Originally Posted By LuvsDsnyTrips My son and I will be there on the 23rd also We don't dress up but really enjoy seeing all the costumes I know you live in WA....as well as us You are not flying on the 20th....are you??
Originally Posted By Princessjenn5795 No, we are flying down the morning of the 23rd and flying back on the 26th. We will be the family dressed as Dr. Who characters.
Originally Posted By monorailblue It looks like I'm going (hooray!) and will be staying northeast of the resort (near Disneyland Drive and Ball Road). I plan to walk down to the park. Can I walk down into Mickey & Friends and take the tram? How does one walk into the resort from that area? I haven't walked up in about 20 years.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros I'm not positive, but I don't think there's a sidewalk along the southbound lanes of Disneyland Dr between Ball Rd and Magic Way (entrance to DLH and DTD parking lots) because of the parking garage entrance. Depending where exactly your hotel is, you can either go west on Ball Rd to Walnut St, then turn onto Magic Way and pick up the tram from there, or use the sidewalk on the northbound side of Disneyland Dr and backtrack at Magic Way to take the tram (though it would almost certainly be faster to just keep walking at that point, since there's a pedestrian shortcut that parallels the tram route)
Originally Posted By monorailblue Any idea whether I can cut between the Best Western Courtesy Inn and the Rodeway Inn Maingate on Southwest Place and enter M&F from the north there? Google provides some photos making it look possible.
Originally Posted By monorailblue I think that area is CM parking--but maybe I can get them to let me walk through? I've no idea.
Originally Posted By berol I'd be shocked if they let you. From the Super 8 a few years ago, I had to walk down Disneyland Drive to Magic Way, past the trams to the parking lot entrance, then backtrack to the tram stop. It was faster than walking the whole way because the trams were walk-on. They weren't at the end of the day, but taking less steps was my priority by that point.
Originally Posted By monorailblue OK. I should have time enough to scope it out. From the google pics, it looks like anyone in M&F could probably just walk out the back into the parking lot--so maybe there's a chance the reverse is true. Fingers are crossed.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros One time when parking at M&F, we were directed to park in the surface lot north of the parking structure. We walked past some things that were clearly supposed to be backstage (signage and mirrors reminding CMs they were about to go onstage, for example), but there was nothing to really stop people from going that way. The biggest hurdle was getting to the trams themselves, which required walking up a couple flights of stairs (no escalator or elevators) then walking the length of the parking structure, then going down the escalators. It was a real hassle, especially at the end of the night, but not the end of the world That said, if that area isn't being used for guest parking, I doubt they would like people to walk around back there. I would assume that the guard booth off of Ball Rd is staffed, so there would probably be somebody there to shoo you away
Originally Posted By monorailblue I'm thinking the same thing. I've got time in the a.m. to walk over and ask. I'll report back with my findings, although that won't be for some time.
Originally Posted By Kidz-n-k9s <<Any idea whether I can cut between the Best Western Courtesy Inn and the Rodeway Inn Maingate on Southwest Place and enter M&F from the north there?>> Reviews on Trip Adviser from the Best Western Courtesy Inn describe getting to M&F. This one is from 3 days ago and includes picture if you go to the review: "And, as mentioned by others the hidden gem is the superior shorter (by DL standards) walking commute into the park via tram. Its now better marked for guests to easily find their way. (Before, I felt like I was cheating by walking through the cast member area)."
Originally Posted By monorailblue Dumb question: do they separate the partiers from the general admission riff-raff with wristbands or something?
Originally Posted By darcy-becker Yes. You'll probably have to show your wristband a few times in the first hour or so. Not so much after they have all the regular guests out of the park.
Originally Posted By monorailblue Can anyone indicate whether the Mark Twain has typically been in operation during the party in years past or this year?
Originally Posted By darcy-becker Mark Twain was on a refurb last year. But I saw some pictures of it in the mists on line recently. Whether it could be ridden or not I don't know.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros When I last went to the party (many years ago), the Twain was not operating. They had it parked at the dock with the popcorn lights on, and had turned on the Fantasmic! fog effects and some lighting to make the area seem extra spooky. It was surprisingly effective!
Originally Posted By monorailblue Does anyone know whether the Monorail operates during MHP? I assume lots of hotel guests attend, so perhaps it does? And one can enter the park through the DTD station with a MHP ticket?
Originally Posted By monorailblue I'll answer my own questions, although I doubt many people are here looking for answers: Mark Twain and Columbia do not run during MHP. The Columbia is docked at Frontierland Landing as a backdrop for a photo-op. Disneyland Monorail does not run during MHP. A train is parked at the Tomorrowland station so the loading portion of the platform can be used as an exit route for a Treat Trail. Disneyland Railroad did operate for the duration with a 2-train operation (trains approx. every 10 minutes). It appears to take longer to clear and reopen Fantasyland when the fireworks are cancelled than when they are presented. (It rained, so both the parade and fireworks were cancelled. The closed portion of fantasyland was still closed around 10:20 p.m., which I believe is later than usual.) Autopia has only very limited operation. (When I was there, they were loading from a single line and appeared to have no more than 20 cars running.) Other notes: Tiki Room, River Belle Terrace, Village Haus and a bunch of stores did not operate. Didn't get to see Alice upgrades (thank you, rain) or Peter Pan upgrades (it was 101 before they cut it off for fireworks, and then was closed extra long for that). Did get to see Big Thunder upgrades: very nice. Lost a hate for the first time ever, in more than 500 trips to the park. My Halloween costume hat ended up in some gigantic filter in Splash Mountain after sailing cleanly into the water just after the second drop. There was very little Halloween merch to be found on Main Street or in World of Disney.
Originally Posted By Kidz-n-k9s I'm sorry you missed the fireworks. We saw them on 10/12 and really liked them. I really didn't feel that Halloween vibe in the parks like I have on past October visits this year. My kids were unhappy that pumpkin carving wasn't available either during regular park hours. But we did have a good time at the party that night. <<Other notes: Tiki Room, River Belle Terrace, Village Haus and a bunch of stores did not operate.>> I was unaware that dining options were going to be so limited. We ended up eating out of a cart (hummus, chips, and a pretzel) as we didn't find anywhere else to eat in Frontierland. We were headed to Rancho, but it was being used as a treat distribution. How did it go walking from the Best Western through the garage?
