"I Wanna See My Castle!" October 2013 TR *COMPLETE* **NEW TR LINK!!** 7/3

[saintstickets]

GREAT update and FANTASTIC parade pics! I need to take lessons from you!

 

[courtneybelle]

Such great pics of MSEP!! I have so much love for that parade.

That's so strange that they would put Mickey and Minnie at the end of the parade! You'd think they'd be near the beginning even if there was something wrong with the float...ah well.

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Loved all of the MSEP pictures! I agree with you that the "To Honor America" float and the marching CMs is a favorite of mine. Although thanks to Muppetvision at DHS every time I see that float I keep hearing Sam the Eagle in my head "A Salute to All Nations, but Mostly America!"

I think the only float in this parade that I'm not hot on is Pinocchio's float. Just something very awkward appearing the way he's sitting on that stool.

 

[khertz]

GREAT MSEP pics!! Aww Tink

Omgosh I definitely noticed right away how weird it is that Mickey & Minnie are walking without a float!

Tink is not one of my favorite characters overall, but I do love watching her in parades. So many different expressions!!

Neither of us noticed the absence of the train until we saw Mickey & Minnie walking and were like, what the heck? So random!

Wow what a great spot you had with the ability to see the parade coming right at you. Plus the ability to get shots from the side as well. Plus PLUS, extra bonus for the castle in the background.

Oh yeah, Mickey and Minnie walking is a rare sight indeed. Pretty cool though actually.

You certainly don't have to convince me about the crowds for Wishes on a non party night.

We always used to try to squeeze ourselves in on Main Street for parades and had to get there so early to get a good spot, but we have found for the nighttime parades at least, Frontierland is the way to go! We have always had luck finding great spots there without having to invest a lot of time in waiting.

Oh yes, I remember your Wishes madness. It gets so crazy and packed down there! There were a couple of times I was legit freaked out by how we were going to get out of there after the fireworks were over. Dave saw DH's picture later on Facebook or something and couldn't believe DH had pulled out his tripod in the middle of such a packed Main Street!

Love the parade!! It is so magical! Glad Paxton enjoys it, too. Looks like a great spot to view the parade! (though I am excited to get FP+ spots again for the MSEP, loved that spot as well) Looking forward to Wishes photos!

I am not much of a nighttime parade person, and MSEP is kind of getting old to me, but Paxton definitely loves it, so for now, it's a must do. I think he loves anything where he gets to see such a mix of characters, and of course it's fun for DH and I seeing him get so excited! Once the rotating extra FP+ came out, getting FP+ for any of the nighttime stuff lost its appeal for us. Though I would possibly do it as one of my extra FP+ reservations if they were still available closer to the parade/fireworks time. How early do you have to get to the viewing area?

The parade pictures are awesome! How funny about Mickey and Minnie!

Thanks!

Great update!

Thank you!

GREAT update and FANTASTIC parade pics! I need to take lessons from you!

DH worked VERY hard on those parade pics! He has really taken an interest in photography and spends a LOT of time finding all the tricks to getting those great shots.

Such great pics of MSEP!! I have so much love for that parade.

That's so strange that they would put Mickey and Minnie at the end of the parade! You'd think they'd be near the beginning even if there was something wrong with the float...ah well.

Thanks!

I thought the same thing! It was so weird having them second to last and not at the beginning of the parade or at the very end after the America float.

Loved all of the MSEP pictures! I agree with you that the "To Honor America" float and the marching CMs is a favorite of mine. Although thanks to Muppetvision at DHS every time I see that float I keep hearing Sam the Eagle in my head "A Salute to All Nations, but Mostly America!"

I think the only float in this parade that I'm not hot on is Pinocchio's float. Just something very awkward appearing the way he's sitting on that stool.

It's such a great float! And I totally think the same thing.

Pinocchio's float doesn't bother me nearly as much as the giant face one!!! That thing is freaky looking!

 

[afwdwfan]

Finally, it was time for the parade to start! By about 8:25 pm, the Main Street Electrical Parade had made its way to our viewing spot in front of the Frontierland Shooting Arcade.

The last time I watched a parade in that area of the park was when it was still Spectromagic. I'm thinking we might head over there when we go to avoid a little bit of the crowd. Do you remember about how long before the parade started you got there to be able to still get a front row spot?

