RickinNYC
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 22, 2003
- Messages
- 7,870
After Joe and I took turns taking pictures, we decided it was almost time to head over to the Liberty Tree Tavern to meet up with some of my beloved DIS buddies. Walking through Fantasyland, I saw out of the corner of my eye a couple of Helpful Cast Members waving and gesturing to all the passersby. Glancing over, I realized they were standing in front of Mickeys Philharmagic! And there wasnt a soul to be found in line! We rushed over and had discovered that they had temporarily closed the attraction and reopened it for the Halloween Party. Woo hoo!
Walking through the initial queue, I have to admit that I was sorely disappointed. The only theming seemed to be movie posters and not much else. It was pretty, sure. But nothing that packed a big wow! That said I was expecting a standard show. I am happy to say that I was truly wrong to the umpteenth power.
The show itself was, quite simply, remarkable. Donald, the irascible rascal, was in high form, wreaking havoc where havoc could be wreaked. The comin-at-ya musical instruments were truly in your face. The blending of Be Our Guest, with the Little Mermaid, Aladdin and Jasmine and The Lion King were brilliant. The sudden, and quite magical, disappearance of the main stage was boggling. It was only later that I paid attention to watch the columns get whisked away. My only let down was the underutilization of my own personal, #1 favorite character, the Big Cheese himself. Joe, on the other hand, is a huge Duck fan and loved every minute of it.
I was so caught up in the show, that when the lights came up and I started ambling my way down the aisle, I had completely forgotten that I was in full Princely regalia. That is, until two little girls one row away had stopped walking, pointed at me and started giggling and whispering excitedly to each other. Whats up with them? Hey Joe, do I have a boogie or something? I asked my pirate companion.
Youre Prince Charming you idiot. I think they love you, he chuckled.
Realizing my error, and hoping that the girls didnt hear the Prince make a boogie comment, I quickly waved and waggled my fingers as Id seen the real dude do in parades. Seeing this, both girls squealed and ran out of the theater, calling for their parents. Fickle girls, I muttered.
I think they looooove you. They want to maaaaary you, Joe sang.
Shrugging him off, I made my way outside to find myself in the midst of the Official Philharmagic Gift Shop. Pretty cool stuff if youre a Donald fan. Since Im not, I gamely moved my way through the store, hoping that Joe would be oblivious, only to hear, Hey! Wait! Its all Donald stuff! Lemme check things out! Stop! Hey! HEY! PRINCE! Stop walking! I know you can hear me! Fearing that hed bring more attention to us, I quickly turned around and hustled back to find Joe clutching a mouse pad, coffee cup, note pad, pens, a hat, doo-dads, gee-gaws and all things Donald. Look! he crowed excitedly. And then he was off to find other Donald treasures.
After he had collected everything he could carry and was ready to make a purchase, Joe finally took stock of all his items. For whatever reason, he decided that he didnt need any of it. So he methodically puts everything back where he found it. Hes a weird guy and does this a lot. After 13 years, Ive yet to understand this little habit. But heck, if it saves us money, Im game. Nevertheless, its the most mind-boggling form of window-shopping Ive ever seen. With that, it was time to go meet up with my DIS pals.
Ambling our way through Fantasyland and on into Liberty Square, I was sorely tempted to make a detour for my personal favorite attraction, The Haunted Mansion. As Joe noticed my feet moving in that general direction, he reached out grabbed my sleeve and tugged me back to reality. Right, right, DIS people. But the Mansion I wanna go in the Mansion I whined pathetically.
Its not going anywhere and you dont want to keep the folks waiting. Lets go.
Still whining, You never let me have any fun.
Nevertheless, we made it to the predetermined meeting area in front of the Liberty tree with time to spare. Looking about, I noticed that the main area had been cordoned off as a handicapped-viewing location. Not to be dissuaded, I simply strolled evenly and calmly about, with a pirate trailing behind me asking, So what do they look like? How can you meet people when you dont know what they look like? Where are they? You dont know what they look like? And on it went.
