Trip Report A Not-So-Scary, Very Merry and Universal Vacation

Hello everyone, and welcome to my long-overdue trip report! I'll start off by introducing myself and family:

Left to Right - Me, Dad, Mom, Maddie

On this trip, we stayed at the Coronado Springs Resort from October 31-November 9, which allowed us to enjoy both MNSSHP and MVMCP, as well as the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival and Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights. We took advantage of the free dining plan offer, so also expect some brief reviews and pictures of all the table service restaurants we dined at.

Itinerary:
Oct 31 - Hollywood Studios / Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party
Nov 1 - Universal
Nov 2 - Kennedy Space Center / Downtown Disney
Nov 3 - Universal
Nov 4 - Animal Kingdom / Magic Kingdom
Nov 5 - WDW Speedway / Hollywood Studios / Epcot
Nov 6 - Epcot
Nov 7 - Magic Kingdom & Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party
Nov 8 - Hollywood Studios / Magic Kingdom
Nov 9 - Epcot

This is my first trip report, so it might not be perfect, but I hope you'll all enjoy following along!

 

[FlaggNL]

Following along Can't wait for the pictures

 

[mrdrift]

The preview of your trip looks like fun. Can't wait to read the report. Following along.

 

[samosaurus]

Before I start day 1, here's our decorated MagicBands. We bought temporary tattoo paper online and printed custom tattoos with the pictures we wanted on them. Then, we applied them just like you would apply a temporary tattoo to skin and put on a few coats of clear nail polish.

Mom had seven dwarfs, Dad had pirate Mickey, I had stained glass from Beauty and the Beast, and Maddie had Lilo and Stitch.

Day 1​

The night before our arrival at Disney, we flew into MCO and stayed offsite. In the morning, we picked up our rental car and headed to Coronado Springs Resort.

Getting closer...

We arrived and checked in quickly. Our room wasn't ready yet, so they took our luggage and we hopped on the bus to Disney's Hollywood Studios. We weren't there for long, as we had a Be Our Guest reservation for that evening and also had to get dressed up for Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. My only real mission at DHS on this day was to ride Tower of Terror on Halloween (which also happened to be my first time ever riding it!)

I love magic shots!

Our ride resulted in this hilarious (and mildly embarrassing) photo.

We headed back to the resort and waited around for a little while because, despite being after 3pm, our room still wasn't ready. After calling up the front desk, we were finally able to get in our room, quickly put on our Halloween costumes, and hop back on the bus to get to Magic Kingdom.

 

[samosaurus]

Now that we were in the Magic Kingdom, it was time for dinner at Be Our Guest!

We were seated in the Grand Ballroom, which is absolutely stunning and looks just like the ballroom Belle and the Beast danced in (minus the tables of course.)

"It is with deepest pride and greatest pleasure that we welcome you tonight. And now, we invite you to relax, let us pull up a chair, as the dining room proudly presents...your dinner!"

Fair warning: I'm not a pro photographer and it is difficult to take pictures in BOG due to the dim lighting. For this reason, the pictures of our entrees look rather unappetizing, so I will refrain from posting them.

Mom and Maddie each ordered the Braised Pork - Eight Hour Slow-cooked Pork with Mushrooms, Onions, Carrots and Bacon served with Puréed Cauliflower and Seasonal Vegetables. They both enjoyed it and agreed it was very good. Dad ordered the Herb-crusted Lamb - with Stone-ground Mustard Demi-glace serve with Buttered Celery Root and Seasonal Vegetables. He loved this dish and commented that he wished he had more of it! I decided to go with Pan-seared Chicken Breast - finished with fresh Herb-Truffle Butter and Spinach Cream Sauce, Seasonal Vegetables, and Roasted Fingerling Potatoes. I was a bit hesitant about the spinach cream sauce, but was pleasantly surprised with how good it was.

For dessert, mom ordered the special Halloween treat that was being offered, which was a chocolate cream puff with blood orange filling. This was okay, but not as good as our other desserts.

Dad had the Lemon Meringue Cupcake - vanilla sponge Cake, lemon custard filling, and flamed meringue icing. I sampled this one and we both agreed it was tasty, so long as you like lemon. We also loved the meringue on top, which looked kinda like a little castle.

Maddie and I just couldn't decide, so we ordered the Strawberry Cream Cheese Cupcake (vanilla sponge cake, strawberry mousse filling, cream cheese icing) and The Grey Stuff (chocolate Shell, cookie crème topped with Lumiere’s special "Grey Stuff") and split them. We both enjoyed the cupcake, which was moist and had flavorful strawberry mousse. As far as the Grey Stuff, neither of us were big fans of the chocolate shell it came in, but the cookies & cream grey stuff itself was deliciously light and sweet.

After our meal, we got to meet the Beast (in our Halloween costumes, no less) and take a look at the other areas of the castle.

This is The Castle Gallery, which is only open for seating during breakfast and lunch

This room has lovely details, most notably the huge music box in the middle of the room and paintings of beloved characters on the walls.

Overall, I highly recommend Be Our Guest. We have dined here twice and both times experienced great food and service, along with an incredible and immersive atmosphere.

 

[mrdrift]

Great start in Hollywood Studios and Magic Kingdom. The costumes looked really cool. All of the desserts looked so good, to bad my computer screen isn't scratch and sniff so I can enjoy them as much as your family did. Following along.

 

[samosaurus]

Upon leaving Be Our Guest, we came across the Evil Queen from Snow White in her witch form.

We headed to Tomorrowland to meet Lotso and check out the Monsters Inc dance party.

Moving on to Fantasyland, Dad, Maddie, and I hopped on Mad Tea Party (it makes Mom sick ) and then met the Queen of Hearts.

Happy HalloWishes is awesome!

After the fireworks, we moved closer to the castle to get a good view of the Villains' Mix & Mingle stage show.

We found a spot on Main Street to enjoy Mickey's Boo to You Halloween Parade.

 

[samosaurus]

After the parade, we made our way to Adventureland, where we had a great interaction with Tarzan, Jane, and Terk. Terk was goofing around and acting, well, like a monkey , while Jane was explaining to us that Tarzan was working on writing his name and was happy to demonstrate in our autograph books.

We also paid a visit to Jafar

In Frontierland, we made a quick stop at the Club Villain dance party, which featured the Tremaines and Governor Ratcliffe.

To round out the night, a ride on the Haunted Mansion was in order!
The next time you attend MNSSHP, don't forget to listen to the comedic stylings of Madame Carlotta or Madame Renata, who sit on the Haunted Mansion lawn during the Party.

 

[samosaurus]

It was a long day and time to get some rest. As we headed out of the Park, I took a few photos of the Halloween decor, which would be taken down overnight to make way for Christmas decor.

 

[FlaggNL]

A more than great start!! Love to see the Halloween pics! Brings back our memories from the last October stay

 

[mrdrift]

That was a wonderful party if you ask me. All of the characters that you shown us were really cool. Following along.

 

[Hawkeyegirl]

Following along! Ive always wanted to attend the Halloween party, it looks really fun!

 

[samosaurus]

Day 2​

We woke up, got ready, ate a quick service breakfast at Pepper Market, and then departed Disney for the day to go to Universal Orlando.

For some reason, I don't have many pictures from this day, so I'm not sure exactly what we did in detail, but I know a good portion of our time was spent in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

The Hogwarts Express is a really cool experience and a fun way for guests to travel between Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios.

On the way out, we decided to visit Seuss Landing.

And, no, you are never too old to ride One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish....

.....Or the Caro-Seuss-el

 

[Missymoe4]

I love your costumes! You and your family are adorable! I can't wait to read more.

 

[samosaurus]

Day 3​

Day three began just like the previous day, with breakfast at Pepper Market and a trip off Disney property, this time to the Kennedy Space Center.

NASA's Vehicle Assembly Building, the largest single-story building in the world:

This massive "crawler-transporter" moves rockets from the Vehicle Assembly Building to the launch pad:

 

[samosaurus]

Astronaut sleeping quarters (which actually look somewhat comfortable):

Mmmmm...

 

[FlaggNL]

Thanks for sharing Kennedy Space Center pics! I was 18 when I was there

 

[mrdrift]

All of the pictures from Kennedy Space Center are really cool which gives my family motivation to see the tour in an upcoming trip. Thanks for sharing those pictures with us.

 

[Kaznagan]

looking forward to seeing more of your trip - makes waiting a little harder to bare for my trip in sept but i cant wait

 

[samosaurus]

Our night wasn't over yet. We still had a reservation at Raglan Road Irish Pub and Restaurant at Downtown Disney. The restaurant has a pleasant atmosphere with entertaining live music and Irish step-dancing. Not to mention the food is AMAZING!

We were first served brown Irish soda bread with a Guinness-olive oil reduction for dipping. The Guinness reduction was very sweet (it reminded me of honey) and a delicious compliment to the bread.

Dad decided to order an appetizer to share, (not included in the dining plan) the Scallop Forest - George Bank scallops in a golden batter served with citrus lime dipping sauce & sweet chili jam. I had never eaten scallops before, so was unsure what to expect. They ended up being very good and the dipping sauces gave a nice added flavor.

For her entree, mom ordered the Bangers & Booz - Guinness & onion bangers on mash, topped with caramelized onions & beef stew. She enjoyed the dish, but it was so hearty that she couldn't finish it all.

Dad had a tough time deciding between all the tempting items on the menu, but ended up going with the Braised Be Beef - Braised beef with horseradish mashed potatoes, roasted carrots and parsnips. Raglan Road was the restaurant Dad was most looking forward to on this trip, and his high expectations continued to be exceeded with this dish.

Madeline and I each ordered the Mammy's Roast Chicken - Lemon thyme roasted half chicken with mashed potatoes, creamy herb bread sauce and a red wine jus, which we both enjoyed.

Now, onto dessert! I chose the Ger's Bread and Butter Pudding, which is simply described as being "Like no other you have ever tried. Believe us." And wow!, you better believe it! This was absolutely delicious and the highlight of the meal for me. The pudding itself was the perfect texture and came with yummy cream and
caramel-y sauces to pour over it.

Maddie ordered the Dunbrody Jaffa Kiss, described as "Chef Dundon's gift to America; Chocolate, orange marmalade center, add more chocolate , then add some more" This was too rich for her taste, but someone who really likes rich, dark chocolate would probably enjoy it.

Mom had the Dundon's Delight - Raspberry pavlova with vanilla pod ice cream and raspberry sauce. She loved this dessert and couldn't stop raving about it!

Last but not least, Dad had the Fluffy Lemon Clouds - Intense lemon curd tart topped with fluffy meringue. He really enjoyed this. It seems like a great fresh-tasting, sweet-meets-tart option.