"A for effort, C for execution." A September 2014 TR **07/04 THE END!*

I'm here! I've lurked a couple of your TRs and decided to join in on this one even if it is a little late in the game!

Ah, the disney balloon. So expensive but so necessary. The blue was a good choice!

You are making me so homesick with all the POFQ pictures. It's conflicting because on one hand I love to see them because that's my favorite resort, but it makes me sad because I'm not there right now at this very moment. Sigh.
 
Awww Marie, I think that is so wonderful that you wanted to get a balloon. Not to mention the effort you went to to acquire said balloon. :flower3:

MiSiCi. :sad: On this day of all days. And OH GOD YES the new soundtrack is horrendous. I hate this now. RIP MiSiCi.

I do love empty buses I must admit.

It was a very good balloon. I was so happy to get it, too! Pretty expensive, but still worth it.

I know, it was such bad luck. And I haven't seen it in person but just listening to it online, ugh. Definitely doesn't get me moving and dancing in my seat like MiSiCi did.

Empty buses are the best. And it makes you feel so important. Like, ah, yes bus driver, we are here, you may go now.


Thank you so much for the magical ribbons recommendation! Fortunately my trip is months away (my 180 day mark is this week...) so if I order soon I should have them in time. I love that you can change them out! It's like an investment-- I'll never have to buy another pair of ears again!

You're welcome! We love her bows so much and have way too many of them (we were there for 8 days with four of our girl friends in May, and with six of us for eight days we didn't even showcase all of them), but they're so carefully crafted and beautifully designed. And yes, that'll definitely be enough time to get them ;)


I promise I'm following along this TR!!! Even if I'm 7 pages late!!!

As usual, your updates are too magical for words!!! I love all of the character photos :)

Yaaay welcome to this TR! And that's fine, we're leisurely writers, catch up as you wish ;)

Thank you so much ^^ And we do very much enjoy meeting characters (as our October trip proved. I believe the count was in the 70s)
 
Oh my gosh, who knew getting a balloon would be such a trial? Still cool that you got to see MiSiCi one last time!

I used to get sooooo many Disney dollars from family for Christmas as a kid. I did actually hold on to some for a really long time, but I used them all when I took my first trip without my parents and had to pay for my own food. They are a true investment in happiness, though!!

I think blue balloon is an excellent choice!

It really was a trial! Lesson learned, next time I'll make sure before traveling that I'll be able to withdraw money at destination. And yes, being able to somewhat say goodbye to MiSiCi was definitely good, considering what it's become.

I never even knew Disney dollars still existed until recently! I thought they were a wonderful thing of the past. And that's definitely a good way of investing years of presents. Disney food is pretty high up the list on top things to spend money on.

Thank you! I was very tempted by its other colorful counterparts but ultimately, it was a good choice.


I'm here! I've lurked a couple of your TRs and decided to join in on this one even if it is a little late in the game!

Ah, the disney balloon. So expensive but so necessary. The blue was a good choice!

You are making me so homesick with all the POFQ pictures. It's conflicting because on one hand I love to see them because that's my favorite resort, but it makes me sad because I'm not there right now at this very moment. Sigh.

Ooh welcome! It's alright, joining in the party late is still joining in! Besides, I like to think that with how many Disney trips we hope to do in our lifetimes, you've joining in right around the pre cocktail part of the evening ;)

Definitely pricy, but such a great decision! And thank you, I did love the blue color. I think I was thrown off by the other colors because I actually just wanted them all.

Sorry for the homesickness, don't worry, we're right up there with you though! POFQ is our favorite and definitely has the best homey feeling. I think I'd feel wonderfully fancy staying at a Deluxe, but even if I was rich and could go whenever I wanted and stay wherever I wanted, I'd always make time for our first resort love
 
Day 5, Part 4: Port Orleans Appreciation

After we finished eating I decided that I wanted a Halloween shirt and Minnie ears because my planned costume as a form of an Elsa Disneybound to match Marie's Merida Disneybound would be way too hot. In retrospect I should have just been a sock monkey again, but c'est la vie. Also, I ended up being too cold at some points.

First things first we went to Jackson Square, which is the gift shop at the French Quarter.

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They didn't have anything though, so we decided that we were going to go ahead and walk over to Riverside. After all, it'd stopped raining and we figured that it'd be nice to be able to see the resort.

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I love the street signs at the French Quarter.

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And the buildings.

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We saw lots of little lizards but this one had the cutest swirly tail.

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I'm missing the French Quarter something fierce right about now.

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I would be happy just walking around here with no purpose at all.

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The walkway next to the river is actually just beautiful.

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And it's not a long walk at all over to Riverside. It was hot so it wasn't as nice a walk as it could have been but it was still enjoyable.

