Groucho? 11 days? Beach Club? 4-year & 8-month-old? Tons of pics? Yes! (finally done)

[Groucho]

Now, first stop at MK was to get Jack's mound of hair cut back! It's always fun getting a haircut there; this was his third time. The before shot is the first Lensbaby photo... (I had gotten the lens just before the trip and was still coming to terms with it; it is quite challenging!)

Leila was putting on the "cute" but she's not quite ready for a haircut yet!

I tried several variations of this shot and was never quite happy. I think I'll need an even smaller aperture (this is F8) and a polarizer to cut down on the reflections. I think it could be a really neat photo though.

While we were there, a mother and daugher came in for a quick sprinkle of pixie dust. (This may be free? I never saw any money change hands, they were in and out in just a minute or two.)

Having the purple (Jack's favorite color) applied...

He also had a green Mickey head put on on the back, but it didn't last long as Jack couldn't help but occasionally reach back and touch it, smearing it (and making a mess on his fingers!)

We made a quick stop through the Emporium. Here's my only remote flash shot of the trip - and only because Jack took a photo at the same time so I caught the flash from his camera!

We stopped to listen to the piano player (love that guy!) before heading towards Frontierland, where we shared a turkey leg for lunch. It always amuses me to see my wife, a former vegetarian, tear into one of those like a dinosaur.

Our first ride of the day was Big Thunder Mountain Railroad; always a favorite! This shot is not perfect but any means but I like the blurring.

You can't tell in this shot but Jack loves this ride! What a face!

 

[Blessed_wth_Triplets]

How FUN! I'd love to get my boys haircuts on main...but x three would be more than I'd want to spend I imagine!

Can't wait to see the rest of your day!!

 

[Groucho]

How FUN! I'd love to get my boys haircuts on main...but x three would be more than I'd want to spend I imagine!

Can't wait to see the rest of your day!!

Thanks! The haircuts are not too bad... I think a kid's cut is $10...? And adults $14? Whatever it is, it's not outrageous. If it's the first haircut (Jack got his first there), you get a free "first haircut" ear hat, too, along with a little certificate and lock of hair.

 

[annnewjerz]

Some great shots in there, Jeff! Love the fisheye of the marble floor and the somewhat traditional shots of Jack getting his haircut although I must admit, I'm disappointed he didn't get pink this year! Leila is adorable---those eyes are going to make a lot of little boys melt when she gets older, but I'm sure that's something you don't want to think about quite yet.

 

[DznyFan]

Oh my gosh, fabulous report and the pics... just wonderful!! You have the cutest kids! LOVE the 2nd haircut shot (with the face).

 

[disneydreamingdebby]

I love the way you compose your shots! Looking forward to reading the rest of your trip report for inspiration for our July trip (first with my DSLR) and first DVC at Beach Club and AKV.

 

[Groucho]

Some great shots in there, Jeff! Love the fisheye of the marble floor and the somewhat traditional shots of Jack getting his haircut although I must admit, I'm disappointed he didn't get pink this year! Leila is adorable---those eyes are going to make a lot of little boys melt when she gets older, but I'm sure that's something you don't want to think about quite yet.

Well, purple is Jack's "best color" so he had to go with purple. Last time he just pointed to the one he liked, which was probably the closest (the purple had to be mixed special.) It was a little dark but still pretty amusing!

As for Leila - ehh, don't believe those eyes. She put on a great show for everyone and folks all fell in love with her, but I don't know if it's because she's a second child, or a girl, but... she makes us mental sometimes! She'll probably be a drama queen (or at least a drama princess) for whoever is brave enough to date her.

To finish up day 2...

We stopped for a couple Mickey Premium bars (which are really better than they have any right to be) then made one of our countless restroom visits to take care of the kids (a common theme in this trip! it seems like I got to know a few of the restrooms very well.) As we left, the afternoon parade was going by...

Then headed for our daytime Haunted Mansion ride. One thing I've noticed, especially since the recent big rehab, is that they really seem to rush the preshows. If you're not the first people in the first room with the changing portrait, you miss most of Paul Frees' narration. Then in the stretching room, again the narration starts too early and it's easy to miss bits of it. I wish they would take an extra 30 seconds or so and let everyone get in before starting the narration and the portait changing.

One thing I learned reading the HM book was that this is Great Caesar's Ghost sitting on the left side of the table.

We decided to head back to Adventureland for a Pirates ride... this was another common theme in the trip, cross-crossing the parks instead of sensibly traveling from land to land. That's partly my fault and partly Jack's - he'd have his favorite rides and we'd tend to bounce between them.

