October 2015 PTR: a “Halloweenie” and her Fearless Companion conquer their first HHN!

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

"AP algebra" or "Disney math" or "vacation calculus" who cares? Go and partay!! (or 2 or 3). If you do decide to get 2 party tickets and get a FP+ for Seven Dwarfs mine train be aware that the only way to get that photo and video is with a magic band (although only one of you needs one to capture the video if you ride together). I hope you get to experience 7DMT at it is my son's (the non thrill seeker-even though he's actually done nearly all the rides at Disney and universal) favorite ride. MB of the regular variety are 12.95 +tax

Ha! AP Math! It's the financially sound thing to do! LOL

I love that Steve is getting into the Halloween spirit, complete with a pirate voice!

You know my opinion here on going for the second night of party tix so I won't say it

Experience over stuff is definitely our vacation motto. Not that some stuff isn't fun but agree that experience is the thing.

Feel better.

Well, we did it. We added a second party : Tuesday, October 13th. It's ranked as much lower crowds (on Touringplans' "least crowded" projections, its ranked 9th of 25 parties) than our Friday, October 16th party (which is 22nd out of 25....though I wonder about the accuracy of that list when Halloween is already sold out and ranked as lower crowds). At any rate, its super exciting to know we should be able to fully enjoy every moment of the parties, not having to rush to try and get it all in.

We'll modify the other plans a tiny bit to offset our latest splurge. We'll probably forego some of the little things like the surrey bike rental at the Vistana (with three late nights for 2 MNSSHP's and HHN, its probably best we just relax and enjoy the pools and hot tubs if we get some down time) and we will reduce our shopping budget a tad. But otherwise, we're all set to go .

I am super excited, but feeling a little guilty for this latest trip addition . I'm not normally this frivolous. So while it feels very thrilling I'm also feeling kind of indulgent. I swear .... no more additions to this trip from here on out!!!!

If the NBA releases their 2015-2016 schedule this week as rumoured, and the Raptors are playing the Magic in Orlando during our Christmas trip, I'm going to faint. 'Cause I guarantee you my two guys will be clamouring for tickets to that game. If that happens, my vacation budget will officially self implode .

 

[ArwenMarie]

Yay!!!!
That's such a good point that you won't feel like to have to rush during the first one because you'll have two opportunities!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Yay!!!!
That's such a good point that you won't feel like to have to rush during the first one because you'll have two opportunities!

I love not having to rush!! This means we might have some time for some character meets, too.....which probably would have gone by the wayside if we were restricted to just one night. I also plan to make it our mission to ride 7DMT at least once!!

You know what else has been sitting as a worry in the back of my mind? Weather and the potential for rain. I am hoping that having two party opportunities means at least on one of the two nights Mother Nature will bless us with nice weather!

 

[dancin Disney style]

Well shiver me timbers..... So you've decided to come over to my side of the fence for a change???? MNSSHP....is fabulous. If you want to do a second night but are on the fence about it just wait until you get there to purchase the tickets. Usually, the only parties that sell out in advance are the ones right around the 31st. Should be no problem to get tickets the day before or even day of. Personally, when we did it we bought them the day before so that we could check the weather forecast first.
Here's me pirate booty....

 

[Lynne G]

HeHe, Dancin, with 2 teens, we had about 5 pounds of candy to take home. yeah, even after they ate during the parade and during the plane ride home. Airport Agent looking at our bag got a laugh at the amount of candy we had. Almost the same laugh and puzzled look we got when, during free dining, we brought back about 5 pounds of fudge and various other sweets due to so many left over snack and meal credits.

Awesome! 2 parties Gina! We didn't do any of the characters, kids are not into them anymore, but you'll love all the different costumes most of the characters had on. We were all about candy and rides, and then the fireworks and parade. I'd go twice, but not this year. Relaxing the other nights I have not already set aside.

I too hope rain does not make an appearance during our stay. Looking forward to comfortably nice weather. At home, it should be a nice fall temperature.

