This is Magical, this is Horrific, and this is Epic! TR 8/27-9/7/25, updated 10/17*

Hope they have it!! I might look for a Figment sweater when there.
I was surprised she actually liked a Figment shirt, hope they have it for her! I have seen Figment sweaters very cute
Oddly excited to see this for myself.
It is a cute area and lots of seating! Love the muppets!
Mistake? Even if I didn't like beer, I'd take it and share or give away.
Haha very true anything for free especially at Disney is a plus!
I'll try it and reserve judgement.
TT is not a favorite of mine at all so for me it is just meh! New overlay or not
Ironically, that is the ONLY one I've ever had.
:thumbsup2
That is one of those at the top of my list. :)
Delicious!
As much of a bummer as it all was, I kinda miss going to Disney during CoVid. FAR less people-y!
Very true, I miss the low crowds and I don’t miss the phrase fill in all the space!
Yeah, I thought too!

<"I'll have an ice tea, please.">
I thought about a Diet Coke in there , haha 😂
I'm impressed with how many of the food booths you did! we always talk about trying more items, but never seem to do it. And the fried pickle needed much more sauce. :)
Thank you! This was our plan for today and yes Disney is stingy with dips!
 
Tonight was the Halloween Party at MK.

Initially our plan was to have dinner at Wailulu Bar and Grill at The Polynesian Resort.

Our timeframe for dinner was dwindling and we were not very hungry so decided to skip it this trip. We really wanted to check out this restaurant, oh well, it will be another thing to put on our list.

We got ready for the party and headed out to the bus stop.

I have us entering the party around 6pm. This is the time the park closes for day guests. We took the special walkway for party guests. We got our trick or treat bag with a full size caramel M&M in it. Andi posing for me! I have so many pictures through the years of her standing at the MNSSHP inflatable!
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We saw Mother Gothel out in this area! There was also a DJ out there interacting with the guests.
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The plan was to get a few pictures and head over to the Diamond Horseshoe restaurant because I had heard the 3 hitchhiking ghosts would be in there.
Castle Picture along the way
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This is a trick or treat
spot. It wasn’t quite 7pm yet so we waited in the line.
A lady was with several young kids in front of us and she had given them some M&Ms to eat and one of the kids dropped one on the ground and the lady picked it up and gave it to him, haha 😂 I guess the 5 second rule even counts at Disney. Andi, who is a germ aphobe thought this was the worst thing ever! I just laughed! She eventually did as well!

The line started moving right at 7pm and we walked through the restaurant but no hitchhiking ghosts, boo 😒 we did get a huge scoop full of candy. 🍭

Oh and by the way trying to get a few PP pictures before this was a no go, the lines were crazy and Andi hates waiting in long lines so no pictures.

At this point, we could tell this was a very busy sold out party. Andi and I have a great perspective because we have been doing MNSSHP since 2013 and wow, Disney oversells the parties now. It is way more busy than during the day at MK on a party day. The walkways were so crowded, ugh 😩 We decided to head to Friar Nooks for the chili bean loaded tots with ranch jalapeño dip and a spicy Buffalo chicken hand pie.

I guess we weren’t paying much attention because the chili on the tots had meat in it. We thought since it said bean chili it was vegetarian but it was ground beef and beans. Andi ate a few of the tots along the side and she ate the hand pie.

I really liked the chili loaded tots except it was way too much just for me.

Tots
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Hand pie
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We decided to head over to Storybook circus and ride Dumbo. We also trick or treated at the train station.
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Here I am on Dumbo, haha 🤣
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Both of us on Dumbo!
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The path to Tron behind Barnstormer was blocked off so we headed back into Fantasy Land. We rode Under the Sea, Tea Cups with the overlay, spooky music and orange/purple lights.
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We also did Speedway, ugh 😑 this ride needs an update!
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We did more tick or treating stations. We were getting a ton of candy. Our plan was to go into Tomorrow Land and check out the exclusive park merchandise at Star Traders.

