"We've gone too far"-A sister trip with surprise guest Irma! Sept 2017 - Completed 4/16

And here marks the beginning of our obsession with Magic Shots…we really tried to hunt down as many as possible!
We did that the first time we got Memory Maker a few years ago, before we had AP's :) Any time we saw a PP photographer not only did we have a picture taken but I asked for a Magic Shot. My kids were younger and had no idea what was happening, and thought it was pretty cool when hey saw them afterwards! Now that they're older they aren't impressed lol.

You know, I honestly didn't know there was a ride in the "golf ball" until I started researching for this trip.
You aren't alone! I talk to many people that have no idea there's a ride in there, even people who have been to Epcot before!

This bird (a crane?) was walking along and some kids just decided to chase it. And even after it flew away, they just kept running and running after it! With their parents just nonchalantly walking along not caring! Its like-this bird is a living animal and does not deserve that stress and verbal abuse
:sad2: This happens way too often down there, in all the parks. You'll see a whole family including the parents/adults feeding a bird, squirrel, etc., following it around, whatever. Not only does that make the animals come around you more especially when you're eating, it's not fair to the animals like you said.

“We’ve gone too far already”. That mantra became a running joke-anytime we considered doing something which would have involved backtracking (even if that backtracking was about 10 ft), one of us would say “we’ve gone too far already”. So, it became the title of the trip report-when I told Lauren, she nodded and said-that fits!
Love hearing how trip titles are born :thumbsup2

AND THAT MY FRIENDS WAS THE ONE AND ONLY TIME IT RAINED WHILE WE WERE IN A THEME PARK!
That's the way to do it! If you didn't have ponchos it would've rained every time you were in a park :laughing:

I guess it could be considered relaxing and some parts are cute (I like the fireworks
I love the fireworks, my favorite part of the ride. It's not my favorite ride though, far from it lol. However being that there aren't many rides in WS it's nice to get a break from heat or rain and my youngest still enjoys it. I don't think DH and I have ever done it on our adults trips, except possibly once after not having ridden for awhile.
 
So, before getting into this update, an experience I'm sure all other trip reporters have had! My mom wanted to look at my photos, so I said sure, but I'm also doing a trip report and gave her the link (she likes Disney, just isn't as crazy as me and Lauren). She read through my first couple posts and realized the images weren't loading so stopped until she could load it up on her computer. And she made the comment, wow, it's very long. I corrected her that I hadn't even finished our first Epcot day, and my sister just looked at me: "Good god, woman!"


But now, onto the show:

Day 1, Part 8 “Let’s get them in case we have to evacuate!” or "Ice wine is not meant to be chugged"

We finished up our loop of the World Showcase over in Canada, where we stopped in the Trading Post.
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We went out on a limb and asked if they had any more Canada 150th birthday buttons, as they were supposed to stop having those in July. Well I guess they had a lot leftover because they had a bunch in a drawer! That was very exciting! (While my sister and I were both born and raised in LA, both our parents came from Canada, with my mom living there until she married my dad and our family going up there every summer on vacation; I also did my undergrad in Montreal.) The CM wrote "Vancouver" in the hometown section, though if you get down to it, I've lived for more "days" in Montreal. I realized I never got a photo of the actual buttons, but here is the official Disney photo; Lauren added it to her button collection (so she had "Happy Birthday", "I'm Celebrating" my first hurricane, and "Canada 150th Anniversary"). I'm not a button person but she convinced me to wear my "First Visit button for the first couple days.
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We checked out the onsies and my sister wanted us to each get one and wear them in case we had to evacuate the hotel. That, or get one for the entire family to wear in a Christmas card! We ultimately decided to pass as each was over $50 and that was a bit much for a joke!
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That brought us to our dinnertime at Le Cellier! Originally I had an ADR for Sunday night, but once I moved our trip I was able to easily find one for Friday night (lots of people cancelling/postponing their trips), so just shifted our evening Epcot day to then. Lauren loved that they had a “Happy Birthday” menu for her!
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First bread, with their infamous pretzel rolls and maple sugar butter (which I actually didn't partake in since I don't like butter (she says as she ducks from the flying pitchforks)).

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We shared the Le Cellier Icewine Flight [Château des Charmes Vidal, Inniskillin Vidal, Neige]

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I liked the Inniskillin Vidal best, as it was the sweetest (I typically don’t like wine and really only like the types that are so sweet and fruity you can’t taste the wine part). My sister liked the Château des Charmes the best. The Neige was fine and what you find at the Canadian F&W booth. My sister ended up drinking the last of that in one gulp when we were about to leave, and that was a mistake!

We also shared the Le Cellier Signature Poutine [Fresh-cut French Fries, Canadian Cheddar, Truffles, Red Wine Reduction]. I thought it was good, but very salty. I prefer the street-food types I would get in Montreal! My sister loved it though! She would occasionally take a bit with the steak, risotto, and poutine and thought that was heavenly!

