and they will either pay it or not.  To some, this Blue Bayou experience will be a great deal and a fantastic time!  I can't wait to hear about it from the people who do it!




Drnifer said:


> So, if we're doing BB during the party should I switch my Fantasmic dinner to RBT or eat at BB twice?  It looks like the menu will be different enough if we did go twice...



Personally, I would switch the Fantasmic dinner to RBT so that I had one experience at RBT, and one experience at BB.  But, that's just me -- you may want more than one BB experience, especially if the menu is a bit different.


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## Vala

I'm desperately trying to get a reservation for 1 on September 28... I can get 2, 3 and more no problem. Just 1 showing unavailable. Tried to call Disney Dining, told "not booking yet." Then what on earth are we all seeing? At least they told me they'd be a blog post about it on the 9th.


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## Sherry E

Vala said:


> I'm desperately trying to get a reservation for 1 on September 28... I can get 2, 3 and more no problem. Just 1 showing unavailable. Tried to call Disney Dining, told "not booking yet." Then what on earth are we all seeing? At least they told me they'd be a blog post about it on the 9th.



The 9th?  I guess, because it is a holiday weekend, they can't get the blog about it posted until after Labor Day -- but, really, the blog explaining it should have gone up today, when the info appeared on the DLR site.   In fact, the blog that was posted about the Jungle Cruise breakfast should have been a double header -- half of the blog should have been about Jungle Cruise, and the other half should have been about this Mystical Spirits/Blue Bayou event.

So the website will not let you book a solo package/meal?  Other people are booking it, so they are clearly taking reservations.


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## Vala

Yes, the blog really should have gone up with the Jungle Cruise post, I totally agree. Reminds me of the Star Wars meals when I was in WDW last year... we were long booked before the blog even mentioned them! I still hear the CM I booked with giggling when I blurted out after a grueling hour on hold: "Are you real and can I book the Star Wars meal with you?" 

The website was strictly refusing to let me book a solo package, only for the 28th and Halloween itself. I tried calling Disney Dining twice more. Once I was disconnected after being connected twice and the second time I was still on hold when I was finally seeing a table online. So I'm good now. Going on the 28th of September. That should mean I am the first one going so far?


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## Priory

This thing could very well sell out before they even announce it. Interesting they couldn't help you on the phone. So much for 'cast members have the same system as the online system' we always hear.

And yes Sherry, all the Haloween fun is booked! Doing Universal HHN, Knott's Scary, Queen Mary, and disneyland of course. Haunted Hayride is a maybe dependent on the interest of friends we're spending a day with. I am also finally going to see Walt's Barn as well (my trips have never lined up with the one Sunday a month until now). Should be a great trip (even if it's costing as much as a freaking WDW trip - lol).


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## Avery's mom

Well, count us in as having booked the Mystical Spirits BB Dinner.  When my DD got home from school, I told her about this option.  Even with the high price tag (there went $600!) and the fact that it takes so much Halloween Party time, she still said she realllllllly wanted to do it.  She's done the party before, so she said there would still be plenty of trick or treat time, which is the high point for the party for her.  We're going 10/7, so I could report back, but I think there will be plenty of people before me to do so.


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## lorijohnhill

Luckily, the menu is vey limited and neither of us eat any of those items! Saves me the temptation of spending another $300!


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## Kilala

I forgot to mention to you guys that the website was kinda wonky yesterday morning when I got my ticket for the 16th. I hade keep refeshing the page servial times in order for it do anything,=. I did check the date and it dose say it's for the 16th party


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## Priory

lorijohnhill said:


> Luckily, the menu is vey limited and neither of us eat any of those items! Saves me the temptation of spending another $300!


 
Speaking of, I noticed something odd in the details when I booked. It said a cast member would be contacting me to get my menu choices. How very WDW of them. But you may want to ask your party what they want in case you get a call when they aren't around.


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## Kilala

I just check the tickets again and the 23rd of October just sold out.


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## lwanthony

We just booked the BB Mystical spirits dinner for the 22nd of Oct. Now let's hope the reviews that will come long before we get there are all great!!!!!


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## keishashadow

Chris9ty said:


> We are going the week before Columbus Day and I am surprised that they are opening so early-* I thought 7 am Magic Mornings* were a summertime thing!  We are staying long enough that we can take our time and take a daily break if it gets crowded.



heck, that's 10 am east coast time, i'll be raring to go...not, doesn't take me long to adapt to the time zone difference lol



Nonsuch said:


> I booked the BB dinner for Oct 5, and will post a report.  *Fireworks seating is a great part of the package*.
> MHP tickets are required to purchase the dinner (according to the website), but I did not need to provide any confirmation that I had already purchased tickets (I used the same Disney account, so the ticket check might happen "magically").  Party admission should be included.
> 
> Park admission should be included with this package as well.
> I just tried to book (as a test), and there are no reservations available for any of the 8 dates.
> Either capacity is very limited, or the event has not gone onsale.



define 'fireworks seating' does this fall under the we give u a cushion to sit upon the ground ala the other dinner I have booked for Fantasmic?

I see this listed in description, assume it may be standing room only?

*Guests will then be escorted by our Ghoul Control to a reserved area in Central Plaza for priority viewing of the Halloween Screams fireworks spectacular!*

hmmm, appears I'd need to book the one package @ BB for 'seats' for Fantasmic, then this new one for a FW spot. 

it's pricey and the food choices aren't exactly what I'd select @ BB.  Will take closer look to see if cancellable before I take the plunge.

we did a similar dessert party @ MNSSHP.  just being able to have personal space while watching parade & FW were great, the character interaction in the castle were stellar.


----------



## Sith

Anybody happen to know the seating capacity of the Blue Bayou? 

The reason I ask is that I'm curious how much space will be taken for the Halloween Screams reserved seating. We had planned on getting in front of the castle early enough to get a spot up front. Now it sounds like there will be people in front of us no matter what we do. Unless I drop another $450 for the three of us of course...


----------



## keishashadow

ok, tried calling, gave up & booked it online for 10/5.  confirmation indicates this 'out' if reviews are less than stellar or my DH gets wind of what I dropped on this.  His favorite Disney restaurant is BB & fav attraction is DL's PoC.  When I saw pirates mentioned under entertaiment, it was all needed to see to pull the trigger:

*CANCEL*

*There is a 2 Day cancellation policy. Full price will be charged/forfeited if canceling within 2 Days or no show of the reservation.*


----------



## Priory

Yes the confirmation says 2 day cancelation policy bit the faqs (know before you go) on the events page says no refunds. It's a contradiction a manger would surely deal with in your favor, just be aware of it.


----------



## Sith

Just saw that the Oct 23 MHP is now sold out.


----------



## gottalovepluto

stephanie22 said:


> I have a question about costumes, my son really wants to go to on of the parties as a storm trooper, but I know they have strict guidelines regarding masks. Do you know if the storm trooper mask will be allowed?


I don't know but that's a really good question! I was always under the impression "eyes visible" is a security issue so personally I'd try for some sort of back up just in case the answer is no.


----------



## Djscarlette

stephanie22 said:


> I have a question about costumes, my son really wants to go to on of the parties as a storm trooper, but I know they have strict guidelines regarding masks. Do you know if the storm trooper mask will be allowed?
> 
> Edited to fix spelling



My son will be a stormtrooper too at MHP we have the Disney ST costume which blackouts his eyes. I bought him a ST hat to wear at the party, I found it on amazon for a really good price. I told him he won't be able to wear the helmet at the party, but will be wearing it at home to trick or treat on Halloween night. He's 4 and is excited to wear the hat with his costume.


----------



## Nonsuch

keishashadow said:


> ...define 'fireworks seating' does this fall under the we give u a cushion to sit upon the ground ala the other dinner I have booked for Fantasmic?
> I see this listed in description, assume it may be standing room only?
> *Guests will then be escorted by our Ghoul Control to a reserved area in Central Plaza for priority viewing of the Halloween Screams fireworks spectacular!*


While there is no way to know for certain until the first party, I expect there will be actual seats (benches or folding chairs) located in the north spoke of the hub.
Even when part of a VIP Tour, Disney uses the description "Priority/Preferred/Reserved Viewing" rather than "seating".  WOC tends to be standing, but other viewing areas (PTN, F!, Fireworks) usually have chairs.


----------



## haileymarie92

I think fiancé and I are going to book another MHP just so we can do the new BB!! It's pricey but fiancé just got a bonus at work and it sounds so fun!


----------



## violentlyserene

I just saw,that oct 23 sold out so we went ahead and got ours for the 22nd. So excited!


----------



## haileymarie92

We did it! We are now going to the Sept 30 and Oct 2 MHPs and doing the BB dinner on Oct 2.  So excited!

Figured it'd be better to do the 3hr dinner on the Friday party since we anticipate it'll be busier than the Wednesday party.


----------



## goldmay

Sith said:


> Anybody happen to know the seating capacity of the Blue Bayou?
> 
> The reason I ask is that I'm curious how much space will be taken for the Halloween Screams reserved seating. We had planned on getting in front of the castle early enough to get a spot up front. Now it sounds like there will be people in front of us no matter what we do. Unless I drop another $450 for the three of us of course...



There are ~50 tables and most of them seat up to 4 people. But who knows, maybe they won't fill up the whole restaurant for the event, since characters are going to be walking around.


----------



## Sherry E

Kilala said:


> I just check the tickets again and the 23rd of October just sold out.



Thank you for letting us know, Kilala!  Needless to say, when I checked (and rechecked) the DLR website earlier today, no additional parties were showing as sold out beyond the ones we already know about.  So the 10/23 one just popped up.  That makes 4 sold out MHPs.

I will update page 1 of the thread with the latest sellout info, and I have to find somewhere to insert a paragraph about this new Blue Bayou event in the MHP FAQ section.



lwanthony said:


> We just booked the BB Mystical spirits dinner for the 22nd of Oct. Now let's hope the reviews that will come long before we get there are all great!!!!!



Hopefully we will get some reviews right after September 25th!  I'm eager to read about how this goes.




Sith said:


> Anybody happen to know the seating capacity of the Blue Bayou?
> 
> The reason I ask is that I'm curious how much space will be taken for the Halloween Screams reserved seating. We had planned on getting in front of the castle early enough to get a spot up front. Now it sounds like there will be people in front of us no matter what we do. Unless I drop another $450 for the three of us of course...



Thankfully, goldmay had an answer for you -- it's been a long time since I last ate at BB, and I was trying to picture the layout and the tables!  




keishashadow said:


> ok, tried calling, gave up & booked it online for 10/5.  confirmation indicates this 'out' if reviews are less than stellar or my DH gets wind of what I dropped on this.  His favorite Disney restaurant is BB & fav attraction is DL's PoC.  When I saw pirates mentioned under entertaiment, it was all needed to see to pull the trigger:
> 
> *CANCEL*
> 
> *There is a 2 Day cancellation policy. Full price will be charged/forfeited if canceling within 2 Days or no show of the reservation.*



I think the pirates who will be entertaining are the Bootstrappers!  They're great, although they are usually out in the daytime in NOS.  I suspect that's who you will see.

You never know -- maybe at some point Disney will decide to throw Jack Sparrow into the mix at Blue Bayou as a surprise!





haileymarie92 said:


> We did it! We are now going to the Sept 30 and Oct 2 MHPs and doing the BB dinner on Oct 2.  So excited!
> 
> Figured it'd be better to do the 3hr dinner on the Friday party since we anticipate it'll be busier than the Wednesday party.



Good point -- so you could essentially skip Halloween Screams on 9/30 and do the other MHP things, and then save HS for 10/2.  



goldmay said:


> There are ~50 tables and most of them seat up to 4 people. But who knows, maybe they won't fill up the whole restaurant for the event, since characters are going to be walking around.



I'm so glad you knew that!  I was trying to visualize Blue Bayou from the last time I ate there, and I could not remember if there were 50 tables, or 75 tables, or 35 tables.


----------



## bluedietcoke04

Just bought our tickets to the Mystical Spirits of the Blue Bayou Dining Experience for the 29th.  Totally excited for this.  My husband and I have been to several of these halloween events over the years and with it just being the two of us this seemed like an awesome change.  Not surprised by price seeing how small the restaurant is and they only do one seating per night.  Should be a lot of fun!  Figure we can trick or treat for a good hour and then enjoy the party at the BB. 

Haven't seen it mentioned in this thread but on Halloween the Disney Concert Hall in LA is showing Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde while a live organist plays in the background.  Booked for that as well. Counting down the days!!!


----------



## haileymarie92

Sherry E said:


> Good point -- so you could essentially skip Halloween Screams on 9/30 and do the other MHP things, and then save HS for 10/2.


That's pretty much the plan! 9/30 will be trick or treating and rides, and then the first chunk of the 10/2 party will be blue bayou and the second half maybe a few rides and the AP treat trail again depending on the gift this year. 

Anyone know if you are an AP holder and go to multiple MHPs, can you go to the AP treat trail once for each party? Or do they scan your AP and do a once a year thing?


----------



## Kilala

I hope that Toon Town is open again for the pre-party this year. Hopefully some one there is going on the first night can tell us if there is anything going on before  the party starts


----------



## Sherry E

bluedietcoke04 said:


> Just bought our tickets to the Mystical Spirits of the Blue Bayou Dining Experience for the 29th.  Totally excited for this.  My husband and I have been to several of these halloween events over the years and with it just being the two of us this seemed like an awesome change.  Not surprised by price seeing how small the restaurant is and they only do one seating per night.  Should be a lot of fun!  Figure we can trick or treat for a good hour and then enjoy the party at the BB.
> 
> Haven't seen it mentioned in this thread but on Halloween the Disney Concert Hall in LA is showing Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde while a live organist plays in the background.  Booked for that as well. Counting down the days!!!



Oooh!  Thank you for telling us about the event at the Disney Concert Hall. You're right -- it's not mentioned in the thread, because I didn't even think of the Concert Hall for Halloween.  I have looked at its events for the holiday season and on New Year's Eve, but never for Halloween.  That would be a good thing to add to my post on page 1 about other/alternate Halloween/Fall things to do, especially since it's a Disney location.


----------



## Nonsuch

Sith said:


> ...We had planned on getting in front of the castle early enough to get a spot up front. Now it sounds like there will be people in front of us no matter what we do...


You should still be able to get a spot up front.
The BB seating (and I assume it will be seated) is likely to be in the usual VIP seating at the north spoke of the hub (the walkway leading up to the partners statue).


----------



## mummabear

jammyjam25 said:


> Another user (@Avery's mom) linked this in another thread - Looks like there is a new premium dining experience at BB only available during the Halloween parties that includes a three course meal, entertainment by Dr. Facilier and other guests including the Cadaver Dans, plus priority viewing for Halloween Screams! - https://disneyland.disney.go.com/dining/disneyland/blue-bayou-halloween-dinner-package/
> 
> I went through the reservation process for 2 guests and it totaled $300. So $150 per guest it seems. A little steep for me!



OMG I only half read this as excitement overtook, I was one click from dropping $750 without even noticing . Thank god I did or my family would have had a spare ticket....since DH would have killed me!
Does this mean Dr Facilier won't be available for meet and greets?


----------



## Sherry E

mummabear said:


> OMG I only half read this as excitement overtook, I was one click from dropping $750 without even noticing . Thank god I did or my family would have had a spare ticket....since DH would have killed me!
> Does this mean Dr Facilier won't be available for meet and greets?



No one knows just yet. The Parks Blog has not done an official blog about this event yet -- instead they focused on the Jungle Cruise breakfast today.  Apparently they are not doing a blog about it until next week, a couple of days after Labor Day.

My guess is that Dr. Facilier may end up being limited at MHP outside of this specific event.  To me it seems that having an 'exclusive' character at the Blue Bayou would be one of the selling points.  If I were going to plunk down $150 in addition to the money I already plunked down for MHP, I would want to mingle with a character that was not going to be out and about at the regular MHP.  He may still be at MHP but just not as often.

I guess we have to see what the Parks Blog says when they finally do a piece on it next week!  Hopefully they will have their information correct, as the Disneyland press releases can't even get it straight whether or not there will be a Monsters U dance party in Tomorrowland or a Superhero dance party!


----------



## Sith

Well, I just made reservations for Mystical Spirits of the Blue Bayou for 10/31. It sounds like way too much fun I couldn't resist! It is a bit pricey, BUT...

I already had regular dinner reservations at Blue Bayou on the night before, anyway. Dinner for 3 at BB by itself can be nearly $200 after tax & gratuity. So, cancelling this reservation eases the pain of the Mystical Spirits price tag a little.


----------



## Sherry E

Sith said:


> Well, I just made reservations for Mystical Spirits of the Blue Bayou for 10/31. It sounds like way too much fun I couldn't resist! It is a bit pricey, BUT...
> 
> I already had regular dinner reservations at Blue Bayou on the night before, anyway. Dinner for 3 at BB by itself can be nearly $200 after tax & gratuity. So, cancelling this reservation eases the pain of the Mystical Spirits price tag a little.



It should be especially fun on Halloween night too.


----------



## theluckyrabbit

haileymarie92 said:


> ...Anyone know if you are an AP holder and go to multiple MHPs, can you go to the AP treat trail once for each party? Or do they scan your AP and do a once a year thing?



Last year we went to 2 parties and went through the AP trail each time with no problems. They do scan your pass, but only to make sure you only go through once per party.


----------



## hkkatie

Quick question about the halloween party, and I apologize in advance if it has been answered. I don't have time to read 233 pages right now! 

Does it get really crowded? Or do they limit the number of tickets in order to keep it from getting crowded? (Right now I'm looking at Sept 28). Like would you say that it's hour-long waits in line? or more like 15-30 minutes?


----------



## mummabear

Sherry E said:


> No one knows just yet. The Parks Blog has not done an official blog about this event yet -- instead they focused on the Jungle Cruise breakfast today.  Apparently they are not doing a blog about it until next week, a couple of days after Labor Day.
> 
> My guess is that Dr. Facilier may end up being limited at MHP outside of this specific event.  To me it seems that having an 'exclusive' character at the Blue Bayou would be one of the selling points.  If I were going to plunk down $150 in addition to the money I already plunked down for MHP, I would want to mingle with a character that was not going to be out and about at the regular MHP.  He may still be at MHP but just not as often.
> 
> I guess we have to see what the Parks Blog says when they finally do a piece on it next week!  Hopefully they will have their information correct, as the Disneyland press releases can't even get it straight whether or not there will be a Monsters U dance party in Tomorrowland or a Superhero dance party!



I'm dying to know who the friends from the other side are. Sadly I just cant justify this, I cant see the kids being interested at all in the food (hot damn I want the bourbon glazed chicken breast)


----------



## Priory

Sith said:


> Well, I just made reservations for Mystical Spirits of the Blue Bayou for 10/31. It sounds like way too much fun I couldn't resist! It is a bit pricey, BUT...
> 
> I already had regular dinner reservations at Blue Bayou on the night before, anyway. Dinner for 3 at BB by itself can be nearly $200 after tax & gratuity. So, cancelling this reservation eases the pain of the Mystical Spirits price tag a little.



This reminds me, gratuity IS included in this price. I saw it on some breakdown of fees I clicked. I can't remember if tax was included too. I noticed the gratuity because I made the mistake of tipping on A couple of gratuity-included things at WDW. Of course if the service is exceptional, I suppose extra tip could be appropriate, but it's not required for those pricing this out.


----------



## Vala

Both included, tax and gratituity. I just checked my breakdown in the reservation site.


----------



## mom2rtk

Someone mentioned characters mingling at dinner. Does it actually say that? All I know is if they take some of the best villains offline to be part of this dinner, I'm not going to be very happy about that. I was looking forward to meeting Dr. Facilier this year, and I think it's now a foregone conclusion he'll be gone from the regular party. But if they remove others, I'm going to be very unhappy.

They are absolutely not above doing that, because that's exactly what they did last year at the Villains Soiree at MNSSHP.

Of course, it would help immensely to know for sure if that's the case. I might begrudgingly go ahead and book this to save our Halloween experience, but of course by the time we know for sure what they are doing, it will all be sold out.


----------



## stephanie22

Djscarlette said:


> My son will be a stormtrooper too at MHP we have the Disney ST costume which blackouts his eyes. I bought him a ST hat to wear at the party, I found it on amazon for a really good price. I told him he won't be able to wear the helmet at the party, but will be wearing it at home to trick or treat on Halloween night. He's 4 and is excited to wear the hat with his costume.



 Thank you, the hat is a great idea!


----------



## mommy2mrb

Can't believe it...I just booked Mystical Spirits at Blue Bayou on 10/2!!!

Going to surprise my DD with this!  It is pretty cool as this trip is to celebrate my birthday and my late husbands birthday and what would of been our 18th wedding anniversary.  My DH LOVED New Orleans so I know he would of had a kick out of doing this!

Even with taking time out of the party, feel that it will be worth the $$$ dinner's not cheap there, getting time with the characters, the lithograph and seating for HW makes it easy to pay the $$$!


----------



## haileymarie92

mommy2mrb said:


> Can't believe it...I just booked Mystical Spirits at Blue Bayou on 10/2!!!


Fiancé and I will also be there on 10/2!!


----------



## mommy2mrb

haileymarie92 said:


> Fiancé and I will also be there on 10/2!!



Fun! see you there!


----------



## keishashadow

Nonsuch said:


> While there is no way to know for certain until the first party, I expect there will be actual seats (benches or folding chairs) located in the north spoke of the hub.
> Even when part of a VIP Tour, Disney uses the description "Priority/Preferred/Reserved Viewing" rather than "seating".  WOC tends to be standing, but other viewing areas (PTN, F!, Fireworks) usually have chairs.



seats would be a definite bonus for us



Nonsuch said:


> You should still be able to get a spot up front.
> The BB seating (and I assume it will be seated) is likely to be in the usual VIP seating at the north spoke of the hub (the walkway leading up to the partners statue).



thanks for the description, now I need to look @ map to try & figure it out



mom2rtk said:


> Someone mentioned characters mingling at dinner. Does it actually say that? All I know is if they take some of the best villains offline to be part of this dinner, I'm not going to be very happy about that. I was looking forward to meeting Dr. Facilier this year, and I think it's now a foregone conclusion he'll be gone from the regular party. But if they remove others, I'm going to be very unhappy.
> 
> *They are absolutely not above doing that, because that's exactly what they did last year at the Villains Soiree at MNSSHP.*
> 
> Of course, it would help immensely to know for sure if that's the case. I might begrudgingly go ahead and book this to save our Halloween experience, but of course by the time we know for sure what they are doing, it will all be sold out.



yes, and it was well worth it but far less expensive pp since not a full meal.  After I informed DH how much he shelled out for it, shocked me by saying he doubts he'll forget the experience.  I understand what you are saying re removal of characters from the standard event but the parks have always had some sort of VIP event offerend to enhance one's experience. 

Even thought the gratuity is included is the DL offering, it's still going to take some doing to work it into our trip budget.  I'll just scale back somewhere else that trip, as always.  Thrilled at least the CS meals @ DL are amazing in quality vs majority of lame offering @ WDW.  Other than BB now all CS for us...where there's a will, there's a way kwim?

btw, @ WDW's event, you were asked to remain seated until the characters came to you, then you could get a picture.  we never felt rushed, there were tons of different characters, many face who would interact with to your heart's content.  

 While I'm thinking about it, have a question re these shirts.  they are our 'go-to' MNSSHP costume when it's ridiculously humid in Orlando vs the hot pirate garb.  Nice and cool, but not sure if they would pass the DL smell test re 'violent'.


----------



## Metalliman98

Sherry E said:


> Here is a great review/article about the Happiest Haunts Tour from last year - http://www.laughingplace.com/w/articles/2014/09/18/happiest-haunts-disneyland-tour-review/.  It will tell you exactly what happened and what the perks were.  I don't know if anything will change this year, but we'll find out soon.



Just booked the tour for 10/5.  CM mentioned going over to DCA and back to Disney, and mention ToT, HMH, and Matterhorn (?) as tour rides, though subject to change.  Surprised that SM:GG wasn't included, though maybe she just didn't mention it.

Edit: Forgot to mention she said the step off times for the tour were 4 and 4:15, which I suspect will be the step offs for most dates with MHP.


----------



## Self-Rescuing Princess

What characters are they saying may be at the BB?


----------



## HopLow1968

I have no problem with VIP type experiences.  I don't even have a problem with "paid event within a paid event", but I do have a problem with selling a paid event, then adding a paid event within that event and stripping things from the first event to give to the second event.  I have a problem with that because people have already paid money for the first event.
After paying $600 for our tickets, I was presented with the fact that there will be 3 MHP parties out of the 5 days we'll be there.  So either leave the park early (despite paying $600) for the *majority *of days we will be there, or shell out more money.  Ok, I did - I spent $300 to get us MHP tickets for two nights.
And now we can expect to lose an unknown number of villains as well as the good spots for the fireworks, or shell out another $300.

I don't mind paying extra for extra things.  I do mind paying extra to avoid having what I've already paid for taken away.
The dinner sounds fun, the extra entertainment (villains and such) sound really fun, and the reserved fireworks seating sounds really really fun (especially if there is a paint the night viewing as well). 
But I can't justify the price, as well as the huge loss of time at the party.  Looks like they're also saying that its advance payment.  So to reserve it is to pay for it - so I'd need to come up with $300 today.  Sadly, I'll skip.


----------



## Priory

Self-Rescuing Princess said:


> What characters are they saying may be at the BB?



All they've promised explicitly is Facilier. Also Cadaver Dans and some Pirates (more entertainment than characters, really). There
May be more. I don't think it's a full blown villain fest like WDW.


----------



## pudinhd

We have already decided we are not doing the BB event add-on.  I don't mind missing Dr. Facilier, but I am now wondering if the Cadaver Dans will be floating along the Rivers of America.  I also wish DLR would provide really rare characters during MHP.  You can see Cruella, Captain Hook, Evil Queen during the day if you are in the right spot at the right time.  I would rather see Oogie Boogie, Shan Yu, Gaston, Mother Gothel, Ursula, Syndrome, Lotso...  I made myself stop the list and decided not to start on rare non-villain characters.    They keep raising the prices and I don't think it would be that hard to let us meet special characters when spending a lot of money for a short party.


----------



## Comicbookmommy

Anyone know how to book infants for the BB Halloween package? When I go online to book (including my infant) it tries to charge me adult price for him. So I called the Disney Dining site and she said she didn't know what to do, but to go ahead and book for FOUR and call a special number about what to do about my infant. I'm worried they won't allow us in if there's a capacity issue  and my baby would count towards that (as you know it'll be booked solid). But I most definitely am not paying 150 for an infant. I'm already upset I need to pay 150 for my 5 year old who only eats bread at restaurants like this.


----------



## Avery's mom

Comicbookmommy said:


> Anyone know how to book infants for the BB Halloween package? When I go online to book (including my infant) it tries to charge me adult price for him. So I called the Disney Dining site and she said she didn't know what to do, but to go ahead and book for FOUR and call a special number about what to do about my infant. I'm worried they won't allow us in if there's a capacity issue  and my baby would count towards that (as you know it'll be booked solid). But I most definitely am not paying 150 for an infant. I'm already upset I need to pay 150 for my 5 year old who only eats bread at restaurants like this.



We also booked for 4, plus we have a 22 month old - who I did NOT pay for (we have 5 total).  There is no reason to pay for your infant, even though it is capacity controlled.  All they need to know is that an under-3 is attending.  When the CM calls you to get your main entree orders, mention again that you have an infant as well.  In fact, I would even send an email to Disney Dining so you have a paper trail that you did inform people that you have an infant.  That is what I am planning on doing - so I hope that it works for both of us!


----------



## stephanie22

pudinhd said:


> We have already decided we are not doing the BB event add-on.  I don't mind missing Dr. Facilier, but I am now wondering if the Cadaver Dans will be floating along the Rivers of America.  I also wish DLR would provide really rare characters during MHP.  You can see Cruella, Captain Hook, Evil Queen during the day if you are in the right spot at the right time.  I would rather see Oogie Boogie, Shan Yu, Gaston, Mother Gothel, Ursula, Syndrome, Lotso...  I made myself stop the list and decided not to start on rare non-villain characters.    They keep raising the prices and I don't think it would be that hard to let us meet special characters when spending a lot of money for a short party.


I agree with you 100% I'd live to see any of the characters you've mentioned, except for lotso.


----------



## mummabear

HopLow1968 said:


> have no problem with VIP type experiences. I don't even have a problem with "paid event within a paid event", but I do have a problem with selling a paid event, then adding a paid event within that event and stripping things from the first event to give to the second event.



This 


HopLow1968 said:


> I don't mind paying extra for extra things. I do mind paying extra to avoid having what I've already paid for taken away.


Exactly, in fact I am now emailing DLR, this is the straw in them already removing so much from Halloween time.



Priory said:


> All they've promised explicitly is Facilier. Also Cadaver Dans and some Pirates (more entertainment than characters, really). There
> May be more. I don't think it's a full blown villain fest like WDW.



And "Friends from the other side" whatever that means but I interpret it to be other characters.


----------



## Speechphi

I'm hoping that the BB experience will be similar to a character meal: you can stand in line to meet characters in the park, if you find them, or you can pay to have them come directly to your table. And considering it's a 3 hour event at BB, you would be missing out on character time in the parks. So it would make sense to have other villains. But like a character meal, their appearance at BB doesn't necessarily mean they're not in the park. At least that's what I hope happens! 

Heck, they're marketing MHP with having photo ops with villains. And they better not mean Capt Hook & Cruella only! You can meet Capt Hook easily on any day, Cruella is out quite often, and so is Evil Queen (even though we haven't met her yet).

If it weren't for the fact that there are 5 of us (so BB + MPH is over $1000 for ONE evening!), and we're going back at Christmas I _might_ be able to justify it. Although, with the attitude ds has been showing lately...maybe I'll just take the 2 dd's next year & leave the boys at home


----------



## mummabear

Yay BTRBBQ is open until 4:30 for lunch on the 29th



Speechphi said:


> I'm hoping that the BB experience will be similar to a character meal: you can stand in line to meet characters in the park, if you find them, or you can pay to have them come directly to your table. And considering it's a 3 hour event at BB, you would be missing out on character time in the park



Chances are that if they have them tied up for 3 hours at BB they wont be available at the party. No one who was part of the Villians soriee at MNSSHP last year was available otherwise (even the characters who had been previously announced that they would be meeting with their Princesses)


----------



## Sith

HopLow1968 said:


> I have no problem with VIP type experiences.  I don't even have a problem with "paid event within a paid event", but I do have a problem with selling a paid event, then adding a paid event within that event and stripping things from the first event to give to the second event.  I have a problem with that because people have already paid money for the first event.


I agree with this completely, even though I did give in to temptation and make reservations. I'm weak... 



Speechphi said:


> And considering it's a 3 hour event at BB, you would be missing out on character time in the parks.



I did consider this before making reservations. But, it's not as if we'll be stuck inside the BB for 3 hours missing the party. The event is only 2:45 from the time they begin seating until the end of the fireworks. We had planned on camping out in front of the castle to get hopefully a front row viewing. That right there would have cost us 2 hours of party time. I would rather spend that time at an awesome dinner/show/who knows, while my hopefully awesome seat is being saved _for_ me. 
It's still expensive, though...

Here is an itinerary from the DLR website:
Guest check-in on the day of event starts at 4:00 PM at Blue Bayou Restaurant. Guest seating begins at 7:00 PM, and dinner is served at 7:30 PM. Guests will be escorted to the reserved fireworks viewing area at 9:00 PM, and Halloween Screams Fireworks will take place at 9:25 PM. The premium experience ends at 9:45 PM. Guests are then free to explore the rest of Mickey’s Halloween Party.



pudinhd said:


> but I am now wondering if the Cadaver Dans will be floating along the Rivers of America.



I am doing the BB event, but I still hope to see them on the RoA. The Cadaver Dans singing Halloween songs on the foggy water is one of things that sold me on the MHP in the first place.

The first MHP is 23 days away. A lot of people purchased their non-refundable tickets just over 6 weeks ago. Yet, there still seems to be a lot of mystery about what we'll actually get. DLR needs to figure out what they will/ won't have, and let people know. Making changes this late in the game, especially ones that can take away from the experience we thought we paid for, is not cool.


----------



## Oswald23

I just send an email to Disney with my worries about the Halloween party. I don't know what there answer will. I don't want to get something out of it. The only thing I want is some information. 
I get the feeling to get a full villain/party experience you have to pay a 1000 bucks (for a family of 4). That sounds not like a number I had in mind 6 weeks ago. If the party is downsized there is nothing I could do about it, but I don't know If I bought the tickets knowing this in advance. I rather paid 10 dollars for Candy at the supermarket instead  And maybe I'm wrong and all the Villains and Cadaver dans are out at the party. Then I crawl back in my corner saying sorry  That is wat I said in my e-mail too. I'll let you know what there answer is


----------



## pudinhd

mummabear said:


> This
> Exactly, in fact I am now emailing DLR, this is the straw in them already removing so much from Halloween time.
> And "Friends from the other side" whatever that means but I interpret it to be other characters.





mummabear said:


> Chances are that if they have them tied up for 3 hours at BB they wont be available at the party. No one who was part of the Villians soriee at MNSSHP last year was available otherwise (even the characters who had been previously announced that they would be meeting with their Princesses)



I took "Friends from the other side" to mean some type of Dr. Facilier henchmen...  :/  I really hope they don't take away the "good" villains similar to VSS at WDW!!!  Especially since it seems to be a big surprise that we won't know until the first party!



Sith said:


> I am doing the BB event, but I still hope to see them on the RoA. The Cadaver Dans singing Halloween songs on the foggy water is one of things that sold me on the MHP in the first place.
> 
> The first MHP is 23 days away. A lot of people purchased their non-refundable tickets just over 6 weeks ago. Yet, there still seems to be a lot of mystery about what we'll actually get. DLR needs to figure out what they will/ won't have, and let people know. Making changes this late in the game, especially ones that can take away from the experience we thought we paid for, is not cool.



I hope you are right about the Cadaver Dans!  It's not like there is only one...  And there are more than 4 of them, so maybe they will be in both locations at the same time.

I agree that DLR (and WDW) should make a plan and stick with it.  It really is frustrating to get the details after you have already bought tickets to MHP!


----------



## Sith

pudinhd said:


> I hope you are right about the Cadaver Dans!  It's not like there is only one...  And there are more than 4 of them, so maybe they will be in both locations at the same time.


Really? I didn't know that. I know it's totally possible for them to have the same characters in multiple locations, but didn't realize there was more than one group of Dans. It makes sense, I just never really considered it.


----------



## pudinhd

Sith said:


> Really? I didn't know that. I know it's totally possible for them to have the same characters in multiple locations, but didn't realize there was more than one group of Dans. It makes sense, I just never really considered it.



I don't know if there are multiple groups of Dans...  I just know that I have seen them out without certain members on different days.


----------



## mom2rtk

I imagine the Dans have to have alternate members to fill in since they can't work 7 days a week and members sometimes get sick.

But this all makes me very nervous about just what we're getting for our money. I wouldn't believe they would take these things away for the "paid event within a paid event" if I hadn't seen them do that very thing last year at WDW. The odd part is that they didn't bring that same event back to WDW this year, and most have surmised it's because so many people complained.


----------



## Sith

pudinhd said:


> I don't know if there are multiple groups of Dans...  I just know that I have seen them out without certain members on different days.



Oh, so you just meant splitting up the quartet? I didn't think of that. I guess they could do that, but I hope they don't. It wouldn't be the same. They all sing different parts of the songs, i.e. harmonies etc. Taking away a Dan would be like taking away an instrument from a band.

Now that I've thought about it for a bit, I think it's totally possible for the Dans to do both the BB and RoA. They'll maybe do a few songs at the beginning of BB while people are being seated/ waiting for meals to be served. Then take a short walk across the path to RoA. Makes sense. But, really, who knows what the plan is?


----------



## Drnifer

pudinhd said:


> I took "Friends from the other side" to mean some type of Dr. Facilier henchmen... :/ I really hope they don't take away the "good" villains similar to VSS at WDW!!! Especially since it seems to be a big surprise that we won't know until the first party!


That's what I assumed, too. Some type of voodoo spirits. I guess we'll find out soon!


----------



## Comicbookmommy

So the Blue Bayou event is 3 hours? Does that include the fireworks time? I'm assuming so but checking to be sure.


----------



## Sith

Comicbookmommy said:


> So the Blue Bayou event is 3 hours? Does that include the fireworks time? I'm assuming so but checking to be sure.


Here is an itinerary from the DLR website. I posted it earlier, but here it is again:
Guest check-in on the day of event starts at 4:00 PM at Blue Bayou Restaurant. Guest seating begins at 7:00 PM, and dinner is served at 7:30 PM. Guests will be escorted to the reserved fireworks viewing area at 9:00 PM, and Halloween Screams Fireworks will take place at 9:25 PM. The premium experience ends at 9:45 PM. Guests are then free to explore the rest of Mickey’s Halloween Party.


----------



## Comicbookmommy

Sith said:


> Here is an itinerary from the DLR website. I posted it earlier, but here it is again:
> Guest check-in on the day of event starts at 4:00 PM at Blue Bayou Restaurant. Guest seating begins at 7:00 PM, and dinner is served at 7:30 PM. Guests will be escorted to the reserved fireworks viewing area at 9:00 PM, and Halloween Screams Fireworks will take place at 9:25 PM. The premium experience ends at 9:45 PM. Guests are then free to explore the rest of Mickey’s Halloween Party.



Ah, thank you very much, don't know how I missed seeing it before! Much appreciated!


----------



## amberlina29307

Not sure if this is the right thread. But I was wondering what the other parks do for Halloween like on Halloween. We wil lbe there with our 5 year old and cant do the MNSSHP, but she wants to dress like minnie and "trick or treat"


----------



## justgrace

We decided we won't be doing the BB dinner thing. Just seems like a waste of party time. I don't want to waste 2 1/2 - 3 hours eating food that I wouldn't eat normally and be stuck for the majority of the party. For $132+ a person, that would come to more than $1,100 for us and family during one of our parties this month. No thank you!


----------



## adamkat

Comicbookmommy said:


> Anybody have any of these beauties yet? I did and they're GLORIOUS!
> 
> Also, I'm decorating for Halloween on the 20th! Not gonna wait any longer!


Found these today.  baking a batch tomorrow!!!   So excited fall is in the air.  Next watching Hocus Pocus!!!!!


----------



## Oswald23

The other Side in the movie are 'dead' people. Just like the cadaver dans. In my opinion

I think boogie man and women sounds like villains.....

Here is the info I mean

When the dining concludes, our ghoulish Guests (you are wearing a costume, yes?) will meet, and be given a special amenity by, Dr. Facilier and his “boogie” men and women


----------



## mummabear

amberlina29307 said:


> Not sure if this is the right thread. But I was wondering what the other parks do for Halloween like on Halloween. We wil lbe there with our 5 year old and cant do the MNSSHP, but she wants to dress like minnie and "trick or treat"



Think you are in the wrong thread are you heading to wdw or dlr?
If your are at wdw then there are things in the resorts, fort wilderness in particular has trick or treating but nothing in the other parks.



Oswald23 said:


> The other Side in the movie are 'dead' people. Just like the cadaver dans. In my opinion
> 
> I think boogie man and women sounds like villains.....
> 
> Here is the info I mean
> 
> When the dining concludes, our ghoulish Guests (you are wearing a costume, yes?) will meet, and be given a special amenity by, Dr. Facilier and his “boogie” men and women



I assumed this meant CMs.
It is the problem with speaking in marketing terms, each one of us is reading it differently and expecting different things from it



Oswald23 said:


> I just send an email to Disney with my worries about the Halloween party. I don't know what there answer will. I don't want to get something out of it. The only thing I want is some information.
> I get the feeling to get a full villain/party experience you have to pay a 1000 bucks (for a family of 4). That sounds not like a number I had in mind 6 weeks ago. If the party is downsized there is nothing I could do about it, but I don't know If I bought the tickets knowing this in advance. I rather paid 10 dollars for Candy at the supermarket instead  And maybe I'm wrong and all the Villains and Cadaver dans are out at the party. Then I crawl back in my corner saying sorry  That is wat I said in my e-mail too. I'll let you know what there answer is



That makes 2 of us


----------



## Sherry E

hkkatie said:


> Quick question about the halloween party, and I apologize in advance if it has been answered. I don't have time to read 233 pages right now!
> 
> Does it get really crowded? Or do they limit the number of tickets in order to keep it from getting crowded? (Right now I'm looking at Sept 28). Like would you say that it's hour-long waits in line? or more like 15-30 minutes?



No need to read the whole thread!  In fact, in the very first post on the first page of this thread I have a paragraph titled "You Don't Have to Read the Whole Thread."   

I have found that the MHP crowds are a bit subjective.  Some people think that MHP is too crowded for a hard ticket event (I am one of those people), but other people think the crowds are fine.  There is some sort of a limit on the number of tickets sold, but no one knows how many are sold or given away for each party night.

Some rides are literally walk-ons, or they have very short lines.  Other rides such as Haunted Mansion Holiday and Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy will have pretty long lines at the party.  I don't think you'll be waiting for over an hour for all the rides -- more like 15-30 minutes for some of them, if even that long -- but HMH and SMGG are the two that might have the longest lines.

I would hurry and get the ticket before it sells out!




mom2rtk said:


> Someone mentioned characters mingling at dinner. Does it actually say that? All I know is if they take some of the best villains offline to be part of this dinner, I'm not going to be very happy about that. I was looking forward to meeting Dr. Facilier this year, and I think it's now a foregone conclusion he'll be gone from the regular party. But if they remove others, I'm going to be very unhappy.
> 
> They are absolutely not above doing that, because that's exactly what they did last year at the Villains Soiree at MNSSHP.
> 
> Of course, it would help immensely to know for sure if that's the case. I might begrudgingly go ahead and book this to save our Halloween experience, but of course by the time we know for sure what they are doing, it will all be sold out.



I think I'm the one who used the "mingle" word, and I was mainly just referencing mingling with a character at Blue Bayou who would be exclusive to that event, as opposed to mingling with a character that was going to be out and about at MHP.

My understanding is that -- for the time being -- Dr. Facilier is the only Villain or character we know of for sure who will be at the BB.   Other than that it sounds like there will be entertainment - Cadaver Dans (who are, presumably, going to be floating down the Rivers of America too) and probably the Bootstrappers (those are the pirates who sing in NOS during the daytime).  It would be cool if they threw Jack Sparrow into the BB event as a surprise, but then that could mean that he wouldn't be out at the party greeting guests.

I absolutely believe that Disney would remove characters from MHP and toss them into the paid event within the paid event.   In fact, after what they did at WDW last year I knew it was only a matter of time before they tried it at DLR too.  I can't wait to see what rabbits are pulled out of the hat for the holiday season , and what will be removed from that season to be thrown into another type of event.  There isn't even a Christmas party yet, but I have a feeling that there will be some sort of separate event to charge over $100 for.




keishashadow said:


> seats would be a definite bonus for us
> 
> 
> 
> thanks for the description, now I need to look @ map to try & figure it out
> 
> 
> 
> yes, and it was well worth it but far less expensive pp since not a full meal.  After I informed DH how much he shelled out for it, shocked me by saying he doubts he'll forget the experience.  I understand what you are saying re removal of characters from the standard event but the parks have always had some sort of VIP event offerend to enhance one's experience.
> 
> Even thought the gratuity is included is the DL offering, it's still going to take some doing to work it into our trip budget.  I'll just scale back somewhere else that trip, as always.  Thrilled at least the CS meals @ DL are amazing in quality vs majority of lame offering @ WDW.  Other than BB now all CS for us...where there's a will, there's a way kwim?
> 
> btw, @ WDW's event, you were asked to remain seated until the characters came to you, then you could get a picture.  we never felt rushed, there were tons of different characters, many face who would interact with to your heart's content.
> 
> While I'm thinking about it, have a question re these shirts.  they are our 'go-to' MNSSHP costume when it's ridiculously humid in Orlando vs the hot pirate garb.  Nice and cool, but not sure if they would pass the DL smell test re 'violent'.



I'm sure the go-to costumes will be fine.  If they're okay at WDW, I think they will be fine at DLR.

This sort of VIP event is not the norm for DLR.  It may be more common at WDW, but remember that we don't even have a Christmas party like WDW has (and I'm so glad about that!).  DLR is a different sort of place, with a bit of a different vibe, and a different makeup of guests (most being locals, apparently).   Not all things will work or be as successful at DLR as they are at WDW.  I think this event will be popular in its first year because people are curious, but I will be iinterested to see if there are a lot of complaints and backlash like there was about the event at WDW last year.



Metalliman98 said:


> Just booked the tour for 10/5.  CM mentioned going over to DCA and back to Disney, and mention ToT, HMH, and Matterhorn (?) as tour rides, though subject to change.  Surprised that SM:GG wasn't included, though maybe she just didn't mention it.
> 
> Edit: Forgot to mention she said the step off times for the tour were 4 and 4:15, which I suspect will be the step offs for most dates with MHP.



Last year the tour did not go into California Adventure at all.  I wonder if the CM you spoke to was looking at updated info or outdated info.  One time someone in my Christmas/Holiday Superthread was trying to find out info about the Holiday tour, and the CM on the phone gave her info about the tour from two years prior!

Yes, by all means, Ghost Galaxy should be one of the selling points of the tour!



HopLow1968 said:


> I have no problem with VIP type experiences.  I don't even have a problem with "paid event within a paid event", but I do have a problem with selling a paid event, then adding a paid event within that event and stripping things from the first event to give to the second event.  I have a problem with that because people have already paid money for the first event.
> After paying $600 for our tickets, I was presented with the fact that there will be 3 MHP parties out of the 5 days we'll be there.  So either leave the park early (despite paying $600) for the *majority *of days we will be there, or shell out more money.  Ok, I did - I spent $300 to get us MHP tickets for two nights.
> And now we can expect to lose an unknown number of villains as well as the good spots for the fireworks, or shell out another $300.
> 
> I don't mind paying extra for extra things.  I do mind paying extra to avoid having what I've already paid for taken away.
> The dinner sounds fun, the extra entertainment (villains and such) sound really fun, and the reserved fireworks seating sounds really really fun (especially if there is a paint the night viewing as well).
> But I can't justify the price, as well as the huge loss of time at the party.  Looks like they're also saying that its advance payment.  So to reserve it is to pay for it - so I'd need to come up with $300 today.  Sadly, I'll skip.



Great points, and I agree with all of them!




Priory said:


> All they've promised explicitly is Facilier. Also Cadaver Dans and some Pirates (more entertainment than characters, really). There
> May be more. I don't think it's a full blown villain fest like WDW.



I am thinking the Pirates will be the Bootstrappers, unless there are surprise pirates like Jack Sparrow.  Maybe it will be regular ol' Captain Hook and Smee.  I don't think it will be a full blown villain fest either -- this year -- but I suspect that this is DLR's way of testing the waters to see how popular this event is, and to see if they can get away with removing any other MHP exclusives in future years and making them Blue Bayou exclusives!  Next year could be a full blown villain fest if this year is a smash success.



pudinhd said:


> We have already decided we are not doing the BB event add-on.  I don't mind missing Dr. Facilier, but I am now wondering if the Cadaver Dans will be floating along the Rivers of America.  I also wish DLR would provide really rare characters during MHP.  You can see Cruella, Captain Hook, Evil Queen during the day if you are in the right spot at the right time.  I would rather see Oogie Boogie, Shan Yu, Gaston, Mother Gothel, Ursula, Syndrome, Lotso...  I made myself stop the list and decided not to start on rare non-villain characters.    They keep raising the prices and I don't think it would be that hard to let us meet special characters when spending a lot of money for a short party.



The Dans had better be floating down the Rivers of America since they have been advertised as part of MHP.  I mean, technically, I suppose their appearance at the BB means that they are part of MHP, but I don't think they'd be removed from RoA.  That would just be nonsense if it happened.  And, then again, I keep thinking that something is going to have to be exclusive to the BB or else it makes it kind of a waste to spend over $100 extra (beyond the lofty MHP price) to see things that can be seen at the regular ol' MHP!




mummabear said:


> This
> 
> Exactly, in fact I am now emailing DLR, this is the straw in them already removing so much from Halloween time.
> 
> 
> 
> And "Friends from the other side" whatever that means but I interpret it to be other characters.



I think it could be either Facilier's henchmen, or the Cadaver Dans.   Maybe Jack Skellington will wander in... or someone from the Haunted Mansion.

There should be an official Parks Blog about it next week, so hopefully it will become clear exactly who will be there.




mom2rtk said:


> I imagine the Dans have to have alternate members to fill in since they can't work 7 days a week and members sometimes get sick.
> 
> But this all makes me very nervous about just what we're getting for our money. I wouldn't believe they would take these things away for the "paid event within a paid event" if I hadn't seen them do that very thing last year at WDW. The odd part is that they didn't bring that same event back to WDW this year, and most have surmised it's because so many people complained.



I think that people get caught up in the excitement when these things are first announced, but the real tale will be told when people start attending this event and deciding whether or not it's worth it, then reporting back about it.   I'm not even sure if MHP is worth the price in and of itself, let alone tacking on an extra $100+ for a paid event within the paid event!  This whole Halloween Time season is wonky and wallet-draining this year -- somehow it just got a whole lot more expensive, but I don't really know what all has been "added in" that's new, per se, as opposed to  just being "repackaged" and "relocated."




amberlina29307 said:


> Not sure if this is the right thread. But I was wondering what the other parks do for Halloween like on Halloween. We wil lbe there with our 5 year old and cant do the MNSSHP, but she wants to dress like minnie and "trick or treat"



Are you asking about Disneyland Resort, or Walt Disney World?  If you're asking about DLR, California Adventure does next to nothing for Halloween Time -- including on Halloween.  Disneyland will close early for the Halloween Party on Halloween night, so nothing will be happening there other than the party and some decorations on Main Street and in Frontierland.  The hotels don't really do anything on Halloween, either.  The hotels do give out candy on Halloween, but I'm not sure if that is to anyone -- or only to guests of the hotels.



adamkat said:


> Found these today.  baking a batch tomorrow!!!   So excited fall is in the air.  Next watching Hocus Pocus!!!!!



I can't wait for fall to officially arrive.  It's supposed to be about 95 degrees in a week, so it's not very fall-like yet.   However, the other night I noticed that a neighbor in the next block over had switched out their porch lights for lights with an eerie orange glow, which projected spider web looking designs on the walls.  I thought, "Aha!  I'm not the only one in L.A. who is sick of summer and anxious for fall and Halloween!"



Oswald23 said:


> The other Side in the movie are 'dead' people. Just like the cadaver dans. In my opinion
> 
> I think boogie man and women sounds like villains.....
> 
> Here is the info I mean
> 
> When the dining concludes, our ghoulish Guests (you are wearing a costume, yes?) will meet, and be given a special amenity by, Dr. Facilier and his “boogie” men and women



Speaking of boogie, it would be cool if Oogie Boogie magically appeared at this Blue Bayou shindig but that's probably too much to hope for.


----------



## amberlina29307

After I posted I figured out DLR meant Disneyland..oops!! Yes we are going to WDW. Thanks for the info


----------



## keishashadow

> I'm sure the go-to costumes will be fine.  If they're okay at WDW, I think they will be fine at DLR.
> 
> This sort of VIP event is not the norm for DLR.  It may be more common at WDW, but remember that we don't even have a Christmas party like WDW has (and I'm so glad about that!).  DLR is a different sort of place, with a bit of a different vibe, and a different makeup of guests (most being locals, apparently).   Not all things will work or be as successful at DLR as they are at WDW.  I think this event will be popular in its first year because people are curious, but I will be iinterested to see if there are a lot of complaints and backlash like there was about the event at WDW last year.
> 
> I think it could be either Facilier's henchmen, or the Cadaver Dans.   Maybe Jack Skellington will wander in... or someone from the Haunted Mansion.
> 
> There should be an official Parks Blog about it next week, so hopefully it will become clear exactly who will be there.
> 
> I think that people get caught up in the excitement when these things are first announced, but the real tale will be told when people start attending this event and deciding whether or not it's worth it, then reporting back about it.   I'm not even sure if MHP is worth the price in and of itself, let alone tacking on an extra $100+ for a paid event within the paid event!  This whole Halloween Time season is wonky and wallet-draining this year -- somehow it just got a whole lot more expensive, but I don't really know what all has been "added in" that's new, per se, as opposed to  just being "repackaged" and "relocated."
> 
> .



I hate the idea of DL & WDW being homogenized into one size fits all.  Appears they are testing the waters to see who bites re these pricey events @ DL.

Of the people I spoke to who did attend last years' WDW event, the reviews were stellar.  The complaints came from those who didn't/or couldn't obtain the tix.  Many were blind-sided by the missing character interaction and loss of viewing area in the castle hub.  It's certainly understandable, especially if they had no idea what was changing.  Do find it odd that you rarely see any complaints about people paying routinely $ for the dessert party (and sitting in the spot where we would stake out 'free' in the past).

With all the expansion, Disney is likely tightening the budgets, including entertainment.  From a business sense it's very smart to take existing performers and churn more revenue via the events.  Unfortunately, if there is not a sharp decline in the sale of party tix, this trend will likely continue.  The Star Wars weekends @ WDW has similar programs, pricey but for those who only have a day to get 'er done, justifiable for many.  If I wasn't part of the SWW thread here that yuellin has, would've missed chance to even purchase the tickets.  Utterly ridiculous that Disney doesn't announce the events until after they've gone on sale.

OT I'm not thrilled that my girls want to visit MVMCP this year.  compared to MNSSHP, a waste of $ imo.  I don't have to go far to see snow, hot chocolate & snickerdoodles in western PA...yet, you do what you do to dole out the pixie dust.

I haven't had a chance to run the numbers yet, but it occurred to me that for the price of this new event, DH & I could likely do the VIP Knotts Scare Farm and EE buffet for less $.  apples and oranges I know, but still...


----------



## BobaFettFan

I purchased the MNSSHP and the BB dinner and the only thing I want is for them to include park admission for the entire day and not just after 4pm.


----------



## mom2rtk

BobaFettFan said:


> I purchased the MNSSHP and the BB dinner and the only thing I want is for them to include park admission for the entire day and not just after 4pm.


 

Well, for a mere $105 more............


----------



## Metalliman98

Sherry E said:


> Last year the tour did not go into California Adventure at all.  I wonder if the CM you spoke to was looking at updated info or outdated info.  One time someone in my Christmas/Holiday Superthread was trying to find out info about the Holiday tour, and the CM on the phone gave her info about the tour from two years prior!
> 
> Yes, by all means, Ghost Galaxy should be one of the selling points of the tour!



Well, the website does say that "to keep the spirits happy, portions of the tour are refreshed each year", so it's entirely possible they are including DCA this year.

After the Blue Bayou dinner offering, I'm just waiting for the announcement that Happiest Haunts tour participants will have the "opportunity" to pay an additional $50 to receive an exclusive pin and Halloween treat in addition to the tour.  If you're gonna do paid event within paid event, might as well go all in.  

But seriously, I think a large part of it has to do with the improving economy too.  I travel frequently for work, and back in the midst of the Great Recession hotels were tripping over themselves to lower rates and give away bonus loyalty points and status.  Now that the economy is somewhat back to normal, not so much.  This applies to Disney too.  I read reviews of VIP tours from just two or three years ago that mentioned a price in the $200s per hour and got excited to book one, but now it's in the $400s.  Almost makes me want to wish for another recession.


----------



## Kilala

adamkat said:


> Found these today.  baking a batch tomorrow!!!   So excited fall is in the air.  Next watching Hocus Pocus!!!!!


I made some yesterday and they are really good


----------



## Comicbookmommy

I think I'm deciding against the Blue Bayou Halloween package, but I wish I *knew* if there were going to be other villains attending, as the the lines are always WAY too long during the party, especially as we have a baby and waiting for a long time can be difficult. But as is, nothing sounds worth the price tag on top of the four $84 tickets I already bought. I also dislike a LOT paying adult price for my 5 year old. I also think it's awful they're pricing out families who just could never afford something like this. At LEAST offer smaller prices for the back tables, and smaller prices for children. Same with the Jungle Cruise Breakfast. Walt would have made it more fair.

Hope they don't mess with Christmas-time too much.


----------



## Spyral

Comicbookmommy said:


> I think I'm deciding against the Blue Bayou Halloween package, but I wish I *knew* if there were going to be other villains attending, as the the lines are always WAY too long during the party, especially as we have a baby and waiting for a long time can be difficult. But as is, nothing sounds worth the price tag on top of the four $84 tickets I already bought. I also dislike a LOT paying adult price for my 5 year old. I also think it's awful they're pricing out families who just could never afford something like this. At LEAST offer smaller prices for the back tables, and smaller prices for children. Same with the Jungle Cruise Breakfast. Walt would have made it more fair.
> 
> Hope they don't mess with Christmas-time too much.



I agree.  It is tempting, but the price would be quite a bit for my family of 5, and having to pay an adult price for my 5yr old son puts it over the top.  If it were just 2 or 3 of us, then it would be more attainable.  But for a larger family, it becomes impractical.

Now, if it also included admission for MHP, then I would end up doing it.  I would consider that a decent offering.


----------



## Disneyplannergirl

Looks like toontown preparty may be happening. Schedule is finally available for first MHP and it shows Toontown attractions closing at 6pm.


----------



## stephanie22

Just heard a commercial on the radio for Disneylands Halloween time. So it looks like they're still referring to it as Halloween time.

Also in case anyone else is thinking of a child's storm trooper costume, target has storm trooper masks with visible eyes, that they released on force Friday.


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## Sith

Sherry E said:


> I think that people get caught up in the excitement when these things are first announced, but the real tale will be told when people start attending this event and deciding whether or not it's worth it, then reporting back about it.  I'm not even sure if MHP is worth the price in and of itself, let alone tacking on an extra $100+ for a paid event within the paid event!



It would be nice to be able to wait for early party reports before making a decision. But, that isn't a realistic option if you want a specific day. Last year half the parties were sold out on or before the day of the first party. This is our first party year, and we specifically wanted Oct 31. Good thing I purchased early.

As for the BB event, yes I did get caught up in the excitement and pulled the trigger the first night I heard about it. But, due to the limited capacity of BB, I wouldn't be surprised if all dates for this event sold out before the first party. Especially Oct 31. But, if this isn't awesome, I will be much more hesitant to part with this much money in the future.

By the way, I already have one complaint. The event has a limited prix-fixe menu. I understand they need to do this because they will be serving the entire restaurant all at once. I still think that for $150 a plate I should be able to order whatever I want, but my real issue is that *the gumbo is not an option for the starter!* Who thought that was a good idea?!?!?!


----------



## Comicbookmommy

Ha, well right when I was deciding to not do the BB Halloween, my husband surprised me by saying he already booked it (could tell I was agonizing over the price so he got it and said he'd make the extra $$$). What a sweet husband he is  Still super unhappy about the child price, and everything else, so this better be amaaaaaazing! I also agree with Spyral that Halloween Party tickets should be included in the price!


----------



## Sherry E

I tried to edit my previous post early this morning to include this link to the latest blog from Mint Crocodile, but I guess that the forums were down for maintenance.  Anyway, Mint shows us some additional Halloween décor (things that we have pretty much already seen in MiceChat's blogs) -- http://mintcrocodile.blogspot.com/2015/09/visiting-disneyland-resort-on-force.html.

And, in Pumpkin Pandemonium news... I already reported on Hostess releasing both a Candy Corn Cupcake and a Pumpkin Spice Cupcake.   Not to be outdone, Twinkies have now jumped into the Pumpkin Spice Reign of Terror as well - http://www.theimpulsivebuy.com/word...stess-limited-edition-pumpkin-spice-twinkies/.


Also, remember that Starbucks' Pumpkin Spice Latte should "officially" be available as of 9/8/15, but people who have a My Starbucks Rewards account or know a secret code can preview the new and improved PSL this weekend, and tomorrow (Labor Day), ahead of official release.  I have a Starbucks Rewards account but I don't think I'll be at Starbucks today or tomorrow.

McDonald's McCafe is selling Pumpkin Spice K-cups this year - http://www.theimpulsivebuy.com/word...-mccafe-limited-edition-pumpkin-spice-k-cups/.  But... you may not be able to get an actual Pumpkin Spice Latte at your neighborhood McDonald's - http://consumerist.com/2015/08/31/m...mpkin-spiced-latte-in-only-38-of-restaurants/.




​



keishashadow said:


> I hate the idea of DL & WDW being homogenized into one size fits all.  Appears they are testing the waters to see who bites re these pricey events @ DL.
> 
> Of the people I spoke to who did attend last years' WDW event, the reviews were stellar.  The complaints came from those who didn't/or couldn't obtain the tix.  Many were blind-sided by the missing character interaction and loss of viewing area in the castle hub.  It's certainly understandable, especially if they had no idea what was changing.  Do find it odd that you rarely see any complaints about people paying routinely $ for the dessert party (and sitting in the spot where we would stake out 'free' in the past).
> 
> With all the expansion, Disney is likely tightening the budgets, including entertainment.  From a business sense it's very smart to take existing performers and churn more revenue via the events.  Unfortunately, if there is not a sharp decline in the sale of party tix, this trend will likely continue.  The Star Wars weekends @ WDW has similar programs, pricey but for those who only have a day to get 'er done, justifiable for many.  If I wasn't part of the SWW thread here that yuellin has, would've missed chance to even purchase the tickets.  Utterly ridiculous that Disney doesn't announce the events until after they've gone on sale.
> 
> OT I'm not thrilled that my girls want to visit MVMCP this year.  compared to MNSSHP, a waste of $ imo.  I don't have to go far to see snow, hot chocolate & snickerdoodles in western PA...yet, you do what you do to dole out the pixie dust.
> 
> I haven't had a chance to run the numbers yet, but it occurred to me that for the price of this new event, DH & I could likely do the VIP Knotts Scare Farm and EE buffet for less $.  apples and oranges I know, but still...



Although I totally expect Disneyland to eventually whip out some sort of Christmas party or hard ticket event in the not-too-distant future, I think that they had better put something brand new and totally exclusive in that party or they will get a lot of backlash.   The Halloween party has been going on for 10 straight years at this point, so tinkering with it every few years is expected to a degree.  The Holiday Season at DLR is a whole different thing, with all of the seasonal events (Christmas parade, snow, holiday fireworks, Winter Castle, characters in holiday attire, etc.) being "free" with the cost of park admission.  If they suddenly remove all of those things and place them in a party, yes, of course, there will be people who get caught up in the excitement and jump on buying tickets...but there will also be a sea of complaints flooding the Parks Blog and Disneyland email!  

I definitely agree with you that DLR is testing the waters now, to see what they can get away with in terms of these special events.  If this BB event turns out to be a resounding success after it's over with for the year, we can expect to see it return next year.  Although... I was kind of thinking that the Halloween Party would eventually move over to DCA for a couple of years, when the Big Thunder Ranch is torn up and the Big Thunder Trail can't be used for spooky party effects during construction.   If MHP does eventually go back to DCA for a temporary period of time, I wonder if Disney would have a similar paid event within the paid event in DCA, or if they would continue to do the Blue Bayou thing at DL -- with some modified version of entertainment and not Halloween Screams -- while having the party at DCA.  It will be interesting to see what happens in the next few years, as Star Wars Land is being built.

Our very own Pete Werner (founder of The DIS) referred to the Villains' Soiree at WDW last year as "Wickedly Disappointing" - http://blog.wdwinfo.com/2014/09/02/villains-soiree-wickedly-disappointing/.   Then again, I think that these types of events are going to draw mixed opinions from people based on their expectations.  I guess that if someone has a certain vision in their mind about what is going to take place and that scenario doesn't happen, then it's easy to be disappointed.  Other people will find them entirely worthwhile and integral to the whole Halloween experience.  

Disneyland Resort has stripped away so much of its Halloween Time celebration outside of MHP, that now it seems like it's not enough and they are going deeper by possibly stripping away certain elements of the MHP itself to include in the BB event.  To anyone who is used to WDW's way of doing things, this won't seem unusual.  To anyone who has been used to DLR's usual way of doing things and how the Halloween Time "season" has been handled over the years, this kind of progression into spending even more money to have a good Halloween experience is a bit disheartening.  But... it is what it is.  People will either buy into it or not.  As you said, unless there is a sharp decline in ticket sales then this sort of thing will continue.




Metalliman98 said:


> Well, the website does say that "to keep the spirits happy, portions of the tour are refreshed each year", so it's entirely possible they are including DCA this year.
> 
> After the Blue Bayou dinner offering, I'm just waiting for the announcement that Happiest Haunts tour participants will have the "opportunity" to pay an additional $50 to receive an exclusive pin and Halloween treat in addition to the tour.  If you're gonna do paid event within paid event, might as well go all in.
> 
> But seriously, I think a large part of it has to do with the improving economy too.  I travel frequently for work, and back in the midst of the Great Recession hotels were tripping over themselves to lower rates and give away bonus loyalty points and status.  Now that the economy is somewhat back to normal, not so much.  This applies to Disney too.  I read reviews of VIP tours from just two or three years ago that mentioned a price in the $200s per hour and got excited to book one, but now it's in the $400s.  Almost makes me want to wish for another recession.



  Yes -- the "opportunity" to receive a souvenir and treat for an extra $50+ in addition to the cost of the tour!    That would be exactly the kind of thing they'd do.

Very true -- the recession spawned a lot of great offers and discounts, at a multitude of places!

I wasn't really sure why the HHT didn't go into DCA last year, when it had been including DCA and Tower of Terror for a long time.  I mean, true -- there is no "Halloween" in DCA, so maybe they didn't want to draw attention to that sad fact.  If it actually does return to DCA this year, I wonder if that means that there will be some semblance of Halloween décor in that park other than just a random window display on Buena Vista Street.

Tomorrow -- or possibly Tuesday -- is when we should begin to read or hear about the character pumpkins going up over the DL turnstiles.  If we don't hear about those pumpkins being in place by Wednesday or so, I will question if they are returning this year.  If anything Halloween-ish is going to go up in DCA at all (other than just a window display or store display), it would have to go up in the next few days.




Comicbookmommy said:


> I think I'm deciding against the Blue Bayou Halloween package, but I wish I *knew* if there were going to be other villains attending, as the the lines are always WAY too long during the party, especially as we have a baby and waiting for a long time can be difficult. But as is, nothing sounds worth the price tag on top of the four $84 tickets I already bought. I also dislike a LOT paying adult price for my 5 year old. I also think it's awful they're pricing out families who just could never afford something like this. At LEAST offer smaller prices for the back tables, and smaller prices for children. Same with the Jungle Cruise Breakfast. Walt would have made it more fair.
> 
> Hope they don't mess with Christmas-time too much.



Even though now you know you're already going to the BB event, I was going to say that when the Parks Blog finally announces this event in a blog (4 or 5 days after we all found out about it), hopefully it will be clear -- or someone will ask in the comments -- whether or not Facilier is the only Villain or if there will be more.



Spyral said:


> I agree.  It is tempting, but the price would be quite a bit for my family of 5, and having to pay an adult price for my 5yr old son puts it over the top.  If it were just 2 or 3 of us, then it would be more attainable.  But for a larger family, it becomes impractical.
> 
> Now, if it also included admission for MHP, then I would end up doing it.  I would consider that a decent offering.



I agree on all your points.  Having to pay that money for a small child is crazy.  This kind of event makes more sense for smaller groups of people.  The fact that an expensive MHP ticket is needed in addition to the $100+ for the BB, it just pushes it past a point of being reasonable for a lot of people, I think.



Disneyplannergirl said:


> Looks like toontown preparty may be happening. Schedule is finally available for first MHP and it shows Toontown attractions closing at 6pm.



Aha!  Thank you for reporting in about that -- that's exactly how we figured it out last year.  Toontown's hours were short on the DLR website.  So if TT is closing at 6 p.m. on a 7 p.m. party night, then I wonder if the pre-party will again be a 2-hour thing, or just a 1-hour thing.




Sith said:


> It would be nice to be able to wait for early party reports before making a decision. But, that isn't a realistic option if you want a specific day. Last year half the parties were sold out on or before the day of the first party. This is our first party year, and we specifically wanted Oct 31. Good thing I purchased early.
> 
> As for the BB event, yes I did get caught up in the excitement and pulled the trigger the first night I heard about it. But, due to the limited capacity of BB, I wouldn't be surprised if all dates for this event sold out before the first party. Especially Oct 31. But, if this isn't awesome, I will be much more hesitant to part with this much money in the future.
> 
> By the way, I already have one complaint. The event has a limited prix-fixe menu. I understand they need to do this because they will be serving the entire restaurant all at once. I still think that for $150 a plate I should be able to order whatever I want, but my real issue is that *the gumbo is not an option for the starter!* Who thought that was a good idea?!?!?!



Reviews and reports of MHP from last year and from 20i3 are abundant and readily available, so if seeing what people thought of their party experiences is helpful to new MHP guests before buying a ticket, there is a lot of information in those reviews.  However, this year MHP will be tweaked a bit, with the inclusion of Paint the Night and the removal of the Cavalcade.  So that aspect will be new, as far as how PTN is going to work within the context of MHP, what crowds will be like for PTN, etc.  So those reviews will be eagerly waited once 9/25 rolls around.

The Blue Bayou event -- that's, of course, totally new territory for DL and MHP, and we will all be waiting with baited breath for the first reviews.  Not only will it probably sell out before the first party on 9/25, I wouldn't be surprised if it sold out right after the Parks Blog about it finally goes up!  Because a lot of people are getting a head start and booking it now, I wonder how many spots will still be available when the Parks Blog decides to announce it.

The menu situation is kooky, and I agree that for the price you're paying you should be able to order what you want.




Comicbookmommy said:


> Ha, well right when I was deciding to not do the BB Halloween, my husband surprised me by saying he already booked it (could tell I was agonizing over the price so he got it and said he'd make the extra $$$). What a sweet husband he is  Still super unhappy about the child price, and everything else, so this better be amaaaaaazing! I also agree with Spyral that Halloween Party tickets should be included in the price!



You have a very sweet and intuitive husband, indeed!


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## Oswald23

@Sherry E 
I just saw a picture at the day of a party of last year stating toon town closes at 4 pm for a 7 pm party. Do you recall if the website of disneyland last year also had toon town closing an hour before the rest of the park but  really closed earlier?


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## Lauren in NC

So, I did finally get a chance to talk with someone at the ranch.  She said the goats will be getting their scarves, and that the cabin will be decorated!  I peaked in one of the windows and did see some floral fall decor   I haven't seen too much else Halloween stuff going up, besides in the shops, but I'm assuming that'll start happening more after Labor Day.


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## Disneyplannergirl

This will be my first MHP, but I thought I read that the toontown preparty only started an hour before the MHP start time and lasted 2 hours. Can anyone who has gone before confirm how it worked in years past?  I am really hoping it happens this year.


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## Canadian Harmony

I'd do the Haunts thing too, if it were just me and DH, but the kids would be too scared, and as much as I love Mystical stuff, DH doesn't like dimly-lit restaurants (atmosphere be darned), so it's better for me to save money and just enjoy the MHP as planned.

I'll be the only one knowing what's going on without us while we chase the kids up and down the trick or treat trails, LOL


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## only hope

Lauren in NC said:


> So, I did finally get a chance to talk with someone at the ranch.  She said the goats will be getting their scarves, and that the cabin will be decorated!



That is some very good news! : ) I was really hoping the ranch would be open and decorated for our first visit, it sounds like so much fun. Nor do we have anything similar at WDW, unless you count goats at Animal Kingdom.


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## Sherry E

Oswald23 said:


> @Sherry E
> I just saw a picture at the day of a party of last year stating toon town closes at 4 pm for a 7 pm party. Do you recall if the website of disneyland last year also had toon town closing an hour before the rest of the park but  really closed earlier?



I think I can probably look it up in this thread, and find the post where perlster showed us the TT or Car Toon Spin closure time on the DLR website.

I am thinking they needed to close TT a bit earlier to set up the treat stations and characters before opening it as the pre-party.

ETA:  Here is perlster's post from 2014, with the screenshot of the Car Toon Spin closure - http://www.disboards.com/threads/ha...ts-now-sold-out.3270919/page-84#post-52296122.





Lauren in NC said:


> So, I did finally get a chance to talk with someone at the ranch.  She said the goats will be getting their scarves, and that the cabin will be decorated!  I peaked in one of the windows and did see some floral fall decor   I haven't seen too much else Halloween stuff going up, besides in the shops, but I'm assuming that'll start happening more after Labor Day.



Oh, that's wonderful news!   Thank you again for reporting back here with that info.   There's still no Carnival, but it's great that the cute goats get to celebrate Halloween Time at Disneyland (ad hopefully the Holidays too) one final time.  I love their little Halloween scarves.

I'm happy to hear that the cabin will be decorated too!  The cabin usually has a wide array of retro-themed Halloween décor on the walls and around the cabin, such as various pumpkin knick-knacks.  There used to be autumnal (faux) flowers and plants all around the outside of that area of the Ranch, as well as all of the Pumpkin People.  There are Pumpkin People inside the cabin as well.  I have a feeling that the décor will be less extensive than it used to be, but at least there will be something.



Disneyplannergirl said:


> This will be my first MHP, but I thought I read that the toontown preparty only started an hour before the MHP start time and lasted 2 hours. Can anyone who has gone before confirm how it worked in years past?  I am really hoping it happens this year.



From the Mickey's Halloween Party FAQ on page 1:

_"22. What is the Toontown Treat Pre-Party?

**Note -- Although there was no official announcement to specifically tell us that the Toontown Treat Pre-Party was returning to Mickey's Halloween Party in 2014, it did, indeed, take place. There was also a Pre-Party at the Big Thunder Ranch/Round-Up/Jamboree/Carnival area.**

 In 2013, Disneyland began including Toontown in the Halloween festivities by offering the “Toontown Treat Pre-Party” for guests of MHP. It began one hour before the start of the party (and lasted from either 5:00 pm to 7:00 p.m., or 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.). There were several treat trails set-up within Toontown -- such as in Mickey’s House, Minnie’s House, Donald’s Boat, and two in Toontown Square -- for guests to do some early candy collecting. There were also character meet and greets featuring a few rare characters. Guests reported seeing Clarabelle Cow and Roger Rabbit, along with Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto, Donald, and Chip & Dale. Guests were required to have their MHP wristbands to gain entrance into the pre-party.

 In 2014, the Pre-Party at the Big Thunder Ranch was also included in the festivities."_




Canadian Harmony said:


> I'd do the Haunts thing too, if it were just me and DH, but the kids would be too scared, and as much as I love Mystical stuff, DH doesn't like dimly-lit restaurants (atmosphere be darned), so it's better for me to save money and just enjoy the MHP as planned.
> 
> I'll be the only one knowing what's going on without us while we chase the kids up and down the trick or treat trails, LOL



I think that even without the Happiest Haunts Tour and the Mystical Spirits/Blue Bayou event, the Halloween Party will be a lot of fun!  It's a fun enough party and season without doing those things -- and now there will be goats in scarves too!


----------



## mummabear

Sherry E said:


> I definitely agree with you that DLR is testing the waters now, to see what they can get away with in terms of these special events. If this BB event turns out to be a resounding success after it's over with for the year, we can expect to see it return next year.



It's interesting that WDW has not done another soiree this year, just a dessert party with Fireworks viewing with no characters (for only about $20 less). Even though sales wise it sold out quick, the upset from taking away characters who had been previously available was too great. I think next year I wouldnt be as bad of a backlash, it really comes down to taking something away from people after they have already paid for it.



Sherry E said:


> Although I totally expect Disneyland to eventually whip out some sort of Christmas party or hard ticket event in the not-too-distant future, I think that they had better put something brand new and totally exclusive in that party or they will get a lot of backlash. The Halloween party has been going on for 10 straight years at this point, so tinkering with it every few years is expected to a degree. The Holiday Season at DLR is a whole different thing, with all of the seasonal events (Christmas parade, snow, holiday fireworks, Winter Castle, characters in holiday attire, etc.) being "free" with the cost of park admission. If they suddenly remove all of those things and place them in a party, yes, of course, there will be people who get caught up in the excitement and jump on buying tickets...but there will also be a sea of complaints flooding the Parks Blog and Disneyland email!



At WDW you get the same stuff for free during the week of Christmas, I would love a Christmas party and I would have thought with a local base it would be even better, however it comes down to adding things rather than taking away.
Think of the Villians soiree, if they had added it with even more rare characters and then left the usual MNSSHP villians as they had been promised it would have been an upsale same goes for MHP and the BB dinner, I am upset at having Dr Facilier taken away from the party as he is normally there and he is one of 2 villians I really want to meet (the other being Hans), if a "new" or more rare villian had been added for the dinner instead then I would not be having something taken away from what I have already paid for and those paying for it are paying for something more unique-everyone wins.


----------



## ACDSNY

Planning for a large group trip always has it's challenges, I found out I have two more joining us and of course the Halloween Party is sold out on 10/25 when we go with the rest of our group of 19.  Oh well that's the way it always seems to go.


----------



## kkmcan

We bought tickets for 10/2 and was a little bummed that there was no discounted price for this night like there has been in previous years. We always go the Friday night of Gay Days. It coincides with our kids fall break.  I actually thought that we'd save the money and not go to the party at all but we had enough Disney Visa rewards dollars burning a hole in my pocket. So technically they were free. 

I'm not really sad about the loss of the carnival. We never spent anytime back there anyways. Or the cavalcade... never saw it last year.  But if those big character carvings are not on the turnstiles I do think I will break down and cry.


----------



## pudinhd

I don't really mind the party-within-a-party idea, but maybe that is because I have met Dr. Facilier and don't need to meet him again.  My big issues are (1) that Disney releases information and then removes certain aspects after the fact and (2) that they don't give you all of the information you need to make a decision.  They removed a lot of the villains last year with VSS at WDW and might be doing it this year with the Cadaver Dans and other possible villains, Jack Sparrow, or Jack Skellington.  As of now, I am not interested in the BB event, but adding in other villains or characters might change that.  Of course, there is no telling when we might learn any additional information...  Halloween happens every year and isn't a big surprise that comes out of nowhere.


----------



## mummabear

Disneyplannergirl said:


> Looks like toontown preparty may be happening. Schedule is finally available for first MHP and it shows Toontown attractions closing at 6pm.



Driving me nuts it is only showing for the 25th no further dates! Fingers crossed for a toon town pre-party!


----------



## Sherry E

mummabear said:


> It's interesting that WDW has not done another soiree this year, just a dessert party with Fireworks viewing with no characters (for only about $20 less). Even though sales wise it sold out quick, the upset from taking away characters who had been previously available was too great. I think next year I wouldnt be as bad of a backlash, it really comes down to taking something away from people after they have already paid for it.
> 
> 
> 
> At WDW you get the same stuff for free during the week of Christmas, I would love a Christmas party and I would have thought with a local base it would be even better, however it comes down to adding things rather than taking away.
> Think of the Villians soiree, if they had added it with even more rare characters and then left the usual MNSSHP villians as they had been promised it would have been an upsale same goes for MHP and the BB dinner, I am upset at having Dr Facilier taken away from the party as he is normally there and he is one of 2 villians I really want to meet (the other being Hans), if a "new" or more rare villian had been added for the dinner instead then I would not be having something taken away from what I have already paid for and those paying for it are paying for something more unique-everyone wins.



There is a big, big difference in having the holiday offerings available for "free" all season long (starting in early to mid November) at DLR, and only for free the last two weeks of the season at WDW.  DLR is packed to the brim with people, often closing to capacity, in the week between Christmas and New Year's.  It would be sheer mayhem if those offerings were only available without a hard ticket charge in the last two weeks of the year.  There is no benefit (to guests) in having a Christmas party (for a crazy high price) at Disneyland unless something brand new, big and interesting is added in, or unless the crowds are low.  I doubt the crowds would be low.  Otherwise, they are taking away decades of "free" entertainment (the Christmas parade has been around since the '90s and Believe in Holiday Magic fireworks has been around for many years).  I think that's why they haven't tried the Christmas party yet -- they have let the Christmas parade and holiday fireworks go on for too many years at this point, that it would be silly to make those party exclusives.   The Halloween party and season are newer events than the Holidays, and the Halloween Screams fireworks only ran for one year for the general public before becoming a party exclusive, so it hadn't had a lot of time to become a tradition for people.

However, that said, I do think that DLR will attempt a Christmas party at some point -- and people will get caught up in the excitement even if things are being taken away from the regular holiday season.  Hopefully, with any luck, something new and different will be added in as a selling point.  Then again, they stopped doing the dinner packages for Candlelight years ago, and they do not promote it or sell it at DLR like they do at WDW.  Some things just don't or won't work as well at DLR as they do at WDW.

I totally agree about the Blue Bayou event -- if some brand new, rarely seen Villains are added in (Villains who were not just at the last few years of Halloween Parties), or even some non-Villain, super rare characters that have not been appearing at MHP, it would make the value of the event more tangible to me.   As it is, removing something that people paid for at MHP to throw into this Blue Bayou event is kind of sneaky.  I think that if this year's BB event goes well, Disney may add in some additional characters in future years -- but will they be taking them away from MHP?



ACDSNY said:


> Planning for a large group trip always has it's challenges, I found out I have two more joining us and of course the Halloween Party is sold out on 10/25 when we go with the rest of our group of 19.  Oh well that's the way it always seems to go.



19?  Yikes!


----------



## ACDSNY

Sherry E said:


> 19?  Yikes!



21 now.  Ten years ago we had 25 of us.


----------



## Sherry E

kkmcan said:


> We bought tickets for 10/2 and was a little bummed that there was no discounted price for this night like there has been in previous years. We always go the Friday night of Gay Days. It coincides with our kids fall break.  I actually thought that we'd save the money and not go to the party at all but we had enough Disney Visa rewards dollars burning a hole in my pocket. So technically they were free.
> 
> I'm not really sad about the loss of the carnival. We never spent anytime back there anyways. Or the cavalcade... never saw it last year.  But if those big character carvings are not on the turnstiles I do think I will break down and cry.




You were missing out by not spending time at the Carnival -- that was a Hub of Halloween entertainment, and the real, genuine carved/etched/painted character pumpkins courtesy of artists Ray, Joe and Georgina (as well as others) were 10,000 times more interesting and detailed than those fake foam pumpkins above the turnstiles!  The carved pumpkins changed daily and weekly, so there was always something different to see.

However, even though the character pumpkins above the turnstiles are fake, they are pivotal to the Halloween Time experience because they say "Halloween" before anyone enters the park.  They are usually the first glimpse of Halloween that anyone gets (not counting the display on the tram path, which many people don't see).   They'd better be there.

I, too, wondered about the lack of discounts on certain MHP nights where there should have been discounts this year. I thought I was imagining the fact that there were fewer discounted nights than in the past, or that certain nights were no longer discounted.


----------



## Comicbookmommy

Sherry E said:


> I already reported on Hostess releasing both a Candy Corn Cupcake and a Pumpkin Spice Cupcake.   Not to be outdone, Twinkies have now jumped into the Pumpkin Spice Reign of Terror as well - http://www.theimpulsivebuy.com/wordpress/2015/09/06/spotted-on-shelves-hostess-limited-edition-pumpkin-spice-twinkies/.
> 
> Also, remember that Starbucks' Pumpkin Spice Latte should "officially" be available as of 9/8/15, but people who have a My Starbucks Rewards account or know a secret code can preview the new and improved PSL this weekend, and tomorrow (Labor Day), ahead of official release.  I have a Starbucks Rewards account but I don't think I'll be at Starbucks today or tomorrow.



We got the Pumpkin cupcakes yesterday! Sad to say I thought they tasted kind of icky  How they could mess up a cupcake is beyond me!! Kids liked it though, but they'd probably eat cardboard if there was frosting on it, haha. I also saw Pumpkin Pop Tarts which the husband went bug-eyed at so probably going to try those next 

Thanks to this thread we got the Pumpkin Starbucks! It was DELICIOUS!! Going to get more of those really soon!
​


Sherry E said:


> I definitely agree with you that DLR is testing the waters now, to see what they can get away with in terms of these special events.  If this BB event turns out to be a resounding success after it's over with for the year, we can expect to see it return next year.  Although... I was kind of thinking that the Halloween Party would eventually move over to DCA for a couple of years, when the Big Thunder Ranch is torn up and the Big Thunder Trail can't be used for spooky party effects during construction.   If MHP does eventually go back to DCA for a temporary period of time, I wonder if Disney would have a similar paid event within the paid event in DCA, or if they would continue to do the Blue Bayou thing at DL -- with some modified version of entertainment and not Halloween Screams -- while having the party at DCA.  It will be interesting to see what happens in the next few years, as Star Wars Land is being built.
> 
> Our very own Pete Werner (founder of The DIS) referred to the Villains' Soiree at WDW last year as "Wickedly Disappointing" - http://blog.wdwinfo.com/2014/09/02/villains-soiree-wickedly-disappointing/.   Then again, I think that these types of events are going to draw mixed opinions from people based on their expectations.  I guess that if someone has a certain vision in their mind about what is going to take place and that scenario doesn't happen, then it's easy to be disappointed.  Other people will find them entirely worthwhile and integral to the whole Halloween experience.
> 
> Disneyland Resort has stripped away so much of its Halloween Time celebration outside of MHP, that now it seems like it's not enough and they are going deeper by possibly stripping away certain elements of the MHP itself to include in the BB event.  To anyone who is used to WDW's way of doing things, this won't seem unusual.  To anyone who has been used to DLR's usual way of doing things and how the Halloween Time "season" has been handled over the years, this kind of progression into spending even more money to have a good Halloween experience is a bit disheartening.  But... it is what it is.  People will either buy into it or not.  As you said, unless there is a sharp decline in ticket sales then this sort of thing will continue.




I feel like before this year, in terms of Halloween experiences at DLR, regular park hours were Prime (good) for experiencing Halloween and the Halloween Party was the Premium experience. Now it seems they're changing it by making regular hours: Sub-Prime, Halloween Party: Prime, and things like the BB thing supposed to be the new Premium experience. All set to make more $$$. I understand Disney must balance making profit with what they offer, but when (as you said) they push the boundaries like this of blatantly going after more profits at the expense of fair pricing, things start feeling very impersonal and very un-Disney.




Sherry E said:


> Even though now you know you're already going to the BB event, I was going to say that when the Parks Blog finally announces this event in a blog (4 or 5 days after we all found out about it), hopefully it will be clear -- or someone will ask in the comments -- whether or not Facilier is the only Villain or if there will be more.
> 
> I agree on all your points.  Having to pay that money for a small child is crazy.  This kind of event makes more sense for smaller groups of people.  The fact that an expensive MHP ticket is needed in addition to the $100+ for the BB, it just pushes it past a point of being reasonable for a lot of people, I think.



If there are more villains, it'll be more worth it to me for sure (though I still cringe at the price). I'm hoping Disney is perhaps offering a wider selection of villains during the party so scheduling a few to stop by BB for an hour wouldn't take away from the party as there'd be plenty of other opportunities.

Either way, our BB reservation is for the 29th, so plenty of time to cancel if reviews are not that great. Though I'd hate to stomp on my sweet husband's gesture by canceling!

Related to the changes coming during Halloween time in the future, one of my favorite spots during the party is the area between the Ranch and BTMRR, the area where there's a little water area with a boarded up cave. Durig the party the SFX and fog were sooooo cooool right there. Do you think they'll get rid of that area too for Star Wars Land? I certainly hope not  Hoping they'll spare the BTMBBQ and the little cave area, and just redo the ranch area into a walkway up to Star wars Land (though I'll miss the ranch too). I feel these areas are critical the feel of both Halloween and Holiday time.


----------



## haileymarie92

I may have the unpopular opinion here, but I don't think offering the BB dinner during the MHP is backhanded at all. Disney just wants to make special experiences and make money off them. I also don't think that they're "taking away from MHP" by making Dr Facilier exclusive to the BB dinner. Again, just making money off what they can offer people. 

Now, if the DL website specifically mentioned that Dr Facilier would be at MHP before they came out with the BB dinner, then yes I'd see the point. But buying a ticket to MHP doesn't guarantee that you'll see any specific character. It doesn't say "come to the MHP to see Dr Facilier". I know he's been offered in the past, but again that doesn't mean he's guaranteed. So I don't feel like they're taking from MHP if they make Dr Facilier exclusive to BB. Yes, people who don't buy the BB dinner will be disappointed, but I don't think it's wrong of disney to do.


----------



## Sherry E

Comicbookmommy said:


> We got the Pumpkin cupcakes yesterday! Sad to say I thought they tasted kind of icky  How they could mess up a cupcake is beyond me!! Kids liked it though, but they'd probably eat cardboard if there was frosting on it, haha. I also saw Pumpkin Pop Tarts which the husband went bug-eyed at so probably going to try those next
> 
> Thanks to this thread we got the Pumpkin Starbucks! It was DELICIOUS!! Going to get more of those really soon!
> ​
> 
> 
> I feel like before this year, in terms of Halloween experiences at DLR, regular park hours were Prime (good) for experiencing Halloween and the Halloween Party was the Premium experience. Now it seems they're changing it by making regular hours: Sub-Prime, Halloween Party: Prime, and things like the BB thing supposed to be the new Premium experience. All set to make more $$$. I understand Disney must balance making profit with what they offer, but when (as you said) they push the boundaries like this of blatantly going after more profits at the expense of fair pricing, things start feeling very impersonal and very un-Disney.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> If there are more villains, it'll be more worth it to me for sure (though I still cringe at the price). I'm hoping Disney is perhaps offering a wider selection of villains during the party so scheduling a few to stop by BB for an hour wouldn't take away from the party as there'd be plenty of other opportunities.
> 
> Either way, our BB reservation is for the 29th, so plenty of time to cancel if reviews are not that great. Though I'd hate to stomp on my sweet husband's gesture by canceling!



I can tell that you are my holiday season kindred spirit!  You are already in the spirit with pumpkin goodies and fall candles.  Many people wouldn't even understand enjoying Halloween-ish offerings before Labor Day, but there are some of us who can't wait to be done with summer and hot weather!  I think I mentioned last night/this morning that I was delighted to see that a neighbor in the next block over from where I live had replaced their porch lights and security lights with orange glowy lights, which projected spider web designs on the wall.  I knew that I was not the only one who was trying to hurry into fall!

That's too bad that the Hostess Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes are not good.  I suspect that the Pumpkin Spice Twinkies won't be good either.   The Pop Tarts have been around for a while -- most recently seen at my 99 Cents Only Store -- but I have never tried them.  

So the Pumpkin Spice Latte at Starbucks was delicious?   I am debating on trying it.  I am not the biggest fan of actual pumpkin flavor -- I prefer the smell of pumpkin foods, and I like actual carved pumpkins, of course.  

I totally agree about what Halloween Time is becoming in terms of the Sub-Prime, Prime and Premium experiences.  That's about the size of it.  I can only hope that they don't start up with that for the holiday season this year too.  I expect it at some point, but hopefully not this year.



Comicbookmommy said:


> Related to the changes coming during Halloween time in the future, one of my favorite spots during the party is the area between the Ranch and BTMRR, the area where there's a little water area with a boarded up cave. Durig the party the SFX and fog were sooooo cooool right there. Do you think they'll get rid of that area too for Star Wars Land? I certainly hope not  Hoping they'll spare the BTMBBQ and the little cave area, and just redo the ranch area into a walkway up to Star wars Land (though I'll miss the ranch too). I feel these areas are critical the feel of both Halloween and Holiday time.



The BBQ is closing in January.  The entire Ranch area has to be razed and closed.  There is no possible way the BBQ can stay open.   It's not going to be just a little path into Star Wars Land or a simple walkway.  That whole area is going to be part of Star Wars Land, as much as the entrances to Cars Land are part of Cars Land.

The Big Thunder Trail -- which is where the cave is-- is the area that I was referring to when I said I had a feeling the Halloween Party would have to move over to DCA for a couple of years.  I think that the Trail will probably be in disarray, or will lead to a mountain of construction, and they won't be able to put in the spooky effects and lighting for the party.  I could be wrong -- we'll see what happens.


----------



## keishashadow

sherri  - i remember reading that review before we went and thinking i had made a big booboo.  We attended after that experience but still early on, the first weekend in October.  imo they had time to fine tune things. We had the 2nd seating and we not rushed at all.  I'd have rebooked it.  

My DH loves to take pics, especially of the parade & headless horseman.   it was so nice not to have to fight to hold down a piece of turf from poachers.  DL has seemed more relaxed about the process, although it's been 3 years for us, things may have changed lol.   Many times there is a frentic air in WDW, perhaps because many are there for rare visits vs DL's regulars idk.  

what does bother me is those who show up without doing any prep work.  If you're dropping hundreds of $ do your homework.  You can't get everything done in a park in one day, why it's assumed it can be accomplished during limited event hours is beyond me.  Yet, every years there are complaints as to waiting hours to get pics taken w/popular characters.  At least the events offer an 'out'.  A pricey one, but the option is there.  It's just a darn shame that the add on options are cannabalizing the main event.

now to wait for the first reviews to roll out


----------



## Sherry E

haileymarie92 said:


> I may have the unpopular opinion here, but I don't think offering the BB dinner during the MHP is backhanded at all. Disney just wants to make special experiences and make money off them. I also don't think that they're "taking away from MHP" by making Dr Facilier exclusive to the BB dinner. Again, just making money off what they can offer people.
> 
> Now, if the DL website specifically mentioned that Dr Facilier would be at MHP before they came out with the BB dinner, then yes I'd see the point. But buying a ticket to MHP doesn't guarantee that you'll see any specific character. It doesn't say "come to the MHP to see Dr Facilier". I know he's been offered in the past, but again that doesn't mean he's guaranteed. So I don't feel like they're taking from MHP if they make Dr Facilier exclusive to BB. Yes, people who don't buy the BB dinner will be disappointed, but I don't think it's wrong of disney to do.



But I think that if we are going to use the "nothing is guaranteed" logic, then Disney can be excused for anything and never be held accountable.  I mean, if nothing is guaranteed, and if something is not mentioned on the website, why has anyone already contacted Disney to voice their opinions about the lesser Halloween Time offerings?  I haven't even contacted them yet, and I am the one who is most bothered by the diminished offerings, and who has been reporting on what's not coming back (because I have watched the offerings diminish over the last 8 years)!    If nothing is guaranteed and it's not mentioned on the website, then why contact Disney?  (I'm just playing Devil's Advocate!   )  Certain things do matter to some people, and some people feel that things are being taken from MHP.  (Of course, we will find out soon enough if anything actually has been taken out of MHP and made exclusive to Blue Bayou, but I would have to imagine that something is going to be a BB exclusive in addition to the Halloween Screams seats or else the price is probably not worth it.)


----------



## Comicbookmommy

Sherry E said:


> I can tell that you are my holiday season kindred spirit!  You are already in the spirit with pumpkin goodies and fall candles.  Many people wouldn't even understand enjoying Halloween-ish offerings before Labor Day, but there are some of us who can't wait to be done with summer and hot weather!  I think I mentioned last night/this morning that I was delighted to see that a neighbor in the next block over from where I live had replaced their porch lights and security lights with orange glowy lights, which projected spider web designs on the wall.  I knew that I was not the only one who was trying to hurry into fall!
> 
> That's too bad that the Hostess Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes are not good.  I suspect that the Pumpkin Spice Twinkies won't be good either.   The Pop Tarts have been around for a while -- most recently seen at my 99 Cents Only Store -- but I have never tried them.
> 
> So the Pumpkin Spice Latte at Starbucks was delicious?   I am debating on trying it.  I am not the biggest fan of actual pumpkin flavor -- I prefer the smell of pumpkin foods, and I like actual carved pumpkins, of course.
> 
> I totally agree about what Halloween Time is becoming in terms of the Sub-Prime, Prime and Premium experiences.  That's about the size of it.  I can only hope that they don't start up with that for the holiday season this year too.  I expect it at some point, but hopefully not this year.



I think you'll like the Starbucks Latte then, it didn't taste over-the-top Pumpkin at all, and the flavor was not too sweet, and felt very "Fall" and cozy. I also can only handle pumpkin flavor in moderation, and prefer candles and real pumpkins to the foods, but my husband would probably drink liquid pumpkin flavoring if he could, haha! I'm really looking forward to Stash coming out with their Holiday Chai Tea, I start drinking during fall if I can find it as it fits right in with Halloween/Thanksgiving!

And yeah totally your kindred spirit on Holidays! I enjoy summer for all of about 2 weeks before I'm like "Okay, over it, is Fall here yet?"  And while I said the 20th for decorating for Halloween, I think we're edging it back to the 16th (officially the "latter" part of the month) We bought a few new Lemax Spookytown Houses raring to be put out! I don't care if the neighbors think we're odd (they probably already do anyway, haha).


----------



## Sherry E

keishashadow said:


> sherri  - i remember reading that review before we went and thinking i had made a big booboo.  We attended after that experience but still early on, the first weekend in October.  imo they had time to fine tune things. We had the 2nd seating and we not rushed at all.  I'd have rebooked it.
> 
> My DH loves to take pics, especially of the parade & headless horseman.   it was so nice not to have to fight to hold down a piece of turf from poachers.  DL has seemed more relaxed about the process, although it's been 3 years for us, things may have changed lol.   Many times there is a frentic air in WDW, perhaps because many are there for rare visits vs DL's regulars idk.
> 
> what does bother me is those who show up without doing any prep work.  If you're dropping hundreds of $ do your homework.  You can't get everything done in a park in one day, why it's assumed it can be accomplished during limited event hours is beyond me.  Yet, every years there are complaints as to waiting hours to get pics taken w/popular characters.  At least the events offer an 'out'.  A pricey one, but the option is there.  It's just a darn shame that the add on options are cannabalizing the main event.
> 
> now to wait for the first reviews to roll out



Yes, indeed!   Prep work and homework are necessary.  That doesn't mean that all aspects of a DLR trip require as much planning and orchestration as a WDW trip, but research is needed just to know what has to be done, what can be done, what doesn't need to be done, etc.

I'm still waiting to find out if the Jungle Cruise Sunrise breakfast thing (for a mere $300) is going to obliterate the Jingle Cruise holiday overlay this year.  I think that Jingle Cruise won't happen this year, or that it won't be installed early in the season while the breakfast events are happening.  Jingle Cruise is not mentioned on the DLR website under the holiday activities (nor was it last year, until the season actually began), so I tend to think that Disney does not want to commit to bringing it back each year, and may decide closer to the actual season.


----------



## haileymarie92

Sherry E said:


> But I think that if we are going to use the "nothing is guaranteed" logic, then Disney can be excused for anything and never be held accountable.  I mean, if nothing is guaranteed, and if something is not mentioned on the website, why has anyone already contacted Disney to voice their opinions about the lesser Halloween Time offerings?  I haven't even contacted them yet, and I am the one who is most bothered by the diminished offerings, and who has been reporting on what's not coming back (because I have watched the offerings diminish over the last 8 years)!    If nothing is guaranteed and it's not mentioned on the website, then why contact Disney?  (I'm just playing Devil's Advocate!   )  Certain things do matter to some people, and some people feel that things are being taken from MHP.  (Of course, we will find out soon enough if anything actually has been taken out of MHP and made exclusive to Blue Bayou, but I would have to imagine that something is going to be a BB exclusive in addition to the Halloween Screams seats or else the price is probably not worth it.)


That's true, I get that. I guess I just don't see characters as party features. The carnival and cavalcade are actual events and taking those away are totally different than making a character exclusive to a ticketed dinner, in my opinion. But I'm not -huge- on getting character pics or autographs, so guess I can see how someone who is big on characters would feel that it was taken.


----------



## Sherry E

Comicbookmommy said:


> I think you'll like the Starbucks Latte then, it didn't taste over-the-top Pumpkin at all, and the flavor was not too sweet, and felt very "Fall" and cozy. I also can only handle pumpkin flavor in moderation, and prefer candles and real pumpkins to the foods, but my husband would probably drink liquid pumpkin flavoring if he could, haha! I'm really looking forward to Stash coming out with their Holiday Chai Tea, I start drinking during fall if I can find it as it fits right in with Halloween/Thanksgiving!
> 
> And yeah totally your kindred spirit on Holidays! I enjoy summer for all of about 2 weeks before I'm like "Okay, over it, is Fall here yet?"  And while I said the 20th for decorating for Halloween, I think we're edging it back to the 16th (officially the "latter" part of the month) We bought a few new Lemax Spookytown Houses raring to be put out! I don't care if the neighbors think we're odd (they probably already do anyway, haha).



On the one hand I think that a lot of people think that early décor is odd, but on the other hand I tend to think that more and more people are closeted early decorators.  I think that more people are beginning to decorate earlier for Halloween, but they just call it fall décor.  They may not want summer to end, but there is no real "décor" present for summer so they don't have to worry about pushing out the summer décor for the fall décor.   I think the issue for many people comes with the transition from Halloween décor to Christmas décor.  Even though Halloween things appear in stores quite early, that doesn't seem to be as much of an issue as Christmas/Holiday Season things appearing early.  A lot of people don't mind Halloween cutting their summer short, but they don't like Christmas cutting their Halloween short!   I have no problem with any of it.  I love it all.   If Halloween gets at least 3 months of shelf time, then so, too, should Christmas (if not more).  It may seem wacky and wrong, but that's the world we are living in now -- where Halloween and Christmas things appear very early!

I can barely tolerate summer, and my whole goal every year is to try to find ways to deal with it and get through it as best as possible... which usually involves foods and drinks.  This year's summer menu included:   lemonade, ice cream, root beer floats, strawberry smoothies, strawberry Frappuccinos, actual strawberries, juicy fruits, etc.  Whatever I can eat or drink to make summer bearable, then so be it!  I can't get through summer with just water alone, when that's what I drink 365 days a year anyway!



haileymarie92 said:


> That's true, I get that. I guess I just don't see characters as party features. The carnival and cavalcade are actual events and taking those away are totally different than making a character exclusive to a ticketed dinner, in my opinion. But I'm not -huge- on getting character pics or autographs, so guess I can see how someone who is big on characters would feel that it was taken.



I know what you mean.  There are some years where I feel much more motivated to get photos with characters, and then there are years where I just bypass every single one of them.  So the characters would not always be an MHP priority for me, and then maybe they would be a priority in other years.   I am not consistent when it comes to characters!  I am disappointed that Pumpkin Donald and Skeleton Goofy (among others) will not be out in the daytime this year, but that could just be a byproduct of the 60th anniversary.  Once the 60th is in the past, I wonder if the Halloween-costumed characters will be back somewhere in the daytime.  Donald and Goofy don't wear the pumpkin and skeleton costumes at MHP, respectively -- they have totally different ensembles.


----------



## rwhistler92

I see people saying they will cancel their BB Halloween dinner if the reviews aren't good.
I thought there was a no refund policy for that dinner. Am I wrong?


----------



## jammyjam25

I tried the pumpkin spice Frosted Mini Wheats today and I'm happy to report back that they were delicious!! The pumpkin flavor is really good and not too overpowering, and they weren't overly sweet either. Would definitely recommend for fellow pumpkin spice lovers.


----------



## Sherry E

rwhistler92 said:


> I see people saying they will cancel their BB Halloween dinner if the reviews aren't good.
> I thought there was a no refund policy for that dinner. Am I wrong?



It does say "No refunds, exchanges or discounts" in the Know Before You Go section.


----------



## Comicbookmommy

rwhistler92 said:


> I see people saying they will cancel their BB Halloween dinner if the reviews aren't good.
> I thought there was a no refund policy for that dinner. Am I wrong?



In my reservation for this event on the Disney site, there is a little information icon next to the pre-paid amount that says:

"For prepaid dining reservations, Guests who cancel within 24 hours of their reservation time or fail to show will be subject to a full price charge"

It also allows me to cancel the reservation online, same as regular reservations.

I don't know if that means there's some kind of charge if you cancel earlier than 24 hours beforehand or not, but to me it reads you can get a full refund, but if it also says no refunds under the event information, I don't know if that means this event is different?


----------



## Kilala

I did buy the Pumpkin pie pop tarts and they are very yummy. I have been buying he them since they came out. I went to Target and Wal-Mart today and I think Target will be up Halloween stuff next week. Wal-Mart is putting some Halloween tings uo in a isle and a lot of big bag candies, the $10 to $15 bags. I did see more of the Fall M&M's. I did noticed that Target is getting in most of the fall food and Wal-Mart is not getting any in except for candy.


----------



## Chris9ty

Canadian Harmony said:


> I'd do the Haunts thing too, if it were just me and DH, but the kids would be too scared, and as much as I love Mystical stuff, DH doesn't like dimly-lit restaurants (atmosphere be darned), so it's better for me to save money and just enjoy the MHP as planned.
> 
> I'll be the only one knowing what's going on without us while we chase the kids up and down the trick or treat trails, LOL



Canadian Harmony- I'll be there with you- I figure others can enjoy the extra party and more candy/less lines for us! LOL  I'm with a group of 8, who would really just be happy eating chicken nuggets for dinner and my kids may not even go near the friendly characters, let alone the villains.  I'll just enjoy reading the reviews while I eat my candy.


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## mom2rtk

haileymarie92 said:


> That's true, I get that. I guess I just don't see characters as party features. The carnival and cavalcade are actual events and taking those away are totally different than making a character exclusive to a ticketed dinner, in my opinion. But I'm not -huge- on getting character pics or autographs, so guess I can see how someone who is big on characters would feel that it was taken.


 

The special character opportunities are the reason I bought tickets to 2 parties. If I didn't like meeting characters, I wouldn't be going at all. To me there's not much else to justify the price. I'm sure someone will chime in and say the atmosphere or the trick or treating is important to them. And that's sort of the point. Different things are a priority to different people. If they started charging a separate admission to the trick or treat trails, I'd roll my eyes, but wouldn't really care. Different strokes.



Sherry E said:


> I know what you mean.  There are some years where I feel much more motivated to get photos with characters, and then there are years where I just bypass every single one of them.  So the characters would not always be an MHP priority for me, and then maybe they would be a priority in other years.   I am not consistent when it comes to characters!  I am disappointed that Pumpkin Donald and Skeleton Goofy (among others) will not be out in the daytime this year, but that could just be a byproduct of the 60th anniversary.  Once the 60th is in the past, I wonder if the Halloween-costumed characters will be back somewhere in the daytime.  Donald and Goofy don't wear the pumpkin and skeleton costumes at MHP, respectively -- they have totally different ensembles.


 

I was really hoping to see the characters in different Halloween costumes. I guess at this point I just need to be happy to see them in one!


----------



## Sherry E

mom2rtk said:


> I was really hoping to see the characters in different Halloween costumes. I guess at this point I just need to be happy to see them in one!



I guess you'll get the special Diamond Anniversary outfits in the daytime, and then whatever Halloween garb they are wearing at the party.  I suppose that Pumpkin Donald and Skeleton Goofy might be on vacation this year.


----------



## Drnifer

Sherry E said:


> Certain things do matter to some people, and some people feel that things are being taken from MHP.  (Of course, we will find out soon enough if anything actually has been taken out of MHP and made exclusive to Blue Bayou, but I would have to imagine that something is going to be a BB exclusive in addition to the Halloween Screams seats or else the price is probably not worth it.)


I can understand people being upset that the Cadaver Dans may be taken away, or if it turns out that multiple villains will be at BB and not out for meet and greets at MHP. I don't really feel that Dr. Facilier is being taken away, though, because he was never guaranteed to be available at MHP. Yes, he was available at some, but not all. I really wanted to meet him and Hades, but neither were at our party. So, really Disney is guaranteeing that you will meet him for a fee.


----------



## mom2rtk

Sherry E said:


> I guess you'll get the special Diamond Anniversary outfits in the daytime, and then whatever Halloween garb they are wearing at the party.  I suppose that Pumpkin Donald and Skeleton Goofy might be on vacation this year.


 

I guess I'd be more excited if I actually LIKED their 60th Anniversary outfits! 

I'll still be sure to get photos though. I'm hoping they grow on me.


----------



## Sherry E

Drnifer said:


> I can understand people being upset that the Cadaver Dans may be taken away, or if it turns out that multiple villains will be at BB and not out for meet and greets at MHP. I don't really feel that Dr. Facilier is being taken away, though, because he was never guaranteed to be available at MHP. Yes, he was available at some, but not all. I really wanted to meet him and Hades, but neither were at our party. So, really Disney is guaranteeing that you will meet him for a fee.



I actually don't think that the Cadaver Dans will be taken away from the party.   I think they will appear at the party outside of BB.  I am not sure if there will be other characters who end up as BB exclusives.  At this rate we can't even be 100% sure that Dr. Facilier will be a BB exclusive or if he will also appear at MHP outside of BB.

The bottom line is that the people who are doing this event think that it's a good deal and they are happy to be doing it -- and that's wonderful.    Others may not feel the same way about it.  Neither opinion is wrong or unfounded.  There are good points on all sides of the issue.    But the "not guaranteed thing" can be applied to almost anything at Disneyland.  Rides are not guaranteed to be running all year long, but people still get annoyed when they shut down, especially if it is unexpected.  Tickets are not guaranteed to stay at the same price each year, but people get annoyed when the prices go up.  People will be annoyed about certain things that others are not annoyed about.  That's how it goes at Disney Parks!   




mom2rtk said:


> I guess I'd be more excited if I actually LIKED their 60th Anniversary outfits!
> 
> I'll still be sure to get photos though. I'm hoping they grow on me.



  Maybe when you see the outfits in person, you will be mesmerized by their stunning beauty.       Maybe they just don't photograph well.


----------



## Oswald23

Thank you Sherry. I watched about 100 pages in the superthread 2014 but couldn't find it.
We do not know anything for sure for the coming weeks but it seems odd to close toon town an hour before the rest of the park. Let's all hope we get some pre party....


----------



## Metalliman98

Sherry E said:


> The BBQ is closing in January.  The entire Ranch area has to be razed and closed.  There is no possible way the BBQ can stay open.   It's not going to be just a little path into Star Wars Land or a simple walkway.  That whole area is going to be part of Star Wars Land, as much as the entrances to Cars Land are part of Cars Land.
> 
> The Big Thunder Trail -- which is where the cave is-- is the area that I was referring to when I said I had a feeling the Halloween Party would have to move over to DCA for a couple of years.  I think that the Trail will probably be in disarray, or will lead to a mountain of construction, and they won't be able to put in the spooky effects and lighting for the party.  I could be wrong -- we'll see what happens.



Slightly OT, but do you think they will create an entrance into SW Land from Critter Country, so that you can finally walk completely around the park?  Sometimes the dead end there gets annoying.


----------



## BobaFettFan

When I called and talked to Disney I asked specifically about the refund policy.  I would not have purchased it if it didn't come with one. If they try to pull a "no refunds!" then they'll just have to deal with Ms. Boba Fett Fan.


----------



## Comicbookmommy

Sherry E said:


> The BBQ is closing in January.  The entire Ranch area has to be razed and closed.  There is no possible way the BBQ can stay open.   It's not going to be just a little path into Star Wars Land or a simple walkway.  That whole area is going to be part of Star Wars Land, as much as the entrances to Cars Land are part of Cars Land.
> 
> The Big Thunder Trail -- which is where the cave is-- is the area that I was referring to when I said I had a feeling the Halloween Party would have to move over to DCA for a couple of years.  I think that the Trail will probably be in disarray, or will lead to a mountain of construction, and they won't be able to put in the spooky effects and lighting for the party.  I could be wrong -- we'll see what happens.



UGH, well that's all extremely disappointing  I'm not even very excited for Star Wars Land (the new movie hasn't even come out yet and I'm already overloaded by it... and I'm a big fan!). Digging up one of the best areas of the park (IMO) and slapping down SWL in that spot is really going to bother me for many years to come. Especially for Halloween and Christmas, I LOVE this area, I only hope they spare the little cave, and it'll be back for Halloween when construction is done. Why, oh why didn't they put SWL in DCA???

Well, we've got a big Halloween trip and a big Christmas trip to enjoy the area one more time before we move back to Maine next year (California kicked our butts) so I'll be certain to spend a lot of time there.


----------



## lorijohnhill

Comicbookmommy said:


> UGH, well that's all extremely disappointing  I'm not even very excited for Star Wars Land (the new movie hasn't even come out yet and I'm already overloaded by it... and I'm a big fan!). Digging up one of the best areas of the park (IMO) and slapping down SWL in that spot is really going to bother me for many years to come. Especially for Halloween and Christmas, I LOVE this area, I only hope they spare the little cave, and it'll be back for Halloween when construction is done. Why, oh why didn't they put SWL in DCA???
> 
> Well, we've got a big Halloween trip and a big Christmas trip to enjoy the area one more time before we move back to Maine next year (California kicked our butts) so I'll be certain to spend a lot of time there.


We will also greatly miss the ranch area. It was a great place to get my daughter away from some of the sensory overload the parks can bring. 

May I ask where in Maine you are going?


----------



## Comicbookmommy

lorijohnhill said:


> We will also greatly miss the ranch area. It was a great place to get my daughter away from some of the sensory overload the parks can bring.
> 
> May I ask where in Maine you are going?



We're going back to Portland, Maine (moved here to CA in 2014 to give it a try). I've lived in many places and find Portland as close to perfect for us than anywhere else. Right amount of people, low crime, beaches, islands, forests, GREAT food and close enough to Boston and New York to be able to drive comfortably. I especially miss the seasons. Fall really FEELS like fall there, here, not so much.  One more year and back we go! But we'll miss the proximity to Disneyland.

I agree about the Ranch area, It was always a little respite from the crazy, now they're plunking down SWL there, and the crowding will be _insane!_


----------



## Sherry E

I really must thank *jammyjam25* and *Avery's mom* for alerting us about the Mystical Spirits/Blue Bayou event last week!  It allowed so many of our thread followers -- including new and experienced Halloween Time guests -- to book/make reservations before it is even officially "announced."  A lot of people may not check the Disneyland website between last Friday and whenever the Parks Blog does their piece about the BB event (presumably, in the next day or two).  So I would venture to say that many, many people still don't know about it.   In fact, as I have perused a few other Disney fan websites and forums to see what was being discussed, I've observed that the main focus is on the Jungle Cruise sunrise breakfast -- not just because it is $300 (  ), but because it was the event that was actually written about in a Disney Parks Blog.  Since the Mystical Spirits event has not yet been highlighted in a Blog, a lot of people didn't realize it existed, and even though members of other forums are mentioning it on those forums it doesn't seem to be 'taking off' in discussions as it has here.  I think that when people see a Parks Blog (about anything), it becomes more real somehow.

In any case, when the Mystical Spirits event is finally announced via the Parks Blog (and I don't know if it will be Erin, Pam or Rachel who does the blog about it), I suspect that a lot of the seatings will sell out, as will more of the actual Halloween Party nights (since you can't do the Mystical Spirits event without having an MHP ticket).

Thanks to jammyjam25 and Avery's mom, people here got a head start in booking their dates!


Anyway, MiceChat's usual Monday installment features more Halloween Time photos -- http://micechat.com/110402-disneyland-halloween-time-launch/ -- and mentions "It’s going to be a battle between diamonds and pumpkins this fall season.  As Disney’s Halloween Time is installed it will be an interesting thing to see just how much of the 60th decor is retained and how Halloween will work around it."

Some of the best decorations will not be seen.  The in-store displays and window displays are things that many people will pass by without a second glance.  A lot of people will never even make it back to the Ranch to enjoy the final year of goats in Halloween scarves and Halloween décor in the Scare-Dy-Crow Shack.   And many people will not be taking the tram to and from the Mickey & Friends lot, so they won't see the Halloween display on the path.  Many people will walk right past the Ray Bradbury Halloween Tree and never give it a second glance.

The decorations that should be 'out in the open' and more visible -- meaning anything on Main Street --  are possibly either going to be scaled back, or eliminated completely, this year. So, that leaves quite a bit of Halloween and fall décor to be hidden or overlooked.

In Pumpkin Pandemonium/Candy Corn Chaos/Caramel Apple Confusion news....  Here are the dreaded seasonal Peeps (new this year) - in Pumpkin Spice, Candy Corn, and Caramel Apple flavors:  http://www.theimpulsivebuy.com/word...s-pumpkin-spice-candy-corn-and-caramel-apple/

And... pumpkin cream cheese, syrup and Bat-Shaped Chicken Nuggets?   http://www.theimpulsivebuy.com/wordpress/2015/09/07/spotted-on-shelves-972015/.


​




Oswald23 said:


> Thank you Sherry. I watched about 100 pages in the superthread 2014 but couldn't find it.
> We do not know anything for sure for the coming weeks but it seems odd to close toon town an hour before the rest of the park. Let's all hope we get some pre party....



No problem!  I'm good at finding things in my threads.  I have a good memory, and I can use the search feature within the thread to look up keywords or phrases I remember from old posts -- which helps me track them down!   




Metalliman98 said:


> Slightly OT, but do you think they will create an entrance into SW Land from Critter Country, so that you can finally walk completely around the park?  Sometimes the dead end there gets annoying.



Ideally, I would hope that the new Star Wars Land/Galaxy will have a few different access points to help with traffic flow.  One of those entrances/exits would likely be somewhere in Toontown or right around that area.  To me it would make sense to add some sort of pathway from Critter Country to finally open up that dead end.  I have not read anything to indicate that it will be happening, though, so I'm not sure what will be done.  Presumably, part of Critter Country would have to close (temporarily) or possibly even be downsized, and that whole area transitioning into Star Wars Land would have to be themed appropriately.  I don't know if there are any plans to do that.  Right now it doesn't seem like there are plans for it, but this whole process is likely going o take several years to complete -- so maybe something will be decided about Critter Country along the way.

My personal opinion is that Toontown is much more likely to get downsized, with a portal to Star Wars Land added in, than for the Critter Country dead end to be opened up -- but you're right.  The dead end is annoying.



Comicbookmommy said:


> UGH, well that's all extremely disappointing  I'm not even very excited for Star Wars Land (the new movie hasn't even come out yet and I'm already overloaded by it... and I'm a big fan!). Digging up one of the best areas of the park (IMO) and slapping down SWL in that spot is really going to bother me for many years to come. Especially for Halloween and Christmas, I LOVE this area, I only hope they spare the little cave, and it'll be back for Halloween when construction is done. Why, oh why didn't they put SWL in DCA???
> 
> Well, we've got a big Halloween trip and a big Christmas trip to enjoy the area one more time before we move back to Maine next year (California kicked our butts) so I'll be certain to spend a lot of time there.



I love the cave and that whole trail during the Halloween party, with the fog and spooky lighting.  I love the Ranch/Festival area for the Halloween Carnival, the Jingle Jangle Jamboree and the new Springtime Roundup (with Easter eggs and Disney rabbits!).  There won't be a Carnival this year.  There won't be a Jingle Jangle Jamboree, most likely.  And there probably won't be a Springtime Roundup in March 2016.  But at least there will be some semblance of fall décor and Halloween décor at the Ranch this year, and goats in Halloween scarves.  Likewise, Santa Claus should be back to greeting guests in the log cabin this year, so that immediate area will have some holiday décor, but in 2016... ?  Who knows where the Disneyland Santa will be?  Who knows if the pumpkin carvers will return?  Who knows if the egg decorators will return?

You're up in the mountains, correct (or am I totally mis-remembering that detail, and thinking of someone else )?   The temperatures will be nice and cold during the winter, and you will get some snow -- so at least you will have some version of "winter" where you are, although it's not like a Maine winter!


----------



## Comicbookmommy

Sherry E said:


> You're up in the mountains, correct (or am I totally mis-remembering that detail, and thinking of someone else )?  I can tell you that the temperatures will be nice and cold during the winter, and you will get some snow -- so at least you will have some version of "winter" where you are, although it's not like a Maine winter!



Yeah that's us!  Up in the Lake Arrowhead area. It did feel wintery last year, and we had a day or so of snow compared to Maine's daunting MONTHS and FEET of snow, it was a nice break! but whereas Maine is pretty safe in the winter (mostly flat, snow plows going 24/7, salted roads) up here it's just flat out scary. Drivers slipping and sliding into each other on the sloped, icy roads, and visitors from down the mountain who don't know how to travel in winter weather going way too fast and getting into accidents. Just driving to the grocery store becomes a dangerous journey trying to dodge sliding cars, so whenever it snows we have to stay home.

It was cool though last year on Halloween night we got a HUGE amount of the fabled "mountain fog", it was _awesome _and spooky!



Sherry E said:


> I love the cave and that whole trail during the Halloween party, with the fog and spooky lighting. I love the Ranch/Festival area for the Halloween Carnival, the Jingle Jangle Jamboree and the new Springtime Roundup (with Easter eggs and Disney rabbits!). There won't be a Carnival this year. There won't be a Jingle Jangle Jamboree, most likely. And there probably won't be a Springtime Roundup in March 2016. But at least there will be some semblance of fall décor and Halloween décor at the Ranch this year, and goats in Halloween scarves. Likewise, Santa Claus should be back to greeting guests in the log cabin this year, so that immediate area will have some holiday décor, but in 2016... ? Who knows where the Disneyland Santa will be? Who knows if the pumpkin carvers will return? Who knows if the egg decorators will return?



Seeing it all listed like that is seriously depressing.   Why, Disney, _WHY? _If you see a crazed lady chained in protest to the Ranch area come construction time... that'll probably be me


----------



## Sherry E

Comicbookmommy said:


> Yeah that's us!  Up in the Lake Arrowhead area. It did feel wintery last year, and we had a day or so of snow (compared to Maine's daunting MONTHS and FEET of snow, it was a nice break)  but whereas Maine is pretty safe in the winter (mostly flat, snow plows going 24/7, salted roads) up here it's just flat out scary. Drivers slipping and sliding into each other on the sloped, icy roads, and visitors from down the mountain who don't know how to travel in winter weather going way too fast and getting into accidents. Just driving to the grocery store becomes a dangerous journey trying to dodge sliding cars, so whenever it snows we have to stay home.
> 
> A great thing about mountain living though, It was cool though last year on Halloween night we got a HUGE amount of the fabled "mountain fog", it was _awesome _and spooky!
> 
> Seeing it all listed like that is seriously depressing.   Why, Disney, _WHY? _If you see a crazed lady chained in protest to the Ranch area come construction time... that'll probably be me



That's what happens out here when we get smacked with tons of rain too (like the kind of heavy rain we are supposedly getting from the upcoming El Nino storms) -- people don't know how to get around in that kind of weather because it's not too frequent of an event out here.  It becomes bedlam in the streets.  I can only imagine what must go on up in the mountains, with people not really knowing how to deal with snow and ice.

I have a friend who lived in Arrowhead for several years, and used to talk about having to go "down the mountain" or "into town" to get groceries.  She was used to living in Los Angles or Orange County and not having to deal with any snow, so Arrowhead was an entirely different experience -- especially in winters when it snowed a lot.  Of course, she eventually left California and moved to upstate New York -- so she quickly learned the ropes of how to live in true snowy territory!

I would love to see the mountain fog -- especially around Halloween.  Fog is an inherently creepy and mysterious thing to begin with, but up in the mountains it must be even more so.   I used to hate fog -- and wind, and thunder -- when I was a child, but now I like all of that stuff, as long as it doesn't cause any damage or problems.  Every now and then in fall or winter, in the early mornings or late nights, the streets are totally blanketed in fog and you can't see through it..  It doesn't seem to happen often, but it's cool when it does.


In the next couple of days -- if Disneyland is going to put up the pumpkins above the turnstiles and on Main Street -- we should be reading or hearing reports of those things going up.  It's now or never.  If they're going to go up, they have to start going up now.  Halloween Time begins in 4 days, and there is no time to waste!


----------



## Kilala

The only time I got to DL is during MHP. That is only time I can afford it. Here are some pictures of the Demeter cat costume I made by hand. I cut out the unitard , sewed the unitard on a sewing machine, I painted the whole unitard. I will be doing a photo shoot in this costume today 9/7.



Me painting the unitard















My black cat Lillie she is 2 years old now









the finished front



the right side finished



the back finished



the left side finished



work on the wig



 the rest of the progress photos are found here http://s1365.photobucket.com/user/Cristine_Armstrong/library/Demeter 2015?sort=2&page=1


----------



## Nonsuch

Sherry E said:


> ...In any case, that when the Mystical Spirits event is finally announced via the Parks Blog (and I don't know if it will be Erin, Pam or Rachel who does the blog about it), I suspect that a lot of the seatings will sell out, as will more of the actual Halloween Party nights (since you can't do the Mystical Spirits event without having an MHP ticket).


Currently, all dates are still available.  You are likely correct, and some (or all) dates will sell out once the event is announced.


Sherry E said:


> ...Thanks to jammyjam25 and Avery's mom, people here got a head start in booking their dates!


Add one more thank you.


----------



## jenhelgren

What is the best way to change our dates for the Halloween Party if we already have tickets? I know that they are non-refundable/changeable through Disney and I have seen tickets for sale on Ebay. Is there a trade/sale board on Disboards or is my best option selling my current tickets on Ebay and purchasing the new tickets from Disney? Are there any other ticket resale sites other than Ebay for Halloween Party tickets? I purchased the tickets we want to trade out with a discount so they would be a good deal for someone if I don't have to pay a fortune in sellers fees and commissions to sell them!


----------



## mom2rtk

Sherry E said:


> I really must thank *jammyjam25* and *Avery's mom* for alerting us about the Mystical Spirits/Blue Bayou event last week!  It allowed so many of our thread followers -- including new and experienced Halloween Time guests -- to book/make reservations before it is even officially "announced."


 

Totally agree here. I didn't book it, but it was nice to get to actually decide not to book it rather than to hear about it after it was fully booked already.


----------



## Nonsuch

jenhelgren said:


> ...Are there any other ticket resale sites other than Ebay for Halloween Party tickets?


Stubhub is another option (an eBay company, specifically for tickets).


----------



## lorijohnhill

Comicbookmommy said:


> We're going back to Portland, Maine (moved here to CA in 2014 to give it a try). I've lived in many places and find Portland as close to perfect for us than anywhere else. Right amount of people, low crime, beaches, islands, forests, GREAT food and close enough to Boston and New York to be able to drive comfortably. I especially miss the seasons. Fall really FEELS like fall there, here, not so much.  One more year and back we go! But we'll miss the proximity to Disneyland.
> 
> I agree about the Ranch area, It was always a little respite from the crazy, now they're plunking down SWL there, and the crowding will be _insane!_


I lived in Carabou, Portland, and Westbrook as a child. I remember playing in the potato fields and in LOTS of snow. I grew up on the Easy Coast and definitely miss the seasons. Fall was always my favorite (until I had to rake and bag up the leaves). I just love the crispness in the air and the beauty of the different colors of the leaves. Something sorely lacking in Sacramento.


----------



## Sherry E

My first reaction to this product was, "Oooooh!   I have to have it!"  And then I remembered that there are no Giants in my area.   

Anyway -- here is Pumpkin Dish Washing liquid:  http://www.theimpulsivebuy.com/word...d-time-originals-pumpkin-dish-washing-liquid/.

One of life's simplest pleasures (for me) is scented dish liquid, hand soap or bath products in seasonal fragrances, but, alas... I am deprived of the pumpkin dish washing liquid.

​






jenhelgren said:


> What is the best way to change our dates for the Halloween Party if we already have tickets? I know that they are non-refundable/changeable through Disney and I have seen tickets for sale on Ebay. Is there a trade/sale board on Disboards or is my best option selling my current tickets on Ebay and purchasing the new tickets from Disney? Are there any other ticket resale sites other than Ebay for Halloween Party tickets? I purchased the tickets we want to trade out with a discount so they would be a good deal for someone if I don't have to pay a fortune in sellers fees and commissions to sell them!



There are no sales of tickets on this board at all.  No buying or selling here, unfortunately.  You're more than welcome to give your tickets to someone for free, but no selling.  As far as I know, I don't even think that trading tickets is allowed on this board.

Every year there are people who either can't get tickets for the nights they want, or they end up with tickets they have to get rid of, and there are attempts at buying and selling.  We usually have to shut all of that down as soon as we see it.  

So, unfortunately, although I'm sure that the issue of needing to sell or buy tickets comes up a lot for people who follow this forum, it's not anything we can help you with.  You're on your own with that one.  :


----------



## ACDSNY

Nonsuch said:


> Stubhub is another option (an eBay company, specifically for tickets).



I've been shocked at the prices on both places, had I known I would have picked up extra tickets for our group of 21.

I have a young couple I was looking for two tickets on 10/25 and their looking at $300+, they can't afford that.  They held off letting me know they were going as they've accepted new positions recently so they weren't sure they could get the time off until now.


----------



## mom2rtk

Sherry, I told my husband about you and the thread as we stopped into Krispy Kreme today for our first pumpkin spice donuts of the year!


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## Sherry E

mom2rtk said:


> Sherry, I told my husband about you and the thread as we stopped into Krispy Kreme today for our first pumpkin spice donuts of the year!




   Are those donuts any good/  Too sweet?  Too pumpkiny?  Just right?

That's another place that is nowhere near here.  There is a Krispy Kreme somewhere off in the hinterlands of L.A., but nowhere in my specific area.  My area is a hotbed of all kinds of stores and activity, and you would think that Krispy Kreme would find its way here.  It would certainly be popular.   But, nooooooooooooo!  None in sight!


----------



## mom2rtk

Sherry E said:


> Are those donuts any good/  Too sweet?  Too pumpkiny?  Just right?
> 
> That's another place that is nowhere near here.  There is a Krispy Kreme somewhere off in the hinterlands of L.A., but nowhere in my specific area.  My area is a hotbed of all kinds of stores and activity, and you would think that Krispy Kreme would find its way here.  It would certainly be popular.   But, nooooooooooooo!  None in sight!


 

I'm generally not a fan of Krispy Kreme.....but these are just right. This is the one time of year I don't mind making a stop there.  I'm shocked you don't have one near you.


----------



## Sherry E

mom2rtk said:


> I'm general not a fan of Krispy Kreme.....but these are just right. This is the one time of year I don't mind making a stop there.  I'm shocked you don't have one near you.



It took forever just to get a Target in this area (although it's only a CityTarget) -- and again, this specific area is a hotbed of all kinds of stores.  It's not like it's a remote town with a general store and that's it.  It's a bustling, busy area.    The nearest Krispy Kreme is off in a not-so-good neighborhood, which is not close.  I really think that if one were to open around here, it would be very popular.


----------



## only hope

Sherry E said:


> Are those donuts any good/  Too sweet?  Too pumpkiny?  Just right?
> 
> That's another place that is nowhere near here.  There is a Krispy Kreme somewhere off in the hinterlands of L.A., but nowhere in my specific area.  My area is a hotbed of all kinds of stores and activity, and you would think that Krispy Kreme would find its way here.  It would certainly be popular.   But, nooooooooooooo!  None in sight!



I just had a  Krispy Kreme pumpkin doughnut today, and I love a strong pumpkin taste so to me it needed to be a little bit more pumpkin-tasting. It was stronger than other pumpkin products I've had, however. We don't have a Kripy Kreme nearby either, it closed up years ago! I begged my dad to stop by when he drove to a nearby city yesterday.


----------



## mom2rtk

only hope said:


> I just had a  Krispy Kreme pumpkin doughnut today, and I love a strong pumpkin taste so to me it needed to be a little bit more pumpkin-tasting. It was stronger than other pumpkin products I've had, however. We don't have a Kripy Kreme nearby either, it closed up years ago! I begged my dad to stop by when he drove to a nearby city yesterday.


 

I agree it's not a really strong pumpkin flavor. It's stronger on the "spice" part of the pumpkin spice. But I like the way the sweet glaze balances out the spice.

We have one in town, so this won't be my last pumpkin spice donut of the year, I'm sure.


----------



## Sherry E

only hope said:


> I just had a  Krispy Kreme pumpkin doughnut today, and I love a strong pumpkin taste so to me it needed to be a little bit more pumpkin-tasting. It was stronger than other pumpkin products I've had, however. We don't have a Kripy Kreme nearby either, it closed up years ago! I begged my dad to stop by when he drove to a nearby city yesterday.



I guess that's the only way to do it if there's not a KK in your area -- just stop as soon as you see one in any neighborhood and run in!   

At one point there were Krispy Kreme Donuts sold at Disneyland Resort -- years ago, at the old Compass Books (which was in the spot where Earl of Sandwich now sits) in Downtown Disney.  When Compass left, so too did the KK donuts, as far as I know,  I haven't seen any since then.


----------



## mom2rtk

Sherry E said:


> I guess that's the only way to do it if there's not a KK in your area -- just stop as soon as you see one in any neighborhood and run in!
> 
> At one point there were Krispy Kreme Donuts sold at Disneyland Resort -- years ago, at the old Compass Books (which was in the spot where Earl of Sandwich now sits) in Downtown Disney.  When Compass left, so too did the KK donuts, as far as I know,  I haven't seen any since then.


 

See, you learn something new every day. I had no idea KK had been at DLR.

I love having KK local because I can buy one donut and not be tempted to eat a bunch more. If I drove across town I'd be tempted to buy a dozen and that wouldn't end well!


----------



## Sherry E

You'd have to buy more... just to make the drive worthwhile!


----------



## darcie2000

Does anyone know when the Disney menus change to reflect the Halloween treats/meals? I'm guessing they should be done soon hey?


----------



## Jeff314

Question for y'all. With all of the subtractions from years past for the Halloween party, what is the difference then any other night? Besides trick or treating, all the villans and dressing up in costume? I know the fireworks show is different than normal 60th going, but they're doing fireworks every night. Just trying to figure everything out before we go, if there's even going to be a huge difference compared the previous 3 days we are going to be there in 2 weeks. Thanks


----------



## keishashadow

re the pumpkin products:  in Pennsylvania we have to buy wine/liquor in a state store & beer @ a distributor in lieu of stopping @ grocery store.  I went along w/DH to pick up a couple of cases of beer this week.  Couldn't believe they had an entire display of pumpkin craft beers, easily 20 different varieties by the case.  Only pumpkin i do is pie.


----------



## theluckyrabbit

jenhelgren said:


> What is the best way to change our dates for the Halloween Party if we already have tickets? _I know that they are non-refundable/changeable_ ...



The tickets are also not for resale, as stated on Disney's purchase page. So as Sherry said, your best bet is to gift them or donate them to someone.


----------



## keishashadow

keishashadow said:


> ok, tried calling, gave up & booked it online for 10/5.  confirmation indicates this 'out' if reviews are less than stellar...
> 
> *CANCEL*
> 
> *There is a 2 Day cancellation policy. Full price will be charged/forfeited if canceling within 2 Days or no show of the reservation.*


at the risk of quoting myself...

bobbafetts mom - on the confirmation email you receive(d), you will find the above statement.  which i interpret as it being cancellable, superceding what is listed on the description of the event page.


----------



## LisaT91403

Does anyone recall of the special AP treat trail was "announced" last year, or if it wasn't reported until after the first MHP happened? DS is hoping for something Star Wars-y this year since they did BH6 last year.


----------



## haileymarie92

LisaT91403 said:


> Does anyone recall of the special AP treat trail was "announced" last year, or if it wasn't reported until after the first MHP happened? DS is hoping for something Star Wars-y this year since they did BH6 last year.


Ugh I'm hoping its -not- Star Wars related, even though I suspect it will be.


----------



## bearette

What are they including in the BB meals then if not gumbo?  Trying to decide if it will be worth it.


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## Sherry E

darcie2000 said:


> Does anyone know when the Disney menus change to reflect the Halloween treats/meals? I'm guessing they should be done soon hey?



My guess is that there are already some Halloween-ish or Fall-ish things popping up here and there.  They won't change the entire menus in most places in the parks, but they will integrate some Fall dishes and desserts here and there.   Sometimes there are certain dishes and dessert that are virtually hidden, and are almost unknown, because we don't hear much about them in blogs or articles.  So it seems that there are always some surprises every year.

Some items are available right when Halloween Time begins, and then certain items appear later in the season, like in October.  I think that some of the October items are meant to sort of serve a dual purpose -- they arrive for Halloween Time and then stick around until Thanksgiving. 

Whatever the case, when the Fall and Halloween food-related blogs begin coming out, I will be adding any new items onto my master list of Sweet and Savory Foods for Fall/Halloween Time!  I love me some seasonal goodies!

At some point, Catal, Tortilla Jo's, UVA and Naples in Downtown Disney should switch to Fall menus, and I think that it will happen at the start of Fall or shortly thereafter.




Jeff314 said:


> Question for y'all. With all of the subtractions from years past for the Halloween party, what is the difference then any other night? Besides trick or treating, all the villans and dressing up in costume? I know the fireworks show is different than normal 60th going, but they're doing fireworks every night. Just trying to figure everything out before we go, if there's even going to be a huge difference compared the previous 3 days we are going to be there in 2 weeks. Thanks



On the non-party nights you'll see the Paint the Night parade and the Disneyland Forever fireworks.  I don't know what we're looking at in terms of Main Street decorations, but you will see whatever is there, as well as have access to Haunted Mansion Holiday and Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy.  You'll also see the Ray Bradbury Halloween Tree, and the Dia de los Muertos display in Frontierland, and the Scare-Dy-Crow Shack & goats in Halloween scarves at the Big Thunder Ranch.

On party nights, if you attend the party, you will have access to all of the things mentioned above except for the Ranch-specific highlights (the Shack and goats).  You will see regular Disney characters in Halloween costumes, characters that are less common in the parks (such as Jack Sparrow and many Villains), the Cadaver Dans floating along the Rivers of America, Halloween Screams fireworks, and the Paint the Night parade.

If you do the Mystic Spirits event at the Blue Bayou (during the Halloween party), you will meet Dr. Facilier (who may or may not be out at the regular party too), enjoy the Cadaver Dans and maybe some surprises that are yet to be revealed, as well as eat a special meal.  There will be some sorts of pirates there, but I'm not sure if that would be the Bootstrappers or other random pirates.



keishashadow said:


> re the pumpkin products:  in Pennsylvania we have to buy wine/liquor in a state store & beer @ a distributor in lieu of stopping @ grocery store.  I went along w/DH to pick up a couple of cases of beer this week.  Couldn't believe they had an entire display of pumpkin craft beers, easily 20 different varieties by the case.  Only pumpkin i do is pie.



Yes!  The Pumpkin Ale and various other varieties of Fall alcohol seem to be growing every year.  It used to be that there were maybe one or two brands that had a Fall version.  Now there are so many!



LisaT91403 said:


> Does anyone recall of the special AP treat trail was "announced" last year, or if it wasn't reported until after the first MHP happened? DS is hoping for something Star Wars-y this year since they did BH6 last year.



If I put my mind to it I'm sure I can track down (in this thread) the first mention of the AP treat trail last year, so we can know for sure how the location was first discovered.   I think it was known before the first MHP, but I honestly cannot recall if the location of the trail was first posted in the MHP section of the DLR website, or it if appeared in the AP section of the website, or if there was an email from Disney with the mention, or maybe the AP mailer/postcard mentioned it.



bearette said:


> What are they including in the BB meals then if not gumbo?  Trying to decide if it will be worth it.



All of the food items are mentioned in the "A Dazzling Dinner - to Die For" section - https://disneyland.disney.go.com/dining/disneyland/blue-bayou-halloween-dinner-package/.


----------



## lorijohnhill

One of the things I'd really like to do on our trip is to stay til closing and try to get some "empty park" photos. Does anyone know how late you are allowed to stay? I know the shops are open later, but do they kick you out of other parts of the park at a certain time?


----------



## rwhistler92

I would love pumpkin dish liquid!


----------



## Sherry E

rwhistler92 said:


> I would love pumpkin dish liquid!



Exactly!  I would love that too -- I would love that more than I would love a pumpkin spice Twinkie, that's for sure!  I want it to smell like fall whenever I wash dishes!     There are no Giant stores anywhere around here, and I don't know of any other brand that makes pumpkin dish liquid.


----------



## theluckyrabbit

LisaT91403 said:


> Does anyone recall of the special AP treat trail was "announced" last year, or if it wasn't reported until after the first MHP happened? DS is hoping for something Star Wars-y this year since they did BH6 last year.



I don't remember when exactly it was announced. The news really spread by word of mouth after the first few parties. I was thinking it might be related to "The Good Dinosaur," since that will be released in Nov. But it wouldn't surprise me if it's SW related.



Sherry E said:


> ...At one point there were Krispy Kreme Donuts sold at Disneyland Resort -- years ago, at the old Compass Books (which was in the spot where Earl of Sandwich now sits) in Downtown Disney.  When Compass left, so too did the KK donuts, as far as I know,  I haven't seen any since then.



Isn't there a KK at the Block/Outlets in Orange? That isn't too far from DLR. Maybe 10 minutes south on State College? Not that I need to be eating more doughnuts (lol!), but I'm pretty sure I saw a KK there the last time we drove by.


----------



## rwhistler92

theluckyrabbit said:


> I don't remember when exactly it was announced. The news really spread by word of mouth after the first few parties. I was thinking it might be related to "The Good Dinosaur," since that will be released in Nov. But it wouldn't surprise me if it's SW related.



Please, no Star Wars. I hope it is The Good Dinosaur.


----------



## haileymarie92

rwhistler92 said:


> Please, no Star Wars. I hope it is The Good Dinosaur.





rwhistler92 said:


> Please, no Star Wars. I hope it is The Good Dinosaur.


I'm with you on this! No SW, please be something else lol.


----------



## LisaT91403

haileymarie92 said:


> I'm with you on this! No SW, please be something else lol.



My 7 year old is using the Force against your thoughts


----------



## haileymarie92

LisaT91403 said:


> My 7 year old is using the Force against your thoughts


Lol maybe they'll have a choice of SW and something else . A girl can dream right?


----------



## wench

This was supposed to quote back to a post on the Mystical Spirits of the Blue Bayou dinner, but my quote function doesn't seem work right lately...oh well!

I booked this for my son & I. There will be a bit of time before the party & after fireworks for trick-or-treating, so my son will still get that experience. I'm not worried about meet n' greets or rides this time. My other big priority for this year was trying to see Halloween Screams. Last time we tried, we got a horrible spot blocked by trees & only saw a few fireworks the whole show. But, I was dreading having to camp out an hour or two early (if that would even be enough) to get a good spot. So, I was hooked as soon as I realized it included priority viewing.


----------



## Sherry E

I must say that I am envious of the Halloween overlay that Jungle Cruise in Hong Kong is getting this year.  It's closed right now as the overlay is installed, and I hope the Parks Blog does a big piece about it so I can see what it's all about. 

I don't know why our JC has never been Halloween-ified.  As much as I enjoy Jingle Cruise and all of its whimsical holiday details (and let's face it -- the name "Jingle Cruise" is perfect), I think that a jungle lends itself much better to a spooky theme.  They could really do something cool -- "Disney scary" -- with fog on the river and ghost warriors hiding in the foliage and all of that, or huge spider webs in the trees.   Maybe some projected images of apparitions floating over the water.   The skippers could tell us some tale of a jungle curse -- and boats, passengers and skippers who mysteriously disappeared along the river and never returned.  There could be a lightning effect that reveals skeletons or other creepy images.  The skipper could stop the boat in the middle of the ride and say, "Oh no... what's happening?  I hope we're not... we're stuck.   What's that in the bushes?  Is that a ... giant spider... coming this way?   OH NO!"  (And then everyone ducks and screams, of course.)

They could call it Jungle Curse or Jungle Cursed instead of Jungle Cruise -- and on the ride's sign the word "Cruise" would be crossed out with "Curse" written above it.  Or, they could just call it Haunted Jungle Cruise!


----------



## Dee2015

Wow, it is all happening here!!  That'll teach me for not checking in for a couple of weeks. 

Where would be the best place to find info about the Halloween Scream Fireworks? I just figured they'd be in the sky and seen from anywhere. Sounds like that was wishful thinking... can they not be see from outside the park at all either? Again, I thought the normal fireworks could be to some degree.

I'm not a camper-outer but sounds like we need a game plan based on what I've been reading.

I'm not sure whether I should keep reading the thread or not. Is ignorance bliss or just bloomin' annoying when your in the park and things don't go to ones naïve plan?! lol!

Seriously though, thanks for sharing all the info everyone!


----------



## Spyral

Friday, Oct 16th MHP now sold out


----------



## SeattleSuz

Got my first pumpkin spice latte this morning!  Yummo!!!


----------



## Kilala

Spyral said:


> Friday, Oct 16th MHP now sold out


Wow! I'm surprized that date sold out before the week of Halloween sold out. I'm glad I got my ticket for the 16th on the 3rd. I didn't know anything about the Jungle Cruise. I will let my friend Christine and my friend Valerie know about the jungle cruise so we can go on it.


----------



## DnA2010

Also interested 


Dee2015 said:


> Wow, it is all happening here!!  That'll teach me for not checking in for a couple of weeks.
> 
> Where would be the best place to find info about the Halloween Scream Fireworks? I just figured they'd be in the sky and seen from anywhere. Sounds like that was wishful thinking... can they not be see from outside the park at all either? Again, I thought the normal fireworks could be to some degree.
> 
> I'm not a camper-outer but sounds like we need a game plan based on what I've been reading.
> 
> I'm not sure whether I should keep reading the thread or not. Is ignorance bliss or just bloomin' annoying when your in the park and things don't go to ones naïve plan?! lol!
> 
> Seriously though, thanks for sharing all the info everyone!





Also interested in Halloween Fireworks info- best locations to watch them from? Just bought our tickets for Oct 22nd!


----------



## Metalliman98

They just put up the parks blog post on the special Blue Bayou dinner.  Will be interesting to see how fast it fills up.


----------



## haileymarie92

The disney parks blog posted about Mystical Spirits of the BB.

ETA:
Oops looks like I'm a few seconds too late lol. I'm curious to see what questions are asked and what she answers. Someone ask if we will be in the seats early enough to watch PTN!


----------



## SeattleSuz

Yes, count me as one who is curious about the best viewing point for Hallowishes....

That Mystical Spirits pricetag is RIDIC!  $150pp?!


----------



## haileymarie92

SeattleSuz said:


> That Mystical Spirits pricetag is RIDIC!  $150pp?!


Ehhh I don't think it's too bad. You're going to pay $50++ for dinner at BB anyway. Plus there's the live entertainment (Cadaver Dans and Dr Facilier confirmed so far). Plus the seating for Halloween Screams makes it work it for me. No staking out a spot and wasting party time.


----------



## SeattleSuz

haileymarie92 said:


> Ehhh I don't think it's too bad. You're going to pay $50++ for dinner at BB anyway. Plus there's the live entertainment (Cadaver Dans and Dr Facilier confirmed so far). Plus the seating for Halloween Screams makes it work it for me. No staking out a spot and wasting party time.


 Wow, so $70 pp for the HP, plus $150 PP for dinner, for a grand total of $660 for 3 of us?  yeah no, not worth it at all, IMO.  I dont care how good the seats and entertainment are.  That's more than our airfare!!


----------



## haileymarie92

SeattleSuz said:


> Wow, so $70 pp for the HP, plus $150 PP for dinner, for a grand total of $660 for 3 of us?  yeah no, not worth it at all, IMO.  I dont care how good the seats and entertainment are.  That's more than our airfare!!


To each his own. Just depends on the person. To me, it's worth it and I'm excited to go. Is it expensive? Yes, but we are splurging and treating ourselves to something special!


----------



## SeattleSuz

haileymarie92 said:


> To each his own. Just depends on the person. To me, it's worth it and I'm excited to go. Is it expensive? Yes, but we are splurging and treating ourselves to something special!


 
Yep.  To each his own for sure! Which HP are you going to?  We are going to be there for the 9.30 one.  DD and DH are more excited for the walk-ons for almost all of the rides than they are about the actual party.  lol


----------



## Doctor Who

Oct 16 we have 25 of Us going to the party. Try planning that one!


----------



## Priory

For the low low price of $3750 your party could add dinner to the event.


----------



## haileymarie92

SeattleSuz said:


> Yep.  To each his own for sure! Which HP are you going to?  We are going to be there for the 9.30 one.  DD and DH are more excited for the walk-ons for almost all of the rides than they are about the actual party.  lol


We are going to both the 9/30 and 10/2 parties! The 9/30 will be rides and trick or treating. The 10/2 will be the BB dinner and maybe a few more rides after fireworks!


----------



## Doctor Who

Now That's funny!


Priory said:


> For the low low price of $3750 your party could add dinner to the event.


----------



## jammyjam25

haileymarie92 said:


> We are going to both the 9/30 and 10/2 parties! The 9/30 will be rides and trick or treating. The 10/2 will be the BB dinner and maybe a few more rides after fireworks!



