Every year, my husband and I try to go to EPCOT’s Food and Wine Festival for our Anniversary. It just so happens that our Anniversary falls at the same time as Mickeys Not So Scary Halloween Party. One year, my husband surprised me with tickets to this amazing party! We had visited EPCOT at Halloween many times, but we’d never ventured over to the festivities held at Magic Kingdom, so this was a real treat! However, now that we were going we had a very big challenge to overcome:
The costumes.
Not only did they have to be perfect, but they also had to be easy to wear and pack! We usually fly to Orlando for this trip, so we need everything to fit into a carry-on bag; that way we can head directly for the Magical Express and let the fun begin! We went through several drafts and ideas for costumes before landing on the tragically perfect Disney/Pixar characters: young Carl and Ellie from the movie Up.
Our costumes were compiled during a few trips to Goodwill and by snagging a pair of Short Overalls from Amazon. We were able to find these Aviator Hat and Goggle set from Amazon as well, and these really made our outfits!
For this FashionEarsta, the devil is in the details and we did consider one component to be key: the Grape Soda Pin that Ellie pins on Carl when they first meet.
This pin holds such significance in the film and that has never been lost on us. Not only was it a great detail but it was important that we have it as part of our costumes. After many failed attempts and one that kinda worked, we decided that we would buy the official “Grape Soda Pin” at Disney World, making it all the more special!
As soon as our feet hit Disney property we were on our way to EPCOT. Our first stop, of course, was to look in Mouse Gears for our pin. We could not find it anywhere! We still had Magic Kingdom’s shops to search, so we hadn’t lost hope yet! The next day we headed to Magic Kingdom and looked high and low for our Grape Soda pin. We couldn’t find anything that even remotely looked like it came from Up! We were upset but being a prepared FashionEarsta, I had brought one of our experimental pins with us as a backup plan. Even though it wasn’t what we wanted we had a solution and our costumes were pretty much complete!
Off we went to Mickeys Not So Scary Halloween Party! When we entered the Magic Kingdom it was unlike anything I had ever seen before. The lights were low, the Mickey lanterns were all ablaze, the music was fun, and it felt–dare I say–a little romantic?!? We were so excited that we started skipping under the Train Station and started down Main Street, USA.
A very enthusiastic cast member saw us and started skipping with us and then motioned for us to follow her. That is when we saw our first candy stop! Yes, FashionEarstas, your very own EarstaDiva at 40+ years of age was able to go trick or treating at Walt Disney World! What an absolute dream come true! We made sure to hit all four candy stops and we had SO much candy!
We wandered around the park, enjoying the sights, eating all of the delicious treats, taking a very spooky ride on the Haunted Mansion, and enjoying a cruise on Pirates of the Caribbean. It was so fun, but we were ready to find our spots for the Boo to You parade. We had done a lot of research on this parade and honestly the headless horseman was the part I was there to see! We carefully scoped out the best spot right outside of the Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom. We stood for a while chatting in and taking in the sights when we noticed a group of Disney College Program Cast members looking at us. Finally, one came over and asked very politely,
“Excuse me, but are you the couple from Up?”
We were thrilled that someone had recognized us, few had to the point so we were practically jumping up and down as we told her, “yes, you’re spot-on!” She turned around, pointed at the group and said:
“HA! I told you!”
Then did a little dance back to her friends. We went over and started chatting with them. They loved telling their “war stories,” which we listened to with all kinds of giggles and laughs. This was followed by the group getting into a heated debate over who had their feet rolled over by the most stroller wheels, wheelchairs and scooters that day. It was like a badge of honor for whoever had their poor feet tortured the most!
They all loved our costumes and we went on and told them our story about the Grape Soda pin. Just as I finished the story, the voice of the Magic Kingdom came on to tell us that the parade would be happening soon. Our new friends had to go man their posts and direct traffic so that everyone was going the correct way. They scattered, still in our area but at strategic areas with light-up wands that they were using to direct people.
My husband and I talked about how awesome those kids were and how we hoped that someday our kids would get to have the experience that they were having. Suddenly, our friends were back with wide grins on their faces. The girl that had first approached us told us that they had found our Grape Soda Pin in the store that we were standing next to!
“Yes, all you have to do is go through those doors, walk all the way to the back wall, make a left and it will be on your right hand side!” Her friend said.
“Or… You can just have this one!!” They all said together!
They had created a bit of magic for us: they had gone into the store, found the pin we were searching for all day (in all the wrong places) and brought it to us as a bit of Disney Magic to help up celebrate our 21st wedding Anniversary! I burst into tears of joy; I was so grateful to them for helping us complete our costume! They had known us for only a minute but took it upon themselves to make a special memory for us that we will never, ever forget.
Again, the voice of the Magic Kingdom boomed and off our new friends scrambled to their posts for the parade. We stood in our special spot, where I now head to watch every parade (There are bathrooms right there and a water cart only steps away too!) We marveled, “ooo-ed,” and “ahh-ed “at the spectacle of the Boo to You Parade. The headless horseman’s magic did not disappoint: he leads the parade and it is incredible how quiet Main Street gets. From our spot we heard the crowd noise die down until there were just the clip clop of horse hooves: truly incredible!
Today, those memories are still as fresh as they were the day it happened. We will never forget the magic those Cast members created for us. From the CM who went skipping down Main Street with us, leading us to the first candy spot we absolutely would have missed, to the beautiful Cast Members that gave us our Grape Soda Pin, they each gave us something so special I hope that they know they made a difference. You can bet that now when we go to Disney, we are very careful not to roll over the feet of the lovely Cast Members!
Do you have any special memories from Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party? Ever been dusted with Pixie Dust by a Cast Member? Share your stories and thoughts about this year’s “party” in the comments below, or on our Facebook, Pinterest, or Instagram pages!
Pixie dust and glamour!
EarstaDiva
