Are you making plans to visit Disneyland for Halloween and attending one of the Oogie Boogie Bash Halloween parties? Looking for a way to snag a great view of the parade? I went to the very first party and tried out both of the Disneyland Halloween party dining packages in order to report back to you — what’s the price and comparison between the two?
Keep in mind that you have to have a ticket to the Oogie Boogie Bash party AND a dining reservation for Wine Country Trattoria and/or Sonoma Terrace Dessert Party. Dining reservations are typically available 60 days in advance and do book quickly. You can check to see if any walk-up reservations are available on the day of your party.
Wine Country Trattoria Oogie Boogie Bash Parade Dining Package
This package works if you’re looking to grab a meal in the park, and a reserved STANDING section for the Frightfully Fun parade. You need a dining reservation for Wine Country Trattoria for your party date between 3:00 pm and 6:00 pm.
I had booked a reservation for Wine Country Trattoria for 3:35 pm on the same day as the party. They do say walk-ins may be accommodated but will be subject to availability. Wine Country Trattoria is outdoor seating, mostly shaded, but I did see some tables were in the full sun. It’s located about mid-way between Cars Land and the Pixar Pier Bridge.
Keep in mind that if you don’t have a park ticket and reservation for Disney California Adventure, you won’t be allowed in the park through the turnstiles until 3:00 pm. And lines do build at the turnstiles so you likely won’t make it into the park before 3:00 pm. Just keep that in mind when planning your dining reservation.
When you check-in for your dining reservation you’ll be given the opportunity to upgrade to the Dining Parade Package. It is a 3-course prix-fixe dinner, so you have limited options from a set menu. The price for the Wine Country Trattoria Oogie Boogie Bash Dining Package is $55 for adults and $40 for kids age 3-9.
It is stated that there are no Magic Key discounts offered, however, our server gave us our discount. Not sure if this was a fluke due to it being the first night or if they will continue to offer discounts for Magic Key pass holders.
The menu is set for an appetizer, entree, and dessert. Kids meals include an Oogie Boogie Popcorn Bucket and adults can add on the bucket for an additional $17. There are also some upcharges on the menu based on what food selections you choose.
Oogie Boogie Bash Halloween Party Wine Country Trattoria Menu
For starters, you can choose between an Italian House Salad or Soup Del Giorno (Italian Wedding Soup) as part of the base package.
For an upcharge of $4, you can choose a Caprese Salad (tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar) or Rustic Bruschetta (roasted artichokes, mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, and caramelized onions on a crostini with paprika oil and parmesan).
For the entrees, your included options are:
- Roasted Vegetable Lasagna – made in-house with mushrooms, eggplant, and bell peppers, with bolognese meat sauce or marinara sauce.
- Spaghetti Aglio Olio – lightly tossed with seasonal vegetables, garlic, chili flakes, and lemon oil.
- Chicken Parmesan – breaded & fried chicken breast with tomato sauce and mozzeralla served over spaghetti.
- Fettuccine Shrimp Alfredo – fettuccine with a creamy alfredo sauce, parsley, garlic, and chili flakes.
- Salmon – served with roasted potatoes, tomatoes, and arugula salad with dill-butter cream sauce.
- Tuscan Salad with Shrimp – blend of romaine and radicchio, red and yellow peppers tossed in a creamy Italian dressing.
- Spaghetti Bolgnese – spaghetti with a rich ragu of beef, Italian sausage, tomatoes, and seasonings.
There are two upgrade entree options:
- Rib-Eye Steak ($10 upgrade) – served with creamy garlic stacked potatoes and roasted brussel sprouts with bacon and honey.
- Spaghetti Bolgnese with Meatballs ($6 upgrade) – spaghetti with a rich ragu of beef, Italian sausage, tomatoes, and seasonings with meatballs added.
There is only one dessert option, the Evil Queen Cauldron Cake (black crunch cream pull filled with layers of chocolate cake, vanilla bean pastry cream, caramelized apple filling, and green white chocolate mousse, served with silver butter streusel).
The meal also includes non-alcoholic beverages of soda, Joffrey’s coffee, or Twinings of London tea.
Kids Menu Oogie Boogie Bash Halloween Party Wine Country Trattoria
The kid’s meal is $40 for kids ages 3 to 9. It includes a choice of low-fat milk or Dasani water and a light-up Oogie Boogie Popcorn Bucket which is provided at the parade viewing check-in. So kids can eat some popcorn while they watch the parade.
Their meal options all include fresh fruit as the starting appetizer. For their entrees they can choose:
- Grilled Chicken Breast with Spaghetti and Vegetables
- Fish of the Day with Spaghetti and Vegetables
- Pasta with Marinara and Meatballs
- Cheese Pizza
The dessert is Worms and Dirt, which is layers of chocolate cakes, chocolate creme, cookie crumbles, and dark chocolate mousse finished with sprinkles and gummy worms.
As for timing, our meal took almost two hours from check-in to leaving. We had about a 10-minute wait for our table after checking in, so I suggest checking in promptly.
Wine Country Trattoria Oogie Boogie Bash Parade Standing Section
When you leave, you’ll be given a ticket that gets you admission into the private viewing section. You can choose which parade time you want, but it is first-come, first-serve for the tickets, so earlier reservations have a better chance of getting the parade time they want versus later dining reservations.
The parade viewing is a standing-only section. They do say they’ll make accommodations for those with disabilities. The section is across from Avengers Campus along the grapevines growing to the side of the giant waterfall.
