Halloween Hodgepodge - September 14, 2014

One of your very first sights as you leave the Mickey & Friends parking structure on your way (via tram) to the Disneyland Resort!

Halloween Time is here!!!

City Hall is all decked out for the holidays, and there's no better place to go for your information and celebratory buttons!

Jack Skellington has been up to something inside The Haunted Mansion, and you're invited!

Even Mickey's Toontown is getting into the act!

If you put your ear up to the hole, you'll hear this jack crooning an old western tune, kind of like the ear to the seashell bit. Just kidding. Don't do it. They'll get mad at you, you'll blame us, and nobody wants that.

Big Thunder Ranch is BY FAR one of the absolute best areas inside Disneyland Park to celebrate Halloween Time, and with the all new Halloween Carnival in full-swing this year, there's never been a better time to check it out and see if I ain't right!

This year the pumpkin carving has moved into the Festival arena and has its very own spot! Be sure and stop by the Halloween Carnival and see these fantastic artist's incredible creations - in pumpkin form! 

Quite possibly our favorite part of Halloween Time at The Park. Space Mountain? Check! Haunted by a ghost? Check! Brang it!!

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The Happiest Place on Earth Shows a Spooky Disney Side!

Disneyland Resort Celebrates Halloween Time 2014, Sept. 12 through Oct. 31

Separate-ticket Mickey’s Halloween Party Expands to 14 Nights With Trick-or-Treating, Special Fireworks in Disneyland Park

Halloween Time at the Disneyland Resort is a one-of-a-kind celebration of chilling, family friendly fun. From Friday, Sept. 12, through Friday, Oct. 31, guests will explore their spooky Disney Side with special Halloween transformations of Haunted Mansion and Space Mountain; encounter Disney villains conjured by a magic cauldron; dance to the Mad T Party band and meet Mickey Mouse and his friends in Halloween costumes.

An additional Halloween Time highlight is the separate-ticket, after-hours Mickey’s Halloween Party, where adults and children show their Disney Side by dressing in costumes, trick-or-treating at Disneyland Park and enjoying an array of special entertainment, including the exclusive “Halloween Screams” fireworks spectacular.

New to Halloween Time at Disneyland this year are the latest twists at Haunted Mansion Holiday and additional entertainment experiences at the Halloween Carnival at Big Thunder Ranch, with more mysterious fun joining the Astounding Cauldron of Magic.

Spooky Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy in Tomorrowland is one of the guest favorites during Halloween Time. The unique Halloween-themed experience begins as a typical Space Mountain adventure, but suddenly launches voyagers into a haunted section of the universe. Ghosts appear out of the starry darkness and swirling galaxies of Space Mountain, reaching out as if to grab guests as they speed through space. The exhilarating drops and curves are punctuated by piercing screams, creepy sound effects and haunting music.

Jack Skellington returns to Disneyland to take over the Haunted Mansion and brings Haunted Mansion Holiday back to New Orleans Square. Transformed with a mix of Halloween spookiness and Christmas cheer, Haunted Mansion Holiday is inspired by the classic animated film “Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas.”

Guests find new surprises within the Mansion every Halloween, including this year’s special gingerbread house, designed to resemble an “iron maiden” coffin with spikes (candy canes) and a hapless gingerbread zombie trapped inside. This is the 14th original gingerbread design since Haunted Mansion Holiday debuted in 2001. This one features opening and closing doors, lights and a very unhappy zombie struggling for his un-life.

In addition to Haunted Mansion Holiday and Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy:

• In Frontierland, guests discover an exciting, new magic show presented on the Halloween Carnival stage at Big Thunder Ranch. Nearby they also may conjure up a Disney Villain at the “Astounding Cauldron of Magic” sideshow tent at the Halloween Carnival. 
• Also at the Halloween Carnival in Big Thunder Ranch, guests encounter favorite Disney characters in Halloween costumes, pumpkin carvers showing their Disney Side with elaborate creations, Halloween décor and activities for youngsters. 
• Main Street, U.S.A. in Disneyland transforms to become the Pumpkin Festival, with hundreds of pumpkins on display, no two of them the same. 
• Guests age three and up show their Disney Side and live their pirate dreams as they learn the ways of the seven seas at The Pirates League. A part of the Halloween Carnival, The Pirates League offers a variety of pirate transformation options: Jake and the Never Land Pirates, Captain Hook, Ghosted Pirate, Black Beard, Black Eyed Jack, and Empress, created especially for pirate princesses. For The Pirates League reservations call 714-781-STYLE / 714-781-7895. 
• Frontierland observes Dia de los Muertos with a traditional skeleton display that will remain through Sunday, Nov. 2.

In Disney California Adventure Park, Halloween Time offers frightful fun for guests of all ages, with favorite attractions such as The Twilight Zone™ Tower of Terror, where a “supernatural” event happened on Halloween evening 1939, 75 years ago, forever haunting the building with spine-tingling fun. Also at Disney California Adventure, the nighttime Mad T Party in Hollywood Land gets some new Halloween spice. Tweedledee and Tweedledum welcome guests as the Mad Hatter offers some devilishly delicious All Hallows Eve fun featuring new Halloween music and a chilling new look for Mad T Party band.

