September 5th, Evening - It's Never Too Early to Start Celebrating!
I’m sitting here with a trick or treat bowl stuffed with candy, glad to be getting back to the report, conjuring up my vacation once again. As the sky darkens and distant howls are heard, come with me now into the magic circle of words to meet the denizens of Halloween!
There are always lots of questions and debates on the boards about the hard ticket events. People wonder if they will have that many dollars worth of fun, and wish that the park wouldn't close early for the event since sometimes the extra cost just doesn’t fit in a trip budget. Today I saw a thread from someone wondering if they would feel comfortable and have fun if they were alone. My first party event was a Christmas party last year and it was splendid and fine and I bought two more tickets before the week was over because the special events and atmosphere were so fun. There was enough to do that it was more relaxed to not try to do everything in one night. Not to mention being in a park with no lines and cookies and cocoa for all. The Pirate and Princess party in January also delivered on the fun. I scored super high on Buzz Lightyear and I’m sure it was because I was wearing a tiara.
When the
MNSSHP dates were announced I bought tickets for two nights based on my previous fun levels from the other parties. After dinner at Jiko I decided spontaneously it would be even more fun to have another party night so I found myself on my way to the Magic Kingdom. Part of my rationale was that I had shipped ahead a fabulous costume for the parties later in the week that would inhibit picture taking and other activities because of my right arm being busy animating the snake puppet integral to the costume. (I promise pictures and more details later!) The excuse I offered to myself for the extra party was that it seemed like it would be fun to play at the party with both hands free for one night.
When I arrived at the MK parking entrance, the parking kiosk CMs were wearing special party t-shirts and giving out candy. Excellent start! It was good to start warming up that trick or treat reflex. It made me think of a story a friend tells about her daughter’s first trick or treat experience. Prior to Halloween night Daisy had been coached up and down about how she would go up to the door in her costume and say, “Trick or Treat!” when someone came out and they especially worked on how she would then say, “Thank you!” Halloween arrived, and off she went up to her first door. Everything seemed to go well from her parents’ vantage point on the sidewalk. When the door shut she came pelting towards them yelling in delight and astonishment, “They gave me CANDY!!” Apparently in the coaching sessions they forgot to mention the payoff.
I rode the boat over this time, and was one of only eight or nine people on board. I sat at the front of the lower deck with a family whose littlest member was Maddie, who was a year and a half old. She hadn’t napped in two days and was staying up until midnight every night. The great thing was she was party baby. No meltdowns, no distress. She had caught the mood of great happiness and refused to miss anything just like the rest of us. In fact, her parents and grandmother were more tired and potentially cranky than she was, by their own admission.
It was a serene ride through the early evening sky toward the dock. I disembarked and did a small amount of uphill swimming through the departing crowds to the turnstile and greeters. There were crowds of CMs in special party costumes, makeup and painted faces. The men had bat bow ties and the women had cool bat hairpieces.
They cheerfully applied wrist bands to guests, admired costumes, and boogied with Disney party spirit. Fog billowed out around the jack-o-lanterns adorning the area below the train station. The big pumpkins were set around a giant Mickey face made of pumpkins and gourds and outlined with glowing lights.
I boogied with the CMs and got my wristband. My trick or treat bag and party guidebook and map came from more CMs in festive party outfits. Then it was on to Main Street. The storefronts all had lit up jack-o-lanterns up on their upper levels. Many of the carved pumpkins were themed to their buildings. There were ice cream cones for the ice cream shop, a diamond for the jewelry store and a hot dog for Casey’s. Engine Co. 71 featured a Dalmatian and fire plug.
Spooky music issued from all around, and the CMs lining main street carried signs urging us further in to the fun.
As it got darker, light effects of ghosts and other spooky things swept along Main Street and Halloween balloons wafted along in the wake of their vendors.
Since the first parade was less than an hour away I hung out on Main Street. I shopped for the party pins and t-shirt and got that out of the way early so I wouldn’t be caught in an end of the night shopping rush. I wandered to a Photopass photographer by the Castle and then went back and staked out a Main Street spot with the luxury of something to lean against.
I was 20 minutes early for the parade. The crowd was so small I could have arrived later and still scored a fine vantage point. I chatted with the family next to me and enjoyed just hanging out and watching people go by. There were many imaginative and creative costumes. My award for best costumes of the evening went to this group:
Another great group of which I failed to get a picture featured an Aladdin theme. The two children were Aladdin and Jasmine, with Mom as the Magic Carpet. Hilarious. There were lots of pirates, princesses and classic Disney characters. There were some superb ghoulish types a la Haunted Mansion.
Soon the CMs started walking up and down the street, letting people know that we would have to get up soon, or at least scoot back onto the sidewalk, for the ride of the Headless Horseman. Then they came around again and told us it was time to move, so we all stood up. There was heroic music and the clatter of hooves. He thundered down Main Street on a dark horse, holding aloft a Jack-O-Lantern head. There was a great noise from the horse’s shoes striking the pavement. It was swift, dramatic and exciting. Then we all relaxed and waited for the parade to arrive.
