Halloween at Disneyland, Pt. 2

These pictures do not do justice to the lighting effects at Disneyland during Mickey's Halloween Party. As you walk along the corridor between Fantasyland and Big Thunder Mountain, you'll see some of the best lighting effects. I especially liked the eerie glow that emanated from the old Nature's Wonderland tunnels that have been boarded up since Big Thunder Mountain was built:



You'd almost expect a haunted runaway train to come crashing through here any minute. Please—more of this stuff!



Jack Sparrow was posing near the Mark Twain dock at one of the photo stations; the young ladies really seemed to dig this particular photo opp.



Again...photos do not do justice to the mist, fog, and lighting effects that turned the Rivers of America into something out of a Stephen King thriller.



The other Jack (Mr. Skellington) was holding court in New Orleans Square at his own photo station:



The Haunted Mansion had fairly full queue outside of guests waiting to pay their respects to the temporary Nightmare Before Christmas characters.



This was the best I could do in trying to get a photo of the ballroom and the gingerbread laden table:









Back in Tomorrowland, Ghost Galaxy provided more terrifying thrills.



I had been on this Space Mountain Halloween-overlay attraction before, but this year the spooky effects seem to have been improved. Or else my memory is playing tricks on me.



Last, but definitely least, was the highlight of the evening: The Halloween Fireworks show. I hate to sound like a broken record, but the photos definitely do not do this show justice. Jack Skellington's dog Zero stands in for Tinkerbell.













Will I go back next year? You betcha'! But this time, I plan on wearing a costume. Time to stop being a Halloween Bah-Humbug!

See more vintage & current Halloween photos on my Halloween web page.

Trip Report

Went to the park on opening day for the Halloween decor. Even Tilly at the Main Street Cinema was getting into the “spirit” of things:



Although the crowds were a little crazy, it was still a very fun day. First up had to be the Ghost Galaxy overlay for Space Mountain; I knew the lines would be long, and when we got to the queue, we weren’t disappointed! One hour later, we were sitting in the front car.





The new music, lighting, and effects were fun; didn’t really blow me away, but it was fun and a nice change. Once we got off the attraction though, we both agreed a fast pass for a second ride really wasn't necessary. Onto bigger and better things...like breakfast at the Carnation Cafe! Dig those apple pancakes—yum! As mentioned in an earlier post, meeting Oscar Martinez was a real treat. Sitting in the former spot of the Flower Market gave us an opportunity to spot the Halloween decor throughout Main Street.





The Haunted Mansion with the Nightmare Before Christmas was the next goal, but naturally stops at Indiana Jones & Pirates of the Caribbean were necessary! Naturally, like the fools that we are, we had to look into the eyes of the idol!



On Pirates, all of my favorite characters seemed to be doing just fine:



Halloween was subtly apparent even in the shops of New Orleans Square:



Once we got to the Mansion, the line looked horrendous. With an impending lunch (because it’s all about the food!) at the Blue Bayou, we decided to hold off on Jack Skellington until later. The Jungle Cruise worked out as a very nice alternative and as usual, the guide did a mighty fine job.







I always get a kick out of the Dia de los Muertos decor in Frontierland; I don’t know jack about the celebration, but I do know that I love the creepy iconography!





This was also the first time that I’d noticed the Ray Bradbury Frontierland tree in front of the old Pendleton Shop:







It looks way cooler at night though:



Time to head to the Blue Bayou and lapse into a Monte Cristo induced food coma:



Finally made it to The Mansion and even though the line was still crazy, it moved very quickly. We were seeing Jack, Sally, and the Gang in no time at all. In fact, Jack & Sally were there “live” and in person, greeting the guests nearby.















I’ll pick this one up later with another post. Already plenty to digest here!

See more Disneyland Halloween photos at my website.