On the Floor and Out the Door!: a 17 day HalloChristmas, RunDisney, MNSSHP, HHN, MVMCP adventure! new 2/8!

[lvcourtneyy]

I am so sorry to hear about Mike's mom My condolences to you all. I'm sure it's comforting that you were able to make it down to see her before she passed. I'm sorry she won't get to meet Robert but she will certainly be watching over him!

Thank you so much. I'm very grateful that we were able to visit when we did and didn't put off the trip any longer. Someone recently told me the idea that the grandparents who passed away see the baby in heaven before they are born and it's comforting to think that.

Oh my gosh LOL I'm glad you used Wakabayashi on ET but that stinks that you didn't hear it!

I know lol I was so sad! I don't think they were asking for our names when we rode in September because of covid but hopefully one day we can try again lol

 

[lvcourtneyy]

Courtney my condolences to Mike and you. It doesn't matter if it's somewhat expected or not, it's still devastating to lose a parent.

Thank you

But this is a wonderful thing! Won't lie though these untrasound pics nowadays freak me out a bit lol, I think I prefer the old fashioned black and white ones even though we didn't know what the heck we were looking at! Adorable though

They are kinda freaky and I'm not gonna lie- before I was pregnant, when I saw other people post them I thought they were weird but now I find them cute lol.

Ha! The bike is better than the side car and all 3 of my guys agree. But the side car beats no ride at all!

Yess true! I told Mike we should all just say we're a party of 1 so we can all ride the bike but he didn't think it was a good idea

Um I've never heard him say Ariane either and highly doubt I ever will

When I was googling the name to say, it seems he's only programmed to say certain names and everything else just gets changed to friend so I hate to say- you probably won't!

 

[lvcourtneyy]

I'm so sorry about your loss! I unfortunately lost my grandmother earlier this year, before she had a chance to meet my daughter. My heart goes out to you.

Thank you . I'm sorry for your loss also.

 

[lvcourtneyy]

Old Key West Check In

It was 1 pm by the time we were driving to Disney and I was starving! We didn't want to eat too much because we had a big, early dinner coming up so I ate some more Gideon's cookies on the drive.



Still delicious and I really could go for one right now.

At 1:19, we passed under this glorious sign .



And just 2 minutes later, we were pulling into our new resort!



We'd rented DVC points to stay at Old Key West for the first time and I was very excited to stay at a new resort!



We stopped to check-in and the CM was so nice and enthusiastic about his job. Our room wasn't ready yet but he gave us a paper for a pumpkin scavenger hunt taking place at the resort. Originally, we had fastpasses scheduled at Animal Kingdom and planned to spend a few hours there before dinner but it was later than we planned and neither of us was in the mood to rush around so we cancelled them and decided to just hang out at the resort.

They had tons of activities scheduled to celebrate Halloween!



My cookie hadn't done much to satisfy my hunger so we decided to share chicken fingers and fries from the QS location to hold us over until dinner.



Then we decided to do the scavenger hunt.



It was cute- each "pumpkin" had a different villain on it and the other side of this paper had a clue of where to find it (for some reason I failed you and didn't take a picture of the other side of the paper ).

I did however take pictures of most of the pumpkins:























Once we finished, we had to stop in the community hall to collect our prize- a popcorn ball!



We found a table with a large checker game on it while we were there and decided to play a quick game.



I didn't take note of who won (which means it probably wasn't me ). When we were done, we decided to start driving over to our dinner location but literally the minute we got in the car, we got the text that our room was ready!

So we decided to make a quick stop to find it and unload some things before leaving.

Our room ended up being in building 62, which is one of the closest to Hospitality House (the main area) which was very convenient because that resort is HUGE. It wouldn't have been the biggest deal to be further away since we had our car but we still appreciated how close we were.



I didn't take many room photos since we were in a rush but I was impressed with how large the room was for a studio!

I did take these two photos-

the artwork on the wall:



and the view from our balcony lol.



The balcony was a little awkward since the studio was part of a 2 bedroom lockoff so directly to the side of us was the 1 bedroom unit next door so we made sure our curtains were always closed lol.

I also took one of the outside of the building (for good measure I guess).



And then we got back in the car to head to our dinner location! Any guesses where we were going?​

 

[pkondz]

It was a beautiful day. My mom did an amazing job, especially given how many restrictions we had to work with! I'm very grateful.

I love it too! I wonder if they'll let me pose with the baby on the bike

Hmmm... That's a good question... No idea!

I think they picked the "choose your battles" approach

Wise!

 

[pkondz]

Holy smokes!

At 1:19, we passed under this glorious sign .

I miss it so much!

We'd rented DVC points to stay at Old Key West for the first time

Nice! I've only rented once, but that's where I stayed. Liked it too.

Our room wasn't ready yet but he gave us a paper for a pumpkin scavenger hunt taking place at the resort.

I like that.

My cookie hadn't done much to satisfy my hunger

But it did put you in a sugar coma. Right?

we decided to share chicken fingers and fries

That actually looks pretty good.

(for some reason I failed you and didn't take a picture of the other side of the paper ).

WHAT???????

Any more failures like this and I'm outta here!

Once we finished, we had to stop in the community hall to collect our prize- a popcorn ball!

Worthy reward for your efforts.

I didn't take note of who won (which means it probably wasn't me ).

Correct.

Our room ended up being in building 62,

Wow! Nice score! We got 63 or 64. Good, but not as good as that!

and the view from our balcony lol.

I like that view.

Any guesses where we were going?

hmmm... you mentioned AK... Tiffins?

 

[suse66]

Also that weekend, my mom threw us a gorgeous Lion King themed baby shower and it was a wonderful day celebrating with family and friends.

Sweet! Your shower looks lovely and you both look happy!

Sadly, we got the news that Mike's mom had passed away. I know I talked about it in my PTR but not sure about here but this wasn't unexpected as she was diagnosed with cancer a few months back and ended up coming home from the hospital on hospice care. Things progressed much quicker than anyone expected originally as the doctors originally gave her 12 months. We are grateful that we were able to visit her last month and that she is out of pain. Mike is naturally devastated, especially because he was so hopeful she'd be able to meet Robert in February.

I am so sorry to hear of your loss. I am glad you and Mike were able to visit and I am sure precious memories were made on that trip. My deepest sympathies to you and Mike.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

My guess would be Disney Springs for dinner? Maybe?

 

[missangelalexis]

Sounds like a nice time at the resort!! So fun to stay at a new place!

 

[lvcourtneyy]

Hmmm... That's a good question... No idea!

Guess I'll find out soon enough lol!

Holy smokes!

YUM

Nice! I've only rented once, but that's where I stayed. Liked it too.

It's such a good value with renting points. We actually saved money off our original reservation at a moderate by doing it!

But it did put you in a sugar coma. Right?

Correct!

WHAT???????

Any more failures like this and I'm outta here!

I'll try to do better!

hmmm... you mentioned AK... Tiffins?

hmm good guess but I totally set you on the wrong track by mentioning AK

 

[lvcourtneyy]

Sweet! Your shower looks lovely and you both look happy!

It was beautiful and a perfect day!

I am so sorry to hear of your loss. I am glad you and Mike were able to visit and I am sure precious memories were made on that trip. My deepest sympathies to you and Mike.

Thank you

 

[lvcourtneyy]

My guess would be Disney Springs for dinner? Maybe?

Good guess!

 

[lvcourtneyy]

Sounds like a nice time at the resort!! So fun to stay at a new place!

It was fun and I was so excited to be at a new resort! It's hard because I want to stay at them all but also keep going back to what I love

 

[pkondz]

Guess I'll find out soon enough lol!

It's such a good value with renting points. We actually saved money off our original reservation at a moderate by doing it!

And two Queen beds!

I'll try to do better!

Bad girl!

 

[lvcourtneyy]

Hoop-Dee-Doo

Given the layoff news this week, this update is so bittersweet to write. Hoop-Dee-Doo and all the other entertainment options at WDW are a big part of the magic and we have so many wonderful memories associated with them. I know the pandemic has not been financially kind to businesses and layoffs come with the territory but my heart aches for all the CMs laid off and wonders if WDW will ever be the same as we knew it before.

In the meanwhile, it's nice to look back on the fun times when the craziness of 2020 wasn't even an idea. Also, I just realized that this update was exactly 1 year ago today! Crazy how everything has changed in just a year.
-----------------------------------------

After a brief stop at our room, we left OKW to drive to our dinner destination.





Thankfully we left plenty of time because parking at the Fort was a disaster- we ended up having to park in some grass on the side of the road because there were no actual parking spots available.

If you've never been to Fort Wilderness, it's a massive place so there are internal shuttle buses to take you around. When you drive in, you park at the outpost and in order to get to Pioneer Hall (where dinner would take place), you have to take a bus to the Settlement area which is also where the boats are to/from Magic Kingdom.



Here's a map of the Fort to highlight how large it is and how confusing it can be if you don't know where you're going.



We had an uneventful bus ride to Pioneer Hall and checked in just before 4.



They wrote the number 11 on our check in slip which I knew meant we'd be at a table right on the stage! Tables are assigned at booking so if you book category 1 at 180 days out, you have the best odds of the closest tables. Of course, you no longer book dining reservations at 180 days and who knows when dinner shows are coming back so this advice is no longer relevant .



I miss this view



The menu for the night!



I'll never turn down unlimited sangria except well...now



I also ordered a diet coke with my sangria because unlimited diet coke is right behind unlimited alcohol for me lol.



I took a family picture for the people next to us so they offered one back and it's a terrible picture of me but the man photobombing in the background cracks me up



As a side note, while we were on this trip was when they announced fuelrod would start charging for swaps and during dinner, we found out from social media that someone had filed a class-action lawsuit against them for it. Did anyone else with a fuelrod email them for "founder's status"? We did and it was accepted so we're supposed to be able to continue to swap for free! When we were in Disney last month, they weren't charging for swaps yet but we did discover that now we could swap free at Universal which was never the case so that was a win in my book!

Watching the videos from the show makes me cry now (which isn't that surprising since I can cry at almost anything these days) but it also reminds me of why I continue to take pictures and videos over and over again. People say you've seen these things 1000 times do you really need more pictures and videos and for me, the answer is yes.

https://imgur.com/rSy9Rkt

More chicken! More chicken!

https://imgur.com/FDDFBEC

These aren't particularly photogenic foods but they are delicious comfort foods so





You can see the delicious cornbread that we devoured behind the green beans lol.



Neither of us eat the beans so we really should've told the server not to waste them on us. Oops.

https://imgur.com/uAofDLz

The show is so much ridiculous fun and sitting so close makes you feel involved. If/when it comes back, everyone needs to see it!

https://imgur.com/QXHpOXI

https://imgur.com/7mMKutU

https://imgur.com/k4gL31d
Strawberry Shortcake!

https://imgur.com/CdyTTwP
I'm not even really a big strawberry shortcake fan but I make an exception for this one lol



https://imgur.com/GOhQmjh


https://imgur.com/Zn9JOCl
Mike doesn't really find the washboards entertaining but I'm right there along with the kids when it's time!

https://imgur.com/xwnYGZC
All too soon, the show and our meal came to an end but it was another fantastic experience.

I made Mike take my picture outside afterwards since I came dressed for the occasion and there was no photopass photographer before the show like there usually is.



The campers at Fort Wilderness go all out for Halloween so our plan for the rest of the night was to wander around and see what activities and decorations we could find.

First, we found a pumpkin carving contest.



These are all awesome but I love the Lumiere one best!



There were so many entries it was hard to pick just one!



Of course, I would never turn down a photo op with a giant Mickey pumpkin!



We spent a few minutes looking around the gift shop and I thought this shirt was adorable.

​

 

[lvcourtneyy]

Hoop-Dee-Doo Part 2

There was also a golf cart decorating contest and there were so many good ones but these two were my favorite:



I liked how the family matched their cart!



And Slinky!

Another cute Mickey pumpkin photo op.



There was a food truck on the beach and even though I just drank my weight in sangria and ate more than one person should, I just wanted to see what they had. Plus, it was a gorgeous time of day for photos so I took advantage.



It was a perfect moment where I couldn't imagine wanting to be anywhere else!



I was also trying to teach Mike to use portrait mode on the iphone and he was getting pretty good at it.







Then we started making our way around some of the campsites to see the decorations!



I want all of these inflatables for my yard!





I love the Welcome to Halloweentown!



This Jack one looks like maybe you could project something onto it?











How amazing is this sign! It reminds me of the one at Hilton Head telling you how far you are from the other DVC properties.





Headless Horseman!



When we planned Hoop for this night, we were also hoping to do the Return to Sleepy Hollow event at the barn at Fort Wilderness that we'd enjoyed the last two years. It ended up not taking place because of the construction taking place at the Fort. Then, of course, it didn't happen this year either. I hope that it will come back eventually!



