HalloweenTime at DLR Info and Photo Superthread #3

[sunshine1259]

Brenda -

I am the Sherry E to whom Liza was referring above...but my middle initial is "L"!!!! I love coincidences!

I encountered someone with my name (different spelling, though) in the remote hills of Avalon on Catalina Island this past July (it was a fairly deserted road). She stopped at the same spot I did and asked me if I would take a photo of her with her group. She was also from Los Angeles, as am I! What are the odds?

Hi, Sherry. It's kind of wierd having 2 Sherrys on the board. Gotta love the Disboard. And how funny for you to meet yet another Sherry in of all places Catalina Island. It is indeed a small world.

Hopefully, we will see you and Liza tomorrow.

How cool! I love your story.

It was quite surprising to meet Sherry on a cruise meet and to discover that our houses were literally 5 minutes drive from each other, although we live in different cities. I just love this girl and am so sad to see her move. I mean, who am I to go shopping with ??!!!

Anyway, hope to see you both tomorrow.

 

[sunshine1259]

I am a little sad today. If all had gone according to plan, I would be on a plane to California now.

Corinna

Oh, I am so sorry to hear that!

 

[rowan1813]

Yayyyyy Sherry for going tomorrow!!! I know we will get the best pictures then cause you go the extra mile (or crawling into a bush) as the case may be. I hope you and Liza (funatdisney) have a great time tomorrow and the crowds won't be too horrible. I wonder if with the park staying open that "13th" hour and the special emphasis that Disney has placed on tomorrow's events might give people more incentive to come.

I am so excited about Halloween this year! I wish the party on 10/23 that we are going to would come a lot quicker but at the same time, it can't cause I'm nowhere close to being finished with our costumes!!! I know you guys understand!

Love the superhero family idea WestMom2two!

 

[pudinhd]

I just received my D23 email newsletter that has details about the Haunted Mansion Holiday new additions... ***SKIP THIS POST IF YOU DON'T WANT TO READ ABOUT THEM!*** Here is the link, but I think you need to be a member with a log in.

https://d23.com/haunted-mansion-dis...-the-13/?CMP=EMC-eml&att=20130912_D23_FanFare

Each year we count down to the opening of Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion Holiday and see how Jack Skellington has decked the halls for Halloween and Christmas. Decorations like the latest haunted gingerbread house—it’s bigger than ever this year at 8’ wide and 13’ tall and has an animated zero flying around the top of it—have become a tradition for Disneyland chefs and for Nightmare fans riding the attraction.

This year, it’s easy to remember when the attraction opens. It’s celebrating its 13th year, opening on September… Friday… the 13th, in the year 2013—the 13s have finally aligned for Halloween at Disneyland. It’s also the day Disney Parks—Disneyland and Walt Disney World—is kicking off its Halloween festivities. This year, Brian Sandahl, art director of Haunted Mansion Holiday, and his team are bringing in new animation effects for new tricks and treats.

When you visit, pay special attention to the Haunted Mansion’s stretching room. Brian’s team has developed new animation effects that will bring this room to life—or death—like never before. Also, check out the portraits on the walls as you exit the stretching room and as you wait to board your doom buggy.

“We’ve always switched out these portraits,” Brian says, “so Jack Skellington changes into Sandy Claws as you are looking at them. Zero is in the portrait, too. But this year, Zero takes off and flies through all the portraits. He flies into the Jack-O-Lantern portrait, lights it up, and plays around with the scenes in the portraits. These two animation are really cool and we’ve never done animation effects in our 13-year history.”

For the attraction’s actual 13th anniversary—celebrated on October 4—Disneyland, as part of “Limited Time Magic” will be placing 13 themed collections of 13 objects around the Haunted Mansion. “We’ll be introducing 13 surprises around the rooms of the Haunted Mansion so guests will be able to count—kind of like a scavenger hunt—the items that Jack Skellington has placed in each room. There will be 13 candles on Madame Leota’s séance table and more additions like that. And if you miss them, you’ll have to get back on and ride again!”

 

[Sherry E]

pudinhd --

Thank you for posting the info about HMH! Some of it was alluded to in the Disney Visa newsletter/magazine that arrived a while back, but what you posted had more details.

What I am confused about is

For the attraction's actual 13th anniversary--celebrated on October 4--Disneyland, as part of "Limited Time Magic" will be placing 13 themed collections of 13 objects around the Haunted Mansion.

The collections of 13 had been hinted at in the Visa article so I had been expecting these collections of 13 to be there all season long, but the way it is phrased in the text you quoted makes it sound as though the 13 themed collections of 13 objects are only going to be there on or around October 4th (probably that entire week) -- as a Limited Time Magic thing. I don't know if that's what was intended to be conveyed but that's what I took from it.

So if I am understanding that correctly, we will not be seeing the 13 themed collections today, but the people who are in the park on or around the week of 10/4 (and the MHP is already sold out on that date) will see them.

