Halloween Weekend with our Favorite Disney CM...new PTR LINK p. 16

[wdwgirl03]

I have a tale to tell, I hope you'll follow
Of a legend born in Sleepy Hollow...

Hello everyone and to my latest trip report! OK, so maybe I don't have a legend born in Sleepy Hollow but I felt like I had to use that quote in a Halloween trip report because it comes from one of the coolest things Disney does for Halloween. (anyone know what I'm talking about? )

Anyways, for those of you who don't know me, I'm wdwgirl03 (aka Sarah), a 26-year old Disney fanatic. My parents took me and my sisters to WDW for the first time when I was 5 years old and I guess the rest is history. We've been going back to Disney World ever since, thanks in large part to our DVC membership.

This trip was pretty exciting for a couple of reasons. First, we got to experience some of the great events Disney offers in the fall, including the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival and of course Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. However, the main reason for this trip wasn't to attend those events. Back in February, my youngest sister applied for the Disney World College Program. A few weeks after her web and phone interviews, she was accepted into the program!!! Yes, she was going to be a Disney Cast Member!!! Of course that meant the rest of my family would have to go down at some point to visit her. Well, after several discussions and trip rearrangements, my parents and I ultimately ended up choosing Halloween weekend since I had a (short) school break.

We had a little bit of rain but other than that we had a great time as always, and it was especially nice getting to see my sister again. It's hard to believe she's been in Florida for two months already!

So, here are the trip basics:

The resort: Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa (our DVC "home")

The dates: October 28-31, 2011

I hope you'll join in on all of our adventures!

TRIP REPORT INDEX

Friday, October 28, 2011
We're on our way to Disney World!...POSTED 11/6/11
Arriving at Saratoga Springs...POSTED 11/8/11
Visiting the Animal Kingdom...POSTED 11/11/11
How to suck up to Donald Duck...POSTED 11/15
Downtown Disney...POSTED 11/20

Saturday, October 29, 2011
Morning at the Magic Kingdom...POSTED 11/25
Our last ride on Snow White + more MK...POSTED 12/3
Admiring the decorations...POSTED 12/7
Food and Wine Festival...POSTED 12/15
Yummy desserts and a favorite attraction...POSTED 12/20

Sunday, October 30, 2011
Hooray for Hollywood! + Christmas video...POSTED 12/24
First flight on Star Tours...POSTED 12/27
More DHS...POSTED 1/1
Pre-MNSSHP fun...POSTED 1/8
Meeting the Seven Dwarves...POSTED 1/15
Happy Hallowishes!...POSTED 1/19
Boo...To...YOU!...POSTED 1/19

Monday, October 31, 2011
Now it's time to say good-bye...POSTED 1/26

MISCELLANEOUS POSTS...
It's holiday time in the World...POSTED 11/11

 

[BerrysGirl]

I'm here!

 

[Angies1274]

Yay! So glad to see you started your TR!! Can't wait to read all about your trip!!

 

[lauren_elizabeth]

I'm here, Sarah!

 

[Mickey_Mom]

Hi Sarah! Fabulous timing to get this started.... my internet is back today!

 

[PlutosRHM55]

I'm in! Can't wait to read all about it!

 

[Jazzabelle508]

I'm in

 

[Nermel9]

I'm here! Can't wait to hear about your trip!

 

[Joanna71985]

How is your sister enjoying the CP?

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

Looking forward to it!

 

[xoktenox]

Hey Sarah, you know I'm in

I just found out some good news regarding SSR and myself I may have some questions to ask!

 

[Pinkocto]

I'm here, excited to read about the fun!

 

[Caretames1]

I'm here!

 

[cbg1027]

I'm in! Can't wait to hear about it all. I love your TR's!

 

[jwwi]

Ready to read your report. I'm sure everyone would agree, 2 days in Disney is better than No days! I'm sure you managed to keep yourself busy.......

 

[wdwgirl03]

I'm here!

Hi Megan. Congrats on being first to post.

Yay! So glad to see you started your TR!! Can't wait to read all about your trip!!

Welcome Angie!

I'm here, Sarah!

Yay! Hi Lauren.

Hi Sarah! Fabulous timing to get this started.... my internet is back today!

haha, glad your internet is back.

I'm in! Can't wait to read all about it!

Hi Timmy-thanks for reading!

I'm in

Yay!

I'm here! Can't wait to hear about your trip!

Hey Jen.

How is your sister enjoying the CP?

Hi Joanna! She is really enjoying the CP so far. I don't know how she's going to survive when she comes home in January. I have a feeling she'll end up back in Disney somehow after she graduates!

Looking forward to it!

Thanks for joining in!

Hey Sarah, you know I'm in

I just found out some good news regarding SSR and myself I may have some questions to ask!

