HalloweenTime at DLR Superthread #4

Sherry E said:

It definitely sounds like it's time to call, though it will be tough to do without a confirmation # for the transaction. You will have to just give them whatever info you can about the date and time that the money was taken from your card (if you have the info), and the card #, etc.

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I emailed them Thursday, so waiting for a reply.

Nicolette11785 said:

Thank you for all your help!

Is there any place that you can meet lots of villains by standing in just one line like they do on the cruise ships? It sucks to have to get in so many lines that are all super long

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While I think I remember Cruella being out somewhere in the daytime last year outside of the tent (and maybe someone else too?), the Conjure a Villain tent at the Halloween Carnival IS the primary place to meet Villains during Halloween Time, but only one at a time. The whole point of the Conjure a Villain tent, in my opinion, was to cut down on the villains' availability and accessibility, and to make them more of a Halloween Party exclusive. If Disney makes the villains less prominent and available in the daytime or on non-party days, then more people will have a need to buy party tickets to meet villains.

In the old days, there was a villains spot like what you're talking about -- where you'd stand in a line to meet villains and you'd see exactly who you were going to meet. There were usually 2-4 of them out at one time, and then they'd take breaks and swap out with other villains. The villains used to be in California Adventure, and then they moved to Fantasyland, near It's a Small World. As soon as the Halloween Carnival was created, the villains ended up in the Conjure a Villain tent, and you could only conjure one at a time. No one really knew who they would be conjuring, and sometimes ended up conjuring the same villain each time they got in line.

With the Halloween Carnival almost certainly on the chopping block this year (which still makes me mad! ), I don't know what will become of the villains. I am certain that there will be someone out every day -- just because not everyone will go to the Halloween Party, and they might want to meet villains. I don't know if Disney will revert to the old photo spot idea of having 2-4 out in the open, or if they will only put out one villain at a time. I'm not sure how it will be handled. What you can bank on, though, is that, most likely, the villains that are out in the daytime will probably not be too rare, or even less common. You probably won't see Hades or Dr. Facilier out in the daytime, but you'd more than likely see Cruella, the Queen of Hearts, Captain Hook or maybe Jafar -- along those lines. The 'common' villains!

nightmaremama said:

All this talk of the carnival being cancelled has me bummed. Not that I've been before... but it seems like it would be so much fun for the little... sigh....

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It is/was a fun area, and it had so many things in one spot, which made it a hub of Halloween activity. Honestly, though, it is/was really essential to Halloween Time as a season. If the Jingle Jangle Jamboree does not come back for the holidays it will be disappointing too, but the holiday season is more developed and extensive at Disneyland Resort than Halloween Time is. So -- not that I want to lose the Jingle Jangle Jamboree either -- if the JJJ ends up on the chopping block this year, there will still be other holiday things to see and do, most likely. It won't be quite as noticeable to lose JJJ as it will be to lose the Halloween Carnival. As it is, Disney is milking this Halloween Time concept and calling it a season, when the offerings are on the limited side. To take anything away from what is already there will really put a crimp in the season. They will put the characters (like Pumpkin Donald) somewhere, and they will put out a villain or two somewhere, but I don't know where they will put Pirates League (if it returns). It doesn't sound like they are going to employ the pumpkin carvers at all this year, which is disappointing. As for the Halloween crafts and games -- who knows?

lorijohnhill said:

I emailed them Thursday, so waiting for a reply.

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I would still call if you have not heard anything in another couple of days. What you don't want to do is to get put on the backburner as the next massive wave of ticket sales begins on Wednesday. They need to figure out your situation before Wednesday. The Cast Members are going to have their hands full again on Wednesday morning, as the general public begins to buy tickets -- and the phone lines and online systems get jammed up again.

I got an email saying that if my tickets don't arrive on time, I can go to a ticket booth with the confirmation number (which I don't have) and the credit card I used to pay (which was DVA, so don't have a card for that) and they will give me tickets. So, a phone call it will be.

Oh my gosh.... September 30th is a party date and just so happens to be my 42nd birthday... Debating running this by DH. Hmmmm. So much to think about with so little time. Are ticket prices listed in the thread?

Does that also mean that the party will close early because of the Halloween party?

SeattleSuz said:

Does that also mean that the party will close early because of the Halloween party?

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DL closes at 6 or 7 on party nights. DCA stays open later.

mom2rtk said:

DL closes at 6 or 7 on party nights. DCA stays open later.

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Sugar britches! Guess I WILL have to convince DH to do the Halloween party then... Dang dang.

I overheard my mother-in-law talking to one of her great grandchildren yesterday. She was saying how Sea World is more fun than Disneyland. I almost bit through my tongue!!! I thought to myself, give the woman a break, she turns 90 tomorrow. I'm sorry, but there is no place better than Disney!

Happy Monday!! I have a question for those of you that have seen the Halloween Screams fireworks both in front of the castle and from another area in the park. Did you really miss not seeing the Jack Skellington "ball"? We have always watched the fireworks in direct view of the castle but my husband doesn't want to spend the time waiting. I would appreciate any thoughts you have to share. Thank you very much!!!

