DON'T Read This TRIP REPORT If You're a Princess Hater!

[clearskies]

Wow, Wow, Wow...Amazing photos of the fireworks and the parade.

Clearskies:
I'm glad you're caught up and still reading along. Thanks for the kind comments! I have to admit I'm hopelessly behind on your TR too, but am looking forward to catching up very soon!

No worries. My TR has a lot of non-Disney content. I know that it not for you.

Jen (kwitcherkicken99) and Clearskies.......... Many thanks to both of you for your insight. As long as neither of you wants to chastise me for trying to be Family of the Day at the Magic Kingdom, I'd game to hear what both of you have to say. Some of it's going over my head, but maybe I should try again in the morning with fresh brain cells again!

First of all I sure hope you don't think I took any issue with that "Family of the Day" attempt. I am made an early ADR at Crystal Palace on my next trip to try something similar just in case I can get my family moving along earlier. I doubt I can though.

Second, I hope neither you nor Jen took my comments on flash to be anything other than trying to help provide information and by no means did I mean to criticize . If I did not convey that then I did a bad job and I apologize.

I do have a book on flash photography, but I'm having trouble wading through that too. Honestly, I have only used the flash on TTL, as I wouldn't have a clue how to do it any other way. I did figure out what the flash exposure compensation was this year, and that in itself was a huge improvement for me. I really think it made the difference in getting some MVMCP parade photos I was finally happy with.

I only use TTL myself. Nothing wrong with that. Your photos with the flash of the parade are great! I know some people on the photo board were against it when you asked about flash on parades but for the special party parades I think it is needed. Great job.

Many thanks again to both of you, and please keep the advice and lessons coming!

I think after seeing you photos of the night I could use lessons from you.

 

[AprilRenee]

Do you mean from the side of the partner's statue farthest away from the castle? I have no idea, but it's worth considering, if the parade comes from the front of the park and would be coming straight at you. The only problem then would be if the parade ended up coming from the other direction, like it did on this trip for us. It came out of Frontierland and really caught me off guard. I thought it went the other way. At least it did in 09. Maybe it had something to do with the cold......... who knows.........

Yep...that's what I mean (partner's statue stuff). When we were there this Jan the 3 o'clock parade came from the front of the park and ended in Frontierland, but I've read of other people who have seen it going the other direction. I feel like when I read that there was a logical explanation for it, but I don't remember what it was.

 

[kwitcherkicken99]

Well, high time I actually answered some questions for YOU, don't you think????

First off, did you buy your tickets yet? If so, which party are you going to?

Thank you for that!!!!

We have not purchased our tickets yet. We decided to wait until park hours are officially out to see if we need to make any last minute modifications to our park days. We are planning to go to MVMCP on Wednesday December 14.

We don't have to wait much longer to get our tickets. It's right around the corner.

It sounds like you got a bunch of nice new toys! But the real gift would be TIME to use them...... Have you had the chance yet???????

I have used a couple of them already. I did a shoot for my school - they asked me to photograph our two National Merit Scholars so we did that on Wednesday. I got to use my new "bracken brown" backdrop and fired up the new monoblock (portable studio strobe). I've already moved everything into the new camera bag as well. I'm a little bummed that I can no longer hang my flash from it, just my long lens case, but everything fits and the bag has it's own raincoat, so it's all good.

My dear friend (and hairdresser) wants me to do some headshots for her so we'll play around with more of the equipment in the near future. PLUS I'm shooting a wedding next weekend so the monoblock will get a good workout! I am also going to try to squeeze in senior pictures of my student (we are cutting it close...) on Saturday, but we'll see what pops up!

Or to quote my all-time favorite Disney philosopher.............. Dory.....

"JUST KEEP SWIMMING!"

Don't laugh........ it gets me through sometimes...........

No laughing here! It's more of a mantra!

 

[kwitcherkicken99]

Many thanks to both of you for your insight. As long as neither of you wants to chastise me for trying to be Family of the Day at the Magic Kingdom, I'd game to hear what both of you have to say.

