HalloweenTime at DLR Info and Photo Superthread #3

[WestMom2two]

63 for me!!!

59 day's for us! And our two kids have no idea!!! Wait my ticker is off...

 

[tlovesdis]

59 day's for us! And our two kids have no idea!!! Wait my ticker is off...

Ooooo a surprise trip!!! I love it!!!!

 

[Shadowcat70]

I couldn't find if this had been asked or not, but how 'available" are the lockers for those with party tickets that are coming the allowed 3 hours early? I would guess a lot of lockers would open up about the time non-ticketed guests would be leaving the park, but what about around 4pm?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Sherry E]

I said it last week. I'll say it again. I am so over August and Summer and ready for some Halloween Time fun! And in 23 days I will have that fun at DL!

​

Today I was just mentioning in the Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread that I am so ready to start seeing real signs of Halloween and Fall -- not just the bags of candy and little knick knacks that have already arrived at the store a bit too early, but actual decorations... Pumpkins, harvest wreaths, ghosts, witches, scarecrows, spider webs, cheesy black cat window decals, etc. I love it all. I can't wait for the Halloween TV specials, too.

​

Does anyone here do anything else for the Halloween season other than Disney trips and trick or treating on Halloween night? Corn mazes? Pumpkin patches? Haunted houses (like the actual scary kind, not like the Disney kind)? Haunted hayrides? Universal Studios or Knott's?? (The Universal Studios Halloween event is extremely, massively popular.)

I was mentioning a while back in this thread that there was this haunted boat ride that set sail out of Newport Beach. It began 2 years ago, as I recall. I thought for sure it was a huge success -- in fact, it was even featured on one of those Travel Channel shows about Halloween (like "Halloween Crazy" or "Halloween's Most Extreme"). The whole idea of being out on the water, with nowhere to run away, and crazed zombies and machete-wielding maniacs chasing you around the ship, sounded to me like it would have been a huge hit in the 'haunt community.' (Not my cup of tea, but there are lots of people who truly like to be scared at these Halloween events.)

However, when I tried to find the Newport Beach "Ghost Ship" online, I saw no evidence of it running last year at all. In fact, all I found were very bad reviews of it from its 2011 maiden voyage. So I am guessing the haunted cruise was put to rest after only one year?

In any case, I just had to chuckle about that because other Halloween events (like the mazes and hayrides and horror houses, etc.) are immensely popular. Halloween parades -- wherever they are held -- are very popular. Even your average "Harvest Festival" will be popular.

But I guess that the Ghost Ship/Haunted Cruise idea just wasn't one of those things that caught on. It was a good idea, I think, but it just didn't work.

The Queen Mary in Long Beach has a popular Halloween event every year, but that ship doesn't go anywhere!

 

[Sherry E]

I couldn't find if this had been asked or not, but how 'available" are the lockers for those with party tickets that are coming the allowed 3 hours early? I would guess a lot of lockers would open up about the time non-ticketed guests would be leaving the park, but what about around 4pm?

Thanks in advance.

Shadowcat70 --

I've heard mixed stories that indicate both that the available lockers are plentiful, and also that they get snapped up very quickly. So I'm not sure which is true, as I have not used a locker during the party.

I would think that you have the right idea, though. There are probably quite a few lockers that open up right when the MHP is about to start and the non-party guests leave.

It's entirely possible that some people will leave Disneyland at 3 p.m. or 4 p.m. and not stick around for the overlap, if they are worried about crowds or whatever. So I probably would check the lockers right after that 4 p.m. time because I would bet that someone will leave.

 

[figment_jii]

I concur with Sherry E that it could easily go either way. My guess is that the smaller lockers are more likely to be available; just because there are more of them. Some of the folks with lockers may be leaving before the party starts, but unless they remember to release their locker, it'll stay "bought" for the whole day. The keyless entry system means that folks don't have financial incentive to release the locker when they leave early (i.e., the rates aren't pro-rated and there is no key deposit to get back). So if folks don't release the locker, it'll stay booked until the end of the night.

