Your guide to all things Halloween at Disneyland this year!
Must See Attractions
Haunted Mansion Holiday is the number one must see attraction Disneyland during the Halloween season. This is the perfect mash-up of the classic attraction The Haunted Mansion, and the beloved Halloween favorite, Nightmare Before Christmas. The attraction gets a complete makeover for the entirety of HalloweenTime and it is well worth the hype and longer than normal wait times. It feels like an entirely new ride, while also remaining true to The Haunted Mansion at its core. There's so much to see, you'll want to ride again and again! I recommend hitting this attraction earlier in the day, since the lines will get longer at night.
Guardians of the Galaxy: Monsters After Dark is a fun twist on Mission Breakout, that is worth checking out over in DCA if you're looking for a thrill! This is aimed to be a 'scarier' version of the original ride, but it still has plenty of humor, and wouldn't be too scary for the average rider. The biggest change is the heavy metal music, but the smaller details in the queue are what makes this attraction more interesting. You can still ride the original attraction before 3pm if you don't want to be spooked!
Mater's Graveyard JamBOOree is a fun one for the kiddo's, but the best part is just exploring all the fun Halloween decorations around Cars Land. There is so much to see here, every bit of this land is covered in Halloween decorations, and even Lightning McQueen himself made an appearance in a fun Halloween costume! It's worth spending time here sightseeing even if you don't go on the rides.
Food & Drinks
Disneyland
At the Jolly Holiday Bakery there are three seasonal treats, all so good it's hard to pick just one! There's the Pumpkin Muffin, Pumpkin Cheesecake, and the Mickey Mummy Macaron.
If you love all things pumpkin, the muffin and the cheesecake are very rich and flavorful, the muffin was a perfect texture and the cream cheese frosting made this my favorite of the bunch. The macaron was cookies and cream flavored, and absolutely adorable! It was a little on the too sweet side, but the lighter texture balanced it out.
At The Golden Horseshoe you can find the Churro Cookie Butter Sundae. This is made with cookie dough ice cream, cookie butter sauce, whipped cream and two churros. I would definitely recommend sharing this monstrosity with a friend! You can't go wrong with this sundae, it's definitely a people pleaser. This treat gets very popular so I recommend mobile ordering earlier in the day, to pick up later.
Disney California Adventure
If you can get a reservation, or are able to get on the walk-in list for Lamplight Lounge during the Halloween season, ask about the seasonal menu! We tried the Pumpkin Spice Mini Donuts and they were absolutely lovely, especially with dipping sauce. The vanilla sauce went great with the donuts, but I would not recommend the lemon sauce with the pumpkin spice flavor. They come in a cute little box of six donuts, so easy to share!
If you're tired of sweets and looking for more of a meal, Flo's V8 has a Spicy Chicken and Fries plate that's worth checking out. This plate is packing some heat so I would only recommend this if you really enjoy spicy food. The fries here are a high quality steak fry, and the chicken is very filling.
The Pacific Wharf always has the cutest Mickey loaves of bread, and during HalloweenTime, Mickey is a vampire! This was so cute we just had to get it. The Wharf also had a Chocolate Espresso Bread Pudding that I would highly recommend. It was a nice warm bread pudding, with subtle espresso taste. The chocolate overpowers the espresso, but it is still worth the try!
If you're a fan of hard ciders like me, stop at Clarabelle's Hand Scooped Ice Cream for the two most incredible hard floats: the Pumpkin Pie Hard Float and the Hard Apple Float.
On a hot day at California Adventure, these really hit the spot. I preferred the pumpkin float, because it is made with a chai hard cider, which made it creamy and smooth. This one also had a very nice foam on top. The apple float was more refreshing, but the sorbet was a little hard to eat, and didn't melt into the cider as well as the vanilla ice cream in the pumpkin float. Both of these drinks are a must-try this season!
Merchandise
The Halloween season has brought lots of adorable merchandise to the parks, below are two that are worth looking out for. The Donald Candy Corn Sipper can be found at 7 different quick-service locations in Disneyland, most of which have mobile ordering.
The Skeleton Dance Tumbler is exclusive to Magic Keyholders, and perfect for spooky season. Both of these purchases come with a beverage of your choice! This Mickey Candy Glow Cube can also be found at a variety of quick-service locations, and is just the cutest. There is plenty of other Halloween apparel at merchandise locations in both Disneyland and Disney California Adventure; something for everyone!
BONUS:
Most restaurants will have seasonal menus, like Catal Wine Bar, pictured below!