All the characters had special costumes. My favorites were Pooh and his gang. Eeyore was a clown, Pooh a super hero, Rabbit a pumpkin, Kanga and Roo marsupial bats, Piglet a butterfly and Tigger a pirate.
The Country Bears provided the music for a hoe-down section, and some handsome cowboys and cute cowgirls danced on by with Chip and Dale. The Haunted Mansion ghosts had a float, as did the villains and several groups of pirates.
There was cadaverous dancing by a group of ghosts in tattered finery, and splendid drama from a phalanx of gravediggers who struck sparks from the pavement with their shovels. The night watchman and his dog from the HM walked the parade route, the watchman peering into the darkness and his dog sniffing the way. The big finish was Pluto and Goofy, spreading chocolate cheer from Goofy’s Candy Company. As Goofy’s colorful candy contraption made its way down the street filling the scene with a heady candy smell, CMs visited the guests on the curbs putting chocolate candy into trick or treat bags. I didn’t participate that first time, feeling like I should leave the goodies for the kids, but I got over that later.
Parade mission accomplished, I headed off into Tomorrowland. I rode Buzz Lightyear twice with no wait and was heading to Space Mountain when I discovered that the Astro Orbiter also had no wait. I hadn’t been on the Astro Orbiter for years, in fact not since it was still the Rocket Jets. I lined up at the gantry for an elevator ride to the stars. It was fun to zoom through the sky above Tomorrowland, especially in the company of a family dressed as Mayonnaise, Ketchup and Mustard.
Then it was time for Space Mountain, with no waiting for transport to the stars there either. After more zooming through space (I rode twice because I could and it was good) I walked toward Fantasyland. It was along that walk that I saw one of the Trick or Treat stations and decided that since I had a bag I should give it a try. I didn’t expect to be all excited about the candy part, but as it turned out, it was a delightful part of the evening. They gave me CANDY! (Since it is now October I have pulled out my black cat Halloween treats container and it is FULL of Disney largesse.)
I rode Winnie the Pooh and watched Pooh and Eeyore at their meet and greet before heading over the to hub to get a spot for the fireworks. Once again I was early but relaxed in my lean against something location. While I waited I nibbled on my favorite sugar delivery units among the candy in my bag (Wonka Bottle Caps and Smarties with a Mary Jane chaser). The show was spectacular and had a gigantic finale. I pulled myself back up to my feet and walked back into Fantasyland to ride Peter Pan before moving over to the Haunted Mansion. The HM CMs had elaborate makeup and were especially ghoulish. Then I went through several more Trick or Treat stations and they gave me more CANDY! Thunder Mountain was next, for the fun of pelting through the wild west in the darkness.
I hadn’t been on Pirates yet so decided to risk it before the next parade. I was stuck on it once last year and had to be evacuated and so now I always debate the safety of the journey with myself before embarking. Then I walked through to Frontierland and caught the Horseman and parade from a different vantage point. I was getting tired by then but decided to go back to the future for another round of Buzz and Space Mountain, with a foot sparing ride on the TTA to cap off the evening. As I walked back, I saw these lights in the windows of one of the buildings of Tomorrowland.
While I was waiting in the extremely short Space Mountain line in the load area, the woman in front of me saw the little glowing space vehicles making the circle along the tracks at the top of the dome far overhead. She asked, “Is this like the illusion of Main Street where they make them look farther away with forced perspective, or do you really go up that high?” I let her know that they were the actual cars in actual size and that we would be going to deepest space before returning to Tomorrowland. I also told her how much fun it would be. When we got to the front of the line and they asked her how many in her party, she brightly said, “two” and turned to me and said, “You’re going with me, right?” Embracing my new role as a coaster security blanket, I said, “Of course!” and asked if we could wait to be in the front of the car. (I’m a Space Mountain snob and only like to ride in the first seat.) She laughed and shrieked and generally had a great space age time. She went off to join her family and I rode once more solo. Then I somewhat ineptly tried to save the power supplies for the toys and to recover from all the zooming and shooting got on the TTA for a glide around Tomorrowland to finish off the evening. For all my intentions to concentrate on taking photos, I did an extremely marginal job both in quality and quantity of photos. I knew I had two more evenings to see and do everything, so I ended up relaxing and being in the spirit of being there.
It was only the end of my first full day! I headed back to the TTC on the boat, enjoying the late night warmth and the notion of getting back to my Caribbean hideaway for lovely bedtime. It was in fact past bedtime in the way of all Disney trips because I was due back in the Magic Kingdom in not very many hours for a date with Pooh and friends and some puffed French Toast.
Tomorrow will bring:
Early morning Crystal Palace Breakfast
A day at the Magic Kingdom and Dream #1
Dinner at the California Grill during which I mourn the passing of one of the world's greatest desserts
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