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The mansion section of Riverside is pretty.

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Royal section. I love the fountain.

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The lobby area is right next to the water, which is nice.

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Map comparison of Riverside and the French Quarter.

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I like these seats they have in the lobby.

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I mean, I still like the French Quarter lobby better.

I got my shirt and ears and we looked at some pins. Actually, as we passed the boat rental place the guy pulled out a pin board and we got to look over some more there too before making our way back toward the French Quarter.

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I love some good puns.

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I also love some good fountains.

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We rested in the room for a little while and I caught up on my notes.

After that, we went ahead and did some pool time. I don't have any pictures but I did take advantage of the slide a few times because it was pretty awesome. There was a little bit of time in the sun before we headed back to the room to get ready for our second Halloween party.

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Day 5, Part 5: "There's a flood what?"

By the time we got ready to go it was pouring rain outside, so we donned our ponchos and made our way to the bus stop hoping that it would stop.

However, pretty much instantly after arriving we realized that stopping wasn't in sight. It was about then that we heard the announcement that the Move It, Shake It, Celebrate It parade would be cancelled. This was bad news for two reasons, first, it was where we were supposed to meet Rob and secondly we knew that it was something that he'd really been looking forward to. Reluctantly we sent a message to him saying that we'd need a new plan for meeting up, but first we had our own plans.

Another DISer was going to be at the party and we had plans for a quick meet with her after her Cinderella's Royal Table dinner. We were supposed to meet outside of Sir Mickey's but given the weather we weren't sure that it was going to happen.

We actually almost ended up missing her when we didn't meet her at the proper time as she'd been waiting inside. Luckily, she came out and we were able to say hello.

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LindseyLou2222 is an extremely kind person. We only had a short chat because she had her husband and her adorable daughter with her but she was super sweet and it was great to get to meet her.

At that point though, we knew that we had to meet up with Rob and we decided upon the Emporium. Unfortunately, that meant we'd have to truck through some rain because there wasn't that much of a choice. It was relentless but we finally made our way through Casey's Corner (which was packed) and into the Emporium.

It took a few minutes to be able to catch sight of Rob (DisneyKid4Life), who was dressed to the nines as a Move It Shake It Celebrate It dancer.

Since we didn't have much else to do, we decided to go and find a place to sit down and wait out a little bit of the rain while waiting for the party to start, hoping that it would be done before the party started.

It did give us a lot of time to be able to chat and in case you weren't already aware, Rob is a total sweetheart. I mean it, he's a great person, really kind and funny. He was also one of the first people I got to know on the boards after I started my first TR and I don't think I told him this at the time but it really meant a lot to me to have someone so frequently involved and caring about my trip and how I'd been feeling. So I was extra excited that not only was I going to get to meet him but that he wanted to spend extended amounts of time with me and Marie.

Being able to just relax and talk took some of the misery out of the rain that continued to fall relentlessly.

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Look at the rain.

At some point Rob had to go and get his party bracelet and at another point realized that he couldn't find his locker key. Turns out he'd forgotten it in the locker but someone kind had turned it in and everything was okay in the end.

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There was a trick or treating spot in the Terrace, so Marie went through a few times while we were waiting. Also, the infamous sign guys can be seen in this picture (there's a better one later in the evening or in Rob's TR).


I also took a video of the rain. You can click the image to go and see it.

Eventually though, as the rain kept going, we figured that we may as well go and grab some food. Not knowing that Rob's earlier meal had been at Cosmic Ray's that's what we suggested, since it was so close and would have plenty of seating.

First we decided that we needed a picture in the rain as there was a Photopass Photographer right outside the Terrace.

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Poncho fab.

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I do like the sky though, it adds to the mood of everything.

The rain was starting to let up a bit more and we figured that by the time we were done eating it wouldn't be too terrible.

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Marie got the bacon cheeseburger and I got the pulled pork sandwich, both with apples and water. As you can see, for whatever reason they didn't have normal straws and so we used tiny straws.

The meal served for more talking time which was very nice. The rain slowed when we headed out and trick or treating was the first manner of business.

We'd decided to hit the Space Mountain trail but there was only one stop. Which was disappointing, but when we reached the Sideshow area they told us that there was trick or treating inside the building where the characters usually meet. Four containers were inside and it was pretty darn good.

Since Rob didn't have much he particularly wanted to do, I suggested meeting Minnie and Daisy because they were too cute and I'd wanted to do it first party but the lines were just too long.

It ended up taking about half an hour to meet them, but we were in no hurry and the great company really made it seem like not too long a wait at all.

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Minnie was immediately excited that she was on my shirt and that I had Minnie pins.

Daisy was very hurt though that she was not on my shirt, nor did I have any pins of her. She walked away to sulk but Minnie said some encouraging words and soon she came back to take some pictures.