I'll be at the 9/30 party as well! "See" you and SeattleSuz both there!


----------



## SeattleSuz

jammyjam25 said:


> I'll be at the 9/30 party as well! "See" you and SeattleSuz both there!


 
Just look for the crazy blonde Mrs. Captain America with Happy Birthday ears on.  LOL!



haileymarie92 said:


> We are going to both the 9/30 and 10/2 parties! The 9/30 will be rides and trick or treating. The 10/2 will be the BB dinner and maybe a few more rides after fireworks!


 
Fun!  I'm jealous that you get to go to the HP twice!  That's awesome!!  I'm gonna print out the TOT map from last year so that my DD can plot our night out.  lol


----------



## mummabear

My comment is awaiting moderation where it will inevitably go ignored...


----------



## Lauren in NC

The pumpkin is up in Town Square and there are Halloween Time banners up near the entrance!  They've removed all the 60th banners on Main Street, and they've got the bunting up on the train station and other buildings.  They've got character pumpkins up around Partners, too.


----------



## Davidg83

Lauren in NC said:


> The pumpkin is up in Town Square and there are Halloween Time banners up near the entrance!  They've removed all the 60th banners on Main Street, and they've got the bunting up on the train station and other buildings.  They've got character pumpkins up around Partners, too.



I was just popping into report this breaking news too but you beat me to it! There's also a pumpkin with the diamond theme to it in one of the windows.  I'm so excited to see some of the 60th is taking a back seat to halloween for a few weeks.... Now if it wasn't 5689 degrees in the park it might actually feel like halloween time lol

Breaking news 2.0: the ranch is completely decorated for Halloween, the cabin is currently closed, and there is someone at the entrance to the ranch keeping track of how many people come in. I looked through the fence into the jamboree and it currently has cases and cases of halloween decor everywhere. I'm assuming that's the staging ground for the decorating of the park


----------



## RichP1269

Just got an email from Kellogs. Be on the lookout for Pumpkin Pie Pop Tarts, Pumpkin Spice Fudge Stripe Cookies (Keebler) and Pumpkin Spice Mini Wheats.


----------



## Sherry E

Auntie Anne’s Pumpkin Spice Pretzel Nuggets -- http://www.theimpulsivebuy.com/word...s-auntie-annes-pumpkin-spice-pretzel-nuggets/

Starburst Halloween Mix - http://www.theimpulsivebuy.com/wordpress/2015/09/08/spotted-on-shelves-starburst-halloween-mix/

Jeepers Creepers Cookie Mix - http://www.theimpulsivebuy.com/wordpress/2015/09/08/spotted-on-shelves-982015/ 

​




Dee2015 said:


> Wow, it is all happening here!!  That'll teach me for not checking in for a couple of weeks.
> 
> Where would be the best place to find info about the Halloween Scream Fireworks? I just figured they'd be in the sky and seen from anywhere. Sounds like that was wishful thinking... can they not be see from outside the park at all either? Again, I thought the normal fireworks could be to some degree.
> 
> I'm not a camper-outer but sounds like we need a game plan based on what I've been reading.
> 
> I'm not sure whether I should keep reading the thread or not. Is ignorance bliss or just bloomin' annoying when your in the park and things don't go to ones naïve plan?! lol!
> 
> Seriously though, thanks for sharing all the info everyone!



No, don't leave us!  Why would you not keep reading the thread?  This is the place with the most concentrated, detailed Halloween info, and updates on what's happening (or not) for the season every year!  Just because you missed a couple of weeks doesn't mean you shouldn't stick with us.  It's a popular thread, but -- I think -- for a good reason!  We're fun and informative!

I wouldn't worry too much about the fireworks, and not getting it right, or whatever.   Just go and have fun!   Halloween Screams is a party exclusive.  You will see some parts of it outside in Downtown Disney, or from certain hotels, but you won't get the full 'show' unless you find a spot for viewing in the park.  

If you go to the party and watch the fireworks, if you are facing the Castle try to get on the left-hand side so you can see the sphere.

Read Bret's post about where he was standing last year for Halloween Screams -- http://www.disboards.com/threads/ha...s-now-sold-out.3270919/page-218#post-54301685.





Spyral said:


> Friday, Oct 16th MHP now sold out



Thank you!  I shall update the necessary posts on page 1 to reflect the latest sellout!




DnA2010 said:


> Also interested
> 
> Also interested in Halloween Fireworks info- best locations to watch them from? Just bought our tickets for Oct 22nd!



To get the full impact of the show, with the sphere and the effects, it's good to face the Castle and kind of stand to the left.  See Bret's post - http://www.disboards.com/threads/ha...s-now-sold-out.3270919/page-218#post-54301685.





SeattleSuz said:


> Yes, count me as one who is curious about the best viewing point for Hallowishes....
> 
> That Mystical Spirits pricetag is RIDIC!  $150pp?!



I agree that the price tag is lofty, combined with the lofty price of MHP.  For me, personally, the food is not appealing to me and I am not that big of a Dr. Facilier fan that I feel I need to do this.  There are not enough pros in it for me to outweigh the cons.      For other people, this is a great deal and a cool experience and they will (hopefully) have a wonderful time.  I am eager to hear/read the reports of the first event on 9/25!




Doctor Who said:


> Oct 16 we have 25 of Us going to the party. Try planning that one!



Good Lord!  Disney should create a whole separate party night just for your group!    Yeah... coordinating 25 people for a party can't be difficult at all.... 




mummabear said:


> My comment is awaiting moderation where it will inevitably go ignored...



It may go ignored, but at least it was posted!   I asked Rachel in the blog about the Jungle Cruise breakfast if it meant that Jingle Cruise would not be returning this year.  My question was posted, but ignored and left unanswered!    I mean, she may not have known the answer -- but she can certainly contact someone who does know.

I've got to work in a couple of sentences about the Mystical Spirits event in the MHP FAQ post on page 1.  Maybe I will just put something at the bottom of the post that says "NEW THIS YEAR," and then add a link to the Parks Blog about it.




Lauren in NC said:


> The pumpkin is up in Town Square and there are Halloween Time banners up near the entrance!  They've removed all the 60th banners on Main Street, and they've got the bunting up on the train station and other buildings.  They've got character pumpkins up around Partners, too.



Thank you for reporting in -- and thank the heavens the 60th banners have been removed from Main Street, as the colors would totally clash with the bright orange Halloween pumpkins!!!!

I wonder if the Pumpkin Festival (meaning the pumpkins on the awnings and balconies, and in window sills) is going to happen.  If you already see the pumpkins at the Hub, then I would think that the rest of the pumpkins on Main Street would be going up as well.  We shall see in a few days!




Davidg83 said:


> I was just popping into report this breaking news too but you beat me to it! There's also a pumpkin with the diamond theme to it in one of the windows.  I'm so excited to see some of the 60th is taking a back seat to halloween for a few weeks.... Now if it wasn't 5689 degrees in the park it might actually feel like halloween time lol
> 
> Breaking news 2.0: the ranch is completely decorated for Halloween, the cabin is currently closed, and there is someone at the entrance to the ranch keeping track of how many people come in. I looked through the fence into the jamboree and it currently has cases and cases of halloween decor everywhere. I'm assuming that's the staging ground for the decorating of the park



  You are not kidding about the 5689 degrees!   It's like that in L.A., where I am, so I can only imagine what it feels like in the parks.   I hate it when it is so hot during the days leading up to Halloween Time.  It's hard to get into fall mode when my face feels like it is melting off.

I totally agree -- I am glad that some of the 60th is taking a back seat (even if it's just as far as a bit of bunting or banners).  I mean, this is the 60th anniversary year, no matter how many banners and bits of bunting are in place.  It's going to be the 60th all year long and into next year.  The entertainment is not going anywhere for a while.  The characters in 60th attire are still there.   But if Disneyland is going to sell and advertise a "Halloween Time" season, then they had better get one of the parks looking Halloween-ish for 6 weeks!  Same goes for the holiday season -- if they are going to advertise the Holidays and all of the great things attached to it, then they had better get the themed decorations up in each land and create a holiday vibe!

if the Carnival is not technically happening this year, then maybe they just needed to put the boxes of décor in that area so they can have easy access to them as they decorate the cabin and the outer areas of the Ranch.  I hope the pumpkin people are put in place (like the card-playing pumpkins, and the others around the whole area).  I am thrilled that the Ranch is being decorated one last time (and that the goats will wear the Halloween scarves one last time), but I will still be writing in and complaining about the loss of the pumpkin carvers -- which seems unnecessary!

Thank you so much for reporting in with the various scoops from Disneyland -- and from Target!





RichP1269 said:


> Just got an email from Kellogs. Be on the lookout for Pumpkin Pie Pop Tarts, Pumpkin Spice Fudge Stripe Cookies (Keebler) and Pumpkin Spice Mini Wheats.



I have never tried the Pop Tarts, but I am growing increasingly curious about them and I may have to cave in and try them!


----------



## only hope

Lauren in NC said:


> The pumpkin is up in Town Square and there are Halloween Time banners up near the entrance!  They've removed all the 60th banners on Main Street, and they've got the bunting up on the train station and other buildings.  They've got character pumpkins up around Partners, too.





Davidg83 said:


> I was just popping into report this breaking news too but you beat me to it! There's also a pumpkin with the diamond theme to it in one of the windows.  I'm so excited to see some of the 60th is taking a back seat to halloween for a few weeks.... Now if it wasn't 5689 degrees in the park it might actually feel like halloween time lol
> 
> Breaking news 2.0: the ranch is completely decorated for Halloween, the cabin is currently closed, and there is someone at the entrance to the ranch keeping track of how many people come in. I looked through the fence into the jamboree and it currently has cases and cases of halloween decor everywhere. I'm assuming that's the staging ground for the decorating of the park




Thrilled to hear there are good decorations going up. Are there still 60th Anniversary banners elsewhere in the park? I hope so, I have been looking forward to seeing and photographing those as well. I agree the banners wouldn't go well with Halloween decor though!


----------



## darcie2000

RichP1269 said:


> Just got an email from Kellogs. Be on the lookout for Pumpkin Pie Pop Tarts, Pumpkin Spice Fudge Stripe Cookies (Keebler) and Pumpkin Spice Mini Wheats.



I'm so excited to be able to buy all these Halloween/Fall themed foods at the grocery store while we are there! I'm guessing we should be checking out Target/Walmart etc but what is a good supermarket over there? 

We had already planned to buy an extra suitcase while over there to fill up with regular american foods to bring home but I'm thinking we might need two now!


----------



## Sherry E

only hope said:


> Thrilled to hear there are good decorations going up. Are there still 60th Anniversary banners elsewhere in the park? I hope so, I have been looking forward to seeing and photographing those as well. I agree the banners wouldn't go well with Halloween decor though!



This is why I was really wondering how Halloween décor and 60th décor would be juggled -- the 60th colors and the Halloween colors just don't mesh too well.   

Although I wish that every year Halloween Time were a bit more thorough and all-encompassing.... realistically, it should be easy to keep a lot of the 60th banners up in other areas, because the Halloween décor is usually (even in a good year) not all over the park (sadly).  

For example, the two primary areas of concentrated Halloween décor are Main Street  -- from the turnstiles to the Hub -- and Frontierland (at the Ranch, the Dia de los Muertos display and the Halloween Tree).  The area around Haunted Mansion Holiday is kind of specific to Nightmare Before Christmas, but not specifically to Halloween.  So it would be seemingly easy and harmless to decorate Main Street and Frontierland for Halloween Time, as usual, and leave the 60th banners up everywhere else in the park (wherever they would normally be).

The holiday season could be trickier, because the holiday decorations are detailed and themed to each land, and are very extensive and thorough.  It would not be as easy to leave all of the 60th things in place and decorate thoroughly for the holidays too -- there would have to be a cutback somewhere (either in terms of the 60th's banners or holiday décor).  Then again, the color scheme of the Diamond Anniversary goes much better with the holidays, I think, and many holiday things are "sparkly" to begin with so that fits well with diamonds.   There would not necessarily be a huge color clash if there were some 60th banners side by side with some Christmas trees and wreaths, as there would be a clash with the blues and oranges during Halloween Time.



darcie2000 said:


> I'm so excited to be able to buy all these Halloween/Fall themed foods at the grocery store while we are there! I'm guessing we should be checking out Target/Walmart etc but what is a good supermarket over there?
> 
> We had already planned to buy an extra suitcase while over there to fill up with regular american foods to bring home but I'm thinking we might need two now!



Target and Walmart really do seem to be the places getting a lot of the exclusive, seasonal M&M's and Oreos, and Target may have flavors that Walmart doesn't have, and vice versa.  So, if you have an opportunity to check those places first, those would be the top choices.

After that, as far as regular grocery stores that are good, either Ralphs, Ralphs Fresh Fare or Vons/Safeway.  Those are good.  CVS, Rite-Aid and Walgreens are good pharmacies, which often have a lot of seasonal candies and decorations for sale.

If you want something a bit healthier, look for a Whole Foods or Sprouts.


----------



## RichP1269

Sherry E said:


> Target and Walmart really do seem to be the places getting a lot of the exclusive, seasonal M&M's and Oreos, and Target may have flavors that Walmart doesn't have, and vice versa.  So, if you have an opportunity to check those places first, those would be the top choices.
> 
> After that, as far as regular grocery stores that are good, either Ralphs, Ralphs Fresh Fare or Vons/Safeway.  Those are good.  CVS, Rite-Aid and Walgreens are good pharmacies, which often have a lot of seasonal candies and decorations for sale.
> 
> If you want something a bit healthier, look for a Whole Foods or Sprouts.



Vons delivers, as well.  First time delivery customers get free delivery for an order over $50.


----------



## Speechphi

Davidg83 said:


> I was just popping into report this breaking news too but you beat me to it! There's also a pumpkin with the diamond theme to it in one of the windows.  I'm so excited to see some of the 60th is taking a back seat to halloween for a few weeks.... Now if it wasn't 5689 degrees in the park it might actually feel like halloween time lol
> 
> Breaking news 2.0: the ranch is completely decorated for Halloween, the cabin is currently closed, and there is someone at the entrance to the ranch keeping track of how many people come in. I looked through the fence into the jamboree and it currently has cases and cases of halloween decor everywhere. I'm assuming that's the staging ground for the decorating of the park



Oh I'm so excited! You've made my day 

This is our first year with APs, so we've been to the 60th stuff in June & we're really looking forward to "Halloween" & fall colors at the park


----------



## Sith

Looks like the 10/31 BB dinner is already sold out!

Edit: Nevermind. Looks like it is still available. Earlier it said nothing available try another date. Not sure what happened.


----------



## Kilala

I will be going to DTD in October. I have been wanting to get the light up Mickey Halloween bucket for candy for a couple of years now. The other thing I want to get is the Figaro Jack 'O Lanter which is new this year and maybe one of the bags


----------



## mom2rtk

haileymarie92 said:


> The disney parks blog posted about Mystical Spirits of the BB.
> 
> ETA:
> Oops looks like I'm a few seconds too late lol. I'm curious to see what questions are asked and what she answers. Someone ask if we will be in the seats early enough to watch PTN!


 

If the seats are where I thought they would be, you wouldn't have a view of PTN. I was thinking they'd be up by the castle. I saw some VIP seating there last time were there.


----------



## CassieF

I just saw the target exclusive flavor of m&m's...pumpkin spice latte!  I was tempted to buy them but I'm not a big candy person....  I did get my first pumpkin Starbucks of the year...a pumpkin cream frappe and it was good (I'm staying away from coffee and when I tried to order a PSL without coffee she said told me about that one).  I further enhanced it at home with some pumpkin spice Kahlua and it was even better!  I'm so ready for the weather to cool down and for it to feel like fall!


----------



## Sherry E

CassieF said:


> I just saw the target exclusive flavor of m&m's...pumpkin spice latte!  I was tempted to buy them but I'm not a big candy person....  I did get my first pumpkin Starbucks of the year...a pumpkin cream frappe and it was good (I'm staying away from coffee and when I tried to order a PSL without coffee she said told me about that one).  I further enhanced it at home with some pumpkin spice Kahlua and it was even better!  I'm so ready for the weather to cool down and for it to feel like fall!



The weather is killing me!  This heat is awful and I have been miserable.  It could drop 20 degrees and still not feel fall-ish enough for me!  

Hmmm.... a pumpkin cream frappe, eh?   I do enjoy their strawberry Frappuccinos (nice and cold).  I wonder if I would like the pumpkin cream frappe.  I feel like I need to transition into some sort of fall flavor, but it's so hot I just can't bear a hot drink at the moment.


----------



## CassieF

It didn't have the fake, not quite dairy, taste of the strawberry or vanilla cream ones, which I do not like.  It was a nice cool drink so I could still feel like it was fall, all without coffee.  If you enjoy coffee just go with an iced PSL


----------



## lorijohnhill

I love the Strawberries and Cream from Starbucks! I am, however, NOT loving this heat. It is NOT supposed to be in triple digits in September (not that I enjoy the heat at any other time of year either). September is supposed to be for nice 65 degree weather.

I found brown wings on eBay! So, the party my daughter is dressing as Zarina the Pirate Fairy I will go as Fawn. I just have to make the top and skirt. Hopefully homeschooling will stop kicking my butt and I can get some time to sew. Thankfully my mom agreed to do the actual sewing for the Daisy Duck bottom, as the thought of sewing the fur scares me!


----------



## Davidg83

only hope said:


> Thrilled to hear there are good decorations going up. Are there still 60th Anniversary banners elsewhere in the park? I hope so, I have been looking forward to seeing and photographing those as well. I agree the banners wouldn't go well with Halloween decor though!



The castle area is still all 60th, including banners. DCA was still blue bunting so I'm not sure if they're not going to switch theirs, or they just haven't gotten to that side yet.


----------



## Dee2015

I'm so not going anywhere Sherry - you couldn't get rid of me if you tried. Well maybe you could being the moderator lol!

I read all of my pages to catch up and now I'm off to seriously consider and make a decision about the BB. Would so love a prime spot for the fireworks on my 40th...but...dun dun dunnnnnnnnnnnnn $$$


----------



## ten6mom

Well, the sold out party on October 16th is now saving me at least $150 and possibly as much as $250, so I guess it's not all bad....


----------



## Doctor Who

Bought 2 bags of the Pecan Pie M&M's Horrible! Ha Ha  They taste like your eating an air freshener.


----------



## jeanico2000

Doctor Who said:


> Bought 2 bags of the Pecan Pie M&M's Horrible! Ha Ha  They taste like your eating an air freshener.



And how many air fresheners have you eaten to know this?  
Teasing of course... Thanks for the chuckle!


----------



## jammyjam25

I caved and bought another seasonal item last night. Apple Cinnamon Special K...apparently I have a thing for cereals this year!


----------



## Oswald23

I can´t reveal my source but.... The lastest news is that the Fab 5 are in there Halloween outfits (ranch halloween) during the morning in Town Square. Afternoon sets will be in the 60th attire.

And I saw a pic that the Mickey Pumpkin is in Town Square


----------



## mom2rtk

Oswald23 said:


> I can´t reveal my source but.... The lastest news is that the Fab 5 are in there Halloween outfits (ranch halloween) during the morning in Town Square. Afternoon sets will be in the 60th attire.


 

Ooh! That would be AWESOME!


----------



## TACK

So I have been trying to book the Mystical Spirits Blue Bayou experience for one person without any luck for September 25th. If there were two or more of us, I can book it but it shows nothing available for one person (which kind of bothers me - as if I don't count).  Anyways, I have called with no luck in connecting with a human, I have sent emails - again no luck with connecting.  I want to go to this experience because I am going to the party by myself and think it would be something different to add to the night.  I am cancelling my Fantasmic reservation in order to justify the cost.

Does anyone have any ideas as to what to do to make this happen.


----------



## missangelalexis

TACK said:


> So I have been trying to book the Mystical Spirits Blue Bayou experience for one person without any luck for September 25th. If there were two or more of us, I can book it but it shows nothing available for one person (which kind of bothers me - as if I don't count).  Anyways, I have called with no luck in connecting with a human, I have sent emails - again no luck with connecting.  I want to go to this experience because I am going to the party by myself and think it would be something different to add to the night.  I am cancelling my Fantasmic reservation in order to justify the cost.
> 
> Does anyone have any ideas as to what to do to make this happen.



Are you calling the dining reservation line ((714) 781-3463)? You should be able to speak with someone there. You may be on hold for a few minutes but you should have no problem reaching someone.


----------



## TACK

missangelalexis said:


> Are you calling the dining reservation line ((714) 781-3463)? You should be able to speak with someone there. You may be on hold for a few minutes but you should have no problem reaching someone.


The kicker is that Disney Dining cannot help and you need to call another line which so far (for most of the morning), no one picks up.  The Dining cast member says there are only about 2 people manning the phones.   I'll keep trying but it's costing me money calling LD along with the frustration.  Thankfully I am using a phone card but still ..... sigh.


----------



## Comicbookmommy

Very excited, just made reservations for the Disneyland Hotel for our late Oct. dates as the Annual Passholder Rates are now available through December!

Don't know if it's just my internet or something, but the October AP calendar rates they're showing on the Disney site are off. It said the rate was only available for 3/5 of my nights, and wouldn't let me book those rates online for some reason. So I called and got a flat 25% off for all nights (Sun-Thurs). So if the website is being wonky for you, be sure to call!

Also, it's cloudy and thunder storming up here in the San Bernadino Mountains! Feeling more like Fall! 



lorijohnhill said:


> I lived in Carabou, Portland, and Westbrook as a child. I remember playing in the potato fields and in LOTS of snow. I grew up on the Easy Coast and definitely miss the seasons. Fall was always my favorite (until I had to rake and bag up the leaves). I just love the crispness in the air and the beauty of the different colors of the leaves. Something sorely lacking in Sacramento.



Oh wow you lived waaaaay up in Northern Maine! How awesome! I bet the winters were even crazier up there! Westbrook is a really nice place to live as well. I'm with you on everything that's awesome about Fall in Maine. I didn't realize HOW much I missed it until we moved to California! I just can't live without that in my life. Wish Disneyland and Maine were a little closer, though


----------



## gottalovepluto

Just an FYI for anyone wondering about DAS and the party. I emailed disability services and a week later they emailed me back that DAS is operational during MHP but it is not available for treat trails.

We won't get the chance to check it out this year afterall, but in case anyone else is wondering that's what I was told by guest services.


----------



## justgrace

gottalovepluto said:


> Just an FYI for anyone wondering about DAS and the party. I emailed disability services and a week later they emailed me back that DAS is operational during MHP but it is not available for treat trails.
> 
> We won't get the chance to check it out this year afterall, but in case anyone else is wondering that's what I was told by guest services.



That's interesting that they will be having the DAS operational for the rides during MHP. In the previous years, to my understanding, it was not operational because FP was not operational during MHP.


----------



## lorijohnhill

Comicbookmommy said:


> Oh wow you lived waaaaay up in Northern Maine! How awesome! I bet the winters were even crazier up there! Westbrook is a really nice place to live as well. I'm with you on everything that's awesome about Fall in Maine. I didn't realize HOW much I missed it until we moved to California! I just can't live without that in my life. Wish Disneyland and Maine were a little closer, though


Yes, I remember snow drifts taller than our house in Carabou! Lots of fun for a little girl! I have great memories from Maine. Our house in Westbrook was really unique. It had different hardwood floors in every room, a double staircase, and I had a sink in my closet. I started Kindergarten in Westbrook, then from there we moved to Connecticut, and then many other places. LOL

ETA: I'm still waiting for "someone" to move the two coasts closer together or get the technology so that we can walk through a portal and be on the other coast! I miss my seasons!


----------



## justgrace

Getting super excited!! Our trip is getting closer!! Only a few more weeks to go! Mickey's Halloween Party, here we come!!


----------



## Sherry E

Two more days and it all begins, folks!     It's not just the start of the Halloween Time season, but for me it is the beginning of a long stretch of celebrations that carries through the end of the year!  There's no real down time for holidays once Halloween Time begins.  After that, it's right into Fall, Thanksgiving, Winter, Christmas, New Year's Eve, etc.

Of course... it is ridiculously hot and I am not feeling very Fall-ish at all.

I am wondering what's happening with the Pumpkin Festival on Main Street.  That would be the pumpkins that are ordinarily perched on balconies, awnings, etc.  There should be 300+ pumpkins.  It seems like those would have to start going up, as they have to all be in place in 2 days.  No one has mentioned seeing them (other than the window display pumpkins).

Anyway, here is today's bit of Pumpkin Pandemonium/Halloween Hoopla/Candy Corn Chaos, etc.:

"Nestle Toll House Limited Edition Pumpkin Spice Blondie Mix" -- http://www.theimpulsivebuy.com/word...se-limited-edition-pumpkin-spice-blondie-mix/.

"Eagle Brand Limited Edition Chocolate and Caramel Condensed Milks" - http://www.theimpulsivebuy.com/word...dition-chocolate-and-caramel-condensed-milks/.

And... Pumpkin Shortbread Cookies, Pumpkin Spice Caramel Truffles, Chocolate Candy Corn Truffles, Pumpkin Pie Spice Scone Mix, Pumpkin Spice Caramel Mini Sticky Bun Mix and Pumpkin Spice Granola -- http://www.theimpulsivebuy.com/wordpress/2015/09/09/spotted-on-shelves-992015/.



​






CassieF said:


> It didn't have the fake, not quite dairy, taste of the strawberry or vanilla cream ones, which I do not like.  It was a nice cool drink so I could still feel like it was fall, all without coffee.  If you enjoy coffee just go with an iced PSL



I like coffee, but not necessarily iced coffee (even on a hot day).  So I would probably just go for the frappe.




lorijohnhill said:


> I love the Strawberries and Cream from Starbucks! I am, however, NOT loving this heat. It is NOT supposed to be in triple digits in September (not that I enjoy the heat at any other time of year either). September is supposed to be for nice 65 degree weather.
> 
> I found brown wings on eBay! So, the party my daughter is dressing as Zarina the Pirate Fairy I will go as Fawn. I just have to make the top and skirt. Hopefully homeschooling will stop kicking my butt and I can get some time to sew. Thankfully my mom agreed to do the actual sewing for the Daisy Duck bottom, as the thought of sewing the fur scares me!



Yes -- I love the Strawberries & Cream Frappuccino too!   It's so refreshing, but it gives me terrible brain freeze!




Davidg83 said:


> The castle area is still all 60th, including banners. DCA was still blue bunting so I'm not sure if they're not going to switch theirs, or they just haven't gotten to that side yet.



I would guess that DCA will keep the blue bunting during Halloween Time, as I don't think there is ever any orange bunting in DCA to begin with.  DCA is usually left out of Halloween Time, with the exception of a couple of in-store displays.




Dee2015 said:


> I'm so not going anywhere Sherry - you couldn't get rid of me if you tried. Well maybe you could being the moderator lol!
> 
> I read all of my pages to catch up and now I'm off to seriously consider and make a decision about the BB. Would so love a prime spot for the fireworks on my 40th...but...dun dun dunnnnnnnnnnnnn $$$



Good -- I'm glad you're staying with us!  The BB event would be a nice way to celebrate a birthday and Halloween Time, and the good viewing spot for the fireworks should be very nice!  If you don't do the BB event, however, I'm sure that you will still have a great time.




ten6mom said:


> Well, the sold out party on October 16th is now saving me at least $150 and possibly as much as $250, so I guess it's not all bad....



There's always a silver lining...



Doctor Who said:


> Bought 2 bags of the Pecan Pie M&M's Horrible! Ha Ha  They taste like your eating an air freshener.



A good seasonal idea gone awry.  




jammyjam25 said:


> I caved and bought another seasonal item last night. Apple Cinnamon Special K...apparently I have a thing for cereals this year!



That's true -- you are going after the cereals this year!   That reminds me -- I wonder if the Candy Corn Pebbles are back this year, or if that was just a 2014 thing.




Oswald23 said:


> I can´t reveal my source but.... The lastest news is that the Fab 5 are in there Halloween outfits (ranch halloween) during the morning in Town Square. Afternoon sets will be in the 60th attire.
> 
> And I saw a pic that the Mickey Pumpkin is in Town Square



Let's hope that turns out to be true all Halloween Time season long!   That certainly was not what was indicated in the Disneyland News press release.   Maybe the emails that were already sent to Disney (from people concerned about the limited Halloween Time offerings) made a difference somehow.   They wouldn't have time to suddenly bring in the pumpkin carvers, because they have to actually go out and collect the pumpkins and line up the carvers for the entire season and there is no time to do that.   BUT, a simple thing such as having some characters in Halloween attire in Town Square should not be a big deal.

Maybe even Disney at some point looked over what they were planning for this Halloween Time season and thought, "Okay, this is getting ridiculous.  We have to take the blue bunting down from Main Street and we have to throw some characters in Halloween garb into Town Square."



TACK said:


> So I have been trying to book the Mystical Spirits Blue Bayou experience for one person without any luck for September 25th. If there were two or more of us, I can book it but it shows nothing available for one person (which kind of bothers me - as if I don't count).  Anyways, I have called with no luck in connecting with a human, I have sent emails - again no luck with connecting.  I want to go to this experience because I am going to the party by myself and think it would be something different to add to the night.  I am cancelling my Fantasmic reservation in order to justify the cost.
> 
> Does anyone have any ideas as to what to do to make this happen.



I believe that *Vala* had some issues at first, when trying to book a solo spot for the Mystical Spirits event.  It finally worked, though.  Here is her post - http://www.disboards.com/threads/ha...s-now-sold-out.3270919/page-232#post-54366162.



Comicbookmommy said:


> Very excited, just made reservations for the Disneyland Hotel for our late Oct. dates as the Annual Passholder Rates are now available through December!
> 
> Don't know if it's just my internet or something, but the October AP calendar rates they're showing on the Disney site are off. It said the rate was only available for 3/5 of my nights, and wouldn't let me book those rates online for some reason. So I called and got a flat 25% off for all nights (Sun-Thurs). So if the website is being wonky for you, be sure to call!
> 
> Also, it's cloudy and thunder storming up here in the San Bernadino Mountains! Feeling more like Fall!
> 
> 
> 
> Oh wow you lived waaaaay up in Northern Maine! How awesome! I bet the winters were even crazier up there! Westbrook is a really nice place to live as well. I'm with you on everything that's awesome about Fall in Maine. I didn't realize HOW much I missed it until we moved to California! I just can't live without that in my life. Wish Disneyland and Maine were a little closer, though



It's not even remotely fall-like down here in the L.A. basin.  It is absurdly hot and uncomfortable.  Fairly humid too.  I want to just keep running to the shower and sticking my head under the water, but we're in a bad drought and I can't waste water!


----------



## Comicbookmommy

Sherry E said:


> It's not even remotely fall-like down here in the L.A. basin.  It is absurdly hot and uncomfortable.  Fairly humid too.  I want to just keep running to the shower and sticking my head under the water, but we're in a bad drought and I can't waste water!



I've contemplated taking up hibernation, but for the _Summer_. Just pack on pounds of insulating fat during the Holiday season, then as soon as the first hint of heat comes around, into my cave I go. Then awaken on the first day of Fall and skip all the sweaty nonsense. I quite admire bears that ability to sleep through an entire part of a year, haha!


----------



## kaoden39

Comicbookmommy said:


> I've contemplated taking up hibernation, but for the _Summer_. Just pack on pounds of insulating fat during the Holiday season, then as soon as the first hint of heat comes around, into my cave I go. Then awaken on the first day of Fall and skip all the sweaty nonsense. I quite admire bears that ability to sleep through an entire part of a year, haha!



I like how you think!!


----------



## RichP1269

Special Activities Department came through with a couple of our requests.  We got preferred viewing for WoC, PTN and Disneyland forever, and she is still trying to see if she can get Halloween Screams for us on 9/25.

This is going to be our best trip to DLR ever!


----------



## mom2rtk

RichP1269 said:


> Special Activities Department came through with a couple of our requests.  We got preferred viewing for WoC, PTN and Disneyland forever, and she is still trying to see if she can get Halloween Screams for us on 9/25.
> 
> This is going to be our best trip to DLR ever!


 

How did you manage that?


----------



## DonaldDuck21

I will be attending the halloween party for the first time in October. The priority for me is to get pictures with characters in their costumes. Will the lines be super long? Will Jack Skellington be out?


----------



## Sherry E

DonaldDuck21 said:


> I will be attending the halloween party for the first time in October. The priority for me is to get pictures with characters in their costumes. Will the lines be super long? Will Jack Skellington be out?



Jack Skellington will be out at the party -- and, with any luck, in the daytime too.  He usually pops up in the afternoon somewhere near Haunted Mansion Holiday.  Sometimes he is with Sally and sometimes he's not.  Since he usually just tends to be out for Halloween Time and the Holidays, he is popular and there should be a decent line.  I have never really seen a line for characters at the party that wasn't fairly long, unless the character had not arrived yet and the line had just begun to form.    Since some folks take multiple photos and get autographs, the lines can move slowly.

Jack Sparrow is another one who is extremely popular, so his photo spot (which I think he shares with some other characters) will have quite a long line.

It will help somewhat if some of the characters are out in the daytime and are not only at the party (such as Mickey, Minnie, etc., in Halloween attire).


----------



## RichP1269

mom2rtk said:


> How did you manage that?



Back in February, I received an offer for discounted rates at the Grand for $269/night in a standard room.  The only problem was the offer expired a week before the trip we were planning.  A trip for just the wife and I to celebrate our 20th Anniversary.  I used the online chat to inquire about them extending the rate a week for us so we could take advantage of it for our anniversary.  After a little while of them checking and finally saying they could not, I thanked the CS Agent and logged out of the chat.  

Well, up popped a window asking if I would take a quick survey about my chat experience. Normally, I exit out of those but this time I decided to go ahead and fill it out.  After the multiple choice questions were done, it asked for a summation of my experience using the chat system.  I explained why I had logged in, told them that while I understood why they couldn't extend the rates I was still disappointed that Disney coouldn't extend a little pixie dust to make our 20th special.

The next day I got a call from the Special Activities Department.  Once again they asked why I had used the chat system and i explained it to them.  They then said they were sorry, but couldn't extend the rates for me.  But then they said that since they are a different department they could make me a special offer.


Help with preferred viewing for any shows we may want to see.
Help booking any dining we wanted.
Help booking any tours we wanted to go on.

And the real kicker?  A rate of $189 a night for a Premium View room at the Grand for the duration of our stay. 

Sorry, that was a bit long winded.


----------



## Clawdya

TACK said:


> So I have been trying to book the Mystical Spirits Blue Bayou experience for one person without any luck for September 25th. If there were two or more of us, I can book it but it shows nothing available for one person (which kind of bothers me - as if I don't count).  Anyways, I have called with no luck in connecting with a human, I have sent emails - again no luck with connecting.  I want to go to this experience because I am going to the party by myself and think it would be something different to add to the night.  I am cancelling my Fantasmic reservation in order to justify the cost.
> 
> Does anyone have any ideas as to what to do to make this happen.



How about trying to chat with someone online? Good luck. I really hope you get it since it sounds awesome. I was able to reserve it for our party night.


----------



## Sherry E

RichP1269 said:


> Back in February, I received an offer for discounted rates at the Grand for $269/night in a standard room.  The only problem was the offer expired a week before the trip we were planning.  A trip for just the wife and I to celebrate our 20th Anniversary.  I used the online chat to inquire about them extending the rate a week for us so we could take advantage of it for our anniversary.  After a little while of them checking and finally saying they could not, I thanked the CS Agent and logged out of the chat.
> 
> Well, up popped a window asking if I would take a quick survey about my chat experience. Normally, I exit out of those but this time I decided to go ahead and fill it out.  After the multiple choice questions were done, it asked for a summation of my experience using the chat system.  I explained why I had logged in, told them that while I understood why they couldn't extend the rates I was still disappointed that Disney coouldn't extend a little pixie dust to make our 20th special.
> 
> The next day I got a call from the Special Activities Department.  Once again they asked why I had used the chat system and i explained it to them.  They then said they were sorry, but couldn't extend the rates for me.  But then they said that since they are a different department they could make me a special offer.
> 
> 
> Help with preferred viewing for any shows we may want to see.
> Help booking any dining we wanted.
> Help booking any tours we wanted to go on.
> 
> And the real kicker?  A rate of $189 a night for a Premium View room at the Grand for the duration of our stay.
> 
> Sorry, that was a bit long winded.



Not longwinded at all!  I'm glad you shared that with us, and I'm glad it worked out for you.  I'd say that they went above and beyond the call of duty.   I had the pleasure of dealing with the Special Activities department several years ago, and ended up with seats for A Christmas Fantasy Parade.  I could have gotten seats or VIP viewing for quite a few other things as well, but I didn't want to push the issue.  I arranged to have VIP viewing for World of Color and my friends did not show up for it.  I also ended up with a fantastic DCA view room.


----------



## Kilala

Dose the CC still sell the loaded potato soup? If so should I make a reservation now for the 16th party? I want to eat early around 4 or 4:30pm when they will let me in costume.


----------



## Sherry E

Kilala said:


> Dose the CC still sell the loaded potato soup? If so should I make a reservation now for the 16th party? I want to eat early around 4 or 4:30pm when they will let me in costume.



They do still offer it, as far as I know.  It's so popular.  Then again, the popular fried green tomato sandwich at Hungry Bear has now been removed from the menu (as has the bumblebee cupcake), so anything can happen!


----------



## mummabear

TACK said:


> So I have been trying to book the Mystical Spirits Blue Bayou experience for one person without any luck for September 25th. If there were two or more of us, I can book it but it shows nothing available for one person (which kind of bothers me - as if I don't count).  Anyways, I have called with no luck in connecting with a human, I have sent emails - again no luck with connecting.  I want to go to this experience because I am going to the party by myself and think it would be something different to add to the night.  I am cancelling my Fantasmic reservation in order to justify the cost.
> 
> Does anyone have any ideas as to what to do to make this happen.



I know the Villians soriee at wdw last year had a minimum of 2 for booking.
Try booking for two via the phone with your 2nd listed as an infant


----------



## lorijohnhill

I just got back from Target. My phone died, so I have to rely on my pitiful memory to talk about the Pumpkin Pandemonium/Candy Corn and Candy Applr Chaos that I saw. 

Entemens (however you spell  it) had Pumpkin donuts and Pumpkin Popems. I saw Candy Apple Peeps. Halloween Oreos and Caramel Apple Oreos. Candy Corn M & Ms. Starburst flavored candy corn. 

And this one I managed to get a photo to remember. 

I know there was some other stuff I can't remember.


----------



## JacksGirlz

Thank you Sherry E for the tip on the first page of this thread about calling to see if any tickets for sold out MHP nights might be available.  DD17 and I decided we wanted to try to squeeze in a 2nd MHP during our visit and checked only to find October 16th sold out yesterday.  I just called Disney and they had "a few" tickets left and I was able to snag 2 of them!  Now we just have to decide which costumes to wear.


----------



## haileymarie92

Fiancé and I went shopping for costumes today! We will be going as mickey and Minnie, but in clothes that can be reworn (I'm not big on costumes I can only wear once). We did buy some cute black tails, and I already have minnie ears. Fiancé got some shorts and leggings in mickey colors. And I got a cute skirt that I can wear with a black shirt/tank top as minnie. 

Can't wait!!!


----------



## Canadian Harmony

My 'Merida' costume arrived yesterday. It's a standard medieval dress, but it works. Except it's 1/2 a size too small... I'm stuffed in there like a sausage. So I'm packing my body shaper along with the dress, my wig and the crown. I'll buy the bow and 'arrows' at the BBB that afternoon. It's quite low-cut, but my cleavage can handle it. There was really itchy netting in the shoulders I removed immediately.

What I found funniest was it came from China through Costume Express... and the label says Los Angeles Costume Company  Maybe I should have waited and picked one up on the Sunday we arrive.


----------



## only hope

TACK said:


> The kicker is that Disney Dining cannot help and you need to call another line which so far (for most of the morning), no one picks up.  The Dining cast member says there are only about 2 people manning the phones.   I'll keep trying but it's costing me money calling LD along with the frustration.  Thankfully I am using a phone card but still ..... sigh.



If you have a built in mic to your computer, you could create a Google phone account and call for free if you're in the U.S.


----------



## Vala

Sherry E said:


> I believe that *Vala* had some issues at first, when trying to book a solo spot for the Mystical Spirits event.  It finally worked, though.  Here is her post - http://www.disboards.com/threads/ha...s-now-sold-out.3270919/page-232#post-54366162.


 
Yes, that is the same issue I had. I tried calling and anything else and on Friday was told the event wasn't even booking yet, they couldn't help me. In the end I kept hitting F5 like a madwoman and eventually a table showed up.

I don't think there's a minimum booking. I could get table for 1 to show up fine any other dates but mine (28th) and Halloween.


----------



## CassieF

I was in the parks today and thrilled with the Halloween decorations popping up!  The giant pumpkin characters were over the turnstiles, banners and bunting up all along Main Street and I didn't look too closely because I was rushing but I did notice pumpkins up on the awnings around the Opera House so I imagine the rest will be up for Friday!


----------



## Sherry E

CassieF said:


> I was in the parks today and thrilled with the Halloween decorations popping up!  The giant pumpkin characters were over the turnstiles, banners and bunting up all along Main Street and I didn't look too closely because I was rushing but I did notice pumpkins up on the awnings around the Opera House so I imagine the rest will be up for Friday!



Thank goodness it seems like everything is just about normal on Main Street!  I'm so glad the bunting is back -- it's so basic and simple, but it provides such a pop of color on Main Street during Halloween Time.  I think that color is needed.  The bunting is complementary to the various pumpkins along Main Street.    Since that is literally one of the only areas that gets any Halloween décor at all in Disneyland, to reduce it to something less would really be unfortunate!

Now if only it were not so hot!!!


----------



## CassieF

I know...walking through the main gate and down Main Street had me so excited but the 90+ degrees at 6 killed any thought of fall!  At least the 80's this weekend will feel good compared to the 100 degrees of today!


----------



## Sherry E

CassieF said:


> I know...walking through the main gate and down Main Street had me so excited but the 90+ degrees at 6 killed any thought of fall!  At least the 80's this weekend will feel good compared to the 100 degrees of today!



That will practically be an arctic blast compared to today!    I had to go out and run an errand, and I specifically waited until the sun went down in hopes that it would be cooler.  Even at 8:45 p.m. it was warm out.  A breeze blew in my face and it was warm!  Booooo!  What is the use in having a breeze if it's not going to be cool?


----------



## TACK

Vala said:


> Yes, that is the same issue I had. I tried calling and anything else and on Friday was told the event wasn't even booking yet, they couldn't help me. In the end I kept hitting F5 like a madwoman and eventually a table showed up.
> 
> I don't think there's a minimum booking. I could get table for 1 to show up fine any other dates but mine (28th) and Halloween.



Well, I finally did talk with a cast member and she said that they were having problems (I'm on a list so I'm not the only table for one that was trying to book).  They are looking into this and will get back to me.  I believe it has to do with the order of the tables being booked on line.    Honestly, I would be okay if they treated it like a singles table on a cruise, just bunch us together and make us be friendly


----------



## SeattleSuz

Crisis!  I cannot find my costume!  I had a Mrs. Cap America costume that I wore to MNSSHP but I don't remember where I put it!  Yikes!  Would it be bad to wear a handmade Minnie Mouse costume?  It's not fancy, but my Grandmother-in-law made it for me back in 2004...


----------



## justgrace

SeattleSuz said:


> Crisis!  I cannot find my costume!  I had a Mrs. Cap America costume that I wore to MNSSHP but I don't remember where I put it!  Yikes!  Would it be bad to wear a handmade Minnie Mouse costume?  It's not fancy, but my Grandmother-in-law made it for me back in 2004...



Do it!! A Minnie Mouse costume would be sooo cute!! And a handmade costume makes it even more special!


----------



## SeattleSuz

justgrace said:


> Do it!! A Minnie Mouse costume would be sooo cute!! And a handmade costume makes it even more special!


 I just worry that it might be too risque...  Maybe I need a pair of black leggings to wear underneath the short skirt!  hmmmmmm...


----------



## Vala

TACK said:


> Well, I finally did talk with a cast member and she said that they were having problems (I'm on a list so I'm not the only table for one that was trying to book).  They are looking into this and will get back to me.  I believe it has to do with the order of the tables being booked on line.    Honestly, I would be okay if they treated it like a singles table on a cruise, just bunch us together and make us be friendly



That's what my boyfriend said too.  "At least you'd have someone to take pictures for you if pictures at the tables are being done."


----------



## Sherry E

Here is another Press Release about Halloween Time (you will remember the previous one, which left us confused as to whether there would be a Monsters U dance party or a Superheroes dance party, as two different versions of the same release said 2 different things!!!!  ) -- http://disneylandnews.com/2015/09/1...ss-to-the-sparkle-of-the-diamond-celebration/.     Highlights from the press release include:

-- Details of the new gingerbread house in Haunted Mansion Holiday ("a leaning and careening 'house of cards'").

-- Monsters U Dance Party is once again being mentioned instead of the Superhero Dance Party that was originally mentioned.




A dose of pumpkin-ness for today:


"Pumpkin Love: 6 Favorite Recipes from Disney Parks Chefs" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on September 10th, 2015 by Pam Brandon, Disney Parks Food Writer - http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...e-6-favorite-recipes-from-disney-parks-chefs/.

Pumpkin Spice Latte Candy Bar - http://www.theimpulsivebuy.com/word...russell-stover-pumpkin-spice-latte-candy-bar/.

Clear American Limited Edition Pumpkin Spice and Caramel Apple Sparkling Water -- http://www.theimpulsivebuy.com/word...pkin-spice-and-caramel-apple-sparkling-water/.

Halloween Tic Tacs!!:  http://www.theimpulsivebuy.com/wordpress/2015/09/10/spotted-on-shelves-9102015/.





​


----------



## TACK

Vala said:


> That's what my boyfriend said too.  "At least you'd have someone to take pictures for you if pictures at the tables are being done."



Which is what I was thinking, instead of looking around for a cast member.  Hopefully I will hear back soon.


----------



## Metalliman98

10/9 is now sold out.


----------



## jammyjam25

Sherry E said:


> Clear American Limited Edition Pumpkin Spice and Caramel Apple Sparkling Water -- http://www.theimpulsivebuy.com/word...pkin-spice-and-caramel-apple-sparkling-water/.



Okay I think they finally lost me on the seasonal products...pumpkin spice sparking water?! BLECH!


----------



## lorijohnhill

hmmm... I was really looking forward to the Superhero Party.


----------



## theluckyrabbit

SeattleSuz said:


> I just worry that it might be too risque...  Maybe I need a pair of black leggings to wear underneath the short skirt!  hmmmmmm...



Black leggings (capris if the weather is warm, full length if cooler) would be great! That would also give you more confidence and comfort with moving around (getting in and out of low ride vehicles, sitting on a curb or the ground, etc.).


----------



## SeattleSuz

theluckyrabbit said:


> Black leggings (capris if the weather is warm, full length if cooler) would be great! That would also give you more confidence and comfort with moving around (getting in and out of low ride vehicles, sitting on a curb or the ground, etc.).


 
Is this too risqué for dlr (on the right)


----------



## theluckyrabbit

SeattleSuz said:


> View attachment 123105
> Is this too risqué for dlr (on the right)



I've seen outfits that were way more risqué (*eyeroll*), but it really comes down to what is comfortable for you to wear with lots of movement (e.g. at the Monsters dance party and lifting your arms on rides -- and I've seen people in tight, short costumes who discovered that their freedom of movement was not so free and rather embarrassing in their costume!) and in various weather conditions. The weather could be boiling hot (we've gone when it's been 85*F at 10pm) or pouring rain (yeah, we've done that, too!). For me personally, I prefer to wear more layers and remove them if I get too warm, than be bare and end up freezing.


----------



## lorijohnhill

SeattleSuz said:


> View attachment 123105
> Is this too risqué for dlr (on the right)


In my opinion, the top may be on the border of "not especially family friendly." You might consider wearing a black tank under the top and leggings or tights under the skirt. I think that would be really cute and still allow you to be worry free about getting on and off rides, etc.


----------



## theluckyrabbit

lorijohnhill said:


> In my opinion, the top may be on the border of "not especially family friendly." You might consider wearing a black tank under the top and leggings or tights under the skirt. I think that would be really cute and still allow you to be worry free about getting on and off rides, etc.



I would agree with this. DL will allow the costume at the party, but it could easily be made more family/child friendly and more comfortable for total freedom of movement.


----------



## carrierael77

SeattleSuz said:


> View attachment 123105
> Is this too risqué for dlr (on the right)


Personally the skirt looks fine done the pic. But the shirt may be questionable. I personally would put a little white tank underneath the shirt. If unsure of skirt, a pair of black or white bike shorts would be perfect!


----------



## Sherry E

jammyjam25 said:


> Okay I think they finally lost me on the seasonal products...pumpkin spice sparking water?! BLECH!



I agree!  I am not a huge pumpkin-flavored food person anyway (I'd rather have the pumpkin aroma than the flavor), but I would never be interested in pumpkin spice sparkling water or caramel apple sparkling water!  Maybe just plain apple would be okay (like cider), but caramel apple water?  Uh-uh.


What do you think of the theme of the new Haunted Mansion Holiday gingerbread house this year?  I must say, compared to last year's bizarre iron maiden theme, this year's house of cards theme sounds very tame by comparison.  Last year's theme was a bit edgy for Disney.


----------



## KCmike

Hello everyone!  Hi Sherry!  There is an outside chance I might be in town on October 10th, a Saturday.  It's not a Halloween party night but there is only one paint the night parade and its at 10:45pm.  Why is there no 8:50pm parade?  Is there something going on I don't know about?


----------



## Sherry E

KCmike said:


> Hello everyone!  Hi Sherry!  There is an outside chance I might be in town on October 10th, a Saturday.  It's not a Halloween party night but there is only one paint the night parade and its at 10:45pm.  Why is there no 8:50pm parade?  Is there something going on I don't know about?



Hi, Mike!   

Nothing that I am aware of.   It's possible that the DLR schedule has not been fully updated yet (there has been all kinds of chaos with their system and calendar this year) and maybe an earlier presentation of PTN will be added in.  Or maybe that's just their Fall schedule, with only one showing (although... why wouldn't it be earlier?).  Maybe the twice nightly parade was just for summer?


----------



## cindy0519

My sister and I will be spending a few days at Disneyland and would like to attend the Halloween party in Sept 25 but it is sold out .  Is there anywhere to get two tickets or does anyone have two that they'd like to sell??


----------



## KCmike

Sherry E said:


> Hi, Mike!
> 
> Nothing that I am aware of.   It's possible that the DLR schedule has not been fully updated yet (there has been all kinds of chaos with their system and calendar this year) and maybe an earlier presentation of PTN will be added in.  Or maybe that's just their Fall schedule, with only one showing (although... why wouldn't it be earlier?).  Maybe the twice nightly parade was just for summer?



Thanks Sherry E for the quick reply.  I looked at the Saturday before and saw an earlier parade so I thought it was a little weird.  It's a 50/50 shot whether I would get to visit on that day at this point and the earlier parade isn't a deal breaker.  The only real reason other than it's DISNEYLAND is that my wife and I could swing dance again.


----------



## Kilala

I just went out in my back yard to water the lawn and I can't believe that the is setting that early. This makes me happy. I know fall is not that far away. Next thing you know the first MHP will be apon us I also noticed that the humidity is going down. I work outside with kids at lunch resses. I can't believe that kids want to play in that heat. I have been getting sick because of everything.


----------



## Sherry E

cindy0519 said:


> My sister and I will be spending a few days at Disneyland and would like to attend the Halloween party in Sept 25 but it is sold out .  Is there anywhere to get two tickets or does anyone have two that they'd like to sell??



No selling or buying of anything on this board!  The tickets are technically not supposed to be resold either, so we generally don't encourage too much discussion about it.

The best thing you can do is to get to the ticket booths early that morning (the 25th) and see if they have any "Day of Event" tickets.  Often times they do, but you have got to get there early.


----------



## mummabear

Wow can't believe it has been a year since we were at DLR!


----------



## goldmay

cindy0519 said:


> My sister and I will be spending a few days at Disneyland and would like to attend the Halloween party in Sept 25 but it is sold out .  Is there anywhere to get two tickets or does anyone have two that they'd like to sell??



This is a pricey option -- there was an announcement online last week for cast members that said guests can purchase tickets on sold-out days if they purchase the Blue Bayou package. But I'm not sure if anything has changed since then so if you're considering it, definitely call Disney before you buy anything.


----------



## Sherry E

On the site MouseWait, someone posted a great nighttime photo of the Ray Bradbury Halloween tree, taken tonight.   It's a wonderful vantage point.  They are standing underneath the tree and shooting up, and you can see the last bits of royal blue sky beyond the orange-ish red lights of the tree and the leaves.  It's very dramatic!


Someone also posted a photo of the awesome NEW Dia de los Muertos Mickey apple (there is a Dia de los Muertos rice crispy treat as well, apparently).


----------



## iKristin

Yikes, Glad I'm buying my tix tomorrow


----------



## theluckyrabbit

cindy0519 said:


> My sister and I will be spending a few days at Disneyland and would like to attend the Halloween party in Sept 25 but it is sold out .  Is there anywhere to get two tickets or does anyone have two that they'd like to sell??



If you will be staying at one of the on site hotels, you may be able to get tickets to the party at the hotel desk. In the past, there have been a limited number of tickets for a MHP available at the desk the morning of each party. Or, as Sherry suggested, you can try at the ticket booths first thing on the morning of the 25th.


----------



## SeattleSuz

lorijohnhill said:


> In my opinion, the top may be on the border of "not especially family friendly." You might consider wearing a black tank under the top and leggings or tights under the skirt. I think that would be really cute and still allow you to be worry free about getting on and off rides, etc.


 
Yeah I am definitely going to wear a tank underneath the top, to make it more comfortable and a bit more modest.  I dont want to look like a hoochie mama at Disneyland!  lol


----------



## missangelalexis

Looking at the Disneyland app, they list Jafar and Queen of Hearts as being out today (along with Cruella and Evil Queen). Also lists Jack & Sally! 

Curious to hear if Mickey, Minnie, etc are going to be out in costume during the mornings like someone mentioned.


----------



## honicakes

Jack and Sally definitely makes sense for today since the HM re-opens with the NBC overlay. I will be in the parks Mon & Tues - hope to see Jack & Sally while I am there :-D


----------



## cindy0519

Sherry E said:


> No selling or buying of anything on this board!  The tickets are technically not supposed to be resold either, so we generally don't encourage too much discussion about it.
> 
> The best thing you can do is to get to the ticket booths early that morning (the 25th) and see if they have any "Day of Event" tickets.  Often times they do, but you have got to get there early.




I didn't know that resale was not allowed.  I thought the party tickets were transferable.  I transferred a runDisney after party ticket to another runner's family last year (I bought one too many - duh) and it worked without issue so maybe I just assumed the party tickets had the same capability.  Sorry!!   

Thanks for the pointer on checking the morning of! We will definitely doing this!



goldmay said:


> This is a pricey option -- there was an announcement online last week for cast members that said guests can purchase tickets on sold-out days if they purchase the Blue Bayou package. But I'm not sure if anything has changed since then so if you're considering it, definitely call Disney before you buy anything.



Everything I see on this says you have to have a ticket to the party to make the reservation.  I will call after work and see what they say. Thanks for the tip!


----------



## Speechphi

It looks like the carnival is back!  I just was on Mice Chat & read this: http://micechat.com/110703-disneyland-welcomes-halloween-time/

(Sherry please fix this if I didn't link correctly...I'm on my phone & I'm not sure if I did it correctly! Thx!  )


----------



## Comicbookmommy

Speechphi said:


> It looks like the carnival is back!  I just was on Mice Chat & read this: http://micechat.com/110703-disneyland-welcomes-halloween-time/
> 
> (Sherry please fix this if I didn't link correctly...I'm on my phone & I'm not sure if I did it correctly! Thx!  )




OMG!!! YESSSSS!!!


----------



## jammyjam25

OH MY GOSH! THAT IS GREAT NEWS!! I was so bummed about not being able to see the carnival! And I actually *really* like the orange buntings and flowers mixed in with the 60th diamonds, it looks great!


----------



## SeattleSuz

Have there been some pics posted yet?  Of the Main Street decorations?  I dont want to have to rely on my Disneyland Periscope to see...


----------



## jammyjam25

SeattleSuz said:


> Have there been some pics posted yet?  Of the Main Street decorations?  I dont want to have to rely on my Disneyland Periscope to see...



The link that @Speechphi shared above has lots of really great photos from this morning. Definitely go check them out!


----------



## haileymarie92

The carnival!!!!!!!! Yay!!!!!!

Though it also mentions that you can conjure a villain (aka the Conjure a Villain tent), but I thought we got official notice that Conjure a Villain would not be happening this year?


----------



## Speechphi

Comicbookmommy said:


> OMG!!! YESSSSS!!!



I  Sue Sue Heck


----------



## KrisRose821

Hello there!! I'm a newbie to the Disboards!!! I've been stalking this page (please don't take out a restraining order!!) and LOVE all of the ideas, info, and especially the Pumpkin Pandemonium!!!! It has been very informative and helpful!  

My husband and I are going to DL halloween weekend!! WOO! We don't have kids but we are kids at heart so I'm very excited to go! 

I'm THRILLED to see the carnival is gonna be there!!!! 

What I really came on to do was report my Pumpkin Pandemonium purchases today- Pumpkin Spiced Oatmeal & Pumpkin Spiced Granola!! YUM! Can't wait to try them!! I've had the Pumpkin Spiced Lattes, the Pumpkin Spiced M & M's, & Pumpkin scones! Love all the things holiday themed!


----------



## bellazachmom

I am LOVING this quote from the MiceChat article!!

"Meanwhile Disney California Adventure feels almost neglected in terms of Halloween.  There is some spooky fun to be found though if you look real close. There is also word that Aladdin will be closing due to an early frost."


----------



## Speechphi

haileymarie92 said:


> The carnival!!!!!!!! Yay!!!!!!
> 
> Though it also mentions that you can conjure a villain (aka the Conjure a Villain tent), but I thought we got official notice that Conjure a Villain would not be happening this year?



I thought so too! Obviously we'll be finding out more as the day goes on, but I wonder if they were getting so much flak they decided to bring it back one last time?


----------



## haileymarie92

Speechphi said:


> I thought so too! Obviously we'll be finding out more as the day goes on, but I wonder if they were getting so much flak they decided to bring it back one last time?


Maybe! The pictures micechat posted don't show the conjure a villain tent, though. Actually they don't seem to show any of the "carnival" aspects, just decorations. 

I'm going to stay skeptical so I'm not disappointed if it's a fluke lol


----------



## SeattleSuz

jammyjam25 said:


> The link that @Speechphi shared above has lots of really great photos from this morning. Definitely go check them out!


 Oh boy!  Getting chills of excitement just looking at them!!!


----------



## Speechphi

Regarding Pumpkin Pandemonium


----------



## SeattleSuz

DUDE!  Jack Skellington cake pops?!!  Awesome!!!

I love how this article starts out: 
"It’s the most wonderful time of the year for me! No, not Christmas silly. It’s Halloween Time at the Disneyland Resort!"


----------



## Disneyplannergirl

Looks like the micechat report was just edited. Basically says there is no carnival this year.


----------



## Comicbookmommy

Disneyplannergirl said:


> Looks like the micechat report was just edited. Basically says there is no carnival this year.









Now this was just plain _cruel _dangling the carnival in front of us like that!


----------



## focusondisney

I just followed the provided link. Only thing I see says " has NOT been " decorated into the carnival.


----------



## Priory

I had a feeling they'd just copied and pasted last year's report.


----------



## rwhistler92

Looks like that area is just big enough for a Halloween Party meet and greet.


----------



## jammyjam25

Dang! I knew it was too good to be true. I do like all the decorations around the ranch area at least.


----------



## haileymarie92

I knew there was something fishy with that micechat post. Especially after Erin at Disney Parks Blog confirmed no carnival.


----------



## mummabear

Mice chat article specifically states no carnival:
Back in Big Thunder Ranch we see that the Festival arena has NOT transformed this year into the Halloween celebration we have enjoyed for years.  The magic show, face painting, crafts and pumpkin carvers are all sadly missing this year. Could this be an early sign of preparation for Star Wars Land, or merely a cutback?


----------



## lorijohnhill

Talk about an emotional roller coaster...  



mummabear said:


> Mice chat article specifically states no carnival:
> Back in Big Thunder Ranch we see that the Festival arena has NOT transformed this year into the Halloween celebration we have enjoyed for years.  The magic show, face painting, crafts and pumpkin carvers are all sadly missing this year. Could this be an early sign of preparation for Star Wars Land, or merely a cutback?


Apparently the article was edited between the time it was posted and the time we read it.


----------



## haileymarie92

lorijohnhill said:


> Apparently the article was edited between the time it was posted and the time we read it.


It was. When it was first posted, it said the Halloween carnival was back with games, crafts and villain conjuring.

In fact, it seemed more convincing because they also noted that the pumpkin carvers would not return, but that the carnival was.


----------



## Speechphi

mummabear said:


> Mice chat article specifically states no carnival:
> Back in Big Thunder Ranch we see that the Festival arena has NOT transformed this year into the Halloween celebration we have enjoyed for years.  The magic show, face painting, crafts and pumpkin carvers are all sadly missing this year. Could this be an early sign of preparation for Star Wars Land, or merely a cutback?



Well BOO! I'm not surprised


----------



## lorijohnhill

Sacramento = HOT
Office A/C NOT working = VERY HOT
Me = 

I need some good news!


----------



## SeattleSuz

lorijohnhill said:


> Sacramento = HOT
> Office A/C NOT working = VERY HOT
> Me =
> 
> I need some good news!


Oh no.  That's no fun!!  It's only supposed to be 83 here in Seattle today.
I am looking forward to going to SoCal in late September to have 80 degrees still, makes me feel like an extension of summer!


----------



## CaliGrrl

I love the picture of the poison apple mug!  I have to have one!!!!  Any pictures of the new Mickey Vampire Popcorn Bucket???


----------



## Sherry E

I know it's easy to get excited about something you see, and it's hard to know what is official and what is not.     I saw the MiceChat article first thing this morning and I knew right away that they were wrong, and not up on the latest info (I keep telling you guys that I scooped MiceChat on the lack of a Carnival and pumpkin carvers this year, but no one pays attention!  ).

For one thing, in the blog there are photos of the Ranch.  Remember that Lauren and David already told us here in this thread that the Ranch was decorated?  Those decorations in the MiceChat article are the Ranch... not the Halloween Carnival area.  The Carnival area is slightly separate from (though connected to) the Ranch area.

Secondly, in the first version of the article, Norman referred to the "rumor" of the pumpkin carvers not returning.  He did not seem to know that it had been officially stated by Erin that there would be no carvers, nor did he know that there would be no Conjure a Villain tent and no Carnival.  It was a mistake on his part, but unfortunately people would have seen it and gotten super excited because they thought something was happening that is not happening.

Just as was the case with the Disney Visa newsletter, which referred to a Carnival this year, MiceChat was wrong about the Carnival.   

Anyway, here is a new installment from the Parks Blog -- 

"Halloween Minnie Mouse Transformation Casts A Spell on Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique at Disney Parks" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on September 11th, 2015 by Michelle Harker, Manager, Merchandise Marketing & Communications, Disneyland Resort -- http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...-on-bibbidi-bobbidi-boutique-at-disney-parks/.



Halloween Hoopla/Fall Fever -

Nestle Toll House Harvest Apple Cookie Dough (okay, might have to try this one!) - http://www.theimpulsivebuy.com/word...nestle-toll-house-harvest-apple-cookie-dough/.

I think I'll pass on the Dove Eyeballs  - http://www.theimpulsivebuy.com/wordpress/2015/09/11/spotted-on-shelves-9112015/.





​


KrisRose821 said:


> Hello there!! I'm a newbie to the Disboards!!! I've been stalking this page (please don't take out a restraining order!!) and LOVE all of the ideas, info, and especially the Pumpkin Pandemonium!!!! It has been very informative and helpful!
> 
> My husband and I are going to DL halloween weekend!! WOO! We don't have kids but we are kids at heart so I'm very excited to go!
> 
> I'm THRILLED to see the carnival is gonna be there!!!!
> 
> What I really came on to do was report my Pumpkin Pandemonium purchases today- Pumpkin Spiced Oatmeal & Pumpkin Spiced Granola!! YUM! Can't wait to try them!! I've had the Pumpkin Spiced Lattes, the Pumpkin Spiced M & M's, & Pumpkin scones! Love all the things holiday themed!



Welcome!     I'm so glad you joined us after stalking us for a while!   

I love Pumpkin Pandemonium!   The pumpkin oatmeal sounds like it would be good.  I thought that there might be a lull in Pumpkin Pandemonium products hitting the shelves around now, but they still seem to be coming out!

Sadly, no Carnival.  If I had been able to sign on earlier today, I would have clarified for everyone that the photos in the article were only of the Ranch and not the Carnival, and that MiceChat was wrong (because they were not up on the same info that we were up on in this thread 2 months ago!   ).  Fortunately, everyone eventually figured it out -- but only after getting momentarily excited over the prospect of a non-existent Carnival!  



jammyjam25 said:


> Dang! I knew it was too good to be true. I do like all the decorations around the ranch area at least.



The Pumpkin People are back at the Ranch, thankfully, as well as most of the autumnal décor!


----------



## lorijohnhill

I wonder how much the Minnie makeover will cost. It looks really cute.


----------



## bellazachmom

I have the MiceChat page pulled up from this morning that I never closed to show my kiddos when they get home from school ~ so sad to compare it to the edited version available now


----------



## Sherry E

lorijohnhill said:


> I wonder how much the Minnie makeover will cost. It looks really cute.



It's probably a bargain price of $350 or something.


----------



## lorijohnhill

Sherry E said:


> It's probably a bargain price of $350 or something.


You're right! It probably will!


----------



## RichP1269

We've never done a tour before so I just bought tickets for the Happiest haunts Tour on the 24th.


----------



## jammyjam25

It's not that we don't listen Sherry, I think we were just all really hopeful that we had gotten a happy surprise for once! Sadly t'was not the case.


----------



## Oswald23

Here an article on Facebook from character central. My info about the fab 5 was good. Jippee

We have some good news out of the Disneyland Resort today! Despite them previously claiming that there would be no daytime Halloween entertainment this year (as per the Disney Parks Blog), today, the first day of Halloweentime, has seen the VIPs on Main Street in their Halloween costumes, Jack and Sally in New Orleans Square, and Frollo in Fantasyland. If we hear of any more villains or other characters being out, we'll post in the comments below!


----------



## KrisRose821

RichP1269 can you let us know how the tour is this year?! Id love to hear a review of it!


----------



## missangelalexis

Oswald23 said:


> Here an article on Facebook from character central. My info about the fab 5 was good. Jippee
> 
> We have some good news out of the Disneyland Resort today! Despite them previously claiming that there would be no daytime Halloween entertainment this year (as per the Disney Parks Blog), today, the first day of Halloweentime, has seen the VIPs on Main Street in their Halloween costumes, Jack and Sally in New Orleans Square, and Frollo in Fantasyland. If we hear of any more villains or other characters being out, we'll post in the comments below!



I know this is the Halloween thread but I am hoping they will rotate to their 60th costumes later in the day! Would be great to meet them in both sets of costumes


----------



## RichP1269

KrisRose821 said:


> RichP1269 can you let us know how the tour is this year?! Id love to hear a review of it!



Sure will!  We return home in the evening of the 26th, so look for it on the 27th.


----------



## Sherry E

jammyjam25 said:


> It's not that we don't listen Sherry, I think we were just all really hopeful that we had gotten a happy surprise for once! Sadly t'was not the case.



The happy surprise is that there are pumpkins on Main Street, when originally we didn't know what was happening there!  Some of the Mickey lamppost pumpkins are not there, though. 

As for the lack of a Carnival -- all I can say is, I knew there wouldn't be a Carnival and that Norman's information was not up to date, not to mention that his photos were of the Ranch and not the Carnival.  There were too many different indications (and eventual confirmations) of no Carnival this year, going back to July, and it just really seemed clear to me that it was not going to happen.  The Parks Blog doesn't like to confirm things -- especially if it's bad news -- so when the Parks Blog says there will be no Pirates League, no pumpkin carvers, no Conjure a Villain tent and no Carnival, you know that means there will be no Carnival!   



missangelalexis said:


> I know this is the Halloween thread but I am hoping they will rotate to their 60th costumes later in the day! Would be great to meet them in both sets of costumes



In the Disneyland News Press Release from August, it said: "Guests will enjoy special photo locations with popular Disney pals, plus Disney villains. For Mickey’s Halloween Party only, Disney characters will be dressed in their Halloween costumes. During the day and on non-Halloween Party nights, Disney characters will wear their special Diamond Celebration attire."

Now, as we see from Oswald23's post above, at least some characters in Halloween attire are in Town Square -- which seems to contradict the implication of the press release.  I am certain that the characters in 60th attire will be out, but I don't know when they will come out and the Halloween characters will vanish for the day.  

My feeling is that, right now, in the 2 weeks before MHP begins, there will be characters in Halloween attire out and about.  I suspect that when the party begins in 2 weeks, that's when the characters in costumes might 'disappear' in the daytime and become MHP exclusives.  I could be completely wrong, but I can picture Disney doing something like that!


----------



## Comicbookmommy

Well,  at least the few minutes when I thought the carnival was going to be there were nice, haha!

Temps are going to be down in the lower 70's here in the mountains all next week! And I spotted a few of the non-pine trees changing color already!! Fall is comiiiing!


----------



## Sherry E

Comicbookmommy said:


> Well,  at least the few minutes when I thought the carnival was going to be there were nice, haha!
> 
> Temps are going to be down in the lower 70's here in the mountains all next week! And I spotted a few of the non-pine trees changing color already!! Fall is comiiiing!



It's not anywhere close to low 70s here where I am -- nor in Anaheim, where DLR is -- so Fall is not coming this way just yet!  It's all mid-to-upper '80s (and only in the 70s at night) next week.  Booooo!  It's 90-something today!


----------



## nicolispicoli

I know the Happiest Haunts tour starts today. If anyone takes it in the next couple days, please let us know what it entails.

I called and they were very vague with the information, as usual. Tour goes from 5-8 or 5:15-8:15 and goes on select ride attractions and includes a pin and sweet treat. He also confirmed that for the second year, it will NOT visit DCA.

I'm considering doing it next weekend, but I'd like to know how it's changed and if it's worth it for us. It's $68/pp with our AP's, so its not too expensive, but I know Disney likes to slowly pick off all the great things that make it a great value. I'm EXTREMELY bitter about the loss of the Carnival area, so I am trying to fill that void since we're going too early to attend a Halloween party. Thanks!


----------



## Metalliman98

nicolispicoli said:


> I know the Happiest Haunts tour starts today. If anyone takes it in the next couple days, please let us know what it entails.
> 
> I called and they were very vague with the information, as usual. Tour goes from 5-8 or 5:15-8:15 and goes on select ride attractions and includes a pin and sweet treat. He also confirmed that for the second year, it will NOT visit DCA.
> 
> I'm considering doing it next weekend, but I'd like to know how it's changed and if it's worth it for us. It's $68/pp with our AP's, so its not too expensive, but I know Disney likes to slowly pick off all the great things that make it a great value. I'm EXTREMELY bitter about the loss of the Carnival area, so I am trying to fill that void since we're going too early to attend a Halloween party. Thanks!



Odd, I booked the tour last week and the CM I spoke to mentioned ToT as an attraction.  Guess we'll just have to see how it all shakes out.


----------



## Sherry E

nicolispicoli said:


> I know the Happiest Haunts tour starts today. If anyone takes it in the next couple days, please let us know what it entails.
> 
> I called and they were very vague with the information, as usual. Tour goes from 5-8 or 5:15-8:15 and goes on select ride attractions and includes a pin and sweet treat. He also confirmed that for the second year, it will NOT visit DCA.
> 
> I'm considering doing it next weekend, but I'd like to know how it's changed and if it's worth it for us. It's $68/pp with our AP's, so its not too expensive, but I know Disney likes to slowly pick off all the great things that make it a great value. I'm EXTREMELY bitter about the loss of the Carnival area, so I am trying to fill that void since we're going too early to attend a Halloween party. Thanks!



I agree -- I'm eager to hear about what happens with the Happiest Haunts Tour this year as well.  I suspected that the info they previously gave on the phone (about the tour including ToT) was wrong, and that it would not go into DCA at all.  As usual, the CMs don't have their facts straight, and they give out conflicting information.   Sigh.

So the tour IS taking place during the party?  It would have to, if it lasts until 8 or 8:15.


----------



## Comicbookmommy

Sherry E said:


> It's not anywhere close to low 70s here where I am -- nor in Anaheim, where DLR is -- so Fall is not coming this way just yet!  It's all mid-to-upper '80s (and only in the 70s at night) next week.  Booooo!  It's 90-something today!



Ew, that is a _yucky _temperature. Any temp starting with an 8 or up is just awful and uncomfortable to me! Hopefully it's be that much more of a relief when fall with it's cooler temps DOES arrive down where you are!

Also I can't thank you enough again for suggesting to wait on our trip until late October. I'm guessing at this rate it'll still be in the 80's late September in Disneyland, and that'd still be TOO HOT for a Halloween trip for me. As long as there's no freak heat wave around Halloween, I'm looking forward to cool(er) weather during our trip.


----------



## missangelalexis

Sherry E said:


> In the Disneyland News Press Release from August, it said: "Guests will enjoy special photo locations with popular Disney pals, plus Disney villains. For Mickey’s Halloween Party only, Disney characters will be dressed in their Halloween costumes. During the day and on non-Halloween Party nights, Disney characters will wear their special Diamond Celebration attire."
> 
> Now, as we see from Oswald23's post above, at least some characters in Halloween attire are in Town Square -- which seems to contradict the implication of the press release.  I am certain that the characters in 60th attire will be out, but I don't know when they will come out and the Halloween characters will vanish for the day.
> 
> My feeling is that, right now, in the 2 weeks before MHP begins, there will be characters in Halloween attire out and about.  I suspect that when the party begins in 2 weeks, that's when the characters in costumes might 'disappear' in the daytime and become MHP exclusives.  I could be completely wrong, but I can picture Disney doing something like that!



What you're saying makes a lot of sense! I'll be there next week so I am hoping I can catch at least a few characters in their 60th! I guess I'm being a little greedy and hoping to get the best of both worlds


----------



## courtneybeth

Instagram has photos of the Haunted Mansion Gingerbread House since NBC's overlay opened today. I won't post to spoil, but it looks awesome. Not as impressive as last year's house but still fun!


----------



## Sherry E

"First Look: Hatbox Ghost Joins the Celebration in Haunted Mansion Holiday at Disneyland Park" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on posted on September 11th, 2015 by Erin Glover, Social Media Director, Disneyland Resort  --  http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...n-haunted-mansion-holiday-at-disneyland-park/. 



courtneybeth said:


> Instagram has photos of the Haunted Mansion Gingerbread House since NBC's overlay opened today. I won't post to spoil, but it looks awesome. Not as impressive as last year's house but still fun!



Last year's house was a bit edgy for Disney.  The weird, macabre iron maiden theme did not seem like something that they would normally do.  It seemed like it was the brainchild of some hipster in the office, and not of the regular Imagineers.     The house of cards theme is... safe.


----------



## dolphingirl47

missangelalexis said:


> Looking at the Disneyland app, they list Jafar and Queen of Hearts as being out today (along with Cruella and Evil Queen). Also lists Jack & Sally!
> 
> Curious to hear if Mickey, Minnie, etc are going to be out in costume during the mornings like someone mentioned.



That sounds promising. I have met Jack and the Queen of Hearts before, but never Jafar, the Evil Queen or Cruella.



Oswald23 said:


> We have some good news out of the Disneyland Resort today! Despite them previously claiming that there would be no daytime Halloween entertainment this year (as per the Disney Parks Blog), today, the first day of Halloweentime, has seen the VIPs on Main Street in their Halloween costumes, Jack and Sally in New Orleans Square, and Frollo in Fantasyland.



That sounds even better. I should be spoiled for character photos this time round. Frollo would be a real find.

Corinna


----------



## courtneybeth

Sherry E said:


> Last year's house was a bit edgy for Disney. The weird, macabre iron maiden theme did not seem like something that they would normally do.



I think that's probably why we liked it so much.


----------



## pudinhd

Yummy!!!

*Complete Guide to Eats During Halloween Time at Disneyland Resort*

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...s-during-halloween-time-at-disneyland-resort/


----------



## Sherry E

pudinhd said:


> Yummy!!!
> 
> *Complete Guide to Eats During Halloween Time at Disneyland Resort*
> 
> http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...s-during-halloween-time-at-disneyland-resort/



They say "Complete," but it's not complete!  No mention of a Fall Log (the fall equivalent of the Yule Log), or cake pops, or other things.   It's a very good list, but it in no way includes everything!  It's not complete, Disney -- false advertising!!!!


----------



## courtneybeth

@pudinhd  -- Great post! Going to have to save on WW points and have a pumpkin muffin or Mickey bat cookie when I go next time. Everything looks so good!


----------



## Comicbookmommy

pudinhd said:


> Yummy!!!
> 
> *Complete Guide to Eats During Halloween Time at Disneyland Resort*
> 
> http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...s-during-halloween-time-at-disneyland-resort/



Haha I messaged my husband the link and here were his replies (He's so cute ):

"ICE CREAM NACHOS?!?!?!!

HONEY!

ICE CREAM FREAKING NACHOS????

I'm leaving right now to go get Ice Cream Freaking Nachos"


----------



## jammyjam25

pudinhd said:


> Yummy!!!
> 
> *Complete Guide to Eats During Halloween Time at Disneyland Resort*
> 
> http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...s-during-halloween-time-at-disneyland-resort/



I'm intrigued by the "seasonal Halloween Dessert Buffet" at PCH Grill! I wonder if this is separate from the dinner buffet or just replacing the desserts the current buffet has now?

Also, the Haunted Mansion cake is adorable! Can't wait to try that!


----------



## Sherry E

jammyjam25 said:


> I'm intrigued by the "seasonal Halloween Dessert Buffet" at PCH Grill! I wonder if this is separate from the dinner buffet or just replacing the desserts the current buffet has now?
> 
> Also, the Haunted Mansion cake is adorable! Can't wait to try that!



My feeling was that they are probably replacing the current desserts with more fall-inspired treats (no strawberry shortcake, in other words).  Hopefully someone will eat there now that Halloween Time has begun and let us know.

Also... I read somewhere (can't even recall where at this point) that the pretzel rods were being discontinued from the various candy shops.  I am curious to know if anyone sees them as they are out surveying the treats today, or if the rods are actually gone!!!!


----------



## lorijohnhill

I'm doing the Halloween tour on 9/30 and I had a choice of 4pm or 4:15pm start time.

Why does all the food have to be spicy? It's getting to the point where it is very difficult to find anything I can eat at Disneyland.


----------



## Sherry E

I'm not a spicy food person either -- I never have been in my life, but even less so now that I am older and my stomach gets irritated more easily.


----------



## Mommy2PrincessAbby

I have two weeks till my final payment is due, 2 days till my 1st day is officially on the Disneyland website calendar... And apparently 6 weeks and 2 days to get moving on the treadmill so I can enjoy a bunch of these treats.  I have wanted to try the pumpkin twist for a year now... Get in my belly!


----------



## Sherry E

The Jazz Kitchen Haunted Gingerbread House Building Workshop for D23 members is taking place on Sunday, October 25th - https://d23.com/d23-event/haunted-gingerbread-house-building-workshop/.

I would have to imagine that the same event for non-D23 folks will take place on Saturday, October 24th, but Jazz Kitchen has not posted the date on its site yet.  That's when it should be, though.  The Holiday season event will have a few extra dates.


Speaking of which, for those who want to enjoy another family-friendly/non-scary Halloween event that is not far from Disneyland, try the Anaheim Halloween Parade and Fall Festival, on Saturday, October 24th - http://anaheimhalloweenparade.org/.  Some of Disneyland's horses usually participate in the Parade.


​


----------



## CassieF

I'll do a quick little report in my visit today....Jack and Sally were out as usual, with Jack doing one solo set to start then Sally joining him for the rest of the day.  The line was consistently 60-90 minutes.  Haunted Mansionwas awesome, hatbox ghost was tastefully decorated and fit in well without ruining his look and the gingerbread house was cool and, as described above, "safe".  Jafar was out where Aladdin meets, not sure if he switched out rotations with him but awesome to see him out.  Frollo and Queen of Hearts were out in FL, as well as Evil Queen and Hook as usual.  I'm guessing Cruella was out in Town Square as usual, but didn't see her myself.  

So yeah, carnival is gone, with conjure a villain, but honestly, for villains, it is actually much better and easier to see, only no Maleficent...but Frollo, Queen of Hearts, and Jafar regularly is pretty cool...


----------



## only hope

Where is the gingerbread creation located within HM? Is it something you walk past in the queue? 

I also hope the characters rotate between the Halloween and 60th outfits. Being from the other side of the country it's not like I can come back after the holidays!


----------



## rwhistler92

The gingerbread house is in the ballroom scene. I can't wait to see and smell it.


----------



## Sherry E

CassieF said:


> I'll do a quick little report in my visit today....Jack and Sally were out as usual, with Jack doing one solo set to start then Sally joining him for the rest of the day.  The line was consistently 60-90 minutes.  Haunted Mansionwas awesome, hatbox ghost was tastefully decorated and fit in well without ruining his look and the gingerbread house was cool and, as described above, "safe".  Jafar was out where Aladdin meets, not sure if he switched out rotations with him but awesome to see him out.  Frollo and Queen of Hearts were out in FL, as well as Evil Queen and Hook as usual.  I'm guessing Cruella was out in Town Square as usual, but didn't see her myself.
> 
> So yeah, carnival is gone, with conjure a villain, but honestly, for villains, it is actually much better and easier to see, only no Maleficent...but Frollo, Queen of Hearts, and Jafar regularly is pretty cool...



Did you see the cute goats in Halloween scarves?


----------



## Abbey1

What's everyones favorite Halloween time food at Disneyland? It's our first time visiting during Halloween and I can't wait to try some yummy seasonal treats!


----------



## Sherry E

Abbey1 said:


> What's everyones favorite Halloween time food at Disneyland? It's our first time visiting during Halloween and I can't wait to try some yummy seasonal treats!



I don't think it's exclusive to Halloween Time and the Holidays anymore, but I really like the gingerbread cookie with chocolate-dipped mouse ears that is sold in most of the candy shops.  The cookies are a good size and are usually a good texture.  Have you had one of those cookies?

I tried the pumpkin muffin in the past and didn't really love it like I wanted to.  I would like to try the pumpkin twist.  I also want to try the apple pie funnel cake.

They used to serve a demitasse dessert in a Halloween mug that was cool, but I couldn't quite tell from the list that the Parks Blog published if it is on there in some version.  There will be treats and savory dishes that are not even on that list, so just keep your eyes open anywhere you go!  

I also tried the bat Mickey cookie and it was pretty good.

I had a wonderful, soft, chewy zombie gingerbread cookie in 2013, in honor of the 13th year of Haunted Mansion Holiday.  The zombie looked like the little zombies in the ride and the frosting was melting off because it was hot outside, but it was fresh and delicious.  They only sold that zombie cookie during that year, though.


----------



## only hope

rwhistler92 said:


> The gingerbread house is in the ballroom scene. I can't wait to see and smell it.



Thanks. I don't like the taste of gingerbread but the smell is amazing! That'll be different, smelling gingerbread on the HM! Of course, the whole things will be different with the overlay. Thats one of the things I'm most looking forward to. I wish they did an overlay at WDW though DL does need some unique things to drawa visitors. (I'm a local WDW passholder.)


----------



## Oswald23

About the 60 years attire. The morning sets are with Halloween costumes. The late afternoon and evening sets are in there 60s costumes. At least for now. Wouldn't be surprised that it Changes when the parties come.

I do not hope that happens with the villain.


----------



## theluckyrabbit

Sherry E said:


> ...They used to serve a demitasse dessert in a Halloween mug that was cool, but I couldn't quite tell from the list that the Parks Blog published if it is on there in some version.  There will be treats and savory dishes that are not even on that list, so just keep your eyes open anywhere you go!  ...



I hope they bring back the demitasse cups this year. We looked for them last year all during Halloween Time and never did see any.


----------



## dolphingirl47

Sherry E said:


> I read somewhere (can't even recall where at this point) that the pretzel rods were being discontinued from the various candy shops. I am curious to know if anyone sees them as they are out surveying the treats today, or if the rods are actually gone!!!!



Oh, I hope that this is wrong. This is pretty much the only treat from the candy shops that I will ever have.



CassieF said:


> Jack and Sally were out as usual, with Jack doing one solo set to start then Sally joining him for the rest of the day.



That is good to know. I have met Jack on a number of occasions, but have never met Sally. Maybe this will be the year for this.

Corinna


----------



## poseys

I am all over that Poisoned Apple-tini!


----------



## mommy2mrb

can't wait to try some of the pumpkin treats...especially the twists!  love seeing the photos with the decorations up!  getting my packing list put together this weekend!


----------



## grnflash

dolphingirl47 said:


> Oh, I hope that this is wrong. This is pretty much the only treat from the candy shops that I will ever have.



I hope so too but sadly I think they are gone - we haven't found them at least. The ones with the mini m&m's I can understand though. I think a dozen fly off with every bite! That never stopped us from getting one but they really make a mess. We were sitting on a bench outside Briar Patch one time, DS was eating one. The m&m's were flying everywhere. DH was trying to pick them up (I was only sorta trying - I had a Tigger Tail to focus on lol.) Anyway a CM came up with a broom and said let me get those. DH was sputtering apologies but she just laughed and said it's ok, they're trained to look out for the things when they're working Critter Corner.


----------



## mom2rtk

Sherry E said:


> Also... I read somewhere (can't even recall where at this point) that the pretzel rods were being discontinued from the various candy shops.  I am curious to know if anyone sees them as they are out surveying the treats today, or if the rods are actually gone!!!!


 

That would not surprise me in the least. I think they're gone from WDW. I got them last year in DL, but I like the dark chocolate ones I could have custom made at Goofy's Candy Shop in DTD at WDW. So when we were there this summer, it was high on my list (sad but true! ) I was so sad to see all the dipped pretzel rods gone.


----------



## Sherry E

mom2rtk said:


> That would not surprise me in the least. I think they're gone from WDW. I got them last year in DL, but I like the dark chocolate ones I could have custom made at Goofy's Candy Shop in DTD at WDW. So when we were there this summer, it was high on my list (sad but true! ) I was so sad to see all the dipped pretzel rods gone.



That's a shame.  Another one bites the dust.    I was hoping I was wrong, or that maybe whoever posted it where I read it was incorrect, but from what you and grnflash are saying it sounds like it's true.  So many things are suddenly disappearing.  I swear, after I saw that the Osborne Lights were being discontinued at DHS because of the upcoming work on Star Wars Land and Toy Story Land, my first thought was, "Oh no.  I hope that we are not going to see an upcoming Parks Blog that says, 'Due to our work on the upcoming Star Wars Land, this will be the final year of It's a Small World Holiday.'"

I mean... they angered me with the removal of the pumpkin carvers and Carnival.  They angered me further with the upcoming end to Aladdin to throw in yet another thing that is Frozen-related.  If anything happens to It's a Small World Holiday, there will be a mutiny!


----------



## mom2rtk

Sherry E said:


> That's a shame.  Another one bites the dust.    I was hoping I was wrong, or that maybe whoever posted it where I read it was incorrect, but from you and grnflash are saying it sounds like it's true.  So many things are suddenly disappearing.  I swear, after I saw that the Osborne Lights were being discontinued at DHS because of the upcoming work on Star Wars Land and Toy Story Land, my first thought was, "Oh no.  I hope that we are not going to see an upcoming Parks Blog that says, 'Due to our work on the upcoming Star Wars Land, this will be the final year of It's a Small World Holiday.'"
> 
> I mean... they angered me with the removal of the pumpkin carvers.  They angered me further with the upcoming end to Aladdin to throw in yet another thing that is Frozen-related.  If anything happens to It's a Small World Holiday, there will be a mutiny!


 

It really has been a bad year for takeaways. I know there's new stuff coming.... but pssst....... lean in a little closer and promise not to tell anyone.......... I just don't care that much about Star Wars!  So even though there's new stuff coming, it won't be any time soon...... or even remotely soon..... and once it's here, well..... it's just Star Wars. 

I swear I just read the Muppet Show is leaving DHS now too. So that makes me wonder about the future of the Muppets at DCA. I mean, surely they won't leave Frozen in Muppets Theater. But will they put the Muppets back? Or just leave that sitting empty for a long time?


----------



## Sherry E

mom2rtk said:


> It really has been a bad year for takeaways. I know there's new stuff coming.... but pssst....... lean in a little closer and promise not to tell anyone.......... I just don't care that much about Star Wars!  So even though there's new stuff coming, it won't be any time soon...... or even remotely soon..... and once it's here, well..... it's just Star Wars.
> 
> I swear I just read the Muppet Show is leaving DHS now too. So that makes me wonder about the future of the Muppets at DCA. I mean, surely they won't leave Frozen in Muppets Theater. But will they put the Muppets back? Or just leave that sitting empty for a long time?



Having that sing-along there, in addition to a stage show at the Hyperion, would be ridiculous.  The Muppets are coming back to TV, aren't they?  It seems like it would be a great time to return them to DCA, and to their theater.



​


I have good news about this thread.  You may or may not have noticed that we are just about to hit page 250 -- which would normally be the point at which we switch over to a new thread.  But since the Halloween Time season literally just began, and we want people to come back here to share their reviews and photos, and Mickey's Halloween Party is beginning in a couple of weeks.... I am going to let the thread run until at least the end of the Halloween Time season on 11/1, if not a bit beyond that (to give everyone a chance to report back about their trips on Halloween night)!  I have no idea what page number we will get to by that point, but I think it's better to not interrupt the thread when the season has begun and momentum has been built.  When the season ends and it seems like most people have reported back with their Halloween Time experiences, I will switch us over to a new thread.

In the meantime, if you are just joining in or lurking in the shadows, remember that you do not have to read the whole thread.   There is a lot of info about all things Halloween Time on page 1, and I update it with new info when it comes in, so that can be a good starting point for learning about what to expect.  Otherwise, just jump on in and join us, or ask questions, etc.!

And, everyone who is returning back from their trips, be sure to let us know what you enjoyed, what you didn't enjoy, if you did the Happiest Haunts Tour, if you took photos of Halloween treats or Fall foods, etc.  We want to hear all about it and see photos!  That's a major part of the reason I am keeping this thread going until the end of the season -- so we can get the follow-up reports from people who have already posted in this thread before their trips began!


----------



## dolphingirl47

I understand the reasoning behind this, but is this not going to cause a lot of issues especially for the people who use mobile devices? As far as I understand that was the reason why the page cap was introduced. I am planning to keep up with this thread while I am away, but I will only have access to the thread on my iPad Mini and my iPad so I am a bit worried about this.

Corinna


----------



## Sherry E

dolphingirl47 said:


> I understand the reasoning behind this, but is this not going to cause a lot of issues especially for the people who use mobile devices? As far as I understand that was the reason why the page cap was introduced. I am planning to keep up with this thread while I am away, but I will only have access to the thread on my iPad Mini and my iPad so I am a bit worried about this.
> 
> Corinna



Not as far as I know.   There shouldn't be an issue.  If there is and we hear about it, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it and I will switch us over to a new thread.   Not a big deal.   I haven't been told of any such issues, though. 

The page limit was introduced on the previous version of the site (on the old vBulletin platform) a long time ago, as there were some glitchy things happening in the threads when they got too far beyond page 250.   The threads would start to act kooky.   Now that we are on a new platform, we are still trying to keep 95% of the threads at 250 pages, but the webmasters decided to let some of them go past that page number, in very specific cases.  This is one of them, as is the Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread.  It's just that it's good to switch the threads at the right time, and I notice that sometimes when I switch to a new thread, a lot of people who were posting in the former one don't end up making it to the new one, for whatever reason.  Stopping this one when the season is over seems like good timing, but if it ends up being a problem then I'll switch.


----------



## Sith

rwhistler92 said:


> The gingerbread house is in the ballroom scene. I can't wait to see and smell it.


How do you smell it through the glass? Do they use the smellitzer or something?


----------



## Sherry E

There is a piped-in (strong) aroma of gingerbread in that HMH scene, as you pass by the ballroom.

There are also aromas on It's a Small World Holiday, but those don't seem to be as strong.

Last year the gingerbread aroma on HMH was not working when Halloween Time first began, as I recall.  Hopefully it is working fine this year!


----------



## Sith

Sherry E said:


> There is a piped-in (strong) aroma of gingerbread in that HMH scene, as you pass by the ballroom.
> 
> There are also aromas on It's a Small World Holiday, but those don't seem to be as strong.
> 
> Last year the gingerbread aroma on HMH was not working when Halloween Time first began, as I recall.  Hopefully it is working fine this year!


I figured it was something like that. But, is the piped in smell actually from the gingerbread house? Or is it just a gingerbread scent?


----------



## Sherry E

Sith said:


> I figured it was something like that. But, is the piped in smell actually from the gingerbread house? Or is it just a gingerbread scent?



I _think_ it's just a random gingerbread scent that is supposed to make us think that we are smelling the actual house.  I'm sure it smells great in the actual room where it is set up.

I remember one year when the annual gingerbread house was set up in Storytellers Café for the holidays.  It just arrived a day or two before I was there, so the smell was fresh and it wafted all around the waiting area of the restaurant!

On the other hand, there is a faux gingerbread Castle in the Fantasy Tower lobby of the Disneyland Hotel, and the gingerbread smell there is piped in from somewhere.


----------



## Lauren in NC

Yesterday was our last day at Disneyland   Here's a quick brain dump of the Halloween stuff we saw.

We saw the Fab Five in their costumes (though only got pictures with Mickey and Minnie) and Cruella was also out meeting in Town Square.  A character CM told me what Oswald said upthread, that they'd be meeting in Halloween costumes until the 12:30 parade and then meeting in 60th attire afterwards, but we saw several of them out in the early afternoon still in the Halloween costumes.  The lines for them were LONG, but not as bad as the one for Jack and Sally!  I'm guessing they may adjust the timings as I know we weren't the only people asking the character attendants when they'd be back out.

Loved the new gingerbread house in HM (the gingerbread scent is working and is strong!), and it was our first time seeing the hatbox ghost!  DH and I literally gasped out loud when we saw him.

There were definitely pumpkin people out around the BTR area, but we didn't get back there on Friday so I didn't get to see the Scaredy Crow shack opened up.  It looked like everything was up Thursday, though, and it looked amazing!

I was told there are two Photopass magic shots for Halloween Time - one where you're feeding Zero and one stirring a cauldron.

The Dapper Dans were out on Main Street in orange-striped vests singing songs about Halloween Time!

I'm impatiently waiting for DH to upload our photos to his computer, and then I'll post some!


----------



## Abbey1

I decided if Disneyland can have all their Halloween decorations up, then so can I! We've been decorating all day.


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## pudinhd

Sherry E said:


> Having that sing-along there, in addition to a stage show at the Hyperion, would be ridiculous.  The Muppets are coming back to TV, aren't they?  It seems like it would be a great time to return them to DCA, and to their theater.



I really hope you are correct!!!!    I think having 3 Frozen shows is crazy, even if they are still popular!!


----------



## Sherry E

Abbey1 said:


> I decided if Disneyland can have all their Halloween decorations up, then so can I! We've been decorating all day.





pudinhd said:


> I really hope you are correct!!!!    I think having 3 Frozen shows is crazy, even if they are still popular!!




I like your way of thinking!!!  (That's my answer to both pudinhd's comment and Abbey1's comment above!!!)


----------



## Comicbookmommy

Abbey1 said:


> I decided if Disneyland can have all their Halloween decorations up, then so can I! We've been decorating all day.



OMG I loooove the Pumpkin Nutcracker! Where did you get it?

Totally jealous you're decorating! I have to wait until hubby is available after our next work deadline ( he wants to help decorate) So probably not until the 23rd  

But very excited that temps should breach the 60's tomorrow an I may (*gasp* ) turn OFF the air conditioner!!!


----------



## Sherry E

Comicbookmommy said:


> OMG I loooove the Pumpkin Nutcracker! Where did you get it?
> 
> Totally jealous you're decorating! I have to wait until hubby is available after our next work deadline ( he wants to help decorate) So probably not until the 23rd
> 
> Also ver excited that temps should breach the 60's tomorrow an I may (*gasp* ) turn OFF the air conditioner!!!



I love that pumpkin nutcracker as well.  I know there are smaller varieties of Halloween nutcrackers at Michaels, if I'm not mistaken (vampire, witch, mummy, pumpkin, Frankenstein, etc.).

Yep -- still no such luck with the temperatures down my way (or in Anaheim).  Today is overcast, and still warm and muggy.  In fact, I looked at the forecast for Anaheim coming up in the next week or two, and some of the days have ridiculous humidity.  We're talking crazy humidity (basically anything above 70%) -- one day is supposed to have 94% humidity, and other days have 80%+, on top of temperatures in the mid-to-upper 80s.  It is definitely a different world up in the mountains!


----------



## CassieF

I never made it back up to the ranch so I didn't see the goats...  But I was back again today and it was so much more crowded than yesterday!  Jack and Sally probably had a 2 hour line (I got in right as it reopened after lunch and was at the top of the stairs and it was 50 minutes...and it was more than twice as long as when I hopped in!  So so crazy!  Again, Sally was out for all but the first set and I would probably count on that being the norm, unless there is some last minute scheduling issue or call out.  

The same villains were out again, Jafar, Frollo, Queen of Hearts, Hook, Evil Queen and Cruella...I just love that they are all around!!!!  

They have really awesome poison apple mugs that you can get at various locations with fruit or frozen lemonade, and on the same note, the poison apple-tini is amazing!


----------



## CassieF

Oh, has anyone been up to the ranch and confirm the cookie bake is not the old snicker doodle with pumpkin ice cream?  I was so sad when the blog announced a different one this year.  I was really looking forward to it!


----------



## Sherry E

CassieF said:


> I never made it back up to the ranch so I didn't see the goats...  But I was back again today and it was so much more crowded than yesterday!  Jack and Sally probably had a 2 hour line (I got in right as it reopened after lunch and was at the top of the stairs and it was 50 minutes...and it was more than twice as long as when I hopped in!  So so crazy!  Again, Sally was out for all but the first set and I would probably count on that being the norm, unless there is some last minute scheduling issue or call out.
> 
> The same villains were out again, Jafar, Frollo, Queen of Hearts, Hook, Evil Queen and Cruella...I just love that they are all around!!!!
> 
> They have really awesome poison apple mugs that you can get at various locations with fruit or frozen lemonade, and on the same note, the poison apple-tini is amazing!



I saw those poison apple mugs, and I am a sucker for pineapple, so that appealed to me (although when I think of fall and Halloween, I don't think of pineapple!).

I'm glad that the Villains are out too -- at least right now.  It will be interesting to see what happens with them when MHP begins, and if they suddenly become less available in the daytime.  I appreciate that there are more Villains out than just Captain Hook, Cruella and Queen of Hearts (the usual suspects, in other words).

I can't believe how long the lines are for Jack and Sally!  That is crazy.



CassieF said:


> Oh, has anyone been up to the ranch and confirm the cookie bake is not the old snicker doodle with pumpkin ice cream?  I was so sad when the blog announced a different one this year.  I was really looking forward to it!



I noticed that the Parks Blog did not mention pumpkin ice cream this time around.  It could be that they just aren't aware of the pumpkin ice cream option, or maybe it's just not being served this year with the snicker doodle or cookie bake (whatever is actually there).  This makes me think they might not have the peppermint ice cream in November either.


----------



## CassieF

I am guessing the villains will stay around, even with the parties starting.  If you think about it, all the special villains out now are not face characters so there are likely more people who are able to step into these roles and cover the times...  I'm guessing this is why there isn't Maleficent or Facilier out during the day.  Queen and Cruella already have a larger pool as they are out regularly during the year


----------



## stephanie22

CassieF said:


> I am guessing the villains will stay around, even with the parties starting.  If you think about it, all the special villains out now are not face characters so there are likely more people who are able to step into these roles and cover the times...  I'm guessing this is why there isn't Maleficent or Facilier out during the day.  Queen and Cruella already have a larger pool as they are out regularly during the year



I also think that they'll stay out, for the same reason. Or at least that's what I'm hoping for! I love villains, my son keeps saying he doesn't want to mee them. I keep telling him that Mickey would never allow them to be mean to him.


----------



## Abbey1

Comicbookmommy said:


> OMG I loooove the Pumpkin Nutcracker! Where did you get it?
> 
> Totally jealous you're decorating! I have to wait until hubby is available after our next work deadline ( he wants to help decorate) So probably not until the 23rd
> 
> But very excited that temps should breach the 60's tomorrow an I may (*gasp* ) turn OFF the air conditioner!!!



Thanks- it was my new edition for the year and I love him. I ordered it from Grandin Road. It was 90 degrees today, so my husband thought I was a little crazy for decorating. He did said he'll help finish up tomorrow though.

Trader Joes had a lot of new yummy pumpkin/fall treats out today! I bought this pumpkin seed brittle that is super delicious, and they also had pumpkin salted caramels, cookies, and a few other things I can't remember.


----------



## only hope

Sith said:


> How do you smell it through the glass? Do they use the smellitzer or something?



There's glass between you and the ballroom? Huh. There isn't at MK. That is my favorite room and we've been lucky enough to be stopped there a few times


----------



## Crisi83

lorijohnhill said:


> One of the things I'd really like to do on our trip is to stay til closing and try to get some "empty park" photos. Does anyone know how late you are allowed to stay? I know the shops are open later, but do they kick you out of other parts of the park at a certain time?



I don't know if anyone has answered this, still reading through thread...  but anyways, last year we were told that as long as you were in line at closing (as in, you could get in a minute before) they weren't kickign you out.  So the line for Mickey/Minnie was an hour at midnight and we coudl get in and stay till we saw them (I decided my 18 month old wouldn't make it, and she fell asleep the moment they annoucned party over...), so obviously you can stay pretty late. I'd say, just get into a long line right before close and then you'll be leaving the park after most people are gone....


----------



## mrsw94

WooHoo!!!  Let fall officially begin in our house!!  Today was our daughter's 13th Birthday (A teenager!  Eeeek!) and we had her birthday party last night.  An 'Under The Sea' sleepover.  They watched Nemo, then went ice skating (SUCH a nice relief from the heat!) and then came back and watched The Little Mermaid before going to sleep.  Gotta love a Disney girl!  Her 'BIG' present was Disney Vans (she never thought I'd buy them).  Got her the Mickey Mouse ones since they were the only ones I could find locally in her size.  She might wait to see what the new designs are that come out next month....

So now that the Birthday festivities are over, I can get into full trip-planning mode!  34 days!!  Yahoo

My phone wasn't cooperating yesterday, but our Target had an entire front of the store food aisle filled with Pumpkin/Fall stuff.  There was A LOT!!



Abbey1 said:


> Trader Joes had a lot of new yummy pumpkin/fall treats out today! I bought this pumpkin seed brittle that is super delicious, and they also had pumpkin salted caramels, cookies, and a few other things I can't remember.


I

I'll have to keep checking ours!  My daughter specifically requested the pumpkin fruit bars, but they didn't have them out yesterday.  I'll have to stock up once I find them!


----------



## Sherry E

Tom Bell of DIS Unplugged did a piece about Halloween Time -- http://www.wdwinfo.com/disneyland/halloweentime-at-disneyland-2015/.

I don't know how I feel about this year's Haunted Mansion Holiday gingerbread house.  In all of the photos I have seen of it, it looks underwhelming to me.  I have to see -- and smell! -- it in person before I make up my mind.  Let's just say -- they have had better gingerbread houses in the ballroom scene in the past.

​


----------



## nicolispicoli

mom2rtk said:


> It really has been a bad year for takeaways. I know there's new stuff coming.... but pssst....... lean in a little closer and promise not to tell anyone.......... I just don't care that much about Star Wars!  So even though there's new stuff coming, it won't be any time soon...... or even remotely soon..... and once it's here, well..... it's just Star Wars.
> 
> I swear I just read the Muppet Show is leaving DHS now too. So that makes me wonder about the future of the Muppets at DCA. I mean, surely they won't leave Frozen in Muppets Theater. But will they put the Muppets back? Or just leave that sitting empty for a long time?



I lol'd at that....I have to cover my eyes when I tell people I've never seen ANY of the Star Wars movies  I'm a huge movie buff too, I've just never seen them.


----------



## Kilala

I found another sold out date October 2nd. So all Fridays are now sold out


----------



## Sith

only hope said:


> There's glass between you and the ballroom? Huh. There isn't at MK. That is my favorite room and we've been lucky enough to be stopped there a few times


Yes, there is glass. Even at WDW. It's hard to see, but it's there. Look it up if you want. Or don't if you don't want the effect spoiled.

To be honest, I didn't even realize the glass was there until I was reading about the effects.


----------



## theluckyrabbit

Sith said:


> Yes, there is glass. Even at WDW. It's hard to see, but it's there. Look it up if you want. Or don't if you don't want the effect spoiled.
> 
> To be honest, I didn't even realize the glass was there until I was reading about the effects.



Yes, if you want to know how the effect is done, look up "Pepper's Ghost." But if you don't want to know, then ignore this post!


----------



## Sherry E

mrsw94 said:


> WooHoo!!!  Let fall officially begin in our house!!  Today was our daughter's 13th Birthday (A teenager!  Eeeek!) and we had her birthday party last night.  An 'Under The Sea' sleepover.  They watched Nemo, then went ice skating (SUCH a nice relief from the heat!) and then came back and watched The Little Mermaid before going to sleep.  Gotta love a Disney girl!  Her 'BIG' present was Disney Vans (she never thought I'd buy them).  Got her the Mickey Mouse ones since they were the only ones I could find locally in her size.  She might wait to see what the new designs are that come out next month....
> 
> So now that the Birthday festivities are over, I can get into full trip-planning mode!  34 days!!  Yahoo
> 
> My phone wasn't cooperating yesterday, but our Target had an entire front of the store food aisle filled with Pumpkin/Fall stuff.  There was A LOT!!
> 
> I
> 
> I'll have to keep checking ours!  My daughter specifically requested the pumpkin fruit bars, but they didn't have them out yesterday.  I'll have to stock up once I find them!



I love the idea of an Under the Sea sleepover!   I love anything that has a theme.  I love a theme!

An ice rink sounds delightful right about now.  Although I don't skate, I could easily just camp out in one for the night!




nicolispicoli said:


> I lol'd at that....I have to cover my eyes when I tell people I've never seen ANY of the Star Wars movies  I'm a huge movie buff too, I've just never seen them.



I was a big Star Wars fan... back in the late '70s and early '80s, when I was young and had a huge crush on Mark Hamill.  I saw that trilogy through to the end and enjoyed it.  I loved all of the original characters, and I loved the Ewoks.  I have a stuffed Ewok that I got at Disneyland way back in the late '80s or early '90s.  But... then came the second trilogy, and although I like Liam Neeson, Samuel L. Jackson, Ewan McGregor, etc., I realized that I just wasn't in that Star Wars frenzy anymore, as I had been when I was a kid.  Plus, the movies were not that great and Jar Jar Binks was annoying.

So now we have a new set of movies, with both new and old characters.  I am not over the moon excited about them -- I could easily just wait to see them when they get to DVD or cable -- but I will probably watch them at some point in time, way down the road.  I keep telling myself that I will probably watch all of them in order of the timeline -- so, in other words, I would watch the second trilogy first, and the first trilogy second, and then this next group of movies last.  I don't know if I will ever devote that kind of time to a Star Wars marathon, however.

As for the  Star Wars Land that is coming... I'm not sure.  I mean, I was not thrilled with the idea of a Cars Land because "Cars" is not my favorite Pixar movie and I am just not a car person in general.  The land ended up surpassing my expectations and impressing me, even though I still could not care less about the movie.  I think that Star Wars Land is an interesting choice to go in Disneyland instead of in DCA, and I'm not happy that it is displacing the Ranch, and I do not trust Disney -- especially during this current wave of transformation and getting rid of things.  I feel like another big loss is coming.  It may end up being Toontown.  They may end up shelving It's a Small World Holiday like they have the Osborne Lights.  I just feel like we will lose something else at the expense of Star Wars Land.

But, when all the dust is settled (literally), and the work is done, I think the land will be good.  I think they will do a good job with it and make it very immersive and detailed.  That's what I am looking forward to -- the details and immersion.



Kilala said:


> I found another sold out date October 2nd. So all Fridays are now sold out



Thank you for letting me know!  I will update page 1!

ETA:  It is interesting to note the dates that have sold out -- all of the Friday parties, as you mentioned, as well as the only Saturday party and the only Sunday party.  All of the other parties on regular weekdays -- even the one on Columbus Day -- are still available.


----------



## haileymarie92

Looks like we made a good choice doing the 10/2 MSBB. It seems to be more popular than our 9/30 party and will be easier to spend 3hrs of it away from the crowd! Lol


----------



## mrsw94

Sherry E said:


> I love the idea of an Under the Sea sleepover!   I love anything that has a theme.  I love a theme!
> 
> An ice rink sounds delightful right about now.  Although I don't skate, I could easily just camp out in one for the night!
> .



Yes, I'm not a huge skater either, but I SOOOO enjoyed the hour and a half in the nice COLD ice rink!  So happy it looks like the heat wave is over up here!!



Sherry E said:


> I was a big Star Wars fan... back in the late '70s and early '80s, when I was young and had a huge crush on Mark Hamill.  I saw that trilogy through to the end and enjoyed it.  I loved all of the original characters, and I loved the Ewoks.  I have a stuffed Ewok that I got at Disneyland way back in the late '80s or early '90s.  But... then came the second trilogy, and although I like Liam Neeson, Samuel L. Jackson, Ewan McGregor, etc., I realized that I just wasn't in that Star Wars frenzy anymore, as I had been when I was a kid.  Plus, the movies were not that great and Jar Jar Binks was annoying.
> 
> So now we have a new set of movies, with both new and old characters.  I am not over the moon excited about them -- I could easily just wait to see them when they get to DVD or cable -- but I will probably watch them at some point in time, way down the road.  I keep telling myself that I will probably watch all of them in order of the timeline -- so, in other words, I would watch the second trilogy first, and the first trilogy second, and then this next group of movies last.  I don't know if I will ever devote that kind of time to a Star Wars marathon, however.
> 
> As for the  Star Wars Land that is coming... I'm not sure.  I mean, I was not thrilled with the idea of a Cars Land because "Cars" is not my favorite Pixar movie and I am just not a car person in general.  The land ended up surpassing my expectations and impressing me, even though I still could not care less about the movie.  I think that Star Wars Land is an interesting choice to go in Disneyland instead of in DCA, and I'm not happy that it is displacing the Ranch, and I do not trust Disney -- especially during this current wave of transformation and getting rid of things.  I feel like another big loss is coming.  It may end up being Toontown.  They may end up shelving It's a Small World Holiday like they have the Osborne Lights.  I just feel like we will lose something else at the expense of Star Wars Land.
> 
> But, when all the dust is settled (literally), and the work is done, I think the land will be good.  I think they will do a good job with it and make it very immersive and detailed.  That's what I am looking forward to -- the details and immersion.



I'm with you on Star Wars.  Loved the 1st 3 they made 4-6.  Tried the 1st one of the 'new' ones, (#1) couldn't get into it  I'm looking forward to #7, since I was a fan of 4-6.  Hoping it's good!


----------



## bearette

Went last night for the evening.  Crazy crowded and it took us 20 minutes to get into the parking lot at 6:20 pm.  By 7pm there were no more HM fantasies and the line was alwAys an hour.  We rode it during the second fantasmic at 45 minutes wait but by 11:45 it was 35. So if you are staying late mAke it your last ride.


Toon town from 7pm on was not too busy so we hung out there to avoid the crowds.  

I saw the candy shop-no pretzel Rodes. They have pumpkin fudge, carmel/ candy Apple's (Minnie witch,malefient, Jack and another I forgot).  Ginger bread cookie (you'll want after HM), Mickey rice crispy mummies and Halloween/ diamond cake pops.

I tried the pumpkin beneights.  Nummy!


----------



## Kilala

Since we are not going to new thread her are the pictures of the Halloween cat costume I made by hand. I made the unitard, painted the unitard, made the wig, tail, and leg and armwamers















It looks like my cat Lillie loves my costume



My cat Naruto was going to help out but, she decided not too












the right side



the finished leg and arm wamers with my cat Kilala



the front



the left side



the back



the finished tail



Working on the wamers while watching The Monkees




I got this at Petsmart
teh rest of the photos are found here http://s1365.photobucket.com/user/Cristine_Armstrong/library/Halloween cat costume?sort=2&page=1
Let me know what you think. I will post photos from the photo shoot in the next couple of days I will be wearing this costume on the October 16th MHP


----------



## ten6mom

grnflash said:


> I hope so too but sadly I think they are gone - we haven't found them at least. The ones with the mini m&m's I can understand though. I think a dozen fly off with every bite! That never stopped us from getting one but they really make a mess. We were sitting on a bench outside Briar Patch one time, DS was eating one. The m&m's were flying everywhere. DH was trying to pick them up (I was only sorta trying - I had a Tigger Tail to focus on lol.) Anyway a CM came up with a broom and said let me get those. DH was sputtering apologies but she just laughed and said it's ok, they're trained to look out for the things when they're working Critter Corner.



I didn't look last week but I did notice as far back as this past June for the ones with caramel underneath the chocolate were GONE from all the shops.  Those were my absolute favorite. I'll have to find something else now.


----------



## Chris9ty

KCmike said:


> Hello everyone!  Hi Sherry!  There is an outside chance I might be in town on October 10th, a Saturday.  It's not a Halloween party night but there is only one paint the night parade and its at 10:45pm.  Why is there no 8:50pm parade?  Is there something going on I don't know about?



It looks like the Disneyland Calendar has been updated for the beginning of October.  It is now showing 2 Paint the Night Parades on non-party nights!  8:45 and 10:45!!!  Yeah! I am excited, since I wanted my sons to have the chance to see it and 10:45 would be late for us East Coasters and the time change.


----------



## stephanie22

Chris9ty said:


> It looks like the Disneyland Calendar has been updated for the beginning of October.  It is now showing 2 Paint the Night Parades on non-party nights!  8:45 and 10:45!!!  Yeah! I am excited, since I wanted my sons to have the chance to see it and 10:45 would be late for us East Coasters and the time change.



Oh good! I was worried we'd have to try to see it during one of the parties, since I don't think my son can stay up late enough for the 10:45 one. 

Also idk if anyone else was having trouble getting reservations for Minnie and Friends during the extra magic hour, but I was just able to get one for 7:10am on October 15th!


----------



## seobaina

Lauren in NC said:


> Yesterday was our last day at Disneyland   Here's a quick brain dump of the Halloween stuff we saw.
> 
> We saw the Fab Five in their costumes (though only got pictures with Mickey and Minnie) and Cruella was also out meeting in Town Square.  A character CM told me what Oswald said upthread, that they'd be meeting in Halloween costumes until the 12:30 parade and then meeting in 60th attire afterwards, but we saw several of them out in the early afternoon still in the Halloween costumes.  The lines for them were LONG, but not as bad as the one for Jack and Sally!  I'm guessing they may adjust the timings as I know we weren't the only people asking the character attendants when they'd be back out.
> 
> Loved the new gingerbread house in HM (the gingerbread scent is working and is strong!), and it was our first time seeing the hatbox ghost!  DH and I literally gasped out loud when we saw him.
> 
> There were definitely pumpkin people out around the BTR area, but we didn't get back there on Friday so I didn't get to see the Scaredy Crow shack opened up.  It looked like everything was up Thursday, though, and it looked amazing!
> 
> I was told there are two Photopass magic shots for Halloween Time - one where you're feeding Zero and one stirring a cauldron.
> 
> The Dapper Dans were out on Main Street in orange-striped vests singing songs about Halloween Time!
> 
> I'm impatiently waiting for DH to upload our photos to his computer, and then I'll post some!




Oooohhh any idea where we can find out about the magic shots?


----------



## courtneybeth

We sampled/saw some of the Halloween treats today and had mixed opinions.

Love how they're doing the sugar skull rice krispy treats this year! They look adorable.  I had one of the mummy mickey cakepops and it was delicious.

Did not enjoy the pumpkin muffin from Jolly Holiday. Had some weird "wiggly" things in it that almost caused me to gag!  

Hubs ended up eating my muffin while I had the cake pop instead


----------



## mummabear

Lauren in NC said:


> Photopass magic shots for Halloween Time - one where you're feeding Zero



This will now be top of out list for DD newly 4, she loves Zero and baked him bone shaped cookies last Christmas.



mrsw94 said:


> So now that the Birthday festivities are over, I can get into full trip-planning mode! 34 days!! Yahoo



 We just had our DD4's Ballerina Barbie party on Saturday and now have a countdown for DD5 (turning 6)'s My Little Pony Party a mere week before we go.
I have to hit Party City while I am in the US so need to finally come to a decision on DD1 (turning 2)'s theme. We are having it at the Summer pool so I want either Nemo or Little Mermaid but can decide!


----------



## only hope

Sith said:


> Yes, there is glass. Even at WDW. It's hard to see, but it's there. Look it up if you want. Or don't if you don't want the effect spoiled.
> 
> To be honest, I didn't even realize the glass was there until I was reading about the effects.





theluckyrabbit said:


> Yes, if you want to know how the effect is done, look up "Pepper's Ghost." But if you don't want to know, then ignore this post!



We took the Keys to the Kingdom tour almost ten years ago and they did explain how the effect is done- apparently I forgot the glass bit or she didn't mention that part. I will look it up, thanks for the name. I'm one of those who wants to know how Disney and Universal do all these amazing rides!


----------



## mrsw94

[QUOTE="mummabear, post: 54414487, member: 427350"
 We just had our DD4's Ballerina Barbie party on Saturday and now have a countdown for DD5 (turning 6)'s My Little Pony Party a mere week before we go.
I have to hit Party City while I am in the US so need to finally come to a decision on DD1 (turning 2)'s theme. We are having it at the Summer pool so I want either Nemo or Little Mermaid but can decide![/QUOTE]

Ohhh...that's a tough choice!  I love both!!  Party City has these really cute fish we hung from the ceiling and we made a cute octopus from a pink lantern.  It was really fun!  I was so thrilled that even at 13, she still wanted to have a 'theme' to her party!  I wouldn't be a surprised if it was the last one, so I enjoyed it!


----------



## Lauren in NC

seobaina said:


> Oooohhh any idea where we can find out about the magic shots?



Here's a super bad screen grab of the Zero shot (haven't ordered my PhotoPass+ photos yes).  Sorry, we didn't get the other one, but there are pictures of both here (scroll down to Disneyland Special Events).
 

From the photographer I talked to, neither have to be done in front of the Mickey pumpkin, but he thought that the photographers who would be there would be more likely to be trained on them.

I'm going grocery shopping tomorrow and looking forward to coming home with a slew of pumpkin-flavored items!


----------



## Sherry E

Chris9ty said:


> It looks like the Disneyland Calendar has been updated for the beginning of October.  It is now showing 2 Paint the Night Parades on non-party nights!  8:45 and 10:45!!!  Yeah! I am excited, since I wanted my sons to have the chance to see it and 10:45 would be late for us East Coasters and the time change.



That's great news!  Thank you so much for posting here (hopefully Mike will check back to find out).  That makes so much more sense too -- the one late night parade seemed a bit odd.  An earlier parade in addition to the late one is much more reasonable.



seobaina said:


> Oooohhh any idea where we can find out about the magic shots?



In addition to what Lauren mentioned, be sure to ask any and all PhotoPass photographers for whatever magic shots they can do, in addition to the Halloween-specific ones.  They don't always seem to want to offer the magic shots to people on their own (some photographers are weird about that and others will tell you about them), so asking them specifically for them will help.



courtneybeth said:


> We sampled/saw some of the Halloween treats today and had mixed opinions.
> 
> Love how they're doing the sugar skull rice krispy treats this year! They look adorable.  I had one of the mummy mickey cakepops and it was delicious.
> 
> Did not enjoy the pumpkin muffin from Jolly Holiday. Had some weird "wiggly" things in it that almost caused me to gag!
> 
> Hubs ended up eating my muffin while I had the cake pop instead



It's about time they made some Dia de los Muertos-specific treats (not just what's served at Rancho del Zocalo, but in the sweet shops and bake shops too)!  There is also an DDLM apple and a DDLM cake pop, in addition to the rice treats!  They're so cute!

I have had that pumpkin muffin -- or at least a version of it -- and I was not particularly a fan either.  Did the one you tried have raisins in it?



Lauren in NC said:


> Here's a super bad screen grab of the Zero shot (haven't ordered my PhotoPass+ photos yes).  Sorry, we didn't get the other one, but there are pictures of both here (scroll down to Disneyland Special Events).
> View attachment 123714
> 
> From the photographer I talked to, neither have to be done in front of the Mickey pumpkin, but he thought that the photographers who would be there would be more likely to be trained on them.
> 
> I'm going grocery shopping tomorrow and looking forward to coming home with a slew of pumpkin-flavored items!



Thank you again for reporting back!   Good luck on the pumpkin pandemonium quest tomorrow!


----------



## courtneybeth

Sherry E said:


> Did the one you tried have raisins in it?



That could very well be what it was. Yuck!

To get that awful taste out of my mouth, here are some pictures of the Sugar Skull Krispy treats.


----------



## Kilala

It's 9 days away from the first day of Fall!! It is now 12 days away from the firstMHP for this year!! I hope that thewre are good reports from the first MHP. Also for those that are going please let us know about Toon Town.


----------



## 2SillyBirds

Good Morning!

I was listening to the DisUnplugged from 9/8 and one of the moderators talked about the Mystical Spirits Dinner at the Blue Bayou.  She stated a couple of things that have me a little confused; that there would be seating for the fireworks and that there would also be seating for the PTN parade?  I was assuming that it was only premium viewing for the fireworks.  So has anyone heard about first of all seating and second of all premium viewing for the parade.

My DH and I have reservations for the first night of the event (9/25), so I will be happy to share the details and thoughts when we get back.  I am super excited.  Yes, I know that a lot of the party will be missed by doing the event, but it is just the two of us.  We aren't big riders or Meet and Greeters, we mostly go just for the different evening experience.  That being said, we might do a little Trick or Treating.  How often do 50+ year olds get an opportunity to do that??


----------



## Sherry E

MiceChat/Andy Castro's weekly installment, with Halloween Time photos - http://micechat.com/110906-disneyland-halloween-time-2015/.

One interesting quote: "After a summer season with none of the traditional patriotic bunting in favor of keeping the 60th Anniversary decorations up, we didn’t expect to see the orange Halloween Time bunting and lamppost decorations to go up. Luckily, they have, and it’s a nice change from the blue-and-white Diamond Celebration decorations."   (I agree, Andy!  I agree!)


And: "Unfortunately, Disney decided to axe the Halloween Carnival in the Big Thunder Ranch Jamboree area this year. With Star Wars Land not starting construction (or demolition) anytime soon, this seems like a penny-pinching move rather than a necessary construction-related omission. The Jamboree area is just sitting unused (just as it did throughout the summer) instead of hosting guests. The absence of the Halloween Carnival means no villains meet-and-greet tent and no live pumpkin carving this year, features which had become a fan-favorite staples of Disneyland’s Halloween Time festivities."  (Again... I agree, Andy!  I agree!)


And I see that they've also got the masked Halloween Mickey version of the floral display at the entrance!  Masked Mickey doesn't appear every year, though -- only some years.



A bit of Pumpkin Pandemonium for you today...

Tastykake Fall Edition Pumpkin Spice and Caramel Apple Mini Donuts - http://www.theimpulsivebuy.com/word...-pumpkin-spice-and-caramel-apple-mini-donuts/.

Pumpkin Corn Tortilla Chips?? - http://www.theimpulsivebuy.com/wordpress/2015/09/14/spotted-on-shelves-9142015/.


​




Kilala said:


> It's 9 days away from the first day of Fall!! It is now 12 days away from the firstMHP for this year!!



Yes, indeed!       Fall cannot get here soon enough!!!  They way it's been going, even when the temperatures have 'only' been in the 80s (which is still too hot for me), the humidity has still be an issue.  At night it never feels much like it has cooled down -- at least not more than a few degrees.  I can't wait for lower temperatures and no humidity!

By the way, I realized that I totally forgot to commend you on your great costume work again this year!  You put so much time, care and effort into your costumes every year.  And I love the kitties who make 'guest appearances' in your photos!



2SillyBirds said:


> Good Morning!
> 
> I was listening to the DisUnplugged from 9/8 and one of the moderators talked about the Mystical Spirits Dinner at the Blue Bayou.  She stated a couple of things that have me a little confused; that there would be seating for the fireworks and that there would also be seating for the PTN parade?  I was assuming that it was only premium viewing for the fireworks.  So has anyone heard about first of all seating and second of all premium viewing for the parade.
> 
> My DH and I have reservations for the first night of the event (9/25), so I will be happy to share the details and thoughts when we get back.  I am super excited.  Yes, I know that a lot of the party will be missed by doing the event, but it is just the two of us.  We aren't big riders or Meet and Greeters, we mostly go just for the different evening experience.  That being said, we might do a little Trick or Treating.  How often do 50+ year olds get an opportunity to do that??




Good morning!

I don't think there will be seating (or viewing) for Paint the Night.  If that were part of the deal, Disney would have advertised and promoted it for sure (to justify the expense).

As for the Fireworks, I suppose there could be actual seating.  I don't trust Disney, though, because they referred to it as "viewing," which could mean standing (as has been the case for World of Color's priority viewing in the past).

I totally agree about the trick or treating!   That's the only place where it is acceptable for adults (with or without kids) to trick or treat, and it's a fun thing to do since most of us have not trick or treated (in the standard door-to-door way) since we were kids!

We will look forward to your review when you return -- I am anxious to hear about how this Mystical Spirits event turns out!


----------



## jessicaerv

Last year outside of the Rancho Del Zocalo at the Dia De Los Muertos area, they were providing free face painting. Anyone know if that is being offered again this year?

Never mind.  Just read the MiceChat piece, and if it's correct the answer is yes.


----------



## TACK

I now officially have a ticket for the Mystical Spirits Dinner at the Blue Bayou for one person for September 25th.  I'm attending the party more for the experiences since I will arrive on September 19th so I will see the parks, decorations and rides prior to the party. 

The cast members were very helpful in resolving the booking for one issue so all is well.  Looking forward to my trip in just over a week !


----------



## SeaPic

Just joining in! I got October 9th party tickets for DS, DD and me couple weeks ago. Alaska Airlines had an awesome frequent flyer special so I made the leap. We have never been before and I for one am super excited!   They probably aren't because I haven't told them yet! Planning on doing that a couple days before. They are already itrritated I'm making them decide on costumes now. I'm loving all the info and can't wait to read more. 

We will be back down for the Avenger's Half in November so I really want this trip to be all about the Fall atmosphere and Party. Thank goodness for DIS Boards and experts to help. We will be in town all day Friday.  I'm looking for things to do late am 'till party time. Do any of the resorts decorate? Will there be anything to do in DTD?

At the Party I'm hoping to go on a few rides, trick or treat, see the decorations, fireworks and of course eat some goodies! Are there must dos? I'm torn about fireworks. I definitely want to see them but this being our first time I know the kids will protest if I use valuable candy collecting time to claim a spot. Any suggestions?

Thanks!


----------



## Sherry E

SeaPic said:


> Just joining in! I got October 9th party tickets for DS, DD and me couple weeks ago. Alaska Airlines had an awesome frequent flyer special so I made the leap. We have never been before and I for one am super excited!   They probably aren't because I haven't told them yet! Planning on doing that a couple days before. They are already itrritated I'm making them decide on costumes now. I'm loving all the info and can't wait to read more.
> 
> We will be back down for the Avenger's Half in November so I really want this trip to be all about the Fall atmosphere and Party. Thank goodness for DIS Boards and experts to help. We will be in town all day Friday.  I'm looking for things to do late am 'till party time. Do any of the resorts decorate? Will there be anything to do in DTD?
> 
> At the Party I'm hoping to go on a few rides, trick or treat, see the decorations, fireworks and of course eat some goodies! Are there must dos? I'm torn about fireworks. I definitely want to see them but this being our first time I know the kids will protest if I use valuable candy collecting time to claim a spot. Any suggestions?
> 
> Thanks!



Welcome!   I'm glad you joined us.

You'll get to experience both Halloween Time and the holidays this year (the holiday season will start on Avengers marathon weekend) at DLR this year!  (In fact, over in the Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread we are abuzz with activity, as a Parks Blog and a Press Release came out today, and we have been combing through them and analyzing the details and the omissions!   )

Sadly, the hotels do not get any Halloween décor.  The Halloween décor is primarily on Main Street and in Frontierland.  There are some Nightmare Before Christmas touches in New Orleans Square, closer to Haunted Mansion Holiday.  California Adventure has almost nothing in terms of actual Fall/Halloween décor, but you can still find Fall treats and merchandise there.

You could plan a character meal at one of the hotels if you get in early enough in the morning (before noon).    Are you staying onsite or off-property?   Downtown Disney  has a few Disney-specific shops -- Marceline's Confectionery, D Street, Vault 28, Anna & Elsa's Boutique, World of Disney, WonderGround Gallery, etc.  Also, there is an ESPN Zone, a Rainforest Café, as well as other restaurants.

The Disneyland Hotel anchors one end of Downtown Disney, so even if it doesn't have Halloween décor it is worth going to and looking around.

The party will start at 4 p.m. on that night, so you can probably kill some time from late morning until then, or until it's time to get ready for the party.

I really like Halloween Screams.   I think it's one of Disney's better fireworks shows.   One thing you might want to do is find a video of it on YouTube, show it to your kids and see if they might be interested in seeing it in person.  If they say no, then at least you will already be prepared and can bypass the fireworks.  If they say yes, then you know to include it in your plan.

Do the kids care about meeting characters?  Don't forget to add in some time for that, just in case.


----------



## Kilala

Yes said:


> Thank you Sherry. My cats are great at taking photos with me. I will be doing a photo shoot in my Demeter Cats costume sometime this week. I just saw another Food Network show that has a Halloween them Halloween baking wars It premiers on October 5th. One of the judges in Ron Ben-Isrial


----------



## SeaPic

Thanks Sherry! Totally forgot about characters. My son loves meeting characters! We are staying at the Hilton and will be there Thursday night.  Heading over for one of the character meals is a great idea. Especially since DH is coming in November and he's not a big fan (of the cost that is - he actually gets into interacting with them which is always fun). 

I forgot to ask if Photopass is available during the party. It's super nice to have pics with me in them.


----------



## jammyjam25

I'm seeing the October 2 HP is now sold out on Disneyland's website.

Only midweek parties left at this point!


----------



## Sherry E

jammyjam25 said:


> I'm seeing the October 2 HP is now sold out on Disneyland's website.
> 
> Only midweek parties left at this point!



It sold out on Saturday!  I was saying that it's interesting to note that all of the Fridays, the one Saturday and the one Sunday have sold out, but all of the earlier weekday parties -- including Columbus Day -- have not sold out yet.  Clearly, people are gravitating towards the weekends this year!



SeaPic said:


> Thanks Sherry! Totally forgot about characters. My son loves meeting characters! We are staying at the Hilton and will be there Thursday night.  Heading over for one of the character meals is a great idea. Especially since DH is coming in November and he's not a big fan (of the cost that is - he actually gets into interacting with them which is always fun).
> 
> I forgot to ask if Photopass is available during the party. It's super nice to have pics with me in them.



PhotoPass is available!  There should be special PhotoPass spots at the party, with and without characters, and there will be a couple of special Halloween-themed PhotoPass "magic shots" in the daytime as well (you can just put all of the PP pictures on the same account).


----------



## lorijohnhill

I was looking at the menu for BB for my birthday lunch on Oct 2. Is the Monte Cristo at BB the same as the one at Cafe Orleans? My husband and I shared the sandwich at Cafe Orleans once, and I wasn't a fan.


----------



## seobaina

Lauren in NC said:


> Here's a super bad screen grab of the Zero shot (haven't ordered my PhotoPass+ photos yes).  Sorry, we didn't get the other one, but there are pictures of both here (scroll down to Disneyland Special Events).
> View attachment 123714
> 
> From the photographer I talked to, neither have to be done in front of the Mickey pumpkin, but he thought that the photographers who would be there would be more likely to be trained on them.





Sherry E said:


> In addition to what Lauren mentioned, be sure to ask any and all PhotoPass photographers for whatever magic shots they can do, in addition to the Halloween-specific ones.  They don't always seem to want to offer the magic shots to people on their own (some photographers are weird about that and others will tell you about them), so asking them specifically for them will help.




Thanks guys!!


----------



## keishashadow

I'm not going to presume to be knowledgeable about DL's MHP, but have been asked by friends here on other boards to do a trip report.  Well, moreso, a combo pre trip report, to be followed by the actual trip report.  I'm rusty haven't done one in years.

If any one cares to follow along, here's the link as to our upcoming journey.

http://disboards.com/threads/october-2015-ptr-tr-east-versus-west-coast-halloween-throwdown.3447516/


----------



## jammyjam25

Sherry E said:


> It sold out on Saturday!  I was saying that it's interesting to note that all of the Fridays, the one Saturday and the one Sunday have sold out, but all of the earlier weekday parties -- including Columbus Day -- have not sold out yet.  Clearly, people are gravitating towards the weekends this year!



Whoops! I misread the first page of the thread and thought I had discovered a new one! haha. For selfish reasons I'm glad everyone has so far gravitated towards the weekends as I'm attending midweek.


----------



## Davidg83

So I came across this today and got a good laugh from it. What next, pumpkin spice litter? Lol


----------



## Sherry E

jammyjam25 said:


> Whoops! I misread the first page of the thread and thought I had discovered a new one! haha. For selfish reasons I'm glad everyone has so far gravitated towards the weekends as I'm attending midweek.



By the way, for a fleeting moment I was able to see your photos in the Christmas Superthread... and then they disappeared from view again!

Yes, I have been very surprised at the sellout pattern for MHP this year.  Everyone is zooming right to the weekend parties.   It used to be that the second MHP night would sell out pretty fast, even though it was an early weeknight.  Last year it suddenly didn't sell out at all.  This year there are so many MHP nights that I wonder if more than one will remain open and never sell out?



Davidg83 said:


> So I came across this today and got a good laugh from it. What next, pumpkin spice litter? Lol






That may be the best one yet!   I can't believe it!  The pets are getting in on the seasonal action too!    

That is hilarious, even more so than "Fall Antiquing."


----------



## jammyjam25

Davidg83 said:


> So I came across this today and got a good laugh from it. What next, pumpkin spice litter? Lol




LOLOLOL! Okay marketing folks have officially lost it!


----------



## Sherry E

I thought the marketing folks were stretching it a little with the Glade Fall Antiquing scent, and the Pumpkin Spice Water (by whatever the brand was).  Fall Frolic kitty litter tops those two, I think.


----------



## SeattleSuz

lorijohnhill said:


> I was looking at the menu for BB for my birthday lunch on Oct 2. Is the Monte Cristo at BB the same as the one at Cafe Orleans? My husband and I shared the sandwich at Cafe Orleans once, and I wasn't a fan.



DH and I have had the Monte Cristo at BB several times and it's SUPER tasty!  I've got a ressie there for my birthday (early) dinner on 9.30 and plan on having the MC.  I am hoping to be able to call ahead and see if they can make one GF for my DH, he would be SOOOOO stoked if they could do that.


----------



## KrisRose821

Fall Frolic kitty litter!! That's the BEST THING EVER!! hahaha 

I am going the final weekend of Halloween Time and have tickets for the Thursday night MHP on the 29th (I was too late to the game to get tickets for halloween night). I had all my plans in place until the released the Mystical Spirits dinner. Husband is a HUGE BB fan and really wanted to do this, but I didn't want to waste my precious party time on thursday to go to the dinner. I just decided to take a leap of faith and called the Premium Events coordinator and she hooked me up with seats to the Mystical Spirits dinner AND MHP tickets for halloween night! I couldn't believe it! The dinner package was saying it was sold out on halloween night already online, and of course the party has been sold out for weeks now. 

Husband is


----------



## Sherry E

"Dining in Disneyland: Halloween Time Poison Apple Mugs and Poison Apple Glow Cubes" -- Disney Food Blog; posted on September 15, 2015 by Heather - http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2015/...oison-apple-mugs-and-poison-apple-glow-cubes/.


The arrival of new pumpkin spice products is slowly waning, and the holiday items (with new flavors like Amaretto and Irish Cream) are moving in - http://www.theimpulsivebuy.com/wordpress/2015/09/15/spotted-on-shelves-9152015/.  

​


----------



## mom2rtk

Sherry E said:


> I was a big Star Wars fan... back in the late '70s and early '80s, when I was young and had a huge crush on Mark Hamill.  I saw that trilogy through to the end and enjoyed it.  I loved all of the original characters, and I loved the Ewoks.  I have a stuffed Ewok that I got at Disneyland way back in the late '80s or early '90s.  But... then came the second trilogy, and although I like Liam Neeson, Samuel L. Jackson, Ewan McGregor, etc., I realized that I just wasn't in that Star Wars frenzy anymore, as I had been when I was a kid.  Plus, the movies were not that great and Jar Jar Binks was annoying.
> 
> So now we have a new set of movies, with both new and old characters.  I am not over the moon excited about them -- I could easily just wait to see them when they get to DVD or cable -- but I will probably watch them at some point in time, way down the road.  I keep telling myself that I will probably watch all of them in order of the timeline -- so, in other words, I would watch the second trilogy first, and the first trilogy second, and then this next group of movies last.  I don't know if I will ever devote that kind of time to a Star Wars marathon, however.
> 
> As for the  Star Wars Land that is coming... I'm not sure.  I mean, I was not thrilled with the idea of a Cars Land because "Cars" is not my favorite Pixar movie and I am just not a car person in general.  The land ended up surpassing my expectations and impressing me, even though I still could not care less about the movie.  I think that Star Wars Land is an interesting choice to go in Disneyland instead of in DCA, and I'm not happy that it is displacing the Ranch, and I do not trust Disney -- especially during this current wave of transformation and getting rid of things.  I feel like another big loss is coming.  It may end up being Toontown.  They may end up shelving It's a Small World Holiday like they have the Osborne Lights.  I just feel like we will lose something else at the expense of Star Wars Land.
> 
> But, when all the dust is settled (literally), and the work is done, I think the land will be good.  I think they will do a good job with it and make it very immersive and detailed.  That's what I am looking forward to -- the details and immersion.




That's exactly how I feel about it Sherry. I like the first 3 (episodes 4-6) in spite of not being a big sci-fi fan. I still remember seeing the very first one in a theater in 1977 and really enjoying it. But episodes 1-3 really put me off of the series for a while. That in spite of the fact that the boys were huge Star Wars fans. These days I'm just not invested in the franchise at all.

You make a great point about Carsland. I didn't think I'd care about it either, but was blown away. But then I have a great love of red rock country, so that's part of the attraction there for me.

I'm still optimistic Disney will do a great job with it. I just sort of don't like that when it's all said and done it will pack tons more people in the parks for something I'm just sort of "meh" about.


----------



## dolphingirl47

SeattleSuz said:


> DH and I have had the Monte Cristo at BB several times and it's SUPER tasty! I've got a ressie there for my birthday (early) dinner on 9.30 and plan on having the MC. I am hoping to be able to call ahead and see if they can make one GF for my DH, he would be SOOOOO stoked if they could do that.



If your dinner is at BB then unfortunately you are out of luck. The Monte Cristo has only been on the lunch menu since at least 2012. Cafe Orleans however does  have it on the dinner menu and better still, they also do three cheese version that is even better than the classic version.

Corinna


----------



## lorijohnhill

dolphingirl47 said:


> If your dinner is at BB then unfortunately you are out of luck. The Monte Cristo has only been on the lunch menu since at least 2012. Cafe Orleans however does  have it on the dinner menu and better still, they also do three cheese version that is even better than the classic version.
> 
> Corinna


She should have no problem getting the Monte Cristo on the 30th. From what I could tell, they are only serving lunch on MHP days. The dinners those days are the special Mystical dinner.


----------



## tlovesdis

I'm back from a very hot, very crowded weekend at DL!

We saw Jafar twice and Genie once in Adventureland!!!

I'm skipping September next year!  My word it was nuts!  We tried to shop at WOD Saturday night and you literally couldn't move!  AND Monday seemed more crowded than the weekend!  Saturday morning we waited 10 minutes for RSR (no earLy entry) and waiting 35 minutes during EE on Monday!!  The whole resort was just packed!!!

We had so much fun though!!


----------



## Abbey1

Has anyone seen the Halloween demitasse this year? Or are they not making them this year? I was really hoping to buy one- they seemed like such a cute souvenir!


----------



## pepe3penelope

Hi, Sherry!!! I cannot believe I finally had the time to look at your Halloween thread! AND it's already 253 pages long!!! Wow!

As usual, your thread is very informative, intensive, & has great photos and articles.

I saw on the DL AP email I got today that DTD on Halloween has some event? Does that mean trick or treating at some stores?

TIA!


----------



## adamkat

KrisRose821 said:


> am going the final weekend of Halloween Time and have tickets for the Thursday night MHP on the 29th (I was too late to the game to get tickets for halloween night). I had all my plans in place until the released the Mystical Spirits dinner. Husband is a HUGE BB fan and really wanted to do this, but I didn't want to waste my precious party time on thursday to go to the dinner. I just decided to take a leap of faith and called the Premium Events coordinator and she hooked me up with seats to the Mystical Spirits dinner AND MHP tickets for halloween night! I couldn't believe it! The dinner package was saying it was sold out on halloween night already online, and of course the party has been sold out for weeks now.



We will be there at MHP on the 29th as we also missed out on Halloween.  I have to ask being so green to this site: what is a Premium Events coordinator?  
Enjoy!!


----------



## CassieF

Just a little update on some of the seasonal offerings...

Poison apple souviner mugs are sold out resort wide (in 3 days...) and they are unsure if they will be getting them back in stock.  

The newly debuted specialty drink served at Carthay, Cove Bar and Steakhouse 55, the Poison Apple-tini, is also sold out resort wide, however they are expecting to get more alcohol in stock, just unsure about when that will be.  

The mug I get, but running out of alcohol in 4 days and not being able to restock seems a bit odd to me...  Our server today said they were expecting to sell about 50 a day but went through 600 in the first three days.  Still, with 600 that would only be 12 days worth of stock...


----------



## dolphingirl47

lorijohnhill said:


> She should have no problem getting the Monte Cristo on the 30th. From what I could tell, they are only serving lunch on MHP days. The dinners those days are the special Mystical dinner.



I had not made this connection. Thanks.



tlovesdis said:


> I'm skipping September next year! My word it was nuts! We tried to shop at WOD Saturday night and you literally couldn't move! AND Monday seemed more crowded than the weekend!



That does not fill me with joy. It is only 6 days now until I arrive at Disneyland. At least I am doing a VIP tour with friends on my first full day there so I can get the rides out of my system.



CassieF said:


> The newly debuted specialty drink served at Carthay, Cove Bar and Steakhouse 55, the Poison Apple-tini, is also sold out resort wide, however they are expecting to get more alcohol in stock, just unsure about when that will be.



I hope that they restock this sooner rather than later. I was rather looking forward to trying this.

Corinna


----------



## focusondisney

CassieF said:


> Just a little update on some of the seasonal offerings...
> 
> Poison apple souviner mugs are sold out resort wide (in 3 days...) and they are unsure if they will be getting them back in stock.
> 
> The newly debuted specialty drink served at Carthay, Cove Bar and Steakhouse 55, the Poison Apple-tini, is also sold out resort wide, however they are expecting to get more alcohol in stock, just unsure about when that will be.
> 
> The mug I get, but running out of alcohol in 4 days and not being able to restock seems a bit odd to me...  Our server today said they were expecting to sell about 50 a day but went through 600 in the first three days.  Still, with 600 that would only be 12 days worth of stock...


That's crazy. This is not Disney's first rodeo. No way should these things be running out already. They should be working with their suppliers way ahead to make sure they can get quick restocks.  If you don't go in the first few days you lose out??


----------



## iKristin

Alcohol is on a scheduled delivery so if they run out they have to wait for delivery. You can't just go to a liquor store and buy alcohol for a business, sadly that's not how liquor sales licenses work. It's actually illegal to buy it from a liquor store (because they can't tax the crap out of you) 

Has anyone watched the Hocus Pocus Villian Show that Disney World got this year? Seriously best show I've seen and I really hope Disneyland tries to add it at some point!!!


----------



## stephanie22

iKristin said:


> Alcohol is on a scheduled delivery so if they run out they have to wait for delivery. You can't just go to a liquor store and buy alcohol for a business, sadly that's not how liquor sales licenses work. It's actually illegal to buy it from a liquor store (because they can't tax the crap out of you)
> 
> Has anyone watched the Hocus Pocus Villian Show that Disney World got this year? Seriously best show I've seen and I really hope Disneyland tries to add it at some point!!!


This was so awesome! Thank you for sharing it! I hope that they find a way to bring it to Disneyland, and also that they continue to do it at WDW, so we can see it. Hocus Pocus is one of my hubby's favorite Halloween movies, right after Nightmare Before Christmas.


----------



## SeattleSuz

lorijohnhill said:


> She should have no problem getting the Monte Cristo on the 30th. From what I could tell, they are only serving lunch on MHP days. The dinners those days are the special Mystical dinner.


Yuppers, that's why I said early dinner, cuz technically, it's a LATE lunch ressie.  

Boo at the Poison Apple cups being sold out!  I was hoping to get one!  Maybe they will have more back in stock by the time we get there.  Here's to wishful thinking!!  Does anyone know if the glowing "ice cube" lasts for longer than a few hours?  Is it battery operated??


----------



## tlovesdis

That poison apple thing was super popular!  I saw tons and tons of people carrying it around this past weekend!


----------



## DnA2010

So we are at the parks for 5 days and 1 Halloween Party- should I bite the bullet and get the Photo pass? that means character photos, ride photos, the special shots etc right? Darn the 30% mark up of our Canadian dollar! Will there be special Halloween shots?


----------



## SeattleSuz

DnA2010 said:


> So we are at the parks for 5 days and 1 Halloween Party- should I bite the bullet and get the Photo pass? that means character photos, ride photos, the special shots etc right? Darn the 30% mark up of our Canadian dollar! Will there be special Halloween shots?



I would.  I think it's worth the cost to get as many of the "professional" photos as you can from them!  I am only going to be there for 2 days and I got a photopass.


----------



## Kilala

I forgot to mention that there are two big Halloween stores that just opened up last week here in Orange, CA. One is called Halloween City. I'm not sure about the other one. They both might be the same store. I will check it out soon. I will try to walk up there this week sometime and take photos for everyone.


----------



## goldmay

SeattleSuz said:


> Boo at the Poison Apple cups being sold out!  I was hoping to get one!  Maybe they will have more back in stock by the time we get there.  Here's to wishful thinking!!  Does anyone know if the glowing "ice cube" lasts for longer than a few hours?  Is it battery operated??



I haven't seen that one yet, but the other glow cubes are battery operated. Not sure about how long they last but they have a button to change colors or turn them off.


----------



## SeattleSuz

Watching HMH on youtube to get myself even more excited!


----------



## Abbey1

I like the vampire Mickey popcorn bucket! Funny that they posted about the poison apple steins on the blog when they are already sold out!

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...t-disneyland-resort-walt-disney-world-resort/


----------



## KrisRose821

I may have missed this in trying to read through this awesome superthread, but have they announced or does anyone have the heads up on any Mickey's Halloween Party specific merchandise? Do they even do that at DL? I've only ever been to MNSSHP in WDW, so this is a new thing for me.


----------



## lorijohnhill

Has anyone that is already there noticed if they are selling the vampire Mickey buckets yet? I really want one, and was a little concerned by the mention of it being available "later"...


