Wow I can't imagain living so close and not checking out the holidays. But then again, it maybe to crowded for people. We are use to crowds because we have been going to DLR over the New Years Holiday for about 27 years. We have missed a couple but we love to go and its such a crazy time to be in the parks. But if you work the crowds, its not that bad. Meaning in the parks early, afternoons at the hotel and we use to do DCA at night. But with WOC, DL maybe the slower park at night.
Have your been during New Years? All the christmas decor is still up. Its so magical and its one huge party. Which is funny since Im not a party person.
From what I remember for 1995 Halloween even inside DL. They did use all lands. I think all rides were open. HM wasn't decorated back then. They hadn't started that yet. But it was spooky enough. I think they had fog machines in the New Orlands, Critter Country area and along the water. I remember there were stations at the two dining locations at the end of main street. I forget what they were doing, but you were making candy and other goodies. It was fun. The didn't decorate the park like they do now. But I remember some decorations up. What I remember is I thought it was better then DCA halloween party. So Im excited to see if that is true or just a memory.
I agree that DCA needed something so the party over there was fun. I do think DL will be a better fit, because like you said atmosphere. I think it would be nice if they flipped it each year so you could enjoy both parks for the halloween party. One year DCA, the next year DL and so on.
Janell - I don't understand how my friends who live in Anaheim - and are close enough to hear the fireworks every night - don't have APs! True, they aren't the huge DLR fans that some of us are, but still...it's right at their front door, basically!! A lot of them still just kind of look at DLR as a fun place to go to ride some rides, but they don't get into the history of it, the details all around the parks - they don't find any appeal in walking all over the Resort and taking photos of flowers or weather vanes!!
To them, it's a fun place to go to get on Space Mountain or POTC.
I remember telling one friend I hadn't seen in many years that I was a moderator on a
Disneyland planning message board, sharing information and helping people plan, etc. Not 20 minutes later, she asked me, "So which place do you like better? Knotts Berry Farm or Disneyland?"
Knotts?
Where did Knotts even enter into the equation? I'm not a moderator on a Knotts planning board!! Knotts has some good things about it, but it's not even on the same level as DLR. I said to her, "Well...I'm a moderator on a
Disneyland planning message board, so that should tell you something!!" But even then, after I told her that, she probably still just thinks that I enjoy it because of the rides and that's it. Yes, rides are a huge part of the Disneyland appeal, that's true - but as we all know, there is soooooooo much more to DLR than rides. You could literally spend a few days at DLR and do nothing but take pictures of all the interesting details - if you were so inclined - and never even get on a ride.
Yes, I've done one New Year's Eve trip to DLR. That was the last one!! The crowds were tough to take, and we actually did leave during the day and come back, but theer was a point in time where they had stopped letting people in because DL had reached capacity.
Well, I should clarify - it was crowded everywhere, but the worst of the crowds seemed to be congregated on Main Street from about 8 p.m. on until midnight, and that was downright scary for us. No one would move or budge even an inch so we could get through to escape. Everyone was elbow to elbow. My friend got so freaked out by the mobs on Main Street that she went back to the hotel for the night and didn't even ring in the New Year with us. My other friend and I managed to finally get over to Tomorrowland, which is where we stayed. I don't know what DCA is like on NYE, or what any other parts of DL are like on NYE, but I know that I never, ever want to be on Main Street again on NYE!! No way!! I wanted so much to have a blast, but it was scary and claustrophobic.
But DLR during the holiday season in general (pre-Christmas and pre-NYE)? Lovely. Delightful. Magical. Pure bliss!
I think the idea of switching the Halloween Party from park to park each year is a good idea - just to mix thigns up a bit!
I bet that eventually we will see a Christmas Party, too.
There should be more joining this thread once the Halloween Time info is released! I always find a thread chatting about Halloween at Disneyland about this time of the summer, since we go every Oct. I am in the mood for DL during the fall! In fact, it is a tradition in my household to make caramel popcorn balls in July, cuz I just want it to be Halloween. My kids always let me know that it is July 1st and to start the popcorn popping.
I should make it a point to take more pictures this year so I can post pics of MHP at DL for next year's thread! I never thought how DCA will be effected by MHP at DL. I hope it stays festive. I am also wondering how the renovations will change the park once they are done. Maybe, there won't be much done this year, because there may be plans for DCA after the construction is completed. I also wonder if MHP was moved to DL because of the construction at DCA, Just a thought based on nothing.