Looking at my watch, I realized we had been waiting for close to ten minutes AND still had almost 15 more minutes to spare before any DISers were expected. I pointed the time out to Joe, Hey! Look at the time! I could have done the Mansion twice by now! Were early! Joe, of course, scratched his nose and ignored me. Did you know Prince Charming hates to be ignored? I was going to point this out to the pirate when I saw a stroller flash by, the owner clutching a bright, shiny, sparkly, glowing and flashing Tinker Bell wand. And that was supposed to be the one thing that was going to make one of my special DIS board members, Mad4Mickey, stand out and be recognized.
Could it be? Mishell!? I called out. Nothing. Maybe its not her? Ummmm Mishell? Still nothing and the stroller was still moving away.
Is that one of those DIS people? Is it? Maybe she didnt hear you. Yell her name louder. Is it her? Can you tell? How can you tell? Is it? Trying to get the attention of an Internet friend in the middle of the Magic Kingdom while a pirate was badgering you with questions and poking you in the side was pretty distracting.
Quit it! Stop poking! I said, while batting his candy-coated fingers away. HEY! MISHELL!
Sure enough, the stroller came to a shrieking halt. It was Mishell! Cautiously turning around, she shyly asked, Rick? Is that you?
Yep! How are you? How is everything? How was your trip? Who are you with? Where is everyone? Its just us! I rambled a bit at first. It was so nice to finally meet a DISer, especially Mad4Mickey!
Hellos were exchanged. Mishell introduced me to her little boyfriend Robert, one of the cutest little kids in the park. His mom Colleen, of course, accompanied Robert, considering he was still too young to travel alone. Go figure. Anyway, Mishell blinked, snickered and reached behind her, Hey! How could I forget, I brought this all the way from Texas! And with great flourish, she whipped out a sparkly, blinky, shiny, high tech Tinker Bell Wand. With peals of laughter, she then relinquished the Official Wand of the Tag Fairy upon Prince Charming, tapped her finger to the side of her nose three times, winked and disappeared in a bright flash followed by clouds of smoke.
Ok, so no fingers, winking, flashes or smoke, I lied. But she did give me a cool wand! Didnt match my outfit too well but I got over it. In return, Joe pulled out two pins, one FDNY Mickey and a NYPD Mickey, both from the 5th Avenue Disney Store. Mishell seemed to like them almost as much as I liked my big, glowing wand. (Wait a minute, that doesnt sound quite right)
We chatted, Mishell shared pictures of her kids back home, I forced Joe to waggle his ring so she could see. The two of them squealed for a minute while Prince Charming stood there feeling a little embarrassed (but a bit proud too).
Shortly thereafter, another DISer popped up, husband in tow. Michelle and JR! Hey, neat! More chatting. More excited questions and answers. More ring finger waggling from Joe.
While talking back and forth, Dennis aka Little Man Question Asker, and his cohort Vinnie both finally arrived. Dennis was bouncing from foot to foot, demanding everyone admire his Peter Pan costume. Vinnie stood quietly and stoically, trying his best to act the part of Captain Hook. Admittedly, it was distracting, however, to see the great Captain constantly repositioning his moustache.
We all stood about chatting when I overheard LMQA (Little Man Question Asker) grousing about something or other. Without trying to be too obvious, I tuned in to hear, But I wanna go to Space Mountain. I wanna do the Haunted Mansion. I wanna go on Pirates. I wanna wanna wanna
With a sigh, I turned to Mishell and gave her my apologies, explaining that my friends wanted to boot scoot n boogie and do some attractions. I couldnt really blame them, it was their vacation too. I had her cel number from earlier DIS conversations and promised to call her later in the week so we could spend more time together. And we were off, a pirate, a captain, a green fairy guy and a prince, seeking out adventures to conquer and gift shops to pillage.
Of course, our next destination was the Haunted Mansion. Because the parade was about to start, we marched right up to the main doors to the abode itself. The Helpful Cast Member posted at the entrance simply glared his spooky glare and ushered us in. As we walked on by, Joe of course, had to lean in, leer at the gentleman and mutter, Boo Ive still yet to figure out why he does that. I know he finds it utterly amusing simply based upon his chortle and happy toddle.
Entering the foyer, we watched the creepy Dorian Grey-esque picture change into a leering corpse. One of my favorite effects and it never fails to put me in the mood for the other horrors stored inside.
