Lindsay, Author at Laughing Lindsay

Halloween 2023 at Disneyland Guide

September 27, 2023 By Lindsay Leave a Comment

Having just returned from a trip to celebrate Halloween 2023 at Disneyland, I thought I would do an overview post about all of the fun happenings taking place this year. I will provide reviews and tips of anything I actually did or if I think something might be worth the money.

Halloween 2023 at Disneyland

Personally, I found planning a trip to Disneyland for Halloween a little annoying. They don’t really announce much in advance, so it’s hard to plan a trip to visit from across the country. For instance, they initially announced that Halloween time would kick-off at the resort in early September. Then, in August they announced a special Halloween themed meal that didn’t start until September 21st. Unfortunately, by then I already had my trip booked and couldn’t change it to accommodate a meal. Ha! So, here’s a rundown of everything I know about celebrating spooky season at the resort.

Halloween at Disneyland Park

Disneyland became fully decorated in early September. You can see characters in their special costumes as well as a special fireworks show “Halloween Screams” with regular park admission. Unfortunately, we only met Minnie in her costume as the line for Mickey was too long. Also, I was very surprised to discover people staking out spots for the fireworks 2+ hours in advance!

In mid-August they announced and started selling tickets for the Happiest Haunts Tour as well as the Plaza Inn Dining Package. I didn’t book either of these add-ons for a couple of reasons. For one, we visit the park so infrequently that a tour eating up hours of our day didn’t make sense. I decided against the dining package due to the timing (we are east coasters) who don’t eat dinner at 10 PM ET. However, if we ever go back at Halloweentime, I will look into booking something with reserved seating since people started lining up hours in advance to see the fireworks.

Halloween at Disney California Adventure Park

DCA also has some decor that can be seen during a regular park day. However, the real fun comes during the separately ticketed Oogie Boogie Bash event. I just published a full review of this party in addition to the Oogie Boogie Bash Dessert Party that you can read by clicking those links.

Halloween at Downtown Disney

Individual businesses in Downtown Disney celebrate the fall season with seasonal foods. Additionally, guests can pay $10 to do Pluto’s Pumpkin Pursuit scavenger hunt to look for character-inspired pumpkins. You can also look for pumpkins without paying for the scavenger hunt, but you receive a prize of a small character sipper for completing the hunt.

Halloween at Disneyland Hotels

The one late addition to the offerings that annoyed me is the Goofy’s Kitchen Halloween meal. It didn’t start until September 21st! I would have loved to have done this, but we were there too early. Nonetheless, Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel had a nice display for spooky season. Unfortunately, the treat stand doesn’t open until later in the day so we didn’t get to sample any of those goodies either.

Is Fall a Good Time to Visit Disneyland?

While I encountered some frustration with DL releasing special events too close to the dates, I still enjoyed my trip. I wouldn’t hesitate to go back during this time of the year. My biggest complaint was the heat. If I go back in fall, I will probably aim for a late September date just to avoid the heat and ensure maximum Halloween event enjoyment.

2023 Oogie Boogie Bash Review and Tips

September 21, 2023 By Lindsay Leave a Comment

After hearing so much about this highly sought after separately ticketed event at Disneyland, I was finally able to attend the 2023 Oogie Boogie Bash! I spent 11 hours in an online queue over the course of two days and we paid hundreds of dollars just for the tickets. So, was it worth it?

2023 Oogie Boogie Bash

I’ve attended Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party at Walt Disney World several times. However, a year or two ago I started hearing people go on and on about Disneyland’s version of a Halloween Party. I am happy I was finally able to attend this party and see what the hype is all about.

Treat Trails

Just like at MNSSHP, there’s trick-or-treating at this party! However, Disneyland kicks it up a notch by having Treat Trails. Basically, they added a popular villain for guests to see at the end of the line for candy! This is more of a drive by experience so the line is continuously moving. This isn’t a character meet and greet. I had ample time to take pictures though. I loved this addition to the candy trails as we didn’t really use the app and just wandered in to be surprised by the characters!

I also think it’s worth mentioning the types and quantity of treats you receive here. It’s not just candy. In fact, we even received some mini bags of a carrots at one stop! We also got a couple bags of Sun Chips, Mickey Goldfish crackers, and giant Cinnamon Goldfish! Then, Mars Wrigley supplied lots of candy! My mom was really impressed with how much we were given with very little effort here.

Parade

I was so excited to see the Frightfully Fun Parade that we even booked the dessert party for reserved seating! You can read my full review of the Oogie Boogie Dessert Party here. This parade is similar to the one at Mickey’s Not So Scary, but shorter. However, it also features The Mayor from “The Nightmare Before Christmas” driving his car! I think the parade is a must-see, regardless of if you book the dessert party.

Villains Grove

The Villains Grove is unlike anything else I’ve ever experienced. They take the Redwood Creek section of the park (which is very much like the redwood forests of California) and make it spooky. Each area is themed to a particular villain, including specific scents (like roses) and other touches. It makes for a fun and unique experience. We hit this up towards the end of the night, during the end of the second parade without too much of a wait. I think it’s worth checking out this experience just because it’s so cool.

