A World of Disney - 2019-2020 Pre Trip Reports! - Basic NYE plans

[Cloe Colton]

I totally agree with sticking with DCL! I would love to do Alaska someday!

Hong Kong sounds super fun! I hope to do the Asian parks someday!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Ummmm this IS AMAZING!!!!!!

 

[cindianne320]

Hong Kong Looks amazing! Can't wait to hear more about your plans!

 

[Lesley Wake]

It will be so cool to go to Hong Kong during Halloween time! I'm so jealous and I love those outfits that Pooh and friends are wearing. Hope the lines aren't too long so you can meet lots of characters!

I hope so too! I think for the Pooh and Friends, you also meet each one individually (like they are in a certain pathway that you do in sequence).

I totally agree with sticking with DCL! I would love to do Alaska someday!

Hong Kong sounds super fun! I hope to do the Asian parks someday!

It sounds like you need to convince DH to do something fun for your next anniversary!

Ummmm this IS AMAZING!!!!!!

I KNOW! I think it was a photo of that last fall that solidified my desire to do Hong Kong! Otherwise I was going to stick to Tokyo/Japan. I can't wait to see it in person!

Hong Kong Looks amazing! Can't wait to hear more about your plans!

I really am excited to see it!

 

[dolewhipdreams]

Everything about HKDL at Halloween looks incredible! I'm so excited for you to experience it all!

 

[lvcourtneyy]

Are you guys planning on all parks or just a couple?

All parks!

 

[amazingact21]

I had no idea what hotels HK Disney had, so when I saw the pics you posted of the Explorer's Hotel I was blown away! It looks like a tweaked version of AKL, and who doesn't absolutely love that resort? I hope it works out well for you.
Sid's backyard?! That's amazing. I imagine HK is going to set the bar pretty high for you with parks and Halloween festivities.

 

[jgl130]

I need to start writing up my plans for my Asia trip as its about 3.5 months away! I'll give an update on NYE later (but basically got everything we wanted; I just don't know what I want yet for the January dates).

I decided rather than post about all the hotels, then all the plans, I would break up each part of my trip!

Part 1: Shanghai

Hotel: I knew I wanted to stay on-site, which led to 2 options: The Shanghai Disneyland Hotel and the Toy Story Hotel. Toy Story is the value option, so about ½ the cost of the SDLH, but it just didn’t impress me from photos and people’s reviews. So I’m going with the SDLH; I went ahead and got the cheapest room rather than splurging for a view - just didn't seem worth it to me!

View attachment 413997

Tickets: I plan to get a 2-day ticket, but I won’t buy it until I arrive in Shanghai. As part of the hotel booking, you get an extra fastpass per day (you schedule it with the concierge). But I’ve heard of many issues when people buy the tickets in advance, so to avoid any of that hassle I will just buy from the concierge directly. Tickets are relatively inexpensive there, and I’m doing the parks on weekdays, so it will be only $107 for the tickets.

Previously they offered a 6-month pass, which came with some discounts (hotel, dining, merchandise), and I considered getting it, but after doing the math, it barely came out ahead and would cause even more hassle. Now they have the annual pass which was more expensive and definitely wouldn’t come out ahead anyways. I think if you are considering a longer trip, it could be a consideration though because it is nowhere near the cost of the WDW/Disneyland APs.

Dining: This isn’t as complicated as WDW, as there are only a few restaurants which had advance reservations and most of those are in Disneytown, which don’t interest me as much. The only one I plan to visit is Lumiere’s Kitchen at the SDLH. It’s a buffet, but has the cutest desserts! I am thinking my arrival day dinner will be the best idea. And I’ve heard you can either walk-up or schedule a reservation with the concierge when you arrive.

View attachment 413999

The only in-park sit-down restaurant is Royal Banquet Hall, which I believe is in the castle. Though the menu didn’t interest me, and with only 2 days in the park, I don’t want to take that much time out of my day for a sit-down meal. Also, I’ve heard Westerners can get really fawned over by the wait service – normally that would be fine with me, but when I’m a solo diner, I don’t really like the extra attention!

