HalloweenTime at DLR Superthread #4
- Thread starter Sherry E
- Start date
- Status
I will also be there with party tickets the 19th and can meet up at the ticket booths.
tzeitel
Toadi Acceleratio Semper Absurda
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- Aug 28, 2008
- Messages
- 3,346
I just read somewhere (sorry can't remember even though it was about an hour ago lol) that parking is all day. My ticket says parking is for the same day of party but does not say a specific time.We are staying there too but this Friday! I'm still thinking about the parking. I'd like to go early to DTD but not go through security so that would be the other lot. But after the party it seems the quickest way back to the hotel would be from the Toy Story lot. Then supposedly the hotel has a shuttle every 30 minutes for $5 round trip but I'm not sure it runs late for the party.
Metalliman98
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jan 7, 2015
- Messages
- 406
Did the Happiest Haunts tour tonight, here's what we did. Warning, potential spoilers.
Ours was the 4:00 tour, with myself, DW, and DS (4 yo). Our tour guide was Ryan. We stopped off at City Hall where Ryan performed an incantation to try to summon Madame Gracey, which was not successful. After a stop by the giant Mickey pumpkin, we stopped at the movie theater and Gracey appeared and accompanied us for the rest of the tour. We made our way to the candy shop where we got a marshmallow decorated like a jack o'lantern, then proceeded to the Halloween Tree in Frontierland. Then off to BTMRR for a ride, around the big thunder ranch area and into Fantasyland for a ride on Snow White. Over to Matterhorn for a ride there, then Ryan stopped by the pool by the smoking area for some "ghost stories" about attractions past. Then over to SM:GG, then to the partners statue where Ryan talked about how Disney helped Anaheim do a Halloween celebration before Disneyland opened that included previews of Disneyland. Then over to 21 Royal Street where we each got a Mickey Head sugar cookie, then off to HMH......which was, surprisingly, bad.
Not the overlay, but the ride experience. We got to bypass the line, and went through the stretching room no problem, but coming out of the room, the hallway was full of people and we didn't move forward for about 10 minutes. Once we finally got on our doom buggies, the ride stopped four or five times during the ride for one to two minutes each time. We stopped just before entering the first scene, again where zero was floating, twice overlooking the ballroom, and right in front of oogie boogie. I don't know if the ride was having a lot of mechanical problems or if there were a lot of disabled people loading/unloading or what, but it was the worst experience I've ever had on that ride by far in terms of stops and starts. I was mildly annoyed, but I would have been much more mad if I had to wait 40 minutes for it.
But thankfully, we didn't. We got off, went over to the little alcove by the splash mountain fast passes, got our death certificates and our pin, and after my son got to "blow out" the candle that Madame Gracey had been carrying around all night, we departed, watching MHP going on along the way.
Overall I'm glad we did the tour. It was fun, we learned a bit, got some good treats and cool mementos. The park was a little crowded when we stepped off at 4 due to overlap between MHP and normal park goers, but it wasn't unmanageable. The tour audio system worked well, no troubles hearing anything as others have reported. For $64 a pop, not bad. Don't know if I'd do it again next year if all the rides were the same, but I could easily do every few years.
Ours was the 4:00 tour, with myself, DW, and DS (4 yo). Our tour guide was Ryan. We stopped off at City Hall where Ryan performed an incantation to try to summon Madame Gracey, which was not successful. After a stop by the giant Mickey pumpkin, we stopped at the movie theater and Gracey appeared and accompanied us for the rest of the tour. We made our way to the candy shop where we got a marshmallow decorated like a jack o'lantern, then proceeded to the Halloween Tree in Frontierland. Then off to BTMRR for a ride, around the big thunder ranch area and into Fantasyland for a ride on Snow White. Over to Matterhorn for a ride there, then Ryan stopped by the pool by the smoking area for some "ghost stories" about attractions past. Then over to SM:GG, then to the partners statue where Ryan talked about how Disney helped Anaheim do a Halloween celebration before Disneyland opened that included previews of Disneyland. Then over to 21 Royal Street where we each got a Mickey Head sugar cookie, then off to HMH......which was, surprisingly, bad.
Not the overlay, but the ride experience. We got to bypass the line, and went through the stretching room no problem, but coming out of the room, the hallway was full of people and we didn't move forward for about 10 minutes. Once we finally got on our doom buggies, the ride stopped four or five times during the ride for one to two minutes each time. We stopped just before entering the first scene, again where zero was floating, twice overlooking the ballroom, and right in front of oogie boogie. I don't know if the ride was having a lot of mechanical problems or if there were a lot of disabled people loading/unloading or what, but it was the worst experience I've ever had on that ride by far in terms of stops and starts. I was mildly annoyed, but I would have been much more mad if I had to wait 40 minutes for it.
