Halloween at DL

[iKristin]

Yeah makes sense...I just wish they'd let those of us that bought the MHP tickets have the park for ourselves since we're paying almost a full days worth of a ticket price for a few hours of fun.

 

[mvf-m11c]

Who is able to buy tix before the 16th?

I was able to buy my MHP tickets cause of the AP.

If I had paid for the MHP ticket thinking the Halloween Screams fireworks were exclusive to the party, not only would I be annoyed that I paid more for a special perk that isn't so special anymore, but because allowing non-MHP guests to stay for the fireworks means I would have less of a chance to get a good spot for viewing. Supposedly candy and ride lines would be for MHP guests only, meaning those people who aren't leaving when the party begins (I am reading it right that at least no non MHP guests would be allowed to enter after a certain time, just no kicking people out who don't have wristbands) aren't going to be missing any ride time if they just park in in the hub/Main St. to get the spots they want for the fireworks, leaving MHP guests to fend for themselves if they still want to get their activities in.

Did that make any sense at all?

I agree with what you said. From what I have read so far from the Al Lutz report and from other websites, non MHP guests would not be allowed into the park when MHP starts. They will let the guests who are already in the park be able to stay during MHP. But if the non MHP guests stay in the park before the party starts, the guests will just be there in the park to get a spot around the hub and MS for the fireworks. I will not like it if they allow the other guests to stay during MHP and it makes no sense for people to buy MHP if you are not able to see Halloween Screams.

I'm just waiting for the official announcement like Sherry E said from the main website, and we will get our answer of what is happening during the Halloween season.

 

[Sherry E]

Changing the subject here but would like to know if there are any other MousePlanet readers out there and if so on their weekly page they state that they are having an unofficial night on Oct 15 and to please let them know if you will be ther so that they have enough goodies but when I go to that site the last postings were in early/mid June and just want to know if there is some other way of letting them know that yes I will be in attendance.
Does anyone know anything about this?

Also, back in the early 90'd didnt Disney try to do this at DL and if I remember correctly they discontinued it because of "logistics", at least this is what I was told. Does anyone remember this?

Sherry, you seem to be our Chief resident Diser here and wondering about your opinions

MousePlanet I'm not sure about.

Yes, it sounds as if at least a couple of the DIS-ers in this thread went to the Halloween party when it was at DL in the '90s. I didn't remember what the reason was that it was discontinued in DL - honestly, I barely, barely even remembered hearing that there was a party in the '90s, but I have a very vague recollection of being aware of it at that time. So you think it was a "logistics" issue, eh? Very, very interesting.

I had a feeling - whether it makes sense right off the bat or not - that logistically, it might be tough to pull off a Halloween party at DL at this specific point in time, but I think that with WoC being so dominant at DCA this year, there was no way they were going to let the party be held there - when Paradise Pier is closed at night and part of Hollywood Backlot is devoted to 'holding' the people waiting for WoC. So I guess the only option was to either not have the party at all this year or try a new version of it at DL. I just had a strong hunch that in this tough, tough economy - especially in California, where State workers' salaries were just reduced to minimum wage and the unemployment situation is out of control as many folks are being denied unemployment now - people were going to be really ticked if they used hard-earned mmoney to take their kids to DLR, only to leave DL early on MHP nights and be deprived of seeing the Halloween fireworks. People who are paying exhorbitant prices to get into DL in the first place don't want to have to leave early on certain nights or pay extra for another ticket, and local AP holders who can only get to DLR after work wouldn't want to have to buy separate tickets to see fireworks.

So if DLR can find a way to please everyone, and maybe compromise on the fireworks in some way that will allow for other people besides MHP guests to see them but not totally deprive MHP guests of the exclusivity of the MHP, that would be great! I don't know if they will be able to compromise and make everyone happy, but we can hope.

