Current Walt Disney World and Disneyland Specials-Spring/Summer 2013

SUMMER ROOM DISCOUNT-SAVE UP TO 30% ON ROOMS AT SELECT WALT DISNEY WORLD RESORT HOTELS

Save up to 30% at select Walt Disney World® Resort Hotels for stays most nights 6/13/2013 - 8/14/2013.  Upgrade to a package and discover even greater savings when you add minimum 4-day Magic Your Way Tickets to your room!

Book through 6/14/2013 for travel 6/13/2013 - 8/14/2013

Disney Value and Moderate Resorts-For stays most nights June 13-August 14, 2013

• Save up to 20% at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort, Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort, Disney's Port Orleans Resort – Riverside and Disney's Fort Wilderness Cabins
• Save up to 15% at Disney's All-Star Sports Resort, Disney's All-Star Music Resort, Disney's Pop Century Resort and Disney's Art of Animation Resort – Family Suites

Disney Deluxe and Deluxe Villa Resorts-For stays most nights June 13-August 14, 2013:

• Save up to 30% at Disney's Polynesian Resort, Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, Disney's Contemporary Resort, Disney's Yacht and Beach Club Resorts, Disney's Beach Club Resort Villas, Disney's BoardWalk Inn & Villas, Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge (standard view rooms), Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa and Disney's Old Key West Resort
• Save up to 20% at Disney's Wilderness Lodge Resort (including Villas)

Important Details: No group rates or other discounts apply. Additional per-adult charges may apply if more than two adults at Disney Value, Moderate and Deluxe Resorts. Offer excludes campsites, 3-bedroom villas, and is not valid at Disney's Art of Animation Resort—The Little Mermaid Standard Rooms. Advance reservations required. 

FLORIDA RESIDENTS GET GREAT RATES THIS SPRING AT THE WALT DISNEY WORLD RESORT

Book by June 3, 2013 and Florida Residents can play and stay for as low as $56 per person, per day for a 3-night, 4-day package for stays most nights April 6 – June 3, 2013 (based on a family of 4) at Disney's All-Star Music Resort in a standard room. This package includes a 4-day Discover Disney Ticket, giving you access to all four Theme Parks (one Theme Park per day)!

Price based on 2 adults, 1 junior and 1 child. The number of rooms allocated for this offer is limited. Discover Disney Tickets are valid for one theme park per day and must be used by June 7, 2013. Passes are non-transferable, are only valid during regularly scheduled operating hours and exclude activities/events priced separately. No group rates or other discounts apply. Proof of Florida residency required at check-in. Advance reservations required. Offer excludes campsites and 3-bedroom villas. Offer not valid for Disney's Art of Animation Resort - The Little Mermaid standard rooms. Additional per adult charges may apply if more than 2 adults per room at Disney Value, Moderate and Deluxe Resorts. Length of stay requirements may apply.

DISNEYLAND RESORT ROOM-ONLY OFFER

Now, you can save up to 20%* on most Sunday-Thursday night stays at one of the Hotels of the Disneyland® Resort, and save up to 15% most Friday and Saturday nights, for arrivals April 7 – May 22, 2013. A two-night minimum stay is required.

Offer Details:

Save 20% off a room-only reservation most Sunday-Thursday nights, or save 15% off a room-only reservation most Friday-Saturday nights with a two-night minimum stay, at the Disneyland Hotel, Disney's Grand Californian Hotel® & Spa or Disney's Paradise Pier® Hotel.

Booking & Travel Windows:
Book this offer March 12 – April 27, 2013 for arrivals April 7 – May 22, 2013. Travel on this offer must be completed by May 24, 2013.

Upgrades:
Turn your hotel stay into a vacation by adding Disneyland Resort Theme Park tickets or Disney Character Dining to your reservation, or by upgrading your room-only reservation to a Walt Disney Travel Company package.

*Savings based on the non-discounted price for the same room at the same hotel for a two (2) night stay between April 7, 2013 and May 22, 2013 when booked between March 12, 2013 and April 27, 2013; 20% savings based on most Sunday through Thursday nights and 15% savings based on most Friday and Saturday nights. Travel must be completed by May 24, 2013. Offer is not valid on suites or with previously booked rooms. Excludes applicable taxes and fees. Advance reservations required. Check for offers on different lengths of stay. Subject to availability as the number of rooms allocated for this offer is limited. Limit two (2) rooms per reservation and five (5) people maximum per room. Not valid in combination with any other hotel discounts or offers. Subject to restrictions and change without notice. Separate theme park admission required to enjoy the parks.

To get a quote or book, email me at carra@enchanteddreamvacations.com or fill out the Get A Quote form on my website.

Miscellaneous Walt Disney World Tips & Tricks Part 1-General Tips

This is the first part of a multiple part series of tips and tricks for your Walt Disney World Resort visit.

-All Walt Disney World Resorts now offer free Wi-Fi access and at least a beverage cooler (kind of like a mini-fridge but with no freezer compartment and not quite as cold).

-Want to stay connected but don’t want to lug your laptop on your WDW vacation?  Bring your iPad or other tablet instead.  Since all WDW Resorts now have free Wi-Fi, you can stay connected without all the extra stuff to bring.  Plus, your tablet will fit in the free in-room wall safe with room to spare for other valuables you may have brought.

-Are you flying in to WDW?  Getting from the airport to your WDW Resort and back again is a snap when you use Disney’s Magical Express service.  They’ll even take care of getting your luggage to your room for you (even if your room isn’t ready when you arrive).  The best part?  The service is complimentary so there’s no extra strain on your vacation budget!

-Don’t feel like lugging all those souvenirs you’ve purchased around the parks or while you check out Downtown Disney?  Just have them all sent back to your resort and you can pick them up at your resort’s gift shop or front desk.  Not staying on property?  No problem- park purchases can be sent to a package pickup point at the front of the park, then on your way out for the day you can just pick them up.  The cost for this service?  Nothing-another helpful freebie Disney provides.  Don’t think you’ll have space to take everything on your trip home?  No problem-you can arrange to have your packages shipped home instead, however there will be a fee for the shipping.

-Not interested in parades or fireworks?  Use that time to get in a lot of ride time.  With so many people watching the parades (especially the Main Street Electrical Parade) and fireworks shows, the lines for the rides during those times are much shorter.

-Have you ever parked your car at one of the WDW theme parks, then at the end of the night forgot the lot name and row number?  After you park, take a picture of the lot name/row number with your phone or digital camera (if your camera has a picture viewing screen) and you can just check it at the end of the day.

-WDW Resort Guests have the perk of Extra Magic Hours where they can either get into one of the parks earlier than guests staying off-property or staying at one of the parks later.  Once you find out which parks have those Extra Magic Hours, plan your days around that.  If you stay off-property you’ll want to avoid the Extra Magic Hours park(s) since they are normally the busiest park(s) of the day.  If you are staying on-property, you may want to take advantage of the Extra Magic Hours until an hour or so after the park opens, then hop over to a different park (if your tickets are park hoppers) for the rest of the day.  For evening Extra Magic Hours, take advantage of one of the other parks during the day, then you can hop over to enjoy the extra hours after the off-site guests have left.  I’ve found that taking advantage of the morning Extra Magic Hours is usually more productive than the evening ones.

-Want to relax for more than just one trip around Tomorrowland on the Tomorrowland Transit Authority (the Peoplemover)?  If there is not a huge line of guests waiting to board when you get back to the station, ask the cast member at the exit station if you can remain on... but DO NOT get out of the car until you ask. Once you exit the car, you’ll have to exit the attraction and then go thru the entrance again to get back on.  Usually if it’s not too busy, when you ask they’ll shut the door of your car and you can go back around again.

Stay tuned for the next installment...

My Disney Bucket List-Walt Disney World

Have you ever made a “bucket list”?  Basically, it is a list of things you want to accomplish before you die...aka “kick the bucket”.  Many people just use the phrase “bucket list” to denote a list of things they’d like to do or try, not necessarily before they die...maybe by the time they hit a certain age, or before they get married, or before they reach some other milestone in their life.  While there are plenty of things I want to do in life, with my love of Disney I decided to make a Disney Bucket List.  The first part here is specific to Walt Disney World...I added a few things after that that are just Disney things in general.

1. Stay at least once in every on-property hotel...this will take a while!
1. All-Star Sports-DONE
2. All-Star Music-DONE
3. All-Star Movies-DONE
4. Pop Century-DONE
5. Art of Animation
6. Coronado Springs-DONE
7. Port Orleans-Riverside-DONE
8. Port Orleans-French Quarter-DONE
9. Caribbean Beach Resort
10. The Cabins at Fort Wilderness (I'm really looking forward to trying these out!)
11. Animal Kingdom Lodge
12. Wilderness Lodge
13. Contemporary Resort
14. Polynesian Resort
15. Grand Floridian Resort
16. Boardwalk Inn
17. Yacht Club
18. Beach Club
19. Swan
20. Dolphin
21. Saratoga Springs Resort
22. Old Key West Resort
23. Bay Lake Tower at the Contemporary
24. Boardwalk Villas
25. Beach Club Villas
26. Animal Kingdom Villas-Kidani Village
27. Animal Kingdom Village-Jambo House
28. Wilderness Lodge Villas
2. Try both water parks (Blizzard Beach-DONE!  Typhoon Lagoon-hopefully next trip!)
3. Fantasia Mini-Golf
4. Winter Summerland Mini-Golf
5. Characters in Flight balloon ride at DTD
6. Pirates League
7. Complete a full Desserts Around the World in one day (that'll be an all-day, all-nighter!)
8. Enjoy a Kitchen Sink at Beaches & Cream with friends
9. Dinner at Victoria & Albert’s
10. Stay Concierge/Club Level at least once
11. Watch the Electric Water Pageant and Wishes from the beach at the Poly
12. MK fireworks for 4th of July (from inside the park)
13. MK fireworks for New Years Eve (from inside the park)
14. See every dinner show at least once
15. Do one of each of the behind the scenes tours at least once (Behind the Seeds-DONE; Keys to the Kingdom-DONE)
16. Try the Exotic Driving Experience
17. Try the Richard Petty Driving Experience
18. Get a haircut at the Harmony Barber Shop in the Magic Kingdom
19. See the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights
20. See every WDW park stage show at least once
21. Check out Jellyrolls
22. Go bowling at Splitsville
23. Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party-DONE
24. Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party-DONE

And here’s the rest of my Disney things in general:

-Take a cruise on every Disney Cruise Line ship

-Visit every Disney park worldwide

-Participate in every runDisney event at least once (as of today, the only ones I haven’t tried are the Tinkerbell Half Marathon and the Disneyland Half Marathon since they’re both out in California...which is a bit out of my budget for a race right now)

-Stay at Disney’s Vero Beach Resort

-Stay at Disney’s Hilton Head Resort

-Stay at Disney’s Aulani Resort

-Try as many Adventures by Disney vacations as possible!

Whew!  My wallet took one look at my list and has now found a permanent hiding spot from me...

But really, lots of things on my WDW list are easily attainable without having to shell out a ton of money.  I’ve just never taken the time to actually check those things out since I’m usually there for race weekends which are pretty full with race and volunteer stuff.  I also tend to focus more on the rides than on all the other things there are to do.

Do you have a Disney bucket list?  If so, what do you have on yours?

PS-If you'd like help planning and booking your Disney trip to cross some things off your own Disney bucket list, you can contact me at carra@enchanteddreamvacations.com or request a quote on my website on the Get A Quote page.  Remember, my services are always FREE and never add to the cost of your trip!  

Transportation while at Walt Disney World

So your trip’s finally here and you’re ready to enjoy the theme parks, Downtown Disney, water parks and more.  You’re all checked in to your hotel, whether on or off Disney property.  How are you going to get to all of those places from your hotel?  The answer will be very different depending on where you are staying and how you got to the Walt Disney World Resort in the first place.  This post looks at how to get around after you’ve arrived and checked in to your hotel.

