Matt's Fall 2015 nine-day adventure at the DLR.

[whoever]

Back Down Main Street before we leave for the day...Who doesn't love the non-offensive clock?



And this non-offensive hitching post?



Where did we end up for the last attraction of the day, Autopia... (my least favorite attraction of them
all...)





The Greenery!!!



Bob Gurr is seriously present.



OOooops!



That Popcorn cart... SOOOO good.



The Vista to tomorrow!!!

[whoever]

Around 5PM, we headed back to our enclave. Food abundant in the E-ticket Lounge, The family set, I decided to set out for my PERSONAL adventure around 7PM!

Welcome to my review of the 2015 MahaloWeen event put on at the Disneyland Hotel by Disney special events. This event was offered two nights, October 12th, and 13th of this year. This was a ticketed event at the same price as last year’s event at $150/head but that is where the similarities ended.

The event was to start at 8:00 PM, but knowing how these type of events tend to attract a lot of interest I made the decision to arrive about half an hour early. I left our room on the 11th floor of the Advetureland Tower at 7:20 with a quick stop into the E-ticket lounge to grab a bite and drink and made my way down to Trader Sam’s a few minutes later. Not quite sure where I should be going, I went around the lower walk area by Trader Sam’s, where I found an umbrella and podium set up with two CMs manning it and a line of people already waiting.

A few differences from last year… Last year was held on the patio of Trader Sam’s / Tangaroa Terrace. That was not to be the case tonight, but this is where we started our event. Lack of prior knowledge of where the venue was being held also lead to a slight issue with my camera gear selection. Not wanting to lug multiple lenses, I picked my 14-24mm ultra-wide zoom thinking we’d be in a compact area. Disney had apparently learned from last year, and with the increase in attendance, we’d be utilizing a different venue tonight. That was going to cause some challenges for my photography.. Oh well. The near-pitch black setting also made for some challenging shots, so please excuse the lack of quality in the shots. I learned my lesson and will always take at least two lens in the future.

I waited in the line to check-in, which actually ended up moving fairly quickly because people who just wanted a table at Trader Sam’s were in it. As they quickly peeled off when it became aware this was for a special event, I only had to wait a few seconds before I was at the front of the line. I gave them my name, number in party, and was asked about food allergies. The pleasantries over, I was handed a white envelope which contained two drink tickets and a self-parking voucher. I was told to head over towards Goofy’s Kitchen where the previous people who had checked in were waiting. Imagine my surprise when as I rounded the corner to venture over the bridge over the pools that I saw truly how many people were going to be at this event. Last year’s event was roughly 50 people in capacity, however this year each event was roughly a 200-seat capacity per night based upon a quick survey of number of seats per table (10) and number of tables (20). We were almost going to be at capacity tonight from the looks of things.

[whoever]

After waiting for what seemed like an eternity and listening to the conversations of both the parties ahead of and behind me, we finally started to move at 7:58. It was a slow progression, but eventually we made our way off the bridge, past Goofy’s Kitchen, down the walk, and entered the Magic Kingdom Lawn over by the DLH fitness center. Upon entering through a skull-laced spear-clad bamboo entrance, the serving area of the event opened up for us. There were two long tables with buffet-style fare laid out. As we entered the area, we were each given a Kukui nut lei and told MahaloWeen and Aloha.



After receiving my Kukui Lei, I made my way down one side of the North table. We had a lot of various items to sample, and I tried to grab a little bit of everything. Up first were some Seared Ahi Tuna Spoons with some Salmon Roe Topping. After which were veggie and cheese platters.. I grabbed asparagus from these (I’m a sucker for asparagus in pretty much any form). Beyond that, some Panko-crusted Chinese Long Beans… (I grabbed a few beans out of one of the cardboard trays in the hotel pan… I should have grabbed multiple trays of them… SOOOO GOOD). After those, some Teriyaki meatballs, and lastly some Big-Island Sliders (Pineapple and ham). My plate full, I headed over toward the seating area past the bar, which was South of the food and drink service areas. It was open seating, and seeing that they intended to do a stage-show, I picked an open spot at a table right up front. My panic started when I realized how far away the stage was and which lens I had brought… we’d see what I could do with it…









The tables round… the seats..ten… the settings all had card-stock tiki masks which would come into use later in the event. I set my food down and headed over towards the bar. The drink coupons had a list of drinks which they could be exchanged for, however my interest lied in whatever the Special MahaloWeen beverage was. Your options were:

• MahaloWeen Signature Drink
• Kona Big Wave Golden Ale
• Hinano
• Budweiser
• Coors Light
• Kendall Jackson Chardonnay
• Villa San-Juliette Cabernet Sauvignon

As I exchanged my first coupon, I inquired as to its contents…Two types of rum (assumedly a light and dark/aged), Orange bitters, Gran Mariner, and a mixer juice (assumedly orange juice from the taste). It seemed like an upscale Mai-tai to me. Good… I’d drink more and would later that night.

[whoever]

On to the food review…The seared Ahi.. merely OK. I LOVE me some Ahi, but it wasn’t stellar. A bit of a let-down. Didn’t stop me going back for four more spoons-worth though. The Asparagus.. Seemed merely blanched. Very al dente. I liked it as well, but some grilled asparagus would have been more in line with the Luau theme and amped up the flavor. The meatballs were tasty and made especially for the event. They aren’t on any menu at the resort per the servers, however they tasted suspiciously like the ones severed in the E-ticket lounge. The panko-crusted Chinese Long Beans… the STAR of the meal. I think Trader Sam’s serves these on the menu. I ended up going back and getting three full trays of them. They were out instantly and I had to wait around, but oh so worth the wait. I’m definitely ordering these up next time I’m at Sam’s. The Big Island Sliders again, merely OK. Again, nothing to write home about. I’d give the meal a 6 out of 10 score. Let’s hope the entertainment and dessert would be plussed.

While we were waiting for the show to start, I socialized with the members around my table. I believe every other person at the table had attended MahaloWeen #1 and said this was already WAY better of an experience. I didn’t catch everybody’s name and background, but most people were bi-coastal Disney fans rocking Premier passes. Most everybody was from somewhere not in the immediate area. I think I heard Colorado, Texas, and the Bay area just to name a few. Only name I caught was Virginia who was here with her friend. Hi if you are reading this!!

Before the show kicked off, I made sure to get up and get another of the signature drinks and hit the dessert buffet. Here, we had some skewered fruit (mango and black berries if I recall), and some tiny cupcakes with a mouse topping and Jack Skellington sugar toppers. All tasty.



My meal done, it was time to settle in and get this show going. Out came the band and they started in with some Tahitian rhythms. Shortly thereafter, our MC for the night, Dr. Skip Town rushed on stage… He would have some advice for us and let us know that he was Sam’s HEAD chef. He also explained that he had unearthed six enchanted tiki masks each with unique powers…

[whoever]

After the intro, we were treated to some really fun Disney storytelling… The first Tiki god was Kungaloosha….We were told of a strange and mysterious place where adventurers met near a volcano to tell their tales and salute each other in merriment with a secret toast KUNGALOOSH!! For those of you not indoctrinated, that would be the now defunct Adventurer’s Club at Pleasure Island in Walt Disney World. I loved this aspect of the show as I really LOVED Adventurer’s club, and have a small collection of memorabilia from it. I really wish they’d bring this back… maybe put it where we were sitting in fact… Wonder if it could draw a crowd like it did at WDW… Maybe put it in DTD… that place is always swamped with people. At the end of the tale we all raised our glasses in a toast of kungaloosh!!

Kungaloosha:



Next up were told of the mysterious god Drink Samoa. This mask represented the Tiki god of libation.. We were told to indulge in the great offerings our hosts had prepared for us.
Drink Samoa:



Our next god was to come with a fable… Eat Samoa. There once was a girl who lived with her mother all alone in a small village. Every day she passed a hunched over broken down old lady offering up apples on the side of the road between the village and her home. She was told not to take food from strangers so she passed by day after day. One day the lady was offering bananas which the girl loved. She took one and ate it. She was offered another and ate it greedily as well. Once more a banana was produced and offered to which she eagerly snatched it up and wolfed it down. By now she was full and tired and she made her way home. When she awoke the following morning it was to a blood curdling scream for her mother had come to awaken her only to find her turned into that which she had over indulged on… bananas… and that is the tale of Chiquita, and should it serve as a warning to those who would over indulge in food..

Chiquita in her now cursed state:



And the revered tiki god Eat Samoa:



Next up was TongaToast’a. TongaToast’a was the Tiki god of breakfast and he preferred Tonga-Toast. You see ʻaumakua are spirits which inhabit sacred places. There once was a man named Kahuna Lei-a-Low-Ha. He bought a house in a village which was said to be haunted by the ‘aumakaua. To appease them, he left out toast every day, and every day the toast was gone. One day he forgot and the dishes flew off the shelves and smashed and the doors slammed, the lights flickered. TongaToast’a was angry because he had skipped breakfast. And do you know why? Because breakfast was the most important meal of the day.

I present TongaToast’a:



Legend once told of an extremely rich man with no friends who hailed from Timbuktu (or Timbukthree). He lived in a small hut despite his riches. One day he vanished. People would continuously search for his treasure, but it was never found. The man was never seen again, but legend has it he was actually the tiki god Eureka Tiki who was a shape-shifter which is why he could never be found. Queue Grim Grinning Ghosts on a ukulele. It was pretty darn awesome if I must say myself.





