Halloween Time Superthread 2019: "Oogie Boogie Bash" Party to Be Held in DCA ONLY! and Other Halloween Time Information

[Malcon10t]

I would be surprised if it was that low. A couple years ago I was at DLH at when tickets went on sale (6am I think) we had ~20 people in line already. I would assume based on 100 tickets they would sell out between the three hotels within minutes of going on sale. (I highly doubt everyone on the reservation were down in line, I suspect mom or dad came down to buy 3 to 5 tickets each... and there were 20 people in line.)

I actually wouldn’t be surprised if it was like 30% of booked capacity for that night or something. I can’t imagine there are THAT many people in the hotels (maybe a few thousand for all three hotels?) so 500 tickets or something would allow them to basically allow any guests to get tickets that day and probably would hardly put a dent in wait times in the park.

I was told the number was 100, but was unsure if that number was per hotel or overall. Likely from your description, per hotel.

 

[dina444444]

Just an FYI for those that want the party pins. Make sure you ask for all of them. They only had the LR ones on the counter right at 6pm. The LE were in a cabinet and the cm was a little clueless when I asked about them.

 

[tankgirl!]

Has anyone posted the menu for the dining package at the WCT? I'm curious about the options for my children. Thanks!

 

[theluckyrabbit]

They have messed up and sold pins in the morning for a good few of the days. One location said the jumbo is sold out.

I would really appreciate if they'd start checking wristbands. That first night was brutal.

Don't give up! The CM at J. Katz on BVS did not think that any of the OBB pins had completely sold out yet as of yesterday at the start of the party.

Good to know!

Let's hope they continue checking wristbands. I've already seen people other places comment that if you want OBB merchandise without a ticket, just go during the overlap period since they don't check wristbands. Now if they check, that can cut down on that loophole.

Tested this specifically yesterday during the mix in hours -- CMs were definitely checking wristbands for purchase of OBB specific merchandise (which didn't even go on sale until the party started).

 

[seesclubhouse]

Don't give up! The CM at J. Katz on BVS did not think that any of the OBB pins had completely sold out yet as of yesterday at the start of the party.


Tested this specifically yesterday during the mix in hours -- CMs were definitely checking wristbands for purchase of OBB specific merchandise (which didn't even go on sale until the party started).

wonder if they are only allotting so many for each party..... really hope that is the case cause I leave in 8 days for disney

 

[xApril]

Went last night. We were in the parks all day, hopped over to DCA around 3 so we could see Frozen at 4. Line at the front for wristbands were crazy (used to WDW wristband process) so we went to the sky cellar thinking it’d be quicker. Waited 30 minutes. Seemed pointless to get a paper ticket and photo if you’re probably there for early entry and probably not leaving? There wasn’t a CM working the earlier part of the line so it was unclear as to how long it was, and we would’ve left and come back later had we known since it was in the sun and pretty warm.

Our other issue was merchandise. We saw that the front store had a big line, so we went to the Rushing Rapids store in Grizzly. They had a line but nothing bad, maybe 5-6 groups in front of us. We just wanted spirit jerseys and maybe a t shirt. There was no good communication, and it took them 25 minutes to get the merchandise out. It seemed poorly organized and would’ve made more sense to have the stuff out before the party started and just not let anyone buy it until 6, rather than make us waste party time.

Other than that, we caught Villains Grove at a good time as it opened so we walked in pretty quick. I think it’d be better hit at a time when it’s not super backed up so you’re not in a conga line but it was very pretty. The treat trails with the characters were fun, aNd we liked the comparison to WDW’s party that you’re able to fill up your baa lot quicker and you’re able to get a variety of snacks besides candy.

Since we spent so long with the merchandise and then walking through villains grove right after, we didn’t line up ahead of time for the parade. We got a nice spot behind a bench in Hollywood Land. The parade was great, though it felt short compared to Boo to You back home the floats were all a lot more impressive.

After that, we filled up our candy bags and had some great interactions with the villains and then we rode Luigi’s and the swings before Villainous at 10:45.

We found it to be a fun event, but it definitely wasn’t worth the $120 price point. Seeing the characters in passing was great, but if there was one we really wanted to see I feel it would’ve really cut into the party time.

 

[mamapenguin]

Just a few quick Sunday morning notes:
1. There are signs in the Esplanade, in front of the gates, and just inside the gates saying DCA closes at 6 and the party is sold out.

2. No party merchandise is out yet.
3. Spirit jersies are sold out (WoD had a few yesterday, but I haven't seen any in the parks).

