2021 Halloween Time Superthread *September 3-October 31* *Oogie Boogie Bash Returns on Select Nights*

[theluckyrabbit]

Here right now and crowds are reasonable. Waiting for Villains Grove to open.

Have a great time! Looking forward to your review.

 

[got2travel]

Did the 9/14 party. Got a ton of candy. Hit every treat trail except Sid’s in Pixar Pier. I really wanted to get in Villains Grove before the 10pm parade so I just took a few pics of Sid and headed towards Villains. After seeing the line I really wish I would not have given up Sid. The line for Villains at 9pm went from Redwood Creek, doubled back on itself in front of the Grand, crossed over to the other side of the walkway and double backed on itself in front of the restrooms at Soarin. No way I was going to wait in that line!

Overall I did have a decent time but Disney and I have different definitions of limited capacity events. For the most part there was wall to wall people everywhere. We did get to ride Guardians, Luigi’s, Incredicoaster (2x), Toy Story, Philharmagic, and Web Slingers. Could have ridden more if I had a better plan. I was just so tired after 3 days in the parks that I was moving and thinking in slow motion. I did get to 3 of my 4 priorities so it worked out. Dressed as Cheshire I wanted to see Madd Hatter and see the parade to try to get pics of me with them and see Cruella. My last priority was Villains but not after seeing that line.

Also we didn’t get in DCA until about 5:30. If we had gone earlier, we definitely could have gotten in more attractions.

 

[DontSpamMe]

9/16 party. It was packed. Wait times during the 3pm to 6pn were not good. For me, this is a pass next time. The spike of the DCA regular guests vs the party guests sent wait times soaring. Next time. 430pm arrival time for us. We still rode Racers and Guardians prior to party start, but the lines when we finished the rides were significantly smaller than when we entered .

Yes, villains Grove has a HUGE line. They posted 40 minutes on the app, it snaked back up and across the path, but it took less than 20 minutes and is definitely worth it. We got in line about 830 pm.

Yes. It's packed. You will not be able to do everything. There's no real game plan no matter how hard you try. We ended up hitting about 10 treat trails. Cruella was the best. We still filled a pillow case with candy. Bring an extra bag because the one they give you fills up after 2 trails.

The parade. The parade starts by paradise gardens for both start times. I thought I saw it reported that it switched starting points. It does not. Set up shop near paradise gardens so you can move to your next item on the clipboard sooner.

Overall, we had a blast and are already plotting a strategy for next year. One pearl for everyone, there is no exclusivity with Disney, they are packing these events. So get that notion out of your head. Amazingly, I preferred the DCA event over disneyland. The character arrangement is so much better at DCA.

Just my 2 cents. Hope it helps.

Happy Halloween everybody!!

 

[Gypsybear]

So we're thinking of cancelling our trip to WDW, and heading to DL instead. Has anyone been able to purchase party tix for day of? We LOVE LOVE LOVE Halloween, and always do the parties at whichever park we end up at...we alternate coasts...

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Rich M]

Did the 9/14 party. Got a ton of candy. Hit every treat trail except Sid’s in Pixar Pier. I really wanted to get in Villains Grove before the 10pm parade so I just took a few pics of Sid and headed towards Villains. After seeing the line I really wish I would not have given up Sid. The line for Villains at 9pm went from Redwood Creek, doubled back on itself in front of the Grand, crossed over to the other side of the walkway and double backed on itself in front of the restrooms at Soarin. No way I was going to wait in that line!

Overall I did have a decent time but Disney and I have different definitions of limited capacity events. For the most part there was wall to wall people everywhere. We did get to ride Guardians, Luigi’s, Incredicoaster (2x), Toy Story, Philharmagic, and Web Slingers. Could have ridden more if I had a better plan. I was just so tired after 3 days in the parks that I was moving and thinking in slow motion. I did get to 3 of my 4 priorities so it worked out. Dressed as Cheshire I wanted to see Madd Hatter and see the parade to try to get pics of me with them and see Cruella. My last priority was Villains but not after seeing that line.

Also we didn’t get in DCA until about 5:30. If we had gone earlier, we definitely could have gotten in more attractions.

