Had such a great week at DL this month that I'm heading back in Sept!!!

[CassieScraps]

We had a great vacation with my mom and the bazillion kiddos. It was a little stressful, but overall it was a good trip. I'll post more about my trip once I've caught my breath!

My littlest princess has gotten it into her head that we are going to DL for her 5th birthday. My DH said "why not?" Soooo, I am planning a quick surprise 3 day trip for just the three of us. I am stoked! And I should have "found" the money to swith our 5 day PH's into AP's when I was there. Oh well!

Is it worth it to stay on property? It's a difference of about $700 and the only difference is the MMH, unless I'm totally missing something? While that would be awesome, that's a lot of extra cash that could be better spent.

I'm not gonna lie....I am looking forward to this trip especially. It's just about her and what she wants. No big kids running off, no trying to coordinate meeting times with them, no fussing when we park the stroller in the shade for an hour to rest, no crying over rides they can ride and she can't. I think this will be totally less stressful.

 

[figment_jii]

I'm glad to hear that you had a great time!

When are you going in September? September is a transition month, so there are "big" differences between the start of the month and the end of the month. The first weekend in September corresponds with Labor Day and the Disneyland Half Marathon. So crowds are likely to be high during that weekend (Thu-Mon), but there will be more entertainment. Immediately after Labor Day, the parks begin a rapid transition to HalloweenTime. Haunted Mansion will likely be down from mid/late August and Space will likely go down for five days before the start of HalloweenTime. My guess is that HalloweenTime will start somewhere between the second and third weekends in September (I'm guess September 12), but they haven't announced the official dates yet. Based on the last few years, Mickey's Halloween Party (a separate hard ticket event) should begin towards the end of the month (last Friday of September or so), but they probably won't announce the dates for several months.

September 18 is the Fall Dapper Day, which means there are pretty good rates at the Disney hotels that you might want to look into. Yes, the biggest perk of staying on-site is EMH (which happens in DCA and DL on approximately alternating days).

 

[CassieScraps]

We are flexible with dates. Her birthday is the 6th but I think we want to avoid Labor Day so we were looking at the following weekend. Although now that I know the 18th is Dapper Day, I kinda want to do that, lol.
She really wants to ride Space Mountain so I don't want to go when that could be closed.

Is Halloween at DL scary? I don't want her to get scared there.

 

[Aladora]

We are flexible with dates. Her birthday is the 6th but I think we want to avoid Labor Day so we were looking at the following weekend. Although now that I know the 18th is Dapper Day, I kinda want to do that, lol.
She really wants to ride Space Mountain so I don't want to go when that could be closed.

Is Halloween at DL scary? I don't want her to get scared there.

DS loves Space Mountain, it his his absolute favourite ride but he hates it as Ghostly Galaxy!

It might not be a bad idea to look at a ride video in advance to see if you think it might be a bit too much for her.

 

[Elk Grove Chris]

Staying onsite can be a lot of fun, especially for the extra hours. That being said, I would much rather take those extra funds and spend them on something else, like a nice sit down meal each day, or a Fantasmic package, or a princess package. OR AN EXTRA DAY!

 

[YukonMommy]

Is it worth it to stay on property? It's a difference of about $700 and the only difference is the MMH, unless I'm totally missing something? While that would be awesome, that's a lot of extra cash that could be better spent. You are going to get a variety of answers for this! So here is my opinion. No. The $700 can be spent on so many other things like a candy apple to eat while watching the parade, a F! package, a princess dress of DD choice for her bday, meals, souveniers, etc.



Is Halloween at DL scary? I don't want her to get scared there. From what I have read and the pics I have seen it is not. The villians do come out for the Halloween party (someone correct me if I am wrong!) and some kids can be scared by them if they have seen the movies.

Have a magical time!

 

[figment_jii]

We are flexible with dates. Her birthday is the 6th but I think we want to avoid Labor Day so we were looking at the following weekend. Although now that I know the 18th is Dapper Day, I kinda want to do that, lol. She really wants to ride Space Mountain so I don't want to go when that could be closed.

Unfortunately, until we know when HalloweenTime is slated to start, it's hard to say when Space Mountain will close for installation of the Ghost Galaxy overlay. Given the popularity of HalloweenTime, I can't really imagine Disney waiting a week longer than normal to start it. If the pattern from the last few years were to hold, it would start on Friday, September 11. However, given the significance of that date, it seems kind of unlikely that they'd start something festive on that date. So my guess is a delay until Saturday, September 12. I think September 18 is the very latest that they'd start it. So if you waited until the Dapper Day weekend, I think you have the best chance of HalloweenTime having started.

Is Halloween at DL scary? I don't want her to get scared there.

