Pre-Trip Report: Halloween AND Christmas?!

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Nyxess's picture
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Pre-Trip Report: Halloween AND Christmas?!

mickey

This will be my 8th trip in the last 6 years to WDW, and the 3rd trip I'll be making with my boyfriend. We decided on our last trip (which didn't turn out quite how we'd hoped) that a week in the World was heaven, but it just wasn't enough time to do everything we wanted and then also find time to relax. So this year we're doing 13 nights and 14 days!

Thus far we've got the following details locked down (**these will be updated as the trip progresses):

October 28 - We leave Calgary International at around 8AM, taking a flight to Chicago for a brief layover and then continuing on to Orlando (Laughing out loud!). We managed to get first class seats for the same price as normal seats on our usual airline - so we're pumped to try that out! We'll arrive at MCO at around 5:45pm and then grab the ME to AKL-Kidani Village. We've got a reservation for 8:10pm at Sanaa - pumped to give that a try!

October 29 - Magic Kingdom. Since it's the first time my cousin and her boyfriend are visiting WDW, we're going to start them off right. We'll do MK and then MNSSHP in the evening. It's not quite the normal Celebrate the Magic and Wishes sort of evening ender - but we'll do that later in the week Smile We managed to snag a lunch reservation at Be Our Guest (dinner was a no go), and my cousin is excited to try that out.

October 30 - EPCOT. Obviously we have to hit up the Food and Wine Festival... Because food and wine. So we'll be sleeping in a bit before heading to the park, then hitting up Teppan Edo for lunch at 1:30pm (our favourite!). We haven't made any plans for dinner as I'm sure we'll be busy eating all sorts of delicious things from around the world!

October 31 - No parks. Since it'll be Halloween, and I'm sure it'll be busy no matter where we go, we've opted to take this day to relax. I've got us a few ADRS's in other resorts around the World - both Beaches & Cream and California Grill. Hopefully we'll get to see some fireworks during dinner Laughing out loud!

November 1 - Animal Kingdom. Hopefully we'll be rested up since AK requires some early waking! We'll be having lunch at the Yak & Yeti at 1:00pm and hopefully calling it an early day at that park as well to head back to the hotel, grab a quick dinner at the cafeteria there and then off to bed - tomorrow will be very busy.

November 2 - Universal Studios (both parks).
November 3 -
November 4 -
November 5 -
November 6 -
November 7 -
November 8 - Magic Kingdom again! We're going to hit up MVMCP for the first time! I'm insanely excited to see the castle all lit up!
November 9 -

November 10 - Sleep in as late as is humanly possible, grab some lunch at the resort, get on the Magic Express to the airport around 2 PM and catch our flight back to Canadadadadada at 5:45 PM. That'll have us landing around 9 PM in Calgary once again... At which point it'll be hoping that it hasn't snowed TOO much while we've been away so the extreme climate change doesn't turn us into Disney-cicles.

Somewhere in there we'll be doing MNSSHP as well as MVMCP. It'll be our third year trick or treating at MK, but our first year seeing the castle all lit up for Christmas... Very excited Smile!!! Coupled with getting our drink on at the Food & Wine Festival it should be exactly enough to keep us tided over until our next Disney fix!

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Kristen K.'s picture
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Whoo hooo! Both parties in one trip, that sounds awesome yay

Allie's picture
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Two weeks at AKL?! Color me jealous! Plus you'll be there for some of the best events of the year! How fun! awesome

crazycatperson's picture
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Halloween and Christmas, how cool! Looking forward to more details.

Nyxess's picture
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We're also now starting to look into Hallowe'en costumes. Seems insanely early, but it's never too early to start planning things, if Disney had taught me anything.

Since the gentleman in the photo above with the plaid shirt and extra manly beard is my boyfriend, we're looking to do something that will be both Disney themed and let him keep the beard.

