It's Not So Very Scary

     Last night, I got to attend Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party for the first time.  In preparation, I decorated buckets for my roommates for trick or treating!

  I went with Brooke, Alyssa, Brittany, and Ashley.  We each dressed as a minion, Minnie Mouse, Rapunzel, Snow White, and hipster Buzz Lightyear.

     We met the boss man first, as we usually do.  Then we headed into the park, meeting princesses (who were actually with their princes!), and getting lots and lots of candy.  They also had a limited edition candy corn soft serve.  Alyssa and I split one, and even though it was too sweet to finish, it was super yummy and festive!

      We headed back to Main Street to catch the second showing of the Boo to You Parade, and got a great spot right in front of the castle.  They had lots of characters in the parade with Halloween costumes on!  I just know that music is going to be stuck in my head for days.  The best part of the parade, besides the candy being thrown into the crowd, was the gravediggers.  The gravediggers were in the part of the parade that was Haunted Mansion themed.  They had metal shovels, and as they were moving along the parade route, dancing and singing, they had incorporated scraping their shovels along the pavement, creating a shower of sparks.  It was such a neat effect, especially along the fairly dark parade route!

      Immediately following the end of the parade, we turned around and rushed to the front of the castle, to await the start of the Villains Castle Show, which started in 10 minutes.  Again, a great spot!  The show featured Dr. Facillier, Queen of Hearts, Malificent, Cruella DeVille, and Captain Hook.  It was hilarious to see them all dancing together.  Worlds colliding!  It was another great performance, with more catchy music and great effects.

      As the show ended, we made our way back to circling treat stations and wandering the park.  We even hit a dance party with Woody, Jessie, and Bullseye (which I SUPER SADLY don't have pictures of).  We only had a bit of time before fireworks started, so we headed back again to Main Street, to get a spot.
     The HalloWishes Fireworks were one of the best I've ever seen.  They even had them around the perimeter of the park, so it was very different!

          The Halloween Party was so much fun, and I'm already excited to go again!

Boo to you, you and you!

xoxo

Minion Pit Stop

     I had work today, but my roommates and friend Ashley, wanted to spend some time at Universal Studios.  We headed over this morning, and I got to squeeze in a couple rides before I had to head home and get ready for my shift.

      It's pretty cool that I get to do fun things like this, even if I have to work that day!

xoxo

A Roommate and a Minion

     Early, early yesterday morning, I crawled out of bed, and into my car, to head up to Orlando.   One of my roommates, Alyssa, has been vacationing there with her parents for the week to celebrate her 21st birthday, and I was invited to join them!   The almost-four hour car ride had me pretty antsy, so once I was parked, I was full steam ahead into Islands of Adventure to meet up with them! I came up just in time to get our photo snapped with the Dr. Seuss characters, which was perfect timing!

(Click photos to enlarge)

     The first big ride we went on, was The Hulk.  It's been quite a while since I'd been on a roller coaster, I'd forgotten what a rush they are!  From then on out, we were riding rides and meeting superheroes (and villains!) all day. 

     My favorite of course was Captain America, and from the looks of it, Alyssa's was Green Goblin...well, she was definitely his favorite anyway!

     
      Late in the afternoon, the lines at IoA were getting very, very long, so we made our way over to Universal Studios.  We hit every ride there, including my much-anticipated Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem!  I have been waiting to ride since it opened, and it was as good as I had hoped!  We even got to dance with a little minion after the ride!  Talk about making this girl's day!

       I didn't get to go on The Amazing Adventures of Spiderman since Alyssa and her family had already been on it twice by the time I got there, and unfortunately, we all missed The Forbidden Journey in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.  The line was long, we were tired, and Alyssa isn't crazy about it.  She did pinky promise she will face her fear though!  Our first day after check-in, we are heading straight for the ride and grabbing a delicious Butterbeer as a reward! 

     After a quick dinner at Steak 'n' Shake, a little birthday gift, and a round of quick showers, it was definitely time for bed.  I was worn out after only one day in the park, and they were on day five of non-stop parks!  Talk about stamina!
     In the morning, it was officially Alyssa's birthday.  She headed to Magic Kingdom, and I drove over to Downtown Disney to kill some time before my drive home.   There's so many stores there!  I bought quite a bit of goodies, and had to keep reminding myself that I'll have a pretty sweet discount in 3 months, to keep from buying way more. That discount is going to be the death of my DCP paycheck!

There were lots of topiaries for the Flower & Garden Festival

     To beat the lunch crowd, I decided to grab a bite at Earl of Sandwich early.  Those little sandwiches are so tasty, and nowhere in Miami!  (Not to mention I get to snack on the leftovers as I write this!)  I then made a quick stop in Goofy's Candy Company to pick up some yummy treats to bring home.  Although I waited to do the "Make Your Own Treat" until I'm there with my roommates, I did snag a treat for myself.  Who could pass up chocolate dipped marshmallows on a Mickey straw? Not this gal!
     While walking around the Marketplace, I saw a group of 20-somethings in business attire, being led around by a cast member, explaining various things about Disney.  I was trying to listen in without having to follow too closely, when I realized what was happening.  They had to be part of the first wave of Disney College Program participants that had moved in yesterday!  This must be part of their orientation (known in Disney as "Traditions")!  It really hit me that in 3 short months, I will be back, and going through my own orientation into the Disney company!  I can't wait to start hearing all the check-in stories from the DCP friends I've met online!
     By the time I got home this afternoon, I was exhausted.  I have now spent more than 14 hours in the car over the past 5 days.  It felt so good to curl up and snooze in my own bed again!

Moving to The Mouse's House in 90 days!

xoxo