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

[TheColtonsMom]

Thank you for sharing. I remember seeing some scenes before. I may have seen it before. Wish it was in DVD. Maybe we should petition ABC Family to air it this year as part of their 13 Nights of Halloween.

The ABC family thing is not the worst idea ever. This may never get to DVD as Rankin Jr is in a dispute with the company that bought the DVD rights to all the TV specials as he hasn't been paid as agreed and they are saying he took too long to speak up about it and won't pay.

 

[funatdisney]

That can take forever to settle! That is too bad. I would have liked to see it again.

 

[Sherry E]

Okay, now you really made me blush.

Yeah, that's true.
My injury kept me up forever and then it took the Photopass people almost a month to find my disappeared Jessie photos.

That was so freaking typical. For once a photographer was on the ball and really snapped away and the photos were gone. But at least they found them eventually.

Of course I'll eventually make it into the Christmas Super Thread. It just felt way too weird to start posting there until I at least have my dates semi-fixed.

Vala - Yep, having dates planned for a trip is good! When you do get them together, we'll see you over on the Christmas Superthread. And then hopefully, in the future, on the first page I will be adding in a link to a Christmas TR from you, under the Trip Reports section on Page 1??!!

Well I am onboard and will try to keep up with anything new but I am currently on page 10 of Halloween Superthread #1 Just wanted to say to those who started this Sherry especially there would not be a Halloween Superthread without you! You all worked really really hard at the beginning to get it moving so thank you a year later for all the great info I have already gleaned from you all.

Halloween is a really special time for our family. My two oldest daughter DD24 and DD23 were both born in October so it started with really elaborate birthday/halloween bashes when they were little and morphed into us being "that house" that kids had to hit on Halloween as we went full out on everything from a complete mad scientists lab to a graveyard to The Nightmare before Christmas in our yard & home when they were teenagers I swear we started work on those displays as soon as Christmas was over every year.

My DD23 is getting married this Halloween 2011 with a Purple & Black beribboned cake ala Nightmare before Christmas.

So needless to say we are quite excited for our first ever Disney Halloween followed by a Halloween wedding this year.

We are using our 2010 Halloween costumes for the TOT party in 2011 since they were really great and pirates so fit into the Disney thing. Colton (DS6) is really hoping to get a pic with Capt Jack while in his costume. Here is a pic of us from the front page of the local paper during the town Halloween party in 2010.

So keep the Halloween spirit going until I catch up!

Thank you for the nice comments, Sherri! And welcome aboard!

The first Halloween thread (which turned into a disorganized Superthread, sort of on its own) was interesting, because when the OP first asked her question early last year, I don't think Halloween was as 'hot' of a topic here on the boards yet - not like it is now - even though Halloween Time as a season at DLR had been in full swing for a few years. There were not as many folks who were willing to jump in with stories of their own experiences and share photos. Really, it was iKristin, Vala and I giving info...and PHXscuba was the first one to suggest that we have a "panel of experts" there to answer questions. Some of the links I tried to provide to other people's photos and things were good at first, and then they became inactive?

So at that time, I seemed to have more Halloween photos to share and I could kind of get everything kick started. And then Vala and iKristin jumped in. Then, eventually, we had AmyPond and 3Minnies1Mickey, etc., etc.

But...that first Halloween superthread took a loooooong time to pick up steam. I remember checking the number of views on that thread repeatedly, and it was always hovering in the 2000 range, while the original Christmas thread (that turned into a superthread) was in the 16,000 views range!! Christmas was waaaaaay ahead of Halloween in terms of being a popular subject, I think.

All of a sudden - and I'm not sure exactly when it happened in 2010 - the Halloween thread began to climb in views...and it kept climbing...and finally it soared waaaaay past Disney at Christmas (Part 1) in terms of views. I recall that at one point we had something like 120,000 views for the Halloween thread and the Christmas thread was at like 30,000 or whatever. It was crazy!

Suddenly, we had a much, much larger group of regulars on the Halloween thread, with many, many more people willing to share photos and relay information as it came in. It was like a little Halloween community. There are some folks I know I will see in both the Christmas threads and the Halloween threads (there are lots of us on both, as we love both holidays), but there are certain folks that I pretty much know I will only see in the Halloween thread. So it was kind of fun that we had developed a core group of regulars!

And we even have a dance! The Halloween Time Information Boogie!

So it became clear that when Part 2 was started, we would have to have some organization to it (just like with the Christmas thread, Part 2). That's when I recruited Jazz, Kristin and Liza to help me out. And here we are today.

