Double, Double, Toil & Trouble: a Halloween-inspired trip of “two’s” – an October 2016 TR

[jennasmommyinMS]

It actually looks like Iago has Steve's sleeve bunched up in a grip--I love that photo!

 

[tortilla24]

Glad you guys enjoyed Casey's. I too thought the food was good. I LOVE corndogs and debated getting the nuggets but ultimately decided on a chili cheese dog. Have you tried the corn dog nuggets from Nathan's? They're my favorite and I always get them at rest stops when I can. It may be an East coast thing? But now that I live in NYC, I can't wait to venture out to Coney Island amusement park to try some at the original location!

MNSSHP sounds like a real blast! I went to Disney during Halloween when I was younger (maybe 1997-ish?) and I really don't remember much of what the festivities were apart from Trick-or-Treating at the Dolphin hotel where we were staying. Prior to my trip last year, I contemplated booking the dessert party but for such a high cost, it didn't seem worth it (and people here seem to be divided as well). But the Halloween themed deserts look so adorable, that I could see myself adding it if I find myself in Orlando in October!

Also so funny that you don't like cream cheese. I literally go to a cupcake place, ask which have cream cheese frosting and get all that do. I don't eat cupcakes with regular frosting - just not worth the calories to me.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

It's good to read your viewpoint on the dessert party. I don't think I would pay extra for an already hard ticketed even if I was only going for 1 night too. But the plate of desserts sure look good and I'm glad you both enjoyed it

It was one of the splurges that we always wanted to try once. I must admit, I've always been curious about the dessert parties, especially when they sell out virtually every night they are offered.

I just caught up on your updates, your MNSSHP looks like a great time, love your costumes. We just got back from Disney so it is fun to see your pictures. I also feel like a little kid when meeting Mickey. The dessert party looks like a nice way to view the parade and fireworks. We did a party this past October as well, we did not do a dessert party but really enjoyed the Halloween activities. We love Casey's corner, wouldn't be a Disney trip without stopping there at least once.

Autumn has become one of our favourite times to be in Orlando. The special Halloween events are so much fun!

I hope you had a great time on this most recent trip! Welcome back . How were the crowds? The weather?

Aw, the pirates are back at MK!

I really get the sense that you guys see life with each other as an adventure You are both just too cute

Thanks . We do like to make the most of this time we've been gifted on earth. As my former boss always reminded me, "Life is not a dress rehearsal. Make the most of it the first time".

I love the picture with Iago on Steve's shoulder, so appropriate

Heading north in the morning for the Canucks v Sharks game. Looking forward to my Canadian food Dinner at Boston Pizza tomorrow, breakfast at Timmy's Sunday with some Tim Bits for the road and probably lunch at A&W because while they are few and far between down here they aren't the same. Staying in Surrey and taking theabl sky train in, which should be good. Going to the mall I like in Surrey before checking in at the lovely Econo Lodge. Hopefully I'll be able to take advantage of the exchange rate (sorry). Overall just hoping for a good hockey game, first NHL game since 2004.

I hope you had a fun all-Canadian weekend! We were back in the True North Strong & Free this weekend as well (it was SO GOOD to see my boy and my mom). I brought home another few months supply of Shreddies . Don't apologize about appreciating the exchange rate....we smiled a little each time we did the mental math and realized that each $1.67 box of cereal was only costing us about $1.16 .

Dang it Gina now I will be singing "It's Good to be Bad" in my head until at least April, maybe May! I love that parade so much. Glad you had a great view!

And do tell.. which of those innocent looking creepy crawling desserts was the offensive cheesecake?! I can't imagine your horror... how hard could it be to label them?!

Looks like such an amazing time. I'm now yearning for Halloween and it's not even really spring yet! (Atlanta weather seems to indicate otherwise)

The dastardly cheesecake was to the immediate right of the cookies and cream spider (which, ironically, was one of my favourite desserts of the night). It looked so innocent!! Steve loved them, though......so I suppose if you like cheesecake, it would have been a win.

I'm definitely not yearning for fall at this point (I'm a spring and summer girl .... all that warmth and sunshine ) but I am getting a serious itch to start planning another trip. I'm like a fish out of water. I need to book flights and start a spreadsheet of some sort .

