A “Food and Non-Alcoholic Drink” Festival For Me! Aug. 30-Sept. 6, 2017! *COMPLETED 10/1/17*

Day 1: Our Traditional First Park!​

My Dad and I have a tradition that our first park on any vacation to Walt Disney World is Disney’s Animal Kingdom! Disney’s Animal Kingdom is my favorite theme park at Walt Disney World. In my opinion, it is the best themed park on property, and it is the park that always makes me realize I’m at Walt Disney World. :)





When we walked in, we were greeted by the parrots flying overhead!



My Dad and I would make our way to Nomad Lounge for lunch. Nomad Lounge is the lounge area connected to Tiffins. It has some of my favorite non-alcoholic drinks and appetizers on property.





I would order my favorite drink which is the Hibiscus Henna, as well as, my favorite appetizer which is the Asian Wings.



After some great food, my Dad and I would make our way into Pandora. This is one of the best themed lands I have ever seen. This was our third vacation since Pandora has opened as well.











I had noticed the My Disney Experience app said that Flight of Passage was a 75 minute wait, so my Dad and I quickly made our way to that ride. We would eventually wait an hour and 45 minutes for the attraction which was fine with us since the stand-by queue is an amazing one to exporter! Also, the attraction is definitely worth that long of a wait!

Here are pictures from the Flight of Passage queue:























With how detailed this attraction queue is, I don’t know why people have to ruin the great detail that Disney put into this queue by trying to get coins into different parts of it! This made me mad when I saw this since this is one of my favorite rooms inside the queue!



My Dad and I in Pandora:



After riding one of my new favorite rides at Walt Disney World, it was time to go see my favorite and arguably the most popular show at Walt Disney World! That is the Festival of the Lion King!







I really do find this park to be beautiful at every location in the park. There are a lot of “picture taking” spots in Animal Kingdom.



After a quick afternoon in my favorite park, it was time for some magic. So, my Dad and I would leave Animal Kingdom and head to the Magic Kingdom! When my Dad and I got to the bust stop, the Magic Kingdom bus was there waiting for us. I really just find it crazy that so far on this day, we had not waited more than one second for a bus. I guess I can say it's Disney magic. :D
 
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Day 1: It’s Halloween in August?​

My Dad and I would arrive at the Magic Kingdom with what would be an unfamiliar sight. The Magic Kingdom was already decorated for Halloween, and it was still August! If it was September, I would understand. That’s just a little to early for me.





I will say that turning the corner on Main Street and seeing Cinderella’s Castle will never get old!







I had made our fastpasses for the Magic Kingdom so my Dad and I made our way to our first fastpass which was Pirates of the Caribbean!



When I rode Pirates of the Caribbean, this would probably be my last time seeing the current auction scene since I would not ride it again the rest of the trip.

After riding Pirates of the Caribbean, it was time for dinner! So, my Dad and I made our way to a new restaurant for us. We decided to try Pecos Bill! Now, this would quickly become my least favorite quick service restaurant on Walt Disney World property (that I have tried). Why do you ask? That is because when we got in line, it took us 20 minutes to go the distance that should have taken 3-5 minutes to order. Now, my Dad and I could have easily gotten in another line, but we kept hoping the CM would speed up. When we got up to order, it took us a couple minutes since we already knew what we wanted, but the CM would take about 20 seconds to find each item on the screen. I ordered the tacos and my Dad ordered the nachos. When we got our food, I got my order, but they completely gave my Dad the wrong item. After looking at our receipt, it said a different item than what my Dad had ordered. What’s worse is the item we got charged cost more than the nachos my Dad had originally ordered. So, I had to wait 5 minutes while a manager refunded us the difference. It took us 30 minutes between the time of entering the restaurant to getting our food correct. In many ways, that is unacceptable especially since there wasn’t any "long" lines in the restaurant. It was also so hot in the restaurant to the point I don’t think the air conditioning was working. Also, Disney needs to hire people to work the cash registers that actually know how. The CM obviously didn’t know where each item was on the screen when we ordered. So, even if some of the wait time was our fault for not switching lines, we have never had a quick service experience like this in all of our years of going to Disney Theme Parks (Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World).



