Haunted Mansion 50th Anniversary event

I’ve seen a few with club 33 bags that could be those

The popcorn bucket sold out already. We got to watch the cast member walk the line and tell them
 
Wonderground Gallery has the Haunted Mansions of Cute available. If people are also looking to collect the set and want to trade, I have a number of duplicates, and I'm still looking for Ezra and Sally.
 
We're here today and there's been restocks on the sipper, beignet holder, and popcorn holder. No idea how long they're going to last but if you missed out yesterday, might be worth a try today
 


We enjoyed the party very much! I'm NOT a late night person, but we did just fine and stayed to the end. There were 3 of us and we all had a blast. Didn't care about merchandise but I did buy the 50th HM ear hat, an event pin and a HM fanny pack. They also had really nice photo ops in the DLH when you picked up your packet and pre-purchased merch but we weren't dressed up at that time so we didn't utilize them.

We lined up early and were close to the front going in, but not sure that did much for us. We watched some of the show but then went and ate at French Market. The clam chowder was delicious; they added little potatoes on top and it was so good. The lighting and atmosphere was spectacular IMO. The Mark Twain looked like a ghost ship sailing by and the mansion itself was amazing!! There were fog machines everywhere and blue lighting or something that made it look super cool. We missed most of the photo ops, sadly. Not one of the the 3 of us remembered to bring our maps.

I thought the lanyard system of food ordering was confusing and stupid. The 4 tabs on the lanyard were specific about what you could get with each one. There was one beverage, one snack, one entree, and one dessert. However, it wasn't clear what counted and some of the things I tried to get were not supposed to be allowed. For instance, I asked a CM what desserts were available and she mentioned the wedding cake, so we all went in and went through a fairly long line to get a piece. When we got to the cashier, she told us that the wedding cake wasn't included as a free dessert and it was pricey, but it was close to the end of the event and when we told her the CM out front had told us it was included she let us have it. Have to say it was soooooo good!!! Huge piece of white cake with cherries and filling and beautiful frosting. But the dark pink mint julep (can't remember what the pink was) was just awful. I ended up not using my snack tab because I just didn't want anything at that point, and I threw away the beverage tab item (julep) so I didn't find the tabs very easy to use in our case.

Rides were so fun with no lines, including HM for us. I really regret not having spent more time looking for photo ops because I've seen other people's pictures and they were cool! One of my favorite things about the event were the live characters in the HM ride, especially the knight in the hallway who looked like a regular prop but then suddenly started doing a little march routine. Wandering around in a semi-empty park with the weird lighting and spooky atmosphere was a kick. I didn't care about the show. It just didn't interest me very much, but there was lots of wonderful live entertainment everywhere.

Was it worth the money? I agree with others that it was overpriced due to the short amount of time you had to do everything and they really could have done more than just make people stand in lines for everything leading up to the party. Otherwise, yes, it was worth it to me. I don't care about the merchandise and felt that far too much emphasis was put on that aspect of the event, but we had a blast and really enjoyed seeing everyone dressed up and having fun. Some of the outfits were fantastic!
 
Apparently there were three different Hitchhiking Ghost vessels/popcorn buckets available from three different vending spots (popcorn carts, The French Market, etc) yesterday. Together they made up a connecting set. Lines at all three locations were super (and surprisingly) long. People wanted all three ($20 each). In fact, the line at the cart closest to HM wound through the little nearby fountain circle and then outside and around it. When we walked by, the cart wasn’t even open; they didn’t have any of the vessels to sell. But people were told they were coming so they waited.

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It was difficult to get a pic that captured the line fully but I did my best.
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I’ve read that full sets are already for sale on eBay for $200+. As I’m sure many of you know, hoarding and then selling limited-edition merch is against DL rules. They actually investigate such things and occasionally revoke APs of folks that do this. And I don’t blame them.
 
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Yes. To no one’s surprise, the gouging has begun.

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It’s times like these that I’m glad Disney investigates these sellers. As many of you know, if they can trace the listing back to an AP-holder, said holder’s pass will be revoked. Apparently it’s not an uncommon occurrence. I know a CM that works in ticketing and she tells me that it happens regularly. I’m not unhappy to hear that.
 


Incidentally, a friend attended the HM party. He enjoyed it but said that lines for included food were very long. You’d wait 15 to get it and another to eat it. Half an hour accounted for $50 of the price he’d paid for the party. But otherwise, he enjoyed it especially the live people integrated into the HM as well as the appearance of the Mark Twain.
 
When Disney only makes things available one way, they encourage the behavior you are condemning. As a fan out of state, how else could I ever get any of this stuff?
 
When Disney only makes things available one way, they encourage the behavior you are condemning. As a fan out of state, how else could I ever get any of this stuff?
You get the stuff just like everyone else: show up to the park and buy it in person.

If an item is released and intended only for people at certain events, or who are in the park at certain times... but someone decides they don’t want to attend the event, or be in the park at that certain time, but still wants the item… that creates the market.

If anyone, local or out-of-state, wants a limited edition item that is only released at a certain event or at a certain time, then that person needs to make arrangements to be there when it is available. And if they aren’t there, then they don’t get it no matter how bad they want it. That’s the whole point.

It’s fun to have special items that commemorate an event or a special time... but the people who are willing to pay money to get these items, even though they weren’t there or part of the event is what creates the market, which incentivizes lowlifes to buy up a bunch of the items, and then turn around and resell them. Which means some people who are legitimately there, might miss out.

Disney is not perfect (see Galaxy’s Edge merchandise stock) but blaming them for creating limited edition items is silly because the alternative is having everything available everywhere to everyone… which would basically be the end of specialized merchandise.

So how do you get it as an out-of-state fan? You don’t. Unless you show up. Just like everyone else.
 
Haunted Mansion 50th Party - 2nd Night

I flew in from Phoenix by 10am...was at my AirBnb by 11 am and at the Disneyland Hotel by 11:30 am...I went to the upstairs ballroom to check-in and get my ticket/lanyard...went downstairs to go thru the shopping area...I was told I could buy extra stuff 1st and then pick-up my pre-ordered items...I viewed all the items real fast then jumped into the purchase line to fill out my order form and wait...it took about 45 mins before it was my time to purchase my extra items...I purchased one print, three pins, two Madame Leota POP figures, 3 post cards...I wanted the Shag tee but it was sold out...after I finished my purchase, I went to pick up my pre-ordered items (the HM Ears and two tees)...then I walked around the show room and took pics...when I was done it was almost 1:30 pm...at this time I had to take a work call that last about 30 mins...after the phone call, I went back to the check-in ballroom to take pics of all the photo ops...by now it was around 2:30 pm...I then walked back to my AirBnb to drop off my purchases and then went back out to the park...I had a 4:50pm ressie for Oga's Cantina...after that I had dinner at Plaza Inn...I had the chicken dinner...after dinner I went back to the AirBnb to rest and refresh before the party...I went back to Disneyland by 10pm to ride a couple rides...I then exit the park and got in line by 11:30pm...

So we waited in line for an hour and we were let in at 12:30am...by 12:45am I was standing right in front of the Mark Twain...there was a singing group entertaining the crowds till 1am...that's when they let us walk towards New Orleans Square and grab a spot by the river for the opening show...I was able to get a spot right next to the sound board on the area above the path in front of the river and I filmed the opening show...

After the show around 1:30am, I went straight to French Market to get food...I got the calm chowder, a mint julep drink and a Coke...I used the drink and Hors D'oeuvres tabs for the food (I paid for the Coke)...they had the live band playing while we ate...the calm chowder was very good...after eating, I went to find the Hitchhiking Ghosts for the photo op (they were located all the way by Splash Mountain, before the pathway that leads to Galaxy's Edge)...this was the in-demand pic...it took almost an hour to get my turn becuz half-way thru the wait the Ghosts took a 15 min break...after the photo I rode HM which WAS SO DAMN AMAZING WITH THE LIVE ACTORS...I had the female actor in the ballroom scene and she was great...I filmed the entire ride thru...after HM I rode Pirates...I got a boat all by myself...

After Pirates I went over by Big Thunder Mountain to see Constance...the line was not that long but I saw Constance speaking to the party guest and it seemed like it would take a long time so I skipped the photo op...I went back to ride HM two more times...after HM I saw they were photographers by the river so I went to see what the deal was...they said it was a special magic shot, so I took a couple pics in addition to the special magic shot...when my pics posted to my account it was the Hatbox Ghost magic shot...

I stayed in the area taking various pics of HM becuz they had AMAZING lighting effects projected from behind...it had a very horror film feel to it...plus all the fog pumped into the area was so cool, especially as the Mark Twain was fully surrounded by it...I walked over by Walt's apartment above Pirates where the Cadaver Dan's were singing on the balcony...I watched them sing a couple songs...by now it was almost 4am...I did not use my snack or dessert coupons...

As I walked back out onto the hub, there was a CM directing people out but then all of a sudden she was taking pics of people with the Castle behind them...the Partners Statue had the lights off but the Castle was lit up in purple lighting...the CM took a couple pics of me...then I started walking down Main Street...a lady asked if I could take a pic of her with the Castle behind her becuz of the empty park, so I did...then she asked if I wanted a pic taken and I said yes and she took a couples for me...by the time I walked out of the park it was 4:15am...I walked back to my AirBnb and finally passed out by 5am...I did not wake up until noon Friday...I knew there might be some special items for sale, so I wanted to see what the deal was before the day got too late...I was back in the park by 1:30pm...

Haunted Mansion 50th Anniversary Day

I headed over to HM hoping there might be passing out some special button pin, but no such luck...I saw there was a photo op just to the side of the line entrance with very few people in line, so I jumped right in for my pic...they had 4 special prop items you could use, I took 3 pics with the props...I went over to Harbor Galley to get the special HM food item, the seafood boil...when I got in line is when I found out they had the special Ghost items for sale...this is where I bought the Ezra sipper cup becuz I thought this was the musical Ghost but it was not...the musical ghost was the Phineas popcorn bucket being sold by the cart in front of the fountain...as I waited in line I heard the sipper cup and the Gus Ghost over by the beignets had sold out...but as I waited in line I saw they kept bringing more buckets to sell, so I felt good I would be able to buy one...there was a family in front of me and they really wanted to buy the whole set...so I ask them if they wanted to buy my sipper, so I sold them my sipper for $20, what I paid for it...so in effect I was able to "switch out" the Ghost I wanted...I AM SO HAPPY with my Phineas Ghost...

I walked over to the shops and saw the HUGE LONG LINE of people waiting to buy all the left over HM items from the special events...then it was time for my Fast Pass for HM...as people moved from the Stretching Room into the loading area, I kinda lagged behind...the CM had made a special announcement about it being the actual 50th anniversary of HM and I thanked her for it...she then asked if I was HUGE HM fan and I said I was...she asked me to name the three Hitchhiking Ghosts which I did...she then reached into pocket and pulled out a "I WAS THERE" card for HM...I WAS SO EXCITED...I hugged her for the card...the front of the card has the date and 50th Anniversary logo and in the corner it says "I Was There"...the back of the card has four Fun Facts about HM....I was so happy that I got this card....

On Saturday it was my last day at DL...I was gonna spend about 5 hours at the parks before leaving by 3pm to head back to LAX for my 7pm flight back home...of course I had to ride HM a couple more times before leaving...on my last ride I was in line getting ready to enter the attraction....as I made my way towards the entrance, the CM sees that I'm wearing my Day of 50th tee....she then reaches into her pocket, pulls out another card and hands it to me...I NOW HAVE TWO "I WAS THERE" CARDS!!!!....so now I plan on framing these cards so that both sides can be displayed....YEAH!!!!!!

And that is my HM 50th Anniversary Trip...Thanks for Reading!!!!
 
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You get the stuff just like everyone else: show up to the park and buy it in person.

If an item is released and intended only for people at certain events, or who are in the park at certain times... but someone decides they don’t want to attend the event, or be in the park at that certain time, but still wants the item… that creates the market.

If anyone, local or out-of-state, wants a limited edition item that is only released at a certain event or at a certain time, then that person needs to make arrangements to be there when it is available. And if they aren’t there, then they don’t get it no matter how bad they want it. That’s the whole point.

It’s fun to have special items that commemorate an event or a special time... but the people who are willing to pay money to get these items, even though they weren’t there or part of the event is what creates the market, which incentivizes lowlifes to buy up a bunch of the items, and then turn around and resell them. Which means some people who are legitimately there, might miss out.

Disney is not perfect (see Galaxy’s Edge merchandise stock) but blaming them for creating limited edition items is silly because the alternative is having everything available everywhere to everyone… which would basically be the end of specialized merchandise.

