A Different Kind Of Show Start

Intro 0:03

Please stand clear of the doors. For favor, maintain can see a little. Please stand clear of the doors.

Nathan 0:23

Hello everyone, I'm Nathan.  

Alicea 0:25

 

Nathan 0:25

Nathan 0:25

And I'm Alicea. And welcome to episode 247 of Adventures and Mascapades. Today is honestly kind of a strange day around here. Now, usually, if you've listened to this show for any length of time, you know that I'm joined by my co-host Alicia. She happens to also be my wife, but that's, you know, between her and I, I guess, and the state of North Carolina. I guess, whatever. Moving on.

Alicea 0:53

The world, my dear. The world.

Nathan 0:57

She's the organized one. She's the planner. She's an administrative professional. She's the one who remembers what we're supposed to be talking about. She's basically the reason this show stays on the rails. And unfortunately, despite what you may hear, she's not here this week. Now, before anybody panics, she's perfectly fine. Nothing is wrong. We haven't had a dramatic falling out over lightning lane strategy. Nobody has been banished to Universal. As far as I know, we're still married. But Alicia is down in Orlando for a couple weeks, house sitting for some friends. And while she's there, she's been living her best Disney life. In fact, she's had the chance to attend Mickey's not-so-scary Halloween party, not once, but twice. So joining me today is a very special guest. She's a Disney fan, a frequent Walt Disney World visitor, and a Halloween party enthusiast, plus apparently someone who has access to my podcast recording link.

Meet Alicea And Her Disney Story

Nathan 2:02

Please welcome my best friend, my roommate for life, Alicea.

Nathan 2:06

Alicea, thank you so much for being here.

Alicea 2:09

Oh, thank you. I'm so happy to be here. Um, I just want to let you know I am a huge fan of the show.

Nathan 2:15

Oh, wow. First time, long time. Well, that's good because if you weren't, uh, this would get awkward real quick.

Nathan 2:25

Okay, let's start with the basics. I'm gonna treat you like a regular guest. Tell us a little bit about your Disney background. When did you first fall in love with Disney?

Alicea 2:33

My Disney background um probably started in the 80s with all the animation, the movies, yeah. Um, and the wonderful world of Disney. I do remember watching that every Friday or Saturday or whatever night it was on, seeing all the movies that came on. I know I went down to Disneyland when I was little. I vaguely remember it, but I think the first time I went to Disney World was with you and Kaitlyn in 2009.

Nathan 3:00

Yeah.

Alicea 3:01

And um I was hooked.

Nathan 3:05

How often would you say you go now? And is it just Disney World or do you do anything else Disney related? How often?

Alicea 3:13

Um...

Nathan 3:14

When are you not at Disney?

Alicea 3:16

Maybe easier to answer? Multiple times a year. I am not sorry about that. And this is in a variety of different ways. So there's the cruise line, there's Disneyland, there's well Disney World. So Oh, and Alani. That's not as often, but mash all those together and it's multiple times a year. Not sorry.

Nathan 3:37

So what brought you to Orlando for this trip?

Why She’s In Orlando

Alicea 3:43

Well, I'm house sitting slash dog sitting for some friends of ours. Um they cannot readily board their doggos just because of the type of one of the doggos. Yeah. And so I'm here keeping them company and cleaning up as needed. Um still have my full-time job.

Nathan 4:05

Is it because Floyd's such a complete idiot that they can't board him? Is that the problem?

Alicea 4:10

It's it's not Floyd.

Nathan 4:11

Or is it because Abby's missing a leg?

Alicea 4:14

It it's because of the type of breed that Abby is.

Nathan 4:16

Yes, I am aware. Stupid rules. She is the nicest dog ever.

Alicea 4:22

She is.

Nathan 4:23

But anyway.

Nathan 4:25

All right, so you've hit the Halloween party. We have lots of friends there in Orlando. Who did you go with? Me.

Alicea 4:35

That was it. Just me. Nice. Now, coming up, I am hitting the Halloween party one more time, and I will be going with a couple of friends for that one. Yep.

Nathan 4:48

Nice. Okay, so there are a lot of special events at Disney World, other than the time of

What Makes Not So Scary Special

Nathan 4:55

year. Why was Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween party the event you really wanted to prioritize while you were in town?

Alicea 5:03

I love spooky season. I love seeing the parks all dolled up for Halloween, and um it's just perfect. It's not quite as hot as it usually is in Orlando. It's still hot. It's still really hot and really humid, but not like July hot.

Nathan 5:19

Right. It's only 92 instead of 94.

Alicea 5:22

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Still need the air conditioning. Um, yeah, I mean, this is my favorite season of the year. I love fall, I love the spooky season, I love Halloween, I love scary stuff. So, I mean, it's Mickey's not so scary, but that's okay. I'll still go.

Nathan 5:41

What would you say keeps drawing you back? Is there anything in particular or just everything in the vibes?

Alicea 5:48

Um, the Boo to You parade is my favorite parade that Disney puts on. And I love just getting to go see that. They have a couple other things going on during the party as well. Seeing the characters is really cool. There's a lot of different characters that they have out that they don't normally have out. And the characters that you are used to seeing have Halloween costumes on, and they're really cute and they change every year.