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Both of us got the Le Cellier Filet Mignon [AAA Canadian Tenderloin, Mushroom Risotto, Asparagus-Tomato Relish, Truffle-Butter Sauce], but I got mashed potatoes instead of risotto. I thought this was very tender and well cooked, but again, so salty! My sister disagreed and loved hers a lot! I was able to finish mine, but she couldn’t, so boxed up half of it, plus her remaining half of pretzel rolls, and ate those for a midnight snack!

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I wanted to try the Chocolate Moose from the kid’s menu (because I'm immature like that), but was waaay too full!

I have to admit, I was a bit disappointed in Le Cellier, I mean it wasn’t bad at all, just not as spectacular as all the blogs and reviews made it out to be. I thought it’d be a very relaxing, peaceful meal, but it was pretty noisy in there. Food was good, but not excellent and definitely not worth that $$$. (Again, though I'm also wondering if my palate was really off that day since everything I ate was really salty. I would say I'd give Le Cellier another try, but there are so many other World Showcase and WDW resort restaurants I want to try, I don't know if that will ever happen!) And on the other hand, I think it was Lauren's favorite meal, so to each their own!

During dinner was when we found out WDW would be closed on Sunday/Monday, which honestly, wasn’t that much of a surprise! I was pretty happy it was staying open until 9pm on Saturday (even if all evening entertainment was cancelled), as I was expecting it to close closer to 5pm like Universal and Sea World! It just meant we needed to get up plenty early the next morning to maximize our park time! But considering how the crowds were so light, we were able to accomplish most everything I wanted to do at Epcot in one evening, I wasn't too worried!
 
Day 1, Part 9 “I had no idea that was here”

Once we were done with dinner, we went around the back of Le Cellier and over to O Canada. I loved the waterfall entrance and the “minutes to show” sign! I did end up noticing those signs in various shows around Magic Kingdom, but I've never seen them at DLR (I guess we also have much less "shows" and more rides)
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O Canada itself, yeah, not so sure about that one! It definitely needs updating too. Or, you know, just put a loop of Prime Minister Trudeau! I’ll be ok with that! I’m low-key in love with Justin Trudeau, and we went to the same university (just at totally different decades)!
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Once we were finished, we had plenty of time before Illuminations, as Epcot wasn’t scheduled to close until 10pm that night (during Food & Wine Epcot stays open 1 hr later on Fridays and Saturdays).

First we went to see Impressions de France. This was a new experience for my sister who had no idea France had a movie too! I liked that one more than O Canada, especially because it was a theater you could sit down in! I had also visited France in high school, so could recognize some places. I know there are questions about its future, and I guess we’ll find out eventually if it’ll stick around once Ratatouille gets built.

Then around past Japan again, which has nice evening lighting.

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We also saw Happily Ever After going off in Magic Kingdom. I think, if you were efficient about it, on a night with HEA at 9 and Illuminations at 10, you could possibly see both! I think though, you'd have to really book it out of MK to miss the crowds, so probably wouldn't get a great view of either.

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We made our way back to Norway for our Frozen Ever After fastpass.

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I think the ride photo turned out great, especially for Lauren not knowing a) the ride went backwards and b) there was a ride photo at all. I knew there was a ride photo but didn't know when it happened.

I liked that ride-not enough to wait in those insane lines, but enough to book a FP for it again! As the rides are now at Epcot, it is probably my favorite. But it is very short, so if I was waiting for 90 minutes I would feel very ripped off. I think at that time of night the standby wait was about 30 minutes.

At around 9:40 we decided to find a spot for Illuminations outside Norway. Well…that wasn’t exactly hard and we came up right to a railing spot, actually next to a trash can so during the show we could lean against it! People could pretty much show up at any time and get a great view, maybe even a railing spot, it was that empty! I had been trying to get an Illuminations fastpass, but chosen FEA instead, and that was a good call, as the fastpass area would probably have been more crowded than the regular areas around the lake!

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Illuminations itself, I wasn’t as in love with it as I know other people are. It was a fine show and all, but I guess nothing I was crazy about. I think the pyro couldn’t be as great as other shows I’ve seen by Disney because of the spot in the middle of the lake. The globe also didn’t open, which I think is a common occurrence these days.
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After Illuminations we joined the “throng” of people leaving the park (and by that I mean it felt like a few hundred). We got to the Pop Century bus stall and ended up waiting a bit for the bus, but at least we got the first bus. We were probably back at the room around 11:15, so we quickly packed up anything that we had unpacked the previous 2 days so we could be ready to check out early in the morning.

Another note: at some point this evening I lost my credit card. :sad2: It probably fell out of my pocket one of the times I was putting my phone back in/out. Luckily I was able to cancel it fine and no fraudulent charges, and I had other credit cards to use for the remainder of the trip. Unfortunately it was my main CC, so a lot of things were set to auto-debit from it, which I needed to correct once I got home.



