HalloweenTime at DLR Superthread #4

[laura&fam]

-While on the topic of pictures...don't take pictures of other guests while they are with characters. It's rude and creepy. Wait a second for that moment that the characters are between guests.

I thought I was the only person who thought that!

This year my friend, who is a costume designer, made my costume and it looks really good. I understand that people may want to get a photo of the amazing costume but I just wish I wasn't in it at the time.

 

[iheartglaciers]

The Toontown outfit is again different from the regular party outfit. Yeah, they couldn't have made it any more complicated. The regular party outfit is an orange version of the day Big Thunder outfits.

Is the Big Thunder outfit purple and the Toontown pre-party outfit the candy corn one?

 

[figment_jii]

Is the Big Thunder outfit purple and the Toontown pre-party outfit the candy corn one?

From what I understand:
Halloween Carnival: Purple outfits
Toontown Pre-Party: Mickey as Zorro, Minnie in a Candy Corn Dress
MHP: Orange outfits

This is the purple outfits at the Halloween Carnival:

 

[iheartglaciers]

From what I understand: Halloween Carnival: Purple outfits Toontown Pre-Party: Mickey as Zorro, Minnie in a Candy Corn Dress MHP: Orange outfits This is the purple outfits at the Halloween Carnival:

Thanks for the clarification! Getting a picture with Halloween Mickey and Minnie is high on our list so this info is great

 

[Sherry E]

So I went to the party last night (14th) and I hate to say that I'm disappointed in this party. I've gone to the MNSSHP at WDW the last couple years and always had a great time. Here's the good and the bad.

The good:
-Liked that the trick or trick trails had multiple stations on each. WDW only has a couple of those.
-Fireworks were good and were able to go off. I was worried about winds canceling them.
-Lines were very organized and the wristband checkpoints were very thorough.
-The Halloween costumes on the characters were cute.

The bad:
-It was so crowded. I've never seen so many people at an event at WDW. The line at the gates was horribly slow too.
-Many of the CM seemed like they didn't want to be there. They rarely commented on our costumes, that's if they even spoke to you at all.
-The waits for characters were so long. I know to expect lines for Halloween party characters but they were long and moved very slowly. Some of the delay was from people using their meeting time as a personal photo shoot. Get in there, take a couple pictures and move on. Other people are waiting behind you.
-While on the topic of pictures...don't take pictures of other guests while they are with characters. It's rude and creepy. Wait a second for that moment that the characters are between guests.
-The parade was disappointingly short. I knew that coming in to the party though. It was cute though.

So I definitely enjoy MNSSHP more. The party was okay overall and I'm not mad I went but I'm disappointed. The parties sell out day after day, year after year so I can't blame Disneyland for putting in less effort.

PenguinoMF --

Thank you for posting your recap. I'm very glad you reported back, even though you were a bit disappointed! It's important to get all opinions of the MHP, both the positive and negative ones, and there are probably many people who feel as you do about the MHP and who will have the same opinions/observations that you have when they eventually go to their own MHP.

To be honest, I have actually been a bit surprised because the majority of the reviews that have come in this season have been positive -- very few negatives in the bunch -- and yet I knew that there had to be people out there who didn't think the MHP was all that great. It seemed like there were more negative or critical comments about the MHP last year and the year before than there have been this year!

The thing that I am noticing more and more -- as the regular daytime Halloween Time offerings outside of the MHP seem to be getting stripped away or scaled down -- is that, unlike the holiday/Christmas season, DLR created a Halloween Time season around the Halloween party, to showcase the party as the main event of the Halloween Time season. The holidays can exist and function at DLR just fine without a party, as the "season" has already been in effect for decades without a party. So, that said, if DLR is going to hang its hat on the MHP as being the main attraction of Halloween Time I think that Disney needs to pay special attention to the MHP and make sure that it is loaded with worthwhile party exclusives (a parade that is better than the Cavalcade), and also make sure that it is not too crowded.

 

[aidansmother]

We leave tonight! I've been reading the boards, especially this one, looking for little touches to add to this trip. We have been to DL many times and during Halloween a few times, so I'm hoping to find ways to make this trip stand out. I have a list of seasonal treats to try and we want to try to catch Alice and the Mad Hatter doing musical chairs in the afternoon. This time tomorrow we will be in the park!