Nathan 6:15

So, what made you decide to go more than more than once?

Alicea 6:21

That wasn't me.

Nathan 6:22

Uh-huh. Allegedly.

Alicea 6:24

No, it wasn't. Um, I was waiting to figure out tickets um for when all of us were gonna go. Um, I think is it four girls were going.

Nathan 6:36

Okay.

Alicea 6:36

Uh, and I wasn't buying those, but I was asking about when are we gonna get these because you were watching sell out, too. Yeah, I was watching, I was watching dates sell out and um wanted to try to get tickets for one date.

Nathan 6:53

Yeah.

Alicea 6:53

Um, just myself. And um they sold out before I could get tickets. So I was like, ah well, I'll just go on the 20th.

Nathan 7:02

Yeah.

Alicea 7:03

And then Rachel, I don't know what she did. She works magic. She called and begged and pleaded um and ended up getting me tickets to two separate nights. So I wasn't expecting to go that much, but I'm going that much.

Nathan 7:17

Oh no. You went recently, we're recording here on the 16th.

Alicea 7:24

You went um Sunday and Tuesday.

Nathan 7:28

Okay.

Storm Season Without The Storm

Nathan 7:29

We've gone before and we've had kind of some weather storm issues, if you will. How were your evenings atmospherically speaking?

Alicea 7:41

So it is definitely storm season right now.

Nathan 7:44

Yeah.

Alicea 7:44

I had actually, I didn't bring any jackets or anything. I had my umbrella, uh, but I, because of the way it was, it was just downpouring that day, I pinged Rachel. I'm like, do you have a rain jacket? Please. She did, and I found it, and I just balled it up and put it in my purse. I was blessed with no rain whatsoever on both nights.

Nathan 8:06

Wow.

Alicea 8:07

Yep.

Nathan 8:08

That's some serious pixie dust.

Alicea 8:10

Now, on Sunday, it was raining pretty much right up until I got into the parking lot. So the entire evening was a little bit more oppressive with the humidity.

Nathan 8:22

Yeah. But you didn't have any events get rained out or anything.

Alicea 8:25

No, nothing.

Nathan 8:26

That's awesome. The stage show was still running because it they were able to dry the stage, and that's fantastic. Very lucky. Nice job. Yes.

Alicea 8:35

Yes. I was not expecting

Two Nights With Two Strategies

Alicea 8:38

that.

Nathan 8:38

Okay, so let's talk strategy. You went two nights. What was your approach? And was it different each night? Were you trying to do different things or just go with the flow?

Alicea 8:50

It was different each night. So the first night I wanted to concentrate on characters.

Nathan 8:55

Okay.

Alicea 8:56

So I and it's a long time to wait in lines.

Nathan 9:00

Yeah.

Alicea 9:00

Uh so I walked around the park, I did a couple things. I did want to get on Haunted Mansion too, because that's my favorite, and it's the Halloween party. You gotta do that.

Nathan 9:08

Right.

Alicea 9:09

Um, so it was mainly the first night pinging back and forth and back and forth. Uh, I had no rhyme or reason to where I was going. I doubled back multiple times. I don't know why. Glutton for punishment, I guess. Uh, and yeah, got to see a bunch of different characters, and of course, got candy and treats, because that's what you do. I did not see the parade or the stage show that night.

Nathan 9:31

Okay. And then the second night you went, you focused on parade and stage show, I'm assuming?

Alicea 9:37

Yes. Yeah, I did. And I was I was wanting to do fireworks too, but I can't stand still for that long. It really hurts my knees and legs. So I did the 8: 15 Bootyou parade. I did the nine o'clock stage show. And then the fireworks are at 10. Uh. So it's all like bang, bang, bang, right after another. I did not want to stay late on the second night because um I do value sleep and I have been working full-time plus days.

Nathan 10:09

So it was a school night, is what I'm hearing.

Alicea 10:12

It was a school night, both nights. First night I didn't get back till like one or so.

Nathan 10:17

Wow. Did you enter like as early as possible? Like when were you getting there?

Alicea 10:22

Um, first night I got there around oh, it was... I did not go early. You can go early. You can go there as early as four, I believe.

Nathan 10:32

Okay.

Alicea 10:32

And it starts at seven. I got there I right at seven.

Nathan 10:36

Okay.

Alicea 10:37

So right right when it opened up.

Nathan 10:39

Got it.

Alicea 10:39

And then the second night, it was closer to eight when I got there.

Nathan 10:44

Got it. How were the lines comparatively? I mean, I'm assuming a lot of people are going early to maximize their time on that hard ticket, but you know, you arrived right at official opening time. And then a little later, what were the the lines like as as you approached?

Alicea 11:01

For the most part, the lines are a lot shorter, uh, especially the later you get into the evening. So after the fireworks, people really clear out after that. So, like I think Peter Pan was like five minutes.

Nathan 11:15

What? Wow.

Alicea 11:17

And that's what you want to gauge it on because that one is always crazy busy.

Nathan 11:21

Yeah. Yeah. So was basically everything in the park a standby or a walk-on?

Alicea 11:27

Later in the evening, yes. Not earlier in the evening. Because that's most of the most of the families are there up until the fireworks. Right. And then they head out. Most of them. So sure.

