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