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She even held my hand.

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They were a great meet.

Using our trick from the previous party, we made our way to sit down on the Terrace and watch Celebrate the Magic and HalloWishes.

First though, Rob took a picture (which I then stole).

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Fun fact, he took it upside down and I was so confused about it but then he explained that it was easier and he could flip it around to look normal. As you see, it worked.

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HalloWishes was great, but the wind was being unfavorable, causing the smoke to blow back toward us which did take away a little.

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But I mean, I can't complain, it was magical and the rain had stopped, so there wasn't much to complain for.

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Rob also got another kind stranger to take a fuller body picture of us (which I am again stealing).

Like the first party, we decided that we were going to go and find a place on Main Street. Marie wanted to grab some of the special food from Sleepy Hallow and Rob wanted to hit some more trick or treating, so after Marie grabbed some bags from the nearby store, I saved our seats on the curb.

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Marie came back with the Spiced Pumpkin Waffle Sundae, which she let me have a bite of and was pretty darn good if I do say so myself. Marie's exact word was 'delicious'.

Before the parade started there was no Headless Horseman to ride by that night but the Phineas and Ferb Creeper Crew did come by to host some dancing.

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Which I decided to join in on because I enjoy dancing even though I'm terrible at it.

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Proof of my terribleness.

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Phineas was having a great time but what makes this picture for me is the guy in the background dressed as Ferb.

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The Creeper Crew is a fun group of people.

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Well considering you ended up being too cold at some points, an Elsa Disneybound would have been perfect. "You froze yourself!!"

Stopped raining? I know that's a tease.

Yeah, I definitely need to visit Port Orleans if not stay there.

Oh the pain... the pain of it all!!!! Due to inclement weather (i.e. torrential downpour), Move It Shake It has been cancelled. My GOD the rain!!! My God the Humanity!!! OK, maybe a little over dramatic.

I'm so gad you got in your DISmeet. Obviously not the best of circumstances (i.e. torrential downpour), but you still got it.

Oh Amber, you went and made me cry. :hug: I have no words. Believe me, the feeling is most definitely mutual. This night was something I was looking forward to all trip long, so I should be thanking YOU both for allowing me the pleasure of your company.

OMG I totally forgot about the locker key!! :rotfl2: Disney really needs to go digital. Or, how about using the Magic Band!!! This goes for in room safes as well.

OK, yeah, totally stealing the Photopass pictures. Somehow I didn't get those ones scanned.

Aww, Minnie and Daisy were a great meet and well worth the wait.

Haha, yeah I suck at selfies.

That was so seriously awesome of you to save parade spots. One of the perils of solo travels is having to get a spot and stay there for long periods of time. You being so nice to do that meant so much!!

Marie got much better photos of the dancing than I did, that's for sure. I love that you did that.
 
Well considering you ended up being too cold at some points, an Elsa Disneybound would have been perfect. "You froze yourself!!"

Stopped raining? I know that's a tease.

Yeah, I definitely need to visit Port Orleans if not stay there.

Oh the pain... the pain of it all!!!! Due to inclement weather (i.e. torrential downpour), Move It Shake It has been cancelled. My GOD the rain!!! My God the Humanity!!! OK, maybe a little over dramatic.

I'm so gad you got in your DISmeet. Obviously not the best of circumstances (i.e. torrential downpour), but you still got it.

Oh Amber, you went and made me cry. :hug: I have no words. Believe me, the feeling is most definitely mutual. This night was something I was looking forward to all trip long, so I should be thanking YOU both for allowing me the pleasure of your company.

OMG I totally forgot about the locker key!! :rotfl2: Disney really needs to go digital. Or, how about using the Magic Band!!! This goes for in room safes as well.

OK, yeah, totally stealing the Photopass pictures. Somehow I didn't get those ones scanned.

Aww, Minnie and Daisy were a great meet and well worth the wait.

Haha, yeah I suck at selfies.

That was so seriously awesome of you to save parade spots. One of the perils of solo travels is having to get a spot and stay there for long periods of time. You being so nice to do that meant so much!!

Marie got much better photos of the dancing than I did, that's for sure. I love that you did that.

I know, but to quote Elsa herself "The past is in the past." Ya know, just had to let it go and move on ;)

It did stop raining, it just started again lol

Port Orleans is so beautiful. I mean, I was watching a documentary today about Disney hotels and felt a little personally shafted that they didn't mention POFQ. I like took it personally they ignored my home.

Hey, it was a heartbreaking situation. We all know that. Not overly dramatic at all.

It was great to get to meet Lindsey if even just for a moment, like I said, she was totally sweet and her daughter (although not pleased with the rain either) was adorable.