I think the lockers outside the main entrance to Disneyland are more likely to be available than the ones on Main Street. They aren't as convenient, but it's something to keep in mind.

Does anyone here do anything else for the Halloween season other than Disney trips and trick or treating on Halloween night? Corn mazes? Pumpkin patches? Haunted houses (like the actual scary kind, not like the Disney kind)? Haunted hayrides? Universal Studios or Knott's?? (The Universal Studios Halloween event is extremely, massively popular.)

Nope, I'm strictly Disney-focused! (Unless you count the taking kids trick-or-treating and a neighborhood Halloween BBQ.) The party at Universal (assuming it's like the one in Orlando) would give me nightmares for the rest of my life. Disney...family friendly...that's my level.

 

[Lucrezia]

I said it last week. I'll say it again. I am so over August and Summer and ready for some Halloween Time fun! And in 23 days I will have that fun at DL!

​

Today I was just mentioning in the Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread that I am so ready to start seeing real signs of Halloween and Fall -- not just the bags of candy and little knick knacks that have already arrived at the store a bit too early, but actual decorations... Pumpkins, harvest wreaths, ghosts, witches, scarecrows, spider webs, cheesy black cat window decals, etc. I love it all. I can't wait for the Halloween TV specials, too.

​

Does anyone here do anything else for the Halloween season other than Disney trips and trick or treating on Halloween night? Corn mazes? Pumpkin patches? Haunted houses (like the actual scary kind, not like the Disney kind)? Haunted hayrides? Universal Studios or Knott's?? (The Universal Studios Halloween event is extremely, massively popular.)

I was mentioning a while back in this thread that there was this haunted boat ride that set sail out of Newport Beach. It began 2 years ago, as I recall. I thought for sure it was a huge success -- in fact, it was even featured on one of those Travel Channel shows about Halloween (like "Halloween Crazy" or "Halloween's Most Extreme"). The whole idea of being out on the water, with nowhere to run away, and crazed zombies and machete-wielding maniacs chasing you around the ship, sounded to me like it would have been a huge hit in the 'haunt community.' (Not my cup of tea, but there are lots of people who truly like to be scared at these Halloween events.)

However, when I tried to find the Newport Beach "Ghost Ship" online, I saw no evidence of it running last year at all. In fact, all I found were very bad reviews of it from its 2011 maiden voyage. So I am guessing the haunted cruise was put to rest after only one year?

In any case, I just had to chuckle about that because other Halloween events (like the mazes and hayrides and horror houses, etc.) are immensely popular. Halloween parades -- wherever they are held -- are very popular. Even your average "Harvest Festival" will be popular.

But I guess that the Ghost Ship/Haunted Cruise idea just wasn't one of those things that caught on. It was a good idea, I think, but it just didn't work.

The Queen Mary in Long Beach has a popular Halloween event every year, but that ship doesn't go anywhere!

Oh, I am with you about fall. Summer is my least favorite season. And yes, I for one do lots of other stuff to celebrate the holidays. My DF and I have a bunch of great pumpkin patches we like to go to, with his teenaged sister and my nieces. There's cheeses and ice cream to sample... and a (tiny) hay maze... pick-your-own potatoes and pumpkins... really fun! Haunted houses have never been my thing, though. I love scary movies, but being legitimately scared by costumed people is just too much for me. Another tradition of ours is to watch Halloween specials and movies (of course!). NBC tops that list, so I'm very excited to see HMH for the first time!! (Though the Charlie Brown special is a close second...) Ugh, sorry to everyone this is so I do love fantasizing about the holidays during boring, horrible, HOT summers... Its the only thing that gets me through!

