Hi Friends!

As I mentioned in my last post, Tommy and I just got back from our Halloween/late October trip to Walt Disney World! Last year after the Wine & Dine Half Marathon we vowed to take a fall trip this year in order to experience Halloween and go to Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. While I consider myself a WDW expert, I had never actually attended the halloween festivities before (and had to change that ASAP!) Here’s a highlight reel of our adventures with pictures:

Will Run for Disney’s
October Trip to Walt Disney World
(Oct. 27-Nov.1)

Friday: I arrived early afternoon (Tommy had flown in the night before) and we spent the rest of the evening at Epcot for the Food & Wine Festival. I HIGHLY recommend utilizing a gift card. We had pre-purchased a Disney gift card at our local drugstore but all resort gift shops and kiosks in Future World were selling them in handfuls. That balance goes down pretty quickly!

Saturday: We spent the morning/early afternoon in the Magic Kingdom to go on all of our favorite attractions and see the fall/Halloween decorations during the day. We had lunch at my favorite spot, Be Our Guest restaurant and of course had to get a Halloween treat to-go at the Main Street Confectionary!

For dinner, we decided to go to the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa and eat at the bar at Citricos. Pro Tip: for anyone traveling alone, or adult parties of 3 or less, eating at the bar of a restaurant is a great way to experience the menu with great service if you did not get a dining reservation ahead of time.

After dinner we went back to the Magic Kingdom via monorail to experience the new fireworks display, “Happily Ever After” and see the Halloween decorations all lit up at night. It was raining pretty hard at that point, so we spent a good deal of time in the Main Street Emporium gift shop to stay dry. Luckily we had packed ponchos! Literally the best $3 you can spend (or whatever they go for these days- it’s WORTH it!) While I miss “Wishes”, “Happily Ever After” is a pretty spectacular display and the music makes me weepy. We’ll have to go back and see it again in hopefully dryer conditions!

Sunday: After the rain, it was freezing for the rest of the week. We arrived at Animal Kingdom for rope drop and were wearing longsleeves! I wasn’t complaining; I LOVE being cold in Disney! (Keep in mind, I’m from Boston- we’re used to the cold :).) We were so excited for Pandora- World of Avatar. You guys. This area of the park does not disappoint. Photos don’t even do it justice. Pandora – World of Avatar is a gorgeous tribute to James Cameron’s Avatar world, and beautifully captures themes of conservation and ecological restoration, which tie back to the original concept for Animal Kingdom. I love it!

Even more exciting are the two new attractions and restaurant in this area. We spent more time in Animal Kingdom than either of us ever have in a single day! We went straight from Animal Kingdom to Epcot for the rest of the evening for more Food & Wine festival and “Illuminations: Reflections of Earth” (my favorite).

From Scotland: fresh potato pancake with smoked salmon and herbed cream cheese; and the Belhaven ale!

Sangria from Islands of the Caribbean!

Monday: Rope drop at Hollywood Studios! Boy was it sad to see the tiny map and lack of Great Movie Ride at the Chinese Theater. But we know that there are great things in store! We managed to go on some attractions before our lunch reservation at Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater (my favorite!) and sadly after that we spent some time in the shops and bid the park farewell until next time.

This was literally how cold it was the morning we went to Hollywood Studios!

We went back to Animal Kingdom as planned in order to see Pandora – World of Avatar lit up at night. Sadly the sun didn’t go down fast enough! We had to make sure we were on time for our dinner reservation at Tiffins, one of our favorite restaurants on property. Best laid plans…

Pork Belly Ramen for me and Duck Breast for T! If you haven’t experienced Tiffins, you must! It is Disney fine dining at its best!

Tuesday/Halloween: We took the time during the day to rest in order for our big night at Magic Kingdom! We got dressed in our costumes and arrived to the park around 3pm. We had an early dinner reservation at Liberty Tree Tavern (Thanksgiving dinner for Halloween!) and then were ready to celebrate. Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party (MNSSHP) is amazing! We had such a great time and made the most of every moment: from jumping on rides with minimal wait, to trick-or-treating, to watching Hallowishes, the Hocus Pocus stage show, and Boo To You Parade in sequence. It was a night I will never forget!

The incredible Ooey Gooey from Liberty Tree Tavern!

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Looking back on the photos, we had an incredible vacation. It’s always sad to leave the Most Magical Place on Earth- the only thing that makes it bearable is knowing you have another trip on the horizon! Since this vacation had no running involved, I’ll need to catch up on my training for WDW Marathon weekend in January! I’m feeling so excited for the next adventure.

See ya real soon!
Gina/Will Run for Disney