Mickey's Halloween Party Is a Great Place To Be a Princess!
Yesterday, my husband and I attended Mickey's Halloween Party at Disneyland to meet up with some friends. It wasn't my first time attending this event, but they had changed a few things since the last time I went. A ticket to Mickey's Halloween Party now grants admission to both Disneyland Park and Disney's California Adventure from three hours before the start time of the party until both parks close. The Florida equivalent of the event is Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, which I've also been to several times. One of the biggest benefits of these events was that they used to cover a half day in the parks including parking for slightly over half the price of a full-day ticket. Thanks to some unfortunate changes Disney has been making, admission is now practically the same as a full-day ticket and no longer includes parking. At least it gets you into both parks. The event itself is just as fun as ever. My husband and I attended dressed up as Fairytale Designer Ariel and Eric, the same costumes we wore to the Renaissance Faire earlier this year.
One of the biggest perks of the Disney Halloween parties is that it's the one time of year that people are permitted to come to the parks in costume. It's also one of the only times that you can meet many of the classic Disney villains. Maleficent, Hades, the Evil Queen, and Jafar greet guests all night near the entrance while Lady Tremaine and her two daughters, Anastasia and Drizella, run amuck throughout the park. The villains are also heavily featured in the exclusive Halloween parade and fireworks show. Of course, I'm more of a princess fan than a villain fan, and I'm pleased to announce that this year's Halloween party significantly increased its princess presence since the last one I attended. The princesses used to stopped greeting guests shortly before the Halloween event began, meaning that you would have to catch them during the first few hours you're granted entrance or you'll miss them. This year, they stayed out all night at the outdoor theater near their usual meeting spot, giving guests a rare opportunity to meet two princesses at a time. When I got in line, I was asked to choose between Cinderella and Ariel or Belle and Aurora, but I was told that Jasmine, Tiana, and Snow White also came out at different times. It was a pleasant surprise to see that Disney is now including princesses in their Halloween festivities.
Another new experience for me was meeting characters that came straight out of Disney park rides. The first one switched places with Captain Jack Sparrow while we were waiting in line, giving us a rare opportunity to make her acquaintance. Captain Redd is a recent remodel to an animatronic redhead from the Pirates of the Carribean ride. She was originally part of a rather disturbing scene on the ride where it was implied that she was being auctioned off as a sex slave. Even though it was subtle enough to go over children's heads, it was still an unpleasant scene to watch, even if it was historically accurate. Disney decided to take a step toward female empowerment by reimagining the character to be a swashbuckling female pirate. Captain Redd now makes appearances in person to greet guests. She was a lot of fun to meet and had a great accent. Another new addition was a meet'n'greet with the characters from the Haunted Mansion ride. First up was Constance, the bride who beheaded all of her husbands. My friends volunteered the only unmarried man in our party to be her new husband, and she said he looked like had a good head on his shoulders! She had an incredibly gorgeous look that reminded me of Princess Diana, but she really nailed it with her acting. She was deadpan and expressionless the entire time, creating just the right amount of creepiness. Finally, we met Sally Slater, the tightrope walker from the painting in the elevator that you see right before boarding the doom buggy. The character became an incredibly popular cosplay in recent years, which might be why Disney decided to get their own official version. She acted exactly like a typical theme park princess, which is why I was shocked when she casually mentioned that she died when she fell off the tightrope into the alligator's mouth from the painting and was now a ghost!
The final princess experience I had during the Halloween party was eating dinner at the Red Rose Tavern, which was remodeled from what used to be the Pinnochio Village Haus and transformed into a Beauty and the Beast themed restaurant instead. Even though it wasn't nearly as impressive as the Be Our Guest restaurant from Walt Disney World in Florida, it still had its charms. The Beast's magic rose was suspended above the ordering stations, and stained glass artwork from the movie hung on one of the walls. There were paintings of the characters near the exit, and the other side of the small quick-service restaurant was decorated to look like Gaston's tavern, complete with antlers. I had an amazing Black Rose Dessert there, which was exclusive for the Halloween party. It was a decadent dark chocolate mousse in the shape of a rose filled with raspberry compote. It was the perfect treat for a chocoholic like me! Even though we went to several trick-or-treat stops in the park throughout the night, I made sure to save my candy for after Disneyland, so I was glad I still got to have my fill of chocolate while I was there.
