HalloweenTime at DLR Superthread- 9/14-10/31; Mickey's Halloween Party starts 9/28!

[KCmike]

Wishing I lived closer....

 

[Sherry E]

Hubby gave me the "green light" and I just ordered tickets for the Oct 14th party! I've never been to the MHP, and don't know what to expect but I am so excited to be able to go this year with my son! He will probably go as Mario - he is a HUGE mario fan!

Here's a quick question: If you already have park admission, does everyone get kicked out and then you will have to re-enter with your party tickets? Just wondering how that will work - as we will have a 3 day parkhopper and will be in DL all day, not just for the party...

Thanks for all the help and tips!

camidges -

How exciting! I'm so glad you get to go to your very first MHP!

Okay, as to how it works...well, assuming that you are in DL or DCA earlier in the day, you will probably want to leave at a certain point to get ready (or get your son ready) for the party. You will need to go somewhere to change into costumes. You will not be allowed to be in DL in costume until the time window opens for party guests. On your night (a Friday), even though the party begins at 7 p.m. you will be allowed into DL at 4 p.m., so you can enter in costume from 4 p.m. on.

If you choose not to wear costumes and just decide to stay in DL all day with your Hoppers until the party begins, I think that what happens is you will have to bring your party ticket over to a check-in point inside Disneyland (someone please correct me if I'm wrong!) before 7 p.m. and they will issue you a wristband which you will need to be able to do anything during the party. Apparently the CM's definitely check for wristbands after the party begins. I don't think you actually need to exit the park and then enter again. You just have to get that wristband!

Anyone who does not have a wristband and party ticket has to leave at 7 p.m. or shortly thereafter, and at 6 p.m. on Mondays or Tuesdays.

If you happen to be in DCA or somewhere other than DL, just make sure you have your party tickets with you and you can enter for the party - in costume or otherwise- anytime after 4 p.m.

Wishing I lived closer....

Mike - Wow! That's an awesome photo (as all of your pictures are)! So spooky and ominous! I love the interesting lighting effect.

 

[Sherry E]

Forgot to mention - today is July 16. You know what this means?

Halloween Time begins in 2 months -

on September 16!!!!!​

Is everyone ready? Actually, it's in just under 9 weeks that the season begins, but it will fly by in no time. It's hard to imagine that a Fall 'season' at DLR will be starting one week before Fall even begins on the calendar. I'm sure it will be Summer-like in temperature.

But there will be pumpkins and villains galore, characters in costume, pumpkin-flavored treats, a fresh new gingerbread centerpiece in the ballroom scene of Haunted Mansion Holiday (can't wait to see what it is this year!), lovely Autumn flower beds, Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy and lots of spooky souvenirs!!


Be sure to catch a sometimes-overlooked element of Halloween Time decor. The Halloween display on the Tram Path. If you happen to take the tram from the Mickey & Friends parking structure to DTD, or if you walk along the tram path for any reason, you will see an adorable Halloween character display, with Mickey, Minnie, Donald, quite a few pumpkins, etc. It's a hidden gem - and I say "hidden" because not everyone takes the tram in nor do they walk along the path, and so they miss it. It's the sort of display that you will miss unless you specifically walk or travel on that path and yet, it's cute enough to put inside one of the parks. I'm actually not sure why it isn't in one of the parks, where I think it would be so much more fitting.

I would bet that many people never know this Halloween display is even there. Even if you do take the tram, sometimes you are traveling so fast past the display that it's hard to get a photo. Some folks have had good luck getting photos of the display from one of the levels of the M&F parking stucture itself.





Our dear friend Creepy Dancing Guy - otherwise known as this guy - still has a reason to boogie! Halloween Time is almost here!

 

[DizNee Luver]

Woo Hoo on the 2 month mark!!! Of course, without having our tickets/money in hand is making me nervous as the dates get closer & closer......darned ol' IRS!!! Still excited about our upcoming trip but would be even more excited if I had those Trick or Treat Party tickets purchased!!! (hope the government gets things figured out before they go "bankrupt" that could really put a damper on our travel plans)

 

[Mickeybell]

Yeah!!! I just made our last payment for our trip!!! Doing the Happy Dance!!! Halloween time here we come! Yeah!

 

[CLR4321]

I've never done the Halloween party, and was just wondering. I see the ticket prices are more on some days. Are the Halloween parties all the same, or do they have extra goodies on the higher ticket price days? Or is it just because of the day of the week?

 

[Sherry E]

Yeah!!! I just made our last payment for our trip!!! Doing the Happy Dance!!! Halloween time here we come! Yeah!

Mickeybell - Yay! for making that final payment! It feels good, doesn't it?

Woo Hoo on the 2 month mark!!! Of course, without having our tickets/money in hand is making me nervous as the dates get closer & closer......darned ol' IRS!!! Still excited about our upcoming trip but would be even more excited if I had those Trick or Treat Party tickets purchased!!! (hope the government gets things figured out before they go "bankrupt" that could really put a damper on our travel plans)

Laurie, I was reading in your TR about the IRS situation. I have confidence it will all work out for you, but I know that you must have some butterflies in your stomach as we get closer and closer to the Halloween season. It seems like it's getting very close and you want to know, of course, that the $$$ issue will be taken care of. I hate that 'hanging in limbo' feeling!

