HalloweenTime at DLR Superthread #4

[Kilala]

CassieScraps that is a wonderful find you have there!!! I can't wait myself my friend is coming down from Oregon to go to the party

 

[CassieScraps]

With all the rumors floating around, the fact that they sent out a mailer with MHP on it eases my mind a bit. I was so worried about booking a trip and the entire reason I'm going not happening.

 

[Sherry E]

I think it was always expected that MHP would happen -- Disney wouldn't pass up a chance to make all of that extra money! The logistics of it were the question -- where, when, how, etc. But even the DLR website still lists MHP as taking place at Disneyland Park, so at least they are staying consistent in their text.

You know, I got that cardstock insert with my decal last year, and it had all of the same things in it that are in yours, Cassie -- except mine ended with a mention of the Holidays at DLR. In fact, it was a big mystery in the Disneyland at Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread, because it said "Holidays at Disneyland Resort - Select nights Nov. and Dec." We were all abuzz with confusion over what that meant, as the "Holidays" are not a "select nights" sort of event like Mickey's Halloween Party is. If there were a Christmas party, that would be a different story. But the holidays, just as they are, are nightly as soon as the season begins.

It's interesting that they don't say "Halloween Time," and instead just mention MHP.

ETA: It's important to note that there have not been any new rumors in a long time. The last rumors were last year, and anything could have changed since then. Since the Diamond Celebration has begun, speculation kicked in because it seems like Disney is putting a huge focus on that, and it is supposed to run through the end of this year and probably into next year.

 

[Meemoo]

So maybe that's confirmation it is at DL Park not California Adventure.

 

[Sherry E]

So maybe that's confirmation it is at DL Park not California Adventure.

Probably so. If it were just one official Disney website or piece of text that talked about MHP being in Disneyland, I'd say that there was still a chance the location could be DCA and that maybe the text had just not been corrected yet.

But... since it's still in the insert for the Disney Side decal (which CassieScraps posted the photo of above) as well as mentioned on the Disneyland website, that makes two places where MHP is referred to taking place at Disneyland...which makes it less likely that it will be in DCA.

If we suddenly see Disney making references to MHP and not mentioning a location, then that would be cause for suspicion.

I think that if Disney had a plan to add anything Halloween-ish to DCA, the party would have more of a chance of moving back to that park for a year or two. So far, there are no rumors to indicate anything is happening in DCA, so I think MHP will remain in DL this year. What the schedule is or what it entails will be a mystery until they tell us something, but it will likely be in DL.

 

[mummabear]

I can't imagine there not being a party on Halloween night. That seems to be the tradition. It will be unusual to have a party on a Saturday, and I wonder if it will be held in DL or in DCA, but there should be one. I do wonder about back-to-back parties in Disneyland on 10/30 and 10/31, though. Those are two nights when Disneyland would ordinarily have extended hours and would close later, and to close DL at 7 p.m. on both nights might meet with some outrage from non-MHP guests.

I suppose there is always a chance they could skip 10//31 and just have a party on 10/30, but not having a Halloween party on Halloween night would be disappointing. I think it would be easier to get away with closing DCA early on a Saturday than to close DL early on a Friday and a Saturday

I'm putting my money on there being one on the Saturday but would lean towards there not being one on the Friday.
In 2013 they did 2 nights back to back on the Wednesday and the Thursday if I am not mistaken but they are both nights where the park would normally shut pretty early with no fireworks anyhow. But then last year I am seeing conflicting reports on whether there was a party on the Wednesday the 29th or just the Monday (27th) then the Friday (31st)?
So for me the question is will they:
a)Do the last parties Wed and Friday with no party on Halloween (least likely imo)
b)Do parties both Fri and Saturday-if they do this will they open later than previous years on the Thursday to allow day guests a chance to see the 60th anniversary fireworks?
c)Do a Party on the Wednesday and the Saturday?
d) Do a Party the Thursday and the Saturday?
e) Do the party on Monday and Saturday.

Come Disney just tell us!!!!!

Personally what I will find frustrating is that if there is no party on 29th then I will need to wait until September to confirm park hours for that day and whether they will be as usual or extended with Fireworks as part of the 60th celebrations

 

[Sherry E]

I'm putting my money on there being one on the Saturday but would lean towards there not being one on the Friday.
In 2013 they did 2 nights back to back on the Wednesday and the Thursday if I am not mistaken but they are both nights where the park would normally shut pretty early with no fireworks anyhow. But then last year I am seeing conflicting reports on whether there was a party on the Wednesday the 29th or just the Monday (27th) then the Friday (31st)?
So for me the question is will they:
a)Do the last parties Wed and Friday with no party on Halloween (least likely imo)
b)Do parties both Fri and Saturday-if they do this will they open later than previous years on the Thursday to allow day guests a chance to see the 60th anniversary fireworks?
c)Do a Party on the Wednesday and the Saturday?
d) Do a Party the Thursday and the Saturday?
e) Do the party on Monday and Saturday.

Come Disney just tell us!!!!!

Personally what I will find frustrating is that if there is no party on 29th then I will need to wait until September to confirm park hours for that day and whether they will be as usual or extended with Fireworks as part of the 60th celebrations

There shouldn't be any conflicting reports about when parties took place last year. I don't know who is giving out incorrect or incomplete info. The info is right on page 1 of this thread (look at all of the red text, where it says "SOLD OUT" http://www.disboards.com/threads/ha...ut-halloween-time-2015.3270919/#post-51326911. There were parties on 10/27, 10/29 and 10/31. However, that doesn't mean that this year's schedule will be a replica of last year's. They added in an extra night last year, so there were a couple of Wednesdays thrown in that might not have been part of the schedule in the past.

When in doubt, remember to always come to the Superthread. I find that when a thread is dedicated to one specific subject all year long, every year, the info is more accurate and specific because that is all that is discussed and covered in the thread. When people get information outside of the Superthread -- or outside of any thread that is dedicated to a particular subject -- and random people (who may not closely follow that specific subject all year, every year) try to answer questions, they may not always present the full and complete picture, or they may get some of the details mixed up -- which then adds to the confusion for people reading the posts. Also, sometimes people don't want to post in a Superthread, but they take bits of info from the thread and try to repeat it or pass it on elsewhere, inevitably getting something mixed up in the translation.

So that's why I always recommend that people go to a Superthread or existing, established, active thread about any subject (whether it's WOC or Fantasmic or the GCH, or whatever) to get the best and most accurate info. Chances are, the people who follow and participate in those threads are people who either know a lot about the subject in question, or they have a big interest in it and want to know all there is to know.

In any case, your guesses are as good as mine on which scenario will take place for MHP! Even though I know we will likely get the confirmed, official schedule within the next couple of weeks, I do wish they would just tell us now and end our misery! Another option is that the party could be held in DCA on some nights, and in DL on other nights -- although that seems much less likely and too cumbersome and confusing.

Having back-to-back parties on earlier weeknights is expected at some point, just because they'd be closing earlier on those nights anyway and the MHP closure would not be as extreme. Closing the park early on a back-to-back Friday and Saturday would be the real surprise.

There is no getting around the fact that MHP will put a dent in the schedule of the current 60th anniversary parade and fireworks (several Fridays are involved, and probably a Saturday), and Disney has obviously spent so much time and money on promoting the Diamond Celebration. Plus, Disney has said that the new nighttime shows will still be going on even during the holiday/Christmas season, but they never addressed Halloween Time and what would happen. It would be silly to charge folks for a party that features Paint the Night and Disneyland Forever -- because those are available to the general public and are not exclusive. And yet, having Halloween Screams fireworks on at least 14 nights (probably 15), with 6 of those being Fridays and Halloween being a Saturday, would interfere a bit with some the showings of PtN and DF.





