Pirate Adventures on the Seven Seas Lagoon

During our Halloween week visit to Walt Disney World, we knew we wanted to do something special to celebrate the festive holiday week with our 4 year old.  Once we had sticker shock at ticket prices soaring over $100 each for Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, we opted to get creative and have just as much with a smaller price tag.  With that in mind, we decided to have a pirate themed adventure day with a visit to The Pirates League in Magic Kingdom and topped off with a sailing on the Pirates and Pals Fireworks Voyage that evening.  I've read a lot about fireworks cruises at Walt Disney World before, but had not experienced one myself.  I was excited to try a new experience and am equally excited to share that it was a great one!

The Pirates and Pals Fireworks Voyage departs most nights from The Contemporary Resort.  Sailors of all ages arrive at The Contemporary and are directed to a check-in desk where you get a special bandana to let cast members know that you are cleared for embarkation.  While you wait to enter the party, cast members keep the family entertained with coloring stations and a scavenger hunt around the hotel.  Our festivities were set to begin at 7:45 and right on schedule our pirate host, Patch greeted guests and invited us into a party room.  Brody was literally like a kid in a candy store as the desserts were unlimited and the sugar rush was intense.  I think his favorite out of the cakes, candy, popcorn, drinks had to be the blue cotton candy - he tried to eat two bags, but we convinced him to save one for later.  Which by the way is a fun tip.  The food is free and cast members encourage you stock up for the boat ride.  While you're busy enjoying the treats, you'll also notice a line forming to meet two of your favorite pirates - Captain Hook and Mr. Smee.  The line moves quick and both characters are happy to play and sign autographs.  After they are done greeting each party, the characters mingle around with guests (a rare treat anymore in Disney!) and enjoy some time dancing and playing.  Mr. Smee even engaged in a sword fight with Brody while they danced to Jake and the Neverland Pirate music.

Throughout the party, guests are frequently reminded about the 8:15 departure time to head to the boats and to please use the bathrooms before getting on the boats as there are none on board.  Despite these warnings, our son decided he needed to use the bathroom at the absolute last possible minute and we almost missed the boat.  Anyway, at 8:15 our pirate host, Patch, and his friend, also named Patch, came back in the room to get us organized.  There were two boats that night - the Hook and the Smee.  Captain Hook led his boat down to the dock and Mr. Smee did the same.  The two waved goodbye as we sailed off in the waters of the Seven Seas Lagoon to get in position for the 9:00 fireworks.

During the sailing, Patch led our boat in some getting to know you activities as he greeted each family on board.  We were in position right on schedule and the view of Wishes was breathtaking!  It may be my new favorite spot to watch the show from as you truly get a sense of how grand the spectacle is from this distance.  After the show, the pontoon boat quickly departs to head back to The Contemporary.  Patch again leads our crew in a sing-a-long and some pirate games on the way back.  Each child leaves the cruise with a small token from the sailing.  When arriving back at the dock, Peter Pan is there to greet us.  Each guest gets a chance to have a picture with Peter Pan and sign autographs as the night draws to a close.  I was disappointed that our pictures with Peter Pan didn't link to our Memory Maker and we couldn't track them down, but we at least have our autograph and memories from the night as well as the other awesome Memory Maker photos too.




I loved our night out on the Pirates and Pals Fireworks Voyage.  The cost when we went in October was $69 for adults and $41 for children 3-9.  Since then, there has been a ticket price increase to $73 for adults and $43 for children.  I had no problem at all paying what we did for the cruise and thought the evening was full of fun!

  

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Yo Ho, Yo Ho A Pirate's Life for Me

Ahoy mateys! If you are like me and have a young pirate in your family, there are several experiences you don't want to miss on your Walt Disney World vacation.  Today, I'm going to highlight a magical adventure for junior buccaneers - The Pirates League.  The Pirates League is located inside of the Magic Kingdom by the Pirates of the Caribbean ride in Adventureland.  There are experiences here for kids and adults, boys and girls.  Packages include the chance for pirate makeovers and mermaid makeovers.  Similar to the more well known Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, guests can choose to participate in just the makeover or purchase costume options as well to complete the look.

We made a reservation for 9:40 AM following a breakfast at The Crystal Palace.  We chose to make an earlier reservation so that we could get the most bang for our buck.  Brody also had a Captain Hook Halloween costume that we had bought on sale from The Disney Store.  We arrived at The Pirates League right on schedule, dressed and ready to go.  Upon checking in, Brody was presented with a menu of makeover options and he decided to go for the Captain Hook option.  I was prepared for the $49 price tag and was expecting a well-executed makeover.  The experience was so much more though!!

When the young pirate or mermaid first enters, he or she is assigned a new name.  You then wait your turn in the "salon" where you can watch everyone else getting their makeover and celebrate their transformation.  When it was Brody's turn, he was invited to join a cast member in his own special pirate chair.  The cast member was entertaining and asked Brody all kinds of questions about his pirate adventures.  During the makeover, Brody was presented with a bandana, eye patch, earring, and necklace with a pirate medallion.  When he was finished, Pirate Matthew Ironeagle (the name that was selected for him at the beginning), was presented to the room.  He was given his sash and sword and then had to swear a pirate oath.  The final step in the experience involved a secret trip into the treasure room.  I don't want to spoil the surprise - but it is certainly a fun, entertaining way to end the visit.  

The last step is to of course pay for your trip to The Pirates League.  In my opinion, this is well worth the money.  It was one of Brody's favorite things we did on this trip and I think he'll remember his visit for a long time to come.  We followed up our visit to The Pirates League with a sailing on the Pirate and Pals Fireworks Cruise that night - a topic for another post!

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My Top 5 Posts of 2016

In what has now become an annual tradition on the blog (I think I can call it that if I've done it two years in a row, right?), here is a countdown of my top 5 posts from the past year.  Thanks to everyone who stops by to check out my posts and I can't wait to share more memories and magic in 2017!

5. Why We Won't Be Going to MNSSHP - Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party has been on my Disney bucket list for a long time now and we were finally taking a Fall trip that would put us there not only during some of the party dates, but actually on Halloween.  So why did we decide not to go? Find out here!

4. runDisney Inaugural Wine & Dine 10K - The inaugural runDisney Wine & Dine 10K was an amazing race.  Hosted by Chef Remy, the race featured a familiar course through Epcot and around the Boardwalk with some great characters and all the runDisney fun that you expect from their events.

3.  A Beginner's Guide to Epcot's International Food & Wine Festival - One of the most popular events in Walt Disney World can be overwhelming when you don't know what to expect.  We attended for the first time in 2015 and I used my experiences to write some tips that I learned which might benefit other first timers.

2.  Best Bets for Preschoolers in Epcot - Traveling with the little guys to Walt Disney World has meant seeing the parks through the eyes of my kids.  Epcot gets a bad reputation sometimes as not being a kid-friendly park.  This post highlights some of our favorite things to do around Future World and World Showcase!

1.  Things that May Terrify Your Kids in Walt Disney World - My husband will probably laugh out loud that this is my top post of the year.  His biggest complaint about Disney is that our kids are scared of some of the things there.  It's a true statement.  I don't think that ruins a family vacation - just review some of these experiences that might terrify your kids.  Moral of the story, there is so much to see and do in Disney; do what makes your family happy rather than trying to push through things that scare them.

