HalloweenTime at DLR Superthread #4

[mummabear]

Universal Studios Halloween:

 

[laura&fam]

I was looking around the Disney Florist website today and they had listing for Halloween 2014 (under Holidays). I wonder if this is what this year's Halloween Mickey ears will look like...
http://disneyworld.disneyfloralandg...useearhathalloween.do?sortby=ourPicks&from=fn

This is a little off topic, but I was wondering which holidays they make ears for. I have a Halloween one (of course I can always buy another ) and a Christmas one and it would be fun to get more for other holidays.

 

[Sherry E]

^^^^ Oh dear (mummabear's photos)! Not my cup of tea (both Universal and Knott's), but a lot of people will love it!

I don't think that Universal and Knott's use quite the overly dramatic/cheesy descriptions of their events that the Los Angeles Haunted Hayride people use. It seems like the Hayride people take themselves way too seriously and try way too hard to be "scary" in their descriptions. Now that doesn't mean that the Hayride is not scary -- I am sure it is -- but they need to tone down all of that hokey 'depths of the abyss/leviathan abomination' nonsense! It's just silly.

 

[LisaT91403]

LisaT91403-

October 10th is the party right before Columbus Day. That's a holiday weekend, of course, so it could always sell out sooner than later. It's possible.

As I posted in the MHP FAQ on page 1, there were a bunch of parties that sold out in rapid succession over two or three weeks (roughly between late September and mid-October-ish), but I can't recall when the party before Columbus Day sold out.

Also mentioned in the MHP FAQ is the fact that onsite hotel guests have a chance to get tickets on the morning of the event. Will you be staying onsite?

You might want to check Geemo's thread from 2013, tracking the sellouts, as there is a mention of Columbus Day weekend on the first page and that may give you an idea of when the MHP right before it sold out.

Thanks, Sherry. I had read Geemo's thread previously...I am 100% convinced that the 10/10 party will sell out. I just don't see a Friday night party *not* selling out. I'm trying not to worry about Columbus Day crowds per se. I think any Friday is going to be crowded, especially in the afternoon when party-goers start to arrive.

I think I could probably wait until the end of August to purchase tickets. But it's a risk, for sure!

 

[mon8key]

Hello
I'm hoping to take my boys down for a few days early October & attend the Fri 10/3 Halloween Party. I know Gay Days start that night & that this party will sell out fast. But how fast? Can I log in at midnight on 7/30 to get tickets? Or is there a certain time they actually open for sale?
thanks!

 

[TulipsNZ]

So tomorrow is the 30th here, I'm trying to figure out what time over here tickets go on sale over there? I'm so excited and also nervous we will miss out. What time do tickets go on sale and how likely is it that the first party will sell out?

 

[Solomani]

So tomorrow is the 30th here, I'm trying to figure out what time over here tickets go on sale over there? I'm so excited and also nervous we will miss out. What time do tickets go on sale and how likely is it that the first party will sell out?

Where is here? NZ? I am in Australia and assuming you want to ring at 7am PST when the tickets open its midnight tonight to be first thing. That's AEST.

 

[mikana876]

I'm also wondering what time tickets go on sale Pacific Time tomorrow? I'm hoping the first party doesn't sell out!

 

[Solomani]

I'm also wondering what time tickets go on sale Pacific Time tomorrow? I'm hoping the first party doesn't sell out!

7am PST.

 

[BebopAngel88]

Are mazes a normal part of the park or a special Halloween thing? We love mazes and had not been considering Knotts but if they have mazes I may rethink things.

Yea, they all have mazes. It is a lot of fun! If I can get one of my family members to babysit, than my bf and I will definitely be going.

 

[figment_jii]

Hello
I'm hoping to take my boys down for a few days early October & attend the Fri 10/3 Halloween Party. I know Gay Days start that night & that this party will sell out fast. But how fast? Can I log in at midnight on 7/30 to get tickets? Or is there a certain time they actually open for sale?
thanks!

So tomorrow is the 30th here, I'm trying to figure out what time over here tickets go on sale over there? I'm so excited and also nervous we will miss out. What time do tickets go on sale and how likely is it that the first party will sell out?

I'm also wondering what time tickets go on sale Pacific Time tomorrow? I'm hoping the first party doesn't sell out!

As the PP said, tickets via phone and online should go live around 7:00 am PDT. I emphasized the "around" part because in the past, while the phone lines do open at 7:00 am, they haven't always had access to the MHP tickets right at 7:00 am. So it's usually best to wait until later in the morning because a) the hold times are shorter and b) everything is loaded into the system. For the online system, this year AP holders could buy them online in the morning, but last year, it took a couple hours for the online links to be found. So again, I wouldn't count on everything going live right at 7:00 am.

As many of us have said, it's very unlikely that any of the parties will sell out on the first day. Most parties are likely to have tickets until late-August/early-September. While I do think most parties will ultimately sell-out, it's not going to happen tomorrow.

When tickets do go on sale tomorrow, I would guess they'll be available online via the current Special Events Ticket link:
https://disneyland.disney.go.com/tickets/events/

 

[Sherry E]

From those wacky, fun-loving characters over at the Los Angeles Haunted Hayride Facebook page....

"To be more clear...

Voyeurism takes on a new meaning...... Take in sights that can not be unseen: Flesh and furniture melting into one....... a forest of sinners whose eyes are the feast of crows; and even a race of carnivorous celestial Entities thriving on the fat from human hosts..."

Their Facebook page just might become my favorite Facebook page -- and not for the "right reasons" at all! You will never catch me on that silly hayride in October, but their waaaaaaaaaay-over-the-top descriptions and synopses (that are supposed to terrify us, I suppose) are providing me with endless entertainment and giggles.

