Your Guide to Halloween Time at Disneyland 2016

Hey Everyone, it’s Kimberly with Get Away Today here with your Guide to Halloween Time at Disneyland 2016. Halloween Time at Disneyland is one of the most popular times of year to visit the resort. Things work a little bit differently during this time of year, so there are some things you’ll need to know.

Halloween Time at Disneyland

First you’ll need to know that this year Halloween Time at Disneyland starts on September 9, which is earlier than ever before. Hooray! The festivities are included with your regular admission and will be available through October 31, 2016.

Halloween Time at Disneyland is what the Disneyland Resort calls their fall celebration. It includes festive fall decorations and Halloween overlays on some of the attractions. This year Halloween Time at Disneyland will bring back their giant Mickey pumpkin as part of their Pumpkin Festival welcoming you on Main Street U.S.A. It’s my favorite! The Pumpkin Festival also includes hundreds of unique hand carved pumpkins. If you are a fan of Halloween cuteness, you’ll want to spend some time checking them all out.

During Halloween Time, the Haunted Mansion also becomes Haunted Mansion Holiday with a Nightmare Before Christmas overlay featuring Jack Skellington, Sally and other characters from the Tim Burton film. I personally prefer the Haunted Mansion Holiday version of the ride. It is just so cute. The Disney characters are in their costumes, there’s a Dia de los Muertos celebration in Frontierland, and Space Mountain becomes Space Mountain: Ghost Galaxy. Oh, and I can’t forget to mention the seasonal treats. Pumpkin beignets, pumpkin caramel apples and other delicious themed items are only available during Halloween Time at Disneyland! You’ll want to try them all. Trust me.

Mickey’s Halloween Party

In addition to Halloween Time at Disneyland, there is a special event on select nights that requires a separate ticket called Mickey’s Halloween Party. Mickey’s Halloween Party starts on Friday, September 23 and continues on most Monday, Wednesday and Friday nights, plus one Saturday during the rest of Halloween Time at Disneyland. There are 17 party nights total, which you can see in orange on our calendar. On party nights Disneyland closes a couple of hours early, which is normally 6pm or 7pm unless you have a ticket for Mickey’s Halloween Party. If you don’t have a party ticket, but you have a Park Hopper, you can head over to Disney California Adventure Park.

Mickey’s Halloween Party includes park admission with all of the Halloween Time fun, plus extra events and activities. Extra activities include trick-or-treating stations, meet and greets with the Disney Villains. You can also see the Cadaver Dans perform, watch the Headless Horseman make his way through Disneyland and watch an exclusive viewing of Halloween Screams, the only way to see the Halloween fireworks.

Mickey’s Halloween Party tickets are available from $79 – $99 per person and are only available through Disneyland. Your party ticket can get you into Disneyland up to three hours before the party starts.

Tips for Halloween Time at Disneyland

Be sure you check the calendar for Mickey’s Halloween Party if you’re traveling during Halloween Time at Disneyland. If you want to get tickets, you’ll want to buy them soon because they do sell out. Don’t feel like you have to go to Mickey’s Halloween Party to have a great time! There is so much to do at both parks, and remember you’re only losing about one to two hours of Disneyland park time on party nights, which are spread out. And, Disney California Adventure Park is open later on those nights to make up for it too.

You *can* wear costumes to Disneyland during this time of year, but ONLY on Mickey’s Halloween Party dates. Also, there are some new costume guidelines this year. Disneyland is really recommending costumes for kids only and suggesting more like themed dressing for adults. They haven’t said adults can’t wear costumes, but masks of any kind are not allowed. They recommend themed shirts and accessories. Kids can wear masks as long as they don’t cover the entire face and you can still see your child’s eyes. Also, as an FYI, they also won’t allow anyone to pose as Disney characters in pictures or sign autographs.

If you want to save on your vacation during Halloween Time at Disneyland, go in September. You’ll get Adults at Kids’ Prices with Get Away Today, plus you’ll beat most of the fall break crowds. But, if your kids can’t miss school, take advantage of their fall break and go in October! Just be sure to use the Fastpass system, with Child Swap and/or Single Rider lines when you can.

No matter when you go, Halloween Time at Disneyland is always a treat. If you haven’t booked your vacation yet, Get Away Today still has some great deals. Check out our extra night free hotel specials, or travel most weeknights before September 29th and save up to 25% at the Disneyland Resort Hotels. You can book any of the Disneyland vacation packages at getawaytoday.com or call their agents at 855-GET-AWAY. Mention promo code: CraftingChicks and save an extra $10 off!