As we picked up our little pirate from the Haunted Pirates Cruise, we were told that if she wanted to have some more fun at the resort, the children were to gather in front of the Grand Floridian Café within the next fifteen minutes. Once there, the children would attend the resorts Halloween costume parade, followed by some trick or treating. Since our pirate was still dressed in her costume, she said it would be fun to trick or treat before we went to the Magic Kingdom for Mickeys Not So Scary Halloween Party. We headed over to the Café.
At the Grand Floridian Café, the children were handed a trick or treat bag (my daughter had received hers at the end of the Haunted Pirates Cruise (click here)). There were quite a few children gathered outside the Café and they looked adorable in their Halloween costumes. After about fifteen minutes of waiting for the parade to begin, however, my daughter began to feel restless. She decided that she didnt want to wait any longer, she wanted to get to the Magic Kingdom for Mickeys Not So Scary Halloween Party since it had started almost an hour ago. My husband and I decided to let her call the shots this evening, so we took the elevator up to the second floor and caught the next monorail to the Magic Kingdom Theme Park.
Since this was actually Halloween night, tickets to Mickeys Not So Scary Halloween Party had sold out months in advance. I was happy that I had ordered mine when they had first gone on sale. Had I waited until the last minute to purchase them, I would have missed out on being able to attend the party. Since Halloween just so happens to be my favorite day out of the whole year, that would have been a big disappointment to me.
It was a short ride from the Grand Floridian Resort to the Magic Kingdom Theme Park. Immediately inside the Magic Kingdoms entrance, we saw something that we had never seen before a huge crystal ball that contained the head of Madame Leota. It was awesome (click here for mini-slideshow).
As we arrived in Town Square, the Boo To You Halloween parade was about to begin. We found a spot to sit on directly across the street from the fire station. Soon the parade music started, the gates opened, and the floats began heading toward us (click here for mini-slideshow of parades start). We had never seen a parade from this vantage point before. It had a nice view and thus quickly became packed with parade-goers. But that didnt bother us because we had seen the parade a few times over the years. Click here for slideshow of "Boo To You" Halloween parade.
Once the parade was over, my daughter stated that she wanted to ride on the Haunted Mansion ride, and so we made our way to it through the packed theme park. As I stated before, the Halloween party had sold out a few months prior and the Magic Kingdom was literally hopping this evening. It was not easy to navigate through the crowds in my wheelchair, but somehow we managed to do so without incident.
Once we arrived at the Haunted Mansion, we entered the handicap queue. There was another family before us in the queue who also had a family member in a wheelchair. Together our two families were escorted to the proper boarding area. While we waited for the ride to be stopped for us, I noticed that the young lady in the wheelchair was dressed as Minnie Mouse and she looked lovely (I felt so plain next to her in my street clothes). After a few minutes, the ride stopped and we safely boarded our doom buggies.
There is just something about the Haunted Mansion on Halloween night (click here for mini-slideshow). The ride, per se, is no different than at any other time of year, but the atmosphere sure is the outside of the Haunted Mansion is shrouded in fog and appears to be even more eerily lit than usual. Halloween is just not Halloween without a visit to the spookiest resting place within the Magic Kingdom.
Once the Haunted Mansion ride was over, we headed to the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. Along the way, we stopped to have our family picture taken at an official Halloween party photo location, and we hit a trick or treat candy station or two: photo # 1 (click here) and photo # 2 (click here).
My husband and daughter wanted to ride on the Magic Carpets of Aladdin ride (click here for mini-slideshow) I patiently waited on the ground in my wheelchair as they flew above me in their magic carpet. My daughter loves this ride because she thinks its funny when the camel spits at her (click here).
The theme park was so packed by this time that we decided that we didnt want to ride any more rides for a while. That is a luxury that one can take when they have vacationed in Walt Disney World before as we have. We thought it best to wander around the theme park and soak up as much of the party atmosphere as we could sort of stop and smell the ghosts, so to speak.
It was fun checking out everyones costumes. We saw many Minnie Mouses, Buzz Lightyears, Jessie the Cowgirls, Snow Whites, Wizard of Oz matched sets, and even a few I Love Lucys. Everyone was having a good time and seemed to be really in the spirit of the night.
