Our One Day Improtu trip to MSSHP (10/01/04) About This Page:

[Chikabowa]

The Characters
Your Narrator
Susan (25) – Lover of all things Disney. Countless trips to Disneyland throughout the years, one (short) trip with our university cheerleading squad to WDW in January 2002, and short impromptu trip October 2004.
Jason (31) – Needs to be prodded to get to Disney, once there, loves to have a good time. Countless trips to Disneyland throughout the years, first impromptu trip October 2004.

Our Journey

Quick day-trip from Sarasota, FL to WDW.

The Background

Jason and I have been planning a WDW trip since December of 2003. We originally talked about doing a Disney Honeymoon after our wedding in 2003, but had a change of plans (first marriage compromise!!) and made the promise that we would go during our first year of marriage. It took a little longer to save than originally planned, but that is ok because it just makes the payoff that much more exciting!

Our reservations for our 8-night/9-day extravaganza have been in the Disney system since January 2004, but somehow we ended up making a quick “scouting” trip on October 1, 2004 for Mickey’s-Not-So-Scary-Halloween-Party. So how did we end up at the Magic Kingdom?? My husband’s work sent him to a conference that took place in Sarasota, FL and I decided to tag along for fun. J’s conference let out on Friday at noon and soon after we found ourselves sitting around thinking about what to do… Finally, I looked at J and said “I want to go to Disney.”

His reply, “So do I.”

And so the story begins...

Our Adventure

With a quick phone call to WDW Info and 15 minutes to pack up a backpack (thank goodness I threw my Passporter into J’s bag before we left to read on the airplane because it came in so helpful!!) we were in the car and headed North on I-75 to Tampa. Once we got to Tampa, we transferred to East I-4 to Orlando. Exit 64 came and all of a sudden we were on Disney Property!! A quick picture of the mouse-ear power lines, the signs to Disney World and the main entrance and we were off to the Magic Kingdom.

We parked in Goofy 44-48 and both J and I commented on the lack of cars in the parking lot. We hoped that the park wouldn’t be too busy as it was already pushing 2:30 in the afternoon and we wanted to get as much in as possible. Disney pixie dust was shining down on us because we got to the ticket booth and learned the MNSSHP tickets for the evening were still available (Side Note: We didn’t have any tickets when we left the hotel... we were just hoping that there would still be MNSSHP tickets available. As of late, I have (voluntarily) become un-employed, so money is a bit tight and the cheaper tickets were a bonus. Plus, with the entry at 4pm and the park closing at midnight, this gave us lots of time to have fun!!

We purchased our tickets from a very friendly cast member (who isn’t friendly at Disney World?!?) for a total of $74 and some change. Not bad. Since it was 2:30, and we couldn’t enter the park until 4pm, we decided to hop on the monorail and tour the surrounding resorts. Once the monorail pulled into the station, I asked the attendant if we could sit in front. Pixie dust again on our shoulders and there we were for our first monorail ride in the front car. This was especially special since J’s passion and hobby is railroads and trains (not the model type, but the real ones!!). He truly got a kick out of watching the operations and talking with the driver. First stop for us was the Grand Floridian.

Now I have to say, this hotel is way up our alley. We love themes like this and the elegance and beauty was wonderful. I love staying at pricy hotels and having all the luxuries – but this was truly wonderful. I know at this point in our lives, it’s a little out of our price range, but someday I really hope to be able to stay here. We looked around the lobby and walked out to the pool. We then took a stroll down the path to look at the Wedding Pavilion and walk further towards the Poly.

I know the Poly is a favorite of many on here, but it just wasn’t too much our style. Neither of us was really impressed with the atmosphere or themeing, but again I wouldn’t completely cross it off my list of future hotels until I actually try it. By this time, it was pushing 3:20 and I was anxious to say the least! We decided to hop on the ferry and head to the MK. We got there quickly and realized we had another 30 minutes to wait so we decided to do another monorail ride and go to the Contemporary.

Again, once we got there, I was not impressed at all. Too 1970’s style for me – but everyone on the monorail was talking about how much they loved staying there, so again, not a hotel to bag until I try it!! Ok, finally, it was 3:50 and time to enter the MK.

We entered at 4:04pm with a slight problem with my ticket as it kept on denying my entrance. Guest services fixed that quick enough, we got our wristbands and trick-or-treat bags and we were on our way.

The Park

As soon as we entered, we went over to the front of the railroad station to get a picture. It’s a tradition with me that every time I enter I take a shot! And then through the long tunnel and it’s onto Main Street USA. Oh it felt so good!! I really truly believe I could stay all day long on Main Street and not venture further into the parks and be perfectly content.

At this point, the both of us were pretty hungry and after a few minutes of aimless wandering, we decided to get some lunch at Casey’s Corner. I was really craving a corn dog (extremely unusual for me!) and remembered the restaurant in Disneyland has the best hand dipped corn dogs. Well, it’s not the same in the MK. L They only had corn dog nuggets, so that was going to have to do. We got two orders of the nuggets and decided to split an order of fries. Before we left, I threw in a bunch of water bottles and bananas into my backpack (remember, we’re trying to save money of this one!!) and so our feast was born. It total for the three items was just over $9.00. Little pricy, but we would survive.

After feasting and orienting ourselves with the map, we were off the Adventurland. Now, J and I have been to Disneyland so many times throughout our lives, due to proximity, that we know the park like the back of our hands. So coming to the MK where things are laid out similar, but not exactly the same and the changes really got us messed up! We were continually turned around and checking out our maps. I’m really glad we had this opportunity to scout out the park so now we will get around a little easier in November!