My thoughts on Epcot:

I know for a lot of people this is their absolute favorite park. But for me, not so much. :( I mean, I liked it and all because it was Disney, but it just didn’t have that magical feel for me. Future world just felt so abandoned, partly because of the general park emptiness but there were also just so many huge buildings that didn’t have anything in them. The world showcase was interesting, I guess, but it also just felt like lots of shops and restaurants and pretty buildings to look at, without much substance. Maybe when it is more full of performers it would be more fun? I know we visited at what could be considered its decline and it will be revitalized very soon, so I look forward to seeing how I feel once that happens. Though I think if I visited at a time without any festivals, I would probably limit my time at Epcot considerably!


End of day stats (I’m trying to do this for every day)


Health data (via app on my phone, not Fitbit):
Walked: 20,755 steps (7.8 miles)
Flights climbed: 3 floors


Attraction count:
Spaceship Earth – 1
Journey into Imagination with Figment – 1
Test Track – 1
Frozen Ever After – 1
O Canada – 1
Impressions de France – 1


Characters: Joy, Sadness (2)
Magic Shots: Holding tinkerbell, Flying tinkerbell (2)

Cont...Day 2, How would we fare with a "shortened" schedule?
 


All caught up with your TR! Seems like you are both off to a great start! I LOVE the Halloween posts from DL/DCA as well...something I definitely want to do in the future!
 
I know I need to continue updating my WDW TR, but figured I should get out the DLR Halloween stuff before actual Halloween!

Also, if you haven't been checking my PTR, I have more news-I'm now planning 2 trips to WDW next year! I'm going to do the long weekend in March, but now I also am planning on a week after Thanksgiving to see the decorations!


Mini Disneyland Trip Report - Mickey's Halloween Party, Part 1

Back in July, we got tickets for the Friday, the 13th Mickey Halloween Party, which ended up being the first Halloween party to sell out (though every party at DLR sells out, so that is not as much of a factor for crowds).

The original thought was I would work from home that morning and then Lauren, Joey (her boyfriend), and I would head down to Anaheim around lunchtime. We did it that way last year and worked out well. Lauren and Joey were also going to get new Annual Passes after not renewing this year. About a week before the day, that changed a bit as I needed to go to an important meeting for a volunteer position I have. So the revised plan was for me to go direct from the meeting to Disney and meet them there (the meeting location didn't make sense to go home in between).

That morning I had to get up about 1 hr earlier than normal to get to the meeting, and made sure to dress nicely, do hair/makeup, etc. Arrived there early (1.5 hrs away from home), so checked my email...to discover the meeting was cancelled last minute :mad:!

So I ended up heading to Anaheim instead (about 30 min from meeting), after discretely getting changed in my car from nice clothes-theme park clothes! Not too much traffic on the freeways, but a car almost hit me in the Mickey & Friends parking lot! They were in the car line which was going slow, so decided to cut across several lanes to get to an emptier one! And didn't seem to check that I was driving in my lane next to them! Thankfully I was driving slow enough to slam on my brakes and swerve, but it was nerve wracking. They ended up parking 2 spots away from me and I gave them the angry eye, but they just laughed :furious:

Anyways, at least I was at Disney! Rather than giving a blow-by-blow account of my rather low-key morning (where I also didn't take many photos), here are the basics:
-Got Fastpass for Guardians of the Galaxy via MaxPass
-Got locker for my Halloween costume
-Found a super cute dress I want to get for my friend's 3-yr old. Do people think Belle is creepy? I think she's adorable!
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-Rode Splash Mountain, single rider. Pro tip-the back gets less wet. And the waves tend to come on the left side. I was fine, kids in front got soaked!
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-Did some pin trading to prepare for a Disney Pin event in November; also bought some Halloween pins.
-Grabbed a Gray Stuff Twist (yum) and relaxed in the Hub for a bit. Proceeded to drop napkins, water bottle, and phone multiple times, with the guy next to me picking them up until I finally gave up and decided to focus and stop double tasking :rolleyes1
-Took a Horse-Drawn-Trolley down Main Street. Love how even the horses are decorated for Halloween (orange and black hair ribbons)!
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-Wandered around Downtown Disney, spending way too much money on Peter Pan bowls and a pillow I've been eyeing but they haven't had in stock!
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-At one point I also grabbed a Toy Story FP for later in the afternoon.
-Back into Disneyland to drop off pillow/bowls in the locker!

Ok, that takes me up to when I finally started taking photos again! Normally I'm not in the park in the morning, so was surprised to find the mini-Main Street Station show. There was a whole march down Main street with the Fab-5, Chip & Dale, Dapper Dans, & Main Street Band, and then they did a whole song and dance! I took a video of one of the songs!
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I then headed into DCA, as I was pretty hungry! I ended up grabbing a Teriyaki beef bowl at the Pacific Wharf, which was actually pretty disappointing. I thought the sauce was too vinegary, and the meet was not good quality at all! Oh well.

