Halloween at DL

[Sherry E]

I agree! I saw on that blog post that they were stolen from Tokyo? But nonetheless - seriously cute. That's the first time I've been tempted to buy a DLR halloween shirt

Exactly - I was wondering about that comment about the design being stolen from Tokyo too, seeing as I haven't been keeping up on the Tokyo merchandise.

Still, stolen or no I really like the designs. They are bright and festive. I actually wanted to get a shirt last year - it had a Mickey ghost on it, a Mickey pumpkin, I think, and another Mickey. Maybe it was a Mickey candy corn or a Mickey bat? A Mickey mummy? I can't recall. In any case, it had 3 different Halloween Mickey images on it and it was really cute. If our trip last October hadn't been so short and I'd had more time to shop, I would have bought that shirt.

And, as we all know, what you see at DLR one year may not be available at DLR again the next year. They are constantly churning out new designs and merchandise. So, with my luck, I'm sure they are no longer selling the shirt from last year.

 

[karylrocks]

I have not done the Round-up before and am considering doing this one. Can anyone tell me more about it? What characters are there, what do they do, and how is it different than the regular one?

 

[funatdisney]

And, as we all know, what you see at DLR one year may not be available at DLR again the next year. They are constantly churning out new designs and merchandise. So, with my luck, I'm sure they are no longer selling the shirt from last year.

The other thing to note: sometimes they sell out of shirts by the end of the season. Has happened to me before. SO If I see it and I really like it, I will make it a point to buy it.

 

[Sherry E]

I have not done the Round-up before and am considering doing this one. Can anyone tell me more about it? What characters are there, what do they do, and how is it different than the regular one?

There are lots of photos from the Round-Up buried in this thread. The Halloween Round-Up has all the really cleverly carved Halloween pumpkins - pumpkins that look like all sorts of Disney characters. There are festive decorations. There used to be cookie decorating there but I think that was moved to the Plaza Pavilion area. You can often find Woody, Jessie and sometimes even Bullseye at the Round-Up. Chip and Dale occasionally appear, too. I thnk there is a little 'show' like they have for all the versions of the Round-Up. They also sell some merchandise there.

It's not that the Round-Up is so exciting in and of itself. The highlight is seeing the intricately carved Disney character pumpkins and the cute Halloween decor. Lots of fabulous Disney detail to be found there. The thing is, the Halloween decorations at DLR are a bit limited anyway (it's nowhere near as extensive and all-encompassing as the holiday season). So, if you skip the Round-Up, you are skipping one of the main areas where there are Halloween decorations.

The other thing to note: sometimes they sell out of shirts by the end of the season. Has happened to me before. SO If I see it and I really like it, I will make it a point to buy it.

Yep - you basically have to treat all the merchandise you see inside DLR as limited edition/rare - even if it is not sold as a rare item. You can never assume that you will be able to find something again if you don't buy it on one DLR trip. Sometimes things do stick around for a while, or sometimes they come back a couple of years later, but it cannot be counted upon. Because of the sheer volume of merchandise they put out every year, and the millions of clever designs they use for this stuff, their merchandise is constantly 'moving.' Sometimes they will reorder things and there will be more. Sometimes there will not be anymore after it sells out - this is particularly true of the holiday stuff (like Halloween and Christmas).

So I agree - if you see something you really, really love, grab it right then and don't wait. If it's something you are on the fence about, that's a different story. But if you love it, don't count on being able to 'come back later' and get it because it just may be gone!!

 

[iKristin]

this shirt??

 

[Sherry E]

^^^Not the same shirt, although that one is cute too!

Two years ago I saw a shirt that just had a Mickey ghost on it. (Not the one above.) Last year, there was a shirt with the Mickey ghost, Mickey pumpkin and whatever the other thing was, in a row, side by side, against a dark backdrop.

 

[karylrocks]

There are lots of photos from the Round-Up buried in this thread. The Halloween Round-Up has all the really cleverly carved Halloween pumpkins - pumpkins that look like all sorts of Disney characters. There are festive decorations. There used to be cookie decorating there but I think that was moved to the Plaza Pavilion area. You can often find Woody, Jessie and sometimes even Bullseye at the Round-Up. Chip and Dale occasionally appear, too. I thnk there is a little 'show' like they have for all the versions of the Round-Up. They also sell some merchandise there.

It's not that the Round-Up is so exciting in and of itself. The highlight is seeing the intricately carved Disney character pumpkins and the cute Halloween decor. Lots of fabulous Disney detail to be found there. The thing is, the Halloween decorations at DLR are a bit limited anyway (it's nowhere near as extensive and all-encompassing as the holiday season). So, if you skip the Round-Up, you are skipping one of the main areas where there are Halloween decorations.