Eventually we found ourselves in Fantasyland. Since I knew that I could remain in my wheelchair during the Its A Small World ride, we decided to ride it. And after that ride, we went and saw Mickeys PhilharMagic for the first time. We watched that show from the handicap row in the very back of the theater. From what I could see, there wasnt a bad seat in the theater and our seats were no exception. The show was adorable.
With the theme park still packed to the rafters, we headed off in search of something to do that we hadnt done before. What that was exactly, we didnt know, but we knew that we would find it.
Surprisingly, we found ourselves in a less busy part of the theme park (probably due to the fact that there werent any major rides nearby). We saw a sign that announced story telling was about to begin in approximately fifteen minutes. We had never attended such an event before on Halloween night, so we knew that we had found the something different that we had been seeking. As they say, magic happens when you least expect it.
The Fairytale Garden theater for the story telling was small and quaint. It also was empty. Its stage was covered in fog (click here). I rolled myself up to the front row while my husband and daughter went off in search of popcorn and pop. While I sat in the theater, I listened to music playing and watched the fog constantly roll across the stage. Soon, other families began making their way into theater, and my husband and daughter returned with some munchies.
The storyteller was male and he stood outside the theater and announced to the passersby that a not-so-scary Halloween story was going to begin within a few minutes. Most guests passed him by because listening to a story on Halloween night was not their idea of a thrill. That was okay with me because I understood that Disney had something different to offer to everyone. They may not have wanted a story on Halloween night, but my family and a few other families certainly did.
In the theater, the fog began to roll out even thicker than before and the music grew louder. Just then the storyteller climbed the stairs to the stage. The story he began telling was about Count Dracula, but dont worry, it wasnt too scary. He got the audience involved in the story by asking them to say certain words at certain points in the story. Both the children and the adults got into the spirit of the story and the night.
After fifteen minutes, the story had ended and the storyteller asked the children to approach the stage since he had candy for their trick or treat bags. The children eagerly approached the stage for their treats. I was fortunate because once the children had been given their treats, the storyteller came over and gave me a handful too (my first Halloween candy of the night). With a piece or two of chocolate in my mouth, my husband wheeled me out of the theater, and we went in search of something else to do.
We found ourselves next to the "Mad Tea Party" ride (a.k.a., the teacups). My daughter and husband quickly selected a teacup to ride in (click here for mini-slideshow). Because this area of the theme park was not very busy, I didnt worry about anyone falling on top of me as I wheeled myself around the exterior of the ride while my daughter and husband enjoyed the actual ride itself.
After spinning themselves silly on the ride, my husband mentioned that he was tired and ready to head back to the Grand Floridian. My watch showed that it was 11 PM, and even though my daughter complained that last year she and I had stayed at the party until the stroke of midnight, I told her that it was time to leave. She protested but I reminded her that it would easily take 30 minutes to find our way to the front of the theme park. That meant that we would really be leaving closer to the partys end. That seemed to appease her, and so we began making our way to the front of the theme park, where we found Cinderellas castle constantly changing colors (click here for mini-slideshow).
At the front of the theme park, we also found thousands of other guests. My husband cautiously pushed my wheelchair down the path of least resistance. It was tough navigating a wheelchair through the throngs of folks, but somehow he managed without incident (there were a few close calls, though).
Just like I had told my daughter, it was easily 11:30 PM by the time we had made it to Town Square. We said goodbye to some Disney villains (click here) and collected one last piece of candy for my daughters trick or treat bag (click here). Then it was onto the Magic Kingdoms exit turnstiles.
My husband pushed my wheelchair up the steep ramp to the monorail station, and we boarded the next monorail that arrived (click here). Before too long, we found ourselves inside our Grand Floridian resort room, where a goodbye note from the Concierge staff was waiting for us (click here). It was close to midnight by this point and our beds looked very inviting (click here). And just like any good Disney fairytale, when the clock struck midnight, my two characters quickly turned into pumpkins and fell fast asleep.
I wasnt tired and didnt want to go to bed just yet. I began packing our suitcases because when we awoke in the morning, we would be transferring to the Beach Club Villas. So for the next hour or so, I did nothing but pack. By the time I tucked my weary body into bed, and before my head fully hit the pillow, I, too, was fast asleep.