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Princess Storybook Dining at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall

Even though I've been blessed with two boys, I still need to get a little Princess fix on my Walt Disney World vacations.  Luckily, with my boys both still being young, they enjoy seeing the "pretty princesses" too and we were able to grab pre-park opening reservations for breakfast at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall on our most recent visit to Epcot.  This was probably the most controversial of the dining reservations we had on the trip from a review standpoint so I've decided to summarize the experience into two categories:

What You'll Love - There are several things to enjoy about breakfast at Akershus.  Most notably is the princess interaction.  Everyone knows that a reservation at Cinderella's Royal Table is next to impossible to secure, but reservations at Akershus are a bit easier to come by.  Here you'll get to meet five princesses.  While they say that princesses may vary from visit to visit, we were able to meet Belle, Aurora, Ariel, Snow White, and Cinderella.  All of the princesses were delightful to interact with during our meal.  I decided to "Disneybound" as Snow White that day, and she was so excited to see my outfit.  During the meal, there is a princess parade every 15 minutes or so where the princesses get the kids up from their chairs and walk around the restaurant.  The restaurant itself is also pretty featuring some classic Norwegian architecture and decor. 

What You Won't Love - The price for the food that you get.  I'm not going to say the food was bad, because it wasn't.  The meal comes in two parts - a buffet that you can start on as soon as you arrive and then a family style plated selection of hot breakfast items.  The eggs were fine, the potato casserole was delicious, and the selection of pastries and Norwegian specialities on the buffet were good - but when you're paying over $40 per adult for the buffet, you would expect more variety and not just "good," but "great" dining in my opinion.  What you are paying for here is the opportunity to meet and mingle with the princesses.  If that's not high on your priority list, you would be better served to dine somewhere else.  Epcot is full of fabulous dining choices around World Showcase which will be both cheaper and offer a better selection of food.

Overall, I would not go back to Akershus Royal Banquet Hall.  The boys enjoyed meeting the princesses and I'm always glad to try something new in Walt Disney World, but with so many great choices around the resort, this would not be one for me to experience again.

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Jedi Master You Will Be

Have you ever watched a movie and imagined how amazing it would be to be a part of the magic?  Any Star Wars fans ever dream battling the Dark Side?  Well, young visitors to Disney's Hollywood Studios in Walt Disney World get the chance to do just that.  Jedi Training: Trials of the Temple allows children between the ages of 4 and 12 the chance to train with a Jedi Master, become an expert in the ways of the Force, and then do battle with Dark Side foes like Darth Vader.  This experience is entirely free (yes, you read that right. . .FREE!) with your admission to Hollywood Studios, but space is limited.  In order to make the most of your experience, here is everything you need to know.

Getting Registered - You cannot pre-register for the Jedi Training Academy.  Registration takes place each day at Hollywood Studios and you want to get there early in order to secure your spot.  We arrived at Hollywood Studios around 8:15 for a 9:00 opening that day.  Around 8:30, cast members began welcoming guests into the park.  Guests who were looking to head towards Sunset Boulevard, Pixar Place, and other parts of the park were held back by ropes once inside, but signs directed those signing up for Jedi Training to head over to begin the process.  The registration takes place back by Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular.  Even though we entered at rope drop and were in line before 8:40, the line was still incredibly long.  After about a 20 minute wait, we were able to sign up.  Don't forget that your little Jedi needs to be with you to sign up.  They show runs multiple times throughout the day and you get to select your time based on availability when you arrive.  The earliest show we could get that day was 11:40 AM so we scooped it up.  Along with our confirmation ticket for the training, we also received three FastPasses good for the entire family.  I don't know if this happens all the time, but my guess is that these FastPasses might be a way for Disney to let guests be flexible in selecting their time for the performance - if you have to schedule during a FastPass+ reservation time, no worries.

Checking In - The check-in for the Jedi Training Academy is directly in front of the 50's Prime Time Cafe.  You'll notice some blue circles on the sidewalk and that's how you'll know you are in the right spot.  They ask you to arrive 30 minutes before your show time.  This allows the cast members to check guests in, get them cloaked up, go over PhotoPass information with the family, and give directions to the young Jedi.  I stayed here with Brody while my husband headed over towards the stage to grab a good viewing spot.  It doesn't matter what circle your kid stands on; everyone will get a chance to battle the Dark Side.  While cast members were getting the kids ready, a PhotoPass photographer came over and shared with us information on accessing the pictures they take during the performance.  Remember, all of these images are yours for free if you've purchased Memory Maker.  About 5 minutes before showtime, cast members will lead the future Jedi and their parents over to the stage to begin.