Hmmm... I'm not sure how I feel about that. I think it's kind of a cool idea and kind of a silly idea at the same time! If the 13 collections stay up from October 4th all through the holiday season that's great, but if they're part of Limited Time Magic it seems as though they'd be yanked down before that time.

Oh well. At least Disney is not holding the gingerbread house/centerpiece hostage to Limited Time Magic, so I'll at least be able to see that today. And I must get my hands on one of those gingerbread zombie cookies before they're all snapped up (like the gingerbread cookies with mouse ears sometimes are)!

 

[pudinhd]

pudinhd --

Thank you for posting the info about HMH! Some of it was alluded to in the Disney Visa newsletter/magazine that arrived a while back, but what you posted had more details.

What I am confused about is

The collections of 13 had been hinted at in the Visa article so I had been expecting these collections of 13 to be there all season long, but the way it is phrased in the text you quoted makes it sound as though the 13 themed collections of 13 objects are only going to be there on or around October 4th (probably that entire week) -- as a Limited Time Magic thing. I don't know if that's what was intended to be conveyed but that's what I took from it.

So if I am understanding that correctly, we will not be seeing the 13 themed collections today, but the people who are in the park on or around the week of 10/4 (and the MHP is already sold out on that date) will see them.

Hmmm... I'm not sure how I feel about that. I think it's kind of a cool idea and kind of a silly idea at the same time! If the 13 collections stay up from October 4th all through the holiday season that's great, but if they're part of Limited Time Magic it seems as though they'd be yanked down before that time.

Oh well. At least Disney is not holding the gingerbread house/centerpiece hostage to Limited Time Magic, so I'll at least be able to see that today. And I must get my hands on one of those gingerbread zombie cookies before they're all snapped up (like the gingerbread cookies with mouse ears sometimes are)!

Very good point! I was thinking the 13 collections would be there the entire time HMH was open. Maybe we will find out more today when Disney releases the next LTM "event"... Hope to see you at DL today! I'm going to be looking for the crazy woman crawling through displays!!

 

[tlovesdis]

Just paid off my trip and ordered my photopass +!

40 days to go!!!

 

[DharmaLou]

A month from today! I am so excited - this will be my first time during Halloween decorations. About 9 years ago I was there the last weekend of September, but I honestly don't remember any Halloween decor from then.

I hope everyone there today on the 13th has a wonderful time!

 

[californiamomof4grls]

Kim --
californiamomof4grls -

Hi there!

No. The whole Carnival/Ranch/Round-Up is open daily, all season long. It's not a party exclusive, thankfully. It's great because the carved character pumpkins change throughout the season so you will see different things each day. Some of the pumpkins can stay up for one week; some for a few weeks. The carvers are constantly creating new pumpkins to replace the old ones.

Have a great trip!

My husband LOVES to carve the pumpkins he even goes to our Walgreens because for some reason they have a lot of random Disney Halloween things. He gets the Disney carve Mickey the Vampire in to your pumpkin and so on. He spends ours with our girls! I have to buy one pumpkin for each girl and then at least three for him. They always think I'm a little nutty when I walk up with a cart full of pumpkins! This will be a HAVE TO on our list of things to see!! SO excited!!

I am a little sad today. If all had gone according to plan, I would be on a plane to California now.

Corinna

I totally feel you! We had to cancel our trip twice before we were able to do it this year! I hope it works out in the future for you!

 

[WestMom2two]

Just paid off my trip and ordered my photopass +!

40 days to go!!!

Wooooo Hoooooooo! We have 36 day's leftf!!!!!!

and thanks for reminding me to order my photo pass! Doing that this weekend!

 

[dolphingirl47]

Insert hug emoticon here. Hopefully, you get to go soon from whatever is setting you back.

It was just a question of the stars not being aligned properly and various components that were needed for the trip becoming unavailable at one stage or another and us just giving up in the end. We are now going to Orlando in December and will be back to Disneyland next year.

Oh, I am so sorry to hear that!

Thanks.

Corinna

 

[SingWithFlowers]

We're officially going to the party on the 31st, and actually staying the 30th-1st which I didn't expect to be able to do.

I've been skimming through this thread and your post are very helpful Sherry!

I'm excited to see all the costumes, I love the super hero family idea and your Demeter costume is perfect Kilala!

I'm planning to either go as Elphaba from Wicked or Eponine from Les Mis. I had decided and planned on Elphaba, but just thought of Eponine hmmm.

 

[californiamomof4grls]

I just bought our AP's for the family!! Ten days to go!!

 

[ahsquared]

Just extended our trip by one day so we could go to mickeys Halloween party!!

 

[Kilala]

We're officially going to the party on the 31st, and actually staying the 30th-1st which I didn't expect to be able to do.

I've been skimming through this thread and your post are very helpful Sherry!

I'm excited to see all the costumes, I love the super hero family idea and your Demeter costume is perfect Kilala!

I'm planning to either go as Elphaba from Wicked or Eponine from Les Mis. I had decided and planned on Elphaba, but just thought of Eponine hmmm.

