HalloweenTime at DLR Superthread #4

[Vala]

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.

Yes, it happens a lot. In summer last year I had a fun interaction with Gaston in Paris - pictures of us showed up on several forums. At least 2 users had tried to crudely photoshop me out, the others didn't quite care.

 

[Sherry E]

Can you believe that there are only 2 weeks left until Halloween -- and, more importantly, only 2 more weeks left of Halloween Time and Mickey's Halloween Party at DLR? Where has the time gone??

In two more weeks, Pumpkin Pandemonium will also end. It's been a fun season of pumpkin spice this and caramel apple that. There should be some lingering pumpkin-y things (and maybe even some apple-ish things) left on the store shelves and at Disneyland Resort up until maybe Thanksgiving or so, but the constant release of new pumpkin spice and caramel apple products will come to a screeching halt very soon, making room for the wave of peppermint, cranberry, gingerbread, eggnog and Winter-ish goodies.

Here in the Halloween Time Superthread, however, Halloween and Fall are still in full swing. I'm not letting go so easily. Either tomorrow or Sunday I am going to the Farmers Market Fall Festival (this is the Farmers Market next door to The Grove in L.A.)... which means a stop in at See's Candy for a sample! They have a petting zoo, music, lots of pumpkins, pony rides, crafts and all sorts of things, and some of the vendors in the market sell Fall-ish foods. I am going to revel in the Autumnal fun while I can -- I only wish that it were breezy and kind of drizzly outside, to make it seem more like Fall! I can't justify drinking cider or hot cocoa when it's 77 degrees outside.

​

In the meantime, here's what's new in the world of Pumpkin Pandemonium and Halloween Hoopla, at Disneyland Resort and out of Disneyland Resort...

1. Disneyland Today's Facebook page reported that La Brea Bakery in Downtown Disney is serving Pumpkin Soup on Mickey's Halloween Party nights, and Pumpkin Pie;

2. From the Disney Food Blog -- "Dining in Disneyland: Pumpkin Beignets & Maleficent Sipper from the Mint Julep Bar," posted on Oct 16th, 2014 by Heather;

3. From Disney Insider -- "Disneyland Pumpkin Food Crawl," posted October 14, 2014; and

4. From Disney Style -- "5 Things To Do This Weekend: All Things Pumpkin," posted "recently" -- October 2014.

​

And, Spotted on Shelves (The Impulsive Buy website) revealed these sightings (some items are not "new", but have just recently been seen in stores):


1. Hostess Twinkies with Orange S'Cream filling;

2. Thomas' Limited Edition Pumpkin Spice Swirl Breakfast Bread;

3. Trader Joe's Pumpkin O's (TJ's is really turning up the pumpkin heat in these last few weeks before Halloween);

4. Trader Joe's Pumpkin Pie Mochi Ice Cream; and

5. Over the Top's Zombie Dance Party Cookie Kit and Eerie Brains Cupcake Kit.

​

 

[poison ivy]

Thanks Sherry for that brief summary of pumpkin treats in DL. Will definitely be seeking a few items out during our trip.

also - A couple of general questions for everyone:

Is IASW closed right now? and

How does free parking work if you are staying at a resort with a vehicle?
are we given a day free or do we lose out on this benefit entirely unless we park in a certain lot?

 

[Sherry E]

Thanks Sherry for that brief summary of pumpkin treats in DL. Will definitely be seeking a few items out during our trip.

also - A couple of general questions for everyone:

Is IASW closed right now? and

How does free parking work if you are staying at a resort with a vehicle?
are we given a day free or do we lose out on this benefit entirely unless we park in a certain lot?

You're welcome!

IASW will be closed as of this coming Monday, 10/20/14, and on through 11/6/14.

As far as I know, if you stay onsite with parking and are attending MHP, you won't get any kind of free parking day. The free parking with the MHP ticket comes in handy, I suppose, for those who are not staying overnight at all, or who are staying far enough away from Disneyland that they need to drive in and park in the actual general Disney parking lot. I don't think the onsite guests benefit from the free parking in any way if they keep their vehicle at the hotel, though I could be wrong.