I've never done the Halloween party, and was just wondering. I see the ticket prices are more on some days. Are the Halloween parties all the same, or do they have extra goodies on the higher ticket price days? Or is it just because of the day of the week?

It's just because of the day of the week, sadly. There is nothing different at any of the higher-priced parties except for that there may be more people at the party and they start an hour later than the less costly parties. (Mondays and Tuesdays will probably be less crowded than Fridays, and on those nights the party begins at 6 p.m. instead of 7 p.m.)

 

[CLR4321]

Thanks Sherry! I just wanted to be sure that I get the entire experience, and wasn't missing something. I figured it was just because of the day of the week, but wanted to be sure. I was planning DL for 2 weekday days when I am in SoCal, so that actually works out perfectly.

 

[ConnieB]

It's just because of the day of the week, sadly. There is nothing different at any of the higher-priced parties except for that there may be more people at the party and they start an hour later than the less costly parties. (Mondays and Tuesdays will probably be less crowded than Fridays, and on those nights the party begins at 6 p.m. instead of 7 p.m.)

Yes, the start times are different, but the length of the parties are the same on all nights....Mon/Tues are 6pm to 11pm Fri/Sat are 7pm to midnight.

The price difference is one of those purely money making things that not just Disney does....hotels are more expensive on Fri/Sat which has never made sense to me....if I'm in the same hotel room on Thurs why am I paying more on Friday? Because they can. It's all about the supply demand....those who live locally and work during the week prefer to go on Fri/Sat so they aren't dog tired before they even get to the party and more tired when they have to get up the next morning, lol. Why do some restaurants charge a higher price for dinner for the same meal they serve at lunch for a lower cost? Sure, occasionally the lunch is a smaller serving size and I agree with that, but so often it's the exact same plate but higher because it's dinner when more people go out to eat. Many entertainment venues do the same thing.....the ballet is the exact same show on Saturday afternoon as it is on Saturday night, but it's about 40% more expensive at night.

Ok...climbing off my rant chair now, lol.

 

[Sherry E]

Yes, the start times are different, but the length of the parties are the same on all nights....Mon/Tues are 6pm to 11pm Fri/Sat are 7pm to midnight.

The price difference is one of those purely money making things that not just Disney does....hotels are more expensive on Fri/Sat which has never made sense to me....if I'm in the same hotel room on Thurs why am I paying more on Friday? Because they can. It's all about the supply demand....those who live locally and work during the week prefer to go on Fri/Sat so they aren't dog tired before they even get to the party and more tired when they have to get up the next morning, lol. Why do some restaurants charge a higher price for dinner for the same meal they serve at lunch for a lower cost? Sure, occasionally the lunch is a smaller serving size and I agree with that, but so often it's the exact same plate but higher because it's dinner when more people go out to eat. Many entertainment venues do the same thing.....the ballet is the exact same show on Saturday afternoon as it is on Saturday night, but it's about 40% more expensive at night.

Ok...climbing off my rant chair now, lol.

It's okay - we all get on the rant chair now and then! Wow, that ballet example is a scary one! Seriously, 40% more expensive just because it's at night? Same exact show, just hours later? Yikes, is all I have to say. That is just madness. I can see paying 10% more because it's more convenient to go at night in some cases, for some people, but for a 40% difference I would force myself to go in the afternoon.

Even on the AP hotel calendar, the supposed "good" AP rates can vary dramatically from one day of the week to another. A Tuesday can have an almost reasonable hotel rate of, say, $149-ish or so (depends on the season and the month), but a few days later on Friday, suddenly it hikes up to $200+. And we won't even get into the price differences at the hotels between the peak seasons (summer & the holidays and some parts of Halloween Time) and the off-peak times. That's just crazy business. I can see why more and more folks are either staying off-property now, or they are going on early weekdays rather than on weekends, or they are going to DLR during off-peak seasons. It's getting so costly to stay onsite that there is almost no other option than to do one of those things, if not all of the above.

 

[kkmcan]

I saw this thread was on the 2nd page so I had to bump it up!

I have been getting super excited for fall! I guess because my kids only have 3 weeks left of summer and then school starts.

We didn't go to DL last Halloweentime but we did in 2008 and 2009 and we did the TOT party those years as well. I'm so happy to see all the pics of the good chocolate candy they handed out last year!!

I've been reading thru some of the posts from last year on this thread and I noticed someone mentioned a Haunted Gingerbread house that you could make at Jazz Kitchen in DTD. Anyone know how much that costs or have pics of their haunted gingerbread house?

Also, the gingerbread beignets- are they only found in Cafe Orleans or also at the window in NO square? I'd love to try the gingerbread ones but we won't be doing a meal at Cafe Orleans.

