Halloween Week at Disney -little princess's magical vacation, food allergy, photos

[MomoMama]

After meeting Merida, we quickly moved to meet Alice. Alice was there in front of Mad Tea Party ride with the White Rabbit.
When Alice saw DD, she invited DD for a teacup ride!

Alice_Photopass2 by PeachAnnie, on Flickr

I think DD kept her cool better than I did.
I have always liked Alice in Wonderland long before I saw the Disney movie. So seeing DD having conversation with Alice was special to me, more than seeing the princesses.

Alice & White Rabbit by PeachAnnie, on Flickr

Alice took her time, showed DD how to twirl and how to bow.

Alice_Photopass1 by PeachAnnie, on Flickr

Then the Teacup ride with Alice and the White Rabbit!

This was such a magical moment for me and DD. Maybe more for me...DD does not realize how special it was to have such a special treatment.
I got to tell Alice she was my favorite character and got a hug too.

By the time we were done, the line to see Alice was much longer. Also later on Halloween night, Queen of Hearts joined them, and the line was much, much longer.

Photopass / Memory Maker
When DD got the teacup ride with Alice, that is when I decided to buy the Photopass Memory Maker package. I was not planning on buying it, and did not take advantage of $50 off for the advanced purchase. But the Photopass photographer was able to take the teacup ride photos closer while me and DD waited outside the ride. I just had to have those photos! If Disney wants to make $200 in 5 minutes, let the character spent some time with the kids and have only the Photopass photographer take the photos...I am sure I am not the only mom to cough up $200 for those magical moment photos!
So after we decided to purchase Memory Maker, we got many photos taken by them everywhere. Some photographers were fun to work with, some took good photos, and some did not. If you purchase Memory Maker, have many photos taken by various photographers. Some photos may not turn out so well, especially at night time or indoors. We did get some out-of-focus photos.
DH was disappointed in many of their photos, but I think the purchase was a right decision for us. My lens broke and I had hard time focusing, and I ended up taking many bad photos this trip, so having extra set of photos was great! I will post some of the photos taken by them too.

 

[Frozen2014]

Wow...awesome picture of DD in the teacup WITH Alice and the Rabbit. Is that typical? I know what you mean about not knowing who is more excited...you little one or you. It's just so magical seeing their expression.
We got MM and absolutely loved it. Just stop each time you see a photographer and you'll get great photos (its quick and painless)
PS - To clarify, we didn't actually see anyone trip at the frozen playground. I just worried some child would do so.

 

[MomoMama]

Wow...awesome picture of DD in the teacup WITH Alice and the Rabbit. Is that typical? I know what you mean about not knowing who is more excited...you little one or you. It's just so magical seeing their expression.
We got MM and absolutely loved it. Just stop each time you see a photographer and you'll get great photos (its quick and painless)
PS - To clarify, we didn't actually see anyone trip at the frozen playground. I just worried some child would do so.

I do not know how often Alice takes a kid for a ride, but I know we were the lucky ones!

I expected snapshots from Memory Maker, so I was not particularly disappointed. I told DH, we were not getting a family portrait session for $200 I was irritated by the out-of-focus photos in bright daylight. I understand nighttime and indoors photos can be hard (though I still expect the photos to be in focus for the paid photos).
But it was great for me to be in the photos. I am usually the one to take the photos, so I liked that we got many photos of 3 of us together. Some photographers were great, and some at the character meet&greet took the photos during the interactions with the characters, not just the posed look-at-the-camera-and-smile photos. I appreciate those photographers.

 

[MomoMama]

After the teacup ride with Alice, we went to Pete's Silly Sideshow to meet more characters. When we go there it was not open yet, but some people were already forming lines. There were 2 lines, one to see Donald and Goofy, and another to see Minnie and Daisy. DD choose Minnie and Daisy without hesitation.
Soon we were inside, and I saw Donald and Goofy on one side, and Minnie on the other side. But...where was Daisy?? When we got close to CM, I asked and was told Daisy was busy preparing for a big date with Donald later that night, but not to tell Donald because it was a secret... DD did not quite get that.

Circus Minnie by PeachAnnie, on Flickr

So we saw Minnie, pretty in pink. I thought it would be fun to have DH taken pic with her in all that pink, but he refused...

The line to see Donald and Goofy was not long, so we went outside and went back right in, this time to see Donald and Goofy.

Goofy_Photopass by PeachAnnie, on Flickr
Donald was a daredevil.

