Last bit o' Disney

We went to the Not-So-Scary-Halloween Party, which we've never done before. We had heard that most people arrive in costume and you're allowed to trick or treat around the Magic Kingdom all night. In reality, most people were in costume; you could run around long lines to go through a candy stop and you could wait with a thousand of your closest strangers to walk through dimly lit grounds. Overall, it's a once in a lifetime activity, but too crowded for us. 

Alas, we had to go in costume, because if anything, we're festive. Muddy had the idea and I was the executioner...we were the dancing brooms from Fantasia, complete with buckets.  All 11 of us!

 This is the only pic I have of it, the rest are coming on PhotoPass.  Most people thought we were scarecrows...whatever. It was one of those delayed,  "ooooh, now I get it" sort of reactions.

 While in Animal Kingdom we did the safari again, and got up close to many animals.  That giraffe is about 12 feet from our truck. 

 Addie got her first pair of dangle earrings. She chose Minnie Mouse. Here she is proudly displaying them while hugging Guppy at the Whispering Canyon Lodge, where we had lunch before the Halloween party.

 In a very uncharacteristic Disney happening, we were privy to a crane carrying goods for the new Fantasyland.  It's interesting for the most magical place on Earth, where things just magically happen, to actually see them doing work. I do remember when booking it that there was a disclaimer that pictures of Cinderella's castle would be obstructed with a crane in the picture. True story.  And just as fast as it was there, the next time it was gone. I had to snap a pic while I could. 

 We had gorgeous weather the whole week, with the exception of a massive thunderstorm on our last night in Magic Kingdom. That didn't deter my little ducklings, who were thrilled to tunnel through the rain puddles.

 I was the crazy lady trying to capture some pictures with her cell phone camera while trying to not have it get drenched.

 Clearly, because it's so magical, there had to be a perfect rainbow as the storm subsided.  That's Cinderella's castle on the left, looking towards Space Mountain's needle to the right. We were walking into Adventureland at this spot and I was the crazy lady who had to walk backwards to snap a picture while trying to not get drenched.

 We headed over to Big Thunder Railroad.  We had told the kids they could choose their top four rides to do, since we had dinner reservations at 8:25pm. Their first choice was Big Thunder Mountain. As we got closer to it, we realized it was shut down because of the lightening and thunder in the area. We decided to wait it out and within 15 minutes or so, it had reopened.  Funny story- while in line waiting for it to open, this couple from Oklahoma started talking to us. We made the obligatory small talk etc.  Once they opened the ride, we headed to the cue.  Since my daredevils wanted to ride together, Brian and I sat behind them.  In the car behind us was the couple from OK.  As the attendant came around to make sure we all were strapped in safely, the woman asks "why do we have to have a lap bar?" And it turns out that she thought she was in line for the train ride around the Magic Kingdom!! The attendant did a good job of explaining it's a roller coaster without any upside down flips. The woman toughed it out and said, "I took a deep breath on each hill." Too funny.

 As we were waiting for the shuttle to pick us up from the hotel to deliver us to the airport, the skies opened up again and it poured, ice cold rain pelted us and blew sideways.  Benjamin took cover under the bench, on the warm concrete ground. 

Our last day was spent at Hollywood Studios.  We went to the American Idol Experience, which is sooo Addie.  They chose her to be "the super fan" and to be filmed cheering on one of the contestants.  Luckily for Addie, her woman was INCREDIBLE.  

Ok, I think that's it for this trip, until the PhotoPass pictures come in.