 

[mvf-m11c]

I just got back from the Disneyland Resort (10/14 to 10/16) and we attended Mickey’s Halloween Party on 10/14 along with DISer PrincessInOz and her family. This was my first time attending MHP since 2010 when the party was moved from Disney California Adventure to DL that year. I know that this year MHP was well improved over the 2010 year where it was a little disfunction from 2010. There were some areas where it can be improved and have been improved over the time.

We all went together to DLR that afternoon around 3:30pm to attend MHP. The party started until 6pm but we were able to get in 3 hours before the party started. I knew that going the first three hours would be busy with the regular guests and the party attendees. But PrincessInOz didn’t check-in to their hotel until 3pm so we waited for them at our hotel until they arrived.

No surprised that it was sold out that night.


When we approached the MHP turnstiles which is separated from the regular and party turnstiles, there was quite a number of people even around 3:30pm that afternoon which we did have to wait in the queues to enter DL. There were a lot of people all dressed up for the party and there were a lot of interesting costumes.


After going through the turnstiles, there were CM’s waiting to give the guests the bags and put the wristband on the guests. Just like in 2010, the area is all roped off from the party attendees and regular guests so that there won’t be any non-party guests getting the wristbands for the party.


The wristbands aren’t that special like the ones at WDW for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party or Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. But these are way better over the 2010 which is just a simple purple band without any letters.


The party didn’t start until 6pm (we got in around 4pm) so we had about 2 hours until it started and less than one hour until the pre-party began at the Halloween Carnival and Mickey’s Toontown. While we were in the park, we were able to watch the 4pm Mickey’s Soundsational Parade coming from Main Street Town Square to It’s a Small World Plaza. Than we were able to go on over to Frontierland to ride Big Thunder Mountain Railroad with only a 20 minute wait time.

After riding BTMRR, it was around 5pm and we head on over to Big Thunder Ranch Halloween Carnival which is one of the two pre-party areas for the party attendees to go in. When we were in the Halloween Carnival, it was not that busy where there were some people meeting the characters, playing games and the treat stations. The treat stations were not that busy that day where I have heard from other DISers that Mickey’s Toontown is far busier than at the Halloween Carnival. This is a good place to start for getting candy at the stations since it is not that busy and you will be able to meet some characters and play games.

Than we head on over to Mickey’s Toontown for the pre-party and as expected, most of the Halloween party attendees were in Toontown that day. Most of the treat lines were quite long where the longest we waited in line was about 10 minutes which was not that bad but still long to get candy at three stands. We were able to get candy right by Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin as well as Donald’s Boat. There was a long line to get candy at Mickey and Minnie’s house that we just pass by it.








There were also character meet & greet by City Hall which had three areas. The best one was getting picture with Mickey and Minnie or Chip & Dale. They were in their costumes and we waited a while to get a picture with them. We were hoping to get Mickey & Minnie but we got Chip & Dale. It took about 15 minutes for us to get Chip & Dale where we wanted to get Mickey & Minnie. Also at the character m&g, Clarabelle Cow and Horace Horsecollar were getting pictures with the guests and we were able to get pictures with them. Donald, Pluto and Goofy were out there greeting the guests as well.








Just when the party started at 6pm, we head straight on over to the Hub so we could get our spots for Halloween Screams fireworks. I had some doubts of getting there early since the fireworks start at 9:30pm and wait for 3 hours for a spot for the fireworks. I know that is crazy but I have seen people wait that long or even longer to get a spot for the fireworks. But we all had our DSLR’s and tripods that we wanted to get good pictures of the fireworks that night.

While walking around the parks when the party started, there were CM’s around at certain spots (mostly around the Hub) to check the guests to see if they have a wristband for the party or not. There were some CM’s around the whole park to see if the guests have them. The CM’s were well organized to make sure that the guests have the wristbands to stay in the park that night without being rude.

We had a plan since we had multiple people that night, we got the curb side right close to the Partner statue side and set up our blankets so we can watch the fireworks from my favorite spot. It was a 3 hour wait but we can take turns and let the other party members go do something that night. I am so used to wait for hours for the nighttime shows. The only thing I was concerned that night was the wind. But luckily it wasn’t that windy that night and HS would go as planned.

While someone was waiting in our spot for HS fireworks, I was able to go to the Emporium to buy MHP merchandise and I was able to buy a shirt along with pins. During the party, DA and I were able to go to the Opera House during the party since there was an Annual Passholder station where we were able to get a bag and an Annual Passholder rice crispy treat. DA was glad that we got something out of the MHP ticket since we are AP holders.


