MNSSHP, Chipmunks, and MyMagic+, Oh My!!! Oct. '13 2 UPDATES 12/25!!! COMPLETED

[abidale]

Welcome, foolish mortals, to my newest trip report!

Kindly step all the way in, please, and make room for everyone. There’s no turning back now.

And consider this dismaying observation: this trip report has no windows and no doors, which offers you this chilling challenge: to find a way out.

Of course, there’s always my way…

Oh, I didn’t mean to frighten you prematurely!

Take your loved ones by the hand, please, and kindly watch your step.

Do not pull down on the safety bar, please; I will lower it for you.

Now that you’re all settled into your doom buggy, let’s get on with the introductions, shall we?

I’m your host—your ghost host.

Abigail!!

I dance on a studio company, take theatre classes, and love all things Disney. This was my 17th trip! Disney means so much to me; I can’t even really explain why I love it so much. But I use all my free time studying up on its history, cool little fun facts (did you know Pluto’s original name was Rover? That little trivia won me an authentic animator’s sketch in our June trip), and reading blogs and trip reports.

I’m proud to say, this trip came about because of me! My sister and I had closets full of collector Madame Alexander dolls that we never played with. We decided to sell them, and voila! That was a success, so what did I decide to save my money for? What anyone in their right mind would save up for…a trip to Walt Disney World! We booked this trip a month and a half in advance, which is definitely the closest, most spur of the moment trip we’ve ever made. And I couldn’t be more glad! It’s really cool that I’m actually paying for a vacation in my favorite place on earth.

We also were getting to attend Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party! I had been wanting to go to this for a very long time!

Now for my co-stars…

My mom, who is a stay-at-home mom for a living and loves it.

My dad, the insurance guy. And, for a night, Mr. Incredible.

My sister, Jessica, who is in grad school studying up to be an English teacher! I’d better start utilizing spell check…

So now that you know who’s who, it’s time for the trip details!

When: Thursday, October 17th-Sunday, October 20th
(MNSSHP was Friday, October 18th)

Where: Walt Disney World, in a 101 Dalmatians room at All Star Movies!

Why: I was able to save up my money, with the help of my sister and parents!

Who: Me (as Belle in her blue dress), Jessica (as Minnie Mouse/a Mouseketeer/a ballerina-ish-person all wrapped up in one), my mom (as Giselle from Enchanted), and my dad (as Mr. Incredible)!

And…

We used MyMagic+! Feel free to ask questions/share your experiences—all us DISers are in this testing phase together!

I know what you’re thinking…

“Yeah, yeah, details, details, let’s get to the food pictures!”

I know. I understand. I’ve been there. Disney food just is.

So, not to worry: I’m an obsessive photographer, and there are more than enough pictures of food, rides, characters, and oh so much more that you’ll leave the TR with your mouth watering and your phone and calendar in hand, ready to book your next vacation. Actually, go pop a bag of popcorn or something to munch on, because the food in this TR WILL make you hungry.
**All pictures were taken by either me or someone in the family.

Oh look, the spirits seem to be about ready to materialize…just a little longer!

First, we have to go through—what else?—everyone’s favorite Disney thingamajigs!

Mine…
Ride: Tower of Terror, Splash Mountain, Journey Under the Sea with the Little Mermaid (that’s a mouthful), Expedition Everest, Primeval Whirl and Stitch’s Great Escape (I know what you’re thinking: Why on earth does she like Primeval Whirl and Stitch’s Great Escape?! No one’s mad here.)
Resort: Old Key West, Animal Kingdom Lodge (Dream resort: G-Flo)
Restaurant: Tony’s Town Square, Chef Mickey’s, Coral Reef
Character: Stitch, Chip and Dale, Belle

Jessica’s…
Ride: Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (which are all conveniently located near each other)
Resort: Animal Kingdom Lodge, Caribbean Beach
Restaurant: Boma, Garden Grill
Character: Jasmine, Megara, Aladdin, Tarzan, Nala (I don’t think she always was a favorite, but she recently got a blonde husky/spaniel mix and named her Nala! So now she’s at the top of the charts.)