With my insanely curly, brown hair and his face fluff, I think we'd make an excellent Belle and Beast... Or possibly Jane and Tarzan (you know, since I always wondered how he managed to keep such a clean chin when he'd been living in the jungle with gorillas for his entire life). Wendy and Hook is also an option...

What do you guys think?! With our abundance of hair and love for Disney, what would be a suitable costume?

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crazycatperson's picture
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I'm thinking Merida and King Fergus. All you'd need to do is use a little temporary red hair coloring and you'd be good to go.

Nyxess's picture
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crazycatperson wrote:
I'm thinking Merida and King Fergus. All you'd need to do is use a little temporary red hair coloring and you'd be good to go.

... That's brilliant!!!

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The Watchmaker's picture
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Aye Lass..I'll gie yer other half a dialect lesson..How to speak like King Fergus... awesome

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Ooooh! What a perfect time of year to go! Merida & Fergus is a great idea. The only other curly-haired character that come to mind is Mother Gothel, but that doesn't help with a costume for your BF. There can't be just one Stabbington Brother, right? That would be awkward. Plus I don't think they had beards?

I should overlap with you as the current plan is to do a friends trip for Wine & Dine 1/2 marathon. Hopefully we'll get a chance to do a meet up!

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Trip Reports:
December 2013: 10th Anniversary, 1st DVC Stay | April 2014: Birthday on the Boardwalk | May 2014: Star Wars Weekend, Navigating WDW with a wheelchair | August 2014: Villains Unleashed | September/October 2014: MNSSHP, F&W, Tower of Terror 10-miler | March/April 2015: Disneyland and California Coastal Cruise | November 2015: Wine & Dine Half, Food & Wine, 1st Disney Cruise | February 2016: Presidential Classic Gymnastics Meet | March 2016: "Work" Trip, Tours, F&G Festival | April 2016: Conference at Disneyland | Fall 2016: Festive Fall Fun | January 2017: Festival of the Arts | May 2017: AbD Backstage Magic | July 2017: AbD San Francisco | Sorry I had to give up doing trip reports. Too many time commitments right now.

Nyxess's picture
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Oh for sure! I don't know how well I could do Mother Gothel though... I'm not very good at being mean... Or even being very mean looking! I picked up some Hogwarts robes last year, so I suppose I could do a Hermione, but I think I'd like to do something more Disney related (obviously).

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Nyxess's picture
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**Update!

My cousin, with whom I share a birthday, and her south of the boarder boyfriend have agreed to join us! Since he lives in Detroit she'll be driving down from Ontario to catch a flight with him from the airport there and will be with us from October 28th to November 4th. She's in the process of booking herself a studio at the AKL with Carson (my boyfriend) and I Smile!!

This will be both of their first times to The World - and my first vacation with her in almost a decade! I'm very excited Smile

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Update:

Flights - we've booked our flights! We were holding off for a seat sale from our normal flight provider, but when the seat sale came, the flight options were not ideal. Getting down to MCO was either going to cost us about $750 each, or it was going to require us to be at the airport at 10PM the day before to catch insanely early flights with multiple, several hour long layovers all over Canada and the States. It was looking like we were going to have to just buck up and get the expensive flights to try and not ruin the first day of our vacation...

Then I figured I would take a chance... Our Looney (teehee!) isn't doing so hot against the green back right now, but the price of oil is also in the toilet, so maybe I'd give some US sites a try. I looked at American, Delta and United. The first two were about the same as their Canadian counterparts - but United saved the day! The prices weren't too much better, but we could get a flight leaving at 8AM on our departure day, arriving in MCO at 5:20PM, and with one layover in Chicago for just over an hour... Plus is was First Class!

Carson (my boyfriend) has flown first class once before - a trip to Easter Island a few years ago. He raves about how awesome it was, and has made me secretly jealous since the first time he told me about it. When I saw that we could get flights to MCO for less that the Canadian airlines were charging, with better times, and with better services/leg room? You gotta bet we booked.