But thankfully, we didn't. We got off, went over to the little alcove by the splash mountain fast passes, got our death certificates and our pin, and after my son got to "blow out" the candle that Madame Gracey had been carrying around all night, we departed, watching MHP going on along the way.
Overall I'm glad we did the tour. It was fun, we learned a bit, got some good treats and cool mementos. The park was a little crowded when we stepped off at 4 due to overlap between MHP and normal park goers, but it wasn't unmanageable. The tour audio system worked well, no troubles hearing anything as others have reported. For $64 a pop, not bad. Don't know if I'd do it again next year if all the rides were the same, but I could easily do every few years.
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Sherry, saw this today and thought of you!
http://www.eonline.com/news/701670/...-basically-every-pumpkin-spice-flavored-snack
http://www.eonline.com/news/701670/...-basically-every-pumpkin-spice-flavored-snack
Spyral
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Aug 9, 2015
- Messages
- 189
I am late doing this write up of our time at MHP's on Monday Sept 28th, but thought would still pass it along. We arrived that Monday to the GCH, and had a great CM check us in. We arrived around noon, and our room wasn't ready yet, so he was able to upgrade our room to one that was ready 
He also gave my son an autographed Donald Duck picture and a picture of Micky that he was to get autographed in the park. That set us all in a good mood.
Being how the party started at 6pm, we were able to get in at 3pm. Unfortunately, we weren't quite prepared for the heat. We live in AZ (both wife and I have lived here for all our lives (40+ years each)) so we are used to heat, but we weren't prepared for the added humidity. This did put a damper on things, but we were still having a good time. We waited in line to get in to the park (about a 15 min wait), got our wristbands, and our trick-or-treat bags. From reading on this thread, we had brought our own (larger) bags as well
We thought the park was busy, but not too bad as we have seen in the past. We did a few rides prior to the start of the party. We did not do the pre-party in Toontown like originally planned. The kids were just to excited to be in the park and to do rides instead of trick-or-treating. We worked our way back towards Big Thunder Ranch area, and they had opened the treat trail already before 6pm as well, so we still did get some candy early on. After 6pm, when they limited the rides to just party guests, we did find the lines way short for most rides. For instance, we walked on to Splash Mountain with no waiting.
We got a few character pictures done that night with the characters in their Halloweeen costumes, but again, the kids were more focused on going on rides. We tried to explain that would have almost 5 full additional days in the park, but being their first time in DL in a few years (and my son's first trip), they were overly excited.
We didn't stake out spots for PTN or the fireworks show, but we did stop to watch the fireworks though had a limited view due to trees. We still enjoyed it. After the fireworks we were worn out from the heat, we decided to go ahead and call it a night. On the way out, thought maybe we would try and do some photos with the villians, but they were wrapping up as well (still had almost an hour left before closing). We didn't mind so much as we were soaked from sweat and Splash Mountain, and just wanted to get back to the hotel to cool down.
One thing did notice though was that there was additional theming added after that party night to the area behind BTMR. On that walkway on the bridge by the tunnel to the old mining ride, on our party night, they did have mist coming out of it with a light shining out of it and spooky sound effects/music, but on the following Friday night when we walked back there, we noticed they had flashing strobe lights timed w/ a lightning sound effect, and the light coming out of the tunnel shining through the mist was a skull & crossbones. Also as an aside, it seemed like there were a lot more people for the sold out party that Friday (10/2). Granted we left DL shortly after the MHP had started as we didn't have tickets, but it felt a lot more busy than the non-sold-out 9/28 party. I mean, that makes senses (sold-out vs non-sold-out), but thought would pass along that it truly didn't feel as crowded 9/28, at least to us.
Positives:
- Theming: We really enjoy Halloween, so we loved the theming throughout the park.
- Candy/Treats: We didn't get as much as what read other people got because we didn't do trick-or-treating late into the evening, but we got more than we could handle during our stay, and ended up taking almost 3/4 of a re-usable grocery style bag of candy back home with us.
- Characters: Even though we didn't get a lot of pictures with the characters during the party, it was great to see them out and about in their Halloween costumes. All that we seen were very interactive with the people they were meeting/greeting. This held true for all our time in the parks.
- CMs: We didn't come across any bad CMs. They all seemed to be in the Halloween spirit, commenting on costumes and having fun as well.
- Zero popcorn bucket - love this thing. My daughter also got a Zero stuffed animal at the cart by the HM. Didn't see them later during our time there.