We got lucky and bought one at WOD- they had quite a few, none today. We had asked in the parks on Friday and told they were sold out. It didn’t occur to me to check WOD until the next day. My daughter was so disappointed every time she saw someone wearing one and none to buy. We are on our flight home now and she has it on.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

According to MP's DLR Update today:
" ...there is still a way to get tickets to the sold-out affair, but it will cost a pretty penny. Disneyland visitors who book a VIP guided tour can add Oogie Boogie Bash tickets for $300 per person. This fee is in addition to the VIP tour fee, which starts at $3000 for a seven-hour tour. Call (714) 300-7710 for more information."

 

[Betsy82]

Finally home and able to write a little more about our Bash experience.

We got there at 3 for mix-in and browsed the stores where we were told the spirit jerseys would not come out until 6pm.

We rode Incredicoaster, shopped a little, ate dinner and waited around for the party to start over in Hollywoodland. We hit the three treat trails there and were done by 630, when we started looking for the spirit jerseys at the NBC shop and Buena Vista Street. No luck so off we went to look for Rescue Rangers. We found TailSpin, waited in line about 15 minutes and then got back into line for Rescue Rangers. When we were done there we hit Incredicoaster again because we assumed it would close for WoC and my son really wanted to ride it in the dark. I asked, though, and was told it would not close during the parties.

We walked, very quickly, to find a parade spot after that. We got lucky and found a perfect spot behind a bench in Hollywoodland. We sat, and ate some goodies!, while we waited for the parade to catch up to us and stood once it did with plenty of room.

We decided to hit Oogie’s trail one more time while we were over there because he was really cool. After that we hit the Maleficent trail (crazy line!). Headed to Villains Grove which the line was insane for but we waited through it. Neither of us were impressed. Rode Grizzly River Run back to back to back (didn’t have to get off), hit the store where I found my spirit jersey and then we went through Evil Queen’s treat trail. After that we went back to Incredicoaster where we rode 3 more times in a row. It was around 1020 by this point. I asked my son if he wanted to watch WoC and he said yes so we found a spot. After about 5 minutes he said think it’s on YouTube? I said yep and he said then let’s go.
We hit the Bakery Treat Trail, Fillmore’s Treat Trail, Racer’s Treat Trail and walked onto RSR.
After that we assumed we’d be out of time but made it on Mater’s Graveyard Jamboree too.

Bathroom stop and we started to leave the park where they were giving more treats on Buena Vista Street. Grabbed a photo with the Oogie Boogie Bash setup by the exit and went back to the hotel to organize our goodies and watch Villainous on YouTube. He was glad we didn’t stay and watch it!

We loved it. Had we known more we’d of skipped Villain’s Grove and waited in the character villain line instead, but characters weren't his priority and my only request was Rescue Rangers which I got to meet so I was happy.

We paid $100 for our Thursday night with discounted tickets and I don’t regret it at all. We had a lot of fun!

 

[carolinainmymind]

Thank you for all who reported from the previous parties !!! It was super helpful in planning !!! We attended the Sunday 22 September party and here are a few of our notes and I'll try to address some of the questions I've seen pop up in the thread ...

Entry - we were staying at the Grand Californian Villas so we entered through that gate. It was a Sunday night party and they let us enter around 130pm. Pretty relaxed, no line. In within minutes Didn’t ask for room cards. We didn't get our bands with entry though we had to go over to Blue Sky Cellar for that. Line there was a bit longer but moved quickly, under 5-minutes to get everything we needed. We were then asked to show our bands later in the night just after 6pm (we were asked A LOT by many different cast members).

Dining Package - We did the parade package at Wine Trattoria. It is best described as a ‘hot mess’. We have some medical issues so that’s why we reserved. I called the dining line when we reserved to understand what the package was all about. Originally we had a 245pm reservation that we moved to 305pm because I was told only “dinner” reservations would be considered for the parade so we adjusted. I called again after the first party to ensure our reservation was noted as a parade package. We arrived early on the Friday before the Sunday party and specifically went to DCA to stop at the wine country podium to understand the details of the package. Each time we chatted with a cast member we received a different recount of how the package would work. And when we finally showed up Sunday - still another version. So I would say, they are very much a work in progress for the dining package. I’ll tell you how it actually worked for us but I would not be surprised if it changes with every party.

