Unpopular Opinion - I didn't like Oogie Boogie Bash

[wendlle]

I know it's an unpopular opinion but we did not enjoy this event - to be fair I think my Kids (4 and 7) enjoyed it more than I did, but that is because they didn't pay for it or go thru the stress of getting the tickets for it, which did sour the experience.

We arrived around 2:30pm and it was HOT, Kids were dressed as Anastasia and Drizella and got a lot of great feedback on their costumes all night which they loved the attention. We went on the 7th of September.
Ride lines were packed, we managed to get on Mater and have some dinner at Flo's, we then headed to Little Mermaid and waited for the party to begin.

I won't go thru everything but I just didn't enjoy it. There were WAY too many people, the lines for some of the candy trails were OK as they moved quickly, you were always moving so it didn't feel like you were waiting. But the lines for character meets were horrendous.
I didn't pay this much money (over $700AU) to spend 2 hours waiting for a photo of Minnie, Clairabelle and Daisy as the Sanderson Sisters, which we did want a photo but just can't justify that wait time for 1 photo.
Ride wait times were pretty long even for party standards but we didn't come for them so I didn't pay that much attention to them.
The parade was delayed so that was more time just sitting around wasted waiting for it to start, we didn't get to go to Villains Grove, the line was too long.

Basically the lines were just too long for the amount of time you had. Why it doesn't go until 1am or something like that I don't understand?

I know people love this event but It was a one and done for us for sure, I've done MNSSHP and feel the same way, it used to be good but the last time we went there were too many people and seems like that they have done this too for OBB.

I did get a survey sent to me after the event and a lot of the questions were along the lines of "was it overcrowded?" so I feel they know they are letting too many people in and it is souring the experience.

I will say the vibe was great, the music, lighting etc were fantastic. We didn't have time to wait in lines for any special foods or drinks - too long like the rest of them.

I hope others have a better experience but for us it just didn't hit the mark - not after the stress of getting the tickets - I really wanted AMAZING and it wasn't. It was hyped up so much it just fell flat for me.

 

[LKing]

Thanks for sharing. I have never been (Halloween isn't my thing). I know a lot of people love it, so it is good to hear another perspective.

 

[ParkHopper1]

I did one night last year and thought it was a complete waste of time and money and was severely underwhelmed.

 

[skellinton]

We loved it, but agree that it didn’t t feel any less crowded then a normal park day and lines were long. I also don’t get why it doesn’t run until at least midnight.

 

[DodgerGirl]

Hello Wendille,
Sorry that your Oogie Boogie Bash day at Disneyland did not go the way you expected it to go. I can't figure out why Disneyland promotes this event so much and when the anticipation begins people find that it's not worth the money for tickets. I understand your frustration with waiting in line to meet characters. Because sometimes you or your kids need to understand that there are times to meet characters so your kids must be patient and you should've asked the kids if they were willing to wait in a long line or wait another day. As for the parade being delayed i'm sure it was due to a technical problem and what Disneyland should've given you was free passes or a ShopDisney gift card. Because parades and shows are famous for being delayed at Disneyland sometimes. But next time if you plan to go out on Halloween you might be able to check your malls because they will do Halloween activities and trick-or-treating at no charge or go trick-or treating around your neighborhood
Hope you can get something out of your survey from Disneyland,
Dodger

 

[SOCALMouseMommy]

I’m so sorry you didn’t have a good time! I do wonder if some of the nights are more or less crowded than others (like, do they sell more tickets on the less expensive nights or something?). For our event on 9/24, it didn’t feel very crowded to me, but maybe that’s just personal expectations? I had never been before.

We had an absolutely fantastic time, but to be fair, I did a TON of research ahead of time and had a pretty solid plan of how to approach the event. I was told there is not enough time to do everything so we had to pick and choose. We chose to skip the character meets entirely (just did selfies with the character who were on on the treat trails) and we ended up doing everything we wanted that night.

I do wish we had at least one more hour. There’s simply not enough time.