So, after all of that, I finally had a chance to eat. My Dad seemed to like his nachos, but I thought the tacos were horrible. They were dry and bland. For what you get, it is not worth the price. I didn’t take pictures of the food, because I quickly wanted to forget this experience. I realize some of you might like Pecos Bill. It just was a horrible experience for me, and I will not be going back anytime soon. I will be happy to go to Columbia Harbor House, Be Our Guest, and Casey’s Corner for quick service when I’m in the Magic Kingdom!

So, after a meal I wanted to forget, there’s nothing better than to have a fastpass for your favorite attraction in the Magic Kingdom, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad!





After riding Big Thunder, we would take the Walt Disney World Railroad from Frontierland to Fantasyland.





We would walk around Fantasyland for a little bit while we waited for our next fastpass.





My Dad and I would eventually decide to see Mickey’s PhilharMagic before our next fastpass. I actually really like this movie. I seem to like anything that has anything from the Lion King in it.













Our 3rd fastpass of the day was for Peter Pan’s Flight.



While standing in line to ride Peter Pan, I was able to get a 4th fastpass for It’s A Small World!



After sailing around the world, we decided to head towards one of our favorite attractions at Walt Disney World. I like to call this attraction my “10 minutes of rest!” That attraction would be the Peoplemover!





Then after a great ride on the Peoplemover, it was time to find a spot for Happily Ever After. I would eventually find a spot in-between the hub and the end of Main Street. I really do like Happily Ever After a lot. I think it has a great story to it, and some of the music segments are awesome!













After seeing a great firework show, it was time to go to the bus stop and head back to All-Star Music. I would get out of the Magic Kingdom within 3 minutes of the end of Happily Ever After, because Disney opens up the side pathway behind Main Street at the end of the firework show to help with crowd control. So, I was able to get on a bus very quickly after the firework show had finished.

The next day would be the first day of the 2017 EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival, and that is where my Dad and I would be heading!
 
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Wow, you were having some great bus luck!

And doing FoP and FotLK to kick of the trip sounds pretty great to me (though I am withh you - why are people ruining the scene with coins! Same thing with all the hair bands at the top of Everest)

We've only done Pecos Bills once and it was by far the worst meal we ever had on property and I vowed to never return. This was before the menu change and I was reading more positive things about the new menu but I guess there are still issues
 


Great pictures! HEA is fantastic!

An hour and 45 minutes is not bad at all for FoP wait. I love the queue but I was kind of shocked to see people putting coins in the displays. Why? I just don't get it. It really ruins the illusion.

FotLK looks amazing and I've heard such great things. We plan to see it for the first time in a few weeks. We've never managed a whole day at AK as we go in the summer and we just get too hot to stay and explore.

Looking forward to the F&W!
 


TheMaxRebo said:
Wow, you were having some great bus luck!

And doing FoP and FotLK to kick of the trip sounds pretty great to me (though I am withh you - why are people ruining the scene with coins! Same thing with all the hair bands at the top of Everest)

We've only done Pecos Bills once and it was by far the worst meal we ever had on property and I vowed to never return. This was before the menu change and I was reading more positive things about the new menu but I guess there are still issues
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It definitely was a great way to start the trip!

I remember I had read some positive reviews which is why we tried it. I'm not going back. I couldn't even fathom the food that was handed to me. There are by far better QS locations on property and in the Magic Kingdom than Pecos Bills!
 
Capang said:
Great pictures! HEA is fantastic!

An hour and 45 minutes is not bad at all for FoP wait. I love the queue but I was kind of shocked to see people putting coins in the displays. Why? I just don't get it. It really ruins the illusion.

FotLK looks amazing and I've heard such great things. We plan to see it for the first time in a few weeks. We've never managed a whole day at AK as we go in the summer and we just get too hot to stay and explore.

Looking forward to the F&W!
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Capang said:
Also, you are so lucky you have your dad to travel with! I hope you two really enjoy the time you spend together.
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That wait really isn't. I'm used to Disneyland wait times, so that wait is nothing in my mind. And yes...putting the coins in any line queue ruins any illusion. Especially for a queue that takes place really far away from Earth and the U.S.A! I'm surprised Disney won't go into the queues and clean up the mess people are making.

