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

[momabbate]

Love Olaf on the shelf. Can't wait to see what you come up. I wish we had the idea of Elf on the shelf when my kids were little. My hubby would have loved it.

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Love Olaf on the shelf. Can't wait to see what you come up. I wish we had the idea of Elf on the shelf when my kids were little. My hubby would have loved it.

That gives me an idea! I should take pictures of Olaf on the Shelf and post them on here

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

I’m not much of a dancer. Ok, that’s a severe understatement. It’s just a hot mess when I try to dance. That’s probably a more accurate statement. When I am dragged on to the dance floor at weddings it feels like my arms are flailing all over the place while my feet are stuck in mud. The worst of it is that I’m so self-conscious of my missing dancing genes that it just compounds my timid, shy, and sad attempt at trying to stay with the music. You’re probably wondering where I’m going with this in the middle of my trip report. Well folks, we have reached the portion of the TR where it’s time to talk about Move It! Shake It! Celebrate It! Street Party.

It’s a fun dance party and a parade! As long as I’m watching from the sidelines. In past trips I tried to get our kids to join in on the dance and celebration. My DD fortunately did not inherit my two-left-feet-genes and loves to dance. She’s pretty good too! She did however inherit my self-consciousness so whenever we have tried to encourage her to join in she plants her two feet on the sidewalk. DS is showing some promise that he may actually join in on the street party for our upcoming trip in January. He started dancing with Alex from Madagascar at the character breakfast we did a couple of weeks ago.

Anyway, back to this trip. I was finishing up my walking tour of Main Street and was admiring the piano at Casey’s Corner when the Street Party was nearing its end at the Hub. The familiar and very catchy tune of “Celebrate You (It’s the Time of Your Life)” started playing and the floats began making their way back down Main Street from the Hub. I don’t know what it exactly is about this particular song but I always find myself tapping my feet to the tune when I hear it at MK. So I walked over to the edge of the sidewalk to catch the end of the parade with my camera ready to capture some of the best dancing and most energetic CMs outside of FotLK you will find in WDW. Just love watching them dance their way up and down Main Street. Wish there was a way I could pipe in the music for you with these pictures.

It’s the Time of Your Life


IMG_1944 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_1913 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

You don’t want to miss out on


IMG_1940 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

Right here and right now


IMG_1936 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

There’s so many reasons why


IMG_1918 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

You don’t want to stop


IMG_1920 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

Here’s your chance


IMG_1914 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

Live it Up

IMG_1923 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

In everything you do


IMG_1929 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

Celebrate You!


IMG_1932 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

 

[chattadisser]

Great BTMRR shots! I can’t tell you how many times I have rode it and I don’t think I have ever seen the bobcat or the dinosaur bones! I’m thinking I need to ride it backwards next time.

Love the Frozen additions to the family, I guess I’m going to force one of my children to go see it again so I can see it. Ohhh…I want to see Olaf on a shelf pictures…so much better than Elf on the shelf (I don’t do the Elf…I don’t need someone else to clean up after although it is cute).

Doesn’t it just look like the dancers in the Move It! Shake It! Celebrate It! parade have so much fun? Does your DD dance all around the house, putting on “shows” only to freeze up in public? Mine do…of course then we embarrass them with the “parents dance”. Basically running man from the 80’s which totally mortifies them. It’s so much fun!

Christine

 

[wiigirl]

Great update!

 

[khertz]

I don't even know that I could count how many times we have stopped to watch this little parade! It's so fun, and the music is great. It really just draws you on. Fantastic photos of it. The performers are just amazing. To think they do that multiple times a day with the same enthusiasm no matter how hot or cold it is... Really amazing!

 

[SAT887]

This is the nap time parade! We tend to leave around 12-12:30 and we always seem to catch it! I love the first picture! We are terrible dancers here - I am hoping my kids are better at it! We will see what happens so far DD2 is showing most promise

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Great BTMRR shots! I can’t tell you how many times I have rode it and I don’t think I have ever seen the bobcat or the dinosaur bones! I’m thinking I need to ride it backwards next time.

Love the Frozen additions to the family, I guess I’m going to force one of my children to go see it again so I can see it. Ohhh…I want to see Olaf on a shelf pictures…so much better than Elf on the shelf (I don’t do the Elf…I don’t need someone else to clean up after although it is cute).

