2017 DISNEYLAND RESORT HALLOWEEN TIME / MICKEY'S HALLOWEEN PARTY THREAD!

So excited to be reading some of the first few blog posts about last night's party. We're going in Oct and have never been. Haven't been to the land in 2 1/2 years and will be flying down from NorCal arriving early afternoon. We will have hoppers for the 3 days following but will only get 1/2 day of park time for each day (mainly mornings) so I'm looking for a party night strategy to make sure we cover all the things we want to experience that are special to the party (or short lines for rides which would not be short over the 3 partial days). I'm hoping some of you who have been to parties (this or l prior years) can help.

It will be me, DH and DD7. We want to be able to experience rides with short waits (especially HM, GG, Indy and POTC), but also get to do some treat trails, dance at the dance party, see the Cadaver Dan's and parade and fireworks. We are not wait for the parade people- we are fine showing up near go time and being a row or two back (even last row so DD can go on DH's shoulders) and then walking into the street for fireworks. The pre-party sounds fun and we will likely start at DL since we will have 3 partial days to check out DCA after the party. As for characters, we'd love to meet some rare ones plus Jack and Sally, but could wait until our 3 partial days for that. Oh, and since DD usually goes to bed at 8 and we want to hit rope drop the following morning we'll likely leave after the fireworks as it will already be a late night for her just to see the parade and fireworks.

So.. any thoughts on a strategy for the party? Here is a proposal for you to critique/fix:

eat a late lunch before going to gates
3:30pm arrive at gates for 4pm entry
4pm enter DL, do some rides w/ short lines (or if we can get a Maxpass do that- I read we get free MP prior to the party - woo hoo!)
5:30pm grab a snack, stand in line for pre-party (or do we skip pre-party and ride more rides???)
6pm: pre-party (do Mickey/Minnie treat trails)
6:30-6:45, head over to Adventureland
7pm party start: treat trails in New Orleans Square or Critter Country, look around, meet a character if we can, watch Cadaver Dan's, or ride Pirates or HM?
8pm: head over to Tomorrowland, dance, do a treat trail and/or ride GG
8:45pm: head over to main street to watch parade (assuming it will take that long since it starts at IASW)
9pm: watch fireworks, head out

TIA!
 
4pm enter DL, do some rides w/ short lines (or if we can get a Maxpass do that- I read we get free MP prior to the party - woo hoo!)
I think the beginning of your plan isn't going to work well IMO. The reason being is because even though they allow you to enter the park at DL for the party the actual party doesn't start until another 3 hours and because of this there will still be regular day guests (non-party guests) in the park and because of this the lines aren't usually short right off the bat in my experience. Actually from the minute you enter there are a lot of guests entering at the same time and it takes a little while for guests to exit before you start to see the lines shorten. After the party starts CM's will not allow guests without a wristband to enter attractions and tell these guests to leave the park. They don't force anyone out but guests start leaving because they cannot do anything and CM's start roping off areas and you cannot enter unless you have a wristband.. When this occurs you will notice lines start to shorten. My usual strategy is to head to the back of the park to hang out there and line up for the pre-party. You will see party goers start lining up for the pre-party aprox an hour or more in advance as people want shorter lines for the photo opps with the characters. I don't think Max pass is included prior to the party starting but if you are correct please do share with me where you saw this as this would be a nice perk if this is true.
 
Photopass (the Disneyland photographers taking your photo and ride photos) are included with the MHP ticket this year - I wonder if that's where the confusion is?
I haven't heard anything or read anywhere that MP is included.
 
Photopass (the Disneyland photographers taking your photo and ride photos) are included with the MHP ticket this year - I wonder if that's where the confusion is?
I haven't heard anything or read anywhere that MP is included.
Maybe your correct as this is new this year.
 


Seeking strategy advice for MHP.

Last year, we flew by the seat of our pants. My son was 1 and we just didnt know anything. But had a blast!

This year, he "gets it". He has favorite characters, doesnt mind rides, can sit through shows...