I wanted the cute Mickey ghost shirt but that was sold out.
Follow me to the next post……
 
We got more candy and rode one of our favorites the PM.
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It was time to work our way back to Fantasyland, we went into Princess Hall to get candy and Maleficent was in there. I got a quick picture.
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We went on WtP next and into Philharmagic for more candy. we watched some of the fireworks in Fantasy Land, we also went on PPF, HM, and Pirates 🏴‍☠️
Waiting on the parade in Frontier Land
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I finally saw the Hitchhiking ghosts in Frontier Land yay 😀
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We were shocked how many people were already lined up for the 11:15 parade. Andi got us a spot and I headed to the restroom. I did see the Cadaver Dans performing on my why back. I got a quick picture.

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We had to line up 45+ minutes before the parade. In the past, we would be able to line up for the parade about 15 minutes before hand. Frontier Land was packed. We did have a good spot and stood our ground because people did try to come stand in front of us.

I love this parade, it is my all time favorite parade ever! The parade alone is worth the party cost to me.

Here are some awesome parade pictures!
Headless Horseman riding by
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First part of the parade
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Follow me to the next post…..
 
We were at the start of the parade which was really nice.
More parade pictures, love the gravediggers, ballroom dancers, and my all time favorite pirate Captain Barbosa!
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Captain Jack
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Goofy
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Villians and the best Halloween band ever!
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We were able to head over towards Adventure Land and trick or treat a few more times, get a Dolewhip, and work our way out of the park.


Overall we had a wonderful evening but the crowds really make it difficult to enjoy all the offerings of the party. In the past you could do a sample of everything in the 5 hours, now you have to pick and choose certain things, and the parade, walkways, and fireworks are so crowded!

We arrived back to the YC around 12:30am. It was our last night at the YC. Here is just my candy haul and Treat Bag
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Tomorrow we move to the Horror and Epic portions of the trip, please stay tuned for our first day at Universal, coming soon!
 

It's such a shame that Disney oversells these parties now. It's probably one of the many reasons they cost so much. You'd think at a certain point the cost would be so high not as many people would attend. :confused3 Do you think the After Hours is less crowded?

I would have been grossed out by the M&Ms off the ground, too. Especially because there's ample candy to be had at the party! Just throw those out and get more for free. :rolleyes1:laughing:

Glad you managed to find the Hitchhiking Ghosts, and you enjoyed the parade. Having to line up 45 minutes before a party parade is rough, though.
 
I wanted to say thank you for all your trip reports over the years. That is my hobby between trips to read trip reports. I want to thank all the regulars who seem to be following on this thread and let you all know that there are many people reading your reports that don't reply. I completely understand that it's getting to be a bit cumbersome, but I wanted to say thank you while I had a chance. I'm going back in December for the first time in 2 and a half years, and I have very much gotten into it again. Thank you all!
 
We were at the start of the parade which was really nice.
That's a good place to stand. Then you get to move on and do fun stuff while the crowd is busy watching the rest of the parade.

We stood by the train station to watch the parade and that was a great spot. We saw them make the circle and head straight towards us. But I did get very tired of the music. They need something better than that song. :)
Overall we had a wonderful evening but the crowds really make it difficult to enjoy all the offerings of the party. In the past you could do a sample of everything in the 5 hours, now you have to pick and choose certain things, and the parade, walkways, and fireworks are so crowded!
It's hard to watch the show and the fireworks with the huge crowds.

I really like the Trick or Treat bag. I think we just had cheap, plastic bags when we went. But we haven't been to a party in 8 years, so things probably changed a bit. :)
 
I don’t think we have ever sat inside Jock’s bar now that I think about it.
I have! :)
Finally something I’ve done that you haven’t. Never thought it’d happen.
Wow that would be so cool, I remember you saying you have done the diving in the aquarium
::yes::
And an amazing experience.
Haha 🤣 I didn’t have any beer honestly
Who said you????
He is but remember we are really short!
:laughing: Okay!
You got us there! We are like Hobbits we have two breakfasts, with beer haha 😂
:lmao:
He sure was, hey kid this isn’t Kali River Rapids!
:laughing:
They are called Brazi bites
Thanks! I took a screen shot. I’ll take a look next time I’m there… which isn’t very often.
We really wanted to check out this restaurant, oh well, it will be another thing to put on our list.
I wonder if you’ll ever go back?


