Guest Post: Disneyland Halloween Trip Report

This is a guest post written by Dave Breiland, co-host of the Mousetalgia! Disney Podcast. You can subscribe the Mousetalgia! podcast on iTunes, and can also listen to an episode that features TouringPlans.com! The Halloween overlays at Disneyland have attracted impressive crowds to the Disneyland Resort. Dave visited this weekend (10/17-10/18).

This past weekend, my wife, sister-in-law and I were able to head down to Disneyland for the Halloween Time. We were excited to see all of the decorations and the special attractions for the season. We used some tips from Henry and were able to be very successful! At park opening we went straight to Ghost Galaxy and, before getting in the standby-line, we quick grabbed fastpasses. After “walking-on” to Ghost Galaxy, we went over to Haunted Mansion Holiday for another short line.

Ghost Galaxy was good, but I felt as if only a couple of the effects really worked well. I am hoping that they will be able to improve upon it in the coming years. We went on the ride 3 times, and I really didn’t feel as if I needed to go on it anymore this season. I would agree with others who have said it is not little kid appropriate. Overall, the original Space Mountain attraction is much more enjoyable, especially for the entire family.

The Haunted Mansion Holiday overlay was similar to previous years. I didn’t really notice anything too different or added. My favorite part of Haunted Mansion Holiday is always the gingerbread house! How can they not be selling you gingerbread cookies at the exit? We rode the attraction twice. The first time through it stopped several times, ruining the magic of the storyline. The second ride through the first half of the narration was 15-20 seconds ahead of the ride. Hopefully it runs a smoother than this normally.

Our favorite part of the Halloween festivities was the fireworks show! The Halloween fireworks show was REALLY well done. We stood between the Coca-Cola Refreshment Corner and the hub on Main St and had a great view. Be aware that they project onto a balloon, on the left side of the castle and it may be difficult to see through the trees and other obstacles. Try to aim for the right-side of Main St, to make sure you can see the whole show. I would highly recommend staking a claim an hour before the show, to get a good spot for the fireworks!