It was time for my GotG Fastpass! Ended up chatting with a cute older man (who is sitting next to me) who was also a single rider. But more exciting-I finally got Burning Love! If anyone isn't familiar with GotG:MB, there are 6 songs and it is random which one you get. Even though I rode it 10 times during the premiere night party and ridden several times since, I was still missing one. And I finally got it! Very exciting!
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Onto Cars land, where I was rode Racers single rider. I felt very Lord of the Flies when I got a car with a bunch of little boys, but they were all very well behaved! Their parents were all in the car we ended up racing (and beating :P)!
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While I was in line for Racers I checked MaxPass and was able to grab another GotG with an almost immediate return time! I love MaxPass! :love:

Also, I had to time things carefully at that point, as the FP was for 2:50 and I finished on Racers around 2:55. I then needed to book it to GotG so I could scan in before 3pm, which would make me eligible for another FP. During Halloween they have the Monsters After Dark version starting at 5pm, and they start distributing FPs at 3pm. People who don't have Maxpass end up waiting in a line that can be an hour long and unless they are at the front it will end up being a very late return time! But with MP, you can grab one right away (assuming no connectivity issues) for a soon return time. I also know once you enter the GotG building, you lose internet connection. Luckily I was able to scan into regular GotG at 2:59, stepped to the side for a moment, and was able to book a MAD FP at exactly 3:00 for a return time of 5:05!

*Also, if you notice, it was 3pm, and no sign of Lauren or Joey...:headache:

Anyways, had another fun ride on GotG. That ride is so powerful, I like to just make my arms go limp in front of me, then let gravity do the work and fly up and down! Love that ride (though @Raeven would hate it :scared:)
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It was now getting to be time for my Toy Story FP, so I headed to Paradise Pier, making a quick stop on California Screamin via Single Rider (so it was almost a walk-on)
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Got off and the TSMM standby line was over 100 minutes! Ridiculous! Even the Fastpass line was almost 30 minutes! I think people still aren't used to the 2nd FP scan point, so there is a huge backlog of people trying to scan their tickets/phones. The people in standby also get frustrated because they can see there aren't many people between them and the ride load point, but they have to wait for FP holders to slowly get through! At least I got a decent score; I've been trying to practice all summer so I can beat Lauren when we finally rode together (she always creams me at Buzz), though it is hard to get too high when you are a single rider and don't have someone else opening up the easter eggs! I don't think I've gotten past the "cat" prize yet.
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When I was finished with TSMM, Lauren and Joey finally showed up and finished up at the ticket booth, buying new APs! I assumed they would want to come into DCA to check out all the halloween decorations, but they had also just started to let in people who only had party tickets (this year MHP tickets are park hoppers), so there was a backup at the entrance gates. I didn't really want to leave though, as my FP for MAD was coming up in about 45 minutes. So instead, they headed over to DL and I went over and started the FP line for MAD! Hey-it let me sit on the planter and read my digital book on my phone, relaxing for a while :smooth:

On the way I did some window shopping, I'm thinking about getting this shirt and wearing it for Disney After Hours (my night ends at midnight)
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Finally at 5pm, they switched over the ride from Mission Breakout to Monsters After Dark. I wish I had gotten a video, because it was pretty cool, with CMs racing out of the doors wearing emergency vests and having monster puppets! We were quickly let into the ride and I ended up on the very first ride vehicle for MAD. I knew that because ours was the only photo available, everything else was blank (except for one which had an individual CM who was testing the ride :D
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Once that was done I headed over to DL and met up with Lauren and Joey (they had done a whole lap of the park, as they haven't visited in almost a year). We all changed into our costumes; Lauren and I re-wore our Belle dresses from Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party, while Joey wore a Gaston shirt (red shirt with felt yellow collar sewed on). I have pictures in front of the castle from later that night...

We had to pick up our wristbands outside Space Mountain, and on the way passed Jake the droid, who was being pestered by kids, so he shut down before I could interact with him. I'm curious to see how they deal with that with Star Wars Galaxy's Edge, as every time I've see a roaming droid, they are being hassled!
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We were all getting hungry, and Lauren was craving Gumbo, so we headed across the park to New Orleans Square. I think we all went someplace different, but finally ended up at The French Market to sit together; we also shared an Oogie Boogie cake. After eating, we decided to take a ride on Pirates; as we were in line, the announcement came over the speakers that Mickey's Halloween Party had started!

 
Mini Disneyland Trip Report - Mickey's Halloween Party, Part 2

Now that the party was starting, it was time to take in all the atmosphere.

There was a whole Pirate thing happening on the Rivers of America, with pirate Chip, Dale, Pluto, and Donald dancing on a raft! There were also character meets with Captain Hook, and Mickey/Minnie in pirate outfits.
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We made a stop at the Golden Horseshoe for trick-or-treating.
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One major difference between WDW and DLR is the trick or treating. At WDW it is a stop with CMs and a barrel of candy. Most locations have 1 stop, so if you want more you have to go thru the line again. Though the CMs do give out huge handfuls of candy! There are a few stops that have 2 or 3 barrels.
At DLR, it is a "treat trail", so each location has 4-6 candy spots. The CMs usually only give out 2-3 pieces of candy, though will give more if you ask. And it is fun because the trails can be themed. Toontown is great because they have trails that go thru Minnie and Mickey's houses, as well as Donalds boat! Last year we spent too much time in trails for regular candy, so this year we only did them when they didn't have a line!

