Alan's photo trip report, Jun/Jul 2009

[alan]

I've already posted this trip report on the UK Trip Report topic, but since it's very photo-intensive, and not many of you here appear to frequenct that board, I thought I'd re-post it here. I trust that's okay, but if I'm breaching etiquette then I apologise.

Constructive criticism welcomed!

Cast is my wife, my seven year old son Cameon, nine year old daughter Jenni, Granny, Granda, my brother-in-law Uncle John and me.

Equipment is Canon 350D with 24-105mm, Sigma 18-200mm or nifty fifty, Canon G10 or Vivitar cheapo waterproof digital camera.

Photos are links to the flickr site that holds them, and most are geotagged (though some are approximations)

We start on "Day Two," - 28th Jul 2009 - since Day one was spent travelling

Yaawwwwnnnnnnn...

Everything I'd read said that we would be awake really early, and so I had made plans for the morning. But it didn't seem to work out that way. All of the plans seem to think that the kids will sleep soundly, whereas ours were awake, tossing and turning, kicking and bumping, until around 5am. So of course, it was the devil's own job to get them up and out for our appointment.

However, we managed to get ourselves out to the bus stop in time



and I have to repeat just how well kept and attractive the hotel (Caribbean Beach Resort) was - the flowers and landscaping were absolutely first-rate!



Our journey involved a bus journey to Magic Kingdom then a monorail to the Contemporary resort. Jenni was really keen on taking a picture of mummy and daddy kissing, but I think that Uncle John would rather have been... well, pretty much anywhere else!



Here we are on the monorail:



Soon enough we reached the Contemporary resort for breakfast at



(last time we were at WDW the meals were our weakest spot. We'd planned everything else, but not the food. After lots of studying on this forum and others I was determined to get it right this time - Chef Mickey's was the first example of this).

The breakfast was great, although quite hectic. We arrived in and explained that we had a reservation. We were directed to the waiting area, but were no sooner there than we were invited through to the restaurant.

Our server seemed good, but very soon after disappeared and for the rest of the meal it proved hard to get basic things like milk or this stuff:



We had to keep asking servers for other tables, and at one point we saw someone who was obviously in management coming out and quietly asking "who was meant to be in charge of this table?". A shame, and I hope the girl didn't get into trouble, but it was our only experience of bad service in the holiday.

I loved the Mickey waffle



The characters seemed to be there in a rush, one straight after the other - it was really busy. At the risk of nit-picking, I'd have preferred them to appear one at a time throughout the meal.

Having said that, they were lovely. I've got loads of character photos, but I'll restrict them to this one:



And of course, this one of the delightful Minnie



The breakfast really finished after all of the characters sang and danced to some music, and everyone was encouraged to wave their napkins in the air. So I don't want the above to come across as being too negative; we still really enjoyed it and it was a lovely way to start the holiday.

We went up the escalator to the monrail platform. There is something that's just un-natural about a monorail station in the main atrium of an hotel, but it is nice!



Inevitably, we ended up on the wrong carpeted platform, and went the long way round the monorail loop. We passed these barges, which I snapped in a "ooh, there's something - let's photograph it" moment. It would be much later in the holiday that I found out what they were for



We reached the Magic Kingdom monrail station, and its welcoming banners

 

[alan]

A few minutes to apply sunscreen to the kids before going out into the sunshine, and I was able to watch the trains passing



While there, I saw people getting into and out from the front of the train, beside the driver. It seemed like a great idea, and we marked it down as something we wanted to do during the week.

And then we were able to go on to the Magic Kingdom itself. This photograph is an example of using fill flash to illuminate the subject so that the kids are not just a dark sillhouette. It also shows what happens when you use too much fill flash - they look as if they've been painted on to the scene!



But also be aware of Cameron's grumpy face - the lack of sleep is beginning to catch up with us, and it's not even mid-day yet!

So we walked up Main Street USA and found ourselves at that large circle in front of the castle while a show was on. Being an out-and-out luvvie I wanted to stop and watch it (okay, take photos too), but the rest of the family wanted to see the park. Darn! However, I did manage to snap a few pictures:









Since when did the girls in these shows get to have legs? Last time I was at WDW (2006) they all wore horrid bloomers - is this a response to the recession?

Anyway, I was forced to follow the kids to Tomorrowland where we joined the queue for Astro Orbiter. I had thought that Cameron might be excited to be given a special card that he had to show when he got to the front of the line



but you can see from his face that he wasn't really all that enamoured of the idea.

We were lucky enough to be under cover by the time the rain came on



and it had cleared up by the time we actually got our ride!



After that Jenni had her first meeting with the talking trash can



which, I think, freaked her out a little. She certainly wasn't brave enough to cuddle it!



Next stop was one we didn't do last time we were there - the speedway. Marie and her mum went out in one car. Now, I don't mean to cast aspersions on women drivers in general, but something about Marie's eyes worries me about this photograph...

 

[alan]

The kids played for a little while in Toontown, looking at Mickey and Minnie's houses



and suddenly we happened on some characters. I'm not sure who these fellows are (I think one signed himself "Big Al")



But I recognised the mice from Cinderella, and felt honoured to offer them my arm(s)



That done, we went to Fantasyland - first stop was lunch



and then we did Buzz Lightyear and Mickey's Philharmagic - a wonderful show I could watch time and again!

But by then the kids were really tired, whiney and pleading to go back to the hotel and be allowed to play in the pool. All told, it seemed a good idea even though it was only around 3pm.

So, we went back to Toontown to board the train



and went back to the main entrance. We stopped for a moment to enjoy the band (I could have spent much longer there, but that wasn't to be)



Then we went back to the hotel, where the kids played in the pool





and I checked out the beach



I'd love to pretend that Marie and I really did get a chance to rest and relax in the hammocks at the beach, but I cannot tell a lie. This was a posed picture, not representative of real life!



The bulk of the rest of the evening was an exercise in keeping the two kids apart from one another as they were tired, irritable and snapping at each other all the time. Bed couldn't come soon enough!

 

[alan]

Day 03 - 29-Jul - Animal Kingdom

Animal Kingdom. Uncle John loves Animal Kingdom, it's his favourite park. Me? I'm just not so sure. I konw that standards are a thousand times better than most zoos, but there are still animals in captivity, and I'm a bit torn about that.

Anyway, I have to admit that we hardly saw any animals today... it was one of "those" days.

It all started well enough; the kids were still a little nippy at each other but a long lie in the morning helped loads. We had breakfast in the hotel. The little plastic tubs they sell cereal in are great... what a pity that the cereals they sell all seem to be sweetened so enthusiastically. By the end of the holiday, I do think I might have killed for a nice bowl of Jordan's muesli!

That done, we went back to the room, freshened up and went to the bus stop for the Animal Kingdom bus.

I tried to get Marie to be a tiger, roaring and growling at me for the photo. Somehow, I think she maybe felt a little bit inhibited!



You wouldn't tell it from this picture, but we were in fact seeing some improvement in the kids today. The long lie definitely helped and while they both had their moments for the rest of the holiday, the worst was past and we were much more able to relax and enjoy the holiday...



...well, except for the moment when we went in, and Jenni lashed out at her brother. I don't know why, but it seemed a good moment for a quiet father/daughter discussion. We got to see some pretty animals



and any suggestion that I threatened to feed her to this fellow if there was more misbehaviour would be entirely incorrect!



Soon, Jenni and I completely understood one another



and were able to rejoin our party. We peered through the darkness, and found the others... Wait a bit... darkness? In the morning? That must mean... wow, look at that cloud cover!

Any doubt in our mind was assuaged by the lads standing outside It's A Bug's Life who were encouraging us to go in by shouting "Come in, it's an indoor show and it's dry inside!"

So in we went. There is a really long passageway to get to the cinema where It's A Bug's Life is shown. I felt a bit like Theseus going to face the minotaur. Indeed, I have a theory that the show is in fact not in Animal Kingdon at all, but an abandoned part of Epcot... But I digress.

We reached the cinema and after a short wait



we got to go into the anteroom, where we all posed elegantly in our 3D glasses



The rain was already belting down outside, so we were glad to be under cover. The show was excellent - it's one that we remember vividly from last time - and we still let out the obligatory squeals at the end!

All too soon the show was finished, and we were sent outside. Now, since this was the park I wasn't convinced about we were probably less organised for this one than any of the other parks we visited (I did most of the organisation). We weren't sure what to do next so when we passed Finding Nemo and there was no queue, it seemed natural to go in.

We had quite a long wait before the show started, but once it did start it was an excellent show.The production values were extraordinary - I've never been to Broadway but I have been at the West End, and this matched that for sure. And I am as sure as I can be that the singing was live... if not the miming was extraordinarily good.

Lighting, direction, acting, choreography... all excellent. Not entirely sure that I found much in the music to like, but you can't be too choosy.

Now, a slight aside here. A major hobby of mine is photographing stage musicals. You can see my work at http://www.stagepics.co.uk. I only mention this to make it clear that when I do so, I do it much better than in the Nemo pictures below. I had the wrong lens, and the post-processing is pretty lousy. But the pics give an idea of the feel of the thing

 

[alan]

We enjoyed the show, and by the time we got out the sun was shining brightly. Mount Everest stood tall above us



and we were ready for lunch! So Uncle John chose the Yak & Yeti Cafe, which I have to say was an excellent choice. We ate outside, with the sun beating down on us really strongly. Having complained about the rain all morning, we now were trying to find shelter from the heat of the sun... are we never happy?

After lunch, we wandered around aimlessly for a while, enjoying the theming





and the scenery



until I decided that I really had to try Expedition Everest. I have to admit to not being totally a roller coaster person, but I eventually decided that I was going to do it.

It's an impressive ride... because what goes up...

 

[alan]

very soon, and very rapidly, comes down



Truth is, I don't remember coming down this slope... I think I must have been concentrating so hard on the plastic of the car that I completely failed to look around me!