Remember a couple of weeks back I was saying that it was so frustrating because I was looking for the thread that was on MiceChat last year in which the OP claimed that Mickey's Halloween Party would be moving back to DCA this year? I guess I was using the wrong search engine (Google failed me), because I could not find the thread at all -- no matter what combinations of keywords I used from what I remembered of the thread.

Anyway, using a different search engine tonight (Bing), I found the thread where the rumors first started!!!!!!

This is also the same thread in which a totally different person mentions that people at the MHP training were told there are "BIG" changes coming to MHP this year. Here is the 2014 thread (which has not been active since 2014, and actually, I can tell that some of the posts were deleted; I remember that the OP posted again, and yet that post seems to have vanished):

http://micechat.com/forums/disneyland-resort/198352-mickey-halloween-party-moving-dca.html


And this was the MiceAge Disneyland Update article (also from 2014) in which it is mentioned that Team Disney Anaheim was supposedly tasked with adding on two weeks of extra Halloween parties in September 2015 and an extra few parties in October:

http://micechat.com/85860-miceage-update-bridge-to-nowhere/comment-page-2/

Anyway, these are old rumors and no new rumors have come out this year, but I just wanted you guys to see for yourselves exactly where the rumors initially came from!

 

[ACDSNY]

Either way we'll be attending one of the parties. I'm still hoping for DL since I haven't been to one there yet. We've been to some at DCA and the Magic Kingdom.

 

[mom2rtk]

Remember a couple of weeks back I was saying that it was so frustrating because I was looking for the thread that was on MiceChat last year in which the OP claimed that Mickey's Halloween Party would be moving back to DCA this year? I guess I was using the wrong search engine (Google failed me), because I could not find the thread at all -- no matter what combinations of keywords I used from what I remembered of the thread.

Anyway, using a different search engine tonight (Bing), I found the thread where the rumors first started!!!!!!

This is also the same thread in which a totally different person mentions that people at the MHP training were told there are "BIG" changes coming to MHP this year. Here is the 2014 thread (which has not been active since 2014, and actually, I can tell that some of the posts were deleted; I remember that the OP posted again, and yet that post seems to have vanished):

http://micechat.com/forums/disneyland-resort/198352-mickey-halloween-party-moving-dca.html


And this was the MiceAge Disneyland Update article (also from 2014) in which it is mentioned that Team Disney Anaheim was supposedly tasked with adding on two weeks of extra Halloween parties in September 2015 and an extra few parties in October:

http://micechat.com/85860-miceage-update-bridge-to-nowhere/comment-page-2/

Anyway, these are old rumors and no new rumors have come out this year, but I just wanted you guys to see for yourselves exactly where the rumors initially came from!

Hey, I don't care if the rumors are old. I need SOMETHING! (Even if it's out of date and turns out to be wrong! ) It's fun to speculate.

 

[Geemo]

Hey, I don't care if the rumors are old. I need SOMETHING! (Even if it's out of date and turns out to be wrong! ) It's fun to speculate.

You'll take anything?????? Well let's see what I can do for you.

And the rumor is......

Nah....No specifics.... Darn IT... All I got was "Yes!" there will be parties.

6-21-15 Rumor creation date...

I'm also waiting impatiently. But that's why I've booked a 6days for the October trip.

Geemo

 

[Sherry E]

Hey, I don't care if the rumors are old. I need SOMETHING! (Even if it's out of date and turns out to be wrong! ) It's fun to speculate.

Janet, it was driving me nuts that I couldn't find the MiceChat thread a couple of weeks ago, as I am usually very good about being able to track down old threads and blogs and posts. I figured that MiceChat must have deleted the thread. So, on a whim I decided to try Bing as the search engine and that worked.

But... something is different with that thread now, from when I last looked at it early this year or late last year -- I think that some posts were deleted, as I remember that it went to at least 3 pages (if not 4). I remember the OP posting again and saying something along the lines of (and I am completely paraphrasing), "You'll see I was right when the party happens in DCA next year." I also remember more people giving the OP a hard time about it not being "News," which it was originally labeled as, but being a rumor.

