Disney Cruise - Day One - Sailing Away

Day Three - Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party!

Tonight we arrived at the Magic Kingdom to attend one of their exclusive parties, Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party! I'd been to a few of the Pirate and Princess Parties back when I'd worked at Disney, and had highly recommended it when mom and dad asked me about it while planning the trip.

Basically, when you enter the park you purchase an extra pass on top of admission for the Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. Then the park closes early for the public, (about 7:00pm) and everyone without wristbands leaves, meaning the park is only at about 1/4 full, and all the rides have wait times of about 15 minutes or less- even the big, popular rides like Big Thunder Mountain and the Haunted Mansion. 

It's the best way to experience the Magic Kingdom in my opinion, since it's cooler at night, less crowded, shorter wait times means you can ride more rides with less time spent standing in line. The parties also have exclusive decorations, music, lighting, events, parades, characters, and a fireworks show that are all completely unique and can only be experienced during the party hours. It's also the ONLY time guests can dress up in costumes at the Magic Kingdom park (it's prohibited any other day because it distracts from the show. Though oddly enough the other parks aren't as strict about that rule…).

And what better way to kick off Halloween than by paying a visit to the Haunted Mansion?

Don't mind me, I'm just trying to fit in with the local crowd. Hard to do that tonight, actually- almost 80% of the guests tonight are dressed up in halloween costumes. We DID bring costumes to florida, but none of us were hardcore enough to want to wear them into the park tonight. (Not even me. Sorry, I'm not about to try to ride Big Thunder Mountain in Elizabeth's corset nor as Mary Poppins, thank you!) So instead, I'm rocking my cute halloween shirt (the kitty's sign says 'hug me I'm scared!') and light-up mickey halloween necklace!

Ah yes, Madame Leota. Those of us who are familiar with the legend of the Haunted Mansion know that Master Gracey, who owned the manor, fell deeply in love with a beautiful gypsy woman named Leota; tragically though, Leota died upon the eve of her wedding, under very suspicious circumstances… 

However, as she had been a mystic in life, Master Gracey was convinced that her spirit would surely choose to haunt the ethereal plane between life and death. So he hung himself from the rafters of a circular portrait room, so that he might join his love in life-after-death and they would haunt the mansion together for all eternity.

Curiously enough, after the death of the mansion's master, all who lived in the mansion at that time or since, have without exception met grim fates, and continue to haunt the manor to this very day…

Including Leota

We moved on to New Fantasyland, but it was a little hard to find our way around and newly renovated area in the dark, so we didn't spend a whole lot of time here, wanting to come back later in our trip during the daytime (which sadly didn't happen, but oh well! All the more reason to come back!). I did, however, snag a picture of Rapunzel's Lanterns, which were strung overhead around her tower, and were absolutely gorgeous (shame I'm the only one in the family who's seen Tangled, none of the others even noticed the lanterns or tower)…. They also were perfectly suited to the halloween theme in my opinion! Cause they reminded me of people who put candles in paper bags and line their walkways with them on Halloween. :D

The one thing we DID stop and do at Fantasyland was check out Enchanted Storytime with Belle. And I got picked to play the part of the wardrobe after impressing the cast members with my lovely opera singing voice. This netted me a very awesome chance to hang out with Belle during the show and I got to greet her and get my picture taken!

Okay seriously, best day ever for me because on the way over to Frontierland, I spotted Colonel Slate cosplayer in the crowd and weaved through the people to catch up to him and say hi- turns out they had the whole bleedin' Bioshock Infinite crew with them!!  It was so cool to see them- especially since I'd just been trying to convince my parents last night that I wasn't the only person here who would know what Bioshock was…

Once we were at Frontierland Daniel looked at the rest of us and said, "Somebody give me some quarters. No, I'm dead serious." Gah, I love this place, it was one of the places I'd go whenever I was feeling homesick when I lived here, cause I have so many memories of my dad and brother doing this every time we went to a Disney Park, ever since I was little. Dad was lame and didn't play this time, but Daniel totally rocked it!  I filled Dad's spot and actually hit most of my targets- that's a first! (those rifles were crazy-heavy)

Daniel's been playing this one since he was shorter than the counter, and Dad would have to sit him up on the mexican blankets and hold the gun for him. No longer, though- look at him now!