It was starting to get dark and the decorations only looked more amazing!

https://imgur.com/RDDKDt3

Our feet were starting to get tired and I wanted to see if there were any characters out meeting for the night so we walked back towards the beach area. We lucked out and found Chip and Dale as a vampire and a pirate!



Could they be any cuter?!



It was only 7:30 but we'd already had a very full day so we took the bus back to our car and headed back to finish settling in to our new resort room.

Tomorrow we had a lot of resort hopping planned for Halloween!​

 

[disneyAndi14]

Happy Halloween
loved the update and all the great decorations at the campsites!
We love Hoop dee do, so glad we went several times and will go again if and when it returns!
I loved the sign with how far the parks were and love love it said MGM studios!
Cute pictures by the water!

 

[pkondz]

Happy Halloween, Courtney!

wonders if WDW will ever be the same as we knew it before.

Sigh... I sure hope so...

Also, I just realized that this update was exactly 1 year ago today! Crazy how everything has changed in just a year.

Completely! Wow!

Thankfully we left plenty of time because parking at the Fort was a disaster-

Oh? I took the boat over, so missed all of that.

it's a massive place so there are internal shuttle buses to take you around.

I hadn't realized the sheer size of the place.

Here's a map of the Fort to highlight how large it is

Much larger than I thought it was. I realize now I only saw a small portion of it.

Tables are assigned at booking so if you book category 1 at 180 days out, you have the best odds of the closest tables.

Of course, you no longer book dining reservations at 180 days and who knows when dinner shows are coming back so this advice is no longer relevant .

Loooooove that salad. Worth it for that alone.

I'll never turn down unlimited sangria except well...now

Not for toooo much longer. Then you can have a bath in it and a straw.

it's a terrible picture of me but the man photobombing in the background cracks me up

It is definitely not a terrible picture, but yeah, he's pretty funny.

Did anyone else with a fuelrod email them for "founder's status"? We did and it was accepted so we're supposed to be able to continue to swap for free!

Huh! Don't use them, but good for you!

More chicken! More chicken!

Neither of us eat the beans so we really should've told the server not to waste them on us. Oops.

I don't either. Should have done that too.

I'm not even really a big strawberry shortcake fan but I make an exception for this one lol

Ditto and... ditto.

I came dressed for the occasion

I like it!

First, we found a pumpkin carving contest.

Those are all really good.

There was also a golf cart decorating contest

Really! How cool is that?

There was a food truck on the beach and even though I just drank my weight in sangria and ate more than one person should, I just wanted to see what they had. Plus, it was a gorgeous time of day for photos so I took advantage.

How could you possibly eat after Hoop??????

I was also trying to teach Mike to use portrait mode on the iphone and he was getting pretty good at it.

He certainly was. Very pretty pics of you.

I want all of these inflatables for my yard!

we were also hoping to do the Return to Sleepy Hollow

I've never heard of that?

It was starting to get dark and the decorations only looked more amazing!

Best time.

Also, I didn't quote it, but the video where the guest sings and the actor says "You can come any time" (or something like that)...

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

I also ordered a diet coke with my sangria because unlimited diet coke is right behind unlimited alcohol for me lol.

Ha! Me too, I think.

If/when it comes back, everyone needs to see it!

I def want to do this again WHEN they come back.

Wandering around the campgrounds seems so fun!

 

[CruellaNY]

t was cute- each "pumpkin" had a different villain on it and the other side of this paper had a clue of where to find it (for some reason I failed you and didn't take a picture of the other side of the paper ).

This is adorable! I wonder if they did this again this year...
I also hope they do the Xmas Tree Hunt at Universal again this year because I'll be there for 2 nights in Dec. for work. I was there last year but only found 1 tree and gave up lol

Watching the videos from the show makes me cry now (which isn't that surprising since I can cry at almost anything these days)

yeah.....there's lots of crying in your future, happy sad angry and scared tears!
But seeing the HDDR videos was nice. I did the show last October too for work and am so glad I did, it was my 3rd time and like you said it never gets old! That show was there for years so my heart truly hopes it returns.

I'm not even really a big strawberry shortcake fan but I make an exception for this one lol

I never order it anywhere and wouldn't eat it if someone made it for dessert, but OMG I could eat that entire thing!

I've never gone around to see the carts or campsites at the Fort but it looks like so much fun to spend time looking at it all! Again let's hope it's back in full force next year!