I need some Disney cheer!

[Cinmon Toast & Tacos]

Please help me feel better about this. I could really use some encouragement. (sorry, a little long)

For some background, I had an AP 17 years ago and I was a Disneyland addict. I lived 15 minutes away and I was there every chance I got. I loved fall and Christmas and still cherish my ancient Mickey-ears Santa hat. I loved Main Street with the huge pumpkins and the general feeling of crisp fall in the air.

Now I live a $700 ride away and I haven’t been back in more than 10 years. So when the chance came to go this fall I jumped on it and I have been so excited! I get to take my kids and show them the Disneyland that I’ve been telling them about since they were babies!

I had grand plans for taking my 8 year old on every ride in the park, and had just talked my 5 year old into going on POTC. My favorite rides are Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, and Pirates. I love Haunted Mansion. We have non-refundable tickets and reservations for early to mid October. So now you can kind of see where this is going, right?

From the tentative closure dates so far, looks like we’ll be missing POTC and California Screamin. This hurts, since the single ride at CA I wanted to try was Screamin. And Pirates---oh, the grief!! (I pause here to go and rend my garments.)

Okay, still crying, but moving on to the main point….I’m sort of dreading Space and HM since they are apparently not really Space and HM, but are instead Ghost Space and Tim Burton’s HM. (This is new for me, since they weren’t changed around for HW when I was an AP) I know this puts me in a small minority, but I hated "Nightmare Before Christmas." Blech. I only saw it once and I’m now at the point where I don’t remember any of it. So I worry…Will my “hurry back” bride waving her churro still be there, or is she replaced with Jack Skelton? Will the couples dancing still twirl out of the walls or are they gone? In Space Mountain, can I still look for the chocolate chip cookie? In other words….and I’m finally coming to the actual question here…..

Is EVERYTHING in Disney Halloweenified? Will we be able to experience “regular Disneyland” anywhere? The Mickey flowers in front where I had big plans to get the classic Disneyland picture with my kids? Walt and Mickey’s statue? Will Tigger be dressed as a vampire ? Can I find regular Mickey somewhere?

What I’m looking for is a little bit of comfort that somewhere in there I will be able to find the Disneyland I know and love.

And also…how are Space and HM from an unbiased perspective? Do you enjoy them with their Halloween themes? Is Halloween just as cool as regular?

Don’t get me wrong, I’m still thrilled that we get to go at all. But since this is pretty much a one-shot deal, I really want my kids to see true Disney magic. I just really hope it’s there. Is it?

 

[EmmersIsTheMommy]

I can promise you..I DESPISE nightmare the movie. HATE IT. My husband LOVES it. That said, I was totally sad that when we went at Christmas it was the overlay. Guess what. I LOVED IT SO MUCH. I am actually going to miss it when we go in the summer this next time. Honestly, you will obviously miss HM. I did. BUT...it isn't disappointing. I promise. Watch the movie (make yourself..I had to LOL) with your kids so they know it. The mansion wasn't scary with the overlay and the gingerbread house in the ballroom is SUPER COOL.

Space I can't help with much because it had been so long when I finally went on it again. I LOVE IT the way it is right now. I can tell it changed and my DS4 LOVED IT. He still talks about it 3 years later. It's fantastic too.

I haven't been at halloween (christmas only) but it added a super special magic to the air and from all the pics from Halloween it looks like they do it well then too.

Don't stress out..I know you're not really but..You will LOVE it. It will be like going home

 

[Sherry E]

Okay, I'll tackle a few of your questions and I'm sure others will handle the rest.

First of all, have you looked at Page 1 (Posts #1 and #2) of the "Halloween at DLR Superthread" (the Welcome/Information post and the Table of Contents, respectively)? You don't have to be a big Halloween at Disneyland fan to study those posts. The information in them is really as much for non-Halloween Disneyland fans as it is for Halloween Disneyland fans, because the people who are not sure exactly what they will encounter at the parks for HalloweenTime may want to read the descriptions and look at the pictures to get a better idea. It can actually prepare you for what you will see and how much of it you will encounter.

So if you have not looked at Posts #1 and #2 of the Halloween at DLR Superthread, I would recommend that be your next stop!

Personally, I really love the Haunted Mansion Holiday overlay, but it is not loved by everyone on this board. It is a very popular ride at Disneyland, but many people on this board prefer the original HM. Let's just say - the Nightmare Before Christmas overlay is very, very, very thorough and it covers pretty much every inch of Haunted Mansion. It's basically a whole different ride.

