Boo to You! (and you and you and you)

Happy Halloween! 

(a few days early)

Because of my work schedule, early fall isn't normally a time we are able to get to Florida. However, this year was an exception, and we had a blast staying at Boardwalk the week of Labor Day (review on that to come soon) and getting to go to Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. Even though we didn't have time to go in full out costume, a friend of mine helped us whip up our matching hitchhiking ghost t-shirts so that we felt more festive and ready to party. The evening was tremendously enjoyable and the scariest part of our trip was the impending Hurricane Irma, which we thankfully missed by a matter of days.

Here are some highlights from our frighteningly fun party!

Loving these pumpkins! Who cares it was September??

Early Entrance and Fast Passes

First of all, we did not go to the park for the full day.We decided to save some cash and only go for the party.  However, if you had purchased a ticket for the party, you were allowed entrance at 4:00 (and we actually were allowed in around 3:30---we may have been first in line) even though the party itself started at 7. Since we are about getting some bang for our buck, Christopher did some research to see if we had the ability to use fast pass plus to get in some rides (minus wait time) before the party actually began. We figured the worst that could happen would that the cast members would tell us no, so we decided to book fast passes for some bigger,more popular rides. Our rides of choice? Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Thunder Mountain, and Space Mountain.

  Did it work? Yes!

We walked right on Seven Dwarfs Mine Train basically 30 minutes after entering the park. Using fast passes allowed us much more time to ride as many rides as we could prior to the parties start time (and we didn't have to wait--score!).

Fall Decor 

One of my favorite things about getting to the party early was taking in some of the decorations during the daylight. There were so many cute pumpkin and character displays. I also loved how the facade was so whimsical yet spooky, especially after the sunset. One of my favorite aspects was how they transformed the already creepy Haunted Mansion into an even more delightfully spooky experience with the use of fog machines, lights and live characters. Great for adults and kiddos. We were crazy the fall decorations and additions at Magic Kingdom and can we just talk about how I am ready for the World of Disney to start selling these wreaths?!?!

Goodies and Trick-or-Treating

Another highlight? The amazing Halloween treats specialized for the party. Not only beautiful but tasty as well. We tried the Mickey cinnamon roll, the pumpkin cheesecake dome, and the Haunted Mansion chocolate-raspberry tart. These treats were almost to stunning to eat! There were so many other yummy looking goodies, but we were too stuffed from these scrumptious calorie killers.

Let's talk adult trick-or-treating. Yes, we have a child, however, he is at the age where he gets candy and we, the parents, eat it. It's kind of awesome. While G-man didn't actually make it to the party ( thanks Grammy and Grandpa) we were thinking only of him (and our love for Mars products) while we trick-or-treated like a couple of third graders.

When you first enter the park and receive your party wrist band, you are taken down a special alley parallel to Main Street, were you are given a little treat bag with your first small set of goodies. Since we did our research, we brought our own bag for our goodies, while keeping the small bags in tow. Trick-or-treating started at 7 and all you had to do is look for one of these special inflatables, which signified a treat station:

We decided to wait until later in the evening (after stuffing ourselves silly with treats and riding multiple rides) to start our trick-or-treating. We found that since we waited till later, cast members were much more generous with their lot, as it seemed they were trying to get rid of the candy in their barrels. Literally, they were scooping it into our bag by the handful. Christopher used the big bag we brought with us and I used the small one I received at the entrance. After every station, I would dump what I collected in my small bag into his big bag. That way, every time we reached a new station, I had an empty bag. Multiple times I had a cast member exclaim, "Oh no! An empty bag! We've got to fix that," and they would proceed to fill my bag to the brim.

Repeat.

It was glorious. So much candy. Good candy, not the kind you actually let your kids eat. The kind you keep for yourself. Yum yum yum. We were in a cavity riddled stupor for at least a month. I can't believe I didn't get a picture.

Boo To You Parade

Our favorite event of the evening had to be the Boo-To-You Parade. We actually watched both parades since we enjoyed it so much and came to the conclusion that it is our favorite Disney parade. We were  singing the catchy song all night long and for the rest of our trip. So much fun and a great way to see your favorite Disney characters, as well as some that are not as common to the park on a normal day.

