2017 Epcot Food & Wine Festival Review: Part 3

Thanks for joining me for Part Three of my 2017 Epcot Food & Wine Festival Review! You can catch up on Part One here and Part Two here where I talk about my food and drink highlights from last year's festival. In this post I want to talk about the Tasting Sampler!

The Tasting Sampler was something I found out about pretty last minute while reading a couple of Disney bloggers' reviews of the festival last year. I've been to Food and Wine three times but it wasn't until reading those reviews that I discovered the Tasting Sampler. It was a little tricky for me to find all the information that I needed, so I've decided to share my knowledge in this review to make it easier for others looking into this option.

It appears the Tasting Sampler changes slightly from year to year, so this is how it worked in 2017 and that could change for this year's festival. Still, the general concept will stay the same so hopefully this information will be helpful to you.

The Tasting Sampler is a card with 8 tokens that can be redeemed for one food or drink item at any of the Food & Wine Festival booths. Of course there are some restrictions, and that's what I was most interested in before purchasing this in order to calculate if this was worth it. All of the terms and conditions are on the back of the card, but then of course you don't know any of that until you're at the festival trying to purchase it.

(Photo Credit: WDWNT)

In short, the only thing you can't use these tokens on are: flights, name brand champagne, and wine and cheese plates. It does say that pours over 6 ounces are excluded, but I didn't find any beers or glasses of wine that size at the booths. They were all 4 oz or 6 oz so that meant they were included.

In 2017, the Tasting Sampler also included an exclusive and super cute Remy pin that I adore! That seemed to be a special thing for 2017, the Tasting Sampler doesn't usually include a pin. So what about the price? The price is what seemed to vary the most from year to year. In 2017, the price of the Tasting Sampler was $65 plus tax, which brought the grand total to $69.23, making each tab cost $8.65.

I am very Type A and had a spreadsheet of my must-haves from the festival ahead of time. Looking at the prices, I knew I could save some money by purchasing the Tasting Sampler, so that's what I did. I used my tokens on the following items:

1. Crispy Calamari (Italy) - $8.00
2. New England Lobster Roll (Hops & Barley) - $8.00
3. Chilled Coffee with Godiva Chocolate Liqueur (Belgium) - $10.00
4. La Passion Martini Slush (France) - $10.75
5. Citrus Thistle (Scotland) - $10.00
6. Mai Tai (Hawaii) - $9.00
7. Mimosa Royale (Morocco) - $8.00
8. Citrus Thistle (Scotland) - $10.00

(Yes I did get the Citrus Thistle twice, it was incredible!)

Remy pin

I think it's much easier to get your money's worth by using the tokens for drinks instead of food, but it really depends of course on the value of the items. If you're interested in the $4 beers and the $8 food items, you're better off using the sampler on food. As you can see from my list, I used my tokens on both food and drinks.

I do not regret buying the Tasting Sampler because it definitely saved me a little money, but here's where I got caught out. I thought that tax would be added on top of the price of the items at the booths, but they weren't. If a drink was $10.00, you paid $10.00, whereas when I purchased the Tasting Sampler, I paid tax on top of the $65 price. So I thought I would be saving almost $10.00 overall by getting the Tasting Sampler and redeeming the tokens, however, in reality I only saved $4.52.

Like I said, I don't regret buying the Sampler because I didn't lose out. $4.52 isn't a huge saving, but did that did mean I pretty much got another F&W item for free, and I got an adorable Remy pin souvenir. Would I do it again? Maybe, maybe not. It's not a must-do because it doesn't save me enough money, and you have to be super careful about what you're redeeming the tokens on if you're going to get your money back or better yet, save money. They were so convenient to use that hubby was tempted to turn them over for everything he bought which would have been a disaster!

Maybe in the future the Tasting Sampler will work out to be even more cost effective and I will jump at the chance to buy one again. I hope you've enjoyed my 2017 Food and Wine Festival Review and thanks for reading!

2017 Epcot Food & Wine Festival Review: Part Two

Thanks for joining me for Part Two of my 2017 Epcot Food & Wine Festival Review! You can catch up on Part One here where I talk about my food highlights from last year's festival. In this post I want to talk about my drink highlights!

