[WDW-40, 2016] Day 15: The Pumpkin King

[Mrs Pumpkin]

Day 15
Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party
Oasis Pool, Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
September 18, 2016

I take a lot of photos at Disney! I can never include them all!
All the photos from this day here | Florida 2016 photo collection on Flickr here
WDW-40, 2016: Trip Report Index | Pre-Trip Report

Day 15 of WDW-40, the latest of my Disney Trip Reports, is FINALLY here! After a year since I wrote my last entry, and nearly 2 years since we actually went on this trip. If you read through the index of this report I explain everything!

Anyway, I didn't want to leave this unfinished! Actually, I'm STILL writing this trip report, AND have another to come, as well as planning our next adventure... but that's all by the by...!

Today we had somewhat of a rest day with some time spent at the pool, and then over to Magic Kingdom, late afternoon for Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party! After having a lot of rain at the last Halloween party, we were hoping that the weather would be kind!

After a bit of a lie-in we spent most of the day in and around the Oasis Pool which is the smaller/quieter of the two pools at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort. It was never too busy when we visited the pool which was nice. The Lava Pool (which we didn’t get to on this trip) has a big water slide and is naturally very popular with families. I’m sure we’ll get there on future trips.

There are three cabanas for guest use – I have heard that during high season you have to pay to reserve these, but we used one without having to pay a fee. There are plenty of sun loungers, as well as tables and chairs surrounding the pool. There are steps leading in, as well as a zero entry point. There is also a hot spa pool as well which we dipped into a few times.

For food and drink while at the pool you’ve got the Oasis Bar & Grill which if you look at the panoramic photo above is pretty much in the middle of the picture, under the canopy. They serve tasty favourites like fish tacos, kalua pork sliders and Polynesian-themed burgers, along with tropical cocktails, wine, Hawaiian beer and assorted beverages. You can also fill up your resort mug (if you have bought one, or are on a Disney Dining Plan) at the machine just to the right of Oasis Bar & Grill.

We had a few cocktails and a spot of lunch, but strangely for me, I don’t appear to have any photographs of the food that we ate. I have photos of the cocktails though! I had a burger and a Lava Flow cocktail (a fancy Piña Colada!), and Steve had fish tacos and a Captain’s Mai Tai.

Oasis Bar & Grill » Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort

Starters...

Me: Teriyaki-Glazed Angus Chuck Burger – topped with Pork Belly and Grilled Pineapple. Served with choice of French Fries or Green Cabbage Slaw ($13.49)

Him: Grilled Sustainable Fish Tacos – Cumin-spice with crunchy Cabbage and Cilantro-Lime Crema ($12.99)

Drinks...

Me: Lava Flow – Sammy’s Beach Bar Rum blended with Cream of Coconut, Pineapple Juice, and Strawberry Purée ($9.50)

Him: Captain’s Mai Tai – Captain Morgan Original Spiced Rum, Bols Amaretto, and Tropical Juices topped with a float of Myer’s Original Dark Rum ($10)

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Oasis Bar & Grill » Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort

Bill: $45.98 + Tax: $2.99 + Tip: $9 = $57.97
TiW Discount: $0N/A
_______________________________________________

Total paid: $57.97

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With pool time over, it was time to go back to our room to get ready for Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party! My brother and his girlfriend came to our room to get ready too – so handy having two bathrooms! But it did make me feel very conscious of how small the studio becomes if there are 4 adults in it.

Steve and I didn’t dress up as such – he put on his Ghostbusters T-Shirt and I wore my purple dress and my purple sequin Minnie Ears. If it was easy to buy a costume in my plus size believe me I would dress up! Maybe one year I’ll actually make a costume.

My brother, on the other hand absolutely nailed it as Beetlejuice! From the moment we started walking from our room at Poly to the Monorail Station people kept shouting out Beetlejuice, three times – and my brother, the complete showman that he is would shout back “It’s showtime”.

The funniest thing though was on the Monorail (I had forgotten about this until I came to sort out all of my photographs), and that is the group of women who were headed to Magic Kingdom to celebrate a birthday – they wanted a photo with my bro. So somewhere in the world, on a random person’s phone is a photo of him with these women (he loved it!)

Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party is a separate ticketed event which you purchase in advance. Popular dates (31st October) and weekends fill up quicker – so it’s highly unlikely you’ll be able to buy a ticket on the gate, but on some nights there are still tickets available. Tuesdays are said to be one of the less busy days. If you really have your heart set on going then it makes sense to buy your ticket in advance. It is linked to your Magic Band via My Disney Experience. There are discounts for Disney Vacation Club (DVC) Members, and Annual Passholders (APs).