Can't believe this is the best picture I got of the parade???

We ended up skipping out on Hallowishes in lieu of riding a few more rides (and since Seven Dwarfs wait time was only 15 MINUTES...seriously, when does that EVER happen). This ended up being the BEST decision we made. We were on the mine train right as fireworks began, so when we went down the first hill, the fireworks were burtsing directly above us. It was exciting, magical, and unforgettable. Fireworks were going off  during the entire time which added such a different and cool element to an already exciting ride. When we got off Seven Dwarfs, we decided to walk through Fantasyland to Tomorrowland to try for Space Mountain one more time. Hallowishes was still going on at the time and we were surrounded by fireworks on all sides. It was incredible!! Plus there was ZERO crowd since everyone was in front of the castle. Score, yet again!

All in all, Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party was spook-tackular! We felt like we seriously got out money's worth, especially since we rode every ride at the park,(some multiple times) , and had all the party perks, all for the price of the party ticket (which was around $65 per person with our DVC discount). I'm sure I missed something in this review since it was a late night and I am the mother of an active toddler. Not to mention, I was drunk on sugar and Disney magic. The only downfall was that since we went in September, it was hotter than blazes and was in the middle of hurricane season.

However, the best way to beat Disney lines is put a category 5 hurricane in the forecast.

We can't wait to go back and take G with us....even though he may have to fight us for the fun-sized Snickers!

--Jennifer

Booking a Walt Disney World Vacation

Happy blog post day! We discussed many options of our first official “tip” post and figured the beginning is always a great place to start, per Julie Andrews.  So let’s go to the beginning…of booking a trip! I will give you a few pointers for getting started. Make sure you look for those Main Street Family Tips along the way!

Booking any vacation can be stressful, but for some reason Disney vacations really get some folks all in a tizzy. I mean, I’ve seen family/friends get ridiculously worked up about a Disney trip. What the what?? You are going to eat your weight in Mickey bars, people! Don’t let it be stressful.

Don’t get me wrong, I know Disney World can seem really overwhelming. It has the name “world” in it for a reason. However, always remember, you are GOING ON VACATION!!! Literally, to the Most Magical Place on Earth! Don’t let pressure and anxiety get to you. Take a step back and remember: you’re booking memories in the making.

So, let’s break it down into a couple of first steps….

DETERMINE YOUR VACATION NEEDS

Disney is the BEST at offering opportunities for any and every family. You simply need to know how much you are willing to spend and what type of experience(s) you want. Disney’s website does a great job showing you the three main style of resorts: Value, Moderate, and Deluxe.

 Are you a park goer? Then you may want to think about a Value or Moderate resort and maximize your ticket days. Do you want a more relaxing vacation with only a few days at the park?  Splurge a touch more on the hotel and go Deluxe. Are you run and gun? Disney literally has it all. Is your family a family that needs to sit down to eat every meal? Think of your vacation needs as well as your everyday life.

            *MAIN STREET FAMILY TIP*

                        -When you start researching your trip, log onto your My Disney Experience account and fill your cart with your IDEAL vacation. Don’t book the vacation and let the vacation sit in your cart. We’ve seen that Disney will sometimes (not always) send you a “coupon code” in the mail for an extra percentage off or for extra days at the park for discounted rates when we’ve let that vacation sit in the cart. It’s Disney subliminal messaging at its best.

*Remember to be logged into your My Disney Experience account online AND to have a good chunk of your profile filled out (name, address, family members, etc.). This way Disney knows where to send their goodies. While this is not a guarantee, we’ve seen it work and it is always worth a shot!

BUDGET, BUDGET, BUDGET!!

The number one thing we hear about Disney is how expensive it is. What people do not remember is that WDW is a resort vacation destination. While you must expect to spend some money, don’t fear that Disney is out of your family budget. Like I said earlier in this post, Disney has something for everyone.

Walt Disney World is MASSIVE. Like seriously MASSIVE. As in, the campus of Walt Disney World is two times the size of the Island of Manhattan. (Look it up, it’s true!!) Do you think that this huge resort is only a few hotels and theme parks? No way! While the parks are absolutely fabulous and are what most people associate with Walt Disney World. However, there is so much more that WDW has to offer besides the four theme parks and two water parks. From mini golf, luxury pool time, resort hopping, water parades, Disney Springs, there are a plethora of options that are minimally priced, if not free! Remember, look into options to maximize your vacation, especially for those who are significantly budget conscience. Sometimes a bang vacation doesn’t mean a ton of buck! We will delve deeper into this topic in future blog posts, so stay tuned!

