Boo To You! An Early Halloween Adventure to WDW~September 2013 (Completed 12/6)

[princessallison71]

Welcome to my first Trip Report!

My name is Allison and I will be your host, your ghost host!



I assume you are here to read about my adventure to Walt Disney World in September 2013. If I guessed correctly let's get on with the show!

I hate to burst anyone's bubble, but this trip was only 2 days and 1 night. I know, I know it's tragic, but it was still magical!

Now that I have shared the bad news let's move onto the 5 W's!

Who: Me, my Mom, and my Dad.



My brother, on the far left, couldn't make it on this trip because he was busy with school and work.

What: A Trip to Walt Disney World for Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party

Where: Walt Disney World, All-Star Sports Resort

When: September 13th-14th 2013

Why: It's Disney! Do you really need a reason?

This is my family's first time attending Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party, and we were all very excited!

Up Next: Introductions!
​

 

[wiigirl]

Following along!

 

[princessallison71]

Introductions!

First off there's me, Allison!



I am a 16 year old Disney Addict and I have been going to Walt Disney World for my whole life! I live in Florida, so I am lucky enough to visit the World often. I've never counted how many times I have been, but I would guess it's close to 20 if not more! I am in love with everything about WDW, but I especially enjoy the transportation, pin trading, Mickey ears, Spaceship Earth at Night, the food, and quaint quiet areas of the parks. I also may have trouble controlling how much I spend on souvenirs...

Favorite Park: Magic Kingdom and Epcot
Favorite Attraction: Carousel of Progress, Peoplemover, and The Three Caballeros
Favorite Snack: Dole Whip and School Bread
Dream Resort: Contemporary
Favorite Restaurant: 'Ohana

My Twitter: PagingMrMorrow
My Instagram: allisunny71

My Dad



My Dad has been with me every time that I have traveled to Disney. We used to take an annual Father - Daughter Trip every September and we would stay at our favorite resort, Caribbean Beach so it now holds a special place in our hearts. He always jokes about retiring and becoming a Disney Boat Captain or a Motor Coach driver. He has issues with his knees so he can't always keep up with my hard core Disney touring style.

Favorite Park: MGM (Hollywood Studios isn't part of his vocabulary)
Favorite Attraction: Rock n Roller Coaster and Toy Story Mania
Favorite Snack: Dole Whip
Dream Resort: Grand Floridian
Favorite Restaurant: 50's Prime Time Cafe

My Mom



My Mom is my partner in crime. She is always the one who is willing to wake up at 6 am to get to Hollywood Studios early and stay at the Magic Kingdom until 12 am. She appreciates the food and air conditioned attractions. She is always the one I have to convince to go on vacation to Walt Disney World, whereas my dad is always ready to leave.

Favorite Park: Epcot
Favorite Attraction: Soarin'
Favorite Snack: Dole Whip
Dream Resort: Grand Floridian
Favorite Restaurant: 'Ohana

Well that's everyone, so let's move onto the trip report!

Next Up: The Day Before Disney​

 

[princessallison71]

Index

Prelude
Introductions
The Day Before Disney!

September 13th
It's 5:50am and No One's Mad
Fake pins and Free balloons
Reunited and It Feels so Good!
It's Monorail and Lunch time!
Our First MNSSHP Begins!
The Plaza, Costume Changes, and Tomorrowland!
Is there such thing as too many castle pictures?
Too Many Princesses to Count!
Boo To You!
The end to our Halloween Party

September 14th
Leaving
​

 

[princessallison71]

Following along!

Yay! I hope you enjoy!

 

[princessallison71]

The Day Before Disney!

I had school the day before we left, so I made the most out of it and wore one of my Peter Pan shirts. Nothing special happened except we were talking about Thomas Edison's inventions in class, and all I could think about was my beloved Carousel of Progress and the scene where all the appliances turn on. The catchy music was stuck in my head for the rest of the day. If you don't know what I'm talking about please watch THIS at 7:45.

You all know what I'm talking about now? Great!

I wanted to try some new things this trip, and one of them was getting autographs from characters. I read online that you can amp up your autograph books by having characters sign in a color coordinated to their outfits! So I went to target to get colorful sharpies, and they were 20 DOLLARS! Seriously? No.
Luckily I have a friend who had the same set who was willing to lend them to me! I picked them up from her house and headed home to start packing.

Normally I am the person who is packed 2 weeks in advance, but since this was only 1 night I was a little more relaxed about prepping for the trip. My mom was so sweet and gave me a new duffle bag as an "early Christmas present". I was in desperate need of one, and it's adorable!



While I packed I watched Wreck-It-Ralph!



I always forget how heart wrenching the movie is, and cry when he smashes the kart.