I can't chastise ANYONE for any attempt to be the family of the day! If I could ever get DH to get up and to the park for RD and not noon-thirty, I'd be doing the same thing!!!

Heck, I'm passing along any tips for my buddy's family - they leave in 2 weeks and could really use some extra pixie dust! I felt bad because her mom wants me to go, but I just can't swing the trip. And both DH and DS would ring my neck!

 

[kwitcherkicken99]

BTW - I'm sooooooo going to steal your parade viewing spot (if E will let me!). I can't imagine a better place to perch!

ETA - I've copied and pasted your party touring response in a word doc. I'll most likely be back soon with comments/questions!!!!

Thanks again!

 

[jenseib]

WOW.. Those pictures are awesome. Maybe I should consider bring my tripod sometime. And those parade pictures are awesome too. Did you use the tripod for those as well? And did you use flash?

I got my diffuser the other day, but still haven't really done anything with it. I need to find my flash manual and reread again. Actually I need a course from start to finish on what to do. LOL!

 

[kwitcherkicken99]

1) If you want to see the dwarfs, be in line no later than 6 or 6:15. You'll be in the Magic Kingdom on other days for rides (I'm assuming) so it's worth giving up that park time. What you don't want to do is give up PARTY time.

I have to really have a think about if we’ll stop for Dwarves. I saw them at MNSSHP last year (E did not). We are planning dinner at O’hana that night (hopefully a late lunch so we can get into MK no later than 4:30/5p) so we can get a little more MK time in. I honestly think we’ll be doing nothing but character hunting/parade watching/milling about vs. riding anything. Come to think of it… I think the ONLY things we rode during MNSSHP was POTC and HM… both of those are DS’s favorite rides – we can’t be in MK and NOT do them. Ooo… I lied. We did the carousel and SWSA

2) Watch the DISboards after the parties start to get the story on any changes for this year's party. With Toontown now closed, and the Fairies moving into the character area in Adventureland, there certainly will be changes over last year.

I really didn’t consider the fairies as a variable… I was only thinking about the relocation of people out of Toontown. Much food for thought!

The princesses have always had their princes with them during the parties. I think that will continue this year in their new location in Expo Hall. I would assume Snow White and Belle will still trade off, but there's no way to know for sure. I think you saw enough in my trip report so far to know finding them both is hard to do. Thankfully, most are not as driven to see them both as we were.

This is an adults-only trip… I’m actually travelling sans LOs this time. Your quest for Snow White and Aurora was like my quest to find the Witch Hag last September. I had given up all hope of finding her when we hopped off SWSA and I saw her saunter across a vacant Fantasyland. I ran, leaving DH to deal with the kids.

I think Beast is growing as a primary target for me.

Will people not know where they are and skip them making the line shorter? I think this has been the case so far during regular park hours, as the reports have all said short lines. And they now have fastpass during regular park hours. No way of knowing if they'll use that during the party.

I was wondering the same thing. They are also being so strict with the character FPs – I’m about to start a thread on here for the official guest list and party info. I’m surprised one hasn’t popped up already.

3) We never had a plan for touring like your friend suggested (like going clockwise). Since you can't do it all, you are bound to miss something. We always approached by starting with our top priorities and moving on from there.

I think we need to prioritize!!! E isn’t a big parade/fireworks person, and I’m good if I get one of each in (though I have politely requested a viewing of MSEP in addition to the MVMCP events…).

4) Main Street is a huge bottleneck on any party night. Most people pay the extra for party tickets because they want to see the special party stuff. So everyone is on Main Street at the same time. If your position for fireworks is important, you'll have to be there early. And that requires giving up party time. It's all a tradeoff.

Good to know. I wonder if the train will be affected at all/by then. We may be able to skip over some of the crowds. My shooting of the fireworks will be dependent on whether or not I drag my tripod on the plane and into the park. We’ll have to see which argument in my head wins.

5) Yes, do see the second parade instead of the first. But in most cases, it's not nearly as "deserted" as many would have you believe. Whatever you do though........ DO NOT miss the parade. It's one of the best Disney does. The marching toy soldiers......the marching reindeer....... the marching gingergread men with their flat butts straight off the cookie sheet.......... Ahhh........ it's all magical!

