DisneySuiteFreak's Summer Nightastic Photo Intensive Trip Report; updated 3-17-2010!

[prettyprincessbelle]

Yay! TR shoutouts! Woo! I feel so special!

Seriously, you take freakin' amazing pictures.

We've eaten at that Joe's Crab Shack once before and really enjoyed it. And we have a Joe's here and it's not that good. We should eat there next trip, thanks for reminding me!

Can't wait for more!

[merrrydeath]

Such beautiful photos! I could never get such great shots of fireworks.

[wazowskiLOVER:)]

Originally Posted by DisneySuiteFreak

I know Jaz is studying graphic arts so she's obviously the bomb too with a great eye for photography. I wish I could be as knowledgable a those two! But thanks for lumping me in there with them! You made my day!

Oh goodness, you're definitely a FANTASTIC photographer!! I'm always in awe of your night shots for sure So thank you for the wonderful compliment and right back at ya ! I'm glad you did a TR! Loving it

[DisneySuiteFreak]

Originally Posted by cannp123165

Great start - your pictures are lovely, especially the evening ones from after the fireworks.

Thank you! Glad you're enjoying it!

Originally Posted by KCmike

Just found your TR. I'm on board. Great pics so far. I understand how you don't want your personal information out there. My wife doesn't like it for me to show our family on the web and especially the kids. We stayed at FFI on our first visit to DLR and we enjoyed it.
Can't wait to hear more!!

Hi Mike! Thanks for the compliment and thanks for tagging along.

Originally Posted by caligirl stuck in va

Love your fireworks pics!! They are awesome. How fun to go down to a casino?? I never thought of doing that.

Thank you!

Originally Posted by pinkblush

I'm loving your TR and your pics are wonderful! Looking forward to reading more!

Thanks! I'll be back soon to post more, I promise.

Originally Posted by prettyprincessbelle

Yay! TR shoutouts! Woo! I feel so special! Seriously, you take freakin' amazing pictures.
We've eaten at that Joe's Crab Shack once before and really enjoyed it. And we have a Joe's here and it's not that good. We should eat there next trip, thanks for reminding me! Can't wait for more!

Hi PPB! Thank you for the compliment! Yeah, we really liked Joe's and we're definitely going back.

Originally Posted by merrrydeath

Such beautiful photos! I could never get such great shots of fireworks.

Thank you! Glad you're enjoying it so far!

Originally Posted by wazowskiLOVER:)

Oh goodness, you're definitely a FANTASTIC photographer!! I'm always in awe of your night shots for sure So thank you for the wonderful compliment and right back at ya ! I'm glad you did a TR! Loving it

Thanks Jasmine!

Thank you all for following along! I've been busy at work but I'll be back to post some more tomorrow night, I promise!

[KCmike]

Did you make it to the DEP? Waiting for the next installment

[DisneySuiteFreak]

Originally Posted by DisneySuiteFreak

Thank you all for following along! I've been busy at work but I'll be back to post some more tomorrow night, I promise!

Originally Posted by KCmike

Did you make it to the DEP? Waiting for the next installment

Okay I am so sorry I didn't get to post more of my T/R! I got busy at work again with payroll and everything. Will definitely have more up probably tomorrow. Sorry! Thanks for bearing with me!

[DisneySuiteFreak]

Sorry this is so tardy! I ended up taking another vacation to DLR a couple of weeks ago and was busy with planning that trip so this T/R got neglected.
Anyway, when I left off, we were on our way in to DCA to collect DH's giftcard and see DEP. We got in and got his GC no problem. Based on my photos we apparently decided to do Single Rider on Soaring before finding a spot for DEP.




