Boo-To-You!

            Last year, we attended Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, and we had a great time, so this year, we decided to attend the party again.  Since we are annual passholders, we took advantage of the passholder discount on select nights of the party.  Usually, these passholder dates occur on a Thursday or a Sunday.  We opted for September 29^th, which I know is a little bit early for Halloween, but we still had a blast!

            With regard to costumes, we love to get dressed up for the party.  This year, we decided to go with a Disney theme for our costumes.  After much thought, we came up with the idea to go as the husband and wife from the Carousel of Progress.  I purchased a vintage paint smock, and used a scarf to tie back my hair in order to re-create the scene where Sara is painting the rumpus room.  My husband went as John from the scene that takes place during the summer in the 1920s.  For his costume, we needed to find a blue shirt with a white color, and I made the Niagara Falls fan that John holds during this scene.  Overall, these costumes were pretty inexpensive to create, and when we walked through the Magic Kingdom, most people knew who we were, especially when we went to visit our “home” in Tomorrowland.  The castmembers at the Carousel of Progress got a kick out of our costumes, and we received much praise for our efforts!

            After taking a few photos and walking around for a little while, we decided to start making our way through the candy trails and trick-or-treat locations.  When it neared time for the first parade of the evening, we made our way to Liberty Square to snag a spot. I highly recommend attending the second parade of the evening.  The first parade was very crowded, and it was difficult to get a clear view of the floats and characters. After the parade, we experienced a few attractions, and then we walked over to the hub to watch the Villains Mix and Mingle.  We missed this show last year, so we definitely wanted to see it.  All of the villains were really great dancers, and the show was funny, but it was a little short.  After the show, we decided to stay in the hub to catch Happy Hallowishes.  This show is a must-see because the fireworks are truly spectacular.  There are perimeter fireworks during this show, and the best place to feel truly enveloped in the action is the hub or Main Street.

            After enjoying the fireworks, we stopped at the last few trick or treat locations that we had missed, and then we decided to call it a night.  Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party is great fun, and we left with a serious haul of candy for the evening.  The fireworks and parade were topnotch, and we love getting dressed up as well as seeing the creativity in other people’s costumes.  If you have the opportunity to attend this event, it is definitely worth the money.  Until next time, have a magical day, and keep moving forward!

Disney Attraction Etiquette

Since we live very close to WDW now, we visit the parks regularly, and we have the opportunity to experience the attractions multiple times a week.  We love visiting the parks so frequently, and in doing so, we have picked up on some tips that will help enhance your attraction riding experience. 

First, when you are in line, please keep up with the party in front of you. This makes the ride more enjoyable for everyone because the line keeps moving, and no one has to wait too long to ride. Also, make sure to keep your party together; if someone in your party is not keeping up with you, don't get in line and then allow all of the folks who couldn't keep up to cut in front of everyone else in line. Now emergencies do happen, and it is completely understandable for someone to have to slip out of line to go to the restroom. However, it is a little off-putting to watch a family of ten cut in front of the whole line to meet up with someone who ran ahead. I have even seen guests get into heated arguments about this type of behavior. The easiest solution is just to pull over and make sure that your family is all present and accounted for prior to getting in line for the attraction.

Another issue that we have witnessed involves people who have fastpass tickets that are not valid yet. Sometimes, these folks like to wait at the front of the fastpass line until their tickets are valid. Now, if this waiting is just a few minutes, it's no big deal, but if your entire party is blocking the entrance to the ride for an extended time, this makes it very difficult for other families to enter the line.  When you notice that your fastpass is not yet valid, just pull over to the side and wait for your time to come up.  There is no need to block the entire entrance to the attraction. 

Some of our favorite rides at WDW are dark rides, and these types of attractions are best experienced in the lighting that Disney has carefully created. Some folks really want to snap a photo of a particularly fantastic scene in the ride. Now, if you turn your flash off and take the photo, that is completely acceptable.  Some people take photos in these dark rides with their flashes on.  First, this is not a good idea because everyone's eyes have already adjusted to the dark, and it can be blinding to have someone turn around to get a shot and flash his or her camera directly in your face.  In addition, flashes on cameras can ruin an effect that has been carefully crafted by imagineers.  For example, the Haunted Mansion is a ride that is meant to be enjoyed in very specific lighting conditions.  If you use the flash on your camera, you are ruining the effect for other guests. This is not fair to the people who just want to enjoy the attraction. The spiels at the beginning of most dark rides even remind guests that flash pictures are not allowed, but sadly, too many people ignore this direction.

The attractions at Walt Disney World are truly magical experiences.  We are so lucky to be able to visit the parks on such a regular basis.  Whenever you make the trek down to the World, make sure to enjoy everything and pay attention to all of the directions that the castmembers mention.  These folks work very hard, and they are there to help you.  If ever you are confused about particular directions or how to board an attraction, just ask; castmembers are always more than happy to help!  Until next time, have a magical day, and keep moving forward!