I hear people complain about the sizes of drinks a lot at F&W, but for the most part I thought the size of the pours were decent. The festival is about trying new things and re-visiting your favorites, so I definitely want something more on the size of a sampler. You can always get more if you like it and if you don't, you don't have to waste your drink. I was also surprised to find that the beers seemed a lot larger than the size sounded.

Let's start with one of my absolute favorite drinks of the festival - the Citrus Thistle from Scotland. I don't really like gin all that much, but this was one of the best things I drank and I got more than one of these throughout my time at F&W. It was $10.00 so definitely not the cheapest offering at the festival, but it was a good size and made with the real deal, Hendrick's gin. I purchased this with my Tasting Sampler (more on that in Part Three) so that made it cheaper.

Pictured above is the Bunratty Meade Honey Wine from Ireland. This was a lot stronger than I anticipated but I really liked it. I was curious to try meade and I'm glad I did. I thought $5.50 wasn't bad for a glass considering the alcohol strength.

Please forgive this picture being taken on a trash can, but on this particular occasion we had trouble finding a table. My first drink in Canada was the Moosehead Radler, infused with Grapefruit, Grape and Lemon Juices. Oh my gosh so incredibly delicious! It was fruity and refreshing, but still tasted like beer, it was amazing and I think I got this two or three times at the festival. I thought $4.00 was a fair price and it seemed like a really decent amount of beer. Thankfully I discovered one liquor store (that may or may not be on the corner of my street) that sells this at home ;)

Also in Canada I tried the Neige Premiere “Apple Ice Wine” and it was really good! Another drink that was stronger than I expected but also very fruity and refreshing. I will say however, that this was the one and only time we were shocked by the size of the pour. Labeling it "wine" implied to me that it would be a glass, but this was basically a shot glass, which you can probably see by looking at the size compared to Remy. Definitely not worth $6.00.

Another high ranking favorite of mine, this is the Schöfferhofer Hefeweizen Pomegranate Beer from the Brewer's Collection. This beer was fantastic and I wish I could buy this at home! I should have gotten it again. At $4.00 I thought that was a very reasonable price for a German beer.

Over in Morocco, this Moroccan Sangria gets an honorable mention! It was $6.00 and really, really good! Probably the best sangria I've had. It was fruity but also plenty alcoholic.

Up there in my favorites list is this Chilled Coffee featuring Godiva Chocolate Liqueur from Belgium. I love coffee and I love coffee with liquor in it, so what's not to love about this one? Godiva is delicious and you could taste both the coffee and the chocolate liqueur so it was perfectly flavored and balanced. Not to mention, being frozen made it an ideal beverage choice in the Florida heat. I would get this again! It was $10.00 but that's a typical price for coffee and booze, and the brand was a more expensive choice.

There were two drinks that I enjoyed in Hawaii. The first was the Florida Orange Groves Sparkling Pineapple Wine. It had a definite pineapple taste without being overpowering and it still tasted like wine and not like fruit juice. This actually reminded me of champagne or a sweeter version of prosecco. Really good and not bad at $6.00.

The second drink I enjoyed in Hawaii was the Mai Tai featuring Sammy’s Beach Bar Rum. Absolutely delicious! $9.00 is a little pricey but hey, it's Food & Wine. Cocktails in my home town will set you back $8.00-$10.00 and the only difference is they may be a little bit bigger in size. Food & Wine prices are not outrageous by any means. This may have been the least alcoholic drink I had during the festival, or maybe it just seemed that way to me after already having a drink or two before sampling this one. Still I'd get it again.

Going back to Ireland, the one and only non-alcoholic drink I purchased during the festival, but highly recommend, was the Twinings Pumpkin Chai Tea and Caramel Shake. There is however an alcoholic version, Twinings Pumpkin Chai Tea Frozen Cocktail with Caramel Vodka, that I did not try. I had read reviews that said the drinks tasted near enough the same so one was just a more expensive version. I can't comment on the accuracy of that statement, but hearing it is what made me choose the non-alcoholic version. That and tea with vodka sounded weird. The non-alcoholic version was $4.75 and the alcoholic version was $9.75.