6) The cookie stops are well marked on the map. I know there was one at the Crystal Palace, one at Pinocchio Haus, one at Cosmic Ray's.

Cool. I’m glad to know where these are hiding. Hopefully we won’t need to rely on the hot chocolate to maintain proper body temperature…

8) Not to mention....... it's not Main Street! At the end of Main Street, right under the Christmas tree........ on the curb .......... with the parade coming straight at you.

It’s a good thing I’m losing weight… IDK if my current butt would properly perch there. But I know EXACTLY where you are talking about.

I’ll see where we end up for fireworks. Even if I don’t get a whole lot of time to shoot them, I’d like to have a go at it. We’ll see how much energy I have left at the end of the day!!!

9) There are 2 "shows". Neither of them compares with the old "Twas the Night" show they used to do. We have seen "Celebrate the Season" on the castle steps, and it was good, with dancing unicorns and such.

I’m assuming that we will forgo the shows for character hunting since we are only doing 1 party. That’s what happened in September. We went strong from 5p-11:30p and the main thing we missed was the villains show (so bummed) BUT the character interactions we did were a worthy sacrifice! I can’t say enough how AWESOME Terk and Tarzan were that night. There are no words to express how glad I was for them.

10) If I missed anything, let me know. Can you tell I enjoy chatting about the party?

More questions may arise as we get closer to time. Thank you SO MUCH for this info!!! I’ll admit, it’s hard for me to take the time to do the searches and read through the insanely long threads from years past. I’m a very impatient person and I don’t like reading certain things if it’s going to take me a while to get through them. I know… it’s a REALLY bad habit.

I much prefer to go straight to a reliable source!!!

 

[mom2rtk]

Replies are in red!

Wow, Wow, Wow...Amazing photos of the fireworks and the parade.

Many thanks! I can't wait to catch up on your TR. I love everything I've seen so far!


No worries. My TR has a lot of non-Disney content. I know that it not for you.

I actually enjoyed the Harry Potter stuff I read through already. We're hoping to get back this year, and would love to find a way to get Katie there. As time goes by, I might have to pick your brain a bit on that!


First of all I sure hope you don't think I took any issue with that "Family of the Day" attempt. I am made an early ADR at Crystal Palace on my next trip to try something similar just in case I can get my family moving along earlier. I doubt I can though.

Heavens no. There was only one poster who took issue with that. I was just having a little fun with it. I'm flattered that others liked my scheme........errrrrrrrr.......... plan............ enough to maybe give it a try. Now....... if only I can find a way to give it another try myself.........

We're plotting for perhaps another return trip. But it's really hard to fit an early day in like that when we're thinking of doing 2 parties.[/B]

Second, I hope neither you nor Jen took my comments on flash to be anything other than trying to help provide information and by no means did I mean to criticize . If I did not convey that then I did a bad job and I apologize.

I thought you were very respectful in how you approached it. So no issues from my end. Thanks for your help!

I only use TTL myself. Nothing wrong with that. Your photos with the flash of the parade are great! I know some people on the photo board were against it when you asked about flash on parades but for the special party parades I think it is needed. Great job.

I really appreciated everyone's input on that thread. It really helps me to think things through with everyone giving input like that. I thought about updating that thread with the photos I took, but found that it got buried in the great thread merge of 2010 (...... or 2011. Can't remember exactly when that was!)


I think after seeing you photos of the night I could use lessons from you.

Many thanks! I am happy with how the night stuff is coming along. I feel like I've made more progress there over the past year than anything else. Now if only I could make that same progress with flash.......... I know.......... I have lots of help.......... I think I just need to find some time to practice!

 

[mom2rtk]

Yep...that's what I mean (partner's statue stuff). When we were there this Jan the 3 o'clock parade came from the front of the park and ended in Frontierland, but I've read of other people who have seen it going the other direction. I feel like when I read that there was a logical explanation for it, but I don't remember what it was.

I still haven't figured out for sure what the deal is and how often that 3:00 parade ends up going the opposite direction. I might have to start a thread on that for some reconnaissance from the field right before going back. I really do think that would be a great view if it were coming from the front of the park.

