Happily Ever After Begins Here -- An Oct. 2012 TR Updated! 11/17!

[MeeskaMomma]

Holding my place so I can get caught up

 

[rachel09985]

Oh wow!!! Your photos are amazing!!! What lens (es) do you use!?? Also what camera??

I am staying at AKL lodge in July and was so excited to see your photos.

 

[MeeskaMomma]

And caught up. Did not get anything else done during DS's nap. Can't wait read more, and when do we get to the proposal!!

 

[natebenma]

Hi Missy! Just wanted to say I am loving the TR! The pictures are fabulous! Congratulations on the engagement, upcoming wedding and Disneymoon!
I absolutely adore Franklin's pictures of the fireworks from the Poly. How was he able to get such long exposures with no motion blur? Was a tripod involved? Your meal at Jiko looks fabulous. In fact, all your meals looked so delicious. Am incredibly jealous!!

Awww thanks! I've read all of your past trip reports and LOVED them. Those were the days when I was just a lurker on TRs. Glad to have you join us here!


​

Missy & Franklin, please excuse me for a second for jacking your thread...

chunkymonkey!!!

Just wanted to say it is awesome to "see" you again! I have missed you and your awesome trip reports! I remembered when you were having the surgery and just read the intro on your PTR from the fall to catch up on how you are doing.

Now back to our regularly scheduled trip report.​

 

[Pixel Dust]

Oh wow!!! Your photos are amazing!!! What lens (es) do you use!?? Also what camera??

I am staying at AKL lodge in July and was so excited to see your photos.

Thank you so much! This trip I was using the Nikon D600. I carry most my lenses with me on trips. My juggling act includes; 24-120mm f/4, 50mm f/1.4, 35mm f/2, and Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8. Everyone is welcomed to ask questions on specific photos. I would love to give insight on why I took it and the camera settings to get to the photos you see.

I have used each of them as a walk around lens. The 24-120mm is used if I need more flexibly in zoom range or when I need more reach. The 50mm is great to walk around with and wonderful for low light. I have probably use the 35mm the most. It's great for dark rides. I use it for food too, since it focuses the closest out of all my lenses. The Tokina 11-16mm is great for architectural photos. It's ultra wide but, has very little distortion.

You are going to love AKL. I used the Tokina 11-16mm for both the lobby and in the room. We also did the Wanyama Safari (sunset safari) and I used the 24-120mm. The animals were far away (for a camera) and some would come right up to the truck. But, you are definitely going to need a zoom lens for shots of the animals from your room.

​

 

[Missyrose]

Welcome back. I know it’s been a long time since the last update. But we’ve had quite the busy month, filled with wedding planning (cake tasting!) and another fabulous trip to Disney. If you want to read all about that trip, mosey on over to that new TR, “Food, Friendship, Flowers and a Touch of the Force.”

Yes, three TRs at once. It’s official, I’m crazy. Hope to see you over there. But now, let’s get back to the October trip.

We last left off with an incredible safari at Animal Kingdom Lodge, followed by dinner at Jiko and a little shopping at DTD. We were up bright and early the next morning and bound for DHS. But first, we took a quick peek out at the savannah.

No animals though, it was feeding time.

We waited a little while for a bus to DHS, but we didn’t worry because we weren’t in a real rush.

We finally made it into the park right around 9 and made our way to Pixar Place.

Yikes, 70-minute wait already! We decided to try something we hadn’t before, the Woody and Buzz meet and greet.

It was only fitting since I was decked out in my finest Woody shirt and bow.

Since it was so early, there was practically no wait!

We decided to head to the other side of the park in search of some thrills.

Nope, not you Tower.

Why hello Rock-N-Roller Coaster.

Franklin was “dying” for a spin on Tower of Terror, so he headed in that direction next. I, on the other hand, shopped!

We had one last thing to do before lunch, use our Toy Story Mania FPs!

So how did we do?

Well, Franklin beat me yet again. But I did score a personal best!

​

 

[Missyrose]

We’d worked up quite an appetite with a morning full of attractions, so it was a good thing we had an ADR at one of our favorite Disney restaurants coming up.

I just love the down-home food at 50s Primetime Cafe and it’s become our go-to lunch spot at DHS.

We had an amazing waitress, Aunt Donna. She didn’t yell at us once!

We started with some onion rings.

And Franklin got a strawberry milkshake.

I got an iced tea, but there’s no picture of my adventurous choice. Wah-wah.

Apparently, Franklin couldn’t choose what he wanted to eat. So he got the sampler platter!

I got my fav, the fried chicken.

Our meal was really good. My fried chicken was tasty without being overly greasy. And Franklin really liked getting to try the different entrees on the sampler, but it was waaaaaaay too much food for one person. I didn’t really care that Franklin was full, because I can’t go to 50s PTC and NOT get the brownie sundae.

So freaking good. We were such good diners, Donna inducted us into the Clean Plate Club.

We had one last must-do before heading out, Star Tours.

I so love that all of the instructions at this attraction are given by Allison Janney. I’m a huge West Wing fan.

