Video Killed the Trip Report Star: A Little Halloween Magic (Western) Complete!!

[verygfy]

WOW Sarah has gotten so big since your last TR cruising with Baby!! It's amazing how fast the time goes by. I love the shirts and dresses. This will be a must do for our 7 day. Now to just get crafty enough to follow those instructions

[Mindyjoy]

More! More! More!

[taraandmike]

You started already! Your kids look great in the mickey outfits you made. Thanks for the reminder that the shuttle can only be booked two days prior...
Can't wait for more of your report!

[2littlegirls]

keep it coming

[tigger2on]

I'm hooked!

[anewmac]

Amy i thought the same thing about baby (now Toddler) Sarah!

The pecan panicakes look so good!!! makes me wanna find a cracker barrel one day!

Kids suiets look cool, we just had a regular suite so the boys were on the couch bed.

And OMG your car is like packed to the gills I was cracking up wondering how you drove with all that. lol

Cant wait to hear how MMHSP (did I abreviate that right lol) went

[myelton01]

Thanks for the update on the kid's suite! I was researching for our trip next year and had one pop up, but didn't know anything about it. Sadly, with MIL with us, I don't think it will work out for us. I LOVE your tie dyes! I was going to do ours again next year with orange and black, but I might have to add some yellow in as well because they just look awesome like that! Can't wait to read more!!!

[Fastpaks]

We are most will always go to CIS no matter the price from now on. Those pics look amazing compared to mine from Hotel Hell!!

[nenner1]

Originally Posted by TotallyAngelic

WOW ... your report has started !!! And what a great start! Those outfits are gorgeous. And Sarah has grown up so much since your last trip report

Thanks so much! She sure is a little lady (ahem) now. The ahem and the wink because she was challenging at best onboard. I guess I didn't learn that lesson on our IotS cruise last January. Makes for an interesting story though!

Originally Posted by JKSWonder

Yay, official trip report started!

It's going to be interesting to see our cruise through someone else's perspective.

Jane

Oh I agree! I'm looking forward to reading what others from our group have done too and what we missed (or didn't). As always there's no way to do it all, and we didn't even come close! But there are a few things that are new to us coming up!

Originally Posted by livingis2me

Less than two weeks ago, yet it seems like so long. I wish we could go back to this day.

Keep it coming!!!!

Sigh. Me too. Can't believe it is over.

Originally Posted by TheDisneyGirl02

I can't believe that grown up toddler is baby Sarah from the DDD! She has gotten so big! Granted, all of your kids have grown, but Sarah actually started to walk since I saw her! LOL!!!

Can't wait to read more!!!

Walk, ha!...like Forrest Gump if she is going anywhere she is run-ning! LOL! I look back at those older pics and wonder where my sweet baby went, now I have this (albeit adorable) Stitch-like lil monster!

Originally Posted by Jennifer48

Thanks for all that awesome info on CIS!

I can't wait to read more!

You're very welcome, hope it is helpful!!!

Originally Posted by verygfy

WOW Sarah has gotten so big since your last TR cruising with Baby!! It's amazing how fast the time goes by. I love the shirts and dresses. This will be a must do for our 7 day. Now to just get crafty enough to follow those instructions

Thanks for the compliments, don't worry I know you can do it!!! I posted some tips in one of those tie dye threads. Best advice I can give is lots and lots of tight rubber bands around the cinched mickey heads and also to not be afraid to put a LOT of dye on the shirts, in all the folds and crevices. It will drip and mix and you think it is just going to turn out awful...but it won't! Have fun with it, they will be great!!

Originally Posted by Mindyjoy

More! More! More!

Glad you are enjoying it so far!!

Originally Posted by taraandmike

You started already! Your kids look great in the mickey outfits you made. Thanks for the reminder that the shuttle can only be booked two days prior...
Can't wait for more of your report!

Yes, we actually tried calling CIS the day before we checked in (Wed) which was 3 days prior to the cruise and they were very firm about not starting the shuttle list yet. we still ended up being the very first Saturday departure on the list but the spots are very limited..it was stressful and that was even knowing we had our vehicle and could have done an early drip off if necessary. So definitely mark your calendar to remember!