I've not been on Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy so I can't comment on that.

Here's what you will see for HalloweenTime - first of all, there may be no Halloween decorations in California Adventure at all, if last year set the trend. Those seem to have been removed.

In Disneyland, You will see character pumpkins above the turnstiles at the entrance to Disneyland.

There may or may not be a Halloween-ified Mickey floral at the entrance. They used to put mini-pumpkins in it and then they stopped.

At the start of Main Street you will see a giant Mickey pumpkin, one side winking and the other side not winking.

You will probably see some characters dressed in Halloween costumes, such as Donald Duck as a pumpkin and Goofy as a skeleton.

Along Main Street you will see various pumpkins on window sills and balconies. You will see some Halloween window displays. Halloween merchandise will be in some shops here and there.

At the Partners statue, there will be pumpkins surrounding it.

In Frontierland, you will find the Ray Bradbury Halloween tree - which is rather boring and unassuming in the daylight but lights up at night. You will also find the Halloween Round-Up, full of intricately carved, detailed character pumpkins - this is a true gem of the season.

Also in Frontierland you will find the Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) display, which is quite interesting.

In Tomorrowland there will be Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy.

In New Orleans Square there will be Haunted Mansion Holiday and you will see lots of Nightmare Before Christmas merchandise in the shops.

All the bake shops and candy stores will have various Fall treats. Cafe Orleans serves special gingerbread beignets and other Fall desserts.

Over by It's a Small World, you will see a Villiains photo spot.


Other than that - unless I have forgotten something - that's about it.

So, basically, Halloween is not all over the park at all, and certainly not all over both parks. In fact, HalloweenTime has been scaled back from what it was 2 and 3 years ago - quite substantially. You can walk for long stretches of space and not see any traces of Halloween whatsoever.

In fact, as much as I love HalloweenTime at DLR, my main complaint about the season is that it is not everywhere and does not cover as much ground as the Christmas season covers at the Resort. I would prefer it to be more detailed and extensive. It's really just in a few key spots around Disneyland, but the bulk of Disneyland is left Halloween-less.

 

[Sherry E]

Oh, I forgot to add in my post above - you will also see some HalloweenTime signs while waiting for the tram if you park in Mickey and Friends and take the tram to Downtown Disney.

And you will see a really cute Halloween character display with Mickey, Minnie, Donald, etc., and some pumpkins along the tram path en route to DTD - in fact, I think a lot of people miss this display because you pass by it very quickly and it's on the tram path, but not everyone takes the tram. I almost kind of wish they would move it inside Disneyland where people would definitely see it!

 

[MenchieMan87]

I've not been on Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy so I can't comment on that.

I can!

It is basically the same ride. The music is a little different, and a large ghost that looks like this makes a few appearances. I actually think it's pretty cool, definitely nothing to worry about

 

[Eeee-va]

I'm sorry about the closures.

I think Sherry and EmmersIsTheMommy summed up HM very well.

As far as Space Mountain, if you haven't been in 10 years, then the soundtrack you remember on Space Mountain is actually different than the one they use now, even when it's NOT Halloween. (And for that matter, the entire track was rebuilt around 2003! to the same specifications as the old, granted.) So either way you were actually going to get a "new" ride on Space Mountain. I say enjoy Space for what it is, given that either version of Space will be different from what you rode back in 2001 or earlier.

And non-Halloween Mickey will still be at his house in Toontown; there are something like 4 different Mickeys to meet there (Sorcerer's Apprentice Mickey, Steamboat Willie Mickey, Band Concert Mickey, and I understand "Tuxedo Mickey"?).

Parades and fireworks won't be Halloween-themed at all, unless you attend the separate-ticket party.

Have a great time, and hopefully you and your kids can have another visit in another season!

 

[BlueBayou]

While I would be sad about the POTC closure and Ca Screamin' to a lesser degree - I think Halloween time is wonderful. We switched from Christmas time when the crowds began to pick up. I thought I would really miss Christmas - but the whole Halloween theme is nice too. I think of it as more fall.

I am a big fan of the HM makeover. I could take or leave the movie - but the ride is really nice. I still like the original too. We were there in March - and my DDs both were disappointed in the HM - the prefer the overlay.

 

[skiingfast]

And also…how are Space and HM from an unbiased perspective? Do you enjoy them with their Halloween themes? Is Halloween just as cool as regular?

I can understand the problem. Regular Coke(Classic) or New Coke. There is a lot of Halloween decorations to remind you it's not Classic DL. But it's still Disneyland.

