Figment's HalloweenTime Trip Reports, 2011 to 2018 - Now with 2018 Including MHP!

Thanks for the update and photos. We loved Halloween at DL and hope to visit again during this time one of these years. I am sad about the Jamboree portion that is closed. We really enjoyed meeting the characters, the pumpkin carvers and the Conjure a Villian tent. Is the CGH Spooky Tree a new thing this year? Really like all the details on the tree. Thanks for sharing with us who can't be there during this time! :-)
 
This is the first year that the GCH has done the spooky tree. They seem to have really gotten into the confectionery creations lately. It all started last year when they created a Gingerbread House in the lobby during the Holidays (it was designed to look like the hotel), then they created a replica of the Castle in the lobby for the 60th anniversary, and now the Spooky Tree for HalloweenTime. Hopefully, they'll do another Gingerbread House this year!
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Haunted Mansion Holiday, 2015
Every year at HalloweenTime, the Haunted Mansion is transformed into the Haunted Mansion Holiday. Jack Skellington and his friends re-decorate the Mansion and move in for a bit (until January normally). Overall, the 2015 version of Haunted Mansion Holiday looked pretty similiar to the previous versions.

Outside the Mansion - As in years past, the outside of the Mansion was elaborately decorated. I didn't notice any major changes from the past years. The pumpkins above the queue were missing for the first few days of the trip, but appeared towards the end of the trip.
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The pet cemetary had ribbons...there was no Oogie Boogie topiary again this year, just a fountain in his place.
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'Twas a long time ago
Longer now than it seems
In a place that perhaps you've seen in your dreams.
For the story that you are about to be told
Began with the holiday worlds of old.
I know you're curious to see what's inside.
It's what happens when two holidays collide.

Welcome, my friends, to our Christmas Delight.
Come witness a ghoulishly glorious sight.
It's time for our holiday tale to begin
There's no turning back now
Please, come all the way in.

Our holiday tale, is a tale that's quite charming
But during this season, it's sometimes alarming.
So relax and reflect, feel free to take pause
While we tell you the tale about dear Sandy Claws.

'Twas the nightmare before Christmas and all through the house
Not a creature was peaceful, not even a mouse.
The stockings, all hung by the chimney with care,
When opened that morning would cause such a scare!
The children nestled all snug in their beds,
Would have nightmares of monsters and skeleton heads.

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Now hurry along
As they say, "Look alive."
This is one holiday you will want to survive.

Jack Skellington came here from Halloween Town,
You'll notice his handiwork scattered around.
This year he's decided to play "Sandy Claws,"
But when Halloween creates Christmas you might see some flaws.

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(This year, Zero barks as he flies through the portraits. After he finishes his visit with Sally, it takes about three cycles of the portraits for him to start moving again. This was one of my favorite additions last year!)
 
And now a dark carriage will take you away,
Sit back, rest in peace in you black Christmas sleigh.
Your sleigh will accommodate one or two or more
We're hope you're prepared for what Jack has in store.

Don't pull on the bar; it will float down with ease
And remember, no flash photography please.
More rapid than vultures, the Mansion was change,
All was soon covered, adorned and deranged.

And what to your wondering eyes disappears,
It's Jack's little friend Zero - the Ghost Dog Reindeer!

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Nothing here was forgotten, it all looks so pleasant,
A coffin, Jack says, makes a fine Christmas present.

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A man-eating plant makes a wonderful wreath
As long as you don't get caught in its teeth.

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Jack's holiday vision was unlike no other,
So ring our the bells, there's more cheer to uncover!

On the Thirteenth day of Christmas, My Ghoul love gave to me:
13 Rings of Power, Embracing Strenght that never ends.
12 Signs of the Zodiac, that Rule the Future and Trancend.
11 Candles Floating, their Scent of Mystery in the Air.
10 Telling Tea Leaves, that Swirled with Secrets yet to Share.
On the Ninth day of Christmas, My Ghoul love gave to me:
9 Magic Crystals, that Sparkled with a force that is Pure.
8 Balls of Knowledge, that answer with a truth that is Sure.
7 Pearls of Wisdom, to keep my Love Bewitched to me.
6 Mystic Mirrors, Reflecting futures yet to be.
On the Fifth day of Christmas, My Ghoul love gave to me:
5 Lucky Charms, to Understand the Right from Wrong.
4 Wheels of Fortune, To Spin their Rich and Golden Song.
3 Life Lines, Extending help to those in need.
2 Passion Potions, That Love and Romance may Succeed.
On the First day of Christmas, My Ghoul love gave to me:
A Star! a Brilliant Star for MY Fortune Card Tree!!!

