The first place we went to was the scenic picture shot of Cinderella’s coach.  While Cinderella herself wasn’t present, the coach was beautiful and we wanted to make sure we got it while there was still a little natural light left in the sky.  We met a couple of Dan and Josh’s friends in the line, so we got to chit-chat while we waited.

After getting our pictures taken with the coach we made our way over to catch Princess Aurora with Prince Phillip, as well as Cinderella with Prince Charming.  That’s what’s so amazing about the Halloween party – you meet characters that never show up anywhere else and it’s one of the few times of the year they do so.  The princes are often in the shows  that the parks put on, but never individually meet with guests to take pictures.  This time they did, and it was really amazing to see the characters play their part beautifully, hanging on each other with love in their eyes, just as any Prince should treat his Princess.

Then we caught Mickey and Minnie individually, Minnie dressed as a sorceress I believe, and Mickey as a vampire bat, though Dan astutely pointed out that he looked more like a pimp.  I could see it too, but who am I to point it out?  It was enough that we noticed.  Made waiting in line more interesting.  What was even more funny was that when we reached him, Mickey obviously recognized the three of us and tried to communicate that.  However, since Mickey can’t speak, it was a miniature version of charades.  He was vehement about it and wouldn’t stand still for a picture until Josh realized he was referring to Animal Kingdom, and put two and two together to realize that this Mickey was the same one we met earlier in the afternoon in a completely different park.  Once Mickey was satisfied we understood him, he gladly settled down for a few pictures.

Because of the Halloween theme, the entire park was filled with candy stations where you could “trick or treat” for candy.  We were happy to oblige, and ended up with a bag of candy each at the end of the night.  We cut up to the front of the park for the Villains stage show, the main reason I wanted to come to the Halloween Party in the first place.  I recorded the whole thing on video (over 7 minutes long) and it was absolutely stunning.  Starring the deliciously evil Malleficent from Sleeping Beauty, she started the show and then brought on a large number of other Disney villains to assist in the show.  When it was over, I was just stunned at how amazing it was, and also privileged to know that nobody else gets to see these villains unless they come to special exclusive party like this one.  It was good to feel so special.

We backed away from the castle stage a little to watch the fireworks show special to the Halloween party, “Happy HalloWishes”.  Between the music and the brief story and the fireworks themselves, I felt it outshined even the masterful Magic Kingdom normal fireworks show “Wishes”.  We caught the end of another Villains show, and this time at the end they all came out into the crowed to take pictures.  Josh and Dan told me to pick one or two favorites because they wouldn’t stay out long, so I did and we started waiting.

I picked Jafar first and the picture of the two of us was darkly wonderful.  Afterwards we hopped over to the line for the Snow Queen and even managed to meet her too.  We were all convinced the lines would be cut soon and the villains leaving, but we hopped into the line for Malleficent on the off chance that she’d be out a few moments longer and we’d catch her.

We did.

I was giddy.

Josh was sure the luck wouldn’t continue, but I dragged him and Dan back to the other side of the stage to meet Judge Frollo and the Queen of Hearts, and got both of them with time to spare.  I almost got back into line for Cruella de Vil, but the music for the upcoming parade had already begun, and we all realized then that they’d be escaping quickly, which they did.

The parade was also amazing and well worth watching.  We caught a few more characters (Rafiki, Baloo, Tarzan & Jane, Aladdin & Jasmine) before heading back to the apartment for the night.  We got out of the park around midnight and got home and practically collapsed.  My clothes are all over the floor and I’m not the least bit packed, yet I’ll be getting up first thing in the morning and throwing it all together quickly so I can catch a late morning flight.  All this…and yet I’m still online at 2 am blogging and posting pictures.  What’s wrong with me?  I need sleep so badly right now.  I need a vacation from vacation.

Tomorrow/later today…home!

We raced over to Expedition Everest (the main ride of the park) as soon as we were allowed in at rope drop.  Afterwards, we sped over to the opposite end of the park to ride on the safari.  Because the animals move around and are sometimes out and sometimes sleeping, every time you ride is a different experience.  This year I didn’t see as many elephants as last year, and I still didn’t get to see a lion, but I did get a couple good shots of a rhino from very close up.

We went to see the live production of “The Lion King” which was absolutely stirring.  At one point the characters picked out some young children to participate, and I actually started to cry a little because I could just see the joy radiating from the kids.  I can’t imagine how moved their parents must’ve been, let alone the kids themselves.

After the show we caught a bunch of characters in their safari garb, something that only happens in Animal Kingdom.  We saw Chip & Dale, Donald, Daisy, Goofy, Minnie, and Micky.  Took quite a while since they all had individual lines, but it was WELL worth it.