Oh no, I didn't mean to make you cry! :hug: But I suppose it's just a good thing we were both on the same page.

I take pretty good notes (usually, at some point I gave up on this trip). But yeah, they should look into a new method for the lockers.

Steal away. If you'd like them bigger I can send them to you on Facebook in original size :)

Totally agree and they're so cute in their Halloween costumes!

You do not suck at selfies, you got us all in and didn't cut off anything so that works.

It seems like I was being nice, but really I was just resting my legs and taking in the atmosphere while snacking on candy :p It was selfishly motivated, have no doubt, but I'm glad it served you well too.

They were front and center for her? I'm not sure, ya know, cause the dancing and all but it was a fun experience all around. Not something I do around people I'll see all the time but Disney is a judge free zone.
 


Wow! POR and POFQ are both GORGEOUS!!!

Aww, it looks like you guys had a lot of fun at the party despite all of the rain. I'm so happy!!!
 
Wow! POR and POFQ are both GORGEOUS!!!

Aww, it looks like you guys had a lot of fun at the party despite all of the rain. I'm so happy!!!

They are both soooo beautiful. I love them and could live there no problem.

We had an amazing time. Have you done the party? It's such an experience. I mean, Marie and I are a little over fall decorations after going two years in a row but clearly those feelings do not in any way extend to MNSHHP, it's so a fantastic experience that I'd always recommend getting to it at least once.
 
Day 5, Part 6: "This is just really weird"

With the dancing soon over and Amber settled back on the curb, we sat back and waited for the parade to come along!

We took as many pictures as usual, but seeing as we've already posted quite a few, I went through and selected some of the better one (which still means they'll take up about half of this update, but what can you do?)

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I love their masks so much. Each one of them is so cute, I wish I'd gotten a better shot of each to showcase them better.

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Of course, I gotta get a picture of the big cheese himself.

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Pirates!

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The Haunted Mansion section coming along - which, I think everyone can agree, is one of the (if not the) best sections of this parade.

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After the float came along though, it made it a bit trickier to get good shots as there was a lot of fog in the air that didn't dissipate very fast.

We still manage to get Clarabelle, though.

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And the chippies!

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Vanellope being adorable, as usual.

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That guy came by real close.

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And of course, what better way to close up a Halloween parade than with villains!

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With the parade over, we discussed what to do for a few minutes. Amber and I suggested heading over toward Adventureland so we could try and meet Tarzan and Jane (we had met Jane and Turk the year before, but not Tarzan), and although Rob wasn't particularly interested in that set of character, he graciously obliged.

However, as fate would have it, once we got there the line had just closed, and wouldn't be re-opening that night.

With those news, we decided to head over toward Liberty Square to try out one of the party's newest additions - Club Villains at the Diamond Horseshoe.

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Which was also the first time Amber and I set foot in that place.

And let me tell you something. It was weird.

Not the Diamond Horseshoe itself. But Club Villain? Weird.

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The Wicked Witch leading a conga line? Really weird.

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Lady Tremaine following suit? Okay, a little less weird. But still, not exactly a normal occurrence either.

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One of the most disappointing aspects though was just how crowded it was. Every report we'd gotten of this place thus far had been that is was almost consistenly empty, or at least not very crowded at all. Of course, it was getting later in the month though, so the popularity of the parties was picking up. I guess we'd just been hoping that with it being a Tuesday, it would mean less people and less locals, but I guess with the rain early on in the evening, it changed a lot of people's initial plans and maybe a lot just got the idea of heading over to Club Villain when they weren't able to meet certain characters because they didn't get in line early enough. Or maybe it's better to go when it's earlier during the party. Maybe a mix of both.

I also wasn't that big a fan of the set up itself. This could be a really cool experience if you had a good chance of getting pictures with one rare villain or another. But getting to do so was just ridiculous.

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Getting close to Dr Facilier was especially hard.

There was just no line, they were roaming around the room, sometimes with a small gathering following along like fan girls, and you just had to hope people would be courteous enough to realize you'd been standing by a character longer and so it was technically your turn to get a shot at a picture or autograph.

Unfortunately, that just wasn't the case, and some people would just push right past others and go right up to the characters' faces. One girl in particular did so with Dr Facilier and the girl standing next to me looked over at me and we shared a similarly uninpressed look.

Basically, I just can't jump in like that. I had that issue on the latest cruise I went on, where the bartenders just weren't really taking notice of which people ought to be served next and people just came right in. I waited at the bar twenty minutes before giving up, because I just don't feel comfortable speaking up over others like that. I'm more of the 'waiting for your turn' type, but when there's no set turn, it doesn't work so well.

Ultimately, we soon decided we'd gotten a good enough vibe of the place, and once they started up a dance battle to Ke$ha, we took that as our queue to leave this rather strange experience behind.

