HalloweenTime at DLR Superthread #4

[haileymarie92]

We were at the MSBB on Halloween night and they didn't give any pins. What do they look like?

Not my picture, but here's what they look like:

 

[Sith]

Not my picture, but here's what they look like:
View attachment 132809

Oh, we did get those. I thought you meant trading pins. My mistake. Thanks for the pic!

 

[CassieF]

I'll be honest....we did an early in the season dinner and had an amazing experience but it is a little disappointing to find out about how they enhanced them later, with the buttons (very minor) but especially Constance and Daisy the Tightrope Walker. My experience was great, but you'd figure they would have had the parties planned out before they actually started.

 

[TACK]

I'll be honest....we did an early in the season dinner and had an amazing experience but it is a little disappointing to find out about how they enhanced them later, with the buttons (very minor) but especially Constance and Daisy the Tightrope Walker. My experience was great, but you'd figure they would have had the parties planned out before they actually started.

I agree, I got the fire alarm and evacuation, no Constance and Daisy, no meeting with Dr. Facilier, my dessert was different and slightly rushed event due to the alarm. The alarm was unavoidable, but I know now unless I have to, no more opening nights!

 

[theluckyrabbit]

That's the same reason why we don't choose to attend the first MHP of the season. That party just feels less organized, CMs aren't as "broken in," and not all the special additions may be in working order. The party is still fun, but seems to run more smoothly after a week or so.

 

[Chris9ty]

A month later... Got my survey from Disneyland about our experience at the Oct 5th MHP. They asked my husband for his email while we were leaving dinner at the Tomorrowland Terrace that night.

 

[CassieF]

We also had the early desserts (Green Tiana for the cheesecake) and I thought it was beautiful but the Dr. Facilier hat they replaced it with was pretty cool as well, I just liked the green better, lol. But yeah, with the alarm going off (unavoidable, I know, but still) and not getting to see Facilier, those are some big issues on a premium experience.

 

[Vala]

I kind of feel like a guinea pig now too. lol I didn't expect everything to go smoothly. But when I told some friends of the changes they said: "Looks they started off low to see if people complained and then slowly started improving."

Those huge waiting periods with nothing happening were definitely a major issue for attendees the night I went. Looks to me like they added the two other characters to fix this.

 

[Sherry E]

I'm finally making my way back to this thread after a being absent for the last couple of weeks of the Halloween Time season!

Thank you to everyone who was kind enough to take the time to come back here and give us reports and/or share photos of their Halloween Time trips, Mickey's Halloween Party experiences, Mystical Spirits of the Blue Bayou recaps, etc. I really appreciate it, and I know that everyone else did too.

I will leave this thread open for a little while longer, in case anyone still has thoughts or photos to share about their trips. Sometime soon -- around the end of the year or beginning of 2016 -- I will switch us over to a new thread, because we passed the page limit on this one a while ago! So we will gather in a new thread to start all over again, waiting eagerly for news on next year's Halloween Time season -- which could be quite a bit different than this year's season if MHP moves to DCA next year (assuming that the Rivers of America closure will have a big impact on the MHP atmosphere). I will post the link to the new thread here, as soon as I get it started.

Interestingly, as of yesterday, 11/6, apparently the Big Thunder Ranch was still decorated for Fall/Halloween. The transition to holiday season mode had not begun yet. They are behind schedule.

Oh, by the way -- I finally tried something pumpkin spice. I tried the Hostess Pumpkin Spice Donettes -- which did not taste even remotely pumpkin-ish! Cinnamon was what I tasted, but not pumpkin.

Happy Halloween everyone! Thank you Sherry for all of the info you supply and keeping the thread going. It's been fun reading the Halloween news and keeping up with pumpkin pandemonium!

You're very welcome, David! And thank YOU for reporting in with the assorted scoops on the Pumpkin Pandemonium/Halloween Hoopla/Candy Corn Chaos (and Fall Frolic Kitty Litter!) taking place at Target! Thank you, also, for reporting back to us with the news about the Fall decorations being up at the Big Thunder Ranch.

Be sure to join us again next year, for more fun and Fall Frolicking!

Yeah, every time we walked through there my daughter said "Why..... just why." LOL. I explained that they have a lot of decorating to do and need a running head start.

Janet -- I don't know if you mentioned this in the thread and I have not yet seen it, or if you have mentioned it anywhere and I have not yet read it, but... as this was your first Halloween Time visit and first experience with Mickey's Halloween Party, how does the season stack up in comparison to your last 2 DLR holiday season experiences? You already kind of knew what to expect in terms of where to see Halloween decor (and where NOT to see it), but maybe it was pleasantly surprising and more immersive than you thought it would be? Or does it seem not even on the same level as the holiday season as far as immersion? You also have WDW's Halloween festivities to compare it with, as well DLR's holiday season.

