2011/2012 Beach & Yacht FAQ, Part IV- DO NOT POST- see new 2012 thread

[jaceraden]

I love the live reports and pics! Keep 'em coming!!!!

 

[pixarmom]

I love the live reports and pics! Keep 'em coming!!!!

That's the only time we took the boat, too. One day, we just happened to walk by the boat launch when it was going to Epcot so we decided to get on. I couldn't believe how many more people got on at the BC/YC and BW to go to Epcot. I'm thinking that they just didn't realize how close they were or something -- because that was a colossal waste of time for them.

Anyhow, I was cleaning the bathroom a little while ago (this is my quiet, thinking time ), and I had a revelation, I think. I'm more than likely going to try and rent points at BLT in 2013 (at a 1 bedroom), which will take a large chunk of cash and we'll probably not do the Epcot resorts area that year. Sooooooo . . . might as well jump on BC for 2012, right?

Great plan! For our 2013 trip, we plan to split between the MK and Epcot resorts.
Fun to try a variety, so BC in 2012 and BLT in 2013 sounds good!

 

[Sue M]

Nanny and Lilly with her Mom's hair by Lilly Peanut, on Flickr

Wigs are making a comeback and it's never too early to be stylish. Lilly is modeling Mom hair # 105, a style that's short and sassy and made for a toddler to be on the GO! This easy care style works for those play dates in daycare and it's easy to fix up after a long, drooling nap!

~MM

Just dropped by to catch up and this!!!!!!! Too funny!

 

[Tinkerbell's mama]

We are heading to the airport at o dark 30. We are so excited and the best part the kids still do not know. They get to find out at the airport. Have a good cover story to get them there without raising any suspision

 

[Marlton Mom]

We are heading to the airport at o dark 30. We are so excited and the best part the kids still do not know. They get to find out at the airport. Have a good cover story to get them there without raising any suspision

You must be walking around all day with the biggest smile on your face... good luck and have a great trip!!!

~ Marlton Mom

 

[heatherbabydoll1]

So excited we will be at the BCV tommorow!!! Right now having a relaxing weekend visiting with dad and family up the road in Apopka, FL! Can't wait to see Joeseph enjoying the SAB for the first time!

 

[nannette]

Slow thread this weekend!! I'm laying on the couch with a broken foot looking for something to read!!! MM your posts on my FB are killing me... You are keeping me laughing! For those who don't know.. I fell Thursday and broke my 5th Metatarsal (apparently my soccer career is over ). I'm in a splint with crutches not allowed to put weight on the foot at all. I am following these directions very close... trying to avoid the surgery that I have a feeling will be happening, but we will see when I go to the follow up appointment on Wednesday. In the mean time I am being very thankful that this happened AFTER my vacation to Disney, and I'm dreaming about the upcoming vacation to Disney (which I will need if I have to have surgery).

Heather hope you have a super time at BC and Your home resort!!! Happy Birthday to Joeseph!!

~Nannette
also a shameless way to look at my ticker

 

[Sue M]

Nannette- sorry about your soccer career and hope you will mend without surgery.

So strange that my post appeared above yours. Maybe the time change?

 

[stenmarks]

We are leaving in 2.5 days, and I can't wait! Tomorrow I am sending DD to school and DH to work, then starting on our packing!

 

[rusty4]

Slow thread this weekend!! I'm laying on the couch with a broken foot looking for something to read!!! MM your posts on my FB are killing me... You are keeping me laughing! For those who don't know.. I fell Thursday and broke my 5th Metatarsal (apparently my soccer career is over ). I'm in a splint with crutches not allowed to put weight on the foot at all. I am following these directions very close... trying to avoid the surgery that I have a feeling will be happening, but we will see when I go to the follow up appointment on Wednesday. In the mean time I am being very thankful that this happened AFTER my vacation to Disney, and I'm dreaming about the upcoming vacation to Disney (which I will need if I have to have surgery).

Heather hope you have a super time at BC and Your home resort!!! Happy Birthday to Joeseph!!

~Nannette
also a shameless way to look at my ticker

Nannette,

Hope that you heal without surgery!

 

[Sue M]

So excited we will be at the BCV tommorow!!! Right now having a relaxing weekend visiting with dad and family up the road in Apopka, FL! Can't wait to see Joeseph enjoying the SAB for the first time!

Have a great vacay!

 

[Marlton Mom]

If any of you have some extra Chihuahua's laying around Nannette is collecting them so she has enough to pull her around in a small pony cart. She only needs about a 100 or so, so if we all chip in and contribute a couple each she'll be at her pony cart pulling Chihuahua number in no time.

~MM

 

[nannette]

If any of you have some extra Chihuahua's laying around Nannette is collecting them so she has enough to pull her around in a small pony cart. She only needs about a 100 or so, so if we all chip in and contribute a couple each she'll be at her pony cart pulling Chihuahua number in no time.

~MM

Lol! YES!!! I ordered the outfits so I just need the puppies now!!!

~Nannette

 

[west&east]

I spent the afternoon with my daughter and her dance team at the local small town Christmas Parade. It was chilly weather, about 45 and breezy. We had to stand around for about 90 minutes before the parade which was over in about an hour. Slowly thawing. But on Friday, I will arrive in Orlando which is predicted to have weather in the high 70s for our entire trip. I feel like I must be dreaming because we have been lucky to have one warm day on our last several pre-Xmas trips. I get more excited as each day passes and the forecast stays relatively stable.

It looks like all of WDW is sold out for the week before Christmas. I checked the website out of curiosity and adjusted check in and check out dates as well as number of adult and children. Very, very few rooms. The Club level at BC was very quiet the same week last year so I am a bit concerned that the experience will change, but it is Disney and it is all good in my book.

 

[MickeyT]

Time is getting close. Leave in two days. Pulling out late Tuesday or early Wednesday so should be under the WDW arch before lunch time. Got a pretty aggressive agenda for most days we are there but also a lot of fill in the blank time also. I would like to do one of my mini (live) trip reports if you guys are willing to listen. A little tease -- have CP dinner package, Lecellier and MVMCP booked.
Also taking my new camera and feel like this will be a great time for us to get to know each other and bond a little…. Still kinda intimidating. Many settings. Many knobs/dials.
Anyway we are soo ready to go. If you need any questions answered just let me know. Might not be able to answer but I’ll try and find someone that can. Just let me know if you need anything .
YOUR MAN ON THE SCENE---MickeyT----

 

[Lalabubbles]

Hello Hello,

My family and I will be staying at the Beach Club Villas on Sept. 20-29th only 284 days to go
We were booked over at AKL but we wanted to try something new. This thread helped me make our switch! My parents and brother are joining us, we are all looking forward to this trip .

 

[Marlton Mom]

Time is getting close. Leave in two days. Pulling out late Tuesday or early Wednesday so should be under the WDW arch before lunch time. Got a pretty aggressive agenda for most days we are there but also a lot of fill in the blank time also. I would like to do one of my mini (live) trip reports if you guys are willing to listen. A little tease -- have CP dinner package, Lecellier and MMVMCP booked.
Also taking my new camera and feel like this will be a great time for us to get to know each other and bond a little…. Still kinda intimidating. Many settings. Many knobs/dials.
Anyway we are soo ready to go. If you need any questions answered just let me know. Might not be able to answer but I’ll try and find someone that can. Just let me know if you need anything .
YOUR MAN ON THE SCENE---MickeyT----

If you have a remote release for your shutter and you are using a tripod these tips will work for you!

~ Marlton Mom's FIREWORKS photography tips ~

Check to see that there are no obstructions like trees and light poles in your way; Check the wind (for the direction of the fireworks smoke) One thing to take into consideration is wind direction. If there is a steady breeze blowing toward you it could be smart to pick a totally unconventional spot maybe in frontier land if it keeps the smoke blowing away from your position.

Set tripod and LOCK all adjusters **Watch your horizon, keep camera level!

DO not use noise reduction (slows shutter interval due to in camera image processing?)

For a good exposure on the foreground object take a photo of it without any fireworks
Set Camera to MANUAL Mode, set the Meter on Matrix and NOT SPOT!

SET your lowest ISO,
Shoot on the very wide side and crop post production. Fireworks are shot off on both sides of the castle as well as in the back.

Set your focus: First auto focus on castle (or foreground object). . Now Set the FOCUS to MANUAL and leave it there, otherwise it will continually try to auto focus in the dark unsuccessfully again and again. Since the castle isn't moving, once you focus on it you are good. Turn off Autofocus on lens itself. Nikon says turn VR (vibration reduction) OFF when using a tripod.

Use a Remote, Set camera to using a remote shutter release setting.

Set shutter to BULB, Bulb is the shutter setting that keeps the shutter open as long as you determine.

PRACTICE USING THE REMOTE SHUTTER RELEASE WITH THE BULB SETTING. Some releases require you to keep the button depressed, others require you to click once to open the shutter and click once to shut it. See which type you have.

Set Aperture using Aperture button by on/off switch. Rotate dial to change Aperture. Apertures of f/8 to f/16 are typically the best if shooting ISO 100. One thing to remember is that as the aperture goes up, the castle will be darker in the same-length photo The advantage is that the fireworks trails aren't as blown out. Avoid the effects of diffraction that occur with smaller apertures, therefore do not go higher that F16 or lower than F8. (F11 or F16 is recommended)

Overly long exposures blow out your highlights and the fireworks won't be crisp. If using bulb mode, open the shutter before the burst to get some light on the subject (before the fireworks start take a meter reading off Cindy's castle for example to find out how long to keep it open for good light on it) and then keep the shutter open long enough for one or more bursts. If using manual mode, experiment with exposures of 1 to 4 seconds.

Go for the fireworks in the beginning of the show - toward the end, you will mostly get smoke. Keep Shooting anyway and ditch the smoky ones in post production.

If there are many fireworks going off at once or bright white fireworks, you take a shorter picture... and if it's a quieter moment, you can hold the shutter open longer.

Another trick for a good exposure on the foreground object is to take a photo of it without any fireworks. Then, in photoshop you can blend in that good exposure with your fireworks exposure if you foreground subject is too dark in the fireworks shot.

WHEN FINISHED SHOOTING, REVERSE CHECK LIST AND RETURN CAMERA TO DAYLIGHT SETTINGS


NIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY
~USE TRIPOD~
Use aperture priority,the camera will determine the shutter speed for these shots using the Aperture priority mode. Use an aperture of f/8-f/14 Use ISO 100
Use an aperture of f/8-f/14 at night Those are the apertures at which the lens is sharpest, and because they allow long shutter speeds that will 'ghost' any people out of the shot. Do not leave your camera on spot metering unless you are trying to meter for one specific object (i.e. a fountain, SSE, etc.) If you are trying to capture a picture of an entire scene, make sure you switch back to your normal metering mode.
DO not use noise reduction.


Finally, remember, have fun and there is always the next trip if your photography efforts for the fireworks don't pan out.

Good luck, much energy and great weather!

~Joanie

PS Charge your camera battery while you are sleeping and be sure to take a picture of your room before you leave for the parks to make sure all the parts are back in the camera.

 

[pkdof]

Slow thread this weekend!! I'm laying on the couch with a broken foot looking for something to read!!! MM your posts on my FB are killing me... You are keeping me laughing! For those who don't know.. I fell Thursday and broke my 5th Metatarsal (apparently my soccer career is over ). I'm in a splint with crutches not allowed to put weight on the foot at all. I am following these directions very close... trying to avoid the surgery that I have a feeling will be happening, but we will see when I go to the follow up appointment on Wednesday. In the mean time I am being very thankful that this happened AFTER my vacation to Disney, and I'm dreaming about the upcoming vacation to Disney (which I will need if I have to have surgery).

Heather hope you have a super time at BC and Your home resort!!! Happy Birthday to Joeseph!!

~Nannette
also a shameless way to look at my ticker

Sorry to hear about the broken foot, Nannette, I had the same break several years ago, on my left foot. Took forever to heal (first doctor didn't cast it, big mistake), but luckily it healed in time for us to go to Scotland for my nephew's wedding. Glad it happened after your trip.

 

[natebenma]

Hello Hello,

My family and I will be staying at the Beach Club Villas on Sept. 20-29th only 284 days to go
We were booked over at AKL but we wanted to try something new. This thread helped me make our switch! My parents and brother are joining us, we are all looking forward to this trip .

We will add you to the Be Our Guest List on page 1.

 

[natebenma]

Heather- today's the big day!!! Hope you have a spectacular (and warm) stay at BCV! Happy Birthday Joeseph!

Nannette- sad face! I am so sorry to hear about your injury! Take it easy and take care of yourself!

Mike- have a great trip!!! So excited for your live reports. Thanks for taking us along with you!

Marlton Mom- thanks so much for sharing your photography tips. Even though the only part my point and shoot and I understood was the "Charge your battery overnight and take a picture of your room before you leave"

But I have copied off your instructions, and I'm going back to find the suggestions you wrote for Joeseph on the last thread in case there is a day in the future when I take the next step and get a big girl camera.