We headed up toward Splash Mountain so that we could hit up the candy trail. It was a lot more disappointing than our previous party, where we'd gotten handful of candies - this time around, they gave maybe a couple of pieces at each station and we moved on with our bags fairly unchanged in weight.

We stopped by the Liberty Belle candy stop on our way back toward Liberty Square, because the party was drawing to a close, and we had one more very important thing to do.

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Of course, no Halloween party is complete without stopping by the Haunted Mansion!

Sadly enough, neither Madame Carlotta nor Lady Renata were out on the grass at that point, and we wondered briefly if it was because of the time as there was probably less than ten minutes left until midnight, but we soon figured that with all the rain we'd gotten that evening, the grass would probably have been too slippery for her to safely get up and down from her bench throughout the evening.

We still very much enjoyed our ride though, and by the time we were off, the party night had pretty much come to a close, and Amber and I were both quite tired and more than ready to head off.

We made our way back toward Main Street, stopping along the way for a couple more Photopass pictures.

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On our way out, we encountered some of the best costumes we had seen that evening (which you'll have already seen if you're following Rob's TR, but of course we had to get a picture of them as well!)

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Seriously, how cool are they?

After that brief stop, we came to the parting of ways. After an early wake up call that morning, Amber and I were definitely ready for bed, and Rob would be headed back to his own hotel after spending a few more moments in the park, so we said our goodbyes and made our way out of the park.

By the time we got to the line for the French Quarter, it was pretty much jammed pack. But before too long, two buses pulled up at the same time and everyone cheered as we quickly got on. The ride back was uneventful and after reaching our room, we promptly crashed in bed.

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Ugh that parade is so fantastic. And your pictures make me feel like I was actually there. :bitelip:

Yes, the dance party at Diamond Horseshoe has always been quiet, but this was pretty crazy. And dancing Evil Witch still gives me nightmares (for the wrong reasons).

This is a perfect example of why Disney does organized meets now. Just too much chaos otherwise.

Yup, Indeed Sign Guys ruled that night. Unbelievably creative costumes.
 
Ack, I feel bad. I thought I commented on here but now I realized that I commented on this section from Rob's report so it feels like I commented here but actually hadn't. So my apologies

That rain is just nuts. A light rain that lasts for like 10 mins, ok, sure that happens. But this was like Biblical rain.

Not sure how you didn't see LindseyLou2222 right away ... I mean, she's the one in the poncho ;) Glad it worked out in the end though!

really glad to hear you did get together with Rob and had some time to chat (I mean, on the whole the rain wasn't great but if it did force you to sit and talk more than you might have otherwise, I guess some good came out of it)

And the video confirms that it was in fact raining and - also that Marie was truly impressed by the paty at that point - I mean, fully pushing her glasses on to her face impressed! ;)

That spiced pumpkin waffle sunday sounds really good - I am a sucker for pumpkin flavored things though (until I, inevitable, overdo it each season and then am sick of it for a spell)

I need to create an actual Disney bucket list rather than just saying "that is on my Disney bucket list" - because, well, it is a lie as I don't have an actual list .... but once I do have an actual list seeing the Halloween parade is definitely going on there!

I love the little touches like the characters having those masquerade masks - not to mention the unique floats and the characters (i.e. villains) you don't often see in parades.

I think they are on to something with the Club Villian - but just like the villains event earlier in the year, they need to adjust some things and make it easier to meet the villians, etc. - maybe restrict how many people could be in there? or have a M&G area and the villians rotate who is there vs just out on the dance floor? Oh, and the old witch should not be getting her grove on, that is just weird

Glad you did get on Haunted Mansion (like you said, pretty much a must during a halloween party) - but definite bummer (though understandable) that Madame Carlotta and Lady Renata were not out.

The sign guys rule! Such creativity - and you can also tell how rainy it was as their pant legs are pretty soaked.

Sounds like you all had about as good of a time as you could given the rain, non-handfuls of candy at the trails, and boogying with the old witch
 
Ugh that parade is so fantastic. And your pictures make me feel like I was actually there. :bitelip:

Yes, the dance party at Diamond Horseshoe has always been quiet, but this was pretty crazy. And dancing Evil Witch still gives me nightmares (for the wrong reasons).

This is a perfect example of why Disney does organized meets now. Just too much chaos otherwise.

Yup, Indeed Sign Guys ruled that night. Unbelievably creative costumes.

It definitely is a great parade. And why, thank you - I know this is all thanks to my wondrous photographer skills, and not the fact that you were sitting right on the curb ;)

The villains probably cause more of a draw to see it than Woody and gang did, but I feel like it's a bad move to put rare characters in that kind of environment rather than the way they used to be, where you at least had a shot at getting a picture.