Anyways, at the Horseshoe, you start outside:
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Before heading inside and doing a loop of the first floor, which has 4 candy carts.
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There are also skeletons set up in the tables/stage:
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Lauren and Joey were very excited:
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I also took a photo of the Halloween Tree all lit up:
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We knew it was getting to be time for the Cadaver Dans, so decided to stay in Frontierland for a bit. We ran into Pirate Mickey/Minnie skipping backstage on a break
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As well as one of the living scarecrows, who was hilarious!
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Then down to the Rivers of America, which is appropriately spooky!
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The Cadaver Dans come out on a raft, and unfortunately we were a little bit too far to the side for them to come directly in front of us!

We made our way into Fantasyland thru the Frontierland bypass, stopping at a couple treat trails. We also spied the future entrance to Star Wars Galaxy's Edge, which I think will be awesome!
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I know we rode the Casey Jr Train since it was a walk-on, and I like that ride!

It was getting close to the parade time, so we found a great spot across from Small World. It was on the raised walkway above the premium dinner seating, but all of those people were in chairs, so we had an unobstructed view of the parade route!

I also admired the Small World projections
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And this awesome group costume!
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Like WDW, we have the Headless Horseman before the parade, but we also have Icabod Crane and a couple villagers come out, while an announcer reads the tale of the Headless Horseman. Unfortunately I couldn't get a good photo because Icabod moves too quickly! He also walks on his heels, so I can imagine that isn't the most comfortable and he wants to get it over with!
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Mini Disneyland Trip Report - Mickey's Halloween Party, Part 3

Parade time! I do think the parade floats are pretty great, but wish we had a couple more units. I think then it would be spectacular! Though I think last year was the first time, before then it was just a character cavalcade.
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Mickey and Minnie are new this year.
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Nightmare Before Christmas unit, with the Mayor who changes his face.
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Haunted Mansion unit, very similar to Boo to You Parade
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Dr Facilier unit
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Villain unit, with new Ursula "float". Love how the stepsisters get appropriate dancing partners! Jafar is also on the other side of the float that we couldn't see.
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Since we were there, we hopped over to Small World and walked right on.

We then knew it was getting to be close to Halloween Screams (firework show) and wanted to be in front of the castle to see Zero (he flies instead of Tinkerbell). Unfortunately, they had closed off the main walkway to prevent firework debris hazards, so we had to go all the way around the Matterhorn. We did make it in front of the castle, but couldn't see the castle projections or Jack orb very well. I also didn't take any photos as they all turned out super blurry! But that show is truly awesome! Great mix of pyro and music. Next year I will definitely stake out a better spot ahead of time!

I think my feet were killing me, so I went back to the locker to change my shoes and drop off the candy we had so far. Lauren and Joey went to ride Buzz Lightyear.

We walked back over to the castle and took a few photos, as well as admired the mini-projection show they had going. With Disneyland Forever (60th anniversary firework show) the imagineers had fully mapped Main Street and the castle, so they have been able to make awesome projections, especially during the Halloween party!
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I know we walked up into Fantasyland a bit, because we saw Tiana riding the carousel, but I don't remember why! Anyways, Joey was feeling sick so was fading fast. Lauren and I stopped to take a couple photos with the princesses since there wasn't a wait (though she put them on her AP...and hasn't downloaded them yet :mad:).

Lauren and Joey wanted to ride Star Tours, so we made our way across the Hub, when we realized the second parade was stopped! Looks like one of the float units had broken down, so they were all stuck and all the characters had to keep up the show! Don't know when they finally got it fixed! While they rode the ride, I skipped (it makes me motion sick sometimes), and shopped at Star Traders, where I found 2 SW shirts I had been eyeing in my size!
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We were finally done with the evening, but first took in some of the Main Street projections. This is only a small sampling!
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All in all, a fun evening, though it was more crowded than I would have liked! But that has seemed to be the trend at DLR these days 8-)
 
Wow! DL seems to do Halloween so much better than WDW! Projections on Main Street, fog on the water, Zero lighting the fireworks - not to mention that I love the overlay they do of Nightmare Before Christmas at the Haunted Mansion!
 
Wow! DL seems to do Halloween so much better than WDW! Projections on Main Street, fog on the water, Zero lighting the fireworks - not to mention that I love the overlay they do of Nightmare Before Christmas at the Haunted Mansion!
I think a big difference it atmosphere and priorities. DLR doesn't have as many unique characters out during the party. People like Jack/Sally and Moana are out every day; some villains can be found roaming around during the morning or on Main Street. So, to overcome that they do more with creating a fun Halloween atmosphere. The whole party is more villain centric, as opposed to WDW which is more cutsey-Halloween. Both are really fun though and I was glad to do them both the same year!

