HalloweenTime at DLR Superthread #4

[Comicbookmommy]

Hello again, Sherry! I must echo the other post in that you do an incredible job with these threads! I don't know how you do it! They are endlessly helpful, so thank you, thank you, thank you.

And yes, we're planning to go for a little bit at Halloween (because we just can't miss it!) and leave while the kids are still craving some major Disneyland time, then later surprise the kids with the giant Christmas trip! If we can afford it, we're going to try and go on our first Disney cruise right before Thanksgiving too. We've had a rough year and we work at home non-stop (comic book artists) without weekends or days off, and just had a baby in January (working again 3 days after birth and through those difficult early months!) so at the end of the year we're going to have a big Disney Blow-out

I'm with you on the harsh heat, I can't deal with it at ALL. So I'm a bit terrified that it's already in the mid-80's here and summer hasn't started! That is indeed a lovely list of summery things to be excited about But like you, the heat keeps me from enjoying those types of things! So bring on the fall! Bring on the Holidays! The sooner the better

 

[poseys]

I wonder if they would start Halloween time on September 18 because that is also Dapper Day. I feel like that would be too much going on for one day?

 

[Abbey1]

Thanks for all the info, Sherry! You are such a great resource and help! My husband isn't really wanting to buy park hoppers. This is an in between short trip. We did a big Disneyland trip in February and are planning a long trip to the world for next February. I just really want to see Disneyland at Halloween. It's my favorite place and my favorite holiday.

I think we'll just try to fit everything in during the party, and do DCA the next day. My son will be tall enough for RSR and Soarin' will be open for us!!

 

[Sherry E]

Hello again, Sherry! I must echo the other post in that you do an incredible job with these threads! I don't know how you do it! They are endlessly helpful, so thank you, thank you, thank you.

And yes, we're planning to go for a little bit at Halloween (because we just can't miss it!) and leave while the kids are still craving some major Disneyland time, then later surprise the kids with the giant Christmas trip! If we can afford it, we're going to try and go on our first Disney cruise right before Thanksgiving too. We've had a rough year and we work at home non-stop (comic book artists) without weekends or days off, and just had a baby in January (working again 3 days after birth and through those difficult early months!) so at the end of the year we're going to have a big Disney Blow-out

I'm with you on the harsh heat, I can't deal with it at ALL. So I'm a bit terrified that it's already in the mid-80's here and summer hasn't started! That is indeed a lovely list of summery things to be excited about But like you, the heat keeps me from enjoying those types of things! So bring on the fall! Bring on the Holidays! The sooner the better

Thank you for the kind words! I'm so glad these threads can be of help. Sometimes I don't know how I do it either. I have a love of Halloween Time and the entire Holiday season (which, in my mind, starts with Halloween), as well as Easter and the other fun, colorful holidays, so this is all a natural extension of my love of holidays!

What a fun and interesting job you have -- even though it keeps you working every day. It's not often that someone says they are a comic book artist, so it's definitely unique. I think that all at-home jobs involve working daily to some degree, but anything like what you're doing probably involves strict deadlines as well.

It definitely sounds as though a big Disney blowout is in order to cap off the year! I hope the cruise can be worked out as well.

Congratulations on the newest addition to the family!

Our weather can go a few different ways once September hits -- it can either get ridiculously, insanely hot (100+ degrees), or it can rain, or it can be dry and windy, or it can be overcast and kind of muggy. The last 3 months of the year are sort of unpredictable as well, as we never know if they are going to be super hot or super rainy. This winter we are supposedly (and it is becoming more certain) going to get hit with a lot of rain (El Nino rain), but I don't know if that will begin in December or early next year.

So we just have to make it through summer to the other side, and then the last few months of the year will be fun, fun, fun!

I wonder if they would start Halloween time on September 18 because that is also Dapper Day. I feel like that would be too much going on for one day?

I think that 9/18 could certainly be a possibility as a start date. Dapper Day's Fall events seem to coincide with when Halloween Time begins, or within a day or two of the start date. It would fit the tradition of Halloween Time starting on the Friday after Labor Day week as well. I am inclined to think that 9/18 might be too late because Halloween Time is so popular, and that Disneyland may choose to start it on a weekday, like 9/15 or 9/16, or on Saturday, 9/12. But we shall soon find out!

Thanks for all the info, Sherry! You are such a great resource and help! My husband isn't really wanting to buy park hoppers. This is an in between short trip. We did a big Disneyland trip in February and are planning a long trip to the world for next February. I just really want to see Disneyland at Halloween. It's my favorite place and my favorite holiday.

I think we'll just try to fit everything in during the party, and do DCA the next day. My son will be tall enough for RSR and Soarin' will be open for us!!

You're very welcome! Thank you for the kind words.