So I'm not sure why anything was deleted, but at least the original post is there, and the other post within the thread (talking about the BIG changes to MHP) is there.

It took some doing to find that old MiceAge article as well, but I kept typing in keywords ("Colglazier," "Halloween Party," etc.) until I hit the right one that I was trying to find!

MiceAge seems to have dried up the rumor mill this year -- in part because Al Lutz is not well, and also most likely because some of the "leaks" are no longer at Disney??

 

[mom2rtk]

Don't mess with Sherry's memory for details!

 

[Sherry E]

Don't mess with Sherry's memory for details!

Exactly! This is what I keep trying to tell people! My memory -- combined with the fact that I archive and save a lot of things -- helps me to locate threads, posts and articles. I might remember that, for example, someone used the phrase "mint tea" in an old thread. That may be the only thing I remember from the thread, but I will type it into various search boxes (either in my email, or on The DIS, or in Google, or now Bing) until I find what I am looking for. I refused to accept Google not giving me the results I wanted, but now Bing has risen up in the ranks and I may use Bing more often!

 

[Canadian Harmony]

I'm new to the Dis game, but based on a business train of thought (which, I admit, Disney does things in their own way, not in a typical business fashion), they could potentially increase profits by moving the MHP back to DCA and really doing up a bunch of decorating there while keeping the 60th Anniversary stuff going on in DLP on the same nights.

But... I could be completely wrong.

I'm just tapping my foot waiting impatiently for the dates so I can plan our other festivities around a party night.

 

[Sherry E]

I'm new to the Dis game, but based on a business train of thought (which, I admit, Disney does things in their own way, not in a typical business fashion), they could potentially increase profits by moving the MHP back to DCA and really doing up a bunch of decorating there while keeping the 60th Anniversary stuff going on in DLP on the same nights.

But... I could be completely wrong.

I'm just tapping my foot waiting impatiently for the dates so I can plan our other festivities around a party night.

I think that it would have been a smart idea to move the party back to DCA this year, even if only for this one year, or at least have some of the parties in DCA and some in DL. They'd have to have a draw, though -- something to get people to buy tickets -- so they'd have to add something Halloween-ish to that park.

For a while I was really thinking that's what would happen -- the party would move back to DCA -- because it would make sense to do it that way and not interrupt the new nighttime shows in Disneyland. However, there have not been any new rumors (this year) to indicate that a party is heading to DCA, or that a Halloween decorations package is coming to DCA. I would think that it would trickle out somewhere along the line if that were the plan. But, as I mentioned to Janet above, the rumor mill at MiceChat/MiceAge has dried up significantly -- so even if there are plans for something to happen, I'm not sure they could even report on it at this point. They may not have the same contacts at Disney anymore.

So I don't know if the 'silence' on the rumor front is because there is actually nothing new or out of the ordinary happening with MHP and with Halloween Time this year, or if it's because the "leaks" stopped leaking info to MiceAge and other sources.

 

[DisneyHysteria]

We are planning an October or December visit, but from the recent posts I've read in this thread - it's still not known how Disneyland will handle the Halloween and Christmas deco on Main Street (lamps/bunting and overlay for the Castle and the Mansion) - is that an accurate statement?

 

[Sherry E]

We are planning an October or December visit, but from the recent posts I've read in this thread - it's still not known how Disneyland will handle the Halloween and Christmas deco on Main Street (lamps/bunting and overlay for the Castle and the Mansion) - is that an accurate statement?

It's an accurate statement. Everything is a mystery right now. But it also could be that nothing much will be different at all, and that the usual Main Street Halloween décor will be in place, as well as the usual holiday season décor.