We arrived at 130pm and went straight to check in at wine country. At the podium we were told there was no reason to check in early. The reserved parade space had been moved from the terrace to the area surrounding Blue Sky Cellar. We could eat now or at our 305pm reservation time and would eat and then we’d need to check back in at Blue Sky Cellar between 730-745 for the popcorn bucket and parade. We debated dropping the package but kept it bc we have gluten-free diner with a medical issue and we had not eaten a major meal yet that day, so... Menu seemed like the standard menu but in 3-course format. We stuck with it, ate straight away. Maybe a 5 minute wait for a table. Food was decent but pretty sure they served my gluten free diner a gluten filled side of pasta. Made for a rough post dinner. Not super thrilled with the change, we booked early, showed up early and preferred seats....it’s why we booked. That said, the staff was accommodating and the manager helped us find a decent location to stand for the parade. Glad we chose to eat straight away, the dining package is apparently quite popular. At about 330pm, as we ate, the line to check in extended 20-30 people deep and down the wine country ramp. The manager said for the first 2 parties, they planned for 100 and about 500 showed up...hence the viewing area change. If we could do it again, we probably would have done a nice brunch / early lunch and skipped the package, but it ended up working out. With the Oogie Boogie popcorn buckets, it really wasn’t an awful price/option. One frustrating part, we realized the Wine Country Trattoria tables were occupied during the parade by folks who walked up and snagged them without a dining reservation! Many were angry. Pretty much if you grab quick serve and walk up to Wine Country after they are done seating for the night so between 6-7...some of the tables are up for grabs. Seems like a missed opportunity for Disney and why we say, it was a 'hot mess' but we were honestly tired of thinking about it. For us, we ate and were done before 4pm so ready to hit the party at a decent time = win. Oh, they did apply DVC discount for the package. And, I did grab a picture of the kids menu so I've attached to this post.

Crowds - Felt crowded at mix-in time. Seems like the park was slow to clear on a Sunday and many party goers showed up early. After 6pm pretty decent but there were bottlenecks in key areas - Grizzly Peak.

MaxPass - We were able to use MaxPass until they ran out (by about 5pm) with the party tickets after that no MaxPasses during the party.

Disability Pass - This did work during the party but after Mix-in hours we didn’t need it.

PhotoPass - Came with the party but we only found 1 photographer throughout the night That might be because we entered through Grand Californian.

Characters - Lines were long, much longer than the rides. We opted not to wait in these.

Rides - After 6pm the ride times were minimal, the longest for us was Guardians at 15 minutes. Everything else was walk-on. We did miss Grizzly River Run, it seemed to close sometime after the parade. And we also found Soarin closed by 1030 pm which seemed early since the party ran till 11pm. Incredicoaster was down briefly just before 6pm but then back up. We also got stuck for 20 minutes on Toy Story. We fit in 7-8 rides.

Treat trails - Opened right at 6pm. Lines were longest pre-parade and then dwindled as the night progressed. We did all 5 immersions trails. Even long lines moved fast. Lots of candy including caramel M&Ms (yum). We really enjoyed interaction with Mad Hatter and Dr. Facilier.

Villains Grove - Opened a little after 6pm. Moderate line at open, and grew steadily until after the first showing of Villanious!. The line was huge after first Villanious! let out. I would avoid that whole area post show. It was about 15-minute wait when we went through at 1030pm. If you are a Disney party person - this is worth doing because it's different than anything we've seen at a party. It along with the immersive treat trails were my favorites for the evening. If you have littles, it is dark (easy to trip) and there are lots of beautiful but eerie lights but there are no 'jump' scares or anything super frightening, so definitely Disney-friendly. You cannot do the trail with a stroller, however. We saw many people with strollers turned around. Late night, sleeping kiddo(s) who were denied stroller entry made for some unhappy party goers . We were stroller-free and kind of loved that it was without strollers but do understand the frustration.

Villanious! - No idea. We saw the end of both shows from our balcony in the room. We ended up dropping candy bags and Oogie Boogie popcorn buckets in the room which is how we saw the end of the first show and from the reviews opted to not even try for the second ...used the time for Villians Grove then headed out.

Parade - I should preface this note with the fact that I LOVE the Halloween parade. We used to go to MNSSHP every year when we lived on the east coast. We moved West in 2017 and went to the combined Disneyland / DCA party that year. Last year we missed them all so I made a point to make it this year. ... I did NOT enjoy the parade in DCA. I really really really wanted to. Maybe it was the drama with the dining package, maybe they are still working out the kinks in DCA, maybe it’s the length of the parade route but it just didn’t have it. It moved quickly, music was repetitive...it was missing something. It was super hot the Sunday we went so maybe that played a part too. We watched from outside Wine Country. You can get a spot without reserved viewing area but I'd set up your spot by 740pm latest. Headless Horseman rode at 8pm for an 810pm parade start time and the Cheshire Cat rolled by Wine Country at 830pm.