I will say that -- because Halloween is your favorite holiday and I don't want you to miss any of the Halloween highlights -- it might be a good idea to head to the Halloween Carnival in Frontierland as soon as you enter the park (at 3 p.m. or whenever), or soon after. The Carnival will be closed for the majority of the party, and I don't want you to miss out on seeing the awesome carved character pumpkins and pumpkin carvers. You won't have to worry about the Conjure a Villain tent as much because there will be Villains at the party, but you can see the cute vintage Halloween decorations inside the Scare-Dy Crow Shack, and the whimsical "pumpkin people" (the ones that I show in the photos further down on page 1) around the Round-Up section.

 

[BobearQSI]

We will only be there for two days- the Monday and Tuesday before Halloween. We will attend the party one night (hopefully our stay will coincide with a party, maybe Monday?), but won't be buying tickets for that day. So we will only be in the park from 4-close. I'm wondering everyone's opinion- would it be best to spend the second day (our only full day) again at Disneyland Park (if that's where the party will be), or should we do California Adventure the next day? We love both parks. I'm just wondering if we'll be able to accomplish a lot of our "musts" during the party, or if everything will be super busy.

Personally, if getting Park Hoppers is not an option, then I would probably choose to do one park on one day and the other park on the other day.

I think we'll just try to fit everything in during the party, and do DCA the next day.

Another option - if the party ends up being on Monday - I believe Disneyland tickets do not specify which park they are for (unless this has changed since I last went). You could decide the night after the party, depending on what you actually accomplished, if you want to go back to DL or go to DCA the next day. Whichever park you go into in the morning will be locked to the ticket at that point. Although, you also don't want to start a fight with your family in the middle of your trip either

 

[dolphingirl47]

Today is my double digit day. In 99 days I am on my way to Disneyland.

Corinna

 

[Meemoo]

Today is my double digit day. In 99 days I am on my way to Disneyland.

Corinna

We are having a little party when we get to our 99 days prior, in about 25 more days! I bet it feels close now!

 

[kdj78]

Welcome! And that makes 2 of us - I am from Sydney Have you done Halloween at DL before? This will be our first.

hi Meemoo, brisbane here. yes very first time for halloween. can't wait !!! hope you have a great time .... I'm sure you will )

 

[Sherry E]

I just about fell out of my chair for a false alarm. I saw the RSS feed alert for the Disney Parks Blog -- there is an alert whenever new blogs go up, but it may be a few minutes delayed -- and, as usual, my eyes quickly scanned the title of the new blog. I saw the word "Halloween" and was about to shout "Whee! Finally!" ... followed by a dance of joy.

Of course, upon closer inspection I realized that the blog was actually referencing Tokyo Disneyland's Halloween festivities (which begin on September 8th and last through November 1st, just in case you're planning on high-tailing it to Tokyo).

So, WDW's Halloween info and dates are out (and they don't get going until 9/15/15). Tokyo's Halloween events have been announced. And, more than likely, within the next week or two, all of the other Southern California Halloween attractions/locations will announce their 2015 events (Knott's Scary Farm/Halloween Haunt; Universal Studios' Halloween Horror Nights; Six Flags Magic Mountain's Fright Fest; Queen Mary's Dark Harbor; the Los Angeles Haunted Hayride, etc.).

But, as usual, Disneyland Resort is crawling along at a snail's pace behind everyone else, always the last to make an announcement.

 

[PlutoRocks]

Hi Sherry! For the first time EVER, we are planning a trip to see Halloween at Disneyland. My two sisters and I went on our regular trip the first week of June and of course had a fantastic time so we decided to get Annual Passes at the end of our trip!! I am so excited to visit DL at different times of the year - we have gone first week of June for the past 5 or 6 years due to scheduling issues. I am watching this thread and reading what I can to get a handle on what it's going to be like and what we need to be sure to see and do. 102 days until our trip in late September. YAY

 

[Sherry E]

This has nothing at all to do with Halloween Time, but I just had to mention it. Did anyone else here know that there was a whole Facebook page devoted to celebrity sightings at Disneyland? I had no idea until today, but I love it! It's called "Disneyland Celebrity Sightings."

I was just on Facebook and one of my Facebook friends shared a photo of Kim and Kanye at Disneyland today (Kanye looked annoyed, and, yes, they are walking around in the daylight, with the rest of the masses -- no park closures for them), and I noticed that the photo came from the Disneyland Celebrity Sightings page.

So I quickly popped over and looked at a lot of the photos. I have to admit -- for some weird reason that I can't explain, it is fascinating to see which famous people visit Disneyland. I have no idea why I am interested in this. Some of the photos are candid shots, but some are actually posed photos with fans. I was bummed out that I missed some of the celebs in question. For example, Aaron Paul -- one of the stars of one of my all-time favorite series, Breaking Bad -- was just there 8 days ago, so I am sorry I missed that. Of course, Bieber was there... Nicolas Cage... Chris Martin from Coldplay (who posed for a close-up shot with a fan)... Kevin Nealon (from SNL and Weeds)... all sorts of celebrities, from the A-List to the D-List.