Originally Posted by 2littlegirls

keep it coming

Thanks for reading, hope you find it entertaining and informative!

Originally Posted by tigger2on

I'm hooked!

Woo-hoo! Thanks for reading! Enjoy!!!

Originally Posted by anewmac

Amy i thought the same thing about baby (now Toddler) Sarah!

The pecan panicakes look so good!!! makes me wanna find a cracker barrel one day!

Oh yeah! Yummy!!!!

Kids suiets look cool, we just had a regular suite so the boys were on the couch bed.

Yeah I remembered you guys were there and wondered why the kids suite areas didn't look too familiar- that must be why, I didn't read about it in your TR.

And OMG your car is like packed to the gills I was cracking up wondering how you drove with all that. lol

Actually this wasn't too bad! We've had it fuller!!! Can you see the huge box? That- just that one box 4 foot by 3 foot by 3 foot- was ALL Trick or Treat stuff. And not candy!!!

Cant wait to hear how MMHSP (did I abreviate that right lol) went

That's right it is Halloween Time or something different out there on the west coast, no? Well you won't have to wait long to find out how it went, I'm working on that installment now!!

Originally Posted by myelton01

Thanks for the update on the kid's suite! I was researching for our trip next year and had one pop up, but didn't know anything about it. Sadly, with MIL with us, I don't think it will work out for us. I LOVE your tie dyes! I was going to do ours again next year with orange and black, but I might have to add some yellow in as well because they just look awesome like that! Can't wait to read more!!!

You're welcome, the kids suite was great. I don't know if they have any with a pull out couch- if they did that might work for you!!!

Thanks for the compliments on the tie dye- I did really like how to colors came out! Purple would have looked great too, I couldn't decide if I wanted to accent the black and orange with yellow or purple but in the end I decided to go for the candy corn look, and it went over well!

Originally Posted by Fastpaks

We are most will always go to CIS no matter the price from now on. Those pics look amazing compared to mine from Hotel Hell!!

LOl I cannot.wait. (!) for those pics! You guys really had some extremes in the hotel department!

[podsnel]

Hi Jen!! Miss you already!! How's my dancin' partner, Savannah? And my little girlfriend, Sarah? Your suite looks sa-WHEET!!! I got whammied with PTA stuff as soon as I got home, and sooooo much make up homework for the boys- but it was all worth it. A GREAT vacation! And you made it even more special for all of us in our DISgroup-

Please tell your boys my boys say hello!!

Ellen

[nenner1]

Originally Posted by podsnel

Hi Jen!! Miss you already!! How's my dancin' partner, Savannah?

LMAO you sould have seen Ron when e got back to the room -e was like "JUST WAIT until you see this video!!!" Too funny! You guys rocked the house!!

And my little girlfriend, Sarah?

Still sick, but she seems better the last couple of days. I'm getting hit pretty hard by the crud. Everytime I hack up green chunks I think of the pharmacia in Cozumel where I passed up on the $41 Cipro and wonder how long I can hold out before going to te doc. Luckily I have this TR to keep my congested mind off of how miserable I feel!

Your suite looks sa-WHEET!!! I got whammied with PTA stuff as soon as I got home, and sooooo much make up homework for the boys- but it was all worth it. A GREAT vacation! And you made it even more special for all of us in our DISgroup-

Oh you are too sweet, you know!

Please tell your boys my boys say hello!!

Likewise from my boys to yours! Brendan had so much fun with Tyler and Timmy, and Ron with Pods LOL! Don't know why he didn't want to join in the shots! As great as that place was, those drinks were like water. And this is coming from a lightweight!!

[nenner1]

We left CIS a little behind schedule after realizing we needed to pick up a few things left behind. We hit Walgreens, then Wal-Mart and then were on our way. The ride back towards Orlando dragged on and on, but a few minutes after 4 PM we arrived at the Holy Grail:



The parking gates were adorned by these massive pumpkin balloons. Two of Sarah’s favorites…balloons and pumpkins (ah, to be two again…life is so simple).