Music - Someone said it on this thread but for me this was the worst party of the evening. There is a hour long playlist that repeats through the night. You can actually tell time by it. ‘Very Superstitious’ plays at quarter past every hour. The playlist was driving me bonkers by the 3rd hour.

Ambiance - We loved the lighting and the fog. Very cool. We also really liked the area outside Carthay Circle. That said, we arrived Sunday and came to the parks early. We felt a bit more in the 'Halloween spirit' Friday at the park rather than at the actual party.

Costumes - Half of our party dressed up. My youngest was Sorcerer Mickey and had a blast with it ...loved interacting with the cast members. We did see some strange and inappropriate costumes for the park though. We saw at least 2 people dresses as characters from ‘It’. I was surprised- that kind of costume would have been banned at MNSSHP!

Food - There is so much food! We tried the Vampire ice cream bars, pumpkin spice churros, slow burnin mac n cheese, Carthay circle appletini, did the Carthay circle dining package Friday, and Wine Country Trattoria Sunday for the party. We did Disneyland Saturday and only got to try the Haunted Mansion Mint Julep and the River Belle Terrace lunch package. Our favorites were the pumpkin spice churros, Haunted Mansion Mint Julep, and and the glowy poison apple Appletini. One note on food, for the Sunday party we found quite a few food vendors and restaurants were closed in the last hour of the party. This was a bummer for us because we did late lunch/early dinner and were hoping to grab a late party snack. If you want something grab it before 10pm! OK one more note on food - mobile ordering is AWESOME!

Merchandise - My children spent their souvenir budget in Galaxy's Edge the day prior so we didn’t pick up many Oogie Boogie goodies. Party specific merchandise did come out around 6pm, they were checking bands to purchase.

Overall - Trip highlights for us actually happened outside the party - we loved non-party things like the new cabanas at GCV and parts of Galaxy’s Edge. Sadly we weren’t very impressed with this year’s party. The immersive treat trails, low wait times for rides, and Villians Grove were great - hopefully DCA builds on those for future parties

Let me know if I can answer any specific questions for anyone.

 

[Malcon10t]

According to MP's DLR Update today:
" ...there is still a way to get tickets to the sold-out affair, but it will cost a pretty penny. Disneyland visitors who book a VIP guided tour can add Oogie Boogie Bash tickets for $300 per person. This fee is in addition to the VIP tour fee, which starts at $3000 for a seven-hour tour. Call (714) 300-7710 for more information."

For the $300, there is also a meal involved (QS). And seating to both WOC and the parade. And I think it includes 4 extra hours tour time during the Bash.

 

[midnight star]

Do they sell the merchandise all night long? And if so do the lines for them wind down some? I'm mostly interested in the oogie boogie sipper and the ears. But I want to put a lot of time towards the characters, parade, villains grove, and WOC. I don't want to spend too much time in a merch line.

 

[AndrewC]

For the $300, there is also a meal involved (QS). And seating to both WOC and the parade. And I think it includes 4 extra hours tour time during the Bash.

Ugh, I wish I could afford that. I would drop $300 in an instant for seating at WOC and the Parade and nothing else attached. Take our money Disney. There are plenty of people that don’t want to queue 45 minutes before a show or parade and would be willing to pay for a prime location and seats!

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Ugh, I wish I could afford that. I would drop $300 in an instant for seating at WOC and the Parade and nothing else attached. Take our money Disney. There are plenty of people that don’t want to queue 45 minutes before a show or parade and would be willing to pay for a prime location and seats!

People are reporting here that they have waited for about 15 minutes for very good parade viewing (farther away from the starting point) and basically walked up to WOC viewing for the second show. No one has reported that they needed to wait for 45 or more minutes for the parade or WOC at OBB -- if they waited that long, it was because they wanted to, not because they had to.
But, yes, having that kind of money to spend on the party would be a very fun luxury!

 

[disneycat321]

Finally home and able to write a little more about our Bash experience.

We got there at 3 for mix-in and browsed the stores where we were told the spirit jerseys would not come out until 6pm.

We rode Incredicoaster, shopped a little, ate dinner and waited around for the party to start over in Hollywoodland. We hit the three treat trails there and were done by 630, when we started looking for the spirit jerseys at the NBC shop and Buena Vista Street. No luck so off we went to look for Rescue Rangers. We found TailSpin, waited in line about 15 minutes and then got back into line for Rescue Rangers. When we were done there we hit Incredicoaster again because we assumed it would close for WoC and my son really wanted to ride it in the dark. I asked, though, and was told it would not close during the parties.

