HalloweenTime at DLR Superthread #4

[Sherry E]

If that rumor about replacing the ranch area and ToonTown becomes a reality, I will be really curious to see what Disney does with the fun events they have at the ranch with the characters.

pudinhd --

Same here.

I really hope there is another way to work Star Wars into Disneyland so that those areas don't have to be disturbed, but a lot of people view the whole Halloween Carnival/Jingle Jangle Jamboree area (which was also great, and quite festive, during spring/Easter) as a waste of space and would be glad to see it go. I think it has lots of potential and it is a great spot for seasonal festivities. I think it is especially crucial during the Halloween Time season because the Halloween offerings are minimal to begin with. If they take the Halloween Carnival out of DL, there isn't all that much "Halloween" left in DL! The holiday season could probably survive -- though it would be a lot less festive -- without the JJJ, but the Halloween Carnival is the hub of daytime/non-MHP Halloween activity in the park! The pumpkin carvers need a home!

Awww, the Evil Queen. I'm really hoping she'll be available outside conjure a villain! Hopefully they'll have a villain or two in town square in addition to conjure a villain. It will be unfortunate if they are more scarce during Halloween time due to conjure than regular times...

Cassie --

Unless I missed seeing the Villains out and about, as far as I know they were taken out of Town Square as soon as the Halloween Carnival first went up in 2012. As soon as that Conjure a Villain thing came along, that was the only way to meet Villains during Halloween Time -- outside of Mickey's Halloween Party. (Of course, Cruella and others could be found during the rest of the year.)

From 2009-2011, the Villains were stationed at a regular photo spot near IASW. In 2008 and prior, there were Villains (Frollo, Ratcliffe, Don Karnage and the Queen of Hearts) at a photo spot in DCA, in Hollywood, as well as others in DL too.

 

[pudinhd]

pudinhd --

Same here.

I really hope there is another way to work Star Wars into Disneyland so that those areas don't have to be disturbed, but a lot of people view the whole Halloween Carnival/Jingle Jangle Jamboree area (which was also great, and quite festive, during spring/Easter) as a waste of space and would be glad to see it go. I think it has lots of potential and it is a great spot for seasonal festivities. I think it is especially crucial during the Halloween Time season because the Halloween offerings are minimal to begin with. If they take the Halloween Carnival out of DL, there isn't all that much "Halloween" left in DL! The holiday season could probably survive -- though it would be a lot less festive -- without the JJJ, but the Halloween Carnival is the hub of daytime/non-MHP Halloween activity in the park! The pumpkin carvers need a home!

Very good points!! With the thought that Conjure a Villain is making the villains seem more exclusive at MHP, I can't help but think the villains would not be offered at all without the Halloween Carnival.

I think I mentioned this before, but while Cars Land and Bugs Land work at DCA, I love the variety in each land at DL. I don't have anything against Star Wars, Marvel, etc., but don't want a land specifically for them. Modify rides, take some out and build new, whatever, but just do a variety like the rest of the park!

 

[figment_jii]

Thanks for the info. I was hoping to get close to the photo store for the fireworks but I'll have to decide if I'm willing to wait longer or just want a worse view. I hadn't noticed Starbucks last trip and it isn't listed on the map I found online. Can you tell me what it's by?

It's the Main Street Bakery. I call it Starbucks because they serve Starbucks drinks there, but I think it's still formally called the Main Street Bakery.

Yes, I am still getting a kick out of that "paid event within a paid event" deal that is happening at WDW this year (because it verges on greed)! Of course, I am only getting a kick out of it until it ends up happening in DLR too! Then I won't be getting a kick out of it!

I honestly think that the Sinister Soirée at MNSSHP has to do with all the villains they had to train for the Unleash the Villians event. I feel like the logic was: they had them, so why not use them again? It'll be interesting to read how it goes and whether folks thinks it's worth $99!

 

[Sherry E]

It's the Main Street Bakery. I call it Starbucks because they serve Starbucks drinks there, but I think it's still formally called the Main Street Bakery.


I honestly think that the Sinister Soirée at MNSSHP has to do with all the villains they had to train for the Unleash the Villians event. I feel like the logic was: they had them, so why not use them again? It'll be interesting to read how it goes and whether folks thinks it's worth $99!

