Daddy for a week, Emily's Special Trip to "Ally's Room"

[cdhale]

Again, awesome pictures. I'm so glad you took so many... I have almost no pictures of Disney scenery, so this is great! I'll try to do better on my next trip!

Cheryl

btw... I started my TR from the 2009 trip. How do I turn the title into the hyperlink? You seem to be a computer-oriented guy (is that an understatement?)

 

[goofy's_gurl]

awesome update. sounds like a fantastic way to start and amazing Epoct day

 

[Cafeen]

I love all pictures. It is too cute that Beth put her in the yellow dress. Emily is such a little princess herself.

We forget stuff all the time when we go to WDW with our 3yr old. I swear one day I will remember it all.

Thanks .

At least they didn't really know they were missing out on stuff we skipped. I kept quiet about the other stuff that we could have done, so Beth didn't feel bad about missing out on stuff. It just gives us more of a reason to go back!

Awesome update, Allan. "Your" princess looks beautiful in her yellow dress.

Thank you .

Emily looks well rested this morning. What a difference a good night's sleep will make. She looks like a little princess herself in that pretty little yellow dress. She doesn't need one of thosefancy princess outfit to make her look like royalty.

I have always wanted to have breakfast in Norway, but I never do because I always think I should be there with a little girl and there are no girls in my family - only lots of boys.

Lovely pictures of Norway!

The dress really did work out quite well. Beth knew it was a special breakfast with the princesses, but I didn't really tell her who'd be there. It just worked out well. Of course, as many people know, 2 year olds and keeping clothes nice doesn't work out too well, but she did good on this day (I think...)

Hey Allan, I missed your update last night and this afternoon. But now I'm all caught up. Poor Emily just got too tired at AK. That was a long day for a little one. Glad you were able to figure it out and not push yourselves to do dinner at Boma. We enjoyed Pepper Market too. They seemed to have a good variety of food.

Princess Emily looks so pretty in her yellow dress. It appears she is a good eater. That is always nice for them not to be terribly picky.

Ii so enjoy all of your pictures. I am so not a good picture taker.

Ginny

Thanks

They were both pretty well rested for today. Was a bit much getting Emily up, and I know we could have gotten out later, but it worked out just fine. By the time we were ready for breakfast, everyone was wide awake.

As far as my pictures, I used to be pretty heavy into photography, so a lot of that "training" comes out in here. Along with the OCDness of only presenting to the "decent" photos and not sharing the not-so-good ones.

Great pictures! Allen...Animal Kingdom seems like the smallest park but to me it is the one park that I find wears everyone out the quickest...I think it is the heat! and I love AK! but the excitment of the other parks is not the same!

What a wonderful start to a day in Epcot! I love how empty the park is!!!! Great Princess shots although you were right Emily looks like the food had more appeal

Have a great weekend!
Connie

The heat does it for sure, the lower amount of indoor attractions and A/C places doesn't help. The fact that there are two hour+ long walks in close paths doesn't help things either. It's just a lot more walking outside with fewer breaks than the other parks.

It's also much less "Disney" to me than the other ones (not necessarily a bad thing). I still don't think we gave it a fair shot though, we should have arrived earlier so we could have toured differently. Ahh, next time.

Again, awesome pictures. I'm so glad you took so many... I have almost no pictures of Disney scenery, so this is great! I'll try to do better on my next trip!

Cheryl

btw... I started my TR from the 2009 trip. How do I turn the title into the hyperlink? You seem to be a computer-oriented guy (is that an understatement?)

Thanks

I did do a lot of scenery pics, though I wish I had done more. When I was really into photography, it was my "genre" if you will. With digital cameras now-a-days, it's much easier as well, as you can just delete on the spot the ones that aren't so good, and the amount of "film" you have is unlimited (so long as you bring something to download the photos to daily, or at least when the card is getting full!)

As far as the linking, it's pretty simple really (and yes, being a "computer guy" is a bit of an understatement heh).