While walking around the park during the party, there were projections on the ground and buildings just like at the MK during those parties.




While during the party, the crowds were not that bad as I have thought from hearing from other DISers report the first couple of weeks. Most of the rides didn’t hat those long wait times like during the day where they are at the treat stations, shows, and character m&g.

When passing by some of the rides that night, the wait times for most of them were not that bad. I didn’t go on any rides that night during the party since I spent most of it walking around taking pictures, getting food, shopping and the treat stations.

When it was about one and a half hours until the fireworks, we were asked by the CM’s if we wanted to move up closer to the rope off area to watch the fireworks. I was a little surprised that we were able to move up closely to watch the fireworks that night. I moved up along with PrincessInOz DH to take pictures that night while PiO was with my DA and her DS at the curb spot. We spent part of our time during the party waiting for HS fireworks and we didn’t regret it one bit since we got good spots for the fireworks.

Sleeping Beauty Castle had the projections on the castle during the party.


It was time for HS at 9:30pm. I was amazed how good the front row spot was since I am used to being in the back for the fireworks. Also the CM’s told the guests that were on the streets to not stand up for the fireworks. This is like what happened during my trip last month where guests are now sitting on the ground instead of standing up like in the past. The DLR must have made this change some time ago where there aren’t that many CM’s managing the area like in the past.

Here are some of my firework trail shots that night from the rope off area.








HS is a little different from 2010 where they added pyro techniques to the show but Zero and the sphere shaped balloon is still the same. When I compare HS fireworks to HalloWishes fireworks at the MK during MNSSHP, I really like HS over HalloWishes where HS has Zero and the sphere on the left hand side of SB Castle.

After HS fireworks was over, we went on over to Frontierland to see the Rivers of America and it was blanket with fog.






Most of the treat stations around Frontierland were quite busy that night even after the fireworks from the Golden Horseshoe & Rancho del Zocalo. The one that was fast was close to the RoA that night while most of the treat stations were quite busy.

Continue with my next update

 

[mvf-m11c]

Part 2 of MHP on October 14, 2014.

We were able to get a nice spot by the Hub for the 10:30pm Mickey’s Costume Party Cavalcade. I remember during the 2010 when the cavalcade was used for the party and it is almost exactly the same (but without the honoring guests that are in the cavalcade). MCPC is not even a parade like Mickey’s Boo-to-You Halloween Parade at the MK during MNSSHP.

The first cavalcade was way more packed over the second one where you are able to see it with little wait time around Main Street.

Some pictures from that night. Including the Frozen pre-parade that is used during Mickey’s Soundsational Parade.




























Projection on the MS buildings during the party.


On the streets. This is like how MNSSHP does the same thing where DL has incorporated.


After the cavalcade was over, we started to head on out of the park since it was close to 11pm which is the closing time and we were able to see the Disney Villians show at MS Town Square that night just before 11pm.




As for my observation of MHP this year when I compare it to the 2010 which I attended it the last time and it was well organized and better managed than 2010. There are some things that can be improved to the party just like the one at MK during MNSSHP. Getting candy at the treat stations can be a long wait or short wait while there are some stations that are walk-on’s and some that do take as long as going on a ride at the park. The character m&g were not that bad where I don’t do character m&g that often but it was nice to do some. The characters were all nicely dressed up for the party along with characters that you don’t see too often at the parks. The rides we didn’t since it was all about the party, shows, treat stations, character m&g etc. but they were all manageable with short wait times. We did had to wait a while for Halloween Screams fireworks that night which was less than 3 hours for a prime spot. I thought it was worth it where we were able to see HS at the best spot and the shots proved that. Mickey’s Costume Party Cavalcade hasn’t change much from 2010 but it needs a parade like Mickey’s Boo-to-You Halloween Parade at the MK.

Overall the party was great and we all had a blast. If I wanted to do it again, it would be to enjoy all the full experience of the party instead of waiting for the fireworks. There were some places during the party that we were able to experience like Cadaver Dans, Monsters U Dance Party, some of the trick-or-treating stations and character m&g. I will attend MHP again in the near future maybe in a couple of years unless there is something new added to the party.