Nathan 11:38

That makes sense. That makes sense. So you mentioned it a little bit earlier.

Characters, PhotoPass, Magic Shots

Nathan 11:43

One of the biggest draws is the party exclusive characters. Who did you happen to meet? And were there any kind of especially memorable interactions that you had?

Alicea 11:56

Well, I didn't get to do the one that I wanted to because those lines were absolutely crazy the entire night. And I did not want to wait 90 minutes to see a character.

Nathan 12:06

Whoa.

Alicea 12:07

It never went down. That was Jack and Sally.

Nathan 12:10

Oh, oh, bummer.

Alicea 12:12

Yeah. And their lines are like people line up for it before the party starts. Right. Because when I walked in that first date, it was already at 80 minutes for them. And they're right at the beginning, too, right? When you walk in, they're on the right.

Nathan 12:26

Yeah.

Alicea 12:27

So let's see. I think I've met everybody before, except for Lady Tremaine, Gisella, and Anastasia. I've got to meet them finally. I haven't ever had a chance to. And they showed me how to curtsy.

Nathan 12:42

Ooh. Very fancy.

Alicea 12:46

Mm-hmm. I saw Donald and Daisy, of course. And who else did I go see? Oh, uh, a lot of it was me also going around the um the trails or the the treat things.

Nathan 12:58

Yeah.

Alicea 12:58

They have characters in some of these, which is very akin to the Oogie Boogie Bash. I don't know if this is the first year that they're doing this. I don't remember this before.

Nathan 13:07

Yeah, I don't recall that either.

Alicea 13:09

Yeah. Over at Diamond Horseshoe, I walked in there and the Hitchhiking Ghosts are on stage. Hmm. That was really cool.

Nathan 13:17

That's awesome.

Alicea 13:18

Yeah. Oh, I also got to hear the Cadaver Dans that day as well.

Nathan 13:22

Epic.

Alicea 13:23

Yep. And I was just kind of walking around and seeing what there was the first day.

Nathan 13:28

Yeah.

Alicea 13:29

I know I saw more people. I have to look.

Nathan 13:32

Now, while you're looking for for photos there, are the character photos during this event included or the photo pass photos included during the event? Or do you have to use? I know you have an annual pass with a with a photo package included. So I'm assuming you're just getting all that stuff, right?

Alicea 13:50

Yes. I'm pretty sure they are included. Let me see.

Nathan 13:54

Well, the internet'll know. We'll yeah we'll ask Samantha. Samantha.

Alicea 13:58

Samantha'll tell us.

Nathan 13:59

Can you tell us whether pictures are included?

Samantha 14:02

Thanks for asking. While Photo Pass photographers and exclusive Halloween magic shots are available throughout the Magic Kingdom during the party, you must purchase a separate Memory Maker package to download or keep the pictures, or have one included in your annual pass.

Nathan 14:14

Ah, thank you.

Alicea 14:15

I got my photo taken with the Grave Diggers from the Boo To You parade. Oh, so they're the ones that have the shovels out, and uh they were right at the entranceway. Okay. So right when you go in, you kind of kitty corner off to the right there, uh, and there's a little trail down there.

Nathan 14:33

Yeah, kind of back behind the shops there on Main Street.

Alicea 14:36

Yep. I think that's only open for like a half hour or 45 minutes, and then they close it. They close it before the um parade, and the parade's at 8:15.

Nathan 14:45

Okay.

Alicea 14:46

Yeah. So I went in there and I did know about this. I've heard about this, I think they did it last year as well, but the lines get really long really quickly. And because I was there right when it started, I was able to get in line and get pictures with them.

Nathan 14:59

That's awesome.

Alicea 15:00

Uh, Donald and Daisy, Anastasia Drusella.

Nathan 15:03

What were Donald and Daisy's costumes this year?

Alicea 15:06

I think these may be the same. Donald is a pumpkin.

Nathan 15:09

Okay.

Alicea 15:09

And Daisy is a princess.

Nathan 15:11

Of course, Daisy is a princess.

Alicea 15:14

She liked my tattoo. Oh, I did a lot of the just the photo magic shots as well. Yeah. Because there's so many around the park. Um, one of them is is with the headless horseman.

Nathan 15:28

Nice.

Alicea 15:29

So that was really neat. And pictures in front of the castle. You gotta do that. Of course. Oh, that's it. I really thought I had more. I was walking around a lot.

Alicea 15:39

Oh, during the Boo To You parade, right before it started, there were uh Photopass cast members going around and seeing if anybody on the parade route wanted a picture with the little like boot to you medallion. So I did get that one too.

Nathan 15:52

That's awesome.

Nathan 15:53

Do you have any tips for listeners who may be prioritizing these character meet and greets?

Alicea 16:00

Um, I would say find out where they are ahead of time. I was I had a map, but I was wandering aimlessly. I really was. I had no plan whatsoever. I just wanted to see the park and what was going on.

Nathan 16:13

Yeah.

Alicea 16:14

They do give you a map ahead of time. I cracked it open, but yeah, and it tells you where the characters are and when the where the photo pass is and everything. And you can always look that up ahead of time as well. The guide is available online and um just on Disney's website and on it's actually on the app as well, the My Disney Experience app. Okay. You can pull it up

Boo To You Parade Breakdown

Alicea 16:36

on there.