The Show - The stage is located next to Star Tours: The Adventure Continues.  When the kids arrive, they take a spot on stage based on the line they are in.  Again, no worries about which line they are in - both get the chance to train and do battle against the Dark Side.  The Jedi Masters teach the kids the ways of the Force and some lightsaber battle techniques.  After some practice, smoke fills the stage and villains from the Dark Side emerge.  The villains may vary from show to show, but we had Darth Vader and the Seventh Sister.  Brody was so excited and volunteered to be first to do battle with Darth Vader.  The show is extremely organized with the Jedi-in-Training lined up and ready to fight as soon as one is done.  Once everyone completed their battles, those two disappeared, but it wasn't long before Kylo Ren emerged.  The kids did not do battle with Kylo Ren, but they used the power of the Force that now flowed through them to cause him to retreat.

From check-in to the finale of the show, the whole experience lasted about an hour and was one of the most memorable from our trip.  The pictures from the Disney PhotoPass photographer were priceless and Brody couldn't stop talking about his encounter with Darth Vader.  I would highly recommend this free experience to anyone with a young Star Wars fan - just be sure to arrive to the park early to secure your spot as all shows do fill each day and they typically reach capacity very early on in the morning.  

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Why We Won't Be Going to MNSSHP

A few disclaimers before I begin tonight's post.  I love Disney - always have and probably always will.  I recognize that Disney is a business and, while they excel in providing magical vacation memories, they are ultimately trying to make a lot of money as a successful company.  I don't begrudge this at all - but even I have to admit that some things are getting a little crazy.

When my husband told me about the Walt Disney World trip that we could plan for the fall, I was even more excited than normal.  I had never been to Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party and couldn't wait to experience it - on Halloween night none-the-less!  I did my research about the event and knew that I was going to pay a premium for tickets on Halloween night.  In 2015, the tickets cost $87 for adults and $82 for kids 3-9.  While these are steep ticket prices, I felt that between the 4pm admission to Magic Kingdom, the parade, the fireworks, the candy, and the entertainment I could justify it.  Then, the prices for 2016 were released.  Seriously?!?  At $105 for adults and $100 for kids, I about fainted.  Do you know how much I could do in Disney for that money vs. one evening in the Magic Kingdom???

My favorite pirates!

So in an act that probably astonished my husband, I said "no" to Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party.  I could come up with an experience that would still be new and just as memorable for the kids for a lot less money - I was sure of it.  I went back to the drawing board and remembered something that I had been interested in taking the kids to before, but we never had the extra funds.  I got on the phone with Disney Recreation and booked the Pirates and Pals Fireworks Voyage for Halloween night.  If you're not familiar with this, it begins in the Contemporary with snacks and sweets.  There is a special meet and greet with Captain Hook and Mr. Smee before you take off on your voyage.  You get a prime view of the nighttime fireworks show with the music piped into your boat.  The evening ends with a special goodnight send off back on land from Peter Pan.  I think my 4 year old will be more than thrilled to say "Yo Ho, Let's Go!" to this adventure.

And as for Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, I'm missing out on treats, a special parade, unique characters, and HalloWishes to enjoy salty and sweet snacks, an up close view of the Electrical Water Pageant, meet rare Peter Pan characters, and watch HalloWishes - for a lot less money.  The cost of the Pirates and Pals Fireworks Voyage is $69 for adults and $41 for kids.  I'm excited to "sea" what this new-to-me experience has to offer and I'll save some of my gold doubloons in the process.  Ahoy mateys!

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