We walked, very quickly, to find a parade spot after that. We got lucky and found a perfect spot behind a bench in Hollywoodland. We sat, and ate some goodies!, while we waited for the parade to catch up to us and stood once it did with plenty of room.

We decided to hit Oogie’s trail one more time while we were over there because he was really cool. After that we hit the Maleficent trail (crazy line!). Headed to Villains Grove which the line was insane for but we waited through it. Neither of us were impressed. Rode Grizzly River Run back to back to back (didn’t have to get off), hit the store where I found my spirit jersey and then we went through Evil Queen’s treat trail. After that we went back to Incredicoaster where we rode 3 more times in a row. It was around 1020 by this point. I asked my son if he wanted to watch WoC and he said yes so we found a spot. After about 5 minutes he said think it’s on YouTube? I said yep and he said then let’s go.
We hit the Bakery Treat Trail, Fillmore’s Treat Trail, Racer’s Treat Trail and walked onto RSR.
After that we assumed we’d be out of time but made it on Mater’s Graveyard Jamboree too.

Bathroom stop and we started to leave the park where they were giving more treats on Buena Vista Street. Grabbed a photo with the Oogie Boogie Bash setup by the exit and went back to the hotel to organize our goodies and watch Villainous on YouTube. He was glad we didn’t stay and watch it!

We loved it. Had we known more we’d of skipped Villain’s Grove and waited in the character villain line instead, but characters weren't his priority and my only request was Rescue Rangers which I got to meet so I was happy.

We paid $100 for our Thursday night with discounted tickets and I don’t regret it at all. We had a lot of fun!

Thank you for your report! We’re not really into character meets, but when I saw that there’s a Rescue Rangers meet.... we’re definitely doing that one!!!

 

[Cocoa55]

Some questions about characters at the party :

• Can anyone who went to the party on Sunday, Sep. 22 or is going tonight, Tuesday, Sep. 24, confirm if kinks from earlier parties have been worked out yet (i.e. characters coming out well after 6pm)?
• Did you see any lines forming before 6pm?
• Did any lines close or were cut-off before 11pm?
• Which character lines were over 15-30 minutes? (I’ve heard Kingdom Hearts averages 2 hours and the villains average 1 hour. Have you found this to be accurate?)

 

[dina444444]

Some questions about characters at the party :

• Can anyone who went to the party on Sunday, Sep. 22 or is going tonight, Tuesday, Sep. 24, confirm if kinks from earlier parties have been worked out yet (i.e. characters coming out well after 6pm)?
• Did you see any lines forming before 6pm?
• Did any lines close or were cut-off before 11pm?
• Which character lines were over 15-30 minutes? (I’ve heard Kingdom Hearts averages 2 hours and the villains average 1 hour. Have you found this to be accurate?)

Kingdom hearts had its line form before the party started. I don’t know what time it started but 2 of my friends were at the front of the line on Sunday.

 

[AndrewC]

People are reporting here that they have waited for about 15 minutes for very good parade viewing (farther away from the starting point) and basically walked up to WOC viewing for the second show. No one has reported that they needed to wait for 45 or more minutes for the parade or WOC at OBB -- if they waited that long, it was because they wanted to, not because they had to.
But, yes, having that kind of money to spend on the party would be a very fun luxury!

Interesting. I'm used to WOC being absolutely packed about 30 minutes before the show which is why I always do the dessert party.

 

[midnight star]

This popped up after scanning in for oogie boogie bash. I thought special event tickets can’t be used towards pass down payments? If they are now, if you are interested in getting a pass, this could be a new option for down payments

 

[carolinainmymind]

Some questions about characters at the party :

• Can anyone who went to the party on Sunday, Sep. 22 or is going tonight, Tuesday, Sep. 24, confirm if kinks from earlier parties have been worked out yet (i.e. characters coming out well after 6pm)?
• Did you see any lines forming before 6pm?
• Did any lines close or were cut-off before 11pm?
• Which character lines were over 15-30 minutes? (I’ve heard Kingdom Hearts averages 2 hours and the villains average 1 hour. Have you found this to be accurate?)

Not sure about all kinks but...
Characters seemed to be out right around 6pm
Yes, lines did form before 6pm
Lines were still going when we walked out of the park at 1045pm, I'm not sure if they cut the line at one point but they weren't turning people away at 1045pm
Almost all of the lines we saw were over 15-minutes, character lines were longer than most ride lines; Villians and Minnie/Mickey seemed very popular