Gosh, almost 2 months from now, I'll be on the plane flying down to see Halloween decor in Orlando. Wahoo!

 

[tristyp]

I just got caught up on your report. We did MNSSHP last year when we went. it was one of the highlights of our trip and I am considering surprising the kids by adding tickets again. Last year they didn't know we were going but kept seeing the signs while we were doing Disney. They actually seen a sign on our drive from the airport. They were so excited when we surprised them by going. I kept laughing to myself when they kept bugging to go when they seen the signs and i had to tell them it was not in the budget. Little did they know we had already bought tickets and snuck there costumes in the luggage. I actually found it quite reasonable for the price as you can enter at 4pm and stay until midnight. At $68 compared to $105 it is a good value. We were not able to ride the Mine train on our Disney days as we couldn't get fast passes while were there and the lines were well over an hour even in September. We managed to ride twice during the party and waited no more then 20 minutes each time. All the lines are short and the candy is plentiful. Not the crappy stuff either. The parade is awesome. The late one is less crowded as you probably already know from your research. We rode the mine train during the first one while everyone was busy with the parade. The fireworks are spectacular. We were lucky enough to see them twice. Once the night of the party and the other time from the California Grill. The second time it was my wife's birthday and I surprised her with a spa treatment (mani, pedi, facial) from Groupon and then took her to the California Grill just the two of us. I managed to get a reservation during the fireworks and we went outside to watch them. It was a magical evening no pun intended. You could not ask for a better view plus they pipe the music in so you get to hear it all. I am very excited to try Universal but I do know the family really loved the Magic Kingdom so we may do that near the beginning of our trip. The perk to doing at the beginning is that we hadcandy to munch on and treats are a big thing for 10, 9 and 5 year olds. Saved me from buying all kinds of junk at the resort.

If I can offer one piece of advice after all the stuff I have learned from you is that you will not regret the purchase.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Well shiver me timbers..... So you've decided to come over to my side of the fence for a change???? MNSSHP....is fabulous. If you want to do a second night but are on the fence about it just wait until you get there to purchase the tickets. Usually, the only parties that sell out in advance are the ones right around the 31st. Should be no problem to get tickets the day before or even day of. Personally, when we did it we bought them the day before so that we could check the weather forecast first.
Here's me pirate booty....
View attachment 114766

Did I finally manage to shock you, dancin'? It's about freakin' time!!

To be honest, the parties appeal a great deal because there's no need to uber-plan every second of our visit (with the exception of the 3 fastpasses we can get for the 4-7 pm time slot). Is the planning aspect that makes us shudder (that and the crowds....which hopefully should also be more manageable at the parties). We had thought about waiting and buying the second night when we get there, but we have a little Universal mini Dis-meet scheduled so we didn't want to fool with that day. Then with HHN and our other MNSSHP already bought and paid for, it only left one other night at our disposal. So, we bought and now hope for the best. This Pirate Maiden will have an umbrella stowed in her pirate bag in the event that the skies open up.

That is some pirate booty! I hope what they say is really true....that we won't look out of place, trick-or-treating without a child in tow.

HeHe, Dancin, with 2 teens, we had about 5 pounds of candy to take home. yeah, even after they ate during the parade and during the plane ride home. Airport Agent looking at our bag got a laugh at the amount of candy we had. Almost the same laugh and puzzled look we got when, during free dining, we brought back about 5 pounds of fudge and various other sweets due to so many left over snack and meal credits.

Awesome! 2 parties Gina! We didn't do any of the characters, kids are not into them anymore, but you'll love all the different costumes most of the characters had on. We were all about candy and rides, and then the fireworks and parade. I'd go twice, but not this year. Relaxing the other nights I have not already set aside.

I too hope rain does not make an appearance during our stay. Looking forward to comfortably nice weather. At home, it should be a nice fall temperature.