Mom’s…
Ride: Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, Splash Mountain, and Dinosaur
Resort: Bay Lake Tower, the Contemporary, Old Key West
Restaurant: Garden Grill, Chef Mickey’s, T-Rex
Character: Minnie Mouse, Cinderella, Tinker Bell, Giselle

Dad’s…
Ride: Peter Pan’s Flight, Expedition Everest, Dinosaur (ha, ha, actually he is terrified of Dinosaur, but we make him ride it anyway so it’s all good)
Resort: Old Key West, Fort Wilderness Resort & Campgrounds (in the cabins)
Restaurant: Garden Grill, Tony’s Town Square
Character: Donald Duck, Grumpy, Mr. Incredible

And finally…

The happy haunts have received your sympathetic vibrations and are beginning to materialize. They’re assembling for a swinging wake, and they’ll be expecting me. I’ll see you all a little later…​

 

[abidale]

Reserved for Table of Contents:
1. Thursday, October 17th Part One In Which We Embark and Check In
2. Thursday, October 17th Part Two In Which We EAT
3. Thursday, October 17th Part Three In Which We Get Free Ice Water!
4. Friday, October 18th Part One In Which We Get Chipnapped
5. Friday, October 18th Part Two In Which I Get Pin Trader's Remorse
6. Friday, October 18th Part Three In Which I Finally Get Mashed Potatoes
7. Friday, October 18th Part Four In Which I Really Am Belle
8. Friday, October 18th Part Five In Which I Win An Unofficial Contest
9. Friday, October 18th Part Six In Which We Meet Tim
10. Friday, October 18th Part Seven In Which BOO TO YOU OCCURS
11. Saturday, October 19th Part One In Which We Are Viciously Attacked
12. Saturday, October 19th Part Two In Which The Tide Rolls (Again) and Sunday, October 20th Part One In Which We'll See Ya Real Soon

 

[Cinderella8]

*takes a seat* I'm in!!

 

[abidale]

*takes a seat* I'm in!!

*Lights dim* Thanks for coming out! Hope you enjoy the show!

Thanks and welcome!

 

[abidale]

Thursday, October 17th-Part One in Which We Embark and Check In!
​

DISNEY DAY! Instead of waking up early, eating breakfast half-asleep, and going to school as per usual, I sprung out of bed, ran down the stairs, and yelled “WE’RE GOING TO DISNEY!” Because that’s what one does when one is going to Disney.

I had a breakfast of peanut butter toast and milk as I watched Arthur. That show is my childhood show—I can’t pass it up!

The night before, I had set out some pins that I could part with so I could PIN TRADE for the first time! The only pin trading I'd ever done was with a Cast Member on a Disney Cruise about 5 years ago, so it doesn't count.

I finished packing and went downstairs. While we were packing up the car and waiting for Jessica to get home from college, I kept realizing things I had forgotten. This includes my trip report journal, my phone charger, my camera, and my park purse! So, basically, everything it takes to make a trip report. Thankfully I did end up remembering them!

We waited for my sister to get home, but she was stuck in some heavy traffic. She arrived at about 8:25, and we were off at 8:30.

Since I was missing school, I decided to be somewhat productive in the car. In my lit class, we have the misfortune to be reading Walden, and I had five essays to write. Thanks to a long car ride, now I only have four! It took me longer than it should have to write, considering the assignment was to write about where you stand on a topic of your choice. I honestly have no idea why it wasn’t easier to write about myself.

We brought and ate a lunch in the car to avoid having to stop at a fast food place, aka McDonald’s, who always always always puts cheese on my plain hamburger and we end up having to turn around. I had a pizza Lunchable and an orange Vitamin Water, Jessica had a turkey and swiss sandwich, Mom had cheese and crackers, grapes, and a water, and Dad had a PB&J, chips, grapes, and a Diet Coke. Jessica and I may or may not have eaten 90% of a bag of Garden Salsa Sun Chips as well.

When we got to the Florida Turnpike and stopped at the last toll booth, as per tradition, my dad asked, “How far is it until Disney World?” We’ve always asked this because when you’re this close to the World, it starts sinking in and the excitement really begins.

The man was so sweet, he pulled out a map of Orlando and gave it to us! What a great souvenir. We did feel kind of bad, though, since of course our GPS knows exactly how far away Disney World is. But he was adorable, and this was magical before we even set foot on Disney property.

Our Magic Bands wanted to take a selfie.

First glimpse of HOME!

We yelled "WE'RE IN DISNEY WORLD" like we always do, and we were home!

Shortly after, we arrived at All Star Movies! It was about 3:45 when we checked in.

Jessica and I wandered off while Mom and Dad checked in. We explored the lobby, gift shop, and went outside to see the pool area and the Fantasia buildings, where we thought we were staying!

These snacks are the cutest things!

Apparently, our Magic Bands were needed, so my Dad spent a couple minutes trying to find us. We were on our way inside anyway, so perfect timing! We found my mom at the check-in desk and got everything sorted out. We had no problems with anything, our room reservation had successfully linked on all four! All of our bands worked perfectly with the door.

