Halloween time at Disneyland Resort is without a doubt one of the best times to visit! Halloween is celebrated with elaborate, fantastic spooky-cute decorations, unique costumes for some famous characters, special holiday editions of new and classic attractions and collector items.
Here are our top 5 Halloween experiences for both Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park:
1. Haul-O-Ween’s Car-stumed characters
Haul-O-Ween is Cars Land special Halloween celebration. It’s the only time of the year to see awesome Car-stumed versioned of Lightning McQuee as a Super Hero and Vampire Mater. In addition to costumed Mater and Lightning McQuee there are a lot of wonderful photo opportunities that start just as you enter Cars Land with the Car Witch and special decorations all throughout this area. It’s important to note that Disney recently launched their Disney MaxPass option – so for $10 more, all of the professional photos that you take can be yours with their app (you can also reserve Fast Passes with this feature). An amazing idea that’s definitely worth the price.
2. Guardians of the Galaxy – Monsters After Dark
Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT! is the newest attraction at Disney California Adventure. At Halloween time you get to enjoy not only the original new attraction, but also a special after-dark version that was crafted specifically for the occasion. Mission: BREAKOUT! is absolutely amazing!
Without comparing it to the original Tower of Terror ride, this one is astounding: You become visitors to The Collector’s museum, apparently – the Guardians of the Galaxy are on display as one of newest exhibitions and you get to join Rocket in a mission to free the Guardians. The attention to detail, Rocket’s lively animatronic in the introduction, and cool artifacts from the movie (even noticed the original Mattehorn Monster!) are awe-inspiring.
At Halloween time with Monsters After Dark – Monsters overtook the museum and are wreaking havoc. I personally liked Mission: BREAKOUT! more, but the majority of guests including my party were convinced this was the better one, so you wouldn’t want to miss the opportunity to experience it. In any case, both are excellent!
3. Getting an ultra-cute Oogie-Boogie collector’s popcorn bucket!
While this may not fit the standard definition of experience, getting the Oogie-Boogie popcorn bucket is a must! It’s unique to the park, it glows in the dark and looks .. coool!! Oh, you can fill it with popcorn if that even matters :P. Personally, because it’s very rare, I didn’t want to put the popcorn in, to keep it in mint condition. Tip: With limited inventory and as queues tend to be very long to get the Oogie-Boogie popcorn bucket as the day goes by – your best bet is to get it as soon as you start your visit to Disney California Adventure and early in the morning.
4. Plaza de la Familia, A Celebration of “Coco” and the Everlasting Bonds of Family
Inspired by the yet-to-be-released, but sure-to-be-a-hit Disney movie Coco, there are two Coco inspired areas at both Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park. The one at California Adventure Park seemed to be the better one from the two. This is the place to find a real hidden gem- the delicious and beautiful Tres Leches Parfait: Vanilla Cake layered with Sweet Caramel Cream and Dark Rum. You can also enjoy a traditional yummy Elotes: Street-style Corn with Mayonnaise, Cheese, Cayenee Pepper and Lime. Wow! You can season it to your liking as well. There’s also one of the more healthier (relatively speaking) treats at the park: Paletas: Choice of Fruit Bar: Fresca (Strawberry), Coco (Coconut) or Mango.
The food in general is great in this area and it’s a good place to eat lunch (especially if you like Latin food) and enjoy some beautiful, live performances.
5. Haunted Mansion Holiday
No visit to Disneyland Resort can be complete without the mandatory visit to the fantastic Haunted Mansion Holiday. A Nightmare Before Christmas rendition of the original attraction, with some surprises, wonderful characters and great music from the movie.
Halloween Fun
These were ThemeGo’s top 5 picks for Halloween, however there’s so much more to do and see at both parks: parties, Disneyland’s own amazing Fantasmic show and all of the beloved classic and new attractions. Is it scary? Is it cute? It’s both!
