Mele Kalikimaka WDW Adventure 2015-COMPLETED

[juneaubiscuits]

With the stellar reviews that all the AK restaurants receive from guests, it was tough choosing a place. We settled on Sanaa due partly to its location and the amazing African art embellishing the restaurant.

Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge Sanaa Interior 01 by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr

Sue @ Disney's Animal Kingdom Kidani Village 02 by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr

Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge Sanaa Reservation Desk 01 by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr

Lloyd @ Disney's Animal Kingdom Sanaa Restaurant by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr

Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge Sanaa Interior 02 by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr

Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge Sanaa Interior 03 by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr

Another reason was a recommendation from our friend to give the Indian-style bread a try! I can't remember what three breads or which sauces we choose, but everything was ono (delicious in Hawaiian). Paired with a glass of wine and the relaxed atmosphere (there was one other group in the restaurant besides Sue and I), I daresay this was the most leisurely and longest dining experience during our entire vacation!

Bread & Wine @ Sanaa in Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge Kidani Village by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr

African Breads & Dipping Sauces @ Disney's Animal Kingdom Sanaa by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr

 

[juneaubiscuits]

After literally stuffing ourselves with bread, we moseyed (not sure if that is a real word) on over to the Jambo Main House. We had stayed here a couple of nights back in 2004, so I was looking forward to seeing it again. Not much has changed...still as breathtakingly beautiful as ever. I told Sue if we ever return, we'll have to stay a couple of nights. This is our 2nd favorite Disney resort after The Wilderness Lodge. Again, the African theming and application of the culture and arts really imbues the resort with a strong sense of heritage and class.

Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge Jambo House Main Lobby 01 by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr

Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge Jambo House Main Lobby 04 by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr

Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge Jambo House Main Lobby 02 by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr

Front Desk @ Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge Jambo House by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr

Prestige Gown (worn only by males of the king) Display @ Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr

Victoria Falls Lounge @ Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge Jambo House by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr

Map Signage @ Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge Jambo House by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr

Christmas Wreath 02 @ Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr

Even Zawadi Marketplace, the retail store in the hotel, has an elegant class to it. The details are as always...extraordinary!

Zawadi Marketplace @ Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge 02 by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr

Zawadi Marketplace @ Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge 01 by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr

Zawadi Marketplace @ Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge 04 by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr

 

[juneaubiscuits]

It was getting late in the day, so we said aloha (for now) to AK and headed to the Magic Kingdom. We had tickets for Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party, the first of two nights. By the time we got to MK, the 1st parade was already in progress. Main Street was naturally packed, so we snaked our way towards Tomorrowland to grab some free cookies and hot chocolate. Have to say I was pleasantly surprised how good the cookies tasted, as well as the cocoa. We attended Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween event back in 2004, and I wasn't overly impressed with the treats at the time. The lines were relatively small and we got our snacks pretty quickly.

Disney's Magic Kingdom Cast Member Josimar by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr

My wife wanted to ride Space Mountain while I opted for Carousel of Progress. Unfortunately, when I got to COP, I found out they close the attraction by the late afternoon. I would have to experience one of my favorite attractions on another day. Since I now had some spare time, I wandered around Tomorrowland to see if anything caught my fancy. As a side not, Tomorrowland is the least favorite of the lands. As a kid, I loved TL, but don't think the years (and the rapid advancements of technology) have been kind to this place. Management sort of went in the right direction by showcasing more of an alternate, idealized vision of the future, but still lacks a sense of awe and wonder. I wish Disney would go all out with a retro, 50's type of design filled with the optimism of that era. Although the movie starring George Clooney was a box office disappointment, I liked the brief glimpses of the future with the rocket back packs and Jetson style living.