----------



## Sherry E

I will post here what I posted in my Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread... My Internet is acting up. It was down all day, then was working for 5 minutes, then went down again.  It is working now, obviously, but I don't trust it.  Seeing that the source of the problem was not identifiable or apparent to the Time Warner guy, no real troubleshooting could be done.  I just have to hope that it stays on -- but if I disappear for a long stretch of time, or you don't see me popping in with pumpkin pandemonium news or links to new blogs and articles, you'll know that my Internet undoubtedly went down and I can't get here.

Here are some links:

"Top 11 Apple Treats from Disney Parks" - Disney Parks Blog; posted on September 16, 2015 by Rachel Brent, Food & Beverage Marketing Communications Coordinator - http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2015/09/top-11-apple-treats-from-disney-parks/.

"Bring Halloween Time at the Disneyland Resort to Your Desktop with Our Newest Wallpapers" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on September 16th, 2015 by Erin Glover, Social Media Director, Disneyland Resort - http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...t-to-your-desktop-with-our-newest-wallpapers/.

This link was posted by Abbey1, above - "First Look: Spellbinding New Halloween Novelty Items at Disneyland Resort, Walt Disney World Resort" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on September 16th, 2015 by Rachel Brent, Food & Beverage Marketing Communications Coordinator; http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...t-disneyland-resort-walt-disney-world-resort/.

Pumpkin Pandemonium and veggie ghosts and bats - http://www.theimpulsivebuy.com/wordpress/2015/09/16/spotted-on-shelves-9162015/.



​








Abbey1 said:


> Has anyone seen the Halloween demitasse this year? Or are they not making them this year? I was really hoping to buy one- they seemed like such a cute souvenir!



I think the demitasse mug -- as it had been known in the past -- was discontinued last year.  That was the dessert served in a Mickey pumpkin mug or Donald pumpkin mug.  Last year those mugs were suddenly gone and some new steins were added in (and the steins were not nearly as cute, needless to say).  This year I have no clue if there is anything similar to what the demitasse used to be.



pepe3penelope said:


> Hi, Sherry!!! I cannot believe I finally had the time to look at your Halloween thread! AND it's already 253 pages long!!! Wow!
> 
> As usual, your thread is very informative, intensive, & has great photos and articles.
> 
> I saw on the DL AP email I got today that DTD on Halloween has some event? Does that mean trick or treating at some stores?
> 
> TIA!



  I'm glad you had a chance to make it over here and join in the fun!

I have not checked my email today, so I didn't see the email.  What does it say about DTD and Halloween night?



adamkat said:


> We will be there at MHP on the 29th as we also missed out on Halloween.  I have to ask being so green to this site: what is a Premium Events coordinator?
> Enjoy!!



To be honest, I wasn't sure what the Premium Events Coordinator was either!



CassieF said:


> Just a little update on some of the seasonal offerings...
> 
> Poison apple souviner mugs are sold out resort wide (in 3 days...) and they are unsure if they will be getting them back in stock.
> 
> The newly debuted specialty drink served at Carthay, Cove Bar and Steakhouse 55, the Poison Apple-tini, is also sold out resort wide, however they are expecting to get more alcohol in stock, just unsure about when that will be.
> 
> The mug I get, but running out of alcohol in 4 days and not being able to restock seems a bit odd to me...  Our server today said they were expecting to sell about 50 a day but went through 600 in the first three days.  Still, with 600 that would only be 12 days worth of stock...



The running out of alcohol does seem strange.   It's clear that it is a popular drink -- you had it and said it was good, so it seems like everyone else is catching on.




focusondisney said:


> That's crazy. This is not Disney's first rodeo. No way should these things be running out already. They should be working with their suppliers way ahead to make sure they can get quick restocks.  If you don't go in the first few days you lose out??



It does seem that way -- if you're not there in the first few days you could miss out!  I am very surprised at the fast sellouts too.




DnA2010 said:


> So we are at the parks for 5 days and 1 Halloween Party- should I bite the bullet and get the Photo pass? that means character photos, ride photos, the special shots etc right? Darn the 30% mark up of our Canadian dollar! Will there be special Halloween shots?



Yes, there should be a couple of Halloween magic shots that you can ask photographers for (as well as non-Halloween magic shots), and then at the party there should be special PhotoPass spots set up -- with and without characters.



KrisRose821 said:


> I may have missed this in trying to read through this awesome superthread, but have they announced or does anyone have the heads up on any Mickey's Halloween Party specific merchandise? Do they even do that at DL? I've only ever been to MNSSHP in WDW, so this is a new thing for me.



There has not been any new party-specific merchandise announced as of yet -- that will probably come closer to when MHP starts.  In the past there have been some things (shirts, pins, the usual sorts of souvenirs), but they don't always seem to stay "exclusive" to the party.  Sometimes they are sold outside of party hours.

From page 1 of this thread, this is a post dedicated to merchandise -- http://www.disboards.com/threads/ha...hp-nights-now-sold-out.3270919/#post-51326933.  Look under 2014 and you will see a link to a blog about 2014 MHP merchandise, just to get a sense of the kinds of things to expect this year.


----------



## theluckyrabbit

lorijohnhill said:


> Has anyone that is already there noticed if they are selling the vampire Mickey buckets yet? I really want one, and was a little concerned by the mention of it being available "later"...



The Parks Blog mentioned that the buckets would be sold starting in early October.


----------



## pepe3penelope

Thanks for your response, sherry! All it says is the Halloween date and "Halloween in Downtown Disney"!!! Couldn't be any vaguer than that!


----------



## iKristin

I saw the regular Mickey pumpkin buckets in Star Trader on Sunday


----------



## theluckyrabbit

"Danny Elfman: Halloween at the Hollywood Bowl" will be at the Hollywood Bowl on Saturday, 10/31. Tickets are now on sale (presale) and general public tickets go on sale this Friday. So for those of us who could't get MHP tickets on the 31st, this sounds like a wonderful alternative!


----------



## lorijohnhill

theluckyrabbit said:


> The Parks Blog mentioned that the buckets would be sold starting in early October.


I'll be there until October 5th, so I'll keep my fingers crossed!

The Cheshire Cat is almost finished.  

The Rapunzel braid will not be worn with it!


ETA: We cut the yellow eyes out of the hood in case she wants to wear it down. I doubt she will do so often, but her eyes need to be visible.


----------



## kandeebunny

The Vampire Mickey buckets (according to WDW CM's last night) are currently held up in customs, and haven't been cleared.  They are trying to get them (for both coasts) ASAP, but customs.


----------



## CassieF

So...another fun day at the parks and some more Halloween notes:

Big thunder ranch does have the same cookie bake as previous years, despite the different description on the blog.  It's still the sugar cookie/snicker doodle with mulling spices topped with pumpkin ice cream...and it's beyond delicious!  

The ranch is fully decorated for fall but unfortunantly, the goats did not have scarves on!  I'm not sure if that was just today or an all season thing but since I know a few of you were curious...no scarves today...


----------



## seobaina

lorijohnhill said:


> I'll be there until October 5th, so I'll keep my fingers crossed!



We should be there on 5th too


----------



## KrisRose821

adamkat said:


> We will be there at MHP on the 29th as we also missed out on Halloween.  I have to ask being so green to this site: what is a Premium Events coordinator?
> Enjoy!!



When I called the regular dining phone line and asked about the mystical spirits and possibly acquiring tickets to a sold out event & party night the CM was like, there is one person who handles the "premium events" and can help you with that and transferred me to a lady name Brittney. Shes the only one that works in the office and didn't answer but I left her a voicemail and she returned my call later that day. If anyone wants the number I can try to find it on my phone.


----------



## Kilala

Here is some good news. It's 5 Days until Fall and 43 Days until Halloween. I can't believe it!! I might be going a third time to MHP. I want to go on the 19th of October. I hope it dosen't sell out by the 2nd of October. I had to turn on my living room lights at 5:50pm last night. I think it's great that fall is just around the corner.


----------



## iKristin

Don't forget to download your Halloween ring tones before your trips  I already got mine all set! 

http://www.disboards.com/threads/disney-text-ring-tone-downloads.3103207/


----------



## SeattleSuz

I saw on a FB Parks buy and sell group I am in that they will have a Mickey's Halloween Party pin available on September 25th.  I am guessing/hoping that it will be available starting Sept 25 and until Oct 31.


----------



## ricardol

With the new MSBB package I wonder if the will rope a new VIP area for the fireworks or how they are going to do it. So to the ppl that will report in a week from today for the First MHP please be on the lookout for that!

Halloween Screams is always our top priority for our family, so I want to be prepared.


----------



## spragueito

It looks like October 14th's party is now sold out.


----------



## Kilala

I hope my friend got her ticket for the 14th party. I will be going with my friends on the 14th


----------



## iKristin

Noooo!!! That's the date I was supposed to buy on Sunday but forgot!!!


----------



## CassieF

Ahhh!  I'm in the phone right now to try to buy the ones for the 14th!  Fingers crossed...why is hold time so long?!?

Update: I was able to buy over the phone, no problem!

@iKristin call now...I was able to buy them no problem! It adds $5 shipping but it's worth it!!! 714-781-4565


----------



## Sherry E

Looks like I'd better add the 14th's sellout info to page 1!   Thank you for letting us know, spragueito!  I'll be right back with Pumpkin Pandemonium and a couple of replies...



CassieF said:


> So...another fun day at the parks and some more Halloween notes:
> 
> Big thunder ranch does have the same cookie bake as previous years, despite the different description on the blog.  It's still the sugar cookie/snicker doodle with mulling spices topped with pumpkin ice cream...and it's beyond delicious!
> 
> The ranch is fully decorated for fall but unfortunantly, the goats did not have scarves on!  I'm not sure if that was just today or an all season thing but since I know a few of you were curious...no scarves today...



I wonder if the scarves were irritating the goats in the heat.

Than you for reporting back about the dessert at the BBQ (and, really, for ALL of the reports on the different things you are discovering!).  I was wondering if it was going to end up being the one with the pumpkin ice cream after all.  So, the Parks Blog just didn't have the full scoop (no pun intended), I guess.




Kilala said:


> Here is some good news. It's 5 Days until Fall and 43 Days until Halloween. I can't believe it!! I might be going a third time to MHP. I want to go on the 19th of October. I hope it dosen't sell out by the 2nd of October. I had to turn on my living room lights at 5:50pm last night. I think it's great that fall is just around the corner.



Thank the heavens Fall begins next week!  I have had it with Summer!

I had stopped following the weather for a day or two, and wasn't really keeping up on the rain forecast.  So, a couple of days ago, I woke up and heard the sound of water outside my door.  Since I didn't really know that rain was expected, to me the water sounded like someone had left a hose turned on and water was pouring out.  Or it sounded like water was dripping off of a roof or something.  I went to the window to look out and see if I could identify where the water was coming from.  Lo and behold, it was rain! Not just a tiny drizzle of rain, but pretty significant rainfall.  Unfortunately, it was still humid.



ricardol said:


> With the new MSBB package I wonder if the will rope a new VIP area for the fireworks or how they are going to do it. So to the ppl that will report in a week from today for the First MHP please be on the lookout for that!
> 
> Halloween Screams is always our top priority for our family, so I want to be prepared.



I am very curious to find out how everything works when the MSBB event begins next week.  I do hope that people will report back here to this thread, to let us know, so I can once again link those reviews in the post I have set aside for reviews of MHP.  I've been waiting for Happiest Haunts reviews and recaps, but no one is posting them here!


----------



## iKristin

CassieF said:


> @iKristin call now...I was able to buy them no problem! It adds $5 shipping but it's worth it!!! 714-781-4565



OMG thank you I just called and bought the two I needed


----------



## Sherry E

Last week I posted the info (below, in the quote block) about the Jazz Kitchen's Haunted Gingerbread Workshop for D23 members, and I said that I assumed the date for the general public would be Saturday, October 24th, and it is!   It takes place from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m.  Tickets go on sale on Monday, September 28th.




Sherry E said:


> The Jazz Kitchen Haunted Gingerbread House Building Workshop for D23 members is taking place on Sunday, October 25th - https://d23.com/d23-event/haunted-gingerbread-house-building-workshop/.
> 
> I would have to imagine that the same event for non-D23 folks will take place on Saturday, October 24th, but Jazz Kitchen has not posted the date on its site yet.  That's when it should be, though.  The Holiday season event will have a few extra dates.
> 
> 
> Speaking of which, for those who want to enjoy another family-friendly/non-scary Halloween event that is not far from Disneyland, try the Anaheim Halloween Parade and Fall Festival, on Saturday, October 24th - http://anaheimhalloweenparade.org/.  Some of Disneyland's horses usually participate in the Parade.





"Halloween Hats You’ll Go Batty Over at Disney Parks" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on September 17th, 2015 by Michelle Harker, Manager, Merchandise Marketing & Communications, Disneyland Resort - http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2015/09/halloween-hats-youll-go-batty-over-at-disney-parks/.



Oreo HAS come up with a new flavor after its most recent Brownie Batter flavor.  But... it's not a new Fall flavor or Holiday flavor, at least not in my eyes.  It is... Toasted Coconut!?!  I'll skip that one.  Not a coconut fan. http://www.theimpulsivebuy.com/word...limited-edition-toasted-coconut-oreo-cookies/.

Some straggler pumpkin spice and caramel apple things - http://www.theimpulsivebuy.com/wordpress/2015/09/17/spotted-on-shelves-9172015/.




​


​


----------



## Jeff314

CassieF said:


> Just a little update on some of the seasonal offerings...
> 
> Poison apple souviner mugs are sold out resort wide (in 3 days...) and they are unsure if they will be getting them back in stock.
> 
> 
> Mannnn no way can those be sold out for good already


----------



## only hope

Anyone know what time the tour phone line opens in the morning in Eastern Time?


----------



## CassieF

Unfortunantly I wouldn't be surprised if the mugs are sold out.  I would be surprised if they don't get more alcohol in.  My only concern is that the glow cubes might run out and they may not sell them without the glow cube.  It really enhances the drink, and it's fun to see them all around the lounge!


----------



## Dee2015

Kilala said:


> I forgot to mention that there are two big Halloween stores that just opened up last week here in Orange, CA. One is called Halloween City. I'm not sure about the other one. They both might be the same store. I will check it out soon. I will try to walk up there this week sometime and take photos for everyone.



Thanks for sharing   Do you know the names/addresses please? I'm a Halloween baby so would love to check it out!


----------



## Kilala

I woke up to a fall like morning today nice and cool. I thought it was going to be around 90 this weekend. I dosen't feel like it this morning. My cat Lillie was laying by my head this morning to get warm. It feels like Fall has arived a little early. I might have some tea to warm me up. I feel sick today.

I wanted to know if a white cat with yellow, Orange, with orange, yellow, and white tabby markings look good for a Candy Corn colored cat? I'm only going to use the colors I have and not get anymore colors since I need to save money. I will do a drawing of what I'm talking about today.


----------



## Tablefor5

What time should you go to turnstiles for MHP?  and Is it a crazy mess? Do they actually wait until 3:00p? 
We did MHP @ DCA a few years back but don't remember it being too long of a wait at turnstiles.
I am debating over a 2d or 3d PH.
If 2d, then we will not go into the park until MHP time allowed (will be 3pm on our day) but then I am worried about having a long wait out front.
If 3d, then we would go into the park prior and thinking it would be easier to already be in the park, but wondering if the extra $200+ (there are 5 of us) for the tickets is warranted.
Based on your experiences, pro's and con's of being in park already vs. entering at party time (3p).
TIA


----------



## iKristin

It should be fine going in at the 3 hours before party time. The lines move steady so it doesn't take that long.


----------



## RichP1269

Special Activities just updated our itinerary.  We now have preferred viewing for PTN and Halloween Screams on the 25th!


----------



## Avery's mom

Never mind.....


----------



## Sherry E

I am sneaking in, in between Internet outages again.  I have no clue how long the Internet will work this time around, but it has gone down 3 times this week, and two different technicians have come out to try to fix it, so I am skeptical.

New today -

"New Merchandise Debuts for Halloween Parties at Disney Parks" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on September 18th, 2015 by Michelle Harker, Manager, Merchandise Marketing & Communications, Disneyland Resort - http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...debuts-for-halloween-parties-at-disney-parks/.

"Halloween Tricks and Treats from Disney Floral & Gifts" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on September 18th, 2015 by Jean Volante, Manager of Dream Making, Disney Floral & Gifts/DEG - http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2015/09/halloween-tricks-and-treats-from-disney-floral-gifts/.

I guess Maple is working its way into the Fall collection - http://www.theimpulsivebuy.com/word...es-hostess-donettes-maple-glazed-mini-donuts/.

And how about a "Fall Karrot Kake"? - http://www.theimpulsivebuy.com/wordpress/2015/09/18/spotted-on-shelves-9182015/.  

​



only hope said:


> Anyone know what time the tour phone line opens in the morning in Eastern Time?



I think they open at 7 a.m. or 8 a.m. PST, so try calling at around 10 or 11.




Tablefor5 said:


> What time should you go to turnstiles for MHP?  and Is it a crazy mess? Do they actually wait until 3:00p?
> We did MHP @ DCA a few years back but don't remember it being too long of a wait at turnstiles.
> I am debating over a 2d or 3d PH.
> If 2d, then we will not go into the park until MHP time allowed (will be 3pm on our day) but then I am worried about having a long wait out front.
> If 3d, then we would go into the park prior and thinking it would be easier to already be in the park, but wondering if the extra $200+ (there are 5 of us) for the tickets is warranted.
> Based on your experiences, pro's and con's of being in park already vs. entering at party time (3p).
> TIA



The main pro to being in the park already is that you can just go to the wristband distribution station in the park (wherever it is this year) instead of having to go all the way to the turnstiles, and you can get on some rides before the masses who enter at 3 p.m. go on them.  Otherwise, it's not going to be a huge wait to get in at the turnstiles.   The lines move pretty quickly, as Kristin said.   I guess you could show up at 2:30 or so.  You'll see an entrance (maybe more than one) that is specifically designated for the Halloween Party, so you'd be waiting there.



RichP1269 said:


> Special Activities just updated our itinerary.  We now have preferred viewing for PTN and Halloween Screams on the 25th!



That's awesome!  They seem to go above and beyond in the SA dept. of DLR!


----------



## mummabear

The reviews from the first MNSSHP have come out and they are not good.
It is making my feel nervous since we have 1 MHP, 1 MNSSHP and 2 MVMCP eeek


----------



## Sherry E

mummabear said:


> The reviews from the first MNSSHP have come out and they are not good.
> It is making my feel nervous since we have 1 MHP, 1 MNSSHP and 2 MVMCP eeek



What's different about MNSSHP this year that would make it not good, or different from a previous year?  Did they add something new?  Oh, wait -- they have the "Hocus Pocus" thing, right?


----------



## lorijohnhill

Sherry E said:


> "New Merchandise Debuts for Halloween Parties at Disney Parks" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on September 18th, 2015 by Michelle Harker, Manager, Merchandise Marketing & Communications, Disneyland Resort - http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...debuts-for-halloween-parties-at-disney-parks/.


I really hope that black shirt comes in the larger sizes! I really want one! The pins sound great also!


----------



## Sherry E

lorijohnhill said:


> I really hope that black shirt comes in the larger sizes! I really want one! The pins sound great also!



I really like the black shirt too -- I'm a fan of black t-shirts in general.  The orange one... eh... While orange is certainly synonymous with Halloween, I'm not a huge fan of orange shirts (on me -- orange is not a flattering color for me).


----------



## mummabear

Sherry E said:


> What's different about MNSSHP this year that would make it not good, or different from a previous year?  Did they add something new?  Oh, wait -- they have the "Hocus Pocus" thing, right?



The main complaint is that they have oversold it/not done a good job of clearing out non party goers. 3 hour waits for characters, 1 hour waits on the trick or treat trails and a 7 people deep along the parade line at both parade times.


----------



## Sherry E

mummabear said:


> The main complaint is that they have oversold it/not done a good job of clearing out non party goers. 3 hour waits for characters, 1 hour waits on the trick or treat trails and a 7 people deep along the parade line at both parade times.



Oh dear.    Well, I already think that Disney has oversold the parties at Disneyland and made them more crowded than they need to be.  If they sell even more tickets this year I don't know what that will be like.   It will be interesting to see how everything is handled for the party and the fireworks viewing with the separate Mystical Spirits event going on.  Hopefully the people who are not attending the Mystical Spirits event will still be able to see the fireworks as well as they could have on a regular party night without that event.  I am also interested in hearing about how Paint the Night impacts the MHP crowds.


----------



## iKristin

The Hocus Pocus Spelltacular is getting EXCELLENT reviews so I don't think that's the issue.


----------



## mummabear

iKristin said:


> The Hocus Pocus Spelltacular is getting EXCELLENT reviews so I don't think that's the issue



Cant say I am super excited about a show based on a 20 year old movie that is so popular I cant even track down a copy for the kids to watch before we go....


----------



## RichP1269

mummabear said:


> Cant say I am super excited about a show based on a 20 year old movie that is so popular I cant even track down a copy for the kids to watch before we go....



It's available for rent on Amazon Instant Video for $3.


----------



## tzeitel

mummabear said:


> Cant say I am super excited about a show based on a 20 year old movie that is so popular I cant even track down a copy for the kids to watch before we go....


They play it every year either on the Disney Channel or on ABC Family -
http://www.halloweenmoviesontv.com/halloween-movies-a-to-z/hocus-pocus-1993/

This year El Capitan Theater is paying it Oct 8-11.

Personally, I love when Disney takes a lesser known or cult film and give it some exposure.  Tired of the seeing the same movies/characters featured on every special event or holiday.


----------



## Sherry E

tzeitel said:


> They play it every year either on the Disney Channel or on ABC Family -
> http://www.halloweenmoviesontv.com/halloween-movies-a-to-z/hocus-pocus-1993/
> 
> This year El Capitan Theater is paying it Oct 8-11.
> 
> Personally, I love when Disney takes a lesser known or cult film and give give some exposure.  Tired of the seeing the same movies/characters featured on every special event or holiday.




I think it's usually repeated at least a couple of times during the 13 Nights of Halloween on ABC Family, isn't it?


----------



## Sherry E

I knew they would do a separate Dia de los Muertos post, as they did not really mention or emphasize the DDLM treats in the last couple of food-related Parks Blogs:

"Dia de los Muertos Treats Debut at the Disneyland Resort" -- Disney Parks Blog;  posted on September 18th, 2015 by Michelle Harker, Manager, Merchandise Marketing & Communications, Disneyland Resort -- http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...uertos-treats-debut-at-the-disneyland-resort/.


​


----------



## carrierael77

Anyone know how many tickets they sell to MHP? I am trying to get an idea of "capacity" during a regular day vs. "Sold out" for the party?


----------



## Sherry E

carrierael77 said:


> Anyone know how many tickets they sell to MHP? I am trying to get an idea of "capacity" during a regular day vs. "Sold out" for the party?



No one knows.  The number is a mystery, and it probably differs on certain nights (for example, Friday or weekend parties might sell more tickets than a Tuesday party). Also, there are comp tickets, tickets won in contests, tickets for hotel guests, etc., so it's hard to get an idea of a number. 

All I know is that the parties feel more crowded to me than they should feel for a hard ticket event -- and I think a lot of people agree with that assessment -- but, at the same time, you might encounter some rides that have no lines or extremely short lines, so it seems like the crowds are much lighter in those areas.  The lines for characters are always long.  Some of the treat trails can have long lines.  

I'm sure that the number of people in the park on a sold out party night would still be fewer than the number of people in the park during a regular busy day in the summer, but it's not empty -- that's for sure!  It is a busy, popular event, but the crowds don't seem unmanageable.


----------



## SeattleSuz

Super excited!!  One of my friends who lives down there just bought tickets for the 9.30 Halloween party!!! Yay!!!


----------



## Spyral

Looks like Monday Oct 19th sold out now (least online -- hurry and call if still need tickets that day!)


----------



## taniahappy

We are doing Oct 19, so excited!


----------



## Sherry E

Spyral said:


> Looks like Monday Oct 19th sold out now (least online -- hurry and call if still need tickets that day!)



Thank you for letting us know!  I will update the necessary posts on page 1.

I think that we are now in the middle of that "wave" of sellouts that I have talked about.  The ticket sales are quiet for a while, after the first couple of nights sell out.  Then, at some point, there is a wave of sellouts in rapid succession (meaning 1, 2 or 3 days apart).    There could be as many as 8 nights selling out, one after another, in just a week or two.   Then when the wave finally recedes, there are a few nights left standing... and, usually, only one party night not sold out by the end of the season.


----------



## mummabear

RichP1269 said:


> It's available for rent on Amazon Instant Video for $3.


Not in NZ


----------



## RichP1269

mummabear said:


> Not in NZ



Oh!

How about google play?


----------



## Spyral

If not on Google Play, maybe Microsoft?

https://www.microsoft.com/en-nz/store/movies/hocus-pocus/8d6kgwzl5lpm


----------



## ricardol

Wow both the parties I'm attending have sold out. Oct 23rd and Oct19th Glad I got my tickets on time.


----------



## grnflash

taniahappy said:


> We are doing Oct 19, so excited!



Us too! And can't wait!


----------



## mummabear

Spyral said:


> If not on Google Play, maybe Microsoft?
> 
> https://www.microsoft.com/en-nz/store/movies/hocus-pocus/8d6kgwzl5lpm



Great thanks, I didn't even know this existed!


----------



## 8lovesmickey

The last time we were there in the fall was before the Halloween party existed, but it was awesome.  Both parks were decorated, there were giant candy corns 'growing' all over DCA, the pumpkins were all over Main Street... and we didn't have to pay extra.

That said I'm probably contributing to the problem by going to my first every party on October 2.  Yes I paid for it.  Mostly I'm just curious because I haven't done it before... I hope it's worth it .


----------



## Kilala

Sherry E said:


> I think it's usually repeated at least a couple of times during the 13 Nights of Halloween on ABC Family, isn't it?


Yes it is played more than once on ABC Family. They also edit it. I have the unedited version on DVD. I want to find it on Blu-Ray this year. Don't forget I named my cat Binx after the cat Binx in the movie. One of the dates I wanted to go is sold out online now. The 19th. I doubt if they will have any left if I call over the phone by the 2nd of October


----------



## stephanie22

Kilala said:


> Yes it is played more than once on ABC Family. They also edit it. I have the unedited version on DVD. I want to find it on Blu-Ray this year. Don't forget I named my cat Binx after the cat Binx in the movie. One of the dates I wanted to go is sold out online now. The 19th. I doubt if they will have any left if I call over the phone by the 2nd of October



Target has Hocus Pocus on blu ray, don't know if it's edited, but I wouldn't think so. I think they edit it just for TV.

Speaking of Target, they have some Christmas stuff out already. One aisle is half Halloween and the other half Christmas. My husband thinks hey should wait until Halloween, but I don't care, it made me super excited anyway. Just so long as they don't start getting rid of Halloween stuff before Halloween.

Edited to add: I don't know if anyone else is into Lego, but we went to the Lego store today and bought a Halloween themed set, I can't wait to build it with my son. It's called trick or treat. They also have Halloween mini figures available too.


----------



## Priory

Hours are being extended. One of my days 10/20 had a 8PM closing but today it changed to 10PM and the fireworks and parade times changed.

And Hocus Pocus is a classic. A CLASSIC! (To my generation, lol).

Edited to add: I've been to the parties every year since they started at Disneyland Park in 2010 and they get worse and more crowded every year. 2010 was a dream - on both a weeknight and weekend party. It was exactly how a hard ticket event should feel. 2011 was a bit busier. 2012 getting a little silly. 2013 -
Really? By 2014 I had decided I'd never go again. Yet of course I'm doing it this year. I just have to. But I'm also glad I'm doing the Blue Bayou thing because I need to shake it up a bit and am fine missing party time to do something a little special away from the crowds.


----------



## haileymarie92

I'm not getting any alerts when the thread has new posts anymore  


We are just over a week out from our trip! So excited! I read about the pins that will be halloween exclusives, we love pins! 

Can't wait to see the reviews from the first party and MSBB!


----------



## Sith

Priory said:


> And Hocus Pocus is a classic. A CLASSIC! (To my generation, lol).


I've never seen this movie, although I did have an opportunity long ago. It was Sep/Oct 1993 and I was at Marine Combat Training at Camp Pendleton in Oceanside, Ca. As a treat, they let us go to see a movie at the outdoor movie theater on base. It was kind of like a drive in, but with bleacher seating instead of cars. The movie was Hocus Pocus. Anyway, I chose to sneak out and call my girlfriend back home on a pay phone. So, I missed the movie. Is it really good? Should I finally give it another chance after all these years?


----------



## jenhelgren

I posted this question in the Disneyland thread but just realized I should have posted it here instead. We are huge Jack Skellington fans and want to know if there is anywhere other than Main St that Zero can be seen with a good view of the Halloween Screams fireworks show. This is our first trip to DLR so I am not sure what to expect for crowd levels but I am the only one in my family who can tolerate Main St crowds at WDW during fireworks/parades/etc. We are only attending the party one night and I don't want to be the one who gets behind a tree or a blocked view for some other reason (which happened to us at MNSSHP) and would love any local advice for some "off the beaten path" viewing spots!!


----------



## iKristin

mummabear said:


> Cant say I am super excited about a show based on a 20 year old movie that is so popular I cant even track down a copy for the kids to watch before we go....



Target sells it and so does Disney Movie Club. You can also download digital copies from iTunes or DisneyMoviesAnywhere


----------



## bearette

I think the early parties sold out last year because they were cheaper. I paid about five dollars less a piece going the first week. Since I could go any day I went to a mid week early party. This year they only had a weekend price and a during the week price.  Luckily I went to the only party that didn't sell out.


----------



## Mommy2PrincessAbby

Any thoughts on which nite would be better for Forever fireworks?  We are there 10/25-10/29, and only have the 26th (Monday) and 28th (Wednesday) for those fireworks (lots of parties that week.)  Right now I have Ariel's dinner booked for WOC (I know there are no princesses, we actually like eating there ) for Monday night.  My theory is that Monday may be more crowded with people that took a long weekend.  But then Wed would be our night to stake out a spot for Forever... and that night may be packed with people getting a jumpstart on the Halloween weekend.  Thoughts?


----------



## Sherry E

8lovesmickey said:


> The last time we were there in the fall was before the Halloween party existed, but it was awesome.  Both parks were decorated, there were giant candy corns 'growing' all over DCA, the pumpkins were all over Main Street... and we didn't have to pay extra.
> 
> That said I'm probably contributing to the problem by going to my first every party on October 2.  Yes I paid for it.  Mostly I'm just curious because I haven't done it before... I hope it's worth it .



I miss the days of Candy Corn Acres -- and actual Halloween décor in DCA!  There was a Halloween party back then -- the party actually predates the Halloween Time "season" -- but it was held in DCA, not in Disneyland.  Needless to say, the tickets were much cheaper than they are now!

There are still pumpkins on Main Street, so that has not changed.




stephanie22 said:


> Target has Hocus Pocus on blu ray, don't know if it's edited, but I wouldn't think so. I think they edit it just for TV.
> 
> Speaking of Target, they have some Christmas stuff out already. One aisle is half Halloween and the other half Christmas. My husband thinks hey should wait until Halloween, but I don't care, it made me super excited anyway. Just so long as they don't start getting rid of Halloween stuff before Halloween.
> 
> Edited to add: I don't know if anyone else is into Lego, but we went to the Lego store today and bought a Halloween themed set, I can't wait to build it with my son. It's called trick or treat. They also have Halloween mini figures available too.



The way I see it, Christmas is too huge of a holiday for retailers to wait until Halloween or after to put out merchandise.  If Halloween things can begin appearing in LATE JUNE (that's when the Three MuskeFEARS bars were spotted in Walgreens), then certainly Christmas things in September (or late August) should be expected.  If Valentine's Day things begin appearing in late October, that could be a bit much -- but they appear in late December!



jenhelgren said:


> I posted this question in the Disneyland thread but just realized I should have posted it here instead. We are huge Jack Skellington fans and want to know if there is anywhere other than Main St that Zero can be seen with a good view of the Halloween Screams fireworks show. This is our first trip to DLR so I am not sure what to expect for crowd levels but I am the only one in my family who can tolerate Main St crowds at WDW during fireworks/parades/etc. We are only attending the party one night and I don't want to be the one who gets behind a tree or a blocked view for some other reason (which happened to us at MNSSHP) and would love any local advice for some "off the beaten path" viewing spots!!



You can view the fireworks from other locations (near IASW, for example), but the details and specific effects (like the sphere/crystal ball thing) and Zero might be better seen on Main Street or at the Hub (around the Partners statue).   When I saw Halloween Screams and was standing way down towards the end of Main Street, near Town Square, on one occasion, I couldn't even really see Zero that well, and I could barely see the sphere.  The closer to the Hub I was in a subsequent year, the more I could see of the effects.



Mommy2PrincessAbby said:


> Any thoughts on which nite would be better for Forever fireworks?  We are there 10/25-10/29, and only have the 26th (Monday) and 28th (Wednesday) for those fireworks (lots of parties that week.)  Right now I have Ariel's dinner booked for WOC (I know there are no princesses, we actually like eating there ) for Monday night.  My theory is that Monday may be more crowded with people that took a long weekend.  But then Wed would be our night to stake out a spot for Forever... and that night may be packed with people getting a jumpstart on the Halloween weekend.  Thoughts?



I think I'd probably go with Wednesday for Disneyland Forever.  I think that day would be good.


----------



## stephanie22

Sherry E said:


> I miss the days of Candy Corn Acres -- and actual Halloween décor in DCA!  There was a Halloween party back then -- the party actually predates the Halloween Time "season" -- but it was held in DCA, not in Disneyland.  Needless to say, the tickets were much cheaper than they are now!
> 
> There are still pumpkins on Main Street, so that has not changed.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The way I see it, Christmas is too huge of a holiday for retailers to wait until Halloween or after to put out merchandise.  If Halloween things can begin appearing in LATE JUNE (that's when the Three MuskeFEARS bars were spotted in Walgreens), then certainly Christmas things in September (or late August) should be expected.  If Valentine's Day things begin appearing in late October, that could be a bit much -- but they appear in late December!
> 
> 
> 
> You can view the fireworks from other locations (near IASW, for example), but the details and specific effects (like the sphere/crystal ball thing) and Zero might be better seen on Main Street or at the Hub (around the Partners statue).   When I saw Halloween Screams and was standing way down towards the end of Main Street, near Town Square, on one occasion, I couldn't even really see Zero that well, and I could barely see the sphere.  The closer to the Hub I was in a subsequent year, the more I could see of the effects.
> 
> 
> 
> I think I'd probably go with Wednesday for Disneyland Forever.  I think that day would be good.



I don't have a problem with it either, I love Christmas. (It's my favorite season, everyone seems so much happier.) I just don't want the Halloween stuff to start to disappear before Halloween comes is all


----------



## bluedietcoke04

We (my husband and I) are going for Halloween (Oct. 28 - Nov. 2) We plan on doing the Happy Haunts Tour on the 28th and we were thinking of doing the Walk in Walt's Footsteps on Nov. 1.  Would this be overkill with tours?  We go to the parks all the time so not worried about taking the time to do them.  Just curious if there is a lot of overlap since we would be taking them both during the Halloween season.  We have never done a tour.  Thanks!


----------



## adamkat

Oh no I lost it!!  Well that too but I am looking for the link to the forecasted weather for Anaheim.   Someone posted it and it is well into October I wanted to see if it had the last week when we will be there.  
I am feeling like I will miss stuff and not get it done right!  First time there so I guess I wouldn't know if we did  but would hate to miss something.


----------



## tzeitel

Soooo, I was not planning on going to the party. With the prices going up and all the changes  I was good with passing on the party this year (we've only gone once), but my in-laws are now going as well and they have never done the party.  They have not been to DLR since 1975 but are regulars at WDW.  Yesterday I bought our tickets for Oct 19th!   Wonder if we got the last tickets 

Today I spent the day at Target and Walmart looking for Disneybound stuff (we are not costume wearers but love seeing everyone dress up!).  I am leaning towards Brer Rabbit (was planning on bounding this anyway), Brer Fox (DD) and Brer Bear (DH).  Or Lock, Shock and Barrel. Found a small purple witch hat on a headband that would look great for Shock.


----------



## Chris9ty

adamkat said:


> Oh no I lost it!!  Well that too but I am looking for the link to the forecasted weather for Anaheim.   Someone posted it and it is well into October I wanted to see if it had the last week when we will be there.
> I am feeling like I will miss stuff and not get it done right!  First time there so I guess I wouldn't know if we did  but would hate to miss something.


Are you looking for the extended forecast for Anaheim? It looks about the same everyday in Oct- high mid 80s, sunny, lows in the 50s/60s. Sounds perfect!  http://m.accuweather.com/en/us/anaheim-ca/92805/extended-weather-forecast/327150


----------



## Spyral

Monday Oct 12th now sold out.   

I keep checking to see if the night we are going is sold out or not..


----------



## egritz

asking for a friend....are the party tickets transferrable? I know that they cannot be sold, but  can they be given to someone else.


----------



## lorijohnhill

egritz said:


> asking for a friend....are the party tickets transferrable? I know that they cannot be sold, but  can they be given to someone else.


There is no name printed on the ticket, so I would think you could gift them to someone.


----------



## Kilala

I bet the Monday and Wednesday parties are going to sell out first before the Thursdays sell out. I would like to a ticket for the October 23rd party. I want to go 3 times this year.


----------



## theluckyrabbit

adamkat said:


> Oh no I lost it!!  Well that too but I am looking for the link to the forecasted weather for Anaheim.   Someone posted it and it is well into October I wanted to see if it had the last week when we will be there.
> I am feeling like I will miss stuff and not get it done right!  First time there so I guess I wouldn't know if we did  but would hate to miss something.



Don't forget that the farther out you are from your dates, the less accurate the forecasts will be. Keep checking as you near your trip, but the data will be most accurate right before then.



egritz said:


> asking for a friend....are the party tickets transferrable? I know that they cannot be sold, but  can they be given to someone else.



I believe the purchase page on the Disney website states that the tickets are non-transferrable, non-refundable, and not for resale.

"The number of tickets available is limited. Events may sell out early. Online purchase is not available on the day of the event. Tickets are valid only during specific event dates and hours. Entertainment, ticket types, entitlements and prices subject to change without notice. Tickets may not be resold. *Tickets are non-transferable and non-refundable."*


----------



## McNs

mummabear said:


> Not in NZ



If you drink the Apple flavoured Digital KoolAid (I do...) it can be rented on NZ iTunes for $4.99 or bought outright for $9.99


----------



## Jacie

egritz said:


> asking for a friend....are the party tickets transferrable? I know that they cannot be sold, but  can they be given to someone else.



I didn't give any names when I purchased my four for my family (other than my own for shipping and credit card purposes) so I can't imagine them being tied to anyone yet.


----------



## Kilala

Here is a drawing of a Candy Corn tabby cat I will be making. If I get to go 3 times to MHP I will be wearing this on the 3rd date, if not I will be wearing this on Halloween night. I based it off of a cat we use to have.


----------



## Oswald23

Is anybody going to the party this friday? I hope to see do me reports on characters, pre party and other stuff that's happening.


----------



## jenhelgren

Is there a link about the Happy Haunts Tour and what it includes for 2015? Along with any discounts that apply this year (AAA, DVC, etc)
I would also love to hear any recent reviews from anyone who took the tour this year. Thanks in advance!


----------



## justgrace

Oswald23 said:


> Is anybody going to the party this friday? I hope to see do me reports on characters, pre party and other stuff that's happening.



We are!! I will try and get on here with some updates about the first party and our experience!! We cannot wait!! Our trip seems so close, yet soooooo far away!!


----------



## justgrace

Kilala said:


> Here is a drawing of a Candy Corn tabby cat I will be making. If I get to go 3 times to MHP I will be wearing this on the 3rd date, if not I will be wearing this on Halloween night. I based it off of a cat we use to have.



That's a pretty kitty that you have!!


----------



## tjcrabb

In case there are people who missed the separate thread there has been a report back on the happiest haunts tour. The rides included are:

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy
Snow White
Matterhorn 
Haunted Mansion

The pin this year pays homage to the hatbox ghost. A photo was included in the thread:
*http://disboards.com/threads/happy-haunts-tour.3446554/*



jenhelgren said:


> Is there a link about the Happy Haunts Tour and what it includes for 2015? Along with any discounts that apply this year (AAA, DVC, etc)
> I would also love to hear any recent reviews from anyone who took the tour this year. Thanks in advance!



There haven't been any "official" reports for the tour yet this year, it changes a bit from year to year. There are discounts for AP and disney visa/debit card holders. If you use the card discount do you have to pay with that method of payment.


----------



## Kilala

justgrace said:


> That's a pretty kitty that you have!!


thanks. I don't have that cat anymore. It was my mom cat and he ran away. He was inside only and he wanted out all the time. The rescue group we got him from claimed that he was indoor only. The rescue group we got my cat Binx from said that he would want out if he was indoor only before we got him. We will never adopt from the other group again. The recue group I got BInx from is awsome!! Anyways I will be starting on that costume today.


----------



## dolphingirl47

Oswald23 said:


> Is anybody going to the party this friday? I hope to see do me reports on characters, pre party and other stuff that's happening.



I will be going on Friday. I can't believe how close this is getting.

Corinna


----------



## Sherry E

tjcrabb said:


> In case there are people who missed the separate thread there has been a report back on the happiest haunts tour. The rides included are:
> 
> Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
> Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy
> Snow White
> Matterhorn
> Haunted Mansion
> 
> The pin this year pays homage to the hatbox ghost. A photo was included in the thread:
> *http://disboards.com/threads/happy-haunts-tour.3446554/*



That was precisely why I kept this thread open longer (past page 250) -- so people could report back to this thread about the party and about the tour.   (Not everyone can scan the boards for new threads, and some folks only follow certain threads.)  But... people don't report back here.   Instead, they go to a separate thread!       I don't think one single tour report has come back here (for this year) yet.


----------



## adamkat

Hmmm I was wondering where all the reviews were thought they would be here. ;c(


----------



## Comicbookmommy

I've finally begun decorating! Hooray! Countdown calendars and treats are being put together, costumes are being made, and I've also been making all kinds of Halloween goodies that my kids picked out from a Halloween magazine, like Snake Sandwiches and Ghost Cake Cones and Spooky Shepard's Pie   I'm excited that my kids will play the Halloween Minecraft World I built (they are both uber fans of MC) to announce our upcoming trip on my birthday on the 29th of this month! 

And only one more month until we go to Disneyland!!! 

Hooray for Halloween-time!


----------



## RichP1269

Should be entering the parks by this time tomorrow!


----------



## dolphingirl47

I am waiting for my first flight, which unfortunately is delayed. My flight from Amsterdam to Los Angeles is not until tomorrow morning so this is OK.

Corinna


----------



## SeattleSuz

I cant wait to get a report of the party on Friday!!!  Please, whoever is going Friday, report back as soon as you are able.  Us early-bird party attenders are very curious!


----------



## RichP1269

SeattleSuz said:


> I cant wait to get a report of the party on Friday!!!  Please, whoever is going Friday, report back as soon as you are able.  Us early-bird party attenders are very curious!



We are going Friday.  Earliest I can report back is Sunday morning.


----------



## SeattleSuz

RichP1269 said:


> We are going Friday.  Earliest I can report back is Sunday morning.



Yahoo!  Works for me!  I'll be stalking this thread to see


----------



## ashleysev

Our group finally decided on plans/dates and we bought tickets today for the 10/29 party.


----------



## Disneyplannergirl

Exciting update!!!  I just checked the hours for Toontown attractions again for this Friday on DL's website.  Now it says they close at 5pm (it previously said 6pm).  I'm hoping this means there will definitely be a Toontown preparty again this year.


----------



## lorijohnhill

Disneyplannergirl said:


> Exciting update!!!  I just checked the hours for Toontown attractions again for this Friday on DL's website.  Now it says they close at 5pm (it previously said 6pm).  I'm hoping this means there will definitely be a Toontown preparty again this year.


I'm thinking that will be the case, as the hours are shorter on each party date.  I'm so excited!


----------



## mummabear

Disneyplannergirl said:


> Exciting update!!!  I just checked the hours for Toontown attractions again for this Friday on DL's website.  Now it says they close at 5pm (it previously said 6pm).  I'm hoping this means there will definitely be a Toontown preparty again this year.



Can't wait for someone at the first party/s to confirm


----------



## goldmay

mummabear said:


> Can't wait for someone at the first party/s to confirm



As a CM, can confirm it.


----------



## rwhistler92

I can only imagine how busy ToonTowns pre party will be this year without the carnival pre party.
I thought it was crazy last year. I guess we will make sure to get there early, if there really is one.


----------



## Abbey1

Two quick questions.

First- What is the big draw for the ToonTown pre-party? I know that there are character meet and greets and treat stations, but are the rides open? Is there anything available during the pre-party that isn't available the rest of the night? I ask because we weren't planning on spending anytime in ToonTown, but I certainly don't want us to miss out on anything awesome!

Second- What are the chances that Kylo Ren (Star Wars villain from the new movie) might be available to meet during the party? I read that Darth Vader was out last year, and with the new movie, I was hoping they might have the new villain out. Is this even a remote possibility? My son is a Star Wars enthusiast and is already obsessed with Kylo Ren (thanks to all the new merchandise everywhere).


----------



## rwhistler92

Last year we got most of our trick or treating done before the party started thanks to those pre parties. That way we could enjoy the rest of what the party had to offer.


----------



## Spyral

rwhistler92 said:


> Last year we got most of our trick or treating done before the party started thanks to those pre parties. That way we could enjoy the rest of what the party had to offer.



That's a great idea!  I think I will have to propose that to the family, assuming the pre-party party happens.


----------



## lorijohnhill

My mom finished Daisy Duck! I have to play with the bow a little, but I think the outfit came out great! She looks so funny with all the padding. She will also be wearing yellow tights and pink sparkly shoes. She has one of those duck bill things from DLR that we will bring along for photos.


----------



## Self-Rescuing Princess

Where are the pre-parties? And is there still an AP trail? Anyone know where it is?

We went last year for the first time, had a blast, but found out we missed  a lot!


----------



## Dee2015

rwhistler92 said:


> Last year we got most of our trick or treating done before the party started thanks to those pre parties. That way we could enjoy the rest of what the party had to offer.


Apologies if this a silly question but can you please explain what you mean/did? Thanks!


----------



## rwhistler92

Dee2015 said:


> Apologies if this a silly question but can you please explain what you mean/did? Thanks!


Last year they had pre parties in ToonTown and the carnival area near Big Thinder Ranch.
They had trick or treating, meet and greet and games (at BTR). The trick or treat trails gave us enough candy to last a long time (no healthy treats though). You must have a party band on to get into the pre party.


----------



## Kilala

I'm glad Toon Town pre-party is coming back this year. Fall starts tomorrow!! Also it's 3 days away from the first MHP!! That's not including today. I can't wait for the reports to come in. I plan on getting there as early as I can on the 16th. Since I have the day off that Friday I might get into costume as early as 2pm. I want to do either a linner or dessert there or both. I will buy as many Halloween  goodies as I can. I plan on going to the Halloween store that opened up in walking distance from me on October 2nd. I will take pictures for everyone. I will also post photos of The candy I found at my last trip to Wal-Mart in early August today.


----------



## JenKate

Doctor Who said:


> Oct 16 we have 25 of Us going to the party. Try planning that one!



I have 32.  Five of which are between the ages of 16 and 26 months!


----------



## oumagic

We are going to the party on October 5 and have not been to Disney or a MHP in quite awhile. We are going to surprise the kids and drive over on Saturday. We have a 2 day PH (Sunday and Tuesday) and will go to the party on Monday.  We have been to two parties in the past and really have enjoyed them.


----------



## Oswald23

Kilala said:


> I'm glad Toon Town pre-party is coming back this year. Fall starts tomorrow!! Also it's 3 days away from the first MHP!! That's not including today. I can't wait for the reports to come in. I plan on getting there as early as I can on the 16th. Since I have the day off that Friday I might get into costume as early as 2pm. I want to do either a linner or dessert there or both. I will buy as many Halloween  goodies as I can. I plan on going to the Halloween store that opened up in walking distance from me on October 2nd. I will take pictures for everyone. I will also post photos of The candy I found at my last trip to Wal-Mart in early August today.



It´s not certain yet there will be a pre-party and in what kind of form. I'll advice you to wait with the happy dance until friday.....


----------



## Canadian Harmony

oumagic said:


> We are going to the party on October 5 and have not been to Disney or a MHP in quite awhile. We are going to surprise the kids and drive over on Saturday. We have a 2 day PH (Sunday and Tuesday) and will go to the party on Monday.  We have been to two parties in the past and really have enjoyed them.


 
I'll see you there! That's our party night too! DD's birthday - unforgetable!


----------



## Chris9ty

oumagic said:


> We are going to the party on October 5 and have not been to Disney or a MHP in quite awhile. We are going to surprise the kids and drive over on Saturday. We have a 2 day PH (Sunday and Tuesday) and will go to the party on Monday.  We have been to two parties in the past and really have enjoyed them.





Canadian Harmony said:


> I'll see you there! That's our party night too! DD's birthday - unforgetable!



We will be there too! It will be our first trip to DLR and MHP.  I'll have my two young train engineers with me, hopefully they stay up so we can enjoy the fun!  We are so excited! Can't wait to see everyone's reports and hope we all have a magical time!


----------



## Canadian Harmony

My father was a steam locomotive engineer and I'm going to bring some of his pins to gift Casey's engineers with while we're there. I'm sure he would have approved if he was still around.


----------



## Drnifer

mummabear said:


> Cant say I am super excited about a show based on a 20 year old movie that is so popular I cant even track down a copy for the kids to watch before we go....


I rented it from iTunes and we watched it on the flight to Orlando last week. I think the Hocus Pocus show was one of the highlights of our trip. It was an amazing show and such great casting!


----------



## seobaina

Chris9ty said:


> We will be there too! It will be our first trip to DLR and MHP.  I'll have my two young train engineers with me, hopefully they stay up so we can enjoy the fun!  We are so excited! Can't wait to see everyone's reports and hope we all have a magical time!




And us too on that day x


----------



## Spyral

MHP for Wednesday October 7th now sold out


----------



## justgrace

SeattleSuz said:


> I cant wait to get a report of the party on Friday!!!  Please, whoever is going Friday, report back as soon as you are able.  Us early-bird party attenders are very curious!



We'll be doing the party on Friday!! I'll try and get a report up as soon as possible!


----------



## ten6mom

OK this might sound dumb, but usually we are already in the parks on the same day we attend MHP and this year we're coming in on Monday just for the party.  We should be able to get into the turnstiles at 3 pm that day.  Do we still need to go procure Party wristbands somewhere??  If so, does anyone know where?

And do you veterans generally recommend this ToonTown preparty?  We have never attended one.

Thanks!


----------



## GenGen22

Self-Rescuing Princess said:


> Where are the pre-parties? And is there still an AP trail? Anyone know where it is?



Last year they had a special AP perk.  I don't know if you want to call it a trail.  You went in for a rice crispy treat & a bag and that was it.  They had it in the front of the park where the great moment with Mr. Lincoln was.


----------



## theluckyrabbit

ten6mom said:


> OK this might sound dumb, but usually we are already in the parks on the same day we attend MHP and this year we're coming in on Monday just for the party.  We should be able to get into the turnstiles at 3 pm that day.  Do we still need to go procure Party wristbands somewhere??  If so, does anyone know where?
> 
> And do you veterans generally recommend this ToonTown preparty?  We have never attended one.
> 
> Thanks!



You will get your wristband at the turnstiles when you enter DL. Immediately after you will be guided into lines for your party map and treat bag. The TT pre-party is fun, but not an absolute necessity. We like it for the M&Gs and the rides (Roger Rabbit!) and because we don't make it to TT very often any more. We skip the TOT lines because we know we'll be hitting the other trails later in the evening. If riding rides is more important to you, then I could see how that could take precedence over the pre-party.


----------



## ten6mom

theluckyrabbit said:


> You will get your wristband at the turnstiles when you enter DL. Immediately after you will be guided into lines for your party map and treat bag. The TT pre-party is fun, but not an absolute necessity. We like it for the M&Gs and the rides (Roger Rabbit!) and because we don't make it to TT very often any more. We skip the TOT lines because we know we'll be hitting the other trails later in the evening. If riding rides is more important to you, then I could see how that could take precedence over the pre-party.



Thank you!  It's a relief to know that we won't have to stand in line to get in AND stand in line elsewhere to get a wristband.  And perhaps we will check out the Pre-Party for the first time.  Thanks again!


----------



## Metalliman98

Spyral said:


> MHP for Wednesday October 7th now sold out


Dang, that's our party.  I was hoping a midweek early October date would be less prone to sell out, but I guess not.  Oh well, in the end, most of them sell out anyway.


----------



## Dee2015

rwhistler92 said:


> Last year they had pre parties in ToonTown and the carnival area near Big Thinder Ranch.
> They had trick or treating, meet and greet and games (at BTR). The trick or treat trails gave us enough candy to last a long time (no healthy treats though). You must have a party band on to get into the pre party.



Thanks rwhistler92 and what time does that roughly start?


----------



## rwhistler92

I think it was 1 hour before the party started. 


Dee2015 said:


> Thanks rwhistler92 and what time does that roughly start?


----------



## Doctor Who

I'm going to the Oct 16th party. We are just going to wait and get in to the park at 4:00pm. The only BBB appointment I could get for my Grand Daughters is 4:10pm. I'm guessing we will be 5 or 10 minutes late. Will that be a problem? Should I call and tell them we are on our way or is 10 min enough time to get through the turnstiles and up Main St?


----------



## Kilala

It's the first day of Fall!!It's 2 more days before the first MHP of the year!!!I have noticed it has been getting cooler at night now. My cat Lillie is sleeping by my head now, and she only dose than when it's cooler at night. I know for a fact that by the middle of October is is much cooler at night.

The 5th of October just sold out. I'll be lucky if the 22nd dosen't sell out


----------



## mummabear

So WDW is offering a one day Memory maker for the parties for $39. I havent had a response from Disneys Photopass service (via email, a question on the WDW announcement on Disneyparks blog or the announcement on Disneys Phptppass Facebook page) about it being available for MHP.
It seems like more use at DLR with a local AP base attending the party, I would have thought a large amount of the WDW guests would have had it for their whole trip anyway.


----------



## boiseflyfisher

Looks like I waited one day too many and now we are shut out of the two nights we could go.  Do they still sell tickets the day of as they have done in previous years?  We are staying on site.


----------



## Vintage Mouseketeer

Hi Sherry! Wanted to stop by and say hello.... HELLO! 

I think this will be the first party we will be missing on our 5 year run. Not to be a Debbie Downer; I am just really so sad about all that has been taken away from MHP that I just have been left unmotivated to purchase tickets, but will have to make our choice quickly as most nights are sold out now. Who knew I would be so impacted by the changes.LOL

I am so greatful that your thread is here so I am able to read updates and trip updates


----------



## lorijohnhill

boiseflyfisher said:


> Looks like I waited one day too many and now we are shut out of the two nights we could go.  Do they still sell tickets the day of as they have done in previous years?  We are staying on site.


Did you try calling, just in case. I've read that sometimes there are still a few tickets available after the online site sells out.


----------



## boiseflyfisher

Thank you, LJH!  Just got off the phone and they still had some!  We are all set for October 7!


----------



## suzanne.willmott

Hi guys! Just wanting to know if there s any official place that sells tickets that are sold out?!
We arrive from Australia on 29th and it's looking like after an 18hour flight we will have to go to the party and pull an all nighter.. The 30th and 31stbare gone


----------



## lorijohnhill

boiseflyfisher said:


> Thank you, LJH!  Just got off the phone and they still had some!  We are all set for October 7!


I'm so glad you could get the tickets!


----------



## mummabear

We will also be getting off the plane (from NZ) dropping off our bags and heading to the party on the 29th


----------



## keishashadow

I noticed that DL released free tickets to bloggers for 'my' MHP on Monday 10/5.  From all reports the allotment went quickly.  Appears as though this is an annual event @ DL for bloggers.

I'd like to think (hoping) that perhaps the 'gate' on 10/5 thus far is low & that's why they selected it for the promotion, but I should know better than to try to 2nd guess Disney's wisdom lol.

Believe the party dates surrounding it are sold out.


----------



## theluckyrabbit

suzanne.willmott said:


> Hi guys! Just wanting to know if there s any official place that sells tickets that are sold out?!
> We arrive from Australia on 29th and it's looking like after an 18hour flight we will have to go to the party and pull an all nighter.. The 30th and 31stbare gone



There isn't really an official/legitimate site for sold out tickets. Your best bet would be to call the phone line ASAP to see if anything is still available for parties during your trip dates. (Even though it is long distance for you and there is a significant time change, it could be worth it for you.) If you will be staying on site, the hotels have had a limited number of day of tickets for their guests in the past. You will need to ask about this and be at the front desk first thing that morning. You might be able to book a Mystical Spirits dinner package at BB. Someone reported being allowed to add tickets to a sold out party to that package. Beware of sites selling sold out tickets. Disney states that the tickets are not for resale, not refundable, and non-transferrable. Often the resold tickets are part of a scam -- people report every year about getting scammed with MHP tickets from unofficial sites.


----------



## suzanne.willmott

theluckyrabbit said:


> There isn't really an official/legitimate site for sold out tickets. Your best bet would be to call the phone line ASAP to see if anything is still available for parties during your trip dates. (Even though it is long distance for you and there is a significant time change, it could be worth it for you.) If you will be staying on site, the hotels have had a limited number of day of tickets for their guests in the past. You will need to ask about this and be at the front desk first thing that morning. You might be able to book a Mystical Spirits dinner package at BB. Someone reported being allowed to add tickets to a sold out party to that package. Beware of sites selling sold out tickets. Disney states that the tickets are not for resale, not refundable, and non-transferrable. Often the resold tickets are part of a scam -- people report every year about getting scammed with MHP tickets from unofficial sites.



I have called  unfortunately the 30th and 31st are the most popular days and I didn't even think to book straight away. 
What is the Mystical package? Is that only on Halloween nights?


----------



## theluckyrabbit

The Mystical Spirits dinner package is a special event dinner at Blue Bayou that is only offered on party nights. It is expensive, but might be worth it if you really want to attend the party. I have heard that almost all the nights are already sold out, so you should check into it now to see if any spots are still open.
If that doesn't work and you'll be staying on site, then contact your hotel to see whether tickets will be available the morning of each party.

By the way, there is no party on 10/30 as far as I know. There is a party on 10/29 that still has tickets available. Would this work for you?


----------



## suzanne.willmott

theluckyrabbit said:


> The Mystical Spirits dinner package is a special event dinner at Blue Bayou that is only offered on party nights. It is expensive, but might be worth it if you really want to attend the party. I have heard that almost all the nights are already sold out, so you should check into it now to see if any spots are still open.
> If that doesn't work and you'll be staying on site, then contact your hotel to see whether tickets will be available the morning of each party.
> 
> By the way, there is no party on 10/30 as far as I know. There is a party on 10/29 that still has tickets available. Would this work for you?



I think I will have to go with the 29th... My initial problem was that's the day we fly in and it's an 18hr flight and we get in in the morning and will need to pull an all nighter.. 12am in LA is around 1pm here so it's a complete time flip



theluckyrabbit said:


> The Mystical Spirits dinner package is a special event dinner at Blue Bayou that is only offered on party nights. It is expensive, but might be worth it if you really want to attend the party. I have heard that almost all the nights are already sold out, so you should check into it now to see if any spots are still open.
> If that doesn't work and you'll be staying on site, then contact your hotel to see whether tickets will be available the morning of each party.
> 
> By the way, there is no party on 10/30 as far as I know. There is a party on 10/29 that still has tickets available. Would this work for you?



Mystical dinner is sold out by the looks of it.. No times at all for 29th or 31st


----------



## Sith

I have a costume question. One costume I am considering for MHP is The Punisher. I would not have any fake guns or anything, since there would probably be an issue with that. It would basically be black clothes, and a black tactical vest with the Punisher skull sprayed on the chest. Something like this pic, but without the weapons of course. Do you guys think that would violate any of the costume rules? I don't think so, but thought I'd get some opinions to avoid a potential problem.


----------



## theluckyrabbit

Without the guns, I don't think it violates any of the costume rules. So if it's the costume you really want, it should be OK. But, in our experience, the costume vibe at these parties tends to be very family friendly. The most popular costumes are the ones that are creative and rated G. For example, in past years we've seen a really good group from "Back to the Future" (complete with camcorder),  a couple who went as the Storybook Canal Boats and IASW (killer outfits -- so dapper and original!), the Sanderson sisters (excellent costumes, right down to the vacuum cleaner!), Madame Leota (complete with crystal ball), lots of group costumes from Peter Pan and Mary Poppins, etc. There were thumbs up and high fives all around for those costumes. The gory or more violently themed costumes don't get much love from what we've seen.


----------



## iKristin

Nah I think you'd be good with that costume


----------



## mummabear

suzanne.willmott said:


> I think I will have to go with the 29th... My initial problem was that's the day we fly in and it's an 18hr flight and we get in in the morning and will need to pull an all nighter.. 12am in LA is around 1pm here so it's a complete time flip
> 
> 
> 
> Mystical dinner is sold out by the looks of it.. No times at all for 29th or 31st



Time difference will work in your favour, party starts at 6 pm on the 29th which will only be morning for you, I highly recommend the 3 flight drink combos they sell at the airports, work like a charm.

Where in Oz are you?


----------



## suzanne.willmott

I would say it's not very disney friendly.. I'm going to universal too and that would look awesome as a universal costume but I'd have to say no to the scary skull and all black as they might not look at that as kid friendly



mummabear said:


> Time difference will work in your favour, party starts at 6 pm on the 29th which will only be morning for you, I highly recommend the 3 flight drink combos they sell at the airports, work like a charm.
> 
> Where in Oz are you?



I'm in Sydney  might work out well as we normally don't go to sleep until 12 anyway.. 
I bought the 29th tickets  is there anything I should book or know before the party?


----------



## mummabear

So you have a 7 hour time difference right now, when does you Daylight savings kick in?

Really only thing to consider is the Bb mystical dinner. But it sounds like it is sold out on the 29th.

How long are you at DLR for?


----------



## Mum from oz

@mummabear & @suzanne.willmott I'm a fellow neighbour (Sydneysider) going to the party on the 29th! I looked at the BB dinner but with the dollar how it is at the moment I couldn't justify the price.


----------



## stephanie22

Sith said:


> I have a costume question. One costume I am considering for MHP is The Punisher. I would not have any fake guns or anything, since there would probably be an issue with that. It would basically be black clothes, and a black tactical vest with the Punisher skull sprayed on the chest. Something like this pic, but without the weapons of course. Do you guys think that would violate any of the costume rules? I don't think so, but thought I'd get some opinions to avoid a potential problem.



I think the costume is fine.


----------



## greens_in_WA

Has anyone been to the party this year and could they post pictures of the map and entertainment schedule?


----------



## JenKate

I think the first one is tomorrow.  I'm anxiously waiting too!


----------



## mummabear

Mum from oz said:


> @mummabear & @suzanne.willmott I'm a fellow neighbour (Sydneysider) going to the party on the 29th! I looked at the BB dinner but with the dollar how it is at the moment I couldn't justify the price.



Ozzies and Kiwis take over! lol
I considered it too as Dr Facilier is the top of my must meet list but with the dollar and the fact we are a family of 5 the cost was too much, if ot was just DH and I then I probably would have done it, furthermore I dont think the girls would have enjoyed it as much as doing other things in the party.


----------



## Priory

Was on the disneyland website and noticed they've added Mahaloween for the 12th and 13th. Is this common knowledge? I didn't realize they were doing it again this year.


----------



## seobaina

Priory said:


> Was on the disneyland website and noticed they've added Mahaloween for the 12th and 13th. Is this common knowledge? I didn't realize they were doing it again this year.



What is mahaloween?


----------



## keishashadow

suzanne.willmott said:


> I would say it's not very disney friendly.. I'm going to universal too and that would look awesome as a universal costume but I'd have to say no to the scary skull and all black as they might not look at that as kid friendly



100% sure no costumes allowed @ USO, would think USH follows same.

it is a really nice costume btw!


----------



## Sherry E

It is interesting that Season of the Force -- which was originally supposed to begin in early 2016 -- is now starting on November 16th of this year!  

The other interesting thing is that, according to the Auditions website, the Star Wars Launch Bay was originally scheduled to open on or close to October 11th.   The performers needed to be available to work on October 11th.   Now, according to the Parks Blog, the Launch Bay is scheduled to open when the rest of Season of the Force opens in November.  http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...16-at-disneyland-park-in-southern-california/.  

So it seems like Disney is hustling to get Season of the Force started early, and in doing so maybe they are delaying the Launch Bay so that it opens when the rest of SOTF opens.  





seobaina said:


> What is mahaloween?



It was a dinner event at Trader Sam's in the Disneyland Hotel last year, and I think the cost (per person) was over $100.  I don't know what the price is this year.  I've got a link to info about the 2014 event in the Hotels post on page 1 of this thread.



Priory said:


> Was on the disneyland website and noticed they've added Mahaloween for the 12th and 13th. Is this common knowledge? I didn't realize they were doing it again this year.



It hasn't been announced yet, so I don't think anyone really knew.


----------



## seobaina

Sherry E said:


> It is interesting that Season of the Force -- which was originally supposed to begin in early 2016 -- is now starting on November 16th of this year!
> 
> The other interesting thing is that, according to the Auditions website, the Star Wars Launch Bay was originally scheduled to open on or close to October 11th.   The performers needed to be available to work on October 11th.   Now, according to the Parks Blog, the Launch Bay is scheduled to open when the rest of Season of the Force opens in November.  http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...16-at-disneyland-park-in-southern-california/.
> 
> So it seems like Disney is hustling to get Season of the Force started early, and in doing so maybe they are delaying the Launch Bay so that it opens when the rest of SOTF opens.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It was a dinner event at Trader Sam's in the Disneyland Hotel last year, and I think the cost (per person) was over $100.  I don't know what the price is this year.  I've got a link to info about the 2014 event in the Hotels post on page 1 of this thread.
> 
> 
> 
> It hasn't been announced yet, so I don't think anyone really knew.



Thank you for the explanation. Kinda gutted about launch bay


----------



## suzanne.willmott

Mum from oz said:


> @mummabear & @suzanne.willmott I'm a fellow neighbour (Sydneysider) going to the party on the 29th! I looked at the BB dinner but with the dollar how it is at the moment I couldn't justify the price.




I really am interested to see a review of the dinner.. I just can't see how it's $150pp.. That is a crazy amount especially since it takes up most of the Halloween night. And yes at 70cents or lower I'm dying inside a little lol I had to talk to myself and tell myself it's okay and not to stress about the dollar as much as possible. Let's hope for an October/November spike!!

I


mummabear said:


> Ozzies and Kiwis take over! lol
> I considered it too as Dr Facilier is the top of my must meet list but with the dollar and the fact we are a family of 5 the cost was too much, if ot was just DH and I then I probably would have done it, furthermore I dont think the girls would have enjoyed it as much as doing other things in the party.


 
I really want to go trick or treating as we don't do that here.. And second on my list is Jack and Sally and the Haunted Mansion!! Then the blue bayou then fireworks.. So I'm thinking about it but I just can't decide. 
Does DL not do fast passes like DW? I'm assuming no fast passes I party nights anyway? But in general how do fp work here?



mummabear said:


> So you have a 7 hour time difference right now, when does you Daylight savings kick in?
> 
> Really only thing to consider is the Bb mystical dinner. But it sounds like it is sold out on the 29th.
> 
> How long are you at DLR for?



It's our Honeymoon trip so we we doing everything as we probably won't get to go again.
Daylight savings starts in October before I leave I think... We arrive 29th but are staying in Hollywood as I didn't even think of the Halloween party.. So 29-1 we are in Hollywood 1-3 we are staying in the DL fairytale suite (sooooo excited it's my honeymoon pressie) so we do have a few other days in DL but they are not Halloween days.. The 1st the decorations will still be up though. 3-7 we are in Las Vegas. 7-23 we are in Disney Orlando (we do the Disney Fantasy cruise on the 14-21) so we have a mvmcp in Orlando on the 8th. We then go to NY 23-29.

So I just don't know if I can justify 150pp on bb dinner.. As we have crt dinners on ORL and a Christmas night.. Plus a wishes dessert party and an Osborne desserts. 

I'm waiting on a review as bb would have to be amazing to justify the 150pp


----------



## Clawdya

suzanne.willmott said:


> It's our Honeymoon trip so we we doing everything as we probably won't get to go again.
> Daylight savings starts in October before I leave I think... We arrive 29th but are staying in Hollywood as I didn't even think of the Halloween party.. So 29-1 we are in Hollywood 1-3 we are staying in the DL fairytale suite (sooooo excited it's my honeymoon pressie) so we do have a few other days in DL but they are not Halloween days.. The 1st the decorations will still be up though. 3-7 we are in Las Vegas. 7-23 we are in Disney Orlando (we do the Disney Fantasy cruise on the 14-21) so we have a mvmcp in Orlando on the 8th. We then go to NY 23-29.
> 
> So I just don't know if I can justify 150pp on bb dinner.. As we have crt dinners on ORL and a Christmas night.. Plus a wishes dessert party and an Osborne desserts.
> 
> I'm waiting on a review as bb would have to be amazing to justify the 150pp



The Disney Freak in me wants to say "Oh it's just money, you'll make more, plus it's your honeymoon, splurge, splurge, splurge". Are you going to look back someday and regret not spending the $300?

The sensible mom/wife in me wants to say that it's not necessary, you already have an amazing trip planned out. You probably will be to busy enjoying yourself with everything else that you will not even care that you skipped this one.

So, since I'm no help, let me just say congratulations on your (upcoming) wedding and honeymoon.


----------



## ten6mom

Sherry E said:


> It is interesting that Season of the Force -- which was originally supposed to begin in early 2016 -- is now starting on November 16th of this year!
> 
> The other interesting thing is that, according to the Auditions website, the Star Wars Launch Bay was originally scheduled to open on or close to October 11th.   The performers needed to be available to work on October 11th.   Now, according to the Parks Blog, the Launch Bay is scheduled to open when the rest of Season of the Force opens in November.  http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...16-at-disneyland-park-in-southern-california/.
> 
> So it seems like Disney is hustling to get Season of the Force started early, and in doing so maybe they are delaying the Launch Bay so that it opens when the rest of SOTF opens.
> 
> .



NOoooooo!  We are only there the prior weekend for Avengers!  Now, whatever shall I do?????


----------



## suzanne.willmott

H


Clawdya said:


> The Disney Freak in me wants to say "Oh it's just money, you'll make more, plus it's your honeymoon, splurge, splurge, splurge". Are you going to look back someday and regret not spending the $300?
> 
> The sensible mom/wife in me wants to say that it's not necessary, you already have an amazing trip planned out. You probably will be to busy enjoying yourself with everything else that you will not even care that you skipped this one.
> 
> So, since I'm no help, let me just say congratulations on your (upcoming) wedding and honeymoon.




Hahaha this is exactly my problem... One side says just doooo iiiit but the other says no no put that towards your house deposit lol. I think I might skip it unless reviews are amaaaazing.. I haven't done a mnsshp so I don't want to miss anything else that's happening

PS guys.. There is availabilities for 27,29 and 31st up on DL site now for BB!


----------



## mummabear

suzanne.willmott said:


> It's our Honeymoon trip so we we doing everything as we probably won't get to go again.
> Daylight savings starts in October before I leave I think... We arrive 29th but are staying in Hollywood as I didn't even think of the Halloween party.. So 29-1 we are in Hollywood 1-3 we are staying in the DL fairytale suite (sooooo excited it's my honeymoon pressie) so we do have a few other days in DL but they are not Halloween days.. The 1st the decorations will still be up though. 3-7 we are in Las Vegas. 7-23 we are in Disney Orlando (we do the Disney Fantasy cruise on the 14-21) so we have a mvmcp in Orlando on the 8th. We then go to NY 23-29.
> 
> So I just don't know if I can justify 150pp on bb dinner.. As we have crt dinners on ORL and a Christmas night.. Plus a wishes dessert party and an Osborne desserts.
> 
> I'm waiting on a review as bb would have to be amazing to justify the 150pp



Snap, we hit DLR and Vegas on our honeymoon ( on our way back from Greece).
We have basically alternated DL and WDW since (usually as part of other trips). This trip is our 10th wedding anniversary trip We head into Orlando on the 30th and have MNSSHP on the 1st and then MVMCP on the 10th and 14th.
Jealous of a Disney cruise, I have always wanted to do one.

I would do the BB dinner if I was in your shoes, yes it's $300 towards a home deposit, but sadly in this day and age not a big sent (and while every bit does quickly add up) it's your honeymoon, you have two adults that can move at a quick pace around he rest of the party and its only $300.
For our family it would have been $750 and I still have it good consideration.

Are you going to be able to check out the Obsourne lights at DHS? Where are you staying in Orlando?

Don't forget to get the Just married badges at city hall.


----------



## theluckyrabbit

suzanne.willmott said:


> I really want to go trick or treating as we don't do that here.. And second on my list is Jack and Sally and the Haunted Mansion!! Then the blue bayou then fireworks.. So I'm thinking about it but I just can't decide.
> Does DL not do fast passes like DW? I'm assuming no fast passes I party nights anyway? But in general how do fp work here?



Read this thread for good info on how DLR differs from WDW: A DLR Guide for WDW Vets. Also, Jack (and usually Sally, too) are out during the day in NOS and HMH runs during the day, so you could get those things done before your party. Then, if you wanted, you could do them again during the party! Both DL and DCA have FPs. They use the legacy (paper) FPs, not magic bands or FP+. If a ride has a FP machine, insert your ticket into the slot and receive a FP for a given return time period. Return times are enforced at DLR, so make sure to return within your time window. Section 13 in the above link explains all this. At this time, the only FPs not on the grid are F! and WOC (I think). You can hold FPs to those shows and still get FPs for another ride. FPs in both parks are not connected, so you can hold a FP in DL and in DCA. And you are correct that there are no FPs during MHP. Hope this helps.


----------



## mrsw94

I'm really hoping Jack Skellington will be out during the day.  I just can't justify spending another $300 on top of everything else, so no party for us, but my 7 year old LOVES Jack and REALLY wants his autograph!


----------



## mummabear

suzanne.willmott said:


> I
> 
> 
> I really want to go trick or treating as we don't do that here.. And second on my list is Jack and Sally and the Haunted Mansion!! Then the blue bayou then fireworks.. So I'm thinking about it but I just can't decide.
> Does DL not do fast passes like DW? I'm assuming no fast passes I party nights anyway? But in general how do fp work here?



They don't do FP+ ( and the plus part is debatable) like WDW where you pre book your attractions they do legacy where you walk up and get a return ticket, but i believe it isn't available during the party except in the hours preparty where you can enter but not officially party( so on 29th between 3&6) 

We are aiming to do trick or treating for the same reason as you, hit HMH ( our all time favourite Disney ride) and to meet Jack and she is DD4s favourite (she might go dressed as him), ride SM because DD4 is Newley tall enough at DL but WDW has a higher height restriction so she misses out there and see both PTN and the fireworks.
Fingers crossed we can achieve ir


----------



## suzanne.willmott

mummabear said:


> Snap, we hit DLR and Vegas on our honeymoon ( on our way back from Greece).
> We have basically alternated DL and WDW since (usually as part of other trips). This trip is our 10th wedding anniversary trip We head into Orlando on the 30th and have MNSSHP on the 1st and then MVMCP on the 10th and 14th.
> Jealous of a Disney cruise, I have always wanted to do one.
> 
> I would do the BB dinner if I was in your shoes, yes it's $300 towards a home deposit, but sadly in this day and age not a big sent (and while every bit does quickly add up) it's your honeymoon, you have two adults that can move at a quick pace around he rest of the party and its only $300.
> For our family it would have been $750 and I still have it good consideration.
> 
> Are you going to be able to check out the Obsourne lights at DHS? Where are you staying in Orlando?
> 
> Don't forget to get the Just married badges at city hall.



Well really it's more like $500 with the current exchange rate :-/ 

I think they have badges at reception for us when we sign in  we didn't ask they just added them and said don't forget to pick them up.

We are definitely doing Osborne lights! We will do the dessert party and walk through! Especially as it's supposed to now be the last year! 
We arrive and stay at Animal Kingdom in Arusha view for 7-9 then 9-14 we are at Port Orleans Riverside in Royal Room. When we get back from cruise we are in the Contemporary resort in a park view room


----------



## Sherry E

I just realized -- it didn't occur to me when I posted here earlier about Season of the Force beginning in November (including the Launch Bay, which looked like it was going to start in October) -- that we don't know how long the Rivers of America attractions are going to be down during the Star Wars Land work.  Will they be down for the whole year?  Will they be down until summer?  Until the holidays?  Do we know?  Erin doesn't seem to say how long anything will be down in her blog - http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...16-at-disneyland-park-in-southern-california/.  She only says that groundbreaking on Star Wars Land is beginning in 2016.

Another DIS'er just posted in a separate thread that Fantasmic is supposedly going to be dark until Summer of 2017.  That probably means that everything on the Rivers of America will be down for that long too.

I mentioned a while back that I had a feeling that Mickey's Halloween Party would be moseying back across the Esplanade to DCA while the Star Wars Land work is going on, as the Big Thunder Ranch area will be closed and under construction, and the trail leading past that area usually has fog and spooky effects and all of that.   
.

So... do we all think that 2016 will finally be the year for MHP to move back to California Adventure?  I think it is looking very likely if nothing is floating on the River (no Cadaver Dans) and the Ranch area is torn up.  However, I suspect that Halloween Screams fireworks will not go to DCA too.  There would have to be some sort of new show, most likely some sort of Halloween-themed World of Color and maybe a whole new DCA Halloween decorations package.


----------



## only hope

I've read that in the past there has been special pressed coin machines for the Haunted Mansion Holiday. Does anybody know if there is a special machine up this year? And if so, where and what type of coin (penny or quarter)? Thanks!


----------



## Sherry E

only hope said:


> I've read that in the past there has been special pressed coin machines for the Haunted Mansion Holiday. Does anybody know if there is a special machine up this year? And if so, where and what type of coin (penny or quarter)? Thanks!



I've seen them before, in past years.  I don't know what this means for this year and for the entirety of the Halloween Time Season, but on this list - http://www.parkpennies.com/penny-machine-locations.pdf - it says, as of 9/15/15, "Sorry, Haunted Mansion / Nightmare Before Christmas coin presses are not currently onstage."

The Parks Blog did a piece about the other (non-HMH) pennies a while back too - http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...or-the-disneyland-resort-diamond-celebration/.


----------



## mummabear

suzanne.willmott said:


> Well really it's more like $500 with the current exchange rate :-/
> 
> I think they have badges at reception for us when we sign in  we didn't ask they just added them and said don't forget to pick them up.
> 
> We are definitely doing Osborne lights! We will do the dessert party and walk through! Especially as it's supposed to now be the last year!
> We arrive and stay at Animal Kingdom in Arusha view for 7-9 then 9-14 we are at Port Orleans Riverside in Royal Room. When we get back from cruise we are in the Contemporary resort in a park view room



I'm not doing the Dessert party, we are doing the Minnies Holiday and Dine.
I booked the MNSSHP Happy Hallowishes Dessert party but then cancelled it as I decided it was too much $ with the dollar, now with the reports about how crowded it is I am kicking myself.


----------



## tjcrabb

Has anyone looked at the official disneyland app recently? I was killing time tonight checking ride times  when I saw this:



It looks like the trick or treat trails have been added to the park map.


----------



## suzanne.willmott

mummabear said:


> I'm not doing the Dessert party, we are doing the Minnies Holiday and Dine.
> I booked the MNSSHP Happy Hallowishes Dessert party but then cancelled it as I decided it was too much $ with the dollar, now with the reports about how crowded it is I am kicking myself.




Apparently it's just because of free dining though.. Hopefully anyway.
I was only just able to pick up a Minnie but without Fantasmic.. Not a big deal as I have another day with mama Melrose w Fantasmic. I booked the wishes dessert party months ago for our last night.
I'm so jealous about mnsshp in DW though.. I loooove Hocus Pocus!



tjcrabb said:


> Has anyone looked at the official disneyland app recently? I was killing time tonight checking ride times  when I saw this:
> 
> View attachment 125682
> 
> It looks like the trick or treat trails have been added to the park map.




Which is the official app?


----------



## GenGen22

tjcrabb said:


> Has anyone looked at the official disneyland app recently? I was killing time tonight checking ride times  when I saw this:
> 
> View attachment 125682
> 
> It looks like the trick or treat trails have been added to the park map.


Your right, I see it too


----------



## suzanne.willmott

Does anyone know if be party is refunded if cancelled? It says if cancelled within 2 days then all pay,nets are forfeited and charged.. But someone in another post said that this party is non refundable. Or is that just if the party is cancelled?


----------



## Self-Rescuing Princess

how do I find the trick or treating on the app?


----------



## tjcrabb

suzanne.willmott said:


> Which is the official app?



You can read about the app here.



Self-Rescuing Princess said:


> how do I find the trick or treating on the app?



It is listed under "T" in the attractions section. There is a little blurb about it, pretty general. It basically mentions its a separate ticket, there will be a free treat bag involved etc.


----------



## Sherry E

suzanne.willmott said:


> Does anyone know if be party is refunded if cancelled? It says if cancelled within 2 days then all pay,nets are forfeited and charged.. But someone in another post said that this party is non refundable. Or is that just if the party is cancelled?



Do you mean if the guest decides not to attend the party, or do you mean if the party itself is cancelled by Disney?  It's doubtful that the party would ever be cancelled.  They might not be able to present fireworks due to wind or rain, but the party would probably still go on even without fireworks and a parade.

If a guest decides to cancel, I don't think that refunds are usually given -- there may be exceptions, but it's not common practice.


----------



## suzanne.willmott

Sherry E said:


> Do you mean if the guest decides not to attend the party, or do you mean if the party itself is cancelled by Disney?  It's doubtful that the party would ever be cancelled.  They might not be able to present fireworks due to wind or rain, but the party would probably still go on even without fireworks and a parade.
> 
> If a guest decides to cancel, I don't think that refunds are usually given -- there may be exceptions, but it's not common practice.


If you book a cinderellas table in DW Or a dessert party for example.. If you cancel that it gets refunded.. Would it be the same as its a reservation? 
Or no..


----------



## tjcrabb

suzanne.willmott said:


> If you book a cinderellas table in DW Or a dessert party for example.. If you cancel that it gets refunded.. Would it be the same as its a reservation?
> Or no..



Nope, they are treated different. Your examples are basically treated like regular restaurant reservations in the real world. The Halloween party tickets are a rain or shine no refunds, or exchange type policy.


----------



## VeNoMiZeD

Wow, I just missed it to buy tickets. Such a bummer too! I wasn't able to lock down my vacation for October 7-11 until a day ago. We bought season passes for 2015 back in Dec 2014 and this will be our first time using them. Now we can't even go to the Halloween Party.

Is there anything I can do to get tickets for October 9th?

I need 3 adults and 2 kids. Will they put more up on the website?

Can I buy some at Disneyland the day of?

What can I do that Friday at Disneyland with my Premium pass if I am unable to get tickets to MHP?

Sorry for all the questions, but brought this up to my kids and now we can't attend it :/


----------



## Oswald23

mrsw94 said:


> I'm really hoping Jack Skellington will be out during the day.  I just can't justify spending another $300 on top of everything else, so no party for us, but my 7 year old LOVES Jack and REALLY wants his autograph!



Are there any signs that Jack is not appearing during the day? They are out all the time now.


----------



## theluckyrabbit

VeNoMiZeD said:


> Wow, I just missed it to buy tickets. Such a bummer too! I wasn't able to lock down my vacation for October 7-11 until a day ago. We bought season passes for 2015 back in Dec 2014 and this will be our first time using them. Now we can't even go to the Halloween Party.
> 
> Is there anything I can do to get tickets for October 9th?
> 
> I need 3 adults and 2 kids. Will they put more up on the website?
> 
> Can I buy some at Disneyland the day of?
> 
> What can I do that Friday at Disneyland with my Premium pass if I am unable to get tickets to MHP?
> 
> Sorry for all the questions, but brought this up to my kids and now we can't attend it :/



If the tickets online are sold out, then that option is gone. Try calling the phone lines to see if there are any tickets still available for your date/s. The party on the 9th sold out at least 2 weeks ago, but the party on the 7th sold out recently so there may still be some tickets available by phone for that one. Will you be staying on property? If so, in the past the on site hotels have had a limited number of MHP tickets available for their guests first thing on the morning of each party. Call your hotel to confirm this. It is possible that tickets might be available at the ticket booths on the morning of, but the chances are slim. If you can't go to the party, you could still go to DL that day until the party starts and then go to DCA with your pass.


----------



## justgrace

Well it's 3 AM and I cannot sleep! We leave for Disneyland today!!!! I'm wayyyyy too excited! 

Disneyland, here we come!


----------



## theluckyrabbit

suzanne.willmott said:


> Does anyone know if be party is refunded if cancelled? It says if cancelled within 2 days then all pay,nets are forfeited and charged.. But someone in another post said that this party is non refundable. Or is that just if the party is cancelled?



I think there might be some confusion going on with your question and the posted answers. Are you talking about MHP and if it gets cancelled? In that case, Sherry is correct that it is highly unlikely that a party would be cancelled by Disney. The purchase page states that all party tickets are non-refundable, non-transferrable, and not for resale regardless of the time frame, so 2 days after purchase wouldn't make any difference. If you are asking about the Mystical Spirits BB package, the reservation page says that you must pay in full at the time of purchase and that tickets are non-refundable. Someone posted that they were told that their reservations could be cancelled up to a certain time before the event without penalty. If that is what you were asking about, call/email Disney to confirm this.


----------



## suzanne.willmott

VeNoMiZeD said:


> Wow, I just missed it to buy tickets. Such a bummer too! I wasn't able to lock down my vacation for October 7-11 until a day ago. We bought season passes for 2015 back in Dec 2014 and this will be our first time using them. Now we can't even go to the Halloween Party.
> 
> Is there anything I can do to get tickets for October 9th?
> 
> I need 3 adults and 2 kids. Will they put more up on the website?
> 
> Can I buy some at Disneyland the day of?
> 
> What can I do that Friday at Disneyland with my Premium pass if I am unable to get tickets to MHP?
> 
> Sorry for all the questions, but bught this up to my kids and now we can't attend it :/



You could look on Craigslist.. I person


theluckyrabbit said:


> I think there might be some confusion going on with your question and the posted answers. Are you talking about MHP and if it gets cancelled? In that case, Sherry is correct that it is highly unlikely that a party would be cancelled by Disney. The purchase page states that all party tickets are non-refundable, non-transferrable, and not for resale regardless of the time frame, so 2 days after purchase wouldn't make any difference. If you are asking about the Mystical Spirits BB package, the reservation page says that you must pay in full at the time of purchase and that tickets are non-refundable. Someone posted that they were told that their reservations could be cancelled up to a certain time before the event without penalty. If that is what you were asking about, call/email Disney to confirm this.



Sorry! The bb party.. (Mystic Spitits Blue Bayou)


----------



## Spyral

Well this is strange.  On the site, a bunch of dates that were shown as sold out, are now showing as available!

10/5, 10/12, 10/14, 10/19.

Edit:
Now 10/5 shows sold out again


----------



## Dee2015

tjcrabb said:


> You can read about the app here.
> 
> 
> 
> It is listed under "T" in the attractions section. There is a little blurb about it, pretty general. It basically mentions its a separate ticket, there will be a free treat bag involved etc.



Great find tjcrabb!!


----------



## lorijohnhill

Our flight to Disneyland is about to board!


----------



## Dee2015

Have a fabulous time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## mom2rtk

Happy First Party Day everyone!

Can't wait for some reports from the field!


----------



## Dee2015

Sherry E said:


> I've seen them before, in past years.  I don't know what this means for this year and for the entirety of the Halloween Time Season, but on this list - http://www.parkpennies.com/penny-machine-locations.pdf - it says, as of 9/15/15, "Sorry, Haunted Mansion / Nightmare Before Christmas coin presses are not currently onstage."
> 
> The Parks Blog did a piece about the other (non-HMH) pennies a while back too - http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...or-the-disneyland-resort-diamond-celebration/.



At this risk of sounding daft.  Is this how much it costs to press a coin? *Pressed Coin Cost= .51 penny; .80 for nickel; .85 dime; $1.00 or $1.25 quarter; .75 Token. (Unless otherwise noted) *and US coins are 1c, 5c, 10c, 25c, 50c & $1. So you'd need to use a 50c & 1c to press a penny and so on?

Thanks in advance


----------



## Spyral

Dee2015 said:


> At this risk of sounding daft.  Is this how much it costs to press a coin? *Pressed Coin Cost= .51 penny; .80 for nickel; .85 dime; $1.00 or $1.25 quarter; .75 Token. (Unless otherwise noted) *and US coins are 1c, 5c, 10c, 25c, 50c & $1. So you'd need to use a 50c & 1c to press a penny and so on?
> 
> Thanks in advance



Shows on the ParkPennies.com web site, specifically -  http://www.parkpennies.com/penny-press-machine-locations/penny-press-machine-list.htm



ParkPennies.com said:
			
		

> *What does it cost to press pennies at Disneyland?* The cost to press a penny at Disneyland is possibly one of the best souvenir bargains at the park... Most all Disneyland stretched pennies cost only 50 cents plus the penny to be squished; pressed nickels cost 75 cents plus the nickel to be smushed; pressed dimes cost 75 cents plus the dime to be smashed; smashed quarters are usually 75 cents or $1.00 plus the quarter that is flattened before your eyes. And there are over 50 Disney smashed penny machine locations waiting for you at the resort!* The Penny Press Machine Location Checklist* will help find them today and the* Pressed Penny Collection Guides* will help you organize them over the years. Happy Collecting from *Boomer* and the folks at ParkPennies.com



I think we are going to try and hit them all this year


----------



## Dee2015

Very helpful thank you! Wonder if I can convince DD1 to sway from collecting pins to collecting pressed coins


----------



## Spyral

Spyral said:


> Well this is strange.  On the site, a bunch of dates that were shown as sold out, are now showing as available!
> 
> 10/5, 10/12, 10/14, 10/19.
> 
> Edit:
> Now 10/5 shows sold out again



Well, back to all those days showing sold out now.  Maybe a glitch?  Not sure.  I went as far to the point where you click the final button to pay for tickets, and it didn't complain...


----------



## Metalliman98

Spyral said:


> Shows on the ParkPennies.com web site, specifically -  http://www.parkpennies.com/penny-press-machine-locations/penny-press-machine-list.htm
> 
> 
> 
> I think we are going to try and hit them all this year



We did all of them with our 4 yo son last month.......well, almost all.  The nickel machine at Mr. Lincoln wasn't there, and I walked all the way to PPH solely to get the coins there, but of course the machine was out of order.  

Hopefully they'll be back up when we go in about 10 days.

It is a lot of fun to collect them.  Most of the machines are nothing special, but the ones at Splash and the Adventureland store are really cool!


----------



## Andromeda9mm

VeNoMiZeD said:


> Wow, I just missed it to buy tickets. Such a bummer too! I wasn't able to lock down my vacation for October 7-11 until a day ago. We bought season passes for 2015 back in Dec 2014 and this will be our first time using them. Now we can't even go to the Halloween Party.
> 
> Is there anything I can do to get tickets for October 9th?
> 
> I need 3 adults and 2 kids. Will they put more up on the website?
> 
> Can I buy some at Disneyland the day of?
> 
> What can I do that Friday at Disneyland with my Premium pass if I am unable to get tickets to MHP?
> 
> Sorry for all the questions, but brought this up to my kids and now we can't attend it :/




You can get tickets on stubhub.com.  At least you know your tickets are guaranteed to work, and if god forbid, they don't, you receive a full refund.  (yes I know you aren't supposed to resell tickets... all tickets to everything say that sports, theatre, concerts ...) .  It's where I purchased mine and I'm confident in my purchase.

Good luck!


----------



## GenGen22

Andromeda9mm said:


> You can get tickets on stubhub.com.  At least you know your tickets are guaranteed to work, and if god forbid, they don't, you receive a full refund.  (yes I know you aren't supposed to resell tickets... all tickets to everything say that sports, theatre, concerts ...) .  It's where I purchased mine and I'm confident in my purchase.
> 
> Good luck!


I've bought tickets from Stub hub & Vivid & no issues.  Not for the party but for sporting events.


----------



## SeattleSuz

I just got goosebumps seeing that the Halloween party is on the APP!  Woo hoo!!!!!


----------



## Kilala

I can't believe that tonight is the first night of MHP!! I can't wait to see reports and pictures!!


----------



## haileymarie92

Question to anyone doing the MSBB dinner tonight: 

Did they call you for your order? The website said a cast member would call ahead of time to get your order. Just wondering how far in advance they call?


----------



## jammyjam25

Happy First Halloween Party day!! I'm excited to see how everything looks as my HP day is only 5 short days away now!


----------



## lorijohnhill

For those asking about "day of" tickets for the Halloween parties... The answer is yes (at least for today!). When we checked into the DLH at about 8:30 this morning we were offered the opportunity to purchase tickets for tonight's sold out party. It was too hard to resist, so we are going tonight! The tickets are available ONLY to hotel guests and they cannot be purchased until you check in.


----------



## GXIncognto

Dee2015 said:


> At this risk of sounding daft.  Is this how much it costs to press a coin? *Pressed Coin Cost= .51 penny; .80 for nickel; .85 dime; $1.00 or $1.25 quarter; .75 Token. (Unless otherwise noted) *and US coins are 1c, 5c, 10c, 25c, 50c & $1. So you'd need to use a 50c & 1c to press a penny and so on?
> 
> Thanks in advance



I'd like to clarify that while the U.S. has 50 cent and $1 coins, they are hardly ever used anywhere, and there are especially very few of the 50 cent coins actually in circulation.  The pressed penny machines take two 25 cent coins and one 1 cent coin.  None of the machines would accept 50 cent or 1 dollar coins.


----------



## lorijohnhill

Oh, and I was told that Big Thunder Ranch is the in-park location for the party wristbands.


----------



## ricardol

Happy Halloween to the ppl attending today's Party!!!

Who will be the first to report? So excited!!!! 

So many things that I'm curious...

1)The Map
2)Entertainment guide, Cadaver Dans still on Rivers? Any last minute surprises?
3) AP Trail?
4) MSBB
5) What area will they use for the VIP seating for the ppl who did MSBB? Are they gonna reserve some of the main spots in front of the castle for this new area?
6) Toontown Preparty
7)Candy and Healthy options available!
8) Dr Facilier exclusive for MSBB? or also available for M&G.


----------



## Self-Rescuing Princess

I am very curious about the AP trail, as I didn't know it existed! lol

I would like to know the healthy versions of the snacks too. Please

Whee are the main villains, like evil queen?

Any cool foods not reported or any reported that were sampled?

And yes, more about the pre-party....


----------



## Sherry E

Erin said on the Parks Blog (when replying to someone who asked about Fantasmic's return), "While it is too early to give an exact date, we expect it will be more than a year."  That would likely mean more than a year for ALL of the Rivers of America attractions (Pirate's Lair, Mark Twain, etc.) to be closed.

So, as I asked here last night -- and no one answered me   -- with a torn up Big Thunder Ranch and no Rivers of America in 2016, will 2016 be the year for Mickey's Halloween Party to finally move back to California Adventure?   During MHP, the Big Thunder Trail is usually chock full of atmosphere -- fog, creepy lighting, etc.  If the Ranch is under construction and just a big mess, chances are they won't want to draw people's attention to the mess by leading them back there where the fog and spooky lighting would be.

And RoA plays a big role in MHP as well, with fog blanketing the water, and all kinds of fun lighting -- not to mention the Cadaver Dans floating along the river.  If it is drained, it would kind of ruin the whole effect!  

So... looking ahead... would Disney still have a party in Disneyland, even with 2 major atmospheric areas of the party not present?  Or will they move MHP back to DCA and throw in some new Halloween decorations (finally!) as well as a Halloween World of Color?



In Pumpkin Pandemonium news....

Hostess Pumpkin Spice Donettes - http://www.theimpulsivebuy.com/word...d-edition-donettes-pumpkin-spice-mini-donuts/.

Starbucks Frappuccino Pumpkin Spice Chilled Coffee Drink - http://www.theimpulsivebuy.com/word...appuccino-pumpkin-spice-chilled-coffee-drink/.

An actual podcast about the Pumpkin Dish Washing Soap - http://www.theimpulsivebuy.com/word...st-the-nosh-show-64-pumpkin-dishwashing-soap/.

Tastykake's Salted Caramel Kandy Kakes and pumpkin spice muffin mix - http://www.theimpulsivebuy.com/wordpress/2015/09/22/spotted-on-shelves-9222015/.

Peeps Tombstones!!!!! http://www.theimpulsivebuy.com/wordpress/2015/09/23/spotted-on-shelves-9232015/.

Trader Joe's Pumpkin Pie Spice Cookie Butter - http://www.theimpulsivebuy.com/word...-trader-joes-pumpkin-pie-spice-cookie-butter/.

Coffee-mate Pumpkin Spice Natural Bliss - http://www.theimpulsivebuy.com/wordpress/2015/09/24/spotted-on-shelves-9242015/.

Starbucks Toasted Graham Latte?  Is this a new fall flavor? - http://www.theimpulsivebuy.com/wordpress/2015/09/24/fast-food-news-starbucks-toasted-graham-latte/.





Those of you heading to Mickey's Halloween Party tonight -- have fun!  Please, please, *please report back to this thread*!  There are people waiting to see the map, hear about the Mystical Spirits of the Blue Bayou event, hear about crowds at the party and about the AP Treat Trail for this year, and there are some people who only follow this thread and won't necessarily see 10 other new threads if they pop up.   Also, it will be a lot easier for me to locate bits of info that people ask about in the future if the info is concentrated in one thread.   I can find it much faster than if I have to go hunting for multiple other threads.   I'm still waiting for someone to report back on the Happiest Haunts Tour in this thread, and no one has!

We will all be waiting with baited breath for the first MHP reports, so please come back and tell us how it all went.



​


Self-Rescuing Princess said:


> I am very curious about the AP trail, as I didn't know it existed! lol
> 
> I would like to know the healthy versions of the snacks too. Please
> 
> Whee are the main villains, like evil queen?
> 
> Any cool foods not reported or any reported that were sampled?
> 
> And yes, more about the pre-party....



I read somewhere else (another site) that there are no Party-specific foods this year.  There usually are only a few party-specific foods and drinks -- not many.  Supposedly, this year there won't be -- but you'll be able to get most of the regular fall/Halloween Time treats and foods at the party.


----------



## mummabear

suzanne.willmott said:


> Apparently it's just because of free dining though.. Hopefully anyway.
> I was only just able to pick up a Minnie but without Fantasmic.



Free Dining wont have any effect on teh dessert parties as you cannot use your credits for them. It is making it hard to move any bookings around though, everything is booked solid.
We booked Minnies without F! as well, there is no way we wanted to eat dinner at 4 or 5pm (here in NZ that would be fine but with the time difference its way to early)


----------



## Abbey1

ricardol said:


> 2)Entertainment guide, Cadaver Dans still on Rivers? Any last minute surprises?



In regards to the Cadaver Dans... I saw on the Disneyland App that they have them listed under entertainment with the location in the Rivers of America. I'm hoping that means  they aren't exclusive to MSBB!


----------



## Sherry E

I posted in another thread that the popular Poison Apple Mugs were available at Mortimer's (among other places), as of yesterday, September 24th - http://www.mousewait.com/disneyland/lands-talk/648295/The-Poison-Apple-mug-is-going-fast-I.

ToonTown's entrance has Halloween bunting and pumpkins once again this year, to greet guests of the pre-party - http://www.mousewait.com/disneyland/lands-talk/648402/ToonTown-Train-Halloween. 

In case you missed Priory's mention of this, the MahaloWeen event at Trader Sam's is back again this year - https://disneyland.disney.go.com/dining/disneyland-hotel/trader-sams-mahaloween/.   It's $150 per person.  I love the Trader Sam's themed pumpkin!

And... these pumpkins -- which were not at Haunted Mansion Holiday a few days ago -- have been put in place - https://www.mousewait.com/disneyland/lands-talk/648299/Pumpkins-They're-Baaaaaaack. 

​
By the way... am I the only one who doesn't really like the look of the poison apple mugs/cups?   I want to love them, but... they underwhelm me, for some reason.  Maybe I will love them when I see them in person, but in photos I think they look kind of... I don't know... cheaply made, maybe?  To me, they seem like they could fall apart easily.


----------



## pudinhd

Sorry!  I am at work and too lazy to do the quotes.  :/

I also do not like the poison apple mugs...  But I like the poison apple glow "cube"!

I loved MHP when it was at DCA and would love to see what they would do if they decorated it for Halloween again!!  Would it be possible for the Cadaver Dans to float along the water in Paradise Pier??

On another thread someone posted a MHP sign stating ToonTown would be closing early for MHP!  I think that is pretty good confirmation and can't wait to hear if they have special characters!


----------



## Sherry E

pudinhd said:


> Sorry!  I am at work and too lazy to do the quotes.  :/
> 
> I also do not like the poison apple mugs...  But I like the poison apple glow "cube"!
> 
> I loved MHP when it was at DCA and would love to see what they would do if they decorated it for Halloween again!!  Would it be possible for the Cadaver Dans to float along the water in Paradise Pier??
> 
> On another thread someone posted a MHP sign stating ToonTown would be closing early for MHP!  I think that is pretty good confirmation and can't wait to hear if they have special characters!



Yes, the ToonTown Pre-Party is happening (we knew that prior to today, as someone was kind enough to confirm it in this thread for us) -- there is a reference on DLR's website to Car Toon spin closing at 5 p.m. -  https://disneyland.disney.go.com/attractions/disneyland/roger-rabbits-car-toon-spin/.

I'm glad to know I am not the only one who doesn't care for the poison apple mugs.  It looks like the skeleton part of it could fall apart or break quite easily.  I don't know -- I just don't like the look of how they're made but they may look better in person.

I don't know if the Cadaver Dans would appear in DCA.  They seem to be Disneyland-specific.  Maybe a new singing group would emerge.


----------



## Brassy5000

ricardol said:


> Happy Halloween to the ppl attending today's Party!!!
> 
> Who will be the first to report? So excited!!!!
> 
> So many things that I'm curious...
> 
> 
> 3) AP Trail?



For Annual Passholders, the Main Street Opera House will host a special trail (5pm-11pm weekdays, 6pm-12am Fridays).

B5K


----------



## Kilala

Hey all!! I called earlyer this morning about the 19th party and they are sold out even over the phone. This is great news to me, the last 3 night left of MH have a lot of tickets left. Odds are that I will be able to snag a ticket for the 22nd. I'm also eating the Pumkin patch ice cream from Dryers. Me and my mom wehn to Target earlyer this week and we got everything that had pumpkin in it including the pumpkin Oreos and those are really good


----------



## Sherry E

Kilala said:


> Hey all!! I called earlyer this morning about the 19th party and they are sold out even over the phone. This is great news to me, the last 3 night left of MH have a lot of tickets left. Odds are that I will be able to snag a ticket for the 22nd. I'm also eating the Pumkin patch ice cream from Dryers. Me and my mom wehn to Target earlyer this week and we got everything that had pumpkin in it including the pumpkin Oreos and those are really good



I thought there were 5 nights left of MHP?  I just checked the MHP section of the website earlier to see if any other nights had sold out, but the website was only showing 12 sold out nights.

I'm glad you scored some pumpkin goodies!  Thank you for reminding me about the Pumpkin Patch ice cream.  Whenever the Pumpkin Patch ice cream comes out, so, too, does the Peppermint Wonderland ice cream!  So I have to hightail it to a store to see if I can grab a carton of pepperminty goodness!


(By the way, for those of you who are unaware, the Pumpkin Patch ice cream and the Peppermint Wonderland ice cream made by Dreyer's/Edy's is the same pumpkin and peppermint ice cream that Disneyland and California Adventure serve during Halloween Time and the Holidays, respectively.)


----------



## row

I may need to cancel or switch the dates for my trip. Anyone have any suggestions on where to sell the party tickets besides eBay? They're for the 29th which isn't even sold out yet.


----------



## only hope

Sherry E said:


> I've seen them before, in past years.  I don't know what this means for this year and for the entirety of the Halloween Time Season, but on this list - http://www.parkpennies.com/penny-machine-locations.pdf - it says, as of 9/15/15, "Sorry, Haunted Mansion / Nightmare Before Christmas coin presses are not currently onstage."
> 
> The Parks Blog did a piece about the other (non-HMH) pennies a while back too - http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...or-the-disneyland-resort-diamond-celebration/.



Thanks. Too bad there are no special Nightmare Before Christmas coins, I love that movie. 



Spyral said:


> Well this is strange.  On the site, a bunch of dates that were shown as sold out, are now showing as available!
> 
> 10/5, 10/12, 10/14, 10/19.
> 
> Edit:
> Now 10/5 shows sold out again



I hope they didn't sell more! An overcrowded party like how WDW's are would not be much fun. We don't go to the parties at WDW now, they sell far too many tickets.


----------



## Alohagirl73

On our way to the party. Stuck in traffic of course. Can't wait to go. I don't think we will make the pre party at Toon Town unfortunately. Will try to report back tomorrow or next day!!!


----------



## FireflyTrance

I am also now worried about them opening up party dates again and overselling the tickets. One of the big reasons I wanted to go was to hopefully be able to ride some of the rides without the 1 hour + wait I am used to. Do they ever post the amount of tickets that are available for each night?


----------



## Sith

Here's something else for Pumpkin Pandemonium.


----------



## mrsw94

Oswald23 said:


> Are there any signs that Jack is not appearing during the day? They are out all the time now.



There was some speculation that once the parties started, they would become a party exclusive and no longer be out during the day.  Fingers crossed they are wrong!!



Sherry E said:


> By the way... am I the only one who doesn't really like the look of the poison apple mugs/cups?   I want to love them, but... they underwhelm me, for some reason.  Maybe I will love them when I see them in person, but in photos I think they look kind of... I don't know... cheaply made, maybe?  To me, they seem like they could fall apart easily.



Yeah, I thought the same things.  Wasn't thrilled with them.

I didn't snap a pic, and this may have already been mentioned, but I saw Bagels (I think Thomas's) in Pumpkin Spice at Target today.  ALMOST bought them, but am trying to watch my budget!


----------



## Kilala

Sherry E said:


> I thought there were 5 nights left of MHP?  I just checked the MHP section of the website earlier to see if any other nights had sold out, but the website was only showing 12 sold out nights.
> 
> I'm glad you scored some pumpkin goodies!  Thank you for reminding me about the Pumpkin Patch ice cream.  Whenever the Pumpkin Patch ice cream comes out, so, too, does the Peppermint Wonderland ice cream!  So I have to hightail it to a store to see if I can grab a carton of pepperminty goodness!
> 
> 
> (By the way, for those of you who are unaware, the Pumpkin Patch ice cream and the Peppermint Wonderland ice cream made by Dreyer's/Edy's is the same pumpkin and peppermint ice cream that Disneyland and California Adventure serve during Halloween Time and the Holidays, respectively.)


I ment to say that *Thursday, October 22, Tuesday, October 27, and Thursday, October 29 h*ave alot of tickets left for those 3 dates. I don't know about the September dates.


----------



## adamkat

Whoo-hoo October 29th is our date.    I am so excited we leave in a month!!  First time and our wedding anniversary!   EEEEKKK  Can't wait for reviews!


----------



## tjcrabb

Okay so I have a conundrum. I have waited too late to book the happiest haunts tour, they apparently sold out at the 30 day mark. Do I have any options? I know with MHP they hold a few tickets back for onsite guests but we aren't staying on site even if they do. I wasn't sure earlier about finances or I would have booked earlier  I did check all of the days we will be there.


----------



## Self-Rescuing Princess

DO you think they will have the AP treat for Halloween Night too?


----------



## tjcrabb

Self-Rescuing Princess said:


> DO you think they will have the AP treat for Halloween Night too?




Yes it will be the same for all party nights.


----------



## haileymarie92

Can't wait to hear about the party tonight!!


----------



## GenGen22

haileymarie92 said:


> Can't wait to hear about the party tonight!!


Me too!!


----------



## Sherry E

tjcrabb said:


> Okay so I have a conundrum. I have waited too late to book the happiest haunts tour, they apparently sold out at the 30 day mark. Do I have any options? I know with MHP they hold a few tickets back for onsite guests but we aren't staying on site even if they do. I wasn't sure earlier about finances or I would have booked earlier  I did check all of the days we will be there.



There are no Happiest Haunts tours for any of your dates?  Hmmm.... Well, I can't think of any solution.  I would have to imagine that someone will end up cancelling from at least one tour, but you may not find out about that until the last minute.



FireflyTrance said:


> I am also now worried about them opening up party dates again and overselling the tickets. One of the big reasons I wanted to go was to hopefully be able to ride some of the rides without the 1 hour + wait I am used to. Do they ever post the amount of tickets that are available for each night?



Disney never reveals how many tickets are sold for each night.  I suspect that some nights might involve the same number of tickets, more or less, and other nights will be different, and more tickets will be sold.  I've always felt that the parties were too crowded for a hard ticket event, but some of the rides have very short lines (except for Haunted Mansion Holiday and Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy).


----------



## tjcrabb

Yeah I may end up stalking the tours line via telephone and then once we are in the park


----------



## suzanne.willmott

Patiently waiting on a Spirits of Blue Bayou Review!!


----------



## Sherry E

Here is a super close-up shot of the famous poison apple mug (which I am still not thrilled with) - http://www.mousewait.com/disneyland/lands-talk/648452/Finally-got-mine-today.

Here is the entertainment schedule for MHP -- from the Map!!!!  - http://www.mousewait.com/disneyland/lands-talk/648448/MHP-schedule. 

Character greetings - http://www.mousewait.com/disneyland/lands-talk/648447/MHP-Character-meet-greet. 

Trick or treating locations identified by Mickey pumpkin heads - http://www.mousewait.com/disneyland/lands-talk/648445/MouseWait.

​
ToonTown pre-party area at capacity???  How is that possible?  - http://www.mousewait.com/disneyland...ntown-trick-or-treat-area-at-capacity-Husband.

Yikes!!!!


----------



## Clawdya

Sherry E said:


> ToonTown pre-party area at capacity???  How is that possible?  - http://www.mousewait.com/disneyland...ntown-trick-or-treat-area-at-capacity-Husband.
> 
> Yikes!!!!



 That's not good.


----------



## Sherry E

Clawdya said:


> That's not good.



Indeed, it is not good.  Let's hope it's just a case of "first night novelty," and as the parties roll on through the season the ToonTown pre-party will not be quite as packed with people. 

 I've never heard of that location being at capacity!


----------



## Sandi E

tjcrabb said:


> Has anyone looked at the official disneyland app recently? I was killing time tonight checking ride times  when I saw this:
> 
> View attachment 125682
> 
> It looks like the trick or treat trails have been added to the park map.


I can't get that to come up on my map! I put a search in for Trick or Treat and MHP (but I spelled it out) and just got one icon near the entrance. Is there a tip you can give me to find it?


----------



## tjcrabb

Sherry E said:


> ToonTown pre-party area at capacity???  How is that possible?  - http://www.mousewait.com/disneyland...ntown-trick-or-treat-area-at-capacity-Husband.
> 
> Yikes!!!!



Wow, that is crazy! The ride times are looking pretty good right now though, averaging 20 minutes. Space mountain is at only 30, splash 5. Now CA is looking very different 40-120 minutes, ouch! Obviously people are doing the meeting and treating instead of the rides.


----------



## Sherry E

tjcrabb said:


> Wow, that is crazy! The ride times are looking pretty good right now though, averaging 20 minutes. Space mountain is at only 30, splash 5. Now CA is looking very different 40-120 minutes, ouch! Obviously people are doing the meeting and treating instead of the rides.



DCA's lines are 40-120 minutes?  Apparently anyone who wasn't meeting and treating scurried over to DCA!

30 minutes for Ghost Galaxy is not too bad.  I guess it will probably get longer as the night goes on -- maybe.   It sounds like everyone just flooded into ToonTown for the pre-treat!  I have a feeling the AP trail will be hoppin' too!


----------



## tjcrabb

Sandi E said:


> I can't get that to come up on my map! I put a search in for Trick or Treat and MHP (but I spelled it out) and just got one icon near the entrance. Is there a tip you can give me to find it?



Of course! On the bottom right there is an icon for list, next to the funnel. Tap that and an alphabetized list comes up. Scroll down to "T" between Toy story and tuck and roll drive 'em buggies. Also if you were looking at the map view if you tap a bubble with a star and no name in the disneyland section that is one one the locations. Hope that helps!


----------



## Clawdya

Sherry E said:


> Indeed, it is not good.  Let's hope it's just a case of "first night novelty," and as the parties roll on through the season the ToonTown pre-party will not be quite as packed with people.
> 
> I've never heard of that location being at capacity!



That's just crazy! I hope you are right. I'll be there on 10/23 and am looking forward to this pre-party and the MSBB.


----------



## haileymarie92

Anyone seen news about the AP treat trail yet? Or the MSBB?


----------



## Sherry E

haileymarie92 said:


> Anyone seen news about the AP treat trail yet? Or the MSBB?



Not so far -- I am looking at a few different sites, including MouseWait and MiceChat.  I am anxious to read the very first review of the MSBB event since it is brand new!

According to MouseWait, "...Also for Annual Passholders, the Main Street Opera House will host a special trail (5pm-11pm weekdays, 6pm-12am Fridays)."  So I guess the AP trail opens one hour before the party technically starts!???


----------



## haileymarie92

Oh that's cool! So we can get our AP treat without using up "party" time.


----------



## Sherry E

haileymarie92 said:


> Oh that's cool! So we can get our AP treat without using up "party" time.



This is the link to the page where I found that quote about the AP trail - http://www.mousewait.com/disneyland/lands-talk/648070/Mickey-rsquo-s-Halloween-Party-All-in-One.  For some reason I didn't expect it to open early.  

It also says "Treat Locations:  This year, there are 14 different treat trails around Disneyland Park, including a special pre-party inside Mickey’s ToonTown starting at 4pm/5pm.  Some new sponsors this year include Peeps and Werther’s Original."


----------



## haileymarie92

Based off an Instagram pic, it looks like the bags given to all party guests feature Aladdin this year. Interesting choice...


----------



## Sherry E

haileymarie92 said:


> Based off an Instagram pic, it looks like the bags given to all party guests feature Aladdin this year. Interesting choice...



That is an interesting choice!  I was not expecting that.  I figured the bags would be promoting something more current, but it sounds as if they are kind of tipping their hat to the show that is about to go away forever.


----------



## haileymarie92

Terrible blurry pic but I didn't want to post the face of this persons child. I'm -assuming- these are the bags. They look like they could be.


----------



## tjcrabb

Sherry E said:


> That is an interesting choice!  I was not expecting that.  I figured the bags would be promoting something more current, but it sounds as if they are kind of tipping their hat to the show that is about to go away forever.



It makes sense because they are taking aladdin out of the vault 10/13. When I was there a few years ago beauty and the beast was out again and that was the bag theme for the year then too.


----------



## haileymarie92

Yup. If you look close at the bins these cast members have, they're aladdin bags. 


Agh actually if you look even closer. They're aladdin on one side, good dinosaur on the other!!


----------



## joyfulDisneytears

Are Halloween Party tickets transferable?  I stupidly thought a Monday night party wouldn't sell out a month ahead of time...


----------



## Sherry E

I enjoy the CM's Halloween Party-specific outfits, with the bats!


----------



## Alohagirl73

Here now and having a great time despite the heat and no breeze!!! To me definitely feels less crowded than when we were here two years.


----------



## Sherry E

joyfulDisneytears said:


> Are Halloween Party tickets transferable?  I stupidly thought a Monday night party wouldn't sell out a month ahead of time...



Do you mean that someone is going to give/sell you a ticket for the night you wanted, which sold out?  The tickets are technically not supposed to be resold, but if they gave it to you I think it would be okay.  Unless someone's name is associated with the ticket, I don't think there should be an issue.  I would imagine that a lot of people end up not being able to go and they hand off their tickets to friends or family.



Alohagirl73 said:


> Here now and having a great time despite the heat and no breeze!!! To me definitely feels less crowded than when we were here two years.



All of the crowds were in ToonTown!!


----------



## Alohagirl73

Glad I missed it!!! Maybe we are missing them. With a 5 month old not quite so commando.


----------



## Sherry E

For those who have never been to Mickey's Halloween Party and are going for the first time this year, this photo from Disneyland's Facebook page gives you an idea of what a treat station looks like - https://www.facebook.com/Disneyland...11081890741/10153669300360742/?type=3&theater. 

There are 14 treat trails, but along each trail there are multiple treat stations/stops.  In the photo you can see the green arch-looking thing, with a dangling Mickey face lantern.  That is a treat station/stop.  Look for those Mickey lantern faces all over the park, though they are often different colors.  Anytime you see one of those lanterns and arches, you will know it is a treat stop.

The giant ghost Mickey balloons (white) that you will see around the park are supposed to loosely mark the start of a treat trail, but they are usually not very accurate. This is what the giant ghost Mickeys look like - http://www.mousewait.com/disneyland/lands-talk/648455/I-'m-in-love-with-these-balloons.

From Halloween Screams tonight - http://www.mousewait.com/disneyland...Halloween-Fireworks-projection-is-just-on-the.

In case anyone missed it, I posted links to photos of this year's MHP map, with schedules, here - http://www.disboards.com/threads/ha...s-now-sold-out.3270919/page-265#post-54484087.

This is the wristband station in Frontierland, which you can use if you have your MHP ticket and don't want to leave the park and re-enter through the turnstiles - http://www.mousewait.com/disneyland/lands-talk/648427/Looks-like-they're-ready-for-the-long-line.

This is the treat trail inside the Golden Horseshoe - http://www.mousewait.com/disneyland/lands-talk/648487/Ok-this-is-hands-down-my-favorite-trail.

I love the extra decorations, like the drinking skeleton!

Halloween projections on It's a Small World - http://www.mousewait.com/disneyland...l-projections-around-the-park-IASW-the-castle and http://www.mousewait.com/disneyland/lands-talk/648485/Cool-projection-on-Small-World.

Another photo of the AP treat trail loot - http://www.mousewait.com/disneyland/lands-talk/648475/Ap-treat.


----------



## suzanne.willmott

New Orleans square.. Here I come!!


----------



## Disneyplannergirl

Sherry E said:


> This is the link to the page where I found that quote about the AP trail - http://www.mousewait.com/disneyland/lands-talk/648070/Mickey-rsquo-s-Halloween-Party-All-in-One.  For some reason I didn't expect it to open early.
> 
> It also says "Treat Locations:  This year, there are 14 different treat trails around Disneyland Park, including a special pre-party inside Mickey’s ToonTown starting at 4pm/5pm.  Some new sponsors this year include Peeps and Werther’s Original."



I thought the Toontown preparty started 1 hour before the official party start time (5pm/6pm)?


----------



## Abbey1

Just saw this post on Instagram. Is this always how Maleficent has appeared? Pretty cool!

https://instagram.com/p/8EydLYlUOJ/

Hope it's okay to post the link!


----------



## Sherry E

Disneyplannergirl said:


> I thought the Toontown preparty started 1 hour before the official party start time (5pm/6pm)?



I thought so too.  I was confused by that post on MouseWait.   ToonTown essentially closed or was supposed to close at 5 p.m. today, and the party began at 7 p.m., so the pre-party should have begun at 6 p.m.


----------



## suzanne.willmott

That depressing moment you search on Insta for photos and accidentally find the person that plays sally along with other disney characters... I would have thought disney would have made them sign contracts for not posting it on social media.


----------



## Sherry E

suzanne.willmott said:


> That depressing moment you search on Insta for photos and accidentally find the person that plays sally along with other disney characters... I would have thought disney would have made them sign contracts for not posting it on social media.



  Did she post something from the party?


----------



## suzanne.willmott

Sherry E said:


> Did she post something from the party?


There is a photo up of Jack and Sally.. I clicked on her name as she had lots of photos...
Yerp she works in DL and plays different characters as she has heeeeaaaps of photos with her as sally, belle, rapunzel, Mary Poppins.. I didn't want to see that.. I want to pretend I'm still a child lol


----------



## haileymarie92

Another pic on Instagram. I think this is the AP treat. 60th AP backpack and cake pop?


----------



## Sherry E

haileymarie92 said:


> Another pic on Instagram. I think this is the AP treat. 60th AP backpack and cake pop? View attachment 125898




That's a nice shiny bag/backpack for the AP holders!  Is it nylon, or a similar material?  What kind of treat is that?  Maybe it's another rice creation?


----------



## haileymarie92

And here's the wristbands. Kinda cool they kept them in diamond theme!


----------



## CassieF

I didn't attend the party tonight but was there for the overlap time.  Here's what I saw...

Check in for inside the park was just inside frontierland and had no line around 630 for a 7pm start.

The bags feature Aladdin on one side and the Good Dinosaur on the other, so an oldie being re-released and a new movie.  

People were lined up for treat trails half an hour before the start time

The villain line in town square didn't seem too long, the first group came out right after official park closing and was Evil Queen, Cruella and Maleficent.  The Tremaines and Queen of Hearts were roaming town square at this time too. The set meets swapped out about half an hour later as we were leaving and it was Radcliffe, Jafar and Hades. 

I saw on Instagram there was a fire drill at BB that interrupted the dinner, not sure of details....

Of note, people were staking out Parade spots before the party even started along Main Street (and not even a great spot for parade or fireworks after, IMO.


----------



## Sherry E

CassieF said:


> I didn't attend the party tonight but was there for the overlap time.  Here's what I saw...
> 
> Check in for inside the park was just inside frontierland and had no line around 630 for a 7pm start.
> 
> The bags feature Aladdin on one side and the Good Dinosaur on the other, so an oldie being re-released and a new movie.
> 
> People were lined up for treat trails half an hour before the start time
> 
> The villain line in town square didn't seem too long, the first group came out right after official park closing and was Evil Queen, Cruella and Maleficent.  The Tremaines and Queen of Hearts were roaming town square at this time too. The set meets swapped out about half an hour later as we were leaving and it was Radcliffe, Jafar and Hades.
> 
> I saw on Instagram there was a fire drill at BB that interrupted the dinner, not sure of details....
> 
> Of note, people were staking out Parade spots before the party even started along Main Street (and not even a great spot for parade or fireworks after, IMO.



Thank you so much for the recap from the overlap time -- if people were already staking out parade spots before the party began, I'd hate to see that area when the parade is going on!

It figures that there would be a fire drill on the first night of the MSBB dinner!  I can't wait to hear those reports.  

So I guess you missed the packed house otherwise known as the ToonTown pre-party!


----------



## haileymarie92

CassieF said:


> I didn't attend the party tonight but was there for the overlap time.  Here's what I saw...
> 
> Check in for inside the park was just inside frontierland and had no line around 630 for a 7pm start.
> 
> The bags feature Aladdin on one side and the Good Dinosaur on the other, so an oldie being re-released and a new movie.
> 
> People were lined up for treat trails half an hour before the start time
> 
> The villain line in town square didn't seem too long, the first group came out right after official park closing and was Evil Queen, Cruella and Maleficent.  The Tremaines and Queen of Hearts were roaming town square at this time too. The set meets swapped out about half an hour later as we were leaving and it was Radcliffe, Jafar and Hades.
> 
> I saw on Instagram there was a fire drill at BB that interrupted the dinner, not sure of details....
> 
> Of note, people were staking out Parade spots before the party even started along Main Street (and not even a great spot for parade or fireworks after, IMO.


Hmmm I wonder if that means Dr Facilier is exclusive to MSBB then?

I saw that on Instagram too! What a bummer!


----------



## CassieF

I was only there from about 630-730 so I missed the apparent disaster around toon town.  I did hear some attendees in town square saying there wasn't one, all the cast members she came across said no, but I was like, I think there was one as there were signs about the early closure.  It's sad that CMs don't know what's going on....



haileymarie92 said:


> Hmmm I wonder if that means Dr Facilier is exclusive to MSBB then?
> 
> I saw that on Instagram too! What a bummer!



Last year he wasn't at all of the parties so it's not definitive that he won't be at any.  I've heard he was on a microphone andirons was a show as well as the meet and greet so since he's got a microphone it's got to be an AGVA, not your regular face character so it isn't pulling from the same pool of actors.


----------



## haileymarie92

haileymarie92 said:


> Another pic on Instagram. I think this is the AP treat. 60th AP backpack and cake pop? View attachment 125898


Got confirmation that these are the AP treat trail treats. The pop is made of rice crispies.


----------



## ten6mom

We missed the AP treat trail last year.  Do you just show your AP when you get into the line?


----------



## GenGen22

ten6mom said:


> We missed the AP treat trail last year.  Do you just show your AP when you get into the line?


Yes, they scan it & you enter.


----------



## ten6mom

GenGen22 said:


> Yes, they scan it & you enter.



Thank you!  I would have preferred a BH6 backpack but any drawstring bag will be nice as my kids are getting older and they can carry their own darn stuff!


----------



## Jeff314

Never ever going back for this Halloween "party" looked forward to this for 9 months and paid so much money to come here and it's 10 times for packed and busy then it was the last 3 days we've been here on normal days. There's absolutely no difference tonight then any other night besides Halloween music all through the park and candy trails (which were lines for days at every one of them) kept hearing rides are almost walk on and that couldn't be any less true. We've waited for so long for almost all Rides we've done. Talked to a few vets of this event and they've never seen it this crowded before. Good job Disneyland.


----------



## GenGen22

ten6mom said:


> Thank you!  I would have preferred a BH6 backpack but any drawstring bag will be nice as my kids are getting older and they can carry their own darn stuff!


I feel you... I have 3 teens so I get it. Mom can you put this or that in your purse...lol


----------



## focusondisney

Oh man!! We were at the party but didn't know about the AP trail. We just upgraded to premier passes this trip, do no emails yet. I did read about last year's rice crispie treats & thought it was just something edible. I checked the map & didn't see snything listed as an AP trail. Rats.

We did think it was pretty crowded. Tried to get into Toontown around 6:30. We made it into a line & we're held up well before the entrance sign. We waited about 5 - 10 minutes, we never moved & they had closed the line gor capacity in the area. We left the line, no point just wasting time standing there.  Since we aren't really familiar with the park, we did gave a hard time navigating things. Best part was Haunted Mansion was about a 5 minute wait at around 9:20.  Ended up leaving during the fireworks, Main Street was packed!


----------



## Sherry E

Jeff314 said:


> Never ever going back for this Halloween "party" looked forward to this for 9 months and paid so much money to come here and it's 10 times for packed and busy then it was the last 3 days we've been here on normal days. There's absolutely no difference tonight then any other night besides Halloween music all through the park and candy trails (which were lines for days at every one of them) kept hearing rides are almost walk on and that couldn't be any less true. We've waited for so long for almost all Rides we've done. Talked to a few vets of this event and they've never seen it this crowded before. Good job Disneyland.





focusondisney said:


> Oh man!! We were at the party but didn't know about the AP trail. We just upgraded to premier passes this trip, do no emails yet. I did read about last year's rice crispie treats & thought it was just something edible. I checked the map & didn't see snything listed as an AP trail. Rats.
> 
> We did think it was pretty crowded. Tried to get into Toontown around 6:30. We made it into a line & we're held up well before the entrance sign. We waited about 5 - 10 minutes, we never moved & they had closed the line gor capacity in the area. We left the line, no point just wasting time standing there.  Since we aren't really familiar with the park, we did gave a hard time navigating things. Best part was Haunted Mansion was about a 5 minute wait at around 9:20.  Ended up leaving during the fireworks, Main Street was packed!





Thank you both so much for reporting back to us here -- I really appreciate it, and I know everyone else does as well.

I have an unfortunate feeling that more tickets were sold for each party night this time around.  I always thought it was too crowded for a hard ticket event, but it is sounding like it was even more crowded this year -- especially because of the ToonTown capacity issue (which I had never heard of in the past, prior to tonight)!


----------



## suzanne.willmott

Jeff314 said:


> Never ever going back for this Halloween "party" looked forward to this for 9 months and paid so much money to come here and it's 10 times for packed and busy then it was the last 3 days we've been here on normal days. There's absolutely no difference tonight then any other night besides Halloween music all through the park and candy trails (which were lines for days at every one of them) kept hearing rides are almost walk on and that couldn't be any less true. We've waited for so long for almost all Rides we've done. Talked to a few vets of this event and they've never seen it this crowded before. Good job Disneyland.



Oh no... I hope my tickets aren't a waste :-/  this doesn't sound good. 
No reviews for Blue Bayou yet..


----------



## Sherry E

I can't find one single review for the Mystical Spirits event yet, other than what Cassie mentioned earlier (about the fire drill at the Blue Bayou in the middle of the dinner!).


----------



## suzanne.willmott

Sherry E said:


> I can't find one single review for the Mystical Spirits event yet, other than what Cassie mentioned earlier (about the fire drill at the Blue Bayou in the middle of the dinner!).


It's non refundable too.. That's quite upsetting!


----------



## Sherry E

So, if you see a bunch of people dressed like Villains on October 25th, it's "Villain's Day," folks (not an official Disney event)  - https://www.facebook.com/events/881784468575036/.

Maybe this explains why 10/25 was one of the first MHP nights to sell out.


----------



## suzanne.willmott

Found these on Insta! The gift! And dessert!
These people said worth it times 100!


----------



## Sherry E

suzanne.willmott said:


> Found these on Insta! The gift! And dessert!
> These people said worth it times 100!



Well, that's encouraging.  That's good to hear!  Hopefully they had a great view of the fireworks.


----------



## theluckyrabbit

row said:


> I may need to cancel or switch the dates for my trip. Anyone have any suggestions on where to sell the party tickets besides eBay? They're for the 29th which isn't even sold out yet.



There is no buying or selling of tickets on these boards. The purchase page states that the tickets are not for resale. Do you have friends or family members who would want them? You could always gift or donate the tickets.

I wonder if the lack of a preparty in the Big Thunder Jamboree area contributed to the capacity crowds for the TT party. Last year I remember CMs stopping the lines at intervals to control the crowds, but it was nowhere near capacity.


----------



## CaliGrrl

Just home from the party tonight.  We had a great time!  Yes, Toon Town was quite crowded 6p-7p.  We got to TT about 6:15 and we spent 45 minutes doing 3 treat trails and playing around the area.  Mickey & Minnie, Pluto and Chip & Dale were out as well as a bunch of witches at a photo-op spot.  We left TT right at 7pm and headed towards Big Thunder. On the way, we skipped a few treat trails as the lines were long but did the one at Villagehaus Restaurant since no one was there! Just outside the BBQ place, we came upon Jessie with only 2 people in line so we stopped for some photos.  At the second entrance to the ranch were Mickey & Minnie with a line that looked about an hour and a half.  Skip… Once we got to Big Thunder, it was a complete walk-on.  Half our train was empty. 
Treat trails were packed early in the night but once fireworks were over, the lines were very short and moved very quickly.  We rode Big Thunder, Haunted Mansion, Autopia, Indiana Jones, Winnie the Pooh, Small World, Pinochio, Train, Buzz Lightyear and Star Tours.  Our longest wait was HM at about 15 minutes. Nothing else was more than 5 minutes for us.  We rode everything we wanted to except Peter Pan.  PP had a long wait all night.  (Ride lines were long between 4-7, but once the party started most ride lines were very short.)  We met Jack & Sally and like most all character lines, we waited an hour.  We have seen PtN so we didn't worry about getting a good spot to see it.  In fact, we sat inside Gibson Girl and watched through the window just so we could sit in a chair and have a little air conditioning!  We did want a good view of fireworks so after the parade, we went out to the middle of the street.  The area we were standing in was great.  I don't know if it was the heat or what but people all gave each other plenty of personal space.  It is so nice.  My 8-year old was able to see the Jack projection and fireworks fine.  I only picked him up briefly to see Zero fly.  
We also saw the fire alarm strobe going off.  BB, Club 33, French Market, etc. all had to be evacuated.  Not sure how long it went on as we were done in the area.
Don't know what else to say.  We went through plenty of treat trails, most after the fireworks, and filled our bags twice. (I dumped into my backpack when they got full.) If a treat trail has a long line… skip it.  There will be short lines elsewhere or later  The special Peeps are at a station along Rivers of America and you got one very small Dove chocolate when you left the park for the night.
I'm not an AP nor did I do the BB dinner so can't answer any questions there.

All in all, it was a great night.  We have gone every year since they started and almost always to the first party night each year.  The only negative for us was the weather. I think I'm still sweating at 4am!  It was so hot and humid.  Seriously gross.

Oh, I forgot to add that the Vampire Mickey popcorn buckets are available.  They were at the popcorn stand in the hub.


----------



## Dee2015

GXIncognto said:


> I'd like to clarify that while the U.S. has 50 cent and $1 coins, they are hardly ever used anywhere, and there are especially very few of the 50 cent coins actually in circulation.  The pressed penny machines take two 25 cent coins and one 1 cent coin.  None of the machines would accept 50 cent or 1 dollar coins.



Great to know thanks. My daughter is totally sold on it and has been researching and asking questions all day.  She has found past images online of Halloween pressed pennies but I told her that I had read it was unlikely there would be any at DL this year.



CaliGrrl said:


> Just home from the party tonight.  We had a great time!  Yes, Toon Town was quite crowded 6p-7p.  We got to TT about 6:15 and we spent 45 minutes doing 3 treat trails and playing around the area.  Mickey & Minnie, Pluto and Chip & Dale were out as well as a bunch of witches at a photo-op spot.  We left TT right at 7pm and headed towards Big Thunder. On the way, we skipped a few treat trails as the lines were long but did the one at Villagehaus Restaurant since no one was there! Just outside the BBQ place, we came upon Jessie with only 2 people in line so we stopped for some photos.  At the second entrance to the ranch were Mickey & Minnie with a line that looked about an hour and a half.  Skip… Once we got to Big Thunder, it was a complete walk-on.  Half our train was empty.
> Treat trails were packed early in the night but once fireworks were over, the lines were very short and moved very quickly.  We rode Big Thunder, Haunted Mansion, Autopia, Indiana Jones, Winnie the Pooh, Small World, Pinochio, Train, Buzz Lightyear and Star Tours.  Our longest wait was HM at about 15 minutes. Nothing else was more than 5 minutes for us.  We rode everything we wanted to except Peter Pan.  PP had a long wait all night.  (Ride lines were long between 4-7, but once the party started most ride lines were very short.)  We met Jack & Sally and like most all character lines, we waited an hour.  We have seen PtN so we didn't worry about getting a good spot to see it.  In fact, we sat inside Gibson Girl and watched through the window just so we could sit in a chair and have a little air conditioning!  We did want a good view of fireworks so after the parade, we went out to the middle of the street.  The area we were standing in was great.  I don't know if it was the heat or what but people all gave each other plenty of personal space.  It is so nice.  My 8-year old was able to see the Jack projection and fireworks fine.  I only picked him up briefly to see Zero fly.
> We also saw the fire alarm strobe going off.  BB, Club 33, French Market, etc. all had to be evacuated.  Not sure how long it went on as we were done in the area.
> Don't know what else to say.  We went through plenty of treat trails, most after the fireworks, and filled our bags twice. (I dumped into my backpack when they got full.) If a treat trail has a long line… skip it.  There will be short lines elsewhere or later  The special Peeps are at a station along Rivers of America and you got one very small Dove chocolate when you left the park for the night.
> I'm not an AP nor did I do the BB dinner so can't answer any questions there.
> 
> All in all, it was a great night.  We have gone every year since they started and almost always to the first party night each year.  The only negative for us was the weather. I think I'm still sweating at 4am!  It was so hot and humid.  Seriously gross.



Thanks for sharing - sounds fab and if at all possible, I am even more excited


----------



## haileymarie92

Just got confirmation on Instagram that the MSBB priority viewing is "behind the partners statue and there is seating". Woop!!


----------



## iKristin

So glad to hear my party routine still works best if you're avoiding lines! (Rides first, trick or treat last). Can't wait to go on the 14th!!! It's been a few years since my last Halloween party


----------



## Dee2015

Question please.  If I book an Aladdin's Oasis meal, how do I know which F! we are getting a fast pass too please (i.e. when there are 2 shows on the night)?  Thanks in advance


----------



## mommy2mrb

haileymarie92 said:


> Question to anyone doing the MSBB dinner tonight:
> 
> Did they call you for your order? The website said a cast member would call ahead of time to get your order. Just wondering how far in advance they call?



we are going this Friday and haven't been called yet...


any guess on this...if you are back in Toon Town prior to it closing for the party and already have your party wrist bands on, will they kick you out  to re-enter at party time?

getting our packing done this weekend, looks like its going to be quite hot, thankful we aren't wearing a heavy/hot costume!


----------



## Dee2015

Oh and one more too please (I know not Halloween related but we will be there during Halloween so maybe I can sneak them in here?!)

Somewhere along the planning journey, I have read that Mary Poppins & Bert are part of a show. I recall it is not part of the regular entertainment BUT I was told to keep my eye out for ****** as they may be part of that show.

For the life of me I can't recall where I wrote the name of that "band" or whatever it was. It wasn't the parade BUT I've also forgotten which parade I could follow behind her if we positioned ourselves at the beginning of the parade...

I hope I'm making sense. It's getting late here 

Thanks again!


----------



## haileymarie92

mommy2mrb said:


> we are going this Friday and haven't been called yet...


We are going this Friday too!! I've only heard great comments on it so far (minus the fire drill).  Can't wait .


----------



## TACK

MSBB - Where do I start.  My opinion is that being the first night it seemed disjointed and yes we had a fire alarm and were evacuated. The good - pirates, fireworks viewing, my server and I like the lithograph.  Food was ok, desert was too sweet. Dr Facilier looked like he was going to stop by tables and then the fire alarm happened. So was it worth it? No. Not for $150. They gave us 2 fastpasses for HM and ghost galaxy because of the fire alarm but it's not realistic to go on a roller coaster after you have eaten.  All in all disappointed. It may get better now that the first one is done.


----------



## haileymarie92

TACK said:


> MSBB - Where do I start.  My opinion is that being the first night it seemed disjointed and yes we had a fire alarm and were evacuated. The good - pirates, fireworks viewing, my server and I like the lithograph.  Food was ok, desert was too sweet. Dr Facilier looked like he was going to stop by tables and then the fire alarm happened. So was it worth it? No. Not for $150. They gave us 2 fastpasses for HM and ghost galaxy because of the fire alarm but it's not realistic to go on a roller coaster after you have eaten.  All in all disappointed. It may get better now that the first one is done.


Bummer about the fire drill :/. Hopefully it'll smooth out now that the first one is done. I still can't wait!


----------



## Sherry E

CaliGrrl said:


> Just home from the party tonight.  We had a great time!  Yes, Toon Town was quite crowded 6p-7p.  We got to TT about 6:15 and we spent 45 minutes doing 3 treat trails and playing around the area.  Mickey & Minnie, Pluto and Chip & Dale were out as well as a bunch of witches at a photo-op spot.  We left TT right at 7pm and headed towards Big Thunder. On the way, we skipped a few treat trails as the lines were long but did the one at Villagehaus Restaurant since no one was there! Just outside the BBQ place, we came upon Jessie with only 2 people in line so we stopped for some photos.  At the second entrance to the ranch were Mickey & Minnie with a line that looked about an hour and a half.  Skip… Once we got to Big Thunder, it was a complete walk-on.  Half our train was empty.
> Treat trails were packed early in the night but once fireworks were over, the lines were very short and moved very quickly.  We rode Big Thunder, Haunted Mansion, Autopia, Indiana Jones, Winnie the Pooh, Small World, Pinochio, Train, Buzz Lightyear and Star Tours.  Our longest wait was HM at about 15 minutes. Nothing else was more than 5 minutes for us.  We rode everything we wanted to except Peter Pan.  PP had a long wait all night.  (Ride lines were long between 4-7, but once the party started most ride lines were very short.)  We met Jack & Sally and like most all character lines, we waited an hour.  We have seen PtN so we didn't worry about getting a good spot to see it.  In fact, we sat inside Gibson Girl and watched through the window just so we could sit in a chair and have a little air conditioning!  We did want a good view of fireworks so after the parade, we went out to the middle of the street.  The area we were standing in was great.  I don't know if it was the heat or what but people all gave each other plenty of personal space.  It is so nice.  My 8-year old was able to see the Jack projection and fireworks fine.  I only picked him up briefly to see Zero fly.
> We also saw the fire alarm strobe going off.  BB, Club 33, French Market, etc. all had to be evacuated.  Not sure how long it went on as we were done in the area.
> Don't know what else to say.  We went through plenty of treat trails, most after the fireworks, and filled our bags twice. (I dumped into my backpack when they got full.) If a treat trail has a long line… skip it.  There will be short lines elsewhere or later  The special Peeps are at a station along Rivers of America and you got one very small Dove chocolate when you left the park for the night.
> I'm not an AP nor did I do the BB dinner so can't answer any questions there.
> 
> All in all, it was a great night.  We have gone every year since they started and almost always to the first party night each year.  The only negative for us was the weather. I think I'm still sweating at 4am!  It was so hot and humid.  Seriously gross.
> 
> Oh, I forgot to add that the Vampire Mickey popcorn buckets are available.  They were at the popcorn stand in the hub.



Thank you so much for reporting back to us with your experience!  

Were the Peeps a Halloween version, or were they just regular Peeps (the chicks)?

Your suggestion about skipping a treat trail if the line is long is a good one.  Unless the trail has extra décor that is not up during the daytime (like in the case of the Golden Horseshoe), there is no reason to stand in a long line for candy when there will be shorter lines in other places.  



Dee2015 said:


> Question please.  If I book an Aladdin's Oasis meal, how do I know which F! we are getting a fast pass too please (i.e. when there are 2 shows on the night)?  Thanks in advance



I'm not sure -- I have never booked a meal or F! package.  That might be a question for Disneyland Dining!  I'm curious to know.




mommy2mrb said:


> we are going this Friday and haven't been called yet...
> 
> 
> any guess on this...if you are back in Toon Town prior to it closing for the party and already have your party wrist bands on, will they kick you out  to re-enter at party time?
> 
> getting our packing done this weekend, looks like its going to be quite hot, thankful we aren't wearing a heavy/hot costume!



My guess is that, since the rides/attractions in ToonTown were supposedly shutting down at 5 p.m. yesterday and the prep-party should have begun at 6 p.m., the CMs probably need that hour to set up and asked people to leave.   I'm not sure, though.  They might let you stay in ToonTown but nothing would be open, or they might ask you to leave and then reenter.



Dee2015 said:


> Oh and one more too please (I know not Halloween related but we will be there during Halloween so maybe I can sneak them in here?!)
> 
> Somewhere along the planning journey, I have read that Mary Poppins & Bert are part of a show. I recall it is not part of the regular entertainment BUT I was told to keep my eye out for ****** as they may be part of that show.
> 
> For the life of me I can't recall where I wrote the name of that "band" or whatever it was. It wasn't the parade BUT I've also forgotten which parade I could follow behind her if we positioned ourselves at the beginning of the parade...
> 
> I hope I'm making sense. It's getting late here
> 
> Thanks again!



I've seen Mary and Bert appear by the Castle (on either side of the Castle), and they would sometimes stop to dance when the Pearly Band was playing.   I have read conflicting reports as to whether or not they appear with the Disneyland Band as well.  Some people say they have seen them with the Disneyland Band not too long ago, and others say they haven't performed with the Disneyland Band in a long time.  



TACK said:


> MSBB - Where do I start.  My opinion is that being the first night it seemed disjointed and yes we had a fire alarm and were evacuated. The good - pirates, fireworks viewing, my server and I like the lithograph.  Food was ok, desert was too sweet. Dr Facilier looked like he was going to stop by tables and then the fire alarm happened. So was it worth it? No. Not for $150. They gave us 2 fastpasses for HM and ghost galaxy because of the fire alarm but it's not realistic to go on a roller coaster after you have eaten.  All in all disappointed. It may get better now that the first one is done.



Thank you for reporting back to us about the MSBB event!  

Who were the pirates that appeared?  The Bootstrappers or someone else?   

Even if the whole event had run smoothly and everything was perfect, for me it would not be worth $150.  The food didn't interest me.  I'm not that big of a Facilier fan.  The main thing that would have appealed to me was the viewing for fireworks.   It's all subjective, of course.  For many others, this will be totally worth it and a perfect addition to the party.

I will be interested to read more reviews as the season rolls on and more of the MSBB events take place.


----------



## JenKate

Are the "Pirate Friends" that are available for meet & greet the POTC pirates or other ones?  I'm assuming it's not Jake?


----------



## Sherry E

JenKate said:


> Are the "Pirate Friends" that are available for meet & greet the POTC pirates or other ones?  I'm assuming it's not Jake?



I'm curious to get a confirmation on that as well.  If this year's Pirate Friends are anything like last year's, you should expect to see:   Peter Pan, Wendy, Captain Hook, and Jack Sparrow (but not all together at the same time) at the Wharf, as well as Goofy, Pluto, Chip & Dale and Donald in pirate costumes in a different part of Frontierland.


----------



## haileymarie92

There's a few pics on Instagram with the hashtag "piratepalooza". Looks like Chip and Dale in pirate costumes. Idk who else. 


Here's a pic of the MSBB lithograph gift:


----------



## Sherry E

By the way, for the first time ever, the Grand Californian Hotel has a Halloween Treat Tree/Cake in the lobby!   Continuing with their tradition of sweet masterpieces (and taking a lead from WDW's hotels), including last year's new gingerbread house and this year's Diamond Anniversary crisped rice Castle, they have decided to put an edible Halloween tree in the lobby!   See DIS'er whoever's photos here - http://www.disboards.com/threads/matts-sunrise-safari-report-breakfast-on-the-jungle-cruise.3450721/.  You can see that the lighting/color is different on one side of the tree than the other.  

figment_jii's photos of the tree are here - http://www.disboards.com/threads/grand-californian-confectionary-spooky-tree.3450327/.

If anyone else gets photos of this tree, can you post them here in this thread?  While I don't mind linking some things, I know that people prefer to see the photos right in the posts.


​
The black bun on this Halloween burger kind of throws me off a bit - but there is steak sauce baked into the bun so it sounds appealing.   http://www.grubgrade.com/2015/09/25...-burger-king-available-monday-september-28th/


----------



## Priory

Wow. I feel like I hear about Blue Bayou being evacuated a lot more than one would think is normal. I even witnessed it once. Too bad the MSBB event was interrupted. We'll have to see how a normal night goes. I hope the Dans are still supposed to perform. I love the litho. Very cool it's event specific. The fastpasses were nice. They should probably do that every night considering the price.


----------



## mom2rtk

Sorry if I missed it.... has anyone said if the Cadaver Dans were out?


----------



## Sherry E

mom2rtk said:


> Sorry if I missed it.... has anyone said if the Cadaver Dans were out?



Yes -- they are at the party (even outside of the Mystical Spirits event), on the RoA!


----------



## Jacie

mom2rtk said:


> Sorry if I missed it.... has anyone said if the Cadaver Dans were out?



Disneyland's Facebook page had posted a video of them performing on the Rivers of America last night, so yes!


----------



## mom2rtk

Sherry E said:


> Yes -- they are at the party (even outside of the Mystical Spirits event), on the RoA!


 


Sherry E said:


> Yes -- they are at the party (even outside of the Mystical Spirits event), on the RoA!






I guess I better make sure I see them now!


----------



## Sherry E

mom2rtk said:


> I guess I better make sure I see them now!



I was just on Facebook a few minutes ago and saw something about the Dans, so it was fresh on my mind when I saw your question!


----------



## Sith

Sherry E said:


> So, if you see a bunch of people dressed like Villains on October 25th, it's "Villain's Day," folks (not an official Disney event)  - https://www.facebook.com/events/881784468575036/.
> 
> Maybe this explains why 10/25 was one of the first MHP nights to sell out.


I looked at that FB page. It is unofficial, and takes place in both parks during regular and MHP hours. So, how are these people going to be allowed to dress up?


----------



## Sherry E

Sith said:


> I looked at that FB page. It is unofficial, and takes place in both parks during regular and MHP hours. So, how are these people going to be allowed to dress up?



I don't know.  I'm not sure.   I'm not part of the event, but I saw that one of their questions was "Are you dressing up for Villain's Day?"  I just posted the link to the page because it was something I just learned about and thought people would want to know.    Maybe they will be Disney Bounding?  (I do know that it's unofficial -- that's why I said "not an official Disney event" in my post.)  

When I said "if you see a bunch of people dressed like Villains..." I was partially being funny, which I guess did not translate.  I don't expect carbon copies of the actual in-park Villains to be walking around.


----------



## Sith

haileymarie92 said:


> Just got confirmation on Instagram that the MSBB priority viewing is "behind the partners statue and there is seating". Woop!!


When you say behind, you mean the castle side of the statue? I hope.


----------



## haileymarie92

Sith said:


> When you say behind, you mean the castle side of the statue? I hope.


I dunno, that's what the person on Instagram said. I assume so, yes. Technically if you are looking at the castle and "behind" Walt and mickey, you will be on the castle side yes.


----------



## Metalliman98

Looks like 22nd is sold out.


----------



## Sith

Sherry E said:


> I don't know.  I'm not sure.   I'm not part of the event, but I saw that one of their questions was "Are you dressing up for Villain's Day?"  I just posted the link to the page because it was something I just learned about and thought people would want to know.    Maybe they will be Disney Bounding?  (I do know that it's unofficial -- that's why I said "not an official Disney event" in my post.)
> 
> When I said "if you see a bunch of people dressed like Villains..." I was partially being funny, which I guess did not translate.  I don't expect carbon copies of the actual in-park Villains to be walking around.


I was only questioning what I read on their FB page, not anything in your post. Your post translated just fine.

But, it does sound like some of them will be dressing up like villains, and they are an 18+ group. They may have trouble getting in the parks if they dress up too much.



haileymarie92 said:


> I dunno, that's what the person on Instagram said. I assume so, yes. Technically if you are looking at the castle and "behind" Walt and mickey, you will be on the castle side yes.



Yeah, I figured they meant behind them based on the direction Walt & Mickey are facing. I just hope that "behind" doesn't mean the statue is in front of us. I'm guessing it's the castle side.


----------



## Sherry E

Sith said:


> I was only questioning what I read on their FB page, not anything in your post. Your post translated just fine.
> 
> But, it does sound like some of them will be dressing up like villains, and they are an 18+ group. They may have trouble getting in the parks if they dress up too much.



I wonder how dressed up they will be.   Some of the Disney Bounding outfits I've seen seem to be just slight tips of the hat to the theme or character they represent, while others almost seem like full costumes!   

I was surprised to see this event pop up.   When I first learned about it I was stalking another forum for news on MHP, and the person who mentioned this Villain's Day mistakenly thought it was a Disney event, or so it seemed.  Someone corrected him/her to point out that it was not a Disney event.    I have a feeling that some folks may also get confused and think that it's a Disney event if they hear about it through the grapevine, simply because it has the word "Villain" in the name.

In any case, I do wonder if it has something to do with why 10/25 was one of the first MHP nights to sell out, and I wonder if it will have any kind of noticeable effect on the crowds earlier in the day.  It seems like the parks have already been pretty crowded over the last couple of weeks, so the effects of Villain's Day may not be obvious.


----------



## Sith

Sherry E said:


> Some of the Disney Bounding outfits I've seen seem to be just slight tips of the hat to the theme or character they represent, while others almost seem like full costumes!


I've heard that term before. What exactly is Disney Bounding?


----------



## haileymarie92

Sith said:


> Yeah, I figured they meant behind them based on the direction Walt & Mickey are facing. I just hope that "behind" doesn't mean the statue is in front of us. I'm guessing it's the castle side.


Yeah it would be awfully silly to put people on the Main Street side of the statue lol.


----------



## Sherry E

Sith said:


> I've heard that term before. What exactly is Disney Bounding?



I've never done it so I am probably not describing it properly, but from all that I have seen I think that it can kind of be described as not fully dressing in costume (although, as I mentioned, some of the outfits I've seen looked like full costumes!), but using accessories, colors and pieces of clothing to represent or pay homage to a theme or character.  I've seen a lot of versions of Minnie Mouse from the Disney Bounders (if that's what they're called??).  Some of them just use the red and white theme and play that up in their accessories and outfits.  Some people play up the polka dot angle.  Some people wear black stockings and some sort of red skirt, but maybe wear a polka dot scarf or something.  I've seen some Maleficent homages, and the people were wearing purple and black, or dark purplish-blue and black.   It's interesting, and Disney seems to be embracing it -- although the line between costume and Disney Bounding non-costume can get blurry!


----------



## Sith

Sherry E said:


> I've never done it so I am probably not describing it properly, but from all that I have seen I think that it can kind of be described as not fully dressing in costume (although, as I mentioned, some of the outfits I've seen looked like full costumes!), but using accessories, colors and pieces of clothing to represent or pay homage to a theme or character.  I've seen a lot of versions of Minnie Mouse from the Disney Bounders (if that's what they're called??).  Some of them just use the red and white theme and play that up in their accessories and outfits.  Some people play up the polka dot angle.  Some people wear black stockings and some sort of red skirt, but maybe wear a polka dot scarf or something.  I've seen some Maleficent homages, and the people were wearing purple and black, or dark purplish-blue and black.   It's interesting, and Disney seems to be embracing it -- although the line between costume and Disney Bounding non-costume can get blurry!


Ok thanks. I've seen some of this stuff, such as a lady wearing stretch pants that had shiny green scales like a mermaid.


----------



## Sherry E

Sith said:


> Ok thanks. I've seen some of this stuff, such as a lady wearing stretch pants that had shiny green scales like a mermaid.



Yes, exactly!  Sometimes it's the textures or the patterns on the clothes that are supposed to represent the character or theme, and that's a good example.


----------



## belle'ssister

My DD, DGD (8 yrs old) and myself will be at the Mon. Oct 19th party, the first day of our four day visit. From the sound of things some people are happy with the event this year and others are not. It will be our first day in the park so if it isn't the greatest we have three other days left. It's our first MHP so we have nothing to compare it too. We don't get into LGB until 10:00am and after getting to our motel (Candy Cane Inn), have lunch at the Rainforest Café we decided to only purchase party tickets and get park hoppers for the rest of the days.

Anyone know if there is handicapped seating for the parade and fireworks? When we were in the park last December they had special viewing set up at the hub area.


----------



## Sherry E

belle'ssister said:


> My DD, DGD (8 yrs old) and myself will be at the Mon. Oct 19th party, the first day of our four day visit. From the sound of things some people are happy with the event this year and others are not. It will be our first day in the park so if it isn't the greatest we have three other days left. It's our first MHP so we have nothing to compare it too. We don't get into LGB until 10:00am and after getting to our motel (Candy Cane Inn), have lunch at the Rainforest Café we decided to only purchase party tickets and get park hoppers for the rest of the days.
> 
> Anyone know if there is handicapped seating for the parade and fireworks? When we were in the park last December they had special viewing set up at the hub area.



I could be totally wrong, and hopefully someone who was there last night can correct me if I am, but I thought there was some sort of handicapped viewing area set up somewhere (both in and out of the party).


----------



## HopLow1968

For those who went to the MHP, a few questions.
- How were ride lines in general?  We've got conflicting reports on that.
- How were Haunted Mansion and Ghost Galaxy lines in particular?
- Based on what you saw, how early should one line up in front of the castle to get good fireworks viewing?
- How were the character meet and greet lines?  Did the lines seem to change over the course of the evening?
- Were there any treat trails that you thought were especially well-done? (we don't plan on going to that many).
- I'll have a regular day's admission as well as MHP tickets, do you think the toontown pre-party would be worth it for me? (seems like it was packed, so I'm not sure I want to brave it.)

I'm getting that the consensus is that candy lines were very long but shortened considerably after fireworks.


----------



## pudinhd

I do not know where the Blue Bayou seating is, but we were able to enjoy VIP seating for PTN and Disneyland Forever fireworks a few months ago.  Chairs were set up in the South part of the hub so we were able to see the parade.  We turned our chairs toward the castle to enjoy the fireworks in between the shows.


----------



## Sith

pudinhd said:


> I do not know where the Blue Bayou seating is, but we were able to enjoy VIP seating for PTN and Disneyland Forever fireworks a few months ago.  Chairs were set up in the South part of the hub so we were able to see the parade.  We turned our chairs toward the castle to enjoy the fireworks in between the shows.


I'd still prefer the castle side of the statue, but that's still a great view! The statue doesn't obstruct as much as I thought it would, and it's silhouette in front of the fireworks is actually pretty cool. Thanks for the pics!


----------



## Priory

To The person who did blue bayou, were you over there in time to watch paint the night too?


----------



## haileymarie92

pudinhd said:


> I do not know where the Blue Bayou seating is, but we were able to enjoy VIP seating for PTN and Disneyland Forever fireworks a few months ago.  Chairs were set up in the South part of the hub so we were able to see the parade.  We turned our chairs toward the castle to enjoy the fireworks in between the shows.


Since the MSBB didn't boast a parade view, I'm assuming the seats are on the castle side of the partners statue. At least I hope so. With all the projection on the castle, sitting on Main Street side of the partners statue is too obstructed for my preference.


----------



## JadeDarkstar

Wow can I just ask how you got the seat for the parade and fire works? those look like awesome views.


----------



## lorijohnhill

We did the party last night and had a great time! Splash had a 5 minute line, Winnie the Pooh was walk on, BTMRR was walk on. The Golden Horseshoe trail was great! It was decorated and air conditioned! 

We saw Peter Pan & Wendy together. That line moved pretty slowly. We saw the Genie at Aladin's Oasis. At the Rancho Zocala treat trail we saw Chip & Dale in their pirate outfits and then Pluto was coming in and he stopped and played with my daughter for five or so minutes while C&D were  finishing  their set. That was pretty cool! We saw Bumble Bee Pooh, Tigger, & Eeyore in Critter Country. 

There were live action scarecrows in Frontierland. They were quite funny. It took us most of the party to do Frontierland, Adventureland, part of NOS, and Critter Country. 

We did go through a couple of shops and on our way out we did the AP trail. We each received a 60th anniversary drawstring bag and a rice crispy pop.


----------



## Sherry E

lorijohnhill said:


> We did the party last night and had a great time! Splash had a 5 minute line, Winnie the Pooh was walk on, BTMRR was walk on. The Golden Horseshoe trail was great! It was decorated and air conditioned!
> 
> We saw Peter Pan & Wendy together. That line moved pretty slowly. We saw the Genie at Aladin's Oasis. At the Rancho Zocala treat trail we saw Chip & Dale in their pirate outfits and then Pluto was coming in and he stopped and played with my daughter for five or so minutes while C&D were  finishing  their set. That was pretty cool! We saw Bumble Bee Pooh, Tigger, & Eeyore in Critter Country.
> 
> There were live action scarecrows in Frontierland. They were quite funny. It took us most of the party to do Frontierland, Adventureland, part of NOS, and Critter Country.
> 
> We did go through a couple of shops and on our way out we did the AP trail. We each received a 60th anniversary drawstring bag and a rice crispy pop.



I saw a photo of inside the Golden Horseshoe last night, which had been one of my favorite trails in the past.  I love the skeleton knocking back a drink!  

Those live scarecrows are pretty amusing -- and creepy, in a friendly way!  They made the move from DCA over to DL when the party changed location in 2010.

I'm glad you had a good time -- I remember that last year you did not have the best experience at MHP.  Share with us some photos when you get a chance!!!


----------



## haileymarie92

Confirmed on Instagram that the MSBB seats are the same as pictured above. So the partners statue is in your vision, which I'm not thrilled about.


----------



## LisaT91403

lorijohnhill said:


> We did the party last night and had a great time! Splash had a 5 minute line, Winnie the Pooh was walk on, BTMRR was walk on. The Golden Horseshoe trail was great! It was decorated and air conditioned!
> 
> We saw Peter Pan & Wendy together. That line moved pretty slowly. We saw the Genie at Aladin's Oasis. At the Rancho Zocala treat trail we saw Chip & Dale in their pirate outfits and then Pluto was coming in and he stopped and played with my daughter for five or so minutes while C&D were  finishing  their set. That was pretty cool! We saw Bumble Bee Pooh, Tigger, & Eeyore in Critter Country.
> 
> There were live action scarecrows in Frontierland. They were quite funny. It took us most of the party to do Frontierland, Adventureland, part of NOS, and Critter Country.
> 
> We did go through a couple of shops and on our way out we did the AP trail. We each received a 60th anniversary drawstring bag and a rice crispy pop.


 
Thanks for the report! Where exactly are these scarecrows you mentioned? Are they part of a treat trail?


----------



## BigCheese

lorijohnhill said:


> We did the party last night and had a great time! Splash had a 5 minute line, Winnie the Pooh was walk on, BTMRR was walk on. The Golden Horseshoe trail was great! It was decorated and air conditioned!
> 
> We saw Peter Pan & Wendy together. That line moved pretty slowly. We saw the Genie at Aladin's Oasis. At the Rancho Zocala treat trail we saw Chip & Dale in their pirate outfits and then Pluto was coming in and he stopped and played with my daughter for five or so minutes while C&D were  finishing  their set. That was pretty cool! We saw Bumble Bee Pooh, Tigger, & Eeyore in Critter Country.
> 
> We did go through a couple of shops and on our way out we did the AP trail. We each received a 60th anniversary drawstring bag and a rice crispy pop.



Thanks for the update!  Glad to hear Rancho had their treat trail. For some reason I didn't recall seeing it in the list of trails. Love the characters in their Pirate outfits.

Did you happen to go to the TT pre party? Curious to know what characters (and outfits) were there.


----------



## mom2rtk

Has anyone reported what costumes the fab 5 were wearing at the Toontown pre-party?


----------



## Sherry E

I was reading one review of last night's MHP on the Disneyland Facebook page (in the comments/Visitor Posts over on the left side of the page), and that person didn't have a good time at all!  Did anyone else see the post?   It's fairly long, and I noticed it last night/early this morning.  I think the person's name is Viviana.  The comment was posted at least 15 hours ago.



mom2rtk said:


> Has anyone reported what costumes the fab 5 were wearing at the Toontown pre-party?



I haven't seen a report of what they are wearing this year (I'm sure it's some sort of Halloween garb, like Mickey in a Zorro-esque outfit or something!  ), but CaliGrrl was in ToonTown last night - http://www.disboards.com/threads/ha...s-now-sold-out.3270919/page-268#post-54484602.


----------



## TACK

Priory said:


> To The person who did blue bayou, were you over there in time to watch paint the night too?


No we got there just as it finished.  And for seating I was in front if the Partners statues so I had the castle full view. All the people outside the ropes had to sit down. I had a great view.  As I said I did enjoy the fireworks.


----------



## haileymarie92

TACK said:


> No we got there just as it finished.  And for seating I was in front if the Partners statues so I had the castle full view. All the people outside the ropes had to sit down. I had a great view.  As I said I did enjoy the fireworks.


How did you get in front of the partners statue? Did some MSBB guests get in front and some behind?


----------



## Sith

Sherry E said:


> I was reading one review of last night's MHP on the Disneyland Facebook page (in the comments/Visitor Posts over on the left side of the page), and that person didn't have a good time at all!  Did anyone else see the post?   It's fairly long, and I noticed it last night/early this morning.  I think the person's name is Viviana.  The comment was posted at least 15 hours ago.


Was this in the visitor posts or reviews? I couldn't find it in either. Maybe Disney deleted it? For some reason the visitor post section only goes back like 3 or 4 posts for me.


----------



## Sherry E

Sith said:


> Was this in the visitor posts or reviews? I couldn't find it in either. Maybe Disney deleted it? For some reason the visitor post section only goes back like 3 or 4 posts for me.



It's in the Visitor Posts.  It was still there an hour ago or so.  That section is acting slow today, though, so I had to keep waiting for it to load.  Viviana posted the review over 15 hours ago, so you have to get down to where the review is.  I couldn't link it, as there seemed to be no way to open up only that review without having to sift through all of the other ones that have come in since then.


----------



## Sith

Sherry E said:


> It's in the Visitor Posts.  It was still there an hour ago or so.  That section is acting slow today, though, so I had to keep waiting for it to load.  Viviana posted the review over 15 hours ago, so you have to get down to where the review is.  I couldn't link it, as there seemed to be no way to open up only that review without having to sift through all of the other ones that have come in since then.


Ok I found it. That section was only loading comments from about an hour ago for me. That was with Firefox, so I switched to IE. It loaded the rest, but it was running very choppy. But, at least I did get to see the post.


----------



## Sherry E

Vampire Mickey is awfully cute - https://www.facebook.com/Disneyland...3136044758648/955972627808317/?type=3&theater.

I love his scary little pose.  I think that Snowman Mickey (from several years ago) and Vampire Mickey might be my favorite of the seasonal popcorn buckets.  I wanted to love Elf Mickey and Santa Mickey, but I didn't.  Ghost Mickey from a few years ago was pretty adorable too!





Sith said:


> Ok I found it. That section was only loading comments from about an hour ago for me. That was with Firefox, so I switched to IE. It loaded the rest, but it was running very choppy. But, at least I did get to see the post.



Viviana seemed to have had a terrible time at MHP, that's for sure!


----------



## Sith

Sherry E said:


> Viviana seemed to have had a terrible time at MHP, that's for sure!


Yeah, but at least her issues seemed to just be with some specific cast members. She didn't really say much about the party itself.


----------



## CaliGrrl

At the TT pre party Mickey was in a Zorro type outfit.  I think Minnie was a witch, but don't quote me on that.  Chip & Dale were a cop and robber. Pluto was… Pluto. I didn't see any hint of a costume.  We didn't meet any of the characters so I was looking from behind the sea of people.

The live scarecrows are right outside The Golden Horseshoe.

The peeps are single packaged and I haven't seen the color before.  Not sure if they are special for Disneyland or not.  I was going to take a picture but my son ate them all this morning.

The "overlap" time between 4p-7p is very busy.  We watched Mickey and the Magical Map, ate at  Plaza Inn and looked around at shops.  If you base the night on those 3 hours, yes the ride lines are insanely busy and it is crowded.

We loved the Golden Horseshoe treat trail and the Villagehaus treat trail!  So neat to see areas transformed from their regular day time settings.

So much of your experience will depend on your attitude.  At least that's what I think  We rode every ride my son wanted to except Peter Pan.  We got more candy than we will ever eat.  And, we met a few characters (not a big priority for my 8-year old anymore).


----------



## 2SillyBirds

MYSTICAL SPIRITS OF THE BLUE BAYOU.

My husband and I did the MSBB last night and loved it.  This review is based on the fact that we are two middle aged adults who have never done MHP but have done MNSSHP many times and we also did the Sinister Soiree last year. 

We got an email earlier in the week to select our meal choices and also to let us know that we were to be at the restaurant by 7:00 and not 7:30.  We checked in at 6:45 and were told to join the line that had formed to the right of the restaurant.  There were quite a few people in line but we were told that our place in line had no bearing on where or when we were seated.  Starting at 7:00, CM's were calling out names and seating people.  We were seated at about 7:15.  We were seated at a table for four by the water.  Most of the tables had two to four people at them.  There were very few children.  There was a stage set up in the corner of the restaurant with a "throne".

There was a concoction created by Dr. Facilier with a lighted ice cube already on the table.  We were greeted right away by our server, who took and additional drink order and brought a bread basket and butter.  We had ordered one of each of the appetizers; my husband enjoyed the crab cake and I had the Cheese tart and enjoyed it also.  While we were eating our appetizers, we were entertained by the Cadaver Dans.

Before dinner was served, Dr. Facilier sang "Friends on the Other Side".  He also had his "Southern Belles" mingle in the crowd passing out beads.  As we were finishing dinner, he came back out and talked to us again and kind of mingled with the dinner guests.  He briefly comes to the table and of course, stopped for a picture if you asked. 

Just as dessert had been served, the fire alarm went off and we were all asked to leave the restaurant.  We were lead by a CM to a spot to the side of Café Orleans for a few minutes while the mucky mucks were deciding what to do with us.  Then they lead us to a spot in front of Café Orleans for a few minutes until the "the all clear" was given and then we were escorted back into the restaurant.  They offered to serve us another or a fresh dessert if we wanted.  A couple of CM's came around and passed out Fast Passes for HM and SM for the inconvenience and disruption to the meal.  For a finale, a gang of pirates came out carrying a large treasure chest and did a skit asking the crowd to break a spell to help them open the chest. The chest had Trick or Treat bags filled with candy for each on the guests.  They also sang the "Pirate" part of the song from the Halloween parade at MNSSHP. We were then asked to line up to get our gift and proceed to the premier viewing of the fireworks. 

The seating for the fireworks was the biggest and best surprise of the whole evening.  They had pulled all the benches from around the partners statue and hub area and had placed them in rows right behind the Partners Statue.  There was nothing at all blocking the view of the castle; the guests that where one sidewalk directly in front of the sectioned off area for our party were seated on the ground.  It was AMAZING!!!!

So to wrap it up.  I think that Disney did an amazing job of this dining experience.  The staff was attentive and very proficient.  The atmosphere of the restaurant was very intimate, relaxing and enjoyable.  The background music helped set the mood.  The entertainment was just right for us. The Cadaver Dans and Dr. Facilier were great! We didn't experience the frenetic chaos like at the Sinister Soiree and you didn't feel like they were rushing you to get done and get out, like at the Soiree either.  Even with the fire alarm hiccup, they handled it with calm professionalism and the recovery of the party was seamless. 

Would I do it again?????  Absolutely!   Do I think it was a good value?????  I do.  It was a great way to have a nice dinner with special entertainment and the fireworks view was spectacular.  Yes, it did take away from time in the park, but between the full bag of candy that they gave us and the fact that we never could have had such a great location for fireworks without spending a couple of hours staking out the spot, we felt it was well worth it.  We did a little trick or treating after dinner and rode a couple of rides.  We don't do Meet and Greets, so this was the perfect thing for us.

Hope this helps those that are on the fence trying to decided what to do.


----------



## Sherry E

2SillyBirds and CaliGrrl -- Thank you both so much for coming back to let us know the details!  I really, really appreciate it.  

I am going to read the Mystical Spirits review from 2SillyBirds now -- I am excited to find out all about it!


----------



## 2SillyBirds

Sherry E said:


> 2SillyBirds and CaliGrrl -- Thank you both so much for coming back to let us know the details!  I really, really appreciate it.
> 
> I am going to read the Mystical Spirits review from 2SillyBirds now -- I am excited to find out all about it!



I will be happy to answer any questions you might have!


----------



## haileymarie92

2SillyBirds said:


> MYSTICAL SPIRITS OF THE BLUE BAYOU.
> 
> My husband and I did the MSBB last night and loved it.  This review is based on the fact that we are two middle aged adults who have never done MHP but have done MNSSHP many times and we also did the Sinister Soiree last year.
> 
> We got an email earlier in the week to select our meal choices and also to let us know that we were to be at the restaurant by 7:00 and not 7:30.  We checked in at 6:45 and were told to join the line that had formed to the right of the restaurant.  There were quite a few people in line but we were told that our place in line had no bearing on where or when we were seated.  Starting at 7:00, CM's were calling out names and seating people.  We were seated at about 7:15.  We were seated at a table for four by the water.  Most of the tables had two to four people at them.  There were very few children.  There was a stage set up in the corner of the restaurant with a "throne".
> 
> There was a concoction created by Dr. Facilier with a lighted ice cube already on the table.  We were greeted right away by our server, who took and additional drink order and brought a bread basket and butter.  We had ordered one of each of the appetizers; my husband enjoyed the crab cake and I had the Cheese tart and enjoyed it also.  While we were eating our appetizers, we were entertained by the Cadaver Dans.
> 
> Before dinner was served, Dr. Facilier sang "Friends on the Other Side".  He also had his "Southern Belles" mingle in the crowd passing out beads.  As we were finishing dinner, he came back out and talked to us again and kind of mingled with the dinner guests.  He briefly comes to the table and of course, stopped for a picture if you asked.
> 
> Just as dessert had been served, the fire alarm went off and we were all asked to leave the restaurant.  We were lead by a CM to a spot to the side of Café Orleans for a few minutes while the mucky mucks were deciding what to do with us.  Then they lead us to a spot in front of Café Orleans for a few minutes until the "the all clear" was given and then we were escorted back into the restaurant.  They offered to serve us another or a fresh dessert if we wanted.  A couple of CM's came around and passed out Fast Passes for HM and SM for the inconvenience and disruption to the meal.  For a finale, a gang of pirates came out carrying a large treasure chest and did a skit asking the crowd to break a spell to help them open the chest. The chest had Trick or Treat bags filled with candy for each on the guests.  They also sang the "Pirate" part of the song from the Halloween parade at MNSSHP. We were then asked to line up to get our gift and proceed to the premier viewing of the fireworks.
> 
> The seating for the fireworks was the biggest and best surprise of the whole evening.  They had pulled all the benches from around the partners statue and hub area and had placed them in rows right behind the Partners Statue.  There was nothing at all blocking the view of the castle; the guests that where one sidewalk directly in front of the sectioned off area for our party were seated on the ground.  It was AMAZING!!!!
> 
> So to wrap it up.  I think that Disney did an amazing job of this dining experience.  The staff was attentive and very proficient.  The atmosphere of the restaurant was very intimate, relaxing and enjoyable.  The background music helped set the mood.  The entertainment was just right for us. The Cadaver Dans and Dr. Facilier were great! We didn't experience the frenetic chaos like at the Sinister Soiree and you didn't feel like they were rushing you to get done and get out, like at the Soiree either.  Even with the fire alarm hiccup, they handled it with calm professionalism and the recovery of the party was seamless.
> 
> Would I do it again?????  Absolutely!   Do I think it was a good value?????  I do.  It was a great way to have a nice dinner with special entertainment and the fireworks view was spectacular.  Yes, it did take away from time in the park, but between the full bag of candy that they gave us and the fact that we never could have had such a great location for fireworks without spending a couple of hours staking out the spot, we felt it was well worth it.  We did a little trick or treating after dinner and rode a couple of rides.  We don't do Meet and Greets, so this was the perfect thing for us.
> 
> Hope this helps those that are on the fence trying to decided what to do.



Thanks so much for the review!!!

Question: I've got reviews from people on Instagram that they were seated -behind- the partners statue, meaning the statue was in their line of sight for the fireworks. Did you notice some of the guests being placed there?? Part of the reason we decided to do MSBB was the fireworks seating and I'd hate if the partners statue was in the way.


----------



## BigCheese

CaliGrrl said:


> At the TT pre party Mickey was in a Zorro type outfit.  I think Minnie was a witch, but don't quote me on that.  Chip & Dale were a cop and robber. Pluto was… Pluto. I didn't see any hint of a costume.  We didn't meet any of the characters so I was looking from behind the sea of people.



Thanks for the report CaliGrrl. Haven't seen Robber Dale in a long time so that's good to know. Glad Zorro Mickey is back too.


----------



## 2SillyBirds

haileymarie92 said:


> Question: I've got reviews from people on Instagram that they were seated -behind- the partners statue, meaning the statue was in their line of sight for the fireworks. Did you notice some of the guests being placed there?? Part of the reason we decided to do MSBB was the fireworks seating and I'd hate if the partners statue was in the way.




I did see chairs last night and the night before that were placed right in the center, right in front of the Partners Statue, which would definitely be in the line of sight for those people.  We were placed behind the statue on benches that were set up.  I don't know how many rows they set up, but we were on a bench with another couple.  I suppose that there might have been some people sitting in those chairs, I am assuming that there were enough benches placed for all of us.  Could it be possible that those chairs set up were for some other function???  They were set up that way the night before when there wasn't a party at all.


----------



## haileymarie92

2SillyBirds said:


> I did see chairs last night and the night before that were placed right in the center, right in front of the Partners Statue, which would definitely be in the line of sight for those people.  We were placed behind the statue on benches that were set up.  I don't know how many rows they set up, but we were on a bench with another couple.  I suppose that there might have been some people sitting in those chairs, I am assuming that there were enough benches placed for all of us.  Could it be possible that those chairs set up were for some other function???  They were set up that way the night before when there wasn't a party at all.



The people who said they were placed behind the statue were also at MSBB. Seems kind of messed up to place some in front and some in back if that's the case. If you ask me its a biiiiiiggggg difference in the viewing capability.


----------



## DisneyMom234

Just decided to do a cheap halloween trip the other day. Came on to order the halloween party tickets and they sold out.:
 

Is there anywhere to watch in case people have to cancel their trips??


----------



## Sherry E

DisneyMom234 said:


> Just decided to do a cheap halloween trip the other day. Came on to order the halloween party tickets and they sold out.:
> 
> 
> Is there anywhere to watch in case people have to cancel their trips??



Just in the last day I've seen a couple of people's comments (in more than one place) that indicated that a couple of the formerly sold out dates were suddenly showing as not sold out on the calendar on the DLR website... and then showing as sold out again!   I don't know if that was a fluke.

You might not have any luck, but you should always try calling DLR's ticket line ASAP and ask them if they have a few tickets left for the date you want.  I don't know which date you want, but if it sold out very recently there may still be some tickets available over the phone.  For some reason, online tickets sell out but there are still a limited number of tickets left to buy over the phone.  They don't last long, though.

If that does not work, there is a good chance that you might be able to get tickets on the day of the event, if you get to the ticket booths bright and early in the morning.

Onsite hotel guests can get tickets on the day of the event as well, through their hotels.


----------



## mrsw94

Sherry E said:


> I've never done it so I am probably not describing it properly, but from all that I have seen I think that it can kind of be described as not fully dressing in costume (although, as I mentioned, some of the outfits I've seen looked like full costumes!), but using accessories, colors and pieces of clothing to represent or pay homage to a theme or character.  I've seen a lot of versions of Minnie Mouse from the Disney Bounders (if that's what they're called??).  Some of them just use the red and white theme and play that up in their accessories and outfits.  Some people play up the polka dot angle.  Some people wear black stockings and some sort of red skirt, but maybe wear a polka dot scarf or something.  I've seen some Maleficent homages, and the people were wearing purple and black, or dark purplish-blue and black.   It's interesting, and Disney seems to be embracing it -- although the line between costume and Disney Bounding non-costume can get blurry!





Sith said:


> Ok thanks. I've seen some of this stuff, such as a lady wearing stretch pants that had shiny green scales like a mermaid.



Sherry, that was a very good explanation of Disney Bounding!

I have a 13 year old daughter who along with her 3 friends are Disney Bounding for Halloween this year.  My daughter is Snow White, so is wearing a bright yellow skirt, blue shirt and a big red bow in her hair.  Another friend is Ariel, she has a sequined green skirt (that I still need to make!) a purple shirt and a sequined red headband.  I can't remember what the other 2 are wearing.


----------



## riostoker

HopLow1968 said:


> For those who went to the MHP, a few questions.
> - How were ride lines in general?  We've got conflicting reports on that.
> - How were Haunted Mansion and Ghost Galaxy lines in particular?
> - Based on what you saw, how early should one line up in front of the castle to get good fireworks viewing?
> - How were the character meet and greet lines?  Did the lines seem to change over the course of the evening?
> - Were there any treat trails that you thought were especially well-done? (we don't plan on going to that many).
> - I'll have a regular day's admission as well as MHP tickets, do you think the toontown pre-party would be worth it for me? (seems like it was packed, so I'm not sure I want to brave it.)
> 
> I'm getting that the consensus is that candy lines were very long but shortened considerably after fireworks.



This was our first trip to DLR and our first Halloween Party, so I may not be the best person to answer your questions, but I'll give it a shot.  

- Ride lines were long when we got there at 5:00. By 7:00 though when fast passes were done and non-party people had left, I thought all the lines were short to reasonable. Most seemed to be in the 5-10 range. We waited 20 for Star Tours right about 7:00, but I think it got shorter after that. At one point, I saw Space had a 5 minute wait. Splash was walk-on to five. We waited 15 for Astro-Orbiter right around 7, but it was 5 later in the night. Pooh was walk-on. Haunted Mansion was the only thing that seemed to keep its wait time constant all evening. It seemed to range from about 25-35. Maybe it went down after fireworks? We left then.
- Haunted Mansion 25+, Space was over an hour when we arrived at 5, but dropped quickly after 7:00 to 5-15.
- Can't help you on fireworks. We weren't paying attention to the time and were on Splash when the fireworks started! Oops!
- Villian lines were awful, at least to me. It wrapped around to the front of the park. Captain America was about 5 minutes. Pooh characters were about 10 minutes. The line looked really long for Jack Skellington. We missed out on the Toon Town pre-party, but it sounds like that was a disaster. Tremaines were just choosing people for pictures. There wasn't a line.
- I would not call any of the treat trails "well done". They were just taped lines on the ground with carts handing out candy. I did not see any that were at all decorated beyond the balloon and/or sign at the beginning and end. Maybe I missed out on "well done" ones? The line at the one in Tomorrowland was ridiculous. In hindsight, we shouldn't have waited in that line. It wound around and around forever. The lines in Critter Country and New Orleans Square were much shorter.


Overall, we had fun, but I'm not sure I would do it again. I'm glad to have done it once. Although, if I did it again, I would do some things differently. I would ignore any treat trails with long lines. You can find ones with short lines. I would more carefully plan when/where to find the characters I really want to see. The lines are just too long to see them all... you have to prioritize.

I liked that the ride lines were short, but everything else seemed so crowded. I think there were fewer people on rides, but so many more people wandering the streets going to see characters, going trick-or-treating, etc. It just seemed sort of mobbed with people, and some of the character lines were not worth it to me to wait in.


----------



## lorijohnhill

LisaT91403 said:


> Thanks for the report! Where exactly are these scarecrows you mentioned? Are they part of a treat trail?


They are on both sides near the entrance of the Golden Horseshoe.


----------



## Jeff314

riostoker said:


> This was our first trip to DLR and our first Halloween Party, so I may not be the best person to answer your questions, but I'll give it a shot.
> 
> - Ride lines were long when we got there at 5:00. By 7:00 though when fast passes were done and non-party people had left, I thought all the lines were short to reasonable. Most seemed to be in the 5-10 range. We waited 20 for Star Tours right about 7:00, but I think it got shorter after that. At one point, I saw Space had a 5 minute wait. Splash was walk-on to five. We waited 15 for Astro-Orbiter right around 7, but it was 5 later in the night. Pooh was walk-on. Haunted Mansion was the only thing that seemed to keep its wait time constant all evening. It seemed to range from about 25-35. Maybe it went down after fireworks? We left then.
> - Haunted Mansion 25+, Space was over an hour when we arrived at 5, but dropped quickly after 7:00 to 5-15.
> - Can't help you on fireworks. We weren't paying attention to the time and were on Splash when the fireworks started! Oops!
> - Villian lines were awful, at least to me. It wrapped around to the front of the park. Captain America was about 5 minutes. Pooh characters were about 10 minutes. The line looked really long for Jack Skellington. We missed out on the Toon Town pre-party, but it sounds like that was a disaster. Tremaines were just choosing people for pictures. There wasn't a line.
> - I would not call any of the treat trails "well done". They were just taped lines on the ground with carts handing out candy. I did not see any that were at all decorated beyond the balloon and/or sign at the beginning and end. Maybe I missed out on "well done" ones? The line at the one in Tomorrowland was ridiculous. In hindsight, we shouldn't have waited in that line. It wound around and around forever. The lines in Critter Country and New Orleans Square were much shorter.
> 
> 
> Overall, we had fun, but I'm not sure I would do it again. I'm glad to have done it once. Although, if I did it again, I would do some things differently. I would ignore any treat trails with long lines. You can find ones with short lines. I would more carefully plan when/where to find the characters I really want to see. The lines are just too long to see them all... you have to prioritize.
> 
> I liked that the ride lines were short, but everything else seemed so crowded. I think there were fewer people on rides, but so many more people wandering the streets going to see characters, going trick-or-treating, etc. It just seemed sort of mobbed with people, and some of the character lines were not worth it to me to wait in.




Same here, never doing it again. It wasn't anything special and seemed to be a huge cluster of an overcrowded mess. It was Disneyland so it wasn't bad but we had way higher expectations. Did we expect to be the only ones in the park? Of course not but after doing a ton of research and having some sort of an idea what to expect, it wasn't even close, very overwhelming. I didn't see much special of anything to be paying the extra money to attend the "event" oh well.


----------



## Sith

Is it possible to book Happiest Haunts online, or do I have to call? I didn't see a way to book on the website.


----------



## lorijohnhill

BigCheese said:


> Thanks for the update!  Glad to hear Rancho had their treat trail. For some reason I didn't recall seeing it in the list of trails. Love the characters in their Pirate outfits.
> 
> Did you happen to go to the TT pre party? Curious to know what characters (and outfits) were there.


No, we didn't make it over there, but I'm glad because capacity crowds do not sound fun!


----------



## Abbey1

I'm looking for suggestions of good activities or rides to do during the busy overlap time. I was planning on us seeing Mickey and the Magical Map, but it doesn't show on the night we are attending. We will definitely eat dinner during that time, and I'm sure my son would like to go on some rides. Is one area generally less busy than others? Or are there any other good uses of time? Would we be able to catch some of the parade if our party starts at 3?


----------



## LisaT91403

Any suggestions for a not-too-crowded place to eat dinner? We were at Tomorrowland Terrace last year, and it killed a ton of time because of the crowds.


----------



## HopLow1968

riostoker said:


> This was our first trip to DLR and our first Halloween Party, so I may not be the best person to answer your questions, but I'll give it a shot.
> 
> Overall, we had fun, but I'm not sure I would do it again. I'm glad to have done it once. Although, if I did it again, I would do some things differently. I would ignore any treat trails with long lines. You can find ones with short lines. I would more carefully plan when/where to find the characters I really want to see. The lines are just too long to see them all... you have to prioritize.
> 
> I liked that the ride lines were short, but everything else seemed so crowded. I think there were fewer people on rides, but so many more people wandering the streets going to see characters, going trick-or-treating, etc. It just seemed sort of mobbed with people, and some of the character lines were not worth it to me to wait in.



Thanks for the responses!   Personally I don't think that lines before 7 should count, since thats not really "Party" time.  Good to know about the treat trails and the villian lines.


----------



## CassieF

mommy2mrb said:


> we are going this Friday and haven't been called yet...



I got an email about a week prior to our date (this Wed!) asking for our selections and that we respond at least 48 hours prior to the event.


And to whomever was asking about Mary and Bert and the band....they perform with the Pearly band in front of the castle in the afternoon (usually two shows, one each during the 2 and 3 o'clock hours but it could change with shortened hours, parties, etc) on all days except Wed and Thursday, in which the small band groups are dark.  They do not perform with th new Disneyland band.  They used to often be involved in the old band's main gate set, sometimes along with Alice and the Hatter and occasionally Cruella.  That hasn't happened since the band changed.  You should be able to ask a character host day of for exact show times


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## lorijohnhill

AP treat
 

Healthy treats

Last treat as leaving the park. 
 

Peeps 
 

Our haul from Frontierland, part of NOS, and Critter Country. 
 

AP gift. 


More Peeps 


I didn't get any party photos on my phone. I'll try to remember to take some on Monday.


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## theluckyrabbit

For those who have already attended MHP, which direction did the parade go: IASW to TS or TS to IASW?


----------



## bellazachmom

The Peeps look yummy 

When we attended a few years ago I loved that the Peeps were Halloween colors ~ orange, green and purple. I had never seen them before but the following year they showed up at Target!


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## Dee2015

I've seen Mary and Bert appear by the Castle (on either side of the Castle), and they would sometimes stop to dance when the Pearly Band was playing.   I have read conflicting reports as to whether or not they appear with the Disneyland Band as well.  Some people say they have seen them with the Disneyland Band not too long ago, and others say they haven't performed with the Disneyland Band in a long time.  




That's it Sherry thanks. Must remember the Pearly Band!



CassieF said:


> I got an email about a week prior to our date (this Wed!) asking for our selections and that we respond at least 48 hours prior to the event.
> 
> 
> And to whomever was asking about Mary and Bert and the band....they perform with the Pearly band in front of the castle in the afternoon (usually two shows, one each during the 2 and 3 o'clock hours but it could change with shortened hours, parties, etc) on all days except Wed and Thursday, in which the small band groups are dark.  They do not perform with th new Disneyland band.  They used to often be involved in the old band's main gate set, sometimes along with Alice and the Hatter and occasionally Cruella.  That hasn't happened since the band changed.  You should be able to ask a character host day of for exact show times



Massive 'like' for that information! Thanks so much Cassie. With your info, I have just found exactly where to look on the new Disney app - goodness we are going to LOVE that! What does "in which the small band groups are dark" mean? As in, no small bands are on Wednesdays & Thursdays? Thanks again!


----------



## mom2rtk

Sherry E said:


> Vampire Mickey is awfully cute - https://www.facebook.com/Disneyland...3136044758648/955972627808317/?type=3&theater.
> 
> I love his scary little pose.  I think that Snowman Mickey (from several years ago) and Vampire Mickey might be my favorite of the seasonal popcorn buckets.  I wanted to love Elf Mickey and Santa Mickey, but I didn't.  Ghost Mickey from a few years ago was pretty adorable too!



Vampire Mickey is adorable! I'm just trying hard not to get my hopes up since we'll be there the last week of October. I'm fully expecting them to be sold out of everything I'm interested in.


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## mommy2mrb

love the updates for MYBB and MHP!  thanks for sharing! daughter is happy to hear we will get a bag of candy too at MYBB, will save on doing some of the treat lines!

haven't received an email yet for our MYBB so called Disney dining, she gave me the phone number to call tomorrow as that department is closed today...if I don't get an email will call.

planning on doing our must do rides during the day, we have been so many times, if we miss a few this trip no problem for us...only ride we will probably do during the party is BTMRR, love it at night! going to focus on villains and the atmosphere and a bit of ToT.  Will decided about pre-party, but will try for photo ops only.

off to start our packing!


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## Metalliman98

Sith said:


> Is it possible to book Happiest Haunts online, or do I have to call? I didn't see a way to book on the website.


No, you have to call.  They open at 8 AM pacific......well actually I think they open at 7 but if you are booking a tour right at 30 days out the slots don't become available to the CM until 8.


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## Pizzaman12

Hello, gang. Quick question. I have a work to that's taking me to CA and we've decided to bring the kids along and do a few days at Disneyland. Our kids have enjoyed the MNSSHP at WDW in the past and I'd love to find a way to get us in to the party while we're there, but the website shows sold out. I've called with no luck. Any other suggestions on how to track down tickets?


----------



## Kilala

I wanted to know if this was a good plan on doing for the 16th party? I was going to get a picture with Jack and Sally first and then go to the pre-party at Toon Town. Dose that sound good to anyone?


----------



## Avery's mom

Pizzaman12 said:


> Hello, gang. Quick question. I have a work to that's taking me to CA and we've decided to bring the kids along and do a few days at Disneyland. Our kids have enjoyed the MNSSHP at WDW in the past and I'd love to find a way to get us in to the party while we're there, but the website shows sold out. I've called with no luck. Any other suggestions on how to track down tickets?



Are you staying on site?  You can try at your hotel to get tickets, or some people have had luck calling to get the Mystical Spirits dining package, and get tickets that way. I've seen tickets on StubHub and others that are pretty darn expensive - about $180 per ticket.  So, in that case, you might as well get a nice event/dinner out of it as well!


----------



## Metalliman98

Does anyone who went to the party on Friday know if they are switching out bags of regular treats for peanut-free treats at city hall?  I've heard in the past that you could bring bags of candy collected during the party to city hall and they would exchange it for a bag of peanut-free candy.  Our son has a peanut allergy so it would be awesome if they still do this.


----------



## Pizzaman12

Avery's mom said:


> Are you staying on site?  You can try at your hotel to get tickets, or some people have had luck calling to get the Mystical Spirits dining package, and get tickets that way. I've seen tickets on StubHub and others that are pretty darn expensive - about $180 per ticket.  So, in that case, you might as well get a nice event/dinner out of it as well!



Avery's mom, thanks for the reply!  We're not staying on site.  I'm a DVC member, so I thought about going to one of the onsite hotels and begging.  

Hadn't thought about StubHub and appreciate the suggestion for both that and Mystical Spirits!  Appreciate your advice.


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## DisneyMom234

714-781-4400 is this the right ticket line?


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## SeaPic

Thanks everyone! Keep the info coming . Less than two weeks for me and I want to tell the kids every five minutes! Had to tell them we are going to a party so they needed to get costumes. Teen DD decided to be Alice so her little brother decided to be the Mad Hatter (I almost told them right in the store sine it worked out perfectly). Of course I have to change to match. Now to find a sensible Red Queen I won't get heat stroke in.  If only DH wanted to come he could be the Hare. OK maybe not.


----------



## Meeko32198

I'm excited to hear all of the great reviews for the party. Quick question....this is my first time going and we are taking our 20 month old. What does the toon town pre-party entail? Any tips on navigating through the HP with a toddler? Thanks!


----------



## TACK

OK - now that I have had some time to reflect.  I don't want to appear like I didn't enjoy Mystic Spirits.  I did - it was the disruptions and it didn't seem organized as it could have been.  It's like opening night at a play, it doesn't always come across as it should.  I wish I knew more of what was to happen (like a program) so it wouldn't have been so confusing to me.  Also, I was by myself so maybe that makes a difference.   To me, it is a lot of money to spend for an event (along with the Halloween party ticket) but I am positive that it will be better for the upcoming ones.   Especially now since there is more information on what to expect.


----------



## mummabear

Jeff314 said:


> Never ever going back for this Halloween "party" looked forward to this for 9 months and paid so much money to come here and it's 10 times for packed and busy then it was the last 3 days we've been here on normal days. There's absolutely no difference tonight then any other night besides Halloween music all through the park and candy trails (which were lines for days at every one of them) kept hearing rides are almost walk on and that couldn't be any less true. We've waited for so long for almost all Rides we've done. Talked to a few vets of this event and they've never seen it this crowded before. Good job Disneyland.



This odes make me a little nervous, but I have also read more really good reports of the night. Not sure if this is a result of different expectations at the start, different touring strategies or luck?



SeaPic said:


> Less than two weeks for me and I want to tell the kids every five minutes! Had to tell them we are going to a party so they needed to get costumes



Me too! Our kids have no clue, we have buckled and told them we will be joining Dad in Auckland while he goes up for work so that the packing etc doesnt seem strange. DH keeps on talking about it and I am a little nervous that they will be so excited about it they will be disappointed when we tell them we arent going but DH doesnt think this will be a problem.....Still dont know how to actually tell them.
As far as costumes we have told them their honorary Aunt (a Disney and Halloween fanatic) is throwing a Dosney Halloween party so our costumes must be Disney based. My middle daughter in particular can be quite contrary and I am nervous about committing to something for her as it would be 50/50 whether she would want to wear it on the day no matter how keen she had been prior, last week was her birthday and she had a Ballerina Barbie party, in the lead up all she was talking about was wearing her tutu so she would be like the real ballerina that was coming, told her Nana that she had to wear a tutu as well, but on the day she wanted to be Anna.


----------



## GenGen22

mummabear said:


> This odes make me a little nervous, but I have also read more really good reports of the night. Not sure if this is a result of different expectations at the start, different touring strategies or luck?


No matter when you go to Disney you have to expect a crowd.  It's just how you deal with it that makes a difference.  Just expect there will be a lot of people and you will be ok.  The lines to take pictures with the characters always seem to be long so, be prepared for that.  The trick or treat trail lines may seem long but they go fast.  Last year was our first time going & we had such a blast we couldn't control ourselves from coming back again this year.  The experience of trick or treating as an adult was so amazing it just brought be back to being a kid again for that I loved it.  Did I need all the candy no but it was so fun getting it.  And taking pictures of all the Mickey pumpkins & ghosts was really cool.  I loved, loved HMH & plan to ride more than once this time.  I didn't get to SM as lines were too long last time but will make sure I do it this time.  You will have a fabulous time, I just know it!


----------



## Sherry E

DisneyMom234 said:


> 714-781-4400 is this the right ticket line?



That is the right number -- did you call?



Pizzaman12 said:


> Hello, gang. Quick question. I have a work to that's taking me to CA and we've decided to bring the kids along and do a few days at Disneyland. Our kids have enjoyed the MNSSHP at WDW in the past and I'd love to find a way to get us in to the party while we're there, but the website shows sold out. I've called with no luck. Any other suggestions on how to track down tickets?



It is also highly possible that there could be some tickets available at the ticket booths on the day of the actual event.  I think that Disney holds some tickets back -- maybe they are intended for people or groups who may or may not attend -- and if those tickets are not all used up they can be released back to the ticket booths for last minute purchases.  It would be worth stopping by the ticket booth first thing in the morning and then later in the afternoon, to see if they got any in.



Meeko32198 said:


> I'm excited to hear all of the great reviews for the party. Quick question....this is my first time going and we are taking our 20 month old. What does the toon town pre-party entail? Any tips on navigating through the HP with a toddler? Thanks!



The ToonTown pre-party (which has taken place since 2013) consists of treat stations and characters in Halloween attire (like Mickey in his Zorro outfit, for example).  I think that it is mainly geared towards the really little kids who need to get to sleep early and can't hang around all night at the party, but would still like to collect some treats!   The pre-party should begin one hour before the actual MHP begins, and it will stay open for one hour after the party begins, at which point ToonTown shuts down for the night.  Reports from Friday night said that ToonTown was really crowded -- one person said that they even stopped letting people in for a brief time.


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## DisneyMom234

Yes and i love you guys!! We got tickets!!!


----------



## Sherry E

DisneyMom234 said:


> Yes and i love you guys!! We got tickets!!!



  Yay!  That's wonderful news!  I'm so glad you were able to get them, and that they were not sold out from the phone lines yet.


----------



## dolphingirl47

I went to the party with a friend on Friday and we had a ball. The highlight for us was definitely Halloween Screams. We got a perfect view. We got plenty of candy, met some characters, enjoyed the Cadaver Dans performing. Pluto at Toon Town had a candy corn collar. We ate at Hungry Bear and there was hardly anybody there.

Corinna


----------



## Sherry E

dolphingirl47 said:


> I went to the party with a friend on Friday and we had a ball. The highlight for us was definitely Halloween Screams. We got a perfect view. We got plenty of candy, met some characters, enjoyed the Cadaver Dans performing. Pluto at Toon Town had a candy corn collar. We ate at Hungry Bear and there was hardly anybody there.
> 
> Corinna



Maybe all of the Hungry Bear customers left when the fried green tomato sandwich and bumblebee cupcake were taken off the menu!


----------



## rwhistler92

dolphingirl47 said:


> I went to the party with a friend on Friday and we had a ball. The highlight for us was definitely Halloween Screams. We got a perfect view. We got plenty of candy, met some characters, enjoyed the Cadaver Dans performing. Pluto at Toon Town had a candy corn collar. We ate at Hungry Bear and there was hardly anybody there.
> 
> Corinna



What time did you eat dinner?


----------



## dolphingirl47

I think it was about 7:30.

Corinna


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## Malia78

dolphingirl47 said:


> I went to the party with a friend on Friday and we had a ball. The highlight for us was definitely Halloween Screams. We got a perfect view. We got plenty of candy, met some characters, enjoyed the Cadaver Dans performing. Pluto at Toon Town had a candy corn collar. We ate at Hungry Bear and there was hardly anybody there.
> 
> Corinna



Hopefully I'll be able to duplicate your success on this coming Wednesday's party!

--Karilynn


----------



## haileymarie92

Malia78 said:


> Hopefully I'll be able to duplicate your success on this coming Wednesday's party!
> 
> --Karilynn


We will be there Wednesday as well!!


----------



## stephanie22

Ok guys here is my finished costume. What do you think?


----------



## Mommy2PrincessAbby

Sorting out our plans... SS parade, not a must do for us, but a nice to add in if we can... We have 2 party nights of our 4 nites there.  And fly out too early on the last day to see the parade.  I am going to bet that since the "crossover period" begins when the parade is happening that SS might be a mad house on party days? Unless... We go get a spot over by small world (we have hoppers) and try to see the start of the parade as the party people are just being let in at the front of the park?  Otherwise it would be Wednesday 10/28 we would watch it?  Thoughts on best way to go?


----------



## JadeDarkstar

Cute outfit.


----------



## HopLow1968

dolphingirl47 said:


> . The highlight for us was definitely Halloween Screams. We got a perfect view.



How long in advance did you have to claim your spot?


----------



## stephanie22

JadeDarkstar said:


> Cute outfit.


Thank you! 

It's the first thing I've sewn, I just hope it's not too obvious that it is lol. Also I hope people will know who I'm supposed to be.


----------



## princess1194

I was wondering on halloween night if there is anything to do in downtown disney or the hotels for us non party goers. Is there trick or treating for the kiddos? Just was curious.


----------



## Sith

stephanie22 said:


> Thank you!
> 
> It's the first thing I've sewn, I just hope it's not too obvious that it is lol. Also I hope people will know who I'm supposed to be.


Cinderella's ruined dress, right? Looks great!


----------



## Sherry E

stephanie22 said:


> Ok guys here is my finished costume. What do you think?View attachment 126230



You did a great job with it!  I cannot sew to save my life -- so I appreciate anyone who can create costumes!






princess1194 said:


> I was wondering on halloween night if there is anything to do in downtown disney or the hotels for us non party goers. Is there trick or treating for the kiddos? Just was curious.



Well, the hotels have not been having anything Halloween-related on 10/31, as far as I know.  They do hand out candy to trick or treaters on Halloween night, but I think it might be onsite guests only.   I could be wrong about the onsite only thing, but they do hand out candy.

As for Downtown Disney on 10/31... not that I know of.  If there is anything, no one has spoken up about it.  Someone mentioned that this year there was supposed to be some sort of AP holder thing in Downtown Disney, but no details have come out about that -- and I don't know if it would include 10/31.  Some of the individual restaurants might have something on 10/31, but I have not seen anything advertised yet (in email newsletters).  

I will be sure to post here if I hear of anything.

I know that Tortilla Jo's in DTD should have a Dia de los Muertos celebration on 11/1 and 11/2, but I wonder if they would include 10/31 in it as well.  There would be special food, music and face painting.


----------



## dolphingirl47

HopLow1968 said:


> How long in advance did you have to claim your spot?



That is the sweet irony. We had watched Paint the Night further down near the Jolly Holiday Bakery and only got to our spot about 10 to 15 minutes before the fireworks started. We had tried to cross over to the other side and got stuck right in front of the castle.


----------



## kappyfamily

Has anyone been to Big Thunder Ranch BBQ during the MHP? I have a reservation for 4:30pm on a party night and am curious if dinner was served or was it lunch? My family loves the sausage and they were asking...


----------



## theluckyrabbit

dolphingirl47 said:


> That is the sweet irony. We had watched Paint the Night further down near the Jolly Holiday Bakery and only got to our spot about 10 to 15 minutes before the fireworks started...



Which direction was PTN running?


----------



## Sith

kappyfamily said:


> Has anyone been to Big Thunder Ranch BBQ during the MHP? I have a reservation for 4:30pm on a party night and am curious if dinner was served or was it lunch? My family loves the sausage and they were asking...


It looks like only lunch is available on party days, and 4:30pm is the latest time.

I haven't been there yet. This is just what I gathered from the reservation page on the Disneyland website.


----------



## Sherry E

dolphingirl47 said:


> That is the sweet irony. We had watched Paint the Night further down near the Jolly Holiday Bakery and only got to our spot about 10 to 15 minutes before the fireworks started. We had tried to cross over to the other side and got stuck right in front of the castle.



Corinna --

When you get  chance -- not now, as I know you are at DLR, having a great time! -- maybe you can add some insight or thoughts to this thread about Aulani/DLR combination trips - http://www.disboards.com/threads/dlr-aulani-combo-trip.3451056/.  DIS'er sgrap is thinking of doing a DLR/Aulani combo trip, and I mentioned that you did a DLR-Aulani-DLR trip last year.


----------



## lorijohnhill

Ugh! My daughter slipped and fell tonight and now has a slightly sprained ankle (on day 3 of an 11 day trip). I'm REALLY hoping she feels better tomorrow. I have to use an ECV to tour the parks, so if she still can't walk in it, I'm not sure what we are going to do. She rode in my scooter with me back to the hotel tonight, but we can't do that all day tomorrow and going forward. Sigh.  We are also supposed to go to the MHP tomorrow night. Wish me luck!


----------



## Sherry E

lorijohnhill said:


> Ugh! My daughter slipped and fell tonight and now has a slightly sprained ankle (on day 3 of an 11 day trip). I'm REALLY hoping she feels better tomorrow. I have to use an ECV to tour the parks, so if she still can't walk in it, I'm not sure what we are going to do. She rode in my scooter with me back to the hotel tonight, but we can't do that all day tomorrow and going forward. Sigh.  We are also supposed to go to the MHP tomorrow night. Wish me luck!



Oh no!   I hope her ankle is better.  Are you having her ice her ankle or elevate it?   Poor thing.  Where did she fall (which area of DLR)?

Sending good thoughts your way and your daughter's way...


----------



## haileymarie92

Oh no! Hope her ankle gets better! Remember RICE!!
Rest
Ice
Compression 
Elevation


----------



## mummabear

lorijohnhill said:


> Ugh! My daughter slipped and fell tonight and now has a slightly sprained ankle (on day 3 of an 11 day trip). I'm REALLY hoping she feels better tomorrow. I have to use an ECV to tour the parks, so if she still can't walk in it, I'm not sure what we are going to do. She rode in my scooter with me back to the hotel tonight, but we can't do that all day tomorrow and going forward. Sigh.  We are also supposed to go to the MHP tomorrow night. Wish me luck!



Oh no!
How old is she? Is she in much pain? Were they able to wrap it for her?
One trip DD3(well almost by about 3 weeks) ran around the water play area at Seaworld on the day before our DLR days, she complained about having sore feet and we made her walk back to the car because she had been complaining all trip about walking even 50 meters (lazy bum), when we got there I took off her shoes to give them a mommys magic kiss to find there were bleeding blisters from the heat on the black tar (yes parent of the year) burrning her feet while she was playing-she was unable to walk for days.


----------



## theluckyrabbit

The hotel gift shop might have an ace bandage for her ankle. Also, CVS at Katella and Harbor has ace bandages and arnica to keep the swelling down. Hope she feels lots better by tomorrow!


----------



## Spyral

Sith said:


> It looks like only lunch is available on party days, and 4:30pm is the latest time.
> 
> I haven't been there yet. This is just what I gathered from the reservation page on the Disneyland website.



We have a 5:30 reservation this Friday.  They called to say was good even with the party happening, but only lunch would be served (no sausages or corn wheels), and would be lunch prices.


----------



## Dee2015

Lori  Sending quick healing/health vibes your way.

I'm back on the pressed pennies band wagon again and wondering (please) at DL do you have the option to "hole punch" for lack of a better term into the penny to allow it to be made into a necklace?

That's what they do here at our Zoos etc so wondered if universal please?

Thanks!


----------



## keishashadow

Nice to see reviews, keep them coming please!

Haven't been contacted as to our dinner selections re the MBB next Monday.  Not a fan of the litho either, picture posted shows it matted and framed.  Seriously hope it's handed out rolled up in a tube to make it easy to lug around during the party.


----------



## Mum from oz

mummabear said:


> Snap, we hit DLR and Vegas on our honeymoon ( on our way back from Greece).
> We have basically alternated DL and WDW since (usually as part of other trips). This trip is our 10th wedding anniversary trip We head into Orlando on the 30th and have MNSSHP on the 1st and then MVMCP on the 10th and 14th.
> Jealous of a Disney cruise, I have always wanted to do one.
> 
> I would do the BB dinner if I was in your shoes, yes it's $300 towards a home deposit, but sadly in this day and age not a big sent (and while every bit does quickly add up) it's your honeymoon, you have two adults that can move at a quick pace around he rest of the party and its only $300.
> For our family it would have been $750 and I still have it good consideration.
> 
> Are you going to be able to check out the Obsourne lights at DHS? Where are you staying in Orlando?
> 
> Don't forget to get the Just married badges at city hall.



Snap! We got married in Vegas 2 years ago and honeymooned in WDW, DCL and Disneyland.... Great minds huh! 

I think you should do it! Although I really want to hear some reviews too.


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## dolphingirl47

theluckyrabbit said:


> Which direction was PTN running?



It came down the hub and headed towards Main Street.



Sherry E said:


> Corinna --
> 
> When you get  chance -- not now, as I know you are at DLR, having a great time! -- maybe you can add some insight or thoughts to this thread about Aulani/DLR combination trips - http://www.disboards.com/threads/dlr-aulani-combo-trip.3451056/.  DIS'er sgrap is thinking of doing a DLR/Aulani combo trip, and I mentioned that you did a DLR-Aulani-DLR trip last year.



Will do. I am taking to the buses this afternoon as I am visiting a friend in Long Beach so I will have plenty of time then.

Corinna


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## Raivyn

HopLow1968 said:


> For those who went to the MHP, a few questions.
> - How were ride lines in general?  We've got conflicting reports on that.
> - How were Haunted Mansion and Ghost Galaxy lines in particular?
> - Based on what you saw, how early should one line up in front of the castle to get good fireworks viewing?
> - How were the character meet and greet lines?  Did the lines seem to change over the course of the evening?
> - Were there any treat trails that you thought were especially well-done? (we don't plan on going to that many).
> - I'll have a regular day's admission as well as MHP tickets, do you think the toontown pre-party would be worth it for me? (seems like it was packed, so I'm not sure I want to brave it.)
> 
> I'm getting that the consensus is that candy lines were very long but shortened considerably after fireworks.



We went on Friday night and I don't think I would do this event again.

We arrived at 6pm and the lines to get in were long.  They did not have all of the lines open because they still needed lines for regular ticket holders to enter until 7pm.  Since they were beginning to clear out people, the area by the flower garden once you entered was crowded.  There was a long line for Pluto, and he wasn't wearing a costume.

Most of the rides had a 15-20 minute wait.  HM was closer to 25-30 minutes.  Not bad, but actually longer than we were expecting.  No fast passes were accepted.  Our biggest disappointment was that Pirates of the Carribean was closed due to the BB dinner.

The trick or treat lines were long, but moved quickly.  The male cast members were definitely more generous with candy than the female cast members.  We didn't spend too much time there since it was just regular candy - you can buy a bag at Costco and get the same amount and save yourself the time.

Lines for character greets were pretty long.  We waited a bit for Jack Sparrow but gave up and moved on.

Because the trick or treat trails were located in the larger walkways, it made moving around kind of a pain.  The whole thing just felt overly crowded until about 10pm, after the fireworks show the crowds died down.

We didn't see the parade.  We ate dinner at French Market and watched the fireworks from their patio area.  Not the best view, but we were still able to enjoy them.

All in all, we wouldn't go back because it didn't seem that different than a regular day in the park at this time of year. We've gone in the last weekend of Sept several times, and on a Saturday the crowds are about the same, the wait time for the rides is about the same, the Halloween themed food is available, and you have much more time to enjoy everything since the park opens at 8 and closes at midnight.  In addition, Pirates would be open!

Anyways, those of you with tix, - have fun and definitely plan what you want to do in advance and use your time accordingly.  It goes by very fast.


----------



## Hippo87

Is there pin trading during the parties?  I figured no, but my mom and I are big pin traders and I didn't want to leave my pins at the motel if I'm mistaken.


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## haileymarie92

Raivyn said:


> Most of the rides had a 15-20 minute wait.  HM was closer to 25-30 minutes.  Not bad, but actually longer than we were expecting.  No fast passes were accepted.  Our biggest disappointment was that Pirates of the Carribean was closed due to the BB dinner.



I could be mistaken, but I don't think pirates would be closed because of MSBB. 

Pirates has been closed for refurbishment for a few weeks. It's supposed to open again later this week.


----------



## Nonsuch

Raivyn said:


> ...Our biggest disappointment was that Pirates of the Carribean was closed due to the BB dinner.


Pirates refurbishment is 9/14 - 9/30, does not seem related to the BB dinner.


----------



## Kilala

I can't wait to see more trip reports with photos. It's only 3 more days before the first day of October. It's 17 days before my first MHP of the year!! It's also 34 days before Halloween


----------



## JessieD

This is a pretty good review if your objective is meeting characters. 
http://www.kennythepirate.com/2015/09/27/disneyland-mickeys-halloween-party-review/
He has a lot of pictures on his actual Facebook page as well


----------



## Corpsebride

Can I get confirmation that we can go into DCA in costume today before the Halloween party tonight ?


----------



## mommy2mrb

Corpsebride said:


> Can I get confirmation that we can go into DCA in costume today before the Halloween party tonight ?



no, you can only wear your costumes in Disneyland when you arrive for the party if you are an adult.



keishashadow said:


> Nice to see reviews, keep them coming please!
> 
> Haven't been contacted as to our dinner selections re the MBB next Monday.  Not a fan of the litho either, picture posted shows it matted and framed.  Seriously hope it's handed out rolled up in a tube to make it easy to lug around during the party.



we are going this Friday and finally got an answer that I should be receiving an email 3-5 days before your dinner day, so I should be getting mine today or tomorrow.


----------



## Corpsebride

mommy2mrb said:


> no, you can only wear your costumes in Disneyland when you arrive for the party if you are an adult.


thank you !


----------



## GenGen22

lorijohnhill said:


> Ugh! My daughter slipped and fell tonight and now has a slightly sprained ankle (on day 3 of an 11 day trip). I'm REALLY hoping she feels better tomorrow. I have to use an ECV to tour the parks, so if she still can't walk in it, I'm not sure what we are going to do. She rode in my scooter with me back to the hotel tonight, but we can't do that all day tomorrow and going forward. Sigh.  We are also supposed to go to the MHP tomorrow night. Wish me luck!


Oh no... I hope she feels better soon


----------



## lorijohnhill

She's 8. She fell in Town Sqare over near Mad Hatter. She was following Goofy as he came out to do a meet and greet. He actually was able to catch he before her head hit the ground, so it could have been much worse! Goofy is our hero! 

I let her sleep in today in hopes the extra time off of it would help. We have it wrapped. She was able to hobble to the bathroom, but is still complaining of pain. It will be an interesting day!



mummabear said:


> Oh no!
> How old is she? Is she in much pain? Were they able to wrap it for her?
> One trip DD3(well almost by about 3 weeks) ran around the water play area at Seaworld on the day before our DLR days, she complained about having sore feet and we made her walk back to the car because she had been complaining all trip about walking even 50 meters (lazy bum), when we got there I took off her shoes to give them a mommys magic kiss to find there were bleeding blisters from the heat on the black tar (yes parent of the year) burrning her feet while she was playing-she was unable to walk for days.


Last year she broke this same foot in three places. I didn't realize it was broken and sent her to school the next morning. They made her run laps and do jumping jacks, as they do every morning. Yeah, I'm the mother of the year also!


----------



## TashaDuddek

I am a long time party goer, but still seem to be a nit of a newbie! This will be the first time with my Nephew, as the last previous years were more spontaneous with only my husband and I.

What would be the best advice for watching the parade and fireworks? in the past my Hubby and I would easily find a spot for two a few mins before the fireworks, but with more people this time a little planning might make sense. We will be at DL a few other days as well, so would I be best off saving the parade for a regular night, or is a Halloween party night less crowded making it a better opportunity? I defiantly want to see the fireworks, so that would be priority!


----------



## mummabear

lorijohnhill said:


> Last year she broke this same foot in three places. I didn't realize it was broken and sent her to school the next morning. They made her run laps and do jumping jacks, as they do every morning. Yeah, I'm the mother of the year also!



Its a special club lol


----------



## Sherry E

The Parks Blog has finally done a piece about the return of MahaloWeen - http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...s-enchanted-tiki-bar-at-the-disneyland-hotel/.

We already knew about this, thanks to Priory tipping us off about seeing it on the DLR website, but at least the Blog gives some extra details.

​


----------



## mummabear

JessieD said:


> This is a pretty good review if your objective is meeting characters.
> http://www.kennythepirate.com/2015/09/27/disneyland-mickeys-halloween-party-review/
> He has a lot of pictures on his actual Facebook page as well



I was going to post this last night but with darn daylight savings time the darn dark hour of Disboards is right in the middle of my evening time!
I am concerned that he has mentioned that the characters dont sign, I have bought autograph books (60th anniversary) for this party!


----------



## Sherry E

TashaDuddek said:


> I am a long time party goer, but still seem to be a nit of a newbie! This will be the first time with my Nephew, as the last previous years were more spontaneous with only my husband and I.
> 
> What would be the best advice for watching the parade and fireworks? in the past my Hubby and I would easily find a spot for two a few mins before the fireworks, but with more people this time a little planning might make sense. We will be at DL a few other days as well, so would I be best off saving the parade for a regular night, or is a Halloween party night less crowded making it a better opportunity? I defiantly want to see the fireworks, so that would be priority!



Hopefully others will weigh in on this, but I think that, unless the crowds at MHP were super low (which they're not), I would probably opt to see Paint the Night on a non-party night and just focus on the party-specific things (like the fireworks) at the party.


----------



## stephanie22

Sith said:


> Cinderella's ruined dress, right? Looks great!



Thanks that's exactly who it's supposed to be!


----------



## lorijohnhill

mummabear said:


> I was going to post this last night but with darn daylight savings time the darn dark hour of Disboards is right in the middle of my evening time!
> I am concerned that he has mentioned that the characters dont sign, I have bought autograph books (60th anniversary) for this party!


The only characters we saw that wouldn't sign were Pooh & friends.


----------



## TashaDuddek

Thanks Sherry,
I was kind of thinking that, so this will probably be our plan of attack.


----------



## azdisneylover

Tablefor5 said:


> What time should you go to turnstiles for MHP?  and Is it a crazy mess? Do they actually wait until 3:00p?
> We did MHP @ DCA a few years back but don't remember it being too long of a wait at turnstiles.
> I am debating over a 2d or 3d PH.
> If 2d, then we will not go into the park until MHP time allowed (will be 3pm on our day) but then I am worried about having a long wait out front.
> If 3d, then we would go into the park prior and thinking it would be easier to already be in the park, but wondering if the extra $200+ (there are 5 of us) for the tickets is warranted.
> Based on your experiences, pro's and con's of being in park already vs. entering at party time (3p).
> TIA



We were in the parks already (lunch at Carnation Cafe to surprise our kids with the MHP tickets). After lunch hubby and the kids rode a few rides and then we got in line to get our wrist band and bag from a Halloween stand set up right when you enter Frontierland on the right side, (before you get to the shooting arcade). Very easy to get, very organized. The map was in the bag. Front of the bag is Aladdin (sad because they are closing the play, which we saw twice, and the back is promoting their latest dinosaur animated movie).


----------



## mom2rtk

Does anyone know if most characters at the party have Photopass?


----------



## mummabear

mom2rtk said:


> Does anyone know if most characters at the party have Photopass?



On this note, can someone in the parks please ask the photopass desk, or ticket booth (as this is where they are sold at WDW) if there is a one day memory maker available for the party?


----------



## Sherry E

mom2rtk said:


> Does anyone know if most characters at the party have Photopass?



I think they do, but hopefully we will get confirmation from this year's MHP.

I can see now that it was a very wise thing for you to get tickets for 2 party nights!  Most reports that I have seen in random places have been that the lines for characters are very, very long this year, and there is no way to meet everyone in one night without giving up all of the other things at MHP.


----------



## azdisneylover

_If anyone else gets photos of this tree, can you post them here in this thread?  While I don't mind linking some things, I know that people prefer to see the photos right in the posts._


*Sherrie,

My daughter and I took pictures of the tree with our cell phones. Would you please post, or point me in the direction of how to post pictures? I know we too quite a few of them when the chef was talking with a family about the construction of the tree.

Linda*


----------



## RichP1269




----------



## Sherry E

Thank you, RichP1269, for sharing that photo with us!

I have been waiting for the Parks Blog to do a piece on this new cake tree in the GCH lobby, only because they never, ever do a Halloween-themed anything in the GCH!  They did a blog about the new gingerbread house in the GCH last year.  They did a blog about the 60th Anniversary Castle cake in the GCH this year, if I am not mistaken.  They need to do a piece about the spooky tree!  I only first saw it because figment_jii posted photos of it (separate thread), and then Matt/whoever posted photos (separate thread).  Had it not been for them I would not have known about the tree last week.   No one was even mentioning the tree on other Disney discussion sites, so I think it was not widely known that it is there.   I assumed that Disney would be quick to post something about it, but they are slow with the info, of course.


----------



## SeattleSuz

So, there is another party tonight, correct??
Is anyone going tonight?  I am wondering if the crowds on Friday had to do with the party being sold out and the first party of the season?
I am hoping that's the case and since our party is not sold out, maybe it will be a little lighter, crowd-wise?


----------



## Sherry E

SeattleSuz said:


> So, there is another party tonight, correct??
> Is anyone going tonight?  I am wondering if the crowds on Friday had to do with the party being sold out and the first party of the season?
> I am hoping that's the case and since our party is not sold out, maybe it will be a little lighter, crowd-wise?



Yes.  Another MHP tonight!  If tonight's party is still not sold out, that's a good sign that the crowds might not be as substantial as they were on Friday.


----------



## mom2rtk

Sherry E said:


> Hopefully others will weigh in on this, but I think that, unless the crowds at MHP were super low (which they're not), I would probably opt to see Paint the Night on a non-party night and just focus on the party-specific things (like the fireworks) at the party.


 

We haven't been to MHP yet. Nor have we seen PTN yet. And I've been back and forth on this. We have party tickets for 2 nights. And I know I want to stake out a spot to photograph the Halloween fireworks one night. I had thought I might skip PTN on party night, but now I'm leaning toward thinking if I'm going to invest time in getting a spot, why not get a spot where I could also see PTN while I'm waiting. So I think I'm giving up on a spot in front on the castle and going for a spot on the curb where the road turns toward the Matterhorn. I'll still have to be there crazy early, but at least I'd get a 2-fer.

Anyone else have thoughts on this?

I stumbled upon this photo on Flickr (not mine) and am thinking they took it from the spot I'm thinking about.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/cobbpr/10054228633/



Sherry E said:


> I think they do, but hopefully we will get confirmation from this year's MHP.
> 
> I can see now that it was a very wise thing for you to get tickets for 2 party nights!  Most reports that I have seen in random places have been that the lines for characters are very, very long this year, and there is no way to meet everyone in one night without giving up all of the other things at MHP.


 

Even with having tickets to 2 parties, I'm still getting nervous. I figure I'll have to give up the better part of one evening just getting the spot I want for the fireworks.

You're right though, it does help knowing I have tickets for 2 parties.

Any thoughts on whether you think I can get photos with all the characters at the TT pre-party in one night?

The Kenny the Pirate write up helped a lot. But I still have about a million questions.


----------



## RichP1269

mom2rtk said:


> We haven't been to MHP yet. Nor have we seen PTN yet. And I've been back and forth on this. We have party tickets for 2 nights. And I know I want to stake out a spot to photograph the Halloween fireworks one night. I had thought I might skip PTN on party night, but now I'm leaning toward thinking if I'm going to invest time in getting a spot, why not get a spot where I could also see PTN while I'm waiting. So I think I'm giving up on a spot in front on the castle and going for a spot on the curb where the road turns toward the Matterhorn. I'll still have to be there crazy early, but at least I'd get a 2-fer.
> 
> Anyone else have thoughts on this?
> 
> I stumbled upon this photo on Flickr (not mine) and am thinking they took it from the spot I'm thinking about.
> 
> https://www.flickr.com/photos/cobbpr/10054228633/



We were in the reserved seating spot on the edge of the east spoke of the hub.  I'm thinking that pic was a bit closer to center front.

Here was our view:


----------



## mom2rtk

RichP1269 said:


> We were in the reserved seating spot on the edge of the east spoke of the hub.  I'm thinking that pic was a bit closer to center front.
> 
> Here was our view:


 

I think you're right. I just read his statement in a comment on the photo again. Here's what he said:

We set up for the 8:30 parade around 8:00, then we just stayed there after. This was from the curb on the hub that is also facing up the path to the Matterhorn. That let us have the first parade come straight to us but gave us a nice angle to the castle so we could see the pop up ball with the faces above the left side of the castle

I missed the part about the parade coming straight at them, so I do think he has to have been on the hub side of things. Now I have to rethink things again. I know they have reserved seating for the MSBB dinner taking up a bunch of space in front of the castle. What about on the other side of the Partner's Statue? Does anyone know if this is staked out ahead for other reserved seating or handicapped seating?

I might end up ditching my plan again and just going up more by the castle. I know you can see the ball better on the let side, but if you're on the right side you could see the parade.-


----------



## RichP1269

I don't remember if there was any reserved seating to the left of the Partners Statue.  There was to the front, the right side and the right side of the hub at the 9/25 party.


----------



## JadeDarkstar

I wish you luck but if you are already going to be there check early in the morning the day of. They seem to have some tickets on the day of.


----------



## mom2rtk

RichP1269 said:


> I don't remember if there was any reserved seating to the left of the Partners Statue.  There was to the front, the right side and the right side of the hub at the 9/25 party.


 
Is the reserved seating that is going to be there already roped off when the party starts?

I'd love to hear other reports about this area as more people attend. I think the problem to the left is that it might not offer a view of the parade.


----------



## RichP1269

It was already roped off on the 9/25 party.


----------



## Drnifer

lorijohnhill said:


> The only characters we saw that wouldn't sign were Pooh & friends.



Did the Villains sign? KTP said no, but last year they did. I wonder if it depends on crowd levels.


----------



## Tablefor5

azdisneylover said:


> We were in the parks already (lunch at Carnation Cafe to surprise our kids with the MHP tickets). After lunch hubby and the kids rode a few rides and then we got in line to get our wrist band and bag from a Halloween stand set up right when you enter Frontierland on the right side, (before you get to the shooting arcade). Very easy to get, very organized. The map was in the bag. Front of the bag is Aladdin (sad because they are closing the play, which we saw twice, and the back is promoting their latest dinosaur animated movie).



Thanks!
We decided to be in the park prior to 3p that day so this sounds like a great plan of attack to get checked in and started! Now I just need to attack, I mean find, Jack Sparrow! 
Oh, and the Tremaine family!


----------



## Sherry E

"House of Cards – Haunted Mansion Holiday Style – at Disneyland Park" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on September 28th, 2015 by Shannon Swanson, Public Relations Manager, Disneyland Resort - http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...ted-mansion-holiday-style-at-disneyland-park/.



​


LP2015 said:


> *NEED One Ticket to MHP for Wednesday, October 7th for a very motivated teen, in acknowledgement of good grades!*
> I've called DLR directly & posted on FaceBook's Mickey Halloween Party Fans, with no luck.  StubHub currently has only a minimum purchase of two or more tkts for that day, at a steep premium, of course!  If you've an MHP ticket for the 7th that won't be used, please consider us.  Thank much.



There are no sales or financial transactions allowed on this board, but I agree with JadeDarkstar's suggestion to go to the ticket booths on the day of the event (go early) and see if they have gotten in any tickets.


----------



## ricardol

mom2rtk said:


> Is the reserved seating that is going to be there already roped off when the party starts?
> 
> I'd love to hear other reports about this area as more people attend. I think the problem to the left is that it might not offer a view of the parade.



Yeah I also want more clarification from this roped area too!..... I won't do MSBB so I need to come up with a good strategy for getting a spot. With the info I have seen, seems like if you get in front of a roped area they will ask everybody to sit down in front so this might be to our advantage too!!!


----------



## seobaina

Sith said:


> Ok thanks. I've seen some of this stuff, such as a lady wearing stretch pants that had shiny green scales like a mermaid.



We do Disney bounding. We have it planned for this trip. We keep it representative though not costume. For example I went once as daisy with purple converse, yellow tights, white shorts, purple top, green bangle and pink bow necklace. It's fun 




Sherry E said:


> Viviana seemed to have had a terrible time at MHP, that's for sure!



I missed it. What happened?



JessieD said:


> This is a pretty good review if your objective is meeting characters.
> http://www.kennythepirate.com/2015/09/27/disneyland-mickeys-halloween-party-review/
> He has a lot of pictures on his actual Facebook page as well



Thank you

Does anyone know if the princesses are out? I was hoping to see Pocahontas?


----------



## Davidg83

Just when I thought that I could no longer be surprised by pumpkin spice items I came across this... Pumpkin spice sandwich bread.


----------



## BigCheese

mom2rtk said:


> Any thoughts on whether you think I can get photos with all the characters at the TT pre-party in one night?
> 
> The Kenny the Pirate write up helped a lot. But I still have about a million questions.



This is based on last years party, but I think it's doable (and I agree, Kenny the Pirate's review is excellent and is very helpful). Last year I waited in line about an hour before the start of the pre party while the family did other things. This year I might wait in line 1.5 hours prior to the PP (maybe 2 because we're going to be there on Halloween). Our goal was to get as many characters as possible and being one of the first in line will be a huge advantage. They had three sets of characters out at a time and switched every 30 min (so both sets were present twice during the PP). If the crowds this year behave the same as last year, everyone wanted treats first, then characters second. We easily got the first three sets without any issue. Then we got 2 of the last 3 during the second rotation. The only one we didn't get was Mickey & Minnie (they are grouped together). We wanted to get Wizard Donald, Horace, and Clarabelle most of all. This year we will target Mickey and Minnie early because their line was by far the longest and we were unable to get them before the first hour was up. We could have stayed during the second hour to try and get them but we wanted to explore the other parts of the park and get other characters like the Pirates and Villains before lines got too long. If your goal is to get everyone at the TT PP, I think you can do it in the first hour if you get there early and target Mickey and Minnie right when they appear (or better yet, stand in their line before the first rotation is over). Kenny the Pirate offers a terrific strategy. It sounds like Mickey and Minnie are in the second rotation again this year, so I would stand in the line where they're scheduled to meet before they get there. You'll have to time it right, but if you start in that line about 5 to 10 min before the first rotation is over, you'll probably be able to get M&M during their first rotation, then get the other characters with shorter lines after.


----------



## stephanie22

Does anyone know if there were any special or rare characters out at the toontown pre party? I'm trying to decide if we should try to get into it or spend that time doing something else.


----------



## Sherry E

Davidg83 said:


> Just when I thought that I could no longer be surprised by pumpkin spice items I came across this... Pumpkin spice sandwich bread.



  It's for those times when regular sandwich bread just isn't enough for ham, turkey, roast beef or PB&J!  I guess we just have to be careful not to accidentally put any of the Fall Frolic kitty litter on the bread. 



stephanie22 said:


> Does anyone know if there were any special or rare characters out at the toontown pre party? I'm trying to decide if we should try to get into it or spend that time doing something else.



I'll be interested to see if anyone different is spotted there tonight.  It sounds like the only rare ones who were out on Friday were the "witches" (they seem to be in ToonTown every year for the event) - http://www.disboards.com/threads/ha...s-now-sold-out.3270919/page-268#post-54484602.

Otherwise, the characters you will see -- Mickey, Minnie, Chip, Dale and Pluto -- should be wearing special Halloween outfits or accessories (like Pluto's candy corn collar or tag).


----------



## stephanie22

Sherry E said:


> I'll be interested to see if anyone different is spotted there tonight.  It sounds like the only rare ones who were out on Friday were the "witches" (they seem to be in ToonTown every year for the event) - http://www.disboards.com/threads/ha...s-now-sold-out.3270919/page-268#post-54484602.
> 
> Otherwise, the characters you will see -- Mickey, Minnie, Chip, Dale and Pluto -- should be wearing special Halloween outfits or accessories (like Pluto's candy corn collar or tag).



Who are the "witches"? Also I think it'd be great if they had Pete out! He's kind of a Villian so he'd fit with Halloween and toontown.


----------



## Sherry E

stephanie22 said:


> Who are the "witches"? Also I think it'd be great if they had Pete out! He's kind of a Villian so he'd fit with Halloween and toontown.



I have never figured out who the witches are and why they are in TT -- are they a part of a story that I somehow don't know?  - but they wear colorful outfits.  They're not scary witches.  

Here is a photo (courtesy of a blog found through Google Images) of the witches from a previous year - https://wishuponablogwithcody.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/cimg3079.jpg.


----------



## theluckyrabbit

mom2rtk said:


> Does anyone know if most characters at the party have Photopass?



Last year there were hardly any PP CMs around at our first party, but there were plenty at our second party. Regardless, there were always CMs available to take photos with your phone. 



stephanie22 said:


> Does anyone know if there were any special or rare characters out at the toontown pre party? I'm trying to decide if we should try to get into it or spend that time doing something else.



Last year we got photos with Clarabell Cow and Horace Horse. We don't usually see them around.


----------



## stephanie22

Sherry E said:


> I have never figured out who the witches are and why they are in TT -- are they a part of a story that I somehow don't know?  - but they wear colorful outfits.  They're not scary witches.
> 
> Here is a photo (courtesy of a blog found through Google Images) of the witches from a previous year - https://wishuponablogwithcody.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/cimg3079.jpg.



Oh they're cute! We didn't see them last year.



theluckyrabbit said:


> Last year there were hardly any PP CMs around at our first party, but there were plenty at our second party. Regardless, there were always CMs available to take photos with your phone.
> 
> 
> 
> Last year we got photos with Clarabell Cow and Horace Horse. We don't usually see them around.



Yeah we got to see them too, my son was so funny, he was scared of Horace for some unknown reason, but wouldn't stop hugging Clarabelle. I hope they have other rare characters this year.


----------



## MilitaryMouse

We went on Friday and loved it! Tickets were sold out, but we got ours at the Grand where we stayed. If you get to the front desk at 6am, you're almost guaranteed a ticket. For those not staying onsite, try the ticket window at the park right when they open. We met a couple people who got tickets on Friday that way.

And just FYI, Jack Skellington and Sally stopped signing autographs around 8:30pm. CMs said it was to help move the line along. Before that though, they were signing autographs. So if you definitely want autographs, maybe meet characters early.

Also, I'd skip treat trails until the last hour. The first few we did took a long time due to crowds, and we only got 3 pieces of candy at each station, so we only did two treat trails, then went to meet characters. The last hour, CMs were handing out fistfuls and there were no lines. We got 2 backpack fulls in 15 minutes.


----------



## CassieScraps

We are down to 10 days before we are there!   Anyway, BIG Thank you's! to those that are posting tips for the party.   We are there Fri-Sun & party Mon (Due to the CHOC walk, I'm now scared of Sunday), but I've learned that we want to do rides during the day, not during the party so much, and meet Jack & Sally during our regular days. 

We only really have 4 "goals" this trip.  Ride HM, ride Splash Mountain, meet Jack&Sally and meet Maleficent.   Second to that is the WoC show, PTN and Fireworks.   I'm confident all of that will be do-able now.   This is a 5 year old led trip, and these are my goals. They may differ from hers, hahaha.

I am debating changing my breakfast reservation on Friday morning.  We have an 8:10 reservation, but I've noticed that first thing in the morning is slower in regards to rides like PoC, HM and TMRR.    I'm thinking I might want to change it to 9:30 or so, and try to squeeze those rides in first thing.   What do you think?   We have BBB reservations on Saturday morning, and I want that to happen before we start doing things for the day, so I can get pictures throughout the day.

One more question - Do the characters come out in their Halloween costumes or Halloween themed clothing during the day?  Especially Mickey & Minnie.  I've heard both now, and I figured people have now had a chance to visit this year and would have accurate reports.

Thanks!


----------



## BigCheese

CassieScraps said:


> One more question - Do the characters come out in their Halloween costumes or Halloween themed clothing during the day?  Especially Mickey & Minnie.  I've heard both now, and I figured people have now had a chance to visit this year and would have accurate reports.
> 
> Thanks!



Yes, the Fab 5 plus C&D are in their normal Halloween outfits in Town Square during the day. Mickey and Minnie have three Halloween outfits each. Mickey is in his normal Halloween purple tux and top hat during the day, his Zorro outfit at the TT PP, and his orange Halloween tux and top hat at BTR during MHP (MHP outfits confirmed by Kenny the Pirate's pics). Minnie wears her normal Halloween witch costume in the day, her candy corn outfit at TT PP, and her orange witch outfit at BTR during MHP (MHP outfits confirmed by Kenny the Pirate).

Of your 4 goals, they're all very doable. Meeting Maleficent will require the most patience. Since there's no carnival and no conjure a villain this year, she's no longer meeting during the day like in the past. Meeting villains in Town Square during MHP can be a crap shoot. Since they rotate, and since lines can be long, timing needs to be right. Last year those lines wrapped to the front of the park by the floral Mickey. Accounts from Friday indicate the same thing happened during the first party as well. Based on our past experience, it took us around 20-30 minutes to get from the floral Mickey where the line wrapped around to actually meeting the villains. I would stand in line about 20 min through the 'other' character group (per Kenny, the other group was Hades, Gov Ratiffe, and Jafar). They'll probably switch out when you start to approach the front of the line. If you stand in line and notice she's already meeting guests, and the line is wrapped around to the front of the park, you probably won't meet her during that rotation. Again, timing needs to be right, but since they rotate throughout the night you'll have ample opportunities to meet her.


----------



## JadeDarkstar

To meet Maleficent will  be the one that takes the most time. Since shes out in the first rotation make sure you are in town square when the party starts and ask a cm where she will be. We went about three years ago and she was the one we had to have. (DH and DS are huge fans) we almost missed her too but we got to her right before the switch.


----------



## lorijohnhill

Drnifer said:


> Did the Villains sign? KTP said no, but last year they did. I wonder if it depends on crowd levels.


We haven't seen the villains yet, so I don't know.


----------



## mom2rtk

BigCheese said:


> Yes, the Fab 5 plus C&D are in their normal Halloween outfits in Town Square during the day. Mickey and Minnie have three Halloween outfits each. Mickey is in his normal Halloween purple tux and top hat during the day, his Zorro outfit at the TT PP, and his orange Halloween tux and top hat at BTR during MHP (MHP outfits confirmed by Kenny the Pirate's pics). Minnie wears her normal Halloween witch costume in the day, her candy corn outfit at TT PP, and her orange witch outfit at BTR during MHP (MHP outfits confirmed by Kenny the Pirate).
> 
> Of your 4 goals, they're all very doable. Meeting Maleficent will require the most patience. Since there's no carnival and no conjure a villain this year, she's no longer meeting during the day like in the past. Meeting villains in Town Square during MHP can be a crap shoot. Since they rotate, and since lines can be long, timing needs to be right. Last year those lines wrapped to the front of the park by the floral Mickey. Accounts from Friday indicate the same thing happened during the first party as well. Based on our past experience, it took us around 20-30 minutes to get from the floral Mickey where the line wrapped around to actually meeting the villains. I would stand in line about 20 min through the 'other' character group (per Kenny, the other group was Hades, Gov Ratiffe, and Jafar). They'll probably switch out when you start to approach the front of the line. If you stand in line and notice she's already meeting guests, and the line is wrapped around to the front of the park, you probably won't meet her during that rotation. Again, timing needs to be right, but since they rotate throughout the night you'll have ample opportunities to meet her.


 

Thanks for that!

I'd like to meet all the villains. Would our odds be good if we just get in one group, wait through and meet them, then get right back in line? Do they care if you let others pass you in line if you're waiting for them to swap out?

I've heard Mickey and Minnie switch to their Diamond Anniversary costumes during the day. Any idea when they do that?



RichP1269 said:


> It was already roped off on the 9/25 party.



Thanks! That will help. I'd still love to hear reports from others attending parties over the next few weeks on how much space is available in the hub for non-reserved viewing.



BigCheese said:


> This is based on last years party, but I think it's doable (and I agree, Kenny the Pirate's review is excellent and is very helpful). Last year I waited in line about an hour before the start of the pre party while the family did other things. This year I might wait in line 1.5 hours prior to the PP (maybe 2 because we're going to be there on Halloween). Our goal was to get as many characters as possible and being one of the first in line will be a huge advantage. They had three sets of characters out at a time and switched every 30 min (so both sets were present twice during the PP). If the crowds this year behave the same as last year, everyone wanted treats first, then characters second. We easily got the first three sets without any issue. Then we got 2 of the last 3 during the second rotation. The only one we didn't get was Mickey & Minnie (they are grouped together). We wanted to get Wizard Donald, Horace, and Clarabelle most of all. This year we will target Mickey and Minnie early because their line was by far the longest and we were unable to get them before the first hour was up. We could have stayed during the second hour to try and get them but we wanted to explore the other parts of the park and get other characters like the Pirates and Villains before lines got too long. If your goal is to get everyone at the TT PP, I think you can do it in the first hour if you get there early and target Mickey and Minnie right when they appear (or better yet, stand in their line before the first rotation is over). Kenny the Pirate offers a terrific strategy. It sounds like Mickey and Minnie are in the second rotation again this year, so I would stand in the line where they're scheduled to meet before they get there. You'll have to time it right, but if you start in that line about 5 to 10 min before the first rotation is over, you'll probably be able to get M&M during their first rotation, then get the other characters with shorter lines after.



Thanks for that. If I'm understanding you and Kenny the Pirate correctly, the spot to start is Donald/Daisy then immediately get back in the same line knowing Mickey/Minnie will return there. Do we know who is switching off for who in the other lines?



theluckyrabbit said:


> Last year there were hardly any PP CMs around at our first party, but there were plenty at our second party. Regardless, there were always CMs available to take photos with your phone.
> 
> 
> 
> Last year we got photos with Clarabell Cow and Horace Horse. We don't usually see them around.



Thanks! It sounds like the situation is very fluid. We'll have my DSLR along, but since I'm wearing a costume I'd like to get in some of the photos too.


----------



## BigCheese

mom2rtk said:


> Thanks for that!
> 
> I'd like to meet all the villains. Would our odds be good if we just get in one group, wait through and meet them, then get right back in line? Do they care if you let others pass you in line if you're waiting for them to swap out?
> 
> I've heard Mickey and Minnie switch to their Diamond Anniversary costumes during the day. Any idea when they do that?


 
Since Halloweentime started, I've only seen the Town Square characters doing M&Gs in their Halloween outfits during the day (EDITED: Missangelalexis confirmed seeing Mickey & Minnie in their 60th outfits in the late afternoon/early evening after Soundsational).

If meeting the villains is your top priority, I would probably do as you suggested. From your previous post, it sounds like meeting all of the TT characters during the PP is a priority. If you're able to do that during the first hour (or even if you spend the whole two hours there), I would then get to Town Square right after and get in line for the villains. Whomever is there, I would time your wait in line from a reference point to see how long it takes. It sounds like Maleficent/Cruella/Queen is in the first set and Hades/Jafar/Ratcliffe are in the second set. Just remember that the villains pause doing M&Gs during the parade. Then if you get in line again right after you meet your first set of villains, you can gauge where the line is versus how long it took you from a certain spot the first time around. The wrinkle is that I would think it takes the line a tad bit longer to cycle through the ladies than it would the guys (since all three ladies are face characters and all three guys are not). Guests may be more inclined to strike up a short conversation with the ladies than the guys.


----------



## Oswald23

BigCheese said:


> It sounds like Maleficent/Cruella/Queen is in the first set and Hades/Jafar/Ratcliffe are in the second set.


KTP said to me that the gents are first out followed by the ladies. I don't know how it was the second party. Hope to figure that out soon.


----------



## BigCheese

mom2rtk said:


> Thanks for that. If I'm understanding you and Kenny the Pirate correctly, the spot to start is Donald/Daisy then immediately get back in the same line knowing Mickey/Minnie will return there. Do we know who is switching off for who in the other lines?


 
I couldn't tell if Kenny was among the first to enter TT. From his report, he said he got there at 5:30 (for a 6:00 TT PP). That probably wasn't early enough to be first in line to see D&D, but maybe he saw them 15 minutes in, which would then lead him to recommend getting back in that same line immediately for M&M. If you're one of the first in line to get in, I would go straight to the area right between the gazebo and City Hall (where D&D are meeting). If you're one of the first to meet D&D, then you'll have 25-30 minutes before M&M show up. I would try to meet the other two characters that are out during the first set before getting back in line for M&M. If you get back in the D&D line right after you meet them, that line shouldn't be 30 min long. You'd probably cycle through that line and meet D&D again. The lines for the other two characters during the first set shouldn't be that bad. I would get back in the "gazebo" line with about 5-10 min left to spare while D&D are still there. Hopefully you can time it right to be one of the first to meet M&M.

Based on Kenny's pics, it sounds like D&D meet in the "center" spot between City Hall and the Gazeebo. To the right of them (next to the Library) is Goofy. I couldn't tell who the last character in this first set was. Maybe Pluto? The last spot is to the left of City Hall in front of Daisy's Diner. Then from Kenny's pics, it looks like C&D met where Goofy was...M&M met in the center spot where D&D were...but I don't know who the last character(s) is. He named D&D, Goofy, Pluto, M&M, and C&D. That's five. I don't know if it's Clarabelle and Horace again this year, or someone else.



Oswald23 said:


> KTP said to me that the gents are first out followed by the ladies. I don't know how it was the second party. Hope to figure that out soon.



That's good to know, thanks. In a post above, Jade Darkster mentioned her being in the first set, so hopefully we can get clarification from yesterday's party.


----------



## grumpy's fan

Villain Autograph?

My daughter is hoping to get Maleficent's autograph - will she be signing or just taking photos?

Thanks


----------



## Oswald23

@BigCheese if I read correctly Jade Darksters is talking about the party 3 year ago. But fact is I hope we get some clarification soon


----------



## missangelalexis

mom2rtk said:


> I've heard Mickey and Minnie switch to their Diamond Anniversary costumes during the day. Any idea when they do that?



When I was there (about a week and a half ago), Mickey & Minnie did come out in their Diamond costumes late in the day. From what I've heard, you can expect them in Diamond costumes any time after Soundsational. On one night I was able to meet them both together. We got in line around 6pm, the line was LONG (over an hour wait) but they did not cut the line and guaranteed if you were currently in line that you would get to meet them. I also noticed they also came out closer to parade and closing time (I would check the app for times). One night after the 2nd PTN parade, a lot of people were waiting (in an organized line) and a CM came out and said that Mickey & Minnie would be coming out but meeting separately and that basically you were waiting in line for nothing and when the characters came out you would have to follow them to their line. Pluto also came out on this same evening. I also saw Goofy come out on other occasions. 

It's a little confusing and messy, and CMs are very mysterious about it in my opinion. 

I hope you have luck in seeing them!


----------



## mom2rtk

missangelalexis said:


> When I was there (about a week and a half ago), Mickey & Minnie did come out in their Diamond costumes late in the day. From what I've heard, you can expect them in Diamond costumes any time after Soundsational. On one night I was able to meet them both together. We got in line around 6pm, the line was LONG (over an hour wait) but they did not cut the line and guaranteed if you were currently in line that you would get to meet them. I also noticed they also came out closer to parade and closing time (I would check the app for times). One night after the 2nd PTN parade, a lot of people were waiting (in an organized line) and a CM came out and said that Mickey & Minnie would be coming out but meeting separately and that basically you were waiting in line for nothing and when the characters came out you would have to follow them to their line. Pluto also came out on this same evening. I also saw Goofy come out on other occasions.
> 
> It's a little confusing and messy, and CMs are very mysterious about it in my opinion.
> 
> I hope you have luck in seeing them!


 

Well, it's not the definitive answer I was hoping for, but it helps to know what the deal is, even if it's messy! I'm guessing we'll try to catch the early in our trip, then keep scouting out later in the day to see if we can catch them together. Thank you so much for that run-down!

Does anyone know if they ever meet together on Town Square in their Halloween costumes?


----------



## missangelalexis

mom2rtk said:


> Well, it's not the definitive answer I was hoping for, but it helps to know what the deal is, even if it's messy! I'm guessing we'll try to catch the early in our trip, then keep scouting out later in the day to see if we can catch them together. Thank you so much for that run-down!
> 
> Does anyone know if they ever meet together on Town Square in their Halloween costumes?



I never saw that :-/ They were always separate.


----------



## ludari

Sherry E said:


> The Parks Blog has finally done a piece about the return of MahaloWeen - http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...s-enchanted-tiki-bar-at-the-disneyland-hotel/.
> 
> We already knew about this, thanks to Priory tipping us off about seeing it on the DLR website, but at least the Blog gives some extra details.
> 
> ​


 
I confirmed my reservation yesterday for MahaloWeen.  I'm trying to decide if I want to wear a costume or not.


----------



## bellazachmom

mom2rtk said:


> I've heard Mickey and Minnie switch to their Diamond Anniversary costumes during the day. Any idea when they do that?



When we were there a few weekends ago for Dapper Days the characters were in their Halloween costumes in the morning and around lunch time. Later, there was an afternoon "parade" with the 60th Anniversary Band, Dapper Dans and a few others, along with the Fab 5 and they are in their 60th outfits at this point and stayed that way through their afternoon and evening M&Gs. One day the were meeting together and one day they were seperate. It was a little bit of organized chaos with trying to figure out who would be where and the CM, while trying to be helpful, didn't seem to know much.

This was before the Halloween parties started, however, so things may have changed.

The little "parade" was a suprise for us and a lot of fun.


----------



## Kilala

The 30th just sold out.


----------



## tlovesdis

I just had to share this photo...it's one of my favorites!  In 2013 we did the Halloween party and waited in line for three villians.  Hades was the last one and I handed my phone to the CM to snap some pics for us.  A while later I was looking at the pics and saw this!  The CM had taken a few selfies!!!


----------



## JenKate

I love that tlodedis!  Disney CMs are the best!

Has anyone done the M&G with Captain America at the party?  How long was the wait?  We have a couple of Princess meetings on our itinerary, but since half of the kids are boys, I might try and add that in too!


----------



## mummabear

So we had been trying t work out how to get DD4 who all of a sudden changed from the girl that jumps off our room into a bit of a scaredy cat onto some rides she is now tall enough for and this is what we have come up with.


----------



## Sherry E

I just wanted to point out an interesting fact -- I am in the process of updating the necessary posts on page 1 with the latest sellout info for 9/30, and it dawned on me that this is the second year in a row in which the second party of the season DID NOT SELL OUT in advance.  In other words, last night was the second party of the season and it did not sell out ahead of time -- maybe it never sold out at all.  The same thing happened in 2014.

So, remember next year, when trying to decide which party to attend -- although who knows what will be happening with MHP next year -- the second party night of the season does not seem to be as popular, and might have lower crowds.  In previous years (prior to 2014), the second party night always sold out.  I think that as more nights are being added to the line-up, the second MHP night is becoming less appealing for whatever reason.


Keep the MHP reports and photos coming, folks!  Keep the reviews of MSBB coming too!   It really helps if you can post them here in the thread as well as wherever else you post them, so that in future years -- if I have to search for some bit of info to help answer questions or link certain things -- I only have to look in one thread for the info, rather than trying to comb through many different threads. 

​


----------



## Ellester

We were also there on Friday night. We got in line to get our wristbands in Fronteirland around 5pm, the line before that was ridiculous! The line moved really well, then stalled as two of the four computers apparently went down. It crawled after that but we eventually got our bands, maps, and bags. I agree that the early lines for treats were outrageous. We did the Village Haus trail right after 7 when the line was still short but after that they went through the roof! I can't see paying $60 to wait in a line for 30 minutes for $2 worth of candy. I thought the park was packed. We saw the Cadaver Dans, which was very cool. Did a lot of people watching. Rode Snow White before they totally shut Fantasyland down at 8:30. We watched the parade from the side of the castle across from the Matterhorn, just down from Alice. It was a good spot. There was no one on the opposite side of the path so the characters all focused on our side. We walked down towards Small World for the fireworks. They had some pumpkins projecting on Small World before the fireworks but nothing during which was a little disappointing. After the fireworks, they still didn't open Fantasyland and since we had really seen all we cared to see we headed down Mainstreet. They were doing some really cool projections on the buildings. We hit an empty treat trail in Town Square on the way out at around 10:30pm. At that time the villians out were the Queen, Cruella, and Maleficent. Overall we had fun but I don't think it was worth the extra money. Maybe if they had a cool Halloween parade like they do in WDW or it was less crowded. I think we will skip the extra parties from now on, they just don't seem worth the money to me.


----------



## seobaina

Do we know if they are doing special photo pass pics? And can anyone tell me which princesses are out? We want Pocahontas. Thanks x


----------



## JadeDarkstar

I may be wrong but I thought Pocahontas was no longer in the parks? Some one may be able to confirm or correct me.


----------



## mommy2mrb

Was told yesterday I would be receiving our email to order our entrees for MSBB this Friday by this morning. 
Never got it!  
Called around noon, left message and haven't heard back...any one going Friday night? Have you received your email yet???


----------



## haileymarie92

mommy2mrb said:


> Was told yesterday I would be receiving our email to order our entrees for MSBB this Friday by this morning.
> Never got it!
> Called around noon, left message and haven't heard back...any one going Friday night? Have you received your email yet???


We are also going Friday night. Haven't gotten our email yet either. We did get an email reminding us of our reservation, but it says nothing about picking entrees or anything. 


We are officially in Anaheim!! Went to downtown disney for a little bit this afternoon and will be in the parks tomorrow morning .


----------



## Chris9ty

Ellester said:


> We walked down towards Small World for the fireworks. They had some pumpkins projecting on Small World before the fireworks but nothing during which was a little disappointing.



If someone goes to another party and watches the Halloween Screams Fireworks from it's a small world let us know if they do the show projections or not. I've seen you tube videos of it from past years and wouldn't want to miss the show.

ETA- did anyone see the HS show projections on the Rivers of America?


----------



## mommy2mrb

haileymarie92 said:


> We are also going Friday night. Haven't gotten our email yet either. We did get an email reminding us of our reservation, but it says nothing about picking entrees or anything.
> 
> 
> We are officially in Anaheim!! Went to downtown disney for a little bit this afternoon and will be in the parks tomorrow morning .



I got that email too. Hopefully they get sent tomorrow!  
Have fun!


----------



## lorijohnhill

It's such a small world! My daughter (who is feeling much better now) and I ran into dolphingirl47 (Corinna) this morning in the PPH lobby! How fun to meet someone from the DIS!


----------



## Tablefor5

Autographs are a priority for us at the party for the Tremaine family, Maleficent,  and Sparrow.
Please someone tell me there is a chance.....


----------



## theluckyrabbit

mom2rtk said:


> ...Does anyone know if they ever meet together on Town Square in their Halloween costumes?





missangelalexis said:


> I never saw that :-/ They were always separate.



Mickey & Minnie are together in their Halloween costumes during MHP. Their M&G is in TT, then after the preparty it is by Big Thunder Ranch. CMs have the line follow the Big Thunder Trail.


----------



## mrsw94

mummabear said:


> So we had been trying t work out how to get DD4 who all of a sudden changed from the girl that jumps off our room into a bit of a scaredy cat onto some rides she is now tall enough for and this is what we have come up with.



ABSOLUTELY LOVE THAT!!  I may even have to steal it!! Our 7 year old tends to be a bit anxious, so is not sure about some things.  However he LOVES charts, I have a feeling that may be JUST the ticket!!  thanks for sharing your idea!!


----------



## theluckyrabbit

seobaina said:


> Do we know if they are doing special photo pass pics? And can anyone tell me which princesses are out? We want Pocahontas. Thanks x



I've heard that there are 2 special PP pics (one with Zero and one with a cauldron). Ask the PP CMs if they can do the special photos for you. Usually the CM at the pumpkin in Town Square will do it. 

Pocohontas sightings seem to be rare. The last time we saw her posing for photos was at last year's CHOC Walk.


----------



## mom2rtk

Tablefor5 said:


> Autographs are a priority for us at the party for the Tremaine family, Maleficent,  and Sparrow.
> Please someone tell me there is a chance.....


 

I was really hoping for a Maleficent autograph also. I hope others will chime in and let us know if there's a chance.



theluckyrabbit said:


> Mickey & Minnie are together in their Halloween costumes during MHP. Their M&G is in TT, then after the preparty it is by Big Thunder Ranch. CMs have the line follow the Big Thunder Trail.


 

Thanks! We're hoping to catch both of those as well.

I hope 2 parties is enough for all my big plans!


----------



## BigCheese

seobaina said:


> Do we know if they are doing special photo pass pics? And can anyone tell me which princesses are out? We want Pocahontas. Thanks x



You can see her on stage at the Mickey and Magical Map show but unfortunately no regularly scheduled M&G appearances in the parks. Reviews of the Disneyland Family Thanksgiving Feast at DLH indicate she makes regular M&G appearances there every year.


----------



## JadeDarkstar

They signed for us when we were there a few years ago. We wanted to tear it out rts book and frame it with a pic of his fav bad guys


----------



## Sherry E

I know that many of you already read the Kenny the Pirate review of MHP.  Here is another good review (with a lot of photos) of last Friday's MHP, courtesy of Character Central - http://www.charactercentral.net/B4768_MickeysHalloweenPartyatDisneylandAReport.aspx. 

​


----------



## BigCheese

Sherry E said:


> I know that many of you already read the Kenny the Pirate review of MHP.  Here is another good review (with a lot of photos) of last Friday's MHP, courtesy of Character Central - http://www.charactercentral.net/B4768_MickeysHalloweenPartyatDisneylandAReport.aspx.
> 
> ​



Another great review, thanks. Glad to hear that Bullseye was out all night and Woody/Jessie rotated at BTR. A bummer that there wasn't a sixth character/group in TT and Pluto was the one who stayed out the whole time and not Mickey and Minnie. Maybe they might change this for future parties? One can hope.


----------



## seobaina

JadeDarkstar said:


> I may be wrong but I thought Pocahontas was no longer in the parks? Some one may be able to confirm or correct me.





theluckyrabbit said:


> I've heard that there are 2 special PP pics (one with Zero and one with a cauldron). Ask the PP CMs if they can do the special photos for you. Usually the CM at the pumpkin in Town Square will do it.
> 
> Pocohontas sightings seem to be rare. The last time we saw her posing for photos was at last year's CHOC Walk.





BigCheese said:


> You can see her on stage at the Mickey and Magical Map show but unfortunately no regularly scheduled M&G appearances in the parks. Reviews of the Disneyland Family Thanksgiving Feast at DLH indicate she makes regular M&G appearances there every year.




Thanks guys. I knew she was rare normally but I thought she was out at Halloween though? A couple of years ago when we went she was in one of three groups of princesses swapping over during the party. Does this no longer happen?


----------



## kappyfamily

mummabear said:


> So we had been trying t work out how to get DD4 who all of a sudden changed from the girl that jumps off our room into a bit of a scaredy cat onto some rides she is now tall enough for and this is what we have come up with.


The chart is cool but noticed some of these are WDW rides. Also, personally I think 4 is a little young for space mountain, dinosaur and ToT. Of course every 4 yo is different but if she's already scared not sure those three are good for her to go on to make her feel less scared, you could end up making it worse. Of course only you know your child best. Maybe you can word it "if you complete 5 you get....." " if you choose to complete them all you get.....". Then you are rewarding her for still being brave even if there are a couple she doesn't want to do. 4 is pretty young.


----------



## mummabear

kappyfamily said:


> The chart is cool but noticed some of these are WDW rides. Also, personally I think 4 is a little young for space mountain, dinosaur and ToT. Of course every 4 yo is different but if she's already scared not sure those three are good for her to go on to make her feel less scared, you could end up making it worse. Of course only you know your child best. Maybe you can word it "if you complete 5 you get....." " if you choose to complete them all you get.....". Then you are rewarding her for still being brave even if there are a couple she doesn't want to do. 4 is pretty young.



I have been on them all, her older sister has been on them all at 3yo.
Our rule is you have to try it once to decide if you like it or not, if you don't like it you never have to ride it again if that's is what you chose.
She loves watching the ride videos of these on you tube so has an idea of what to expect.
The WDW rides are on there as our trip is to WDW, DLR is just a stopover on the way this time


----------



## stephanie22

mummabear said:


> I have been on them all, her older sister has been on them all at 3yo.
> Our rule is you have to try it once to decide if you like it or not, if you don't like it you never have to ride it again if that's is what you chose.
> She loves watching the ride videos of these on you tube so has an idea of what to expect.
> The WDW rides are on there as our trip is to WDW, DLR is just a stopover on the way this time



We have a similar rule with our three year old. He decides things based off of the name alone, for example he is scared to ride btmr because of the word thunder. I showed him video of the ride and he said it looks fun, told him what the name was and he said no I'm scared to ride it. But he would ride ghost galaxy because the name isn't scary to him (he won't be riding it, because I've been on it and know it would scare him.).


----------



## tkitty

Tonight is our party night, yay! We are more the type that hit the rides and save the treat trails til' later, when the lines die down. This will be the first time us adults will dress up. We are hoping Pirates will be open because we will all be going as pirates!


----------



## Sith

Wow. I just tried to book 3 spots for Happiest Haunts on Oct 30. Today was the 30 day mark. I called right at 7am. I was on hold for 20 min and they were all sold out.


----------



## KrisRose821

Sith said:


> Wow. I just tried to book 3 spots for Happiest Haunts on Oct 30. Today was the 30 day mark. I called right at 7am. I was on hold for 20 min and they were all sold out.
> 
> Would it be worth it to periodically try back in case there are cancellations?




I was told when I called in yesterday that cancellations are very slim to none. I was on hold for a solid 30 mins and apparently got the last two slots and I called 10 mins before the phone lines "opened" for the Happiest Haunts Tour on Oct 29th. Couldn't believe it!


----------



## Topazjewel

We are going to the Halloween party tonight.   We are planning on being there at 3 pm.  I was wondering if we will be able to pick up fast passes to use before the party starts at 6 pm.

Thanks


----------



## Metalliman98

Sith said:


> Wow. I just tried to book 3 spots for Happiest Haunts on Oct 30. Today was the 30 day mark. I called right at 7am. I was on hold for 20 min and they were all sold out.
> 
> Would it be worth it to periodically try back in case there are cancellations?



You said you called at 7?  My understanding was that the line opened at 6 or 7 but that reservation spots for the 30 days out tour did not become available in the system until 8 am DL time.

I called in a bit early for mine (maybe 5 or 10 minutes) and got them no issue but I was booking on 9/5 for 10/5.  Sorry to hear that you couldn't get in.  Is 10/31 a possibility?

We are also going 12/27-1/1, I guess I better be on the phone bright and early to get spots for the holiday tour!


----------



## Metalliman98

Topazjewel said:


> We are going to the Halloween party tonight.   We are planning on being there at 3 pm.  I was wondering if we will be able to pick up fast passes to use before the party starts at 6 pm.
> 
> Thanks



Yes, you can get and use fast passes between time you get in and the time the party officially starts.


----------



## FlowersCroon

We were at the opening night of Mickey's Halloween Party and the heat was brutal. I've written a full recap that you can check-out, but my NUMBER ONE tip that I want to share here with people who aren't familiar with So Cal weather is:
*
Check the forecast and plan costumes accordingly.*_ Southern California can be extremely hot and humid in early Fall, so please do check the weather forecast. My costume was a simple Woody dress I paired with a cowboy hat and bandana in order to be comfortable and still enjoy myself. You can go as big or small as you choose in terms of costumes - just be sure to follow the guidelines and wear comfortable shoes!_

The rest of our recap can be found here at *FlowersCroon.com*. This was my first time attending with kids and we had a super time! I've done it now with and without kids and both times were fab, but different because when you're alone you don't need to plan as much.


----------



## Metalliman98

FlowersCroon said:


> We were at the opening night of Mickey's Halloween Party and the heat was brutal. I've written a full recap that you can check-out, but my NUMBER ONE tip that I want to share here with people who aren't familiar with So Cal weather is:
> *
> Check the forecast and plan costumes accordingly.*_ Southern California can be extremely hot and humid in early Fall, so please do check the weather forecast. My costume was a simple Woody dress I paired with a cowboy hat and bandana in order to be comfortable and still enjoy myself. You can go as big or small as you choose in terms of costumes - just be sure to follow the guidelines and wear comfortable shoes!_
> 
> The rest of our recap can be found here at *FlowersCroon.com*. This was my first time attending with kids and we had a super time! I've done it now with and without kids and both times were fab, but different because when you're alone you don't need to plan as much.



Thanks!  We are there next week and thankfully it looks like the temps are topping out in low to mid 80s.


----------



## Sith

KrisRose821 said:


> I was told when I called in yesterday that cancellations are very slim to none. I was on hold for a solid 30 mins and apparently got the last two slots and I called 10 mins before the phone lines "opened" for the Happiest Haunts Tour on Oct 29th. Couldn't believe it!


Well, the CM told me that cancellations are not a possibility, because the tours are prepaid and non refundable. She said even if people are no-shows the spots still would be unavailable. 

I called right at 7. Never thought of calling earlier. I guess I should have tried that.


----------



## Oswald23

Only 1 party left. 29th is sold out!

1 Question I hope anyone can answer from the 2nd party. Do you know which villains set appeared first. Male or female. Hope someone can help.


----------



## Sith

Metalliman98 said:


> You said you called at 7?  My understanding was that the line opened at 6 or 7 but that reservation spots for the 30 days out tour did not become available in the system until 8 am DL time.
> 
> I called in a bit early for mine (maybe 5 or 10 minutes) and got them no issue but I was booking on 9/5 for 10/5.  Sorry to hear that you couldn't get in.  Is 10/31 a possibility?
> 
> We are also going 12/27-1/1, I guess I better be on the phone bright and early to get spots for the holiday tour!


Yes, I called at 7. I did call again just after 8(just in case), and the CM confirmed that they were indeed sold out and that 7am is when they were available. 

I asked about Oct 29, but that is also sold out. The 31st is not really an option, since we are doing MHP and MSBB that night. Oh well.


----------



## Abbey1

So it seems that the party my family is attending (the 27th) is the only one still available. Is there any chance at all that it won't sell out? I'm guessing not, but it would be awesome if our party was somehow less crowded than the others!


----------



## CassieF

Tonight is the night!  I'll be on either late tonight or tomorrow with my experience overall and with the MSBB dinner.  I have been thinking, since pirates is supposed to open tomorrow, will it actually be open during the party or at least the dinner portion of the party?  Even when it's regular dinner people yell over to the restaurant...but is is an exclusive event within an exclusive event and many were mad over the price...I could see riders potentially being quite disruptive, not to mention the show aspects of the dinner disrupting the peaceful portion of the ride...


----------



## riostoker

JenKate said:


> I love that tlodedis!  Disney CMs are the best!
> 
> Has anyone done the M&G with Captain America at the party?  How long was the wait?  We have a couple of Princess meetings on our itinerary, but since half of the kids are boys, I might try and add that in too!



We did it at the Halloween Party on Friday... maybe a 10 minute wait? at most? not long at all.


----------



## Kilala

The 29th just sold out.


----------



## riostoker

theluckyrabbit said:


> I've heard that there are 2 special PP pics (one with Zero and one with a cauldron). Ask the PP CMs if they can do the special photos for you. Usually the CM at the pumpkin in Town Square will do it.
> 
> Pocohontas sightings seem to be rare. The last time we saw her posing for photos was at last year's CHOC Walk.



We got a picture with a poisoned apple in front of the pumpkin on Town Square.


----------



## Sith

Sith said:


> Yes, I called at 7. I did call again just after 8(just in case), and the CM confirmed that they were indeed sold out and that 7am is when they were available.
> 
> I asked about Oct 29, but that is also sold out. The 31st is not really an option, since we are doing MHP and MSBB that night. Oh well.


Actually, what do you guys think? Would it be possible to squeeze the tour in before the MSBB? Or, is that too unfeasible? We would like to do the tour, and that would really be the only option we have left.


----------



## FlowersCroon

Metalliman98 said:


> Thanks!  We are there next week and thankfully it looks like the temps are topping out in low to mid 80s.



I'm glad to hear that! Have a great time!!


----------



## SeaPic

Transportation question - Toy Story Lot, ART, or something else? We are staying at the Hampton Garden Grove. Also should we wear costumes to DTD if we head there for food before 4pm or change somewhere?

Thanks!


----------



## haileymarie92

It's now Wednesday and I still haven't received the email to choose our MSBB dinners for Friday night. Hmmm....


In other news, we are at Disneyland!! Going to the MHP tonight! I'll report back on my thoughts later on . Can't wait to enjoy some spooky fun!

Also, I can second that they are allowing you to buy the MHP limited edition pins before the party, and without showing party tickets. We just bought the four pack!


----------



## KrisRose821

Sith said:


> Actually, what do you guys think? Would it be possible to squeeze the tour in before the MSBB? Or, is that too unfeasible? We would like to do the tour, and that would really be the only option we have left.




Actually I can tell you that the last of 19 people I spoke to regarding this EXACT same question finally gave me a straight up no way. The tour ends at 7 (if you're luck enough to get the 4pm) and 715. Any delay at all would result in it lasting longer etc. The dinner starts at 7, not at the 730 the website originally stated. She was the "premium events" lady that booked my MSBB and MHP tickets for halloween night and I wanted to do exactly what you're asking.


----------



## jenhelgren

Can any of Halloween Screams or the projections be viewed next to the castle across from Matterhorn on the parade route? That is the area we would like to watch the parade from and I am looking for the best place to move to see fireworks. The hub will be a bit much for our family and I don't want to push my way that direction at all!!


----------



## ricardol

CassieF said:


> Tonight is the night!  I'll be on either late tonight or tomorrow with my experience overall and with the MSBB dinner.  I have been thinking, since pirates is supposed to open tomorrow, will it actually be open during the party or at least the dinner portion of the party?  Even when it's regular dinner people yell over to the restaurant...but is is an exclusive event within an exclusive event and many were mad over the price...I could see riders potentially being quite disruptive, not to mention the show aspects of the dinner disrupting the peaceful portion of the ride...



My advice is , don't worry about it and enjoy your dinner. Don't concentrate on the negative could be's, be positive you have an exclusive experience and it will be completely worth it.


Im sure Disney will do everything in their power to make it perfect.


----------



## Sherry E

It would be groovy if the Disney Parks Blog would do a blog about the Halloween Treat Cake Tree (or whatever it is called) in the Grand Californian Hotel lobby before the Halloween Time season is over (now that it has seemingly been there for almost one week)!       Since the sign/board with the details of the tree seems to have come and gone, it would be nice to read about it in a blog.

It is not typical for the hotels to have anything Halloween-ish (outside of MahaloWeen), so I would think that the Parks Blog would be promoting this tree as much as possible!


----------



## mommy2mrb

haileymarie92 said:


> It's now Wednesday and I still haven't received the email to choose our MSBB dinners for Friday night. Hmmm....
> 
> 
> In other news, we are at Disneyland!! Going to the MHP tonight! I'll report back on my thoughts later on . Can't wait to enjoy some spooky fun!
> 
> Also, I can second that they are allowing you to buy the MHP limited edition pins before the party, and without showing party tickets. We just bought the four pack!



I got mine today at 10:23am!  you have to choose all three...appetizer, entrée and dessert.hope you finally got yours!  have fun tonight!


----------



## Chris9ty

haileymarie92 said:


> It's now Wednesday and I still haven't received the email to choose our MSBB dinners for Friday night. Hmmm....
> !




The second part of our email for the MSBB says '
*The Shadow Man is requesting your selection of appetizer, entrée, and dessert to guarantee a most magical experience.
Please reply to this e-mail with a choice of each per Guest in your party at least 48 hours prior to your experience.'*

Did yours say that?  Our travel agent is handing it and replied with the selections.

Can't wait to read the reviews!


----------



## haileymarie92

mommy2mrb said:


> I got mine today at 10:23am!  you have to choose all three...appetizer, entrée and dessert.hope you finally got yours!  have fun tonight!


Apparently ours came at 10:23am too! I had been checking but it went to junk and I must've scanned past it. Oops!! 

So excited for Friday!!


----------



## Avery's mom

KrisRose821 said:


> Actually I can tell you that the last of 19 people I spoke to regarding this EXACT same question finally gave me a straight up no way. The tour ends at 7 (if you're luck enough to get the 4pm) and 715. Any delay at all would result in it lasting longer etc. The dinner starts at 7, not at the 730 the website originally stated. She was the "premium events" lady that booked my MSBB and MHP tickets for halloween night and I wanted to do exactly what you're asking.



Forgive me, but that seems to be very poor planning on DL's part.  It would definitely stand to reason that people would want to take the tour on their Party night, and then attend MSBB as well.  I know we would have wanted to do that, had there been any tour spots open.  If it were me, I might do it anyway (if they let you book it) and then gracefully bow out of the tour 10 minutes early to make the MSBB dinner.


----------



## keishashadow

just chiming in, discovered the email for our MBB, surprised to see time moved up to 7 pm.  now wishing I had booked 2 parties lol

getting ready to leave for airport, thanks to everyone, especially Sherry , for being so patient and helpful to a MHP noob.


----------



## StyledSugar

Loving all of the reviews and links to reviews everyone! We are doing the October 27th party and are looking so forward to it!

Someone mentioned earlier about the Big Thunder Ranch BBQ not serving dinner, only lunch on party days. I checked my reservation for it on the Disney site and it's showing dinner....? Did yours show that as well when you made the reservation or did you book over the phone? My hubby will be pretty upset if he doesn't get the sausage and corn lol


----------



## mommy2mrb

Chris9ty said:


> The second part of our email for the MSBB says '
> *The Shadow Man is requesting your selection of appetizer, entrée, and dessert to guarantee a most magical experience.
> Please reply to this e-mail with a choice of each per Guest in your party at least 48 hours prior to your experience.'*
> 
> Did yours say that?  Our travel agent is handing it and replied with the selections.
> 
> Can't wait to read the reviews!




Yes my email said that!  also to be there at 7:00 instead of 7:30 for seating!



haileymarie92 said:


> Apparently ours came at 10:23am too! I had been checking but it went to junk and I must've scanned past it. Oops!!
> 
> So excited for Friday!!



Yay, they must of done a mass send out at the same time! 
We are excited too!


----------



## dipdotdarlin'

If we go to the Halloween party and it starts at 6pm, but we go in at 3pm- when do you put on your costumes?


----------



## haileymarie92

dipdotdarlin' said:


> If we go to the Halloween party and it starts at 6pm, but we go in at 3pm- when do you put on your costumes?


You can wear your costume starting at 3 when they let you in. 


Over at california adventure right now but we will be heading to the MHP in a short while!!


----------



## Kilala

It looks as if the 27th sold out too unless if the site is being weird


----------



## Sherry E

Kilala said:


> It looks as if the 27th sold out too unless if the site is being weird



What???  That must have just happened.  Let me go check the DLR site.  It was not sold out earlier today.


Edited to add:  I can't get to the MHP calendar.  I could get there earlier today, but it won't let me go there now.


----------



## mom2rtk

OK, so I'm still toiling over our party plan, including fireworks viewing. If I want to be in the hub up near the castle, what time would I need to stake out a spot?  I'm afraid I'm going to be told I need to sit there from the time the part starts, which is really a no go since it starts at 6 and HS isn't until 9:30.


----------



## haileymarie92

We're here!! 

Fyi for anyone interested:
The wristbands are a different color each night. Monday was reddish and today is yellow. They also have the date printed on them! They all stick with the diamond shiny design, though! I'll let you know what color Friday's is.


----------



## theluckyrabbit

Sherry E said:


> What???  That must have just happened.  Let me go check the DLR site.  It was not sold out earlier today.
> 
> 
> Edited to add:  I can't get to the MHP calendar.  I could get there earlier today, but it won't let me go there now.



The DL webpage is not selling any more MHP tickets. It says no tickets available. This was around 5pm.


----------



## Sherry E

theluckyrabbit said:


> The DL webpage is not selling any more MHP tickets. It says no tickets available. This was around 5pm.



Where are you seeing that, though?  I can't get to any page that says no tickets available.  I keep getting bumped back to the regular MHP page.

Oh, okay -- I see it now.  I was going in through a different route on the DLR site and not going in through the way you guys went to see that no tickets were being sold.  I was expecting to see the little MHP calendar with a "Sold Out" for the 27th, and it kept bumping me back to the main MHP page.  

In any case, once again this year, only one night was left open (that was the second party night) and all others sold out!


----------



## theluckyrabbit

Sherry E said:


> Where are you seeing that, though?  I can't get to any page that says no tickets available.  I keep getting bumped back to the regular MHP page.



I was on the DLR webpage (https://disneyland.disney.go.com/tickets/events/), clicked on special event tickets, and the first thing on the page was MHP without the usual arrow that lets you get more info. Now instead of the arrow, it says "Sold Out. Tickets for this event are no longer available for online purchase."


----------



## Kilala

I'm going to call them in the morning to see if there should be enough for me to get my ticket for the 27th. If they sell out on the phone before Friday morning then I'm only going twice this year. That means for next year I will go 4 days to make up for it


----------



## theluckyrabbit

Kilala said:


> I'm going to call them in the morning to see if there should be enough for me to get my ticket for the 27th. If they sell out on the phone before Friday morning then I'm only going twice this year. That means for next year I will go 4 days to make up for it



Can you call now? The phone lines are open until 8pm (I think). I hope you are able to get your ticket. If not, I like your attitude about next year!


----------



## StyledSugar

I was just going through the Kenny the Pirate page about the Halloween Party and one of the characters really stood out to me. My favorite villain is the Evil Queen. Heck, she's my all time favorite Disney character......period! I LOVE her! When I took my daughter when she was six, she was absolutely amazing and gave us the most incredible experience that went far beyond a normal meet and greet session. The ones since have been pretty decent as well (just not as amazing as the first lol) but this one, I don't know if it's just me but doesn't she look far too young to be the Evil Queen? Maybe I'm just getting old but she looks like a baby lol The one we saw in February looked appropriately aged but I don't know, this one just looks so childlike. Is it just me?


----------



## StyledSugar

Okay, I have a question that is not specific to the Halloween Party, although after reading that review it made me wonder. Is Thor not in the park anymore? I see Captain America is out before and during the party but I never see anything about Thor anymore. Anyone know?


----------



## Disneyplannergirl

StyledSugar said:


> Loving all of the reviews and links to reviews everyone! We are doing the October 27th party and are looking so forward to it!
> 
> Someone mentioned earlier about the Big Thunder Ranch BBQ not serving dinner, only lunch on party days. I checked my reservation for it on the Disney site and it's showing dinner....? Did yours show that as well when you made the reservation or did you book over the phone? My hubby will be pretty upset if he doesn't get the sausage and corn lol


I booked dinner at 4:30 on MHP night for this Fri. It showed as dinner online.  I got a call from DL Dining a couple days ago saying it will only be lunch now.


----------



## julesann

Oh no.....I've been waffling and now MHP is sold out .   And I got a great Expedia deal on the GCH, but wasn't sure if I would go.  Are there any options?  Are the tickets ever resold legally when folks can't attend?  Any ideas welcome


----------



## nightmaremama

I just had to jump in to say that our travel documents arrived today!!!! 

After 2 years of planning we only have 18 days until we arrive!

I'm not excited at all


----------



## haileymarie92

Just talked to a CM and he confirmed what I hoped wasn't true:

MSBB priority seating is split between the north hub and south hub. Meaning half of the MSBB folks get to sit with the partners statue in their way. Ughhhh


----------



## theluckyrabbit

julesann said:


> Oh no.....I've been waffling and now MHP is sold out .   And I got a great Expedia deal on the GCH, but wasn't sure if I would go.  Are there any options?  Are the tickets ever resold legally when folks can't attend?  Any ideas welcome



If you want tickets for one of the dates that just sold out, call the ticket line ASAP. I think they are open until 8pm PT. There still might be tickets available by phone. Since you will be at the GCH, you have a good chance of getting tickets either when you check in (ask, ask, ask!) or first thing on the morning of your party date at the front desk. Again, ask when you check in what the procedure will be. Lastly, if either of those options doesn't work for some reason, try asking at the ticket booths first thing on the morning of and throughout that day to see if any ticket allotments have opened up.


----------



## StyledSugar

Disneyplannergirl said:


> I booked dinner at 4:30 on MHP night for this Fri. It showed as dinner online.  I got a call from DL Dining a couple days ago saying it will only be lunch now.



Hmm that is disappointing but I guess it makes sense. Any chance you know the cost of the lunch vs. the dinner?


----------



## violentlyserene

Im still catching up on party news so forgive me if this has been covered but is there any particular good time to meet Cruella and Jack Skellington?


----------



## kappyfamily

StyledSugar said:


> Loving all of the reviews and links to reviews everyone! We are doing the October 27th party and are looking so forward to it!
> 
> Someone mentioned earlier about the Big Thunder Ranch BBQ not serving dinner, only lunch on party days. I checked my reservation for it on the Disney site and it's showing dinner....? Did yours show that as well when you made the reservation or did you book over the phone? My hubby will be pretty upset if he doesn't get the sausage and corn lol


I know me too, it was part of the reason I booked it. My reservation says dinner as well but normal 4:30 times are considered lunch so I'm not sure what's up. Hopefully someone will chime in!

Edit: bummer just saw the other response.


----------



## Sith

haileymarie92 said:


> Just talked to a CM and he confirmed what I hoped wasn't true:
> 
> MSBB priority seating is split between the north hub and south hub. Meaning half of the MSBB folks get to sit with the partners statue in their way. Ughhhh


That sucks. Although, based on the second pic Pudinhd posted on page 269 those are still great seats. Especially since we don't have to sit there saving them for 2-3 hours.

But, it hardly seems fair that everyone pays the full $150 per person for MSBB and half get a lesser experience. That's like saying everybody pays full price for dinner, but only half get dessert. What's the difference? A two tier experience should have two tier pricing. I wonder how it's decided who sits where?


----------



## Clawdya

Sith said:


> That sucks. Although, based on the second pic Pudinhd posted on page 269 those are still great seats. Especially since we don't have to sit there saving them for 2-3 hours.
> 
> But, it hardly seems fair that everyone pays the full $150 per person for MSBB and half get a lesser experience. That's like saying everybody pays full price for dinner, but only half get dessert. What's the difference? A two tier experience should have two tier pricing. I wonder how it's decided who sits where?



I agree with you. I don't want to be the one sitting with the statue in the way, when others get to sit with an unobstructed view and we both paid the same. That doesn't seem fair.


----------



## Disneyplannergirl

StyledSugar said:


> Hmm that is disappointing but I guess it makes sense. Any chance you know the cost of the lunch vs. the dinner?


$25.99 vs $31.99. But you don't get sausage or corn. I figured more room for dessert!


----------



## Kilala

Italked to a CM about the 27th and she told me that the 22nd and the 27th were still avaible and this was around 6:30pm. She said no one had started calling in for that date yet. She also told me that the 27th is more likely to sell out before the 22nd. I might have a slight possability to get a ticket for the 22nd. Dose anyone know what time the box offices open in the morning? If there are no tickets left for the 22nd I will try to get a ticket the day of


----------



## theluckyrabbit

I think I remember reading WAY back in this thread (!) that the ticket phone line opened at 7am PT. It couldn't hurt to call then. If the lines are closed, you could call again when they do open.


----------



## lorijohnhill

We did the Happiest Haunts tour tonight. It was ok, but not as good as l expected. It would have been nice if the tour ended before the party began (as I was told it would when I was visiting this summer). It got really crowded and difficult to move with a group with all the treat trails and stuff going on. The sound system really needs to be upgraded. The sound quality was terrible. Our tour started late due to difficulties with the tour guide's microphone. Tonight's party seemed much more crowded than Monday's party. Our group struggled to stay together. We rode Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, BTMRR, Matterhorn (I sat this out), Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy (I sat this out also), and Haunted Mansion (we did not see the Pet Cemetery). Some of the info provided was very interesting, some seemed to be trying very hard to be dramatic and not pulling it off well. I don't know that I'd bother doing the tour again, although the pin is very nice. If I did choose to do it again, it would NOT be on a party night.


----------



## haileymarie92

Sith said:


> That sucks. Although, based on the second pic Pudinhd posted on page 269 those are still great seats. Especially since we don't have to sit there saving them for 2-3 hours.
> 
> But, it hardly seems fair that everyone pays the full $150 per person for MSBB and half get a lesser experience. That's like saying everybody pays full price for dinner, but only half get dessert. What's the difference? A two tier experience should have two tier pricing. I wonder how it's decided who sits where?


Yes, I agree it's still better than waiting around 2-3hrs for a good spot. And they are definitely seats. Which is better than standing, but the fact that they split us and half get a better experience for the same price, is totally wrong. I'd much rather sit without the partner statue in my view. And now that I know that we -could- be in either section, I'm going to be very disappointed if I am put in the south hub, knowing I paid the same amount as those sitting in the north hub.


----------



## theluckyrabbit

We felt the same way about our Happiest Haunts Tour a few years ago. It was fun, but we haven't done it again since. We'd rather spend the money on the holiday tour. I'm thinking the noticeable difference in crowd density you experienced was the difference between a not sold out and a sold out party.


----------



## lorijohnhill

It was weird. It felt like the party was busier than it was during the day. Granted, I was only in the park until about 7:45 (we didn't have party tickets for tonight). It took longer to get on Haunted Mansion during the tour than it did during the day.


----------



## theluckyrabbit

That's what happened when we took the tour. We got stuck in line for HMH and TOT -- it made our tour run over 4 hours long! We were STARVING by the time the tour ended.


----------



## lorijohnhill

This was our welcome committee when we got back to our room tonight!


----------



## CassieF

I' going to try to do a write up...but briefly, MSBB was phenomenal and beyond any expectations and I'd do it again in a heartbeat!  If you are considering it at all, DO IT!!!!


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## CassieF

MHP and MSBB review:

Side note before I start...a friend decided she wanted to go to to party today when the rest of us showed up and we were able to go to the ticket booth, show the rest of the tickets, and the CM grabbed a lead and she was able to get a ticket no problem.  This apparently only works if you have people with tickets already...


I was in DCA before the start but crossed over to get my wrist band around 310.  Lines at the turnstiles were minimal and took less than 5 minutes to get through.  I actually headed back to DCA to visit a friend and ended up with Poison Apple-tinis to get in the Halloween spirit!  My friend checked us into BB around 415.  We headed back over to DL around 520, did the AP trail with no wait and then hug out in Town Square until the villains came out.  The line started to form for them around 535 but we wanted to see the Tremaines so we waited on a bench.  Unfortunately Maleficent didn't come out for the first set and Lady Tremaine took her spot at the greets.  Maleficent did come out for later sets...I guess her invitation just arrived a little late! 

We headed over to BB after the villains switched out (630) and they funnel everyone through the east bypass, half is treat trail, half for just walking.  We got to BB around 440 and a line had formed despite one CM saying they would call out names to be seated while another said to just get in line.  They ended up just taking the line in in order, contrary to previous dinner reports. 

The restaurant was beautiful and well themed.  The stage was on the north side under the tree, lanterns were strung across and cards were hanging on the balcony.  The ride was running but we were seated far from the water so we couldn't see or hear anything related to that. 

The tables were set with Dr. Facilier's secret potion (possibly pear and lemonade) with a pumpkin Mickey glow cube and right as we sat down our server took additional drink requests.  We all ordered soda or iced tea but ended up barely drinking them as the potion was so delicious!  Our orders were confirmed and appetizers brought out quickly, followed shortly by the Cadaver Dans.  I tried both appetizers and they were very good!  I honestly don't know which I'd pick if I went again!  Facilier and the Bayou Belles came out, he sang, the girls passed out beads.  Our entrees arrived and the braised short ribs were so tender and tasty and the blue cheese potatoes...lets just say I'm trying that at home!  I think Facilier came out again to introduce dessert then walked the tables for pictures.  The chocolate was super rich but the almond cheesecake was perfect...so light and fluffy and divine!!!!  They also offered coffee with dessert. 

I think the Pirates then came out, helped us open the treasure chest, and bags of candy were passed out.  Facilier came out one last time for his goodbye, we got chocolate calling cards and were dismissed for fireworks, grabbing the print on the way out.  We were near the door and planned to be ready so we were toward the front and ended up on the front side of the hub.  The Frozen float was passing as we arrived, so it was basically over.  I wanted to shoot with my tripod so I sat at the back while my friends were in the 3rd row maybe.  The show was absolutely amazing...the updated projections really enhanced one of my already favorite FW shows!

After they were done we headed to town square for grab a spot for the goodbye show. We took turns running through the town square treat trail which had minimal lines.  The Tremaines were out wandering while the women villains were out for the last greet set. The goodbye show is always such fun to watch too!

It really was a fantastic night.  Service was impeccable, our glasses constantly topped off and anything we wanted was quickly attended to.  The entertainment was amazing and I can't recommend this event enough!  The 4 of us had such a great time we are now considering the Jungle Cruise breakfast!


----------



## Oswald23

Great review Cassie. You said when the Villains switch out at 630. Can you please tell if the male of female villains where out at first? And more specific could you see if Hades was among the men?

Thank you so much!


----------



## TACK

haileymarie92 said:


> Yes, I agree it's still better than waiting around 2-3hrs for a good spot. And they are definitely seats. Which is better than standing, but the fact that they split us and half get a better experience for the same price, is totally wrong. I'd much rather sit without the partner statue in my view. And now that I know that we -could- be in either section, I'm going to be very disappointed if I am put in the south hub, knowing I paid the same amount as those sitting in the north hub.


Here is what I did - as soon as they said to exit, I was up and gone to the exit to grab the lithograph and where the castmember is holding the lantern - no lagging behind.  I was lucky as I was close to the exit to begin with (second table in) so it made it easy.  I was close enough for the fireworks viewing that I could have gotten a front row but I wasn't sure if people would be standing in front (they were not), so I stayed a few rows behind.  Still I was in front of the statue had a great view.  I did notice the chairs in the back and I was surprised people were sitting there as there was room in the front.


----------



## SeattleSuz

I have to say that I think my expectations for the party were way too high. It was fun but way way way too crowded. A lot of guests seemed short on patience and just grumpy. Lots of super whiny children, crying babies, etc.  we ended up leaving right before the parade started cuz it just got to be too much for all of us. And here was the high point (sarcasm) for us:  we got stuck on Its a Small World for 30 minutes!!!!!!  . People clapped when they turned the music off!  Lol
Hubby said "never again" to the Halloween party. Our experience at disneyworld was def much better. Sadly...


----------



## lily66

Just managed to get tickets for the MHP on the 27th through the ticket line thank you so much for the person who posted about trying to get tickets this way!. The CM I was talking to said there weren't many left for the 22nd but even less for the 27th. 
After reading so much about the crowds at the party we decided to get tickets for a 3rd MHP just so we could take our time and do a little bit each party. Just so you don't think we're over doing it I should add that we're traveling from NZ and this will be our first ever Halloween. I was hoping to get tickets for MSBB also as they were available online when I made the call but by the time I got off hold they had timed out and were gone.  
This Disney travel planning can be a real rollercoaster!


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## RedAngie

I'm glad I listened to Sherry and got my tickets for October 27 two weeks ago.  I was hoping that date wouldn't sell our (wishful thinking), but figured it would.   First time for MHP.   Went to MNSSHP in Orlando last year (same Tuesday, but the 28th) and that was sold out too.  But it wasn't overly crowded IMO and I hope the same holds true for DL.

DH and I intend to focus mainly on the rides, with a bit of trick or treating, same as in Orlando.  The parade, fireworks, characters, are not a priority.   If we catch a glimpse of them, that will be fine. 

Question:  In Orlando the Tiki Room was only open until the official party start time, then it became a candy giveaway spot.  Does the same hold true in Anaheim?  If so, I want to make sure to visit my feathered friends before 6pm.


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## mommy2mrb

Today is the day!  flying out this afternoon!

going to DTD tonight, dinner at Catal, shopping
Disneyland Friday, MHP, MSBB
DCA Saturday, WOC Lunch at Carthay Circle
Sunday not sure which park for a few hours...flying home

will try to post updates on MHP and MSBB if I get a change, if not will do one Monday.


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## lily66

RedAngie said:


> Question:  In Orlando the Tiki Room was only open until the official party start time, then it became a candy giveaway spot.  Does the same hold true in Anaheim?  If so, I want to make sure to visit my feathered friends before 6pm.



Only the Tiki Juice Bar is listed on the MHP Park Map, sorry I couldn't upload a pic??? But it you go to this link it is the pdf of the official party map... https://wdpromedia.disney.go.com/me...ickeys-halloween-party-trick-or-treat-map.pdf


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## purpleorchids

We had a nice time at MHP last night and was our first time going.  Since 2 of my DDS got sick on this trip   we did not go until 5:15 pm.  The lines was not very long to get in and we first went to the opera house for annual pass holders gift which was the bag and rice krispies treat.

Since the girls main goal was seeing the villians we just decided to hop in line.  We were first in line - hi Cassie probably saw you sitting one the bench . The villians were late coming out and no grand entrance.  We first saw the evil queen, cruella and lady tremmain.  Sad that we did not see maleficent.  We hoped back in line which was already around the bridge to see the male villians.  While waiting in line we saw the two step sister, we let DH stay in line while I took the girls to see them, they did chose who to  take pictures with.  Then we saw the male villians come in there was gov Radcliffe, Jafar, and queen of hearts since Hades was late.  We were lucky by the time we were close Hades came out. No signing fir the villians.  Once done Queen of hearts was still walking around and the girls got lucky to take a picture with her.

We then walked to frontier land since the girls wanted to go trick or treating.  Of course kids wanted candy.  The line was long but fairly went fast.  At the end of the line there was the line to meet Donald and goofy.  Goofy then left.  By the time we got up front we were lucky to also get chip and Dale. In this cue the character did sign.

When we exit we were right near the entrance to meet jack sparrow or the Peter pan crew.  We hoped in line to find out it was captain jack and was a 20 mun wait.  It must have been our lucky night and we were last to see him, then we hoped back in line to meet captain hook, Peter pan, and Wendy.  By the time we were close our luck ran out and captain hook left but still got to see Peter pan and Wendy.  This cue all characters signed.

The girls wanted more candy so we hoped back in the same trick or treating line. It was then about 8:20 we went to get something to eat.  Crowds were already formed to watch the parade.  Dh heled our table since the girls wanted to see it again, although it was nothing new since we saw this the other night.  We had ok seats at bakery cafe that we just stayed there to watch the fireworks.

Gone back to trick or treating through the stations from frontier land and saw the live scare crows and cadaver dans.  The last line we saw the que for Jack and Sally but there line was long and skipped them since we took pictures the day before.  They did have a great background for MHP though.

My 6 yr old dd was tired since she was also sick.  So DH and her Sat on the bench while I took the other 2 trick or treating.  We went in tomorrow land and there was basically no line and walked around the other ones which was very fast due to no lines.  We only had maybe two people give us a handful but everyone else gave 3 pieces.

By the time we were done and it was almost 11 we got to see the ending of the villians show which I forgot about and did not even mention a time on the map.

Overall we had a nice experience, the girls loved it.  I did think it was a bit pricey but would do it again.

Wanted to thank everyone for their review and Sherry for all her input!


----------



## haileymarie92

So my thoughts on the MHP last night:

Fun atmosphere. The cadaver Dans on rivers of America were awesome! Lots of candy. We didn't even do all the treat trails and still got a load of candy. 

We weren't interested in characters so I'm afraid I have no info there. 

The negative...it was so crowded!! We were in disneyland all day and it was great with hardly any lines. Then the MHP comes around and holy cow. The first hour was super packed because they were filtering out non MHP guests. I understand that. But even later in the party it was still packed!


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## Kilala

It's 31 days until Halloween!!! It also 14 days until I meet up with my friend Christine to go to MHP!!! She was not able to make it last year.


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## Nonsuch

TACK said:


> Here is what I did - as soon as they said to exit, I was up and gone to the exit to grab the lithograph and where the castmember is holding the lantern - no lagging behind.  I was lucky as I was close to the exit to begin with (second table in) so it made it easy.  I was close enough for the fireworks viewing that I could have gotten a front row but I wasn't sure if people would be standing in front (they were not), so I stayed a few rows behind.  Still I was in front of the statue had a great view.  I did notice the chairs in the back and I was surprised people were sitting there as there was room in the front.


Thanks for your report, it seem getting a good seat is not difficult -- if I make it a priority to leave dinner quickly. 

Sitting in front the castle was previously reported, but I forgot to ask:
Is this new?  In prior years guests were standing. Are guests sitting for "regular" fireworks, or is this only for MHP?


----------



## DnA2010

So our trip is oct 18-25- with park days on 19-24, with Halloween party on 22nd- 5 day hoppers will give us lots of time for rides and shows so our HParty focus will be the stuff specific to the party- this would be villains, the regular characters dressed up, the Cadaver Dans, fireworks  (the parade is the same as we can see other nights correct?) treat trails-

Can anyone suggest a strategy for focusing on the Halloween party specifics?