:rolleyes1
We got our trick or treat bag with a full size caramel M&M in it.
Starting off with a bang. :)
I have so many pictures through the years of her standing at the MNSSHP inflatable!
:goodvibes
We saw Mother Gothel
She looks pretty good for her age.
I guess the 5 second rule even counts at Disney.
Walt wouldn’t allow germs at Disney.
Andi, who is a germ aphobe thought this was the worst thing ever! I just laughed! She eventually did as well!
:laughing:
no hitchhiking ghosts, boo 😒
Well poop. :(
Oh and by the way trying to get a few PP pictures before this was a no go, the lines were crazy and Andi hates waiting in long lines so no pictures.
Even later in the evening?
wow, Disney oversells the parties now
Yeah… super unfortunate. They were so good a few years ago.
Here I am on Dumbo, haha 🤣
You look so scared!!
:scared:
We also did Speedway, ugh 😑 this ride needs an update!
It does… but keep it kid friendly. Rides for the littles are getting scarce.
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There it is!
It must be done.
Maleficent was in there. I got a quick picture.
She looks more annoyed than evil.
We went on WtP next and into Philharmagic for more candy. we watched some of the fireworks in Fantasy Land, we also went on PPF, HM, and Pirates 🏴‍☠️
Lots! So at least you can still get on some rides.
finally saw the Hitchhiking ghosts in Frontier Land yay 😀
Oh good. :)
I did see the Cadaver Dans performing
Nice. :)
We had to line up 45+ minutes before the parade. In the past, we would be able to line up for the parade about 15 minutes before hand.
I remember they had two parades during the party (do they still?) and Main St was almost completely empty for the 2nd parade.
We did have a good spot and stood our ground because people did try to come stand in front of us.
:sad2:
Some people. Bet they expected you to move back. Good for holding your ground.
I love this parade, it is my all time favorite parade ever! The parade alone is worth the party cost to me.
Absolutely!! And Hallowishes.
Headless Horseman riding by
Hard shot to get. And such a cool part of the parade.
love the gravediggers, ballroom dancers,
::yes::
In the past you could do a sample of everything in the 5 hours
I remember.
Here is just my candy haul and Treat Bag
And you ate it all that night!
 
Hello There 👋

Today was moving day! We said goodbye to The YC and Disney. We ended this portion of the trip with another Mickey waffle meal. We both had the kids meal and Andi got bacon to give to me. Double bacon 🥓 with Mickey waffles makes for a great morning.

Goodbye YC, we love you.
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Here is the construction at the front of the resort.
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I ordered a Lyft at about 11:00am for our ride over to The Hard Rock Hotel (HRH).

This will be our first stay at HRH. It is very close to the entrance of US and this was perfect for our next couple of days.

We arrived and checked in and our room was ready, yay!

The room was on the 6th floor towards the end of the hallway" we like this, it is usually more quiet away from the elevator area. Here are some pictures of the room and our view.
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Our view

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I liked the hotel and the rooms are fine but overall it is my least favorite of the three premier resorts. My favorite is Portofino Bay and Royal Pacific as my 2nd. What I usually do is look for the best AP deal for the premier resorts and pick that one. HRH is usually the most expensive but this time it was the least expensive.

We settled in and took a little rest before heading out to Citywalk. The walk was really nice and very convenient. I would say a 5-8 minute walk including the security check point.

We wanted to have a later lunch at Toothsome’s Chocolate Emporium before going to US for HHN.

Our plan was to do the stay and scream for Fallout. You get a wristband and can line up earlier than guests who only have the HHN tickets and not US tickets. We have APs so we could participate in this.

We walked over to the restaurant around 2:15pm for our 2:30pm reservation.

Andi picked this restaurant and I have always enjoyed our meals/drinks/dessert here,

We were seated quickly and decided to share the Wild Mushroom Risotto with chicken.
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We also each ordered the seasonal pumpkin spice martini.
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This was delicious! I could have drank several if they weren’t so expensive.

The risotto was delicious as well.