Circus Gonald by PeachAnnie, on Flickr

And Donald was a sneak charmer. I thought those attires were just perfect for them!

While we were standing in the line to see those two, Daisy showed up on the other side. DD wanted to see her, so we went outside and came back inside AGAIN. This time the line to see Minnie and Daisy was getting longer, but not terribly long. We waited and DD got the hug she waned.

Circus Daisy by PeachAnnie, on Flickr

The fortune teller Daisy was so cute, and as always, she was great at posing.

DD loved getting hugs from Donald and Daisy...it must be the fluffy duck belly she liked. When we adults hug Donald and Daisy, we are too tall to hug those bellies and it would not look right...

Since we already had the photos taken with Minnie, we just waved goodbye and skipped her. DH looked happy when we were done!

 

[MomoMama]

No, we were not done meeting the characters that morning. After leaving the circus, we went to meet Ariel at her grotto. We had FP for this, but the wait posted was only 20 min. We visited Magic Kingdom 4 days during our vacation, and we found whenever we walked by the grotto the wait was never longer than 20 min.
Ariel at Her Grotto by PeachAnnie, on Flickr

Ariel complemented DD's Alice dress, and DD replied back she had Ariel dress too. DD was more relaxed and chatty with Ariel.

Our next FP was Enchanted Tales with Belle. We still had time but did not want to go too far, so we walked around Fantasyland and did the Carousel ride.

Enchanted Tales with Belle...I really did not know what to expect on this one. I thought it was going to be like extended meet and greet. Then I realized they were putting a little interactive show! DD was picked to play Chip.

Enchanted Tales with Belle by PeachAnnie, on Flickr

All the kids participated in the show. They did not have enough known characters for all kids, but they could play enchanted objects.

Belle_Photopass by PeachAnnie, on Flickr

And before Belle had to go, she took time to talk and pose for photos with each kid.

I thought Belle sounded just like she did in the movie. This was such a cute, cute show.

Then it was time for Peter Pan's Flight. I haves seen the wait for this ride is usually more than 1 hour, so I reserved FP for it.
Well it was a cute ride...but not really worth 1 hour wait in my opinion. DH thought so too, and DD was not particularly excited about it either.

 

[MomoMama]

And now it was about lunch time, we walked to the nearby Gaston's Tavern.

Gaston's Tavern by PeachAnnie, on Flickr

Gaston was there outside meeting people. DD was not interested at that time, so we just went inside to get food.

Food
I knew at least DD could eat veggie cup there. When I asked the CM at counter if I could talk to the manager about food allergy, she said I could talk to her and brought out the ingredient book. But when the CM heard about DD's multiple allergies, she recommended us to go to other restaurants that can prepare allergy-free food. We still checked for the roasted pork shank, and found DD could eat it. The CM was hesitant, but we ordered it anyway because DH waned to eat it. I understand the CM was being careful. But we normally eat out fine at the restaurants as long as certain food are not on DD's plate. She does have multiple food allergies, but I think she can tolerate minimum food contamination.
DD shared the pork with DH and had veggies. The ranch sauce had eggs so she could not eat it, but she is a good veggie eater and ate carrots and celery without the sauce no problem.

Gaston by PeachAnnie, on Flickr

While we were eating at the table near the door, suddenly Gaston came in! He was speaking in a loud voice, looking for someone named "Taylor." I guess those girls meeting with him said something about "Taylor," he was with 2 girls. There was no "Taylor" in the tavern at that time. I wonder what he would have said to me if I had said "I'm Taylor! But I am not and I did not...

 

[MomoMama]

Our quick lunch was done and we walked toward the exit. We were heading back to the hotel, DD needed to take a nap.
Then we saw Move It! Shake It! dance party was going on.

Move It Shake It Dance Party by PeachAnnie, on Flickr

The music was fun, some characters came down from the floats and danced with people. We were near Genie and danced a little, but DD was not into it...it was hot and she really did not feel like dancing. Yeah, she needed a nap. We left the dance party and went to catch a bus ride.

 

[MomoMama]

We went back to our room and we all took some rest. DD slept well, and I wished to let her sleep longer, but I had to wake up because we had an early dinner reservation, 4:50 pm at 1900 Park Fare for Cinderella's Happily Ever After Dinner! DD was half asleep, so I had to help her get ready in her Cinderella dress. But by the time we left the room she was fully awake and ready to go!