 

[mom2rtk]

Replies are in red!

Thank you for that!!!!

No problem at all I'm happy to return the favor after so much help from you!

We have not purchased our tickets yet. We decided to wait until park hours are officially out to see if we need to make any last minute modifications to our park days. We are planning to go to MVMCP on Wednesday December 14.

We don't have to wait much longer to get our tickets. It's right around the corner.

We could end up at the same party. I'm not sure yet, but now we're leaning toward that week. I don't like that they are doing Tues/Wed parties this year instead of Tues/Thurs. We like to go twice, and back to back nights won't work. So it would probably be Sunday/Tues or Sun/Wed. I'm leaning toward Wed since MANY of the Tuesday parties have sold out or been crazy busy.

Ultimately though, any party that week can sell out. It's a great week to be there, but party attendance is consistently very high. Just know that going in and adjust from there.


I have used a couple of them already. I did a shoot for my school - they asked me to photograph our two National Merit Scholars so we did that on Wednesday. I got to use my new "bracken brown" backdrop and fired up the new monoblock (portable studio strobe). I've already moved everything into the new camera bag as well. I'm a little bummed that I can no longer hang my flash from it, just my long lens case, but everything fits and the bag has it's own raincoat, so it's all good.

My dear friend (and hairdresser) wants me to do some headshots for her so we'll play around with more of the equipment in the near future. PLUS I'm shooting a wedding next weekend so the monoblock will get a good workout! I am also going to try to squeeze in senior pictures of my student (we are cutting it close...) on Saturday, but we'll see what pops up!

Nothing like getting some great chances to play with your new toys! That's awesome!


No laughing here! It's more of a mantra!

I hear you. I hadn't seen that movie since it first came out. When we saw the show in December, the song came back to me, and I immediately saw how it needed to be a part of my day to day life!

I can't chastise ANYONE for any attempt to be the family of the day! If I could ever get DH to get up and to the park for RD and not noon-thirty, I'd be doing the same thing!!!

Heck, I'm passing along any tips for my buddy's family - they leave in 2 weeks and could really use some extra pixie dust! I felt bad because her mom wants me to go, but I just can't swing the trip. And both DH and DS would ring my neck!

I'm happy to have anyone spreading my tips.......... just don't start a new thread announcing it or anything! I want to have a decent shot at it when we go!

Hey, maybe we should meet up early that week as "extended family" and give it a try together! Otherwise, you'll need to clear any days with me prior to going at the same time.......

BTW - I'm sooooooo going to steal your parade viewing spot (if E will let me!). I can't imagine a better place to perch!

Enjoy! We found that spot in 08 and thought it was perfect then. Like I said, the only down side for me is that the photos are similar the second time. Although I do hope (and think) that the recent ones are much better. Let's see........different camera body...... different lens........... different flash.......... different flash usage.......... But the composition is mostly the same. I think next time I'd love to shoot from upstairs at the train station for a completely different look. I'm just not sure if I'm up to investing enough time to get a spot there.

ETA - I've copied and pasted your party touring response in a word doc. I'll most likely be back soon with comments/questions!!!!

I'm glad it's helping. Feel free to ask away when you have more questions!

Thanks again!

I have to really have a think about if we’ll stop for Dwarves. I saw them at MNSSHP last year (E did not). We are planning dinner at O’hana that night (hopefully a late lunch so we can get into MK no later than 4:30/5p) so we can get a little more MK time in. I honestly think we’ll be doing nothing but character hunting/parade watching/milling about vs. riding anything. Come to think of it… I think the ONLY things we rode during MNSSHP was POTC and HM… both of those are DS’s favorite rides – we can’t be in MK and NOT do them. Ooo… I lied. We did the carousel and SWSA



Even doing nothing but character hunting, it's still hard to to it all. Of course, they seem to cut back on stuff every year, so oddly enough...... it has gotten easier......... just for the wrong reasons.......

I really didn’t consider the fairies as a variable… I was only thinking about the relocation of people out of Toontown. Much food for thought!