 

[Nimbusteach]

Amazing pictures mvf-m11c!!! They really get us excited for the party next week!

 

[Sherry E]

Bret --

Thank you so, so much for posting those wonderful photos and sharing your MHP experience with us! The pictures really capture the overall essence of the MHP, and they give people an idea of a lot of the things they will find there. I'm glad you had a good time -- you really had a great viewing spot for the fireworks!

 

[Kilala]

I'm almost done with the Binx costume. I still have to finish painting the white on the legs, paint the leg wamers and the gloves. I have to start the wig. I'm going to try to get the wig done this weekend. I'm almost done with the tail. I will take pictures on my Binx costume sometime next week.

 

[poison ivy]

mvf-m11c:

thank you for those amazing photos and excellent review of your night.
It really helps a newcomer like myself get an idea of exactly what to expect.

Wow! that Fog! and great fireworks shots.

I also want to thank you for the parade pics. I wasn't going to watch this with my grandkids but after seeing the characters and floats, I really think they'll enjoy it.

Does anyone know if ToonTown empties out later on during the night? Want to visit but not sure if the crowds are going to work against us.

Also, what time does the Anna and Elsa float go by ahead of the parade?
Don't want to miss that.

 

[Sherry E]

mvf-m11c:

thank you for those amazing photos and excellent review of your night.
It really helps a newcomer like myself get an idea of exactly what to expect.

Wow! that Fog! and great fireworks shots.

I also want to thank you for the parade pics. I wasn't going to watch this with my grandkids but after seeing the characters and floats, I really think they'll enjoy it.

Does anyone know if ToonTown empties out later on during the night? Want to visit but not sure if the crowds are going to work against us.

Also, what time does the Anna and Elsa float go by ahead of the parade?
Don't want to miss that.

poison ivy --

Someone else will have to tackle the Anna and Elsa float question, but as far as Toontown -- I wouldn't wait too long to go to Toontown. Unless something has changed and I am getting my information incorrect, it opens for the Pre-Party and stays open for, I think, 2 hours.

So if the MHP officially begins at 7 p.m., the Toontown Pre-Party would begin at 6 p.m. and stay open until 8 p.m., I suppose. On a night when the MHP begins at 6 p.m., the TT Pre-Party would begin at 5 p.m. and close at 7 p.m.

Toontown has to close early because of the Halloween Screams fireworks, so it's not a matter of staying open with fewer people visiting it throughout the night. It will close at either 7 p.m. or 8 p.m., depending on whether the MHP begins at 6 p.m. or 7 p.m., respectively. (Toontown also closes earlier than the rest of Disneyland on non-MHP nights too, for the same reason -- fireworks.)

 

[nikerbokers]

Wow these pictures are amazing and are getting me SO excited to head down to Anaheim in 12 days. My first Halloween Time at DL after 15+ trips in my life. Thank you all for sharing the magic.

 

[calilou]

mvf-m11c:

thank you for those amazing photos and excellent review of your night.
It really helps a newcomer like myself get an idea of exactly what to expect.

Wow! that Fog! and great fireworks shots.

I also want to thank you for the parade pics. I wasn't going to watch this with my grandkids but after seeing the characters and floats, I really think they'll enjoy it.

Does anyone know if ToonTown empties out later on during the night? Want to visit but not sure if the crowds are going to work against us.

Also, what time does the Anna and Elsa float go by ahead of the parade?
Don't want to miss that.

The Frozen float goes by about 10-15 minutes ahead of the rest of the parade. It's a really well done parade. We've seen it many times and my girls still love to watch.

 

[Vala]

Yeah, 10 to 15 minutes is about alright for the Frozen float. We had totally forgotten about it, showed up half an hour before parade time and were like "why is it so full?"

Sherry is right about Toontown. During the party it's only open for those 2 hours pre party.

 

[TinkerJR]

Well our costumes are done, packing this weekend, Tuesday is almost here and we will start out fall pilgrimage to Disneyland. Can.Not.Wait

We have been to DL a few times so there isn't much planning needed for most days, (I have been known to plan the fun out of anything, including vacations) but the MHP on Wednesday has me a little worried.