You haven't seen FotLK?!?!?! You absolutely have to on this trip! I saw it four times on this trip. The entertainment is amazing, and it is also a great place to cool off in Animal Kingdom! I recommend going earlier than later though. There is a section that is cut as it gets later in the day because one of the monkeys takes a break per show eventually. I would recommend the 2 p.m. show or earlier. That's when I have had better luck seeing the monkey act. :D

I should get my first F&W update in the next day or two.
 
Day 2: Opening Day of the 2017 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival - Part 1!​

The day had finally come! It was the opening day of the 2017 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival!!! EPCOT also had Extra Magic Hours this morning which means I was up bright and early at All-Star Music and on a bus by 7:30 a.m.



When I arrived at EPCOT, you could definitely feel the excitement from the other guests about what was to come later in the day. Everyone was waiting for 11 a.m. to come, and I couldn’t wait to try food from around the world.



I really like this fountain, and I hope they don’t get rid of it when they renovate Future World at EPCOT!



Like most people, I decided to ride Frozen Ever After this morning. As I made my way to the Norway Pavilion, I saw another photo spot for Food & Wine.



When I got to Frozen Ever After, I only waited about 15 minutes before I was on the attraction.



After riding Frozen Ever After, I made my way over to Test Track and went in the single rider line. I waited about 10 minutes before I was on the attraction.



I really like how the monorail goes around Future World. The monorail definitely adds to the theming of Future World. However, I wish they would bring the Disneyland Monorail models to Walt Disney World.



So, I came to Walt Disney World at a time where Mission Space had just opened up with a new green mission. I forgot that it doesn’t open for Extra Magic Hours so I had about a 15 minute wait to just stand around and wait for the attraction to open.



When the attraction opened, I got in line for the green mission which now takes you on a tour around the world. I normally ride the green mission since I did get motion sickness once after riding the orange side, and I said I would never ride that side again. I don’t know if I will ever go on the orange mission again for that reason. Hopefully I will get to see the Mars mission again someday. It might be determined on how I feel on future vacations though.

I will say that I really enjoyed the green mission. I do have a couple complaints though. My first complaint is that the movie goes by way to fast, and you can’t really pin point where things are on the movie. Maybe having the ride go two times around the Earth would be better than just going around once? A lot of the things they mention in the movie like the Great Wall of China, I couldn’t see because the video had it where it was dark in China. I also miss Gary Sinese being the narrator of this mission, but I’m sure I will get used to the new lady.



After riding the new Mission Space mission, I made my way to the Land. My Dad decided to join me since he slept in a little bit. This is where we would use our first fastpass which was for Living with the Land!





Riding this attraction before the Food & Wine Booths open for the day is a great way to preview most of the items being offered at the festival. That is because they put posters of the different food items next to the ingredients that are used in that specific dish.





I found a hidden Mickey and Minnie on Living with the Land!



After riding through the greenhouses, my Dad and I would look through the Food & Wine booklets to preview what we wanted until close to 11 a.m!
 
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Day 2: Opening Day of the 2017 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival - Part 2!​

It was 11 a.m. and the Food & Wine Booths were officially open! While we were on our way to our first booth, I found Figment!



Our first booth of the festival was Active Eats. Here we would get the Loaded Mac ’n Cheese for $4.75 each. We would also get a water.



The Loaded Mac ’n Cheese is easily one of the best things we had at any of the booths on this trip. The flavors really worked well together. I am a green onion fan, so I was happy to see that in the dish. Plus whenever you have bacon in anything, it has to be good! :D This was a great dish to begin many days that we would spend at the festival!



The next booth we would go to was Canada! Here we would get a dish that we got last year which was the Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup for $5.00 each.



This soup is really good, and the pretzel is a great item to dip in the soup. The only problem with getting soup was, it was 90+ degrees and humid outside. I figured I would get it in the morning before it got really hot. If I was to order it in the middle of the afternoon, I would have probably skipped it. There are also many more unique options at this festival that if you were on the fence to try the soup, I would maybe skip this booth and go try a more unique option. I really like cheese soup, so I was curious if Disney had changed the recipe which they didn’t. Even though I didn't try it, I heard a lot of good things about the Filet Mignon on this trip.



Up next, we would make our way to the area between France and Morocco where we would make a sudden stop and try the Beer-braised Beef at Belgium. I say this was a sudden stop because we both didn’t have this booth on our list to try anything from, but as we walked by, for some reason the beef was calling to me. We would order two of these for $5.00 each.



The Beer-braised Beef was not as good as it sounded. I’m not a huge gravy fan, and I’m not sure if the gravy complimented the beef well. I did like the mashed potatoes that it came with. I just don’t know if I would have covered everything with the gravy. Maybe putting the beef on top after the mashed potatoes and gravy would have made me like this dish more.

(Sorry for not a clear picture)


Up next is one of my favorite booths at any festival Disney does throughout the year. I really like Asian food, and I was walking by Japan. Which meant that I needed to get something from the Japan booth. I would end up getting the Teriyaki Ginger Pork for $8.25.



Ok. Scroll down and look at the picture before you read the rest of this comment…Would you pay $8.25 for that? No side dishes. Just one small piece of pork covered in teriyaki sauce. To be honest, this was very chewy. My thought is that this dish is not worth $8.25 even if it had side items. I even heard a guest walk up after I got my dish asking the cast members if this was really all they got for $8.25? So, if I was you, I would skip this booth if you wanted this item.



My last food booth on this day was the Hops & Barley Market in the American Adventure Pavilion. I live in Kansas City. So, I had to try the Smoked Beef Brisket, and that would cost $5.50.



Now, this dish was not what I was expecting. It was still good. If you are not picky on the barbecue that you like, then I’m sure you would enjoy this. I did enjoy the garlic toast. I don’t know if I liked the meat. The sauce was sweeter than I like it. I also didn’t know if I would like the “smokiness” taste that the meat had. If I'm honest, that type of barbecue isn't for me. This dish was still good, and I recommend you give it a try if you like any type of barbecue.



That would be my final booth of the day where I would get food. After finishing eating, I made my way into the American Adventure building for the next 4 hours of my afternoon and I would listen to the Voices of Liberty. Now, you might ask why I listen to the Voices of Liberty for 4-5 hours a day when I’m in EPCOT? Well, listening to the Voices of Liberty is my favorite thing to do at Walt Disney World. They are an incredible singing group. They also sing in an air conditioned building. So, you put air conditioning and my favorite thing at Walt Disney World together, I will gladly sit and listen to their performances all day. They also sing different songs each performance so if I want to hear my favorite songs, I need to hear them several times a day.





After a great afternoon listening to my favorite singing group, I decided to walk the other half of World Showcase that I didn't see earlier in the day. As I walked, I actually experienced something that I have never seen while in EPCOT! Did you know that the bridge between China and the trading post is a draw bridge? Well, I didn’t until this trip. I got to see them bring out the barges for Illuminations. This was a cool experience because as this was happening, they had an announcement on the speakers. The announcement would explain different things about Illuminations including what the different parts of the music score represent. This happened around 4:15 p.m. So, if you find yourself in that area of World Showcase around that time, keep a look out for this. Also keep in mind that the time can be different each day.



I would end up at one more Food & Wine Booth today, and that was the Almond Orchard Booth. Here is where I would get one of the two non-alcoholic drinks I would try during this festival. I would get the Almond Breeze Strawberry Smoothie for $4.50.



This was very refreshing especially on a hot day. If you are a fan of strawberry smoothies, I highly recommend this.



I would then meet up with my Dad before we walked to one of our favorite restaurants for dinner.
 
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Day 2: Opening Day of the 2017 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival - Part 3!​

My Dad and I would leave EPCOT out of the International Gateway exit, and we would make our way to the Boardwalk to have dinner at one of our favorite restaurants! This walk from EPCOT to the Boardwalk is one of my favorites on Walt Disney World property.



My Dad and I would arrive at our dinner location for the evening which was the Flying Fish. This is easily one of my favorite restaurants on Walt Disney World property. I have not had a bad meal here yet, so I was really looking forward to this meal.



