Clearskies photographic Journey to the World and Beyond - 8 theme parks & much more

[TanzUnited99]

Wow at the amount of things you packed into one day!

Lol at your family counting the extra sleep they could have had whilst waiting at AK! I would have been the same!

Love all your pics esp those of Dinosaur - that is the first time I have seen a few pics of the inside of the attraction so thanks for sharing

 

[clearskies]

Your photos are awesome as always! I love the EE ones the best. Did you have 2 different lenses at AK?

Thank you very much April
I love walking around AK to take pictures. I wish we had more time to spend there. I actually used at least 4 lenses there:
24-70mm f/2.8
70-200mm f/4
300mm f/4
85mm f/1.2
I can certainly understand why people bring a single point and shoot camera that has a decent range. Especially in the heat in AK. If I go on the Wild Africa Trek I am thinking that I would bring the 70-200 lens but I know I would be yearning for my 300 mm lens as well.

Wow at the amount of things you packed into one day!

We only had limited Disney time this trip so I had to make the most of it

Lol at your family counting the extra sleep they could have had whilst waiting at AK! I would have been the same!

What??? how could you take their side

Love all your pics esp those of Dinosaur - that is the first time I have seen a few pics of the inside of the attraction so thanks for sharing

Thank you Tanz. It is reaaaalllllyyy difficult to get photos on this ride. I don't think that most people can get a photo on it. Not because they lack abilities that I do but it is mostly a factor of the camera equipment that is carried by most people is just not capable of capturing this with so little light and so much movement going on. I really don't mean that as a camera snob or anything. I have tried myself a couple of times in the past with less suitable gear and failed. Note that there is also even more suitable gear than what I have but sadly I don't own that (yet).

Note that the pictures don't do the ride justice though. I hope you love it as much as I do when you go. Convince Zaheer to go on as well.

 

[TanzUnited99]

What??? how could you take their side

As you know sleep is important to me!

Thank you Tanz. It is reaaaalllllyyy difficult to get photos on this ride. I don't think that most people can get a photo on it. Not because they lack abilities that I do but it is mostly a factor of the camera equipment that is carried by most people is just not capable of capturing this with so little light and so much movement going on.

I thought that may be the case due to the lack of photos I have seen. I can see how it would be difficult to capture pics on this ride if you do not have the right camera equipment!

I really don't mean that as a camera snob or anything. I have tried myself a couple of times in the past with less suitable gear and failed. Note that there is also even more suitable gear than what I have but sadly I don't own that (yet).

Lol I didn't think that at all. Hopefully, you'll get to buy even more suitable gear in the near future, however I think you take excellent pictures with the camera equipment you have at the minute.

Note that the pictures don't do the ride justice though. I hope you love it as much as I do when you go. Convince Zaheer to go on as well.

I hope I fall in love with this ride - can't wait to experience it. I will try my best to convince Zaheer to go on it. I did mention it the other day and he said he would try it as he doesn't mind scary rides. It's just the fast spinning rides he hates!

 

[norybell]

Hi clearskies!

I'm happy you finally made it, you know, into a park!

Love the photos, as always, especially the canoe, the ballerina-bird girl (though my ballet teacher, years ago, would have killed us for letting our tights get so baggy at the knees!), and the birdhouse.

Can't wait for more!

 

[clearskies]

I hope I fall in love with this ride - can't wait to experience it. I will try my best to convince Zaheer to go on it. I did mention it the other day and he said he would try it as he doesn't mind scary rides. It's just the fast spinning rides he hates![/SIZE][/FONT]

I think he will like it. I am not one for spinning rides myself and this is not at all like that. You'll get jostled around a bit but that is the extent of it.

Hi clearskies!

I'm happy you finally made it, you know, into a park!

Love the photos, as always, especially the canoe, the ballerina-bird girl (though my ballet teacher, years ago, would have killed us for letting our tights get so baggy at the knees!), and the birdhouse.