The fairies did appear during the parties. I hate spending party time to do stuff we can do during the day, but for some it was the only way of seeing them without an hour or more wait. Keep in mind though they didn't have extra characters, or holiday costumes, just the same experience you'd get during the day.

On the same note, Rapunzel/Flynn and Tiana/Naveen also appeared at the parties. The Tangled M&G has gotten so busy that many were very thankful to have them out during the party for a quick photo and autograph.

I don't think they even used the Adventureland indoor meet area during MVMCP in the past. So no loss for the Christmas party. But since they use it for MNSSHP, it could change things for that party this year.


This is an adults-only trip… I’m actually travelling sans LOs this time. Your quest for Snow White and Aurora was like my quest to find the Witch Hag last September. I had given up all hope of finding her when we hopped off SWSA and I saw her saunter across a vacant Fantasyland. I ran, leaving DH to deal with the kids.

Man, I'd love to find the old Hag too. It's one of the reasons I'd like to get to MNSSHP, but it's just not working out. I wonder what I'd obsess over at this Christmas party if we go back?????? I bet I'd find something.........

I'm so glad you found her though! And totally don't blame you for ditching the family! Did the kids see her? Or were they too scared?

I think Beast is growing as a primary target for me.

Well, you CAN find the Beast in Epcot every day. But he's not in his holiday finery. He's at his handsome best at MVMCP! Maybe we'll be in line together to find him!




I was wondering the same thing. They are also being so strict with the character FPs – I’m about to start a thread on here for the official guest list and party info. I’m surprised one hasn’t popped up already.

I'll be watching that one closely. I don't think they use Fp for rides during the party, so it will be interesting to see with the character ones now. It took forever to see Minnie in 08 at MVMCP. Then we were in line forever to see Mickey and had to bail before getting to him or we would have missed our last chance at the fireworks.


I think we need to prioritize!!! E isn’t a big parade/fireworks person, and I’m good if I get one of each in (though I have politely requested a viewing of MSEP in addition to the MVMCP events…).

I also had to see MSEP. But just know going into it that the non-party nights in the MK that time of year are in the minority. So everyone piles in on those nights. You'll have to get your spot early.


Good to know. I wonder if the train will be affected at all/by then. We may be able to skip over some of the crowds. My shooting of the fireworks will be dependent on whether or not I drag my tripod on the plane and into the park. We’ll have to see which argument in my head wins.



Yeah, without the tripod, it's probably better to just sit back and watch the fireworks. But I love shooting it so much that I always bring it. Some have had good luck putting a gorillapod on a trash can. But I got a fairly small, lightwieght (and tall!) tripod last year, so it's really no problem to carry around.

And yes, I totally get the "voices" arguing in your head. Mine tend to move from one argument to the next......

And we never remember to use the train. Once it's up and going all the way around again, I have to remember to use that. It would have been perfect to get around some of those crowds on Main Street! Heck, after Toontown at the party, we could have taken it to Main Street, then surfed through the shops and over to Adventureland. Would have been a much better plan that what we did!



Cool. I’m glad to know where these are hiding. Hopefully we won’t need to rely on the hot chocolate to maintain proper body temperature…

Oh yes, we certainly had our share of hot chocolate on this trip. It would have been much easier to have another adult along though. It would have been great to get a spot then send someone off to get the treats and cocoa!


It’s a good thing I’m losing weight… IDK if my current butt would properly perch there. But I know EXACTLY where you are talking about.

It's an awesome spot!

I’ll see where we end up for fireworks. Even if I don’t get a whole lot of time to shoot them, I’d like to have a go at it. We’ll see how much energy I have left at the end of the day!!!

In 08 I gave up shooting the fireworks, and honestly didn't even really enjoy watching them. Those garlands back where we were just blocked too much of the view. All we would have needed to do is move up to the back of the crowd in the street and it would have been much better. But then our perfect parade spot might have been gone.

You might want to have those voices in your head talk this one through!