The bar area in the Flying Fish is filled with a lot of bottles on the ceiling. I find the decor of this restaurant appealing as well.





So, what made me originally fall in love with this restaurant was their original scallops dish. Recently, they had changed the recipe and I tried the Salmon on my previous trip for that reason. This trip, I decided to try the scallops and this dish was one of my favorites that I have had at Walt Disney World. I loved the flavor of the scallops. I thought this dish went well with the black pasta. Everything was excellent on this dish.



For dessert, I decided to give something a try that I had heard so much about. That was the Peanut Butter Freeze. The problem with it though is it is normally an alcoholic drink. However, our waiter worked in the bar area, and he was able to make me a non-alcoholic version of the drink, and it was so good! I highly recommend this drink at this restaurant if you ever get the chance to come here!



After a great meal, it was time to make our way back to EPCOT. I really think that the best time to take pictures at EPCOT is at sunset. Many of the best pictures I have ever taken at EPCOT have come when the sun was going down.



My Dad and I would then use a fastpass for Test Track. Here is when I finally got the chance to design a car, and lets just say I went a little crazy.





After a great ride going 64.9 mph, we decided to make our way to the Food & Wine Festival Center.



Inside the Festival Center, Ghirardelli has a location where they have several displays that are made out of chocolate. These displays were very impressive. You can also get a free piece of chocolate if you visit this area.















If you are a Walt Disney World Annual Pass holder, you can also get your AP button inside the Festival Center (button not pictured). If I'm honest, why is this years AP gift a button when last year we got wine tumblers? I think this is Disney downgrading at its best!

It was time to make my way back to World Showcase since it was about an hour until Illuminations. I would walk by my favorite fountain while it had the lights on.



I would also decide to take a trip on the Gran Fiesta Tour in the Mexico pavilion. Here I would have a boat to myself which was very nice to relax for a couple minutes.



Next, I would find a spot for Illuminations in front of the Norway Pavilion. This would be a new location for me to watch the show since I usually watch it from the fastpass area or Italy.



Illuminations: Reflections of Earth is by far my favorite nighttime show on property. I really hope it doesn’t leave, but I know it will at some point.







After a great day in EPCOT, it was time to leave and head back to All-Star Music!



While waiting at the bus stop, a charter bus pulled up. So, we had a charter bus take us back to All-Star Music! I'll be honest and say that I really enjoyed the comfortable seats on this charter bus after a long day in EPCOT. :)



The next day would be a full day at the Magic Kingdom, so keep a look out for my next updates!
 
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Dude! Terrific trip report!

Really enjoyed Food & Wine items you tried.

Great spot and picture of HEA as well.

Voices of Liberty are a must do for every Disney trip. Beyond incredible what they do everyday.
 
Fantasia79 said:
Dude! Terrific trip report!

Really enjoyed Food & Wine items you tried.

Great spot and picture of HEA as well.

Voices of Liberty are a must do for every Disney trip. Beyond incredible what they do everyday.
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Thanks! Glad you're joining in! I'll have some more Food & Wine posts in the near future!
 
Day 3: Magic Kingdom!​

It was time for another day at Walt Disney World. My Dad and I would be making our way to the Magic Kingdom!

The beginning of this day started rather interesting. My Dad and I would sleep in and wake up towards the later part of the morning. Well, I had lunch reservations at Be Our Guest at 11:15 a.m, and we didn’t leave our room until about 45 minutes until our reservation. We did this because we decided to give Lyft a try. I originally wanted to do this to try the Minnie Car Service, but I quickly remembered that they weren’t picking up at All-Star Resorts yet. Anyways, we decided to give Lyft a try anyways. It said we would arrive in 18 minutes, and I thought that was plenty of time to still get to the restaurant. However, the last time I took a taxi service to the Magic Kingdom, I was dropped off at Bay Lake Tower. On the Lyft app, I put in Magic Kingdom as our drop-off location thinking that we would still be dropped off at Bay Lake Tower. I was wrong. We were dropped off at the Ticket and Transportation Center. I would then go into extreme panic mode. At this point we had 20 minutes until our reservation, and I was afraid we wouldn’t make our reservation time (including the 15 minute grace period). I quickly got on the phone to call Disney Dining to see if I could change our reservation. So, throughout the bag check and the monorail ride to the Magic Kingdom, I was on the phone with Disney (reason why I have no pictures of this chaos lol). I eventually lucked out and was able to change my reservation to an hour and a half later with no penalty. I was very happy about that, because I was able to start enjoying the Magic Kingdom when we arrived.