Pirates is another favorite, but yet another trip theme - the ride was not quite "complete." The Davy Jones mist screen was off every time we rode it... and didn't this guy usually have a big stack of wobbling hats? That's an integral part of the joke of the scene!

About the hardest thing in all of WDW to white balance...

Since we were nearby, we stopped by Pecos Bill for dinner, where I got my one & only counter-service burger of the trip. I'm sorry to say that those burgers just never quite do it for me - they're not terrible but not up to the better Disney CS standards. We used their new touchscreen automated ordering system, which works OK but is probably no faster (and probably a little slower) than ordering from a cast member.

I actually don't remember all the details afterwards, but we ended up over at Buzz again. I did a little better - 162,200 this time.

We took a ride on Tomorrowland Transit Authority and then I did a solo trip on Space Mountain. I have to admit, I'm a little disappointed by the update. This is probably partly because of Disneyland's big SM rehab from a few years ago. They completely rebuilt the track, put in two-wide vehicles, and generally made the ride feel classic yet much more modern and smooth. The WDW one is still great, don't get me wrong... but the queue (once you get to the load area) is worse. No more view of the ride, no more flying chocolate chip cookies, and then you get routed down a dark back shabby-looking hallway before you finally get onto the ride cars, which are still one rider wide and have lost their distinctive red nosecone (which is still shown in the safety warning video!) Plus, you don't get to choose which track to ride any longer - standby goes on one track, fastpass on the other. Since the tracks are different designs, this is especially annoying.

The good news is that the main part of the queue is better - I was happy that they kept the original classic (maybe just nostalgic!) windows and the new games are a fun way to keep you busy during the wait.

The metal palm trees seem to attract photographers...

It was getting late and we were heading to Hollywood Studios in the morning, which does not have a great breakfast selection, so we stopped by one of my favorite places on all property - Main St Bakery... for my favorite treat!

We hopped on a bus and that's the end of day two!

 

[Groucho]

I love the way you compose your shots! Looking forward to reading the rest of your trip report for inspiration for our July trip (first with my DSLR) and first DVC at Beach Club and AKV.

Sounds like fun! Ask for a 5th floor Epcot view if possible. You won't believe how close Epcot is until you're there! It's such an easy walk.

 

[lasob]

Your photos are amazing. You obviously have the equipment and the technical know-how.... but your eye for the shot is very impressive.

My first sub... and I look forward to seeing more.


lasob

 

[WillowBelle]

Great to see you putting narration to your photographs. Definately subbing to this TR. I hold the most faith that you will actually complete it also .

 

[RachelNinja]

The Vinylmation figure you focused on is really creepy! The one to the right of it (the Blizzard Beach one?) looks really cute! I see a major motion picture in the works. The possessed Vinylmation figures taking over the WDW gift shops and slowly taking over the parks. That'd be frightening.

Curious to know this ... do you go on any rides when you DON'T take pictures? I told DBF that he's not allowed to take pics on every ride we're going on only because this is his first trip since childhood, and I'd rather he enjoy the moment. After that first ride, he can take all the pics he wants!

 

[Groucho]

Curious to know this ... do you go on any rides when you DON'T take pictures? I told DBF that he's not allowed to take pics on every ride we're going on only because this is his first trip since childhood, and I'd rather he enjoy the moment. After that first ride, he can take all the pics he wants!

I made it a point to ride some of the rides without taking photos at all. (Which actually means that there are probably a number of holes in the trip report!) This is especially important when using manual-focus lenses where you are really concentrating on getting the focus just right... but even with autofocus, I find that I enjoy the rides a lot more when I can just concentrate on the ride and ignore the camera. If your DBF hasn't been there in a long time, I think you're definitely right - enjoy the ride on its own merits before distracting yourself. If he still resists, remind him that this will help him learn what to try to get a shot of the next time! It goes without saying that he shouldn't use a flash on the dark rides... it is extremely distracting and annoying to the other guests.

For longer shows, I try to minimize the camera time. It helps that I've seen most things several times by now. Still, IMHO it's worth trying to concentrate on the show rather than fiddling with the camera too much for most of the shows, like Indiana Jones, Lights Motors Action, Lion King, Finding Nemo, etc.

 

[Groucho]

Great to see you putting narration to your photographs. Definately subbing to this TR. I hold the most faith that you will actually complete it also .

Whoops, forgot to reply to this. I will definitely complete it but it may take a while. This week we have only one free night so it's hard to make time to work on the photos. Last night I ended up going to sleep earlier than usual after I found myself falling asleep in front of the PC - too many late nights working on them, I guess.