So is the "Round-Up" set up in Big Thunder Ranch, and you just walk through? I was thinking it was the character meal barbeque, so clearly I am confused.

 

[Sherry E]

So is the "Round-Up" set up in Big Thunder Ranch, and you just walk through? I was thinking it was the character meal barbeque, so clearly I am confused.

The Halloween Round-Up is next door to and separate from the BBQ. You walk through it and don't ever have to enter the BBQ area if you don't want to eat there. They keep the BBQ open while the Halloween Round-Up and the Reindeer Round-Up are happening in Fall and Winter - which is why the holiday cookie decorating in the Round-Up was relocated to the Plaza Pavilion. The BBQ takes up space where the cookie decorating would have been. But the Halloween Round-Up itself is just a showcase for the decorations, crafts and carved pumpkins, and a place to sell some merchandise.

As far as I know, the regular non-holiday BBQ is not a character meal anymore. I think they only had characters there for the first few months, and then Woody and the gang left the BBQ. But Woody will be at the Halloween Round-Up where the decorations are, more than likely, and Santa will be at the Reindeer Round-up

 

[cutedisneygirly]

How much does the Happiest Haunts tour cost and what exactly do you do on this tour?

 

[Vala]

Yep - you basically have to treat all the merchandise you see inside DLR as limited edition/rare - even if it is not sold as a rare item. You can never assume that you will be able to find something again if you don't buy it on one DLR trip. Sometimes things do stick around for a while, or sometimes they come back a couple of years later, but it cannot be counted upon. Because of the sheer volume of merchandise they put out every year, and the millions of clever designs they use for this stuff, their merchandise is constantly 'moving.' Sometimes they will reorder things and there will be more. Sometimes there will not be anymore after it sells out - this is particularly true of the holiday stuff (like Halloween and Christmas).

If you want something and can't find it try the out of the way locations.

I did want the Halloween shirt posted above, and I'm a quite big girl. So I needed 2XL. Spent two days looking all over the resort, then finally found exactly one in the TOT gift shop!

 

[Sherry E]

If you want something and can't find it try the out of the way locations.

I did want the Halloween shirt posted above, and I'm a quite big girl. So I needed 2XL. Spent two days looking all over the resort, then finally found exactly one in the TOT gift shop!

Vala - Yes, this is an excellent tip as well! Even though I still think - given my past experience - I will try to adhere to the 'buy it right when I see it or risk never finding it again' philosophy, what you suggested is very important.

I've often thought of this before - clearly, the shops right along Main Street are going to run out of things more quickly, as those are the ones that everyone passes by when either arriving or departing. Everyone will descend upon the Emporium because it's big and they will assume that it has everything they could possibly want - sort of like the hub of all souvenirs. Sometimes the 'smaller' Main Street shops get overlooked - for example, the China Closet often has things that have sold out in other stores, and it is often less crowded.

Also, people will head to World of Disney in DTD - again, because it's big (enormous, actually), and they assume it will have everything under the sun.

But, let's say that even the China Closet and the other shops along MS have sold out of whatever the coveted item is that you want. Think outside of the box. Forget where you originally saw the item (where it is now sold out). Look in the out-of-the-way shops. Even if it's not a Western-themed item, look in the Frontierland shops. Look in the Fantasyland shops. Look in the tiny, hidden, tucked-in-an-alley shops in New Orleans Square. Look everywhere. Look in all the lands.

Apply the same outlook to the shops in DCA - you may not expect to see an item that you found in DL to be in DCA too, but it very well may be!!

And even though the Gag Factory in ToonTown is usually crowded, I think it mainly tends to be crowded with the people who were already in TownTown anyway, but I don't think that too many folks who had no intention of going to ToonTown in the first place are packing into the Gag Factory just to shop.

However, the Gag Factory usually has a good supply of things and they don't sell out that quickly. So even though you might have to fight off the masses that piled out of Mickey's house to search the Gag Factory shelves, it just might be worth a trip into ToonTown to find that item that sold out on Main Street or in World of Disney.

 

[Sherry E]

By the way, I went back to the Parks Blog today to read the rest of the comments and questions about Heather Hust Rivera's Halloween post from 9/2/10. I had only read a few comments when it first went up.

Even though I felt bad for Heather that she had to keep answering the same questions over and over again, even though she had explained certain things repeatedly and some people were still not getting it, I also noticed that the question was asked - I think it was asked by AmyPond, perhaps?? - about Candy Corn Acres, and which - if any - Halloween decorations would be in DCA. Amy was the only person who asked it and it was a totally new question compared to what everyone else was asking and discussing.

And Heather Hust Rivera ignored it. In fact, she skipped over the Candy Corn Acres/DCA question totally, and answered the person who posted right after that question!

