A Salute to All Orlando Area Theme Parks But Mostly Walt Disney World ***THE END***

[wiigirl]

Wonderful pics!

 

[emmysmommy]

Hi Rob! Loved the parade photos! What a fun night! I LOVE the villains (reference my desire to be a bad girl when we do the 'what character do you most represent' interative thingie at DHS's Animation building.) I'd make them a priority too. Great job snagging those photos - especially the Lady Tremaine and the Step sisters! As someone else noted, they are at 1900 Park Fare and I have heard some great stories about their interactions.

I remember seeing a "preview" of the castle projection during our August trip last year in the middle of the night from our balcony at BLT.

What a great night! And all the better since there's CANDY! That was very nice of you to share with the CMs! I'd definitely share my Milk Duds and Sour Patch Kids Did you make it home with any of it?

 

[TheMaxRebo]

great update and glad you enjoyed the Halloween party.

We are often here in October but are yet to go - partly due to the extra cost, but more so that my kids are too young to fully appreciate it / be awake for it .... but when they are a bit older I would like to check it out

 

[silverhaze269]

Okay, so now I know which thread I'm in I feel like I can comment freely

Can I just say how much I loved the Halloween Party too?! It was freakin' fantastic!!! So fantastic that our next trip will more than likely feature at least one night at MNSSHP, maybe even 2 if I can swing it . I've done the Christmas Party twice now, and I still love that too...the "snow" on Main St, the cookies and cocoa, the parade, the decorations...it really got me in the Christmas spirit. I do, however, think that the parade and fireworks at the MNSSHP are better than at MVMCP, but I still have a hard time choosing which one I like best.

Your experiences at USO don't surprise me, unfortunately For Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, I knew to leave my stuff at the lockers in the front of that section (the ones by the Dragon Challenge) so that I could bypass the enormous line-up just to get to the locker section in the actual HP queue line. This was back when those Dragon Challenge lockers could be used for the Forbidden Journey ride without CM's telling you that you couldn't use them (apparently they do that now ). We ended up having to pay $3, but to us it was totally worth it, being able to bypass such a large (and seemingly annoying) part of that line. This was in May of 2011.

Also, the HHN that you guys went to looked awesome! I'm really not sure that I would be able to go to one though, in fear of peeing myself Also, I feel like I may have already said that......I think I still need to wake up a bit

I think I also saw Sea World in there too, which is awesome! I haven't been there since my very first Orlando vacation 12 years ago I can't believe its been that long. Anyway, I'm hoping that on our trip next year we'll be able to take a day and venture over. I'm not a huge roller coaster fan, but Manta sure looks cool. If there's enough people that decide to tag along with us maybe they might peer-pressure me into going on it Other than that, I'll just be excited to see how much the place has changed...and by the looks of your visit, that answer is, a lot!

I also at your "friends of Dorothy" comment...

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Wonderful pics!

Thank you so much!!

Hi Rob! Loved the parade photos! What a fun night! I LOVE the villains (reference my desire to be a bad girl when we do the 'what character do you most represent' interative thingie at DHS's Animation building.) I'd make them a priority too. Great job snagging those photos - especially the Lady Tremaine and the Step sisters! As someone else noted, they are at 1900 Park Fare and I have heard some great stories about their interactions.

I remember seeing a "preview" of the castle projection during our August trip last year in the middle of the night from our balcony at BLT.

What a great night! And all the better since there's CANDY! That was very nice of you to share with the CMs! I'd definitely share my Milk Duds and Sour Patch Kids Did you make it home with any of it?

Welcome back Brenda!

It was a great night. The party is definitely a must do. Those Tremaines are simply the best Meet and Greet going I think. I just loved it!!!

Oh wow, how cool.

The candy was fabulous. Not cheap junk like I expected. The CM's seemed pretty tickled by the candy giving so I'm guessing it's not all that common.
Nope we barely made it through the party with any of the candy let alone make it home. It was gone by the next day.

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

great update and glad you enjoyed the Halloween party.

We are often here in October but are yet to go - partly due to the extra cost, but more so that my kids are too young to fully appreciate it / be awake for it .... but when they are a bit older I would like to check it out

Thanks so much. The party is FUN-tastic.

You absolutely must check it out at some point in the future. It's definitely a good time.