Doesn’t it just look like the dancers in the Move It! Shake It! Celebrate It! parade have so much fun? Does your DD dance all around the house, putting on “shows” only to freeze up in public? Mine do…of course then we embarrass them with the “parents dance”. Basically running man from the 80’s which totally mortifies them. It’s so much fun!

Christine

Yup! DD loves to dance at home and in front of mirror. She's also in ballet and jazz dance classes but still gets shy in front of a lot of people. I usually join in on the kids' dancing during Mickey Mouse Clubhouse when the Hot Dog Dance comes up.

Great update!

Thank you!

I don't even know that I could count how many times we have stopped to watch this little parade! It's so fun, and the music is great. It really just draws you on. Fantastic photos of it. The performers are just amazing. To think they do that multiple times a day with the same enthusiasm no matter how hot or cold it is... Really amazing!

We've watched this parade several times from the sidelines in the past! Always fun to watch!

This is the nap time parade! We tend to leave around 12-12:30 and we always seem to catch it! I love the first picture! We are terrible dancers here - I am hoping my kids are better at it! We will see what happens so far DD2 is showing most promise

I'm curious to see how DS does this year. I'm going to make sure we position ourselves around the hub right around the time the parade comes through and see what happens.

 

[JulieODC]

Hi there fellow NoVA resident! Your pictures are stunning!

Hope you are surviving/enjoying this weather!

 

[teekathepony]

Absolutely awesome shots of the parade! I love that song. It makes me do the happy tear up thing. Great captures of the dancers. Such wonderful performers.

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Hi there fellow NoVA resident! Your pictures are stunning!

Hope you are surviving/enjoying this weather!

Welcome! So good to see a fellow NoVA DISer!

I did pretty well with the weather today. Commuted to DC early this morning before the snow came. My drive home was the best and easiest commute I had in a couple of years thanks to the Fed closing today and the lack of accumulation in DC. The kids definitely enjoyed their snow day with my parents. So thankful that my parents were visiting this week because that would have been mad scramble trying to find child care with two days of school closing in a row! Came home to find two snowmen complete with carrot noses in our backyard.

Absolutely awesome shots of the parade! I love that song. It makes me do the happy tear up thing. Great captures of the dancers. Such wonderful performers.

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

Thanks Wendy! I feel similarly about the song! Although until yesterday I didn't realize the original song was sung by Corbin Bleu. Now I have slightly mixed feelings. Just slightly.

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

My favorite ride in all of Disney World? That would be Tower of Terror! It’s the perfect combination of thrills mixed in with perfect theming and backstory that only Disney could pull off. As some of my non-Disney friends would point out there are similar rides at amusement parks around the country that go up much higher and drop a lot faster. But I don’t think I’ve seen another one that does it in the dark for a good stretch of the time to the point you can’t tell whether you’re going up or down as your bottom levitates above the seats in zero gravity fashion. And what other ride has the chambermaids and bellhops walking around the queue entertaining their guests while staying true to the whole backstory? One of the things on my Disney bucket list would be to rent out the space at ToT for a special dinner after park closing as one of the Disney bloggers reported doing so and getting to walk through the lobby and take pictures.

If you remember, the conference arranged a private event at DHS for its attendees and all of their registered family members. If you were wondering why DHS was closed early at 6pm on Saturday October 26th, that would be why. I was really excited about this because it still would mean a relatively empty park compared to normal park operating hours. It would also mean that I could ride ToT until my heart content which I learned was equivalent to four times in a row over a 45 minute period. Which begs the question: how many times in a row do I have to go on the ride before I can actually enter the fifth dimension? Somehow I always end up back in my little old reality when the doors open. The first couple of times the lines were very short with only a 5-10 minute wait but the secret must have gotten out and the lines became longer later on. Either that or the Beauty and the Beast crowd letting out next door had something to do with it.

Ahhh. The Hollywood Tower Hotel. In its blue ghostly and charred glow.


IMG_8203 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

Of all the times I’ve been on this attraction, I had never gone through the standby queue. We’ve used FPs every single time. The upside is obvious. The downside is I missed out on taking time to appreciate the theming and details in the lobby because we’re just walking through the queue without any wait or stops. I’ve also never interacted with the ToT bellmen or chambermaids in the past either. Since there were no FPs available during the event, I had the perfect opportunity to change all that and I had my camera ready to go for the occasion. Each time I zoomed in I found wonderful details!