In the same Al Lutz article from today, where he talks about the MHP situation, he talks about how the Electrical Parade is supposedly coming back to DLR this year for Christmas. This means that WoC will have to be scaled back a bit and will then have to share the spotlight with the DEP - many people will want to see the DEP, as it was supposedly going to be gone for a few years.

 

[Sherry E]

. I'm just waiting for the official announcement like Sherry E said from the main website, and we will get our answer of what is happening during the Halloween season.

Yep. Then we will know the final word and can react accordingly. DLR knows it has to release the MHP tickets to the general public in 10 days, and the corporate suits are probably sitting in a room right now, scrambling to reconfigure things to make everybody happy.

Main Street is going to be an absolute crazy zoo on those MHP/fireworks nights! It may be very New Year's Eve-like (which is scary, by the way!)...which means I may decide to definitely not do the MHP!

I still think that if they are going to allow non-MHP guests to see Halloween Screams on MHP nights, they should just run those fireworks on other nights, too - like weekends, as VictoriaAndMatt suggested...and extend them to September, for those HalloweenTime visitors as well.

Right now, the September visitors will not be able to do the MHP, will not be able to see Halloween Screams, will not be able to ride TSMM, will not be able to ride Star Tours and Lord knows what else. The September HalloweenTime visitors are being treated like the red-headed stepchildren at the Disney family picnic!! The October people are getting all the fun! That hardly seems fair!

 

[Belle Ella]

Yep. Then we will know the final word and can react accordingly. DLR knows it has to release the MHP tickets to the general public in 10 days, and the corporate suits are probably sitting in a room right now, scrambling to reconfigure things to make everybody happy.

Main Street is going to be an absolute crazy zoo on those MHP/fireworks nights! It may be very New Year's Eve-like (which is scary, by the way!)...which means I may decide to definitely not do the MHP!

I still think that if they are going to allow non-MHP guests to see Halloween Screams on MHP nights, they should just run those fireworks on other nights, too - like weekends, as VictoriaAndMatt suggested...and extend them to September, for those HalloweenTime visitors as well.

Right now, the September visitors will not be able to do the MHP, will not be able to see Halloween Screams, will not be able to ride TSMM, will not be able to ride Star Tours and Lord knows what else. The September HalloweenTime visitors are being treated like the red-headed stepchildren at the Disney family picnic!! The October people are getting all the fun! That hardly seems fair!

Yup, that's me -- the redheaded stepchild at the Disney family picnic!!

I would really love to see the Halloween Screams fireworks, just to see something new, but I'm not going to get my hopes up over it or be all doom and gloom if/when it doesn't happen. But since that was the original plan anyway I've gotten used to the idea that I wont be seeing them and it works for me since it gives me more freedom in planning my evening entertainment which now that I'm getting closer to making my PS' I need to know these things!

Star Tours, that's one I could care less about. Don't ride it to begin with. Although I like when rides I don't go on are open because it means lots of people are in line for it and not getting in my way!!

 

[Sherry E]

Yup, that's me -- the redheaded stepchild at the Disney family picnic!!

I would really love to see the Halloween Screams fireworks, just to see something new, but I'm not going to get my hopes up over it or be all doom and gloom if/when it doesn't happen. But since that was the original plan anyway I've gotten used to the idea that I wont be seeing them and it works for me since it gives me more freedom in planning my evening entertainment which now that I'm getting closer to making my PS' I need to know these things!

Star Tours, that's one I could care less about. Don't ride it to begin with. Although I like when rides I don't go on are open because it means lots of people are in line for it and not getting in my way!!

Yes, see? Star Tours being open would benefit you one way or the other!

But it is kind of odd, though, that the September Halloween folks are missing out on so much! I mean blatantly, too! It's almost as if DLR is saying to everyone, "Don't bother coming to see HalloweenTime in September. October is the time to go!"

 

[PHXscuba]

Seems to me the main reason "uninvited guests" would be staying around on MHP nights would be to see the fireworks, if they can't ride rides, collect treats, or get in picture opportunities.

