Remember that time we all went to Walt Disney World? (A Halloween PTR) (Update 9/9/15)

[Disney2013Girl]

Hi!

Welcome to our family.

This is my favorite family picture from the last trip!


Ok, so it may be hard to see us, so here's another one, a little closer up:

There we are: Me, Goofy, my husband (Matt), and our son (Luke).

We went to WDW during Halloween week in 2013 and while we thought it was fun, we weren't sure how fast we were going back. Fast forward to 2014, Halloween night, as we walked our very own little Jake through the neighborhood, we were assaulted with freezing rain and snow. I looked at DH and I said, I'm calling our Travel Agent tomorrow, we're going back for Halloween.

So here we are, 49 days out from Check-In day. Our group, however, has changed, we've added to it!

To learn more about us and about what kind of fun plans we have, please feel free to click through the links for easier navigation!


Latest Post 9/9/15

Table of Contents​

About Us (and who is joining us!)
Highlights of our last trip (Fall 2013)
Day 1 plan (Arrival and Epcot)
Day 2 plan (Magic Kingdom)
Day 3 plan (Epcot and Magic Kingdom)
Day 4 plan (Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party)
Day 5 plan (Disney Hollywood Studios)
Day 6 plan (Animal Kingdom)
Day 7 plan (Magic Kingdom)
Day 8 plan (Departure)
Meal Plans (For all you Foodies out there)

 

[Disney2013Girl]

In 2013, we had a "Disney or Die" commando style of touring, cramming as much as possible into every single day. But even then, we started off each day with a "Daily Goals" list (of no more than 5 things). This allowed us to stay rational about what we were going to see and do. As a result, we were never disappointed if we didn't get to everything in one day (which is impossible), but instead we were excited when we could check off things for our other days. Getting a "bonus" time/ride/character, allowed us to repeat things we enjoyed on a different day.

This trip will be slightly different.

About Us:

Me (Mandie): I'm a preschool teacher in my mid 30's who is literally an overgrown child at heart. I introduced DH to the joy of all things Disney when we took our belated honeymoon to Disneyland and he was hooked!

DH (Matt): He's in the food industry (started off in the kitchen and now manages a couple of different projects through the year). He is a bit of a foodie (for obvious reasons) and has grown to be a real Disney fan over the last 9 years of our marriage.

DS (Luke): He is going to be five in November and was born into a love of anything Disney related (currently obsessed with Wreck-it Ralph and Cars).

Some pictures of us:


and the new additions!

Big Bro (Wes): He's a single professional who is almost 40. He's never been to either Disney park and is a self proclaimed "Meh" on the excitement scale. All of that being said, he LOVES his nephew (and us) and I think once he is there, he will really let loose and enjoy himself a lot!

Grandma (Bugga): We're not totally sure if she is going to make it with us or not. She's (my) 87 year old grandmother who unfortunately is starting to go through the early stages of memory issues. She is excited to go, and we're excited to have her, but it's going to be a last minute call if she is well enough to join us. We are planning as if she is going, but preparing ourself that she may not be able to make it after all.

 

[Disney2013Girl]

Our Last Trip
​

Back in 2013, we went before Luke turned 3 (hello cheap trip!), and arrived the Sunday before Halloween and left the Friday after. We drove from our home (Northern Indiana), taking two days to get there with a stop south of Atlanta and a side trip to visit friends in Tampa. It was a great drive and Luke did WONDERFULLY.

We arrived the first day, checked in at Pop Century, and went to MNSSHP that evening.

After that first night we visited all of the parks over a variety of days (we had park hoppers and a sense of adventure!). We met just about every character available, rode almost every ride, and ate an ENORMOUS amount of food.

Our Table Service Reviews:​

Tusker House: DELICIOUS! We were sat in the last of the lunch period time and the food was amazing. The only "issues" we had were the fact that we waited about 30 minutes after our ADR time to actually get sat (a common issue, I've since learned) and that it took FOREVER for Goofy to come visit us at our table. Nothing too huge, we enjoyed the air conditioning and the sitting down, so we just waited. :-D

Via Napoli: We had a super late seating (9pm) and our service was a little iffy, but overall not a bad experience. The food was good. We were on the DDP last time and I wish we would have just paid OOP for a pizza to share because that was the best part of the meal and we could have saved our credits for a different meal experience.