The ticket grants you access to Magic Kingdom from 4pm – although the party itself doesn’t start till 7pm. The park doesn’t shut to regular guests, but they are ferried out pretty well by the Cast Members as 7pm approaches. Cast Members do also sweep by checking your wrist bands – which are secured around your wrist as you enter the park. Ultimately, once 7pm arrives if you’re not a party ticket holder you won’t be able to purchase from the shops, and you won’t be allowed onto the rides.

We’ve been to two previous parties, but this was the first time we were in the park for around 4pm. As we walked in, there was a Cast Member holding a sign and directing party guests to the right, just past Tony’s Town Square Restaurant. The gates that are usually closed, were open. This was our third party, but the first time we had been early enough to go this way! There were some Halloween statues which were really cool, and we were handed a pack of candy. We ended coming out of this area just by Cinderella Castle.

Since this was my brother Chris’ first MNSSHP, but our third, I said to him and his girlfriend that they could go off and do whatever they wanted. For me I wanted to get some Limited Edition pins that you can only buy at the parties, and I had to meet Jack & Sally (from Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas). Knowing how very popular these guys are to meet, I wanted to get lining up as soon as possible! They decided to stay hanging out with us which was fine!

The Beetlejuice chants were called out so many times as we wandered the park, and Chris kept playing up to it. Quite a few people were asking him for selfies, which I thought was hilarious! Even more awesome was when a couple of Cast Members walked by us and said how they had heard Beetlejuice was in the park! Brilliant!

Back to the pins which were only being sold in Big Top Souvenirs in Storybook Circus. As you lined up Cast Members were handing out sheets which showed which pins (and other MNSSHP merch) was available. Some where only available for Annual Passholders, and I think maybe for Disney Vacation Club Members… I can’t remember now. I know for sure they were for APs as I was cursing myself for not being one! Whilst waiting to buy my pins, I asked where Jack and Sally were doing their Meet & Greet as that would be the next port of call.

Jack Skellington and Sally are in Liberty Square, and because they are so popular actually come out for about 5pm – you want to be lining up at about 4:30pm. According to the time stamps on my photos, we started lining up at about 6:30pm, and didn’t meet them until 8:30pm (all give or take!) So a nice 2 hour wait! Now, normally I wouldn’t bother, but having not done a single Halloween Meet & Greet myself in all of our MNSSHP visits, it had to be done.

As we lined up we were handed a card with Jack and Sally’s autographs (I think they do this for all the characters at the big events) to save time on them signing autographs each time they greet a guest. Now, stupidly I don’t seem to have a photo of that either (or the pins) so I’ll dig them out, take pics, then pop back here and add them.

When we started lining up it was light, by the time we got to the front of the line it was dark!

Jack & Sally were fun to meet. Jack and my bro compared suits, and we all had photos take – there was a Disney PhotoPass Photographer, but you can take your own photos too – they’re happy to use your cameras and take the pictures for you. I also love to take selfies with the characters, so I did that too.

We then made our way back towards Main Street USA, which was jam packed as the first outing of Mickey’s Boo To You Halloween Parade was rolling out. Normally I would be able to squeeze through the crowds – but it’s a lot harder when you’re riding an ECV. A Cast Member saw us struggling, and guided us towards the roped off area of wheelchair, and ECV users. I didn’t think we would manage to see the parade, so I was very glad that we did!

Not much to say about the parade itself other than I think it’s awesome, and when you see it the song will stay in your head forevermore!

[Mrs Pumpkin]

As the last of the parade passed us by, the crowds dispersed, I wanted to get a decent location for the HalloWishes fireworks. Now, I’m sure you will think I’m bonkers setting up shop 1½ hours before the first fireworks go up – but – I need to get those as good as I can photos for my Disney Trip Reports!What with my ECV and wanting to use a tripod, I wanted to be tucked out of the way a bit, but still have a great view of Cinderella Castle – and the perfect spot was there – so it was MINE!

I mean, come on…. how awesome is this photo? I’m going to blow my own trumpet on this one because it’s probably one of the best photos I’ve taken of that gorgeous Castle!

But then, as we finished watching the Sanderson Sisters and a bevvy of Disney Villain’s in the Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular, the rain started to drip down… and I couldn’t believe it. After the washout a few days before, it was potentially going to repeat itself! I know Florida gets a fair share of rain, but we were blighted on several big occasions this trip, and you can’t help but feel a bit glum about it!