If you decided to make the drive from home in your own car (or a rental), you certainly could just drive from your hotel to wherever you’d like to go.  This is the route we personally go, even if we stay on Disney property as it really is the fastest way to get where you are going.  You also don’t have to be on anyone else’s timetable for drop off/pick up.  Having your own car also lets you explore other places in the Orlando area and can be a time and money saver over taking a taxi, bus or hiring a car service.  If you are staying on Disney property there’s a bonus-you get a parking pass that lets you park at any of the four Disney theme parks for free.  Considering that parking costs $14 per day, that’s a nice savings.

What if you’re not staying on Disney property and don’t have your own car?  Many hotels in the Orlando/Kissimmee area offer shuttles-usually free-to Disney’s four theme parks as well as Universal Studios and Sea World.  These usually run on a set schedule and can vary from one drop off in the morning/one pick up in the evening to every hour.  If you use your hotel’s shuttle make sure you check the schedule beforehand and just be sure of one thing-don’t miss the last one at the end of the night or you’ll be forking over some of your vacation money for a taxi to get back to your room.  Which is also another option when staying off property-you can take a taxi to and from the parks and other places you’d like to go.  While taking taxis can be a bit more costly, you do have a lot more freedom in your schedule to go where you want when you want.  Another option is the local bus service.  In Orlando, that is the Lynx bus system.  The Walt Disney World Resort is currently accessible through Links 50, 56 and 111; Universal Studios is on Links 21, 37 and 40.  Check out the Lynx website for schedules, maps and a trip planner.

If you are staying on Disney property, you have many different options available to you.  Of course if you have your own car, you can drive everywhere and it will be the fastest way to get to and from most places on Disney property (depending on what resort you are staying at).  You can also take a taxi, though again it is an added expense.  Another option is the Disney bus system which is complimentary for guests staying at a Disney resort.  Every Disney hotel has bus service to all four theme parks, both water parks and Downtown Disney.  Most of the time you shouldn’t have to wait more than 15 minutes for a bus.  It is advisable if you are going to use the bus system to build some extra time into your schedule to account for any delays, especially if you are trying to be on time for a dining reservation.  Some resorts, like the three All-Star Resorts, sometimes share bus lines so you may have extra stops to wait until you reach your resort.

If you are staying at Disney’s Port Orleans (French Quarter or Riverside), Old Key West or Saratoga Springs Resorts, these offer ferryboat service to and from the Downtown Disney area.  Even if you did drive a car, I’d recommend taking the boat at least once for a relaxing, scenic ride-especially since sometimes the parking at Downtown Disney can get a little crazy, particularly on the weekends and during peak seasons.  At Downtown Disney, there is also a boat that will take you from the far end of the West Side (near the House of Blues) to the heart of the Marketplace side and back again.

If you are staying at Disney’s Boardwalk Inn and Villas, Beach Club, Yacht Club, Swan or Dolphin, boats are available to and from both Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios.  Epcot is also within walking distance from these resorts.  Hollywood Studios is as well, though the walk is a bit farther...but it is along a waterway and can be a nice way to de-stress after some time in the park if your feet aren’t too tired.

Staying at Disney’s Grand Floridian, Polynesian, Wilderness Lodge or Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground?  Water launches are available to and from the Magic Kingdom from these resorts.  The last way to travel by boat in Walt Disney World is from the Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC) to/from the Magic Kingdom using the ferryboats.  

Disney also has a monorail system with three separate lines.  The first is the Resort Monorail line which travels around the Seven Seas Lagoon stopping at the Grand Floridian Resort, Polynesian Resort, Transportation and Ticket Center, Contemporary Resort and the Magic Kingdom theme park.  If you’re lucky enough to be staying at one of these Deluxe resorts on the monorail line, it makes getting to and from the park easy and quick (great for those mid-afternoon breaks for a relaxed lunch back at the resort or at the hotel pool!).  You could also walk from the Contemporary (and Bay Lake Tower) to and from the Magic Kingdom, and quite often it may even be faster than taking the monorail.

