Matthew and Spencer all dressed up and ready to go. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
For several years the only opportunity to experience a Halloween event at the Disneyland Resort has been the cast member-exclusive party known as “Little Monsters.” After a brief experiment a decade ago at Disneyland, Halloween has returned to Anaheim in the form of Mickey’s Halloween Treat at Disney’s California Adventure park. Tickets to the event were hard to come by as Annual Passholders quickly bought them up, selling out dates even before they were open to the general public. Armed with my three children, Dash, 7, Buzz Lightyear, 4, and Squirt, 18-months-old, me, my husband, and two of our MousePlanet friends ventured to the first Mickey’s Halloween Treat on Friday, October 21.
Trick or treat?
Cast members greeted us just past the Disney’s California Adventure gates passing out our trick-or-treat bags. We quickly realized that we had to make a trip back to the gate to pick up our guides to the evening. Cast members hosted 13 trick-or-treat stations set up throughout the park, with the entire Golden State area of the park greyed out of the event map. Reading the map carefully, Taste Pilot’s Grill and Soarin’ Over California were open. Heading towards Paradise Pier, the first several trick-or-treat stations we passed had long lines of guests waiting for their treats. We continued until we saw a shorter, more manageable line across from the Jumpin’ Jellyfish attraction. The cast members at each station seemed to be very happy to see all of us, but especially our children. The children’s bags were much heavier by the end of the night than their parents’ bags.
Trick or Treat doors throughout the park indiciate where candy is available. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
They asked us if we had maps for the stickers but the maps did not appear to be necessary in order to trick-or-treat. Guests could revisit trick-or-treat stations if they wanted. At many stations, the stickers seemed to slow down the lines but at some of the longer lines, cast members were passing the stickers down the lines and the candy handlers were slowing the process. At the second Halloween Treat held on Saturday night, the stations had more cast members passing out stickers and the lines moved much better. The candy selection was nearly the same at each and every station. With little candy variety between stations, the primary motivation to visit all of the stations was to collect map stickers and, of course, more of the same candy.
Photo opportunities
The event guide advertised three official photo opportunity locations throughout the park where you can get your party’s photo taken with a character in a formal meet-and-greet setting. On Paradise Pier near the Ariel’s Grotto restaurant, various Disney Princesses charmed families who waited to meet them. In the Pacific Wharf area, Zorro Mickey and Nurse Minnie greeted visitors. Finally, the Villians camped out in the Hollywood Backlot. Unfortunately, the event guide failed to communicate that the lines for these opportunities would close well before the end of the event. We waited hoping the lines would get shorter later in the evening, but when we returned to the Mickey and Minnie line just before 10 p.m., the cast members had closed the line.
Unlike Walt Disney World’s Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, guests do not receive a complimentary photo with their admission to Mickey’s Halloween Treat. Guests may use their own cameras at the photo opportunities and/or purchase photos from Disney.
Throughout the park, guests are able to pose with Disney characters. Photo by David Michael.
Throughout the park we had informal photo opportunities with Disney characters, including Lilo & Stitch, Goofy, Goofy’s son, Max, A Bug’s Life‘s Flik and Princess Atta, Disney Channel characters Stanley and Bear in the Big Blue House, and Monsters Inc.‘s furry hero, Sully. We even spotted Disneyland regulars Peter Pan and Wendy on our way out of the park. Much to our disappointment, especially to my 4-year-old Buzz Lightyear, Buzz, Woody and Jessie stayed home Friday night. Consulting the Disney catalog and scanning the crowds on Friday night, Buzz, Woody and Jessie costumes far outsold Lilo costumes, and there were several characters available for which Disney does not sell costumes. I’m sure other Toy Story fans would have loved the opportunity to meet their hero clones. I wish Disney had included more of the characters whose popular costumes they sold.
Entertainment
The regular Disney’s California Adventure musical loop was replaced by a loop of Halloween-ish tunes. We heard “Heffalumps and Woozles” several times throughout the evening, along with other songs such as “Grim Grinning Ghosts” and some unusual versions of the usual silly monster songs. At the entrance to Bountiful Farms, a troop of Scarecrows engaged guests in improvisational banter, which was my favorite entertainment of the evening. Disney set up the Pacific Wharf tables for crafts including a handheld Mickey-O-Lantern mask, although the long lines for two trick-or-treat stations and the Mickey and Minnie photo opportunity in the area made navigating the area a challenge. Bands performed for most of the evening in the Sunshine Plaza and bug’s land. The Pacific Wharf and bug’s land housed a second craft and face-painting station. The face painters especially impressed MousePad member Carolyn, who posted, “Real artists were doing them so they were very detailed and unique.”