Wait…Nevermind. As soon as I entered the gate into the Magic Kingdom, I realized that I forgot to put my ticket confirmation code for Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party on my phone for that night. Therefore, my day in the Magic Kingdom started by going to City Hall. I was able to get my ticket without wasting 2 hours of my day going back to All-Star Music and back.

Now I could relax and enjoy the Magic Kingdom!

My Dad and I would walk down Main Street where I would get one of the best pictures I have ever taken of Cinderella’s Castle!



So, we had about an hour of free time before our lunch reservation at Be Our Guest. I asked my Dad what he wanted to do, and he picked the Peoplemover which I am always ok with!



You get a really unique view of Cinderella’s Castle while on the Peoplemover.



After the ride on the Peoplemover, I would experience an attraction that I haven’t been on in years at the Magic Kingdom (or possibly ever?). That attraction was the Mad Tea Party! I have done this attraction all the time at Disneyland when I lived in Southern California. Just for some reason, I would never go on it when I went to Walt Disney World.



It was really a beautiful day in the Magic Kingdom!



The next attraction we would do was The Little Mermaid! I really like how the queue is themed here at Walt Disney World compared to the same attraction at Disney California Adventure.



Hey everyone! It’s the moment you have all been waiting for! It’s the 8th wonder of the world! THE BACK SIDE OF WATER!!!…Wait…Wrong attraction.



While riding the Little Mermaid, I found my favorite fish! I’m a saxophone player. :D



It was finally time for lunch! When we were on our way to the restaurant, I found Gaston! Oh wait…It’s just his statue.



Be Our Guest is one of my favorite locations for lunch in the Magic Kingdom. I really like how the restaurant is themed. Everywhere you look, you feel like you are in the movie. My Dad and I would sit in the ballroom which is my favorite room of the restaurant.









I would have the French Dip Sandwich. I thought this was really good, and I would easily get it again.



As you exit the restaurant, you get a good look at this mural.



It was time for our first fastpass of the day which was for the Haunted Mansion!





My favorite part of the Haunted Mansion attraction is the singing busts!



My Dad would then ask me where we were going next. At this point in the day, it was hot. We didn’t want to be outside when we didn’t have to. So, I would respond by saying, “We are going to your favorite thing.” It took about a minute for my Dad to think of what I was thinking, but he eventually figured out that we would be going to the Country Bear Jamboree! A trip to Walt Disney World is not complete for my Dad without him seeing Big Al.







We would then walk around Frontierland. Frontierland is my favorite land inside the Magic Kingdom. It is also my favorite land at Disneyland.





When I booked this sudden trip, I completely forgot that Splash Mountain was going to be down during this trip. Splash Mountain is one of my favorite attractions which means I had to take a picture of it being refurbished.



It was time for our 2nd fastpass of the day which was for our favorite attraction, Big Thunder Railroad!



My Dad and I would make our way back towards Liberty Square where I would decide to go into a couple shops. I didn’t buy anything, but we would find ourselves by the gazebo where Jack and Sally meet during the Halloween Party. There was no one around except for one cast member. I went up to him to ask a question about something I wanted to experience at the party that night, and I was curious what he would recommend me to do. After a minute talking about my #1 priority, the cast member couldn’t really give me a definite answer. So, I noticed where the CM was from, and got talking about if he was a fan of a certain University from the state he was from. I responded that my high school fight song was the fight song of the University he cheered for. I always like sparking conversations with cast members if I get the chance. Anyways, I don’t know why, but the cast member would ask me, “How many are in your party.” I responded with 2. He would then ask me if I would like a fastpass for an attraction. I responded with sure, but he really didn’t have to. He said he insisted, and asked which attraction I would like. I said I had been on everything that I like in the Magic Kingdom besides an attraction I already had our 3rd fastpass for. The cast member would respond with, “Would you like a fastpass for Seven Dwarfs Mine Train?” Well, as a Disney fan and knowing that I would most likely never get on that attraction this trip because all of the fastpasses were gone, I quickly accepted!