The rumors are the DLR party will get moved to California Adventure next year. I don't know how I feel about that as there probably wouldn't be a fireworks show (no large backstage area for DCA), though maybe they will have Halloween Screams every night! We'll have to see how it goes in the future!
 
Anyways, had another fun ride on GotG. That ride is so powerful, I like to just make my arms go limp in front of me, then let gravity do the work and fly up and down! Love that ride (though @Raeven would hate it :scared:)

I would hate it! But I love Guardians so I'd love to see the queue one day.
 
We checked out the onsies and my sister wanted us to each get one and wear them in case we had to evacuate the hotel.
OMG that would have been great :laughing: But that's a high price tag and better overall that you didn't have to evacuate.

I don't like butter
Every once in awhile I read something on here and I have to do this - I don't understand :confused3

(I typically don’t like wine and really only like the types that are so sweet and fruity you can’t taste the wine part).
Same here! I actually only started drinking wine a couple years ago, I was beer and mixed drinks. I started with Moscato (which is still my favorite) and have since begun to enjoy sweet Rieslings, also. I figure I'll keep working my way to less sweeter wines :)

The world showcase was interesting, I guess, but it also just felt like lots of shops and restaurants and pretty buildings to look at, without much substance. Maybe when it is more full of performers it would be more fun?
I love Epcot and WS, but it is more "full" and interesting when the performers are out. So many of them are great, so when you go back give them a try!

pending way too much money on Peter Pan bowls
I love those bowls!

Anyways, had another fun ride on GotG. That ride is so powerful, I like to just make my arms go limp in front of me, then let gravity do the work and fly up and down! Love that ride
Isn't it the same technically as TOT except different theming now?

There are also skeletons set up in the tables/stage:
Love that!

Thanks for the DL Halloween party update, I love MNSSHP and have missed it the last few years so I enjoyed seeing how they do it on the other coast :goodvibes
 
I would hate it! But I love Guardians so I'd love to see the queue one day.
The queue is pretty fun! Lots and lots of Easter eggs!

Every once in awhile I read something on here and I have to do this - I don't understand
Haha, I also don't like coffee! And eat all burgers dry (took me to college to finally eat them with lettuce and tomato vs meat and the bun)! I know-I'm just super weird!

I love Epcot and WS, but it is more "full" and interesting when the performers are out. So many of them are great, so when you go back give them a try!
Yeah, I definitely want to check them all out! I realized my next 2 trips will involve more Epcot time because of all the festivals. And I didn't dislike it, but I think I was expecting to love it more. But I will see how it is with the topiaries and Holiday storytellers!

Isn't it the same technically as TOT except different theming now?
Oh no, it's amazing! When they added all the Guardians stuff they completely upgraded the ride system. With ToT, there is definitely the heart in your throat feel it drops/rises suddenly. But with GotG, it totally throws you in the air. It feels like you are going 6" up nearly every lift, and the seat belts really are needed to hold you on. On the premiere night everyone was wearing lanyards and they were literally flying over and off our heads! Also, because there are 6 random songs/sequences you really can't predict what's going to happen. The elevator also never stops moving, when it is in front of a video, the vehicle is still bouncing around.
 
Ok, I promise this is the last real-life update before I get to our awesome Day 2! But I have to share the craziness of Halloween at our house!

A Very Harry Potter Halloween

We have lived in our house for 28 years and every year we get more and more trick or treaters. For at least the past 15 years we get over 1,000 trick or treaters! And I'm not exaggerating-we get 1,000 pieces of candy, give out one per kid, and run out!

Last year we got awesome new neighbors and they loved all the Halloween stuff, so we discussed doing joint Halloween decorations this year. Our houses are perfectly set up, as they were originally part of the same property and a walkway connects them; they are historic homes, over 100 years old, and basically look like Sid's at Hollywood Studios. Once we found out our neighbors were also Harry Potter geeks, we knew we had to do that! So, we've been putting our costumes and decorations together for months, and here goes!

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Platform 9 3/4. I built out of a PVC frame and brick wall sheeting. Also stacked up old suitcases and owl cages!
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Main walkway, with a dementor fight (need to upgrade that for next year). Used a Christmas lawn ornament sans Christmas bow, a Jack Sparrow cardboard cutout covered with my HP bathrobe, and floating ghosts! We also had a fog machine going during the night.
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Other side had a Dobby display, as well as Rookery
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Various pumpkins
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The Great Hall, complete with over 100 hanging candles!
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Spiders blocking the side pathway
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Neighbors house, supposed to be the Forbidden Forest and Hagrid's Hut. They tried to make a broom fly overhead, but once it dropped during testing the wife put a stop to that in case kids could be underneath!
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Made some HP treats, Butterbeer golden snitch cake pops (didn't turn out as well as I wanted, because we discovered my sister's cat sliced open her leg somehow and there was an emergency vet visit, so I had to hurriedly finish these and help out front), as well as Polyjuice potion jello.
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Costumes, I was Ginny Weasley (anyone recognize where my "dragon" came from?), Mom was Minerva McGonagal, Dad was Arthur Weasley, a family friend was Dumbledore, Lauren was Luna Lovegood, her boyfriend was a death eater (she made his awesome mask), and our brother was Severus Snape. I didn't get photos of the neighbors but the wife was a Ravenclaw student, husband was a professor, and a friend came over as Quirrel.
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Snape's potion area (ie, my brother's bar where he made spiked Pumpkin Juice and Butterbeer)
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Also, because some jerk decided to schedule Game 6 of the World Series on Halloween night, we moved the TV to the window so we could watch from outside! Lots of parents paused to watch while their kids were looking at everything! And we gave extra candy to anyone who said Go Dodgers!
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We ended up with 1500 trick or treaters this year! Our neighbors had 1300 pieces and ran out, so we gave them some more, while they ran down to the store for more bags! Some idea of the lines:
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A video walkthrough, please excuse the darkness in the center, but at the end I caught the celebrations during a Dodgers home run, so that is pretty funny!