I don't drink tea, and you could definitely taste it in this shake, but it wasn't bad. This was a perfect fall offering because it had a great pumpkin flavor, and again it being a frozen drink was perfect for the Florida heat. It was more filling than I expected, and while it seemed strange to me that this drink cost more than most of the beer offerings despite being non-alcoholic, there was a lot that went into this one and it was delicious. I'd recommend it and I would get it again.

Thank you for reading Part Two of my Food & Wine Festival Review, all about drinks! Please join me for my third and final installment where I will be reviewing the Tasting Sampler.

2017 Epcot Food & Wine Festival Review: Part One

I know the Food & Wine Festival was forever ago now and by the time I'm done with all my reviews, the 2018 festival will probably be in session! Alas, I really do want to share my reviews from last year's festival even though time has passed.

There's a lot I have to share, so I'm breaking my review up into three parts: in this first post I will talk only about food, there will be a separate post reviewing drinks from the festival, and then I will also be reviewing the Tasting Sampler in the third and final installment.

The Food & Wine Festival ran from August 31 through November 13 in 2017 and I attended from October 18-29. My cute little Tsum Tsum friend Remy joined me in my delicious adventures!

I had made a plan ahead of time of the "must-do" booths, the "skip those" booths, and the "stop here if time allows" booths. This was a great plan that worked fantastically! As silly as I felt sometimes whipping out my color coded map and spreadsheet, I left the festival feeling accomplished rather than disappointed with my choices and what I didn't get to do.

In 2017, to celebrate 35 years of Epcot, there were 35 booths - the most they've ever had! There was just no way as an out of town visitor that I could see and eat everything. I had to narrow it down somehow, and I didn't want to waste money and stomach space on dishes I would later regret by making things up on the fly. Sure there were a couple of dishes in hindsight that I wish I had chosen over what I did, but hindsight's always 20/20 and overall I was really happy with my plan.

I had a budget for each day at the festival, so when I got to the park each time I loaded up my Food & Wine gift card with my budgeted amount. I'm not going to go through a tour of all the booths I visited in order, because that would take too long and I'm not sure I even remember all of that! Instead, let me share some of my highlights from my time at the festival:

One of the first dishes I had was the Baked Shrimp Scampi Dip with Sourdough Bread from the Coastal Eats booth. This was so, so good! It was also a decent sized portion and so filling that you definitely don't want bigger than this! I love seafood so that was a priority at F&W. I was not disappointed with this dish! It was incredible! I would definitely get it again. At $5.50, I thought that was a fair price, it was good quality and very filling. Only drawback was it was hard to eat such hot food on a hot and humid Florida day.

Of course I would be partial to the France booth! This was one stop I was super excited for and I tried almost everything on offer. Pictured above is the Croissant aux Escargots, which is an escargot filled croissant with garlic and parsley. Oh my word! This may have been my favorite thing I ate at the festival! It's in my Top 5 for sure! If snails gross you out, don't worry, you can't tell that's what they are and with the added flavoring they're delicious. The croissant was warm, buttery and flaky which was perfection. This was $5.75 and again I thought that was fair.

Not in my Top 5 but still a very delicious dish, this is the Salmon BLT Sushi Roll from Japan. I love sushi and this sounded really good! It did not disappoint! Lots of different flavors as well as being soft and crunchy. This dish was one of the more expensive options at $8.00, which was a little on the expensive side for me considering I can get 8 rolls at home for $7-$8, but the cost of living in my state is low and it's not Epcot :)

I was picturing two rolls the same size as what I would get at home, but that was not the case. The two rolls in this portion were HUGE! Like the size of a flat tennis ball. When I saw that, I could understand the price for sure. While this wasn't the cheapest offering at the festival, considering the size of the portion and its contents, $8 was reasonable for this dish. I would get it again but next time I think hubby and I could share instead of getting a portion each. We were not anticipating it to be so big!

Over in Morocco I got the Chocolate Baklava. I am a big fan of baklava so I wanted to try this. It was some of THE BEST baklava I have ever eaten - and I used to have an Algerian boyfriend whose mother would make it for me ;) it had just the right amount of crunch and softness and the flavors were really good. This was $4.00 which I didn't think was bad.