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With some treats and some games, you can make a scene merry,
Why, even a gingerbread house could be scary.

All at once, happy haunts did materialize,
Like a nightmarish painting by Currier & Ives.

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(Can you spot the hidden Mickey near the coffin coming in through the doorway?)

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(This year's Gingerbread House looks like a card house! Be sure to look for the cards with the Man-Eating Wreaths. Also, I really liked the construction worker Gingerbread people on the table. In September, I didn't notice the smell of Gingerbread in the ballroom, but it might have just been really faint. During the October trip, the Gingerbread scent was pretty noticeable!)
 


A bag full of toys Jack had slung on his back,
They were strange and bizarre - and on the attack!

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(This year's Monkey Bride is in a cage, a little higher than eye level and slightly behind the Doombuggie. She's on the right side of the vehicle, just before you exit the attic. Approximately opposite of where Constance would normally be, just before you see the Snake with the list in its mouth. The present for Bill King is opposite of the Monkey Bride. It's the last present in the attic on the left side the Doombuggie.)

"Sandy Claws" worked his magic, both outside and in,
But one final touch made his bony face grin.
"Now what better gift on my friends to bestow,
Than a graveyard that's covered in ghostly white snow!"

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(Given the popularity of the re-appeared Hatbox Ghost, they opted to keep him in the Haunted Mansion. He has a touch of Christmas added to him (a sprig of holly and a Santa hat nearby)).

Fa La La La La Fa La La La La La
What's this? What's this? What's this? What's this?
Grim Grinning Ghosts Come Out To Socialize!
We wish you a scary Christmas
And a Haunted New Year!
Grim Grinning Ghosts Come Out To Socialize!

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Welcome to Oogie's Holiday Tricks and Treats!
Round and round she goes!
What's your gift? Oogie knows! Bwa-ha-ha!
Are you gettin' a trick or a treat? Isn't this fun?
Oohoohoo! I can't wait to see what you get!
It's gift-givin' time! Ya get what ya get, ahaha!
Have I got a present for you! It's all good here.
Sugar and spice, naughty and nice! Have you been naughty or nice, huuuh?
Well, looky who we got here! I have a special holiday something just for you!
Hang on to your holiday hats! Oogie Claws is comin' at'cha! Woohoohoo!"

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Hurry Back, Hurry Back...
Be sure to bring your Sandy Claws sack,
I'll be waiting to open my Christmas presents.
Hurry Back... Hurry Back...

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Overall, the 2015 edition of Haunted Mansion Holiday is similar to the previous versions. The biggest change, each year, is the gingerbread house. These are the houses since 2011. I still like the one from 2011 the best, but this year's was pretty good too!

2011 - This is my favorite of the more recent houses. I think it fit in with the HMH theme really well; it looks pretty pleasant (except for the eyes) at first and then turns into something more nightmarish!
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2012 - I liked Zero flying around the top of this house, but overall, it looked like just a lot of stairs.
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2013 - Again, I liked Zero on the top of the house and the fact that they opened the panels one by one. You needed to visit towards the end of the season to see all of the panels!
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2014 - This is my least favorite of the gingerbread houses. When it was closed it was okay, but when it opened to reveal the impaled gingerbread person, it was a little to bizarre for me.
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2015 - This one was pretty creative. I really liked all the touches they added to the dining table around the gingerbread house.
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Treats, Candies, and Other Goodies
Another favorite part of Halloween are all the treats, candies, and other goodies. Most of the candies are available at several locations throughout the resort.

Pumpkin Marshmallow Wand - these are marshmallows dipped in caramel, then white chocolate, and covered in orange-colored sugar. Very sweet, but yummy!
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Mummy Mickey Rice Crispie Treat - a rice cripsie treat (yum) decorated to look like a mummy, a sugar skull, or a pumpkin Mickey.
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Decorated Caramel Apples - DLR always does a great job making seasonal caramel dipped apples. They had a Witch Minnie, Maleficent, pumpkin Mickey, Sugar Skull, and Poison Apple. I've always wondered how they made the Poison Apple and I finally saw them making them. They make the "face" by hand for each one (that's why they all look a little different)!
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Souvenir Items
One of Figment's favorite things to do at DLR is collect souvenier items. This time, there were lots of new ones for HalloweenTime (and very few of the 60th Anniversary ones were available).

Poison Apple Mug - One of the most popular items this year was the poison apple mug. Figment got his at the Main Street Fruit Cart (that was probaly the first time he's ever bought anything from the fruit cart). It came with either a bag of grapes or a pineapple spear. The cup is pretty large (and heavy!). The white parts glow in the dark and look pretty spooky at night!
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Figment also got a Poison Apple Mug at Clarabelle's Hand-Scooped Treats. It came with a two scoop sundae; Figment had the Oswald.
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Vampire Mickey Popcorn Bucket - One of this year's premium popcorn bucket is the Vampire Mickey bucket. He's really cute. Figment got his at the BVS popcorn stand in DCA.
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Zero Popcorn Bucket - They had the Zero popcorn bucket again this year. It looks largely the same as last year's version, but this year, Zero glows in the dark. His nose still lights up, but he's also made of glow in the dark material. The 2015 version is on the left and the 2014 version is on the right.
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Travel Mug - This year's Travel Mug featured an image inspired by the Lonesome Ghost cartoon. It was available at locations throughout both parks.
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Popcorn Bucket - There is also a round popcorn bucket featuring the Lonesome Ghosts.
 


Zero Magic Shot
One last bit of Halloween-goodness...select Photopass photographers can add Zero (Jack's ghost dog) to your PP photo. They'll ask you act like you're feeding Zero and then he'll "magically" appear. My group had him added to the photo taken at the Mickey Pumpkin on Main Street. This is what he looks like...
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HalloweenTime, 2016 - Mickey's Halloween Party
Figment Goes to Mickey's Halloween Party, 9/23/16
Keeping up with the tradition, Figment and I (plus my family) went to the first MHP of the year (Friday, September 23, 2016)! This year, there was a brand new parade (Frightfully Fun)! Overall, we had great time and really enjoyed the party and all of the party specific activities. Unlike last year, this year's party felt less crowded (although it was sold out). The attraction lines weren't long, it wasn't that hard to get a good spot to view fireworks or the second parade. It was a good surprise!

The Guide Map!
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There was signage out in the Esplande letting guests know that Disneyland would be closing at 7:00 pm for the party!
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Inside the park were signs saying that Toontown would close at 5:00 pm and that there was a special Toontown Pre-Party Party from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm.
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Once it got closer to 4:00 pm, additional signs were placed at the ticket gates directing party guests to the Special Event turnstiles. We saw someone sitting at the gate at 3:00 pm!
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There was also a wristband distribution location inside the park, just inside of Frontierland (same place as last year). The line looked really long at 4:00 pm, but it moved pretty quickly. We were able to get our sparkly red wristand, treat bag, and party map at that point.
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Some of the signs could be seen near the exit to the Haunted Mansion, just waiting to be put out!
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Toontown Pre-Party
Starting at 6:00 pm, MHP guest (with wristbands) could go to the Toontown Pre-Party for some early Trick-or-Treating and character M&G. We only stopped by briefly. The party sign was out, along with some scarecrow stiltwalkers and witches(?).
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Chip & Dale were out meeting guests in their sailor costumes (last year, they were in their cop & robber outfits).
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Decorations and Other
There were new balloons at the party! These were avialable during the day on Saturday (the next day), but prior to the party, I had only seen the balloons with the spiderweb design.
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The Scarecrows were out! I saw one by Golden Horseshoe and the other was closer to the Stage Door Cafe.
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The Mickey Pumpkin Balloons were out in the Hub.
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The River of America looked pretty spooky with lots of dry ice!
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Even the Jungle Cruise had some atmospheric lighting!
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They were playing Pink Elephants on Parade when we walked by the green elephant on top of the Jungle Cruise!
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One of the street water painters was out and drew Jack Skellington on the ground!
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Continuing with Figment Goes to Mickey's Halloween Party, 9/23/16