Next year we are doing HP again since we already spent so much time on everything! Lauren's boyfriend and I want to make a dragon breathing smoke and orange light (fire is probably too dangerous). Maybe also a Hogwarts Express and/or Knight Bus. And then put up small video screens for moving photos!
 
Your report is fantastic! I’m an LA native and grew up with DL annual passes so I’m curious to see what you think of MK. Your Halloween decorations are awesome!
 
As promised, I am finally ready to update for Day 2.

Day 2, Part 1 –"Who's Divine?"

I think this was my favorite day of the entire trip. Everything was so new and the crowds were so low, we could do whatever we wanted! And we got to visit, what ended up being, my 2 favorite parks and my 2 favorite rides!

Another very important thing-the atmosphere in the resorts/parks. On Friday, there was a feeling of anxiety in the air. People just weren't sure about the hurricane and many were still trying to get out of Orlando. Long lines everywhere at the front desk/concierge. By Saturday morning, pretty much everything had been settled. People who were trying to get out, had either already done so, or were about to leave. The people still around had already decided to stick out Irma at WDW, so it was a "make the most out of it" sort of day! Even though the parks were closing early and a hurricane was on its way towards us, it felt much more relaxed and everyone was happier!
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We set our alarms for 7:30 this morning. We both woke up and it took a couple more hits of the snooze button to get out of bed (we were still on west coast time), but we were both out of bed by 8am. I packed up the last of my things then moved my suitcases toward the front door. I then headed over to the lobby while Lauren finished packing and called bell services to get the bags transferred to POFQ. I paid off our room charges with a gift card (5% red card savings for the win!), and they actually ended up putting the entire bill, including room, on that card (and refunded the part that I originally paid on a CC). Wasn’t expecting that, so it maxed out the gift card (in all, that didn't affect me too badly because all of that money would have been spent somewhere at Disney).

By the time that was done my sister was finished with the bags and came down to meet me in the food court. Well, I did have to stop for an impromptu dance party to MMMBop in the lobby:rockband:! I’m a proud Hanson fan! I also stopped in the gift shop for a Pop Century pin and ornament; I've decided to collect a Disney Pin from every resort I stay at, and I always collect Christmas ornaments from any place I visit.

Lauren and I met by the pastries and she said once she heard Hanson playing she knew to expect a delay :flower:. I grabbed a chocolate muffin while my sister grabbed a regular croissant and we paid and ate them in line for the bus. The pastries were fine, basic, but it was hard for me to eat mine with only one hand (I think I was also holding a water bottle or something)!
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Even though there was a relatively long bus line, we got on the first one to Animal Kingdom (though trying to eat my muffin, while holding onto a bus pole and a water bottle was a bit of a challenge :smooth:! We walked in about 9:45am, definitely a delay since the park had EMH that morning starting at 8am.
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We walked in and were promptly greeted by DiVine. Lauren was so confused by what I was looking at. And it took DiVine moving out into the walkway for her to realize there was a person there!

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My first view of the Tree of Life! Along with closing time advisory sign (AK and HS were closing at 7, while MK and Epcot were open until 9; all evening shows were cancelled).
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We headed first to Pandora, as the MDE app said FoP had only a 60 minute wait. I had been able to get us 7DMT FPs for that afternoon at MK, so we were doing AK without any FPs that morning.

First got to stop by the pod/plant at the entrance! There was also a photopass photographer without a line, so why not stop!
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We started to make our way in and found another photopass photographer, so another stop!
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I loved the floating mountains! My undergrad was in structural engineering, so I love just looking at how things are built and was trying to trace the beams and supports, but they were so well hidden in Pandora! I think my favorite was the one that leads off from the NRJ line (not in the following photos), as it really looks like it's coming out of the trunk of a tree!
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Made our way to FoP where we realized the app was wrong and it was a 105 minute wait, so we decided to keep moving on (NRJ had just closed temporarily). The app being wrong was a bit annoying, as it was a continual issue that day. But at least it didn't seem to matter much, as you will see!

We made our way up the pathway to Africa and came across these guys. We would end up seeing them every time we walked that way and they always were so funny and lively! Whenever the guitarist saw a camera pulled out, he would flash his bright white smile!
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We decided to do the Safari, which had a posted 15 minute wait. Well, that was pretty much just the time it took to get to the loading zone, as it was another literal walk-on!
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Now for some safari pics, which I’m sure you get to see all the time, but you’re reading my TR…so you’ll get to see mine too!

Black Rhino taking a nap. I think that was his favorite spot as he was there for every safari we would end up taking!
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Bongos getting pretty close to the car!
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Wild humans getting ready for a ride! I'd love to take the Wild African Trek tour one day...
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Hippos and pelican with a baby pelican on the left side of the photo.
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Nile crocodiles; this was the only time we saw them out, the other safaris they were away or hidden.
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Sleepy African wild dogs; unfortunately we never got to see the hyenas :sad:
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Giraffes coming to get fed. You can’t really tell but the one on the left side of the photo was actually running!
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Baby Stella! I think we were able to spot her on every safari (we would end up doing it 3x)
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Sleepy lions. I'm so jealous that when Lauren and Joey last visited they did a sunset safari and the male lion was awake and gave a huge roar when they drove by!
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White rhino. It’s interesting how the white rhino enclosure is open to the tram road, while the black rhino is separated. It must be a temperament thing!
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As we got off the safari, we saw there was a crowd by the Gorilla Falls trail so we stopped over and noticed 2 gorillas really close to the edge of the enclosure. One definitely gave us the stink eye for disturbing her/his(?) rest time though! It was also cool that a photopass photographer was there who took a bunch of photos of people and the gorillas themselves, so we got some high-quality images!

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We ended up not walking the whole trail itself, and never got around to go back and do it :guilty:! I will absolutely be seeing it in March though!

Cont...what else would we be able to accomplish on a shortened park schedule?
 
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We walked in and were promptly greeted by DiVine. Lauren was so confused by what I was looking at. And it took DiVine moving out into the walkway for her to realize there was a person there!
I am pretty sure we have walked right by her and didn't even see her. I always forget about her when we were tehre.

Nile crocodiles; this was the only time we saw them out, the other safaris they were away or hidden.
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When we were there after the hurricane the grocs weren't out. They said the habitat was damaged..

Baby Stella! I think we were able to spot her on every safari (we would end up doing it 3x)
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We totally missed the elephants. they weren't out all day. :(
 
Day 1, Part 2 "Do Dinosaurs have nipples?"

Now we were done checking out real animals, we decided to move onto the imaginary kind and headed towards Asia. We decided to skip Kali River Rapids this trip, as neither of us really like walking around in wet clothes/shoes and it didn't seem to be a must-do ride!

But now, I was finally going to get a chance to ride Expedition Everest!
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When I was growing up it was my dream to become an Imagineer. I read all of the books and my favorite was this one about the Disney mountains. It came out only a year after Everest opened, so I knew all about the construction and really wanted to see it (didn't realize it would end up taking me 10 yrs though :confused3)! So I was sooo excited to finally ride!
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The line was posted at 30 minutes, but it ended up being only 10 minutes. That gave us some time to see the Yeti Museum, which was pretty cool and well themed!
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I loved the ride! I knew the coaster went backward a bit, but didn’t realize how far and how fast! This was definitely my sister’s favorite ride at AK! And it's in my top 5 of Disneyworld rides. I wish the Yeti was working again, and hope one day the Imagineers will be able to figure out how to fix it without taking apart the whole mountain!
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Next we went into Dinoland. My sister pointed out how the lights under the dino would be the same place as their nipples. I then pointed out-um Dinos, at least this dino, didn’t nurse, so didn’t have nipples! We ended up in a (friendly) argument and Wikipedia came to my rescue!
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Also, if you notice those green wraps on my sister’s legs, they were compression sleeves. The last time she went to WDW she had horrible theme park rash. So whenever we planned to go to MK she would wear them as that’s when she would get the worst rash! So, get used to seeing them a lot!

Dinoland was pretty much a ghost town. Triceritop Spin had no wait and was running near empty, so we considered riding it later, but ended up skipping and never coming back. Primevil Whirl also had no wait, but neither of us wanted to do that (I hate hate Goofy Sky School at DCA, and this looked like an amped up version of it)!

Over to Dinosaur, which was yet another literal walk-on! You can even see they ran our car 2/3 empty (as for why they didn’t put me and my sister in a different row rather than all of us together :confused3
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The ride itself-meh. It was way too dark for me (maybe I hadn’t had enough time indoors to get my eyes acclimated), so I really only saw the few dinos with spotlights. I also knew it was the same vehicle and track as Indy so couldn’t help but think, oh that’s when we do this, that’s when we do that. You can see by our faces-not impressed! Not really worth any sort of wait in line or taking up a FP for me. So we didn’t bother repeating during the trip.

Cont... In which we travel back to Pandora!
 

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