By the time I got out, the rain was coming down pretty impressively. Everyone except me donned large plastic bags (okay, okay.... ponchos). I decided I would just get wet



and we went to the fairground (Chester and Hester's)



This was okay, but I felt a little cheated that you were asked to pay for the entertainment available. However, both Jenni and Cameron won soft toys on the "bounce a ball into the jam jar" stall, so we did okay.

Cameron decided he wanted to do his first roller coaster, so we spent a lifetime or two queuing up for Primeval whirl. We ended up in a car with a mother and son that we didn't know, but Cameron did very well on the coaster. Full marks to him for having the courage to do it!





After that, we went back to the hotel. Once again, the kids seemed happier at the pool than anywhere else, so we stayed there for a while.

We had thought of going to Downtown Disney on this day, but in the evening we were all so tired that we were quite happy just to go to the "posh" restaurant in the hotel, Shutters. We even got dressed up for the occasion



The food there was excellent - most of the adults each had a 12oz steak - and the service unbeatable. I noticed how the sommelier was careful to ensure that the label of the wine bottle was always visible while he opened the bottle. Very impressive!

So the summary is a good day all round... we went to an early bed feeling content and ready for our early rise the following morning

 

[alan]

The 4F Trip Report

Day 04 - 30-Jul - EPCOT

Last time we were at Disneyworld, in 2006, the Experimental Prototype Community Of Tomorrow was our favourite place. Not so much the Futureworld section, but the World Showcase. The pace can be whatever you want, you aren't forced to go from queue to queue for one ride after another, rather you can just wander round the lagoon at your own pace, taking in the countries you pass and enjoying the scenery. The Kidcot stations give the kids something to do too, so everyone really loved it and we were keen to go back.

Not only that, but today was going to be extra-special because we were going to have a royal breakfast with the Princesses!

However, after enjoying a leisurely meal last night, everyone was rather tired. The net result of that was that we were a touch late getting out of the hotel, and last minute work was needed to improve the appearance of our own Disney Princess!


We arrived on time, however, well before the park opened. The left-most turnstile had a hand-written sign inviting Character Breakfast gusts to go to it, we got checked through that and walked into EPCOT. Boy, was it deserted!





















I've put loads of these in because it's just so pretty... I think that my favourite is USA through the fence, but there are lots of others that I like too! I've got more like them at home, but I couldn't get quite as many as I would have liked because everyone else was rushing to get to

 

[alan]

Given how quiet everywhere else was, Aksershus was surprisingly busy:


But I suppose that that's no great surprise when there's a Royal Banquet on the go


We checked in, and waited for a while under this fellow's watchful gaze


until this lady invited us in.


At that point, things seemed to shift into high gear - we joined a queue to be photographed with Belle - one of my daughter with Belle and another with my wife and me with her. Cameron just wasn't interested in anything as girly as being photographed with a Princess!




Then on to the meal. It was a very good breakfast indeed, and the surroundings were magnificent - they truly looked authentic and the scale of the room and the ceilings was great. Our server, in complete contrast to Chef Mickey's, was excellent. Further, we had visits from all of the Princesses and great photo opportunities - so I don't want it to seem as if I am complaining.

And yet it still felt... rushed. A shame, that, but it wasn't too bad. It certainly didn't dent our enjoyment and we had a lovely meal.

Soon enough, the meal was over and it was time to go out. And by this time, a pretty fair wind had sprung up

(that's a shutter speed of 1/320s, and the motor was not switched on - it's the wind that's blowing these fans around!)

Trying hard not to think about the weather forecast, which was talking about exceptionally heavy rain, we decided what to do next. World Showcase hadn't opened yet, so instead we walked back towards Futureworld. On the way we saw that World Showcase was still being prepared for the day's visitors - these guys were clearing the trash from the lagoon!


I do so like these banners - they make great subject for photographs!


The gardens too were beautiful




The kids came across a man who told them all about the Kim Possible challenge - and they were hooked on the idea.

 

[alan]

However, that would have to wait until the World Showcase opened. Uncle John wanted to get a fastpass for Test Track, so we walked there. Cameron took great delight in doing the boy thing, walking with his Uncle. Jenni, on the other hand, chose to play in the fountains.


In spite of her promises, of course, she got wet... But that wouldn't be the last soaking we'd be getting that day.

We got ourselves to Futureworld without incident, then John and I went for Fastpasses while everyone else went to the restroom. And when we all met up again, it was very clear that the weather was taking a turn for the worse. It was time to go to Innoventions... Now!

We got there as the first drops of rain were falling. And by the time I looked around, this was what I saw


The kids got a great lesson on fire safety, designed to make the parents feel guilty. Do we really need an outdoor rendezvous point in the case of fire? Our house isn't that big! Oh well, okay then...


They loved playing on the fire engine


Then we went to a presentation by the Velcro company. By this point I'm thinking that EPCOT really is stretching its "educational" remit pretty far, but the kids got to play a game on stage, so they were delighted...


All the more so when Uncle John was selected for a game too! How many diapers could he fit to dollies... which of course fastened with "Hook and Loop Fastener by the Velcro Company"


Eventually the rain went off and we went out to use our Test Track Fastpasses. Even with Fast pass, we had to wait for over half an hour because of the inclement weather. However it was a great run. Maybe a little dated now, however? Anti-lock braking systems aren't the novelty that the ride presents them as being...

While Uncle John and I were on Test Track, the rest of the party was following the kids around doing Kim Possible. And I have to say, the kids absolutely loved it. Listening to the clues on the fake mobile phone and solving the puzzles really worked well for them, but alas the weather didn't co-operate.

Uncle John and I met the others at Norway, where we were sheltering from the rain and having a coffee. The in-laws decided at that point to head back to the hotel because they were having no fun, but I took on my best "your skin is waterprrof, what's the problem" approach, and we moved on to Mexico




before the heavens absolutely opened. I mean, seriously opened. They were talking about it on the weather channel for days afterwards. I thought my camera was a goner for sure, and any thoughts of continuing the quest had to be abandoned. With our tails betwen our legs we turned and headed back to the exits, thereafter getting onto a bus and going back to the hotel.

That evening's meal was to be in Tapan Edo (sp?) in Japan. But nobody had any interest in going back out, so I called to cancel it. The kids sat watching the Disney channel on the hotel room TV, and in the evening we ate in the quick service restaurants in the hotel.

Oh well, you can't expect perfection - maybe the weather will be better tomorrow!

 

[alan]

Day 05 - 01-Jul - A Day In The Hotel

I think it was going for breakfast that we relaised the problem. The fact that we were soaked once we reached Old Port Royale. That was it. Yesterday's weather hadn't gone away.


So we had a very lazy morning and afternoon, spent around the hotel. We bought pre-pay cards for the video games arcade, and the kids played in that for a time. Then we went back to our room and the kids watched TV for a while.

This day had been planned as a "day off" anyway, but my expectations had been that there would be a day in the swimming pool, not one watching the rain falling.

One thing we had talked about doing was going to see Cirque du Soleil - La Nouba, and the sheer frustration of spending a day watching the rain falling helped us decide. I phoned up from the hotel and booked five seats - DW, DS, DD, Uncle John and me.

Around late afternoon we went to Downtown Disney. The weather had even improved enough that we were able to stand outside without geting soaked!




It was time for dinner. While there, we noticed a new restaurant that hadn't been there last time we were in WDW. T-REX. To my horror, and the kids' delight, it had a dinosaur-flavoured variant of "Build A Bear" right there, in the restaurant. Luckily, the theming outside was enough to distract the kids and we managed to avoid going inside.


Being a Scot, of course, I loved having Nessie nearby


For dinner we went to the Raglan Road pub.


This place is a strong favourite of my parents-in-law, and the food is a pleasant antidote to all of the excessive sugar in some of the other meals. And it serves cider too!

But wow, the dessert was a bit excessive.


We were getting a bit worried about time, but got out of the pub in time to get to Cirque du Soleil. Photography was strictly forbidden when the show was on, but this gives you an idea of the size of the auditorium


The show was simply stunning - I have no other way to describe it! Absolutely fantastic, and worth every penny we spent on it.

After that and a short trip to the souvenir shop, we went back outside and met Granny and Granda. They had been wandering around Downtown Disney and had decided that they were going to buy a dinosaur from the Rainforest Cafe for each of the kids. So we went back there, stopping off at the Harley Davidson for a couple of photographs.


Once at the Rainforest Cafe it took me very little time to realise how much I hated the place. It was just too loud and - ven for Disneyworld - too obviously exploitative. I spent most of my time outside taking photos of the sunset




But eventually went back in and took some photos of the kids with their new toys


That done, we jumped on a bus and went back to the hotel. What had started out as a bit of a washout became quite a good day in the end

 

[alan]

Day 06 - 02-Jul - Typhoon Lagoon and Downtown Disney

So we were rained off yesterday at the hotel, and we were rained off the day before that at EPCOT. It seems faintly bizarre that we were going to go to a water park today, but such are the vagaries of planning ahead!

We weren't in any particular rush to get out of the hotel, as the weather was clearing but not yet cleared. Eventually, however, we managed to get ourselves breakfasted (I was becoming rather partial to the strawberry parfaits that the restaurant sold... I noticed that they didn't have a list of the number of calories that they contained!), sorted out and out of our rooms.

The kids were really looking forward to the water park, having had a great time at Aqualand in France the previous year


(the spotty things they were wearing were from the Boden catalogue - they were unbelievably practical for water parks - I just wish I had the freedom to wear something similar!)

We got to Typhoon Lagoon and the sun was so strong I seriously thought about buying a rash vest there rather than trusting to the sunscreen. However, I decided to save my money for now, and instead managed to arrange for a picture or two


As always, the theming is excellent


We crossed over the Lazy River


and entered the park proper.


Now for anyone who hasn't been to Typhoon Lagoon, there are a number of slides and attractions, all centred around a large lagoon. A huge tidal wave crashes across that lagoon every so often. So when I was taking this photo, the gentlemanly thing to do would have been to warn Marie and the kids that something huge was about to hit them!


And if you doubt it, this is what it feels like to be hit by the wave Youtube Link

Strangely, it turns out that when you get really far towards the source of the wave, you don't really feel so much force - it's the people who hang back that really get the full force of the wave. Look at this video - the people at the left of the picture, where the wave starts, just swim over it. It's the folk who are in the shallows that get knocked off their feet:
Youtube link

As you'd expect, the entire lagoon is carefully watched by lifeguards:


So we spent a good three or four hours before going back to the hotel, tired but having had a great time


Photography Note
All of the photographs up to this point today were taken using a Vivitar 5399 camera. This was bought from Asda for just £39.99, which included the camera and a waterproof case for it. Given that a waterproof case for a Canon Ixus would cost over £120 without the camera, this is an amazingly good deal!

The little camera isn't perfect - for example, the inside of the case can suffer from condensation if you open it up in a humid environment, but it's well worth the money and I have had great fun with it. If you can still find it at Asda I would highly recommend it!


When we got back to the hotel, we had a lovely towel animal left for us.


We showered, changed and went to our ADR - the Raglan Road pub. The same place as we ate last night! Not the best of planning, but there were no objections raised either. Tonight, there was a two-piece Irish band (from Manchester) to provide entertainment. They were very good, but so poorly lit that I totally failed to get a decent shot of them!

As well as the band, there was an Irish dancer. When she wasn't dancing, she was the greeter at the front door of the pub. But every so often she was called up to a table that served as a stage, and she danced for a number or two:




So we ate a lovely meal (though I would advise that you avoid the Bread and Butter pudding... I couldn't work out how to eat that) before going back to the Caribbean Beach Resort for a comparatively early bed.

 

[alan]

Day 07 - 03-Jul-2009 - Hollywood Studios and Spirit of Aloha

Today's trip report is not recommended for anyone on a dial-up link. There are going to be a lot of photographs here. When I started editing them I found that I took just over 1,200 today, and I have edited that down to 215 "good 'uns". We'll see how many of those make it into today's trippie!

Okay, this was Saturday 3rd of July, and it was down in the calendar as being mostly free. I say "mostly" because we had ADRs for the Spirit of Aloha dinner show in the evening.

Marie felt that she wanted to go to Hollywood Studios, and since nobody had any objections, that was where we went.


We could see that the crowds were getting a little heavier, but I still feel that they are considerably lighter than they were three years ago when we were last in WDW. The recession, it seems, is real!

It was quiet enough that Marie had one of those "alone in the crowd" moments, though I think that this was probably just a fleeting moment!


The first thing we really noticed was the High School Musical 3 show. This was performed just in front of Mickey's hat, and it was loud! Maybe too loud? Or is that just me?


The kids didn't seem terribly interested in watching the show, which surprised me a little. Jenni, in particular, loves watching stage shows. But neither she nor Cameron wanted to stay for the rest of the performance, and so we went instead to the Indiana Jones show


This was its usual excellent self, and we thoroughly enjoyed it. How these people manage to perform the show day in, day out, three or four times each day, and still remain so fresh, I don't know. Full credit to them for doing it, though!


Jenni was very unconvinced about the show, however. She had taken a bit of a dislike to loud noises and anything else that could be considered remotely scarey. So this was just not for her, and she spent most of the time cuddling in to mummy. So when we came out and suggested going to Motors, Camera, Action! she "gracefully" declined.

Uncle John and the parents-in-law went to see the show anyway, and when I tried to persuade Jenni to go with them she got distinctly huffy. It was clear that mummy was the friend of the moment, and so when mummy took Jenni to the Honey I Shrunk The Kids playpark, I went to get Fastpasses for Toy Story Mania instead.

Well, that was the plan. There were no Fastpasses left for the day, so instead I went on Star Tours. Now, it may be a sign of how empty the parks were that I was able to do a walk-on without really pausing except to take the odd photograph:


The theming is great, but what you end up in is a simulator ride - a kind of sub-Soarin' where you are given to feel that you are travelling in space and taking part in certain scenes from Star Wars. Which is good, but did tend to leave me feeling a little motion sick. Oh well, such is life.

I came out and watched a Jedi Academy session


Cameron and the in-laws arrived, so I felt that I had to take a picture of him getting shot at by a Walker


Jenni and Marie arrived, with Jenni opining that the play area wasn't up to much. Lunch seemed like a good distraction activity at this point, so we went to the Backlot Express, where we had a very nice meal. Towards the end of it, I asked if anyone cared to go on Tower of Terror with me. Silence. I was on my own. Okay, no problem - please excuse me while I go and get a Fastpass - you sit here and have coffee.

On the way, I heard the announcements that the Block Party Bash was about to start. A frantic phone call to get everyone out of the restaurant and to the parade route, and I completely forgot about my Fastpass.

I stopped to ask a Cast Member about the parade route, and she explained that it stops every so often throughout the route to do a little show, before moving on to the next location. Since I read on her badge that she was from China, I said "Xie xie" to her (pronounced sheeyah-sheeyah) - it's "thank you" in Mandarin. She seemed totally delighted that someone would know even that from Chinese, and was keenly trying to have a conversation with me. Which was lovely, and normally I'd have been delighted to converse with a pretty Chinese girl. Except that I needed to round up my family and get them to the right place for the parade now!

There were a lot of Chinese cast members this year. I hope that they are paid the same as cast members from anywhere else, and that this is truly internationalism and not something akin to outsourcing.

Okay, on to the parade. It was led by the soldiers from Toy Story and had lots of dancing, singing and a mobile trampoline on which a group of fit young men did acrobatics. Probably easier to let the pictures tell the story:

 

[alan]

The soldiers wear a curious mesh uniform - not terribly clear in this photo, but noticeable when they are sillhouetted against the sky. I guess this is cooler than a thick fabric.






Jenni was invited out to dance with one of the cast members




As the parade moved away, we decided that we would follow their example. A couple of hours in the pool before the dinner show sounded like a good idea. However, we had promised Cameron that he could get an Indiana Jones gun, so we went out of the park via the little stall beside the Indiana Jones show. And it was here I made a terrible mistake.

Cameron chose the gun he wanted, and I let everyone else go ahead while I paid for it. And when the girl politely asked if I wanted the gun delivered to my hotel, I said "yes". Cameron had only been waiting for this since we last had been at WDW, three years before, and thought he was going to get it there and then. His crestfallen look when I told him that it would arrive in the hotel tomorrow made me feel really bad. Sorry, Cameron!

You could have cut the atmosphere in our hotel room with a knife for a little while - it was definitely a case of "Bad Daddy" - but eventually we went out to the pool. On the way I took a picture of this little fellow


There were loads of these wee guys around the hotel, and the kids had a great time chasing them. They never caught one, of course. I can only assume that they were harmless, otherwise I am sure that Disney would have made sure there were none running around our hotel!

After a time spent splashing around the pool and showering afterwards, we left the hotel for the Polynesian resort and the Spirit Of Aloha show.

The journey was in two parts - the bus to the Magic Kingdom, and then the monorail to the Polynesian.

As we boarded the monorail, we found that the "front" - the driver's area - had two spaces, and so we sent the kids in. They had a great time there, learning all about the monorail from the driver. Marie, of course, spent most of her time panicking that they weren't in her sight, but they emerged happily when we got to the resort. In the light of things that happened the next day, I hope the kids remember that particular experience for a ling time to come.

We arrived at the Polynesian resort, which is beautiful, and walked through it to get to the Luau, where we were presented with our Lei


We were also photographed as a group. Later in the show, the waiter tried to sell us the photographs for US$30. That seemed a little steep, given that we had just had photographs included in the price of the Akershus character breakfast, and we declined them.

We had a short wait before dinner was ready, so we took advantage of it to get a couple of photographs in the golden time just as the sun was settings




and then we were shown in to our tables. We were lucky enough to get a front-row seat, and so were guaranteed a good view

 

[alan]

The starter was already on the table, and we had complimentary drinks through the evening. So even though the show cost us two DDP table service meal credits, it was pretty good value.

We had a Hawaiian style band to entertain us while we ate our starter


and after we had eaten that, we met "Aunt Wilma" who was to be our master (mistress?) of ceremonies


She invited the children up to learn how to hula


and then invited up anyone with a birthday that week. Poor granny didn't have a chance of avoiding going up with two children to clipe (Scottish word) on her


Just before we ate our main course, the meagre story behind the show was explained - there was a girl returning to the island and there was to be a celebration for the event


After the main course, something happened that I don't think is part of the normal run of the show. This was 3rd July, and so it was one of the nights that the special extended Indepdence Day Wishes is performed at Magic Kingdom. So we were all invited to leave our tables and go down to the beach to watch the show!

I got the family settled, then started to panic. I had brought tripod, Gorillapod, beanbag and remote control to WDW, and they were all sitting in the hotel room. All I had was my camera - where could I put it so that I could get good pictures? Frantically I walked the length of the beach and, just as I decided that there was a good location at the other end of the beach from where I was, the show started.

I have to say that I can't imagine anywhere having a better view than we did that night from the Polynesian. The show was astoundingly impressive, the music beautifully orchestrated, the fireworks hugely impressive and marvellously synchronised. The little barges I saw on the Day 02 were being used to show the US flags, and the fireworks were breaking over Cinderella's Castle (which you can see in most of the pictures if you look closely). Absolutely marvellous!






In this picture, I tried to expose to let you see something of the audience. Sitting or standing on the beach, relaxed and enjoying the view - a great sense of unspoken companionship.




The finalé


There was something slightly other-worldly about being a British tourist, using a Japanese camera to shoot a celebration that used Chinese-invented techniques to celebrate American independence!

 

[alan]

Okay, back to the dinner where dessert had been served. The show resumed!






The final part of the show was a fire-dancer. Any risk of Cameron dozing off was immediately lost as he stood amazed by the danger that this fellow was facing






And that was it! A great evening's entertainment, and it was now time to go home to our hotel and sleep.

Except that there was an Extra agic Hour going on at the Magic Kingdom, and the monorail took us right there, and... Marie, the kids and I decided it was too good an opportunity to miss


We were in time to catch some of the Spectromagic parade

 

[alan]

but the truth was that the kids really wanted to do some of the Fantasyland rides. We made our way up Main St USA and eventually got to Fantasyland, with the castle beautifully illuminated behind us


and went on... the Tea Cups


After that, we went on a few other rides. The kids had a go at the Sword In The Stone


and as the clock tolled midnight, we went on Small World




Hey, we'd just seen these girls in real life!




And then it really was time to leave




Truly an excellent day, with a few unexpected pleasures!

 

[alan]

Day 08 - 04-Jul-2009 - Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios and Fantasmic

The 4th of July. Independence Day. Busy parks. Late night last night. This was carefully planned to be a relaxed day, just to be spent in and around the pool. But things never quite work to plan, and it turned out that today was the only day that I could fit Fantasmic into the mix. I was wanting to go for the Fantasmic dining plan, where you eat in a nominated restaurant and get a ticekt to let you into a special area of the Fantasmic arena for the show, but with it being the 4th of July, the only restaurant I could book was the Brown Derby - the most expensive restaurant in the park!

Never mind. Did I say a day for everyone to splash around the pool? Well, almost. I decided that I wanted to hit the Magic Kingdom to take some better photographs of the show I had seen on the first day, and also I wanted to go and collect the car for tomorrow's trip to the Kennedy Space Center. So I left the others at the pool and got the bus to Magic Kingdom.

I arrived about 10am, and was able to get in easily. The place was buzzing with excitement, and was very busy. There was a cast member at the entrance handing out little "Stars and Stripes" plastic pins - I collected one for each of the children and suppressed a smile when I noticed that they were Made In China.

There were characters I didn't recognise:




And then I noticed the barber shop quartet. I followed them through the crowd and managed to catch up with them. They were singing "Nellie Dean" to an old lady who was obviously knocked out by it. They sang beautifully!


After a couple of songs I left and walked to the castle. Since there was still half an hour or so until the show, I tried a few photos of the local flora and statuary






And then there there was nothing to do but wait.

About ten minutes before the show, Mr Pyro Man came along and placed all the pyros into their holders. Note the good technique here, making sure that the pyro is pointed away from his face as he inserts it into the holder. Get that wrong, and any residual charge in the firing circuit could really ruin your day...


A few minutes after he had gone, another stage crew member walked round checking all that had been done - very impressive examples of best practice here!

At last the show started - Donald, Minnie, and (oh heck, I can never remember whether it's Pluto or Goofy!) a dog, along with a beautiful chorus.


The dancers seem intent on doing as many pirouettes as possible, to show off their previously alluded to recession-busting legs (don't worry, I'll only put one such picture in here - there's no recession at the Dibb!)


Now the dancers I know say it's not fair - boys can get away with much more than women can. Looking at the high kicks of the dancers on the left of this picture, the girls may have a point!


Then we get the Princesses and their Consorts:


But Donald gets fed up with this, looking for some boyish excitement and adventure, and none of this wussy girly stuff. So in comes a boy in tights. Everyone dresses up as Pirates, and we get a bit of yo-ho-hoing

(Drat! Another flash of leg there. Sorry. Won't happen again)

 

[alan]

Just as the merry japing is going full tilt, who appears but a real baddy - Captain Hook. But Peter Pan makes short work of him


And just as he's going away, who should appear but... erm... a lady with a green face

(Hey, that's the pyro we saw being fitted earlier!)

She says that she's had enough of this "dreams" nonsense - the world will be a nightmare. The good guys say that that's just horrible, and everyone's good dreams will defeat her. She says "oh no they won't", the goodies say "oh yes they will", everyone in the audience helps the goodies and nasty old green face vanishes in a puff of pyro and a round of applause.

Everyone's happy and does a wee dance

(Aargh! More legs. Sorry)

I pack up my kit and leave the Magic Kingdom, pausing momentarily because there's a parade and I can't get out - I might as well take a picture or two


Okay, back to using the past tense. The excitement has left me a little bit "American Newscaster".

I left the Magic Kingdom and got the Monorail to the Ticketing and Transportation Centre. Center. Bah. From there I got a shuttle bus to the Alamo/National car rental desk, and I brought out my documents. That showed that I could collect the car on 05-Jul. Oh ######!

It would have cost me US$100 to hire the car for an extra day. Given that all it would do for that day would be to sit in the hotel's car park, I decided that that was just silly and I would get it tomorrow morning. So the nice man with the shuttle bus drove me back to the hotel, leaving me feeling pretty silly!

We played in the pool for a while, then it was time for our (somewhat early) dinner at the Brown Derby. So we went for the bus. On the way, Granny decided that she wanted a warm cardigan for the evening, and so she, Granda and Uncle John went back to the hotel room, and Marie, the kids and I went on to Hollywood Studios.

Once again, there were characters I didn't recognise:

(oops, more legs... don't think these ones count!)

and we got ourselves checked in at the restaurant.

Granny caught up, and went for the special 4th of July Marguerita


We ate what I must say was a very nice meal. Was it worth two DDP credits? No, not to me, but it was still very nice

After the meal we had a little time to kill. Cameron noticed a "stamped penny" machine, something he has been fascinated for many years of his short life. So he got one stamped


and while there, he and Jenny noticed the Disney pins for the first time. Without going into too much detail, Jenni bought a starter kit and Cameron bought a lanyard and two or three Star Wars pins. It'll be interesting to see where, if anywhere, this hobby goes.

Right, it's time for Fantasmic and I have changed tense again. I'll stop that now.

We went to our allocated area, and were glad we were able to do so as the main area was standing room only


As we sat and waited for the show to start, the night gradually got darker and the lights, without changing intensity, began to pick out features on the rocks. A very clever and well-done presentation. Just before the show started, I nipped off to get a beer (plus one each for Granda and Uncle John) and arrived in perfect time for the show to start.

I'm not going to claim that I really "got" the story in detail, but the spectacle was amazing. So, as something of a cop-out, here are a few photos, interspersed with comments

It's all about Mickey




Videos are projected onto fountains... immensely clever.

 

[alan]

I think that these Britons are baddies, but I was cheering them on!






A dragon around is never a good sign


Especially when s/he sets fire to the lake. And believe me, when you're near the front, you can really feel the heat from these flames!






Guess what? Mickey wins in the end


And then we left. We thought about trying to go and see if we could get into Toy Story Mania, but the main square under the hat was absolutely hoaching (that's Scots for "very busy"). Of course, people were waiting for the July 4th fireworks... so we did the same.

Here's the hat with its lights in the sky


And here we have Marie and Jenni waiting patiently for the show to start.


And we finish off with a couple of fireworks shots




The first tune played was an arrangement of the US National Anthem, which faded out and was replaced by "Born in the USA". As it ended, the chap beside me whooped, really loudly, "Rock and Roll U-S-A". I thought about the reaction an equivalent shout would get in the UK, and truly I don't know whether we have it right or the Americans have.

When we left the park, the buses were of course very busy, but the service was frequent and the queues cleared quickly.

And then, for the first time this holiday, I had to set my alarm clock to get me up in the morning. Well, I had a car to collect, hadn't I?

 

[alan]

Day 09 - 05-Jul-2009 - Kennedy Space Center

I was awoken rather rudely this morning by the alarm clock at 7am. I had heard that such times existed on holiday, but had never really seen any evidence for it until now.

As quietly as possible, I got dressed and slipped out - into the somewhat unexpected mist that gave a totally different feel to the Caribbean Beach Resort






So after one walk to Old Port Royale I was at the concierge's desk, and asked the lady if she was able to phone the on-resort Magic Kingdom Car Care Center and ask for a courtesy bus to be sent for me. Oh no, but she could give me a phone number for them. What's with that?

I used my mobile to phone and was told that sure, a courtesy bus could be sent. Around 0930. Hmm... that wasn't the plan. I said it was okay, I would just get the bus to the Magic Kingdom and then the monorail out to the Car Care Center. "No," I was told, "the monorail isn't running today."

Very strange. So I asked the concierge about this; she confirmed it wasn't running and wouldn't be for a couple of days to come. And she was no more forthcoming than that. Sounded as if something bad had happened. She was, however, willing to get me a taxi which turned up shortly thereafter, and duly took me out to the Car Care Center.

The car - an eight-seater of some flavour - was kind-of all right. Well, okay, it stank. Of what, I'm not sure - just general staleness, I think. But it was July 4th weekend, and it was "take it or leave it". I took it and, I have to say, once I worked out how to switch the air conditioning out of recirculate mode, the smell dissipated.

I drove back to our hotel, got some breakfast, and we were ready to go to the Kennedy Space Center.

This was something I was looking forward to. This was Disney's "Imagine" transformed into real life. This was where men were heroic and people did extraordinarily cool things. This was going to be good.

The journey was straightforward, and we got out of the car in searing heat. The car told me that the temperature in the shade was 35C, and that was around 10:00! (I left the display in "metric" mode - I wonder whether the next renter got really confused about that?)

We found the centre pretty quiet, and were easily able to exchange our voucher for tickets. But the moment we got through, I began to feel a little let down. There was a lot of "stuff" on display, like information on the International Space Station


the "Rocket Garden"


Even a Saturn rocket (it's huge


and I guess everyone has to take one of these


There was a mock-up of the Saturn's control area, where it was hard to believe that three grown men in space suits could work together


But it was all just "stuck out there" with a few noticeboards to tell us what each display was. The only thing that really bought anything to life was the nosecone mockup, where we could sit and pretend to be astronauts.

The kids found the place they wanted to go


yes, a big soft play area. We stayed there for a little while before going to watch an IMAX 3D movie about the International Space Station, and that did begin to bring some sense of Inspiration back.

That faded when we went out to lunch. The Orbit Cafe? As the Americans might say, puh-leeeeez!


Having said that, the lunch wasn't bad and we then went onto a bus tour.

Our first stop was near the launch pad. Now this was more like it. We went past the Vehicla Assembly Building - VAB - where the rockets are built and the Space Shuttle refitted after each flight. It's the tallest building in the world.

We saw the "crawler," the vehicle that carries the shuttle from the VAB to the launch pad, at a speed of around one mile per hour.


We could see the tracks along which it went, too