Hello all,

Friday marked the start of the Halloweentime at Disneyland. The park seemed to be more crowded than last week but not that bad overall. The wait times for most attractions were mild, except for Haunted Mansion and Ghost Galaxy which were both about the hour mark all afternoon/evening. DCA seemed about normal for this time of year with everything under 30 minutes most of the afternoon.

Jason

Trip logs and mileage reports are in the Park Miles section.

Disneyland & DCA Thoughts and Observations:

• The Halloweentime crowd was less than last year. Not sure if this is because it was the first day, no fireworks this year, everyone saw it last year, or just the general September lull in the crowds. I can say it was great to be able to pull into the garage and be directed to a parking spot with no delay at all. Last Halloween season it was taking between 20-60 minutes from the freeway to the car was parked.
  
  
• As you saw in the pictorial update, Disneyland looked about the same this year with no substantial changes that I could see. No signs of the pumpkin festival show/characters like they had several years ago, thought maybe something would come back this year since DCA is not celebrating the season. It felt odd to walk into DCA during Halloween and not have Candy Corn Acres.. I was not a huge fan of it, but guess the soundtrack grew on me, or at least at some level registered as appropriate, somehow.
  
  
• I do want to voice my displeasure again in having to pay extra to experience the Halloween fireworks. I thought those were a great addition last year and the crowds really swelled because of it. This year I have talked to and overheard quite a few conversations about this and the general reactions range from disappointment to outright angry over having to pay more to see something they did not have to pay extra for last year. I would venture to guess the Halloween Parties will be a big success and will continue to expand. I just hope they do not go as far as WDW does with their Christmas ones.. where you cannot see the holiday offerings unless you go the week around Christmas or pay for the party.
  
  
• Haunted Mansion seemed its usual busy self as it kicked off the Haunted Mansion Holiday version today. Fastpasses seemed to be gone earlier in the day than usual, not sure if this was because of increased use, or maybe decreased numbers in an attempt to keep the standby line shorter? Anyone know for sure? As for the ride itself all your favorites are back. There were some tweaks to the seance room and then the new gingerbread house (guess we cannot call it a house this year, it is more of a tombstone).
  
  
• In the name of research for the site I decided to give the corn dogs at Award Wieners a try. They tasted about the same as the ones at the Farmers Market, just a step down from the cart on Main Street.. I do not know what it is but the Little Red Wagon just seems better/fresher to me. Also guess I still have a bias against Award Wieners for getting rid of their shoestring fries!!! I know let it go it has been a couple years but I will not!
  
  
• Caught Fantasmic since the Haunted Mansion line was longer than my willingness to stand in it. It was nice to see several elements back, namely the stage lift as well as the Eels. The only missing element I noticed is the Dragon... anyone hear any rumors when she is coming back? It seems to have been really quiet since the accident.
  
  
• Learned something new Friday. The train was running after Fantasmic and during the fireworks. I thought they shut it down for the fireworks, but I guess not or not anymore. Two other interesting train notes from Friday. Around 6:20ish I was heading from Main Street to NOS to use my Haunted Mansion Fastpass and decided to take the train and bypass the Celebrate crowds. Train showed up, I boarded no problem, then we sat.. the CM said there was an issue with Pirates and that we would be holding till it cleared (think I heard/read somewhere it was a fire alarm, again, in one of the kitchens). Last train note when we pulled out of NOS for Toontown during the fireworks the CM warned those on board that it would be loud since we were going to be near the fireworks, I thought this was a good warning.
  
  
• Speaking of fireworks, Remember Dreams Come True is back, the slightly shortened version. Watched most of it from in front of Small World and it is still great to see the projections running. If you have never done this I recommend experiencing the show from out there. They project onto the facade of Small World during the show sequences/clips that correspond to the fireworks.
  
  
• A guide map note: I see ASIMO is now listed, great to see. I always say the more information the better!
  
  
  

Interesting Web Finds/Notes:
Below are some interesting links, notes, and rumors I found/stumble across/or have been informed of since the last Geekspeaks column.

• Interesting Web Finds
  • Disneys Art of Animation Resort (disneyworld.com)
  • New Disney Store opening in Misson Viejo (OC Register)
    
    
• Disney Press Releases
  • 9/16/10 - Paint and Thinner Expected to Alter the World When Disney Epic Mickey Launches on November 30, 2010
  • 9/16/10 - Disneyland Resort to Host Anaheim International Film Festival Black-Tie Awards Night Celebration
  • 9/15/10 - Six Recipients from Across the Globe Honored for Their Extraordinary Commitment to Conservation
    
  • 9/14/10 - Disney Online Launches Two New Original Web Series Featuring the Muppets and Celebrity Chef Cat Cora
    
    
• We post some announcements on:
  • Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/disneygeekcom
  • Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/disneygeek
  • Youtube - http://www.youtube.com/disneygeekcom
    
    

Be sure to check out the picture update that goes with this Geekspeak column, it can be found in our Disneyland Resort Pictorial Update section

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