Penelope and Jacques came by to say hello and to ask about the Horror Nights. They said it maybe too scary for them! I know how they feel!
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We finished our meal and headed out to Universal Studios.

Follow me to the scary business 👩‍💼
 
We entered US and got our wristbands for the stay and scream area, we had some time to do ET, along the way we stopped in the SpongeBob store, I got Andi’s picture with Gary.
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Next we rode ET and MIB before going to the stay and scream area. We were able to enter Fallout early so we could do this house twice. It was hot waiting, I drank a lot of water! US has Coke freestyle machines and you can fill your water all over the park and the water is cold!

A lady in front of us went to lay on the ground because she was feeling ill from the heat. Park medics came to assist her. The heat is no joke! She was sitting up in a wheelchair soon drinking water.

We did Fallout twice then continued on to more of the Haunted Houses. We had express pass for the night which was really needed even for a Wednesday night in early September. The wait times were all 40+ minutes.
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We really enjoyed all the houses tonight with some great scares! Terrifier and 5 nights at Freddie’s had the longest lines but we got in each house in 15-20 minutes with stand by waits of over 100 minutes.

We saw a few characters walking around the scare zones, the chainsaw guys always get me!
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The toxic 20s, be careful of toxic ooze!
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The food lines are incredibly long. We really wanted the giant cheese stick but the line was crazy long.

We got the twisted tater chips this year. I like the twisted tater on a stick better. The chips were pretty good, seasoned with a ranch dressing.

I thought the big Transformer on the building looked cool in the night sky.
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I wanted the famous pizza fries, which are iconic at HHN.

A simple snack which are weirdly delicious, it is french fries, pizza sauce, sausage, pepperoni, and cheese. Andi had some of the fries without the meat. Andi tried a couple of the specialty drinks and I would take a sip or two.

We didn’t watch any of the shows tonight. We finished all 10 houses doing one twice by 11:30pm and decided to head out.

I got a few pictures of the statues, Andi by Art the Clown from Terrifier.
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We really love HHN and I am glad we got to go twice this trip.

Goodbye Horror Nights until next year!
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Steps 28,786 🚶‍♀️

Tomorrow is our first take it easy day, haha, we still visit two parks, the dead coconut club, Pat O’Brien’s restaurant and Fat Tuesdays!

Stay tuned!



Hey Everyone

My goal is to finish my TR before my trip and I might, but if not, rest assured I will finish it when I return from my trip!

Today I made FP$$ and Fancy Ride reservations for Liesa and I for our portion of the trip!

Everything went very well. I got everything we wanted and coordinated the times with our Big Fat Plan i.e. eating and eating haha 😆

I leave one week from today!

Keep reading and I will be back to comment!