Once I was all packed I set out my vacation FUNdamentals



I straightened my hair so I wouldn't have to deal with it in the morning. After all of that it was 10 pm I was ready for bed. Tomorrow was Disney day!

Up Next: It's 5:50am and No One's Mad
​

 

[missangelalexis]

Following along, can't wait to hear all about it!

I watched Wreck-It Ralph for the first eek time this weekend! And my heart broke when he smashed the kart so I feel your sadness!

 

[princessallison71]

It's 5:50am and No One's Mad

I wish I could write that I got up bright and early, but I can't. At 5:50am nothing is bright. It is dark, and I wanted to sleep. It's a good thing that mindset lasted for about 15 seconds, and then I remembered why I was even up this early, it was time for Disney!

I did the very last of my packing, moved everything into our car, and grabbed a bunch of Disney movies to watch. We only live 3 hours away by car so we always drive to WDW.

My Dad and I were in the car and ready to go at 6:45, but of course my mom took an extra 10 minutes, so I got comfortable in the back seat. I put Tangled into my laptop and saw this beautiful sight



We finally left the driveway midway through When Will My Life Begin.

After about an hour of the movie I totally passed out.

One of the things I look forward to the most about our little road trip is seeing the Walt Disney World archway and the giant Mickey Ear pole. I don't know if it has an official name or anything, but this is what it looks like



Well, my parents thought they were funny and decided to wake me up an hour later and inform me that I missed the archway and the Mickey Ear pole when in fact we hadn't come close to it. I was not a happy camper.

They eventually filled me in on their little joke and I went back to watching the end of Tangled.

Once that ended, we were getting close to my true home! Duffy, Hubert, Hamish, and Harris (the bears from Brave) were ready to go!



And soon enough we passed by this



Yes, we passed BY it. For some reason mapquest told us that this was the fastest way to All-Star Sports.

At 10:05 we pulled into the parking lot, and were ready to check in!

Up Next: Fake pins and Free balloons.​

 

[courtneybelle]

Reading along! You're adorable!

I would love to do the Halloween Party, but with my school schedule right now it doesn't really work out...someday I will!

Your favorite attractions are perfection. The classics!

Love pin trading, I recognize a bunch on your lanyard!

Can't wait for more updates!

 

[princessallison71]

Following along, can't wait to hear all about it!

I watched Wreck-It Ralph for the first eek time this weekend! And my heart broke when he smashed the kart so I feel your sadness!

It took me a while to see Wreck-It-Ralph too! Isn't it amazing!? I hope you enjoy reading along!

Reading along! You're adorable!

I would love to do the Halloween Party, but with my school schedule right now it doesn't really work out...someday I will!

Your favorite attractions are perfection. The classics!

Love pin trading, I recognize a bunch on your lanyard!

Can't wait for more updates!

I was lucky with my schedule being open for that weekend! My crazy schedule is why it was such a short trip! I highly recommend the Halloween party, it was better than Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party for me.

Pin trading has turned into such an addiction... an expensive one! It's worth it though!

Have fun following along!

 

[princessallison71]

Fake Pins and Free Balloons

This was our first stay at All-Star Sports in at least 7 years!

To be honest, I was really worried that I wouldn't love this resort as much as I love the other Disney Resorts, but I was pleasantly surprised. I don't know why I had thought it would have been such a bad resort, Disney made it! Warm welcomes from the Cast Members, cartoons playing on the TV, and pin lanyards everywhere stopped me from doubting the Disney magic that is everywhere on property.

At check in we had a wonderful lady help us. Because we were so early not many rooms were available, so we were given a free upgrade to a pool view! Our room number was 6209. She saw that we weren't going to be staying for long and that we came often, so she asked if we even wanted the little blue envelope that they give you at check-in. Being the weirdo that I am I was very happy to take one! I also noticed that there were balloons in the back of the check in counter, and really wanted one. My mom, knowing me well, asked if the balloons were for the young or the young at heart. The lady (whose name escapes me right now) laughed and handed me a purple one and wished us a good vacation!



What a great start to our trip!

Our next stop was the concierge desk. We had another lady help us (and no, I can't remember her name either) she was obviously new and from the college program, but she was sweet and got us our MNSSHP tickets printed and we were on our way.

Now as many of you may know on September 13th Hollywood Studios was holding the Unleash the Villains Party. Almost every Cast Member (including the check in and concierge ladies) we spoke to tried to tell us all about the new Villains Party happening tonight. This ended up being a lot bigger than Disney expected, so it sucked all the crowds away from Magic Kingdom. One of my friends, Kady, even went to the party. This worked out in our favor as you will see later on in the TR. Also, I know I may be the minority on this one but, the villains aren't my favorite (I am a princess at heart ).