So, it would follow that the easiest thing for DLR to do would be to show the Halloween fireworks every night, or at least a couple times a week outside of the party, as PPs suggested. Since the recent versions of MHP haven't included a fireworks show, they wouldn't be "depriving" the guests of something they already had, but would give them a better viewing chance.

I think removing the big "temptation" to stay into party time would mean the other crowds would thin out pretty quickly. If you can't ride or do much else after dinner, and saw the fireworks another night, I think more would leave for the night or drift into DCA or DTD.

I think most of the people purchasing party tickets want the full experience. They might lose a little money on a few people who were only considering the party to see the fireworks, but they are also able to sell a lot more tickets this year now that it is in DL.

I feel for y'all ... if this were last year when I was working on my October trip I know I'd be frustrated too with the lack of info, combined with the little existing info changing all the time.

PHXscuba

 

[Belle Ella]

If it means lighter crowds for me, I'm all game! Any way I look at it though I am going for two things: the decorations and HMH. Anything else is just an added bonus!

 

[GrandBob]

Seems to me the main reason "uninvited guests" would be staying around on MHP nights would be to see the fireworks, if they can't ride rides, collect treats, or get in picture opportunities.

So, it would follow that the easiest thing for DLR to do would be to show the Halloween fireworks every night, or at least a couple times a week outside of the party, as PPs suggested. Since the recent versions of MHP haven't included a fireworks show, they wouldn't be "depriving" the guests of something they already had, but would give them a better viewing chance.

I think removing the big "temptation" to stay into party time would mean the other crowds would thin out pretty quickly. If you can't ride or do much else after dinner, and saw the fireworks another night, I think more would leave for the night or drift into DCA or DTD.

I think most of the people purchasing party tickets want the full experience. They might lose a little money on a few people who were only considering the party to see the fireworks, but they are also able to sell a lot more tickets this year now that it is in DL.

I feel for y'all ... if this were last year when I was working on my October trip I know I'd be frustrated too with the lack of info, combined with the little existing info changing all the time.

PHXscuba

Exactly what I was gonna say.

 

[AmyPond]

I haven't had a chance to read this thread in a week or two. Can anyone give me a recap of anything new?? (Yes, I'm lazy and don't feel like going back to where I left off.)

Thanks a million.

I did skim the last page. Why are we September people "redheaded step-children" (I hate that term.)?

 

[Sherry E]

I haven't had a chance to read this thread in a week or two. Can anyone give me a recap of anything new?? (Yes, I'm lazy and don't feel like going back to where I left off.)

Thanks a million.

I did skim the last page. Why are we September people "redheaded step-children" (I hate that term.)?

Because the September people don't get to do the Halloween Party or see the Halloween Screams fireworks, and they miss out on riding TSMM because it will be shut down for all of September. And Star Tours is gone as well (until next year). Some may not care about those things but I'm sure some folks do. I said that the September folk are being treated like red-headed stepchildren at the Disney family picnic!

The latest recap is from the latest Al Lutz article, which basically said that DLR is likely going to allow the non-MHP people who are already inside of DL to stay on at night (in other words, they won't be kicked out) to watch the Halloween Screams fireworks, shop and eat on Main Street. Supposedly, these non-MHP guests will not be able to ride rides or get candy at the treat stations, nor will they be allowed to pose with characters at the photo spots, but they will be able to see the HS fireworks.

Of course, the official HalloweenTime agenda is going to be released between now and the end of next week, so that will tell us for sure if the fireworks are going to be MHP-exclusives, or if non-MHP folks can view them too.

They must be revising their plans at DLR before the MHP tickets go on sale to the general public on 7/16.

 

[AmyPond]

Cool, thanks. And I just found that Al Lutz thing and read it. Very interesting. I'm so worried that the late September crowds are going to be insane.

 

[Belle Ella]

Cool, thanks. And I just found that Al Lutz thing and read it. Very interesting. I'm so worried that the late September crowds are going to be insane.

