I hope we love it! I am sure we will! Uh no - we don't! Mickeystoontown's 16 day trip! Updated 9/5!

[mickeystoontown]

Happy to see a new update! Anxious to hear about your Christmas party experience. I've been to a couple in the past so wondering how much it's changed. Never been to MNSSHP but would love to! I've heard the parade is worth the price of admission. I bet you're getting anxious for your family to arrive!

I've always wanted to attend one of the Halloween parties but traveling during that time frame just isn't in the cards for us.

I've been enjoying your report! keep it up

Thank you!!!!

 

[mickeystoontown]

HO HO HO, to the party we go! continued

For years, it was our tradition to end our trips to Disney with a full day at the Magic Kingdom and a final dinner at Crystal Palace. But when we were planning the trip, the family voted not to skip Crystal Palace. Well, the rest of the family voted. John and I voted to make a reservation for just the two of us and that's exactly what we did. I tried repeatedly to find a reservation but with it being a party night, I could never find an opening. Just a few weeks prior to our arrival, one of the planning tools that I use for others found one for John and myself! I grabbed it up as soon as I got the text message.

I checked in at the podium and we heard our named called not long after. Our waitress took our drink order and asked if we had been there before. We told her that we had and she said "Then you guys know how this works. Go help yourselves." I took my phone with me so I could take pictures of the buffet. Let me tell you, it hard taking decent pictures when you are holding your phone in one hand, close to your body, and taking pictures as fast as you can. Thankfully, there were few guests behind me.
​

The kids' station:



Moving on to the salad/cold foods and bread:















continued in next post
​

 

[mickeystoontown]

HO HO HO, to the party we go! continued

More Crystal Palace buffet pictures moving from the cold items to the hot choices:
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A not so great picture but you can see the salmon:




For some reason, it's not allowing me to add more pictures to this post so I'll start a new post​

 

[mickeystoontown]

HO HO HO, to the party we go! continued

Just one more buffet picture:
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And pictures of our plates. I like to try a little of this and a little of that. Why not get a taste of it all?



Loaded tater tots:


Boiled shrimp with cocktail sauce and lemon:




Roll, salads and cheese:


I know that John went back to the buffet and got seconds of a few things but I was too full for more heavy foods. I did, however, save room for dessert! The crumbs from the cobbler had only been there a few minutes before I arrived. I saw a guest accidentally drop it and a castmember was soon there to wipe it away.










Continued in next post​

 

[mickeystoontown]

HO HO HO, to the party we go! continued

I'll finish off the meal at Crystal Palace in this post and move on to the next.





John got a few of the desserts as well as a bowl of ice cream and a cup of coffee. While we did miss the fire roasted corn spoonbread that was on the menu in years past, we were quite happy with our meal at Crystal Palace. Our waitress was very attentive, taking away our dishes and refilling our drinks. We were very pleased that we were able to dine in another one of our favorite Disney restaurants.

**Up Next: Yo Ho! Yo Ho! The fireworks look great to me!​

 

[mickeystoontown]

Yo Ho! Yo Ho! The fireworks look great to me!

Once we left Crystal Palace, we took a left and started towards Adventureland and Pirates of the Caribbean. One of the kids called (sorry, I can't remember which one) and they were getting even more excited about joining us at Walt Disney World. We were just as excited! Just as the call as done, the fireworks started. We had never seen the fireworks from this area of the park before and the view was pretty darn good. You can also see the cool projections on the buildings.

















Continued in next post​

 

[mickeystoontown]

Yo Ho! Yo Ho! The fireworks look great to me!
​

The fireworks were beautiful! I never get tired of seeing Disney fireworks! We hopped in line for Pirates of the Caribbean where I took exactly two pictures before I gave up because they were blurry:





Yeah, no need to take any more. I forgot to mention that when we went down the small drop, our booties got wet. We had been warned:



I did not wet my pants! The ride did it! Notice my backpack looks stuffed? I had our hoodies rolled up inside just in case it got cool that evening.



Up Next: Are we the only adults on this ride?​

 

[mickeystoontown]

Are we the only adults on this ride?

We were both thankful that we had brought the hoodies as it was getting a little cool out. We got in line for the Magic Carpets and put on the hoodies while we were waiting which was about five minutes. I know that this may seem like a kiddie ride but the line was short and we hadn't ridden it in a few years.
​

We made sure to maneuver the carpet out of the line of camel spit. My behind was already wet and I didn't want to be any wetter than I had to be.

