Friday, October 10th was our last day in the Happiest Place on Earth as we flew home Friday night.

Since we were out past 1 AM the night prior and we had no breakfast reservations, we decided to sleep in a bit. We got up at 7 AM & got ready and finished packing. For breakfast we had our leftovers from Be Our Guest and from the Dessert Party. We did airline check-in and stowed our carry on luggage with bell services and headed to Magic Kingdom.

We played a bit of Sorcerer’s of the Magic Kingdom and then we did something I never did before: I got a dole whip! People rave about Dole Whips but I have never had one so I used one of my many snack credits that was left and had an orange / vanilla twist dole whip in a cup.

We then had a fast pass for Buzz Lightyear. It was then time for me to have my last photo op with Peter Pan. I told Peter I had to leave and go act like a grown up at work again. Peter said the solution to that was I could live there instead. He even pointed out a tree I could live under by the Adventureland Veranda!

For lunch we ate at the Columbia Harbor House where I had the tuna sandwich, chips and peach cobbler. The sandwich was light which was good after a week of Disney eating. The cobbler was great but I can’t look at another dessert for at least a month.

We then had fast pass to see Tinker Bell who was extremely pleasant and she thought Peter’s idea was great and that I should live there under a tree. As we came out of Tinkerbell’s line we saw that a line was forming for Snow White. I asked the cast member if Dopey was coming out too and they said he did the last time and moments later Snow White walked out with Dopey! Talk about being at the right spot at the right time! So I got a picture with Snow White and Dopey!

Out last fast pass of the trip was to see Mickey Mouse which is always fun. I then went solo back to Storybook Circus and got photos with Goofy, Donald, Daisy and Minnie. All was great except as I approached Minnie there was no photographer and the cast member attendant was with Daisy. So I had to take a selfie. As I walked away I found the photographer standing in the hall with another cast member. I told them what happened and I got no reply. So I complained to the cast members at the entrance to the Storybook Circus and they apologized but did little else.

I then returned to Saratoga Springs as we had 4 snacks and 1 quick counter service left. We got Rice Krispie treats with the snacks as we could take them home and we split a cheese flatbread and yogurt for dinner. It was then time to head to the airport 😦

Wednesday ended for us at the Magic Kingdom. After a quick rest and change of clothes I headed to the Magic Kingdom as the park was open until 11 PM.

My first stop was to take a photo of the pumpkins at the front entrance as they were illuminated. I then played a portal of Sorcerer’s of the Magic Kingdom. I was happy to see that quite a few people were playing portals and I even had to wait a bit. I then got my daily pack of cards so I can add to the collection.

At that point I saw that quite a few people had lined up for the Main Street Electrical Parade so I decided to do the same. This time I chose a new spot as I went up the steps to where the railroad station and stood in the corner facing guest relations. This proved to be an amazing spot as I was right on the corner and since this parade starts at this location, I had the perfect view. I decided to record the parade with my new iPhone 6 plus and was happy to see a feature I hadn’t noticed before. You can take still photographs while video recording without stopping the video! So I was able to still take still photos while recording the parade which is truly amazing in my opinion.

At this point I was really tired and although the Magic Kingdom is open until 11 PM I decided to call it a night. Plan is to grab a late dinner at the Artist Palate and take it back to my room. I will eat dinner after a refreshing shower!

I attended my first Character Palooza at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. This may not be the official name for the event but most cast members know it by that name but most cast members either don’t know or can’t / won’t tell you the specifics. The event is held sporadically at different times and the location has changed as it used to be on Streets of America and it is now, well at least today, at the exit to the Tower of Terror.

The cast members opened the gray gate at the end of the Tower of Terror and let guests in. Inside there are random characters who appear in Fantasmic with a cast member handler. There were no photographers but the handlers would help you by taking your picture. As the door opened it was common characters mostly: Chip & Dale, Pluto, Tiana, Snow White, Mulan, Goofy, Jasmine but also Japetto. I went to Japetto first and then walked directly up to Jasmine and Snow White. Then unexpectedly Mary Poppins with Burt and the Evil Queen showed up. A guy I was taking to before the gate opened saw me and pointed out the Queen to me so I went directly there and the Queen was so in character! I then had a photo with Mary Poppins and Burt. The cast member in charge said it would soon be time to end but I managed to also get a photo with Mulan and Tiana before they took the characters away. I got a photo with everyone there except Goofy, Pluto, and Chip & Dale but all were in normal costumes and I met each of them in those same outfits already this week.

After Indiana Jones we found that by the ABC Commissary that there is a new photo op. The backdrop is of Once Upon A Time and they digitally add Elsa or the Evil Queen and if you pose near Elsa they add ice coming from your hands or a fireball if you are with the Queen.

We then used our fast passes for The Great Movie Ride. There was a female Bugsy this time. I’m still waiting to have the cowboy instead of Bugsy…one day lol.

It was then over to Wandering Oakins Trading Post and Frozen Funland. We got our pictures with the digital Anna and Elsa and the digital trolls.

Animation Courtyard was the next stop and Sorcerer Mickey followed by the Incredibles were our photo ops. We then began hunting for Character Palooza. I asked multiple cast members and got multiple answers. A dress clothed cast member told me that today is 5 PM at exit of Tower of Terror but it is varying by the day with whether they do at all.

Wednesday, October 8th was spent at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. We had breakfast reservations for Hollywood and Vine Play and Dine. I don’t watch Playhouse Disney or Disney Jr. but since I like character photos, I decided to eat here since they made some changes recently. We got photos with Sofia the First, Jake from Neverland Pirates, Doc McStuffins, and Handy Manny. The food was pretty good as well!

As we exited the restaurant we noticed characters in the area by the hat. Our first picture was with Goofy in his Hollywood outfit. We then saw Chip and Dale in their hats and ties. While in line for Chip and Dale the cast member announced that Max, Goofy’s son who was in Goof Troop, would be coming out next. It was great being able to get this rare character meet and greet. We then met Daisy Duck in her dress, Donald Duck in his Hollywood outfit and finally Pluto. My Disneyland Haunted Mansion Anniversary shirt was quite popular with the characters as many of them reacted to it and would point to it and act scared.

The Animation Courtyard was our next stop and we had photos with Wreck-It Ralph & Vanellope and then Mickey Mouse. Star Tours was out next stop with our Fastpass. The sequence was Millennium Falcon, pod race on Tattoine, Admiral Ackbar and Naboo. We took a snack break and had root beer floats before heading to Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular with Fastpasses.

Donald Duck saw my small plush Donald on my backpack and loved it. He began playing with it which was really cool. We then went over and got pictures with Goofy and Pluto. I was wearing my 2014 Pennsylvania Star Wars Collectors Society shirt and Goofy saw it and went into Darth Goofy mode. He kept mentioning like he was force choking Pluto. Pluto curled his ears up so he looked like Princess Leia and then he acted like he was being choked. It was hysterical!

We then used our fast pass to go on the Kilimanjaro Safari which was great. It has been several years since we did this and I thoroughly enjoyed it. We saw white rhinos including two who blocked the road for a while and caused our truck to have to wait. We also saw Giraffe, Elephants, Warthog, and Flamingoes.

After the safari we went to Rafiki’s Planet Watch area. First we met Chip and Dale. There was a cast member playing a guitar by them and Dale motioned for him to play a song. The guitar player started singing a song about how Chip was demoted and it was now Dale and Chip instead of Chip and Dale. This was as I was walking up so I hugged Chip and told him he could come home with me and live in the walnut tree I have. With that Chip took my hand and started walking out with me. The guitar player asked my name and I have him the formal Jason so he started singing Jason and Chip. The guitar player then announced that a Jason and Chip cartoon would be out soon! Chip and I returned and I had my picture with the two of them! Another piece of Disney Magic on this trip.

Rafiki was our next character find and then we went to Mickey and Minnie. When they saw my Star Wars shirt they began to lightsaber duel! As I was getting my picture I asked when Mickey was going to finally propose. Minnie held up her ring finger and waived it at Mickey who put his head down. The cast member said he would propose so Mickey got down on one knee and looked at Minnie. They then touched noses to kiss. Yet another piece of Disney Magic!

After some searching we finally found Pocahontas meeting spot. She was due out at 5:30 PM and had a pretty big line.

Although we got to Ohana early, we still had a bit of a wait until we were seated. They didn’t do the picture that they normally do as you arrive, likely due to the construction. Instead there was a photographer that came around with Stitch which was honestly better. The food was great as always and we saw Lilo, Stitch, Mickey Mouse in his Hawaiian shirt and Pluto.

We then went to Animal Kingdom which also has construction going on. We first got our bearings and then did the meet & greet / photo with Dug and Russell from Up. Their area is now much smaller due to the construction but I did get Dug to bring out his squirrel.

We then used our fast pass for Festival of the Lion King in the new Harumbe Theater which is right next to Tusker House restaurant. The show was good but I was disappointed they didn’t have the overhead act during “Can You Feel the Love Tonight”. I asked a cast member and she said it was not in just for today with no reason given.

We then did photos with Baloo and King Louie who are fun as always. I said Winnie the Who to them and got them to laugh. Using a fast pass we saw It’s Tough To Be A Bug although standby was only a 5 minute wait.

We then went to Dinoland USA and met Daisy Duck. Daisy is in the spot where Winnie the Pooh and Tigger used to be. I thought she might be in a safari outfit but she was in her standard outfit. Next up was Donald Duck picture with him in his safari outfit.

Our Tuesday morning is a somewhat cloudy but nice day. We have breakfast reservations at Ohana which is at the Polynesian Resort. This is a character breakfast that features Lilo, Stitch, Mickey in a Hawaiian shirt and Pluto.

To get to the Polynesian resort we took the bus from Saratoga Springs (which was standing room only) to Magic Kingdom. From there we took the monorail (red) to the Polynesian.

We gave ourselves plenty of time due to the amount of travel but we are making good time. So I expect to arrive pretty early to the restaurant.

The mystery characters at the Chase photo spot turned out to be Mickey Mouse and Goofy! This was a great change.

From there I spent the rest of my day in EPCOT visiting characters. My first stop was the United Kingdom pavilion where I met Winnie the Pooh & Tigger at Christopher Robin’s room. From there it was over to the France pavilion where I met Belle and then later Aurora from Sleeping Beauty.

It was then back to the United Kingdom pavilion to meet Mary Poppins before heading to the Germany pavilion for Snow White. They even have birds chirping sounds when Snow White is out.

Next it was back to the UK pavilion for Alice in Wonderland. Lastly in the Morocco pavilion I met Jasmine and Aladdin. Needless to say I logged a lot of miles cross crossing EPCOT to meet and get photos with all of these characters. So I was tired when I finished all of that.

I decided to call it a night but before heading out I got my complimentary photographs from the Chase Character spot. While there I saw my favorite photographer, Catherine, who I have seen many times when she was taking photos of Duffy. Although she wasn’t with Duffy today, she did recognize and remember me which was really cool.

On my way out I got a picture taken I front of Spaceship Earth as they had the decorations up for the Food and Wine Festival. It was then back to Saratoga Springs to rest and have dinner.

After Captain EO we used our fastpassses for Spaceship Earth. The standby wait time was 25 minutes so was a good use of fast pass.

We took a quick break at Club Cool and got one of the free samples of soda. From there we headed over to World Showcase to meet my favorite teddy bear: Duffy. Duffy was wearing his pumpkin Halloween outfit.

Next we walked back into World Showcase with the intention of finding Mulan but while walking past the Mexico pavilion we found Donald Duck and so we stopped for a picture. It was then on to the China pavilion where we did get our pictures with Mulan.

It was then on to use our Fastpass for Soarin’ which is always a must do. I’m hearing that this might go down for a refurbishment with them changing it to flying over Florida.

Next we headed to Innoventions for the Chase Visa Character Meet and Greet. This is always a surprise meeting with characters but for me I usually get Minnie and Pluto.