I have seen halloween fireworks without being able to see Jack and it was somewhat of a disappointment; but was it a deal breaker no not really. This year I will know better and be in a position where I can see better Honestly the only reason why it bothered me at all was because I knew it was there, not because I actually missed anything.

I had one experience in which I could see "the ball" (I always think of it as a crystal ball of sorts) a bit better, and one occasion when I could barely see it at all. It's a cool effect, and I think that if someone has not seen Halloween Screams ever before, it would be nice to see as much of the effects as possible -- ball and all!

However, pudinhd, in your case, you have seen Halloween Screams before so I think it's not as essential to get the whole "ball effect" this time around. It does feel a bit like it is missing something when the ball is out of view, but as tjcrabb said, it's not a deal breaker -- especially when you've seen HS in the past.

Sherry E said:

I'm very annoyed, and hope that Disney somehow comes to its senses at the last minute and throws together a Halloween Carnival. Unless they are secretly adding in some new Halloween thing that has not been announced yet, that season cannot afford to lose ANY of its highlights. It is underdeveloped as it is anyway. The Halloween Carnival was a hub of many Halloween activities in one spot!

Supposedly, Santa will be back in his log cabin this year -- meaning, he won't be out in the festival part of the Jingle Jangle Jamboree, which now gives me more reason to wonder if the JJJ is going away too.

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This makes me very grumpy. Im not seeing any point now to the halloween party. We very specifically picked oct for halloween stuff and we cant postpone since we planned to go when the twins were still two. So disappointing.

violentlyserene said:

This makes me very grumpy. Im not seeing any point now to the halloween party. We very specifically picked oct for halloween stuff and we cant postpone since we planned to go when the twins were still two. So disappointing.

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I don't blame you for being grumpy! I keep hoping that this is just a false alarm, and that Disney is going to open up the Halloween Carnival and/or surprise us with some new, unexpected Halloween thing. But... a few different bits of information are now pointing to the likelihood of the Halloween Carnival being gone this year. I might understand it better if I knew why. I see no reason for the Carnival to interfere with the 60th anniversary stuff, and it is needed for Halloween Time because the offerings are slim to begin with.

All I can guess is that Disney has some other plan for that area -- either later this year, or starting next year, and they don't want to go through the trouble of setting up the Carnival and Jingle Jangle Jamboree.

I do believe, though, that the usual characters who would be found at the Halloween Carnival will be out somewhere -- maybe back in Town Square, where they used to be (Donald in his pumpkin outfit, Skeleton Goofy, etc.). And I think that there will be some sort of daytime Villain photo spot -- but maybe with just a couple of Villains. The bulk of the Villains will be at the actual Halloween Party.

The Halloween Carnival has usually been closed for most of the Halloween Party, but it was really a highlight for people who visited Disneyland in the daytime, and who wanted some kind of Halloween experience without paying for party tickets. Taking it away leaves very little for people to enjoy of Halloween Time if they choose to not go to the party.

We can all only hope that the "sparkling" new Halloween decorations that supposedly tie in Halloween with the Diamond Anniversary are widespread! Disney had better not just bedazzle some orange bunting and throw it on a balcony, calling it a day! They had better get Main Street chock full of bright orange, sparkly pumpkins everywhere!

pudinhd said:

Happy Monday!! I have a question for those of you that have seen the Halloween Screams fireworks both in front of the castle and from another area in the park. Did you really miss not seeing the Jack Skellington "ball"? We have always watched the fireworks in direct view of the castle but my husband doesn't want to spend the time waiting. I would appreciate any thoughts you have to share. Thank you very much!!!

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In your experience, how early did you have to set up in front of the castle to make sure you had a view that included the Ball?

tjcrabb said:

I have seen halloween fireworks without being able to see Jack and it was somewhat of a disappointment; but was it a deal breaker no not really. This year I will know better and be in a position where I can see better Honestly the only reason why it bothered me at all was because I knew it was there, not because I actually missed anything.

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Sherry E said:

I had one experience in which I could see "the ball" (I always think of it as a crystal ball of sorts) a bit better, and one occasion when I could barely see it at all. It's a cool effect, and I think that if someone has not see Halloween Screams ever before, it would be nice to see as much of the effects as possible -- ball and all! However, pudinhd, in your case, you have seen Halloween Screams before so I think it's not as essential to get the whole "ball effect" this time around. It does feel a bit like it is missing something when the ball is out of view, but as tjcrabb said, it's not a deal breaker -- especially when you've seen HS in the past.

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Thanks to you both!! My husband doesn't want to devote the time to waiting for the fireworks, but I am having a hard time thinking of watching the HS fireworks anywhere but in front of the castle!

HopLow1968 said:

In your experience, how early did you have to set up in front of the castle to make sure you had a view that included the Ball?