We ate lunch at the “Yak & Yeti” restaurant, a nice asian cuisine styled meal, and Dan was kind enough to treat.  It was delicious, even the fried green beans Josh got as an appetizer.  Yes – I tried them.  Me.  The guy who never tries new things.  I’ll admit to that.  When it comes to food, I don’t experiment much.  But I’m glad they talked me into this time.

We then found out that Pocahontas would be making a very rare appearance, something I’d been hoping for all day, so we stuck around a little while longer than we’d originally planned.  When she finally came out, it was perfect.  She looked the part and was beautiful.  I got a picture of just her, than a couple with just the two of us, than a couple with the whole group together.  She was very patient with us, and that meant a lot.  She’s by no means my favorite character, but I was very happy to get some pictures with her this year since we hadn’t even managed to see her last year.  It made my entire afternoon just great.

Now we’re home relaxing because tonight we’re going into the Magic Kingdom for the exclusive Halloween Party.  I know I’ve said it over and over again, but it bears repeating – I can’t wait!

Dan dropped me off over half an hour before the park opened, and it was raining, so I stood at the front entrance just barely out of the rain for quite a while.  Once they let me in, it was still sprinkling so I just made my way quickly back to Soarin’ once more since it’s such an awesome ride.  Sat next to a British family with two kids, one of which was “special needs” I guess you could say.  I honestly don’t really know a better way to say it and be politically correct and polite and so forth.  Anyways though, it was just really sweet to watch the father buckle that son into the seat and hear how excited the boy was to be there.  It broke my heart a little, but also made me very happy at the same time.

Karen was running a little late, but once she and her friend Emily arrived, the real party began.  We raced over to Soarin’ to get a FastPass for later, which was especially exciting for Emily since she’d never been on it before.  Then we killed some time in Canada before reporting in for our lunch reservation at the incredibly exclusive restaurant, La Cellier.  It had originally only been for Karen and I, but we requested the option to add a third and the restaurant staff were all very accommodating and polite, and it was no hassle at all.

La Cellier, for those of you who don’t know, means “The Cellar”, and that’s exactly what this place was.  It was made to resemble a wine cellar, so it was a little darker than a restaurant normally would be, but to excellent effect.  The atmosphere was flawless, and the wait staff were just great.  Delicious assorted bread types for an appetizer, followed by salads and then the main course.  I had the best steak burger I’ve ever eaten in my life, and Karen had beef something-or-other which she enjoyed, and Emily had salmon (I think).  I don’t really pay attention to what others eat.  At the end of the meal Karen attempted to pay the tab, and Emily snatched it away and took care of it.  She thanked us for allowing her to join in on our fun, and wanted to repay the favor a little.  It was an incredibly generous offer (though I never saw the tab, I know it was no dinner at Chili’s), so Karen and I both thanked her and gracefully accepted (though Karen put up a bit more of a fight than I did [I'm poor!!!]).

We did some shopping throughout Mexico, China, and Japan in the EPCOT Showcase of countries.  Karen and I bought matching rings with each of our names, so I have her name on my hand now and she has mine.  This was in accordance with our incredibly genuine and oh-so-legal marriage earlier this week, spontaneously agreed to after an honest compliment to Karen’s beauty which resulted in her proposing to me.  We’re madly in love.  Babies soon to come.  Perhaps tomorrow.  There were lots of cute children all over the parks this week, and lots of parents not watching closely.  Maybe I’ll snatch a cute one.

Not really.

But maybe.

Just kidding.

But only a little.

The three of us hopped on the inter-park monorail and switched over from EPCOT to Magic Kingdom.  Karen and I had to meet up with Dan and Josh for dinner at the even more exclusive restaurant, Cinderella’s Royal Table, which is actually on the second story inside the castle itself.  Emily unfortunately couldn’t join us, so she went off on her own for a while to find something entertaining to do.  Just to give you a further idea of what I mean when I say it’s exclusive, I had to call exactly 180 days before the date we’d be dining, and I had to call around 5 am in order to make sure we got the time we wanted.  People book their entire vacations around being able to get into this place for a meal.  Upon getting there, it was immediately evident why.

Once we were let into the staging area downstairs, the entire party took a picture with Cinderella.  We were then directed to go upstairs to the restaurant itself, where we were seated and greeted by a very nice waiter.  Dan and Josh mentioned that you almost never get to be a server in CRT without having been with Disney for at least a decade.  It’s the cream of the crop, the most elite serving position in all the parks, so they make sure no newbie messes up the experience for a family.  Each of us picked out an appetizer, an entree, and a dessert.