There were some dishes I tried that I did not expect to like as much as I did, which to me is part of the fun of the festival. You can try new things without getting a huge and expensive portion of something it turns out you don't like. Here are more of my highlights that took me by surprise:

In the foreground of this picture is the Warm Irish Cheddar Cheese and Stout Dip from Ireland. I wanted to try this one but I thought I would prefer the Cheddar Cheese Soup in Canada - turns out I loved this dish way more! I know, blasphemy! I can't put into words why I loved this so much, it was just so good! A really unique and delicious cheese flavor, more of a sharp cheddar, and not salty like soups can be. The bread was soft and delicious and accompanied the soup perfectly! I thought it was well worth the money for $4.75 and I loved this so much I got it a second time - the only dish I repeated at the festival. This is also in my Top 5.

Once again Ireland surprised me with the Warm Chocolate Pudding. This was not on my list at all because it seemed like a chocolate cake and I really don't like cake, even when it's chocolate. This was on hubby's "must get" list and he gave me a bite. Then I wanted one of my own! It had a delicious gooey filling, it was so soft and moist, and the Irish cream liqueur custard on top was divine! Well worth $4.00!

The Pão de Queijo at the Brazil booth was on my "if time allows" list and my husband's "must have" list, so we split this one. It sounded good but I figured cheese bread is cheese bread, how great could it really be? Uh, amazing is the answer! It was almost sweet like a brioche, very soft, and the cheese was delicious! Not overwhelming and strong but flavorful. I was pleasantly surprised and I would get this again. There are definitely more unique items at the festival that I would prioritize over this, but if you're looking for a tasty snack that will only cost $4.00, get this! It's also great for children and picky eaters because it's more plain.

Similar to the cheese bread, I figured the Apple Strudel in Germany would be like apple strudel anywhere else and couldn't be that amazing at F&W, but I still wanted to try it. Again I was wrong with this one! It was the best apple strudel I've ever eaten. A lot of people bash the food at F&W saying it's just generic frozen food warmed up and served, but this didn't taste like a frozen food you could pick up at your local grocery store. The pastry was light and firm, the strudel was sweet but not sickly sweet, and the vanilla sauce perfected it. The warm strudel with the cold sauce was also really nice on a hot day. This was another $4.00 item that I would get again.

Another honorable mention is the Bougatsa from Greece. I don't usually like Greek food all that much, mostly because so much is lamb based and I don't like lamb. Thankfully there were non-meat dishes available at the Greece booth. I've never had any Greek desserts but this one sounded tasty so I went for it. The bougatsa had a soft flaky phyllo pastry and a delicious warm liquid filling of vanilla custard and lemon-honey syrup, with a dusting of cinnamon and sugar. So, so good! I would definitely get it again! This was another $4.00 dessert that I think was well worth it.

Finally, to keep things balanced, I'd like to review my least favorite things from the festival. Let me start by saying nothing I ate was bad. Really truly. But there were some dishes that I didn't like all that much and wouldn't get again:

I was excited to try the Schinkennudeln at the Germany booth. It was a pasta gratin with ham and cheese that sounded delicious. It was pretty good but I was a little disappointed because it was kinda salty and looked like school cafeteria food. I'm very glad I got this because I really did want to try it, plus $4.00 wasn't a bad price, there are just so many better things to get at the festival that I think I would pass on the Schinkennudeln next time and get something else instead.

The Beef Empanada from Patagonia was pretty average. I love empanadas so I eat them almost every chance I get and I didn't pass up the opportunity here. However, I for sure should have saved the stomach space and the $5.00 and gotten something else. This appeared to be a little overdone. The pastry was incredibly dry and very crunchy, and it was way too hot to eat for a while. I couldn't even hold it. I ate it but I didn't think it was worth $5.00 or the stop at Patagonia on a ridiculously crowded Saturday.

I really wanted to try something at the India booth because the pictures and descriptions of the offerings looked and sounded delicious! However, I don't tolerate spicy foods well due to acid reflux, so I wanted to avoid anything too hot. I asked the cast member how hot the Madras Red Curry was and she said it was pretty spicy. That's what I wanted the most but skipped it because of her recommendation. Instead I opted for the Korma Chicken at her suggestion which she said was very mild. She was right, it was, but I really didn't like it. I can't put my finger on why, I just didn't like the flavors. Not bad by any means, but not something I liked that much. I don't usually eat Indian food but maybe if I did eat it more frequently, this would be more enjoyable. At $5.25, it wasn't outrageous, but there were cheaper options out there that I much preferred.