Mickey’s Halloween Party, a separate-ticket event* for trick-or-treating families, expands to 14 special, spooky nights in Disneyland. Highlights of Mickey’s Halloween Party include:

• “Villains Square.” Throughout the evening, the Disney villains arrive in Disneyland Town Square as the “Bad Apple Party Crashers,” riding a black horse-drawn carriage accompanied by thunder, fog and special lighting effects. Villains such as Cruella De Vil, the Queen of Hearts, Judge Frollo from “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” and Lady Tremaine from “Cinderella” appear for photos and character greetings, and guests are invited to “Party Like a Villain.” 
• The opportunity to play in Disneyland for three hours before the party starts 
• Trick or Treating – candy and healthy treats ­- in the ultimate Disney neighborhood 
• The “Halloween Screams” fireworks spectacular, hosted by “Master of Scare-omonies” Jack Skellington (presented exclusively for guests of Mickey’s Halloween Party, weather permitting) 
• “Mickey’s Costume Party” cavalcade featuring some favorite characters, performed twice nightly and preceded by the new “Frozen” float with Elsa, Anna and Olaf from the blockbuster animated film 
• “Monsters U Dance Party” at Tomorrowland Terrace: Class time is over and the students of Monsters University join Halloween Time guests in a family-friendly frat party with the most popular students from Monsters U, Mike & Sulley. 
• The Cadaver Dans, a ghoulish quartet performing Halloween-themed tunes aboard a drifting graveyard-themed raft on the Rivers of America in New Orleans Square and Frontierland 
• Photo locations with popular Disney and Pixar Pals, plus Disney Villains 
• Nearly all the favorite Disneyland rides and attractions, plus Haunted Mansion Holiday and Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy 
• Complimentary parking for one standard-size vehicle

Tickets for Mickey’s Halloween Party may be purchased online and, for the first time, on mobile devices at Disneyland.com/party,as well as at the Disneyland Resort main gate and by phone at 714-781-4400. Guests may check for availability for 14 nights: Friday, Sept. 26; Tuesday, Sept. 30; Friday, Oct. 3; Monday, Oct. 6; Wednesday, Oct. 8; Friday, Oct. 10; Tuesday, Oct. 14; Friday, Oct. 17; Monday, Oct. 20; Wednesday, Oct. 22; Friday, Oct. 24; Monday, Oct. 27; Wednesday, Oct. 29; and Friday, Oct. 31. Online purchase is not available the day of the event.

Tickets purchased in advance are available at a discount on select nights. Tickets purchased on the day of the event are $70 each. All tickets to Mickey’s Halloween Party on Halloween Night, Friday, Oct. 31, are $77 each. Mickey’s Halloween Party is a non-smoking event. Smoking will be permitted only in the Esplanade outside the Disneyland Main Entrance.

For more information about Halloween Time at Disneyland Resort, see www.Disneyland.com/Halloween. This site will be updated with frightfully fun details.

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The Twilight Zone® is a registered trademark of CBS, Inc., and is used with permission pursuant to a license from CBS, Inc. ©Disney/CBS, Inc

About the Disneyland Resort
The Disneyland Resort features two spectacular theme parks – Disneyland (the original Disney theme park) and the newly reimagined Disney California Adventure Park – plus three hotels and the Downtown Disney District, comprised of unique dining, entertainment and shopping experiences. The Resort’s hotels are the luxurious, 948-room Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa, which also features 50 two-bedroom equivalent Disney Vacation Club units; the magical 973-room Disneyland Hotel – both AAA Four Diamond properties – and the 481-room Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel with its “day-at-the-beach” fun. For information on attractions and vacations at the Disneyland Resort, visit www.disneyland.com, call (866) 43-DISNEY or contact local travel agents.

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*Space is limited, and tickets are available while supplies last. Online purchases unavailable on day of event. Limit eight (8) tickets per person, per event date. Each ticket is valid for admission to the event and parking for one (1) vehicle (larger vehicles may require an additional fee) on the specified event date. Tickets are nonrefundable and may not be sold or transferred for commercial use. Advance purchase savings available on select nights until one day prior to the event date. May not be combined with other discounts. Tickets are valid for admission to the designated party and to the Theme Park beginning at a specified time prior to party commencement. All costumes must adhere to any guidelines as determined solely by Disney. Please choose costumes that are not obstructive, offensive or violent. Guests’ eyes must be visible at all times. Offer and event information and activities are subject to restrictions and change without notice. Days and times of operation and all other elements including, but not limited to, operation of attractions, entertainment, services, stores and restaurants, and appearances of Disney Characters are subject to change without notice. Subject to capacity and other restrictions.
**Information and photos courtesy Disney

Wordless Wednesday - Haunted Mansion Holiday

'Mickey's Halloween Party' Grows to 14 Nights for Halloween Time 2014 at the Disneyland Resort!