Surely they are not taking themselves seriously and thinking that these synopses are actually scary... I hope. When they have to try that hard to 'sound' scary, maybe the actual event is not that exciting. But I wouldn't know, because I won't be doing it!

If anyone lurking out there ends up going on the L.A. Haunted Hayride for Halloween season this year, please report back and let me know if it lived up to all of the hype! I need to know!

 

[figment_jii]

It was a dark and stormy night...
Maybe their writers are from the "It was a dark and stormy night" contest!

mummabear, I've seen photos form Universals Halloween Horror nights and I have to say that it's just not for me. Some of it doesn't see to bad in the daylight, but I do think once it gets dark, it does seem much creepier.

 

[mummabear]

^^^^ Oh dear (mummabear's photos)! Not my cup of tea (both Universal and Knott's), but a lot of people will love it!.

I'm generally ok with it, except people jumping out at me in mazes that scares the c**p out of me! I think it's great that their Halloween party is aimed at an older crowd.
However this stuff was right as you walk into the park and I seem to remember someone with a chainsaw walking around (normal park hours) and it really scared our kids, I am thinking twice about whether we head to Universal this trip (both so they don't get scared and because there is not a lot for the under 5's there)

 

[Sherry E]

It was a dark and stormy night...
Maybe their writers are from the "It was a dark and stormy night" contest!

mummabear, I've seen photos form Universals Halloween Horror nights and I have to say that it's just not for me. Some of it doesn't see to bad in the daylight, but I do think once it gets dark, it does seem much creepier.

figment_jii --

At this rate I think that Snoopy could write better material and descriptions for the L.A. Haunted Hayride than the ones they write for themselves. They are overselling the 'scare factor,' I think, and if they didn't talk it up so much it would probably stand on its own as a nice little horrifying hayride in the hills!

I'm generally ok with it, except people jumping out at me in mazes that scares the c**p out of me! I think it's great that their Halloween party is aimed at an older crowd.
However this stuff was right as you walk into the park and I seem to remember someone with a chainsaw walking around (normal park hours) and it really scared our kids, I am thinking twice about whether we head to Universal this trip (both so they don't get scared and because there is not a lot for the under 5's there)

mummabear --

I don't want anything jumping out at me from anywhere, nor do I want anyone chasing after me with a chainsaw, hatchet or other weapon. I don't like being startled, so this sort of event is not for me, nor is Knott's Scary Farm/Halloween Haunt.

Have you done the Knott's event?

Yes, that 'crossover' period of time (which figment_jii also mentioned in a post from a couple of days ago, I think), in which regular guests in the park are suddenly faced with some of the menacing "characters" from the party before the party has begun, or close to it, is a problem. There should most definitely be a clear separation of the regular daytime activities/characters in the park and the nighttime, more intense Halloween activities/characters, just for that very reason -- to avoid scaring young children or the easily scare-able adults!

For years Knott's seemed to be the leader in the "scary party" concept for Halloween. Then, for a couple of years, Universal gained some ground because, supposedly, their special effects were/are better. Also, Universal has the whole Walking Dead portion of Halloween Horror Nights, and that draws in a lot of people.

It seems that Knott's is still holding its own, though, and is not really losing any business (although people have said that there seem to be more teenagers at Knott's than at Universal). I think that the people who like the more terrifying aspects of Halloween -- the "haunters" and haunt community, etc. -- embrace both Knott's and Universal and Dark Harbor at the Queen Mary (and probably the Los Angeles Haunted Hayride, too!).

Here is a fun October 2013 DIS Unplugged Blog from Michael Bowling, all about Knott's Scary Farm and Halloween Haunt.

...And then there is Six Flags' Fright Fest, which no one ever talks about! I don't think anyone wants to drive all the way out to Valencia, CA to attend Fright Fest, when the Knott's and Universal events are more than enough to satisfy that craving for Halloween horror.

 

[figment_jii]

...And then there is Six Flags' Fright Fest, which no one ever talks about! I don't think anyone wants to drive all the way out to Valencia, CA to attend Fright Fest, when the Knott's and Universal events are more than enough to satisfy that craving for Halloween horror.

That's what it was called! I couldn't remember...I went to Six Flags' on Fright Fest night (although, I was at the Six Flag's in Vallejo, but I'm betting there are some similar elements).

I understand that some of the stuff is to hard/time consuming to take down during the day and it's generally okay when it's "flat" stuff (like props that don't move or the dye in the fountain), but it just doesn't work when it's the "interactive" element. I'm still very grateful that the little ones I was with did not notice the zombies, etc. We had two things going for us at that point. It was pretty crowded, so she could only really see one person away from her. So as long as the adults in her party formed a small barrier, she couldn't really see very much at a distance. And then we bribed her...I had a slushie container and held it in front of her face, and promised her that if she focused on that she could have what was left in when we got to the parking lot. That seemed to do the trick...the other kiddo was in a stroller and we just put the top down! Sigh...

Someday, I think this kids would love Mickey's Halloween Party, but they can't stay up that late yet!

 

[PixiDustDears]

Now that we have out tickets we are starting to think costumes. DD wants to be Elsa of course. Ds is actually thinking Olaf.

(From Amazon)


Dh would be a simple Sven (Brown clothes and antlers) but I'm having trouble coming up with a cheap and easy idea for myself that fits.
Anna dresses are a bit much and they don't really come in my size. Any ideas?

 

[figment_jii]

Would your DH be willing to be Kristoff and then you could go as Sven?

 

[TulipsNZ]

I've been looking at Anna dresses too and there are some nice Coronation dresses in plus size on Etsy.

 

[PixiDustDears]

Would your DH be willing to be Kristoff and then you could go as Sven?

We could do that. He could carry around a bag of carrots.