MNSSHP, NOJ, and WL

[LauraleeH]

Just got back from Disney! It was a lot better than expected.
We checked in on Friday into a studio at Wilderness Lodge Villas, so after changing and stuff, my brother and my dad went to Rock the Universe at Universal Studios, and my mom and I headed off to the Magic Kingdom for Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party.

We were so worried that it would rain because of Hanna, but it was mostly good! It did sprinkle one time when we were getting a Mickey bar and popcorn, but we ran to a covered bench, and by the time we were finished eating, the rain had stopped.
So the party crowds were a lot lighter than they had been in the past. We were shocked but happy. And everything seemed more decorative and festive. There was also a slight breeze which made it so much more enjoyable.

We were able to go on most rides with little or no wait. We did Big Thunder Mountain Railroad twice, and all of the CM's were rude or stressed, but otherwise that was it. The CM's everywhere else were amazing, and I hadn't experienced that in a long time
We did the Haunted Mansion twice and got our picture in front from a photopass. We did the Hall of Presidents and my mom had not been on since she was a teenager, so she thought it was excellent, and I made sure to get the whole thing on camera since they will be changing it in November

We had reservations for Liberty Tree Tavern at 6:55 and we went in around 6:00 to see if we could get in early, but the CM said he probably wouldn't be able to get us in until 7:00 anyways, so we went and did something else. We came back around 6:30 and he said he couldn't find our reservation but to take the beeper and we could get a table in 5-10 minutes. Well, we had just walked away when they buzzed us back, and we got a nice little table. It really wasn't crowded at all. We got hugs from the characters at least once, some came around twice. Poor Goofy almost fell down the stairs but caught himself...it was so loud that everyone was laughing though. He took off for the back and then came back later and was flirting/joking with all of the women, really funny guy. The food was really good and we were able to take our time.

After that, we headed down Main Street to watch the first parade, but there weren't any good benches left, so we went back to Liberty Tree Tavern and got a bench and waited there. Then some really interesting "dead guys" came along and introduced themselves as "Dapper Dans from Main Street...back when we were alive" and they ended up singing for us and talking to us for a while, it was great. Then they started singing, "Boo To You" on their way out, and I wish I had that on camera! Awesome!! But then the Headless Horseman came and I was able to get a picture and we got tons of pictures and video of the whole parade.

We did some trick-or-treating because the CM that I bought some pins from told us they give handfuls of chocolate, but we got some sour off-brand stuff, and they were only giving us one or two pieces. Hm. Definitely won't wait for candy again...it's just easier to buy what you want!
Oh, on the way out, they gave a Ghirardelli Chocolate bar that I was really excited about, until I read that it's 60% cacao...intense dark chocolate with caramel. Yuck.

For the fireworks, we couldn't decide what we wanted to do, so we ended up watching them in front of Mrs. Potts ice-cream. It was really smoky and a huge flame didn't burn out and came right down on some lady. I guess it missed her hair and got her shoe, but CM's started freaking out and running from out of nowhere. Good to know they are around
But we were still a little freaked to be standing right below the fireworks. It was hard to look around on both sides and my mom kept saying "This is different...this is so different" and if you find my video on youtube, you will hear her saying it hehehe
It actually wasn't that different, we just usually don't stand directly in the middle below them!

I will write more later...I'm SO tired so this post is probably a mess anyways

[DisneyWhirled]

Sounds like you had a great time. Thanks for sharing!!

[Lizzie]

Thanks for the report. Sounds like a fun night.

[yjgirl32]

Great report! We are going to go to the Mnsshp next year and I can't wait. My husband is really looking forward to it. Can't wait to read more.

[LauraleeH]

Thanks for the replies!

So we ended up going back to our resort early. We got on the bus and we were the only ones. The bus driver was crazy and would speed and then slam on his brakes. Scary.
We got in our room at 10:30 and watched tv, and then my brother and dad came home from Rock the Universe and said they had a pretty good time...better than they had expected. Anyways, we quickly learned that the studio was too small for all of us and had a horrible night.

The next morning, (Saturday the 6th) we all got up and ready and went down for lunch at Whispering Canyon. It was my dad's birthday, and my mom told that to our waitress when it was announced that it was someone else's birthday, but she must have forgotten because nobody ever said anything or sang. Lots of people around us were having birthdays, though. It was fun. The food was really good.

After that, my mom and I went to buy tickets for Night of Joy that night (My dad and brother were going but we hadn't planned on it...but my dad was upset that we all weren't going to be together on his birthday, so we surprised him) and we went to see if we could get an upgrade to a 1-bedroom, and the CM was nice and we got one for a great price. We went and moved everything over, and the a/c was working much better, and so was the plumbing. It was twice the size (Or more) and we were so glad we did it.