 

[Sherry E]

Oh, I am with you about fall. Summer is my least favorite season. And yes, I for one do lots of other stuff to celebrate the holidays. My DF and I have a bunch of great pumpkin patches we like to go to, with his teenaged sister and my nieces. There's cheeses and ice cream to sample... and a (tiny) hay maze... pick-your-own potatoes and pumpkins... really fun! Haunted houses have never been my thing, though. I love scary movies, but being legitimately scared by costumed people is just too much for me. Another tradition of ours is to watch Halloween specials and movies (of course!). NBC tops that list, so I'm very excited to see HMH for the first time!! (Though the Charlie Brown special is a close second...) Ugh, sorry to everyone this is so I do love fantasizing about the holidays during boring, horrible, HOT summers... Its the only thing that gets me through!

Lucrezia --

Same here! August -- even when it is fairly mild for August around here -- is still just one big heat-filled month to me. I can't wait until it's over and we get to the Fall!

It sounds like you do some fun things for the season! I would love to have a great pumpkin patch in my area -- but in the middle of Los Angeles you don't find a lot of really good ones, like the kind that are located in vast fields somewhere. Around here you usually find the pumpkin lots -- parking lots that have been emptied out and filled with pumpkins.

I love "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charllie Brown"!!! I love any and all TV shows about Halloween on the Travel Channel, HGTV and Food Network.

I totally agree with you (and figment_jii) -- I have no desire to be chased around by costumed, hatchet-wielding maniacs or trapped in a torture chamber with crazed people getting in my face. That is not my thing at all -- but Universal Studios rakes in the dough when Halloween Time rolls around because people love that extreme horror stuff!

I don't mind if you go off-topic -- it's still within the topic of Halloween/Fall season in general, and I was the one who asked the question of what everyone does! Also, it is possible that some people who travel out here to visit DLR for Halloween Time will do other things while they're in town, and they may have some other Halloween-ish plans in mind!

 

[pudinhd]

Lucrezia --
I love "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charllie Brown"!!! I love any and all TV shows about Halloween on the Travel Channel, HGTV and Food Network.

I love, love, love "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charllie Brown"!! Also "A Charlie Brown Christmas"!! I own them both, but have to DVR them every year when they are on TV!

 

[Pinup Mommy]

I said it last week. I'll say it again. I am so over August and Summer and ready for some Halloween Time fun! And in 23 days I will have that fun at DL!



Today I was just mentioning in the Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread that I am so ready to start seeing real signs of Halloween and Fall -- not just the bags of candy and little knick knacks that have already arrived at the store a bit too early, but actual decorations... Pumpkins, harvest wreaths, ghosts, witches, scarecrows, spider webs, cheesy black cat window decals, etc. I love it all. I can't wait for the Halloween TV specials, too.



Does anyone here do anything else for the Halloween season other than Disney trips and trick or treating on Halloween night? Corn mazes? Pumpkin patches? Haunted houses (like the actual scary kind, not like the Disney kind)? Haunted hayrides? Universal Studios or Knott's?? (The Universal Studios Halloween event is extremely, massively popular.)

I was mentioning a while back in this thread that there was this haunted boat ride that set sail out of Newport Beach. It began 2 years ago, as I recall. I thought for sure it was a huge success -- in fact, it was even featured on one of those Travel Channel shows about Halloween (like "Halloween Crazy" or "Halloween's Most Extreme"). The whole idea of being out on the water, with nowhere to run away, and crazed zombies and machete-wielding maniacs chasing you around the ship, sounded to me like it would have been a huge hit in the 'haunt community.' (Not my cup of tea, but there are lots of people who truly like to be scared at these Halloween events.)

However, when I tried to find the Newport Beach "Ghost Ship" online, I saw no evidence of it running last year at all. In fact, all I found were very bad reviews of it from its 2011 maiden voyage. So I am guessing the haunted cruise was put to rest after only one year?

In any case, I just had to chuckle about that because other Halloween events (like the mazes and hayrides and horror houses, etc.) are immensely popular. Halloween parades -- wherever they are held -- are very popular. Even your average "Harvest Festival" will be popular.

But I guess that the Ghost Ship/Haunted Cruise idea just wasn't one of those things that caught on. It was a good idea, I think, but it just didn't work.