It actually looks like Iago has Steve's sleeve bunched up in a grip--I love that photo!

Is it bad that I wasn't even sure who Iago was? I had to look him up. Can you tell its been a long time since I had a small child around?

Glad you guys enjoyed Casey's. I too thought the food was good. I LOVE corndogs and debated getting the nuggets but ultimately decided on a chili cheese dog. Have you tried the corn dog nuggets from Nathan's? They're my favorite and I always get them at rest stops when I can. It may be an East coast thing? But now that I live in NYC, I can't wait to venture out to Coney Island amusement park to try some at the original location!

MNSSHP sounds like a real blast! I went to Disney during Halloween when I was younger (maybe 1997-ish?) and I really don't remember much of what the festivities were apart from Trick-or-Treating at the Dolphin hotel where we were staying. Prior to my trip last year, I contemplated booking the dessert party but for such a high cost, it didn't seem worth it (and people here seem to be divided as well). But the Halloween themed deserts look so adorable, that I could see myself adding it if I find myself in Orlando in October!

Also so funny that you don't like cream cheese. I literally go to a cupcake place, ask which have cream cheese frosting and get all that do. I don't eat cupcakes with regular frosting - just not worth the calories to me.

Mmmm.....Nathan's . I miss the Nathan's that they used to have at the Orlando airport...its the only Nathan's we had ever been to but we loved their hot dogs. Never tried the corn dog nuggets there and maybe never will . I am not sure there are any Nathan's here in Michigan .

I hope you get the chance to take in a Disney Halloween party some day.....they really are a ton of fun, dessert party or not . Some of our best Disney memories, for sure!

 

[afan]

I hope you had a fun all-Canadian weekend! We were back in the True North Strong & Free this weekend as well (it was SO GOOD to see my boy and my mom). I brought home another few months supply of Shreddies . Don't apologize about appreciating the exchange rate....we smiled a little each time we did the mental math and realized that each $1.67 box of cereal was only costing us about $1.16 .

The Sharks won a great game, so that was good. I didn't like the arena. Boston Pizza was again so good, I love the crust. It's so different from anywhere else I get pizza. A&W was a disappointment and I'd forgotten how much I dislike Canadian ketchup. Timmy's this morning was good, I still have a few tim bits left. Sadly my only shopping purchase was a shirt at the Disney Store that I could have gotten down here. It wasn't for lack of effort though, just nothing I wanted/needed. The sky train was great and I'd recommend it to anyone, I felt safe taking it alone even after the game. Lots of people using it.

 

[Heluvsme]

I really enjoy reading your trip reports! I've followed a couple of yours in the past couple years, just found this current one, and am so glad I didn't miss it. I think what makes you stand out is your pure joy and gratitude, thank you for bringing us along!

Dawn

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

The Sharks won a great game, so that was good. I didn't like the arena. Boston Pizza was again so good, I love the crust. It's so different from anywhere else I get pizza. A&W was a disappointment and I'd forgotten how much I dislike Canadian ketchup. Timmy's this morning was good, I still have a few tim bits left. Sadly my only shopping purchase was a shirt at the Disney Store that I could have gotten down here. It wasn't for lack of effort though, just nothing I wanted/needed. The sky train was great and I'd recommend it to anyone, I felt safe taking it alone even after the game. Lots of people using it.

There is a difference between American and Canadian ketchup?

I hope you got the birthday cake or salted caramel Timbits...they are THE BEST! I still can't get used to receiving Tim Hortons coupons now that we're living here in Michigan. The Canadian Timmies NEVER give out coupons.

I really enjoy reading your trip reports! I've followed a couple of yours in the past couple years, just found this current one, and am so glad I didn't miss it. I think what makes you stand out is your pure joy and gratitude, thank you for bringing us along!

Dawn

Thank you Dawn! So glad to have you reading along and joining in!

Every trip we take to Orlando, I feel more grateful than I ever have. We've come a long way since that first "once in a lifetime" vacation to Disney in 2009, and we never lose sight of how blessed we are to have made so many incredible memories. There's never a trip we take for granted.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

My apologies, all, for the lack of updates over the past few days. I got a bit off-track with returning to Canada to visit Jake and Mom over the weekend, and then a catch-up day yesterday. I hate it when reports just kind of die off with no warning, so I know you must find it annoying too! So, I won’t waste any more time jibber-jabbering and I’ll pick up where I left off……..