First stop was the Tiki Room. Now, it’s always been a favorite attraction for me and J never saw the one in Disneyland. So I kind of had to drag him in there, but it was kind of a bomb... the new management was not good. After being disappointed there, we were ready to hit another attraction that was sure not to fail – Pirates of the Carribean! It was great, and the queue has better themeing than the one in Disneyland. After our enjoyment there, we walked around a bit more and found ourselves at Big Thunder Mountain. No line, no wait!! So far, there hadn’t been a wait for a single ride, so we just hopped on and enjoyed the ride. Everything in the MK is faster, longer and better than in Disneyland. It makes for a very cool experience!

After our stop at Big Thunder Mountain, we wanted to ride on Splash Mountain, but as my previous track record should indicate, it was closed (so far, in my countless Disneyland experiences, I’ve only been able to ride Splash Mountain ONCE!! Every other time it has been closed. The Mountain just doesn’t like me!!). So we walked through Liberty Square onto the Haunted Mansion. At this point, it was 5:45 and scheduled park closing was 6:00pm so everything was really starting to close down. “That’s ok,” I had to remind myself frequently, “we will just hit it again in 8 weeks!!”

The Haunted Mansion was a lot of fun as usual – it always seems to creep me out! The cast members were fully into character, so no smiles or friendly hellos.

Once finished with the Haunted Mansion, everyone was herded into Tomorrowland, so a tour on Buzz Lightyear and Space Mountain was in order. My score was a pathetic 8,400 while J got 164,000. Boo – I was hoping that all my research would help my score… guess not!! Space Mountain, again as mentioned before, faster, longer and scarier than the one in Disneyland. It really got my heart pumping.

At this point, it was time for a little break and a treat. So we purchased two bottles of water (boy it’s humid in Florida!!) and a frozen coke to share. I also brought part of a sandwich with us to the park, so we both chewed on that for a time being.

After our short break it was onto a little window-shopping on Main Street. I was so proud of myself that I didn’t purchase a single souvenir the entire night!! I wanted so many little things, and J said that I could get whatever I wanted, but I just wanted to prove that we could go to Disney and not break the bank, so I didn't purchase anything. I was so proud!! It was just about 7pm at this point and the festivities were about ready to begin. We headed back over to Fantasyland to catch the first showing of Mickey’s PhilharMagic. It was by far both of our favorites the entire evening!!! Loved the show and I can’t wait to see it again.

We went over to Peter Pan and rode the ships – I love how cute everything is on that ride. Winnie the Pooh was next and then time for another break. The best part about the Halloween Party was how many characters were out and about. We stopped at a vendor cart right next to the carousel and purchased two Mickey Bars to eat while we stood in line to meet Cinderella and Prince Charming (my favorite princess!!). After those photos, it was time to go back out to the front of the castle to see Cinderella’s Surprise Celebration. We missed the first few minutes of the show, and my smart-aleck husband commented on how difficult it must have been for Cindy to get over to do the show when not 2 minutes prior she was meeting and greeting children back over in Fantasyland.

We got a perfect seat for the parade and fireworks, we were tired, so just decided to stay right there for the time being. Fantasy in the Sky was great, but to be honest, I’m really looking forward to seeing Wishes in November. And the parade was awesome!! It started with the headless horseman galloping down Main Street and then it began. It was so much fun and heavy on the villains, which suited me just fine.

After the parade, we took a few more pictures, took a bathroom break, and stopped at the Main Street Bakery. Very soon after it was time to leave the park. Both of us were having a difficult time leaving, we both wished that our hotel was there on Disney property instead of back in Sarasota, but we had a long drive ahead of us. We took the ferry over to the park area, got into our car and headed out – happy that in 8 weeks, we will be there for 9 full days!!

Pixie dust evaporated once we got to West I-4, there was construction and it took us 30 minutes to go ½ mile!! We got through the construction and made it safely back to our hotel at 1:45am. Well worth the $100 we spent and the long drive!!

We got some great pictures of our day, so I'll post those as soon as I get the hang of posting pictures. If anyone can help me that would be great!!

All in all, it was a great trip and one of the most fun experiences. I’m not always so spontaneous and have a hard time doing things that aren’t all planned out, so it was a new experience for me to just go someplace without tickets in hand. I’m so glad that we did it and I can’t wait to share our trip in November with everyone!!

Thanks for reading our trip report!

Susan and Jason

[BabieeMelly]

Wow Susan, that sounds awesome! I'm not the type of person who does things unplanned, either, but it seems like there was a lot ofPixie Dust surrounding your entire daytrip, and everything worked out as planned! I didn't realize that the fireworks during MNSSHP was still a version of Fantasy in the Sky...you'll absolutely LOVE Wishes - the music, fireworks, character voices...everything in so magical! I can't wait to see your pictures and hear all about your November trip. Have fun!

[Nick and Ryans Mom]

Susan what a great way to spend a few extra hours!! I really admire you, not one souvenir??? WOW, that is will power!

[katspjs]

We were there on Friday as well. It was great fun. Glad to hear you got a chance get over to WDW.

[luvnwdwgal]

Thanks for sharing your Disney Day with us!!

[sarah_belle]

That was an exciting TR! I would love to wake up one morning and decide to go to Disney (and then, actually go!) You are so lucky to get a short Disney trip in before your next Disney trip!

I agree with you about Grand Floridian! I would to stay there!

Thanks for posting your TR - I really enjoyed reading it!

Sarah

[Colexis Mom]

How great that you were so close and just "popped over" for the night

Sounds like you had a great time, and I can't wait to hear all about your upcoming trip in November!

Thanks for sharing your day with us Great job!

[Joy J]

Susan, what a wonderful spontaneous adventure you had! And what better way to get a sneak preview of what's ahead for you on your upcoming big trip. I loved your trip report. Thanks so much for sharing it with us.

Joy