            *MAIN STREET FAMILY TIP*

One thing our family has experienced and loved is the Disney Dining Plan. It makes your vacation feel like an All-Inclusive resort. Some families cannot find a way to make the Dining Plan work and that is fine! Disney has so many Dining Plan options, but sometimes it doesn’t make sense for our family either. Our “go to” test is to hit up:  https://www.distripplanner.com/ .

 This website is usually really good at determining what may fit for you. Be sure to pick individual restaurants and not the “Average QS” (Quick Service-Disney Fast Food) or “Average TS” (Table Service-Sit Down. Even selecting the individual restaurant only gives you an average priced meal, so it isn’t an end all be all, but rather a good gauge. Just take a look and play around. That’s how we all learn.

Hopefully this is a quick Disney 101 on what to look for when starting your planning for a Disney vacation. Our family will continue to break down things on a more micro level in the future, but go out spend hours on Walt Disney World website planning the dream vacation, and most importantly HAVE FUN DOING IT!!

--Christopher

Meet the Main Street Family

Welcome to the Main Street Family blog!

We are Christopher, Jennifer, and Grayson---a mouse-ear wearing, dole whip eating, Disney obsessed family! Since so many of our friends and family come to us with questions about our travels to the most magical place on Earth, we figured it was time to share some of our Disney know how with the world! We hope you enjoy!  

Here is a little about what started our love with the Walt Disney Company...

Christopher and I met in the summer of 2006 as members of the Colts Drum and Bugle Corps. When you spend an entire summer on a tour bus together, you learn A LOT about one another. One of our common grounds was a love for Disney that stemmed from our childhoods filled with princesses, Aladdin on VHS and Magic Kingdom.

Fast forward to 2009. Christopher pops the question after watching the Wishes fireworks from the Polynesian Resort.

Fast forward again to December 2014. After four and a half years of marriage (and many Disney trips later), Christopher and I find out we are expecting our first little bean! We were over the moon and spent the holidays in Central Florida celebrating and anticipating what changes were in store for our family. Unfortunately, that change came sooner than we hoped after the New Year. At my 12 week doctor’s appointment, we found out our little bean had stopped growing. No heartbeat. No signs of life. We were absolutely crushed with grief. The worst part was my body wasn’t responding to the fact that the baby had died and continued to “act” pregnant. We had the difficult choice of choosing to have a D&C since I wasn’t miscarrying on my own.

No lies, the beginning of 2015 was a dark time for us. Once a normally happy-go lucky couple, we found ourselves cross, sullen, and all around despondent. We felt cheated out of what was supposed to be our next chapter in life. After a few weeks of take-out meals, crying binges, and arguments, we knew we needed to move on, but I don’t think either of us really knew how.

I specifically remember we were lounging in bed, binging on Netflix when Christopher looked over at me and said, “What do you think about going to Disney World in March?” I was taken by surprise, as March wasn’t really that far away. However, surprised quickly melted away into something I hadn't felt in a while: excitement. We booked our trip that day.

We spent the next few weeks planning events, fast passes, meals, shows, etc. We had the best time anticipating and planning together. The pain was still there, but the hurt was much less. March came quickly and our much needed vacation finally arrived. Needless to say, we went all out, going to every park, taking a private Wishes cruise, eating ourselves silly….you name it, we probably did it. However, it was exactly what we needed to help us heal. We needed something positive to look forward to in order to get us being “us” again. Disney just helped give us that push and brought us together stronger than ever. I think this is why Disney has solidified itself as OUR most magical place on Earth.

Oh…..and a few weeks after getting back? We found out we were expecting Grayson.

Thanks for the souvenir, Disney. J

--Jennifer

Welcome to our Blog!!

This is the first post of our new blog. A means by which to follow our Disney adventures. With lots of pictures, tips, and secrets that we have learned over the years.

Check back often to see what we have been up to...