Lia & Jess's Hot and Fancy Halloween and Christmas Party Trip! ~ NEW TR POSTED 9/2!!!

[angelicamy12]

Another fabulous update, Lia...you really are spoiling us!

The CM shop looks incredible...like one of those wonderful places you only ever dream of but don't actually exist!

I know you're from NJ and you often speak about your love on Manhattan...I know it's not exactly Disney related but I'm giving up a Disney trip this year to visit another part of the USA - namely NYC, Chicago and Vegas. I wondered if you had any tips of places I should visit when in NYC? I am so excited to go but overwhelmed with all there is to do!

 

[FancyNancy]

I shouldn't have read your F&W Updates before breakfast this morning. Now I'm super hungry! The short rib Jess got looked delish. Did you try it?

Also, hot french booth attendant = cest ci bon!

 

[ElenaJane]

I so love your Disney enthusiasm!! Halloween has always been my favorite holiday and I fell in love with MNSSHP last year. So much so that DH and I are going for our wedding anniversary this September! I think the next best thing to a wedding in Disney is celebrating your wedding anniversary at a MNSSHP! This would be hard for you and Eugene to do though since he has to work during the party. :good vibes

And BTW, I NEED, not want, a Haunted Mansion ornament now.

 

[Dreams0308]

She ate on a trash can, as you do in Disney.​

​

HAHA TRUTH!!!!

I love your reports and your writing style! I am always wanting to read more and I'm never bored.

BTW My husband and I are going to WDW for Labor Day Weekend to see my sister who is in the CP....so I'M SUPER EXCITED to go to Cast Connection!!!! MERCH HEAVEN

 

[Curiouser&curiouser!]

Yippee!! The TR is back on!!!

I always say it but MNSSHP is like the way Halloween *feels* when you are a little kid. I love it. There is nothing better.

I love your shirt from the next day! I have the same one!!

I particularly enjoy reading your reports because you girls jump from one place to another whenever you feel like it! I love the idea of doing that (though it doesn't really work too well for us right now with two little ones). Someday!

 

[Neeny17]

That sounds like the perfect morning to have after a late night! Just strolling around, eating amazing food. I bumped into one of those sudden meet and greets last summer! It was so good. I love how you and Hanson always seem to bump into each other lol.

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

"The Best Things I Ever Did by God" You kill me. And well done getting hold of that. Looking forward to hearing more excerpts.

Oooh, I look at all that great food, and then... a S'more drink thing!!!! That looks ridiculously awesome!

Since I tend to completely fan-girl over Big Al I could never ever judge Jess' obsession with Pluto. It's all quite reasonable to me.

 

[khertz]

That frozen s'mores looks freaking HEAVENLY! I was all excited about trying the s'mores blizzard from DQ, but that looks waaaaaaaay better!

I hope one day we run into the character training at Epcot, it seems like SO much fun and full of random characters!! Until then, Characterpalooza will have to suffice, I suppose.

I am laughing at your Natalie sighting. I would have totally fangirled, because she's legit my favorite Hanson. She's just the sweetest! I always wondered where they would stay when they play in Disney World, so thanks to you I now know.

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What a cool find in the Contemporary plate! I think it would be so cool to use something around my house that was made just for a Disney resort.

 

[TinkLovinMomma]

Hello! Joining in because you seem absolutely fantastic. I know i am late - so sorry about that! Your costume was so fab, and I can't wait to see what you have come up with for this year. I would love to do Disney for Halloween because I adore creating costumes, but we are doing Christmas this year. Maybe I will be able to convince my husband to do a Halloween trip next year!! So glad I came across your TR!

 

[Credit Man]

So glad you are back Lia. You have been missed. Thanks for the updates.

 

[cinderellaurora]

LIA!!!!!!!!!!! I am so happy to see you posting updates again! I've really missed your trip reports!

Sorry to hear about your laptop...especially the loss of your photos

What an amazing MNSSHP you & Jess had - Just fabulous!

Great start to Day 3!

It's a shame you weren't able to get to Disney this month, but hooray for another Halloween adventure! I can't wait to see what wonderful creation you'll come up with outfit-wise this time!

I'm so glad there is so much more to come...For various reasons, it is looking increasingly likely that I won't get back to Disney World for a VERY long time, so reading reports like yours helps get me through the Disney withdrawal symptoms - Thank you!

Very best wishes,
Siân.xx

 

[Nermel9]

Great updates as always! I am SOOO excited for MNSSHP this year, I think I'm only doing one, so I really have to plan! My priority is seeing Jack and Sally, but I have a dinner ADR at 4 something at LTT, so I hope when I get out, I have enough time to run over there and get in line before the party starts! I hate the idea of wasting party time in a line!

I think we'll be in Disney at the same time, I'm going from 9/19-9/29, if I see you I'll say hi! Well, maybe, since I'm obnoxiously shy and awkward haha!