The Queen Mary in Long Beach has a popular Halloween event every year, but that ship doesn't go anywhere!

We love Halloween in our home, we celebrate the whole month of October.

Usually the first weekend in October we go to the Pumpkin Patch in Irvine Railroad Park for pictures, hay ride, pony ride and visit their zoo. Of course we will be at MHP 10/8.

My husband and I will go to a party or two. Our friends have yet to get me to attend the Los Angeles Hayride, maybe this year I will find my big girl pants. Lol

There are couple of festivals in our local parks that we visit on actual Halloween night.

In the past I have done Knott's Scary Farm, but I have long surpassed the age limit and just get annoyed with the teenagers there. Hollywood is a blast, and should be done at least once

 

[Sherry E]

I love, love, love "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charllie Brown"!! Also "A Charlie Brown Christmas"!! I own them both, but have to DVR them every year when they are on TV!

pudinhd --

Exactly! I'm the same way -- even if I own something, if I love it and I see that it's going to be on TV I will record it and watch it again, or set aside time in the night to watch it when it airs! I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who does that.

I'm a big fanatic for the Rankin-Bass Christmas specials too (like "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," "Year Without a Santa Claus," etc.). I own a lot of those (bought them way back in the '90s or so, for nostalgic reasons), but if I see that they are airing on TV I try to make a point to watch them during the holiday season!

We love Halloween in our home, we celebrate the whole month of October.

Usually the first weekend in October we go to the Pumpkin Patch in Irvine Railroad Park for pictures, hay ride, pony ride and visit their zoo. Of course we will be at MHP 10/8.

My husband and I will go to a party or two. Our friends have yet to get me to attend the Los Angeles Hayride, maybe this year I will find my big girl pants. Lol

There are couple of festivals in our local parks that we visit on actual Halloween night.

In the past I have done Knott's Scary Farm, but I have long surpassed the age limit and just get annoyed with the teenagers there. Hollywood is a blast, and should be done at least once

Pinup Mommy --

You do a lot of fun things! Wow. You are truly celebrating Halloween and Fall the whole month of October.

The Los Angeles Hayride is the one that goes up in the hills, around the old location of the L.A. Zoo, correct? I always see billboards and ads for that. It sounds like a great, scary idea for those who love being scared -- being up in those hills even without a hayride is creepy enough! I certainly cannot bring myself to do it. I don't like things popping out at me and trying to grab my foot or hand or whatever.

The Pumpkin Patch in Irvine -- I wonder if that is the place I saw photos of Courtney Stodden posing among the pumpkins (she's the annoying teenage blonde who married the much, much, much, much older guy who was on "Lost," and she is ridiculous). I recall seeing obvious publicity photos of her romping in a pumpkin patch that was supposedly located somewhere in Orange County.

The parade in Hollywood is madness! It may not be everyone's cup of tea, for sure, but it is lively!

 

[PHXscuba]

PHX --

I was hoping someone would have given a specific answer about Jack during Halloween Time last year, but since no one answered I will say that during Halloween Time 2011 I recall seeing Jack in NOS in the early-to-mid afternoon.

Last year in December, Jack and Sally were out at roughly the same time, I think -- mid-afternoon-ish.

That doesn't mean that the times won't change, of course, or that people haven't seen him at other times of day, but that's when I've seen him.

I remember seeing them in the afternoons as well last October in NOS. I remember seeing them by the fountain next to the HM one day and on the band steps across from Cafe Orleans on another.

Ask a CM at city hall when you enter the park. They have a list of the characters and their appearance times with location.

Thanks to those who offered their experience seeing Jack and Sally. I'm sure we'll be back through later in the day. New orleans Square seems to take a little more time to "wake up" in the mornings than some areas of DL that are hopping right away, like Fantasyland or Tomorrowland. Maybe it's that whole New Orleans we-partied-hard-last-night hangover vibe.