We will be in the park most of Wednesday, so we will be concentrating on "party only" things during the party. Parades, Fireworks and Treat-Trails are high on our list. We like to see characters, but it is not high on our list to do Meet & Greets. I would love some feedback on my tentative schedule, I want to make sure I am not missing anything, or having to sprint across the park, dragging my DH, DS (10) and DD (4) with me, to make it to something.

3:00 pm: Get our check-in stuff done, sounds like exiting the park and re-entry is better than the Fantasy Land check-in point. This will allow us to store our costumes and extra treat bags in a locker in the esplanade and grab them before the party starts and swap out our street clothes.

4:00 pm: Grab something to eat. We are not planing on ADR's but Plaza Inn will be our first choice. It will allow us to do some people watching, too.

5:00 pm: Not sure if we should do the BTR or the Toontown Pre-party first. We would like to do both, and I think there will be time. How long should we allow for these?

6:30 pm: There is a Monster U Dance Party on the schedule, but I haven't seen much about it here. Is it worth doing?

8:30 pm: Cavalcade Parade. How long before the parade, should we stake out a place? DD wants to see the Frozen pre-parade float, so will want to be in the front. We are open to doing either the 8:30 or the 10:30 parade, depending on which one makes more sense.

9:30 pm: Fireworks. This is a big one for us. I know mvf-m11c was there 3 hours before the start (Wonderful pictures, BTW) and got a fantastic spot. How much time would you say we should get our spots? Would it work to get a spot hear Jolly Holiday and just stay there until after the fireworks. Do the CM's make everyone sit down for all of the MHP fireworks? If so, that will allow us to be a little more flexible on where we sit.

Whew Sounds like a lot just typing it out. Thank you, in advance to everyone!

 

[mvf-m11c]

Amazing pictures mvf-m11c!!! They really get us excited for the party next week!

Thank you Nimbusteach. It was an exciting party that I haven't done in quite some time. Hope you have a great time during MHP next week.

Bret --

Thank you so, so much for posting those wonderful photos and sharing your MHP experience with us! The pictures really capture the overall essence of the MHP, and they give people an idea of a lot of the things they will find there. I'm glad you had a good time -- you really had a great viewing spot for the fireworks!

Your welcome and thank you Sherry. I also like to thank all the DISers that have contributed to the Superthread as well since I was able to know all the different activities that are happening during MHP. The party was well organized this trip then in 2010 when it was a little unorganized. Very interesting that the DLR is changing the ways of how you watch the fireworks from the Hub area.

mvf-m11c:

thank you for those amazing photos and excellent review of your night.
It really helps a newcomer like myself get an idea of exactly what to expect.

Wow! that Fog! and great fireworks shots.

I also want to thank you for the parade pics. I wasn't going to watch this with my grandkids but after seeing the characters and floats, I really think they'll enjoy it.

Does anyone know if ToonTown empties out later on during the night? Want to visit but not sure if the crowds are going to work against us.

Also, what time does the Anna and Elsa float go by ahead of the parade?
Don't want to miss that.

Your welcome poison ivy.

Thank you. You will enjoy seeing the RoA at night when the river is all covered in a blanket of fog as well as seeing the Columbia. HS firework trails were not that bad that night and glad that we got a great spot in front of SB Castle.

Mickey's Costume Party Cavalcade is a nice show to watch. Even though it doesn't have a lot of floats like Mickey's Soundsational parade, at least they have characters you don't see too often at the parks. Another tip is that you should watch the second parade at 10:30pm over the 8:30pm parade since it won't be as busy as the first one.

Just as Sherry said that Toontown opens for 2 hours until it is closed so they would clear Toontown for HS fireworks.

Just as everyone said that the Frozen pre-parade float will appear 10-15 minutes before the cavalcade starts. It is just like as Mickey's Soundsational parade which starts about 10-15 minutes before the parade starts.

9:30 pm: Fireworks. This is a big one for us. I know mvf-m11c was there 3 hours before the start (Wonderful pictures, BTW) and got a fantastic spot. How much time would you say we should get our spots? Would it work to get a spot hear Jolly Holiday and just stay there until after the fireworks. Do the CM's make everyone sit down for all of the MHP fireworks? If so, that will allow us to be a little more flexible on where we sit.

Whew Sounds like a lot just typing it out. Thank you, in advance to everyone!

