A Winter Escape to the Enchanted Forest-Jan'13 TR:**5/21 Parting Thoughts/New PTR!

[DaveinFallsChurch]

All caught up now !! I am enjoying your photos so much. I wish I was a better photographer. I guess that starts with a decent camera, huh ??

Thank you so much for the kind words about the photos!

A camera upgrade definitely helps but I don't think you have to go for the expensive ones right away. I ditched our point and shoot camera exactly a year ago after our trip to Poly/Disney (see trip report link below in my sig) as I was getting fed up with all the blurry photos of our kids. But I wasn't very confident whether I would be able to handle all that a DSLR has to offer since I didn't know anything about photography so I went for an old entry level model - Canon T2i - to test the waters and mostly because it was cheap! And all the photos for this trip report were taken by it although I did end up upgrading my lens for Christmas.

I quickly fell in love with this new hobby and have been reading and learning online as much as I can ever since. DW gave me a huge upgrade for the camera body for my birthday a couple of weeks ago so the Cherry Blossoms were taken using my new toy!

 

[afwdwfan]

I enjoy the Dapper Dans too. It seems that I'm rarely in the right place at the right time to catch them though. I don't think we ever saw them once on our last trip, and we spent a lot of time in the MK.

I always seem to hear such good things about the characters at 1900PF. I'm glad they seemed to be "on" for your meal as well!

 

[khertz]

Sounds like a fun dinner! It's always so great when the characters are really "on" for your interaction. As for the stepsisters, how will DS ever choose between those two beauties, though?!

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

I enjoy the Dapper Dans too. It seems that I'm rarely in the right place at the right time to catch them though. I don't think we ever saw them once on our last trip, and we spent a lot of time in the MK.

I always seem to hear such good things about the characters at 1900PF. I'm glad they seemed to be "on" for your meal as well!

For me, seeing the Dapper Dans and the rest of Main Street takes a conscious effort to carve out a time for them in the middle of our ride-centric touring plans. If not, the only times I end up in Main Street are on my way in to MK and on my way out of MK which is probably why I keep missing the Dans as well.

The Tremaines always seem to be on their game at 1900 PF which is why we went back again, and will do so again next year!

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Sounds like a fun dinner! It's always so great when the characters are really "on" for your interaction. As for the stepsisters, how will DS ever choose between those two beauties, though?!

Hmmmm, Drizella or Anastasia. That is indeed a tough call!

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

IMG_5479 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

As I was exploring the AoA Resort during our first night there and trying to learn where the side entrances were for our building, I happened to look up and these sketchy looking characters on top with one of them looking down at me as if I was a piece of fish.

 

[emmysmommy]

What great antics and character interaction during your 1900 PF dinner. Sounds like so much more fun than breakfast which is the only meal we have eaten there. And like you, we skip the pre-meal photo. I don't have much need for a photo in front of a wall for $30+.

I am astounded that you have only been doing photography for a year. Your photos are stunning. In fact, when I first say your sunrise with the Washintgon Monument, not only did I have a moment (I guess between the glorious sunrise and the historical landmark it was all too much!), I had to show my DH your awesome photos as well. I think I noted in my TR somewhere that I tried to use the manual settings on my DSLR camera but just gave up since I have zero patience. Well, that and I didn't know what I was doing. So I'm curious... do you wish to share what camera body you are using now? And Happy Belated birthday!

Oh, and I'm with you as far as the Dapper Dans. They are really so talented and they do a great job entertaining the crowds.

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

What great antics and character interaction during your 1900 PF dinner. Sounds like so much more fun than breakfast which is the only meal we have eaten there. And like you, we skip the pre-meal photo. I don't have much need for a photo in front of a wall for $30+.

It's a little surprising that Disney hasn't figured out a better way to lure more money by coming up with a better welcome photo-op for 1900 PF Having the Fairy Godmother or a couple of the mice at the entrance would be a huge improvement!

We love the interactions with the Tremaines which outweighs the average food and the cramped atmosphere. They really packed the tables in for this one.

I think I noted in my TR somewhere that I tried to use the manual settings on my DSLR camera but just gave up since I have zero patience. Well, that and I didn't know what I was doing. So I'm curious... do you wish to share what camera body you are using now?

I just recently started forcing myself to try to use the Manual mode. I've been reading on various photography articles that even some of the professional photogs who are just starting out fall into the habit of avoiding Manual modes. (As a side note, DW finds it amusing that I've been daydreaming about quitting my day job and becoming a professional photographer one day in the future. A guy can dream. ).

The problem is when I'm trying to catch some good pics of our kids who are always moving and running at 100 miles an hour, I just panic and switch over to the Shutter or Aperture priority modes. The whole exposure triangle still makes my brain hurt and I can't think that fast yet! When I'm by myself and taking landscape/landmark pics I have a lot more time to think and experiment at various setting so that's when I've been trying to use more Manual.

Anyhow, my new camera body is a Canon EOS 7D. Really love it so far!

Oh, and I'm with you as far as the Dapper Dans. They are really so talented and they do a great job entertaining the crowds.

I really enjoyed the Dans at Disneyland as well last October when they were dressed in their Halloween colors and sang the fitting songs. I think overall, I like the Main Street atmosphere at DL a little better (find it a little more intimate) than the MK but both are excellent.

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Monday, January 28th - 5:45pm

We were done with dinner within an hour and arrived back at MK around 5:45pm. We walked over to Tomorrowland and picked up FastPasses for Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin. Then we got in line for the Laugh Floor. DD had a joke picked out and I texted it in. Last year, her joke got picked and she really got a kick out of it. She was hoping that her joke would get picked again, but we weren’t as lucky. While certain elements of the Laugh Floor show remain the same with every show, I love all of the random improvisation that happens making each show unique. During one of those candid shots with captions, they flashed the camera on a teenager with the captions “Has a sudden urge to Dance!” and some club music piped in. The kid was a very good sport about it, got up, and started busting some disco movies reminiscent of Travolta’s moves from Pulp Fiction. It was hilarious. So why did he get picked? Because he was wearing a tshirt that said “Everybody Dance Now!”.

The rest of the audience selection in retelling the story of Monsters Inc were funny mostly in the sense of how uncomfortable and awkward they were. We had an older gentleman who absolutely had no idea what the monsters were implying when they asked him to play Mike Wazowski with “one i” . They kept saying “with one i”, “let’s try this again, with one i”. Finally the guy winked his right eye but at the same time his wife sitting next to him covered his left! So basically we had Mikey with no eyes! Our “That Guy” didn’t seem to understand English so he just sat there with his sunglasses on and smiling. One of my very good friends from my residency training (and who absolutely LOVES this show) was chosen as “That Guy” a couple of years ago. When the show was over, a CM gave him a sticker that said I was That Guy or something like that. He ended up framing it and hanging it in his office! Our Randall just sat there not flinching a muscle when the monsters asked him to become invisible – oh he was also wearing sunglasses as well. When the monsters realized that Randall was not going to play along at all, they said “Ok then. Maybe not invisible. Be Shady then”. DD’s joke didn’t get picked so she was a little disappointed with that. We’ll have to try again next year.

We still had about 10 minutes to kill before our FP window opened for Buzz, so we got on the Tomorrowland Transit.


IMG_7114 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


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That was pretty relaxing. So here’s a question I don’t know the answer to. It seems like every time I ride TTA and it transverse through Space Mountain, I get a full view of the track of Space Mountain with its lights on and the ride shut down. Is this because I just happen to be riding the TTA when Space Mountain temporarily shuts down? Or does the TTA show a portion of Space Mountain that is never being used?


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We were able to take in some beautiful nighttime views of the Castle and Tomorrowland as the people mover circled around Tomorrowland.


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We then made it on to Buzz Lightyear.


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All was going well until the ride came to a halt. For 10 minutes we were stuck. And the worst part was, I didn’t have a decent target to shoot at during that time. So DS and I spent the time just spinning around trying to kill some time. On the other hand, somehow even before the ride came to a stop, DFIL found a way to max out his score at 999,999! I have no idea how he did that!


IMG_7210 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

On my our way out of the gift shop, I once again tried to get our kids to pose with Zurg behind bars but they didn't want to have anything to do with him!

Next Up: Wishes Dessert Party - Not as Magical as I remember

 

[afwdwfan]

Our Randall just sat there not flinching a muscle when the monsters asked him to become invisible – oh he was also wearing sunglasses as well. When the monsters realized that Randall was not going to play along at all, they said “Ok then. Maybe not invisible. Be Shady then”. DD’s joke didn’t get picked so she was a little disappointed with that. We’ll have to try again next year.

I got to be Randall once. I got down on the floor behind the seat in front of me when they said to be invisible.

Then our show got canceled due to technical difficulties, so I wonder if I broke it by getting out of my seat.

Is this because I just happen to be riding the TTA when Space Mountain temporarily shuts down? Or does the TTA show a portion of Space Mountain that is never being used?

You're just lucky. I've never seen Space Mountain with the lights on from the TTA.

On the other hand, somehow even before the ride came to a stop, DFIL found a way to max out his score at 999,999! I have no idea how he did that!

Maybe because he was more focused on shooting his gun than taking pictures.

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

I got to be Randall once. I got down on the floor behind the seat in front of me when they said to be invisible.

Then our show got canceled due to technical difficulties, so I wonder if I broke it by getting out of my seat.

Maybe because he was more focused on shooting his gun than taking pictures.

Yup. I had an all time low score for that particular ride at 2400!

 

[BellaBaby]

We have been on TTA many times and only one time have we gone thru with SM with all its lights on. My 2 girls had gone on SM with their aunt and uncle at this time as my DH and I took DS (6 at the time) on the TTA. So we figured uh oh, they must have a longer wait since SM is shut down at the moment!

I didn't really care to see it with all the lights on as it was very "un-magical" like that!!

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

You're just lucky. I've never seen Space Mountain with the lights on from the TTA.

We have been on TTA many times and only one time have we gone thru with SM with all its lights on. My 2 girls had gone on SM with their aunt and uncle at this time as my DH and I took DS (6 at the time) on the TTA. So we figured uh oh, they must have a longer wait since SM is shut down at the moment!

I didn't really care to see it with all the lights on as it was very "un-magical" like that!!

Part of me agrees that it does strip away the magic and other-worldliness of SM seeing it all lit up like that. But the other part of me thought it was kind of cool to get a behind the scenes glimpse of SM. In any case, now I want to see what it looks like on the TTA while in operation!

 

[emmysmommy]

During one of those candid shots with captions, they flashed the camera on a teenager with the captions “Has a sudden urge to Dance!” and some club music piped in. The kid was a very good sport about it, got up, and started busting some disco movies reminiscent of Travolta’s moves from Pulp Fiction. It was hilarious. So why did he get picked? Because he was wearing a tshirt that said “Everybody Dance Now!”.

I love that show! Last summer my DH was picked to be the random dance dude and he wouldn't do it. They finally said, he's got willpower!

So here’s a question I don’t know the answer to. It seems like every time I ride TTA and it transverse through Space Mountain, I get a full view of the track of Space Mountain with its lights on and the ride shut down. Is this because I just happen to be riding the TTA when Space Mountain temporarily shuts down? Or does the TTA show a portion of Space Mountain that is never being used?


IMG_7128 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

It is always "up" when we have gone on the TTA ride. Not sure I want to see it in all its metal glory since that ruins the mystere! Cool photo though!

All was going well until the ride came to a halt. For 10 minutes we were stuck. And the worst part was, I didn’t have a decent target to shoot at during that time. So DS and I spent the time just spinning around trying to kill some time. On the other hand, somehow even before the ride came to a stop, DFIL found a way to max out his score at 999,999! I have no idea how he did that!

That's funny that your FIL found the secret targets. Before I read that the ride was stuck I noticed that you had put down your space gun and picked up your camera! That's our Dave!

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

I love that show! Last summer my DH was picked to be the random dance dude and he wouldn't do it. They finally said, he's got willpower!

That's funny that your FIL found the secret targets. Before I read that the ride was stuck I noticed that you had put down your space gun and picked up your camera! That's our Dave!

I'm always a bit nervous about getting picked for something for the Laugh Floor which hasn't happened yet. I could probably do fine with most parts EXCEPT being the dance dude!

My addiction to my camera is getting worse by the day. Soon, it will be permanently fixed to my face!

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

It looks like I seriously neglected my TR the last couple of days as it fell into the third page!

I will have another update tomorrow! In the mean time, I have another local DC photo report for you. We had a beautiful spring day today so I left the hospital a little early to drop by the Washington National Cathedral on my way home. The Cathedral is just two blocks off my commute route so I drive by this beautiful building everyday but had never actually visited it. Decided to change that today and am very glad that I did. Absolutely gorgeous architecture both outside and inside of the cathedral. I spent about an hour looking around. Decided not to join one of the tour groups but explore on my own. And of course, I happened to have my camera with me in the car so took these pictures. Enjoy!


IMG_1855 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


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[MissPrice]

Hi there Just joining in! As a DMV native I had to skip ahead to your mini trip report. Your shots of the blooms are great. I was down there the week before the festival (I think) but there were no flowers in sight. Too cold I've heard wonderful things about both Rasikas. Tom Sietzema says it's the best Indian food in the country. Really want to try it now. Look forward to reading the rest of your Disney TR. -Amanda

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Hi there Just joining in! As a DMV native I had to skip ahead to your mini trip report. Your shots of the blooms are great. I was down there the week before the festival (I think) but there were no flowers in sight. Too cold I've heard wonderful things about both Rasikas. Tom Sietzema says it's the best Indian food in the country. Really want to try it now. Look forward to reading the rest of your Disney TR. -Amanda

Hi Amanda and Welcome!!

Hopefully you'll be able to see the cherry blossoms peak bloom next year. But you're right, the colder than average March we had really pushed back the bloom time.

I really enjoyed Rasika West and from what I've heard the original is even better so can't wait to try it myself. Reservations appear to be more difficult to get for the original.

Hope you enjoy the TR I put together so far!

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Monday, January 28th - 7:00pm

We finally got off the ride at 7pm. We made our way to the Terrace for our Wishes Dessert Party. My expectations were sky high after our experience from last year when we scored a table right up against the railing where we were able to watch the fireworks sitting down. Unfortunately, I didnt have as great of an experience this time around. A series of events just seem to pile on as the party went on that eventually got to me and soured the experience a bit. Looking back, I think I let it get to me more than I should have so it was partly my fault. And because of them, I wasn't able to get any photos of the fireworks - so this will be a very picture light update. So what happened?

First, I had been hoping for another awesome table placement like last year. Rumors on DIS have been that if youre one of the first to reserve a spot for a given day, youre more likely to get these coveted tables. I was able to book our ressie within the hour after the ADRs opened for the month of January. It turns out that there was one group faster than me and they were a group of 8 who took up both tables against the railings. So we were seated at the next best available large table which was still in the front portion but not against the railings and there were three small tables in front of us.

We were still up front, and we had a great view of the beautifully lit castle.
We all were able to get plates of dessert from the buffet line and came back to our table. For those first 5 minutes of dessert time, everything was perfect. Goofing around with the kids. Eating delicious sweets. And all the while, we had a front and center view of Cindys Castle.

This was the view from our table.

IMG_7226 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

Then, a young couple was seated in the small table directly in front of us. They were friendly and very excited to be sitting in the first row. The problem was that the woman brought in her Mickey balloon. Not just any Mickey balloon  it was one of those that had non-stop flashing strobe lights inside the balloon. As they got in their seats in front of us, they also decided to plop their balloon behind their chairs and right in front of me. My perfect view was now completely obstructed by a giant mickey head with seizure inducing strobe lights flashing incessantly. Going to be honest - it got a little annoying. I figured the couple was just getting settled in their seats and didnt have a chance to figure out where to store the balloon. So I asked them Will you be able to tuck that balloon away once youre settled? and the guy cheerfully said Absolutely!

So I waited while nibbling at my dessert trying desperately to avoid eye contact with the Mickey balloon. The desserts by the way were pretty good. I also grabbed a cup of coffee as well. They had lemonades for the kids. They even had vanilla ice cream! They had a wide array of selection but mostly similar to the items you see at many of the buffet meals around Disney.

The couple finally returned from their dessert hunt. When they sat down, they decided to tie the balloon around one of their chairs which absolutely did nothing to de-obstruct the view for all of us behind them. I decided that this wouldn't work even if it was just for another 15 minutes before everyone moved up to the rails. Even DW who is usually far more understanding about these types of situations than I am was asking me Should we call a CM over to ask for help with this? As soon as she finished that question, the wind kicked in and the balloon was now being batted around side to side by the rush of air nearly hitting myself and DD a couple of times. So I finally offered to the woman Do you mind if we tucked away your balloon in the back? You could tie the balloon to our stroller parked back there. She agreed. I walked back with her to point out our stroller and she tied the balloon. I couldnt help notice that there were four other balloons already stored back there by other guests.

The BIG problem came a few minutes before the castle projection show. We decided take the kids to the restrooms before the show began which turned out to be very poorly timed. When we got back we noticed that every single person in the terrace had moved up to the railing  we found out that while we were at the restrooms, a CM made an announcement that it was time for anyone who wanted to stand up by the railing to do so. And there wasnt a single spot left. Now I knew that people moved up to the railings. But when we had done this during our previous trip, they were plenty of space up at the railing for everyone. Not this time. At that point, I was pretty perturbed. I was hoping to have set up my camera with my mini tripod to get some good pictures of Wishes but that was out of the question.

I didnt want to ruin anyone elses enjoyment so I kept quiet. For the projection show, we watched mostly from our table. I tried moving over to the far right and grabbed a couple of shots like these before I realized I was now encroaching into the photopass photog's space so I had to move back into the crowd.


IMG_7230 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


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IMG_7236 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

When the fireworks started, I put DS on my shoulders while standing by our table making sure I wasnt obstructing anyone elses view behind me. I really couldnt see much. Between the line of people standing in front of me and the low overhanging cover of the terrace obstructing the upper views, I had a very poor view of the fireworks and barely could see the castle. And with DS sitting on top of me, I didn't even attempt to try to get any pictures.

DS however was able to see much better. He loved the fireworks, injecting his oooohs and woooows. Very cute. DD sat on DFILs lap and was able to enjoy it from the table. They had partially obstructed views as well but had some openings between the shoulders of the folks at the railing to get a view. When it was over, DS said That was very pretty. DD was swooning and excited about what she had just seen. Seeing how much the kids enjoyed it started melting my frustration away. I was happy that everyone else loved it and had a magical viewing of it.

I decided though that we would be taking a hiatus from the dessert party especially if we continue to make visits to MK in January when the crowds are thinner and finding a spot on the Tomorrowland bridge is not that difficult for Wishes. I would still recommend it to people to try it at least once and I definitely believe it's worth the cost during busier seasons.

We waited until 8:30pm until we walked over to Main Street to browse through the Emporium.


IMG_7254 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

Its actually pretty interesting to sit in the Terrace and watch the crowd push its way out starting from the Hub down Main Street. You can actually see the tail end of the mob slowly inching away from the hub! When we got in the Emporium, it was still very crowded in the sections that were closer to the gates. DD got her souvenir of the day by picking out a Jesse doll. DS completed his Toy Story set by picking out a Woody and Green Alien action figures.

Trying to get back to our resort turned out to be still challenging even though we waited until 9pm to exit the park. And it made me miss staying at Poly. The lines for both Monorails and Ferry were still packed. I eventually sent my family to take the bus to AoA hoping that they will get there faster. I still had to find a way back to the parking lot to get to our minivan. First I stood in line for the Ferry but after a few minutes it really wasnt moving. I looked over to the Resort monorail and the lines for that werent any better. I decided to walk over to Contemporary Resort and hopped on the Resort monorail from there. It was very difficult to find any space even for a single rider like myself but I eventually did in the very last section! Got to the parking lot and drove our minivan back to AoA. Funny thing was I ended up arriving 5 minutes earlier than my family did. I printed our boarding passes for the next day in the lobby and we all went to bed after packing up. Always sad to be packing up at the end of a Disney trip.

Next Up: Crystal Palace before the park opens.

 

[emmysmommy]

Hi Dave! Your photos of the National Cathedral remind me of the architecture of a particular castle! Or maybe I'm just seeing things I want to see. Very beautiful nonetheless!

Darn! Sorry about your Wishes Dessert Party experience. We did the dessert party last year and it was very crowded at the rail as well. At least your kids enjoyed the show. I would have loved to have seen your fireworks photos.... we are counting on those for next time! They should have stroller AND balloon parking during the show to get those balloons out of the way.