Halloween Time at the Disneyland Resort transforms Disneyland and Disney California Adventure Parks into cheerfully spooky, family-friendly Halloween environments beginning Friday, Sept. 12. Highlights include the seasonal re-theming of Haunted Mansion Holiday and Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy, Mickey Mouse and his friends in Halloween costumes, and a special focus on Disney Villains. 

The after-hours, separate-ticket* Mickey’s Halloween Party, a popular Halloween Time highlight for many Disneyland Park guests, will expand to 14 special nights this year. Mickey’s Halloween Party invites adults and children to dress up in costume and trick-or-treat at Disneyland Park, enjoying candy and healthy treats. Party guests get the extra benefit of being able to arrive early and play in Disneyland for three hours prior to the start of Mickey’s private bash. 

The 2014 dates for Mickey’s Halloween Party are: Friday, Sept. 26; Tuesday, Sept. 30; Friday, Oct. 3; Monday, Oct. 6, Wednesday, Oct. 8; Friday, Oct. 10; Tuesday, Oct. 14; Friday, Oct. 17; Monday, Oct. 20; Wednesday, Oct. 22; Friday, Oct. 24; Monday, Oct. 27; Wednesday, Oct. 29; and Friday, Oct. 31. 

Highlights of Mickey’s Halloween Party include: 

• The “Halloween Screams” Fireworks spectacular, hosted by “Master of Scare-omonies” Jack Skellington (presented exclusively for guests of Mickey’s Halloween Party) 
• “Monsters U Dance Party” at Tomorrowland Terrace, where guests can join Mike & Sulley and their fellow students of Monsters University in a fun and family-friendly frat party. 
• “Mickey’s Costume Party” cavalcade featuring some favorite characters, performed twice nightly Disney villains arriving amid thunder and lightning to transform Town Square into Villains Square, on Main Street, U.S.A. 
• The Cadaver Dans ghoul quartet, performing Halloween-themed tunes aboard a drifting graveyard-themed raft on the Rivers of America 
• An opportunity for everyone in the family to attend the park in costume. 
• Photo locations with popular Disney and Pixar Pals, and Disney Villains 
• Nearly all the Disneyland rides and attractions, plus Haunted Mansion Holiday and Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy 
• Parking for one standard-size vehicle is included with the purchase of Mickey’s Halloween Party tickets. 

Tickets to Mickey’s Halloween Party go on sale for Annual Passholders, Disney Vacation Club members and Disney Visa Card members on Wednesday, July 16, and for the general public on Wednesday, July 30. They may be purchased online and, for the first time, on mobile devices at Disneyland.com/party as well as at the Disneyland Resort main gate and by phone at 714-781-4400. Online purchase is not available on the day of the event. 

Tickets purchased in advance are available at a discount on select nights. Tickets purchased on the day of the event are $70 each. All tickets to Mickey’s Halloween Party on Halloween Night, Friday, Oct. 31, are $77 each. Mickey’s Halloween Party is a non-smoking event. Smoking will be permitted only in the Esplanade outside the Disneyland Main Entrance. 

Along with the special Mickey’s Halloween Party, the daily Halloween Time celebration at Disneyland Resort, Sept. 12 through Oct. 31, offers frightful fun for guests of all ages. Guests will enjoy Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy, which launches guests into a haunted section of the universe where ghosts appear out of the starry darkness and the exhilarating drops are punctuated by piercing screams and haunting music. 

Jack Skellington returns to take over the Haunted Mansion and bring Haunted Mansion Holiday back to New Orleans Square in Disneyland. Transformed with a mix of Halloween spookiness and Christmas tradition, Haunted Mansion Holiday is inspired by the classic animated film “Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas.” Each year brings a new design and new surprises to the traditional Halloween/Christmas gingerbread house in the Mansion Ballroom. 

In addition to the seasonal Haunted Mansion Holiday and Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy: 

• For spine-tingling fun, drop in at The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror at Disney California Adventure. This popular year-round attraction begins with the story of a “supernatural” event that happened on Halloween night, 1939, forever haunting the building. 
• Main Street, U.S.A., in Disneyland is transformed for the Pumpkin Festival, with hundreds of pumpkins on display, no two of them the same. 
• Disney villains will be conjured up in a sideshow tent at the Halloween Carnival at Big Thunder Ranch in Frontierland. The Halloween Carnival also features pumpkin carvers, Halloween activities for youngsters and favorite Disney characters in Halloween costumes. 
• Frontierland pays tribute to Dia de los Muertos, an Hispanic observance, with a traditional skeleton display. 

For more details about Halloween Time at the Disneyland Resort, see Disneyland.com/Halloween. This site will be updated with frightfully fun details.

*photos and type courtesy of Disneyland

Halloween Time at Disneyland! - The Magical Blogorail Blue

Welcome to the first stop aboard Magical Blogorail Blue. Enjoy the ride as we share our favorite aspects of Halloween Time in the parks.