Thank you TinkerJR. My group got there 3 hours to be sure to get a good spot so we can set up our tripods that night and get the fireworks trail shots. As for how much time would be to get a spot, it depends on what location you want to watch Halloween Screams fireworks from. If you want a view in front of SB Castle, I would say at least an hour (in the streets) to get a good spot. People do wait 2+ hours for a good spot in front of the castle (from the benches, curb sides, front rope, etc.). The only problem I have with watching from Jolly Holiday Bakery is that the trees (from Adventureland/Frontierland side) will be in the way of watching the fireworks.

Lately when I was there on Tuesday during HS fireworks, the CM's told the guests before the show in the middle of the viewing area to sit down when it starts. Lately since last month when I was there watching the fireworks, most of the people around that area have been sitting down on the ground watching the fireworks instead of standing up like they have been doing in the past. It almost feels like the DLR management are changing the policies of watching the fireworks in front of SB Castle where you have to stand up no matter what. If you are in the middle and in front of SB Castle for the fireworks, you will sit on the ground. When I looked on the other sides of the viewing area by Frontierland side and Tomorrowland side, the guests in those areas were standing up for the fireworks.

 

[momof6princesses]

So today was our first day in the parks and all I can say is we are having a blast! Had MM at Disneyland and got on 5 FL rides, tickets for the Anna/Elsa meet/greet (it was great we had a 5min wait and lots of time visiting because there wasn't anyone in line behind us) return time 9:40, 2 times on Matterhorn, 2 times on Space, BLAB, ST, and Slash all before noon. Great times! Forgot we also saw Peter Pan, Tinkerbell, Rosetta, Alice and the Mad Hatter. The kids reminded me! It was a busy, fun and productive morning.

 

[sgrap]

I know this has been discussed, but I'm having a hard time finding an exact answer with the search feature. What is the best/good spot to watch Screams? I'm not willing to wait 3 hours, although the pictures that resulted from that wait were fantastic. But I am willing to get there ahead of time. I know we need to be able to see the left side of the castle. If the center of the hub is the center of a clock with SB castle at 12:00, where is the good range to stand? 12:00-3:00?

Also, where will the CM's let you stand/sit at what point in time?

Thanks!

 

[mvf-m11c]

I know this has been discussed, but I'm having a hard time finding an exact answer with the search feature. What is the best/good spot to watch Screams? I'm not willing to wait 3 hours, although the pictures that resulted from that wait were fantastic. But I am willing to get there ahead of time. I know we need to be able to see the left side of the castle. If the center of the hub is the center of a clock with SB castle at 12:00, where is the good range to stand? 12:00-3:00?

Also, where will the CM's let you stand/sit at what point in time?

Thanks!

The best spot to watch Halloween Screams or any firework shows (RDCT, Magical, BIHM, etc.) is in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle. The center of the Hub and facing the castle is 12:00 on the clock. Waiting 2+ hours in front of the castle is for the benches, curbside by the Hub, or front of the rope off area towards the castle is what people are willing to wait for. You can still get a view of the castle within about an hour to hour and a half. People do have preference of where they like to watch the fireworks of in front of the castle, Tomorrowland side, Frontierland side, etc. You also will want to watch in front of the castle since it will have the sphere shaped balloon on the left hand side of the castle during HS fireworks. And don't forget about the projections on the castle during HS as well.

Here is an example where I watched the fireworks from around 12:00 on the clock of the Hub facing the castle.


In the past, everyone that is around the Hub will have to stand up for the fireworks. Lately, the people that are in front of the castle for the fireworks have been sitting on the ground. This is what I have seen during the fireworks and the guests that are on the left (Frontierland side) and right hand (Tomorrowland) side of watching the fireworks are standing while the center is sitting on the ground.

 

[mcjingles]

So today was our first day in the parks and all I can say is we are having a blast! Had MM at Disneyland and got on 5 FL rides, tickets for the Anna/Elsa meet/greet (it was great we had a 5min wait and lots of time visiting because there wasn't anyone in line behind us) return time 9:40, 2 times on Matterhorn, 2 times on Space, BLAB, ST, and Slash all before noon. Great times! Forgot we also saw Peter Pan, Tinkerbell, Rosetta, Alice and the Mad Hatter. The kids reminded me! It was a busy, fun and productive morning.

So glad to hear! This is my exact hope for us next Saturday!