So, mostly quick service for me. I haven’t figured out exactly which places and when, but I think these are my biggest ones:

• Wandering Moon Restaurant – Chinese food
• Pinocchio Village Kitchen – Asian foods plus pizza – the Peking duck pizza is especially intriguing to me as I liked that option when it used to be offered at California Pizza Kitchen.
• Barbossa’s Bounty – Grill and BBQ by Pirates of the Caribbean
• Tangled Tree Tavern – Rapunzel themed, with roast chicken, etc.
• Breadtalk (Disney Springs, so most likely my arrival day) – Pastries and sandwiches

View attachment 414000

And of course snacks (so maybe I’ll end up cutting a QS for more snacks). I don’t know if they will have special Halloween food items, as they are still getting their Halloween offerings more established, but that could be cool to try! Also, I will have a list, but I know sometimes places are closed without much notice (I have experience with that from Disneyland Paris), so won’t get too obsessed with one particular location. Otherwise:

• Snackin kraken – Pork Floss Bun
• Spiral Snacks – Potato gems with meat floss?!?
• Il Paperino – Donald waffles!
• Remy’s Patisserie – pastries
• Toy Box Café – Bubble waffles, also fun drinks in Toy Story cups!

View attachment 414001

So much food – only so much time!

Park Plans:

First crowds – I am cautiously hoping for them to not be too bad. If anything, Monday could be worse. But China has its Golden Week 3 weeks earlier (first week of October), so that is when they tend to take vacation. I hope that means they will all skip the rest of October!

Fastpasses – They use a variant of the MaxPass system there, and I’m well acquainted with it from Disneyland. They also have paid variants, either with a package of rides or per ride. Some rides don’t even offer regular FPs except for the paid version. I won’t be opposed to getting some of these if crowds are too bad, but I think I won’t need to!

Rides – I am a bit worried about ride breakdowns, so I have a priority list that I will try first. These include:

• Tron – Super excited for this one! I don’t know if I’ll fit on the bike seats but they have regular coaster seats in the back car if I can’t.
• Pirates of the Caribbean – Another must-do for me!
• Camp Discovery Trails – basically an obstacle course. I’m not 100% certain I’ll be able to do this – I don’t know if they have size restrictions, but I have my fingers crossed.
• Peter Pan’s Flight – I’ve heard it’s updated with moving animatronics.

I haven’t done a general touring plan yet, but I will prioritize these and then work everything around them.

View attachment 414003

Shows – I’m pretty excited about some of the shows. Tarzan, Pirates stunt show, parade, Tai Chi with Character. I will need to fit these in. And anything outdoor I will try to plan to do early in case of weather issues. Some of these are in Mandarin, so I will just figure it out as I go!

View attachment 414004

Characters – I’m not an insane character person, but there are some fun ones at Shanghai I wouldn’t mind meeting. First – anyone in Halloween special outfits. I won’t know about that though for a bit. I’d like to meet Mickey as he’s in a special outfit. And I think Gelatoni meets, which would be nice!

View attachment 414005

Halloween – Based on last year it looks like they have a night parade/character cavalcade. Not on the scale of “Boo to you” but still something, so that will be cool. They also have ghost pirates invading Treasure Cove and a “trail of treats” scavenger hunt!

View attachment 414006

Other stuff

Chloe mentioned about a Visa, so I thought I’d let people know my plans for that in case you didn’t read those comments (I think I got this info from a previous TR or from Disney Tourist Blog… can’t quite remember!). China is one of the countries that requires a visa in advance to enter – airlines won’t even let you fly if you don’t have a visa, since you won’t be allowed into the country. You would normally apply in advance at a Chinese Embassy near you and it costs money, but can last for 10 years (or the length of time for your passport). That is certainly helpful if you are going to travel to China multiple times or travel more within China.

An exception is the 72-hour Transit Visa. This applies to certain areas in China, particularly large cities and is a way China is trying to encourage tourism (a bunch of these places have extended it to 144 hours, which is basically 6 days). Rather than apply in advance, you apply once you arrive and you don’t have to pay a fee. Some caveats: you are limited only to that particular area of China. You can’t use this to arrive in Shanghai, then travel to Beijing within the 6-days. You also have to be transiting through the city. So you have to go Country A – Chinese City – Country B. And they look at the actual flights themselves, not the end destination (so you need to verify you aren’t accidentally connecting in the same city – I had looked at flights that went LAX – Taipei -Shanghai, but that would cause a conflict since I go Shanghai – Taipei – Hong Kong). I will have all my documentation with me – hotel reservation, flight reservations for arrival and departing flight, etc.