Ride over, we meandered over towards Main Street but not before stopping to take a picture with the cute Orange Bird mural 'cept we blocked the darn bird. Oh well, I tried!



Y'all, the castle was stunningly beautiful! The 50th anniversary colors were gorgeous! I may not be able to take a picture with Orange Bird but I think that I did well with the castle pictures:








My selfies really need some more work:




Up next: Our first treat of the Christmas party evening!​

 

[JenLovesMM]

We’ve only ever done breakfast at Crystal palace. It’s been a few years but I remember we loved the food and the atmosphere.
Those castle pictures with the reflection are amazing!!

 

[snikki]

Crystal Palace used to be a tradition for us too. We used to do it on arrival day. We don't do many character meals anymore and are lucky to do one per trip but I may have to give it a whirl sometime. The food does look good!

 

[NileNellie]

The magic carpets are fun, no matter what your age!

 

[pwdebbie]

Great castle pics!

 

[lauralynn0612]

Loving the Christmas party recap! We tried to go in December, but I waffled too long on tickets and it sold out. I had some serious "fear of missing out" while we were there.

 

[Clarf]

Well lookie here....It's Mrs. I Just Paid Off My Trip So It's Gettin' Real Now! It was fun riding on the front of BTMRR but it was definitely hard to take good pics

LOL. Yep, it's gettin' real!

Um.....I thought they buffets were still no goes at WDW? I thought they were serving everything family style?

In any case, your meal looked yum!

How fun the Christmas party looks. Maybe one year we'll do that. And the castle looks incredible! Wow!

 

[MsHershey]

Loved your review of Crystal Palace. My first Disney trip was in 1985. It was my husband and myself. We were newly married and were on a strict budget. Every time we walked by Crystal Palace I would dream of eating there one day. Fast forward to 2013 and that dream finally came true. From 2012 -2017 our adult daughter and I made yearly Disney trips. The Husband elected to stay home. We loved our Crystal Palace experience. Pooh is one of my favorite childhood characters.

Due to many life changes we haven't been back to Disney since 2017. I cannot tell you how homesick I am. During that time our daughter got married, the husband became a bilateral amputee due to health issues, and our daughter gave us our first grandson. Despite all of this we are thankful for our blessings and God has been good to us. We are now planning a family trip for 2024 including the husband. Touring Disney will be a completely new experience having a 4-year-old and a person with a disability. But I cannot wait! I know when I round that corner and see the Castle I will be a sobbing mess.

Your pic of the Castle reflecting off the lake is stunning! Great job! Looking forward to the next update.

 

[Woth2982]

Hello, Hello! I am here and VERY late to the party! We had our second (and last) baby in February, and I am just back to work. For some strange reason I had almost zero Dis time while on maternity leave. Kids! We were at the World the same time frame as you were last November. I am wondering if we crossed paths and didnt even know it! I was in the SAME spot for the fireworks the night of my Xmas party so I was looking at your photos to see if you caught us. I cant remember the date, only that it was a Sunday night. Probably November 14th. My daughter was 15 months and had a love hate relationship with the fireworks. Looking forward to reading more!

 

[mickeystoontown]

We’ve only ever done breakfast at Crystal palace. It’s been a few years but I remember we loved the food and the atmosphere.
Those castle pictures with the reflection are amazing!!

We had breakfast at Crystal Palace one trip but our favorite is dinner.

Thank you! I took so many castle pictures this trip.

Crystal Palace used to be a tradition for us too. We used to do it on arrival day. We don't do many character meals anymore and are lucky to do one per trip but I may have to give it a whirl sometime. The food does look good!

It's been years since our kids were young enough to really care about the characters at the various restaurants but Crystal Palace has always been a favorite meal so we keep going back.

The magic carpets are fun, no matter what your age!

So very true!!!

Great castle pics!

Thank you! I took a ton of castle pictures this trip.

Loving the Christmas party recap! We tried to go in December, but I waffled too long on tickets and it sold out. I had some serious "fear of missing out" while we were there.

Oh no! I hate that you didn't get to go. Hopefully, you will in the future.

 

[mickeystoontown]

LOL. Yep, it's gettin' real!

Um.....I thought they buffets were still no goes at WDW? I thought they were serving everything family style?