In such a hurry, someone left their hat and cane behind. Would that be equivalent to leaving your cell phone behind in today’s world?


IMG_8205-2 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

The spiders were the true winners of the lightning accident. Just look at all those cobwebs.


IMG_8206 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

It’s very dimly lit but there’s an unfinished game of Mahjong on the table.


IMG_8208 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

I think I liked the owl from Flights of Wonder much better than this one.


IMG_8211 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

Oh how I wish I could put my name down in that guestbook!


IMG_8213 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

Love the mail section behind the front desk.


IMG_8272 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

I bet those luggage are like a time capsule, preserved for such a long time. Let’s just hope there were no perishables inside.


IMG_8271 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

Looks like someone was enjoying a lovely dinner with champagne which leads to this question. What exactly happens to champagne that’s been opened over 74 years?


IMG_8215 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_8214 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

Am I the only that gets the urge to pick up that phone? I mean there’s so many phones in Disney that you can pick up and listen to some cute recordings that I just wonder if this one has some magic on the other end of the line as well.


IMG_8217 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

This one turned out to be my favorite picture from the lobby scene.


IMG_8225 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

Clearly not the elevator we will be taking.


IMG_8219 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

The four CMs (two chambermaids and two bellmen) were such a pleasure to watch and interact with. One of the bellman would stand next to a random guest in the queue and announce that he will be taking their luggage up to their room. He would stand right there next to them in the FP queue side with luggage clutched in both hands. When the guest moved up the line with a few steps, the bellmen would follow parallel to them. He did this all the way to the library entrance. When one of the guests asked to take a picture with him he deadpanned “You want a picture of your own luggage? Well, okay!” and then lifted up the bag to be included in the picture.


IMG_8233 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

The other bellman along with his chambermaid counterpart played the more nervous type telling people that they strongly encourage the guests NOT to take the elevators and take the stairs instead. Here’s the bellman in one of his panic attacks (somehow I missed the opportunity to take a picture of his counterpart chambermaid)


IMG_8210-2 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

Then there was this chambermaid who I did get a chance to directly interact with. I started out the conversation by asking her how her evening was going and if I could take a picture of her. She struck a pose but said “Wait for it. Wait for it…..” then fixed her gaze straight at my lens.


IMG_8238-3 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

I just loved the look I was seeing through the viewfinder and I told her “Beautiful!” after I took the shot. She took that as an opportunity to take on a flirtatious tone and asked me where I was from. I told her Virginia and then she gave me this batting the eyelashes look and said “Virginia is for lovers you know” I laughed out loud and before she moved on to the next set of guests she used her duster to brush my behind with a little “Oooops!”. She continued to play the same role with the other guests down the line never missing an opportunity to dust the bottoms of male guests with a little “Ooops”.

Continued in Next Post

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Continued from a Previous Post

I also found a lot of fun little things in the library especially lining the tops of the bookshelves. Not entirely sure if the two libraries have different items but I am pretty sure that most of them are objects of significance from past Twilight Zone episodes. Benefits of going on the ride four times in a row I ended up in both libraries twice each. It still wasn’t enough trying to catch everything since the lights promptly go out as you enter.

Here are couple of the items on top of the bookshelves.


IMG_8227 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_8228 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

On the desk in the library. There’s a room key!


IMG_8240 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

The desk lamp.


IMG_8275 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

And one of the lamp shades in the library. Love the logo.


IMG_8278 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

There’s this one bellman CM that I recognize from past trips who usually is stationed at the exit of the library or the loading/unloading zone of the ride. I wish I had a picture of him but sadly I didn’t catch one thanks to the extremely low lighting in that area. The reason I recognize him is because he always has this sinister smile on him and he loves to sneak up on guests and surprise or scare them. One of the times we were in the library he somehow silently sidled up next to three women while the lights were out and everyone was dutifully looking up at the TV as Rod Serling the events of that fateful night. He positioned himself perfectly with his face dangerously close up against one of the women. And when the lights came on, she let out a scream followed by laughter as she saw that sinister smile. Everybody in the room was laughing. As one of the last people to exit the room I said to him “Well done sir” to which replied with a flourish of a bow “Why, thank you sir”.