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

Thanks for sharing your perspective. I'm sorry it was a bust for you. We are doing the party at the end of October, and I'm trying to set expectations for my special needs son. He loves character meets, but it sounds as if those may be a no go. No way he can wait that long in lines. I suspect it won't be my thing, but he's "dying" to do it so we will give it a shot. The price and stress of getting tickets kind of makes me think it might be a one and done!

 

[sophy1996]

Thanks for sharing your perspective. I'm sorry it was a bust for you. We are doing the party at the end of October, and I'm trying to set expectations for my special needs son. He loves character meets, but it sounds as if those may be a no go. No way he can wait that long in lines. I suspect it won't be my thing, but he's "dying" to do it so we will give it a shot. The price and stress of getting tickets kind of makes me think it might be a one and done!

The worst are the Sanderson Sisters and the Kingdom Hearts Mickey and friends, possibly Bruno. But there also are characters meeting in the hub area that don’t have nearly the lines. Maybe try those out? And the villains will interact with you on the treat trails if you make comments to them, so maybe he will feel like those count too?

 

[LKing]

@wendle what time did you enter the park? Was it any less crowded from 3 pm - 6 pm?

 

[SOCALMouseMommy]

@wendle what time did you enter the park? Was it any less crowded from 3 pm - 6 pm?

It’s more crowded 3-6pm because regular park guests are still there.

 

[LKing]

It’s more crowded 3-6pm because regular park guests are still there.

Thanks. So is there a noticeable difference in crowds at 6 pm? Is it kind of like rope dropping in that you should get in line for the most popular attractions/characters ASAP? I'm wondering if 3-6 pm might be a good time to do the non OBB characters meets.

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

I'm sorry you didn't have a good time at the event. In the past, I did enjoy it, but the past couple of times it was too crowded for me, and I felt that I spent too much time in lines, too. I know that others go and have a great time, but it really isn't for anyone. The crowds definitely detract for me.

 

[SOCALMouseMommy]

Thanks. So is there a noticeable difference in crowds at 6 pm? Is it kind of like rope dropping in that you should get in line for the most popular attractions/characters ASAP? I'm wondering if 3-6 pm might be a good time to do the non OBB characters meets.

I suggest you take a look at all the available activities/entertainment, decide what is a “must” for you and have a loose plan. Definitely choose something to do first and be there right before 6pm. They weren’t really letting us line up before 6 but people were loosely gathered. My son choose a treat trail (Ernesto de La Cruz) and it was great, only about a 5 minute wait. There seemed to be a ton more people lining up for Oogie Boogie and Cruella deVille.

We did a lot of character treat trails during the second parade (Oogie Boogie, Cruella, Ernesto again, the Big Hero Six guy) and they were all walk on at that time.

Ride wait times dropped considerably by 7pm. We got lucky and rode RSR standby at 7pm and it was 10 minutes but by the time we exited it was 60 minutes. Later during the second parade it was 25 minutes.

We watched the first parade by the Little Mermaid and as soon as it ended we stood up and walked to Villain’s Grove and it was a walk on.

 

[Pluto468]

Thanks for sharing your experience. I'm sorry it wasn't as good an evening as you'd hoped. I've always wanted to try OBB, but I've been hearing more often that the crowds are heavy. The only after-dark event I've ever done was Star Wars nite, and it was wonderful because of how empty the park was compared to a regular day.

Were there any fun surprises or things you especially liked, or was it all a disappointment?

 

[Aspencreek]

Such a bummer to travel so far to be let down! We had a reverse experience last year.

Did 4 day DL trip in late October and OBB on 10/25 was the saving grace of the trip for us. DL was crazy busy the whole time but OBB was fantastic for us. Once 6pm hit and the non-OBB attendees left we found the park to be not crowded at all comparatively. Our kids are older so we didn't do any character meets so that probably helped. We also didn't wait for the parade, just caught most of it as we passed a viewing spot. Villain's Grove was very cool and only a 5 minute wait. Did half a dozen treat trails and those all went pretty quickly even with the long lines (5-10 minutes each maybe?) After that we mostly just did rides and the lines were fairly short so we could do all the biggies at least once if not multiples (3x on Guardians etc). All that said I wouldn't plan on going back in the near future unless the rest of the park time got less crowded (not likely at Halloween) as it is too far a trip for just OBB.