I give you Eureka Tiki:




Lastly… a Tiki god we are ALL familiar with…. Pele she has been angered by all of our celebrating!!!

[whoever]

Our introduction to the Tiki gods complete it was time to venture to Tahiti and some dazzling and alluring displays of traditional hula…


















Our Tahitian excursion complete, it was now time to travel to the land of the long white cloud… New Zealand. We were to be treated to a demonstration of the Māori Haka… a traditional dance and greeting exemplifying the display of the tongue and some terrifying dashes into the audience to greet our guests…













I must say some of the ladies were shrieking as the Māori dashed into the audience… I couldn’t tell if it was fear of the chance to see them up close. Behave yourselves ladies…

[whoever]

Skip now returned once the festivities had ended. He had a few more performances up his sleeve for us. First the tiki room song bellowed out of his ukulele. Such a great rendition. Next he did an original ditty about Trader Sam’s Tiki bar, and lastly he did a vocal performance of the Adam’s Apple Serenade using only his throat muscles. Truly a great performer. As an aside, Skip’s cousin, Tex Tumbleweed plays over at the Big Thunder Ranch, and he’s nearly as great a performer, so go check him out while you have the chance before the end of January when the Big Thunder Ranch rides off into the sunset for good.










By now it was 9:14 and the show had come to a close. People started to file out of the show area and headed towards the meet and greet with the artists who had created the swag for the show and to claim their party favors. I hung back a bit (poor decision), took in the show pieces, grabbed a few of the cardstock tiki masks which had been left on the tables (only got two distinct ones), and then made my way over to a now huge line.



Yes, even kid friendly…. Thanks Disney!!!

[whoever]

Now ready, I filed my way towards the West end of the Frontierland Tower of the Disneyland Hotel. The line long, and growing steadily longer… I went up, grabbed my bag, which came with my brown tiki mug and artist print.. I was told inside, I could purchase an orange mug as well. Not to be daunted by the line which was already rivaling Space Mountain on an early afternoon, I headed into the tower and stood in line yet again for my opportunity to purchase not one, but two orange mugs. Some people had procured five, even six extra, likely to have signed and sell on eBay (I haven’t checked, but I’m sure there are a slew out there). These orange mugs were to be offered up later at Trader Sam’s, but tonight was the only night the artists would be signing them (well… outside of the next night that is).

My spoils collected, I ventured out and to the back of the line…



The theming extended over here..



The line moving slower than molasses in January, I couldn’t catch a shot of these before the Disneyland light crew had removed the accent lighting. Wait a while, won’t you next time????



I whiled away the minutes trying to drown out the conversations of the groups on either side of me in line… not who I’d invite over for a Disney good time… (the eBayers). Finally, I was up to the front!!! I proudly removed my three mugs from their boxes and instructed Tim Wollweber to make one orange and one brown out to me (Matt), and the other orange to just sign. He quipped about this being the eBay mug… nope… It was to be a Christmas gift for a special friend… He said “I hope she moves back then”. Pleasantries exchanged, it was time for Marcus Gonzales who would be signing the print. He while not quite as engaged as Tim was a jovial fellow and once my print was singed, I was wished well and on my way.





My trip back to the room quick, and uneventful with the exception of a cat crossing my path. Not only a Disneyland cat, but a black one….. I thought about the angry tiki gods, their wrath, whether it was an omen or not and whether I should alter course… but I didn’t… I headed past Sam’s and up the elevator with my spoils walking in at 10:32 and ready to show Amy my plunder and get some much needed rest…

[whoever]

Forgot I also did an interview on the Mahaloween gala.

http://disunplugged.com/2015/10/27/d...sneyland-show/

[Gamedog]

Appreciated. I often wonder if anybody appreciates these one way or another. The occasional thoughtful response helps me craft new ones.

Dude, I always follow along with your TR's! Easily some of the best on here!

[DisneyLifer]

Appreciated. I often wonder if anybody appreciates these one way or another. The occasional thoughtful response helps me craft new ones.

I certainly do appreciate your trip reports. I also enjoy seeing your daughters grow up, even if it is too fast! I had annual passes from the time my daughter was 3, one level of AP, $199 for 365 days, parking included. The last year was when my first grandson was 11. My granddaughter will be three on Wednesday. She loves Minnie Mouse, but we can't go to Disneyland. Oh well.

[BigThunda]

Legendary TR’s, keep’em coming!

[mickdaddy]

I love your Trip reports, Always highly enjoy them and it is the perfect Disney fix for me. Looked like an enjoyable party event I love Trader Sam's and just the tiki vibe in general.

