HalloweenTime at DLR Superthread #4

[Sherry E]

lorijohnhill -- Thank you for posting that photo. Yes, I had wondered about the pins. After I saw the photo posted on Laughing Place's Twitter feed the other day, I was not sure if the pins they spotted were at DLR or at WDW. The interesting thing is that Disneyland's pins (or at least the cardboard that the pins are attached to) used to say "Halloween Time," and these say "Halloween." Maybe they began saying "Halloween" last year and I didn't realize it?

In any case, the Star Wars pins are cute -- especially the one of the silhouettes.

 

[lorijohnhill]

lorijohnhill -- Thank you for posting that photo. Yes, I had wondered about the pins. After I saw the photo posted on Laughing Place's Twitter feed the other day, I was not sure if the pins they spotted were at DLR or at WDW. The interesting thing is that Disneyland's pins (or at least the cardboard that the pins are attached to) used to say "Halloween Time," and these say "Halloween." Maybe they began saying "Halloween" last year and I didn't realize it?

In any case, the Star Wars pins are cute -- especially the one of the silhouettes.

You're welcome! There's another one I saw that isn't in the photo. It's a witch with a cauldron dipping a poison apple.

 

[Dee2015]

lorijohnhill - sitting here with my 9 year old daughter and we were SUPER excited to see those pins! We've picked our favourites (inc. a couple of non-Halloween ones) so let's just hope we can actually find them lol!!

 

[lorijohnhill]

I'm making myself wait to see if any more come out that I might like better. Hopefully I won't regret it!

My 8yr daughter got to pilot to Mark Twain yesterday! She was so excited! We have been scouring the pin stores to try to find one of the boat, but so far, no luck.

 

[tzeitel]

We will bet at DLR for 6 nights in Oct. I have been searching for stuff to do outside of DLR for one day and one of things I wanted to do is El Capitan Theater. Was pretty bummed that we will miss Aladdin(shown in Sept) and was waiting for the Oct schedule as impatiently and the Halloween schedule at DLR! So found this today - https://elcapitantheatre.com/events/coming_soon

Soooo excited that NBC is actually starting on the day I had already planned to go to El Capitan! That is one ticket I am buying in advance

 

[Dee2015]

Sherry E - yes you're right it was Dawn (PlutoRocks), thanks heaps Dawn!!!

and yes Sherry you are right again, this is my chance to properly celebrate my birthday Halloween style this year. I always love to celebrate both together but this will be the first time doing it US style and I'm soooooooooooooooooo excited! Thanks for the welcome to the forum too.

We've looked at Rise of the Jack O'Lanterns came across that one and then saw that you had also mentioned it but not sure yet if we can get to one of the locations yet. That will depend on our itinerary and this will depend on when/if we can see F! during our trip. Would love to find out about that!

 

[jenhelgren]

Is there a listing of which MNSSHP dates will have the lowest/highest crowds? Touring plans has a blog for Disney World but I couldn't find anything for Disney Land. We are thinking about visiting the week of Halloween-which day would be best or are all the parties packed that close to Halloween? Thank you for any and all advice-this will be our first trip and first MNSSHP at Disney Land!

 

[Sherry E]

Is there a listing of which MNSSHP dates will have the lowest/highest crowds? Touring plans has a blog for Disney World but I couldn't find anything for Disney Land. We are thinking about visiting the week of Halloween-which day would be best or are all the parties packed that close to Halloween? Thank you for any and all advice-this will be our first trip and first MNSSHP at Disney Land!

There's no listing for MHP dates like that. No one knows exactly how many tickets are sold for each night, which makes a difference -- but we can assume that Friday parties would have a lot of people who are able to stay until the very end, whereas earlier weeknight parties might have some guests who need to leave early because they have work and school the next day (a lot of the visitors are locals). So the weeknight parties may seem less crowded if people clear out before the end of the night.

At the same time, if there is any kind of special event or gathering of large groups of people in the parks around the time of a party (like Gay Days), and those people also attend a party, any night could seem extra crowded -- even an earlier weeknight.

I think that Halloween night should be pretty busy because it's a Saturday. I think the first party of Haloween week would probably have the fewest people (compared to other parties that week), but it's anyone's guess.