I’m assuming that we will forgo the shows for character hunting since we are only doing 1 party. That’s what happened in September. We went strong from 5p-11:30p and the main thing we missed was the villains show (so bummed) BUT the character interactions we did were a worthy sacrifice! I can’t say enough how AWESOME Terk and Tarzan were that night. There are no words to express how glad I was for them.

The villains show IS cool, but you found out you really just can't do it all. Did you at least get to meet some of the villains after the show? Particularly for MVMCP, I'd ditch the shows first. I wouldn't miss the parade for ANYTHING, but maybe skip the fireworks if it comes down to that. After all, you can see regular Wishes on another night if you need to, or you could watch Holiday Wishes from outside the park on another night if you want.

As much as I love Holiday Wishes (I did take......... a couple........... pictures..........) skipping this would get you the most "Bang" for your buck (pun intended! ) in terms of finding short lines elsewhere. It only shows once, so everyone tends to leave what they are doing to go see the show.

You might not have to though. Honestly, there just isn't as much to do at MVMCP as there is at MNSSHP. But that also depends on whether they change much around this year.



More questions may arise as we get closer to time. Thank you SO MUCH for this info!!! I’ll admit, it’s hard for me to take the time to do the searches and read through the insanely long threads from years past. I’m a very impatient person and I don’t like reading certain things if it’s going to take me a while to get through them. I know… it’s a REALLY bad habit.

I much prefer to go straight to a reliable source!!!

Aw heck, I love talking Disney parties, so ask away! We've done 4 MVMCP's, 3 P&P parties, 2 MNSSHP's ................

and a partridge in a pear tree!

 

[mom2rtk]

WOW.. Those pictures are awesome. Maybe I should consider bring my tripod sometime. And those parade pictures are awesome too. Did you use the tripod for those as well? And did you use flash?

I got my diffuser the other day, but still haven't really done anything with it. I need to find my flash manual and reread again. Actually I need a course from start to finish on what to do. LOL!

Thanks Jen! I really do recommend having the tripod for fireworks. It's a lot of fun to shoot. If you decide to try it sometime, stop by the photography forum or drop me a line. There are several things to do ......... then all you have to do is watch the show and push the little button........ REALLY!

The parade requires a completely different approach. MSEP you would not use a flash. Many don't use a flash for MVMCP either, but I did. I just wasn't convinced you'd see enough detail on the characters' faces or toy soldiers or the like....... without one. What I did was dial the Flash exposure compensation down so I didn't end up with really bright subjects in the foreground compared with a darker background.

No tripod for the parades. The key to the parades is that there is movement, so you want to accomplish a decent shutter speed. Too slow and you will have blur. Too fast and the shot will be too dark. Or you'll need a really big aperture and end up with a really shallow depth of field. I set the ISO to 3200, Flash Exposure Compensation set to -2, and a shutter speed around 1/60. (Additionally, I sometimes switched the flash off for a particular shot.) And I used partial metering. Don't know if this was the "correct" approach, but I figured if the camera metered the entire scene, it might think it was too dark and overexpose it.

 

[kwitcherkicken99]

We could end up at the same party. I'm not sure yet, but now we're leaning toward that week. I don't like that they are doing Tues/Wed parties this year instead of Tues/Thurs.

Ultimately though, any party that week can sell out. It's a great week to be there, but party attendance is consistently very high. Just know that going in and adjust from there.

Ack! I don’t want to share my party!!! We’ll be okay I think. We are planning to get our tickets ahead, just have to wait on those darn hours!

I think it would be really cool to end up at the same party together!

I'm happy to have anyone spreading my tips.......... just don't start a new thread announcing it or anything! I want to have a decent shot at it when we go!

I wouldn’t dare! Must.save.awesome.tips.for.self!!!!

Hey, maybe we should meet up early that week as "extended family" and give it a try together! Otherwise, you'll need to clear any days with me prior to going at the same time...

We should give it a go! Here is our current schedule

We found that spot in 08 and thought it was perfect then. Like I said, the only down side for me is that the photos are similar the second time. Although I do hope (and think) that the recent ones are much better. Let's see........different camera body...... different lens........... different flash.......... different flash usage..........

