Is Mickey's Halloween Party worth it?

[ivanp91]

So, my partner and I will be in Anaheim for 2 nights in October (en-route to a DCL cruise and WDW) and have already pre-purchased a 1-day ticket for DL. We were so focused on the fact that our cruise will be Halloween-themed and that MVMCP will be on at WDW during our stay, that we completely neglected to think of if DL will do anything for Halloween!

Of course, the dates for Mickey's Halloween Party have been announced, and our one full day in Anaheim, and thus our day at DL, falls on the day of a party. I've tried looking up reviews and photos of the event, and from what I can gather the biggest draw is the fireworks and the characters. The fact that the ride overlays (Haunted Mansion, Space Mountain [if they take away Hyperspace]) and decorations around the park are available during normal operating hours makes me wonder if it's even worth paying for the event. We are Australian and have never participated in Halloween, so costumes and trick-or-treating isn't really our thing.

What we have been able to decide is that we want to stay in the parks until closing (staying at Grand Californian so it would be cruel to have to sit right there with the parks open!), which gives us two options:

A) Purchase tickets to MHP and stay in DL the entire day, or;
B) Upgrade our ticket to a Hopper, and jump over to DCA for the rest of the evening (is this possible on 1-day tickets?)

B is the cheapest option and the one I'm kind of leaning towards, as I don't think it's reasonable to pay $89 just to stay and see the fireworks (please don't point out the irony of me already planning to do the Xmas party at WDW, I know, I know )... BUT I would love to hear peoples' opinions, what you think of the Halloween party, which option you would pick if it were you, etc. I think at the end of the day we would be happy to do either, but it's just so hard to decide

 

[Kittyskyfish]

I would think you'd get better mileage out of park hoppers. California Adventure is a really awesome park and bang-for-buck, much more entertaining than candy lines, meeting characters, and a minor Halloween parade. Yes, you will miss the fireworks and the projections, but it is a real stretch to think that alone is worth the price of party admission.

Get the park hopper tickets and plan out your attack for the best use of Fast Pass rides. Watch Carsland light up. Tower of Terror! Soarin'! Radiator Springs Racers!

We are going at the end of September (two adults) and will be there during the first party date. It would be worth going to if we wanted to take advantage of all party events, but we're passing on attending because of everything I wrote above. I'm not willing to spend $188 for special fireworks that will be on YouTube.

 

[cruisehopeful]

I would get park hoppers and go to DCA. I've been to the Halloween party twice and thought it was a waste of money.

 

[ivanp91]

Thanks for the replies, Kittyskyfish and cruisehopeful I love DCA so I kind of hated the decision to get just the 1-park ticket... it was primarily based on having been to both several times and trying to save a little bit of money, but now that it's either pay for the party or pay for the hopper (or leave the parks early) I'm more obliged to pay to do both parks. Like I said in my OP the party didn't look all that special, and I'm glad to have that verified by members here Thanks again folks!

 

[BrianL]

I actually do think the MHP is worth it generally, and I actually liked it better than the many I've been to in WDW, BUT in your case, with one day, the hopper is probably the better choice. You'll get more out of it that way. You can watch World of Color as a sub for the fireworks. Have a great time!

 

[Elk Grove Chris]

Unless you are really into meeting characters, and they do bring out the rarely seen ones, I would go for the park hopper too. I have an annual workshop that I go to at that time of the year and have been to the Halloween Party 4 times. Each time I had one of my kids fly down and go with me to the party. None of us are really all that big into the characters, so for us, the extra expense was not really worth it. The first time we went was 2010 and crowds were actually quite nice, which made us want to go again the next year. Every year after our first party the ticket sales increased and it did not feel like an exclusive or crowd controlled party at all.

 

[nikerbokers]

I think MHP is worth the money (although the way they keep raising the rare, it soon won't be) but if I was going for one day, I wouldn't do the party. I would get the hopper.

 

[BriannaRuth]

Just keep in mind that depending on how late you go to DCA, some FPs will already be gone. You may need to hop over to DCA earlier in the day to get FPs for Soarin' and RSR especially.

 

[Disney Lvr of Old]

we went to a party in 2013 and I will never do it again; I am glad I can check it off the list though. It was packed in at the walkways and my DS did not care about character meets. We were able to ride Splash Mountain 10 times in a row without getting off though; so that was a plus. They give copious amount of candy and it's fun to people watch too. But overall it did not live up to the hype for me. I'd go for the hoppers too.

 

[jammyjam25]

That's a tough choice!

DCA will have fun rides and things I wouldn't want to miss, but it could get really crowded with all the non-party goers being forced to hop over there. As others have said, you may have to hop earlier in the day to get any fast passes.

MHP - I went to a party in early October last year and thought the crowds were wonderful. Ride lines were short everywhere as most people are trick or treating or meeting characters. But it's difficult to justify the cost when you've already paid for a full day's admission to DL! But if short ride lines in DL or rare characters are appealing to you it may be worth the cost.

Good luck in your choice! You'll have a fabulous time either way.

 

[DisneyPhans]

It would be pretty useless to a primary DCA fan, but the better way to approach Disneyland Park in October. I can't think of any better time to get your Disneyland ride-fix, short of a VIP or grad-nite run, during the fall season.

 

[Alice's Yaya]

Could you buy the party ticket and then use your one day ticket for California Adventure and then hop over to Disneyland when the party started? Maybe the best of both worlds?

 

[Joybelles]

I would suggest not buying the Halloween Party ticket. You will see all of the Halloween decorations during the day anyway. Benefits to having a Halloween party ticket:
candy
slightly shorter lines
wearing a costume as an adult

If you or someone in your group wants villain photos it may be worth it. But overall I'd suggest just having fun during the regular day.

 

[DisneyPhans]

I would suggest not buying the Halloween Party ticket. You will see all of the Halloween decorations during the day anyway. Benefits to having a Halloween party ticket:
candy
slightly shorter lines
wearing a costume as an adult

If you or someone in your group wants villain photos it may be worth it. But overall I'd suggest just having fun during the regular day.

Interesting.. I called the VIP office to ask what the benefits of VIP access during MHP were and they flat out told me it's not recommended due to the lines being much shorter. The reason they're much shorter is that most guests are there for character interaction and events/activities. There is a higher emphasis on character interaction during this period and far less people in the park than during the day... There is also the parade and fireworks, which many/most people are going to watch while others are taking advantage of the ride queues.