Thank you 😊

 
It's such a shame that Disney oversells these parties now. It's probably one of the many reasons they cost so much. You'd think at a certain point the cost would be so high not as many people would attend. :confused3 Do you think the After Hours is less crowded?
Andi laughs at me because every year we do the more and more crowded parties I say this is my last one and every year I buy tickets, lol 😝 and yes the After Hours so far is less crowded!
I would have been grossed out by the M&Ms off the ground, too. Especially because there's ample candy to be had at the party! Just throw those out and get more for free. :rolleyes1:laughing:
I know especially when the adult in your party gives it to you yuck 🤮 way to set a good example 🙄
Glad you managed to find the Hitchhiking Ghosts, and you enjoyed the parade. Having to line up 45 minutes before a party parade is rough, though.
I loved seeing the Hitchhiking ghosts since they are a new addition to the party! Not a fan of lining up so early for the late parade!
I wanted to say thank you for all your trip reports over the years. That is my hobby between trips to read trip reports. I want to thank all the regulars who seem to be following on this thread and let you all know that there are many people reading your reports that don't reply.
Well Thank you very much for the kind words and reading along! In the years past I learned so much from the boards and especially from trip reports!
I completely understand that it's getting to be a bit cumbersome, but I wanted to say thank you while I had a chance. I'm going back in December for the first time in 2 and a half years, and I have very much gotten into it again. Thank you all!
Yay 😃 to returning to Disney in December! I hope you have a wonderful trip!
That's a good place to stand. Then you get to move on and do fun stuff while the crowd is busy watching the rest of the parade.
We love this area and in years past it was much less crowded! I hate lining up so early for the parade and fireworks especially on a party night that is time limited!
We stood by the train station to watch the parade and that was a great spot. We saw them make the circle and head straight towards us. But I did get very tired of the music. They need something better than that song.
Hahaha 😂 I love that song and could hear it over and over! One of my favorites! I hope they don’t change it!
It's hard to watch the show and the fireworks with the huge crowds.
Very true! We basically did rides, trick or treated, and watched the parade and this took all 5 hours!
I have! :)
Finally something I’ve done that you haven’t. Never thought it’d happen.
And diving in the aquarium I have never done that! Years ago I did snorkel not dive in the Galapagos Islands and The Great Barrier Reef 🪸
I wonder if you’ll ever go back?
I’m thinking about it, ::yes::
Walt wouldn’t allow germs at Disney.
Exactly, just like no rain right?
Even later in the evening?
Yes worse even later! You really could spend hours doing all the photo ops
Yeah… super unfortunate. They were so good a few years ago.
Way to crowded now!
You look so scared!!
😱 I am terrified of Dumbo, haha 😂
There it is!
It must be done.
Love PM, such a favorite
Lots! So at least you can still get on some rides.
Yes we concentrated on rides and candy!
I remember they had two parades during the party (do they still?) and Main St was almost completely empty for the 2nd parade.
Yes they still do, this was the late parade!
Absolutely!! And Hallowishes.
The fireworks being 360 perimeter ones we could get a good view in Fantasyland
Hard shot to get. And such a cool part of the parade.
I never good one of the Headless Horseman such a cool part of the parade!
And you ate it all that night!
No wonder I couldn’t sleep :rotfl:
 
A lady in front of us went to lay on the ground because she was feeling ill from the heat. Park medics came to assist her. The heat is no joke! She was sitting up in a wheelchair soon drinking water.
The heat in September was surprisingly bad for our trip, too. I think the fact that it was sunny instead of cloudy played a role in the heat.

Was this event more crowded than in the past?
 
Whew! Caught up! I can't believe how busy the MNSSHP is now. I remember attending in the 2010's many times and the 2nd parade would have almost no one there. And Boo to You is my all-time favorite Disney parade. I miss it. But once I entered academia, there is no way to get to a Halloween party.

HHN sounds too intense for me. In my younger years, I think I would have been all over that but now...just too old to be scared like that. But it sounds like you and Andi had fun!

I hope your trip is wonderful!!
 
Today was moving day!
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Double bacon 🥓 with Mickey waffles makes for a great morning.
Bacon makes everything better.
This will be our first stay at HRH.
Interesting. I’ve never considered it. I ate at a Hard Rock restaurant once and was so unimpressed that I figured the resort would follow suit.
The room was on the 6th floor towards the end of the hallway" we like this, it is usually more quiet away from the elevator area.
Always prefer to be away from the elevators… but not so far you’re exhausted by the time you get there.
Here are some pictures of the room and our view.
Not bad! Like the drumsticks.
overall it is my least favorite of the three premier resorts.
Ah ha!!!
My favorite is Portofino Bay and Royal Pacific as my 2nd.
I’d reverse those. I like the pool better at RP.
We wanted to have a later lunch at Toothsome’s Chocolate Emporium before going to US for HHN.
Of course. Some treats before the tricks.
decided to share the Wild Mushroom Risotto
Mmmmm… risotto.
We also each ordered the seasonal pumpkin spice martini.
Don’t do pumpkin very much but sounds interesting.
They said it maybe too scary for them! I know how they feel!
Aw, poor Caroline.
:laughing:
I got Andi’s picture with Gary.
Nice shot. :)
A lady in front of us went to lay on the ground because she was feeling ill from the heat
Oh dear. Florida heat is no joke.
We had express pass for the night which was really needed even for a Wednesday night in early September. The wait times were all 40+ minutes.
I think I’d have gotten it anyway, but this just reinforces that thought.
we got in each house in 15-20 minutes with stand by waits of over 100 minutes.
:worship:
the chainsaw guys always get me!
And yet you lived to tell the tale.
We really wanted the giant cheese stick but the line was crazy long.
For which end?