 

[PlutosRHM55]

I literally should pick a better time than almost 1 in the morning to read your updates. Now I'm in need of a major snack. Everything at F&W looks so good! I could totally go for that Frozen Smores thing and the Ravioli. Delish!

Awesome photos of you and Jess on the BoardWalk! I think it's totally awesome how you brought back some of your Mickey Mouse outfit. So cute!

That's so cool about your unexpected Character Palooza! Jess knows how it is. When you see Pluto, you run don't walk to him. Literally, my Eugene too... or Tiana (I full-on rope drop that girl!). And that's so cool how you met Smee! I love when Disney does surprise M&Gs like those. It seems they really are happening a lot now in EPCOT. Hmmm...

The Hitchhiking Ghosts ornaments

I love the Ursula pin you got! Super cool. Those Donald and Chip ones though

Two weddings in one day?! Aren't you two lucky? I love the non-traditional wedding too. Some weddings these days really look exactly the same. I think the bride should still go for a really nice dress, but still I'm much more impressed by that red-and-black wedding than the white gown wedding you posted a photo of before. And I mean, those converse must feel so great, especially when most brides have their bridesmaids wear heels. Eck.

Awww, the Up pumpkins are so beyond perfect! I need to get to Disney for some MNSSHP. Seriously, this is becoming bad for my health.

YAY FOR CAST CONNECTION! I'm so looking forward to the day I can shop there. *sigh*

Can't wait to hear about DHS!

 

[__disneygirl]

NOVEMBER 1, 2013
Day 3, Part 3 In Which We Freak Out A Photopass Photographer

WOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Can you believe it took me as long as Day 3 to get there?

I wanted to stop on Hollywood Boulevard to get pictures taken, so I started to approach one of the PhotoPass Photographers, but the next one ahead was Jess's friend and "Disney College Program - Frump Style" supporting player, Serge!

He was really nice. I told him I loved his Instagram, which is an awkward thing to say to someone you are meeting for the first time but he seemed appreciative. He seriously takes the best pictures so the DCP definitely picked the right job for him! While Jess and Serge caught up, she kept doing this:

and every time I could see him wince a little bit. By then we were in full hot and fancy mode and were doing it every 5 seconds and thinking it was the most hilarious thing ever, which he seemed puzzled by. This just made it even more amusing.

I was giggling so much but I managed to get out, "Jess you keep doing this

" and Serge was like, "Yeah, what IS that? What is this?

" Him doing it just made us laugh so much and then Jess explained and showed him the Emoji on her phone. He clearly thought we were mentally ill but it was so funny that I am laughing now thinking about it.

Then he took some great pictures of us!

Thanks, Serge!

From there we went straight to my personal residence, The Hollywood Tower Hotel!!

I was screaming the whole way there. And guess what, no line! I mean, I think it was listed at 13 minutes, but we all know that means 10 or none.

We were EXTREMELY hot and fancy as we plummeted to our deaths. Gotta go out in style!

I love us. *SIGH*

I suggested Jess look for the princess sweater in the shops near my tower because they always have a really good selection of clothes in my opinion. They did have the sweater, but not in her size unfortunately! So she got the neon lights WDW sweatshirt instead.

I knew they had a pin board in this store so I asked to see it and totally lucked out! I GOT A HADES, PAIN AND PANIC PIN!!!

I also got this 2008 pin, which was perfect because I want to collect pins from every year I took trips to Disney.

Be

2008 was the first year I saw Hanson in Disney! There was also a private performance at a nearby hotel after which I got to hang with Taylor and take a picture with the band. And then I arrived late to their House of Blues show due to my overeating at the Food & Wine Festival. Sigh... it was a brilliant trip. I love Hanson and Disney SO MUCH I CAN'T HANDLE IT!

Anyway.

I love the way they decorate the Hollywood stores.

Walt, you are so snazzy!

People always talk about his genius imagination and forget about the snazziness. So may I just point out that he was always one snazzy dresser.

We then ended up shopping on Hollywood Boulevard too. Still no princess sweater, but I got this awesome Jack ornament!

More shopping photos...

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[__disneygirl]

NOVEMBER 1, 2013
Day 3, Part 4 In Which We Buy One Get One Free

At Villians in Vogue, I traded for this Vinylmation.

Not a very exciting one. I still have it, I should probably give it to my doctor. I wonder if he'll think it's cool or be like what the hell is this. Only one way to find out!

I fell in love with this Alice in Wonderland frame. I don't know why on earth I didn't buy it.

I mean, it was probably on the expensive side, but just look at it!!! I could have totally put my MNSSHP Alice & Mad Hatter photo in it. Oh well, maybe I'll buy it one of these days.