Gosh, almost 2 months from now, I'll be on the plane flying down to see Halloween decor in Orlando. Wahoo!

I can't believe how fast time is going either!! Yesterday was our two-month mark to departure. It's coming quickly!!!

Did you decide to take a pass on the RIP tour at HHN?

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

I just got caught up on your report. We did MNSSHP last year when we went. it was one of the highlights of our trip and I am considering surprising the kids by adding tickets again. Last year they didn't know we were going but kept seeing the signs while we were doing Disney. They actually seen a sign on our drive from the airport. They were so excited when we surprised them by going. I kept laughing to myself when they kept bugging to go when they seen the signs and i had to tell them it was not in the budget. Little did they know we had already bought tickets and snuck there costumes in the luggage. I actually found it quite reasonable for the price as you can enter at 4pm and stay until midnight. At $68 compared to $105 it is a good value. We were not able to ride the Mine train on our Disney days as we couldn't get fast passes while were there and the lines were well over an hour even in September. We managed to ride twice during the party and waited no more then 20 minutes each time. All the lines are short and the candy is plentiful. Not the crappy stuff either. The parade is awesome. The late one is less crowded as you probably already know from your research. We rode the mine train during the first one while everyone was busy with the parade. The fireworks are spectacular. We were lucky enough to see them twice. Once the night of the party and the other time from the California Grill. The second time it was my wife's birthday and I surprised her with a spa treatment (mani, pedi, facial) from Groupon and then took her to the California Grill just the two of us. I managed to get a reservation during the fireworks and we went outside to watch them. It was a magical evening no pun intended. You could not ask for a better view plus they pipe the music in so you get to hear it all. I am very excited to try Universal but I do know the family really loved the Magic Kingdom so we may do that near the beginning of our trip. The perk to doing at the beginning is that we hadcandy to munch on and treats are a big thing for 10, 9 and 5 year olds. Saved me from buying all kinds of junk at the resort.

If I can offer one piece of advice after all the stuff I have learned from you is that you will not regret the purchase.

That is such a reassuring post!!! Our tickets were a tad more expensive than you paid (the Tuesday night was $74 pp, the Friday night was $79) but like you said, we plan to be through the gates no later than 4 and stay until the park closes. If we can squeeze a full 8 hours of fun from the night, then the price is definitely reasonable.

How fun for your kiddos that they got to go as a surprise . I hope to make a little magic like that for our grandbabies someday. Those kind of moments are so incredibly much fun!

I am trying not to focus too much on the amount of exchange we're paying on these little extras....it really is the big black spot on the map (or it can be, if I let it). It zaps my enjoyment and I don't want to ruin the pre-trip excitment. I can't change it, so I'm just putting it out of my mind as best I can.

 

[schumigirl]

Catching up.......I always have to remind myself to read pre trip reports

Nice going to the two Halloween parties.......why not.......I love Halloween, nowhere does it like America..........although I have to admit a preference for the really scary stuff!!! But glad you got both nights booked.........

 

[toystoryduo]

Yay for 2 Halloween parties!

I'm sorry to hear that you're not feeling well, Gina. I've been battling a summer cold the past few days as well. Sometimes, I think that summer colds can be worse than winter colds. Hope you are feeling much better soon!

 

[JaxDad]

Hi Gina! I think it's great you added another party! I'm sure you'll have a fun time, and I can't wait to see the trip report! I'm sure I'll be looking into the parties for me and the kids someday soon.

We spent today, our next to last day of summer vacation, floating down the Ichetucknee River. It's the ultimate lazy river! We also swam in the springs there. It's beautiful!

I look forward to your next posts!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Catching up.......I always have to remind myself to read pre trip reports

Nice going to the two Halloween parties.......why not.......I love Halloween, nowhere does it like America..........although I have to admit a preference for the really scary stuff!!! But glad you got both nights booked.........

Steve's a big fan of the "scary". I'm more about the "fun" . As in most aspects of life, we're polar opposites!!! (but I think that's why we get along so well ).

