Halloween in the Wilderness 2015 Trip Report Index! (And here is the Pre-Trip Report!)



Day 17 - Dreams Come True
Magic Kingdom | Tony’s Town Square (TS Lunch) | Travel Home Day – MCO – LGW
November 8th, 2015


After making final checks around our room to make sure that there wasn’t anything left behind. The last day of a holiday is always tinged with sadness – I’m not going to lie, I cried! But all good things come to an end, including awesome holidays to Walt Disney World. We loved staying at Wilderness Lodge, it was such a homely resort, and we hope to come back here one day.

When you stay at a Disney resort, you can enjoy your final day before you have to fly/travel home without having to worry about your luggage. Everything can be safely left with Bell Services, and you just pick it up when you need to. This is a free service, but we always tip, usually a dollar per item. So we left our suitcases, and headed over to Magic Kingdom for a few final hours of Disney Magic, and lunch at Tony’s Town Square Restaurant.

When I originally booked this holiday, I had hoped we would be able to catch both Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. Sadly, my calculations were off by one day, and the latter was not meant to be. However, Christmas decorations had appeared at Magic Kingdom, and it was so cool to see the park decked out for the season. We have only ever seen it “bare” and for Halloween on past vacations, so this was a lovely treat.


The tree is the biggest change you’ll notice as soon as you walk into the park. It obscures the view of Cinderella Castle though – boo! The tree was decorated with popcorn garlands, brightly coloured ornaments, candy canes, candles, and gingerbread men (and horses, boots, and trees!) it was a cute tree, but I actually preferred the tree that was up at Disneyland Park in Paris (which we visited on Christmas Day of 2015!) There was a Disney PhotoPass Photographer, but there was a longish line, and we didn’t have time to waste on this final day. Whilst it was awesome to see all the decorations, I’d rather have the whole Christmas time experience, and not a few hours.

Other Christmas decor were garlands, wreaths, smaller Christmas trees, poinsettias, toy soldiers, giant candy canes, silver bells, and of course, Mickey shaped decorations! The area next to City Hall had turned into the Candy Cane Garden, where you can have a photo taken with a character – I’m sure there was a Disney Princess there on this visit, but my understanding is that you can also meet Santa Claus here too.


Christmas merchandise had already been appearing in the stores, but this was the first time we’d seen the Emporium decked out for Christmas time. They have great Halloween merch displays, so Christmas was no different. I can’t remember now if we actually bought anything, or if we had done all our Christmas merch buying previously.

What I do know though, is that we spent the remaining meal credits (you can use 1 meal credit for 3 snacks) and snack credits from our Deluxe Disney Dining Plan on lots and lots and lots of snacks – mainly character cookies and rice krispie treats! I don’t have any photos of them I’m afraid – I brought them home, and then started dishing them out to family and friends! However, I have got an older photo which I’ve included below. We didn’t buy the giant Mickey Mouse treat – not available as a snack credit!

Tony's Town Sqaure Restaurant

We had an early lunch reservation booked at Tony’s Town Square Restaurant. I don’t think we’ve ever noticed this place on any of our previous trips, and we really enjoyed our meal here. The theme here is from the movie, Lady and The Tramp, and the food is Italian-American. There are three seating areas – one inside with booths and dark wood fixtures and fittings – plus lots of artwork on the walls; one inside a conservatory which is bright and airy; and finally there is room outside on the terrace as well. We sat in the conservatory area by a window, where you get a good view of the town square. If you get your timings right, and can sit outside on the terrace, this is a good spot for parade watching too.


When it comes to the Deluxe Disney Dining Plan at a table service restaurant you are entitled to one appetizer, one entrée, one dessert and one non-alcoholic beverage per person (usually refillable) for one credit per person.

From experience, we always get a bread service at a Signature Restaurant, but I don’t think we’ve ever had bread at a regular Disney restaurant. Until now – we were given some slices of focaccia with a herb oil to dunk into. A nice freebie if you’re feeling a bit peckish!

Tony’s Town Square Restaurant is somewhere that we would visit again (in fact, we have on our 2016 trip!). Service was good, and the food was tasty and nicely presented. It feels like a no fuss, no frills restaurant with a homely feel to it. I liked that there were different areas to sit, I’m sure you could probably request when you check-in for your reservation, but might have to wait if it is busy. I also loved the Lady and The Tramp themeing – it’s such a classic Disney film!


Appetizers…

Me: Heirloom Tomato and Mozzarella Salad – Heirloom Tomatoes, fresh Mozzarella, Basil, and a Balsamic Dressing ($9.49)

Him: Zucchini Fries – Breaded seasoned Zucchini with creamy Sun-dried Tomato Dressing for dipping ($8.49)

The Boy: Pasta Fagioli – Traditional meatless Italian soup with Pasta and Beans ($6.49)

My started was delicious. I really liked that there were three different coloured tomatoes on the plate. I was surprised with Liam’s choice for starter – the only soup I have known him to eat is my chicken soup! But he told me he had, had this dish at an Italian restaurant with his dad and enjoyed it. It was a hearty soup, and full of flavour. Steve’s app was tasty. The dipping sauce was nice for dunking the crunchy zucchini fries.


Entrées…

Me: Cannelloni – filled with a mixture of Ground Beef and Sausage, Mozzarella, and Ricotta served with Marinara and Crème Sauce ($17.99)

Him: Joe’s Artisanal Pizza – Italian Sausage, Pepperoni, Roasted Peppers, Caramelized Onions, and garnished with fresh Basil ($17.99)

The Boy: Chicken Parmigiana – Lightly-breaded Chicken Breast with Marinara Sauce topped with Melted Mozzarella over Spaghetti ($21.99)

Once we received our dishes, our server offered grated cheese if we’d like, and with a deft hand, was using the grating contraption to shred some over the top of mine and Liam’s pasta. I really enjoyed the cannelloni – it was very filling. Both Steve and Liam enjoyed their main dishes – the chicken parm was a huge portion! The pizza was presented on a wooden board, which we thought was a nice touch.


Unfortunately, I don’t remember exactly what I had for dessert as it was a seasonal chef’s special. I am pretty sure it had something to do with pumpkins though, given the time of year that we were there! Steve opted for the lighter dessert with sorbet – I’m guessing it was raspberry flavour. Liam didn’t fancy a dessert, but we ordered a tiramisu, which came presented, rather cutely I think, in a coffee cup.

Desserts…

Me: Chef’s Selection – ($5.99)

Him: Seasonal Sorbet – with fruit ($5.49)

The Boy: Tiramisu – Espresso-soaked Lady Fingers, Whipped Mascarpone, and Dark Chocolate Shavings ($6.99)

We didn’t have long before we would have to leave for the airport, so we made sure to watch Dream Along With Mickey (twice!) It’s been my favourite show at Magic Kingdom since our first visit in 2011 – but it’s now finished. I was so upset when I found out they were cancelling this show. I’m just glad i got to see it several times on this trip.


We also spent some time in Fantasyland, as this is part of the park we’ve not really explored before. The line for Seven Dwarfs Mine Train was way too long, but it looks like a fun ride. One for another trip! We bought a final snack each from Big Top Treats in Storybook Circus, and managed a quick ride on Haunted Mansion as I had booked a FastPass+ time slot.


I figure because we don’t have young children, this is the reason we’ve not been in this area before. It felt nice to be at Walt Disney World for our 4th trip, and still finding new things! In the circus themed area of Storybook Circus is a souvenir store called Big Top Souvenirs. Inside that store, in the centre is Big Top Treats – a circular counter with lots and lots of Disney Snacks! We had saved some snack credits from our earlier purchases of cookies and stuff, and bought a Disney Snack each, and a couple of drinks to use them up

We bought an Olaf Cake Pop, a chocolate covered Mickey Marshmallow Wand, and a Gingerbread Mickey. If it hadn’t been our last day, I think we’d have popped back here to get some more sweet treats!


Since there isn’t too much more to tell, here are some more photos from this day. By the time we had got to the airport, I’d given up on taking photos. I’d managed to get myself into quite the anxiety attack, and just wanted to get home. Unfortunately, the flight home was not the most pleasant. We had a lot of turbulence due to a jet stream (or so were informed, by the pilot) and so the seat belt sign was on for pretty much the whole flight, and we barely managed to catch an ounce of sleep. Once home in the UK, my dad took a wrong turning somewhere, and that extended our drive home by about an hour… I have never been more pleased to see my bed in all my life!


I hope you’ve enjoyed reading along on this trip – my next one - WDW-40, 2016 will be started soon. Until then… see ya real soon!


Read about the day before:
Day 16 - On Safari:
Tusker House (Character Breakfast) | Animal Kingdom | Narcoossee’s (Signature Dining)

Read about the day after:
It's over for another year...Read ALL the days!

I always love to read your reports!
Thank you for taking the time to finish them.

Wow lovely photos of the parade! Your lunch looks good too. I love lady and the tramp. 💜

Last days are so sad...but yummy treats make it a bit more bearable! I have really enjoyed reading your report and I look forward to the next one. 😊

I didn't like to leave the trip report hanging here, as it's where I started my trip report writing back in 2011!


We enjoyed it at Tony's, went back for lunch in 2016!


They really are - I proper cry when we have to go!

Tony's Town Square gets a hard time but we really enjoyed our meal there too. I particularly enjoyed the Tiramisu!

Lovely last day! We never do anything on the final morning because I'm always paranoid about going to the airport but I love the idea of a last supper (or sorts!) in MK before heading to the airport.

Thanks for finishing this, I always really enjoy your reports and your gorgeous photos! Looking forward to hearing about 2016.

I agree - so many moans about it, saying it is subpar Italian food... we have always enjoyed it!

I know what you mean. Last days are weird - you don't want to leave, but you also want to get home. Being able to leave luggage with bell services takes away some of the stress on that last day. Loved when we flew Virgin the first time and could drop bags at Downtown Disney as it was back then!

Ooh great photos - thinking of Tony's this year - food looked good.

Another excellent report, well done I know it can be a time consuming task! Amazing photos throughout. Looking forward to reading along with your DVC adventures.