 

[mom2rtk]

Janet -- I don't know if you mentioned this in the thread and I have not yet seen it, or if you have mentioned it anywhere and I have not yet read it, but... as this was your first Halloween Time visit and first experience with Mickey's Halloween Party, how does the season stack up in comparison to your last 2 DLR holiday season experiences? You already kind of knew what to expect in terms of where to see Halloween decor (and where NOT to see it), but maybe it was pleasantly surprising and more immersive than you thought it would be? Or does it seem not even on the same level as the holiday season as far as immersion? You also have WDW's Halloween festivities to compare it with, as well DLR's holiday season.

Hi Sherry! Thanks for asking. I really enjoyed being there for Halloween Time. It was nice to see DL dressed for another season. However, if we hadn't done the party, or if they hadn't put the orange bunting up on Main Street, I do think we would have felt different about it. As it is, Christmas was already showing up. To be honest, there were probably more Christmas decorations up than Halloween (not on Main Street though). The merchandise situation was a letdown too. There was FAR more Christmas merchandise than Halloween. I really wish Disney would do better with their holiday merchandise. We saw a better selection of Christmas merchandise than we probably did on our early December trips. It appears you need to be able to shop for Halloween on Labor Day, and Christmas before Halloween. I think the vampire Mickey popcorn bucket was the only Halloween item we purchased on the trip. (I'm still surprised we got one of those!)

I am very glad we did 2 parties. I would have left disappointed with how little we could get done if we hadn't done the second party. We were able to get most of what we wanted done, but only because we made fireworks watching friends the night before who offered to save a spot by the castle for us during the party the next night. (Lee from New Zealand, if you read this, please message me!).

I do think I'd give WDW's Halloween party the edge. I am still shocked that DLR gets away with hosting a Halloween party with no Halloween parade or shows. PTN was nice, but we saw it the night before. I'm not giving up party time to see what I can see during regular park hours. The Cadaver Dans were awesome, but WDW has them out in Frontierland and still has a full fledged Halloween parade and show. Still, we just love DLR more than WDW so we'll likely head west again, even if we decide to stay with Halloween.

Overall, I think I was ready for a change in seasons, just so the holiday things didn't become old hat to us. I loved seeing Main Street decked out in orange. But I do think there's a strong possibility we will consider moving our trip into November next year just after the holiday season opens. My fingers are crossed that the castle lights appear again next year when the 60th is over.

I'll try to post some photos when I get a chance.

 

[Kilala]

I wanted to let all of you know I'm a little dissapointed with Christmas things going up in mid October. I saw a Christmas tree lot going up on the week of October 14th. The Hallmark channel was showing Christmas movies since October 30th. Can't you guys wait untill Halloween is over? I will be uploading my MHP pictures up on my computer today and try to get them up for posting here later on today.

 

[mom2rtk]

I wanted to let all of you know I'm a little dissapointed with Christmas things going up in mid October. I saw a Christmas tree lot going up on the week of October 14th. The Hallmark channel was showing Christmas movies since October 30th. Can't you guys wait untill Halloween is over? I will be uploading my MHP pictures up on my computer today and try to get them up for posting here later on today.

I agree with that as well.

I also don't like that photo pass is only offering one Halloween border and 4-5 Christmas borders already. Holiday time hasn't even started and they're more borders for that than Halloween.

Can anyone say they were more Halloween borders earlier in the season?

 

[dolphingirl47]

but WDW has them out in Frontierland

Thanks for this. I thought I was going crazy. I walked through Frontierland on the first party I did at WDW and could have sworn I heard the Cadaver Dans. I was really homesick for the Disneyland at that point and thought my mind was playing tricks on me.

Can anyone say they were more Halloween borders earlier in the season?

No, there was just the one. WDW was equally slim picking this year, they had one for Halloween, but at least they also had two for MNSSHP.

Corinna

 

[mom2rtk]

Thanks for this. I thought I was going crazy. I walked through Frontierland on the first party I did at WDW and could have sworn I heard the Cadaver Dans. I was really homesick for the Disneyland at that point and thought my mind was playing tricks on me.



No, there was just the one. WDW was equally slim picking this year, they had one for Halloween, but at least they also had two for MNSSHP.

Corinna

Thanks Corinna. I really wish they at least had one for the Halloween Party at DL.

I saw a photo of the Cadavader Dans in Frontierland at WDW this season. I think DLR has them beat having them on the Rivers of America. But I think WDW wins overall for Boo to You and Hocus Pocus.

 

[Sherry E]

Hi Sherry! Thanks for asking. I really enjoyed being there for Halloween Time. It was nice to see DL dressed for another season. However, if we hadn't done the party, or if they hadn't put the orange bunting up on Main Street, I do think we would have felt different about it. As it is, Christmas was already showing up. To be honest, there were probably more Christmas decorations up than Halloween (not on Main Street though). The merchandise situation was a letdown too. There was FAR more Christmas merchandise than Halloween. I really wish Disney would do better with their holiday merchandise. We saw a better selection of Christmas merchandise than we probably did on our early December trips. It appears you need to be able to shop for Halloween on Labor Day, and Christmas before Halloween. I think the vampire Mickey popcorn bucket was the only Halloween item we purchased on the trip. (I'm still surprised we got one of those!)