We have a few local "Halloween" places but either my kids are too old (pumpkin patch or too young (haunted houses -- heck, I'm too scared). I do love the fall-flavored foods, like apples, cinnamon, pumpkin, etc. The younger kids' school still does a Halloween parade and I go (and sweat standing outside) each year. And our church usually has a big trunk-or-treat carnival evening. I often dress up just for that!

PHXscuba

 

[Sherry E]

Thanks to those who offered their experience seeing Jack and Sally. I'm sure we'll be back through later in the day. New orleans Square seems to take a little more time to "wake up" in the mornings than some areas of DL that are hopping right away, like Fantasyland or Tomorrowland. Maybe it's that whole New Orleans we-partied-hard-last-night hangover vibe.

We have a few local "Halloween" places but either my kids are too old (pumpkin patch or too young (haunted houses -- heck, I'm too scared). I do love the fall-flavored foods, like apples, cinnamon, pumpkin, etc. The younger kids' school still does a Halloween parade and I go (and sweat standing outside) each year. And our church usually has a big trunk-or-treat carnival evening. I often dress up just for that!

PHXscuba

PHX --

I always wonder if Fantasyland gets packed early on with crowds who are trying to avoid other crowds! The people who rush to FL as soon as they get in the parks are probably doing so because they feel they have to beat the crowds. And everyone who follows them to FL probably goes there for the same reason. In turn, all of these people rushing to FL to avoid crowds end up causing crowds! Since that's the land where everyone thinks they 'have' to go, it gets busy. It's like a self-fulfilling prophecy, in a way!

I am not a 'real' haunted house person. I don't like live people trying to scare me or chase after me with fake, bloody weapons. I didn't even like it back in the old, old days when there was a live person in the suit of armor in Haunted Mansion, lunging at random guests as they passed him in the Doom Buggies (this was back in the '80s or '90s, I guess). I prefer my Halloween celebrations on the whimsical, family-friendly side of things, as figment_jii said.

Although...I do love to watch the specials on TV about the various houses of horror (like the House of Shock in New Orleans). I would never, ever go to one of those things, but I can watch specials about those places all day and night!

The church's trunk-or-treat carnival sounds like so much fun! I can imagine that in your neck of the woods, it is probably a nice, toasty 90 degrees or so in October??

I see these movies in which the characters are strolling through these parks with gorgeous Autumn leaves, or down quiet lanes dotted with wonderful, Fall-like trees (the movies "Autumn in New York" and "Vanilla Sky" come to mind) and the actors are always bundled up, looking cold. That's what I think Fall weather should be -- not freezing, but cool enough to wear coats as you stroll through meadows of spectacularly colored leaves (which I never do, but that's not the point!). It's never like that here in SoCal in Autumn, and I bet that it is realllly not like that in Arizona!!

 

[dnamertz]

I am not a 'real' haunted house person. I don't like live people trying to scare me or chase after me with fake, bloody weapons. I didn't even like it back in the old, old days when there was a live person in the suit of armor in Haunted Mansion, lunging at random guests as they passed him in the Doom Buggies (this was back in the '80s or '90s, I guess).

The '80s or '90s are the old, old days? Now I feel really old.

I do remember the person in the suit of armor on one trip to DL in the 80's. A friend of our that was with us was completely freaked out.

 

[Goofy_Mom]

Near where we live is a massive corn maze. It's been featured on the Travel channel in the past. In addition to the corn mazes, they have a scare crow contests usually built by kids' groups like scouts, they added a haunted house, they have a kid area, a "mine for gems" thing, and because they're a farm that grows their own pumpkins, we get ours there on the cheap.

I LOVE Halloween. I lost count of how many "specials" I own. I know I own more Halloween type movies than I do Christmas type movies. Beetleguise, Hocus Pocus, Ghostbusters, and Spooky Buddies get a lot of action in this house. I also like to watch the DTV Monster Hits and Disney's Halloween Treat on youtube. I have on VHS the Disney Classics Halloween short collection, but my VHS player has gone into hiding.