To me, that seems like a deliberate avoidance of the DCA/Halloween decorations question. Heather could have easily said, "There will still be Candy Corn decorations in DCA this year," even if Candy Corn "Acres" is officially gone. Or she could have said something like, "DCA will have its own unique Halloween touches."

But she said nothing. I think Heather did not want to answer the question because she didn't want to draw attention to the fact that there will be nothing in DCA in the way of Halloween decorations this year. As most good PR/Publicity people do, they have to focus on the positive aspects of the situation and deflect from the 'negative.' To come out and tell people that there would be no Candy Corn in DCA would be shining a big ol' spotlight on the fact that they took something away from the seasonal decorations - while many people are still coming to grips with the fact that the "nightly" Halloween Screams fireworks from last year are now a party exclusive and they have to pay extra to see them.

 

[AmyPond]

Yep, that was me who asked the question about Candy Corn Acres and DCA. I forgot to go back to look if it was answered so I'm glad you posted about it. Not totally shocked it wasn't answered. I'm sure she avoided it because the answers are "No, there will be not be Candy Cane Acres." And "DCA will have no extra Halloween touches." I doubt she wanted to answer a question that required a somewhat (very?) negative response. Oh well. Again, not surprised at all but I will keep asking if new Halloween blogs are posted.

Will Big Thunder Ranch still have goats out during the day during HalloweenTime? I love the goats!

(I'm getting into the Fall spirit here in the midwest today. We planted some Mums and put out some Fall decor. Woo!)

 

[amamax2]

Just to stir the pot, I just posted on the blog also about DCA. Thanks for the idea Amy Pond! Maybe if enough of us keep asking, she will respond with something.

PS So excited - we were going to Legoland next week but our friends cancelled this morning - we polled the kids and they voted to go to DL for the day instead! Yipee! So I'll get a peek at Halloween a bit earlier than planned.

 

[AmyPond]

I asked again too. (It says I'm from CA but I'm not.)

 

[funatdisney]

Vala - Yes, this is an excellent tip as well! Even though I still think - given my past experience - I will try to adhere to the 'buy it right when I see it or risk never finding it again' philosophy, what you suggested is very important.

I've often thought of this before - clearly, the shops right along Main Street are going to run out of things more quickly, as those are the ones that everyone passes by when either arriving or departing. Everyone will descend upon the Emporium because it's big and they will assume that it has everything they could possibly want - sort of like the hub of all souvenirs. Sometimes the 'smaller' Main Street shops get overlooked - for example, the China Closet often has things that have sold out in other stores, and it is often less crowded.

Also, people will head to World of Disney in DTD - again, because it's big (enormous, actually), and they assume it will have everything under the sun.

But, let's say that even the China Closet and the other shops along MS have sold out of whatever the coveted item is that you want. Think outside of the box. Forget where you originally saw the item (where it is now sold out). Look in the out-of-the-way shops. Even if it's not a Western-themed item, look in the Frontierland shops. Look in the Fantasyland shops. Look in the tiny, hidden, tucked-in-an-alley shops in New Orleans Square. Look everywhere. Look in all the lands.

Apply the same outlook to the shops in DCA - you may not expect to see an item that you found in DL to be in DCA too, but it very well may be!!

And even though the Gag Factory in ToonTown is usually crowded, I think it mainly tends to be crowded with the people who were already in TownTown anyway, but I don't think that too many folks who had no intention of going to ToonTown in the first place are packing into the Gag Factory just to shop.

However, the Gag Factory usually has a good supply of things and they don't sell out that quickly. So even though you might have to fight off the masses that piled out of Mickey's house to search the Gag Factory shelves, it just might be worth a trip into ToonTown to find that item that sold out on Main Street or in World of Disney.

Very good advice. I have found myself feeling like "leave no stone unturned" mentality when I really want something and it is sold out in the more popular shops.

 

[amamax2]

Yes, I saw that - in fact that is what gave me the idea! I saw earlier in this thread that you had posted, went over to see how you were ignored, then saw you had posted again, so thought, hey, there's strength in numbers.....

Mine is right after yours in the blog! Who else wants to post? Let's get this going!

 

[magicbri]

I heard somewhere between 18.000 to 20,000 tickets per night. (Someone here correct me if I am wrong) Now that sounds like a lot, but the park holds close to 60,000 when full.

I was told on the phone a few weeks ago by a seemingly knowledgeable CM that they were only selling 11,000 tickets for each night. But I seem to recall someone else posting here that they had been told 14,000.

 

[funatdisney]

Those are really good numbers! That will keep the park far less crowded than I thought.

 

[Diznygrl]

11,000 sounds way too good to be true. I heard a while back that it was supposed to be around 20,000...compared to an average day, even 20k sounds heavenly. I guess we'll have to wait and see!