DH said, “Don’t worry, there will be plenty of time for Disney's Electrical Parade.” By the time we got off Soaring, it was around 7:50 and IIRC, DEP was supposed to start at 8:45pm ish. (Sorry it's been awhile...) Anyway, we hunt all over for a place to see the DEP...and everywhere was full. The CMs are hurrying everyone along, telling us there is no where we can stand and watch. So we walk, and walk, and walk, further into the park and lo and behold, we found an area near the Golden Dreams theatre in which there was lots of room to stand and watch -- probably because the background left a lot to be desired — it was a construction wall. But at least we got a place to stand and watch the show… So we got a spot to see the DEP. I haven't seen this show in years! Probably the last time I saw it was way back in 2002 or something like that. So we wait. And we wait. And we wait. And about a half hour after it was supposed to start, some people in our area stood up to leave mentioning that if they didn’t they would miss the DL fireworks. They started playing an announcement that the show was unavoidably delayed but that it would be starting soon. I knew we would miss the fireworks, but by the time they started the announcements, I felt that it would be too late for us to get a decent spot for fireworks and that we ran the risk of not making it to fireworks in which case we would end up missing both. So we stayed put. It finally started…
Anyway, here's a brief recap of what we saw:

[DisneySuiteFreak]

And still more DEP photos:













Cinderella’s evil Step sisters:

And Prince Charming:







Here comes Peter Pan and Captain Hook!

[DisneySuiteFreak]

And the 7 Dwarfs:













Pinocchio!




And the Grand Finale, To Honor America:






...Which would’ve been nicer to see if the people sitting way in the front would have waited until the parade was done and passed us before standing up and gathering their things…I guess they thought they would be able to rush off and catch the fireworks show at DL. Not!




Other than that small bit of rudeness by the people in the front, we enjoyed the DEP and would see it again…as long as it doesn’t conflict with Fireworks, which we prefer.
On the way out we saw these, which I thought were really cool!

As we walked to the front of DCA, the fireworks at DL started even though the DEP was still going on in DCA. The entire Esplanade was packed with people who just stopped and sat right where they were to watch the fireworks show. There was a long line to go back into DL so we decided to leave for a short bit and hope for some people to exit the park and lessen the amount of people in it. We left for about a half an hour and went back to our conveniently located Fairfield Inn.

This is getting long, so I will continue tomorrow…I promise! I’ve got to get this one done so I can start the next one!

Just one teensy weensy, small rant/request if I may...For these types of shows, it would be nice if people who choose to sit in the very front would lower their strollers if no one is in it. The stroller you can see at the bottom of most of my pics, which I don't have time to edit out, had no one in it. If they had folded it up, it would have made for a much nicer viewpoint for the people standing/sitting behind them. Also again, if you are sitting in the front for a parade or show, please be kind and decent enough to wait until the show has finished and passed your area before you stand up and ruin the end for everyone else. Thanks! I'm sure it would be much appreciated by many, not just me...By rushing off like that, you ruin it for the people behind you and it's pointless because you wouldn't have made it to Fireworks anyway.

[DisneySuiteFreak]

After we left DCA, we contemplated going into DL, but hesitated due to the heavy amounts of people still trying to fight their way in even though the Magical Fireworks show was happening. So we went back to the hotel for about a half hour. Then we walked back the DLR and decided to check out Nemo to see how long the lines were. This is one of DH’s favorite attractions. They had apparently closed down the ride for a few minutes, although we don’t know why. As we stood around debating what to do next, they opened the line. It’s amazing how the line went from zero people in it to a 30 minute wait. At any rate, we got in line and waited for only about 15 minutes or so. I like this ride better in the day time.
Here is some of what we saw; these are straight out of the camera, no post processing (no time!):

[DisneySuiteFreak]

After Nemo, we went around TL, the Castle and Main Street. DH indulged me as I took a few shots there. Again Straight out of the camera, no Post processing, no time...

[DisneySuiteFreak]

We wandered through the Main Street shops while DH looked for something to spend his Gift Card on. As he shopped I took a few photos of these scenes in the Emporium. They’re pretty cute, and if you don’t look up, you could completely miss them.



This one reminded me of my son when he was little and had to go to the Dentist! LOL!


I should have done long exposures of these next few shots but if you look at the clock it was already past 1:00am!! Yikes! At this point DH and DS was just about over indulging my photo taking!






Okay they indulged me some more...


And finally my last shot of the night...One last lingering look at probably one of my favorite signs in the whole world 'cause when you see it you know you're really there (if you're coming from the Harbor side entrance anyway):

[DisneySuiteFreak]

June 13th Seaworld…Today was a blocked day on our DAPs, so we decided to go to Seaworld…
We slept in a little later than we should have on this day, considering we had to drive down to San Diego to go to Sea World. We encountered a little bit of traffic at one point on the freeway, so DH got off the freeway and drove along the coastal scenic route. It probably took just as long to drive the scenic areas, but at least it wasn’t boring. We got back on the freeway in due time and the rest of the way was clear.
Here are the parking prices at Seaworld:


One of the cool rides!



One of the first things we did when we got in the park was to look for someplace for my DH to eat. He loves to eat and he’s lucky he’s one of those naturally thin guys who can stuff his face and never seem to gain weight. He wanted BBQ so we ended up eating here:

They had a really good deal going on with the combination plates, so DH and I ordered the combination of smoked brisket, smoked chicken and BBQ ribs.
DS is picky and only wanted brisket. I thought that was unfortunate because the chicken and BBQ was the best and the brisket was so-so.
All the meals came with a side of corn, a bun and French fries. That’s a lot of food for about $8.00 a plate.
DH is a big eater, so he also got the Caesar’s salad, baked beans and Strawberry cheesecake to go along with it. I got a really good, almost to die for chocolate cake. Yum! DS only wanted chocolate pudding. We all thought that for the price we paid, this food blew away any of the CS food in DLR.
Here’s the food porn:






We quickly finished most of our meal (honestly, we couldn’t eat it all, it was way too much food!) and because the Dolphin Discovery show was starting soon and was near the restaurant, we went there first. DS and I brought our desserts along and was allowed to bring it in the stands and finish eating while we waited for the show to start.
This show was really good. If you ever go to it, DO NOT sit in the first 10-12 rows or so because it’s almost guaranteed you will get wet. The Dolphins do a trick in which they go around the pool making huge waves and splashing it out onto the audience members.
Here are some photos from this show:



They go around the whole pool doing this to everyone in the first few rows:






These people were soaked!


I was really glad we weren’t in those rows and decided right then and there that we would beg, borrow or steal to not have to sit in the lower rows for the remainder of the day!

They brought up a little girl and her ‘family’ to touch and interact with the wholphin.




Then the trainers sent the wholphin on its way with the little girl’s ‘mom’ riding atop the wholphin. (It was actually a trainer, not her mom.) Also, is that a wholphin or is that a whale? Some places have crossbred Dolphins+whales, but I'm not sure about this one...FWIW, I'll call it a wholphin until I hear otherwise. It seemed rather small for a whale.




Suddenly the wholphin dove underwater taking the ‘mom’ with it – everyone gasped!


and then it reemerged and threw the ‘mom’ up into the air:






They announced that it was actually a trainer and all was right in the world again…


Dolphins came out and did their tricks:








2 be continued...

[DisneySuiteFreak]

Seaworld Continued....



After that show was done, we decided to check out Cirque De La Mer. On the way there we passed the Flamingo exhibit:


If you’ve ever seen a Cirque Show, then you will know what this show entails… Lots of acrobatics, stunts, some humor, etc… Personally I could take it or leave it. I think I would’ve preferred going on a ride or seeing another attraction, but my DH really wanted to see it, so we indulged him.




They brought up a volunteer:

And stuck him in a sphere:







The volunteer got launched into oblivion:


These guys came out and did their thing:







And then as if that wasn’t enough, the guy on the bottom starts doing squats while the guy on top is still balancing on one hand!

Pretty amazing feats of strength and endurance!
More acrobats:









So it was amazing…but I think with the limited time we had since we were only there for ½ a day, we could’ve skipped this show…

After Cirque, we went to the touching tide pools:

[DisneySuiteFreak]

Seaworld Continued...
There was a cool river like display near the touch tank with these mussels that were growing there:




[img]http://suitefreak.smugmug.com/photos/588695655_r***b-L.jpg[/img] <- Apparently the Dis is censoring the link...



There were many fish tanks which we checked out since my DH is really into fish…







It was much easier to get a photo of the starfish after the sun changed angles…


Seaworld is a pretty nicely landscaped park:








Then we saw the Sea Lions…




And the Sea Lions Tonite show. This show spoofs the other shows in the park and elsewhere. It was sold out and they were turning people away. We only got in because DH was already in, so they let us in because of that. It was SRO. (Standing room only) It was entertaining.




Spoofing Pets Rule:



Spoofing Cirque: