HalloweenTime at DLR Superthread #4

[GusGus77]

I am really torn on the start of Halloween. We will be there September 9-16. On one hand I am really hoping for Halloween to start September 11th as we have never been there for Halloween and would love to see the haunted mansion overlay as the kids love The Nightmare Before Christmas. On the other hand, if Halloween doesn't start that early, there will maybe be less people in the parks as they will wait for Halloween season to start. But I would be sad if haunted mansion and space mountain are closed especially because DS if finally tall enough to ride spice mountain. I just want to know! This suspense is killing me!!!! (Especially as a WDW vet who is used to planning planning planning!)

 

[Davidg83]

I can never seem to post a comment on the blog, but someone should comment on Erin's blog that their favorite thing about rivers of America is watching the cadaver dans perform on a raft DURING THE HALLOWEEN PARTY.

Done! We'll see if it makes it through moderation lol

 

[Sherry E]

Done! We'll see if it makes it through moderation lol

So far, it's not showing up. That doesn't mean much, though, as there are times when it takes longer for comments to appear than others. As long as the comment was not snippy or bordering on rude, I can't see why it would be left out -- unless they just want to make people forget that Halloween Time and the Halloween Party exist!

The comment about the lack of MHP dates that was deleted from the Blog a couple of days ago -- the one from "l" -- was a bit insistent, and it probably came across as vaguely demanding. So I can kind of see why that one was taken down. Although I guess there were others that came in after that comment, which were also taken down?

Whatever the case, it would seem to indicate that the Parks Blog people either don't have the Halloween info yet, or are just not ready to post it yet, for whatever reason -- and they probably want to try to keep the focus on the subjects of the blogs they are posting.

​

Woohoo! At least I was right about something! I hesitantly guessed The Bogeyman (as well as the Sandman) as the theme for this year's Los Angeles Haunted Hayride, and that's what it is -- except they use the Boogeyman spelling. Same thing!

The quote from their Facebook page:

"THE TIME HAS COME...

Traveling the world reveals the presence and underlying unity in all cultures in their experience of fear. The notion of a dark presence being uncomfortably close or of a mythical evil entity that is inevitably always sitting and waiting for you to close your eyes and fall asleep so it can come out and “get you.”

It may not always be shadowy. It may not always have pointed fingers or glowing eyes. It may not always live in the woods or under your bed. However, in every country and every culture the one fact remains…


THERE. IS. A. BOOGEYMAN.

Get on the darkest, scariest and most haunting experience to date, Los Angeles Haunted Hayride, Boogeyman.

Tickets On Sale 7/21
LosAngelesHauntedHayride.com. "

So, Priory -- at least that's one Halloween attraction that is lining up for you!

​

To add to my "Halloween information that isn't about Disneyland" theme for today -- Not only have the L.A. Haunted Hayride's theme and date of ticket sales been announced , I saw that Universal Studios Hollywood's Halloween Horror Nights is starting on Friday, September 18, 2015. But that's all I saw; no other dates -- oh, and that Guillermo del Toro's Crimson Peak Maze of Madness is going to be one of the mazes at this year's HHN.

​

The dates for Queen Mary's Dark Harbor appear to be:

October 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 9, 10, 11, 15, 16, 17, 18, 22, 23, 24, 25, 28, 29, 30, 31 and

November 1st

​

 

[mummabear]

I too see it on the official calendar now. It's interesting . . . Sunday the 23rd and the 24th have no schedule information for either day - everything says "Schedule Unavailable." It's as if they posted these days for the sole purpose of showing that HM is closing on the 24t

There is always a delay between the dates appearing and the schedule being available. I don't understand why but it is the norm.

Done! We'll see if it makes it through moderation lol

Mine too.

 

[seobaina]

I'm desperately waiting for Halloween dates, like everyone, but I've got admit that the one thing I don't really want is the hm makeover. I like nbc but it's not my fave and with the 60th it would have been nice for the hm to be 'original'. I'm looking forward to seeing the 60th dec but I do want a Halloween party x

 

[Davidg83]

So far, it's not showing up. That doesn't mean much, though, as there are times when it takes longer for comments to appear than others. As long as the comment was not snippy or bordering on rude, I can't see why it would be left out -- unless they just want to make people forget that Halloween Time and the Halloween Party exist!