I absolutely love the boiler basement. Unfortunately it’s as dark as the Haunted Mansion ride. I always feel like I’m actually in the basement of an extremely old building as we walk through.


IMG_8229 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_8242 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

And finally we have reached our destination.


IMG_8243 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

All four times I held my camera in one hand. After riding it so many times I was pretty confident that I could hold on to the camera and try to take pictures during the ride. The third time I was finally seated in the front row and along the center aisle which was perfect for capturing my favorite residents of the hotel.


IMG_8250 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

Noooo, don’t leave!


IMG_8254 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

The theming continues after the ride. This is behind the screens where you can preview your ride photos. I never noticed all this before but thought it was brilliant as it appears to be an old fashioned photo lab.


IMG_8259 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr


IMG_8260 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

And finally my favorite item from the gift shop.


IMG_8282 by DaveinFallsChurch, on Flickr

It was so much fun riding it so many times. If I didn’t have other things I needed to visit for my photo safari, I could have just gone on that ride all night long. I chatted with some of the other guests in the queue trying not to give away my geeky obsession with the ride but I’m pretty sure I failed miserably. When I finally left the Hollywood Tower I walked over to one of the snack stands next to Fairfax Fare to get a bottle of water. As I stood there at the register, one of the CMs struck up a conversation with me. She asked me how my night was going and I told her great! She asked if I’ve gotten to go on any rides to which I gleefully replied “Yep! Tower of Terror. 4 times. In fact, I would be perfectly happy if that’s all I rode” to which she replied “Awesome” then raising her hand up for a high five. Yes, a fellow ToT fan.

 

[ashleyrm]

Absolutely Awesome photos of my favorite ride at WDW. Thanks so much for sharing!

 

[DDuck4Life]

Love Tower of Terror as well. It's just so well themed and the ride experience is fantastic. The CM's really do go all out in their rolls. I love looking at all the details in the library I always see something in there that I had not noticed before. With DS not able to ride I always feel like I have to rush through and finish so DW and DS are not waiting too long for me. Can't wait for DS to be able to ride so I can take in all the sights at a non rushed pace again. I always want to get some photos on the ride but usually don't luck out with the first row and since I'm only riding once I opt to enjoy the ride and not try to get any shots. Very jealous of the 4 times in a row.

 

[wiigirl]

Awesome pics!

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Absolutely Awesome photos of my favorite ride at WDW. Thanks so much for sharing!

Thank you! This was one of my favorite batch of photos from the trip and I'm so happy to share with other ToT fans!

Love Tower of Terror as well. It's just so well themed and the ride experience is fantastic. The CM's really do go all out in their rolls. I love looking at all the details in the library I always see something in there that I had not noticed before. With DS not able to ride I always feel like I have to rush through and finish so DW and DS are not waiting too long for me. Can't wait for DS to be able to ride so I can take in all the sights at a non rushed pace again. I always want to get some photos on the ride but usually don't luck out with the first row and since I'm only riding once I opt to enjoy the ride and not try to get any shots. Very jealous of the 4 times in a row.

I have been trying my best to convince DD that she should come along on the ride with me. I think she's willing but she's still very skeptical on whether she will actually like it.

Awesome pics!

Thanks!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Great TOT shots - especially of the queue area and of the hotel guests that never got to leave

Agree about how great the photo of those glasses are ... in some ways surprised they aren't broken as a reference to the Time Enough at Last episode of the Twilight Zone

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Great TOT shots - especially of the queue area and of the hotel guests that never got to leave

Agree about how great the photo of those glasses are ... in some ways surprised they aren't broken as a reference to the Time Enough at Last episode of the Twilight Zone

I wasn't familiar with that particular episode so looked it up online and I agreed that it would have been a cool reference. That got me wondering if there is indeed a reference to this episode in the library since there are numerous props from different episodes and I found this little article. Scroll all the way to the bottom and there's a picture of a pair of broken glasses on top of a stack of books! http://52tiger.net/reading-the-twilight-zone-time-enough-at-last/

 

[MEK]

Wow. Just Wow! Those are the BEST pictures of ToT I have ever seen. How the heck did you get all those cob webs to show up like that? Amazing.

And the holographics? So cool. I have to admit that ToT always makes me a little nervous. I want to take my camera on the ride, but I always chicken out.