----------



## SeattleSuz

haileymarie92 said:


> So my thoughts on the MHP last night:
> 
> Fun atmosphere. The cadaver Dans on rivers of America were awesome! Lots of candy. We didn't even do all the treat trails and still got a load of candy.
> 
> We weren't interested in characters so I'm afraid I have no info there.
> 
> The negative...it was so crowded!! We were in disneyland all day and it was great with hardly any lines. Then the MHP comes around and holy cow. The first hour was super packed because they were filtering out non MHP guests. I understand that. But even later in the party it was still packed!


That's pretty much how we felt.  It was so crowded...
I was just glad to get some peanut chews for trick or treating. Those are so tasty!!


----------



## LisaT91403

SeattleSuz said:


> That's pretty much how we felt.  It was so crowded...
> I was just glad to get some peanut chews for trick or treating. Those are so tasty!!



We are going on 10/16, and I'm getting depressed reading reports about how crowded it is. We went last year (also on a Friday night), and it was a sold out party. The overlap time (4:00-7:00) felt really crowded. After that, we felt that the walkways were very crowded...but the actual ride lines were short (other than Ghost Galaxy and HMH). I'm wondering if that is still the case? Or has something changed?


----------



## riostoker

SeattleSuz said:


> That's pretty much how we felt.  It was so crowded...
> I was just glad to get some peanut chews for trick or treating. Those are so tasty!!



Man... wish we could have traded some candy with you!!  My kids were complaining about all the peanut chews. At one point, my husband looked in his bag, and it was 1/4 full of peanut chews and had about 2 other pieces of non-peanut-chew candy!!! LOL!


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## riostoker

LisaT91403 said:


> We are going on 10/16, and I'm getting depressed reading reports about how crowded it is. We went last year (also on a Friday night), and it was a sold out party. The overlap time (4:00-7:00) felt really crowded. After that, we felt that the walkways were very crowded...but the actual ride lines were short (other than Ghost Galaxy and HMH). I'm wondering if that is still the case? Or has something changed?



That's basically how it was for us the first party night. Ride lines were short except for HMH. Walkways, character lines, and treat lines were all really long and crowded. Apparently the treat lines get shorter after the parade though. We just didn't stay that late.  It was definitely more crowded than I anticipated. I appreciated the short lines for rides, but I would have liked to see more characters. It was just too hard to do both with the crowded walkways (made for slow walking anywhere) and long character lines.


----------



## Davidg83

So I'm flying down to Disneyland tomorrow and going to the Halloween party. Of course I've procrastinated till the last minute and have no costume. Thoughts on this as a simple Pooh option?


----------



## Drnifer

CassieF said:


> MHP and MSBB review:
> 
> I think Facilier came out again to introduce dessert then walked the tables for pictures.



Cassie, do you know If Facilier was signing also? I'm taking my bother as a surprise since Dr. Facilier is his favorite and I'd love to take a frame mat for him to sign. Thanks.


----------



## haileymarie92

LisaT91403 said:


> We are going on 10/16, and I'm getting depressed reading reports about how crowded it is. We went last year (also on a Friday night), and it was a sold out party. The overlap time (4:00-7:00) felt really crowded. After that, we felt that the walkways were very crowded...but the actual ride lines were short (other than Ghost Galaxy and HMH). I'm wondering if that is still the case? Or has something changed?


Honestly the ride lines during the day were 5-10min for us so we rode a lot during the non MHP times. 

During MHP, pirates was 20min,Peter pan was 20min. We also did Mr Toad which was 5 min. But we didn't really venture onto a whole lot more. 

HMH was long, but we had done it during the day so we didn't go on. We didn't really go into tomorrow land either, as we rode ghost Galaxy by walking on yesterday morning.


----------



## jeanico2000

Davidg83 said:


> So I'm flying down to Disneyland tomorrow and going to the Halloween party. Of course I've procrastinated till the last minute and have no costume. Thoughts on this as a simple Pooh option?



You look adorable! Go for it and have fun!


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## Mrs.Hades

Davidg83 said:


> So I'm flying down to Disneyland tomorrow and going to the Halloween party. Of course I've procrastinated till the last minute and have no costume. Thoughts on this as a simple Pooh option?



Adorable! Have fun


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## TACK

Nonsuch said:


> Thanks for your report, it seem getting a good seat is not difficult -- if I make it a priority to leave dinner quickly.
> 
> Sitting in front the castle was previously reported, but I forgot to ask:
> Is this new?  In prior years guests were standing. Are guests sitting for "regular" fireworks, or is this only for MHP?


Not sure as I  never got close enough to the castle to watch the regular fireworks.  If there are seats set up in front of the castle, I believe everyone in front would have to sit.  There were cast members getting people to sit down.


----------



## CassieF

Oswald23 said:


> Great review Cassie. You said when the Villains switch out at 630. Can you please tell if the male of female villains where out at first? And more specific could you see if Hades was among the men?
> 
> Thank you so much!



Females started then the males, except Hades didn't come out right away...QoH held his spot until he joined later, but in theory it should be Queen, Cruella, Maleficent followed by Radcliffe, Jafar, and Hades



TACK said:


> Here is what I did - as soon as they said to exit, I was up and gone to the exit to grab the lithograph and where the castmember is holding the lantern - no lagging behind.  I was lucky as I was close to the exit to begin with (second table in) so it made it easy.  I was close enough for the fireworks viewing that I could have gotten a front row but I wasn't sure if people would be standing in front (they were not), so I stayed a few rows behind.  Still I was in front of the statue had a great view.  I did notice the chairs in the back and I was surprised people were sitting there as there was room in the front.



This was exactly my experience as well, second table from the door (you don't get to pick your seats though) and I left right away while my friends gathered their stuff.  They ended up about 3rd row while I stayed at the back of the front section since I had my tripod.



Nonsuch said:


> Thanks for your report, it seem getting a good seat is not difficult -- if I make it a priority to leave dinner quickly.
> 
> Sitting in front the castle was previously reported, but I forgot to ask:
> Is this new?  In prior years guests were standing. Are guests sitting for "regular" fireworks, or is this only for MHP?



Guests directly in front of the reserved area are supposed to be seated but last night a few stood up (then people behind them yell for them to sit down, further disrupting the show) and I've heard reports of this happening at at least one previous party.  I think the problem is normally the street stands so people are used to standing at that point and CMs are not informing them of the seating requirement before.



Drnifer said:


> Cassie, do you know If Facilier was signing also? I'm taking my bother as a surprise since Dr. Facilier is his favorite and I'd love to take a frame mat for him to sign. Thanks.



Yes!  He signed for me!


----------



## CassieF

TACK said:


> Not sure as I  never got close enough to the castle to watch the regular fireworks.  If there are seats set up in front of the castle, I believe everyone in front would have to sit.  There were cast members getting people to sit down.



Usually for Forever (regular FW) the sidewalk is seated (about 3-4 rows of people) but the actual street is standing.  On less busy days they don't make the street stand but you absolutely can stand in the street (I've staked out a spot in the first row of the street with my tripod, which I had set up the entire time so people who came behind would know it would be there and I'd be standing, double checked that it would be okay to be standing there multiple times with CMs but when I didn't sit down after the parade passed people yelled, then had their kids yell.  But yeah, double check with CMs, but normal FW street standing, Halloween should be sitting in the center


----------



## maiello

Drnifer said:


> Cassie, do you know If Facilier was signing also? I'm taking my bother as a surprise since Dr. Facilier is his favorite and I'd love to take a frame mat for him to sign. Thanks.



That is such a great idea!  Do you know what size the lithograph is for the frame mat?


----------



## jenhelgren

What time do the lines start for the villains? Is it common for Maleficent and Hades to be late or was that just an off night? They are the two villains that my kids have singled out-of course!
When does the Donald and Daisy line back in Toontown change out to Mickey Zorro and Minnie Candy Corn-right at the party start time or before?
I am trying to decide if we should start in Toontown at the pre party and get Mickey and Minnie before we head to the villains line.
Is the party the only spot to find Hades and Maleficent?
I was looking at the daily schedule and Soundsational is scheduled for 3 pm the day of our 6 pm party night. Will we still be able to enter at 3? That sounds chaotic to me to have party guests entering right as the parade is beginning on Main Street!!


----------



## CassieF

maiello said:


> That is such a great idea!  Do you know what size the lithograph is for the frame mat?



It actually comes matted, like a print you can by of the artwork throughout the parks, as is the same size....I just don't have a ruler to measure


----------



## fantasmicfantastic

Has anyone done the Happy Haunts tour and the MSBB dinner on the same night?  When I speak to the Disney reps on the phone they reassure me I can do both, but I'm afraid of cutting it close...Also there is the matter of the registration at the BB between 4-7.  One Disney rep recommended I speak to the BB staff before the tour, and letting my tour guide know of my schedule to see if they can offer any advice.


----------



## Drnifer

CassieF said:


> Yes!  He signed for me!


Thanks! I'm so excited I'm having a hard time keeping it a secret!


----------



## CassieF

fantasmicfantastic said:


> Has anyone done the Happy Haunts tour and the MSBB dinner on the same night?  When I speak to the Disney reps on the phone they reassure me I can do both, but I'm afraid of cutting it close...Also there is the matter of the registration at the BB between 4-7.  One Disney rep recommended I speak to the BB staff before the tour, and letting my tour guide know of my schedule to see if they can offer any advice.



There were at least two tables that had the pins from the tour and where there at the start so it appears as if I can be done.  I'm not sure what time their tour was or any details but it has been done


----------



## MrsSwiggy

Forgive me if this has been answered, but are there any other activities besides MHP on Halloween? We arrive that day and I didn't go ahead and by party tickets. Anything happening at Downtown Disney or the hotels?


----------



## RedAngie

lily66 said:


> Only the Tiki Juice Bar is listed on the MHP Park Map, sorry I couldn't upload a pic??? But it you go to this link it is the pdf of the official party map... https://wdpromedia.disney.go.com/me...ickeys-halloween-party-trick-or-treat-map.pdf



Thank you.  It looks like the Tiki Room isn't an open attraction for the party, so I'll be sure to visit between 3-6pm.


----------



## Sherry E

MrsSwiggy said:


> Forgive me if this has been answered, but are there any other activities besides MHP on Halloween? We arrive that day and I didn't go ahead and by party tickets. Anything happening at Downtown Disney or the hotels?



So far, there is nothing that we know of -- if there is anything happening in Downtown Disney, it has not been publicized yet (I will add it to the 2nd post on page 1 of this thread if I hear of anything).   The 3 hotels hand out candy on Halloween, but I think it is just for onsite hotel guests -- though I could be wrong about that.


----------



## kappyfamily

Davidg83 said:


> So I'm flying down to Disneyland tomorrow and going to the Halloween party. Of course I've procrastinated till the last minute and have no costume. Thoughts on this as a simple Pooh option?


Does anyone know if these ears are still for sale in DTD? I will be ther next weekend!


----------



## Davidg83

kappyfamily said:


> Does anyone know if these ears are still for sale in DTD? I will be ther next weekend!



I believe they are still available. I just got them over the summer.


----------



## Sherry E

Davidg83 said:


> I believe they are still available. I just got them over the summer.



I like the outfit, David!  It's simple, a bit understated -- an homage to Pooh, but not necessarily a really 'over the top' Pooh outfit!  It's a bit Disney Bounding-esque.


----------



## Kilala

All dates are sold out over the phone. I did get a CM to call again tomorrow morning and they might get have more tickets for sale. He also told me that I could not get the tickets at the box office the day of the party. I think he miss understood me. I will try again in the morning but, if there not any more tickets I will go to the box office the day of the 19th or the 22nd. What time dose the box office open?


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## Dee2015

Hi Cassie  My 10 year old daughter has just come to me with her "plan" for the MHP on the 31st. I've no idea where she gets that from...I'd upload a photo of it if I knew how. It is sooooooooooooooo cute!

Anyway, her questions were (and I'm hoping you can answer please) where and what time will she find Queen of Hearts (her little sister is dressing as same), what time does she need to be at the castle to get a good spot for the fireworks and how long in the crowd will it take her to get from the fireworks to see the Cadaver Dans at River of America (would she make the 10pm show?)

Thanks in advance!



purpleorchids said:


> We had a nice time at MHP last night and was our first time going.  Since 2 of my DDS got sick on this trip   we did not go until 5:15 pm.
> 
> We had ok seats at bakery cafe that we just stayed there to watch the fireworks.



So sorry to hear your little ones were sick on holiday. I hope they bounced back quickly and didn't miss too much of the holiday fun!

Were you at the Jolly Holiday Bakery watching the fireworks on an outside table? How was the view from there? I'm not sure if our girls will make the 7-12pm MHP but stopping to sit and eat while watching the fireworks might help get them there! 

Any advice to make it easier/more enjoyable would be appreciated. 

I'm already worried the crowds are going to overwhelm us. If the DL regulars are finding it crazy busy, what will we think from Australia where we no not of queues in our little ole city they compare to a country town


----------



## fantasmicfantastic

CassieF said:


> There were at least two tables that had the pins from the tour and where there at the start so it appears as if I can be done. I'm not sure what time their tour was or any details but it has been done



Thank you Cassie, I appreciate the response.  My party day will be very busy, but I am very excited.


----------



## hrk_md

MrsSwiggy said:


> Forgive me if this has been answered, but are there any other activities besides MHP on Halloween? We arrive that day and I didn't go ahead and by party tickets. Anything happening at Downtown Disney or the hotels?



I saw a blog post on Facebook the other day about a Mahaloween Party happening at Trader Sams in the Disneyland hotel.
Here is a link to the page: https://disneyland.disney.go.com/dining/disneyland-hotel/trader-sams-mahaloween/

This is the only event I have heard about other than the party.
Six days til we leave to head to Disney, with our party tickets on Friday night.  We have been going for several years, since they started in California adventure.  Excited to also see the new Paint the Night parade and World of Color show on Saturday.


----------



## Julie's Haircut

Hello.  I just signed up today but I have been reading this thread for at least a month.   DW and I are going to the Halloween party on Thursday the 29th.  First visit ever to Disneyland, but we've been to Disney World about 10 times, including its Halloween party. 

Thanks everybody for such great information, not only about the Halloween party, but also Disneyland and California Adventure.


----------



## CassieF

Kilala said:


> All dates are sold out over the phone. I did get a CM to call again tomorrow morning and they might get have more tickets for sale. He also told me that I could not get the tickets at the box office the day of the party. I think he miss understood me. I will try again in the morning but, if there not any more tickets I will go to the box office the day of the 19th or the 22nd. What time dose the box office open?



I would not count on day of tickets at the box office.  I tried last year and it did not work.  It seems the only way to get day of tickets are if you are staying onsite or you have a group of people and can show the other tickets at the box office.



Dee2015 said:


> Hi Cassie  My 10 year old daughter has just come to me with her "plan" for the MHP on the 31st. I've no idea where she gets that from...I'd upload a photo of it if I knew how. It is sooooooooooooooo cute!
> 
> Anyway, her questions were (and I'm hoping you can answer please) where and what time will she find Queen of Hearts (her little sister is dressing as same), what time does she need to be at the castle to get a good spot for the fireworks and how long in the crowd will it take her to get from the fireworks to see the Cadaver Dans at River of America (would she make the 10pm show?)
> 
> Thanks in advance!



Queen of hearts I believe is supposed to come out at the start of the party, 6, and wander around town square, but last party she didn't come out until 630 and was up on the meet and greet until Hades took over.  My guess if there was a costume issue or something with Hades that delayed him so QoH took over.  But I believe she is supposed to come out on the hour each hour except during the 9-10 hour due to the parade.

As for the Cadaver dans, you should be able to make it to the rivers within 10 minutes, especially if you are in the Hub, and more so if you are on the left side, but Main Street or hub should be fine to make it over to ROA


----------



## haileymarie92

Today's the day!! Can't wait for our MSBB dinner!! 

I'll report back with my review either tonight or tomorrow


----------



## Mrs.Hades

haileymarie92 said:


> Today's the day!! Can't wait for our MSBB dinner!!
> 
> I'll report back with my review either tonight or tomorrow



Yahoo! Can't wait to hear all about it!


----------



## Canadian Harmony

I'm hearing (reading) conflicting reports about autographs during the MHP. Should I bring my book just in case?


----------



## purpleorchids

Thanks Dee the girls are feeling much better.  Yes we were sitting at the Jolly Holiday Bakery.  The girls saw the fireworks just fine make sure you don't sit under the umbrella which can obstruct your view.  But if you want to see the show on the castle try to sit near main street those tables went fast so not sure how that view is.  The tables were full during the parade but several opened up during the fireworks.  

If anyone else has input please add.


----------



## JadeDarkstar

Yes take the book. I don't know why it would have changed. I know when we went almost every one signed the book.


----------



## purpleorchids

Canadian Harmony - the villians do not sign.  But the other characters did that we saw Pete pan, Wendy, captain hook, captain jack, Donald, chip and Dale.

Last night we went to Disneyland side since we knew MHP is tonight, I was surprised how busy it was...felt like it was when we came in Aug to visit, not sure if that is the norm during this time of year or it could be everyone who is going to MHP tonight that just flew in.


----------



## Mrs.Hades

I wish the villains would have some sort of a stamp, like Duffy does (at least he did when we were last there). I understand that they want to keep the lines moving but a quick stamp for a rare character would be pretty dang cool.


----------



## JadeDarkstar

when did they stop signing?


----------



## Canadian Harmony

I'd love to get a Hades and Malificent signature, but my photo with them on the page I drew for them will have to do I guess.

Did someone say Rabbit was out during the MHP too?


----------



## Pizzaman12

Sherry E said:


> That is the right number -- did you call?
> 
> 
> 
> It is also highly possible that there could be some tickets available at the ticket booths on the day of the actual event.  I think that Disney holds some tickets back -- maybe they are intended for people or groups who may or may not attend -- and if those tickets are not all used up they can be released back to the ticket booths for last minute purchases.  It would be worth stopping by the ticket booth first thing in the morning and then later in the afternoon, to see if they got any in.



Sherry, thanks for the tip!  We'll definitely give that a try if we can't get tickets between now and when we arrive.


----------



## theluckyrabbit

purpleorchids said:


> Canadian Harmony - the villians do not sign.  But the other characters did that we saw Pete pan, Wendy, captain hook, captain jack, Donald, chip and Dale.
> 
> Last night we went to Disneyland side since we knew MHP is tonight, I was surprised how busy it was...felt like it was when we came in Aug to visit, not sure if that is the norm during this time of year or it could be everyone who is going to MHP tonight that just flew in.



Gay Days, a very big unofficial event at DLR, is this weekend. The crowds were probably a combination of guests for the 60th, Halloween Time, and Gay Days. 



JadeDarkstar said:


> when did they stop signing?



I think they don't sign to keep the lines moving. When the villains seemed to explode in popularity, interaction with them did seem to become less free, if that makes sense. Although we've seen them sign in the daytime when there weren't really any lines.


----------



## haileymarie92

If anyone is interested, tonight's MHP wristband color is green . I wonder if all 17 (17 right?) will be different colors?


----------



## JadeDarkstar

Well they all signed when we went in 2012 Mel was our hero and we were so happy to see her. I think its is kinda bad they don't sign now with how much you are paying now. I'm sorry for those that want them to sign and will miss out.


----------



## Tablefor5

Canadian Harmony said:


> I'm hearing (reading) conflicting reports about autographs during the MHP. Should I bring my book just in case?


We are bringing our autograph book, just to be safe. I really just want Tremaine family. Malificent would be great, but I understand the line issue. We have most of the other villians but the T family is one main reason we booked the party.



JadeDarkstar said:


> Well they all signed when we went in 2012 Mel was our hero and we were so happy to see her. I think its is kinda bad they don't sign now with how much you are paying now. I'm sorry for those that want them to sign and will miss out.


Agreed. I will be sorely disappointed if we can't get autographs. We are paying a good amount and they have taken other party perks away. Why would autographs have to be taken away too?


----------



## mummabear

Mrs.Hades said:


> I wish the villains would have some sort of a stamp, like Duffy does (at least he did when we were last there). I understand that they want to keep the lines moving but a quick stamp for a rare character would be pretty dang cool.



It really annoys me.
I have bought autograph books from Disney for this event, they are 60th ones an the party I the only chance we hae to use them.
Disney created this buy selling the while idea on getting autographs and making $$ off selling the books, it seems a bit false to ten refuse to have characters sign


----------



## CassieF

Tablefor5 said:


> Agreed. I will be sorely disappointed if we can't get autographs. We are paying a good amount and they have taken other party perks away. Why would autographs have to be taken away too?



I heard they eliminated signing due to the added time the interactions were taking.  They figure it's better to get more people through than have them sign, I guess.  It makes sense for the guy villains, especially, as they have weird hands that would make signing difficult.  Still, it never hurts to take it and ask!  

The Tremaines I get why they don't sign...they are wandering, lighting is poor, and there are three of them so it would take a while...  But still, it never hurts to ask...I did see Maleficent sign a few the other day, and Lady Tremaine did a quick one for me on the map (the girls did not sign).


----------



## Tablefor5

CassieF said:


> I heard they eliminated signing due to the added time the interactions were taking.  They figure it's better to get more people through than have them sign, I guess.  It makes sense for the guy villains, especially, as they have weird hands that would make signing difficult.  Still, it never hurts to take it and ask!
> 
> The Tremaines I get why they don't sign...they are wandering, lighting is poor, and there are three of them so it would take a while...  But still, it never hurts to ask...I did see Maleficent sign a few the other day, and Lady Tremaine did a quick one for me on the map (the girls did not sign).


Thanks! We will ask for sure. Hopefully my girls (and me) won't be too disappointed. Wonder if there are any tips to try? Timing of lines? Etc...


----------



## justgrace

Once again, Mickey's Halloween Party was amazing!! The whole family just loved it. We got a ton of compliments of the costumes that I had made (we went as Cinderella and her entourage!) We were so busy having fun that we didn't get a chance to stop for pics of all of us. 

I did get pics while I was waiting for the PTN parade of the Party map and of the Annual Pass goodies that are given out in the Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln treat trail and thought that I would share them here:


----------



## pudinhd

Thanks to everyone for posting the pictures and information!!!

Does the Monsters University dance party feature any other monsters?

Someone posted the villain sets of 3, but does anyone know which princesses are greeting?

Did I read that Aladdin, Jasmine, and Genie are meeting as Aladdin & Friends?  I think it would be awesome for Abu to make an appearance like he does at WDW!


----------



## Sandi E

So this is waaaaay last minute.  I'll be at DL from 10/6 through 10/11 with two of my best friends. My 5 yr old grandson* loves* Jack Skellington. Does anyone know if there is a place somewhere in DL or DTD I can buy an 8x10 glossy photo of Jack, to have autographed for my grandson?  Thanks!


----------



## JadeDarkstar

I am sure there is or you could go to New Orleans square by Hunted mansion and get a pic of him just for the grandson and go get it at the photo shop printed up. 

I will say one of the guys couldn't sign because his hands but the others did. even the Tremmer family (hope i didn't butcher the name to bad any ways good luck to every one trying.


----------



## Tablefor5

JadeDarkstar said:


> I am sure there is or you could go to New Orleans square by Hunted mansion and get a pic of him just for the grandson and go get it at the photo shop printed up.
> 
> I will say one of the guys couldn't sign because his hands but the others did. even the Tremmer family (hope i didn't butcher the name to bad any ways good luck to every one trying.


You mean you saw them signing at the party tonight?? Oh please say yes.


----------



## tjcrabb

Sandi E said:


> So this is waaaaay last minute.  I'll be at DL from 10/6 through 10/11 with two of my best friends. My 5 yr old grandson* loves* Jack Skellington. Does anyone know if there is a place somewhere in DL or DTD I can buy an 8x10 glossy photo of Jack, to have autographed for my grandson?  Thanks!



I can't help with the 8x10 glossy I do have an alternate suggestion. In DCA they have Off the Page. They have artists that will draw characters for you as you watch. They do have a book that you select from, they don't just take requests but the book does have quite a selection. When I did it about 5 years ago you could pick the color(s) they were drawn in and either wait and watch or come back later and pick it up. It did come with a nice mat and in a clear envelope type thing for transport. I want to say it was around 35ish, my research seams to indicate that the current price is 39.99. It might be a very expensive souvenir, particularly for a child that age but it could be a really cool one, particularly if it is framed in an inexpensive frame from hobby lobby or michaels.


----------



## JadeDarkstar

No when I was there in 2012 they signed. I was also going with the fact some ppl have seen them sign. I would just ask and pray for pixie dust now.


----------



## iKristin

I got my party tickets in the mail yesterday  Sadly they have Olaf on them :| I wish they'd print Halloween style tickets


----------



## mrsw94

Quick question for you all and save me some time searching....I seem to recall someone recommending signing up for local restaurants to get coupons for the trip, possibly a sub shop?  But now I can't remember...Thanks!!


----------



## goldmay

tjcrabb said:


> I can't help with the 8x10 glossy I do have an alternate suggestion. In DCA they have Off the Page. They have artists that will draw characters for you as you watch. They do have a book that you select from, they don't just take requests but the book does have quite a selection. When I did it about 5 years ago you could pick the color(s) they were drawn in and either wait and watch or come back later and pick it up. It did come with a nice mat and in a clear envelope type thing for transport. I want to say it was around 35ish, my research seams to indicate that the current price is 39.99. It might be a very expensive souvenir, particularly for a child that age but it could be a really cool one, particularly if it is framed in an inexpensive frame from hobby lobby or michaels.



I was about to suggest the same thing. You can also add custom text. I think they also have pre-made sketches there, maybe at Disneyana too. The price depends on the number of characters. Also wanted to add so that you can plan ahead, sometimes it's a longer wait. When I went last year they had a lot of orders to finish before mine, so I had to come back an hour or two later.


----------



## haileymarie92

MYSTICAL SPIRITS OF THE BLUE BAYOU: My Experience


Okay so we showed up at BB at about 6:30pm to check in. They confirmed our reservation and meal choices, and asked us to stand in line. We were second in line. 

At about 6:55pm, they opened the doors and let us start gathering in the foyer of BB. Here they again asked for our reservation name and party size. Then promptly at 7, the next set of doors opened and we were seated based on our place in line, so we were sat second. Your table sitting had nothing to do with when you were seated. We were seated at a table in the row closest to the door, in the middle. I was happy here as we had a good view, and it was close to the exit for quick fireworks line later. 

When we sat down, our waiter took our drink order and again reviewed our meal selections. There were already two "Joo Joo Juices" sitting on the table with the lighted mickey ice cubes. The waiter said it was guava lemonade. It was pretty tasty! He quickly arrived with our other drinks and a bread basket. 

It took about 15 minutes to get everyone seated, but during that time we had our bread basket and drinks, so we were content. 

Once everyone was seated, the appetizers were served. Fiancé and I both had the Goat Cheese Tart and it was delicious. 
 

If you like cream cheese rangoons, this is a fancier version lol. 


Once everyone had an appetizer, the cadaver dans came out and began singing. This was a highlight of the night for me. I love the cadaver dans and it was a very intimate performance. They sang about 7 songs or so. This is halloween, grim grinning ghosts, oogie boogie man, cruella devil, and a few others. 

 

After the cadaver dans sang, we finished up appetizers and our plates were cleared. 

Soon, Dr Facilier showed up. He sang "Friends on the other Side" and presented the dinner entrees. While he was singing, the Bayou Belles came around with beads for each guest. 


Then entrees were served. 
Fiancé had the bayou braised short ribs with blue cheese mashed potatoes and carrots. She said it was "okay", but she isn't a huge fan of fancy food lol. 
 

I had the bourbon chicken with white cheddar polenta and asparagus spears. It was pretty tasty. I'd recommend this one. 
 


Once our entrees were finished, Dr F came out again to introduce dessert. During dessert, he mingled with the tables and took pictures. 

Dessert was very good, and actually presented differently than the pictures I've seen of the prior MSBBs. 

I had the dark chocolate creme brule with salted caramel macaroon. While it was delicious, it was most certainly not creme brule lol. It was more of a chocolate mousse tart, and there was definitely no brule. But it was delicious anyway. And presented beautifully. 


Fiancé had the almond praline cheesecake with honey bengiet. The presentation on this one was even cooler than the last! Look at dr f's hat! As for taste, it was good but cheesecake isn't our thing lol. Fiancé says the chocolate hat was delicious, though!
 

So like I said, as we are dessert, Dr F came around to each table to mingle and take a picture. He had a helper with him to take the picture for you. His Bayou belles also mingled and took pictures.  

Coffee was offered during dessert, but our waiter never offered it to us. I definitely think we got the short end of the stick in the waiter department, as he wasn't as attentive as some others I saw. 

There was quite a bit of time between dessert finishing and the next "event". This was due to the fact that it took Dr Facilier a long time to make his way through all the tables. 

As soon as Dr F finished mingling (and dessert was cleared), four pirates came out. They were super fun! And...I think they were actually the cadaver dans redressed lol. I could be wrong, but I think they were the same four guys. 

Anywho, they did a little skit with a treasure chest and had us all recite a curse to open the chest. They were funny and really lively. The chest opened and it was full of candy bags for all of us. They were passed out by the hostesses. 

Then Dr Facilier showed up again to wish us goodbye and to give us his "call card". A little chocolate card with him on it. They're very cute. 

When he announced we could leave, fiancé and I grabbed our stuff and booked it to the door because we wanted a good fireworks spot. As we were walking out, they handed each of us the exclusive lithograph. It's neat also, and much larger than I thought it'd be! It is already matted for you as well. 

Outside the restaurant, there was a hostess standing with a lighted torch to help guide us in the right direction. We got to the front of the line and waited for the rest of the guests to filter out of the BB. 

Once everyone was outside, we followed the torch hostess to the fireworks area. We were taken right to the hub where benches were set up in the north section. I didn't even look at the south section because I knew I didn't want the partners statue in my way. 

When we arrived to the seats, paint the night was just finishing. We got to watch Anna and Elsa and the fab five go by, which was a bonus. 

Fiancé and I sat in the third row of the north hub bench seats. This was an AMAZING view. Really you can't get better. However, for our show, they DID NOT ask people standing on the sidewalk/street to sit. So I would definitely recommend being in the 3rd row or further back, so that no one is standing right in front of you. 
 

Halloween screams was amazing. It's my favorite!! Such a fun show!


So to sum it up;

Positives:
Great entertainment
Good food
Awesome extras (candy, lithograph, lighted drink, etc)
Amazing fireworks seats

Negatives:
Service (though I think it was just our server as many others looked to be great servers)
Long wait between dessert presentation and the next event. The table in front of us was even trying to leave because they thought the dinner was over. 


Would I do it again? Definitely. Was it worth it? Yup.


----------



## theluckyrabbit

haileymarie92 said:


> If anyone is interested, tonight's MHP wristband color is green . I wonder if all 17 (17 right?) will be different colors?



Disney started changing the colors of the wristbands for each MHP several years ago. Before that, people were buying wristbands at party stores and sneaking into the parties. Now with the unannounced color changes with each party, it is harder to sneak in.


----------



## Priory

Thanks for the MSBB review haileymarie! I am excited now. Just 2 weeks until my party!


----------



## Dee2015

haileymarie92 said:


> MYSTICAL SPIRITS OF THE BLUE BAYOU: My Experience
> 
> 
> Okay so we showed up at BB at about 6:30pm to check in. They confirmed our reservation and meal choices, and asked us to stand in line. We were second in line.
> 
> At about 6:55pm, they opened the doors and let us start gathering in the foyer of BB. Here they again asked for our reservation name and party size. Then promptly at 7, the next set of doors opened and we were seated based on our place in line, so we were sat second. Your table sitting had nothing to do with when you were seated. We were seated at a table in the row closest to the door, in the middle. I was happy here as we had a good view, and it was close to the exit for quick fireworks line later.
> 
> When we sat down, our waiter took our drink order and again reviewed our meal selections. There were already two "Joo Joo Juices" sitting on the table with the lighted mickey ice cubes. The waiter said it was guava lemonade. It was pretty tasty! He quickly arrived with our other drinks and a bread basket.
> 
> It took about 15 minutes to get everyone seated, but during that time we had our bread basket and drinks, so we were content.
> 
> Once everyone was seated, the appetizers were served. Fiancé and I both had the Goat Cheese Tart and it was delicious.
> View attachment 126988
> 
> If you like cream cheese rangoons, this is a fancier version lol.
> 
> 
> Once everyone had an appetizer, the cadaver dans came out and began singing. This was a highlight of the night for me. I love the cadaver dans and it was a very intimate performance. They sang about 7 songs or so. This is halloween, grim grinning ghosts, oogie boogie man, cruella devil, and a few others.
> 
> View attachment 126989
> 
> After the cadaver dans sang, we finished up appetizers and our plates were cleared.
> 
> Soon, Dr Facilier showed up. He sang "Friends on the other Side" and presented the dinner entrees. While he was singing, the Bayou Belles came around with beads for each guest.
> View attachment 126990
> 
> Then entrees were served.
> Fiancé had the bayou braised short ribs with blue cheese mashed potatoes and carrots. She said it was "okay", but she isn't a huge fan of fancy food lol.
> View attachment 126991
> 
> I had the bourbon chicken with white cheddar polenta and asparagus spears. It was pretty tasty. I'd recommend this one.
> View attachment 126992
> 
> 
> Once our entrees were finished, Dr F came out again to introduce dessert. During dessert, he mingled with the tables and took pictures.
> 
> Dessert was very good, and actually presented differently than the pictures I've seen of the prior MSBBs.
> 
> I had the dark chocolate creme brule with salted caramel macaroon. While it was delicious, it was most certainly not creme brule lol. It was more of a chocolate mousse tart, and there was definitely no brule. But it was delicious anyway. And presented beautifully.
> View attachment 126993
> 
> Fiancé had the almond praline cheesecake with honey bengiet. The presentation on this one was even cooler than the last! Look at dr f's hat! As for taste, it was good but cheesecake isn't our thing lol. Fiancé says the chocolate hat was delicious, though!
> View attachment 126994
> 
> So like I said, as we are dessert, Dr F came around to each table to mingle and take a picture. He had a helper with him to take the picture for you. His Bayou belles also mingled and took pictures.
> 
> Coffee was offered during dessert, but our waiter never offered it to us. I definitely think we got the short end of the stick in the waiter department, as he wasn't as attentive as some others I saw.
> 
> There was quite a bit of time between dessert finishing and the next "event". This was due to the fact that it took Dr Facilier a long time to make his way through all the tables.
> 
> As soon as Dr F finished mingling (and dessert was cleared), four pirates came out. They were super fun! And...I think they were actually the cadaver dans redressed lol. I could be wrong, but I think they were the same four guys.
> 
> Anywho, they did a little skit with a treasure chest and had us all recite a curse to open the chest. They were funny and really lively. The chest opened and it was full of candy bags for all of us. They were passed out by the hostesses.
> 
> Then Dr Facilier showed up again to wish us goodbye and to give us his "call card". A little chocolate card with him on it. They're very cute.
> 
> When he announced we could leave, fiancé and I grabbed our stuff and booked it to the door because we wanted a good fireworks spot. As we were walking out, they handed each of us the exclusive lithograph. It's neat also, and much larger than I thought it'd be! It is already matted for you as well.
> 
> Outside the restaurant, there was a hostess standing with a lighted torch to help guide us in the right direction. We got to the front of the line and waited for the rest of the guests to filter out of the BB.
> 
> Once everyone was outside, we followed the torch hostess to the fireworks area. We were taken right to the hub where benches were set up in the north section. I didn't even look at the south section because I knew I didn't want the partners statue in my way.
> 
> When we arrived to the seats, paint the night was just finishing. We got to watch Anna and Elsa and the fab five go by, which was a bonus.
> 
> Fiancé and I sat in the third row of the north hub bench seats. This was an AMAZING view. Really you can't get better. However, for our show, they DID NOT ask people standing on the sidewalk/street to sit. So I would definitely recommend being in the 3rd row or further back, so that no one is standing right in front of you.
> View attachment 126996
> 
> Halloween screams was amazing. It's my favorite!! Such a fun show!
> View attachment 126995
> 
> So to sum it up;
> 
> Positives:
> Great entertainment
> Good food
> Awesome extras (candy, lithograph, lighted drink, etc)
> Amazing fireworks seats
> 
> Negatives:
> Service (though I think it was just our server as many others looked to be great servers)
> Long wait between dessert presentation and the next event. The table in front of us was even trying to leave because they thought the dinner was over.
> 
> 
> Would I do it again? Definitely. Was it worth it? Yup.



So pleased for you that it went well and you got the seats you'd hope for 



CassieF said:


> Queen of hearts I believe is supposed to come out at the start of the party, 6, and wander around town square, but last party she didn't come out until 630 and was up on the meet and greet until Hades took over.  My guess if there was a costume issue or something with Hades that delayed him so QoH took over.  But I believe she is supposed to come out on the hour each hour except during the 9-10 hour due to the parade.
> 
> As for the Cadaver dans, you should be able to make it to the rivers within 10 minutes, especially if you are in the Hub, and more so if you are on the left side, but Main Street or hub should be fine to make it over to ROA



Thanks Cassie! If QoH is out every hour on the hour there is no excuse for us not to catch her 

I had no idea who the Cadaver dans were - what show are they from? I'm thinking on a fog river, very late at night, my youngest may FREAK out if she sees them! Are they scary in nature or funny? Thanks again


----------



## mom2rtk

Dee2015 said:


> Thanks Cassie! If QoH is out every hour on the hour there is no excuse for us not to catch her
> 
> I had no idea who the Cadaver dans were - what show are they from? I'm thinking on a fog river, very late at night, my youngest may FREAK out if she sees them! Are they scary in nature or funny? Thanks again


 

Think "Dapper Dans" gone to the dark side.


----------



## Sith

haileymarie92 said:


> MYSTICAL SPIRITS OF THE BLUE BAYOU: My Experience
> 
> 
> Okay so we showed up at BB at about 6:30pm to check in. They confirmed our reservation and meal choices, and asked us to stand in line. We were second in line.
> 
> At about 6:55pm, they opened the doors and let us start gathering in the foyer of BB. Here they again asked for our reservation name and party size. Then promptly at 7, the next set of doors opened and we were seated based on our place in line, so we were sat second. Your table sitting had nothing to do with when you were seated. We were seated at a table in the row closest to the door, in the middle. I was happy here as we had a good view, and it was close to the exit for quick fireworks line later.
> 
> When we sat down, our waiter took our drink order and again reviewed our meal selections. There were already two "Joo Joo Juices" sitting on the table with the lighted mickey ice cubes. The waiter said it was guava lemonade. It was pretty tasty! He quickly arrived with our other drinks and a bread basket.
> 
> It took about 15 minutes to get everyone seated, but during that time we had our bread basket and drinks, so we were content.
> 
> Once everyone was seated, the appetizers were served. Fiancé and I both had the Goat Cheese Tart and it was delicious.
> View attachment 126988
> 
> If you like cream cheese rangoons, this is a fancier version lol.
> 
> 
> Once everyone had an appetizer, the cadaver dans came out and began singing. This was a highlight of the night for me. I love the cadaver dans and it was a very intimate performance. They sang about 7 songs or so. This is halloween, grim grinning ghosts, oogie boogie man, cruella devil, and a few others.
> 
> View attachment 126989
> 
> After the cadaver dans sang, we finished up appetizers and our plates were cleared.
> 
> Soon, Dr Facilier showed up. He sang "Friends on the other Side" and presented the dinner entrees. While he was singing, the Bayou Belles came around with beads for each guest.
> View attachment 126990
> 
> Then entrees were served.
> Fiancé had the bayou braised short ribs with blue cheese mashed potatoes and carrots. She said it was "okay", but she isn't a huge fan of fancy food lol.
> View attachment 126991
> 
> I had the bourbon chicken with white cheddar polenta and asparagus spears. It was pretty tasty. I'd recommend this one.
> View attachment 126992
> 
> 
> Once our entrees were finished, Dr F came out again to introduce dessert. During dessert, he mingled with the tables and took pictures.
> 
> Dessert was very good, and actually presented differently than the pictures I've seen of the prior MSBBs.
> 
> I had the dark chocolate creme brule with salted caramel macaroon. While it was delicious, it was most certainly not creme brule lol. It was more of a chocolate mousse tart, and there was definitely no brule. But it was delicious anyway. And presented beautifully.
> View attachment 126993
> 
> Fiancé had the almond praline cheesecake with honey bengiet. The presentation on this one was even cooler than the last! Look at dr f's hat! As for taste, it was good but cheesecake isn't our thing lol. Fiancé says the chocolate hat was delicious, though!
> View attachment 126994
> 
> So like I said, as we are dessert, Dr F came around to each table to mingle and take a picture. He had a helper with him to take the picture for you. His Bayou belles also mingled and took pictures.
> 
> Coffee was offered during dessert, but our waiter never offered it to us. I definitely think we got the short end of the stick in the waiter department, as he wasn't as attentive as some others I saw.
> 
> There was quite a bit of time between dessert finishing and the next "event". This was due to the fact that it took Dr Facilier a long time to make his way through all the tables.
> 
> As soon as Dr F finished mingling (and dessert was cleared), four pirates came out. They were super fun! And...I think they were actually the cadaver dans redressed lol. I could be wrong, but I think they were the same four guys.
> 
> Anywho, they did a little skit with a treasure chest and had us all recite a curse to open the chest. They were funny and really lively. The chest opened and it was full of candy bags for all of us. They were passed out by the hostesses.
> 
> Then Dr Facilier showed up again to wish us goodbye and to give us his "call card". A little chocolate card with him on it. They're very cute.
> 
> When he announced we could leave, fiancé and I grabbed our stuff and booked it to the door because we wanted a good fireworks spot. As we were walking out, they handed each of us the exclusive lithograph. It's neat also, and much larger than I thought it'd be! It is already matted for you as well.
> 
> Outside the restaurant, there was a hostess standing with a lighted torch to help guide us in the right direction. We got to the front of the line and waited for the rest of the guests to filter out of the BB.
> 
> Once everyone was outside, we followed the torch hostess to the fireworks area. We were taken right to the hub where benches were set up in the north section. I didn't even look at the south section because I knew I didn't want the partners statue in my way.
> 
> When we arrived to the seats, paint the night was just finishing. We got to watch Anna and Elsa and the fab five go by, which was a bonus.
> 
> Fiancé and I sat in the third row of the north hub bench seats. This was an AMAZING view. Really you can't get better. However, for our show, they DID NOT ask people standing on the sidewalk/street to sit. So I would definitely recommend being in the 3rd row or further back, so that no one is standing right in front of you.
> View attachment 126996
> 
> Halloween screams was amazing. It's my favorite!! Such a fun show!
> View attachment 126995
> 
> So to sum it up;
> 
> Positives:
> Great entertainment
> Good food
> Awesome extras (candy, lithograph, lighted drink, etc)
> Amazing fireworks seats
> 
> Negatives:
> Service (though I think it was just our server as many others looked to be great servers)
> Long wait between dessert presentation and the next event. The table in front of us was even trying to leave because they thought the dinner was over.
> 
> 
> Would I do it again? Definitely. Was it worth it? Yup.


Awesome review! And thanks for posting pics! I don't think anyone else has done that yet. Now I just have to endure the long wait until the 31st...

Still think Disney could be doing a better job as far as the fireworks seating, though. Half the people have the partners statue in front of them, while the other half have people standing in front of them. Obstructions are not what comes to mind when something is sold as VIP/reserved seating.


----------



## mom2rtk

I'm still looking for feedback on how early the spots in front of the castle are filled up for the fireworks. Is there any hope of squeezing in 2 people a hour out? 2 hours? There isn't a view of PTN from there, so maybe everyone else is staking out spots elsewhere? If anyone gets by there earlier in the evening I'd love to know what they're seeing in terms of crowds. I'd love to be able to take the first hour or so of the party to meet some characters, then head up there around 7 or 7:30.


----------



## haileymarie92

Sith said:


> Awesome review! And thanks for posting pics! I don't think anyone else has done that yet. Now I just have to endure the long wait until the 31st...
> 
> Still think Disney could be doing a better job as far as the fireworks seating, though. Half the people have the partners statue in front of them, while the other half have people standing in front of them. Obstructions are not what comes to mind when something is sold as VIP/reserved seating.



It was definitely a fun event!

As for the seating, yes I agree. I was so focused on getting a seat in the north hub area that I didn't even pay attention to whether they seated people in the south or not. Actually....come to think of it I dony think they sat anyone in the south hub last night! When we were leaving, there were no chairs back there...so maybe we did all fit in the north area?? Dang I should've paid more attention.


----------



## DnA2010

iKristin said:


> I got my party tickets in the mail yesterday  Sadly they have Olaf on them :| I wish they'd print Halloween style tickets




I ordered my tickets in the first week of September for our party on Oct 22nd- should I be expecting hard tickets in the mail?



DnA2010 said:


> So our trip is oct 18-25- with park days on 19-24, with Halloween party on 22nd- 5 day hoppers will give us lots of time for rides and shows so our HParty focus will be the stuff specific to the party- this would be villains, the regular characters dressed up, the Cadaver Dans, fireworks  (the parade is the same as we can see other nights correct?) treat trails-
> 
> Can anyone suggest a strategy for focusing on the Halloween party specifics?




Anyone have any ideas on best using our party time for party specific activities?


----------



## CassieF

Wow, those desserts were presented very differently than ours (I have pictures but it's too much to upload to another sight, link over, etc etc) but the creme brûlée my friend had was absolutely creme brûlée.  And I'm quite glad I still got the old cheesecake dessert....zero chocolate, the coating was more of a white chocolate shell and the entire thing was absolutely wonderful.  

I'm sorry your service was terrible!  Our server totally made the night extra special!



DnA2010 said:


> I ordered my tickets in the first week of September for our party on Oct 22nd- should I be expecting hard tickets in the mail?



Did you order online or over the phone?


----------



## Crisi83

I was just wondering the same thing about hard tickets.  But I ordered mine online and checked my email and I have digital tickets only.


----------



## purpleorchids

Seobaina - I noticed last night on Disneyland app that Pocahontas and Mulan are out on MHP with the other Princesses.  You would want to check it out on your party night and see the times they plan on coming out.


----------



## Crisi83

purpleorchids said:


> Seobaina - I noticed last night on Disneyland app that Pocahontas and Mulan are out on MHP with the other Princesses.  You would want to check it out on your party night and see the times they plan on coming out.



Where are princesses meeting? Still in the Fairytale hall? 

Also, who all has halloween specific costumes at the party?  I know fab five, but who else?   Did i read that Pooh has a costume?


----------



## purpleorchids

Crisi - the princesses were located at the royal theater.  Looked like they had 3 princesses out at a time


----------



## mom2rtk

Do they cut the character lines in advance of closing time at the parties?


----------



## MasonsG

We did our first ever MHP on Friday night and in appreciation for all the tips we learned here, I wanted to share a bit from a newbies perspective.  First off, it was phenomenal- having not done one we had nothing to compare it with but we are newly AP holders and Loved the party. I think everyone's experience will vary depending on the crowd density of the area they happen to be in- it was Packed.  And just plain luck.  We encountered so many awesome CMs and only one who was positively dreadful, they must have put her out there in an emergency- there is just no other way to explain her being in charge of the Mickey and Minnie meet and greet line at 6pm when ToonTown opened for the preparty.  Thanks so much for letting everyone know about the preparty- we had our 5 yr old grandson and it was just the perfect start to a fantastic night.  The Atmosphere, the TorT trails, the decorations- Loved it all.
There was a bit of confusion right at 6:00, there was a slight delay -perhaps a costume issue for Mickey or Minnie- we were lined up around the Gazebo.  Goofy came out and immediately a line formed for him.  Then Donald came out and another line, it might have been 6 or 7 min later before Mickey and Minnie appeared.  The other lines were moving right along- everyone getting photos and being considerate of the huge crowds.  Then our line started- at a glacially slow pace.  Our blonde female CM was having a blast taking pictures with all the cameras and only doing about a group every 3 or 4 minutes- taking multiple shots and rearranging groups many times each turn.  Had there not been such a massive line this would have been fantastic but as it was, so very few got to see M&M, who did leave just a minute or 2 past 6:30.  We had been talking with the group ahead of us- all with our eyes on the time- and we managed to collectively do 3 groups in that last minute, those still waiting then got Chip and Dale. Pluto and Daisy came out as well to take over Goofy and Donald's line.  But to give you a true idea, not only were we able to leave his mom holding our place line- we had time to do Both Goofy and Donald's lines that had formed AND return to our Mickey line, when we realized how small our chances were (and we were the lucky 2nd to last to get Mickey- but only because we all worked together).  The CM was giving everyone lots of time to play with M&M, sign autographs as well as take multiple photo scenarios.  She would be great as a photographer.  Hopefully her time out there was a one time thing, so many were crushed after waiting half an hour to see so very few lucky ones get big turns- doesn't work in crowds like that.  But we now had some great quick pictures, the trick or treat lines are really well done and flowed really nicely.  So fun for both kids and adults.  There is a big sign that makes a great backdrop and that line, without even a CM, moved along perfectly.  I had not realized how many amazing photo backdrops are available all over the park during the party- I would have planned my timing differently as I was just surprised again and again at another awesome character spot.  Thank heavens my little guy is not into Princesses- I would have needed another party night or two.  For newbies, this thread has been priceless.
The lines for rides were crazy long from 4-8:30, loved that they were diligently checking we had the correct green wristbands on.  We picked ours up at the entry off the hub into Frontierland about 4:15 and the line moved super fast- again- great CMs making it so exciting. Took us less than 5 min to scan our tickets and get wristbands. 
The costumes we saw throughout the night on other guests just blew us away- the whole thing was just magical.  For our night the PTN parade went from IASW towards the front turnstiles.  We did not notice people staking out parade route spots particularly early, there is just so much going on, LOVED the fireworks.  Ride lines were still a bit long until after that, but a few breakdown closures caused some lines to swell to other rides so that was just luck if that happened where you were- P of the C, Indiana Jones and Thunder Mtn were 3 temporary closures that we ran into, so HM was really long until about 10:30.  Nothing could spoil the evening and I cannot wait to do it again next year.  But I will try to find out where the amazing photos spots are next year- the Frozen ones were a couple of my favorites and there was a super long line for the one by HM so I wish I could have gotten closer to see it.  Could not believe how much fun we had- hope everyone has a great time, we never saw the Mickey Vampire popcorn buckets- they just had Zero last night.  Wish I had bought tickets to go again this year- we had no idea just how incredible an evening it would be- thanks to all who posted!!


----------



## jenhelgren

I started a new thread with these questions but thought I may have better luck here..

I know I read that the Toontown pre party was at capacity for the first MHP. Have all the nights been like that so far-where they stop allowing more people in due to capacity? What time do Mickey and Minnie switch out for Donald and Daisy's line? Has there been a pre line to get into Toontown when it opens back up one hour preparty? If so-what time should we plan on getting in line if we want to enter Toontown right when it reopens? Our party is on a Thursday so it starts at 6 pm. Thanks in advance!


----------



## only hope

Ah, good questions. I hope someone answers, I'd like to know too.


----------



## MasonsG

jenhelgren said:


> I started a new thread with these questions but thought I may have better luck here..
> 
> I know I read that the Toontown pre party was at capacity for the first MHP. Have all the nights been like that so far-where they stop allowing more people in due to capacity? What time do Mickey and Minnie switch out for Donald and Daisy's line? Has there been a pre line to get into Toontown when it opens back up one hour preparty? If so-what time should we plan on getting in line if we want to enter Toontown right when it reopens? Our party is on a Thursday so it starts at 6 pm. Thanks in advance!



I don't know that it was ever closed our night, it was not nearly as crowded in ToonTown as it was in the rest of the park.  It really is nice for the littler kids.  We saw the entrance before Mickeys Magical Map started at 5:30 and there were only a scattering of people waiting, we came back out of the show (we sat in back) at 5 min to 6:00 and they were just about to let people in, it flowed quickly, they are just checking to make sure you have the wristband and that no one charges over small children- everyone co-operated, thrilled for the party to begin for the littler ones.  Rodger Rabbit had a 10 min wait initially but by 6pm they had dropped that down to 5 min.  We will be sad to see this area closed- its been great.  The longest line was for Mickey and Minnie- that wrapped around the gazebo, the characters change right on the half hour mark (except the extra moment our night but not the whole 6 or 7 min they were delayed arriving).  Everyone was having a blast.  I should have mentioned how well the music is done- not deafening like at Universal.  I noticed all the kids with storm trooper masks carried them but they were okay with letting them put them on just for photo moments.  But usually even then they put them on their head so you could see their face.  Fantastic costumes all night, the villains farewell at 10 min of midnight was awesome as well.  They arrived on the City Hall side and did a few minutes of farewell.  Every tiny detail is spectacular.


----------



## jenhelgren

So Donald and Daisy meet the first 30 minutes and then Mickey and Minnie swap out for the final 30 minutes before the party even starts? My DD wants a Mickey Zorro pic so bad so I want to be sure I have the times correct! Villains are also on the list for us so I want to have a game plan for the night!
Can anyone say when the villain lines start and how long of a wait we would have getting there at 6 when the party starts?
Our party runs 6-11 so Toontown should open around 5 with Donald and Daisy already out and then Mickey and Minnie at 5:30?


----------



## MasonsG

Donald and Daisy were not our first ones out Friday- anything can happen.  We had Mickey & Minnie first, Goofy came out alone first and was to the left of the gazebo (closer to Chip & Dales treehouse direction), then Donald came out alone and he was on the right (Rodger Rabbit side of the gazebo), Mickey & Minnie were then center behind the gazebo.  The center line was the only line that could form (wrapping around the gazebo) before the characters arrived, but I believe they usually all come out together.  Friday must have had some quick impromptu changes.  This made for more changes at the half hour switch, with 4 characters coming out together.  Pluto took Goofy's spot, Daisy took Donald's and Chip & Dale relieved M&M.  Nice because we had 3 character lines going.  We've usually only done character lines on the different Disney cruise ships, but it's always nice when you can get several of them quickly as little kids don't enjoy standing in long lines.  We skip autographs.  Everyone has something that means the most to them, for me- it's the pictures- memories that last.


----------



## joyfulDisneytears

Has anyone had success buying tickets at the gate on the morning of for a sold out party yet this year?  I'm going to be at DLR for 3 party nights and if it is at all possible I'll get my bum out of bed super early each day to get to the ticket booth!


----------



## Cats2

I haven't noticed it mentioned, but we saw the Cadaver Dans performing on the balcony of the GCH lobby on two of the MHP nights this week. I'm guessing it might have been somewhere around 4pm? I was wondering if they're scheduled to perform there on all the party nights?
Does anyone know just how many hidden Mickeys there are on the GCH confectionary Halloween tree? (I found 8, but was thinking they might've placed 13--just seems like it would be an appropriate number). The sign was not there last weekend, and then showed up again early this week.


----------



## HopLow1968

purpleorchids said:


> Seobaina - I noticed last night on Disneyland app that Pocahontas and Mulan are out on MHP with the other Princesses.



Can anybody else confirm that Pocahontas was out for meet and greets during MHP?


----------



## joyfulDisneytears

Confirmation


----------



## CassieF

joyfulDisneytears said:


> Has anyone had success buying tickets at the gate on the morning of for a sold out party yet this year?  I'm going to be at DLR for 3 party nights and if it is at all possible I'll get my bum out of bed super early each day to get to the ticket booth!



On my party, a Wednesday, the only way to purchase tickets day of was if you were with a group that already had tickets and only needed an extra one.  My friend tried before I got there, no luck, but no problem once I was there with the rest of the tickets.


----------



## HopLow1968

joyfulDisneytears said:


> Confirmation


Thank you!    This will make her day.


----------



## Sherry E

By the way, Kilala and my other fellow SoCal residents -- how awesome is this weather?  Right now, where I am in Los Angeles, it is a delightful, blissful, amazing 67 degrees!!!!!!  I could just about do a happy dance in the middle of the street!    It has been gloomy and overcast off and on, which is wonderful!, and it is slightly chilly -- just barely -- right now.  It's only supposed to get to 71 degrees today.  By Friday it will be back up to 90 degrees.    For a fleeting moment I can remember what comfortable weather feels like!  Two weeks ago it literally felt like a sauna outside, even at night. 



​


----------



## stephanie22

Sherry E said:


> By the way, Kilala and my other fellow SoCal residents -- how awesome is this weather?  Right now, where I am in Los Angeles, it is a delightful, blissful, amazing 67 degrees!!!!!!  I could just about do a happy dance in the middle of the street!    It has been gloomy and overcast off and on, which is wonderful!, and it is slightly chilly -- just barely -- right now.  It's only supposed to get to 71 degrees today.  By Friday it will be back up to 90 degrees.    For a fleeting moment I can remember what comfortable weather feels like!  Two weeks ago it literally felt like a sauna outside, even at night.
> 
> 
> 
> ​



I know I'm not happy the weather is supposed to go back up just in time for us to be there.  It's supposed to be mid to hig 90s while we're there, and Phoenix is supposed to be cooler in the 80s so I'm missing out on both sides lol


----------



## mom2rtk

Sherry E said:


> By the way, Kilala and my other fellow SoCal residents -- how awesome is this weather?  Right now, where I am in Los Angeles, it is a delightful, blissful, amazing 67 degrees!!!!!!  I could just about do a happy dance in the middle of the street!    It has been gloomy and overcast off and on, which is wonderful!, and it is slightly chilly -- just barely -- right now.  It's only supposed to get to 71 degrees today.  By Friday it will be back up to 90 degrees.    For a fleeting moment I can remember what comfortable weather feels like!  Two weeks ago it literally felt like a sauna outside, even at night.
> 
> 
> 
> ​


 


Just 5 minutes ago I added Anaheim to my weather app so we can watch the forecast and I saw how cool it is. I need some of that weather in a few weeks please!

Glad you're getting a taste of fall, Sherry!


----------



## Mommy2PrincessAbby

This time right now in 3 weeks, I hope to be chillin in DCA with my daughter eating a Disney corn dog!!!  I have the guest bed with some toiletries already thrown on it... plus my photopass disc thing and one of my gift cards... and I need to find my landry's card to add to the pile.  I am hoping that tomorrow my Disney visa will have updated my points so I can order the rewards card...

Happy dance... it is getting close now!


----------



## Clawdya

Sherry E said:


> By the way, Kilala and my other fellow SoCal residents -- how awesome is this weather?  Right now, where I am in Los Angeles, it is a delightful, blissful, amazing 67 degrees!!!!!!  I could just about do a happy dance in the middle of the street!    It has been gloomy and overcast off and on, which is wonderful!, and it is slightly chilly -- just barely -- right now.  It's only supposed to get to 71 degrees today.  By Friday it will be back up to 90 degrees.    For a fleeting moment I can remember what comfortable weather feels like!  Two weeks ago it literally felt like a sauna outside, even at night.
> 
> 
> 
> ​



Right there with ya


----------



## pudinhd

Sherry E said:


> By the way, Kilala and my other fellow SoCal residents -- how awesome is this weather?  Right now, where I am in Los Angeles, it is a delightful, blissful, amazing 67 degrees!!!!!!  I could just about do a happy dance in the middle of the street!    It has been gloomy and overcast off and on, which is wonderful!, and it is slightly chilly -- just barely -- right now.  It's only supposed to get to 71 degrees today.  By Friday it will be back up to 90 degrees.    For a fleeting moment I can remember what comfortable weather feels like!  Two weeks ago it literally felt like a sauna outside, even at night.
> 
> 
> 
> ​



I have the windows and doors open to enjoy the breeze!    I keep waiting for the rain we are supposed to have today.


----------



## tzeitel

mom2rtk said:


> I'm still looking for feedback on how early the spots in front of the castle are filled up for the fireworks. Is there any hope of squeezing in 2 people a hour out? 2 hours? There isn't a view of PTN from there, so maybe everyone else is staking out spots elsewhere? If anyone gets by there earlier in the evening I'd love to know what they're seeing in terms of crowds. I'd love to be able to take the first hour or so of the party to meet some characters, then head up there around 7 or 7:30.


 I was wondering about this as well - anyone have any info?



mrsw94 said:


> Quick question for you all and save me some time searching....I seem to recall someone recommending signing up for local restaurants to get coupons for the trip, possibly a sub shop?  But now I can't remember...Thanks!!


Earl of Sandwich has an email program. http://visitanaheim.org/coupons has a bunch of coupons for things around the area. Mimi's sends tons of coupons for joining their email program.  Red Robin has a loyalty program as well. So does Denny's and Landry's (Rainforest Cafe).


----------



## Kilala

Sherry E said:


> By the way, Kilala and my other fellow SoCal residents -- how awesome is this weather?  Right now, where I am in Los Angeles, it is a delightful, blissful, amazing 67 degrees!!!!!!  I could just about do a happy dance in the middle of the street!    It has been gloomy and overcast off and on, which is wonderful!, and it is slightly chilly -- just barely -- right now.  It's only supposed to get to 71 degrees today.  By Friday it will be back up to 90 degrees.    For a fleeting moment I can remember what comfortable weather feels like!  Two weeks ago it literally felt like a sauna outside, even at night.
> 
> 
> 
> ​


It is sooo nice outside!! We have been getting off and on rain over here in Orange. I have also have been noticing that the nights have been cooler. It know by the time I go on the 14th and the 16th it will be nice and cool at night. I do NOT want rain on the 14th, 16th or Halloween night.


----------



## joyfulDisneytears

CassieF said:


> On my party, a Wednesday, the only way to purchase tickets day of was if you were with a group that already had tickets and only needed an extra one.  My friend tried before I got there, no luck, but no problem once I was there with the rest of the tickets.


 
Hmm...okay, thank you for sharing that.  Is anyone going on the 19th that is willing to meet up at the ticket booth with me?  Dead serious.  I will love you forever and buy you your Disney snack of choice.


----------



## mrsw94

tzeitel said:


> I was wondering about this as well - anyone have any info?
> 
> Earl of Sandwich has an email program. http://visitanaheim.org/coupons has a bunch of coupons for things around the area. Mimi's sends tons of coupons for joining their email program.  Red Robin has a loyalty program as well. So does Denny's and Landry's (Rainforest Cafe).



Thanks so much!!  Signed up for Earl of Sandwich.  Got a coupon for a free drink and chips.  Every little bit helps!


----------



## Meeko32198

I hope it will be cool on the 14th! That is the night we are going. 

I have a question about parking...with our tickets we have free parking. Does the parking have time restrictions too, like the ticket does of starting around 3 or can we use it to park early and explore DTD around lunch time and then head into the park at 3?

Also, what lot should I try to get into? We are staying at the Hampton Inn in Garden Grove, and it looks like the Toy Story lot is closer to our hotel but you ride a bus and not the tram, correct? We're veterans of WDW and this is our first time going to DL. Things planning are different in this respect. 

Last question. Would you recommend not wearing wings on a costume to the party? I'm thinking about dressing up as Fairy Mary from Tinkerbell but would like to do wings. Thought though they may get in the way of rides and other people. Thoughts? 

Thanks!!


----------



## lily66

joyfulDisneytears said:


> Hmm...okay, thank you for sharing that.  Is anyone going on the 19th that is willing to meet up at the ticket booth with me?  Dead serious.  I will love you forever and buy you your Disney snack of choice.



My Dh and I are going to the party that night and would be more than happy to help you out but we are flying in that day from NZ so I'm just not sure how easy it will be for us to liaise with you to meet up. We hope to hit the parks about 12pm.



Meeko32198 said:


> Last question. Would you recommend not wearing wings on a costume to the party? I'm thinking about dressing up as Fairy Mary from Tinkerbell but would like to do wings. Thought though they may get in the way of rides and other people. Thoughts?
> 
> Thanks!!



I've seen pics on blogs and vlogs on youtube with lots of fairies wearing their wings, if they aren't oversized or easily broken I'm sure they'll look fantastic.


----------



## Clawdya

Meeko32198 said:


> I hope it will be cool on the 14th! That is the night we are going.
> 
> I have a question about parking...with our tickets we have free parking. Does the parking have time restrictions too, like the ticket does of starting around 3 or can we use it to park early and explore DTD around lunch time and then head into the park at 3?
> 
> Also, what lot should I try to get into? We are staying at the Hampton Inn in Garden Grove, and it looks like the Toy Story lot is closer to our hotel but you ride a bus and not the tram, correct? We're veterans of WDW and this is our first time going to DL. Things planning are different in this respect.
> 
> Last question. Would you recommend not wearing wings on a costume to the party? I'm thinking about dressing up as Fairy Mary from Tinkerbell but would like to do wings. Thought though they may get in the way of rides and other people. Thoughts?
> 
> Thanks!!



Parking is all day, I asked Disneyland guest services this question and this was their response....

Dear Claudia,

Thank you for your email to the DISNEYLAND® Resort.

Yes, the Parking with the Mickey's Halloween Party event ticket may be 
used for all day.

Again, thank you for taking the time to write. We hope you will have the
opportunity to visit the DISNEYLAND® Resort soon and trust your visit 
will be pleasant in all regards.

Sincerely,

Linda Trump
DISNEYLAND® Resort
Guest Experience Services

Please note all information is subject to change without notice and 
should be confirmed just prior to your visit.


----------



## keishashadow

@DL now having great time really enjoyed fantAsmic BB pkg but

Dinner service moves back to start time of 5 pm.  Server said computer error allowed double booking 

Also a fight in restaurant between table of gay day attended and one from military days.  They had to separate tables. Server said several ugly incidents thru out park.  Glad I mised that


----------



## tzeitel

joyfulDisneytears said:


> Hmm...okay, thank you for sharing that.  Is anyone going on the 19th that is willing to meet up at the ticket booth with me?  Dead serious.  I will love you forever and buy you your Disney snack of choice.


I (and my group of 5) will be there on the 19th.  We are having lunch at Jazz Brennan's at 1pm and then wasting time at DtD before going in at 3pm.  Let me know if I can help.


----------



## GenGen22

mrsw94 said:


> Thanks so much!!  Signed up for Earl of Sandwich.  Got a coupon for a free drink and chips.  Every little bit helps!


 go to mousesavers.com and listed under DL and meals snacks & drinks there are coupon deals at the bottom of the thread.  Also, here is another site with coupons: http://visitanaheim.org/coupons. I check groupon as well.


----------



## Dee2015

I feel like a real twit but I'm finding it hard to get my head around it all and I'm hoping you can help pretty please.

We're going on the 31st. First time at DL. Also my 40th that night, so I'd like it to be a fun, smooth sailing evening if at all possible.

Our party starts at 7pm (the girls usual bedtime lol!) Will the Toon Town party start before this time?

Will there be any MHP characters out prior to 7pm?

Thanks in advance!


----------



## lily66

Dee2015 said:


> Our party starts at 7pm (the girls usual bedtime lol!) Will the Toon Town party start before this time?
> 
> Will there be any MHP characters out prior to 7pm?
> 
> Thanks in advance!



The pre-party in Toontown will start 1 hour before the party's official start time - TT opens 5pm before 6pm start and 6pm before 7pm start. There are MHP characters in TT during the pre-party, Mickey and Minnie, Donald and Daisy, Goofy and there have been some reports of others also. 
Jack Skellington and Sally do meet and greets during the day also.


----------



## Dee2015

lily66 said:


> The pre-party in Toontown will start 1 hour before the party's official start time - TT opens 5pm before 6pm start and 6pm before 7pm start. There are MHP characters in TT during the pre-party, Mickey and Minnie, Donald and Daisy, Goofy and there have been some reports of others also.
> Jack Skellington and Sally do meet and greets during the day also.



Thanks so much!  That's really helpful


----------



## RichP1269

And for those that enjoy an adult beverage:


----------



## ludari

On Friday after work I went to DLR to run an errand and decided to hang out and jump on a few rides before I left for the day. I noticed a lot of great costumes for MNSSHP which inspired me to finish my costume before the end of the month so I can wear it at DLR.


----------



## Kilala

I have started on a new costume yesterday. It's candy corn tabby cat. I might wear this costume on the 16th party instead of the Halloween cat costume. I would wear that on Halloween night. I will post the Halloween cat costume photo shoot later on today. I will finally be taking a photo shoot in my Demeter costume this Friday or Saturday.


----------



## tzeitel

DD decided she wants to be a cat for the party, so I said she could be JiJi, I will be Kiki and DH will be Tombo (from Kiki's Delivery Service).  It will be more of a bound than costumes though.  DD will be all in black with a red bowtie, cat ears and maybe a tail.  I will be in a black dress (same style as Kiki's but in black as I do not have it in blue), red hair bow, red Keds and orange bag (have had a heck of a time finding an orange messenger bag so the one I got will have to do). DH will be in jeans, red and white striped tee and he will wear his glasses. I also got a cute pin of a cat riding a broom. 

I got the PhotoPass and hope to take full advantage!  With all the 60th photo ops and the Halloween ones it will be so worth it


----------



## SeaPic

Meeko32198 said:


> I have a question about parking...with our tickets we have free parking. Does the parking have time restrictions too, like the ticket does of starting around 3 or can we use it to park early and explore DTD around lunch time and then head into the park at 3?
> 
> Also, what lot should I try to get into? We are staying at the Hampton Inn in Garden Grove, and it looks like the Toy Story lot is closer to our hotel but you ride a bus and not the tram, correct? We're veterans of WDW and this is our first time going to DL. Things planning are different in this respect.



We are staying there too but this Friday! I'm still thinking about the parking . I'd like to go early to DTD but not go through security so that would be the other lot. But after the party it seems the quickest way back to the hotel would be from the Toy Story lot. Then supposedly the hotel has a shuttle every 30 minutes for $5 round trip but I'm not sure it runs late for the party.


----------



## JessieD

We leave 3 weeks from today!!!! It's getting so close I can hardly stand it!!!!!!! I can't wait for our party night and my son's 5th birthday!!!!!!


----------



## jadelsp

joyfulDisneytears said:


> Hmm...okay, thank you for sharing that.  Is anyone going on the 19th that is willing to meet up at the ticket booth with me?  Dead serious.  I will love you forever and buy you your Disney snack of choice.



I will also be there with party tickets the 19th and can meet up at the ticket booths.


----------



## tzeitel

SeaPic said:


> We are staying there too but this Friday! I'm still thinking about the parking . I'd like to go early to DTD but not go through security so that would be the other lot. But after the party it seems the quickest way back to the hotel would be from the Toy Story lot. Then supposedly the hotel has a shuttle every 30 minutes for $5 round trip but I'm not sure it runs late for the party.


I just read somewhere (sorry can't remember even though it was about an hour ago lol) that parking is all day.  My ticket says parking is for the same day of party but does not say a specific time.


----------



## Kilala

Dumb question about parking can I use my e-ticket on my phone for parking?


----------



## mummabear

Woohoo Kids have decided they will be Anna, Elsa and Olaf for one party and Peter, Tink and Tiger Lily for the other.

Now to get DH to commit to something...


----------



## Metalliman98

Did the Happiest Haunts tour tonight, here's what we did.  Warning, potential spoilers.

Ours was the 4:00 tour, with myself, DW, and DS (4 yo).  Our tour guide was Ryan.  We stopped off at City Hall where Ryan performed an incantation to try to summon Madame Gracey, which was not successful.  After a stop by the giant Mickey pumpkin, we stopped at the movie theater and Gracey appeared and accompanied us for the rest of the tour.  We made our way to the candy shop where we got a marshmallow decorated like a jack o'lantern, then proceeded to the Halloween Tree in Frontierland.  Then off to BTMRR for a ride, around the big thunder ranch area and into Fantasyland for a ride on Snow White.  Over to Matterhorn for a ride there, then Ryan stopped by the pool by the smoking area for some "ghost stories" about attractions past.  Then over to SM:GG, then to the partners statue where Ryan talked about how Disney helped Anaheim do a Halloween celebration before Disneyland opened that included previews of Disneyland.  Then over to 21 Royal Street where we each got a Mickey Head sugar cookie, then off to HMH......which was, surprisingly, bad.

Not the overlay, but the ride experience.  We got to bypass the line, and went through the stretching room no problem, but coming out of the room, the hallway was full of people and we didn't move forward for about 10 minutes.  Once we finally got on our doom buggies, the ride stopped four or five times during the ride for one to two minutes each time.  We stopped just before entering the first scene, again where zero was floating, twice overlooking the ballroom, and right in front of oogie boogie. I don't know if the ride was having a lot of mechanical problems or if there were a lot of disabled people loading/unloading or what, but it was the worst experience I've ever had on that ride by far in terms of stops and starts.  I was mildly annoyed, but I would have been much more mad if I had to wait 40 minutes for it.

But thankfully, we didn't.  We got off, went over to the little alcove by the splash mountain fast passes, got our death certificates and our pin, and after my son got to "blow out" the candle that Madame Gracey had been carrying around all night, we departed, watching MHP going on along the way.

Overall I'm glad we did the tour.  It was fun, we learned a bit, got some good treats and cool mementos.  The park was a little crowded when we stepped off at 4 due to overlap between MHP and normal park goers, but it wasn't unmanageable.  The tour audio system worked well, no troubles hearing anything as others have reported.  For $64 a pop, not bad.  Don't know if I'd do it again next year if all the rides were the same, but I could easily do every few years.


----------



## JenKate

Sherry, saw this today and thought of you!

http://www.eonline.com/news/701670/...-basically-every-pumpkin-spice-flavored-snack


----------



## Spyral

I am late doing this write up of our time at MHP's on Monday Sept 28th, but thought would still pass it along.  We arrived that Monday to the GCH, and had a great CM check us in.  We arrived around noon, and our room wasn't ready yet, so he was able to upgrade our room to one that was ready   He also gave my son an autographed Donald Duck picture and a picture of Micky that he was to get autographed in the park.  That set us all in a good mood.

Being how the party started at 6pm, we were able to get in at 3pm.  Unfortunately, we weren't quite prepared for the heat.  We live in AZ (both wife and I have lived here for all our lives (40+ years each)) so we are used to heat, but we weren't prepared for the added humidity.  This did put a damper on things, but we were still having a good time.  We waited in line to get in to the park (about a 15 min wait), got our wristbands, and our trick-or-treat bags.  From reading on this thread, we had brought our own (larger) bags as well 

We thought the park was busy, but not too bad as we have seen in the past.  We did a few rides prior to the start of the party.  We did not do the pre-party in Toontown like originally planned.  The kids were just to excited to be in the park and to do rides instead of trick-or-treating.  We worked our way back towards Big Thunder Ranch area, and they had opened the treat trail already before 6pm as well, so we still did get some candy early on.  After 6pm, when they limited the rides to just party guests, we did find the lines way short for most rides.  For instance, we walked on to Splash Mountain with no waiting.

We got a few character pictures done that night with the characters in their Halloweeen costumes, but again, the kids were more focused on going on rides.  We tried to explain that would have almost 5 full additional days in the park, but being their first time in DL in a few years (and my son's first trip), they were overly excited.

We didn't stake out spots for PTN or the fireworks show, but we did stop to watch the fireworks though had a limited view due to trees.  We still enjoyed it. After the fireworks we were worn out from the heat, we decided to go ahead and call it a night.  On the way out, thought maybe we would try and do some photos with the villians, but they were wrapping up as well (still had almost an hour left before closing).  We didn't mind so much as we were soaked from sweat and Splash Mountain, and just wanted to get back to the hotel to cool down.

One thing did notice though was that there was additional theming added after that party night to the area behind BTMR.  On that walkway on the bridge by the tunnel to the old mining ride, on our party night, they did have mist coming out of it with a light shining out of it and spooky sound effects/music, but on the following Friday night when we walked back there, we noticed they had flashing strobe lights timed w/ a lightning sound effect, and the light coming out of the tunnel shining through the mist was a skull & crossbones.  Also as an aside, it seemed like there were a lot more people for the sold out party that Friday (10/2).  Granted we left DL shortly after the MHP had started as we didn't have tickets, but it felt a lot more busy than the non-sold-out 9/28 party. I mean, that makes senses (sold-out vs non-sold-out), but thought would pass along that it truly didn't feel as crowded 9/28, at least to us.


Positives:
- Theming:  We really enjoy Halloween, so we loved the theming throughout the park.
- Candy/Treats: We didn't get as much as what read other people got because we didn't do trick-or-treating late into the evening, but we got more than we could handle during our stay, and ended up taking almost 3/4 of a re-usable grocery style bag of candy back home with us.
- Characters: Even though we didn't get a lot of pictures with the characters during the party, it was great to see them out and about in their Halloween costumes.  All that we seen were very interactive with the people they were meeting/greeting.  This held true for all our time in the parks.
- CMs: We didn't come across any bad CMs.  They all seemed to be in the Halloween spirit, commenting on costumes and having fun as well.
- Zero popcorn bucket - love this thing.  My daughter also got a Zero stuffed animal at the cart by the HM.  Didn't see them later during our time there.


Negatives:
- Heat & humidity: Not much can do about that except to stay hydrated and hit shady spots or pop into a store or attraction that has AC.  I did feel bad for the poor CMs that dress up. I don't know how they do it, even when they are only out there for a short while and switch out.
- Candy/Treats: Yeah, this is a negative to.  Not so much on getting the candy or doing the treat trails (we skipped the long ones as there were plenty of short ones), but having to carry around an extra-bag for each person got a little old.  I think if do it again, will keep the bags in the backpack through out most of the time, and just pull them out and do the treat trails at the end of the night, so don't have to lug around the candy all night long.
- No carnival:  I wish could have seen it as this was our first trip during Halloween time.  It was also sad later when we ate at BTRB, knowing that it would be closing in a couple months forever.  We talked to our waiter about it, and at least for him he also worked at one of the other restaurants.  Hopefully same holds true for the others there in that they will have other places to work at in the parks.


A few highlights from non-party nights during our trip:
- We got silhouettes done for each of us.  She is amazing in what she does and how quickly she can cut them out.  I didn't realize that got two silhouettes (she cuts 2 papers at once so you have two profiles facing different directions.
- We had breakfast at the Carnation Cafe, and Chef Oscar sat down and joined us at our table for about 20 minutes to chat and tell stories of his time there.
- We had great character interaction throughout the park. Do highly recommend the PhotoPass+ to people.  The photographers do seem to take extra time with you and do more shots.  They also would do magic shots without us needing to ask (where to others before us they didn't offer magic shots).
- We had the earliest reservations we could get at the Plaza Inn.  We were the second to be seated, and four characters (Chip, Tigger, Pooh, and Eeyore) were already out, so we got a group shot with the four of them and our kids.  Minnie came out at the same time and came running over to get in the picture too.  Shortly after Hook came out, and after some interaction, my son said to say "Cod fish" and Hook stormed out of the restaurant make the "I'm watching you" eyes with my son.  After he came back again later, my son said "Pirates Rule" and Hook bowed to him and all was good 
- Corn dogs:  Never did a corn dog in DL. The line was just waaaaay to long anytime we happened to be by.  But did manage to get the corn dog a couple times in DCA.  The line there was long at times as well, but there were times when could just walk right up, so we did!
- Cars Land:  Not sure what can say that hasn't already been said.  The theming is top notch, RSR is probably our favorite ride (well my son would say BTMR), and we enjoyed MJJ a lot as well, and that was usually a walk-on ride for us.  And it is even more spectacular at night.  In fact for us, I think DL is a better day park and DCA is a better night park.

And a few negatives:
- Crowds were very bad on 10/3.  It seemed worse than anytime during our prior summer visits. Know with Gay Days, Halloween Time, and 60th, it helped spur on the crowds, but we weren't quite expecting it to be that crowded!  It felt like we were in Times Square for New Years Eve at times.  But you just have to roll with it and take advantage of FP when can and check the wait times on the Disneyland App.  I wish they had the FP return times on the app during our visit as that would have been nice, but as it was, took advantage of Otto when could (though it was wrong on a couple times as it said FP were available for a certain time, though when I arrived, no more FP were available even though I booked it to get the FP distro, but not a huge deal).
- Had a terrible experience at the Boardwalk Pizza & Pasta.  My son is very picky, so pizza was about the only think he would eat at the parks. On Friday night, DCA was very busy due to MHP in DL.  At the BPP, they had a line setup for people to come in an orderly fashion to get their food.  But they didn't enforce it.  So people were coming in through the exits, or just going around the line to get food from the counters.  Someone mentioned it to one of the CMs there about people going around, and she just shrugged it off and said "well they are not supposed to", and then walked off to do something else.  One of the fountain drink dispensers was broken, so that made the drink lines even longer. By the time I made it up to one, there was no ice in it, so skipped drinks. Then it took foooorever (20 min at least) to wait in the check out line!  People were eating/finishing their food while waiting in line prior to paying for it.  And that was only with about maybe 8 people in front of me!
- Surveys:  I don't know how many times were were asked to take a survey.  We usually went ahead and did, but by the 8th or 9th time, we were done with it.  We would say that had already done numerous surveys, but were told 'but this one is different!'.  I think they should at least offer stickers or something after people take them.  Then I think folks would be more inclined to do so.

... ok, that was a bit longer than was planning to write, but we really did enjoy our time there from MHP up until it was time to leave.  Probably should do a full TR, as there is just so much to add.


----------



## lorijohnhill

We just got home from our trip.  I miss DLR already!

I have to say we had the most magical, pixie dusted trip ever! It was absolutely amazing!

Once I get my 4000+ photos uploaded and get my photopass photos, I will attempt to do a trip report.


----------



## Sherry E

Thank you to everyone who is taking the time to come back and give reviews/reports about MHP, about the Happiest Haunts Tour, about Mystical Spirits of the Blue Bayou, about your Halloween Time experience in general, as well as share photos, etc.  It is all very much appreciated!  Keep them them coming!

​



JenKate said:


> Sherry, saw this today and thought of you!
> 
> http://www.eonline.com/news/701670/...-basically-every-pumpkin-spice-flavored-snack



  You know Pumpkin Pandemonium has swept the nation when E! -- an entertainment news reporting entity -- jumps into the game too, and does a story on all things pumpkin!


----------



## GenGen22

For people looking for Halloween bags.  Last year we bought a Minnie Mouse Halloween bag from I think the Emporium on Main Street & it was only like $3 which is an inexpensive cost for a trick or treat bag.  It was this type of bag but with a different character on it.


----------



## Niltiac

I haven't been participating in the discussion up to now, but I've been reading through this thread to help plan for my first MHP and it was so helpful I thought I should pay it forward and give some input.  I went with a group of family and friends on Friday 10/2 and I was the main organizer for the trip. 

The main thing I want to bring up is my thought on crowds since that seems to be a big concern for a lot of people.  Granted, I've never been to MHP before so I can't compare to past years, but just the same, my thoughts are that crowds were manageable depending on what your goals are.  It definitely *felt *crowded.  Walkways were busy and it was easy to get separated from your group - this was partly due to the number of people and partly due to there being various lines set up where there aren't normally lines (treat trails and characters) pushing the traffic into narrower walking areas.  We didn't meet any characters and I wouldn't be surprised if wait times for those were very long.  But ride lines were great!  Early in the evening (maybe an hour after official party start time) there was no line for Indy.  No line at all - there was no one queued up to load when our ride ended so we got to go again!  There was also no wait for Jungle Cruise.  Other rides we went on did have lines, but they were shorter than normal - 3 minutes for BTMRR, about 15 minutes for Matterhorn, etc.  I think HM and Space had longer lines, as expected, but I didn't attempt those rides.  There was also a decent wait time for Pirates because they closed the ride during the dinner (either that or the ride was down), so when they reopened it at the end of the night the line really filled up.

We didn't watch the parade but we were able to get decent enough spots for the fireworks by standing in the back of the parade-watching area for the last couple of floats, and then walking to the middle of the street with the crowd. 

We only went on 3 treat trails late in the evening and the lines were short/nonexistent except for by the river because the Cadaver Dans were performing.  We didn't get a ton of candy - about 3 pieces per station about about 6 stations per trail if I remember right.  We did not encounter what has been reported before that at the end of the night they start giving out more candy, but then again we didn't go on very many trails so YMMV.  The CM's on the trails were great and a few of them recognized and commented on our relatively obscure costumes.  I thought it was great that even though they were trying to keep the line moving they made the effort to notice the costumes.

Here's something to be aware of that we had not anticipated - some of the bathrooms are blocked by treat trails, and they won't let you back to use the bathrooms unless you wait in the treat line with everyone else.  Of course not every bathroom was blocked, but be prepared to hunt around.  We had a mishap with someone in our group who is lactose intolerant having dairy (this was our mistake, not Disney's), but as a result we spent a decent amount of time running through crowds trying to find accessible bathrooms. 

Overall it was really great, and we're thinking of going again in the future, although the river area was such a highlight in terms of atmosphere so I suppose we'll have to wait and see what they do when the river is closed.


----------



## jammyjam25

Hi all! Arrived back from my Disney trip last night and have LOTS of photos and rambling that I'll eventually get into a trip report.

Wanted to report back here specifically about the 09/30 Halloween Party last Wednesday.

We went in right at 3:00pm when we were allowed. The park was pretty busy so we rode one ride (Buzz) then made our way to Toon Town to do the pre-party. Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, Daisy, Pluto and Chip & Dale were all out in costumes looking ADORABLE! We got in line to meet Mickey & Minnie and the line wasn't very long but ultimately ended up meeting C&D because they swapped out to give M&M a break. Us and the other people around us were extremely annoyed because the CM's were letting people have their own private photo shoots with M&M (not even in the photos with them, just posing M&M in multiple poses and taking their photo) and taking sooooo much time so the line was moving at a snail's pace and because of that we all ended up not being able to get our photos with them. ARG.  Once we finally got through that line we were able to go through Pluto's line quickly then moved on to the treat trails. We were able to finish the Toon Town pre-party in about an hour and a half.

We spent most of our night doing treat trails and just enjoying the Halloween atmosphere. We snagged a decent spot in the hub for the Halloween fireworks. The fireworks themselves were blocked by a tree (LOL) and sadly we couldn't see Jack, but we had an amazing view of the castle and were able to see all the projections.

Character wise we were able to meet C&D, and Pluto in Toon Town, Alladin (in his sultan outfit) and Genie in Adventureland, and Mulan & Snow White together at Fantasy Faire. Lots of other characters were out but we were too busy hitting those treat trails!

I definitely have to mention the bit of pixie dust we got at the party. We stopped by French Market to grab the Halloween Cake for a snack and got there right at 8, when they closed (which we didn't realize).  After politely telling us they were closed, the cast member asked if we were only there for the cake and we said yes. He told us to stay put, then disappeared and came back a moment later with TWO cakes, one for each of us (we were only going to get one to share), and refused to let us pay for them or tip him for them. We were blown away, as we were just going to come back the next day to get the cake. We profusely thanked him for being so sweet and made sure to leave a comment with City Hall on our way out that evening to let them know about his great service.

By far the best part of the Halloween Party was the very end, the Villain's Goodnight! We headed up to Main Street about fifteen minutes before the party ended and snagged a spot right on the curb. It was really fun seeing all the villains brought in to the train station and the little show they do is super cute.

All in all we had a great time at the party. It was really nice having the morning to relax by the pool and then have 8 hours in the park.


----------



## tzeitel

Not sure if anyone has mentioned this but the gingerbread workshop at Jazz Kitchen is Oct 24th from 12-2PM. Tickets went on sale on the 28th so not sure if anything is still available - for some reason the message went to my spam folder and I have not checked it for a couple of weeks.

I was hoping it would be the previous Sunday since we leave on the 24th and I really think DD would have loved this.  She is on the autism spectrum and loves baking - that and swimming are her "things". 


edit to add - just went to the website that sells the tickets and there is a waitlist.  The extra seat option is sold out - price includes all the stuff you need for the house, sodas, and treats for 2 people.


----------



## riostoker

jeanico2000 said:


> You look adorable! Go for it and have fun!



Agree! Perfect!



pudinhd said:


> Thanks to everyone for posting the pictures and information!!!
> 
> Does the Monsters University dance party feature any other monsters?
> 
> Someone posted the villain sets of 3, but does anyone know which princesses are greeting?
> 
> Did I read that Aladdin, Jasmine, and Genie are meeting as Aladdin & Friends?  I think it would be awesome for Abu to make an appearance like he does at WDW!



I don't think those three meet together at the same time. When we walked past a couple times during the party, I only saw Genie. I suspect those rotate in and out. Maybe Aladdin and Jasmine together, and then Genie by himself.


----------



## Dee2015

jammyjam25 said:


> Hi all! Arrived back from my Disney trip last night and have LOTS of photos and rambling that I'll eventually get into a trip report.
> 
> Wanted to report back here specifically about the 09/30 Halloween Party last Wednesday.
> 
> We went in right at 3:00pm when we were allowed. The park was pretty busy so we rode one ride (Buzz) then made our way to Toon Town to do the pre-party. Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, Daisy, Pluto and Chip & Dale were all out in costumes looking ADORABLE!
> 
> View attachment 127382



Great report thanks   Can I ask please, you entered at 3pm and the Toon Town pre-party was already started at with the line ups at what time please?


----------



## mom2rtk

jammyjam25 said:


> Hi all! Arrived back from my Disney trip last night and have LOTS of photos and rambling that I'll eventually get into a trip report.
> 
> Wanted to report back here specifically about the 09/30 Halloween Party last Wednesday.
> 
> We went in right at 3:00pm when we were allowed. The park was pretty busy so we rode one ride (Buzz) then made our way to Toon Town to do the pre-party. Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, Daisy, Pluto and Chip & Dale were all out in costumes looking ADORABLE! We got in line to meet Mickey & Minnie and the line wasn't very long but ultimately ended up meeting C&D because they swapped out to give M&M a break. Us and the other people around us were extremely annoyed because the CM's were letting people have their own private photo shoots with M&M (not even in the photos with them, just posing M&M in multiple poses and taking their photo) and taking sooooo much time so the line was moving at a snail's pace and because of that we all ended up not being able to get our photos with them. ARG.  Once we finally got through that line we were able to go through Pluto's line quickly then moved on to the treat trails. We were able to finish the Toon Town pre-party in about an hour and a half.
> 
> We spent most of our night doing treat trails and just enjoying the Halloween atmosphere. We snagged a decent spot in the hub for the Halloween fireworks. The fireworks themselves were blocked by a tree (LOL) and sadly we couldn't see Jack, but we had an amazing view of the castle and were able to see all the projections.
> 
> Character wise we were able to meet C&D, and Pluto in Toon Town, Alladin (in his sultan outfit) and Genie in Adventureland, and Mulan & Snow White together at Fantasy Faire. Lots of other characters were out but we were too busy hitting those treat trails!
> 
> I definitely have to mention the bit of pixie dust we got at the party. We stopped by French Market to grab the Halloween Cake for a snack and got there right at 8, when they closed (which we didn't realize).  After politely telling us they were closed, the cast member asked if we were only there for the cake and we said yes. He told us to stay put, then disappeared and came back a moment later with TWO cakes, one for each of us (we were only going to get one to share), and refused to let us pay for them or tip him for them. We were blown away, as we were just going to come back the next day to get the cake. We profusely thanked him for being so sweet and made sure to leave a comment with City Hall on our way out that evening to let them know about his great service.
> 
> By far the best part of the Halloween Party was the very end, the Villain's Goodnight! We headed up to Main Street about fifteen minutes before the party ended and snagged a spot right on the curb. It was really fun seeing all the villains brought in to the train station and the little show they do is super cute.
> 
> All in all we had a great time at the party. It was really nice having the morning to relax by the pool and then have 8 hours in the park.
> 
> View attachment 127382


 

What time did you get your spot in the hub to watch fireworks?


----------



## JennsBabySky

Any idea where to buy an additional ticket?  We need to buy at least one more ticket for 10/12, we have a friend staying with us that week, and I can't bring myself to pay the outrageous price on Stubhub.  Any reputable ticket brokers with tickets?  Or any other ideas?  Thank you!


----------



## Kilala

I can't believe it it's a week away from going to MHP with my friend Christine. She wasn't able to make it down for the party last year.It's also 25 days until Halloween. I'm asking for no rain on the 14th, 16th and Halloween night


----------



## jammyjam25

Dee2015 said:


> Great report thanks   Can I ask please, you entered at 3pm and the Toon Town pre-party was already started at with the line ups at what time please?



No it was not open right at three as far as I'm aware. I want to say we got back there about 4:30 and they had just started letting people in to Toon Town. We only waited in a short line before they let us in.



mom2rtk said:


> What time did you get your spot in the hub to watch fireworks?



We got to the hub about 30 minutes before the fireworks started. Paint the Night had just started coming around the corner from Small World and was headed down Main Street.


----------



## mom2rtk

jammyjam25 said:


> We got to the hub about 30 minutes before the fireworks started. Paint the Night had just started coming around the corner from Small World and was headed down Main Street.


 
Thanks for that! I'd love to hear more feedback from others on what time to get to the hub to get a good spot.


----------



## mummabear

Spyral said:


> We tried to explain that would have almost 5 full additional days in the park, but being their first time in DL in a few years (and my son's first trip), they were overly excited



I am nervous about this too. Our MHP is our first vacation day, then we hit a MNSSHP at WDW, we have 10 other park days plus 2 MVMCPs so want to concentrate on the Halloween party specific (and PTN at DLR) but I cant see DD6 and DD4 understanding that and just wanting to ride!



I can finally add to Pumpkin Pandemonium lol:





My SIL sent this to me (I love Pumpkin pie, I can live soley on it but it is so hard to get here)


----------



## CassieF

I posted in another thread but thought it would be helpful here as well...bottom line, non party night crowds are much worse than regular nights before parties started!

So I previously said it was crowded, and it was, with most of the route pretty full over an hour before the parade during the party, but I went in last night, on a non party night, and wow, it was worse than the party two hours out from the parade.  At 7 town square, Main Street and the hub were full...sure, they might condense down a bit and queen more people in closer to the parade but I was shocked!  It seems like the decreased availability of normal nights due to the parties have made non party nights more crowded.


----------



## only hope

Does anyone know if the times guide that was posted earlier, I think in this thread, is still accurate? Where exactly is the Cadaver Dans performance on the ROA and do you need to arrive early to see? We don't care about being in the front but would like a decent view.


----------



## Kilala

I just saw the news and it's suppost to rain next Tuesday and next Wednesday . I DO NOT want it to rain on Wendnesday night. My friend Christine is coming from Oregon to go with me to MHP in costume.


----------



## pudinhd

Someone had mentioned the Disneyland app, so I went online today to see if I could get more information about the characters.  Unfortunately, there are 8 princesses, which doesn't match 2 sets of 3, and not all of the villains are listed.  Only Captain Hook, Queen of Hearts, and the Tremaines are mentioned.


----------



## Abbey1

Are the ToonTown rides open during the pre party? And if so, are the lines crazy for the rides, or just the characters? 

Does anyone have any suggestions of ways to spend the time before the actual party start time (3-6 for my party). Are there any rides/areas that are less busy than the rest?


----------



## lorijohnhill

pudinhd said:


> Someone had mentioned the Disneyland app, so I went online today to see if I could get more information about the characters.  Unfortunately, there are 8 princesses, which doesn't match 2 sets of 3, and not all of the villains are listed.  Only Captain Hook, Queen of Hearts, and the Tremaines are mentioned.


The princesses come out in two sets. Each set has two pairs of princesses and you have to choose which pair you want to see. You may then get back in line to see the other pair.


----------



## pudinhd

lorijohnhill said:


> The princesses come out in two sets. Each set has two pairs of princesses and you have to choose which pair you want to see. You may then get back in line to see the other pair.



How interesting... And annoying.    It sounds a lot more complicated than meeting 3 in a row, like the villains!


----------



## Priory

Abbey1 said:


> Are the ToonTown rides open during the pre party? And if so, are the lines crazy for the rides, or just the characters?
> 
> Does anyone have any suggestions of ways to spend the time before the actual party start time (3-6 for my party). Are there any rides/areas that are less busy than the rest?



Good question! I NEVER get to ride Roger Rabbit. That could be a great time to do so if everyone's ignoring it.


----------



## theluckyrabbit

There usually is a line for RR during the pre-party, but it isn't too long. Not a walk on, but maybe 15 minutes max when we've gone, and usually shorter because the line moves pretty quickly. There is a TOT trail by the entrance, so sometimes what looks like a very long ride line is actually a line for candy.


----------



## mom2rtk

lorijohnhill said:


> The princesses come out in two sets. Each set has two pairs of princesses and you have to choose which pair you want to see. You may then get back in line to see the other pair.


 

Do you (or anyone else) have a list of the 8 princesses?

How long have the waits been?


----------



## Vala

mom2rtk said:


> Do you (or anyone else) have a list of the 8 princesses?
> 
> How long have the waits been?



Pocahontas was with Cinderella, Snow White with Mulan, Tiana with Aurora, Jasmine with Belle.

We went pretty much at the end of the night and with my friend jumping back in line while I met Mulan we managed both the Tiana and Mulan sets in a little over 30 minutes. Like the villains they have a longer set at the end of the night.


----------



## mom2rtk

Vala said:


> Pocahontas was with Cinderella, Snow White with Mulan, Tiana with Aurora, Jasmine with Belle.
> 
> We went pretty much at the end of the night and with my friend jumping back in line while I met Mulan we managed both the Tiana and Mulan sets in a little over 30 minutes. Like the villains they have a longer set at the end of the night.


 

That's really helpful. Thank you!


----------



## Vala

I arrived home Tuesday night after delayed flights, so there will be a longer more coherent summary over the weekend.

But I did not want to leave it any longer to report that unfortunately the "Mystical Spirits of the Blue Bayou" event I was looking forward to so much (and had a devil of a time getting in) was an utter and complete disaster.

They had sent an e-mail requesting a food order. Fine, so I did. Upon check in: wrong food order, my allergy list had disappeared. I corrected them, was assured food would be changed, all fine and dandy. Went off to Toontown. Came back to check in. Was taken to waterside table a little further behind than I was hoping... then again it had taken me time to get booked and if they went in that order I guess that was understandable.

CM shows up: again, wrong food order. I ask for another correction - I was really looking forward to that chocolate creme brulee, and seriously, there were only two desserts to choose from. How hard can it be?

Second CM shows up... different food order, again wrong. At that point I was already close to start beating my head against the table. That guy figured out they had placed me at the wrong table apparently. Table move. Closer to the stage, so fine with me.

Third CM... another food order. Guess what? All WRONG dishes, all stuff I was allergic too, and the name on the order so wasn't even close to mine. I was actually contemplating not eating at that point cause I was beginning to have severe concerns if my food was safe. They fixed the starter and the main dish in the end, but I never got my chocolate creme brulee.

The Cadaver Dans did a little show which was cool, and then came Facilier. His singing was very much a highlight. But when he did finally come out to mingle he promptly skipped my table and never came back. I tried to get a CMs attention, finally found someone who assured me he would be back, supposedly they told him. Umm... no, I watched him because I had had experience enough from Paris and no one ever went up to him. That woman told me three times she had spoken to him when she never even got close to him. In the end he promptly walked past my table and I had to screech throughout the restaurant that he skipped me, asking to come back.

The Pirates doing their little skit were neat, the Bayou Belles (Facilier's "brides") were handing out some beads. They then pretty much tossed us out for the fireworks. I tried to find a manager to complain, so I ended up at the end of the crowd. We were given that art print and a piece of chocolate which I even seem to have lost in the melee.

Fireworks seating. As it has been suggested before: yes, about half of the seating is behind the Partners Statue. I was in the second to last row in the end. An absolute and complete joke. Even without the people sticking up iPads I would have had a horrible view. The "view" I had now was so bad that I was in tears before the show ended. Having wasted an evening that could have been fun and paying $ 200 for one of the most horrible nights I ever had at Disney makes you react that way. For the record, we watched the fireworks again two days later from Jack Sparrow's line and had a 1000x better view.

I ended up going to City Hall. They wrote down my complaint, told me if I wanted anything done I needed to go to Blue Bayou immediately. I asked them twice if they were sure as I was pretty sure the place would be closed. Nope, go there and speak to manager. Of course place was closed.

I went back the next morning, asked to speak to manager. New CM is sent out, I lay down my story... and am being told "wait a moment please, I have to get you a manager." At that point I seriously was mentally pricing a Harry Potter themed vacation for next year cause we had reached the "way below ridiculous" level. Another woman showed up, I again explained what happened and told her I wanted a refund. The first time I ever demanded a refund at Disney, and it had to be for one of the events I had been looking forward to most in the last few years.

This woman took down my details, told me this had to go through Special Events and they'd contact me within 48 hours. I even left two cell phone numbers of US friends as backup in case they couldn't reach my German cell for some reason. As of today: no reaction whatsoever. So: we're now even adding insult to the injury.

I will mention that she asked for "a chance to make this right" and they would have let me in for free again Wednesday, and my friend who was with me too. But we are both avid character fans and wasting another party night was not even a remote possibility. It's not that I could have come again the week after.

I've now called again and also sent e-mails... guess I will have to go to Visa in the end.

EDIT: After I read some pages worth now... the desserts for the event have definitely changed. The Creme Brulee now looks like Creme Brulee, and the other Dessert comes in a green coating now looking like a Bundt Cake. Will post pictures when I can.


----------



## pudinhd

Vala said:


> Pocahontas was with Cinderella, Snow White with Mulan, Tiana with Aurora, Jasmine with Belle.
> 
> We went pretty much at the end of the night and with my friend jumping back in line while I met Mulan we managed both the Tiana and Mulan sets in a little over 30 minutes. Like the villains they have a longer set at the end of the night.



The princesses listed on the app when I looked yesterday after 7 pm were Ariel, Belle, Cinderella, Pocahontas, Aurora, Jasmine, Tiana, and Snow White.  I was disappointed that I did not see Mulan listed.  I like that the princesses are taking pictures in duos, but I wish you could meet both sets at the same time.  I don't know that I want to get in line 4 times to see all of them.


----------



## Vala

You actually saw the Halloween characters on the app? We tried during the party, but on all three phones were told that "the characters are asleep."


----------



## pudinhd

Vala said:


> You actually saw the Halloween characters on the app? We tried during the party, but on all three phones were told that "the characters are asleep."



Yes.  It was around 7:30 pm.  I didn't look at all of the times, but there were definitely some of the MHP only characters listed.  All of the rides at DLR showed closed when I looked.


----------



## Vala

Oh well. More app fun. lol Even the CMs told us "not to trust the app."  We've had it happen that three of us were standing next to each other and all three of us were seeing different things on the app.


----------



## ricardol

Vala said:


> I arrived home Tuesday night after delayed flights, so there will be a longer more coherent summary over the weekend.
> 
> But I did not want to leave it any longer to report that unfortunately the "Mystical Spirits of the Blue Bayou" event I was looking forward to so much (and had a devil of a time getting in) was an utter and complete disaster.
> 
> They had sent an e-mail requesting a food order. Fine, so I did. Upon check in: wrong food order, my allergy list had disappeared. I corrected them, was assured food would be changed, all fine and dandy. Went off to Toontown. Came back to check in. Was taken to waterside table a little further behind than I was hoping... then again it had taken me time to get booked and if they went in that order I guess that was understandable.
> 
> CM shows up: again, wrong food order. I ask for another correction - I was really looking forward to that chocolate creme brulee, and seriously, there were only two desserts to choose from. How hard can it be?
> 
> Second CM shows up... different food order, again wrong. At that point I was already close to start beating my head against the table. That guy figured out they had placed me at the wrong table apparently. Table move. Closer to the stage, so fine with me.
> 
> Third CM... another food order. Guess what? All WRONG dishes, all stuff I was allergic too, and the name on the order so wasn't even close to mine. I was actually contemplating not eating at that point cause I was beginning to have severe concerns if my food was safe. They fixed the starter and the main dish in the end, but I never got my chocolate creme brulee.
> 
> The Cadaver Dans did a little show which was cool, and then came Facilier. His singing was very much a highlight. But when he did finally come out to mingle he promptly skipped my table and never came back. I tried to get a CMs attention, finally found someone who assured me he would be back, supposedly they told him. Umm... no, I watched him because I had had experience enough from Paris and no one ever went up to him. That woman told me three times she had spoken to him when she never even got close to him. In the end he promptly walked past my table and I had to screech throughout the restaurant that he skipped me, asking to come back.
> 
> The Pirates doing their little skit were neat, the Bayou Belles (Facilier's "brides") were handing out some beads. They then pretty much tossed us out for the fireworks. I tried to find a manager to complain, so I ended up at the end of the crowd. We were given that art print and a piece of chocolate which I even seem to have lost in the melee.
> 
> Fireworks seating. As it has been suggested before: yes, about half of the seating is behind the Partners Statue. I was in the second to last row in the end. An absolute and complete joke. Even without the people sticking up iPads I would have had a horrible view. The "view" I had now was so bad that I was in tears before the show ended. Having wasted an evening that could have been fun and paying $ 200 for one of the most horrible nights I ever had at Disney makes you react that way. For the record, we watched the fireworks again two days later from Jack Sparrow's line and had a 1000x better view.
> 
> I ended up going to City Hall. They wrote down my complaint, told me if I wanted anything done I needed to go to Blue Bayou immediately. I asked them twice if they were sure as I was pretty sure the place would be closed. Nope, go there and speak to manager. Of course place was closed.
> 
> I went back the next morning, asked to speak to manager. New CM is sent out, I lay down my story... and am being told "wait a moment please, I have to get you a manager." At that point I seriously was mentally pricing a Harry Potter themed vacation for next year cause we had reached the "way below ridiculous" level. Another woman showed up, I again explained what happened and told her I wanted a refund. The first time I ever demanded a refund at Disney, and it had to be for one of the events I had been looking forward to most in the last few years.
> 
> This woman took down my details, told me this had to go through Special Events and they'd contact me within 48 hours. I even left two cell phone numbers of US friends as backup in case they couldn't reach my German cell for some reason. As of today: no reaction whatsoever. So: we're now even adding insult to the injury.
> 
> I will mention that she asked for "a chance to make this right" and they would have let me in for free again Wednesday, and my friend who was with me too. But we are both avid character fans and wasting another party night was not even a remote possibility. It's not that I could have come again the week after.
> 
> I've now called again and also sent e-mails... guess I will have to go to Visa in the end.
> 
> EDIT: After I read some pages worth now... the desserts for the event have definitely changed. The Creme Brulee now looks like Creme Brulee, and the other Dessert comes in a green coating now looking like a Bundt Cake. Will post pictures when I can.



Wow. Thank you for sharing your bad Experience, that was pretty bad. Don't loose faith just yet, if you are still in DL why don't you try to again to city hall and explain that you haven't heard back from them, let see what they can do. As I understand you are from out of the country so compensation in other cool Disney way will be hard to happen so that is why my advise is to keep contacting them. In fact go back to Blue Bayou and check on them, I'm pretty sure they will do something for you but it might be late if you are flying home soon.


----------



## KrisRose821

Can we talk about your weather forecast Anaheim! I mean really 103 as the high tomorrow?! I don't know if California got the message but it is fall. 

I might need to rethink my packing strategies for my upcoming trip!


----------



## Avery's mom

KrisRose821 said:


> Can we talk about your weather forecast Anaheim! I mean really 103 as the high tomorrow?! I don't know if California got the message but it is fall.
> 
> I might need to rethink my packing strategies for my upcoming trip!



It is hotter now than our trip in July! Somebody in the weather dept. did NOT get the memo that it is fall!


----------



## Abbey1

If any of you have a Disney Movie Rewards account, they have this plush as well as a Witch Minnie available for 850 points each. I just ordered Mickey for my son, I hope it arrives in time to take with us to our party at the end of the month!


----------



## Spyral

Abbey1 said:


> If any of you have a Disney Movie Rewards account, they have this plush as well as a Witch Minnie available for 850 points each. I just ordered Mickey for my son, I hope it arrives in time to take with us to our party at the end of the month!



They have Minnie too 

I showed the Mickey to my son, because he wanted a vampire Mickey when we were in DL but we held off (he got Mickeyana Jones, MickeySkellington, and WoodyMickey so we didn't deprive him, lol).  But when I seen that email from DMR, I figured would do it.  But had also seen that the DisneyStore has the other vampire Mickey for $10 if you spend at least $25.  He opted to go for the one from the DisneyStore:






Hrm... think may still do the DMR one (and maybe the DMR Minnie as well)... 

edit to add:
fyi, they have the Mickey & Minnie that are on DMR also available via DisneyStore.com if you don't have a enough DMR points or can't make it to one of the parks.


----------



## Metalliman98

Avery's mom said:


> It is hotter now than our trip in July! Somebody in the weather dept. did NOT get the memo that it is fall!



Yep, ridiculous.  We are cutting our trip short by one day, leaving tomorrow instead of Saturday.  It's supposed to be 100 degrees tomorrow!


----------



## Vala

ricardol said:


> Wow. Thank you for sharing your bad Experience, that was pretty bad. Don't loose faith just yet, if you are still in DL why don't you try to again to city hall and explain that you haven't heard back from them, let see what they can do. As I understand you are from out of the country so compensation in other cool Disney way will be hard to happen so that is why my advise is to keep contacting them. In fact go back to Blue Bayou and check on them, I'm pretty sure they will do something for you but it might be late if you are flying home soon.



I've been home since Tuesday, my whole ordeal was already om the 28th last month. I tried City Hall again before I left, got an "errrm..." when I asked for a contact number for this mysterious department, someone disappeared to look something up and never returned. I had already got the impression during my initial complaint that they had no clue what I was talking about. I was then sidetracked because there was a character related issue and I figured worst case I could still go to Visa with this. Thought about the Blue Bayou too, but that area was a complete zoo over the weekend, I couldn't even get close to check in because everything was so backed up.

I am guessing they may have made a gift basket materialize had I been in a Disney hotel (which I wasn't), at least the last "manager" asked me if I was staying at a Disney hotel. But right now I want my money back and an apology.  I realize it sounds stupid, but any gift item coming from this would feel tainted. I almost told them no on the lunch. I was neither hungry nor did I feel safe eating there. Only my stubborness made me think "don't let them get away that cheap."

But no, I am definitely not going to let this rest.


----------



## Mommy2PrincessAbby

Docs dance!  

So excited, finally have my MHP tickets in my hand! And the Costco luggage tags are so awesome (way better than the wdw tags every time!)


----------



## LisaT91403

Metalliman98 said:


> Yep, ridiculous.  We are cutting our trip short by one day, leaving tomorrow instead of Saturday.  It's supposed to be 100 degrees tomorrow!



Yes...100 degrees tomorrow (Friday), and continuing in the low- to mid- 90's for several days. It looks like it will cool off (low 80's) by Thursday, which is good timing for my MHP on 10/16.

I'm hoping that this week is the last week of really hot weather for us. It's been brutal!


----------



## Kilala

The weather is going to change on Tuesday. We are going to get rain on Tuesday and Wednesday. It will be cooler on Monday around 88 degrese It's going to be around 90 on Tuesday and 78 or lower on Weds. I don't want it to rain on Wednesday night.


----------



## LisaT91403

Kilala said:


> The weather is going to change on Tuesday. We are going to get rain on Tuesday and Wednesday. It will be cooler on Monday around 88 degrese It's going to be around 90 on Tuesday and 78 or lower on Weds. I don't want it to rain on Wednesday night.



I'm not sure where you are seeing that, as I see higher temps and no rain.

http://www.weather.com/weather/tenday/l/USCA1306:1:US


----------



## StyledSugar

Mommy2PrincessAbby said:


> Docs dance!
> 
> So excited, finally have my MHP tickets in my hand! And the Costco luggage tags are so awesome (way better than the wdw tags every time!)




When is your party and did you order through Disney or Costco? We still haven't received our MHP tickets (27th party) and we leave for our vacation on October 21st (less than two weeks!). They said we should receive them three weeks before the party or that they would be sent three weeks before the party, I honestly can't remember.... lol I'll be calling early next week if they don't arrive by Tuesday.


----------



## Mommy2PrincessAbby

StyledSugar said:


> When is your party and did you order through Disney or Costco? We still haven't received our MHP tickets (27th party) and we leave for our vacation on October 21st (less than two weeks!). They said we should receive them three weeks before the party or that they would be sent three weeks before the party, I honestly can't remember.... lol I'll be calling early next week if they don't arrive by Tuesday.



We did a Costco package, and I bought MHP tickets thru Costco and they came with the package, for the 25th and 27th


----------



## ashleysev

Three weeks from today I will be at Disneyland! Eeek! 

I'm still unsure if we're dressing up or not... I went ahead and ordered the Halloween ears from the Disney Store since we're not going until the 29th. I heard they sold out last year so I don't want to miss out! 

I'm not as interested in the character meets as I am the FOOD. lol


----------



## GenGen22

We're heading out in two weeks from tomorrow. Very excited!!!  We couldn't decide if we wanted to dress up either & decided just this week they we are going to.  DD is going to be Snow White & I'm gonna be the Evil Queen.  just counting down the days at this point.


----------



## Kilala

LisaT91403 said:


> I'm not sure where you are seeing that, as I see higher temps and no rain.
> 
> http://www.weather.com/weather/tenday/l/USCA1306:1:US


weather.com it not accurate. I was watching a local station from LA ABC 7 and they are way more accurate then weather.com I jut wanted the weather again on ABC 7 and it will 100 in Anahiem tomorrow and will be cooling off next Tuesday at 87 degrese and now rain on Weds and Thursday. I hope the rain hold off for MHP that night. Wendnesday will be 80 and 78 on Thursday


----------



## Dee2015

Vala said:


> I arrived home Tuesday night after delayed flights, so there will be a longer more coherent summary over the weekend.
> 
> But I did not want to leave it any longer to report that unfortunately the "Mystical Spirits of the Blue Bayou" event I was looking forward to so much (and had a devil of a time getting in) was an utter and complete disaster.
> 
> They had sent an e-mail requesting a food order. Fine, so I did. Upon check in: wrong food order, my allergy list had disappeared. I corrected them, was assured food would be changed, all fine and dandy. Went off to Toontown. Came back to check in. Was taken to waterside table a little further behind than I was hoping... then again it had taken me time to get booked and if they went in that order I guess that was understandable.
> 
> CM shows up: again, wrong food order. I ask for another correction - I was really looking forward to that chocolate creme brulee, and seriously, there were only two desserts to choose from. How hard can it be?
> 
> Second CM shows up... different food order, again wrong. At that point I was already close to start beating my head against the table. That guy figured out they had placed me at the wrong table apparently. Table move. Closer to the stage, so fine with me.
> 
> Third CM... another food order. Guess what? All WRONG dishes, all stuff I was allergic too, and the name on the order so wasn't even close to mine. I was actually contemplating not eating at that point cause I was beginning to have severe concerns if my food was safe. They fixed the starter and the main dish in the end, but I never got my chocolate creme brulee.
> 
> The Cadaver Dans did a little show which was cool, and then came Facilier. His singing was very much a highlight. But when he did finally come out to mingle he promptly skipped my table and never came back. I tried to get a CMs attention, finally found someone who assured me he would be back, supposedly they told him. Umm... no, I watched him because I had had experience enough from Paris and no one ever went up to him. That woman told me three times she had spoken to him when she never even got close to him. In the end he promptly walked past my table and I had to screech throughout the restaurant that he skipped me, asking to come back.
> 
> The Pirates doing their little skit were neat, the Bayou Belles (Facilier's "brides") were handing out some beads. They then pretty much tossed us out for the fireworks. I tried to find a manager to complain, so I ended up at the end of the crowd. We were given that art print and a piece of chocolate which I even seem to have lost in the melee.
> 
> Fireworks seating. As it has been suggested before: yes, about half of the seating is behind the Partners Statue. I was in the second to last row in the end. An absolute and complete joke. Even without the people sticking up iPads I would have had a horrible view. The "view" I had now was so bad that I was in tears before the show ended. Having wasted an evening that could have been fun and paying $ 200 for one of the most horrible nights I ever had at Disney makes you react that way. For the record, we watched the fireworks again two days later from Jack Sparrow's line and had a 1000x better view.
> 
> I ended up going to City Hall. They wrote down my complaint, told me if I wanted anything done I needed to go to Blue Bayou immediately. I asked them twice if they were sure as I was pretty sure the place would be closed. Nope, go there and speak to manager. Of course place was closed.
> 
> I went back the next morning, asked to speak to manager. New CM is sent out, I lay down my story... and am being told "wait a moment please, I have to get you a manager." At that point I seriously was mentally pricing a Harry Potter themed vacation for next year cause we had reached the "way below ridiculous" level. Another woman showed up, I again explained what happened and told her I wanted a refund. The first time I ever demanded a refund at Disney, and it had to be for one of the events I had been looking forward to most in the last few years.
> 
> This woman took down my details, told me this had to go through Special Events and they'd contact me within 48 hours. I even left two cell phone numbers of US friends as backup in case they couldn't reach my German cell for some reason. As of today: no reaction whatsoever. So: we're now even adding insult to the injury.
> 
> I will mention that she asked for "a chance to make this right" and they would have let me in for free again Wednesday, and my friend who was with me too. But we are both avid character fans and wasting another party night was not even a remote possibility. It's not that I could have come again the week after.
> 
> I've now called again and also sent e-mails... guess I will have to go to Visa in the end.
> 
> EDIT: After I read some pages worth now... the desserts for the event have definitely changed. The Creme Brulee now looks like Creme Brulee, and the other Dessert comes in a green coating now looking like a Bundt Cake. Will post pictures when I can.



OMG Vala that is so miserable on so many fronts. I'm so disappointed or you.


----------



## donaldquackers

Where and when is a good place to be to see the vilian arrivals.  We will be there Oct 19


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## Vala

donaldquackers said:


> Where and when is a good place to be to see the vilian arrivals.  We will be there Oct 19



The Villain arrivals are nowhere as spectacular as last year. They pretty much just walk to their spot from the cast exit, unless something has changed since I went.



Dee2015 said:


> OMG Vala that is so miserable on so many fronts. I'm so disappointed or you.



Like I said, it was one of my worst experiences at Disney, if not the worst. I've been to many badly organized events in Paris, but I can't recall anything that bad. It's especially disappointing because in Paris bad service is the norm - in Anaheim I never ever experienced something like that. My boyfriend and I were always joking that with this "Disney Parks" brand regime that would hopefully mean Paris would have to up their service level... I didn't quite expect the other parks to come down.


----------



## Davidg83

I've been so busy since getting home from vacation that I'm just now popping in. I went to the party last Friday, 10/2, and had a blast.  Some highlights from the 

- Walking up to watch Paint the Night about 15 minutes before it started. On non party nights Main Street was already packed 1.5+ hours before.
- Big Thunder and Matterhorn were under 10 minute waits.
- I have enough candy to last me awhile! As it gets later in the night the cast members give out really generous amounts.
- Pooh in his bee costume is adorable.


----------



## Sherry E

Davidg83 said:


> I've been so busy since getting home from vacation that I'm just now popping in. I went to the party last Friday, 10/2, and had a blast.  Some highlights from the
> 
> - Walking up to watch Paint the Night about 15 minutes before it started. On non party nights Main Street was already packed 1.5+ hours before.
> - Big Thunder and Matterhorn were under 10 minute waits.
> - I have enough candy to last me awhile! As it gets later in the night the cast members give out really generous amounts.
> - Pooh in his bee costume is adorable.




Wow!    That's a huge amount of candy and other snacks -- and mostly good stuff, too.  Not too many weird, 'lesser-known' brands of candy in the bunch.


----------



## carrierael77

Anyone else not get candy at the party? I am sure we will get a couple pieces to say we did, but other than that, not planning on it. A) I have a weird kid who would rather eat veggies than candy (I end up throwing away his halloween candy every year), and B) I don't need 20 lbs of candy in our hotel, and I am surely not gonna fly it home

Am I really missing out? Are there any spots that it is really worth going to?


----------



## Sherry E

tzeitel said:


> Not sure if anyone has mentioned this but the gingerbread workshop at Jazz Kitchen is Oct 24th from 12-2PM. Tickets went on sale on the 28th so not sure if anything is still available - for some reason the message went to my spam folder and I have not checked it for a couple of weeks.
> 
> I was hoping it would be the previous Sunday since we leave on the 24th and I really think DD would have loved this.  She is on the autism spectrum and loves baking - that and swimming are her "things".
> 
> 
> edit to add - just went to the website that sells the tickets and there is a waitlist.  The extra seat option is sold out - price includes all the stuff you need for the house, sodas, and treats for 2 people.



I mentioned it -- I also mentioned the D23-specific Workshop, and everyone ignored my post(s) about it!   I also added it to the second post on page 1.



carrierael77 said:


> Anyone else not get candy at the party? I am sure we will get a couple pieces to say we did, but other than that, not planning on it. A) I have a weird kid who would rather eat veggies than candy (I end up throwing away his halloween candy every year), and B) I don't need 20 lbs of candy in our hotel, and I am surely not gonna fly it home
> 
> Am I really missing out? Are there any spots that it is really worth going to?



There are some healthier snacks too -- like apple slices and things like that.   There are usually raisins and baby carrots.   I don't know if they would be worth waiting in line for.

Some of the treat trails are more interesting than others.  The Golden Horseshoe trail is worth going through, as it has extra decorations inside.  I don't know if there is a trail in Pixie Hollow this year, but if so, it is quite pretty at night.


----------



## Mommy2PrincessAbby

carrierael77 said:


> Anyone else not get candy at the party? I am sure we will get a couple pieces to say we did, but other than that, not planning on it. A) I have a weird kid who would rather eat veggies than candy (I end up throwing away his halloween candy every year), and B) I don't need 20 lbs of candy in our hotel, and I am surely not gonna fly it home
> 
> Am I really missing out? Are there any spots that it is really worth going to?



When dd was little and didn't eat candy, we got a little bit of candy for me, and apple slices, carrot sticks and cheez-it's and they had dried banana chips or something... So she could trick or treat, but got stuff she actually likes!


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## Cats2

We went on 9/30, and for the healthy snacks they had: baby carrots, packaged apple slices, Cheez-it's, freeze dried apples, yogurt covered Craisins, and at one place (Village Haus?) they had Pirate Booty. Of course, we did hit most of the trails. I think there was a trail at Pixie Hollow, but by that time my kids were exhausted.


----------



## GenGen22

carrierael77 said:


> Anyone else not get candy at the party? I am sure we will get a couple pieces to say we did, but other than that, not planning on it. A) I have a weird kid who would rather eat veggies than candy (I end up throwing away his halloween candy every year), and B) I don't need 20 lbs of candy in our hotel, and I am surely not gonna fly it home
> 
> Am I really missing out? Are there any spots that it is really worth going to?


They have goldfish cheese its, Apple slices & carrots just ask for the healthy snacks


----------



## LisaT91403

Last year, I remember getting some Goldfish...I think it was the trail back by Splash Mountain. And I also remember some Craisins, I think at the trail that went through Innoventions. If anyone knows where the more interesting non-candy snacks are this year, please post!


----------



## jammyjam25

carrierael77 said:


> Anyone else not get candy at the party? I am sure we will get a couple pieces to say we did, but other than that, not planning on it. A) I have a weird kid who would rather eat veggies than candy (I end up throwing away his halloween candy every year), and B) I don't need 20 lbs of candy in our hotel, and I am surely not gonna fly it home
> 
> Am I really missing out? Are there any spots that it is really worth going to?



I thought the treat trails through the Golden Horseshoe and Villlage Haus restaurants were fun, just because they were decorated and those are places I don't frequently go in to during my trips. Nearly All the rest were through regular walkways and can easily be skipped as you won't "miss" anything.


----------



## Sherry E

By the way, this is old news at this point, but just to put it here in this thread, for people who only follow this thread:

The Parks Blog finally did a piece on the tree at the GCH (which I had been waiting for) - "Halloween ‘Tree-t’ on Display in Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa Lobby" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on October 8th, 2015 by Rachel Brent, Food & Beverage Marketing Communications Coordinator - http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...in-disneys-grand-californian-hotel-spa-lobby/.


Of course, that tree has been at the GCH for more than a couple of weeks at this point, but I suppose the Blog served to fill whoever didn't know about the tree in on the fun!


And the Disney Food Blog did a nice piece about the Haunted Mansion cake:

"Dining in Disneyland: Halloween Time Haunted Mansion Holiday Cake" -- Disney Food Blog; October 8, 2015 By Heather -- http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2015/...-halloween-time-haunted-mansion-holiday-cake/.



I didn't post these in this thread yesterday, when I should have, as I have not been feeling well and have also been involved in some other things... so my head was not in it.  I've also seen a slew of Pumpkin Pandemonium products popping up in my Impulsive Buy RSS feed.  I'm actually a bit surprised that the Pumpkin Pandemonium is continuing with this much force, this far into the season.  Last year at this time it seemed that the arrivals of new Halloween products had kind of given way to new arrivals of holiday products.


​
"Celebrate Halloween and Oktoberfest This Month in the Downtown Disney District at the Disneyland Resort" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on October 9th, 2015 by John McClintock, Disney Public Relations" -- http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...own-disney-district-at-the-disneyland-resort/


(for those of you who would like to participate in the "stein-hoisting competition"...)




​


----------



## haileymarie92

I can confirm there is a treat trail in pixie hollow. It is very pretty at night. 

The golden horshue trail is neat, and I actually liked the one near Rancho Del Zocallo, just for the theming and ambiance there.


----------



## Megamouse

Joined up to ask this question here because you all seem like the experts  I've seen some videos from other years at MHP where they do projections for Halloween Screams on IASW. Does anyone know if that's still the case this year. Thinking about skipping PTN since we have two other nights to see it, but don't want to subject DD6 to the big crush to squeeze into the hub or MS.


----------



## RedAngie

KrisRose821 said:


> Can we talk about your weather forecast Anaheim! I mean really 103 as the high tomorrow?! I don't know if California got the message but it is fall.
> 
> I might need to rethink my packing strategies for my upcoming trip!



After 38 years of living in the northeast, I moved to LA for 8 years.  I could never get used to the fact the hottest months were usually September and October.   Something was definitely crazy about that!! 

I'm back in the northeast again, and I hope it cools down before my DL trip in less than three weeks.   High 70s to low 80s would be ideal.


----------



## Meeko32198

My two weather apps are giving me different info for the weather this week. If it rains on Wednesday or Thursday will parades and fireworks be canceled?


----------



## Sherry E

Megamouse said:


> Joined up to ask this question here because you all seem like the experts  I've seen some videos from other years at MHP where they do projections for Halloween Screams on IASW. Does anyone know if that's still the case this year. Thinking about skipping PTN since we have two other nights to see it, but don't want to subject DD6 to the big crush to squeeze into the hub or MS.



Welcome! 

There are projections of Halloween images on IASW, but I didn't think they were directly tied into Halloween Screams.  Maybe they are?  Whenever I've seen Halloween Screams I have not been anywhere near IASW to see what happening on the façade, but I know that there are images projected on the façade at some point during the night.

The best way to see the orb/sphere that is part of Halloween Screams show is to be in or near the hub, preferably to the left (facing the Castle), if you can manage it.



Meeko32198 said:


> My two weather apps are giving me different info for the weather this week. If it rains on Wednesday or Thursday will parades and fireworks be canceled?



Probably so.  The parade might be delayed and then just run late, but I think the fireworks would be cancelled.  I could be wrong, as I have never tried to see fireworks on a rainy night, but I assumed they were cancelled, just as they are when it's windy.


----------



## Metalliman98

Just got back today from a five night trip, our first ever during Halloween time.  Trip report for anyone interested.

We left on Sunday from our place just south of Sacramento, about a 6 hour drive to Anaheim assuming no stops and no traffic.  The last time we drove to DL was in 2012 when DS was 10 months old.  After that trip, I said never again to driving, but the cost of flights (after two trips already this year where we flew) made me go back on my words.  The drive was actually pretty good; left a little before 7 am, stopped after about 100 miles at Pea Soup Andersons for breakfast, stopped again just before the Grapevine to gas up, and then powered through to Anaheim, arriving at our hotel around 2 pm, so we made pretty good time!  It helps that our son has evolved into a good traveler.

We stayed at the new Marriott Courtyard Theme Park entrance.  I travel frequently for work and I'm a Marriott devotee, so points paid for our hotel this trip.  The room was nice, two queens and a twin bunk, bathroom with two showers, tv which you could link to your Netflix account, mini fridge and microwave.  After checking in and some quick unpacking, we headed into the parks, DL to be specific.  We got our first ever annual passes (premium) in August, thankfully before the price increase, and it is nice to be able to go into the park late in the day without having to "waste" a whole day on a regular ticket.  The park seemed fairly busy but not unbearable; I guess the day before (10/3) was gay days at DL and the place was packed; I read 56,000 at 9 pm that day, insane.  Anyway, it seemed 10/4 was gay days at DCA so DL didn't seem too bad.  We hit Astroblasters (our son's first ever ride when he was 10 months old and his favorite), BTMRR, and then had the Fantasmic Dinner package at RBT.  Thought the food was ok, but BB is definitely better.  After dinner, we did Jungle Cruise in the dark then headed over to watch the show around 8:20.  Good thing we went when we did, the viewing areas were packed!  When we did the BB dinner in May, we got to our area about 30 minutes before showtime and there was tons of space, so we were quite surprised to have to fight for spots; it seemed like they maybe oversold the dining packages?  Anyway, the show was great, as usual, and we stayed at watched DF at the ROA for the first time and were presently surprised with the projections and how much of the fireworks we could see.  We then called it a night.

Monday we headed into DCA and hit up TSMM which already had a 40 minute wait at 9 am, but we did it as it is our son's second favorite ride.  We hit up Little mermaid and Goofy's Sky school, then used Fastpasses for Soarin and had lunch at Smokejumpers; meh.  Like the theming a lot better than Taste Pilots though.  Back to the hotel for a break, then into DL for the Happiest Haunts tour.  I reviewed the tour earlier on this thread, so I won't rehash too much here; good tour, worth the money, our experience on HMH on this particular night sucked, would do the tour again but probably only every few years.  On the way out after the tour MHP had begin and we looked around and saw what looked to be relatively thin crowds, getting our hopes up for our party on Wednesday.

Tuesday back to DCA, monster's inc and then to TSMM at the behest of the 4 yo, again with a 40 minute wait.  But we love him.  Then the in-laws arrived (mother, father and sister), they were joining us tue-thur and were coming mainly to see the 60th stuff and for MHP.  Soarin again for the in laws who hadn't seen the upgraded film/projector yet, mermaid again for sister in law, Tower of Terror (MIL's favorite), lunch at the Pacific Wharf, and the 2:20 Aladdin show which my in laws had never seen.  In laws then went to check in to their room at DLH while we used our RSR Fastpasses (we finally won a race!  Seems like forever since our car won) and did some other car's land stuff.  We had dinner reservations at Wine Country at in laws request, so wife, son and I sat up at the Alfresco terrace and had some drinks waiting for our checkin time, in laws joined us and we took in the Pixar play parade; the squirting water was a new addition for us!  Dinner was ok, I've never been overly impressed with Wine Country's food.  Then into DL to see the decorations and catch PTN and DF for the in laws.  I was really worried that we wouldn't be able to get a good spot, and sure enough when we walked in around 7 the parade route was already packed.  We hit Astroblasters again, then went to IASW.  I posted what happened next on another thread, but long story short: after we came out of IASW, it was 5 minutes to showtime, the ride had stopped running, the queue was empty, and we were allowed to watch the parade from the queue!  Best spots ever and no wait!  We saw all of the floats right as they came out from backstage, and to top it off, after the last float passed they had us exit the queue and follow the parade!  My in laws were thrilled.  We ended up with a middling view of DF (by the lighthouse by storybook) heads on a swivel between IASW projections, Matterhorn effects, and fireworks, but PtN spot made it all worth it.

Wednesday brought DL again, starting with Minnie's breakfast.  Confusion with the new AP structure and photo pass for premium APs, I could have sworn I read somewhere that existing premium APs got photo pass with theirs, we got the digital code from Minnie's but were told the next day at our breakfast at Goofy's Kitchen that the photo pass was only for sig and sig plus APs.  We hit all the major rides in relatively short order; matterhorn, BTMRR, Splash, HMH (MUCH better experience this time) Mark Twain, jungle cruise.  We then took a hotel break, grabbing SM:GG Fastpasses before we left.  Came back for our MHP, arrived right at start of soundsational parade, what a mess that was!  But got through and saw a surprisingly short line at little red wagon so had corndogs for dinner.  Met up with the in laws and used our SM fast passes, then made way to toon town for the pre party.  Waited entirely too long in the treat trail and roger rabbit ride lines, then headed out to do the rest of the party.  It seemed more crowded than Monday's party and it was hotter too, not unbearable but we were glad we had decided not to do costumes.  Did a few rides, did some treat trails; some were short (BTR) some were long (ROA), hit up the AP trail.  In laws called it quits before the fireworks, we stayed for those, grabbing a spot in the hub about five minutes before show.  Couldn't really see the Jack ball but had ok views of the actual fireworks.  Our consensus was MHP was good to do once, but it felt too crowded for a hard ticket event and none of us really had interest in doing it again any time soon.

Thursday was a slower day as we were exhausted from three nonstop days in the parks.  Breakfast at Goofy's Kitchen, then goodbye to the in laws, but not before MIL spoiled DS by getting him the Zurg ball shooting gun; thanks mom!  Back to our hotel to rest and take advantage of the waterpark, which was pretty awesome.  Into the parks around 4 for what ended up being our last day.  We had originally planned to stay until Saturday, but after seeing the forecast for Friday (100+ degrees) we decided to cut our trip short.  DCA for (what else) TSMM, swings, dinner at white water snacks (Carnitas Angus hamburger, yum!), downtown Disney, monorail into DL, autopia and one last Astroblasters ride, then some quick shopping and out of the park before the parade craziness.

Drove back today and glad we did as we saw it hit 105 in Anaheim!  Feel bad for all those who had MHP tonight.  Drive took longer than expected, mostly because of a fire at the very top of the grapevine which delayed us for about an hour, plus several pit stops and a dinner stop at Pea Soup Andersons.  Took us about 8.5 hours to get home.

All in all, great trip.  Looking forward to our next trip in December, but also anxious as we are going to be there from 12/27-1/1 along with the rest of humanity.  Any tips or tricks?  Trying to lower expectations as I know the parks will be insane.  The only things I definitely want to do will be IASW and Jingle Cruise (which I plan to knock out with the holiday tour) WoC winter dreams, and Hyper SM and other new SW stuff.  Anything else will be gravy and I know lines will be long and Fastpasses gone quickly.  When do the parks reach capacity?  Does DCA ever reach capacity or just DL?  We are considering waiting in DL on 12/31 for whatever show they do, but we may be better off just watching it from our hotel room.

Wow, that turned out to be longer than I thought!  Hope those of you who made it through found it somewhat entertaining or useful.


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## Sherry E

Thank you, Metalliman98, for taking the time to post a detailed review here -- I really appreciate it!  And thank you to everyone else who has continued to come back here to review MSBB, MHP or their trips in general.  Keep the reports and reviews (and photos) coming!!


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## mommy2mrb

sorry to be late in posting our MYBB and MHP details, my laptop died Monday and just got my new on last night.

we went on 10/5.

made rope drop that morning and basically walked onto BTMRR, Pirates, HM, Indy, Buzz, IASW, Mattahorn (Jungle Cruise and SpMGG were both down) had breakfast and did 4 or 5 PP pictures within first 3 hours.  had lunch at Carnation Café at 11:30...worse CM EVER there, poor service, never got drink refills, not happy they changed the bread on the turkey sandwich...did get to meet Chef Oscar!
after lunch we did a bit of shopping and took a few photos.  rode SpMGG and got FP for later (which we pixie dusted someone with later as it didn't work to get back to ride) my DD ankle was giving her some pain so we took a good break, got ice and rode the railroad around a couple times.  Met up with a friend who was in the park for a little bit and got a Dolewhip.  Crowds really started building after lunch and so did the lines, thankfully we rode everything we wanted to other than Jungle Cruise, never made it back. 

did get to meet the Evil Queen(she was by the Matterhorn) and tried to meet Jack and Sally, but line was pretty long, we did wait for a bit, then realized they were having pretty long conversations with each guest, one family was about 10 minutes.  Got lucky between two sets of families and was able to take a couple photos of them instead of waiting.

At 3:50 we got in line to get our party bracelets and bags, line moved quickly and were out of line about 15 minutes.  headed over to BB to check in and double check out menu choices were correct.  decided to take a break again and rode train around two more times.  got off at Toon Town and got our costumes on, was about 5:15 so got in the line for the pre-party, was about 12 families in front of us at that time.  talked to people sitting in front of us and enjoyed seeing all the costumes.

they started moving us up into the next area about 5:45 and at 6:00 let us go!  we headed straight to the the ToT line by Roger Rabbit and then over to the gazebo to meet Mickey and Minnie.  We were 4th in line.  they came out about 5 minutes later.  while we were waiting for our turn, Donald and Goofy came out, Daisy was having a costume issue the CM said LOL.  after M & M we got in Donald's line, then Goofy's, waiting about 10 minutes in each line.  after goofy we headed over to Donald's boat TorT line and by 6:40 were done and headed over to BB for dinner.

got checked in and waited in the hold line for a few minutes, think we were about 15 groups back.  at 7 they started checking us in and we were given the table right by the exit door to the left of the stage, we had a pretty good view even at the angle!  our CM was Amanda and was so fun and gave us great service!  She kept our drinks filled up the entire night, that lemonade was so yummy, think I ended up having 6 glasses! 

the Cadaver Dan's were AMAZING!

Dr. Facilier was great! loved the Bayou Belle's, they were good with playing their spooky parts.

Pirates were funny and I do think they were the Cadaver Dan's like someone else posted earlier.

Food - I had the goat cheese tart, not a fan of goat cheese, but I don't like seafood.  the salad part of good though.  DD had the crabcakes and loved them.  we both had the shortribs, very tender and tasty, LOVED the potatoes and the carrots were good also.  we both ordered the crème brulee but was told they had run out and got a chocolate mousse bar  instead, had the caramel macaroon and decorative white chocolate piece, loved it all.  Overall impression on the food was a B+, good, but not the reason we choose to attend the event.  The entertainment and theming was the draw for us.

received our strand of beads and took a couple photos with the Belles, unfortunately Dr. Facilier didn't get around to our table for photos.  bags of candy from the pirates were about half full.  At 9 they announced we would be leaving for Hallowishes, we got up and got our prints and headed over to the benches. saw the Frozen and M & M end float from PTN, got the left side 3rd row benches in front of the partner statue and had a great view of everything.  people did stand up in the regular area, but didn't hurt our view.  loved the entire show!!  we waited for a bit for the crowds to move on.

headed over the Frontierland and did two ToT lines and the one in the golden horseshoe.  loved seeing the river all spooky, listen to the Dan's sing for a few minutes (same songs they did at MYBB) and walked around for a bit taking photos and enjoying the sights.  was around 10:30 and we decided to take a break on main street at the hub for a bit and enjoyed watching families/group all decked out. 

after resting for a bit we decided we were done, had been in the park for 15 hours.  did check out the villain M&G as we walked out, but lines were long, thought about waiting for the Villain show, but was no where to sit to wait. we left the park at 11:00.

overall we had a fun day even though we didn't get to experience everything we really enjoyed what we did do!
as we go to DL and WDW quiet often, doing the extra events in a fun thing for us to do.


----------



## Kilala

I love seeing all the reports!! I will be going twice next week on 10/14 and 10/16. I will be going by myself on the 16th


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## Scootypuffjr

We went to MHP last night 10/9. It wasn't nearly as crowded as I thought it would be. Flew into Orange County at 6pm and because of traffic we didn't actually get into the park until 7:40. Line was quick for entry into the park. We ate dinner at Plaza Inn and only waited a few minutes. It was very easy to find a table outside. We finished eating at around 8:15 and there was plenty of room on Main St. to watch the parade (it was a little strange to see so few people waiting). We weren't interested so we went over to POTC and waited about 5 min. With the exception of the treat trails, New Orleans Square and Critter Country were not crowded at all. The line for HMH was only 10-15 minutes. At around 11pm the line for Space Mountain was only about 5min (posted wait time was 25). We did a few treat trails with no waits. The only complaint I have is they shut down the line for pictures in front of the pumpkin in Town Square at 11:40, so if you want a pic make sure you do that earlier.


----------



## mummabear

mommy2mrb said:


> Dr. Facilier didn't get around to our table for photos



I think that is so poor, for people paying so much for a dinner where for most the draw is to meet him (It was the only reason we were considering doing it) they really should be making sure no one is missed.


----------



## CassieF

That really is terrible that he didn't make it to your table.  At my dinner he made it around to each table and went pretty methodical so a table would not be easy to miss.  I wonder if they later party start time on Friday (7 vs 6) had anything to do with it....maybe longer for everyone to get there and seated and pushed into greet times.  That's rather odd and I would 100% voice your concern about not seeing him, it is after all, one of the main draws and one of the specific things they say you'll get to do...


----------



## lifesgr8

I've been skimming the thread.... I've been to the party a few times.  It's been a couple of years..... Anything new to know, prepare for or must do's?


----------



## mommy2mrb

I already did talk to a CM at city hall. Think he ran out of time and had started on the other side of the room. We still enjoyed the evening and not one to let things like this ruin my day.


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## JoanneAZ

Sherry E said:


> Probably so.  The parade might be delayed and then just run late, but I think the fireworks would be cancelled.  I could be wrong, as I have never tried to see fireworks on a rainy night, but I assumed they were cancelled, just as they are when it's windy.



Actually I have watched fireworks at Disneyland in the rain. As long as it's not also windy, they can set off fireworks in the rain. Now, I don't know if ithe current show being more projections than fireworks changes that. In my experience, parades are usually cancelled in the rain.


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## iKristin

Woo!! It's party time on Wednesday!! Can't wait to party it up <3


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## DLmama

We arrive tomorrow! Party on Wednesday! Still need to finish laundry & pack, clean out the car and get an oil change. Now if the weather could cool down just a little bit.


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## only hope

We are here! Saw the tree at the Grand Californian and it was very neat. It smelled good too! I could only find one hidden mickey and I am sure there are more than that, but I had been up for 18 hours when we saw it!


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## Mommy2PrincessAbby

only hope said:


> We are here! Saw the tree at the Grand Californian and it was very neat. It smelled good too! I could only find one hidden mickey and I am sure there are more than that, but I had been up for 18 hours when we saw it!



I read there are 13!  I can't wait to see it myself!  2 weeks!


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## jenhelgren

Has anyone lined up for the villains about an hour after party start time? I am wondering how long the line will be and if we will have time before they cut the line for the parade??

I am also curious about the Wendy, Peter Pan, Cpt Hook meet at the party? How long has the line been when the party starts and do you get to meet all 3 by waiting in one line like the villains or do they rotate in and out? My kids are trying to get a plan together so they can get all their character meets in for the night!


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## SeaPic

Back from a scorching party on the 9th. I told DS11 and DD14 last Sunday we were going by giving them party invitations at breakfast. It took them a bit to figure it out. It’s so much fun when they finally do!

We got in late Thursday night and spent a few hours Friday morning at DTD and visited the tree in the GCH.  Dang it was hot. DS decided to be the Mad Hatter complete with wig and jacket!  It was going to be a long night!

We got to the turnstiles about 3:50. There were no lines.  We headed to SM hoping for a FP but they were done for the day. 50 minute wait so we headed to BTMRR.  There was a long line to pick up wristbands. BTMRR was maybe 15 minutes. We headed towards Fantasyland visiting the animals along the way (the goats did not have scarves L). They were all so hot. When we exited IASW around 5 people were already lining for the TT pre party! We went on a few more rides then grabbed some popcorn and drinks and sat in the shade to people watch. There are some really creative people out there! I’m talking to you lady dressed like King Candy and the couple dressed like Lumiere and Fifi! While we were deciding weather to join the TT line or not, a CM started chatting with us. When he found out we came from Seattle just for the party he asked what we were hoping to see. The kids wanted to go on rides and have never been on the Matterhorn. We were asking if the line eases up after the party starts and he ended up sprinkling some pixie dust and got us on right then with a little wait (this and riding Indiana Jones twice later, without getting off, were my kids favorite parts).

We headed to TT and walked right in. We hit 3 treat rails, waked onto RR and Go Coaster.  DD loved the witches! The kids saw the characters from afar and were OK with not standing in line for pics so we headed back towards SM. I was surprised to see people lining up for treat rails outside before they opened since the ones in TT were open and our bags were ½ full from just those three. We got to SM and accidentally went through the treat trail there too. They stopped letting people without wristbands enter the que just before 7pm. It took us about 20 minutes and the line grew slowly behind us.  They were funneling people out of Tommorowland when we headed into Star Tours. It was the longest line of the night with BTMRR after the fireworks a close second. 25-30 minutes.  We headed to Adventureland and people were sitting on the curb for the parade – right before 8. Indiana Jones twice in a row, POTC, Cadaver Dans, another Treat Trail (we got healthy treats for evening snacks). On POTC the BB Dinner was at the pirates part (thanks to this thread I knew what it was!). They finished and were exiting as our boat passed under the bridge and heckled us!

Thanks again to this thread, I had an idea where to head to see the fireworks. We stood right at coke corner (people on curb and 1-2 deep standing but still found a spot where DS could see the last of PtN (they can’t wait to see the whole thing next month!). Then we moved into the street with the crown and ended up right where they rope a walkway across main street so a great view of Jack, Zero and the fireworks!

We headed back towards BTMRR and it quickly filled up. Honestly the treat trails and rides seemed worse! By 11 we called it quits and headed out.

My only regret was not shopping for the pins as soon as we got in. My son is a serious collector/trader. I had no idea they would sell out!

They both said they would do it again even with the heat and crowds.


----------



## Dee2015

SeaPic said:


> Thanks again to this thread, I had an idea where to head to see the fireworks. We stood right at coke corner (people on curb and 1-2 deep standing but still found a spot where DS could see the last of PtN (they can’t wait to see the whole thing next month!). Then we moved into the street with the crown and ended up right where they rope a walkway across main street so a great view of Jack, Zero and the fireworks!
> 
> My only regret was not shopping for the pins as soon as we got in. My son is a serious collector/trader. I had no idea they would sell out!



Great report thanks SeaPic!!! Can I clarify a couple of thing please? Were you standing on the kurb at coke corner behind a few folks as the parade past and then when that finished you all moved forward towards the castle and you had an unobstructed view of the castle projections and the fireworks? Also, are you saying the Halloween party pins are completely sold out already? Thanks in advance


----------



## Kilala

It's 20 days untill Halloween It's also 3 days away from seeing my friend Christine and go to MHP. It 5 days away from going to MHP a second time by myself. I'm working hard to get my costume done for the Friday MHP. I should get it done on time. I have to work on the wig today I should be done in the next couple of days with the tail and wig.


----------



## Doctor Who

Hi can someone please post the schedule for the parade and the firework  I've searched but can't seem to find it.
Thanks!


----------



## Sherry E

I feel bad for the Disney PR people and the Parks Blog, as they have to try to make it look like there is actually something Fall-esque happening in California Adventure.  But really, all of these things were available in the Summer too!:

"Five Ways to Have Fun this Fall at Disney California Adventure Park" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on October 12th, 2015 by Erin Glover, Social Media Director, Disneyland Resort -- http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...his-fall-at-disney-california-adventure-park/



This post from the Food Blog is more Fall-specific:

"Dining in Disneyland: Seasonal Fall Treats at Jolly Holiday Bakery and Café" -- Disney Food Blog; posted on October 10, 2015 By Heather Sievers - http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2015/...fall-treats-at-jolly-holiday-bakery-and-cafe/.



​



Doctor Who said:


> Hi can someone please post the schedule for the parade and the firework  I've searched but can't seem to find it.
> Thanks!



Here you go (assuming you are asking about the schedule during the actual party and not on non-MHP nights?)  - https://wdpromedia.disney.go.com/me...ickeys-halloween-party-trick-or-treat-map.pdf.


----------



## Doctor Who

Thank Sherry!


----------



## Sherry E

Keep the reviews and thoughts about your trips coming, folks!  We have a few more weeks of Halloween Time, Mickey's Halloween Party and Mystical Spirits of the Blue Bayou to go.  Feel free to also post photos of Halloween Time merchandise, foods, décor/scenery, etc.!


