A Private, Romantic 30th Anniversary Trip- Just Ask My Friends! Last Afternoon: EP p. 37 9/19

[rteetz]

Looks like you ended the day with a nice night. Illuminations is my favorite show, I can't go a trip without seeing it at least once. You guys also got some great photopass photos!

Those desserts in the lounge sure look good.

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Wow you certainly got a lot in that first day! Chocolate sculptures are amazing and what's not to love about free chocolate
I haven't done the monorail in a while now but I love it and your photos. Love the sneaky peek you get of the resorts on the way to Epcot.
Love the new soaring. I always end up chatting to people in the queue and come away feeling I've learned something new about wherever they're from. My kids laugh at this
Sorry beaches & cream didn't measure up. We usually go on our arrival day but have burgers and share dessert. We decided that next time we will go later in the trip as we are always so knackered on arrival day we don't do our meals justice. 9 hour flight plus the 3 hours airport time and 60 minute car time ( have to allow extra time - really only 40 minute journey but youngest generally needs to get out as he suffers from carsickness) plus 5 hour time difference means while it's teatime in Orlando its middle of the night to us! We love the takeout window for ice cream and shakes
Great photos of you and Mark and illuminations, even without friends, is a wonderful way to end the day. The fact that you strolled back to the YC and had dessert in the lounge just makes it even better

 

[Ninja Mom]

Yes, I did notice the ghosts. I don't know enough about photography to say if it was an accidental exposure issue or if it was done by the photographer "on purpose"

One of the other photos in that series also had ghosts, but in that picture they are decapitated!



View attachment 208892

But here, I cropped them out.

View attachment 208891


There really were a lot of tempting sweets when we stopped at the lounge. We took a couple of plates of goodies. Some we ate that night and some we stowed in the fridge for another day.

We didn't get anything to drink, but if we had, Amaretto is our go-to cordial.

The ghosts were people walking by at a fast pace so they are blurred. The camera's shutter speed was low to allow enough light to reach the camera's sensor. This means that the photographer kept the shutter open longer because it was dark out.

You were standing still so you were not blurry. The flash that she/he was using bounced off the quickly moving pedestrians so the reflected the light as they moved through your shot.

Here is my shot from that night in China for Illuminations. It wasn't exactly perfect but China pavilion will still be there to try again the next time I go.




~NinjaMom

 

[natebenma]

That was a really full first day!

The desserts at the German pavilion are some of the best. You can't go wrong with some caramel before IllumiNations. Sorry you had to miss the meet up with DIS friends, but I can understand not wanting to backtrack. The World Showcase is so big, and when you're feet are tired the last thing you want to do is go around again.
Plus, you still had the walk back to the Yacht Club. 15 minutes...to be so close to Epcot. What better place to stay on a 30th Anniversary during Food and Wine?

Love the photopass picture in France.

We like to make the most of time at the World (or wherever we happen to be on vacation)

I love that "new" shop in Germany. There are usually long lines at the counter, but that night was not bad at all! The hardest decision is what to get!

I was disappointed not to be able to meet up with friends that night. We would have another night of near misses with friends later in the trip, too

The EPCOT resorts are so perfect for us because we love the ease of getting to EPCOT and Hollywood Studios. As you point out, this is particularly a great place to stay for Food & Wine!

I love having some pictures of the two of us. That I didn't have to beg for or plead with one of the boys to take.

Now that was quite the first day! How was the caramel cluster milk chocolate pecan cookie? For some reason we always walk in there, say we want the caramel corn but talk ourselves out of it for something later! Maybe, because I bring Cracker Jack on our trips?

We don't mess around! NO DOWNTIME AT DISNEY!!!!

The caramel turtle thing was pretty good. Probably not quite big enough to share, but we were able to satisfy our sweet tooths (teeth) later with desserts from the lounge.

You know, I have read raves about the caramel corn, but the one time we got it a few years ago, it was not that great. Tasted stale to us.

 

[natebenma]

Looks like you ended the day with a nice night. Illuminations is my favorite show, I can't go a trip without seeing it at least once. You guys also got some great photopass photos!

Those desserts in the lounge sure look good.

I am more and more impressed with Illuminations every time I see it. Between my solo trips and even trips with family when I would sneak out of the room and watch the show while Mark stayed behind to watch the kids, I have seen it many more times than Mark has. He really loved seeing it that night.

Fireworks are not normally a big part of our family trips, but *spoiler alert* - we managed to fit in A LOT of fireworks shows on this trip!

I loved getting so many photopass pictures during the trip.

Wow you certainly got a lot in that first day! Chocolate sculptures are amazing and what's not to love about free chocolate
I haven't done the monorail in a while now but I love it and your photos. Love the sneaky peek you get of the resorts on the way to Epcot.
Love the new soaring. I always end up chatting to people in the queue and come away feeling I've learned something new about wherever they're from. My kids laugh at this
Sorry beaches & cream didn't measure up. We usually go on our arrival day but have burgers and share dessert. We decided that next time we will go later in the trip as we are always so knackered on arrival day we don't do our meals justice. 9 hour flight plus the 3 hours airport time and 60 minute car time ( have to allow extra time - really only 40 minute journey but youngest generally needs to get out as he suffers from carsickness) plus 5 hour time difference means while it's teatime in Orlando its middle of the night to us! We love the takeout window for ice cream and shakes
Great photos of you and Mark and illuminations, even without friends, is a wonderful way to end the day. The fact that you strolled back to the YC and had dessert in the lounge just makes it even better

Absolutely- I love chocolate and I love free chocolate even more.

And, have you heard? Chocolate has now been declared a health food.




You're welcome.

The monorail is hands-down my favorite form of Disney transportation. I love the monorail loop and the EPCOT loop.

See, that was one of the reasons for the Beaches & Cream reservation- something right at the resort for convenience since I knew we would be tired. On a past trip we have gone to Cape May Clambake on the first day, but a buffet was too much work. Captain's Grille is our usual go-to and I think Mark was disappointed that we went to Beaches & Cream instead of there.

It was a great end to the day! So good to finish on a positive note.

The ghosts were people walking by at a fast pace so they are blurred. The camera's shutter speed was low to allow enough light to reach the camera's sensor. This means that the photographer kept the shutter open longer because it was dark out.

You were standing still so you were not blurry. The flash that she/he was using bounced off the quickly moving pedestrians so the reflected the light as they moved through your shot.

Here is my shot from that night in China for Illuminations. It wasn't exactly perfect but China pavilion will still be there to try again the next time I go.


~NinjaMom

Wow!!!! Oh, wow!!!!

INCREDIBLE picture!!!



What a great, inspired spot for the show. So sorry we didn't have a chance to join you.

 

[natebenma]

Bonus content, since a lot of the discussion from this update was about the caramel treats, I'm going to share a recipe. We made these, and the M&M kiss ones, this past weekend.


"Redneck Caramel Turtles"



Preheat oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit (not sure what the Celsius equivalent is...)
Place an unwrapped Rolo (chocolate and caramel) candy on top of a pretzel. You can use a regular round twisted one or a rectangular one. We like Hanover's butter snaps.
Repeat
Bake for 3 minutes.
When you have removed the tray from the oven, place a whole pecan on the melted candy
Chill in the fridge

 

[rteetz]

Bonus content, since a lot of the discussion from this update was about the caramel treats, I'm going to share a recipe. We made these, and the M&M kiss ones, this past weekend.


"Redneck Caramel Turtles"

View attachment 209393

Preheat oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit (not sure what the Celsius equivalent is...)
Place an unwrapped Rolo (chocolate and caramel) candy on top of a pretzel. You can use a regular round twisted one or a rectangular one. We like Hanover's butter snaps.
Repeat
Bake for 3 minutes.
When you have removed the tray from the oven, place a whole pecan on the melted candy
Chill in the fridge

I make those as well!

 

[natebenma]

I make those as well!

So easy and so yummy!

 

[natebenma]

Animal Kingdom, Part 1- Safari So Good


Today was an Extra Magic Hours Morning at Animal Kingdom. We usually choose to go to the park that opens at 8 am because we tend to be early risers anyway and we firmly believe that you can get more done in those first couple of hours at the park than you can the rest of the day because of the low crowds.

We planned to hop over to Hollywood Studios in the early afternoon, so we made our Fast Passes there since they would be needed when we arrived. We had to choose between the Tier One attractions, Toy Story Mania and RockNRoller Coaster. Mark prefers TSM, and RnR has single rider, so we went with this:

12:05 to 1:05 Tower of Terror

1:20 to 2:20 Toy Story Mania

2:25 to 3:25 Star Tours


We didn’t know where we were going to eat lunch that day- AK or HS.

It was possible we would not get to HS in time for our first FP, but that was fine. On the opposite end, we did not know what time we would be headed back to the Yacht Club- we had pretty important evening plans- meeting friends at 6:30 for dinner at Kona followed by watching Wishes from the Top of the World lounge. Our priority was Toy Story Mania, anything else we did at HS that afternoon would be a bonus.

Another busy, exciting day was on tap so we better get started.

But first- remember that point & shoot camera that wasn’t working on the plane? I had plugged it in to charge and when I tried it- it worked!!!


I was pretty excited, but still a bit cautious. Unfortunately, that would not be the last of the drama with that camera on the trip.




We had breakfast in the lounge and I think we may have been the only people who prepared plates and sat down at a table to eat. There were others coming in and grabbing a cup of coffee or some food to go, but otherwise it was pretty dead in there.

I thought I had jotted down how long it took for a bus to arrive and the time of the trip from YC to AK, but they aren't in the main notes I have. If I find the info later, I'll add that.


We saw the first AK attraction from the parking lot before even entering the park:


“To your left, is the long-awaited ‘Avatar Crane’ exhibit”

We didn’t stop for a photopass picture at the Tree of Life. We’ll get one on the way out. Or not.
(Spoiler alert- there was not a photographer here when we were leaving)

Since we didn’t have Fast Passes, our planning dilemma was whether we wanted to go to Dinosaur or Expedition Everest first. Dinosaur had been under refurbishment since the early fall and was scheduled to open on October 16, the day we arrived in Orlando.

Unfortunately, just a couple of weeks before the trip, it was announced that the refurb was going to be extended until sometime in November.

Oh, well, at least we didn’t have to choose the order of attractions. In fact, we never even stepped foot in Dinoland USA on this trip.

That never would have happened during one of our family trips with Ben’s dinosaur obsession.


We proceeded to Asia

We got to Everest and there was a 10 minute wait time displayed. I’m not sure it even took us that long to get through the line.


Here’s why I was glad my point & shoot camera was working- that is what I use for ride photos.

ETA: I forgot to post our ride photo!

Continued in Next Post

 

[natebenma]

Next, we walked over to the Safari. We arrived a little before 9 am, right around the time the park was opening to all guests.

The ride was a walk-on! This is the first time we have ever gone on the Safari without Fast Passes and without having to stop while going through the queue.

It was so slow that I noticed they were not fully filling the jeeps. Parties of two had a row to themselves!

Our vehicle arrived and Mark and I sat on the bench.

By the way- I don’t know if you have ever noticed, but the left side of the jeep is better- way better- than the right side.

I didn’t slide all the way down, because I knew it was going to be just the two of us. Then, as the jeep was loading another couple came and sat next to Mark. They were supposed to load on the bench behind us. Those seats stayed empty for the ride.

I was really bummed out because instead of having lots of space and being able to slide from side to side to see (photograph) the animals on the left and right, we were cramped.

I really wish people would pay attention!


Next decision- I had 3 cameras with me. My phone, which has a really good camera, but a delayed shutter at times. My newly-brought-back-to-life-point-and-shoot. My Canon DSLR. I decided to use the “big girl camera”. I think this was the first time I have used it on the safari, but I was able to just snap away!


I was pretty happy with the results.


This guy was RIGHT next to our jeep!

Hippos

Crocs

Don’t laugh! These are the best pictures I have ever gotten of hyenas

I love the big horns on these cattle. And the expressions on this guy’s face.

Mandrill

Here, kitty, kitty…


It is sometimes difficult to see the cheetahs on safari but this time they were spotted.

But of course, the big question- would we see lions???

I’d say that’s a yes.


After the safari, we took a little time to walk the Pangani trail


We saw birds and hippos and zebras

Too many pictures in this update to fit the hippo picture, but it isn't very good, anyway.

And then the main event…


The viewing area of the gorilla exhibit was pretty crowded, but when it cleared I was able to watch them.

These two little guys were playing. Like siblings. One got into the tub, the other one tried to take it over and then he/she cuffed the other one.

We moved on and saw this gorilla by the trees and another one that was mostly concealed in the brush.

I think this is a good time to break until the next update-

Next Up: Tree of Strife

 

[PCFriar80]

Amen to your EMH approach! That's what we do for each AM EMH and coincidently make our FP+ for HS for TSM and ToT on AK EMH mornings. Nice shots of the lions! Love the gorilla viewing...they are amazing, especially when you play the "who's looking at who game".

 

[JanetMom]

Don’t laugh! These are the best pictures I have ever gotten of hyenas

 

[natebenma]

Amen to your EMH approach! That's what we do for each AM EMH and coincidently make our FP+ for HS for TSM and ToT on AK EMH mornings. Nice shots of the lions! Love the gorilla viewing...they are amazing, especially when you play the "who's looking at who game".

Our first onsite trip, we avoided the EMH park because "that's what the experts said". My dear husband, Mr. Right, first name Always (and I mean that in the most sincere way) convinced me that EMH was the way to go.


AK is typically a half-day for us, with HS being the logical counterpart. Sometimes we stick in a waterpark in-between, but not this time.

Later in the trip, our habit of always going to the EMH backfired and bit me in the ***, though.

It was so cute watching the little gorillas play, but Mark was already moving on so he missed it.

But not the cheetahs? Go back...

 

[JanetMom]

Our first onsite trip, we avoided the EMH park because "that's what the experts said". My dear husband, Mr. Right, first name Always (and I mean that in the most sincere way) convinced me that EMH was the way to go.

AK is typically a half-day for us, with HS being the logical counterpart. Sometimes we stick in a waterpark in-between, but not this time.

It was so cute watching the little gorillas play, but Mark was already moving on so he missed it.






But not the cheetahs? Go back...

Ah yes, now I spot your cleverness with the cheetahs!

(I love that you knew that I missed it on the first reading.)

 

[natebenma]

Ah yes, now I spot your cleverness with the cheetahs!

(I love that you knew that I missed it on the first reading.)

(I love having someone who appreciates and shares my sense of humour)

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Bonus content, since a lot of the discussion from this update was about the caramel treats, I'm going to share a recipe. We made these, and the M&M kiss ones, this past weekend.


"Redneck Caramel Turtles"

View attachment 209393

Preheat oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit (not sure what the Celsius equivalent is...)
Place an unwrapped Rolo (chocolate and caramel) candy on top of a pretzel. You can use a regular round twisted one or a rectangular one. We like Hanover's butter snaps.
Repeat
Bake for 3 minutes.
When you have removed the tray from the oven, place a whole pecan on the melted candy
Chill in the fridge

Emm It is entirely possible that I'm now ever so slightly in love with you!
The fact that your jokes are 'spot on' only increases the likelihood of this

 

[wdwnut61]

Bonus content, since a lot of the discussion from this update was about the caramel treats, I'm going to share a recipe. We made these, and the M&M kiss ones, this past weekend.


"Redneck Caramel Turtles"

View attachment 209393

Preheat oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit (not sure what the Celsius equivalent is...)
Place an unwrapped Rolo (chocolate and caramel) candy on top of a pretzel. You can use a regular round twisted one or a rectangular one. We like Hanover's butter snaps.
Repeat
Bake for 3 minutes.
When you have removed the tray from the oven, place a whole pecan on the melted candy
Chill in the fridge

Can't wait to make these yummy!

 

[wdwnut61]

Wonderful pics from the safari and Pangani trail.

I just saw the ride pic from EE love it!
That and TT are my favorite rides.

 

[natebenma]

Emm It is entirely possible that I'm now ever so slightly in love with you!
The fact that your jokes are 'spot on' only increases the likelihood of this

Awww!!! The feeling is mutual!

I have to say I changed the phrasing of the cheetah caption 5 times before I was satisfied.

 

[natebenma]

Can't wait to make these yummy!

They are so good and ridiculously easy!

Just in case you haven't made the M&M Kiss ones before:

Top a pretzel with an unwrapped Hershey's kiss. Bake at 250 degrees F for 2-3 minutes. Remove from oven. Press and M&M* into the warm chocolate. Cool.

*Please, Please, Please... M side down!

Wonderful pics from the safari and Pangani trail.

I just saw the ride pic from EE love it!
That and TT are my favorite rides.

Thank you so much!

I know, I forgot to add the ride picture when I first posted.

Better now.