Okay, so now I know which thread I'm in I feel like I can comment freely

Can I just say how much I loved the Halloween Party too?! It was freakin' fantastic!!! So fantastic that our next trip will more than likely feature at least one night at MNSSHP, maybe even 2 if I can swing it . I've done the Christmas Party twice now, and I still love that too...the "snow" on Main St, the cookies and cocoa, the parade, the decorations...it really got me in the Christmas spirit. I do, however, think that the parade and fireworks at the MNSSHP are better than at MVMCP, but I still have a hard time choosing which one I like best.

Your experiences at USO don't surprise me, unfortunately For Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, I knew to leave my stuff at the lockers in the front of that section (the ones by the Dragon Challenge) so that I could bypass the enormous line-up just to get to the locker section in the actual HP queue line. This was back when those Dragon Challenge lockers could be used for the Forbidden Journey ride without CM's telling you that you couldn't use them (apparently they do that now ). We ended up having to pay $3, but to us it was totally worth it, being able to bypass such a large (and seemingly annoying) part of that line. This was in May of 2011.

Also, the HHN that you guys went to looked awesome! I'm really not sure that I would be able to go to one though, in fear of peeing myself Also, I feel like I may have already said that......I think I still need to wake up a bit

I think I also saw Sea World in there too, which is awesome! I haven't been there since my very first Orlando vacation 12 years ago I can't believe its been that long. Anyway, I'm hoping that on our trip next year we'll be able to take a day and venture over. I'm not a huge roller coaster fan, but Manta sure looks cool. If there's enough people that decide to tag along with us maybe they might peer-pressure me into going on it Other than that, I'll just be excited to see how much the place has changed...and by the looks of your visit, that answer is, a lot!

I also at your "friends of Dorothy" comment...

HEHE, I read the other one first, so this made me laugh even more.

OH you absolutely have to do it again at LEAST once.. but 2 would be better. Boo to You is my absolute favourite parade... EVER. I loved Hallowishes, but maybe like Holiday Wishes just a tad more. It's close though. Overall, I'd choose MNSSHP every time. And I totally loved MVMCP, so that's saying something.

Univeral's got some serious locker issues that's for sure. We didn't even try to use the Dragon lockers since Kate decided not to ride (and as it turned out, I didn't ride either). I never thought to use those lockers for FJ. This was my first time using the FJ lockers as I'm usually with a group and there's always one or 2 that sit out who can hold all our stuff. I missed that.

Haha, it was awesome. We both really enjoyed it. I wanted to go this year, but it's looking less than likely. Honestly I found it more "fun" than scary.

SeaWorld is somewhat unappreciated I think. It's not necessary for me to go every trip, but it realy is a beautiful park. Then again with a ride like Manta plus dolphins I'm pretty satisfied. It really has changed a lot over the years. It's also a lot more laid back in that you're not just running line to line since the bulk of the park is shows and exhibits.

Ah thank you. I was seriously thinking at the time... I hope this doesn't come across offensive and everyone gets the joke (and the Seinfeld reference).

 

[teekathepony]

Haha the cowboys just threw me for some reason, but I do get why the ladies might like it..

I'm a horse person. They are handsome dancing cowboys at Walt disney world. It doesn't need to make any more sense than that! Rofl!

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[teekathepony]

I wouldn't pass up a 10 minute wait to space either!
I actually like Small World too! I think I have nostalgic reasons more so than actually enjoying the actual ride elements though. How incredibly nice of you to offer to share your Halloween candy! You sure are a selfless guy, Rob.
I assumed the villains mix was their own Halloween party. Maybe? Lol
LOVE the Maleficent pics! She's pretty cool, for a villain.

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[DisneyKid4Life]

I'm a horse person. They are handsome dancing cowboys at Walt disney world. It doesn't need to make any more sense than that! Rofl!

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

Haha, fair enough.

I wouldn't pass up a 10 minute wait to space either!
I actually like Small World too! I think I have nostalgic reasons more so than actually enjoying the actual ride elements though. How incredibly nice of you to offer to share your Halloween candy! You sure are a selfless guy, Rob.
I assumed the villains mix was their own Halloween party. Maybe? Lol
LOVE the Maleficent pics! She's pretty cool, for a villain.

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

I know right??!! It would be INSANE!!!!

Yeah I totally get that. Oddly I have a connection to it as well since I've been going to Disney forever. I really want to love it, and I guess as a classic I do. It's just now... I can't... I just can't.

Aww thank you Wendy.

Hmmm maybe. That's as good of an explanation as I've seen, so let's go with that.

I know we shouldn't support the villains given all the evil they've wrought... but she just looks SO COOL!!!!

 

[annie170]

I've often wondered if the party was worth the admission price, but you've convinced me that it totally is.