My plan was:

3pm: DCA to meet buzz, woody, do their ride, then go to carsland, do some age appropriate things there, meet mater and mcqueen. Maybe go see the new kids show (where disney jr show used to be). Non halloweeny things.

5/530pm: go to the DLR preparty, or whats left of it, if we are done at DCA.

I want to take him to meet Mickey in his house , which I hear closes at 830. Does anyone know if we can meet traditional mickey in his house once the halloween party starts? I figure out of four rooms, traditional Mickey must be there somewhere!

We will do most everything in DLR for sure haha

No shows or parades for us at this point.

Is it worth max passing for this? I was able to hop directly onto every ride last year but will shell out the extra $10 if we need to :)

What are the other must-dos for a 2.5 yr old?
 
Seeking strategy advice for MHP.

Last year, we flew by the seat of our pants. My son was 1 and we just didnt know anything. But had a blast!

This year, he "gets it". He has favorite characters, doesnt mind rides, can sit through shows...

My plan was:

3pm: DCA to meet buzz, woody, do their ride, then go to carsland, do some age appropriate things there, meet mater and mcqueen. Maybe go see the new kids show (where disney jr show used to be). Non halloweeny things.

5/530pm: go to the DLR preparty, or whats left of it, if we are done at DCA.

I want to take him to meet Mickey in his house , which I hear closes at 830. Does anyone know if we can meet traditional mickey in his house once the halloween party starts? I figure out of four rooms, traditional Mickey must be there somewhere!

We will do most everything in DLR for sure haha

No shows or parades for us at this point.

Is it worth max passing for this? I was able to hop directly onto every ride last year but will shell out the extra $10 if we need to :)

What are the other must-dos


Max pass is NOT included in party ticket. No fast passes are available or used during party.
Photo pass is included for actual party time.

When we went two years ago Mickey was dressed in a different Halloween outfit during the day from his party outfit.
Sounds like a good plan. Enjoy!!
 
It will be me, DH and DD7. We want to be able to experience rides with short waits (especially HM, GG, Indy and POTC), but also get to do some treat trails, dance at the dance party, see the Cadaver Dan's and parade and fireworks. We are not wait for the parade people- we are fine showing up near go time and being a row or two back (even last row so DD can go on DH's shoulders) and then walking into the street for fireworks. The pre-party sounds fun and we will likely start at DL since we will have 3 partial days to check out DCA after the party. As for characters, we'd love to meet some rare ones plus Jack and Sally, but could wait until our 3 partial days for that. Oh, and since DD usually goes to bed at 8 and we want to hit rope drop the following morning we'll likely leave after the fireworks as it will already be a late night for her just to see the parade and fireworks.

Dont ride HM or SMGG during the party, get a FP for it during them day to minimize wasted time. The waits for rides with a Halloween overlay are long all the time in the fall but they are worst during the party.

If you are not "wait for the parade people" plan to stay up a little later and go to the second parade. I know you plan is to leave after the Fireworks but I think you'll be happier with your parade viewing ability if you wait for the second one. The Frightfully Fun parade is a very good-but also short-parade that has a lot of the great effects at ground level so being closer to the front or in front really does increase you ability to enjoy it. I just love those grave diggers and their shovels. It might serve you well to watch the second parade from the start of main street so you are positioned to leave right after it.

So.. any thoughts on a strategy for the party? Here is a proposal for you to critique/fix:

eat a late lunch before going to gates
3:30pm arrive at gates for 4pm entry
4pm enter DL, do some rides w/ short lines (or if we can get a Maxpass do that- I read we get free MP prior to the party - woo hoo!)
5:30pm grab a snack, stand in line for pre-party (or do we skip pre-party and ride more rides???)
6pm: pre-party (do Mickey/Minnie treat trails)
6:30-6:45, head over to Adventureland
7pm party start: treat trails in New Orleans Square or Critter Country, look around, meet a character if we can, watch Cadaver Dan's, or ride Pirates or HM?
8pm: head over to Tomorrowland, dance, do a treat trail and/or ride GG
8:45pm: head over to main street to watch parade (assuming it will take that long since it starts at IASW)
9pm: watch fireworks, head out

TIA!

