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.