Sunday, October 16th (the conclusion)


After the dessert party wrapped up, we were bid adieu by the Tomorrowland Terrace CM’s (though not rushed in any way….we were invited to take our time and enjoy as many more treats as we wished before departing) and headed back into the park. We were both sickeningly full…..those sweets were sitting like concrete in our stomachs…..and were looking forward to walking some of our indulgences off over the balance of the evening. We had until midnight before the park closed, and we planned to make the most of every minute that remained.

We got Steve on his beloved Splash Mountain…..it is one of his favourite rides at the Magic Kingdom, and it was a walk-on by that point in the evening. You all know I’m no fan of drops, so I was happy to tour through the treat stations in the immediate vicinity while he had his fun.

We also tried to stop at a few more Photopass photographers along the way. Most had virtually no line in that latter part of the night, so it took literally no time to stop, smile and go.


We managed to get on pretty much every ride we wanted except Big Thunder (which was down for refurbishment) and 7 Dwarves (which had a 40 minute + line right up to park closing). We found most of the character lines VERY long so we opted to skip most of them at this party since a large part of the evening was taken up by the parade, fireworks and dessert party. We are not “touring plan” people so there was absolutely NO plan being followed as we made our way around the park that night: we were (and always are) happy to be spontaneous and just go with the flow. While I know many folks thrive on the structure of a formal touring plan, for us, it strips us of the fun: the ability to enjoy the party without Fastpasses, and without the need for a plan, is one of the reasons we enjoy the hard ticket events and avoid purchasing regular day tickets to the Disney parks.


We stayed right to the bitter end (as did most others, it seemed…..this party felt busier to both of us than the two events we attended the year prior) and trudged our way to the monorail once the party officially concluded at midnight. It was wonderful to make the most of every second of the party, but of course, you pay the price for that when it’s time to make your way back to the Ticket & Transportation Center. Disney had things pretty well under control, though, and handled the mass exodus as well as could be expected. Once back at the TTC, we had just a short wait for a shuttle and were deposited back at our vehicle in short order.


While the drive back to the resort was easy and quick, finding a parking space in the wee hours of the morning at Wyndham Cypress Palms was a complete nightmare . While our villa was located in building 2, we ended up having to par at the Welcome Center which was somewhere in the area of buildings 14/15 ……so our weary legs and sore feet suffered one final assault as we had to walk alllllllllllll the way back to our villa once we finally, mercifully found an empty space in the lot. It really was a crappy way to end an otherwise spectacular night, and soured us more than a little bit on the resort, despite all the other good things it had going for it. Apparently we’ve been spoiled by the parking at the Vistana, as we have NEVER had a problem finding a space immediately in front of our building on any of our previous visits, regardless of the time of day (or in this case, the time of night).

We dumped our pirate’s booty out on the counter to survey the evening’s trick-or-treat haul before heading to bed. Even without putting much effort into candy collection (and several hours devoted to the dessert party), we somehow managed to accumulate a ridiculous amount of chocolate and sweets. Good thing we had lots of room in the luggage.

It was nearly 2 am before we dropped into bed. We had an easy day planned for Monday, so we could sleep as long as our bodies allowed. Hopefully our natural tendencies to rise early would not end up rousing us at the crack of dawn .


Up next: flying high 400 feet in the sky.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Monday, October 17th


While I’d like to say that we slept soundly until noon, unfortunately, those pesky internal clocks of ours had us awake by 8 am ……though I guess we should be happy that we at least slept that long, as we generally consider 6 o’clock in the morning as “sleeping in” . We spent an easy morning at the villa, enjoying a leisurely breakfast and coffee while tending to small tasks like washing our costumes (and getting them hung in the guest bath to dry), catching up on laundry, downloading photos from the camera, and just enjoying some downtime in whatever manner we chose.


Around 10:30 or so, we decided it was time to get out and get moving: Mother Nature had blessed us with yet another spectacular, sunshiny day and it seemed a shame to waste a single second of it. We hopped into the car and headed toward International Drive to take in one of the smaller attractions we had planned for this trip: a repeat of something we had done (and enjoyed) twice before, and one of the few things that required pre-booking:

We had pre-purchased the Merlin three-attraction passes (Orlando Eye, Madame Tussaud’s, and Sea Life Aquarium) for the trip we had taken with Jake back in May…..and as some of you may recall, that vacation had originally started out to be a trip for four but ended up just being only the three of us. While Merlin would not refund us the value of the fourth ticket that we had pre-purchased in advance of that vacation, they did offer to extend the expiry date indefinitely so that we could use it on a future trip. When we had a full two weeks at our disposal on this getaway, it seemed like a fine time to buy one additional three-attraction pass and use those entitlements over the course of the 14 days available to us. The Eye was the only admission that needed to be scheduled in advance, and today was the day we had pre-selected for the experience .


We have done the Eye at night as well as during the day, and the daytime view was by far our favourite so we opted for a noon flight this third time around. While our nighttime visit at Christmas 2015 was stunning with all the festive lights for their holiday event, “Frostival”, there was definitely less ability to see the sights of Orlando once the sun went down.


There were ample spots available in the adjacent parking garage (and like at Disney Springs, parking at the Eye complex is completely free) so we arrived well before our noon check-in time. It was virtually empty when we got there, though, so they did not hesitate to allow us to board in advance.

We passed through the initial phases of the experience: the photo area (we didn’t end up buying……Steve’s shirt had small green stripes throughout which turned invisible when the backgrounds were superimposed behind us, making him appear freakishly ghost-like ) and the 4D movie. We were virtually the only people there, which was strange and wonderful at the same time. Moving onward to the boarding area, we were thrilled to be given our own private pod: given the emptiness of the attraction it wasn’t surprising, but it was definitely not what we expected when we reserved this activity.

After the tiring and late night before, this was the perfect low-key thing to do on that gorgeous October morning…..and it was made even nicer by having the whole capsule to ourselves. The views were stunning and we could see for miles. We find the rotation of the Eye to be so smooth you barely even realize that you’re ascending higher and higher, and despite me suffering from a severe case of acrophobia under normal circumstances (the major reason we have avoided the Characters In Flight balloon at Disney Springs) the Eye doesn’t bother me so much as a bit.

Steve enjoyed full access to the tablet inside the capsule, without worrying about having to share it with other guests.

It takes a full half hour to complete a rotation on the Eye, and I always find it goes by way too fast….this time probably more than ever. We were having such a wonderful time together, enjoying those spectacular view in the privacy of the pod, that I was rather sad to see the ground grow closer and closer. We had a lot of fun spotting well-known landmarks from Disney, Universal and SeaWorld, as well as the Orange County Convention Center, Turkey Lake, and International Drive. It was clear enough that we could even see downtown Orlando off in the distance.

I would have been happy to enjoy another 360 degree spin before disembarking, but alas….all good things must come to an end.

After disembarking from the capsule, we strolled around the Eye complex a bit just enjoying the beautiful weather, admiring the spectacular landscaping, and checking out what was new since our last visit.

Eventually our stomachs let us know that we were overdue for lunch, so we decided to go in search of some substantial vittles. Dinner tonight would be eaten until later in the evening……the first of our two dinner shows was scheduled for a 7:30 pm start…..so we could indulge a little more for our noon meal knowing we’d have lots of time to get hungry again by night.

An old favourite for lunch , and a swashbuckling dinner experience , are next.

 

[JaxDad]

Hi Gina! The Eye looks cool, but I know I'll never get my daughter on it!

You got a nice little view of Volcano Bay construction. We were checking it out when we were at Cabana Bay last weekend. It looks like it is going to be awesome!

 

[bankr63]

There is a difference between American and Canadian ketchup?

Not so much since Heinz stopped producing it in Canada (Leamington, I think); but yes, there was a definite difference in the sweetness of the recipes between the two countries. It is getting harder to find a good "Canadian" ketchup now.

 

[Mrs Doubtfire]

Love the photo of the Eye with the fountain in front, you timed it right

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Hi Gina! The Eye looks cool, but I know I'll never get my daughter on it!

You got a nice little view of Volcano Bay construction. We were checking it out when we were at Cabana Bay last weekend. It looks like it is going to be awesome!

Is your daughter afraid of heights, or enclosed spaces? If it might help to convince her to give it a try, I am no fan of either of those things (and quite honestly, TERRIFIED of heights specifically) and I am not at all bothered on the Eye. I hope someday she'll give it a chance. The views really are worth the price at least once.

We are so, so, SO excited to give Volcano Bay a try this October. Whether Universal graciously offers Preferred passmembers the privilege of complimentary admission as part of their pass benefits (which is the current rumor) or whether we have to pay for it, we'll be spending at least a day there. We love water parks and the theming looks incredible.

Not so much since Heinz stopped producing it in Canada (Leamington, I think); but yes, there was a definite difference in the sweetness of the recipes between the two countries. It is getting harder to find a good "Canadian" ketchup now.

Well, who knew? I guess I don't eat enough of it in either country to have figured that out on my own, but you know I definitely will sample it a little more often now.

Love the photo of the Eye with the fountain in front, you timed it right

The fountains were all running the entire time we were at the Eye complex this visit. I was so happy to see that, because I have always loved the landscaping that they did here and the fountains are a big part of the overall charm.

 

[afan]

There is a difference between American and Canadian ketchup?

I hope you got the birthday cake or salted caramel Timbits...they are THE BEST! I still can't get used to receiving Tim Hortons coupons now that we're living here in Michigan. The Canadian Timmies NEVER give out coupons.

Not so much since Heinz stopped producing it in Canada (Leamington, I think); but yes, there was a definite difference in the sweetness of the recipes between the two countries. It is getting harder to find a good "Canadian" ketchup now.

,

I only noticed when I dip fries in it, if it's on a burger I don't notice. A&W had frenches ketchup. I think ours is sweeter, Canadian is kind of bitter or something. Now there's definitely difference in ketchup brands down here. I prefer Heinz over Hunts.

I had a cinnamon swirl or whatever it's called and honey dipped tim bits. I considered the churro tim bits but didn't get one. The girl helping had already gone in the back to get the can of hot chocolate I wanted so I didn't want to do 1 of this or 2 of this.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Monday, October 17th (continued)


We had a ton of lunch options in the immediate vicinity, so when it came time to pick a dining location, we definitely weren’t short on choice. Sometimes too many choices can muddy the waters (and slow down the decision-making process) but luckily, Steve and I are generally both on the same page and today was no exception. We hadn’t had a chance to eat at one particular old favourite in a while, and it was literally just a hop, skip and jump away from the Eye…..and we LOVE their lunch in particular.

Olive Garden wasn’t busy when we arrived, so we were able to be seated as soon as we walked in. We find their pasta dishes, while awesome, to be far too much for a mid-day meal, so we both opted for their soup (Zuppa Toscana for each of us), garden salad, and breadsticks.

We also decided to try something new from their menu, and ordered an appetizer to share:

The Lasagna Fritta was described as “Parmesan breaded lasagna, fried and served over alfredo, topped with parmesan and homemade marinara”. For me, it sounded better than it tasted….but Steve, on the other hand, loved it. I was happy to stick with the soup and breadsticks while Steve enjoyed both of those plus the salad and appetizer. We had thought we’d be sticking to a “lighter” meal by foregoing pasta as an entrée, but we still ended up feeling as if we could roll out to the car.


As Italians would say …… Mangia bene, ridi spesso, ama molto. Eat well, laugh often, love much. I could not think of a more fitting motto for a vacation .


We had a good chunk of time at our disposal before our evening plans, so we opted to do a little shopping on our way back to Cypress Palms. We wanted to bring Jake back a few items from his beloved Nike Clearance Store, so we headed there to do our part to stimulate the Florida economy. As always, we found some great deals (specifically on shoes) and knew we’d have a happy boy on our hands when we returned home in a couple of weeks. He was taking good care of my mom while we were gone (taking her shopping, making sure she had some company on a regular basis, taking her out for dinner a couple of times) so bringing him home a few items from his favourite store was the least we could do.