The doors to the left suddenly open and we obediently shuffle into the gallery. Like so many other more experienced Disney tourists, we immediately position ourselves as close to what we perceive to be the next door as we possibly can. Nevertheless, we still dutifully stand two feet away from the walls, knowing full well that wed be scolded without mercy if we didnt. Sure enough, the spooky Helpful Cast Member circles around us and demands that we move to the dead center of the room. As he reaches the space just behind me, I again hear, Boo followed by a merry chuckle. Joe, of course, is in his prime tonight.
Shortly thereafter, the Ghost Host arrives and starts his moody, oh-so-creepy patter. The room begins to stretch and the portraits reveal their true nature. Nervous giggles, a couple of whimpers, the obligatory dufus screaming at the top of his lungs, someone else giving a pretty good mwahahahahahahaaaaa (wait, that was me). Then the pretty disturbing invitation to find a way out of the room by way of the Host himself. Flash of lightning, crash of thunder and a swinging corpse high above us. Family fun at its best!
Of course, Disney being Disney, no one is required to do him or herself in. Not even the Brazilian tour groups. A secret panel opens up and we whisk into yet another room, or rather, another queue. Our Doom Buggy awaits! Of course, I do a quick stumble and semi-trip as I hop onto the moving platform. Never fails. Definitely didnt look the Princely part that moment, more like Moe or Curly.
As I start walking over to the next carriage, I hear Boo followed by yet another chuckle. (Sigh) I climb aboard, with Joe happily hopping in next to me. As the safety bar snaps into place, a face in the shadows looms into our buggy, shouts BOO! to which Joe screams like a girl with ringlets and hurls his body into mine. I scared the big one! we hear being shouted behind us. I, of course, simply point at Joe and laugh and laugh. A cast members revenge perhaps?
Our Doom Buggy moves on, past a sweeping staircase and family portraits. Are those eyes following us? Next is the library, complete with busts that also seem to eerily watch us from their shelves. Invisible hands pull books from their shelves; a cobweb-covered ladder wobbles precariously, a slowly rocking chair moves of its own accord. Ghosts are definitely in residence. I think Ill skip checking out a book and move on.
Scooby, Velma and Shaggy move into the next room, nervous as cats. Scratch that. I mean Joe and I sit back in our buggy, soaking it all in. We slide into the music room only to find a decrepit piano playing a sinister tune, invisible hands playing across the keys. Looking down, we see the shadow of a maniacal composer responsible for the madness.
Moving on past massive spider webs with their equally massive occupants, we enter an endless hallway with a candelabra floating in the distance, beckoning to us yet we move inexorably forward. We find ourselves in a conservatory, set up for a wake. A lone casket creaks open, its occupant not quite ready to leave this mortal coil. A rasping, beseeching voice calling to us for help, begging for his release.
And yet, amid all the horrors, we bravely moved on. Past doors to rooms unknown, their handles twisting, their knockers rattling. A demonic grandfather clock chimes the thirteenth hour. Menacing wallpaper covered in thousands of anger filled eyes surround us. Chilling blasts of arctic air blow down on our necks. Goose bumps raised, the moans and screams of the forsaken surround us, bombarding our ears.
Suddenly more music coming from the next room. The chiming of a bell, the rattle of a tambourine, a horn, a harp, all played by disembodied hands that have not known the physical realm in eons. Looking up, the instruments surround us! Whats that? Up ahead? (Get it? A-head? Get it? Cmon! Its funny!) A crystal ball resting on a small table, a raven perched on the chair immediately behind it.
A melodic voice beckons forth to the spirits, asking specters to communicate with the living. Madame Leota, in all her glory well, just her head stuck in a glass ball cant do much, really. Anyway, Madame Leota, in all her head, conducts a séance, bringing forth the spirits of those departed and others apparently not-so-much. We lean forward, entranced by the effect. I know how they do it but a part of me blocks any desire to truly investigate. The Disney magic is there, for all to see.
Speaking of Disney magic, the best is yet to come! Our trusty Doom Buggy moves on, passing through a doorway only to discover a sweeping balcony overlooking a massive ballroom. Ghosts of all shapes and sizes dance and float, drink and make merry, swing from chandeliers, fly in and out windows and up organ pipes, they carouse, make merry, shoot, cavort and party it up. And the great thing is, they are all see through! And yes, I know how its done. But I dont care. Its an amazing sight to behold and I never tire of it! Scared the bejeebers out of me when I was a wee kid though.