Time to ride!

We ended up on the Wookie planet and Coruscant, with a visit from Yoda in between on this trip. With all our must-dos accomplished, we decided to head toward the exit.

We made our way to the bus stop, where the CM gave me a transportation card.

Soon, we were back at AKV.

We thought about spending some time at the pool, but we ended up just hanging out on our balcony, watching the animals (and also watching a little football since we somehow got the Redskins game that day on Fox).

A busy morning and a lazy afternoon, a perfect Disney day so far. We’ve got big plans for some nighttime fun at Magic Kingdom, so stay tuned!​

 

[rachel09985]

Thank you so much! This trip I was using the Nikon D600. I carry most my lenses with me on trips. My juggling act includes; 24-120mm f/4, 50mm f/1.4, 35mm f/2, and Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8. Everyone is welcomed to ask questions on specific photos. I would love to give insight on why I took it and the camera settings to get to the photos you see.

I have used each of them as a walk around lens. The 24-120mm is used if I need more flexibly in zoom range or when I need more reach. The 50mm is great to walk around with and wonderful for low light. I have probably use the 35mm the most. It's great for dark rides. I use it for food too, since it focuses the closest out of all my lenses. The Tokina 11-16mm is great for architectural photos. It's ultra wide but, has very little distortion.

You are going to love AKL. I used the Tokina 11-16mm for both the lobby and in the room. We also did the Wanyama Safari (sunset safari) and I used the 24-120mm. The animals were far away (for a camera) and some would come right up to the truck. But, you are definitely going to need a zoom lens for shots of the animals from your room.

​

Thanks for the detailed response! I just recently got the Tamron 17-50mm f 2.8 and I really like that so far. Also have the 50mm 1.8 and the 55-250mm. I wish Canon made a cheaper 35mm lens! The 50mm is just too close sometimes.

 

[Missyrose]

Oh wow!!! Your photos are amazing!!! What lens (es) do you use!?? Also what camera??

I am staying at AKL lodge in July and was so excited to see your photos.

Have fun at AKL, you're going to love it!

And caught up. Did not get anything else done during DS's nap. Can't wait read more, and when do we get to the proposal!!

We're getting closer, we're onto Day 5 of the trip!

Missy & Franklin, please excuse me for a second for jacking your thread...

chunkymonkey!!!

Just wanted to say it is awesome to "see" you again! I have missed you and your awesome trip reports! I remembered when you were having the surgery and just read the intro on your PTR from the fall to catch up on how you are doing.

Now back to our regularly scheduled trip report.

No worries at all Dee! I was just as excited to see ChunkyMonkey, I've missed reading her TRs. They're definitely must-reads for me.


​

 

[wiigirl]

Amazing pics.

 

[abbybeth]

I'm caught up and subbed in! Congrats on the engagement - I really enjoy your writing style and Franklin's outstanding pictures looking forward to more (and will have to start reading your other reports too)

 

[khertz]

Gotta love those super productive mornings at DHS. We used to spend a lot more time there when it was just DH & I. I so look forward to the day Paxton is big enough for the thrill rides and we can make those our early morning stops!

What a great picture of you, Missy!

 

[Pixel Dust]

Thanks for the detailed response! I just recently got the Tamron 17-50mm f 2.8 and I really like that so far. Also have the 50mm 1.8 and the 55-250mm. I wish Canon made a cheaper 35mm lens! The 50mm is just too close sometimes.

You're welcome. I hear great things about the Tamron 17-50mm. The 50mm can be a bit tight on your camera.
Just a note, my Nikon D600 is a full frame camera. So, the 50mm on my camera would look like a 75mm on your T3i. A 35mm lens on yours, would be closer to what the 50mm looks like on mine. It has to do with the sensor size.

Canon does have an older 35mm f/2 for $290
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/12119-USA/Canon_2507A002_Wide_Angle_EF_35mm.html

Though, I would go with the Sigma 30mm f/1.4. It does cost a bit more.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/918894-REG/sigma_30mm_f_1_4_dc_hsm.html

But yeah, Canon's newest 35mm does have image stabilization. But it's $800 ​

Amazing pics.

Thank you so much!

​

 

[livsmom04]

Two chapters in one week?!??! What's gotten into me?

There aren't many words I need to add to this post, so without further ado... I give you Illuminations!

Beautiful right? I don't know how Franklin keeps topping himself with fireworks photos but every time he shoots is better than the last.

After the show ended, I was beat. I'd had a medical treatment the day before that knocks me out a little bit for a few days afterward. I was just happy that I'd made it through the day! I wasn't going to push things and stay through evening EMH.

Franklin, however, had major photographic plans for EMH, so I told him I'd see him back at the resort. I then made that looooooong commute back to Beach Club, where I collapsed into bed to update my trip journal and then pass out. Franklin's night was just getting started, but I'll let him tell you all about it in the next chapter!​

The pictures of Illuminations are absolutely beautiful! I've never really seen Illuminations because normally we're too tired to stay after we've walked all day. But this year I'm hoping we can watch the show and for me to figure out the settings on my camera to take good pics.