Special Events - As the dates for both MNNSHP and MVMCP have been announced, we've chosen our dates for both! We'll be trick-or-treating around Magic Kingdom on the 29th, and also seeing the castle lit up for the first time on November 8th!

Calendar - Normally I make a spreadsheet as well as a binder to keep track of everything for our trips... But this two week monster trip is proving difficult to contain all in one spot! I've still got my spreadsheet on the go, and I have a notebook where I'm tracking some of the information - but I was feeling this task getting out of control pretty quickly...

So I made a wall calendar. I grabbed some painters tape, confiscated a large portion of our living room, and made a floor to ceiling calendar. I stopped in at the local office supply store and grabbed 10 different coloured post-it pads and some sharpies, and now we're tracking it on a much larger scale... Though still colour coordinated, so I'm still pretty happy Smile I'll post some photos later!

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kathys's picture
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Wow first class I have only flow that once and your boyfriend is correct it is just awesome so seat back and enjoy..what I way to start to magical trip to WDW. awesome Now am jealous. wink
And please post some of those pictures when you can as am very curious now.

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Wow, a whole wall planner! I love the sound of that, yes please to the pictures mickey

Nyxess's picture
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And here it is! My very own 'wall calendar' XD

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Wow..is all I can say...that is awesome. I would love to do that but my hubby is not a disney lover. sad

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Brinbunny's picture
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muchlove wish I could have one! But there is no wdw for me this year..... Maybe I could do one for our cruise hahaha

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That is fab, love the wall planner

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JoAnn C's picture
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what a great idea for a planner.

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Alright! We're at the 180 day mark (trying not to hyperventilate and run around telling anyone with ears) - and that means I was up at 4am (MST) this morning making my ADSRs XD

Holy smokes that was early.

Managed to get some good ones though! Beaches & Cream, California Grill and the all important Be Our Guest! The latter I was unable to get the time I wanted, but we got in for lunch - so things could be worse Smile I'll keep trying back for the next few weeks to see if I can get us in for dinner instead... But that might be a bit of a pipe dream.

Either way... 180 DAYS!!! clapping yay stars

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Nyxess wrote:
Alright! We're at the 180 day mark (trying not to hyperventilate and run around telling anyone with ears) - and that means I was up at 4am (MST) this morning making my ADSRs XD

Holy smokes that was early.

Managed to get some good ones though! Beaches & Cream, California Grill and the all important Be Our Guest! The latter I was unable to get the time I wanted, but we got in for lunch - so things could be worse Smile I'll keep trying back for the next few weeks to see if I can get us in for dinner instead... But that might be a bit of a pipe dream.

Either way... 180 DAYS!!! clapping yay stars

CONGRATS!!!!!!!!!!

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We overlap at AKL for a lot of the stay, will say hi if I see you. I have ADR day on Friday and have booked the day off work, they think I am crazy!

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I don't think that's crazy at all. Speaking as someone who was up at 4am and still made it into work for 8am... I wish I'd thought that far ahead @.@

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We have some similar days at the parks. Hope to see you there!

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Sally-Ann wrote:
We overlap at AKL for a lot of the stay, will say hi if I see you. I have ADR day on Friday and have booked the day off work, they think I am crazy!

Not crazy at all. I've taken the day off on ADR day before.

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The irony was that I took the day off and then couldn't book most of what we wanted. BOG, Tusker House etc was feeling pretty fed up about it but thought hey will keep trying. Tried on the Saturday and bingo booked the lot. Put it down to Disney glitch on the Friday. Now just have to wait to see if I need to change them if parents cannot come . We are doing a lot of repeats that we weren't going to do but think these are best for parents. Mum especially wants to do BOG we have told her about the Onion soup with cheese crust. Mum loves cheese and after seeing Joe's photos of the turkey and beef bagettes I want to try those. Dad won't care where he goes as long as there are decent puds. He loves dessert and ice cream so he will be fine!

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