Disney Trip TIp #3

Costumes are optional

I have a good friend, Karen, who has been telling me for years how great "Mickey's Halloween Party at Disneyland" is. This year I finally decided to follow her advice and we included it in our Disney trip plans.
As I wrote in a previous post, we didn't tell the little boys until just a couple of hours before we were going. This meant that I had to plan and pack Halloween costumes for them. Epic Fail there. They weren't the costumes they had picked out so it took quite a bit of persuasion  to convince Ter that what I brought was what he wanted to wear. But once in the park the boys had a great time. I had lots of questions for my friend before we went so I am going to share all the facts here just in case you are thinking about it. (The official Disney link is here Mickey's Halloween Party but if  you are going this year you better hurry ... it is almost completely sold out for this year).

Crafts at Big Thunder Ranch

First off, you buy your ticket for the party and that gets you into the park at 3pm. I understand that they alternate parks. This year it was at Disneyland but in the past they have held it at California Disney. Your party ticket is all you need but be aware that this is not a park hopper. Whichever park the party is in, that's the only one you get to go to. You get full access of the park from 3pm to 11pm so it is a bit of a bargain.
Second, when you enter the park you receive a wrist band. DON'T LOSE IT!!! At 6pm everyone without a wrist band must leave. This wasn't a problem for any of us but Andrew. His was a little loose and kept slipping off. You also get your trick or treat bag (no, you  don't have to bring your own). Every person entering gets one ... make sure you take it. Everyone gets to trick or treat ... and you don't have to have a costume. But there are some amazing ones. People really get into dressing up and we saw some amazing outfits. Treat stations are set up throughout the entire park but you don't have to get in all the lines. The same treats (fun size candy bars, tootsie pops, tootsie rolls, apple slices, carrots and raisins) are handed out at all the stations. Each line has about 4 stations and you can get right back in the line after you come to the end. Everybody's bag gets full by the end of the evening. We enjoyed the area near Splash Mountain and also in the Innovations exhibit. Neither was very busy.
One of the best things about the party is that all of the rides are open but most people aren't riding them. We walked right on every ride with most of them being less than a 15 minute wait. Several, like Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Railroad, you could get right back on after getting off.


Bears from the old Country Bear Jamboree attraction

There are also opportunities to meet Disney characters everywhere. The boys' favorites were Phineas and Ferb and Agent P. But they also got to meet Jedi warriors, the guys from Winnie the Pooh, and several others.

The Villains close the show

There are a couple of areas you don't want to miss out on. One is the Big Thunder Ranch area. Here you not only get to meet Woody and his girl Jessie from Toy Story, but there are crafts to work on, games to play and the most amazing pumpkin carvers. When we were there, there were absolutely no crowds. The boys got to walk right up and interact with Mickey and Minnie (who were also wearing their Halloween costumes) and Chip and Dale. There is a stage here but we weren't there when the live entertainment was. Big Thunder Ranch is located in the area between Fantasyland and Big Thunder Railroad. It also features a petting zoo.

Finally, to make the evening more magical is the special entertainment. If an awesome fireworks display isn't enough, there were special dance parties, and the coolest parade. I loved the parade, especially the appearance by the Country Bears. The Country Bear Jamboree used to be one of my very favorite things at Disneyland and seeing these characters again made my night. We found an awesome spot to watch. It's on the curb near the hat shop at the beginning of Main Street. Depending on whether you see the first parade or the second, it either comes out right there or ends. But regardless, it is perfect because there was no crowd in this area.
We thought the parade was completely over when all of a sudden a horse drawn carriage came out carrying all the villains you could want. My favorite, Maleficent, was front and center. They were dropped off at the train station where they closed down the party with their very "unscary" song.
I would totally recommend Mickey's Halloween Party no matter how old you are. It was my favorite night at Disneyland. And the last night of our trip. We all went home tired but full of memories of our excellent adventure. Thanks Karen for all your advice!