The section seems to be about 2-3 rows deep, so showing up earlier will assure you have a front-row view. The tickets say you can check in between 6:30 pm and 7:40 pm for the 7:50 pm parade. We showed up around 7:15 pm and had no issue getting a front-row spot.
You’ll check in with a cast member near the standing area and exchange the ticket you were given at Wine Country Trattoria for a wristband. You’ll also be given any popcorn buckets that were part of any kid’s meals or purchased at your meal.
There is a treat trail across from the standing section, so if you have multiple people in your party, you could leave bags and a person or two to hold your spot in the parade viewing section while any others headed across and did the treat trail while you waited. Just make sure you all have your parade viewing wristbands.
You also won’t be given a refund if the parade is canceled for any reason, like bad weather.
Sonoma Terrace Oogie Boogie Bash Dessert Party
If you’re looking for a seated spot to watch the parade and love desserts, the Sonoma Terrace Dessert Party dining package could be ideal. It does come at a steep price, though! Remember you have to have a dining reservation for this dessert package. If you don’t have a reservation you might be able to check at Sonoma Terrace whether there is any availability day of.
The Sonoma Terrace Dessert Party costs $84 per person. That includes tax and gratuity. There is not a cheaper rate for children, although children under two can attend for free if they sit on a lap.
Each guest will be given a plate of desserts and their choice of drinks. You can have unlimited non-alcoholic drinks and only two alcoholic drinks.
Dessert plates include:
- Red Velvet Bundt Cake
- Orange Dreamsicle Rice Crispy
- Chocolate Meringue Mousse
- Dark Fudge Cake Pop
- Raspberry Mini Steusel
- Gummy Centipedes
Beverage options are (limit two alcoholic drinks):
- Sparkling Midnight Vodka
- Sparkling Emerald Rum
- Seasonal Beer (Blue Moon or Bud Light)
- Selection of Wines (Cab Sav or Chardonnay)
- Festive Fall Punch (non-alcoholic)
- Soda, Water, Coffee, Tea
Sonoma Terrace Dessert Party Parade Location
You can check-in for your dining reservation 45 minutes in advance. For us, we lined up at 9:13 pm for our 10:00 pm reservation, and there was already a line of people.
Once you check in, you’re shown to a table along the parade route for your food and to view the parade. The tables are at Sonoma Terrace and along the parade route in front of Sonoma Terrace. You stay at your table for the full dessert dining experience and to watch the parade.
The earlier you check-in, the better the table location you’ll be given. The tables that are in the restaurant are located behind other tables and I do worry that you might not have as great of a view. There is some elevation and some of the tables are high-top tables, whereas the front row tables are traditional low seating.
Your server will take your drink order, and then you’ll be brought your dessert plate. You will only be served until the parade begins, so make sure you order your drinks before the parade starts. You can order unlimited non-alcoholic drinks but as I mentioned above, you’re only allowed two alcoholic drinks.
Which One is Better? Wine Country Trattoria versus Sonoma Terrace Dessert
I wanted to know this as well, which is why I paid for both! My personal choice would be to choose the Wine Country Trattoria Parade Dining over the Sonoma Terrace Dessert Package.
The dessert party is expensive and takes a large amount of time from your limited party time. Whereas the Wine Country Trattoria Parade Package allows you to eat a meal before the party time and the viewing location is pretty great.
The Wine County Package is only $55 for adults and $40 for kids and is a three-course meal. Of course, there aren’t alcoholic drinks included with the meal package.
The dessert party package is $84 for just a plate of average desserts and very small servings of limited alcoholic drink options. You’re really paying for sitting at the tables.
We were told we could sit on the concrete while we waited in our Wine Country Trattoria standing section. You just have to stand during the parade.
Both parade viewing sections are good and along the parade route. Both have the chance that you’ll get second-row seating and have others in front of you.
But as I said above, the Wine Country meal package takes place before the party starts and can work as your dinner for the day. The Sonoma Terrace dessert party is more money for less food. You’re purely paying for a table to sit at and two small servings of alcohol.
My Final Thoughts: Is It Worth It?
In all honesty, if I’m going to do Oogie Boogie Bash again, I wouldn’t do either of these packages. The parade route is fairly long and I noticed that people seemed to have no problem finding somewhere to stand to watch the parade 15 minutes before the start.
With the Oogie Boogie Bash parties being so expensive and only lasting five hours, these dining packages can take a large chunk of time from the party. In order to be assured of front-row viewing, you have to be willing to show up early for your viewing section.
However, if you love Disney Park parades and want to be assured of a great view, these dining packages might be what you want. The dessert party does give you the chance to give your legs a break and sit for an hour and a half. The Wine Country Trattoria package allows you to eat a good dinner (or late lunch) and know that you have a spot to view the parade.
My biggest recommendation if you’re doing one of these Oogie Boogie Bash Halloween dining packages is to use your waiting time efficiently. If you’re traveling with others, have one or two people stay at your parade viewing section and the others can go do a treat trail.
Another tip: the parade goes from the back of the park to the front, so make plans for your post-parade activities to be at the back of the park, not the front. We wished we had done the front treat trails before the parade and then headed to the Pixar Pier treat trail after the parade in order to avoid the slow crowds following behind the parade route.
Check out more of my tips for Halloween at Disneyland!
Have any questions about the Oogie Boogie Bash dining packages and parade viewing? Feel free to comment below or message me @stuffedsuitcase on Instagram or Twitter. Happy Halloween!