You are so nice to share candy with CM's!

Great pics, as usual!

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

I've often wondered if the party was worth the admission price, but you've convinced me that it totally is.

You are so nice to share candy with CM's!

Great pics, as usual!

Oh my yes, it absolutely is worth it Annie. It is expensive for only a 5 hour party (although you can make it 8 hours by arriving at 4 o'****), but everything about it is so much fun. It's amazing!!

Aww thank you.

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

IT’S TIME TO GET OUR SCARE ON... AGAIN!
Day 10 – October 17, 2012 Part 1


We slept in a tiny bit later than normal after the party the night before.

We were headed back to Universal today for some more Halloween Horror Nights, so we really just bummed around the condo for the morning.

We didn’t arrive at the park gates until around 2 o’clock.

Because of the pain of the lockers at Universal, both of us traveled light today.

Unfortunately, K8 had grabbed the wrong ticket when we were leaving the car, which made for one of my favourite photos EVER.

It really wasn’t a big deal, so we headed back to the car, picked up the missing ticket, and then back to the gate.

When we first walked in, the new Superstar Parade was just finishing up

SOON!

After the parade ended, most of which we missed, we continued on strolling.
It was fairly quiet crowd wise, so the wait times were quite short.

We jumped onto Men In Black, which is very similar to Buzz at Magic Kingdom.

I actually think Men In Black is a little better though.

After MIB, we went on the Mummy a few times, because as I’ve said before, IT’S AWESOME!!

I can barely get enough of this ride.
The dark ride elements are really well done, and the coaster portions, while fairly short, are just a blast.

So good!

We found ourselves back out in front, so I finally got to try the brand new Despicable Me Minion Mayhem.

This replaced what was formally Jimmy Neutron’s Nicktoon Blast.

It is similar to Star Tours in that it is a giant simulator theatre with 3D glasses.

While I didn’t care for the Jimmy Neutron version, perhaps because I wasn’t particularly familiar with it,

Despicable Me is fantastic.

The pre-shows are entertaining, and on the ride, you basically become a minion, so you basically see everything from a minion perspective.

It is really terrific and really funny.

Once this was completed, we had a little under an hour before we needed to get to the HHN holding area.

I wanted to eat before the event started, so we decided on Louie’s where we both had a wonderful Spaghetti dinner.

Universal is definitely not know for its food (their burgers in particular are pretty bad), but this was actually quite good.

On the way we came across a few randoms (which looked a lot like some of the Seaworld randoms) out strolling around…

CONTINUED NEXT POST​

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Day 10 – October 17, 2012 Part 1 Cont.


After our dinner at Louie’s, we made our way to Finnegan’s, where the other holding area was located.

You may remember on the previous HHN we stayed in the Kidzone holding area.

This holding area would bring us to the Soundstage houses first.

I’ve already covered off most of what the event offers in a previous instalment, so this one will be much shorter rather than just rehash the same things.

Again we were let loose early, and were led to our first house, Silent Hill.

This is part of the queue line, which thankfully we didn’t have to stand in.

Again, it is a good house, just not a great house.

We quickly made our way through the next 2 houses Dead End and Gothic, both again fantastic.

On the way in to Gothic, we ran across this guy just out for a stroll.

Then we made our way towards The Walking Dead, where I was able to get some better pictures than the previous event.

We left the walkers and went over and went through Penn and Teller house.

Back out on the streets, we ran into some vampires, which was cool, because they were our favorites.

Here K8’s telling the vamp to come after me.

Not gonna lie, I didn't mind a bit.

Back out in front, we came upon one of the the Iniquitis

Before coming across some Traditionals.

TO BE CONTINUED… ​

 

[wiigirl]

Awesome pics!

 

[emmysmommy]

That was a great photo of Kate with her "oops I got the wrong ticket" reaction! Great timing with that.

I love how you have a Disney reference even during your Universal night with the MIB ride being like Buzz.... I get that!

It may be me but it looks like those Walking Dead dudes need to do some laundry. No pride in their appearance I see!

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Awesome pics!

Thank you so much!

That was a great photo of Kate with her "oops I got the wrong ticket" reaction! Great timing with that.

I love how you have a Disney reference even during your Universal night with the MIB ride being like Buzz.... I get that!

It may be me but it looks like those Walking Dead dudes need to do some laundry. No pride in their appearance I see!

Haha, I totally loved that.

Ha, yeah, I think everything needs to be compared to Disney just because. But also, since so many people haven't been to Universal, it helps to explain what everything is. Just use Disney terms. Everybody gets that!

