Hi Everyone!
I'm literally fresh back from the World and have to say that the Halloween Event kickoff held this past Friday ( 15th) was AWESOME and very impressive to this first-time MNSSHPartyer! It was SO worth the $36 admission....
My costume went over big with the CM's ( i went as Figment, of course...) and everyone i met was very pumped and excited. The Park looked fantastic, all lit up in special lighting ( exspecially Main Street and Tomorrowland...wow! Awesome lights!) All the little details were there too...and the fog machines running all night helped enhance the effects. Very very cool and darn impressive it all was. Hats go off to the Decoration Crew there at WDW.
Okay......the Parades were great. As mentioned above, during the first parade there were some issues, but this was opening night so such things can happen. First off the parade was delayed a bit due to the threat of a thunderstorm that was blowing in. It was actually pretty neat up to a point, as it added to the spooky atmosphere! Once it was decided to be safe, the Parade started. During the procession, two floats broke down. I was standing by the end gate by the firehouse watching the parade when suddenly the tugs tore down the road to rescue the floats. It was cool, as it has been a long time since i saw this happen. The performers were very good, but i think they were even better during the later parade. Captain Jack is now featured on the Pirates float which was very cool to see...and he obviousily had too much rum beforehand and was staggering around! He did a fine job of capturing that character and actions. I suppose evenutally some Guest will see that, a "drunk" character at Disney, and take offense...but i loved it! Jack was spot on that night. The real standout performances i saw that night in both parades were all the main characters on Mickey's gazebo float, the ghostly Pirates, Capt. Jack, Christopher Robin, The Skeleton Musicians, Gravediggers ( with their shovel routine) and Goofy. Honorable mention goes out to Pluto. Comparing the two, i think the 2nd parade went off better.
I agree, the most impressive float in the parade is by far the Goofy's Candy Company train float at the end. It even SMELLS like candy! Very well done...intricate, creative, colorful, and it blows real bubbles and smells yummy. Plus it has a absolutely awesome perfomance by Goofy to boot! Fantastic!
The fireworks show "Hallowishes" was great too....i enjoyed this i lot. Very well done, and the surpsrise shells at near the end ( shot from alternative places) were a nice addition. Great show! The witch did not fly however, but this is understandable since there was the threat of lightning in the area. Regardless, it was a great show.
So yeah, if you don't plan on attending the MNSSHP this year i highly recommend you change your mind. Did i mention the candy? And the character greetings? Oh shoot! Well, let's just say they staff went above and beyond in true Disney fashion.
It was FAB!!!!!
GO!!