;)
thought the big Transformer on the building looked cool in the night sky.
::yes::
I wanted the famous pizza fries, which are iconic at HHN.
They are? I e never heard of them.
:confused3
A simple snack which are weirdly delicious, it is french fries, pizza sauce, sausage, pepperoni, and cheese.
Sounds good though!
got everything we wanted and coordinated the times with our Big Fat Plan i.e. eating and eating haha 😆
:lmao:
I leave one week from today!
Have a great trip!
Years ago I did snorkel not dive in the Galapagos Islands and The Great Barrier Reef 🪸
Aaaaaand… I’m jealous again.
:laughing:
Exactly, just like no rain right?
::yes::
😱 I am terrified of Dumbo, haha 😂
:rotfl:
Yes they still do, this was the late parade!
Really! I’m shocked!
:eek:
No wonder I couldn’t sleep :rotfl:
:cat:
 
onight was the Halloween Party at MK.

Initially our plan was to have dinner at Wailulu Bar and Grill at The Polynesian Resort.

Our timeframe for dinner was dwindling and we were not very hungry so decided to skip it this trip. We really wanted to check out this restaurant, oh well, it will be another thing to put on our list.
It's so hard to find time to do everything! I'm looking forward to dining there eventually. :)
At this point, we could tell this was a very busy sold out party. Andi and I have a great perspective because we have been doing MNSSHP since 2013 and wow, Disney oversells the parties now. It is way more busy than during the day at MK on a party day. The walkways were so crowded, ugh 😩
I really wish they would cap the parties.
We got more candy and rode one of our favorites the PM.
My fave too.... ♥️
We were shocked how many people were already lined up for the 11:15 parade. Andi got us a spot and I headed to the restroom. I did see the Cadaver Dans performing on my why back. I got a quick picture.
I love the Cadaver Dans!
I love this parade, it is my all time favorite parade ever! The parade alone is worth the party cost to me.
The parade is so great! The gravediggers and the ballroom dancers make it for me.
Overall we had a wonderful evening but the crowds really make it difficult to enjoy all the offerings of the party. In the past you could do a sample of everything in the 5 hours, now you have to pick and choose certain things, and the parade, walkways, and fireworks are so crowded!
So frustrating! I love the exclusive character meets but the lines are always so long!
Today was moving day! We said goodbye to The YC and Disney. We ended this portion of the trip with another Mickey waffle meal. We both had the kids meal and Andi got bacon to give to me. Double bacon 🥓 with Mickey waffles makes for a great morning.
Yum! That's a perfect breakfast. :)
This was delicious! I could have drank several if they weren’t so expensive.

The risotto was delicious as well.

Penelope and Jacques came by to say hello and to ask about the Horror Nights. They said it maybe too scary for them! I know how they feel!
Definitely too scary for me! Those drinks look delicious!
Today I made FP$$ and Fancy Ride reservations for Liesa and I for our portion of the trip!

Everything went very well. I got everything we wanted and coordinated the times with our Big Fat Plan i.e. eating and eating haha 😆

I leave one week from today!

Keep reading and I will be back to comment!
So jealous about your countdown.....:sad::sad::sad::sad:. You and Liesa will have to send me live text updates!
 
