Sorry all for the unexpected hiatus. Holidays and life were just taking up more time than usual. Thinking about eating turkey and then eating turkey really distracts a girl. Anyways on with the next installment from my Orlando trip report!
Thursday we woke up bright and early because we were meeting up with my kicka$$ Bia boss who was in Orlando to get some watches in the Fit2Run stores (whoooo hooo!). We told her we’d meet her at 9 at Disney Hollywood Studios. Plan for the day was early to DHS, back to the resort to chill, then Hoop Dee Doo and Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween party. It was going to be a long, but AWESOME day!
After a bit of a delay at the resort we hopped a bus and were at DHS in no time. First stop? Rockin’ Rollercoaster!
Disney Hollywood Studios Highlights:
- Tower of Terror is always great even if it does take all of my courage to get on it. Maybe one day this won’t scare the bejesus out of me. Wookie enjoyed the different drop profiles!
- Rockin’ Rollercoaster – LOVE THIS RIDE!
- Star Tours – still the best way to blast throughout the galaxy and the update is still awesome!
- Great Movie Ride – Really glad the rumor is this isn’t going away! This really is the classic ride for this park
- Overall – really sad at how empty this park feels now. I can’t wait for them to officially announce all the rumored plans!
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| Your days are numbered… |
After just a few rides I convinced Wookie it was time to go grab some lunch and hang out for awhile at the resort. I knew we had a long night in front of us.
We opted to get dropped off at All Star Sports and grab a bite to eat from their food court and just hang out there. The pool area at AS Sports is really awesome, the surfboards are a great touch!
We headed back to the room changed and then headed back out. I wanted to show Wookie Wilderness Lodge and the pathway from WL to Fort Wilderness that I had run oh so many times while working at WDW.
Transportation: Bus to MK -> Boat to Wilderness Lodge -> Walk to Fort Wilderness
We were running slightly behind so I was a little anxious but logically I knew we had more than enough time since I had planned it that we would get to Pioneer Hall 45 min early.
We got off the boat at Wilderness Lodge and was immediately met with construction. The whole pool area was being redone (totally missed that note) and what was most weird was they didn’t really have it walled off. You could really see what was going on in the pool area. IS THERE A PART OF WDW THAT DOESN’T HAVE CONSTRUCTION WALLS?
We looked at the lobby, I showed him the spring that “fills” the pool, and then found the path to Fort Wilderness.
If you’ve never walked from WL to FW, you should! It is such a retreat from all the hustle and bustle of the parks. We even met a few friends!
You even get to pass the Tri-Circle-D Ranch!
We made it over to Pioneer Hall, got our picture taken and then waited to enter for our dinner. I had reserved category 3 seats for the 4:30 show but was hoping to get “upgraded” since the show didn’t look too full, and low and behold, we got GREAT seats.
They were category 2, all the way in the back, but dead center. It was awesome!
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| All you can drink sangria, yes please! |
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| Our view of Pioneer Hall! |
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| All the grub! |
I LOVE this show! Seriously. The best bang for your buck on property. The food is delicious, the drinks are flowing, and the performance is amazing! Our waitress was also really great, very attentive, I wish I could remember her name!
Do you like food? Do you like laughing? Do you like a little cheese in your theater performances? If you have said yes to all of these, you need to get to Pioneer Hall PRONTO! This is my favorite “hidden” gem in WDW.
So after eating, drinking, laughing, and having a great time, it was time to say good bye to Pioneer Hall and head over to the Magic Kingdom for the Halloween party! I think the show/dinner ended around 6 and we were in MK by 6:30 just in time for the party. We stopped at the Fire Station to get the Sorcerer’s card and get Wookie set up with a SotMK game and then we were off. First stop? Space Mountain!
Here are my notes on the party that night, I’ll include my full MK thoughts (attractions and whatnot) when we spend a full day there.
Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party:
- The atmosphere can’t be beat but the music in the areas was very loud and for some reason made me anxious and was just sensory overload for me.
- It was VERY crowded. There were just people everywhere and combined with the loud music, it just made it feel even more chaotic in my mind
- The trick or treat stops were often and offered up a lot of candy
- We only took a picture with the “Old Hag” (aka the Evil Queen in disguise) but the character meets looked fun!
- Boo to You! – The parade was amazing as always, this is a don’t miss part of the party!
- Celebrate the Magic – This is a great show, I love the projection shows on the castle. It plays so many tricks on your brain!
- Hallo-Wishes! – Wow! Just wow! This show is AMAZING!!!!! Be sure to stand back towards/on Main St so you can see ALL the fireworks.
- Merchandise was okay, some cute pins but everything else was just “okay”.
- Villians Mix and Mingle – It’s been a couple years since I had seen this show but it was short and ending with the Queen of Hearts dancing alone on stage was a weird way to end it.
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| Looking for a “head” out 😛 |
Overall, this party is tops! It’s so much fun and everyone is in costume. I really enjoy it and recommend everyone to try it out if they’ve never been.
After a final ride on Seven Dwarves coaster (more on that later), it was time to drag our tired feet home. We were both pretty spent by the end of the night and I was getting a little cranky. I was excited to get into my bed and dream of more WDW adventures to be had the next day!
As always you can see all the pictures from our trip here: Universal/WDW Trip October 2014
What happened next? Part 5: Animal Kingdom and Epcot After Hours