The second monorail line is the Express line which only goes between the Transportation and Ticket Center and the Magic Kingdom around the loop that encircles the Seven Seas Lagoon.  If you are driving in to the Magic Kingdom, once you park you can take either the Resort line or the Express line, though the Express of course will be much faster.  While Disney usually tells you it will take the same amount of time to get from the TTC to the Magic Kingdom whether you take the ferryboat or the monorail, the Express monorail is normally faster.

The third monorail line offers round-trip service from the Transportation and Ticket Center to Epcot.  If you are planning to visit both Magic Kingdom and Epcot the same day, you could park your vehicle at either theme park and use the monorail to go between the two.  If you are staying at the Grand Floridian, Polynesian or Contemporary Resorts, you could take the Resort monorail to the TTC (or walk to the TTC if you’re close enough), then switch to the Epcot line.

All three lines of the monorail system are free, regardless if you are staying on or off Disney property.  All complimentary Disney transportation is available from one hour before theme park opening times up to one hour after those parks close.  Buses to and from the Downtown Disney area continue to run until 2am.

As you can see, there are lots of options.  I personally always recommend staying on property as I find that it is much more convenient whether or not you have a car while there thanks to the multiple transportation options that Disney offers-all included in the cost of your stay.  That’s not to say staying off property is not a viable option-it certainly is and once you have arrived on property those boats and monorails will move you around as well.  If you are staying on property and are not sure of the best way to get from one place to another, check with the concierge desk in the lobby-they’ll be happy to help you map out a route.  

How do you like to get around while at WDW?

If you’d like a quote for your own magical Walt Disney World vacation, check out my Facebook page or website for a free, no obligation quote.  My services are always free, plus I can assist with WDW itinerary planning at no extra cost.

Current Walt Disney World Specials-Fall & Winter 2012

As many of you are aware, I not only love visiting WDW, but I am also an independent travel agent specializing in...that's right, WDW!  Walt Disney World has some great specials out for the Fall, Holiday and Winter seasons.  This blog post will list the current specials running through March 2013.  If you're interested in a quote, whether for just a room, room and tickets, or a full package, you can contact me at quote@enchanteddreamvacations.com or click on the link to my website in the right sidebar.  You can also click here to go directly to my "Get a Quote-Disney" page and fill out your information so I can get you a complete quote.

PLAY, STAY AND DINE ... AND SAVE UP TO $600 AT THEWALT DISNEY WORLD RESORT

Now through Dec. 31, 2012, purchase this 5-night, 6-day Walt Disney Travel Company room, ticket and dining plan package at select Walt Disney World® Resort hotels for arrivals most nights Jan. 2 – March 7, 2013, and save up to $600*.

Booking Window:
Oct. 10 – Dec. 31, 2012

Travel Window:
For arrivals most nights Jan. 2 – March 7, 2013

Sample Pricing:
Buy this 5-night, 6-day room, ticket and Disney dining plan package at a select Disney Moderate Resort in a Standard Room for stays most nights Jan. 2 – March 7, 2013, and pay a package price of $2,429 for a family of 4. That's a savings of $633!

Ask about packages in other Resort categories.

*Prices based on 2 Adults, 1 Junior and 1 Child. Savings based on the non-discounted price for the same package. The number of rooms allocated for this offer is limited. Tickets valid for one Theme Park per day and must be used within 14 days of first use. No group rates or other discounts apply. Advance reservations required.

Offer excludes campsites and 3-bedroom villas and is not valid at Disney's Art of Animation Resort – The Little Mermaid Standard Rooms.

Excludes gratuities and alcoholic beverages. Children ages 3-9 must order from children's menu if available. Some Table-Service restaurants may have limited or no availability at time of package purchase.