Thank you for reading the first installment of my Food & Wine Festival Review! Please join me for the next two!

Happily Ever After Dessert Party Review

I've been listening to the soundtrack to Happily Ever After a lot recently, so I thought it was about time I shared my review of the Happily Ever After Dessert Party! The Magic Kingdom replaced their long standing fireworks show "Wishes" with a new nighttime spectacular - "Happily Ever After" back in May. In October when I took my Disney trip, this new show was still incredibly popular, with guests standing shoulder to shoulder and filling the hub and Main Street from over an hour before show time.

I considered skipping the show that trip, because crazy crowd levels like that really get to me, but I wanted to see it so bad! When I heard there was a dessert party viewing option, I looked in to it and after thoughtful consideration, that was ultimately what we decided to do. This is my review! (You can click on any of my pictures to make them bigger).

There were two different times for the dessert party on the night we chose, which was a Wednesday night. We opted for the earlier time, which was 7:45pm and chose Plaza Garden viewing over Tomorrowland Terrace. I had read that while you can continue sitting at your dessert table with your food and drink during the fireworks on the terrace, the distance and angle of your viewing is not ideal. Plaza Garden had better reviews in terms of firework viewing, and it is also the cheaper of the two dessert party viewing locations.

I had heard that check in started an hour before, so we presented ourselves at Tomorrowland Terrace at 7:15pm. There was a short line when we arrived which soon got much longer. They started checking people in shortly after 7:15pm so we didn't have to wait long. I was glad we got there when we did so as not to be at the back of the long line.

The check in process was very formal, after the hostess crossed our names off the list, a waiter in a vest and bow tie came over and showed us to our table. The table was round with seats and had a tablecloth and small candle in the middle. He explained the various food options and said we could help ourselves to as much as we'd like. He then said that we could head over to the viewing area whenever we wanted, but we would need to see the hostess for an escort. Once we decided to leave he said we could not return to Tomorrowland Terrace. He recommended that we leave by 8:30pm because the fireworks started at 9pm.

By 7:30pm we were at our table getting our food. We took a look at all the delicious desserts and I tried most of the offerings, going back for seconds of some of my favorites. There were only a couple things that I disliked (I'm picky) but plenty that I loved! My favorites were the pineapple delight (it was almost a mini Dole Whip), the macaroons, and the strawberry tart. I thought they had a good selection including some healthier options like fruit and a selection of cheeses for a savory alternative. We got a couple of glasses of the sparkling apple cider which was delicious! This night was pretty chilly so I also got a hot chocolate which was included. I could also have gotten tea, coffee or lemonade.

At 8pm over half the guests had left, which I thought was a waste. I didn't want to rush the dessert portion of the evening because if I intended on waiting an hour outside for the fireworks, I could do that without the dessert party. It got pretty empty and we felt obligated to leave, but I wasn't really ready yet so we stayed. The staff were great at coming around and clearing used plates. There was also a PhotoPass photographer coming around with props taking pictures, so we flagged her down and got a good picture.

At 8:30pm We were done eating, made a stop at the restroom and then had the escort take us over to the plaza. That was very difficult! There were people EVERYWHERE and it was hard to just cross Main Street from Tomorrowland Terrace to the hub. Most people as you'd expect were right up against the railings of the hub, trying to get as close as possible. I didn't think it was necessary to squash in like that, there was so much space in our reserved area of the hub. Many people sat down and spread out while they waited. I thought the spot we were in was just fine.

The fireworks started and it was truly magical! Happily Ever After is incredible! We had a good view, a decent distance away, and central to the castle being in the hub. The music is beautiful, the projections are unbelievable and I love how the projections tied in to the fireworks! We also had a neat view of Tinkerbell when she came out at the end.

The only down side was that at times my view was obstructed by parents putting their kids on their shoulders in the section before our reserved viewing in the hub. There was nowhere for me to move at that point where those people with kids were not obstructing my view. That was a real bummer but I don't know how it could be avoided. Cast Members can't really walk around telling them not to and that could happen where ever I'm viewing, dessert party or not. Hopefully as the show gets more crowded, that will be less of an issue.