The heat in September was surprisingly bad for our trip, too. I think the fact that it was sunny instead of cloudy played a role in the heat.
I agree, it was really sunny most days with very high heat indexes!
Was this event more crowded than in the past?
I think it was, HHN has been getting more crowded each time we go! I wouldn’t do it without EP no way!
Whew! Caught up! I can't believe how busy the MNSSHP is now. I remember attending in the 2010's many times and the 2nd parade would have almost no one there. And Boo to You is my all-time favorite Disney parade. I miss it. But once I entered academia, there is no way to get to a Halloween party.
Yay 😁 We loved the late parade it was. So low crowds, not anymore! I do love the party and parade but we will likely skip next year
HHN sounds too intense for me. In my younger years, I think I would have been all over that but now...just too old to be scared like that. But it sounds like you and Andi had fun!
It is intense and it exhausting haha 🤣 more so than park touring for me! I get way more tired doing HHN
I hope your trip is wonderful!!
:thanks: I’m excited 😊
Bacon makes everything better.
You are correct Sir!!
Interesting. I’ve never considered it. I ate at a Hard Rock restaurant once and was so unimpressed that I figured the resort would follow suit.
The resort is nice just not my style and Portofino Bay is so inviting and much better scenery and way bigger rooms.
Always prefer to be away from the elevators… but not so far you’re exhausted by the time you get there.
We do as well! Our room was nice and quiet!
Not bad! Like the drumsticks.
The rooms have been recently refurbished I guess, I was surprised because they still look a little outdated to me. :confused3
I’d reverse those. I like the pool better at RP.
The pool is super nice at RPR
Of course. Some treats before the tricks.
We knew eating was a good idea since the food at HHN is long lines and long waits!
Don’t do pumpkin very much but sounds interesting.
What?? Haha 😂 this drink was amazing!
Oh dear. Florida heat is no joke.
It was really hot and US has these huge fans all over the place unlike Disney!
I think I’d have gotten it anyway, but this just reinforces that thought.
Definitely I would not do the event without EP, no way unless I could go 10+ times!
And yet you lived to tell the tale.
Every year I think will I make through this scary and exhausting event but every year I do and like it more each year even the chainsaw dudes!
They are? I e never heard of them.
Yes the pizza fries are iconic like the twisted taters. So delicious here is a picture not mine thanks google
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Have a great trip!
:thanks: I’m excited!
It's so hard to find time to do everything! I'm looking forward to dining there eventually.
I totally agree even as many times as we go always something new
I really wish they would cap the parties.
They have doubled the amount of ticket they sell in my opinion from years past
I love the Cadaver Dans!
Same! I’m glad I caught them
The parade is so great! The gravediggers and the ballroom dancers make it for m
Absolutely amazing! Worth the huge crowds
 
So frustrating! I love the exclusive character meets but the lines are always so long!
Same and Andi who just doesn’t like waiting in long lines for characters or picture opportunities ugh 😩 we didn’t get any magic shots this night!
Yum! That's a perfect breakfast.
I agree, Mickey waffles are the best!
Definitely too scary for me! Those drinks look delicious!
It is scary but I really enjoy the production value and scare actors. This drink was so darn good! Dessert and alcohol all in one sign me up!
So jealous about your countdown.....:sad::sad::sad::sad:. You and Liesa will have to send me live text updates!
I really wish you were joining us! I am getting excited and need a little slower paced eating kind of vacation, haha 😂 We will definitely send you some live updates!
 
Hello There!

Today was our rest day, well what we call a rest day!

We didn’t set an alarm and took our time this morning.

I did make note, we still headed out around 9:15am. Our plan was to spend some time at US before going over to IOA on the Hogwarts Express.

Andi wanted to check out the Wicked exhibit so we headed there first. Here are the witches starting our day. Are we good or bad? you decide! 😙
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Our plan was open, whatever the heart desired today. We headed to ET, of course we did. Just like Dinosaur, ET at US is a favorite of mine. On our way to ET, I noticed Patrick from SpongeBob was meeting in the store with no line. We had a nice visit with Patrick. :thumbsup2
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ET was next and we rode twice! After ET we checked out The Dreamworks area, this is the newer kids area at US. We rode the Troll rollercoaster and visited Shrek’s swamp area and picked up the Shrek pretzel with the green cheese. This was really good, high above a Mickey pretzel in my opinion and the cheese is made at US, not prepackaged.
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We worked our way to MIB and the Mummy. I chose not to ride the Mummy. I have a love-hate relationship with this attraction. My back hates it! I hung out in the gift shop which this year was the Halloween tribute store area.