SAVE UP TO 35% ON ROOMS AT SELECT WALT DISNEY WORLD RESORT HOTELS THIS WINTER

Offer Details:

Disney Value and Moderate Resorts

For stays most nights Jan. 2-17 and Jan. 21 – March 7, 2013:

• Save up to 30% at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort, Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort, Disney's Port Orleans Resort – Riverside and Disney's Fort Wilderness Cabins
• Save up to 25% at Disney's All-Star Sports Resort, Disney's All-Star Music Resort and Disney's Pop Century Resort
• Save up to 15% at Disney's Art of Animation Resort – Family Suites

Disney Deluxe and Deluxe Villa Resorts

For stays most nights Jan. 2-17 and Jan. 21 – March 7, 2013:

• Save up to 35% at Disney's Yacht and Beach Club Resorts, Disney's Beach Club Resort Villas, Disney's BoardWalk Inn & Villas, Disney's Polynesian Resort, Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge (standard view rooms), Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas (Kidani/Jambo rooms), Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa, Disney's Old Key West Resort and Disney's Contemporary Resort (including Bay Lake Towers)
• Save up to 25% at Disney's Wilderness Lodge Resort (including Villas)

Ask about other great rates Jan 18-20, 2013.

Booking Window:

• Book Oct. 10 – Dec. 31, 2012

* The number of rooms allocated for this offer is limited. Length of stay requirements may apply. Savings based on the non-discounted price for the same room. Additional per adult charges apply if more than two adults per room. Excludes 3-bedroom villas and is not valid at Disney's Art of Animation Resort - The Little Mermaid rooms. Advance reservations required. No group rates or other discounts apply.

SAVE UP TO 30% ON ROOMS AT SELECT WALT DISNEY WORLD RESORT HOTELS THIS HOLIDAY SEASON

Offer Details:

Disney Value and Moderate Resorts

For stays most nights Nov. 1-3, Nov. 11-16, Nov. 24 – Dec. 1 and Dec. 10-22, 2012:

• Save up to 25% at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort, Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort and Disney's Port Orleans Resort – Riverside
• Save up to 20% at Disney's All-Star Sports Resort, Disney's All-Star Music Resort and Disney's Pop Century Resort
• Save up to 15% at Disney's Art of Animation Resort – Family Suites

For stays most nights Nov. 4-10 and Dec. 2-9, 2012:

• Save up to 20% at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort, Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort, Disney's Port Orleans Resort – Riverside and Disney's Fort Wilderness Cabins
• Save up to 15% at Disney's All-Star Sports Resort, Disney's All-Star Music Resort and Disney's Pop Century Resort

Disney Deluxe and Deluxe Villa Resorts

For stays most nights Nov. 1-3, Nov. 11-17, Nov. 24 – Dec. 1 and Dec. 10-22, 2012:

• Save up to 30% at Disney's Yacht and Beach Club Resorts, Disney's BoardWalk Inn & Villas, Disney's Polynesian Resort, Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge (standard view rooms), Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge (Kidani/Jambo standard view rooms and 1-bedroom villas), Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa and Disney's Old Key West Resort
• Save up to 20% at Disney's Contemporary Resort (excluding rooms with a view of Magic Kingdom® Park), Disney's Wilderness Lodge Resort and Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge (Kidani/Jambo club level rooms and 2-bedroom villas)

For stays most nights Nov. 4-10, Nov. 18-19 and Dec. 2-9, 2012:

• Save up to 25% at Disney's Yacht and Beach Club Resorts, Disney's BoardWalk Inn & Villas, Disney's Polynesian Resort, Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge (standard view rooms), Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge (Kidani/Jambo standard view rooms and 1-bedroom villas), Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa and Disney's Old Key West Resort
• Save up to 15% at Disney's Contemporary Resort (excluding rooms with a view of Magic Kingdom Park), Disney's Wilderness Lodge Resort and Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge (Kidani/Jambo club level rooms and 2-bedroom villas)

Booking Window:

• Book Sept. 30 – Oct. 31, 2012

* The number of rooms allocated for this offer is limited. Length of stay requirements may apply. Savings based on the non-discounted price for the same room. Additional per adult charges apply if more than two adults per room. Excludes 3-bedroom villas and is not valid at Disney's Art of Animation Resort – The Little Mermaid rooms. Advance reservations required. No group rates or other discounts apply.