Yay for 2 Halloween parties!

I'm sorry to hear that you're not feeling well, Gina. I've been battling a summer cold the past few days as well. Sometimes, I think that summer colds can be worse than winter colds. Hope you are feeling much better soon!

I agree.....the heat and humidity always compounds my breathing issues. My cold turned to croup on Saturday night, and I would have given my eye teeth to have been able to step outside and breathe in some frosty air (which is normally what I do when croup hits during the winter). Instead, I had to stick my head in the freezer!!!

Hi Gina! I think it's great you added another party! I'm sure you'll have a fun time, and I can't wait to see the trip report! I'm sure I'll be looking into the parties for me and the kids someday soon.

We spent today, our next to last day of summer vacation, floating down the Ichetucknee River. It's the ultimate lazy river! We also swam in the springs there. It's beautiful!

I look forward to your next posts!

That sounds absolutely marvellous!! But sad to know that summer is over for you guys.....does that mean back to school is on the horizon? Our kids don't go back until September 8th...always the Tuesday after Labour Day.

The end of summer vacation always makes me a little wishy-washy. Glad to hear you had such a lovely culmination to your summer season!

 

[pigletto]

Ok ... I'm not sure how I missed this new report entirely!!!! It must have been that I had booked a Disney only trip and then cancelled it because of our stinking dollar. I think I was avoiding this forum Gina. Sorry I am so late! I always love a trip report from my friend Gina!

Funny story. I went to my mom and dads place tonight and my youngest brother was there as he's home from University for the summer. He was still in his dress clothes from his summer job, sitting on the couch reading Harry Potter!!! He said he's seen all the movies but didn't realize how amazing the books were. He then says "Hey when are you going back to Orlando? Maybe we could go see the Potter stuff at Universal together?"
My mother who was also in the room said, "You just juggled drugs in front of an addict, son."

So I'll spare you the details but she's completely right, the plan grew, and as of tonight it will be dd and my brother and my sister A joining the three of us for a long weekend at Universal in late February. The kids have agreed (gleefully) for the Universal tickets to be their big Christmas gift again this year and we will turn them into AP's while there. A, my brother, and dd will head back after the weekend to get back to school. DH and ds and I will move somewhere offsite for a week. We are really hoping to find Vistana for a good price again . As this will need to be a budget trip I think we will skip Disney again, and nobody cares at all but me , and even I am not broken up about it.

So I'll stop cluttering your trip report with my plans now. I just thought what would trip planning be if I didn't clutter your report a little while I read along?
Off to get caught up!!

 

[pigletto]

We LOVED Millers Ale House . Steve has made me promise we'll go back on Prime Rib Night. He's still talking about that meal two and half months later!!

Well we know where we will meet up if we ever end up in Orlando at the same time then! Dh still gets their emails in his account weekly and pouts all the time that he wishes there was one here. He was a HUGE fan of their rack of ribs.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Ok ... I'm not sure how I missed this new report entirely!!!! It must have been that I had booked a Disney only trip and then cancelled it because of our stinking dollar. I think I was avoiding this forum Gina. Sorry I am so late! I always love a trip report from my friend Gina!

Funny story. I went to my mom and dads place tonight and my youngest brother was there as he's home from University for the summer. He was still in his dress clothes from his summer job, sitting on the couch reading Harry Potter!!! He said he's seen all the movies but didn't realize how amazing the books were. He then says "Hey when are you going back to Orlando? Maybe we could go see the Potter stuff at Universal together?"
My mother who was also in the room said, "You just juggled drugs in front of an addict, son."

So I'll spare you the details but she's completely right, the plan grew, and as of tonight it will be dd and my brother and my sister A joining the three of us for a long weekend at Universal in late February. The kids have agreed (gleefully) for the Universal tickets to be their big Christmas gift again this year and we will turn them into AP's while there. A, my brother, and dd will head back after the weekend to get back to school. DH and ds and I will move somewhere offsite for a week. We are really hoping to find Vistana for a good price again . As this will need to be a budget trip I think we will skip Disney again, and nobody cares at all but me , and even I am not broken up about it.