But yes, it took a lot of work, a lot of bumping of the first Halloween thread, and a lot of answering everyone's questions as they came in (making sure no one was skipped), to get that thread going. But with a few dedicated followers, we built it up and it caught fire.

I need to be sure to take more scenery/landscape/atmosphere photos during Halloween Time this year. I have too many pictures with people, and not enough of just the decorations and things. I mean, it won't be a 1600-photo bonanza like my Christmas trip, but I need some people-free shots!!

I love love love your family's pirate costumes above, Sherri!! You guys look great!!

When you do a Halloween Time Trip Report after your trip, I'll be sure to add in the link here in the first post on Page 1!!

Way back in august you were mentioning Rankin Bass, one of the things we have in common and you said they did not do a halloween special. Wanted to let you know there is one out there. It is only VHS never went to DVD (yet) and originally aired in 1972. "Mad Monster Party" trailer video here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MAMamaibEM

Ah yes, Rankin-Bass! That is definitely one of the main things we have in common, as we have discussed over in my TR. Also, deejdigsdis loves their stuff too. I think a lot of people would get confused to hear the name Rankin-Bass and not know what it was. But if we were to say "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer clay puppet special," everyone would know!! I would bet there are a lot more Rankin Bass fans out there than we know!

I'm so excited to hear that they didn't ignore Halloween! I knew that if Easter had a few specials, Halloween had to have one as well. I don't recall ever seeing it as a kid, so it must not have been as frequent as the Christmas specials.

 

[deejdigsdis]

Did someone say Rankin-Bass?!?!

I haven't popped in here for quite a while. I must have somehow sensed the talk of Rankin-Bass and it pulled me in like a magnet.

Sherri - I love your costumes! I love that you made the front page, too! Ahh, I love small towns. Could they have left out your last name and everyone would know who Sherri, Colton and Brandt were? I remember having my picture in my town's paper back in high school for a speech I had given. There were 6 of us girls in the picture and everyone's first and last names were listed -- except mine. They just had my first name listed. My English teacher teased me for the longest time...saying I was like Cher or Madonna...just one name needed.

 

[Sherry E]

Did someone say Rankin-Bass?!?!

I haven't popped in here for quite a while. I must have somehow sensed the talk of Rankin-Bass and it pulled me in like a magnet.

It's the Pull of the Puppets.... it is undeniable!!

 

[TheColtonsMom]

Did someone say Rankin-Bass?!?!

I haven't popped in here for quite a while. I must have somehow sensed the talk of Rankin-Bass and it pulled me in like a magnet.

Sherri - I love your costumes! I love that you made the front page, too! Ahh, I love small towns. Could they have left out your last name and everyone would know who Sherri, Colton and Brandt were? I remember having my picture in my town's paper back in high school for a speech I had given. There were 6 of us girls in the picture and everyone's first and last names were listed -- except mine. They just had my first name listed. My English teacher teased me for the longest time...saying I was like Cher or Madonna...just one name needed.

Ah the pull of the puppets I love Sherrys phrase! Yep they could have left our last name out. I really do love it here even if we are now so far from DL. The funniest thing was they spelled my first name & Brant's name wrong but hey whatever we got to rib the editor about it. I now own the camera that was taken with as I bought it from him when he got his new one.

 

[6Smiles]

I am starting to buy gift cards for our upcoming trip and I was wondering can Disney Gift cards be used to purchase the Halloween party tickets? Or should I just set the money aside for them?

TIA
Kris

 

[Sherry E]

I am starting to buy gift cards for our upcoming trip and I was wondering can Disney Gift cards be used to purchase the Halloween party tickets? Or should I just set the money aside for them?

TIA
Kris

Hi, Kris!! Welcome to this thread (I know you're planning your Halloween Time trip and I was hoping you'd make it over here eventually!).

I'm going to go out on a limb and say yes, you will be able to use the gift cards for Halloween party tickets. You can use them to buy regular Hoppers online, in the Disney stores or at the ticket booths at DLR, so I don't see why you wouldn't be able to use GC's for party tickets as well, unless, perhaps, if you ordered them over the phone - then they may not take them.

Other than that, the only situation I can envision in which you might not be able to use the GC's for the party tickets is if you want to apply a Disney Visa discount or something. (For the last couple of years, the Disney Visa debit or credit card holders were able to get a discount for purchasing the tickets ahead of time, just like the AP holders are.) In that case you would have to use your actual Disney Visa or Disney Visa rewards card to buy the party tickets and the gift card couldn't be used.