Can't wait for more!

Originally when we booked we were thinking we might not even go to a Disney Park this trip...gasp. Too tough to be so close not to and then I found an excuse to build another day in. We had to see the MSEP since we had never seen it (at the time I did not realize it was not going anywhere). However, I can't go to Disney without seeing Illuminations so I guess we had to go 2 days.

Thank you for the comments on the pictures Nory! I forgot you studied ballet. I did not really notice the baggy tights but I can see how someone who studied the art would take issue with it.

 

[clearskies]

I was working on another update but I made a snap decision to head over to watch the Deathly Hallows.

Instead of an update today I'll give you a little insight into my insanity. Here are my plans for out upcoming trip at the end of Aug:

For the time being we'll call it "Clearskies Crazy Cram-packed Conception"

Day 1 - Sat 8/27 - Check In to POFQ, boat to DTD for Dinner
Day 2 - Sun 8/28 - Busch Gardens Tampa in Day. Dinner at Kona, MK EMH at night
Day 3 - Mon 8/29 - IOA and US in Day, Dinner at WCC, DS EMH at night
Day 4 - Tue 8/30 - DS all day, lunch at MM, stay for Fantasmic
Day 5 - Wed 8/31 - Breakfast at CP, MK all day, Dinner at Tonys Town Square, Wishes
Day 6 - Thu 9/1 - EP all day, Le Cellier at 1PM, Dinner somewhere in World Showcase, Illuminations
Day 7 - Fri 9/2 - Sea World/Aquatica, Coral Reef for Dinner and EPCOT EMH at night
Day 8 - Sat 9/3 - AK all day, possible Wild Africa Trek, Cape May Cafe for Dinner, stroll Boardwalk area after dinner
Day 9 - Sun 9/4 - Pack in AM, head to MK at some point, 1900 PF for Dinner, MK EMH at night
Day 10 - Mon 9/5 - Leave at some ungodly hour to catch 8AM flight home.

I am not sure I will be able to pull off all of this and I think for a lot of the nighttime activities I will likely be flying solo or if I am lucky I'll get my son to join me.

I hope to have an update tomorrow.

 

[MNTwinsMom]

Beautiful AK photos! I love the Lion King show and can't wait to share it with my boys on our next trip. On their only trip we had to pick between Lion King and Nemo and they picked Nemo. Also a great show, but next trip we'll definitely hit Lion King and the Flights of Wonder show.

Your upcoming vacation plans are ambitious, but based on this current report and the fact that crowds should be pretty low late-August, it looks do-able At least for you It's good you're realistic about your expectations of the rest of your family joining you for all of it. Will you have extended family along on this trip as well?

So how did you like Dealthly Hallows 2? We watched Pt. 1 again last night and are headed to Pt. 2 at 7pm tonight. I can't wait! We've finished reading all 7 books together as a family and my boys are OBSESSED with Harry Potter right now. There are spells flying around our house all the time. They keep trying "obliviate" on me so that I will forget that I told them the movies are too scary for them. (We've only let them watch the first 2 movies)

 

[ntikos]

Loving this TR and the awesome pictures!


thanks for the effort and looking forward to the rest.

 

[clearskies]

Beautiful AK photos! I love the Lion King show and can't wait to share it with my boys on our next trip. On their only trip we had to pick between Lion King and Nemo and they picked Nemo. Also a great show, but next trip we'll definitely hit Lion King and the Flights of Wonder show.

Thank you MNTwinsMom! I love both the Lion King and Nemo. They are much different types of shows but both are outstanding. I think we have a slight bias for the Lion King but Nemo is a winner as well. The Flights of Wonder show is not quite as popular as the other two but I really enjoy it as well.

Your upcoming vacation plans are ambitious, but based on this current report and the fact that crowds should be pretty low late-August, it looks do-able At least for you It's good you're realistic about your expectations of the rest of your family joining you for all of it. Will you have extended family along on this trip as well?

Yeah, as you can probably tell I don't sit around and relax much on my Florida vacations. While in a park though I have slowed down a tiny bit more to enjoy the atmosphere as we make our way through the park areas. This coming trip I am actually not planning an agenda while in the parks. I am going to try to take it even slower since I have long days planned. Well see how well I can constrain myself.

Edited to add: I forgot to answer about travelling partners. Sadly we are on our own this trip but we'll still have a great time!

So how did you like Dealthly Hallows 2? We watched Pt. 1 again last night and are headed to Pt. 2 at 7pm tonight. I can't wait! We've finished reading all 7 books together as a family and my boys are OBSESSED with Harry Potter right now. There are spells flying around our house all the time. They keep trying "obliviate" on me so that I will forget that I told them the movies are too scary for them. (We've only let them watch the first 2 movies)

What an AWESOME movie!! They did such a great job translating the book to film. My wife, son and I loved it. We watched Pt 1 on DVD this morning and my wife said, let's go watch Pt 2 today and I was all over it.

I also read all 7 books with my family (well my son) a few years ago. These were the first books that sparked in interest with my son in reading and I was thrilled that he was anxious to read each night together with me.

I can completely understand the "too scary" issue with your boys. My daughter is too scared to watch the movies and I can absolutely see why as they got darker and darker as they progressed. That is too funny that they try to "oblivate" you.

Loving this TR and the awesome pictures!


thanks for the effort and looking forward to the rest.

Thank you so much for posting ntikos!!! It truly helps to hear from others enjoying the TR!!

 

[TanzUnited99]

Yay on making the snap decision to go to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2!!! It sure was a great watch. Sorry I never got to come on and let you know what I thought of it yesterday but seems like us you thought it was great as well!!

Can't believe there will not be anymore to watch but am looking forward to it being released on DVD.

Great plans for your upcoming trip - you sure like to have a lot of things packed into your days! Hope you get to go on the Wild Africa Trek and wow at your return flight being at 8am!

 

[clearskies]

Yay on making the snap decision to go to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2!!! It sure was a great watch. Sorry I never got to come on and let you know what I thought of it yesterday but seems like us you thought it was great as well!!

Can't believe there will not be anymore to watch but am looking forward to it being released on DVD.

No need to apologize Tanz...we were definitely seeing it no matter what...I happy my wife suggested we go yesterday. I would have had anawfully hard time waiting.

Same here on looking forward to DVD release. I have been holding off on buying the last couple on DVD since I figure I will buy a boxed set once they inevitably release all of them together.

Great plans for your upcoming trip - you sure like to have a lot of things packed into your days! Hope you get to go on the Wild Africa Trek and wow at your return flight being at 8am!

Thanks Tanz. You are quite the planner so your seal of approval is welcomed I am definitely leaning towards the Wild Africa Trek. I may need to re-arrange plans though and do it sooner in the trip.

The 8AM flight is soooo painful!! The only good thing is that I will have plenty of time when I get home to decompress before the harsh realities of work hit me the next day.

 

[clearskies]

Before we get to our EPCOT time I notice that no one answered my Trivia questions in my AK posts. I am thinking that this could be due to one of the following:
(Award points accordingly)

A - You knew the answers but did not want to give it away to the others.
Go ahead and give yourself the 300 points anyway.
Of course, you knew that 498 represents April 1998 which is when Animal Kingdome first Opened.
You also knew that the writing on the pipes are the chemical compositions of ketchup, mayo and mustard
(though I am worried about you if you actually know the chemical composition of these condiments as opposed to hearing it or reading it somewhere else)

B - You have no clue what I was talking about
Sorry no points for you but fear not since you can make it up in the lightning round

C - Come on dude...we are not really reading what you write...we are just looking at the pictures and scrolling past the babble
Go ahead and award yourself 100 points for your good judgment...hmmm...since you are probably not reading this you'll never know you got any points will you?


ok, on to EPCOT.....


We parked in Epcot at about 11:15AM and while walking from the parking lot to the entrance we caught our first sighting of the Tron-o-rail.

Not that this was a monumental moment or anything for us but I have to capture these things with my camera anyway since that's how I operate. Note that I have not seen the new movie yet. I guess I should get around to it someday since I think I enjoyed the original. It's mostly a blur though. Not the monorail...my memories...oh never mind...let's move on shall we.

We go into the park and we found a golf ball someone left sitting on top of a bed of flowers.

Walking towards Spaceship Earth we saw there was no line. SE is a must do so we are not passing up the opportunity. Gosh, I hope you like this attraction since you are going to see a lot of it now:

After having some fun in the interactive area at the end of the ride we called up my SIL and found that they are in Innoventions (West I believe, I have trouble in East vs West in that Park and I am too lazy to look it up at the moment). We head over to meet them and my kids get to experience one of their favorite EPCOT attractions from our last trip which to my utter surprise was the Great Piggybank Adventure. While I think this is a nice little attraction I am not compelled to see how much better my investments work in a game vs real life so I scoot off while they are playing to grab FPs for Soarin.

I get there towards the end of their Adventure. Here's their little piggy

After the kids get their fix of Innoventions (West?) we are off to the see Nemo and the rest of the Seas pavilion.

Continued in the next post.....

 

[clearskies]

Here we are entering the Nemo ride...

This ride always catches me by surprise since it is actually fairly difficult to photograph.

Here are only a few pictures that are even somewhat acceptable:

We meet up with Bruce afterwards and waited our turn for the obligatory kids are eaten by a shark picture.

Little did this lady know, she was about to be lunch for Bruce. Her fatal flaw was making the mistake of thinking that she would be safe hiding in the shadows.

The youth these days and their piercings....totally unnecessary....

Next it is off to a great attraction in this pavilion...

first need to wait a little before we can go in. Of course I can't sit still while waiting. Here is another pic

I didn't really bother with pictures of this..... Oh wait I do have one...

Crush is always a good time and we have a lot of laughs. An unfortunate side effect is that we come away talking like surfer dudes for a wile...Cowabunga Bro.....Fer Sure this was a Gnarly show....

Of course coming out of a dork like me it's not quite the same

Mine..mine...mine...

Next it is off to the Land
We get in and see that the wait time for Soarin is only 10 min. Cowabunga Dude....oh never mind we are past that....Awesome! So, we keep the FPs in our pocket and go standby for this flight.

After we are done it is 1PM...we better get to eating lunch now vs later or we won't be hungry later for our 5:30 ADR at Le Cellier. Fortunately we are right there at one of Disney's best CS establishments, Sunshine Seasons. Great selection and tasty food and the dessert options are amazing. Sadly I don't eat dessert but I let my kids pick an extra of something to share. Nothing says good parenting like getting your kids overloaded with sugar in a hyper-sensory environment.

Once we are thoroughly stuffed someone thought it would be a good idea to look at more food so we head on Living with the Land.


The first part of the boat ride is nice enough but the whole produce sightseeing is a bit lost on me. Here's some pics from the ride.

I am going to spare you from pictures of bananas, cocoa beans, peppers and other fruit and vegetables that we saw. You can just look in the produce dept of your local supermarket for a similar experience.

We did pass by this little cutie though...

Well, cute until you realize he will soon be a ferocious predator.


Next it is time to see our favorite purple friend...no barney is not in the parks (thank goodness)....it is figment or course.

Time to go cordless or cellular dude

The disappearing butterfly is always cool

No I did not accidentally rotate this picture...the little scamp is watching TV on the ceiling.
Nice rabbit ears on the Telly BTW.

Next up is a blast to the past that I had never seen before...Captain EO

This was on a must do for me this trip since I had never seen it before. We got seated and I was excited. If George Lucas made this it has to be good right?
The movie started and I was thinking..hmmm...this is going to get better, right? Next thing I know I am waking up later and the show is ending. Up until this point I have never ever once slept in a Disney attraction. Well, at least I was able to recharge a bit while MJ was dancing with the stars. From what my wife, SIL and BIL said I don't think I missed much. Oh well, I don't feel compelled to try to see this next time at least.

We've pretty much covered this entire side of Future World at this point. I think we saw everything except the movie in the Land about how we are ruining the environment. If I recall this is a good enough message but not something we really need to see again while on vacation trying to enjoy ourselves.

I am going to stop here. We'll head to the other side of Future World in our next installment and then we'll eat in the Cellar.

 

[IheartDDuck]

Yay, you're back!

Love the pictures of NYC for the fireworks. They are just beautiful.

You have gotten a lot crammed into one day so far. I'm impressed.

 

[TanzUnited99]

I haven't seen the new Tron either - need to rectify that and try and watch it soon.

Having never been on SE I loved the photos and of all the other attractions at Epcot I was looking forward to Captain EO as I am a big MJ fan. I'm sad to read you didn't find it entertaining.

Btw I am in shock that you do not eat desserts! They are the best part of a meal, in my opinion.

 

[aprilisis]

I totally agree with you about Captain EO. I had to see it, but it was definitely goofy & dated. I lovelovelove all of your photos from inside the attractions! What lens did you use?? Those are seriously the best photos I have ever seen from inside SSE.
I was paying attention to your AK trivia- I knew that the pipes in Dinosaur were ketchup, mustard, & mayo, but I have to confess that I didn't know the significance of 498. I thought & thought about it, then I looked it up. After I did, it seemed completely obvious- but I don't want to give away the answer until someone else guesses.

 

[clearskies]

Yay, you're back!

Love the pictures of NYC for the fireworks. They are just beautiful.

You have gotten a lot crammed into one day so far. I'm impressed.

Thank you Danielle. Great to see you back posting as well!
I had to make the most of my Disney time. The next day has a lot crammed in as well. No wonder I was exhausted by the end of this bloody "vacation"

I haven't seen the new Tron either - need to rectify that and try and watch it soon.

Having never been on SE I loved the photos and of all the other attractions at Epcot I was looking forward to Captain EO as I am a big MJ fan. I'm sad to read you didn't find it entertaining.

Btw I am in shock that you do not eat desserts! They are the best part of a meal, in my opinion.

Thank you for the feedback on the photos Tanz. I have some great photos of rides coming up in our MK day that I like even more. Hope you will too.

As far as Captain EO is concerned, it may very well have been a rip roaring great time while I was snoozing I think the others told me I did not miss much to make me feel better for sleeping and missing out. They are caring like that. Umm..yeah..that explains it. Anyway, as a big MJ fan I am sure you will enjoy it.

As far as the dessert thing it is not as much by choice vs necessity due to restrictions I have in my diet. My no dairy and avoidance of high sugar content is a tough way to live but I am used to it.

I totally agree with you about Captain EO. I had to see it, but it was definitely goofy & dated. I lovelovelove all of your photos from inside the attractions! What lens did you use?? Those are seriously the best photos I have ever seen from inside SSE.
I was paying attention to your AK trivia- I knew that the pipes in Dinosaur were ketchup, mustard, & mayo, but I have to confess that I didn't know the significance of 498. I thought & thought about it, then I looked it up. After I did, it seemed completely obvious- but I don't want to give away the answer until someone else guesses.

Shhh...I am with you on this Captain EO thing but for the sake of Tanz we'll not mention it again. ok?........moving on...nothing to see here...

Thank you as well for the comments on the photos. For the "dark rides" here in EPCOT I used a Canon 85mm f/1.2 lens. Don't look it up or you will think I am crazy for buying it last year and don't you dare tell my wife how much it costs. Note that I actually bought it last year for yhe purpose of taking photos at my brother's wedding and not to take ride photos in Disney. I think there are more suitable lenses for dark ride photos with smaller focal lengths (some good examples are Sigma 30mm f/1.4 or at really high end the canon 35mm f/1.4). I think you have the 50mm f/1.8 right? You should be able to use that lens on a lot of these rides and get some good results. You will have to bump your ISO high but I did that as well.

Kudos to you on the ketchup, mustard and mayo thing! Now you can say you learned something with my TR with that 498 sign. On your Nov Trip when you are in AK and you see that 498 sign you can think..."ah that clearskies was so darned informative...thank goodness I read his TR and now know the significance of that sign. I do believe I am a better person for reading his TR"

 

[aprilisis]

Shhh...I am with you on this Captain EO thing but for the sake of Tanz we'll not mention it again. ok?........moving on...nothing to see here...

Thank you as well for the comments on the photos. For the "dark rides" here in EPCOT I used a Canon 85mm f/1.2 lens. Don't look it up or you will think I am crazy for buying it last year and don't you dare tell my wife how much it costs. Note that I actually bought it last year for yhe purpose of taking photos at my brother's wedding and not to take ride photos in Disney. I think there are more suitable lenses for dark ride photos with smaller focal lengths (some good examples are Sigma 30mm f/1.4 or at really high end the canon 35mm f/1.4). I think you have the 50mm f/1.8 right? You should be able to use that lens on a lot of these rides and get some good results. You will have to bump your ISO high but I did that as well.

Kudos to you on the ketchup, mustard and mayo thing! Now you can say you learned something with my TR with that 498 sign. On your Nov Trip when you are in AK and you see that 498 sign you can think..."ah that clearskies was so darned informative...thank goodness I read his TR and now know the significance of that sign. I do believe I am a better person for reading his TR"

Don't get me wrong- I'm definitely happy I saw Captain EO! I will go again, too, in November if it is still open.
Wow- you have a great memory! I do have the 50mm f/ 1.8. I was too chicken to try it out in May, but I will use it in November. Did you bump your ISO to 1600 or higher?
You KNOW I'm going to have to ask whoever I'm with in November if they know what the 498 signifies, right?

 

[clearskies]

Don't get me wrong- I'm definitely happy I saw Captain EO! I will go again, too, in November if it is still open.
Wow- you have a great memory! I do have the 50mm f/ 1.8. I was too chicken to try it out in May, but I will use it in November. Did you bump your ISO to 1600 or higher?
You KNOW I'm going to have to ask whoever I'm with in November if they know what the 498 signifies, right?

Definitely give your 50mm f/1.8 a try April. In most cases I set my ISO up to 6400 on the "dark rides". My camera is pretty good with high ISO but I still used Noise reduction software when I got home to help with the noise that will definitely be there at such a high ISO. If I thought I could get away with it when shooting I brought the ISO down lower more but looking at my pictures now I kept it at 6400 most of the time. I think your camera maxes out at ISO 3200 which is what I recommend you use. There is also something you can do if even at ISO 3200 and you lens wide open you are not getting a quick enough shutter. With your 50mm lens you can set your camera in Aperture Priority with f/1.8 set and set your EV (Exposure Compensation) to a value of -1. The pictures may be underexposed a bit and then you need to adjust in post processing (ex. Photoshop Elements) but you may get a shot you otherwise may not have come away with.

Also note that on the tougher rides (ex. Dinosaur, Peter Pan, Haunted Mansion) I had to use Manual Focus since I could not "lock in" with Autofocus. Manual focus is not something I use very often and I struggle with it.

Let me know if you have any quations on this April.

Of for sure you need to bring up 498 to your travelling partners

 

[tammy]

Your photos are OUTSTANDING!!! I am enjoying your report. Thanks for sharing.