Fall Decorations in the Magic Kingdom

Just wanted to put a quick post up of some of the fun Fall decorations along Main Street in the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World for those who have not seen them:

Right side of entrance

Left side of entrance

Daytime

Nighttime

The Confectionery

Town Hall

The Emporium

Town Square Theater

A look down Main Street toward the castle-you can see those Mickey pumpkin heads along the street on the posts

Pumpkin Mayor and his wife in Town Square

Pumpkin chef 

Pumpkin ball player

As you leave...not that you'd want to of course!

 The decorations are subtle but add a nice touch all along Main Street.  It's really cool at night when all the Mickey pumpkin heads on the posts are lit up.  They actually go from a pale glow to really bright and then back to the pale glow again, kind of like a slow pulse.

Gotta love the holidays at WDW!

In Depth-Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party

I wrote a blog entry a couple of months ago about Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, giving an overview of this really fun event held at Walt Disney World for several nights in the Fall. Last weekend I was up in WDW and went to the Party on Friday night, so I’ve brought back a more in-depth report along with pictures and video to share.

First off, as you approach the parking toll booth at the Magic Kingdom, you’ll see these great big blow-up Mickey head pumpkins advertising the Party:

As mentioned in the previous post, even though the Party doesn’t officially start until 7pm, they will let you in as early as 4pm with your Party ticket. There are cast members on hand to put a plastic Party wristband on your wrist (the CM who did mine insisted it had to go on the right wrist) so other CMs would know you were there for the party. The wristbands come into play once 7pm rolls around...if you have one on, CMs will continue to let you ride rides and enter areas deeper in the park while guests without the wristbands are directed to the front of the park to the exit. Between 7-8pm as I walked from land to land, there would be lines of CMs checking for wristbands before they would let you continue on.

When you first enter the park, be sure to pick up your trick-or-treat bag from a CM before you go past the train station. Even if you miss them there, bags will be available at the entrances to all of the trick-or-treat stations throughout the park. This year’s bag:

You should also get one of the Party brochures-it has a map showing the locations of all the candy stations, a schedule of events (and their locations if applicable) as well as the locations of Party-specific merchandise for sale.

So let’s start off with the yummy stuff-CANDY! One of the best parts about MNSSHP is that you get to trick-or-treat throughout the Magic Kingdom. There are 11 locations in the park where you can satisfy your sweet tooth. Nine of these are single stations, usually with two CMs passing out candy. The other two are “Trick-or-Treat Trails” where you wander along a pathway and you’ll have three or fours stops along the trail where candy will be passed out. And when I say the CMs are passing out candy, I mean they reach in to the barrel, take out a fistful and plop it in your bag. They’re giving out so much candy, you may wind up taking a second (or even third) bag to fill. Some guests come prepared with their own large bags since they know they’re going to leave loaded down at the end of the night. And you can go through each candy line as many times as you’d like throughout the night. Disney literally has trucks filled with candy waiting to be unloaded throughout the night! Here’s where you can find the sweet stuff...plus a so-so pic of the light thingy they have to mark the entrance to the candy stations:

Next up-Character Dance Parties. There are two dance parties, one in Tomorrowland at the Rockettower Plaza Stage (Stitch’s Club 626) and the other at The Diamond Horseshoe in Liberty Square (Woody’s Happy Harvest Roundup). Here you can dance with the characters and get some fun action pics with them. There are DJs playing music, and the kids look like they’re having a fantastic time. Some of the characters have some pretty choice moves, too.

On to the Villains’ Dance Mix & Mingle where Disney villains perform on stage, then come down to meet the audience and take pictures with guests. They are not out for very long after each show so if you want to meet and get pics, be ready!

One of my two favorite parts of the Party-Mickey’s “Boo-to-You” Halloween Parade. The parade runs at 8:15pm and again at 10:30pm, starting in Frontierland then making its way through Liberty Square, around the circle in front of the castle, then up Main Street.