A Christmas Spectacularrrrr! - Days in the ParkCast #9

"it's a small world holiday"

Come stroll along with us for our latest episode of the Days in the ParkCast, our self-proclaimed “Christmas Spectacularrrrr!”  In this packed-to-the-hilt episode of the ParkCast, we’re tackling the Holidays at the Disneyland Resort and giving our own take on everything that Disneyland has to offer during this very special time of year.  We hope that if you’re a fan of Disneyland during the holidays, you’ll get a kick out of reliving your favorite moments from our perspective, and if you’ve never been but are interested in Disneyland this time of year, well, there’s something in there for you too!  Pull up your chair and sit a spell; we’ll be happy you did!

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Originally recorded: 12/30/11
Final Edits and Release: 1/1/12
Hosted by: Chad Elliott & Mark Treiger

Just a few of the highlights of this episode include…

What would a holiday be without the decorations?!
Downtown Disney District
-Romance is in the air!
-There’s nothing quite so homey as a hotel lobby
Disney California Adventure Park
-Is it weird that we want to sit on Santa’s lap?
-Why is everything so darn big here?! – “a bug’s land”
Disneyland Park
-Main Street USA; some wreaths, a Beauty of a Castle, one massive tree, and some ultra-freaky Santas
-What would happen to you if you attempted to pet one of Santa’s reindeer?  We triple-dog dare you!
Show us the sweets!
-You want a candy cane? Get in line, brother…
-Excuse me… where’s New Orleans Square? I want to get my nog on…
Forget Broadway!  Show me the “Disneyland Playbill”
-I like my “snow foam” flavored, please… – “Believe… in Holiday Magic”
-It’s “the Spirit of the Season” over and over again – “A Christmas Fantasy Parade”
Santa has his sleigh, and we have our boats n’ doom buggies!
-Clark Griswold has nothing on Disneyland – “it’s a small world holiday”
Get your NerD on!
-It’s like a Tim Burton time warp! – “Haunted Mansion Holiday”
Hidden Mickey Segment
-“Haunted Mansion Holiday”

Contact us about the Days in the ParkCast!
-Email us at parkcast@daysinthepark.com
-or call us on Voicemail at 520-DAYS-CST (329-7278)

Review our show for us in iTunes!

Holidays at Days in the Park Are Here!

Santa during Disneyland's "A Christmas Fantasy Parade" - 2010

A couple of days ago we ran a post featuring pictures we took during a recent trip into Disneyland, highlighting some of the details you might see during the Holidays at the Disneyland Resort.

Well guess what!  December is officially, finally here and as such, we're going to be running full-bore the entire month with all kinds of Christmas goodies, straight from the heart of Disneyland itself!  Christmas (or the Holidays if you prefer) at Disneyland is without question our favorite part of the year, so it stands to reason it would be our favorite part of the year to blog, as well!  We have loads of goodies planned for our readers this month, and we'll hope you'll keep coming back frequently to enjoy the season right alongside us.

Just some of the things we have planned this month are:

• The Disneyland Candlelight Processional!  We didn't get to participate in this last year due to a rain cancellation, so we plan on being there at all costs this year and we can't wait to write about the experience
• Lots of articles dedicated to the many different features of Holidays at the Disneyland Resort including:
• The holiday attractions ("it's a small world" holiday and Haunted Mansion Holiday) 
• All of the entertainment options this time of year (Believe... in Holiday Magic Fireworks, A Christmas Fantasy Parade, and the very special lighting of the Disneyland Christmas Tree and Sleeping Beauty Castle

• What would a holiday be without loads of goodies and treats to eat?  We might not be able to eat them all this year, but by golly we're gonna try!  Expect lots of entertaining anecdotes as we attempt to eat our way around Disneyland.
• Loads of pictures!
• It's a ParkCast kind of month!  We're releasing several different episodes of our podcast this month, including a very special "Christmas Spectacularrrrrrrrrr" (you have to roll your "R"s when you say that) nearer to the day itself
• Who doesn't love gifts during the holiday season?  Well, we're giving them to you!  We have several giveaways on the horizon that we're working on.  It's just our way of saying "Thanks" and giving back to you guys during this very special season.
• And maybe, just maybe, a surprise or two

The month is here, we can officially get started with the holidays, so expect to see some neat things coming in the very near future.  We hope that you enjoy the holidays as much as we do, because that's just what we're going to give you.  And we truly hope you enjoy every minute of it!

The Scary and the Tasty - Almost Wordless Wednesday

We've spent the last couple of weekends roaming Disneyland Park enjoying all of the new sights and sounds that go along with the Halloween Time season at The Resort.  With our trusty pocket cameras in tow (also known as cell phones) we've been snapping off random shots of just about everything that struck our fancy; so, of course, they're now making their way here!

You'll find some pictures here from the newly installed, "one of our favorites" Haunted Mansion Holiday and Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy, and we spent some time this past weekend hanging out in the Village Haus restaurant and you'll find some of that here as well.