Negatives:
- Heat & humidity: Not much can do about that except to stay hydrated and hit shady spots or pop into a store or attraction that has AC. I did feel bad for the poor CMs that dress up. I don't know how they do it, even when they are only out there for a short while and switch out.
- Candy/Treats: Yeah, this is a negative to. Not so much on getting the candy or doing the treat trails (we skipped the long ones as there were plenty of short ones), but having to carry around an extra-bag for each person got a little old. I think if do it again, will keep the bags in the backpack through out most of the time, and just pull them out and do the treat trails at the end of the night, so don't have to lug around the candy all night long.
- No carnival: I wish could have seen it as this was our first trip during Halloween time. It was also sad later when we ate at BTRB, knowing that it would be closing in a couple months forever. We talked to our waiter about it, and at least for him he also worked at one of the other restaurants. Hopefully same holds true for the others there in that they will have other places to work at in the parks.
A few highlights from non-party nights during our trip:
- We got silhouettes done for each of us. She is amazing in what she does and how quickly she can cut them out. I didn't realize that got two silhouettes (she cuts 2 papers at once so you have two profiles facing different directions.
- We had breakfast at the Carnation Cafe, and Chef Oscar sat down and joined us at our table for about 20 minutes to chat and tell stories of his time there.
- We had great character interaction throughout the park. Do highly recommend the PhotoPass+ to people. The photographers do seem to take extra time with you and do more shots. They also would do magic shots without us needing to ask (where to others before us they didn't offer magic shots).
- We had the earliest reservations we could get at the Plaza Inn. We were the second to be seated, and four characters (Chip, Tigger, Pooh, and Eeyore) were already out, so we got a group shot with the four of them and our kids. Minnie came out at the same time and came running over to get in the picture too. Shortly after Hook came out, and after some interaction, my son said to say "Cod fish" and Hook stormed out of the restaurant make the "I'm watching you" eyes with my son. After he came back again later, my son said "Pirates Rule" and Hook bowed to him and all was good
- Corn dogs: Never did a corn dog in DL. The line was just waaaaay to long anytime we happened to be by. But did manage to get the corn dog a couple times in DCA. The line there was long at times as well, but there were times when could just walk right up, so we did!
- Cars Land: Not sure what can say that hasn't already been said. The theming is top notch, RSR is probably our favorite ride (well my son would say BTMR), and we enjoyed MJJ a lot as well, and that was usually a walk-on ride for us. And it is even more spectacular at night. In fact for us, I think DL is a better day park and DCA is a better night park.
And a few negatives:
- Crowds were very bad on 10/3. It seemed worse than anytime during our prior summer visits. Know with Gay Days, Halloween Time, and 60th, it helped spur on the crowds, but we weren't quite expecting it to be that crowded! It felt like we were in Times Square for New Years Eve at times. But you just have to roll with it and take advantage of FP when can and check the wait times on the Disneyland App. I wish they had the FP return times on the app during our visit as that would have been nice, but as it was, took advantage of Otto when could (though it was wrong on a couple times as it said FP were available for a certain time, though when I arrived, no more FP were available even though I booked it to get the FP distro, but not a huge deal).
- Had a terrible experience at the Boardwalk Pizza & Pasta. My son is very picky, so pizza was about the only think he would eat at the parks. On Friday night, DCA was very busy due to MHP in DL. At the BPP, they had a line setup for people to come in an orderly fashion to get their food. But they didn't enforce it. So people were coming in through the exits, or just going around the line to get food from the counters. Someone mentioned it to one of the CMs there about people going around, and she just shrugged it off and said "well they are not supposed to", and then walked off to do something else. One of the fountain drink dispensers was broken, so that made the drink lines even longer. By the time I made it up to one, there was no ice in it, so skipped drinks. Then it took foooorever (20 min at least) to wait in the check out line! People were eating/finishing their food while waiting in line prior to paying for it. And that was only with about maybe 8 people in front of me!
- Surveys: I don't know how many times were were asked to take a survey. We usually went ahead and did, but by the 8th or 9th time, we were done with it. We would say that had already done numerous surveys, but were told 'but this one is different!'. I think they should at least offer stickers or something after people take them. Then I think folks would be more inclined to do so.
... ok, that was a bit longer than was planning to write, but we really did enjoy our time there from MHP up until it was time to leave. Probably should do a full TR, as there is just so much to add.