Arriving back at Cypress Palms, we easily found a parking space in front of our building (obviously most guests had long since left to enjoy a full day at one of the theme parks) and headed up to the room. We thought we’d enjoy a leisurely swim in the pool since the weather was sparklingly beautiful. We headed into the master bedroom to put our purchases away in the closet and change into our swimwear, and found that housekeeping had been through for our complimentary mid-week tidy. While they were there, they left this :





Now, let me preface my next comments by saying that I was quite impressed that housekeeping left us a towel animal: this was totally unexpected and well exceeded our expectations from a timeshare resort. Kudos to the staff: they definitely went above and beyond .


This specific towel creation, though, gave us both a fit of giggles that left us with tears running down our faces and laughter pains in our sides. What the heck was it supposed to be? We had a few ideas, but none of them can be posted here . I took a quick photo of it and uploaded it to Facebook, looking for some help from my hopefully more pure-minded friends to see if they could help me deduce which animal (?) it was supposed to represent. My Facebook peeps responded in droves, with guesses ranging from an elephant to a serpent to a swan……and a few who spoke aloud our thoughts and suggested something a little less……wholesome (ahem! ). At any rate, we laughed about this for the rest of the trip, and it occupied a place of honour in the master bath until we checked out after our 7-night stay.


We headed down to the pool for a refreshing swim, then came back up to our villa to enjoy a little siesta (our late night at Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party was catching up to us a bit) before getting ready to head out to dinner. Eventually we headed down to the car to make our way through the busy afternoon traffic to the heart of International Drive. Tonight was the first of the two dinner shows we had scheduled for this vacation, and an experience that had been on Steve’s Orlando bucket list our second Florida vacation in January 2012.

Our VIP Experience at Pirates Dinner Adventure is next .

 

[pattyw]

Well- I've studied the towel animal picture and I cannot see anything innocent! I tried duck and swan but I don't see it- I see something else! (Thanks- this livened up my boring tuna sandwich lunch I'm eating now!)
I can't wait to hear about your Pirate's dinner. We've always wanted to try one of those but were leery about the food quality and value.

 

[ruby33]

LOL!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Well- I've studied the towel animal picture and I cannot see anything innocent! I tried duck and swan but I don't see it- I see something else! (Thanks- this livened up my boring tuna sandwich lunch I'm eating now!)
I can't wait to hear about your Pirate's dinner. We've always wanted to try one of those but were leery about the food quality and value.

I am glad you were having tuna on your sandwich and not salami .

Pirates and Capones were both TOTALLY different shows and experiences......and very different yet from either the Outta Control Dinner Show or Hoop Dee Doo, as well. I can definitely say that all dinner shows in Orlando are NOT created equal. The Pirates post is coming up next.

LOL!

I take it you didn't think it looked like a swan, either?

 

[JaxDad]

Hmmm...trying to keep it clean here, so could it be an Anthurium flower???

 

[Ruthie5671]

garden salad, and breadsticks

Those are the best things at Olive Garden. I can make spaghetti at home, but just cannot duplicate the yumminess of their salad and breadsticks.

and a few who spoke aloud our thoughts and suggested something a little less……wholesome (ahem! )

I may have made an inappropriate comment - or two. Hehehehe.

 

[minniebeth]

Hi Gina! I'm always really late to post on your trip reports, but I always love following along!

Welcome to the U.S. from your neighbor to the south!
I'm sure it's hard being away from your son and your mom, but I hope you are enjoying your new adventure!

You have so much fun and goodness already posted! We absolutely love Fort Wilderness, Trail's End and Hoop De Doo! I know you've already taken your next trip, and you may have already thought of alternate routes, but another option to get to FW, is to drive to the Contemporary, park there and take the boat to FW. It drops you right off where all the action is, and much easier than taking the internal bus loop. I know I'm getting ahead of things, but I can't wait to hear how you liked Hoop De Doo.

I also have added Orlando itinerary activities to our trips based off of your trip reports and a few years ago, my DD and I did the Shrek breakfast when we stayed at the Gaylord Palms. I'm so sad to hear they don't offer it any more! It really was one of the best character breakfasts and we've done a ton!

I always love reading your posts about the Halloween parties! You two really are the cutest! I went to the Halloween party on Halloween this past year and even though we've gone before, this year being on the actual date of Halloween was the best!

I look forward to following along!

Oh....PS....yes, very funny towel "animal"... I say elephant....that was my first thought when I saw it. But now I can't stop laughing.