I was in line at 9 with all those people and the line moved really quickly. We were in the grove by 9:30.

 

[djmeredith]

So we're thinking of cancelling our trip to WDW, and heading to DL instead. Has anyone been able to purchase party tix for day of? We LOVE LOVE LOVE Halloween, and always do the parties at whichever park we end up at...we alternate coasts...

Any help would be appreciated.

Yes, I would also greatly appreciate info about same day tix. Maybe someone staying at the DLR hotels could ask if they have same day tix available for guests. As that was the reported norm pre-pandemic. Thanks in advance!

 

[got2travel]

I was in line at 9 with all those people and the line moved really quickly. We were in the grove by 9:30.

Oh man, oh well, maybe next time. Just the look of the line was intimidating. Didn’t realize it would move so well.

 

[Rich M]

Oh man, oh well, maybe next time. Just the look of the line was intimidating. Didn’t realize it would move so well.

Yes it was very. I asked the guy at the end of the line if he could help me Soar to the front since he was a Sorin worker. He said just go onto Soarin. There is nobody there lol

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

My daughter and I went to the 9/16 event (last night). I had no real goal except to experience the event. She left from her job in Irvine, and I left from my home. Coincidentally, we arrived at the Toy Story parking lot at the same time, so we were already in a good mood. We got to the park around 5:30, and walked right in. I liked that they separated the regular guest queues from the party queues. We walked in, got a wristband right away, our guide, and our bags. I had forgotten to bring a big bag or backpack (I'm wearing fanny packs these days). We had a 5:55 - 6:25 window for dinner at Smokejumpers. I had actually scheduled our mobile order earlier in the day so I didn't have to stress about eating dinner. We hung around Buena Vista street for the uneventful Oogie Boogie event start announcement, then went to Smokejumpers for dinner.

After dinner, we hit the treat trail by Soaring, and Maleficent was there. I LOVED that the villains were interacting with the crowds. We wandered through and got in line to take photopass pics with villains. I don't normally do this, but we did this time. They had a change of guard so we waited quite a while. In retrospect, I wouldn't do that again and wait until the characters arrived. The line moved quickly enough when the villains were there. I thought that the treat trail for the Evil Queen was very clever as they had sliced apples and then apple sauce. We got in the queue for the Villains Grove, and had to wait for the park to get dark enough to open. I was afraid that the queue would grow too long, but in reality, I think we waited more time for it to open than if we had just waited until later. When we walked out of the queue I thought we missed the earlier parade, but actually was able to find a spot five minutes before the parade started. I don't know if they had the headless horseman. I've always enjoyed that, but don't know if they had him this year.

This was my first time doing California Adventure since it returned from Disneyland, and I think I prefer it at California Adventure. I enjoyed the treat trails (we ended up with so much candy and didn't even go on all the trails) with the various villains. I loved the character interaction throughout the party. Time goes by quickly, and as said earlier, you don't have enough time to do everything, so set your priorities early. We only went on one attraction - Guardians of the Galaxy Mission Breakout After Dark - since we had never been on that one before. Also, we loved all the very clever costumes that people wore. It was a fun event for us.

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

More pics















My daughter, Kelly, got a lot more pictures than I did. She also got some costume shots that I didn't get

 

[Skyegirl1999]

We were there last night (9/16), too! I went to OBB with friends in 2019, and I'll go again with them in a couple of weeks, but this was my first time taking my daughter (8) and husband to a Halloween party. We had a great time! Some info on our experience for those who are interested/planning their visits:

Pre-party - We parked at Mickey and Friends and arrived at DCA gate around 5. Walked right in, got our wristbands, and walked around admiring costumes for a bit. Picked up our Smokejumpers mobile order and ate that. Headed over to the Cruella treat trail (my daughter's top priority) around 5:40 to get in line and was told by the CM that no line would start until 6. Picked up drinks from Hollywood Lounge mobile order and wandered through some shops. Realized at 5:50 that there was indeed a serious line starting up and hopped in.

