A Photo Safari Halloween Solo Trip for Oct'13: Trip Report Started!

[afwdwfan]

Wow... only a couple of weeks away. Awesome!

Looks like you've got a fun family weekend coming up too. This should really make the time fly. Have fun!

 

[chattadisser]

What do ya know......only 16 days left!!

The days have been going by faster than usual thanks to work. I got one more week of high volume work left and then I get to cruise into the conference weekend! It just hasn't sunken in yet how close I am to the trip. I think all my planning is pretty much done at this point. In fact, I've been spending a lot of time this past week planning our family's January trip which may be why the October trip took a temporary backseat in my mind. Discounts came out for January on Tuesday so I applied a 35% room discount to our existing ressies.

This weekend we are heading down to Williamsburg for DS' birthday trip. The little guy is turning 4 in less than two weeks. This was the only weekend of the month that both DW and I had time off from our work so we decided to do something fun as family.

Tomorrow night, we'll take the two and a half hour drive down and check into one of Colonial Williamsburg's hotels. My hope was that I could take some family portraits of our own in the morning along the streets and alleys of Colonial Williamsburg. Was also hoping to snag a carriage ride which I know the kids would get a kick out of. But it looks like the forecast is rain so not sure how much outdoor activity we'll be able to do at CW. After eating at one of their taverns, we'll then head over to Great Wolf Lodge (water park hotel) and spend Saturday night there. For the kids, this is the highlight of the weekend. After lots and lots of playing in the water, we'll be driving back home on Sunday evening.

Oh...I am going to need a mini-TR on this one. We are headed to CW on the 19th for a few days. We're stopping in Charlottesville for a couple of days and then headed to CW. We've got the hotel taken care of ...got a great deal at Marriott Ford's Colony but would love any recommendations that you have on taverns. We haven't been able to really get any clear winners on the taverns. Most of the reviews of all of them are favorable so we were just going to roll with it (which kinda gives me a twitch when I'm used to planning ADR's out months in advance). I think they are doing Rev-Quest again right now which is their version of the Kim Possible missions at EPCOT. I think our kids should like that.

Have fun and enjoy your weekend off!

Christine

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Wow... only a couple of weeks away. Awesome!

Looks like you've got a fun family weekend coming up too. This should really make the time fly. Have fun!

Hoping I have a drama-free week at work next week to help the time go by even faster.

Really wished the weather had cooperated but oh well. At least the water park is indoors.

Oh...I am going to need a mini-TR on this one. We are headed to CW on the 19th for a few days. We're stopping in Charlottesville for a couple of days and then headed to CW. We've got the hotel taken care of ...got a great deal at Marriott Ford's Colony but would love any recommendations that you have on taverns. We haven't been able to really get any clear winners on the taverns. Most of the reviews of all of them are favorable so we were just going to roll with it (which kinda gives me a twitch when I'm used to planning ADR's out months in advance). I think they are doing Rev-Quest again right now which is their version of the Kim Possible missions at EPCOT. I think our kids should like that.

Have fun and enjoy your weekend off!

Christine

Hi Christine, I'll try to report back but with the weather as it is probably we won't get much done at CW. Still kind of a newbie in CW so don't have a good feel on the taverns. But based on the reviews I've read I haven't set my expectations too high. It sounds like the food is good enough but nothing spectacular. I think I'm more interested in the theming and ambiance of the taverns more than the food. Oh and I hear you about rolling with it. For lunch, you can't make any ressies so we just have to walk up for first come first served. I read about Rev-Quest but decided to hold off on that for another time. DS will be too young to enjoy it.

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Camp Minnie and Mickey Figures

As I'm sitting here in the lobby of Great Wolf Lodge in Williamsburg and half watching the craziness that is the Halloween Dance Party (words cannot truly describe what I'm witnessing here), I came across an update that Camp Minnie and Mickey will be closing sometime in 2014 to make way for Avatar Land. Which means I have limited time to capture images of this cozy section of AK before it goes the way of Toontown. So I'm adding the figures of Mickey and friends that line the small stream that courses through the Camp to my safari list.

 

[emmysmommy]

Hi Dave! Hope you are enjoying Williamsburg.

Good idea to put Camp Minnie/Mickey on your list.

 

[momabbate]

Hi Dave! All I can say is wow!! Your plans for Wishes tired me out just reading them. Wish you all the luck if for no other reason cause I want to see the results.
As I was reading threw I was thinking you need to be making money doing this. Wish you the best of luck in your new business! You will do great! One idea that did come to mind, have you ever thought of selling prints? Where I don't print pictures off the boards I would be willing to buy some prints from you. Think it over and pm me after you get back. Thanks so much for sharing your gift with us!!

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Hi Dave! Hope you are enjoying Williamsburg.

Good idea to put Camp Minnie/Mickey on your list.

Thanks Brenda! We had a great time and just got back home! Working on the pictures right now so hope to post them tomorrow.

Hi Dave! All I can say is wow!! Your plans for Wishes tired me out just reading them. Wish you all the luck if for no other reason cause I want to see the results.
As I was reading threw I was thinking you need to be making money doing this. Wish you the best of luck in your new business! You will do great! One idea that did come to mind, have you ever thought of selling prints? Where I don't print pictures off the boards I would be willing to buy some prints from you. Think it over and pm me after you get back. Thanks so much for sharing your gift with us!!

Hi Sandy! I'm actually having some doubts about my Wishes plan and whether I can pull it off. We shall see.

Thanks for the well wishes for my photography business! I am considering selling prints in general once I have everything set up, but I am not planning on selling Disney prints due to legal and copyright issues. I'm still trying to get a more definitive answer from a legal expert but I'm assuming that I cannot sell Disney images for my own financial profit.

But, I have no problem sending you the original files for free! Once I get back from the trip and put up the pictures, let me know which ones are your favorites and would be happy to share them with you.

 

[chattadisser]

Camp Minnie and Mickey Figures

As I'm sitting here in the lobby of Great Wolf Lodge in Williamsburg and half watching the craziness that is the Halloween Dance Party (words cannot truly describe what I'm witnessing here), I came across an update that Camp Minnie and Mickey will be closing sometime in 2014 to make way for Avatar Land. Which means I have limited time to capture images of this cozy section of AK before it goes the way of Toontown. So I'm adding the figures of Mickey and friends that line the small stream that courses through the Camp to my safari list.

In my head I knew that they would have to close that area but now hearing that there is a date for it makes me a little sad. It's such a cute area and I'm not an Avatar fan...but I'm sure it will be great. Great idea on getting over there to get some pictures.

I did see some pictures from CW that you posted. It looks like it wasn't the best weather...I remember thinking that my kids don't even have rain jackets (I'm the slcaker Mom that says you'll have to make a run for it then!). I know what you mean about the taverns, nothing seemed to be a over-whelming "must do" so we are just leaving it up to chance. It's kinda alarming and then kinda nice to not have to plan a trip out day by day and just see where it goes.

Christine

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

In my head I knew that they would have to close that area but now hearing that there is a date for it makes me a little sad. It's such a cute area and I'm not an Avatar fan...but I'm sure it will be great. Great idea on getting over there to get some pictures.

I did see some pictures from CW that you posted. It looks like it wasn't the best weather...I remember thinking that my kids don't even have rain jackets (I'm the slcaker Mom that says you'll have to make a run for it then!). I know what you mean about the taverns, nothing seemed to be a over-whelming "must do" so we are just leaving it up to chance. It's kinda alarming and then kinda nice to not have to plan a trip out day by day and just see where it goes.

Christine

Yeah, I just can't get excited about Avatar Land. I don't know if there's really a huge fan base out there for this movie like Harry Potter or Star Wars that would warrant this amount of money being poured in for the expansion. I guess they're banking on the next sequels to expand on the fanbase but I remain skeptical.

The weather in Wililamsburg was not ideal but we still managed to enjoy the trip quite a bit! Update is coming up next!

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

October 12th-13th

DS will be turning 4 in a couple of weeks. We decided to celebrate his birthday with a weekend trip down to Williamsburg, VA. The kids LOVE the indoor water park resort, Great Wolf Lodge, so that was the main selling point for them. I slipped in a stay at Colonial Williamsburg as well.

We drove down on Friday night after the rush hour traffic subsided. This stretch of I-95 between DC and Richmond is one of the worst when it comes to congestion. So I decided to wait until all of the commuters were off the road. Sadly, the weather and downpours of rain made it a challenging drive but we made it down there in 2.5 hours. Checked into Williamsburg Lodge which is one of the hotels run by CW and promptly went to bed. By the way, for those of you looking into lodging options at CW one of the lodging options is to stay in one of the houses inside the CW area which I think would be very cool and immersive. I just wasn't brave enough to try it with two young children but something we will definitely consider next time around.

On Saturday morning, we woke up to a light drizzle. DS woke up bright and early at 6:00am so I got him dressed and the two of us went out to have breakfast at the Lodge's restaurant while the ladies slept in. When we returned to the room, DD and DW were heading out to breakfast. I packed up and loaded our car. DW would check out after their breakfast. I took DS out to CW. First order of business was to swing by the Lumber House Ticket Office where you can purchase carriage rides on a first come first served basis for that day. They don't take any advanced reservations and from what I heard it's very popular. We arrived right when the ticket office opened at 8:45am and were the first people to purchase tickets. I was worried that the rainy weather would cancel the carriage rides for the day but they were still running it.

After buying the tickets, DS and I stood outside enjoying the scenery up and down the main street of CW and waited for DW and DD to catch up with us.


IMG_7401 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_7421 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_7423 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

The "castmembers" of CW were slowly starting to show up along the streets. The fall colors were also in their early stages. I'm guessing in about 2-3 weeks the colors will be in full peak and absolutely beautiful!

We decided to stroll down Duke of Gloucester Street.


IMG_7426 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

The smoke from the chimneys of the blacksmith's workshop were puffing already so we decided to check it out. By far this was the kids' favorite workshop. Can't blame them. Usually at these types of workshops there's one person standing up front who explains the work they are doing while one or two other folks are working on their crafts. As one of the blacksmith stated, the work they do is not just for show. Their products such as kitchen utensils and nails are used by other "citizens" of CW.


IMG_7428 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_7429 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_7436 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

The kids didn't want to leave but after about 30 minutes we finally convinced them to check out the kitchen next door where two women were preparing food. DD asked what they were making and they told her it was beef stew.


IMG_7445 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

Right outside the kitchen and behind one of the houses the kids found a small cat on the porch.


IMG_7447 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

So of course this all of a sudden became a major attraction. They petted the cat for a few minutes before the feline creature decided she had enough and ran off for some private time.

Next door was the tinsmith's workshop. I found this space to be very cozy and warm especially with the rain drizzling outside. One of the tinsmith explained the work they do.


IMG_7448 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

Here's one of the work benches.

IMG_7451 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

It was time to start heading back to the Lumber House to catch our carriage ride. After the kids took their restroom breaks, we walked out to the street and saw our carriage making its way to the Lumber House as well.


IMG_7466 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

Along the way we walked by the Court House area.

IMG_7479 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_7478 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

The court house throughout the day holds 18th century style trials. It's pretty interactive as they pick volunteers to play certain roles. We did this last year. I don't think it works as well for younger kids as the language is very dry and technical and our kids began losing attention within the first 10 minutes.

We finally reached our carriage which was prepped and ready to go for our 15 minute tour of the town!


IMG_7482 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_7515 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

The carriage ride was very relaxing. The driver pointed out various important landmarks and kept the kids entertained. There were MANY guests along the way who took pictures of us. I'm guessing this is how it feels to be a grand marshal for one of the Disney parades?

A couple of pictures along the way.


IMG_7496 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_7500 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

The kids really loved the ride. And just like any of the Disney rides as soon as we came to a stop DS asked if we could go again. Once they got off the carriage they spent a couple of minutes petting the horses. Apparently these horses are somewhat celebrities themselves having appeared in the HBO miniseries "John Adams" and also having the privilege of pulling the carriage for Queen Elizabeth when she came for a visit.

Next, DW wanted to check out some of the shops.

I can't remember the name of this store but it was suppose to be a store of imports.

IMG_7517 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_7523 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_7525 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

Continued in Next Post

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

** Continued from previous post

A couple of more pictures from the import store.



IMG_7527 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_7536 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

When we walked out of the store we saw the other carriage parked. Depending on the day you have several options of carriage to choose from. Some are covered like this one while others are more open like the one we rode.


IMG_7539 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

Fall colors coming in.

IMG_7546 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

So next up was to watch the reenactment of "Storming the Palace" which represents my favorite aspect of CW. Throughout the day there are many historical reenactments of key events that shaped the Revolution told chronologically. If you noticed in some of my pictures so far you probably noticed the British flags through the town. That's because during the early part of the day the town is still in the pre-revolutionary period. As the day goes on and each of these reenactment takes place and progresses the timeline, at some point the flags are changed to the colonial American ones.

These reenactments are so well done. In addition to the central characters that reenact the story, there are many other bystanding citizens of CW in character that will directly interact with any guests. Here's a British sympathizer having an argument with another citizen of CW.


IMG_7550 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

You can ask any of them what's going on and they will stay in character and give you their opinion. The bystander CW citizens also react to the scenes unfolding as anyone would. Some with concern, some with anger.

The backstory of "Storming the Palace" is that British troops overnight had seized all of the gunpowder from the town's magazine. The militia and their leaders are furious and assemble in the front of the Governor's palace.


IMG_7556 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_7572 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_7575 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

When they start storming towards the palace, the city's mayor and speaker steps in to calm them down and ask them to give them a chance for diplomacy with the Governor. Of course, when the mayor and speaker discusses with the governor their requests are immediately denied and they are threatened of treason if they continue to pursue this issue.


IMG_7582 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

This acts a trigger point for the mayor and speaker to conclude that perhaps a more military solution is needed.

The next time we visit CW I hope we can spend two full days because I would love to experience every single one of these reenactments.

Afterwards we strolled through the gardens of the Governor's palace. As we were walking around, another reenactment was about to take place in the backside of the gardens where a meeting with Native American leaders were about to take place. We didn't have time to attend this one but I just happened to see this leader walk by us.


IMG_7594 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

Oh, and you can see that the main characters are miked up. See that small ear piece with the mike on his head? It's connected with hidden speakers throughout the grounds so everyone can hear the reenactment even from far away.

Outside the palace grounds.

IMG_7600 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

We made a quick stop at the wheelwright's workshop where we found out that this gentleman to the left crafted the two front wheels of the carriage we rode this morning.


IMG_7609 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_7612 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_7615 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

It was time for lunch at Chowning's Tavern. Food was okay. Definitely got the experience of eating in an 18th century tavern. Very little space and just candle and natural lighting.


IMG_7625 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

We showed up very early right when it opened since you can't make ressies for lunch and it's first come first served. It was a good thing that we did because when we left there was a very long line with a 20-30 minute wait out front.

When we left the tavern, the fife and drum band marched through. The rain was starting to really come down so I felt a little bad for the performers.


IMG_7639 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_7646 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_7649 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

So that concluded our visit to CW. Later that afternoon we checked into Great Wolf Lodge where the kids swam and played in the water till their hearts content!


IMG_7707 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

So that was our weekend! Just got 12 more days till my Disney trip. Next weekend, DW is working so I'm planning on taking the kids to the Spy Museum on Saturday and then to a fall farm festival on Sunday!

 

[afwdwfan]

Looks like a fun weekend. I've been to CW before, but it has been a long, long time. I need to get back over there to check it out again sometime.

Did you just spend 1 night at Great Wolf Lodge? I've never been to one before, but I'm thinking about maybe visiting the one at Cincinnati sometime over the next couple of months. I'm trying to decide how much time we should spend there, if we do go.

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Did you just spend 1 night at Great Wolf Lodge? I've never been to one before, but I'm thinking about maybe visiting the one at Cincinnati sometime over the next couple of months. I'm trying to decide how much time we should spend there, if we do go.

Yeah, we spent one night there. One night stay gives you access to the waterpark beginning at 1pm on check-in day (official check in time is 4pm) and all day on check-out day.

They also have this interactive game called MagiQuest (beware, it can suck in a good amount of money ) that can take at least 2-3 hours if you decide to do all of the quests and adventures.

Our kids could easily do a two night stay but that's a bit too much for me and DW. We go mostly because the kids enjoy it so much.

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

A couple of things happened yesterday that made the trip feel very real and elevated my excitement level!

First, I traded cell numbers with khertz/dduck4life since we will be meeting up for a DISmeet dinner at BOG and I need to try to catch them at MNSSHP for a few photos of them in their costumes.

Second, they finally updated the park hours for the last week of October yesterday. MK will now be open until 1am (EMH) on the Monday evening I will be in the park - you know, the same evening I'll be running around like a madman trying to photograph Wishes from three different vantage points. I'm so excited for a late night stay in MK! And I all of a sudden have two extra hours to fill and even after staring at my touring plans I still haven't come up with enough to fill the hours

11 more days!

 

[khertz]

Loooooved the CW mini-TR!! That is a place I still really want to visit one day. I really love history, and one of my favorite things to do as a kid was go on plantation tours with my grandparents, and the ones I loved the most were the ones where the guides were dressed up and in character. I got really excited about planning a CW trip when we didn't think Washington DC was going to work out (but DH, not so much ), so it's something I still want to experience.

And can I just have a freak out moment for a sec, because OUR TRIPS ARE SO CLOSE!!!!

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

And can I just have a freak out moment for a sec, because OUR TRIPS ARE SO CLOSE!!!!

Let me join you in the freak out moment!

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Guess what day it is? Ok, you're right, it is hump day but that's not what I was thinking of. I'm exactly 10 days out from my trip!


Untitled by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

Yesterday I was saying how real it was starting to feel. Well that feeling just got multiplied by a 100 yesterday afternoon because I took the plunge and signed up for my Magic Band!!

So here's the story on this. Since I made my room reservation at the Beach Club (which is one of the resorts participating in the MB testing) through the conference I'm attending, I never received the Disney unique reservation number for my stay and therefore was not able to link my stay to My Disney Experience website to activate the MBs and FP+. Yesterday afternoon I tried calling around and neither the third party booking agency from the conference nor the CM from Disney's regular reservation line could help me find the Disney ressie number although they both assured me that my reservation did exist.

I finally ended up calling Disney's Meeting and Conventions line and the CM who was extremely knowledgeable dug around her system and found it for me!! I immediately went online and linked the reservation number. I was then able to customize my MB just in the nick of time to have it shipped to my home before I leave. If you customize the MB 10 days or more before your trip, they'll ship it to your home. You can still customize it days 5-9 before arrival but it will be shipped to your resort and you can retrieve it at check in. 5 days or less, you're stuck with the gray one. I picked out the green one which reminded me of the unofficial color of DIS (Alien Lime Green) and carved out my name as DaveinFC. It should be shipped today so I will be anxiously awaiting its arrival!

Next, I spent some time making FP+ reservations. I can't tell you how awesome this is going to work out for this particular trip since I won't be setting foot in the parks until late afternoon on most days and by then some of the popular rides paper FPs will have been gone. So for those rides and a few others that I wouldn't mind skipping ahead, I made the FP+ reservations.

We'll see how well this works out once I get there. I'll definitely ask for a backup KTTW card just in case my MB decides to spaz out on me. But for now, I'm enjoying the euphoria that is the My Magic+ experience.

 

[emilyindisney]

Very excited to hear about your magic band experience! If I don't pop back in before you leave, have a fantastic trip!! I cannot wait to travel vicariously through your beautiful pictures!

 

[afwdwfan]

I'm glad you were able to sort that all out!

I have to ask though, my big concern about this whole system has been what rides would still have FP available as the time frame draws near (you know, kind of like an ADR at a popular restaurant). Did you notice pretty much everything being available for whenever you might want to do it, or were some of the more popular attractions more restricted on availability?

 

[wiigirl]

Very excited to hear about your magic band experience! If I don't pop back in before you leave, have a fantastic trip!! I cannot wait to travel vicariously through your beautiful pictures!