My next stop was the gift shop while my parents took a pit stop in the restrooms. I immediately picked up one of the 7 piece pin sets and an autograph book.




The trader set is on my lanyard except for the wanted Jafar pin.



I got to pay with the new RFID roomcards.

Our last trip to Disney was in February the week they were installing the new touch to pay devices, and let me tell you it was a mess using them that week. We spent 4 hours in Animal Kingdom guest services getting them "fixed" one day. I'm glad they worked perfectly for us on this trip.

My parents met up with me while I paid, and then something surprising happened. The pin board was out.



Even though I am an avid pin trader I always seem to miss when resorts have their pin boards out, but because we weren't spending the day at a park I got to trade! To my dismay I accidentally traded for a fake pin! I don't buy my pins in lots from eBay for this very reason. So I was not very happy with that trade, but at least my other trade was good!



The top pin is the fake one that I eventually got rid of, and the bottom one is the good pin.

Once I traded we went back to the car and drove to our room in building 6, Surf's Up.

The layout for parking lots are weird, and we had a bit of a walk between our room and our car which wasn't the best.

Also, the food court was closed for refurbishment while we were there, so there was a make-shift grab and go shop in the arcade. I never used it, but my mom got coffee there.

Up Next: Reunited and it Feels So Good!​

 

[princessallison71]

Reunited and It Feels so Good!

Hey there DISboards! I believe we left off right before we went into our home for the next 2 days! We were (once again) pleasantly surprised by how great the room was. I mean really how could you not be happy finding this on your bed?



Readers, prepare yourself for this monumental moment.



We were reunited with Stacey! (And yes it felt so good )
While I wish they still played the Top 7 Must Sees with the crazy Stacey I'm happy knowing that she still is a part of every vacation!

The room had the cutest decorations!







And now the big reveal! Our view! If you remember we were given a free upgrade to a pool view, and it was great



I had to run back to the car to get the rest of my stuff and on my way I stumbled upon some of the best hidden mickeys I have ever found.





They were on the Mousekeeping carts! How perfect is bubble Mickey!?

When I got back to the room I organized my pins, and we were ready to go to the bus stop!



Up Next: It's Monorail and Lunch time! ​

 

[princessallison71]

It's Monorail and Lunch time!


We got in line for a bus to the Magic Kingdom. We didn't wait very long, and we were soon at the Magic Kingdom.

I could go for some Magic Kingdom time right now...
Anyway, back to the trip report!

Don't get too excited though we weren't going there YET, but we'll get there soon!

We headed to the resort monorail and didn't wait very long before we boarded our gold highway in the sky!





Any guesses where we got off?


Here?





Nope.


Here?




Yes! We were going to have lunch at my dream resort, the Contemporary!


I was very excited about this because it was my first time having a real meal here! (I don't think cupcakes from the Contempo Cafe count)


Now the question is what restaurant we were going to... I'll save you all from the torture of guessing and just tell you. We were eating at the Wave!





We got lost trying the find it, so just a note for Contemporary dining newbies out there the Wave is on the ground floor (aka 2 floors below where the monorail drops you off).

Our reservation was for 12:05, but we were hungry so we got there around 11:35. I assumed that since most restaurants in the parks opened at 11ish we would be fine, but the Wave didn't open until 11:55 so we had some waiting to do. Thankfully there were comfy couches. I ended up taking pictures and catching up on the trip report while we waited.

Some chandy candy



And there were these awesome chairs by us.



We were the first table seated, and as you can see my dad was very excited to be there!



I also took some more chandy candy pictures!





We all ordered waters, and got the lovely Disney napkins! As you can probably tell I'm easily excited by the little things, and felt that a picture needed to be taken!



Soon after we got our drinks our food came!

My dad ordered the Grilled Reuben.



He gave it 2 thumbs up, and he said the fries were phenomenal!

My mom and I split the burger. My mom had ordered cheese, lettuce, tomato, and onions on top, but when the waitress brought it out it was just a plain burger. When we asked the waitress about the condiments she apologized and she took the burger back and brought back one with all of the toppings.



It was a good burger, and those fries were so good! I could go for some of them right now.

I also got the sustainable fish tacos with avocado gelato!





I thought the gelato would be just a fancy name for guacamole, but it was really gelato! Such a weird concept, but it was delicious. The tacos were wonderful also!

Overall it was a great meal, and we would go back for sure!

We did some more shopping after our meal at BVG.

I ended up getting the purple and green Minnie Mouse ears for Halloween and a Duffy Halloween pin.



My mom fell in love with the gourmet mickey dining set, and wanted to buy it. She ended up not getting it, but she still talks about it!

I paid for my stuff and we headed back to the monorail.

