NateNLogansDad + party of 25 + AKL + MNSSHP = a few thousand pictures (Bonus Video!!)

[NateNLogansDad]

So, welcome to my latest installment of life in the world of fantasy. A life where we go to escape the normal hustle and bustle of work and the stresses we all go through in our day to day life. Ladies and gentlemen if you have escaped your normal reality with me before in our previous trip reports, I hope you know that you are welcome with open arms and of coarse, the popcorn is always complimentary. If this is your first time joining in, please know that this is a very hard place to leave and there have been tears in the past when we have gone our different ways in the very end. Either way, thank you for coming aboard. Please sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride down memory lane...a ride full of pictures, smiles, laughs, and of coarse fireworks.


For those of you who have not virtually met the family, here we are from a previous trip........


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That's me (Rob,) probably the most wonderful caring and understanding wife in the world (Tina,) and 2 of the craziest, pull your hair out and hug them at the same time kids (Nathan and Logan.)

This time, we expanded out a little. This trip was with 4 other families on my mother on law's side. I'll introduce them later on in the report, but here's a visual of what we all look like.......

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Untitled-1.jpg


Yea, I know.


So, there's our introduction. For now, it's more of a place mark on the Disboards. I hope you speak up if you're joining in. The last TR was a lot of fun and I hope this one will come close.

Please note, I take pictures....LOTS of pictures. I hope this will help you either plan out your next trip, remember your last, or just make your day a little bit better. If you are going for the first time, I hope I don't spoil any surprises for you and will let you know if you should skip ahead.

So, who's ready for a bombardment of pictures?

[heaven2dc]

I'm in! This should be an awesome report :banana:

[Susan121302]

YAY! Subscribing to this one...... http://www.wdwinfo.com/images/smilies/cheer2.gif

[NateNLogansDad]

So, our trip starts out on Friday October 21st but really I want to back it up a day just to relive for a minute the experience that I think everybody goes through the night before. We packed everything up early that day and I went off to work. Tina took the night off so she can mend any loose ends that we may have overlooked and I told her that I'd try to come home a few hrs early since we really weren't that busy and our flight was scheduled for 6:30 AM. I really wish I could have said everything went as smooth as possible, but that's just never happened to me. Instead of getting home around 5, I walked in the door around 11:30 that night. Yep, that's how we're going to start it! I had to go for a 550 mile car ride a few hrs before the trip, yay. Who cares you might ask? Well, after all that driving you'd think I'd be exhausted but it was just almost impossible to sleep. I wanted to walk out of the front door and just run to the airport! I dozed off with a big smile AND woke up with the same one. WE WERE GOING TO DISNEY WORLD!!!!!

At 4:45am our ride came. Tina's mom was taking me, Tina, Nate, Logan and Tina's 2 bothers to the airport. You see, the trip was only supposed to be a Sunday-Thursday trip but that's just not how we roll. The 6 of us were getting a 2 day head start! HECK YEA!

We arrived at the airport just after 5 (we live close) and it was mobbed. Like, Thanksgiving Travel kind of mobbed! I tried to take a picture of the chaos going on but my sleep deprivation had led me to leave my camera's focus set to manual so those went in the trash. There was just no way were we making this flight, the lines were insane.

I heard a security guard tell a young couple that the line she was guarding was for parents with small children and it was like the angles started singing from heaven! I quietly yelled for Tina and her brothers to grab all the carry on’s and follow me. We went almost to the front of the line and through security in a few minutes. By the time we got to our gate we had about 15 minutes to grab breakfast at McDonalds and take it onto the plane.

Once we hit the tarmac, not even the spilled orange juice would bring me down. We were finally on our way!
From the plane…..

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I hope Tina’s not reading along….
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Just 2 ½ hrs after finding our seats we found ourselves walking into Orlando airport and enjoying our first ride of the trip!!!


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Am I the only one who actually likes riding the Magical Express to the hotel???

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We were the third stop which wasn’t too bad, but the weirdest thing happened when we got off the bus. There was a gentleman that came out to great us and knew our party by name. I was kind of floored but it brought a smile to my face and at that moment, I felt like we were back home. I was a little surprised that the lobby was so busy. It wasn’t quite noon and check-in wasn’t supposed to be until 4. Our room was ready but not near the rest of our group coming down on Sunday. She offered to set us up another room and would text me when it was ready. Sounds good to me! We dropped off our carry on luggage to the bell services desk and went to check out the Savanna for a minute while we came up with a game plan.


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Our “light” breakfast only lasted so long being as tired as we were so everybody was looking for a place to go get some lunch. I know most people need to run right over to the Magic Kingdom as soon as they get down there to see the castle, but for me my favorite place is always going to be…….

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And of coarse my argument was going to be that they have the largest variety of food with the Food & Wine Fest going on!

So….. off we went.


And off I go for now. Stay tuned, I’m hoping to have another update in just a little bit!

[NateNLogansDad]

I'm in! This should be an awesome report :banana:

Thank you but I hope your expectations aren't too high! I'm just a simple truck driver with a new camera :rotfl2:

YAY! Subscribing to this one...... :cheer2:

Welcome aboard!!! Did you finally do what we talked about???? ;)

[Susan121302]

Thank you but I hope your expectations aren't too high! I'm just a simple truck driver with a new camera :rotfl2:



Welcome aboard!!! Did you finally do what we talked about???? ;)

I did I did I did!!!! I am beyond excited. booked the villa's for 9/8-9/15 and now I think i am going to try and fly down on the 7th and maybe get a regular BC room for the one night. I can't thank you enough for the help and suggestion.

[NateNLogansDad]

I did I did I did!!!! I am beyond excited. booked the villa's for 9/8-9/15 and now I think i am going to try and fly down on the 7th and maybe get a regular BC room for the one night. I can't thank you enough for the help and suggestion.

My pleasure!!!! I hope your son isn't reading the Dis! Don't want to ruin the surprise!!!!


I have another update :banana:

be back in a few!

[NateNLogansDad]

So, we’re back already!!! :banana:

When I left you last, some of you may have asked yourselves “EPCOT? Really? “ Yes, EPCOT! Epcot is by far my favorite park as an adult. My kids love it too, but I’m sure if they only had one park to do every day it would be the Magic Kingdom. :thumbsup2

Anyways, back to the story. Remember, it was us 4 and Tina’s 2 bothers Brian and Sean and we were just a wee bit excited as you can see here at the bottom…..

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First order of business was to grab some fastpasses for….

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Brian has never been to EPCOT and Sean isn’t sure if he actually came here or not a few years ago with a friend of his, so Soarin’ was a definite must-do for today to get this trip started off on the right foot.:thumbsup2

Fastpasses achieved, we set out to find some grub. Now, we are in Epcot with the Food and Wine Fest going on….food from all over the world!!! Where do you think everybody wanted to go?

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I still shake my head. :sad2:

I will say this though, pulled pork on a cheeseburger is pretty darn good. We even had some gentleman march through playing the fief and drums. Sorry, I was cleaning up a spilled iced tea and couldn’t get my camera out of the bag fast enough for a shot. *sigh*

Bellies full and kids ready to do some stuff, we headed out to the one thing in the World Showcase that the kids would ride all day if they could. It’s in a little place called MEXICO!

“What!?!?” you ask? A ride in Mexico? Yeppers! Think It’s a Small World meets Donald Duck and heads south of the border.

Sean in Mexico….
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Brian….
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During the 3 Caballero’s (Technically called the Grand Fiesta Tour)
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[NateNLogansDad]

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LOVE THAT RIDE!!!!!

So, that might give you some kind of clue on my pictures. I will take the regular pictures that everybody likes to take but I will have things thrown in that focus (hopefully) on the little things that some may overlook. I LOVE the details that the imaginers get into on everything they do (usually.) Of coarse, if you are joining in from a previous trip report, you know I say it all the time….Disney is in the Details!

So, after our little boat ride searching for Donald, we walked around Mexico and checked out the merchandise….

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I have no idea how long we were actually in there, but when we came out I totally forgot that the sun was shinning! Mexico really isn’t all that big but it’s so easy to immerse yourself in it and really believe it’s a romantic candlelit little city you’re in!

So, after felling a little bit more of a world traveler, we headed out to do something that would be easier to do before the rest of the group came down. For the EPCOT veterans, you know what’s coming up next. Everybody else…..well, lets just say we may have pulled a mean little trick on Brian and Sean…..

Stay tuned!

[heaven2dc]

Hmm...I wonder what the "mean trick" will be? ;)

Love your pics! Doesn't Mexico have the strangest yet interesting sculptures? Epcot is always my first park to go to when I visit - our last visit in 2010 was my youngest 2 sons' first visit and I introduced them to WDW by going to Epcot first. They were blown away first by my choice of resort (BWV with boardwalk view) plus Epcot - they are definitely now hooked! and you scored Soarin' fastpasses - way to go :thumbsup2

[NateNLogansDad]

Hmm...I wonder what the "mean trick" will be? ;)

Love your pics! Doesn't Mexico have the strangest yet interesting sculptures? Epcot is always my first park to go to when I visit - our last visit in 2010 was my youngest 2 sons' first visit and I introduced them to WDW by going to Epcot first. They were blown away first by my choice of resort (BWV with boardwalk view) plus Epcot - they are definitely now hooked! and you scored Soarin' fastpasses - way to go :thumbsup2

I love Mexico. I wish I could take my camera and tripod in there for a few hrs! There is so much potential in there for some great and crazy pictures:thumbsup2

The Boardwalk looks so nice and that view has to be awesome in itself but our hearts are always at the Beach Club. One of my favorite things to do is stare at the Boardwalk from across the lake :thumbsup2 It's going to be a little while until our next trip, but I think we need to save up and do it right next time. AKL was a beautiful place, but you can not beat the location of the EPCOT hotels!!!!

Thanks for the compliment on the pics :hug: Our mean trick will be coming up soon :laughing: and yes, it is photo-documented :rotfl2:

[TinkerbellinNY6]

I am following along! I enjoyed your last TR and can't wait to read this one! I just returned from WDW on 12/20 and these pictures are making me miss it even more but luckily I have a trip planned for August:goodvibes

[reelmom]

I'm here. I read your other TR and can't wait to see all your pictures from this trip.

[NateNLogansDad]

I am following along! I enjoyed your last TR and can't wait to read this one! I just returned from WDW on 12/20 and these pictures are making me miss it even more but luckily I have a trip planned for August:goodvibes

So glad to have you along for this one too! How were the crowd levels last week? I so wish we had another trip planned :sad1: This is the first trip in 3 yrs or so that we didn't have another trip planned as soon as we came home. So far, it looks like we may be skipping Disney next year for something new....I'm not saying there's no way....just that right now we don't have anything planned :lmao:

[NateNLogansDad]

I'm here. I read your other TR and can't wait to see all your pictures from this trip.

Thank you!

Hopefully the pics will be a little bit better with the new camera, but we'll have to wait and see ;)

[GAGirlInVA]

Is the mean trick, Beverly!?!

Love your trip report so far! (And we LOVE the Magical Express too!)

[hjd0411]

Loving the pics so far! Looking forward to reading along with you! :surfweb:

[cajunbaby1]

Great pictures!! What kind of camera did you use? I dont have a digital camera and am looking to get one for my May trip. Keep them coming. :thumbsup2

[xoprincessmomxo]

Awesome pictures! We are tentativley planning a trip for 12 sometime in the next year. Can't imagine going on a trip of 25! Awesomely chaotic? Or seriously stressful?

Can't wait for more pictures! :thumbsup2

[NateNLogansDad]

Is the mean trick, Beverly!?!

Love your trip report so far! (And we LOVE the Magical Express too!)

What would a trip with newbies be without introducing them to Beverly? :rotfl2:

Loving the pics so far! Looking forward to reading along with you! :surfweb:
Thanks and welcome. I'm just waking up but might have an update today.
Great pictures!! What kind of camera did you use? I dont have a digital camera and am looking to get one for my May trip. Keep them coming. :thumbsup2

I use the Nikon D5100 as my primary and love it but that may be overkill for a first digital camera. I would definitely stay with a brand you recognize and go with a decent OPTICAL zoom (ignore the digital zoom part...that degrades the pictures when you use it.) What style are you thinking about?

Awesome pictures! We are tentativley planning a trip for 12 sometime in the next year. Can't imagine going on a trip of 25! Awesomely chaotic? Or seriously stressful?

Can't wait for more pictures! :thumbsup2

I think 12 is do-able, not necessarily a walk in the park (no pun intended) but do-able. Have a plan and be open to change it for meltdown days. It'll be as fun as everybody wants it to be :thumbsup2

[TinkerbellinNY6]

So glad to have you along for this one too! How were the crowd levels last week? I so wish we had another trip planned :sad1: This is the first trip in 3 yrs or so that we didn't have another trip planned as soon as we came home. So far, it looks like we may be skipping Disney next year for something new....I'm not saying there's no way....just that right now we don't have anything planned :lmao:

The crowds weren't that bad but then again we have been there during Christmas and New Years so crowds dont really bother us. But as we did get closer to our departure day it got busier. We normally do not have another trip planned so I usually feel those Disney Blues but this time we have another planned:banana:

[NateNLogansDad]

So, when we left off Tina, the boys and I were with Tina’s 2 brothers over at Mexico and about to go play a little joke. So, we headed out in the direction of Future World…..


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I was really diggen this setup with the cranberry harvesters….
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So yea, as you may have guessed, we ended up here….
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Club Cool! If you’ve never been to Club Cool before, it’s a nifty little spot near the Fountain of Nations where you can sample different flavors of Coke from around the world. For the most part, they really aren’t bad (even without rum) BUT there is one flavor that most people just don’t care for…..the Beverly!
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Yes, this is a real drink and Yes, many people have the same reaction. Did we warn Sean or Brian?

Well, I thought Tina did and she assumed I did. Yea, that’s it. There was a miscommunication and somehow Sean never got the message.
Yup, that’s what’ I’m sticking with.

Oh, and I stood off to the side with camera in hand to document it :rotfl2:….

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Notice Tina off to the side trying not to look to shady?
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Now, Brian witnessed exactly what went down from start to finish with Sean. He knew it wasn’t going to be the best tasting but still kept an open mind about trying it……

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Beverly. She’ll getcha!

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[NateNLogansDad]

So, we hung out in there for a little while longer and witnessed the exact same thing several more times by other families that came in. Apparently they had also dropped the ball on communicating the fact that the Beverly tasted like expired cough medicine! I think there was even one or two people that did it on purpose! Can you believe that??? Crazy huh? I’m told it’s not right to take pictures of other people trying the Beverly and than posting them online, so here’s my boys trying the other flavors.

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I know, I know….not as funny but I should be considerate of other people’s privacy. Right?

Anywho, after a few good laughs we left there and took Sean and Brian out to show them around a little.

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Everybody always says how EPCOT really doesn’t have that much going on so I wanted to try to prove them wrong…..And since they both love thrill rides, I figured why not mess with their minds a little and take them here……

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MISSION SPACE!!!
Yea, we could have gone on the green side to get an idea of what the ride is really like but where is the fun in that? Orange Please! Full throttle all the way!

Disclaimer, if you have heart problems or motion sickness DO NOT GO ON THE ORANGE SIDE! Yes, it is that intense! I swear they bumped it up since last year!

Tina went on here once with me before and that was enough so she stayed out with the kids. The 3 of us went in and had no line whatsoever!

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Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a fan of standing in a line, but when a ride is walk-on, I have almost no time to get some really good pictures! Oh well, so many little details missed!

[NateNLogansDad]

Right away we were placed into our briefing room…..

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And a few minutes later we were ready for launch!

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I’m not saying our mission went flawlessly, but we were able to make a lunar assist and land on mars. Not bad for a couple of numbskulls from Philly!

For whatever reason, after we landed and departed our rocket ship, there were signs for this…
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day1/DSC_8817.jpg

Probably would have made sense to have advanced training BEFORE we left our atmosphere, but who am I to judge.

After leaving our mother ship behind, we entered into a room dedicated to help you remember such an ordeal and had a special friend there to great us…..
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day1/DSC_8832.jpg

Looking up I noticed something. In the charts. Tilt your head slightly to the left….we are not alone!!!
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A few minutes later we were reunited with Tina and the boys and they acted as though we had never left. *sigh* Oh well.

After exploring space I figured we’d head to a whole different form of exploration….UNDER THE SEA!!!

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This is another MUST DO for us and the kids. I was enjoying myself so much I even took a self portrait to share with my fellow Dis’ers in case you forgot what I looked like….
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day1/DSC_8857.jpg

No, I’m not a professional model but thanks for asking.

On our MUST DO ride, I have a MUST DO picture…..
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day1/DSC_8868.jpg

I don’t know why, but I ALWAYS take that picture thinking I’ll get a better one than last time but I never really do. There’s just NEVER any line when we go so we always walk right past it. Oh well.
Here’s the boys practicing their underwater breathing….
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day1/DSC_8887.jpg

And Sean looking forward to a ride that he’s never been on
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day1/DSC_8903.jpg

And Sean still looking forward to a ride that he’s never been on
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day1/DSC_8904.jpg

[NateNLogansDad]

This next section of pictures is for those of you who love the ride. If you’ve never experienced it, skip the pictures and go ride it without any preconceived ideas. The pictures just don’t do it any justice!

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I can never get a decent shot of this little starfish! Why can’t the ride ever break down while I’m right here??
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O.K. I’ll admit it, as much as I enjoy our little ride in the clam mobile’s, I was surprised that Brian and Sean did also. I think they still had the idea that Disney World is just the castle and It’s A Small World. I think slowly they were starting to see just how creative the imagineers can be.

[NateNLogansDad]

After our little ride under the see, we decided to go check out the aquariums and just make sure Nemo was doing O.K.

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NEMO!!!
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Now that we knew Nemo was safe and secure, we checked out some of the merchandise at the gift shop near the exit. Is there ANY rides that don’t have a gift shop at the end???
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day1/DSC_9078.jpg
Guess not.

Another off topic question, how many fingerprints do you think they wipe off of the fish tanks every day? Everybody points at everything in there!

If you’ve never been inside the aquarium area, you really need to go see it! It’s not just another room with some fish tanks, it’s definitely been taken up a notch. Walt would be proud I think.

[NateNLogansDad]

Moving on.

As we left out of “The Sea’s” I received a text and a phone call that our room was now ready!!! I was so excited to show off a WDW deluxe room to Brian and Sean but I had also made a promise to Logan that we would hit his favorite ride sometime today. A ride that I’ve learned to be a pain in the butt (and at the same time fun) to take pictures on. A staple if you will.


http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day1/DSC_9079.jpg

Any guesses? Need a hint??? How about….

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day1/DSC_9094.jpg

Believe it or not, we had been on several trip and never actually stepped foot in the “big ball” but ever since the first ride, Logan has been hooked! So away we went to keep a promise……

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[NateNLogansDad]

continued.......


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Tina laughs and says this looks like some sort of 80’s photography thing…..
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day1/DSC_9245.jpg
I don’t care, I still like it!

Logan picked our future living and loved every bit of it!

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When you step off the ride you are shown a huge globe that maps out where everybody that rode Spaceship Earth is from that day along with your picture….
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day1/DSC_9272.jpg
I love how there’s so many people from our area all the time!

After our Spaceship Earth adventure, we stepped back into the sunlight and headed out to go find our new home for the next week!

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And this is where I will leave you for now! I hope I haven’t worn you out yet with too many pictures…we haven’t even gotten the first day yet!

Stick around, put your feet up, and have some popcorn!


See ya real soon!

[hjd0411]

I'm loving it Rob..!!! Hey - what lens did you use in Spaceship Earth? Just curious - I'm guessing a 50mm or 30mm. I've got a 30mm to play with when I go in October, so I'm interested in what you used! Many thanks.
Will wait patiently for your next instalment.
By the way - your boys look too cute! :)

[NateNLogansDad]

I'm loving it Rob..!!! Hey - what lens did you use in Spaceship Earth? Just curious - I'm guessing a 50mm or 30mm. I've got a 30mm to play with when I go in October, so I'm interested in what you used! Many thanks.
Will wait patiently for your next instalment.
By the way - your boys look too cute! :)

Those little hams? They love getting their pictures taken! It's hard to get a picture of them not smiling!

Right on the money! It was a Nikon 50mm 1.8. I just got the 35mm 1.8 for Christmas and am like :cool1: As much as I do like the 50mm the 35 will be nice for those shots where the kids are sitting in the next seat over and I want to capture their expressions. I can't wait to go out and play with it!

Who makes your 30mm? What's the aperture go down (up?) to? Are you going to be doing the MNSSHP in October?

[dvc4life]

I am loving your TR. :thumbsup2 Very entertaining and enjoyable to read. And you have taken some really great photos. Love the ones on Spaceship Earth.

Can't wait for your next installment. popcorn::

[NLD]

Subscribing.

Looks like a great trip! And you've got some great photos already in the first day!

[NateNLogansDad]

I am loving your TR. :thumbsup2 Very entertaining and enjoyable to read. And you have taken some really great photos. Love the ones on Spaceship Earth.

Can't wait for your next installment. popcorn::
Thank you! I'll have another installment either today or tomorrow, but I need to upload some more pictures. Spaceship Earth is fun to photograph and a great "training ride" for beginners like me to practice on. It's dark, it moves, but it's not too dark or too fast:thumbsup2 It was a nice warm up exercise for the Halloween Party later on in the week ;)

Subscribing.

Looks like a great trip! And you've got some great photos already in the first day!

It had it's moments...but overall, how can you have a bad trip in Disney???:confused3
Thanks for the pat on the back with the pictures....now if only I could find a trip report from someone behind a Nikon D700 wink wink. Probably be some killer shots in that one :rolleyes1

[NateNLogansDad]

Hey guys, I'll probably post the few pictures left from day one in a little bit. Today's been a little rough because Nate had his tonsils taken out and tubes put in his ears early this morning and I'm just a little zonked. Also, I realized that I never did upload day 2 yet so that will need to wait till I get home later on. Sorry for the delay but hopefully there will be a little fix for you in a few.....

[Susan121302]

LOVING the report so far. you take such great pictures, it's like being there. Take care of your little one, we can wait!

[NateNLogansDad]

LOVING the report so far. you take such great pictures, it's like being there. Take care of your little one, we can wait!

Thanks Susan! I love doing these Trip Reports and re-living it all with people who enjoy Disney as much as we do! I have Day 1 finished and it should all be up in the next 5 minutes or so:thumbsup2

[NateNLogansDad]

Sorry to cut it short with the last update but there’s just been so much going on around the house with the holiday’s, and Nate’s surgery, and just life in general that I really just needed to call it a night. I hope you all understand, and to make it up I’ll finish up Day 1 now!

So when we left off, we were just leaving EPCOT (and lunch in the American Pavilion…c’mon seriously??? OK OK, I’ll let it go) to go back and see our new home for the week. Our room was ready and I was so looking forward to getting some kind of reaction from Brian and Sean.

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You see, the rest of the group would be coming down in 2 days and each family had their own Studio. I had talked with my Father In Law about possibly sharing a room and having a little bit more space to stretch out and relax in and we agreed on getting a 2 bedroom villa for the week! What’s so special about a 2 Bedroom Room? Well for one, it sleeps 9, has a full kitchen, AND with a total of 7 guys…having 3 full bathrooms was a big bonus!

Our room at Kidani Village…
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continued.....

[NateNLogansDad]

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We ALL LOVED that room! Our building was only 2 yrs old so everything was really up to date and just perfect for our tastes. The best part was, for the next 2 days we had all this space for just 4 adults and 2 kids! Yep, life is good sometimes.

[NateNLogansDad]

We hung out in the room for a bit and may have even taken a slight nap. By this time we were all running on fumes from being up so early with barely any sleep so we slipped our shoes back on and headed out to find the only quick service restaurant at “The Lodge” called The Mara. Unfortunately, The Mara wasn’t located in our building so every time we wanted a quick bite, it was at least 15 minute walk to find food. Oh well, guess it can’t always be perfect right? At least we are here!!!

From The Mara…
I had some kind of stew over some kind of rice. I like trying new things and I’m glad I did, it was delicious! Oh yea, and I'm soooo glad I had read about the Zebra Domes here on the Disboards! I think I had about 30 of them that week:thumbsup2
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day1/DSC_9329.jpg

The kids stuck with the classics, Plain and Pepperoni Flatbreads
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I remember Sean or Brian had ½ of a chicken but I forget the rest. For some reason, they didn’t want their pictures taken while shoving food into their mouths! I tried to tell them that it was for the Disboards and that people from around the world would be watching them eat, but for some reason that just made them turn their backs to me even more! Oh well, what can I do??? :confused3

After diner we headed back to our side of the resort and talked about what we’ve done up to this point. I was really happy with how much Brian and Sean were enjoying everything so far. Those 2 are so easy going and I’m so glad they came down early with us! We knew that things would be getting a little crazy in the next few days so on the way back to our room we decided to go down to the fire pit and check out the animals at night….and of coarse try out those night vision goggles!

Around the fire there was a gentleman telling stories about the country he came from. I wish I had written it down or at least gotten a picture of his name tag. Honestly, it didn’t matter where he was from. His stories were captivating and being told by the fire made them so much more than just stories. It was awesome.
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I wanted to get a picture of the boys with the goggles on but really they weren’t all that great. I’m very familiar with focusing each side to zero in on my eyesight but the set that we were using had something seriously wrong with them and they actually hurt to look through. :sad2: *Sigh* Oh well. I think the camera saw the scenery better anyway. Sorry these aren’t perfect but I didn’t have the tripod with me and tried leaning on a rock instead.
Crazy thing is that it was so dark out there you couldn't see 1/2 of that with the naked eye!
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And this is again where I will be leaving you.
The ending to our first day was perfect. After traveling over 1000 miles by air and by car, walking a few miles in EPCOT, and checking in to our new temporary home, we ended it by the quiet fire and called it a night. Looking back, we should have ended every night like that one. I guess that’ll be on the list for our next trip!

Stay tuned!!! I hope to have Day 2 started either tonight or tomorrow!

[NLD]

Great update!

Had that same stew in September 2010 at AKL, it was good. Also totally loved the stories by the fire, too, though we heard them at Jambo.

So how many pics did you take total on this trip?

I'm taking my dd and MIL in January, hoping to do a trip report afterwards. It's just that processing all the photos takes so much time! Ugh. Still don't have them all processed from the last trip!

What are you doing to yours? Just converting to jpeg or are you doing any PP on them?

[NLD]

Oh, P.S. That last night shot of Kidani is lovely, the one with the stars. Really brings it all back. Great job.

[cyndiloveswalt]

Howdy Rob! So excited to see you started the new trip report and happy I found it before you are too far in. Great start, Great pictures!! Can't wait to see and read more! Cyndi

[NateNLogansDad]

Great update!

Had that same stew in September 2010 at AKL, it was good. Also totally loved the stories by the fire, too, though we heard them at Jambo.
I didn't realize they did them over at Jambo but in hindsight, that makes sense that they would:thumbsup2 Why would you do for one and not the other?

So how many pics did you take total on this trip?
Probably about 200 total. ;) Just kidding! I already posted more than that:rotfl2: Seriously, I take on average about 1,000 a day. 80% are either duplicates or just not up to par so they get deleted before I embarrass myself too much.
I'm taking my dd and MIL in January, hoping to do a trip report afterwards. It's just that processing all the photos takes so much time! Ugh. Still don't have them all processed from the last trip!
Trust me, I get it. I have so many RAW files on my computer that need to be done it's not even funny. Every time someone at work (it's been slow) comes over to see what I'm up to, it's ALWAYS editing pictures. I really need to learn to streamline someday!

What are you doing to yours? Just converting to jpeg or are you doing any PP on them?
Can't we just say for now that I shoot JPG and there's not any PP done? Yep right out of the camera that's the ticket:thumbsup2 :lmao:
No, seriously I usually tweak the Exposure, Levels, and once in a while the Saturation in ACR. Time consuming? Well, let's just say I could have done 2-3 weeks of "real" work or I could have done my pictures. Yea, I really need to learn how to streamline this stuff someday!
.

[NLD]

Can't we just say for now that I shoot JPG and there's not any PP done? Yep right out of the camera that's the ticket
No, seriously I usually tweak the Exposure, Levels, and once in a while the Saturation in ACR. Time consuming? Well, let's just say I could have done 2-3 weeks of "real" work or I could have done my pictures. Yea, I really need to learn how to streamline this stuff someday!

:lmao: ;)

Well I knew at least some were getting PP, because you've got some black and white, sepia toned, selective coloring in the mix.

But um yeah, sure... all the rest are SOOC. Yup, me too! We are THAT good, right? ;)

(Hey, I won't tell if you won't... maybe we can convince everyone else that's the case...)

Anyway. Love your TR so far, both the pics and writing. And your whole family is super cute. Thanks for sharing with us.

[NateNLogansDad]

Oh, P.S. That last night shot of Kidani is lovely, the one with the stars. Really brings it all back. Great job.

I don't want to give too much away, but there will be another few that came out better! I may have forgotten to mention that there was a slight chance of an adult beverage or two consumed that day. I'm surprised I got any pictures that night at all to tell you the truth. Granted I was leaning on a rock, but I was still holding the camera with both hands. My philosophy is that it's better to be lucky than good! :laughing:

[NateNLogansDad]

:lmao: ;)

Well I knew at least some were getting PP, because you've got some black and white, sepia toned, selective coloring in the mix.

But um yeah, sure... all the rest are SOOC. Yup, me too! We are THAT good, right? ;)

(Hey, I won't tell if you won't... maybe we can convince everyone else that's the case...)

Anyway. Love your TR so far, both the pics and writing. And your whole family is super cute. Thanks for sharing with us.


Scene modes. All built in :rotfl2:


Thank you so much for all the compliments though, you really made made my night:thumbsup2

[NateNLogansDad]

Howdy Rob! So excited to see you started the new trip report and happy I found it before you are too far in. Great start, Great pictures!! Can't wait to see and read more! Cyndi

Cyndi! Long time no see! Welcome aboard! There is still plenty I have to get to so get comfy and grab some popcorn! Hopefully, this TR won't take as long as the last one. I think there were a few missing persons reports from people sticking around too long on that one :rotfl:

[wdwnomad]

Great report so far. I am really enjoying it so far.

[NateNLogansDad]

Great report so far. I am really enjoying it so far.

Hey thanks! Good to see someone from around the way on the boards!!!

[hjd0411]

Those little hams? They love getting their pictures taken! It's hard to get a picture of them not smiling!

Right on the money! It was a Nikon 50mm 1.8. I just got the 35mm 1.8 for Christmas and am like :cool1: As much as I do like the 50mm the 35 will be nice for those shots where the kids are sitting in the next seat over and I want to capture their expressions. I can't wait to go out and play with it!

Who makes your 30mm? What's the aperture go down (up?) to? Are you going to be doing the MNSSHP in October?

I've got the Canon 50mm 1.8 and the Sigma 30mm 1.4. I'm looking forward to playing with the 30mm - I haven't had a chance to really use it much yet.
Not really sure about MNSSHP, but I probably won't be going..!!!:scared1: I know, I know - but we are 2 adults (no kids) and in Australia Halloween is not a big thing, so I'm leaning towards not going. But of course, there is a long time between now and October, so who knows!!! :laughing:
Still, I'm looking forward to seeing the fall decorations - they look good in the photos I've seen.
And you are lucky to have such willing models for photography "practice"!!! I'm sure in a few years things will change..!!! :rolleyes1
Loved the Kidani pictures - they look amazing. Might have to pay a visit there one evening. Put it on the list..!!

Oh and I hope your little one gets better soon - is the cure for tonsils still ice cream and Jello?? Yum!!

[Soopafly]

I'm in! Sorry I'm late to the party, had lots of new toys to play with these past few days and totally forgot about the Dis. I'm going to start reading a bit later on, we have some errands to run first. Will post again soon!

[dvc4life]

Hope your son has a speedy recovery.

[cyndiloveswalt]

Also sending Nate my best wishes for a speedy recovery. Nice you scheduled it over his Xmas vacation-poor guy doesn't even get to miss school!

[NateNLogansDad]

I've got the Canon 50mm 1.8 and the Sigma 30mm 1.4. I'm looking forward to playing with the 30mm - I haven't had a chance to really use it much yet.
Not really sure about MNSSHP, but I probably won't be going..!!!:scared1: I know, I know - but we are 2 adults (no kids) and in Australia Halloween is not a big thing, so I'm leaning towards not going. But of course, there is a long time between now and October, so who knows!!! :laughing:
Still, I'm looking forward to seeing the fall decorations - they look good in the photos I've seen.
And you are lucky to have such willing models for photography "practice"!!! I'm sure in a few years things will change..!!! :rolleyes1
Loved the Kidani pictures - they look amazing. Might have to pay a visit there one evening. Put it on the list..!!

Oh and I hope your little one gets better soon - is the cure for tonsils still ice cream and Jello?? Yum!!

The Sigma "dirty thirty" is one super sweet lens! There is a few people on the Dis that have posted some REALLY nice shots taken with it. I hope you get out and play with it before the trip comes around! I think "pleasantly surprised" will be an understatement!

About MNSSHP, I still have mixed emotions on that honestly. I'll get back to you when I make up my mind but the fall decorations are very nice and I'd go back just for that.

Kidani really is nice. The hotel has a really cool "feel" about it, the room was beautiful, but the buses need a little work. There were a few times where they went to The Jambo House first and than came to Kidani but were so full we had to wait for the next one....which was also pretty full. It can be a pain but next time I'd research it all better.

And yes, Jello is on the menu all day today! I made a big bowl of orange jello made with mandarin oranges last night! He's loving that this morning. Ice cream can start tomorrow.

[NateNLogansDad]

I'm in! Sorry I'm late to the party, had lots of new toys to play with these past few days and totally forgot about the Dis. I'm going to start reading a bit later on, we have some errands to run first. Will post again soon!
You know that you and the Mrs. are always welcome, no matter what time the party started! Hope you had a nice Christmas! Any camera goodies under the tree???

Hope your son has a speedy recovery.

Thanks, he's looking much better this morning but we were warned that Friday and Saturday could be the worst...dreading that a little. It just breaks my heart seeing him not feeling well!

Also sending Nate my best wishes for a speedy recovery. Nice you scheduled it over his Xmas vacation-poor guy doesn't even get to miss school!
He's still at an age where he likes going to school :confused3 I think that would make it worse for him if we kept him out for a week! Poor confused kid :lmao:

[Grumpy's Wife]

I don't think I'm too late to the party. All caught up and loved day 1. I remember reading your last trip report and loved it. Great pictures!

[NMW]

Subscribing

[snowbell]

Hi -- I am on board for this trip report. Very enjoyable so far. :thumbsup2

[PolkaDotLuggage]

Subbing! your pics are amazing ... can't wait for more

[NateNLogansDad]

I don't think I'm too late to the party. All caught up and loved day 1. I remember reading your last trip report and loved it. Great pictures!
Right on time! I think that's called a fashionably late entrance but don't quote me on that.....I'm not very fashionable. :rotfl2:

Subscribing
Thanks for stopping in! There's plenty of popcorn, feel free to help yourself!popcorn::

Hi -- I am on board for this trip report. Very enjoyable so far. :thumbsup2
Thank you! Still so much to see and do....hopefully I'll have another update later on today ;)

Subbing! your pics are amazing ... can't wait for more

Oh, you're too kind! :hug: I uploaded day 2's pictures this morning before work so now I have to get to the whole typing part. Not too much going on today so I'll start in in just a few minutes:thumbsup2

[NateNLogansDad]

Hey, I just realized that there's already over 1,000 views :cool1:

Even for those who aren't posting, thanks for stopping by and checking this thing out! And remember, the popcorn will always make you feel better about yourself......you know why right?


right?

wait for it......

Because it's complimentary!!!! :rotfl2:


Yea, I know. Tina doesn't find me funny either. Be back in a little bit with an update. :surfweb:

[NateNLogansDad]

Heading home now but I have a good sized update for tonight. After I do a quick proof read, it'll be up!

[NateNLogansDad]

Day2!!!

So this morning we woke up pretty early but we can just never get out the door right away. There’s usually one or two days during the trip where we do, but today wasn’t going to happen. I made some coffee and we all had a small breakfast and took our time getting everything ready. Of course, there’s just always that one problem and this time, it was the jogging stroller.

Great.

It seems as though I was missing some parts to the front wheel which we tried to rig up but it just wasn’t going to happen. Granted the boys are good about walking throughout the parks, but it’s so much easier keeping an eye on them in a stroller…not to mention all the crap we like to shove in the bottom. After about a half hr of playing around with that thing, we gave up and threw on the backpacks and out the door we went. The bus ride was uneventful and my blood pressure was up a bit because of the slight setback, but we kept going and tried to keep good spirits.

(I think everybody else was fine, I was the only grump. Stupid stroller.)

After our little ordeal, we ended up here around 10:30ish

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day2/DSC_9369.jpg

Yep, Animal Kingdom! As some of you may know, the first time we came here (back in 2007) we weren’t impressed and for the next few trips we skipped it... which wasn’t fair to the park. The first time we went it was just too hot and way too crowded. In May of 2009 we tried it out again and were totally surprised on just how much we loved it and just how much there was to do! I knew that Brian and Sean would want to get in at least one thrill ride, so we had to hook them up! Tina took them over to walk the Exploration Trail (I think) and I split off to get some pictures….I mean fastpasses....

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day2/DSC_9373.jpg

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We decided to meet back at the Safari which had no line when I showed up. Of coarse as I was standing there I watched well over 100 people (probably tour groups) pile into the line. *Sigh* I took this opportunity to give my Father In Law a call and gave him a rundown of some parts we would need to rig up the stroller. That man is the ultimate Mr. Fixit and knew exactly what to get. I even found a couple with a similar stroller and asked if I could take a picture of the wheel with my phone and sent it to his cell. Man I love technology!!!

A few minutes later Tina and the rest of the group showed up and we melted into the line. I still don’t think she believed me when I told her that the line was only a 10 minute wait just 5 minutes ago, but whatever.

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[NateNLogansDad]

I guess the line wasn’t too bad, after 20 minutes our ride was here….
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day2/DSC_9410.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day2/DSC_9411.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day2/DSC_9417.jpg

I do love this ride. It’s fascinating to see animal from around the world that you just can’t really find anywhere else, like these guys who are almost extinct….
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day2/DSC_9424.jpg

And then a minute later these guys who look like they should be in tutu's (did I spell that right?) dancing around to orchestra music….
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day2/DSC_9435.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day2/DSC_9439.jpg

One of my favorite guys to see…..
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day2/DSC_9440.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day2/DSC_9443.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day2/DSC_9446.jpg
I can’t imagine running into them out in the open. Those things terrify me but at the same time are so cool to watch!

Moving on. Here’s the upside down tree where the branges look like roots…..
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day2/DSC_9449.jpg

And here’s me being quiet for a minute and letting you just enjoy the ride…..
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day2/DSC_9452.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day2/DSC_9459.jpg

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[NateNLogansDad]

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Real quick, these ostriches kind of snuck up on Tina. She was too busy looking out into the distance to notice them coming up on her side. All the sudden when she looked down she screamed a little when they scared the heck out of her. (I MAY have noticed the whole thing unfold but wanted to get a picture.....and a laugh out of it!)
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day2/DSC_9583.jpg

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And just like that, we’re back!
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day2/DSC_9601.jpg

I highly recommend that for anybody who has never tried it out but be warned, it can get a little bumpy!!!

[NateNLogansDad]

Leaving the safari, we headed out and noticed a group of people leaning on a fence so we walked over to check out what they were checking out.

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day2/DSC_9620.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day2/DSC_9624.jpg
At first glance, I thought it was just this guy…
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day2/DSC_9633.jpg

I also noticed this little out-of-the-way waterfall….
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day2/DSC_9637.jpg

Logan noticed a place to have a seat…
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day2/DSC_9654.jpg

Upon closer inspection, as I looked down, I found this guy just hanging out…
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day2/DSC_9662.jpg

I’m not going to get too graphic here, but lets just say that the green pile of mush on the ground wasn’t just his lunch.
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day2/DSC_9659.jpg

I’m telling you, the more I stared at these guys, the more I thought that they were actually Cast Members in a costume….
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day2/DSC_9677.jpg

Moving right along….
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day2/DSC_9681.jpg

Everybody really wanted to show me where they went to earlier so we headed that way. If anybody wants to chime in here with the actual name, I’d be much obliged. I can’t quite seem to remember it off the top of my head. I do know that we had always overlooked it before but will absolutely go through it again on our next trip….
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day2/DSC_9682.jpg

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Loving the lemur life….
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day2/DSC_9719.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day2/DSC_9723.jpg
They are lemur’s right? Oh well, I guess we’ll have to go back to make sure someday.

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day2/DSC_9724.jpg

[NateNLogansDad]

Heading out, we ran into this guy….
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day2/DSC_9733.jpg

I’m telling you, we could stand and watch these guys walk around all day. Unfortunately, the one guy may have had enough I think. He kept an eye on us walking back and forth than turned towards us, walked right up to the edge of the cliff there, and sat down with his back to us all.
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day2/DSC_9740.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day2/DSC_9745.jpg

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http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day2/DSC_9751.jpg

Everybody laughed but I thought to myself “good for you!” I’ll admit too that I thought it was kind of rude on his behalf, but at the same time we were being kind of rude by standing there staring at him! Good call monkey man, good call.

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day2/DSC_9753.jpg

By this time, that old familiar feeling of hunger started setting in. I swear, next time I need to take a diet pill with me for the parks. I felt like I was either starving or extremely full the whole time we were there, no middle ground. Ever.
So, like the wild animals all around us, we went in search for food. Last year we had eaten at the Yak & Yeti as a Table service credit and loved it. This year we were doing quick service so we decided to try out that side of the restaurant. On our way there, we ran into this magnificent specimen…..
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day2/DSC_9755.jpg

Yes sir! That my friends, is Devine!!! Devine take camouflage to a whole new level. Not only will she blend in amazingly to her surroundings, her eyes will draw you in and not let you go. Well, until your wife gives you a little smack and tells you to move it along! There were many people (mostly guys) who just stopped what they were doing and were amazed by what they were seeing. Brian and Sean were frozen in time. We gave them about 10 minutes before we brought them back to earth. Devine is seriously something you need to witness to get what I’m saying here. She’s just so….
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day2/DSC_9759.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day2/DSC_9763.jpg

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http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day2/DSC_9777.jpg

Hmmm.

What?

Oh crap, we’re still doing this trip report.

Ummm. Sorry, I got lost for a minute.

Fastpass, monkey men, lemur….food. Right. We were off to get some food. Sorry.


So, we headed over to the Quick Serve area of the Yak and Yeti and IT WAS MOBBED.
Mobbed as in no tables available anywhere and more people were coming in kind of mobbed. Tina took the kids off to go search for a place to us to eat at and Brian and Sean came with me to grab some grub. My review? I’d personally eat there again I think. I had the orange chicken which was pretty darn good but the beer Sean and I got (Safari Amber) wasn’t something I’d try again. The kids food was limited and basic and Tina's sandwich was nothing she'd write home about. The seating area was way too small for that many guests. We ended up sitting across the way near the water.

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http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day2/DSC_9784.jpg
Not the best but probably the most peaceful.

[NateNLogansDad]

By now our fastpasses for Everest were about to expire but, thanks to a tip from my fellow Dissers, I knew that you can use them AFTER the allotted time…just not BEFORE it. After stuffing our faces it sounded like a great idea to postpone it till later. We headed over towards…
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day2/DSC_9787.jpg

And past…
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day2/DSC_9790.jpg

To wind up in…

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day2/DSC_9792.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day2/DSC_9795.jpg

Because the boys all wanted to ride…
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day2/DSC_9797.jpg

Normally, I love that ride and would do it in a heartbeat but at that moment I just wanted to chill out for a few and people watch. Tina was blown away when I said I wanted to sit this one out but I assured her that nothing was wrong and away they went.

I wandered around for a few and even had an ice cream sandwich as I watched other kids playing or throwing a temper tantrum and their parents looking desperate for a moment of silence. I laughed and wanted to tell them to sit a while and have some ice cream, but coming from a complete stranger I probably would be a weirdo. I should have taken this time to get some weird and interesting pictures, but all I wanted to do was relax and take it all in. I did get one though that made me chuckle a bit….
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day2/DSC_9800.jpg
At first glance, I thought that it had some nice texture to it and I could probably do some cool things with it. Than I got closer and saw that it cost 28 9/10 cents per gallon! There wasn’t even a spot for if gas went up to $1.00!
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day2/DSC_9803.jpg

How did the oil company execs ever afford to fly their helicopters back then? Poor guys.

A few minutes later, my personal time had expired. Everybody came out from Dinosaur with grins on their faces and looking to do the next thrill ride. I tried so hard to talk Nate and Logan into going on Expedition Everest but that just wasn’t happening. They did it last trip and will not be going on again for a while!

So, being the nice guy that I am I took out the fastpasses, gave them all to Tina and told her to get on with her brothers twice. She felt bad and wanted me to go but I had other plans in mind! As they walked off I took the boys over to an awesome little hangout of ours…

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day2/DSC_9810.jpg

Nathan and Logan LOVE this place and I love hanging out and taking pictures of them just being kids!

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[NateNLogansDad]

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I can’t wait till we really do move down there eventually. Looking at these pictures really make me miss hanging out there in the Bone Yard with the kids. Time really got away from us in there because before we realized it Tina and her brothers were back and exhausted and were in need of some downtime. I offered them an ice cream sandwich but instead we headed out toward the front of the park.

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Now, I know what some of you are thinking. “This must be the end of Day 2 right?”

Nope, sorry, there’s still another 119 pictures I need to show you!!! The other parks are still open after dinner!

Stop back in soon and I’ll be glad to show ‘em to you in the next update!!!

See ya real soon!

[wdwnomad]

Another great update. I think I finally found a report that will keep me entertained. I need a fix because my next trip isn't until August.

I liked how you just noticed the gorillas when you get off the safari ride. It took me a couple of years of trips to realize they were back there too. I walked by them probably numerous times.

That reminds me of my first time in AK with my niece. I think she was three at the time. All day we were looking for Potochatas. I finally asked a CM where she was. He said, "Just around the riverbend." It took me about 30 minutes of searching for a river and a train ride to figure out what he meant. I probably watched that movie a million times and it took me that long to figure it out. At the time I was really annoyed because I still couldn't find her but in about two minutes I thought it was the funniest thing. To this day I still get a kick out of it. I bet that CM thought he was hilarious, esp. becuase he got me. He at least did get me on the right track and we did find her.

[NateNLogansDad]

Another great update. I think I finally found a report that will keep me entertained. I need a fix because my next trip isn't until August.

I liked how you just noticed the gorillas when you get off the safari ride. It took me a couple of years of trips to realize they were back there too. I walked by them probably numerous times.

That reminds me of my first time in AK with my niece. I think she was three at the time. All day we were looking for Potochatas. I finally asked a CM where she was. He said, "Just around the riverbend." It took me about 30 minutes of searching for a river and a train ride to figure out what he meant. I probably watched that movie a million times and it took me that long to figure it out. At the time I was really annoyed because I still couldn't find her but in about two minutes I thought it was the funniest thing. To this day I still get a kick out of it. I bet that CM thought he was hilarious, esp. becuase he got me. He at least did get me on the right track and we did find her.

Thank you very much, but it this TR isn't done by August, I need to stop writing them! If it weren't for the people leaning on the fence, there's no way I ever would have gone over there! Another one of those details that's just so easy to miss if you're in a rush there.

The Pocahontas thing is funny looking back on it. I probably would have been flipping at the time but it's one of those memories now that you'll never forget :lmao: Hope to have another update up sometime today but we'll see how things go at work first......

[Antigua08]

Loving your trip report! I read your last one so very much looking forward to hearing more from this trip.

We're looking to stay onsite for the first time on our next trip, although that is a way off at the moment. AKL is my dh's 1st choice so good to read about that, both positive and negative.

Oh and have to say your pictures are just wonderful! :thumbsup2

[NateNLogansDad]

Loving your trip report! I read your last one so very much looking forward to hearing more from this trip.

We're looking to stay onsite for the first time on our next trip, although that is a way off at the moment. AKL is my dh's 1st choice so good to read about that, both positive and negative.

Oh and have to say your pictures are just wonderful! :thumbsup2

Thank you so much for popping in for this one and thank you for the compliment:hug:

AKL really is a beautiful resort but it's just so off the beaten path. Maybe we just had a really bad run of luck with the buses, but next time it's got to be the Beach Club if we get to do a deluxe hotel again. There's nothing like being able to walk to 2 parks from out the back door!:thumbsup2

[cyndiloveswalt]

Love the AK update! We have still not seen Devine, she looks so cool. Do you know if there's a certain spot she hangs out?
When you were at the Philly airport did you happen to notice an Earl of Sandwich? It's our favorite DTD eatery and I just read they opened one at the airport.

[NateNLogansDad]

Love the AK update! We have still not seen Devine, she looks so cool. Do you know if there's a certain spot she hangs out?
When you were at the Philly airport did you happen to notice an Earl of Sandwich? It's our favorite DTD eatery and I just read they opened one at the airport.


Devine can be just about anywhere from what I understand. I remember seeing times when she come out on one of the cards that have showtimes and stuff on them. If you ask the guest relations people at the front of the park, I think they can point you in the right direction.
Earl of Sandwich is in Terminal D but we went out of E so didn't get to try it out. I have been in an Airport Earls before (maybe Logan airport in Boston?) and the sandwiches were as good as the one in Downtown Disney, so hopefully Philly will be up to par also. :confused3

[NateNLogansDad]

Hey there! Anybody looking for any updates? Anybody even still here? Sorry it’s been a few days but things just keep popping up. I was hoping to have an update on Friday for the weekend, but here we are. Sorry about that!

So, getting back to day 2.

We had just left Animal Kingdom and headed back to the hotel. We loved having the windows in the hallway overlooking the savanna because you never knew what you’d see heading back to our room. Today it was this guy……

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day2/DSC_9907.jpg

Crazy giraffe, don’t you know they have room service around here? If you look closer, you can see just how long his tongue is….

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day2/DSC_9909.jpg

That’s just insane!

Through the magic of the trip-report-time-lapse, we can fast forward a bit. After hanging out in our room for a couple hrs of downtime, we headed out for some grub.

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Where to you might ask?

Well…

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day2/DSC_9919.jpg

We took the bus to Downtown Disney for dinner but no, not to Goof’s Candy Factory, tonight we dine on some very fine pizza!

Wolfgang Puck Express so far is my top pizza place in all of WDW. Unfortunately, I like it so much that there is no photo evidence to prove that we even went there. We went in and ordered 6 different pizza’s and everybody took a little from each. If you’ve never tried it before, it’s probably one of the BEST places to use a quick service credit. They even bring the food out to your table for you! What more could you possibly ask for??? GREAT food good service and all on the Quick Service Meal Plan!

So, by now we were all pretty stuffed. Probably time to go back and sleep it off right?

NAH!

We hopped on a bus heading to the Contemporary Hotel and walked from there over to….

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day2/DSC_9925.jpg

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Yep, that’s right! This party is going all night long tonight!
With the Magic Kingdom having extra magic hours tonight and no plans on waking up early in the morning, we were in it for the long haul. When we first walked onto main street, we noticed that the lights were out down towards the castle which was kind of weird because it wasn’t time for the fireworks. It took a second, but we realized we were at the very end of the Magic, Memories, and You show! I really wish we could have gotten there a few minutes earlier to see the show from the beginning but we only saw a tiny bit from the train station….

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Sorry for the image quality. I was just so not prepared for that! I’m going to be honest, When they first announced that show about a year ago, I was dead set against it. I thought it was going to be a disgrace to the castle and Walt’s dream. I will totally 100% admit that I was wrong. The imagineers that dreamt that up really did an amazing job. I heard recently that they have discontinued the show. I’m hoping that I heard that wrong or at least hope that one day they bring it back. It’s definitely something that can bring a tear to your eye and I think everybody should get to see it at least once. If it is gone forever, at least we can always watch it on youtube, but be forewarned…it’s going to make you miss Disney World even more than you probably do already.

[NateNLogansDad]

After the show was over I struck up a conversation with a CM selling light up gizmos on Main Street and she pointed me in the direction for a not-so-crowded spot for the Main Street Electrical Parade. This was a parade that for whatever reason I never got to see the whole thing whenever we were here. There’s always something that kept me from either the beginning or the end but this trip Tina wanted to make sure we were there for the whole thing, just for me. Isn’t she the best?

We headed off down Main Street and veered to the left. The kids needed a bathroom break already, and I needed a picture of the castle so this spot worked out well for all of us.

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day2/DSC_9990.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day2/DSC_9993.jpg

Than we hurried to our little viewing area and actually got there early! We’re never early for anything (even back home) so this was an accomplishment! Our spot was perfect perhaps a bit too perfect. 15 minutes before the show started, we were told that we were in a handicap viewing area!

WHAT? Why couldn’t you tell me that before when the street still had spots open!!!!! The CM who told us to move away later came back over and said we could stay after the parade starts if no one else needed that spot. With little other choice, we hung around and eventually got our spots back. Not too bad of a view I thought!

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day2/DSC_9998.jpg

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[NateNLogansDad]

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This girl cracked me up, as soon as she saw the camera she started posing and flirting like crazy. I told her to call me. She never did.
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day2/DSC_0103.jpg

Moving along….
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[NateNLogansDad]

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I LOVED THAT PARADE!!! It’s funny, but to me the music really brought back more memories of my childhood than anything else. Believe it or not, even though I take way too many pictures of just about everything, I still had fun dancing around to the music as the parade went by. Yea, I was a kid again inside from the time the music started all the way to the end.

Man I really miss Disney right now…..

Sorry, I drifted off for a second.

So after the last float passed by, we checked the wait times on our handy dandy smart phones and discussed what the game plan should be. Did I not mention where our viewing area was? How rude of me! Here ya go….
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Wait times still weren’t bad according to WDW Lines. First stop? Pirates! How do I remember this? Because I took this one picture and nothing else.

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day2/DSC_0198.jpg

Is it a good picture? No. But I want you to stay with us so there it is. I generally enjoy getting (at least trying to get) some very elusive pictures on the Pirates Of The Caribbean but Tina and I had a whole bench to ourselves and it was just nice, maybe even a little romantic to just sit there and enjoy the ride with my sweetheart.

Next up was the Jungle Cruise! Even though I wasn’t sitting there holding hands with my wonderful (she really is) wife, I still didn’t try for many photo’s. One day I may try to take a trip without a camera at all. There really is so much to take in and it’s easy to miss when looking through a lens. Then again, I have to take a few pics here and there right?
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Since Brian and Sean had never ridden it before, the jokes were all new to them. Even after ridding it as many times as we have, I still consider it a classic and can’t wait to ride it again the next time we go down.

[NateNLogansDad]

By now it was starting to get a little late but we weren’t ready to leave for the night just yet. We had heard rumors that an evil emperor was inside the park to we went out in search for him….
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Sean and Brian hopped into a car together first followed by Nate and Logan with Tina and I bringing up the rear.

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This wasn’t a photo expedition, we were on a mission…and I rocked it!
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day2/DSC_0234.jpg

Yea, it might not be the best anyone has ever gotten, but for me it was a personal high score!

Brian and Sean had a blast
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day2/DSC_0252.jpg

Tina and I made it look good…..
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day2/DSC_0256.jpg

I wanted to take a picture of the boys on the TV but their faces were too low in the shot to recognize them at all. Next time, we’ll bring a phonebook for them to sit on!

We were all just about ready to leave but there was one more ride that we thought Brian and Sean would like…..
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day2/DSC_0263.jpg

Can’t do the Magic Kingdom without riding Space Mountain right?!?!?
Up the ramp we went…..
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day2/DSC_0257.jpg

No line so far, things are looking up!

Oh wait….
Yea, there it is.

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day2/DSC_0271.jpg

I get bored when I stand in lines so I take pictures….

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day2/DSC_0278.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day2/DSC_0282.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day2/DSC_0289.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day2/DSC_0315.jpg

Honestly, I’m not showing off my camera in this picture, I was trying to catch a shot and the rides camera took me by surprise…..
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day2/DSC_0332.jpg

Again, Sean and Brian were loving this ride….

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day2/DSC_0331.jpg

When we left out of there, we noticed the wait time had gone down to just 10 minutes. The kids were getting sleepy and were ready for bed but I told Tina to hop on again with her brothers.

Now, I don’t have anymore pictures of what happened when they went on but I have a funny little story for you. When we all went on together, we were all in the LEFT queue to get on. When Tina, Brian, and Sean all got on for the 2nd time, they went into the RIGHT side of the queue. When they got off they all agreed that the RIGHT side was more intense. When they went to go check out their picture, apparently Sean thought the camera would be on the opposite side since they were on the opposite queue. Picture this. Tina and Brian laughing, smiling, and having fun. Sean, trying to ham it up for the camera, puts his hands up in an excited thrill ride kind of pose but in the opposite direction. Yep, his back was to the camera! Sean is a great guy and so much fun to be around…but sometimes I just shake my head and laugh. We all have our moments, but we try not to let Sean live his down!

So, with smiles on our faces and some rides (and laughs) under our belt, we headed out. It was around 1:30 am and we knew that in about 12 hrs, there was a whole plane full of crazy coming to meet us.

Next update- Day 3 The 6 of us + 19 more on the way!

[wdwnomad]

Great update...I was wondering where you went...

[Susan121302]

Now, I don’t have anymore pictures of what happened when they went on but I have a funny little story for you. When we all went on together, we were all in the LEFT queue to get on. When Tina, Brian, and Sean all got on for the 2nd time, they went into the RIGHT side of the queue. When they got off they all agreed that the RIGHT side was more intense. When they went to go check out their picture, apparently Sean thought the camera would be on the opposite side since they were on the opposite queue. Picture this. Tina and Brian laughing, smiling, and having fun. Sean, trying to ham it up for the camera, puts his hands up in an excited thrill ride kind of pose but in the opposite direction. Yep, his back was to the camera! Sean is a great guy and so much fun to be around…but sometimes I just shake my head and laugh. We all have our moments, but we try not to let Sean live his down!





Hands down, one of my favorite DIS stories yet.... OMG, I literally LOLd reading that. Love it! Such as shame you didn't capture that.

[DerangedChipmunk]

Read your other report and loved it; So glad to see another (even if I'm late).

[TinkerbellinNY6]

Loved the update! I really love that parade too! And that story about Sean is great! That is something that someone in my family would do...:rotfl:

[NateNLogansDad]

Great update...I was wondering where you went...Thanks. Been a little busy but I always finish my Trip reports...sometimes it just takes a little longer than I had hopped;)

Hands down, one of my favorite DIS stories yet.... OMG, I literally LOLd reading that. Love it! Such as shame you didn't capture that.
Thanks. Sean is at work right now, I'm thinking I might just send him a link to my trip report :rotfl2: He has no idea that this is up on the web :rotfl:

Read your other report and loved it; So glad to see another (even if I'm late).
Thank you so much for coming over! No such thing as being late here :thumbsup2 We're all free to come and go as we please but you must be present if your name is called during the raffle in order to claim your prize.

One of these days we should do a raffle :laughing:

Loved the update! I really love that parade too! And that story about Sean is great! That is something that someone in my family would do...:rotfl:
Thank you very much! The music is great for the parade isn't it???? Ever try lisening to it by itself without watching the parade? It actually gets annoying I think :confused3 Play it with the parade and it's a match made in heaven :thumbsup2

[Soopafly]

Hey!

My first day back at work this year and there is nothing going on, so I thought I would finally read your TR!

Great great shots buddy, i'm envious again! You had a great view for the parade, like you we always seem to miss the beginning or end up seeing the end of it which sucks, we must make time to see it from start to finish.

Glad you enjoyed AKL, we only had one night there but loved it. How did you find the buses to the other parks? We are weighing up the pros and cons of staying there for more than 1 night on our next trip and the Poly just keeps screaming at us because of the monorail, let me know what you think?

Did you like the bathroom? I so want those lion king tiles in our house some day for sure lol.

[NateNLogansDad]

Hey!

My first day back at work this year and there is nothing going on, so I thought I would finally read your TR!

Great great shots buddy, i'm envious again! You had a great view for the parade, like you we always seem to miss the beginning or end up seeing the end of it which sucks, we must make time to see it from start to finish.

Glad you enjoyed AKL, we only had one night there but loved it. How did you find the buses to the other parks? We are weighing up the pros and cons of staying there for more than 1 night on our next trip and the Poly just keeps screaming at us because of the monorail, let me know what you think?

Did you like the bathroom? I so want those lion king tiles in our house some day for sure lol.

See, I was going to say welcome back or something nice but than you had to go and tell me how you haven't been to work yet this year! How am I supposed to respond to that? :confused3

You know I'm just playen with ya;) Missed you guys! Haven't seen yas on facebook either...hope everything is going good for the newly married couple! Funny you should hop on today, I was just about to post a new update. Give me a few and it'll be up.

Yea, those Lion King tiles were so cool! Wishing now that I got some close ups :guilty: Oh well, another time maybe.

As for the buses, that's the #1 reason I wouldn't recommend this hotel to anybody. The hotel is beautiful, our room was beautiful, the pool was ok but nothing spectacular, but the buses for us were worse than the value hotels. I really did like the hotel, but I really did despise the buses. It could have just been a run of bad luck but we weren't the only ones complaining about it:confused3

Dude, if you can swing it go try out the Beach Club or Boardwalk! You can WALK over to Epcot or WALK over to Hollywood! And there's always the ferries if you accidentally have 1 pint too many :laughing:

[NateNLogansDad]

15 minutes till the next update.....

[NateNLogansDad]

So, Day 3

I’ll call this one D Day. This was when the rest of the group was due to come down. I’m going to try to incorporate some of the pictures taken by the other families but please excuse me if I need to make corrections later to what all they did that day since I wasn’t actually with them. We, however slept in till about 10 or so and took our time getting our wits together. I made coffee of coarse and we hung out for a little bit.

Side note, bring your own coffee if you want the real stuff! That Nescafe stuff they dish out needs to be reclassified. To what I'm not sure, but definitely NOT coffee!

While we were sitting around, the “others” were back in Philly getting ready for the big flight down to Orlando. Some have been on planes numerous times, and a few had never before reached 30,000 feet so I’m sure this was an adventure for all on that flight!

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day3/003.jpg

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http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day3/009.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day3/100_0327.jpg

I have a feeling there were some nervous people on that plane ride….and I’m not talking about the ones in our group either! LOL I’m not saying that they would in anyway make people panic during the takeoff, landing, or any turbulence in between….I’m just saying that I’m glad we were on a nice quiet plane 2 days ago! Draw your own conclusion :o)

2 hrs later they all touched down safely and in one piece at Orlando Airport and made their way over to the Magical Express area.

Can’t you see the magic happening already???

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day3/100_0329.jpg

So with smiles abound (again just guessing, I wasn’t really there) they all boarded the bus and headed off to their new home away from home!

My group was, at this very moment, getting a little hungry so we headed off for an extremely quick meal over at The Mara (remember the only quick serve restaurant at the lodge.) This walking to another building for grub was already starting to get annoying. Sorry, we were in a rush and I left the camera back in the room.

For whatever reason, even on the quick serve meal plan, you always leave your table full.
Like full, full.
After wolfing down our meals we waddled as fast as we could back to our building and settled down in the lobby to let our bellies take in what was just thrown their way. Unfortunately, my camera was still up in our room at the moment so I didn’t even get to capture everybody coming in, but all their faces light up as they walked through the main doors and the kids were loving the animals out in the Savanna right away. I grabbed my in-laws and told them that they were already checked in (since they were sharing the room with us) and that their room key cards were all upstairs. Everyone else went over to the front desk and did their first day ritual while we headed up.

Real quick...before we left the room that morning we had straitened up so the room was almost like when had walked in on our first day. (See pictures from day 1)

Chuck, Fran, and Chuck Jr (Father, Mother, and Brother In-Law) seemed quite pleased and made themselves at home right away. I was happy that they were happy with the room since Tina and I had come up with the whole idea.

After a short time later, we got the call that everyone was ready to go so off to the bus stop we went!

One of my favorite pictures….
Pop Pop and Logan.
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day3/DSC_0338.jpg

Chuck Jr and Brian….
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day3/DSC_0345.jpg
And the here’s one with just about everybody….minus myself ( had to take the picture!) The lady in black on the right was just walking by so if you use your imagination, replace her with me and that’s our group. Everybody there.

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day3/DSC_0350.jpg

Yep, we took up the whole bus practically.

So, where were we heading?

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day3/DSC_0353.jpg

Yeppers, HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS!

Hollywood had extra magic hours tonight so the crowd levels were a little high. Manageable, but high.

Of coarse everybody wanted to do everything as soon as we walked in, but I had been waiting to try out one ride in particular since the day I hear it was going out for refurb….

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day3/DSC_0356.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day3/DSC_0358.jpg

Star Tours!!!

[NateNLogansDad]

Originally I figured I’d grab a bunch of fastpasses for later for everybody so I grabbed their room key cards and headed over. Tina stayed with her parents and that whole group went to go grab a bite to eat first. Sean and Brian walked over with Me, Nate, and Logan to grab the fastpasses but when we got there, it was only a 10 minute wait! I can’t just pass up a 10 minute wait now can I?

I did grab the fastpasses for everybody….
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day3/DSC_0362.jpg

But then we did hop in line!
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day3/DSC_0360.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day3/DSC_0375.jpg

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http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day3/DSC_0403.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day3/DSC_0405.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day3/DSC_0408.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day3/DSC_0416.jpg

We must have had a nice smell going on because a bunch of people appeared right behind us out of nowhere.

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day3/DSC_0420.jpg

No, that’s not really Buzz Lightyear, that’s just a guy in a Buzz shirt.

Moving right along, our bags were already packed for our space journey….

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day3/DSC_0422.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day3/DSC_0425.jpg

And our space goggles were handed out…
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day3/DSC_0427.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day3/DSC_0429.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day3/DSC_0433.jpg

Nope, that’s not the Blue Man Group, it’s just Brian and Sean hamming it up again!

[NateNLogansDad]

We boarded our flight and came across these guys…
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day3/DSC_0437.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day3/DSC_0442.jpg

And in just a few seconds we had traveled several light years.
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day3/DSC_0444.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day3/DSC_0453.jpg

Our mission was a success but also classified top secret. All I can say is that it was AWESOME!!! You MUST MUST MUST ride Star Tours! If you’ve already ridden the 2.0 version, RIDE IT AGAIN! I think I heard that there is over 40 different scenarios that are randomly selected for your enjoyment so just about every time you get on will be a new experience. We weren’t able to get on during our last trip because of the rehab, but this was certainly worth the wait!

When we got out, I called over to Tina to see if they were all done eating. Unfortunately for us, I didn’t think ahead when I had seen the short wait time for Star Tours. That was the wait to get ON the ride, not how long it takes to DO the ride. Basically, everybody else ate and had gotten on Tower Of Terror apparently.

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day3/IMG_4261.jpg
So we headed over there to meet up. By the time we got there, they had already gotten off and went into Rock’n Rollercoaster
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day3/IMG_4262.jpg

The line said 50 minutes for the wait time and I really didn’t feel like doing that. Brian and Sean went in and I found my MIL and her sister hanging outside the queue. They weren’t feeling up for it since they had just eaten. I still had Nate and Logan so I figured we’d head over to see the Little Mermaid. Fran and Maureen (My MIL and her sis) decided to follow us over. Well, apparently so did 200 other people! The line was so long that we were told it would be 45 minutes before we got in the door.

Pass.

Looking around for another ride everybody could handle we headed over towards The Great Movie Ride! On our last trip, we rode this for the very first time and I loved it. The kids were anxious to see their Mom Mom’s expression when…..well, actually I’m not going to tell you what happens. It’s pretty cool how they keep your attention though! And for anyone who has never tried it, I’ll keep my mouth shut. Here’s some pics to walk you through it though!

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day3/DSC_0455.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day3/DSC_0456.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day3/DSC_0461.jpg

Here’s Alicia our hostess…
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day3/DSC_0463.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day3/DSC_0465.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day3/DSC_0467.jpg
Calm down guys…


http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day3/DSC_0470.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day3/DSC_0472.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day3/DSC_0481.jpg

[NateNLogansDad]

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day3/DSC_0485.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day3/DSC_0490.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day3/DSC_0491.jpg
Fran and Mo…
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day3/DSC_0499.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day3/DSC_0503.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day3/DSC_0505.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day3/DSC_0509.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day3/DSC_0514.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day3/DSC_0516.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day3/DSC_0520.jpg

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http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day3/DSC_0534.jpg

And if you look close, you’ll see Fran taking a blast from the past.

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day3/DSC_0539.jpg

Great ride! Very well done imagineers!

[NateNLogansDad]

After we got back outside, my phone started blowing up with text messages. Apparently everybody want to know where we all disappeared to. I’d like to think that I was just that popular but in reality they wanted to get Fran (remember…my MIL?) to go on Tower of Terror. I’m still shocked to this day that she got on! Tina’s aunt took the boys for us so Tina and I could both hop on…

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day3/DSC_0542.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day3/DSC_0549.jpg

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http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day3/DSC_0571.jpg

And we dropped…

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day3/DSC_0577.jpg

And dropped….

And dropped…

I hate that ride.

[NateNLogansDad]

After leaving the worse idea for a ride that anyone can ever come up with (great ride, scares the heck out of me) we went out to go stand in the longest queue you can possibly imagine. No, it’s not a Fab 5 meet-n-greet, it’s longer. It was getting close to the 2nd showing of Fantasmic!!!!

If you don’t know what Fantasmic is, but have been to Disney World before, you need to go back. A trip just isn’t a trip without seeing that show! With an arena that holds almost 10,000 people it still isn’t enough to seat everybody that wants to see it all the time so you need to queue up early!

Or….

Are you taking notes?

Do like I did and have your family queue up while you head over to the 50’s Prime Time Café for one of these magic numbers…..

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day3/DSC_0593.jpg

I think this was called an Electric Lemonade but I may be mistaken. The bar there makes the BEST mixed drinks in any park IMHO. A little pricey? Yep. Worth it? Absolutely!

I had taken Brian and Sean with me over there but Brian was under age so he was stuck with a non-alcoholic beverage. On our way back we realized we were starting to get a little hungry and still had some time to kill so we walked past here…..

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day3/DSC_0589.jpg

…to grab a few of these….
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day3/DSC_0594.jpg

Never had a turkey leg? Like the flavor of ham? OMG you gotta go get one. They are soooo good! Plus, you look like a manly barbarian carrying around a turkey leg with the skin dangling from your chin as you chew! *Insert a Tim Allen Grunt here*

After we wiped the grease from our faces it was time to go fight the masses for our seats in the arena. My FIL Chuck Sr, doesn’t enjoy crowds all that much so we poked fun whenever people didn’t cut in between us. All in all, not bad seats though!

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day3/DSC_0596.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day3/DSC_0598.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day3/DSC_0601.jpg

I called over to Danny trying to get his attention…
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day3/DSC_0602.jpg

He’s a great guy and loves getting his picture taken….
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day3/DSC_0603.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day3/DSC_0604.jpg


Some people may shy around him a little because mentally he’s around age 10 I believe. Me and him get along just fine because I’d say I’m usually around age 12 or so.

A couple more of our “row(s)”
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day3/DSC_0605.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day3/DSC_0607.jpg
Another one of my favorites…
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day3/DSC_0610.jpg

[NateNLogansDad]

And than the show started. Tell me, can you hear the music????

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[NateNLogansDad]

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[NateNLogansDad]

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Have I mentioned that I absolutely LOVE that show? Well, I do. Even as I type, I can hear the music playing in my head. Why can’t Southwest Airlines just let us hop onto a plane in a seat that’s not being used so we can check out Hollywood Studios for the night and let us fly home when it’s done? I mean c’mon, there has to be at least ONE seat that they aren’t using right? Oh well. Someday when we make the move, we’ll be able to drive over for the night and drive home when the park closes. *sigh* Someday…..

Sorry, I’m back. I need to stop letting my mind drift away from this trip report!

So where were we?

Oh yea, after the show ended about 8,000 people made their way towards the exit at the same time. Controlled insanity as I like to call it. There is a lot of people but it really is handled pretty well.
The park was still open for a little while but most of the group was pretty tired. And some more than others….

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As most our party headed off towards the busses, they left behind the fastpasses I had acquired earlier for Brian, Sean, Chuck Jr, Nate, Logan, and I. We went on using the passes but in reality, we really didn’t need them. Tina still feels version 1.0 and decided to stay back and just do some people watching.
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At this point it was about 11pm and we knew tomorrow would be a pretty busy day so we all decided to make out way towards the busses and head back to the hotel. With the boys in the stroller they never made it to the bus stop before they both fell fast asleep. The bus ride back was quiet with little ones either in their own little dream world or trying to fight the urge to close their eyes. Seriously, how great is Disney World? Not only will you have such a great time being a kid again, but your kids can have so much fun that they are completely drained at the end of the day. I guess when you think about it, that’s where most of the magic comes from.

Get some sleep, Day 4 is going to be here whether you’re ready for it or not :o)

[mommytominnie]

Subbing!! Love your pictures and I adore how you write about your wife :-) Beautiful Family!!

[heaven2dc]

Absolutely love your pics! ToT is my all time fav ride in HS - it took one ride and I was hooked! I agree with you though that it can be scary - my DS24 kept making excuses on his first trip as to why he shouldn't ride it. I kept assuring him that it wouldn't be that bad but I have to say - that was the scariest ride of all of the times I've been on it :lmao: We had more looonnng drops than ever before and more drops than ever before - I thought I was going to die laughing when we got off the ride and I saw his pic :rotfl2: Poor guy - don't think we'll ever get him back on.

Isn't Fantasmic sensational?!! I have only seen it once when I was solo for four days before my DD and DGS arrived back in 2008. I wanted so bad for them to see it (I had gone on several rides and attractions trying new things out so I could recommend what would be most fun for their short stay). Unfortunately she didn't want to battle the crowds and he was only 14 mos old then. I loved all of your family pics from Fantasmic - especially Danny's!!

[dvc4life]

Love, love, love the photos of Fantasmic. Never seen such great pictures before. You are doing such an excellent job!

Looks like you all had a fun time. Hope the fun continues for the rest of your trip! :)

[dara00]

joining in! love the photos. and just had to comment that I was laughing out loud when you said "that's not Buzz Lightyear, it's just a guy in a Buzz Lightyear shirt."

[NateNLogansDad]

Subbing!! Love your pictures and I adore how you write about your wife :-) Beautiful Family!!
Welcome aboard! Glad you could make it! You're too sweet. My wife isn't even reading my trip report:surfweb: As far as I know, nobody in the family is except Sean. After I wrote about his backwards picture I sent him a facebook link because he's usually bored at work. I don't want to talk about people behind their back:thumbsup2

Absolutely love your pics! ToT is my all time fav ride in HS - it took one ride and I was hooked! I agree with you though that it can be scary - my DS24 kept making excuses on his first trip as to why he shouldn't ride it. I kept assuring him that it wouldn't be that bad but I have to say - that was the scariest ride of all of the times I've been on it :lmao: We had more looonnng drops than ever before and more drops than ever before - I thought I was going to die laughing when we got off the ride and I saw his pic :rotfl2: Poor guy - don't think we'll ever get him back on.

Isn't Fantasmic sensational?!! I have only seen it once when I was solo for four days before my DD and DGS arrived back in 2008. I wanted so bad for them to see it (I had gone on several rides and attractions trying new things out so I could recommend what would be most fun for their short stay). Unfortunately she didn't want to battle the crowds and he was only 14 mos old then. I loved all of your family pics from Fantasmic - especially Danny's!!
Had a similar ToT experience on this trip....but that will be for another update;)

Fantasmic and Wishes are a complete tie for me. Some people might not get it but both shows really bring out some emotion when you hear the music...even if you are 1,000 miles away watching them on youtube. I'm thinking another trip may be in order for you guys just to go see the show:thumbsup2 In case you can't make it.....
Click Here (http://www.youtube.com/user/UndercoverTourist?feature=pyv&ad=9864500995&kw=fantasmic&v=jU_MIq2InE0&lr=1)

Love, love, love the photos of Fantasmic. Never seen such great pictures before. You are doing such an excellent job!

Looks like you all had a fun time. Hope the fun continues for the rest of your trip! :)
Flattery will get you everywhere :rotfl2: Thank you and yea we were having a great time...gotta stay tuned to see how it goes though

joining in! love the photos. and just had to comment that I was laughing out loud when you said "that's not Buzz Lightyear, it's just a guy in a Buzz Lightyear shirt."

:lmao: Thank you for restoring my faith in my sense of humor :happytv: I crack myself up but Tina does NOT find me funny:confused3 Yea, I laughed a little when I wrote that....and I laughed again just now thinking about that guy in that shirt. Oh, I so hope he stumbles onto this report someday:lmao:

[Soopafly]

:lmao: Thank you for restoring my faith in my sense of humor :happytv: I crack myself up but Tina does NOT find me funny:confused3 Yea, I laughed a little when I wrote that....and I laughed again just now thinking about that guy in that shirt. Oh, I so hope he stumbles onto this report someday:lmao:

I know the feeling, our wives clearly don't understand us :rolleyes:

I hate TOT, went on it with Stef once in 2010, couldn't bring myself to do it last year, so I sent our friend Joe on with her instead haha. Problem is, she wants me to go on TOT in Paris soon......:scared1:

Great shots as always, I always either forget to take pics on rides or im just too chicken, i'll stick with the first excuse as that's much better.

[NateNLogansDad]

I know the feeling, our wives clearly don't understand us :rolleyes:

I hate TOT, went on it with Stef once in 2010, couldn't bring myself to do it last year, so I sent our friend Joe on with her instead haha. Problem is, she wants me to go on TOT in Paris soon......:scared1:

Great shots as always, I always either forget to take pics on rides or im just too chicken, i'll stick with the first excuse as that's much better.

Oh c'mon! You better remember to take some Pics in Paris!!! I think I remember someone saying they heard a girl screaming the last time you went on......oh wait, ummmm....never mind, must have been something else :rotfl2:

I think we need to get some of the women on the Disboards to start sending messages to our wives informing them of our funniness. That can't turn out bad at all can it? :confused3:lmao:

[Soopafly]

Oh c'mon! You better remember to take some Pics in Paris!!! I think I remember someone saying they heard a girl screaming the last time you went on......oh wait, ummmm....never mind, must have been something else :rotfl2:

I think we need to get some of the women on the Disboards to start sending messages to our wives informing them of our funniness. That can't turn out bad at all can it? :confused3:lmao:

Lol because I had nothing to hold onto and it freaked me the hell out :lmao: I will be taking my camera for sure, if it isn't busy like last time, i will actually be able to use it. It will be freezing cold though, so I need to keep those batteries charged up because they won't be as effective in the cold, is that correct?

I was full of hilarity in the pub last night, though my hilarity often involves being rude and crude so it doesn't go down well with the wife haha. Looking forward to more updates, Stef might actually do one soon as well :laughing:

[sl_underwood]

Your pics are amazing. I have a decent camera but apparently lack the talent, lol. My next Disney fix is not unti Dec, so I am finding I cant stay away from TR. We will also be going with extended family (though not quite as many people as you guys had) Cant wait to read more!

[hjd0411]

Great updates yet again! Loving the photos! So looking forward to getting there myself!!! Thanks for helping me through the long months until I go!!
I'm impressed that you are able to keep everyone pretty together through WDW! I have trouble keeping 2 of us together..!!! :rotfl:

[NLD]

popcorn::

[Stefy]

Finally all caught up and loving every minute :) Can't believe the size of your group, I couldn't put up with more than 4 and that includes me and Dave :laughing:

All your pics are awesome (as usual), can't wait to read more popcorn::

[annnewjerz]

Well look who it is! Who knew you were doing another TR?! Count me in for this one. We are headed down for 8 days at the Boardwalk in 3 weeks so I need something to tide me over until the trip. :thumbsup2

I've only read through the first day so far, but looks fun! That 2-bedroom villa at AKL looks pretty sweet! One question though---did you get FPs for Soarin on your first day and :gasp: not even use them?! Or did I just miss that part?

Ann

[NateNLogansDad]

Lol because I had nothing to hold onto and it freaked me the hell out :lmao: I will be taking my camera for sure, if it isn't busy like last time, i will actually be able to use it. It will be freezing cold though, so I need to keep those batteries charged up because they won't be as effective in the cold, is that correct?

I was full of hilarity in the pub last night, though my hilarity often involves being rude and crude so it doesn't go down well with the wife haha. Looking forward to more updates, Stef might actually do one soon as well :laughing:

As I'm typing this, I believe you guys are in Paris! You better have that camera of yours with you because we are all gonna want to see a trip report when you guys get back! Hope you are able to get some good shots while you're there and hopefully the crowd levels are manageable.

As far as being at the Pub....we gotta meet up sometime! I'll warn ya up front, I'm the same with rude and crude. And the more drinks you throw at me the more fuzzy that line gets....it's so hard not to cross that line sometimes!:rotfl2: Hope you're keeping warm!

[NateNLogansDad]

Your pics are amazing. I have a decent camera but apparently lack the talent, lol. My next Disney fix is not unti Dec, so I am finding I cant stay away from TR. We will also be going with extended family (though not quite as many people as you guys had) Cant wait to read more!
Talent? What's a talent? I call myself the lucky photographer because the only pictures I actually like of mine were luck shots or unintentional. I do have a few where I actually intended for them to come out that way (I have a few lightning shots that I took) but most of my pictures were taken while I was trying to catch up to either Tina or the kids. I don't need to be on a ride to create motion blur, or camera shake I feel like I never stop moving while snapping pictures :lmao: I hope you have an absolute blast on your trip! Enjoy having everybody there (25 is too much anyway! ;) )

Great updates yet again! Loving the photos! So looking forward to getting there myself!!! Thanks for helping me through the long months until I go!!
I'm impressed that you are able to keep everyone pretty together through WDW! I have trouble keeping 2 of us together..!!! :rotfl:

Thank you again :) Do you wake up and count down the days yet? You picked a great time of the year to go! Weather should be perfect and the crowds pretty low:thumbsup2 Are you doing all 3 trips at the same time? I'm a little jealous!

popcorn::

I know I know :headache: These last two weeks have been a little nuts. I'll explain in a minute....

Finally all caught up and loving every minute :) Can't believe the size of your group, I couldn't put up with more than 4 and that includes me and Dave :laughing:

All your pics are awesome (as usual), can't wait to read more popcorn::

Thanks Stef! How's Paris? I saw you tweeted a pic that carried over to facebook but I can't click on it :mad: I guess I need to see what the fuss is all about with this twitter thing huh?

Well look who it is! Who knew you were doing another TR?! Count me in for this one. We are headed down for 8 days at the Boardwalk in 3 weeks so I need something to tide me over until the trip. :thumbsup2

I've only read through the first day so far, but looks fun! That 2-bedroom villa at AKL looks pretty sweet! One question though---did you get FPs for Soarin on your first day and :gasp: not even use them?! Or did I just miss that part?

Ann

Hey ANN!!! Long time no see!!! You guys are going to the Boardwalk again!?!?!? :dance3: LUCKY! I miss the Beach Club sooo much! Take a pic or two for me will ya? I'm going to try to get in another update or two before you leave so hopefully you'll stick around for a bit ;)

And yes, you caught me. We did get the fastpasses but never did use them. :sad2: Everybody was just feeling run down and they weren't until later in the evening. BUT, they did not go to waste :thumbsup2 On our way out the door I found 6 people who were happy to get them!:thumbsup2 I like to pay it forward when I can :wizard: I can't believe you picked up on that :laughing:

[NateNLogansDad]

I just want to than whomever is still sticking around waiting for the next update. I'm sorry it's taken so long to get an update ready but I recently changed my shift AGAIN. I still can't wrap my head around the fact that I am now one of those 9-5'ers that I've heard so much about!:rotfl2: Unfortunately, the way I got this shift was because of our company laying off several great co-workers that will be missed. Since we are now running with less staff and work has picked up, we've been busy and overtime is almost expected every day now. Between the work and getting used to the new hrs, I've just been run down when I get home....and there's still a wife, 2 kids, and 2 dogs that want to play.

Long story short, I've just been too tired to concentrate lately. There will be another update soon, I promise.

Thanks for hanging in there!

-Rob

[NLD]

Rob,

Sorry to hear about the layoffs at your company, that is always hard. Dh just went through the same thing, they got bought out AGAIN and while he survived, he watched some coworkers go.

You know I'm just teasing you with the popcorn, right? (Afterall, it's complementary on this thread, right?)

We leave in six days for a seven-day trip to Wilderness Lodge, so I'm just stalking your trip report to pass the time!

[NateNLogansDad]

Rob,

Sorry to hear about the layoffs at your company, that is always hard. Dh just went through the same thing, they got bought out AGAIN and while he survived, he watched some coworkers go.

You know I'm just teasing you with the popcorn, right? (Afterall, it's complementary on this thread, right?)

We leave in six days for a seven-day trip to Wilderness Lodge, so I'm just stalking your trip report to pass the time!

Holy crap, I didn't even notice you had 6 days left!!! That's so awesome!!! I'd be freaking out right now! We really want to just get away with just us so bad especially with this cold weather and all. The weather down there looks a little chilly at night but during the day, you guys are set!

Glad to hear your DH is still there. Being bought can be either a good thing or a bad one I guess. We've been bought and sold so many times in the last 6yrs it makes your head spin. Why I'm still there is still a mystery but it is what it is.

I'll try to get an update done soon I promise. Till then, feel free......popcorn::

[merbobear]

New subscriber!
I just caught up on all of your updates so far! For just being a good-luck photographer, you catch some great shots :thumbsup2

[NateNLogansDad]

New subscriber!
I just caught up on all of your updates so far! For just being a good-luck photographer, you catch some great shots :thumbsup2

Hey, thank you very much and welcome aboard! My philosophy is it's better to be lucky than to be good....although I do practice alot :thumbsup2

[Soopafly]

As I'm typing this, I believe you guys are in Paris! You better have that camera of yours with you because we are all gonna want to see a trip report when you guys get back! Hope you are able to get some good shots while you're there and hopefully the crowd levels are manageable.

As far as being at the Pub....we gotta meet up sometime! I'll warn ya up front, I'm the same with rude and crude. And the more drinks you throw at me the more fuzzy that line gets....it's so hard not to cross that line sometimes!:rotfl2: Hope you're keeping warm!

Hey buddy! We just got back this evening, but Stef has loaded all the pics from both cameras ready for updating at some point. We got plenty of pics to share, but most of mine I kept thinking 'Rob will like this shot' or 'Rob will totally dig the area so we gotta get a pic' haha. I did totally screw up an attempt on Peter Pan & also Lights Motors Action but some came out ok. Will share pics soon I hope.

[NateNLogansDad]

Hey buddy! We just got back this evening, but Stef has loaded all the pics from both cameras ready for updating at some point. We got plenty of pics to share, but most of mine I kept thinking 'Rob will like this shot' or 'Rob will totally dig the area so we gotta get a pic' haha. I did totally screw up an attempt on Peter Pan & also Lights Motors Action but some came out ok. Will share pics soon I hope.

Hahaha you made my day! I'm dying to see them so send me a PM on facebook as soon as they go up and I'll check it out with my phone. I trust you guys had a great time?

Oh yea, sent you a PM on facebook today......got my Chive shirt ordered! BFM3D baby!!! :cool1:

[burly]

This is fun! popcorn::

[cyndiloveswalt]

Hey Rob! Sorry I haven't been around much but some of it can be explained by the fact that we took our boys for a surprise 4 night trip to Wilderness Lodge 2 weekends ago! They had no idea until we were walking through security in Philly. It was awesome! We LOVED WL, it was beautiful and the location was great. Wanted to let you know they are still doing the castle projection show. (I'm glad I really liked it)
So I'm kind of glad you're a little slow so I didn't have too much to catch up on. We promise we'll be patient, just keep the popcorn coming...and by the way I love raisinets!

[hjd0411]

Hey Rob!
Glad to hear you are still in your job, but it is a double edged sword with the overtime etc. I'm a shift worker (have been for 23 years! :scared1:) and I really don't know if I would like to go back to 9-5!! Of course, if that is the only way to work, then of course it has to be! You will work out how to divide your time between work, family, dogs and of course - the Dis..!!! ;) :thumbsup2

Yes, we are doing all that in one trip - I have to be able to justify the 12 hour flight from Brisbane to LA!! This trip started out completely different - not even going anywhere near Orlando, but I love Orlando (for that read WDW, I guess!) and had to fit it in somehow..!!! :laughing:
Will look forward to your updates when you are able. :surfweb:

[NateNLogansDad]

Hey there, guess what? WE ARE BACK ONLINE WITH DAY #4!!! Can you believe it’s day number 4 already??? I mean we just did day 3 like……well it was a few days a……. Crap, I’m sorry. It’s been a while. When I was starting this whole TR, my job was slllloooowwww at work and I could dedicate hrs and hrs to an update. Lately, I’m lucky to get 15 minutes to myself. And this past week, I was pretty much dead to the world with Strep Throat and a 104 fever. Yea, lots of fun. Well, enough of the chitter chatter, that’s not why you’re still here right?

Everybody got some popcorn?

Good!

Monday, October 24th. D-day +1

I’m going to introduce a new member of our trip in a few minutes but keep in mind that we already have 25!!! This guy will only appear today in any pictures and I’ll give you a quick run down on who he is. His name is Jeff. Great guy, very funny. Jeff is a long time friend of my brother in law Chuck. They went to school together, graduated together, worked at the same warehouse together, both decided to head off to the Academy at the same time, attended the same class, assigned to the same district, same precinct, and yes were made partners who share the same car on patrol. See where I’m going with this? Yea, my brother in law could not come down early with us because he was going to Jeff’s wedding that night. Any idea where Jeff was going for his honeymoon? What about hotel? Yes and yes.

That morning, much like most mornings, John had his group up, dressed, and on a bus before 8am. Yea…so around 9:30 my group caught our bus from out front of our Kidani Village. After grabbing us, it swung around to the Jambo House.

Any guess who might be standing out there waiting with his wife?

Here comes Jeff!

The bus was really packed so there was no pictures taken but we couldn’t help laugh. Seriously, what are the odds?

About quarter after 10 we found ourselves right about here….

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First thing everybody want to do was go try out Test Track. I offered to go grab fastpasses for Soarin for everybody and meet them at Test Track. Jeff is just a big kid when he walks into WDW and offered to come with me. We were cracking up the walk over to…

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Fastpasses achieved, we raced back over towards Test Track. Everybody else had just gotten into line and it was backing up…..

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We made in through the door in just a few minutes and got to see hear and smell the familiar things that make up what once was the Test Track……

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Big Chuck is just realizing how long the line actually is….
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Now, for those of you who scratched your head about my comment “things that make up what once was the Test Track……” they are doing a crazy new rehab as we speak on Test Track. I heard unconfirmed rumors that it might even get a name change. The queue should be completely different and all. I’m excited to see what they came up with but hope that the Imagineers still keep a good amount of the existing attraction there. We shall see!

Back to us waiting in line. We started talking about different things with Jeff and he brought up my camera. Big Chuck (and little Chuck) DO NOT like their pictures taken so they warned him about me taking pictures when you’re not expecting it….bla bla bla. I think Jeff said something about not wanting to smile in any pictures, so I showed him this one of himself I had already taken…..
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Little Chuck said something about “see that is what I’m talking about!” So I showed him this one of himself…
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I don’t think they looked at me the rest of the day.

John had tried calling me a couple times but the signal isn’t great down there for either of us. He had already done Soarin by standing in the Standby line. Great. I informed him that we were still waiting for Test Track. In fact the ride went down 3 times while we were there! THREE! I hung up and told him I’d call later.

Bored, I played with the camera…..

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I checked to see if Big Chuck liked his picture taken yet….

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He offered to beat me senseless with my camera.

He’s shy.

[NateNLogansDad]

FINALLY, after 1 hour and 10 minutes we made it here.

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I made a comment about one more line till we get in the cars and I think Big Chuck wanted an Exit. I felt the same way but knew the last part of the queue only takes a few short minutes. I assured him that we were basically there and he took a deep breath and before you knew it we were there!

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Chuck and Jeff, they share a car at home and on vacation…..they need to get out more.
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Enough talking….let’s take a ride shall we?
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Great ride. I really hope the new version keeps part of the classic version alive. I guess we’ll find out soon enough.

[NateNLogansDad]

Moving right along.

After Test Track, Jeff met back up with his wife who didn’t want to get on, and they went off to go do their own thing. Big Chuck and Chuck Jr wanted to do another “thrill ride” to keep the adrenaline going a bit I guess.
I really don’t remember who’s idea it was, but I’m not taking responsibility for it. Somehow or another everybody thought it would be fun for the guys to all go back here…..

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I’m always game for Mission Space, but I know once certain people hit a certain age……well…
We went in….
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The last picture I have of Big Chuck smiling that day…..
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These 2 hams already know what they are getting into….
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I guess I really should have warned Chuck and Chuck about Mission Space especially since we went on the ORANGE side. Woops. Hindsight is 20/20. It’s funny to this day to watch their expressions run cold as soon as you start talking about it. Those imagineers really timed it right, another 30 seconds and I’m sure big Chuck was going to find away out of there one way or another! As for Brian, Sean and Myself…..we can’t wait to plan another trip and rid it a few more times!

We had a little bit of time to kill before our Soarin fastpasses matured and after Mission Space, Chuck and Chuck felt like they needed to get something in their stomachs. Sean wanted to make a quick pit stop for some sunglasses because he left his back in the room so we went here first…

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The rest of us wanted to have a seat so we went here first…..
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As we waited for Sean to get out, I tried telling Chuck, Chuck, and Fran about all the different foods in EPCOT, and about all the places we could try that were part of the food and wine fest.

We made our way towards the World Showcase.

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My mouth was watering from the different smells being stirred up all around us. We could do lamb chops in Australia, Sausages in Germany, Wines from France, anywhere we wanted to go would be taste bud bliss!!!! Where did we end up????

[NateNLogansDad]

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day4/DSC_1270.jpg

America? Again? Still shaking my darn head.

*sigh*

So, after another burger with pulled pork *yawn* we headed BACK through the Showcase…never stopping, only moving forward….

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This is where I started getting a little grumpy. I guess when I was blurting out “fun facts” about the things to do or see in each one of the countries, everybody thought I just liked to talk Disney stuff. Everybody was like “oh, that’s nice” or “get out, that sounds cool” but no one wanted to slow down to take any of it in. Than when we got back towards Future World, Tina wanted to know why I was acting a little Grumpy. I tried to rationally explain how so much time, thought, and energy went into creating the World Showcase and we just ran through the whole thing in 15 minutes flat. I was informed that next time I should say something. :rolleyes1

By this time I was actually going through a minor nicotine withdraw, so my version of “rationally” may had been different from a rational person. Hindsight 20/20. Yadda yadda...

We continued on towards Soarin. As we got towards the entrance, I pulled out my fastpasses and counted them up. Than I re-counted. Somehow that morning when I was getting passes for everybody, I messed up and fell 1 short.

My fuse just got shorter.

Just about everybody offered to sit this one out but then it dawned on me, this is probably exactly what I needed. I told them to all go and enjoy themselves and I would be a new person when they came back out!

I think they all felt bad for going in, but for me I have about 45 minutes completely to myself in EPCOT! First things first, I took care of my nicotine fix. Sitting there away from everybody enjoying a smoke, I watched this guy FLIP out on his wife. I mean it got bad. They weren’t yelling in English but you could tell it wasn’t a good day. I stuck around just to make sure nothing got physical but I really wanted to tell the guy to go walk around for a few by yourself and enjoy they day. Dude, your in Disney World! I don’t think he was feeling the magic.

Speaking of magic, after watching the guy flip out for a few, I found myself walking around the Showcase picking up things that looked like this….

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day4/DSC_1286.jpg
That is a little piece of Magic from Brazil called a Leblon Frozen Caipirinha Cocktail. Don’t believe me?

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day4/DSC_1282.jpg

Told ya.

Next up was Hawaii. All I saw was Mai Tai and I was hooked. When they put “Seven Tiki” in front of it, I needed 2 please.
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I was amazed that 30 minutes had already flown by. I was also amazed by how much of a kick those little tiny drinks had! Almost worth the 7 bucks a piece! I was tired and just wanted to relax for a few minutes without being bothered so I headed to the one place I always wanted to hang out alone for a bit….

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Yep, right next to the fountains. I’m sure it sounds stupid or crazy or whatever but it was heavenly. That last picture was taken from the wall off to the side where no one ever over goes that way for some reason. I had my camera bag set up as a pillow and I laid across the wall and closed my eyes. As I type this I can remember absolutely everything from those few minutes I had and right now, I’m so wishing I could do it again just for a few minutes.


I’m afraid that if I wait to finish up the day, there won’t be an update till next week, so I’ll leave you off here for now. There’s still a lot left to do for Day 4!!!!! We still have another park, and some more thrill rides and…….well just stick around!!!!


Please?

[NateNLogansDad]

Hey Rob! Sorry I haven't been around much but some of it can be explained by the fact that we took our boys for a surprise 4 night trip to Wilderness Lodge 2 weekends ago! They had no idea until we were walking through security in Philly. It was awesome! We LOVED WL, it was beautiful and the location was great. Wanted to let you know they are still doing the castle projection show. (I'm glad I really liked it)
So I'm kind of glad you're a little slow so I didn't have too much to catch up on. We promise we'll be patient, just keep the popcorn coming...and by the way I love raisinets!

Cindi! That's so awesome for you guys!!!!! I'm sure the boys were just totally blown away! Isn't it just so hard to keep that a secret??? We did it for one trip and just about lost our minds so I can imagine how that was!!! Good job! You guys are awesome!!!! :worship: Let me know when some of those pics get posted :thumbsup2
Thanks for the heads up on the light show. I really want to get back there and set up to watch the whole thing.....someday.
I just made a call to Frank. He's my raisinets guy. His son plays soccer with Nate. Shouldn't be a problem. As of Monday morning there should be barrels of raisinets at the end of each isle for everybody to enjoy.:thumbsup2
Hey Rob!
Glad to hear you are still in your job, but it is a double edged sword with the overtime etc. I'm a shift worker (have been for 23 years! :scared1:) and I really don't know if I would like to go back to 9-5!! Of course, if that is the only way to work, then of course it has to be! You will work out how to divide your time between work, family, dogs and of course - the Dis..!!! ;) :thumbsup2

Yes, we are doing all that in one trip - I have to be able to justify the 12 hour flight from Brisbane to LA!! This trip started out completely different - not even going anywhere near Orlando, but I love Orlando (for that read WDW, I guess!) and had to fit it in somehow..!!! :laughing:
Will look forward to your updates when you are able. :surfweb:

The job's the job. I'll leave it at that. Nobody's real happy there. I guess that's why it's called work right?:confused3

You guys are nuts!!! :rotfl2: It's like a cross country tour of all things Disney! I totally agree with the thought behind it all, it's much cheaper and less time on flights than doing separate trips. :thumbsup2 Very smart! I have a feeling I'd be :scared1: with all that time on an airplane....not because I don't like to fly (I actually really enjoy it) but more because I need to get up and walk around. Last week, I would have said go have a smoke, but this week I'm trying to quit:thumbsup2 Good luck and I hope it's the most amazing vacation anyone has ever had :worship:

[wdwnomad]

Welcome back! I've been waiting for the next update. At this rate, your trip report just might hold me over until my trip in August....

Let me tell you I can related to your needing a break from everyone. There are many times I do the same but only my group is four. I can't even imagine with a group your size.

[NateNLogansDad]

Thanks again for sticking around to those of you that have. It's been a rough month. This past week I was laid up in bed with strep and a fever that went back and forth between 103.5 and 104.5 for 2 1/2 days. I couldn't eat and barely left my bed for the first 3 days sleeping 80% of the time. I don't want to mention how much weight I lost...ladies would be trying to sign up! :rotfl2: But everything's better now and an update is posted :thumbsup2 I also figured I'd try dropping the horrible habit I enjoy so much....I figured the nicotine is already out of my system, why not :confused3

Hopefully the next update will be VERY soon and the dramatics that I call normal life will start to settle down soon.

Anyways, just want to say thanks.
:flower3:

[Susan121302]

YAY! another update from Rob!! And more actual LOLing while reading. Big Chuck beating the daylights out of you with your camera was today's LOL for me. OMG, good stuff. I like this crowd... are you sure some are not from Boston?

[NateNLogansDad]

Welcome back! I've been waiting for the next update. At this rate, your trip report just might hold me over until my trip in August....

Let me tell you I can related to your needing a break from everyone. There are many times I do the same but only my group is four. I can't even imagine with a group your size.

I'm going to try my best not to stretch it out that far! Once August comes around I'm hoping to be out crabbing as much as I can with the boys!
But yea, with taking a break I'm implementing a mandatory break in all future trips no matter how many people we have there. I make sure the kids get one when we go to Animal Kingdom now. They go into the boneyard and get away from everybody (I just stay back out of sight the whole time) so why shouldn't the adults?:confused3

[NateNLogansDad]

YAY! another update from Rob!! And more actual LOLing while reading. Big Chuck beating the daylights out of you with your camera was today's LOL for me. OMG, good stuff. I like this crowd... are you sure some are not from Boston?

I can see how that would be funny.....problem is he's insanely strong:eek: I think I'm safe as long as the rest of the family is around but I'm pretty sure that's one of his dark fantasy's. I can see me running for my life, him swing my camera over his head in circles, while chasing me on a horse. Not sure where he got the horse but he's got one.


Maybe I should trade my camera in for a much smaller one. :confused:



By the way, your ticker is KILLING me. I want to go back to the Beach Club SOOOO Bad :sad1:

[NLD]

Hi Rob!

Great updates.

We just got back last night from our seven-day Wilderness Lodge trip. The pictures are loading to the computer as I type.

Now your TR is helping with my post-vacation blues. :thumbsup2

[ajf1007]

Hi Neighbor! Fellow PA'er here and I am loving your TR! I don't know how I missed the others so I'm gonna head back and read those, now that I'm up to date with this one!

We have a trip for 10 coming up in September and we'll be in a 2 bedroom in AKV and a studio. AKV is our home resort and where we go most of the time, but in true DIS form, I'm already planning our next trip for the Beach Club in '2013. Just my husband and I so that will be much more relaxing than this trip.

Since there are 10 of us and 8 of them have not been there before, I'm thinking your mandatory "break" will be a wonderful thing to implement for myself!

Can't wait for more updates, but I am going to check out your others in the meantime! I have to tell you though, your family is beautiful and your pictures are incredible! Add in your humor and dialog and I'm completely entertained!

:banana:

[NateNLogansDad]

Hi Rob!

Great updates.

We just got back last night from our seven-day Wilderness Lodge trip. The pictures are loading to the computer as I type.

Now your TR is helping with my post-vacation blues. :thumbsup2

I can't wait to see your Trip Report! The shots that you are able to produce are simply stunning.

Are you starting a whole new report or are you keeping it at the same address as the PTR?

[NateNLogansDad]

Hi Neighbor! Fellow PA'er here and I am loving your TR! I don't know how I missed the others so I'm gonna head back and read those, now that I'm up to date with this one!

We have a trip for 10 coming up in September and we'll be in a 2 bedroom in AKV and a studio. AKV is our home resort and where we go most of the time, but in true DIS form, I'm already planning our next trip for the Beach Club in '2013. Just my husband and I so that will be much more relaxing than this trip.

Since there are 10 of us and 8 of them have not been there before, I'm thinking your mandatory "break" will be a wonderful thing to implement for myself!

Can't wait for more updates, but I am going to check out your others in the meantime! I have to tell you though, your family is beautiful and your pictures are incredible! Add in your humor and dialog and I'm completely entertained!

:banana:

Thank you, you're way too kind! The mandatory break is sooo nice. I want to book another vacation just to implement it :rotfl2:
I'm going to warn you about the Beach Club next year....you won't want to go anywhere else after that! It's just so peaceful and the location is perfect! I feel like a complete addict needing a fix, I want to go back so bad! Oh well, someday *sigh*

When you guys go to AKL to stay, on a scale of 1-10 how do you like the bus system? Do you usually do Jambo or Kidani?

[NLD]

Will probably start a new thread for the actual TR. Will post a link in the pre-TR though.

Photos were NOT a priority this trip. Looks like I've got about 2500 all told... didn't break out the tripod at all... so no good fireworks shots or night shots.

That said, hopefully there are still a few good ones somewhere! There's at least one pretty special photo in there... maybe not from a photography standpoint, but from a "rare Disney magical moment" standpoint.

[Grumpy's Wife]

I always love your updates. That Mai Tai would be nice right now as I sitting at the computer dreaming of my next trip.

[NateNLogansDad]

I always love your updates. That Mai Tai would be nice right now as I sitting at the computer dreaming of my next trip.

Same here. I'm thinking a Captain & Coke will have to suffice :wizard:

[dara00]

I love that you were able to get pictures on test track! great reading about epcot!

[NateNLogansDad]

I love that you were able to get pictures on test track! great reading about epcot!

There's a few from another ride that I really like coming up in the next 1/2 of day 4 :thumbsup2

[dvc4life]

Great update Rob! I can understand about wanting some me time. Especially after your family didn't want to enjoy World Showcase or Food and Wine. Arggggg. Glad you were able to enjoy a couple of the refreshments that were there for the offering. I loved the Hawaii booth. Hope it is there this year too.

Sorry to hear you have been so sick. That is a bummer. But you can kick your addiction. My hubby did it about 13 years ago. He was so sick and hadn't had one for about a week he just threw his pack up on top of the microwave and left them there. He finally threw them away after about two years. And he hasn't had one since. And trust me, he was a diehard fan of nicotine. So you can do it!

Looking forward to the rest of your day.

Have a good one. :flower3:

[ajf1007]

Thank you, you're way too kind! The mandatory break is sooo nice. I want to book another vacation just to implement it :rotfl2:
I'm going to warn you about the Beach Club next year....you won't want to go anywhere else after that! It's just so peaceful and the location is perfect! I feel like a complete addict needing a fix, I want to go back so bad! Oh well, someday *sigh*

When you guys go to AKL to stay, on a scale of 1-10 how do you like the bus system? Do you usually do Jambo or Kidani?

I'm thinking with that many people, I'll definitely have to do the break. Plus, I too have the nicotine addiction that you are fighting now so I know in order to maintain my calm, it will be a necessity for myself and all of those around me!

I'm excited about the Beach Club and looking forward to a nice relaxing trip with my husband. I was looking at a few of the tours, like the Backstage Magic Tour that I think we'll do.

Regarding the bus service at AKL, believe it or not, it's never been an issue for us. We always stay at Kidani and we usually go in September so the crowds are pretty low, that may be why. We did stay at OKW for a quick visit in September last year and found that the buses there, it seemed, took just as long because of how large the resort is. We had a lovely tour of the resort on the bus :rotfl:. Also, aside from that one night at OKW, we haven't stayed anywhere else so I guess we don't really have anything to compare it to. So my rating (though biased) is probably a 7ish.

Hope you are feeling better!

[NateNLogansDad]

So, the last time I left you I was enjoying my blissful solitude next to the Fountain of Nations in Epcot. My Nicotine fix was satisfied and a few adult beverages had complimented it nicely. I actually started to doze off I was so relaxed. Looking at my pictures and checking the times they were taken, I’m surprised I had almost a full hr to myself!

Yea, definitely need to do that again next trip!

So as I lay there just enjoying the day, my phone rang.

Tina and her family had just gotten off Soarin and wanted to go try Living With The Land and wanted to know if I wanted to go join them. As much as I wanted to just listen to the water from the fountain land just a few feet from where I was, I didn’t want to seem like I was being anti-social so I headed off over to meet them.

I do remember double timing it over there because I actually felt guilty for having time to myself. Is that just weird or do other parents feel the same way sometimes?

Either way, in a few minutes, I was back over here…..


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Now, this is one of those rides where it’s more educational than fun so there really isn’t ever much of a line. Surprisingly enough, I have heard from a few Dis’ers that they really love getting on it just to relax and would be heartbroken if it were ever replaced. For those Dis’ers, here’s some boring pics for ya. Anybody else, feel free to pass by the next set……..
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http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day4/DSC_1351.jpg

[NateNLogansDad]

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day4/DSC_1352.jpg

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http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day4/DSC_1392.jpg

[NateNLogansDad]

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day4/DSC_1394.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day4/DSC_1397.jpg

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http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day4/DSC_1403.jpg

To wrap it up, A Hidden Mickey…..
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day4/DSC_1405.jpg

Now even as I posted that, I’m falling asleep. I guess to some people that’s really neat and interesting, but I see it as kind a snoozer. I didn’t even try to narrate so we could get through that as quickly and painlessly as possible. I mean is it even possible to make that part of a trip report tolerable?

Maybe if I had announced an open bar before posting those pictures. Hmmm…. I’ll have to keep that in mind for the next trip report.

MOVING ALONG! :o)

From there Tina’s parents and brothers were feeling a little worn out so they decided to head back to the room for a quick nap. We were feeling it too but there was one more ride that HAD to get done while we were there. I’d be lying if I told you that we only go here because the boys love it. It’s always going to be one of my must-do’s also!

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day4/DSC_1412.jpg

C’mon, you know you know the words! Don’t try acting cool during this trip report!
Imaaaaaaa gin a tion……
Imaaaaaaa gin a tion……

OK, fine. Since there was no open bar I will stop singing.

I didn’t go crazy with the pictures on this ride but I did get a few. I really wanted to sit back and just enjoy the ride with my darling wife. The kids love sitting by themselves and we sit right behind them. They say it’s out time for romance haha!
Anywho, here’s a few pics to bring back some memories for ya…

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day4/DSC_1414.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day4/DSC_1416.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day4/DSC_1423.jpg

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http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day4/DSC_1431.jpg

Imaaa gin a….sorry, I’ll stop.
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day4/DSC_1445.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day4/DSC_1447.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day4/DSC_1450.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day4/DSC_1451.jpg

[NateNLogansDad]

After the ride we always spend way to much time playing around with the instruments and stuff….

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day4/DSC_1455.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day4/DSC_1458.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day4/DSC_1462.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day4/DSC_1473.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day4/DSC_1477.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day4/DSC_1480.jpg

Seriously, to all you kids out there reading this over the age of 30, is it just me or are you ready to go back now? *sigh*

After leaving Figment we headed back to the hotel for a short break and to discuss the game plan for later on this evening. I know I haven’t mentioned it yet but there was some tension in the air with everybody wanting to do different things but still stay together as a group. Tina’s Uncle John goes commando style at the parks, never sitting or relaxing just run run run. During the week he had even hit up 3 parks in 1 day! I’m sure they did more rides and what not during the week, but it just sounded more like work than fun to me. So, to maybe help us relax a little we decided to go and enjoy a little bit of the food and wine fest!

Around 7 or so we headed over….

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day4/DSC_1487.jpg

I got right to work like it was my job and didn’t really care. If we passed it, I drank it! Unfortunately, walking around the World Showcase with a drink in each hand constantly makes for lousy picture taking time. It was a little crowded and at first I was worried a little about people bumping into my big ol camera hanging at my side. 3 drinks in, and those worries vanished faster than drink #1.
By the time illuminations started, I was feeling pretty darn good! At first I was worried about not having a tripod….but that soon went away. I than was going to set my camera on a wall and take some pics of the fireworks but the walls kept moving….may have been me swaying, not too sure. In the end, I ended up holding Logan so he could get a good view and we just enjoyed the show.

After the fireworks were over, a young couple asked if I’d use their camera to snap a picture of them. In return, they did the same for us…..

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day4/DSC_1490.jpg

I think we all needed a beverage or two that night. Everybody was feeling pretty good at that moment and we were just about to head back to the hotel when the phone rang….

It’s Uncle John. They are over at Magic Kingdom doing Extra Magic Hrs till 2am and want to know if we want to join them. In my infinite Disney Wisdom, I steered everybody towards the International Gateway and headed for the one place I truly call Home Away From Home. The Beach Club!

As we walked through the lobby towards the bus stop, I took every little bit of it in. The music playing softly in the background, the smells, the smiles each Cast Member gave you as you came within a 10 ft radius of them……everything.

Finally we got to the bus stop….
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day4/DSC_1493.jpg

And silently, to myself I kind of lost it a little.

If you’ve read any of my other Trip Reports, you know without a doubt that I am truly a momma’s boy. I admit it. The first time we came to Disney with the boys was because of her. She used her DVC membership and we stayed at the Beach Club and our long time love of Disney began. And right now, I hated the fact that she was back home and not here with me. I sent her a text saying we missed her and soon after the bus for Magic Kingdom showed up.

Not too much longer we were here!

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day4/DSC_1502.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day4/DSC_1513.jpg

Is that not just a beautiful sight??? Have I mentioned that I want to go back?

Anyway.

John had sent a text that they were getting on Splash Mountain if we wanted to join them. I thought they were nuts because there was a slight chill in the air but Brian and Sean went for a ride with them. Instead, the rest of us waited for them to get off so we could all hop on Thunder Mountain together!

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day4/DSC_1515.jpg

A little out of focus but I think my camera was a little tipsy from EPCOT still…..
(Danny and Nathan)
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day4/DSC_1516.jpg

Yet it was fine here when Danny took a picture of Logan and I……weird.
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day4/DSC_1517.jpg

[NateNLogansDad]

After everybody was ready we all headed in…..
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day4/DSC_1519.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day4/DSC_1521.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day4/DSC_1523.jpg
The CM at the loading gate: “How many in your party?”
Us: “About 25!”
The CM: “OK. Wait, what?”
We laughed and they got us all together as best as they could.

Brian and Sean still a little wet…..and now cold.
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day4/DSC_1525.jpg

Mommom Fran a little giddy…. She doesn’t usually do roller coasters!
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day4/DSC_1527.jpg

Nate is ready to go!
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day4/DSC_1529.jpg

Logan….not so much
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day4/DSC_1530.jpg

Chuck Jr does not like it when I call his name and snap a pic when he turns to look at me for some reason.
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day4/DSC_1531.jpg

And still doesn’t look thrilled when I fire off random shots behind my head…..
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day4/DSC_1532.jpg

And we’re off!!!!

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day4/DSC_1533.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day4/DSC_1535.jpg

For some reason, nobody likes me using a flash over my shoulder……haha!

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day4/DSC_1537.jpg

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http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day4/DSC_1543.jpg

Lil Logan is still not sure about this ride.…
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day4/DSC_1544.jpg
Maybe the first time we took him on a few years ago, we should have woken him up from his nap first…..poor kid’s never gonna get over that.

[NateNLogansDad]

After we exited Big Thunder, we made our way over to….

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day4/DSC_1546.jpg

Down past….
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day4/DSC_1551.jpg

Until we found ourselves….

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day4/DSC_1552.jpg

Yep, What better way to top the night off than Space Mountain after midnight???
The lines weren’t too bad, the 15 minute wait posted was right on the money.

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day4/DSC_1554.jpg

Notice Billy all the way to the left? I think he’s thinking more about his nice comfy bed back at the hotel, more than riding an indoor roller coaster this late….
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day4/DSC_1560.jpg

But he did get on it after all…
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day4/DSC_1562.jpg

Some more kids in our group….

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day4/DSC_1563.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day4/DSC_1565.jpg

Apparently Chuck was having problems with his eyes….every time I looked at him he shut them right away!
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day4/DSC_1566.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day4/DSC_1569.jpg

And my redneck ride pictures….
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day4/DSC_1574.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day4/DSC_1575.jpg

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http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day4/DSC_1586.jpg

And since that was what we wanted to end the night with, that is what I will end this update with. After all, it was 12:30ish by now and the kids started dropping off to sleep one by one. We all headed out to the buses and talked about the next day and the plans we all were going to be following. Dinner….a party of sorts….some fireworks….well, you get the idea. To get the full picture, you’re just going to have to tune back in for day 5!





:rotfl::rotfl:

[dara00]

you know, when I was in Epcot in 1998, I was under the impression that Figment was closing. Did it reopen after that, do you know?

eta, yes it did, in 2002! :)

[NLD]

Now, this is one of those rides where it’s more educational than fun so there really isn’t ever much of a line. Surprisingly enough, I have heard from a few Dis’ers that they really love getting on it just to relax and would be heartbroken if it were ever replaced. For those Dis’ers, here’s some boring pics for ya. Anybody else, feel free to pass by the next set……..

:lmao:

You know this is sooooo true, but somehow I always end up riding it at Epcot!

Actually your sunflower shot in there was lovely. So some good came of it, anyway.

[annnewjerz]

Yayyyyy an update!! :woohoo: I need whatever I can at this point to get me through the next day and a half until we arrive.

Are you on Twitter? If you are, what's your name? Mine is the same as here---you should follow me, I'll be updating live from WDW. Just pay no attention to the updates on 2/13. Even though it's not F&W Fest, we still intend to Drink Around the World and I'm sure by the end of the afternoon I will be making no sense at all. :hyper: :hyper: :faint:

[Susan121302]

Is it only me that can't see your photos? Each pic has been replaced with an icon that says the bandwith has been exceeded. :confused3

[NateNLogansDad]

Is it only me that can't see your photos? Each pic has been replaced with an icon that says the bandwith has been exceeded. :confused3

You must be seeing things :rotfl2:

No, sorry, you were right. I let my PRO account lapse and the bandwidth ran out yesterday. I guess there's a couple lurkers in and out of here once in a while:confused3 Anywho, the bandwidth gets rest on the 9th each month so everything is :thumbsup2 so far. If I run into problems again, I'll upgrade but I think we should be OK :surfweb:

[NateNLogansDad]

:lmao:

You know this is sooooo true, but somehow I always end up riding it at Epcot!

Actually your sunflower shot in there was lovely. So some good came of it, anyway.

Does that alone make us Gluttons for punishment? It's weird, right? I actually do like going on that ride but at the same time, it bores the crap out of me :confused3

Yayyyyy an update!! :woohoo: I need whatever I can at this point to get me through the next day and a half until we arrive.

Are you on Twitter? If you are, what's your name? Mine is the same as here---you should follow me, I'll be updating live from WDW. Just pay no attention to the updates on 2/13. Even though it's not F&W Fest, we still intend to Drink Around the World and I'm sure by the end of the afternoon I will be making no sense at all. :hyper: :hyper: :faint:

I'm not on twitter but I have it on my phone I think. Maybe it's time to step into the 20th centry and see what the cool kids are playing with these days:laughing: If I get it set up, I'll let u know:thumbsup2

[NateNLogansDad]

you know, when I was in Epcot in 1998, I was under the impression that Figment was closing. Did it reopen after that, do you know?

eta, yes it did, in 2002! :)

I've heard a lot of people didn't like the refurb very much and still prefer the older version. I really don't have any memory of how it was so I can enjoy the current version that much more;)

[annnewjerz]

I'm not on twitter but I have it on my phone I think. Maybe it's time to step into the 20th centry and see what the cool kids are playing with these days:laughing: If I get it set up, I'll let u know:thumbsup2

I wouldn't classify myself as "on" Twitter either, I set up an account solely for when I take Disney trips. :rotfl: You don't need to be on Twitter to read my tweets or see pics though, you can just go here (http://twitter.com/#!/Annnewjerz) to see them. Or just google "Annnewjerz Twitter" and you'll see my feed come up. :thumbsup2

[NateNLogansDad]

I wouldn't classify myself as "on" Twitter either, I set up an account solely for when I take Disney trips. :rotfl: You don't need to be on Twitter to read my tweets or see pics though, you can just go here (http://twitter.com/#!/Annnewjerz) to see them. Or just google "Annnewjerz Twitter" and you'll see my feed come up. :thumbsup2

So, apparently I already have an account and have been following 50 cent. :confused3

If I post something the wrong way, I'm just trying to figure this twitter thing out. :surfweb:

[ajf1007]

YAY! Another update! Loved it! I've never gone through the Land, though now that I've seen your pics, I feel like I have so I won't have to do it when we go! It looked neat, but I have to agree with you, alittle bit of a snoozefest for me.

Your text to your Mom was so touching! I bet you made her day. Isn't it just amazing how our first trips always make the longest, most lasting impressions? In your case, it was also such a heartwarming, family quality time trip that you all needed at that time.

I think you've made my decision for my quiet, husband/wife trip next year. I'm definitely going to try to book the Beach Club. I'll book at AKV at 11 and then switch at the 7 month mark (hopefully in September that won't be a problem).

Thanks for such great updates and I love all of the Phillies gear atleast one person is wearing in the pictures!

[Dreamsdocometrue9112]

I just caught up and I love your TR so far! Awesome pictures! 25 people must have been quite an adventure.

[NateNLogansDad]

I can't believe I haven't responded to you guys!!!! I'm sorry about that!!! :hug:




YAY! Another update! Loved it! I've never gone through the Land, though now that I've seen your pics, I feel like I have so I won't have to do it when we go! It looked neat, but I have to agree with you, alittle bit of a snoozefest for me.

Awe, you gotta do it at least once! I should have made it sound more like a thrill ride :rotfl2: I can just see your face when you got off it :mad: :rotfl:


Your text to your Mom was so touching! I bet you made her day. Isn't it just amazing how our first trips always make the longest, most lasting impressions? In your case, it was also such a heartwarming, family quality time trip that you all needed at that time.

Awe, thanks. It really killed me being there at the Beach Club without her. I can't wait till the day we all go back. It's our place to go to get away from reality....and who in their right mind wants to deal with reality!!! :confused3


I think you've made my decision for my quiet, husband/wife trip next year. I'm definitely going to try to book the Beach Club. I'll book at AKV at 11 and then switch at the 7 month mark (hopefully in September that won't be a problem).
I always want to jump up and down for people going to the Beach Club for the first time :yay: You guys are going to LOVE IT!!!!!:thumbsup2 You gotta take one night to just walk around the Boardwalk area at night and try out Jellyrolls! I wish you lived close by, we could make a night out of talking about it!!!! Can you tell we love the Beach Club :lmao:

Thanks for such great updates and I love all of the Phillies gear atleast one person is wearing in the pictures!

Trust me, there was plenty of Phillies gear worn that week. I can't take pictures of myself, but I usually had on a Phillies T-shirt at least once a day! And between Tina and her brothers, there's not a family more into our team!

Even though most of our team is gone this year :eek:


I just caught up and I love your TR so far! Awesome pictures! 25 people must have been quite an adventure.

I tried to give you plenty of time to catch up :laughing:
Seriously though, this is just taking me FOREVER to get finished isn't it????

As for having 25 people.....yea, let's go with "Adventure" :rotfl2:

[NateNLogansDad]

A new update in about 2 minutes........:thumbsup2

[NateNLogansDad]

So, Day 5 huh? It’s our Disney Hump Day. From here on out, it’s just a race against the clock till our flight home. Between feeling like we were being pulled in several directions at once for a few days by everybody wanting to do different things and still ride every ride with the rest of our extremely large group and what not, and still trying to enjoy our time in the parks, we were kind of feeling like we needed a little down time. (If that was a run on sentence, I apologize to my junior high English teachers)

At first that’s what our plans were going to be this morning, just relax. We started out by sleeping in a little and were just going to hang out for the morning. This evening we had reservations for 25 people at the Poly for dinner and Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party afterwards. So basically, we were going to take the morning nice and slow.

Well, plans change….and we adapt.

Chuck and Fran (remember…my in-laws?) wanted to head over to Hollywood Studios to check out the stunt show. At the last minute, we all (Chuck Sr, Fran, Chuck Jr, Sean, Brian, Tina and I with the boys) got dressed and ran out the door….of course missing the next bus. The second bus was PACKED but we hopped on in hopes of getting in to see more than just Lights Motors Action.

Around 11:45 we unloaded from the bus still sleepy.

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_1593.jpg

And headed in…
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_1595.jpg

For whatever reason, we hadn’t eaten anything yet so everybody wanted to grab a small bite to eat. I grabbed a list of show times and tried to figure out how the heck this was going to work. The stunt show was staring now so that was out. I knew we needed to be back at the front of the park around 2-2:30 to grab a bus back to the hotel so we can get things together for tonight. That gave us just over 2hrs in the park.

It’s do-able right???

I suggested we head over to the Commissary for something light.
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_1596.jpg

I’m a big fan of the battered fish there and how there’s usually no wait to order and go. We lucked out, there was only a few people in front of us when we ordered and there was plenty of seats available.

Now it’s 12:27, this is still do-able. Earlier in the week, Logan had begged me to go see the Indiana Jones show but the times never worked out for whatever we had going on. We had some time to kill before the next stunt show so we speed walked over….

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_1601.jpg

12:30 we got there with a few minutes to spare. The show was set to start at 12:45. See? This is going to work!

My main fear right now was how fast can we walk to the stunt show from here? According to the math in my head, once this was over we had 5 minutes to get over there. Still do-able right?

We had great seats as usual. For some reason, there is always room way down front!

With a few minutes till the show started I snapped a few pics…..

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_1602.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_1609.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_1624.jpg

If you’ve read any of my previous Trip Reports, you’ve seen me make a fool out of myself several times here already. I’ve been picked to be in the show a few times and every time I’ve had my own Death Scene. This time I wanted to be in the show but I didn’t want to at the same time so I really wasn’t into it when I raised my hand up. I still thought that maybe…..well, nope.

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_1634.jpg

Not this time.

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_1638.jpg

Oh well, I wanted to hang out with everybody anyways to see their reaction to…..

WAIT A SEC!!!! THIS IS YOUR DISCLAIMER!!!!
If you haven’t seen the Indiana Jones Show before PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE skip the text during this section. I don’t want to ruin anything for you! Continue reading when you see the stunt show part!


So yea, you know what I wanted to see the reaction to….but we’ll get to that in a minute.

There were a couple of guest producers in the audience who volunteered to come out and start the show….
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_1640.jpg

[NateNLogansDad]

And then our star appeared!

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_1647.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_1649.jpg

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http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_1661.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_1666.jpg

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http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_1698.jpg

And just when everything was going his way….
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_1707.jpg

Poor guy. I know that feeling. :laughing:

Now it was time to bring out the guests who were selected in the beginning of the show.

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_1715.jpg

The director explained what was going on and how they would incorporate the “extras” into the film. I’m still not sure why I wasn’t in it :confused3 …..but I’m not bitter :sad2:
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_1724.jpg

Chuck and Brian took in every word….Logan, not so much. I guess he’s heard it all one too many times…..
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_1726.jpg

The performers started doing what they do well. I’m telling you, if those bad guys ever acted like this here on U.S. soil, they’d probably get away with whatever they wanted.
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_1731.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_1734.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_1739.jpg

[NateNLogansDad]

And seriously….how old is Indy now? He’s got to be in his 60’s right? Well, than how does he still look so young?
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_1745.jpg
Must be some kind of special cream or something.

He still knows how to use that whip too…..
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_1746.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_1755.jpg

Several times a day this guys sits here and films the whole thing…..
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_1759.jpg
(I think our park admission would be much cheaper if they switched to digital…..but I digress.)


http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_1771.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_1780.jpg

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http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_1801.jpg

Now, you know that is a great show. Don’t you wish you were there now?

But wait! There’s more!

Seriously stop reading this if you haven’t seen the show yet!!!

This is where they pulled out all the extras and go over a few things. They selected one “special” extra to go over how to take a punch.

Everybody is paying attention since they have never seen this before……

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_1808.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_1812.jpg

Notice Tina giggling in the far right of that last picture? Yea, we were watching sean.

As the small “extra” got beat up a little, it took him a minute….
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_1827.jpg
But they let everybody in on what was going on…..this “extra” actually was a real stunt man…..
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_1828.jpg

Brian and Chuck got a kick out of it…
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_1838.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_1846.jpg

I think Sean was baffled by how they were able to pull the wool over his eyes….
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_1856.jpg

I’m really trying hard not to say too much here because I know SOMEBODY is going to end up reading all of this before they go on their first trip. Hopefully, I’m vague enough for them to still enjoy it but detailed enough for all my veteran readers!

[NateNLogansDad]

A few minutes later, after Sean was all caught up, the action scenes started back up!
(P.S. I’m only messing with Sean because he’s the only family member reading this as he’s bored at work. Hi Sean!!!! LOL)

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_1868.jpg

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http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_1906.jpg

And of course Indy saves the day and is a hero to us all….yadda yadda yadda but we need to get the heck out of here!!!!

Checking the time on my phone, I knew we were really pushing it to get to the stunt show! We really should have left during the last scene and headed over but we stayed till the end and had to leave with the thousand other people who came to see it.
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_1919.jpg

Walking past the gift shop, I noticed that Disney was well equipped for any and all terror attacks….
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_1921.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_1922.jpg

FINALLY, 3 minutes late, we made it over to…..

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_1928.jpg

I know Chuck was a little annoyed that we were missing the first few minutes of the show but I kept reassuring him that NOTHING interesting goes on in the first few minutes.

I was wrong.

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_1930.jpg

When the heck did Lightning McQueen start showing up here?!?!?!? :scared1:

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_1931.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_1957.jpg

Mater even made a guest appearance via satellite!
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_1966.jpg

If I had known they were going to be there, I would have postponed Indy and been there early for this! Actually that probably would have been better because than I might have been in the Indy show…whatever. I’m not bitter. :rolleyes1

[NateNLogansDad]

So we watched as they called out a kid from the audience to fulfill a dream of his by letting him remote control a full size stunt car.

Yea, we’ve seen this before…..
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_1975.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_1979.jpg

Then we got to watch as the remote control car spins around and crushes the boy’s pride.
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_1989.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_1992.jpg

His family, friends, and 2,000 stranger all laughed at him. I threw a tomato at his head.

NO! Stop it. It wasn’t that bad! I didn’t throw anything, but I do always feel bad for the kid. Granted, he does get a special pin to remember it all…..but I think ALL the people laughing at you is hard to forget. Oh well. As long as he wasn’t planning on being a public speaker, I’m sure he’ll turn out just fine.

So anyways.

After the kid left the park, the show continued.

Disney has set up an elaborate show that really keeps you hooked from the beginning to the end. They had a team of imagineers come up with a story filled with action, and fire, and a hero that wins in the end.

I’m going to change that.

Our story starts out with this punk kid in the city suburbs doing donuts in a small town parking lot.
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_1994.jpg

His car breaks down behind a building but he’s in luck. Someone left a running motorcycle unattended. This kid is no stranger to the law so he steals the bike and to show off, does a burn out in front of a fruit stand…..he’s hard core.
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2009.jpg

The owner of the bike belongs to a car club and because he lives in Florida, he has a civil duty to carry a firearm. Unfortunately he misses, hitting the parking lot several feet above and in front of the suspect.
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_1997.jpg

The suspect does a 180 and takes off away from the owner of the bike…
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2013.jpg

Another member of the car club, who had taken a nap in his car, wakes up from the gunshot and goes after the suspect. Still half asleep, he hits a curb sending his car onto just two wheels.
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2023.jpg

James, a fellow biker also takes off in pursuit quickly catching up.
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2033.jpg

As the suspect turns to see James while rounding a corner, he missed the next turn and crashed into what appears to be a gated canal.
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2040.jpg

Luckily he was able to grab onto a net full of dirty pillows which swung him around to a loosely tied up wave runner. Amazingly, the key were left in it and he was able to use that in his escape.
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2045.jpg

He took off down the canal but after a few seconds, he had reached a dead end. What made things even worse was that there were no steps down at this end of the canal for him to get out with. So he turned around.

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2048.jpg

Even though he never wore a holster, this guy was from Florida and had done hard time…which meant he had guns, and he knew how to hide things well.
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2054.jpg

James had watched the suspect ride up and down the canal from a safe distance away on his bike. When the suspect came back onto land, he made his move.

Unfortunately, someone had spilled highly flammable gasoline all over the road which caused him to fall off the bike and slide all the way over to the suspect.
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2056.jpg

The suspect shot at the gasoline several times trying to set it on fire but for some reason it never lit!

The suspect helped James up from the ground and apologized for taking the bike. He had learned a lot that day. He knew now that crime just doesn’t pay and next time he would make sure to fill the gas tank up when doing donuts in an empty parking lot.

I know I know….it’s just touching when you hear about people learning life long lessons.

No animals were hurt during the making of this episode.

Here is some more footage that didn’t quite make it into our film…….


http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2074.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2090.jpg

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http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2068.jpg

The show ended right at 2:00 and we needed to start making our way to the busses pronto. Dinner would be starting before you know it and the kids still needed to get their makeup done.

Yea, you read that correctly.

I promise I’m not making my 2 boys get all glittered up for dinner, but you’re going to have to wait until the next update to see what the heck I’m talking about!

See ya real soon!

[dvc4life]

Wow! Two fabulous updates. And great photos!

Very, very good. :thumbsup2

[NateNLogansDad]

Wow! Two fabulous updates. And great photos!

Very, very good. :thumbsup2

Thanks for sticking around so long! I have a feeling I lost a few people along the way :sad1:

[wdwnomad]

I am still around!

[NateNLogansDad]

I am still around!

Thanks for the heads up! I seriously think mostly everybody gave up :confused3 Even so, I am going to finish this thing dag nabbit!!!

Thanks for sticking around!!! :thumbsup2

[DaisynDonald]

I recently found your TR & am finally caught up..... I'm loving it!!! Your pictures are fantastic! We stayed at AKL for the first time in December & can't wait to go back in November. Don't think I could go with 24 other people!!

[cyndiloveswalt]

Great update Rob! Love your version of the stunt show. I'm still here! Actually your pace is perfect for me, I can just barely keep up! Can't imagine doing it with 25 people, we went with just 6 others once and were miserable. We really do like to be at our own pace. Keep it up!

[NLD]

Still here, and all caught up! Love the Indy show pictures and LMA. Still haven't made it to these, maybe on the next trip?

Makeup for the boys? Pirates League...?

[ajf1007]

Awe, you gotta do it at least once! I should have made it sound more like a thrill ride :rotfl2: I can just see your face when you got off it :mad: :rotfl:

Oh your lucky you didn't make it like a thrill ride, you'd be in big trouble then mister! :rotfl: If we do decide to do that ride, I'll just have to schedule it when I need a break, off my feet! Or to take care of my nasty habit....

Awe, thanks. It really killed me being there at the Beach Club without her. I can't wait till the day we all go back. It's our place to go to get away from reality....and who in their right mind wants to deal with reality!!! :confused3

I bet it was was hard to be there without her, it was so sweet that you let her know that you were thinking of her and that she was missed. Such a good son you are! I'm really looking forward to our first visit to the Beach Club, in addition to a nice relaxing trip with just the two of us. Well....and about a million other people, but I don't know them so as far as I am concerned, it'll just be the two of us ;)

I always want to jump up and down for people going to the Beach Club for the first time :yay: You guys are going to LOVE IT!!!!!:thumbsup2 You gotta take one night to just walk around the Boardwalk area at night and try out Jellyrolls! I wish you lived close by, we could make a night out of talking about it!!!! Can you tell we love the Beach Club :lmao:

I have to say, your feelings and excitement for the Beach Club, put me over the edge, so thank you for that! I know - can you imagine if we lived close by? We could start our own "club". I could talk about Disney, DVC, etc., all night. I really could. It's my obsession I guess. But really, I've been eyeing the Beach Club for quite some time and when I told my husband the other night that I decided it was going to be the Beach Club next year, he was pretty excited!

Trust me, there was plenty of Phillies gear worn that week. I can't take pictures of myself, but I usually had on a Phillies T-shirt at least once a day! And between Tina and her brothers, there's not a family more into our team!

Even though most of our team is gone this year :eek:

Yeah Phillies!! I'm excited for this year! Though I love the Phillies, I'm definitely more of a hockey fan. We have season tickets to the Flyers and I love them! I think it's the whole physical aggression thing, it helps me to relieve stress when I watch a hockey game. Hmm... that doesn't sound so good when I say it out loud. :laughing: But yet, it explains a lot....

[Snappy in OK]

I'm still here. We were actually in WDW at the same time. I've been reliving our trip through your report - although it was just DH, DD & DS!!

[hjd0411]

The job's the job. I'll leave it at that. Nobody's real happy there. I guess that's why it's called work right?:confused3

You guys are nuts!!! :rotfl2: It's like a cross country tour of all things Disney! I totally agree with the thought behind it all, it's much cheaper and less time on flights than doing separate trips. :thumbsup2 Very smart! I have a feeling I'd be :scared1: with all that time on an airplane....not because I don't like to fly (I actually really enjoy it) but more because I need to get up and walk around. Last week, I would have said go have a smoke, but this week I'm trying to quit:thumbsup2 Good luck and I hope it's the most amazing vacation anyone has ever had :worship:

Nuts might just about cover it...!!!! :rotfl: That's why I only get to the US every couple of years - that flight is a bit much. Like you I like to get up and move, but there is only so much room on a 747!! Now if only they could set up some sort of walking track I'd be happy!! :cool1::rotfl2:
Hey - good on you giving up the nicotine!! I did it about 15 years ago and have never looked back. It's hard but so worth it! Keep up the good work.
Loving your updates - your photos on BTMR are really good - I have to build up the nerve to hold my camera up on those rides - I'm usually the one hanging on for dear life to the rails..!! :scared1:
Glad to hear that you are well after your illness - there is nothing worse!
OK - will wait to read more when you are able. :surfweb:

[abcangie87]

ROB!!!! I read your last TR last year....hung around the boards a lot for awhile, went on our Disney cruise, came back, and have been out of touch! I'd bookmarked last year's TR so I could come back when working on our details for our next trip to the world, and found you've been again!! SO I'm just catching up!!! Can't wait to read it!

[abcangie87]

popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::

I've eaten a lot of popcorn without trip report from Rob to read now that I'm all caught up!

Isn't life just too crazy sometimes?!

Seriously though, I vote you drink an extra caffeinated soda tomorrow night, send the wife out shopping when the kids go to bed, and give us another update!

Hope all is well, looking forward to the next installment!

[OrangeJuice]

Just wanted to let you know that I love your TRs so far! Looking forward to your next post.

[NateNLogansDad]

I was trying to wait to post again before I had another update but here we are 2 weeks later and still no update :sad2: but I don't want anyone to think I am ignoring them so....



I recently found your TR & am finally caught up..... I'm loving it!!! Your pictures are fantastic! We stayed at AKL for the first time in December & can't wait to go back in November. Don't think I could go with 24 other people!!

Welcome aboard!!! pirate: And thank yee for the compliments....they arrr appreciated. Sorry, I'll stop that now. I just liked the little pirate smiley.


What was your opinion on the buses? That was one thing that really got to us I think that week. Maybe we just had bad luck :confused3

Great update Rob! Love your version of the stunt show. I'm still here! Actually your pace is perfect for me, I can just barely keep up! Can't imagine doing it with 25 people, we went with just 6 others once and were miserable. We really do like to be at our own pace. Keep it up!

Cyndi, you're too funny! My pace is wayyyy too slow, even for me.....and I'm writing it! :laughing: Speaking of writing, should I send in my script for the stunt show? Think they might use it one day :confused3

It's funny you should mention going with 6 others.....there's talks of another trip possibly in the works :rolleyes1 It would be us + 5. Do-able right?

Still here, and all caught up! Love the Indy show pictures and LMA. Still haven't made it to these, maybe on the next trip?

Makeup for the boys? Pirates League...?

You better still be here.....you promised! :rotfl:

I would go see both. LMA was a little bit shorter than it used to be, but still pretty decent. If I may make a slight recommendation about Indy....before you go, stop by the 50's cafe and grab 3 adult drinks from the bar. Down all 3 on the way to Indy. When they ask for volunteers from the audience, go nuts. As you're walking onto the stage, the 2nd drink should be kicking in. Let me know what happens after you feel the 3rd :cool2:

No not Pirates League......but so close!

[NateNLogansDad]

Oh your lucky you didn't make it like a thrill ride, you'd be in big trouble then mister! :rotfl: If we do decide to do that ride, I'll just have to schedule it when I need a break, off my feet! Or to take care of my nasty habit....
:rotfl2: I can see you now, checking your notes saying "I swear he said this was supposed to...that son of a...." :rotfl2:


I bet it was was hard to be there without her, it was so sweet that you let her know that you were thinking of her and that she was missed. Such a good son you are! I'm really looking forward to our first visit to the Beach Club, in addition to a nice relaxing trip with just the two of us. Well....and about a million other people, but I don't know them so as far as I am concerned, it'll just be the two of us ;)

When are you guys going again? September? There may be a couple families there in October sporting some Phillies gear again :rolleyes1


I have to say, your feelings and excitement for the Beach Club, put me over the edge, so thank you for that! I know - can you imagine if we lived close by? We could start our own "club". I could talk about Disney, DVC, etc., all night. I really could. It's my obsession I guess. But really, I've been eyeing the Beach Club for quite some time and when I told my husband the other night that I decided it was going to be the Beach Club next year, he was pretty excited!

That is awesome! He's going to love it. Storm Along Bay is a great place to hang out and relax. As for hanging out and chatting Disney stuff, right after you posted that, I struck up a conversation with a teacher at Nate's school about Disney stuff. He had a CSR mug in his hand, which was all it took :rotfl2: Since then, I have to be careful because I made myself late for work talking to him :rolleyes:

Stupid work.....always getting in the way of things I like to do!


Yeah Phillies!! I'm excited for this year! Though I love the Phillies, I'm definitely more of a hockey fan. We have season tickets to the Flyers and I love them! I think it's the whole physical aggression thing, it helps me to relieve stress when I watch a hockey game. Hmm... that doesn't sound so good when I say it out loud. :laughing: But yet, it explains a lot....

Sounds like Tina actually, she's totally into hockey right now. I just don't have the time to sit and watch it right now I guess. But yes, back to the Phillies!!! They are looking good down there in Florida right now aren't they??? :cool1:




I'm still here. We were actually in WDW at the same time. I've been reliving our trip through your report - although it was just DH, DD & DS!!

Thanks for sticking around this long! Let me know if you spot yourselves in any of my pics. That happened on my first Trip Report! I ran in to the Beach Club Arcade just to take some pics and snapped a few with one of my readers children playing games! Seriously, what are the odds???

[NateNLogansDad]

Nuts might just about cover it...!!!! :rotfl: That's why I only get to the US every couple of years - that flight is a bit much. Like you I like to get up and move, but there is only so much room on a 747!! Now if only they could set up some sort of walking track I'd be happy!! :cool1::rotfl2:
Hey - good on you giving up the nicotine!! I did it about 15 years ago and have never looked back. It's hard but so worth it! Keep up the good work.
Loving your updates - your photos on BTMR are really good - I have to build up the nerve to hold my camera up on those rides - I'm usually the one hanging on for dear life to the rails..!! :scared1:
Glad to hear that you are well after your illness - there is nothing worse!
OK - will wait to read more when you are able. :surfweb:

With a flight like that, they should at least put a treadmill in the back of the plane so you can pretend to go for a walk!
The Nicotine thing is harder than it looks, isn't it!!! I'm not over it yet, the last few weeks haven't been fun around here but it is what it is. I still have some here and there but I went from at least a pack a day to about a pack a week. I guess it's better than freaking out on people but I want to be done done soon.
As for BTMR....just do it! It's so much fun! First, just throw your hands out without holding the camera! Baby steps and all :laughing:


ROB!!!! I read your last TR last year....hung around the boards a lot for awhile, went on our Disney cruise, came back, and have been out of touch! I'd bookmarked last year's TR so I could come back when working on our details for our next trip to the world, and found you've been again!! SO I'm just catching up!!! Can't wait to read it!

I actually went another time in May last year but there was just no way I could get another report done during the summer. ;) I'm so glad you came back for another one though! What about yourself? Any Trip Reports coming up? I hear through the grape vine you may have a tip coming up sometime soon yourself! I say you should talk to the kids teachers ahead of time and go in to their classrooms a couple hrs early that Friday, pop your head in and ask if they want to leave right now and go get ready for Disney! That way, their friends know and are jealous, the kids get excited AND they get to go home early on a Friday. :thumbsup2
popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::

I've eaten a lot of popcorn without trip report from Rob to read now that I'm all caught up!

Isn't life just too crazy sometimes?!

Seriously though, I vote you drink an extra caffeinated soda tomorrow night, send the wife out shopping when the kids go to bed, and give us another update!

Hope all is well, looking forward to the next installment!

There's just not enough time in the day!!! Here is a typical weekend in NateNLogans House.... Friday- left work a little early and flew home to get cleaned up for a birthday dinner for Tina's mom. Got home at 1am. Saturday- I had a get together in New Jersey for all my crabbing buddies that runs just about all day and crashed in my recliner as soon as I got home from lack of sleep the night before. Sunday, spent 7 hrs working on the Jeep getting her all ready to start towing the boat around...Still needs an oil change :lmao: Oh yea, and Tina was in bed all weekend with Strep for the 2nd time :scared1:
The sad part is, that was just an average weekend :rotfl2: Pretty soon, it'll start getting busy around here! Crazy part is, we wouldn't have it any other way. There will be an update soon :thumbsup2

Maybe I just need to learn how to type faster :laughing:



Just wanted to let you know that I love your TRs so far! Looking forward to your next post.

Soon. I'm going to try for very soon, but for now I'll just go with soon. ;)

[GiGiJoeysMom]

Oh my god where have I been, I will be reading all night. Will get back to you as soon as I am done. It is dance season you know.

Kim

[NateNLogansDad]

Oh my god where have I been, I will be reading all night. Will get back to you as soon as I am done. It is dance season you know.

Kim

Hey Kim!!!! Long time! Are you still hanging out with Mike at the dance recitals? :laughing:

[GiGiJoeysMom]

Hey Kim!!!! Long time! Are you still hanging out with Mike at the dance recitals? :laughing:

Yep. His daughter is doing really good. Just got back from a trip to sunny Lancaster. We are still trying to talk the studio owner into Nationals in Disney, it is not working.

I caught up, your pictures are amazing. The boys are so handsome.

[Snappy in OK]

Thanks for sticking around this long! Let me know if you spot yourselves in any of my pics. That happened on my first Trip Report! I ran in to the Beach Club Arcade just to take some pics and snapped a few with one of my readers children playing games! Seriously, what are the odds???

I am still hanging out!

Funny you should mention that! On our previous trip, we were there at the same time as friends of ours. We had planned some time in the parks, but not all day every day.

When we got back home & I was editing our pictures, I cropped a picture of my kids playing in the splash pad at Epcot and saw our friend's ankle tattoo. I found it amazing and a case of "small world" that she & her oldest walked by while our kids played - and we never would have known it if I hadn't taken pictures.

I have been watching your pictures to see if we show up, and I will let you know!

[NateNLogansDad]

Yep. His daughter is doing really good. Just got back from a trip to sunny Lancaster. We are still trying to talk the studio owner into Nationals in Disney, it is not working.

I caught up, your pictures are amazing. The boys are so handsome.

Keep trying. Like you really need another reason for a Disney trip right? :rotfl2:

Thanks for the compliment:thumbsup2 The boys get bigger every day don't they???

[NateNLogansDad]

I am still hanging out!

Funny you should mention that! On our previous trip, we were there at the same time as friends of ours. We had planned some time in the parks, but not all day every day.

When we got back home & I was editing our pictures, I cropped a picture of my kids playing in the splash pad at Epcot and saw our friend's ankle tattoo. I found it amazing and a case of "small world" that she & her oldest walked by while our kids played - and we never would have known it if I hadn't taken pictures.

I have been watching your pictures to see if we show up, and I will let you know!

That's crazy!!! What are the odds that they would walk right past and you didn't see them. THEN what are the odds that you took a picture and actually noticed the tattoo! Kudos for having such a sharp eye!:thumbsup2

[NateNLogansDad]

Well, I have an update about 1/2 way done. I had full intentions of finishing it tonight and post it before bed but as my life goes the way it goes, I'm having some car issues that I've been attending to.

Not fun at all:sad2:

Hopefully it will be up soon.

I have around 300 pics to post in this next update so hopefully it will be worth the wait :surfweb:

[hjd0411]

With a flight like that, they should at least put a treadmill in the back of the plane so you can pretend to go for a walk!
The Nicotine thing is harder than it looks, isn't it!!! I'm not over it yet, the last few weeks haven't been fun around here but it is what it is. I still have some here and there but I went from at least a pack a day to about a pack a week. I guess it's better than freaking out on people but I want to be done done soon.
As for BTMR....just do it! It's so much fun! First, just throw your hands out without holding the camera! Baby steps and all :laughing:



Treadmill! Good idea!!! Maybe even help contribute to getting the plane off the ground - or maybe not...!!!!!!! :rotfl2::rotfl:
Keep going with kicking your ciggies! Trust me, it really is so worth it! I am afraid I have turned into the ex-smoker from he11, though!! Any sign of cig smoke around me and I hate it!! :eek:
OK - I'll try hands in the air (no camera) first, and go from there!! Your comment made me laugh out loud! Love it!!! :laughing:
Oh, by the way - is that all you do in your weekend?? Come on man - get out and live life..!! :confused3:lmao: (I'm surprised you have time for work!)
We will wait patiently for the next instalment. Life with 2 youngsters can get pretty hectic! :surfweb:
Take care!

[NateNLogansDad]

Treadmill! Good idea!!! Maybe even help contribute to getting the plane off the ground - or maybe not...!!!!!!! :rotfl2::rotfl:
Keep going with kicking your ciggies! Trust me, it really is so worth it! I am afraid I have turned into the ex-smoker from he11, though!! Any sign of cig smoke around me and I hate it!! :eek:
OK - I'll try hands in the air (no camera) first, and go from there!! Your comment made me laugh out loud! Love it!!! :laughing:
Oh, by the way - is that all you do in your weekend?? Come on man - get out and live life..!! :confused3:lmao: (I'm surprised you have time for work!)
We will wait patiently for the next instalment. Life with 2 youngsters can get pretty hectic! :surfweb:
Take care!

I'm still not where I want to be with the smokes but I'm not 1/2 as bad as I was. I think I'm probably just making excuses for myself but lately I just feel overwhelmed and I still turn to them for relief. It'll happen.

I'm starting to miss working overnights. I used to have free time at work to do whatever as long as I was readily available at the drop of a hat. I used to be able to get so much more back than....also might have had something to do with only sleeping 3 hrs a day:confused3

Life gets easier eventually right? :scared:

:laughing:

[ajf1007]

Dont worry about the update, we're still here and not going anywhere. :). We will be there in September for the big trip this year. For some reason, we've not only gotten into the habit of going in September but for the last 4 years we've been there during Jays bday! Which he always uses to his advantage when seeing Pocahontas! :rotfl2:

I'm really excited to try the Beach Club!! I'm a sucker for anything beachy so I can't wait! Now if they only had a Mack and Mancos I'd be set :lmao: isn't it funny how easy it is to talk about Disney, it's so easy to talk about those things you love though. I dont need much to take me in that direction either!

Phillies are lookin good! Very excited for the season to start but I'm so hooked on hockey that I'm watching it almost every night! The Flyers have been so hot lately it's awesome!

I'm now contemplating a Disney cruise in 2014 for Jay and I's 15 yr wedding anniversary in 2014! Have you done one of those?

[jennyjinx3]

I just got caught up with your whole report! I love your pics and your writing is great!:thumbsup2 DH and I have had a few laughs tonight over some of it! (Devine:rotfl:) We skipped out of the last half of Indiana Jones and I can see we missed alot of good stuff:sad2:. That's okay, we will catch it again in Sept. Also thanks for the pics of AKL at night around the fire and night viewing area, we are eating at Boma and then planning on exploring the resort. Looking forward to reading the rest!:goodvibes

[NateNLogansDad]

Dont worry about the update, we're still here and not going anywhere. :). We will be there in September for the big trip this year. For some reason, we've not only gotten into the habit of going in September but for the last 4 years we've been there during Jays bday! Which he always uses to his advantage when seeing Pocahontas! :rotfl2:
Smart man! Tina knows there's no talking to me when Pocahontas is around :rotfl2: It's not that I don't want her to, it's just that I can't hear her :lmao: I need to get my hands on another Birthday Button....

I'm really excited to try the Beach Club!! I'm a sucker for anything beachy so I can't wait! Now if they only had a Mack and Mancos I'd be set :lmao: isn't it funny how easy it is to talk about Disney, it's so easy to talk about those things you love though. I dont need much to take me in that direction either!
I can honestly say I've never had Mack & Manco's Pizza before :eek: The lines there are way too long every time we go near one. Honestly, I have several phenomenal pizza places right near my house that we order from a lot, so I'm kind of spoiled that way.

Phillies are lookin good! Very excited for the season to start but I'm so hooked on hockey that I'm watching it almost every night! The Flyers have been so hot lately it's awesome!

I'm so stoked to start watching some real games soon!!!!! The spring training games are all on when I'm at work which is killing me! The weekends are so busy I usually miss them too :sad1: Sunday I was able to catch the end of a game and it ended in a tie. A TIE! Are you kidding me!!! The first time I see the last couple innings and it's a tie!!!:scared1: Couple more weeks and it'll be some 7pm games :thumbsup2 Give me a Pizza, a drink, and a Phills game and I am one happy hombre!!! :banana:

I'm now contemplating a Disney cruise in 2014 for Jay and I's 15 yr wedding anniversary in 2014! Have you done one of those?
Disney Cruise, no. Regular cruise yes and it was sooo much fun! Do it!!!

Here's a trip report of 2 friends of mine that live in England who went on a Dis Cruise for the honeymoon....
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2825605

It's still in progress but looking great :thumbsup2 they even squeezed in a mini trip report to Disney Paris in the middle of this one! Good stuff!







I just got caught up with your whole report! I love your pics and your writing is great!:thumbsup2 DH and I have had a few laughs tonight over some of it! (Devine:rotfl:) We skipped out of the last half of Indiana Jones and I can see we missed alot of good stuff:sad2:. That's okay, we will catch it again in Sept. Also thanks for the pics of AKL at night around the fire and night viewing area, we are eating at Boma and then planning on exploring the resort. Looking forward to reading the rest!:goodvibes

Thank you for the compliments!:hug: You're too kind! The Indiana Jones show is great. Some might say old and outdated, but it's worth going to see the whole thing at least once! You gotta go back! Just remember what I said about grabbing a drink or 3 first and trying to become a participant! :lmao: I just finished typing up my next update which has more night shots around the hotel, so stay tuned! I just have to separate it up so each page has less the the 25 images (Disboards limit) to it. It's a pretty big update so I might need to wait till the morning...but at least it'll be soon!!!




.

[NateNLogansDad]

Real quick I just wanted to post an update on how the update is coming along. I ACTUALLY finished typing up day 5!!!!! It's just over 25 pages long so it's pretty big :thumbsup2 As soon as I get it all separated, I'll post it up. It's been a LONG day with the kids so it'll probably wait until tomorrow. Till then, I hope everybody has a wonderful night!!!

[abcangie87]

With a flight like that, they should at least put a treadmill in the back of the plane so you can pretend to go for a walk!
The Nicotine thing is harder than it looks, isn't it!!! I'm not over it yet, the last few weeks haven't been fun around here but it is what it is. I still have some here and there but I went from at least a pack a day to about a pack a week. I guess it's better than freaking out on people but I want to be done done soon.
As for BTMR....just do it! It's so much fun! First, just throw your hands out without holding the camera! Baby steps and all :laughing:




I actually went another time in May last year but there was just no way I could get another report done during the summer. ;) I'm so glad you came back for another one though! What about yourself? Any Trip Reports coming up? I hear through the grape vine you may have a tip coming up sometime soon yourself! I say you should talk to the kids teachers ahead of time and go in to their classrooms a couple hrs early that Friday, pop your head in and ask if they want to leave right now and go get ready for Disney! That way, their friends know and are jealous, the kids get excited AND they get to go home early on a Friday. :thumbsup2


There's just not enough time in the day!!! Here is a typical weekend in NateNLogans House.... Friday- left work a little early and flew home to get cleaned up for a birthday dinner for Tina's mom. Got home at 1am. Saturday- I had a get together in New Jersey for all my crabbing buddies that runs just about all day and crashed in my recliner as soon as I got home from lack of sleep the night before. Sunday, spent 7 hrs working on the Jeep getting her all ready to start towing the boat around...Still needs an oil change :lmao: Oh yea, and Tina was in bed all weekend with Strep for the 2nd time :scared1:
The sad part is, that was just an average weekend :rotfl2: Pretty soon, it'll start getting busy around here! Crazy part is, we wouldn't have it any other way. There will be an update soon :thumbsup2

Maybe I just need to learn how to type faster :laughing:





Soon. I'm going to try for very soon, but for now I'll just go with soon. ;)

Saw your update about your upcoming update...looking forward to it! :banana:

We are heading down to WDW in about a month. We are doing one night at the Beach Club in large part because of the first TR of yours that I read! Plus DD4 keeps saying 'i want to go to the beach' so that's our beach fix. Got any good suggestions for where to do QS around there besides BCMarketplace? Also how is the walk to HS or did you usually do the boat?

Trying to decide if I want to do a PTR. not sure anyone would read it? :confused3 lol. looking forward to hearing more from you!

Oh and I saw a pp say somethingabout a disney cruise and you mentioned you have not been on one. DUDE. you have got to hit a DCL. FAb.U.Lous. :love:

[NateNLogansDad]

Saw your update about your upcoming update...looking forward to it! :banana:

We are heading down to WDW in about a month. We are doing one night at the Beach Club in large part because of the first TR of yours that I read! Plus DD4 keeps saying 'i want to go to the beach' so that's our beach fix. Got any good suggestions for where to do QS around there besides BCMarketplace? Also how is the walk to HS or did you usually do the boat?

Trying to decide if I want to do a PTR. not sure anyone would read it? :confused3 lol. looking forward to hearing more from you!

Oh and I saw a pp say somethingabout a disney cruise and you mentioned you have not been on one. DUDE. you have got to hit a DCL. FAb.U.Lous. :love:

You're going to the Beach Club because of me :flower3: That's awesome!!! I wonder if I can get a few more people to go, will they give me a free night :lmao:

As for a good QS. If you want nice and easy, they have a small grill outside by the pool with a few selections. It's decent but nothing to really qrite home about. The kids meals come in a bucket with a shovel that they keep to play with around the pool area. Other than that, walk out the back door to the lobby, go past the pool area, and make a left. In 5 minutes you are in Epcot World Showcase near France. There's GOT to be something in the World Showcase you like right??? ;)

To get to Hollywood, go right instead of left (I.E. away from EPCOT) and you'll be there in about 15 minutes or so. The walk itself is really nice and so peaceful! If you are leaving Hollywood late at night, when you get to the Boardwalk Hotel, cut through it out to the actual boardwalk. They have games and performers out there till around 11 I think. If you stay back at the hotel in the evening, they have a movie projected on a screen out on the beach every night and a campfire you can make smores at (I think it costs a few dollars for the smores stuff....stick, marshmallows, graham crackers, chocolate.) I am so happy for you guys! I hope you really love it as much as we always do!!!!

As for the Disney Cruise....it's on the bucket list but will probably wait till we move down there. When we won't have to fly in, it will probably seem much more affordable.

[NateNLogansDad]

hope you're ready.....

[NateNLogansDad]

Ladies and gentlemen, it has come to my attention that the popcorn machine was running a little low. I want everyone to know that I have personally addressed the situation and have fully restored it to its full capacity. Please feel free to help yourselves before getting too comfy.

And now, on with the show!!!!!


So, in our last update, we had just left Hollywood Studio’s after seeing the Indiana Jones Stunt Show and Lights Motors Action Stunt Show and were heading back to our temporary home to get ready for dinner.

Big Chuck took this opportunity to grab my camera and show me what it feels like to have your picture taken when you’re not expecting it and to prove to the world that without a hat on, it appears that I have a lot less hair than I’d like to admit…..

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2132.jpg

Tina's brothers were still making sure they were pressed and polished before dinner…

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2136.jpg

My boys were off getting ready too. Remember how I had mentioned the makeup?

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2137.jpg

Some say real men don’t wear makeup. Who, may I ask, would want to confront those two on the high seas? Yea, they are that tough! Argh!!!

Today was the big day we were all waiting for. All 25 of us were meeting for dinner at our (mine and Tina's) FAVORITE restaurant…..OHANA’S!!!!!! and afterward, we had a party to go to. Not just any party though….MICKEY’S NOT SO SCARY HALLOWEEN PARTY!!!!! :banana:

Of course, the busses were completely unaware of this. After 30 minutes of waiting at the bus stop, our carriage finally arrived…..

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2140.jpg

We had dinner reservations for 5:30 and when I say that we just made it, I mean we just made it! The bus took us to the Magic Kingdom and we hopped on a monorail to head over to the Poly, arriving at 5:35!

Why do we always push it till the last minute?!?!?

Anywho, as soon as we were seated, the kids were invited up for the coconut races. Side note, if you have never been here for dinner, it’s worth EVERY penny! The food is amazing and they distract the kids every once in a while which is great for the adults! The first distraction lets the kids race around the whole restaurant with a straw broom pushing a coconut! They LOVED it!

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2143.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2145.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2146.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2147.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2149.jpg

Than, our cousin Gabriel (everyone is a cousin here) started bringing out some starters for us to enjoy….

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2155.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2156.jpg

Starters included salad, chicken wings, dumplings, some form of Asian noodles that I can’t remember the name of, and of course the drinks! There’s also the option of a few things off the menu for the kids like mac and cheese and what not.

I’d like to make a suggestion for the adults in the crowd here tonight. They have a specialty drink here called the Lapu Lapu (I think that’s how it’s spelled) which is very good but can be made very strong! Tread lightly! Now listen up, after you get the first one and take a picture with the big ol’ hollowed out pineapple in your hand, you can order the same drink WITHOUT the pineapple for ½ the price! Try it out, and save a buck! But be warned, after the 3rd one…the monorail ride back to Magic Kingdom can get a little tricky!

But I digress.

Back to dinner.

Everyone was having a great time and it was so nice having everybody all at the same place and just relax for a bit. Not a single frown was given that night!

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2157.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2158.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2161.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2163.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2164.jpg

See, don’t I look better with a hat on….
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2165.jpg
:thumbsup2

[NateNLogansDad]

We had a birthday boy with us so Cousin Gabriel brought out a cupcake with a candle for Jake!

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2166.jpg
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2168.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2170.jpg

Here is our big ol crazy Disney Family!
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2171.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2174.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2180.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2182.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2184.jpg

Here’s the low down for dinner, you get stuffed. Like REALLY stuffed. The main course consists of beef, pork, smoked turkey, huge shrimp, and different sauces to dip them all into. As I type this, I’m getting EXTREMELY hungry.

Just like food shopping, I should have eaten before I started typing.

I think the record for shrimp eating there is just over 100 shrimp at one sitting. Brian tried but only got around ½ way there. He ate way too many wings to try for the record with shrimp. I’m not sure about the record for Lapu Lapu’s, but I may have broken it….or at least tied.

Everything else is just a blurr……until…..

Every dieters nightmare...

The bread pudding.
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2188.jpg

Personally, I like bread pudding. Now add on ice cream, and dump a small vat of caramel on top. Oh. My. Goodness.

I think Jenny Craig herself would buy the place if she ate here just once.

Somehow, after eating the weight of a small animal AND desert, I managed to grab a few more shots while fighting off the urge to take a nap….
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2194.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2196.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2199.jpg
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2200.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2206.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2208.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2217.jpg

I am not exaggerating here. I just took a break from writing this to check my lottery numbers. If I hit, I was going to have dinner at Ohana’s tonight. :surfweb:

*sigh* I wonder what Tina’s making….
:guilty:

[NateNLogansDad]

Anyway.

Sorry about that.

Moving on!

With our belts stretched further than the last loop and buckles ready to break, we headed off towards the monorail. On the left, Brian looks just like we all felt.
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2224.jpg

The kids were ready for Magic Kingdom…
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2229.jpg

Even Brian was waking up a little…..
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2242.jpg

To me, nothing will ever beat the Epcot hotels, but it does seam pretty nice around the Magic Kingdom also…
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2255.jpg

A few short minutes later, we arrived at the entrance of the Magic Kingdom. The one thing everybody REALLY wanted was a group shot in front of the train station. Apparently there was a miscommunication somewhere. Somehow EVERYBODY knew that I was going to take this group picture.

Everybody but me.

I was still feeling really good from the Lapu Lapu drinks back at the Poly and my main focus was standing up strait. We all gathered together and went to smile and I heard “Where’s Rob and the camera?”

You want to talk about panic?

I honestly thought we were getting a photopass picture taken. Luckily for me I had brought my tripod for fireworks tonight and had the quick connect plate already on it. Within about 30 seconds I had the tripod, camera, and remote set up and than ran back into my place.

Quick question. Does anybody know how hard it is to get 25 people to smile, open their eyes, stop giving “bunny ears,” and look at the camera at the same time?

My tip…take at least 4 pictures and get good with Photoshop! Here’s my end result….
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/Untitled-1.jpg

Oh yea, and take another picture of the background without anybody in it. It saved my but. At first I forgot to do one but as we walked away I turned around and grabbed this…
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2260.jpg

By now it was just after 7pm and the crowds were thinning out a bit for the Halloween Party….sort of.

We made our way down towards the hub to stake out some spots to see the villains show. Apparently the rest of the park was pretty empty, the hub however, was not. I tried to keep the crowds out of the pictures, but trust me, they were there.

I set my tripod up and we all played around the hub for a bit.

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2263.jpg

Danny got his face painted and was loving it!
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2271.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2274.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2276.jpg

The princesses posed in front of the castle….
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2283.jpg

Along with the scary pirates…
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2284.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2290.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2295.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2296.jpg

The best in-laws a guy could ask for…
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2298.jpg

Without these guys, there would be no trip…..
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2300.jpg

My reasons for living…
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2315.jpg

Tina and I…
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2313.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2314.jpg

And before we knew it, the show started up!
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2316.jpg

[NateNLogansDad]

Sorry if some of these aren’t the best, but we were back by the partners statue and not up close. Well, that and those Lapu Lapu’s were…nevermind.
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2318.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2320.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2322.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2323.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2327.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2328.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2335.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2338.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2343.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2351.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2354.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2366.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2372.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2377.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2381.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2384.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2391.jpg
And just like that, it was over. It really was a nice show but I think most people over hype it. Am I glad we saw it? Absolutely. Would I go back and see it again. Of coarse. Would I buy a ticket just for the show? Without coming off like a downer, I probably wouldn’t. It was just way too packed.

[NateNLogansDad]

After the show was over, we hung out in the hub for a little bit and waited for the parade to start. I suggested grabbing a spot over there….
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2418.jpg

Yes I took a picture to document the spot I suggested, and no we didn’t try to go over until it was waaaayyy too late.

So, we hung around Walt and Mickey’s statue to see what was going to happen. With a few minutes to kill, any guesses what I did?

Yeppers, I played with the camera for a few.
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2395.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2403.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2409.jpg

Even played around with the flash off of the camera just to try it out….
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2422.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2424.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2427.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2429.jpg

There was an announcement that the parade was being delayed for technical problems, but before long it came rolling down the street.

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2430.jpg

This was where we really realized how bad our viewing area really was. I’m pretty sure that 90% of the park was watching the parade. Brian, Sean, and Chuck Jr skipped the parade and went on some rides. The zero wait times for everything they went to confirmed my theory.

I wanted so bad to use my 50 mm prime lens and forgo using a flash, but the crowds were almost unbearable. So, for now I figured what the heck and snapped the zoom lens on and my external flash and tried to get at least SOMETHING……

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2435.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2437.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2441.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2444.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2446.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2451.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2455.jpg

[NateNLogansDad]

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2462.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2466.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2470.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2472.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2474.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2476.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2480.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2486.jpg

I know he hates having his picture taken, but this is one of my favorites of John and his little girl…
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2493.jpg

So cute.

[NateNLogansDad]

After the parade was over, some of the group went off to go check out rides. The rest of us stayed put to catch the Hallowishes Fireworks.

Now, here’s my thing. I brought a tripod tonight specifically for the fireworks. The parade and the fireworks were my absolute must-do’s tonight and so far, I was striking out. So, I had my mind set for exactly what I wanted to do.

Skip the next sentence or two if you don’t need to be bored with camera stuff.

So, my plan was to set the camera up on “bulb” mode and put my black hat over the lens in between bursts so I could get more bursts in the shot and not totally blow out the highlights of the castle. To do this, I would need to be standing there with the remote in one hand and my hat in the other next to the camera.

As soon as the show starts, I heard “Hey Rob, you’re not going to stand there the whole time are you?” My father in law decided to have a seat right behind where I was standing! Wha?!?!? :confused3

Grumbling, I sat down. :sad2:

I still had the remote and the camera was still in bulb mode. After the first few pictures, I couldn’t tell if I was opening or closing the shutter anymore! Time for what I do best with a camera….it’s called the spray and pray. Keep shooting and hope you get a keeper!

Here’s what I came up with. Maybe 2 were what I was actually going for….

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2505.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2507.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2509.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2510.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2513.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2515.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2516.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2519.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2521.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2523.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2524.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2525.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2529.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2536.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2537.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2538.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2543.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2545.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2546.jpg

[NateNLogansDad]

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2548.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2550.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2551.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2552.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2553.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2554.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2555.jpg

I know I could sit around with photoshop and make a couple really nice one’s if I wanted to, but I can’t justify the effort right now. I’d rather keep what I have basically right out of the camera so next time I can look back to see how far I may have come. Every once in a while, I’ll look at some pics I took a few years ago and just cringe. Eventually I hope to like my pictures….someday.

Sorry, I’m getting off track.

After the fireworks, we talked about a game plan. There were several things that everybody wanted to do but I had already made up my mind on what I was doing….with or without anyone else. A while back I had seen pictures of the Halloween Parade and I was determined to grab a few decent ones while I was here. I mean, I could do rides any day of the year right? How many more Halloween Parades would I get to see?

Tina, her parents and the boys wanted to go see the Haunted Mansion. I went to go stake out a viewing spot for the parade. After our incident the other night with the Electric Parade, I knew to stay on this side of the street, and away from the handicapped area…..

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2564.jpg

A few minutes before the parade started, Tina and the boys found my little spot and strolled on over. She let me know that out of our huge group, us and her brothers were the only ones still in the park! Everybody else started getting tired and cranky so they left! IT WAS ONLY 10:30!!! Maybe I’m just cheap, but it sounds like a lot of $$$ was put out for just 3 hrs of the party.

The 2nd parade was sooo much better for us because we could actually SEE the parade! My only regret with taking the pictures was not watching the parade ahead of time on YouTube to know how the whole thing goes down. From a spectator’s point of view, I’m glad I didn’t watch it on YouTube because if I did, I might not have had such a smile on my face the entire time! I loved being surprised and not knowing what was coming next. There were even a few times I forgot I had a camera because I was either waiving to a character or laughing about what they were doing with some guests.

Sorry, enough jibber jabber. Time for some pics!

Probably the hardest character to get a decent picture of…..
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2567.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2569.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2573.jpg

That was so cool watching him ride by. I’m glad I stuck with not using the flash. I’d love to try shooting him again, but for now here are some from the rest of the parade…..

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2576.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2585.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2592.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2597.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2602.jpg

[NateNLogansDad]

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2608.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2618.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2620.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2622.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2627.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2629.jpg

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http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2643.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2645.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2651.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2654.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2657.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2660.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2666.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2672.jpg

[NateNLogansDad]

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2687.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2706.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2721.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2727.jpg
I want my money back…..Barbossa wouldn’t look over here at all!
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2729.jpg

This float sort of made up for it though….
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2735.jpg

Jack never lets you down…
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2742.jpg

But Angelica….
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2748.jpg

My sweet sweet Angelica…..
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2754.jpg

Hugh?

What?

Wait, what were we talking about?

Parade? Oh yea, sorry about that.

Yea, after Angelica promised to call me, the parade continued…..
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2758.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2762.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2769.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2774.jpg

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http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2830.jpg

[NateNLogansDad]

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2835.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2839.jpg

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http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2849.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2861.jpg

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http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2897.jpg

Probably my favorite part of the parade…..
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2908.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2910.jpg

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http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2953.jpg

[NateNLogansDad]

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2957.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_2959.jpg

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http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_3002.jpg

LOVED the parade this time around!!! Watching it in the hub was for the birds. We missed so much back there. I’m so glad I staked out a spot early and actually stuck with it!

So the question was, where to go next.

With a certain pirate on the mind still, where else????

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_3006.jpg

I loved the way it was all lit up that night. The fog machines were in full force and really had a cool looking effect!

Here’s a slightly different, albeit more realistic, version of the same picture. I think I like the 1st one better though…
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_3008.jpg

The boys were right at home in their costumes….
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_3017.jpg

And there was no wait time which made it even nicer! Granted, one day I really want to take some pictures of the queue area, but who wants to wait in line when you can walk right on???

I did grab this as we kept walking…
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_3019.jpg

But that was about it till we got on the ride.

First one’s I had my focus off a little bit, and I apologize. But I still want you to join us for the whole thing, so here they are….
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_3050.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_3053.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_3059.jpg

[NateNLogansDad]

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_3077.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_3083.jpg

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http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_3159.jpg

Someday I wish I could get a hold of the security tapes from the Pirates gift shop from when we storm through. If you’ve joined us from previous Trip Reports, you might remember what happens in there. As soon as the boys and I got off the ride, we stormed the gift shop with swords drawn and guns a blazing. It’s becoming tradition. Yes, I have incorporated several children from families I don’t know. Yes, the battles span across the whole store. And yes, I probably look like a huge dork acting like a 5 year old again. But no, if you were wondering, I never win. Ever.

Somehow time slipped away from us. The battle had lasted well over ½ hour and by now it was just after midnight. The kids were starting to yawn and sleep was something that they were now starting to crave.

We headed down Main Street and I was totally digging the Halloween colors…

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_3177.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_3180.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_3182.jpg

Sorry about the quality…..we were walking as I took them.

[NateNLogansDad]

Walking through the gates was this big old Mickey Head…
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_3188.jpg

I tried buy couldn’t really capture the fog effect with the Mickey Head but it really looked cool. I did kind of capture the fog over here by the tree, I loved the way the light shined through…..
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5/DSC_3190.jpg

A few minutes later we were on a bus heading back to Kidani Village. Normally, this is where I would end a typical update.

Not tonight.

Ever since the idea was thrown out there for us to stay at Animal Kingdom Lodge, I REALLY wanted to head out one night with a tripod and see what I came up with. I knew they we were running out of time so I figured I had to go out tonight or I might miss my chance. Everybody thought I was nuts for wanting to go out this late but I had my mind made up. I did hang out for a little bit to indulge in a few cocktails with everybody first. As I sat on the chair, the large amounts of rum in my soda started having a conversation with Brian about photography. Suddenly I sound like I have a clue of what I’m talking about…..I think so anyway.

I started talking about tripods, and slow shutter speeds, blah blah blah, but than I took him out on the balcony to show him a little about what I was talking about. We did a couple shots like this where he stood very still and I traced around him with my cell phone.

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5Night/DSC_3193.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5Night/DSC_3194.jpg

Kind of cool huh?

I than turned the camera towards the bus stop and captured the taillights of a bus driving by. If you look above the far street, you can see the red streaks…
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5Night/DSC_3196.jpg

I than took a few long exposures of the tree line that looked completely black to us but the camera really lit it up nicely.

I had his attention.

We showed his brother Sean what we did out on the balcony and he thought it was pretty cool too so they both opted to go for a little photo walk with me around 1am!

We headed out to the Savanna to see if we could find some animals in the dark.

Please try to realize, these are pretty long exposures. Most of what you see in these pictures, we couldn’t see by just looking out there. It was DARK out there that late at night!

The Savanna…
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5Night/DSC_3199.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5Night/DSC_3205.jpg


There’s 2 giraffe’s out there in the trees if you look closely….
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5Night/DSC_3212.jpg

Than the sprinklers came on…
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5Night/DSC_3225.jpg

The animals were surprisingly active for being so late. I had to speed the shutter up a little bit to capture the animals before they walked away which makes the pictures a little darker…
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5Night/DSC_3234.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5Night/DSC_3243.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5Night/DSC_3251.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5Night/DSC_3262.jpg

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http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5Night/DSC_3266.jpg

[NateNLogansDad]

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5Night/DSC_3268.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5Night/DSC_3270.jpg

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http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5Night/DSC_3286.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5Night/DSC_3290.jpg

We were only out there for an hr but we could have stayed for several more. It was fascinating. Disney really did a great job making it look like the animals could walk right into the hotel if they wanted to.

Speaking of which, Let’s take a walk inside shall we????

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5Night/DSC_3294.jpg

The lobby…..
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5Night/DSC_3296.jpg

Out front…

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5Night/DSC_3305.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5Night/DSC_3307.jpg

Let’s head down to the pool area shall we?

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5Night/DSC_3310.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5Night/DSC_3313.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5Night/DSC_3314.jpg

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http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5Night/DSC_3316.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5Night/DSC_3317.jpg

[NateNLogansDad]

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5Night/DSC_3318.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5Night/DSC_3321.jpg

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http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5Night/DSC_3326.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5Night/DSC_3329.jpg

Let’s walk across the street over to the bus stop….

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5Night/DSC_3333.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5Night/DSC_3335.jpg

Hey, there’s our room! Top floor on the corner…..
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5Night/DSC_3340.jpg

It was at this time when a security guard showed up out of nowhere. I guess the rum may have clouded my judgment a tad. To someone walking by, it probably didn’t look good aiming a camera at the outside of a hotel late at night. I politely showed him that we really weren’t pervs and we all got a laugh out of it.

Still, it was getting a little late so we made our way down the side entrance…
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5Night/DSC_3342.jpg

Up the elevator and down the hall….
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day5Night/DSC_3344.jpg

All in all, a pretty awesome day! From the Stunt Show and Indy in the morning till the Halloween Party tonight, I don’t know how much we could have crammed into the day!

Tomorrow we will doing a little down time, but tonight we will crack open some more rum and enjoy the night!

[NateNLogansDad]

Time for some coffee after that update!:surfweb:

[abcangie87]

Worth the wait!!! :thumbsup2

Man, you take a lot of pictures :)

:love::love: the update and the Halloween Parade pictures! We haven't made it to a night parade of any kind yet and it is on the short list of our 'must do's' this next trip. We're trying to not worry about hitting everything and enjoy the ride this time, so to speak! I loved the Goofy's Candy company float and things that went with it!


Enjoy what's left of your Sunday! :surfweb:

Yeah for the update!! :cheer2:

[Snappy in OK]

It was worth the wait! I enjoy reading your TRs, and you have some wonderful shots.

I am trying to figure out what night you were at MNSSHP. We went on 10/25. I had hopes of watching the parade & fireworks and trying to get some shots, but it was not happening!

And, so far, I have not seen my family in any of your pictures! :rotfl2: I will keep watching & reading though.

Oh, and thanks for taking care of the popcorn!

[Grumpy's Wife]

Yes, an update. Great pictures as usual. I love seeing pictures of an empty Disney. With all the craziness going on during the day it's so nice to sometimes see pictures without the people so you can really appreciate what's in the photo.

[hjd0411]

Great update(s)..!!! :thumbsup2
Loving your photos - the 2nd parade turned out great! Was that with your 50mm or zoom? And I love the AK long exposures! Very good - giving me food for thought! :scratchin
I think you might need a Lapu Lapu after that massive update!! :thumbsup2:drinking1

[Ambersgram]

Your pictures are awesome.

[ajf1007]

Saw your update about your upcoming update...looking forward to it! :banana:

We are heading down to WDW in about a month. We are doing one night at the Beach Club in large part because of the first TR of yours that I read! Plus DD4 keeps saying 'i want to go to the beach' so that's our beach fix. Got any good suggestions for where to do QS around there besides BCMarketplace? Also how is the walk to HS or did you usually do the boat?

Trying to decide if I want to do a PTR. not sure anyone would read it? :confused3 lol. looking forward to hearing more from you!

Oh and I saw a pp say somethingabout a disney cruise and you mentioned you have not been on one. DUDE. you have got to hit a DCL. FAb.U.Lous. :love:

Hi Angie! I'll read your PTR, don't you worry about that! Everyone loves a PTR so I am sure I won't be alone!!! I have family in Kansas!!

[ajf1007]

HAHAHA!!! You boys and Pocahontas! I told Jay that she was going to get a restraining order soon! Its hysterical! When he sees her he hears "Have you heard the wolf cry...." i have to grab his arm to get his attention!

No Mack and Mancos? Thats BLASPHEMY!! I have to say, we have great pizza here too, but I just can't resist the Mack and Manco's - well now I believe it's just Mancos! Jay doesn't get it either, he refuses to wait in the line, but I don't care, I just love it!!

Goooo Phils! It's a shame your work is cutting into bball! That's just wrong! You'll have to do what Jay does on Saturday 1:00 games - he DVR's them and then refuses to listen to the radio or anything till he watches them. Sometimes, he'll even DVR them when we're AT the game, you know, just in case he missed something. I have to say - pizza, beer and any sporting event makes me happy. There's nothing like it I say!

I did a short 3 day cruise with my BFF last year (we take one short girls only trip every year) to the Bahamas and it was my first cruise, I freaking LOVED it!!! I've finally convinced Jay to give it a try - he was always anti cruise to anywhere - but his stipulation is Disney cruise or no cruise. Yeah, like I'd argue with that! Anyway, it looks like that's what we're gonna do!

Ok - I'll wrap it up here, word on the street is that there's this awesome TR update from some guy in Pennsylvania and I want to go get caught up!

[ajf1007]

WOOOOWWWW!!!!! What a great update and totally worth the wait! The pictures were amazing, just when I thought one was my favorite, I'd see another and another...needless to say, I love them all!!

Dinner for 25! YIKES! I am calling tomorrow to make our ADR's and was worried about 10 people, you calmed me down that's for sure! The boys looked so great in the pirate gear and Tina was adorable in her headband too. What a beautiful family is all I can say!:grouphug: I've heard stories about the Lapu Lapu's but not I think I must add them to the bucket list. I'm a sucker for anything pineapple and when you throw some "spirits" in there, I'm all over that!

I did see your comment in a previous post about moving to Florida and almost fell off my chair with the similarities! Jay and I have that plan as well. My Mom and Dad actually have their house up for sale now and are moving to Florida as soon as it sells. Jay and I have dreamt of it for so long and have decided to put the plans in place to start preparing. So....I'm figuring in approx 3-5 years we'll be there! I have a realtor that sends me the listings each week and I don't know where to cry when I see them or just slap the "FOR SALE" sign on the front lawn and see what happens.

[NateNLogansDad]

Worth the wait!!!

Man, you take a lot of pictures :)

:love::love: the update and the Halloween Parade pictures! We haven't made it to a night parade of any kind yet and it is on the short list of our 'must do's' this next trip. We're trying to not worry about hitting everything and enjoy the ride this time, so to speak! I loved the Goofy's Candy company float and things that went with it!


Enjoy what's left of your Sunday!

Yeah for the update!! :cheer2:
Yea, I do love taking pictures. There is a teacher Nate's school that calls us the family historians :lmao: The best part is, you only take pictures about the good memories, not the stressful or worrisome stuff you go through on a vacation. 10 years from now, we can look back and remember this as one of the best vacations we ever had. :thumbsup2

The parade was great and I would love to see it again. I wish they had more night parades! Why not do something like that for Epcot or Hollywood Studios? Should we write a letter? ;) Oh well, just a pipe dream I guess.
Sitting back and enjoying the ride is so easy to talk about before you go isn't it? I always feel like we need to do it all when we get down there but I try to tell everybody to relax when they go:confused3 I'm my worst enemy I guess :rotfl:

It was worth the wait! I enjoy reading your TRs, and you have some wonderful shots.

I am trying to figure out what night you were at MNSSHP. We went on 10/25. I had hopes of watching the parade & fireworks and trying to get some shots, but it was not happening!

And, so far, I have not seen my family in any of your pictures! :rotfl2: I will keep watching & reading though.

Oh, and thanks for taking care of the popcorn!

Hey thanks for sticking around! I had gotten 1/2 way through it and needed to take a break. I had thought about posting what I had but said to myself "Self, you need to make it up to the people following along and do a real good update" and there ya go :laughing:

By the way...we were there on the 25th! Feel free to steal whatever you want of the parades or fireworks for your collection. As long as my kids aren't in them and nobody's selling them, I'm good with that. Also, if you ever want the originals to print big for anything, I can always email them over or send a CD. Just let me know!

As for the popcorn, I will try to keep a closer eye on what's going on at the front desk. The popcorn shall not run dry! :laughing:

Yes, an update. Great pictures as usual. I love seeing pictures of an empty Disney. With all the craziness going on during the day it's so nice to sometimes see pictures without the people so you can really appreciate what's in the photo.

Thank you:hug: If you like the empty Disney pictures, I have some ideas for the next trip that you might really like. I'm hoping to have another lens by then too, so hopefully they might come out even sharper :thumbsup2 After this report is over, I'll log back on to here after the next trip and post a link to the next trip report for ya. :thumbsup2 I always say Disney is in the details...and there are SO many details to capture!!!

Great update(s)..!!! :thumbsup2
Loving your photos - the 2nd parade turned out great! Was that with your 50mm or zoom? And I love the AK long exposures! Very good - giving me food for thought! :scratchin
I think you might need a Lapu Lapu after that massive update!! :thumbsup2:drinking1

Thank you!!! I have to admit, they were the one set of pictures that I really liked. The whole parade was done with the Nikon 50mm 1.8. I love that lens! I have the 35mm 1.8 also and both are an EXCELLENT value at $200 each. The AK pictures were all with the Sigma 18-250. If you ever want to check any details on any of my pictures for some ideas, I'll give you a little tip. Right click on the picture and select "Copy Image Location" than go to the web page.... http://regex.info/exif.cgi Right click in the top box and select "paste" than hit the button to the right that says "View image at url" on it. That gives you all the info on the picture. Camera, Lens, Aperture, Shutter Speed, ISO....it's all there! Good stuff :thumbsup2 I use it often to check out what the real photographers do to get the effects they have.

Your pictures are awesome.
See, now I'm going to start getting a big head!

No, seriously though, thank you very much! I still have a ways to go but I'm slowly getting there. Hopefully, with the Spring rolling in a little early, I'll get to go out and actually play with the camera again soon! I really need some more practice :guilty:

Hi Angie! I'll read your PTR, don't you worry about that! Everyone loves a PTR so I am sure I won't be alone!!! I have family in Kansas!!

I think she should post the address right here for everybody to see don't you???

We're waiting Angie popcorn::

HAHAHA!!! You boys and Pocahontas! I told Jay that she was going to get a restraining order soon! Its hysterical! When he sees her he hears "Have you heard the wolf cry...." i have to grab his arm to get his attention!

No Mack and Mancos? Thats BLASPHEMY!! I have to say, we have great pizza here too, but I just can't resist the Mack and Manco's - well now I believe it's just Mancos! Jay doesn't get it either, he refuses to wait in the line, but I don't care, I just love it!!

Goooo Phils! It's a shame your work is cutting into bball! That's just wrong! You'll have to do what Jay does on Saturday 1:00 games - he DVR's them and then refuses to listen to the radio or anything till he watches them. Sometimes, he'll even DVR them when we're AT the game, you know, just in case he missed something. I have to say - pizza, beer and any sporting event makes me happy. There's nothing like it I say!

I did a short 3 day cruise with my BFF last year (we take one short girls only trip every year) to the Bahamas and it was my first cruise, I freaking LOVED it!!! I've finally convinced Jay to give it a try - he was always anti cruise to anywhere - but his stipulation is Disney cruise or no cruise. Yeah, like I'd argue with that! Anyway, it looks like that's what we're gonna do!

Ok - I'll wrap it up here, word on the street is that there's this awesome TR update from some guy in Pennsylvania and I want to go get caught up!

I've tried to respond to this comment about 5 times now and every time Logan keeps interrupting me. Than I go back to read it again and I hear "Have you ever heard the wolf cry....."

It's not our fault I tell you!!! Umm...it's Disney's advertizing team! It's like you know how whenever the song "Oh this has got to be a good life" or "Life is a highway" comes on the radio, you smile and want to go to WDW right then and there? Same thing....somehow......I think.

Look, all I'm saying is us guys are innocent. INNOCENT I TELL YOU! :lmao:

Sorry, I'm better now.

What happened to Mack? Did they split up? I want to make a trip before the crowds get crazy down there. Maybe we'll stop in if the lines aren't nuts just yet. I have a friend who went to Wildwood today but nothing was really open just yet. Next month should be better.

I can't DVR a Phills game. I have the MLB app so there's no way I can go without knowing the score all day. Spring trainging games aren't a huge thing for me, it's just nice to watch the ball get thrown around again. When the regular season starts, it's GAME ON and I'll do whatever I can to watch or at least listen to the radio! I heard we have an FM station this year....I think I'm going to stick to AM though.

The cruise thing sounds phenomenal. It's on the list...we have a long list :laughing: We've really wanted to go on another on ever since the honeymoon but it's just never happened. In a few years, I can see a Disney cruise happening :thumbsup2

[NateNLogansDad]

WOOOOWWWW!!!!! What a great update and totally worth the wait! The pictures were amazing, just when I thought one was my favorite, I'd see another and another...needless to say, I love them all!!

Dinner for 25! YIKES! I am calling tomorrow to make our ADR's and was worried about 10 people, you calmed me down that's for sure! The boys looked so great in the pirate gear and Tina was adorable in her headband too. What a beautiful family is all I can say!:grouphug: I've heard stories about the Lapu Lapu's but not I think I must add them to the bucket list. I'm a sucker for anything pineapple and when you throw some "spirits" in there, I'm all over that!

I did see your comment in a previous post about moving to Florida and almost fell off my chair with the similarities! Jay and I have that plan as well. My Mom and Dad actually have their house up for sale now and are moving to Florida as soon as it sells. Jay and I have dreamt of it for so long and have decided to put the plans in place to start preparing. So....I'm figuring in approx 3-5 years we'll be there! I have a realtor that sends me the listings each week and I don't know where to cry when I see them or just slap the "FOR SALE" sign on the front lawn and see what happens.

Thanks! I really did like going through those pictures. I'm thinking i need to start using that lens more and more. It really comes out nice and sharp:thumbsup2

YES you need to try the Lapu Lapu!!! They are so stinken good!!! But, keep in mind they make them with 151 proof rum so it's easy to get a strong one. Usually the first is OK and the second one get's bumped up a notch. After that, they all taste perfect :lmao:

10 people is pretty easy. We had 8 last year and it was a piece of cake. When you are on the phone making reservations, try the website at the same time if you get put on hold. Who knows, by the time you get a live person on the phone, you might already have it all done yourself :thumbsup2

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/reservations/dining/

I can't wait to move to Florida!!!! Everybody thinks we're nuts! :lmao: All I ever here is "But it's so hot down there." Idiots. The sun brings life!!! Winter here make everything dead! I can't wait to come home from work and relax at the beach!!! We keep hitting up the realtor web pages and look at the houses down there. All I need it one lucky lottery ticket!!! :cloud9:

[merbobear]

I love your fireworks pictures! But wow, I REALLY love your AKL @ night pictures. I truly loathe the idea of carrying my tripod around, but your pictures might have just changed my mind, I would love to take a late walk around and slowwwww down my shutter to capture the beauty of late night Disney!

[NateNLogansDad]

I love your fireworks pictures! But wow, I REALLY love your AKL @ night pictures. I truly loathe the idea of carrying my tripod around, but your pictures might have just changed my mind, I would love to take a late walk around and slowwwww down my shutter to capture the beauty of late night Disney!

A friend of mine in in Jamaica right now, but if you send me a reminder in a PM next week, I'll be glad to ask him about his travel tripod if you's like. It's less than 12" when collapsed but it extends out to about 4' or so. He has the same camera and Sigma lens that I have and uses it a lot. I'm pretty sure he got it on Amazon with the carrying bag pretty cheap. Small, light, and cheap also makes it not the most sturdy....but it works. I just wouldn't use it during wishes in fear someone would kick out a leg or something. It's just a thought. :thumbsup2

I can't wait to go back again for some more night shots. Believe it or not, there were plenty of times during this trip where I wanted to forget about the camera all together. I just wasn't happy with anything I did with it. But for the next trip, I keep thinking of different things I want to try and it's getting me so excited....:rolleyes:

You really should take a tripod out with you!!! Worst case, carry it out to the parks and throw it in a locker till later in the evening. It REALLY makes such a difference in what you can do!!!

*Chanting*

Do it !

Do it!

Do it!

[GiGiJoeysMom]

Awesome update, the pictures from the parade were great. I can't wait to show them to the rest of my family.

[Susan121302]

OMG, if ever an update was worth the wait, it's this one! SOOOO good. :thumbsup2 although, I did get the sense that you were cheating on our treasured Beach Club a bit. :scared1: But, you sure did post some great shots for AKL. My goodness I didn't realize how beautiful it is there! (sorry BC :rolleyes1)

[NateNLogansDad]

Awesome update, the pictures from the parade were great. I can't wait to show them to the rest of my family.
:eek: Now that's a compliment! I don't think I've heard anyone look forward to show MY pictures to the rest of their family! :hug: Thank you!!! I really needed that! The car's been giving me grief lately and I've been putting a lot of work into it which is driving me nuts. That really made my night:cloud9:

OMG, if ever an update was worth the wait, it's this one! SOOOO good. :thumbsup2 although, I did get the sense that you were cheating on our treasured Beach Club a bit. :scared1: But, you sure did post some great shots for AKL. My goodness I didn't realize how beautiful it is there! (sorry BC :rolleyes1)

You're way to sweet! Thank you! Trust me, if I planned this trip, we would have been at the Beach Club hands down. I didn't want to try to have my in laws stay away from the rest of the family though so I kept my mouth shut. I guess maybe I'll have to make it up to the Beach Club sometime at the end of the year :rolleyes1

Yes, AKL is a beautiful resort, it's just the location I wasn't thrilled with. If it were closer to anything, I'd go back in a heartbeat. I guess the BC just spoiled the crap out us. :confused3

Trust me....our Home Away From Home will ALWAYS be the Beach Club:thumbsup2

[Susan121302]

:eek: Now that's a compliment! I don't think I've heard anyone look forward to show MY pictures to the rest of their family! :hug: Thank you!!! I really needed that! The car's been giving me grief lately and I've been putting a lot of work into it which is driving me nuts. That really made my night:cloud9:



You're way to sweet! Thank you! Trust me, if I planned this trip, we would have been at the Beach Club hands down. I didn't want to try to have my in laws stay away from the rest of the family though so I kept my mouth shut. I guess maybe I'll have to make it up to the Beach Club sometime at the end of the year :rolleyes1

Yes, AKL is a beautiful resort, it's just the location I wasn't thrilled with. If it were closer to anything, I'd go back in a heartbeat. I guess the BC just spoiled the crap out us. :confused3

Trust me....our Home Away From Home will ALWAYS be the Beach Club:thumbsup2

Agreed. I have always wanted to stay there but whenever I think about pulling the trigger I get that same nagging thought. It is so FAR AWAY from everything. I mean, heck is it even walking distance to Animal kingdom's entrance??

[abcangie87]

Alright, friend, i've started a trip report/pre trip report.

AND there is a shout-out to you in it :thumbsup2

Come by for a visit when you get a chance!

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=44377890&posted=1#post44377890

When do you think you'll make these 'move to florida' dreams come true? One of my BFFs (that I actually met here on the DIS) is actually getting ready to put their house on the market to move down there! Wow.

[DerangedChipmunk]

Wow! it's been a while since I've been on the DIS (midterms, you are the bane of my existence) but I'm so glad I got to catch up on your TR. All of your pictures are fantastic!

I never knew they brought the HM ballroom scene into the Halloween parade. :love: It's so well done. Are the men with the shovels supposed to be the grave diggers? So cool!

Can't wait to read the next update popcorn::

[TinyDancer]

SO late to the game... but I'm here & reading along! Your TR has been amazing as usual! My children & I have loved looking at your photos.. we are going in October this year so this has been very informative to me also! :cool1:

It's awesome that you had so many people that went to WDW with you! I want to do that with my entire family some time..

[NateNLogansDad]

Agreed. I have always wanted to stay there but whenever I think about pulling the trigger I get that same nagging thought. It is so FAR AWAY from everything. I mean, heck is it even walking distance to Animal kingdom's entrance??

Nope. Not even close. I thought it would be but no. Guess they dropped the ball when they thought about location :confused:

I've actually thought about it a lot lately. What may have really messed us up was how the buses would go to both buildings. Jambo first than Kidani. I'm wondering if some of the buses we were waiting for skipped us because they were so full. We did have a few pull up that were so full they wouldn't let anybody on from our stop:confused: I think both buildings need their own buses and things would run so much better.

Alright, friend, i've started a trip report/pre trip report.

AND there is a shout-out to you in it :thumbsup2

Come by for a visit when you get a chance!

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=44377890&posted=1#post44377890

When do you think you'll make these 'move to florida' dreams come true? One of my BFFs (that I actually met here on the DIS) is actually getting ready to put their house on the market to move down there! Wow.

The first time I read your PTR, I was on my phone and I think I missed some parts. I just read it all again and I have to say THANK YOU for the shout outs!!!!

I'd love to move down to Florida next year but we need to get some things caught up on first, so I guess I'll have to go with ASAP. Trust me, as soon as a date gets put in stone EVERYBODY will know it :rotfl2:

Wow! it's been a while since I've been on the DIS (midterms, you are the bane of my existence) but I'm so glad I got to catch up on your TR. All of your pictures are fantastic!

I never knew they brought the HM ballroom scene into the Halloween parade. :love: It's so well done. Are the men with the shovels supposed to be the grave diggers? So cool!

Can't wait to read the next update popcorn::

CHIPMUNK!!! Or should I call you Cindy?:laughing: Been a long time! Has any other children come up to you lately thinking you were Cinderella?

The HM ballroom scene was great! I really would love to go back to see the parade someday. Everything else is OK but the parade was by far the best:thumbsup2 The grave diggers would run the shovels across the pavement and make sparks while dancing! Very very cool:thumbsup2

SO late to the game... but I'm here & reading along! Your TR has been amazing as usual! My children & I have loved looking at your photos.. we are going in October this year so this has been very informative to me also! :cool1:

It's awesome that you had so many people that went to WDW with you! I want to do that with my entire family some time..

It's never too late!!! That really is so sweet that you were reading it with the kids!!! That really gave me such a big smile!!! :hug: Thank you! When in October are you guys going down? Where are you looking to stay at???

[ajf1007]

Ithink she should post the address right here for everybody to see don't you???

We're waiting Angie popcorn::
Yeah!! I'm gonna go check it out after I finish this up!


I've tried to respond to this comment about 5 times now and every time Logan keeps interrupting me. Than I go back to read it again and I hear "Have you ever heard the wolf cry....."

It's not our fault I tell you!!! Umm...it's Disney's advertizing team! It's like you know how whenever the song "Oh this has got to be a good life" or "Life is a highway" comes on the radio, you smile and want to go to WDW right then and there? Same thing....somehow......I think.

Look, all I'm saying is us guys are innocent. INNOCENT I TELL YOU! :lmao:
Hahaha innocent isn't the word I was looking for :rotfl:.
Sorry, I'm better now.

What happened to Mack? Did they split up? I want to make a trip before the crowds get crazy down there. Maybe we'll stop in if the lines aren't nuts just yet. I have a friend who went to Wildwood today but nothing was really open just yet. Next month should be better.
evidently they had some falling out but supposedly nothing is changing in regard to recipes, etc. I think I will have to be the judge of that! Funny thing though, when each of my nieces was born, I gave them each a Mack and Mancos onsie. They have a part of history now :lmao:

I can't DVR a Phills game. I have the MLB app so there's no way I can go without knowing the score all day. Spring trainging games aren't a huge thing for me, it's just nice to watch the ball get thrown around again. When the regular season starts, it's GAME ON and I'll do whatever I can to watch or at least listen to the radio! I heard we have an FM station this year....I think I'm going to stick to AM though.

The cruise thing sounds phenomenal. It's on the list...we have a long list :laughing: We've really wanted to go on another on ever since the honeymoon but it's just never happened. In a few years, I can see a Disney cruise happening :thumbsup2
I'm very excited! '2014 baby!!!

Thanks! I really did like going through those pictures. I'm thinking i need to start using that lens more and more. It really comes out nice and sharp:thumbsup2

YES you need to try the Lapu Lapu!!! They are so stinken good!!! But, keep in mind they make them with 151 proof rum so it's easy to get a strong one. Usually the first is OK and the second one get's bumped up a notch. After that, they all taste perfect :lmao:
I usually refer to that period of time as the "I can't feel my face.". Im so excited to try it. I got all my reservations made and got everything, which includes our last night dinner at 'Ohana!! Plus BBB for the girls, lunch in the Castle, a couple breakfasts at Boma, lunch at San Angel Inn and Mickeys Backyard BBQ. Oh yeah, and Momma Melrose with the Fantasmic show package. That should keep them all busy somewhat but still a bit laid back. Do you agree? Did I miss anything?

10 people is pretty easy. We had 8 last year and it was a piece of cake. When you are on the phone making reservations, try the website at the same time if you get put on hold. Who knows, by the time you get a live person on the phone, you might already have it all done yourself :thumbsup2

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/reservations/dining/

I can't wait to move to Florida!!!! Everybody thinks we're nuts! :lmao: All I ever here is "But it's so hot down there." Idiots. The sun brings life!!! Winter here make everything dead! I can't wait to come home from work and relax at the beach!!! We keep hitting up the realtor web pages and look at the houses down there. All I need it one lucky lottery ticket!!! :cloud9:
OMG, I am so ready. Everyday that I drive into work I wish it was my last drive there. I don't hate my job, but I am totally over these winters and cold weather. I'm ready for quality of life and warm sun on my face. Maybe we could go in and buy a compound, we could still fly our phillies and flyers flags !!

[TinyDancer]

It's never too late!!! That really is so sweet that you were reading it with the kids!!! That really gave me such a big smile!!! :hug: Thank you! When in October are you guys going down? Where are you looking to stay at???

We are going October 20 - 27, and staying in a preferred room at POR! This will be our first fall trip and first time at POR.. I've been planning & planning... most importantly, the kids' outfits .. For some reason :rolleyes1 I was under the impression that late October is high 80s.. 90 degrees! Imagine my surprise when I started reading your TR and noticed.. jeans! hoodies! long sleeve shirts! I'm sure you think I'm nuts :rotfl2: but I coordinate my entire family (6 of us) and all of my wardrobe planning had to be scrapped. SO, I AM glad that I found your TR when I did, to save me from purchasing any more SUMMER items for FALL at Disney.. :eek:

[Snappy in OK]

We are going October 20 - 27, and staying in a preferred room at POR! This will be our first fall trip and first time at POR.. I've been planning & planning... most importantly, the kids' outfits .. For some reason :rolleyes1 I was under the impression that late October is high 80s.. 90 degrees! Imagine my surprise when I started reading your TR and noticed.. jeans! hoodies! long sleeve shirts! I'm sure you think I'm nuts :rotfl2: but I coordinate my entire family (6 of us) and all of my wardrobe planning had to be scrapped. SO, I AM glad that I found your TR when I did, to save me from purchasing any more SUMMER items for FALL at Disney.. :eek:

Our family was there at the same time as Rob & his family. I was a bit surprised to find the cooler temps there when we first arrived. :confused3 We found jeans & tshirts to be fine the first day, but after that we were comfortable in shorts & tshirts. :cool1:

Like you, I coordinate my families outfits (for some of the days). We were still able to wear our tshirts. There were some days that we took our jackets along, but we didn't keep them on very long.

I would not necessarily scrap your entire thoughts for outfits. Just realize that you may need jackets in the mornings or later in the evenings.

We thought the weather was great - not too hot & not too cold. We were quite amused to find the lifeguards at BC in what appeared to be lined or insulated pants & jackets. We live in OK, and we did use the pool. Once earlier in the trip - and it was a short "outing", and then several times as it got warmer. And it still was not enough pool time for DS6!! :rotfl:

We would definitely go back again in late October. Have a great trip!!

[jennyjinx3]

Wow , thank you for reminding me how great the boo to you parade was! We were there this past Sept and although our youngest melted down after the parade and we had to leave, it was totally worth it just to see the parade and the atmosphere and pumpkins everywhere on Main st. You take great pictures and I loved your update! More please!!popcorn::

[DerangedChipmunk]

CHIPMUNK!!! Or should I call you Cindy?:laughing: Been a long time! Has any other children come up to you lately thinking you were Cinderella?

The HM ballroom scene was great! I really would love to go back to see the parade someday. Everything else is OK but the parade was by far the best:thumbsup2 The grave diggers would run the shovels across the pavement and make sparks while dancing! Very very cool:thumbsup2



Haha, It's been too long. Super DIS deprived right now.:surfweb:

Unfortunately, my college is super far away from everything, meaning I rarely see anyone younger than a freshman--so no Cinderella sightings so far.

MNSSHP is officially on my bucket list now--those costumes are absolutely gorgeous! The HM is such a fantastic ride. The Ghost Host's spiel is one of the most entrancing things ever written. (After all, X. Atencio + Paul Frees= guaranteed mind blowing amazingness)

but then again, this TR is a pretty good read too... Can't wait for another update! popcorn::

[GiGiJoeysMom]

All caught up with nothing to do......:rolleyes1

[jennyjinx3]

popcorn:: Please sir I want some more...;)

[Donald Duck888]

I just found your new report and am really enjoying checking out the pics you took. Esecially the night ones with the tripod and the ones from the rides.

I actually was subscribed to a previous thread of yours and you had given me some great photo tips. I actually just got a new Canon that allows me up to 6400 ISO vs the 1600 my old Rebel xs had for a max so I am looking forward to pairing that new ISO with my 35mm f 2.0 lens and seeing what I can come up with on my family's upcoming May trip.

Lastly I would be remiss if I did not congratulate your Phillies on getting one of the best closers (my Sox's former closer). See sox blowing 2 saves in the same game and losing to the Tigers 13-12 today as proof. :scared1: Gonna be a long year for my Sox i fear.:confused3

[NLD]

Hi Rob,

Back and all caught up. Love the MNSSHP pictures!

[NateNLogansDad]

I usually refer to that period of time as the "I can't feel my face.". Im so excited to try it. I got all my reservations made and got everything, which includes our last night dinner at 'Ohana!! Plus BBB for the girls, lunch in the Castle, a couple breakfasts at Boma, lunch at San Angel Inn and Mickeys Backyard BBQ. Oh yeah, and Momma Melrose with the Fantasmic show package. That should keep them all busy somewhat but still a bit laid back. Do you agree? Did I miss anything?

OMG, I am so ready. Everyday that I drive into work I wish it was my last drive there. I don't hate my job, but I am totally over these winters and cold weather. I'm ready for quality of life and warm sun on my face. Maybe we could go in and buy a compound, we could still fly our phillies and flyers flags !!

I love the "I can't feel my face" times! I actually run my hand down Tina's face when she gets a little tipsy. If she laughs, she's going good. If she seems like she's going to fall asleep, it's time to go!

as for the ressie's...I'm loving the selection!!! I so want to try out the Mickey's BBQ one day and San Angel looks so nice. Someday! Maybe in...oh wait, I can't talk about that yet!



We are going October 20 - 27, and staying in a preferred room at POR! This will be our first fall trip and first time at POR.. I've been planning & planning... most importantly, the kids' outfits .. For some reason :rolleyes1 I was under the impression that late October is high 80s.. 90 degrees! Imagine my surprise when I started reading your TR and noticed.. jeans! hoodies! long sleeve shirts! I'm sure you think I'm nuts :rotfl2: but I coordinate my entire family (6 of us) and all of my wardrobe planning had to be scrapped. SO, I AM glad that I found your TR when I did, to save me from purchasing any more SUMMER items for FALL at Disney.. :eek:

Perfect dates! Like Snappy in OK said...Don't scrap your ideas though! You really need to pack for anything. I personally liked to wear shorts and a hoody when it was chilly and have a t-shirt on underneath for the afternoon. There wasn't a day that didn't warm up enough to where we couldn't go swimming. I just wouldn't have during some of the nights. I hope that doesn't mess you up even more :rotfl:

Our family was there at the same time as Rob & his family. I was a bit surprised to find the cooler temps there when we first arrived. :confused3 We found jeans & tshirts to be fine the first day, but after that we were comfortable in shorts & tshirts. :cool1:

Like you, I coordinate my families outfits (for some of the days). We were still able to wear our tshirts. There were some days that we took our jackets along, but we didn't keep them on very long.

I would not necessarily scrap your entire thoughts for outfits. Just realize that you may need jackets in the mornings or later in the evenings.

We thought the weather was great - not too hot & not too cold. We were quite amused to find the lifeguards at BC in what appeared to be lined or insulated pants & jackets. We live in OK, and we did use the pool. Once earlier in the trip - and it was a short "outing", and then several times as it got warmer. And it still was not enough pool time for DS6!! :rotfl:

We would definitely go back again in late October. Have a great trip!!
I'm so glad you spoke up when you did since it's been FOREVER since I've been back on for an update or anything. :hug: Don't pay to much attention to those lifeguards. When it hit's 70, they get goosebumps because it's so darn cold:rotfl2:

Wow , thank you for reminding me how great the boo to you parade was! We were there this past Sept and although our youngest melted down after the parade and we had to leave, it was totally worth it just to see the parade and the atmosphere and pumpkins everywhere on Main st. You take great pictures and I loved your update! More please!!popcorn::
Awe, so sorry to hear you had to leave before it was over. It's funny though, it seems that once the kids get a little older it becomes the adults who have the meltdowns:lmao: Thanks for the compliments and I hope you're still around here somewhere....it's time to wrap this thing up.

Haha, It's been too long. Super DIS deprived right now.:surfweb:

Unfortunately, my college is super far away from everything, meaning I rarely see anyone younger than a freshman--so no Cinderella sightings so far.

MNSSHP is officially on my bucket list now--those costumes are absolutely gorgeous! The HM is such a fantastic ride. The Ghost Host's spiel is one of the most entrancing things ever written. (After all, X. Atencio + Paul Frees= guaranteed mind blowing amazingness)

but then again, this TR is a pretty good read too... Can't wait for another update! popcorn::

Well the update is coming, the costumes were gorgeous, and I promise to tell my kids that you are Cinderella if we ever bump into each other on a bus somewhere.

All caught up with nothing to do......:rolleyes1
Still?

I might have something around here :rolleyes1

popcorn:: Please sir I want some more...;)

My sincerest apologies dearest Jenny. I have a few things to finalize, and an update will be posted.....hopefully in just a little bit.

I just found your new report and am really enjoying checking out the pics you took. Esecially the night ones with the tripod and the ones from the rides.

I actually was subscribed to a previous thread of yours and you had given me some great photo tips. I actually just got a new Canon that allows me up to 6400 ISO vs the 1600 my old Rebel xs had for a max so I am looking forward to pairing that new ISO with my 35mm f 2.0 lens and seeing what I can come up with on my family's upcoming May trip.

Lastly I would be remiss if I did not congratulate your Phillies on getting one of the best closers (my Sox's former closer). See sox blowing 2 saves in the same game and losing to the Tigers 13-12 today as proof. :scared1: Gonna be a long year for my Sox i fear.:confused3

Oh crap, I hope I caught you before your trip! Don't listen to 85% of what I say. Ask my wife. I'm wrong all the time! :rotfl2:

Before you go jacking up the ISO and go running around the parks, try practicing outside at night and shoot different ISO's. Than go in the house with the same ISO's and shoot in there with the lights dim. You'll see how noisy the high ISO's will be in the dark and how it's not so noticeable when things are lite up a bit.

I love having the option to go up to 6400+ if I NEED to, but I HATE having noise in the picture. I have played around with some software like Topaz's DeNoise to clean pictures up but it's time consuming and degrades your pictures a little. Know your limits with the ISO and know how your camera reacts to the high ISO in different lighting situations BEFORE your trip. I'd hate for you to figure out you weren't happy AFTER you got home and saw them :thumbsup2

Hi Rob,

Back and all caught up. Love the MNSSHP pictures!
Awe thanks....I have to catch the last update you did. Every time I try to get comfy with a cup of coffee, life happens:confused3

[NateNLogansDad]

deleted.....not yet

[jennyjinx3]

Ok...I am back!:wave2:

[NateNLogansDad]

Well My Dis friends, I am back. I know it’s been a while, but I am absolutely determined to finish what I have started! This last month and a half has been just as busy as ever! Besides the normal stuff kids and school, work, blah blah blah, we’ve also started T-ball season with Logan, Nate had a birthday, I had an abscessed tooth pulled, my cousin and her hubby found out they are pregnant, my mom retired, Tina started a new job which means for the first time since we’ve had kids we will be working the same shift, and we celebrated our 9 year anniversary!!!! I’ll say it again, this is just a typical month in our house hahaha!

So yea, I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to get an update in but I’m back now. Is this a good thing? I’m not sure because not only do I want to post SOMETHING, I think we should end it. Like today. Who’s with ME?!?!?

Awe, don’t look so sad. Here’s a slight pick-me-up maybe...

There’s also one more thing that we finalized since the last update. Remember when we were at EPCOT and wanted to run over to the Magic Kingdom? Well, when we walked over to the Beach Club to grab a bus, Tina’s parents were pretty impressed with the place. So impressed, that they wanted to book a week and experience it for themselves…..and they invited us to come stay with them!!!! So basically, there will be another trip report but not for a few months. It’s an October trip but I’ll try to remember to post a link on this report when I start that one!


ANYWAYS, let’s wrap this thing up!!!!!

Day 6 will probably be the fastest update I can do. I want to apologize ahead of time. There’s only a few pictures.

All week long even though we were in the happiest place on earth, there was still a stress level that was hard to avoid. With 25 people wanting to do 25 different things all at once, but still stay together, it gets really hard. Today was going to be OUR pool day. No parks, no cell phones, no stress, just relaxation. I tried to get Tina’s parents to do the same but they only hung out for a little while before running off to a park to meet up with everyone else.

Tina’s brother Brian stayed with us while Sean and Chuck went to the gym.

I love Brian. He’s 16 now but instead of being one of those guys who’s just too cool for everything, he knows how to have fun and still act immature sometimes. Perfect company for a Disney Vacation!!!

So, after sleeping in till 11:30 we had breakfast and headed out. I left the DSLR camera in our room and brought the small waterproof one. As soon as we got to the pool area, I knew it was the right decision…

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day6/DSCF9488.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day6/DSCF9489.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day6/DSCF9490.jpg
Logan ran right down to the water cannons and started soaking everybody within range.

Nate had a better idea, he had found a nice place to just relax…
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day6/DSCF9492.jpg

That lasted a whole 30 seconds
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day6/DSCF9493.jpg

He hopped right up to help Logan man the cannons
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day6/DSCF9494.jpg

Brian took charge though, dominating from above.
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day6/DSCF9495.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day6/DSCF9498.jpg

We even had some other kids come join in. Brian showed no mercy! Good man!
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day6/DSCF9499.jpg

We spent about 45 minutes in just this little play area alone and had a blast.
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day6/DSCF9500.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day6/DSCF9501.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day6/DSCF9502.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day6/DSCF9505.jpg

FINALLY we made our way over to the pool area. Logan has a phobia of getting his head wet in a pool for some reason so the little kid water slides were just perfect for him….
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day6/DSCF9507.jpg

Apparently he made a new friend with the girl in the bikini whom he had encouraged to go down next…
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day6/DSCF9509.jpg
He learns fast….


Nate was loving that he could touch the bottom and Brian was still trying to convince himself that the water wasn’t too chilly while sitting on the wall.
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day6/DSCF9510.jpg

One of the best things I bought camera wise, was the underwater camera. For $100 I can take it into the pool, leave it in my pocket, and not worry about ruining it or having someone walk away with it if I left it on the chairs. Plus, it opens up a whole new dynamic for taking pictures!
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day6/DSCF9511.jpg

Don’t know who that was in the background, but if you’re reading this…..sorry about that.

[NateNLogansDad]

So it was right around this time when Logan announced that he wanted to try the big boy water slide!!! Granted, for some this might not be a big deal, but for me I was so excited to see him stepping it up a knotch! He was so proud of himself!

Click here for VIDEO (http://s561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day6/?action=view&current=DSCF9517.mp4)

I tried to get him to take the camera and do a video, but he just wanted to ride it first. Baby steps I guess! I ran up to the top of the slide with him and went down first. At the bottom, I recorded this….

Click here for another VIDEO (http://s561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day6/?action=view&current=DSCF9516.mp4)

Now, with Logan, he can be a little sensitive sometimes and if he didn’t like a little part of something, he won’t do it again. I was shocked when I heard this come from him…

Click here for the final VIDEO (http://s561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day6/?action=view&current=DSCF9517.mp4)

He wanted to do it again!!!

(Side note, sorry about the video quality. I'm sure it can be better, but I'm just to tired tonight to figure out how)

He must have gone down the slide 20 more times. I hope he remembers all this in October because I’d love to see him try out the pirate ship slide in Storm Along Bay!!!

After a while we all headed over to The Jambo House for a quick lunch at The Mara. I think we all ordered the same lunch that each of us had already during the week. No pictures to speak about with the entrée’s, but the dessert……mmmmm zebra domes….
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day6/DSCF9518.jpg

Since we were already over at the Jambo House, we figured why not go check out the pool over here. Of coarse, we know not to go swimming for an hr after eating so instead we hit the hot tubs first!!!

Now I don’t want to go incriminating anyone but somehow our hot tub had more suds than the other hot tub. Almost like someone had brought in some soap with them and left it in their swim shorts pocket….weird huh?

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day6/DSCF9521.jpg

I look innocent, don’t I?
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day6/DSCF9523.jpg

Brian….well, I don’t know if he looks innocent, guilty, or shocked by the amount of bubbles we had.
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day6/DSCF9524.jpg

The bubbles didn’t last very long…
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day6/DSCF9526.jpg
…so we headed out to go grab some drinks at the bar. Along the way we just so happen to glance over the wall and what do you know? There’s a bunch of pink flamingo’s right next to the pool area!

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day6/DSCF9528.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day6/DSCF9527.jpg

After we downed a few drinks at the bar (non alcoholic for Brian) we headed back over to the hot tub. Weirdest thing happened….MORE BUBBLES!!!! Haha!
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day6/DSCF9529.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day6/DSCF9530.jpg

There were 2 other guys in the hot tub when we got there and there were cracking up when the bubbles started building up. I still maintain my innocence.

The kids wanted to go try out the water slide at this pool so we went out to go find Tina. Where was she during all of this you ask? Swimming? Nope. Conga line? Nope. Throughout the day, when we were all in the pools, she was content with finding a good quiet chair to read up on her nook.

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day6/DSCF9531.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day6/DSCF9532.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day6/DSCF9533.jpg

The kids were having a blast so Brian and I hopped back in and joined them.
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day6/DSCF9536.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day6/DSCF9538.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day6/DSCF9539.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss53/natenlogansdad/DisneyOct2011/Day6/DSCF9541.jpg

And that was pretty much our day. Later on, we had diner back at the hotel and hung out with Capt Morgan until later in the evening. Tomorrow was going to be our last full day in the parks so we all wanted to be up early.

I think everybody needs a hotel-only kind of a day once in a while. It’s so easy to make a Disney Trip turn into work. You can’t do it all in a week. You can’t. Stop stressing out over it and relax once in a while!

Speaking of stress……on to Day 7!!!!