So how do you get it as an out-of-state fan? You don’t. Unless you show up. Just like everyone else.
Well I am here now. I bought over $2000 in merch from this event. There are 4 pops. 1 has been released. The others will come in later weeks. So I should fly down and pay for hotels for each $20 pop?

Or just leave it so all the spoiled locals can buy everything?

So glad Disney keeps raising pass holder prices and blocking out more and more days. This was a great trip, and one big reason for that was all the locals locked out.

Meanwhile I’ll keep my personal shoppers on speed dial. I’ve already put in my orders for the other 3 pops and even though I’m not going to d23 there is merchandise from there that already has my name on it and there’s a bag of pins that I got from the haunted mansion 50th that I picked up for the person that is getting me the stuff from d23
 
I also heard from more than one person who was upset that all the haunted mansion merch was sold to guests that paid $300 for a party ticket. They didn’t think it was fair that they couldn’t get a highly sought after item for $20..... should Disney have saved the stuff for them since they were there on the 50th and in the park, but not the exclusive party. There were some very angry people that waited up to 100 deep just to enter the shop where they sell haunted mansion merch.
 
I was hoping for an event logo pin. But it was sold out. I am so glad I had been fortunate to have attended the 40th Anniversary, because the 50th was in my opinion, a sick, over priced, extremely disapointing and very underwhelming experience. I never should have wasted my money like that. Do I love the haunted mansion? Obviously. That's why I changed my mind about going. Plus I was so hoping there would be something more added. Elements that would make the cost worth it.
Anyone want a paper weight? I would have preferred the event logo pin.
Don't even get me started on the food options that were included. Please......
 
We enjoyed the event early Friday morning. Definitely over priced though - consider it to have been on par with a Halloween party for 1/3rd the price. Times were awful. Merchandise opportunities just don't make it an "event" for us. Oh well. We were there, enjoyed, but would not pay that again for such an event.
 
Well I am here now. I bought over $2000 in merch from this event. There are 4 pops. 1 has been released. The others will come in later weeks. So I should fly down and pay for hotels for each $20 pop?

Or just leave it so all the spoiled locals can buy everything?

So glad Disney keeps raising pass holder prices and blocking out more and more days. This was a great trip, and one big reason for that was all the locals locked out.

Meanwhile I’ll keep my personal shoppers on speed dial. I’ve already put in my orders for the other 3 pops and even though I’m not going to d23 there is merchandise from there that already has my name on it and there’s a bag of pins that I got from the haunted mansion 50th that I picked up for the person that is getting me the stuff from d23
I can see where you're coming from with the pops being trickled out instead of released all at once. And the idea of a personal shopper who is going to pick up a few things and ship them doesn't sound so bad.

I'm just annoyed by the darker side of this kind of thing... like with popcorn buckets or special event items where people are supposed to get ONE... but then you see a couple walking around the park carrying, like, ten of them. Or the people who run and push and shove themselves to the front of a line... and then you literally see them on a bench snapping pics and posting to ebay within a minute after buying. It's that kind of behavior that's unpleasant and ruins things for others.

I also agree that the park has been awesome this summer with a lot of APs blocked out, but based on the low attendance this summer, it doesn't seem like they'll let it happen again (even though it was awesome for the people who did visit).
 
They were bringing out a whole new load of popcorn buckets yesterday (Sunday) when we walked past there around 3:15 PM. The line was still long waiting for them. They are a cute set! I've long since given up whining about Disney merchandise like this. It is what it is and is what they and people purchasing on ebay have created.
 
I heard people were buying up the Leota Pop figurine 10 at a time for $20, then going back in line to get more. Now it looks like EBay prices are down to about $30 with shipping included. Awful lot of effort just to make a few bucks on each, if that. And I'm reasonably certain the EBay prices will continue to drop, especially if Disney happens to restock.
 
Hi all, it's nice to hear everyone's feedback and experiences from the event. I wanted to put mine in, too.

Overall, I'm glad I went to the event! It may not have been worth $300 (I think $150-200 is more reasonable), but I still had fun. For the price, as we've been saying, there should have been more perks. I think if there's a similar hard ticket event, even at this price, I'll do it especially for something like Hollywood Tower of Terror or Big Thunder Mountain Railroad or Tomorrowland as a whole.