We got on the bus to MK, then changed to the monorail. We got on the one that goes to Contemporary Resort first, so Grand Floridian Resort was the last stop. At the Contemporary resort stop, the monorail stopped for more than 10 min. There was an announce that another monorail ahead of us was having a problem. So we waited...and I was glad we had enough time. When the monorail stopped for the second time though, I was starting to worry we will be late for our reservation. Thankfully the second stop was short, and we got to the restaurant exactly at our reservation time!

1900 Park Fare Wall by PeachAnnie, on Flickr

The Photographer there takes family photos in front of a painted castle on the wall, no characters.

We were led to the table all the way towards the end, in front of the back door. So when Cinderella and the Prince Charming made the grand entrance, we could not see. I took DD to the main dining area, but she really could not see anything. I think they did a little dance move or something, but it was short and we missed it.

Each character visits your table one by one. The first one was Prince Charming. He was a handsome prince. He got on his knees to have a picture taken with DD, but DD had not loosen up yet and I did not get a smile from her. Next was Cinderella, then Lady Temaine.

Lady Tremaine 1900 Park Fare by PeachAnnie, on Flickr

I just had to tell her she looked a lot more beautiful in person. Her response was,"I know."

Then Drizella came around. When she stopped at the table next to us, I did not hear but it seemed like a young boy in the family had proposed to her! Drizella got so excited, screamed, and run across the restaurant to tell her mother! That was so much fun to see.
When Anastasia came along, the boy had to break it to her that he had already proposed to her sister. When Anastasia came to our table, she talked to DD about her dream wedding and making it pink. DD had seen all 3 Cinderella movies, and asked her if she had found her true love yet. She said no, and asked DD to help her find it. Well DD said no...

Those 2 sisters were so much fun. I wish they would have come around first and talked to DD. That would have made DD loosen up and maybe she would not be shy with Prince Charming and Cinderella.

Food
Before we could go get the food, we had to wait for the chef to come to our table to talk about DD's food options. I cannot remember the name, but it was a very friendly female chef. She took me to the buffet and showed me what I could get for DD right off from the buffet. I was surprised to see so many options for her! So the only thing I asked the chef to prepare for DD was pasta. I could get potatoes, green beans, and several meat options from the buffet. We started eating, and the chef came to our table and said they were out of rice pasta. But she offered to bring dinner rolls instead. Even better! With wheat and egg allergies, usually she does not get to eat breads at restaurants, so this was special.

And chef brought the dessert plate herself too.

Allergy-free Dessert by PeachAnnie, on Flickr

Sorbet and special brownies (or cookie?). The dessert plate was a little too much for a 4 years old, so she ate half of sorbet and 1 brownie. DD was so happy, happier than seeing the characters. She especially liked those Mickey sprinklers!

1900 Park Fare Desserts by PeachAnnie, on Flickr

Here are some of the dessert from the buffet.
I thought the food was good, especially for the buffets.

The chef was great, DD had many food options, and the interactions with the characters were fun. We all enjoyed the dinner and I would love to come back for the next trip!

 

[azarine]

Great TR, thanks!

 

[MomoMama]

Great TR, thanks!

Thanks for reading!

 

[MomoMama]

After the dinner we went outside to check the grounds at the resort. The buildings are pretty, the flowerbeds are beautifully maintained. It was a nice place to take DD and DH dancing photos.

It was starting to get dark. I got DD changed into something more comfortable, and hopped on the monorail to go back to Magic Kingdom. We did not purchase park hopper option, so the MK was the only choice for us.

When we got there, we saw Move It! Shake It! Dance party was going on again.

Move It! Shake It! Dance Party2 by PeachAnnie, on Flickr

My memory on that night in blur. I did not take photos so nothing to look at to remember. I think we went to check out Mickey's PhilharMagic that night. I heard the wait time for this show is always 5 to 10 minutes, and that was true. Although this attraction seems not so popular, it really was a great cute show! We ended up watching it 3 times during our vacation, and DD wanted to watch it for the 4th time.

We saw Main Street Electrical Parade that night. I liked the happy tune music, and loved seeing the characters from classical movies.

We also saw Celebrate The Magic castle show and Wishes fireworks. Park was closing at 11 pm and we stayed till the closing time. I expected the crowds at the bus stop, but oh, boy...it seems there were more guests staying at POP, the wait line for POP was extended like CRAZY!

 

[MomoMama]

It was the day we had been waiting for...the day of Halloween Party!
I got the tickets for MNSSHP for Tuesday night, because I knew 31st Friday would be sold out and crowded. Turned out, they sold out on this day too. Oh, well.