[whoever]

Dude, I always follow along with your TR's! Easily some of the best on here!

Thanks, next day coming up soon. I think I either miss-classified pics, or lost some. I'll have to do some digging.

I certainly do appreciate your trip reports. I also enjoy seeing your daughters grow up, even if it is too fast! I had annual passes from the time my daughter was 3, one level of AP, $199 for 365 days, parking included. The last year was when my first grandson was 11. My granddaughter will be three on Wednesday. She loves Minnie Mouse, but we can't go to Disneyland. Oh well.

Every time I do a TR which I've been remiss in getting to, I'm amazed at how much they've grown. I'm only 3-4 behind, so time to buckle down if I can carve out the time.

Legendary TR’s, keep’em coming!

Appreciate it. Love documenting my memories and what I was thinking at the time. Brings me RIGHT BACK to that very moment.

I love your Trip reports, Always highly enjoy them and it is the perfect Disney fix for me. Looked like an enjoyable party event I love Trader Sam's and just the tiki vibe in general.

DLH really hit a niche with focusing on MCM and Trader Sam's fits right in to that theme. I'm a Grand lover at heart, but the DLH despite being further away offers a ton more IMHO.

[mickdaddy]

DLH really hit a niche with focusing on MCM and Trader Sam's fits right in to that theme. I'm a Grand lover at heart, but the DLH despite being further away offers a ton more IMHO.

We have stayed at the DVC wing of the Grand a few times and Love that hotel so much but I am excited to see what the DVC tower at the DLH brings there is a lot more ground around the hotel and a lot more activities so I would definitely stay there. I would love to stay in that Adventureland suite you stayed in but the cost is a little prohibitive.

[whoever]

We have stayed at the DVC wing of the Grand a few times and Love that hotel so much but I am excited to see what the DVC tower at the DLH brings there is a lot more ground around the hotel and a lot more activities so I would definitely stay there. I would love to stay in that Adventureland suite you stayed in but the cost is a little prohibitive.

We've stayed in the DVC wing of the Grand twice I think. I'm sure this vista is now gone that the trees have grown up, but Amy snapped this pic of us on Goofy's Sky School from our room. I think we'll buy DLH DVC if we can get a contract. We would use the heck out of it.

[mickdaddy]

We've stayed in the DVC wing of the Grand twice I think. I'm sure this vista is now gone that the trees have grown up, but Amy snapped this pic of us on Goofy's Sky School from our room. I think we'll buy DLH DVC if we can get a contract. We would use the heck out of it.

We have stayed in the DVC room that is on the top floor over looking Goofy's sky school. Sitting on the balcony with a drink after the parks close watching the workers do their thing by attraction light is so relaxing. I would definitely recommend Buying into the DLH DVC it is so worth it in my opinion. That's a great picture too, but I agree probably not one you would get now.

[whoever]

6AM found us quick. We showered and dressed and got everything set for the day. This is my favorite part of Disneyland mornings honestly, being up before EVERYBODY. I'm always an early riser and find my time up and out so Magical before others rise...

At 10 minutes before 7 we were already through DTD.... Love the emptiness.



After what seemed like an eternity at the gates (7:35 now), we were queued up nicely. Little Char always warms my heart.



Vic continues to wear Minnie Mouse (She's not wearing the same outfit, we brought THREE identical outfits).



At 7:45 we were let into the gates... EMPTY Main Street and front of the crowd!!



My GOSH, K was so small...



60th Celebration in full effect.



The crowd behind is DAUNTING!!



The Cast Member in charge (because BADGE) Gave the count down....



Vic was READY!! 3 mins before 8.....



I don't think Katherine touched the ground the entire time.

[whoever]

Firs Attraction every time, Peter Pan's Flight.

The queue has so much...



Our view over London was great. Big Ben was pronounced..



Mickey sticks his head out from time to time.




My FAVORITE DIORAMA EVER!!!!





How many times haved I encountered this view..



Tink always helps us..



We typically only do two things after Peter... Alice or Dumbo. Dumbo it is...



I find the water features relaxing..



Timothy is conducting us superbly.



We can fly!



Fantasyland has never looked so good.

[whoever]

As we exited Alice, we noticed ALICE.. and the Mad Hatter.



The Mad Hatter wasn't interested in stopping as he had a tea party to attend, but Alice briefly paused for a pic.



Up Next, one of our absolute favs (even more so during parades). Tea Cups!!



Outside of LATE evening, EARLY morn is the BEST time to ride this attraction.











Amy had taken Vic and K. Char got the whole time with me.



LOVE the T-cup photo-op. Way easier to get people smiling when their brains aren't spinning in their skulls...