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

The worst are the Sanderson Sisters and the Kingdom Hearts Mickey and friends, possibly Bruno. But there also are characters meeting in the hub area that don’t have nearly the lines. Maybe try those out? And the villains will interact with you on the treat trails if you make comments to them, so maybe he will feel like those count too?

Thanks! That is good to know and we will definitely try that out. He loves the villains so that would be great. That definitely counts

 

[SOCALMouseMommy]

Such a bummer to travel so far to be let down! We had a reverse experience last year.

Did 4 day DL trip in late October and OBB on 10/25 was the saving grace of the trip for us. DL was crazy busy the whole time but OBB was fantastic for us. Once 6pm hit and the non-OBB attendees left we found the park to be not crowded at all comparatively. Our kids are older so we didn't do any character meets so that probably helped. We also didn't wait for the parade, just caught most of it as we passed a viewing spot. Villain's Grove was very cool and only a 5 minute wait. Did half a dozen treat trails and those all went pretty quickly even with the long lines (5-10 minutes each maybe?) After that we mostly just did rides and the lines were fairly short so we could do all the biggies at least once if not multiples (3x on Guardians etc). All that said I wouldn't plan on going back in the near future unless the rest of the park time got less crowded (not likely at Halloween) as it is too far a trip for just OBB.

Early September was not bad for crowds this year and Halloweentime started 9/1.

 

[Cal-Pie]

Such a bummer to travel so far to be let down! We had a reverse experience last year.

Did 4 day DL trip in late October and OBB on 10/25 was the saving grace of the trip for us. DL was crazy busy the whole time but OBB was fantastic for us. Once 6pm hit and the non-OBB attendees left we found the park to be not crowded at all comparatively. Our kids are older so we didn't do any character meets so that probably helped. We also didn't wait for the parade, just caught most of it as we passed a viewing spot. Villain's Grove was very cool and only a 5 minute wait. Did half a dozen treat trails and those all went pretty quickly even with the long lines (5-10 minutes each maybe?) After that we mostly just did rides and the lines were fairly short so we could do all the biggies at least once if not multiples (3x on Guardians etc). All that said I wouldn't plan on going back in the near future unless the rest of the park time got less crowded (not likely at Halloween) as it is too far a trip for just OBB.

We went last October and I could echo nearly everything you said. Outside of OBB, the crowds were just oppressive. Even with genie + and lots of experience, we just couldn’t get much done. If we hadn’t attended OBB, I would have considered the trip a complete bust. We focused more on treat trails/rides, not on meet and greets, so maybe that’s what makes the difference. I do wish the party was longer, though.

Edited to add: I just realized we attended the same party! Maybe it was just a particularly awesome night. I bet we rode Guardians together at least once

 

[SOCALMouseMommy]

We went last October and I could echo nearly everything you said. Outside of OBB, the crowds were just oppressive. Even with genie + and lots of experience, we just couldn’t get much done. If we hadn’t attended OBB, I would have considered the trip a complete bust. We focused more on treat trails/rides, not on meet and greets, so maybe that’s what makes the difference. I do wish the party was longer, though.

Edited to add: I just realized we attended the same party! Maybe it was just a particularly awesome night. I bet we rode Guardians together at least once

You know what would be cool? If they allowed party guests to do those party meet and greets during the 3-6pm mix-in time. But then I guess it would be hard/confusing to keep the regular guests away.

 

[Aspencreek]

We went last October and I could echo nearly everything you said. Outside of OBB, the crowds were just oppressive. Even with genie + and lots of experience, we just couldn’t get much done. If we hadn’t attended OBB, I would have considered the trip a complete bust. We focused more on treat trails/rides, not on meet and greets, so maybe that’s what makes the difference. I do wish the party was longer, though.

Edited to add: I just realized we attended the same party! Maybe it was just a particularly awesome night. I bet we rode Guardians together at least once

Nice! I sure had a fun time at OBB so maybe that was an uncommonly good night we were both there. As for Guardians maybe we did ride together. I would have been the person who was totally NOT yelling or screaming on the drops but just looked super chill.....