Discovering A Whole New World of Disney-An October 2013 Photo Safari **Updated 2/20

[DaveinFallsChurch]

I am so terrible! I did look through your AK update the other day I swear!!! I have a question for you - what is up with you and these prayer flags?? Hehehe.... Seriously lots of fantastic shots yet again! You fail to disappoint!! Also, I now spend my life buying everything in pairs as well - its just easier! The scorn you can receive is brutal from little kids!! I too love all the detail in AK, it is such an interesting park.

Oooo the castle show! I don't think I have caught this in its entirety either... However, a few observations, Donald looks very fluffy! I have to say, the performers in Disney are fabulous - truly great at what they do. Love that you really caught that in your photos - I like how you singled them out.

Ok... I promise I will try and keep up!

Hi Sarah and no worries! I know you're reading along here and on Facebook. Yeah, seriously, not sure why I'm so obessed with the flags but I hear it might be an epidemic.

Not only Donald looks very fluffy especially along the chest but Mickey and Minnie look very velvety.

I really enjoyed scrolling through your pictures while sipping my morning coffee. Unfortunately, I have to get ready for work now. Blah!

Loved all the pics. Great perspective and some really unique shots. I especially loved the Finding Nemo shots. I am never close enough to actually SEE the expressions on the actors face. That Dory is adorable.

There is also a very unique shot of the guitar outside of RnR. Very cool.

The private event at HS looks fun.

Thanks!

That was my favorite part about the Nemo show too. The actors expression. I think our eyes get drawn naturally to the puppets that it's very easy to miss what the actors/actresses are up to.

Despite knowing every word to Dream Along With Mickey, this year was the first year for us seeing it beginning to end too!

Your CIA lens is pretty amazing to get such close up shots of all of the performers! They always look so into their performance, you know they are all working so hard! I definitely recognize that Prince (as in, the one whose name is just The Prince from Snow White) as the one we met at MNSSHP. I guess I thought the ones out meeting in the parks would be different from the ones on stage. So that's pretty cool to see that they can do both!

That's pretty cool that the meet and greet prince was also the dancing one! I was also assuming they used a different set of CMs for these shows but I guess to be a prince or princess you have to be multi talented!

Wow, you're in my head Dave. I'm in the exact same boat in that I have never seen Dream Along beginning to end. I've been close, but never completely start to finish. I even did as you and arrived for one finally before the start time... and then... it rained. It's on the list though.

Excellent description comparing to to Wishes too!!!

I love looking at your photos of this so much!! I specifically remember the dancer in your first photo too. I remember how great her facial expressions are throughout the show. Obviously the characters are fab, but the dancers really bring this show to life.

I was watching a youtube video of the show last night and saw a couple of the same faces as well. You're totally right that the dancers are the ones who bring the energetic vibe to the show. Although I have to say that I was quite impressed with the dance moves Mickey and his friends were putting on as well!

 

[RatherBeInAK]

Not sure what those things are hanging down from the roof. They sort of remind me of the “fruits” from Monsters Inc . but I’m pretty sure that’s not it.


IMG_9556 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

Your pictures are so great! I really enjoyed the ones of the parade. Pete's Dragon brings back such memories. Seeing it on our last trip made me really want to watch the movie again.

I didn't read through all the responses so someone may have already identified the fruit in your picture for you. But they are actual fruits. The red hairy kind is rambutan (and delicious!), I believe the dark purple kind is supposed to be mangosteen (tastes nothing like mango but is SO good), and the large tan ones are durian fruits. Durian has the reputation that it "tastes like heaven but it smells like hell". I think it tastes like it smells. Nasty stuff. I didn't recognize the other ones.

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Your pictures are so great! I really enjoyed the ones of the parade. Pete's Dragon brings back such memories. Seeing it on our last trip made me really want to watch the movie again.

I didn't read through all the responses so someone may have already identified the fruit in your picture for you. But they are actual fruits. The red hairy kind is rambutan (and delicious!), I believe the dark purple kind is supposed to be mangosteen (tastes nothing like mango but is SO good), and the large tan ones are durian fruits. Durian has the reputation that it "tastes like heaven but it smells like hell". I think it tastes like it smells. Nasty stuff. I didn't recognize the other ones.

I love Pete's Dragon as well and think it's great that they kept him in the parade after all these years!

So many fruits I haven't tried! Thanks for the info! Will have to keep an eye out for those except maybe the Durian.

 

[afwdwfan]

You know how there’s that one movie which you have seen many times in piecemeal but never in one sitting from beginning to end? Dream Along with Mickey is like that for me. I’ve seen the show many times but in bits and pieces and never from the beginning.

I have to say that is kind of the same situation for me.

I must have not obstructed anyone’s view because everyone stayed around me and behind me stayed seated during the entire show probably because the stage was up so high.

Either you weren't obstructing them or they were just doing what the show asked and wishing for something to happen to you.

It follows the basic storyline when you think about it. Both start out with the premise that there are those who don’t believe in dreams or wishes. Then they go on to show how dreams or wishes come true by parading out some of our favorite Disney characters and their dreams and wishes. These are then inevitably interrupted by a villain who wants to have her own nightmare or wish come true. Finally the world is back to good again when everyone dreams and wishes together. See? Same story! And I’m a fan of both!

And if you replace the words "dream" and "wish" with "imagination" you have Fantasmic! They really go all out coming up with original storylines. It seems to work well though.

Is it just me or does Prince Charming bear a striking resemblance to Gaston? Hmmmm.

Good observation.

Continued in Part II! Apparently I kind of went shutter crazy with this show and took lots of pictures so will have to split this into two updates which I promise will have up in a couple of days.

Nobody around here is going to complain about too many pictures. Nice job. You really don't see too many people getting many shots of the background dancers.

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

And if you replace the words "dream" and "wish" with "imagination" you have Fantasmic! They really go all out coming up with original storylines. It seems to work well though.

Nobody around here is going to complain about too many pictures. Nice job. You really don't see too many people getting many shots of the background dancers.

Yes! Fantasmic too! They must have a formularic software that just spits out a story line after you punch in one key word. Surprised they haven't done anything with the word "Magic" yet.

Looking through my pictures from FotLK I noticed I have waaaay more pictures of the supporting CMs than the central characters.

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Continued from previous update – As promised the thrilling conclusion to Dream Along with Mickey!

Now that the princesses had their time in the spotlight we needed something to balance things out for the non-princess crowd. Did someone say adventure? Yup! Bring in Peter Pan and the pirates to help fulfill Goofy’s wish…..ahem I mean dream come true!


IMG_2056 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

I was beginning to wonder why all of my favorite dancers were MIA during the princess sequences. Wardrobe change!


IMG_2059 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

Carrying an oversized duck who doesn’t believe in wearing pants has to be a challenging feat. No doubt.


IMG_2071 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_2075 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

While I loved having my telezoom lens on and taking these close up pictures of the performers and our favorite Disney friends, I was quite startled when I saw Hook and Smee through my view finder and I’m still trying to shake the shock off. Yikes. There’s just something really wrong with the way their makeup and prosthetics look and clearly was not meant to be seen up close with a CIA lens.


IMG_2080 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

Why can’t they have the same character mask they use for the meet and greets for these two? You know what this reminds me of? Anyone remember the 1987 sci-fi classic Robocop? Remember when one of the bad guys gets dumped with acid at the end of the movie? Yeah. There you go.

I agree with Wendy and Peter. Something stinks alright.


IMG_2083 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

Peter Pan wins the day!


IMG_2086 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

I think Wendy (along with Alice) is my favorite character to photograph. I just find her very photogenic.


IMG_2089 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

Finally, a villain worth getting excited about. Ladies and gentleman, Angelina Jolie!


IMG_2096 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

My favorite shot from the show. Mickey and Minnie standing up against the bully.


IMG_2105 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

Actually it turns out that Donald is the one who decides to stand up against Maleficent. Overpowered by the power of dreams, she disappears in a puff of smoke which queues the entrance of my favorite dancers again after another wardrobe change and takes us to the finale!


IMG_2109 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_2110 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_2113 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_2116 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

See what I mean about Wendy? Her personality just comes right through the pictures.

IMG_2128 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_2133 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_2143 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_2148 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_2155 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_2165 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

It’s a pretty good show but can’t make any promises that I’ll be watching this one from start to end in January. It did bring an extra spring in my step as I continued on into Fantasyland.

 

[SAT887]

Love your update! Hook & Smee look like the stuff nightmares are made of! I love that you took so many great pictures! One of these days we will have to catch the show from beginning until end but until then your TR will just have to do!

I also think Wendy is great - she always comes off so sweet in pictures

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Oh my YES Hook and Smee are positively gastly in this show.

"Ladies and gentleman, Angelina Jolie!" Well done!

Annnnnnnd my fav dancer to finish the photo shoot. Once again you've outdone yourself Dave.

 

[MEK]

Once again, you did an amazing job of capturing the facial expressions of the performers.

I still have some pics to catch up on, but I am saving them for later. (Plus I've got to go pick up my son so I must drag myself into the real world momentary )

 

[khaleesi]

Your photos are stunning! I'm going solo in February, and I don't think it's ever gonna get here!

I had no idea what Flights of Wonder was about... thank you for the pictures! Now I can't wait to see it!

 

[mecllap]

I am totally in love with the shutter speed on your camera -- do you do multi-shots fps, , or is it that fast with one at a time push the shutter button?

 

[teekathepony]

Hi Dave! Finally got myself updated. I'm totally in awe of the clarity and sharpness of your photos, especially the Dream Along With Mickey show ones. They're all dancing around and flipping around pretty fast! Amazing photos. I also love the shot of Mickey and Minnie standing up to Maleficent!
(And for some reason Wendy is one of my favourite characters too!)

 

[emmysmommy]

Hi Dave! I'm caught up!

Good job coming to your (still spinning) senses and getting that second Yeti for the kids. Those little round balls of fluff were adorable. I almost got one for myself but then thought yeah, I don't have a toy box anymore so it will just lay around.

Ha ha! Product placement in any language with case in point Coca-Cola. Nice job capturing the small details of AK park. That is funny that you did the animal trail and we don't see any photos of animals.... not even the bats from the bat cave?? Those creep me out so that is completely fine.

I will admit that Dream Along with Mickey is a show that I really never paid attention to since I saw it as a distraction for those that were silly enough to stand around and pay attention while I scooted over to Peter Pan or Splash.... but this last trip I became obsessed with getting a shot of the pop of fireworks at the end so I paid attention. And then I couldn't stop watching it every day that we were there. Go figure. I went from zero interest to gotta see it. Your photos of the performers are so awesome. They would be great for their dance folios. The facial expressions of the performers are almost always perfect as well.

Part 2 of your DAwM is awesome as well! Great job capturing the entire show.

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Love your update! Hook & Smee look like the stuff nightmares are made of! I love that you took so many great pictures! One of these days we will have to catch the show from beginning until end but until then your TR will just have to do!

I also think Wendy is great - she always comes off so sweet in pictures

I keep wondering why they decided to go with this version of Hook and Smee when every other meet and greet and parade is done with the full masked character version.

Based on the replies from everyone it looks like there are very few people who actually watched the whole show from start to finish!

Oh my YES Hook and Smee are positively gastly in this show.

"Ladies and gentleman, Angelina Jolie!" Well done!

Annnnnnnd my fav dancer to finish the photo shoot. Once again you've outdone yourself Dave.

Thanks! She was also one of my favorites to take pictures of.

I had high hopes for the Jolie led Maleficent movie coming out next year. Then I saw the trailer a couple of weeks ago and now I'm a little concerned that the overall look of the film is more reminiscent of Tim Burton's version of Alice in Wonderland which was a bit too much special effects driven for me. I'm hoping there's more to Maleficent.

Once again, you did an amazing job of capturing the facial expressions of the performers.

I still have some pics to catch up on, but I am saving them for later. (Plus I've got to go pick up my son so I must drag myself into the real world momentary )

Thank you! The performers do such a great job with keeping up with their expressions in sync with the show even with all of the dancing and lip syncing they have to do.

Your photos are stunning! I'm going solo in February, and I don't think it's ever gonna get here!

I had no idea what Flights of Wonder was about... thank you for the pictures! Now I can't wait to see it!

Welcome and thank you! I hope you have a blast in February! And hope you enjoy Flights in person as well. It's a wonderful show.

I am totally in love with the shutter speed on your camera -- do you do multi-shots fps, , or is it that fast with one at a time push the shutter button?

For these fast moving shows I usually have the settings at multiple bursts. At this setting I usually take three continuous shots. I also have my focusing set on AI Servo since everything and everyone is constantly in motion.

Hi Dave! Finally got myself updated. I'm totally in awe of the clarity and sharpness of your photos, especially the Dream Along With Mickey show ones. They're all dancing around and flipping around pretty fast! Amazing photos. I also love the shot of Mickey and Minnie standing up to Maleficent!
(And for some reason Wendy is one of my favourite characters too!)

Thanks Wendy! I've been enjoying your pictures from your trip on your FB page. Great stuff!

Probably the only good thing about photographing in harsh sunny midday lighting is that I can crank up the shutter speed as high as I want for these outdoor shows. I'll have to go back and see which shutter speed I eventually landed on.

Hi Dave! I'm caught up!

Good job coming to your (still spinning) senses and getting that second Yeti for the kids. Those little round balls of fluff were adorable. I almost got one for myself but then thought yeah, I don't have a toy box anymore so it will just lay around.

Ha ha! Product placement in any language with case in point Coca-Cola. Nice job capturing the small details of AK park. That is funny that you did the animal trail and we don't see any photos of animals.... not even the bats from the bat cave?? Those creep me out so that is completely fine.

I will admit that Dream Along with Mickey is a show that I really never paid attention to since I saw it as a distraction for those that were silly enough to stand around and pay attention while I scooted over to Peter Pan or Splash.... but this last trip I became obsessed with getting a shot of the pop of fireworks at the end so I paid attention. And then I couldn't stop watching it every day that we were there. Go figure. I went from zero interest to gotta see it. Your photos of the performers are so awesome. They would be great for their dance folios. The facial expressions of the performers are almost always perfect as well.

Part 2 of your DAwM is awesome as well! Great job capturing the entire show.

Thanks Brenda and welcome back from your business trip! I still laugh about the lack of animal pictures in AK. I clearly had my priorities elsewhere for photographing the park. But I did take a lot of animal pictures on the Safari ride so it wasn't a complete wash.

Once I finish organizing all of my pictures I'm actually thinking about sending some of these to Disney and asking them to forward them to the castmembers and supporting dancers and performers so that they can keep and use for their individual purposes. I think they would like that since I'm guessing a lot of folks don't focus their cameras on them during shows like Dream Along with Mickey.

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

I hope everyone had a great weekend! We kicked off the holidays a little early this weekend by spending Saturday night at the National Harbor. The highlight of this weekend was the ICE! exhibit put together by Gaylord Hotel. The kids enjoyed this last year so we decided to make it another weekend out of it this year. So I thought I'd take a slight detour from my Disney photo safari to share some pictures from this weekend!

The National Harbor is actually located in Oxon Hill, Maryland on the Potomac River. It's actually right on the edge where Virginia, Maryland, and DC borders meet so not too far from the District.

Here's a view of the Potomac from our floor in the hotel. Across the river you see Alexandria, VA.

IMG_3572 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

This area has been undergoing some serious development targeting tourism with lots of shops, restaurants, and hotels. They just opened up a fashion outlet mall by Tangers this weekend. On the more controversial side of things, Maryland voted to approve plans for a casino in the area as well last year.

Gaylord Hotel and Convention Center is located here. Each year starting in Mid November through early January they put together an ice sculpture exhibit. Last year's theme was "Shrek the Halls". This year is "Twas the Night Before Christmas" and "Christmas in New York". The hotel offered a decent deal of a package that includes lodging, tickets to the ICE! exhibit, and a $100 resort credit!

On Saturday evening we checked in and pigged out on some room service. Something about eating in your hotel room can turn an average meal into a magical experience! Afterwards, we walked around the hotel's gigantic atrium and stopped by Gingy (yes, from Shrek) and his workshop to build and decorate our own gingerbread house. Here's our finished product.


IMG_3635 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

Spent the rest of the evening in the atrium watching the water fountain shows and tree light shows that were on every 30 minutes. They even turn on the "snow" during these shows. The kids got a kick out of the fountain show as the water spray was pretty decent and they enjoyed getting soaked.

The Christmas tree. DD kept calling this the Enchanted Christmas Tree because it was floating in the air.


IMG_3684 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

I didn't take much pictures while we were in the Atrium but you can get an idea what it looks like from our balcony view here.


IMG_3577 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

DW and the kids turned in early at 9pm. I wasn't quite ready for bed so I spent an hour at the bar lounge sipping a glass of Cabernet then turned in at 10:30pm

This morning we did a character breakfast with friends from Madagascar. The kids had a blast. Every time a character came by if we said "I like to move it!" they would start dancing with you. Alex had the best moves. I have to admit that I have not seen most of these movies and didn't know any of the characters' names. DW and I had to do a quick google search to figure out who was who. But not before calling out some of the character's by the type of animals they were and not by their given names.

"Look, it's the LEMUR! Oh, his name is King Julius?"

IMG_3702 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

"And look! It's the.....ummm...PENGUIN! Wait, there's more than one penguin? Hmmm, I shall call him Big Penguin and that other one Shorty Penguin"

IMG_3704 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

Seriously folks, I'm a Disney guy and not much for DreamWorks.

By the time this guy showed up, we had our Wikipedia working. "Look kids, it's ALEX!"

IMG_3716 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

Finally at the end of the morning we entered the ICE exhibit. We learned our lesson last year when we showed up with our late fall attire and nearly froze to death inside the exhibit. The temperature in the exhibit area is at a balmy 9 degrees F. They advertise the fact that "parkas" are provided for every guest. What they fail to mention is that these parkas aren't that thick and provides little insulation. So this time we came prepared. Winter hats, scarves, gloves, leggings for the kids. Poor DS started complaining that he was so bundled up in too many layers that he couldn't move his arms!

I also researched ahead of time whether my DSLR could handle the temperatures. Once I read an article about a researcher who used the same camera model in Antarctica I was good. I still made sure to tuck the camera away in my camera backpack before leaving the exhibit to avoid condensation.

The first half of the exhibit were scenes from Twas the Night Before Christmas.

Yep. Not even a mouse was stirring. Because it was asleep.

IMG_3744 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_3749 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_3750 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

Yes, it's alllllll ice.

IMG_3755 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

A lot of these are very cool. Little pun intended.

IMG_3756 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

But in all seriousness it's really amazing what they can do.

IMG_3759 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_3762 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

By this point I think I was starting to get a bit cold to realize I completely forgot to look for Rudolph.

IMG_3763 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

This room is a perennial favorite especially with the kids. The ice slide room! The themes and decorations change but the slides are always there.

IMG_3768 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_3770 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_3791 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

And then it was Christmas in NYC!

It's a good thing Miss Liberty is wearing a robe underneath because I think that red top is dangerously inappropriately short. lol

IMG_3807 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

Recreation of Times Square. DD and DS stood there for awhile watching themselves on the big screen.

IMG_3809 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

And yes, this set is complete with the ice replica of the Guggenheim.

IMG_3811 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

As well as a yellow cab where families could sit inside for a picture. The seat thankfully was not made of ice.

IMG_3812 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

I'm pretty sure that the Empire State Building is nowhere near "Central Park W" but nonetheless was very well done.

IMG_3813 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

Finally, the Nativity Scene at the end just like last year.

DD definitely enjoyed it a lot more this year. DS was half miserable from the cold and the lack of flexibility his outfit afforded during the entire visit. I think he may appreciate this more next year. For me I learned that there's no way I'm ever going to become a nature photographer......in winter. I just couldn't pay attention very well to taking pictures because I was too distracted with the cold temperatures.

I'm very happy that we got to do this to kick things off for the holiday season! I just love this time of year and it really set the mood for the next few weeks!

 

[DDuck4Life]

Looks like a fun weekend. It's really amazing what they can do with ice and on such a large scale.

 

[henrylarry6]

I am really adamired with the kind of experince you had and you have put some really nice pictures there.

 

[khaleesi]

Wow! What a cool event! (Pun not actually intended, but it works.) I think I want to go down the ice slide!!

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Wow, that Atrium is absolutely beautiful; so peaceful looking.

Haha, for a second I thought you were in Universal with all the Madagascar characters.

That exhibit really is stunning. I believe they also have one in Orlando this time of year. Thanks for sharing Dave.

 

[khertz]

It's pretty amazing what they were able to re-create out of ice! I have never been to one of those ice displays, but reading this I don't think my body could handle it. 9 degrees? They might as well throw me down to Antarctica. I am freezing today and the high is 46.

Poor DS and not being able to move his arms. The mental image of that only made me laugh a little.