I can see where that would get you. I find myself doing that when we go to the Children’s Museum in Indianapolis. Same backdrop, slightly different composition. I want to record the day, but it’s ALWAYS the same…

The fairies did appear during the parties. I hate spending party time to do stuff we can do during the day, but for some it was the only way of seeing them without an hour or more wait. Keep in mind though they didn't have extra characters, or holiday costumes, just the same experience you'd get during the day.

We tried to wait for Tink and friends last September. The line said 15 minutes… after 20 we got annoyed. Then we realized we needed to get our butts moving to make it to see Hallowishes. We tried for the Fairies again the next morning, but by 9:15 the line was already 2 hours. Damn morning EMH!

I don't think they even used the Adventureland indoor meet area during MVMCP in the past. So no loss for the Christmas party. But since they use it for MNSSHP, it could change things for that party this year.

I’m almost willing to put money on it that they’ll put SOMEONE in there to help alleviate some of the traffic diverted from Toontown. I really like that super secret M&G in there… we watched SO many people see Tarzan but no one went inside after they were done. We blew right through there.

Man, I'd love to find the old Hag too. It's one of the reasons I'd like to get to MNSSHP, but it's just not working out. I wonder what I'd obsess over at this Christmas party if we go back?????? I bet I'd find something.........

I'm so glad you found her though! And totally don't blame you for ditching the family! Did the kids see her? Or were they too scared?

Last year was the first time she was out in a LONG time. The kids did catch up to me b/c the Hag was actually chasing a small group of teenagers. They had plenty of time to catch up. DS didn’t care and DD wasn’t quite sure of her. She wouldn’t take the apple from the Hag…. See?

I also had to see MSEP. But just know going into it that the non-party nights in the MK that time of year are in the minority. So everyone piles in on those nights. You'll have to get your spot early.

As long as I can see it from a distance, I’ll be happy. There is just something about the music and the floats!

And yes, I totally get the "voices" arguing in your head. Mine tend to move from one argument to the next......

The villains show IS cool, but you found out you really just can't do it all. Did you at least get to meet some of the villains after the show? Particularly for MVMCP, I'd ditch the shows first. I wouldn't miss the parade for ANYTHING, but maybe skip the fireworks if it comes down to that.

I was really bummed about missing the Villains show. Just gives me a reason to do it again!

You might not have to though. Honestly, there just isn't as much to do at MVMCP as there is at MNSSHP. But that also depends on whether they change much around this year.

We may be able to cover a lot more ground then. Especially since there won’t be any kids.

 

[MNTwinsMom]

Beautiful pictures from the party! You capture Wishes, the parade and the castle stage show perfectly.

Since we never sit down more than 5 minutes before a parade starts, we usually watch from Frontierland. It's fun to see the pictures taken from more "ideal" locations.

Thanks again for sharing your tips with all of us!

 

[mom2rtk]

Replies are in red!

Ack! I don’t want to share my party!!! We’ll be okay I think. We are planning to get our tickets ahead, just have to wait on those darn hours!

I think it would be really cool to end up at the same party together!




I hear you. I almost went with November just so we could experience one of those "low crowd" nights I've heard about, but never been at! But maybe we'll get a chance to sit under the Christmas tree on Main Street together!



I wouldn’t dare! Must.save.awesome.tips.for.self!!!!



OK....... cuz I wouldn't want this to have to get ugly........


We should give it a go! Here is our current schedule

Cool! We don't have a schedule worked up yet, but I'll compare notes once we do!




I can see where that would get you. I find myself doing that when we go to the Children’s Museum in Indianapolis. Same backdrop, slightly different composition. I want to record the day, but it’s ALWAYS the same…

So maybe 3 years of the same spot might not be good. So maybe I'll do the train station spot on our second night....... and sit with you the other night!



We tried to wait for Tink and friends last September. The line said 15 minutes… after 20 we got annoyed. Then we realized we needed to get our butts moving to make it to see Hallowishes. We tried for the Fairies again the next morning, but by 9:15 the line was already 2 hours. Damn morning EMH!

