Back to the West 2014

Angel Ariel · Mar 31, 2015

Churros for breakfast....yuuum!! Disney vacations in our family don't officially begin until a churro has been eaten

Re: the swinging gondolas - DH actually managed to get me on one of those things on our last trip. It was simultaneously scary and fun. DD won't be going on a swinging gondola just yet, but if it were just the 2 of us, I would probably go on it again (probably...

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Jaina · Apr 1, 2015

Following along. Such beautiful pictures!

mom2rtk · Apr 1, 2015

czmom said:
Hey Janet! So happy to have found this

What a great start to your trip! Carthay Circle looks wonderful. It's on my list for August...just trying to decide if I want to do the WoC package or not. In 2013 we were right at the lower rail and had no one in front of us. I loved that!

Looking forward to reading about the rest of your week!

Hey Wendy! :wave:

Welcome to 2014! :welcome:

Carthay Circle really was a magical start to the trip. I would do the WoC package if you like the menu and are going anyway.

I'm thinking of going back to the lower railing again next year. At least nobody can stand their child on a trash can in front of you there!

jenseib said:
I got behind...but luckily you didn't post too much either.
Loving the WoC photos. You should've put Mickey ears on the kid on the trash can and it would've made for some neat shots. LOL!
I have no desire to ever go on the death trap wheel of horrors! Swinging or not!!!
You got some great shots on Screamin! It's really making me want to go. I am betting it's going to be summer now with the pace my husband is going with his decision making. Maybe we can go early May but I am seeing that slip away. And then late May to early June we have to deal with the end of school and dance recital.

I was thinking about your cool "lemonade out of lemons" shot with the kid in Mickey ears as I stood there that night.

Do you think Skip feels my evil stare from across the miles over his inability to commit on a trip?

Kick him in your sleep for me, will you?

Angel Ariel said:
What about a mid-November trip

I'm definitely joining in on this report..gotta prepare for our trip! What do you find is your most useful lens at DLR? I've saved up for a while to buy an 18-200 lens, so I don't have to deal with changing lenses b/w the 18-55 and 70-300, but I haven't bought it just yet. I have a 50 mm as well, which is great for low light..except for how close up it gets. Is the 24-70 worth a lens rental?

Hey Angel Ariel! :welcome:

So glad to see you over here. Have you definitely committed on heading west?

My favorite lens for Disney is usually a mid-range fast zoom. When I was shooting with my T2i it was hands down my Canon 17-55 f/2.8. The all in one zooms are so nice for convenience, but I really prefer to have one with a fast aperture. I think Jenseib has the Sigma 18-200 and uses it an awful lot at Disney.

Really, at Disney most of your shots will be in the wider category and I probably could have gotten by with just my 17-55 if I had to. The exceptions would be Fantasmic and Aladdin.

I love my 24-70 lens, but with my full frame body, that's the equivalent of about 15-44. I'm just not a big fan of having 24 be my widest option. Honestly, if you're good with 24 on the wide end, then why not go with the 24-105 f/4. That would get you a little more range but at least have the benefit of a bit wider aperture on the telephoto end.

I agree with you that 50mm is a little tight on a crop sensor camera.

mom2rtk · Apr 1, 2015

Angel Ariel said:
Churros for breakfast....yuuum!! Disney vacations in our family don't officially begin until a churro has been eaten

Re: the swinging gondolas - DH actually managed to get me on one of those things on our last trip. It was simultaneously scary and fun. DD won't be going on a swinging gondola just yet, but if it were just the 2 of us, I would probably go on it again (probably...)

YEAH! You get to be part of our "Churros for breakfast" club! :cool1:

You are either very brave. Or very crazy. I'll let you know later which it is.

Jaina said:
Following along. Such beautiful pictures!

Hi Jaina!

Glad you're along for the ride!

mom2rtk · Apr 1, 2015

December 7, 2014 Continued:

Next we headed for the front of the park to find out when Oswald would be out. We lucked out and he was out already with just a couple people in line. I had expected a decent wait here, but there was none.