Dragon
Along the Big Thunder Trail, near the exit to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, there is an old abandoned mine cave. Last year, some owls were residing in the cave, but this year, something much larger has moved in...the Fantasyland dragon! I finally found the dragon for the first time last year, but they've since demolished the Skyway station where he was hiding. Now he's moved to Frontierland! It's a very cool effect. You can hear him walking and snorting and periodically, his eyes glow a variety of colors.
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Main Street & the Castle
They used the projection equipment on Main Street and the Castle to add some fun visuals to the songs that were playing in the area.
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Halloween Screams
Halloween Screams is one of my favorite fireworks shows at Disneyland. Jack Skellington is the host of the show and his dog Zero makes two appearances! Be sure that you can see the third main spire to the left (the one on the square base), otherwise you'll miss out on the globe where Jack (and others) appear.
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Cadaver Dans
One of my family's favorite things to do at MHP is to listen to the Cadaver Dans. They floated out from the Mark Twain side of the river this year and performed a number of Halloween themed songs.
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Mickey's Halloween Party Dinner Package at the Blue Bayou
The Blue Bayou was offering a special dinner package that included reserved viewing for the new Frightfully Fun parade. The first reservation was at 5:00 pm, which seemed like it should be enough time to eat and still make it to the Toontown Pre-Party. Overally, dinner took about 90 minutes. The package includes three courses plus a standard drink. Most of the items from the regular dinner menu are available, but there was one special item in each course that was exclusive to the package.
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Standard drinks, including the mint julep, are included with the package.
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Each meal included an appetizer, but a bread basket was still offered.
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The first course included three options: Cryptic Crab Cake (package exclusive), Blue Bayou House Salad, or New Orleans Gumbo. While Figment really likes the gumbo at Blue Bayou, the server said the Cryptic Crab Cakes were really good. So he ordered those and they were really good. There was a lot of jumbo lump crab meat in each cake.
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The second course included eight options, including the Grim Grinning Short Rib (exclusive to the package). Figment tried the Grim Grinning Short Rib and the Surf & Turf entree items. The short rib was very tender and had a good sauce. The polenta was kind of bland.
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The Surf & Turf was very good. The lobster tail was very yummy and tender. The filet was prepared perfectly and had excellent flavor.
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The third course has three options: Dark Chocolate Brownie Mousse (package exclusive), Vanilla Bean Creme Bruelee, and the 8-Layer Chocolate-Hazelnut Cake. Figment opted to try all three! The Creme Bruelee was very smooth and the sugar top was fun to crunch.
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The 8-Layer Chocolate-Hazelnut Cake was very rich, but Figment couldn't really taste the hazelnut.
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Of the three desserts, the Brownie Mousse was the richest and the yummiest. It was a brownie topped with dark chocolate mousee enrobed in chocolate ganache. It was so rich, but very creamy and so good!
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At the end of the meal (aka, with the bill), each guest is given a FP that lets them into the reserved viewing area.
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Each guest is also given a souvenier lanyard. The lanyard lights up! It has the instructions on when and where to go.
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And then lastly, each guest is given a trick-or-treat bag of candy weighing 1.5 pounds!
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The viewing for the parade as located on Main Street. There were two areas, one on each side of the street. Both viewing areas started just after the parade crossing location near Carnations/Starbucks. The one of the right (when facing the Train Station), extended to the Emporium (just to the opening under the Crystal Arcade sign). The one of the left, extended to the Main Street Cinema. Guests were asked to arrive between 8:00 pm and 8:30 pm. We arrived around 7:45 pm and there were already a few other guests milling about the area. The CMs eventually had everyone form a line (started at about Carnation Cafe and extended down Main Street towards the Train Station). At a little past 8:00 pm, they began letting us in. We had to give them the FP we got at dinner. It seemed like they wanted to fill the Emporium side viewing area first (one row sitting, one row standing) and then the Starbucks side. The viewing area was about two deep in most places (one sitting, one standing). After the Horseman rode by, they removed the ropes and (I think) opened up the viewing area for anyone.

Like most things on the first night, it was a little confusing/chaotic (especially when one CM was trying to keep guests from lining up before 8:00 pm and another CM was trying to get people organized). Overall, it seemed to work pretty good and I think most everyone got a good view of the parade and Horseman.

In terms of value...the parade route didn't seem that crowded (the second parade had front row spots available almost until show time). The meal at the Blue Bayou was outstanding, so for my family, it was worth it to do the package. But, I don't think I would do the package if the parade viewing is the only reason you're doing it.
 
Frightfully Fun Parade
This year, Mickey's Halloween Party debuted a brand new parade. It was very different from the Cavalcade. Overall, I thought it was an improvement over the Cavalcade, but it was a little short (could have used one more parade unit) and a bit darker than I expected. We watched the first parade from Main Street (near the Emporium in the Blue Bayou Reserved Viewing area) and the second parade from Town Square across from the Mad Hatter Hat Shop.

