Our Drama-Filled May 2010 Bay Lake & Beach Club Trip Report(OMG-ITS MY FINAL UPDATE!)

[TigerLaw]

Deleted - see below

 

[BEASLYBOO]

However we have found that by taking a niece or nephew you can still bar hop around the world without a worry...cheryl

Great idea!

 

[KyCruisinSusan]

I'm chiming in with everyone else. Love your TR and your pics, awesome job! DH and I will be staying at BLT for 4 days in December and can't wait. Looking forward to hearing about the rest of your drama.

 

[TigerLaw]

I just now realized that I left out of the report the portion of what we did at MK prior to the Move It, Shake It Parade!

In other words, THE TRIP REPORT IS OUT OF ORDER!

Sorry everyone, I will get this corrected tonight when I get home from work!

 

[TigerLaw]

OK, back home now and I THINK have the trip report back in order - hope you like the HUGE UPDATE coming up!

 

[TigerLaw]

Sunday, May 16th

Parks Visited: Magic Kingdom, MGM and Epcot (Michael only)
Dining: O’hanas (breakfast) and Mama Melrose’s (dinner)

Even though I didn’t get to bed until close to 1am, we had a 6am wake up call, as we were going to Ohana’s for breakfast before MK opened. We took the resort monorail (which started running at 7am) and got over to the Poly w/o any problems. We got there a bit early, so I ran and took a couple pictures before breakfast:





We were like the second or third group seated and maybe like 10 minutes after being seated the characters started coming out one by one. Here are some character pictures:





Breakfast was good there as it has always been. After we were done eating, it was only like 8:15, so we hung out in the lounge area for a bit before we headed over to the Magic Kingdom. We got there just in time for the opening ceremony. Once the rope was officially dropped, I did the mad dash to Splash to get us a fastpass before riding Big Thunder. We rode the coaster once together and then I rode it a second time before we headed over to do Splash and rode it twice in a row. Of course on the first ride we got SOAKED by the cannon (we always get the wettest from the water cannon over any of the drops!). Next, we did haunted mansion and pirates. All the rides up to now were with no waits. (Remember, this was the day the park closed at 5pm b/c of the travel agents convention booking the park for the night). After finishing with those rides, I watched a bit of the castle show (Melissa sat in the shade close by) before lining up in the hub to watch the Move it, Shake it, Celebrate it parade.

Here’s a couple pics from the castle show:







Here are some more pics of our MK morning:











(Can never get enough Partners pics!)

COMING UP: WE MOVE IT, WE SHAKE IT, WE CELEBRATE IT!

 

[TigerLaw]

Sunday, May 16th (cont.)

The Move It, Shake It, Celebrate It parade is probably my FAVORITE daytime parade at walt disney world (and Melissa loves it too) I love the main song, the energy, the fun, just love it! What's funny about it though is that we never have seen the WHOLE show before, the first time we saw it, it rained and the second time was on July 4th, and both times, the parade never stopped, it just came up main st. and went back down after circling around the hub. Anyway, at about ten minutes before 11am or so, I staked out my spot in the partners hub so I could get pictures of the parade coming down main street. Once the parade started, Melissa left her seat in the shade and came over to watch with me. Here are some parade pictures:





Donald, shakin’ his tail feathers!







More of Donald, showin’ how its done!





Conga line - Mickey and Donald Style!




After the parade was over, we left the park, with Melissa going back to BLT to hit the pool, and I headed over to Epcot to take pictures of the last day of the Flower and Garden festival. (OK, technically, the Daisy Duck picture was taken right before we left MK, so sue me for accuracy!)

COMING UP - MORE TOPIARIES THAN YOU CAN SHAKE A FIST AT!

 

[TigerLaw]

Sunday, May 16th (cont.)

I went over to take pictures at Epcot, but given the fact it was the last day of the F&G festival, it was way crowded. As I made my way around the park, I tried to find a place for lunch, but everything was just CROWDED! By the time I got over to the American Adventure, I just hit a wall - I was hungry, tired and hot and just didn’t care about trying to take artistic pictures anymore, so I eventually left the park. (BTW, for what its worth, I honestly can’t remember if I ate lunch that day at all!)

Unfortunately, it took forever to get back to BLT. When I got on the monorail, we had like a 10-15 minute wait at the Epcot station while a monorail was moving on or off the transfer track. Then, when we made it back to the TTC, there was a problem w. the MK express monorail, which for some reason caused the resort monorail to take FOREVER to get on.

Anyway, here are some of my Flower & Garden Festival pictures:







Gotta say, wasn’t in love with the front topiaries this year - I couldn’t even make out that daisy was one of them until someone told me later!



My first Tron monorail sighting!





This is the host of Yard Crashers giving a talk during the festival





One of the problem w. having a new camera is learning it! For some reason, I have trouble getting it to always do the blurry background type pictures, but these were a couple I liked.