So I'll stop cluttering your trip report with my plans now. I just thought what would trip planning be if I didn't clutter your report a little while I read along?
Off to get caught up!!

Hey my friend, welcome back!! It's good to have you joining in ... I miss you when you're not around!

I am so stinking happy that you have a trip officially in the works !! One of the things that I have loved about Jake getting older is that he can see real value in our vacations....so things like tickets for Christmas are exciting rather than disappointing. We all have enough "stuff", and we'd much rather devote the family resources to more fun and experiences. I will cross my fingers for both of us that our dreadful dollar will have rebounded by then, even if its just a bit.

We've still never been to Florida in February. Its one of the months we still need to scratch off our bucket list (after this year, we still will only have conquered January, May, August, October, and December, with April 2016 on the horizon....so many months yet to go!). It sure will be nice for you all to escape the Canadian deep freeze for a while, especially if this coming February is as brutal as the last one!!!

Well we know where we will meet up if we ever end up in Orlando at the same time then! Dh still gets their emails in his account weekly and pouts all the time that he wishes there was one here. He was a HUGE fan of their rack of ribs.

lol, true fact: when trying to decide on our MNSSHP dates, we negated October 15th right off the bat. Why? Because its prime rib night at Miller's Ale House, and that was one of Steve's must-do's on this trip . Yes, we are that lame!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Well, with the MNSSHP party additions, I figured it was time to update and revise our projected budget. Here's how things look with our most recent expenses applied:

Ø Buffalo park & fly hotel: $ 123.99 $ 151.88 CDN
Ø Trip insurance (medical & general): $ 0.00 (free with Visa points)
Ø Roundtrip, direct flights (Jetblue): $ 903.00 $ 1,156.06 CDN (includes round trip upgrades to Even More Space seating)
Ø Car rental: $ 161.49
Ø Fuel for rental car: $ 50.00 (estimated)
Ø Vistana Accommodations (maintenance fee): $ 906.88 $ 1,036.20 CDN
Ø Food, tips and misc. supplies: $ 1,000.00 (estimated)
Ø Universal Premier Annual Passes: $ 0.00 (free – paid @ May 2015 trip)
Ø Universal Photoconnect Annual Pass: $ 0.00 (free – paid @ May 2015 trip)
Ø Halloween Horror Nights RIP Tour: $ 306.70 $ 377.06 CDN
Ø MNSSHP Tickets – October 13th: $ 157.62
Ø MNSSHP Tickets – October 16th: $ 168.28 $ 221.25 CDN
Ø Parking at Disney (2 MNSSHP): $ 40.00
Ø Memory Maker/Photopass Share: $ 34.00
Ø World of Chocolate Groupons: $ 16.00 $ 19.74 CDN
Ø CSI The Experience Livingsocial Vouchers: $ 24.00 $ 30.06 CDN
Ø Niagara Falls Parking & Observation Tower: $ 15.00

GRAND TOTAL: $3,906.96 ($217.05 per person, per day: 8 nights, 9 days total)

I added in the MNSSHP tickets, parking for the two Disney nights (not sure if its $17 each or more since its a special event, so I estimated $20 each time), the Memory Maker share (which may get a tad cheaper if two other interested families join), and a small budget for when we stop in Niagara Falls while crossing into NY state. I took out the $250 allocated for "other" because I can't imagine we'll have any desire to add in anything else on spur of the moment (unless its a nap!!). The schedule is pretty packed as it is.

Food is still a variable, as is gas for the rental. I also hope to whittle the car rental down a tad too, but so far rates have only gone up and held steady. I am hoping that the 8 week mark will be that magic point when rates start to show some decline. I am watching every day (for three trips, plus my brother's Christmas trip.......thank goodness for the carrentalsavers.com website!!) so I will catch that dip if or when it occurs.