And speaking of scaring the bejeebers out of me as a kid (boy I love those segues), we move into the mansion attic and find a lonely spirit, dressed in her wedding day garb, searching for the groom who was meant to be. Her grief and loneliness was palpable. The once beautiful bouquet of flowers clutched in her hand now a rotting mess. Your heart reaches out to her. What ever happened to her on her special day? you think. Blah, blah, blah. Shes just creepy pure and simple.
Whats this? We swing out through the attic window and are now on the roof of the sprawling mansion. Our buggy slowly turns around to face in the opposite direction. We lean oh-so-precariously back, tipping, tipping, slowly but methodically. Suddenly, were in the graveyard, surrounded by yet more party hearty ghosties and goblins, singing operettas, balancing on seesaws, playing and carousing. Five marble busts burst into song, Grim Grinning Ghosts fills the air. A raven, a constant fixture throughout the mansion, watches as you pass. Three ghostly hitchhikers beckon to you as you move by, in hopes of catching a ride to the world of the living. And one mysteriously does indeed!
The Haunted Mansion was the perfect moment to make the Halloween party an even bigger hit as far as we were concerned. The night went on. Joe got wired on sugar and chocolate. Dennis and Vinnie had a ball, so much so that Little Man Question Asker (LMQA) kept the inquisition down to a dull roar. I was basking in my princely glory, posing for pictures and enjoying the atmosphere. Every attraction was a blast, from Pirates of the Caribbean, to Space Mountain and everything in between. The special firework show was an amazing sight to behold and is highly, highly recommended.
Everything soon came to an end; Prince Charming was dragging his butt by this time and the pirate was feeling the effects of too much candy. It was only about 11:30 when Joe and I decide to call it quits and head back to the resort. We said our goodbyes with assurances that we would call each other in the morning to figure out our next plan of attack.
Joe and I strolled back down Main Street, once again admiring the décor, thrilling to the background music. A few people here and there shouted out, Hey! Prince Charming! FLASH! No wonder Sean Penn keeps getting ticked off and decks photographers. Ill have to settle for grabbing the pirate who happened to be standing next to me and thrust him at my public.
We make our way back to the Boardwalk and tiredly stroll to our room. Costumes get tucked away, showers are taken, beds are turned down. It was a long day but a great one. Dreams were lived out, magic was made and another day was ahead. (Get it? A-head... c'mon. This is good stuff!)
Walking through the initial queue, I have to admit that I was sorely disappointed. The only theming seemed to be movie posters and not much else. It was pretty, sure. But nothing that packed a big wow! That said I was expecting a standard show. I am happy to say that I was truly wrong to the umpteenth power.
The show itself was, quite simply, remarkable. Donald, the irascible rascal, was in high form, wreaking havoc where havoc could be wreaked. The comin-at-ya musical instruments were truly in your face. The blending of Be Our Guest, with the Little Mermaid, Aladdin and Jasmine and The Lion King were brilliant. The sudden, and quite magical, disappearance of the main stage was boggling. It was only later that I paid attention to watch the columns get whisked away. My only let down was the underutilization of my own personal, #1 favorite character, the Big Cheese himself. Joe, on the other hand, is a huge Duck fan and loved every minute of it.
I was so caught up in the show, that when the lights came up and I started ambling my way down the aisle, I had completely forgotten that I was in full Princely regalia. That is, until two little girls one row away had stopped walking, pointed at me and started giggling and whispering excitedly to each other. Whats up with them? Hey Joe, do I have a boogie or something? I asked my pirate companion.
Youre Prince Charming you idiot. I think they love you, he chuckled.
Realizing my error, and hoping that the girls didnt hear the Prince make a boogie comment, I quickly waved and waggled my fingers as Id seen the real dude do in parades. Seeing this, both girls squealed and ran out of the theater, calling for their parents. Fickle girls, I muttered.
I think they looooove you. They want to maaaaary you, Joe sang.
Shrugging him off, I made my way outside to find myself in the midst of the Official Philharmagic Gift Shop. Pretty cool stuff if youre a Donald fan. Since Im not, I gamely moved my way through the store, hoping that Joe would be oblivious, only to hear, Hey! Wait! Its all Donald stuff! Lemme check things out! Stop! Hey! HEY! PRINCE! Stop walking! I know you can hear me! Fearing that hed bring more attention to us, I quickly turned around and hustled back to find Joe clutching a mouse pad, coffee cup, note pad, pens, a hat, doo-dads, gee-gaws and all things Donald. Look! he crowed excitedly. And then he was off to find other Donald treasures.