He also gave my son an autographed Donald Duck picture and a picture of Micky that he was to get autographed in the park. That set us all in a good mood.Being how the party started at 6pm, we were able to get in at 3pm. Unfortunately, we weren't quite prepared for the heat. We live in AZ (both wife and I have lived here for all our lives (40+ years each)) so we are used to heat, but we weren't prepared for the added humidity. This did put a damper on things, but we were still having a good time. We waited in line to get in to the park (about a 15 min wait), got our wristbands, and our trick-or-treat bags. From reading on this thread, we had brought our own (larger) bags as well
We thought the park was busy, but not too bad as we have seen in the past. We did a few rides prior to the start of the party. We did not do the pre-party in Toontown like originally planned. The kids were just to excited to be in the park and to do rides instead of trick-or-treating. We worked our way back towards Big Thunder Ranch area, and they had opened the treat trail already before 6pm as well, so we still did get some candy early on. After 6pm, when they limited the rides to just party guests, we did find the lines way short for most rides. For instance, we walked on to Splash Mountain with no waiting.
We got a few character pictures done that night with the characters in their Halloweeen costumes, but again, the kids were more focused on going on rides. We tried to explain that would have almost 5 full additional days in the park, but being their first time in DL in a few years (and my son's first trip), they were overly excited.
We didn't stake out spots for PTN or the fireworks show, but we did stop to watch the fireworks though had a limited view due to trees. We still enjoyed it. After the fireworks we were worn out from the heat, we decided to go ahead and call it a night. On the way out, thought maybe we would try and do some photos with the villians, but they were wrapping up as well (still had almost an hour left before closing). We didn't mind so much as we were soaked from sweat and Splash Mountain, and just wanted to get back to the hotel to cool down.
One thing did notice though was that there was additional theming added after that party night to the area behind BTMR. On that walkway on the bridge by the tunnel to the old mining ride, on our party night, they did have mist coming out of it with a light shining out of it and spooky sound effects/music, but on the following Friday night when we walked back there, we noticed they had flashing strobe lights timed w/ a lightning sound effect, and the light coming out of the tunnel shining through the mist was a skull & crossbones. Also as an aside, it seemed like there were a lot more people for the sold out party that Friday (10/2). Granted we left DL shortly after the MHP had started as we didn't have tickets, but it felt a lot more busy than the non-sold-out 9/28 party. I mean, that makes senses (sold-out vs non-sold-out), but thought would pass along that it truly didn't feel as crowded 9/28, at least to us.
Positives:
- Theming: We really enjoy Halloween, so we loved the theming throughout the park.
- Candy/Treats: We didn't get as much as what read other people got because we didn't do trick-or-treating late into the evening, but we got more than we could handle during our stay, and ended up taking almost 3/4 of a re-usable grocery style bag of candy back home with us.
- Characters: Even though we didn't get a lot of pictures with the characters during the party, it was great to see them out and about in their Halloween costumes. All that we seen were very interactive with the people they were meeting/greeting. This held true for all our time in the parks.
- CMs: We didn't come across any bad CMs. They all seemed to be in the Halloween spirit, commenting on costumes and having fun as well.
- Zero popcorn bucket - love this thing. My daughter also got a Zero stuffed animal at the cart by the HM. Didn't see them later during our time there.
Negatives:
- Heat & humidity: Not much can do about that except to stay hydrated and hit shady spots or pop into a store or attraction that has AC. I did feel bad for the poor CMs that dress up. I don't know how they do it, even when they are only out there for a short while and switch out.
- Candy/Treats: Yeah, this is a negative to. Not so much on getting the candy or doing the treat trails (we skipped the long ones as there were plenty of short ones), but having to carry around an extra-bag for each person got a little old. I think if do it again, will keep the bags in the backpack through out most of the time, and just pull them out and do the treat trails at the end of the night, so don't have to lug around the candy all night long.
- No carnival: I wish could have seen it as this was our first trip during Halloween time. It was also sad later when we ate at BTRB, knowing that it would be closing in a couple months forever. We talked to our waiter about it, and at least for him he also worked at one of the other restaurants. Hopefully same holds true for the others there in that they will have other places to work at in the parks.
A few highlights from non-party nights during our trip:
- We got silhouettes done for each of us. She is amazing in what she does and how quickly she can cut them out. I didn't realize that got two silhouettes (she cuts 2 papers at once so you have two profiles facing different directions.
- We had breakfast at the Carnation Cafe, and Chef Oscar sat down and joined us at our table for about 20 minutes to chat and tell stories of his time there.
- We had great character interaction throughout the park. Do highly recommend the PhotoPass+ to people. The photographers do seem to take extra time with you and do more shots. They also would do magic shots without us needing to ask (where to others before us they didn't offer magic shots).
