Halloween at DL

[AmyPond]

I think blaming AP's for crowds is ridiculous. I mean, yes, there are a lot of APs and so yes, they can make it crowded. But I do not understand why people harbor such animosity towards AP holders.

AP holders are just as entitled to go to the parks and have a good time as out of state people. Just because they can go often doesn't mean they have any less right to see and do things in the parks.

I had an AP when I lived out there and we went all the time. I paid good money for that premium AP so I was definitely going to use it as often as possible. I also almost always ate food in the parks and purchased merchandise. AP holders are good for Disney because they fork over all kinds of cash.

If people want to get angry, they should get angry at Disney for allowing as many AP holders as they do.

 

[3Minnies1Mickey]

FYI: no dates sold out until mid/late September last year. That was for the first night. Halloween weekend sold out around the first of October. My understanding is that they reserve tickets for the general public and APs cannot "sell out" a date before they open to the public.

 

[soaringirl]

My guess - and it's only a guess based on what crowds have done in the past - is that September 17th will probably be somewhat crowded mid-day on through nighttime, because HalloweenTime starts on that day this year and it will draw lots of people to come and see it after work and school. Possibly the 18th could be crowded as well. Still, I don't know if there is anything to indicate that it will be crazy crowded. I tend to think it will not be that bad in September (unless World of Color attracts loads and loads of people). I think October is far worse in terms of crowds, because that's when certain school breaks kick in, Columbus Day and other things happen to draw many more folks to DLR in October. In mid-late September, lots of folks are still in school and there are no major holiday breaks in that period of time.

So, September 17th and 18th might me more crowded than, say, a weekend when it's not HalloweenTime or Christmastime, etc., but I don't think it will be unruly or intolerable. Again, it's just a guess. I am envisioning that October will be much worse in terms of crowds.

Thanks Sherry!! Your input is greatly appreciated, even if it's just a guess! I'm already getting used to the idea that it's going to be crowded, so no nasty surprises..

 

[BELLEDOZER]

Thanks for the info Sherry on the World of Chaos. It sounds like the MHP will be a better fit for me for both days that it's going to be on while I'm there, as it doesn't involve a lot of standing/sitting for long periods of time. D)(&^%^&^)M back is giving me a severe amt of grief, and am trying to get it in some form of shape including losing 24 lbs before the trip to beat it into submission. Wish I could trade it in for a 20 year olds back at the moment (grumble, grumble, grumble!!) Have a great evening!

Trish

 

[canadadisney]

Thank-you so much for posting all of this info. I have been following the news in this thread from the beginning and have gained so much info for our upcoming trip. We are going Oct 5-9 and plan on attending the Halloween party on the 5th. I understand tickets will be going on sale in July. Can you purchase tickets online or only on the phone? If it is online, can you purchase online from Canada? Do they ship the tickets? What time do you think the tickets will go on sale?

 

[Vala]

Thank-you so much for posting all of this info. I have been following the news in this thread from the beginning and have gained so much info for our upcoming trip. We are going Oct 5-9 and plan on attending the Halloween party on the 5th. I understand tickets will be going on sale in July. Can you purchase tickets online or only on the phone? If it is online, can you purchase online from Canada? Do they ship the tickets? What time do you think the tickets will go on sale?

You can purchase online and have the tickets e-mailed to you, that's what I did last year. (I'm in Germany.) They do ship, but the charges for that were quite high for international orders.

The AP tickets went on sale around noon my time, so early morning East Coast time.

 

[inluvwithbuzz]

FYI: no dates sold out until mid/late September last year. That was for the first night. Halloween weekend sold out around the first of October. My understanding is that they reserve tickets for the general public and APs cannot "sell out" a date before they open to the public.

Thank you so much for that information. That give me some hope that tickets will be available for Oct.1 party when they go on sale to the general public.

I am a little panicked cause my DS3 is looking forward to it and he already has his costume picked up.

 

[Sherry E]

Thanks Sherry!! Your input is greatly appreciated, even if it's just a guess! I'm already getting used to the idea that it's going to be crowded, so no nasty surprises..

