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

[azdisneylover]

A few questions before the party of thursday
1. I noticed on sunday quiet a few people obiously going to the party visiting Disneyland in costume, is this common? Have other people notice it on the weekdays? Thinking of popping over for some characters since i have a pass
2. I heard at disneyland villains dance party the villains are different on party days, can anyone confirm this or if they're the same every night?
3. Any creative suggestions on what to do with unwanted candy as i'll be overseas for halloween?

How about donating it to a place you usually go or you support? (Doctor's office, dentist, favorite coffee shop, police station, fire station, etc).

 

[Love Tink]

How about donating it to a place you usually go or you support? (Doctor's office, dentist, favorite coffee shop, police station, fire station, etc).

Dentist?

 

[azdisneylover]

Dentist?

Yes,
because you know they will brush, floss, etc after eating any treat.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

...
3. Any creative suggestions on what to do with unwanted candy as i'll be overseas for halloween?

Ask around to see if any neighbors, friends, colleagues, etc. will be hosting/volunteering at any community/school/church/non-profit/etc. events that need candy. Our neighbor works for a non-profit that hosts a Halloween party for kids every year and they love the candy that Mickey Mouse donates to them! Your local police station might take it or know where it could be donated. Your local domestic abuse shelter or family shelter might appreciate it, too. Kids in those situations don't usually place trick-or-treating high on the priority list, so the candy might be a welcome special treat.

 

[midnight star]

Dentist?

I volunteered at a dentist office in high school, and the staff had probably the biggest candy stash I’ve ever seen LOL. So I’m sure if they don’t give it to patients, they’ll keep it for themselves.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Heads up for anyone going to Thursday's OBB: the forecast is predicting very warm weather, even into the evening. So be prepared! Stay hydrated, know where you can find a/c, and adjust your costumes if needed. Have fun!

 

[Twinkling]

Okay! So here's my wrap-up from last Sunday's party (20th) for anyone interested I really feel like the fact that there were two WOC shows and 2 parades helped out SO much in allowing me get as much done as I did!

Treat Trails: We were only interested in the treat trails with the characters, so we skipped all the others and we still came away with tons of candy. The characters were awesome, I loved their interactions and the theming was great! Oogie Boogie was basically a walk-on, and I think the longest line we waited for was Maleficent, but even that still felt like we got in and out of there super quick. We did all of the trails first before anything else.

Characters: This was my main focus for the night, and I was NOT disappointed! I'll try to break it down:

Pinocchio and Blue Fairy: One of the longer lines at about 15 minutes. These were two characters on my MUST-SEE list, and we managed to snag them in the first hour of the party!
Don Karnage and Baloo: Absolutely NO ONE in line for this guy. Maybe three or four groups in front of us, and it turned out we managed to see him right before Baloo came out so we just waited in line again until he came out.
Sheriff of Nottingham, Prince John, Frollo, General Ratcliffe: They only had 2 characters out at a time for this section which was kind of a bummer. We saw the Robin Hood characters first, and then doubled back an hour or so later for the other two. I had really hoped to see Shan Yu, but he was out for that night unfortunately. But the cast members were all very knowledgeable about who was coming out and when, and I did get an awesome photo with Ratcliffe, which was also high on my list, so I can't complain too much!
Kingdom Hearts Donald: We found him totally by accident! And once again, NO ONE in line! We were shocked! Even though we really wanted photos with these guys, we had written off waiting in line due to the 2+ hour wait time rumors, but apparently because of the altered parade route, they had moved the photo spot to the back of the park which I guess meant no one knew where to find them. Crazy though, since there was still a big backdrop, and only one person in line in front of us. A few more people joined in after Donald came out, but nowhere near anything longer than 15 minutes.
Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable: So these guys were moved to where the Kingdom Hearts spot usually is, and even then there was still barely anyone in line. I guess no one wanted character photos that night?? But seriously, these 2 were SO cute and fun, I'm so happy we got a photo with them!

Parade: We ended up catching the second showtime and it was super easy to find seating across from the Little Mermaid ride. I've never seen the parade before or the Headless Horseman, so I absolutely LOVED it! I only wish it was longer!

Villain's Grove: We practically ran to Villain's Grove directly after the parade, but the line was still crazy long. We thought it'd be an hour wait at least, but once we got in it actually move surprisingly fast. One of our group member's left to go get a churro, and we were already at the front before he even came back! I think they were really rushing people to get everyone in though, since we weren't really allowed to stop too much for photos or video which sort of killed the mood. I admit, I thought Villain's Grove was going to be more of a photo-op thing with props and Instagram-type setups, so I was a little disappointed it was mostly just lights, but even so, it was still very beautiful and I'm happy I did it.

Rides: My downfall. Since we were primarily focused on characters and unique party experiences, we only did one ride which was Goofy's Sky School which had a 5 minute wait. Usually I love this ride, but I got a horrible whip-lash on the first drop which left me feeling nauseous the rest of the night.

World of Color: We caught the 10:45 show and though it was a little crowded, it was till fairly easy to find a spot up front (compared to how it can be for others shows on a normal Disney night). Unfortunately we only got halfway through before we had to leave since my head was hurting too much from the previously mentioned whiplash, but from what I saw of the show I can see why there's mixed reactions to it. Personally, I didn't care for it too much, but my husband thought it was cute and unique.

I think that's just about everything! We didn't stop to shop and we grabbed some corndogs during the parade, so we were really booking it from one place to the next which I think added to the excitement! Aside from the party, we also got photos with all of the Haunted Mansion character Friday and Saturday, so that was an extra win!

 

[smitty0705]

Every party ticket includes the photos. The photographers give out the little plastic PhotoPass cards. It’s a nice perk!

Just to mention: we learned that the PhotoPass benefit starts at party entrance time (2:00 or 3:00) regardless of whether you have used your party ticket by that time. We met Maleficent at DL at about 3:05 and those photos are available to us. If I had known, we would have gotten more photos at DL before we headed over.

Thank you! It did include the PhotoPass photos, but I was a bit bummed that it didn’t include the ride photos. We rode RSR and GOTG and wish those had been included too!

The party pins are available at different shops. They are usually held at the registers, behind the counters. Sometimes they are on display in the cases by the registers -- just ask if you don't see them. They have been sold at Elias & Co., Julius Katz, Off the Page, Rushin' River Outfitters, etc. The merchandise can be moved around, so if you don't see what you want, ask CMs.

Thank you! Managed to find the 2 pins we wanted.

 

[twodogs]

Thank you! It did include the PhotoPass photos, but I was a bit bummed that it didn’t include the ride photos. We rode RSR and GOTG and wish those had been included too!



Thank you! Managed to find the 2 pins we wanted.

Did you enter the numbers from the ride photos into the app? Those do not automatically go into the app but I thought they worked for us during the party (ie I put in the number and the photo came into the app). But we had day tickets that day too with MP so maybe that was why?

 

[Twinkling]

Did you enter the numbers from the ride photos into the app? Those do not automatically go into the app but I thought they worked for us during the party (ie I put in the number and the photo came into the app). But we had day tickets that day too with MP so maybe that was why?

The party PhotoPass worked for our ride photos We didn't have MaxPass or actual tickets for California, but the PhotoPass started working as soon as we checked in at 2PM for the party.

 

[smitty0705]

Did you enter the numbers from the ride photos into the app? Those do not automatically go into the app but I thought they worked for us during the party (ie I put in the number and the photo came into the app). But we had day tickets that day too with MP so maybe that was why?

We didn’t have day tickets. The photos are in the app but with the white PhotoPass writing all across them.

The party PhotoPass worked for our ride photos We didn't have MaxPass or actual tickets for California, but the PhotoPass started working as soon as we checked in at 2PM for the party.

Strange, I wonder why ours didn’t work? I spoke to a cast member at the party who confirmed that the ride photos weren’t included. Maybe we got unlucky or you were lucky!

 

[GenGen22]

We went to the party on the 17th. We arrived later than planned at 3pm and there were very long lines so, we decided to enter through the GCH which was a great idea. The line was about 3 people so, not bad at all. We received our wrist bands and treat bagels right there. It was a very smooth process and I highly suggest it for anyone running late.

We did all of the interactive treat trails and a second time later in the evening with a much shorter line. They started out giving just a few pieces of candy and toward the end handed out handfuls of candy. My tote bag was full. Healthy treats this year were a little different. They handed out grapes which were washed and ready to eat, multi colored gold fish, sun chips, apple sauce pouch which were all new. No cheese it's this year or kettle chips. We also received gold fish Graham crackers, apples and carrots. They had some new candy like life savers gummies, snickers crispers which we loved, also malted milk balls to name a few.

We met with Pinocchio and the blue fairy and they like was about 15-20 minutes. Also we met Ferb from Finus and Ferb and Kim stopable and Ron Possiable both of these had no line at all.

I wasn't a big fan of Villans grove. They should have had treat trails or something like the Villans interacting in there but it was just a spooky walk through with a huge line. I followed advice and went here right after the parade but so did everyone else. The line did move very fast though.

We got a great parade spot about 30 minutes beforehand between the golden zepher and the little mermaid. And it wasn't too crowded which was great.

We went to the 2nd WOC and showed up like 30 minutes before and there were tons of selections where to sit. We loved this show. We're not fans of the holiday WOC so, we were surprised we liked this one.

We didn't ride many rides as we were mainly focused on party specific things. We saw mermaid running and I Al's ok noticed incredicoaster was running even during WOC.

We were able to get the OBB spirit jersey but they only had small and medium sizes for those and the zip up hoodie which I wanted and they didn't have my size. My daughter also got the OBB ears and I got 2 pins one AP and one regular one. They managed this well. We got to the store about 5:45 and if you were in the store you were to stay at the other side of where the OBB merch was. We lined up and they closed the doors to the store and let us go and look at the merch when they were done setting it up at 6pm. Others had a line outside the door and they checked every one in line to see if they had a wristband before allowing them to purchase anything. This was a much better process from what I previously read. Stores that sold the merch were Hollywood land, Elias &, Co and the store near GRR which is the store we went to.

All in all we liked it. I felt like it was more spread out and you could get more done. There were a ton of people at this party but it was so spread out that it worked out well.

Things i missed from last year were the live scarecrows, cadaver Dan's and the toon town pre-party which i really think they should add a pre-party if they keep it here next year.

 

[GenGen22]

I also wanted to mention on the non-party night we got to see halloween screams which was grossly over crowded. So if you want to see this plan accordingly. We saw it on Saturday the 18th. I also got pictures with the hitchhiking ghosts they came out at around 5pm we waited about 30 minutes in line which wasn't bad. This was also on Saturday. They were to be there the rest of the evening. Earlier they had the tight rope walker but we got pics with her last year so, we didn't need to wait for that one again.

We tried the pumpkin fudge and it was grossly sweet. We didn't really try any other holiday specific treats.

 

[spokanemom]

Please confirm that I can cancel my WCT Reservation for 10/31 (for the parade area vouchers). The parade will have enough room that we don't need to stake out a spot way ahead of time, correct?

Thanks!

 

[GenGen22]

Please confirm that I can cancel my WCT Reservation for 10/31 (for the parade area vouchers). The parade will have enough room that we don't need to stake out a spot way ahead of time, correct?

Thanks!

I dont see any reason to need a reservation. There is plenty of seating.

 

[pharmama]

I agree. No need to do that parade dining package.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Any updates from the recent parties? This thread has been unusually quiet lately!

 

[smitty0705]

Please confirm that I can cancel my WCT Reservation for 10/31 (for the parade area vouchers). The parade will have enough room that we don't need to stake out a spot way ahead of time, correct?

Thanks!

On 10/22 there was a ton of space to see WOC. We went to the first show and I was shocked that we could just walk up minutes before the show started and stand very close.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Please confirm that I can cancel my WCT Reservation for 10/31 (for the parade area vouchers). The parade will have enough room that we don't need to stake out a spot way ahead of time, correct?

Thanks!

As we keep saying, the DCA parade route is almost a mile long from start to finish. That is a lot of viewing spots! The curb spots/front row spots are seated on the ground. The second row for much of the route is also seated, but some places are standing -- so you can see whether you sit or stand in the second row if the first row is seated on the ground in front of you. There are benches in certain spots along the route. You can sit on those if you find spots early enough or stand behind them for good viewing. The Dining Package for the parade is no longer seated -- from what I've read, the package viewing is standing. You could sit on the curb or on a bench for free.

ETA: On 10/27, there were benches available on Hollywood Blvd. before 7:00 pm. By 7:30, it looked like the benches were taken, but there was still curb seating open. There was plenty of second row seating/standing available. The Carthay Circle area was crowded, but that area is small. Following the parade route toward Paradise Gardens, there was still curb seating in some spots at 7:30 and more second row seating all along the route. There were a few tables available at the Sonoma Terrace. The Dining Package area looked crowded -- there were no chairs. At 7:45, there was still second row seating open by Little Mermaid. Third row seating was open 5 minutes before the Headless Horseman went by. Good viewing for the parade was not a problem, even 10-15 minutes before showtime.

 

[smartlabelprint]

Are there any must have limited time treats? We’ll be in park 10/31.