How do Mickey's Halloween Party day affect the rest of the day?

[Cinmon Toast & Tacos]

Looks like two of the days we are there will be MHP days, which we will not be attending. How early will they be kicking us out, and what will we be missing?

I can't change our dates now since everything is locked in with airfare etc, but I'm trying to work something out so the kids are still able to do something fun in the evening.

 

[merfsko]

I have never done MHP, but DCA will still be open after you get kicked out of DL (which I believe is at 6:00 or 7:00, depending on the day). Hopefully someone with more knowledge will be able to advise you on the DCA crowds!

 

[skiingfast]

Looks like two of the days we are there will be MHP days, which we will not be attending. How early will they be kicking us out, and what will we be missing?

The parties start at 7 on Fridays and 6 on Thursdays and it's a hard close, no extra hours on Main Street to shop, and you will be directed to the exits. Also the ticket holders are allowed in three hours earlier and this make Friday extra busy in the later afternoon and especially after 5.

Last year they added WoC shows to help the extra crowds that moved over to the other park at night.

This quote is from a post by IKristen that has great information regarding crowds during the season.
" What Is The Busiest Time During Halloween?
The busiest days tend to be of course Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays and then there are a few celebrations that tend to cause an uprising in normal crowd attendance. During usually the first weekend of October, Gay Days is celebrated which normally brings a larger crowd in than the normal weekend would. Columbus Day three day weekend and of course the day before Halloween (30th) and Halloween day (31st) are extremely busy. Other then that the days are normally pretty steady but not slammed full of people. Some people say that the first week of October when Utah state is on Fall Break can sometimes be a pretty busy time as well. "

If possible try to attend one of the parties. Ticket's went on sale today and it's a great evening.
http://disneyland.disney.go.com/special-offers/mickeys-halloween-party/

 

[Cinmon Toast & Tacos]

The parties start at 7 on Fridays and 6 on Thursdays and it's a hard close, no extra hours on Main Street to shop, and you will be directed to the exits. Also the ticket holders are allowed in three hours earlier and this make Friday extra busy in the later afternoon and especially after 5.

Bummer! So much for planning to go in early October so the crowds would be low. That's one Fantasmic show we can't even see. =( Will they kick us out as early as 4 or 5 pm, then?

If possible try to attend one of the parties. Ticket's went on sale today and it's a great evening.

Thanks, but our budgets are really tight -- we're already eating most meals out of our room, bringing our own water bottles, etc. An extra $600 just isn't in the budget, especially since we're not huge Halloween people. I adore DL in the fall for the pumpkins and other "fallish" stuff, though! I especially love, love, love Main Street decorated for fall. (I had an AP 15 years ago, and my favorite time to go was October!)

Now we live a $500 plane ride away, so this is our "once in a lifetime" trip -- I'm pretty sure the next time we manage to get enough $$ to go the kids will be in their late teens. This may be their only shot to be kids in Disneyland, so I want to get everything out of it that I can!

Does anyone know what CA will be like on these days?

 

[geekypeach]

FYI, Utah's school break, or UEA, is the third week of October this year. Watch out!

 

[Eeee-va]

They will not ask you to leave until the closing time--7 PM Friday, 6 PM Tuesday. But they allow party guests in 3 hours before the party (4 PM Friday, 3 PM Tuesday). So, a lot of extra guests will enter the park starting then. We did this last year--used the party ticket to get us in to the park at 4 PM on Friday and played from 4 PM to midnight. So people are just saying the parks are busier, not that you'll have to leave Disneyland before the party starts.

I believe last year DCA was very busy during the party. Doesn't mean you couldn't have fun--and in fact, if you wanted to see World of Color, it doesn't matter SO much how crowded DCA is, because it's "ticketed" viewing only, and most shows are filled to capacity.

I don't know how old your kids are, but do they like swimming? They might enjoy at least one pool and/or pizza night quite a bit. A lot of parents here seem to report one of their kids' favorite parts of their trip was the pool! And actually, from our trips to Disneyland when I was a minor, one of the things I remember most vividly was going back to the room one night when the parks closed at 8 or so, and watching Seinfeld with my mom and brother. Family time away from the parks can be valuable, and if you're just thinking about the kids, the park closing early might not be an issue.

Alternately--I don't know if anyone can back me up, but I know normally at Disneyland you can get in line for a ride shortly before closing time, and they allow you to ride. So feasibly, maybe you could get in a standby line 5 or 10 minutes before the party start time and then ride the ride before leaving? (You'd be expected to exit the park when you got off the ride, but you could maybe get that extra time in? Someone might need to confirm...)

 

[skiingfast]

FYI, Utah's school break, or UEA, is the third week of October this year. Watch out!

I wouldn't watch out. While this is a common warning I think it's highly over rated. All of Southern California is off on any Sunday in October. That's a population more than 10 times greater than Utah's. So if you are really worried go on a Monday that all of Utah is off it won't be nearly as busy as a Sunday. Get my point?

They will not ask you to leave until the closing time--7 PM Friday, 6 PM Tuesday. But they allow party guests in 3 hours before the party (4 PM Friday, 3 PM Tuesday). So, a lot of extra guests will enter the park starting then. We did this last year--used the party ticket to get us in to the park at 4 PM on Friday and played from 4 PM to midnight. So people are just saying the parks are busier, not that you'll have to leave Disneyland before the party starts.

I believe last year DCA was very busy during the party. Doesn't mean you couldn't have fun--and in fact, if you wanted to see World of Color, it doesn't matter SO much how crowded DCA is, because it's "ticketed" viewing only, and most shows are filled to capacity.

Right it closes at the party start not the 3 hours early party guests are let in on thier special tickets.

And just to reduce comfusion. WoC requires a free special showpass. So you can get one in the morning and go back to DCA in the evening to watch.
World of Color Superthread.