I saw a small group of people milling around a stage, and found out they were waiting for the next performance of VoicePlay. I never heard of the group, but I had time to kill, so I hung out with the rest of the folks. Once VoicePlay appeared on stage, they set out to sing holiday melodies in acapella! I enjoyed their smooth harmony and singing voices and ended up watching the entire show. The timing was perfect as Sue was headed towards our rendezvous spot just as the last song was being performed.

VoicePlay @ MVMCP 2015 Magic Kingdom 02 by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr

VoicePlay @ MVMCP 2015 Magic Kingdom 05 by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr

VoicePlay @ MVMCP 2015 Magic Kingdom 01 by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr

VoicePlay @ MVMCP 2015 Magic Kingdom 03 by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr

 

[juneaubiscuits]

After reuniting with my wife, we made our way back to Main Street to stake out a prime spot for the Christmas parade. In his blog, Tom Bricker recommended watching (and shooting) the parade from the Christmas tree at the end of Main Street. This would allow for a head on view as well as framing the castle in the background. It was around 7:30 when we got there and several people had already locked down some spots. I was able to set up my tripod and secure a pretty prime location. A couple of other photographers were also set up next to me so I ended up conversing quite a bit with some really cool people. One photographer (who's name escapes me) told me he's pretty much shot all the parks in great detail, having done it over a two year period. I'm sure this guy's work is incredible, and I wish I had asked him for contact information. Prior to the start of the parade, the street was crowded with the vendor carts making the rounds. I took a couple (a bunch...actually) of test shots to examine image quality and ISO settings...

Pre MVMCP on Main Street USA 02 by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr

Pre MVMCP on Main Street USA 01 by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr

 

[juneaubiscuits]

As mentioned in one of my earlier replies, I ran into Tom Bricker...the guy 99% responsible for upgrading my camera gear! I had the pleasure of shooting next to him for MVMCP. I had set up my tripod, mostly to reserve space. Since the parade was moving, a tripod is essentially inconsequential. Tom had sat on the curb next to me and I asked him why was shoot from that low vantage point. He said it gave a better framing of the castle in the background. Made total sense to me and who am I to question Mr.Bricker? I proceeded to dismantle my tripod and place my okole on the curb next to Tom. I had originally planned to shoot all 4 parades during our 2 nights at the party, but we had already missed the earlier performance (ironically, this would be the only time I shot the parade). I used aperture priority mode, but had set my parameters incorretly. This caused a lot of motion blur due to slower shutter speeds and the constant motion of the performers. What is seen below are some of the better ones...but not much...

Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party 2015-Finale Float by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr

Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party 2015-Micey & Minnie Float 01 by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr

Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party 2015-Mickey & Minnie Float 02 by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr

MVMCP 2015 05 by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr

Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party 2015-Seven Dwarves 000 by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr

Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party 2015-Toy Story Float 02 by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr

Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party 2015-Goofy Float by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr

Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party 2015-Candy Cane Dancers 02 by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr

Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party 2015-Frozen Float by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr

Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party 2015-Goofy Float 02 by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr

Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party 2015-Victorian Waltz by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr

Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party 2015-Candy Cane Dancers 03 by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr

 

[GAN]

Well, you might not be completely satisfied ....but wow! Those are amazing.

 

[alohamom]

YAY-more pics from JuneauBiscuits! The parade photos are amazing-at first I was going to say the Seven Dwarves one was my favorite but then I saw the Candy Cane Dancers...what a phenomenal picture. I think you need to work for Disney doing promo shots.

 

[GAN]

YAY-more pics from JuneauBiscuits! The parade photos are amazing-at first I was going to say the Seven Dwarves one was my favorite but then I saw the Candy Cane Dancers...what a phenomenal picture. I think you need to work for Disney doing promo shots.

I thought the same exact thing, but the picture of Goofy stuck with me ...the colors are amazing

 

[juneaubiscuits]

YAY-more pics from JuneauBiscuits! The parade photos are amazing-at first I was going to say the Seven Dwarves one was my favorite but then I saw the Candy Cane Dancers...what a phenomenal picture. I think you need to work for Disney doing promo shots.