When the fireworks ended we still had to fight our way out of the Magic Kingdom. Words cannot describe that experience. I won't go into detail because this is a review of the party, but those crowd levels made me glad we opted for the dessert party for our first viewing. Am I glad we experienced this? Yes! It was perfect for our first Happily Ever After experience, the food was great, and it was a fun evening. Would I do it again? It depends. I wouldn't say no right off the bat, but I wouldn't go as far as to say "absolutely!" either. We did experience one more dessert party later in the trip that I preferred over this one, but that's comparatively speaking.

The dessert party is currently priced at $59 per adult for Plaza Garden viewing, or $79 per adult for Tomorrowland Terrace viewing. The food and drink are the same, the difference is simply the firework viewing area. If you are planning on or considering the Happily Ever After Dessert Party, I would definitely suggest checking in 30 minutes early, because if we had checked in at 7:45pm, I reckon we would have had just 30 minutes to enjoy the party which would have truly been a waste. It's much nicer to sit back and enjoy it (we had 1 hour) than to rush your food down and get outside.

I hope you enjoyed my review and that it helps you with your Disney vacation planning!

Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party Review

(Photo Credit: Disney Parks Blog)

Okay folks, I know Halloween was over months ago, but I really wanted to share my review of Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party, and getting back from a trip right before the holidays has made this my first opportunity to share it.

We attended Mickey's Not So Scary on a Tuesday in October. I had heard that Tuesdays are not as busy as weekend parties, but that crowds increasingly pick up the closer it gets to Halloween itself. I thought the crowds were at a fair level the night we went. You couldn't park up right before the parade and get the best seat in the house, and the characters had some mighty long waits at times, but it was by no means unbearable.

I spent a lot of time deciding what I wanted to dress up as. Initially I decided on Lilo and planned to bring my Duffy bear dressed in his Stitch costume. (I posted about that here). However, I changed my mind at the last minute because I decided I had a better, more unique idea. I instead went as one of my favorite Disney characters - Figment! I don't regret that change at all.

This was our second MNSSHP, our first being 2 years prior in 2015. I did not plan effectively for our first party, and my husband got sick so we called it a night early without accomplishing anywhere close to everything I wanted to do. This time I planned and planned and planned, and while it felt stressful at the time trying to follow a rigid outline, and I panicked at times wondering if I should seize an opportunity and divert from the plan, it all worked out amazingly in the end.

We were already at the Magic Kingdom that day, something I had initially intended not to do, but it just worked out that way. We rented a locker and kept our party clothes there during the day. At 4pm we changed into our party clothes and got our wristbands in Town Square. We got our trick or treat bags and proceeded to Liberty Square to get in line for Jack and Sally. As we walked through Town Square I got a lot of compliments from Cast Members on my costume. One said, "Figment! So glad you could join us all the way from EPCOT!"

We saw Jack and Sally back in 2015 (and that's something I approached all wrong that year) so I thought about skipping them this time, but decided that with good planning we could meet them and not actually use any party time to do it.

We got in line at 4:40pm and there were already numerous people ahead of us. That didn't deter me, because it wasn't as bad as when we joined the line in 2015 and I figured we would still get done before the party started. Despite Cast Members continuously saying Jack and Sally would not be out until 7pm when the party started, they started greeting right on 5pm just like I suspected. By that time the line was out of Liberty Square and across the bridge into Adventureland.

The line moved at a good pace and even though we saw one cast change, we were done with our meet and greet by 6pm. Sure, we waited almost an hour and a half, but we had crossed something major off our list and still had an hour before the party! Jack and Sally were wonderful as always! They spent time talking to us and were so in character, sounding just like them and improvising marvelously. Sally was intrigued by my costume saying it was frightful that I had something eating my head. She also told me how to make some frog's breath for my husband's Halloween dinner.

Next we went to Fantasyland to see if any other characters were out early. They weren't yet but people were gathering for them and there was already a line for Minnie. We used that time to do our MNSSHP shopping in Big Top Souvenirs. I bought the women's 2017 MNSSHP t-shirt because I loved the fit, the design and the color, and I love collecting souvenirs to remind me of events I attended. At 6:45pm we were done with shopping and a Cast Member started a line for Donald and Daisy so we got in line. I was one of the first 5 people but I don't remember my exact place in line.