We drove into the lot and were surprised at how empty it was, looks like it had been a very un-crowded day at the Magic Kingdom. We were led straight in to the closest parking lot, Minnie! I was delighted at this good omen- we had not arrived as early as I had liked and right off the bat saving some time by not having to tram up was wonderful.

We scooted across the street and to the TTC, where under immense pressure from the kids, we chose the monorail over the ferry boat. Crowds heading in were light, albeit festive. What fun to observe all of the creative costumes on guests of all ages! We were able to walk right up the ramp and right on a ready-to-depart Monorail Orange. Another good omen! Of course the amazing ease of getting to the MK that we had experienced to this point would end right there. Our monorail was stopped for “traffic ahead” outside the Contemporary, and we stayed there at least 10-15 minutes. We stopped several more times once we were moving again, and once more for a long spell right outside the MK entrance (another 10 minute pause). The only good thing about the delay was that we got to see a character….a rare one at that!

Bambi!!!




In any event it was after 4:30 when we finally disembarked the monorail- ugh!- what a frustration to lose ½ hour of valuable park time. There were no lines into the park, we walked right up to the MNSSP entrance line, our e-tickets were scanned and we were given our bracelets. As we proceeded into the park we were given the party map with the special character listings and also the Trick-or-Treat (ToT) stops.








I was supposed to meet fellow cruiser Vikki on Main Street at 4, however due to our setback she was no longer there. We lingered in Town Square for a while anyway enjoying the festive decorations. The foliage and fall accents were beautiful!











After a quick photopass pic at the castle, we headed in the direction of Adventureland. First stop: Dole Whips!






After our tropical snack break we took a spin on the Jungle Cruise, sailed with the Pirates of the Caribbean, took a ride through Thunder Mountain, and plunged down Splash Mountain, riding the latter two rides twice so both Ron and I could go with the kids.






Yes, I know I look like a dork in my poncho. I am the water cannon magnet on Splash Mountain. If you ride with me, you WILL get soaked, guaranteed. This time was no exception, I still ended up with a wet butt.


Lines were virtually non-existant. Waits of 5-10 minutes max, and most were walk-ons. This was still during regular park operating hours. It was terrific with crowds so low.

Dusk over the Rivers of America (is it called that at WDW or just DL?)




The obligatory stockade pics. I love seeing how my kids have grown through the years looking at these photos.







Upon entering Fantasyland, we saw Cinderella’s Coach poised near the old Skyway Station. The line was fairly short, about 15 families deep, but we were OK with just this shot:




By now it was almost 7 PM and the park was eerily empty, save for the handful of MNSSHP partygoers here and there:




We hopped on Small World and when we emerged the first ToT station was open:






The MK at night is so lovely, especially with the festive lighting. Too bad my camera doesn’t do it justice.


We did some more Trick or Treating and then a flight on Dumbo.





We soon found why the park was so empty. Everyone (and I mean EVERYONE) was in the massive 7 Dwarves line. It would have been a cute photo, but man that line was hours long, so we skipped it. I decided this would be good enough for us. (I could always photoshop us in, ya know!)




Meanwhile I was playing phone tag with Vikki through several attractions, as we kept missing eacother. We skipped Pan since the line was an unacceptable 20 mins (gah!) and chose instead to ride Snow White. It ended up being a good call, as the Hag was out with virtually no line!
Don’t listen to her, she is not directing you to the candy!






We did some more Trick-or-Treating, then it was already time to snag a spot for the parade. It was going so fast!!!

Next up: Boo to YOU!

[TotallyAngelic]

Absolutely love your photos of MNSSHP .... and the kiods are so brave going up close to the old hag like that .. braver than me for sure I love the expression on your son's face in the first photo with the hag! He's really weighing her up.

[verygfy]

So jealous you got to see the hag!! I have the same pics as you in regards to the seven dwarfs and Cinderella's carriage. Those two lines were insane especially for such an empty park!

[stitchgal]

just started reading...can't wait to hear more!