As for the Mickey ghosts, I think they are easy to put up and take down. They may be putting them in place in broad daylight as you mentioned. I remember how it didn't matter at WDW when we went to
MNSSHP. By the time it got dark, it was like everything magically appeared, although many things were in place before the party. This is what I do during Christmas time: I go to the park during the day. I have reservations at a restaurant outside the park in one of the DL hotels or DTD at around 4:30- 5. When I finish dinner, it is dark. I go back to DL and it is like a different park. Since I didn't experience any transitional daylight to night, I would get the WOW factor, even though I had been in the park during the day. Everything is new again and so beautiful at night.
Funatdisney - For now, this thread is the main Halloween super thread for planning/info/photos, and it will continue to be into 2011. I wanted to have one Halloween super thread and one Christmas super thread up in the Info/Planning sticky at the top of the page, so that people can always look there, year-round, if they are beginning to plan holiday trips. Until we reach our page limit (250 pages), if you have any Halloween photos you want to share just keep posting them here until you see that the Halloween Super Thread, Part 2 has sprung up!! We will all be super anxious to see them - we all love seeing photos here!
I know exactly what you mean about re-entering DL at night, and it's like a whole different park. And never is that more true than during the holidays. A good example is the Castle. In the daytime, the Winter Castle isn't all that impressive (not more so than it usually is for the rest of the year, that is). But at night, when you enter DL, step onto Main Street and look all the way down the street to the Castle glowing incandescently in the distance, it is really something to behold!! Last year I was noticing how beautiful the giant tree on Main Street was at night in comparison to the daytime. Main Street itself takes on a whole different life at night than what it has in the day, simply because of the beautiful lights everywhere. And IASW Holiday - that speaks for itself. In the daytime, IASWH is a cute overlay, and very detailed. At night, however, the colors of the nighttime lights are stunning!!
Total WOW factor, just like you said! And DLR during the daytime in the holiday season is pretty darn magical! But at night, it's just dazzling!! Even my friend, who had spent many a time at DLR with us in the daytime, was a little awestruck when we set foot on Main Street at night, and she took in all the colors and lights. She said, in a trance-like voice, "Ohhhhh....you guys....it's so...beautiful..."
HalloweenTime hasn't yet reached the same WOW factor, but I have hopes that it will eventually. It does have a different personallity at night, that's for sure. That giant Mickey pumpkin looks a lot cooler in the evening than in the daytime - and the Haunted Mansion Holiday looks especially great in the dark as well!!
So excited my brother is getting a large settlement check in August and has invited dd and I to go to Disney. At first he was talking about Florida but now I think we may be doing Disneyland. Then I want to go again in Oct for the Halloween if possible.
I keep forgetting to check in with this thread considering I started it. I love seeing the pics those of you have shared.
Hi,
Zoesmama03! This is how many of the great super threads on the DIS get started - someone comes on with a simple question and it takes off!! And usually, that OP never comes back or only comes back once or twice (hence, "Jeff Goldblum" and the Dining Thread)!!
At least you came back! Other people have started threads with Halloween questions in the past, but this one was the lucky, charmed one that caught on and got popular - and now it's even mentioned in our Planning Sticky at the top of the page (your name is mentioned as being the one who started it)!!
It's been a labor of love, getting this Halloween super thread thread going and seeing it through some slower times when we didn't have as many people posting or viewing. But we have had some faithful regulars since the beginning, and we have picked up lots of new people along the way, and it's found its groove!! It is very slowly catching up to the Disney at Christmas super thread as far as number of views!! It's a great place to come to ask questions, get answers, share photos and just discuss the upcoming events for the HalloweenTime season.
I hope you get to go to DLR in October!!!
DH and I were discussing pricing tonight for tickets and we both remembered that sometime in the summer prices go up; does anybody remember when the increase in price usually happens.
Want to save $$ anyway we can.
. However we arrive on Sunday 3rd fairly early as our cruise arrives back at San Pedro early that morning and we are transferring straight to Anaheim from there so we will be going to the parks sometime that day. Is Sunday classed as the 'weekend'? Would F be showing on a Sunday night? What about Fireworks? 