Nathan 16:36

Nice. All right, let's move on over to entertainment. Uh, you mentioned the parade. You love the parade. This is a a perennial favorite for for many. Uh any changes this year, or is it kind of the good old standard parade that that you love and and remember?

Alicea 16:56

Um, I think it's pretty much the same. I don't know if there's any additions. I'm thinking. Yeah. I don't think the last time I saw this parade, they had a Haunted Mansion float.

Nathan 17:10

Ah.

Alicea 17:11

So they had um afloat with the Haunted Mansion, and it had tombstones, and it had the Hitchhiking Ghosts: Ezra, Gus, and Phineas.

Nathan 17:21

Right.

Alicea 17:22

And Constance Hatchaway, the bride. Yes, was on, was she was all by herself and kind of zipping around. I don't know. She was on, I don't know what they're called, hoverboard, not a hoverboard, like a mini segue something. I don't know. She was just driving around, really kind of cool.

Nathan 17:40

That's cool.

Alicea 17:41

Yeah. Ursula does the same thing.

Nathan 17:44

Ah, excellent. What was your your favorite kind of float from that whole thing? Was it Haunted Mansion?

Alicea 17:51

Um, no, that one was really small, actually. Um, the pirate ship actually was really cool. It had Barbosa and Jack Sparrow, and it's just, I mean, it's a pirate ship going by. It looks really neat.

Nathan 18:05

Who was your uh your your favorite performer or performers?

Alicea 18:10

Uh the ballroom dancers for Haunted Mansion.

Nathan 18:12

Oh, yeah.

Alicea 18:13

They're always really cool to see. And I love how their costumes are kind of like their costumes are pastel and kind of washed out, so it it makes them look more ghost-like.

Nathan 18:22

Yeah, that's neat. Where did you happen to catch the parade from?

Alicea 18:27

The little roundabout area, actually, kind of right off to the side where it divides down near the front.

Nathan 18:34

By the the flagpole circle?

Alicea 18:36

Yes, the flagpole circle, the front of it facing towards the castle, and kind of off to the right. I was right across from the Confectionery.

Nathan 18:45

Oh, very cool. That's a great spot.

Alicea 18:47

It was a great spot. I was very surprised I got it. Yeah. Um, there's a bench right next to there. There's people sitting on the bench, and there's people sitting on the curb, but nobody was on the little fence right around there. Oh. Um, so I just kind of sided up to that, leaned on it, and it was perfect.

Nathan 19:03

You're getting pixie dust left, right, and center on this trip.

Alicea 19:05

Yeah, I was surprised.

Nathan 19:06

That's awesome. Okay, so

Hocus Pocus Show Must-Dos

Nathan 19:09

let's talk about the hocus pocus villain spectacular.

Alicea 19:12

This is Spelltacular, my dear.

Nathan 19:15

Spelltacular. I am I'm deeply, deeply sorry. Please, nobody come at me. Uh, this is obviously a fan favorite. It's it's uh uh I know we we both love it. What did you think of that show this year?

Alicea 19:29

It was great. It has the Sanderson Sisters. Oh, speaking of the Sanderson Sisters, I'm gonna go back to the parade because I forgot about this. Daisy, Minnie, and Claire Bell Cow are dressed up as the Sanderson Sisters. So I think that was my favorite.

Nathan 19:42

That's awesome.

Alicea 19:44

I don't know if I'd seen them like that before. Because I think last time we were actually at a not so scary Halloween party was before they started doing that.

Nathan 19:52

True. I think you're right.

Alicea 19:54

Yeah.

Nathan 19:54

Or it got rained out. I think there was a parade that we would have seen them in, and the parade got turned into a uh what do you call it?

Alicea 20:04

Cavalcade.

Nathan 20:05

Yes, a cavalcade. Thank you. Yeah.

Alicea 20:08

Um, I know, I know before they went in the parks, they were on the Halloween on the high seas on a Disney cruise line.

Nathan 20:14

And I think they're still there. Yes. You know, when they're not in the park. So obviously they're hopping between the cruise ships and the in the parks.

Alicea 20:22

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Must be nice.

Nathan 20:27

Thinking about that show, this is a stage show right there at the castle. Yeah. If somebody's doing the not so scary party for the first time, do you recommend the stage show?

Alicea 20:40

I think so, yes. It's it's a fun little show. I would say if you want to see the Sanderson sisters and you want to see some villains, that would be the show to go see.

Nathan 20:51

Okay.

Alicea 20:51

It's the I mean, the Sanderson sisters are are trying to do a spell and they need they need some help from the different villains.

Nathan 20:58

Got it.

Nathan 20:59

You also mentioned earlier their fireworks. Like Disney Fireworks is epic. Always love their their fireworks shows. Uh, tell us a little bit about the uh the nighttime spectacular, or is this a a spook tacular? I don't know what it what whatever it is. Uh how did that fit into your overall party experience?

Fireworks Views And Crowd Survival

Alicea 21:21

It is Disney's Not So Spooky Spectacular.

Nathan 21:24

Oh, so I was kind of right. Yeah. It is a spooky spectacular.

