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Solo Oogie Boogie Bash Tips

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Are you considering taking a solo Oogie Boogie Bash trip? Then, here’s a post for you!

Solo Oogie Boogie Bash

Solo Oogie Boogie Bash

Disneyland‘s annual Halloween party began on Sunday! So, you may be planning or contemplating attending this year’s event by yourself! If so, I have some experience that I can use to tell you about to help put you at ease!

My Experience

I attended the 2024 OBB by myself and had an excellent time! In fact, I may be heading there by myself again this year. 😉 Suffice it to say, I really enjoy myself at this seasonal party. I love seeing the park decked out in Halloween decor and getting to meet the characters dressed up for the occasion! I also love the parade at this party! Let’s not forget the treat trails and Villains Grove!

Last year, I had a light dinner and a peanut butter coffee to start my night! I relaxed around Pixar Pier while eating my dinner on a bench and people watched. Finally, at 6 o’clock the party began! I headed over to the plain treat trail nearby (the one without a character) to get a good start on filling my bag. Then, I hit up the Sid treat trail (which had a pretty good wait at that point in the night). I decided then and there to attempt to visit all 12 treat trails in one night.

Next, I enjoyed some snacks at the dessert party and watched the parade. I then beelined it towards Villains Grove before everyone else had the chance to head over after the parade. Then, I ran around hitting up the other 10 treat trails! Once I finished those, I decided to ride Radiator Springs Racers! There wasn’t much of a wait around the second parade and it was nice to see it at night.

After that, I was pretty tired and decided to call it a night. I headed back to the room with a bag overflowing with treats!

Tips for Attending by Yourself

  • Have an idea of what you want to do – I decided early on in the night that I wanted to attempt to hit up all 12 of the treat trails. So, that set the tone for the night. I ran around the park just to hit them all up.
  • Go fast or go slow – Being alone, you can move much quicker than when you have to wait for someone else or discuss plans. However, the opposite can also be true. You set the pace and you can decide to sit and rest for a bit. It’s up to you how fast you go.
  • Don’t be afraid – People are enjoying themselves and don’t care if you are by yourself. The characters won’t care either. Although, if you attend the dessert party, you will be seated with other single folks or couples.
  • Consult the map or app – Most of the party will happen after sunset. So, you may need to consult a map or the app to figure out where things are. It can be helpful to get an idea of what you want to do in the daytime and then try to find it beforehand.
  • Have fun! – It’s your night! Do what you want! Enjoy it!

Attending Oogie Boogie Bash Solo

I love traveling by myself. I get to enjoy things without worrying about someone else. It can get lonely at times, but there’s lots of opportunities to interact with other guests and the characters at this party. So, are you considering attending or have you attended OBB by yourself?

The Best Halloween Theme Park Events

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It’s hard to believe, but it’s almost time for Halloween theme park events to begin for the year! So, I thought I would do a little overview of some of the various options for people who are trying to decide which one(s) are right for them.

Halloween Theme Park Events

The Best Halloween Theme Park Events

I will start this post by saying that the best Halloween theme park event is highly subjective. Not every event is for everyone. Before purchasing tickets to visit any of these experiences, I recommend you consider:

  • Location – If you don’t have the means to fly across the country, then maybe choose a smaller event closer to home.
  • Budget – Some of these experiences are included with a regular theme park ticket, but most are not. Don’t go into debt just to see something spooky.
  • Comfort with spookiness – I know that lots of people love the horror events. However, not every person has the capacity to endure muchless enjoy these events. There are loads of people and it can be sensory overload. Know your boundaries. If you don’t like being scared, then don’t go to a scary nighttime event.
  • Know your objectives – Do you want to be scared? Do you want some holiday decor and treats with some characters? Those are totally different events. Know what you desire from an event before buying a ticket.

Now, on to the actual events themselves.

Daytime Halloween Events on a Budget

If you have children, don’t want to be scared, and are on a tight budget, then I recommend visiting a SeaWorld or Busch Gardens for Halloween Spooktacular. I wrote a SeaWorld Orlando Spooktacular Halloween post a couple of years ago going over what you can expect at that event. Think fun sea themed characters and trick-or-treating. Plus, it’s all included with your daytime ticket! So, it’s easy on the purse. However, you will have to purchase a bag to trick-or-treat with.

Nighttime Scary Events on a Budget

If you are on a tight budget, I will once again recommend SeaWorld and/or Busch Gardens. In fact, you can enjoy Busch Gardens Williamsburg’s Howl-O-Scream with a daytime ticket! The other two locations require the purchase of a separate ($40-$50) event ticket. Another event that I haven’t attended but have heard pretty good things about is Knott’s Scary Farm. It seems like a good time on a ~$50 budget. Full disclosure: I’ve never attended any of these events and can’t vouch for the quality of them.