One of the things we most enjoy doing on other blogs is simply taking in all of the pictures and random shots people nab from all over the Disney Parks, and that's exactly what we try to recreate here: the random wonder of a day in The Park.  We hope we're successful and that you enjoy!

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Days in the Park Week in Review (9/12 - 9/17)

We had a great week this week at Days in the Park.  We kept busy and had something new almost every day, which is always a good week for us!  And we double-posted a couple of times, so if you add them all up, we've already posted into next week!  Time for a recap!

On Monday, we challenged you with our weekly "Magical Mystery Mondays" to guess where in The Parks we were when we took a particular picture.  This week's came courtesy of the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror in the Hollywood Pictures Backlot in Disney California Adventure Park.  We have a lot of fun with these every week, so make sure you stop by each and every Monday to participate with us.  Guess correctly, and you'll find your name posted on our blog come Tuesday morning!

Tuesday,we announced the winner in our first ever "Thank You" giveaway on our blog, as our reader Jeremy (Twitter @3DisKids) took home a great Disney prize-pack full of some awesome goodies

In this week's "Almost" Wordless Wednesday, we shared some random pictures from one of our last trips of the summer into the Disneyland Resort, and Mark met one of the most feared men in the galaxy which we just had to share

It was a Disney Flashback on Friday, as Halloween Time 2011 at Disneyland began with a look back at Halloween Time at Disneyland from 2010

And finally on Saturday, we celebrated our first "blogoversary" here at Days in the Park with a special "Thank You" from all of our writers

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We didn't mention it up top, but we also finally managed to record and get out Episode 8 of our "Days in the Parkcast" podcast!  We've been on kind of a break with that while we looked at our show and tried to work on some new segments, and we're pleased with the direction and how it went!  We think it will better reflect our blog now, albeit it in audio format.  And we're super stoked to finally have Amy on board and recording with us as she's transplanted her "Amy's Favorite Things" segments from here to the podcast.  If you haven't already, but you enjoy reading our blog, give our show a listen!  You can listen to, or download, our show on our "Parkcast" website: http://www.daysintheparkcast.com, or you can subscribe to our show and listen to us in iTunes.  Give us a listen and let us know what you think!

And Halloween Time 2011 has officially begun at Disneyland!  We were in The Park last night to say that we officially rode both Space Mountain: Ghost Galaxy and Haunted Mansion Holiday, but that was really all we did.  We're looking forward to going back out many more times in the next month and a half, and will be sharing lots of information, and more importantly pictures, from our Halloween "days in the park" with you, our readers.  It should be a great season!

Thanks so much for stopping by!  It's going to be a great week, so come on back.  We love having you around!

Jack Skellington is Coming Back to the Haunted Mansion!

For today's Disney Flashback we decided to highlight something that is constantly "flashing back" to us, since it appears each and every year around this time!  Halloween Time at the Disneyland Resort is quite possibly our favorite time of the year.  There's a new feeling in the air, a new atmosphere if you will; the villains are front and center, there are new attractions and shows to see that really put you in a festive, albeit naughty mood, and it's just plain fun to be around Disneyland when all of this is going on.

Hands down, though, one of our favorite attractions this time of year is when The Haunted Mansion is all transformed and "Tim Burton-ed" into the Haunted Mansion Holiday, featuring Jack Skellington and all of our friends from the Disney classic, "The Nightmare Before Christmas".

We know that a lot of people feel very strongly about this attraction one way or the other, and that the feelings on it run from "We hate it, bring back the classic!" to "We love it, never bring back the classic!", and we're definitely somewhere in the middle.  We would fight tooth and nail to see the classic return to us every winter, but we're also not too ashamed to say that we look forward to Jack roaming the halls again each and every Halloween.

And it's almost that time again!  Halloween has snuck up on us really quickly this year, and it's almost time for the transformation to be complete.  We didn't even realize it until we were at Disneyland earlier this week and noticed that The Haunted Mansion was down for refurbishments.  As soon as saw it, though, we could feel the excitement coursing through our veins!   When this article publishes on our blog, it will be 7 days (September 16) and counting until Halloween at Disneyland!  We can't wait to get out there and enjoy all that this time of year has to offer and share it with everyone on the blog.

We know this is last year's picture, but it is a Flashback after all

So, are you as excited for Halloween at Disneyland as we are?  We'll be writing about everything going on at Disneyland all month long and hope everyone will be along for the ride, because it's going to be a great one!  For more information on Halloween Time at Disneyland, be sure and check out the official site at http://www.disneyland.com/halloween. 

And look for more information, pictures and thoughts on Haunted Mansion Holiday throughout the season.  We can't wait!

DitP Fave Five: Animatronics

If there is one thing that separates the Disney Parks from all others, it could arguably be said that it is the use of Animatronics.  Walt Disney was some kind of pioneer, man.

Don't get us wrong.  Everything in The Parks is great, but how many non-Disney Parks do you know that use Animatronics?  If you do know one, do they have the same magic Disney offers?

This is why we are proud to bring you our Favorite Five Animatronics from The Park.

