'Halloween Time' at Disneyland Offers Unique Park Experience

SoCal families looking to escape for a Halloween adventure of a different sort have a unique opportunity in their backyards.  That's because the happiest place on earth... is now at its spookiest. 

For just over a month each year, the Disneyland park gears up for Halloween Time.  Beginning on Sept. 13 this year, the resort transformed through Oct. 31.

As soon as one arrives at the park, they'll notice the changes-- with pumpkins and jack-o-lanterns galore lining the entrance, continuing down Main Street.   Park officials say no two of the hundreds on display are the same.

Even the rides are different.  

Space Mountain is dubbed "Ghost Galaxy" and takes riders through a haunted section of the universe, with ghosts appearing along the way.  

And though the Haunted Mansion may already have that spooky theme going on-- it's a bit different this time of year.

"Transformed with a mix of Halloween spookiness and Christmas tradition, Haunted Mansion Holiday is inspired by the classic animated film Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas," Disney officials say.  "This year, in celebration of Haunted Mansion Holiday’s 13th year, guests can look for new surprises within the Mansion."

(Hint: One of those surprises is said to be a 13-foot-tall, 500-pound real gingerbread house, made with 240 pounds of gingerbread, 160 pounds of fondant and 150 pounds of royal icing.)

Here are some other features you will find at Halloween Time, according to a Disney press release: 

• Disney Villains will be conjured up in a sideshow tent at the Halloween Carnival at Big Thunder Ranch in Frontierland.

• Guests at the Halloween Carnival in Big Thunder Ranch also will find favorite Disney characters in Halloween costumes, along with pumpkin carvers, Halloween décor and activities for youngsters.

• Pirates League moves into Halloween Carnival this year. At Pirates League, guests age three and up can live their pirate dreams and learn the ways of the seven seas by choosing one of four pirate transformation options:  Jake and the Never Land Pirates, First Mate, Empress (created especially for pirate princesses) and a new Ghost Pirate makeover. For Pirates League reservations call 714-781-STYLE / 714-781-7895.

• Frontierland observes Dia de los Muertos with a traditional skeleton display that will remain through Sunday, Nov. 3.
  
  
• The Halloween Time celebration offers frightful fun for guests of all ages, with favorite attractions such as The Twilight Zone™ Tower of Terror at Disney California Adventure Park, where a “supernatural” event happened on Halloween evening, 1939, forever haunting the building with spine-tingling fun. Also at Disney California Adventure, the nighttime Mad T Party in Hollywood Land gets some new Halloween spice. Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee welcome guests to a “Dead Man’s Party” featuring Halloween music and a chilling new look for the Mad T Party band.