No, Halloween at Disneyland is really geared for families and children. During the daytime, there are pumpkin decor on Main Street and Frontierland. At Big Thunder Ranch there are characters in Halloween costumes and a Villains meet & greet (but it's inside a tent, so if you wanted to avoid it you could). Overall, very little of HalloweenTime at DLR is scary. MHP, which usually start at the end of the month, are also very family friendly. They have some more "scary" elements, but nothing like Universal's Horror Nights or Knott's Scary Farm.

 

[CassieScraps]

Thanks for the replies so far!! I've talked with DH and while I'd like to do Dapper Day, we both think that maybe waiting until the 1st or 2nd week of October would be good so that we can (hopefully) do MHP. And I think we'll wait for another visit to stay on property and use the extra $$ for a F! package since she really loved the show, but we only saw it from the handicapped viewing area, which limited what we saw.

I really wish DL would give out dates of MHP or when Halloween Time was starting so we could plan a little better. I hate this guessing game. And I don't want to wait until July to start booking. (I'm a planner, lol)

 

[Angrose]

FYI...Oct 2-4 is Gay Days, so it will be more crowded that weekend. Here's their website: http://www.gaydaysanaheim.com/ They also have great rates for the onsite hotels, similar to Dapper Days, and from what I've read, the crowds are about the same as well.

 

[figment_jii]

Thanks for the replies so far!! I've talked with DH and while I'd like to do Dapper Day, we both think that maybe waiting until the 1st or 2nd week of October would be good so that we can (hopefully) do MHP.

Just note that the first weekend in October is Gay Days, which is very popular so long lines and high crowds are likely. The second weekend in October is Columbus Day weekend (so a three-day weekend) plus CHOC walk on Sunday which also means high crowds.

 

[Sherry E]

We are flexible with dates. Her birthday is the 6th but I think we want to avoid Labor Day so we were looking at the following weekend. Although now that I know the 18th is Dapper Day, I kinda want to do that, lol.
She really wants to ride Space Mountain so I don't want to go when that could be closed.

Is Halloween at DL scary? I don't want her to get scared there.

Halloween Time at Disneyland is the kind and gentle alternative to almost everything else Halloween-related in Southern California! There is an abundance of super-scary/gory horror-centered Halloween fun (if that's what one is into) to be had at Knott's Scary Farm/Halloween Haunt, Universal's Halloween Horror Nights, the Queen Mary's Dark Harbor, Six Flags Magic Mountain's Fright Fest, the Los Angeles Haunted Hayride, etc.

As was previously mentioned, there are Villains in the Conjure a Villain tent at the Halloween Carnival in Frontierland, and there will be Villains at Mickey's Halloween Party. There are some spooky effects at the party, such as fog over the Rivers of America and along the Big Thunder Trail. There are images projected onto assorted facades and walkways, such as skulls and spider webs and that kind of thing. There is usually a "scarecrow guy" or two stationed somewhere at the party. The Halloween Screams fireworks are very Villain-centric.

But, in general, everything is whimsical and lighthearted, and the focus is largely on pumpkins more than anything else. Pumpkins on Main Street. Carved pumpkins at the Halloween Carnival. Pumpkins in the Ray Bradbury Halloween Tree. A giant Mickey pumpkin in Town Square. Character pumpkins above the turnstiles at the entrance to Disneyland. Lots of pumpkins, and quite a bit of Nightmare Before Christmas-oriented décor and merchandise.

 

[lovebug33]

I wouldn't spend the money on the hotel. 700 bucks would be more than what we spend on food in three days. That could be gas, food, and souvenirs!

 

[CassieScraps]

Okay, so with everyone's help, I am whittling it down.

We have decided no matter what that we are staying off property. So that's settled.

Sept 3rd - 7th is Labor Day weekend and too early for Halloween. So we won't do that.
Sept 17th - 21st is Dapper Day weekend - probably crowded, might be to early for Halloween still?
Oct 1st - 5th - Gay Days - probably crowded - Halloween will be up and running
Oct 8th - 16th - Columbus Day and CHOC walk - crowded

So it is looking like we either go Sept 24th - 28th or we go Oct 15th - 19th or Oct 22nd - 26th. The deciding factor is when does HalloweenTime start and when with MHP's be scheduled.

You all have been super helpful in helping me get this figured out. Reading all the info here has me wanting to tell DH that we can stay an extra day, leave a little later on Thursday (so I can work that morning), just go to the park during the hours for MHP on one of the days (hopefully a Friday) and still have 3 full days of park time. I don't know if he'll go for that, but it's worth a shot, hahaha.

Now all I can do is wait for the big Halloween announcement. Gah!!! It's killing me!!

