I was not the kid who got to go to Disney every year. In fact I have only been to Disneyland three times, once when I was about 6 then 21 and finally last month. I will say I think this last visit was one of my favorites so far. First, and fellow parents you will get this, I was by myself. 100% no kids, no dogs, no husband, just me, myself and I. What a crazy feeling to not have to worry about nap times or snacks or diaper changes, but to be just focused on you and what you want or where you want to go and no sharing food or drinks! If you are a parent and you have not had that experience of getting to just focus on you, I highly recommend it. Yes, it was hard to leave my little man, but going to California and attending a conference to better the business and well earned break for momma was much needed and gave our little monster a better mom coming back. I’ll do a short post soon about what it was like and tips that got me through the full week.

The second reason this was one of my favorite trips was because it was also a bucket list time for me to go to Disneyland. It was Halloween time. I am not a crazy Halloween person, but it seemed like a fun time to go to the park and hopefully not as crazy as Christmas time. I’m going to be honest, I didn’t do a ton of research before going. I hadn't planned on going until about a month before and was so focused on making sure I left things at home in a good spot that I didn't think about what I was doing. So I did go into Halloween Disneyland a little blind, but I learned and would do it again. Plus I did learn quite a bit and have more insight to give any of you looking to go to Disneyland at any time of the year.

So what did I think of Disney Halloween? I loved it. The decorations were adorable and I thought they were actually really tasteful. The entrance is draped with pumpkin vines and the main characters, Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy and Pulto depicted as pumpkins. California Adventures entrance featured Oogie Boogie from Nightmare Before Christmas. Once you walk into Disneyland you are greeted with the typical sight of Main St USA, but the banners are done in colors to reflect the season and there are small touches of pumpkins and other festival decorations throughout the buildings. Of course, there is a large Mickey Mouse pumpkin front center where everyone lines up to get a picture. I was lucky enough to see the mouse himself, Mickey outside the Disneyland Story and he was in his skeleton costume, which had some Dia Los Muertos vibes going on with some fun colors, hearts and candy. The rest of Disneyland really didn't have much Halloween going on. Of course all the characters I saw did have their halloween costumes on and there were little touches, like pumpkin and bunting on light posts, but the rest of Disneyland felt very normal and immersive in that land. There were a lot of special seasonal treats throughout that you could enjoy, but you kind of had to know where they were and when to get them.

Now all the rides are the same as they always are. It does seem like there have been some technology updates and refurbishment to a lot of them since my last visit (11 years ago) which was great to see and really helps keep the entertainment value. Tiana’s Bayou was not open yet, that is due to open in November so hold out just a little longer if that is something you are wanting to see. New Orleans Square has added a restaurant in honor of Tiana and I will get into that in a moment. Now Haunted Mansion does get an overlay in honor of both Halloween and Christmas with Nightmare Before Christmas being featured. Now it is important to note that this is an overlay so the original art and animatronics are still there, but there are Nightmare features added. I thought a majority of it was really, really well done. It was so fun to see all the characters in place and hear the new soundtrack. Things are done more along the color scheme of Oogie Boogie so think neons and blacklights. The only area that I was a little disappointed in was the dining room scene. That is such a big space with so much going on that it was hard to hide the original Haunted Mansion scene, but the graveyard at the end more than made up for that I feel like. Overall I think it was worth a trip through. 

The line for Haunted Mansion is a virtual queue so you have the option to get in the queue starting at 7am and then when it is your group's turn you have about an hour to return to the Mansion for your ride. I thought this was a great way to do this popular attraction. Yes, you do have to remember to get in the virtual queue and you have to be checking on it throughout the day, but I got in the queue around 7:30-8am and was in group 64. My group was then called right around 12:30p so it wasn't a terrible wait time and I got to explore and do so much while I was waiting. Then when it was my turn, I walked right into the mansion and was on the ride within probably about ten minutes. Note, virtual queue is different from lightning lane and does not cost any extra.

Now food. I love food and that is one area on our vacation budget that my husband and I tend to pad the budget quite a bit because, honestly, we are on vacation and should get to enjoy whatever food options are there. I am not going to lie, I was a little nervous about the food at Disneyland because when we were in Disney World in February I came down with food poisoning and didn't want a repeat experience. That being said, I decided to kick off my day with a salad from Tiana’s Palace. Tiana’s Palace is on the edge of New Orleans Square just down the street from Haunted Mansion. It is on the main walkway, but also tucked just slightly back so it feels out of the hustle and bustle, but is still close to things to be convenient. I decided to use the mobile ordering app so the options were limited, but I have to say the Muffuletta salad was delicious and perfect for the midday, plus the lavender lemonade was refreshing. Luckily, the patio around Tiana’s Palace had plenty of umbrellas and shade so even though it was warm, it was very comfortable and the perfect place for people watching. If you are not familiar with what a muffuletta sandwich is, it is a traditional sandwich from New Orleans that has mortadella, ham, salami and an olive relish on a nice crisp bread. The salad was essentially that. It was so nicely balanced and the cheddar with basil was so tasty. The dressing had a little spice to it which just added that extra bit to the salad. I am a sucker for a good lavender lemonade so that just topped off the meal plus the presentation for both was beautiful even though it was a takeaway meal. 

I wish I could say that I ate all around Disneyland, but I honestly just enjoyed walking and riding rides, but did return to New Orleans Square for dinner. I have no idea why New Orleans Square was calling to me, but it was. This time I went to Cafe Orleans which is right across from Tiana’s Palace. I didn't make reservations, my mistake, but did the walk up queue for this and was seated rather quickly. Again the nice thing with the walk up queue is that it is something that you can join while you are still exploring, just be sure you are somewhat close because you only get ten minutes to return to the location. Again with outdoor seating, this time under a tree so nice, cool, comfortable and a great spot to watch people and listen to the band that was playing between the two restaurants. The menu was amazing and though small but even with the limited selection I had trouble deciding. So many things looked delicious. I ended up narrowing it down to two options and asked the waiter his opinion. Even with how busy the restaurant was, the waiter was so nice and helpful. He recommended the beef bourguignon and oh was he correct in that suggestion. It was a wonderfully braised piece of meat with a delicious, rich gravy, mashed potatoes and vegetables. Oh it was heavenly. I had a bourbon julep to drink and I felt very decadent getting to sit, sip and eat while sitting in Disneyland.

I realize that none of these are very Halloween themed and I will admit I failed on that front, but I did have the pumpkin fritters from Royal Street Veranda. Now I was really wanting some beignets, but a double order of the fritters more than made up for missing the beignets. These fritters were light and warm, again mobile order for the win. By this point, I was trying to find a spot to watch Fantasmic, which as a single person is a little bit of a challenge, but I found a great spot and had a yummy snack to enjoy while waiting. 

I chose to watch Fantsmic over the firework show, but walking out during the show was still worth it. The projections that they had over the castle and Main Street was so fun and really gave every seat and view of what was going on, plus classic villain songs and music from Nightmare made the show a blast. 

So did I do Halloween to the fullest? Probably not, but I do have next year to build on it and now I can’t wait to see Disney at Christmas time. I also can't wait to do Disney again when my little guy is older and can participate in Mickey’s Halloween Party or the Oogie Boogie Bash. 

Stay tuned for learning more about the resort hotels and my suggestions on doing Disneyland with an 18-month old. Even better, if you are ready to get your own trip going, reach out and let's start planning it!