I'm not a big fan of The Nightmare Before Christmas either. But I enjoy the HMH overlay because, it's different. And one part of it, without spoiling the surprise is great, IMO.

SM Ghost Galaxy I find to be awesome and wish they did it more often.

 

[deejdigsdis]

Wow. I think we must be long lost twins. I felt like I was reading something that I wrote 2 years ago. Except for me it had been a 13 year drought, I never had an AP, and I would have Big Thunder Mountain Railroad replace Splash Mountain in your list. Maybe.

Anyway...when I was finally able to introduce my kids to Disneyland, I was worried that I wouldn't be able to find the Disneyland that I know and love -- just like you said. More so because it seemed like so much had changed over the years, according to my research, as opposed to Disneyland being "Holiday-ified." I was returning at Christmas-time and was very much looking forward to that part. But... I was very upset about missing out on the regular Haunted Mansion. (After all, it was the clue of "picking up hitchhiking ghosts" that gave it away to the kids that we were finally going to Disneyland.) I knew nothing about "Nightmare Before Christmas." I have to say I really, really, really didn't like the holiday version of the Haunted Mansion. All my favorite parts of the ride were changed... the floating candles in the hall are gone, there is no "hurry back...hurry back...be sure to bring your death certificate...if you decide to join us...", and no hitchhiking ghosts! I tried to enjoy it for what it was, but I couldn't. My second time through I just closed my eyes and pictured the REAL Haunted Mansion. (I know. Crazy.) I ended up returning to DL the following year for Halloween and guess what? I liked the holiday version. Not just tolerated, but liked. My heart will always belong to the original, but HMHoliday is no longer the impostor I declared it to be. I also have to say that the bright colors were probably a better way to introduce my younger boys to the ride. It was less scary for them.

OK. Space Mountain. That was my favorite ride growing up. And I am so sorry to report that you can no longer look for the giant chocolate chip cookie. I really miss that. (But it was really fun for me to read that someone else outside my family remembers that!) I was a bit leery about Ghost Galaxy, but I loved it. I thought it was a fun change. For me {someone who is not keen on change in Disneyland in general} that is saying a lot.

That is so sad that Pirates will be down for your trip. My very favorite.

You will be able to experience "Regular Disneyland" in many places. When you are mentioning Halloween-time at Disneyland, the things that are Halloween-ified naturally come up in descriptions of the park at that time. But there really will be a lot of just plain old Disneyland. Just the way you remember it. The Mickey flowers in front of the train station were completely "regular" last year. The Walt and Mickey statue was surrounded by yellow flowers, with 7-ish pumpkins in there as well. But they don't put Halloween costumes on Walt and Mickey or anything. I would guess that you would be able to find regular Mickey in ToonTown, but I don't know for sure. There will be a lot of regular-ness.

The bottom line is the Disney magic will be alive and well. I was worried about that when I returned. I wondered if it would even feel like the same place. Like EmmersIsTheMommy said, it will be like going home. I have to say the tears were flowing (behind my sunglasses ) as I walked down Main Street for the first time after all those years because that same magical feeling of yesteryear (or yesterdecade, in my case) was most definitely alive and well.

One more thing. I'm curious about your screen name. My sister had a friend that was once a Jungle Cruise guide. One of the jokes he told was something along the lines of asking the people on the boat what was being said on the Matterhorn at the end of the ride before you get out of your bobsled...the "Remain Seated Please" part in Spanish: "Permanacer Sentados Por Favor." He went on to tell the people that the recording says "Cinnamon Toast and Tacos...On the Floor."

 

[HydroGuy]

OP, great questions. And you have gotten several good answers already. I will add a few thoughts.

I love HM and am not a fan of NBC. Or HMH. I like it sort of/kind of because it jives with the whole Halloween makeover at DL. But I much prefer the normal HM.

As for Space Mtn, I did like the Ghost Galaxy makeover. I would still take the normal version but I did enjoy this makeover.

If you have not ridden Space Mtn since it was redone in 2005 you will miss all of the fabulous things they did with this ride. That is a bummer.

But overall the Halloween makeover of the DL park is a lot of fun - very festive, very well done.

Hope you have a great trip. Sad you will miss some favorites. Glad you at least have time to mentally prepare.

