Trick or Treat Questions...

[mdwings]

For all of you out there who've done this before or know the answers, thank you very much ahead of time:

1) Does DCA close and make everyone leave prior to the ToT party starting?
2) If you have regular admission to the park will you have to line up again or will you get some sort of wristband?
3) Are any attractions that are usually running at night not running during ToT party?
4) Is anything that usually does not run late (e.g. Aladin show) running late for the ToT party?
5) Even though they limit the number of tickets sold for the ToT party, are the crowd levels comparable to the normal attendance? Or, will the ride lines be shorter?

Thanks again. I want to take my two princesses to this and I want us all to have the best expectations so we can plann accordingly.

 

[3Minnies1Mickey]

1. They close 90 minutes prior to party to get everything set up.
2. You have to exit the park and re-enter.
3. Most rides are open, I know GRR isn't.
4. Alladin and the other shows don't run during the TOT party, but Animation Academy is open.
5. Lines are a lot shorter.

 

[mdwings]

1. They close 90 minutes prior to party to get everything set up.
2. You have to exit the park and re-enter.
3. Most rides are open, I know GRR isn't.
4. Alladin and the other shows don't run during the TOT party, but Animation Academy is open.
5. Lines are a lot shorter.

3Min1Mic,

Thanks for the answers

If anyone else has any touring, eating or general information to make the max of the time during the ToT party, please share.

Thank you!

 

[3Minnies1Mickey]

I'd eat dinner before the party so you can maximize your time on getting treats, meeting characters and riding rides.

 

[ScooterL]

My experience has been that *some* lines are shorter, but not all. And very few are walk-ons. Tower of Terror always seems to have a long wait because they run fewer elevators, and Toy Story Mania always seemed to be at least 30 minutes long when I was there during the party last year. Soarin' has a shorter line, but it is still a 20-minute or so wait.

In the past, you could maximize the candy haul by heading back to Paradise Pier first and then working your way forward, but don't know if that will be the case this year with all of the construction back there. Towards the end of the evening the lines tend to be shorter at all the treat stations, and they will either be giving out candy by the handful, or only a couple of pieces at at a time, depending on how much they have left.

The lines to meet the characters are pretty long.

I would recommend eating BEFORE the party so that you don't have to spend party time doing that - the three hours goes very fast.

If the "Character Cavalcade" is like it was the last two years it will have three performance stops - make sure to watch it at a performance stop, otherwise it goes by really fast. I'd recommend watching it at the first performance stop - which in the past has been in front of Golden Dreams - but this year I wonder if they will have to cut it to two stops, and just do them at Bug's Land and Sunshine Plaza instead.

 

[Albort]

If your a picky candy eater, id suggest you go after the candy first...

 

[disney-inspired]

If your a picky candy eater, id suggest you go after the candy first...

I love those apple crisps!

 

[Hawleys]

My experience has been that *some* lines are shorter, but not all. And very few are walk-ons. Tower of Terror always seems to have a long wait because they run fewer elevators, and Toy Story Mania always seemed to be at least 30 minutes long when I was there during the party last year. Soarin' has a shorter line, but it is still a 20-minute or so wait.

In the past, you could maximize the candy haul by heading back to Paradise Pier first and then working your way forward, but don't know if that will be the case this year with all of the construction back there. Towards the end of the evening the lines tend to be shorter at all the treat stations, and they will either be giving out candy by the handful, or only a couple of pieces at at a time, depending on how much they have left.

The lines to meet the characters are pretty long.

I would recommend eating BEFORE the party so that you don't have to spend party time doing that - the three hours goes very fast.

If the "Character Cavalcade" is like it was the last two years it will have three performance stops - make sure to watch it at a performance stop, otherwise it goes by really fast. I'd recommend watching it at the first performance stop - which in the past has been in front of Golden Dreams - but this year I wonder if they will have to cut it to two stops, and just do them at Bug's Land and Sunshine Plaza instead.

Can you use fastpasses during the party?

 

[mdwings]

Everyone,

Thanks for all of the good tips. Keep them coming. I hadn't thought of how few hours there are during the ToT compared to how many we usually spend touring the parks at WDW and DL.

If you're out there and keeping words of wisdom and tips to yourself about ToT, please share. You won't get mobbed at your "special" places or times because you put it here on the DIS.