Okay, so look at that last picture...weird right? I didn't notice until I saw Mickey & Minnie walking down the parade route, but there was no title train float! I guess something was wrong with it to keep it from running normally that night, but it was definitely strange to see the headliners of the parade walking pretty much at the end before the last float.

Yeah... that is a little bit weird. Problems with that float must not be uncommon. I remember watching MSEP a few years ago and that float broke down on Main Street... and literally brought the parade to a halt until they brought out a golf cart or something and hooked onto the front of the float and pulled it the rest of the way. Apparently, it must not have even made it to the parade route that time!

DS really enjoyed the parade, yet again. Even in his stroller, he got lots of attention from the characters, and he would yell out in excitement whenever he saw a character or float he loved.

His excitement is contagious! The characters all seem to do a great job of noticing which kids are shy and want to be left alone and which ones want to interact. It is always great when they can pick the excited ones out as they're passing by in a parade. That really says a lot about how good they really are.

Turns out there are a heck of a lot more people packing in the streets for Wishes than there are at the parties. Who knew? I guess we should have figured that!! Oh well. So we needed to come up with another plan.

Wishes on a non-party night... what a mad house!

You don't want to be stuck with a stroller in that area in front of CP after Wishes ends anyway. Trust me. I speak from experience.

 

[khertz]

The last time I watched a parade in that area of the park was when it was still Spectromagic. I'm thinking we might head over there when we go to avoid a little bit of the crowd. Do you remember about how long before the parade started you got there to be able to still get a front row spot?

I just checked my notes, and we got to our spot around 7:50 for the 8 pm parade. It started from Main Street and went to Frontierland, so it got to us around 8:25. Not only is it not as crowded, you definitely don't need to invest a crazy amount of time saving your spot either.

Yeah... that is a little bit weird. Problems with that float must not be uncommon. I remember watching MSEP a few years ago and that float broke down on Main Street... and literally brought the parade to a halt until they brought out a golf cart or something and hooked onto the front of the float and pulled it the rest of the way. Apparently, it must not have even made it to the parade route that time!

Oh my gosh!!! That had to be so crazy to see!

His excitement is contagious! The characters all seem to do a great job of noticing which kids are shy and want to be left alone and which ones want to interact. It is always great when they can pick the excited ones out as they're passing by in a parade. That really says a lot about how good they really are.

Paxton definitely loves interacting with the characters on the parade routes, and you're right, they do a great job of picking those kids out! He is constantly waving, pointing, and yelling out their names!

Wishes on a non-party night... what a mad house!

You don't want to be stuck with a stroller in that area in front of CP after Wishes ends anyway. Trust me. I speak from experience.

Good to know! Now that you say that, I can imagine that area can get bottle necked crazy fast.

 

[khertz]

Day 7 Continued: Monday October 28th

When I left off, we had found a sliver of space to squeeze ourselves in on Main Street for Wishes. Seriously, Magic Kingdom on a non-party night is no joke! DH had still managed to get his tripod up to take some photos, and up first, a test shot of Cinderella Castle.

07-227 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

And then it was time for the show to begin!

Star light, star bright,
first star I see tonight.
I wish I may, I wish I might,
have the wish, I wish tonight


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07-229 by disneymom1024, on Flickr

We'll make a wish, and do as dreamers do,
and all our wishes (all our wishes),
will come true


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When you wish, upon a star
Makes no difference who you are
Anything your heart desires will come...to...you


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Remember, we must always believe in our wishes, for they are the magic in the world.
Now, let's all put our hearts together, and make a wish come true


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07-235 by disneymom1024, on Flickr

Star light, star bright,
first star I see tonight.
I wish I may, I wish I might,
have the wish, I wish tonight.
We'll make a wish, and do as dreamers do,
and all our wishes,
will come true


07-236 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


07-238 by disneymom1024, on Flickr

You see, its just like I told ya.
Wishes can come true, if you believe in them with all your heart.
And the best part is, you'll never run out of wishes.
They're shining deep down inside of you.
'Cause that my friends is where the magic lives


07-239 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


07-240 by disneymom1024, on Flickr

Wishes! Dream a dream (fate is kind)
Wishes! Set it free (she brings to those who love)
Wishes! Trust your heart (the sweet fulfilment of)
Just Believe (their secret longing)
Just Believe (just believe)


07-241 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


07-242 by disneymom1024, on Flickr

Like a bolt out of the blue,
fate steps in and sees you through.
When you wish upon a star, your dreams...come...true
Make a wish, and do as dreamers do (just do as dreamers do)


07-243 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


07-244 by disneymom1024, on Flickr

Ha-ha, see what a little wishing can do?​

There is just nothing like the feeling I get when I watch Wishes! It's just pure Disney magic right there in front of you. I had tears in my eyes, and goosebumps all over.