Coming up - more of my F&G pictures

 

[TigerLaw]

Continuing our Epcot photo tour....







The lady and the tramp may just be my favorite topiary - its too cute!





I liked these Fab Five ones better than the M&M american gothic topiaries by far!









Me and my main man (or duck as it were!)



I saw this Pooh window in one of the shops in Englasd and just liked it for some reason!



Finally, I never knew you could see the balloon all the way in Epcot until this shot!

COMING UP - YOU WANT MORE DRAMA - I’LL GIVE YOU MORE DRAMA!

 

[Luckymommyx2]

I'm speechless! I don't want your pics or trip report to end!!

 

[Crystal_27]

One of the problem w. having a new camera is learning it! For some reason, I have trouble getting it to always do the blurry background type pictures, but these were a couple I liked.

Coming up - more of my F&G pictures

Another great update!!

As to getting the "blurry" background, make sure that you are shooting wide open (i.e., your aperature is at its lowest setting). Since you are still learning and if your camera has the option, flip your settings into "A" (aperature priority) mode and dial down your aperature settings. Your shutter speed should automatically set to allow for the best exposed picture, although sometimes in tricky lighting your shutter speed may go wonky - - just look out for that. If you aren't able to manually set your aperature, try shooting in Portrait or Macro mode, both of which should default to opening your aperature as wide as possible. Hope that helps! Your pictures really are awesome!

 

[DisneyJen]

A wonderful installment!

Just your photos! There are several of the FG that look somewhat similar to the photos I took in March although yours are MUCH better!

Looking forward to more

 

[RadioFanatic]

Sunday, May 16th (cont.)


Anyway, here are some of my Flower & Garden Festival pictures:

Awesome pix! Where were you standing to get these? It looks like you are up high somewhere.

 

[TigerLaw]

I'm speechless! I don't want your pics or trip report to end!!

Thanks so much! (of course two months from now when I finally get done with this, you may have a different view!)

Another great update!!

As to getting the "blurry" background, make sure that you are shooting wide open (i.e., your aperature is at its lowest setting). Since you are still learning and if your camera has the option, flip your settings into "A" (aperature priority) mode and dial down your aperature settings. Your shutter speed should automatically set to allow for the best exposed picture, although sometimes in tricky lighting your shutter speed may go wonky - - just look out for that. If you aren't able to manually set your aperature, try shooting in Portrait or Macro mode, both of which should default to opening your aperature as wide as possible. Hope that helps! Your pictures really are awesome!

I tried by the A priority setting and my camera also has a "scene" mode just for doing these - sometimes it took, sometimes it didn't - one thing though was that it was hard to get the number down real low, so maybe I need to do something else with it?

A wonderful installment!

Just your photos! There are several of the FG that look somewhat similar to the photos I took in March although yours are MUCH better!

Looking forward to more

thanks!

Awesome pix! Where were you standing to get these? It looks like you are up high somewhere.

the elevated shots I took while on the monorail - I always seem to scare people as if I am going to cause the doors to open and fall out!

 

[Kelrykengab]

I hate all my pics now, thanks a lot. Seriously, beatiful photos. Well done!

 

[DizGirl20]

I am loving your FABULOUS pictures! We were at Epcot on May 16th as well, so I am carefully looking through your pictures to see if we appear in any of them (you never know)! We also were at the Beach Club (5/15-5/22) - I absolutely fell in love with it

Enjoying your TR

 

[TyRy]

Great report and absolutely beautiful photos!!!!

 

[TigerLaw]

I hate all my pics now, thanks a lot. Seriously, beatiful photos. Well done!

If it makes you feel any better, I go look at some of the pics over on the photography board and realize that my "photographic eye" must be pretty hazy compared to some of the shots they pull off!

I am loving your FABULOUS pictures! We were at Epcot on May 16th as well, so I am carefully looking through your pictures to see if we appear in any of them (you never know)! We also were at the Beach Club (5/15-5/22) - I absolutely fell in love with it

Enjoying your TR

Wouldn't it be a riot if you DID find yourselves in my pictures! As to your BCR love, its funny, the more we stay at places other than Beach Club, the more we love our home resort!

Great report and absolutely beautiful photos!!!!

thanks!

 

[Splat25]

Great pictures and good info. I have a Canon 30D and I love the perspective spots you are taking. The background blur you are looking for has to do with depth of field and your camera's aperture settings. You want a low F-stop to get the background blurry.

Keep the updates and pictures coming! We are looking forward to our first BLT visit in October.

 

[TigerLaw]

Great pictures and good info. I have a Canon 30D and I love the perspective spots you are taking. The background blur you are looking for has to do with depth of field and your camera's aperture settings. You want a low F-stop to get the background blurry.

Keep the updates and pictures coming! We are looking forward to our first BLT visit in October.

Thanks! Just curious as to what you mean by "perspective spots" as I never heard that phrase before?