Thanks for the info Sherry on the World of Chaos. It sounds like the MHP will be a better fit for me for both days that it's going to be on while I'm there, as it doesn't involve a lot of standing/sitting for long periods of time. D)(&^%^&^)M back is giving me a severe amt of grief, and am trying to get it in some form of shape including losing 24 lbs before the trip to beat it into submission. Wish I could trade it in for a 20 year olds back at the moment (grumble, grumble, grumble!!) Have a great evening!

Trish

Soaringirl and Trish - you are both very welcome! We are all kind of learning things together and sharing info with each other, so it's a group effort! Thanks, everyone, for continuing to stay tuned in and active in the Halloween at DL super thread. And keep that Halloweentime Information Boogie rolling along...

Thank-you so much for posting all of this info. I have been following the news in this thread from the beginning and have gained so much info for our upcoming trip. We are going Oct 5-9 and plan on attending the Halloween party on the 5th. I understand tickets will be going on sale in July. Can you purchase tickets online or only on the phone? If it is online, can you purchase online from Canada? Do they ship the tickets? What time do you think the tickets will go on sale?

Hi, Canadadisney! Welcome, and thanks for sticking with us!

 

[tdashgirl]

I'm a N. California person and have had APs on and off the past 4 years. I don't renew them annually, I let them expire and get a new one sometime during my next visit. I get an AP because it makes sense if you visit more than once a year - for ticket cost as well as discounts on food (and sometimes merchandise). It doesn't offend me in the least when people talk about the effect APs have on the park. It's just reality -- the increase in APs has changed the traffic patterns in the park. I think it's better to talk about it and be prepared for it Now if someone on the boards just wants to slam APers, that's their deal and I just ignore it

 

[Sherry E]

I'm a N. California person and have had APs on and off the past 4 years. I don't renew them annually, I let them expire and get a new one sometime during my next visit. I get an AP because it makes sense if you visit more than once a year - for ticket cost as well as discounts on food (and sometimes merchandise). It doesn't offend me in the least when people talk about the effect APs have on the park. It's just reality -- the increase in APs has changed the traffic patterns in the park. I think it's better to talk about it and be prepared for it Now if someone on the boards just wants to slam APers, that's their deal and I just ignore it

Oh, absolutely! The AP is a great deal for anyone who goes to DLR more than once in a year - even just two weekend trips in one year will justify the cost of it for me. First of all, when I do "weekend" trips, they are usually extended weekend trips, like 4 days and 3 nights. So if I do that kind of a trip twice in one year (let's say, once for Halloweentime and once for Christmastime), it has already proven its worth just in admission alone.

Second, I love to stay onsite at any of the DLR hotels. Last year I just couldn't swing it because my money situation was hideous. But I don't stay offsite when I do weekend trips. I either do a one-day trip and go home at night (that's called an "I'm Broke Trip"), or I stay onsite. (That's not to say I will never stay at HoJo's or any of the Good Neighbors, because I probably will at some point in the future.) I like the full immersion of staying onsite. So the AP instantly comes in handy with the nifty AP rates, or even with the standard AP discount you get when there are no 'AP9' or 'AP10' rates or whatever.

Also, we always eat all of our meals on DLR property. So whether we eat in DTD, at one of the restaurants in the hotels or at a restaurant in the parks, it helps to have that AP to whip out for the 15% discount (I had a PAP the last time I had an AP). You can be sure that I felt the pain of not having an AP when we went to my favorite place, Goofy's Kitchen, for our December breakfast last year and paid the regular, non-discounted price!! Yikes!!

I don't buy as much merchandise as I used to at DLR because the budget just doesn't allow for it, but I can't resist certain HalloweenTime or Christmastime items (as you can see from my merchandise photos in this thread and the "Disney at Christmas" thread). It helps to have an AP to cut the cost a little.