But then, the show ends and you are smacked with reality. For me, this was in the form of DH folding up his tripod quicker than I have ever seen him manage and waving his arms at me for me to move and get the stroller out of the middle of the street as the flood of people turned and began heading out of the park!

We ducked quickly inside of the Main Street Bakery/Starbucks to wait out the crowds because we weren't ready to leave just yet. And I took this crappy iPhone picture of the inside because we will probably never be inside there again since neither of us have ever ordered a single thing from Starbucks!

07-246 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

When we thought we were okay, we headed outside and tried to make our way further into the park to get in a couple of rides. Notice I said "TRIED." We were basically salmon swimming upstream in a flood of people trying to go the opposite way. Luckily for us, a woman on an ECV with two pre-teen girls also on ECVs (?) were trying to do the same thing. Even though they were going at a snail's pace, they were making a path, so we scooted in right behind them and followed along until the pathways cleared in Tomorrowland and we were able to move around.

DH really wanted to ride Haunted Mansion, but I thought DS would not be too excited about it, so we decided to split up. DH found a way to get to Liberty Square while I decided to take DS to New Fantasyland. After a quick restroom stop, we went over to visit Ariel under the sea and walked right onto a clam shell.

07-247 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

This is the only picture I got because I figured iPhone photography would be pretty useless in here! But DS fell in love with Scuttle on this ride and every time we saw him, he would say, "Look, Mom, there's Scuttle! Take a picture!"

Continued in next post...

 

[khertz]

Day 7 Continued: Monday October 28th

As I said, DH was on his way to the Haunted Mansion while DS and I were visiting Ariel & Prince Eric. I have no idea if anything special or interesting happened for this portion of the TR because DH was all alone, but he did get some pretty great photos inside of HM. So if you have ever wanted to see an entire post dedicated to nothing but HM photos, you have come to the right TR!

07-248 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


07-249 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


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07-251 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
(Seeing this makes me so sad that AbbyBeth never came back with a TR from her trip! I was so excited to see her full costume at the MNSSHP!)


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07-253 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


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Hidden Mickey!


07-266 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

After our rides, I sent DH a text that we should probably head out of the park because we had an early morning coming up and I wanted to get DS to bed. We met up at the front of the park and made our way back to Bonnet Creek without incident and got DS to bed around 10:45 with DH and I following not much later.

FIRSTS FOR TODAY:
*Turtle Talk with Crush
*Dinner at Be Our Guest
*Meeting Beast
​

UP NEXT: Aloha & Mahalo!

 

[afwdwfan]

I just checked my notes, and we got to our spot around 7:50 for the 8 pm parade. It started from Main Street and went to Frontierland, so it got to us around 8:25. Not only is it not as crowded, you definitely don't need to invest a crazy amount of time saving your spot either.

That's not bad at all. I'd expect to see similar crowd levels when we're there, so that is definitely helpful. Thanks!

Good to know! Now that you say that, I can imagine that area can get bottle necked crazy fast.

Yeah... trying to get to Adventureland was a bad idea too... We were about to distribute kids to empty arms and just pick the stroller up and carry it. Or toss it across the fence into the landscaping and come back for it later.

There is just nothing like the feeling I get when I watch Wishes! It's just pure Disney magic right there in front of you. I had tears in my eyes, and goosebumps all over.

Gave me goosebumps just reading the lyrics and seeing the pictures.

And I took this crappy iPhone picture of the inside because we will probably never be inside there again since neither of us have ever ordered a single thing from Starbucks!

Same here! And I don't intend to change that.

two pre-teen girls also on ECVs (?) were trying to do the same thing.

Sounds dangerous on a crowded night in the MK. Oh well, at least you were behind them instead of in front.