Those Sign Guys were awesome. Definitely makes me wish I had that many creative ideas. Though, if I go back during Halloween, I'll probably borrow your own creativity and go more with a parade/party route.



Ack, I feel bad. I thought I commented on here but now I realized that I commented on this section from Rob's report so it feels like I commented here but actually hadn't. So my apologies

That rain is just nuts. A light rain that lasts for like 10 mins, ok, sure that happens. But this was like Biblical rain.

Not sure how you didn't see LindseyLou2222 right away ... I mean, she's the one in the poncho ;) Glad it worked out in the end though!

really glad to hear you did get together with Rob and had some time to chat (I mean, on the whole the rain wasn't great but if it did force you to sit and talk more than you might have otherwise, I guess some good came out of it)

And the video confirms that it was in fact raining and - also that Marie was truly impressed by the paty at that point - I mean, fully pushing her glasses on to her face impressed! ;)

That spiced pumpkin waffle sunday sounds really good - I am a sucker for pumpkin flavored things though (until I, inevitable, overdo it each season and then am sick of it for a spell)

I need to create an actual Disney bucket list rather than just saying "that is on my Disney bucket list" - because, well, it is a lie as I don't have an actual list .... but once I do have an actual list seeing the Halloween parade is definitely going on there!

I love the little touches like the characters having those masquerade masks - not to mention the unique floats and the characters (i.e. villains) you don't often see in parades.

I think they are on to something with the Club Villian - but just like the villains event earlier in the year, they need to adjust some things and make it easier to meet the villians, etc. - maybe restrict how many people could be in there? or have a M&G area and the villians rotate who is there vs just out on the dance floor? Oh, and the old witch should not be getting her grove on, that is just weird

Glad you did get on Haunted Mansion (like you said, pretty much a must during a halloween party) - but definite bummer (though understandable) that Madame Carlotta and Lady Renata were not out.

The sign guys rule! Such creativity - and you can also tell how rainy it was as their pant legs are pretty soaked.

Sounds like you all had about as good of a time as you could given the rain, non-handfuls of candy at the trails, and boogying with the old witch

That's more than alright, we did pretty much have about the same account of the night ;)

It really was. There was a flood warning for a good part of the evening, which was pretty crazy.

Silly us! We really should have thought of that ;)

It really was the highlight of the party. Having already done it once just a couple of nights prior, I don't know if we wouldn't have thought we might have wasted a bit of money with how that party started out, if it hadn't been for the fact that it gave us the opportunity to spend it with Rob.

I'm always that impressed when Amber puts a filming camera in my face :P

The pumpkin waffle sundae was so very nommy. I'm also a fan of pumpkin everything, such a shame it's so present only in the fall. You know, maybe I want a pumpkin spice latte in the middle of the summer and I shouldn't have to be judged for that. Sheesh.

We had an actual Disney bucket list once! Then Amber's computer broke and we lost it. We need to write it out again. I think it's always a good thing to have, I encourage you to put it down in writing as well ;) Maybe just, you know, keep it in two places :P

The masquerade masks were new this year and definitely a nice addition! And it is already great to see rarer characters out and about.

It is a nice concept in theory, but you're right, there's need for a bit of readjustments. I think there's bound to be a bit of craziness if you're just gonna throw a bunch of rarely seen out and about characters in a free space and let them roam.

We definitely missed out on both those ladies both evenings, seeing as we hardly saw any of Madame Carlotta even the first evening by showing up right about closing.

They do rule! And yeah, there were many very soaked costumes all over the place. I was definitely glad of the simplicity of mine. Actually, it could have been a lot worse - for a while, when thinking of our second party outfit, Amber and I toyed with the idea of dressing 50s style - black and white makeup included. Like, body coverage makeup. That would have been so bad.

In the end it was a great party. Those last handfuls were the only situations where we encountered slightly less generous candy givers, so we still had a fairly good haul, and of course good company makes for good times!
 
Day 6, Part 1: "Hey boss."

We slept in until after 9 after our second party because we were pretty tired and didn't have any major plans for the day, although we were hoping to maybe see Rob.

Still, it wasn't until almost 10 that we left the room.

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Marie's art talents never cease to amaze.

We had a specific mission and that was to go and get some of those delicious French Quarter beignets. So I got into line to get them and Santos the amazing cast member was busy taking care of getting cookies ready for when they'd be served at 11.

Well, there was a horribly disfigured one and being the kind gentlemen that he was, he offered it to me. I thanked him profusely and took the cookie and beignets to a nearby table to wait for Marie.

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Look at all this goodness.

Marie even posted another picture on Instagram with the caption: Fresh beignets, right out of the fryer. So many noms


And let me tell you, they were super delicious. As was the cookie. Both A+ baking.