Teppen Edo: Delicious and speedy! However, we have a GREAT hibachi place 10 miles from our house and while it was awesome and enjoyable, we will likely not be back as there are just so many more places at Disney to try!

Chef Mickey: Our breakfast meal on departure day. While it was a nice chance to say goodbye to Mickey (and friends) without a park ticket, the food was average at best. It was crowded and kind of dirty in the dining room. We will likely not be back, barring a request down the road.

Boma: I'm sure that Boma is amazing. However, the day we went, I wasn't feeling it. It had been a long day, our meal at Tusker House the day before had been SO DELICIOUS, that it just was kind of "meh" in my book. I'd go back to give it another try though, if someone wanted to.

50's Prime Time Cafe: We chose 50's because it seemed like the best choice for us at DHS. Having a toddler, I knew it would be noisy and his antics wouldn't be so bad. The food was alright, the service and theming was great, but those milkshakes.....AMAZING.

Ohana: By far, our favorite meal experience of the entire trip. HOWEVER, be warned, you will most likely leave there STUFFED. We had plans to go back out to the park after dinner and we just basically rolled ourselves back to our room and chilled out.

Our Counter Service Reviews:​

Sunshine Seasons: Truth be told, this is the main Counter Service location I think of when someone asks me about our quick service meals at Disney. It was delicious and fast. The food tasted fresh and there was a large variety to choose from. We WILL be back this trip.

Be Our Guest (Lunch): When I am pressed to think about our lunches, I recall eating at BOG. That alone should reflect on our experience there. It was fun to say we went, but I have no desire to rush back. DH was more impressed, but even he hesitated to go out of our way to go back this trip.

Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party Review​

One of our favorite memories of our trip! It was so much fun and we are stoked to go back. We dressed up as Mouseketeers which allowed us to be comfortable (and keep the toddler comfortable). It also repurposed our costume (ears) to a souvenir for the rest of the trip!

Pop Century Review​

We had a non-preferred room on the first floor in the 70's section. It was a decent walk from the front, somehow getting much longer on the way home at night than it was on the way there in the morning. DH went up a few times to get food/drinks from the food court, so it was manageable. CMs were pleasant, the pool was nice, transportation was great. I don't think we waited more than 15 minutes to leave the resort in the morning. The only negative about transportation is that our bus docks were always waaaaaaaaaaay at the end at the parks, but that's to be expected.

 

[Disney2013Girl]

Day One (Monday 10/26)
​

We are flying down this trip, via SouthWest, and will arrive early in the morning. My brother is flying from his town, so we will be on different flights. He will actually arrive at MCO at the same time we are departing our airport, so he has a bit of a headstart on us. We will be doing online check-in, so basically his plan is to take ME to our resort and relax there. What resort, you ask? He upgraded us when he decided to join us!

We are staying at :drumroll please:

THE WILDERNESS LODGE!


I'm so stinking excited, I can hardly stand myself.

He snagged a Deluxe Room for us and so not only are we staying at my dream resort, we are also staying Club Level. I had my suspicions when he was asking me questions about the different resorts, but its still stinkin' awesome and I still can't believe it. However, I stand by my original statement I made to him that it didn't matter where we were staying and I would have been just as excited if he would have gotten a room at Pop Century near us.


Anyways, back to our day!

We land at MCO around 11am and I figure we will be to Wilderness Lodge around 1pm at the latest. My goal is to get checked in, maybe grab some snacks at the Old Faithful Club, and depending on if the room is ready yet, unpack. I would like for us to be headed to Epcot by 4pm. We have fast passes for Turtle Talk, Soarin, and Character Spot. Just like the last trip, the first thing we are going to do is go see Mickey and tell him hi. Luke is super excited to be tall enough to ride almost all of the big rides and I can't waaaaaaaaaait for him to ride Soarin'. It is DH's and I's favorite ride, hands down. After those three fast passes, we are going to make our way into WS and explore, starting at Canada. We will be there for the Food and Wine Festival, so I'm sure there will be lots of nibbling going on!