Donald and Daisy came out right on 7pm when the party started. Their line moved pretty quickly because at 7:05pm I was done. So again, I waited only 15 minutes but none of that was party time. Donald and Daisy were great and so cute in their Halloween outfits! Next we visited the trick or treat location in Fantasyland, housed in Pete's Silly Sideshow. We walked right through which was awesome but the party had only just started.

I aimed to eat all 4 Haunted Mansion desserts that were exclusive to the party that night, so we got started with the first one in Liberty Square. It was delicious! Then we ventured over to Tomorrowland because I wanted to meet Lotso! We stopped by the dance party for a bit because I didn't get to experience that last time we were at the party. It was really neat to see Mike and Sulley and they looked like they were having fun! We stayed there for a short while before moving on to Lotso's line at 7:50pm. I was impressed that not even an hour into the party we'd met two sets of characters, trick or treated, done our shopping, eaten a dessert, and danced with Mike and Sulley!

Lotso's line wasn't bad and took about 20 minutes to get through. I got there right on time though because the line got a whole lot longer after me! I enjoyed seeing other people's costumes while I was waiting. Behind me there was a group dressed as characters from the new IT movie and in front of me was the most inventive costume I saw the whole night - a girl dressed in a white tank top and khaki shorts, with a snorkeling mask on her head, leaves in her hair, dirt on her face, and a rubber tube around her waist that read "River Country". I wanted to ask if I could take her picture but she was buried in her phone the whole time so I didn't.

Lotso was mischievous and kept trying to take my hat! I've never seen him before and I loved every second of meeting him! I also loved the theming of his meet and greet area, it was perfect and made for an excellent picture. After meeting Lotso we went through the trick or treat location inside Stitch's Great Escape. I don't like that attraction so I don't ride it, but it was fun to walk through so I could see Skippy and SIR again. I guess that will have been for the last time :(

At 8:10pm we got in line for Space Mountain and I don't think we walked on but we didn't wait long. Maybe 10 minutes, which is something I love about MNSSHP! Arguably you should use the time doing things you can't do during the day, but it's great to get a few rides in because they're typically little to no wait during the party. I wanted to see the Cadaver Dans at 8:50pm because that was another thing we missed out on during our first party. We made our way to Frontierland to see them, stopping in Fantasyland on the way for the new Tangled PhotoPass.

The Tangled PhotoPass was something that I really wanted to do this trip. It was not necessary to do it during the party because it is available at night during regular park hours, however, we only had 1 night planned in the Magic Kingdom outside of the party so I wanted to make sure we didn't miss out. There was a line but I joined it because I really, really wanted to take this picture! We waited in line for about 25 minutes and during that the photographers changed once. Our photographer took great pictures but also took her time with us. She allowed us to take a picture of me and hubby, and also just me, each in a couple of different poses. The pictures were SO worth it!!! They came out beautifully and I'm obsessed!

The PhotoPass took longer than I thought so we had to hightail it over to Frontierland to see the Cadaver Dans. We asked a CM where they would start and he said in front of the Frontierland Trading Post so we hung out there. Sure enough they came out right in that spot moments later. They sang a Halloween themed song (that I wasn't familiar with) and then moved down the line of parade watchers singing more songs. At that point hubby and I split. He wanted something to eat and I wanted to get a good spot for the 9:15pm Boo To You parade, so he went to Pecos Bill's and I went in search of a good spot.

I found a decent spot to the right of the Liberty Bell. There were a couple of kids in front of me but that was fair, I was taller and could easily stand and get a great view of the parade with just 2 young boys in front of me. The Headless Horseman came out right on time and I'm pretty sure he had an accident somewhere along the way because immediately after he rode by I saw what looked like a clean up crew pass by with brooms and a trash can. The parade didn't start for another 10 minutes or so after the horseman rode, which adds to me feeling like there was an accident. No big deal. Boo To You started and it was fantastic as always! Hands down my favorite parade!

