Anyone Game? 2 Castles and a Road Trip TR! Last Day and TR Wrap Up! #2796; 10/01

[dolphingirl47]

I love the photos from inside the Little Mermaid ride. What a shame that you did not get the chance to visit the Beast's castle.

Corinna

 

[zanzibar138]

You have a great neighbourhood PIO Lovely area surrounded by very nice homes... ahem castles... and welcoming neighbours. What more could you want?

 

[WanderlustNZ]

Great Update.

I was pleased that crane didn't last long. It was there on our first day at MK, but gone a few days later.

 

[LegoMom3]

I see Cinderella's Crane is back! (They were doing maintenance on the castle on our last family trip, too, and my DH came to call it that...).

I'm anxious to check out the full new Fantasyland. I was last there over a year ago, and there were still so many walls up all over the place that it was just extra squished trying to get around. I didn't linger.

Ariel's face in the Thingamabob shot is creepy. Do her eyes move??!

.

 

[franandaj]

Great pictures of the various castles! I have to check out the castle at Ariels ride. it was down on our January trip and we never made it there last trip. I pledge to do that and the seven dwarves on the next one.

 

[mvf-m11c]

Very nice pictures at the MK that morning. Cinderella Castle looks amazing every time I see it.

It was nice to see your pictures of the Little Mermaid ride at the MK. The DCA version and MK are exactly the same ride experience where the exterior is different. I like the exterior of the MK over the DCA by far. I was wondering what was the wait time to ride the Little Mermaid ride when you rode it that morning? I have seen that the LM ride at the MK can get long wait times unlike the DCA version where it is a walk-on.

Nice update.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Lovely pics of Ariel's ride!

Thanks. It's a fun ride to shoot.

Love love love this ride! A lot of folks said it was disappointing but being a massive The Little Mermaid fan we thought it was delightful. Those little clam shells! You should see the disabled clam shell the way it opens so clever!

No meeting with Ariel? Oh PIO you missed a treat...

I have a DS. There was no chance of me even getting close.
Lovely picture of you two!

I'm back from my trip and all caught up! So excited that you are now at the MK part of the TR!

Welcome back. Hope you had a great trip.

I love the photos from inside the Little Mermaid ride. What a shame that you did not get the chance to visit the Beast's castle.

Corinna

I live in hope......for a NEXT time. Sadly, DH isn't too keen on heading back anytime soon. And he's right. We really should see other parts of the world first.

You have a great neighbourhood PIO Lovely area surrounded by very nice homes... ahem castles... and welcoming neighbours. What more could you want?

Thanks. About the only thing that I could want is a PERMANENT room there.

Great Update.

I was pleased that crane didn't last long. It was there on our first day at MK, but gone a few days later.

One of the things that Ken Duncan told us was to remember that our pictures were a snapshot of history. It was his way of telling us that we should just accept whatever comes our way and keep taking the shot rather than wishing for "perfection". And he's right. Everyone has pictures of the Castle. How many pictures do you see of the Castle with the value-added crane? I have a "rare" feature in mine.

I see Cinderella's Crane is back! (They were doing maintenance on the castle on our last family trip, too, and my DH came to call it that...).

I'm anxious to check out the full new Fantasyland. I was last there over a year ago, and there were still so many walls up all over the place that it was just extra squished trying to get around. I didn't linger.

Ariel's face in the Thingamabob shot is creepy. Do her eyes move??!

.

Construction was just starting in 2010 and there were a few walls up too when I was last there. There was definitely less walls up this time round.

Ariel's eyes DID move.

Great pictures of the various castles! I have to check out the castle at Ariels ride. it was down on our January trip and we never made it there last trip. I pledge to do that and the seven dwarves on the next one.

I will look forward to your pictures. Can't wait to see what the 7 Dwarves looks like. The pictures released so far make me wish that our meet had been for 2014.

Very nice pictures at the MK that morning. Cinderella Castle looks amazing every time I see it.

It was nice to see your pictures of the Little Mermaid ride at the MK. The DCA version and MK are exactly the same ride experience where the exterior is different. I like the exterior of the MK over the DCA by far. I was wondering what was the wait time to ride the Little Mermaid ride when you rode it that morning? I have seen that the LM ride at the MK can get long wait times unlike the DCA version where it is a walk-on.

Nice update.

Thanks Bret. I think the official wait time was listed as 10 or 15 minutes. It was walk-on for us on this morning (it was shortly after 10 am).

 

[dhorner233]

Nice shots on the ride, as usual! I have never been able to get that eel!

 

[SunDial]

I will admit to being a lot jealous here. Guess who got the big cheese slice attention here? Birthday boy himself!

WOW . Now that is something

 

[SunDial]

I need to get back there with the 35 1.8 The last time on TLMR I was using the 2.8 and was happy with those.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Nice shots on the ride, as usual! I have never been able to get that eel!

Thanks Denise.

WOW . Now that is something

Isn't it just?

I looked at posting some of the other pics; but in every single one of them, DH's name could be clearly seen on that birthday button. Maybe I should have gone with the less is more option.

I need to get back there with the 35 1.8 The last time on TLMR I was using the 2.8 and was happy with those.

I'm starting to get GAS again (Gear Acquisiton Syndrome).

I'd be interested to see your 35 mm/f.18 pictures if you do. As the 2.8 wasn't working, I was relying on the 50 mm/f.18 for the dark ride shots. I knew it was way to close for the rides but then it was either that lens or experiment with the 10 -22 mm. It got me thinking of a 35 mm again.

 

[ACDSNY]

Off to a great start, I love the early park pics and you're family ones are cute. I was chuckling over the DH/Mickey pic too.

Give your DS another year or two and he'll beg to have a pic with Ariel.

 

[mvf-m11c]

I need to get back there with the 35 1.8 The last time on TLMR I was using the 2.8 and was happy with those.

Same here. I have shot with the 35mm f/1.8 lens on the LM ride at DCA and the quality is way better then the 2.8 that I have shot with my DSLR.

I'd be interested to see your 35 mm/f.18 pictures if you do. As the 2.8 wasn't working, I was relying on the 50 mm/f.18 for the dark ride shots. I knew it was way to close for the rides but then it was either that lens or experiment with the 10 -22 mm. It got me thinking of a 35 mm again.

When you were in DL back in September with me, we did ride the Little Mermaid at DCA and I used my 35mm f/1.8 lens on the ride. Some of the pictures turned out okay while some didn't turn out really well. I like the 35mm f/1.8 lens while it is wide enough for the dark rides. I tried the Tamron and they didn't came out good like the 35mm f/1.8 lens. I will have to rent the Nikon f/1.4 lens 35mm or 50mm one day.

Here are some pictures of the 35mm f/1.8 lens at the DCA version.

Aperture: f/1.8 Exposure 1/80 ISO 1600


Aperture: f/1.8 Exposure 1/80 ISO 1600

 

[franandaj]

I need to get back there with the 35 1.8 The last time on TLMR I was using the 2.8 and was happy with those.

OK I know this camera speak but it's all chinese to me!

i see your 35 mm/f.18 pictures if you do. As the 2.8 wasn't working, I was relying on the 50 mm/f.18 for the dark ride shots. I knew it was way to close for the rides but then it was either that lens or experiment with the 10 -22 mm. It got me thinking of a 35 mm again.

"Wa wa wa wa" as in Charlie brown.

I love your pictures. Im just to stressed out to understand the tech of how you take them. Someday I woukd love to get back into photography. I was more knowledgeable in 8th grade than I am now.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Off to a great start, I love the early park pics and you're family ones are cute. I was chuckling over the DH/Mickey pic too.

Give your DS another year or two and he'll beg to have a pic with Ariel.

Welcome back! Thanks.

I was wondering if DS was going to show an interest this trip. Maybe...kinda....sorta; would be how he/I would describe it . I expect it'll be different in a year or two as well.

Same here. I have shot with the 35mm f/1.8 lens on the LM ride at DCA and the quality is way better then the 2.8 that I have shot with my DSLR.




When you were in DL back in September with me, we did ride the Little Mermaid at DCA and I used my 35mm f/1.8 lens on the ride. Some of the pictures turned out okay while some didn't turn out really well. I like the 35mm f/1.8 lens while it is wide enough for the dark rides. I tried the Tamron and they didn't came out good like the 35mm f/1.8 lens. I will have to rent the Nikon f/1.4 lens 35mm or 50mm one day.

Here are some pictures of the 35mm f/1.8 lens at the DCA version.

Aperture: f/1.8 Exposure 1/80 ISO 1600


Aperture: f/1.8 Exposure 1/80 ISO 1600

Thanks Bret. Great pics as always.

I'm still hoping SunDial will post his pictures at the appropriate times.

OK I know this camera speak but it's all chinese to me!



"Wa wa wa wa" as in Charlie brown.

I love your pictures. Im just to stressed out to understand the tech of how you take them. Someday I woukd love to get back into photography. I was more knowledgeable in 8th grade than I am now.

Sorry. I'll try and keep the photobabble to a minimum. But I love that you even read it all and try to understand it.

 

[PrincessInOz]

NOT Butterbeer



I'd deliberately chosen to head straight to the new Fantasyland section of Magic Kingdom after our early breakfast at Crystal Palace this morning. It had been 3 years since my last visit and this section of the park had opened up during that period.
We had checked out the Little Mermaid and I found that there was little difference in the ride between the MK version and that of the DCA. The main difference had been the queueing area; which given how much more real estate is available at Magic Kingdom, it came as no surprise to find that the Imagineers had done a terrific job here.



Day 18 of this vacay; and it was yet another hot and sunny day for us. We were all in need of refreshment.







DS was not interested in what he considered to be minor characters in Princess movies; so I ended up having a chat with Gaston all by myself. Yes, I AM vertically challenged.







My boys? They'd gone into the Tavern.







They were checking out the various options. I got to them just in time. DH was in the process of getting iced water and I added an item to the order.







Given the breakfast we'd had, no one felt like eating.






We found an appropriate spot to sit and cool down in the Tavern. It is airconditioned!






The boys had no idea what I ordered. Neither of them had even heard of LeFrou Brew.






Although....after taking a look at it, DH did have an inkling. Afterall, he's a fan of the dark side that must not be named (yet).






LeFrou Brew is Disney’s answer to Harry Potter Butterbeer. It consists of apple juice slushie topped with a tropical (pineapple, mango, passionfruit) cream. For my money, I'll take the Butterbeer anyday. LeFrou Brew is NOT Butterbeer. The apple slushie is delightful but I think there is one tropical fruit too many in the mix and the balance is just a little 'off' for my tastes. Despite this, I was glad to have gotten to try this now. I believe it is available at DCA under a different name; but we didn't go seek it out there.



I got DH to take this picture of DS and me.








Gaston's Tavern had been a pretty nice place to stop for a rest and refreshment.


And this is my Gaston Photopass picture.







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[PrincessInOz]

(Continued from Previous Post)



Is it More for Less or Less for More (the One about FastPass Plus)?




Whilst we were enjoying the not Butterbeer, I checked the time and realised that our first Fast Pass Plus window had opened up. I had deliberately hung around the area because we were going to test out the new FP+ system for the very first time.


Just so there are no misunderstandings about my feelings about FP+, let me state them now and get it out of the way.


For me, the FP+ rules are a disaster.


I think you all have realised that my family and I are holiday commando's. We do pack in as much as we possibly can in a day and can seemingly keep up the pace for about 20 days or so.

NOTE: The fact that we've hit WDW on Day 18 and the little bit of information I just shared about our 20 day capacity will provide you with a hint of how the TR may taper off when we get to day 20 or so.


In our previous trips to WDW, with me being the FP- runner and working the system, we've been known to have averaged about 8 - 10 paper FPs in a day; sometimes even more, depending on the crowd levels. Heck - we've even hit 4 parks in the one day to try to ride major mountain/ride in the World and only miss out on one ride.


This new system completely cramps our touring style. To limit us to 3 FP+ selections per day and only at one park means that we do not get on as many headline rides as we would normally do. Despite the reputed $$$$$$ that Disney has spent and likely to spend even more on, the new FP+ system is definitely More (for Disney) for Less (for me).


Plus, we are a park-hopping kind of family. I've never gone to WDW without purchasing the park hop option. Given the new system and if the rules continue to be as restrictive as they currently are, I will be re-thinking that park hop strategy should we ever be lucky enough to head back to WDW. It may well be a case of Less (for me) money spent for More park hop option (for Disney). Yes, I do know that we can still park hop and we can strategically plan for our FP+ rides to be in the second park for later in the day; and head to the first park for rope drop and get in the stand-by queues for the rides at Park 1. I did contemplate doing exactly that for this trip but it didn’t suit what DH and DS wanted to do at WDW.



It was only the fact that the system was still in test and that we would be getting Keys to the World as well as the Magic Bands that kept me relatively mute on the subject in my PTR. I knew we were going to be able to utilise both the FP+ and the FP- systems for the duration of our stay. I know that there are many Dis-sers out there that will flame me for harbouring thoughts and plans of double-dipping. My response is that when I was there, Disney had not implemented nor explicitly stated that any guest with a MB could not also pull a paper FP with their KTTW. But the debate is moot. In reality, I only pulled a paper FP twice in the entire 7 days that we were there. Once at Epcot and once more at Animal Kingdom. We had been blessed with relatively moderate crowd levels and we did cover all the rides we wanted to on this trip without ridiculously long queue times.



In practise, what I found about the new system was that it did make touring the park a lot more relaxed for me. It was definitely a case of less running around and far more relax style of getting around the park. Except for our final day at WDW, we NEVER had an issue with our MB and they always turned the right colour green when we went to claim our FP+. I was also lucky enough to be at WDW before the tiering system for FP+ selection was introduced.



Despite this....for now....I will repeat that the FP+ rules are a disaster for me and my family. If I had the final say, I would definitely be implementing rules that allow guests to get more FP+ selections (and none of this ridiculous tiering system of rides) and the ability to spread their selections across multiple parks. It's definitely a case of LESS for me.




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[PrincessInOz]

(Continued from Previous Post)


Time for an Enchanted Experience? Only if it's a 5 minute Wait!




I had always planned to hit the new Fantasyland on the first morning that we got to Magic Kingdom. So it should come as no surprise that my first FP+ selection was a visit to catch the Enchanted Tales with Belle. I figured it was going to be my one chance to see this show without any complaints from my DS. Aside from me, he's really not into Princesses at all.



We walked up to the scanner and tested out the system. Scan the band, wait for the system to recognise us and bingo! That Green Mickey head was becoming a familiar feature for us 3 times a day.






Take a look at that time advantage. The wait time at 11.30 am in the morning was over 40 minutes in the stand-by side. It was walk-on for us.






We needed to scan the band again when we entered. I guess this means that there won’t be any of those red cards handed out anymore. A truly magical green experience with under a 5 minute wait time.






With the green light, we were inside the building.






We watched as another magical green experience started up.






The room came to life! Madame Wardrobe held the most astonishing array of items....






....items that were handed round as the cast was picked to fill the various roles.






Mirror, mirror on the wall. It sure was a different sort of magic mirror!






And then into another room, where more magic took place.







Most illuminating. The animatronics here were astonishing.






It was a cute show and it was lovely to finally be experiencing something Princess-y.







But really, I felt that if you weren't part of the cast or had a loved one in the cast, this attraction isn't exactly a showstopper.






It was unanimous for my family. Much as I love Beauty and the Beast, we were all a little disappointed with this show. I'm glad that I had the FP+ walk-in booked for this. I don't think I would have been as tolerant if I had to wait 40 minutes for it.





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[PrincessInOz]

(Continued from Previous Post)


The Mountain Train that Could



Our next FP+ window was about to open up and I gently herded everyone out into the light.






We walked past the Tangled tower. It seems appropriate to have running water flowing out of that area, right?






It was at this point in the day that I realised that all that effort that I'd put into pre-booking my FP+ was resulting in a very relaxed walk-round MK for me. No running.






I had plenty of time to take a look and enjoy the Disney details.






My second FP+ was a firm family favourite.






This was becoming to be a monotonous experience.






We'd seen a lot of red rock and desert country on this trip. My family was definitely up for more.







Hmmm. I'm sure we'd been to Clarkdale on this trip before this.







I don't remember exactly how long stand-by was. It might have been 20 - 30 minutes. In any event, we were through to the front of the queue in much less time.






We got into our seats.






And we were off with a gush!







We climbed up. I think I can. I think I can.






Getting up the top gave us the opportunity to check out the Big Thunder Mountain with the view of the Castle in the background.







What goes up, must go round and round.







And I figured it was time to have some camera fun!







Did I mention that I only get motion sickness when on water?






Anything fast that doesn't go upside down is something that I really enjoy. No motion sickness at all!







This mountain is one heck of a ride. We all love it.






Sometimes, you never know if you're coming or going on the tracks.






But with the Hot springs on the horizon, it was time for this ride to come to a stop.







We really do love this Mountain.....







.....and the little train that could go round and round the mountain.








 

 

[Pinkocto]

Great updates, I feel like I'm there with you. I just wish the LM was a longer ride, the details are fabulous though.

I'm totally jealous you don't get motion sickness on the rides. Cool photos on BTMR.