We (currently) have an 8pm ADR for Spice Road Table (I was thinking of Grandma being able to watch Illuminations with a comfortable viewpoint), but I may end up canceling it. No one is super excited about the food (but not completely anti-cuisine either), but having a sit down meal will cut into some of our exploration time.

Either way, we are going to catch Illuminations the first night and then head back to Wilderness Lodge after wards!


Daily Goals:
* Say Hi to Mickey (Character Spot)
* Catch a Wave with Crush (Turtle Talk)
* Fly with the Birds (Soarin)
* Illuminations

"Will probably also do:" (depending on wait times)
* Board a clamshell
* Learn more about Nemo and his friends
* Appreciate where our food comes from
* Ignite a spark of imagination
* Find some Le Cellier Filet
* Have a spot of tea with Alice
* Buy a Macaroon
* Admire all of the mosiacs in Morocco

 

[Disney2013Girl]

Day Two (Tuesday 10/27)
​

The plans are:

Wake up and grab a quick bite to eat in the lounge before heading off to the Magic Kingdom in time to catch the Welcome Show at the Magic Kingdom. We are going to start on the left side of the park and focus on Adventureland and Frontierland. We have FP's for Jungle Cruise, Big Thunder Mountain and Splash Mountain. We also want to catch the Captain Jack Sparrow show and do the pirate adventure activity. I'd also like to catch the start of the Festival of Fantasy Parade back in Frontierland, with the plans/hopes that we can catch it another day (if the weather/crowds prevent us from seeing it). After the parade (approximately 4pm), we are going to head out of the park and back to Wilderness Lodge. Currently, our plan is to have a relaxing night at the resort (swimming/lounging/etc), but we are discussing trying to grab a reservation for Morimoto's new place at Disney Springs for that evening.

Daily Goals:
*Cry at the Welcome Show
*Groan at the Skipper
*Find our Laughing Place
*Hold on to our hats for the fastest ride in the west
*Duck from Maleficent's Fire

"Will probably also do:"
* Practice our swashbuckling skills
* Find lost treasure
* Sing like the Birdies Do
* Fly with Jasmine and Aladdin

 

[Disney2013Girl]

Day Three (Wednesday 10/28)​

The plans are:
Wake up and grab a quick bite to eat and get to Epcot in time for the new opening rope drop show. We are going to be exploring the left side of Future World this day, with FP's for Spaceship Earth, Test Track, and Mission Space. We will also be exploring World Showcase from Mexico, working our way towards the center again, stopping as we wish. We are pretty laid back on Epcot days, because you never know what is going to get your attention! We do have an ADR for Via Napoli, but I may be canceling it, because I'm not totally sold on it, ESP during Food and Wine Festival! If we are "done" by 2, we are going to head back out and go back to the WL for a break period. If we are still going strong, at 4pm we are going to head back towards the front and start making our way to our 5pm ADR for Ohana. We have an ADR for the beginning of service, so hopefully we can get in and get seated quickly (the last time, there was a bit of a wait).

We will then proceed to fill up on DELICIOUS food until we are satisfied (but not overly so, we learned our lesson :-D)

At this point, we are going to head back to MK with the goal of catching Wishes and the MSEP. Depending on what time we arrive from dinner (and what kind of a state we are in) we will either explore with a purpose, or just stake out a spot and digest/spend time as a family. After Wishes and MSEP, we will assess what's going on and what kind of mood everyone is in. If Grandma goes with us, she will likely go back to WL with my brother for the night and we will press on (it's a EMH night). If it's just my brother joining us, I may see how he is doing and see if he wants to take DS back or if he wants to stay with us. I've got a personal goal to catch the Kiss Goodnight this trip.

At the end of the evening we are going back to the WL for a good night sleep!
Daily Goals:
* Design our own car
* Not let Gary Sinease down
* Wonder at the awesomeness of well done acapella
* Stuff our selves silly thanks to the hospitality of our Cousins
* Make a Wish and do as Dreamers Do
* Be humming the Parade song all night long
* Dance on an empty main street during the kiss goodnight

"Will probably also do":
* Thank the Phoenicians
* Explore around the world
* Watch new fountain show and plot ways to sneak a glass of Beverly into Big Bro's hand

 

[Disney2013Girl]

Day Four (Thursday 10/29)​

The plans are: Sleep In! :-D Sleep in, swim, have a leisurely breakfast, relax, wander the resort, perhaps take in the Wilderness Lodge Tour. Approximately 1:15pm, we are going to take ourselves over to the Poly for a late lunch at Kona Cafe. Once that is finished, it's time to head over towards Magic Kingdom for......

MICKEY'S NOT SO SCARY HALLOWEEN PARTY!!!!
​

Ok, well, for the 4 o'clock admittance to the:

MICKEY'S NOT SO SCARY HALLOWEEN PARTY!!!!
​

I'm nothing if not accurate.

Currently, we have no immediate plans on what to do in those three hours, because I'm going to try and fill it with things we've missed thus far or things we loved and want to do again. This is me, letting go of our hyper-planning. :deep breath in, deep breath out:

Ok, so after three whole unplanned hours go by, it's time for the PARTY!

Obviously the parade and the fireworks are a given, but other than that, I don't have a lot of concrete plans. Last time we stood in line to get our pictures with all 7 of the dwarves and while that was a lot of fun, it's kind of a "Been There, Done That" type of thing in my book (mostly because DS isn't that into Snow White). I'm sure there will be trick or treating and I DO want to catch the Hocus Pocus Party, and of course, the entertainment around the Haunted Mansion, but other than that.....wherever the Halloween Spirits take us!

Daily Goals:
* Boo To You Parade
* HalloWishes
* Haunted Mansion
* Hocus Pocus show

"Will probably also do":
* Wilderness Lodge Tour
* Trick-or-Treating
* Character Meet and Greets

 

[smilerjones]

Following! Looks like it is shaping up to be an awesome trip!! We are going to be there that same week and MNSSHP on 10/29 as well! You are much better planned than I am at this point, I need to work on my must do daily goals.

Also wilderness lodge looks beautiful, definitely on my list to do!

 

[Disney2013Girl]

Day Five (Friday 10/30)​

The plans are:
Wake up, grab breakfast, head towards Disney's Hollywood Studios! Originally we were aiming to be there for rope drop so that we could sign DS up for the Jedi Academy, but I've since read that it's going to be down for refurb while we are there. While I am sad, it's kind of a blessing because we don't *have* to be there right at rope drop now. We have Fast Passes for Toy Story, Tower of Terror, and Star Tours. My brother and I will probably ride Rock N Rollercoaster at some point (even if we go through single rider and get split up) because he's never ridden it and I love it. DH hates rollercoasters, DGma can't ride them, and DS isn't tall enough. We also want to catch the Frozen Sing-a-long (which I know DS will love and my brother will hate ). We have a Fantasmic! package at Mama Melrose which we will keep, regardless, but we have been discussing if we are going to be staying the "whole day" at DHS. If we arrive in the morning, we can do our "must do" things by the early afternoon. DH and I are talking about calling it an early day, Pixie Dusting people with our FP seats, and either going back to the resort or over to MK (our only other chance at Wishes/MSEP) or Epcot (more Food and Wine time). This is another case where having Grandma will probably dictate our day. If we have her, we (at least one of us) are going to be more likely to go back to the resort, but if we don't, we will probably keep going!

Daily Goals:
* Wander the lobby of a deserted hotel, not questioning the screams we hear
* Strive for family domination with the help of Buzz and Woody
* Fight the Empire
* Embarrass Big Brother with public singing of "Do you wanna build a snowman"

"Will probably also do":
* Appreciate the history of the modern cinema
* Board a stretch limo and race to a concert
* Brave another park afterwards

 

[Disney2013Girl]

Day Six (10/31----HALLOWEEN!) ​

The plans are:
Constantly changing! This day has been the hardest for me to schedule and a big part of it is due to our fun and awesome dinner plans....but more about that later. Originally, it was supposed to be a MK day, but there were no Anna and Elsa FPs at the 60 day mark and DS is insisting he meets Elsa. (What can I say, he enjoys a powerful princess :-D) So we scrapped our original plans (goodbye Be Our Guest Lunch!) and switched it with Sunday's plans, so now.....

