This week I lucked out and was able to attend the Disney Parks Blog Halloween Meet Up in Disneyland.
After an announcement was made on the Disney Parks Blog, 100 Annual Passholders, including me, quickly registered for themselves (and could bring one guest) to attend the “Get Spookier” meet up.
A perfect opportunity to try out this year’s Halloween costume!
Can you tell who I am???
We’ll get to the treats and eats in just a bit, but first off — the events! The evening was designed to celebrate the kick-off of Halloween Time at the Disneyland Resort, which officially started last Friday, September 14th.
We started off the night seated outdoors at the French Market (aka Club Skellington) for a presentation from some fabulous cast members: David Caranci, Manager of Park Enhancement; and Brian Sandahl, Senior Designer for Disney Entertainment for Creative Development.
They each told us about their roles in preparing the park for Halloween. We learned lots of fun facts about the Haunted Mansion Holiday overlay as well as park stats such as how many pumpkins are used as decor during Halloween Time. The answer? Over 1000; some real and some artificial. Including this guy:
A Few of the 1000+ Pumpkins that Adorn Disneyland During Halloween Time!
After the very informative chat with David and Brian, guests were sent off to ride the Haunted Mansion Holiday over and over again for 45 minutes. Each ride a walk on!
Although this was also spectacular (this year’s Gingerbread House is a must see, I LOVE newly added the ghost train) I was most interested in, you guessed it: the desserts!
Treats!
After our ride(s) we were treated to a lovely dessert reception at the French Market that was magically set up while we visited the Haunted Mansion Holiday.
Treats for the evening included lots of the usual Disneyland suspects: Mickey Rice Crispy Treats (both plain and chocolate dipped), Mickey Cookies, Brownies, and Chocolate Covered Strawberries.
Mickey Rice Crispy Treats
Chocolate Covered Strawberries, Brownies & Raspberry Stuffed Cookies
There were also some lesser known goodies like the Raspberry Stuffed Cookie and something I’ve NEVER seen: the Chocolate Milk & Hot Chocolate Shot.
The Raspberry Stuffed Cookies were the same ones I tried way back with the Fantasmic! Premium Viewing Dessert Package. It’s basically a super soft raspberry-filled shortbread/sugar type cookie. Very yummy!
Raspberry Stuffed Cookie
My favorite treat of the night was by far the Chocolate Milk & Hot Chocolate Shot. Melted chocolate in a shot glass served warm — so amazing. AND if you know me, you know I am not a huge chocolate fan. Liquid chocolate, however, is an exception. Love it.
Dispensed from a coffee dispenser, the mini plastic shot glasses were lined up and ready to serve. When asked by a cast member, “Would you like to try a Chocolate Milk & Hot Chocolate Shot?” I basically grabbed it out of his hand, said “YES, Please!” and shot it right there. What a fun and unique treat to serve us.
Chocolate Milk & Hot Chocolate Shots
The night ended with a photo opportunity with Jack & Sally, and an “Everyone’s a Winner” Costume Contest. The prize? Tickets to Mickey’s Halloween Party! So. Much. Fun.
A big thanks to Disney for putting on such a wonderful evening. Keep a close eye on the Disney Parks Blog for future events! For official coverage of the Get Spookier Meet Up, visit Erin Glover’s post on the Disney Parks Blog.
AND if you haven’t gotten your tickets to Mickey’s Halloween Party yet, what are you waiting for???
Do you plan on visiting Mickey’s Halloween Party this year? Does your group dress up? Am I the only one TOTALLY obsessed with Halloween at Disneyland? Let us know in the comments below!
Heather Sievers is the Disney Food Blog’s Dining in Disneyland columnist. See more of her columns here!
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How fun! And great costume, Heather!
Gah I love the HM costume! So creative & pretty! And I noticed you were in two of the official parks blog shots, nice 🙂 Sounds like a great night (well, just one of those chocolate shots would make my night lol).
Sounds like you had a blast! The treats look delicious and those Disney rice krispy treats are always a favorite. Your costume is AWESOME!! Well done!
That sounds like a great time! Are they going to serve any of those items at the party? We are heading out to Disneyland on tuesday(yeah yeah yeah!!!) and got tux for the party of Friday. Super stoked!!
@Sherri – Thanks!
@Shireen – All of the items served (except the chocolate shots) are available at the parks. Have a great trip!
That looked like so much fun! And I loved your costume.
I won’t be going to the party at Disneyland, but I WILL be attending the party at Disney World! 🙂 Your last post comparing the two parties convinced me and my husband we had to give it a try. And yes – you have to dress up! My husband has already decided to wear his karate uniform as a costume, now I just have to figure out what to wear….
DX i want your costume badly its amazing!
@Riniel – Thank you so much! The chocolate shot was amazing! ; )
@TammiQ – Thanks AND You are right, you can never go wrong with a Mickey Rice Krispy Treat!
@Dana – Thanks! I might take my costume to WDW next week!
@Wyndy – If you are serious, I can tell you who made it! ; )
Late chiming In here, but once again I am reminded to check this blog every day. I have to go find your post comparing parties. I just filled out a survey on the DL party and had a hard time not comparing it to the WDW party. Their parade was 20x better.
Love, love, love your costume. We dressed as Goofy (kids were shouting to my hubby all night) and Ursula. I made friends ith a 4 yr old Ariel who kept running into us all over the park. Each time she would pull on my tentacles and was delighted to see me. I’m just waiting for her to go to Kindergarten so she can learn to sign her name and that sweet voice will be all mine. 🙂
@Jennie – Thanks! I was with 14 people dressed as characters from the Haunted Mansion this year. So much fun! I’ve never been to MNSSHP in Orlando, would love to go some time but it’s almost too hot to wear a costume there! ; )