Now, if Disney starts trying to emulate WDW by making all kinds of things suddenly exclusive to separate ticketed events (like they are doing with Halloween Screams this year) - for example, suddenly making the 'snow' that falls on Main Street during the holidays, and the little light display that runs from the Castle up Main Street to the Christmas tree, party exclusives - and I have to shell out all kinds of money on top of my AP price, then I might not be so thrilled, and Disney and I might have to have a little talk.....but we will cross that bridge when we get to it!!

 

[Sherry E]

Bump!

(I am actually going to repost my recap from the other day, for anyone who happens to just be tuning into this thread/page today.)




So, let’s recap the main things we have learned in case anyone is just now tuning in for the first time:

• HalloweenTime at Disneyland Resort will begin on Friday, September 17, 2010.

• Mickey’s Halloween Party (formerly called Mickey’s Trick or Treat Party) will, indeed, be moving over to Disneyland.

• Mickey’s Halloween Party will be held every Tuesday and Friday night in October, and on Halloween night, for a total of 10 nights. The dates of the party will be:

Fri., Oct. 1
Tues., Oct. 5
Fri., Oct. 8
Tues., Oct. 12
Fri.; Oct. 15
Tues., Oct. 19
Fri., Oct. 22
Tues., Oct. 26
Fri., Oct. 29
Sun., Oct. 31

• Tickets for Mickey’s Halloween Party will go on sale to (we think) Disney Visa card holders, Disney Vacation Club (DVC) members and (definitely) Disneyland Resort Annual Passholders on Friday, June 4th. Remaining tickets will go on sale to the general public on Friday, July 16th. Prices are unknown at this time but are likely to be higher than when the Trick or Treat Party was in DCA.

• The Halloween Screams fireworks will be exclusive to Mickey’s Halloween Party guests, and not shown to non-party guests during the rest of the season.

• More treat stations and more treats will be added to the MHP in DL.

• MHP guests will have access to “nearly all” the attractions Disneyland park has to offer—from the classic attractions in Fantasyland to the Halloween-themed attractions like Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy and Haunted Mansion Holiday. We also assume that most of the DL restaurants will remain open during the MHP.

• MHP guests can start the party early and enter Disneyland at 3:00 p.m. on Tuesdays and 4:00 p.m. on Fridays. The official event starts at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesdays and 7:00 p.m. on Fridays, and Halloween. However, regular, non-MHP guests who attend DL earlier in the day on MHP days can stay until 6 p.m. on Tuesdays and until 7:00 p.m. on Fridays and Halloween, so there will be a bit of an overlap time. We assume that a wrist band system will be put into effect to identify the MHP guests and the non-guests. We are unclear at this time of when the MHP will end on Tuesdays and Fridays and Halloween.

• We should find out the full scoop on HalloweenTime and its agenda of activities and attractions in mid-July (I’m guessing July 16, as that is when MHP tickets go on sale to the general public).



I think that pretty much sums it up for now, unless I left out something major.

 

[Belle Ella]

I've been so exhausted this whole weekend (even yesterday) I've fallen so behind on what was announced. It's nice to finally have some information to go off!! I'm just so excited to actually get a Halloween trip!!

 

[Sherry E]

I've been so exhausted this whole weekend (even yesterday) I've fallen so behind on what was announced. It's nice to finally have some information to go off!! I'm just so excited to actually get a Halloween trip!!

Hey there, Jazz! I wondered why we hadn't heard more from you since the big news was revealed the other day. I was hoping all was okay with you.

The Halloween Screams fireworks being exclusive to the MHP is a big hot topic (not just here but on the Disney Parks Blog as well). It seems more people are unhappy about this than happy. Of course, in a way, it's kind of good that the MHP will not be happening when you are there - nor will those specific fireworks be happening - because I guess it's one less thing to worry about! (I'm trying to put a spin on it so it doesn't seem like you are missing out on anything!!! LOL!)

Now you know that HalloweenTime will be in full swing for your entire trip (minus MHP and the fireworks), so you can plan, full steam ahead!! In fact, I am kind of hoping that when the official HalloweenTime agenda gets released in July, there will be things on that list that will surprise us! In other words, I am hoping it's more than just the usual Haunted Mansion Holiday, Halloween Round-Up and Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy, etc. I hope that DLR throws something in there that none of us are expecting!! As it is, I don't know if Candy Corn Acres will even be around in DCA this year. So I am hoping that they will give us something extra - for everyone, not just partygoers - if they have to take other stuff away.

 

[Sherry E]

By the way, everyone - as soon as any of you find out the pre-sale prices for the MHP tickets this coming Friday, please post them here as soon as you can!

In fact, more than likely, the pre-sale prices will probably reflect how much of a savings the AP holders and Disney Visa holders are getting, so we will likely know (or be able to figure out) what the general sale prices (full prices) will be on Friday as well, even though they don't go on sale until July. That will be good info to have, as I know a lot of us are waiting to find out the prices of the tickets, and if they are too much, it will rule some of us out!!

 

[Belle Ella]

Hey there, Jazz! I wondered why we hadn't heard more from you since the big news was revealed the other day. I was hoping all was okay with you.

The Halloween Screams fireworks being exclusive to the MHP is a big hot topic (not just here but on the Disney Parks Blog as well). It seems more people are unhappy about this than happy. Of course, in a way, it's kind of good that the MHP will not be happening when you are there - nor will those specific fireworks be happening - because I guess it's one less thing to worry about! (I'm trying to put a spin on it so it doesn't seem like you are missing out on anything!!! LOL!)

Now you know that HalloweenTime will be in full swing for your entire trip (minus MHP and the fireworks), so you can plan, full steam ahead!! In fact, I am kind of hoping that when the official HalloweenTime agenda gets released in July, there will be things on that list that will surprise us! In other words, I am hoping it's more than just the usual Haunted Mansion Holiday, Halloween Round-Up and Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy, etc. I hope that DLR throws something in there that none of us are expecting!! As it is, I don't know if Candy Corn Acres will even be around in DCA this year. So I am hoping that they will give us something extra - for everyone, not just partygoers - if they have to take other stuff away.

It was a rough weekend. I work graveyard on Saturdays and ended up pulling at 36+ hour day because I couldn't fall asleep and I've been trying to catch up on sleep ever since. Not an easy thing to do.

The Halloween Screams fireworks ... A good thing and a bad thing that it's not going to be available for anyone going in September or not going to the MHP. I would really, really love to see them but it will give me one less thing I have to find a way to fit in. I want to get a lot done on this trip and I'm sure I'll be spending a lot of time discovering all I can to photograph. I'm going to try not to think about missing out on it.

My planning can finally start getting under way. I know enough to be fully excited! But you aren't alone. I'm hoping we'll get some more treats when we get more information in July. Just no tricks!!

 

[Disney_Canada]

Hey Everyone,
I have been reading the thread and it has made me worried. I have a trip planned with my family Oct 2-10 as my son's birthday is the 3rd. We have been booked for months and this is the first I have heard of a halloween party. Now from what I have read if i enter the party on the tuesday and friday I am going to be kicked out at 6pm and 7pm on those days unless i pay extra money for tickets to a trick or treat party? Please tell me I am reading this wrong and that just part of the park will be roped off for this.

Thanx
DC

 

[iKristin]

I'll post the prices Friday morning when I buy mine Do we know if they go on sale at midnight or later in the morning??

 

[Sherry E]

Hey Everyone,
I have been reading the thread and it has made me worried. I have a trip planned with my family Oct 2-10 as my son's birthday is the 3rd. We have been booked for months and this is the first I have heard of a halloween party. Now from what I have read if i enter the party on the tuesday and friday I am going to be kicked out at 6pm and 7pm on those days unless i pay extra money for tickets to a trick or treat party? Please tell me I am reading this wrong and that just part of the park will be roped off for this.