Crafts area at the Pacific Wharf. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
The Boardwalk games opened for free for the evening. MousePad member mi_mous posted, “You play for candy, but it still allows you to play, and perhaps ‘practice’ for those times you actually do pay. I enjoyed that, cause my kids always want to play them, (they are only 4 and 2) and I can’t dish out the $3 to play a game I know that they will not win. Call me cheap, but I just don’t see the point. Tonight they loved, cause they could actually play the games they have always wanted to play!”
It’s not easy to Hula Hoop when dressed as a princess… Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
Shopping and Dining
Many stores are open but none offered special event merchandise, including pins, which seems highly unusual for a special event. The only event logoed item we saw were the bright purple sweatshirts cast members not in costume wore, but these were their work uniforms and were not available for purchase. Few outdoor vending carts came out for the evening, but Pizza Oo Mow Mow, Burger Invasion, Award Weiners and the Taste Pilot’s Grill were open.
A good start…
All in all, the Halloween Treat was a fun event, but there’s room for improvement. The entertainment department showed up, but the dining and merchandise departments stayed home. Don’t outdoor vending carts with spiced cider and hot cocoa sound tempting to you? I know many people would have snapped up sweatshirts sporting the event logo.
Using projectors, Disney is able to give California Screamin’ a Halloween makeover. Photo by David Michael.
My greatest disappointment came at the end of the evening. Disney needs to create a schedule and be upfront with guests that attractions and special opportunities will close before the end of the event. We spent the last 45 minutes of the event being turned away from attractions that we did not know would be closing so early. Based on this past weekend’s events, Disney should probably add one or two more official photo locations to manage the crowds. If a formal location with Toy Story and Monsters, Inc. characters were available our little boys would have been very happy.
MousePlanet staff member Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix offered several suggestions based on her experience attending Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party at Walt Disney World: “A parade would be nice, and they need a ‘closing moment’ so people know it’s really time to go.” Adrienne further suggests that Disney add more interactive entertainment such as storytelling, and I agree. I would love to see more of the interaction we experienced with the Scarecrows at the Bountiful Farms entrance. Disney has a great resource in their Laughing Stock staff that I’m sure they could further use at this event.
Halloween decorations, including some live decorations, are added to boost the atmosphere. Photo by David Michael.
I left the event Friday night a bit disappointed. I was not sure that I will return next year. But the day after our visit, my sons told me how much fun they had. I can’t stay bitter too long. If ticket sales are any indication, I would expect Disney to bring Mickey’s Halloween Treat back next year—and I am likely to take my kids there again.
Here are a few tips for this upcoming weekend’s Mickey’s Halloween Treat Events:
Arrive early – We encountered lines to park and at the security check stations. Arrive as early as you can to avoid these lines.
Don’t forget to grab a map – The event guide shows guests where to find the 13 trick-or-treat stations and lists the photo opportunities, craft areas, and music locations. However, keep in mind it fails to note that most locations will close considerably earlier than the announced event ending at 10:30.
Get your photo opportunity early in the evening – Few stations ran out of candy but the lines for the photo opportunities closed considerably earlier than the announced event ending. At the Saturday night event, cast members told guests that if they got in line for Mickey and Minnie at 9:15 they might not get their photo taken. On Friday, we had hoped that by waiting that the lines would shorten. They didn’t, and we lost any opportunity to get a photo with the formal themed background.
Move to the back, folks! – The front of the park seems to crowd up earliest. Head to the back of the park at the beginning of the evening where it’s less crowded, then work your way forward again.
Bring your own wheelchair or stroller if you can – Wheelchair and stroller rentals are available but the lines were long at the beginning of the event. Avoid losing time to those lines if you can. If you plan to visit Disneyland earlier in the day, consider renting a stroller or wheelchair there and then taking it across the Esplanade to the Halloween Treat at Disney’s California Adventure.
Bring your own bag or plastic bucket – We saw one Princess’s bag break and met up with another guest who reported that his bag broke as well. Guests at next weekend’s events might consider bringing a bag to reinforce the bags Disney provides.