 

[pigletto]

Your numbers look great Gina! I hope I am able to find as many deals! My kids both wanted to do the C.S.I. experience last time when we drove past. I vetoed it at the time because we'd already planned a pretty full trip and maxed our entertainment allotment. I might look into it if I can find the deal you did! It's time for me to start browsing the savings sites. We've got six months to go though so I might not see anything just yet.

 

[ArwenMarie]

$217 pp per day is great.

 

[Lynne G]

That's a great rate for the Vistana. I think between my hotel rooms at USO and WDW, plus USO's hotel parking, I'm paying a bit more. For no kitchen, but at least a very small refrigerator. Not bad for an overall day amount either. I've started to look at Groupon and LS, but nothing has caught my eye. I did buy a Steak n Shake gift card, that Amazon had 20 percent off on. Figure on my way to WDW, I'll stop and get lunch there. Then I'll only need a snack at the MNSSHP. I'll be leisurely sleeping in that day, before transferring to the other hotel. Ahh, it's getting closer! Fall weather!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Your numbers look great Gina! I hope I am able to find as many deals! My kids both wanted to do the C.S.I. experience last time when we drove past. I vetoed it at the time because we'd already planned a pretty full trip and maxed our entertainment allotment. I might look into it if I can find the deal you did! It's time for me to start browsing the savings sites. We've got six months to go though so I might not see anything just yet.

Keep an eye on both Livingsocial and Groupon....I have seen CSI pop up there fairly often .

Our Memory Maker share ended up a little cheaper than we anticipated, so that was a nice surprise. Our total cost for the share was $24.14 USD, and I issued payment for that expense last night. Another item scratched off the list . I definitely think that will end up being very worth it (assuming there's nothing amiss that occurs....cue the horror stories of people taking your money and vanishing.......) especially when one digital download is $14.95 plus tax. All we have to get are two good photos over the course of both nights, and it will have paid for itself and then some.

That's a great rate for the Vistana. I think between my hotel rooms at USO and WDW, plus USO's hotel parking, I'm paying a bit more. For no kitchen, but at least a very small refrigerator. Not bad for an overall day amount either. I've started to look at Groupon and LS, but nothing has caught my eye. I did buy a Steak n Shake gift card, that Amazon had 20 percent off on. Figure on my way to WDW, I'll stop and get lunch there. Then I'll only need a snack at the MNSSHP. I'll be leisurely sleeping in that day, before transferring to the other hotel. Ahh, it's getting closer! Fall weather!

Our two bedroom villa is WAY more space that we need, but yet the one bedroom premium that we had in May just didn't feel like "home". I can foresee in future years that we might invite some friends to join us for the week, but for now, we enjoy having that big ol' villa all to ourselves. It's stil pretty novel to have that "couples time" (will that ever wear off? I honestly don't know!). Even with all the excess space, our lodging costs are only $129 a night, and that's all in.....no extra taxes, resort fees, parking, or internet costs. We'd be hard pressed to get a hotel room for that price, especially at a resort that has the list of amenities that the Vistana does.

As for the Steak & Shake deal.....do share!!! That restaurant is on our list for December.....its must-do for Jake and Sweetie (and since they don't get to travel to Orlando as often as we do, we're trying to indulge them by hitting up all their favourite places to dine). Is the 20% off deal still running?

We've been doing some planning for dinner on our MNSSHP days too. We're not super impressed by the quick service options at MK, and there's nothing much available for table service ADR's at this late date. We'll probably do Peco's Bills one day and Cosmic Rays the other, with some fun snacks as well (ice cream at the Plaza ice cream parlour is a must....and the candy corn soft serve at Storybook Treats also holds a certain amount of appeal). We have a lunch reservation at Confisco's for one of the days, so we'll only need something light for dinner that day anyway.

I can't believe how close we're getting. Only 57 days until we're out the door!!