I was admiring the Mary Blair mural and telling my mom about the 5 legged goat and a cast member heard us talking and said she loves Mary Blair's work! Her name was Laura and we ended up talking about the College Program (which I am very interested in) she said it was wonderful, and she is still working here 13 years after her program!

We said bye to Laura and got on monorail yellow!

I waved to the Magic Kingdom and promised that I would be there soon!



I was checking out the receipt from BVG and noticed that they didn't charge me for my Duffy pin! I felt really guilty about it, so when we got back to All Star Sports I went straight to the gift shop and explained the situation to a really nice cast member named Greg. He was super sweet about the situation and said it was just a mistake and that he appreciated that I came and told them. I was more than willing to pay for the pin there, but he insisted that I kept it as a present from Disney.

So, after that whole ordeal we went back to the room to watch some more Stacey, and chill out before Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party

Up Next: Our First MNSSHP Begins!
​

 

[princessallison71]

Our First MNSSHP Begins!

Before we could board the bus to the Magic Kingdom we had to figure out our costume situation. To make a long story short, I thought you weren't allowed to wear costumes into the park before the party started at 7; which you are in fact allowed to. I didn't know that, so I just carried it in a Disney shopping bag. Oops.

So once I gathered my costume (which will be reveled in an upcoming update...) we got on the bus and began our journey.



Now this face is a common occurrence. I don't know exactly when it started, but I hated to get my picture taken and if i couldn't get out of the frame I would make the face that my mom named "the ugly face." So that's that, and it happens sometimes.

We got to the Magic Kingdom, and saw this glorious sight.



We were in line for the party at exactly 3:40, and Mr. Sun was out in all of his glory. It was so hot, but luckily we were allowed in at 3:50. It was MK time!

My dad took control of the camera on Main Street because I was too distracted by the castle to function as a human being.



I love this picture!





Our first stop was splash mountain because I haven't ridden it since May of 2012! Shocking, I know. My mom doesn't do big rides (especially drops) so she found a spot to sit with all the other moms waiting for their families. The wait time was listed at 20 minutes, but it ended up only being 10. It felt so good to go back to my laughing place! Thankfully my dad and I didn't get soaking wet.

Our next stop was the Haunted Mansion!



Now cue the slew of Haunted Mansion pictures.















Does any one have tips for taking photos on dark rides? I refuse to use flash, but I really want a picture with the ghost in the doombuggy with me. Any help would be appreciated!

We said our goodbyes to our ghost host, and headed back to the hub. Where a castle photoshoot happened. No one's mad.







"Princess Minnie" how perfect!



We didn't just go back to Main Street for the ambiance though. We had big plans, dinner! I wonder where it will be...

Up Next: The Plaza, Costume Changes, and Tomorrowland!​

 

[missangelalexis]

Enjoying your updates, can't wait to hear about the rest of your MNSSHP night!

 

[princessallison71]

Enjoying your updates, can't wait to hear about the rest of your MNSSHP night!

I'm glad you're enjoying them, and don't worry I'm going to try to get more updates up this weekend!

 

[MrsPumpkin]

What a lovely trip report so far! It's the first one I've read here on the Dis boards, and it was a great first one to read! Can't wait to read the rest

 

[princessallison71]

What a lovely trip report so far! It's the first one I've read here on the Dis boards, and it was a great first one to read! Can't wait to read the rest

Welcome to the DISboards! Trust me it's going to become addicting! Thank you so much for reading!

 

[MrsPumpkin]

Welcome to the DISboards! Trust me it's going to become addicting! Thank you so much for reading!

I agree about the addictiveness of it! I'm already checking in constantly and reading stuff...although, Disney does that to you doesn't it?

 

[princessallison71]

I'M GOING BACK TO WALT DISNEY WORLD

No, that is not the title of another update, it's a fact!

Nothing is set in stone, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

So far we have made reservations at All-Star Music because they had a great Florida Resident offer.

Music has a The Three Caballeros pool. How can you get any more perfect than that!?




We booked two nights in mid-November, and those dates are amazing. Do you want to know why? We get to experience the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights, Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party, and the Food and Wine Festival!








I know my jaw just hit the floor too.

We hopefully will be leaving on the 10th and staying until the 12th!

It is busier weekend than normal because of the Wine and Dine Half Marathon (which we will NOT be participating in), so getting reservations is proving to be very difficult. So far I have only been able to get one at Via Napoli on our last day for lunch. There is an Ohana reservation available that's very tempting, but I would rather spend that money on the Food and Wine Festival. Ohana will always be there but Food and Wine won't.




Also, I just customized and ordered our Magicbands! I know these aren't everyone's favorite thing, but I am very excited! Since the trip isn't set in stone yet, we haven't bought our tickets. So no Fastpasss+ for us yet.



So there is a very good chance that I will be back in the World in November, and gorging myself as always! ​