- We had the earliest reservations we could get at the Plaza Inn. We were the second to be seated, and four characters (Chip, Tigger, Pooh, and Eeyore) were already out, so we got a group shot with the four of them and our kids. Minnie came out at the same time and came running over to get in the picture too. Shortly after Hook came out, and after some interaction, my son said to say "Cod fish" and Hook stormed out of the restaurant make the "I'm watching you" eyes with my son. After he came back again later, my son said "Pirates Rule" and Hook bowed to him and all was good
- Corn dogs: Never did a corn dog in DL. The line was just waaaaay to long anytime we happened to be by. But did manage to get the corn dog a couple times in DCA. The line there was long at times as well, but there were times when could just walk right up, so we did!
- Cars Land: Not sure what can say that hasn't already been said. The theming is top notch, RSR is probably our favorite ride (well my son would say BTMR), and we enjoyed MJJ a lot as well, and that was usually a walk-on ride for us. And it is even more spectacular at night. In fact for us, I think DL is a better day park and DCA is a better night park.
And a few negatives:
- Crowds were very bad on 10/3. It seemed worse than anytime during our prior summer visits. Know with Gay Days, Halloween Time, and 60th, it helped spur on the crowds, but we weren't quite expecting it to be that crowded! It felt like we were in Times Square for New Years Eve at times. But you just have to roll with it and take advantage of FP when can and check the wait times on the Disneyland App. I wish they had the FP return times on the app during our visit as that would have been nice, but as it was, took advantage of Otto when could (though it was wrong on a couple times as it said FP were available for a certain time, though when I arrived, no more FP were available even though I booked it to get the FP distro, but not a huge deal).
- Had a terrible experience at the Boardwalk Pizza & Pasta. My son is very picky, so pizza was about the only think he would eat at the parks. On Friday night, DCA was very busy due to MHP in DL. At the BPP, they had a line setup for people to come in an orderly fashion to get their food. But they didn't enforce it. So people were coming in through the exits, or just going around the line to get food from the counters. Someone mentioned it to one of the CMs there about people going around, and she just shrugged it off and said "well they are not supposed to", and then walked off to do something else. One of the fountain drink dispensers was broken, so that made the drink lines even longer. By the time I made it up to one, there was no ice in it, so skipped drinks. Then it took foooorever (20 min at least) to wait in the check out line! People were eating/finishing their food while waiting in line prior to paying for it. And that was only with about maybe 8 people in front of me!
- Surveys: I don't know how many times were were asked to take a survey. We usually went ahead and did, but by the 8th or 9th time, we were done with it. We would say that had already done numerous surveys, but were told 'but this one is different!'. I think they should at least offer stickers or something after people take them. Then I think folks would be more inclined to do so.
... ok, that was a bit longer than was planning to write, but we really did enjoy our time there from MHP up until it was time to leave. Probably should do a full TR, as there is just so much to add.
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lorijohnhill
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Nov 17, 2010
- Messages
- 2,475
We just got home from our trip. 
I miss DLR already!
I have to say we had the most magical, pixie dusted trip ever! It was absolutely amazing!
Once I get my 4000+ photos uploaded and get my photopass photos, I will attempt to do a trip report.
I miss DLR already!I have to say we had the most magical, pixie dusted trip ever! It was absolutely amazing!
Once I get my 4000+ photos uploaded and get my photopass photos, I will attempt to do a trip report.
Sherry E
Currently tag-less...
- Joined
- Jan 5, 2008
- Messages
- 19,646
Thank you to everyone who is taking the time to come back and give reviews/reports about MHP, about the Happiest Haunts Tour, about Mystical Spirits of the Blue Bayou, about your Halloween Time experience in general, as well as share photos, etc. It is all very much appreciated! Keep them them coming!
You know Pumpkin Pandemonium has swept the nation when E! -- an entertainment news reporting entity -- jumps into the game too, and does a story on all things pumpkin!
You know Pumpkin Pandemonium has swept the nation when E! -- an entertainment news reporting entity -- jumps into the game too, and does a story on all things pumpkin! 
GenGen22
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 12, 2011
- Messages
- 3,301
For people looking for Halloween bags. Last year we bought a Minnie Mouse Halloween bag from I think the Emporium on Main Street & it was only like $3 which is an inexpensive cost for a trick or treat bag. It was this type of bag but with a different character on it.
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I haven't been participating in the discussion up to now, but I've been reading through this thread to help plan for my first MHP and it was so helpful I thought I should pay it forward and give some input. I went with a group of family and friends on Friday 10/2 and I was the main organizer for the trip.