Some of my old favorites from previous parties were still there too, like the giant pumpkin at the front of the park and the villain-themed fireworks show, complete with matching animated projections on both Sleeping Beauty Castle and the It's a Small World ride. The parade had many new floats, including a Nightmare Before Christmas one and Dr. Facilier one, but my favorite Haunted Mansion ghost dancers were still there. I love how incredibly romantic they look while still appearing undead at the same time in their beautiful Victorian costumes. Overall, it was a very pleasant experience that was full of new surprises. If you want to be able to dress up as a princess while immersing yourself in your favorite Disney park attractions, Mickey's Halloween Party in Disneyland or Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party at Walt Disney World is the place to do it.
One of the biggest perks of the Disney Halloween parties is that it's the one time of year that people are permitted to come to the parks in costume. It's also one of the only times that you can meet many of the classic Disney villains. Maleficent, Hades, the Evil Queen, and Jafar greet guests all night near the entrance while Lady Tremaine and her two daughters, Anastasia and Drizella, run amuck throughout the park. The villains are also heavily featured in the exclusive Halloween parade and fireworks show. Of course, I'm more of a princess fan than a villain fan, and I'm pleased to announce that this year's Halloween party significantly increased its princess presence since the last one I attended. The princesses used to stopped greeting guests shortly before the Halloween event began, meaning that you would have to catch them during the first few hours you're granted entrance or you'll miss them. This year, they stayed out all night at the outdoor theater near their usual meeting spot, giving guests a rare opportunity to meet two princesses at a time. When I got in line, I was asked to choose between Cinderella and Ariel or Belle and Aurora, but I was told that Jasmine, Tiana, and Snow White also came out at different times. It was a pleasant surprise to see that Disney is now including princesses in their Halloween festivities.
Another new experience for me was meeting characters that came straight out of Disney park rides. The first one switched places with Captain Jack Sparrow while we were waiting in line, giving us a rare opportunity to make her acquaintance. Captain Redd is a recent remodel to an animatronic redhead from the Pirates of the Carribean ride. She was originally part of a rather disturbing scene on the ride where it was implied that she was being auctioned off as a sex slave. Even though it was subtle enough to go over children's heads, it was still an unpleasant scene to watch, even if it was historically accurate. Disney decided to take a step toward female empowerment by reimagining the character to be a swashbuckling female pirate. Captain Redd now makes appearances in person to greet guests. She was a lot of fun to meet and had a great accent. Another new addition was a meet'n'greet with the characters from the Haunted Mansion ride. First up was Constance, the bride who beheaded all of her husbands. My friends volunteered the only unmarried man in our party to be her new husband, and she said he looked like had a good head on his shoulders! She had an incredibly gorgeous look that reminded me of Princess Diana, but she really nailed it with her acting. She was deadpan and expressionless the entire time, creating just the right amount of creepiness. Finally, we met Sally Slater, the tightrope walker from the painting in the elevator that you see right before boarding the doom buggy. The character became an incredibly popular cosplay in recent years, which might be why Disney decided to get their own official version. She acted exactly like a typical theme park princess, which is why I was shocked when she casually mentioned that she died when she fell off the tightrope into the alligator's mouth from the painting and was now a ghost!
The final princess experience I had during the Halloween party was eating dinner at the Red Rose Tavern, which was remodeled from what used to be the Pinnochio Village Haus and transformed into a Beauty and the Beast themed restaurant instead. Even though it wasn't nearly as impressive as the Be Our Guest restaurant from Walt Disney World in Florida, it still had its charms. The Beast's magic rose was suspended above the ordering stations, and stained glass artwork from the movie hung on one of the walls. There were paintings of the characters near the exit, and the other side of the small quick-service restaurant was decorated to look like Gaston's tavern, complete with antlers. I had an amazing Black Rose Dessert there, which was exclusive for the Halloween party. It was a decadent dark chocolate mousse in the shape of a rose filled with raspberry compote. It was the perfect treat for a chocoholic like me! Even though we went to several trick-or-treat stops in the park throughout the night, I made sure to save my candy for after Disneyland, so I was glad I still got to have my fill of chocolate while I was there.
Some of my old favorites from previous parties were still there too, like the giant pumpkin at the front of the park and the villain-themed fireworks show, complete with matching animated projections on both Sleeping Beauty Castle and the It's a Small World ride. The parade had many new floats, including a Nightmare Before Christmas one and Dr. Facilier one, but my favorite Haunted Mansion ghost dancers were still there. I love how incredibly romantic they look while still appearing undead at the same time in their beautiful Victorian costumes. Overall, it was a very pleasant experience that was full of new surprises. If you want to be able to dress up as a princess while immersing yourself in your favorite Disney park attractions, Mickey's Halloween Party in Disneyland or Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party at Walt Disney World is the place to do it.
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