Last week I had the pleasure of spending time with my niece and nephew at Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. One of the most enjoyable activities was Mickey’s Halloween Party held at the Disneyland Park, not to be confused with Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party in Orlando, Florida at The Walt Disney World Resort. For those of you familiar with Disney World, Disneyland is a whole different animal, and I’d love to chat with you and share why. Today I’m going to focus on the major differences between the 2 parties.
A ticket to Mickey’s Halloween Party in Disneyland means that you are allowed to enter the park 3 hours prior to the start of the party. Early entry is also granted at Walt Disney World for ticket holders of Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party…but that is where the similarities end. Your Disneyland Party ticket allows entrance to both Disneyland Park & Disney’s California Adventure Park, although party activities are all at Disneyland Park. Disney Photopass photos captured during the event can be downloaded from your Disney account for 45 days after capture, as many times as you want. This event is COMPLETELY NON-SMOKING…there are no designated smoking areas in the park, if you wish to smoke you must exit to use designated areas in the Esplanade outside the Disneyland Main Entrance and then re-enter the park. Personally, I love this and wish Disney World would do the same!
Characters are much more accessible at Mickey’s Halloween Party. For instance the Disney Villains could all be found around Main Street for pictures, Jack and Sally were not only available during the day, but during the party in New Orleans Square. A whole photo area was set up at the Frontierland Dock, called “Pirate Wharf” for the party and Disney Pirate Pals could be found there. There are 8 areas where characters are present.
Want the best “seat” in the house for the Frightfully Fun Parade? At Disneyland you can book a Mickey’s Halloween Party Dinner Package at Blue Bayou restaurant which includes a 3-course meal and preferred viewing for the parade. Please note that the viewing area is standing room only, but due to Disneyland Park being more compact than Magic Kingdom, this could be important if you don’t want to spend time grabbing a seat along the route before the parade. Price: $72 per adult and $29 per child, plus tax and gratuity (discounts do not apply) Advanced Reservations are necessary.
While you won’t find any stage shows at Mickey’s Halloween Party you will find that the Haunted Mansion has been turned into Haunted Mansion Holidays by Jack Skellington and riders will travel through a converted Haunted Mansion featuring characters from a Nightmare Before Christmas. Space Mountain has been haunted by a ghost in Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy! Over at Disney’s California Adventure the Guardians of the Galaxy becomes Guardians of the Galaxy Monsters After Dark! All of these are definitely worth checking out, but be prepared for a wait. One of the most enjoyable parts of the evening was catching the Cadaver Dans on the Rivers of America, floating along the mist filled area serenading the crowd!
Finally, the candy distribution is a little different. There are no allergy specific bags here, although healthy treats are given out in conjunction with the candy treats. We received craisins, apple slices, and carrots in addition to your typical Milky Way, Skittles etc. For Annual Passholders at Disneyland there is a separate treat trail just for you. It’s also worth noting the amount of candy distributed is far less per station then at Disney World.
A couple other minor differences is that the push for merchandise available only during the party isn’t as crazy as it is at Disney World….there are no people staking out stores or pin shops for something coming out right at 7pm when the party starts. The Frightfully Fun Parade is proceeded by the ride of the Headless Horseman and unlike Disney World the story is told before the Horseman arrives and he spends time around each area instead of just riding though like at Disney World. Finally, the parade floats themselves are different than the Boo To You Parade Floats at Disney World.
I’d love to chat with you about other differences between the parks, so feel free to contact me at Carrie@MustLoveTravel.com or (321) 323-9835.
Blogger, Traveler, Wife, Runner….I’m known as many different things. But I’m here to be your Travel Professional. Ever since I was a little girl I had an interest in travel. I would collect the postcards books that my grandparents brought back to me from their travels and I kept them in a special box that I loved to pull out and flip through. As I traveled with my family I started collecting postcards on my own and pictures, maps, and other mementos of my travels.
Believe it or not, I still have those postcards and every once in awhile I’ll bring them out and flip through smiling at the memories they bring back. Although I might not collect postcards anymore I collect photos, stories and information on my travels. I love to soak up a destination, reveling in the local food life. I absolutely love sharing my travel stories, foodie moments and special encounters.