In any case, your meal looked yum!

How fun the Christmas party looks. Maybe one year we'll do that. And the castle looks incredible! Wow!

Crystal Palace buffet had been back for a bit when we went. No family style there!

The castle was gorgeous, and the party was loads of fun!

Loved your review of Crystal Palace. My first Disney trip was in 1985. It was my husband and myself. We were newly married and were on a strict budget. Every time we walked by Crystal Palace I would dream of eating there one day. Fast forward to 2013 and that dream finally came true. From 2012 -2017 our adult daughter and I made yearly Disney trips. The Husband elected to stay home. We loved our Crystal Palace experience. Pooh is one of my favorite childhood characters.

You sound like us! We had two kiddos on our first trip and we were trying to stick to a semi-tight budget and table service restaurants weren't part of the plans.

Awww, I love that story!

Due to many life changes we haven't been back to Disney since 2017. I cannot tell you how homesick I am. During that time our daughter got married, the husband became a bilateral amputee due to health issues, and our daughter gave us our first grandson. Despite all of this we are thankful for our blessings and God has been good to us. We are now planning a family trip for 2024 including the husband. Touring Disney will be a completely new experience having a 4-year-old and a person with a disability. But I cannot wait! I know when I round that corner and see the Castle I will be a sobbing mess.

Wow! You have had a lot going on in your life. Despite the hurdles, you have a wonderful life and attitude. If you need any help with the 2024 trip, let me know. I'll be more than happy to assist.

Your pic of the Castle reflecting off the lake is stunning! Great job! Looking forward to the next update.

Thank you! I took so many!

Hello, Hello! I am here and VERY late to the party! We had our second (and last) baby in February, and I am just back to work. For some strange reason I had almost zero Dis time while on maternity leave. Kids! We were at the World the same time frame as you were last November. I am wondering if we crossed paths and didnt even know it! I was in the SAME spot for the fireworks the night of my Xmas party so I was looking at your photos to see if you caught us. I cant remember the date, only that it was a Sunday night. Probably November 14th. My daughter was 15 months and had a love hate relationship with the fireworks. Looking forward to reading more!

Hey!!!!! Are you serious? We probably passed one another and didn't even notice it!

 

[mickeystoontown]

Our first treat of the Christmas party evening!

The party had started and we were ready for a treat. The park map had a location for each of the treat stations and there was one in Pinocchio's Village Haus. You guys, the cast members were fantastic! There were two or three standing outside and were greeting guests and pointing them in the right direction.

We picked up our hot chocolate and snickerdoodle cookies and were lucky enough to find a table beside the windows that look over Its a Small World.





While we waited for the hot chocolate to cool down a bit, John and I started waving at the guests on Its a Small World. We would wave and wave until we got them to wave back. Dumb, I know, but it was funny to us. We sipped our hot chocolate, ate our cookies, waved and laughed at how goofy we were.

We left Pinocchio's Village Haus and saw that the line for Peter Pan's Flight was short enough that we couldn't pass it up.




This section of the queue was so cute! You would see a twinkling light and quickly realized that it was Tinkerbell!





The line was moving so we didn't get to stay around for long and were soon boarding our pirate ship and soaring about Neverland!





I decided not to take pictures and just take it all in. I love the classic Disney attractions.

We consulted the map and saw that they were handing out ice cream in Fantasyland. The choices were the cookies and cream ice cream sandwich and the classic Mickey bars. I have a milk allergy (I already told the story...but I'll do a quick recap....if I indulge in too many dairy products, I'll get a headache and nosebleed.) So, I skipped the ice cream but John chose the cookies and cream ice cream sandwich.


**Continued in next post

 

[mickeystoontown]

Our first treat of the Christmas party evening continued

Maybe ya'll can help me figure this out. It seems that we left the ice cream station and were on our way over to Haunted Mansion. But, I took this picture first. I don't have any pictures between this one and the next set which are at Haunted Mansion. It looks like we may have ridden the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh or possibly Under the Sea with Ariel. It looks like the clamshells at Ariel.



From there (wherever there was), we headed to Haunted Mansion. I love Haunted Mansion, but John is just okay with it. The line was super short and basically just walked on.



Right into the stretching room!








get a good pictures of "there's always my way"

I've always wanted to get a good picture of "there's always my way". This was kinda decent.



**Up next: Pretty in pink! Well, he/she is pink!