Hi Kristen!

I was curious after seeing your comment about SSR and saw your post on your wedding PJ. Feel free to ask away!

I'm here, excited to read about the fun!

Welcome!

I'm here!

Hi Carey!

I'm in! Can't wait to hear about it all. I love your TR's!

Aww, glad you enjoy my TRs. Thanks for joining in again!

Ready to read your report. I'm sure everyone would agree, 2 days in Disney is better than No days! I'm sure you managed to keep yourself busy.......

Yes, I agree and we certainly kept ourselves busy. Time went by way too fast!

 

[disneygeeks]

you can count me in as well.....A friend of mine from work applied for the CP as well and just had her first phone interview about 4 days ago and she said it went well and now she has to wait about 5-6 weeks for another phone interview. She is so excited

 

[Cat0727]

I'm here Sarah! Can't wait to read about your trip!

 

[wdwgirl03]

you can count me in as well.....A friend of mine from work applied for the CP as well and just had her first phone interview about 4 days ago and she said it went well and now she has to wait about 5-6 weeks for another phone interview. She is so excited

I bet she is excited! What kind of role did she apply for? That's interesting she has to have another phone interview. Is she trying for a character performer?

I'm here Sarah! Can't wait to read about your trip!

Welcome Christina!

 

[wdwgirl03]

OK, here are some quick Cast intros before we get this thing started:

Me (aka Sarah)...26-year old teacher and Disney fanatic. Some of my Disney favorites include Tinker Bell, Mickey Mouse, Soarin, and the Polynesian.

My sister (aka Emma)...21 year old college student, studying marketing. Her favorite park is Hollywood Studios so she is thrilled to be a CM there for her college program! Sorry, I don't want to give out her exact work location though.

Dad...the DVC owner in our family. One of his favorite things about Disney World is the atmosphere. Also a huge fan of Tigger.

Mom...likes Disney but I don't think she's quite as obsessed as some of the rest of us are. LOL! Some of her Disney favorites are strolling through the countries in World Showcase and the Boardwalk.

My other sister, Claire, didn't come with us, but will be going with my parents in about a month when they go visit Emma again.



Friday, October 28, 2011

Our day started off pretty early. I woke up around 4:00 or a little after for our flight at 7:50. It’s kind of hard getting up when it’s still dark (and a little cold) but like always, it’s also exciting knowing you’re on your way to Disney World. Plus, I couldn’t wait to see Emma in just a few short hours (I’m sure my parents felt the same way). This was the longest we’ve gone without seeing each other. Even though my sisters and I all lived on campus at school we’d see each other often since MU is pretty close to where we live. It’s been sort of strange not being able to see each other but thankfully there’s facebook/texting/blogs to keep in touch. But anyway…did I mention I was looking forward to seeing Emma?

We left the house around 5:00 to head to the airport. After dropping off the car we were able to check our bags and go through security. We made it to our gate with plenty of time to spare. Since I was starving, I went to find some breakfast to hold me over until we arrived in Orlando (and if you’ve read my other TRs you know what our favorite place to get food from is-in fact, I think I’ve even convinced some other DISers to do the same now. Haha!)

One of the things I always love about travel day is hearing other people talk about Disney World. I’m sure it’s the same everywhere, but there are always tons of kids on our flights, and with schools having a long weekend, this trip was no exception. I know there was one mother with her little boy talking about seeing Mickey Mouse and trying to keep him occupied with Disney toys and another lady with her two small girls. I heard her ask one of the girls if she wanted to meet Rapunzel. Knowing that she is so popular I had to offer some advice and told them to plan on getting there early (lucky, she had done her research and said she had heard that). So then Mom asked her where they were staying and it turns out they were also going to Saratoga Springs. It’s just fun hearing/talking to others and adds to the excitement of going to Disney World! Of course with the excitement, there was also a little worry because of the rain they were forecasting for pretty much the whole weekend. We only had two full days so I really did not want it to be raining the whole time, especially after our trip this past March! I was hoping any rain that did happen would be short-lived.

Finally, around 7:30 it was time to start boarding the plane! We were on a Southwest flight so I’m sure many of you know about their odd boarding technique. My parents boarded first since they were in group A and then I went with group B. We were lucky to get three aisle seats near the front of the plane-that way, we’d be some of the first ones off once we arrived in Orlando! On the way down I listened to some theme park music on my ipod to help pass the time. And after an uneventful flight, we touched down at MCO! The runways were pretty wet so it looked like it rained hard early in the morning but thankfully it wasn’t raining anymore. But would that last???

(Sorry for the lack of photos in this update-I never seem to have any from the airport/plane but don't worry, you know they are coming! Stay tuned!)

Up next: Grabbing some lunch and the Magical Express ride!!!