Anaheim on business trip by myself - Mickey's Halloween Party or not?

[eric4]

I'm going to be in Anaheim on a business trip for a convention. It kills me to think about being there without my family (wife and 4 school age kids). We are frequent visitors and have been there on four separate trips in the past year. I've never been there alone before.

I'll be there a couple of nights, one of them is a Mickey's Halloween Party. I won't be able to make it to the park until 5 pm either night. I'm trying to decide if I should go to Mickey's Halloween Party or go on a normal night. Since our annual passes have expired, I'll have to buy a ticket to enter, or I could buy a ticket to the party.

We've never been to Mickey's Halloween Party before, it sounds like a lot of fun -- *if* I was there with the family. I'm not sure it sounds fun by myself. I probably won't stand in lines to meet the characters, although if the trick or treat lines aren't too bad I might do that a few times. I'd be more interested in going on rides. I don't think I'll have a costume, will I really stick out? I might also like to wander around and people watch and take photos of the cool Halloween ambiance.

Are the ride lines longer or shorter during MHP than they would be on a normal night the same week?

It looks like the parks close at 8 on normal nights the week I'll be there, so if I do MHP I could stay a few more hours. More is better, right?

I'm thinking California Adventure may have better "single rider" attractions (Screamin', ToT, the new racers, etc.) than Disneyland, maybe I'll get more bang for the buck there.

Has anyone been at Mickey's Halloween Party alone? What was your experience like?

Eric

 

[Sherry E]

Whatever you decide (based on the suggestions you get), decide fast! The last time I checked (and this may have changed overnight), there were only 2 party nights not yet sold out, and I suspect they will sell out very soon at the rate the tickets are going.

 

[ImDMous]

I haven't been by myself, but I would think it would be great for people-watching. We don't have any kids, but we love the party.

Most of the ride lines will be much shorter. We went last Friday and during the day the line for Matterhorn was around 45 minutes. During the party we waited about 10. After the fireworks (which are awesome), the lines got a little longer. I think people were getting done with candy and pictures and had seen the parade and fireworks and were ready to get on some rides. We tried to head from the hub to Space Mountain and the line increased about 20 minutes right after the fireworks ended.

I would think, but I have no proof, that DCA would be more crowded because anyone without party tickets goes over there when they get kicked out of DL.

 

[Watchtower]

only the 29th and 31st are still available....and in limited quantities.

 

[eric4]

I'm staying at the Disneyland Hotel and apparently they have a limited number of Mickey's Halloween Party tickets that they sell on the morning of the event. I called the Hotel to confirm this. I'm hopeful that if I choose to, I can purchase them at the hotel.

 

[bumbershoot]

I love solo trips. But I would not go to the party alone. I felt silly enough asking for "treats" with my son, let alone on my own. I'm not into characters. And while some of the effects were cool (the area behind Big Thunder was really spooky!) it just wasn't "enough", even with my family there. Alone, nope, I wouldn't do it.

 

[DisneyMomma81]

I love solo trips. But I would not go to the party alone. I felt silly enough asking for "treats" with my son, let alone on my own. I'm not into characters. And while some of the effects were cool (the area behind Big Thunder was really spooky!) it just wasn't "enough", even with my family there. Alone, nope, I wouldn't do it.

He wouldn't have to TorT, he could enjoy the rides, mini parade, fireworks and atmosphere of the evening!

 

[Rebekkap]

He wouldn't have to TorT, he could enjoy the rides, mini parade, fireworks and atmosphere of the evening!

Exactly - I'd go in a second - Disney is more fun with loved ones, but it's still awesome fun on your own. I went for a week by myself in July and had a blast.

 

[bumbershoot]

He wouldn't have to TorT, he could enjoy the rides, mini parade, fireworks and atmosphere of the evening!

Of course he could. Here, I'll add to my list. I won't watch fireworks alone, and it still irks me that the party is happening at all, because the first time I saw the Halloween fireworks they were FREE. The atmosphere was part of what I was talking about; being cool especially back behind BTMRR, but not *enough* for the cost of the ticket. I didn't see the mini parade, not being a parade person (apart from Christmas Fantasy, which is just weird since I don't celebrate that holiday and am not a parade person!). The dance party we walked by seemed like an odd thing (seemed odd at MNSSHP last year, too). And I felt that riding rides was a "waste" of our time/money, but by the time we realized we didn't want to wait for characters or treats, our feet were toast and we physically couldn't walk to the rides. It was the one day we wore awful shoes (for costume purposes) and boy oh boy did we pay for it! I still have the blister!

We're all just giving our opinions here, based on our experiences, and my experience is that a solo trip is better on a more normal day.



We were there during a HUGE convention all week, and heard at least one phone conversation that went like this: "should I get them anything? if they know I'm HERE because I buy them things, would they be upset, or would they be more upset to find out later I was here and did not buy them anything?" We really empathized with the guy.... Best of luck to you!