All we know is that last year, all party nights but one sold out. The year before last, I think all nights but one sold out as well -- but the night that didn't sell out in 2013 (which was right before Halloween) was different than the one that didn't sell out in 2014 (which was the second party of the season)! This year, I'll track which nights sell out on which dates, but there could still be more tickets sold for one night than other nights and we just don't know how many are sold.

This is last year's sellout info, so you can get a sense of which nights were popular early on:

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)!!

 

[Dee2015]

We will bet at DLR for 6 nights in Oct. I have been searching for stuff to do outside of DLR for one day and one of things I wanted to do is El Capitan Theater. Was pretty bummed that we will miss Aladdin(shown in Sept) and was waiting for the Oct schedule as impatiently and the Halloween schedule at DLR! So found this today - https://elcapitantheatre.com/events/coming_soon

Soooo excited that NBC is actually starting on the day I had already planned to go to El Capitan! That is one ticket I am buying in advance

How did you hear that the Aladdin show wouldn't be on in Sept? Do you know if it will be on in October/November? Or has it finished/been replaced? Was hoping to see that too. Will have a look at the info you have shared above too.

 

[Abbey1]

Will most of the Halloween merchandise be sold out by the week of Halloween? I'm really hoping to pick up some Halloween souvenirs on our trip, but have read that the merchandise tends to sell out quickly.

 

[Sith]

How did you hear that the Aladdin show wouldn't be on in Sept? Do you know if it will be on in October/November? Or has it finished/been replaced? Was hoping to see that too. Will have a look at the info you have shared above too.

They were referring to the Aladdin movie being shown at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood. Not the live show at DCA.

 

[Dee2015]

Thanks Sith

 

[jenhelgren]

What time can you enter the park with a Halloween Party ticket? I know last year in FL the party was 7-12 but we were allowed to start entering for the night at 4. I am also wondering how a party night affects crowds during the day since CA has more local attendance. We will be arriving on a Sunday morning and there is a party that night. Will the park be fairly empty during the day because there is a party that night or does that FL trick not apply because of the local visitors? Also-Sorry in advance for all the FL comparisons-we have done that party multiple times and have never visited CA so I am trying to get a feel for what is alike and different!!

 

[Sherry E]

Will most of the Halloween merchandise be sold out by the week of Halloween? I'm really hoping to pick up some Halloween souvenirs on our trip, but have read that the merchandise tends to sell out quickly.

To be honest, I think that there is a chance that a lot of it will be sold out by Halloween week -- and I say that not from experience (I have not yet been to DLR on Halloween or during the week leading up to Halloween, but I hope to change that this year!), but because I have read comments from a couple of people in the past who have gone really close to Halloween, only to discover that most of the really interesting and cute merchandise they saw photos of early in the season was then out of stock. Now, this year -- because everything is so focused on the 60th anniversary -- maybe that will influence how much of the merchandise sells out, or which specific items sell out. People may be leaning more towards Diamond Anniversary merchandise than Halloween things. Or, on the other hand, there could be special 60th-themed Halloween merchandise that flies off the shelves because it's unique.

I think that part of the issue is that Disney begins to get its seasonal merchandise in stock really early. Halloween things slowly begin appearing around now and over the next couple of weeks, and people have a chance to buy them way before Halloween Time even begins. Also, I think that -- if Halloween Time is handled like the Holiday season is handled -- there are two major shipments of merchandise, and maybe some smaller deliveries in between. So one major shipment would be around now (even if not all of the merchandise is on the shelves yet), and the next major shipment would be closer to when Halloween Time starts. (During the holiday season, they get in one major shipment of merchandise before the holidays begin, and then they get in another one closer to Thanksgiving -- so a lot of things have sold out by the last week of the holiday season.)

What time can you enter the park with a Halloween Party ticket? I know last year in FL the party was 7-12 but we were allowed to start entering for the night at 4. I am also wondering how a party night affects crowds during the day since CA has more local attendance. We will be arriving on a Sunday morning and there is a party that night. Will the park be fairly empty during the day because there is a party that night or does that FL trick not apply because of the local visitors? Also-Sorry in advance for all the FL comparisons-we have done that party multiple times and have never visited CA so I am trying to get a feel for what is alike and different!!