----------



## SeaPic

Dee2015 said:


> Great report thanks SeaPic!!! Can I clarify a couple of thing please? Were you standing on the kurb at coke corner behind a few folks as the parade past and then when that finished you all moved forward towards the castle and you had an unobstructed view of the castle projections and the fireworks? Also, are you saying the Halloween party pins are completely sold out already? Thanks in advance


Yes, we were behind folks sitting on the curb and perhaps one standing. As the parade passed we moved to the center of Main Street and a bit towards the castle to where they rope a cross walk break. I wouldn't say unobstructed as the trees do 'frame' the castle but my son, 4'8", was able to see Jack, Zero, castle projections without anyone directly in front of him. 

As for the pins, they were out at the register and the CM called someone to verify they were 'sold out'. I got the impression they allocate a certain number for the party and not sold out altogether. Although I didn't ask for clarification. I think I read on this thread they were selling them during non party hours? I figured it was my fault for not stopping by the Emporium as soon as we entered.


----------



## adamkat

Yes please more posts and pics and tips.  First time ever in under 2 weeks!!!!


----------



## theluckyrabbit

SeaPic said:


> ... As for the pins, they were out at the register and the CM called someone to verify they were 'sold out'. I got the impression they allocate a certain number for the party and not sold out altogether. Although I didn't ask for clarification. I think I read on this thread they were selling them during non party hours? I figured it was my fault for not stopping by the Emporium as soon as we entered.



In recent years, the party merchandise has been put out on the first party date. This year, the party pins were put out for everyone on 9/25 and the AP party pins and the set were sold out by 10/2. I would think with almost all the parties sold out this year, that the rest of the pins sold out not long after that. If your son wants a MHP pin badly, they are available on eBay.


----------



## Sherry E

adamkat said:


> Yes please more posts and pics and tips.  First time ever in under 2 weeks!!!!



I agree -- we need more photos, pics, reports, etc., in this specific thread.  Too often, people come back and don't post here.  Or, 15 other threads pop up with different bits of info that could have been relayed (or questions that could have been asked) here.   I keep saying all the time that there are some people who like to just pick a thread or two and follow it/them for updates and details, and they don't have time to scour the boards for multiple other threads.  So it helps to have all Halloween-related info here, as well as wherever else it goes!!


----------



## Kilala

I found out the latest weather report. The rain day will be on Thursday which is a non MHP night. There is a 20% chance of rain on Wednesday. So if it dose rain on Wednesday it will probally after the party or close to the time it ends. I will keep you posted on the weather if it changes. Friday night is looking great as far as weather goes. There is another chance of rain on Sunday. It will be starting to cool off on Wedsnesday around 85 and in the 60s at night. Friday will be around 78. I can't wait for Wedsnesday and Friday night MHPs.


----------



## Sherry E

It's way too hot now, so I am waiting for some cooling off!


----------



## BANKS

Hi there!

I'm from Australia and my partner and I are heading to the states for the first time (for me, 3rd for my partner). We're staying at Disney Paradise Peir from the 31st of October to the the 4th November.

We were planning being in DL on the night of the 31st to see the fireworks. At the time we booked (March) there was nothing on Disney's website about MHP and before we knew it tickets to the 31st were sold out.

Now there's another reason why I'm absolutely DESPERATE for two tickets. I'm planning on proposing to my girl while the fireworks are going. Being kicked out of the park at 6 and missing the fireworks doesn't really fit this plan.

I want to give her the ultimate memory of being in the happiest place on earth, at her favourite time of year with her favourite person.

Basically I've joined disboards to see if anyone has tickets, or knows where I can get some. I've been in touch with guest services with no luck.

Thanks for you time
Lloyd


----------



## Vala

Sherry E said:


> I agree -- we need more photos, pics, reports, etc., in this specific thread.  Too often, people come back and don't post here.  Or, 15 other threads pop up with different bits of info that could have been relayed (or questions that could have been asked) here.   I keep saying all the time that there are some people who like to just pick a thread or two and follow it/them for updates and details, and they don't have time to scour the boards for multiple other threads.  So it helps to have all Halloween-related info here, as well as wherever else it goes!!


 
Sorry, I came home in the middle of renovations work and setting up furniture took a slight priority.  I haven't even worked on my Photopass account much. >< I'll try to get some pics up tonight.

Regarding my Blue Bayou drama, I meanwhile got a note saying they couldn't call me... well not surprised seeing the website is not really giving an option to mark I have a German number and what arrived is basically my local number without leading 0 and country code. Now let's wait if the promised call back tomorrow materializes.


----------



## lily66

BANKS said:


> Basically I've joined disboards to see if anyone has tickets, or knows where I can get some. I've been in touch with guest services with no luck.
> 
> Thanks for you time
> Lloyd



So sorry to here BANKS, we're traveling from NZ but I was luckily following the boards so knew to get all our party tickets early because of the sell outs. We're going to 3 parties but sadly not the 31st.
From what I've learnt there is a very very small chance you may get tickets the "day of" because your staying at a Disney property but this is more than very unlikely for that date.
If you're very desperate to make this happen there are tickets for double and even much higher than that on ebay.
Good luck with your search but without a generous person offering to give up their tickets I think the best advice is to encourage you to find another option for your proposal sorry.


----------



## KrisRose821

BANKS said:


> Hi there!
> 
> I'm from Australia and my partner and I are heading to the states for the first time (for me, 3rd for my partner). We're staying at Disney Paradise Peir from the 31st of October to the the 4th November.
> 
> We were planning being in DL on the night of the 31st to see the fireworks. At the time we booked (March) there was nothing on Disney's website about MHP and before we knew it tickets to the 31st were sold out.
> 
> Now there's another reason why I'm absolutely DESPERATE for two tickets. I'm planning on proposing to my girl while the fireworks are going. Being kicked out of the park at 6 and missing the fireworks doesn't really fit this plan.
> 
> I want to give her the ultimate memory of being in the happiest place on earth, at her favourite time of year with her favourite person.
> 
> Basically I've joined disboards to see if anyone has tickets, or knows where I can get some. I've been in touch with guest services with no luck.
> 
> Thanks for you time
> Lloyd




My biggest suggestion for you is to find a ticketing site like stubhub. If it's super important to go that night then you're probably more willing to pay the increased prices they're asking. Good luck on everything!  Hope it works out for you!



Sherry E said:


> It's way too hot now, so I am waiting for some cooling off!



It's so sad to watch the weather and to see that it's hotter in Anaheim than it is in Super Hot, Texas where I live lol. I was hoping to get at least a little respite from the heat when traveling at the end of the month. Hopefully it'll cool down just a tiny bit before I get there. Any Extended Forecast hints for Halloween weekend yet?!


----------



## Sith

theluckyrabbit said:


> In recent years, the party merchandise has been put out on the first party date. This year, the party pins were put out for everyone on 9/25 and the AP party pins and the set were sold out by 10/2. I would think with almost all the parties sold out this year, that the rest of the pins sold out not long after that. If your son wants a MHP pin badly, they are available on eBay.


So, only the people at the first parties have an opportunity to buy party pins? That's pretty stupid if true.


----------



## KrisRose821

Sith said:


> So, only the people at the first parties have an opportunity to buy party pins? That's pretty stupid if true.




Completely agree- that would mean for people like me who don't live in Cali and are coming 28-31 would have NO opportunity to purchase one even though I've purchased tickets to MHP 2 nights. Doesn't seem too fair. I'm hoping they put out a limited number each party. That would make the most sense.


----------



## Priory

They're completely failing with merchandise this year. The MHP stuff, the popcorn buckets, poison apple mugs, etc. You'd think a company that desperately wants our money would, you know, make sure they could take our money. Lol.


----------



## only hope

We went to MHP last night and it was great. We enjoyed much more than we did the last MNSSHP two years ago. Though the walkways were crowded (which I expected from my reading on here), many rides had a 10mn or less wait. We walked on several.

We started in Toontown, a few minutes after it had opened. There was a line to get in but it moved quickly. We jumped in the line for Goofy and waited about 10 minutes. A lot of people poured in during those 10 minutes so our wait for Donald was a bit longer but not bad. We were one of the last to meet him. We then rode the Car Toon spin which said 5 minute wait but was actually almost 20. It was cute but I never figured out at what point we could spin the car. We then did all the TT treat lines which had died off a bit; took about 25mn to do all three. A little later we were able to meet Pirate Chip n Dale with about a 15mn wait between the candy line and their line.

The Cadaver Dans were excellent, and popular. There were no viewing areas left for the beginning of the 8pm show at 7:55; but as they traveled towards Frontierland the NOS side thinned out to almost nothing, so a good view could be had of the end of the show. At 8:20 we got a second row seat for PtN at the hub. Afterwards we moved towards Main Strest just behind the hub so we could see that ball everyone here talks about; but I didn't know what I was looking for and we were too far to the left. I managed to move over once it started and could see some of it, but a tree was blocking the view. The fireworks were amazing thougn. Afterwards we moved quickly & walked onto Pirates (looked like a 15mn wait when we were leaving) then waited 3 minutes to meet Aladdin. That is something you can't do at MK- no matter the time, the wait to meet characters is ALWAYS at least 30mm and it eats up a TON of party time. 

The only dissapointment we had besides the poor viewing of the ball for fireworks is we did not recieve the Dove chocolate. We asked and apparantly they stop passing those out at the end of the party. That doesn't make sense to me; we all paid for a ticket, we should all get chocolate. Those choosing to stay for the entire time they paid for should get a Dove too. But overall it was a ton of fun, and DL's version of a sold out party is better than UNsold out parties at MK!


----------



## Avery's mom

*Wednesday, October 7th – Halloween Party with Mystical Spirits of the Blue Bayou

(This is part of a longer review of our entire stay)*

Our arrival day had us dining at RFC for lunch, cabana in the afternoon, then the Halloween Party that night.  The Halloween Party was a nice surprise for me, as only my DD and DH had been before.  Even though it was a sold out party, I didn’t find it to be too crowded at all. We arrived about 5:30 and got in easily.  We picked up maps, wristbands and candy bags and went off in search of adventure! My DH exchanged our PhotoPass voucher and I went to check us in to the Blue Bayou for the Mystical Spirits Dinner.  After we did that, we went down the Treat Trails in NOS and Critter Country while the girls (my DD brought her best friend on our trip) rode Indy 2 times with no wait!  When it was time, we lined up at the BB, and were seated about 10 minutes later.  We had a decent table 1 row from the water and about 5 back from the stage.  Our server was wonderful – very friendly and efficient.  They confirmed our dinner orders and they were all correct.  We all loved the juice on the table and had no need for anything else to drink.  Between all 4 of us, we tried everything on the menu.  The only thing that wasn’t enjoyed was the Goat Cheese Tart, as my DH said it was like licking his hands after he visited a petting zoo.  He was not pleased.  But, he also hates crab cakes, so he was in a no-win situation there.

After apps, we had a bit of lag time between courses, but we all loved the Cadaver Dans!  We also caught them performing in the CGH lobby before the party.  Entrees were great – we all enjoyed our meals.  Just as an FYI for anyone bringing an under 3 child, as we did, we had to share with him, as there was no option for anyone who didn’t pay the $150 entrance fee.  It’s a good thing that he will eat a lot of things.

Between courses, Dr. Facilier came out and performed.  He mingled between tables and took photos with anyone who wanted them.  We all thought he was talented and charming.  He took photos with the girls and moved on.  The pirates performed during dessert (or right after, I forget) and passed out very full candy bags.  Then Dr. Facilier came out again and we knew it was time to leave.  We quickly made our way to the exit, as I wanted to make sure we were in the north section of the hub.  We each received a lithograph and lined up behind a lit lantern outside the restaurant.  We waited there for about 5-6 minutes, and then were led to the north section of the hub.  I looked and there were NO benches set up behind the partner’s statue – yippee!  We grabbed a bench in the 3rd row, on the right side for an absolute perfect viewing of the Halloween Screams fireworks.  I was so, so thrilled with the spots and thought that I would gladly pay the $$ to have such great spots again.  If only it were an option for other firework shows!  After the fireworks were over, we hit a couple more treat trails in Tomorrowland/Fantasyland and then hit the rides – Matterhorn, Nemo, and Big Thunder twice.  We normally will not wait for Nemo but it was a walk on and my DS had never ridden it.  He loved it – so I was glad to have done it with him without having to wait in line. We walked out of the park a smidge after 11pm and we were all very happy with the experience.  There were far fewer crowds than we imagined, we had a great dinner/entertainment event/ spectacular fireworks viewing/ trick or treats and a couple walk on rides – just great!  We didn’t have anyone who really wanted/needed to see/meet characters, so that wasn’t a priority for us.


----------



## joyfulDisneytears

Are the Cadaver Dans singing in GCH before every party, and if so what time?  I've seen a couple accounts of this but I didn't know if it had been confirmed to be consistent. They might be the #1 thing I want to see at the party, so if they're doing this every party day I'll have a few chances to see them if I don't manage to get my party ticket!


----------



## mummabear

only hope said:


> The only dissapointment we had besides the poor viewing of the ball for fireworks is we did not recieve the Dove chocolate. We asked and apparantly they stop passing those out at the end of the party. That doesn't make sense to me; we all paid for a ticket, we should all get chocolate. Those choosing to stay for the entire time they paid for should get a Dove too. But overall it was a ton of fun, and DL's version of a sold out party is better than UNsold out parties at MK!



I agree, it is a small thing but when you have paid so much extra you expect for things to be "fair"


----------



## Avery's mom

joyfulDisneytears said:


> Are the Cadaver Dans singing in GCH before every party, and if so what time?  I've seen a couple accounts of this but I didn't know if it had been confirmed to be consistent. They might be the #1 thing I want to see at the party, so if they're doing this every party day I'll have a few chances to see them if I don't manage to get my party ticket!



We were in the lobby about 5 pm on Wednesday, and they were performing on the balcony near the Hearthstone Lounge then. We didn't see them Friday, but we didn't go through the lobby, so they might have been there and we missed it.


----------



## Sherry E

I don't think I've ever heard of the Cadaver Dans performing in the GCH lobby, to be honest!  If they've been there in previous years, no one has ever mentioned it.   I've only known them to be at MHP (in or out of the MSBB event), or at least just in Disneyland even if not at MHP.  The GCH didn't have anything Halloweenish in it until this year -- when the edible "Tree-t" was put there -- so maybe they figured that now is the time to add in some extra Halloween fun (since the hotels were sorely lacking in Halloween fun in the past).



Vala said:


> Sorry, I came home in the middle of renovations work and setting up furniture took a slight priority.  I haven't even worked on my Photopass account much. >< I'll try to get some pics up tonight.
> 
> Regarding my Blue Bayou drama, I meanwhile got a note saying they couldn't call me... well not surprised seeing the website is not really giving an option to mark I have a German number and what arrived is basically my local number without leading 0 and country code. Now let's wait if the promised call back tomorrow materializes.



Oh, no worries, Vala!  I really, really appreciate that you have already taken so much time to review and explain your MSBB experience -- disappointing though it was.   I know we all look forward to seeing the photos whenever you get around to dealing with them.


----------



## BANKS

KrisRose821 said:


> My biggest suggestion for you is to find a ticketing site like stubhub. If it's super important to go that night then you're probably more willing to pay the increased prices they're asking. Good luck on everything!  Hope it works out for you!



Thank you for replying! Price isn't an issue at this stage.

Is this the correct tickets? Don't want to spend that amount of money if it's not lol

http://www.stubhub.com/mickeys-not-...oween-party-orlando-10-31-2015/event/9292626/



lily66 said:


> So sorry to here BANKS, we're traveling from NZ but I was luckily following the boards so knew to get all our party tickets early because of the sell outs. We're going to 3 parties but sadly not the 31st.
> From what I've learnt there is a very very small chance you may get tickets the "day of" because your staying at a Disney property but this is more than very unlikely for that date.
> If you're very desperate to make this happen there are tickets for double and even much higher than that on ebay.
> Good luck with your search but without a generous person offering to give up their tickets I think the best advice is to encourage you to find another option for your proposal sorry.



Thanks for replying. At this stage price isn't that important but obviously there's a point were I'll just do it on the 1st Nov instead of the price gets too insane.

I had a quick look on eBay but couldn't find any? Have you seen some? Would you mind linking them for me?


----------



## Mommy2PrincessAbby

BANKS said:


> Thank you for replying! Price isn't an issue at this stage.
> 
> Is this the correct tickets? Don't want to spend that amount of money if it's not lol
> 
> http://www.stubhub.com/mickeys-not-...oween-party-orlando-10-31-2015/event/9292626/



No those are for MNSSHP in Orlando... Opposite side of the country.  You want Disneyland Mickeys Halloween Party, in Anaheim.


----------



## goldmay

BANKS said:


> Thank you for replying! Price isn't an issue at this stage.
> 
> Is this the correct tickets? Don't want to spend that amount of money if it's not lol
> 
> http://www.stubhub.com/mickeys-not-...oween-party-orlando-10-31-2015/event/9292626/



That's for the party at WDW. At DL it's Mickey's Halloween Party.


----------



## BANKS

Mommy2PrincessAbby said:


> No those are for MNSSHP in Orlando... Opposite side of the country.  You want Disneyland Mickeys Halloween Party, in Anaheim.



http://www.stubhub.com/mickeys-hall...oween-party-anaheim-10-31-2015/event/9360405/

This one?


----------



## carrierael77

BANKS said:


> Hi there!
> 
> I'm from Australia and my partner and I are heading to the states for the first time (for me, 3rd for my partner). We're staying at Disney Paradise Peir from the 31st of October to the the 4th November.
> 
> We were planning being in DL on the night of the 31st to see the fireworks. At the time we booked (March) there was nothing on Disney's website about MHP and before we knew it tickets to the 31st were sold out.
> 
> Now there's another reason why I'm absolutely DESPERATE for two tickets. I'm planning on proposing to my girl while the fireworks are going. Being kicked out of the park at 6 and missing the fireworks doesn't really fit this plan.
> 
> I want to give her the ultimate memory of being in the happiest place on earth, at her favourite time of year with her favourite person.
> 
> Basically I've joined disboards to see if anyone has tickets, or knows where I can get some. I've been in touch with guest services with no luck.
> 
> Thanks for you time
> Lloyd



While you have a very limited chance of getting tickets, there are many other options, and as girl I have thought about what would be magical for me. (And frankly anything would be more magical than what my husband did, and I still said yes, so have no fear)

If it was me, an evening proposal would be ideal. So here are some choices I would love. 
A) in downtown disney there is an amazing fountain, I am pretty sure you can see fireworks from it, do it there. Or in the espinade between the 2 parks. 
B) I find California adventure just as magical in a different way. Getting down on one knee right under the sign at paradise pier would be epic! As would maybe on Mickey fun wheel. If you go for thr fun wheel discreetly ask if you can have your own booth thingy (just say to person (we would like our own please and without girlfriend seeing, show them the ring). 
C) Cars Land with all the neon is absolutely beyond amazing. There are always photographers in the middle of the road to take pics. While getting photo taken, get down on one knee. She will have a photo of the exact moment and will cherish it forever. 
So, while it may not be exactly what you had in mind, there are a lot of things you can do.


----------



## tlovesdis

Does the proposal have to be on the 31st?  Fireworks will be presented on the other nights as well.


----------



## BANKS

tlovesdis said:


> Does the proposal have to be on the 31st?  Fireworks will be presented on the other nights as well.



I had a look on the Disney website and couldn't see a schedule for Novembers fireworks yet.

If it comes to it no it doesn't if there are other fireworks on the 1st, 2nd or 3rd of November. Preference is the 31st mainly for the fact it's Halloween. Knowing every year it will remind her of how i did it. Plus it will be easy for me to remember hahaha


----------



## tlovesdis

BANKS said:


> I had a look on the Disney website and couldn't see a schedule for Novembers fireworks yet.
> 
> If it comes to it no it doesn't if there are other fireworks on the 1st, 2nd or 3rd of November. Preference is the 31st mainly for the fact it's Halloween. Knowing every year it will remind her of how i did it. Plus it will be easy for me to remember hahaha



I gotcha ya!  Fireworks are being presented every night throughout the holiday season.  They are on the schedule for November 1-4 (and beyond).  So if the 31st doesn't work out, you still have fireworks every night so hopefully something will work for you!!


----------



## BANKS

carrierael77 said:


> While you have a very limited chance of getting tickets, there are many other options, and as girl I have thought about what would be magical for me. (And frankly anything would be more magical than what my husband did, and I still said yes, so have no fear)
> 
> If it was me, an evening proposal would be ideal. So here are some choices I would love.
> A) in downtown disney there is an amazing fountain, I am pretty sure you can see fireworks from it, do it there. Or in the espinade between the 2 parks.
> B) I find California adventure just as magical in a different way. Getting down on one knee right under the sign at paradise pier would be epic! As would maybe on Mickey fun wheel. If you go for thr fun wheel discreetly ask if you can have your own booth thingy (just say to person (we would like our own please and without girlfriend seeing, show them the ring).
> C) Cars Land with all the neon is absolutely beyond amazing. There are always photographers in the middle of the road to take pics. While getting photo taken, get down on one knee. She will have a photo of the exact moment and will cherish it forever.
> So, while it may not be exactly what you had in mind, there are a lot of things you can do.



We'll be in the park on the 31st so I'm going to use that time to scope out a location. Thanks for the suggestions, I'll check them out when I'm there!

I found some tickets on studbhub for $170 each.


----------



## lily66

BANKS said:


> Thanks for replying. At this stage price isn't that important but obviously there's a point were I'll just do it on the 1st Nov instead of the price gets too insane.
> 
> I had a quick look on eBay but couldn't find any? Have you seen some? Would you mind linking them for me?



I googled them after reading your post to make sure there were some available.... try this link http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2050601.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.H0.XDisneyland+Mickey's+Halloween+Party+Tickets+10/31.TRS0&_nkw=Disneyland+Mickey's+Halloween+Party+Tickets+10/31&_sacat=0

Good Luck hun


----------



## theluckyrabbit

BANKS said:


> ...
> Now there's another reason why I'm absolutely DESPERATE for two tickets. I'm planning on proposing to my girl while the fireworks are going. Being kicked out of the park at 6 and missing the fireworks doesn't really fit this plan.
> 
> I want to give her the ultimate memory of being in the happiest place on earth, at her favourite time of year with her favourite person...



Hope you manage to get your tickets, but I strongly encourage you to have a contigency plan anyway. If there are Santa Ana winds on the 31st, it is possible that Halloween Screams will be cancelled. We were there on Oct. 2nd when DF was cancelled due to high winds. The groan from the crowd could be heard from pretty far away. It is not uncommon for DL to cancel the fireworks due to high winds, so please have a backup plan. It would be awful if your romantic moment got ruined due to weather.



Sith said:


> So, only the people at the first parties have an opportunity to buy party pins? That's pretty stupid if true.





KrisRose821 said:


> Completely agree- that would mean for people like me who don't live in Cali and are coming 28-31 would have NO opportunity to purchase one even though I've purchased tickets to MHP 2 nights. Doesn't seem too fair. I'm hoping they put out a limited number each party. That would make the most sense.



A few years ago, the party pins were only available at the parties themselves. Now anyone can buy them any time, party ticket or no. I think DL should go back to the old system of requiring a MHP wristband to purchase the special pins during the parties. It really seems ridiculous that people who paid for MHP cannot get the pins because someone who may not even be going to the parties bought up the pins to sell on eBay!


----------



## BANKS

Thanks everyone!

I purchased some tickets off Stubhub, quite expensive at $179 each plus fees! The $65 worth or fees annoyed me more than the ticket price... Especially when they're digital tickets! After the conversion into AUD from USD it's been a $600 experience. Can't put a price on love though am I right?

Anyway appreciate all your advice and help. Couldn't of done it otherwise.

I realise there's a risk that there will be no fireworks due to weather which I'm fine with, out of everyone's control. Primarily I want to do it under fireworks on the 31st but honestly if it's not I don't think it'll be a deal breaker hahaha.

I'm going to ask the park photographers to video/take some photos during the proposal for me while I'm doing it.

I'll make sure I come back here and post my experience up

Thanks again!


----------



## mrsw94

BANKS said:


> Thanks everyone!
> 
> I purchased some tickets off Stubhub, quite expensive at $179 each plus fees! The $65 worth or fees annoyed me more than the ticket price... Especially when they're digital tickets! After the conversion into AUD from USD it's been a $600 experience. Can't put a price on love though am I right?
> 
> Anyway appreciate all your advice and help. Couldn't of done it otherwise.
> 
> I realise there's a risk that there will be no fireworks due to weather which I'm fine with, out of everyone's control. Primarily I want to do it under fireworks on the 31st but honestly if it's not I don't think it'll be a deal breaker hahaha.
> 
> I'm going to ask the park photographers to video/take some photos during the proposal for me while I'm doing it.
> 
> I'll make sure I come back here and post my experience up
> 
> Thanks again!



Glad you found some.  I don't know if you've seen this video or not, I saw it on my FB feed a few weeks ago. I LOVE Mickey's reaction, and the Photopass photographer seemed all over it.


----------



## Cats2

Sherry E said:


> I don't think I've ever heard of the Cadaver Dans performing in the GCH lobby, to be honest!  If they've been there in previous years, no one has ever mentioned it.   I've only known them to be at MHP (in or out of the MSBB event), or at least just in Disneyland even if not at MHP.  The GCH didn't have anything Halloweenish in it until this year -- when the edible "Tree-t" was put there -- so maybe they figured that now is the time to add in some extra Halloween fun (since the hotels were sorely lacking in Halloween fun in the past).


Sherry, I think that the Cadaver Dans at the GCH must be something new then, if YOU haven't heard about it prior to this yr.



Avery's mom said:


> We were in the lobby about 5 pm on Wednesday, and they were performing on the balcony near the Hearthstone Lounge then. We didn't see them Friday, but we didn't go through the lobby, so they might have been there and we missed it.


Like Avery's mom, I saw them perform in the GCH lobby.  She saw them on 10/7 and I definitely saw them on 9/30 and 10/2. Pretty sure I was walking through the lobby a little bit after 4pm on 9/30--I have pictures of my family in costume in the parks by 4:30pm for MHP. On 10/2, I think I was walking out to DTD and saw them perform--again somewhere between 4 and 5pm. 

I posted this early on 10/3:


Cats2 said:


> I haven't noticed it mentioned, but we saw the Cadaver Dans performing on the balcony of the GCH lobby on two of the MHP nights this week. I'm guessing it might have been somewhere around 4pm? I was wondering if they're scheduled to perform there on all the party nights?
> Does anyone know just how many hidden Mickeys there are on the GCH confectionary Halloween tree? (I found 8, but was thinking they might've placed 13--just seems like it would be an appropriate number). The sign was not there last weekend, and then showed up again early this week.


And, I guess my post about the confectionary tree ended up being correct.  My fellow guest guessed there would be 13 hidden Mickeys, and according to the parks blog, there are 13!


----------



## Sherry E

While I'm here, I guess I will post this for those who didn't know.  A separate thread was started and I'd hoped that the OP would come here to tell you all about the discovery, but I will share it...

Look for the storyteller stationed near the Ray Bradbury Halloween Tree -- http://www.disneyparksmerchandise.c...halloween-adventure-at-the-disneyland-resort/.  

This "Halloween Adventure" is a new thing, and I am guessing the Parks Blog will do a piece on it within the next week or so (sometime before Halloween Time ends!).  It does NOT take place on MHP nights.

​





Cats2 said:


> Sherry, I think that the Cadaver Dans at the GCH must be something new then, if YOU haven't heard about it prior to this yr.
> 
> 
> Like Avery's mom, I saw them perform in the GCH lobby.  She saw them on 10/7 and I definitely saw them on 9/30 and 10/2. Pretty sure I was walking through the lobby a little bit after 4pm on 9/30--I have pictures of my family in costume in the parks by 4:30pm for MHP. On 10/2, I think I was walking out to DTD and saw them perform--again somewhere between 4 and 5pm.
> 
> I posted this early on 10/3:
> 
> And, I guess my post about the confectionary tree ended up being correct.  My fellow guest guessed there would be 13 hidden Mickeys, and according to the parks blog, there are 13!



It is certainly possible that the Cadaver Dans have secretly been performing at the GCH every Halloween Time season, but I have never heard nor read anything about it from anyone -- here or on any other site -- so it definitely sounds like a new thing to go along with the Tree!


----------



## Kilala

I can't wait untill I get to go with my friend Christine to MHP tomorrow night!! I will take alot of photos!!! I'm almost done with the Candy Corn tabby cat costume. I have to finish the wig and the tail. The wig I will finish on Thursday and I will try to finish the tail tonight. I almost finish the wing in one evening. I surprized my self on that one. I will be wearing that costume on Friday nights MHP. I will be will be wearing the Halloween cat costume on Halloween night


----------



## Priory

Sherry E said:


> While I'm here, I guess I will post this for those who didn't know.  A separate thread was started and I'd hoped that the OP would come here to tell you all about the discovery, but I will share it...
> 
> Look for the storyteller stationed near the Ray Bradbury Halloween Tree -- http://www.disneyparksmerchandise.c...halloween-adventure-at-the-disneyland-resort/.
> 
> This "Halloween Adventure" is a new thing, and I am guessing the Parks Blog will do a piece on it within the next week or so (sometime before Halloween Time ends!).  It does NOT take place on MHP nights.
> 
> ​



How random. I assume this is what happened.

Park Manager: hey boss, apparently people are upset we took away like 50% of the HalloweenTime stuff.

Park Boss: huh. Do a scavenger hunt or something.

Park Manager: Done!

Park Boss. Great. Did we advertise it?

Park Manager: it's on some merchandise site or something. 

Park Boss: Good enough. Let's go to lunch. First two martinis are on me.


----------



## Sherry E

Priory said:


> How random. I assume this is what happened.
> 
> Park Manager: hey boss, apparently people are upset we took away like 50% of the HalloweenTime stuff.
> 
> Park Boss: huh. Do a scavenger hunt or something.
> 
> Park Manager: Done!
> 
> Park Boss. Great. Did we advertise it?
> 
> Park Manager: it's on some merchandise site or something.
> 
> Park Boss: Good enough. Let's go to lunch. First two martinis are on me.




  Yep.  I'd say that you are probably spot on with that guess.  

No Halloween Carnival = story time at the Halloween Tree.



Kilala said:


> I can't wait untill I get to go with my friend Christine to MHP tomorrow night!! I will take alot of photos!!! I'm almost done with the Candy Corn tabby cat costume. I have to finish the wig and the tail. The wig I will finish on Thursday and I will try to finish the tail tonight. I almost finish the wing in one evening. I surprized my self on that one. I will be wearing that costume on Friday nights MHP. I will be will be wearing the Halloween cat costume on Halloween night



Have an amazing time, Kilala!  Come back and give us the full scoop.


----------



## DnA2010

Hi Folks, our trip is coming very soon (leave on Sunday!!) with our Halloween party next Thursday, our focus for the night is going to be party specifics- the entertainment, characters, fireworks- just wondering some of the techniques to maximize our time with the party specifics? Can't wait for our first party!!


----------



## Mommy2PrincessAbby

The storyteller link doesn't seem to be working, I wanted to read it again.  I totally want to do this we have 1 non-party night planned for DL... Now I know what we will be doing


----------



## Vala

Update on my Blue Bayou debacle: I had missed calls from Anaheim yesterday after previously being told in an e-mail that the contact was available Wednesday to Sunday. Last time I checked yesterday was Tuesday, but well... 

I called back earlier today and was informed that my refund had been processed, were there other issues. Geez, I don't know. Maybe letting me know the refund was done for a start? Or heaven forbid an apology? Pretending to be sorry maybe?

I made it clear that while I was grateful for the refund I was still very unhappy with the way this was handled and I'd still like some sort of contact from this mysterious "Special Events Department". But right now I wonder if they even exist.

Anyhow, on to more pleasant things... the promised random picture spam.





I was really lucky... walked in, saw the Queen of Hearts, followed her and burst right into a Tea Party with Alice and Mad Hatter. I even have a couple of Alice photos which Mr Hatter took himself cause no one was with me.









Sally had some problems wth her stitching and had to go backstage again. A lot of people were mad. But Jack was still very playful and decided we'd use some props for frightful fun -  that wouldn't have worked out the same way wth Sally.





My parasol turned out to be really popular... Mr Smee even tried to steal it during Soundsational.





Cruella was in top form. Goofy didn't make it to one of the Firehouse shows, so she and Chip and Dale did the show on her own, including a little dance party. Dale pulled me in for a solo dance with him... needless to say I was very happy.





From the Toontown Pre-Party on the first Halloween Party I did.





Spooky Main Street during Party.





One of my favorite pictures from the second Halloween Party. My friend and I were dressed up as Si and Am. Pluto took one look at us, ran off and hid. Then he came barging out of his hiding place, started pulling on the prop cannon and aimed it at us! As you see at the corner of the photo the Photopass lady snapped a great shot of us dying laughing, and this is the matching counterpart.


----------



## Clawdya

BANKS said:


> Thanks everyone!
> 
> I purchased some tickets off Stubhub, quite expensive at $179 each plus fees! The $65 worth or fees annoyed me more than the ticket price... Especially when they're digital tickets! After the conversion into AUD from USD it's been a $600 experience. Can't put a price on love though am I right?
> 
> Anyway appreciate all your advice and help. Couldn't of done it otherwise.
> 
> I realise there's a risk that there will be no fireworks due to weather which I'm fine with, out of everyone's control. Primarily I want to do it under fireworks on the 31st but honestly if it's not I don't think it'll be a deal breaker hahaha.
> 
> I'm going to ask the park photographers to video/take some photos during the proposal for me while I'm doing it.
> 
> I'll make sure I come back here and post my experience up
> 
> Thanks again!


 
"Saving Mr Banks" is all I kept thinking when I saw your username and your comments that you were desperately looking for tickets.    Glad you were able to find some tickets. Good luck with your upcoming proposal.


----------



## KrisRose821

BANKS said:


> Thanks everyone!
> 
> I purchased some tickets off Stubhub, quite expensive at $179 each plus fees! The $65 worth or fees annoyed me more than the ticket price... Especially when they're digital tickets! After the conversion into AUD from USD it's been a $600 experience. Can't put a price on love though am I right?
> 
> Anyway appreciate all your advice and help. Couldn't of done it otherwise.
> 
> I realise there's a risk that there will be no fireworks due to weather which I'm fine with, out of everyone's control. Primarily I want to do it under fireworks on the 31st but honestly if it's not I don't think it'll be a deal breaker hahaha.
> 
> I'm going to ask the park photographers to video/take some photos during the proposal for me while I'm doing it.
> 
> I'll make sure I come back here and post my experience up
> 
> Thanks again!




Oh my goodness that just sounds so amazing! I'll be there the 31st, if I see the proposal I'll have to stop and say congrats!!!  Glad you got the tickets. Hope you have a magical time!


----------



## Sherry E

Mommy2PrincessAbby said:


> The storyteller link doesn't seem to be working, I wanted to read it again.  I totally want to do this we have 1 non-party night planned for DL... Now I know what we will be doing



It seems to have vanished from that website!!!!!!   How strange!  I know that some of you guys saw it, so you know it was there at one point and I was not imagining it.  I don't see it anywhere on the Parks Authentic site, under any category -- http://www.disneyparksmerchandise.com/parksauthentic/.   So weird.  That specific website was the first place that the Looking for Mickey Quest info appeared a few months ago, before the Parks Blog did a piece about it.  Maybe they were not supposed to post anything about the Halloween Adventure and someone made them take it down.  The Parks Blog will probably still do a piece on it IF the "Adventure" is still happening, but we're already at mid-October at this point.  They'd better get moving!!!!

I'd better give this a bump, for any incoming reviews, photos, questions, answers, etc.!


----------



## mom2rtk

I'd still love more stories and feedback from the parties.

I'm still hoping for some feedback on what time I would need to get to the hub to get a good spot for Halloween Screams (near the castle, so no view of PTN). Since nobody has replied, I can only assume that nobody does this, so maybe I can show up 5 minutes before show time!


----------



## iKristin

Tonight's party was awesome!! At the first part of the night, it seems everyone was in NOS because the ride lines for HM and Splash were still at 40+ minutes. Every other ride was a walk on!! I managed to walk on BTM and Indiana Jones 3 times EACH. I also walked on Space Mountain twice. Later in the night while everyone was watching the fireworks I hit up HM (15 minute wait) and Splash Mountain (walk on). The best candy trail of the night with never any wait time was the one in Big Thunder Ranch!! I went through that one every time I walked by and never had to wait in line. I think I went through it 4 times haha


----------



## KrisRose821

Yeah, I would still LOVE to hear some feedback on the parties. I'm not coming in until the 28th and am doing parties on the 29th and 31st with MSBB on the 31st as well. 

For my locals- What weather channel/station do you seem to find to be the most accurate? I'd like to get a feel for whether packing Jeans is ideal or should I go back to capris if it's too hot lol. 

I know this whole forum is a list of major must-do's but anyone wanna share their party must do's? So far on my list I have 
- Golden Horseshoe ToT trail (because of the cute decor)
- TT pre-party
- Big thunder ranch area 
- Fireworks (i'll have seating with my MSBB on the 31st)

Anything else I should jot down in my phone so I dont forget? 

I'm getting SUPER excited!


----------



## adamkat

Ditto we are arriving on the 25th and our MHP is on the 29th and it's our first time so beyond excited for it -10 days now before we leave and any tips would be great! my must do's we honestly don't know that's why I feel completely unprepared for  it I love this board!!!


----------



## iKristin

mom2rtk said:


> I'd still love more stories and feedback from the parties.
> 
> I'm still hoping for some feedback on what time I would need to get to the hub to get a good spot for Halloween Screams (near the castle, so no view of PTN). Since nobody has replied, I can only assume that nobody does this, so maybe I can show up 5 minutes before show time!



People line up early. But they also line up for the parade which is 30 minutes before the fireworks so you'll want to get a spot earlier

Oh and the weather last night...freakin' hot. It only got down to 75. People were in line complaining about the heat. I made sure to leave space between me and the person in front of me because of the body heat lol


----------



## DnA2010

mom2rtk said:


> I'd still love more stories and feedback from the parties.
> 
> I'm still hoping for some feedback on what time I would need to get to the hub to get a good spot for Halloween Screams (near the castle, so no view of PTN). Since nobody has replied, I can only assume that nobody does this, so maybe I can show up 5 minutes before show time!




Interested also, and where the best spots to watch the fireworks are? Any tips for character lines?


----------



## mvf-m11c

I just got back recently from a quick trip to the DLR this past weekend during the CHOC Marathon. It was super crowded on Saturday where Sunday was more manageable than Saturday. It wasn't the crowds that was bad but the weather was just crazy which was in the 90's at night. It was disappointed that the Halloween Carnival was not back this year. Rides like the HMH was mostly at 50 minutes and the same with SMGG during the busy times.



mom2rtk said:


> I'd still love more stories and feedback from the parties.
> 
> I'm still hoping for some feedback on what time I would need to get to the hub to get a good spot for Halloween Screams (near the castle, so no view of PTN). Since nobody has replied, I can only assume that nobody does this, so maybe I can show up 5 minutes before show time!



I haven't done the parties this year but I have done MHP in the past including two times last year. They have been fun by going to the treat stations where you do get quite a lot of candy. But the interesting part of the party is how the park is decorated in certain areas where you don't get to see it during the regular park hours even with the decorations. For example, the Village Haus restaurant was used as a treat station queue which had some decorations in it. I enjoy the Cadaver Dans performing on the RoA which is exciting to see during the party. IASW has the light projections on the facade which is another good opportunity to get pictures. There are a lot of character M&G queues around the park during the party. You will want to start at Mickey's Toontown before the party start since that is where the party starts before the official time. There were M&G and candy trails as well plus some great spots to get pictures.




















As for Halloween Screams fireworks of when to get there. I would say at least an hour or two depends on which spot from the front or the back area by the curbs close to the Hub. I will depend on how long are you willing to wait for HS fireworks during the party. It does require you time to stake out a spot where you could spend your time doing other things during the party. But as long as you have multiple people in your group who would not have a problem holding the spot while the others do things during the party, it is good to have that option. I would also bring a blanket so you can mark your area so that you can save the space for the others while they are doing other things. Last year, I waited with @PrincessInOz at least 2 hours until the fireworks started at 9:30pm on the backside of the curb close to the Hub. But when it was 1 1/2 hours until the fireworks, we were told by the CM's that there would be no walkway in front of the viewing area so we moved up closer and had a great spot without any people in the shot. The thing is that we sat on the ground which was nice to sit down but i would prefer to stand up.








Here are some pictures from this past weekend trip.








Dia de los Muertos








Ray Bradbury Halloween Tree












Halloween "Tree-t" Cake in the GCH


----------



## iKristin

Has Space Mountain not had the alien sounds on the outside at all this year? I've been super disappointed to not hear it on multiple nights so far. I love the creepy sounds coming from the mountain!


----------



## Metalliman98

I heard it once while we were there last week.  Didn't sound like aliens to me, more ghost/monsters, but they were definitely playing something!  Was around dusk.


----------



## hrk_md

Here is my trip report from October 9-11. We have attended the Halloween party many times before but it has been two years since our last one so it was exciting to see the changes.  My parents live in LA and come down for the party to be with us.  We had three unexpected and amazing interactions with cast members that made the weekend even more amazing.
We arrived Thursday evening.  We stayed at the Courtyard Marriott on Harbor Blvd and it worked out really well.  There is a Mimi's cafe in their parking lot so we ate breakfast there Friday and Saturday morning and the walk was about 10 minutes but the bag check/security lines seemed a lot less on that side of the plaza.  We got a great room with two queen beds and a set of bunk beds, there were double sinks in the bathroom and also two showers so there was plenty of room to spread out.  They have a very small pool but also two water slides and a splash park which was wonderful with the heat. As others have said it was 100+ everyday we were there.

Friday- We hit Disneyland at rope drop.  We headed right to the HM but it was not open yet so we walked on SM, Winnie the Pooh, and Pirates and grabbed fast passes for IJ before heading back to the HM which was now open.  We love the TNBC overlay and I had heard about the hat box ghost returning so we were on the look out for him.
Headed over to do Jungle cruise, used our fast passes for IJ and then waited about 10 minutes to do BTM.  We then headed back to Big Thunder Ranch as we wanted to see all the carved pumpkins, but they were not there this year.  I spoke with a cast member who told me that because BTR is going to be closed as of January for the construction of Star Wars Land, they did not do anything with it this year.  That is why they moved the villains  etc.  And they would not be doing anything with it for Christmas either.  We then headed into TT to ride RRS and gadget coaster which we basically walked on.  We waited about 15 minutes for small world and then headed to Main Street for lunch.  We ate at the Plaza Inn as I love their fresh tossed cobb salad.  While we were sitting and eating a cast member walked over and gave both my boys (ages 9 and 12) two chocolate Mickey cupcakes and told us to enjoy.  That made them smile!
We headed out of the park at that point for a few hours at the pool and then to get ready for the Party that night.  We had dinner reservations at Tortilla Joe's for four pm and that worked out great as we were out of there by 5:30 and had no lines getting back into the park and getting our wristbands.  We had decided early on we were not going to do any rides, we wanted to meet characters and my boys wanted candy.  And our costumes while perfect for walking around and great for the heat were not the best for rides.  We were S'mores and I cannot tell you how many people told us what awesome costumes we had.  We headed straight for TT and while my mom and I waited in line to see Mickey DH and the boys did all the treat trails many times.  As people have said Mickey and Minnie rotate with Chip and Dale and Pluto and Daisy.  We got lucky and about five people ahead of us they switched back to Mickey and Minnie so we got our picture with them.  We hit several more treat trails but by about 8:30 my parents had it so they found a bench on the outside of the hub right in front of Pixie Hallow. So they saved our places while we hit up many more treat trails. 
We also went into the Little Green Men store to get pins. They had plenty of Party pins and other Halloween pins, but they are behind the cash register this year so you have to ask for them.  The cast member told us our costume was so creative and asked how much longer we were at the park.  We said until Monday.  While she was ringing up our pins she picked up the phone and made a phone call.  DH and I were worried about a problem with our credit card as she started asking DH for his full name, how many of us were there etc.  Finally she hung up and told us that she had just called and arranged for us to watch the PTN night parade and fireworks on Sunday from the VIP section.  We were blown away and thanked her profusely.
We headed back about 9:15 and by then there was not a spot to be had.  We watched the PTN parade and it was amazing.  I was never a fan of the Cavalcade so I was more than happy to see this one.  We all loved the parade and right after it was over my DH and boys were able to get onto the street to see the Halloween Screams fireworks from right in front of the castle.  I decided to stay with my parents on the bench that the cast members moved onto the street and while we could see the fireworks we could not see the castle or balloon. 
We then hit more treat trails and caught the end of the Dapper Dans as we were going along the treat trail in NOS.  By then we were all beat and decided to call it a night.  So we headed out about 10:45.  When we got to the front the line for the Villains was at least an hour long and had been closed by cast members so if this is a priority get there early and wait.
Saturday was an early magic hour at CA and we wanted to sleep some so we decided to do Disney again.  It was definitely busy and so hot but we were able to get on most of the rides with getting fast passes to come back for SM and ST after dinner.  Again we headed out of the park about 1 and hit the pool up again for a few hours. We had dinner reservations at Naples for 5:30 so we are there, then went back into DL to do SM and ST and get whips for dessert.  Then we headed across to CA to see World of Color, where a friend of mine who works for Disney had arranged for us to watch it.  It was an amazing show and I love the changes they have made to it incorporating all the movies and using the lights all over the rides.
Sunday morning was the CHOC walk so the parks were opening at 10 am which meant some sleep for us.  We headed out of the hotel about 8 thinking we would do breakfast at Mimi's again.  Well it was packed so we figured we would head over to DD and grab something.  Wrong again.  By the time we got through bag check we noticed the lines for CA already about 30 deep.  So I sat down in line and told my DH to take the kids for something and bring me back something.  Well that was not happening either as the lines from DD into the plaza were a sea of humanity.  Luckily we had some snacks with us so we munched.  Well due to the crowds they ended up opening up CA at 9:30 instead.  We ran to get fast passes for RSR and then ran to the line and got on in about 20 minutes.  Then we hit up breakfast at Flo's, which was actually very good.  We then used our fast passes and then headed for the pier area.  We did TSM, CS and Mickeys fun wheel.  Unfortunately the swings, zephyrs and the rapids were down all day so that was disappointing.  We went over and got fast passes for Soarin and then did lunch Smoke Jumpers Grill.  Love all the toppings for the sandwich and the shakes really are delicious.  At this point it was about 3 and our fast passes were for 4.  We were done so we handed off our fast passes to someone who would use them and headed back to the hotel intending to use to pool but promptly fell fast asleep.  Luckily we woke in time to grab a quick dinner and then we headed back into DL where we watched PTN again and then the fireworks from the south hub VIP section. Sitting on chairs and being able to see the castle for the fireworks made it amazing and really did cap off a magical weekend.

Hope this trip report helps.  We really loved the combination of the 60th anniversary and Halloween and only wished it had been a little cooler.  If you want pins make sure to ask at the counter as we found them at both the Little Green Men and Over in the Fronteirland pin store, but in both places they were behind the counter. Also if we had not had dinner reservations we would not have had anywhere to eat.  It made it so much nicer despite having to leave the park and come back in.  And costumes that are adaptable to the weather are really the best.  We had planned to wear jeans and long sleeves but upon seeing the weather switched to shorts and tees and were fine.  Bring big reusable grocery bags if you have them as we filled five bags almost half full each.  But peanut chews are definitely the most given out candy this year.  When we left at 10:45 they were still giving out Dove chocolates but they were running low.  Any other questions I will try to answer them
Heather


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## Clawdya

iKristin said:


> Oh and the weather last night...freakin' hot. It only got down to 75. People were in line complaining about the heat. I made sure to leave space between me and the person in front of me because of the body heat lol


 
Boo, it's supposed to be 90 during the afternoon when I go there on 10/23, which means the evening will not be that much cooler.  I hope those people (and they know who they are) that like to stand behind others so close that they 'accidentally' touch the person in front of them are leaving space too. The last thing I want is someone else's sweat on me, yuck!


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## Chris9ty

Finally catching up and having a chance to go through our trip pictures.  We didn't take many at the party, since it was dark.

We started in ToonTown- after waiting awhile to ride the train from NOS since my Brother and his wife checked into the Mystica Spirits dinner.  I didn't see any heathy options at the preparty- but we got a ton of candy at the stations.

Here are some of healthy snacks we found on Monday October 5th-  graham crackers, goldfish, cheez-its, pretzels and carrots (not pictured- became party snacks). We started at the trail outside of ToonTown and only hit a few others the rest of the night.

Not knowing the park well enough to navigate the crowds and I was afraid of losing my kids in the crowd with the dark- the next night we stayed late we wore glow sticks which really helped- wish I had thought of that earlier. 


We had 3 types of little Peeps- vanilla creme, chocolate creme, and sour watermelon. No pics- my 2 yr old approved of them.

We ate dinner at the Tomorrowland Terrace- food was good, music at the Monsters Dance Party was way too loud, we couldn't have a conversation. I only saw a 'Monster' DJ, but didn't take my boys down to see if anyone else was there.

We rode Dumbo, the carousel, Casey Jr train (my boys were dressed as engineers), went over to Pirates.  Then we went over for the end of PtN and found a place to stand for the HS fireworks right on the street by the Jolly Holiday. The show was amazing! (it was our first Disney fireworks show!)


My little one fell asleep before the Fireworks, so we went to get ice cream, watch the projections on Main Street buildings, shopped and then as we were leaving the park (and stopping to take pics of the train) we caught the Beginning of the Villians Goodbye show and left to beat the crowd.  We each got several Dove chocolates as we went out the gate. 

Here is the Halloween 2015 PhotoPass border if anyone was looking for it. (We didn't have any pics taken during the party).
Thanks so much for this thread or I would have been completely lost at the Party! 
Happy Halloween everyone!


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## iKristin

Been eating some of my candy from last night and there's quite a few pieces that taste old  This is kind of disappointing. I've had two butterfingers and a package of whoppers that were not right. They were chewy/sticky, not crispy like they should be. They aren't melted either. Anyone else have any issues with their candy??


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## Niltiac

iKristin said:


> Been eating some of my candy from last night and there's quite a few pieces that taste old  This is kind of disappointing. I've had two butterfingers and a package of whoppers that were not right. They were chewy/sticky, not crispy like they should be. They aren't melted either. Anyone else have any issues with their candy??



Yes - I went a couple of weeks ago and there was definitely something not right with those butterfingers.  Everything else seemed ok though.  But my party was on 10/2 and I would hope they'd have refreshed their supplies since then.


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## Chris9ty

My eyes are spinning after going through so many pics. Now I realize the vertical border is slightly different.


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## SeaPic

hrk_md said:


> We were S'mores and I cannot tell you how many people told us what awesome costumes we had.



Im pretty sure we saw you! So that's the trick for the pins. We went to the Emporium. I wish the CM would have told us they were elsewhere. We will just have to come back next year. DCA right? Lol


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## Kilala

I wanted to know if you guys can help me out. I need to know where I can eat inside for a early dinner? I'm going to get to Disneyland when we can first get in for MHP tomorrow night 4pm. I'm a very picky eater. I can't eat beef, chicken or pork. I do want to get dessert after that. I will go to Toon Town when it first opens tomorrow night. I will have a trip reports for both the 14th and the 16th parties on Sunday or Monday. I have deciede to wear my Halloween cat costume tomorrow night instead of the Candy Corn tabby cat. I will wear that costume on Halloween night


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## theluckyrabbit

Will salad work for you? If so, you can have a salad customized at Plaza Inn or at Rancho del Zocalo. The regular (non-customized) salad at Jolly Holiday might work, too  -- or the tomato soup and grilled cheese combo, if it's not too hot out. If the weather is really hot, then Plaza Inn may be the best option since you won't need a reservation or have to wait a long time for an inside table.


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## Priory

So the parks blog just posted a new entry about the Halloween Tree tonight and not a word about the storyteller/trivia/challenge/whatever thing.

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...r-dark-the-halloween-tree-at-disneyland-park/

How bizarre.


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## theluckyrabbit

MHP, 10/14:  Other posters are right -- it was very warm! TT preparty was pretty crowded. We left after 2 photo lines and no TOT to get in line early for Mickey and Minnie by Big Thunder Ranch. The line was already to the end of the first switchback by 6pm, and we were told that the characters would not be out until 6:30pm. Glad we stayed because the line was quite long by the time we got our photos taken (about 7pm). Hit Critter Country for photos with Pooh and friends. HMH was down when we walked past, so we headed for the Golden Horseshoe for candy and a/c (mostly for a/c!). After that we went to the Opera House for the AP treats (and more a/c!), checking for parade spots along the way. The curb spots were pretty full, but we still saw openings for smaller groups or singles (around 7:45pm). After the Opera House, we stopped at Starbucks for cold drinks. By this time it was 8:20pm and all the open spots we had seen before were taken, with the row behind filled in as well. So we headed for Plaza Inn and found great spots on the TL side, opposite the Hub. We were in the second row, behind people who stayed seated. DH went for corn dogs, and PTN started not long after he returned. Immediately after the parade ended, everyone spilled/pushed into the street for fireworks viewing. We moved ahead with the crowd (had no choice here) and had very good viewing from the middle of the street. We even saw some lightning by the castle, which was cool. Enjoyed HS, then headed for NOS. HMH had a reasonable line (20 minutes?) and went down while we were in the attic, so we had a great opportunity to look at all the details. Then we did more treat trails. Last ride of the night was IJA (walk on!), then down MS for people watching and more Starbucks. We did see some great costumes (e.g. a ghost bride group, a Studio Ghibli group, lots of Mary Poppins and Berts), but overall there weren't nearly as many people decked out as we've seen in past years. I think the oppressive heat must have been a factor. We did notice that the character interaction this year was great -- lots of hugs and kisses and play acting. Way to go for those poor CMs in the costumes in the heat! We rode the tram to M&F and saw a DL kitty along the way. Great way to end a fun night.


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## Megamouse

Thanks everyone for your trip reports and photos! We're getting excited!


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## iKristin

I knew I was seeing lightning, but I couldn't tell if it was real or the fake lightning over on BTR trail haha. We got home (just 9 miles down the road) and they said it poured and had a bunch of lightening. Surprised we didn't get any of it


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## mom2rtk

iKristin said:


> People line up early. But they also line up for the parade which is 30 minutes before the fireworks so you'll want to get a spot earlier


 

I'm actually looking for a spot in front of the castle, so not an area with a view of the parade. I have a hunch it doesn't matter though and it will still be packed early.



mvf-m11c said:


> I just got back recently from a quick trip to the DLR this past weekend during the CHOC Marathon. It was super crowded on Saturday where Sunday was more manageable than Saturday. It wasn't the crowds that was bad but the weather was just crazy which was in the 90's at night. It was disappointed that the Halloween Carnival was not back this year. Rides like the HMH was mostly at 50 minutes and the same with SMGG during the busy times.
> 
> 
> 
> I haven't done the parties this year but I have done MHP in the past including two times last year. They have been fun by going to the treat stations where you do get quite a lot of candy. But the interesting part of the party is how the park is decorated in certain areas where you don't get to see it during the regular park hours even with the decorations. For example, the Village Haus restaurant was used as a treat station queue which had some decorations in it. I enjoy the Cadaver Dans performing on the RoA which is exciting to see during the party. IASW has the light projections on the facade which is another good opportunity to get pictures. There are a lot of character M&G queues around the park during the party. You will want to start at Mickey's Toontown before the party start since that is where the party starts before the official time. There were M&G and candy trails as well plus some great spots to get pictures.
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> As for Halloween Screams fireworks of when to get there. I would say at least an hour or two depends on which spot from the front or the back area by the curbs close to the Hub. I will depend on how long are you willing to wait for HS fireworks during the party. It does require you time to stake out a spot where you could spend your time doing other things during the party. But as long as you have multiple people in your group who would not have a problem holding the spot while the others do things during the party, it is good to have that option. I would also bring a blanket so you can mark your area so that you can save the space for the others while they are doing other things. Last year, I waited with @PrincessInOz at least 2 hours until the fireworks started at 9:30pm on the backside of the curb close to the Hub. But when it was 1 1/2 hours until the fireworks, we were told by the CM's that there would be no walkway in front of the viewing area so we moved up closer and had a great spot without any people in the shot. The thing is that we sat on the ground which was nice to sit down but i would prefer to stand up.
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Thanks so much for the rundown on that Bret. It's just Katie and me, so no holding a spot and sending part of the group to do other things. I suppose I'll aim for 2 hours out, but might bail entirely if we don't get enough done on our first night at the party.

Thanks for posting the photos. They are great, and really getting me excited for our trip!

Love the projections on Small World! Does anyone know if they will continue doing that after it closes for refurbishment?


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## mvf-m11c

mom2rtk said:


> Thanks so much for the rundown on that Bret. It's just Katie and me, so no holding a spot and sending part of the group to do other things. I suppose I'll aim for 2 hours out, but might bail entirely if we don't get enough done on our first night at the party.
> 
> Thanks for posting the photos. They are great, and really getting me excited for our trip!
> 
> Love the projections on Small World! Does anyone know if they will continue doing that after it closes for refurbishment?



Your welcome Janet. You or Katie can take turns watching the spot so you can get food, restroom, etc. instead of just waiting for 2 hours. Good thing we have phones to keep ourselves occupy along with talking to the guests next to you which is fun to do as well. I know what you mean. Spending 2 hours out of the 8 hours for the party is a lot just for firework. From my experience last year and with DF fireworks if everything is correct and the CM's are telling the guests to sit on the ground in front of SB Castle for the fireworks, you don't have to wait that long and be able to get a good spot without heads in your shot.

Your welcome and hope you have a great time at the DLR with Katie.

Thank you. I was there when IaSW was closed on the 26th to 28th during MHP on the 27th. It was closed but the projections were on during the party. So I would assume that the projections on IaSW facade will be going during the party even if it is closed.


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## mom2rtk

mvf-m11c said:


> Your welcome Janet. You or Katie can take turns watching the spot so you can get food, restroom, etc. instead of just waiting for 2 hours. Good thing we have phones to keep ourselves occupy along with talking to the guests next to you which is fun to do as well. I know what you mean. Spending 2 hours out of the 8 hours for the party is a lot just for firework. From my experience last year and with DF fireworks if everything is correct and the CM's are telling the guests to sit on the ground in front of SB Castle for the fireworks, you don't have to wait that long and be able to get a good spot without heads in your shot.
> 
> Your welcome and hope you have a great time at the DLR with Katie.
> 
> Thank you. I was there when IaSW was closed on the 26th to 28th during MHP on the 27th. It was closed but the projections were on during the party. So I would assume that the projections on IaSW facade will be going during the party even if it is closed.


 

Thanks again Bret. Looking forward to seeing projections in IASW! And thankfully Katie is pretty patient waiting with me at stuff like this. It gives her a chance to catch up with her friends on social media.

Did you use your new lens last weekend?


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## mrsw94

It's packing day!!  Yay!!  We leave first thing for Legoland tomorrow and then arrive in Anaheim on Tuesday!!  We won't be doing the parties, but will report back on any other Hallloween stuff we run into!


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## mvf-m11c

mom2rtk said:


> Thanks again Bret. Looking forward to seeing projections in IASW! And thankfully Katie is pretty patient waiting with me at stuff like this. It gives her a chance to catch up with her friends on social media.
> 
> Did you use your new lens last weekend?



I did use the new lens. I didn't use it that much as I have thought this past weekend at the DLR since I was using my regular lens for the long exposures.


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## LisaT91403

For those who have already gone to MHP this year, were you able to find a dinner location without a terribly long wait? I think someone mentioned Hungry Bear. It took us FOREVER to eat at Tomorrowland Terrace last year; not my favorite food plus a long wait = waste of MHP time. We have a group of 8 with picky eaters. Having both burgers and chicken nuggets on the kid's menu would be great. Hungry Bear would work, just wondering if there are other options. 

Has the Plaza Inn had very long dinner lines during MHP? Fried chicken and pasta would work for our group as well.


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## Kilala

Just to let everyone know about the weather for today and tonight. It will be around 81 and way less humid. Right now it's doing a June gloom thing. It is not going to rain tonight. The temp is going to drop right before sunset (5 pm) to 75 degrese. So it will be a comfortable night tonight.


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## LisaT91403

Kilala said:


> Just to let everyone know about the weather for today and tonight. It will be around 81 and way less humid. Right now it's doing a June gloom thing. It is not going to rain tonight. The temp is going to drop right before sunset (5 pm) to 75 degrese. So it will be a comfortable night tonight.



Awesome! Looking forward to our party tonight!


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## tlovesdis

Kilala said:


> I wanted to know if you guys can help me out. I need to know where I can eat inside for a early dinner? I'm going to get to Disneyland when we can first get in for MHP tomorrow night 4pm. I'm a very picky eater. I can't eat beef, chicken or pork. I do want to get dessert after that. I will go to Toon Town when it first opens tomorrow night. I will have a trip reports for both the 14th and the 16th parties on Sunday or Monday. I have deciede to wear my Halloween cat costume tomorrow night instead of the Candy Corn tabby cat. I will wear that costume on Halloween night



Cheese pizza at Pizza Port in tomorrowland???

Cheese sticks and fries at Stage Door Cafe in Frontierland (but that is outdoor seating)

Veggie Gumbo in New Orleans Square.

I'm not a vegetarian so those are the only things I can think of off the top of my head!


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## Niltiac

LisaT91403 said:


> For those who have already gone to MHP this year, were you able to find a dinner location without a terribly long wait? I think someone mentioned Hungry Bear. It took us FOREVER to eat at Tomorrowland Terrace last year; not my favorite food plus a long wait = waste of MHP time. We have a group of 8 with picky eaters. Having both burgers and chicken nuggets on the kid's menu would be great. Hungry Bear would work, just wondering if there are other options.
> 
> Has the Plaza Inn had very long dinner lines during MHP? Fried chicken and pasta would work for our group as well.



A couple in our group were able to run into Pizza Port for some quick food.  The place was deserted and we weren't even sure it was open at first.  This was midway through the evening, shortly before the parade.  I didn't take note of lines at other places because the rest of our group ate before the party.  My guess is that lines would be longer earlier in the evening.


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## Sherry E

Kilala said:


> Just to let everyone know about the weather for today and tonight. It will be around 81 and way less humid. Right now it's doing a June gloom thing. It is not going to rain tonight. The temp is going to drop right before sunset (5 pm) to 75 degrese. So it will be a comfortable night tonight.




Humidity is at 78% -- that is very humid!  It's certainly better than 85% or whatever it was over the past few days, but it's also not 20%.  It's humid.  That's why the air does not feel all that much cooler (yet) -- because the stupid humidity is weighing it down.


Edited to add: I just went and stood next to a window for a minute, and I must say -- right now, at this specific moment, the air is quite pleasant.  Not cold at all, of course, but there is a very slight chill.  The thick cloud cover is helping to keep things cooler.  When it burns off, then we'll probably go back to the same ol' hot weather/sauna air.


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## Metalliman98

LisaT91403 said:


> For those who have already gone to MHP this year, were you able to find a dinner location without a terribly long wait? I think someone mentioned Hungry Bear. It took us FOREVER to eat at Tomorrowland Terrace last year; not my favorite food plus a long wait = waste of MHP time. We have a group of 8 with picky eaters. Having both burgers and chicken nuggets on the kid's menu would be great. Hungry Bear would work, just wondering if there are other options.
> 
> Has the Plaza Inn had very long dinner lines during MHP? Fried chicken and pasta would work for our group as well.



we arrived right at 3pm when soundsational had just started and there was NO line for corndogs at the cart, so we got those as an early dinner.  not sure if your picky eaters will do those though.  it was the only time we didn't see an insane line for that little red wagon.


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## Sherry E

A little footage from Universal Studios Hollywood's Halloween Horror Nights, courtesy of The DIS -- 



.

You can see it has a much different 'tone' than Mickey's Halloween Party.    But, hey - at least they have some Christmas decorations up!  

​


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## KCmike

I wanted to give theluckyrabbit aka Mary a big shot out for helping me with my surprise wedding band anniversary gift to my wife during last Saturday's dance party at the fantasy faire.  We have been taking up dance now for almost 5 months and have had the true pleasure of dancing at DL twice now.  The surprise went off without a hitch and everyone at the dance applauded us even the band leader.  It was a magical night.  Thanks Mary for everything.  Hope we get to see you and your Husband again and all the rest of the dancers soon.  It was a blast.


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## mom2rtk

KCmike said:


> I wanted to give theluckyrabbit aka Mary a big shot out for helping me with my surprise wedding band anniversary gift to my wife during last Saturday's dance party at the fantasy faire.  We have been taking up dance now for almost 5 months and have had the true pleasure of dancing at DL twice now.  The surprise went off without a hitch and everyone at the dance applauded us even the band leader.  It was a magical night.  Thanks Mary for everything.  Hope we get to see you and your Husband again and all the rest of the dancers soon.  It was a blast.


 

That's awesome. I'm so glad it went well!


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## theluckyrabbit

@KCmike: You and Lacey are most welcome! It was our pleasure to meet you and we look forward to seeing and dancing with you again soon!


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## Priory

I'm actually looking forward to Halloween Horror Nights so thanks for the video sherry! I'll be there Thursday (and Knotts Wednesday and Queen Mary Friday). I'll probably be doing a lot of screaming this week!


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## Sherry E

Priory said:


> I'm actually looking forward to Halloween Horror Nights so thanks for the video sherry! I'll be there Thursday (and Knotts Wednesday and Queen Mary Friday). I'll probably be doing a lot of screaming this week!



I thought of you when I posted it, as I know that you and at least one other person from this thread are going to be at Halloween Horror Nights.  You might lose your voice by the end of the week!   

The Disney Halloween experience is like a "what's wrong with this picture" or a "which one of these does not belong" thing when grouped together with those other 3 events!    No screaming at DLR, as you know -- well, there might be if you're on a thrill ride, but not because you're being chased by a chainsaw-wielding Mickey Mouse or anything.


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## Sherry E

I am about to make a shocking statement.  I can hardly believe it myself.  I just went back to the window (the same one I stood in front of earlier, when I mentioned that the cloud cover was keeping things cooler).  And I said, "It's chilly.  I might have to close this window."

 

Yes, I know.  It's a miracle.  I don't know where the 'chill' came from all of a sudden, but it still gloomy -- which means the cloud cover is hanging in there.  Seeing that we are heading into the evening now, I can't imagine that it will warm up.  So this could be a night when a jacket might be required for some folks!

I didn't close my window, because I am leaving it open to cool the room since there has been so much heat lately (and there will be again, in the next few days), but it is so strange to go from being unbearably hot and uncomfortable to thinking "I might have to put on a long-sleeved shirt."


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## iKristin

I just went outside and it is chillier than when I got to work a few hours ago! But the clouds also rolled in up here (Calabasas)


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## pudinhd

Has anyone seen Bullseye at the parties on 10/14 or 10/16?  I have been watching the characters closely before our party and he hasn't been listed on the DL app.    Thanks!


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## Sherry E

pudinhd said:


> Has anyone seen Bullseye at the parties on 10/14 or 10/16?  I have been watching the characters closely before our party and he hasn't been listed on the DL app.    Thanks!



This won't help, but I heard of him (and saw a photo) being at the very first party on 9/25.  Since then... not sure.


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## pudinhd

Sherry E said:


> This won't help, but I heard of him (and saw a photo) being at the very first party on 9/25.  Since then... not sure.



No worries!  Thanks for the info!  I do know he was there on 10/7 also because that was the first time I looked on the app.


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## TraderCharlie

[/

][/IMG] 

We were just in DL a couple of weeks ago and had so much fun!  Had lunch at Rancho del Zocalo with the beautiful decor​


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## Sherry E

The Dia de los Muertos display ^^^ is so colorful!


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## TexasNative

pudinhd said:


> Has anyone seen Bullseye at the parties on 10/14 or 10/16?  I have been watching the characters closely before our party and he hasn't been listed on the DL app.    Thanks!



He was there on 10/12. We were about to join his line, but it was time for his break. He was with Woody...I want to say it was just before sunset.


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## DnA2010

KCmike said:


> I wanted to give theluckyrabbit aka Mary a big shot out for helping me with my surprise wedding band anniversary gift to my wife during last Saturday's dance party at the fantasy faire.  We have been taking up dance now for almost 5 months and have had the true pleasure of dancing at DL twice now.  The surprise went off without a hitch and everyone at the dance applauded us even the band leader.  It was a magical night.  Thanks Mary for everything.  Hope we get to see you and your Husband again and all the rest of the dancers soon.  It was a blast.




Is there a place to dance in DL? What sort of music do they play? DH and I used to dance but getting back in slow after an unrelated injury


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## Priory

DnA2010 said:


> Is there a place to dance in DL? What sort of music do they play? DH and I used to dance but getting back in slow after an unrelated injury



There is swing dancing with a live big band in fantasy faire Saturday nights. I always end up sitting there for hours. For some reason, I find it to be the single most magical thing in all of disneyland.

There are usually dance areas at the parties, and I think there's dancing at tomorrowland terrace (there is whenever Elvis is there - although I think the tomorrowland  entertainment is going away)

There's also an amusing mix of dancing and awkward standing at the Mad T party in DCA with an alternating rock band and electronica/dance dj. 

That said, this 80's kid will always miss and love Videopolis.


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## Priory

Sherry E said:


> I thought of you when I posted it, as I know that you and at least one other person from this thread are going to be at Halloween Horror Nights.  You might lose your voice by the end of the week!
> 
> The Disney Halloween experience is like a "what's wrong with this picture" or a "which one of these does not belong" thing when grouped together with those other 3 events!    No screaming at DLR, as you know -- well, there might be if you're on a thrill ride, but not because you're being chased by a chainsaw-wielding Mickey Mouse or anything.



Yes, there will definitely be a shift in tone as my trip progresses. I'll start with a few days at nice sweet Disney and get progressively dark as the week goes on. I didn't realize it but we get scarier and scarier culminating with a paranormal investigation on the Queen Mary at the end of the week! I love Haloween so I'm into all aspects of it. I prefer the not so scary Disney brand I've been doing for years, but I'm excited to try these other experiences too.


----------



## iKristin

pudinhd said:


> Has anyone seen Bullseye at the parties on 10/14 or 10/16?  I have been watching the characters closely before our party and he hasn't been listed on the DL app.    Thanks!



He was out on the 14th! I saw him around 9-9:30 I think it was


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## Sherry E

Priory said:


> Yes, there will definitely be a shift in tone as my trip progresses. I'll start with a few days at nice sweet Disney and get progressively dark as the week goes on. I didn't realize it but we get scarier and scarier culminating with a paranormal investigation on the Queen Mary at the end of the week! I love Haloween so I'm into all aspects of it. I prefer the not so scary Disney brand I've been doing for years, but I'm excited to try these other experiences too.



It sounds like it will be a really great trip -- a true Halloween-themed trip.  If only you could have tacked on Six Flags Magic Mountain's Fright Fest, the Los Angeles Haunted Hayride and Rise of the Jack O' Lanterns too (maybe those can be saved for the next Halloween trip)....

When it's all over, it will be interesting to hear/read the comparisons between Halloween Horror Nights, Halloween Haunt and Dark Harbor.  I don't like things chasing me and jumping out at me, so I won't be doing those events -- but I love hearing about them from the brave souls who do.  I will be interested to know which one you like best.



Oh, I almost forgot to mention this.  The other day on Facebook, something scrolled down the News Feed about "19 Insane Haunted Houses..." (I can't post the full title or link because there is a curse word in it.)   It was from BuzzFeed Community.  I decided to click on it and read.    Those haunted houses/attractions are hardcore.  I mean, beyond anything reasonable!  Even if I liked being scared out of my wits, I wouldn't go to those places.  One of them promises "real" gore... whatever that means.  In a totally different one "...you can be touched, grabbed, AND purposely separated from your group... Your visit can last up to five hours if they feel like keeping you."

Um... I'm sorry.  No.  You will not be separating me from my group, grabbing me or holding me hostage for 5 hours.  NO way.  NOOOOOOOOOOO way.


----------



## pudinhd

iKristin said:


> He was out on the 14th! I saw him around 9-9:30 I think it was



Well, Yay that he was out!! But this messes up my plan to rely on the app... Which probably wasn't a good plan to start with!


----------



## iKristin

pudinhd said:


> Well, Yay that he was out!! But this messes up my plan to rely on the app... Which probably wasn't a good plan to start with!



I honestly don't know exactly what time it was. That's just what time I feel like it was lol so don't take my actual time as correct. I was running all over that park so I could be totally wrong


----------



## pudinhd

Sherry E said:


> It sounds like it will be a really great trip -- a true Halloween-themed trip.  If only you could have tacked on Six Flags Magic Mountain's Fright Fest, the Los Angeles Haunted Hayride and Rise of the Jack O' Lanterns too (maybe those can be saved for the next Halloween trip)....
> 
> When it's all over, it will be interesting to hear/read the comparisons between Halloween Horror Nights, Halloween Haunt and Dark Harbor.  I don't like things chasing me and jumping out at me, so I won't be doing those events -- but I love hearing about them from the brave souls who do.  I will be interested to know which one you like best.
> 
> 
> 
> Oh, I almost forgot to mention this.  The other day on Facebook, something scrolled down the News Feed about "19 Insane Haunted Houses..." (I can't post the full title or link because there is a curse word in it.)   It was from BuzzFeed Community.  I decided to click on it and read.    Those haunted houses/attractions are hardcore.  I mean, beyond anything reasonable!  Even if I liked being scared out of my wits, I wouldn't go to those places.  One of them promises "real" gore... whatever that means.  In a totally different one "...you can be touched, grabbed, AND purposely separated from your group... Your visit can last up to five hours if they feel like keeping you."
> 
> Um... I'm sorry.  No.  You will not be separating me from my group, grabbing me or holding me hostage for 5 hours.  NO way.  NOOOOOOOOOOO way.



I am with you! Just the idea of the second haunted house you mentioned is freaking me out! My parents bought me a Boston ghost stories book years ago and I still haven't finished reading it! 



iKristin said:


> I honestly don't know exactly what time it was. That's just what time I feel like it was lol so don't take my actual time as correct. I was running all over that park so I could be totally wrong



No worries about the time! I was more interested in the fact that he wasn't listed on the app. I really appreciate the info!


----------



## Sherry E

pudinhd said:


> I am with you! Just the idea of the second haunted house you mentioned is freaking me out! My parents bought me a Boston ghost stories book years ago and I still haven't finished reading it!



When I was reading through the article of the 19 "insane" haunted houses (a.k.a. gore-based Halloween attractions), each one seemed to be worse than the previous one.  I have seen footage of and segments on some attractions like that in random specials on the Travel Channel!  However, the ones on this list of 19 seem above and beyond what was shown on the Travel Channel.  In other words, the house where they can grab you and keep you for 5 hours if they feel like it makes Queen Mary's Dark Harbor look like Romper Room.  And "real gore" -- what is that about?  No, thank you!

I'm glad I'm not the only one who is not into that kind of thing, although I do like hearing about those events from the people who have done them.


----------



## stephanie22

pudinhd said:


> Has anyone seen Bullseye at the parties on 10/14 or 10/16?  I have been watching the characters closely before our party and he hasn't been listed on the DL app.    Thanks!



We met him At the October  14th party. He was out before the party officially started probably around five thirtyish right by the scaredy crow shack. They had a treat trail going there before the official start time as well.


----------



## stephanie22

So we just got back from our trip last night. 
On Monday 10/12 we went as Cinderella and the mice, we got lots of attention from cast members. we lined up at two at the inside location for wrist bands, and they started right at three getting people through the line. On Wednesday they started getting people through the line at 2:30. 

On Monday we waited at the front of the park for the Tremaines to come out so we could get a picture in our Cinderellla costumes with them. Anastasia was off talking with other people so she ended up not being in our picture. I'm not really sure what I like better, it's fun to watch the characters roam around and interact with others and be silly, but it's also annoying if you want a picture with them. 
Then we went trick or treating and to meet Rabbit who was one of my must meets this time, he was meeting with Tigger, and eeyore. Pooh wasn't out when we were over there. The lines for characters did seem to move slowly, and cast members were letting people take their time with the characters. It really wasn't bad except for one family who insisted that every person in their ten person group got an individual picture with each of the characters. 

We wanted to try and get decent spots without waiting too long for the fireworks, so we spoke with a cast member and she directed us to the front of the park at the very end of the parade route, we got there less than five minutes before the parade started and got front row spots for it, and then were able to move to the middle of main st, for an excellent view of the fire works. Try to stand on the right if you want to see everything that happens. 

On Wednesday we were Lady and the Tramp, and my son was a storm trooper. we met Bullseye and did a trick or treat trail before the party officially started, around five thirty, back by the scaredy crow shack. Then we did a few treat trails that we missed on Monday, trick or treating was very important to my three year old. After that we met Jack and Sally, they were very talkative and loved talking to my son. I started feeling super sick so we had to leave the party after only being there an hour. However we got so much done during that time that it felt like we'd been there for a lot longer than we had. 

The parties did not seem overly crowded to me. We were able to do everything we wanted to at the parties. And in a very quick amount of time. The lines for the treat trails looked long, but went very quickly. Btw it was so crowded during the days while we were there, but on both Monday and Wednesday the crowds at Disneyland were a lot less.


----------



## DLmama

We went to the Oct. 14th party. It was much better than we expected! Our goals were to get a good spot for the fireworks in front of the castle, where we could see the sphere, watch the Cadaver Dans, and get more candy than we know what to do with. Mission accomplished! 

We were already in the parks, so about 2:30 we got our wristbands in Frontierland. Took about 5 minutes since the line was pretty short. We didn't want to waste party time eating, so we decided on corn dogs. Always delicious! 

We were on Main St to do the AP treat trail right before 5 and ended up catching the flag retreat ceremony. Amazing. For some reason, it's the first time we've been able to see it and I'm glad we did. We took the obligatory family photo in front of the giant pumpkin and were photo bombed by 2 of the Dapper Dans!  Loved that!  Once it was over, we did the AP trail and got our backpacks and brownie pops. Yum! 

Once the party officially started, we did every treat trail you can imagine. The lines moved fast! The one by the Matterhorn was the longest, had 5 or 6 candy stations. The ones in Critter Country were EMPTY! Splash was down, so maybe that's why, but that area was deserted. 

We saw the Cadaver Dans on ROA around 8:00.  We were able to sit on the wall that was part of the treat trail that goes along the river. After that, we decided we needed a bit of a break from all the walking, so went to find a Fireworks spot. Directly in front of the castle, on the street, center/left.  We waited about an hour, sitting on the ground. Totally worth it! 

The only ride we ended up doing all night was Peter Pan. Waited about 15 minutes after they re-opened Fantasyland after the fireworks. 

We didn't meet any characters because that wasn't a priority for us, but saw plenty of them with long lines. 

On our way out, we even caught the Villians good night show. It was cute!


----------



## mom2rtk

DLmama said:


> We went to the Oct. 14th party. It was much better than we expected! Our goals were to get a good spot for the fireworks in front of the castle, where we could see the sphere, watch the Cadaver Dans, and get more candy than we know what to do with. Mission accomplished!
> 
> We were already in the parks, so about 2:30 we got our wristbands in Frontierland. Took about 5 minutes since the line was pretty short. We didn't want to waste party time eating, so we decided on corn dogs. Always delicious!
> 
> We were on Main St to do the AP treat trail right before 5 and ended up catching the flag retreat ceremony. Amazing. For some reason, it's the first time we've been able to see it and I'm glad we did. We took the obligatory family photo in front of the giant pumpkin and were photo bombed by 2 of the Dapper Dans!  Loved that!  Once it was over, we did the AP trail and got our backpacks and brownie pops. Yum!
> 
> Once the party officially started, we did every treat trail you can imagine. The lines moved fast! The one by the Matterhorn was the longest, had 5 or 6 candy stations. The ones in Critter Country were EMPTY! Splash was down, so maybe that's why, but that area was deserted.
> 
> We saw the Cadaver Dans on ROA around 8:00.  We were able to sit on the wall that was part of the treat trail that goes along the river. After that, we decided we needed a bit of a break from all the walking, so went to find a Fireworks spot. Directly in front of the castle, on the street, center/left.  We waited about an hour, sitting on the ground. Totally worth it!
> 
> The only ride we ended up doing all night was Peter Pan. Waited about 15 minutes after they re-opened Fantasyland after the fireworks.
> 
> We didn't meet any characters because that wasn't a priority for us, but saw plenty of them with long lines.
> 
> On our way out, we even caught the Villians good night show. It was cute!


 
Thanks for the report! I'm glad you were able to get a good spot an hour out. Was the area already pretty full when you got there?


----------



## kappyfamily

Just wanted to give a quick report on how our stay was from October 11th-13th. We went to the party on Monday October 12th.  First off it was incredibly hot. Like 100 plus hot. By far the warmest I have ever experienced at DL.  BUT, again you are at DL so you make the best of it! I will say the biggest thing about our trip even over the heat and crowd was the ride breakdowns. Not kidding TONS of rides were breaking down. I was kind of shocked on the amount.

Monday we were at CA, we never buy Park Hoppers, we will add them if we need them, we never did.  CA on Sunday was busy but very manageable. We hit Toy Story at Dinner time and only had to wait 35 minutes so that was a bonus!  We were able to get a walk up at Wine Country Trattoria for dinner at 5pm for 6 people. They at first said no then as we were walking away they said they were able to. Odd because most of the restaurant was empty and stayed that was while we ate. Dinner was great as usual. Every single dish we got was so good.

We then went to Cars and it was broke down. We decided to wait outside the turnstile and see what happened. About 5 minutes later it came back up. We opted for the 6 of us to go in single rider and we only ended up waiting 25 minutes. (it broke down again while we were in line, for another 10 minutes).

We were exhausted from a long hot day so we called it quits at 8:30pm from CA.

Monday- We opted to sleep in and go at 10am to DL. I was expecting super huge crowds but again was manageable. Any rides that were over 30 minutes we decided to wait for until the party started that night. We did the Haunted Mansion with a 35 minuted wait around 1pm.  Were then went back to the hotel around 2pm. Took a couple hour break then headed back. Again, SUPER HOT outside.  We got there at 4pm. then raced to the back of the park for our 4:30pm Big Thunder Ranch dinner ADR. No one was there. If you are wanting a BTRBBQ ADR it might be worth it to go up and see if they have any availability. As always, great food. Am bummed it will be closing....

We did no trick or treating. Figured we didn't really need the candy anyway. Some of the lines looked super long but others there was no one in them. One station had no one at it so I jumped the rope and got a giant cinnamon goldfish cookie. It was good!  We basically did every single ride we could think of. All had a 5-10 minute wait. Except for Peter Pan which was 40 min all night. Again, multiple ride closures.... Right before we left at 11pm we tried Space Mountain but it closed right as we got the front.  We all agreed the party was worth the money alone just for the short ride lines. Look at it like you are paying for a all die fast pass. We loved it.

Tuesday the 13th- We checked out at 9:30am and headed back to DL. OMG I was shocked. TONS of people. Way more then Sunday and Monday. Every ride had a 60-90 minute wait. We fast passed space mountain and went into the Abraham Lincoln show. Then went on Space Mountain. We also went on the Railroad since it will be closing soon for awhile. Just our luck, broke down while we were on it. Looking at some bushed for 15 minutes in the bling sun. Again SUPER HOT and just WAY more people then the last two days. We went to get lunch and couldn't find any spots so opted to leave the park and go to DTD for lunch. Glad we did, it was empty. Ate at the Mexican Food place had a great lunch. We did some shopping then headed out to the airport.

Overall a super good time because the family was all together but obviously just way hotter then we ever thought it would be this time of year, even the locals were shocked. Disney really needs to do something about the rides breaking down. Usually I just kind of shrug my shoulders when I read this on the DIS, but this time more so then ever, it was very noticeable.  I know some people spend a week at DL but I just don't see how. We did 2 1/2 days and it was just enough. We are going again for 4 days in January for the Star Wars race and I've already decided 1 of those we will go to Hollywood and look around.  Living in Oregon I've grown up a DL girl. But have to admit for as much as it costs, we just prefer WDW. It really feels like a true true vacation to us. We also said never again will we stay offsite at DL. I know some people can't swing it but with parking (nightmare!) we decided we will save up for Disneyland hotel.

Hope you all enjoy your vacation! The party really is great!


----------



## stephanie22

kappyfamily said:


> Just wanted to give a quick report on how our stay was from October 11th-13th. We went to the party on Monday October 12th.  First off it was incredibly hot. Like 100 plus hot. By far the warmest I have ever experienced at DL.  BUT, again you are at DL so you make the best of it! I will say the biggest thing about our trip even over the heat and crowd was the ride breakdowns. Not kidding TONS of rides were breaking down. I was kind of shocked on the amount.
> 
> Monday we were at CA, we never buy Park Hoppers, we will add them if we need them, we never did.  CA on Sunday was busy but very manageable. We hit Toy Story at Dinner time and only had to wait 35 minutes so that was a bonus!  We were able to get a walk up at Wine Country Trattoria for dinner at 5pm for 6 people. They at first said no then as we were walking away they said they were able to. Odd because most of the restaurant was empty and stayed that was while we ate. Dinner was great as usual. Every single dish we got was so good.
> 
> We then went to Cars and it was broke down. We decided to wait outside the turnstile and see what happened. About 5 minutes later it came back up. We opted for the 6 of us to go in single rider and we only ended up waiting 25 minutes. (it broke down again while we were in line, for another 10 minutes).
> 
> We were exhausted from a long hot day so we called it quits at 8:30pm from CA.
> 
> Monday- We opted to sleep in and go at 10am to DL. I was expecting super huge crowds but again was manageable. Any rides that were over 30 minutes we decided to wait for until the party started that night. We did the Haunted Mansion with a 35 minuted wait around 1pm.  Were then went back to the hotel around 2pm. Took a couple hour break then headed back. Again, SUPER HOT outside.  We got there at 4pm. then raced to the back of the park for our 4:30pm Big Thunder Ranch dinner ADR. No one was there. If you are wanting a BTRBBQ ADR it might be worth it to go up and see if they have any availability. As always, great food. Am bummed it will be closing....
> 
> We did no trick or treating. Figured we didn't really need the candy anyway. Some of the lines looked super long but others there was no one in them. One station had no one at it so I jumped the rope and got a giant cinnamon goldfish cookie. It was good!  We basically did every single ride we could think of. All had a 5-10 minute wait. Except for Peter Pan which was 40 min all night. Again, multiple ride closures.... Right before we left at 11pm we tried Space Mountain but it closed right as we got the front.  We all agreed the party was worth the money alone just for the short ride lines. Look at it like you are paying for a all die fast pass. We loved it.
> 
> Tuesday the 13th- We checked out at 9:30am and headed back to DL. OMG I was shocked. TONS of people. Way more then Sunday and Monday. Every ride had a 60-90 minute wait. We fast passed space mountain and went into the Abraham Lincoln show. Then went on Space Mountain. We also went on the Railroad since it will be closing soon for awhile. Just our luck, broke down while we were on it. Looking at some bushed for 15 minutes in the bling sun. Again SUPER HOT and just WAY more people then the last two days. We went to get lunch and couldn't find any spots so opted to leave the park and go to DTD for lunch. Glad we did, it was empty. Ate at the Mexican Food place had a great lunch. We did some shopping then headed out to the airport.
> 
> Overall a super good time because the family was all together but obviously just way hotter then we ever thought it would be this time of year, even the locals were shocked. Disney really needs to do something about the rides breaking down. Usually I just kind of shrug my shoulders when I read this on the DIS, but this time more so then ever, it was very noticeable.  I know some people spend a week at DL but I just don't see how. We did 2 1/2 days and it was just enough. We are going again for 4 days in January for the Star Wars race and I've already decided 1 of those we will go to Hollywood and look around.  Living in Oregon I've grown up a DL girl. But have to admit for as much as it costs, we just prefer WDW. It really feels like a true true vacation to us. We also said never again will we stay offsite at DL. I know some people can't swing it but with parking (nightmare!) we decided we will save up for Disneyland hotel.
> 
> Hope you all enjoy your vacation! The party really is great!



We were there on some of the same days as you and didn't notice the rides breaking down. The only one we saw was a guest issue not an issue with the ride it's self. on small world someone lost their phone and they had to stop the boats several times to try and get it.


----------



## DLmama

mom2rtk said:


> Thanks for the report! I'm glad you were able to get a good spot an hour out. Was the area already pretty full when you got there?



No, it wasn't that full. Most people were lined up on the parade route, so the area in between the castle and hub wasn't bad at all.


----------



## mom2rtk

DLmama said:


> No, it wasn't that full. Most people were lined up on the parade route, so the area in between the castle and hub wasn't bad at all.


 

I had a hope that might be the case, but didn't want to assume. Thanks for that report!

So PTN is at at 8:50 and HS at 9:30, does anyone else think I have a good chance at a decent spot in front of the castle at 8?


----------



## DLmama

I'm going to attempt to post a couple pictures from our fireworks spot. Hopefully it works.


----------



## mom2rtk

Wow, you got a great spot! And you give me hope.


----------



## adamkat

ok so we are a week away and I am now getting anxious thinking about everything!  ACK!
Here are some of my random thoughts please help:

Tipping?  What is 'normal"?  Obviously any eatery but for hotel, valet, CM's who go above and beyond?
Cab to from airport (SNA)?  yes no
Seriously how hot is it there?  We are in Vancouver do we need sweaters for at night or not?
Trying to think about everything we need to pack or plan.
Arrive on 25th staying at PPH, character breakfast on the 27th, MHP on 29th (our anniversary) and AG / WOC dining res for Oct 30th.   Leaving on November 1st.
Hope to get great seats for PTN and fireworks.   Is there anything that is a MUST do?  Boys are 8-6.
So afraid I will miss out on an experience.

Loved this board and all the amazing help!!


----------



## LisaT91403

We went to MHP last night, 10/16, and I thought I'd check back in with a bit about our experience.

Our group was myself, DH, DS(7) and Grandma. We were meeting up with my brother, SIL, and DN's (10 & 12). DS, hubby and I are AP holders, and visit often. The rest of the group rarely visits (we all did MHP together for the first time last year), so they have different priorities than we do. So while we would have preferred to take in more of the atmosphere and focus less on rides, we went with the group consensus. I almost feel like we need to do one MHP on our own, and one with them...but that is not in the budget for this year. Maybe next year.

We weren't able to get there very early this year because we had Grandma with us, and she couldn't get in before 4:00. My brother and family got stuck in the 101 freeway closure; it took them over 4 hours to drive from the Agoura area. Not a good way to start! 

When we were waiting in line at the front gate, the family of four in front of us (kids in costume, ready to party!) was not allowed entry. They had tickets for MNSSHP! The CM explained that their tickets were for Florida, and that she could not scan them. I think they were going to try Guest Services, but I don't know their fate. What a bummer.

The overlap hours were extremely crowded, and even though it was a "cooler" day than what we've been experiencing lately, it was still hot and humid. Lines were long and Fast Passes were pretty much gone. We were able to grab some for HMH using our annual passes before the party-only guests were allowed in.

Once the party started, the rides seemed to be either walk-ons or "short" waits. Some walk-ons for us were Jungle Cruise, Splash, Indy, and Star Tours. Relatively short waits were BTMRR (9 minutes), SMGG (15 minutes), Pirates (15 minutes), and Astro Orbiters (10 minutes). HMH looked to be a good half hour whenever we checked, but we had used our FP's earlier in the day so no big deal. Ride lines seemed to be a bit longer than what I remember from last year. 

We did not get nearly as much candy as last year. I think we gathered a lot at the TT pre-party last year, but we didn't make it to that this time because of poor planning on my part. The CMs also seemed to really stick to the 3-piece rule, and did not give extra. They did throw in the "healthy" snack most of the time, though. 

We went to the AP treat trail on our way out, and there was no line there. They were handing out the Dove candy at the exits, as others have reported.

Just like last year, I ended up thinking that there just wasn't enough time to get things done at the party. The time really flies by. We didn't meet any characters (not a priority for us), and caught part of the fireworks as we were walking around (again, not a priority). We pretty much did treat trails and rides...and I still feel like we only got to a few of each of those. Where does the time go?! 

Next year...I want to either do 2 parties, or a party where we really get to focus on things other than rides.


----------



## dotfurio

adamkat said:


> Seriously how hot is it there?  We are in Vancouver do we need sweaters for at night or not?
> Is there anything that is a MUST do?  Boys are 8-6.



We went last night and it was comfortable if not warm/humid.  My youngest usually runs cold and she was fine in a tank top and my husband wore short sleeves and shorts.  I think Vancouver weather is cooler in general, so you'd probably be fine in something light.

Halloween must do's (in my humble opinion) - Space Mountain with Ghost Galaxy, Haunted Mansion, and getting pics with villains!

Mini trip report - Arrived late due to TERRIBLE traffic and road closures, but still had a great time.  I love the CMs that go the extra mile - at Jungle Cruise they gave us maps because our costumes were JC themes, and at Monster's U dance party a couple of CMs were especially great with our youngest.  

We haven't been in a couple years.  Overall it seemed like there wasn't as much going on to do, though we could've missed some stuff. I remember more crafts, random characters, and more candy!  But since we were already late we just kind of winged it and hit the few items on our "must do" agenda.


----------



## pudinhd

Sherry E said:


> When I was reading through the article of the 19 "insane" haunted houses (a.k.a. gore-based Halloween attractions), each one seemed to be worse than the previous one.  I have seen footage of and segments on some attractions like that in random specials on the Travel Channel!  However, the ones on this list of 19 seem above and beyond what was shown on the Travel Channel.  In other words, the house where they can grab you and keep you for 5 hours if they feel like it makes Queen Mary's Dark Harbor look like Romper Room.  And "real gore" -- what is that about?  No, thank you!
> 
> I'm glad I'm not the only one who is not into that kind of thing, although I do like hearing about those events from the people who have done them.



I did a haunted house once when I was a freshman in high school and that was plenty enough for me!!!!!  :/  I don't even like to look at pictures posted online!



stephanie22 said:


> We met him At the October  14th party. He was out before the party officially started probably around five thirtyish right by the scaredy crow shack. They had a treat trail going there before the official start time as well.



Great info!!  Thanks!


----------



## TraderCharlie

adamkat said:


> ok so we are a week away and I am now getting anxious thinking about everything!  ACK!
> Here are some of my random thoughts please help:
> 
> Tipping?  What is 'normal"?  Obviously any eatery but for hotel, valet, CM's who go above and beyond?
> Cab to from airport (SNA)?  yes no
> Seriously how hot is it there?  We are in Vancouver do we need sweaters for at night or not?
> Trying to think about everything we need to pack or plan.
> Arrive on 25th staying at PPH, character breakfast on the 27th, MHP on 29th (our anniversary) and AG / WOC dining res for Oct 30th.   Leaving on November 1st.
> Hope to get great seats for PTN and fireworks.   Is there anything that is a MUST do?  Boys are 8-6.
> So afraid I will miss out on an experience.
> 
> Loved this board and all the amazing help!!



Take a cab from SNA.  We just did that on our last trip in Sept, and it was fast and easy!  $45 plus tip and we were there in 15-20 minutes.  I had looked at a shuttle, but they would not have been as convenient as the cab was.  We were so pleased with our decision!


----------



## Davidg83

Just when I thought pumpkin pandemonium would be over I walked into Trader Joe's and proven wrong. They pretty much have every display in their store dedicated to pumpkin goodies. My favorite find was the pumpkin pie mochi. It's so good that I'll be going back for more.


----------



## Sherry E

Davidg83 said:


> Just when I thought pumpkin pandemonium would be over I walked into Trader Joe's and proven wrong. They pretty much have every display in their store dedicated to pumpkin goodies. My favorite find was the pumpkin pie mochi. It's so good that I'll be going back for more.



I, too, thought that Pumpkin Pandemonium would be over, or at least dying down, about now -- just so the wave of holiday season products could take over.  It seems that there are still quite a few last minute arrivals to the pumpkin party!

It sounds like TJ's doesn't want to get an early start with their pumpkin products, but when they DO get going, they go all out and pumpkin everything takes over!


----------



## LisaT91403

I thought of one more thing I forgot to mention regarding last night's party. The posted wait times were mostly way off. For example:

BTMRR
Posted time: 25 min
Actual wait: 9 min

SMGG
Posted time: 30 min
Actual wait: 15 min

Star Tours
Posted time: 25 min
Actual wait: Walk on

On the other hand, the posted wait for Pirates was 15 minutes, and it was "dead" on.

I'm wondering if the party crowd goes in waves -- lots of people poured into Tomorrowland after the fireworks -- and the wait times just can't keep up with how quickly the crowd changes? Star Tours was kinda comical, actually, as there was not a single person in the outside queue and nobody visible in the inside queue either. I looked at the CM and said "25 minutes? No chance, right?" and he laughed. He said there was no wait at all. 

So don't be deterred by the wait times, as they might be incorrect. I think the CM's typically know if the posted time is "real" or not.


----------



## Metalliman98

LisaT91403 said:


> I thought of one more thing I forgot to mention regarding last night's party. The posted wait times were mostly way off. For example:
> 
> BTMRR
> Posted time: 25 min
> Actual wait: 9 min
> 
> SMGG
> Posted time: 30 min
> Actual wait: 15 min
> 
> Star Tours
> Posted time: 25 min
> Actual wait: Walk on
> 
> On the other hand, the posted wait for Pirates was 15 minutes, and it was "dead" on.
> 
> I'm wondering if the party crowd goes in waves -- lots of people poured into Tomorrowland after the fireworks -- and the wait times just can't keep up with how quickly the crowd changes? Star Tours was kinda comical, actually, as there was not a single person in the outside queue and nobody visible in the inside queue either. I looked at the CM and said "25 minutes? No chance, right?" and he laughed. He said there was no wait at all.
> 
> So don't be deterred by the wait times, as they might be incorrect. I think the CM's typically know if the posted time is "real" or not.



I wouldn't put it past Disney to mess with the wait times on the app in an effort to redistribute the crowds.


----------



## joyfulDisneytears

I did the Halloween Tree story and "scavenger hunt" this evening! It was funny and cute. You can tell it was thrown together but the guide and group were all in good spirits and we laughed a lot.

On a non-MHP evening, look for the CM with a light up pumpkin under the tree. I went at about 7pm with park close at 12.

At that point I was able to play a little game to learn the story of the Halloween Tree. If you've read the book you'll know the answers easily.  I was told the boy's spirit from the story was lost again and to come back at 11:30 if I wanted to help in the hunt. I did, and thoroughly enjoyed the approx. 20 minute jaunt that followed. I won't spoil any details for you, just be ready to suspend disbelief and have a bit of fun!

ETA: The time of the hunt will be different depending on time of park close.


----------



## Vala

pudinhd said:


> Well, Yay that he was out!! But this messes up my plan to rely on the app... Which probably wasn't a good plan to start with!



Lots of CMs told us "do not rely on the app." We had it happen that with three people standing right next to each other all three apps were showing different things. ><

Regarding Bullseye, he seems to be tricky.

Friends of mine went the first night and said he was pretty much out constantly. My first night (28th) I didn't see him, but I only walked by the line twice due to the Blue Bayou event. The second night (30th) we were in line when the CM said he would go back in and advised us to come back a little over an hour later. We did and really spent about another 45 minutes going back and forth in line - two of us, lining up separately, when one came to the front and no Bullseye the one who had reached front went back in line. There were a number of other families trying to get him and they told people to go in front. CMs didn't seem too pleased, so we decided on that... which even resulted in one of them telling me "thank you for being so fair."

Anyway, on try 6 or 7 Bullseye finally came out when we were only a couple of people away from the front of the line. He was out only a very limited time, maybe 15 minutes or so. I almost got a nervous breakdown when the family in front of us had their turn and the CM gave the warning Bullseye would be leaving shortly. We just about made it, the group after us was the last one. He saw six or seven groups only.

I'm guessing maybe he doesn't do well with the weather and they only realized after the first night.

EDIT: Not the best picture in the world, but the CM didn't really know how to handle a DSLR. So that's actually the best one I have until the Photopass CD arrives.


----------



## pudinhd

Vala said:


> Lots of CMs told us "do not rely on the app." We had it happen that with three people standing right next to each other all three apps were showing different things. ><
> 
> Regarding Bullseye, he seems to be tricky.
> 
> Friends of mine went the first night and said he was pretty much out constantly. My first night (28th) I didn't see him, but I only walked by the line twice due to the Blue Bayou event. The second night (30th) we were in line when the CM said he would go back in and advised us to come back a little over an hour later. We did and really spent about another 45 minutes going back and forth in line - two of us, lining up separately, when one came to the front and no Bullseye the one who had reached front went back in line. There were a number of other families trying to get him and they told people to go in front. CMs didn't seem too pleased, so we decided on that... which even resulted in one of them telling me "thank you for being so fair."
> 
> Anyway, on try 6 or 7 Bullseye finally came out when we were only a couple of people away from the front of the line. He was out only a very limited time, maybe 15 minutes or so. I almost got a nervous breakdown when the family in front of us had their turn and the CM gave the warning Bullseye would be leaving shortly. We just about made it, the group after us was the last one. He saw six or seven groups only.
> 
> I'm guessing maybe he doesn't do well with the weather and they only realized after the first night.
> 
> EDIT: Not the best picture in the world, but the CM didn't really know how to handle a DSLR. So that's actually the best one I have until the Photopass CD arrives.



Thanks for the info!!  Bummer about the inconsistency!


----------



## maltdizzy

kappyfamily said:


> Tuesday the 13th- We checked out at 9:30am and headed back to DL. OMG I was shocked. TONS of people. Way more then Sunday and Monday. Every ride had a 60-90 minute wait. We fast passed space mountain and went into the Abraham Lincoln show. Then went on Space Mountain. We also went on the Railroad since it will be closing soon for awhile. Just our luck, broke down while we were on it. Looking at some bushed for 15 minutes in the bling sun. Again SUPER HOT and just WAY more people then the last two days. We went to get lunch and couldn't find any spots so opted to leave the park and go to DTD for lunch. Glad we did, it was empty. Ate at the Mexican Food place had a great lunch. We did some shopping then headed out to the airport.!



Where there over the same time period...12-14.

I agree that in the hundred-plus days I have spent at Disneyland in the last 15 years, Tuesday the 13th was one of the busiest. I've been there on true "10" days when they shut down the entrance at times and I would say this was an 8 or 8.5 crowd. 10-15 minute lines just for fastpass distribution until they ran out. We made use of Magic Hour, fastpass, pool time, a Naples reservation, and strategic line timing and still got plenty in (though Space Mountain being down until almost 11 really ruined our Magic Hour plans).

Talked to a lot of people at LAX, at DLH and in line and found that many more people who usually head to WDW this week came out to DLR for the anniversary. Tons of people from east of the Mississippi on their first trip to Anaheim (it was funny to have to reassure those who were afraid to drive the 91 to the park because it went through "Compton.")  Unfortunately, the heat wave and crowds were discouraging some from returning...they were used to milder Octobers in WDW.

As for our 10/12 Halloween Party, I think the thread the needle pretty good on their ticket sales...crowds were probably too heavy for some, but all in all manageable. For the treat trails, the lines seem to move in swarms...if you see a line, skip it and come back and you can walk right through. One party is just not long enough to get everything in though. We stayed busy with rides, some treat trails and the parade, but skipped all but the pirate meet and greet. If we had to do the meet and greets and get back to the hub for the fireworks, we would have needed another 2-3 hours.

It had been 3 years since we had been back to DLR, but even with the crowds, we still think it's the best. If just for the fact that we meet so many random characters walking around...could stagger our schedule better with the close proximity to the hotels and both parks...and corn dogs.



LisaT91403 said:


> I'm wondering if the party crowd goes in waves -- lots of people poured into Tomorrowland after the fireworks -- and the wait times just can't keep up with how quickly the crowd changes? Star Tours was kinda comical, actually, as there was not a single person in the outside queue and nobody visible in the inside queue either. I looked at the CM and said "25 minutes? No chance, right?" and he laughed. He said there was no wait at all.



Yep, the crowds definite seemed to have a migration pattern, but then they often do on regular days as well. Magic Hour days back lines up at Tomorrowland and Fantasyland early and then those areas get lighter in the afternoon.


----------



## only hope

Sherry E said:


> Humidity is at 78% -- that is very humid!  It's certainly better than 85% or whatever it was over the past few days, but it's also not 20%.  It's humid.  That's why the air does not feel all that much cooler (yet) -- because the stupid humidity is weighing it down.



Friday was our last day in the L.A. area. We took the WB tour and overheard someone in our group complaining about how humid it was, and I've seen at least two posts on here as well reflecting the same thing including yours. Mom and I thought it was beautiful Saturday! We didn't think it was the least bit humid and didn't understand what that person was complaining about, but then again we do live in Florida and live in 100% humidity with 90+ degrees a fourth of the year...


Does anybody have pictures of the ranch area? We finally made it over there on our last day- only to discover it was closed and goat-less!  I figured they'd close it before dark but didn't think it'd be closed at 5! I did tons of research and reading on the DIS and never saw it mentioned that they close early, so new people, beware. We saw a few decorations from afar but not the same, and we'll never have another chance to go back-unless we win one of those weekly diamond sweepstakes!


----------



## msteddom

A group of friends and I did the Happiest Haunts tour yesterday.  We all enjoyed it and thought it was well worth the money.  We're all seasoned Disney vets, and it was fun to do something different!

Melissa


----------



## Sith

Metalliman98 said:


> I wouldn't put it past Disney to mess with the wait times on the app in an effort to redistribute the crowds.


Neither would I.


----------



## LisaT91403

Metalliman98 said:


> I wouldn't put it past Disney to mess with the wait times on the app in an effort to redistribute the crowds.



It wasn't on the app. They were the posted times at the ride entrances.

The app and Otto didn't work during the party because the park was technically closed.


----------



## KCmike

DnA2010 said:


> Is there a place to dance in DL? What sort of music do they play? DH and I used to dance but getting back in slow after an unrelated injury



Swing Dancing on Saturday nights in the Princess Fantasy Faire.  Way back when they use to call it Date Night at Disneyland.  It is so much fun to dance there.  All levels of dancers are there and everyone is invited to dance and have a good time.


----------



## DnA2010

KCmike said:


> Swing Dancing on Saturday nights in the Princess Fantasy Faire.  Way back when they use to call it Date Night at Disneyland.  It is so much fun to dance there.  All levels of dancers are there and everyone is invited to dance and have a good time.



I remember dancing in possibly a large gazebo? Is that this? We will maybe try to check it out, although it's our Fantasmic night and we are now kid in tow (older though- 11)


----------



## pudinhd

I can't remember if I asked these questions, or if anyone else has...  1 - Besides Mike & Sully, are there any other monsters at the dance party?  2 - Does the villains line remain long during the parade while they aren't meeting?  I am wondering if that might be a good time to hop in for a shorter wait.  Thank you!!


----------



## Sith

LisaT91403 said:


> It wasn't on the app. They were the posted times at the ride entrances.
> 
> The app and Otto didn't work during the party because the park was technically closed.


It looks to me that the official app continues updating wait times during MHP. I could be wrong, but I have been checking it and it looks that way to me.


----------



## mummabear

DD1's Princess Tiger Lily costume is complete (basic I know), to match dd4's Tinkerbell and DD6's Peter Pan costume.

Still have her Olaf to complete for MNSSHP


----------



## Vala

pudinhd said:


> I can't remember if I asked these questions, or if anyone else has...  1 - Besides Mike & Sully, are there any other monsters at the dance party?  2 - Does the villains line remain long during the parade while they aren't meeting?  I am wondering if that might be a good time to hop in for a shorter wait.  Thank you!!


 
My friends who checked only saw the dancers from the Pixar Parade they said.

The villains line is closed for the parade and the fireworks unless things have changed. I didn't see it this year, but last year they did close the line early and stopped people from lining up.


----------



## Vala

Sith said:


> It looks to me that the official app continues updating wait times during MHP. I could be wrong, but I have been checking it and it looks that way to me.


 
The app does something different for everyone it seems. I got the "the characters are asleep" and "parks closed" messages too.


----------



## iKristin

During the MHP on the 14th the ride times on the app sometimes displayed and sometimes just said nothing. But the same goes for the wait times outside the rides. Sometimes they said a number and sometimes they were left empty.


----------



## joyfulDisneytears

JacksGirlz was kind enough to meet up with me this morning with party ticket in hand so we could try to get me one. It worked! 

Thanks again Sarah!!!


----------



## Kilala

It is nice and chilly outside and there is a good chance of rain today. What a different a week makes. Next year me and my friend Christine wants to go this week and two days in a row. I will have some trip reports up from 10/14 and 10/16 sometime this week.


----------



## Mommy2PrincessAbby

Our weather report is getting progressively warmer... I see 85, 89, 86, 82, 72 for our trip now... We arrive on Sunday!  I called DLH and let them know it was my birthday trip and we wanted a high floor room... I feel weird asking for stuff, but I would love some magic!


----------



## TXHauntedMansionFan

Mommy2PrincessAbby said:


> Our weather report is getting progressively warmer... I see 85, 89, 86, 82, 72 for our trip now... We arrive on Sunday!  I called DLH and let them know it was my birthday trip and we wanted a high floor room... I feel weird asking for stuff, but I would love some magic!


 
We are actually opposite you guys. We arrive tomorrow and all last week it was saying that the next three days were going to be low to mid 90s. Luckily for us, they have come down to low 80s!

Here's to hoping that the same happens to your trip!


----------



## Mommy2PrincessAbby

Eeek! Just got our mystical spirits confirmation email for our dinner order!  I am hoping they will honor my request of no polenta and extra veggies for dd.  We shall see.  We plan to check in early and remind of the request.  Getting real now!


----------



## ashleysev

I broke my leg. I'm ten days out and I freaking broke my leg. I'm still processing this, but I'm not going to let it ruin our trip.

I did get lunch reservations at Blue Bayou again, so I'm happy about that. Trying to take the good and the bad!


----------



## rwhistler92

We just got back from our 3 day trip that included Friday's party.
We went the same time last year and found it much more crowded this year.
We had a great time. The atmosphere was amazing!
We dressed as Joy, Fear, Anger, Saddness, Disgust and Riley (there were 6 of us and one just happened to be an 11 year old girl).
We were grateful that the temps had dropped a little and we never got too hot. It was still quite humid. 
We ended up with the zero and vampire Mickey popcorn buckets and a 2015 party pin. No Poison Apple mug sightings. 
We tried pumpkin beignets and the card cake at French Market (yum). They were out of pumpkin twists!!!!
The kids said it was the best trip ever. 

We are heading back next month for Thanksgiving.


----------



## Mommy2PrincessAbby

ashleysev said:


> I broke my leg. I'm ten days out and I freaking broke my leg. I'm still processing this, but I'm not going to let it ruin our trip.
> 
> I did get lunch reservations at Blue Bayou again, so I'm happy about that. Trying to take the good and the bad!



Sorry to hear! It's been so warm down there, I am hopeful that your break isn't going to require some fiberglass cast monstrosity!  Maybe then it wouldn't be so hot for you!  Take it easy, get a scooter, I think I read you can get them with a crutch holder, so you can use crutches in lines?  I am not much help lol.  Just sending good vibes you way!


----------



## theluckyrabbit

joyfulDisneytears said:


> JacksGirlz was kind enough to meet up with me this morning with party ticket in hand so we could try to get me one. It worked!
> 
> Thanks again Sarah!!!



Great news! Did you have to be there when the booths opened or was this later? Has anyone else done this in the afternoon or later and still been able to get a ticket?


----------



## lorijohnhill

I saw these in WinCo the other day...


----------



## Sherry E

lorijohnhill said:


> I saw these in WinCo the other day...View attachment 130006



  Glow in the dark Oreos?  Are these new?  I have ever heard of such a thing!!!  Or, is it just the actual wrappers that glow (not the cookies)?  Either way, they are new to me!  Pumpkin Pandemonium and Halloween Hoopla live on!!


----------



## nightmaremama

We are here now... It's been a roller coaster of a day. After getting rained out- we are now waiting for Halloween screams to begin... Delayed... Keeping our fingers crossed that they are not cancelled!


----------



## Sherry E

nightmaremama said:


> We are here now... It's been a roller coaster of a day. After getting rained out- we are now waiting for Halloween screams to begin... Delayed... Keeping our fingers crossed that they are not cancelled!



I hope they're not cancelled! The weather has been kooky lately, between the extreme heat, humidity, rain, breezes, etc.


----------



## nightmaremama

In all reality- the parade being cancelled worked in our favor- we got a spot to the left of the hub just a little after nine.... They just keep making the announcement about technical difficulties... You can hear the thousands of people in this hub all hold their breath at the same time whenever he announcements start... The suspense is crazy!


----------



## Sherry E

nightmaremama said:


> In all reality- the parade being cancelled worked in our favor- we got a spot to the left of the hub just a little after nine.... They just keep making the announcement about technical difficulties... You can hear the thousands of people in this hub all hold their breath at the same time whenever he announcements start... The suspense is crazy!



What usually ends up happening when Halloween Screams is cancelled is that Disney will run those fireworks -- for everyone -- the following night.  So that would mean that even the general public would see them tomorrow night, most likely, if they are cancelled tonight.


----------



## CassieF

Just to update I heard the fireworks go off from my house so it appears as if they ended up going off afterall


----------



## JacksGirlz

theluckyrabbit said:


> Great news! Did you have to be there when the booths opened or was this later? Has anyone else done this in the afternoon or later and still been able to get a ticket?



We met up just before 7:30am (park opening was at 8am).  The CM at the ticket booth asked to see my tickets for MHP and then was ok selling a ticket to joyfulDisneytears.  Not sure whether or not they would do this throughout the day though. 

I'm so glad I could help out a fellow DISer!


----------



## Sherry E

JacksGirlz said:


> We met up just before 7:30am (park opening was at 8am).  The CM at the ticket booth asked to see my tickets for MHP and then was ok selling a ticket to joyfulDisneytears.  Not sure whether or not they would do this throughout the day though.
> 
> I'm so glad I could help out a fellow DISer!



That's great to know that it worked.   It's not the ideal way to get into MHP, but it's an emergency back-up option in case someone needs to get in on a specific date, and the tickets sell out before they can buy one.


----------



## Sherry E

I guess this falls under the category of "Fall/Halloween Time food," though it's questionable.  Here is a new blog from the Disney Food Blog, about the "seasonal" offerings at the Hungry Bear Restaurant" --

*"Dining in Disneyland: Seasonal Eats at Hungry Bear Restaurant" -- Disney Food Blog; posted on October 19, 2015 By Heather Sievers*

The apple pie funnel cake does look yummy.  Heather mentions that the popular poison apple mugs are sold out resort-wide.

​


----------



## Meriweather

We were there too. Disappointed to miss the parade.
15 minute delay on fireworks.
We also got stuck on Pirates for 15 minutes....at the top of the ramp to go out.

This morning we got walked off Alice....one of those days.


----------



## joyfulDisneytears

I will count MHP tonight as a success, despite the rain! The biggest monkey wrench that threw in for me was I didn't get to meet quite as many characters as I'd hoped, but I did:

-Toontown Pre-Party - Met Mickey & Minnie, Donald, Daisy, and did 2 treat trails before heading out
-AP treat trail
-Met the gentleman villains (Radcliffe, Jafar, Hades)
-Waited in line for princesses but got rained out 
-Halloween Screams
-Cadaver Dans
-Treat stations/trails in Critter Country, Golden Horseshoe (x2), Big Thunder Trail, Village Haus
-Villains closing show

I will be sleeping wayyyy in tomorrow because I have been going hard in the parks for 4 days now! I leave Friday so I can afford some sleep time. 

Thanks so very much again to JacksGirlz for helping me get my ticket!


----------



## mummabear

ashleysev said:


> I broke my leg. I'm ten days out and I freaking broke my leg. I'm still processing this, but I'm not going to let it ruin our trip.
> 
> I did get lunch reservations at Blue Bayou again, so I'm happy about that. Trying to take the good and the bad!







lorijohnhill said:


> I saw these in WinCo the other day...View attachment 130006



Hmm I want to know if it is the package or the cookie, if its the cookie it is awesome and gross at the same time


----------



## nightmaremama

Yes, the fireworks were worth the wait. I'm really glad we got to see them- the night was pretty laid back as we had our 2yr little with us, but overall it was a nice night


----------



## mom2rtk

joyfulDisneytears said:


> I will count MHP tonight as a success, despite the rain! The biggest monkey wrench that threw in for me was I didn't get to meet quite as many characters as I'd hoped, but I did:
> 
> -Toontown Pre-Party - Met Mickey & Minnie, Donald, Daisy, and did 2 treat trails before heading out
> -AP treat trail
> -Met the gentleman villains (Radcliffe, Jafar, Hades)
> -Waited in line for princesses but got rained out
> -Halloween Screams
> -Cadaver Dans
> -Treat stations/trails in Critter Country, Golden Horseshoe (x2), Big Thunder Trail, Village Haus
> -Villains closing show
> 
> I will be sleeping wayyyy in tomorrow because I have been going hard in the parks for 4 days now! I leave Friday so I can afford some sleep time.
> 
> Thanks so very much again to JacksGirlz for helping me get my ticket!


 

How did the princesses get rained out? Aren't they under cover?


----------



## Priory

We had an amazing time at the party last tonight.

Checkin in Fronteirland was a breeze. They actually started around 2:40 which helped.

Checked in for MSBB @ 4. Pretty decent sized line but absolutely worth checking in because it determines your seat inside.

The pre-party was great. Got photos with characters, tons of candy (including a walk through of Mickey and Minnie's house which I haven't seen since about 2005) and rode roger rabbit all within a half hour.

MSBB was top notch and worth every penny in my opinion. The food, entertainment, gifts, everything was phenomenal. I think they're learning lessons as they go. Fast efficient checkin,  no confusion on the food. As best I could tell, Faciellier posed with everyone for photos. During that was one of my favorite parts I hadn't even read about. The Bayou Belles walked around the room twice, once escorting a Constance the Bride character and once with Tightrope Girl. Really really cool. Was very surprised to get out and see it had rained. The fireworks were delayed, but I'm grateful they ran. As far as I can tell there are no longer any benches behind the statue (although I can't be 100% sure). The other slight bummer was because of the rain, they didn't have the people in front of preferred viewing sit. Totally understandable cause I wouldn't want to sit on the wet ground either (in a costume to boot). So, the view was slightly obscured, but not bad at all.


----------



## Comicbookmommy

Goodness, went offline to tackle some hardcore work and suddenly we're only 5 days out from our Halloween trip!! 

So great to hear most people like MSBB, I'm very excited. My only issue is still about my baby being the 5th person in our party, and he's not counted in our prepaid amount for 4 people. I've called Disney Dine multiple times, told to call a special number, which I have twice and left messages, with no return call. I also emailed Disney Help and was told to call Disney Dine, which takes me back full circle. Has anyone taken their baby, and were there any issues?

Also, and I apologize if this is information I missed somewhere, are there villain entry mini-shows? I didn't know about the villain exit show, but we'll likely not be around that late, so I'd like to catch their entry. If so, what is the best tactic to have a good view?

Exciiiiited!


----------



## CassieF

Comicbookmommy said:


> Goodness, went offline to tackle some hardcore work and suddenly we're only 5 days out from our Halloween trip!!
> 
> So great to hear most people like MSBB, I'm very excited. My only issue is still about my baby being the 5th person in our party, and he's not counted in our prepaid amount for 4 people. I've called Disney Dine multiple times, told to call a special number, which I have twice and left messages, with no return call. I also emailed Disney Help and was told to call Disney Dine, which takes me back full circle. Has anyone taken their baby, and were there any issues?
> 
> Also, and I apologize if this is information I missed somewhere, are there villain entry mini-shows? I didn't know about the villain exit show, but we'll likely not be around that late, so I'd like to catch their entry. If so, what is the best tactic to have a good view?
> 
> Exciiiiited!



I do believe someone had mentioned bringing a less than three year old (so unpaid) and it was no problem, the just provided no food for them. 

As for the villains there are a few mini "show" entrances and exits, I just don't know which ones but the villains coming out will be brought out with the horse drawn carriage and the ones who are currently out ride it in.  I think they have been doing half hour sets so it should be on the hour or half.  I know they don't do it during the first hour though, as they are still filtering out guests and they don't do it as the very last ones go in before the final show


----------



## JessieD

6 days until we fly to California, 7 days until our MHP night!!!! The forecast is showing 92 for our party night. I hope that drops a bit! I am getting so excited!!!!!


----------



## joyfulDisneytears

mom2rtk said:


> How did the princesses get rained out? Aren't they under cover?



Yes, but we were told it was a safety issue because the floor in there would get so slippery. So once their current set was over they didn't bring anyone else back out.


----------



## mom2rtk

joyfulDisneytears said:


> Yes, but we were told it was a safety issue because the floor in there would get so slippery. So once their current set was over they didn't bring anyone else back out.


 

Ah. It helps to know that going in. Thanks! Sorry you missed them.


----------



## Mividadisney

Sherry E said:


> Glow in the dark Oreos?  Are these new?  I have ever heard of such a thing!!!  Or, is it just the actual wrappers that glow (not the cookies)?  Either way, they are new to me!  Pumpkin Pandemonium and Halloween Hoopla live on!!


I was at WalMart yesterday and saw the glow in the dark Oreos. It was just the packaging not the actual cookie that glows. 2 regular sized cookie in each package.


----------



## Vala

CassieF said:


> I do believe someone had mentioned bringing a less than three year old (so unpaid) and it was no problem, the just provided no food for them.
> 
> As for the villains there are a few mini "show" entrances and exits, I just don't know which ones but the villains coming out will be brought out with the horse drawn carriage and the ones who are currently out ride it in.  I think they have been doing half hour sets so it should be on the hour or half.  I know they don't do it during the first hour though, as they are still filtering out guests and they don't do it as the very last ones go in before the final show



Indeed, it definitely does not happen at the first entrance of each group. I've seen both the first male and female entrance and they just walked in and out. So first time it happens should be after the first hour of the party.


----------



## Azmommyto4

We did our first Halloween party on 10/16 and we had so much fun!

We got there around 5:30 and the lines at the gates were pretty long. We headed straight to Toontown and it was a madhouse! Did one TT there and then hit Roger Rabbit only to have the ride break down, boo!

We left Toontown and headed out towards the castle, got some popcorn and just sat and watched people. the costumes were amazing! I really enjoyed seeing the costumes. 

Next we started hitting up rides- we must have done Splash 5 times with no wait, Pooh, Indiana Jones 4 times, BTMR several times, HM, etc. we had absolutely no wait for any rides, it was great! 

We hit the treat trails later in the night with hardly any wait. Watched the fireworks as we were passing through, watched Cadaver Dans perform. Loved all the spooky noises/ music. My kids and I had so much fun!!! The only thing we didn't do was Villian pictures. The lines were just way too long. We did enjoy sitting and watching other people take pictures with them at the end of the night.

We will do it again, for sure!


----------



## pudinhd

I don't know if anyone has posted this...  It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown is on ABC tonight!!


----------



## stephanie22

pudinhd said:


> I don't know if anyone has posted this...  It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown is on ABC tonight!!


 
Thank you, my son love the great pumpkin, so we will for sure be watching that tonight.


----------



## nicole88s

Can anyone confirm that the projections DURING the fireworks on Small World are taking place during the party? I've read here that people have seen the Halloween Party projections, but I have not seen anyone say they saw projections during the fireworks. We watched from the Small World area last year and would like to do so again this year.  Thanks!


----------



## Chris9ty

nicole88s said:


> Can anyone confirm that the projections DURING the fireworks on Small World are taking place during the party? I've read here that people have seen the Halloween Party projections, but I have not seen anyone say they saw projections during the fireworks. We watched from the Small World area last year and would like to do so again this year.  Thanks!


I asked a couple CM when I was there during the party on Oct 5th about viewing the projections from iasm or the river and no one could guarantee it. One said during the weekend they do (I figure that's when Fantasmic is showing anyhow). So we ended up going to Main St to watch since I didn't want to miss our only chance to see HS and another night I thought we'd see DF from the river but we ended up waiting inside for HM instead and missed it entirely.


----------



## adamkat

5 days!!  5 days!!   Getting over excited.   Is it too early to pack?


----------



## lorijohnhill

Saw these tonight at Target...


----------



## mom2rtk

Chris9ty said:


> I asked a couple CM when I was there during the party on Oct 5th about viewing the projections from iasm or the river and no one could guarantee it. One said during the weekend they do (I figure that's when Fantasmic is showing anyhow). So we ended up going to Main St to watch since I didn't want to miss our only chance to see HS and another night I thought we'd see DF from the river but we ended up waiting inside for HM instead and missed it entirely.


 

That is so random.


----------



## Mommy2PrincessAbby

4 more sleeps!  And the weather looks to be cooling down slightly for our trip... Nothing in the 90s when I looked this morning!  Yay!


----------



## Abbey1

Mommy2PrincessAbby said:


> 4 more sleeps!  And the weather looks to be cooling down slightly for our trip... Nothing in the 90s when I looked this morning!  Yay!



Us too! We fly to San Diego tomorrow and will be in Anaheim on Sunday. I love the "more sleeps" comment. We tell my son the same thing.


----------



## mom2rtk

Hey, everyone! Keep the stories about Mickey's Halloween Party coming. Some of us are still counting down the days until our own visits!


----------



## adamkat

Yes agreed.   Looks like a couple of us will be arriving on the same day! 

Is it bedtime yet?  "4 more sleeps".


----------



## DonaldDuck21

Can someone tell me what and where the magic shots are taken? Also does the pre party start 1 hr before the party


----------



## joyfulDisneytears

Pre-party starts 1 hr before party, but people were lined up an hour or more before that to get into Toontown. They walked us all back before the hour mark and opened at least one treat trail early. Characters did not show until the one hour before party mark, but lines formed before then. I personally was in the 3rd long line of people to get into TT, was in before 5pm with a 6pm party start, and went straight to the line that had already formed for the gazebo. I got to Mickey & Minnie just before their first set was up. M&M were rotating every 1/2 hr w/ Chip & Dale in front of Town Hall with the line wrapped around the gazebo. Goofy and Pluto rotating to the left of the gazebo, and Donald/Daisy taking turns on the right. All sets were 1/2 hr.

ETA - This was for the Mon. 10/19 party.


----------



## Vala

DonaldDuck21 said:


> Can someone tell me what and where the magic shots are taken? Also does the pre party start 1 hr before the party


 
I got Pascal and Tink at the Partners Statue. Tink and an Inside Out one at Matterhorn, Pixie Hollow side. Stitch on the Bench with me near Hyperion Theater. Balloons in multiple places. Olaf was Matterhorn too I think.


----------



## mom2rtk

Are there magic shots specific to the party?


----------



## Vala

mom2rtk said:


> Are there magic shots specific to the party?


 
Not that I am aware of. I didn't even see any Photopass people out besides the character meets. Even the ones at the pumpkin seemed to have left when the party started officially.


----------



## Kuilima

DonaldDuck21 said:


> Can someone tell me what and where the magic shots are taken?


----------



## Kuilima

We got a shot with Zero at the pumpkin around 4pm entry.


----------



## DonaldDuck21

Are the pre party characters the same you could see in the morning, for example pumpkin Donald, goofy Skelton?


----------



## violentlyserene

Our party is tonight and I am so excited! I keep getting pulled away by kids so I haven't gotten a plan together yet. We definitely want the TT preparty so that's first on our list. I saw earlier that it opens around 4:45, is that right?

what treat trails have particularly good candy/ party specific decor? This will be the kids first trick or treating but I don't want to spend all night on it either. 

Pooh bear-how long have the lines been? is he in costume? 
Who else is out for the party in costume? 

Any other particular photo pass spots to hit while in costume? I don't do heat well so I may ditch my dress after we get through the costumed characters. Hopefully it's not as hot as it seems like it's going to be.


----------



## Comicbookmommy

CassieF said:


> I do believe someone had mentioned bringing a less than three year old (so unpaid) and it was no problem, the just provided no food for them.
> 
> As for the villains there are a few mini "show" entrances and exits, I just don't know which ones but the villains coming out will be brought out with the horse drawn carriage and the ones who are currently out ride it in.  I think they have been doing half hour sets so it should be on the hour or half.  I know they don't do it during the first hour though, as they are still filtering out guests and they don't do it as the very last ones go in before the final show



Thank you so much!! It shouldn't be an issue then. I was worried for capacity reasons as well, so good to know someone else had no issue adding in their baby.

And thank you for the information on the villains! I thought there were only one entrance and exit shows, now I have hope we can catch one


----------



## mummabear

Less than a week!


----------



## CassieF

Comicbookmommy said:


> Thank you so much!! It shouldn't be an issue then. I was worried for capacity reasons as well, so good to know someone else had no issue adding in their baby.
> 
> And thank you for the information on the villains! I thought there were only one entrance and exit shows, now I have hope we can catch one



Are you going to a week day or weekend party?  Because you're doing the BB dinner it limits the opportunity to see the mini "shows" (it's really just the carriage coming out, villains swapping, the going back in) since they don't to them during the first hour and the last hour, so your only chance, with the dinner, would be after fireworks if you're going on a 7pm party.  If not, you could try to stay, we did with my niece asleep (this year in the stroller, last year in a carrier) so we could still enjoy th closing show.


----------



## Self-Rescuing Princess

Can't wait! We go Halloween night!

So excited!

Thanks to everyone who has helped me plan ahead as well as you can for this sort of party.


----------



## Vala

Beginning to properly work on my photos. 

Forget about Walking Dead - here come Walking Ducks! 







DonaldDuck21 said:


> Are the pre party characters the same you could see in the morning, for example pumpkin Donald, goofy Skelton?



No. Goofy is in a colorful suit, Donald is a Wizard, Daisy is in her old Jamboree outfit, Mickey and Minnie are Zorro and Candy Corn Princess, Pluto has a different collar and Chip and Dale have the old cops and robbers outfit with Dale being the robber.



violentlyserene said:


> Our party is tonight and I am so excited! I keep getting pulled away by kids so I haven't gotten a plan together yet. We definitely want the TT preparty so that's first on our list. I saw earlier that it opens around 4:45, is that right?
> 
> what treat trails have particularly good candy/ party specific decor? This will be the kids first trick or treating but I don't want to spend all night on it either.
> 
> Pooh bear-how long have the lines been? is he in costume?
> Who else is out for the party in costume?
> 
> Any other particular photo pass spots to hit while in costume? I don't do heat well so I may ditch my dress after we get through the costumed characters. Hopefully it's not as hot as it seems like it's going to be.



Pooh is in his bee outfit, his friends have no costume.

I'd recommend the Piratepalooza trail at Rancho de Zocalo - has characters too, Chip/Dale/Goofy/Donald as pirates, the combinations vary.


----------



## mummabear

Olaf now done too


----------



## Mysteryincorp

we did the party Monday and had so much fun! This is our third year doing it and this was by far the most fun and least crowded! It also helped that my daughter is a bit older and was able to stay awake until the end of the party!

We arrived around 6ish and wanted to eat at Napolis but the line was so long so we just headed straight into the park. Line was long for the AP treat trail but moved quickly and the decorations were nice inside. I used the cinch bag as my trick or treat bag and that worked great, loved having my hands free. They funneled us through the alley to the right of Main Street, there was a treat trail through there as well that was so long, I couldn't believe people were waiting ! I was baffled by how many people were in the long treat trails when there were so many with short lines! I think the longest wee waited was 10 minutes just by bypassing the longer lines. Warning, some can be deceiving and you can't tell how long they really are so keep an eye out! The one by BTMRR snaked all the way through the Mexican restaurant, tricked us!
Anyways, headed toward tomorrowland and Star Tours had no wait so jumped on for that. Then hit a treat trail and ate dinner at Red Rocketts. Space mountain was 25 minutes so we skipped it and hit Matterhorn. I think we waited maybe 5 minutes! We wanted to check out TT but it had just closed so we headed through FL and hit the Treat trail thru the Village HAus. Best TT of the night! Loved the decorations in here! 
Hit BTMRR, again about a 5-10 minute wait. The effects through the thunder mountain trail were really neat!
This is when we hit the deceiving Rancho del Z treat trail. That took about 10mintues and unfortunately  it started to rain. Got our candy and then headed to Pirates to get out of the rain, unfortunately everybody else had that idea too! Pirates was about a 15min wait. Then hit Splash, walk on! Rain let up a bit, hit some more treat trails then cut across the park to space mountain. Rode twice with no wait!!! We watched the fireworks from the space mountain line , great view with the Matterhorn to the right. We then took some pictures in front of the castle. I could of watched the castle projections and listened to the music for hours! So cool!! Same with the projections on Main Street! So. Icy better than last year!!!
Overall, great value for the money. Tons of candy even though we didn't do as many TT this year. Lines for rides were way shorter this year. Yes walkways were crowded but nothing too bad. 
We had so much fun, can't wait to do it again next year. Honestly if there were tickets available I would do it again this year!!


----------



## dolphingirl47

I have been back home for two weeks now and it is just over three weeks since I left Disneyland. For some reason I have not been getting notifications so when I suddenly realized this, I had over 30 pages to catch up with. I am still not quite there, but wanted to respond to a couple of things before I will finish catching up tomorrow. I will also do a little review by the end of the weekend.



lorijohnhill said:


> It's such a small world! My daughter (who is feeling much better now) and I ran into dolphingirl47 (Corinna) this morning in the PPH lobby! How fun to meet someone from the DIS!



It was so nice to meet you.



StyledSugar said:


> Is Thor not in the park anymore? I see Captain America is out before and during the party but I never see anything about Thor anymore. Anyone know?



I saw him on my second full day at Disneyland, but then not again.



Canadian Harmony said:


> Did someone say Rabbit was out during the MHP too?



Yes, during the first party he was swapping out with Eeyore.



Vala said:


> The Villain arrivals are nowhere as spectacular as last year. They pretty much just walk to their spot from the cast exit, unless something has changed since I went.



On the September 30th party they did arrive in a carriage and there was a little show at every change over.

Corinna


----------



## Vala

dolphingirl47 said:


> On the September 30th party they did arrive in a carriage and there was a little show at every change over.
> 
> Corinna



During the  first hour too? I thought it had been established no carriage until the park was cleared of non party guests.


----------



## mummabear

dolphingirl47 said:


> Yes, during the first party he was swapping out with Eeyore



Has anyone else caught Rabbit?


----------



## rwhistler92

mummabear said:


> Has anyone else caught Rabbit?



We saw Rabbit, Pooh & Tigger at the party on the 16th.


----------



## LisaT91403

mummabear said:


> Has anyone else caught Rabbit?



Yes. Back in Pooh Corner, Rabbit and Tigger were together, then Pooh. We had a 7:00 MHP (Fri, 10/16), and Rabbit was out at 5:40.


----------



## joyfulDisneytears

DonaldDuck21 said:


> Are the pre party characters the same you could see in the morning, for example pumpkin Donald, goofy Skelton?


Just saw this, sorry for the delay. No, they are in entirely different costumes that are exclusive to the pre-party. Mickey is Zorro, Minnie has a candy corn dress, Donald is a wizard, Daisy is a cowgirl (I guess? Pink gingham and hat/boots), Goofy is in his Candy Co. suit, Pluto has candy corn tag on his collar, and Chip & Dale are cop & robber.


----------



## Mommy2PrincessAbby

One more sleep! And only a short sleep at that! Leaving for the airport at 3:30 am tomorrow. Boarding passes printed and I am finishing packing the toiletries then we are all set!  Got my first email reminder for WoC dining at Ariels for Monday


----------



## Avery's mom

Comicbookmommy said:


> Goodness, went offline to tackle some hardcore work and suddenly we're only 5 days out from our Halloween trip!!
> 
> So great to hear most people like MSBB, I'm very excited. My only issue is still about my baby being the 5th person in our party, and he's not counted in our prepaid amount for 4 people. I've called Disney Dine multiple times, told to call a special number, which I have twice and left messages, with no return call. I also emailed Disney Help and was told to call Disney Dine, which takes me back full circle. Has anyone taken their baby, and were there any issues?
> 
> Also, and I apologize if this is information I missed somewhere, are there villain entry mini-shows? I didn't know about the villain exit show, but we'll likely not be around that late, so I'd like to catch their entry. If so, what is the best tactic to have a good view?
> 
> Exciiiiited!



You may be already at DL, but wanted to confirm that YES, there is no problem with the baby.  We brought our son - I had a confirmation in writing and a voicemail from the Special Events department, but when we got there, they had no knowledge of our son's addition to our package!  However, it was no problem at all and the BB CMs happily brought us a high chair and all went very well from that point on.  So, I hope your experience is the same - have a great time!


----------



## adamkat

Tomorrow 1 more sleep!!!!


----------



## Comicbookmommy

CassieF said:


> Are you going to a week day or weekend party?  Because you're doing the BB dinner it limits the opportunity to see the mini "shows" (it's really just the carriage coming out, villains swapping, the going back in) since they don't to them during the first hour and the last hour, so your only chance, with the dinner, would be after fireworks if you're going on a 7pm party.  If not, you could try to stay, we did with my niece asleep (this year in the stroller, last year in a carrier) so we could still enjoy th closing show.



Thank you so much for that advice!!!!   We are going to two parties, 27th and 29th. BB on the 29th.


----------



## GenGen22

So, we went to the party last night & it was so packed like going on any other busy day.  Not like when we went last year. And not much Halloween merchandise . I think if we go again next year We will go earlier in the season.  Last year we went on Oct 17th & there was a lot less people.  On a positive note we were able to get on Space Mountain in a 25 minute wait and it was posted at 40 minutes where as last year it was a 90 minute wait so, that was much better. Trick or treat lines were really long & CM's were only handing out 3 pieces of candy.  Last year we took home so much candy. Not so much this time around.  Had anyone tried the sour pumpkin gummy candy? I'm thinking of getting it today for my boys at home.  I'm wondering if they are orange flavor.  My boys love sour candy.


----------



## belle'ssister

We just got back home from our trip. DD, DGD and I arrived at 10:00am on 10/19. Since I knew we would need to get to the Candy Cane Inn, check in and let DGD swim I decided that we would not use our passes until Tuesday, but enter the park for MHP at 3:00pm. Good thing we let her swim because the rest of the week it was open to close each day.

DGD (8), dressed in her ballet costume with fairy wings and was the Blue Fairy, DD and I didn't dress up. After a late lunch at White Water Snacks (shredded beef nachos and chicken sandwiches) we headed over to Disneyland. The line to get in was short, and we were ready for fun.

So many well done costumes: a whole family of Incredibles, baby and all - several Jack and Sally's - Star Wars family, great Darth Vader, Lea, and trooper - several decked out Woodys and Jessies - even the babies were dressed up.

Didn't go to the TT pre-party because our Blue Fairy wanted to get on some rides right away. The lines were not to bad and they also used single rider when available. I was in an ECV since I have pretty bad arthritis and a hip replacement and don't do many rides anymore. They rode Matterhorn a couple of times, Buzz Lightyear (I could do that with them), Star Tours. I had activated our PhotoPass Plus and we had some photos taken but many of the character lines were really long so we didn't do a lot of those.

The crowds were large but not as bad as I thought they might be from some reports I had read. It was kind of eery but as soon as the 6:00 party time came so did a big bunch of black crows flying overhead. DD and some others were wondering what the deal was and one cast member said they have been hanging around lately, really set the mood I must say. DGD was hot to trick or treat so we did some of that right away and even if there was a line it moved really fast. We had no waits all evening. The cast members gave a good mix of healthy treats as well as candy. Healthy treats: apple slices, dried apples, tiny carrots, Pirate Booty, yogurt covered craisins. Candy: Snickers, M&Ms, Whippers, Butterfingers, StarBurst, Almond Joy, Airheads, Nestle Crunch, Milky Way, andlots of Peanut Chews. Saw no Reese's Peanut Butter Cups (my favorites). We tried to talk DGD out of taking it home with us but couldn't convince her. Trails we went on were Pixie Hollow, Tomarrowland, Village Haus, Thunder Ranch, Saloon (way too air conditioned) can't remember them all.

In Frontierland DD and DGD rode Thunder Mtn Railroad twice while I took pictures. Then headed over to see the scarecrows, what a hoot. I had seem them on YouTube and had to check them out. The interaction with the crowd was great. DGD and one of them had some fun banter goin on. We decided to head over to Haunted Mansion. That was pretty much a crowded mess over there and to make it more interesting it started to mist pretty heavily, and when we came out it was a down pour. Since I knew my scooter shouldn't get  wet we thought we had better get back to the hotel. The parade was cancelled anyway and we thought the fireworks would be too. Didn't get to hear the Cadaver Dans on ROA but we did get to hear them Friday as we were walking thru the Grand Californian about 3:15.

MHP was pretty interesting lots to see, DGD was thrilled with it. Would probably do it again.


----------



## dolphingirl47

jenhelgren said:


> Has anyone lined up for the villains about an hour after party start time? I am wondering how long the line will be and if we will have time before they cut the line for the parade??



I think it was about that time when we got in line during the second party I attended. When we got there, the lady villains were out and the line ended just as you come through entrance tunnel. The gentlemen villains came out about 10 minutes later and it we were two or three families away from the front when the ladies came out again. I think we waited about 45 minutes all being told.



SeaPic said:


> My only regret was not shopping for the pins as soon as we got in. My son is a serious collector/trader. I had no idea they would sell out!



I am not at all surprised. I could not believe my eyes when I went into the Haunted Mansion store in the early afternoon before the first party and all the party pins were there.



only hope said:


> That is something you can't do at MK- no matter the time, the wait to meet characters is ALWAYS at least 30mm and it eats up a TON of party time.



Actually, I got pretty lucky. After having stood in line for the villains for 45 minutes at Disneyland the evening before, the following evening I lucked into meeting Tinkerbell with no wait at all and the Old Hag with about a 5 minute wait at the Magic Kingdom. I also waited less than 5 minutes for Alice and the Mad Hatter and the Queen of Hearts. Lotso and Anna and Elsa were about 15 minutes. During the second party, I waited about 5 minutes for Ariel and The only line that was crazy was Jack and Sally and as I keep missing Sally at Disneyland, it was worth it for me.



Vala said:


> I called back earlier today and was informed that my refund had been processed, were there other issues. Geez, I don't know. Maybe letting me know the refund was done for a start? Or heaven forbid an apology? Pretending to be sorry maybe?



I am glad that you got a refund, but the communication really stinks.



hrk_md said:


> Finally she hung up and told us that she had just called and arranged for us to watch the PTN night parade and fireworks on Sunday from the VIP section.



This is some serious pixie dust.



LisaT91403 said:


> I think someone mentioned Hungry Bear.



That may have been me. During the first party my friend and I went there and it was positively deserted.



tlovesdis said:


> Cheese sticks and fries at Stage Door Cafe in Frontierland



This however was so busy when I had dinner there with another set of friends during the second party and the line did not seem to move at all. 



LisaT91403 said:


> When we were waiting in line at the front gate, the family of four in front of us (kids in costume, ready to party!) was not allowed entry. They had tickets for MNSSHP! The CM explained that their tickets were for Florida, and that she could not scan them. I think they were going to try Guest Services, but I don't know their fate. What a bummer.



Oh no, what a nightmare. I hope they managed to get something sorted out.



Vala said:


> The villains line is closed for the parade and the fireworks unless things have changed. I didn't see it this year, but last year they did close the line early and stopped people from lining up.



The cast member who did crowd control while we were in line actually recommended that we get in line during the fireworks and watch them from the line. We did not so I cannot comment if this actually was sound advice.



Vala said:


> During the first hour too? I thought it had been established no carriage until the park was cleared of non party guests.



Sorry, I had not realized that you were referring to the first hour. We were at Toon Town during that time frame. We went to get in line for the villains about 50 minutes into the party.

Corinna


----------



## Speechphi

We just got back from our 1st MHP at DLR, Thurs 10/22.

We have APs, so technically we could've gone in before 3, but we arrived just after 3 (we took an early afternoon siesta & then got ready for the party). 

Main St was a zoo when we got there; Soundsational was coming to an end, so we SLOWLY made our way to Cafe Orleans for a 340 dinner reservation. We finished dinner by 445 and trekked back to Toon Town for the preparty. We did all 3 treat trails but didn't meet any characters...the lines were crazy long!

We left TT around 540? And walked back up to Main St. Dh & the kids went on the AP treat trail while I got in line for the villains. We waited about 20 minutes? And met the women: Cruella, Evil Queen, & Maleficent. Dh got back in line so we could meet the guys, and the kids & I took off to meet the Tremaines. They don't have a line, you are chosen to meet them; fortunately they wanted to know where DD got her jewels, and whether they came from a prince. DD played right along!

We went to find dh; it was now 6:25 & he was under the tunnel. The men would be coming out at 6:30, and we figured by the time we got up it would be the women again, so we headed out to Trick or Treat! 

We hit treat trails all over the place! We were so thankful for our AP backpacks; we just dumped everything out of our treat bags into them (since we weren't able to buy any). The girls were stoked about the apples & pirate booty.

We met pirate Goofy & Pluto at Rancho Del Zocalo, but skipped Pirate Pier. We had decided to skip Paint the Night, but dh was ready for a break. So we walked over to Main St so he could hold a firework spot for us. I checked the time & it was 8:25. We had a choice of pretty much anywhere in the street in front of the castle. We put our blanket down dead center in front of the castle, about 5 rows back. Score! The girls decided they would sit with dh (& eat candy!) while ds & I went to get drinks. We made it back to our seats before the parade, but by then the area in front of the castle was packed! 

People were standing for the parade, but once the fireworks started everyone sat down (and the few that didn't, sat as soon as they were asked).

The fireworks were AMAZING! We couldn't have gotten better seats if we'd tried. Once the show was over, we made our way over to Tomorrowland. We walked right on to Buzz Lightyear. Then on to Star Tours. We did another treat trail, and took a photo of the kids fighting with light sabers. We checked out the Monsters dance party, but it looked like it was geared to preschoolers.

At this point it was 10:45, so we made our way back down Main Street & took a quick picture at the pumpkin before heading out.

Overall impression: So much fun! It was crowded, but not insane. I asked my family if they'd do it again & I got YES! from everyone.


----------



## Mommy2PrincessAbby

No more sleeps! We are at the airport! Wish the weather was going to be cooler, but we are super excited anyway!


----------



## JessieD

Just woke up, and I already want this day to be over! 1 MORE SLEEP!!!!!!


----------



## adamkat

NO more sleeps either!!!!   We are headed to the airport now!!!!    Can't wait!!!!!!!   Have a Magical day!


----------



## ashleysev

I only have two more sleeps until we head for the airport, but we're not hitting DL until Thursday. We're going to visit with family and hit some other places (flying and whale watching). We're in Cali for a week!

I have to spend tomorrow at the hospital for some tests. My doctor wanted an MRI on my broken leg to see if she needs to cast it or if crutches will suffice.


----------



## longboard55

Went Friday, we had a great time but it was very hot and humid.  I think I ate too much candy


----------



## Clawdya

We went on Friday 10/23 to the MHP and MSBB. Disneyland was packed and the weather was warm. I don't know about others but it felt very crowded. The treat lines were long, we did 3; 1 in Toon Town during pre party (left right after, too crowded), 1 in the Mickey's BBQ ranch and the last across from pirates of the Caribbean. CMs were handing out 1-2 pieces of candy, only 1 CM in Toon Town gave us 4 pieces.

In all we rode 5 rides (Snow White, Matterhorn, BTMR, HM, & Indiana Jones).

The highlight was the Mystical Spirits Of Blue Bayou dining event.  We checked in shortly after 4:30pm, the CM went over our meal choices and then put a #15 next to our name, I guess this was our seating assignment. We were asked to come back at 6:45pm. When we came back we had to wait in line, a CM with a basket came by and  handed us buttons to wear per Dr Facilier's request. At 7pm as we were being let in, there was a CM checking for wristbands, the party in front of us did not have them, they hadn't paid for MHP, the CM then asked someone on his little mic to hold 5 party tickets for the BB.  Inside the BB a CM checked our name with her tablet and then another CM took us to our table, it was towards the front and right in the of the center from the stage. There was already Dr Facilier's concoction beverage waiting for us with a glowing clear plastic diamond inside. Our server went over our meal choices again and then brought a bread basket, we asked for other beverages (CM didn't offer us alternatives but was glad to bring them). Our appetizers came soon after, my DD and DS didn't like their crab cakes, I got the same thing and I loved it, DH got the goat cheese tart and he loved it. We knew going in that the kids would not be very fond of the food since the menu was not very kid friendly.