Thanx
DC

Hi, Disney_Canada! Well, you are pretty much correct. The party - which used to be called the Trick or Treat Party (TOTP) was always expected to happen during HalloweenTime, as it has for the last few years. The thing is, we all expected it to be at DCA (Disney California Adventure), as it has been for the last few years. I personally don't think that when 2010 began, Disney was planning to have the TOTP in DL (Disneyland). I suspect they were still expecting it to be at DCA. But, when the plans for World of Color (fondly known as World of Chaos) got underway and they realized they would have some logistical problems with the set-up of the viewing and holding areas for WoC, Disney realized they had to rework some things in DCA, and the TOTP became a sudden casualty of that reworking process. The TOTP has now been moved over to DL and is beiing called Mickey's Halloween Party.

So, with MHP being in DL, it will be happening on the dates I listed in my post above. On the Tuesday nights it is happening, Disneyland will close at 6 p.m., as you said. What will happen is that guests who go to DL earlier that day - but choose not to do the MHP - will have to leave at 6 p.m. On Friday nights (or on Halloween night), they will have to leave at 7 p.m. The MHP will start at 3 p.m. on Tuesdays and at 4 p.m. on Fridays, so there will be some overlap time where the party guests and the regular DL guests will be there at the same time. We assume a wristband system of some kind will be implemented to ID the party guests and the non-guests.

The good news is that the only days that the MHP will be happening during your DLR trip are: Tues., Oct. 5th, and Fri., Oct. 8. So unless you want to buy tickets and attend MHP, you will have to leave DL at 6 p.m. on Tuesday and at 7 p.m. on Friday. But DCA will be open, so you can go over there and still have things to do and see (like World of Color).

MHP guests will have exclusive access to the Halloween Screams fireworks. The tickets to MHP will be available for pre-sale this coming Friday and on sale to the general public on July 16th.

I think it will be fine - no need to worry! If the MHP were happening every night of your trip and DL was going to kick you out early every night, that would be a different story. But you will have a fairly long trip, it sounds like, so I think it will be okay. In fact, do you think your son would want to attend Mickey's Halloween Party?

 

[Sherry E]

It was a rough weekend. I work graveyard on Saturdays and ended up pulling at 36+ hour day because I couldn't fall asleep and I've been trying to catch up on sleep ever since. Not an easy thing to do.

The Halloween Screams fireworks ... A good thing and a bad thing that it's not going to be available for anyone going in September or not going to the MHP. I would really, really love to see them but it will give me one less thing I have to find a way to fit in. I want to get a lot done on this trip and I'm sure I'll be spending a lot of time discovering all I can to photograph. I'm going to try not to think about missing out on it.

My planning can finally start getting under way. I know enough to be fully excited! But you aren't alone. I'm hoping we'll get some more treats when we get more information in July. Just no tricks!!

Arrrrgggghhhh...I empathize with the 'no sleep' issues. It makes for rough days, that's for sure. Poor thing!

I don't know what I am expecting or hoping for DLR to throw in the mix on its list of HalloweenTime agenda. Nothing major, of course (that would be the fireworks going to the MHP guests). But just a little something - like a new daytime photo op spot for the villains. I wasn't fond of the spot they had them in last year by IASW. I don't know why. I just wanted them somewhere else more...villain-y. Or maybe they could add in even more decorations this year, all over the park - more than what we have seen so far. Maybe do a little something to the Castle so it looks creepy.

In any case, yes - now you know what you can rule out of doing on your HalloweenTime trip and plan based on what you know! Anything else we find out from here on out will be gravy!

And isn't it nice that Disney listened to your suggestion of starting HalloweenTime even earlier to offset some of the World of Chaos madness? They listened!!

I'll post the prices Friday morning when I buy mine Do we know if they go on sale at midnight or later in the morning??

Good question. I have no clue. Probably early in the morning. Hopefully midnight. I know we are all wondering what kinds of prices we are looking at and how much more than last year is it going to cost.

 

[iKristin]

I am guessing somewhere between $50 - $60. I don't think they'll do more than that because you don't get the entire day in the park. But whoooo knows, we'll find out in a few days