As we ate a couple of the mice from Cinderella came out, as well as the Fairy Godmother.  There was a mini-show put on for all the diners, so that was really neat too.  I had lemon chicken for dinner, and it was just magnificent.  Between that and La Cellier, I’d been eating like a king all day.  Before we’d finished eating they brought us our photo package including four 4×6 printouts of our picture with Cinderella from before dinner, and one larger picture framed in a nice album.  Very classy, and all part of the pre-paid meal package that we’d paid for when the reservation was made 6 months ago.

After dinner Karen and Emily headed home, as did Dan and Josh and I.  I’m exhausted now, so it’s long overdue for me to hop in bed.

Tomorrow…Animal Kingdom!  Hope it doesn’t rain again.  I don’t want to be smelling stinky soggy animals all day.

Immediately upon entering the park we went over to the new Toy Story ride and got a FastPass for later since it’s now pretty much the most popular ride in the entire park.  The line was already out the door by the time we got to it, and the FastPass lines weren’t too much better.  To kill time until we could use the FastPass we went on the Aerosmith roller coaster and then the Hollywood Tower of Terror.

By this time we were able to go use our FastPasses for the Toy Story ride, and made our way in that direction.  On the way we passed by a picture opportunity where Buzz and Woody characters were meeting with kids, so we of course hopped in line as well.  Took some goofy pictures along the way, and a few really good ones with the gang at the end.  Was a blast.  Then we walked across the street and did the Toy Story ride which was more of a 3D arcade game you played while riding in a car with a buddy.  It was some of the most fun I’ve had on any ride so far.  Granted, my arm was sore at the end from using the toy gun you have, but it was more than worth it.  When we exited, we grabbed another FastPass to use on it later.

We caught the very beginning of the first High School Musical 3 parade, then grabbed lunch at a nice little 1950′s genre restaurant.  Killed some time at the Muppet 3D show, then went and fiddled around in the animation studio where we ended up running into Sorcerer Micky, a rare find that I was glad to encounter.

We then happily made our way to watch “The Voyage of the Little Mermaid” live show.  Was only a couple songs (“Under the Sea / Part of Your World / Poor Unfortunate Soul”), but I actually managed to record them on the digital camera I borrowed from Jayme, and they turned out quite nicely.  I’ve already watched them once since we got back tonight, and I’ll probably do so again before bed.  I got choked up during the show, as I do with anything related to Ariel.  I just love her and that movie.

A little later on we went and saw the Beauty and the Beast live performance, once again getting me choked up.  A couple times throughout the half hour show I got goosebumps, and once I actually got teary eyed watching it.  Seeing these things isn’t just amazing for kids, but for people like me who are still kids at heart.  I got a couple pictures at the end and included one on this post since I got some flack yesterday for mentioning Belle and not posting a picture of her.  The things I do to appease my audience…

After catching a couple characters from Monsters, Inc. and “The Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers” we headed to the Fantasmic arena in order to get a good spot for the park’s magnificent closing show.  We got there an hour early and got great seats, but in continuance with the pattern set forth by the rest of the day, it rained off and on that entire hour.  We were a little worried they’d cancel the show, but it ended up going on as planned without so much as a delay.

Just like last year, it was awe inspiring.  I was still captivated as if it were the first time I’d seen it before, and imagine I’ll be the same way the next time I see it someday.  At the end we all filed out of the park in good cattle-like formation, and now I’m back at the apartment relaxing a little before bed.

Tomorrow will be back to EPCOT, but this time with my friend Karen who’s driving in from Tampa to spend the day with me.  Dan’s gonna be working, so we’re going to have so much fun with just the two of us.  I’m practically giddy, that’s how excited I am.  Hopefully I’ll be able to fall asleep.  :-)

As soon as the park opened this morning we rushed straight to Character Spot where you can meet a large number of the characters consecutively and get pictures with each.  What Dan didn’t tell me last year is that the first people in each morning get a picture with the whole group together.  Nobody else does all day long because as soon as that first group shot is taken, all the characters spread out to their individual posts and stay that way from then on.  Well…we made it in first!  Dan was really excited, as was I, when we got the group shot with all of them, and then our individual pictures as well.  Belle greeted us on the way out, so that was a nice surprise as well.

We then went and did Soarin’ which is the biggest attraction at EPCOT.  It was magnificent.  Awe inspiring.  It makes you really appreciate all the natural beauty all around you from the snowy mountains to the waves on a beach at sunset, and I took a moment to just thank God that we have such wonders to see in this world.

We fiddled around on that end of the park for a little while longer before making our way over to the Showcase area of the park where you roam through many different regions of the world.  That’s where most of the characters were and we got a couple that we didn’t catch last year, and missed a few that we had previously caught.  It was all a ton of fun.