The Cadaver Dans went on first, then Dr Facilier with the Bayou Belles.  They were all awesome, afterwards the Belles handed out bead necklaces. Our entrees were brought out, I had the fish, DD had the chicken, and both DH and DS had the braised short ribs, entrees were very good, even my DD loved hers, my DS ate some of his food (he said it was ok, lol).  Dr Facilier then went from table to table for pictures.  Two of the Bayou Belles brought out the bride, they walked around the room. After they left, another two Bayou Belles brought out the tightrope walker girl from the Haunted Mansion. Our Desserts came next and they were delicious, the presentation was so beautifully done we didn't want to eat them...but we did.  Then came the Pirates, they were hilarious, they made us stand up and recite some sort of spell to open the chest (that had candy bags). They passed them out to a few tables and the servers passed out to the rest of the tables, the bags were barely half full (which we were ok with).  When we were done, Dr Facilier ended the night by telling us to follow the people with the lanterns. The Bayou Belles passed out Dr Facilier's calling card (chocolate) and then we were given a lithograph on the way out. We were the third group in line standing behind the CM with the lantern.  We had to wait a while outside because they were removing a guest on a gurney from the Pirates of Caribbean ride. We were then taken to the hub, we ended up in the first bench facing the castle. I did note earlier the benches on the other side of the Walt and Mickey statue but those benches are facing Main Street, I really don't think anyone from the party was seated or ever intended to be seated there. The Halloween Scream fireworks were amazing, the people in front of us were allowed to stand and we could only see the upper half of the castle but we still had an awesome view and we didn't mind. Most of the action was above anyway. Our children were very happy and excited and that's all that mattered to us.

Afterwards, we went to do the AP treat trail and then went back to ride the HM. We met up with my brother and sister-in-law after HM to ride Indiana Jones. Then a CM was awesome enough to show us the tree where " the little man at Disneyland" lives and the Dominguez tree.  After, that we thought about going to space mountain but we were all tired. So we went home instead. I'm thinking of going later this week to ride SMGG. Does anyone know how long space mountain will have the ghost galaxy theme?

My thoughts:  The MHP was a lot more crowded than I was expecting it to be, the CMs were giving less candy than I remember from other parties.  The MSBB was awesome, our kids were thanking us so much for taking them, they just loved the entertainment. So, yes, we would do the MSBB again.

   

Note: I tried to add a pic of Dr Facilier and the Pirates but it gave me a 'file to large' message.  Sorry for the quality of the pictures, they were taken with my phone. I am the world's worst picture taker and I do it sporadically when I remember that I can.


----------



## mom2rtk

Is Frontierland the only place inside the park to get wristbands? Any chance there's anything in Tomorrowland? We're going in this afternoon but hoping to avoid the parade crowds on Main Street around 3 so we were thinking of taking the monorail. Any chance we could get them at the monorail entrance?

Just an FYI, I answered my own question. We were in downtown Disney so decided to stop by the monorail entrance and ask. They cannot process Halloween party tickets are give out wrist bands there.

One more quick question. Can someone remind me if Aurora is one of the princesses available at the party?


----------



## Mommy2PrincessAbby

Enjoying our day. 4 hours in dca, rode ariels, goofy sky school, symphony swings twice in a row, enjoyed a giant corn dog, and then went on monsters Inc. Went to radiator springs to check on the pop-cone today... bacon cheddar... we are waiting for dill pickle! Decided we needed frozen lemonade.  Got the room text and headed back to dlh. Costco deluxe room... we are in the adventure tower, 3rd floor over looking the pool. It is hot but overcast so it's not miserable. Getting up at 3 am is getting to us. So we are having a room break for an hour and then headed for dl and the mhp. Blue bayou mystic spirits dinner tonight!


----------



## longboard55

Maybe I just did not notice but I did not see many disney characters working, but there are some of these young 20 something girls who spent a lot of time or money on princess dresses and who looked just  amazing and were doing pictures,  a couple of cinderallas and bells.


----------



## Oswald23

I went to two parties. Thursday and Friday. And I had 2 different experiences. First Friday the lines for candy where longer than thursday. But the lines moved quick and never waited over 5 minutes. Thursday Bullseye was out most of the evening! Friday he was never there. 

Villains line was crazy. I lined up 35 minutes before the party started and was second in line for the ladies. For the men I lined up during the parade. At first they wouldn't let me, but being nice helped a lot  Friday lining up during the parade was allowed! 

Friday I waited not more than 5 minutes for Aladdin and Genie, Peter Pan and Hook, Scorcer Donald at the pre party, Captain Jack Sparrow, Jesse and Tiana + Aurora! But the pre party was closed for a couple of minutes beacause of the crowds. Thursday lines for characters where longer!

Except for the Villains and Mickey and Minnie the lines weren't that long. Pre Party was packed except for Donald. Mickey and Minnie where not meeting together there. Mickey and Minnie at Big Thunder Ranch had a crazy line. I recommend lining up 20 minutes before there first set.

There where a lot of people but I didn't think it was packed. If you have any questions please ask!

We had a blast and brought 5 pounds of candy home


----------



## nicole88s

mom2rtk said:


> Just an FYI, I answered my own question. We were in downtown Disney so decided to stop by the monorail entrance and ask. They cannot process Halloween party tickets are give out wrist bands there.



Can you clarify a little on this? I understand you cannot get a wristband, but you are not allowed to board the monorail with just a Halloween Party ticket? If so, I'm so annoyed. This was my plan to avoid the parade as well.  I even emailed Disney and their reply lead me to believe I could.  Here is what I wrote:

Hi, We have tickets to Mickey's Halloween party on October 27th.  We 
would like to enter the park right at 3:00.  I noticed that the parade 
is scheduled for 3:00 that day and will make entering the park 
difficult.  I was wondering if a) the monorail from downtown disney will
be running and b) if we would be allowed to get on the monorail with 
just Halloween Party tickets at 3:00 to enter the park?

And here is what they replied:

Thank you for your email to the DISNEYLAND® Resort.

Guests who have the Mickey's Halloween Party event ticket may enter the 
Park 3-hours before the event begins.  Guests may use the Disneyland 
Monorail in Downtown Disney for entering the Park.

Again, thank you for taking the time to write. We hope you will have the
opportunity to visit the DISNEYLAND® Resort soon and trust your visit 
will be pleasant in all regards.

Sincerely,


Linda Trump
DISNEYLAND® Resort
Guest Experience Services

So, mom2rtk, they said no to boarding?


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## Oswald23

We came into the park during the parade en that was not what we wantend if we knew it. We where stuck until after the parade at Town square. Sonate watched the parade. And because we where not alone it was crowded there. So if you can avoid it, do it.


----------



## KrisRose821

So, I am checking out the weather forecast for my trip this week (AH!) and I notice that Anaheim has a good wide range of temps from am to pm. It's forecasting 81 to 56- does it really get that cool at night after a warmish day?! Where I live we maybe vary by 10 degrees lol.


----------



## 3TinksAndAnEeyore

Halloween folks...

Any sign of Christmas decorations going up yet? It usually seems like the holidays start to collide at more than just HMH right about this time, but I haven't heard or seen anything yet.


----------



## pudinhd

3TinksAndAnEeyore said:


> Halloween folks...
> 
> Any sign of Christmas decorations going up yet? It usually seems like the holidays start to collide at more than just HMH right about this time, but I haven't heard or seen anything yet.



Yes!  I took a few pictures, but haven't taken them off my camera yet.  There are decorations inside World of Disney and in their window displays.  I saw part of a tree in Downtown Disney with colored lights.  There might be more, but I am not sure.

Also, as a side note, Goofy's Kitchen has some Halloween decorations.  Spider webs and decals are around the food area.  It was cute!


----------



## Kilala

[GALLERY=] [/GALLERY] This is me at the patry on the 14th


----------



## TraderCharlie

KrisRose821 said:


> So, I am checking out the weather forecast for my trip this week (AH!) and I notice that Anaheim has a good wide range of temps from am to pm. It's forecasting 81 to 56- does it really get that cool at night after a warmish day?! Where I live we maybe vary by 10 degrees lol.


Yes it does!  As the sun sets, the temps drop pretty quickly.  The early mornings will be chilly as well.  Dress in layers!


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## pudinhd

Here are our experiences this year.  The times are approximate.  Feel free to ask any questions.  Thank you very, very much to everyone who provided information and their experiences!  I took quite a few notes and they were extremely helpful!

10/22/15
3:30 We got wristbands in Frontierland and went to ToonTown.
We started an unofficial line before they started a line and enjoyed the time sharing stories with Cast Members.
4:45 We were allowed into ToonTown. Husband went TOT while I started the picture line behind the gazebo.
5:00 Mickey & Minnie were first and switched with Chip & Dale around 5:30.
5:02 I think we were the first to meet Goofy & Pluto together on the area to the right of the gazebo.
My husband went to TOT and I got in line to see Chip & Dale, but the line was huge. When my husband joined me, I left the line to meet Donald & Daisy. I had my husband join me and we skipped Chip & Dale.
5:50 We left ToonTown and headed toward Big Thunder Ranch. Jessie was meeting so I took photos with her and then waited since Bullseye was supposed to come out soon. I took pictures with Jessie and Bullseye together.
6:30 We went to Pirate’s Wharf where I met Peter Pan and Wendy, but Captain Hook had already left. My husband had gotten in line a little distance behind me and I was able to meet Captain Jack Sparrow once I joined him.
7:15 I went ahead of my husband and walked quickly to Critter Country. I met Tigger and Eeyore together and then Pooh. Again, my husband had gotten in line after me, so I was able to meet Tigger and Rabbit and then Pooh. The Cast Member told Rabbit that he was my favorite character and I told Rabbit it was true. Rabbit wouldn’t let Tigger near me and the interaction was so fun that I couldn’t stop laughing. Even Pooh ended up joining us because there weren’t any guests going to see him. I have a great picture of me laughing in the middle of the 3 of them.
7:40 I again went ahead of my husband to go see the princesses and he got in line after me. The lines were huge with a switchback by the side where the walkway to Frontierland is and then going a little way along Main Street. I was about 20 groups back when a Cast Member asked the people around me if we knew who we wanted to meet. I said that I wanted to meet Pocahontas and Snow White, as did the woman behind me. We got pulled out of line to go up to the front as everyone else wanted to see the other pair. After meeting them, I joined my husband in line. Again, when I was in about the same place, the same Cast Member asked if I knew who I wanted to meet and I said Mulan and Jasmine. I was pulled out of line to go up to the front. It was crazy to me that no one wanted to meet the rare princesses!
8:30 We headed toward Town Square. We did the Town Square trail, the AP trail, and then saw the Queen of Hearts walking around. After 2 days of searching for her during the day, I was finally able to meet her! She wanted my husband in the picture, too, so a gentleman offered to take the picture.
We went to the almost empty Villains line to ask Cast Members about when the line would begin again. A CM suggested that we wait behind the benches across from the meet and greet to watch the parade. She said the line would start about 10 minutes before the fireworks started. The gentleman who took our picture with the Queen of Hearts was standing with me and we waited behind the bench right by the entrance. The line started during the parade, so it was good that we stayed where we were. (Many thanks to the person that answered a question I had about the villain line during the parade!)
8:55 The male villains came out. My husband was again in line farther down the line so we could get all of the villains. It did get a little stressful because we were getting closer to the front and no one anywhere near us wanted to meet the male villains. Thankfully the females showed up when we were about 5 groups away from the front!
10:30 We went through the Town Square trail and then found a spot to wait for the villains finale show. It was a lot of fun, but I think it was a little long.
11:00 We left to walk back to the hotel and there was Dove candy still available.
We were impressed with the amount of characters we were able to meet and ended up with 10 pounds of candy for this party.

10/23/15
4:30 We got wristbands in Frontierland and went to meet Captain America in Tomorrowland.
5:00 We went to Big Thunder Ranch to wait for Mickey & Minnie. Another couple was there around 5:15 and a family joined us around 5:30.
6:00 Big Thunder Ranch trail opened and I went through 3 or 4 times in an hour.
7:00 Mickey & Minnie came out. We went TOT in Village Haus, the Matterhorn area (including the Frozen photo opp), the Fairies, Rancho Del Zocalo, and the Golden Horseshoe. The lines were long, but moved fairly quickly.
My husband and I separated so he could go around taking photos before he headed back to the hotel.
I got in line to meet Aladdin and friends, but only Genie was there. A CM said he would be out in about 10 minutes so I quickly went to the Rivers of America trail. I enjoyed the Cadaver Dans for a couple minutes while doing the first 2 treat stops and then skipped the rest as the line seemed to stop in the middle.
8:30 I headed back to Aladdin’s Oasis and was able to meet Genie and Aladdin together.
I stopped into the Golden Horseshoe for more treats.
9:00 I decided to go meet the princesses and was able to see Cinderella and Pocahontas. The line was much, much shorter than the previous night. It was also different than the previous night in that people actually wanted to meet Pocahontas.
I went back to the Rancho Del Zocalo treat trail and took a picture with Pirate Goofy.
I went to the Golden Horseshoe, the Rivers of America trail twice, and then the New Orleans trail.
9:35 I went back to the Rivers of America and did the first stop only to get the Peeps. I backtracked a little to wait for the fireworks just inside the ROA treat trail. The view was better than I expected and they played the speaking parts of the show, so I didn’t miss “ball” or the crowds!
After the fireworks, I restarted the ROA trail, went to the New Orleans trail, and then the Golden Horseshoe trail.
I started making my way toward the exit and there was a short line for one side of the giant pumpkin so I stopped for some photos.
I went through the Town Square trail and then the AP trail.
10:30 I did receive Dove candy as I exited to start the walk back to the hotel.
Both my husband and I left early after a long few days at DLR, but we ended up with 11 pounds of candy for this party.


----------



## Mommy2PrincessAbby

I can confirm the pirates from the blue bayou dinner and the cadaver dans are different people. We watched the dans float down the river while the pirates were chatting with us before we walked to the fireworks viewing. Just waiting for Screams right now. The dinner was amazing and worth every penny!


----------



## haileymarie92

Mommy2PrincessAbby said:


> I can confirm the pirates from the blue bayou dinner and the cadaver dans are different people. We watched the dans float down the river while the pirates were chatting with us before we walked to the fireworks viewing. Just waiting for Screams right now. The dinner was amazing and worth every penny!


There are different sets of Dans, though.


----------



## Speechphi

3TinksAndAnEeyore said:


> Halloween folks...
> 
> Any sign of Christmas decorations going up yet? It usually seems like the holidays start to collide at more than just HMH right about this time, but I haven't heard or seen anything yet.



Bugs land is decorated; saw that on Sat. Not sure about anywhere else.


----------



## Abbey1

So excited for our first park day tomorrow. I made a last minute reservation at Goofy's Kitchen for tonight at 8:10 and am so glad I did. Donald was there! He is my son's (and husband's) absolute favorite. Goofy even visited with our table since it was the end of the night. Can't wait for our party on Tuesday!


----------



## Oswald23

pudinhd said:


> Here are our experiences this year.  The times are approximate.  Feel free to ask any questions.  Thank you very, very much to everyone who provided information and their experiences!  I took quite a few notes and they were extremely helpful!
> 
> 10/22/15
> 3:30 We got wristbands in Frontierland and went to ToonTown.
> We started an unofficial line before they started a line and enjoyed the time sharing stories with Cast Members.
> 4:45 We were allowed into ToonTown. Husband went TOT while I started the picture line behind the gazebo.
> 5:00 Mickey & Minnie were first and switched with Chip & Dale around 5:30.
> 5:02 I think we were the first to meet Goofy & Pluto together on the area to the right of the gazebo.
> My husband went to TOT and I got in line to see Chip & Dale, but the line was huge. When my husband joined me, I left the line to meet Donald & Daisy. I had my husband join me and we skipped Chip & Dale.
> 5:50 We left ToonTown and headed toward Big Thunder Ranch. Jessie was meeting so I took photos with her and then waited since Bullseye was supposed to come out soon. I took pictures with Jessie and Bullseye together.
> 6:30 We went to Pirate’s Wharf where I met Peter Pan and Wendy, but Captain Hook had already left. My husband had gotten in line a little distance behind me and I was able to meet Captain Jack Sparrow once I joined him.
> 7:15 I went ahead of my husband and walked quickly to Critter Country. I met Tigger and Eeyore together and then Pooh. Again, my husband had gotten in line after me, so I was able to meet Tigger and Rabbit and then Pooh. The Cast Member told Rabbit that he was my favorite character and I told Rabbit it was true. Rabbit wouldn’t let Tigger near me and the interaction was so fun that I couldn’t stop laughing. Even Pooh ended up joining us because there weren’t any guests going to see him. I have a great picture of me laughing in the middle of the 3 of them.
> 7:40 I again went ahead of my husband to go see the princesses and he got in line after me. The lines were huge with a switchback by the side where the walkway to Frontierland is and then going a little way along Main Street. I was about 20 groups back when a Cast Member asked the people around me if we knew who we wanted to meet. I said that I wanted to meet Pocahontas and Snow White, as did the woman behind me. We got pulled out of line to go up to the front as everyone else wanted to see the other pair. After meeting them, I joined my husband in line. Again, when I was in about the same place, the same Cast Member asked if I knew who I wanted to meet and I said Mulan and Jasmine. I was pulled out of line to go up to the front. It was crazy to me that no one wanted to meet the rare princesses!
> 8:30 We headed toward Town Square. We did the Town Square trail, the AP trail, and then saw the Queen of Hearts walking around. After 2 days of searching for her during the day, I was finally able to meet her! She wanted my husband in the picture, too, so a gentleman offered to take the picture.
> We went to the almost empty Villains line to ask Cast Members about when the line would begin again. A CM suggested that we wait behind the benches across from the meet and greet to watch the parade. She said the line would start about 10 minutes before the fireworks started. The gentleman who took our picture with the Queen of Hearts was standing with me and we waited behind the bench right by the entrance. The line started during the parade, so it was good that we stayed where we were. (Many thanks to the person that answered a question I had about the villain line during the parade!)
> 8:55 The male villains came out. My husband was again in line farther down the line so we could get all of the villains. It did get a little stressful because we were getting closer to the front and no one anywhere near us wanted to meet the male villains. Thankfully the females showed up when we were about 5 groups away from the front!
> 10:30 We went through the Town Square trail and then found a spot to wait for the villains finale show. It was a lot of fun, but I think it was a little long.
> 11:00 We left to walk back to the hotel and there was Dove candy still available.
> We were impressed with the amount of characters we were able to meet and ended up with 10 pounds of candy for this party.
> 
> 10/23/15
> 4:30 We got wristbands in Frontierland and went to meet Captain America in Tomorrowland.
> 5:00 We went to Big Thunder Ranch to wait for Mickey & Minnie. Another couple was there around 5:15 and a family joined us around 5:30.
> 6:00 Big Thunder Ranch trail opened and I went through 3 or 4 times in an hour.
> 7:00 Mickey & Minnie came out. We went TOT in Village Haus, the Matterhorn area (including the Frozen photo opp), the Fairies, Rancho Del Zocalo, and the Golden Horseshoe. The lines were long, but moved fairly quickly.
> My husband and I separated so he could go around taking photos before he headed back to the hotel.
> I got in line to meet Aladdin and friends, but only Genie was there. A CM said he would be out in about 10 minutes so I quickly went to the Rivers of America trail. I enjoyed the Cadaver Dans for a couple minutes while doing the first 2 treat stops and then skipped the rest as the line seemed to stop in the middle.
> 8:30 I headed back to Aladdin’s Oasis and was able to meet Genie and Aladdin together.
> I stopped into the Golden Horseshoe for more treats.
> 9:00 I decided to go meet the princesses and was able to see Cinderella and Pocahontas. The line was much, much shorter than the previous night. It was also different than the previous night in that people actually wanted to meet Pocahontas.
> I went back to the Rancho Del Zocalo treat trail and took a picture with Pirate Goofy.
> I went to the Golden Horseshoe, the Rivers of America trail twice, and then the New Orleans trail.
> 9:35 I went back to the Rivers of America and did the first stop only to get the Peeps. I backtracked a little to wait for the fireworks just inside the ROA treat trail. The view was better than I expected and they played the speaking parts of the show, so I didn’t miss “ball” or the crowds!
> After the fireworks, I restarted the ROA trail, went to the New Orleans trail, and then the Golden Horseshoe trail.
> I started making my way toward the exit and there was a short line for one side of the giant pumpkin so I stopped for some photos.
> I went through the Town Square trail and then the AP trail.
> 10:30 I did receive Dove candy as I exited to start the walk back to the hotel.
> Both my husband and I left early after a long few days at DLR, but we ended up with 11 pounds of candy for this party.



So funny. You here

@pudinhd    I was the ome behind you at the male villains line and the day after at big Thunder ranch Mickey


----------



## pudinhd

Oswald23 said:


> So funny. You here
> 
> @pudinhd    I was the ome behind you at the male villains line and the day after at big Thunder ranch Mickey



That is too funny!  I  read your post about the 2 parties, but I thought it would be too much of a coincidence that it was you.  Thanks again for taking the picture and for the company!


----------



## JessieD

WE LEAVE FOR THE AIRPORT IN 3.5 HOURS!!!!! I'm like a kid on Christmas morning! I can't wait to tell our son


----------



## mom2rtk

nicole88s said:


> Can you clarify a little on this? I understand you cannot get a wristband, but you are not allowed to board the monorail with just a Halloween Party ticket? If so, I'm so annoyed. This was my plan to avoid the parade as well.  I even emailed Disney and their reply lead me to believe I could.  Here is what I wrote:
> 
> Hi, We have tickets to Mickey's Halloween party on October 27th.  We
> would like to enter the park right at 3:00.  I noticed that the parade
> is scheduled for 3:00 that day and will make entering the park
> difficult.  I was wondering if a) the monorail from downtown disney will
> be running and b) if we would be allowed to get on the monorail with
> just Halloween Party tickets at 3:00 to enter the park?
> 
> And here is what they replied:
> 
> Thank you for your email to the DISNEYLAND® Resort.
> 
> Guests who have the Mickey's Halloween Party event ticket may enter the
> Park 3-hours before the event begins.  Guests may use the Disneyland
> Monorail in Downtown Disney for entering the Park.
> 
> Again, thank you for taking the time to write. We hope you will have the
> opportunity to visit the DISNEYLAND® Resort soon and trust your visit
> will be pleasant in all regards.
> 
> Sincerely,
> 
> 
> Linda Trump
> DISNEYLAND® Resort
> Guest Experience Services
> 
> So, mom2rtk, they said no to boarding?



They said they don't know how to process the tickets there. So I didn't push for further clarification.. Sorry I can't help you any more than that. I was only interested in doing it if they could give me my wristband so I didn't push for an answer on  just entering. I'm not shocked to see inconsistent answers though.

I will say the gates up front were really busy and slow moving when we got there a little before 4.


----------



## ashleysev

Just got home from the hospital for an MRI an it revealed an injury in my right ankle, so now I have a walking boot on my left leg and an ankle brace on my right, plus crutches. I'll get a wheelchair after we get inside, but I was curious if anyone knows if I'll be restricted from riding certain rides now?

We leave early tomorrow morning for the airport!


----------



## happyrebster

Just back from Oct. 25th party.  Outstanding!  Best year yet!  (We have been the last five years).  My notes:

Didn't hit Magic Kingdom / Disneyland until 6:30.  This was genius.  Non-ticket holders had already left the park and there was NO crowding on Main Street AT ALL!  It was a dream.  So empty.  Lots of lovely animations running on the walls of the buildings. 

The talking scarecrows were in a great location just outside of Golden Horseshoe and they were VERY funny this year!  

All the treat trails moved quickly and loads of good treats - including nearly unlimited Dove chocolate at the park exit after fireworks.  

Rides: Walked on to Big Thunder twice.  Pirates, Indiana Jones, Jungle Cruise, Pooh Bear, Casey Jr., Splash Mountain were all essentially walk on (under 5 minutes).  On Jungle Cruise, we had the funniest guide we had ever encountered.  On Pirates, the Cadaver Dans were just walking through the back of the swamp cabin so they could reach the party in Blue Bayou. This was adorably haunting because of course one never sees people moving inside that little shack! They also stared down at us in a ghoulish manner and got huge laughs.  When we were coming out of the ride, we could hear them singing clearly and it was a delight.  

Meet and Greet:  Very small lines for all of the creatures in the Hundred Acre Wood.  A well organized crew made it easy for us to meet Tigger, Rabbit and Pooh in about five minutes.  

Treats:  Got more than we could ever eat.  Loads of Dove chocolates and peeps.  

Fireworks:  Arrived five minutes before start time and stood right near the castle on the Pixie Hollow side. So, as you face the castle, we were very near the front but quite far to the right.  Just to the right of the roped off sitting area.  Had a fantastic view of little Zero's flight!!!  (My fave part). We were behind a tree that blocked some of the lovely animations projected on the castle, but the view of the fireworks and Zero was TOP LEVEL.  If you are a Zero fan, this is your spot! And it wasn't crowded!

Overall, I honestly think the party is a great value.  We go every year and it's a big highlight of my daughter's entire holiday season.


----------



## texstout

Please help me plan my one-day Trip!

My extended family will be going to the party this Thursday night (29th) as we will be in California for my brother's Sunday wedding.  We are taking our 5 and 7 year old boys who have been to WDW once, but never to DL.  Our plan is to arrive right at 3pm.  Our #1 interests are rides and absorbing the atmosphere.  We aren't interested in meet and greets and less interested in the trick or treat trails.  (okay - the boys probably are very interested in them, but I am not going to spend a lot of time waiting in line for candy on our one-day at the park).  Several specific questions:

1) Is the Toon Town pre-party worth it if we aren't interested in the M&G or candy?
2) What section of the park would you recommend for the 3-6pm time period?  I assume fast passes will be gone at that point?
3) Where do you recommend we eat?  We are big foodies and the kids are adventurous eaters, but I figure we will be leaning towards quick and easy.  I was thinking maybe French Market (even though my kids eat Cajun/creole all the time).
4) We do want to see the parade and the fireworks, but also do not want to waste too much time waiting.  We do not need the best spot, but something 'decent' would be nice.  Maybe at the end of the parade near Main Street?  (If I can get my MIL to wait with a blanket, we will. But she has never been to Disney either)
5) What would be your top 3 'must-dos' for the 5-7 year old range?  (Boys are dressing up as Beetlejuice and Doc Brown from Back to the Future)
6) Of course a couple more family members now want to come with us and don't have party tix.  What is the likelihood of being able to buy a couple more to our current 8 person group?

Thanks!!!


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## dolphingirl47

I am all caught up again. I had a fantastic trip and was lucky enough to two a total of 4 Halloween parties (two at Disneyland and two at Walt Disney World).


General comments:

I was surprised how hot it was at Disneyland. It was actually cooler in Florida than it was in California.


I loved all the new shows. Paint The Night is amazing. Disneyland Forever blew my mind and I was a little sad that I only managed to see this once. My personal favourite though was World of Color Celebrate! Although I still marginally prefer the original version, I found this very moving and the special effects on this are out of this world.


I was surprised how quiet the parks were for the most part. I had a few occasions where I did popular rides on both coasts with less than a 5 minute wait. The only long wait I had was Peter Pan’s Flight during EMH. When I got in line, there was posted waiting time of 30 minutes, which I felt was good for the ride. Unfortunately it broke down, nobody informed us that it had gone down and where I was in line, I would have struggled to get out anyway. In the end I waited 90 minutes.


I stayed at the Disneyland Hotel for the first time. I was very excited about this beforehand, but soon realized that this is my least favourite of the three onsite hotel. I was in the Frontier Tower, which may have had something to do with it. It just felt like it took forever to get back. I was glad when I moved to Paradise Pier for the second part of my stay at Disneyland.


I never got to meet the characters in their Diamond Anniversary outfits. Before I left, I had read here that the character would wear their Halloween costumes in the morning and the Diamond Anniversary costumes in the afternoon. However, it now appears that they only wear them after the afternoon parade. Considering that three of the days I was there were party nights, that leaves a very limited window. Even on the days I was there that were not party nights, I never saw them out at all at that time of the day, which probably was just bad timing on my part.


I got to cross something off my bucket list when I got to ride with the pilot on the monorail at Disneyland.


I was completely over the moon when I walked towards It’s A Small World and Judge Frollo was coming the other way. I was not quite so lucky with the Evil Queen. According to the map on the Disneyland app I should have stood right next to her, but she was nowhere to be found.


Halloween Parties: I did two Halloween parties at Disneyland and two parties at Walt Disney World. So I thought I do a little comparison:


Disneyland

Trick or Treating is much better at Disneyland. I really like that they have treat trails rather than individual treat stations. It is also a real bonus to have the pre-party. During the second party at Disneyland, my treat bag was nearly full before I even left Toon Town.  The treat stations at Walt Disney World are not all that visible. I went through the first party at Walt Disney World without ever noticing a treat station.


The general atmosphere is much better at Disneyland. I loved all the special effects along Big Thunder Trail and the Rivers of America. I was absolutely spellbound by the projections on the building along Main Street. Walt Disney World does not have anything on this scale.


The fireworks are in a completely different league at Disneyland. I had really enjoyed Halloween Wishes at Walt Disney World, but watching the fireworks in both parks in quick succession I became very aware that this is really not in the same league as Halloween Screams.


I definitely saw more creative costumes at Disneyland. I had so much fun people watching and checking out all the fantastic costumes. I also thought that more people had dressed up at Disneyland than at Walt Disney World.


Walt Disney World

Walt Disney World wins hands down on the parade, which was amazing. The highlights for me were the headless horseman and the grave diggers who actually created sparks with their shovels. I love Paint the Night, but I wish that they had given this at least a little Halloween twist.


Walt Disney World is way ahead when it comes to Photopass photos. They had some party exclusive Magic Shots with the hitchhiking ghosts and a ghostly carriage man. I think there may have been different Magic Shots as well, but those are the only ones I did. Disneyland did not seem to have any Magic Shots during the party.


When it comes to characters, I think Walt Disney World has the edge. There was a bigger selection of unusual characters available and overall, the waiting times were shorter. I could not believe my luck when I managed to meet the Old Hag, the Queen of Hearts and Alice and the Mad Hatter with next to no wait. Other lines like for Lotso and the characters in their Halloween outfits were very reasonable. The only really long lines were for the Seven Dwarfs (which I passed on) and Jack and Sally, but I think at the parties I attended they were comparable to the lines for the Villains at Disneyland.


Merchandise was definitely handled better at Walt Disney World. This started with a breakdown being listed on the map which store has what special merchandise. This merchandise was only available during the parties and some of it was actually kept behind the counter.


Tied

The crowds were about the same at both locations even though both parties at Disneyland were sold out and there were still tickets available for both parties at Walt Disney World. The crowds in general were very manageable, but there were longer lines for some things.


This may surprise people, but as far as the entertainment is concerned, I think both parks are tied. I did not do the dance party at either park. I watched the Hocus Pocus Villains Spectacular and although I did enjoy it, I enjoyed watching the Cadaver Dans and the scarecrows just as much.


I think rides are another area that is tied. In both parks the waiting times during the party were very reasonable with the exception of Haunted Mansion Holiday at Disneyland and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train at Walt Disney World. Even those were only about 30 minutes, which is not actually bad for those rides.


Overall, I had an absolute ball and had no regrets doing 4 parties in total. Actually at Disneyland, I kind of wish I had done a third one as I seem to have missed out on quite a bit.

Corinna


----------



## ArchOwl

ashleysev said:


> Just got home from the hospital for an MRI an it revealed an injury in my right ankle, so now I have a walking boot on my left leg and an ankle brace on my right, plus crutches. I'll get a wheelchair after we get inside, but I was curious if anyone knows if I'll be restricted from riding certain rides now?
> 
> We leave early tomorrow morning for the airport!



Aw, that is no good!  So sorry!  I have done Disneyland in a kind of similar situation, a walking boot on one leg and a knee brace on another.  

I was able to do everything I wanted, even if sometimes it took me longer to load/unload.  Space Mountain was tricky, but since the handicapped train is loaded to the side, I could take all the time I needed.  Small World was also tricky, but manageable.  I almost couldn't do the Matterhorn, but I squeezed the boot in.  Definitely be ready to maybe bail on that one if your boot is large.  

Bring a cast cover for the water rides, nothing fun about walking in a wet walking boot.  Ugh. You can buy the cast covers for cheap and they fold up small.  

Wheelchairs are ok, but I liked ECVs better.  Wheelchairs I was dependent on people to push me.  I prefer having my own mobility.  And pushing a wheelchair is hard work for the pusher.  At least maybe look into it?  I rented an ECV, it was much cheaper than the Disney rental and much more maneuverable.  

Bring a bungee cord or something like it to attach the crutch to your wheelchair/ECV.  Otherwise you have to hold it and that becomes a pain.  

Also consider something to light up the chair at night.  It is hard for people to see you.  So I bought some cheapy glow sticks and decorated a bit to help people see me at night.  I think it helped a lot.  

I may think of more things.  Do you know how the wheelchair return times work?  If not, let me know.  And have fun!


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## StyledSugar

The park is packed today!! Reminded me of Christmas, except it's insanely hot! Anyone know why it's so packed today?


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## Mommy2PrincessAbby

StyledSugar said:


> The park is packed today!! Reminded me of Christmas, except it's insanely hot! Anyone know why it's so packed today?



We've been in CA all day and had little to no waits. Tot was the longest at 30 minutes when we rode without a fp. Guess everyone is in dl.


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## tzeitel

Got back Saturday night from 5 park days and one Hollywood day. We were so worried about the weather but it was perfect! Highs in the low 80's, lows in the 60's.  Went to the party on the 19th - not super crowded but still did not get to do everything (do we ever?). Did Toontown pre-party, met Donald, Goofy, and Chip & Dale. 5 min wait for RR, did only one trail there since it was a bit crowded - DH went to meet his folks on MS and bring them to TT but they could not get in right away.  They waited about 15 minutes while people left.  Saw (and loved) Cadaver Dans.  Was kinda bummed about the parade being cancelled but we had more days to see it. The rain did not stop us, we did some rides, got candy, and took a photo in front of the Halloween Tree - the CMs I asked about its whereabouts did not know what I was talking about  Closed the park after watching the Villains show.

Did not find much Halloween merch, but came home with lots of 60th stuff.  Was looking for the 60th stein but it was out property wide. Did get 3 travel mugs (always my favorite souvenirs) - 60th, Halloween and Haunted Mansion (Mickey as the Hat Box ghost!). Got the red balloon popcorn bucket. Found Shellie May at Paradise Pier (just the stuffed animal, not the character), WoD said they knew nothing about her or when she would be available. My big purchase was the 60th Dooney & Burke letter carrier.  

Went to Big Thunder BBQ, Blue Bayou, Carthay Circle, Wine Country Trattoria (WOC package), and Jazz Kitchen. All good, favorite was Jazz, least fave was Wine Country. WOC package was worth it, but we also had 2 people with mobility issues so we were in the back with benches set aside for people who could not stand for long periods of time. Even from the back we could see everything perfectly, probably better than people closer to the show since they had people standing in front of them. DD, DH and I stood but there was no one directly in front of us.

I will try to add photos of Nightmare Before Christmas 4D at El Capitan. I missed buying tickets for the premiere party, we went the second night.  Show starts at 7pm but we lined up at 6pm and were first in line for our balcony seats so I was able to take photos with nobody in the lobby, stairs, concession stand etc. We were not alone in the line for more than 3 minutes - people lined up fast!  Beautiful theater, the organist was amazing. They had projections on the walls (flying skeleton reindeer etc), snow, fog, searchlights.  Loooooved it, so much fun and we got NBC popcorn buckets   Only thing - if you are taller than 5'4" (my height) or have long legs the seats are tiny.  DH is 6' and he was ok if he sat sideways (he was kinda uncomfortable since he does have a fake knee). but it was not easy to sit sideways since there were no empty seats. I could not cross my legs or sit on one side, so if you are fidgety be forewarned.
We had an app at Mel's which was pretty good, tried Ghirardelli's first but did not really want ice cream.  Kinda disappointed n Ghirardelli, average Disney merch.   5 Seconds of Summer (is that their name?) was having a free show so there was a mess of girls, press and cops across from the theater. I felt so old lol!  We found Roy's and (one of) Walt's stars.


----------



## StyledSugar

Mommy2PrincessAbby said:


> We've been in CA all day and had little to no waits. Tot was the longest at 30 minutes when we rode without a fp. Guess everyone is in dl.



It's our first day. I guess we were in the wrong park!! lol


----------



## mummabear

tzeitel said:


> Was looking for the 60th stein but it was out property wide.



Damnit, I am desperate for one of these.
Would the park merchandise people at WDW be able to get one shipped over?


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## theluckyrabbit

You might want to try contacting Mouseshoppe, as well as Merchandising Guest Services, to see if they can help you with this.


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## Mommy2PrincessAbby

Quick report so far... We arrived Sunday, spent from 10-1 at CA everything we did was walk-on or we had a FP for so it was a short line.  If the sign says over 20 minutes we usually skip it, and we only skipped ToT... But we didn't go into cars land or even try TSMM.  Rode soarin, Sky school, swings and monsters inc. Ate a corn dog somewhere in there and went back to dlh when the room was ready to rest up a bit.  We were up at 3 am and by 1 we were yawning a bunch lol.

After our rest we rode with the captain in the front of the monorail back into the parks.  Had to wait for 1 to go by, so not bad.  It was 3:30ish, so we caught the most of soundsational by small world, on top of some steps and had a good view. Waited out the parade and went to find where they were giving out wrist bands in frontierland.  There was a sea of humanity over there... Pirates and HM had giant lines, some of the largest I had ever seen.  We got wrist bands, checked in for mystical spirits which took 30 minutes, we were probably a dozen groups back in line, and figured pooh was a safe choice.  So we grabbed splash fps for 4:30-5:30pm on the way by.  Pooh was a 10 minute line.  Got tigger tails and found a bench to have a snack and then our fps were ready!  Splash was fun a few lights were out, so they need to replace some bulbs... Some characters were totally dark.

It was pushing 6 by now and I think everyone was in line for pirates and hm, BTMRR had dropped to a 20 minute wait...so off we went. Love the new effects!

Not sure where time went, but back in line we were for mystical spirits.  We got a great table up front and to the left of the stage.  Crab cakes, chicken, and we each got s different dessert... All were awesome.  Entertainment was awesome. Goodies were awesome.  So much candy we didn't do a single treat trail.  Great seats for Halloween screams... Omg, loved it!

After we rode both sides of the Matterhorn and star tours.  SM had an hour wait at 10:30 with the parks closing at 11. We meandered our way out, thinking we would beat the crowds, and walked right into to the villains goodnight thing.  So fun!  Okay... All for now. We have early entry at 7! Yikes! Sleep is overrated.


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## Clawdya

Mommy2PrincessAbby said:


> Quick report so far... We arrived Sunday, spent from 10-1 at CA everything we did was walk-on or we had a FP for so it was a short line.  If the sign says over 20 minutes we usually skip it, and we only skipped ToT... But we didn't go into cars land or even try TSMM.  Rode soarin, Sky school, swings and monsters inc. Ate a corn dog somewhere in there and went back to dlh when the room was ready to rest up a bit.  We were up at 3 am and by 1 we were yawning a bunch lol.
> 
> After our rest we rode with the captain in the front of the monorail back into the parks.  Had to wait for 1 to go by, so not bad.  It was 3:30ish, so we caught the most of soundsational by small world, on top of some steps and had a good view. Waited out the parade and went to find where they were giving out wrist bands in frontierland.  There was a sea of humanity over there... Pirates and HM had giant lines, some of the largest I had ever seen.  We got wrist bands, checked in for mystical spirits which took 30 minutes, we were probably a dozen groups back in line, and figured pooh was a safe choice.  So we grabbed splash fps for 4:30-5:30pm on the way by.  Pooh was a 10 minute line.  Got tigger tails and found a bench to have a snack and then our fps were ready!  Splash was fun a few lights were out, so they need to replace some bulbs... Some characters were totally dark.
> 
> It was pushing 6 by now and I think everyone was in line for pirates and hm, BTMRR had dropped to a 20 minute wait...so off we went. Love the new effects!
> 
> Not sure where time went, but back in line we were for mystical spirits.  We got a great table up front and to the left of the stage.  Crab cakes, chicken, and we each got s different dessert... All were awesome.  Entertainment was awesome. Goodies were awesome.  So much candy we didn't do a single treat trail.  Great seats for Halloween screams... Omg, loved it!
> 
> After we rode both sides of the Matterhorn and star tours.  SM had an hour wait at 10:30 with the parks closing at 11. We meandered our way out, thinking we would beat the crowds, and walked right into to the villains goodnight thing.  So fun!  Okay... All for now. We have early entry at 7! Yikes! Sleep is overrated.



Lol, who needs to sleep while on vacation? You can sleep when you get home.


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## DnA2010

Halloween Party Review: Oct 22nd


We had 5 days hoppers for our trip, plus the Halloween party on the 22nd. We had started our park days on the Monday, so had done Monday, Tuesday, and Wed. I had read a little bit about the HP on here, but not too much.


Thursday we slept in and got the last bits of our costumes ready and arrived at the gates around 3:30pm. DH was Doc, I was Snow (in a cute short dress with a skirt that had lights in it that I got 50% off- bargain! DD11 was Moana.


No real wait to get in, got our wristbands. We walked around a bit, the park seemed really busy of course, with the day guests still in, and lots of Halloween guests like us entering.  We walked around a bit, looked at things, then decided to have an early dinner (Plaza fried chicken- shared 2 for the 3 of us- plenty of food and very good)


We then headed down to Toon Town- they were clearing everyone out so that they could set up. As I’m still coming back from Achilles lengthening surgery, I’m still a pretty slow walker and find standing difficult, so I sat down on one of the benches before the tunnel part to wait for them to open. There was no line formed yet, although the cast members had the right side roped and taped off, they weren’t letting anyone into the line yet so people were just hanging around. The CMs let me hang out on the bench, on DH and DD11 went for a walk (I believe they rode Matterhorn Single rider) and then when they came back (I would say around 4:45?) they allowed us into line, and the CM I had been talking to told me to get in line at a spot, so we were about 30 people back I would say. We waited in line about 10 min then they let us into TT. They seemed to steer everyone to the right, which ended up being a candy trail- now this is where I didn’t realize that there would be multiple candy stations at the treat trails, I just figured that where the pumpkins were on the map would be one spot to get some treats, not multiple.  So after that there was a line already forming in the middle of TT which would be for M&M, so DH jumped in and DD and I walked around TT and did the other Treat trails- I had thought there would be new decorations etc, but really they were just bins of candy. When we were done, our little bags were basically full. DH and I didn’t care as were weren’t there for candy, but for Halloween.

In total our wait was about 30 min for M&M- they were spending a lot of time with guests, taking lots and lots of photos etc. Part way through, Pluto and Goofy came out and were greeting right beside- everyone figured that the line for M&M was for them also, but after watching for a bit, I soon realized it wasn’t. We got the people in front of us to hold our spot (it was moving super slow anyways) and popped over to meet G&P. The people in front of us then did the same thing, and our M&M line really didn’t move at all.  Finally met them and while we were meeting M&M, Chip and Dale came out- we were accosted by them (very fun as we didn’t see them coming) so were lucky to meet both pairs on our turn- will have to see what the photopass pictures show.  Felt awful as the family behind us had two little girls who were crushed that after that wait they didn’t get to meet M&M-  had we known that they were going to switch out, we would have let the other group ahead. After that we rode RR (no line) and headed out.  We stopped to meet some princesses and DD11 enjoyed this as they recognized her right away (she was dressed as Moana)

 After this I know we headed towards Frontierland and stopped to meet Jack Sparrow ( I think we waited about 20 min) and take pics of the ship, River etc. Rode Big Thunder (twice I think). We then kept going, headed towards the Golden Horseshoe as I had heard about the scarecrows- interacted with them for a while and did the GH treat trail as we had been told by a CM that it was decorated- enjoyed that, then headed down to the river and caught the end of the Dans. We then headed on as I wanted to check out meeting Poo but the line was massive and I wouldn’t have been able to stand in it. I think maybe we did some treats but were disappointed- we had really expected more Halloween and less candy.

I think after this we headed to the hub and found a spot which I held down while DD and DH may have rode STs (I think that’s what they did anyways) Our spot was on the front of the circle, right hand side- right where the parade heads down around the circle (hope that makes sense) I managed to snag a curb spot right next to a stroller that was set up there, next to a group. I watched the projections on the castle.  I would say I got this spot around 8ish. In the end it worked out as DD was able to sit beside me and DH behind us. We had already seen PTN but enjoyed seeing it again. This was mainly to ensure we had our good spot for the fireworks (Loved of course)

We headed back to the river and watch the 10:00 (I think) performance of the Dans- it blew my mind that you had an amazing performance happening and only maybe one row of people along the water, and some staggered groups dedicated to watching their show- all the rest of the people around were just filing through the candy trail that went along- mind-boggling to me to have such a great performance happening and people are just going by getting candy. Crazy. Checked out the line for Poo but still super long so headed back to finish in Tomorrowland.


I think we headed to the Monsters Inc dance party- we stayed and watched for a bit, it was cute but focused on little kids. I believe we then went around and started up the TT around the Subs, but didn’t bother to go up all the way, as there didn’t seem to be any decorations, and then walked through Pixie Hollow and once again didn’t see any decorations. After that, it was close to closing time and we did two rides around the Storybook Canals as we hadn’t managed to ride it in our first 3 days- it was very lovely at night.


That was basically our night. We did not make it down Main Street, although we enjoyed the projections as we went along. We didn’t get to the villains- I had heard the line was massive and I can’t stand that long, and we had met some of the villains during the week already.


Overall thoughts-

Overall we were disappointed that there wasn’t more Halloween/Halloween activities- I had skimmed through the early parts of this thread so I knew that some stuff in the ranch etc had been dropped this year, but we really found that there was WAY more people and WAY more of a focus on getting candy than we had expected, and WAY less Halloween decorations/activities. For the cost (we are from Canada so with the exchange it would have cost us around $100/pp) it was mainly just a packed house with some candy stations. A lot of the character meets we had already done during the week and the lines were super long. I wish they had lots more. We enjoyed watching the costumes, and complimenting people on costumes. So really, it was honestly the disappointing point of our trip and not something I would recommend or certainly do again for people like us who weren’t interested in candy and had other times to do rides. We did very much enjoy the fireworks and the Dans but that wouldn’t be work the $100/pp for us.


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## Drnifer

So we're at the MSBB now and I'm wondering if we leave a tip or is it included?


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## ArchOwl

Drnifer said:


> So we're at the MSBB now and I'm wondering if we leave a tip or is it included?



According to the Disney website, tax and gratuity are included:

https://disneyland.disney.go.com/dining/disneyland/blue-bayou-halloween-dinner-package/


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## haileymarie92

Drnifer said:


> So we're at the MSBB now and I'm wondering if we leave a tip or is it included?


It said all was included, so we did not leave a tip. We may have if the service was exceptional, but our server was less than stellar.


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## rmonty02

Hello all...How early can our family show up in costume? We are AP holders and can enter park before the time allowed on MHP ticket. If MHP is 7 and entry time 4 can we go into park in costume at 3?? TIA (going on the 31st first time ever


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## theluckyrabbit

The fine print on the MHP tickets says that guests over age 9 may enter in costume starting at their early entry time, so 4pm for you since your party starts at 7pm.


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## Kilala

I plan on putting up my trip reports from both the 14th and 16th parties this weekend. I have to load the photos on my computer tomorrow.


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## Drnifer

ArchOwl said:


> According to the Disney website, tax and gratuity are included:


Thanks! I thought it was, but wanted to me absolutely sure! It was so much fun!


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## mummabear

We leave today! 
Can't wait to finally tell the kids!


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## ArchOwl

Drnifer said:


> Thanks! I thought it was, but wanted to me absolutely sure! It was so much fun!



Oh good, so glad it worked out and you had a good time!


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## Mommy2PrincessAbby

Last morning in the parks.  Some quick thoughts... We averaged 10-12 miles a day this trip, our high being 12 miles on the 2nd MHP we attended. That day was DL at 7 am for EE back to DLH for a nap and pool time and dinner at goofy's kitchen, then back to DL for the party.  

Blue bayou dinner, I already talked about, but I can contrast doing a party without it... We tried to get in at 6 pm and were met with long lines and too much waiting.  Everything was crowded.  I am glad we sat in blue bayou for those 2 hours during the other party and avoided the crowds.  Got an okay 2nd row piece of sidewalk across from carnation cafe an hour before PTN, skipped fireworks and did rides instead, since we couldn't beat our firework view with the reserved seating from Sunday.

Last night we grabbed a different bit of 2nd row sidewalk for PTN again and stayed for the new fireworks.  Worth the wait and standing and sore feet.

We are skipping DL EE today and just doing CA.  We have done every ride in DL two or more times except: astroorbiter, autopia, nemo, dumbo, Casey Jr. and the carousel.  Not bad IMO.  EE was critical for our success, as HM, SM and even pirates had stupid long lines most of the time.

Wide right for RSR works amazingly well still, as long as you are near the front.  We were 15th and 16th in line the other morning.

CA has been great this trip, lots of short lines.  I think with MHP every other day this week and short hours (9-9) the rest of the days people are all in DL trying to get their rides in.  

We had basically 4 full days and today is a half day.  We will miss out on Aladdin, didn't get to try Mickeys Map, never made it to pirate island and did nothing frozen related.  We did nap every day... Yes with an 11 year old! And we sat down for dinner every night and rested and were waited on  our plan is to come back, maybe May-ish after Star Wars is done.  Sounds like 2-3 years then, which makes me sad. But my kiddo is in middle school now and we have other places we want to see too


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## adamkat

Mommy2PrincessAbby said:


> Wide right for RSR works amazingly well still, as long as you are near the front. We were 15th and 16th in line the other morning



sorry I think I missed the wide right for RSR what does this mean?   We are going tomorrow and would love to get on early without waiting to crazy long.


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## Kilala

Sorry I'm late in posting these. This is a costume I made for MHP. I wore this on the 16th party. This is my Halloween cat costume. I will post pictures for the 16th party soon. 
I hand made this whole costume. I took these pictures at my home

























































Me and Kilala



Me and Suzy






The rest are found http://s1365.photobucket.com/user/C...s2015 168_zpsjx2elbfw.jpg.html?sort=2&o=0here http://s1365.photobucket.com/user/C...tumes2015 168_zpsjx2elbfw.jpg.html?sort=2&o=0


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## Astylla

Omgggg I love all your pics just perfect !!


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## RedAngie

mom2rtk said:


> They said they don't know how to process the tickets there. So I didn't push for further clarification.. Sorry I can't help you any more than that. I was only interested in doing it if they could give me my wristband so I didn't push for an answer on  just entering. I'm not shocked to see inconsistent answers though.
> 
> I will say the gates up front were really busy and slow moving when we got there a little before 4.



We entered via the monorail for Tuesday 10/27's MHP a little before 3pm.   No problems, the CM just scanned our tickets.  But no, party wristbands were not being distributed there.  We obtained them somewhere in Frontierland about 5pm.



StyledSugar said:


> The park is packed today!![Monday 26].  Reminded me of Christmas, except it's insanely hot! Anyone know why it's so packed today?



I'm guessing it was because there was no party that night, and people without party tickets wanted a full day/evening experience, including the night parade and fireworks.  I heard that Space Mountain was down for a good part of Monday. 


Tuesday's MHP was a blast.  Yes, it was crowded, but I wouldn't say it was packed.  Most ride lines were reasonable, under 20 minutes.  We got a lot done from 3-11pm.   Well worth the cost IMO.


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## Julie's Haircut

StyledSugar said:


> The park is packed today!! Reminded me of Christmas, except it's insanely hot! Anyone know why it's so packed today?





Mommy2PrincessAbby said:


> We've been in CA all day and had little to no waits. Tot was the longest at 30 minutes when we rode without a fp. Guess everyone is in dl.



We intended to go to DL on Monday until we saw the HUGE lines outside the gates before rope drop.  So we went to CA instead.  Looks like it was the right choice.  We had hoppers, and went to DL in the late afternoon, but returned to CA after an hour.   I don't know why DL was so crowded; it seemed like a holiday weekend crowd to me. 

Went to DL on Tuesday.  It was still more crowded than I had expected, but nothing like the mob that was there on Monday.  We stayed at DL until they started admitting party guests at 3pm, then hopped to CA.

Just relaxing now at DTD until we can enter DL for the Halloween party later this afternoon.


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## Mommy2PrincessAbby

We had a little hold up this morning. Took our giant matted lithographs from the mystical spirits dinner down to bell services to see if we could mail them home. They helped us figure it out but it meant we didn't get to DCA until 8:30. Walked in and got fps for rsr, rode tot with basically no wait,  walked on monster's, walked down to screamin but both it and tsmm were undergoing "tests". So we relaxed on the swinging gondolas and then went back to screamin with a 5 minute wait. Then tsmm was open too and we had 10 minutes to wait on that one. Off we went to goofys to learn to fly--walk on and they let us ride twice without getting off. Then we walked by Soarin and grabbed fps for it, and wrapped back around to rsr. 10 minute wait with the fps... we lost but got the paint job this time  By now it was 11 and we were hungry... popcorn... not dill pickle... they had bacon cheese all week  Lastly we got top row right for Soarin for the last ride of our trip. So if I counted right that was 9 rides between 8:30 and 11:30 with a popcorn pit stop.  We are now sitting at SNA and dd is doing math homework  but if we were still in the parks DCA was the place to be again today I think!


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## mummabear

Ok, so we are now in Orlando.
Had a good night last night will post more when I get 5 minutes


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## Chris9ty

I was looking up Ridemakerz to see about ordering and saw this on their Facebook page if anyone is there. 
*"Ridemakerz*
Celebrate Halloween with Ridemakerz!

In the Anaheim area? Cruize over to our Shop on Saturday 10/31 to build a Spooktacular Ride*, pick-up some sweets, and get your face painted!

*Must purchase a complete Ride to qualify for free face painting."


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## mummabear

So driving for tea at Disney Speings now.
It took us a lot longer to get to Disneyland from the airport than we had anticipated, nearly 6 hours via the rental car place and dropping bags at the hotel.
Kids dressed as Peter Pan, Tinkerbell and Princess Tigerlily.
Went to the pre party in toontown but only did one treat trail as it was quite busy.
We managed to do most of our must dos, rode HHM, rode ghost Galaxy, rode Matterhorn and Indy.
Watched PTN and Hallowscreams.   (Love!)
Met the genie but missed Bullseye by one group twice, got cut off from the villains twice once about 8pm because of the parade and then was told to come back after the fireworks headed straight there but was already cut off.
The autograph books were a waste since we only got one signature in them.
Got so much candy it is crazy but no Dove chocolate on the way out at 11.
All up a really good night but some things just didn't quite work out as hoped, glad I didn't buy the photo pass plus.
Will post photos when we get home


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## pudinhd

I am wondering if anyone has had any PhotoPass+ issues from the MHP.  We realized that our ToonTown pre-party photos from 10/22 are missing.  PhotoPass help says they don't show any photographers before the party start time of 6:00.  Thank you very much!


----------



## Drnifer

pudinhd said:


> I am wondering if anyone has had any PhotoPass+ issues from the MHP.  We realized that our ToonTown pre-party photos from 10/22 are missing.  PhotoPass help says they don't show any photographers before the party start time of 6:00.  Thank you very much!



We were there 10/27 and there were no photopass photographers that day. They used our camera for the M&M photos.


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## theluckyrabbit

Same for us at both parties we attended. No PP CMs, only CMs using guests' cell phones or cameras. We were told that there would be no PP CMs at the pre-party, but there would be for M&Gs during MHP. This turned out to be accurate on the 14th and the 25th.


----------



## pudinhd

Drnifer said:


> We were there 10/27 and there were no photopass photographers that day. They used our camera for the M&M photos.





theluckyrabbit said:


> Same for us at both parties we attended. No PP CMs, only CMs using guests' cell phones or cameras. We were told that there would be no PP CMs at the pre-party, but there would be for M&Gs during MHP. This turned out to be accurate on the 14th and the 25th.



Thanks!  We took so many photos that I must have remembered wrong.  

Happy Halloween Everyone!!!!


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## Davidg83

Happy Halloween everyone! Thank you Sherry for all of the info you supply and keeping the thread going. It's been fun reading the Halloween news and keeping up with pumpkin pandemonium!


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## Abbey1

I thought I'd give a quick report of our Halloween Party and everything we were able to accomplish. Our party was on October 27th. We arrived a bit later than we had hoped to the party as we had to stop at the World of Disney Store first.

We entered the park right around 3:40 and made our way to the Tiki Room (my son's favorite) and had some Dole Whips. After that, we rode POTC and arrived just in time for our 4:40 reservation at Cafe Orleans. We sat outside and it was the perfect spot to watch the crowds and see all of the amazing costumes.

After dinner, we headed to Critter Country to ride the Winnie the Pooh ride. At that point, the party was just starting and we trick or treated for about 5 minutes (no lines at all), then met Tigger, Eeyore and Pooh.

We rode HM with about a 30 minute wait (the longest of the night by far), then the Buzz Lightyear ride and Star Tours.

We made our way to Main Street at about 8:15 and were able to find a great spot right behind a group sitting on the curb. We sat down too, until about 5 minutes before the parade arrived, at which point a CM told everyone behind the first row to stand for the parade. After the parade, we moved into the street and had a wonderful view of the fireworks (zero, ball and all).

After fireworks, we made our way to the Buzz ride again (my son's favorite) for two more rides. We rode the Astro Orbiters and then decided to do some last minute trick or treating for the last 15 minutes. In that time, we almost filled our bags! It was definitely true for us that the CMs were handing out handfuls. And there were no lines at all. On our way out, they were handing out the Dove Chocolates.

This was our first party, and although it was a bit busier than I was expecting, we had a blast and can't wait to attend again! Thanks for everyone's tips and advice on this thread. It was incredibly helpful!


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## Comicbookmommy

Just got back from our 5 day stay! We went to two parties, one included the Mystical Spirits of Blue Bayou Event. Overall this trip was crowded and HOT! It almost ruined the trip for us. But it's weather, so what can you do?

The party was basically the same as last year. We skipped the GIANT Halloween Party line at the front gates and instead entered with our regular tickets and got our wristbands at the entrance of Frontierland. Much faster. Went to the Toontown pre-party on both the 27th and 29th. For some reason the pre-party was double the crowd on Tuesday than Thursday. You could barely walk through the crowds on Tuesday. Thursday's pre-party was much nicer. I was sad to see they only had the "main" characters out in Toontown (unless I missed other characters later). Last year we got to see Clarabelle and Horace, and loved them. I really loved the treat trail through Minnie and Mickey's houses!

After the pre-party we bee-lined it over to the Big Thunder BBQ area, as they had a treat trail open early there. Character Lines everywhere were insaaaaane. We didn't even bother. We had more luck during the day, as we got to meet the Queen of Hearts for the first time with hardly any line. Jafar was out and about in Adventureland, but we were too busy to stop for him. Characters on Main Street were usually in their Halloween outfits, and over in Tommorowland we often saw the "main' characters hanging out in their Diamond outfits.

Now for the Mystical Spirits of Blue Bayou Event. I was wary of the price of this event, but in the end, I think it was worth it. Here is a rundown wth a few pictures.

Checked in at around 4:05, and there was a short line. We were number 11 to check in. Came back at 7:15 and there was a huuuuge line waiting. But your seats are based on your checkin, so somehow we got the BEST table! Right in front of the stage!  So cool! The atmosphere was great too, and they had a good soundtrack playing that really set the mood.



















We had a lemonad-ey drink waiting on our table with glow cubes in it. It was really yummy. Not too sweet at all! And very quickly we got our bread and appetizers. We got one of each of the crab cake and goat cheese tart. Both were delicious! My 5 year old loved the tart, even.















Continued up next...


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## Comicbookmommy

Continuing on, I can't remember if the Dapper Dans came out before or after we got our appetizers, but they filed out of the opposite side of the room carrying candlesticks and started singing on their way to the stage. They were awwweeeesome!! I've seen them many times before, but as we were right up in front of them, it was a whole new experience. They are so animated and well practiced in the delivery of their music. They sang probably 5 different songs before leaving. I remember the Nightmare before Christmas song, Grim Grinning Ghosts, and whatever that song is from the Icabod Crane cartoon. All fantastic.

We didn't get many pictures from here on, sadly. I wish we had, but we were having so much fun we totally forgot to take more!






Again, I don't remember if Dr. Facilier came out before or after we got our main course, but it was somewhere around there. He was pretty awesome too, doing a short musical skit with his Southern Belles (or Bayou Belles? Forget which) who were suitably dead looking and creepy. My 5 year old was really scared of them. Then Dr. Facilier welcomed us and let us know that throughout the dinner we would be seeing a couple Spirit Guests, before he left to go meet people, starting at the far back of the room.






The Spirit guests turned out to be the Haunted Mansion Bride and Trapeze girl! I wish I had gotten pictures. First the Bride came out. She was fantastic. She slowly wandered throughout the area to a creepy soundtrack eyeballing the crowd for a husband. Every now and then she would stop and point at a random person. My 12 year old son was VERY creeped out by her, surprisingly! He REALLY didn't want to be pointed at by her, haha!

The trapeze girl I actually missed, because my 10 month old decided NOW was the time to have mom change his diaper. But I did see her exit, and she was just as awesome as the bride.

Oh, and here are pics of our dinners. I got the chicken and my husband got the braised ribs. Both were delicious, though I could have eaten more than what they gave me.










After that came dessert, along with a great skit by pirates! They came out of the back, loud and energetic. They needed all of our help to open their treasure chest so they could return it and break the curse over them, so we all stood and took an oath. The chest opened and it was filled with candy! Not that we needed more, haha. But my kids loved it of course.

Here were our desserts, one of each of the brulee and the cheesecake. I liked the cheesecake the best, and the presentation was awesome in the Facilier chocolate hat!










After dessert Facilier came back us to bid is goodbye, and to have us follow the lanterns to our fireworks spot, but not before his Bayou Belles gave us his Calling Card, make of chocolate!

Now the whole lining up for fireworks was a bit nuts. Everyone went towards the door at once. Apparently it's first come, first serve when it comes to Fireworks spots, because by the time we gathered up our kids, and all our baby apparatuses we were in the very last group, and got sat behind the dang statue. We did get sat up front in the 'back of the statue area', but then the bushes were blocking the entire view of the sky over the castle, so we scooted forward a bit so we could see better. My 5 year old couldn't see Jack's face around the statue, so that really stunk, given the price we paid.  There was room to the sides of the statue for chairs, and I wish we could have scooted our chairs there instead. But all in all, the fireworks were nice, and the kids liked them.


(view after we scoot forward, I'm guessing the people behind us also had the bushes obscuring their view)





I feel like I might do this again sometime, if we can afford it, but a lot of our great experience I feel had to do with being sat so close to the stage. I don't know if we wouldn't enjoyed it near as much if we were sitting in the back of the room. But still it worked out really well and we had a great time!

We're moving back to Maine next year, so this is probably our last Disney Halloween for a few years. I'll certainly miss it!


----------



## BigCheese

At MHP tonight and the crowds are just as expected on Halloween night...insane. Everyone is in line for Peeps at ROA! Getting to Toon Town early was a must for the pre party, but I've never seen the treat trails all over the park so packed for MHP before. But because everyone is in line for Peeps, I've never seen Main Street so "empty" for PtN. CMs have been fantastic, super friendly, and in the spirit of Halloween. It was odd though seeing Toon Town partially decorated for the Holiday season during the pre party, especially on Halloween night.

Edit Short party recap: got our party bracelets around 3:30 in Frontierland (they opened it up half an hour early) and headed straight to Toon Town. They lined everyone up and let folks in around 5:45. We were near the front of the pack to get in, and looking back the lines to get in were crazy long, more so than for any other MHP we've been to. We were able to meet Mickey & Minnie, Wizard Donald, and timed it right to get Chip & Dale. Unless you were one of the first 15-20 or so groups to see Mickey & Minnie, you would have missed them during their first set. M&M, Donald, and Goofy were the first grouping of characters followed by C&D, Daisy, and Pluto. As many others have reported, the line for M&M moved slow. The treat trail lines in TT were crazy. We left TT around 6:45 and headed to BTR (they opened BTR early and there was no wait for the treat trail there). As we left TT the line to get in extended to IASW and we overheard CMs telling guests that the wait to get in was probably at least 30 minutes because TT was at capacity. Over at BTR, the line to see Mickey and Minnie just outside the ranch was already 45 min long at the official 7:00 party start time, but we got to see Woody (inside BTR) and Bullseye and Jessie (at their M&G location outside of BTR). Meeting Bullseye was a treat and he was a lot of fun. Headed next to Rancho (the line to get into there extended to the entrance to Frontierland), then made our way to Critter Country and got through a couple of treat trails (except for one...we skipped the crazy long line by ROA at the Peep trail). Met Pooh and friends (but darn it, just missed Rabbit) and then headed to Main Street where there were a lot of open spots for PtN. We found a spot in front right before the 8:50 start time, and there were still plenty of great spots even when the parade started. It's been awhile because it's always been so crowded, but Mack wasn't in the parade...I hadn't heard if this is permanent or just temporary. After the parade, everyone stood up and moved to the middle of Main Street for Halloween Screams (it was great, and not crowded at all). After the parade though there was a mad dash of folks getting back in line for the Villains (CMs closed the villain line before PtN but re-opened the line right after the parade and before the fireworks). Leaving the park now, and although the park was packed (NOS and ROA were by far the most congested) we thought the CMs were great and every guest we met and talked to was friendly and was having a great time). We didn't do any rides during the party but got through a bunch of treat trails and met the characters we really wanted to meet. As a bonus we finally got the elusive Blue Mickey Balloon popcorn bucket in Town Square tonight. The Red one was in Fantasyland as well. Last weekend they didn't have the balloon ones out but they still had a bunch of the Vanpire Mickey ones. Today there were no signs of the Vampire Mickey ones. The Halloween merchandise in stores were all but gone, and most stores already have their Holiday merchandise front and center.


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## millie0312

BigCheese said:


> At MHP tonight and the crowds are just as expected on Halloween night...insane. Everyone is in line for Peeps at ROA! Getting to Toon Town early was a must for the pre party, but I've never seen the treat trails all over the park so packed for MHP before. But because everyone is in line for Peeps, I've never seen Main Street so "empty" for PtN. CMs have been fantastic, super friendly, and in the spirit of Halloween. It was odd though seeing Toon Town partially decorated for the Holiday season during the pre party, especially on Halloween night.


Lol uhh Merry Halloween... Although we are going for the holidays so bring them on (still think it's funny they don't wait until after Halloween, but I guess with all they have to do its not enough time)


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## Self-Rescuing Princess

We just got back form DL Halloween. Didn't think it was crowded at all. All the rides moved fast. Longest line was for the peep and we skipped that but did all the other lines. Easy walks, not to crowed. CM were very nice, funny and a little cheeky. I was dressed as Snow White and they wouldn't let me have the apples.LOL. We didn't do Toon town, lined up for the Villains instead and Hubby took daughter to Line up for Mickey and Minnie at BTR. Took about 45 minutes to do both, meet in the middle and went to dinner. The fireworks were awesome.

Saw Mulan and some other princesses. Loved the scarecrows.

Got handfuls of candy...much more then my daughter needed. lol.

All in all a perfect night!


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## mom2rtk

Speechphi said:


> Bugs land is decorated; saw that on Sat. Not sure about anywhere else.


 

Yeah, every time we walked through there my daughter said "Why..... just why." LOL. I explained that they have a lot of decorating to do and need a running head start.


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## nicole88s

I'm so sad Halloween season is over! October is my favorite month and I look forward to it all year. Here is my review of the Oct. 27 

We left our hotel around 12:30 (we stay in South Orange County) and arrived to Disneyland around 1:00. I was so happy we got to park in the Mickey and Friends structure!  The last few times we have been we are always routed to the Toy Story lot. I love the tram so much more than the bus!

We made our way to Downtown Disney stopping at The Grand Californian to see the tree. My kids weren't that impressed, lol. It wasn't the most impressive thing, but it was cool to look at. I think they were expecting Christmas Tree-in-Disney-Hotel-lobby caliber, and it most definitely is not.

I stopped at Marceline's candy store because I have been wanting the try the "peanut butter heaven" forever since seeing it on Disney Food Blog and they didn't have it, so that was disappointing. We made out way to Earl's and got there around 2:00. It was the least crowded I have ever seen. No line and plenty of space at the tables. It was a little hot at this point, but nothing terrible.

We started making our way out at 3 and I stopped at the monorail to see if we could board with our party tickets and they said no. I swear I read on this thread that someone else rode the monorail on the same party day as me, so who knows. Since the knew the parade started at 3 we killed time at World of Disney and made our way into the park at 3:20. There was no line to get in. As soon as we got in we rushed back to try and get HMH fast passes. SCORE! We got a return time of 5:30-6:30.

Then we hit Pirate's with a ten to fifteen minute line. We had a 4:20 reservation at BTRBBQ and we rushed back there and arrived at 4:30. We were the last table to be checked in. We got the chocolate chip cookie bake and shared it between the 4 of us. It was plenty for us and we all had ice water. I'm so bummed they are closing this place. Such classic Disneyland and such a nice break from the park. There was a man walking around singing songs and playing a guitar. It was nice, but is was about 2 shades too loud. If it was a little quieter it would have been a super relaxing time. We just talked and looked over our map. As we were finishing up, we noticed that they had a treat trail going, so we hit that with no line at all.

We then used our fast passes for HMH.  It was awesome! We just walked right in to the stretching room! We headed over to the Tiki Room to fit that in because I knew it wasn't going to be running during the party. After that we headed to Toon Town and did the treat trails there. It was pretty crowded, but not too bad.

After that we just hit rides and treat trails. We did Matterhorn with NO line, Tea Cups, Star Tours, Big Thunder Mountain 4 times in row sitting the the back row every time! So fun! 

We headed over to watch the fireworks in the front of IASW and there were NO projections this year! So disappointing! But we enjoyed the music and the fireworks. We then hit The Plaza for dinner and it was empty. Yummy fried chicken!

We hit the treat trail at ROA right as the Dans were starting their set. We couldn't have timed it any better if we tried! They were amazing!

Hit Indy with no wait and then decided to do HMH as our last ride.

Walked up to Jolly Holiday bakery right at 11 and a woman told us it was closed. We must have looked sad, because she gestured for us to come in the back way. We got the chocolate eclair, the caramel eclair and the seasonal spice cake. They were all delicious. We sat outside and enjoyed our treats and watched everyone leaving the park. It was such an awesome night. We all loved it. I just wish we could've fit a lot more rides in!


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## nikerbokers

Just got back home today from our DL trip with the party on Thursday the 29th... We did the party on Halloween weekend last year too and it was an amazing experience with low-ish crowds, great party, good crowds, etc. so we decided to make it a yearly tradition.

Arrived to Anaheim about 11:30pm after driving after work on Wednesday. Stayed at the Tropicana again. Clean room, quiet, and always does the trick for us.

Thursday:
Slept in since we decided not to go to the park until 3pm for the party goers. Had a leisurely morning of breakfast at Mimi's Cafe (the ham and swiss crepes were on point! Delicious!) and then shopping in Downtown Disney. Nap and then we got to DLP around 3:15. Park was crowded but not overly so. We hit some rides and then went to the ToonTown for the pre party. Did all 3 trails there and then did other trails while doing rides as well. By 6, the crowds were definitely lowered and we had a wonderful time. Rode a lot of rides, got lots of candy, good character interaction, etc. My DD was Elsa (shocking, I know) and she looked and felt beautiful. We had a bit of magic when a kind fellow DL goer was in line in front of us at a popcorn stand and gave us a free bag of popcorn because she accidentally ordered it instead of the souvenir cup. Thought it was so nice of her- especially since DL popcorn is the best on the planet. DD wanted to skip PtN since we saw it in June so we watched the fireworks and headed out soon after- probably 10pm. All in all, a GREAT afternoon and evening.

Friday:
DLP Day... Got there at opening. Had breakfast at the Plaza for Minnie and Friends. I was a little disappointed because when we did this last year, we saw 14 characters in one hour at our table. This year we only saw 6. Oh well, off we went to lots of rides. By noon, it was packed. After lunch we napped and came back and wow... It felt like it was Christmas time with how packed it was. Lines were crazy, people literally shoulder to shoulder everywhere, lots of people were not in the best of moods and were rude to others, etc. I was really bummed with the crowds (crowd index said 91% and I believe it) because last year it was fairly low crowds but I guess the 60th really hasn't died down at all. We only stayed at night because DD and I wanted to see Fantasmic! Believe it or not, in the 30 years I have been to DL, I have never seen F! so it was a real treat. Right after it ended we did the bumper to bumper to the exit and left. While I would never say a DL is a bad day, I've had much better.

Saturday (Halloween):
DCA day. What a much better day. Did Anna and Elsa meet and greet first thing and then only a 10 min wait for TSMM. Just a lot of fun all day. DD finally got to meet Jessie at Paradise Pier so that was a huge highlight. Even after returning from our nap, the crowds weren't too bad (index said 60%) and we walked on Monsters and DH walked on CA Screamin Single Rider (I am 19 weeks preggers so none of that for me... boo!). Food lines were low and all the food was on point. Loved seeing the costumes... the best was a cute little 3 year old Ariel and Eric pair. Adorable! Weather was pretty hot though. Probably 90 and at times the breeze was non existent. We skipped WoC since we saw this version in June and it's not our favorite one so we did a few more rides, shopped, and left early-ish (7:30). A lot of the non party goers from DLP were pouring into DCA around that time so I can't comment on crowds after 7:30. It was just a good day... Really good. I love DCA. So underrated.

All in all, I am sad to be back to reality. I am wondering if next year we will do the same time for Halloween or if we will do it earlier so avoid the madness like we experienced Friday. Looks like from reading what everyone else wrote, most days lately are like this, which is a bummer. I mean, I love that there are so many that love DL and want to experience Halloween time but I just wish people would remember their manners, common sense, and cleanliness (called out a few litter bugs- shame shame) if they are going to pack themselves into DL. Can't wait to go back. Halloween Time is still truly my favorite time.


----------



## Sugarnut

nikerbokers said:


> Just got back home today from our DL trip with the party on Thursday the 29th... We did the party on Halloween weekend last year too and it was an amazing experience with low-ish crowds, great party, good crowds, etc. so we decided to make it a yearly tradition.
> 
> Arrived to Anaheim about 11:30pm after driving after work on Wednesday. Stayed at the Tropicana again. Clean room, quiet, and always does the trick for us.
> 
> Thursday:
> Slept in since we decided not to go to the park until 3pm for the party goers. Had a leisurely morning of breakfast at Mimi's Cafe (the ham and swiss crepes were on point! Delicious!) and then shopping in Downtown Disney. Nap and then we got to DLP around 3:15. Park was crowded but not overly so. We hit some rides and then went to the ToonTown for the pre party. Did all 3 trails there and then did other trails while doing rides as well. By 6, the crowds were definitely lowered and we had a wonderful time. Rode a lot of rides, got lots of candy, good character interaction, etc. My DD was Elsa (shocking, I know) and she looked and felt beautiful. We had a bit of magic when a kind fellow DL goer was in line in front of us at a popcorn stand and gave us a free bag of popcorn because she accidentally ordered it instead of the souvenir cup. Thought it was so nice of her- especially since DL popcorn is the best on the planet. DD wanted to skip PtN since we saw it in June so we watched the fireworks and headed out soon after- probably 10pm. All in all, a GREAT afternoon and evening.
> 
> Friday:
> DLP Day... Got there at opening. Had breakfast at the Plaza for Minnie and Friends. I was a little disappointed because when we did this last year, we saw 14 characters in one hour at our table. This year we only saw 6. Oh well, off we went to lots of rides. By noon, it was packed. After lunch we napped and came back and wow... It felt like it was Christmas time with how packed it was. Lines were crazy, people literally shoulder to shoulder everywhere, lots of people were not in the best of moods and were rude to others, etc. I was really bummed with the crowds (crowd index said 91% and I believe it) because last year it was fairly low crowds but I guess the 60th really hasn't died down at all. We only stayed at night because DD and I wanted to see Fantasmic! Believe it or not, in the 30 years I have been to DL, I have never seen F! so it was a real treat. Right after it ended we did the bumper to bumper to the exit and left. While I would never say a DL is a bad day, I've had much better.
> 
> Saturday (Halloween):
> DCA day. What a much better day. Did Anna and Elsa meet and greet first thing and then only a 10 min wait for TSMM. Just a lot of fun all day. DD finally got to meet Jessie at Paradise Pier so that was a huge highlight. Even after returning from our nap, the crowds weren't too bad (index said 60%) and we walked on Monsters and DH walked on CA Screamin Single Rider (I am 19 weeks preggers so none of that for me... boo!). Food lines were low and all the food was on point. Loved seeing the costumes... the best was a cute little 3 year old Ariel and Eric pair. Adorable! Weather was pretty hot though. Probably 90 and at times the breeze was non existent. We skipped WoC since we saw this version in June and it's not our favorite one so we did a few more rides, shopped, and left early-ish (7:30). A lot of the non party goers from DLP were pouring into DCA around that time so I can't comment on crowds after 7:30. It was just a good day... Really good. I love DCA. So underrated.
> 
> All in all, I am sad to be back to reality. I am wondering if next year we will do the same time for Halloween or if we will do it earlier so avoid the madness like we experienced Friday. Looks like from reading what everyone else wrote, most days lately are like this, which is a bummer. I mean, I love that there are so many that love DL and want to experience Halloween time but I just wish people would remember their manners, common sense, and cleanliness (called out a few litter bugs- shame shame) if they are going to pack themselves into DL. Can't wait to go back. Halloween Time is still truly my favorite time.




We were there the same days and I agree.....Friday was crazy packed.  We could hardly get to Carnation Cafe for our dinner reservations after coming back to the park from our afternoon break.  And Saturday was very warm, we found it quite uncomfortable.   Where do you find the crowd index?


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## haileymarie92

Just wanna share a little pixie dust!

I noticed that MSBB started giving out pins to commemorate the event 1/2 way through the events. Not sure if they didn't have them in time for the earlier events or what. But I emailed the DLR Premium Experiences email and they so nicely shipped me two pins!


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## Sith

haileymarie92 said:


> Just wanna share a little pixie dust!
> 
> I noticed that MSBB started giving out pins to commemorate the event 1/2 way through the events. Not sure if they didn't have them in time for the earlier events or what. But I emailed the DLR Premium Experiences email and they so nicely shipped me two pins!


We were at the MSBB on Halloween night and they didn't give any pins. What do they look like?



Comicbookmommy said:


> The Spirit guests turned out to be the Haunted Mansion Bride and Trapeze girl! I wish I had gotten pictures. First the Bride came out. She was fantastic. She slowly wandered throughout the area to a creepy soundtrack eyeballing the crowd for a husband. Every now and then she would stop and point at a random person. My 12 year old son was VERY creeped out by her, surprisingly! He REALLY didn't want to be pointed at by her, haha!


I got selected by the bride! I shook my head, but she just kept pointing and staring. Creepy!

By the time the trapeze girl came out, my 11 year old son was getting bored and playing a game on my wife's phone. The trapeze girl came up behind him and pretty much rested her chin on his shoulder watching him play. He was to into the game to notice. It was pretty funny telling him about it later!


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## haileymarie92

Sith said:


> We were at the MSBB on Halloween night and they didn't give any pins. What do they look like?


Not my picture, but here's what they look like:


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## Sith

haileymarie92 said:


> Not my picture, but here's what they look like:
> View attachment 132809


Oh, we did get those. I thought you meant trading pins. My mistake. Thanks for the pic!


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## CassieF

I'll be honest....we did an early in the season dinner and had an amazing experience but it is a little disappointing to find out about how they enhanced them later, with the buttons (very minor) but especially Constance and Daisy the Tightrope Walker.  My experience was great, but you'd figure they would have had the parties planned out before they actually started.


----------



## TACK

CassieF said:


> I'll be honest....we did an early in the season dinner and had an amazing experience but it is a little disappointing to find out about how they enhanced them later, with the buttons (very minor) but especially Constance and Daisy the Tightrope Walker.  My experience was great, but you'd figure they would have had the parties planned out before they actually started.


I agree, I got the fire alarm and evacuation, no Constance and Daisy, no meeting with Dr. Facilier, my dessert was different and slightly rushed event due to the alarm.  The alarm was unavoidable, but I know now unless I have to, no more opening nights!


----------



## theluckyrabbit

That's the same reason why we don't choose to attend the first MHP of the season. That party just feels less organized, CMs aren't as "broken in," and not all the special additions may be in working order. The party is still fun, but seems to run more smoothly after a week or so.


----------



## Chris9ty

A month later... Got my survey from Disneyland about our experience at the Oct 5th MHP.  They asked my husband for his email while we were leaving dinner at the Tomorrowland Terrace that night.


----------



## CassieF

We also had the early desserts (Green Tiana for the cheesecake) and I thought it was beautiful but the Dr. Facilier hat they replaced it with was pretty cool as well, I just liked the green better, lol.  But yeah, with the alarm going off (unavoidable, I know, but still) and not getting to see Facilier, those are some big issues on a premium experience.


----------



## Vala

I kind of feel like a guinea pig now too. lol I didn't expect everything to go smoothly. But when I told some friends of the changes they said: "Looks they started off low to see if people complained and then slowly started improving."

Those huge waiting periods with nothing happening were definitely a major issue for attendees the night I went. Looks to me like they added the two other characters to fix this.


----------



## Sherry E

I'm finally making my way back to this thread after a being absent for the last couple of weeks of the Halloween Time season! 

Thank you to everyone who was kind enough to take the time to come back here and give us reports and/or share photos of their Halloween Time trips, Mickey's Halloween Party experiences, Mystical Spirits of the Blue Bayou recaps, etc.  I really appreciate it, and I know that everyone else did too.

I will leave this thread open for a little while longer, in case anyone still has thoughts or photos to share about their trips.  Sometime soon -- around the end of the year or beginning of 2016 -- I will switch us over to a new thread, because we passed the page limit on this one a while ago!    So we will gather in a new thread to start all over again, waiting eagerly for news on next year's Halloween Time season -- which could be quite a bit different than this year's season *if* MHP moves to DCA next year (assuming that the Rivers of America closure will have a big impact on the MHP atmosphere).  I will post the link to the new thread here, as soon as I get it started.

Interestingly, as of yesterday, 11/6, apparently the Big Thunder Ranch was still decorated for Fall/Halloween.  The transition to holiday season mode had not begun yet.  They are behind schedule.

Oh, by the way -- I finally tried something pumpkin spice.  I tried the Hostess Pumpkin Spice Donettes -- which did not taste even remotely pumpkin-ish!  Cinnamon was what I tasted, but not pumpkin.




Davidg83 said:


> Happy Halloween everyone! Thank you Sherry for all of the info you supply and keeping the thread going. It's been fun reading the Halloween news and keeping up with pumpkin pandemonium!



You're very welcome, David!    And thank YOU for reporting in with the assorted scoops on the Pumpkin Pandemonium/Halloween Hoopla/Candy Corn Chaos (and Fall Frolic Kitty Litter!) taking place at Target!  Thank you, also, for reporting back to us with the news about the Fall decorations being up at the Big Thunder Ranch.

Be sure to join us again next year, for more fun and Fall Frolicking!  



mom2rtk said:


> Yeah, every time we walked through there my daughter said "Why..... just why." LOL. I explained that they have a lot of decorating to do and need a running head start.



Janet -- I don't know if you mentioned this in the thread and I have not yet seen it, or if you have mentioned it anywhere and I have not yet read it, but... as this was your first Halloween Time visit and first experience with Mickey's Halloween Party, how does the season stack up in comparison to your last 2 DLR holiday season experiences?   You already kind of knew what to expect in terms of where to see Halloween decor (and where NOT to see it), but maybe it was pleasantly surprising and more immersive than you thought it would be?  Or does it seem not even on the same level as the holiday season as far as immersion?  You also have WDW's Halloween festivities to compare it with, as well DLR's holiday season.


----------



## mom2rtk

Sherry E said:


> Janet -- I don't know if you mentioned this in the thread and I have not yet seen it, or if you have mentioned it anywhere and I have not yet read it, but... as this was your first Halloween Time visit and first experience with Mickey's Halloween Party, how does the season stack up in comparison to your last 2 DLR holiday season experiences?   You already kind of knew what to expect in terms of where to see Halloween decor (and where NOT to see it), but maybe it was pleasantly surprising and more immersive than you thought it would be?  Or does it seem not even on the same level as the holiday season as far as immersion?  You also have WDW's Halloween festivities to compare it with, as well DLR's holiday season.



Hi Sherry! Thanks for asking.  I really enjoyed being there for Halloween Time. It was nice to see DL dressed for another season. However, if we hadn't done the party, or if they hadn't put the orange bunting up on Main Street, I do think we would have felt different about it. As it is, Christmas was already showing up. To be honest, there were probably more Christmas decorations up than Halloween (not on Main Street though). The merchandise situation was a letdown too. There was FAR more Christmas merchandise than Halloween. I really wish Disney would do better with their holiday merchandise. We saw a better selection of Christmas merchandise than we probably did on our early December trips. It appears you need to be able to shop for Halloween on Labor Day, and Christmas before Halloween.  I think the vampire Mickey popcorn bucket was the only Halloween item we purchased on the trip. (I'm still surprised we got one of those!)

I am very glad we did 2 parties. I would have left disappointed with how little we could get done if we hadn't done the second party. We were able to get most of what we wanted done, but only because we made fireworks watching friends the night before who offered to save a spot by the castle for us during the party the next night. (Lee from New Zealand, if you read this, please message me!). 

I do think I'd give WDW's Halloween party the edge. I am still shocked that DLR gets away with hosting a Halloween party with no Halloween parade or shows. PTN was nice, but we saw it the night before. I'm not giving up party time to see what I can see during regular park hours. The Cadaver Dans were awesome, but WDW has them out in Frontierland and still has a full fledged Halloween parade and show. Still, we just love DLR more than WDW so we'll likely head west again, even if we decide to stay with Halloween.

Overall, I think I was ready for a change in seasons, just so the holiday things didn't become old hat to us. I loved seeing Main Street decked out in orange. But I do think there's a strong possibility we will consider moving our trip into November next year just after the holiday season opens. My fingers are crossed that the castle lights appear again next year when the 60th is over.

I'll try to post some photos when I get a chance.


----------



## Kilala

I wanted to let all of you know I'm a little dissapointed with Christmas things going up in  mid October. I saw a Christmas tree lot going up on the week of October 14th. The Hallmark channel was showing Christmas movies since October 30th. Can't you guys wait untill Halloween is over? I will be uploading my MHP pictures up on my computer today and try to get them up for posting here later on today.


----------



## mom2rtk

Kilala said:


> I wanted to let all of you know I'm a little dissapointed with Christmas things going up in  mid October. I saw a Christmas tree lot going up on the week of October 14th. The Hallmark channel was showing Christmas movies since October 30th. Can't you guys wait untill Halloween is over? I will be uploading my MHP pictures up on my computer today and try to get them up for posting here later on today.





I agree with that as well. 

I also don't like that photo pass is only offering one Halloween border and 4-5 Christmas borders already. Holiday time hasn't even started and they're more borders for that than Halloween. 

Can anyone say they were more Halloween borders earlier in the season?


----------



## dolphingirl47

mom2rtk said:


> but WDW has them out in Frontierland



Thanks for this. I thought I was going crazy. I walked through Frontierland on the first party I did at WDW and could have sworn I heard the Cadaver Dans. I was really homesick for the Disneyland at that point and thought my mind was playing tricks on me.



mom2rtk said:


> Can anyone say they were more Halloween borders earlier in the season?



No, there was just the one. WDW was equally slim picking this year, they had one for Halloween, but at least they also had two for MNSSHP.

Corinna


----------



## mom2rtk

dolphingirl47 said:


> Thanks for this. I thought I was going crazy. I walked through Frontierland on the first party I did at WDW and could have sworn I heard the Cadaver Dans. I was really homesick for the Disneyland at that point and thought my mind was playing tricks on me.
> 
> 
> 
> No, there was just the one. WDW was equally slim picking this year, they had one for Halloween, but at least they also had two for MNSSHP.
> 
> Corinna


 

Thanks Corinna. I really wish they at least had one for the Halloween Party at DL.

I saw a photo of the Cadavader Dans in Frontierland at WDW this season. I think DLR has them beat having them on the Rivers of America. But I think WDW wins overall for Boo to You and Hocus Pocus.


----------



## Sherry E

mom2rtk said:


> Hi Sherry! Thanks for asking.  I really enjoyed being there for Halloween Time. It was nice to see DL dressed for another season. However, if we hadn't done the party, or if they hadn't put the orange bunting up on Main Street, I do think we would have felt different about it. As it is, Christmas was already showing up. To be honest, there were probably more Christmas decorations up than Halloween (not on Main Street though). The merchandise situation was a letdown too. There was FAR more Christmas merchandise than Halloween. I really wish Disney would do better with their holiday merchandise. We saw a better selection of Christmas merchandise than we probably did on our early December trips. It appears you need to be able to shop for Halloween on Labor Day, and Christmas before Halloween.  I think the vampire Mickey popcorn bucket was the only Halloween item we purchased on the trip. (I'm still surprised we got one of those!)
> 
> I am very glad we did 2 parties. I would have left disappointed with how little we could get done if we hadn't done the second party. We were able to get most of what we wanted done, but only because we made fireworks watching friends the night before who offered to save a spot by the castle for us during the party the next night. (Lee from New Zealand, if you read this, please message me!).
> 
> I do think I'd give WDW's Halloween party the edge. I am still shocked that DLR gets away with hosting a Halloween party with no Halloween parade or shows. PTN was nice, but we saw it the night before. I'm not giving up party time to see what I can see during regular park hours. The Cadaver Dans were awesome, but WDW has them out in Frontierland and still has a full fledged Halloween parade and show. Still, we just love DLR more than WDW so we'll likely head west again, even if we decide to stay with Halloween.
> 
> Overall, I think I was ready for a change in seasons, just so the holiday things didn't become old hat to us. I loved seeing Main Street decked out in orange. But I do think there's a strong possibility we will consider moving our trip into November next year just after the holiday season opens. My fingers are crossed that the castle lights appear again next year when the 60th is over.
> 
> I'll try to post some photos when I get a chance.



I can't imagine that DLR would be foolish enough to keep the Castle from being wintry for another year.  This year is bad enough!  It's going to be the same Castle that has been there since May, throughout the holidays.    I do, however, think that when the lights return to the Castle there will be some crazy _Frozen_ theme to accompany the whole thing.

Yes, DLR's version of a Halloween party without an actual Halloween parade is almost comical.  It's a fun party, but it shouldn't cost that much money when there is not a real Halloween parade in it.

Halloween merchandise, I think, starts appearing in August.  So you really need to be there to buy it right at that moment!  

I'm glad you had a good time, and I know what you mean about switching it up a bit to experience a different season.  You had done the last 2 holiday seasons at DLR, so it was time for Halloween Time.  At least you picked the year to go when the Halloween "Tree-t" was set up in the GCH lobby.  That was a totally new thing this year.  It's too bad the pumpkin carvers were not at the Ranch for you to enjoy.




Kilala said:


> I wanted to let all of you know I'm a little dissapointed with Christmas things going up in  mid October. I saw a Christmas tree lot going up on the week of October 14th. The Hallmark channel was showing Christmas movies since October 30th. Can't you guys wait untill Halloween is over? I will be uploading my MHP pictures up on my computer today and try to get them up for posting here later on today.



I have been watching the Hallmark Channel since October 30th because of those movies!    I love them and can't get enough!!  If people are out enjoying Halloween festivities, or at home and in the mood to watch something scary, believe me -- they are not going to be tuned in to the Hallmark Channel to watch whatever is on.   That's not a go-to channel for Halloween fare.  They showed some Fall/Halloween-themed movies in October and that was about the extent of it.

I love Halloween, but I really don't mind holiday season things appearing early.  Remember, Pumpkin Pandemonium and other early signs of Halloween were appearing in May, late June, July, etc.  Halloween is not until the last day of October, but there were Halloween candies in certain stores on June 30th. 

So, when you look at it that way, it stands to reason that signs of Christmas time -- arguably the biggest holiday of the year -- begin appearing in September or October.  Every holiday is "bigger" and more involved nowadays than it used to be.  Many people have stepped up their celebrations to be more elaborate and to last longer.  If Halloween things go back to only appearing in stores in September and beyond, then maybe Christmas things wouldn't appear until November and beyond.  But if Halloween doesn't get scaled back, then Christmas is certainly not going to take a back seat and then sneak in quietly without pomp and circumstance.   They're both big, marketable holidays -- full of festive decorations, treats and merchandise to buy, parties to be thrown, etc.


----------



## tzeitel

So sorry for the delay!  But here are some pics of the El Capitan showing of NBC 4D. Some are a bit blurry, but it was dark and the one with the Jack coffin was pretty far (for my phone) from where we were sitting.


----------



## tzeitel

Aaahhh!  sorry they are so big.  I will try to fix in photobucket.


----------



## closetmickey

Halloween parties at Disneyland usually do have a dedicated Halloween parade- just not this year due to the 60th celebration.


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## mom2rtk

closetmickey said:


> Halloween parties at Disneyland usually do have a dedicated Halloween parade- just not this year due to the 60th celebration.


 

I haven't seen it, but understand that they called it a cavalcade because it was not long enough to be considered a parade. Regardless, I still would have preferred that over running the same full parade they run every other night of the week already.


----------



## Sherry E

mom2rtk said:


> I haven't seen it, but understand that they called it a cavalcade because it was not long enough to be considered a parade. Regardless, I still would have preferred that over running the same full parade they run every other night of the week right already.



Exactly -- it's a "mini"-parade.  It's not a full-fledged extravaganza like Boo to You.  It's just a Cavalcade, but at least it is/was Halloween party-exclusive, unlike Paint the Night.


----------



## theluckyrabbit

We love Mickey's Costume Cavalcade and missed seeing it this year. No, it isn't even close to being a full scale parade, but it is really cute and fits the MHP vibe just right. We love singing along with all the kids around us and helping them get excited. And the Country Bears in their tutus were sorely missed this year!

NBC at the El Capitan is a Halloween tradition for us. This year we managed to make it to the last showing of the season. So much fun! And a really fun way to cap off the Halloween season this year.


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## closetmickey

mom2rtk said:


> I haven't seen it, but understand that they called it a cavalcade because it was not long enough to be considered a parade. Regardless, I still would have preferred that over running the same full parade they run every other night of the week already.


Yes - I agree that it should have been kept for the Halloween parties.  Maybe run around 6/7:00 (can remember the hours for the parties offhand) and Paint the Night later...though maybe that would be too much to fit in.  Maybe they were thinking that Paint the Night would be a bigger draw for some?


----------



## Congo Queen

Apologies for the lag in time. Here is my 13th hour addition to this thread.  I attend the MHP on October 25th and have been meaning to post ever since.  OK - so the main thing I will share is that I was surprised by how much I really really liked it.  I would absolutely do it again.  My kids are 18 and 13 and I thought that we might be too old to enjoy it, and I was worried about heavy crowds as some people had been complaining about that throughout the MHP season.  But my kids had a whopping good time and the crowds were totally a non-issue.  In fact, to me, a veteran of summer visits, crowds were only moderate at their worst.  You could walk on or have a very short wait for most rides which was a delight compared to the day before and the day after (we visited for three days total) when crowds were insane and oppresive.  I loooooved being in NOS at night with no F! taking place.  It was a pleasure to wander around and enjoy the spooky atmosphere without the herding and chaos of a typical F! night.  We did a little trick or treating (but we really weren't there for that).  We also didn't care about photos with characters.  Just being in Dland at night in costume and enjoying short ride lines and the overall charming atmosphere was a dream.  Plus some of the guests had amazing costumes on.  We enjoyed seeing them too.  The MHP was a highlight of the trip.  

The other highlight was Saturday morning 10/24 spent in DCA.  The lines for DLand that morning were nuts so we just went to DCA and had a blast riding things like GRR multiple times due to short lines.  We saw Aladdin for last time (a long time fav of my DD) and rode everything we wanted to and only stopped at 2pm as it was time for lunch.  We hit the upstairs Alfresco Wine Terrace and had a really good meal (flatbread pizza, charcuterie, frito misto) and some delicious wines all in a quiet and relaxing atmosphere above the fray. That is a new go to place for me.


----------



## mummabear

Finally some photos:


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## Kilala

mummabear said:


> Finally some photos:


I love the photos. I will have mine up this weekend.


----------



## KiwiMouseGirl

I've been super organised and have booked my accomodation for next year! I got what I think is a really good rate at the Tropicana Inn which I have never stayed at before. On our past trips we have stayed at the Best Western Plus Pavilions which I love but it will be nice to stay just across the street!!


----------



## mummabear

Kilala said:


> I love the photos. I will have mine up this weekend.


Sadly it turned out our camera was on its way out, we had to buy a new one about a week later but all the night photos from the start of our trip including both MHP and MNSSHP are pretty rubbish, these are the only ones from MHP that are usable


----------



## Minnie Sue Oz

Ok, I know it's only February, but there is a very good chance that I may get back to Disneyland for Halloween this year......................you know, have to get my money's worth out of that annual pass!!!!

I am very interested to hear what they come up with this year with so much construction going on in the park. But, oh, those Halloween fireworks.........my absolute favourite.

Roll on October


----------



## princesszelda

We will be going again this year for halloween!


----------



## lorijohnhill

I'm struggling to decide between mid-October and mid-November. We weren't even supposed to be going again for several years, but a friend won a trip and invited us to join her!


----------



## Kilala

I would say the second to last week would be the best if you go in October. It's is still hot before then. 
I will be posting photos from last years MHP this wekend


----------



## Sherry E

Hello, Halloween folks (and other DIS folks that I have not 'seen' in a while)!!!!!!    Yes, I'm alive and you haven't gotten rid of me (just in case anyone out there was eagerly awaiting my departure)!!!!!  I am still knee-deep in Halloween and Holiday Season info, news and chat.  I hope that everyone had a wonderful holiday season!

We passed the page limit on this thread centuries ago, so at some point in the near future I will have to move us over to a new thread.  Nothing is happening on the Halloween front right now, and no news is out, so there is not a big rush, but I will let you know when I've got the new thread open for business.


This year, as we know, is a big ol' question mark in terms of Halloween Time.  Last year was a question mark as well, for many reasons, but this year -- since Disneyland is going to be in the throes of construction madness in certain spots -- I really do wonder if MHP will take place in DL... or if Disney will do something like, "In honor of California Adventure's 15th anniversary, Mickey's Halloween Party will be held in DCA."  We might have to wait until July for any info, although I would hope that if there were going to be any massive changes to MHP, such as a change in location, the Parks Blog would tell us before July.

Even the start date of Halloween Time this year seems like it could be a mystery.  September 9th just seems too early to me.  But who knows?  I didn't think that DLR would actually begin Halloween Time on September 11th and they did, so they are full of surprises.

I really wonder, too, if Disney is hatching a plan to bring back the pumpkin carvers this year.  Speaking of hatching... when spring arrives I will be interested to see if the character eggs and egg decorators are set up anywhere in either park -- and if they are, that might give us a clue as to whether or not the pumpkin carvers could return this year (the Halloween Carnival and the Springtime Roundup took place in the same location that is now gone forever).  The Springtime Roundup just barely got started (a couple of years ago), and I would hate to think that the egg decorators won't be back either.  I am hoping that Disney has worked something out and thought up another place for them.

In any case, I caved in to a bit of Pumpkin Pandemonium -- months after Halloween was over -- and tried both the Hostess Pumpkin Spice Donettes AND Quaker's Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal.  Each was good, but neither one tasted much like pumpkin at all.  The Pumpkin Spice Oreos even made it to my 99 Cents Only Store and they were going to be my next purchase, because 99 cents is too good to pass up for a seasonal flavor.  But I waited too long to grab a package of the Oreos and they were gone by the time I went back.  Anyway, if it's 99 cents I am all about the Pumpkin Pandemonium.  It's the full-price stuff that requires a bit more caution and thought!

In approximately 4 months-ish, the early signs of Pumpkin Pandemonium/Halloween Hoopla should be slowly appearing in stores.

That's all for now... and get ready to move into a new Halloween Time Superthread soon!!

​


----------



## Dee2015

lorijohnhill said:


> I'm struggling to decide between mid-October and mid-November. We weren't even supposed to be going again for several years, but a friend won a trip and invited us to join her!


I so hear you!  Our trip was meant to be the once in a lifetime trip from Australia BUT we had SUCH an amazing time that I am literally fighting myself NOT to book tickets back for this year or next. I think the best I'll be able to do is to resist for one year and come back in 2017!  Seriously though, they're only young once...well that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

Disney magic to you all x


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## lorijohnhill

Dee2015 said:


> I so hear you!  Our trip was meant to be the once in a lifetime trip from Australia BUT we had SUCH an amazing time that I am literally fighting myself NOT to book tickets back for this year or next. I think the best I'll be able to do is to resist for one year and come back in 2017!  Seriously though, they're only young once...well that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.
> 
> Disney magic to you all x



So true! My daughter will be ten this year. Time has gone by so fast. I want her to get as much Disney joy as she can while she's still young enough to wear the costumes she loves so much. That may sound silly, but that's us! 

We had a little Disney planning dinner this evening and chose some dates. It looks like we may be going the third week in October (if it's available). We chose two sets of October dates and one set of November dates, so we'll see how it pans out. 

My next problem is figuring out how to plan a trip with ONLY two partial days and one full day. LOL! I'm just so happy to be going back, I really have nothing to complain about!


----------



## Kilala

I'm going to wait to post my photos from last years MHPs until we have a new thread


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## ChloroformSdxn

For 2014 we were at DLR during Halloweentime, but it was a last minute trip and we didn't do the nighttime party. I'm thinking of taking the kids this year.

How far ahead if time does Disney release the party dates? If I end up having to book before they are released, how frequently throughout the month are they? If we plan on 4 days, is it fairly likely we'll hit one anyway?


----------



## Sherry E

ChloroformSdxn said:


> For 2014 we were at DLR during Halloweentime, but it was a last minute trip and we didn't do the nighttime party. I'm thinking of taking the kids this year.
> 
> How far ahead if time does Disney release the party dates? If I end up having to book before they are released, how frequently throughout the month are they? If we plan on 4 days, is it fairly likely we'll hit one anyway?



Here is the Disney Parks Blog announcement (which includes the Halloween Party dates) from last year -- http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...he-disneyland-resort-september-11-november-1/.

You can see exactly when they made the announcement and what the dates were.

In a normal year, we can probably expect the Parks Blog to let us know the party dates in July.  Maybe late June, if they are feeling generous.  If a major change to the party is on the horizon, such as a change in location or a big change in party-exclusive entertainment, they might let us know in May.  I would count on July as being the likely time of announcement, though, and anything earlier is a bonus.

Last year there were 17 parties.  This year it is always possible that they might add in a few more and bring it up to 20 nights.  It's also always a possibility that the party could begin a bit earlier in September than it usually does (which is typically the last Friday in September).  There should be parties on every Friday in October.  There should be parties on either Tuesday or Monday of every week.  There will be a party on Halloween night.  And Disney has been adding in more Wednesday night parties too.  I would not expect a Saturday or Sunday party this year.

If you're at DLR for 4 days you should be able to catch at least one party.  Some of the nights sell out faster than others, but nothing seems to sell  out right away.  It takes a little while (you can find the sellout dates on page 1 of this thread).


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## ChloroformSdxn

Excellent, thank you! I found a set of dates, and it looks like they're every 3 days or so. This year the kids will be old enough to "get" that's it's Halloween, so I'm pretty excited. Even though we didn't do the party in 2014, the decorations were a lot of fun.


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## Sherry E

Now that the Food & Wine Festival is (finally) returning to California Adventure, after being gone for the past 5 years (it has not happened at DCA since 2010, in other words), and this IS the year of California Adventure's 15th anniversary, once again I have to think that there is a possibility that the Halloween Party could return to DCA for a year or two.  The party has not been held in DCA since 2009, but now that Disney seems to be putting more focus on seasonal events taking place in DCA and even in Downtown Disney... anything is possible.  Also, the Rivers of America and the Big Thunder Trail are usually very important locations and atmospheric elements to the party every year, but those will obviously be in the throes of construction by Halloween Time.

We might actually get some real Halloween decorations in DCA this year.  Maybe the Halloween Carnival can be reinvented/renamed and return in DCA, too.  The pumpkin carvers need a home!

This could even be a year for some sort of -- dare I say -- Christmas party to make a debut in DCA (before eventually moving over to DL down the road).  I would not mind a party in DCA at all.  A party in DL is what I would have a problem with.  A CM at DLR told me a few years back that her feeling was that IF a Christmas party were to happen it would not take place until after the year of the 60th anniversary (which was technically last year, although the festivities are continuing this year). 

I am excited to see what happens with this year's special events and seasonal celebrations!


----------



## Daisybell911

Hi all! This will be my first time to DLR and I'm SUPER excited!  I'm a bit nervous now though. I booked my trip from 9/9-9/13 and I'm REALLY hoping the Haunted Mansion will be open. That the reason I chose DLR this year, I'm knocking things off my bucket list. I sure hope HM isn't closed for the overlay.    How long does it normally take to put it up.  I see that it started last year on 9/11.  I hope that's the case this year too because that's my birthday and I'll be there to celebrate!


----------



## Sherry E

Daisybell911 said:


> Hi all! This will be my first time to DLR and I'm SUPER excited!  I'm a bit nervous now though. I booked my trip from 9/9-9/13 and I'm REALLY hoping the Haunted Mansion will be open. That the reason I chose DLR this year, I'm knocking things off my bucket list. I sure hope HM isn't closed for the overlay.    How long does it normally take to put it up.  I see that it started last year on 9/11.  I hope that's the case this year too because that's my birthday and I'll be there to celebrate!



Hello!  Welcome!

You're correct -- last year, the Halloween Time season began on Friday, 9/11 (which I was not expecting, just because of the significance of that specific date in history).  It was just 4 days after Labor Day, which was unusual.  Typically, Halloween Time had been starting on the second Friday after Labor Day, but since last year was a kind of late Labor Day it was extra close to Halloween Time.

This year, there's no way Halloween Time will start on 9/11, as that will be a Sunday.  The guess/assumption is that will begin on either Friday, 9/9 or Friday, 9/16 -- or on a weekday somewhere in between (like Monday, 9/12 or something).  I guess 9/9/16 is the most likely choice.   Haunted Mansion Holiday would begin on the first day of Halloween Time, and it will be closed for a couple of weeks prior to that.  Haunted Mansion usually closes before Labor Day to get the holiday makeover.

The only way you would miss Haunted Mansion Holiday is if, for some crazy reason, Halloween Time begins on 9/16, or post-9/13.  Otherwise, I think you'll be in luck.  You won't see the original Haunted Mansion, but you will see the holiday overlay as long as Halloween Time has officially begun.


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## Daisybell911

Sherry E said:


> Hello!  Welcome!
> 
> You're correct -- last year, the Halloween Time season began on Friday, 9/11 (which I was not expecting, just because of the significance of that specific date in history).  It was just 4 days after Labor Day, which was unusual.  Typically, Halloween Time had been starting on the second Friday after Labor Day, but since last year was a kind of late Labor Day it was extra close to Halloween Time.
> 
> This year, there's no way Halloween Time will start on 9/11, as that will be a Sunday.  The guess/assumption is that will begin on either Friday, 9/9 or Friday, 9/16 -- or on a weekday somewhere in between (like Monday, 9/12 or something).  I guess 9/9/16 is the most likely choice.   Haunted Mansion Holiday would begin on the first day of Halloween Time, and it will be closed for a couple of weeks prior to that.  Haunted Mansion usually closes before Labor Day to get the holiday makeover.
> 
> The only way you would miss Haunted Mansion Holiday is if, for some crazy reason, Halloween Time begins on 9/16, or post-9/13.  Otherwise, I think you'll be in luck.  You won't see the original Haunted Mansion, but you will see the holiday overlay as long as Halloween Time has officially begun.




Thank you so much for your answer, I really appreciate it!!!  I guess at this point I will cross my fingers and hope for a little pixie dust that it opens on 9/9. A girl can wish upon a star, can't she???


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## Sherry E

Daisybell911 said:


> Thank you so much for your answer, I really appreciate it!!!  I guess at this point I will cross my fingers and hope for a little pixie dust that it opens on 9/9. A girl can wish upon a star, can't she???



You're very welcome! 

If Halloween Time had not begun on 9/11 last year, I might not think that it would begin on 9/9 this year.  Now they seem to just be aiming for the second Friday in September, regardless of when Labor Day falls.  So I think that 9/9 is more likely than 9/16 at this point.  And even if the season didn't start on 9/9, I still think that 9/16 might be too late and they might aim for an earlier weekday, like Monday, 9/12 or Tuesday, 9/13.  

That's basically what happened with the holiday/Christmas season too -- it used to always begin on a Friday in previous years.  At some point Disney switched to a weird schedule of starting the season on a Monday, or a Tuesday, or a Thursday!


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## Belle+5

Okay...here goes...my first post after 2+ years of lurkdome. Anyways, I can't find a thread on this...but my family is going to DL for halloween for the first time ever this September (last week probably). I will have, at that time, 4 kids under the age of 7 (6,4,2&1). They LOVE nightmare before Christmas...I guess my question is there specific information for YOUNG kids for the Mickey Halloween Party (going off of previous years we are anticipating a party that Wed and we would like to attend). I know it's super late, but I'm fine wearing the youngest (she's has 3 older brothers...girl could sleep through a bomb) and the others are crazy enough to stay up and, hey, it's Disney...plus we are just driving home thursday so they can melt-down and sleep then


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## StayClassy

So I've been looking at crowd calendars and a lot of them have Halloween and the week of Halloween as 5's or lower numbers than I expected... I always thought Halloween was a high or near high capacity day?

Also I'm trying to pick dates for a fall or winter 2016 trip so to those who go every year during Halloween is it crazy busy? Is the beginning of the month Less crowded than the closer dates to Halloween?

Also are the parks bad during the day... If I go in October I don't see myself going to mnss party more than once... And the 6pm closing time is fine with me because I'm normally back at the hotel by 4pm anyways.


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## lorijohnhill

We got the word! We are booked for October 18-20! I'm so excited!


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## Sherry E

Belle+5 said:


> Okay...here goes...my first post after 2+ years of lurkdome. Anyways, I can't find a thread on this...but my family is going to DL for halloween for the first time ever this September (last week probably). I will have, at that time, 4 kids under the age of 7 (6,4,2&1). They LOVE nightmare before Christmas...I guess my question is there specific information for YOUNG kids for the Mickey Halloween Party (going off of previous years we are anticipating a party that Wed and we would like to attend). I know it's super late, but I'm fine wearing the youngest (she's has 3 older brothers...girl could sleep through a bomb) and the others are crazy enough to stay up and, hey, it's Disney...plus we are just driving home thursday so they can melt-down and sleep then



I'm so sorry that your question didn't get answered here.  I got tied up in some other things and couldn't sign in, but I assumed someone else would have stepped in to answer!  Anyway, welcome!    Thank you for coming out of lurkdom to post.

Now when you ask if there is specific info for young kids for MHP, what do you mean?  Do you mean how do young kids enjoy the party, or if there is anything specific that they enjoy at the party, or anything that would scare them?  Or what, specifically?  I think that many, many, many people go to MHP with young kids, so it is a common thing.  From all that I read and from what people report, their little ones enjoy it.

Maybe someone here with young kids can speak up and give some insight?

If the party is held in Disneyland this year, there may be a pre-party of sorts in Toontown, which would begin a bit before the actual party begins.  There are characters there, and treat stations -- and it is there for the real little ones, who may fall asleep very early but who want to get candy.  If the party happens to be held in California Adventure this year, there would still probably end up being some sort of pre-party, but I'm not sure where it would be held.





StayClassy said:


> So I've been looking at crowd calendars and a lot of them have Halloween and the week of Halloween as 5's or lower numbers than I expected... I always thought Halloween was a high or near high capacity day?
> 
> Also I'm trying to pick dates for a fall or winter 2016 trip so to those who go every year during Halloween is it crazy busy? Is the beginning of the month Less crowded than the closer dates to Halloween?
> 
> Also are the parks bad during the day... If I go in October I don't see myself going to mnss party more than once... And the 6pm closing time is fine with me because I'm normally back at the hotel by 4pm anyways.



Hello! 

I think that Halloween is a busy day in general, but depending on which day of the week it falls the crowds could be higher or lower.  A Halloween on a Saturday or Sunday would probably be very crowded.  A Friday Halloween is probably very crowded as well.  This year Halloween is on a Monday, so it is possible that the crowds could be slightly lighter than in other years.

As a general rule, most people seem to agree that the parks have been busier overall in the last several months -- which is probably directly related to the 60th anniversary and Season of the Force, as well as a lot of people hoping to see/ride some things before they closed forever or temporarily.  This year we don't know what will be happening.  Supposedly the Diamond Celebration is going to be winding down in September -- probably right before Halloween Time begins, or right around that point in the month.   It is possible that crowds might dwindle a bit at that point.  It is also possible that Disney may surprise us with more special events this year that will attract more people during what would have been down times.

Another issue is Annual Passes and crowds.  Since the last price hike was quite significant for the APs (especially the upper level APs), when a lot of AP holders' APs begin to expire there is a lot of curiosity as to whether or not we will begin to see a big decrease in crowds (personally, I don't think the decrease will be that significant).  

There are usually assorted school closures and other things that factor into crowds being heavier at the beginning of October.  But around the middle of the month to late in the month, crowds should die down a tad.

Is October the main time you're looking at, or is September an option?   You also mentioned winter as being a possibility too?


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## akmomesq

We just booked VGC studio for a week - 10/16 through 10/22 - and are so excited.  Have no questions, no reason to post, so don't mind me.... Just excited.


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## Sherry E

akmomesq said:


> We just booked VGC studio for a week - 10/16 through 10/22 - and are so excited.  Have no questions, no reason to post, so don't mind me.... Just excited.



That's an excellent reason to post -- and I'm glad you did!  You're always welcome to just hang out with us as we all await any tiny morsels of info about this year's Halloween Time offerings.  It would be nice if we didn't have to wait until July to get any concrete info -- but if there are any major changes afoot this year, we might find out something earlier than July.

The rumor mill (a.k.a. MiceChat, et al.) used to be more reliable in leaking out details of events that were in the works for all seasons.  Now it seems that the rumors only come along once in a great while.  In the old days, for example, word of the newly resurfacing Food & Wine Festival at DCA would have leaked out way before it was officially announced.  This year there were no rumors and no advance warning about it at all (not that I saw, anyway) -- it was rather surprising when the Parks Blog announced it.  So, to that end, I think that anything in store for Halloween Time or the holidays could be kept hush-hush too, until it's time for an official announcement.


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## lorijohnhill

Update... we are extending our trip! We are going to do a split stay. The free room (from my friend's work prize) at VGC the first two nights and then Del Sol Inn the second two nights. So, we get 5 days in DLR instead of just 3. I am so happy! We are going to have a blast. One princess turning 10 (during our trip), 2 princesses turning 70, and me turning, well, somewhere in between those two numbers. LOL Now I can focus on planning some fun birthday surprises. You only turn 70 at Disneyland once, right?


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## Belle+5

Thank you so much for responding...the "scary factor" is what I'm most concerned about. They LOVE NightmareBC but I really don't want to pay a ton of money for MHP tickets AND therapy


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## lorijohnhill

Belle+5 said:


> Thank you so much for responding...the "scary factor" is what I'm most concerned about. They LOVE NightmareBC but I really don't want to pay a ton of money for MHP tickets AND therapy


The MHP is family friendly and not scary. The trail up by Big Thunder Mountain had some fog effects in past years (no idea what that will do this year). The only thing I can think of that might spook a very young, or skittish, child is the talking scarecrows in Frontierland. They are not scary at all, they are quite funny, but I can see a child being a little leary of them. Everything is very upbeat and fun. No things jumping out at you in the dark.


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## Sherry E

Four months after Halloween (or 8 months before Halloween -- however you want to look at it)... I finally tried the Pumpkin Spice Oreos.  They're not bad at all.  They really don't taste like pumpkin to me, but neither did the Hostess Pumpkin Spice Donettes or the Quaker Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal.  Maybe my taste buds are somehow compromised.


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## Canadian Harmony

My kids had a great time at the MHP. I didn't. Mostly because we planned poorly (ahem, *I* planned poorly) and we squished too much in on the same day. BUT, there were fun treat trails and we got to see some characters and get a photo op in.

THIS year, however, I'm returning kidless to celebrate my birthday with some adult friends. I'm planning on hitting the Friday MHP on the 14th and staying til I'm kicked out. I want to see as many characters as I can (treat trails aren't important to me, but I may do one or two), and just soak up the atmosphere.


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## dreamerbaby98

We have just booked a trip for Oct 17th-21st. with 3 park days with hoppers. It will just be me and DH. WE just did a 2 week trip to DW in January and we decided we needed one more Disney fix so are going to hit DL in Oct so we could see the Halloween themes. My question is about the Halloween party, Is it mainly for kids or would it be fine for me and DH.  I thought I may surprise him with tickets to the Halloween party If It is on one of the nights we are there and I can get some. We haven't been to DL since 98 so are really excited to go back. Kinda sad since we live just up in Oregon.


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## Sherry E

dreamerbaby98 said:


> We have just booked a trip for Oct 17th-21st. with 3 park days with hoppers. It will just be me and DH. WE just did a 2 week trip to DW in January and we decided we needed one more Disney fix so are going to hit DL in Oct so we could see the Halloween themes. My question is about the Halloween party, Is it mainly for kids or would it be fine for me and DH.  I thought I may surprise him with tickets to the Halloween party If It is on one of the nights we are there and I can get some. We haven't been to DL since 98 so are really excited to go back. Kinda sad since we live just up in Oregon.



I don't have kids, so I've only been with fellow adult friends when I have gone to the Halloween parties in either DCA or DL!  I would say that the party has something for everyone.  It's not scary at all -- it's not like Universal Studios' Halloween event, or Knott's Berry Farm's Halloween event.  It is very family friendly and very appropriate for young kids.  That said, I have seen lots of adults without kids at the party.   The adults like the Halloween Screams fireworks, for one thing, but they also collect candy, dress in costume (though that is not necessary to do), hit the rides with shorter lines and pose with characters.  If your DH doesn't mind those sorts of things, I think he'd like it.


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## lorijohnhill

dreamerbaby98 said:


> We have just booked a trip for Oct 17th-21st. with 3 park days with hoppers. It will just be me and DH. WE just did a 2 week trip to DW in January and we decided we needed one more Disney fix so are going to hit DL in Oct so we could see the Halloween themes. My question is about the Halloween party, Is it mainly for kids or would it be fine for me and DH.  I thought I may surprise him with tickets to the Halloween party If It is on one of the nights we are there and I can get some. We haven't been to DL since 98 so are really excited to go back. Kinda sad since we live just up in Oregon.


The parties are for kids of ALL ages! You will have a great time!


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## justgrace

I haven't heard, maybe someone else posted about it, but has anyone heard about the costume restrictions and if they will implement those restrictions during MHP? I sure hope not!! That was one of the most fun parts of going to MHP!


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## dreamerbaby98

Sherry E said:


> I don't have kids, so I've only been with fellow adult friends when I have gone to the Halloween parties in either DCA or DL!  I would say that the party has something for everyone.  It's not scary at all -- it's not like Universal Studios' Halloween event, or Knott's Berry Farm's Halloween event.  It is very family friendly and very appropriate for young kids.  That said, I have seen lots of adults without kids at the party.   The adults like the Halloween Screams fireworks, for one thing, but they also collect candy, dress in costume (though that is not necessary to do), hit the rides with shorter lines and pose with characters.  If your DH doesn't mind those sorts of things, I think he'd like it.



Awsome!! My husband loves the characters. I tease him all the time that Minnie is his secrect love. Anywhere there was a Minnie mouse we had to wait in line to get his pic with her. I think this will be a must do for us then.


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## Sherry E

justgrace said:


> I haven't heard, maybe someone else posted about it, but has anyone heard about the costume restrictions and if they will implement those restrictions during MHP? I sure hope not!! That was one of the most fun parts of going to MHP!



I haven't heard anything.  I certainly hope there aren't too many restrictions placed on the MHP costumes (beyond what's already in place), since dressing up is a major part of the fun for guests.


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## justgrace

Sherry E said:


> I haven't heard anything.  I certainly hope there aren't too many restrictions placed on the MHP costumes (beyond what's already in place), since dressing up is a major part of the fun for guests.



I hope not either! I know that other sites were addressing the costume restrictions and some posters were suggesting that Dapper Day would have restrictions and Mickey's Halloween Party would have further restrictions on costumes.


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## TamaraH

So we just booked our stay and GCH for 10/3-10/7.  We are SoCal natives but now are AZ residents (since 2004). So we've never actually stayed at the resort. It's been so long since we've been to the parks. I know so much has changed! In fact I grew up going all the time as a small child as my grandfather was the Controller for Disneyland...his picture is somewhere in the Hall of Fame. 

Anyway we've done Halloween a couple of times on the Fantasy but the cruises are so much different than the parks. I'm going in blind on this so I need to gather as much knowledge about planning our stay and approach to getting the most out the parks as possible. I imagine I will be lurking through this thread a lot! LOL. 

My first question is, if we are only going to the parks midweek will we be missing out on anything?  And what are the chances of there being a Halloween Party that Monday (10/3)?

I would be very grateful for any and all tips/tricks/advice!  Thanks!


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## Sherry E

TamaraH said:


> So we just booked our stay and GCH for 10/3-10/7.  We are SoCal natives but now are AZ residents (since 2004). So we've never actually stayed at the resort. It's been so long since we've been to the parks. I know so much has changed! In fact I grew up going all the time as a small child as my grandfather was the Controller for Disneyland...his picture is somewhere in the Hall of Fame.
> 
> Anyway we've done Halloween a couple of times on the Fantasy but the cruises are so much different than the parks. I'm going in blind on this so I need to gather as much knowledge about planning our stay and approach to getting the most out the parks as possible. I imagine I will be lurking through this thread a lot! LOL.
> 
> My first question is, if we are only going to the parks midweek will we be missing out on anything?  And what are the chances of there being a Halloween Party that Monday (10/3)?
> 
> I would be very grateful for any and all tips/tricks/advice!  Thanks!



Hello and welcome! 

Your grandfather must have had lots of wonderful stories during his time at Disneyland!

The GCH is such a nice hotel.  I have not stayed there in many years, but I enjoy that lobby any chance I get!  I was there a few days ago, and it was a wonderful moment when the lobby was not packed with people.  I plunked down in one of the deceptively comfortable chairs to rest my tired legs and feet -- and I did not want to get up or move!  Those chairs are heavenly after a long day.

If this year's Halloween Time season repeats last year's season, there should be some sort of Halloween tree or other creation in the GCH lobby, like this one -- https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/b...in-disneys-grand-californian-hotel-spa-lobby/.

Was the last time you were at Disneyland in 2004, or have you been there since then?  If 2004 was the last time, then yes -- lots of changes!  California Adventure has changed, especially.

Okay, as for Halloween Time (one of my favorite times of year at Disneyland)... I think that there is a good chance of a Halloween party taking place on either Mon., 10/3 or Tuesday, 10/4.  So you should definitely be able to catch at least one party during your trip.

This year there is some mystery as to whether or not Mickey's Halloween Party will continue on in Disneyland, or if it will move back over to California Adventure (where it hasn't taken place since 2009).  California Adventure has pretty much been lacking in anything too Halloween-ish for the last 6 years.   With all of the construction that is going to go on in Disneyland around the Big Thunder Trail and former Ranch area this year, and the draining of the Rivers of America that will eventually take place, some of the locations for fog and spooky lighting will be compromised if the party is held in Disneyland (the Cadaver Dans would not be able to sail along the River, for example).  The party may still be held there, but I also think there is a good chance that it could move to California Adventure for a year or two, until Disneyland is back to normal. 

I don't think you will miss out on anything noteworthy by going mid-week.  I'm not sure what exactly Halloween Time season will entail this year.  One major part of it -- the Halloween Carnival -- where pumpkin carvers and a bunch of other stuff could be found, is gone.   Anything else outside of the actual party and the ride overlays (Haunted Mansion Holiday and Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy) would just be decorations (pumpkins on Main Street and some decorations in Frontierland) unless something brand new is added in.

We should find out the dates and confirmed location of Mickey's Halloween Party by mid-July, if not sooner.  The tickets would go on sale shortly thereafter as well.  If there are any new events coming to the Halloween Time season even outside of the party, we could find out as early as May (very unlikely) or as late as August!  Disneyland is terrible at giving dates and details well in advance.

Any time any little bits of news, rumors or other info trickles out, we will chat about it and analyze it here, so stick with us!


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## TamaraH

Sherry E said:


> Hello and welcome!
> 
> Your grandfather must have had lots of wonderful stories during his time at Disneyland!
> 
> The GCH is such a nice hotel.  I have not stayed there in many years, but I enjoy that lobby any chance I get!  I was there a few days ago, and it was a wonderful moment when the lobby was not packed with people.  I plunked down in one of the deceptively comfortable chairs to rest my tired legs and feet -- and I did not want to get up or move!  Those chairs are heavenly after a long day.
> 
> If this year's Halloween Time season repeats last year's season, there should be some sort of Halloween tree or other creation in the GCH lobby, like this one -- https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/b...in-disneys-grand-californian-hotel-spa-lobby/.
> 
> Was the last time you were at Disneyland in 2004, or have you been there since then?  If 2004 was the last time, then yes -- lots of changes!  California Adventure has changed, especially.
> 
> Okay, as for Halloween Time (one of my favorite times of year at Disneyland)... I think that there is a good chance of a Halloween party taking place on either Mon., 10/3 or Tuesday, 10/4.  So you should definitely be able to catch at least one party during your trip.
> 
> This year there is some mystery as to whether or not Mickey's Halloween Party will continue on in Disneyland, or if it will move back over to California Adventure (where it hasn't taken place since 2009).  California Adventure has pretty much been lacking in anything too Halloween-ish for the last 6 years.   With all of the construction that is going to go on in Disneyland around the Big Thunder Trail and former Ranch area this year, and the draining of the Rivers of America that will eventually take place, some of the locations for fog and spooky lighting will be compromised if the party is held in Disneyland (the Cadaver Dans would not be able to sail along the River, for example).  The party may still be held there, but I also think there is a good chance that it could move to California Adventure for a year or two, until Disneyland is back to normal.
> 
> I don't think you will miss out on anything noteworthy by going mid-week.  I'm not sure what exactly Halloween Time season will entail this year.  One major part of it -- the Halloween Carnival -- where pumpkin carvers and a bunch of other stuff could be found, is gone.   Anything else outside of the actual party and the ride overlays (Haunted Mansion Holiday and Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy) would just be decorations (pumpkins on Main Street and some decorations in Frontierland) unless something brand new is added in.
> 
> We should find out the dates and confirmed location of Mickey's Halloween Party by mid-July, if not sooner.  The tickets would go on sale shortly thereafter as well.  If there are any new events coming to the Halloween Time season even outside of the party, we could find out as early as May (very unlikely) or as late as August!  Disneyland is terrible at giving dates and details well in advance.
> 
> Any time any little bits of news, rumors or other info trickles out, we will chat about it and analyze it here, so stick with us!



Thanks for the warm welcome and all the insight!  Yes we are super excited to stay at GCH.  We remember when it was first built and we walk in and just say how much we'd love to be able to stay there some time.  Fast forward many years and here we are.   We moved to AZ in 2004 so the last time we visited both parks was in the spring of 2006 and then again in 2008 and already at that time a lot had changed.


Hmmm so there is speculation about moving MHP back to DCA?  I'm kind of hoping that doesn't happen as we'd love to be able to take advantage of some possibly shorter lines at Disneyland and experience the park at night.  So the parks close early during the fall, correct?  The only time you are in the park late at night is during the Halloween Party? What about fireworks and the Paint the Night parade?  I had posted the question on the main forum and someone had said that in their opinion, they could see PtN continue for potentially years to come because of the popularity even though it was created for the 60 year celebration.  Since the 60 celebration is ending before our trip this fall, are there any other changes we might be able to expect?

Thanks!


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## Sherry E

TamaraH said:


> Thanks for the warm welcome and all the insight!  Yes we are super excited to stay at GCH.  We remember when it was first built and we walk in and just say how much we'd love to be able to stay there some time.  Fast forward many years and here we are.   We moved to AZ in 2004 so the last time we visited both parks was in the spring of 2006 and then again in 2008 and already at that time a lot had changed.
> 
> 
> Hmmm so there is speculation about moving MHP back to DCA?  I'm kind of hoping that doesn't happen as we'd love to be able to take advantage of some possibly shorter lines at Disneyland and experience the park at night.  So the parks close early during the fall, correct?  The only time you are in the park late at night is during the Halloween Party? What about fireworks and the Paint the Night parade?  I had posted the question on the main forum and someone had said that in their opinion, they could see PtN continue for potentially years to come because of the popularity even though it was created for the 60 year celebration.  Since the 60 celebration is ending before our trip this fall, are there any other changes we might be able to expect?
> 
> Thanks!



There is no official info to indicate that this is what's happening, but I fully believe that Paint the Night will stick around in some capacity -- perhaps on a more limited schedule -- beyond the "end" of the Diamond Celebration.   All we know is that the Diamond Celebration ends in very early September, but what parts of it will be "ending" is the thing that is up in the air.  The Diamond Mad T Party is ending long before that, so that is one thing that is being phased out.  Maybe World of Color -- Celebrate might end.

I also have a hard time thinking that the Disneyland Forever fireworks will end completely in September, but I think there is more of a chance of that going away than there is a chance of Paint the Night going away.  Disneyland Forever is such a nostalgic, sometimes heartstring-tugging, ode to Disneyland.  It's really -- for lack of a better phrase -- a love letter or Valentine to Disneyland and Walt Disney, and all of the wonder and inspiration Disney has brought to our lives.  It fits perfectly with the theme of the Diamond Anniversary, but to me it seems like it could stick around on a limited schedule even beyond early September.  I guess we shall see.

The park hours and entertainment schedules are generally a bit more limited after Labor Day and through October, which can be a problem.  And people who do not attend Mickey's Halloween Party are generally not thrilled about having to leave Disneyland at 6 p.m. or 7 p.m. (though California Adventure will stay open for a while to accommodate them).  The funny thing is that, as popular and busy as Halloween Time is, October is still technically considered the off-peak season for the parks.   That's why the hours are shorter then -- it's not a peak season (like Spring Break, summer or the Holidays).

Mickey's Halloween Party usually lasts until 11 p.m. or 12 a.m., depending on the night of the week, but Saturdays and Sundays (without parties) should have late hours.

It is very possible that MHP could stay in Disneyland this year -- I just don't know how Disney would get around the drained Rivers of America (it's not drained right now, but it will be by October).  That location is usually a big part of the party's atmosphere and ambiance, as they pump fog into it and there is eerie lighting.  The Cadaver Dans float along the river, singing Halloween-ish songs.  Likewise, the Big Thunder Trail -- parts of which should be under construction at that point -- is a big spot for fog and spooky lighting.

Last year there was speculation that MHP would move to DCA as well -- mainly because it was assumed that the Diamond Anniversary entertainment would interfere with the MHP or vice versa (no one thought that they would add Paint the Night to the Halloween party!).  However, not only did the party stay in Disneyland, but there were extra party nights added in -- more parties than ever.

So, you never know.  While it seems like this would be as good a year as any to move the party back to California Adventure for a couple of years, while construction is going on in Disneyland, it could very well stay in Disneyland.  They may come up with a clever way to divert attention away from the Rivers of America.

I have been wondering for years if Disney would do a Halloween version of World of Color and possibly make that a centerpiece/selling point of a Halloween Party -- just assuming that the party had to move back to DCA for a year or two.  People would miss the Halloween Screams fireworks, though.  They could also come up with some clever Halloween decorations and activities in Cars Land, on Buena Vista Street, in Hollywood Land, in Grizzly Peak and even in the Paradise Pier area of the park.  They could trot out the Toy Story Midway Mania Halloween edition (for which Mr. Potato Head's dialogue/banter was supposedly recorded many years ago).  There are definitely ways to bring Halloween back to DCA if they are trying to shift the focus away from Disneyland for a while, as all of the construction goes on.  I just don't know if any of that will ever happen!


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## Sherry E

I wanted to mention that I learned that, so far, as of now, there are still no plans to bring back the pumpkin carvers (who create amazing Disney character pumpkins) this year.   I knew it was a bad sign when the egg artists did not return this month -- because the egg artists were normally stationed in the same general area where the carvers would be later in the year.  I had hoped that the removal of the carvers was only going to be temporary.

This situation could change -- it is still early enough to where something could change, but I think the plans would have to be in place for the Halloween Time season in the next few months.   One of the carvers is trying to convince Disney that there are other locations around the parks that could work (as a replacement to where they used to be set up, at the Ranch).  So far, Disney/DLR is not going for it.  Madness!


----------



## AussieCaribou

Hi Everyone,

I am so excited.  My daughter and I will be at Disneyland from 4 to 8 October.  It's been 5 years, I think, since we got to go to Halloween Time!  I know that I have to wait to hear details of what is going to happen during this season...but I am still really excited.  

Sadly, my daughter (who is now 17) isn't as excited by the Halloween party this year.  She is bummed that she wouldn't get to dress up (that was the big draw last time).  I am going to work on her though.

Anyway, I was just checking in. Can't wait to see who else will be around when we are there.


----------



## Sherry E

AussieCaribou said:


> Hi Everyone,
> 
> I am so excited.  My daughter and I will be at Disneyland from 4 to 8 October.  It's been 5 years, I think, since we got to go to Halloween Time!  I know that I have to wait to hear details of what is going to happen during this season...but I am still really excited.
> 
> Sadly, my daughter (who is now 17) isn't as excited by the Halloween party this year.  She is bummed that she wouldn't get to dress up (that was the big draw last time).  I am going to work on her though.
> 
> Anyway, I was just checking in. Can't wait to see who else will be around when we are there.



Welcome back!  In about 4 months we should know dates, but hopefully rumors and tidbits of info about season-specific things will trickle in before July.

Although Halloween Time has been kind of scaled down in the last few years, I am hoping that something is added to it this year that expands it back into DCA a bit.  The Halloween Tree ("Tree-t") in the GCH last year was a good sign that something Halloween-ish might occur outside of Disneyland itself, even if it means just a decoration or two.


----------



## Abbey1

AussieCaribou said:


> Hi Everyone,
> 
> I am so excited.  My daughter and I will be at Disneyland from 4 to 8 October.  It's been 5 years, I think, since we got to go to Halloween Time!  I know that I have to wait to hear details of what is going to happen during this season...but I am still really excited.
> 
> Sadly, my daughter (who is now 17) isn't as excited by the Halloween party this year.  She is bummed that she wouldn't get to dress up (that was the big draw last time).  I am going to work on her though.
> 
> Anyway, I was just checking in. Can't wait to see who else will be around when we are there.



I was chatting with a CM a few weeks ago about the costume restrictions. She told me that the employees all think that they will be allowed for all ages at the Halloween Party. She also mentioned that they had recently had a Run Disney event (not sure which one), and tons of people were dressed in costume as they have always been in years past, and no one was sent away for it. 

So hopefully there will be some clarification and costumes WILL be allowed- fingers crossed! Seeing everyone's awesome costumes was one of my favorite parts of the party when we went last year!


----------



## lindyv321

We were in the parks for Halloween time in 2013 and will be there again for 2016!!! We will be there the last week in September so we may have the chance to go to the Halloween party! If so I am thinking king of Disney Bounding rather then doing a whole costume. So EXCITED!!!


----------



## DisFan84

MHP question- 

We haven't been to DL in three years and am SO excited to go beginning of October, never been during Halloween time. As far as the party, It's a separate ticket from regular DL entry, right? Can the tickets to the party be purchased for a night we wouldn't have otherwise attended the park? We'll have our two year old with us this visit and would love to be in the parks two days and attend the MHP on a day we are not going to be active and in the parks. 

Thanks!!


----------



## dolphingirl47

DisFan84 said:


> MHP question-
> 
> We haven't been to DL in three years and am SO excited to go beginning of October, never been during Halloween time. As far as the party, It's a separate ticket from regular DL entry, right? Can the tickets to the party be purchased for a night we wouldn't have otherwise attended the park? We'll have our two year old with us this visit and would love to be in the parks two days and attend the MHP on a day we are not going to be active and in the parks.
> 
> Thanks!!



Yes, you can and the park ticket will allow you into the park 3 hours before the party starts.

Corinna


----------



## Sherry E

lindyv321 said:


> We were in the parks for Halloween time in 2013 and will be there again for 2016!!! We will be there the last week in September so we may have the chance to go to the Halloween party! If so I am thinking king of Disney Bounding rather then doing a whole costume. So EXCITED!!!



I think you should have the chance to attend the party, for sure.  There is no real reason why it shouldn't begin in late September again.  If anything, Disney may try to start it earlier.  Typically we can expect it to begin on the last Friday in September, and then there would be another party a few days later -- on Monday or Tuesday.



DisFan84 said:


> MHP question-
> 
> We haven't been to DL in three years and am SO excited to go beginning of October, never been during Halloween time. As far as the party, It's a separate ticket from regular DL entry, right? Can the tickets to the party be purchased for a night we wouldn't have otherwise attended the park? We'll have our two year old with us this visit and would love to be in the parks two days and attend the MHP on a day we are not going to be active and in the parks.
> 
> Thanks!!



Yes -- Mickey's Halloween Party is a separate ticket from the regular park entry.  You can absolutely buy MHP tickets for nights when you otherwise wouldn't have been in Disneyland.  Unless something changes this year, on the nights when the party begins at 6 p.m., you can use your Halloween Party ticket to enter Disneyland at 3 p.m., and the park will close/party will end at 11 p.m.  On the nights when MHP begins at 7 p.m., you can enter Disneyland at 4 p.m. and the park will stay open until midnight.


----------



## IAmElsan

This is quite the long thread so forgive me for not combing through all the pages and whatnot.  My partner and I are planning to head to the park from Oct 30th-Nov 4th.  Is that too late to catch a Halloween Party at the park since it would be the last 2 days of the month?  Should we maybe plan to head out the week before?  Any and all help as well regarding everything about Halloween time at DLR and CA would be greatly appreciated as well!

Thanks!!


----------



## dolphingirl47

IAmElsan said:


> This is quite the long thread so forgive me for not combing through all the pages and whatnot.  My partner and I are planning to head to the park from Oct 30th-Nov 4th.  Is that too late to catch a Halloween Party at the park since it would be the last 2 days of the month?  Should we maybe plan to head out the week before?  Any and all help as well regarding everything about Halloween time at DLR and CA would be greatly appreciated as well!
> 
> Thanks!!



There should definitely be a party on October 31st.

Corinna


----------



## Sherry E

IAmElsan said:


> This is quite the long thread so forgive me for not combing through all the pages and whatnot.  My partner and I are planning to head to the park from Oct 30th-Nov 4th.  Is that too late to catch a Halloween Party at the park since it would be the last 2 days of the month?  Should we maybe plan to head out the week before?  Any and all help as well regarding everything about Halloween time at DLR and CA would be greatly appreciated as well!
> 
> Thanks!!



Welcome!  

Oh, don't worry -- no one is expected to comb through all the pages, so you did the right thing by just jumping in and joining us!  There is some basic information on page 1 of the thread -- and some of it may change from year to year -- that could be useful.   But otherwise, feel free to ask a question at any time, or just join us to chat about what's happening for the Halloween Time season this year (none of which is really known at this point, but I and other people will post updates, news, rumors, etc., if we find out anything).  In fact, I will soon be switching us over to a new thread just because of the page limit issue on this one.

As Corinna mentioned, there will be a party on Halloween night.  There is always a party on October 31st, so you will be able to catch that one for sure.  Otherwise, most likely there won't be any other Halloween parties during your trip -- though that could always change.  Last year Disney threw in a random Sunday night party that I was not expecting, so you never know -- they could very well add in a party on 10/30 too.  But, if not, you will have 10/31.

You could head out the week before and possibly have a couple of extra party nights from which to choose, but at this rate we don't know what those dates would be.

The specific party dates should be released in early-to-mid July, via the Disney Parks Blog.  That's also when the Cast Members on the phone at Disneyland will get the information, but they don't get it any sooner than when the Parks Blog gets it.  All tickets should go on sale to Annual Pass holders, Disney Visa Card holders and Disney Vacation Club members within a week or two of the announcement of the dates, and many of those tickets will be slightly discounted.  The tickets for the general public should go on sale one week after that.

As for general Halloween Time dates and info, unless there is any kind of significant change to the offerings this year -- and I guess that would apply to the Halloween Party as well -- that, too, should be released in July.  if there is anything out of the ordinary happening for the season, the Parks Blog may do a blog about it earlier than July, but July is probably the safest bet for official info.

California Adventure -- from 2010 and beyond -- has pretty much been stripped of any Halloween fun, for the most part.  There are some loaves of bread shaped into pumpkins and other edible goodies, and merchandise, of course, but as far as Halloween decorations and entertainment in California Adventure... the pickins are slim!

Disneyland is where you will find the bulk of the Halloween Time fun -- again, unless something changes this year.  There are Halloween decorations and things to see on Main Street and in Frontierland.  Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy is in Tomorrowland.  Haunted Mansion Holiday will be going on at that time.  Characters will be out in Halloween attire.   There used to be a Halloween Carnival with pumpkin carvers, games, and lots of rustic decor -- but that is gone forever.

At the Disney hotels, so far there isn't much to see or do that is Halloween-themed, although the hotels do give out candy to trick-or-treaters on Halloween, and the Grand Californian Hotel may or may not have another one of these in the lobby -- https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/b...in-disneys-grand-californian-hotel-spa-lobby/.

Edited to add:  One thing I forgot to mention is that you will probably see the beginning of the crossover time, when the parks transition from Halloween Time into the holiday season.  The holidays won't officially begin for at least another 10 days after Halloween, I would guess, but the holiday decor slowly begins to go up even before 10/31 in some spots, and then it picks up steam after 10/31, with more holiday decorations appearing every day.


----------



## IAmElsan

Sherry E said:


> Welcome!
> 
> Oh, don't worry -- no one is expected to comb through all the pages, so you did the right thing by just jumping in and joining us!  There is some basic information on page 1 of the thread -- and some of it may change from year to year -- that could be useful.   But otherwise, feel free to ask a question at any time, or just join us to chat about what's happening for the Halloween Time season this year (none of which is really known at this point, but I and other people will post updates, news, rumors, etc., if we find out anything).  In fact, I will soon be switching us over to a new thread just because of the page limit issue on this one.
> 
> As Corinna mentioned, there will be a party on Halloween night.  There is always a party on October 31st, so you will be able to catch that one for sure.  Otherwise, most likely there won't be any other Halloween parties during your trip -- though that could always change.  Last year Disney threw in a random Sunday night party that I was not expecting, so you never know -- they could very well add in a party on 10/30 too.  But, if not, you will have 10/31.
> 
> You could head out the week before and possibly have a couple of extra party nights from which to choose, but at this rate we don't know what those dates would be.
> 
> The specific party dates should be released in early-to-mid July, via the Disney Parks Blog.  That's also when the Cast Members on the phone at Disneyland will get the information, but they don't get it any sooner than when the Parks Blog gets it.  All tickets should go on sale to Annual Pass holders, Disney Visa Card holders and Disney Vacation Club members within a week or two of the announcement of the dates, and many of those tickets will be slightly discounted.  The tickets for the general public should go on sale one week after that.
> 
> As for general Halloween Time dates and info, unless there is any kind of significant change to the offerings this year -- and I guess that would apply to the Halloween Party as well -- that, too, should be released in July.  if there is anything out of the ordinary happening for the season, the Parks Blog may do a blog about it earlier than July, but July is probably the safest bet for official info.
> 
> California Adventure -- from 2010 and beyond -- has pretty much been stripped of any Halloween fun, for the most part.  There are some loaves of bread shaped into pumpkins and other edible goodies, and merchandise, of course, but as far as Halloween decorations and entertainment in California Adventure... the pickins are slim!
> 
> Disneyland is where you will find the bulk of the Halloween Time fun -- again, unless something changes this year.  There are Halloween decorations and things to see on Main Street and in Frontierland.  Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy is in Tomorrowland.  Haunted Mansion Holiday will be going on at that time.  Characters will be out in Halloween attire.   There used to be a Halloween Carnival with pumpkin carvers, games, and lots of rustic decor -- but that is gone forever.
> 
> At the Disney hotels, so far there isn't much to see or do that is Halloween-themed, although the hotels do give out candy to trick-or-treaters on Halloween, and the Grand Californian Hotel may or may not have another one of these in the lobby -- https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/b...in-disneys-grand-californian-hotel-spa-lobby/.
> 
> Edited to add:  One thing I forgot to mention is that you will probably see the beginning of the crossover time, when the parks transition from Halloween Time into the holiday season.  The holidays won't officially begin for at least another 10 days after Halloween, I would guess, but the holiday decor slowly begins to go up even before 10/31 in some spots, and then it picks up steam after 10/31, with more holiday decorations appearing every day.



Awesome thanks for all the info!
A few questions arose from reading your reply:

1. I've seen that more villains are out at this time, are they out every evening or only during the Halloween Party nights and how should I plan around that to be able to make the most of meeting as many villains as I can?
2. With the transitions of Halloween decor to holiday decor occurring is it anything that will cause closure of anything important (as I already know many things will still be closed down for the whole SW business) or covering up things to get decorations up and whatnot?

Thanks again!


----------



## Sherry E

IAmElsan said:


> Awesome thanks for all the info!
> A few questions arose from reading your reply:
> 
> 1. I've seen that more villains are out at this time, are they out every evening or only during the Halloween Party nights and how should I plan around that to be able to make the most of meeting as many villains as I can?
> 2. With the transitions of Halloween decor to holiday decor occurring is it anything that will cause closure of anything important (as I already know many things will still be closed down for the whole SW business) or covering up things to get decorations up and whatnot?
> 
> Thanks again!



You're welcome!

The Villains have had an interesting journey for the last several Halloween Time seasons.  At one point, years ago, you could find some Villains in California Adventure, in the Hollywood area of the park.  That was in the daytime, and then you'd also see them during the Halloween party, which used to be held in DCA.  Then, in 2009 the Villains moved over to a dedicated daytime Villains photo spot near It's a Small World in DL, where they stayed for a few consecutive Halloween seasons.  The party eventually moved over to Disneyland as well, and you could meet more Villains there.

Then, the Halloween Carnival debuted at the Big Thunder Ranch area of Frontierland in 2012, and the Villains were suddenly scaled back in terms of daytime appearances.  In other words, for a few consecutive years, instead of being able to meet 2-4 Villains at one photo spot, all at the same time, you had to wait in line at this "Conjure a Villain" tent at the Carnival, where you could only meet one Villain at a time.  Some people waited in the line, only to later find out they were meeting a Villain they had already met.  The Villains' appearances outside of the Conjure a Villain tent were gradually reduced to the Halloween party only.  It seemed like a deliberate ploy on Disney's part to coax people into buying MHP tickets -- making the Villains mostly party-exclusive.

Last year there was no more Carnival (since that area of Disneyland is going to be razed) and, if I recall correctly, there were some Villains back out in the Town Square area, as well as at the actual party, of course.  *Corinna* or someone else here may have a better memory of who was out last year in the daytime, and at which approximate times, to give you a sense of what to expect and plan for.

There was a new paid-event-within-a-paid-event last year, with the addition of the new Mystical Spirits of the Blue Bayou -- https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/b...o-mickeys-halloween-party-at-disneyland-park/.  It was only accessible to people who paid for it, and who also paid for Halloween party tickets.  Dr. Facilier was there.

When the holidays start moving in during your trip, you will see the closure of Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy, most likely.  That should be closed immediately after 10/31 is over, for the removal of the overlay.  It should only be closed a couple of days, however.  So you will want to ride that in the first couple of days of your trip if you want to experience the Halloween version.  Likewise, all of the Halloween decor in Disneyland should start coming down almost immediately after Halloween, though it may take a day or two to get it all down.

It's a Small World will close sometime in October -- my g_uess_ is that it will be closed as of 10/17, but I could be wrong -- for the installation of the holiday overlay, which takes about 2-1/2 weeks to put together.  So it should be closed for the duration of your trip -- however, there is a chance (not a guarantee) that It's a Small World Holiday could soft open on your last day, November 4th.   In fact, a few holiday things could soft open on 11/4 this year, depending on what Disney is going to do for the season and when it officially starts.  if the holidays officially begin, for example, on 11/11, then I would expect soft launches of IASWH and maybe some of the other entertainment on 11/4.  If the season is beginning later than 11/11, then it's possible everything could soft open later too.  We won't know what's happening with that for a while.

Haunted Mansion Holiday stays open for the rest of the year once it opens at the start of Halloween Time in September, so you won't miss that.


----------



## Kilala

Last year they still had IASW running in Oct 16th. I asked a CM about and they told me that it takes less time to put up the decorations for IASWH. They told me that they would start shutting down IASW after the 31st. I might be able to go 4 times this year. I'm going the whole week my friend is coming down from Oregon. I will try to go with my other friend on the second party.


----------



## Sherry E

Kilala said:


> Last year they still had IASW running in Oct 16th. I asked a CM about and they told me that it takes less time to put up the decorations for IASWH. They told me that they would start shutting down IASW after the 31st. I might be able to go 4 times this year. I'm going the whole week my friend is coming down from Oregon. I will try to go with my other friend on the second party.



Last year, October 16th was a Friday.  That's why IASW was still open.  But it stayed open through the weekend and then was closed as of Monday, 10/19.  As I mentioned above, it takes about 2-1/2 weeks to install the IASWH overlay (inside and out), and they had it up and running as a soft launch by 11/6, which was a Friday.

That's why I think it will be closed as of Monday, 10/17 this year.  IASW will stay open through Sunday, 10/16, and then should be closed as of Monday, 10/17 for the overlay installation -- unless the holiday season is starting later than 11/11, in which case IASW might close later than 10/17.  But if the holidays begin on 11/11, then IASW will soft open about one week before that date, in which case it has to close around that time in October.


----------



## IAmElsan

Sherry E said:


> You're welcome!
> 
> The Villains have had an interesting journey for the last several Halloween Time seasons.  At one point, years ago, you could find some Villains in California Adventure, in the Hollywood area of the park.  That was in the daytime, and then you'd also see them during the Halloween party, which used to be held in DCA.  Then, in 2009 the Villains moved over to a dedicated daytime Villains photo spot near It's a Small World in DL, where they stayed for a few consecutive Halloween seasons.  The party eventually moved over to Disneyland as well, and you could meet more Villains there.
> 
> Then, the Halloween Carnival debuted at the Big Thunder Ranch area of Frontierland in 2012, and the Villains were suddenly scaled back in terms of daytime appearances.  In other words, for a few consecutive years, instead of being able to meet 2-4 Villains at one photo spot, all at the same time, you had to wait in line at this "Conjure a Villain" tent at the Carnival, where you could only meet one Villain at a time.  Some people waited in the line, only to later find out they were meeting a Villain they had already met.  The Villains' appearances outside of the Conjure a Villain tent were gradually reduced to the Halloween party only.  It seemed like a deliberate ploy on Disney's part to coax people into buying MHP tickets -- making the Villains mostly party-exclusive.
> 
> Last year there was no more Carnival (since that area of Disneyland is going to be razed) and, if I recall correctly, there were some Villains back out in the Town Square area, as well as at the actual party, of course.  *Corinna* or someone else here may have a better memory of who was out last year in the daytime, and at which approximate times, to give you a sense of what to expect and plan for.
> 
> There was a new paid-event-within-a-paid-event last year, with the addition of the new Mystical Spirits of the Blue Bayou -- https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/b...o-mickeys-halloween-party-at-disneyland-park/.  It was only accessible to people who paid for it, and who also paid for Halloween party tickets.  Dr. Facilier was there.
> 
> When the holidays start moving in during your trip, you will see the closure of Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy, most likely.  That should be closed immediately after 10/31 is over, for the removal of the overlay.  It should only be closed a couple of days, however.  So you will want to ride that in the first couple of days of your trip if you want to experience the Halloween version.  Likewise, all of the Halloween decor in Disneyland should start coming down almost immediately after Halloween, though it may take a day or two to get it all down.
> 
> It's a Small World will close sometime in October -- my g_uess_ is that it will be closed as of 10/17, but I could be wrong -- for the installation of the holiday overlay, which takes about 2-1/2 weeks to put together.  So it should be closed for the duration of your trip -- however, there is a chance (not a guarantee) that It's a Small World Holiday could soft open on your last day, November 4th.   In fact, a few holiday things could soft open on 11/4 this year, depending on what Disney is going to do for the season and when it officially starts.  if the holidays officially begin, for example, on 11/11, then I would expect soft launches of IASWH and maybe some of the other entertainment on 11/4.  If the season is beginning later than 11/11, then it's possible everything could soft open later too.  We won't know what's happening with that for a while.
> 
> Haunted Mansion Holiday stays open for the rest of the year once it opens at the start of Halloween Time in September, so you won't miss that.



Oh wow the villains certainly have seen many a novelty through the years!!
Do you happen to know the pricing or least ballpark on that event within an event thing they had with Dr. Facilier?
I hope to meet as many villains as possible since after the 31st it'll be back to usual characters out and about. Are Jack and Sally there through the holidays as well or are they only around for Halloween?

Thanks again for all the info!!


----------



## Sherry E

IAmElsan said:


> Oh wow the villains certainly have seen many a novelty through the years!!
> Do you happen to know the pricing or least ballpark on that event within an event thing they had with Dr. Facilier?
> I hope to meet as many villains as possible since after the 31st it'll be back to usual characters out and about. Are Jack and Sally there through the holidays as well or are they only around for Halloween?
> 
> Thanks again for all the info!!



You're very welcome!  

The Mystical Spirits of the Blue Bayou event was a whopping $150 per person -- http://www.insidethemagic.net/2015/...turing-dr-facilier-coming-to-disneyland-park/ -- on top of what people were already paying for the actual Halloween party tickets.   Ultimately, the event got good reviews for the most part, seeing that it was the first year for it.  I would have to imagine that Disney will try to do a similar event-within-an-event at Disneyland again this year, but if, for any reason, the Halloween party moves over to California Adventure for a year or two (and that's only speculation based on the upcoming Star Wars Land construction, not an actual fact), then a premium dining event such as Mystical Spirits would have to move along with it.  And then it would likely get a different name, and possibly a different "starring" Villain.

You may or may not see Captain Hook, Cruella, the Queen of Hearts and some others out in the park past Halloween, but they won't be stationed at any kind of organized, dedicated Villains photo spot by then.

Jack is out all through Halloween Time and then through the Holiday season.  He will be at the Halloween party as well, more than likely.   I have seen him with and without Sally, but it seemed like he was seen with Sally more often than not last year, from the reports I was reading/hearing in various places.  You never know, though, if Jack will be alone or with Sally.


----------



## IAmElsan

Sherry E said:


> You're very welcome!
> 
> The Mystical Spirits of the Blue Bayou event was a whopping $150 per person -- http://www.insidethemagic.net/2015/...turing-dr-facilier-coming-to-disneyland-park/ -- on top of what people were already paying for the actual Halloween party tickets.   Ultimately, the event got good reviews for the most part, seeing that it was the first year for it.  I would have to imagine that Disney will try to do a similar event-within-an-event at Disneyland again this year, but if, for any reason, the Halloween party moves over to California Adventure for a year or two (and that's only speculation based on the upcoming Star Wars Land construction, not an actual fact), then a premium dining event such as Mystical Spirits would have to move along with it.  And then it would likely get a different name, and possibly a different "starring" Villain.
> 
> You may or may not see Captain Hook, Cruella, the Queen of Hearts and some others out in the park past Halloween, but they won't be stationed at any kind of organized, dedicated Villains photo spot by then.
> 
> Jack is out all through Halloween Time and then through the Holiday season.  He will be at the Halloween party as well, more than likely.   I have seen him with and without Sally, but it seemed like he was seen with Sally more often than not last year, from the reports I was seeing.



Oh Disney....$150 pp?!? 
So if you went to the party and attended this dinner event it was pretty much an additional 225ish on top of your multi day pass for however long you go to the park during your stay? Wowzers!!


----------



## Sherry E

IAmElsan said:


> Oh Disney....$150 pp?!?
> So if you went to the party and attended this dinner event it was pretty much an additional 225ish on top of your multi day pass for however long you go to the park during your stay? Wowzers!!



Yep!  That's about it.  So, it definitely would be good -- or less traumatizing! -- to do that kind of event on a day that you were not already going to be paying to be in the park, if you can, because paying for regular park admission (whether with an AP, a Hopper, a 1-park ticket, etc.) as well as the Halloween party, as well as Mystical Spirits (or whatever this year's version of the event is called), all for the same day would be a really expensive day at Disneyland!


----------



## Kilala

Thanks for clearing that up for me Sherry about IASWH


----------



## dolphingirl47

Sherry E said:


> *Corinna* or someone else here may have a better memory of who was out last year in the daytime, and at which approximate times, to give you a sense of what to expect and plan for.



Captain Hook, Cruella, The Evil Queen and Judge Frollo were all out an about at one time or another and would show up on the app. Cruella was usually around the opera house and the others were strolling on the path between Alice in Wonderland and It's A Small World. They tended to be out in the mornings up to around 2 PM.

Corinna


----------



## Aeryn76

Never done a Halloween party at DL or at WDW before. I'm going the third week of September & if the party is going on then, I wonder if it would be worth it? Don't have kids and will be going solo and also will be my second time going to DL


----------



## Sherry E

Aeryn76 said:


> Never done a Halloween party at DL or at WDW before. I'm going the third week of September & if the party is going on then, I wonder if it would be worth it? Don't have kids and will be going solo and also will be my second time going to DL



Hello, and welcome! 

Ordinarily the Halloween parties at Disneyland begin on the last Friday in September, and that is usually 2 weeks after the Halloween Time season has officially begun.  This year, however., I'm not sure if the Halloween Time season is starting on 9/9 (which seems early) or 9/16 (which seems late), or somewhere in between.  And, because of the uncertainty about the Halloween Time start date, I don't know if the Halloween party will begin on 9/23 or 9/30, or somewhere in between.  I am guessing that the parties will begin on 9/23 this year, but 9/30 is always a possibility.

So, if there is a party going on during your trip, I'd say that whether or not it's worth it depends on how much you like Halloween, collecting candy, maybe wearing a costume (assuming that is allowed this year), meeting characters that may be party-exclusives, possibly getting on some rides without long waits, etc.  It's a lot of money to spend, but one of the main selling points of the party is the party-exclusive Halloween Screams fireworks (unless, for some reason, the party moves out of Disneyland park this year), and those are great!

I think that the party is fun to try at least once, even as a solo traveler.  Some folks think it's very worthwhile and worth the cost.  Others think that one time is enough and they don't really need to do it again.  I am one who thoroughly enjoys the party when I go -- I love Halloween anyway -- but I don't need to go to the party every year when nothing new is really being added to it and I don't have kids.   

Last year Disney took the Paint the Night parade and included it as part of the party, even though it was available on all other non-party nights too.  I wasn't really fond of that decision on their part.  They were essentially having the party guests pay extra -- the tickets had gone up from the previous year -- to see a parade that could be seen by anyone, on any night.  It was not a party-exclusive.  I don't know if they are doing that again this year, but I hope not.  I really hope they keep the party entertainment specific and exclusive to the party.


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## cinderbellasmom

I missed a huge detail- when was dressing up during MHP banned? We went in 2014 and adults & kids were dressed up. We're going with a group of 15 family members the first week of Oct, 12 of the people have never been to DLR. I was already bummed about all of the closures but this is really going to upset the kids who've already picked out their costumes!


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## Sherry E

cinderbellasmom said:


> I missed a huge detail- when was dressing up during MHP banned? We went in 2014 and adults & kids were dressed up. We're going with a group of 15 family members the first week of Oct, 12 of the people have never been to DLR. I was already bummed about all of the closures but this is really going to upset the kids who've already picked out their costumes!




Here is a post that mentions something about it -- http://www.disboards.com/threads/disneyland-when-to-go.3484063/#post-55176868.

Here is a thread that indicates MHP is included as well -- http://www.disboards.com/threads/costumes-no-more-for-adults.3469426/page-14#post-54886429.

I would have had to imagine that a Halloween party at DLR or WDW would allow some exceptions, but maybe not?

ETA:  Upon further investigation, apparently Disney did say that adults couldn't dress up for the MHP either?  I don't know -- I missed that part, where they stated that.  That sounds odd, seeing that it is a Halloween party.  We'll see what happens when the time comes.  Kids will be able to dress up, regardless of what restrictions are imposed upon the adults.


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## cinderbellasmom

As always Sherry, thank you for the info! In the past my husband and I haven't dressed up (strange considering his bday is on Halloween) but, because we're going as such a big group we thought about doing costumes this year. I'll have to keep an eye on this


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## Liat

Wow I hadn't heard about the no adults being allowed to dress up for the halloween parties! That sucks. We go every year and although I've never gone full out (more like extreme disney bounding) I always loved looking at all the costumes people wore. Last year there were some amazing outfits (my favourite was a beach-wrecked little mermaid one *done really tastefully*) and you can tell that some people put a ton of effort into them.


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## lindyv321

I think that Disney Bounding is a great alternative for adults! I am hoping we will get to attend a party and I am going to bound as Minnie! Well I'm going even if there is no party the week we go (9/25-9/27) cause I already bought red capri's


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## Sherry E

cinderbellasmom said:


> As always Sherry, thank you for the info! In the past my husband and I haven't dressed up (strange considering his bday is on Halloween) but, because we're going as such a big group we thought about doing costumes this year. I'll have to keep an eye on this



You're very welcome, although I wasn't much help.  I had another couple of tabs/windows open when I was trying to reply above, and I was working on some non-Disney-related things at that moment and was distracted.  I was frantically going back and forth between tabs, trying to reply and work on my other stuff, and I think I was pulling up the wrong things.   I knew I had seen discussion of the costume issue in a few threads around the board within the last few months, but some of the discussion took place when I wasn't here for a while and I had not "watched"/saved the threads to be able to locate/pull them back up easily.  I was trying to find a couple of the comments and threads I remembered seeing -- and I did not find everything.

Hopefully someone who followed the issue more closely than I did will chime in here on this thread and fill us in on more of the details.

For some reason, it had escaped me that the Halloween parties at DL would definitely be impacted by the costume issue too, IF that is the case -- I think I thought that it was a "wait and see" sort of situation, like we will wait and see what happens when the details of MHP are released in July or whenever.  I might be totally and utterly wrong about that detail, however!    Let's face it -- adults like to dress up for Halloween parties too, so to not have that option would be very disappointing.  I don't wear a costume to MHP, but I would want to have the choice to do so if I felt like it!

I would greatly miss not being able to see adults walking around MHP dressed as giant Crayola crayons, fluffy chickens and Gumby!

In any case, yes, let's see if anything changes by the time the MHP details are released.  If not, then Disney Bounding is a great alternative, as llindyv321 mentioned above.


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## Abbey1

In regards to the costume restrictions- Back in December, Disneyland banned guests over 14 from wearing masks and costumes. It was a part of their heightened security measures, which also included installing metal detectors, explosive-sniffing dogs, and increased security officers. They also banned toy guns (astro blasters etc) from the parks and discontinued their sale.

 I really think that guests attending the Halloween party will still be allowed to wear costumes, especially after speaking with a CM about the restrictions. Perhaps they can have increased security on party nights for guests headed into the parties?


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## AussieCaribou

Hi all,  

Just on the dressing up in a costume issue... from the Disneyland event page about the Halloween  

"Costume Guidelines: Guests under the age of 14 may dress in their favorite Halloween costume and must follow at least these guidelines."

There is no other detail (or option) for those over the age of 14.  I really hope that they review this and allow us older kids to come and play too. 

I am going to guess that the poor people on the email line will be tired of my name soon...because I emailed to ask about this.  After all, if we don't say that we older kids want to dress, we might be disappointed. lol


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## Royal Consort

Basically if adults can't dress up, I won't be bothering going to the party. It's the whole point of the fun (since I have no kids). I tend to think Disney would know this and their hunger for $$ will result in alteration of guidelines.


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## Sherry E

I just can't see a Halloween party that doesn't allow adults to dress in costumes.  Now those who have never been to MHP should know that you certainly don't have to dress up if you don't want to.  It's kind of 50/50 -- half of the people at MHP are dressed up and half of them are not.  So it's not necessary to dress in costume to have fun -- but, again, because it is a Halloween party and Halloween parties usually involve costumes on people of all ages, I would have to think that adults will be allowed to wear costumes at MHP.

I was just at DLR a couple of weeks ago and if there were metal detectors anywhere I must have walked right past them and didn't realize it!  What I did encounter was a particularly thorough CM at the security tables/tents, who was not letting me get by her without looking in every compartment of my bag.  I had to lift everything out of the pockets so she could see the bottoms of them.  And then, just when I thought I could finally walk away, she stopped me to ask me what was hanging around my neck.  "It's a camera," I said, bewildered.  She instructed me to open up the camera case so she could look inside.  Thankfully, the next CM I encountered at the security tent later on that day was not even half as thorough, and she didn't require as much checking at all.


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## mom2rtk

Sherry E said:


> I just can't see a Halloween party that doesn't allow adults to dress in costumes.  Now those who have never been to MHP should know that you certainly don't have to dress up if you don't want to.  It's kind of 50/50 -- half of the people at MHP are dressed up and half of them are not.  So it's not necessary to dress in costume to have fun -- but, again, because it is a Halloween party and Halloween parties usually involve costumes on people of all ages, I would have to think that adults will be allowed to wear costumes at MHP.
> 
> I was just at DLR a couple of weeks ago and if there were metal detectors anywhere I must have walked right past them and didn't realize it!  What I did encounter was a particularly thorough CM at the security tables/tents, who was not letting me get by her without looking in every compartment of my bag.  I had to lift everything out of the pockets so she could see the bottoms of them.  And then, just when I thought I could finally walk away, she stopped me to ask me what was hanging around my neck.  "It's a camera," I said, bewildered.  She instructed me to open up the camera case so she could look inside.  Thankfully, the next CM I encountered at the security tent later on that day was not even half as thorough, and she didn't require as much checking at all.


 

I don't see it either Sherry. I have been to Halloween parties at both WDW and DLR. I was a little nervous heading into the one at DLR last year about whether we'd enjoy it as much since it didn't have a Halloween parade. I immediately decided that the guests in costume made up for it. Honestly, I really can't see spending the money on a party if adults can't dress up. It seems like the atmosphere would be completely different...... and lacking. And honestly, Disney better get off their duffs and make a decision early. The costumes we saw were not the sort you pick up last minute at the corner store. The ones we saw and loved were the sort people work on for months ahead of time.


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## riostoker

No adult costumes at the Halloween Party makes me sad. We had such a great time people watching while eating dinner at the last Halloween Party. Some of the adult costumes, especially, were so clever, fun, and creative!


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## Sherry E

Many of the costumes at the parties are very elaborate.  While some folks choose to go the no-frills route and put on a Halloween-ish hat or t-shirt (which is what I would do, most likely), others really go all out with their carefully planned ensembles.  They put time and care into making them and/or working on their overall look, getting their make-up just right, etc.  

I don't picture a Halloween party without adults being able to dress up too -- I don't think that will happen.  For any other event, yes, I can understand no full costumes allowed on adults (outside of Disney Bounding) because the other events are not really 'about' costumes.  Halloween in and of itself is a holiday that is about dressing up in costume, and Halloween parties involve costumes!

I am crossing my fingers and hoping that this new policy will be relaxed a bit when MHP rolls around.


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## justgrace

We were one of those crazy costume families! We dressed as Cinderella and her crew and the Evil Stepmother and Stepsisters loved it!! We worked on those costumes since May for our trip in September and they were pretty awesome!! 

I'm optimistic and believe that they will still allow costumes for everyone during the MHP event.

I also think that Disneyland Forever will remain for many years to come, just as Remember... Dreams Come True stayed for so long. I guess we shall see come September!


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## Sherry E

justgrace said:


> We were one of those crazy costume families! We dressed as Cinderella and her crew and the Evil Stepmother and Stepsisters loved it!! We worked on those costumes since May for our trip in September and they were pretty awesome!!
> 
> I'm optimistic and believe that they will still allow costumes for everyone during the MHP event.
> 
> I also think that Disneyland Forever will remain for many years to come, just as Remember... Dreams Come True stayed for so long. I guess we shall see come September!



Yes, agreed.  I'm not too worried about costumes for the Halloween party right at this moment, but I will never say never.  Just when I think I have it figured out as to what Disney will or won't do, they do something else.   

Disney will tick off a lot of people if they prohibit adults from dressing up -- especially at the prices they charge for MHP.  At those rates people should be able to dress as giant chickens or cuddly glow cubes if they want to!


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## justgrace

Sherry E said:


> Yes, agreed.  I'm not too worried about costumes for the Halloween party right at this moment, but I will never say never.  Just when I think I have it figured out as to what Disney will or won't do, they do something else.
> 
> Disney will tick off a lot of people if they prohibit adults from dressing up -- especially at the prices they charge for MHP.  At those rates people should be able to dress as giant chickens or cuddly glow cubes if they want to!



I agree!!


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## IAmElsan

Oh gosh I hope they don't ban costumes for adults as that is half the reason I want to go to MHP, hope they decide soon what they plan to do about costumes cause if they don't allow them I may just shift my whole trip entirely around to another time....


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## lindyv321

This will be our first year of possibly going to the party depending on when it starts, and I was wondering are the fireworks easier to view then on a regular night? I'm assuming the parties are a bit less crowded..... We've always gone to the parks during the week in the off-season so there have never been fireworks shows but this year will be the first year we are there on a Sunday night and hopefully going to the party on Monday night and i'm not sure if I should make a special effort to see the fireworks show on Sunday or if we should just wait and see it Monday if we're able to attend the party


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## thatgrljme

This might have already been said, but 312 pages.....

Does anyone know that start of the Halloween season this year, or a guesstimate? We will be there the week after Memorial Day weekend on our honeymoon and wouldn't be mad if we caught the start of the season


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## Vernie822

thatgrljme said:


> This might have already been said, but 312 pages.....
> 
> Does anyone know that start of the Halloween season this year, or a guesstimate? We will be there the week after Memorial Day weekend on our honeymoon and wouldn't be mad if we caught the start of the season



We'll be there that week for our honeymoon, too! Congrats!


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## thatgrljme

Vernie822 said:


> We'll be there that week for our honeymoon, too! Congrats!



Oh yay how fun! Congrats to you as well


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## Sherry E

lindyv321 said:


> This will be our first year of possibly going to the party depending on when it starts, and I was wondering are the fireworks easier to view then on a regular night? I'm assuming the parties are a bit less crowded..... We've always gone to the parks during the week in the off-season so there have never been fireworks shows but this year will be the first year we are there on a Sunday night and hopefully going to the party on Monday night and i'm not sure if I should make a special effort to see the fireworks show on Sunday or if we should just wait and see it Monday if we're able to attend the party



The parties will not seem less crowded in the areas where a lot of things are happening, such as where people wait for the fireworks.  On a Monday or Tuesday night the party crowds may be a bit lighter.   There are fewer people in the park in general I suppose, but it still seems pretty busy in the fireworks viewing areas.   The fireworks on a Sunday night would be different than the fireworks included in the party, so you may or may not want to try to catch them on both nights.



thatgrljme said:


> This might have already been said, but 312 pages.....
> 
> Does anyone know that start of the Halloween season this year, or a guesstimate? We will be there the week after Memorial Day weekend on our honeymoon and wouldn't be mad if we caught the start of the season



No need to read the whole thread.  A good idea with any long thread on the forum is to do exactly what you did and just jump right in. Or, skim the last couple of pages in the thread to see what has been discussed.  But you did the right thing by joining us and asking!

The short answer is no, there is no information on the start date of Halloween Time this year.  We might not even find out an official date until July.  Hopefully sooner, but I am not holding my breath.   I think it is a safe bet that Halloween Time will begin on either Friday, 9/9 or Friday, 9/16 -- or anywhere in between those dates.  More than likely 9/9 will be the date.

I also think that there will be more parties added into the Mickey's Halloween Party schedule this year, but... when will they begin?  MHP usually begins exactly 2 weeks after Halloween Time has begun, and the first party of the season always ends up being the last Friday in September.

This year, if Halloween Time were to begin on 9/9, then would MHP begin on 9/23 or on 9/30??  That is the mystery.

So if you are at DLR the week after Labor Day weekend (I'm assuming you meant Labor Day?) you would probably see some pumpkin-y things going up on Main Street and in Frontierland, and you would see some Halloween treats and merchandise -- even if the season has not officially begun.  But things like Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy and Haunted Mansion Holiday will not start until the first official day of the season.



The only thing that I know for sure about this coming Halloween Time season is that, for the second year in a row, there are no plans for pumpkin carvers to be set up anywhere at DLR (at this point).  Last year was the first year without the carvers in a while.  However, one of the carvers is trying to convince whoever makes those decisions at Disneyland to set the carvers up in a different spot, and he is suggesting other areas that could work (now that Big Thunder Ranch is gone).  So far they aren't going for it, but I am hoping that there is still time to change their minds.  Halloween Time doesn't start for another 6 months, after all.


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## lindyv321

I just saw this info announcing 2016 dates... But I can't find anything on Disney's official website
http://www.chipandco.com/disney-announces-2016-mickeys-not-so-scary-halloween-party-dates-233002/

Edit: I guess this pertains to WDW but hopefully some of the info i.e. Dates and costume info will also apply to DL


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## Sherry E

lindyv321 said:


> I just saw this info announcing 2016 dates... But I can't find anything on Disney's official website
> http://www.chipandco.com/disney-announces-2016-mickeys-not-so-scary-halloween-party-dates-233002/
> 
> Edit: I guess this pertains to WDW but hopefully some of the info i.e. Dates and costume info will also apply to DL



Those dates were posted on the Disney Parks Blog earlier today and I thought, "I hope that no one sees them and thinks they are the dates for Disneyland's party!"    It happens every year, where someone sees the MNSSHP dates and, at a quick glance, thinks that the dates are applicable to Mickey's Halloween Party at Disneyland -- so I was expecting it again this year!      But they're 2 separate events, and DL does not have 29 parties.   MHP at Disneyland doesn't start quite that early in September.    And the parties at DL have different things included that are not part of WDW's version of the party, and vice versa.   

Unless there is a big announcement as to a change in plans for MHP this year (like a change in location or a change in party content), which might require an earlier announcement, then we should find out the dates in July... maybe late June, at the earliest.

I really wish Disney would get in the habit of releasing the dates for both MNSSHP and MHP at the same time -- wishful thinking on my part.  We have to wait so long for every bit of info.

What is interesting about the MNSSHP announcement today is the costume reference in the Parks Blog - https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/b...walt-disney-world-guests-29-nights-this-fall/.  

As you said, lindyv321, it will be interesting to see if this is what Disneyland does too:

_"New this year, we have revised our costuming guidelines for special events in our theme parks. While costumed attire may be worn, guests ages 14 and older are strongly discouraged from wearing layered costumes or costume props that surround the entire body as they may be subject to additional security screening. Additionally, costumes may not contain any weapons that resemble or could easily be mistaken for an actual weapon. 

For more information including a full list of costume guidelines, check out disneyworld.com and stay tuned to the site and the Disney Parks Blog for updates on ticket prices, on-sale dates, entertainment and events."_

So, everyone will probably have to leave their layered costumes that surround the whole body at home, or deal with extra security screening!

​


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## thatgrljme

Sherry E said:


> No need to read the whole thread.  A good idea with any long thread on the forum is to do exactly what you did and just jump right in. Or, skim the last couple of pages in the thread to see what has been discussed.  But you did the right thing by joining us and asking!
> 
> The short answer is no, there is no information on the start date of Halloween Time this year.  We might not even find out an official date until July.  Hopefully sooner, but I am not holding my breath.   I think it is a safe bet that Halloween Time will begin on either Friday, 9/9 or Friday, 9/16 -- or anywhere in between those dates.  More than likely 9/9 will be the date.
> 
> I also think that there will be more parties added into the Mickey's Halloween Party schedule this year, but... when will they begin?  MHP usually begins exactly 2 weeks after Halloween Time has begun, and the first party of the season always ends up being the last Friday in September.
> 
> This year, if Halloween Time were to begin on 9/9, then would MHP begin on 9/23 or on 9/30??  That is the mystery.
> 
> So if you are at DLR the week after Labor Day weekend (I'm assuming you meant Labor Day?) you would probably see some pumpkin-y things going up on Main Street and in Frontierland, and you would see some Halloween treats and merchandise -- even if the season has not officially begun.  But things like Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy and Haunted Mansion Holiday will not start until the first official day of the season.
> 
> 
> 
> The only thing that I know for sure about this coming Halloween Time season is that, for the second year in a row, there are no plans for pumpkin carvers to be set up anywhere at DLR (at this point).  Last year was the first year without the carvers in a while.  However, one of the carvers is trying to convince whoever makes those decisions at Disneyland to set the carvers up in a different spot, and he is suggesting other areas that could work (now that Big Thunder Ranch is gone).  So far they aren't going for it, but I am hoping that there is still time to change their minds.  Halloween Time doesn't start for another 6 months, after all.



Thanks Sherry! Yes, we will actually be there the 5-10 celebrating our honeymoon. I'd love to catch the start of it and do the HM with the holiday overlay as I've never done that before, and hope that it is up in time because my fiancé has never been to DL on WDW. Super excited if we even get a bit of a taste of the fall decorations


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## lindyv321

I am at least hoping that the start dates for Walt Disney World and Disneyland Halloween parties will be the same since we will be visiting from September 25 through the 28th and want to go to the Monday night party if they have one!


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## Sherry E

lindyv321 said:


> I am at least hoping that the start dates for Walt Disney World and Disneyland Halloween parties will be the same since we will be visiting from September 25 through the 28th and want to go to the Monday night party if they have one!



WDW's parties start really, really early in September (one time they even began in late August).      DLR's parties -- thus far -- begin on the last Friday in September, and, before that, the first Friday in October.    The two events are kind of handled differently and have very little to do with each other beyond the fact that they are Halloween parties.

This year, at the very, very, very earliest, DLR's parties could begin on 9/9 -- and that is only if Halloween Time started on that date, and only if Disneyland decided to add a bunch of parties to the MHP line-up.  It is unlikely that 9/9 would be the first party day, in my opinion, but it's very likely to be the start date of Halloween Time.

Most likely, however, Mickey's Halloween Party at Disneyland Resort will begin on either 9/23 or 9/30 -- I am guessing 9/23, but they could also do something unexpected and new like begin the party on 9/16.  I am also thinking that there will be some extra nights added in, but we won't have 29 parties like what WDW has.

So, the only issue for you will be whether or not the parties start before your last day at DLR, which is 9/28.  Ordinarily it might be doubtful, if Disney were going to stick to the "last Friday in September" start date, which is 9/30 this year.  But I have a strong hunch that they will start the parties earlier than that this time around, and you should be able to go to at least one of them during your trip.  Disneyland won't start their parties when WDW starts their parties, but they will most likely start them earlier than 9/30 -- and that could be anywhere from 1-3 weeks earlier than usual, depending on when Halloween Time begins and what is actually happening with the party this year.

Expect a July announcement of confirmed party dates at the absolute latest.  New, major changes to the party may mean an earlier announcement -- but probably no earlier than May, and that is a stretch.


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## kabbie

I have hotel reserved for Sept 23-27...do you think I should move to Sept 30 arrival to be guaranteed Halloween party?


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## Sherry E

kabbie said:


> I have hotel reserved for Sept 23-27...do you think I should move to Sept 30 arrival to be guaranteed Halloween party?



Well, it wouldn't hurt to do that -- if it's important to you to be 100% certain you'll be able to go to a party.  I really feel that the party will start earlier than 9/30 this year -- but I just don't know if it will start on 9/23 or 9/16 or some other odd date.  I don't think they would start Halloween Time on 9/9 and then start the parties 3 weeks later.

One way or another, whenever the parties actually begin, it is certain that there will be a party on 9/30.  Just to be on the safe side, you might want to change your dates.  You could always wait until the dates are officially announced by the Parks Blog, but that might not be until mid-July, at the latest (though hopefully earlier), and I don't know if that would be too late to change your reservation just in case it turns out there are no parties pre-9/30.


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## Disney Lvr of Old

Hi!  I've been keeping an eye on the ride closures but haven't seen anything yet regarding HM.  your vast wisdom should help here~   Any guestimate when they will close HM for the overlay?  We are going 8/16-8/24 and really want to see the original HM.  My son disliked the NBC overlay because of the music so I didn't get to ride it much the last time we were there.  Thanks!!!


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## jammyjam25

We had so much fun during our Halloween trip last year we’ve decided to do it again! This year myself, my BFF, and another friend of ours will be staying at the DLH October 2-October 7. Planning to do a 3-day park hopper and 1 MHP. We stayed on site at DLH last year as well and loved it so much that even though we originally booked offsite we eventually decided we’d miss being onsite too much and changed our reservation.

Looking forward to more news about Halloween time and the parties (I’m in the camp that hopes they move to DCA this year) as we move through spring and summer!


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## Sherry E

Disney Lvr of Old said:


> Hi!  I've been keeping an eye on the ride closures but haven't seen anything yet regarding HM.  your vast wisdom should help here~   Any guestimate when they will close HM for the overlay?  We are going 8/16-8/24 and really want to see the original HM.  My son disliked the NBC overlay because of the music so I didn't get to ride it much the last time we were there.  Thanks!!!



If I remember correctly, last year Haunted Mansion was closed from Monday, August 24th to Thursday, September 10th -- in other words, it was closed all through the day of September 10th and then reopened as Haunted Mansion Holiday on Friday, September 11th.

Assuming that Halloween Time is on track to begin on Fri., 9/9/16 (this has not yet been confirmed, of course), which seems likely since the Diamond Celebration is supposed to be wrapping up on 9/5, then Haunted Mansion would have to shut down by Monday, August 22nd.  If Halloween Time is going to start later than 9/9, like on 9/16, then Haunted Mansion would likely close on 8/29.

In any event, I think that you should be able to catch several days (at least) of the regular Haunted Mansion in its non-holiday overlay format before your trip is over.


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## lindyv321

Sine the new Star Wars overlay is not on Space Mountain do you think they will change over to the Halloween overlay or leave it as it's been so popular? I wasn't overly fond of the Halloween overlay and am hoping to see the new one!


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## Sherry E

lindyv321 said:


> Sine the new Star Wars overlay is not on Space Mountain do you think they will change over to the Halloween overlay or leave it as it's been so popular? I wasn't overly fond of the Halloween overlay and am hoping to see the new one!



I wouldn't expect Hyperspace Mountain to still be up and running for Halloween Time, but... it's hard to say for sure with that kind of thing because they will want to keep all things Star Wars fresh on everyone's minds to get them revved up for the new land coming in a few years.

The thing is, the Halloween Time offerings are really thin to begin with, and removing something else -- a Halloween Time exclusive, and one of the reasons why a lot of people look forward to Halloween Time at DLR -- from the roster of seasonal activities is not a good idea unless they have something to replace it with.  For example, if they decided to skip Ghost Galaxy this year, another overlay on another ride (not counting Haunted Mansion Holiday) could make up for it a bit.   It would be tricky to just remove it without adding something new into the mix as well.  As it is, last year Disney stuck the Paint the Night parade into Mickey's Halloween Party even though it was running on all non-party nights too (meaning that party guests were paying extra for a ticket to see a parade they could see without an extra ticket on any other night), and they have gotten rid of the Halloween Carnival (including pumpkin carvers, games, entertainment).  If they remove anything else then we will really just have Haunted Mansion Holiday and Mickey's Halloween Party.

It will be interesting to see what happens with Space Mountain by that time.  I wonder if they will keep Hyperspace Mountain around longer than expected.


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## WestMom2two

When do they close ISW for Christmas overlay? We are going for Halloween time Oct 10-15 and we have my 2 year old nephew with us who I know will love the ride. I can't recall if it was open or closed last time we did Halloween there.


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## mom2rtk

It was closed when we were there last year the last week of October. Not sure what the first day of the closure was though.


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## Sherry E

WestMom2two said:


> When do they close ISW for Christmas overlay? We are going for Halloween time Oct 10-15 and we have my 2 year old nephew with us who I know will love the ride. I can't recall if it was open or closed last time we did Halloween there.



Last year IASW was closed from October 19, 2015 through November 5, 2015.  It soft opened on 11/6.  The holiday season officially began one week later.

This year my guess is that IASW will stay open through Sunday, 10/16, and then should be closed as of Monday morning, 10/17 for the overlay installation -- IF the holiday season is going to begin on 11/10 or 11/11 (which has not been announced).  If the holiday season is starting later than 11/11,  IASW might close later than 10/17. 

If the holidays begin on 11/11, then IASW should soft open about one week before that date, on 11/4, in which case IASW has to close around 2-1/2 weeks earlier to begin the process of the overlay.


----------



## Daisybell911

Sherry E said:


> If I remember correctly, last year Haunted Mansion was closed from Monday, August 24th to Thursday, September 10th -- in other words, it was closed all through the day of September 10th and then reopened as Haunted Mansion Holiday on Friday, September 11th.
> 
> Assuming that Halloween Time is on track to begin on Fri., 9/9/16 (this has not yet been confirmed, of course), which seems likely since the Diamond Celebration is supposed to be wrapping up on 9/5, then Haunted Mansion would have to shut down by Monday, August 22nd.  If Halloween Time is going to start later than 9/9, like on 9/16, then Haunted Mansion would likely close on 8/29.
> 
> In any event, I think that you should be able to catch several days (at least) of the regular Haunted Mansion in its non-holiday overlay format before your trip is over.



Gosh, I hope Halloween time starts 9/9!  My BF and I are going 9/9-9/13. I told him a long time ago that I always wanted to be proposed to in front of the Haunted Mansion. We are going to DL on my birthday (9/11). He keeps saying it's going to be the best birthday ever so I'm hoping for good things and a ride on HM to celebrate!  *wish*.


----------



## Sherry E

I spoke with a lovely CM at Disneyland Resort a while ago -- on the phone -- so she could get my feedback on how DLR needs to bring back the pumpkin carvers (and egg decorators!) and develop Halloween Time a bit more.  They have not been given the dates for Mickey's Halloween Party just yet, of course, and they don't have any information on what is happening with the party this year.  But I asked her -- in her opinion -- does she think there is a chance for MHP to move back over to California Adventure this year, while construction is going on in Disneyland?  She said that, in her opinion only (not based on any kind of factual info), she does not think that MHP will move to DCA this year.  She thinks it will stay in Disneyland, construction and all.

I don't know how they are going to get around the Rivers of America being down, as that is a huge area of ambiance and spooky atmosphere at the party, as is the Big Thunder Trail, but those areas will be under construction by the time of MHP.   I really don't know why they wouldn't just move the party to DCA for a couple of years and then move it back to DL when the Rivers of America is up and running again.  The only thing I can think of is that Disney doesn't want to have to decorate DCA and add some sort of Halloween event/attraction there to use as a selling point of MHP.  It's easier for them to just keep the party in DL, despite losing a huge atmospheric component.

So we shall see what happens and how it unfolds, but this CM was pretty certain the party will stay in DL.


----------



## gsrieff

I'm just going to impatiently sit here, and wait for any bit of info on halloweentime!! I can't wait!!!


----------



## justgrace

That's interesting about the costume guidelines at WDW. Does anyone have any idea what they mean by "layered costumes"?  I'm wondering if that means no big princess costumes (i.e. Cinderella).  They're a little vague on what they mean.


----------



## mummabear

Sadly we have no visit to DLR or WDW this year (a first for 10 years) . We were meant to be coming through either side of Christmas (as we will be spending Christmas in Canada this year) but we couldnt work it out with the airlines to do a stop over. 
So this year I will be living vicariously through this thread lol. And keeping myself focused on a Halloween 2017 trip


----------



## lindyv321

I just saw in another thread that they have not completely drained Rivers of America for the Star Wars construction. So hopefully they will still be able to do some theming in that area for the Halloween party


----------



## gsrieff

lindyv321 said:


> I just saw in another thread that they have not completely drained Rivers of America for the Star Wars construction. So hopefully they will still be able to do some theming in that area for the Halloween party



ive was watching that thread and thinking the same thing. fingers crossed!


----------



## Sherry E

The river is not completely drained right now.  By September, I'm not sure what will be happening on it.  The Cadaver Dans usually float along the river for the party, singing songs.  That wouldn't be happening.  The Dans will have to set up shop somewhere else.   Nothing is moving on the river during construction and they can't set up anything that will interfere with construction, but they might be able to pump it full of fog or set up some eerie lighting.


----------



## ISpyMickeyMouse

Hi, everyone.  I am attempting to plan for another Halloween visit (or plan as much as I can without any exact information from Disney!)  I tried searching in this thread without success, but I was wondering if anyone remembers if there were Disney Resort Hotel discounts offered for the last week of September.   Google showed some nice discounts until September 24thish in 2015, but I was hoping there was another round of discounts for the following week.  Any comments would be appreciated.  I do understand that that doesn't guarantee anything this year, but it is always good to hold out hope 

PS: My first Halloween visit in 2014 I learned SO much from this thread and all of your suggestions, comments, etc.  Thank you all!


----------



## Sherry E

ISpyMickeyMouse said:


> Hi, everyone.  I am attempting to plan for another Halloween visit (or plan as much as I can without any exact information from Disney!)  I tried searching in this thread without success, but I was wondering if anyone remembers if there were Disney Resort Hotel discounts offered for the last week of September.   Google showed some nice discounts until September 24thish in 2015, but I was hoping there was another round of discounts for the following week.  Any comments would be appreciated.  I do understand that that doesn't guarantee anything this year, but it is always good to hold out hope
> 
> PS: My first Halloween visit in 2014 I learned SO much from this thread and all of your suggestions, comments, etc.  Thank you all!



Hello!

Well, first off I should say that I think there will probably be some sort of hotel discount this year -- because there is so much construction, and certain things are closed forever or temporarily down.  Disney will want to make sure to keep the hotels booked and the parks full if they can.  In a year when something major is opening, like the year that Cars Land opened, there were no general hotel discounts for 3/4 of the year (including September).  There were not even any good AP discounts that year.

There are usually a couple of different discounts -- sometimes there is one for the general public; sometimes there is a discount for AP holders; sometimes there is a discount for Disney Visa card holders; sometimes there might be all 3!  There should be a fall discount of a sort, announced in early or mid-September, which may or may not cover the very end of September, parts of October, November and December.  The thing is, with each passing year the dates/weeks that the fall discounts cover are getting more limited, and the discounts are often less substantial.  In the distant past the discounts covered a wider range of dates.  Now, I notice that there are usually no discounts for any days or weeks when  DLR expects to be very busy.

So you might very well get lucky and find that some of your nights fall into a discounted time frame.  I would not rule it out.  But if it is a fall discount (assuming a late summer discount ends before the end of September), there might not be any word of it until August or September.

You could probably -- most likely -- make a room-only reservation (not a package) at one of the hotels under the current rack rate, put down a deposit, and then call Reservations when/if a discount is announced to get your rate adjusted.  That used to be allowed, and I think it still is (I hope).


----------



## lindyv321

What rides are usually open during the Halloween party? Are the wait times usually shorter because there's less people in the park?


----------



## Kilala

lindyv321 said:


> What rides are usually open during the Halloween party? Are the wait times usually shorter because there's less people in the park?


Yes on both questions. 
Most of the rides are open. This will be different though some of the rides will be down because of SWL. Yes the wait times are shorter.


----------



## scrapperkimmydee

Is there a "usual" line up of nights that the party is on?  Like, every Friday, Monday, and Wednesday, or something like that?  Or is it random?


----------



## Ember

I'm not sure what to do at this point.  We are in the UK and wanting to come for Halloween, specifically the Halloween Party.  We lived in LA previously and it was a TON of fun!  Last time I dressed up as Merida and this year I wanted to do Ariel.  But the website seems to indicate that only under 14's are allowed to dress up this year.  I'm gutted.  Even the Disney World site says that full princess dresses won't be allowed.  My favourite holiday in my favourite places seems to be no more.  And I've already started working on my dress (which ain't cheap!).

Edit: I just emailed Disney directly to ask...


----------



## justgrace

Ember said:


> I'm not sure what to do at this point.  We are in the UK and wanting to come for Halloween, specifically the Halloween Party.  We lived in LA previously and it was a TON of fun!  Last time I dressed up as Merida and this year I wanted to do Ariel.  But the website seems to indicate that only under 14's are allowed to dress up this year.  I'm gutted.  Even the Disney World site says that full princess dresses won't be allowed.  My favourite holiday in my favourite places seems to be no more.  And I've already started working on my dress (which ain't cheap!).
> 
> Edit: I just emailed Disney directly to ask...



I was curious about this as well, and asked a couple of weeks ago. I'm not sure that anyone knows the answer. I made a full Cinderella costume last year and was planning on wearing it again this year to the Halloween parties. I'm going to be bummed if I can't wear a fun costume!


----------



## Ember

In truth, I can't actually see them doing this, especially in Disneyland which is such a community park. Six or seven weeks of parties, mostly attended by locals and for many of them it's a tradition. As adult costumes have always been allowed at this special event (and even encouraged), I can imagine many, many people failing to check the rules this time.  So we're talking turning away at least a few thousand costumed guests. That would be some bad publicity. 

Much easier to bring in metal detectors or body scanners for the party nights of security is the concern...


----------



## Kilala

I think someone else talked about this and they don't want adults wearing layered costumes anymore.


----------



## AussieCaribou

Have a look at the costume rules for the WDW party and you will see that adults are allowed to wear costumes but that there are more restrictions now. They also say that costumes with many layers will be subject to greater scrutiny. 

If I were thinking of wearing a hoop with my princess dress, I would email in and ask Disney for clarification if that would be okay.

We are assuming the rules will be similar at Disneyland.


----------



## EPHomie

Hi everyone! We were planning a fall trip to WDW but my husband just got mil orders to California, so change of plans! We'll be living within driving distance, so I'm thinking of a one day stop in to DL for one of the Halloween parties. I see that the party tickets normally include parking. Can someone tell me if that is all day parking, or just starting around 3 or 4? I'm thinking of taking our two year old for a late character breakfast and some time at DTD (we won't have regular park tickets) before heading in to the party. Will it be okay if he's wearing a costume to a character meal?

He's never been to a Disney park, is there anything else we should do while we wait? Maybe some other fall fun? It won't be our only trip, so I don't want to overload him, just some fun while we wait.


----------



## Kilala

EPHomie said:


> Hi everyone! We were planning a fall trip to WDW but my husband just got mil orders to California, so change of plans! We'll be living within driving distance, so I'm thinking of a one day stop in to DL for one of the Halloween parties. I see that the party tickets normally include parking. Can someone tell me if that is all day parking, or just starting around 3 or 4? I'm thinking of taking our two year old for a late character breakfast and some time at DTD (we won't have regular park tickets) before heading in to the party. Will it be okay if he's wearing a costume to a character meal?
> 
> He's never been to a Disney park, is there anything else we should do while we wait? Maybe some other fall fun? It won't be our only trip, so I don't want to overload him, just some fun while we wait.


Hello!!
I do know some of the awnsers
question #1 parking is for all day.
I think you will be ok to wear your costumes. I want to do that myself of the day of a party.


----------



## lightsofmine

DH and I are wondering if you need a regular park pass as well as the party pass for the day you want to go? For example, we were planning on taking a day off between our park days, on the non park day, we would go to the party when the gates open specifically for it (with party tix of course) correct?


----------



## LisaT91403

lightsofmine said:


> DH and I are wondering if you need a regular park pass as well as the party pass for the day you want to go? For example, we were planning on taking a day off between our park days, on the non park day, we would go to the party when the gates open specifically for it (with party tix of course) correct?



You do not need a regular park ticket just to go to the party. Your party ticket allows you to enter the park 3 hours before the party starts...so 3:00 entry for the 6:00pm parties and 4:00 entry for the 7:00 parties.


----------



## justgrace

Ember said:


> In truth, I can't actually see them doing this, especially in Disneyland which is such a community park. Six or seven weeks of parties, mostly attended by locals and for many of them it's a tradition. As adult costumes have always been allowed at this special event (and even encouraged), I can imagine many, many people failing to check the rules this time.  So we're talking turning away at least a few thousand costumed guests. That would be some bad publicity.
> 
> Much easier to bring in metal detectors or body scanners for the party nights of security is the concern...



I agree. I hope you're right!!


----------



## lightsofmine

LisaT91403 said:


> You do not need a regular park ticket just to go to the party. Your party ticket allows you to enter the park 3 hours before the party starts...so 3:00 entry for the 6:00pm parties and 4:00 entry for the 7:00 parties.


Thank you!!


----------



## lindyv321

Does anyone think it's a possibility that the Halloween parties may start on September 23 rather than on the last Friday? If they wait until the last Friday, which would be September 30, they would miss out on a few party dates compared to what it's been the last few years since the last Friday has fallen closer to the 25th or 26th previously.


----------



## kiapepito

No announcements yet...?!!!


----------



## Kilala

kiapepito said:


> No announcements yet...?!!!


I wish. Maybe if we are lucky next month, May. If not late June or sometime in July


----------



## Geemo

Kilala said:


> I wish. Maybe if we are lucky next month, May. If not late June or sometime in July


Isn't it usually announced in July with ticket sales beginning at the end of July?

We plan to go for the first full weekend in October, the 1st and 2nd.  I'd like to book airfare soon but I'm not real sure whether there will be a Friday 9-30 party or a Monday 10-3 party for us to tie into.  If I at least knew the party schedule I could book our flights and wait for MHP tickets to go on sale.  I could even go for a Tuesday 10-4 party....  

As if Disney doesn't already know what they'll be doing for Halloween.

Oh well....  Time will pass and it will be time to go before we know it.

Geemo


----------



## kiapepito

I feel deja vu of waiting and waiting for the Disney Cruise itinerary release last month! Lol!


----------



## Lebestiole

Does anyone know when is Small World closing down for it's xmas re-decoration? My mom and I went to Disneyland last year, and it was closed down. The closed it on the 19th. Is it always closed on that day?

Thank you!!!


----------



## Kilala

Lebestiole said:


> Does anyone know when is Small World closing down for it's xmas re-decoration? My mom and I went to Disneyland last year, and it was closed down. The closed it on the 19th. Is it always closed on that day?
> 
> Thank you!!!


that may be the last day for Small World to be open. Since the days fall different this year There may be a chance of it being open.


----------



## Kilala

Geemo said:


> Isn't it usually announced in July with ticket sales beginning at the end of July?
> 
> We plan to go for the first full weekend in October, the 1st and 2nd.  I'd like to book airfare soon but I'm not real sure whether there will be a Friday 9-30 party or a Monday 10-3 party for us to tie into.  If I at least knew the party schedule I could book our flights and wait for MHP tickets to go on sale.  I could even go for a Tuesday 10-4 party....
> 
> As if Disney doesn't already know what they'll be doing for Halloween.
> 
> Oh well....  Time will pass and it will be time to go before we know it.
> 
> Geemo


Yes you are right about that. If they move MHP to DCA this year they may anounce it earlyer. But, the tickets won't going on sale untill sometime in July.


----------



## Kilala

Hey everyone!!! I have already started on a costume of MHP. I will post pictures soon.


----------



## Lebestiole

Kilala said:


> Hey everyone!!! I have already started on a costume of MHP. I will post pictures soon.



I thought adults couldn't wear costumes this year? D:


----------



## justgrace

Lebestiole said:


> I thought adults couldn't wear costumes this year? D:



I think they said they could, but they cannot have multiple layers or touch the ground (like full length princess dresses) or they would be subject to additional screening.


----------



## dec2009mama

For those that have attended the party in the past, if you had the opportunity to go twice would you?
We are hoping to do a Sat to Sat stay for a week in October and I wonder if we should do the party twice, we are AP holders but won't be back for Halloween anytime in the near future!
Can you do/see everything in one night?   Me, DH and DS (would be almost 7) ~ is it worth the splurge to buy two party nights?


----------



## lorijohnhill

dec2009mama said:


> For those that have attended the party in the past, if you had the opportunity to go twice would you?
> We are hoping to do a Sat to Sat stay for a week in October and I wonder if we should do the party twice, we are AP holders but won't be back for Halloween anytime in the near future!
> Can you do/see everything in one night?   Me, DH and DS (would be almost 7) ~ is it worth the splurge to buy two party nights?


We went to three parties last year and had a blast at each one. There is so much to do, there is no way to do it all in one night.


----------



## Geemo

dec2009mama said:


> For those that have attended the party in the past, if you had the opportunity to go twice would you?
> We are hoping to do a Sat to Sat stay for a week in October and I wonder if we should do the party twice, we are AP holders but won't be back for Halloween anytime in the near future!
> Can you do/see everything in one night?   Me, DH and DS (would be almost 7) ~ is it worth the splurge to buy two party nights?




Each year the volume of people at the parties has grown.
For me once a year is enough.  We have been for the last three years.  Going to a Monday or Tuesday MHP.

Since you're AP holders and don't plan to be back during future MHP's, you might as well GO FOR IT!

Enjoy your week in the parks

Geemo


----------



## justgrace

dec2009mama said:


> For those that have attended the party in the past, if you had the opportunity to go twice would you?
> We are hoping to do a Sat to Sat stay for a week in October and I wonder if we should do the party twice, we are AP holders but won't be back for Halloween anytime in the near future!
> Can you do/see everything in one night?   Me, DH and DS (would be almost 7) ~ is it worth the splurge to buy two party nights?



We went to 4 parties the year before last. We would do this every year if we could!! It is so much fun! I would totally do two nights, especially if you haven't been before! I don't think it's possible to see/do everything that the party offers in one night. Could you do most of it? Sure. But to do everything (trick-or-treating, parade, fireworks, shows, entertainment, meet-and-greets, etc. etc.) it would take more than one night IMHO.


----------



## agamble

Lebestiole said:


> I thought adults couldn't wear costumes this year? D:





justgrace said:


> I think they said they could, but they cannot have multiple layers or touch the ground (like full length princess dresses) or they would be subject to additional screening.



Technically the Disneyland website still says kids up to 14 (https://disneyland.disney.go.com/events-tours/mickeys-halloween-party/), but for the WDW party they said adults could wear costumes. The expectation is that Disneyland will allow adults to wear costumes for the parties similar to WDW.


----------



## Vala

lorijohnhill said:


> We went to three parties last year and had a blast at each one. There is so much to do, there is no way to do it all in one night.



I've always gone twice the last years. You can fit everything you really, really want to do in one night, but it involves a lot of planning and nothing must go wrong. Bullseye had problems with his saddle last year, that cost us about an hour from a precisely timed night and threw everything off. Never mind my friend's husband getting tired along the way because best timing meant crossing all over the lands repeatedly...


----------



## jammyjam25

dec2009mama said:


> For those that have attended the party in the past, if you had the opportunity to go twice would you?
> We are hoping to do a Sat to Sat stay for a week in October and I wonder if we should do the party twice, we are AP holders but won't be back for Halloween anytime in the near future!
> Can you do/see everything in one night?   Me, DH and DS (would be almost 7) ~ is it worth the splurge to buy two party nights?



After attending 1 party last year I can safely say we easily could have attended 2. We didn't get to meet as many characters as we would have liked and missed some of the entertainment (Cadaver Dans! :-( ) as well. And we were there from Toontown Pre-party all the way through the Villains goodnight at the Train Station!


----------



## Kilala

I always try to go more than once myself. I plan on going at least 4 times this year. I'm going all 3 days on the week me and my friend Christine. I'm also planning on going the second party. The party has not sold out for the last 3 years now.


----------



## KOUKLI

When we go, we try to do at least two parties. It helps in case you miss something and gives you a chance to aim for as many photo ops as possible one night and then just enjoy the party the next night. Can't wait to see dates so we can confirm our trip!


----------



## whoopsiedoodle

I'm so glad you brought this up because I was just debating if we should do 1 or 2...looks like we'll do 2 if we can!


----------



## azdisneylover

dec2009mama said:


> For those that have attended the party in the past, if you had the opportunity to go twice would you?
> We are hoping to do a Sat to Sat stay for a week in October and I wonder if we should do the party twice, we are AP holders but won't be back for Halloween anytime in the near future!
> Can you do/see everything in one night?   Me, DH and DS (would be almost 7) ~ is it worth the splurge to buy two party nights?



I would do it in a second! My girls and I had a wonderful time during the party. Hubby and son went back to the room after a couple of hours. It was fun trick or treating. Brought back so many memories from when I was a kid (5 decades ago). So, yeah, I would go again to feel like a 5 year old kid again trick or treating, riding rides, snacking on candy and what ever we feel like and riding fun rides.


----------



## KOUKLI

I didn't do one my first trip and was so sad! The second time we did one party and missed loads, including villains! Third time we weren't messing around. Nailed loads at the first party and then just enjoyed the second. It rained Halloween 2014 so things changed a bit at the second party. I don't know, if you can afford it and it fits in your trip 2 is definitely the go


----------



## StyledSugar

I would totally go to two, if we could! I think we'd spend one doing all the candy stops and doing rides and then the other party just enjoying the atmosphere. I love the park at night, especially during the party!


----------



## KOUKLI

And for anyone doing two parties I suggest watching the parade at one of them and then using parade time at the other to get on some of the big ticket rides (Unless parades are your thing of course)  Also after the fireworks a lot of people leave - then is also a great time to hit the rides!


----------



## Corpsebride

So, wait a second.   I cannot dress up as Snow White like I've done for the past 5 years? No adults in costume??


----------



## lindyv321

Corpsebride said:


> So, wait a second.   I cannot dress up as Snow White like I've done for the past 5 years? No adults in costume??



There has been no official announcement of what the costume rules are going to be for the parties....


----------



## CassieScraps

I want to do another party this year. Don't know if it's it the cards yet. But I'd for sure do 2 if money allowed!!


----------



## Comicbookmommy

OKAY! It's starting to get hot around here as summer is rolling in and I'm ALREADY dreaming about October and Halloween time at Disney!  I wonder how early the pumpkin craziness with foods in stores will start this year!


----------



## lorijohnhill

Comicbookmommy said:


> OKAY! It's starting to get hot around here as summer is rolling in and I'm ALREADY dreaming about October and Halloween time at Disney!  I wonder how early the pumpkin craziness with foods in stores will start this year!


We've already hit triple digits this week. I cannot wait for fall and cooler weather. The heat about kills me. Bring on Disneyland Halloween Time!!!


----------



## jlwhitney

We are going for 3 full days in the end of sept. If the parties are going on is it worth going to since we have been to MNSSHP in WDW a few times. Though with the time change it might not work anyway. I just hope that are 3 nights are not all party nights.


----------



## lindyv321

It's boiling hot here in Arizona too!! I am more than ready for summer to be over and for Fall to be here!


----------



## WestMom2two

Texas is supposed to be cooler then normal so I'm loving the weather we have. With that said we didn't plan any vacations during the summer so I'm dying for it to be October for our only family vacation of the year to Disney!!!!!


----------



## Ember

Corpsebride said:


> So, wait a second.   I cannot dress up as Snow White like I've done for the past 5 years? No adults in costume??



I wrote to Disneyland Guest Services and they called to tell me costumes would be allowed, even long dresses - but they would be subject to extra searches.  Now, that said, there have been many instances where CM's give wrong information.


----------



## lunaland

dec2009mama said:


> For those that have attended the party in the past, if you had the opportunity to go twice would you?
> We are hoping to do a Sat to Sat stay for a week in October and I wonder if we should do the party twice, we are AP holders but won't be back for Halloween anytime in the near future!
> Can you do/see everything in one night?   Me, DH and DS (would be almost 7) ~ is it worth the splurge to buy two party nights?



We were there for 8 days during October and did one party.  Halfway through that party we were wondering why we didn't do two!


----------



## Comicbookmommy

lorijohnhill said:


> We've already hit triple digits this week. I cannot wait for fall and cooler weather. The heat about kills me. Bring on Disneyland Halloween Time!!!



UGH triple digits!! I feel for you! We had to finally break out the air conditioners up here in the San Bernadino mountains.  I feel like I just want to draw the curtains and hibernate until the heat is over.


----------



## Kilala

I really need to post some pictures of some Halloween and fall goodies for you guys. I'm also going to do a makeup test of two of my character today. I will be wearing wigs with the makeup on. I will finally be painting one of the unitards of one of my cat charaters Rain this weekend.


----------



## Belleoftheballl

Does anyone remember about what the price is for the party per adult?? I haven't been to the Disneyland one..just Disneyworld. We are going to Disneyland for a week beginning of October so I can't wait to get my party ticket! 
Sorry if this has been asked on here a lot..just didn't see the answer haha


----------



## jammyjam25

Belleoftheballl said:


> Does anyone remember about what the price is for the party per adult?? I haven't been to the Disneyland one..just Disneyworld. We are going to Disneyland for a week beginning of October so I can't wait to get my party ticket!
> Sorry if this has been asked on here a lot..just didn't see the answer haha



It depends on the date of the party as weekends and closer to Halloween are more expensive, but last year the tickets were anywhere from $69-84/person I believe. I went to a party mid-week in the first part of October last year and paid $69.

Hopefully the prices don't go up this year!


----------



## iKristin

I forget, when does Haunted Mansion typically go down for refurb?? Isn't it normally like the last day of August??


----------



## cinderbellasmom

I called DLR yesterday and the CM said they're thinking the Halloween party dates might be released within the week. Think there's any truth to that?


----------



## peachiepie

cinderbellasmom said:


> I called DLR yesterday and the CM said they're thinking the Halloween party dates might be released within the week. Think there's any truth to that?



I'll keep my fingers crossed it's true!


----------



## justgrace

cinderbellasmom said:


> I called DLR yesterday and the CM said they're thinking the Halloween party dates might be released within the week. Think there's any truth to that?



Really? IIRC, that will be super earlier than other years. I'm not complaining, though!


----------



## WebmasterMaryJo

iKristin said:


> I forget, when does Haunted Mansion typically go down for refurb?? Isn't it normally like the last day of August??



If I recall correctly, Haunted Mansion went down about mid August last summer.


----------



## LittleFlounder

I'm crossing my fingers that they'll keep the Haunted Mansion open a little longer because of the 60th celebration. I'm visiting at the end of August for the first time and really don't want to miss HM!!!


----------



## Geemo

cinderbellasmom said:


> I called DLR yesterday and the CM said they're thinking the Halloween party dates might be released within the week. Think there's any truth to that?


We are all waiting for the same thing....  Party Dates!!!
Once I see the dates and have my tickets, I can book flights and finalize the hotel.

Sure hope the info is accurate on releasing the dates.


----------



## DisneylandDarling

I so can't wait for Halloweentime at Disneyland! We've been during Halloween several times before and absolutely love it! The decorations, Mickey's Halloween party, the costumes - eeep!! I already have a costume that I made last year, but I think I might make another one this year! I went as Cinderella and created the costume from scratch (well almost, I took a wedding dress that had the same "ballgown" shape as Cinderella's and took it down to the bare minimum then redid it all and it turned it lovely! It took many trips to Joann's fabric and a lot of patience, but it was such a fun project! I'm not sure how people create such gorgeous costumes to sell on Etsy. It seems like so much work and it took so long to make!). I want to make a Belle costume in her provincial dress. We're planning a couple of parties during our October trip, so I think I might wear the Cinderella costume one night and then the Belle costume the other night. 

The family hasn't decided whether they'll go with their usual costumes or what they'll go as this year. 

Hoping Disney will release the party dates soon...


----------



## dolphingirl47

There is no Disneyland trip on the cards for me this year unfortunately, but there is now a good chance that I will be there during the Halloween season in 2017. I am so happy about this.

Corinna


----------



## dark54555

For those who have done this before, how does the early sale for Disney Visa holders work?  I just got the card last month (since we have a trip planned in early October) and haven't yet been able to do any of the offers they have.  We've got 6 in our party and the dates are already set (based on when eveyone coulde go), so I want to make sure to get on those tickets as soon as I can.


----------



## Angrose

iKristin said:


> I forget, when does Haunted Mansion typically go down for refurb?? Isn't it normally like the last day of August??





WebmasterMaryJo said:


> If I recall correctly, Haunted Mansion went down about mid August last summer.





LittleFlounder said:


> I'm crossing my fingers that they'll keep the Haunted Mansion open a little longer because of the 60th celebration. I'm visiting at the end of August for the first time and really don't want to miss HM!!!



I rode HM on Aug 21st last year, which was a Friday. I think it was due to close the following Monday.


----------



## DisneylandDarling

dark54555 said:


> For those who have done this before, how does the early sale for Disney Visa holders work?  I just got the card last month (since we have a trip planned in early October) and haven't yet been able to do any of the offers they have.  We've got 6 in our party and the dates are already set (based on when eveyone coulde go), so I want to make sure to get on those tickets as soon as I can.



I believe you will be able to purchase your Halloween tickets in advanced along with annual passholders. They'll be releasing dates of the party along when everyone can purchase their tickets in the coming weeks.


----------



## GenGen22

So once again I promised my Fiance before my trip in March that I wouldn't be going to DL for the next couple of years and here I am again waiting for them to post the Halloween party schedule so, I can book my trip.  It will be my 3rd party in a row for the last 3 yrs.  I can't help it.  I'm a Payroll Manager and with that comes a lot of stress DL is my release... I really should have considered another AP as I can't seem to stop planning trips...lol  I'm already planning my second trip to WDW in May 2017 cuz I found out there will be a Payroll convention 3 minutes from WDW so, I was like why not my company will pay for my flight, hotel & meals I might as well buy a PH...lol


----------



## DisneylandDarling

GenGen22 said:


> So once again I promised my Fiance before my trip in March that I wouldn't be going to DL for the next couple of years and here I am again waiting for them to post the Halloween party schedule so, I can book my trip.  It will be my 3rd party in a row for the last 3 yrs.  I can't help it.  I'm a Payroll Manager and with that comes a lot of stress DL is my release... I really should have considered another AP as I can't seem to stop planning trips...lol  I'm already planning my second trip to WDW in May 2017 cuz I found out there will be a Payroll convention 3 minutes from WDW so, I was like why not my company will pay for my flight, hotel & meals I might as well buy a PH...lol



How fun! 

Disney is definitely addicting!


----------



## GenGen22

DisneylandDarling said:


> How fun!
> 
> Disney is definitely addicting!


I know I keep joking that I need to go to DLA..hahaha


----------



## GenGen22

And now Southwest has flights for $59 even more reason to book a Halloween trip....


----------



## DisneylandDarling

GenGen22 said:


> And now Southwest has flights for $59 even more reason to book a Halloween trip....



Grr! Ours are still $97 each way. Still a fairly good deal, but we can do better with Southwest.


----------



## GenGen22

DisneylandDarling said:


> Grr! Ours are still $97 each way. Still a fairly good deal, but we can do better with Southwest.


It also depends on what day of the week you travel.  We will be coming home on a Sunday and the cost is $109 so that's why I decided to stay longer And fly in on Wed or Thur instead of Fri for the $59 rate.  Well that and the 3rd or 4th night free deals on getawaytoday.com...lol that and any reason to stay longer...lol


----------



## DisneylandDarling

GenGen22 said:


> It also depends on what day of the week you travel.  We will be coming home on a Sunday and the cost is $109 so that's why I decided to stay longer And fly in on Wed or Thur instead of Fri for the $59 rate.  Well that and the 3rd or 4th night free deals on getawaytoday.com...lol that and any reason to stay longer...lol



We'll be flying in on a Monday and leaving on the following Monday (that's the plan for now). It probably also depends on the home airport. I know our airfare will drop soon and when it does - we'll be ready to pounce on it! lol

Congrats on finding such a great deal!  Disney must be sending some pixie dust ahead of your trip!


----------



## AussieCaribou

Wow! $59? Makes my bargain of $1500 each return pail in comparison.


----------



## scrapperkimmydee

scrapperkimmydee said:


> Is there a "usual" line up of nights that the party is on?  Like, every Friday, Monday, and Wednesday, or something like that?  Or is it random?


Bumping this backup. Hoping someone can help.


----------



## dolphingirl47

Friday seems to be the only constant. Traditionally it used to be Fridays and Tuesdays, but in the last couple of years they added other days during the week, too. While I was at Disneyland late September last year, the parties were Friday, Monday and Wednesday.

Corinna


----------



## mom2rtk

scrapperkimmydee said:


> Bumping this backup. Hoping someone can help.


 

I believe dates for prior years are listed in one of the first posts of this thread. We were there the last week of October last year and attended on a Sunday and a Tuesday.


----------



## PeachMom

I love this thread! It is making me giddy thinking about our upcoming trip in October! My husband and I are splurging for some serious quality time and leaving the kids with Grandma! 
I just wish they would hurry up and post those party dates!!


----------



## GenGen22

PeachMom said:


> I love this thread! It is making me giddy thinking about our upcoming trip in October! My husband and I are splurging for some serious quality time and leaving the kids with Grandma!
> I just wish they would hurry up and post those party dates!!


Me too... I'm watching daily for me and my friend who both want to book a party and Halloween trip!


----------



## PeachMom

Where do you look to see if the dates have been posted?


----------



## GenGen22

PeachMom said:


> Where do you look to see if the dates have been posted?


I check Disneyland website & also do a Google search as well.


----------



## Geemo

PeachMom said:


> Where do you look to see if the dates have been posted?


I find Erin Glover will report on the dates in the Blog.
http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/


----------



## cinderbellasmom

We went in 2012 and 2014 and liked the way the dates were spaced. We're in the parks Mon-Thur so for those 2 years the parties only fell on one of the four days. Now it sounds like it might be two of the days, not sure I like that. We're already shorted hours in the fall, the ROA, MT, Columbia & RR are closed and we'll get kicked out of one park early! I know, I know I should be happy I'm there but when you save for 2 years and you pay full price to get shorted, it's annoying!


----------



## gsrieff

For anyone who wants to join the October trip thread, here is the link! 

http://www.disboards.com/threads/october-2016-check-in.3498944/


----------



## PeachMom

I have been planning my Halloween costume for our October trip but read this today and am worried adults won't be allowed to wear costumes at Disneyland's Halloween 

https://disneyland.disney.go.com/events-tours/mickeys-halloween-party/

Is that right??


----------



## Snap Crackle Pop

PeachMom said:


> I have been planning my Halloween costume for our October trip but read this today and am worried adults won't be allowed to wear costumes at Disneyland's Halloween
> 
> https://disneyland.disney.go.com/events-tours/mickeys-halloween-party/
> 
> Is that right??



There is a possibility that adults will not be able to be dressed up, but I think people were allowed to dress up during one of those runs that were done recently! But I would just prepare for the possibility that you won't be able to wear your costume.


----------



## BatBunny

Snap Crackle Pop said:


> There is a possibility that adults will not be able to be dressed up, but I think people were allowed to dress up during one of those runs that were done recently! But I would just prepare for the possibility that you won't be able to wear your costume.


 I sure hope this isn't the case. My wife spent countless hours making our outfits and she would be devastated if Disney did this.


----------



## Geemo

PeachMom said:


> I have been planning my Halloween costume for our October trip but read this today and am worried adults won't be allowed to wear costumes at Disneyland's Halloween
> 
> https://disneyland.disney.go.com/events-tours/mickeys-halloween-party/
> 
> Is that right??


It appears Disney has posted a policy update. 
I have reviewed the party information in the past and it was fairly vague.

This is very specific.....
*Costume Guidelines*
Guests under the age of 14 may dress in their favorite Halloween costume and must follow at least these guidelines.
*Costumes Should*

Be child-friendly
*Costumes Should Not*

Be obstructive, offensive or violent
Drag on the ground
Contain sharp objects, pointed objects or materials that may accidentally strike another Guest
Contain any weapons which resemble or could easily be mistaken for an actual weapon
*Masks*

Masks may be worn by Guests under the age of 14, but they must not obstruct vision and eyes must be visible at all times
*Know Before You Go*

Please be sure costumes meet these guidelines
If a costume cannot be modified, a Guest may be refused entry into the event
Guests under the age of 14 may dress like Disney Characters, but they may not pose for pictures or sign autographs
Guests may not wear a costume to a Disneyland Resort Halloween event unless they have a valid ticket to that event
You might want to call and see what Guest Services has to say.
However, reading this looks like they have made a major change.

Geemo

9:56pm edit
On page one post #3, scroll down to item 15.  I found this info for PAST parties.


> *15. Can guests of all ages wear costumes? What are the rules? Do most guests dress up?*
> 
> Guests of all ages are welcome to wear costumes during MHP hours. These are Disney’s general costume guidelines for the MHP:
> 
> 
> Costumes should be child-friendly and may not be obstructive, offensive or violent.
> Guests may wear masks. However, masks must not obstruct vision, and eyes must be visible at all times.
> Costumes should not contain sharp objects, pointed objects or material that may accidentally strike another Guest.
> Guests that dress like Disney Characters may not pose for pictures or sign autographs for other Guests.
> Costumes should not drag on the ground.
> Costumes should not contain items which resemble or could easily be mistaken for an actual weapon.
> Guests of all ages may only wear costumes to the Mickey's Halloween Party event to which they have valid tickets. During normal park operating hours, costumes are only permitted for Guests ages 9 and younger.
> Guests who do not adhere to these guidelines may be refused entry into the event unless their costumes can be modified to meet the above standards. Information subject to change without notice.


----------



## DisneylandDarling

Geemo said:


> It appears Disney has posted a policy update.
> I have reviewed the party information in the past and it was fairly vague.
> 
> This is very specific.....
> *Costume Guidelines*
> Guests under the age of 14 may dress in their favorite Halloween costume and must follow at least these guidelines.
> *Costumes Should*
> 
> Be child-friendly
> *Costumes Should Not*
> 
> Be obstructive, offensive or violent
> Drag on the ground
> Contain sharp objects, pointed objects or materials that may accidentally strike another Guest
> Contain any weapons which resemble or could easily be mistaken for an actual weapon
> *Masks*
> 
> Masks may be worn by Guests under the age of 14, but they must not obstruct vision and eyes must be visible at all times
> *Know Before You Go*
> 
> Please be sure costumes meet these guidelines
> If a costume cannot be modified, a Guest may be refused entry into the event
> Guests under the age of 14 may dress like Disney Characters, but they may not pose for pictures or sign autographs
> Guests may not wear a costume to a Disneyland Resort Halloween event unless they have a valid ticket to that event
> You might want to call and see what Guest Services has to say.
> However, reading this looks like they have made a major change.
> 
> Geemo



OH NO! I think I'm going to cry! I wanted to be Belle this year!! wahhhh!

Hopefully this will be updated again...

If I dress up in her provincial dress, how do they know that isn't just my normal clothes? lol


----------



## DisneylandDarling

.


----------



## GenGen22

Disappointing if we can't dress up  I hope they change the rules.


----------



## PeachMom

I'm trying to think positively here... Even though it stinks that I'm planning an adult-only trip at Halloween and we won't be allowed to wear costumes... Maybe this means less people will go and lines will be shorter! And we can still wear Disney inspired outfits. I can still wear a blue dress and a black bow in my hair and maybe just skip the white pinafore.


----------



## mom2rtk

If that's the costume policy they are going with, it would certainly be a departure from previous years, but it would also be a departure from what WDW is doing this year. They posted revised costume guidelines in the last couple months that allows adults to wear costumes that meet certain (easy to meet) criteria.

I'd really be surprised to see the 2 resorts have such wildly varying policies. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

If this stands, it would sure be interesting to stand out front and watch the CMs turn away person after person after deciding if they were indeed wearing a "costume".


----------



## Kilala

I'm going to call later on today and see if they can clear this up about the costumes.


----------



## Kilala

I just called and they don't know any info yet. They think it's going to stay at Disneyland. I was told to call next week for the info then.


----------



## MrsPinup

The Halloween Party's are on Friday night's in October, correct?  Trying to plan...

Also, please share some costume ideas for a pregnant mom lol.  I will be 35 weeks pregnant when we go and will Disneybound if it comes to that.


----------



## Geemo

MrsPinup said:


> The Halloween Party's are on Friday night's in October, correct?  Trying to plan...
> 
> Also, please share some costume ideas for a pregnant mom lol.  I will be 35 weeks pregnant when we go and will Disneybound if it comes to that.


On the first page of this thread and the second post, you'll find information on the PAST dates for MHP's.

As for a costume.......  You might want to get clarification to the 2016 MHP policy for adult costumes.
The policy on the website today, as I read it only allows guests under the age of 14.
The full description can be found here - https://disneyland.disney.go.com/events-tours/mickeys-halloween-party/


Geemo


----------



## Indy #1 Fan

I honestly think they are going to relax the costume rules.  WDW relaxed theirs and tickets haven't gone on sale yet for DL, so nothing is set in stone yet for DL.


----------



## Kilala

Indy #1 Fan said:


> I honestly think they are going to relax the costume rules.  WDW relaxed theirs and tickets haven't gone on sale yet for DL, so nothing is set in stone yet for DL.


I agree with you. nothing is set in stone yet about the costumes.


----------



## PeachMom

MrsPinup said:


> The Halloween Party's are on Friday night's in October, correct?  Trying to plan...
> 
> Also, please share some costume ideas for a pregnant mom lol.  I will be 35 weeks pregnant when we go and will Disneybound if it comes to that.


Mike Wazowski from Monsters Inc.! There are lots of photos on the Internet - some women just had green T-shirts with a big eye and others had more elaborate outfits including arms and legs. 
I think that would be cute and comfortable.


----------



## Bethanie1

We have come from out of state multiple years and will say... If adult costumes are not allowed, it might be a deal breaker for us.


----------



## mom2rtk

Bethanie1 said:


> We have come from out of state multiple years and will say... If adult costumes are not allowed, it might be a deal breaker for us.


 


You're not the only one who feels that way.


----------



## Kilala

I will call them again later on this week. They should know more about it by this weekend


----------



## GenGen22

Part of the reason I come to Disney is to take me away to another land where life isn't stressful and you can be free again like a kid.  Dressing up & trick or treating is a big part of that.  I'm a payroll Accountant so, I need this...  I sure hope they revise the rules to include adults.  I'll still go because my trip is already planned and my flight is already paid for but I'll be disappointed and probably won't go next year.


----------



## DisneylandDarling

Welp, it seems official now. Costumes for adults ages 14 and older will not be allowed this year. Only "themed" tshirts, etc. There goes my costumes that I've been working hard on. Unless of course, I'm reading this wrong. It sounds like adults will be restricted to only a cape, themed shirts, or accessories. 


Here is what was posted on the Disneyland website: 


Before you brew up ideas for your next disguise—review our latest list of tips.


While we encourage creativity, we also value safety and good judgement. Please take a moment to read over our latest rules and regulations:


Costumes must be family-friendly and may not be obstructive, offensive, objectionable or violent.
Guests who dress like characters may not pose for pictures or sign autographs for other Guests.
Costumes may not contain any weapons that resemble or could easily be mistaken for an actual weapon.
Costumes may not contain sharp objects, pointed objects or materials that may accidentally strike another Guest.
Layered costumes or costume props that surround the entire body are strongly discouraged and may be subject to additional security screening.
Costumes may not reach or drag on the ground. (e.g. full-length Princess dresses).
*For Guests Ages 13 and Under*

Costumes and some masks may be worn, as long the mask does not cover the entire face and eyes are visible.

*For Guests Ages 14 and Older*


Capes may be worn if the length does not go below the waist.
Themed T-shirts, blouses, sweatshirts and hats are acceptable.
Acceptable accessories include: transparent wings, plastic light sabers, toy swords and tutus. Headwear may be worn as long as it does not cover the face.
Masks of any kind may not be worn.
Guests who do not adhere to these guidelines may be refused entry into, and/or removed from, unless his or her costume can be modified to meet the above standards.


----------



## mom2rtk

Why would you need wings if you weren't in costume? I'm more confused than ever.

I think if they really mean no costumes, they needed the same policy at both coasts.

This won't go well.


----------



## jammyjam25

I envision them having to turn a LOT of people away at the door. Most people see Halloween Party and assume costumes are accepted or even encouraged. And for posters like us or mega planners we may be likely to come across this information but more casual goers and/or locals who have been coming year after year might not think to check the rules or realize there's been a change. Eep!

I'm also confused by the different policies at different parks. I agree they should be consistent across the board.


----------



## DisneylandDarling

I totally agree! It's incredibly frustrating! So Disney's going to turn away a family if the parents dress up in costume with the kids because they weren't aware of the new rule change?

I'm betting that WDW is going to change their policy as well.  It doesn't make any sense to have two different policies.


----------



## mom2rtk

DisneylandDarling said:


> I totally agree! It's incredibly frustrating! So Disney's going to turn away a family if the parents dress up in costume with the kids because they weren't aware of the new rule change?
> 
> I'm betting that WDW is going to change their policy as well.  It doesn't make any sense to have two different policies.


 

The policy posted by WDW is the changed policy for this year. It was posted in the last couple of months.

Their right hand really needs to pay attention to what the left hand is doing. You can find the policy here:

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/events-tours/magic-kingdom/mickeys-not-so-scary-halloween-party/


----------



## DisneylandDarling

mom2rtk said:


> The policy posted by WDW is the changed policy for this year. It was posted in the last couple of months.
> 
> You can find the policy here. Their right hand really needs to pay attention to what the left hand is doing.
> 
> https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/events-tours/magic-kingdom/mickeys-not-so-scary-halloween-party/



I remember them updating the policy a couple months back at WDW (which is the policy that many people assumed would be in place at Disneyland). 

But Disneyland "updated" their policy last week or the week before then changed it again just recently. It seems like they're all over the place.


----------



## PeachMom

So... I can wear something on my head, wings, cape and carry a lightsaber. But I can't wear a costume. Clear as mud!  LOL


----------



## GenGen22

mom2rtk said:


> Why would you need wings if you weren't in costume? I'm more confused than ever.
> 
> I think if they really mean no costumes, they needed the same policy at both coasts.
> 
> This won't go well.


I agree very confusing.  I mean if I can wear wings and a green blouse and pants thus I can dress as tinker bell   I think I should call to confirm.


----------



## GenGen22

DisneylandDarling said:


> I remember them updating the policy a couple months back at WDW (which is the policy that many people assumed would be in place at Disneyland).
> 
> But Disneyland "updated" their policy last week or the week before then changed it again just recently. It seems like they're all over the place.


Definitely all over the place..


----------



## DisneylandDarling

GenGen22 said:


> I agree very confusing.  I mean if I can wear wings and a green blouse and pants thus I can dress as tinker bell   I think I should call to confirm.



If you do call, be sure to report back on what you hear! 

The thing with Disney that I've found is that the person on the phone says one thing, but then the person at the gate says another. It's hard to get a correct, across the board answer from them. I would be afraid of hearing from a CM on the phone saying that costumes are allowed, but then showing up in full costume at the gate and being denied entrance. Then, they won't listen if you say "Well, Rose from guest relations said that costumes were allowed for adults this year". Frustrating! lol


----------



## GenGen22

DisneylandDarling said:


> If you do call, be sure to report back on what you hear!
> 
> The thing with Disney that I've found is that the person on the phone says one thing, but then the person at the gate says another. It's hard to get a correct, across the board answer from them. I would be afraid of hearing from a CM on the phone saying that costumes are allowed, but then showing up in full costume at the gate and being denied entrance. Then, they won't listen if you say "Well, Rose from guest relations said that costumes were allowed for adults this year". Frustrating! lol


I definitely will report back.  I'll let you know what I find out.


----------



## merfsko

Very vague.  The fact that they new guidelines list what IS permitted (themed shirts, etc.) is the only thing that makes me very wary. However, if I hadn't been aware of the previous changes and I was a guest who was just now looking up costume guidelines for the first time, I would assume that costumes were permitted for adults (excluding masks, long dresses, layered costumes, etc.), since nowhere does it actually say 'No costumes.' I agree with jammyjam25, if costumes are actually totally prohibited for adults, they're going to be turning people away because of the wording here.

EDIT: It's worth noting that WDW's guideline are actually nearly identical They even include the themed t-shirts line. The main difference is that the guideline points are shifted (two points that are listed under the top part for DLR is listed under 14+ for WDW). Maybe there's hope for us after all?

(I've really bee hoping to go as Cinderella in her working dress, so I'm going to keep dreaming... but I have a back-up plan just in case  )


----------



## Kilala

that is wierd. Like I said I will call again this Friday to find out for sure from a CM


----------



## lindyv321

Sounds to me like they don't want the elaborate costumes that have allowed in the past due to increased security concerns. Allowing only basic costumes for adults will help with security screening and make sure everyone is safe.

People DisneyBound at the parks on a daily basis with no issues and that is a viable option to abide by the new rules but still participate in the fun. Me personally I would rather know myself and my family are safe rather than see costumes or have to wait in crazy security lines just to gain entrance to the party.


----------



## AussieCaribou

Hmm...with all the talk about what will not be offered at the Halloween party this year, I am wondering why I would want to pay the extra money...

As I understand it:
No carnival activities (as BTR is closed)
No costumes
No fireworks
No atmosphere area (BT trail & Rivers of America)

So, what will there be?
Treat trails (diabetic so...)
Meet and greets (unless #ThanksShanghai)
Overlays (available during the day)
Cavalcade (hmm...)

I guess I will have to wait to hear what they have to say when then tickets go on sale but I guess I will put in hold the costume...

Disappointed


----------



## PeachMom

AussieCaribou said:


> Hmm...with all the talk about what will not be offered at the Halloween party this year, I am wondering why I would want to pay the extra money...
> 
> As I understand it:
> No carnival activities (as BTR is closed)
> No costumes
> No fireworks
> No atmosphere area (BT trail & Rivers of America)
> 
> So, what will there be?
> Treat trails (diabetic so...)
> Meet and greets (unless #ThanksShanghai)
> Overlays (available during the day)
> Cavalcade (hmm...)
> 
> I guess I will have to wait to hear what they have to say when then tickets go on sale but I guess I will put in hold the costume...
> 
> Disappointed


No fireworks??


----------



## AussieCaribou

PeachMom said:


> No fireworks??



Sounds like it. After the 60th ends in sept, it looks like no fireworks until spring...something about needing to build new launch platforms...some people think that there will be projections and low level fireworks in front of the castle but not an actual fireworks show...


----------



## Snap Crackle Pop

PeachMom said:


> No fireworks??



The rumor is that there will be a six month hiatus after the 60th Anniversary ends, but it's not official yet. 
I wouldn't be surprised if they, and I hope they do move the party to DCA just because of all the stuff that's going on at DL with construction, and all that.


----------



## m.a.t.diot

May I ask where that rumour comes from? 

My family and I will be flying from Australia 22Sep and that would be hugely disappointing news.

It's not like we can go back in a month or two.


----------



## AussieCaribou

m.a.t.diot said:


> May I ask where that rumour comes from?
> 
> My family and I will be flying from Australia 22Sep and that would be hugely disappointing news.
> 
> It's not like we can go back in a month or two.



We are coming from Aus in Oct. So it's the same for us.

Just like the rumors regarding adult costumes not being allowed have been around for a while, the fireworks one has been rumbling for a month or two. Disney has said the end date for the 60th is the first week of Sept. For a while now, the rumors have said that with the end of the 60th, the big fireworks display would be going (too expensive). There are those who say that the fireworks cause an issue in the construction zone. I would suggest that is correct given the fallout zone location (ToonTown). So, the rumors say that they can't build Star Wars land with the fireworks going and that they need to build new launch platforms. Either way (cost or construction), with the downsizing of Disneyland entertainment, I will be happily surprised if we have anything cool to do at night in that park. I think that this is my first time feeling depressed before a Disneyland visit. 

That said, nothing official regarding Lesser fireworks or a night time parade have been released from Dinsey. So, we can hope...


----------



## mom2rtk

PeachMom said:


> No fireworks??


 

WOW. If I had know that I probably would have scheduled WDW this year instead of DLR. 

I really hope that's wrong.

But the PP is right. Why on EARTH would anyone pay the extra money for the party if that's the case?


----------



## ludari

Really disappointed about the costume guidelines for adults.  I had made three different costumes for the Halloween season at DLR and now it appears I can't wear any of them... so disappointing.


----------



## AussieCaribou

ludari said:


> Really disappointed about the costume guidelines for adults.  I had made three different costumes for the Halloween season at DLR and now it appears I can't wear any of them... so disappointing.


That is disappointing! I am only at the planning stage, so not as much time yet involved. I really wish that they would go to the WDW version...


----------



## mom2rtk

AussieCaribou said:


> Sounds like it. After the 60th ends in sept, it looks like no fireworks until spring...something about needing to build new launch platforms...some people think that there will be projections and low level fireworks in front of the castle but not an actual fireworks show...


 

Is there a thread where this is discussed? I'd like to watch for updates as I continue planning. Part of me wants to switch coasts still if it really happens.....


----------



## Angrose

mom2rtk said:


> Is there a thread where this is discussed? I'd like to watch for updates as I continue planning. Part of me wants to switch coasts still if it really happens.....


http://www.wdwinfo.com/news-stories/more-troubling-disneyland-forever-fireworks-rumors/


----------



## mom2rtk

Angrose said:


> http://www.wdwinfo.com/news-stories/more-troubling-disneyland-forever-fireworks-rumors/


 

Thanks. Sigh.


----------



## lindyv321

I wonder if they will carry on the PTN parade with no fireworks?? I also am curious if they will be offering a Halloween parade on party nights like years past or if they will keep PTN on party nights...


----------



## ChloroformSdxn

We're heading back to Disneyland in October, and while I was hoping for earlier in the month, it looks like we'll be there right around the end of the month (like, coming in Sunday the 30th.) Haunted Mansion overlay will stay up until Christmas, but what about the other Halloween things? Does anyone know if Space Mountain (assuming they do the Ghost Galaxy overlay), be shut down immediately on the 1st to remove the overlay?

I'll be bringing my brother, who hasn't been in over 20 years, so I would really like him to experience this. As well, my son loves Space Mountain. Any insight on what gets shut down and when following Halloween?


----------



## mom2rtk

ChloroformSdxn said:


> We're heading back to Disneyland in October, and while I was hoping for earlier in the month, it looks like we'll be there right around the end of the month (like, coming in Sunday the 30th.) Haunted Mansion overlay will stay up until Christmas, but what about the other Halloween things? Does anyone know if Space Mountain (assuming they do the Ghost Galaxy overlay), be shut down immediately on the 1st to remove the overlay?
> 
> I'll be bringing my brother, who hasn't been in over 20 years, so I would really like him to experience this. As well, my son loves Space Mountain. Any insight on what gets shut down and when following Halloween?


 

Haunted Mansion keeps its overlay through the holiday season so it will definitely still be there.


----------



## mom2rtk

lindyv321 said:


> I wonder if they will carry on the PTN parade with no fireworks?? I also am curious if they will be offering a Halloween parade on party nights like years past or if they will keep PTN on party nights...


 

Who would pay the price of a party ticket to see the same parade they can see every other night of the year, without fireworks and without the ability to go in costume? Surely it has occurred to them that this would affect ticket sales, maybe substantially.


----------



## ImTooExcitedToSleep

In this DIS video, Karlos from the Disneyland Resort mentions that Halloweentime will start September 9th.


----------



## ludari

I've been thinking about the new costume rules for adults during the Halloween season and if I cannot wear my full costume as I had planned I might as well wear the hat of one of my costumes.  It is so iconic that it really stands out.  Here it is...


----------



## jammyjam25

My two friends and I were already toying around with the idea of going as the three fairies from Sleeping Beauty and the new costume guidelines have solidified that for us.

Doing some googling I was able to find cute, simple, costumes that meet all the adult costume guidelines so I think we're going to try to end up with something like the costumes below (minus the running numbers, ha!).


----------



## tlovesdis

UGH I was really hoping it was starting a week later.  We are planning a trip for Sept 8-11 and last year we were there the first weekend and it was crazy packed!


----------



## DisneylandDarling

I've been thinking about it, and in light of recent events, I'm coming around to these new rules. Especially after threats have been made (not specifically Disneyland/World, just US in general), Disney is just trying to make the parks safer. It's not Disney's fault there are bad people trying to do bad things right now, Disney just has to react and evolve to keep the parks safe for everyone. If I should blame/be frustrated with anyone for the new rule changes, it's the people trying to stir up terror in the world. 

We'll still go to Disneyland and have a lot of fun at Mickey's Halloween Party! With everything being offered currently, it's still worth it for us. I'll just dress in something comfy for a fun, full night getting lots of candy and villain watching with my family!


----------



## mom2rtk

DisneylandDarling said:


> I've been thinking about it, and in light of recent events, I'm coming around to these new rules. Especially after threats have been made (not specifically Disneyland/World, just US in general), Disney is just trying to make the parks safer. It's not Disney's fault there are bad people trying to do bad things right now, Disney just has to react and evolve to keep the parks safe for everyone. If I should blame/be frustrated with anyone for the new rule changes, it's the people trying to stir up terror in the world.
> 
> We'll still go to Disneyland and have a lot of fun at Mickey's Halloween Party! With everything being offered currently, it's still worth it for us. I'll just dress in something comfy for a fun, full night getting lots of candy and villain watching with my family!


 

I'm just not there yet. If they allow costumes at WDW, are we supposed to believe guests will be less safe there?


----------



## Angrose

jammyjam25 said:


> My two friends and I were already toying around with the idea of going as the three fairies from Sleeping Beauty and the new costume guidelines have solidified that for us.
> 
> Doing some googling I was able to find cute, simple, costumes that meet all the adult costume guidelines so I think we're going to try to end up with something like the costumes below (minus the running numbers, ha!).


Adorable, and I might just steal your idea for me, my mom and my sister! Love it!!


----------



## lindyv321

DisneylandDarling said:


> I've been thinking about it, and in light of recent events, I'm coming around to these new rules. Especially after threats have been made (not specifically Disneyland/World, just US in general), Disney is just trying to make the parks safer. It's not Disney's fault there are bad people trying to do bad things right now, Disney just has to react and evolve to keep the parks safe for everyone. If I should blame/be frustrated with anyone for the new rule changes, it's the people trying to stir up terror in the world.
> 
> We'll still go to Disneyland and have a lot of fun at Mickey's Halloween Party! With everything being offered currently, it's still worth it for us. I'll just dress in something comfy for a fun, full night getting lots of candy and villain watching with my family!



Exactly! In light of recent events WDW may end up changing guidelines too. Like I said in my previously post I would rather my family be safe then wear/see costumes


----------



## lorijohnhill

mom2rtk said:


> Surely it has occurred to them that this would affect ticket sales, maybe substantially.


I don't know that it really will. Many, maybe even most, people won't even know there are these cuts until they get there and there are no fireworks, no costumes, etc... We here know about it because we all talk and scrounge around for info, but the general population of Disney guests are not necessarily on this (or other) board. We make up a very small percentage of visitors to Disneyland. 

Last year I ran into quite a few people who were terribly upset that the parks were closing early for the party. I was thinking to myself, "how could you NOT know about this?" But, really, if they don't search out the info, they won't know. There may well be a lot of people who go on and purchase the party tickets without even reading the description, just assuming it will be the same as last year. I think that this is what Disney counts on when they make the changes, figuring the tickets will sell anyway...


----------



## Snowcats95

DisneylandDarling said:


> I've been thinking about it, and in light of recent events, I'm coming around to these new rules. Especially after threats have been made (not specifically Disneyland/World, just US in general), Disney is just trying to make the parks safer. It's not Disney's fault there are bad people trying to do bad things right now, Disney just has to react and evolve to keep the parks safe for everyone. If I should blame/be frustrated with anyone for the new rule changes, it's the people trying to stir up terror in the world.
> 
> We'll still go to Disneyland and have a lot of fun at Mickey's Halloween Party! With everything being offered currently, it's still worth it for us. I'll just dress in something comfy for a fun, full night getting lots of candy and villain watching with my family!


If that's the case then why don't they just go ahead and completely close the parks then?  Then everyone can be safe.  I say start a e-mail, phone, letter campaign to show your displeasure with Disney letting people down.  First Photopass, now this; where does it end?


----------



## PeachMom

Snowcats95 said:


> If that's the case then why don't they just go ahead and completely close the parks then?  Then everyone can be safe.  I say start a e-mail, phone, letter campaign to show your displeasure with Disney letting people down.  First Photopass, now this; where does it end?


What's going on with photopass?


----------



## DisneylandDarling

Snowcats95 said:


> If that's the case then why don't they just go ahead and completely close the parks then?  Then everyone can be safe.  I say start a e-mail, phone, letter campaign to show your displeasure with Disney letting people down.  First Photopass, now this; where does it end?



It's not Disneyland's fault that there are evildoers in the world. They have to take precautions and add extra security so that the risk of anything happening is kept as low as possible while still maintaining an operating park. I, personally, am not going to email or call Disney because I'm not displeased with them updating rules to keep me and my family safe. Why else would Disney ban costumes? To spoil the fun? Of course not. Ticket sales are more than likely going to slightly drop because of people who are upset with the rules change. If Disney changes rules knowing that it will slightly decrease ticket sales, then there is a good reason behind it. Disney won't knowingly sacrifice $$ for no good reason. They're in the business of making money.

Does it *really* stink that adults can no longer wear costumes? Absolutely! I had an amazing costume from last year and one that I was making this year for the Halloween parties we are going to attend and was completely disappointed by the rules change when it first broke. But safety takes priority, and I'm at a point where I'm okay with that

I haven't heard about any issues with PhotoPass. What happened?


----------



## xxpinksaltxx

Is the first day of Halloween (at Disneyland) also traditionally the first  Halloween Party? We are suppose to be leaving on the 8th of September. Since we are traveling a long way (Australia), we are now considering extending our trip for a few days.


----------



## mom2rtk

lindyv321 said:


> Exactly! In light of recent events WDW may end up changing guidelines too. Like I said in my previously post I would rather my family be safe then wear/see costumes



We're just going to have to agree to disagree on whether banning costumes really does make people safer.



lorijohnhill said:


> I don't know that it really will. Many, maybe even most, people won't even know there are these cuts until they get there and there are no fireworks, no costumes, etc... We here know about it because we all talk and scrounge around for info, but the general population of Disney guests are not necessarily on this (or other) board. We make up a very small percentage of visitors to Disneyland.
> 
> Last year I ran into quite a few people who were terribly upset that the parks were closing early for the party. I was thinking to myself, "how could you NOT know about this?" But, really, if they don't search out the info, they won't know. There may well be a lot of people who go on and purchase the party tickets without even reading the description, just assuming it will be the same as last year. I think that this is what Disney counts on when they make the changes, figuring the tickets will sell anyway...



Well, if people aren't paying attention and assume things are the same as last year, then Disney is really going to have a mess on its hands telling person after person at the gates that costumes are not allowed. Maybe they could set up a cart selling t-shirts and shorts out front. 

My hunch, which would make me very unhappy, is that they will leave the policy as is, and people who read and research will pass on going in costume, but Disney will cave and actually allow those arriving in costumes to enter.


----------



## AussieCaribou

PhotoPass is now a single day price (and it's nearly $40). They no longer offer multi day passes. If you want multi days, you pay for each day...no discount.

They have also done away with the boarders and adds to the photos. Oh, and no CDs or other products.


----------



## AussieCaribou

xxpinksaltxx said:


> Is the first day of Halloween (at Disneyland) also traditionally the first  Halloween Party? We are suppose to be leaving on the 8th of September. Since we are traveling a long way (Australia), we are now considering extending our trip for a few days.



If you and your family have never been to a US Halloween party, it might be worth it (if there is a party on when you are going to be there). We just don't do dress up parties anywhere near a US Halloween activity!

My DD and I have attended the party once before and really enjoyed the crazy. Sadly, there will be a lot missing (like costumes) but it might still be culturally educational.


----------



## PeachMom

AussieCaribou said:


> PhotoPass is now a single day price (and it's nearly $40). They no longer offer multi day passes. If you want multi days, you pay for each day...no discount.
> 
> They have also done away with the boarders and adds to the photos. Oh, and no CDs or other products.


That's too bad! We did the photopass plus a couple years ago for our family of 8 and it was the best way to document our 5-day trip! I especially liked it for getting all our ride photos.


----------



## ChloroformSdxn

The new photopass now doesn't include hard copies of photos. When we went at Christmas, the Photopass included our photos from Minnie's Breakfast. When we were there in May, I asked about it at the breakfast, if I got the one day pass would I get the Minnie Breakfast photo as well, and they said no. Which sucks, because otherwise I would have bought a photopass.


----------



## mom2rtk

AussieCaribou said:


> If you and your family have never been to a US Halloween party, it might be worth it (if there is a party on when you are going to be there). We just don't do dress up parties anywhere near a US Halloween activity!
> 
> My DD and I have attended the party once before and really enjoyed the crazy. Sadly, there will be a lot missing (like costumes) but it might still be culturally educational.


 

We have done Halloween parties at both WDW and DL. I was skeptical going into the DL version last year about whether we'd be ok with a party that didn't have a Halloween parade. I remember telling my daughter half way through the first party that all the elaborate guest costumes made up for the lack of parade for me. It was one amazing costume after another. I would go without costumes if I hadn't experienced it before. But without the costumes, I probably would have to pass.


----------



## mom2rtk

ChloroformSdxn said:


> The new photopass now doesn't include hard copies of photos. When we went at Christmas, the Photopass included our photos from Minnie's Breakfast. When we were there in May, I asked about it at the breakfast, if I got the one day pass would I get the Minnie Breakfast photo as well, and they said no. Which sucks, because otherwise I would have bought a photopass.


 

No hard copies is correct. But you are supposed to get the download of the dining photos if you purchase the daily package. Read down to the question on the one day Photopass Plus:

https://disneyland.disney.go.com/guest-services/photo-pass-service/


----------



## mitsukoshi samurai

I think the costume rules mean no masks over 14s


----------



## tlovesdis

xxpinksaltxx said:


> Is the first day of Halloween (at Disneyland) also traditionally the first  Halloween Party? We are suppose to be leaving on the 8th of September. Since we are traveling a long way (Australia), we are now considering extending our trip for a few days.



No.  The Halloween parties don't start until the very end of September.


----------



## GenGen22

mom2rtk said:


> We have done Halloween parties at both WDW and DL. I was skeptical going into the DL version last year about whether we'd be ok with a party that didn't have a Halloween parade. I remember telling my daughter half way through the first party that all the elaborate guest costumes made up for the lack of parade for me. It was one amazing costume after another. I would go without costumes if I hadn't experienced it before. But without the costumes, I probably would have to pass.


I was pretty disappointed that they had Paint the Night parade instead of the Halloween parade last year as I had already saw PTN like 3 times already and because it's a Halloween Party you would expect Haloween type entertainment which makes it special since your paying to go to that party and only party goers get to see that parade.  I also love the elaborate costumes!  I saw a Buzz Lightyear last year that his costume was made out of the balloon animals balloons.  It was amazing!  I've never seen anything like it before!


----------



## DisneylandDarling

GenGen22 said:


> I was pretty disappointed that they had Paint the Night parade instead of the Halloween parade last year as I had already saw PTN like 3 times already and because it's a Halloween Party you would expect Haloween type entertainment which makes it special since your paying to go to that party and only party goers get to see that parade.  I also love the elaborate costumes!  I saw a Buzz Lightyear last year that his costume was made out of the balloon animals balloons.  It was amazing!  I've never seen anything like it before!



OMG! We must have been at the same party! I saw him too! It was incredibly elaborate! 

We went to the first and second Halloween party last year. I think we saw him at the first one.


----------



## mom2rtk

GenGen22 said:


> I was pretty disappointed that they had Paint the Night parade instead of the Halloween parade last year as I had already saw PTN like 3 times already and because it's a Halloween Party you would expect Haloween type entertainment which makes it special since your paying to go to that party and only party goers get to see that parade.  I also love the elaborate costumes!  I saw a Buzz Lightyear last year that his costume was made out of the balloon animals balloons.  It was amazing!  I've never seen anything like it before!


 

I was pretty disappointed about them running PTN during the party as well. I wanted to see Halloween stuff, not things I could see any other day of the week.

We saw a family dressed as black and white Walt, Mickey, Minnie and Oswald. There was a group of women dressed as Vegas showgirls. And a family all dressed as different Disney villains. That was just so much fun to see the ideas people came up with that I can't imagine the party without it.


----------



## GenGen22

DisneylandDarling said:


> OMG! We must have been at the same party! I saw him too! It was incredibly elaborate!
> 
> We went to the first and second Halloween party last year. I think we saw him at the first one.


That's too funny... I was there at the party on 10/23/15.  I wonder if it was the same one...lol. Maybe we will end up at the same party this year...


----------



## GenGen22

mom2rtk said:


> I was pretty disappointed about them running PTN during the party as well. I wanted to see Halloween stuff, not things I could see any other day of the week.
> 
> We saw a family dressed as black and white Walt, Mickey, Minnie and Oswald. There was a group of women dressed as Vegas showgirls. And a family all dressed as different Disney villains. That was just so much fun to see the ideas people came up with that I can't imagine the party without it.


 I also liked the Oogie Boogie costume as well.  And it was kinda sad we didn't get to truck or treat in Innovations too cuz that was pretty cool the year before.  I have to say the year before was just so much Better.


----------



## Kindermouse

well on the bright side, I was really pushing my budget to afford the halloween party. Now I know that I don't have to. we are planning WDW October 2017 so we will just wait for a party that actually makes me feel like i'm getting what I pay for. I know others will disagree but having done the party before it its full glory, I feel like this years firework-less, costume-less party does not warrant the cost of the tickets.



mom2rtk said:


> We're just going to have to agree to disagree on whether banning costumes really does make people safer.
> 
> Maybe they could set up a cart selling t-shirts and shorts out front.
> 
> .



sounds like an idea inline with their recent company culture. 

guy 1-"hey guys you know those rooms way far from the everything at our Caribbean Beach resort that no guest ever wants to stay in." 

guy 2-"yeah, everyone hates those rooms"

guy 1-"well let's throw a bit or extra theming into them, call them a special room and charge more for them"

guy 2-"charge more for the rooms that everyone hates just because we give them a cool headboard or something...I love it"

or...

guy 1-"everyone is always complaining about having to stand up for world of color after a long day of walking and standing in line for hours to get a good spot"

guy 2-" we could do something to make it more comfortable for people. We are supposed to be all about creating the best possible experience. maybe we could add a seated section and it could an option for those that want to sit."

guy 1-"We could do that...but you know what would be better. instead of just improving the experience for free we could offer a cookie and some grapes on a shared plat..you know barely bother with it really..then call this extra value. Then we could make people buy tickets for this extra value seat."


----------



## xxpinksaltxx

AussieCaribou - we attended the Disneyland Halloween Party in 2013 and absolutely loved it. It was so much fun. At home, we are lucky to have maybe 2 kids knock on our door lol.

Tlovesdis - Thanks for the heads up , we might just add an extra day or two so we can enjoy the Haunted Mansion and Space Mountain. I think they will be closed when we arrive for overlays.


----------



## BatBunny

Kindermouse said:


> well on the bright side, I was really pushing my budget to afford the halloween party. Now I know that I don't have to. we are planning WDW October 2017 so we will just wait for a party that actually makes me feel like i'm getting what I pay for. I know others will disagree but having done the party before it its full glory, I feel like this years firework-less, costume-less party does not warrant the cost of the tickets.


We came to the same conclusion.  We just feel the magic isn't there if they take away certain elements that Disney has been known for.  Even if they do decide to allow costumes we'd rather just take in a Ducks hockey game instead; at least we know we'd be better entertained.


----------



## Geemo

Good news to those wanting to wear Halloween Costumes to a MHP.

I was speaking with the convention reservations CM today.  I asked about the NEW policy regarding NO costumes for those 14 and older.
She looked up the new policy and said as she reads it, costumes are OK for those 14 and older.  Just not masks.  
The information listed in the age related sections are just fine tuning for the main Costume Guidelines.  



> *Costume Guidelines*
> Before you brew up ideas for your next disguise—review our *latest list of tips*.
> While *we encourage creativity*, we also value safety and good judgement. Please take a moment to read over our latest rules and regulations:
> 
> 
> *Costumes* *must be family-friendly* and may not be obstructive, offensive, objectionable or violent.
> *Guests who dress like characters* may not pose for pictures or sign autographs for other Guests.
> Costumes may not contain any weapons that resemble or could easily be mistaken for an actual weapon.
> Costumes may not contain sharp objects, pointed objects or materials that may accidentally strike another Guest.
> *Layered costumes or costume props* that surround the entire body are strongly discouraged and may be subject to additional security screening.
> *Costumes may not* reach or drag on the ground. (e.g. full-length Princess dresses).
> *For Guests Ages 13 and Under*
> 
> Costumes and some masks may be worn, as long the mask does not cover the entire face and eyes are visible.
> 
> *For Guests Ages 14 and Older*
> 
> 
> Capes may be worn if the length does not go below the waist.
> Themed T-shirts, blouses, sweatshirts and hats are acceptable.
> Acceptable accessories include: transparent wings, plastic light sabers, toy swords and tutus. Headwear may be worn as long as it does not cover the face.
> Masks of any kind may not be worn.
> Guests who do not adhere to these guidelines may be refused entry into, and/or removed from, unless his or her costume can be modified to meet the above standards.


----------



## DisneylandDarling

Geemo said:


> Good news to those wanting to wear Halloween Costumes to a MHP.
> 
> I was speaking with the convention reservations CM today.  I asked about the NEW policy regarding NO costumes for those 14 and older.
> She looked up the new policy and said as she reads it, costumes are OK for those 14 and older.  Just not masks.
> The information listed in the age related sections are just fine tuning for the main Costume Guidelines.



That would be awesome if they were allowed! I just wonder why they would say themed tshirts, sweatshirts, etc. specifically in the 14 and older guidelines if costumes were allowed for adults? It seems like the rules are very specific and almost say, "well you can't wear costumes, but you can wear themed tshirts etc."

Edited to add: I wonder why they didn't have the same wording as WDW if they are in fact allowing costumes for adults? The WDW guidelines are pretty clear on what is allowed for adults vs what is allowed for children.

I'm just worried that I'll show up in costume and be denied entry. It's hard to get a flat, across the board answer anymore. What one cast member says is allowed might not be what the cast members/security at the front gates say, know what I mean?

Not doubting you, Geemo. Just thinking out loud!


----------



## AussieCaribou

xxpinksaltxx said:


> AussieCaribou - we attended the Disneyland Halloween Party in 2013 and absolutely loved it. It was so much fun. At home, we are lucky to have maybe 2 kids knock on our door lol.
> 
> Tlovesdis - Thanks for the heads up , we might just add an extra day or two so we can enjoy the Haunted Mansion and Space Mountain. I think they will be closed when we arrive for overlays.



Xxpinksaltxx, I've been in Aus for 19 years. Not one trick or treater in all that time (sigh). I thought that the parents of my cub pack were going to burn me at the stake when I had a Halloween dress up party (which was very successful and ran for years with the parents joining in...lol). 

DD and I were at the party in 2013 too! Absolutely, loved it too!


----------



## Kilala

Geemo said:


> Good news to those wanting to wear Halloween Costumes to a MHP.
> 
> I was speaking with the convention reservations CM today.  I asked about the NEW policy regarding NO costumes for those 14 and older.
> She looked up the new policy and said as she reads it, costumes are OK for those 14 and older.  Just not masks.
> The information listed in the age related sections are just fine tuning for the main Costume Guidelines.


that is great info Geemo


----------



## lindyv321

I'm in countdown mode for the announcement of party dates!!! Even with the changes if one occurs while we are there I want to go.


----------



## PeachMom

Te


lindyv321 said:


> I'm in countdown mode for the announcement of party dates!!! Even with the changes if one occurs while we are there I want to go.


Yeah! It's July now! I've been (not-so) patiently waiting for those party dates!!


----------



## dcraythorn

When do the party dates get announced? Sorry, new to the parties.


----------



## DisneylandDarling

dcraythorn said:


> When do the party dates get announced? Sorry, new to the parties.



Hopefully in the next few weeks! Usually they're announced in mid-late July IIRC.


----------



## Kilala

I can't wait myself. My friend Christine already has the dates she wants to go to MHP. We are both going to dress up as cats.


----------



## dark54555

Dates were announced July 15 last year.  My guess is the blog goes up between July 13 and July 20 this year.


----------



## merfsko

DisneylandDarling said:


> That would be awesome if they were allowed! I just wonder why they would say themed tshirts, sweatshirts, etc. specifically in the 14 and older guidelines if costumes were allowed for adults? It seems like the rules are very specific and almost say, "well you can't wear costumes, but you can wear themed tshirts etc."
> 
> Edited to add: I wonder why they didn't have the same wording as WDW if they are in fact allowing costumes for adults? The WDW guidelines are pretty clear on what is allowed for adults vs what is allowed for children.
> 
> I'm just worried that I'll show up in costume and be denied entry. It's hard to get a flat, across the board answer anymore. What one cast member says is allowed might not be what the cast members/security at the front gates say, know what I mean?
> 
> Not doubting you, Geemo. Just thinking out loud!



I actually went through WDW and DLR's guidelines a few days ago, and the points are all actually the same, just listed in a different order . Some of DLR's sentence are listed in point format over at WDW, and some of the age-specific points are listed under the general guidelines and such. WDW's even includes the line about themed t-shirts. The only point that does not match, is just worded differently ("Guests who dress like characters may not pose for pictures or sign autographs for other Guests." vs. "All guests may dress as their favorite character, but may not pose for pictures or sign autographs for other Guests.") Everything else is an identical match.

My feeling is that this policy is just so Disney can point to it as reasoning, so they can do more thorough searches, or even deny entry, when they feel safety might be a concern- and I'm totally fine with that. I think that the majority of costumes that I've seen in the past won't be an issue.


----------



## DisneylandDarling

merfsko said:


> I actually went through WDW and DLR's guidelines a few days ago, and the points are all actually the same, just listed in a different order . Some of DLR's sentence are listed in point format over at WDW, and some of the age-specific points are listed under the general guidelines and such. WDW's even includes the line about themed t-shirts. The only point that does not match, is just worded differently ("Guests who dress like characters may not pose for pictures or sign autographs for other Guests." vs. "All guests may dress as their favorite character, but may not pose for pictures or sign autographs for other Guests.") Everything else is an identical match.
> 
> My feeling is that this policy is just so Disney can point to it as reasoning, so they can do more thorough searches, or even deny entry, when they feel safety might be a concern- and I'm totally fine with that. I think that the majority of costumes that I've seen in the past won't be an issue.



I'm just a Debbie-downer and am still doubtful. I think I'll be skeptical until the blog post goes up and (hopefully) specifically states "All guests are allowed to dress up as their favorite character...". I truly hope I'm wrong!  

I'm just thankful that we're not going the first couple of party nights. We can get feedback on whether to pack another checked suitcase for the flight with our costumes or not for the parties later in October.


----------



## Kindermouse

I'm starting to feel crazy...you see I had read and reread to WDW costume guidlines many times since I assumed DLR would get the same ones. I could have sworn I hadn't read anything about "themed shirts" since, let's face it that sounds like disneybounding and not real costumes to me. Was it always there? Maybe I'm losing it?


----------



## AussieCaribou

Kindermouse said:


> I'm starting to feel crazy...you see I had read and reread to WDW costume guidlines many times since I assumed DLR would get the same ones. I could have sworn I hadn't read anything about "themed shirts" since, let's face it that sounds like disneybounding and not real costumes to me. Was it always there? Maybe I'm losing it?



I don't think that you are losing it, Kindermouse.  I feel the exact same way.  I have been holding off on building my costumes because I wasn't sure what I would be able to do.  DD and I have decided that we have to start now...so it will be Disney bounding for us.  We are happy with our choices but I still would have loved to get a photo of Darth Vader with my DD dressed in a Vader cheerleader outfit.  Oh well...


----------



## twodogs

How much does the UEA (Utah educators meeting) affect October crowds?  This thread mentioned it as a time when Utah kids have a long weekend and many travel to DLR. We are hoping to come over that weekend for our first Halloween trip because my kids have an odd day off there. Does this really affect the crowds?  Thanks!


----------



## Kilala

Happy 4th of July everyone!!! I will have photos up this week from my new costumes this week. I will also post some photos I took from last years season of Halloween candy


----------



## Geemo

twodogs said:


> How much does the UEA (Utah educators meeting) affect October crowds?  This thread mentioned it as a time when Utah kids have a long weekend and many travel to DLR. We are hoping to come over that weekend for our first Halloween trip because my kids have an odd day off there. Does this really affect the crowds?  Thanks!



The weekend is is what will be a problem, crowd wise.
We've been there twice during UEA time.  The parks were every crowded.
But I have no idea how many were actually from Utah.

I feel school schedules do affect how people plan their trips to DLR.
When my grandkids were in elementary school we would pull them for a trip.
With them in middle and high school now, I have to plan DLR trips according to the school calendar.

It means going during busier times but at least they still want to go with me.

Knowing UEA may influence park crowds, book and plan your trip.  Go and have FUN!
There really aren't many times you can experience a somewhat empty park, with walk on rides.

Enjoy
Geemo


----------



## DisneylandDarling

twodogs said:


> How much does the UEA (Utah educators meeting) affect October crowds?  This thread mentioned it as a time when Utah kids have a long weekend and many travel to DLR. We are hoping to come over that weekend for our first Halloween trip because my kids have an odd day off there. Does this really affect the crowds?  Thanks!



We've been there during UEA (I read about it, but totally forgot when we booked our trip and forgot when we were there) and honestly, we couldn't tell any difference. It was pretty busy, but nothing that we weren't expecting for the time frame. The only way that I realized that we were there during UEA was when we got home and I saw something on one of the forums about it. I wouldn't worry too much about it!


----------



## lorijohnhill

DisneylandDarling said:


> We've been there during UEA (I read about it, but totally forgot when we booked our trip and forgot when we were there) and honestly, we couldn't tell any difference. It was pretty busy, but nothing that we weren't expecting for the time frame. The only way that I realized that we were there during UEA was when we got home and I saw something on one of the forums about it. I wouldn't worry too much about it!


We were there during that time also, and didn't really notice a huge difference in crowds.


----------



## Ember

Am I seeing something wrong?  The guidelines are now up and confirm costumes are okay!  I just need to make sure my 18th century inspired Ariel dress doesn't touch or drag on the ground...


----------



## dec2009mama

just booked our flights -- hoping the party dates are announced soon!!!!!


----------



## twodogs

Thanks so much to all who answered my question about UEA! You are all always so informative and quick!!!  I think we will just plan the trip and go with it!  We were last at DLR in May of 2014, and there were quite a few refurbs going on then to get ready for the 60th anniversary, so it felt more crowded than it probably was.  Hopefully this will be no worse.  I agree that it sounds like there are no "low" times to visit anymore, so we will prepare for it and have fun!  Thanks again so much for your information!


----------



## peachiepie

Really hoping the party dates come out soon...I'm not sure I can take the wait much longer!


----------



## Minnie Sue Oz

Waiting , waiting, waiting..........


----------



## tlovesdis

I think last year the dates were released around the middle of July, because I think AP tickets went on sale around July 22nd.


----------



## Kilala

I hope the dates come out next week.


----------



## dark54555

Dates were out July 15 last year, so next week isn't a bad guess.  I do find it odd that they only have the park schedule up though August 17; that's not even 60 days (it's barely more than 30).


----------



## egritz

dark54555 said:


> Dates were out July 15 last year, so next week isn't a bad guess.  I do find it odd that they only have the park schedule up though August 17; that's not even 60 days (it's barely more than 30).



usually hours are released about 6 weeks out.


----------



## GenGen22

Well I just spoke to a CM about the costume guidelines and what he explained to me is that Adults or anyone over 14 years is allowed to wear a costume however, you must follow the specific guidelines listed on the Disneyland website of the list below.  He said that it specifically states about that all can wear costumes to the party but for certain ages there are rules and that is why it is broken out by 13 and under and 14 and over.  So, I guess I understand it a lot better now.  He also said that the costume guidelines on both continents are the same rules without me asking about WDW.  So this is good to know that both parks are following the same rules.  I tried to see if he would say when more details like party dates would be released but all he would say is that typically they are usually released mid July.


So here it talks about how everyone is allowed to wear costumes and guidelines for all:
*Costume Guidelines*
Before you brew up ideas for your next disguise—review our latest list of tips.


While we encourage creativity, we also value safety and good judgement. Please take a moment to read over our latest rules and regulations:


Costumes must be family-friendly and may not be obstructive, offensive, objectionable or violent.
Guests who dress like characters may not pose for pictures or sign autographs for other Guests.
Costumes may not contain any weapons that resemble or could easily be mistaken for an actual weapon.
Costumes may not contain sharp objects, pointed objects or materials that may accidentally strike another Guest.
Layered costumes or costume props that surround the entire body are strongly discouraged and may be subject to additional security screening.
Costumes may not reach or drag on the ground. (e.g. full-length Princess dresses).
Here is age specific rules for what you can and cannot wear:

*For Guests Ages 13 and Under*

Costumes and some masks may be worn, as long the mask does not cover the entire face and eyes are visible.

*For Guests Ages 14 and Older*


Capes may be worn if the length does not go below the waist.
Themed T-shirts, blouses, sweatshirts and hats are acceptable.
Acceptable accessories include: transparent wings, plastic light sabers, toy swords and tutus. Headwear may be worn as long as it does not cover the face.
Masks of any kind may not be worn.


----------



## Jenny867_5309

I am hoping there will be a Halloween party while we are there in September. We aren't sure if my husband will be able to go with us. My question is if I buy him a party ticket and he doesn't end up being able to go, would I be able to sell his ticket?


----------



## theluckyrabbit

Jenny867_5309 said:


> I am hoping there will be a Halloween party while we are there in September. We aren't sure if my husband will be able to go with us. My question is if I buy him a party ticket and he doesn't end up being able to go, would I be able to sell his ticket?



Fine print on the tickets states that they are non-refundable, non-transferrable, and not for resale.


----------



## tlovesdis

Jenny867_5309 said:


> I am hoping there will be a Halloween party while we are there in September. We aren't sure if my husband will be able to go with us. My question is if I buy him a party ticket and he doesn't end up being able to go, would I be able to sell his ticket?



When in September are you going?  Usually the first party is on the last Friday of September, but you never know!


----------



## PixiDustDears

My Timehop today showed me a post from 5 years ago. I posted that I had received my Halloween party tickets. And this year we're still waiting for dates?!? The planner in me is so jealous of 5 years past me!!


----------



## lindyv321

tlovesdis said:


> When in September are you going?  Usually the first party is on the last Friday of September, but you never know!



I am hoping this year the parties start the second to last Friday... If not there will be 3 less parties than last year due to how the dates fall....


----------



## DisneyMax74

We're going to be there Oct 31st, Nov 1st and 2nd. I was just wondering if anyone knew if that time of year they will be doing fireworks at all? I'm guessing they prob will on Halloween night, but we're not staying for the Halloween party so will probably miss out on those. But I'm guessing they won't be doing them on the 1st or 2nd will they?

It's actually been 3 years since we've been, and we're hoping to get some fireworks, but probably wont. Will there be any night time shows that time of year on weeknights? Maybe World of Color? I'm guessing Fantasmic is down for Star Wars construction right?


----------



## Kilala

I have so many cat costume ideas right now. I don't know which ones to wear to MHP. I know I'm going two days for sure it depends on my money situation.


----------



## mom2rtk

DisneyMax74 said:


> We're going to be there Oct 31st, Nov 1st and 2nd. I was just wondering if anyone knew if that time of year they will be doing fireworks at all? I'm guessing they prob will on Halloween night, but we're not staying for the Halloween party so will probably miss out on those. But I'm guessing they won't be doing them on the 1st or 2nd will they?
> 
> It's actually been 3 years since we've been, and we're hoping to get some fireworks, but probably wont. Will there be any night time shows that time of year on weeknights? Maybe World of Color? I'm guessing Fantasmic is down for Star Wars construction right?


 

Nobody knows the status of fireworks in DLR after the 60th closes. I have seen some rumors that they might not have any for 6 months as they build a new launching platform. I'm really hoping that is an unfounded rumor as we all wait for more information on what will be offered moving forward.


----------



## lindyv321

mom2rtk said:


> Nobody knows the status of fireworks in DLR after the 60th closes. I have seen some rumors that they might not have any for 6 months as they build a new launching platform. I'm really hoping that is an unfounded rumor as we all wait for more information on what will be offered moving forward.



It seems odd that they couldn't continue to use the existing platform while construction is going on for the new one. But what do I know?


----------



## mom2rtk

lindyv321 said:


> It seems odd that they couldn't continue to use the existing platform while construction is going on for the new one. But what do I know?


 

I had the same question. I'm sure it's much larger than I can imagine, but if the issue is needing to move it because of SWL, then I don't see how size would matter if it's going to a new location. I still have all my fingers and toes crossed that this was just a bad rumor.


----------



## pudinhd

We did an Adventures by Disney Backstage Magic trip in 2009.  One of the places we visited was the fireworks area.  Going off of memory, there were 2 different sections of tall metal tubes that we are guessing were about 30 feet by 30 feet.  There was also a little parking lot guard station with a window that faced the tubes.  There were multiple buttons inside and one main red button.  My husband raised his hand when they asked for volunteers and he got to push the red button.    He was so excited!!

I have no idea if the rumor is true, but I really, really, really hope it is not!


----------



## Kittyskyfish

mom2rtk said:


> Nobody knows the status of fireworks in DLR after the 60th closes. I have seen some rumors that they might not have any for 6 months as they build a new launching platform. I'm really hoping that is an unfounded rumor as we all wait for more information on what will be offered moving forward.



There would not be a logistical need to cancel fireworks as the new platform will be constructed in a different location north of the existing platform.  It would not make sense to destroy one platform before the other is built as one platform needs to be in place in the event of construction setbacks. 

With the existing platform in place and functional, safety and cost-saving measures are two clear reasons why Disneyland would stop the displays.  Safety is already addressed as construction crews in the future Star Wars Land footprint and the 60th Celebration fireworks are co-existing nicely.  Maybe exposed building materials would be a fire risk, but IDK, that reasoning is a little dodgy since construction will continue to go on for the next 18-24 months and trees have always been in the current fallout zone.  

That leaves money.  If this were the case, budget cutbacks would most likely affect Disneyland Forever, not the special event fireworks.  Disney would lose more in attendance and revenue if they stopped the Halloween or the Christmas fireworks than if they canceled weekend displays in February...March...  Attendees have an expectation to see fireworks at Christmas and during the Halloween events, but not so much during the off-season months.

Yes, _I am completely speculating_, but I haven't seen any credible source to prove why they would purposely undercut the busiest attendance season of the year.


----------



## mom2rtk

Kittyskyfish said:


> There would not be a logistical need to cancel fireworks as the new platform will be constructed in a different location north of the existing platform.  It would not make sense to destroy one platform before the other is built as one platform needs to be in place in the event of construction setbacks.
> 
> With the existing platform in place and functional, safety and cost-saving measures are two clear reasons why Disneyland would stop the displays.  Safety is already addressed as construction crews in the future Star Wars Land footprint and the 60th Celebration fireworks are co-existing nicely.  Maybe exposed building materials would be a fire risk, but IDK, that reasoning is a little dodgy since construction will continue to go on for the next 18-24 months and trees have always been in the current fallout zone.
> 
> That leaves money.  If this were the case, budget cutbacks would most likely affect Disneyland Forever, not the special event fireworks.  Disney would lose more in attendance and revenue if they stopped the Halloween or the Christmas fireworks than if they canceled weekend displays in February...March...  Attendees have an expectation to see fireworks at Christmas and during the Halloween events, but not so much during the off-season months.
> 
> Yes, _I am completely speculating_, but I haven't seen any credible source to prove why they would purposely undercut the busiest attendance season of the year.


 

I had the exact same train of thought. Perhaps a budget cut under cover of "we need to build a new launch pad".

And I agree it would be really risky at such a busy time of year. I think they would really jeopardize their Halloween party attendance and have trouble with enough for their peak holiday crowds to do.

And that is the reason I haven't changed our plans to WDW yet. But I'm also being careful to book airfare that can be changed with no penalty.


----------



## Kindermouse

I agree that a loss of fireworks would impact party attendance. The halloween party in particular is already offering less than they used to and the with the fate of full on costumes being a bit murky losing fireworks would be too much to take away for the price of the ticket. WDW halloween parties have a full parade, a special villains show and no huge construction issues and loss of the water related effects and special offerings-they could lose a couple things and still be worth the cost of the ticket...not sure how true that is for DLR halloween parties.


----------



## gottalovepluto

I was buying tickets for a convention at Disneyland and came across this note

"On select nights from Sept 23 to Oct 31, _Disneyland_ Park will be closing early to host Mickey’s Halloween Party. Separate admission is required. During Mickey’s Halloween Party at _Disneyland_ Park, there’s so much delightful and frightful family fun! This sensational seasonal event, part of Halloween Time at _Disneyland_ Park. You’re invited to dress up your little ones, don a costume of your own, and trick-or-treat at the ultimate neighborhood—_Disneyland_ Park! Tickets go on sale to general public on July 28."

Information for Disney events is notoriously inaccurate until the Parks Blog makes an official announcement (like that costume info might be old) BUT I noticed the dates are slightly different from last year's dates so maybe this helps for planning purposes for those watching for ticket sales to start.


----------



## jammyjam25

gottalovepluto said:


> I was buying tickets for a convention at Disneyland and came across this note
> 
> "On select nights from Sept 23 to Oct 31, _Disneyland_ Park will be closing early to host Mickey’s Halloween Party. Separate admission is required. During Mickey’s Halloween Party at _Disneyland_ Park, there’s so much delightful and frightful family fun! This sensational seasonal event, part of Halloween Time at _Disneyland_ Park. You’re invited to dress up your little ones, don a costume of your own, and trick-or-treat at the ultimate neighborhood—_Disneyland_ Park! Tickets go on sale to general public on July 28."
> 
> Information for Disney events is notoriously inaccurate until the Parks Blog makes an official announcement (like that costume info might be old) BUT I noticed the dates are slightly different from last year's dates so maybe this helps for planning purposes for those watching for ticket sales to start.



Ooh good find! The dates do seem to line up with this year (September 23 is a Friday). I guess we'll find out pretty soon if this is correct!


----------



## Kindermouse

This seems like good info (more solid than other things for sure since the dates match up). thanks


----------



## Kittyskyfish

Thanks @gottalovepluto !  *adds July 28 to my Google Disneyland calendar*


----------



## egritz

@mom2rtk - when are you thinking of going this Fall? We are headed to DL 10/21-10/29 with the family it would be fun to run into you again!  Last time was Dec 2013....my first Christmas trip and I was 13 weeks pregnant with my now 2-year old son!  This will be our first time during Halloween time since 2007 I think (I'll have to check my signature, lol) and first time with the kiddos. Hoping the week I chose won't be too crazy busy, we've been enjoying the week prior to Thanksgiving's low crowds the last couple years, but can't go that late since our AP's expire at the beginning of that week (we won't be renewing).


----------



## AussieCaribou

Kittyskyfish said:


> There would not be a logistical need to cancel fireworks as the new platform will be constructed in a different location north of the existing platform.  It would not make sense to destroy one platform before the other is built as one platform needs to be in place in the event of construction setbacks.
> 
> With the existing platform in place and functional, safety and cost-saving measures are two clear reasons why Disneyland would stop the displays.  Safety is already addressed as construction crews in the future Star Wars Land footprint and the 60th Celebration fireworks are co-existing nicely.  Maybe exposed building materials would be a fire risk, but IDK, that reasoning is a little dodgy since construction will continue to go on for the next 18-24 months and trees have always been in the current fallout zone.
> 
> That leaves money.  If this were the case, budget cutbacks would most likely affect Disneyland Forever, not the special event fireworks.  Disney would lose more in attendance and revenue if they stopped the Halloween or the Christmas fireworks than if they canceled weekend displays in February...March...  Attendees have an expectation to see fireworks at Christmas and during the Halloween events, but not so much during the off-season months.
> 
> Yes, _I am completely speculating_, but I haven't seen any credible source to prove why they would purposely undercut the busiest attendance season of the year.



I've heard that it has to do with the fall out of the fireworks. The new platforms are needed so that SWL can be left open while the fireworks are running (ToonTown and Fantasyland dark rides have to close due to fire safety reasons). So, if there is a fire safety issue once the land is built, why wouldn't there be while the land is being built? The cost of the land is huge, I can't imagine that the bean counters would be happy to have the land opening delayed because the partially build attractions burn down...


----------



## Kittyskyfish

AussieCaribou said:


> I've heard that it has to do with the fall out of the fireworks. The new platforms are needed so that SWL can be left open while the fireworks are running (ToonTown and Fantasyland dark rides have to close due to fire safety reasons). So, if there is a fire safety issue once the land is built, why wouldn't there be while the land is being built? The cost of the land is huge, I can't imagine that the bean counters would be happy to have the land opening delayed because the partially build attractions burn down...



Disney and the fire marshals follow safety procedures to ensure the risk is low enough to display fireworks near the current construction zone.  Structural materials are treated with fire retardants, so I don't consider partially-constructed attractions to be the greatest issue when considering Disney has always done fireworks around fire-risk areas (hence my prior reference to the wooded areas within the fallout zone).

As far as the cost of damaging construction in SWL because the work area is near the platform, they are taking the same damage risk now because the launching platform is located between their own buildings (in the blue circle).   Anything near that zone would have to absorb great explosive energy if it all fails.

Edited to add:  I forgot that this discussion is going on in the Halloween thread!  D'oh!  So, also consider scheduling if the construction requires a fireworks shut down for an extended period.  Project managers *can* schedule a block of time around dates that would be best suited for the company.  For example, if they need "six months", then start the project in January and run it out to June.  Don't start the project so it impacts Oct - December.  Those are big special event months.  Work on projects near the southern end of SWL this fall and switch over to the northern corner in January.  Just my .02!

[Pirated *arrrrrr!* image of Disneyland fireworks launch platform (blue) and fallout zone (red).]


----------



## mom2rtk

egritz said:


> @mom2rtk - when are you thinking of going this Fall? We are headed to DL 10/21-10/29 with the family it would be fun to run into you again!  Last time was Dec 2013....my first Christmas trip and I was 13 weeks pregnant with my now 2-year old son!  This will be our first time during Halloween time since 2007 I think (I'll have to check my signature, lol) and first time with the kiddos. Hoping the week I chose won't be too crazy busy, we've been enjoying the week prior to Thanksgiving's low crowds the last couple years, but can't go that late since our AP's expire at the beginning of that week (we won't be renewing).


 

We still have not committed on dates. Right now we're leaning toward the week before Thanksgiving but anything or everything could still change. Heck, if the fireworks rumor turns out to be true we might still ditch it all and head for WDW.

We were at DLR 10/23 to 10/30 last year and had a great time. Crowds on the weekends were high, but T-Th was heavenly. I think as far as October goes, that last week is probably as good as it gets.

I can't believe your baby is 2 already! I'm so glad we got to meet you when we were there that year, and I can't believe that was almost 3 years ago.


----------



## DisFan84

Sorry if this has already been asked- I couldn't find an answer- Are the MHP tickets purchased by phone only? Also we'll have a two yr old- I know he's free to get into the parks on a regular day, will that be the case for the party too?


----------



## Kilala

DisFan84 said:


> Sorry if this has already been asked- I couldn't find an answer- Are the MHP tickets purchased by phone only? Also we'll have a two yr old- I know he's free to get into the parks on a regular day, will that be the case for the party too?


No you can go online when they become avalible. I'm not sure about the 2 year old


----------



## lindyv321

gottalovepluto said:


> I was buying tickets for a convention at Disneyland and came across this note
> 
> "On select nights from Sept 23 to Oct 31, _Disneyland_ Park will be closing early to host Mickey’s Halloween Party. Separate admission is required. During Mickey’s Halloween Party at _Disneyland_ Park, there’s so much delightful and frightful family fun! This sensational seasonal event, part of Halloween Time at _Disneyland_ Park. You’re invited to dress up your little ones, don a costume of your own, and trick-or-treat at the ultimate neighborhood—_Disneyland_ Park! Tickets go on sale to general public on July 28."
> 
> Information for Disney events is notoriously inaccurate until the Parks Blog makes an official announcement (like that costume info might be old) BUT I noticed the dates are slightly different from last year's dates so maybe this helps for planning purposes for those watching for ticket sales to start.



I had a feeling they would start the parties on this night rather than waiting for the last Friday in September. I hope it's correct cause we will be there the 25th-28th and would LOVE to check out a party


----------



## egritz

DisFan84 said:


> Sorry if this has already been asked- I couldn't find an answer- Are the MHP tickets purchased by phone only? Also we'll have a two yr old- I know he's free to get into the parks on a regular day, will that be the case for the party too?



Last year I bought some for a friend using my Disney Visa discount and to get that discount I did have to do it by phone. not sure if it is the  same to get the AP discount.


----------



## lorijohnhill

egritz said:


> Last year I bought some for a friend using my Disney Visa discount and to get that discount I did have to do it by phone. not sure if it is the  same to get the AP discount.


ooo... I forgot about that, thanks for the reminder. Last year I had an AP, so could buy online and get the discount. I was all set to use the funds in my DVA, but looks like the charges will have to go on my Visa.


----------



## Minnie Sue Oz

Still waiting, waiting


----------



## WestMom2two

That's just exciting @gottalovepluto! Thank you for sharing! I hate not knowing


----------



## WestMom2two

So what are your Halloween costume ideas. My kids are pushing for Alvin, Simon, Theodore and my husband being Dave. I think its cute but I always prefer to stay Disney so we will see what we end up with in a bout a month.


----------



## gottalovepluto

Has anybody done the party on Halloween night? I know I'm looking at crazy high prices but what about crowds? Is the park jam packed with people like a summer day?


----------



## nikerbokers

gottalovepluto said:


> Has anybody done the party on Halloween night? I know I'm looking at crazy high prices but what about crowds? Is the park jam packed with people like a summer day?



We have gone on Halloween night the last two years. It did jump between the two years, I paid $84/ticket last year for the party. I didn't think it was packed at all. It was like a lighter summer day at Disneyland. Not empty but lines were light or walk ons for a lot including POTC. Some people think it's packed but I think they expected it to be a ghost town.


----------



## bearette

Disney does not charge for any tickets (party or park) until 3 years old.


----------



## DisFan84

Thanks for the info! Last question-

Do you guys find that you HAVE to buy your party ticket the moment they go on sale (we are hoping to attend either October Tues 4th, Wed 5th, or Thurs 6th assuming they have one on any of those nights)? Or was there a ton of availability when it came time to pinning down the date of the party you chose.


----------



## Geemo

DisFan84 said:


> Thanks for the info! Last question-
> 
> Do you guys find that you HAVE to buy your party ticket the moment they go on sale (we are hoping to attend either October Tues 4th, Wed 5th, or Thurs 6th assuming they have one on any of those nights)? Or was there a ton of availability when it came time to pinning down the date of the party you chose.


Those dates follows GayDays weekend events.  They do sell out.  

Go to page one of this thread.  Scroll down to post #2.  
In Post #2 you will see a list of past MHP dates and also the *SOLD OUT *dates.

This will give you an idea of how long you might be able to wait to purchase tickets.

Geemo


----------



## GenGen22

DisFan84 said:


> Thanks for the info! Last question-
> 
> Do you guys find that you HAVE to buy your party ticket the moment they go on sale (we are hoping to attend either October Tues 4th, Wed 5th, or Thurs 6th assuming they have one on any of those nights)? Or was there a ton of availability when it came time to pinning down the date of the party you chose.


If you look on the front page of this forum it shows what days each party sold out for the last couple of years.  That should give you a ball park of what has happened historically.  But anything can change so, best bet is to purchase the tickets as soon as you can.  The last two years I went and was able to get my tickets in September but last year if I would have waited one more day I could have been out of luck as it sold out the day after I purchased my tickets.  And the year before there were minimal hotels available in the area due to a convention & I booked the last room available at the HoJo.  This year I have purchased my plane tickets a couple weeks ago and plan to pay for my hotel next week and then tickets once they are available to purchase.  I didn't plan to go until the last minute the last two years so I was pretty much last minute, but not this year.


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## DisFan84

Perfect! Thank you!! I keep thinking of it like a concert... that sells out within hours. Seems like they sold out with in weeks of going on sale. I intend to buy them the day they go on sale, I just wanted to make sure it wasn't a sell out day of type of thing just in case I forget to check, which I can't imagine I will lol.


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## lindyv321

I wish they would make an official announcement already!!!!


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## DisneylandDarling

I'm taking bets. Who thinks they'll announce it tomorrow? lol


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## Kilala

DisneylandDarling said:


> I'm taking bets. Who thinks they'll announce it tomorrow? lol


that will be nice if they do


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## DisneylandDarling

Kilala said:


> that will be nice if they do



I have a pretty strong feeling about the announcement being tomorrow, but I've been wrong before so we'll see...


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## SMD

The Disneyland calendar is filled in to 8/22 now. HM has hours for 8/21 but not 8/22. Other rides have hours on 8/22. I think it's fair to say at this point that's when HM will close to install the overlay.


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## Minnie Sue Oz

DisneylandDarling said:


> I have a pretty strong feeling about the announcement being tomorrow, but I've been wrong before so we'll see...


If you are right I'm buying you a Churros!!!


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## dec2009mama

if they go on sale to the GP on July 28th, do they allow AP holders to buy early?


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## DisneylandDarling

Minnie Sue Oz said:


> If you are right I'm buying you a Churros!!!



I'm holding you to that!! lol


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## Kilala

dec2009mama said:


> if they go on sale to the GP on July 28th, do they allow AP holders to buy early?


yes Ap holders are able to get tickest before the general public


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## Beatles_Girl

Waiting....waiting


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## PlutoRocks

I am checking back in - after our very first trip ever to Halloween at Disneyland last year we want to go again!  So I'm anxiously awaiting the release of the dates so I can see if we can make it work.  We went to the first party last year and oh my goodness it was so HOT I couldn't stand it.  I'm from the Phoenix area so I know hot weather but my gosh it was so humid I could barely breathe.  We are hoping to go a little bit later this year.

Where has Sherry been?  I miss her informative posts and humor and of course her pictures of all things seasonal at Disneyland.  I hope she'll be coming back soon!!


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## DisneylandDarling

Well, it looks like I was wrong about them releasing dates today! wah! I bet it'll be this Wendesday, though!! (*she says hopefully*  ) I was looking at past release dates, and it looks like Erin Glover posted last year on a Wednesday, so I'm crossing my fingers it'll at the latest be this Wednesday!

I have a quick question for you all - we plan on purchasing Annual Passes for this trip. Do you think that Disney would allow us to purchase our Mickey's Halloween Party tickets with the annual passholders if we purchase the vouchers before the tickets go on sale? We wouldn't be using the annual passes until we go in October. I'll probably have to just call and check with them, but I thought some of you may have some knowledge of this and check with you guys first!


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## bearette

I'm sure they won't let you buy them with the AP unless they are active.  You have to log in to purchase using your AP on line. If you want to try I would call.  It never hurts to ask.


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## lindyv321

Maybe you can call and purchase the  AP and Halloween party tickets at the same time?


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## Kilala

Here are some photos I took last year of Halloween goodies.


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## Kilala

Here are some photos from MHP from 2006 to 2013


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## DisneylandDarling

lindyv321 said:


> Maybe you can call and purchase the  AP and Halloween party tickets at the same time?


Good idea! I'll have to check with them to see.


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## DisneylandDarling

Beautiful pics @Kilala! Those pictures get me excited! Only a few more months to go!


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## bigb83

SMD said:


> The Disneyland calendar is filled in to 8/22 now. HM has hours for 8/21 but not 8/22. Other rides have hours on 8/22. I think it's fair to say at this point that's when HM will close to install the overlay.


So this makes the rumored date of Sept 9th for Halloweentime right where it needs to be.


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## Sur

What time of day do these go on sale- Eastern Time or Pacific Time (and I can never remember if we are on daylight savings time, lol).


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## lorijohnhill

DisneylandDarling said:


> Well, it looks like I was wrong about them releasing dates today! wah! I bet it'll be this Wendesday, though!! (*she says hopefully*  ) I was looking at past release dates, and it looks like Erin Glover posted last year on a Wednesday, so I'm crossing my fingers it'll at the latest be this Wednesday!
> 
> I have a quick question for you all - we plan on purchasing Annual Passes for this trip. Do you think that Disney would allow us to purchase our Mickey's Halloween Party tickets with the annual passholders if we purchase the vouchers before the tickets go on sale? We wouldn't be using the annual passes until we go in October. I'll probably have to just call and check with them, but I thought some of you may have some knowledge of this and check with you guys first!


In 2014, I purchased my APs and my MHP tickets on the same phone call, with the discounted price for MHP.


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## DisneylandDarling

lorijohnhill said:


> In 2014, I purchased my APs and my MHP tickets on the same phone call, with the discounted price for MHP.



Excellent news!! Thanks for letting me know! 

Now, the annual pass doesn't start the day you purchase it right? IIRC, it starts the day it is first used for entrance into the park. I would hate to purchase them this month and "waste" a couple of months before our trip in October (we're hoping to get at least 2 trips out of the annual pass since we're from out of state).


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## lorijohnhill

DisneylandDarling said:


> Excellent news!! Thanks for letting me know!
> 
> Now, the annual pass doesn't start the day you purchase it right? IIRC, it starts the day it is first used for entrance into the park. I would hate to purchase them this month and "waste" a couple of months before our trip in October (we're hoping to get at least 2 trips out of the annual pass since we're from out of state).


Yes, they will be activated the first time you enter the park.


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## Daisybell911

Starting on 8/22, Haunted Mansion is officially listed as closed for refurbishment. Woo!  *prays for Halloween time to start 9/9*


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## Canadian Harmony

If I get my party tickets this summer, but don't get my AP til I arrive in October, will I be allowed down the AP T&T Trails if there are any?


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## WestMom2two

gottalovepluto said:


> Has anybody done the party on Halloween night? I know I'm looking at crazy high prices but what about crowds? Is the park jam packed with people like a summer day?


Our friends did Halloween night 2 years ago and said the crowd level was really good! Not overly packed at all.


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## lindyv321

Assuming there is going to be a Halloween party we can attend during our visit what is a good touring strategy to see the parade/fireworks?


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## DisneylandDarling

lorijohnhill said:


> Yes, they will be activated the first time you enter the park.



Awesome! Thanks for letting me know!


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## choomTOP

Canadian Harmony said:


> If I get my party tickets this summer, but don't get my AP til I arrive in October, will I be allowed down the AP T&T Trails if there are any?


They scan the AP at the start of the treat trail (which is usually at the Opera House), so as long as you have yours before the party, you're good to go.


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## Sherry E

Hi, all!   I'm not usually awake at this unholy hour, and I just realized that I think this site still goes down for maintenance at 1 a.m. (doesn't it?), so my timing is bad.  Anyway, I have to move us over to a new Superthread -- I want to do it right when we are about to get the news on dates and what not, so we can start fresh with that.  I will have to start the thread first, and reserve my posts on page 1, then transfer over the info, and then begin editing/revising info to reflect this year's details.  I will still have all the usual posts for Dates to Remember, MHP dates and sellout tracking info, food/dining, etc.

If I am still awake after the site goes down and then comes back up, then I will close this thread and start the new one then.  If I conk out, then I will start the new thread when I wake up and get us all switched over.  I will post the link to the new thread here when it's ready, and then I will close this thread.


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## Sherry E

Okay, here is the new thread -- http://www.disboards.com/threads/ha...ad-5-2016-details-due-any-minute-now.3526615/

I am still tweaking it, and have to change a bunch of things on the first page, so bear with me.  You will see some new posts set aside for a Halloween Time Highlight Reel, MHP Reviews, Sept/Oct Visitors, MHP Visitors (only if you want to give me the info to keep in that thread -- otherwise, you can post it in the Meet threads).

If the 2016 info comes in today, before I get back here, post it in the new thread and I will update when I get there.  I am going to close this thread now, and finally go to sleep... at 5 a.m.  Zzzzzzzzzzz


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