Something to be aware of-there are no short lies at 4. In fact I'd say that 4 is the toughest time because party guest are arriving in large numbers and the day guests are mostly all till there. You can skip the preparty if you like-the preparty is the best choice for people who want to do characters meets. It's a good place to get you pictures with some of the fab 5 out of the way prior to the valuable party time. Rides have pretty short waits from 7 on but they are the best late at night. Treat trails on the other hand are not good right at 7. A lot of people start with treat trails so they are busy at 7 with longer waits. Do treat trails during the first parade or after fireworks to see minimal lines and waits. Also a lot of people seem to head to New Orleans Square/Adventureland/Frontierland at 7 so its not the best time to head that way. Maybe start with the dance party and do the New Orleans Square/Adventureland/Frontierland areas later.

Avoid the bottle neck areas and the hub when you can-these areas are, in my opinion, why people come away from the party saying it was too crowded. This is very true for the entrance to Frontierland and Adventure land. Be prepared to have to go through a thick crowds to get to the area but once you get past the opening bottle neck its not crowded.
 


Thanks all- when I'm back on my computer I'll link to the blog post from yesterday about the first party that says maxpass was included. It's possible that person has an AP with it already but it definitely made it sound like MP was a perk for party goers pre party start which was a surprise.

Keeping DD7 up until midnight is a recipe for disaster- she is a morning person. We all are really. So I will revisit our plan. Will hit the dance party and check out that area after the pre party and figure out about adventure land- perhaps miss the parade. We shall see.
 
I am really excited for the pre party! I'm assuming each character will have their own line? Is there one we should jump in first? We are mostly doing the party for characters, so that's our main focus. I'm assuming villains are around all night? We will do fireworks and the second parade, so hoping to get some characters done during the first parade - anyone have any other tips? :)
 
Thanks all- when I'm back on my computer I'll link to the blog post from yesterday about the first party that says maxpass was included. It's possible that person has an AP with it already but it definitely made it sound like MP was a perk for party goers pre party start which was a surprise.

Keeping DD7 up until midnight is a recipe for disaster- she is a morning person. We all are really. So I will revisit our plan. Will hit the dance party and check out that area after the pre party and figure out about adventure land- perhaps miss the parade. We shall see.


I know you are interested in leaving at 9-but upon looking at the entertainment calendar it is showing fireworks starting at 9:30 with the second parade at 10. If you want to see the fireworks you'll be in the park until nearly 10 if you walk back from the castle after fireworks you would only have about 10 minute wait for the second parade since the second parade starts on main street. Since its only a 15 minutes long parade and it starts pretty soon after the fireworks it wouldnt add much time to you day to stay for the second parade after the fireworks if you would be viewing them from that end of mainstreet.

Either way your not going to be ut of the park shortly after 9 if you want to see fireworks
 
Dont ride HM or SMGG during the party, get a FP for it during them day to minimize wasted time. The waits for rides with a Halloween overlay are long all the time in the fall but they are worst during the party.

If you are not "wait for the parade people" plan to stay up a little later and go to the second parade. I know you plan is to leave after the Fireworks but I think you'll be happier with your parade viewing ability if you wait for the second one. The Frightfully Fun parade is a very good-but also short-parade that has a lot of the great effects at ground level so being closer to the front or in front really does increase you ability to enjoy it. I just love those grave diggers and their shovels. It might serve you well to watch the second parade from the start of main street so you are positioned to leave right after it.



Something to be aware of-there are no short lies at 4. In fact I'd say that 4 is the toughest time because party guest are arriving in large numbers and the day guests are mostly all till there. You can skip the preparty if you like-the preparty is the best choice for people who want to do characters meets. It's a good place to get you pictures with some of the fab 5 out of the way prior to the valuable party time. Rides have pretty short waits from 7 on but they are the best late at night.
Re: lines for the overlays during the party. Ghost Galaxy was literally a ghost town during the party. Less than 5 minute wait both times. It was faster than doing fastpass the rest of our trip. We did not do HMH during the party but the posted times were much lower than the norm. Perhaps this was not the case last year, but it is this year.