After he had collected everything he could carry and was ready to make a purchase, Joe finally took stock of all his items. For whatever reason, he decided that he didnt need any of it. So he methodically puts everything back where he found it. Hes a weird guy and does this a lot. After 13 years, Ive yet to understand this little habit. But heck, if it saves us money, Im game. Nevertheless, its the most mind-boggling form of window-shopping Ive ever seen. With that, it was time to go meet up with my DIS pals.
Ambling our way through Fantasyland and on into Liberty Square, I was sorely tempted to make a detour for my personal favorite attraction, The Haunted Mansion. As Joe noticed my feet moving in that general direction, he reached out grabbed my sleeve and tugged me back to reality. Right, right, DIS people. But the Mansion I wanna go in the Mansion I whined pathetically.
Its not going anywhere and you dont want to keep the folks waiting. Lets go.
Still whining, You never let me have any fun.
Nevertheless, we made it to the predetermined meeting area in front of the Liberty tree with time to spare. Looking about, I noticed that the main area had been cordoned off as a handicapped-viewing location. Not to be dissuaded, I simply strolled evenly and calmly about, with a pirate trailing behind me asking, So what do they look like? How can you meet people when you dont know what they look like? Where are they? You dont know what they look like? And on it went.
Looking at my watch, I realized we had been waiting for close to ten minutes AND still had almost 15 more minutes to spare before any DISers were expected. I pointed the time out to Joe, Hey! Look at the time! I could have done the Mansion twice by now! Were early! Joe, of course, scratched his nose and ignored me. Did you know Prince Charming hates to be ignored? I was going to point this out to the pirate when I saw a stroller flash by, the owner clutching a bright, shiny, sparkly, glowing and flashing Tinker Bell wand. And that was supposed to be the one thing that was going to make one of my special DIS board members, Mad4Mickey, stand out and be recognized.
Could it be? Mishell!? I called out. Nothing. Maybe its not her? Ummmm Mishell? Still nothing and the stroller was still moving away.
Is that one of those DIS people? Is it? Maybe she didnt hear you. Yell her name louder. Is it her? Can you tell? How can you tell? Is it? Trying to get the attention of an Internet friend in the middle of the Magic Kingdom while a pirate was badgering you with questions and poking you in the side was pretty distracting.
Quit it! Stop poking! I said, while batting his candy-coated fingers away. HEY! MISHELL!
Sure enough, the stroller came to a shrieking halt. It was Mishell! Cautiously turning around, she shyly asked, Rick? Is that you?
Yep! How are you? How is everything? How was your trip? Who are you with? Where is everyone? Its just us! I rambled a bit at first. It was so nice to finally meet a DISer, especially Mad4Mickey!
Hellos were exchanged. Mishell introduced me to her little boyfriend Robert, one of the cutest little kids in the park. His mom Colleen, of course, accompanied Robert, considering he was still too young to travel alone. Go figure. Anyway, Mishell blinked, snickered and reached behind her, Hey! How could I forget, I brought this all the way from Texas! And with great flourish, she whipped out a sparkly, blinky, shiny, high tech Tinker Bell Wand. With peals of laughter, she then relinquished the Official Wand of the Tag Fairy upon Prince Charming, tapped her finger to the side of her nose three times, winked and disappeared in a bright flash followed by clouds of smoke.
Ok, so no fingers, winking, flashes or smoke, I lied. But she did give me a cool wand! Didnt match my outfit too well but I got over it. In return, Joe pulled out two pins, one FDNY Mickey and a NYPD Mickey, both from the 5th Avenue Disney Store. Mishell seemed to like them almost as much as I liked my big, glowing wand. (Wait a minute, that doesnt sound quite right)
We chatted, Mishell shared pictures of her kids back home, I forced Joe to waggle his ring so she could see. The two of them squealed for a minute while Prince Charming stood there feeling a little embarrassed (but a bit proud too).