The main thing I want to bring up is my thought on crowds since that seems to be a big concern for a lot of people. Granted, I've never been to MHP before so I can't compare to past years, but just the same, my thoughts are that crowds were manageable depending on what your goals are. It definitely felt crowded. Walkways were busy and it was easy to get separated from your group - this was partly due to the number of people and partly due to there being various lines set up where there aren't normally lines (treat trails and characters) pushing the traffic into narrower walking areas. We didn't meet any characters and I wouldn't be surprised if wait times for those were very long. But ride lines were great! Early in the evening (maybe an hour after official party start time) there was no line for Indy. No line at all - there was no one queued up to load when our ride ended so we got to go again! There was also no wait for Jungle Cruise. Other rides we went on did have lines, but they were shorter than normal - 3 minutes for BTMRR, about 15 minutes for Matterhorn, etc. I think HM and Space had longer lines, as expected, but I didn't attempt those rides. There was also a decent wait time for Pirates because they closed the ride during the dinner (either that or the ride was down), so when they reopened it at the end of the night the line really filled up.
We didn't watch the parade but we were able to get decent enough spots for the fireworks by standing in the back of the parade-watching area for the last couple of floats, and then walking to the middle of the street with the crowd.
We only went on 3 treat trails late in the evening and the lines were short/nonexistent except for by the river because the Cadaver Dans were performing. We didn't get a ton of candy - about 3 pieces per station about about 6 stations per trail if I remember right. We did not encounter what has been reported before that at the end of the night they start giving out more candy, but then again we didn't go on very many trails so YMMV. The CM's on the trails were great and a few of them recognized and commented on our relatively obscure costumes. I thought it was great that even though they were trying to keep the line moving they made the effort to notice the costumes.
Here's something to be aware of that we had not anticipated - some of the bathrooms are blocked by treat trails, and they won't let you back to use the bathrooms unless you wait in the treat line with everyone else. Of course not every bathroom was blocked, but be prepared to hunt around. We had a mishap with someone in our group who is lactose intolerant having dairy (this was our mistake, not Disney's), but as a result we spent a decent amount of time running through crowds trying to find accessible bathrooms.
Overall it was really great, and we're thinking of going again in the future, although the river area was such a highlight in terms of atmosphere so I suppose we'll have to wait and see what they do when the river is closed.
The main thing I want to bring up is my thought on crowds since that seems to be a big concern for a lot of people. Granted, I've never been to MHP before so I can't compare to past years, but just the same, my thoughts are that crowds were manageable depending on what your goals are. It definitely felt crowded. Walkways were busy and it was easy to get separated from your group - this was partly due to the number of people and partly due to there being various lines set up where there aren't normally lines (treat trails and characters) pushing the traffic into narrower walking areas. We didn't meet any characters and I wouldn't be surprised if wait times for those were very long. But ride lines were great! Early in the evening (maybe an hour after official party start time) there was no line for Indy. No line at all - there was no one queued up to load when our ride ended so we got to go again! There was also no wait for Jungle Cruise. Other rides we went on did have lines, but they were shorter than normal - 3 minutes for BTMRR, about 15 minutes for Matterhorn, etc. I think HM and Space had longer lines, as expected, but I didn't attempt those rides. There was also a decent wait time for Pirates because they closed the ride during the dinner (either that or the ride was down), so when they reopened it at the end of the night the line really filled up.
We didn't watch the parade but we were able to get decent enough spots for the fireworks by standing in the back of the parade-watching area for the last couple of floats, and then walking to the middle of the street with the crowd.
We only went on 3 treat trails late in the evening and the lines were short/nonexistent except for by the river because the Cadaver Dans were performing. We didn't get a ton of candy - about 3 pieces per station about about 6 stations per trail if I remember right. We did not encounter what has been reported before that at the end of the night they start giving out more candy, but then again we didn't go on very many trails so YMMV. The CM's on the trails were great and a few of them recognized and commented on our relatively obscure costumes. I thought it was great that even though they were trying to keep the line moving they made the effort to notice the costumes.
Here's something to be aware of that we had not anticipated - some of the bathrooms are blocked by treat trails, and they won't let you back to use the bathrooms unless you wait in the treat line with everyone else. Of course not every bathroom was blocked, but be prepared to hunt around. We had a mishap with someone in our group who is lactose intolerant having dairy (this was our mistake, not Disney's), but as a result we spent a decent amount of time running through crowds trying to find accessible bathrooms.