No worries about the MNSSHP comparisons -- it is to be expected when many of the new MHP guests have only been to MNSSHP. Of course you'd want to know which things are similar and which are different!

If MHP begins at 6 p.m., you can enter with your MHP ticket (in costume) at 3 p.m. If the party begins at 7 p.m., you can use the MHP ticket to enter at 4 p.m.

I don't think Sunday will ever really have low crowds, because it is a weekend day and more people are available to be in the parks (locals and non-locals). It won't be empty before the party, but it may not be total madness either. During the 3 hours of overlap time, in which MHP guests and non-party guests can be in the park at the same time (either from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., or from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.), it will be very, very busy, so be aware of that.

Have you read this Mickey's Halloween Party FAQ post? - http://www.disboards.com/threads/ha...015-info-is-finally-in.3270919/#post-51326916

Keep in mind that the party dates I currently have listed in the FAQ post are the 2014 dates (I was keeping them there until the first couple of waves of ticket sales passed, so people could get a sense of how quickly last year's parties sold out before getting their tickets) and I have to update the 2014 references to 2015, but in that post there are links to 2 comparisons of MHP and MNSSHP. There is also a link to a lot of reviews (from party regulars and from party first-timers) in 2014 and 2013, so you can get a sense of what people said about their experiences. And there are a lot of questions about the party that will help you to know what to expect.

 

[westcoastminnie]

To do list:
Buy tickets for MHP - check!
ADR for anniversary dinner - check!
Halloween costumes - still working on it!

DH was asking if everyone dresses up for the party. I've only been once but it seemed to me that a lot of people don't do full costumes, maybe just Halloween T-shirts or ears/hats. I personally love seeing the elaborate costumes but am not very creative. The one time we went (DH wasn't with us) there were four of us and we went as cousins of Billy Hill - three Milly's and a Billy lol. We even got a picture with Billy Hill and the Hillbillies It was fun but wearing denim overalls was hot!

One other thing... This was my first time making an ADR. Many people have said to let them know if you are celebrating something special (in this case it's our 20th anniversary ) but I didn't see anywhere to add a note. Should I just call Steakhouse 55 when we get there?

Thanks and have a great weekend everyone

 

[Sherry E]

To do list:
Buy tickets for MHP - check!
ADR for anniversary dinner - check!
Halloween costumes - still working on it!

DH was asking if everyone dresses up for the party. I've only been once but it seemed to me that a lot of people don't do full costumes, maybe just Halloween T-shirts or ears/hats. I personally love seeing the elaborate costumes but am not very creative. The one time we went (DH wasn't with us) there were four of us and we went as cousins of Billy Hill - three Milly's and a Billy lol. We even got a picture with Billy Hill and the Hillbillies It was fun but wearing denim overalls was hot!

One other thing... This was my first time making an ADR. Many people have said to let them know if you are celebrating something special (in this case it's our 20th anniversary ) but I didn't see anywhere to add a note. Should I just call Steakhouse 55 when we get there?

Thanks and have a great weekend everyone

A lot of people don't wear costumes to the party. Also, a lot of people just put on a crazy hat, or a Halloween-ish t-shirt (as you mentioned) and make that their costume. When I went to MHP and to the old party back in DCA, I did not wear a costume.

You might want to actually call Disneyland Dining and make the reservation that way, so you can tell them that you're celebrating and they can make a note on your reservation. Otherwise, you can tell them when you arrive at the restaurant. I don't think it's necessary to call Steakhouse 55 when you get there.

 

[mummabear]

Hi!
A couple of questions I could see any answers on the first page.
1) If I dont have my MHP ticket (because I have had this error where it hasnt been sent) will that cause a problem with parking (since the parking is included)?
2) Is rider swap available during the party?

 

[Sith]

I have a question for anyone that ordered MHP tickets over the phone on the 22nd using Disney Visa. Did any of you receive your tickets in the mail yet?

 

[Jimmiesatx]

I got my tickets for October 14th!!!!!!! I called DLR and got them over the phone, and should be on their way soon enough

 

[stephanie22]

I have a question for anyone that ordered MHP tickets over the phone on the 22nd using Disney Visa. Did any of you receive your tickets in the mail yet?

I just got my tickets for the party in the mail today.