The concierge told us we would be staying in the 101 Dalmatians building, which I was more than excited about. We originally requested Fantasia, but this ended up working even better! The building was very close to the lobby but far enough that we weren’t kept awake at night by buses and screaming children.

Tip: If you ever find yourself staying in the 101 Dalmatians section, it might be easier to park in the Mighty Ducks parking lot! We didn’t have to walk at all to get to our room. We were in building 4.

We drove straight to our room, number 4827, and unpacked as quickly as we could. We had a park to get to!

We were extremely pleased to see that we were given a refrigerator after all!

We had forgotten to reserve one until less than two weeks before our trip, and we were told that there was limited space and no guarantees. It would have been totally fine if we hadn’t gotten one, but the fact that we did was the first of many little magical touches!

AND, as if that wasn't enough,THERE WAS A MINNIE MOUSE TOWEL ANIMAL.

Stay tuned for a Stacey freak out, a bacon crisis, and a Nemo survey!
​

 

[Silvermist20]

I'm in.

 

[abidale]

I'm in.

Thanks! Welcome!

 

[DisneyAndrew]

Reading TRs is my new obsession, and this one sounds like a good one. So, I'm all in.

 

[wiigirl]

Great pics!

 

[abidale]

Reading TRs is my new obsession, and this one sounds like a good one. So, I'm all in.

Trip reports are addicting! Thanks and welcome!

Great pics!

Thanks so much! Welcome!

 

[maps823]

yeah this is my first TR to read

 

[princessmelinda]

Subbing !!

 

[abidale]

yeah this is my first TR to read

Honored to be your first trip report!

Subbing !!

Thanks so much! Welcome aboard!

 

[xlsm]

Joining in! My love of trip reports was the catalyst for actually getting a DIS account rather than just lurking around, lol!! Excited to see how the rest of your trip went!!

 

[pixiemel]

Awesome TR!! I'm IN!

 

[Melisa1]

Great Trip Report! Subscribing!!!!!

 

[JessM]

I'm in! I love your Halloween party costume sooooo cute!

 

[BarbP]

Count me in! We will be heading to our favorite place in a little more then three weeks Reading as many reports as I can to get me even more excited!!

 

[abidale]

Joining in! My love of trip reports was the catalyst for actually getting a DIS account rather than just lurking around, lol!! Excited to see how the rest of your trip went!!

Thanks and welcome! Trip reports are a great reason to get an account, they are very addicting!!

Awesome TR!! I'm IN!

Thanks and welcome!

Great Trip Report! Subscribing!!!!!

Thanks!! Welcome!

I'm in! I love your Halloween party costume sooooo cute!

Thank you so much! And welcome!

Count me in! We will be heading to our favorite place in a little more then three weeks Reading as many reports as I can to get me even more excited!!

Have a magical trip, that's so exciting!!!

 

[abidale]

Thursday, October 17th-Part Two in Which We EAT

We had a mini-crisis. I had flipped through all the TV channels up into the 60s and STILL COULD NOT FIND STACEY. This was unacceptable, but it would have to wait because Epcot.

Before we left, there was a knock on the door. Mousekeeping had brought us a cooler in case there was no fridge! Oh, Disney, how you always know what to do. We didn’t end up using it but it was the nicest thing ever.

We drove to Epcot and were parked closer to the front than we ever had been!

However, there was a tram waiting, so we boarded for our first ride of the trip!

IT COUNTS.

After bag check, we beelined to will-call to redeem my sister’s Annual Pass. We had ordered it over the phone and were emailed a confirmation code. I’ve seen a lot of confusion from people, saying they were told they had to wait until they got the actual ticket to make their FP+ reservations, but this wasn’t the case. We just linked the confirmation number as her park ticket and used that to make the FP+ reservations. When the Cast Member attached her actual Annual Pass, there were no problems and all of the reservations were still there! This was a relief after all the issues we’d read about.

View of Epcot from will-call...

Then, WE ENTERED THE PARK. It was just such an amazing moment, considering a month and a half ago this trip didn’t exist. I was so beyond happy at that moment, I was in the happiest place on earth and it couldn’t have been better. That first night is always so surreal.

My mom’s Magic Band wouldn’t scan at the park entrance, which made us worried about how well it was going to cooperate during the rest of the trip, but we pushed that thought aside. They came over with a tablet and re-set it, and she was good to go!

EPCOT, YOU ARE PERFECT. Walt would be so proud.