The parade ended at 9:40pm and hubby found me. We stopped for more candy at the trick or treat location inside The Enchanted Tiki Room. That is one of my favorite trick or treat locations! It is beautiful in there during the party! It has cool lighting and all of the animatronics move but don't make sounds. I've also never seen a line for that particular trick or treat location. We then got a second Haunted Mansion dessert from Aloha Isle. Each of the 4 desserts were sold at a different location which was challenging.

We figured it would be smart at that point to stake out a spot for HalloWishes. The hub was already packed but we found a decent spot on the edge of the hub closest to Adventureland. There was a little obstruction in my view from some trees, but it was decent. HalloWishes is fun and I'm glad we got to see it again. After HalloWishes I realized there was just not enough time left to do everything I wanted to. We had an hour and a half left so I had to start being picky. We didn't get to ride the Haunted Mansion at the first party and it was on my list for this party so that's the next thing we chose to do.

It was fun to ride the Haunted Mansion during the party and the Cast Members had extra makeup and cobwebs which was awesome, but I wouldn't say this is a party must-do. Glad we did it though since we hadn't before. We waited only 10-15 minutes for it but at other times during the night I saw a posted wait of 30 minutes. I really wanted to meet Pooh and the gang in their Halloween outfits so after The Haunted Mansion we went back to Fantasyland. We got there at 10:50pm and the line looked bad. The Cast Members said the wait was an hour but I really wanted to cross this off my list so I joined the line, fully preparing myself to miss the second parade and have this be the last thing I did for the night.

Thankfully, I waited only 30 minutes which was really not bad at all. The characters were super fun, so adorable, and I got hugs from all of them! Earlier in the night I had seen the Haunted Mansion PhotoPass, which was exclusive to the party, and I really wanted to take a picture there. The line was always long so I opted to do other things instead. Figuring that it was too late at this point to catch Boo To You again (it was 11:20pm) we ran back over to Liberty Square for the Haunted Mansion PhotoPass to make that last on the agenda for the night, stopping by the trick or treat location inside Mickey's PhilharMagic on the way. There was 1 person getting their picture taken at the time we arrived, and no line, so we jumped right in and got some fun pictures!

Once again luck was on my side and since the PhotoPass only took 5 minutes when I thought we'd be in line the rest of the night, I had the idea that we should hightail it down to Main Street to catch the second parade. That's what we did and we made it to Main Street at 11:40pm and got a spot right on the curb! Although the second showing of Boo To You started at 11:15pm (in Frontierland), we were so far down Main Street that we saw the whole thing from the start! I was beyond thrilled that just when I thought I wasn't going to get to see my favorite parade again, I did!

Hubby told me to tell him when the parade was about half way through so he could grab everything from the locker and not fight the crowds leaving after the parade, so that's what he did. We regrouped at the exit right after Vanellope Von Schweetz came by. We left the Magic Kingdom after a wonderful Halloween Party that exceeded my expectations, and stopped for one last PhotoPass so we could get the Headless Horseman magic shot.

There is never enough time to do everything you want to do in one party. If I could I would totally go for 2 nights on Halloween season! I'm still thankful for everything we did accomplish in one night. Here's a list of the other things I wanted to do but didn't have time for:

• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad - it's so much fun in the dark and back in 2015 they had creepy projections on the mountain which was cool. 
• The other 2 Haunted Mansion desserts - they were sold at Storybook Treats and Auntie Gravity's respectively. We just didn't have the time to keep going back and forth in different directions to get all 4 desserts. I don't know why they didn't sell them all in once place, if they did we would have been able to get them all. 
• A couple more trick or treat stations - the Jungle Cruise location looks like fun but we didn't make it over there. I would like to see it in person and not just in pictures on blog posts
• Mickey in his Halloween costume - I thought I would have time for this right before the second parade but I didn't. 
• Lady Carlotta - This is a character that sits on the lawn outside the Haunted Mansion. I don't know why but in all the times we walked by I never saw her out there.
• Pictures with the MNSSHP pumpkins - we ran out of time for this too.

I had an incredible time at Mickey's Not So Scary last year and would go over and over again! I am thrilled that we had some good luck, dry weather, and that I accomplished many of my must-do's thanks to good planning ahead of time. If you want to make the most of your party time when you attend, planning is key! And to avoid disappointment, definitely accept that you can't do everything ad prioritize what you do want to do.