Number Five: Jack Skellington from Haunted Mansion Holiday: 


Being fans of Tim Burton and "The Nightmare Before Christmas", we can say without reservation how amazingly cool it is to see The Pumpkin King two feet away from us asking if "we've been good this year."  Let us tell you, the first time we saw this we nearly screamed like a bunch of teenage girls at a N'Sync concert.  We have been tempted to jump out of our sleighs (doom buggies) just to take a pic with him.

Number Four:  Indiana Jones from Indiana Jones Adventure: 

What can we say about Indy?  The fact that he's the reason we took a liking to history, a fashion for fedoras, and that we all tried using a whip on our younger siblings speaks for itself.  Though we only briefly see him on the attraction (but twice!) we could swear that it's really Han Solo himself.  As a matter of fact, maybe next we'll yell out " Hey Harrison!" and see if he answers.  That might help with our confusion.    

Number Three:  Captain Rx-24 ("Rex") from Star Tours:

Yes, we know that Star Tours is no longer around, but that doesn't change anything about the way we felt about Rex.  We don't know what it was about him that kept us returning for another tour through the galaxy.  Was it the funny quotes he would say or the fact he was voiced by Paul Reubens (Pee-Wee Herman for those who might not have known)?  Whatever the case, he was always allowed to be our pilot for our trip to Endor.  Though we have been nearly killed by comets, or close calls with the Empire numerous times, this little droid guided us to safety every time, and that is why he is in our Fave Five.

Number Two:  The Abominable Snowman ("Harold") from The Matterhorn: 

So we're betting you didn't know that The Abominable Snowman actually had a name?  Well, he does and it's Harold.  To this day it gives us the willies to ride up front because of this guy.  In fact, we won't ride the attraction at all (it has nothing at all to do with the fact that this ride will shake your fillings out).  So for something to scare us that much, especially at Disneyland, it deserves to be on the list.  If you thought Harold was scary wait until you see who's next on our list.

Number One: Abraham Lincoln from Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln:

This has got to be the most realistic Animatronic we have ever seen.  The first time we saw it Chad wanted to sprint for the exit and Mark kept saying to himself over and over, "It's not real, it's not real."  If you haven't seen it you need to check it out for yourself.  In fact, it's your patriotic duty to.  Now, we're not bagging on one of the greatest presidents in United States history, but just pointing out that Disney did a wonderful job in bringing "Honest" Abe to life.  In fact, recently when we watched the show, the Cast Member pointed out to us that Mr. Lincoln was in fact the most advanced of all the Animatronics in The Park, and pointed out this particular model had 27 different facial expressions as opposed to 6 on the older.  We can't think of many real people with that many facial expressions.  Great job, Imagineers! 

Honorable Mention: All the Little Birdies in Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room

When it comes down to it, none of the Animatronics would be around today if not for the Tiki Room.  Walt's first foray into the use or robotics and characters all began here, and without success, might well not exist anywhere else in The Parks.  Not only is it our favorite show at the Park, but it's genuinely one of the most memorable.  Be honest, how many of you have seen the Tiki Room and left singing the theme song?  From Chad and Amy "singing like the birdies sing" to Mark chanting like a warrior, we say that the Tiki Room will forever be in our hearts.

So there you have it.  Our Favorite Five.  What are your favorite Animatronics from The Parks?

*Just a quick note:  We fully realize that not all of our favorites include a picture (although we will be adding Indy and Harold very shortly).  Could we have included pictures?  Sure!  But, pansies it might make us, we tend to try and follow the rules when we're in The Park.  When we're asked not to do something (especially since we often have our kids with us), we don't.  Not only for our own enjoyment, but for the enjoyment of those around us.  Hence, the lack of pictures in shows where we've been asked not to take them.  We truly hope that you'll still enjoy the post regardless.  

Holiday Tweet-Ups Are In Order

We've talked quite a bit about Disney family and friends in recent weeks, but we felt it was high time to do it again! 

A couple of Sundays ago we were lucky enough to have what was probably our first "official" tweet-up with a bunch of our friends at Disneyland Park.  We've met most of them at some part before, and in fact many of them are already featured on our site in some shape or form, but it's always been in relatively small groups; maybe four or five people at most.  We consider this one "official", though, because at our largest there were 11 of us running around The Park.  Okay, so it's probably still not a big tweet-up, be we think we did pretty well.

We had all discussed where we would meet and what we would do beforehand, agreeing to meet up at 7pm at The Golden Horseshoe for a ride on 'Pirates of the Caribbean'.  We learned that we're all pretty punctual people, in point of fact.  We had met up with Amy beforehand, and within a short amount of time of our arriving at 7 everyone had strolled in and greeted each other, just like old friends; almost feels like we are at this point!

While we made sure all the kiddies in attendance were fed (FindingMickey.com brought their two little boys, and Jason and Julie their daughter Jenna) we just hung around, getting reacquainted, and playing on Gowalla.  We wish someone had taken a picture of that!  At one point, we believe there were four of us, all lined up in a row, all checking in and goofing around on Gowalla (more on Gowalla on the website later).  Given the amount of laughter pouring forth, you would have thought we were all watching a Judd Apatow flick, but I guess when you get a bunch of us in the same room together even Gowalla can be comedy.