But as we're eating Santos walks over and tells us that he got into a little hot water for giving me the cookie because another lady saw and then wanted cookies but technically they don't start serving cookies until 11. Being the quick thinker that he is, he told the lady that I was his boss and therefore had required him to give him the cookie.

This cracked me up for a variety of reasons, but mostly because I was a 21 year old so clearly not anyone's boss that I suggested that he should have went with me being the boss' daughter. We chatted for a few minutes longer and he was just such a great and awesome Cast Member that we'd later stop by to give a positive review of him at guest relations. He clearly loved his job and was just so positive and awesome.

With a great start to the morning we then hopped a bus over to Hollywood Studios. At that point we also messaged Rob to see if he was still there and we'd be able to meet up if he was.

First, we stopped for some special pictures though.

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Sven, what are you doing here? Silly reindeer.

Marie really wanted to ride Toy Story Mania and we didn't really have much else we were planning on, so we decided that we'd hop in the 45 minute Standby line. I don't know what makes us decide it's okay to wait 45 minutes for Toy Story Mania but not 20 minutes for Pirates but it was early in the morning and we figured that it was going to be worth the wait.

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We snapped a wesie with Olaf.

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The details in this queue really help to pass the time.

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Though, rant alert: there was these parents in front of us who had their kids climbing under the railings so that they could sit/lean/stand on everything for pictures. I was getting super annoyed because I have a lot of respect for railings, due largely in fact to my ride operator past. They're there for a reason and it's not to be decoration or for sitting/climbing. Rant over.

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Our favorite colors!

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I wonder if they'll ever catch him. I want that reward.

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Uh-oh, Andy's coming!

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Mr. Potato Head had a bit of a derp stage and got frozen like this for a few minutes, which was pretty amusing to me.

The wait time ended up being pretty accurate, although we shaved a couple of minutes off being a group of two.

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Obviously Marie is player 2.

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And she was best in vehicle!

Since there was still some Frozen Summer Fun stuff around, we decided to see what all the buzz was about.

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We even got a photo with the very small princesses.

Right about that time Rob texted to ask what we were doing and we mentioned being at the Frozen Funland. He said he'd be heading over to Epcot, so we wished him a good day and said we'd see him again another time.

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There wasn't much there and Marie and I weren't the type to wait to build a snowman.

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I did like this trashcan though. I'm easily impressed.

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Some of the special offerings.

We were boring though and just got a Mickey pretzel.

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But it was delicious.

I was getting far too cold in the Frozen Funland (the frozen part was at least accurate) so we decided that we were going to head out and sit elsewhere to eat.

That somewhere else was a table over at Backlot Express. It was in the shade for Marie but still a little sunny for me. I sat and ate my pretzel, sharing a little with Marie and then talked about what we were going to do next. Since we'd never seen Indiana Jones, we decided we needed to do that before it was gone and went to make our way up that way.

However, as we started walking toward the Streets of America we practically ran straight into Rob who hadn't left yet afterall.

Literally, I saw his shirt before him and thought, hey, someone has Rob's shirt. Then I looked up and realized that it was Rob and it made a lot more sense.

We chatted for a few minutes about what our plans were going to be for the rest of the day. A side note is that Marie was getting a little antsy during the conversation because she hates being late to things and we were going to be cutting the showing close if we stayed for too long. Though she obviously wanted to talk to Rob too, she wasn't sure if the other showings would fit in with the rest of our plans.

However, Rob was ready to head over to Epcot too, so he stopped a CM to get a quick picture and then we parted ways for good.

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It was great to see him and get to wrap things up properly from our greet.

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Hi, Amber (and Marie?)! :wave2:

I don't know what took me so long to read your trip report, but I love it!

Your Mousekeeping envelopes are insanely awesome! My Mousekeepers are lucky to get a "thank you" scrawl and a few stickers! :laughing:

How fun that you attended two MNNSHPs (and I'm glad one of them included a little less rain!).

How fabulous that they let you in to the Magic Kingdom early even though your KTTK tour didn't begin until after nine. An hour in the nearly-empty MK? Yes, please! :D You have a wonderful collection of pictures - Photopass and otherwise!

My sister also has great love for the Grand Floridian. I'm more of a Contemporary or Boardwalk gal, but I agree that the resort is beautiful! :goodvibes

I always forget about Disney Dollars! I really should buy a few during my next trip and stick them in a frame! I admire you dedication to purchase a balloon. ::yes::

I took a picture at the end to show our levels of appreciation. They're very different, as you can tell. One of us has the proper level and the other is Marie.

:lmao: :rotfl2: :lmao:

I'm so glad I joined in and I'm looking forward to more!
 