We headed straight to Electric Umbrella because the first priority was to get some Disney food in our stomachs! It was only about 4:45, but we were starving. You’ll notice we eat very early. (Who can wait until 9 pm for the perfection that is Disney food?)

I had the chicken breast nuggets, fries, and a Sprite.

Jessica got and fell in love with the vegetarian flatbread.

Mom and Dad both got cheeseburgers!

I had to take one picture of all of them because once these plates left the tray, the food would be gone in an instant!

My dad was convinced that my mom had his burger because she was eating one with bacon and he ordered one with bacon. Then she proceeded to give me the slice of bacon, and he was like “My bacon!!” because he still thought my mom had his burger. It turned out they got the same burger. So, my dad had his bacon, and everyone was happy.

The Disney/Halloween cups just make me so happy!

After dinner, we headed to my favorite ride in Epcot.

The Seas with Nemo and Friends!

MINE! MINE! MINE!

Hopping aboard our clammobiles!

This ride is not the most popular, but I love it. It’s newer, but it has a sense of Disney nostalgia that I adore! I actually don’t understand why it doesn’t ever have a line. Finding Nemo is so popular, and Epcot isn’t exactly overflowing with attractions! To each his own, but we ride this multiple times a trip.

We stood and watched the manatees afterwards. They’re so magnificent! I love them so much and I feel so bad for them for being hurt, but they couldn’t possibly heal in a better place than Walt Disney World!

On our way out, we overheard a man and his wife being surveyed. The Cast Member asked them what they would rate the ride on a scale from 1-10, and the man gave it a 4 because “it made his wife sick.” I considered that a little odd. Maybe the man thought he was being asked about Coral Reef?

I hope they aren’t considering changing Nemo. They usually ask stuff like that before they do something new… like last spring, people were taking surveys online that asked if they thought extra FastPasses for resort guests sounded appealing. Then, bam, FastPass+ happened! Hmm…

Next, we went into Journey into Imagination! Another underrated classic, in my opinion. But then again, I really don’t remember the original. As usual, we walked right on.

Ooh! Ooh! Can I go, too? Pleeease?

By the time we got of Journey into Imagination, it was 6:30, and that means it was time for us to try FP+ for the very first time!

We had reserved Spaceship Earth for 6:30 because we hadn’t been positive if we would be in Epcot by then or not, and we would rather miss that than, say, Test Track.

We were all secretly nervous that my mom’s Magic Band would glitch again, especially since it had already been reset once in the first half hour of being on property, so it was a huge relief when all of us successfully got the green Mickey lights and were waved through!

My family makes the most entertaining faces on this ride (which, unfortunately, I never think to take pictures of.) I actually really love the addition of the picture-taking and how you get to build your own future!

We got off the ride, waited for our faces to all pop up on the giant globe, and then headed out into the bright Florida sun!

We passed the pin trading outpost, and I immediately realized that I had left all 13 pins in the room! No trading for me that night.

My mom and sister didn’t realize the pin boards were for everyone and thought that they were owned by random guests, so no one did any trading in that moment!

Then I realized I had been in Disney for two hours and hadn’t had a Mickey bar yet, which was a huge problem that had to be fixed immediately. Not to worry, five minutes later, I was full and satisfied!

My dad had a box of popcorn and a Diet Coke, and my sister did the un-Disney-like thing and went to Starbucks for a passion tea.

Since you can never have too many snacks at Disney, our next stop was Club Cool! I was disappointed that they were out of Mezzo Mix for the duration of the trip. That’s my favorite! I’ve even recreated it at fast food restaurants by mixing Coke and orange Fanta, even though it’s not quite the same.

I had the watermelon stuff from China instead, since everyone raves about it, and it was pretty good!

IT WASN’T MY MEZZO MIX, THOUGH.

We headed out and saw a PhotoPass photographer set up nearby, so we hopped in line! We were going to get a card, but they now scan on Magic Bands, so no need!

After taking our picture we realized…THERE WAS A GIANT CRANBERRY BOG. WITH OLD MEN IN OVERALLS WALKING IN IT LIKE THE COMMERCIALS. I freaked out!

It’s basically my life’s goal to walk in one of those things. Or swim in it. Or maybe boat? Can you boat in cranberries?

Anyway.

Then, our FP+ for Test Track rolled around at 7! We headed that way, and I stopped to take this picture (which I thought was pretty cool) of World Showcase behind the trees, which were reflected in the water!

TEST TRACK, HERE WE COME!

Stay tuned for the Test Track test results, World Showcase crowds, and Quotes of the Day!


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