Starbucks is in the Market House on Main Street.

There used to be a Blue Ribbon Bakery on Main Street, but that closed when Carnation Café was re-expanded to include indoor seating, and Gibson Girl Ice Cream and Candy Palace were temporarily closed during that time as well as well.

The Jolly Holiday Bakery is what took over for Blue Ribbon Bakery, although it is located in a totally different spot than where BRB was located.


Yes, I'm very curious to read the feedback on the Soiree and see if it gets good or bad reviews!

I can't wait for Halloween Time to arrive!

 

[figment_jii]

Yikes! Brain hiccup! Right, sorry about...it's called the Market House at DL (it's the Main Street Bakery at MK!).

 

[CassieF]

Cassie --

Unless I missed seeing the Villains out and about, as far as I know they were taken out of Town Square as soon as the Halloween Carnival first went up in 2012. As soon as that Conjure a Villain thing came along, that was the only way to meet Villains during Halloween Time -- outside of Mickey's Halloween Party. (Of course, Cruella and others could be found during the rest of the year.)

From 2009-2011, the Villains were stationed at a regular photo spot near IASW. In 2008 and prior, there were Villains (Frollo, Ratcliffe, Don Karnage and the Queen of Hearts) at a photo spot in DCA, in Hollywood, as well as others in DL too.

Yikes, that is a major disappointment! We frequently stop and see Cruella several times throughout the day (same for the Queen when she was out) but if it's going to be 30+ minutes without even knowing who we see Halloween time, which we've been looking forward to so much, is going to be a big bummer of two months! Sure, we'll have two, possibly three, Halloween parties that we are going to but if we can't see our "friends" easily on regular visits I'm going to have one very disappointed little niece!

 

[mom2rtk]

Janet --

It's coincidental that you posted here, as I was just over in your TR thread, looking at the latest installment. (I agree with you about the Critter Breakfast at Storytellers -- lovely setting, especially during the holiday season, but the characters are not that interesting. Chip and Dale can be found at other meals!)

Yes, I am still getting a kick out of that "paid event within a paid event" deal that is happening at WDW this year (because it verges on greed)! Of course, I am only getting a kick out of it until it ends up happening in DLR too! Then I won't be getting a kick out of it!

I would be fine with the Villains' exclusivity if the Villains that were part of the paid events within paid events, or paid events in general, were truly rare or scarce. However, many of the Villains are Villains that one might meet on a regular day in spring, perhaps -- like Cruella or the Queen of Hearts. Other Villains at the paid events are Villains that were just available throughout the year until fairly recently -- and then removed 2 seconds ago, such as the Evil Queen.

I really enjoyed Storytellers, but feel the same way about the characters. I wanted to go to see if we could find someone more obscure. We did meet Koda and Kenai, but were hoping to find Meeko. As much as we enjoyed it, we probably won't do it again. I love Chip and Dale, but we were seriously on C/D overload by the end of that trip!

I have subscribed here and to the MNSSHP threads on the WDW side because we will likely swap to Halloween time next year and I want to be up to date.

I guess we'll know tonight (the night of the first MNSSHP) whether Disney really had the gall to remove 2 of the most popular villains from the paid event to make them exclusive to the paid event within the paid event. If they do, it will be an all new low in my opinion.

So all that stuff is going on over at WDW, yet here sits DLR chugging along mostly unchanged. I'm good with that since we're headed that direction this year again, but it makes me nervous that maybe they're just holding off and unleashing a pile of new stuff next year for the 60th. I hope this isn't just the calm before the storm........

Awww, the Evil Queen. I'm really hoping she'll be available outside conjure a villain! Hopefully they'll have a villain or two in town square in addition to conjure a villain. It will be unfortunate if they are more scarce during Halloween time due to conjure than regular times...

I didn't experience "conjure up a villain" but I can tell from everyone's descriptions that I would have absolutely hated it! Right up there with the old Princess Fantasy Faire that used to open an hour after regular park time and offer "princess roulette"!