After several runs on Big Thunder Mountain (Mom's favorite thrill ride, by the way), we squirmed through the crowds and landed a really great spot to watch the Villains-Themed 'Hallowishes' firework show (which was hosted by our Ghost Host from the Haunted Mansion) just to the left of Walt and Mickey.

After fireworks, we headed across the bridge and into Liberty Square to watch the Boo To You Halloween Parade, while Daniel indulged in the strawberry-smothered funnel cake he's been looking forward to all week.

Hrmph. I thought my boyfriend was on his way, false alarm….. Hook may be the original, honey, but he's not NEARLY as handsome.

AHA! There he is! That's him, up in the crow's nest. You can tell we're in love-love because he waved to me. :D 

In case you don't get the joke: We used to have little moments and exchanges during the nightly parades, (I'd always ask to wash the windows at the bakery during the parade so I could see him, and he'd wave down from his crow's nest and pantomime washing windows too) afternoon shows, and even down in the Tunnels when I worked there. I'm the only girl on a first-name basis with Jack. And that's saying something! He once corrected me when we were on our way to lunch together when I greeted him, saying, "-Captain- Jack, love. -Captain.-" And I replied, "Aw, but I thought you and I were on a first-name basis?" And he said, "Well of -course,- darling! But we don't want the whole bloody park to know that, now do we? Trust me on this one, pet. My fangirls make Edward Cullen's fangirls look like pygmy bunny rabbits…."

Speaking of Captain Jack, we went on the Pirates of the Caribbean after the parade, and got stuck at the end of the ride for. ev. er. But at least if we were gonna get stuck, I got to spend that quality time with my boyfriendo, and scored the perfect picture of him. Seriously Mom, this guy's about your best shot at ever getting me to marry. Er, well, not THIS guy specifically. I much prefer the real thing to the animatronic version, impressive though it is.

I spent most of our stuck-time searching for hidden mickeys and trying to talk the rest of the family into the thought that Splash Mountain was still a great idea even though it was dark, late, and getting chilly. My argument was pretty flimsy though, considering it hinged on the promise of, 'Trust me, guys, you don't get THAT wet!'  Despite the fact that no one believed that for a second, as soon as we got off of the ride (finally), we hurried over there to get in line before the park closed. And guess what?

We didn't get THAT wet! (Told ya.) In fact, since there was literally NO ONE in line, we got a log all to ourselves, and scored my favorite picture by far! What a perfect end to an amazing day!

Day Three - Animal Kingdom

As per tradition, we arrived at the Animal Kingdom before the park had yet opened and took Dad's pro shortcut though the Rainforest Café and dodged all the lines, getting in before anybody else and hustling over to Harambe Wildlife Preserve to board Dad's favorite ride, the Kilimanjaro Safari. It was unusually chilly that morning, only 57 degrees when we woke up, and 63 by the time we got to the safari. But the good new was that even though we were shivering in our T-shirts and shorts, the animals were all out enjoying the cool temperatures, and on top of that, they had all just been fed since it was still early morning. Once we boarded our Safari Vehicle, we were all taking pictures, and pooled our best shots to show you guys!

Riding on this particular ride with my father is one of my favorite memories in the park. I would always think of him whenever I went on it during my internship.

Never smile at a crocodile....

Sure, baby giraffes are cute, just don't drop your camera out of the vehicle, whatever you do. (ask me to tell you that story next time you see me- it's a really good one)

Our guide taught us that there are two common subspecies of giraffe, the Reticulated and the Rothschild- and are easily distinguished by the shape of their spots- Rothschild (above) has jagged-edged spots, kind of like autumn leaves, while Reticulated have smooth, straight-edged spots.

These are white Rhinos! We learned on the safari that their being named a 'white' rhino was actually a translation error- white being mistranslated from the swahili 'wjid' which means wide, and refers to their wide, square lips. Black rhinos, on the other hand, have pointed triangular lips. and that's how you can tell them apart!

It's a flock of mingos!

After the Safari, I definitely wanted to hit up the Maharaja Jungle Trek, to see the Giant Bats and my favorite, the Tigers! But on the way, we saw a man playing a most peculiar instrument constructed entirely of bamboo, and Dad and I decided to give it a shot ourselves.

First stop was the Komodo Dragon~ Look how gorgeous that habitat is! We were fortunate to see him out on his favorite rock, trying to take in as much sunlight to combat the chilly weather. 