Nighttime Scary Events With a Higher Budget

These next ones are a little more expensive for a general ticket. However, it can get really expensive for skip the line privileges and private tours. I’m talking about Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Parks. Universal Orlando Resort and Universal Studios Hollywood both have HHN, but there are some differences. Hollywood’s tends to be smaller with fewer houses. However, it still has the same attention to detail as Orlando. They tend to share at least a few IP houses each year, however they each also have unique houses. I’ve never attended the one in Hollywood. However, I wrote a Halloween Horror Nights Solo Tips post as well as Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Orlando: Tips for Anxious Folks. I’ve even done a 2023 HHN Daytime Houses Tour Review. Personally, I attend HHN for the food and vibes. As such, I will probably only attend if there’s an IP that speaks to me.

Nighttime Halloween Parties

Finally, we come to the most expensive event tickets: Disney. There’s Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party at the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World and Oogie Boogie Bash at Disney’s California Adventure at Disneyland. I’ve already compared the two parties in a separate post: Disney Parks Halloween Parties Compared. However, suffice it to say these are nighttime events that aren’t scary. They are more about the characters, parades, and candy! At these pricey events, everyone (yes, even adults) can trick-or-treat around the park! I’ve attended both parties multiple times now and have enjoyed it each time! The worst things about these events are the crowds and prices.

The Best Halloween Theme Park Events

While I think Disney and Universal dominate the discussion on Halloween theme park events, they aren’t your only options. SeaWorld/Busch Gardens or even Cedar Fair parks can provide a more affordable alternative for the season. However, you can’t go wrong with Universal or Disney either. It really comes down to your individual preferences and situation.

So, what is your favorite Halloween theme park event?

Candy Cane Inn Anaheim Review

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On my most recent visit to Disneyland, I elected to stay at the Candy Cane Inn! So, today I’m doing a review of that experience!

Candy Cane Inn

Candy Cane Inn

Given that this was a solo trip, I didn’t want to spend all of the money to stay at Disneyland Hotel again. However, I wanted something a little closer than the Sheraton Park Hotel I stayed at last May. So, I went with the much hyped online Candy Cane Inn!

Admittedly, I was a tad disappointed to discover that it’s not a Christmas themed hotel. However, it is located directly behind Cars Land at Disney’s California Adventure! Plus, it has some great perks!

Standard Room

I booked a standard double queen room. All of the rooms here have been recently refurbished! Everything in the rooms look nice and new! I love the addition of the Mickey rug placed in between the beds. The bed was very comfortable! My room was very close to the lobby building, which was very convenient for grabbing breakfast. However, the first night of my stay included listening to children playing in the outdoor pool loudly. Thankfully, the other two nights were pretty quiet.

Pros

  • Location – You can literally see the backside of Cars Land from the motel’s parking lot! It’s a quick 5 minute walk to the park gates from this motel.
  • Trolley – There’s a trolley that runs every so often to and back from the parks. So, it’s a quick walk but you don’t have to walk if you don’t want to.
  • Free breakfast – This hotel has one of the best free breakfasts I’ve ever had! They had an assortment of fresh donuts that tasted amazing! There were also some croissant sandwiches that were great for powering me until lunch. There was also a waffle maker by the pool as well as some fresh fruit. I was really impressed with the spread available here.
  • Recently refurbished – The rooms look great, so you don’t have to worry about anything falling apart.
  • Security guards – I mentioned in my Sheraton review that there are several unhoused folks on the streets here. Thankfully, this hotel has its own security guards that patrol the hotel and it felt really safe staying here.
  • Friendly – Everyone I encountered here was really friendly. In fact, the nice lady at the front desk switched me from an upstairs room to a room downstairs due to my luggage situation and there not being an elevator here.

Cons

  • No regular tv channels – I know you don’t travel to watch tv, however I enjoy watching tv when I get ready to go out or to bed. Unfortunately, they had only digital channels here.
  • Pool can be loud – The pool is open until 11 PM and sometimes people in it are noisy. They can interrupt light sleepers or be bad for napping.
  • No elevator – Make sure you request a lower room if you can’t handle stairs.
  • Limited trolley schedule – It’s wonderful they provide the free trolley, but it is run on a schedule. So, if you aren’t ready to leave at the right time, it’s a bit of a waste.
  • Limited theme – There’s not really a cohesive theme here. So, if you like staying somewhere with an immersive theme, maybe look elsewhere. If you want a relaxing place with clean touches, then this is the place for you.
  • A little pricey – This place used to be a good bit cheaper, prior to the refurbishment. It is also a little more expensive than some nearby hotels. It’s still much cheaper than staying on property though.

Is the Candy Cane Inn worth it?

I thought the rate of $279/night was acceptable given the location and various included amenities. I loved being so close to the parks and the free breakfast was awesome. I would definitely stay here again, but I will probably look somewhere else too.

Have you ever stayed at the Candy Cane Inn?

Walt’s Main Street Story Tour at Disneyland Review

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While at Disneyland last month, I finally did Walt’s Main Street Story Tour! So, I thought I would do a review on the experience to help others decide if it’s worth the expensive price tag!