Thanks again.

 

[Albort]

I love those apple crisps!

if you like Apple crisps and fruit rollups... HIT THE STANDS FIRST!!!

those can run out in like 2-3 hours after park openings... thats how bad the demand is...

 

[mdwings]

if you like Apple crisps and fruit rollups... HIT THE STANDS FIRST!!!

those can run out in like 2-3 hours after park openings... thats how bad the demand is...

Albort,

What are we talking here? Are the apple crisps some sort of apple "potato" chip (i.e. fried)?

Fellow DISers,

Is it naive to think we can hit the highlights of the park as well as some of the kiddie rides during the ToT party or should we concentrate on the food, candy and characters?

 

[Albort]

Albort,

What are we talking here? Are the apple crisps some sort of apple "potato" chip (i.e. fried)?

Fellow DISers,

Is it naive to think we can hit the highlights of the park as well as some of the kiddie rides during the ToT party or should we concentrate on the food, candy and characters?

no, they are actual sliced apple in a bad...

it depends on how picky you are in candy. Each station has a certain type of candy, ie chocolates and etc...

certain stations have a unique type of candy and towards the end of the night, they tend to run out to be replaced by the common candy.

Also, the healthy choice foods tend to run out quickly too...

so if you dont care about types of candy, then hit the rides first...

 

[snickerboo]

How does Mickey's ToT compare to MNSSHP at WDW? Has anyone done both? We did MNSSSHP last year and now are thinking about doing the ToT party at DCA.

Parades?
Fireworks?
Treats?

 

[DSNY4ever]

Yeah I was curious about how it compares to WDW's Halloween party too...? Anyone have thoughts? I know that the WDW version is great for adults w/out kids but is the ToT party similar- is it worth it for an adult couple or is it more geared to the little tikes? Do adults dress up too like in WDW?

 

[GhostlyHitchhiker]

Yeah I was curious about how it compares to WDW's Halloween party too...? Anyone have thoughts? I know that the WDW version is great for adults w/out kids but is the ToT party similar- is it worth it for an adult couple or is it more geared to the little tikes? Do adults dress up too like in WDW?

I've been to both WDW & DL's Halloween parties (twice to both - though it's been a couple years for WDW). There are quite a few differences, the biggest being that DL's version is in DCA instead of Magic Kingdom. Just for that alone, I love MNSSHP! Being dressed up walking down Main Street, or the fog and lasers in Tomorrowland, etc (don't want spoilers). But DCA does a pretty amazing event too, which is why we're going (and taking a bunch of friends) for our third time this year.

Adults certainly dress up to ToT as much if not more than MHSSHP from what I've seen. It's not just geared for little ones. Adults can have as much fun if they want to. Rides have shorter lines, characters are everywhere, the theming is fun throughout the whole park. The parade is more a "cavalcade of characters" that stop periodically and do a little dance party before moving on. MNSSHP had more of a traditional parade last time I was there. Both are fun, so I can't say which is better.

Disneyland has fireworks across the way, so none for ToT party, but you can see them from DCA anyway as long as the winds are cooperating. I think both of my previous ToT parties they got cancelled due to the winds in fact.

I prefer the candy at MNSSHP (our family really didn't care for the dried pear/apple fruit things they had last year), but there are always some gems at both and you get enough that I end up not having to buy much to give out on Halloween at home!

It does get pretty dark in some areas though, so I would not recommend wearing heels or any kind of footwear that could trip you up. I wore platform boots that are usually not horrible and nearly killed my feet on the trail by GRR.

DCA serves alcohol as well, so the adults can get a drink here and there if they so chose. We got one last year and just people-watched all the costumes for a bit. (Resting my poor tender feet.)

I do have kids, but they're not so little anymore and even my tween daughter thinks it's the coolest thing ever. We're taking mostly adults this year (7 adults, 4 kids - 2 of which act like adults) so it should be a lot of fun.

 

[DSNY4ever]

Thank you Ghostlyhitchhiker! That was a lot of good info. We really want to go next year, but we have some friends going this year to the DLR in October and were asking us about it, but it is one of the few Disney things that I know very little about since I have never been!

Sounds like a blast...now to convince DH to go next year and to start working on our costumes now