Mom was NOT a fan of this guy, and for good reason! Komodo Dragons are incredibly silent, stealthy creatures, and take great care to sneak up silently behind their prey. Clever girl. They can strike at you just as swiftly as a Cobra, and if that doesn't get you, the thousands of flesh-eating bacteria that lives inside their mouths certainly will!  Good thing uncle Choad doesn't have him for a patient.

This is the comfiest lizard I've ever seen.

Poor Bats. The little old lady who was telling people about these super-cool critters was saying that it was so cold, they refused to come out of their hutches this morning, (preferring to huddle together and feed off of one another's body heat, even though they're normally very territorial,) and had to be taken out individually and placed in the viewing area where it was sunny and a bit warmer.

I am the night!

The bats may have been miserable, but the tigers were diggin' the chilly morning, and were playing and chasing one another around the ruined temple they call home.

Time to clean~

Oh hey! I thought we'd been missing some of our luggage!

This lil' guy had no fear and was struttin' his stuff all over this sidewalk. You go, lil' mohawk bird!

The tiger's weren't the only ones out playing in the chilly morning air. These monkeys were jumping and swinging all over their temple scaffolding- even the little baby! And we just sat and stared in amazement at how beautifully agile they were.

Seriously, Tarzan had nothing on these guys. They should have studied howler monkeys instead of skateboarders for his animation.

Easily my favorite thing to do at any park is to take part in the street shows and dance parties that just spring up around the many streets and trails winding through the park. I got to go up with the traditional african drummers and dancers and learn the ancient tribal dance: Oppa Gangam Style. XD

While standing on the bridge we can see our next destination, Mt. Everest! It's times like these you realize how much distance you cover at these parks.

Probably one of my favorite rides. And the atmosphere they have in this area is absolutely stunning.

Little touches like this are what really sets the stage and story for a ride, making it truly great. Such a shame we won't be here for the seminar next week. We always seem to miss it....

With this cold weather, stormy skies, and chilling breeze making the Himalayan flags flutter all around us, it really feels like we're in the scene of the story. The tension in the air is electric!!

After screaming ourselves silly, we decided to settle our stomachs after that brush with death with some good comfort food at Flame Tree Barbecue- my favorite place out of all the parks to eat!

There was some serious confusion over the drinks. We ordered one Diet Coke and three Waters. They gave us one cup of Diet Coke and three bottles of water (which are much more expensive than the free water). We tried to correct the situation but only ended up confusing the cashiers, ending us up with six cups of water and three bottles. Having learned the lesson the hard way, we were all sure to specify wanting CUPS of water from here on out.

*grumbles* This place used to be a sanctuary for me. And whenever anyone would ask me what my favorite place in the world was, oddly enough, I'd describe this dining area. Because it was hard to get to, it was well away from the crowds and gave you a secluded place to rest and eat near this ancient crumbling fountain, and if you peer through the trees you can look out across the lake to Mt. Everest. I spent countless afternoons here sketching and relaxing.  Not anymore, apparently. They've added in these stupid staircases that now makes the area easily accessible to everyone and my secret spot's now just as crowded as the rest of the park… *sigh*

Poor Dino.

Dinosaur's great and all, but I still close my eyes sometimes and try to pretend that I'm actually on Indiana Jones, since Dinosaur has an identical track to the Disneyland classic.

There was a long line at the restrooms, and since it took a long time for the rest of the family to get in and out, I entertained myself with a hat party at the little merchandise stand nearby. Fortunately the cast member there was a sporting gent and was willing to take my picture.

8D I hate this park so much. Bart and I consider it a ghastly blight on the rest of the park. So of course mom couldn't resist getting a picture of me when we cut through it on our way back. So I gave her the most sarcastic smile I could possibly muster.

 The perfect way to finish our stay here at the Animal Kingdom was with my favorite show, the Festival of the Lion King! The rest of the family hadn't seen it before, but I think it's going to be one of our new regular attractions!

 Mom -loved- the elaborate costumes, they're my favorite part too. The detail on them is incredible.

And Dad really enjoyed the fire-dancers during the Be Prepared sequence, I knew he would. <3

Animal Kingdom closes early in the evening, so we're off for more fun tonight at Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party at the Magic Kingdom!