Back to the West 2014

Saturday June 6, 2015 Continued:

IMG_7073 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

IMG_7078 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

IMG_7082 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

Peter Pan - Festival of Fantasy by mom2rtk, on Flickr

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Slaying the Dragon by mom2rtk, on Flickr

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IMG_7367 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

KCmike said:

I love this resort. We've never stayed in the made up rooms we've had the mansions or the Alligator Bayou. I love how lush it is there and the Mill has some delicious food choices (turkey, breakfast, etc). Did you get to tour the grounds or take the boat to downtown disney? This is our home resort.

Oh yeah, btw, I think I lost my tag to this thread as I never get updates. Ugh.

We are toying with the idea of moving to Forida after the kids get out of college. Crazy huh?

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We stayed 3 nights there but still felt very much like we barely even got a taste of POR. We really liked it a lot. The room was amazing, the grounds were gorgeous and I loved how centrally located it was. We did take the boat to DTD the next day.

So glad you got subscribed to the thread again. I still have a lot of ground to cover! LOL.

Moving to Florida sounds exciting! Drew would do it in a heartbeat, but I'd rather live somewhere cold. LOL. I'll take a summer home on a lake up north somewhere, and a winter home in Florida. That would be just about perfect.

DisneyFreak06 said:

Fun in the pool! That non english speaking lady is lucky she didn't get hurt!

Oh the Royal Rooms are so beautiful! I think the next time I stay at POR I have to stay there. I've been in a regular mansion room and in Alligator Bayou, so that's the last section I haven't stayed in!

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The lady diving in the pool was an idiot. I hate when people do dumb stuff like that. The last thing I need is to see someone die in the middle of my vacation! I figure I can be cavalier about it because she was doing something so reckless and stupid.

People have been raving about POR for so long I figured it was about time I give it a try. I'm really glad we did.

rndmr2 said:

Glad to see you arrived safely at POR. The Royal room is beautiful. We stayed at POR in 2010 in one of the regular Mansion rooms (a King Bed room, which is nice and spacious) and I just loved it there. I think it is my favorite resort.

ETA: You probably posted that last update while I was typing, LOL

Your pics of the POR grounds just showed me more proof how much I love that resort.

Love the pics with Marie.

Great pics inside BOG! I think those are the best I've seen, especially in the West Wing room, Better than any I have taken that's for sure, LOL Beautiful pic of the Rose.

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Well, you're sure not alone in having POR as your favorite resort. And now I can sure see why I've heard so many good things through the years. It was great having something new to photograph too. Those grounds were just lovely.

Thanks for the kind words on the photos. I'd love to get in there sometime with a tripod, but for now I'll settle for what this camera can give me handheld. If ever there was a time for good low light performance, BOG is it!

czmom said:

I love POR!!! We've been in the Royal Room and Alligator Bayou. It's our favorite resort when we aren't staying at a DVC resort. Bummer about the loud music though.

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Aren't those Royal Rooms just stunning? I almost hated to junk it up with all our stuff!

So can I assume from all you POR fans that you've never had a problem with loud sounds at night?

Beautiful room. Bummer about the music. Must have been some outdoor pool party somewhere.

Love the pictures with Marie, worth it!

Great parade pictures. So what was your favorite float? Mine is the Merida one with the Tangled one in a close second place

ArwenMarie said:

Beautiful room. Bummer about the music. Must have been some outdoor pool party somewhere.

Love the pictures with Marie, worth it!

Great parade pictures. So what was your favorite float? Mine is the Merida one with the Tangled one in a close second place

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I've never had a an issue with noise at a hotel like this before. I could feel that thumping bass in my chest. It was just crazy.

I'm glad we went to the trouble of catching up with Marie again. You have a great namesake there!

Here's a Marie flashback from 2008:

mariefl by mom2rtk, on Flickr

I'd be hard pressed to pick a favorite float. I love the Merida and Rapunzel ones, but also am partial to the floral princess float. Just beautiful. But if push came to shove, I'd have to go with the steampunk Maleficent. She was absolutely magnificent!

Your room at the Port Orleans Riverside look so nice and it must have been fun to stay there during your visit.

Nice start of your day at the MK with having lunch at BOG. I want to eat at that restaurant again one day but it is so hard to get a ADR at that restaurant if you don't stay on-site and make your plans in advance. All of your pics from Splash, BTMRR and Festival of Fantasy Parade are very nice. The 6D and the Tamron during the parade are very nice and clear. I see that you used a fast shutter with a good ISO along with the aperture. After looking at your pictures, it almost makes me want to get a FF. But I first have to get the telephoto lens before I start thinking of FF.

Great update.

Nothing beats added on one day at MK, thats is what we are doing in a few months. We have one day before we fly back from the cruise and I just could not do it. We initially were not going but then next thing I know I am say "perhaps we should go to a park... It would be weird not to go" LOL it will be a busy day, get back from cruise, drop off suitcase, head to park, return by midnight for shuttle at 3am to MCO. So if you do not plan to go bas to WDW soon, does that me you have a cruise in your future? Thanks for the parade photos. Excited to possible catch it. I am not a parade person but I heard this one was worth it.

mvf-m11c said:

Your room at the Port Orleans Riverside look so nice and it must have been fun to stay there during your visit.

Nice start of your day at the MK with having lunch at BOG. I want to eat at that restaurant again one day but it is so hard to get a ADR at that restaurant if you don't stay on-site and make your plans in advance. All of your pics from Splash, BTMRR and Festival of Fantasy Parade are very nice. The 6D and the Tamron during the parade are very nice and clear. I see that you used a fast shutter with a good ISO along with the aperture. After looking at your pictures, it almost makes me want to get a FF. But I first have to get the telephoto lens before I start thinking of FF.

Great update.

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Lunch at BOG was great, a nice low-stress way to eat a lunch on a level 9 park day. The idea didn't even occur to me until a few weeks out. I just kept the dining page up on my computer and any time I walked by I looked. I was really surprised when one actually showed up one day!

I do love that Tamron lens. It's pretty heavy, but worth the trouble of carrying around.

Good luck with the zoom lens evaluation. It's a great place to start since you'll need a good zoom whether you eventually go full frame or not.

And thanks for the kind words on the photos.

DISNEYaddict4evr said:

Nothing beats added on one day at MK, thats is what we are doing in a few months. We have one day before we fly back from the cruise and I just could not do it. We initially were not going but then next thing I know I am say "perhaps we should go to a park... It would be weird not to go" LOL it will be a busy day, get back from cruise, drop off suitcase, head to park, return by midnight for shuttle at 3am to MCO. So if you do not plan to go bas to WDW soon, does that me you have a cruise in your future? Thanks for the parade photos. Excited to possible catch it. I am not a parade person but I heard this one was worth it.

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I highly recommend the one day add on! But only for the MK. I would not pay a single day admission to any of the other 3 parks. Doing it after the cruise sounds like a great plan. I only say we're not going back soon because we've been so happy with Disneyland. We're tentatively planning a trip to DLR this fall.

Definitely try to see the Festival of Fantasy Parade. I think even a non-parade person would love it. Try watching from Frontierland where you can get a spot closer to parade time without quite as much hassle.

Oh... I forgot. LOVE the room. We stayed there back in 2004 had a great time, but due to the size issue I am now. A POFQ gal now. Perfect size, very romantic. Per the room noise I had a similar issue on my last trip. It was 11:30 and I heard so much noise outside my door I thought there was a machine shop next to the hotel. I tried the front desk and no one answered, so then I looked outside. Heard lots of drunks college kids to my left and then to the right was a but load of bright lights and a ton of loud noise. I eventual turned a fan on to help with the sound and was able to rest. The next morning i looked outside and to my amazement all that was behind the hotel was housing . Called the front desk to ask what number locally i should call if it happened again, instead they said oh we will give you a new room. Next thing i know I have a room with a bedroom, living room and a kitchen , though later that night i discovered the room had terrible air circulation and was very hot due to the heat wave they were having in Banff. I couldnt complain again LOL. I toughed it out, still have no idea about the noise, it really was just condominiums with cars out front, bicycles on the porch... So weird.

mom2rtk said:

I highly recommend the one day add on! But only for the MK. I would not pay a single day admission to any of the other 3 parks. Doing it after the cruise sounds like a great plan. I only say we're not going back soon because we've been so happy with Disneyland. We're tentatively planning a trip to DLR this fall.

Definitely try to see the Festival of Fantasy Parade. I think even a non-parade person would love it. Try watching from Frontierland where you can get a spot closer to parade time without quite as much hassle.

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Will do, I have no patience so the less I have to wait the better I hear you on DL, i had a blast with hubby back in 2012, trying to talk my BFF into going next year so we can have fun with her 4 year-old daughter. Oh and the pic is from our honeymoon on the wonder. I think you guys would love cruising by the way.

DISNEYaddict4evr said:

Will do, I have no patience so the less I have to wait the better I hear you on DL, i had a blast with hubby back in 2012, trying to talk my BFF into going next year so we can have fun with her 4 year-old daughter. Oh and the pic is from our honeymoon on the wonder. I think you guys would love cruising by the way.

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I think I would love a Disney cruise. I just haven't talked Drew into it. And I can usually find too many ways to spend our entire vacation budget in the parks already.

DL with your friend and her 4 year old sounds awesome! I hope you can work it out.

Looks like you had a great Disneymoon. So what did DH think of sharing you with Captain Jack?

DISNEYaddict4evr said:

Oh... I forgot. LOVE the room. We stayed there back in 2004 had a great time, but due to the size issue I am now. A POFQ gal now. Perfect size, very romantic. Per the room noise I had a similar issue on my last trip. It was 11:30 and I heard so much noise outside my door I thought there was a machine shop next to the hotel. I tried the front desk and no one answered, so then I looked outside. Heard lots of drunks college kids to my left and then to the right was a but load of bright lights and a ton of loud noise. I eventual turned a fan on to help with the sound and was able to rest. The next morning i looked outside and to my amazement all that was behind the hotel was housing . Called the front desk to ask what number locally i should call if it happened again, instead they said oh we will give you a new room. Next thing i know I have a room with a bedroom, living room and a kitchen , though later that night i discovered the room had terrible air circulation and was very hot due to the heat wave they were having in Banff. I couldnt complain again LOL. I toughed it out, still have no idea about the noise, it really was just condominiums with cars out front, bicycles on the porch... So weird.

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I was going to ask for feedback on French Quarter. I'd like to try that one day too. When you say size issue, do you mean the resort is smaller?

That upgrade sounds like a great score! Nothing worse than trying to sleep while the outside world parties. Where was your room that it was so close to the outside world? Bummer about the circulation. I would have felt the same way though and would not have complained a second time.

If it had been just me, I would have turned the TV on and been just fine. But Drew hates sleeping with the TV on, so that wouldn't work. I think I did finally dig out my phone and popped in some earbuds to listen to some Disney tunes. I always worry about being strangled on the earbud cords, but this was desperate times! Anyone know if they make wireless earbuds?

Your nature and beach pictures are all amazing and your splash mountain pics look like something that you'd find on a photopass cd they're so good!

Beautiful shots as usual! I especially was impressed with our BOG shots. I am seriously getting camera envy! I love my 60d, but the jump to FF is starting to really pull me. Is the camera very heavy? I have used my friend's 5d mk II and mk III before, and I just find it heavy, and to carry that weight at WDW just doesn't interest me! LOL Sometimes I find my camera now too much to carry around.

I'm glad you enjoyed the parade, I love it too! That spot looks beautiful. I may hunt out one near there too, although I do have a FP+ for it as well.

POR is the first on-site resort we ever stayed in at WDW. I always have a soft spot for it. The rooms look great!

Fantastic shots all round! I have to admit my faves of this set were the ones on Splash. Wonderful picture coming down the chute.
What great shots of Katie with Marie. Both now....and in the past.

Hard to believe you guys hadn't been to WDW in that long!

The Royal Rooms look SO gorgeous! Need to stay there one day.

Love Katie's photos with Marie, and the pic of the 3 of you too

Great photos on Splash and BTMRR!

Your parade photos came out amazing (but I expected nothing less ), I'm glad you enjoyed it!

mom2rtk said:

Ah, that is awesome! I'm jealous you have such a gorgeous place to visit routinely. And I can't wait to hear about your DLR visit. Would you post back here with your experience watching PTN and the new fireworks?

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Sure, I'll let you know, Janet. However, I do not spend a lot of time reserving a place ahead of time for any parade. In the past, when I have done that, people come later and just move into my space, so not worth get there early.

My DD16 bought those same Mouse ears as Katie on our Disneyland visit six weeks ago. Must be a teen thing.

We stayed at POFQ last time DH and I were at WDW and really liked it overall. We only went to POR once on a bus loop.

We got lucky to peek inside BOG last fall in the morning, a month or two before they started serving breakfast there. I thought it was pretty but didn't love the menu enough to fight for an ADR when we planned the trip at 70ish days out.

PHXscuba

petals said:

Your nature and beach pictures are all amazing and your splash mountain pics look like something that you'd find on a photopass cd they're so good!

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Thanks Petals! You are very sweet.

It's funny though, as I was riding through Splash, I was making mental notes on how I wanted to improve my camera settings for our next ride...... then it dawned on me that we were in the MK on a level 9 crowd day (with FP+) and there likely would not be a next ride. Bummer!

DisneyFreak06 said:

Beautiful shots as usual! I especially was impressed with our BOG shots. I am seriously getting camera envy! I love my 60d, but the jump to FF is starting to really pull me. Is the camera very heavy? I have used my friend's 5d mk II and mk III before, and I just find it heavy, and to carry that weight at WDW just doesn't interest me! LOL Sometimes I find my camera now too much to carry around.

I'm glad you enjoyed the parade, I love it too! That spot looks beautiful. I may hunt out one near there too, although I do have a FP+ for it as well.

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Thanks Tina!

The camera is a little larger and heavier than the T2i I carried for a long time. Here's the comparison:

T2i: 525 grams
6D: 770 grams
5Dii: 810 grams
5Diii: 860 grams

Maybe you want to consider one of the mirrorless cameras as your next option? It's pretty tempting. But then I look at what the 6D puts out and I'm not tempted any more.

I forget..... are you using the kit lens or did I convert you to the 17-55 f/2.8 lens?

It really did love that spot for the parade. If you're visiting when it's still hot out, I wouldn't recommend FP for this parade. That area has no shade and is at the end of the parade route, so you have to stand in the sun for a while before it even starts.

PrincessInOz said:

POR is the first on-site resort we ever stayed in at WDW. I always have a soft spot for it. The rooms look great!

Fantastic shots all round! I have to admit my faves of this set were the ones on Splash. Wonderful picture coming down the chute.
What great shots of Katie with Marie. Both now....and in the past.

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Thanks PiO! It really is a gorgeous resort. I could absolutely see us staying there again. The royal room might have spoiled us though. Not sure I can go back to a regular old room now.

It was a great ride through Splash. There have been a number of trips we had to skip Splash because of cold weather, so we really cherish every ride! Nothing better on a hot summer day. If we all had to rate rides at Disney, Splash would probably come up as our group favorite.

I still remember that very first visit with Marie in the World Showcase. She was a long time favorite already then. So fun to find her again. She doesn't appear at DLR. When I told Katie just recently that she has appeared with her brothers Toulouse and Berliz at DLR in Paris, she decided we all need to get passports.

missangelalexis said:

Hard to believe you guys hadn't been to WDW in that long!

The Royal Rooms look SO gorgeous! Need to stay there one day.

Love Katie's photos with Marie, and the pic of the 3 of you too

Great photos on Splash and BTMRR!

Your parade photos came out amazing (but I expected nothing less ), I'm glad you enjoyed it!

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I know! I couldn't believe it had been that long either. It was nice to get back again.

Honestly, if we did nothing else all day but see that parade, I would have gone home happy. It really did not disappoint.

Thanks for the kind words on the photos.

YodasMom said:

Sure, I'll let you know, Janet. However, I do not spend a lot of time reserving a place ahead of time for any parade. In the past, when I have done that, people come later and just move into my space, so not worth get there early.

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It really can be a zoo waiting for parades and fireworks. And from what I've been reading it's been even worse than before since the new 60th stuff rolled out. I'm really hoping it settles down a little before we get there (a girl can dream, right? )

Can you do me one more favor while you're there? If you think of it when you're in the shops, can you see if they have any 60th anniversary scrapbooks (either 12x12 or 8x8)? I always buy an album on our trips, but am starting to think they're cutting back as the hobby dies even more. They used to sell albums on the Disneystore.com site but there haven't been any there all year. Very disappointing.

I would love to pick one up when we go, but am curious if I even have that to look forward to.

And if you don't think of it, don't worry. I'll see when we get there.

PHXscuba said:

My DD16 bought those same Mouse ears as Katie on our Disneyland visit six weeks ago. Must be a teen thing.

We stayed at POFQ last time DH and I were at WDW and really liked it overall. We only went to POR once on a bus loop.

We got lucky to peek inside BOG last fall in the morning, a month or two before they started serving breakfast there. I thought it was pretty but didn't love the menu enough to fight for an ADR when we planned the trip at 70ish days out.

PHXscuba

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I really need to check out POFQ one day. But I'd like to do more than just see it riding the bus! I'd definitely consider that for our next stay now that I have marked "stay in a royal room" off of my Disney "to do" list.

Now that they are doing breakfast and lunch as a counter service with reservations, hopefully there will be more chances for people to eat there. Maybe it will be easier to get an ADR? I know CRT used to be crazy hard to get into, but when they finally added lunch and dinner for the character meal, it finally eased up some. While not easy to get into now, it's not nearly as hard as it used to be.

I hear there are sniper sites now that will message you when ADR openings come up. I'd definitely use one of those next time we plan a trip (especially since it seems harder and harder these days to play very far out).