 

[lov2b@disney]

Beautiful children...great pictures! Looking forward to hearing more!

following along after lurking in your live TR in the photo board...great inspiration as I am in the early (very) stages of learning my new dslr

 

[RBennett]

One thing I learned reading the HM book was that this is Great Caesar's Ghost sitting on the left side of the table.

It looks like an imagineer was recently through on the ride! I learned a couple years ago that there's actually NOT supposed to be a hidden mickey in the plates. (There's a picture on the back side of them to show proper placement) and if an imagineer rides this and sees the hidden mickey, he/she will make someone go in there and correct it.

Great TR though!! I still haven't started mine yet from this past November; I'll have to get on that soon.

 

[MEK]

Nice TR. I love how you tell the story with your pictures. My fav picture is the first one with your DS in the barber's chair. That is the perfect picture describing how any little boy feels when he gets a haircut.

Can you offer any tips for capturing the ghosts in the haunted mansion. I would really love to try on my next trip,

 

[Groucho]

Beautiful children...great pictures! Looking forward to hearing more!

following along after lurking in your live TR in the photo board...great inspiration as I am in the early (very) stages of learning my new dslr

Glad you're enjoying! BTW you may like my TR from 1/07, which was my first with a DSLR and most of the pics were taken with a kit lens and matching 50-200 and a fast 50mm...

It looks like an imagineer was recently through on the ride! I learned a couple years ago that there's actually NOT supposed to be a hidden mickey in the plates. (There's a picture on the back side of them to show proper placement) and if an imagineer rides this and sees the hidden mickey, he/she will make someone go in there and correct it.

Great TR though!! I still haven't started mine yet from this past November; I'll have to get on that soon.

Actually, the hidden Mickey is there... I had to double-check the nearby photos, and the two plates at the bottom of the picture are the "ears" of the Mickey head. The rest is blocked by the railing that's near your doom buggy. I've heard the story about that not being supposed to be there on the KTTW tour (I'm guessing you heard it the same place?) and I am not quite totally convinced that any effort is made to remove that hidden Mickey, especially since it's so well-known. There's a few things on the KTTW tour that I took with a grain of salt, but I still really enjoyed it and will probably do it again one of these days!

Nice TR. I love how you tell the story with your pictures. My fav picture is the first one with your DS in the barber's chair. That is the perfect picture describing how any little boy feels when he gets a haircut.

Can you offer any tips for capturing the ghosts in the haunted mansion. I would really love to try on my next trip,

Thanks! Getting decent shots on the Haunted Mansion is very difficult (the vast majority of mine from this trip are lousy and the best ones are merely "OK", I think)... basically, because it's so dark, you need a setup that can capture as much light as possible (a "fast" lens, like F1.8 or faster) and that doesn't require much light (good quality as high ISOs, minimum 3200, ideally 6400 or even higher.) Most of my shots were with a manual focus lens which makes it that much more tricky. For the shots you see there, I used a Pentax 50mm lens at F1.2, which is pretty much as fast as you're going to get on a DSLR. (There's ways of using even faster lenses but that's outside the scope of this discussion.) Focusing at F1.2 is very difficult, which is why I have so few "keepers."

The only thing I ask is - please do not use your flash on the ride! I think we were lucky this ride, I don't remember any other riders using the flash on HM. Unfortunately we weren't so lucky on Pirates, and had one or two trips with folks happily snapping flash photos.

 

[DznyFan]

The only thing I ask is - please do not use your flash on the ride! I think we were lucky this ride, I don't remember any other riders using the flash on HM. Unfortunately we weren't so lucky on Pirates, and had one or two trips with folks happily snapping flash photos.

Groucho - thank you!!! It seems to be a problem that gets increasingly worse as the years go by. It wasn't nearly as big an issue back when we did our first trip back in '92 but the past few years, it seems as though there's not a dark ride I go on without someone happily snapping away with their flash on. Highly annoying for those of us trying to enjoy the ride along with the 'darkness' that the Imagineers intended. I realize that the canned announcements don't necessarily cover all the language barriers, but it's just common courtesy! OK.. I'll get off my soapbox now... back to the TR - more pics and narration, please!

 

[DisneyDaddio]

Enjoying the report and love the pictures.

I've heard about the haircuts, so it was good to see what they look like. Looks pretty cool but curious if it washes out easily or not (OK, my wife asked me to ask how easily it washes out).

 

[Groucho]

Before I start day three, I'll follow up on day two... I forgot to mention a couple other things about day two.
...the sugar sprinkle cookies at Main St Bakery are awesome.
...we got back to our hotel room fairly late and I had to give Jack a bath to get the purple, green, and sprinkles out of his hair. What a joy that was, both of us half-asleep and going through a lot of soap and water to get his hair clean... lots of work!

I have a few observations in general on the trip that I'll put in here and there. I'll mention the most disturbing tread I saw on this trip - guys launching snot rockets into the sinks in the bathrooms! At least 4-5 times this trip, I'd be washing my hands or helping Jack and see someone doing that into the sink. Consider how much that skeeves me out in any circumstance, it was especially disturbing at Disney! Ugh!

Another thing I found was that, even after eleven days, we found ourselves making rookie mistakes. We are fairly seasoned Disney visitors by now and this was the sixth time we've taken Jack to a Disney park, so we should know what we're doing. Yet, the first couple days, we forgot the tether for Leila's pacifier. At her age, she's just as happy to grab it and toss it as she is to suck on it. At one point, I had three dirty pacifiers in my pocket while she was working on #4. Then we'd keep forgetting to feed her - because it's so hard to really keep track of what time it is, she'd start to get really cranky and we would forget that it'd been a few hours since she ate. Plus, we'd go into a long show and forget to bring Cheerios or Puffs for her to snack on if she got cranky. My wife ended up walking her out of Hall of Presidents, Finding Nemo, and almost Carousel of Progress because she'd get too cranky.

OK... with that out of the way, I have the first of the day three photos!

We got up bright and early - well, not really. We actually never got up bright and early, except for day two when we had reservations for Boma (which we got to about 30 minutes late!) One of the annoyances for me was that we rarely left our hotel room before 9:30-10 - it's just so hard to get the whole family ready to walk out that door, especially when we're trying to take it sort-of easy.

Anyway, we got up, enjoyed our delicious cinnamon rolls from the Main St Bakery that I'd bought the night before, and hopped on a boat to Hollywood Studios. The announcer on the boat, Richard, looked almost glum but he was actually pretty funny once he got started - he was just extremely deadpan. We arrived and made a beeline for, of course, Toy Story Mania. Jack's been talking about the two Toy Story rides for a while so he was really excited to go on that one again. The wait wasn't too awful, so Jack and I hopped in line.

Now - I have a complaint. Toy Story Mania does not do child swaps. They feel that anyone can go on the ride, even little babies, therefore there have no reason to. I'm sorry - but I don't buy it. I can't see how you could carry an infant on the ride - you've got a fairly snug bar on your lap, and the ride is too fast and jerky to put them in the second seat and hope that they don't slide right under. On this day, the CM at the entrance said he'd let us do it, but he was gone by the time we returned. Fortunately, when we explained it, my wife and Jack were able to effectively "child swap" by going through the fastpass line. Unfortunately, this didn't work later in the trip.

Anyway, this was our first time going through the whole queue (we've always done the fastpass line in the past) so we got to see Mr Potato Head, which is a pretty impressive character. I have to wonder if there's any actual "recognition" being done by the character that triggers things to say, or if there's actually a CM in the background who triggers the various prerecorded bits when appropriate, like when he makes fun of someone texting on their phone.

I think I did more or less OK on it... 187,500 w/35% accuracy; Jack got 23,200 with 19%.

Now, I hung outside with the stroller and Leila and took photos. This was the closest I got to a "Takumar day" - that is to say, with the exception of those first few photos and the Leila photo below, all the photos were taken with old M42 screw-mount manual focus lenses, most 40-50 years old. To start off, I mounted my giant Takumar 300mm F4 lens, a big heavy metal beauty with 18 aperture blades.

I caught the end of the Luxo Jr show while waiting.

We wandered toward the backlot tour, which for whatever reason (rehab or otherwise), we hadn't gone on for a couple trips. Along the way, we saw the Power Rangers doing their posing and then hopping in a car to drive off. I have no interest in this but I tried to get a photo anyway, but it's hard when they're jumping around, we're pretty close by, and you're trying to use a big honking 300mm lens. I switched to my Super Takumar 105mm F2.8 for the backlot ride photos. I was just a little too slow for the first shot to get framed right...

We were in the very last row of the tram, which gives a slightly different view of the action.

You can see the rig that lifts the truck here.

I have no idea what this is from... but based on the looks of it, it must be some kind of outer space movie. OK, maybe not...

I switched to my Auto Takumar 55mm F1.8 for the AFI section. They have some neat stuff on display but it's hard to get a good shot with all the reflections, and I didn't have (and was too lazy to use even if I did) a polarizer for that lens with me. Plus it's so darn dark in there!

That's it for now. I just installed a new 2tb hard drive last night so I finally have some elbow room on my PC, and have enough room to load my wife's pics in... I don't have a lot of free time in the next several days but I am going to try to keep plugged away at the pictures when I can!