Maybe it's just me, but unless there's something in store for September that hasn't been announced yet, I'm not that worried on crowds in late September. With TSMM and Star Tours down and no special fireworks that we know of so far I don't see much of a big draw other than seeing decorations before October actually hits. Maybe I'm just being naive?

 

[VictoriaAndMatt]

Maybe it's just me, but unless there's something in store for September that hasn't been announced yet, I'm not that worried on crowds in late September. With TSMM and Star Tours down and no special fireworks that we know of so far I don't see much of a big draw other than seeing decorations before October actually hits. Maybe I'm just being naive?

I feel the same way. Even though the Halloween season officially kicks off on the 17th it really seems like they are pushing October. I think most people who are going specifically for Halloweentime fun will go in Oct.

 

[dsny1mom]

I've purchased a total of 5 tickets. 2 for the Tues before Halloween and 3 for the Friday before. For $260 I expect exclusivity of evey inch of DL during the official party hours.

There was no mention of this being a mix-in when I laid out my money. If they had told me nonticket holders would be allowed to stay in any part of DL I would not have purchased the tickets.

I emailed Disney, through their website, this morning asking exactly how nonticket holders would be handled and if they did not have a wristband would they be escorted out of DL. I also brought up the scenario that some CMs may not even be checking wristbands as the night progressed. I did not threaten to ask for a refund. I simply relayed what I had read on the other site and asked for an explanation of how things woulkd be handled.

I will wait for a reply. I will post any reply I do receive. If I do not get an answer that I am satisfied with, then when I am at DL in Sept I will go to Guest Relations and listen to what they have to say at that time. If they can not assure me that the Halloween party will be the excluse paid for event they advertised and that I paid for I will ask for a refund then and there.

No offense to anyone happy about the idea that anyone can be at the party as long as they enter DL during regular hours and don't attempt to ride attractions, do the Meet and Greets, or go to the candy stations. I am not going to shell out over $250 for a party that I can attend for free. You see I have no plans to get candy, wear a costume, get photos with characters and don't really care about going on the attractions during the party as I will be at DL that entire week. I want to enjoy DL is a less crowded enviorment and see the fireworks, if they aren't cancelled due to wind or wearther. So I plan on making it very clear to Disney if nonticketed guests will be allowed to stay I want my money back as they are not fullfilling the claim that the party will be exclusive.

dsny1mom

 

[kiwitinkerbell]

Hi,

I've just made a decision and I thought I would share it with you as you have all helped me so much in my planning for my upcoming trip. Previously we were spending 2 nights near Universal before our cruise and then 5 nights at Disney (staying at Sheraton Anaheim). But because our 5 night Disney stay doesn't include a weekend (Oct 3-8 - flying back to New Zealand on the 8th)we have decided to cancel our 2 nights before our cruise near Universal and stay at the Sheraton Anaheim. We were going to buy a 14 day park hopper pass anyway as we wanted to be able to have access to DLR for the 6 days (Oct 3-8) as our flight doesn't leave LAX until near midnight on the 8th. The 14 day park hopper will over the extra two days before the cruise so it won't cost us anymore to visit DLR over those two days and as it is a weekend we will get to see fireworks, F! Yah for me!

 

[Sherry E]

Maybe it's just me, but unless there's something in store for September that hasn't been announced yet, I'm not that worried on crowds in late September. With TSMM and Star Tours down and no special fireworks that we know of so far I don't see much of a big draw other than seeing decorations before October actually hits. Maybe I'm just being naive?

I feel the same way. Even though the Halloween season officially kicks off on the 17th it really seems like they are pushing October. I think most people who are going specifically for Halloweentime fun will go in Oct.

