Disneyland Trip Report: September 18, 2011

This past weekend was the kick off to Disneyland’s Halloween Time celebration.  Naturally, we had to be there.

Halloween Time is Here!

 

Disney's Halloween Time!

 

We got to the park in the early evening and first took in the sights and sounds of Main Street complete with its Halloween decorations.  The street was lined with jack-o-lanterns among other Halloween paraphernalia.  It was a welcomed sight.  I love Halloween and it feels great to see the decorations in full effect.

Giant Mickey Pumpkin!

 

The Emporium is Celebrating!

 

At the park’s hub, the usual jack-o-lanterns were on display representing each of Disneyland’s lands.  I really love that attention to detail.

Pumpkins Around the Hub

 

After getting a fast pass for Space Mountain, we made our way to the Haunted Mansion Holiday to take some pictures before it got too dark.  The Mansion really looks beautiful.  On our way through New Orleans Square, I naturally had to pass a closed Pirates of the Caribbean.  How sad it was for me.

I Hate Seeing a Closed Pirates...

 

The Haunted Mansion Holiday is Here!

 

See How Jack Has Decked the Halls

 

The first attraction we went on was the Matterhorn Bobsleds.  I love the Matterhorn what with its icy caverns and abominable snowmen animatronics.  My favorite thing happened on this particular ride too.  I love when you are racing right next to the bobsled on the other track.  We were neck and neck and then it looked as though we were going to crash into each other, when at the last second, our bobsled plunged right under the other bobsled’s track.  That is really one of the most thrilling things you can do at Disneyland.  For the best Matterhorn experience, take the track on the left side.  If this head to head race happens, it is much more thrilling plunging underneath.  Oh and I also noticed that in the control room, a cast member put an abominable snowman doll on display.  It was very fun finding him!  I love when cast members do fun things like that.

The Matterhorn Bobsleds

 

Look in the Window!

 

We were a bit hungry after our bobsled run, so we decided to snack on some corn cobs.  We sat in that little area near the Matterhorn where the Motor Boat Cruise attraction used to be.  I love that area because it is so isolated and untouched.  While eating our delicious corn, some ducks came up to us and we fed them.  They ate popcorn right out of my hand!  It was very fun.

Corn

 

Duck

 

Home of the Former Motor Boat Cruise

 

After walking around the park for a little while, we decided it was time for dinner so we went to the French Market which was all decked out for Halloween.  They have many of the same props that are inside the Haunted Mansion Holiday.  I had a delicious sandwich which came in a Jack Skellington Coffin Box!  A very neat collector’s item.

Inside the French Market

 

We then visited the Golden Horseshoe to see the new railings they put on the top floor.  It is annoying that they had to add them, but times change.  Of course, the Golden Horseshoe is better without those added railings, but it’s not a terrible eyesore like the changes they made to the Alice in Wonderland attraction.

Safety First

 

As we were walking out of the Golden Horseshoe, we stopped to look at the Day of the Dead display in Frontierland.  It was very neat and festive.  We took many pictures of the skeleton band.

The Skeleton Band

 

It was finally time for the Haunted Mansion Holiday!  We had our fast passes, which cut the line down from 40 minutes to 5 minutes.  The ride was excellent.  It all seemed the same as last year with the exception of a snowflake lighting effect at the end of the Stretching Room scene and a new Gingerbread House.  The Gingerbread House this year is amazing!  It is a giant replica of the Mansion itself and it splits in half to create a larger than life set of jaws.  It takes a few chomps, then returns to its original form.  It was really excellent.  The rest of the ride is just as great as it always is.  One thing I did notice was that the ghost playing the Organ in the Ballroom Scene was missing his hat!  I wonder what happened to it!

Haunted Mansion Holiday

 

Ho Ho Ho

 

A Graveyard That's Covered in Ghostly White Snow

 

After the Haunted Mansion Holiday, what does one do, but go on again.  So we headed back into that mysterious old Mansion and experienced another great ride thru.

Round Two

 

Then it was finally time for Space Mountain: Ghost Galaxy!  I love this overlay, especially the exterior queue.  The projections and audio effects on the Mountain itself are wonderful.  It is everything you can ask for from a Halloween attraction.  Unfortunately, the interior queue is untouched from its usual form.  The ride was very fun, except we did not see the ghost that flies along side your rocket.  I hope they eventually put him in because that is the most exciting part of the overlay.  Even without that ghost, it was still a very fun time.

Notice the Lighting Effect on the Mountain

 

Ghost Galaxy!

 

Casey Jr. Circus Train was up next.  We have been riding this a lot lately and I love it every time.  There is something really special about it and I love the detail of the Storybook Land scenes.  My favorite part is when you are passing the mountains above Pinocchio’s village.

All Aboard!

 

After Casey Jr., we saw that Snow White’s Scary Adventures had a short line, so we did that.  Snow White is a great dark ride.  I really love it and I love the new lighting effects that were added a couple of years ago.  The projected rain effect in the climax is really excellent.  It looks amazing.

The Wicked Queen Looks Down Upon Us

 

We survived our encounter with the Queen, and headed back down Main Street.  We took a look at some more Halloween decorations and really let the beginning of the holiday sink in.  It is going to be a wonderful Halloween and what’s a better way to start it than with a trip to Disneyland.

There will even be a party at Hotel Marceline on Main Street!