The comment about the lack of MHP dates that was deleted from the Blog a couple of days ago -- the one from "l" -- was a bit insistent, and it probably came across as vaguely demanding. So I can kind of see why that one was taken down. Although I guess there were others that came in after that comment, which were also taken down?

Whatever the case, it would seem to indicate that the Parks Blog people either don't have the Halloween info yet, or are just not ready to post it yet, for whatever reason -- and they probably want to try to keep the focus on the subjects of the blogs they are posting.

This is what I wrote:

"Taking a trip around the Rivers of America is a great way to take a break in the middle of the day! One of my favorite sights on the Rivers of America is during Mickey’s Halloween party when it’s covered in fog and the Cadaver Dans go floating by. It’s always a must see for my group when we go to the party each year!"

If they don't approve that they really are trying to make people forget that Halloween exists!

 

[JessieD]

This is what I wrote:

"Taking a trip around the Rivers of America is a great way to take a break in the middle of the day! One of my favorite sights on the Rivers of America is during Mickey’s Halloween party when it’s covered in fog and the Cadaver Dans go floating by. It’s always a must see for my group when we go to the party each year!"

If they don't approve that they really are trying to make people forget that Halloween exists!

I just checked. It's there

 

[Sherry E]

It looks like everyone's comments made it through to the Parks Blog -- for now! Too funny!

I hope that Erin doesn't think I'm telling anyone to do this -- she knows about this Superthread and the Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread, and that I'm at the helm of both. I mean, I want the info and am frustrated that it's not out, but I'm not going to hound her because I don't think it's doing any good.

 

[lorijohnhill]

Chat I just had... no new info. I'm getting very discouraged.

Me: When will the Haunted Mansion be going down to change over to the Halloween overlay?

Me: Also, when will Halloween Time begin?

Me: Lastly, when will they release the dates for the Halloween parties?

Chat CM: Usually after the first week in September

Chat CM: We are hoping that these will be released shortly.

Me: I hope so too. Flight costs are increasing and this is making it very difficult to plan. thanks!

Chat CM: I know keep checking back with us and also on the Disney Blog

Me: Will do. Thanks.

 

[missycakes99]

Of course the higher ups and staff at Disney know when the Halloween dates will be. That kind of stuff is planned out at least 12 months in advance. For example, universities and high schools know graduation dates and venues years in advance. I think the same attention is given to the bigger events/seasons at Disney. As an event planning professional I can tell you that Disney, of all the companies, has their act together. They're just not releasing it for one reason or another and I'd bet it has to do with the 60th and the priority given to THOSE events. After all, a 60th only comes once in a lifetime. I love reading all the speculation though and I can't wait to hear what happens next! I refuse to believe they won't host Halloween at all Plugging my ears to that idea at all!

 

[JessieD]

I just called as well. They had no info about anything. "It should be anytime now that the dates are released" was all she could say.

 

[Sherry E]

I'm desperately waiting for Halloween dates, like everyone, but I've got admit that the one thing I don't really want is the hm makeover. I like nbc but it's not my fave and with the 60th it would have been nice for the hm to be 'original'. I'm looking forward to seeing the 60th dec but I do want a Halloween party x

Haunted Mansion Holiday was up and running during the 50th, so it was always a safe bet that it would be back during the year of the 60th.

Without Haunted Mansion Holiday, the offerings for Halloween Time would be awfully thin. That's the problem. It is an underdeveloped season, anyway. They can't afford to lose anything from the line-up of Halloween fare, unless they are adding something new to replace it. I think they need Haunted Mansion Holiday. The thing is that September-October used to be the off-peak season, and are still technically considered off-peak seasons in terms of overall attendance numbers compared to the peak seasons (summer; holiday season). They needed Halloween Time to bring people in during the off-peak times, and they need a ride overlay other than Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy -- something that everyone can ride (since not everyone likes thrill rides) -- to be a selling point.

Having just the regular old Haunted Mansion there during Halloween Time is not enough of a draw. For people who feel nostalgic about Disneyland, it is -- but not everyone feels that way. A lot of folks are not emotionally connected to or invested in Disneyland, and they just want to have a Halloween or Holiday experience, and Haunted Mansion Holiday is very much tied in with Halloween and the Holidays.

 

[Davidg83]

Back on the subject of how the official Disney calendar can be inaccurate ... I just noticed Innoventions isn't even listed on the refurbishment section and that's been behind walls for awhile now, so like Sherry said I wouldn't go off that Mansion refurb date until something official is announced... Or we get closer to the date.

 

[CollegePrgm2000]

We ditched (lol) my brother/SIL (WDW cast members) for DL's Halloween party. Plane tickets purchased, dates locked in (10/13-17). How fast will tickets sell out? I check the website 10x a day because I'm afraid I'll miss it and our dates will be sold out!

 

[Sherry E]

Of course the higher ups and staff at Disney know when the Halloween dates will be. That kind of stuff is planned out at least 12 months in advance. For example, universities and high schools know graduation dates and venues years in advance. I think the same attention is given to the bigger events/seasons at Disney. As an event planning professional I can tell you that Disney, of all the companies, has their act together. They're just not releasing it for one reason or another and I'd bet it has to do with the 60th and the priority given to THOSE events. After all, a 60th only comes once in a lifetime. I love reading all the speculation though and I can't wait to hear what happens next! I refuse to believe they won't host Halloween at all Plugging my ears to that idea at all!

Very true. I think we all think that the higher ups at Disney know the dates -- I don't think anyone doubts that. Chances are they mapped it all out at the beginning of the year. However, that doesn't mean that they release it to their media/press people right away. I'm not sure what channels that kind of info has to go through before it gets to the Parks Blog people. July 17th is not a new anniversary date -- it comes and goes every year. The really "big" news this year was the Diamond Celebration, and that is already well under way. When MHP tickets would presumably have to go on sale at some point very soon, it doesn't do any good to wait until July 20th or something crazy to announce dates. So there might be some other reason for the delay.

Halloween Time is happening. The Party is happening. I don't have any doubts. There may be some changes to certain aspects, but I think they will still happen.

Back on the subject of how the official Disney calendar can be inaccurate ... I just noticed Innoventions isn't even listed on the refurbishment section and that's been behind walls for awhile now, so like Sherry said I wouldn't go off that Mansion refurb date until something official is announced... Or we get closer to the date.

Yes! See what I mean? I have seen things that should be on the website totally disappear, and other things have appeared and then vanished. This far out, I don't trust it. If that 8/24 closure date stays put for a while then I will believe it -- but then again, hopefully we will have gotten the "official" announcement of the Halloween Time season date from the Parks Blog by that time!

We ditched (lol) my brother/SIL (WDW cast members) for DL's Halloween party. Plane tickets purchased, dates locked in (10/13-17). How fast will tickets sell out? I check the website 10x a day because I'm afraid I'll miss it and our dates will be sold out!

Tickets don't sell out immediately. You'll have a bit of time. In fact, if you look at the Dates to Remember post on page 1 of this thread (or at the MHP FAQ post), you will see that I listed off the sold out dates in bold red. That will give you an idea of how long it took for each party night to sell out. There was only one party night last year that did not sell out -- and that was the second party of the season -- so I did not put a bold red notation next to it.

​

Okay, I finally called DLR to try my hand at asking a phone CM about the mysterious Haunted Mansion closure date, and to see if I was told anything different than what everyone else was told. I did not find out much, but what I learned (assuming it is true and accurate) was encouraging:

The CMs at DLR have apparently been told/given a heads up to expect the Halloween Time and Mickey's Halloween Party dates by the end of this week (so it could be tomorrow, or it could be Friday, or anywhere in between)!!!!!! They've been told that the info is coming this week. The CM I spoke to said that they all basically find out at the same time, and the Parks Blog doesn't find out that much earlier than they do at DLR (maybe a day earlier or so). She said that if the Parks Blog has not done a piece about it by this coming Friday, call DL and see if the telephone CMs have gotten the info.

The CM I spoke to said that she has no idea where the "8/28" closure date for HM came from (which was reported by someone on MiceChat), BUT she also noted that the info on the DLR website calendar is not fully filled in yet, so at this far out from 8/24, since they have no information for 8/22 or 8/23, she can't be sure that the 8/24 closure date is accurate yet. She said that when the info for 8/22 and 8/23 is filled in, if the HM refurb closure is still showing for 8/24 it is most likely accurate -- although she agreed that a 9/11 Halloween Time start date would be surprising.


Edited to add: Of course, take all of this with a grain of salt, as we can't really rely on the phone CMs for up to the minute, hot off the press info. But we'll see...

 

[mummabear]

Okay, I finally called DLR to try my hand at asking a phone CM about the mysterious Haunted Mansion closure date, and to see if I was told anything different than what everyone else was told. I did not find out much, but what I learned (assuming it is true and accurate) was encouraging:

The CMs at DLR have apparently been told/given a heads up to expect the Halloween Time and Mickey's Halloween Party dates by the end of this week (so it could be tomorrow, or it could be Friday, or anywhere in between)!!!!!! They've been told that the info is coming this week. The CM I spoke to said that they all basically find out at the same time, and the Parks Blog doesn't find out that much earlier than they do at DLR (maybe a day earlier or so). She said that if the Parks Blog has not done a piece about it by this coming Friday, call DL and see if the telephone CMs have gotten the info.

The CM I spoke to said that she has no idea where the "8/28" closure date for HM came from (which was reported by someone on MiceChat), BUT she also noted that the info on the DLR website calendar is not fully filled in yet, so at this far out from 8/24, since they have no information for 8/22 or 8/23, she can't be sure that the 8/24 closure date is accurate yet. She said that when the info for 8/22 and 8/23 is filled in, if the HM refurb closure is still showing for 8/24 it is most likely accurate -- although she agreed that a 9/11 Halloween Time start date would be surprising.


Edited to add: Of course, take all of this with a grain of salt, as we can't really rely on the phone CMs for up to the minute, hot off the press info. But we'll see...

Typical-I am heading away for a couple of days skiing of course it will come out now!

 

[Sherry E]

Typical-I am heading away for a couple of days skiing of course it will come out now!

That's assuming that what I was told is accurate and true -- which is always iffy with the telephone CMs at DLR. So we shall see. You may not miss anything! It's possible that, for whatever reason, maybe the Parks Blog won't do a piece on it by Friday -- like, say, for example, if the info doesn't come in until Friday, they may not be able to do a piece on it until Monday. But hopefully the CMs on the phones at DLR will have the info by late in the day on Friday, at the latest. This CM I spoke to seemed pretty certain that the info was coming this week, as I guess they had just been given that 'alert.'

What is encouraging is that she said they were told to expect the info for MHP, so it doesn't sound like there is even a glimmer of a chance that MHP won't happen. It's just taking forever to get the info!

 

[CaliGrrl]

From the Dapper Days web page... (Not sure if this is speculation based on previous years or they have actual knowledge.)

On select nights from Sept 25 to Oct 31, Disneyland Park will be closing early to host Mickey’s Halloween Party. Separate admission is required. During Mickey’s Halloween Party at Disneyland Park, there’s so much delightful and frightful family fun! This sensational seasonal event, part of Halloween Time at Disneyland Park. You’re invited to dress up your little ones, don a costume of your own, and trick-or-treat at the ultimate neighborhood—Disneyland Park! See www.Disneyland.com/Halloween for details.

 

[Sherry E]

From the Dapper Days web page... (Not sure if this is speculation based on previous years or they have actual knowledge.)

On select nights from Sept 25 to Oct 31, Disneyland Park will be closing early to host Mickey’s Halloween Party. Separate admission is required. During Mickey’s Halloween Party at Disneyland Park, there’s so much delightful and frightful family fun! This sensational seasonal event, part of Halloween Time at Disneyland Park. You’re invited to dress up your little ones, don a costume of your own, and trick-or-treat at the ultimate neighborhood—Disneyland Park! See www.Disneyland.com/Halloween for details.

Very good question -- do they actually know something, or are they just basing that text on last year's dates? You know, I hadn't thought about Dapper Days, but last week I was thinking about Gay Days, and how they used to time it so that their weekend fell right around when MHP began (or shortly thereafter) -- but I have no idea if they learn the dates from Disney in advance so that they can plan it that way, or if it is just a coincidence.

If there were no changes to MHP this year -- meaning no extra nights added in to the schedule -- then 9/25 would be the date I would expect it to start.

 

[violentlyserene]

What's the temperature at night typically in October? I see the average in late October is from 60-80. I'm looking at princess costumes and wondering if I'm going to have a heat stroke. I run hot so 70 even is pushing it for a big costumed dress.