 

[Sherry E]

Now that we have reached September (thank the heavens for that!) -- or, as was plastered all over my Facebook newsfeed yesterday, the start of the "Ber" months! -- the appearance of Fall/Halloween-related goodies on store shelves will probably ramp up dramatically. There have already been many things popping up, as you have seen from my updates. The Pumpkin Domination will continue, and the Caramel Apple and Candy Corn flavors and scents will creep into the most unexpected products!

In fact, this just in: Go to Baskin-Robbins to get your Pumpkin Cheesecake Ice Cream, which is the flavor of the month for September at BR!

I wouldn't be shocked if we start seeing Halloween TV commercials right around now (I remember that a couple of us posted last year when we saw our first TV commercials of the season, and it was close to this time, if not sooner!). How long until the Reese's Peanut Butter Cups ad with the spooky music hits the screen? When will the annual M&M's Halloween ad air?

Meanwhile, over at Disneyland, we have seen (thanks to Davidg83) the giant Mickey pumpkin in his backstage setting, probably getting ready to be spruced up and dusted off for showtime on September 12th, which is, I should point out, at the end of next week!!!

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I mentioned a while back that I would eventually post some links to reports/reviews about Mickey's Halloween Party (the good and the bad!) over the last couple of years, from first-timers and from MHP vets, so that everyone can get an idea of what to expect.

So, today I will start out with a link to a report from DIS'er (and former DIS Unplugged podcast guest) tayalltheway (Taylor), who has a very popular TR thread (a "Life Report") in the Disneyland Trip Reports section of the board, though he stopped doing the actual TR in the thread and, instead, now just posts links to his blog, which continues the report.

Taylor attended his first MHP last year (I think it was on 10/21/13 -- a Monday night). In the TR thread he said this:

"We were totally hesitant about paying extra for the party as well (though at least we don't have kids to pay for/worry about). In our experience, it was definitely worth it, though you have to adjust your expectations. It is VERY crowded, and there's absolutely no way to do everything, but I think that if you can figure out a way to stop worrying about what you're going to miss due to time constraints, then it's a way to have a unique experience at Disneyland that you can't get at any other time of the year."

Taylor's actual MHP review/blog installment (which is quite good) begins HERE, and you will have to click on "Continued in Next Post" at the bottom of that page to get to the next installment. So far, from what I can gather, there are only 2 MHP installments, but he is not done posting the report yet. I noticed that there is nothing about Halloween Screams yet, so that must be coming up soon!

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Yikes, that is a major disappointment! We frequently stop and see Cruella several times throughout the day (same for the Queen when she was out) but if it's going to be 30+ minutes without even knowing who we see Halloween time, which we've been looking forward to so much, is going to be a big bummer of two months! Sure, we'll have two, possibly three, Halloween parties that we are going to but if we can't see our "friends" easily on regular visits I'm going to have one very disappointed little niece!

Cassie --

Yes, the whole Villains set-up from 2012 and 2013 was annoying, and it was very evident that Disney staged it that way to make the Villains more elusive and exclusive to the actual parties. They didn't want to remove the Villains entirely, so up went the Conjure tent, but they mainly want people to buy tickets to the MHP because that's where they will be able to meet most of the Villains.

It makes no sense to have Cruella out and about in the middle of spring, for example, but then remove her from Halloween Time unless she is the Villain to be "conjured" at the Carnival, or unless one buys a ticket to the MHP to meet her. And yet, that is what appeared to happen in 2012 and 2013, and that is likely what is going to happen again this year.

What Disney could and should have done at DLR was leave the "regular" Villains (such as Cruella, the Queen of Hearts, Captain Hook, etc.) out in the daytime during Halloween Time -- as they might have been at other times of year -- at a photo spot other than Conjure. Then, over at the Conjure a Villain tent they could have put the slightly more rare Villains (the ones that you wouldn't see on any old random day during the year), like Frollo or Ratcliffe or whoever. And then, at the actual hard ticket MHP, they could trot out the really rare and/or unexpected Villains (Oogie Boogie, for example).

I really enjoyed Storytellers, but feel the same way about the characters. I wanted to go to see if we could find someone more obscure. We did meet Koda and Kenai, but were hoping to find Meeko. As much as we enjoyed it, we probably won't do it again. I love Chip and Dale, but we were seriously on C/D overload by the end of that trip!

I have subscribed here and to the MNSSHP threads on the WDW side because we will likely swap to Halloween time next year and I want to be up to date.