I was pin trading with various Merchandise CMs, and one of them told me that one of the stores on Hollywood Boulevard had a pin board. I knew about the one near Tower having one, but I didn't realize there were more! Jess didn't even know, which is saying something due to her pin trading obsession.

I got this Ariel pin off that board:

By this time Jess was starving. We had talked about trying to go to Mama Melrose earlier in the day, but there were no reservations open. Jess said we could just do a walk-up, so we decided to go over and try that.

As you can see, on the way we ran into Mulch, Sweat, and Shears!! They're always so fun.

I also found the Hidden Baby Sinclair!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! From the mid 90's insane family sitcom Dinosaurs starring none other than dinosaurs!!!!!!!

If you don't know about that show, it's seriously one of the craziest, weirdest, best, most hilarious family comedies of all time. Think of Full House, but if Full House was smart and made fun of itself, oh and if they were all dinosaurs. Seriously, look it up and watch an episode. I can't even tell you how awesome it is that there's a Hidden Baby Sinclair in this park. Disney is the best.

Unfortunately, the wait at Mama's was about 45 minutes, and Jess was starving so she wanted to eat now. She knew I really wanted to eat there though, so she said she would eat now and then eat again later on at Mama's. I was like, "You're going to eat two meals?" and she was like, "I mean... it's not really a problem." LOL! That girl can eat, gotta love it. Even though I wasn't that hungry, I didn't really want to kill 45 minutes just standing around, so we agreed to go to Pizza Planet even though as a New Jersey born and bred resident, I shrivel up around Disney Pizza. It was a sacrifice I had to make for my hungry friend. I am so charitable!!!

Jess's violent hunger and love of Disney Pizza ended up being a HUGE blessing because this is where we discovered BUY ONE GET ONE FREE HALLOWEEN CUPCAKES.

ARE YOU FOR REAL.

Oh I was thrilled. I would have bought a cupcake here anyway because HALLOWEEN CUPCAKES!!! but buy one get one free?!?! Oh Disney, you're too good to me.

So Jess ordered a pizza and I got a cupcake and drink in a souvenir mug. Souvenir mugs are very important to me, so the fact that I did not have the Pizza Planet one yet was an embarrassment.

I use that mug all the time, it's one of my favorites! You have saved our lives, WE ARE ETERNALLY GRATEFUL.

*Sigh* This is one of the most beautiful pictures I have ever taken.

This cupcake was CARROT CAKE WITH ORANGE CREAMSICLE ICING. I can't even begin to describe the deliciousness. I really hope they have them again this year because I will run, not walk, to Pizza Planet for this cupcake.

Jess got her pizza and thought it looked as though it had been sitting out, so she asked to have another one. Shockingly, they said no! I've never seen that at Disney before. The CM said something about how they couldn't make another one because they were closing soon and they were shutting the ovens down or something? They were closing earlier than the rest of the park, at 6:30. It was weird. I told her to try the pizza and if she didn't like it, then to get up and ask again, cause it's just very unDisneyish for them to just be like "Sorry, bye!" After trying it, she said it was okay, though.

After we were done at Pizza Planet, we didn't have much time before Fantasmic, so we headed over to Sunset and took another drop down into the Twilight Zone. We were gonna go on Rock N Rollercoaster, but the line was really long, so we just hung out in the shops some more and then headed into Fant.

The Glow with the Show ears looked pretty!

I didn't buy these because - call me crazy - but I think enough is already going on during these blockbuster Disney shows that cost thousands of dollars to produce every night. But like I said... pretty!

When we were making the trek to the theatre, they were playing the Disney Mania version of A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes. Omg, we instantly started singing it LOUDLY together. I'm not crazy about most of the Disney Mania covers, but that one is so good. Long live Raven Symone.

We got Front Row center seats, duh!!!!!!!

This show always excites me beyond reason and this time was no different! Jess and I have such a blast seeing this together because we are just so crazy for Disney and see these characters as rockstars, so we scream for them and sing along to every word of every song. We fangirl endlessly and sway simultaneously, it's just a very magical experience every single time!

One extra exciting thing was that they had just updated the princess floats... the lights started out like this:

...before turning to color, and they looked so pretty and new! I loved it!

News flash MICKEY SAVES THE DAY!

I know... I was surprised too.​

 

[__disneygirl]

NOVEMBER 1, 2013
Day 3, Part 5 In Which If The Light Is Off, Then It Isn't On​

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Jess got a couple great shots on her camera

HEY ARIEL!

It was another flawless Fantasmic experience, and we left the theatre on a high.

I found it really amusing that they were advertising Glow with the Show using the Witch and Magic Mirror from Snow White.

Like... okay.

In other news, I LOVE this dress.

The park was now closed, but we checked another shop on Hollywood Boulevard for the princess sweater and ended up staying awhile!

They didn't have the sweater, but I did quite a lot of pin trading.

Surfin' Mickey!! I was loving all these new beach themed pins.

Rosetta! I had to ask Jess who she was, oops. I don't really care about the fairies, but they're pretty.

THEN I FINALLY GOT THE TIANA SHOE PIN.

If you don't know, I am obsessed with the princess shoe pins and at that time I had not completed my collection, so this was a big moment. It was an ordeal to get because when I spotted it on a CM's lanyard, she was deep in conversation with guests and I didn't want to interrupt, so I walked around the store like 5 times taking photos until their endless conversation was finally done LOL.

I want that Mickey hands/music notes thing in my house somewhere! So awesome.

Once I got to trade with the CM, she was extremely talkative with Jess and I, and it was great to meet her. She thought I was a CM just like every CM does, and I had to say no which feels like a lie.

What SUCKS is that she asked us if we were CMs right after we were talking about the Halloween Party, specifically what happened with Eugene photobombing Rapunzel and I... so we think she wanted to tell us some dirt on our favorite Corona couple and couldn't when she heard I wasn't a CM. Oh the torture!

After that, we made a spontaneous decision to go over to Downtown Disney because we wanted to keep looking for the princess sweater and also the night was young!!!!!! We found Brooke and tore out of Hollywood onto our next destination.

Once we got there, the first thing we saw was this:

That made me laugh, though I'm not really sure why it was there. "If it's not Baroque, don't fix it!" as Cogsworth says.

First we went to D-Street to Vinylmation trade. This may be the least fun place in all of Disney World, seriously. They're really strict when it comes to trading and I don't understand why. I'm not even going to include the details because it's so annoying! -_-

After that we went to World of Disney. I loved this window display.

Oh Mickey, you party animal you.

They also did not have the princess sweater, but it was worth a trip over just to hang out and do whatever.

We drove back to Pop blasting Hilary Duff and had a conversation about how her music is clearly timeless. We had been singing her songs that day in Hollywood and talking about her genius lyrics such as "If the light is off, then it isn't on." Moving to the point of tears... that woman just gets us. So if you heard girls singing Hilary music loud in Disney... hi, that was us!

We got back to Pop Century and I was so hungry... Jess had gotten that pizza but I hadn't had anything but the glorious cupcake, so I walked over to Art of Animation to get some Create Your Own Pasta. YAY!

I've made the trip from Pop to Art and back again many times, so I have no idea why, but I ended up going the wrong way. Well, not really, I still got there, but instead of taking the Generation Gap bridge, I made a wrong turn and had to walk alllll the way around the lake. It was fine, except it was pushing 11:00 pm, closing time for Art's food court. Plus it was dark and deserted on the path so it was slightly creepy.

The great news is, there are facts posted everywhere to keep you entertained on your walk! I found this to be a weird combination of info.

This is a more cohesive sign because it features movie related facts and more importantly, anything involving King Tom Hanks is always appropriate.

I made it to the food court in time and ordered Whole Wheat Pasta w/ alfredo sauce, peas, chicken, and roasted red peppers. Here is the chef making my pasta and training a new CM.

I love any time you can see your food being made. Here is the delicious creation!!!

SO GOOD. This is definitely my favorite CS location at Disney besides Wolfgang Puck Express. I got it to go and pin traded in the shop.

Here is the Trivia for the day! Pretty easy.

They had the Create Your Own Pumpkin board here too... I love all the little Halloween details throughout WDW.

I didn't stay long, I was really hungry! So I walked back to our room, this time taking the bridge - so much faster. I ate my food and Jess & I had a solid hour plus of girl talk. The hot and fancy sleepovers were just one of the many amazing things about this trip!​

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[Neeny17]

Wow you're an updating machine! Lol. Seriously though reading TRs is a great way to start the morning. Those are some great Photo Pass pics; I don't think I've seen the frame shot before. You really lucked out with trades on this day, those are some awesome pins. Especially Hades! And that NBC ornament . I loved the create your own pasta at Art of Animation too; I felt that the portion sizes were just right. Looking forward to hearing more!

 

[katt789]

Love the updates!!

A great time had by all at DHS, and oh my goodness BUY ONE GET ONE FREE CUPCAKES?!!? WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL MY LIFE!??? I guess that makes sense because it was the end of halloween time?? Who knows?! But I accept!

Great updates!!

 

[khaleesi]

So glad to have you back!! You guys are rockin' it! I had to laugh at the PP photographer who wanted you to act like a zombie.

 

[awdwnut]

Hey Lia,

It it so great to have your updates to read again! We are getting so close to our trip next month and your TR's are the perfect gateway to a full on WDW fix! Our summer has been so crazy busy and being able to kick back for a few minutes and live vicariously though your adventures is the perfect primmer for this upcoming trip. Like so many other DISers, we cannot wait for your next installment!!!!!

Rob & Jenn