At the Grand Floridian Café, the children were handed a trick or treat bag (my daughter had received hers at the end of the Haunted Pirates Cruise (click here)). There were quite a few children gathered outside the Café and they looked adorable in their Halloween costumes. After about fifteen minutes of waiting for the parade to begin, however, my daughter began to feel restless. She decided that she didnt want to wait any longer, she wanted to get to the Magic Kingdom for Mickeys Not So Scary Halloween Party since it had started almost an hour ago. My husband and I decided to let her call the shots this evening, so we took the elevator up to the second floor and caught the next monorail to the Magic Kingdom Theme Park.
Since this was actually Halloween night, tickets to Mickeys Not So Scary Halloween Party had sold out months in advance. I was happy that I had ordered mine when they had first gone on sale. Had I waited until the last minute to purchase them, I would have missed out on being able to attend the party. Since Halloween just so happens to be my favorite day out of the whole year, that would have been a big disappointment to me.
It was a short ride from the Grand Floridian Resort to the Magic Kingdom Theme Park. Immediately inside the Magic Kingdoms entrance, we saw something that we had never seen before a huge crystal ball that contained the head of Madame Leota. It was awesome (click here for mini-slideshow).
As we arrived in Town Square, the Boo To You Halloween parade was about to begin. We found a spot to sit on directly across the street from the fire station. Soon the parade music started, the gates opened, and the floats began heading toward us (click here for mini-slideshow of parades start). We had never seen a parade from this vantage point before. It had a nice view and thus quickly became packed with parade-goers. But that didnt bother us because we had seen the parade a few times over the years. Click here for slideshow of "Boo To You" Halloween parade.
Once the parade was over, my daughter stated that she wanted to ride on the Haunted Mansion ride, and so we made our way to it through the packed theme park. As I stated before, the Halloween party had sold out a few months prior and the Magic Kingdom was literally hopping this evening. It was not easy to navigate through the crowds in my wheelchair, but somehow we managed to do so without incident.
Once we arrived at the Haunted Mansion, we entered the handicap queue. There was another family before us in the queue who also had a family member in a wheelchair. Together our two families were escorted to the proper boarding area. While we waited for the ride to be stopped for us, I noticed that the young lady in the wheelchair was dressed as Minnie Mouse and she looked lovely (I felt so plain next to her in my street clothes). After a few minutes, the ride stopped and we safely boarded our doom buggies.
There is just something about the Haunted Mansion on Halloween night (click here for mini-slideshow). The ride, per se, is no different than at any other time of year, but the atmosphere sure is the outside of the Haunted Mansion is shrouded in fog and appears to be even more eerily lit than usual. Halloween is just not Halloween without a visit to the spookiest resting place within the Magic Kingdom.
Once the Haunted Mansion ride was over, we headed to the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. Along the way, we stopped to have our family picture taken at an official Halloween party photo location, and we hit a trick or treat candy station or two: photo # 1 (click here) and photo # 2 (click here).
My husband and daughter wanted to ride on the Magic Carpets of Aladdin ride (click here for mini-slideshow) I patiently waited on the ground in my wheelchair as they flew above me in their magic carpet. My daughter loves this ride because she thinks its funny when the camel spits at her (click here).
The theme park was so packed by this time that we decided that we didnt want to ride any more rides for a while. That is a luxury that one can take when they have vacationed in Walt Disney World before as we have. We thought it best to wander around the theme park and soak up as much of the party atmosphere as we could sort of stop and smell the ghosts, so to speak.
It was fun checking out everyones costumes. We saw many Minnie Mouses, Buzz Lightyears, Jessie the Cowgirls, Snow Whites, Wizard of Oz matched sets, and even a few I Love Lucys. Everyone was having a good time and seemed to be really in the spirit of the night.
Eventually we found ourselves in Fantasyland. Since I knew that I could remain in my wheelchair during the Its A Small World ride, we decided to ride it. And after that ride, we went and saw Mickeys PhilharMagic for the first time. We watched that show from the handicap row in the very back of the theater. From what I could see, there wasnt a bad seat in the theater and our seats were no exception. The show was adorable.
With the theme park still packed to the rafters, we headed off in search of something to do that we hadnt done before. What that was exactly, we didnt know, but we knew that we would find it.
Surprisingly, we found ourselves in a less busy part of the theme park (probably due to the fact that there werent any major rides nearby). We saw a sign that announced story telling was about to begin in approximately fifteen minutes. We had never attended such an event before on Halloween night, so we knew that we had found the something different that we had been seeking. As they say, magic happens when you least expect it.
The Fairytale Garden theater for the story telling was small and quaint. It also was empty. Its stage was covered in fog (click here). I rolled myself up to the front row while my husband and daughter went off in search of popcorn and pop. While I sat in the theater, I listened to music playing and watched the fog constantly roll across the stage. Soon, other families began making their way into theater, and my husband and daughter returned with some munchies.
The storyteller was male and he stood outside the theater and announced to the passersby that a not-so-scary Halloween story was going to begin within a few minutes. Most guests passed him by because listening to a story on Halloween night was not their idea of a thrill. That was okay with me because I understood that Disney had something different to offer to everyone. They may not have wanted a story on Halloween night, but my family and a few other families certainly did.
In the theater, the fog began to roll out even thicker than before and the music grew louder. Just then the storyteller climbed the stairs to the stage. The story he began telling was about Count Dracula, but dont worry, it wasnt too scary. He got the audience involved in the story by asking them to say certain words at certain points in the story. Both the children and the adults got into the spirit of the story and the night.
After fifteen minutes, the story had ended and the storyteller asked the children to approach the stage since he had candy for their trick or treat bags. The children eagerly approached the stage for their treats. I was fortunate because once the children had been given their treats, the storyteller came over and gave me a handful too (my first Halloween candy of the night). With a piece or two of chocolate in my mouth, my husband wheeled me out of the theater, and we went in search of something else to do.
We found ourselves next to the "Mad Tea Party" ride (a.k.a., the teacups). My daughter and husband quickly selected a teacup to ride in (click here for mini-slideshow). Because this area of the theme park was not very busy, I didnt worry about anyone falling on top of me as I wheeled myself around the exterior of the ride while my daughter and husband enjoyed the actual ride itself.
After spinning themselves silly on the ride, my husband mentioned that he was tired and ready to head back to the Grand Floridian. My watch showed that it was 11 PM, and even though my daughter complained that last year she and I had stayed at the party until the stroke of midnight, I told her that it was time to leave. She protested but I reminded her that it would easily take 30 minutes to find our way to the front of the theme park. That meant that we would really be leaving closer to the partys end. That seemed to appease her, and so we began making our way to the front of the theme park, where we found Cinderellas castle constantly changing colors (click here for mini-slideshow).
At the front of the theme park, we also found thousands of other guests. My husband cautiously pushed my wheelchair down the path of least resistance. It was tough navigating a wheelchair through the throngs of folks, but somehow he managed without incident (there were a few close calls, though).
Just like I had told my daughter, it was easily 11:30 PM by the time we had made it to Town Square. We said goodbye to some Disney villains (click here) and collected one last piece of candy for my daughters trick or treat bag (click here). Then it was onto the Magic Kingdoms exit turnstiles.
My husband pushed my wheelchair up the steep ramp to the monorail station, and we boarded the next monorail that arrived (click here). Before too long, we found ourselves inside our Grand Floridian resort room, where a goodbye note from the Concierge staff was waiting for us (click here). It was close to midnight by this point and our beds looked very inviting (click here). And just like any good Disney fairytale, when the clock struck midnight, my two characters quickly turned into pumpkins and fell fast asleep.
I wasnt tired and didnt want to go to bed just yet. I began packing our suitcases because when we awoke in the morning, we would be transferring to the Beach Club Villas. So for the next hour or so, I did nothing but pack. By the time I tucked my weary body into bed, and before my head fully hit the pillow, I, too, was fast asleep.
). I told him that I truly needed one of those unpopular rooms, and he said that he had just the room for me. I was thrilled to hear that. He asked me to come downstairs to the Front Desk to retrieve my new room keys. I told him that I would be happy to oblige. 
Yes, we will be there May 21-23, 2004 and again in November. I'll gladly fill in at a dinner party or something if someone can't make it.
