Halloween Time at Disney: Day 1

It's after 10PM and the kids are snoring away not 3 feet from me, but they're so exhausted from 7 hours of fun at Disneyland that the blinding light from my laptop screen doesn't cause even a stir. They've been up since 5:45 AM and blazed through the day without any breaks (unless you count the Enchanted Tiki Room show and the Winnie the Pooh ride as a break).

When we entered Disneyland at around 1:30PM, it was warm and bright, and the huge Mickey-shaped pumpkins were gleaming orange in the sun.

By the time we left, the Mickey pumpkins were glowing in the lamplight.

In between those two photos, we did the Matterhorn, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Winnie the Pooh, Pirates of the Caribbean, Splash Mountain, Enchanted Tiki Room, Tarzan's Treehouse and Indiana Jones. Eight attractions in seven hours... that sounds bad, but the longest we waited was 15 minutes, thanks to the off-peak period and the beauty of FastPass. The rest of the time was spent walking, getting drinks and food, looking at stuff in shops, and endless trips to the restroom! I'm proud of myself for resisting the temptation to go all dragon lady on the family and hustle them from attraction to attraction at lightning speed. Even so, all that walking and standing takes its toll, and I'm glad we decided not to squeeze any more attractions in. Those can wait till tomorrow.

Fortunately, we're staying at the Disneyland Resort Hotel, which is ultra-convenient when you have tired, cranky kids. It's about 10 minutes' walk away from the entrance to both Disneyland Resort parks, and it's only about 2 minutes' walk away from the Monoral Station at Downtown Disney. And since it's off-peak season right now, the Disneyland Resort has some great deals going on, such as:


$300 Savings on Four-Day, Four-Night Vacation Package
Value-minded vacationers can celebrate Halloween Time with a special travel offer this fall. Guests will enjoy a $300 savings on a four-day, four-night Disneyland Resort vacation package at any Disneyland Resort hotel if booked between now and Dec. 1, 2010. The package features hotel accommodations and park hopper tickets, for travel from Oct. 1 through Dec. 16, 2010. For guests seeking a hotel room-only offer, Disneyland Resort features great savings this fall at any three of its on-site deluxe hotels. Details are at http://www.blogger.com/www.disneyland.com/specialoffers.

Disneyland Resort features two fantastic theme parks – Disneyland and Disney California Adventure park – plus the Downtown Disney District comprised of unique dining, entertainment and shopping experiences. The resort’s three guest-welcoming hotels are the luxurious 745-room Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa, the magical 988-room Disneyland Hotel and the 489-room Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel with its “day-at-the-beach” fun. For information on new attractions and vacations at Disneyland Resort visit www.disneyland.com, call 866/60-DISNEY or contact local travel agents.


Stay tuned for more posts about our Disney Halloween Time weekend!

Disclosure: Disney is covering travel, lodging and park admission for our weekend at the Disneyland Resort. I did not receive a sample or monetary compensation for this post. Information is provided by the Disneyland Resort and is clearly indicated as such. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.