Some say that monsters walk the earth. One need only visit a theme park this time of year to see the proof. But, unless you are talking about the increasing crowds, Disneyland’s monsters sure are cute. Today’s Disneyland update was shot as Mickey’s Halloween Party was getting ready to launch for the night and covers some of the interesting projects going on at the Disneyland Resort.
Welcome to Disneyland!It’s mid afternoon on a Wednesday and the front gate lines stretch to the Monorail beam. Halloween is HUGE business for Disney.A park full of people have to leave by 6pm (event times vary). However, the Mickey’s Halloween Party folks are allowed to arrive as early as 3 hours before the start of the event with their ticket. That makes for VERY busy conditions inside Disneyland.Hope you like pumpkins, we have a lot of them in today’s update.See? I warned you. Lots and lots of adorable pumpkins.
Most of the decorations in Disneyland are on the adorable side of things. We are delighted with this very creepy display outside the Starbucks on Main Street.
Only one way to fight off the scary Starbucks skulls . . . more cute pumpkins.This is one of my favorites.One of the very best Halloween displays in the park is the Fortuosity Shop on Main Street.It’s like a scene from Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds in here.
Just behind the Fortuosity Shop is a permanent display window which wasn’t built for Halloween, but none the less is just perfect for the season.
Just across from the Fortuosity Shop, on Center Street, something fun and historic has returned.
Welcome back to the Flower Market.
It’s a really nice touch.Pumpkins adorn the awning above the former ice cream windows.As we make our way to our next stop, we come across this lovely view of Walt and Mickey through some beautiful fall foliage.
Tomorrowland-ing
Tomorrowland is a major bottleneck area. So many things they could do to fix the issue.
The closer you get to the time of the Halloween Party, the bigger the crowds get. Since the park closes so early, most day guests are still in the park, even as the tens of thousands of Halloween Party guests arrive.Disney waits until just before the Halloween Party to inflate all the big Mickey balloons. But we think this one looks a bit like Princess Leia with her honey bun hairdo.Nothing to see here . . . move along.Over at the Carousel of Progress/Innoventions building, work continues on the new Star Wars and Marvel additions.
Got to love Halloween. While walking through Tomorrowland, we spotted Russell and Kevin. GREAT costumes!!!
Have you figured out your Halloween costume yet? We’d love to hear what you’ve got planned.
Halloween Mickey’s Way
We weren’t attending Mickey’s Halloween Party, but you will see plenty of the planning for the big shindig in the hours leading up to it.
Inflatable Mickey on a stick.The treat stations are wheeled out a couple of hours before the party. This one was in Tomorrowland near the Autopia and Monorail.Things start to look a bit spooky around the Haunted Mansion.
They block off some of the pathways around the Rivers of America for a treat trail.
The character photo ops are very popular at Mickey’s party. This one hosts Jack and Sally once the party starts.Some cute plush at the Haunted Mansion gift cart.
I took the train from New Orleans Square to ToonTown Station . . .
This might be the scariest photo in the entire update. . . a sea of strollers silently plotting their revenge on ankles everywhere. 😉For me, Disneyland is all about magic moments. It was getting close to the 6pm early closing of the park to regular guests, as I made my way out of the park, the monorail went whizzing by in front of the Matterhorn. I never get tired of seeing this beautiful machine glide past on a slender concrete rail. Luckily, I had just enough time to snap a couple shots on my phone.
If you take a moment to look, there are so many fascinating vistas in the park.
I hit Main Street as the sun was beginning to wane. They allow exiting guests to shop on Main Street for an additional hour, even as the Halloween Party just gets going.
The nighttime look of Main Street is a bit more colorful during Mickey’s Halloween Party.
Stopped to look at the new Toy Story animated window on Main Street. Like the other new windows, it’s very well done, but perhaps not quite as amazing as the other windows. In this scene, Andy’s arms are swinging Woodie and Buzz from the top of the frame. When Andy leaves, the toys come to life and play:
Bar None
Over at the Grand Californian Hotel, the Hearthstone Lounge is closed for renovations for the next two weeks. To pick up the slack, they’ve got a small bar set up in the lobby and offer tables out on the patio.
For a quick treat, stop by the table in the lobby of the hotel which offers hot cider and DELICIOUS hot chocolate. They also offer cookies and cake pops.
The treat table is located very close to the piano in the lobby.And just beyond the piano is a Halloween Tree made out of cake!
Disney California Adventure
One of the impacts of Disneyland closing early for Mickey’s Halloween Party is an influx of guests to DCA. There are quite a few things to see. Let’s take a stroll.
While waiting to enter DCA, I ran into Chewbacca and a Yeti sparring in the Esplanade. One of the side benefits of being at the parks during the Halloween Party are all the great guest costumes.
Cove Bar Expansion
The popular Cove Bar is taking over a section of the boardwalk (formerly the Mickey Mouse meet and greet gazebo). The additional seating is much needed.
Here and There
These plates aren’t new, but we love seeing these attraction and land inspired items.Try the grey stuff, it’s delicious.
These are clever little cups that look stacked.
The Good Dinosaur
Today is the public opening of the extended preview for The Good Dinosaur (Disney’s upcoming animated film). The preview takes over the Bug’s Live theater temporarily.
The attraction sign for It’s Tough to be a Bug is covered in fabric.
Cars Land
The side entry into Cars Land was calling to me. I just can’t resist this vista.
Heading over to Luigi’s to see how the construction is coming along.
The interior is the same as it was before. The outside too. So far, not much to see.I’m a total theme park nerd. I just can’t walk by a construction fence without looking for cracks. It’s hard to tell in the photo, but the surface area of the attraction appears to be the same size as before. However, the platform is now smooth.
Over by the Grand Californian Hotel and across from Grizzly River Rapids, they have some green construction netting up.
Paradise Pier
Mr. Potato Head was broken the day of my visit.
I’d like to take just a moment to share some images from one of my favorite theme park stores, Treasures In Paradise. This shop us just packed with details and pieces from classic carousels. Really some stunning work in here.
Outside, where the Duffy meet and greet was, caricature artists have taken up residence.
It’s the great wall of Duffy.
The force is strong with this one!
Bonus Shots
At this time of night, the faux sky painted the side of the Hyperion Theater bends in nearly perfectly with the night sky. (Hollywood Land is closed in this photo for a private party)
And with that we close our update for this week. Thank you for hanging in there with my iPhone photos in this update. Amazing how handy a cell phone can be in a pinch!
You must be logged in to post a comment.