HalloweenTime at DLR Info and Photo Superthread #3

[Susiesark]

I'd like to find out, from those of you going to Mickey's Trick or Treat Party, if you will be wearing costumes. My 8 y/o DD will be wearing Rapunzel wedding dress (her messy short brown hair makes her a dead ringer) and I'm looking for a Mother Gothel costume.

 

[rowan1813]

Hi all! I just wanted to say thanks to Sherry for this thread (totally awesome!) and thanks to everyone who has already posted pictures. I love them!!!

I also have a question and I apologize it has been covered already somewhere else (I didn't see it in any of Sherry's beginning info). If BFF and I are dressing up for MHP but are going to be at DL all day (we have APs) what time can we dress up? Is it when they start letting MHP ticket holders into the park or do we have to wait until the official start of the party?

Thanks!

 

[Mel522]

My contribution...

 

[Sherry E]

rowan1813 -

First of all, thank you so much for the kind words. I'm so glad you like the thread!

You're correct - if you are wearing a costume to the MHP, you can't be in the park in costume until they start letting in the ticket holders. So if you're there when they start letting MHP people in at 3 p.m. (on any day other than Friday), you can go in then. On Fridays you can enter with your MHP ticket at 4 p.m. So if you spent the day in DL, you'd have to exit at some point, change into your costume and then re-enter at 3 p.m. or 4 p.m.




laura&fam -

Thank you for the kind words as well! There will be a lot more pictures coming in the next several weeks! Hopefully when you experience your first Halloween Time at DLR, you will come back with lots of photos to contribute in future years' countdowns!


Susiesark -

I'm one of the MHP-goers who will not be in costume, but lots of people will be. It's about 50/50, I'd say - half in costume; half not in costume!


Vanessa -

There will be some sort of theme, at some point, to cover your DCA pictures! There are a couple of options (I'm still debating on a couple of pre-chosen themes and mulling them over as far as whether to mush them together with other themes or let them stand alone). Even if you were to just post the pictures in the final "Miscellaneous" goody bag o' photos at the very end of the countdown, you'd still get them in! But some of these categories and themes are pretty broad, and therefore inclusive of a lot of different things, so it should be very easy for everyone to work their pictures into some theme or another!

Thank you to Eeee-va and Mel522 for their recent awesome contributions to the preceding Haunted Mansion Holiday/Nightmare Before Christmas Theme Week! (I love that Duffy picture!)

​

And NOW...

I am just about to post the first installment in our new Theme Week. This is literally a theme for which I have soooooo many photos, I couldn't decide which ones to pick for the first post. It was difficult. There are too many - I think I took so many pictures because I was thinking of using them in future years' Theme Weeks! - and they all give a great idea of the feel of this particular theme.

So I am only starting out by posting one particular aspect of this week's theme, but there is a lot of ground to cover within the whole theme, so the photos should be rolling in for a while. Everyone, please feel free to post whatever you have from this theme - it's not necessary to follow my lead and only post this particular aspect of it, if you don't want to!

 

[Sherry E]

It's Friday, and you know what that means.....



It’s time for the Theme Week Friday Countdown to Halloween Time!!!

...Only 35 Days Until

Halloween Time Begins at Disneyland Resort!!!!

​

And with the new week comes a new Disneyland Resort Halloween theme!!

As you know, I'm going to showcase a particular area of interest of DLR's Halloween Time festivities each week until the 2012 merriment officially begins on Friday, September 14!! It is a good way to keep the photos rolling in on a regular basis and build anticipation for 9/14! Also, it's a way to display the different aspects and details of the Halloween season at DLR that may be totally new to some people...or previously unnoticed/overlooked by others.

Last week we took a little trip into the twisted mind of Jack Skellington and his Haunted Mansion Holiday overlay. Including today’s theme, there will be 12 more themes to come over the next two months: 6 weekly Friday countdowns for 8/10, 8/17, 8/24, 8/31, 9/7 and 9/14, and 6 “mini-themes” – one each day, from 9/8-9/13, leading up to the season’s start date.
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Many of our DIS’ers who participated in the Christmas Superthread’s Theme Week Countdown last year contributed some wonderful photos of Santa’s Reindeer Round-Up. But before Santa and his reindeer come to town and take over the Round-Up, it hosts a Halloween wonderland.

In the Spotlight this Week......

THE HALLOWEEN ROUND-UP!!!​

The quaint Halloween Round-Up is tucked away in a far corner of Frontierland, away from the hustle and bustle of Main Street and far removed from all of Jack Skellington’s mischief in New Orleans Square. But once you take a peek at this rustic hidden gem you will know it should be front and center, for all Halloween lovers to see.

Filled with Autumn-hued flowers, whimsical gourds, scarecrows, baby animals wearing Halloween-themed bandannas and many other themed accents, the Round-Up fully immerses you in the season and celebrates it wholeheartedly. Every detail lends itself to composing the perfect snapshot of Fall.

I’ll start by posting some pumpkin pics!