You're so right Brenda, absolutely no pride whatsoever. Shameful really.

 

[natebenma]

Catching up, bit by bit...

So sorry to hear the end of your time at IoA/WWoHP did not go well.

I think we rode Forbidden Journey 7 times last week. And I saw something new every time! It is a toss-up between FJ and Mummy for my favorite rides. Love them both so much!

Travel light is definitely near the top of the list for surviving Universal. Literally near the top of the list I made of "Top Ten Things"- Universal tips. I have used a fanny pack for our visits and it has worked very well. We have only had to use a locker once, on our previous trip, for Men in Black, because my son purchased a souvenir Butterbeer mug earlier in the day.

One friend of mine was at US during Tropical Storm Faye, and the lockers used fingerprint recognition. She said her fingers were so pruned they wouldn't open the lockers!

Bummer on Dragon Challenge!

I'm glad to hear your night was salvaged with an incredible dining experience at Denny's (how many times do you think those words have been typed?). Do you still have your receipt from that meal tucked away somewhere? I wonder if the waiter's name is on that.

So sorry you couldn't find the snowglobe you were looking for.

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Catching up, bit by bit...

So sorry to hear the end of your time at IoA/WWoHP did not go well.

I think we rode Forbidden Journey 7 times last week. And I saw something new every time! It is a toss-up between FJ and Mummy for my favorite rides. Love them both so much!

Travel light is definitely near the top of the list for surviving Universal. Literally near the top of the list I made of "Top Ten Things"- Universal tips. I have used a fanny pack for our visits and it has worked very well. We have only had to use a locker once, on our previous trip, for Men in Black, because my son purchased a souvenir Butterbeer mug earlier in the day.

One friend of mine was at US during Tropical Storm Faye, and the lockers used fingerprint recognition. She said her fingers were so pruned they wouldn't open the lockers!

Bummer on Dragon Challenge!

I'm glad to hear your night was salvaged with an incredible dining experience at Denny's (how many times do you think those words have been typed?). Do you still have your receipt from that meal tucked away somewhere? I wonder if the waiter's name is on that.

So sorry you couldn't find the snowglobe you were looking for.

Hi Dee, yeah it was disappointing to be sure, but it was just really the perfect storm at that point I think.

I will never fault Universal on their rides, and those two are the absolute best anywhere. 7 times on FJ, wow, that would be awesome.

I wholeheartedly agree with that. I usually travel with people that can hold our stuff when we ride, so the lockers generally weren't an issue in the past. It was really just this time that they were a menace.

I have no doubt about that. Haha, I can't get them to work when it's sunny!

Yeah that sucked. I understand rides go down (I mean Splash was done for almost that whole trip), but it was doubly bad given all that had happened prior.

Bahaha, I know right?! But he was wonderful. I must see if that receipt is still around. That's a good point.

It was very sad. I'm so glad I got the one at Disneyland though so at least I have a 2012 Disney globe.

 

[glennbo123]

You must be slowing down, 'cause I'm caught up again.

Your pictures of the video stills of the parade turned out pretty well.

I've got to meet the Tremaine's one of these days! That is a must do.

Glad you liked the party.

Great picture of K8, after forgetting her ticket.

 

[natebenma]

PHEW!!! All caught up here!

(Let's just not talk about your other report quite yet, ok?)

You had a nice afternoon at DTD. I can see why you were enthralled by the butterfly- it is gorgeous!

The Lego creations are incredible. We had to make a pilgrimage to DTD last week just to go to the Lego store. They are Ben's favorite things and for years, our living room was called "The Lego Room"- we had a special Lego table and countless bins of bricks separated by color.

Thanks for the tour through World of Disney. I have to admit- I am allergic to shopping. I really don't enjoy it. At home or on vacation. WOD stresses me out!

The princess parade was too cute!

You have totally sold me on MNSSHP- the low crowds, the amazing parade (I'm not a parade person either), incredible fireworks. Oh, and chocolate!

I have some friends who are trying to peer-pressure me into doing a girls meet up trip at the end of October. Halloween happens to be my birthday and this would be an awesome place to celebrate.

Love your pictures from Little Mermaid.

I have never seen that skull and crossbones projected on BTM. Cool!

I love your description and pictures of your meeting with the Tremaines. Like you, I have never set foot in the GF, either.

I learned that Stacey was filming new Must-Dos while we were at the World last week. Oh-Em-Gee I would have died if I saw her. Such a fan!