Then we headed over to Disney's Hollywood Studios for Night of Joy. We overheard people on the bus saying that it was much...different...this year. Uh-oh.
First of all, we got in with our tickets, but no wristbands. So we are walking and all of a sudden everyone starts turning to the right, and we had to go towards the bathrooms to get wristbands! How crazy is that. Everyone was confused and one woman claimed to have already thrown her ticket out or something. I like it better when they give it to you as soon as you get in the gate. But anyways, it was really hot and crowded, and long lines for everything. We were never able to go on any good rides because they all had a 2-3 hour wait. We were able to get in for the end of RED and there were plenty of seats, so we stayed there for Casting Crowns, and it filled up. It was great! And then, they had another Casting Crowns concert! Why on earth would they do them back to back?! We left and then there was a long line to get in for TobyMac, but my brother got in, and my dad got in the second time they let people go. They weren't able to sit together and none of the CM's acted like they knew what was going on. One CM started talking to a girl (I assume he knew her...I hope, at least) and he started rubbing her hands and they were holding hands just talking. She then walked away and went in to the concert and he went back to "work" just standing there and we never saw her again. My mom and I were only able to get on "The Great Movie Ride" which was good but the people behind us were on the phone the whole time. And we stood in line for 20 minutes to see the Narnia thing, and the people in front of us had an awful mix of awful b.o. while eating Doritos. Awesome, right?
So my mom and I left early. We went to number 13 for Wilderness Lodge, when a bus driver from 12 came over and said he was going to Fort Wilderness. Everyone started going over and I asked if he was also going to Wilderness Lodge and he said sure. So we got on the bus and he was playing rock music, like Nickelback! I thought Disney busses were only supposed to play Disney music? Well, that was the least of our problems. This guy was speeding, and a teenager pulled out in front of him and he didn't slow down, he sped up, and almost hit him. The people behind us were complaining, saying stuff like their family will sue if he kills them and they just want to get back to the Contemporary. What?! Well, the guy makes it to Fort Wilderness and then heads to Wilderness Lodge. So the girl that has been on the bus for quite a while walks up and asks him if and when they are going to the Contemporary, and he says, "Eventually...someday" and we got off and watched and he pulls off and she is still standing next to him! When we were kids, we would get yelled at if we even switched seats. And here he takes off with a girl standing next to him. His seat was reclined and we're pretty sure he was drunk. I hope those people made it off alright. We were the only ones around and we were walking up to our villas when we hear loud "boom boom boom boom" coming up behind us, and someone was running on the wooden dock out of nowhere. We quickly got inside and got an elevator and went to our room. We ordered pizza which was $30 and not so good, but it was alright. My dad and brother came back shortly after and complained how they never wanted to go back to NOJ (Even though we've been going for years and love it) because since they moved it, everything was messed up. I agree. We had a much better night in the room, thankfully. We want to get a 2-bedroom villa next time...because my dad said the couch bed was the most painful thing he has ever slept on (And he can fall asleep outside no problems) so hopefully we can save for that. Got up around 9:00 yesterday and got ready and decided to just come home.

If Night Of Joy had been at the Magic Kingdom, this would have been the best trip we ever had. Everything was perfect. Even other random strangers in the parks were nice! It was amazing. But some CM asked for my mom to give her email and some info, and they are going to email her a survey about NOJ, so we will let them know we didn't enjoy it. And I am definitely writing a separate letter about the bus drivers. That is crazy and unacceptable, I would rather drive and ride the monorail and stuff...although we'd still have to watch the roads for the insane bus drivers

[tinkerbell04]

I am sorry that your NOJ experience wasn't what you were expecting. I hope that they work the kinks out for next year. I am also glad that you family seemed to make the best of it. Thanks for sharing!

[ChipnDaleGal]

A few problems thrown in there, but overall it sounds like your family had a good trip. That bus driver did not seem to be the typical Disney Driver in the way you described his behavior. Weird! Thanks for reporting.

[iheartmickey]

WOW! What a weird driver ... I've never heard of anything like that! Just weird!

Glad you made the most of it though.

Thanks for sharing!

[LauraleeH]

Yeah, the other people on the bus were very young adults and had a tiny baby with them, so I was more scared for them. They said they had been on the bus for a while, too. So who knows where he picked them up from!

[pdrlkr]

Thanks for the report!

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

Sounds like a lot of fun to me!

[LauraleeH]

Thanks for reading! It's so hard to believe that it was exactly a week ago tonight that I was in MNSSHP!!

[faline]

We were there for the first Halloween party and were very impressed at the lack of crowds! Sorry you ran into some problems with Night of Joy. We were there that weekend (actually we were staying at Wilderness Lodge) but did not attend that event.

[Pop Centurion]

We were at the MNSSHP that day also. We were having dinner in CP when the rain hit and were worried also that it would ruin things but it thankfully stopped before we got out. We also encountered the "dead" Dapper Dans while waiting for the 2nd parade. They had everyone laughing before going into a few songs. We did the photopass in front of HM also but I haven't even looked at them yet. How did yours turn out?