The pins were some of the best I've been recently which as a pin collector, that was nice. They were much better in person compared to the concept art. The ghostly cruise was my favorite! The singers were so good, I almost considered riding Mark Twain twice! The overall theming of the event check-in and the event itself were all great, too. I especially like the event check-in. I would have liked there to be a shirt I wanted. None of the shirts interested me, but that's just a thing for me personally. The food I tried was good as well, especially the Monte Cristo- so glad I got it! That, along with the 13th Hour brew were my favorite.

I too, wish the event was longer. I think what I would have liked is for DL to close at 10, where the event starts at 11 and goes until 4. I really liked that the event ran very late! I'm a bartender and server so late hours are what I'm used to, plus it adds a more unique experience to park into the wee hours of the night. It was fun to be in the parks until 4, I was actually there until about 4:15 taking pictures of the empty park. But as others mentioned, it was a lot to do in a very short amount of time so having 5 hours would have been way better. I rode the river cruise, saw most of the live performances, rode most rides, and ate a good amount of food. I didn't take any photo opportunities because that's just not my thing. I only rode HM once, as well as BTMRR, POTC and Indiana Jones. I wish I would have had time for the other rides and to ride HM more than once as well as BTMRR because that's my favorite. What did me in was the food lines being such a lengthy wait. They weren't even that long but I thought they moved incredibly slow as if there should have just been a few more people working to speed up the lines. There was even a time where I got food and ate it in line for the next food I was getting since I knew it would take soooo long.

Probably my biggest complaint after the fact is why the hitchhiking ghost bucket weren't available first during the party. They REALLY should have been.
 
I think most of my displeasure was the bait and switch. There have been many pin or artist events in the past. This should have been advertised as such. We are not big collectors. We wanted more from the event that an opportunity to buy. Wish we could see the findings of the survey. I bet many out of state folks share my thoughts. I can understand how enjoyable this would have been for a local who made an organized plan. We calculated our expenses and spent will over $2500 for this event. We had no intention of an August trip, in fact we leave for WDW in a few days! I bought into the hoopla and paid dearly.


Disneyland portion: Too many confusing lines. We had a purchases mix up that cost us most of our afternoon. Disappointing experience for sure.

Party: everytime I go to DL I forgot how many line cutters there are. Just doesn't happen at WDW. Here is what we did:

+Arrived at 11:15
+In around 12:50
+Mark Twain, then Rivers of America by show time
+caught a seat at River Belle Terrace A+ spot
+show was alright. So much happening from far away. Why no Fantasmic barges?
+hit POC since it was chaotic after the show
+rode with no sound, kind of cool
+I went to French Market and husband went to Stage Door for our food. Big mistake. Husband's line was 30 minutes longer. Ate soup alone. By the time we were united it was already past 2am
+Went to HM, loved it
+Stood in line for churro, but gave up after about 10 minutes of standing still
+Decided to go to Golden Horshoe for sundae
+got to Big Thunder right before 3am
+got off and discovered they had closed Big Thunder after our ride. Wow, it's already past 3 am!
+went to Mark Twain, no ride for 20 minutes, can't wait or it would be the last thing we do
+decide to head to HM to do lantern shot. Line to Splash, decide to go on HM again instead
+get stuck in Portrait Gallery for 15 minutes with a lady who absolutely lost it. Yelling her complains in everyone's ear. We were all in the same situation. Losing too much time standing still. They continued to stuff us in the hall. When the line started again everyone was cutting to get closer.
+Gus was the highlight of our night. Kudos to Gus!
+Decided to give churro cart another try. Big mistake, too long.
+Very thirsty, had only used two tabs so far. Went to Royal Veranda for punch.
+As soon as we got in line they put up the closed sign behind us. Guests would approach us asking for us to "buy" their items. It was very ackward as the CMs gave us disapproving looks.
+Decided to take our punch to Adventureland to catch a glimpse of the Hitchhiking ghosts. Ghosts were already gone. I had hoped there would still be a closed line of guests.
+4:15 in front of the castle and sat with our punch until we exited. So many folks with leftover tabs. Overheard lots of complaints.
+not one photo in our photopass :(

So in total: $2500 for 4 rides, the Leota show, and three tabs used. We could have had an entire vacation for that much.
 

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