 

[Sherry E]

......You will be able to experience "Regular Disneyland" in many places. When you are mentioning Halloween-time at Disneyland, the things that are Halloween-ified naturally come up in descriptions of the park at that time. But there really will be a lot of just plain old Disneyland. Just the way you remember it. The Mickey flowers in front of the train station were completely "regular" last year. The Walt and Mickey statue was surrounded by yellow flowers, with 7-ish pumpkins in there as well. But they don't put Halloween costumes on Walt and Mickey or anything. I would guess that you would be able to find regular Mickey in ToonTown, but I don't know for sure. There will be a lot of regular-ness.

deej -

The Mickey floral in front of the train station has been Halloween-ified in the past (Mickey even had a floral mask over his eyes!), and I have a very strong hunch that DLR may do it again at some point in the future since the focus of HalloweenTime seems to be settled in DL now and not in DCA. If nothing else, it's pretty easy to take some mini-pumpkins and throw them in there again just to give it that Halloween touch! It wouldn't be like trotting out the candy corn CALIFORNIA letters in front of DCA again, which would be impossible and improbable to ever do again. I guess it depends on how committed DLR is to the season in general, and if they pay attention to the complaints last year that there were no decorations in DCA and then try to compensate by adding more stuff in DL park.

They stopped putting in a Halloween floral Mickey when the big 'themes' started to really dominate - such as when the Year of a Million Dreams had its second year, What Will You Celebrate, Give a Day, Get a Day, etc. But it's one of those things that could suddenly be there again when HalloweenTime begins in any given year, or they may skip it again. This is why I said in my above post that a Halloween-ified floral Mickey "may or may not" be there. You never know. I just want the OP to be prepared....just in case Halloween floral, masked Mickey makes a reappearance.

Were the pumpkins around Partners last year still character pumpkins? Not like the character pumpkins above the entry turnstiles or like the freshly carved, detailed ones at the Round-Up, but they were character pumpkins in the past. If so, they are pretty pivotal to the park decorations because it's one of the few places in DL that is actually, specifically Halloween-ized, in Disney style. I'm thinking - like you said - that there were about 7 or 8 of them surrounding Walt and Mickey.

But overall, as I mentioned earlier and as you know, Halloween is not all over the park and certainly not in both parks. I would prefer more Halloween touches in DL and certainly in DCA, but for those folks who want "regular" Disneyland, there is plenty of "regular Disneyland" to go around! Some folks have said that, depending on where they were in DL at the time, they couldn't even tell that it was Halloween season at all.

Compared to what HalloweenTime was in, say, 2007 or 2008, it has been scaled way back. No more candy corn CALIFORNIA letters. No more Halloween/monster-themed music in DCA. No more Candy Corn Acres and candy corn hanging from palm trees. No more candy corn 'tower/factory.' And maybe no more masked, floral Halloween Mickey in DL ever again (though that would be an easy thing to do again)!

 

[HydroGuy]

Were the pumpkins around Partners last year still character pumpkins? Not like the character pumpkins above the entry turnstiles or like the freshly carved, detailed ones at the Round-Up, but they were character pumpkins in the past. If so, they are pretty pivotal to the park decorations because it's one of the few places in DL that is actually, specifically Halloween-ized, in Disney style. I'm thinking - like you said - that there were about 7 or 8 of them surrounding Walt and Mickey.

Sherry, FYI you can see a few Walt statue photos in my HT blog from last year:

http://www.disunplugged.com/2010/09/23/halloween-has-arrived-at-disneyland/

 

[Sherry E]

Sherry, FYI you can see a few Walt statue photos in my HT blog from last year:

http://www.disunplugged.com/2010/09/23/halloween-has-arrived-at-disneyland/

Cool! Thanks, Trey!

I had read your blog last year and I even have a link to it in Post #1 of the Superthread, but had completely blanked out on the fact that you had Partners pumpkin photos in the blog!

I'm glad to see that they are still character pumpkins - actually, based on the lack of photos I see of those particular pumpkins (compared to the photos of other Halloween/DLR highlights), I would guess that a lot of folks somehow overlook them. Maybe they just see pumpkins in general but they don't look closely enough to realize they have characters on them? Maybe that area is usually too crowded for people to bother looking? Not sure. But I don't see many pictures of those character pumpkins and they are rather interesting to look at!

 

[deejdigsdis]

Sherry - looks like HydroGuy beat me to it. I'm referring to the characters in the pumpkins by the Partners statue. I think that is a good amount of Halloween-ness right there. Not too much, not too little.

Here is my picture of the Mickey floral at Halloween-time last year.

