Disney Halloween Trip, Day 5

Today was a planned ‘down’ day. We wanted to hit the outlet malls, and relax a bit before an evening out at Mickey’s Backyard BBQ. We had breakfast at our resort, and then had Bell Services call us a taxi. The cabs are close by, and one pulled up in minutes. We paid $15.95 one way to travel from Port Orleans French Quarter to the Orlando Premium Outlet mall. This mall is located near Sea World along International Blvd, so you can expect to pay the same if you want to travel to this park.

We had also taken our car seat along with us from Newfoundland, so we brought it with us to the mall. We were able to rent a large locker at the mall for $8/day to store our car seat while we shopped (smaller lockers are available for $6/day). Considering that it can cost upwards of $12/day for a car seat rental through a taxi company, we felt this was money well spent (and we knew we could trust our own car seat!).

There is a great selection of stores here including Nike, Tommy Hilfiger, Gymboree, Nine West…you name it! There is a coupon book available for purchase for $5 and a free magazine that also has coupons for the stores (the Tommy Hilfiger coupon in the free magazine gives you the better deal!).

We went back to our hotel for a late lunch and relaxed a bit. Then by 4:30 we left for our evening out. Mickey’s Backyard BBQ is held in the Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground; this resort is accessible via the bus system, or take the bus to Magic Kingdom and catch the water taxi shuttle to Fort Wilderness. We love this event because it gives us a chance to enjoy dinner and relax, while the characters interact with the kids all night. It officially starts at 6:30, but they allow guests to greet the characters at 5:30 so get there early.

We were one of the first in line, and got to meet Chip, Dale & Goofy and get their autographs. After meeting Chip & Dale last year, Casey bought the stuffed animals of them. She brought them back with her this year and when Chip & Dale saw them, they took one from her and played around with it; teasing each other that Chip had Dale and so on. She had a great time watching and laughing at them. Goofy was standing by on his own, and then we heard a loud tapping noise. He was tapping his foot and looking annoyed that we had no Goofy! It was funny. I gave him a big hug anyway :)

We were one of the first families to enter the pavilion for the meal and got a seat right near the stage. This was perfect as we could stay seated and watch Casey play and dance with the characters. Of course we couldn’t help get up and dance too sometimes! It is a great night for everyone.