I have only heard of 2 types of instances when this causes an issue. First, is departing the US – if you leave from a non-major airport the airport staff may not be familiar with the transit visa option; when you check-in they will ask to see a visa and may stop you from boarding the flight, which can be a big pain in the neck. I think I’ve been hearing less and less of this situation as more people get familiar with the transit visa. For me, I will be flying from LAX and don’t anticipate this issue. Second instance is arriving in Shanghai – some people have arrived for an 18-hour layover and have been denied entry, so they are stuck in the Shanghai airport for that time. Best remedy for that is to a) layover over 24-hours, and b) have a hotel booked. If you have both of those, then you are good to go!

Transportation: This issue is something I’m still trying to figure out. I will only be going Airport – Disneyland and back; I’m not going into the city. I have heard horror stories about fake cab drivers and getting lost and everything, so I already know to go direct to an official taxi stand and not to accept rides from people in the airport. But, I still am a bit wary. I am considering getting a private car service to pick me up directly. I still haven’t decided and any experience or advice people have would be appreciated!


So, here's my remaining To-Do list for the Shanghai Portion:

1. Park Touring Plans
2. Figure out Transportation
3. Mobile Wifi Unit - So helpful in France!
4. VPN - To try and avoid the Great Chinese Firewall.
5. Get some money (my mom uses the bank and as long as you order ahead of time you can get cash - I will most likely use my credit card, but I want to make sure I have stuff for Taxi/small purchases, etc).

Coming up - Hong Kong Plans!

We went to Shanghai Disney and Tokyo Disney last November and used the Mr. Orange car service to get from the airport to the Toy Story hotel. Super easy, the driver spoke English and they were on time!

ETA: I used Express VPN (iPhone) and had no problems getting past the Great Firewall of China. I did have to turn it off to use the WiFi in the park, it sort of worked, but worked better without.

Also, I would totally recommend paying for the Fastpasses, even if it’s not crowded. We used it for everything, and it meant we didn’t have to do the running of the fastpasses for Soarin and Pirates. Our day was super light, but we liked having no wait vs even 20 minutes.

 

[Lesley Wake]

Everything about HKDL at Halloween looks incredible! I'm so excited for you to experience it all!

I know - I'm so excited about it! The castle is currently under tarps, but they started putting the princess spires (13 different ones) on this afternoon, so maybe by the time I arrive some of the scaffolding will be down?

All parks!

Nice!

I had no idea what hotels HK Disney had, so when I saw the pics you posted of the Explorer's Hotel I was blown away! It looks like a tweaked version of AKL, and who doesn't absolutely love that resort? I hope it works out well for you.
Sid's backyard?! That's amazing. I imagine HK is going to set the bar pretty high for you with parks and Halloween festivities.

I really loved the idea of the Explorer's Lodge from the start! There are 4 wings and each is themed to a different place - South America, Africa, Asia, Oceania.

I definitely am thinking both HK and Tokyo are going to be awesome for decorations! Though all the photos I've seen of Paris seem to be pretty cool too!

We went to Shanghai Disney and Tokyo Disney last November and used the Mr. Orange car service to get from the airport to the Toy Story hotel. Super easy, the driver spoke English and they were on time!

ETA: I used Express VPN (iPhone) and had no problems getting past the Great Firewall of China. I did have to turn it off to use the WiFi in the park, it sort of worked, but worked better without.

Also, I would totally recommend paying for the Fastpasses, even if it’s not crowded. We used it for everything, and it meant we didn’t have to do the running of the fastpasses for Soarin and Pirates. Our day was super light, but we liked having no wait vs even 20 minutes.

Cool - thanks for the tips! I'll definitely look into Mr. Orange, Express VPN. And yeah, you are right - just saving that time so I can do more exploring makes sense! I'll look at whether it makes more sense to get a set or individual ones for the rides!

 

[Lesley Wake]

Update 8/11 - Tokyo Disney plans!

(I really need to update this one more often - I have been accomplishing things, just haven't posted about them!)

Part 3a & 3d, Tokyo Disney Resort

I’m splitting my TDR trip into two parts. First, I’ll be there for 4 nights (2 park days) to do Halloween things. Then I’ll go away for about a week, then come back for 6 nights (5 park days) for the Christmas activities! Hence, HalloXmas!



One thing I am worried about is construction. All the bloggers (WDW NT and Disney Tourist Blog and various people I follow on twitter) just got back from their summer visits. And they said A LOT of things are currently under scaffolding/tarps just to prepare for the 2020 Olympics. So they even are recommending if it’s a once in a lifetime trip, maybe hold off a bit. I certainly hope it’s not a once in a lifetime experience for me, and I’m already all booked, so I’ll just deal with it.

I’m most worried about how the big icons could be under refurb. The castle will be closed when I’m there, but I don’t know how much will be covered. And Mount Prometheus is covered in scaffolding, though they tried to design it so photos look decent from a distance. Oh well, can’t change anything now!



Hotel: Tokyo has official Disney hotels, though they are massively expensive. The ones right by the parks look fabulous, but just were out of budget. I’m talking $500-$800/night. Maybe one day if I decide to totally splurge, but not this trip.




What is good is that the Monorail connects to some non-Disney hotels which are just across the street from the parks. I pretty much narrowed it down to the Hilton Tokyo Bay and the Sheraton Tokyo Bay, but the Sheraton was about ½ the cost, so I booked there. I booked months and months ago, and somehow got a discount from Priceline for renting a car, even though the car rental was in February, in Florida. Guess their system doesn’t seem to recognize those things! I’m not complaining though.



I actually booked two different room types at the Sheraton – I’ve heard their basic room is pretty outdated, so I made sure to get renovated rooms. First, I’m staying in a Park Wing room, which was recently constructed, so it will be nicer than the older basic rooms.



Then, in November, I’ll be in an Ocean Dream room. (I actually recently found a rate at the Hilton which is slightly cheaper – saves about $100 overall – but I think I’m going to stick to Sheraton, because I contacted the hotel and they agreed to hold my larger suitcase for the week I’ll be travelling elsewhere!)

Tickets: TDR sells tickets in 1, 2, 3, or 4 days. You can only park hop on your 3rd or 4th day. So I’m going to end up getting a variety of tickets: 2-day, 1-day, & 4-day. I did consider getting an AP, but it didn’t make financial sense, especially because there are no discounts associated with them.



Park Plans: As I mentioned above, you can’t park hop except for 3rd and 4th days of the tickets. So here is the plan:
Monday, Oct 28 – Tokyo Disneyland (2-day ticket)
Tuesday, Oct 29 – Tokyo DisneySea
Tuesday, Nov 5 – Tokyo DisneySea (1-day ticket)
Wednesday, Nov 6 – Tokyo Disneyland (4-day ticket)
Thursday, Nov 7 – Tokyo DisneySea
Friday, Nov 8 & Saturday, Nov 9 – TBD. This will be the official start of the Christmas season, so I don’t know if I’ll bother hopping.

I am a bit anxious about crowds. I know weekdays are better. And this isn’t around official Japanese holidays, so hopefully it will be relatively ok. I expect the final day, the Saturday, will be crazy crowded, with the start of Christmas season and a weekend, but that was the best way for me to schedule in everything. By that time I should have seen/done everything I wanted, so I can focus on just Christmas entertainment.



I will need to come up with a general park touring plan, but have time to do that.

Dining: I’m going to need to divide this into a full other post, because Tokyo Disney is legit food craziness!

Fastpasses
So this is in a state of flux right now. Tokyo Disney JUST introduced digital FPs (like a week ago). It seems similar to the Maxpass system (but free like in Shanghai). Only problem – it’s only available on the app, which is only available in Japan and only in Japanese. Thankfully, after some trial and error last week I was able to download the app and sign-in so I should be able to get digital FPs. I’ll need to do some practicing, but I’m not as worried anymore. (Oh, and if anyone asks, my name is now Maitarou Taro, Mr. Maitarou Taro, and I live at the Sheraton Tokyo Bay… that was the only way I got it to work properly.) The app is still in Japanese, but it uses numbers and photos enough I can figure it out.



I do know the people who visit Tokyo Disney actually do understand FPs. Like when it was paper, they would run to the machines at park open. And the lines get crazy long! So I’m hoping the digital option will help with that stress. And I’ll have 7 total park days, so I’m not too worried about it all. If I need to, I’ll just wait in line.

I also know many of the best FPs run out very quickly. Soaring just opened and it runs out in 15 minutes! Toy Story Mania is another one that runs out very quickly. Luckily, I won’t be aiming for either of those since I have versions of them close by!

Rides
Oooh, I am excited about some of these! Even when there are rides that are the same as the US versions, I know the Tokyo ones are well maintained and in working order!

Unfortunately Journey to the Center of Earth was announced as being in refurb for my entire trip, so that’s one unique ride I won’t get to experience. Boo! But I’ve learned that I can’t plan Disney trips around ride closures, especially this far in advance. Guess I’ll just need to go back to Tokyo again!

Shows
I know Tokyo has some amazing shows! And they perform them every day. So like at Tokyo Disneyland, there will be a normal daytime parade, a seasonal daytime parade, and a nighttime parade! (I almost feel like I’ll need to just get a spot and camp out all day!)

Character Meets
I really don’t plan on doing any Character Meets here. Apparently, roaming characters are where the Japanese politeness ends and there can be a lot of pushing/shoving. Maybe, just maybe, if I see someone super rare (like the Rescuers, though I hear they don’t meet anymore) I could attempt to get a photo – I guess the characters choose who takes photos so if they see Westerners, they are more likely to notice them. But besides that, I probably won’t bother with any of the main characters. (On Mickey’s birthday the line to meet him was 11 hrs long – it was a sign up and get a return time, but even when you returned it was over an hour – that’s not worth it to me!)

Transport
I’m flying into Narita airport, which is about 60 km away from Disney (Haneda Airport is closer but no convenient flights). Normally people recommend taking the Airport Limo Bus which drops off at the hotels, but unfortunately the last one leaves Narita at 6pm and I don’t arrive until 8:15pm. Trains are available, but I will have my large suitcases with me, so that’s not going to happen! And Taxis are insanely expensive (about $200). Thankfully I did track down a shared shuttle service from the airport, so I have that booked (about $60).

When I’m at Disney, I’ll use the Monorail. It could be cheaper to get individual ride tickets, but 1-day or 2-day tickets have cute designs themed for the seasons, so I’ll probably “splurge” on those!


To Do
-Touring plans
-Cash
-Mobile Wifi
-Reserve Dining

 

[Dentam]

Japan is next on my list of places to visit and I will definitely plan to spend a few days at the parks at the end of that trip! Can't wait to read your report from this one, and how cool that you will catch the Halloween and Christmas festivities while you're there! Too bad about all the refurbs though. And I didn't realize the Disney hotels there were so expensive, yikes! Am I understanding right that you have to pay for the monorail? Also, that's odd that you can only park hop on the later days of a multi-day ticket.

 

[Dentam]

Not sure how I missed it at first, but I just saw your post about Hong Kong DL plans! That seems like a cool park and it will be nice to have the low crowds compared to SDL and TDL. The Halloween stuff looks really cool too! Any concerns about the recent political unrest and protests there?

 

[Lesley Wake]

Japan is next on my list of places to visit and I will definitely plan to spend a few days at the parks at the end of that trip! Can't wait to read your report from this one, and how cool that you will catch the Halloween and Christmas festivities while you're there! Too bad about all the refurbs though. And I didn't realize the Disney hotels there were so expensive, yikes! Am I understanding right that you have to pay for the monorail? Also, that's odd that you can only park hop on the later days of a multi-day ticket.

Yeah, you do have to pay for monorail! There’s some weird Japanese law about that (which is also why they don’t have a railroad with stops in the park). But at least it’s well maintained and cutely decorated!

I think no hopping will be fine-there’s so much to see in each park I will be fine!

Not sure how I missed it at first, but I just saw your post about Hong Kong DL plans! That seems like a cool park and it will be nice to have the low crowds compared to SDL and TDL. The Halloween stuff looks really cool too! Any concerns about the recent political unrest and protests there?

The protests have definitely caused a lot of uncertainty. I don’t plan on going into the city, which is where the worst of it is. There was a citywide strike recently which included some Disney CMs. So about half the park got closed down due to lack of workers. Also there have been sit-ins at the airport, but security tries to whisk international passengers away from that.

I’m still keeping up to date with it all. And definitely have some trepidation going there. Not so much for my personal safety, but more it feels guilty going to a place where I will be enjoying myself while people are fighting for their rights. If it comes down to it, I could need to reassess closer to the date.

 

[dolewhipdreams]

Hence, HalloXmas!

Such amazing timing! And so efficient to be able to see both in the same trip.

I certainly hope it’s not a once in a lifetime experience for me, and I’m already all booked, so I’ll just deal with it.

Sounds like a good excuse to make sure you go back

Maybe one day if I decide to totally splurge, but not this trip.

Right? The MiraCosta looks incredible but goodness gracious it's pricey.

and somehow got a discount from Priceline for renting a car, even though the car rental was in February, in Florida. Guess their system doesn’t seem to recognize those things! I’m not complaining though.

Ha that's awesome!

but I think I’m going to stick to Sheraton, because I contacted the hotel and they agreed to hold my larger suitcase for the week I’ll be travelling elsewhere!)

Super clever to ask about that. I'm sure that will make moving around so much easier.

Monday, Oct 28 – Tokyo Disneyland (2-day ticket)

Hey you'll be in TDL on my birthday!

By that time I should have seen/done everything I wanted, so I can focus on just Christmas entertainment.

Again- great planning.

because Tokyo Disney is legit food craziness!

This is one of the major reasons I can't WAIT to go. I'll be living vicariously through your food plans and photos.

Maitarou Taro, Mr. Maitarou Taro, and I live at the Sheraton Tokyo Bay

Soaring just opened and it runs out in 15 minutes! Toy Story Mania is another one that runs out very quickly. Luckily, I won’t be aiming for either of those since I have versions of them close by!

Daaang that's intense. Is their Soarin' exactly like the ones in the states?

Ah your plans are all coming together! I bet it's so exciting to be this close to the actual trip!

 

[Cloe Colton]

I didn't realize there was a Sheraton right there, my Dad actually gets a discount at the Marriott Bonvoy properties.., I may need to bump up my plan to visit Tokyo Disney sooner rather than later!

 

[Dentam]

Yeah, you do have to pay for monorail! There’s some weird Japanese law about that (which is also why they don’t have a railroad with stops in the park). But at least it’s well maintained and cutely decorated!

Interesting!

The protests have definitely caused a lot of uncertainty. I don’t plan on going into the city, which is where the worst of it is. There was a citywide strike recently which included some Disney CMs. So about half the park got closed down due to lack of workers. Also there have been sit-ins at the airport, but security tries to whisk international passengers away from that.

I just saw that all flights were cancelled today due to the strikes taking over the airport. Definitely something to keep a close eye on.

 

[Lesley Wake]

Such amazing timing! And so efficient to be able to see both in the same trip.

Yeah, Disney Tourist Blog did it the last 2 years and it just seemed like a great opportunity!

Sounds like a good excuse to make sure you go back

Definitely!

Right? The MiraCosta looks incredible but goodness gracious it's pricey.

I know! Way too much! One day though...

Super clever to ask about that. I'm sure that will make moving around so much easier.

Absolutely easier! I'll just be able to take my carry-on down to Kyoto and Tokyo with me, so I don't need to trudge my large suitcases everywhere!

Hey you'll be in TDL on my birthday!

Haha!

Daaang that's intense. Is their Soarin' exactly like the ones in the states?

Mostly. The video is mostly the same, but they do Tokyo instead of Paris, and end at DisneySea. But the queue is all supposed to be a medieval flight museum and the preshow is cool. I just don't think I want to fight those crowds!

I didn't realize there was a Sheraton right there, my Dad actually gets a discount at the Marriott Bonvoy properties.., I may need to bump up my plan to visit Tokyo Disney sooner rather than later!

Yeah, definitely! It's right across the street from the Monorail station too! And half the rooms have views of the theme parks (the other have views of the ocean).

I just saw that all flights were cancelled today due to the strikes taking over the airport. Definitely something to keep a close eye on.

Yeah, I'l keeping an eye on it! It is worrisome. I still have over 2 months, and I think after the airport shutdown happened and got them even more worldwide press, the police are going to be even stricter and trying to shut it all down.

 

[Lesley Wake]

Update 8/13 - Tokyo Disney food!

Like I mentioned - so much yumminess! I also really like that they focus more on snacking than on full meals, which works for my eating habits.

The majority of my food will be snacks or quick service. I do want to eat at Magellans, which is their most well-known restaurant. I think I won't have time for anyplace else. Especially once you see my to-eat list below!

For Halloween foods, they already released menus:

• Popcorn soda w/donut – interesting concept…
• Beef carbone – purple mashed potatoes, shredded beef rib, cheese sauce – I’m actually really looking forward to trying this! They had it last year and it was supposed to be delicious!
• Critter Sundae – pumpkin and milk ice cream, with cinnamon-flavored mickey churros, pumpkin seeds, chocolate crunch, corn flakes (?), purple sauce – another yummy looking thing
• Long Nang – naan bread roll stuffed with curry – I’m not the biggest into curry, but I’m interested in the purple bread and I’ll see how spicy it is!
• Pumpkin/chocolate swirled ice cream – There also is milk/pumpkin, but I’ll get that as part of the sundae
• Jack Skellington meal – bacon and vegetable cream soup with red swirl that looks like Jack’s bow tie, cheese hamburger with demiglas sauce, pumpkin mousse cake

• Crispy Scallop cream sandwich – Pumpkin bao bun looks good!
• Cheese & Shrimp cutlet sandwich – Another pretty sandwich.
• Jack Skellington sandwich with potato salad and beef tomato filling - if anything, I may not get this as the potato salad looks pretty heavy and I’m not a fan.
• Orange Jelly and vanilla mousse in souvenir cup – I love all the souvenir cups/plates they do!
• Assorted Sweets – Baumkuchen, strawberry cheese cake bite, purple potato cream rice cake – Definitely excited about this one. Baumkuchen is like tree-ring circular Japanese cakes.
• Tipotorta – soft pastry filled with purple potato cream

• Maple Pumpkin Churro – pumpkin churro w/maple and pumpkin flavored sugar
• Pumpkin cake with souvenir plate – another souvenir plate to collect!
• “special man” (could be a translation error) – chicken and vegetable roll, ghost dressed as a mummy – very Kawaii!
• Ukiwaman – teriyaki chicken flavored. Previous years this has been spicy chicken/shrimp flavored, so I’m happy it was switched to teriyaki chicken
• Black curry hamburger with pumpkin and cheese – another one I may not end up getting, but it looks interesting!
• Horizon Bay meal – purple potato cream soup, grilled beef with gravy, chocolate cake with mint whipped frosting – look at the cute witch’s hat!

• Purple sandwich – purple potato roll with ham and pumpkin salad – interesting…
• Sparkling cocktail (wine & fruit)
• Whiskey & orange cocktail
• Cape Cod Cook-off burger – meet sauce and cheese hamburger. I may not bother with this because I’ve heard the burgers aren’t the best.
• Milk chocolate mousse with vanilla pudding with a souvenir cup – part of Duffy’s Delightful Autumn Woods fall collection which is ADORABLE!
• Purple potato montblanc with a souvenir plate – another ADORABLE offering!

And then their regular food offerings (some of these aren't available when they are selling Halloween things, so I need to make sure they will still be available when selling Christmas foods):

• Mickey ice cream - chocolate cone for the win!
• Waffles - they have a whole shop that only sells waffles!
• Pastries - of course Mickey heads!
• Rice Bread shaped like a bone
• Churros - they are mickey head shapped!

• Mickey Glove shaped bao sandwich - they have a couple different versions of this with pork or chicken. I want to try at least one!
• Waffle sandwich - yum!
• Rice ball sandwich - interesting!
• Donald butt burger - you can't tell, but the bun looks like Donald's feet
• Porcelain roll - rice wrapped in bacon, interesting!
• Queen of Hearts deserts - again with the souvenir cups!

• Chocolate Tipotorta - yum!
• Regular Naan bread w/meat sauce
• Donald burger
• Mickey pizza (with corn?!?)
• Another bun bao!

• Sausage on a bone?!?
• Little Green Alien Mochi with cream fillings - I'll probably get these a bunch of times!
• Chicken and cheese calzone
• Chicken/rice spring roll
• Spaghetti pizza - um, ok! carb on carb!

• Donald bun with life preserver! (shrimp filled)
• Another type of pastry
• Sushi with tempura shrimp
• Chandu bun (I wish it was still a tail, but bun will have to do!
• Gyoza dog - yum!
• Potato churro - um, what?

They haven't released full Christmas menus yet, but did have a press release with these items:

• Creamy seafood served in a bread bowl with cheese
• Hot dog with white cheese and red bun
• Meals based on Beauty and the Beast

Soooo excited!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Can you get two of everything and ship some back? It all looks so fun! I have seen the Green Alien Mochi before and I wish they had them here.

 

[Lesley Wake]

Can you get two of everything and ship some back? It all looks so fun! I have seen the Green Alien Mochi before and I wish they had them here.

I can probably get keychains of things! Though that's almost worse since you can look, just not eat!