Home to many intricately carved Disney character pumpkins as well as the ‘pumpkin artists’ who give them personalities, the Halloween Round-Up is a treasure; a true highlight of Halloween Time.

The craftsmanship and artistry that goes into creating these clever masterpieces is amazing! There are new character pumpkins put on display every day and others that are ‘retired’ every week, all throughout the season.

“I’m wishing…”

This is one side of the pumpkin (there’s even an apple!)…

And this is the other side of the same pumpkin…

​

More Round-Up pictures coming from me in a later post…





Please feel free to post your photos of the Halloween Round-Up all this week!!!!! Don’t worry if you have already posted certain photos before – some pictures may fit into more than one theme week. As long as they fit the theme, you are welcome to post them again!

 

[mvf-m11c]

Here are some pics of the carved pumpkins from last years Halloween season at the Halloween Round-Up

Ariel

Chuckles the clown

Dumbo

Rapunzel

Davy Jones

Just a Ghost

Tink

Mice from Cinderella

Minnie

Cruella de Vil

Hades from Hurcules

Mad Hatter and Boo on the right hand side

Boo and PP

Piglet

Dory and Marlin

 

[DisneyIsMagical]

I love those carved pumpkins, great photos! This is one aspect of the round up that I've never seen...love it!

 

[dolphingirl47]

Here are mine:

Corinna

 

[I'm mikey]

Here are my pics from the Halloween round up. these are all from 2010

 

[Sherry E]

Awesome photos so far, everyone!

It's interesting to note the differences in pumpkins between years (like Jack Skellington in I'm mikey's photo from 2010 is totally different than the Jack Skellington pumpkin at the Round-Up in 2011) and it's also interesting to compare my pictures with Bret's pictures and Corinna's pictures, back to back - it's plain to see that some of the pumpkins must have been on display for all 3 of our individual 2011 trips, while I think some of the pumpkins may have only been there for a short time and then removed.

By the way - just to remind everyone...the Round-Up theme doesn't only have to be about the character pumpkins. I just started out with those pictures because I was having a hard time trying to select which photos I was going to use for the Intro post, and it was taking too long to decide. So I figured that the pumpkins were easy and quick to pick out.

I have a whole mess o' photos of all corners of the Round-Up, pumpkins or no pumpkins, that will have you wishing it was Fall by the time I'm done sharing them! I just didn't want to dump them all on you at one time, in one sitting. I'd rather sprinkle them in, here and there, over the course of the week!

So, everyone, feel free to share any Round-Up photos you have, whether there are character pumpkins in them or not.

 

[cpster]

So I'm thinking about doing a 4 night trip sometime during 9/29 and 10/12 to take advantage of the Gay Day rates. We just went the last week of July, but already miss DL and want to make use of our APs.

Can you all comment on what the crowds are like compared to the last week of July? I think the weather will be similar, which makes me worry because all of the sun took a lot out of us. I'm hoping that at least there will be fewer people. We are 2 adults, a toddler almost 3, and a 8 month old.

We'd like to attend the Halloween party on a Tuesday, hoping it's less crowded than a Friday. It will be our first if we go. So either Saturday-Wednesday or Sunday-Thursday. What would you do?

Thanks for your help!

 

[Mommy Mermaid]

Does anyone know if Downtown Disney has any kind of special events on Halloween day? We have AP's and can't afford Mickey's Party this year. I have tried searching various threads and googled it, but am having a hard time finding it. TIA

 

[Eeee-va]

All from 2010:

Preview of my fall avatar

Oh yeah; there are still animals too. And children, for that matter.

 

[Minnie Sue Oz]

Sherry, thank you so very much for having this wonderful thread for us all to enjoy
It will be my first time ever visiting the park for Halloween this year and looking at all these wonderful pics has made me wish I had a time turner and could fast forward 73 days!!!
I just cannot wait and I am hoping that I too will be able to contribute to this thread with some of my own photos next year!!!

We are just so excited and so we don't want to miss absolutely anything, we are attending 2 Mickey's Halloween parties! The first is for taking pics, as many as we can ( I am a bit of a photo taking fanatic!!! ) and the second on Halloween night just to take in all the atmosphere and enjoy being in the happiest place on earth!

Thanks again from this very appreciative Aussie

 

[Sherry E]

Eeee-va -

Once again - you hit a home run with the pictures! Those are awesome. I knew that someone else out there had to have taken a few non-character pumpkin pictures at the Round-Up too. I knew I couldn't have been the only one taking 'other' pictures. So I was glad to see that you posted some of them! At the same time, I am always impressed and thoroughly amazed when I see the character pumpkins in everyone's sets of pictures because the craftsmanship of the carvers is so amazing.





cpster -

I haven't been to DLR during July in many years so I can't compare crowds, but I can say that I've been to DLR during Gay Days before (and this was before the DCA makeover really kicked in full-throttle, and the Halloween party was still being held at DCA), from a Thursday - Sunday, and I found that many the Gay Days attendees started to arrive on Saturday. Other folks have said that they found it to be too crowded during Gay Days since then. On the day that I arrived - Thursday - Downtown Disney was hoppin', almost like it was a weekend night. Friday seemed to be pretty crowded in general, and then a lot of the Gay Days folks came in on Saturday and lines started to get long.