Alicea 21:29

So spooky spectacular. Yes. So the first night, I was actually behind the castle for fireworks. I had just talked with somebody, one of the cast members, and she's like, if you don't want to see the projections and all that stuff, you can actually just stay right around here and you can see all the things coming off the castle. And it's like a surround sound, but for fireworks. So I did that. Yeah. And um the first night was a lot more humid and and I just felt the heat a lot more.

Nathan 21:59

Yeah.

Alicea 22:00

And there was a nice little bench, like concrete wraparound bench over there, um, around one of the little castle walls. So I just sat there with a bunch of other people and watched the fireworks go off from there.

Nathan 22:12

That's awesome.

Alicea 22:13

Yeah, you could hear you could hear the music, you could hear the show, and definitely feel the fireworks going off. I couldn't really see the big boomers going on. They were behind me. Ah. And I didn't want to get up.

Nathan 22:29

Yeah. Oh, were you facing back towards the castle?

Alicea 22:32

Yes, I was facing the castle. I was watching the castle.

Nathan 22:35

Got it.

Alicea 22:35

Um, and that was actually kind of cool seeing everything popping off of the castle there. I did have my phone on and flipped to selfie mode so I could see behind me.

Nathan 22:46

That's awesome.

Alicea 22:49

And on the second night, um, that was me standing up for so long for the parade and then for the spelltacular. I'm like, I need to, I need to sit down somewhere.

Nathan 23:00

Yeah.

Alicea 23:00

Uh and that area was packed. Like hardly anybody left after the the stage show.

Nathan 23:08

Okay.

Alicea 23:09

Because the fireworks were a half hour away.

Nathan 23:11

Right.

Alicea 23:12

So they just stood there. And um there were no spots anywhere. I was like looking for a little bit of a railing I could lean on or something like that.

Nathan 23:21

Nothing.

Alicea 23:22

Nothing. And there's there's a fair amount of areas over there. And I didn't want to sit on the ground.

Nathan 23:26

Right.

Alicea 23:26

Because I'd have to get back up. So I just decided I'll go on the People Mover. Oh. Now, you can't really see the fireworks from the people mover. Just if you wanted to know. You could kind of see them, but you can definitely hear them going off.

Nathan 23:44

That's cool. I'd imagine you probably could get some some pretty cool visuals of the crowd watching fireworks, though, from the people mover.

Alicea 23:53

Yes, in a couple of spots. Uh, but you're still pretty far away. You can kind of see that there's a mass of people there, but that's about it.

Nathan 24:01

Right. Yeah. You're you're not picking individuals out of the crowd. That makes sense. That makes sense.

Treat Trails, Candy, Surprise Snickers

Nathan 24:06

Okay, so let's get to the important stuff. Candy and attractions. We can't talk about a Halloween party without talking about candy. How serious did you get about trick-or-treating?

Alicea 24:19

I did not get too serious. I had thought about it, but it was more walking around and just seeing things. I did hit the treat trails a couple of times. Um my bag was probably about three quarters full both times.

Nathan 24:37

Oh my gosh.

Alicea 24:39

They're not they're not huge bags.

Nathan 24:41

They're not small either.

Alicea 24:43

No, they're not. You know, with the thought that I am actually going to bring those to work.

Nathan 24:50

Got it.

Alicea 24:52

I have had one thing of Skittles, and that's it.

Nathan 24:56

Wow. I'm proud of you. Look at you and your restraint.

Alicea 25:00

Not even chocolate. Oh my gosh.

Nathan 25:03

Yeah, what is wrong with you? Is everything okay? All right. So a lot of candy is coming home and then shuffling off to work. Got it.

Alicea 25:12

Oh, yeah. And I'm not done yet. There's one more day. We could go. I'm gonna be with the girls. We could go all out. We're probably gonna hit every single treat.

Nathan 25:21

Oh, good Greece.

Alicea 25:23

Maybe I don't know.

Nathan 25:25

Oh, that sounds fun. Were there any surprises in the candy section? I think you mentioned there's some characters that usually these are just kind of little trails you get in line and you go through, but sounds like there was you know some characters here and there. You you mentioned that earlier. Any any candy surprises or kind of the old standards?

Alicea 25:43

They had okay, so when you first go in, when you enter and then go off to the right around the back on the bypass, yeah. Yes, on the bypass, they give you a full-size Snickers and it's like green inside.

Nathan 25:56

Whoa.

Alicea 25:57

So I had that one, and that was the only candy that I had in my bag for quite some time, and then I left the bag on the Haunted Mansion...

Nathan 26:06

Gasp

Alicea 26:06

I know. Oh I didn't so, and then because I got there late the second day, I didn't get to go through that area, so I don't have one. I will try and get one on Sunday.

Nathan 26:18

All right, and I won't eat it.

Alicea 26:20

I'll bring it home.

Nathan 26:21

Aw, shucks. Thanks.

Nathan 26:23

You mentioned Peter Pan was down at five minutes at one point later on in the evening.

Alicea 26:30

That was about 10:30, I

Haunted Mansion And Deep Space Mountain

Alicea 26:32

think.

Nathan 26:32

Did you make time for any of the attractions? I know usually these hard-ticketed events are usually about all of the other stuff, but they are really fantastic or can be very fantastic avenues to be able to do a bunch of rides that you don't normally get to do.

Alicea 26:49

Honestly, I did not. I walked around, I thought about doing the Jungle Cruise, but didn't I didn't want to do Pirates, although I should have, because that's the Pirates where in the past, during the Halloween party, they have actually had live actors in there. Yes. I don't know if they still do that. One of the parties we went to and Sterling was probably about seven or eight, was amazing. And Sterling, I wish I could remember what what Sterling said, gave the pirate just a horrible burn. It was so funny.

Nathan 27:20

I do remember that. I don't remember what he said. But I remember the pirate was like, oh man, I just got roasted by a seven-year-old.

Alicea 27:30

So yeah, maybe they still have it there. I don't know. Um what else did I do? I think I only did the People Mover and Haunted Mansion. Yeah, that's it. Uh, there are a couple of rides attractions that do special things for the Halloween party.

Nathan 27:48

Okay.

Alicea 27:49

I think it's just two. And it's one of them is the Mad Hatter, the teacups. The overlay is basically spooky music and spooky lights.

Nathan 28:00

Got it.

Alicea 28:00

But Space Mountain, this is the one to do. I hope we do this on Sunday.

Nathan 28:05

Okay.

Alicea 28:05

It becomes Deep Space Mountain.

Nathan 28:08

Ooh, deep Space Mountain.

Alicea 28:10

There are no lights on at all. Nothing. And it is terrifyingly fun. Because you know, even when you're like going up the hill, the first hill, there's that little scene of a spaceship or something like that. You can't all the lights are off there. You can't see it at all. And I know this because I was on the people mover and you go underneath that scene.

Nathan 28:34

Right.

Alicea 28:35

And you can kind of see, you can see the the um roller coaster cars going up the track. I could see nothing, but I could hear them going up the track. So and then when you continue on the people mover, you can usually go through and it goes around Space Mountain inside, and you can see the track and see lights flashing and everything. Nothing. Pitch black.

Nathan 28:59

I think I remember doing that one time, and it was it was a choice. It was it was a lot.

Alicea 29:06

Last time I did this, I think this they do this in California as well.

Nathan 29:09

Yeah.

Alicea 29:09

Last time was at Not So Scary, they did this. And I don't remember if you were on there with me. Somebody was on there with me. But the lady in front of me was scared for her life. Like she was screaming bloody murder. Like, not a happy, oh my gosh, this is so fun. This it was like, oh no, I'm not going to make it. It was terrifying. And she was doing it most of the ride, and then all of a sudden it just stopped. I'm like, oh no. Did she faint?

Nathan 29:42

She's not gonna make it. She's not gonna make it.

Alicea 29:47

I think those are the two. And yes, Deep Space Mountain is it's a lot of fun.

Nathan 29:52

That's awesome.

First Timer Advice And Value

Nathan 29:54

Well, if somebody was attending Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween party for the first time, what's the one thing you would tell them they absolutely should not miss? I mean, as someone who has clearly never hosted this podcast before, what advice would you give to our listeners?

Alicea 30:13

I think it depends on why you're going to the party. If you're going to the party for the entertainment, don't want to miss that. If you're going to the party because you want to get shorter lines, then go on the rides.

Nathan 30:24

Yeah.

Alicea 30:25

It's it's really gonna depend on what you want to do because there are different options. I'm biased here, but personally, do not miss Haunted Mansion.

Nathan 30:35

Do you think the value is in it for this experience? You know, it is a it is a hard-ticketed event. It is basically the cost of a single day admission.

Alicea 30:47

I think it is because you can get in before the party itself.

Nathan 30:52

Ah.

Alicea 30:52

You can get in as early as four. And if you want to knock out a couple of rides, you can do that then. Or if you want to like eat in the park or whatever. So you have a little bit of a leeway or head headway there.

Nathan 31:03

Yeah.

Alicea 31:04

You can do that. Uh, and because it goes until midnight, that's that's a long day. That's eight hours, isn't it? If I'm math right, am I mathing right?

Nathan 31:14

Math is mathing. Yeah, that sounds about right. That sounds about right.

Merch Haul And Popcorn Buckets

Nathan 31:18

Oh, I forgot to ask. Merch. Was there any well I know the answer is yes.

Alicea 31:23

You forgot to ask. Ha ha ha...

Nathan 31:24

There was a special merch. Um, how much merch is coming home in your suitcase?

Alicea 31:31

Um, a little bit.

Nathan 31:32

As she leans back and shows me a t-shirt.

Alicea 31:36

Oh, yes. Guess what it is?

Nathan 31:39

Oh, look, it's a Haunted Mansion t-shirt.

Alicea 31:42

It's the Boo To You, yeah. No, it's the Boo To You parade annual pass holder exclusive.

Nathan 31:46

Oh, snap!

Alicea 31:49

Well, I and it's embroidered too, which is cool. It's not just a screen print, it's embroidered.

Nathan 31:54

Very fancy.

Alicea 31:55

Um, so I got that. I got pins.

Nathan 31:59

Okay. Obviously. Yeah, obviously.

Alicea 32:02

Uh they had mystery pins this year, and I don't, I don't like the blind box pins, so I won't, I won't get those.

Nathan 32:09

Yeah.

