Halloween at the Magic Kingdom

This year we went to Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party for the first time. I hate to say this, being a huge Disney fan, but -- this was absolutely not worth the time and money. First, of all, since it was Halloween eve, the crowds were absolutely overwhelming. You could barely move going down Main Street. Secondly, Disney promised plenty of characters in costume. We could find very few, and when we could, the lines were so long, there was no chance of the kids being able to meet any of them.

Halloween at the Magic Kingdom

Thirdly, the "candy stations" resembled a cattle herd, with lines of costumed kids being hurried through lines to be greeted by a Disney employee unloading handfuls of candy from a barrel, then herded out again. My advice: save yourself the extra $50 per person (which you have to pay IN ADDITION to your regular Magic Kingdom admission ticket), and do your trick-or treating at home!!! Now, putting the griping behind me, there were some great highlights from our Halloween trip. First, the Princess Breakfast at Cinderella's castle was terrific. Our kids got to meet all of the princesses, who spent plenty of time at each table. The food was very good (though pricey) and the service was wonderful. Expensive, but well worth it. The second highlight was our stay at Disney's Polynesian Resort.

The kids loved the pool with the volcano water slide, and we really enjoyed the two restaurants on-site. Although we were a bit disappointed in the rooms and the general resort decor, which seemed a bit dated compared to some of the newer resorts. The third highlight was the new Finding Nemo show at the Animal Kingdom Park. It was excellent! The kids were riveted to the entire performance! I was so sorry to see the old Tarzan show leave, which I thought was awesome -- but glad to see it has been replaced with a show of the same high quality and entertainment value. Bravo!