Once everyone was fed (and the bears within contented) we all walked over to 'Pirates' together.  It was pretty neat seeing us fill up almost an entire boat like that.  It wasn't without consequence, though.  We're not really sure how we keep paying the "water" price on these little excursions, but our bottom halves were soaked by the time we disembarked.  We should probably note that FindingMickey.com (sitting right in front of us) took on some water, too, but when we left the boat there was a full three inches of water stacked up in the seat where we had just been sitting.  Wet cheeks are not fun on cold, nippy nights at The Park.  Make note of this for yourselves for future reference.  However, if you look at our picture, you probably won't notice the discomfort we were feeling at the time.  All for the cause, right?

(lt-rt) Neil (FindingMickey.com), Noah, Jason (OHatDL.com), Nathaneal, Rosemary (FindingMickey.com), Mark, Chad, Amy, Julie, Jenna and Jason

Unfortunately, at this point we dropped a few members of our party as Jason, Julie and Jenna had to leave a bit earlier than planned because Jason began feeling ill.  We really missed hanging out with them the rest of the evening!  But we pressed on and made a quick hop over to 'Haunted Mansion Holiday' for some fun with Jack Skellington.  One of our favorite rides of the Holiday; we love this one and can't get enough of it.  We had hoped to see some pyro as we got off of the attraction (we needed the Gowalla check-in!) but due to high altitude winds they had called them off for the evening.  Drat!  Never fear, though, there's always something to do.  Next up, 'Indiana Jones and That Temple With The Great Flashing Eyes'; blindness ensued.  We're pretty sure that's why Mark did such a terrible job driving (the fact the wheel doesn't turn had absolutely nothing to do with it).  He couldn't see where he was going for the majority of the trip.  Remember that line in Monster's, Inc. with the dude that claims Boo grabbed him with her "mind powers and shook me like a dog"?  Yeah, this attraction's kind of like that.  We can totally empathize with him now.

Amy's Chocolate Peppermint Mousse (and mug!) at Plaza Inn

Figuring there were adults in the party who hadn't eaten at this point (Amy and Chad especially were showing signs of "the grumps") we all decided to go over to 'Plaza Inn' for Chicken Alfredo (Mark had the fried) and desserts (red velvet cupcakes and chocolate peppermint mousse).  Both the dinner, and especially the conversation, were fantastic (Neil regaled us afterwards with some History of Disneyland lessons, as well as an excellent "overheard at Disneyland" which Jason promptly tweeted over on his website featuring the gone but not forgotten 'Wizard of Bras')!

Amy, Mark, Rosemary, Nathaneal, Chad and Jason chilling on The Front Porch

By this time we had been hanging out for almost four hours (didn't seem nearly that long) and we decided to begin our meandering back up Main Street to make our exit, but we had one thing left undone.  As we were passing "The Front Porch" on Main Street we saw that it was completely empty; but not for long!  We spent the next half hour or so there just hanging out, being true "Landers".  We talked, laughed, joked and made fun of various passersby (as mean as it sounds, there's some oddballs out there!) until we just couldn't anymore.  After one final picture, we left Neil and Rosemary to take care of their kids, said goodbye to Jason near the main gates, and made our way back to the Toy Story Parking Lot with Amy before making our final goodbye and heading home.

Just prior to leaving

We say all that to really say this:  The Park sure can be a fun place, whether you're by yourself or in a small group, but it sure can be fun when you're with a pile of your friends, too.

Hope you enjoyed our little tale.  We can't wait for the next one!

*photos courtesy of Rosemary at FindingMickey.com 

Days In The Park Takes The Happiest Haunts Tour

An Introduction:
For a couple of years here at Days In The Park, we've been dying (pun totally intended) to take Disneyland Resort's Halloween Tour, aptly named the 'Happiest Haunts Tour'.  

We'd been hearing about the various tours that were available at The Park, and we had long since decided we wanted this one to be our first, but due to, ahem, monetary issues we just hadn't gotten around to it.  We spent all of the last year talking about it, and as time came near this year, we just didn't think it was going to happen, again.  However, thanks to some serious persuasion on Chad's part, and a loan given to Mark to ensure it happened, October 14th at 5:05pm rolled around with both of us there and accounted for on the tour.  

So without further ado...

The Tour:
Offered as one of many different tours at the Disneyland Resort, Disneyland's 'Happiest Haunts Tour' is a roughly 3-hour trek across areas of both Parks (Disneyland and California Adventure) intended to give you a behind the scenes sneak-peek at some of the most "haunted" areas around The Resort, as well as giving you some information on the various stories and Halloween lore these areas around The Park represent.

