Day 5 & 6: Chef Mickey's, Hollywood Studios & Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party

We had a 7:30am breakfast reservation at Chef Mickey's and it was every bit worth the early wake up time.  The food was delicious, especially the Mickey shaped waffles! It was one of the best meals we had during our week in Disney (to be honest, ALL of the food was delicious... buffets and all!)  While eating breakfast, the characters make the rounds, stopping at each table to allow each kid the opportunity to talk with, hug, and take pictures with them.  The kids got to see all of their favorite traditional Disney characters, however, since we'd already been in the parks for a few days, we saw a lot of the same characters we had already seen, in addition to Minnie Mouse (whom Collier was smitten with!)  For Madelyn, it was a great way to start her trip and she was able to see all of the main characters right off the bat!  It was one of my favorite thing that we did during our Disney trip!

 





 

After breakfast, we went to Hollywood Studios and got there right as the park was opening.  We had heard how terribly long the lines for Toy Story get and that within an hour of the park opening, the fast passes can be all given out.  So we headed STRAIGHT to Toy Story at the back of the park.  With our handicap pass we were able to get into the fast pass line.  However, I've been told part of the fun is waiting in line and walking through Andy's room, where everything is oversized, making you feel like a toy where you get to interact with Mr. Potato Head. After a brief wait, we loaded the ride, which is a carnival game where you get to play different 3D games.  Even though its for kids, I think the adults enjoy it better.  After that we went to the Legend of Jack Sparrow, which is just a 'show' that you walk through and wasn't of any interest to the kids (or adults for that matter) but a nice way to cool off and get out of the heat, then we went into the Disney Junior Live theater to watch an interactive performance by Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Sofia the First, Jake and the Neverland Pirates and Doc McStuffins.  After that we rode The Great Movie Ride, which is an hour long ride that puts you right in the middle of some of the greatest movie moments in classic films such as Casablanca, Mary Poppins, Alien, The Public Enemy, The Wizard of Oz, and Raiders of the Lost Ark.  It can be a bit scary for little ones (a shoot out that takes place around you) and somewhat long for them as well.  Collier and Noah both lost interest and wanted to stand up/move around (you are riding in a tram that takes you through all of the different movie scenes).  Our kids both got kind of antsy and fussy during this ride but I think majority of that was due to our early morning breakfast and they were just tired!  After this ride, we went to the Backlot Studio Tours, which is a behind the scenes look at how certain special effects are made during movies.  The first part is a walk through then you load up on a train that takes you around the 2nd half of the attraction.  Collier fell asleep while we were on the train and as soon as we got off this ride, we put both the boys in the stroller and they slept the rest of the time we were there.  Since the kids were asleep, we strolled around for a bit to see the rest of the park then called Jamie's parents to come pick us up so we could get the boys back to the condo.  We didn't ever get to ride any of the adult roller coasters, such as Rock N' Roller Coaster and The Tower of Terror and there was a great Beauty & the Beast Show that we missed out on as well.  Later that evening, we had dinner reservations at Hollywood & Vine which was apart of the Fantasmic! Dinner Package.  If you have plans to go to Fantasmic! I would recommend doing their dinner package.  Tickets for Fantasmic are free, however, most people have to get in line 2 hours prior to the show beginning.  If you make a reservation at any of the 3 package restaurants, you will be given reserved seating tickets that allow you to bypass waiting in line.  The dinner was a yummy buffet with carving stations, salmon, chicken, salad, create your own pasta and loads of sides to choose from, including a delicious corn casserole.  The best part is the dessert buffet with miniature cakes, pies and cookies, as well as a chocolate fountain.  I'm not normally a fan of buffets and find that the food tastes old like it's been sitting out too long, but Disney was the exception!  Everything tasted fresh, was warm and delicious!  Following our dinner, we headed over to Fantasmic! to be seated about 30 minutes before the show started. Fantasmic! is a 30 minute fireworks and pyrotechnics show where all of the villains from classic Disney movies come together to turn Mickey's dreams into a nightmare.  It can by a bit scary but in the end, good prevails and Mickey wins out over the villains.  All 3 of the kids lost interest midway through so we headed out right before it ended.  Since the rest of the park was closed, we called it a night!

 

 

 



 

 



 

 

 





  

The next day, we took it easy until late afternoon when we headed to Magic Kingdom for Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party.  Chris and Eastlon flew in that afternoon so the whole crew was finally in Orlando together.  Costumes are encouraged at MNSSHP but I just put the boys in Batman and Superman tshirts with capes.  I didn't do full out costumes because I was afraid it would be too hot (and it was.)  With it being a Friday evening, the park was CRAZY busy.  And as SOON as we got into the park, Collier passed out in the stroller.  We ate a quick service dinner then made our way over in front of the castle for the Villains Mix and Mingle Stage Show featuring all the villains from the different Disney movies, dancing, singing and mingling with the crowd.  After that we took our spot for the Boo To You Parade.  We didn't get a very good spot for viewing the parade so we kind of missed out on a lot of it.  But the Headless Horseman starts off the beginning of the parade and rides through Liberty Square on his horse, followed by lots of fun floats including Captain Hook, Captain Jack Sparrow, Mickey and the crew and many more! And following the parade was the awesome fireworks show that lasted a good 15 - 20 minutes!  We all really enjoyed this because it didn't matter where you were standing, you could have a good view of the fireworks.  The kids all loved watching them.  After the fireworks, it was getting late and everyone was tired of fighting the crowds so we headed home.  Here's my side note: everyone I talked with LOVED the MNSSHP but we all just thought it was okay (especially since you have to pay extra for tickets to the party).  After talking with others, I realize that Friday was a bad night to go because of the crowds.  If you go on any of the other nights, there is barely a crowd, you can walk RIGHT on to rides, load up on lots of Halloween candy and meet lots of characters that you typically don't see at Disney, such as the villains.  We didn't get to experience any of this and while the performances and fireworks were good, the crowds were just terrible, especially when you are trying to keep up with 11 people.  So my advice, don't go on a Friday night!