 

[Missyrose]

I'm caught up and subbed in! Congrats on the engagement - I really enjoy your writing style and Franklin's outstanding pictures looking forward to more (and will have to start reading your other reports too)

Thanks Abby! And more you shall get, I'm about to put up a new chapter, FINALLY!

Gotta love those super productive mornings at DHS. We used to spend a lot more time there when it was just DH & I. I so look forward to the day Paxton is big enough for the thrill rides and we can make those our early morning stops!

What a great picture of you, Missy!

DHS can be quite the playground for adults, so many fun rides! But it's also such a great park for lil' ones like Paxton. Disney Junior live and Muppet Vision 3D are right up your alley right now!

Thanks! I just look so happy to be there in that photo, don't I? Hahaha

The pictures of Illuminations are absolutely beautiful! I've never really seen Illuminations because normally we're too tired to stay after we've walked all day. But this year I'm hoping we can watch the show and for me to figure out the settings on my camera to take good pics.

It took us so long (and a bunch of trips) to finally see Illuminations, but now it's one of our favorite Disney experience. Totally a must-do!​

 

[Missyrose]

We last left of chilling at AKV, watching the animals and some NFL football. We were resting up for a big night ahead: We were going to our very first evening EMH at Magic Kingdom. And the park would be open until 3 a.m.!

We hopped on the bus and were at MK in no time. We knew we needed fuel for our big night, so we stopped at Casey’s for dinner.

We watched Main Street Electrical Parade from the outside seating while we ate. It was lovely. For Wishes that evening, Franklin wanted to try something new. He wanted to shoot the fireworks from Fantasyland.

We were just between the gates for New Fantasyland and classic Fantasyland. There are two types of fireworks in Wishes, the ones that frame the castle (which are shot off from just behind the castle) and the ones high in the sky, which are shot off from behind New Fantasyland. So, from where we were sitting, it was like having 360 degrees of fireworks.

It was an incredibly cool new vantage point from which to see Wishes and that’s one of the luxuries of a longer trip, you can try new things. After the fireworks, Franklin braved the crowds streaming out of the park to put his tripod in a locker. And I headed to Tomorrowland to grab FPs for Space Mountain. For whatever reason, our APs wouldn’t generate FPs in that machine, so the kind CM gave me two FP cards that we could use to get FPs the rest of the night.

We wanted to get out of the swelling crowds in the hub and Tomorrowland, so we headed back to Frontierland for the Wildest Ride in the Wildernessssssss!

I just love that ride at night.

We had some time to kill before our Space Mountain FPs came due. And what better place is there to kill time than PeopleMover?

I could just sit on that ride for the entire EMH, it’s so peaceful and perfect to glide around Tomorrowland that way. We headed for Space Mountain and were struck by the line extending from the FP entrance. Apparently, the ride was down but they’d be honoring FPs until the end of the night. With nowhere to be, we walked over to Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin and it was a walk-on, how perfect!

How did we do against the evil Emperor Zurg? Franklin scored a ...

And I scored...

… well, less than Franklin.

That’s where we’ll leave off for now, but our night at MK is still young. Would we ever get on Space Mountain? Would we make it until 3 a.m.?
You’ll just have to stay tuned to find out!​

 

[MeeskaMomma]

I love the wishes photos, breathtaking!

 

[rachel09985]

Hmm. I may need to watch Wishes from there! Something different. Great photos as well. I thought my Wishes photos were good until I see Franklin's. They are something else. He is definitely on a Tom Bricker level!

 

[teekathepony]

Amazing photos, as always! I will never ever tire of Franklin's photos, especially fireworks! Really interesting view from fantasyland, I have watched wishes from tomorrow land and liberty square but never around the back. It Is really cool to see hot your angle changes the show!
Great start to emh! I could also just stay on the Peoplemover all night.

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[Missyrose]

I love the wishes photos, breathtaking!

I have no earthly idea how Franklin managed to keep turning the tripod around to catch the fireworks from the two different sides (and have them turn out so well!). I had it much easier. I just sat on the ledge and faced toward It's a Small World turned my head to the left and right like I was watching a tennis match.

Hmm. I may need to watch Wishes from there! Something different. Great photos as well. I thought my Wishes photos were good until I see Franklin's. They are something else. He is definitely on a Tom Bricker level!

It was very cool to see the fireworks from a different vantage point, makes them feel new again.

Amazing photos, as always! I will never ever tire of Franklin's photos, especially fireworks! Really interesting view from fantasyland, I have watched wishes from tomorrow land and liberty square but never around the back. It Is really cool to see hot your angle changes the show!
Great start to emh! I could also just stay on the Peoplemover all night.

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

My next goal is to watch Wishes from Liberty Square/Frontierland. Next May, I might be doing a week-long trip in which Franklin will meet me down there for the weekend only. So during my solo time, I'm really planning to check some things off my Disney bucket list! And I'm apologizing in advance, my photos on that trip will be terrible compared with Franklin's. ​