Was that during MNSSHP? I"m not surprised about what happened the next morning though. You really had to be at the front of the pack at rope drop to have the short wait. Even 10 minutes would blow it. We didn't even do the fairies in 09. Just too much hassle. And as much as I would have liked to find some of the ones we hadn't seen, the truth is we could have waited a long time only to see the ones we had already met. Did I mention I hate how that worked?



I’m almost willing to put money on it that they’ll put SOMEONE in there to help alleviate some of the traffic diverted from Toontown. I really like that super secret M&G in there… we watched SO many people see Tarzan but no one went inside after they were done. We blew right through there.



I would expect it to be the fairies again. But I could easily see people not knowing where to find them. So it might be your best chance yet to meet them!

Last year was the first time she was out in a LONG time. The kids did catch up to me b/c the Hag was actually chasing a small group of teenagers. They had plenty of time to catch up. DS didn’t care and DD wasn’t quite sure of her. She wouldn’t take the apple from the Hag…. See?

Yeah, I felt cheated. We had just been the year before and she wasn't out then. I hope one day we'll get to meet her. I would SO bring my Evil Queen costume back for that!

And might I add...... you guys are adorable!

As long as I can see it from a distance, I’ll be happy. There is just something about the music and the floats!



Then I bet you won't have trouble. I think Saturday the 10th shows a crowd level in the MK of around 9.5 or 10. THAT bad. I had really braced myself for the crowd on our Wishes/MSEP night, but the cold ended up thinning the crowds a lot. I think I would have preferred the crowds though......




I was really bummed about missing the Villains show. Just gives me a reason to do it again!

Definitely worth going back for!


We may be able to cover a lot more ground then. Especially since there won’t be any kids.
Definitely something to be said for that!

 

[jenseib]

I've started a flash thread. Will you all join in and give me some pointers. I don't want to cloud up Janet's TR.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=41102579#post41102579

 

[mom2rtk]

Beautiful pictures from the party! You capture Wishes, the parade and the castle stage show perfectly.

Since we never sit down more than 5 minutes before a parade starts, we usually watch from Frontierland. It's fun to see the pictures taken from more "ideal" locations.

Thanks again for sharing your tips with all of us!

Many thanks for the kind words. I'm glad you enjoyed the photos.

I'm glad I got to photograph the first night's parade in front of the castle, but honestly will never do that again. There was just too much hand to hand combat involved. Even if it means sitting under the Christmas tree for the 3rd time....... or over in Frontierland......... I'll choose a different spot. But it was worth it for that one set of photos by the castle.

I've started a flash thread. Will you all join in and give me some pointers. I don't want to cloud up Janet's TR.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=41102579#post41102579

Looks like a great idea Jen! I've subscribed and will follow along. Thanks!

 

[Caretames1]

I love your firework pictures! I want to take pictures like that

Is MNSSHP anything like MVMCP? I'll only have 1 party to get the most of eveything done. I'm worried about rides, I just want to special stuff

 

[mom2rtk]

I love your firework pictures! I want to take pictures like that

Is MNSSHP anything like MVMCP? I'll only have 1 party to get the most of eveything done. I'm worried about rides, I just want to special stuff

Thanks Carey! The biggest piece of the puzzle for fireworks is a tripod. If you want to learn how, let me know!

MNSSHP is actually the best of the parties. They have more special stuff and characters out. The parade is awesome too. I saw you got your tickets. What day are you doing the party?

 

[jenseib]

Thanks Carey! The biggest piece of the puzzle for fireworks is a tripod. If you want to learn how, let me know!

MNSSHP is actually the best of the parties. They have more special stuff and characters out. The parade is awesome too. I saw you got your tickets. What day are you doing the party?

I want to learn!

 

[Caretames1]

Thanks Carey! The biggest piece of the puzzle for fireworks is a tripod. If you want to learn how, let me know! I WANT TO LEARN, TEACH ME!!!

MNSSHP is actually the best of the parties. They have more special stuff and characters out. The parade is awesome too. I saw you got your tickets. What day are you doing the party?

We'll be going to the Sept 23rd date. I'm so excited. I keep going around in my head, How will Kadence react to the "SUPRISE". How will MNSSHP go, and will we not melt in the hot temps