Thank you!

 

[WestMom2two]

We're officially going to the party on the 31st, and actually staying the 30th-1st which I didn't expect to be able to do.

I've been skimming through this thread and your post are very helpful Sherry!

I'm excited to see all the costumes, I love the super hero family idea and your Demeter costume is perfect Kilala!

I'm planning to either go as Elphaba from Wicked or Eponine from Les Mis. I had decided and planned on Elphaba, but just thought of Eponine hmmm.

Thanks! Ive been working on it since summer and it fits our family so perfectly So Excited!!!

 

[stacyduck]

I just bought tickets!!! We will be there the 14th through the 18th. I am so excited and no one else understands my obsession so I had to come here to tell someone. (this is my 1st post btw)

 

[DisFam95]

I just bought tickets!!! We will be there the 14th through the 18th. I am so excited and no one else understands my obsession so I had to come here to tell someone. (this is my 1st post btw)

Welcome and congrats! Start making all the spreadsheets now

 

[Sherry E]

Well, let me just say that when Disney decided to "Unleash the Villains," they also unleashed madness and crowds in the park. The crowds in Town Square in the general Villains area were as bad as I have seen them on New Year's Eve many years ago -- and much worse than the crowds for Mickey's Halloween Party, for sure. Much worse than the Candlelight Processional/Ceremony Crowds too. It was not like that all day -- just closer to Villains' time. Liza/funatdisney and I were trying to escape Main Street after the Villains came out and started taking photos with people. The crowds were at a standstill, elbow to elbow, blocking the path. I can't imagine that NOS was much better. The music was fun. The DJ with the witch hat was fun. It's just that the crowd was not fun at all.

We finally escaped DL and made it over to DCA (which was very pleasant and not at all hideously crowded!) in time to catch a couple of songs from the Mad T Party (who was supposed to have an "All Hallows Eve" theme, and yet I saw nothing of Halloween there at all).

I did take some photos (will take more in a couple of weeks on MHP day), but I have to load them to Photobucket (which will be tomorrow). In the meantime, here are some random observations about today:

1. The Zombie Gingerbread cookie (which is being called a Spooky cookie) -- It does not look anything like a zombie. There is frosting on the cookie to make it look like a bony skeleton, but the frosting melts as soon as it hits the heat. A CM was even saying that they can't sell the cookies like that, with the melted frosting. So the Zombies did not fare well in the heat. BUT... maybe this is the most important thing... The gingerbread itself was delicious! Yum! It was fresh, soft and tasty -- easily better than the gingerbread cookies with mouse ears I've had;

2. The Pirates League seems to work very well in the Halloween Carnival setting, because there is so much going on in that area, between the crafts and games, music from Billy Hill & the Hillbillies, treats, pumpkin carving (I spoke to one of the pumpkin carvers for a while), characters, Villains, Scare-Dy-Crow Shack, etc. I think it's a good fit;

3. Love love LOVE the massive gingerbread masterpiece in the Haunted Mansion Holiday ballroom/dining room. It is easily the tallest and largest creation HMH has ever had. BUT...there was no Oogie Boogie topiary in the cemetery, along the queue. Oogie Boogie disappeared;

4. There are sooooooooooooooooooo many cute Halloween t-shirts this year. I am a sucker for a good black t-shirt, so everywhere I turned there was a temptation. Plus, there is a great Halloween mug that I wanted to get, and all kinds of other fabulous Halloween or Haunted Mansion items (yes, I took pictures)! There are at least 2 reusable bags you can buy for the MHP. Too much good stuff;


5. Love the Mummy Mickey ears ornament;

6. This has nothing to do with Halloween but I will share it anyway -- there is almost nothing better on a hot day than one of those glorious, juicy pineapple spears that you can get on Main Street or Buena Vista Street. Sweet relief from the harsh effects of summer;

7. I love the Ray Bradbury Halloween Tree in Frontierland! So pretty at night.

8. Loved the "Dancin' Daddies (a group of poor unsuspecting dads who were recruited from the crowd by a band at the entrance to DL (in front of the Mickey floral) to dance like the Rockettes and sing along with a song that was being played. They didn't have much time to rehearse, but it was one of the funniest things I've seen, as this group of dads tried to high kick and sing; and

9. People talk about the Disneyland cats and the Disneyland ducks! I love the Disneyland lizards! I spent a fair amount of time staring at lizards in Frontierland (maybe geckos), including a baby! So cute!


I'm sure there is more but I'm tired and must sleep. I will be back here with some photos tomorrow -- and I also know that Bret (mvf-m11c, who some of you also know from my Christmas Superthread, as he posts amazing photos in our Theme Week Countdown) is headed to DL tomorrow through Monday, so he will have even more photos to share.

 

[Amommy21]

Where are the gingerbread zombie cookies sold?

Can anyone snap a picture of the current jack sparrow costume available for size 12 boys?

Are they selling any brown leather look pirate hats these days?

Thanks in advance!