I think a Tuesday party would be a little less crowded than a Friday party, simply for the fact that it's a work and school night for many people. I would probably pick the Sunday - Thursday trip, though it isn't really much different than Saturday - Wednesday.

As for heat - I'm someone who is extremely heat sensitive (even when it's not hot to other people) and it makes me ill. I was nauseous and had a horrible headache for half of the day after doing the Cars Land preview on June 9. So I am always kind of keeping an eye on what the weather might be. The last thing I want is to faint in the middle of Disneyland!

On that particular Gay Days weekend when I was at DLR a few years ago, it was hot - like in the low 100's and upper 90's for the first 2 days, 80-ish for the next, and then finally in the 70's by the last day of my trip.

Now of course this doesn't mean that it will be like that every year in October. In fact, September and October are two of the strangest months, weather-wise, in SoCal. It can literally be gloomy and rainy one year, and blisteringly hot and dry the next year. It can be windy and cool, or windy and hot. It can be in the 80-degree range and above, or it can be in the 70's. A couple of Septembers back in was something crazy like 113 degrees in my area of L.A. faint and then last year, on opening day of Halloween Time, it was gloomy and in the 70's!

Does anyone know if Downtown Disney has any kind of special events on Halloween day? We have AP's and can't afford Mickey's Party this year. I have tried searching various threads and googled it, but am having a hard time finding it. TIA

MommyMermaid -

All I know of is that the Grand Californian Hotel usually has a special PhotoPass/photo spot set up just for Halloween day/night (it's not there on any other day during the season, unfortunately). Also, the 3 Disney hotels give out candy to trick-or-treaters on 10/31, from what I've heard, but I'm not sure if that is an onsite guest-exclusive thing or if they will hand it out to anyone that asks.

You would think that something would be happening in Downtown Disney on Halloween, but if there is anything I haven't heard of it. I'm sure that some of the restaurants might have a couple of extra decorations up (like Ralph Brennan's), but I don't know for sure.



Minnie Sue Oz -

You're so sweet. Thank you so much for the kind words. It means a lot and I appreciate it. I'm very glad that people are enjoying the thread and the countdown.

I know you'll have a lot of amazing photos to contribute to this thread when you return from your trip. You will have a lot of fun in the Halloween Round-Up, as they put out new pumpkins every day when they are finished, and there are so many Autumn-esque details around!

I think you will enjoy the upcoming Theme Weeks in this thread every Friday, and will get a lot of ideas of things to take photos of - and you will see many things that should not be missed or overlooked!

In the meantime, though, we'll be starting the Theme Week Countdown in the Christmas Superthread on August 27th, so get your photos ready!

I cannot blame you at all for wanting to attend 2 Halloween Parties for the sake of enjoying all that there is to enjoy at the party, as well as just for the photo-taking. I would do the exact same thing! Photo-taking fanatics unite! I am to the point now where I actually prefer being at DLR by myself at certain points (not all the time, but sometimes) because I like to do nothing but take pictures, all day long, and I can't take as many when I have people with me! I need to be alone in order to create!

 

[Sherry E]

Okay, before I start posting all of my 'other' Halloween Round-Up photos, let me finish off my Pumpkin-palooza!

The pumpkins that didn't make the cut? Are these the rejected pumpkins?

There are lots of non-character/faux pumpkin friends all around…

​

 

[Disney4Nina]

Love all the pictures! I have some but don't know how to post them here.

 

[Sally_fan]

Love all the pictures! I have some but don't know how to post them here.

I have 3 years worth of Halloween pics & don't know how to post them either. But yes agreed! Loving all the pics being posted!!

 

[Sherry E]

Disney4Nina & Sally_fan -

Well, we certainly can't have you both not knowing how to post photos when we have big theme weeks coming up in our weekly countdown to Halloween Time! This must be remedied!

We just finished the Haunted Mansion Holiday/Nightmare Before Christmas theme week and now we are in Halloween Round-Up theme week. On Friday we will start a new theme (a surprise!), and there will be a new theme every Friday through September 7th, and then we switch to a daily theme that will take us to 9/14, the start of Halloween Time at DLR.

I find that the easiest way for me to post photos is to use Photobucket. If you don't have a free Photobucket account, I suggest creating one, uploading some photos and then copying the IMG code. Near every photo that you load to Photobucket, you will see several codes - one of which is the IMG code. Click on that code and it should automatically copy on its own, but if it doesn't, then highlight it and type Ctrl C to copy. Then come over here, start a post and simply paste the code right into the reply with Ctrl V. Pictures should appear!

 

[smithfamilyof7]

What is this Ultimate Experience (UE) that I keep reading about? How does it differ from the regular HP?

I didn't realize it at the time but it turns out we will be there during one of the HP's so I'm going to bite the bullet and buy the tickets, even though we already have park hoppers. It sounds like an awesome time for our kids! (And us too)