Happily Ever After Begins Here -- An Oct. 2012 TR Three-part updated! 4/15!

[JanetMom]

Sounds like a great first day!

We love Raglan Road and try to work it in to every trip. I'm sure you will enjoy it.

[natebenma]

for another countdown! I think restaurants are a GREAT theme!

We have tried Earl of Sandwich once and never been to Ragland Road. We are still in the must-do T-Rex when we go to DTD. Need to get past Ben's fixation on dinos before we try other places.

Can't wait to see Franklin's pictures at Fantasmic! When I saw the show in June, it had been four years since I had seen it too (and only my second time ever).

[PracPerfPatricia]

Very pretty tiara... & I think any kind of countdown that involves Dis Food is an awesome idea...

I haven't been on the Land in sooooo long... I'm glad to know everything's going well there... lol...

Great pic on Little Mermaid... (btw... cute photo with the Ariel Statue... I have one with David that looks like he's crushing on the statue...)

Raglan Road is yum and really fun atmosphere... we just finally did it... Really enjoyed it...

Hurray for one month...!

[Splashboat]

Remember that the boat ride to Epcot and HS is really nice too. Plus, Franklin would have an opportunity to take more pictures from the water.

[Missyrose]

Originally Posted by JanetMom

Sounds like a great first day!

We love Raglan Road and try to work it in to every trip. I'm sure you will enjoy it.

Always love to hear good reviews of the restaurants we pick! I seriously cannot wait to try Raglan Road.

Originally Posted by natebenma

for another countdown! I think restaurants are a GREAT theme!

We have tried Earl of Sandwich once and never been to Ragland Road. We are still in the must-do T-Rex when we go to DTD. Need to get past Ben's fixation on dinos before we try other places.

Can't wait to see Franklin's pictures at Fantasmic! When I saw the show in June, it had been four years since I had seen it too (and only my second time ever).

I know people seem to really like the food at T-Rex. But it really just reminds of of Rainforest Cafe and I'm not a fan. We used to have a Rainforest Cafe in our local mall and my sister LOVED it, so we went often. I didn't love the food and tired of the animal noises and chaos. So I guess that's what's held me back from trying T-Rex. Though I'm sure when we take Tanner back to Disney, T-Rex will end up on the list.

Your TR is what sparked me to want to see Fantasmic again! I can't wait to see Franklin's pictures either!

Originally Posted by PracPerfPatricia

Very pretty tiara... & I think any kind of countdown that involves Dis Food is an awesome idea...

I haven't been on the Land in sooooo long... I'm glad to know everything's going well there... lol...

Great pic on Little Mermaid... (btw... cute photo with the Ariel Statue... I have one with David that looks like he's crushing on the statue...)

Raglan Road is yum and really fun atmosphere... we just finally did it... Really enjoyed it...

Hurray for one month...!

Thanks! You should totally post that picture of David with Ariel, we'd love to see it!

More love for Raglan Road. I can honestly say that I've never read a report where someone DIDN'T like that restaurant.

One month, yeah!

Originally Posted by Splashboat

Remember that the boat ride to Epcot and HS is really nice too. Plus, Franklin would have an opportunity to take more pictures from the water.

Oh, we love the Friendship Boats and take them often. In fact, you'll see there's a boat trip on Day 2 of the January trip. I think for arrival day, we'll drive, just so we have quick access to our car to get to our ADR at DTD. Thanks for the suggestion!

[Missyrose]

After a relaxing first day, we’ll be up bright and early for breakfast in our villa. Then we’ll walk or take the Friendship Boat to DHS for rope drop.

We’ll hit the biggies:

Toy Story Mania



Rock-N-Roller Coaster



Star Tours



I never get sick of that photo!

Franklin will take a wild ride on Tower of Terror (P.S. Has anyone seen the blog post on Touring Plans that say Disney has randomly been shutting down an elevator shaft, which has been doubling wait times?!?!? So frustrating to plan around that. Then again, it should be quiet enough in late January that only one elevator may be operating anyhow.)



We have an 11:30 a.m. ADR at our DHS favorite, 50s Primetime Cafe.



The afternoon is free for us to continue on at DHS, maybe fitting in my DHS must-do -- the animation academy!



Or maybe take the Friendship Boat back to the resort if the weather is nice enough for a swim.

At some point in the evening, we’ll head into the World Showcase for Illuminations and an 8:55 p.m. ADR at Tokyo Dining, another new restaurant for us! I figure I’ll check in, tell them we’re watching Illuminations from the balcony and then we’ll eat after the show is over. Then we’ll mosey back over to Boardwalk after dinner.

[disneyluvrtink]

Congratulations on your engagement!!! I hope to find a guy who can put up with my disney addiction too! lol!! What kind of camera did he use? Those photos turned out amazing (sorry if you already posted the answer, I looked and didn't see it)

[Pixel Dust]

Originally Posted by disneyluvrtink

Congratulations on your engagement!!! I hope to find a guy who can put up with my disney addiction too! lol!! What kind of camera did he use? Those photos turned out amazing (sorry if you already posted the answer, I looked and didn't see it)

Thanks! I'm using a Nikon D600. There's more camera info in my signature, but feel free to ask any more photography questions. I can explain the settings for each photo if you would like, too. I love helping people take better photos.

[DisneyFreak06]

Originally Posted by Missyrose

I am really enjoying this report. Thanks for sharing. And Franklin, what settings did you use for the TOT picture! I've never seen such a clear picture here.... and it's now a goal for me!

[heaven2dc]

Missy - love your drawing of Jiminy Cricket! You should def frame it! I can't wait to see your engagement ring (did I miss that somehow yet?)

[Pixel Dust]

Originally Posted by DisneyFreak06

I am really enjoying this report. Thanks for sharing. And Franklin, what settings did you use for the TOT picture! I've never seen such a clear picture here.... and it's now a goal for me!

Ah, this one. It was taken on this trip (though we haven't reached that chapter yet). The key factors in taking a dark photo like this are, a lens with a wide aperture and a high ISO setting.

I used the 50mm f/1.4 lens on my Nikon D600. It's a full frame camera, so cropped sensor cameras should used something like a 35mm lens. I was still back in the line, before you get put on the numbers for the elevator. The aperture was set to f/2.0, though it should have been at f/1.4. Oh well. I was using manual mode and set the shutter speed to 1/50th of a second. At that shutter speed, with that lens, I would be able to hand hold that shot without being blurry. Then I needed to set the ISO to get the proper exposure. Using the light meter in the camera, I set it at 6400 ISO. For most cameras, 6400 ISO is too high and may be very fuzzy looking. I would recommend going with an f/1.4 lens and using ISO 3200. Unfortunately, an f/2.8 lens is still not enough, since that would put the ISO at 12,800. It is very dark in there.

For post processing I shoot in RAW format and use Lightroom. Getting the shot right in the camera first, makes editing the photos much easier afterwards. I definitely corrected the white balance since it's very dim, warm lighting. I went with 2100K, and still left it a bit warm. The exposure was also increased nearly 2 stops, but I also pulled down the highlights -60. I added some noise reduction, but it looks too soft for me now. I'm never satisfied.

here's the original photo, before processing.

[DisneyFreak06]

Originally Posted by Pixel Dust

Ah, this one. It was taken on this trip (though we haven't reached that chapter yet). The key factors in taking a dark photo like this are, a lens with a wide aperture and a high ISO setting.

I used the 50mm f/1.4 lens on my Nikon D600. It's a full frame camera, so cropped sensor cameras should used something like a 35mm lens. I was still back in the line, before you get put on the numbers for the elevator. The aperture was set to f/2.0, though it should have been at f/1.4. Oh well. I was using manual mode and set the shutter speed to 1/50th of a second. At that shutter speed, with that lens, I would be able to hand hold that shot without being blurry. Then I needed to set the ISO to get the proper exposure. Using the light meter in the camera, I set it at 6400 ISO. For most cameras, 6400 ISO is too high and may be very fuzzy looking. I would recommend going with an f/1.4 lens and using ISO 3200. Unfortunately, an f/2.8 lens is still not enough, since that would put the ISO at 12,800. It is very dark in there.

For post processing I shoot in RAW format and use Lightroom. Getting the shot right in the camera first, makes editing the photos much easier afterwards. I definitely corrected the white balance since it's very dim, warm lighting. I went with 2100K, and still left it a bit warm. The exposure was also increased nearly 2 stops, but I also pulled down the highlights -60. I added some noise reduction, but it looks too soft for me now. I'm never satisfied.

here's the original photo, before processing.

Wow! Thank you for all that information. I will definitely be leaving my camera out a little longer next time. I have a 30mm 1.4, so that's what I'll keep on the camera (I kept my 2.8 most of the time last trip) for ToT. Thanks again for sharing your knowledge.

[Missyrose]

Originally Posted by disneyluvrtink

Congratulations on your engagement!!! I hope to find a guy who can put up with my disney addiction too! lol!! What kind of camera did he use? Those photos turned out amazing (sorry if you already posted the answer, I looked and didn't see it)

Thanks Emmy! I feel pretty lucky to have found a Disney-loving Prince Charming.

Originally Posted by heaven2dc

Missy - love your drawing of Jiminy Cricket! You should def frame it! I can't wait to see your engagement ring (did I miss that somehow yet?)

Thanks! The funny thing about that drawing is I thought it looked TERRIBLE when I looked at it right after the class (I've never had a lick of artistic talent), but when I pulled out the drawing a couple of weeks later, I realized it actually was pretty good!

Someone on the Theme Parks board gave me a great idea for our Animation Academy drawings, I got a wide scrap book that will hold all the drawings so we'll have them all in one place!

[PracPerfPatricia]

David and his new "crush"



I mean it's not me right? He looks like he thinks she's all that...


Love your Studio Plans... RnRC... Tot, TSM = Good stuff...

& I LOVE Animation Academy not enough people take advantage of it...such a cool opportunity and a lot of fun...

I think you will be great in January... I'll bet you do lots of walk ons...

[Dawgfan81]

Loved your pictures, mind telling me the camera your fiance used??

Thanks!