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I would say you should be in place where you can see the left of the castle before the cavalcade. That being said, I don't know if more people or less people will be watching the PTN parade as it will be running rather than the cavalcade.

Sherry E said:

I don't blame you for being grumpy! I keep hoping that this is just a false alarm, and that Disney is going to open up the Halloween Carnival and/or surprise us with some new, unexpected Halloween thing. But... a few different bits of information are now pointing to the likelihood of the Halloween Carnival being gone this year. I might understand it better if I knew why. I see no reason for the Carnival to interfere with the 60th anniversary stuff, and it is needed for Halloween Time because the offerings are slim to begin with.

All I can guess is that Disney has some other plan for that area -- either later this year, or starting next year, and they don't want to go through the trouble of setting up the Carnival and Jingle Jangle Jamboree.

I do believe, though, that the usual characters who would be found at the Halloween Carnival will be out somewhere -- maybe back in Town Square, where they used to be (Donald in his pumpkin outfit, Skeleton Goofy, etc.). And I think that there will be some sort of daytime Villain photo spot -- but maybe with just a couple of Villains. The bulk of the Villains will be at the actual Halloween Party.

The Halloween Carnival has usually been closed for most of the Halloween Party, but it was really a highlight for people who visited Disneyland in the daytime, and who wanted some kind of Halloween experience without paying for party tickets. Taking it away leaves very little for people to enjoy of Halloween Time if they choose to not go to the party.

We can all only hope that the "sparkling" new Halloween decorations that supposedly tie in Halloween with the Diamond Anniversary are widespread! Disney had better not just bedazzle some orange bunting and throw it on a balcony, calling it a day! They had better get Main Street chock full of bright orange, sparkly pumpkins everywhere!

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Thanks. Im going to email and ask some questions and definitely wont be considering tickets until the parties start. They didnt sell out for our dates until the end of September so there should be some wiggle room. If we dont do the party, we'll just do another regular day. We have 4 days passes already so it wouldnt be much even with adding park hopping.

I am still really attached to the idea of a real party to attend in costume (not something thats an option at home) and for the twins first trick or treating to be at disney so we'll see.

I got my party tickets today. My plans have slightly changed. I am still going on September 25th, but instead of September 28th, I am now going on September 30th. It also looks that I will get to share both parties with friends, which makes this even better. I can't wait.

Corinna

I am wondering if these parties sell out as fast as MNSSHP at WDW do? We are hoping to be able to go on September 30th, and since that's the middle of the week, it will probably not sell out as fast, right?

theluckyrabbit said:

So sad about this. Please, folks! For those of us who love the Carnival, send a comment to DL telling them how much the Carnival means to your Halloween Time experience. It really does make a difference if enough of us do this. A CM at City Hall told me that each comment usually represents 40 other people who agree but didn't send in anything. So let's tell DL that the Carnival is important to us!

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I'll do it. Is there a specific email to send it to? My computer at work doesn't like the DL site (oooold OS), so it's quicker to ask here than to go looking.

SeattleSuz said:

I am wondering if these parties sell out as fast as MNSSHP at WDW do? We are hoping to be able to go on September 30th, and since that's the middle of the week, it will probably not sell out as fast, right?

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I can't speak to the MNSSHP comparison, as I have never been to WDW, but this is the sellout info for MHP last year:

Friday, September 26 -- SOLD OUT (as of Thursday, August 28, 2014)!!
Tuesday, September 30 -- DID NOT SELL OUT!!!!

Friday, October 3 -- SOLD OUT (as of Friday, August 22, 2014)!!
Monday, October 6 -- SOLD OUT (as of Tuesday, September 30, 2014)!!
Wednesday, October 8 -- SOLD OUT (as of Monday, September 29, 2014)!!
Friday, October 10 -- SOLD OUT (as of Thursday, September 18, 2014)!!
Tuesday, October 14 -- SOLD OUT (as of Friday, September 26, 2014)!!
Friday, October 17 -- SOLD OUT (as of Monday, September 22, 2014)!!
Monday, October 20 -- SOLD OUT (as of Tuesday, September 30, 2014)!!
Wednesday, October 22 -- SOLD OUT (as of Friday, October 3, 2014)!!
Friday, October 24 -- SOLD OUT (as of Monday, September 22, 2014)!!
Monday, October 27 -- SOLD OUT (as of Friday, October 3, 2014)!!
Wednesday, October 29 -- SOLD OUT (as of Wednesday, October 8, 2014)!!
Friday, October 31 -- SOLD OUT (as of Thursday, September 11, 2014)!!


Last year there were 14 parties, and this year there are 17. Last year the second party of the season did not sell out, but in previous years it sold out. Last year the parties immediately before Halloween sold out, but in previous years the Monday party before Halloween did not sell out (or if it did, it was at the last minute).

Each year things could be different, though. Adding in more party nights means that people may favor one night over another night, and the sellouts could shift or change.

Thanks for the information. Looks like I might be safe waiting a couple of weeks at least to decide if we can book Sept 30th or not.