I decided we should take it easy till 4 pm to go to Magic Kingdom that day, so I reserved late breakfast at Chef Mickey's at 11 am. We could sleep in little late and have a big breakfast/lunch.

We got to Contemporary Resort 30 minutes before the reservation time. So we went outside and walked around.

Contemporary Resort1 by PeachAnnie, on Flickr

Contemporary Resort2 by PeachAnnie, on Flickr

The resort style is so...contemporary. And contemporary is not our style. While it must be a nice resort, we could not imagine us staying there.

There was nothing much to see, so we checked in a little early. We got the photos taken with Chef Mickey statue, and waited. I think we waited 10 or 15 min past our reservation time. Good thing they had a TV in the waiting area showing Disney show to keep DD occupied.

The characters came in this order: Mickey, Pluto, Goofy, Donald, and then Minnie.

Minnie at Chef Mickey's by PeachAnnie, on Flickr

I loved their chef attires. The restaurant is open ceiling and bright, so it was easier to take photos there.

Food
We got to our table, then waited for the chef to show up. Again I really cannot remember his name, but he was a very nice, friendly chef. He showed me the buffet and talked about each items. Then he offered to make special Mickey waffles. He also said he could bring out a cupcake for dessert, and asked whether DD liked vanilla or chocolate.
I also could get yogurt, fruits, sliced tomatoes, bacon and sausage for DD from the buffet. Strawberry is DD's favorite fruit, so it was great that they had them at the buffet.

Allergy-free Breakfast by PeachAnnie, on Flickr

Chef brought the plate himself and checked with us. Great service! We got to see him one more time before we left the restaurant and thanked him, but I would like to thank him here again, "Thank you!"

My little girl could not eat all that food he brought, so we had the cupcake and one waffle to go. They do not have takeout boxes, so gave us the disposable cups. It was very nice of them for letting us take the food with us. Since I could not find the allergy-free Babycakes cupcake at POP while we were staying there, I really appreciated it.

DH and I liked the food too. It was not the best breakfast buffet we ever had, but the selections were more than enough for us. I could not say I liked the pastries though. Pancakes and waffles were better choices.

Oveall the food was good and meeting the characters was fun. All 3 of us were satisfied.

 

[disneyfreak25]

I've always wanted to go for Halloween!

 

[Frozen2014]

Still reading and enjoying your report. Trip sounds so magical.
We also did Chef Mickeys and really enjoyed. Great character experience and breakfast was quite yummy. Am really glad to hear how accommodating they were with your DD allergies.

Looking forward to reading about your MNSSHP experience. Know what you mean as I was surprised hearing of some of the mid week sell outs .

 

[MomoMama]

I've always wanted to go for Halloween!

Oh, I hope you will get your chance! You will have a great time!

 

[MomoMama]

Still reading and enjoying your report. Trip sounds so magical.
We also did Chef Mickeys and really enjoyed. Great character experience and breakfast was quite yummy. Am really glad to hear how accommodating they were with your DD allergies.

Looking forward to reading about your MNSSHP experience. Know what you mean as I was surprised hearing of some of the mid week sell outs .

Good to hear you had a great time at Chef Mickey too! I preferred it better than princess dining. I can see myself going back there even if we did not have a kid.

One of the reasons I like going to Disney is because they are great for people with food allergies. With multiple food allergies, dining out is sometimes a problem. But at Disney, DD always have plenty to eat!

 

[MomoMama]

So we finished the fun breakfast, and hopped back on the monorail. We decided to get off at the Polynesian Resort jut to check it out. I have read some good reviews on this resort, and I wanted to see if this would be a good place to stay instead of going to Hawaii.
I knew about the construction work going on, and maybe because of that I felt the resort was not as big as I thought. I could tell it was not going to be a replacement for a Hawaii vacation. The green lake water does not feel beach-y enough for me. But I will be curious to see the resort again once all the construction works are done.
Instead of hopping back on the monorail, we rode the boat to get to MK. I thought this was a really cool option for staying there.

MNSSHP sign by PeachAnnie, on Flickr

DD thought we were going to MK right away. I had to break it to her, no, not yet. But we would be back later for the Halloween party.... We got on the bus to get back to POP. let DD take a nap and rest before the fun!