Walt's Main Street Story Tour

Walt’s Main Street Story Tour

This is an add-on walking tour that I have been wanting to take for years! However, the price and tour length kept me away until this trip. I decided that there was room in my schedule and it was the perfect way to end this trip.

You can book this tour online ahead of time, but I didn’t do that. Instead, I waited until the day of to see how I felt. Thankfully, they still had slots available for me to do the tour. I don’t think I’d recommend that approach to larger groups or if this is something you really want to do. Thankfully, it worked out for me though. This tour costs $160/person and lasts approximately 90 minutes.

Upon checking in, they ask for your drink preference since a bottled water or soda is included in the tour. They also give you a special pin with your name on it (seen in the image above) for the tour. You are also given an ear piece to better hear your guide on Main Street, U.S.A.

Main Street Facts

The tour begins with a walking tour of Main Street, U.S.A. Our tour guide pointed out neat little things about how the street was built. Unfortunately, I feel like social media had spoiled most of what he had to tell us. I did enjoy learning about the street lamps and what our tour guide believes is the smallest hidden Mickey on property. No, I won’t spoil the tour by sharing the facts here. Sorry.

Walt’s Apartment

Following the discussion of the park’s beginnings, the group is led up to Walt Disney’s apartment over the firehouse. This is the real reason for the tour and why I had been wanting to take the tour ever since I learned it was a thing. I know I took a picture of the lamp in the window on my first trip to Disneyland 10 years ago. So, it was surreal to finally be in the apartment.

Unfortunately, we weren’t allowed to take photos in the apartment. Disney did coordinate for one of their photographers to take some pictures of us in front of Walt’s couch/bed as well as in front of the lamp and window. The photos were uploaded to our accounts with free downloads.

Relaxing on the Patio

After taking in the apartment, the tour heads out to the private patio. Again, no photos were allowed here. Disney gave each guest a cookie (lemon shortbread, I think) decorated specially for the tour. My cookie is shown in the Instagram post above. There were even a few gluten free ones for the guests who needed them. They also gave us the beverages we previously chose. I got a bottle of water. Then, we proceeded to sit and enjoy the refreshments on the patio. It was a nice, relaxing moment.

Is Walt’s Main Street Story Tour worth it?

As I said above, it’s $160/person and it takes approximately 90 minutes to do this tour. I think it’s probably too expensive or time consuming for the average theme park goer. However, it’s the ultimate treat for any Disney parks fan to see Walt’s apartment. It was probably a one and done experience for me, given the high price. I’m glad I did it though. I’m also glad that I did this on a solo trip, so I could geek out by myself.

So, have you taken this tour?

Goofy’s Kitchen Halloween Brunch at Disneyland Review

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Last month, I was able to experience the limited time Goofy’s Kitchen Halloween Brunch character meal at Disneyland Hotel! Here’s a review of that experience to help others decide if this meal is worth the high cost.

Goofy's Kitchen Halloween Brunch

Goofy’s Kitchen Halloween Brunch

Last year, I was lucky enough to visit this character buffet meal at Disneyland Hotel on two occasions. I first visited last year for breakfast and then again in the fall last year for dinner. You can click those links to see what the restaurant is like for regular dining. One of my complaints about last year’s fall trip to Disneyland was that they announced things too late and we missed doing any seasonal special dining. Thankfully, this year my trip was later and I was able to enjoy this one.

The Characters

This is the second year that Disneyland has hosted a special Halloween overlay at this restaurant. Last year, the characters wore their costumes from the previous year (2022). This year they are wearing last year’s (2023) costumes. I don’t know if they plan to continue rotating in the previous year’s costumes or not, but I like that I could finally get a photo with the characters with their special costumes. Last year, I managed to meet only Minnie in her costume. So, I was tickled to meet Chip, Dale, Goofy, Pluto, and Minnie in last year’s costumes!

I only wish they included Donald Duck at Disneyland character meals! Nonetheless, I enjoyed meeting the characters in their special Halloween costumes! They were adorable!

The Food

Having previously enjoyed breakfast here, I was excited to sample the brunch this time. I was happy to find a selection of typical breakfast foods (like Mickey waffles) as well as some more lunch time items. I was very happy to find some butternut squash ravioli! That’s the kind of food I was hoping to have over at Mickey’s Autumn Adventures Brunch. I was equally happy to see a selection of pumpkin and apple desserts here. I wish they had shared some of those treats with the other meal though. Also, many of the desserts had an artificial flavor to them. So, that was a tad disappointing but not overly surprising.

I have to say I was pretty impressed with the overall selection and quality of food available here. There’s something for everyone to enjoy.

Is Goofy’s Kitchen Halloween Brunch worth it?

Priced at $65/adult and $36/child, this is a pricey meal. Plus, they automatically added gratuity to my meal here. So, it’s definitely not a cheap experience. However, it was nice to get some seasonal foods and meet the characters in their Halloween costumes. I think it’s worth it if you have the budget for it and enjoy Halloween.