Personally, I don't think that the 60th anniversary bunting and diamond-esque things should take the place of the pumpkins on Main Street. The pumpkins on Main Street comprise some of the only Halloween décor at DLR. Without Halloween décor on Main Street, the Halloween overlay of Disneyland will be even 'thinner' than it already is. I think the pumpkins on Main Street and the giant Mickey pumpkin are crucial to the season.

And, if the party is once again held in Disneyland this year, there have got to be decorations to set the mood.

So, my feeling is that the Halloween things will go up on Main Street. Disney will probably just cut back on some of the 60th stuff, or find a way to make Halloween + Diamonds work together!

I think that most of the holiday season décor on Main Street will go up (lamppost decor included), with the exception of the overhead garland, suspended above Main Street. That's my guess. The Castle may stay exactly as it is now, with the "Diamond" overlay, and it may not get the usual icicle lights for the holiday season. On the other hand, it may become even more sparkly than it is now.

I am almost certain that Haunted Mansion Holiday will be back. It was running during the 50th anniversary, so this year should be no different. Again, without it, the Halloween offerings at Disneyland would be even slimmer than they already are.

In my opinion, the actual nighttime shows and the Castle are the main focuses of the Diamond Celebration. The other assorted decorations are just icing on the cake and not that important in the big picture. I don't think that the décor for the 60th is going to totally take over Halloween Time and the Holidays. I mean, the Holidays have themed decorations in many lands, and as I said above, the pumpkins on Main Street are crucial to Halloween Time. I think that having decorations for Halloween Time and the Holidays -- two extremely popular seasons -- is more important in the scheme of things than having some random blue bunting or "D"s with diamonds on posts or whatever. I'm pretty sure the parks were decorated for the holidays during the year of the 50th anniversary too, so I think that most -- probably not all -- of the décor will be back for both seasons.

But the Winter Castle and some of the holiday entertainment are likely to not happen this year.

 

[JessieD]

I've been before, but we are currently planning our first trip with our 5 year old son. We will be there 10/26-10/31. I am an over planner and this is killing me!!! I don't understand why WDW releases their schedule so soon and DLR is so slow about it!!!

 

[Sherry E]

I've been before, but we are currently planning our first trip with our 5 year old son. We will be there 10/26-10/31. I am an over planner and this is killing me!!! I don't understand why WDW releases their schedule so soon and DLR is so slow about it!!!

It is something that is more baffling as the years go on! In the past maybe there wasn't as much of a reason to let Disneyland visitors know things way in advance, but now -- especially this 60th anniversary year, when a lot of people will be heading to Disneyland who might not have otherwise gone -- Disneyland is trying to get more vacationers to visit. It seems to make sense to put out the info at least a few months in advance (or when WDW's info comes out) so those travelers can book rooms, flights, figure out their dining, etc. Last year they told us the holiday season dates in September, and the holidays started only 2 months after that. People traveling from far away can't plan like that!

Even if it were only locals going to DLR for Halloween Time and the holiday season, I still don't see the harm in releasing dates and details in advance. It can't hurt anything, no matter who is going to be in the parks!

 

[maltdizzy]

I've been before, but we are currently planning our first trip with our 5 year old son. We will be there 10/26-10/31. I am an over planner and this is killing me!!! I don't understand why WDW releases their schedule so soon and DLR is so slow about it!!!

Disneyland has always been more "flexible" that WDW. Ultimately that's part of it's charm. WDW has been built/re-built to deal with massive amounts of on-site guests and keep everyone moving as efficiently as possible. What that has meant is a lot more pre-arrangement and rigid schedules...meet-n-greets that are treated like attractions instead of interaction; restaurants designed to feed thousands of people at once, etc., ADR's, FP+, etc. Thankfully, DL more "day-park" nature, with it's 45-day schedule, has keep it a lot more intimate with more of a personal touch. I would hate it to be treated the same as WDW.

DL isn't worried about getting people in for October right now, their marketing is deigned to get people to come for the summer! Then, get them back in October with the Halloween promotion.