I've found that those gift cards are very versatile. There is not too much that you can't buy with them in the Disney realm of things, and not too many places where they are not accepted. They can even be used for PhotoPass orders. I used a bunch of them for my hotel stay in December (although that ended up being kind of a mess after I checked in).

Now...if DLR could only hurry and put out the dates for the Halloween party and the Halloween season in and of itself. I think this year is going to be unusual date-wise in that I think there is a good chance that the party may actually begin on Friday, September 30th, whereas it usually begins on the first Friday in October. And I think there's also a good chance that the Halloween season may end on November 6th, which seems late to me!!

 

[6Smiles]

Hi Sherry. I am planning our secret Anniversary/Halloween trip and learned many things from our last trip. Most Importantly is that MOM (that's me) needs to relax and let the chips fall where they may... it will make for a much nicer trip this year ! Also get lots of BTMRR fastpasses as this is my little ones favorite! We are staying right across the street this year!

My thinking was the same as yours... if you can buy Park Hoppers with gift cards why not the party tickets. I am so looking forward to this trip and have been planning a trip for a little bit.

Now I just have to wait for the party dates to be released and see if the 6 for 4 special will come out. October 1 is our 17th wedding anniversary and so arriving on Sept. 30th will allow us to celebrate our day in the parks! I can't think of a better way.

I'm hoping the 30th will be the first party as it was pretty crowded from what I've read, that way if it is Tuesday and Friday this year we can go to Tuesday and Friday the following week.

I am assuming that it will be in Disneyland again? Or do you think it might get moved back to DCA this year? mmmmm...

Doesn't really matter to me just thrilled to be going again!

 

[Sherry E]

Hi Sherry. I am planning our secret Anniversary/Halloween trip and learned many things from our last trip. Most Importantly is that MOM (that's me) needs to relax and let the chips fall where they may... it will make for a much nicer trip this year ! Also get lots of BTMRR fastpasses as this is my little ones favorite! We are staying right across the street this year!

My thinking was the same as yours... if you can buy Park Hoppers with gift cards why not the party tickets. I am so looking forward to this trip and have been planning a trip for a little bit.

Now I just have to wait for the party dates to be released and see if the 6 for 4 special will come out. October 1 is our 17th wedding anniversary and so arriving on Sept. 30th will allow us to celebrate our day in the parks! I can't think of a better way.

I'm hoping the 30th will be the first party as it was pretty crowded from what I've read, that way if it is Tuesday and Friday this year we can go to Tuesday and Friday the following week.

I am assuming that it will be in Disneyland again? Or do you think it might get moved back to DCA this year? mmmmm...

Doesn't really matter to me just thrilled to be going again!

I think the party is most definitely going to be held in DL again. In fact, I'm not sure if it will ever go back to DCA, even after all the work is done in DCA. Right now, there is just too much construction madness happening in DCA. Last year, they couldn't even manage to drag out the giant candy corn for Candy Corn Acres in DCA. DCA was pretty much left ignored as far as Halloween decor.

I think that bringing the Halloween party over to DL gave it an extra bit of 'magic' that it may have been lacking in DCA. It also made it possible to have more treat stations and more character photo spots. On the other hand, some folks have said that they felt it was too large and spread out (and daunting) in DL, whereas in DCA it was more concentrated and easier to manage.

The main thing that I believe was a bonus to having the party in DCA was the fact that it included DCA in Halloween Time. Without the party being held there and essentially the whole season being focused in Disneyland, DCA almost seems detached from Halloween Time entirely. I almost kind of wish that they would alternate and do the party in one park one year, and then in the other park the next year, then keep switching off, just to mix things up and make it interesting...but I don't suppose that will ever happen.

I had an interesting conversation with a CM who worked the gift shop at the PPH last December, and he was saying that the Disney VIP's in charge of planning and all that had received an abundance of comments and complaints about all of the Halloween touches being taken out of DCA (so I'm not the only one who was annoyed!). He said that he thinks that when all the work is done in DCA, they will start doing more there again for Halloween and Christmas - but the party itself may stay in DL. I think there is going to eventually be a sort of Halloween overlay of Toy Story Midway Mania and a Halloween version of World of Color, so it seems like they are not totally disconnecting DCA from the season entirely. But even just a few years of detachment seems like too much for me!!

My guess is that there will be a September 30th party start date - only because to start it on Friday, October 7th seems too late to me. But you never know - it may begin on 10/7. They always start the party on a Friday, and it never starts on the same day that the Halloween season begins - it's always one or two weeks later. If they extend Halloween Time through Sunday, November 6th, then they may start the party on October 7th. But if the season ends after Monday, October 31st, then I suspect the party would have the 9/30 start.