The parade starts with the Headless Horseman! He was very cool and rode pretty slowly so everyone has a chance to see him. He does carry his pumpkin head in his right hand, so be sure to be on that side for the best view.
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The opening float kind of sets the tone for the parade!
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Following the opening float are some dancers and then it's on to Nightmare Before Christmas!
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The Mayor of HalloweenTime drives down the route in his car. His face switches from happy to worried as he goes!
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Then comes Jack and Sally!
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Next up is the Haunted Mansion...the Hitchhiking Ghosts lead the way!
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They are followed by the ghostly miners...if you've ever seen Boo-To-You (at the MK's MNSSHP), these fellow are very similar to the Gravediggers. They just have different costumes! They even do the trip of scrapping the shovels on the ground to make sparks!
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The next float features Dr. Facilier! Ahead of his float as some of his "friends from the other side". They were both cool and creepy!
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The float itself has a lot of really neat details.
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Last up are the villains themselves! Captain Hook, the Queen of Hearts, and Governor Ratcliffe lead the way. They're followed by the float which features Lady Tremaine and the Stepsisters, Hades, the Evil Queen, Jafar, Judge Frollo, Cruella deVil, and Maleficent (as the dragon). I didn't noticed it the first time, but the Maleficent dragon is an inflatable!
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For those that remember the Cavalcade, the final float has been re-purposed for the Frightfully Fun Parade!
 
Treat Trails
Treat Trails locations were generally marked with a giant inflatable Mickey Ghost balloon and then signage indicating where the trail starts and ends!
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Some of the treat trail stations were themed to the area! These were the stations in Launch Bay! (It looked like Chewie and Kylo Ren were both meeting guests during the party in Launch Bay; when I walked by about 15 minutes before the party ended, the signs said the wait times were about 5 minutes - I saw one group in each line.)
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The Golden Horseshoe Treat Trail wasn't as decorated this year (the stage didn't have any Halloween decor; just the props from the daytime show). There was a little spooky drapery, but that was about it.
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Across the way, the Rancho del Zocalo trail still featured pirates! (It also has a character meet & greet inside.)
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Most all of the treat treat trails featured the same candy assortment, but the "middle" item varied (e.g., Pirates Booty, Kettle Chips, etc.). The two healthy options were apple slices or carrots (not all stations had them). The trail along the River of America had Green Peeps (along with apples/carrots and Z-bars). The Pixie Hollow treat trail also had Peeps!
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The Annual Passholder Treat Trail moved to what's left of the Big Thunder Trail. They had a sign out in front of the Opera House so that guests would know where to go! Each AP holder got a thin black bag with the AP logo on it and some more regular candy (no special/unique candy treat this year).
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Candy
Overall, Figment and his family collected 15.6 pounds of candy (including the gift bags from the Blue Bayou Dining Package). It was a nice assortment of candies (Snickers, Crunch Bars, Kit-Kats, Reese's Cups, M&M's, Whoppers, Milky Ways, etc.), plus bags of pretzels, Pirates Booty, Cheez-Its, and potato chips.
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Thank you for such an in depth look at this year's Halloween party, especially regarding Blue Bayou! This has been incredibly helpful.
 
Grand Californian Halloween Confectionery Display
Keeping with the tradition, the Grand Californian had a Halloween-themed Confectionery display in the lobby. This year, it's in the same place that the Gingerbread House was during the Holidays. It features a giant Mickey pumpkin, lots of little pumpkins, some spiders, and Chip & Dale. It was very impressive and fun to look at. There are 13 Hidden Mickeys in the display. We only found 10, but it was fun a hunt. (There was no sign board up yet - they just finished it the day before - but hopefully one will appear at some point during HalloweenTime.)

All four sides of the display; the front is facing into the lobby.
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The top (and one of the Hidden Mickeys) is only visible from the second floor!
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Chip & Dale were hiding their heads!
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The Spiders returned this year!
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The Pumpkins were cute!
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On to the Hidden Mickeys...the ones we found were mostly on the rock wall or on the Giant Mickey pumpkin. I couldn't find any in the grass or among the leaves (which surprised me) or on the spiders.
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Thank you for the awesome Blue Bayou and Mickey's Halloween Party details and photos. We were at the 9/23 party and had a blast! The parade was awesome! We also got a ton of candy and even after DS set it out while 6 of his buddies were here a few nights ago, we still have candy. :lmao: The CMs were more than generous with the treats.
 
We're doing the Blue Bayou dinner package at the 10/29 party and this post just made me even MORE excited for it! Thank you :teeth:
 

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