Glad you enjoyed the parade pics alohamom! Really, that parade is so photogenic, it's hard to take a really bad shot!

 

[juneaubiscuits]

I thought the same exact thing, but the picture of Goofy stuck with me ...the colors are amazing

Well, you might not be completely satisfied ....but wow! Those are amazing.

Thanks GAN...and Goofy thanks you too!

 

[Nohal]

Enjoying your trip report. Wow your photos are amazing.

 

[juneaubiscuits]

More MVMCP photos including good old Santa!

MVMCP Toy Soldiers by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr

MVMCP Reindeers by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr

Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party 2015-Clarabelle Float 01 by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr

Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party 2015-Toy Story Float 03 by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr

Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party 2015-Toyland Float by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr

Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party 2015-Seven Dwarves 01 by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr

Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party 2015-Santa Float by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr

Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party 2015-Santa Float 05 by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr

Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party 2015-Santa Float 03 by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr

 

[juneaubiscuits]

Enjoying your trip report. Wow your photos are amazing.

Mahalo Nohal! Glad you're enjoying the report!

 

[juneaubiscuits]

After the parade ended, we said goodbye to Sarah and Tom and hit the shops and rides. Sad to say, we missed out on a lot of stuff at the Christmas party. You really need to do this more than once to get the full experience (but at $70.00 a pop, I can see that as being unfeasible for a lot of folks).

This was the first night I was able to stay after the park shut down, so I took as much shots as possible when crowds began to dwindle. I asked one of the photographers (who I met while waiting for the parade), how long does he stay in the park after closing. The guy told me until security literally carries him out to the exit gate...LOL! I started in Fantasyland and shot Gaston's Tavern first (which is in an earlier post). From there I slowly headed towards Cinderella's castle as security ushered us out to Main Street. When I finally left, there were still quite a bit of shooters in the park, including the Brickers. I wanted to stay longer, but was dependent on WDW transportation to get me back to the hotel. I have to give Disney props for insuring that everyone has a way home. When I went to the depot, security assigned me to the first empty bus. I was the only passenger on the ride back and felt a little bad..LOL! I even apologized to the driver, but she laughed and said not to worry. She's paid by the hour, and not amount of passengers, so it made no difference to her.

Balloons on Main Street by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr

Be Our Guest Restaurant Entance @ Park Closing 02 by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr

Gargoyle Lookout @ Be Our Guest Restaurant by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr

Voyage of the Little Mermaid Ride Entrance 02 by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr

Voyage of the Little Mermaid Ride Entrance by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr


New Fantasyland Entrance Area by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr

Cinderella's Castle Back View 02 by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr

Sir Mickey in the Shadow of Cinderella's Castle by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr

Cinderella's Castle @ Night by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr

Castle Reflection by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr

Cinderella's Castle 11 by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr

 

[marypoppsin]

Your photos are intense. Congratulations on teaching yourself the art. I am wondering if so many of your photos have an ethereal feel to them because you are shooting raw? I love the look but don't have the patience to learn or the time to edit for printing.

I am glad you enjoyed AK. It is my favorite park. I love photographing all the details there.

My son is a crazed fan of the popcorn carts. Do you have a photo of the one near BOG that you could share.

 

[juneaubiscuits]

Your photos are intense. Congratulations on teaching yourself the art. I am wondering if so many of your photos have an ethereal feel to them because you are shooting raw? I love the look but don't have the patience to learn or the time to edit for printing.

I am glad you enjoyed AK. It is my favorite park. I love photographing all the details there.

My son is a crazed fan of the popcorn carts. Do you have a photo of the one near BOG that you could share.

A few of my friends, and my wife on occasion, have mentioned my photos looking surreal and/or fake...LOL! I do shoot in raw, but it probably has more to do with my post processing. I like my images sharp with lots of detail, but tend to overdo it (I'm trying to pull back in that area).