So, to the cast member that gave me a magical moment by giving me a fastpass to Seven Dwarfs Mine Train…Thank you! You saved me 90 minutes of waiting in line!



Please keep in mind that magical moments don’t always happen. I have only had a handful of magical moments happen to me my entire life of going to Disney Theme Parks. Nothing will compare to a time I was at Disney California Adventure. However, this is a Walt Disney World trip report. If you would like to hear about the experience I had at DCA from a magical moment, feel free to private message me.

Well, instead of heading another direction, we made our way to Seven Dwarfs Mine Train!





After an unexpected ride on the most popular attraction in the Magic Kingdom, we made our way to our 3rd and final fastpass of the day.

On the way, we would go by Cinderella’s Castle, and I always like getting side pictures of the castle.



Our 3rd fastpass of the day was for the Jungle Cruise!





At this point in the day, I would be leaving my Dad since he would not be joining me for Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party! It was definitely a great day in the Magic Kingdom with my Dad, but it was now time for a party!
 
Day 3: Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party!​

It’s Halloween in the Magic Kingdom!!!

"Boys and girls of every age
Wouldn't you like to see something strange?

Come with us and you will see
This, our town of Halloween

This is Halloween, this is Halloween
Pumpkins scream in the dead of night

This is Halloween, everybody make a scene
Trick or treat till the neighbors gonna die of fright
It's our town, everybody scream
In this town of Halloween”

It was time to celebrate Halloween in the Magic Kingdom!!! I attended Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party on September 1st.

My party began by going to the Tomorrowland wristband location at around 4:00 p.m. I would receive my wristband, my trick-or-treat bag, candy, and a map for the evening.

As soon as I received those items, I was off to my first location! That was to see how the line was to meet the 7 Dwarves. When I arrived to the area, there was no one there. So, I remembered from the previous year that there was a merchandise location right next to the meet and greet location. So, I quickly stopped in the merchandise location (which had no wait at all), and I got my pins from this years party. I would also get a quick snack at the counter service location inside the shop. The shopping location I was at was at the Storybook Circus part of the Magic Kingdom.

At this point, I walked outside to see what the line was like, and noticed people had started to gather. I would eventually be 3rd in line to meet the 7 Dwarves. Now, last year I was not able to meet them due to the weather that came into the area by the time I made it over there. I also met Jack and Sally the previous year, so the 7 Dwarves were my #1 priority this year. I would eventually wait about 2 hours for one of the rarest meet and greets I have ever done! While waiting in the 2 hour line, a CM also came around the queue and gave everyone in the line another bag of candy. I thought that was a nice gesture to all of us wasting 2 hours of our day in a line. The 7 Dwarves came out around 6:15 p.m, and I got in line for the meet and greet at 4:20 p.m. This was definitely a unique photo opportunity. Especially since I shook Sneezy’s hand right after he rubbed his nose. Talk about disgusting, but I loved the attention to detail!



After waiting two hours plus a couple minutes to finally meet the 7 Dwarves, the Magic Kingdom wasn’t fully closed to day guests. That meant it was dinner time at my favorite quick service location in the Magic Kingdom, Columbia Harbour House!



I would also meet up with two friends that I met during my Disney Cruise this summer (@lucas and her husband). It just so happened that when I booked this trip, they were already going to be at Walt Disney World. So, we quickly connected and figured we could meet during the party.

After a great dinner with friends, we decided to go on the Haunted Mansion. Now, the cast members at the Haunted Mansion during the parties go all out for this event. You have to ride the Haunted Mansion during the Halloween Party!



So, we got in line and quickly noticed a lady talking to guests as they would walk past in line. We walked really slow, because this lady was absolutely hilarious. I don’t know the name of the character she was portraying, but I didn’t remember Disney doing this the previous year during the party.



Gotta love the details in the Haunted Mansion queue! Especially around the entrance to the mansion where they had fog surrounding the graves.