What we did during the actual party -

• Cruella Treat Trail - had the most and best treats, IMO. For photos, however, this was a bust because the stage had partial sunlight at this point. Kind of a bummer on that front, but still cool.
• Mad Hatter Treat Trail - not busy at all
• Monsters After Dark - walked right in
• Met Captain Marvel in AC
• Took pictures with Carsland cars in costumes
• Met Pirate Goofy (got in line for Chip and Dale and had to wait 10 minutes when they rotated)
• Watched Carsland light up
• Grabbed a parade spot around 7:15 because the parade was a TOP priority for us. Daughter went on Jumpin' Jellyfish.
• My daughter and I took Magic Key photo spot pictures and then changed her into her parade costume.
• PARADE (back by beer cart at parade step-off) **Yes, the Headless Horseman comes first.
• Sid Treat Trail (talk to him; he's funny.)
• Jessie's Critter Carousel
• Dr. Facillier Treat Trail
• Saw Hades, Meg, and Pain & Panic by Carthay fountain
• Oogie Boogie Treat Trail (it was 9:00 when we exited, just for timing reference)
• Bought Magic Key popcorn bucket
• My daughter and husband saw Philharmagic while I got drinks at Pym's. I also got in the long Cruella Treat Trail line again intending to have them join me, but it moved so fast that I actually did the trail, got BACK in line, and was entering it a second time when they joined me.
• Walked through some stores looking at merch
• Rode Tow Mater
• PARADE AGAIN (from in front of Carsland sign)
• Tried for Webslingers but the line was LONG, so we actually got in it but then decided to pass.
• Agatha Treat Trail - was empty, and we had no more room for candy so only my daughter collected it. They were dumping in handfuls at this point.
• It was 10:45 and we thought about heading back to Incredicoaster, but my husband said he was getting tired and would rather start the trek back to the car, so we headed out. Passed empty Dr. Facillier treat trail and long line for Headless Horseman Photopass photos on the way out.

Overall: It is crowded (it was in 2019, too), but Treat Trail lines move FAST. Do not be deterred by Treat Trail lines. At the same time, those lines are empty by the end of the night, so unless you want good camera lighting, just do them late. Ride lines were hit or miss - some were walk-ons and some were oddly long, like longer than they've been on our last few visits. We didn't ever go through the Grizzly Peak side of the park because I'll do Villains Grove and those trails with my friends in a couple of weeks.

Feel free to ask questions if we did something you're curious about.

 

[disney-inspired]

We were there last night (9/16), too! I went to OBB with friends in 2019, and I'll go again with them in a couple of weeks, but this was my first time taking my daughter (8) and husband to a Halloween party. We had a great time! Some info on our experience for those who are interested/planning their visits:

Pre-party - We parked at Mickey and Friends and arrived at DCA gate around 5. Walked right in, got our wristbands, and walked around admiring costumes for a bit. Picked up our Smokejumpers mobile order and ate that. Headed over to the Cruella treat trail (my daughter's top priority) around 5:40 to get in line and was told by the CM that no line would start until 6. Picked up drinks from Hollywood Lounge mobile order and wandered through some shops. Realized at 5:50 that there was indeed a serious line starting up and hopped in.

What we did during the actual party -

• Cruella Treat Trail - had the most and best treats, IMO. For photos, however, this was a bust because the stage had partial sunlight at this point. Kind of a bummer on that front, but still cool.
• Mad Hatter Treat Trail - not busy at all
• Monsters After Dark - walked right in
• Met Captain Marvel in AC
• Took pictures with Carsland cars in costumes
• Met Pirate Goofy (got in line for Chip and Dale and had to wait 10 minutes when they rotated)
• Watched Carsland light up
• Grabbed a parade spot around 7:15 because the parade was a TOP priority for us. Daughter went on Jumpin' Jellyfish.
• My daughter and I took Magic Key photo spot pictures and then changed her into her parade costume.
• PARADE (back by beer cart at parade step-off) **Yes, the Headless Horseman comes first.
• Sid Treat Trail (talk to him; he's funny.)
• Jessie's Critter Carousel
• Dr. Facillier Treat Trail
• Saw Hades, Meg, and Pain & Panic by Carthay fountain
• Oogie Boogie Treat Trail (it was 9:00 when we exited, just for timing reference)
• Bought Magic Key popcorn bucket
• My daughter and husband saw Philharmagic while I got drinks at Pym's. I also got in the long Cruella Treat Trail line again intending to have them join me, but it moved so fast that I actually did the trail, got BACK in line, and was entering it a second time when they joined me.
• Walked through some stores looking at merch
• Rode Tow Mater
• PARADE AGAIN (from in front of Carsland sign)
• Tried for Webslingers but the line was LONG, so we actually got in it but then decided to pass.
• Agatha Treat Trail - was empty, and we had no more room for candy so only my daughter collected it. They were dumping in handfuls at this point.
• It was 10:45 and we thought about heading back to Incredicoaster, but my husband said he was getting tired and would rather start the trek back to the car, so we headed out. Passed empty Dr. Facillier treat trail and long line for Headless Horseman Photopass photos on the way out.