We couldn’t stay out in the rain, so I packed my equipment away and we all went to grab a hot dog from Casey’s Corner. Again, no photos but I’ve shared many a photo from this Counter Service/Quick Service located on the corner of Main Street USA, so didn’t think to take photos again. The hot dogs are yummy – but I especially love the mini corn dog nuggets! The rain did eventually stop – hurrah – but for some reason they kept delaying the fireworks. Perhaps there was a lightning storm in the area or something, but we couldn’t understand the reason for the delay – which was over an hour!

In all that time the fireworks surely could have gone up we kept saying to ourselves – but nope. Nothing! So I decided to set up again, having to grab a different spot a little further back. And then, just as they were about to start the fireworks, it started to ACTUALLY rain – gahhhhhhh! I put on my poncho, covered over my camera and refused to move! And fortunately the rain passed and HalloWishes began.

These fireworks are my absolute favourite! The soundtrack is awesome, and the fireworks are just AMAZING. I can’t say more than that, so here are some of my photos…

It was around this point that Steve and I parted ways with my brother and his girlfriend. I’m not sure if they stayed on to watch the second showing of the parade, but we most certainly did! We had made the decision to move to the bottom the bottom of Main Street USA and into the Town Square so that we could make an easy exit when the parade was finished.

With HalloWishes running an hour late, the parade was behind schedule too – by now it was after midnight! Oh, I should mention that because of the rain, the Headless Horseman did not make an appearance – and I was gutted! I really wanted to try and get a photo of him for my blog but it was not meant to be. Wait! And another thing! When the Pirates of the Caribbean float rolled around, the pirates were carrying mops instead of their usual flags which I thought was very funny!

We got into [what has become our] favourite parade spot and waited for the familiar theme tune of the parade to fill our ears! While you wait, Disney PhotoPass photographers go around and take quick snaps – we got one this time – yay! To close out, here are my photos of Mickey’s Boo To You Halloween Parade at Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. And I will not leave you waiting so long for day 16!

Read about the day after:
Day 16: All Change »
Disney Springs / Shopping / Dinner at Bahama Breeze « Coming Soon

Read about the day before:
Day 14: Splash »
SeaWorld Orlando / Dinner at Bahama Breeze

Read ALL the days!

[DisneyDreamer81]

Fantastic photos, as ever! So glad you've decided to finish this report!

[collybird]

Yipee, you’re back!

What an awesome reaction from everyone to your brother’s costume, he looks like he was lapping it all up. I love your outfit though, very fitting.

[Mrs Pumpkin]

Originally Posted by DisneyDreamer81

Fantastic photos, as ever! So glad you've decided to finish this report!

See more...

Thank you! I had to come and finish it because it wouldn't be right!

I love reading back on them myself, so it makes me sad that this one is still only half finished!

Originally Posted by collybird

Yipee, you’re back!

What an awesome reaction from everyone to your brother’s costume, he looks like he was lapping it all up. I love your outfit though, very fitting.

See more...

Good to be back!

It was such an awesome night - literally every turn was someone shouting out Beetlejuice³ and my bro really hamming it up!

Going on hols with my brother and his [now] wife was so much fun - I've never laughed so much!

[Goldia]

Hurrah, you're bach, I totally agree the photos (as usual) are awesome.

I also feel like I understand why those ladies wanted a photo with your brother as beetlejuice! That was an amazing outfit he had on and then he really went for it with the make up. Wow! I think also it's the universal Disney crossover thing that you just never get that made those ladies want the photo.

I'm so glad you came back to finish off the report.

[bronny]

I was wondering where you were the other day. Glad you are back - I’m desperate to stay at the Poly it looks gorgeous.

[Mrs Pumpkin]

Originally Posted by Goldia

Hurrah, you're bach, I totally agree the photos (as usual) are awesome.

I also feel like I understand why those ladies wanted a photo with your brother as beetlejuice! That was an amazing outfit he had on and then he really went for it with the make up. Wow! I think also it's the universal Disney crossover thing that you just never get that made those ladies want the photo.

I'm so glad you came back to finish off the report.

See more...

Thank you They were enamoured with him! I had actually forgotten all about it until I looked through my photos! He did a bang up job with his whole look - he even had the voice to go with it!

Originally Posted by bronny

I was wondering where you were the other day. Glad you are back - I’m desperate to stay at the Poly it looks gorgeous.

See more...

I'm here I LOVE Poly, I'm so happy it is our home resort, I miss it so much already!

[Cinderella]

You brother looked fab!