This was our first time visiting DLR and DCA for Halloween time (though we we’ve been to Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party in Walt Disney World and Disneyland Paris in 2017). Disney goes all out with seasonal decorations, food, and merchandise. I especially love the nighttime ambiance.
I did not, however, love the crowds and heat. We went a few days after Labor Day, following the online crowd calendars which predicted the least crowds, but only Friday morning felt like light traffic.
We stayed at the Best Western Plus Park Place Inn (what a mouthful and easily confused with all the other BWs in the area) which is possibly the second closest accommodation to the park entrance after the Grand Californian. All the rooms are “mini suites” that have a living area with convertible sofas but are not true suites since the areas not actually separated by a door and wall. Our room was on the ground floor and just around the corner from the lobby and thus very close to the Disneyland entrance, as well as the pool (which we didn’t use). It was reasonably clean and the air conditioner was strong. While we never heard noise from neighboring rooms or upstairs, we heard every little sound from outside. Breakfast was included; it was pretty standard but the hot food main entree changed each day we were there, and I loved that there were Nutella packets and Chobani yogurt. The grab and go options like bananas and granola bars were convenient, too. The servers were efficient and accommodating with my dietary restrictions.
Day 1: California Adventure
We took advantage of the California resident offer and purchased 3 day, 1 park per day tickets valid Monday through Sunday. We started off at DCA but didn’t arrive until 2 pm since I didn’t want to get up before dawn for an early flight. Since there are so few rides that our toddler can ride, it’s more of a half-day park for us.
The clever details in the decorations at Cars Land are stellar. Also, Luigi’s might be my second favorite ride at DCA; the music is so fun!
We checked out the new San Fransokyo themed area and tried the beef bulgogi burrito.
It definitely looks much better when the sun goes down. We ended our night with the second showing of World of Color, standing in the “splash zone”, but since it wasn’t too windy we just felt a light mist.
Day 2: Disneyland
The Disney100 celebration is in full swing, with the castle decked out in purple and platinum banners and plenty of merchandise for sale. I wanted to try out the special foods but with my dairy elimination there were barely any options.
We watched the Magic Happens parade for the first time from “it’s a small world” and seeing Matterhorn in the background was an interesting change. As we had showed up 15 minutes before, the view wasn’t the best. The second time we happened to be coming back to the park and were on Main Street as it reached the end and since the right side of the street was in full afternoon sun there was plenty of space. I loved Mickey and friends’ fantastical costumes but some of the floats were uninspired. The music is very upbeat and catchy.
The Encanto projection is a short number with “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” playing, and not worth camping out for more than 10 minutes, but was fun to watch.
Day 3: Disneyland part 2
The previous day we rope-dropped Fantasyland and everyone rushed over to Peter Pan which immediately became a 30 minute wait. For our second day our strategy was to hit Toon Town first. All the rides in the park were walk-ons that morning, but for some reason the line to meet Minnie Mouse moved extremely slowly. We saw no more than 10 parties ahead of us but somehow it took a solid 30 minutes, which I would not have wasted had I known it take as long as it did.
It was our first time seeing the newly redesigned Toon Town and riding Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway. The kids loved looking at all the displays in the queue and it was a pretty fun ride that we did twice.
Next we headed over to Adventureland to refuel on Dole Whip at Tropical Hideaway. It was nice and quiet, and later in the afternoon when we returned for another treat it was a madhouse. I placed a mobile order at Tiki Juice Bar but a cast member advised that if the line at Tropical Hideaway hadn’t reached the bridge, I might be better off going there rather than taking my chances on mobile ordering.
We rode Jungle Cruise, then Pirates of the Caribbean. Haunted Mansion was a ridiculous 40 minute wait. Our kid was asking to go on Finding Nemo and “it’s a small world” which she wanted to ride over and over again.
For dinner we ate at Alien Pizza Planet. It was a zoo, the mobile order took half an hour from the time I was ready to pick it up, and there was another line to wait in once it was actually ready. The pizza was overpriced and the noodles I ordered were drenched in a horribly salty sauce that we couldn’t even finish.
We watched fireworks and projection show from “it’s a small world”. Compared to the castle area, it was less packed, but still a madhouse, and the loud boom of the fireworks scared the kid. I wasn’t really a fan of the Halloween screams show either.
Overall, not our best Disney trip, between fighting crowds, unbearably hot weather, and toddler tantrums. I think Halloween season is better for older kids and adults, so we’ll probably wait awhile before going back.
Pearl Grey 