IMG_1906 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

IMG_1911 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

IMG_1916 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

It was only 10:15 so we decided to check back and see if the Silly Swings were running yet. They were, so we took our turn. I enjoyed it as much as I did last year. What a great way to see the park! After that, we decided to go line up early for the 3 Caballeros. They told us they weren't allowing a line yet. Uh, ok. So we hung out "not in a line" and a few others joined us in our "non-line". We actually enjoyed chatting with them, and a group of young adults asked to see Katie's autograph book. As it got close to 11, a CM came over and let us know the 3 Cabelleros would not be out at 11, but Mickey and Minnie would come out at 11:20. We decided to wait since we wanted to meet them too.

Some shots along the way:

IMG_1922 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

IMG_1944 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

IMG_1946 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

We just missed getting on the Silly Swings when we got to the platform but I loved the view we had up there so enjoyed just watching before it was out turn.

IMG_1963 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

Wheeeeeeeee! by mom2rtk, on Flickr

IMG_1975 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

IMG_1984 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

IMG_2026 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

IMG_2028 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

IMG_2030 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

IMG_2058 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

DisneyFreak06 · Apr 1, 2015

Wow... Oswald is short! I really like the shot of the Silly Swings from below. (That's one ride I haven't been on yet, guess that means I need to go back again... I have another reason! LOL) And Minnie and Mickey look so adorable like that!

mom2rtk · Apr 1, 2015

Sunday December 7, 2014 Continued:

The street party was due to start at noon so we got hot dogs and grabbed a spot across from where we expected the 3 Cabelleros float to be. What an improvement over last year when we had no idea where to sit for the best view. I enjoyed the party a lot more this time. I enjoyed sitting there in the sun, hearing the music and taking photos of the performers in colorful costumes.

Viva Navidad Dancers by mom2rtk, on Flickr

The Three Caballeros by mom2rtk, on Flickr

IMG_2110 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

IMG_2119 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

IMG_2129 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

IMG_2144 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

IMG_2149 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

IMG_2162 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

IMG_2170 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

IMG_2182 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

Once the party was over, we hustled back to the character spot, knowing the 3 Cabelleros were due out again soon. The line wasn't bad, and I had it was a fun meet and greet. Panchito did not like that Donald had signed the book "#1" so he changed it to "#3". Donald then demanded to have the book back and drew an arrow from the "#3" to Panchito's signature. They also took time to dance with Katie, so it was a lot of fun. It's always better to have character meets with more than 1 character. Just a lot more opportunity for interaction.

IMG_2255-2 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

IMG_2258-2 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

IMG_2266 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

I knew Fly Girl Minnie would be out at 1, so we headed over that direction again. We were a little early but enjoyed watching the little girls in line ahead of us play. When Minnie came out, the smaller girl was adorable to watch with her.

IMG_2317 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

IMG_2319 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

IMG_2324 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

From there we went back to Viva Navidad to finish up by meeting Goofy. I was ready for a snack by then and we stopped at Clarabell Cow's for a mini kitchen sink sundae. It really hit the spot and did not disappoint. I loved our pace that day, taking plenty of time to sit and enjoy our surroundings without being in a huge hurry for anything.

Kitchen Sink by mom2rtk, on Flickr

IMG_2359 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

IMG_2333 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

mom2rtk · Apr 1, 2015

DisneyFreak06 said:
Wow... Oswald is short! I really like the shot of the Silly Swings from below. (That's one ride I haven't been on yet, guess that means I need to go back again... I have another reason! LOL) And Minnie and Mickey look so adorable like that!

I know! Katie is only 14 but would be too tall to play Oswald.

Thanks for the comment on the Silly Swings shot. It was one of my favorites from the trip.

You really need to start planning a return trip just to ride the Silly Swings. Yes, it's worth it. OK, maybe it doesn't deserve its own trip. But whatever gets you there.

I really loved all the characters at Viva Navidad. I felt so stupid for not realize they were appearing there last year. I saw photos on the DIS later and asked. Apparently we were close but just never got far enough back there to see them. Dopey me!

DisneyFreak06 · Apr 1, 2015

That parade/party looks so colorful and fun! I have never seen pictures like these. (Except for maybe in your TR last year.) To be honest, I don't need much of an excuse, but finding new things to do is always a plus. Hee hee hee

Angel Ariel · Apr 1, 2015

mom2rtk said:
Hey Angel Ariel! So glad to see you over here. Have you definitely committed on heading west?

We still need to figure some things out, but we booked a room at the Tropicana tonight! We saw rates starting to inch up, so we decided to book now. No deposit down, can cancel up to 48 hrs before..so no reason not to book!

My favorite lens for Disney is usually a mid-range fast zoom. When I was shooting with my T2i it was hands down my Canon 17-55 f/2.8. The all in one zooms are so nice for convenience, but I really prefer to have one with a fast aperture. I think Jenseib has the Sigma 18-200 and uses it an awful lot at Disney.

Really, at Disney most of your shots will be in the wider category and I probably could have gotten by with just my 17-55 if I had to. The exceptions would be Fantasmic and Aladdin.

I love my 24-70 lens, but with my full frame body, that's the equivalent of about 15-44. I'm just not a big fan of having 24 be my widest option. Honestly, if you're good with 24 on the wide end, then why not go with the 24-105 f/4. That would get you a little more range but at least have the benefit of a bit wider aperture on the telephoto end.

I agree with you that 50mm is a little tight on a crop sensor camera.

I rented an 18-200 for our last Disney trip and I did use it for the majority of my pictures...so I can definitely see use to owning one for myself and not renting. I'd be open to renting a better low-light lens than the 50mm, though. Maybe renting that 17-55 2.8 would be a good idea.

How are Sigma lenses? I could buy the Sigma 17-55 f/2.8 instead of the canon 18-200...and I can see how that would be a very versatile lens and definitely worth it. The canon version is a bit out of the budget range right now though.

I'm still fairly new to this DSLR world

I've used it enough since I got it a few years ago to be able to use it in manual fairly well, but I'd love to take a photography class or 2 at some point to learn more.

Jaina · Apr 1, 2015

Love the 3 Caballeros shots! And I am sad again that the Silly Swings were closed the last time we went. But it's something new for my kids to experience next time.

Also, why does Katie look way more grown up and sophisticated and pretty at 14 than I did at like 21? ;-)

PrincessInOz · Apr 2, 2015

What colourful shots this set contain. Love all that 3 Caballeros costuming.

Love your shots with Mickey and Minnie!

ArwenMarie · Apr 2, 2015

Awesome character meets, love it! Seems like a super fun day.

clsteve · Apr 2, 2015

Love, Love, the vibe of the Navidad Street Party/Parade! It looks like a lot of fun- bright and festive. Although, it does kinda look like that drummer is not too happy with the mariachi guitar player encroaching on his space. Maybe he spotted a Hollywood talent guy in the crowd...?

Plus, that Fly Girl Minnie outfit - never seen that before and it's one of the best I've seen her in. It has a great early '50s throwback feel to it. Walt would have loved that one.... :thumbsup2

Cormoran · Apr 2, 2015

clsteve said:
Love, Love, the vibe of the Navidad Street Party/Parade! It looks like a lot of fun- bright and festive. Although, it does kinda look like that drummer is not too happy with the mariachi guitar player encroaching on his space. Maybe he spotted a Hollywood talent guy in the crowd...?

Plus, that Fly Girl Minnie outfit - never seen that before and it's one of the best I've seen her in. It has a great early '50s throwback feel to it. Walt would have loved that one....

Would you say it's magical?

clsteve · Apr 2, 2015

Cormoran said:
Would you say it's magical?

Magic the way it always should be. Absolutely love it

mvf-m11c · Apr 2, 2015

Another very nice day at DCA. Great shots with the characters and especially at the Viva Navidad event at Paradise Pier.

Nice to see you were able to get the good spot to watch the Viva Navidad Street Party. I enjoyed watching the Street Party during the holiday season last year and will definitely have to see it again later this year.

missangelalexis · Apr 6, 2015

Love those photos of Mickey & Minnie..and Goofy too! And the photo op with the 3 Cabelleros is pretty awesome. The Viva Navidad celebration seems really fun.

tdashgirl · Apr 6, 2015

I absolutely love the Viva Navidad party/section. We always try to catch the show more than once when we visit during the holiday season.

Cormoran · Apr 7, 2015

those photos of the Viva Navidad parade are terrific. You really captured the movement of the dancers with their swirling skirts.

Back to the West 2014

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