This is the only picture I got because I figured iPhone photography would be pretty useless in here! But DS fell in love with Scuttle on this ride and every time we saw him, he would say, "Look, Mom, there's Scuttle! Take a picture!"

Who doesn't love Scuttle???

So if you have ever wanted to see an entire post dedicated to nothing but HM photos, you have come to the right TR!

Good pictures!

 

[marDgreen88]

My Post Disney Depression is so strong right now that the Wishes pictures and lyrics made me tear up. So there ya go.

Awesome Haunted Mansion pictures, too!!

 

[hjones78]

I finally got all caught up. I have not been the most productive employee the last few days as I have been addicted to reading your TR so far!!

Your trip is what we are planning for this year only going the week after Thanksgiving. We are staying on points at one of the Hiltons and planning a day at Universal. None of us have ever been to Universal so I was excited to see that you could do it in one day. I don't like my time taken away from the Mouse.

I love your MNSHP recap. I want to do that sometime in the near future for sure!! I love you guys costumes!! And you had some great character interactions!! So fun!

Can't wait to read more!

 

[missangelalexis]

Great Wishes pictures, there really is nothing like watching those fireworks Glad you survived the exiting crowds and got to hop on a ride before you left!

 

[dtr_angel]

Welcome back!

I'm all caught up! Great pictures of MSEP & Wishes. You're not kidding, after parades/fireworks it gets crazy! We try to do what you did and duck out of the way for a while. Sounds like a great night in the MK. I just love Wishes. I have the soundtrack in my Jeep and I listen to it on a regular basis

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

*sigh* Wishes...

I know the thing to do is exit after Wishes, but seriously... WHY?????

Haha, great call having an ECV lead the way i.e. plow against the crowd. Slow and steady is better than standing still.

Ah the HM umbrella girl, my favourite. Of course that's because she's where the door opens. Yup, I'm a nerd.

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Great photos of Wishes! I have not been brave enough yet to take my family into the middle of that crowd but for our MNSSHPs in October I'm seriously considering it. Whether I'll set up my tripod there will be a different question. And if I do, I'll be like your DH - folding it up as quickly as I can which I have gotten a lot of practice the past few months.

And I love the pictures from the HM! So a question for DDuck4life because I can't remember even though I'm pretty sure we talked shop during that trip: were you using the Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 for the HM photos?

As far as following the EVCs out - genius! I guess that's sort of like following an ambulance through a traffic jam but you also need to keep your distance just in case they come to a sudden stop.

 

[scottny]

2 tr’s at once is hard.
It is lies they were running behind. LOl. That will be a big part of my tr when I get to it. Beautiful pics of the restaurant.
Nice night photos.
Gorgeous parade pics.
Nice Wishes pics. I tape it because my pics come out terrible. LOl.
WOW! Amazing pics in HH. Can he come with us to Italy/France and take pics but let me take the credit. LOL.
Sounds like a fun time at MK.

 

[khertz]

That's not bad at all. I'd expect to see similar crowd levels when we're there, so that is definitely helpful. Thanks!

My pleasure!

Yeah... trying to get to Adventureland was a bad idea too... We were about to distribute kids to empty arms and just pick the stroller up and carry it. Or toss it across the fence into the landscaping and come back for it later.

That bridge between Adventureland and Crystal Palace is a NIGHTMARE! We have found ourselves in the middle of a sea of people on there, and...never again.

Gave me goosebumps just reading the lyrics and seeing the pictures.

Same here! And I don't intend to change that.

Me either!! Neither of us drink coffee, and even if I did, I don't think I could bring myself to pay all that money for a coffee.

Sounds dangerous on a crowded night in the MK. Oh well, at least you were behind them instead of in front.

My heels would have been torn to shreds if we had been in front.

Who doesn't love Scuttle???

I ask myself this question every day!

Good pictures!

Thanks!!

My Post Disney Depression is so strong right now that the Wishes pictures and lyrics made me tear up. So there ya go.

Awesome Haunted Mansion pictures, too!!

Aww, sorry, Marissa, but I know what you mean. I'm missing it like crazy! We are trying to decide when our next trip will be in 2015, but there are a lot of factors that come into play, so it's kind of making me nuts right now.

Thanks!

I finally got all caught up. I have not been the most productive employee the last few days as I have been addicted to reading your TR so far!!

