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

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Greetings to all of my old and new DIS friends!! Welcome to another PTR by yours truly and thank you for stopping by! This will be the fourth PTR Im putting together on DIS. If youre interested, you can find all of my PTR and TRs below in my signature.

First, a short introduction. Im a 39 year old Disney nut with a wonderful family of DW, DD6, and DS3. As much as I love sharing the magical moments at Disney with each one of them, this trip will have to be a solo trip as this particular Disney experience will be part of a conference I will be attending in Orlando. Im going to miss having them as I did when I made a brief solo trip to DLR during another conference last October (I know, these conferences have been perfectly located the past couple of years!). There were many moments that I wish I could have shared with the kids at DLR especially at Cars Land. We will be taking a long-weekend family trip to WDW in January 2014 so hopefully that will make up for it.

On a side note, Its going to take a considerable amount of energy for me to stay focused during the educational sessions offered by the conference when Disney is beckoning from so nearby. But I will do my best to balance out my conference obligations during the day and Disney obligations during the afternoons and evenings.

This will also be my first solo trip to Disney World so I am excited about the possibilities of experiencing WDW from a slightly different perspective. My other hobby (at least since April of 2012) is photography and I am excited about the idea of spending a good chunk of time taking pictures throughout the parks with multiple lens and tripod in tow. Which brings me to how I would like to approach this trip a little differently than the previous ones!

Continued in Post #3!

Here are some of my favorite pictures from our previous trip!!


IMG_7501-2 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_6235 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_7701 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_7409 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_6749 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_5791 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_5650 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_6150 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

1. What Would You Include On A Photo Safari List?
2. The Photo Safari LIST
3. Firsts for This Trip
4. General Itinerary
5. Food, Food, and More Food
6. Resort Planning
7. Food and Wine Planning
8. Photography Gear
9. MNSSHP Planning

TR Korea

Monday June 24th: Parts I and II
Tuesday June 25th: Parts I, II, III, and IV
Wednesday June 26th: Parts I and II
Thursday June 27th: Parts I and II
Friday June 28th: Parts I and II
Saturday June 29th: Parts I, II, III, and IV
Monday and Tuesday July 1st-2nd: Parts I and II
Wednesday-Saturday July 3rd-6th: Parts I and II

Day Trip to Baltimore Harbor for DD's Birthday : Parts I and II

Chicago Weekend Trip: Part I (River Cruise), Part II (Sunrise over Lake Michigan)

TR Williamsburg, VA : Parts I and II

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

I feel like I have a great opportunity to really dive in and try to capture on camera the beautiful details, the wonderful CMs, and the magical atmosphere WDW has to offer. When I’m visiting with my family, I’m usually busy having fun with everyone and looking after the kids that there isn’t much free time to take pictures. Being solo for this trip, there will be less emphasis on rides and more time for stopping and smelling the roses.

So here’s where I would LOVE to get your help! To make this trip even more interesting and this PTR more interactive, I thought it would be fun if my DIS friends helped with putting together a list for my photo safari! I would love to hear some of the sights, people, and details of WDW that you adore, and I will do my very best to capture it on my camera. If there’s a story behind them, please don’t hesitate to share. It could be something as general as the Wishes Fireworks or the Spaceship Earth. Or something that is very specific and perhaps tucked away in a corner that most people would miss. Or something that you’ve heard of but never got a chance to see for yourself. Rides, shows, parades, buildings, food, CMs. Whatever holds that special Disney feeling for you. And Post as many as you would like!

I’ll keep an updated list going (post #4) with everyone’s suggestions and ideas – it’ll be a photo scavenger list of sorts. I got the list started with a few items. When the time comes for my trip, I’m going to try to get as many (if not all) pictures of the items on the list as I can. And when I return home, I will share all of the pictures with you on my TR.

I’m also hoping that this will help my break out of my Disney routines for this trip. After a certain number of trips, I feel like I’m starting to fall into certain routines and comfort zones which makes it a little difficult to try out new things. And there are always new things to try at Disney.

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Magic Kingdom

The Enchanted Rose at Be Our Guest
Big Thunder Mountain From Tom Sawyer's Island
Balloons on Main Street (added by emilyindisney)
Foggy Morning on Main Street (pending weather ) (added by emmysmommy)
Lanterns at Tangled Restrooms (added by abbybeth)
Portraits in the Stretching Room at Haunted Mansion - especially Lilian Gracey (added by abbybeth)
Tinkerbell's Magical Nook (added by Luvchefmic)
The Seven Dwarfs Mine Ride (added by afwdwfan)
8 Character Statues Surrounding Partners Statue at Hub (added by teekathepony)
Anticipation of a Parade
Space Mountain Hyperspace Tunnel
Main Street Bakery Cast Member
Tomorrowland Phone
Stitch's Great Escape
Main Street Trolley Show
Peter Pan and Wendy from Celebrate a Dream Come True
Bag of Apples in Tangled Rest Area
Wishes Medley of Pictures


Hollywood Studios

The Guestbook in the Lobby of Tower of Terror
Indy and the Golden Idol
Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Launch
RX-24 aka "Rex" from the Original Star Tours
Upside Down Limo from RnRC (added by afwdwfan)
Muppets Fountain (added by afwdwfan)
Baggage X-Ray at Star Tours (added by afwdwfan)
Props from Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular Queue (added by afwdwfan)
Costumes and Light Fixtures from Queue of The Great Movie Ride (added by teekathepony)


Animal Kingdom

The Zebra in Festival of the Lion King
Bruce the Shark from Finding Nemo Musical
Tibetan Prayer Flags (added by SAT887)
Tam Tam Drummers of Harambe
Rides on Wheels along Asia and Africa
Wilderness Explorer Troop Leader Cast Member
The Dollar Bird from Flights of Wonder
DiVine
Carnotaurus from Dinosaur


Epcot

P.I.G. from The Great Piggy Bank Adventure
Voices of Liberty
View of San Angel from Gran Fiesta Tour (added by afwdwfan)
Fireworks from Gran Fiesta Tour (added by afwdwfan)
Troll from Maelstrom (added by afwdwfan)
Beauty and the Beast Stained Glass and Storybook in France (added by abbybeth)
South Korea Kiosk at Food and Wine Festival
Spaceship Earth - The Ride

MNSSHP

The Seven Dwarfs (added by JDUB)
Jack Sparrow (added by JDUB)
The Villains - Dr. Facilier, Judge Frollo, Cruella De Vil, Captain Hook, Maleficent, Evil Queen, and Queen of Hearts (added by afwdwfan)
The Headless Horseman (added by Raya and abbybeth)
Close Up of the Headless Horseman's Horse (added by Luvchefmic)
Headstones at The Haunted Mansion (added by Raya)
Exterior of Haunted Mansion with Fog/Lighting Effects (added by Raya)
The Grave Diggers in Boo To You including the flying sparks from their shovels (added by abbybeth and Luvchefmic)
Bloodhound with the Graveyard Caretaker in Boo To You (added by Luvchefmic)
The Ghost Dancers, Pirate Flag Guards, and Cowboys from Boo to You Parade (added by emilyindisney)

Disney Resorts

A Sunrise Over Crescent Lake
Stormalong Bay's Ship (added by emilyindisney)

Emotions / Moments

Love (added by Disney2013Girl)
Excitement (added by Disney2013Girl)
Anticipation

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

* The Guestbook in the Lobby of Tower of Terror
Every time Ive rode ToT, it had been with a Fastpass. Usually the adults would split off while one adult watches the kids who are playing at Honey I Shrunk the Kids Playground or eating lunch. So, weve always tried to do ToT as fast as we could. But you dont get to see much of the theming in the lobby of the Hollywood Tower when you take the FP queue. I LOVE this attraction and one of the reasons is the level of detail that went in to creating the haunted hotel look. The guestbook on the check-in counter is just one of many little details I hope to see close-up this time when I take the stand-by queue. In fact, Im planning on two trips to the fifth dimension to soak it allll in.

* The Zebra in Festival of the Lion King
The very first time I saw FotLK, my eyes were mostly focused on the more central and recognizable characters. Simba, Timon, the monkeys, the dude with the fire baton. Fell in love with the show right away. A year later, there I was watching Festival of the Lion King just for the second time when my eyes drifted away from Zawadi (The Gift) who was belting out the Circle of Life and locked in on the Zebra who was dancing lights out by the edge of the stage. She was dancing with so much joy that I couldnt look away. And then the rest of the cast began coming into focus, all dressed in their colorful costumes and dancing with the same amount of gusto and I realized that it was them that provided the essence of the shows energy. Ever since then, for every show and parade at Disney I have been paying extra attention to the zebras of the show and Im always in awe of the effort they put in and how their smile never leaves their face even in extremely hot conditions. During our last trip, I attempted a couple of photos of the FotLK zebra but they came out blurry and she spent most of the time dancing in obstructed views from where I was sitting. Im hoping to get a crisp photo this time!

* The Rose at Be Our Guest Restaurant
A dinner ADR at BOG restaurant is slowly becoming the Holy Grail for my Disney planning thanks to its immense popularity. I tried in vain at 180 day marks for all of the dates for my trips. I am determined to try this restaurant this time around since we skipped it last January. If I cant get a dinner ADR then I will go for a lunch. And a picture of the enchanted rose will be my commemorative souvenir!

 

[afwdwfan]

I love your photo scavenger hunt idea! That will be a fun way to experience some different things. I'll try to think of some things, but the first thing that comes to mind is something a lot of the Disdads do (you should really become one, by the way ). A couple of the dads have kids working in the CP, so whenever a Disdad goes to the World, they get a picture with Stewart (Rose & Crown) and now there's a second one, Briana, who will be at a food cart somewhere in the MK. Her dad is down there right now, they're just getting her moved in to start her time there. I guess that isn't really what you're looking for, because you'd have to be in the picture with them, but still something fun to do.

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

I love your photo scavenger hunt idea! That will be a fun way to experience some different things. I'll try to think of some things, but the first thing that comes to mind is something a lot of the Disdads do (you should really become one, by the way ). A couple of the dads have kids working in the CP, so whenever a Disdad goes to the World, they get a picture with Stewart (Rose & Crown) and now there's a second one, Briana, who will be at a food cart somewhere in the MK. Her dad is down there right now, they're just getting her moved in to start her time there. I guess that isn't really what you're looking for, because you'd have to be in the picture with them, but still something fun to do.

That actually sounds like a great idea! Even if I can't get in the picture, would think it would be nice to capture some of the CMs and CPers in action - with their permission of course.

So how does one go about becoming A Dis Dad? I'm almost a little embarrassed that I didn't know about this until now especially since you have your DIS Dad # on your signature.

 

[afwdwfan]

So how does one go about becoming A Dis Dad? I'm almost a little embarrassed that I didn't know about this until now especially since you have your DIS Dad # on your signature.

I should have mentioned it before... Just go to this thread and introduce yourself.

http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3106931

We've got a whole sub-forum on the Disboards and one of the fastest moving, most random threads you'll find around here. There's also a big facebook presence, a blog operated by one of the Disdads and 2 weekly podcasts. Just a bunch of guys who love their families, Disney and have fun chatting about anything and everything.

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

I should have mentioned it before... Just go to this thread and introduce yourself.

http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3106931

We've got a whole sub-forum on the Disboards and one of the fastest moving, most random threads you'll find around here. There's also a big facebook presence, a blog operated by one of the Disdads and 2 weekly podcasts. Just a bunch of guys who love their families, Disney and have fun chatting about anything and everything.

Thanks for the info! Will head over to the thread later tonight!

 

[khertz]

Just popping in to say I'm here!!! Hopefully I can get caught up Thursday on my day off

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Just popping in to say I'm here!!! Hopefully I can get caught up Thursday on my day off

So happy to see you over here! Haven't got much started yet on this PTR but still have 5 months so plenty of time!

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

* P.I.G. from The Great Piggy Bank Adventure

Our kids absolutely love this game located in Innoventions! In fact, if you ask DD what her favorite attraction is at Epcot this would be tied in first place along with Soarin’ and Turtle Talk. The experience is essentially a series of video games which is why its appeal to our kids doesn’t surprise me. Plus, you get to carry around a piggy bank that goes in and out and up and down tubes! If it were to the kids, we would be spending a couple of hours just for this one with them going through it over and over and over. During our last trip, DD got quite upset when on both of her tries she couldn’t save enough money to win the prize at the end – it’s a team sport so to speak and her adult companions (her great aunt/uncles) were not the most video game savvy folks. So this item for the safari list is for my kids. I’ll probably end up going through the attraction by myself so I can get up close to Mr. Pig. Maybe I'll have him pose with magnifying glass. Maybe I’ll even win a “Dream Bedroom” with slides down the bunk bed!

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

So here are some of the things that will be a first for me during this trip that I’m extremely excited about.

1. Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party: Within this party, there will be so many firsts. Boo to You Parade with the Headless Horseman. The Villain Mix and Mingle. Hallowishes. Our favorite characters in their Halloween outfits. I could go on and on!

2. Beach Club Resort: Actually, this will be the first time I’m staying at an EPCOT/Crescent Lake resort! The idea of being able to stroll over to Epcot and hike over to DHS is awesome although I’m not sure how often I’ll actually do it. Having all those restaurants nearby in and out of Epcot is such a big plus.

3. First time attractions: Most of these will be located in DHS. Since our past few trips have mostly centered around our children’s interests, I have yet to have tried the Backlot Tour, the Great Movie Ride, and the Indiana Jones show all of which I’m planning on trying this time around. At Epcot, I’ll be setting foot on Mission Space for the first time which currently I’m leaning towards trying the Green version. I get such bad vertigo after spinning rides these days that I’m fairly certain that the Orange version will be too much for me. In the WS, I’ll be trying the Gran Fiesta Tour which for some reason has always eluded us during our tours. At AK, the only attraction I haven’t tried yet is Primeval Whirl. DD has been wanting to go on this for the last two trips and she’s been very disappointed that she’s not tall enough. I’ll do a scouting ride for her to see what it’s really like!

4. First time food: I luuuuuuhve food! (Picture me saying this with some drool in the corner of my mouth) Whenever I travel (especially for conferences), trying out local restaurants is a BIG part of my planning. I do my best to sample as many different cuisines as I can especially those that are unique to the area. And I also do my best to try to avoid restaurants that are available in my home area no matter how much I like them because I don’t want to waste an opportunity to try new places and food. For this trip, I have lined up a bunch of first time places at Disney. Bluezoo. Jiko. Flying Fish Café. Raglan Road. I’m also hoping to find an ADR for Be Our Guest or go for QS lunch. For one of my lunches near the Orange County Convention Center, I also made a ressie for Emeril’s in the Universal area which DW and I tried over 11 years ago. For snacks, I have the Nutella Waffle on my list.

5. FastPass+ (???): This could get very interesting. Experts who are good are predicting what Disney is going to do seem to believe that the full FP+ rollout will happen “later this year”. Well, it doesn’t get much “later” than end of October for the year. If it does happen, this might be a good practice run for our family trip in January to get a sense of whether signing up for the FP+ will be more worth than grabbing the regular FPs while in the Parks. Also it will work out since I’ll be spending the day times at the conference and entering the parks in the late afternoon/evening hours so being able to reserve FPs ahead of time without being in the park all day. Who really knows though how this is going to all pan out.

 

[khertz]

I LOVE the idea of a photo scavenger hunt!!! I'll have to think of a few for you. It will definitely make for a really interesting TR when you come back, because I bet you will have lots of things included that people generally overlook or don't even realize they are there.

MNSSHP! Every time I think about the party, I get so excited!! Hoping we can get the big stuff done before Paxton gives in to sleep.

 

[JDUB]

I'm in for the solo trip too. You could seriously fill your memory card on the MNSSHP evening only!!! Can't wait for your pics on the tri pod that night! Make sure to M&G the seven dwarfs and Jack Sparrow. You won't want to miss those characters.

 

[afwdwfan]

The Villain Mix and Mingle.

Ok, scavenger hunt item. A picture of all the villains!

I have yet to have tried the Backlot Tour, the Great Movie Ride, and the Indiana Jones show all of which I’m planning on trying this time around.

I'd just do a back to back to back to back between RnRc and ToT.

I enjoy Indiana Jones and TGMR is good, but if you have to miss one, make it the Backlot Tour.

In the WS, I’ll be trying the Gran Fiesta Tour which for some reason has always eluded us during our tours.

Really??? I'd have thought that would have been a must do for your kids! I think that might be DS's favorite ride!

At AK, the only attraction I haven’t tried yet is Primeval Whirl. DD has been wanting to go on this for the last two trips and she’s been very disappointed that she’s not tall enough. I’ll do a scouting ride for her to see what it’s really like!

Wait a minute... what did you say about spinning when you talked about Mission Space????

First time food: I luuuuuuhve food! (Picture me saying this with some drool in the corner of my mouth)

I'm picturing this:

Also it will work out since I’ll be spending the day times at the conference and entering the parks in the late afternoon/evening hours so being able to reserve FPs ahead of time without being in the park all day. Who really knows though how this is going to all pan out.

I've been awfully skeptical about the FP+ thing, but for this scenario, it looks like it should work out fantastic! I hope you get to try it out and I look forward to seeing how it goes.

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

I LOVE the idea of a photo scavenger hunt!!! I'll have to think of a few for you. It will definitely make for a really interesting TR when you come back, because I bet you will have lots of things included that people generally overlook or don't even realize they are there.

MNSSHP! Every time I think about the party, I get so excited!! Hoping we can get the big stuff done before Paxton gives in to sleep.

Let me know if you can think of any! I've been looking online to come up some ideas.

I can see that you are just as excited as I am about MNSSHP! I think of all the things available, Boo To You Parade is what I'm looking forward to the most!

I'm in for the solo trip too. You could seriously fill your memory card on the MNSSHP evening only!!! Can't wait for your pics on the tri pod that night! Make sure to M&G the seven dwarfs and Jack Sparrow. You won't want to miss those characters.

You're absolutely right! I'm going to be packing lots of memory cards for this trip. Plus, I'm planning on seeing the parade twice and will be clicking away. I think I'll be watching from Frontierland for the early parade with my standard zoom and off the tripod if I can position myself right by the spotlights for the parade. For the later parade, I'm thinking of positioning myself in Main Street with the tripod since it should be less crowded.

I completely forgot about Sparrow being available for meet and greet at MNSSHP! Great ideas! I'm adding both the Dwarves and Sparrow to my safari list!

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Ok, scavenger hunt item. A picture of all the villains!

Thanks! Adding them to the list. I think they're suppose to be Dr.Facilier, Judge Frollo, Queen of Hearts, Evil Queen, Maleficent, Captain Hook, and Cruella De Vil. Have nooooo idea how Frollo made the cut.

I'd just do a back to back to back to back between RnRc and ToT.

I enjoy Indiana Jones and TGMR is good, but if you have to miss one, make it the Backlot Tour.

I think the crowd levels will be low enough for this private event that I will be able to do just that with RnRc and ToT!

Really??? I'd have thought that would have been a must do for your kids! I think that might be DS's favorite ride!

World Showcase has been seriously neglected by us during our past trips. Hoping to change that a bit on our next trip!

Wait a minute... what did you say about spinning when you talked about Mission Space????

This shows you just how little I know about this ride. It spins??? I guess that's why they call it a Whirl!

I'm picturing this:

Yup - exactly. Well, maybe a bit more hair than Homer.

I've been awfully skeptical about the FP+ thing, but for this scenario, it looks like it should work out fantastic! I hope you get to try it out and I look forward to seeing how it goes.

Yeah, I share the skepticism about how FP+ is really going to work. I just hope they will have worked out the major kinks before I go back in January with the family!

 

[Disney2013Girl]

Hi there! We're going to be down there at the same time(ish) 10/25-11/1. I'm a (learning) photographer and so I'm def. subscribing to your PTR because I've been thinking a lot about photographing all things Disney. Your pictures are gorgeous. One of my favorite things about photography is capturing all of the details that so many people overlook and you capture them so well.

I know this sounds odd and I'm not even sure we *CAN* do this (or if you'd want to), but my husband, son and I have a late night (8:45pm) ADR for BOG on Saturday 10/26. We're very laid back and love meeting new people. I don't know if I can/could, but if you're interested, I'll look into seeing if I can get the ADR changed to add a fourth to our table! I'd hate for you to miss out on dinner at *THE* new place to be seen (and miss out on your picture, too!).

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Hi there! We're going to be down there at the same time(ish) 10/25-11/1. I'm a (learning) photographer and so I'm def. subscribing to your PTR because I've been thinking a lot about photographing all things Disney. Your pictures are gorgeous. One of my favorite things about photography is capturing all of the details that so many people overlook and you capture them so well.

I know this sounds odd and I'm not even sure we *CAN* do this (or if you'd want to), but my husband, son and I have a late night (8:45pm) ADR for BOG on Saturday 10/26. We're very laid back and love meeting new people. I don't know if I can/could, but if you're interested, I'll look into seeing if I can get the ADR changed to add a fourth to our table! I'd hate for you to miss out on dinner at *THE* new place to be seen (and miss out on your picture, too!).

First of all, Always happy to see another photography enthusiast! Capturing the details and trying to look at things from different and unique perspectives are what I love about photography. Thank you for the kind words about my pictures.

Thank you so so much for your generous offer about your BOG ADR! I would have loved to have taken up on your offer (and nope, don't consider it odd ) but the 26th is also the same evening when the conference I'm attending is holding their private event at DHS so I won't be able to make it. That is awesome though that you were able to score an ADR! From what I've heard and read, it just seems like it will be a great experience.

Which part of Indiana are you from? I lived in Indianapolis for three years about 10 years ago and have a lot of fond memories of the city and the state. Will you be attending MNSSHP?