I was disappointed that it wasn't Halloween-ified. I think that Masked Mickey you described would be really cool. And like you said, it wouldn't take much to set out a few mini pumpkins. But I definitely understand the OP's desire to have some plain old Disneyland during this trip -- and having some classic photo spots remain un-Halloween-itized. (I was trying to see how many Halloween-ish words I could make up in this post. )

 

[Sherry E]

Sherry - looks like HydroGuy beat me to it. I'm referring to the characters in the pumpkins by the Partners statue. I think that is a good amount of Halloween-ness right there. Not too much, not too little.

Here is my picture of the Mickey floral at Halloween-time last year.

I was disappointed that it wasn't Halloween-ified. I think that Masked Mickey you described would be really cool. And like you said, it wouldn't take much to set out a few mini pumpkins. But I definitely understand the OP's desire to have some plain old Disneyland during this trip -- and having some classic photo spots remain un-Halloween-itized. (I was trying to see how many Halloween-ish words I could make up in this post. )

Indeed, last year's floral Mickey was lacking in Halloween-ness. It was neither Halloween-itized nor Halloween-ified. It was also neither Halloween-ish nor Halloween-esque. It wasn't even spooktacular or boo-tiful!

But it was definitely classic. Perhaps that is why DLR decided to stop doing the floral Masked Mickey? Maybe they figured it was best to leave some of the world famous Disneyland photo spots Halloween-less. And that location is certainly synonymous with photo spots at Disneyland. I think that people all around the world recognize it and it might be weird to suddenly see Mickey in a mask.

 

[Minnie Loves Mickey]

We were in Disneyland for one day last Oct. I was so excited to be going at Halloween and see all the decorations. I thought there were plenty and there were still lots of places without any. As for the HM overlay, I Loved it as did my family we rode that ride over and over. I had never seen the movie and when we came home I rented it but it really did not interest me. Now Space Mountain was another story. I have always loved SM both the old and the new (I think I may even like the new better) BUT My family and I hated the make over!!!! I know Im in the minority I think they could do a much better job with this, to us it looked as though little effort was put into making this a Halloween ride.
No matter What I think you will have a GREAT TIME!!! Just enjoy!

 

[LisainCalifornia]

We are going for halloween time for the first time this year (we are going to the Mickey Trick or Treat party as well)--so I can't really answer your questions. We have been all other times of the year, but not fall.

When is the Pirates ride suppose to be closed?

 

[Brady's Mom]

The first time we went to DLR as a family was in 2006 and we ended up there during the Halloween season. I did manage to find a picture of what the Mickey floral in front looked like then.

As you can see, the decorations weren't overpowering. The pumpkins on top of the Train Station weren't there, then. A lot of the decorating was over in DCA, instead of DL. We found Candy Corn Acres and all of the other funny little touches in DCA to be so clever. We are hoping to go during the end of Halloween time this year and I am sure we will miss some of the things that were there previously.

 

[sophies*mom]

I haven't been during Halloween but they do leave HMH up throughout Christmas since it's got a Christmasy feel. I am also not a fan of Nightmare Before Christmas but I really enjoyed the ride!
And now I would LOVE to go during Halloween! You were trying to convince the OP that he will have a fantastic time (which you will! It's DISNEYLAND!! ) but you all have also made me really want to go in October!!

 

[Cinmon Toast & Tacos]

Thank you, thank you to each one of you for all the words of encouragement! (and all the info on what to expect) You have put the happy back into my happy dance, and I'm now officially re-fired up for our trip!

The bottom line is the Disney magic will be alive and well. I was worried about that when I returned. I wondered if it would even feel like the same place. Like EmmersIsTheMommy said, it will be like going home. I have to say the tears were flowing (behind my sunglasses ) as I walked down Main Street for the first time after all those years because that same magical feeling of yesteryear (or yesterdecade, in my case) was most definitely alive and well.

Yes, you both got it. This! And what Skiingfast said about New Coke v Old Coke. And all of you, thank you for understanding. It's amazing and lovely to see that other people have this affection and nostalgic love for Disneyland too!

I'm still a little sad that I won't get to see normal HM and Space Mountain, but it does sound like the overlays are going to be cool. Now all I have to fear is the floral Mickey in front...hoping he's normal. The masked one is too clownish for me, and I have clown issues. Let's just say I'm not getting anywhere near it, let alone taking pictures in front of it! Again, issues.

Thanks again!



PS...Still weeping bitterly over Pirates...perhaps a petition can be circulated?