"When the crypt doors creak
And the tombstones quake
Spooks come out for a singing wake
Happy haunts materialize
And begin to vocalize
Grim grinning ghosts come out to socialize

Now don't close your eyes
And don't try to hide
Or a silly spook may sit by your side
Shrouded in a daft disguise
They pretend to terrorize
Grim grinning ghosts come out to socialize

As the moon climbs high o'er dead oak tree
Spooks arrive for the midnight spree
Creepy creeps with eerie eyes
Start to shriek and harmonize
Grim grinning ghosts come out to socialize”

I always get this song stuck in my head when I ride the Haunted Mansion!

After riding the Haunted Mansion, we noticed a butler as we exited. He was really hilarious as he joked around with peoples costumes.



It was then time to trick-or-treat! So, we hit all of the trick-or-treat booths in Liberty Square, Adventureland, and Frontierland.



When we made our way over to Big Thunder Railroad. I asked my friends if they would want to go on Big Thunder before it started to rain. @lucas husband said he would, so we made our way through the queue. As we were getting ready to get on, I heard a cast member say, “This is the last train.” You would think I would take that as a warning to put on my poncho before going on Big Thunder. Well, I didn’t and we got soaked. That will definitely be a memorable ride on Big Thunder though!

Well, the rain had come, and the radar had it looking like it would be raining the rest of the party. It was about 8:30 p.m. at this point. So, we decided to make our way to another trick-or-treat location. We would go to the Mickey’s Philharmagic treat location where they gave out lots of candy and showed Halloween films. When we walked in, I think they were showing the Headless Horseman. If I am wrong on the movie title, please correct me.



After a quick rest out of the rain, my friends wanted to go check out some of the merchandise, so I would find myself back at the Storybook Circus where I would buy another pin.

The rain was still going and it was getting close to 10 p.m. We would then decide to ride the Peoplemover! You can never go wrong with the Peoplemover! Here is where I would finally get a picture with my friends that I had spent the evening with (@lucas and her husband).



Well, during the evening, I was certain that the first parade was going to be canceled. Well, as we rode the Peoplemover, I began to hear the Boo-To-You music. I looked over at the point where we could see Main Street, and I noticed that the parade had started, but it started late. They were also running a limited version of the Halloween Parade.

@lucas and her husband…I’m still sorry about this to this day!!!

So, since the parade started late, that meant that HalloWishes was also delayed. HalloWishes began about 15 minutes late. That put the show starting at about 10:45 p.m. This firework show is amazing especially with the 180-degree fireworks finale!















At this point, I would say goodbye to my friends as they left, but I was still going to stay until the party was over.

I would then make my way to the castle to try and see the next Hocus Pocus Show. The 2nd show would eventually get canceled. However, they still performed the last 5 minutes of the show which was basically the only part I wanted to see. Therefore, I enjoyed seeing a little bit of the show. It’s nice that Disney still does part of it when it rains.





After the short Hocus Pocus show, I made my way to Frontierland to get a spot for the 2nd parade. At this point, the rain was beginning to stop. So, I was confident the 2nd parade would happen especially if the 1st parade was shown in the conditions that were happening at the time. The 2nd parade would eventually start at 11:50 p.m. which was about 20 minutes later than scheduled.















I really like the detail Disney puts into decorating Main Street. Especially with the Mickey Jack-O-Lanterns!



I also really like how Main Street is lit up during the party! They really make Main Street look like you’re in a party by changing the colors of the lights and playing up-beat music.





It was really a great Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween party despite the rain!





If you are ever deciding if you should go to Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, I would say give it a try. I am a person who doesn’t really celebrate Halloween, and I really enjoyed this party. I would definitely want to do it closer to the actual season. I think with it starting in August/early September, it’s really hard to get into the spirit of the season. That is because Halloween was basically 2 months away when I attended the party. It was also really warm, and it didn’t feel like fall at all.

Well, Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party was officially over for the evening which meant it was time to go back to All-Star Music to relax after a fun day in the Magic Kingdom. I was also ready to get started on eating two bags filled of candy! I mean go to sleep! :D

Stay tuned for my Day 4 report!
 
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