Alicea 32:10

But they had the AP pin, annual pass holder pin. Got that. They had Boo to You Parade pins. Now, there's four of them just by themselves, and then you can buy a set that has a fifth pin. They have been sold out of that. So I didn't get that one, unfortunately. I am gonna try and see maybe on Sunday if I get there a little earlier, ducking into the emporium right away. I don't know if they're sold out out or if they were just sold out for that evening.

Nathan 32:36

Oh, yeah, they maybe have an allocation for those. Yeah, that makes sense.

Alicea 32:41

So I will bring the pins that I got with me and see if I can trade them out. They had a couple of pins for the villains, the Hocus Pocus Villain Spell tacular, and then one just for the overall thing itself.

Nathan 32:53

Got it.

Alicea 32:54

I also got a popcorn bucket.

Nathan 32:57

Of course you did.

Alicea 32:59

They had three different ones to choose from. I only got one.

Nathan 33:02

Okay. What were the options? And then maybe I can guess which one you got.

Alicea 33:06

Yeah. Vampire Mickey.

Nathan 33:08

Okay.

Alicea 33:08

Holding a uh pumpkin, I think, and it lights up.

Nathan 33:12

Okay.

Alicea 33:12

The Headless Horseman, and the the pumpkin lights up on there too, and the Hat Box Ghost.

Nathan 33:19

Oh, well, wait, do we already have a Hat Box Ghost one? I mean, your love of Haunted Mansion makes me think that you probably got Hat Box Ghost, but the Headless Horseman sounds very cool. I think I'm gonna go Headless Horseman.

Alicea 33:39

I got the Hat Box Ghost because because, yes, we do, we do have a Hat Box Ghost. Okay, but it's the entire ghost and the hat box. This is just the hat box.

Nathan 33:49

Got it.

Alicea 33:52

It's it's about, I don't know, eight inches tall and popcorn bucket sized ish.

Nathan 34:00

Yes.

Alicea 34:01

Well, I mean, they make weird size and shape popcorn buckets. I think I think the Headless Horseman was a sipper, maybe. I don't know.

Nathan 34:08

Got it. The Headless Horseman sounds cool. Just it does sound cool. Just saying. Just throwing that out there. Yeah.

Alicea 34:17

I do still have to bring stuff home.

Nathan 34:19

You do indeed. You do indeed. Is there anything about the the parties this year that we haven't covered that uh that you'd love to share?

Ask Cast Members About Their Bats

Alicea 34:29

Yes. Talk to the cast members. Uh every cast member has a bat as part of their costume, whether it's a bowtie bat or a bow on the head bat. And the cast members name their bats.

Nathan 34:43

Ooh.

Alicea 34:44

And there were some that I've heard before. Others were just, I mean, kind of interesting names. Um, and I was wearing a bat as well, and I named my bat too.

Nathan 34:54

Oh, okay. So what was your bat's name?

Alicea 34:57

My bat's name is Baroness Von Flutterby, Keeper of the Nightmare Kingdom.

Nathan 35:03

Whoa!

Alicea 35:03

Just Baroness von Flutterby for short.

Nathan 35:06

Sure, just for short. Wow, that's that's deep. Um any uh any highlights from the cast members ?

Alicea 35:14

I've heard this one before, but I still think it's cute. Batty White.

Alicea 35:19

Pablo Batscobar.

Alicea 35:23

Bat Donkadunk.

Nathan 35:30

Wow.

Samantha 35:32

That bat clearly has junk in their trunk.

Alicea 35:35

And I think, oh, some other names too. I didn't write any of them down, but...

Nathan 35:39

We've done that in prior years, and they're they're so so good. They're so so good.

Alicea 35:45

Yeah. But it's always fun to ask them. Like just going on to the different treat areas. There's always a cast member near the end holding the treats here sign. So I I would ask all of them to see what they had. Nice.

Nathan 35:58

Well, uh, you know, I have to ask, as is usual for our guests on our podcast, as you wouldn't know because you've never been on our show. Is this something that you would do again?

Alicea 36:11

Uh yeah. In fact. ..

Nathan 36:17

In fact, you're going in a few days.

Alicea 36:20

I am going in a few days. And then I'm going to more on the other coast.

Nathan 36:26

That's very true. That's very true. And you're actually doing Halloween horror nights in Orlando too, right?

Alicea 36:33

Orlando and California. This is an awesome year.

Nathan 36:38

Oh, I am so happy for you. I'm so happy for me.

Alicea 36:43

I know you won't do this one with me.

Nathan 36:44

I am not doing Halloween Horror Nights on either coast.

Nathan 36:47

Well, we're not going to talk about Halloween Horror Nights this week.

What’s Next For Halloween Season

Nathan 36:50

That is a future episode coming soon. So make sure you you like and subscribe in your favorite podcast app or YouTube or wherever you want to listen. Yeah, ring that bell uh uh so uh you can hear all the fun that uh that happens there.

Nathan 37:06

Well, my beautiful co-host may not be here this week, but I would be remiss to not subject you, as a first-time guest, of course, to my uh my wife's patented Disney Torture Test.

The Disney Torture Test Speed Round

Nathan 37:18

But you sound semi-competent, so uh I'm rooting for you. Still, though. Uh good luck.

Alicea 37:25

Wait, am I asking myself the questions?

Nathan 37:27

No, no, no, no, no, no. Uh but I I I do have to you know add in a disclaimer that it's neither patented nor torture, allegedly.

Nathan 37:39

All right, Alicea. As of today, who's your favorite Disney Universe character?

Alicea 37:45

Daisy Duck.

Nathan 37:46

Favorite movie?

Alicea 37:50

Princess and the Frog.

Nathan 37:52

Favorite ride?

Alicea 37:54

Haunted Mansion.

Nathan 37:55

Disney World or Disneyland?

Alicea 37:58

Disney World.

Nathan 37:59

Okay. Favorite park.

Alicea 38:02

Epcot.

Nathan 38:03

Ah. Favorite Disney hotel or resort.

Alicea 38:08

It was Riviera, but I think it's Polynesian now.

Nathan 38:11

I can't say that's... uh I mean, we are cutting fine hairs, and it's not like the Riviera is horrible.

Alicea 38:18

Yeah.

Nathan 38:19

Yeah, yeah. Favorite Disney cruise line ship.

Alicea 38:22

Treasure.

Nathan 38:23

You're wrong.

Nathan 38:24

Favorite Disney restaurant.

Alicea 38:28

Uh Topolinos.

Nathan 38:29

Ooh, I like that.

Nathan 38:31

Favorite Disney snack.

Alicea 38:34

Not really a snacker. Um, out of the typical Disney snacks, which are popcorn, pretzel, churro, and dole whip, Dole Whip is my favorite.

Nathan 38:43

Fair enough. Fair enough.

Nathan 38:44

Also, you're wrong. It's churro.

Alicea 38:47

I'm wrong for you. I'm not wrong for me.

Nathan 38:51

No, you're just wrong. My co-host isn't here, so I get to pass the judgment this time. So you're wrong. It's churros.

Alicea 39:00

Not in Florida.

Nathan 39:01

Yeah, okay, that's fair. That's fair. Unless you go to Nomad Lounge. Did you know that the churros at Nomad Lounge are gluten gluten-free and therefore they're healthy for you?

Alicea 39:11

Really?

Nathan 39:12

Yeah. Uh-huh. Yep. Science. That's how that works.

Nathan 39:17

Alicea, you survived!

Alicea 39:19

Of course I did.

Nathan 39:20

You're, I mean, the patented Disney torture test.

Alicea 39:25

I wrote it. Of course I survived it.

Nathan 39:27

You didn't write it? Shh. Come on. Play, play along.

Alicea 39:30

Sorry.

Nathan 39:32

All right, Alicea. Our famous closing question. I don't know if it's famous. What's next?

Alicea 39:38

Hmm.

Nathan 39:40

Going back to the Halloween party...

Alicea 39:43

Halloween Horror Nights. And then I may have purchased a tour. And then also Not So Scary again on Sunday.

Nathan 39:53

Excellent. And then you're home for what a couple weeks, and then we go to California to do Halloween Horror Nights in Hollywood. And then Oogie Boogie Bash.

Alicea 40:06

Yep.

Nathan 40:06

All the Halloween stuff. This is your year to shine.

Alicea 40:12

This is crazy. This is not what I was expecting earlier in the year. I mean, this was this was pretty much decided like a month ago. Yeah. Ish. Uh-huh. Yeah.

Nathan 40:21

Which is crazy because we usually plan the heck out of everything.

Alicea 40:25

Yeah.

Nathan 40:26

So well, I'm glad it was able to work out for you because I am just so excited to be able to have you be able to lean into your special season, your time of year. It's your time to shine. Yeah. You know, you used to be a little bit more uh uh orange in your in your your pumpkin-like in your hair, but pumpkin like yeah, it was orangey, reddishy. Now it's buttery blonde-ish.

Alicea 40:52

Yep. It's going white. It's a nice ombre.

Nathan 40:57

Yeah, exactly. Well, thank you so much for joining us, Alicea. Uh uh, thank you for being a listener. Thank you for reaching out and uh uh being willing to come on the show.

Alicea 41:08

You're very welcome. It was my pleasure.

Wrap-Up, Disclaimers, And Contact Info

Nathan 41:11

Well, as we wrap up, a reminder that we're not affiliated with Disney or any of its subsidiaries. Everything you hear on this show is based on personal experiences, opinions, and questionable snack choices. We are, however, proudly affiliated with fun...

Alicea 41:27

and spookiness.

Nathan 41:30

If you're planning a Disney vacation, we always recommend working with a travel advisor or reaching out to Disney directly to help make the magic happen.

Nathan 41:39

And if you enjoyed today's episode, please take a second to rate and review to the show. It really helps other Disney fans find us.

Nathan 41:46

If you have a question, a topic suggestion, or a Disney story you'd love to share, please shoot us an email at podcast at our mousecapades.com.

Nathan 41:55

You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and Threads at Our MouseCapades, and over on YouTube at OurMousCapades Pod.

Nathan 42:03

And please don't forget to share us with your friends, your family, and Disney fans of all ages. Thanks so much for listening. We'll be back in your ears next week.

Intro 42:14

Thank you for flying Star Tours. Bye-bye.

Alicea 42:27

Um not like that.

Nathan 42:32

Wow. Ladies and gentlemen, it's caught on record.

Alicea 42:38

I said not like that!