I guess we'll know tonight (the night of the first MNSSHP) whether Disney really had the gall to remove 2 of the most popular villains from the paid event to make them exclusive to the paid event within the paid event. If they do, it will be an all new low in my opinion.

So all that stuff is going on over at WDW, yet here sits DLR chugging along mostly unchanged. I'm good with that since we're headed that direction this year again, but it makes me nervous that maybe they're just holding off and unleashing a pile of new stuff next year for the 60th. I hope this isn't just the calm before the storm........


I didn't experience "conjure up a villain" but I can tell from everyone's descriptions that I would have absolutely hated it! Right up there with the old Princess Fantasy Faire that used to open an hour after regular park time and offer "princess roulette"!

Janet --

It makes a lot of sense to stay up to date and apprised of what's happening for Halloween Time, just in case this is in your future for 2015. I would be doing the exact same thing if I were headed to WDW!

DLR does seem to be abnormally and eerily quiet as far as announcing much of anything new or interesting for this year, either on the Halloween Time front or on the holiday season front. It does seem like a sort of calm before the storm, like they are gearing up to make a huge announcement about something coming this year. At the same time, as you said, they could be holding back/cutting back this year because of whatever is being planned for next year.

​

 

[Sherry E]

Earlier I posted the first of what will eventually be several links to MHP reviews/reports/recaps, so those who are headed to the MHP this year will know what to expect.

Halloween Time starts in 11 days, so it's time to ramp up the Halloween photo fun as well! Let's talk Villains!

This is not going to be an "official" Theme Week/Day Countdown (I decided to scrap that idea in this thread this year, for a few reasons, but I may do it next year), but I will say that if anyone else has Villain photos from previous Halloween Time trips that they would like to share, now might be a good time to do it!


Since we've spent a lot of time talking about the Conjure a Villain tent in Disneyland, and how it differs from the Villains' set-ups in previous years (prior to 2012), let's take a look at the evolution of the Villains over the last few Halloween Time seasons.

In 2008 (and prior), during Halloween Time certain Villains were stationed in California Adventure, in the Hollywood Pictures Backlot area. (How often do you see the Queen of Hearts hobnobbing with Don Karnage and Ratcliffe??) The Queen of Hearts wanted to cut off my hair...

Frollo joined in the fun as well...

From 2009-2011, a different set of Villains (and the ever-present Queen of Hearts) held court and met guests in Fantasyland, near It's a Small World. There were usually 3 of them there at a time, but if one went on a break there was not always another one available to step in...

In 2012, with the arrival of the Halloween Carnival at the old Halloween Roundup location in Disneyland, the brand new Conjure a Villain tent became the place to meet Villains -- or, rather, to conjure one Villain at a time (a process which was nicely explained by pudinhd and laura&fam on the previous page). The Conjure tent was very popular in 2013 as well, and I did not wait in the line (because it got very long, very fast!), but this is what the Conjure area looked like...

This was the schedule for Conjuring in 2013...

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If anyone has Villain photos from your past Halloween Time trips, please share them!

In the next "themed post" I do (that's what I'll call it -- not a Countdown, but random "themed posts with photos"), I will focus on a different aspect of the Halloween Carnival -- not the Villains. Stay tuned to this thread to find out what that will be!

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[pattyduke34]

Here are a few I have..


This is who we got at Conjure a Villan

 

[clydeisme]

clydeisme -- I've seen what appeared to be slightly different versions of the Minnie Witch ears/hat in different years. I saw this pair last year (2013): Were those ^^^ the ones you were interested in?

The one I saw was solid purple with an orange bow but honestly I'm not picky, as long as I get one this year I'll be one happy camper!! I'm just happy that they sold them last year so hopefully they sell them again this year

 

[mikana876]

So I'm getting myself confused I think. Which characters are exclusive to the party ONLY? I see on that schedule that the conjure a villain thing starts at 10:30, and I thought it was a party exclusive thing. We have four other days at the parks besides the Halloween Party, so I don't want to waste any MHP time doing things that we could do during the day the other 4 days. From the post on the first page:

Phineas & Ferb- Not exclusive, they are in DCA for a midday dance party correct?
Friends from Aladdin- Not exclusive, they meet during the day too right?
Jack Skellington & Sally- Not exclusive
Winnie the Pooh & Friends- Not exclusive
Disney Pirate Pals- Yes, exclusive to MHP.
Goofy, Pluto, Chip & Dale and Donald in pirate costumes over at Rancho Zocalo.- Yes, exclusive to MHP
Toy Story Pals– Not exclusive
Mickey & Minnie - Not exclusive
Disney Villains – Yes, exclusive to MHP
Disney Princesses – Not exclusive
Merida- Not exclusive
Star Wars Stormtroopers- Yes, exclusive
Conjure a villain- Not exclusive
Halloween Carnival- Not exclusive

 

[Kilala]

I never did a conjuring a villian. Here are some pictures from 2012 of the Villans from MHP




This is when the villans were by IASW

 

[figment_jii]

So I'm getting myself confused I think. Which characters are exclusive to the party ONLY? I see on that schedule that the conjure a villain thing starts at 10:30, and I thought it was a party exclusive thing.

Conjure a Villain, at the Carnival, is available during the day (I think the Carnival area often closed around dusk). If I remember correctly, the Carnival area was not open during MHP.

The Stormtroopers are often out during the day. If he's there, Darth Vader is a party exclusive.

Yes, you can see Phineas & Ferb at DCA. I don't know if they do a meet & greet after the show. Last year, some folks reported seeing Agent P at the Phineas & Ferb meet and greet during the party (he was the alternate when the boys were on break).

As noted in the posts talking about Conjure a Villain, the villains do seem limited to that activity, but there are more villains available during the party.

 

[Sherry E]

Conjure a Villain is part of the regular, daily Halloween Time festivities. It is located within the Halloween Carnival in Frontierland.

Also at the Carnival you will find The Pirates League, the pumpkin carvers, various Halloween games and crafts, characters in Halloween attire (perhaps Pumpkin Donald or Skeleton Goofy) and some treats, such as the candy corn-colored cotton candy and the fried apple burritos.

Conjure a Villain will only allow you to meet one Villain at a time, as explained by pudinhd and laura&fam on the previous page, and you can never be sure which Villain you will meet (there are only 3 or 4 of them who rotate shifts, I think), but chances are it will be someone who is not all that rare or obscure. (You won't be meeting Oogie Boogie at the Conjure a Villain tent, in other words.)

The Carnival closes early, as indicated on the schedule that I posted above.

At the MHP, many more Villains are out and about, and some of them are somewhat rare, but they are stationed in different spots (not at the Carnival). Jack Sparrow appears at the MHP as well.

While you can meet Pooh & friends during the daytime, as you can see in Taylor/tayalltheway's report on the MHP (which I linked earlier today, above), during the MHP Pooh is in Halloween attire. During the daytime Pooh is not in Halloween garb and his friends are not in Halloween garb.

Some of the other characters may or may not be wearing different Halloween attire during the party than the Halloween attire they wear in the daytime. Goofy will have a different costume in the daytime at the Carnival than what he has at the party, for example. The same goes for Donald -- he is a pumpkin by day, and he wears some sort of pirate-themed attire, I guess, at the MHP.



Thank you, figment_jii, for helping mikana876! And thank you to pattyduke34 and Kilala for sharing the great Villains photos!

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[figment_jii]

The one I saw was solid purple with an orange bow but honestly I'm not picky, as long as I get one this year I'll be one happy camper!! I'm just happy that they sold them last year so hopefully they sell them again this year

DisneyGeek.com has a picture of this year's version (at least the version that is currently available at the Emporium):
http://disneygeek.com/disneyland/pictures/large/2014/08/22/59/2

 

[Sherry E]

DisneyGeek.com has a picture of this year's version (at least the version that is currently available at the Emporium):
http://disneygeek.com/disneyland/pictures/large/2014/08/22/59/2

I posted pictures of that ears hat (the 2013 version) 2 days ago, in this thread! I guess they are selling the same ones again this year? They look the same as the ones I posted on Saturday, I think. I don't see any obvious differences from the 2013 version.




By the way, I laughed out loud at one person's comment on the Disneyland Today Facebook page that said: "The final Get Happier moment is - a churro??"