I agree with both of you. Unless the fireworks suddenly get extended into any part of September, or unless something is added onto the HalloweenTime roster of activities that is brand new this year, I don't see much of a reason for late September to be really all that crowded. I think opening weekend of HalloweenTime may be a bit more crowded because of the newness and novelty of it. A lot of locals will come out to see the decorations, HMH & SMGG on that first weekend. But after that, I think it will die down quite a bit. I still think October will be more crowded in general since that's the month that's getting the MHP, the fireworks and the return of TSMM, not to mention there are various school breaks and Columbus Day and other things that would make October a bit more crowded.

 

[AmyPond]

That Al Lutz article made me worry about AP holders coming out to see WOC because so many of them will be blocked out most of the summer. Made it sound like crowds could be high in September/October because of that.

Any idea if WOC will be shown all week in September or just weekends?

 

[Sherry E]

I've purchased a total of 5 tickets. 2 for the Tues before Halloween and 3 for the Friday before. For $260 I expect exclusivity of evey inch of DL during the official party hours.

There was no mention of this being a mix-in when I laid out my money. If they had told me nonticket holders would be allowed to stay in any part of DL I would not have purchased the tickets.

I emailed Disney, through their website, this morning asking exactly how nonticket holders would be handled and if they did not have a wristband would they be escorted out of DL. I also brought up the scenario that some CMs may not even be checking wristbands as the night progressed. I did not threaten to ask for a refund. I simply relayed what I had read on the other site and asked for an explanation of how things woulkd be handled.

I will wait for a reply. I will post any reply I do receive. If I do not get an answer that I am satisfied with, then when I am at DL in Sept I will go to Guest Relations and listen to what they have to say at that time. If they can not assure me that the Halloween party will be the excluse paid for event they advertised and that I paid for I will ask for a refund then and there.

No offense to anyone happy about the idea that anyone can be at the party as long as they enter DL during regular hours and don't attempt to ride attractions, do the Meet and Greets, or go to the candy stations. I am not going to shell out over $250 for a party that I can attend for free. You see I have no plans to get candy, wear a costume, get photos with characters and don't really care about going on the attractions during the party as I will be at DL that entire week. I want to enjoy DL is a less crowded enviorment and see the fireworks, if they aren't cancelled due to wind or wearther. So I plan on making it very clear to Disney if nonticketed guests will be allowed to stay I want my money back as they are not fullfilling the claim that the party will be exclusive.

dsny1mom

Well, let us know what happens.

It should be interesting to see if they reply, seeing that none of this news is officially released by Disney yet. This is all from Al Lutz. One week from now, things might look much better in the scenario.

I just think that before too many more people start sending letters to Guest Relations/Guest Services, we should hear the official word from DLR first...and that will be coming very soon. It's just my opinion, of course, but I would wait (if I had purchased an MHP ticket) to approach Disney about it until I had the official word from them on what exactly they are doing.

Hi,

I've just made a decision and I thought I would share it with you as you have all helped me so much in my planning for my upcoming trip. Previously we were spending 2 nights near Universal before our cruise and then 5 nights at Disney (staying at Sheraton Anaheim). But because our 5 night Disney stay doesn't include a weekend (Oct 3-8 - flying back to New Zealand on the 8th)we have decided to cancel our 2 nights before our cruise near Universal and stay at the Sheraton Anaheim. We were going to buy a 14 day park hopper pass anyway as we wanted to be able to have access to DLR for the 6 days (Oct 3-8) as our flight doesn't leave LAX until near midnight on the 8th. The 14 day park hopper will over the extra two days before the cruise so it won't cost us anymore to visit DLR over those two days and as it is a weekend we will get to see fireworks, F! Yah for me!

Yay!! That sounds like a great trip, Kiwitinkerbell!! I'm so excited for you! You must remember to come back and post lots of photos here for us!!

 

[kiwitinkerbell]

1 more questions guys...... I'm a little embarrassed to ask this but ....... hey it's not like you can see me can you????? .

I'm thinking of booking the F dessert package so we can have seats and hopefully a good view. The thing is I'm what you call 'pooh' size and when I look at the photos of the seats they look a little 'flimsy' . Has any other 'pooh' sized person done the F package and how did you find the seats?