Don't feel bad. It was my last day and I was still late getting out.

Aww free cookie. Disney Cast Members always and forever. :love:

I think that is a totally fair rant there Amber. It annoys me even without the ride operator past.

Uh uh, you're writing this update so YOU'RE player 2.

Possibly unintentional, but "we decided to see what all the BUZZ was about." right after Toy Story is top notch!!!!

Disney knows trashcans.

HAHAHAHA, yes, only a select few have that shirt, or said anotther way, 3 people... including myself.

I am SO HAPPY I got to see you ladies before I left. Honestly, It really got my day started off right. :grouphug: And well, you know how that worked out.
 
Okay, I just found your trip report and kinda random… but I think I was on your flight! AC1872 (5:20pm), September 19th from YUL to MCO? My DW and I went from september 19 to 27 last year. Cue the it's a small world music!
 
Hi, Amber (and Marie?)! :wave2:

I don't know what took me so long to read your trip report, but I love it!

Your Mousekeeping envelopes are insanely awesome! My Mousekeepers are lucky to get a "thank you" scrawl and a few stickers! :laughing:

How fun that you attended two MNNSHPs (and I'm glad one of them included a little less rain!).

How fabulous that they let you in to the Magic Kingdom early even though your KTTK tour didn't begin until after nine. An hour in the nearly-empty MK? Yes, please! :D You have a wonderful collection of pictures - Photopass and otherwise!

My sister also has great love for the Grand Floridian. I'm more of a Contemporary or Boardwalk gal, but I agree that the resort is beautiful! :goodvibes

I always forget about Disney Dollars! I really should buy a few during my next trip and stick them in a frame! I admire you dedication to purchase a balloon. ::yes::



:lmao: :rotfl2: :lmao:

I'm so glad I joined in and I'm looking forward to more!

:welcome: Jenny, we're super glad to have you here and late is much better than never ;)

Oh thanks so much :)

Marie is the crazy talented one who puts so much effort into making such beautiful envelopes, really, if it were just me I'd be right there with you.

It was a surprise to me that we were attending two, Marie told me later. But I'm so glad we did because both were great experiences.

That was a highlight. Magic Kingdom without people is so beautiful and even more magical, I think, in its own special way.

I have yet to see the Boardwalk in person, but I'm properly more toward the GF than the Contemporary. The feeling it gives me just transports me somewhere else, ya know?

That's a great idea. we didn't keep any just because Marie had to get her balloon but I do think they'd make excellent souvenirs.

Hey, I'm just saying it like it is :thumbsup2

And hopefully we'll have more coming soon! It's been a bit of a busy week, but the weekend should be a good time to get things up to date :)
 
Don't feel bad. It was my last day and I was still late getting out.

Aww free cookie. Disney Cast Members always and forever. :love:

I think that is a totally fair rant there Amber. It annoys me even without the ride operator past.

Uh uh, you're writing this update so YOU'RE player 2.

Possibly unintentional, but "we decided to see what all the BUZZ was about." right after Toy Story is top notch!!!!

Disney knows trashcans.

HAHAHAHA, yes, only a select few have that shirt, or said anotther way, 3 people... including myself.

I am SO HAPPY I got to see you ladies before I left. Honestly, It really got my day started off right. :grouphug: And well, you know how that worked out.

Those Halloween parties take a lot out of you.

Santos was a real hero. And that cookie was amazing.

Glad I'm not alone. Like, it's just rude.

You're right, you caught me, I'm the best TSMM player of me and Marie. I've lied consistently over the course of all the old TRs.

And that totally unintentional pun was completely put there on purpose, obviously.

That they do.

Well I was pretty amazed at that point, until, you know, I realized that it wasn't some crazy coincidence. In which case I was just excited.

Aww yaya! We were so happy to see you too. Set our day out right.


Okay, I just found your trip report and kinda random… but I think I was on your flight! AC1872 (5:20pm), September 19th from YUL to MCO? My DW and I went from september 19 to 27 last year. Cue the it's a small world music!

You were on our flight! Or, we were on your flight, either way! Super cool to know another Diser was there! Did you see the people with the cat?
 
You were on our flight! Or, we were on your flight, either way! Super cool to know another Diser was there! Did you see the people with the cat?

No I didn't! I had a connection from Ottawa so I pretty much arrived in the waiting area minutes before boarding - I sat along the window seats. I was travelling alone (my wife is American so flew to MCO from New Jersey) so I'm not surprised you didn't pick me out for "whose going to Disney game" (which I also play btw). If you saw a tall blonde girl get super excited to see her short, brown haired wife at baggage claim at MCO - that was me!

Are you guys going back in September this year? We are planning on going down Sept 12-23, would be funny if we were on the same flight again!
 

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