Not that there is anything wrong with a free churro, but it was a tad anticlimactic, I suppose!

Anyway, unless the Parks Blog suddenly pops up with one final online GetHappier surprise for today, I am glad that promo is almost over (after the final, final surprise). No Halloween Time announcements were included in it, nor were there any holiday season announcements, and all of the surprises were rather so-so.

 

[figment_jii]

I posted pictures of that ears hat (the 2013 version) 2 days ago, in this thread! I guess they are selling the same ones again this year? They look the same as the ones I posted on Saturday, I think. I don't see any obvious differences from the 2013 version.

I can't see the back of the hat in the DisneyGeek photo, but otherwise they look the same to me as well. I figured it was worth posting the link to the DisneyGeek photo so that clydeisme would know they were being sold this year (although, I have no idea about big of a supply they have and for long into HalloweenTime they'll have them).

I posted pictures of that ears hat (the 2013 version) 2 days ago, in this thBy the way, I laughed out loud at one person's comment on the Disneyland Today Facebook page that said: "The final Get Happier moment is - a churro??"

I agree that the last GetHappier offering was kind of anti-climatic. I thought perhaps they would repeat the ear hat give away or something like that. I know we stopped talking about the GetHappier offerings on this thread, but I did continue to update the post (on page 51) that listed each offering and how long it took to run out. Overall, the giveaways went quickly, whereas the extra hour wristbands lasted longer.

 

[Sherry E]

I can't see the back of the hat in the DisneyGeek photo, but otherwise they look the same to me as well. I figured it was worth posting the link to the DisneyGeek photo so that clydeisme would know they were being sold this year (although, I have no idea about big of a supply they have and for long into HalloweenTime they'll have them).


I agree that the last GetHappier offering was kind of anti-climatic. I thought perhaps they would repeat the ear hat give away or something like that. I know we stopped talking about the GetHappier offerings on this thread, but I did continue to update the post (on page 51) that listed each offering and how long it took to run out. Overall, the giveaways went quickly, whereas the extra hour wristbands lasted longer.

figment_jii --

I'm glad you posted the link to the photo because it's definitely good to see what the merchandise looks like this year -- there could be even the slightest, most subtle, differences in items. That's why I was kind of staring at the photos of this year's Minnie witch ears hat and last year's, trying to determine if anything looked even remotely different. It would not be unlike Disney to release a version of the ears/hat that is ever-so-slightly different, but I think they're the same.

I'm glad the GetHappier thing is over because I was so tired of checking the Disneyland Today and Disneyland pages on Facebook, as well as the Parks Blog more often than I would like to, every Monday, all day long. It was good to stop the discussion in this thread because it literally ended up having nothing to do in any way with Halloween Time at all (no announcements or anything), but I figured that if anything came up that was actually relevant to Halloween Time we would discuss it.

I just had to laugh at that one girl's comment about the final Get Happier moment being a churro. For some reason, that just amused me. A summer of surprises over 3 months, and it all comes down to a churro!

 

[DisneyJamieCA]

So I'm getting myself confused I think. Which characters are exclusive to the party ONLY? I see on that schedule that the conjure a villain thing starts at 10:30, and I thought it was a party exclusive thing. We have four other days at the parks besides the Halloween Party, so I don't want to waste any MHP time doing things that we could do during the day the other 4 days. From the post on the first page: Phineas & Ferb- Not exclusive, they are in DCA for a midday dance party correct? Friends from Aladdin- Not exclusive, they meet during the day too right? Jack Skellington & Sally- Not exclusive Winnie the Pooh & Friends- Not exclusive Disney Pirate Pals- Yes, exclusive to MHP. Goofy, Pluto, Chip & Dale and Donald in pirate costumes over at Rancho Zocalo.- Yes, exclusive to MHP Toy Story Pals– Not exclusive Mickey & Minnie - Not exclusive Disney Villains – Yes, exclusive to MHP Disney Princesses – Not exclusive Merida- Not exclusive Star Wars Stormtroopers- Yes, exclusive Conjure a villain- Not exclusive Halloween Carnival- Not exclusive

Phineas & Ferb do the dance party in DCA, but they are not out for a meet & greet. The only way to meet them is the party, to the best of my knowledge.