Characters

There were several special rare characters with meet and greets around the park. However, the lines to meet them were long! We managed to do the Minnie, Daisy, and Clarabelle as the Sanderson Sisters one during the second parade. The estimated wait was around 45 minutes, but it didn’t feel that long. I highly recommend this strategy if you want to see them since the line was much shorter and we didn’t have to wait in the hot sun.

Mickey’s Trick and Treat Show

My mom wanted to see Mickey’s Trick and Treat Show as it was the only exclusive show at the event. We managed to walk up after the first parade and join the line as they were entering the building. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but this was a cute show. I enjoyed seeing the different costumes on the characters. I wouldn’t wait long for this show personally. However, if you have little kids, they will love it. It’s also a nice place to sit in some air conditioning if it’s hot.

Tips

The party sold out in hours this year. So, if you want to attend next year, I recommend clearing your schedule and packing patience to secure tickets. I also highly suggest hitting up the more popular stuff (characters, Villains Grove) during a parade. Additionally, we ate dinner at Lamplight Lounge at 4:15 PM as I always make sure to eat prior to an after hours party so as not to waste precious party time.

Is it worth it?

Was the 2023 Oogie Boogie Bash worth the 11 hours in queue and the hundreds of dollars we spent? I think so. My mom even said during the party that it was the most fun she’s had with candy since she was a kid! I don’t think you can get a much more glowing review than that.

Oogie Boogie Dessert Party Review

September 19, 2023 By Lindsay Leave a Comment

I just got back from a trip to Disneyland to kick-off the Halloween season with my mom. I was lucky enough to secure tickets to their separately-ticketed seasonal event at Disney’s California Adventure (I intend to publish a review of the event later this week). We also decided to book the Oogie Boogie Dessert Party to give us a seated view of the Frightfully Fun Parade. Here’s my review to help others decide if it’s worth the additional cost.

Oogie Boogie Dessert Party

As I said above, this is an add-on to an already expensive separately ticketed event. However, I really enjoyed the World of Color – One Dessert Party that I attended in May and wanted to try another dessert party at Disneyland. Plus, my mom really liked the idea of having a chair to sit in for the parade. Due to the pricing, it took a little convincing, but my mom finally warmed up to the idea.

The Food

For this dessert party, we each received a plate of goodies and some beverages. The treats included: chocolate mousse cake, pumpkin bundt cake, cookies & cream tart, caramel cheesecake, orange dreamsicle crispy, salted caramel macaron, and some gummy worms. The best treat was the pumpkin bundt cake. It tasted like pumpkin, instead of just cinnamon like some treats do. The caramel cheesecake was our second favorite item. The caramel flavoring made it a less tart/sour cheesecake. The cookies & cream tart was a little hard to cut, but tasted good. The macaron was also good. The gummy worms were fun to look at, but not much to eat. The worst item had to be the orange dreamsicle crispy treat. It was really hard and left my fingers black from just picking it up. I don’t think anyone at our table finished this treat.

There is a specialty mixed drink as well as non-alcoholic beverage. The mixed drink was really strong. I took one sip and was done. The non-alcoholic drink was fruity and sweet. I enjoyed it. We were all served a small bottle of water too, which was nice given the high temperature.

2025 Update

I was able to do this dessert party again in 2025. There were some updates to the experience. For starters, instead of a plate of desserts, you are now given a box of various goodies. There’s some meat and cheeses, freeze dried fruits, and some sweets now. I think that is a better balance of food versus just sweet treats previously. The box also makes it easier to take your goodies to go. In fact, they even brought around some OBB bags to pack things up!

Also, included in the box is a special OBB Dessert Party Pin! There are three different pins with two being considered “rare” and “ultra rare”. I have no idea what that means in actual percentages, but it’s neat to see which one you get.

I think the addition of the other foods, pin, and box make it even more worthwhile now! Although, it has gone up in price from $89 in 2023 to $94 in 2025. Although, that really is a slight difference when you look at Disney’s pricing in recent years and the addition of the aforementioned food and pin.

The View

Sitting in chairs gave us an elevated point of view of the parade over sitting on the ground. I’m sure some will argue that you can get a similar view by standing, for free. However, after walking 8.9 miles the previous day and similar mileage this day, sitting in a real chair was a fabulous thing. My mom really appreciated sitting in a chair comfortably instead of on the hard ground. Plus, it was nice to sit and enjoy a few treats while we waited for the parade begin.

Is it worth it?

At $89/each, this is an expensive add-on. However, it was worth it for my mom and I. Standing for long periods of time hurts her back and feet. So, being able to sit down at the end of the night was a great thing. Plus, we enjoyed trying the treats. Overall, it was one of the highlights of the trip. Although, if you are on a budget, you will probably have to skip this experience. Plus, there are loads of places to watch the parade around the park without paying extra. So, I guess it depends on what you value: comfort or time/money.

