Be honest with me - how bad will Halloween be?

[ldymcbth]

Haven't pulled the trigger yet, but am 90% ready to book a DLR trip for 10/30-11/2 to celebrate my 40th birthday. We would do the Halloween party on 10/31.

Is that the worst idea ever? Is it a freaking madhouse? You can be honest with me.

 

[Eeee-va]

In 2012, I went to Disneyland on Halloween (for the party) and then the 2 days after (thanks, DIS Unplugged!). Now, I think Halloween was on a Wednesday that year, and it definitely was not a Friday. With that in mind, I found the party to be fine--not empty by any means, but very manageable. (If you waltz into the party expecting no crowds, the ability to see the fireworks from the castle if you try to get into the area just 15 minutes in advance, etc., you'll probably be disappointed. Plan for horrible crowds and then when it's just regular crowded, you will be pleasantly surprised. )

Again, I expect the party to be more hectic on Halloween this year because it is a Friday, but pretty much all the parties sell out so IN THEORY it shouldn't be THAT much worse. (The one weird thing was that the parade is all about getting ready for Halloween, so listening to that at like 10:45 PM Halloween night was a little weird. )

Thursday and Friday after Halloween were very good; traditionally, the window between Halloween and the official start of Christmas a couple weeks later isn't very crowded. Granted, Saturday and Sunday will probably be busier, but I don't THINK they would be worse than weekends any other time of year.

Now, when we went, they were filming the Christmas parade that coming Saturday--we were not in the parks that day, but I have heard the day they film the parade can be terrible for visiting Disneyland. I haven't heard a thing about when they are doing it this year, but if I had to guess, I'd think they'd do the filming the FOLLOWING Saturday this year, because they have to set up a stage in front of the castle and put up Christmas decorations on Main Street AND take down Halloween decorations on Main Street too, and I feel like doing that over the span of just one night might be too tricky. But I don't know.

(When we went, they had set up the stage by Thursday--so much for castle photos!--and there were no fireworks on Friday because of the stage directly in front of the castle. Neither was a dealbreaker for me, and again, I'm not sure either will happen during your dates anyway.)

Happy early birthday!

 

[Swtonscrappn]

From my very limited experience, I think that DL is not a madhouse during the party...just portions are. Because of certain activities, there are areas that are difficult to get through at times. However, I believe they sell approx the same amount of tickets for each event and each event gets sold out, so its not like a 'regular' busy day at DL. We were there for the Leap year 24 hour event---that was INSANE! I did what I wanted to do at the party, I don't think we waited any longer in lines than usual (lets say an average of 20-30 min). I wasn't overwhelmed and/or frustrated. All the treat trails we went through were crazy fast. It was a lot of fun seeing everyone's costumes when we were waiting in line.

--So, that was our experience last year. We did go to a Tues night party...this year we are going to a Monday night one.

 

[cdatkins]

Haven't pulled the trigger yet, but am 90% ready to book a DLR trip for 10/30-11/2 to celebrate my 40th birthday. We would do the Halloween party on 10/31.

Is that the worst idea ever? Is it a freaking madhouse? You can be honest with me.

Great idea! We will be at DL for my 40th, from No 1-5!

 

[ldymcbth]

I am actually not that bothered by a crowd, but members of my party are not a fan. However, since we will be staying right at the main gate, if it's too much maybe they can just go back to the hotel. Thanks for the info, guys!

 

[GeneralTso]

I think you will have a fantastic birthday! Go in with the right attitude and it will carry you far.

That being said, you asked for truth.....those Halloween parties are insanity. The crowds are ridiculous. The waits for characters are not worth it. Just my opinion. I am glad we did it. Once. I really wanted to see what it was all about. We've done 1 Halloween party and 1 Christmas party. Now that I've experienced both I don't need to go again.

Do it and experience it. Expect crowds and be flexible. Have a wonderful birthday.

 

[tarheelalum]

I think the crowds will be terrible but since its your 40th birthday I think you should go anyway. With the proper mindset you will have a great time. Just know its a Friday night and Halloween so the place will be packed. Go and have a great time. Bring a camera because you will see some fantastic costumes.