Shortly thereafter, another DISer popped up, husband in tow. Michelle and JR! Hey, neat! More chatting. More excited questions and answers. More ring finger waggling from Joe.
While talking back and forth, Dennis aka Little Man Question Asker, and his cohort Vinnie both finally arrived. Dennis was bouncing from foot to foot, demanding everyone admire his Peter Pan costume. Vinnie stood quietly and stoically, trying his best to act the part of Captain Hook. Admittedly, it was distracting, however, to see the great Captain constantly repositioning his moustache.
We all stood about chatting when I overheard LMQA (Little Man Question Asker) grousing about something or other. Without trying to be too obvious, I tuned in to hear, But I wanna go to Space Mountain. I wanna do the Haunted Mansion. I wanna go on Pirates. I wanna wanna wanna
With a sigh, I turned to Mishell and gave her my apologies, explaining that my friends wanted to boot scoot n boogie and do some attractions. I couldnt really blame them, it was their vacation too. I had her cel number from earlier DIS conversations and promised to call her later in the week so we could spend more time together. And we were off, a pirate, a captain, a green fairy guy and a prince, seeking out adventures to conquer and gift shops to pillage.
Of course, our next destination was the Haunted Mansion. Because the parade was about to start, we marched right up to the main doors to the abode itself. The Helpful Cast Member posted at the entrance simply glared his spooky glare and ushered us in. As we walked on by, Joe of course, had to lean in, leer at the gentleman and mutter, Boo Ive still yet to figure out why he does that. I know he finds it utterly amusing simply based upon his chortle and happy toddle.
Entering the foyer, we watched the creepy Dorian Grey-esque picture change into a leering corpse. One of my favorite effects and it never fails to put me in the mood for the other horrors stored inside.
The doors to the left suddenly open and we obediently shuffle into the gallery. Like so many other more experienced Disney tourists, we immediately position ourselves as close to what we perceive to be the next door as we possibly can. Nevertheless, we still dutifully stand two feet away from the walls, knowing full well that wed be scolded without mercy if we didnt. Sure enough, the spooky Helpful Cast Member circles around us and demands that we move to the dead center of the room. As he reaches the space just behind me, I again hear, Boo followed by a merry chuckle. Joe, of course, is in his prime tonight.
Shortly thereafter, the Ghost Host arrives and starts his moody, oh-so-creepy patter. The room begins to stretch and the portraits reveal their true nature. Nervous giggles, a couple of whimpers, the obligatory dufus screaming at the top of his lungs, someone else giving a pretty good mwahahahahahahaaaaa (wait, that was me). Then the pretty disturbing invitation to find a way out of the room by way of the Host himself. Flash of lightning, crash of thunder and a swinging corpse high above us. Family fun at its best!
Of course, Disney being Disney, no one is required to do him or herself in. Not even the Brazilian tour groups. A secret panel opens up and we whisk into yet another room, or rather, another queue. Our Doom Buggy awaits! Of course, I do a quick stumble and semi-trip as I hop onto the moving platform. Never fails. Definitely didnt look the Princely part that moment, more like Moe or Curly.
As I start walking over to the next carriage, I hear Boo followed by yet another chuckle. (Sigh) I climb aboard, with Joe happily hopping in next to me. As the safety bar snaps into place, a face in the shadows looms into our buggy, shouts BOO! to which Joe screams like a girl with ringlets and hurls his body into mine. I scared the big one! we hear being shouted behind us. I, of course, simply point at Joe and laugh and laugh. A cast members revenge perhaps?
Our Doom Buggy moves on, past a sweeping staircase and family portraits. Are those eyes following us? Next is the library, complete with busts that also seem to eerily watch us from their shelves. Invisible hands pull books from their shelves; a cobweb-covered ladder wobbles precariously, a slowly rocking chair moves of its own accord. Ghosts are definitely in residence. I think Ill skip checking out a book and move on.
Scooby, Velma and Shaggy move into the next room, nervous as cats. Scratch that. I mean Joe and I sit back in our buggy, soaking it all in. We slide into the music room only to find a decrepit piano playing a sinister tune, invisible hands playing across the keys. Looking down, we see the shadow of a maniacal composer responsible for the madness.