Caring for Giants Tour Review at Animal Kingdom

September 13, 2023 By Lindsay Leave a Comment

Back in 2019 I was lucky enough to do the Caring for Giants Tour at Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World. It’s a short behind the scenes look at the elephants of the park. I thought it was a fun add-on activity that was worth doing a review of.

Caring for Giants Tour

The Caring for Giants tour is a 60 minute experience providing a look at the elephants of the Animal Kingdom theme park. Your guide will take you backstage and tell you all kinds of facts about these glorious creatures. You will also get to admire them from a backstage area 80 to 100 feet away. At the end, there is time to take lots of photos of the elephants.

At $35 a person, this is one of the cheaper add-on experiences at Walt Disney World. In fact, I think it may be a good starting point for someone looking to add on a tour at Disney. At an hour long, it is also a shorter experience (versus a more intense 5 hour tour at Magic Kingdom or the several hours long Universal Holiday Tour).

Tips

Reserve your spot early. There are a few small tours offered each day, so it can book up early. Reservations open up 60 days out, just like dining. So, decide early on if you want to book this experience and book it as soon as you can.
Best for animal lovers. While it is super neat to see stuff backstage as a theme park fan, I think someone who doesn’t like elephants or animals might get bored here.
Ask questions. The guides will give you tons of information on elephants as well as how they care for them. Feel free to ask questions. There was plenty of time for our group to ask questions, so take advantage of that time.
Bring your camera/phone. The last little bit of the tour is spent just observing the elephants and taking photos. It’s a peaceful and memorable experience.
Be prepared. This is a one hour outdoor walking tour. Dress appropriately.
Have fun. While this is a learning experience, it’s also a very calm one. So, relax and enjoy!

Is the Caring for Giants Tour worth it?

While I don’t know if children would enjoy this tour, I think most adults would. If you like elephants, then you will like this. At $35, it’s not a huge gamble of money. However, if you have a packed theme park day, it may be best to skip this one.

Cape May Café Breakfast Character Meal Review

September 7, 2023 By Lindsay Leave a Comment

Fall may be beginning, but if you are looking for a character meal with summertime vibes at Disney World, then I’ve got the meal for you! The Cape May Café breakfast is a character buffet meal at Disney’s Beach Club Resort. I ate here last December with my mom and I am happy to finally share my review.

Cape May Café Breakfast

Dinner at this location is a character-free seafood buffet. However, the Cape May Café breakfast is a beach-themed character dining buffet experience. In fact, Disney calls it Minnie’s Beach Bash Breakfast! So, you know it’s going to be a good beachy time! Admittedly, that good time does come at a cost with it being $45/adult and $29/child, plus tax and gratuity.

Before I get into the review of this restaurant, I want to disclose that this character meal holds a special place in my heart. This was technically my first character meal! I booked it for my solo stay at Disney’s Beach Club Resort during the Disney Social Media Moms 2016 Celebration. It was during this meal that I learned what all of the hype was about for these character meals!

The Characters

I was happy to discover that the characters’ outfits had been updated since the last time I dined here. The last time I was here, the characters were wearing more general nautical themed or ocean setting outfits. You can see in the Instagram post above from 2016 that Donald was wearing a fun spin on his classic outfit back then. In the post below, also from 2016, Minnie is wearing a swimsuit and seahorses on her cover up.

Now, the characters are wearing the appropriate attire for a day at the beach! As you can see in the more recent photos below, Donald is sporting a striped undershirt and a beachy button up shirt over it. He also seems pretty happy with his hat! Daisy and Minnie are both wearing summery dresses. Goofy is wearing a shirt and swim trunks! Everyone looks perfect for a beach bash!

I have to commend all of the characters for being perfect each time I’ve eaten here. The interactions are fun and priceless! This was my first character meal ever as well as my first real character meal after the pandemic. There’s just something about the vibes here that make it special.

The Food

I have to admit, even the food is better here now! The meal started with some tasty salted caramel “beach buns” with a vanilla cream. My mom and I may have asked for seconds of these! I was tickled to discover that you can get pog juice here now too!

The buffet features a good variety of foods to choose from. It’s one of the few places you can get Mickey and Minnie waffles! My mom appreciated the omelet station, while I enjoyed an eggs benedict. I felt like this meal was a more elevated dining experience than some other basic breakfasts on property.

Is The Cape May Café Breakfast Worth It?

I always struggle to determine if something is worth the money or not. However, I will say that this was a good meal with characters. I will add one caveat to eating here: the location. The Skyliner has made it much easier to get here now, but it still might not be worth the hassle of coming/going for some folks. Due to the location, it seems to have availability when some other character meals may not. I think it’s worth it if you want a fun breakfast with characters. If you are on a tight budget, short on time, or not going to be staying or visiting the Skyliner/Epcot area, then it’s probably not worth it for you.