1 - Open up notepad (Should be in the Start->Programs->Accessories under XP)
2 - On the post you want to link TO, click the post number in the top right of the post (for instance, this post is post # 103). This will open the individual post in a separate window or tab (depending on browser) by itself.
3 - Highlight and copy the URL from the address bar in THAT window/tab
4 - Paste it into the open notepad
5 - Highlight and copy the TITLE from that post
6 - Paste it into the open notepad
7 - Go back to the post where you want to add the link in, and click EDIT (bottom right of the post)
8 - Copy the TITLE from notepad and paste it where you want it in the edited post
9 - Copy the URL from notepad, highlight the TITLE in the edited post, and click the "Insert Link" button
10 - Paste the URL in there, and click OK
11 - The Link should then show up as follows:
[$URL="http://thisistheurlofthepost"]This is the title of the post[/$URL]
(Without the dollar signs, those are there so the whole code shows up)

awesome update. sounds like a fantastic way to start and amazing Epoct day

Thanks, and it really was. This would be our best day so far as we really got into the swing of things.


Need to get ready for work , but I should have another update out in the next couple hours or so. It'll likely be a smallish one, as I do have a bit to get done, but something is better than nothing .

 

[Cafeen]

My ride is running late this morning, so have about 15 minutes to start an update. This may not be finished by the time he comes, but I'll edit the rest in after I get to work.


When I last left off, we were heading down the The Living Seas (now called The Seas with Nemo and Friends, but it's still the Living Seas to me!). I remember this pavilion very well, as it was opened some time after Epcot was. It was always one of my favorites, and I knew that both Beth and Emily would enjoy it too.

Now, there's one thing I didn't tell them. They knew the basics, but I left out the part about the dolphins. I knew that Beth was a huge dolphin fanatic, so I figured the little surprise would be fun.

So, we headed off and walked through the entire queue line with about 3 people ahead of us. We crunched into a clammobile and off we went. The new ride is cute and Emily really loved the fish there. I was a bit nostalgic for the old one though, but that's the nerd in me talking! (And I missed the "elevators" )

We got off the ride and headed toward the exhibits.

Obligatory Bruce's mouth pic

(Apologies for the massive amount of red eye in this pic, the one on Beth's camera was much better )

After Bruce's area thing, we headed off for the other small tanks...

(Now you see that I was getting used to aquarium mode on the camera!)

After we finished up there, the large tanks were next. We walked up to the glass...

...and immediately I heard the sounds of a very excited 2 year old and 30 year old. They were both enamored with the dolphins.
***Ride's here, finishing up in a bit

 

[hhockman]

Okay, I'm caught up. Glad I didn't get TOO far behind, though you are still WAY ahead of me (it's still "last Friday" on my TR...I think you were flying to your parents?).

AK did a number on us too and we ended up doing the same thing with Boma (sorry for the give-away those of you on my TR, but I'm trying to make him feel better). Basically just a no call, no show. We actually did that a couple of times...and a couple of other times we did actually call and cancel or change. My TR will be quite different from my PTR when I actually get it done...or started ahem.

Emily is adorable in the yellow dress. It looks like you guys are going to have a great time at EPCOT!

 

[Cafeen]

Well, at work now, ride wasn't quite there yet, but he came a few minutes later. Then we had a meeting (my boss was on vacation last week, no, they didn't do Disney!)


So, as I mentioned, they were both enamored by the dolphins. Beth was almost in tears between the dolphins themselves, and the how utterly excited Emily was to see them. It was the epitome of the "lit up face" that Disney is famous for. I just stood back and watched and basked in my "I could give this to them" glory

Now, just as a warning, the following pictures aren't that great. The darkness caused by camera to use a slower shutter speed quite often, and with the speed of the dolphins, it was quite difficult to get a clear picture.

Remember that "lit up" face I was describing...

...her dress was also remarkably clean too!

After I managed to drag the two of them away from the dolphin tank, we walked around to the others (ok, I snuck a quick picture of another tank in the above too)

We spent about an hour or so inside the pavilion, but we skipped out on turtle talk. We caught the end of one when we first went by, and the other was halfway through when we went by again (or something like that).

After the Seas, we made our way toward a certain pavilion that really held a place in my heart. If I had to name a single favorite ride when I was younger, this would be it.

Now, I have one disclaimer to make. I had never been on either of the new versions, since the last time I went was in 1991 or 1992 (I can't remember, though I THINK it was early, like Feb, 1992).

Ok, I admit, I'm a pretty big Monty Python fan, so the ride did have at least one redeeming feature...

So, we went through the queue and on to the ride. I do have to say, I was quite disappointed. I know, I know, rose-colored glasses and such and that things must change, but really... it was a shell of its former self. Even the post ride area seemed a lot smaller with a lot less to do than previously. And I missed seeing the rainbow tunnel.

Beth and Emily conducting the orchestra

After Imagination, there was some certain navigational issues that deal with "The Blue Square". Let's just say that they need to update their maps! (Epcot was the worst with this). After that was taken care of, we decided to hop onto Spaceship Earth (I know what you're thinking, it's about 1pm and we've done 3 rides already!). Of course, I loved this one when I was young as well (this is a pretty common theme throughout Epcot, it was my favorite when I was growing up, at least Future World...)

Well, we get in our time machines and head off into the distant past. About halfway through the ride, we notice that Emily is being abnormally quiet and not really shuffling around much. Beth looks over and notices that she's fast asleep. We finished up the ride and then put sleeping beauty..erm... Sleeping Emily into her stroller.

 

[MEK]

Ahhhhhh Spaceship Earth is so perfect for a nap. It's cool, it's dark. And I'm sure Emily was tired by then. Sounds like another great day. Who cares about how many rides you did! The main thing is you are having a great time and making lots of memories!

 

[KatMark]

Allan, sounds like you are having a wonderful day so far at Epcot. Be glad that you not see the "in between" Journey Into Imagination ride. Talk about awful...I have no idea what they were thinking when they did it. This one is better, not great, but better than the second one. But I'm with you...there will never be anything to compare with the original.

 

[longing2Batdisney]

sounds like ya'll are getting the hang of how to handle a little one in the parks...
seems to be a wonderful day at EPcot so far... I love your dolphin pictures!! great job!!

 

[Cafeen]

Okay, I'm caught up. Glad I didn't get TOO far behind, though you are still WAY ahead of me (it's still "last Friday" on my TR...I think you were flying to your parents?).

AK did a number on us too and we ended up doing the same thing with Boma (sorry for the give-away those of you on my TR, but I'm trying to make him feel better). Basically just a no call, no show. We actually did that a couple of times...and a couple of other times we did actually call and cancel or change. My TR will be quite different from my PTR when I actually get it done...or started ahem.

Emily is adorable in the yellow dress. It looks like you guys are going to have a great time at EPCOT!

Yup, Friday was the day I flew to Mom's house, and now we're on Wednesday, so not too far behind. I do have a confession to make though. I had already done a lot of this reporting ahead of time on my own site (to keep parents and friends informed), while I have rewritten everything and extended and fleshed out some stories for here, the basic framework was already done. In other words, I'm cheating

AK was rough, the heat, humidity, amount of walking, and the fact that we still weren't really prepared or used to it yet didn't help. Hopefully next time we'll get to really appreciate the park (and when I go in Feb I'll have scouted it out a bit more).

Boma was the only ressie that we didn't make, so in the end, it's not that bad. We were late to some breakfasts, but didn't skip anything else. Just need to make sure that I book 9-10am breakfasts next time, instead of the 8am ones that I did this time. (And do something before/during AK rather than after)

The yellow dress was very nice. Beth is good like that. She does get a little carried away with keeping her in fresh clean clothes (almost an impossibility for a 2 year old) and keeping her hair all done up pretty (again, same impossibility), but she was starting to get better.

Ahhhhhh Spaceship Earth is so perfect for a nap. It's cool, it's dark. And I'm sure Emily was tired by then. Sounds like another great day. Who cares about how many rides you did! The main thing is you are having a great time and making lots of memories!

I kinda figured that would happen too. It's so calming and quiet and cool inside that I was hoping she'd be out quickly, allowing us some "us" time to meander around World Showcase, and allowing us to stay out a bit later, since she'd be all rested up.

The rides bit was more in comparison to the days before , we had already hit the amount of each total day, in the span of about 3 hrs! We were getting better.

Allan, sounds like you are having a wonderful day so far at Epcot. Be glad that you not see the "in between" Journey Into Imagination ride. Talk about awful...I have no idea what they were thinking when they did it. This one is better, not great, but better than the second one. But I'm with you...there will never be anything to compare with the original.

From what I've read about it, I am. I so wish they'd bring back the old one though, the new one doesn't even make sense. Since when are the senses part of imagination? They're not... they're the complete opposite of it (which, I get that Figment is trying to say... but still, the premise does not fit the premise of the pavilion, senses belong on the other side of Epcot, with the more objective stuff). At least Figment did come back, he was my favorite when I was younger. I even had a plush figment for years that I slept with (and still remember 20+ years later). Oh well, nothing we can do about it but to grumble and accept. At least the girls enjoyed it somewhat, since they hadn't been on the old one at all (well, obviously Emily, but neither had Beth).

I do have a video from Imagination that I have to post. But, I don't think I can post it from my own site (where all the pictures are hosted), so will have to pick up a photobucket account just for it (and a few others). I'll have to do that from home though, since I never uploaded the video files and I don't have the edited/compressed versions on here.

 

[mickeystoontown]

My word! I was behind four updates. It was actually just three when I started typing but I now see that you've posted another installment.

Let's see if I can remember the stuff I wanted to comment on.

1) Glad that you finally got to meet up with your friends after hours of playing phone tag.

2) Cool that you got to see the parade not once but twice.

3) John doesn't smoke but he does dip smokeless tobacco. Lots easier than finding a smoking area. And, no, he doesn't spit all over the place. He usually has an empty water bottle or something to spit in.

4) I know you felt bad about not showing up for your Boma ADR but it sounds like it was the best thing to do given your circumstances.

5) I feel honored that you thought about me while on a Disney bus. Yes, it was because of your "I gotta pee!" moment but I'm still honored.

6) You got some really good pictures while meandering through Epcot. The flowers are my favorites.

7) Emily looked so pretty in her little yellow dress and she blended right in with the princesses. I am glad that she was able to meet her favorite princess, Ariel.

8) Oh, I almost forgot to talk about the stickers. Hunter used to get stickers all the time when he was little and still in a stroller. The stickers were stuck everywhere. On the handles, on the tray, on the sides, just about every where.

9) I still call it the "Living Seas" too because that's what it will always be in my mind.

10) I had no idea that some cameras had an aquarium setting. I'm going to look at mine and see if mine has one.

11) I am sure you felt as pleased as punch that you were able to give your girls one of "those" moments. You know, one of those Disney magical moments. I think your dolphin pictures are great. Much better than mine have ever turned out.

12) I can understand how you were a little disappointed with the "new" Journey Into Your Imagination" ride. It's okay to just be "okay" with an attraction.

13) Hunter used to take stroller naps all the time at Disney. He even slept through an entire parade and fireworks. Disney just takes it out of little ones sometimes.

Okay, I think I am through. I am sure I missed something though.

 

[Cafeen]

My word! I was behind four updates. It was actually just three when I started typing but I now see that you've posted another installment.

Let's see if I can remember the stuff I wanted to comment on.

1) Glad that you finally got to meet up with your friends after hours of playing phone tag.

2) Cool that you got to see the parade not once but twice.

3) John doesn't smoke but he does dip smokeless tobacco. Lots easier than finding a smoking area. And, no, he doesn't spit all over the place. He usually has an empty water bottle or something to spit in.

4) I know you felt bad about not showing up for your Boma ADR but it sounds like it was the best thing to do given your circumstances.

5) I feel honored that you thought about me while on a Disney bus. Yes, it was because of your "I gotta pee!" moment but I'm still honored.

6) You got some really good pictures while meandering through Epcot. The flowers are my favorites.

7) Emily looked so pretty in her little yellow dress and she blended right in with the princesses. I am glad that she was able to meet her favorite princess, Ariel.

8) Oh, I almost forgot to talk about the stickers. Hunter used to get stickers all the time when he was little and still in a stroller. The stickers were stuck everywhere. On the handles, on the tray, on the sides, just about every where.

9) I still call it the "Living Seas" too because that's what it will always be in my mind.

10) I had no idea that some cameras had an aquarium setting. I'm going to look at mine and see if mine has one.

11) I am sure you felt as pleased as punch that you were able to give your girls one of "those" moments. You know, one of those Disney magical moments. I think your dolphin pictures are great. Much better than mine have ever turned out.

12) I can understand how you were a little disappointed with the "new" Journey Into Your Imagination" ride. It's okay to just be "okay" with an attraction.

13) Hunter used to take stroller naps all the time at Disney. He even slept through an entire parade and fireworks. Disney just takes it out of little ones sometimes.

Okay, I think I am through. I am sure I missed something though.

The 2 this morning should have been one (well, one and a half really), meant to continue just by editing, then Heather snuck in, so I did a 2nd. When I finished with The (Living) Seas, the 2nd bit was too short for my liking, so I tacked on Imagination! (And this lets everyone into my thought process ).

It was nice meeting up with them, I just felt bad about the length of time remaining. I was really pushing for the ADR that day . Oh well, Thursday we see them again and visit for quite a bit longer.

The parade was nice. I've never really been a big parade buff though (except the Main St. Electrical Parade... not the one that came right after it though, I remember I was disappointed with the first replacement/change they made).

I do (still) feel bad. I'm sure there was someone out there looking for that time and day, but couldn't get it. Maybe that was put in my head from all the people complaining about ADRs on here though . The *gotta pee* moment was a story I knew I had to tell .

I like flower pics. I don't know why, and lots of times they aren't very easy to get done well, but I've always had a knack for that. Coupled with "Macro" setting on my camera (it allows me to focus on things much closer than normal) and they turn out good. Of course, half the battle is keeping them still and composing the right shot (wait until Thursday... I got a nice one outside of GF). It could be also because that's how I initially got into photography, so more experience plus more comfortable with the subject matter. /shrug.

As far as the setting, you may have to look, I know that's one of the specific settings that led me to buy that camera over others. It's possible without it too though, just don't use a flash and get as close to the glass as you can (right up against it is ideal). It works for other "through glass" pics too. I was a bit disappointed in the results, they looked a lot better on the tiny 2.5" screen than they did once I saw them full size (which is about twice the size of my 25.5" monitor at home...). I'm sure I can work with photoshop a bit to improve them some (especially of the last one).

----

As far as today goes, I've been working my butt off all day, and it's flown by and it doesn't look like I got much done I hate when that happens, but at least it's not dragging. I do need to figure out why something that was working for me this morning, is suddenly not working for me this afternoon. Ah well, an hour and a half and I'll be out of here.

 

[cdhale]

As far as today goes, I've been working my butt off all day, and it's flown by and it doesn't look like I got much done I hate when that happens, but at least it's not dragging. I do need to figure out why something that was working for me this morning, is suddenly not working for me this afternoon. Ah well, an hour and a half and I'll be out of here.

Thanks for your help with the linking! I think I figured it out.

I have been alternating between working and reading TRs. My time sheet for today looks not so hot.

 

[Cafeen]

Just seeing if this works. It should, since I tested it in a preview thing.

The voices you here are me and Beth. I hate how I sound when recorded, I swear I don't sound like that at all! (Then again, we all say the same thing).

 

[MICKEY4EVER!]

YAY! I'm all caught up! I'm missing about half of the pictures b/c I haven't gotten on at home yet, but then your pics started showing up, so I'm good now. Emily is just so precious. She has the most expressive eyes and they have such a sparkle in them. Beth is very lucky to have her! And you are lucky to have both of those girls in your life, as you well know and have mentioned!

The video of Emily is cute, too. You sound fine on the video! You don't sound like an Alabamian though. You've got to drag out all of your words if you want to sound like one of us!

 

[Wrexie]

I continue to enjoy reading your trip report and I love the pictures!

What model and brand of camera do you have, if you don't mind my asking? My old favorite camera had all sorts of neat settings but it wasn't digital. I've now got a Sony digital camera with zoom but I miss some of the settings of my old camera.

I'm trying to remember the Imagination ride at Epcot and I remember Figment but for some reason other than that I'm coming up blank. I liked the old "Living Seas" so much with the elevator down to the undersea station that I'm sure I'll probably miss it, but I'm sure Nemo and Friends is cool too.

Epcot is probably my favorite park for two reasons--I'm into the geeky stuff and I'm into "international travel" without having to cross an ocean.

I adore Animal Kingdom, though. In Feb. the weather should be better and you can check out some of the things you weren't able to do. I'm a big animal and bird lover and have seen things there I've never seen anywhere else!

I hope you get to take Emily and Beth back to WDW when Emily is older and see how much she remembers, and experience more of those wonderful "light-up" moments!

 

[Cafeen]

YAY! I'm all caught up! I'm missing about half of the pictures b/c I haven't gotten on at home yet, but then your pics started showing up, so I'm good now. Emily is just so precious. She has the most expressive eyes and they have such a sparkle in them. Beth is very lucky to have her! And you are lucky to have both of those girls in your life, as you well know and have mentioned!

The video of Emily is cute, too. You sound fine on the video! You don't sound like an Alabamian though. You've got to drag out all of your words if you want to sound like one of us!

Glad to hear the other site worked (and it's a good thing I'm a bit of a computer nerd huh?)! I could go back and change all my previous ones to point to it, but that's a lot of work and I'm lazy! They should show up from here on out at least, so once you catch up picture-wise to where I swapped, you'll be good to go.

And yes, I am very lucky to have them both in my life. (And, I suppose, they are lucky to have me too ) Not a single day goes by that I don't think about them and thank them for being around.

As far as my voice, no, I'm not an Alabamian and I won't ever be . Not to knock those from here, of course, but I don't identify with Alabama anywhere near as much as I do New England.

I continue to enjoy reading your trip report and I love the pictures!

What model and brand of camera do you have, if you don't mind my asking? My old favorite camera had all sorts of neat settings but it wasn't digital. I've now got a Sony digital camera with zoom but I miss some of the settings of my old camera.

I'm trying to remember the Imagination ride at Epcot and I remember Figment but for some reason other than that I'm coming up blank. I liked the old "Living Seas" so much with the elevator down to the undersea station that I'm sure I'll probably miss it, but I'm sure Nemo and Friends is cool too.

Epcot is probably my favorite park for two reasons--I'm into the geeky stuff and I'm into "international travel" without having to cross an ocean.

I adore Animal Kingdom, though. In Feb. the weather should be better and you can check out some of the things you weren't able to do. I'm a big animal and bird lover and have seen things there I've never seen anywhere else!

I hope you get to take Emily and Beth back to WDW when Emily is older and see how much she remembers, and experience more of those wonderful "light-up" moments!

Thanks as always

I picked up a Canon Powershot A1000 IS for this trip. It's not quite as powerful as the other version (that's 100$ more), but it works great. The Image-Stabilization (which is what the IS is) comes in very nice when taking darker shots or shots of an active 2 year old. I do miss some features found in the higher model, but this worked quite well for me.

The old Journey into Imagination was just a classic. It's been too long to remember the actual premise, but this youtube video should help. (Sound isn't that great and it's not a full ride video, but it may spark memories).

I am planning on bringing them back in early 2011 (Feb is most likely), so that will be interesting. I hope to be able to bring Beth's dad down too (if he can get away for a week), so that should be really nice. It's quite a ways off though and things can change, but I'm hoping they just change for the better .

I slacked today (well, on here.. I worked my tail off at work, which is probably why I slacked on here...), but I should be getting another chapter up in a bit. Have to cook dinner (/gasp... cook, me, poor Pizza Hut will be going out of business if this continues!) and do some other stuff around the house, but it shouldn't be too too long.

 

[goofy's_gurl]

great updates. look like your having a wonderful day at Epcot. and its much much easier to take it slow and absorb it all in. because that means you can always go back next year! LOL.

 

[Wrexie]

I picked up a Canon Powershot A1000 IS for this trip.

Cool - it looks like it has a few more features than my Sony Cybershot DSC-S700, that I'm probably sticking with for the next year or so, but one of these days...!

The old Journey into Imagination was just a classic. It's been too long to remember the actual premise, but this youtube video should help. (Sound isn't that great and it's not a full ride video, but it may spark memories).

Yeah, I remember some of that! I think it might have been closed last time I was there, though. Thanks for posting the link!

 

[Cafeen]

great updates. look like your having a wonderful day at Epcot. and its much much easier to take it slow and absorb it all in. because that means you can always go back next year! LOL.

Thanks , and yeah, the pace we went at for Epcot was great, a bit better than we had done in MK and AK previously. We were far less tired after this park day than we had been earlier in the week.

Cool - it looks like it has a few more features than my Sony Cybershot DSC-S700, that I'm probably sticking with for the next year or so, but one of these days...!

Yeah, I remember some of that! I think it might have been closed last time I was there, though. Thanks for posting the link!

You're welcome .