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Published: October 16th 2010
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October 15, 2010
This was my first big Disney event, and by far one of the most memorable visits. I had a blast at the Halloween party! The decorations, the characters, and the whole atmosphere was amped up for Halloween. We arrived at the park in our street clothes, but changed into our costumes immediately after checking in. There are lockers just off the main entrance which we used to store our bags.
The park had not yet closed to day visitors, and it was amusing to see the looks on the other guests faces as Kyla and I walked past as Pocahontas and Snow White, respectively. As the event start time drew near, more people in costumes came into the park. I think Disney has a patented method for crowd control - it was amazing to watch the cast members start at the back of the park and slowly move guests toward the exit. By the time 7pm rolled around, the only people in the park were those who had purchased tickets for the event.
There were so many candy stations located all along the Rivers of America promenade and in the other major pathways. When we
entered the park we were given a small bag to collect this candy, but we foind that many guests brought their own (much bigger) candy bags. It was nice to have free snacks to eat during the evening. We found that the lines were rather rediculous, however. All the stations were set up in a row, and in true Disney fashion, long lines formed, linking one candy booth to the next. So you never really got out of line once you were in one. For the most part, we steared clear unless there was no line at all, and then it was an easy drive-by to pick up some treats. Healthy snacks were also available. The cast members warned me (Snow White) against eating the apples.
The part of the evening I looked forward to the most was character greetings. In the past, I found that the unmasked villains were the most interactive, and I was not disappointed. Many characters appeared who do not frequent the park, such as Cinderella's Evil Stepmother and Stepsisters. They made a very brief apperance, and after some begging to the photographer, we were allowed to get a quick picture with the group. The
best for me was meeting the Evil Queen, my "stepmother." She acted quite the part, scolding me for not finishing my chores and demanding complements on her uncompariable beauty.
We watched the Halloween parade, though we found it anticlimactic. It was much shorter than the parades during the regular park hours, but Kyla and I are mostly over parade watching anyway. Next time we'll stick probably skip it. The fireworks show, however, was fantastic! Hosted by Jack Skeleton from "The Nightmare Before Christmas," the show featured musical themes from several villains and was visually exciting.
The special Halloween-themed rides were really cool. The Haunted Mansion, all dressed up for "The Nightmare Before Christmas" was so well done. Kyla had not seen the movie, but this did not take away from the experience. Having seen the movie myself, I appreciated all the details and characters which appeared on the ride. Space Mountain: Ghost Galaxy was my favorite. The animation was great, and spooky. We went on a few more rides that evening, mostly the popular ones, since the lines were much shorter than the day time.
There were several "magic moments" during the event, including witty banter with
Peter Pan and scoldings from the Evil Queen. And although I look nothing like Snow White to even the untrained Disney eye, the really young kids acted like I was the real thing. Frequently through the evening I would hear, "Hi Snow White!" from enthusiastic little girls, dressed as princesses themselves. It was special to me, and special to them too, to meet a Disney princess, however unauthentic.
For the price of $50, this was by far the best Disney experience I've had. Several hours in the park with low attendance, and basically free reign for whatever we want to do. If time allows, I will be back again next year.
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