Overall: It is crowded (it was in 2019, too), but Treat Trail lines move FAST. Do not be deterred by Treat Trail lines. At the same time, those lines are empty by the end of the night, so unless you want good camera lighting, just do them late. Ride lines were hit or miss - some were walk-ons and some were oddly long, like longer than they've been on our last few visits. We didn't ever go through the Grizzly Peak side of the park because I'll do Villains Grove and those trails with my friends in a couple of weeks.

Feel free to ask questions if we did something you're curious about.

I was a little worried reading other people's posts but this relieving my worries. We plan to get in at 3pm so we can try to get some rides in at Pixar Pier but we plan to avoid the first parade and hit up the treat trails or web slingers.

 

[Rich M]

I was a little worried reading other people's posts but this relieving my worries. We plan to get in at 3pm so we can try to get some rides in at Pixar Pier but we plan to avoid the first parade and hit up the treat trails or web slingers.

Go to Webslinger during the 1st parade. We only had a 20 min wait.

 

[Buson808]

No need for park reservation for OBB entry right?

 

[dhorner233]

No need for park reservation for OBB entry right?

That's right

At 3:00 you can get in with only your OBB ticket. You do not have to have a park pass or park reservation for that day.

 

[dhorner233]

More pics

View attachment 605479

View attachment 605480

View attachment 605474

View attachment 605475

View attachment 605476

View attachment 605477

View attachment 605478

My daughter, Kelly, got a lot more pictures than I did. She also got some costume shots that I didn't get

Thank you for the pictures!!!!! Especially the map!

Do you have an entertainment schedule? What time are the parades? And thank you to the person who clarified that both parades starts from the Paradise Garden end. That's critical to know for my planning!

 

[V.I.N.CENT.]

Anyone enter through the GCH entrance lately? We originally had dining plans in the park around 4pm, after the initial reports I switched to Storytellers at 5pm, figuring the GCH entrance would be quicker. Seems like that doesn't matter at this point!

 

[avalon451]

Go to Webslinger during the 1st parade. We only had a 20 min wait.

Note about Webslingers during OBB mix-in: we had OBB tickets, but also a boarding pass from the noon drop that became available around the time we finished our dinner at Lamplight, about 5:30. We walked over to Webslingers, and the OBB peeps were heading into a (rather long) standby line, but with our BP, they put us into the FastPass line, and we got on immediately. So that was kind of sweet. I hadn't heard of that before. I know that normally with a BP, you still can have quite a long wait in the Webslingers queue.

 

[AmishGuy91]

Note about Webslingers during OBB mix-in: we had OBB tickets, but also a boarding pass from the noon drop that became available around the time we finished our dinner at Lamplight, about 5:30. We walked over to Webslingers, and the OBB peeps were heading into a (rather long) standby line, but with our BP, they put us into the FastPass line, and we got on immediately. So that was kind of sweet. I hadn't heard of that before. I know that normally with a BP, you still can have quite a long wait in the Webslingers queue.

Did you have a magic key-park reservation or were you able to get a boarding pass with just an OBB ticket?

 

[avalon451]

Did you have a magic key-park reservation or were you able to get a boarding pass with just an OBB ticket?

Regular park reservation; although I do have a magic key, my DH and DD don’t. We started the day in DLR and hopped to CA after our afternoon hotel break.