Just going to add in our experience:
We went to MHT on Oct. 5, the day we flew in from Seattle, which in hindsight probably wasn't the best plan with two little ones. DS3 had been ill on the flight and we were stressed out worrying if this was the beginning of something major or a minor tummy upset.
He seemed fine in the afternoon, so after dinner we dressed the boys in their costumes (DS7 was an Army soldier in green fatigues, DS3 a mini-pirate) and dashed off to the party.
I wish I'd thought to take lots of pictures of the other guests like Kelly did, because there were some fantastic costumes that either made us "oooooo" and "ahhhh", and some others that (perhaps unintentionally) made us laugh. The kids were so adorable, but we loved most of the clever adult costumes of those in the spirit of the occasion (unlike DH and me)!
I distinctly remember one very tall, slender man wearing all black underneath a long black trenchcoat, and he had bony type gloves and a skeletal sort of mask. He moved very slowly and deliberately, and gracefully, it was as if he just embodied his character! I worried that small children would be afraid of him, and how mature he was to deal with that (is he a very tall 16yo who is going to frighten them on purpose?), but a toddler girl approached him immediately, and he knelt down to her and was very sweet, holding her hand for a bit as he talked with her. When he got up he swept his trenchcoat dramatically and strode away.
I also saw a brave Mr. Incredible who was either unaware or just didn't care that spandex is not his friend! You go, Bob!
My master plan was to make a mad dash to the waterfront to see Mickey and Minnie (thus avoiding the expected long line as the evening passed), and then to head toward the back of the park before working our way to the front again. My "reverse commute" idea worked fairly well; we were maybe 4th or 5th in line to see Mickey and Minnie, and the duo clowned a bit with the kids. I noticed no one was pulling out the autograph books, so we didn't either. (Were they doing autographs or not?)
DS7 wanted to hit every candy line thereafter, and fortunately they were either very short or non-existent, so that was fine. I think there might have been one or two tiny chocolate bars in the mix, but it was mostly the Toxic Waste and Tootsie Roll type of candy, a bit disappointing for me, but honestly the boys couldn't care less! It's all CANDY!!!
The boys loved all the projected light images on the pathways, dancing and chasing ghostly images and giant spiders. I couldn't talk either one into going into Golden Screams or near any of the villains, darn it!
DH and DS7 did Mulholland Madness, then we all did Jumpin' Jellyfish, then off to the carnival games. The boys LOVED playing the games, and my goodness, DS7 is great with a baseball, I had
no idea! I can't remember if he was 3/3 or 2/3!

(Mama was 0/3... But I did win the skeeball game, WOOHOO!) DH went 3/3 on the basketball toss, but no surprise there.
We scouted out some other rides, settling on the King Triton Carousel, and then DH and DS7 braved California Screamin'. I was going to try it out, but DH was looking a little green when he got off the ride, and said he nearly lost his dinner at one point, so I chickened out (again.) Maybe next trip...
We wandered through the pier, then through the Pirate area and the Bug's Land. The boys did not want to do any crafts or dance with the pirates, or ride any more rides after Heimlich's Chew Chew Train. DH and I were beat and figured the boys were, too, so we headed toward the entrance. Incredibly, we'd walked that whole way and done all that stuff in only an hour and 15 minutes!
In hindsight, I think we would have had more stamina if it hadn't been the first day of our trip (and of course if we hadn't had the stress of the illness and travelling.) And perhaps it would be more fun when the kids are older (not used to such an early bedtime, and DS3 is able to ride more rides.) Still, we did have a great time anyway, even if it was a short night!
And one more note about the adult costumes (and I think I've seen other threads related to this): DH and I don't get out much, and Halloween is spent taking the kids around the neighborhood and passing out candy from our home, with an occasional kiddie Halloween party in the mix. But at MHT I saw sooo many skimpy female costumes, I was really stunned! These looked like something you'd find at Fredricks of Hollywood, with very short skirts, fishnet stockings and teetering on 5" spiked heels or thigh-high platform boots, and chests nearly bared and thrust out to there! I can see some people wearing outfits like that to an adult party, I guess; but it just seemed a bit much for MHT, I thought. Is this typical for Halloween these days???