 

[Lucrezia]

This might sound a little dumb but I'm a believer in the paranormal, so of course since I'm going to DL during Halloweentime I had to look on Amazon for a "haunted Disneyland" book! Lol I'm reading it right now. Its pretty short but packs a pretty creepy punch, I must say. For all of you non-believers who think the DLR is completely un-haunted... I may have to beg to differ... +cue evil, disembodied Haunted Mansion laugh+

I love, love, love "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charllie Brown"!! Also "A Charlie Brown Christmas"!! I own them both, but have to DVR them every year when they are on TV!

Oh, me too! Right down to the DVR thing!! They're just wonderful at getting me in the holiday spirit. I'm only lukewarm about the Thanksgiving one, though, I have to admit... But I crack up at the Halloween one every year I watch it. Seriously. EVERY YEAR. That rock thing with Charlie Brown trick-or-treating just gets me every time...

 

[tdashgirl]

Lots of great costume photos posted the last couple of days! Love how creative you guys are~ hmmmm, still thinking about what we'll do for ours ...

 

[seobaina]

This might sound a little dumb but I'm a believer in the paranormal, so of course since I'm going to DL during Halloweentime I had to look on Amazon for a "haunted Disneyland" book! Lol I'm reading it right now. Its pretty short but packs a pretty creepy punch, I must say. For all of you non-believers who think the DLR is completely un-haunted... I may have to beg to differ... +cue evil, disembodied Haunted Mansion laugh+

Oooh can you tell me which book you read? Who wrote it? Thanks

 

[Sherry E]

The '80s or '90s are the old, old days? Now I feel really old.

I do remember the person in the suit of armor on one trip to DL in the 80's. A friend of our that was with us was completely freaked out.

I feel old too, dnamertz, so you're not alone! To many young people these days, the '80s and '90s seem to have been a lifetime ago. As we get older, the "old days" get older too! And I would say that anything pre-DCA's existence, pre-GCH's existence, pre-DTD"s existence, and including the old, expanded version of the DLH, is going to be classified as the old, old days to a lot of these youngsters running around out there!

That suit of armor guy was not fun. That kind of thing doesn't work for Disney -- the whole "live person scaring the guests by lunging at them" thing. It works better for other places, but not Disney (which is, I assume, why they got rid of the knight). Even at the MHP you don't see creepy live people reaching out and touching you. The scarecrow dudes just talk and interact with guests, but they don't jump out at them or anything.

Near where we live is a massive corn maze. It's been featured on the Travel channel in the past. In addition to the corn mazes, they have a scare crow contests usually built by kids' groups like scouts, they added a haunted house, they have a kid area, a "mine for gems" thing, and because they're a farm that grows their own pumpkins, we get ours there on the cheap.

I LOVE Halloween. I lost count of how many "specials" I own. I know I own more Halloween type movies than I do Christmas type movies. Beetleguise, Hocus Pocus, Ghostbusters, and Spooky Buddies get a lot of action in this house. I also like to watch the DTV Monster Hits and Disney's Halloween Treat on youtube. I have on VHS the Disney Classics Halloween short collection, but my VHS player has gone into hiding.

Goofy_Mom --

I know exactly the corn maze you're talking about! I have that Halloween special saved on the DVR, along with all the others from Travel Channel and HGTV -- but I get them confused after a while because many of those shows are kind of "refreshed" versions of older shows, with new segments added in and maybe even a new name. So I couldn't tell you if it was "Halloween Crazy," "Halloween Crazier," "Scariest Halloween Attractions" or "Halloween's Most Extreme" in which your corn maze was shown, but I have it stored somewhere on the DVR!

I think that if Disney had space to build a corn maze for Halloween Time it would be a lot of fun. There's no such space at DLR, but it would be a great idea to do something spooky around that trail area of Grizzly Peak.

 

[Lucrezia]

Oooh can you tell me which book you read? Who wrote it? Thanks

"The Unofficial Guide to Disneyland's Haunted Kingdom" by Aubrey Graves.