I really wished I had shot AK after sunset, but just couldn't find the opportunity. My hope is to go back there when Pandora opens up, but chances are slim.

I did take a picture of Maurice's popcorn cart...hope this is the one you're thinking of?

Maurice's Amazing Popping Machine by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr

 

[dragonflydoll2]

Loving the report and the pics!!! Looking forward to more!!! You are inspiring me to take more gear with me for our next trip

 

[juneaubiscuits]

Loving the report and the pics!!! Looking forward to more!!! You are inspiring me to take more gear with me for our next trip

Thank you dragonflydoll2! My travel companions thought I was nuts when I told them how much my camera gear bag weighed...over 30 pounds..haha! I remember not wanting to bring a camera on my first trip to WDW back in 1996. I ended up buying those disposable instamatic cameras after I started regretting that decision. I can't even remember where I put those pictures...

 

[juneaubiscuits]

Once I felt I had enough shots of the castle's backside (and feeling the stares of the security guards right behind me), I moseyed towards the front. I did fire off a couple of rounds at King Arthur's Carousel. Not totally happy with how it came out, but at this point, I was rushing to finish up.

Fantasyland King Arthur's Carousel 02 by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr

Fantasyland King Arthur's Carousel 01 by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr

There were a lot more shooters there including Tom and Sarah. I think he was doing some photos for his blog and you could tell he had already planned out his shots. As for me, I was wandering around lost...like a snowman in the Sahara desert.

Partners Statue Christmas 2015 by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr

Partner's Statue Front View by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr

Cinderella's Castle @ Closing by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr

Cinderella's Castle @ Closing 02 by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr

 

[juneaubiscuits]

Somewhere between Animal Kingdom and MVMCP, Sue and I checked out of AOA and moved on to our next resort...The Cabins at Fort Wilderness. I wouldn't advise booking this place, unless you have children or sharing the room with another couple. Being as it was only Sue and I, it turned out to be an expensive one night stay. Regardless of the cost, it's a place I wanted to experience at least once in my life...LOL! The bus ride was fine...it was when we got dropped off that the confusion began. We had a hard time finding the front desk office and had to ask several resort guests which direction to head (the sun had set, so it was also dark). We had a sleigh ride to do in less than an hour after arriving to the campgrounds, so we needed to get settled fairly quick. When we called the operator for information, she said we needed to take another bus to get to our appointment! I totally did not believe it and asked to speak to a supervisor. Short story long, we eventually found the check in counter. The cast member, assigned to drive us to our cabin, kindly waited while we dropped off our bags so she could drive us to the sleigh ride location! Sue and I waited a few minutes until our driver pulled up in the sleigh. From there, our personable guide drove us around the property where we got to see the Christmas decorations put up by the various campers. Being from an island, the ideal of driving cross country and spending the holidays at a campground is almost surreal. But also totally cool...I would jump at the chance to do it one day. Unfortunately, I have no photos of us in the sleigh as the person taking the photos did not focus (not his fault, my camera's focus button is on the back, not on the top). I took some of the campers' decorations, but nothing that came out half way decent. My reading audience (if any) will have to make due with photos of the restaurant and surrounding areas. Oh yeah, we got a "free" commemorative pin which I had to sign for...so at least I can post a pic of it.

Tri-Circle-D Ranch @ Disney's Fort Wilderness 02 by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr

Tri-Circle-D Ranch @ Disney's Fort Wilderness 01 by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr

The Cabins @ Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort Crockett's Tavern by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr

Meadow Trading Post @ DIsney's Fort Wilderness Resort by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr

The Cabins @ Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort 01 by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr

The Cabins @ Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort 02 by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr

The Cabins @ Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort Holiday Sleigh Rides Signage by
Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr

Holiday Sleigh Ride 2015 Pin @ Disneys's Tri-Circle-D Ranch by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr