HalloweenTime at DLR Superthread #4

[LisaT91403]

I'll preface this by saying that what is crowded to one person might not be crowded to another person.

I couldn't agree more! If you read enough trip reports here, you will learn how true this is. I've gone and thought the park was quite pleasant, and then have come here and read reports about how miserably crowded it was on the same day I was there!

I don't do rides at MHP, so I can't really comment on how long the lines are other than HMH seemed popular.

Okay, good to know...as I'm mostly concerned about ride wait times. If I am going to pay a big premium to be there for only a few hours, I want to be able to get the kids onto lots of rides. It doesn't matter as much to DS, as we have our APs, but my nephews don't get to visit DLR much and they will be wanting to ride everything.

Thanks for your help!

 

[figment_jii]

Okay, good to know...as I'm mostly concerned about ride wait times. If I am going to pay a big premium to be there for only a few hours, I want to be able to get the kids onto lots of rides. It doesn't matter as much to DS, as we have our APs, but my nephews don't get to visit DLR much and they will be wanting to ride everything.

Oh...so you're going to go the party to do rides? Or are you going to do the party events (e.g., fireworks, Cavalcade, character meet and greets, dance parties, trick-or-treating)? I mainly ask because most folks go to the party to do the party exclusive events, but if you do that, you won't have a lot of time to do rides. The party only lasts five hours and it goes by very fast. Most of the major rides are open (baring an unexpected closure), but a few things do close (e.g., Tiki Birds, the Railroad, Toontown, etc.).

 

[LisaT91403]

Oh...so you're going to go the party to do rides? Or are you going to do the party events (e.g., fireworks, Cavalcade, character meet and greets, dance parties, trick-or-treating)? I mainly ask because most folks go to the party to do the party exclusive events, but if you do that, you won't have a lot of time to do rides. The party only lasts five hours and it goes by very fast. Most of the major rides are open (baring an unexpected closure), but a few things do close (e.g., Tiki Birds, the Railroad, Toontown, etc.).

Rides and trick-or-treating for sure. I'm not sure about the other events...we'd probably play it by ear and see what looks like fun when we are there. I figured we could also use the 4:00-7:00 time for rides (but, on a Friday, I know it will be very crowded then).

 

[figment_jii]

Rides and trick-or-treating for sure. I'm not sure about the other events...we'd probably play it by ear and see what looks like fun when we are there. I figured we could also use the 4:00-7:00 time for rides (but, on a Friday, I know it will be very crowded then).

How many days are you going? If you aren't really interested in the MHP events, I would consider forgoing the party and going over to the DCA at that point. The parks opened at 8:00 am last year and DCA opened until midnight on Fridays in October. So if you had tickets for the whole day you would get 17 hours of time in the parks and you could split your day between DL and DCA (though DCA did get more crowded once the party started). Otherwise, with the party, you'll only be able to visit DL and the crowds do ramp up during the 4-7 pm period so I wouldn't count on doing that many rides in that three hour time period.

I just realized that only the first Friday MHP in October (which happens to coincide with Gay Days weekend, which means the party will most likely sell out) has any type of discount. The other Friday night parties in October (10/10, 10/17, 10/24, and 10/31) do not offer any AP/DVC/Disney Visa discount. The tickets are $70 regardless of purchase date.

 

[laura&fam]

Rides and trick-or-treating for sure. I'm not sure about the other events...we'd probably play it by ear and see what looks like fun when we are there. I figured we could also use the 4:00-7:00 time for rides (but, on a Friday, I know it will be very crowded then).

This is what we did at MHP two years ago. We found the ride lines to be shorter during the party than they had been the day before (Thursday) but we avoided HM and SM since we knew the lines would be long for those. The time does go by very fast. You mostly need to pick rides or Halloween stuff (characters and parades, etc.) and forgo the other. My family was fine not doing character meet and greets or the parade/cavalcade.

 

[mummabear]

This is what we did at MHP two years ago. We found the ride lines to be shorter during the party than they had been the day before (Thursday) but we avoided HM and SM since we knew the lines would be long for those. The time does go by very fast. You mostly need to pick rides or Halloween stuff (characters and parades, etc.) and forgo the other. My family was fine not doing character meet and greets or the parade/cavalcade.

Out of curiosity why would you spend the money on the party if you are not interested in the party stuff?



Was 2010 the first year DLR held MHP?

 

[laura&fam]

All the decor and atmosphere were really fun. We did dress up and watch the Halloween fireworks and the kids liked the trick or treating. We're going this year to Legoland so we're only able to fit in a little bit of time at Disneyland. Since we only get there every couple of years or so the rides are a big deal to us. Not that the other isn't fun and we wouldn't like it we just picked more rides since it was one or the other.

Also cost wise MHP is about half the price of a one day ticket and if we're there on a party night and it gets crazy at 3pm it's a short day anyway.

 

[Kilala]

Was 2010 the first year DLR held MHP?

no ti wasn't the first year. It was the first year for it to be at Disnayland. All of the years that I was there was in DCA. I have been going since 2006. My friend went when they first had it in 1996 I think.

 

[scrappymel]

zulily has some nice prices on girls costumes today... the queen of hearts is ADORABLE.

http://www.zulily.com/e/enchanted-p...s&sPos=1&cSec=0&ns=ns_404211020|1405178201402

 

[Sherry E]

Hi, everyone!

I haven't abandoned you all (I know that's disappointing news!). I wanted to kind of hang back and let the conversation flow. I know from previous years that when this thread picks up steam it's best to let it roll, and sometimes if I keep quiet more people will jump in and start talking. (Also, there is a massive, 3 month+ Theme Week Countdown [with prizes and all] that is about to take place in my Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread in one week and I have been busy trying to play with some ideas for that to make it a little more challenging. Muahahahahahahaha!)


I'm glad to see that more people have been joining in and speaking up -- and to all of you!

Thank you to figment_jii and everyone else who has answered questions and helped out!

I will suggest to everyone who is new to the thread (and/or new to Halloween Time) to be sure to read the MHP FAQ post on page 1, as well as the Dates to Remember post, the Ghoulish Grub post, the Haunted Happenings post, etc. A lot of the questions that come up about the MHP are probably in that FAQ post somewhere!


I am still planning to do some sort of mini-Theme Week Countdown here, in this thread, but am waiting for the right time. Initially I wanted to start it at the same time I kick off the Theme Week Countdown in the Holiday thread, but this thread tends to get busier in big waves, and trying to wedge in a Countdown is awkward (I know -- I tried it in the past) and tends to then discourage questions and conversation. The pace of this thread is a little different than it is in my other Superthread.

This upcoming week we have the first wave of MHP ticket sales and that always generates conversation, as does the General Public ticket sale day. After the tickets have gone on sale to everyone, then it's just a matter of waiting for any additional Halloween Time "news" to trickle in. So I may just launch the mini-Theme Week Countdown in this thread after the tickets have gone on sale to everyone, as we then wait for any morsels of info about the season.

On a side note, as I'm sure you all saw last week, the Parks Blog came out with a piece about the "Legends of Frontierland: Gold Rush" event that is currently taking place in DLR.

I thought that Legends was an interesting idea and a great way for guests to have an interactive, immersive, themed experience. I also thought that it seemed like a concept that has legs, as it could carry over to different lands (with different themed stories created for each land) in the future.

And then I thought that the whole concept of the story-driven, themed, interactive, immersive experience could also work wonderfully for Halloween Time -- or even for the holidays. The story/experience during Halloween Time could be slightly spooky (but not very spooky), with a sort of 'mystery' theme befitting the season, and different characters in the story could be created just for that event.

A similar Holiday Season story/experience could involve the Citizens of Buena Vista Street, Molly the Messenger, etc.

I wonder if DLR currently has plans to continue the same sort of themed experience/story in other lands or for other seasons.

Thanks for all of this info - I did not read every page...so excuse me if I am repeating.

For our first Halloween party, we are picking between Friday, Oct 10th OR Friday, Oct 31...I love the idea of Halloween but fear it will be more crowded.

Opinions?

Thanks all!

Wendy

Wendy --

I just wanted to say welcome!

I, too, am considering a Halloween night party. Halloween night parties usually sell out anyway, but if Halloween is on an earlier weeknight is always possible that people will have to leave a tad early to get the little ones home.

This time, since Halloween is on a Friday, that makes me think that no one will go home before midnight! I could be wrong, but I just have a feeling that a Friday night Halloween party will be very popular -- but there may not be any more tickets sold for that night than there are for, say, a Tuesday night party.

I had no idea the dates for the Halloween party were announced! I'm so frustrated. What does it take to get e-mail notifications? We are annual pass holders and have a profile/account through GoDisneyland.com. We've had this account for over a year. We love Halloween time at Disney and go every year.

ALittleBitWitchy --

Do you get any of the feeds? The Disney Parks Blog appears to have stopped sending out their daily email summaries of the previous days' Blogs, but I am subscribed to their feed and that is effective. I am also subscribed to the Disneyland News feed. When new Blogs and Press Releases come through, they will pop up in your browser within 15 minutes to one hour of going live (depending on your settings), which is helpful if you're sitting at a computer.

Either that, or you could follow the pages on Facebook or Twitter and set up mobile alerts that way.

I just found out my sister and her family are finally going back to DLR this fall! They haven't been in about 6 years. Her brother-in-law works for one of the video game companies Disney owns and is getting them passes. So I get to give them some tips for a 3-day trip. Biggest challenge will be restraining myself from giving them an overload of advice. I am glad to see the Halloween Party news so they can plan their days around it.

Have a great weekend to all!

PHXscuba

Hi, PHX --



Can you work your way into being their "guide" and go along on the trip? Tell them that sooooooo much has changed in 6 years and that you just have to show them around!

Will your sister and family be trying to avoid the MHP, or work it into the schedule? If they're going to the MHP, be sure to refer them to the MHP FAQ on page 1!

And so begins another Monday...any guesses when the #GetHappier event will be announced today?

figment_jii --

I didn't pop in here to comment, but I was following the Facebook pages last week and saw when the Get Happier thing popped up. I guess that was an okay giveaway for those who were able to stay that late and enjoy the extra hour.

Well, who knows what amazing wonders are in store for tomorrow's Monday Summer Surprise?

As far as I know, Tower of Terror does not have a Halloween overlay. I think they just toss it into the description of HalloweenTime because it's kind of a spooky/ghostly ride to begin with.

figment_jii --

I believe that someone said that, at one point several years ago, there were some Halloween decorations or banners of some kind in the queue/waiting area for ToT. Then the decorations disappeared. I think it's kind of misleading for Disney to bring up ToT when talking about Halloween Time if there are no actual ties to Halloween in that ride. Yes, it is a spooky ride to begin with, but it's spooky all year, and not just during Halloween Time!

I guess DLR has to grasp at straws, though, since they removed almost all other traces of Halloween from DCA (the Mad T party isn't enough to cover even one land, let alone several lands)!

Did you notice that in the Disneyland News piece I posted the link for a few pages back it said, "...Halloween Time at the Disneyland Resort transforms Disneyland and Disney California Adventure Parks into cheerfully spooky, family-friendly Halloween environments beginning Friday, Sept. 12..." ?

As you can imagine, while reading I was mumbling to myself, "Yeah, right.... California Adventure is not transformed!"

The guidelines from last year are posted in the third post on this thread (Question #15). As zanzibar138 said, you can come as any character you want (it doesn't have to be Disney), but as MHP is a family friendly event, so please keep that in mind. You'll see a pretty good split of guests in costumes and guests not in costume. I don't wear a costume, but I've never felt out of place. It's fun to see all the different costumes, but I've generally noticed a stronger presence of Disney costumes than any other group.

Same here -- I haven't worn a costume yet either, and have never felt out of place.

Out of curiosity why would you spend the money on the party if you are not interested in the party stuff?

Was 2010 the first year DLR held MHP?

mummabear --

I wrote about this in the MHP FAQ post on page 1, but "Mickey's Halloween Party" -- as we know it, by that specific name -- did, indeed, begin in 2010, and 2010 was the first year (in a long time) that it took place in DL, after being in DCA for several years. Prior to 2010 it was called Mickey's Trick or Treat Party and Mickey's Halloween Treat.

The Halloween party -- by any name -- actually predates the Halloween Time season, meaning that the party was already an official event before Disneyland ever gave an official name to its Halloween season. The party began back in the '90s, then was shelved for 9 years, and then returned in the year of Disneyland's 50th anniversary (2005). Halloween Time officially began (with that name) in 2006.

​

 

[sgrap]

I know this question has been tossed around, but with tickets going on early sales this week, I need to decide! And I need help! If we are at DLR for a time period with 2 MHP's, is it worth it to buy tickets for both of them? We'd be there on Wednesday 10/22 and Friday 10/24. I'd love any input! Thanks~

 

[laura&fam]

I know this question has been tossed around, but with tickets going on early sales this week, I need to decide! And I need help! If we are at DLR for a time period with 2 MHP's, is it worth it to buy tickets for both of them? We'd be there on Wednesday 10/22 and Friday 10/24. I'd love any input! Thanks~

If you have the chance you could take more time and not worry about having to see everything in one night however if you're trying to go to the park the next day that would be very hard. Do you want to see all the Halloween stuff (fireworks/cavalcade/etc.) and get character photos? Will you be there during the day each party day or the next day? The party goes pretty late (for me and my kids at least) so an entire day plus a party or rope drop the next day would be difficult.

 

[BayGirl22]

I didn't see this answered in the FAQ and want to be sure before tickets go on sale:
I have an AP, I'm taking my 5yo son to DL for MHP (sooo excited, he doesn't know yet), he does not have an AP. So can I buy an AP rate ticket for me and a regular ticket for him in the same transaction when they go on sale to AP-holders? And it looks like there are no child rates for the party, correct?

Just want to be sure I'm not limited to buying only for AP-holders this week, because it won't really work out if our date sells out before the general sales start. We're planning on the first party in September.
TIA!

 

[sgrap]

If you have the chance you could take more time and not worry about having to see everything in one night however if you're trying to go to the park the next day that would be very hard. Do you want to see all the Halloween stuff (fireworks/cavalcade/etc.) and get character photos? Will you be there during the day each party day or the next day? The party goes pretty late (for me and my kids at least) so an entire day plus a party or rope drop the next day would be difficult.

Yes, we'd probably want to do all the Halloween stuff and get some character photos. We'd be there Tuesday-Saturday most likely. I agree that especially doing the Friday party, we probably wouldn't try to do rope drop on Saturday. My guess would be that we would do rope drop Wednesday, go back at some point mid-day to the hotel and then return for MHP. Is there an optimum time for returning for the parties so that you are not caught up in the turnstiles with MHP people arriving?

 

[Sherry E]

I didn't see this answered in the FAQ and want to be sure before tickets go on sale:
I have an AP, I'm taking my 5yo son to DL for MHP (sooo excited, he doesn't know yet), he does not have an AP. So can I buy an AP rate ticket for me and a regular ticket for him in the same transaction when they go on sale to AP-holders? And it looks like there are no child rates for the party, correct?

Just want to be sure I'm not limited to buying only for AP-holders this week, because it won't really work out if our date sells out before the general sales start. We're planning on the first party in September.
TIA!

BayGirl22 --

As an AP holder you can buy up to 8 tickets at the discounted rate (including a ticket for your son)! So you can buy both of your tickets at a discount in the same transaction!

Correct -- no separate rates for a child's ticket.

 

[theworldneedscolor]

So I just discovered that my dates match up with Dapper Days. I actually am pretty excited about this, because I get to participate and get a great discount at the Disney hotels!

I am concerned about the crowds, since I will just be there for the weekend. How crowded does it normally get during the Dapper Days weekend?

 

[Sherry E]

I know this question has been tossed around, but with tickets going on early sales this week, I need to decide! And I need help! If we are at DLR for a time period with 2 MHP's, is it worth it to buy tickets for both of them? We'd be there on Wednesday 10/22 and Friday 10/24. I'd love any input! Thanks~

sgrap --

My personal feeling is that 2 parties would probably not be a bad idea, just to be able to get in all of the character meet & greets, the fireworks, Cavalcade, hit some treat trails, dance parties, etc., but you could probably get away with only one.

