So I am going to take my 14 year old niece in October to DL. She has never been and actually has no kind of reference as to what there is and what to see. She has lived a very sheltered life. I have been there numerous times but could always use advice about new things to see and do. I especially am interested in things not in the norm...
Thanks in advance.
E
Do you plan to buy tickets to the Halloween party as well? At 14 she might be in the 'I'm too cool for that" stage but it's so much fun!
Life is too short to wake up with regrets ~So love the people who treat you right
Forget about those who don't ~ Believe everything happens for a reason.
If you get a chance, take it If it changes your life, let it ~Nobody said life would be easy,
they just promised it would most likely be worth it~ remember, Sometimes Miracles Hide
What is the Halloween Party?
Every Friday and in the past one week day, one year it was Wed, other years it has been on Tuesday, in October Disneyland closes early and there is a 'hard ticket' (meaning a seperate ticket needed) Halloween party...the entire park is decorated for Halloween, there are trick or treat stations, everyone is allowed to wear costumes but they aren't required. I'd say it's a close to 50/50 mix of adults in cute costumes vs just street clothes but everyone can trick or treat no matter how you're dressed. They have a special fireworks presentation that is only done during the party, they have a special parade specific to the party...there are a couple dance areas where characters come out and dance with the guests. The villains come out for this event.
Life is too short to wake up with regrets ~So love the people who treat you right
Forget about those who don't ~ Believe everything happens for a reason.
If you get a chance, take it If it changes your life, let it ~Nobody said life would be easy,
they just promised it would most likely be worth it~ remember, Sometimes Miracles Hide
The seasonal Haunted Mansion overlay will be happening as well, themed to the Nightmare Before Christmas. Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy overlay is fun. But since she's never ridden at all, that might be kinda scary for her. I would recommend, as a primer, to go back and watch the classic Disney films, so your niece has a better understanding of the characters. As well as the new films: Aladdin (stage show) Little Mermaid (dark ride) and Cars (CarsLand opening this summer)
How many days to you plan to be there?
You might also have her watch Disneyland and CA rides on You Tube to show her what they are like. That way she can decide what she wants to go on. Here is a Halloween Party video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1yATM-9mzY
Siggy aka Jill
I think it is called The Green Channel. It used to be Discovery Channel before I believe.
They periodically run specials on Disneyland and Disney World. If you have the channel, keep an eye on it and record these. They do a good job describing the parks and things to do
Additionally, you can order DVDs on planning vacations. Those give you ideas of what to do
The Sarchasm -
The gorge between my witty comment and you, who doesn't get it.
I would encourage a trip to a state or county fair, or a theme park that has rollercoaster rides. This would be an indicator of fear factor of the roller coaster rides. I invited a 47 year old to DLR and she found Splash mountain scary. And she lived a very sheltered life, her dad never let her ride carnival rides for fear of the ride crashing to the ground. And my friend was really impressed with the overall themes found in each area, something that as a frequent visitor I don' slow down to asorb. So she may want to walk and look at all the structures or whimsy. Train ride as the first event around the entire park would be a great starter.
How about a tour? The "Welcome to Disneyland" tour might be something your niece would enjoy (and you, too!). This tour gives a very friendly overview of DL and might help her feel more comfortable by getting to know the park in a controlled setting. If there are specific concerns on your part, you could talk with the CMs when you make your reservation and also speak with your tour guide before the tour starts.
Watching that video really makes me want to take a trip in Oct.Originally Posted by SigalTchelet
I've been the last 2 years. My birthday is in October and I am hoping to go back. I LOVE the Halloween party! It's so fun to trick or treat as an adult!
Siggy aka Jill
Thanks you guys for all of the advice. She LOVES Nightmare Before Christmas and Halloween in general. I know she is going to love going on October. I am going to try to get tickets to the party. I have already ordered the DVD from Disney and what a good idea about watching the movies so she knows about the characters. I don't know how many she is actually award of.
We talked last night and she thinks it's going to be like a local state fair. She has no concept of how huge this place is so now I have ideas of how to get her educated to where we are going.
I know I can't wait to see her face!
Elaine
Reading your last post, I'm glad you aren't taking her to WDW for her first time, now that's HUGE. Anyways, NBC (Nightmare Before Christmas) is a good overlay. They usually have something new added each year. You should be able to find Jack & Sally either in the Court Of Angels, or sometimes outside HM by the FP ticket machines. (I've never seen them in person, only pictures from other guests) I think the French Market has a special menu as well. With the exception of Oct. 31st, a Wednesday this year, I haven't heard of any other dates selling out last year.
There were several dates that sold out last year, if Disney PR is to be trusted. One of the first parties sold out (coincided with the Gay Days event) and the Friday party that coincided with UEA also sold out. We went on the Tuesday after that and that party sold out. There were pleas on different Disney fan boards (including MP) for tickets to sold out parties that were not for the 31st. The tickets go on sale well in advance of the Halloween season, so it can't hurt to play it safe and buy your party tickets ahead of time.
The disney parks behind the scenes videos are available on Netflix. They are in A's repetoire of Disney withdrawal cures.
I have a question about the Halloween party I know you need a seperate ticket but also have to have admission too. I read somewhere that said you could come in at 3:00 for the party but if you had admission you could be there in the morning, just kinda confused about the 3:00 oclock deal. What am I missing?
The Halloween Party is a seperate ticket event, after the park closes for the night. But they now have early entry depending on when the party starts, either 3 or 4pm. Kinda nice to have some ride time beforehand . If you wanted to show up when gates open, you would need an AP or 1 day ticket.
You don't have to have real park admission for the party. This means that if you buy a 3 day hopper, you could go 3 and a half days. You could use your hopper pass on three different days, then use the party pass on another day. You just won't be able to enter the park until 3:00 on the day of the party.
You know, I dunno if I would show her a bunch of spoiler videos in advance. I'd be tempted just to take her and blow her mind a little. But you're a better judge of whether she'd be overwhelmed by that or not.
Okay, Thank you for clearing that up. I thought you had to have real park admission and a seperate party ticket. The party ticket is a good deal really. I think I'm going to plan a trip around the Choc walk and Halloween party both events I have been wanting to try for the first time.
Does anyone know when UEA falls this year? A few years ago when UEA coincided with the CHOC Walk, there were huge crowds for the parks and HP that weekend. So you might want to double check if anything big other than the CHOC Walk is scheduled for the Oct. 14th weekend. Just so you can be prepared ahead of time.
I agree.
I think it's the 18-19th October
Which would make it same weekend as CHOC walk... Oops-CHOC Walk is October 14th.
Siggy aka Jill
Yeah the CHOC walk is Sunday the 14th and I double checked the dates:
http://www.myuea.org/calendar.aspx?month=10&year=2012
and it's definitely the weekend of the 18/19th. I was looking into going around that time but ended up bumping my days up a little.
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