 

[Sherry E]

New:

"Fortune Teller Ivana Mystic Predicts Fun for Halloween Time at the Disneyland Resort" -- Disney Parks Blog; posted on October 15th, 2014 by Erin Glover, Social Media Director, Disneyland Resort

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[Imdboss]

Below is the portion of my trip report I posted that's from the MHP. Such a great party!!! If interested in reading my entire report (it's a small book) you can find it here: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3341052


Fri 10/10 - MHP tonight! Arrived in the park at 4:25pm. Lines to get in weren't too bad and moved pretty quick, it only took us appx 15 min to get in. Had ADR at Cafe Orleans for 4:40, we were a few min late getting there since we stopped to buy Halloween bags. I've wanted to try the Monte Cristo for several trips and finally did, it was amazing! Next trip we will definitely eat here again but DH and I will share it, way too much food for one person. After dinner we headed to TT for the preparty, not sure exactly when we got there but I think it was around 6:15, it wasn't too busy when we arrived. We did all 3 treat trails here and rode RR and GGC. We had 2 other friends join us so now we are a group of 9. I rounded everyone up and we headed to FL. We did the treat trail here twice, rode Tea Cups, Canal Boats, CJRR. Our 3 friends broke away to go do their own thing, whew a bit easier to manage people now. We then headed to TL. Here we did the treat trail, rode BLAB twice, ST, SMGG (I stayed with DS when others did this) & Orbitor. Then off to NOS, Here we did 3 treat trails, rode PoC, IJA and got pics with Peter Pan & Wendy. Now it's time to head out, party is coming to an end and my family is exhausted, I did make them stand in line for a pic at the giant Mickey though. We loved the party, it was so much fun (my 3rd time), the only downside was being with other people. It's so much easier when it's just the 4 of us. Our 2 friends that joined us just for the party are easy, they just follow us wherever we go but the other 3 that joined us for the trip were a bit more difficult. Not that it ruined our trip but their DD is just a bit more to deal with because she was pretty picky about what rides she wanted to do. DH loved the party so much (lower crowds, really short ride wait times) that he said next year we should do two parties!

 

[Mysteryincorp]

We went to MHP last night (10/14) and I felt like the crowds were LESS crazy this year. Moving around the park was a breeze, no lines for food or bathrooms, minimal waits for rides. Halloween is such a busy, crowded season it was so nice to enjoy the park without the crowds. We really took our time and enjoyed the atmosphere.
Arrived at 5pm, headed straight to toon town. Hit the treat trail around the fountain, took about 5 minutes total to get through the trail. It moved quickly. My daughter curtsied while trick or treating and theCM loved it and gave a lot of double helpings! We did roger rabbit (walked on) and then the roller coaster twice. Hit the treat trail through Donald's boat twice and already had very heavy treat bags.
I had really wanted to enter the park after dark because Main Street is really amazing and it's a great way to start the party so we headed there to meet my husband and make our grand entrance it wasn't dark yet! So we headed into Lincoln theater to get out annual pass holder treat. Loved it....the theater is decorated and you get a bag, candy and a big Rice Krispie treat.
Still not dark! So we headed to carnation and had dinner at the table right on the railing so we could costume watch....so much fun! Baked potatoe soup was amazing! Salad was boring, my husbands meatloaf was really good. Daughter got Mac n cheese, her usual.
Finally dark! Headed down Main Street, took pictures in front of the castle and then hit SMGG. About a Ten minute wait. Hit some fantasyland rides and treat trails and then went to jolly Holiday bakery for a s'mores bar and cookie. Decadence.
Daughter was not impressed with parade so wee watched the cadaver dans in the river.....so unbelievably cool. Daughter was starting to cough (I think this was day one of a cold) and was getting really tired. I had been hoping since she was a year older she would have made it late but no........ So sad. We hit thunder moutnain (great ride in the dark) and headed home. Reluctantly.
I was so excited to see the fireworks but I couldn't keep the little one awake any longer so unfortunately ewe headed home about 920, even earlier than last year! I was very disappointed but overall we had a great time.
We got sooooooo much candy and really enjoyed ourselves. We will definitely do the party again next year.

 

[Sherry E]

Bret/mvf-m11c attended last night's MHP -- I'm sure he will eventually pop back to this thread and let us know how it went, but I think he is still at DLR right now.

From what I can see in the photo that Bret posted in his TR so far, it looks as though he had quite a good spot for the Halloween Screams fireworks -- HERE.

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[Vala]

From what I understand:
Halloween Carnival: Purple outfits
Toontown Pre-Party: Mickey as Zorro, Minnie in a Candy Corn Dress
MHP: Orange outfits

This is the purple outfits at the Halloween Carnival:

Yes, that's correct.

 

[Mysteryincorp]

The Mickey and Minnie in toon town were super cute, the costumes were the Zorro and candy corn as previously stated and really, really cute!

 

[Vala]

Short summary for 9/30

- Definitely felt less crowded than the year before. Friends were in and out of Innovations in 20 minutes whereas last year we almost needed 20 minutes to get to the Phineas and Ferb photostop.

- Ticket hand out in the park didn't go so well. The booth they had set up near Small World had a line stretching all over the hill up to the Fantasyland Theater and then back down to the train station. Suggestions were made to actually exit the park and get the ticket that way as it would be more fast.

- Loved the AP gift and the special set up for that treat trail in the theater. The rice krispie was tasty too and I'm usually not too fond of the packaged ones.