I think that one party certainly gives enough of a dose of Halloween fun that one isn't left feeling bored or unfulfilled, but 2 parties may be too much for some people. It's hard to tell who will be glad they did more than one party and who will regret it.

As for a good time to arrive at DL to avoid MHP gridlock at the turnstiles, good question! I'm not sure. A whole bunch o' people enter Disneyland at 3 p.m. or 4 p.m. (depending on which party night it is), so the turnstiles get pretty packed, pretty quickly) and I think there may only be one or two gates through which you can enter.

 

[sgrap]

sgrap --

My personal feeling is that 2 parties probably wouldn't be a bad idea, just to be able to get in all of the characters meet & greets, the fireworks, Cavalcade, hit some treat trails, dance parties, etc., but you could probably get away with only one.

I think that one party certainly gives enough of a dose of Halloween fun that one isn't left feeling bored or unfulfilled, but 2 parties may be too much for some people. It's hard to tell who will be glad they did more than one party and who will regret it.

As for a good time to arrive at DL to avoid MHP gridlock at the turnstiles, good question! I'm not sure. A whole bunch o' people enter Disneyland at 3 p.m. or 4 p.m. (depending on which party night it is), so the turnstiles get pretty packed, pretty quickly) and I think there may only be one or two gates through which you can enter.

Thanks for the input! Am I correct in assuming that the Halloween party starts at the time when the park closes to other guests (6 p.m. or 7 p.m.), not the 3 hours earlier when the park opens to MHP ticket holders? In other words, would I be missing out on anything if I didn't re-enter until say 5 p.m.?

 

[BayGirl22]

BayGirl22 --

As an AP holder you can buy up to 8 tickets at the discounted rate (including a ticket for your son)! So you can buy both of your tickets at a discount in the same transaction!

Correct -- no separate rates for a child's ticket.

Oh that's great news. Discounts for both do us. I can't wait.
Thanks for the quick response!

 

[figment_jii]

I know this question has been tossed around, but with tickets going on early sales this week, I need to decide! And I need help! If we are at DLR for a time period with 2 MHP's, is it worth it to buy tickets for both of them? We'd be there on Wednesday 10/22 and Friday 10/24. I'd love any input! Thanks~

I agree with Sherry, that if you can go to two parties, I would go to two parties! It gives you more time to do thigns and you can do things at a more relaxed pace. I went to two parties last year (for the first time) and I really enjoyed just being able to sit down and soak up the atmosphere more easily. For the first party, we hit all of the things we normally do (fireworks, Cavalcade, trick-or-treating, etc.) and then on the second party we used what we had learned at the first party to do them again, plus check out a few other things (villains mini-show, Cadaver Dans, etc.).

Just want to be sure I'm not limited to buying only for AP-holders this week, because it won't really work out if our date sells out before the general sales start. We're planning on the first party in September.

As Sherry said, you'll be able to purchase your son's ticket at the discounted rate this week. In truth, I would be pretty surprised if tickets sold out at this point. While most of the parties did sell out last year, I don't think they began selling out until late-August/early-September at the earliest. So, while there are a lot of AP/DVC/Disney Visa members out there, I do think there will still be tickets available when they go on sale to the general public.

Thanks for the input! Am I correct in assuming that the Halloween party starts at the time when the park closes to other guests (6 p.m. or 7 p.m.), not the 3 hours earlier when the park opens to MHP ticket holders? In other words, would I be missing out on anything if I didn't re-enter until say 5 p.m.?

Yes and no...assuming this year is something like last year, the majority of the party events won't start until the party official starts (at 6:00 pm or 7:00 pm). They did have the Toontown Pre-Party last year, which started one hour before the party (so at either 5:00 pm or 6:00 pm) and only ran until the party started (at least I'm pretty sure they ended it at the start of the party - can anyone that went last year remember?). So if you arrive at least one hour before the party starts, then (if they have it) you can go to the pre-party event. At a minimum, I would plan to arrive a little before the party official starts so you can already be in the park when the party starts. Basically, because the party time is limited, I would want to make the most of it!