Overall it was really great, and we're thinking of going again in the future, although the river area was such a highlight in terms of atmosphere so I suppose we'll have to wait and see what they do when the river is closed.
jammyjam25
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 27, 2014
- Messages
- 565
Hi all! Arrived back from my Disney trip last night and have LOTS of photos and rambling that I'll eventually get into a trip report.
Wanted to report back here specifically about the 09/30 Halloween Party last Wednesday.
We went in right at 3:00pm when we were allowed. The park was pretty busy so we rode one ride (Buzz) then made our way to Toon Town to do the pre-party. Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, Daisy, Pluto and Chip & Dale were all out in costumes looking ADORABLE! We got in line to meet Mickey & Minnie and the line wasn't very long but ultimately ended up meeting C&D because they swapped out to give M&M a break. Us and the other people around us were extremely annoyed because the CM's were letting people have their own private photo shoots with M&M (not even in the photos with them, just posing M&M in multiple poses and taking their photo) and taking sooooo much time so the line was moving at a snail's pace and because of that we all ended up not being able to get our photos with them. ARG. Once we finally got through that line we were able to go through Pluto's line quickly then moved on to the treat trails. We were able to finish the Toon Town pre-party in about an hour and a half.
We spent most of our night doing treat trails and just enjoying the Halloween atmosphere. We snagged a decent spot in the hub for the Halloween fireworks. The fireworks themselves were blocked by a tree (LOL) and sadly we couldn't see Jack, but we had an amazing view of the castle and were able to see all the projections.
Character wise we were able to meet C&D, and Pluto in Toon Town, Alladin (in his sultan outfit) and Genie in Adventureland, and Mulan & Snow White together at Fantasy Faire. Lots of other characters were out but we were too busy hitting those treat trails!
I definitely have to mention the bit of pixie dust we got at the party. We stopped by French Market to grab the Halloween Cake for a snack and got there right at 8, when they closed (which we didn't realize).
After politely telling us they were closed, the cast member asked if we were only there for the cake and we said yes. He told us to stay put, then disappeared and came back a moment later with TWO cakes, one for each of us (we were only going to get one to share), and refused to let us pay for them or tip him for them. We were blown away, as we were just going to come back the next day to get the cake. We profusely thanked him for being so sweet and made sure to leave a comment with City Hall on our way out that evening to let them know about his great service.
By far the best part of the Halloween Party was the very end, the Villain's Goodnight! We headed up to Main Street about fifteen minutes before the party ended and snagged a spot right on the curb. It was really fun seeing all the villains brought in to the train station and the little show they do is super cute.
All in all we had a great time at the party. It was really nice having the morning to relax by the pool and then have 8 hours in the park.
Wanted to report back here specifically about the 09/30 Halloween Party last Wednesday.
We went in right at 3:00pm when we were allowed. The park was pretty busy so we rode one ride (Buzz) then made our way to Toon Town to do the pre-party. Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, Daisy, Pluto and Chip & Dale were all out in costumes looking ADORABLE! We got in line to meet Mickey & Minnie and the line wasn't very long but ultimately ended up meeting C&D because they swapped out to give M&M a break. Us and the other people around us were extremely annoyed because the CM's were letting people have their own private photo shoots with M&M (not even in the photos with them, just posing M&M in multiple poses and taking their photo) and taking sooooo much time so the line was moving at a snail's pace and because of that we all ended up not being able to get our photos with them. ARG. Once we finally got through that line we were able to go through Pluto's line quickly then moved on to the treat trails. We were able to finish the Toon Town pre-party in about an hour and a half.
We spent most of our night doing treat trails and just enjoying the Halloween atmosphere. We snagged a decent spot in the hub for the Halloween fireworks. The fireworks themselves were blocked by a tree (LOL) and sadly we couldn't see Jack, but we had an amazing view of the castle and were able to see all the projections.
Character wise we were able to meet C&D, and Pluto in Toon Town, Alladin (in his sultan outfit) and Genie in Adventureland, and Mulan & Snow White together at Fantasy Faire. Lots of other characters were out but we were too busy hitting those treat trails!
I definitely have to mention the bit of pixie dust we got at the party. We stopped by French Market to grab the Halloween Cake for a snack and got there right at 8, when they closed (which we didn't realize).
After politely telling us they were closed, the cast member asked if we were only there for the cake and we said yes. He told us to stay put, then disappeared and came back a moment later with TWO cakes, one for each of us (we were only going to get one to share), and refused to let us pay for them or tip him for them. We were blown away, as we were just going to come back the next day to get the cake. We profusely thanked him for being so sweet and made sure to leave a comment with City Hall on our way out that evening to let them know about his great service.By far the best part of the Halloween Party was the very end, the Villain's Goodnight! We headed up to Main Street about fifteen minutes before the party ended and snagged a spot right on the curb. It was really fun seeing all the villains brought in to the train station and the little show they do is super cute.