I mentioned to him that we could wear our Halloween costumes from last year to MHP:

 

[figment_jii]

Sept 3rd - 7th is Labor Day weekend and too early for Halloween. So we won't do that.
Sept 17th - 21st is Dapper Day weekend - probably crowded, might be to early for Halloween still?
Oct 1st - 5th - Gay Days - probably crowded - Halloween will be up and running
Oct 8th - 16th - Columbus Day and CHOC walk - crowded

Truthfully, I'd be stunned if HalloweenTime has not started by the Dapper Day weekend. That's almost a full week later than for the last several years. The big unknown at this date is whether or not MHP would have started. Based on the recent past, the parties won't have started yet, but with all the changes to the parks for the 60th, it's not clear how it'll impact HalloweenTime and MHP.

So it is looking like we either go Sept 24th - 28th or we go Oct 15th - 19th or Oct 22nd - 26th. The deciding factor is when does HalloweenTime start and when with MHP's be scheduled.

I think any of these dates are okay, but if you're aiming to go to a MHP, I would err on the side of caution and wait to go until October. If the recent past is an indicator of this year, there should be a party on September 25 (Fri), but there is no way to know at this point if the parties are going to start like they have recently (last Friday in September), start earlier or even later (a little less likely, I think). Still to be safe, I'd aim for the October dates.

 

[babyatlas]

I would not go October 15-19th. Utah is home to a ton of Disney fans and that weekend is fall break from the schools and I've heard that everyone from Utah descends on Disneyland.....okay, maybe not everyone but I've noticed the Utah Fall Break mentioned in many posts and online so just be aware.......

 

[JadeDarkstar]

The pic is very cute. Also I went during Gay days once and did not really notice a huge difference. Also I do think mid sep Halloween party s might start.
Good luck and have fun

 

[Sherry E]

Sept 17th - 21st is Dapper Day weekend - probably crowded, might be to early for Halloween still?

So it is looking like we either go Sept 24th - 28th or we go Oct 15th - 19th or Oct 22nd - 26th. The deciding factor is when does HalloweenTime start and when with MHP's be scheduled.

You all have been super helpful in helping me get this figured out. Reading all the info here has me wanting to tell DH that we can stay an extra day, leave a little later on Thursday (so I can work that morning), just go to the park during the hours for MHP on one of the days (hopefully a Friday) and still have 3 full days of park time. I don't know if he'll go for that, but it's worth a shot, hahaha.

Now all I can do is wait for the big Halloween announcement. Gah!!! It's killing me!!

Stay tuned to the Halloween Time at DLR Superthread - http://www.disboards.com/threads/ha...ween-time-2015.3270919/page-134#post-53548384. Please join us there any time! Any time there are any Halloween Time or MHP rumors, bits of news, bits of info that could shed light on how things will go, etc., I will post and discuss them there.

I have talked a lot about this in the Superthread, but I will add extra thoughts.

Since early last year I have been saying that I thought September 11th would be a horrible day to start Halloween Time this year. It's always possible that it could happen, but it's just a bad day for a celebratory event -- much like how Disneyland never starts its holiday season on the actual Veterans Day holiday anymore (they did in the past, but stopped that practice). It's disrespectful, I think, or in poor taste, because the opening of the season takes away from the poignancy and meaning of that particular day. They will certainly roll out the holiday décor and most of the entertainment by Veterans Day weekend, but they never "officially" begin the holiday season on Veterans Day anymore.

However, I can see a scenario in which Halloween Time could begin before September 11th at some point down the road -- maybe not this year, but in the future. I think the main issue would be to not start any major event on a specific, significant day like that -- but anything before it or after it is fair game.

Another reason why I tend to doubt that Halloween Time would officially begin on 9/11 this year is because it's only 4 days after Labor Day. Usually there is a much bigger gap between Labor Day and the start of Halloween Time -- not just 4 days. I can picture Halloween decorations beginning to appear right after Labor Day, and Halloween merchandise will probably show up in DL in late August, but I don't know if the season would officially begin so close to Labor Day.

My guess would be that Halloween Time will start on Saturday, 9/12 (in which case it will also end on a Saturday too, as Halloween is on a Saturday), or somewhere between Mon., 9/14 and Thurs., 9/17. I think that 9/18 might be too late, but this year could be different because the focus is really on the events of the 60th anniversary.

One scenario that could take place is that Disney could take advantage of the short gap between Labor Day and the expected beginning of Halloween Time, and keep some of the Labor Day visitors around for a few extra days. They could start Halloween Time before 9/11 -- like on 9/10, or even 9/9. That way, some of the Labor Day visitors would stick around to experience Haunted Mansion Holiday and all of the other seasonal fun.

It all depends, I think, on how much time is needed to get everything up and running, and how much it is or is not going to interfere with other things going on in the parks.

If there are any huge changes in MHP this year, such as a change of location, a change in exclusive entertainment or a significant increase in the number of party nights, I would expect that the Parks Blog will post an announcement earlier than usual -- as early as May or maybe by early June. If everything is going to go forward without any big changes, then they will probably just do their usual early July (or maybe late June) blog about the party dates and the Halloween Time start date.