Your trip is what we are planning for this year only going the week after Thanksgiving. We are staying on points at one of the Hiltons and planning a day at Universal. None of us have ever been to Universal so I was excited to see that you could do it in one day. I don't like my time taken away from the Mouse.

I love your MNSHP recap. I want to do that sometime in the near future for sure!! I love you guys costumes!! And you had some great character interactions!! So fun!

Can't wait to read more!

Yay, glad to see you here! But sorry I have made you unproductive.

That's kind of how we are. Before DS, we would spend 2 or 3 days at Universal easily. But with him being young and small for now (although since he's 40" he should be able to do a lot more next trip), we don't want to take too much time away from Disney. But if you manage your expectations and don't plan on doing & seeing everything, it can definitely be done in a day!

We had SUCH a great time at the party, I can't wait until we can do one again!

Great Wishes pictures, there really is nothing like watching those fireworks Glad you survived the exiting crowds and got to hop on a ride before you left!

Oh, do I know it. I love just standing on Main Street and watching those fireworks burst over the Castle. Heaven! We were pretty glad our plan worked and we were able to fit in at least one thing. We would have loved to ride more, but we had such an early morning the next day, I knew we needed to get some sleep!

Welcome back!

I'm all caught up! Great pictures of MSEP & Wishes. You're not kidding, after parades/fireworks it gets crazy! We try to do what you did and duck out of the way for a while. Sounds like a great night in the MK. I just love Wishes. I have the soundtrack in my Jeep and I listen to it on a regular basis

Thanks & same to you! I'm so excited to read about all of the details of your trip!

I had kind of prepared myself that it would be crazy, but there is just no preparing yourself for that level of craziness!! I just don't think I could survive the week between Christmas & New Years...

 

[khertz]

*sigh* Wishes...

I know the thing to do is exit after Wishes, but seriously... WHY?????

Haha, great call having an ECV lead the way i.e. plow against the crowd. Slow and steady is better than standing still.

Ah the HM umbrella girl, my favourite. Of course that's because she's where the door opens. Yup, I'm a nerd.

I love love love me some Wishes!

I'm not sure why, but I'm sure glad they do and leave more room for the rest of us!

I didn't even think of that with the umbrella girl, but that's a good reason for her to be your favorite!

Great photos of Wishes! I have not been brave enough yet to take my family into the middle of that crowd but for our MNSSHPs in October I'm seriously considering it. Whether I'll set up my tripod there will be a different question. And if I do, I'll be like your DH - folding it up as quickly as I can which I have gotten a lot of practice the past few months.

And I love the pictures from the HM! So a question for DDuck4life because I can't remember even though I'm pretty sure we talked shop during that trip: were you using the Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 for the HM photos?

As far as following the EVCs out - genius! I guess that's sort of like following an ambulance through a traffic jam but you also need to keep your distance just in case they come to a sudden stop.

It can be crazy, but once those fireworks start, you kind of forget that you are packed in like sardines or that someone rolled over your foot a minute ago or shoved past you.

Hopefully DH will answer this question, because of course I have no clue.

That's definitely a good comparison! It didn't get us through fast by any means, but certainly a lot faster than if we had been on our own!

2 tr’s at once is hard.
It is lies they were running behind. LOl. That will be a big part of my tr when I get to it. Beautiful pics of the restaurant.
Nice night photos.
Gorgeous parade pics.
Nice Wishes pics. I tape it because my pics come out terrible. LOl.
WOW! Amazing pics in HH. Can he come with us to Italy/France and take pics but let me take the credit. LOL.
Sounds like a fun time at MK.

Oooh, I will have to check out your TR to see what that's all about! The restaurant is just so photogenic. A really gorgeous space!

Thanks! DH really outdid himself this trip, especially on nighttime and dark ride shots! It's funny you say that because last night we decided to watch Angels & Demons (we are taking a tour before the ABD part of our trip that brings you to the locations that were used in the novel) and when they went in the Pantheon, DH sighed and said, "Geez, we are going to have SO MANY pictures from this trip!"

 

[cheshirecatattack]

Your photos are beautiful. Thanks for taking the time to share so many.

 

[amberg93]

Such beautiful pictures. It hurts that I'm not there right now to see them and I was so recently.

Pretty smart way to get out of the park. I might have to keep that in mind. Usually I just weave through crowds because I'm quick enough to do so.