Wake up, grab breakfast, head to Animal Kingdom! We have Fast Passes for Safaris, Everest, and Dinosaur (even though I think DS will not want to ride it). We were able to reschedule our Tusker House Dinner (Sunday) for a Saturday lunch, so we still get to eat our deliciousness. Other than those three things, we want to try to catch Nemo this time (we missed it the last time) and may give It's Tough to be a Bug another try (DS HATED it the last trip). Once we are done with AK, we are going to head back to WL to relax for a little bit and get DS ready for any potential resort-based Halloween activities (looking at last years schedule, it looks like some fun stuff could be happening). About 8:00pm we are going to be changed, rested, and HUNGRY and making our way to......

(See? That's us, right over there....)

CALIFORNIA GRILL!
​

We have 8:55pm reservations on Halloween night. Not ideal, but hopefully we can get at least checked in before the fireworks. DH is so stoked about this reservation and honestly, I am too. I've got my fingers crossed that DS acts as well as he normally does (he's normally GREAT when we go out to eat together), but we're really excited.

Daily Goals:
* A ride on the Safaris
* Coming Face to Face with Disco Yeti
* Coming back to present day before getting eaten by a dinosaur
* Finding Nemo
* Enjoying EVERY LAST BITE of my dinner at California Grill

"Will probably also do":
* Resort Halloween Activities
* It's tough to be a bug

 

[Disney2013Girl]

Day Seven (11/1) ​

The plans are:
Get up, eat breakfast, make way to Magic Kingdom. Focus on Fantasyland/Tomorrowland with fast passes for Peter Pan, Anna and Elsa, and Seven Dwarves Mine Train. Other than Buzz Lightyear, I don't know a whole lot that we will be worried about in Tomorrowland. DS wants to ride the Speedway, but I may send him with Big Bro for some bonding time We will likely hit Monsters Inc Laugh Floor too, because that's always funny. Honestly, a lot of it is going to depend on what all we got done the other MK days/times. The last trip, I had a plan for the last day, but we had done so much of it earlier in the trip, it ended up kind of being a free for all day and we spent most of it meeting characters. That being said, meeting characters all day long was a LOT of fun! I don't currently have a TS meal for this day, maybe we will make this night our DTD night and hit up Morimotos place.

Daily Goals:
* Discuss merits of chocolate with Arandellean Royalty
* Receive Pixie Dusting from Tinkerbell in time for London flight
* Attempt to get High Ho out of my head for the rest of the day

"Will probably also do":
* Spin in a teacup until vomit is imminent
* See an elephant fly
* Walk through Belle's Magic Mirror
* Practice our Smolder on Rapunzel
* Crow with Peter Pan

 

[Disney2013Girl]

Day Eight (11/2)​

The plans are:
Refuse to get up out of bed....after all....if we don't get up, the day can't start and therefore we don't have to go home, right? RIGHT???
Remember the cost of the hotel room and quickly get out bed so that we can get packed up and checked out before having to pay for another night. Drop luggage off with Bell Services, grab breakfast, take quick swim, grab lunch, be read for the Tragical Depress to pick us up at 3 something. Get to airport, fly home, drive 2 hours back from airport. Fall into bed.

Daily Goals:
* Pack quickly and efficiently so not to forget anything in the room
* Enjoy the lounge and the delicious goodies until the last possible minute
* Go Swimming one last time

"Will probably also do":
* Cry
* Begin planning next vacation

 

[Disney2013Girl]

Meal Plans​

Here are all the goodies for you foodies out there..... surprisingly enough, this has been the hardest planning of the entire trip! When we started to look at our options it became a choice of "We really enjoyed it last time, but think of all of the NEW things we can try!" However, I think we ended up with a nice variety of old and new food options!

**I'll try and update our Food and Wine "Must Try's" when I see some reviews once it starts!

Monday

Breakfast: Airport
Lunch: My current plan is Sunshine Seasons
Dinner: (Currently) Spice Road Table
Snacks in mind:
Food and Wine Selections from the booths in the Canada, UK, France, Morocco stretch
Macaroons from France!