- Really bad communication about the pre party. I even asked at City Hall and was told no, there was none. In the end I was saved by a kind CM who grabbed me when he saw me in the completely wrong spot. I was sad that Roger Rabbit didn't appear, but seeing Horace was a huge plus.

- I agree that some of the character lines were moving very slowly. The villains line took almost an hour and we joined the line at a point where it was relatively short. But in return the pirates line seemed to move way faster than last year, I actually got through for a change. Aladdin photo stop was always deserted when I walked past, but we managed to catch Rabbit at the Pooh stop which was pretty much number one on our priority list.

- Yes, the parade is short. Still I think it's cute and worth watching. We enjoyed it a lot.

- Small World is a really great spot for the fireworks. Projections are done on the Small World facade. You miss some of the lower level castle stuff, but the time savings may be worth it. I walked up just when the music started and got a perfect spot.

Overall... when do the 2015 tickets go on sale?

 

[figment_jii]

I just wants to wish everyone a Happy Early Halloween and that everyone still planning on going to see HalloweenTime has a great trip! Figment and I are on our way to Disney World, so I won't be able to check in as often. So happy Halloween everyone!

 

[audrey2580]

I just wants to wish everyone a Happy Early Halloween and that everyone still planning on going to see HalloweenTime has a great trip! Figment and I are on our way to Disney World, so I won't be able to check in as often. So happy Halloween everyone!

Happy Halloween and safe travels!

 

[Sherry E]

I was saying a while back that I wondered if Disneyland Resort would start selling pumpkin ice cream (presumably, Dreyer's Pumpkin Patch) since it appears that at least one place at WDW (in Epcot) is selling it, and DLR usually has peppermint ice cream for the holidays every year -- so why not pumpkin too?

Up until today -- and we are already just about 5 weeks into Halloween Time -- I had heard nothing of pumpkin ice cream at DLR. Maybe people noticed it but didn't mention it, or if they mentioned it somewhere else on this board I didn't see it. I have never seen it at DLR during any previous Halloween Time seasons.

But... it's there! I just happened to glance at the Disneyland Today Facebook page to discover that the Big Thunder Ranch BBQ is serving its "Halloween Time Cookie Bake" with "pumpkin ice cream"?!?!

I have no idea if the pumpkin ice cream is available at any of the actual ice cream shops, or if it is only available at Big Thunder Ranch BBQ, but supposedly it is there for the time being (although the ice cream doesn't really look pumpkin-y in the photo on Facebook).

Last year, the Dreyer's Peppermint Wonderland ice cream was in hot demand at DLR, but it was not available when or where it was expected to be. It would have normally been at Gibson Girl Ice Cream and at Clarabelle's, but it was not at either of those places in November. It was spotted by people at Ghirardelli, and then it disappeared almost immediately. It finally popped up at the BBQ and at the Blue Bayou, but it was not available in "cone form" at any ice cream shop around DLR -- that is, until the week of Christmas only, when it appeared as a "Limited Time Magic" thing.

I have no clue what the fate of the peppermint ice cream will be at DLR this year for the holidays, and the pumpkin ice cream may not be available in cone form either -- but at least there is one restaurant that supposedly has it (though I am still suspicious of whether it is actually pumpkin ice cream) if anyone wants it before Halloween Time ends!

 

[dnamertz]

-While on the topic of pictures...don't take pictures of other guests while they are with characters. It's rude and creepy. Wait a second for that moment that the characters are between guests.

I've never known anyone to want a picture of a stranger. I have taken pictures just before it was our turn to try to get the settings on my camera just right (so I didn't have to adjust it while people are waiting). That is probably why most people would do something like this.

 

[TulipsNZ]

I have a complaint, I had so much fun but I only got to go to one party and now I'm back on the other side of the world and I can't go again for years. I want to go back now!

 

[Sew into Disney]

I've never known anyone to want a picture of a stranger. I have taken pictures just before it was our turn to try to get the settings on my camera just right (so I didn't have to adjust it while people are waiting). That is probably why most people would do something like this.

Two years ago when my youngest was just shy of being 2 we had at least five people stop and ask to take pictures of her. It was very bizarre to me. When she took pictures with Pilot Minnie in DCA and with Jessie on the Pier I noticed others taking pictures of her also.

I personally think my daughter is beautiful It was just very shocking to see others take pictures of her and to stop us and ask for pictures.

By the way she was wearing a white onesie and a red/white polka dot skirt that I had made her. So nothing fancy.

 

[TulipsNZ]

Two years ago when my youngest was just shy of being 2 we had at least five people stop and ask to take pictures of her. It was very bizarre to me. When she took pictures with Pilot Minnie in DCA and with Jessie on the Pier I noticed others taking pictures of her also.

I personally think my daughter is beautiful It was just very shocking to see others take pictures of her and to stop us and ask for pictures.

By the way she was wearing a white onesie and a red/white polka dot skirt that I had made her. So nothing fancy.

I have 5 boys including twins, when I line them up for photos at tourist spots it's amazing how often other people take photos.