Anyway, if you can find the page, I suggest checking it out -- I don't know how long it will last. Sometimes those sorts of pages and threads with photos get shut down -- I think we used to have one on this forum, with photos, and it got closed or deleted because I think a lot of people were posting photos that were not their own, but photos that belonged to other people.

Hi Sherry! For the first time EVER, we are planning a trip to see Halloween at Disneyland. My two sisters and I went on our regular trip the first week of June and of course had a fantastic time so we decided to get Annual Passes at the end of our trip!! I am so excited to visit DL at different times of the year - we have gone first week of June for the past 5 or 6 years due to scheduling issues. I am watching this thread and reading what I can to get a handle on what it's going to be like and what we need to be sure to see and do. 102 days until our trip in late September. YAY

Well, hello, Dawn!

Long time no see on this board! Actually, I think I did see you over in one of the Diva threads quite a while back, but you disappeared from the Disneyland Holiday/Christmas thread, and my TR thread closed down a couple of years ago so I lost track of you.

I can't recall -- did you ever end up going to DLR for the holidays? I know you were looking into it, but I don't remember what happened. In any case, Halloween Time is a lot less extensive and involved than the holiday season is, so it's easier to zero in on what to see and do that is specific to the season. Since you will be there in late September, hopefully there will be a Halloween party during your trip.

Otherwise, be sure to check out Haunted Mansion Holiday, the Halloween Carnival/Round-Up, the Ray Bradbury Halloween Tree, the Dia de los Muertos display, the Pumpkin Festival (300 artificial pumpkins on display) on Main Street and Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy (if you like thrill rides). I have photos of some of these things on page 1, towards the end.

 

[tjcrabb]

I have been looking at hotel rooms for the first weekend of October and things are booking up fast. I know it's not UEA or fall break in UT yet so can anyone account for the popularity? I know it could just be halloween time is popular and it's safe to assume the parties will have started.

 

[Mommy2PrincessAbby]

I have been looking at hotel rooms for the first weekend of October and things are booking up fast. I know it's not UEA or fall break in UT yet so can anyone account for the popularity? I know it could just be halloween time is popular and it's safe to assume the parties will have started.

I think the 1st weekend is Gay Days.

 

[jammyjam25]

I have been looking at hotel rooms for the first weekend of October and things are booking up fast. I know it's not UEA or fall break in UT yet so can anyone account for the popularity? I know it could just be halloween time is popular and it's safe to assume the parties will have started.

I think the 1st weekend is Gay Days.

Friday October 2-Sunday October 4 is indeed Gay Days! I think that combined with Halloween, combined with 60th Anniversary happenings is accounting for the popularity of that particular weekend. I'll be there myself that week!

 

[mummabear]

But, as usual, Disneyland Resort is crawling along at a snail's pace behind everyone else, always the last to make an announcement.

I know! I hate this feeling of limbo waiting for this announcement and the park hours. Not sure what advantage they see in holding out.

 

[tjcrabb]

Of course! I totally forgot about that. Thank you all for reminding me

 

[IWannaCruise]

Does anyone know if I get the AP discount, can I pay with my Disney Visa and stack discounts?

 

[ACDSNY]

I've never been able to stack discounts in the past. I wish since I'd have DVC, VISA and AP.

 

[Sherry E]

Definitely no stacked discounts -- it's one or the other. Either pay with the Disney Visa and get the discount that way (over the phone), or pay with any credit/debit card and apply the AP discount, on the DLR website. Actually, the AP holders will have a special section set up for them to buy discounted tickets on the website, so you would just access that area and buy the pre-discounted tickets. The Disney Visa discount has to be taken care of over the phone.

 

[PlutoRocks]

Well, hello, Dawn!

Long time no see on this board! Actually, I think I did see you over in one of the Diva threads quite a while back, but you disappeared from the Disneyland Holiday/Christmas thread, and my TR thread closed down a couple of years ago so I lost track of you.

I can't recall -- did you ever end up going to DLR for the holidays? I know you were looking into it, but I don't remember what happened. In any case, Halloween Time is a lot less extensive and involved than the holiday season is, so it's easier to zero in on what to see and do that is specific to the season. Since you will be there in late September, hopefully there will be a Halloween party during your trip.

Otherwise, be sure to check out Haunted Mansion Holiday, the Halloween Carnival/Round-Up, the Ray Bradbury Halloween Tree, the Dia de los Muertos display, the Pumpkin Festival (300 artificial pumpkins on display) on Main Street and Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy (if you like thrill rides). I have photos of some of these things on page 1, towards the end.

Thank you for the reply Sherry! Yes I was in both of those threads - I read a lot but don't post much. It has been a crazy year at work - too much to do and as I think is always the case, the administration has very little idea of what it is like down here in the "trenches" so the policies seem to come from left field somewhere and then have to be implemented and then repealed a month or so later - utter nonsense!!

I'm going to spend some more time reading through your posts to get an idea of what to expect. Hopefully there will be a halloween party while we are there - that would be awesome! I'll probably have more questions as the time gets closer...