All in all we had a great time at the party. It was really nice having the morning to relax by the pool and then have 8 hours in the park.
tzeitel
Toadi Acceleratio Semper Absurda
- Joined
- Aug 28, 2008
- Messages
- 3,346
Not sure if anyone has mentioned this but the gingerbread workshop at Jazz Kitchen is Oct 24th from 12-2PM. Tickets went on sale on the 28th so not sure if anything is still available - for some reason the message went to my spam folder and I have not checked it for a couple of weeks.
I was hoping it would be the previous Sunday since we leave on the 24th and I really think DD would have loved this. She is on the autism spectrum and loves baking - that and swimming are her "things".
edit to add - just went to the website that sells the tickets and there is a waitlist. The extra seat option is sold out - price includes all the stuff you need for the house, sodas, and treats for 2 people.
I was hoping it would be the previous Sunday since we leave on the 24th and I really think DD would have loved this. She is on the autism spectrum and loves baking - that and swimming are her "things".
edit to add - just went to the website that sells the tickets and there is a waitlist. The extra seat option is sold out - price includes all the stuff you need for the house, sodas, and treats for 2 people.
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Agree! Perfect!
I don't think those three meet together at the same time. When we walked past a couple times during the party, I only saw Genie. I suspect those rotate in and out. Maybe Aladdin and Jasmine together, and then Genie by himself.
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Great report thanks
Can I ask please, you entered at 3pm and the Toon Town pre-party was already started at with the line ups at what time please?
mom2rtk
Invented the term "Characterpalooza"
- Joined
- Aug 23, 2008
- Messages
- 62,520
Hi all! Arrived back from my Disney trip last night and have LOTS of photos and rambling that I'll eventually get into a trip report.
Wanted to report back here specifically about the 09/30 Halloween Party last Wednesday.
We went in right at 3:00pm when we were allowed. The park was pretty busy so we rode one ride (Buzz) then made our way to Toon Town to do the pre-party. Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, Daisy, Pluto and Chip & Dale were all out in costumes looking ADORABLE! We got in line to meet Mickey & Minnie and the line wasn't very long but ultimately ended up meeting C&D because they swapped out to give M&M a break. Us and the other people around us were extremely annoyed because the CM's were letting people have their own private photo shoots with M&M (not even in the photos with them, just posing M&M in multiple poses and taking their photo) and taking sooooo much time so the line was moving at a snail's pace and because of that we all ended up not being able to get our photos with them. ARG. Once we finally got through that line we were able to go through Pluto's line quickly then moved on to the treat trails. We were able to finish the Toon Town pre-party in about an hour and a half.
We spent most of our night doing treat trails and just enjoying the Halloween atmosphere. We snagged a decent spot in the hub for the Halloween fireworks. The fireworks themselves were blocked by a tree (LOL) and sadly we couldn't see Jack, but we had an amazing view of the castle and were able to see all the projections.
Character wise we were able to meet C&D, and Pluto in Toon Town, Alladin (in his sultan outfit) and Genie in Adventureland, and Mulan & Snow White together at Fantasy Faire. Lots of other characters were out but we were too busy hitting those treat trails!
I definitely have to mention the bit of pixie dust we got at the party. We stopped by French Market to grab the Halloween Cake for a snack and got there right at 8, when they closed (which we didn't realize).
By far the best part of the Halloween Party was the very end, the Villain's Goodnight! We headed up to Main Street about fifteen minutes before the party ended and snagged a spot right on the curb. It was really fun seeing all the villains brought in to the train station and the little show they do is super cute.
All in all we had a great time at the party. It was really nice having the morning to relax by the pool and then have 8 hours in the park.
View attachment 127382
What time did you get your spot in the hub to watch fireworks?
JennsBabySky
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 30, 2003
- Messages
- 538
Any idea where to buy an additional ticket? We need to buy at least one more ticket for 10/12, we have a friend staying with us that week, and I can't bring myself to pay the outrageous price on Stubhub. Any reputable ticket brokers with tickets? Or any other ideas? Thank you!
jammyjam25
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 27, 2014
- Messages
- 565
Great report thanks
No it was not open right at three as far as I'm aware. I want to say we got back there about 4:30 and they had just started letting people in to Toon Town. We only waited in a short line before they let us in.
We got to the hub about 30 minutes before the fireworks started. Paint the Night had just started coming around the corner from Small World and was headed down Main Street.
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