And will the season itself begin on 9/23? It always begins on either the next to last Friday in September or the last Friday in September. September 30 would be too late for a season start. So it would have to be 9/23, I'm thinking. I think September 16 may be too early this year, but we'll see.



I think that celebrating your anniversary in DLR would, indeed, be very special and memorable! And there's nothing wrong with some planning here and there. Realxing and letting the chips fall where they may works to a point, but aa little structure is good too!

 

[6Smiles]

I'm hoping for the 9/30 start so we get to attend 2 parties one to do the trick or treating and activities and one to do mostly the rides. But we shall see.

I'm planning quite a bit - my kids liked the structure for the most part but i fast passed like the dickens last trip and missed some very special memories with my kiddos. My older kids went off by themselves for a bit and did some things and loved it. What I meant was that I was so worried about the kids having a good time, I failed to relax and enjoy Disneyland myself. Last trip seemed to be ride, ride, ride... no time to just enjoy all that is Disney. This trip the kids are older, all but one is the right height for all the rides so I would like to stop and smell the roses a bit more this trip.

Are you planning on going this year?

 

[Sherry E]

I'm hoping for the 9/30 start so we get to attend 2 parties one to do the trick or treating and activities and one to do mostly the rides. But we shall see.

I'm planning quite a bit - my kids liked the structure for the most part but i fast passed like the dickens last trip and missed some very special memories with my kiddos. My older kids went off by themselves for a bit and did some things and loved it. What I meant was that I was so worried about the kids having a good time, I failed to relax and enjoy Disneyland myself. Last trip seemed to be ride, ride, ride... no time to just enjoy all that is Disney. This trip the kids are older, all but one is the right height for all the rides so I would like to stop and smell the roses a bit more this trip.

Are you planning on going this year?

I have a hard enough time trying to plan for myself (and friends, if friends go with me to DLR). Because don't have kids, I can skip a lot of things if I choose to or if I don't have time to get to them. I can be more flexible with meals if necessary. I can kind of take thigns at my own pace. When you have kids, you have to squeeze so many more activities into a trip to DLR, schedule meals, etc., which requires more planning (especially if you don't get to go to DLR too often). I don't know what I would do if I had kids! I don't think I could take time to stop and smell the roses, either!

So my hat's off to you and everyone else who plans wonderful trips to DLR for their famillies! That's a lot of work in many cases!

I will definitely go to DLR this year. I have to figure out the specifics - what to do in terms of a hotel and all that, etc.. For 2007, 2008 and 2009, I did both Halloween and Christmas trips to DLR. I just love both of those seasons (which is funny because up until, say, 2001, I always used to go to DLR in the Summer - but not anymore!).

In 2010, I was so very sad to have to miss Halloween Time. Money was just not on my side to do both holiday seasons last year. I chose to do a bang-up DLR Christmas trip (and got a good PIN code discount for the PPH), had an awesome time and really made up for not doing Halloween Time. I can't miss Christmas time at DLR - that's just not an option (short of an emergency).

This year, I have an AP that expires in mid-November, which will, essentially be right before the holiday season kicks in. I also have an offer to stay at the PPH one night for free, and then each additional night will be only $99. That offer is good all year, minus certain holiday weeks.

So...since I will have the AP through Halloween season, there is absolutely no excuse to not go. I want to do the Halloween party one night this year, so I'll go some time after it starts (preferably on opening night, though a less crowded weeknight may be better). But I don't think I want to use my PPH offer for a Halloween trip. I think I'd rather use it for another Christmas trip, and squeeze in an extra night (like 4 or 5 nights instead of 3)....although my AP will have expired by then, so I will have to figure out if I can renew or not.

So many details to think about and decisions to make...

 

[6Smiles]

Planning is work but also a lot of fun. The only issue for me is that I am in my last semester of school for awhile (I'm on 2 program wait lists) and all I can think about is getting back to Disneyland... not exactly productive for me. :rotfl2

That is a screaming deal for PPH! $99.00/4 = 25.00 plus taxes. You should get some friends together and have a disney party

I know you'll figure it out

 

[TheColtonsMom]

Now...if DLR could only hurry and put out the dates for the Halloween party and the Halloween season in and of itself. I think this year is going to be unusual date-wise in that I think there is a good chance that the party may actually begin on Friday, September 30th, whereas it usually begins on the first Friday in October. And I think there's also a good chance that the Halloween season may end on November 6th, which seems late to me!!

I so wish they would announce these big event dates earlier...you know they are already planning I want to too I hope the dates come out earlier than they did last year! In the meantime we just have to keep guessing & speculating.

 

[iKristin]

I booked HoJo a few weeks ago and got the 50% AP discount...so snatch those discounts up while you can for the month of October!!! Got 9 days for around $550

 

[PixiDustDears]

I've been slowly reading over the superthreads for months now. Just a little bit here and there. I would love some advice from those who have been before. We are planning our trip this October. I can't decided if I want to begin the trip with the TOT party or end with the party. I see good and bad on both sides. Which ever day we choose we will not be getting park tickets for that day. That's why I was thinking the first day. Drive in really late, sleep in, explore dtd, then tot party. But of course ending our whole trip with a party would be great to. Help!

 

[iKristin]

I would do it the first day, that way you dont have to stay late at the park on the last day if you end up getting tired. The party usually goes til midnight or 11 depending on the day.

 

[Sherry E]

I've been slowly reading over the superthreads for months now. Just a little bit here and there. I would love some advice from those who have been before. We are planning our trip this October. I can't decided if I want to begin the trip with the TOT party or end with the party. I see good and bad on both sides. Which ever day we choose we will not be getting park tickets for that day. That's why I was thinking the first day. Drive in really late, sleep in, explore dtd, then tot party. But of course ending our whole trip with a party would be great to. Help!

Welcome, PixiDustDears!

This is a very interesting question you have and I can see advantages to either scenario (doing the party at the start of the trip or at the end of the trip).

I was hoping that Kristin and some of our other Halloween party regulars would chime in with their opinions. I kind of knew which way I was leaning on the issue, but I have not gone to the party as much as some others in this thread have so I wanted someone else to speak up first!

Anyway, Kristin gave you the answer that I considered giving - to go at the beginning of your trip. I was just mainly thinking along the lines of it being a nice way to start off the trip, but Kristin's reasoning is much more sensible - doing it at the end of the trip may mean that everyone is tired and worn out, and the party may seem like more of a hassle at that point. You may feel like you have to stay late even if you are exhausted.

Yes, you could look at the party as being something fun to look forward to as a sort of finishing touch to the trip...but I'm still inclined to agree with Kristin. I think that it would be more practical to do the party at the beginning of the trip when energy abounds and everything is fresh and new!

 

[iKristin]

I'm always watching this board

 

[funatdisney]

I've been slowly reading over the superthreads for months now. Just a little bit here and there. I would love some advice from those who have been before. We are planning our trip this October. I can't decided if I want to begin the trip with the TOT party or end with the party. I see good and bad on both sides. Which ever day we choose we will not be getting park tickets for that day. That's why I was thinking the first day. Drive in really late, sleep in, explore dtd, then tot
party. But of course ending our whole trip with a party would be great to. Help!

Welcome to DISboards and the Halloween at DL Superthread, PixiDustDears!

I would agree with Kristin and Sherry.

We are DVC members and last year I booked our room in January long before the they announced the MHP dates. When the dates were announced, it turned out that I had two choices to attend the Party based on my booked dates: the first night or the last night! I faced the very same dilemma. We had a 4 day passes from Costco for my two teenage DDs and I wanted to save two of the 4 days for a Dec trip, which would then be use towards annual passes.

I decided on the first night to attend the MHP. Here were my reasons:

1. The Party ticket allowed us to go into DL and wouldn't use one of my 4 day passes.

2. We could sleep in which was important because we would be hyper and excited after the party. It turned out that we didn't go to sleep until 1:30 am. We were watching them test the WOC's Tron segment.

3. I knew we would be too tired to really enjoy MHP if we attended the last night of our stay.

4. The two options were to attend a Tuesday party (first night) or a Friday party (last night). I did not want to attend a Friday night party. Too many people and with the party ending at midnight it would have been a tough time in the morning. Which leads me to my fifth reason...

5. In addition, we would have to wake up early to pack, cook breakfast (we had a one bedroom with a full kitchen and I use it!) and head on out. It would have been too much to wake up and do everything we needed to do on check out day.

It turned out to be a good plan, but for one thing. The DVC units are usually never ready before 4 pm. We did arrive by11 am in hopes that there might be a room ready earlier than 4 pm. What to do about the costumes was the big problem. I had packed the girl's costumes and make up in a separate bag and didn't have the bell hop take them when we pulled up front. If we had a room ready in time to change in the room fine. If not, we could change in the bathrooms in the GCH (the bathrooms have full doors). It turned out that the room wasn't ready, and the girls changed in the GHC bathrooms. Not really that bad and we had a lot of company. It was kind of neat to see everyone's costumes. It was sort of like a dressing room for a play.

All in all, I would definitely choose the first night to attend MHP again.