Unlike many of the tours offered, the Happiest Haunts Tour begins cutting its swathe across The Parks in Disney's California Adventure, next to the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror.  We must say, the tour seemed very well organized. Aside from a few technical issues with some equipment (mostly battery malfunction), the setting up and getting under way was as smooth as silk considering there were two different groups (roughly 20 people each) leaving simultaneously.  

Our tour guide Adolfo made sure we were all set up with our gear:  headphones (the guides use a closed mic so others around in The Park can't really eavesdrop too much) and flashing "rave" necklaces (so they could keep up with us and we could keep up with our groups, and so we could all blind each other on the dark rides).  Once we were all set (feeling like a bunch of pack-mules I'm sure) our wily guide let us know we would be visiting some "club" at the top of the Tower for further instructions on where our evening would be taking us.  Floundering completely in the dark there, and not knowing what on earth the "club" Adolfo was talking about could possibly be, we foolishly followed our host into the Tower of Terror building, where we were hustled into the waiting service elevators (completely against our wills, I might add), and given the ride of our lives.

The poor girl in the back looks terrified!  *snicker*

Of interesting note, once we arrived back at ground level from the "club", some nefarious Halloween Spirit had taken away our guide Adolfo and replaced him with this guy, Master Gracey.

Over the course of the next three hours, Master Gracey led us on a romp all over the Disneyland Resort, hitting the high spots of the Halloween Time celebration.  

In all seriousness, though, Master Gracey (as I'm sure the other guides are taught to do) totally made the tour what it was for us.  He was perfect. Whether he was accusing Mark of hoarding candy corn in his pockets and bringing it into The Parks, or whether he was deadpanning cracks about the children in The Parks "actually being goblins" or "that horrible winter holiday" that "disgusted" him so, the guide really makes the tour on this one, folks.  We couldn't have had a better one.  

Master Gracey led us all over The Park:  

1. Main Street, USA
2. the Jack o' Lanterns in Central Plaza
3. Tomorrowland and Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy 
4. Fantasyland and Snow White's Scary Adventures 
5. Frontierland along with Big Thunder Ranch & Zocalo Ranch and Big Thunder Mountain

And he did so all the while telling tales around the various parts of The Park. We won't give them all away, but some of our favorites included a tale of lost love with the ghost from Ghost Galaxy, a truly terrifying tale of a yeti and his horrible singing voice, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Ichabod Crane,  and the Tommyknockers who inhabit the mines of Big Thunder Mountain.  We also really enjoyed spending some time in Zocalo Ranch in Frontierland, learning more about Dia de los Muertos and other Mexican celebrations.

The Halloween Tree in Frontierland, which Master Gracey hopes one day replaces the "disgusting winter holiday tree" in each of our homes

After your brisk, and it is fairly brisk, walk around Disneyland Park the tour finally ends up just where it should outside of the spookiest locale of all, The Haunted Mansion.  Amazingly enough, at this point our original guide Adolfo reappeared (Master Gracey disappeared without a word or trace) for our final ride of the evening through Haunted Mansion Holiday.  And that's where our tale of the tour ends, and yours begins, should you wish to participate yourself.

Two of the biggest selling points, at least for us, of the whole tour was the fact that you get to see all of the best that Halloween Time has to offer, as well as riding all of the attractions Disneyland is known for during the holiday, all in one shot.  Seriously, who wouldn't want to see all of these places as well as getting basically a front-row pass to these classic Disney Halloween attractions?  You can't help but feel good when you're ushered straight to the front of the line to ride them.

And lastly, though it might seem a bit greedy, we enjoy free things (who doesn't?).  And like so many of the other special things that Disneyland offers, you don't go home from your tour empty-handed.  The rave necklace?  Yours to keep.  The special Happiest Haunts Tour Key on the end of said necklace (which you can only get on the tour)?  Yours to keep.  And they even do your sweet-tooth a tremendous favor with a yummy rice krispy treat shaped like everyone's favorite mouse.

The boy just couldn't resist showing off his goodies

Do you enjoy Halloween?  Good.  Do you enjoy Disneyland?  Great!  Then you owe it to yourself, if you can, to take this tour.  It really does enable you to gain a different, and really neat, perspective of what goes into making Halloween Time at the Disneyland Resort what it is.  It comes highly recommended!

If you'd like more information about this, or any of the other Disneyland tours, you can get more information about their full line of tours at the Disneyland website or contact them directly at (714) 781-4400.

Note:
We'd be completely remiss if we didn't give a special mention to that "strange couple" you see in many of our photos.  

Through blogging, and our love of Hidden Mickeys, we met Rosemary and Neil from FindingMickey.com and have kept pretty steady contact with them ever since.  When we mentioned to Rosemary we were planning on doing the tour, and on a whim invited them to join us on the same evening, imagine our stupification when they accepted.

One of the awesome things about blogging is making new friends, and in particular new Disney friends.  It was great to spend a few hours getting to know and hang out with them, and we all had a great time doing it.  

Be sure to check out their website when you have a minute, and be sure to follow them on Twitter (@findingmickey).

That "strange couple" from FindingMickey.com

Getting ready for Tower of Terror with FindingMickey.com

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