Fyi regarding the first parade: Bricker at Disneytouristblog posted a great review of the first party, and said it was the Jack and Sally float that broke down, confirmed because he saw it himself. It hit a trolley rail. Also, the fireworks finale was underwhelming because they cannot do pyro after 10pm due to city ordinance. It was running 20 minutes late due to the parade issues.

He also noted the party was far less crowded than last year, and that it was much easier to find parade and fireworks spots. I'm cool with them upping the price if it led to them capping attendance. I can agree that the crowds were not bad at all.
 
If crowds were less and that continues to be true what time to get a spot for parade and fireworks? What's the best strategy to get a spot for first parade and fireworks?
 
We found a good spot on the hub for the parade around 8:15, but according to Bricker, you could do even later near the entrance. After the parade we just moved north to the Partners statue area to watch the fireworks.
 
Photo pass is included for actual party time.

Does "actual party time" mean the photo pass is not available during the three bonus hours you're allowed to enter early with a party ticket (e.g. 4pm-7pm for Friday party)?
 
Max pass is NOT included in party ticket. No fast passes are available or used during party.
Photo pass is included for actual party time.

Oh yes, I get that it's not included. I didn't know if I could purchase it, or if it was worth purchasing. but sounds like it's not even available to purchase :) I only waited in two lines last year, and they weren't long lines at all. So...

Did you visit Mickey in his house, though? I'm not planning on meeting Mickey on the streets, or during the party (unless lines are magically short, we won't be doing any Halloween party meet n greets, but we will have to see what toddler is up to; he just doesn't like characters enough that I'm willing to spend the night in line for him to not want to go say hi EVERY time). Specifically, we are going to Mickey's house for that. It's a nice, quiet, controlled atmosphere to meet "Nickey Nouse" haha I was just wondering if you could meet a non-costumed Mickey. I know he's often there in drum major, fantasmic, or steamboat willy, but hoping that they don't costume Mickey in his house, just because it's the party time.

I assume, in DCA, Lightening McQueen and Mater are in costume all day now? Not just during the party? I"ll have to show my toddler pictures of Vampire Mater before we go so he's ok with it haha
 
Oh yes, I get that it's not included. I didn't know if I could purchase it, or if it was worth purchasing. but sounds like it's not even available to purchase :) I only waited in two lines last year, and they weren't long lines at all. So...

Did you visit Mickey in his house, though? I'm not planning on meeting Mickey on the streets, or during the party (unless lines are magically short, we won't be doing any Halloween party meet n greets, but we will have to see what toddler is up to; he just doesn't like characters enough that I'm willing to spend the night in line for him to not want to go say hi EVERY time). Specifically, we are going to Mickey's house for that. It's a nice, quiet, controlled atmosphere to meet "Nickey Nouse" haha I was just wondering if you could meet a non-costumed Mickey. I know he's often there in drum major, fantasmic, or steamboat willy, but hoping that they don't costume Mickey in his house, just because it's the party time.

I assume, in DCA, Lightening McQueen and Mater are in costume all day now? Not just during the party? I"ll have to show my toddler pictures of Vampire Mater before we go so he's ok with it haha
You can purchase max pass for the three hours prior to actual party time, just don't know if there would be any left by then. You could check fast pass times on the app first.
Not sure about Mickey in his house outfit. You could check with a CM before getting in line.
 
If anyone who has gone, or who is going to the early parties, can you let me know if they restock the Oogie Boogie popcorn buckets for party guests? I've seen a lot of blog posts that they sell out way before the party begins. I want to know if I'll get a chance to get one since I'm just doing the party, not regular day admission.
 
Anyone have any thoughts on which parade to do? I was thinking ride times would be short during the second parade but maybe it would be better to do fireworks and second parade so we don't have to get a spot as early?
 

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