Dining Packages at Disneyland

Dining was one of the things I researched when I decided to go to Disneyland for Halloween this year. Some suggested saving money by bringing in your own food, but others recommended the dining packages that go along with some of the events. I ended up deciding to do the Blue Bayou Halloween Screams, Carthay Circle Frozen, and Sonoma Terrace Paint the Night dining packages. All of these are pricey, so are they worth it? The food and service were excellent (especially the service at Carthay Circle), in my opinion, but I found Halloween Screams and Paint the Night to be most worth the price. With Frozen, you get priority seating to one of the afternoon shows. I did get a seat close to the front and in the center, but the show wasn't sold out and I likely would've had a good seat regardless.

On the other hand, the Halloween Screams dining package provides seating in a prime location for the parade and I didn't have to camp out for it like I saw so many others doing. It was also easy to get to a good firework viewing area from the reserved parade location.

The same can be said for Sonoma Terrace's Paint the Night as you get to watch the parade from a great location while dining.

I wanted to pack in as much Disney as possible, so these two were definitely worth it for me. If I could only pick one, I'd go with Paint the Night. It was the most bang for the buck with an excellent view, a chair to sit in, and time maximization of eating during the parade. They also send you off with a small box of truffles. The dining packages do sell out pretty quickly, so check the Disneyland website for booking as soon as your date is 60 days out if you want to get a dining package.

Mickey's Halloween Party at Disneyland

Living in the northwest, I was unaware Disneyland (and Disney World) did anything special for my favorite holiday so I was excited to see the commercials advertising the Halloween décor after I moved to Phoenix. After researching a bit, I decided to attend a Halloween party this year. I read that parties often sell out quickly, so my first step was getting the Disney credit card from Chase which, among other Disney perks, allows cardholders to purchase party tickets at the same time annual passholders can. My plan worked and I was able to get a ticket to the October 29 party without issue. (Unfortunately, the late date meant most of the Halloween specialty items were sold out, so attend a September party if you really want to buy things like the Green Poison Apple Stein.)

Although the party didn't start until 6pm, my party ticket allowed entry (through a separate line) starting at 3pm. To save money, I didn't buy a regular park ticket for the day and instead bought plenty of special Halloween treats in Downtown Disney. Everything I tried was delicious, but I especially loved the caramel apples.

When 3pm hit, I made my way through the gate and over to Space Mountain which is one of the rides that gets the Halloween treatment. Just my luck, the ride went down right as I got in line (I did get to ride later in the evening) and there were no more fast passes for The Haunted Mansion which gets turned into The Nightmare Before Christmas so I waited in line for nearly two hours. I loved seeing The Haunted Mansion like this, but a better plan would've been to go after those not attending the party had to exit the park.

Disneyland was incredibly crowded from 3pm-6pm as all those who weren't attending the party tried to squeeze in as much as possible. During this time I started thinking the party ticket wasn't worth it, but I completely changed my mind once the crowd thinned and the decorations started to look even more amazing as darkness fell. I loved the Cadaver Dans performance and the Halloween Screams firework show was stunning--the fireworks alone were worth it for me. The Frightfully Fun Parade was just that, fun. From the start with The Headless Horseman to all the Disney villains that aren't regularly seen, the parade was definitely a memorable event.

I purchased the Blue Bayou dining package (I wanted to eat there anyway, so the cost was worth it to me and the Madame Leota's Crystal Ball dessert made it all the more special), so I had a perfect front row seat for the first parade.

Mickey's Halloween Party won't be an annual event for me because of the price, but I'm really glad to have experienced it.

Best Western Plus Park Place Inn in Anaheim, CA

Halloween is my favorite holiday, so the commercials Disneyland runs in Phoenix promoting the decor caught my eye. I didn't want to do just a day trip, so I needed a place to stay. On the advice of friends and coworkers who have been to Disneyland more recently then I had, I looked for a walking distance hotel that wasn't too expensive. While I would've loved to have stayed at a Disney property, I couldn't justify the price when there was a Best Western literally across the street from the park entrance. It took about five minutes to go from the motel lobby to the park security line. Like others in the area, the Best Western Plus Park Place Inn sells park tickets: the options are 2-day/1-park and park hoppers for 2-4 days.

I arrived before check-in time and my room wasn't available, so I filled out the paperwork and left my bags with the front desk while I headed over to Disneyland. I returned at check-in time to find a number of others getting their rooms as well. Fortunately, the lobby had comfortable couches (plus a gift shop and some computers).

There were three people working the front desk, so the line moved pretty quickly. The staff had proactively emailed to ask if I'd have a car (parking is an extra $10/day and they're apparently pretty strict about the hours guests are able to park prior to check-in and after check-out; one might also want to note that the spaces are more appropriate for a mid-size car than a large truck), but they weren't too helpful after that. I was given a sheet with a room map and information about breakfast (which is at the restaurant next door), laundry, and that housekeeping can be scheduled if guests want a mid-day nap, but the procedure for getting the breakfast wasn't explained (you go upstairs and give your name). And it wasn't until after I left that I remembered those with diamond status are supposed to receive a "welcome gift."

The location is the definitely the selling point of this motel which is fairly dated. My room was a king suite (all the rooms are suites) at the very back on the second floor. The rooms have been refreshed with furnishings, but the exterior shows the age and there are no USB charging connections in the rooms. Fortunately, each of the two bedside lamps had two outlets. In addition to the king bed, the king suite has a pull-out sofa bed (there's a half wall to separate the two areas) with an ottoman in front of the sofa. There's also an ottoman in the bathroom area.

The TV is on top of the dresser which is oriented to the bed. The dresser contains a mini-fridge and microwave. The room also has a desk with chair and a mirror above the desk.

Just past the bed, there was a closet and long counter with a sink. I found extra bedding and a hair dryer inside the closet, but no iron. On the counter, there was a machine to make single-serve coffee or tea which were provided.

The sink was separate from a very small bathroom with a toilet (that had a loose seat) and shower/tub combination. Both the small bathroom and sink area had very dim lighting. The standards of soap, shampoo, conditioner, and lotion were provided.

Being at the back and on the second floor meant I didn't hear other guests, but the garbage truck was quite noisy at 7am. Walking around, I noticed that the rooms near the pool/hot tub and vending machines had a lot of people passing by and likely were a bit noisier.

Although breakfast is at the restaurant next door (Captain Kidd's), it can be taken back to the room. Even so, it just wasn't that convenient to get breakfast there. The breakfast was also disappointing. Maybe I had too high of an expectation for the buffet since it was from an actual restaurant, but it all seemed pretty standard fare. Another letdown came when my apple was mushy and my banana was bruised. I primarily indulged in the excellent food of the Disneyland restaurants, so the complimentary breakfast was only a small part of this trip whereas I usually get my fill of the free breakfast for other stays.