Especially when, while waiting for Aladdin and Jasmine to come out and join the Genie for pictures, we heard a grandmother from the family behind us yell “boo” because it was just Genie by himself at the moment, and then the mother of the children (who were right there next to her) said, while holding a beer, “F the Genie!”  Such class.

The closing fireworks show for EPCOT is called Illuminations and it was fantastic.  Josh and Dan and I were debating whether or not it’s better than Magic Kingdom’s Wishes program, and I still don’t know which I like better.  Wishes was constant almost the whole time and had nice music and a bigger finale, but Illuminations had a far better opening, even if it did have a long drag period in the middle.  I think it’s a toss-up.  However, Dan tells me that I should hold back on deciding until I see the fireworks show at the Halloween party we’ll be attending at Magic Kingdom on Sunday night.  Final decision will be announced then.

Tomorrow…Hollywood Studios!

We got to the park before it opened, and then headed straight to Ariel’s Grotto so I could see the Little Mermaid herself first thing in the morning without having to wait in line.  I wasn’t first in line like I’d wanted to be, but it still started out the day in the best way possible.

We then proceeded to roam around the park taking pictures with most characters we ran into and stopping in souvenir shops to take pictures of ourselves wearing funny hats.  We did it last year as a way to pass the time and have a couple laughs, and it was so much fun that it became somewhat of a challenge to find hats we hadn’t already worn last year.  There weren’t as many as I thought there would be, but it brought about an extra feeling of accomplishment when we would spot one.

Because it’s fall and especially because it’s almost Halloween, everything around the park is decorated with pumpkins.  At first I thought it looked tacky, but it grew on me and by the end of the day I’d taken pictures of all the decorations that repeated themselves around the park.  At one point I made a lap around the town square on Main Street in order to get pictures of all the pumpkin scarecrows.

We went to see the 3D show of the park, “PhilharMagic”, and it was absolutely incredibly.  I can definitely see why it’s the most popular attraction in the entire park, and also why the line moves so quickly.  Disney is a very efficient machine.  ”PhilharMagic” takes you through a number of songs from various Disney movies including Beauty & the Beast, Fantasia, The Little Mermaid, The Lion King, Peter Pan, and then Aladdin.  The 3D effects are stunning, the music is magical, and the experience as a whole left me choked up.  I will admit to getting a little teary eyed when Ariel reached out into the audience and asked only me to be “part of her world”.

Brief pit stop for lunch, then it was off on the magical adventure again.  We hit just about every major ride and attraction the park had to offer, and did it in even less time than last year.  We must’ve been bookin’ it!  We of course stayed for the evening parade, SpectralMagic, and after that we were amazed by the fireworks show, Wishes.  The closing ceremonies as a whole are a sight to behold, and not worth attempting to describe because I wouldn’t do them justice.  I was in awe.

Tomorrow…EPCOT!

My flight was on time and mostly empty, so I was lucky enough to have an empty seat next to me.  I slept for the majority of the flight, and when I wasn’t sleeping I was reading quietly without an annoying seat neighbor trying to talk to me.  It was a fantastic flight, and one I hope will be mirrored on my return trip.

Dan and Josh picked me up and we headed out to one of the local malls to have a nice pizza lunch, then headed back to the apartment to relax for a few hours.  After playing some video games and brief nodding off on my part, we got ready and headed out to the Wilderness lodge for dinner.

Took a few pictures of the outside of the lodge and the beautiful sunset, then made our way in to make our reservation at the Whispering Canyon Cafe, housed right inside the fascinating lobby of the lodge.

It was a very…umm…interesting meal.  The staff were very much in character as part of the old west pioneer period, and asked all guests to participate.  I normally don’t get into that kind of thing, but we had a lot of fun.  It was just a different kind of restaurant experience than you might normally find anywhere else.  When you ask your server for ketchup, they shout out that you want ketchup and the kids from all over the restaurant rush over with the bottles from their table and you end up with way more ketchup than you could ever want.  I stupidly didn’t think this could possibly affect me in any way.

That is, until I accidentally dropped Dan’s fork on the floor while my OCD forced me to straighten out all the packets in the little container.  When our server came over to refill our drinks I asked him for another fork since I had dropped one, and he gladly brought Dan another fork.  He also brought me a huge training fork that I was required to hold onto for a little while to teach me not to drop silverware.

I had a delicious roast chicken for dinner, followed up by a scrumptious piece of s’mores cheesecake.  I’m still full and it was hours ago.  Today was fun and it was only the beginning of my weeklong vacation.  Tomorrow we’ll be at Magic Kingdom.  Can’t wait!