I am very glad we did 2 parties. I would have left disappointed with how little we could get done if we hadn't done the second party. We were able to get most of what we wanted done, but only because we made fireworks watching friends the night before who offered to save a spot by the castle for us during the party the next night. (Lee from New Zealand, if you read this, please message me!).

I do think I'd give WDW's Halloween party the edge. I am still shocked that DLR gets away with hosting a Halloween party with no Halloween parade or shows. PTN was nice, but we saw it the night before. I'm not giving up party time to see what I can see during regular park hours. The Cadaver Dans were awesome, but WDW has them out in Frontierland and still has a full fledged Halloween parade and show. Still, we just love DLR more than WDW so we'll likely head west again, even if we decide to stay with Halloween.

Overall, I think I was ready for a change in seasons, just so the holiday things didn't become old hat to us. I loved seeing Main Street decked out in orange. But I do think there's a strong possibility we will consider moving our trip into November next year just after the holiday season opens. My fingers are crossed that the castle lights appear again next year when the 60th is over.

I'll try to post some photos when I get a chance.

I can't imagine that DLR would be foolish enough to keep the Castle from being wintry for another year. This year is bad enough! It's going to be the same Castle that has been there since May, throughout the holidays. I do, however, think that when the lights return to the Castle there will be some crazy Frozen theme to accompany the whole thing.

Yes, DLR's version of a Halloween party without an actual Halloween parade is almost comical. It's a fun party, but it shouldn't cost that much money when there is not a real Halloween parade in it.

Halloween merchandise, I think, starts appearing in August. So you really need to be there to buy it right at that moment!

I'm glad you had a good time, and I know what you mean about switching it up a bit to experience a different season. You had done the last 2 holiday seasons at DLR, so it was time for Halloween Time. At least you picked the year to go when the Halloween "Tree-t" was set up in the GCH lobby. That was a totally new thing this year. It's too bad the pumpkin carvers were not at the Ranch for you to enjoy.

I wanted to let all of you know I'm a little dissapointed with Christmas things going up in mid October. I saw a Christmas tree lot going up on the week of October 14th. The Hallmark channel was showing Christmas movies since October 30th. Can't you guys wait untill Halloween is over? I will be uploading my MHP pictures up on my computer today and try to get them up for posting here later on today.

I have been watching the Hallmark Channel since October 30th because of those movies! I love them and can't get enough!! If people are out enjoying Halloween festivities, or at home and in the mood to watch something scary, believe me -- they are not going to be tuned in to the Hallmark Channel to watch whatever is on. That's not a go-to channel for Halloween fare. They showed some Fall/Halloween-themed movies in October and that was about the extent of it.

I love Halloween, but I really don't mind holiday season things appearing early. Remember, Pumpkin Pandemonium and other early signs of Halloween were appearing in May, late June, July, etc. Halloween is not until the last day of October, but there were Halloween candies in certain stores on June 30th.

So, when you look at it that way, it stands to reason that signs of Christmas time -- arguably the biggest holiday of the year -- begin appearing in September or October. Every holiday is "bigger" and more involved nowadays than it used to be. Many people have stepped up their celebrations to be more elaborate and to last longer. If Halloween things go back to only appearing in stores in September and beyond, then maybe Christmas things wouldn't appear until November and beyond. But if Halloween doesn't get scaled back, then Christmas is certainly not going to take a back seat and then sneak in quietly without pomp and circumstance. They're both big, marketable holidays -- full of festive decorations, treats and merchandise to buy, parties to be thrown, etc.

 

[tzeitel]

So sorry for the delay! But here are some pics of the El Capitan showing of NBC 4D. Some are a bit blurry, but it was dark and the one with the Jack coffin was pretty far (for my phone) from where we were sitting.

 

[tzeitel]

Aaahhh! sorry they are so big. I will try to fix in photobucket.

 

[closetmickey]

Halloween parties at Disneyland usually do have a dedicated Halloween parade- just not this year due to the 60th celebration.

 

[mom2rtk]

Halloween parties at Disneyland usually do have a dedicated Halloween parade- just not this year due to the 60th celebration.

I haven't seen it, but understand that they called it a cavalcade because it was not long enough to be considered a parade. Regardless, I still would have preferred that over running the same full parade they run every other night of the week already.

 

[Sherry E]

I haven't seen it, but understand that they called it a cavalcade because it was not long enough to be considered a parade. Regardless, I still would have preferred that over running the same full parade they run every other night of the week right already.

Exactly -- it's a "mini"-parade. It's not a full-fledged extravaganza like Boo to You. It's just a Cavalcade, but at least it is/was Halloween party-exclusive, unlike Paint the Night.