Just got back from a wonderful trip to DCA for the first night of Mickey's Halloween Treat - and absolutely loved it! For a $15 ticket, I wasn't expecting anything huge (and there wasn't, really), but I did feel like I got my money's worth!
Crowds of passholders were in full force (it sold out before tickets even went on sale to the general public!) tonight. Lots of folks in costume! The vast majority of kids were dressed up, and I'd say 1/3-1/2 of the adults dressed up. I, of course, was all set in my Sorcerer Mickey costume that I finally finished!
Waits were longer at some of the candy stops and the characters... however, ride lines were virtually non-existent! I think it was due in part to the large number of younger children there, who were trick-or-treating rather than going on thrill rides. Screamin' and ToT were virtually walk-ons. The photo systems for the rides were running... unfortunately, Screamin' wasn't selling photos! The one timeI would have actually bought one, too.
As far as shops and food goes, there was little to be found. Most shops were closed, as well as food stands. The hot dog place in Hollywood Pictures Backlot was open, but that was about it. The tortilla place wasn't even open!
Characters... some great ones out there tonight! For a three-hour event, there were plenty to be found. Here's the ones I recall seeing:
Pacific Wharf
-Mickey and Minnie (Have a designated photo spot by the bridge)
-Pluto (wanders)
-Goofy (wanders)
-Aladdin, Jasmine and Genie (I think they were headed somewhere else, but I didn't find out where)
Hollywood Pictures Backlot
-Jojo and Goliath (in front of Playhouse Disney)
-Captain Hook (in front of the Hyperion entrance)
-Cruella DeVil (in front of the Hyperion entrance)
-Lady Tremaine (WOO! Also in front of the Hyperion entrance)
-Evil Queen (I didn't see her, but someone in my group said they saw her in front of the Hyperion as well)
Sunshine Plaza
-Donald
-Daisy
Paradise Pier (by the Cove Bar)
-Aurora
(one or two other princesses, but I don't recall who... I think Snow White was one of them)
Characters I saw in the finale, but don't know if/where they did sets:
-Peter Pan and Wendy
-Kenai and Koda
-Mr. and Mrs. Incredible
For most characters I saw, lines and/or mobs (
) weren't too bad. The only huge wait was for Mickey and Minnie. We waited probably about half an hour to see them. We had fun even waiting, though! There was a DJ up on the Pacific Wharf stage playing some classic songs, and we were all dancing and having a great time. I think the highlight of that wait was having a group of 8 college-aged kids, all of us doing the Hokey Pokey very energetically! :lol:
There was also a band out in Sunshine Plaza for a good part of the night (using the Wave Riders rolling stage). Didn't see a whole lot of them, but what I did see was pretty good.
The finale for the night was also a very nice touch - all the characters came down into Sunshine Plaza in a cavalcade to a very catchy little Halloween tune (something about "happy happy Halloween"). It was a cute little send-off!
For anyone planning on going to one of the remaining nights (which I believe are all already sold out, but I could be mistaken), here's a couple of tips:
-Don't go straight for the candy stops near the entrance right away - they have HUGE lines then, but by the end of the night we were able to walk right over to them. Maybe starting towards the back of the park
-If you want photos with Mickey and Minnie, go early!! The line grew fast, and we waited probably a half hour or so.
Overall, I'd say the event was definitely worth it! He had lots of fun, got some candy, and got in a few rides. I'd say my only complaints would be the lack of time (3 hours felt really rushed, especially when some of the trick-or-treat lines got long) and the lack of food places open. I'd love to see this come back in the future, though! Word has it that this is a test event this year, to see how it's received by locals. If all goes well, in a couple of years we may be seeing a larger event, more along the lines of MNSSHP! In the mean time, I'll be happy to come back for next year, God-willing.
Photos Available Here!!
Crowds of passholders were in full force (it sold out before tickets even went on sale to the general public!) tonight. Lots of folks in costume! The vast majority of kids were dressed up, and I'd say 1/3-1/2 of the adults dressed up. I, of course, was all set in my Sorcerer Mickey costume that I finally finished!
Waits were longer at some of the candy stops and the characters... however, ride lines were virtually non-existent! I think it was due in part to the large number of younger children there, who were trick-or-treating rather than going on thrill rides. Screamin' and ToT were virtually walk-ons. The photo systems for the rides were running... unfortunately, Screamin' wasn't selling photos! The one timeI would have actually bought one, too.
As far as shops and food goes, there was little to be found. Most shops were closed, as well as food stands. The hot dog place in Hollywood Pictures Backlot was open, but that was about it. The tortilla place wasn't even open!
Characters... some great ones out there tonight! For a three-hour event, there were plenty to be found. Here's the ones I recall seeing:
Pacific Wharf
-Mickey and Minnie (Have a designated photo spot by the bridge)
-Pluto (wanders)
-Goofy (wanders)
-Aladdin, Jasmine and Genie (I think they were headed somewhere else, but I didn't find out where)
Hollywood Pictures Backlot
-Jojo and Goliath (in front of Playhouse Disney)
-Captain Hook (in front of the Hyperion entrance)
-Cruella DeVil (in front of the Hyperion entrance)
-Lady Tremaine (WOO! Also in front of the Hyperion entrance)
-Evil Queen (I didn't see her, but someone in my group said they saw her in front of the Hyperion as well)
Sunshine Plaza
-Donald
-Daisy
Paradise Pier (by the Cove Bar)
-Aurora
(one or two other princesses, but I don't recall who... I think Snow White was one of them)
Characters I saw in the finale, but don't know if/where they did sets:
-Peter Pan and Wendy
-Kenai and Koda
-Mr. and Mrs. Incredible
For most characters I saw, lines and/or mobs (
) weren't too bad. The only huge wait was for Mickey and Minnie. We waited probably about half an hour to see them. We had fun even waiting, though! There was a DJ up on the Pacific Wharf stage playing some classic songs, and we were all dancing and having a great time. I think the highlight of that wait was having a group of 8 college-aged kids, all of us doing the Hokey Pokey very energetically! :lol:There was also a band out in Sunshine Plaza for a good part of the night (using the Wave Riders rolling stage). Didn't see a whole lot of them, but what I did see was pretty good.
The finale for the night was also a very nice touch - all the characters came down into Sunshine Plaza in a cavalcade to a very catchy little Halloween tune (something about "happy happy Halloween"). It was a cute little send-off!
For anyone planning on going to one of the remaining nights (which I believe are all already sold out, but I could be mistaken), here's a couple of tips:
-Don't go straight for the candy stops near the entrance right away - they have HUGE lines then, but by the end of the night we were able to walk right over to them. Maybe starting towards the back of the park
-If you want photos with Mickey and Minnie, go early!! The line grew fast, and we waited probably a half hour or so.
Overall, I'd say the event was definitely worth it! He had lots of fun, got some candy, and got in a few rides. I'd say my only complaints would be the lack of time (3 hours felt really rushed, especially when some of the trick-or-treat lines got long) and the lack of food places open. I'd love to see this come back in the future, though! Word has it that this is a test event this year, to see how it's received by locals. If all goes well, in a couple of years we may be seeing a larger event, more along the lines of MNSSHP!
In the mean time, I'll be happy to come back for next year, God-willing. Photos Available Here!!