Moving on past massive spider webs with their equally massive occupants, we enter an endless hallway with a candelabra floating in the distance, beckoning to us yet we move inexorably forward. We find ourselves in a conservatory, set up for a wake. A lone casket creaks open, its occupant not quite ready to leave this mortal coil. A rasping, beseeching voice calling to us for help, begging for his release.
And yet, amid all the horrors, we bravely moved on. Past doors to rooms unknown, their handles twisting, their knockers rattling. A demonic grandfather clock chimes the thirteenth hour. Menacing wallpaper covered in thousands of anger filled eyes surround us. Chilling blasts of arctic air blow down on our necks. Goose bumps raised, the moans and screams of the forsaken surround us, bombarding our ears.
Suddenly more music coming from the next room. The chiming of a bell, the rattle of a tambourine, a horn, a harp, all played by disembodied hands that have not known the physical realm in eons. Looking up, the instruments surround us! Whats that? Up ahead? (Get it? A-head? Get it? Cmon! Its funny!) A crystal ball resting on a small table, a raven perched on the chair immediately behind it.
A melodic voice beckons forth to the spirits, asking specters to communicate with the living. Madame Leota, in all her glory well, just her head stuck in a glass ball cant do much, really. Anyway, Madame Leota, in all her head, conducts a séance, bringing forth the spirits of those departed and others apparently not-so-much. We lean forward, entranced by the effect. I know how they do it but a part of me blocks any desire to truly investigate. The Disney magic is there, for all to see.
Speaking of Disney magic, the best is yet to come! Our trusty Doom Buggy moves on, passing through a doorway only to discover a sweeping balcony overlooking a massive ballroom. Ghosts of all shapes and sizes dance and float, drink and make merry, swing from chandeliers, fly in and out windows and up organ pipes, they carouse, make merry, shoot, cavort and party it up. And the great thing is, they are all see through! And yes, I know how its done. But I dont care. Its an amazing sight to behold and I never tire of it! Scared the bejeebers out of me when I was a wee kid though.
And speaking of scaring the bejeebers out of me as a kid (boy I love those segues), we move into the mansion attic and find a lonely spirit, dressed in her wedding day garb, searching for the groom who was meant to be. Her grief and loneliness was palpable. The once beautiful bouquet of flowers clutched in her hand now a rotting mess. Your heart reaches out to her. What ever happened to her on her special day? you think. Blah, blah, blah. Shes just creepy pure and simple.
Whats this? We swing out through the attic window and are now on the roof of the sprawling mansion. Our buggy slowly turns around to face in the opposite direction. We lean oh-so-precariously back, tipping, tipping, slowly but methodically. Suddenly, were in the graveyard, surrounded by yet more party hearty ghosties and goblins, singing operettas, balancing on seesaws, playing and carousing. Five marble busts burst into song, Grim Grinning Ghosts fills the air. A raven, a constant fixture throughout the mansion, watches as you pass. Three ghostly hitchhikers beckon to you as you move by, in hopes of catching a ride to the world of the living. And one mysteriously does indeed!
The Haunted Mansion was the perfect moment to make the Halloween party an even bigger hit as far as we were concerned. The night went on. Joe got wired on sugar and chocolate. Dennis and Vinnie had a ball, so much so that Little Man Question Asker (LMQA) kept the inquisition down to a dull roar. I was basking in my princely glory, posing for pictures and enjoying the atmosphere. Every attraction was a blast, from Pirates of the Caribbean, to Space Mountain and everything in between. The special firework show was an amazing sight to behold and is highly, highly recommended.
Everything soon came to an end; Prince Charming was dragging his butt by this time and the pirate was feeling the effects of too much candy. It was only about 11:30 when Joe and I decide to call it quits and head back to the resort. We said our goodbyes with assurances that we would call each other in the morning to figure out our next plan of attack.
Joe and I strolled back down Main Street, once again admiring the décor, thrilling to the background music. A few people here and there shouted out, Hey! Prince Charming! FLASH! No wonder Sean Penn keeps getting ticked off and decks photographers. Ill have to settle for grabbing the pirate who happened to be standing next to me and thrust him at my public.
We make our way back to the Boardwalk and tiredly stroll to our room. Costumes get tucked away, showers are taken, beds are turned down. It was a long day but a great one. Dreams were lived out, magic was made and another day was ahead. (Get it? A-head... c'mon. This is good stuff!)
You may want to print out several for your friends and family 