Thanks for any replies!!

 

[Sherry E]

I saw this thread was on the 2nd page so I had to bump it up!

I have been getting super excited for fall! I guess because my kids only have 3 weeks left of summer and then school starts.

We didn't go to DL last Halloweentime but we did in 2008 and 2009 and we did the TOT party those years as well. I'm so happy to see all the pics of the good chocolate candy they handed out last year!!

I've been reading thru some of the posts from last year on this thread and I noticed someone mentioned a Haunted Gingerbread house that you could make at Jazz Kitchen in DTD. Anyone know how much that costs or have pics of their haunted gingerbread house?

Also, the gingerbread beignets- are they only found in Cafe Orleans or also at the window in NO square? I'd love to try the gingerbread ones but we won't be doing a meal at Cafe Orleans.

Thanks for any replies!!

kkmcan -

When I saw your question about the gingerbread house workshop at Jazz Kitchen, I remembered that someone had kindly posted photos of their workshop creation last year. I thought they had posted photos in the previous Halloween thread - I was almost positive - but when I looked, I couldn't find them. I even used the search feature and couldn't find them - and I am usually pretty good at finding threads and posts! This was driving me nuts - nuts I tell you!

Then I started to question what I remembered and thought that maybe the pictures were in the old Christmas thread instead, and were of the holiday houses and not the haunted houses!

In any case, hopefully some photos will materialize for you soon!

As for price of the gingerbread house workshp, from what I recall reading, it is something like $50 for one adult and child, and an extra $10 per person. I'm sure the price has gone up slightly since I read that, but that's the general ballpark. As soon as this year's workshop info comes out, I will put a link to it here in the first post.

As for the gingerbread beignets, I think they are only at Cafe Orleans, but I seem to recall someone mentioning that they were going to check the mint julep place to see if they were selling them too. I think CO must be the only place because some folks were saying they'd have to eat at CO just to get the beignets.

What I'm wondering is, since the beignets were so popular last year (I think they even kept them during the holiday season), maybe they will sell them at additional places like the mint julep counter or French Market this year?

There were mixed reviews on the beignets. Some folks said they were delicious; others said they were very dense and heavy, not like regular beignets.

 

[iKristin]

no you're right Sherry, I remember seeing the Haunted Gingerbread House photos too lol

 

[Sherry E]

no you're right Sherry, I remember seeing the Haunted Gingerbread House photos too lol

Yeah! So you remember it too! I'm glad to know I'm not completely losing my mind. I thought those photos were posted kind of near the end of the last thread - not too far from the end. But if they were, I sure as heck couldn't find them. Weren't they in that first Halloween thread?

I can see now why it was a good idea to start a whole new Halloween thread with a Table of Contents and designated posts for certain things - so that we can actually find things when people ask questions! If the photos were in this thread, they'd be mentioned in the ToC- but I don't think they were in this thread.

 

[kkmcan]

Sherry, thanks for the info. $50 WOW! I think for that price we'll pass but I"m sure it's a cool experience.

Even if we don't get the gingerbread beignets, thats okay because we've never even had the regular ones. It's on the to-do list.

 

[DizNee Luver]

Yeah! So you remember it too! I'm glad to know I'm not completely losing my mind. I thought those photos were posted kind of near the end of the last thread - not too far from the end. But if they were, I sure as heck couldn't find them. Weren't they in that first Halloween thread?

I can see now why it was a good idea to start a whole new Halloween thread with a Table of Contents and designated posts for certain things - so that we can actually find things when people ask questions! If the photos were in this thread, they'd be mentioned in the ToC- but I don't think they were in this thread.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2560082&highlight=haunted+gingerbread+house&page=114

Here it is~~ Post #1708

It's in this thread!!

 

[iKristin]

Awesome job!

 

[Belle Ella]

Hey now, it's in this thread and it's been in the TOC Silly Sherry. It's listed under Food.

 

[Sherry E]

Thank, Laurie, for looking it up and finding the post!! When kkmcan mentioned reading something about the gingerbread houses in this thread and asking about photos, I think I was thinking that the workshop photos were definitely not in this thread.

Hey now, it's in this thread and it's been in the TOC Silly Sherry. It's listed under Food.

I didn't even really check the ToC (past the first couple of lines) because I was so certain that the photos were in the old thread, towards the end. That's so strange. They weren't even in the first part of this thread - they were on page 114! I just didn't associate those photos with this thread at all, so the ToC wasn't even something I considered looking at thoroughly!

It's so bizarre how our memories play tricks on us and make things seem older than they are! Funny, too, how I just remembered an obscure name of some weird guy who gave my friend a free Disney Cast Member watch back in like 1993 (and I never even met him), and yet, I mentally placed the gingerbread house workshop photos in the first Halloween thread!

Too funny!

 

[kkmcan]

WOW! Thanks Sherry for finding the post with the photos! That is cool looking. I also liked the pictures of the Rivers of America during Halloweentime. It does look spooky over there.