 

[MomoMama]

I woke up DD from a nap, and got her dressed in Rapunzel dress. DH and I had costumes to wear too, but decided on wearing them later. It was still too hot and I did not want to sweat in the costume. Also I was not certain if we adults could wear the costumes before the Halloween Party time (7 pm). When we went to catch the bus, we saw some guest were already dressed in their costumes, so we learned we were allowed to wear the costumes before 7.

We got to the park a little after 4 pm. We had FP for Seven Dwarf's Mine Train, so went straight to there. This was DD's very first coaster ride, and I was not sure how she would react. From the ride photo she did not look like enjoying it, but she told us she LOVED it. She wanted to go right back again. We loved it too, but we were not about to stay in the line for over 1 hour...

We had little time before our next FP, and it was still hot outside. So we went to Mickey's PhilharMagic again. This was the second time and we still enjoyed it, especially DD.

We got a little cool down there and then went to our next FP , Princess Meet & Greet with Rapunzel and Cinderella. I scheduled it on this day because DD was dressing as Rapunzel for Halloween. Now DD being Rapunzel naturally made me...Mother Gothel. I debated whether I should get dressed into my costume before the meet and greet, and I did not... I thought it may be a little cheesy. But later I regretted it a little. It is only during the Halloween party we the adults get to wear costumes, and we were at Disney...I should have been cheesy!

Rapunzel by PeachAnnie, on Flickr
The first princess to meet was Rapunzel. Oh, what a lovely princess. She took time to check DD's long (fake) hair front and back, commented how they both looked alike.

Cinderella by PeachAnnie, on Flickr
Next was Cinderella. She was a lovely princess too. The meet started with a big hug and it seemed DD was more relaxed with Cinderella.

 

[MomoMama]

Meeting Rapunzel there was a big "to-do" on our list, since it seems she does not appear at the princess dining. I heard she sometimes shows up at CRT, but it is not guaranteed. So now that DD met one of her favorite princesses (who am I kidding...she loves ALL the princesses), we were ready to go eat.

Food
I could not get any reservations for that night at MK, so we went to Cosmic Ray's Starlight Café. They have CMs greeting so I was able to ask for a manager before actually getting in line. They were busy and it took them a little to find one of the managers, but CMs were nice and kept DD occupied, giving her stickers and asking her autograph because she was dressed as a princess.
The manager we talked to was very nice. She suggested a chicken sandwich for DD , ordered it as a kid meal and added milk and Enjoy Life cookies. She also let me order my rotisserie chicken and green beans allergy-free, so I could share with DD. She stayed around to make sure the order was entered correctly.
You do have to wait longer if you place allergy-free items. I saw 5, maybe 6 or 7 people who were behind me got their orders first.
It is a quick-service restaurant and the food is nothing to rave about, but DD was happy...she was eating a chicken sandwich (bread and chicken only) and fries.! The cucumber salad was too sour for her, but green beans were fine. Overall, good dining experience.


It was getting darker and cooler outside. While DD was still eating, I went to the restroom and got into my costume. DH only had to put the costume pieces on while keeping the shirt and shorts he was already wearing. When we left the restaurant, we were a different set of family. And now we were ready for the party!

 

[MomoMama]

Mickey_Pumpkin2 by PeachAnnie, on Flickr

We left the restaurant dressed as Rapunzel, Mother Gothel, and Pascal. Yes, Pascal. I got DH dressed as Pascal. He is my handsome prince , but he is not a Disney prince material. I thought he would look much better as Pascal than Flynn Rider (BTW, DD and I rather call him Eugene), and that was what he became.

We walked to Fantasyland. We passed Alice, White Rabbit, and Queen of Hearts. Then we saw the seven dwarfs! The line was long, but not as long as I feared, so we went to line up. But a little later we saw the dwarfs leaving for a break. We did not feel like staying in the line, so we left too.

We tend to stick around in Fantasyland, but that night we walked to Adventureland and Frontierland. As we passed Liberty Square, I saw Tiana with Prince Naveen. I wanted to see the prince, but I could not tell how long the line was, and I was sure DH was not in a mood to stay in a line for character meeting. So we moved on.

We walked around, tried to see which ride to try. Then we saw a long, long line somewhere around the tree house. I asked a nearby CM what ride the line was for, and she said that was for trick-or-treating! The line was unbelievably long! DD of course wanted to go trick-or-treating, but we were not willing to stay in the loooong line for the candies she could not eat. I promised her we would try much, much later. I know what she enjoys is trick-or-treating experience, but I would rather buy bags of candies myself and fill up her treat bag than staying in a line during the Halloween party...