Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party 2017

This past weekend we went to Orlando for Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party 2017. We'd originally booked at the Four Seasons resort since they had Florida resident rates for the weekend, but at the last minute Andrea and I got to talking and decided it might be fun to stay at a Disney resort instead so we could ride the monorail to the Magic Kingdom. It was a bit more expensive, but it was a good opportunity to try out the Polynesian resort, which we've always wanted to try. We drove in on Friday and checked in after eating at Uno's. 

The room was plenty big for the four of us, but it wasn't quite as nice as the Four Seasons. We missed the nice bedding and shower from the Four Seasons. The grounds and pool at the Polynesian were well kept, up to Disney standards, and we did notice that the beach area was fenced off after the unfortunate alligator attack from a couple years ago.

While we were walking around it started to rain, so we went back to the room and I finished up some work. We looked at the radar and it looked like the rain was about halfway past Orlando, so we decided that if we jumped on the monorail, we should probably arrive by the time the rain ended.

Unfortunately, the rain didn't act as we'd expected. We are used to weather systems blowing through Jacksonville, following the same path as they move through. On Friday in Orlando, the rain system stopped over us and just poured and poured for hours. There would be some moments where it looked like it might clear and then we'd start to walk, only to get caught out in the open while it poured. We rode a couple of inside rides like Buzz Lightyear and the People Mover, but as we went towards the back of the park, we gave up and just sat at a covered table near the carousel and waited. We'd done a little trick-or-treating by that time and we had some candy and snacks. We played a game where we'd guess the color of the candy in the packages as we opened them, and did a little people watching.

Eventually the rain started to die down and we ventured back out. From looking at the radar, it looked like more was on the way, so we hurried to do some of the rollercoasters while we had the chance. We rode the Snow White coaster a couple times and rode Goofy's Barnstormer at least three times. Surprisingly the rain never came! We spent the rest of the night trick-or-treating and riding a few more rides. We probably got the most candy ever this trip.

I reluctantly agreed to ride the teacup ride with the kids. I told them I'd ride it, but wouldn't help spin it. I underestimated their strength, and they got the teacup going surprisingly fast.

By the end of the night, our night-owl Connor was super tired and wanted to be pushed in the stroller. We stopped on the way out and got another pic with the decorations before going back to the hotel. It was nice to ride the monorail to our hotel, but it wasn't quite as convenient as we'd imagined since it took a while for the monorail to arrive and then we had to wait for three stops before it arrived back at the Polynesian resort.

On Saturday, we slept in and then went to Uno's for lunch. After lunch, we did a little souvenir shopping and then spent the rest of the day at the pool. It was supposed to rain, and we weren't sure how long we'd get to be outside, but surprisingly it never rained on us all day.

There were two pools and a splash ground area. We spent most of our time at the bigger pool with the slides. Connor, of course, found some kids to throw a football with, and Paige rode the slides and swam.

One of the best parts of the Polynesian resort is that they had a Pineapple Whip icecream station right near the pool. It's my favorite icecream dessert at Disney and they recently got rid of it at the Magic Kingdom. It was irresistible for me, and Paige and I ate there every day.

For dinner, we ate at one of the restaurants on property and ate some yummy Hawaiian pork nachos and pork fried rice. The kids got some kids meals, which they weren't very crazy about. After dinner we were going to roast some marshmallows, but the fire went out and then a little girl next to us got stung by a bee. It traumatized everyone and we decided to just go for a walk instead.

As the sun went down, I threw a football with Connor and Paige and all the kids in the area started to wander over and ask to play too. Everyone got a turn catching and running with the football, and it was nice to play with some other kids for a while. 

After the sun set we went back to the hotel room and sang our songs and told some stories before going to bed.

On Sunday, we got up and had our Uno's on the way home. It was a fun family weekend, and we're thankful that the weather was mostly good for us. We're happy to be home and getting ready for our next week.