Tuesday

Breakfast: Lounge
Lunch: Someplace at MK, probably Pecos Bill's
Dinner: (Going to attempt an ADR) for Morimoto's Asia
Snacks in mind: DOLE WHIP!!!

Wednesday

Breakfast: Lounge
Lunch: (Currently) Via Napoli
Dinner: Ohana
Snacks in mind: Food and Wine selections from the booths in the Mexico-America stretch

Thursday

Breakfast: Lounge
Lunch: Kona Cafe
Dinner: Probably something we get and split during the Halloween Party
Snacks in mind: CANDY

Friday

Breakfast: Lounge
Lunch: Mama Melrose
Dinner: Probably something we get and split from a QS place at DHS (if we stay the whole day)
Snacks in mind: Butterfinger cupcake :-D

Saturday

Breakfast: Lounge
Lunch: Tusker House
Dinner: California Grill
Snacks in mind: It was going to be poop candy, but then Disney...well....pooped on that plan.

Sunday

Breakfast: Lounge
Lunch: I don't know, probably something quick service from MK, we may try to get a Be Our Guest lunch
Dinner: I don't know yet
Snacks in mind: Whatever sounds good at the time :-D

Monday

Breakfast: Lounge
Lunch: Lounge/Roaring Forks
Dinner: Airport
Snacks in mind: Stuff for airport​

 

[MamaJessie]

Maybe we will bump into you at MK on 10/28 or 10/29.
We are going to Ohana the 30th (for our anniversary) and are looking forward to it too. When someone says they are full we saY 'yeah but are you OHANA full?'

Love your goals!
Oh and a question - was your 'meh' Boma experience a breakfast or dinner? I had to beg the oldest to let us swap TH out for something else this trip and if Boma disappoints I will not hear the end of it

 

[Disney2013Girl]

Maybe we will bump into you at MK on 10/28 or 10/29.
We are going to Ohana the 30th (for our anniversary) and are looking forward to it too. When someone says they are full we saY 'yeah but are you OHANA full?'

Love your goals!
Oh and a question - was your 'meh' Boma experience a breakfast or dinner? I had to beg the oldest to let us swap TH out for something else this trip and if Boma disappoints I will not hear the end of it

It was a dinner experience. Lots of people LOVE it (including DH), but honestly, it was just meh for me. I could have been tired from our day of exploring, that could have been part of it too, but TH was just so tasty that Boma just seemed so....meh.

 

[Robbi129]

Love your PTR. We will be there the same dates as you, although we are leaving the evening of the 1st. We are also staying club level at Wilderness Lodge. We are doing the Halloween party on the 27th. I figured it would be way too busy on the 31st. We are flying Southwest out of Flint Mi, arriving at around 10am. Otherwise, I would say we would probably be on the same ME bus. Great Minds think alike

 

[Disney2013Girl]

Got a phone call from my Mom yesterday and she told me that Grandma told her she doesn't want to come anymore. That being said, it's still a month away and she has a tendency to change her mind a LOT lately, but we'll see. She's having some personal need issues and she doesn't feel comfortable leaving the house for any length of time anymore (apparently). I hope it's just a bug and she feels better soon, but I think that may have been the final straw that pushes her into not coming. :-( It's really hard for me to think that she's getting too old to do fun things, she and I have been on many many adventures together through my life and I was looking forward to DS having this memory with her too. HOWEVER, my desire for her and DS to have these magical Disney moments can not trump her comfort and safety and if she doesn't feel comfortable, there is NO point being stuck with someone who is miserable for a week.

And now the guilt enters in because there is part of me that takes a big sigh of relief because I know how much easier it's going to be without pushing a wheelchair around, without trading off who waits with her and who rides, without having an odd person out (a party of 5), without worrying about waking her up too early, keeping her out too late, it being too hot for her, too loud for her, etc. It's a serious guilt trip I've been fighting the past couple of days...the loving granddaughter and the commando style Disney Nut.

 

[Disney2013Girl]

44 days! Yesterday was paid in full day! :-D I have this urge to start packing, but there's a BUNCH I have to do still...mostly make our shirts!