But right before the parade starts, one of the most anticipated moments of the evening arrives-the Headless Horseman precedes the parade, riding along the parade route to the delight of the guests.  Here's some videos I took...if you don't want to be "spoiled" you may not want to click (on the other hand, the Horseman really is cool!  Oh, and I hope the videos work, this is my first time posting videos...):

Once the parade starts, you’ll get to see the characters dressed up in their Halloween costumes plus floats that place the Disney Villains center stage. The Haunted Mansion characters are prominently featured including a cool routine by the Gravediggers.

The 10:30pm parade is normally less crowded than the 8:15pm parade since many families, especially those with very small children, tend to leave after the fireworks. Even if you’re not a parade person, I still highly recommend the Boo-to-You parade as it’s one of the best ones WDW does during the year. Just don’t blame me if you get the song from it stuck in your head. Really. Oh, and keep your candy bags ready for Goofy’s candy crew at the end!

My other favorite part of the Party is the Happy HalloWishes fireworks spectacular. It starts at 9:30pm and can be seen from just about anywhere in the park. I would recommend a location to the right of the castle near the bridge to Tomorrowland-if you plant yourself right smack in front of the castle, some of the lower fireworks may be blocked by the castle itself. It’s a fantastic show, and many people believe only the July 4th show is better (though I can’t comment on that myself as I’m not crazy enough to brave the crushing July 4th crowds to see it). The finale really is totally amazing!

One thing to note-if you are one of those people who loves getting pictures with the characters, you’ll love all the character greeting opportunities throughout the night. You’ll even see many characters that are not normally seen anywhere else in the parks, or are rarely seen-like all Seven Dwarfs at the same time. And if you want that coveted pic with all seven of them, get there early (they meet just outside of Splash Mountain) and be prepared to wait--seriously, an hour wait is not out of the question. But you’ll probably never get all seven of them at once at any other time. Another really cool character meet are some of the lady ghosts from the Haunted Mansion. They come out and sit on a bench on the lawn of the Mansion-just behind where the haunted carriage is parked-and converse with guests. They are hilarious so make some time to go check them out.

And of course, one of the great perks of the Party is shorter ride lines. Since this is a separately priced event and ticket availability is limited since they cap the number of available tickets, the lines are much shorter-like 5 minutes for Space Mountain, Winnie the Pooh and Splash Mountain (even though the night I went was hot and muggy!). The longest line I saw all night-and on a Friday night, one of the busier Party nights-was Peter Pan at 20 minutes...which for Peter Pan is actually a pretty decent wait time since it routinely sees 45-60 minute waits during regular park hours, even at slower times of the year.

Some tips for the Party:
-Don’t be in a rush for the candy lines. Early in the evening, the lines will be very long. While they generally move along at a steady pace, the later in the evening you go through the lines, the shorter they will be. Lines for the candy trails move faster than the single stops.
-Arrive early. Remember, they start letting Party guests in at 4pm. Make sure you use your party ticket to enter, not your regular ticket so you don’t waste a day on your park ticket.
-Stay late. The Party ends at midnight, and the later you are there, the fewer guests that are there resulting in even shorter lines for rides, candy and character meets.
-If you do stay until the park closes, don’t head out immediately to the monorail or ferry...they will be jam-packed and stay that way until just after 1am. I sat on a bench out in front of the park and just people-watched until the line at the monorail was almost gone, then took the last monorail of the night back to the Transportation and Ticket Center. It gave me a chance to rest up without being shoulder-to-shoulder with thousands of other people on a very warm and humid Florida night, then I leisurely made my way back to my car.
-If you don’t want to stay until the park closes (or are just too tired to make it that long), leave before the second parade ends. Once that parade is done, a flood of people leave making the monorail, ferry and bus lines just plain crazy.
-Dress up! It’s a Halloween celebration after all...you’ll see lots of guests of all ages in costume, you might as well join in the fun!

I do highly recommend Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. If you are going to be at WDW in September or October, it’s a great separate event to add to your trip and one you won’t soon forget.

Happy Halloween!

Have you been to MNSSHP or would you like to go? If you’ve been, what’s your favorite part, or what’s your favorite tip?