A bit disappointing this year. Usually the tribute store is a big production with creepy rooms to explore, this was just a small area with a few props and HHN merchandise.
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I was sending pictures, of this year’s shirts, to my sister. She always wants one. She loves Halloween. 🎃

Andi returned and said it was a rough ride today, yikes 😱 if a 25 year old complains about it, I’m glad I didn’t ride.

Next was HP Diagon Alley, we rode Escape from Gringotts which is a very similar ride to Mummy, but much less jerky and intense in my opinion.

We headed to Hogwarts Express next. If you have park to park tickets riding the train is a must! It is a very unique HP attraction. It takes you to IOA, the other park. The train goes from Diagon Alley to Hogsmeade!

The ride is different each way so if it is your first time, ride it both ways, you won’t be disappointed!
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Hagrid’s ride now has EP. Our hotel HRH provides unlimited EP to both parks. It is a skip the long line pass that can be used multiple times a day for all your days. For us having 2 nights at HRH the EP is good from day of check in through check out day! This is an awesome perk and it is why we always stay at a premier resort.

This ride is about as intense of a coaster that I can handle. It is really fun, fast, and with great animatronics. I always ride in the side car, Andi rides on the motorcycle. It is a smooth ride and the backwards motion is not as intense as Everest at Disney, so I can handle it.

We waited about 20 minutes and had a great ride!

Andi wanted to ride a favorite of hers Velocicoaster so we headed there next.

I wait in the Dino Discovery Center for her. She rode twice.

While I was sitting in the center, a TM came out with a small animatronic dinosaur. I was able to pet the dinosaur. She was really cute and she was full size per the TM. A very little Dino!
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Andi just missed this interaction. We took a few pictures in here and headed out.
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We explored the Jurassic “kids” area. It was really cool! We went in several caves with water below us and waterfalls. I can’t believe we never checked this area out before.

We headed towards Spider Man next. This ride is always a must. We first stopped in the passholder lounge for our PH button and magnet! I was really happy to get the new magnet, which has ET on it! 😀

The lounge also has discounted merchandise. We didn’t see anything we liked.

We rode Spider Man next and headed out to Citywalk for a late lunch. 🥗

Our plan was Red Oven Pizza. You can sit down, mobile order, and the food is brought out to you.

We ordered the Margherita pizza, fresh buffalo mozzarella, mozzarella, fresh basil, and tomato sauce.
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This was very good. Once we finished lunch we took the short walk back to HRH to have a little rest.

Follow me to the next post…..
 
This evening, we planned on a visit to the “Dead Coconut Club” this is a lounge in Citywalk that changes as the seasons change. It is the Red and Green Coconut Club at Christmas time and it is also themed during the Mardi Gras Festival.

This year the Halloween theme was Koven, a witches sorority house.
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US does an excellent job with the themes in the club.

We loved the theme this year and the sorority “witches” did a dance and put a hex on a fraternity boy who thought he was all it! It was really a good dance show.
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We found a 2 top table on the upper level and had a great view of the dance and the lounge below us. Andi brought her HHN souvenir cup and could get drinks in here at a discount. I tried what she had.
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We shared 2 drinks in here before heading to Pat O Briens restaurant. The restaurant has a piano bar and you can give the singers requests. It was really fun in here and we enjoyed the singers. There was a man on one piano and across from him was a lady on another piano 🎹

I ordered the famous Hurricane drink and Andi had some type of rum drink.

We shared the Chicken Po Boy here with fries, we also shared the fried pickles 🥒 The Po Boy was huge and plenty to share. It was good, not outstanding but overall good 😊
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We really enjoyed this experience and would highly recommend checking out the piano bar entertainment.

Andi definitely had a little buzz going and she gets quite talkative haha 🤣 We did get a souvenir cup with my Hurricane and I gave this to Andi.

We headed to the big US store to pick up our HHN t-shirts before having one more drink at Fat Tuesdays. We shared some concoction with extra booze, haha 😆 Good thing we weren’t driving, just walking back to the room.
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We headed back to the room to get a good nights sleep 💤 because tomorrow we move to The Helios Resort and start our EPIC portion of this trip!

Our plan was to be ready to head over there around 7:30am!

Stay tuned for a totally new adventure for us! EPIC here we come!
 



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