Pengin and Princess storm the castle! The Final Chapter!-O'Hana, Lost & Found, & DTD

[UtahMama]

Lynda! Your pictures are lovely! Do you have Photo Shop Pro? The crane is an eye sore. That will be fun to blend out!

I totally love this TR! I am SO bummed about your poor ankle!
Now you have to go back so you wont be hobbling. Preferably when I'm there! Which is if and when the free dining is announced. Septemberish.

You and your DH are cutie pies! I love that he traded with that little girl!

LOVE your Trip Report Lynda-Loo!

 

[BriarRosie]

Heheh. I was very amused by the story about Jill's tram experience.
That Dumbo picture of the two of you is very cute! I can't wait until I
get to rent Jill out (that's what we do, don't we?) to hang out during my
trip...which is after yours...bummer.

And don't feel too bad about leaving the mugs in the locker. I once left a
sweatshirt I bought for my nephew at the front of the park package pickup
during my last day of a trip about 5 years ago or so.

The perspective of the train station for parade pictures is fabulous. I really
think the Santa picture is quite fabulous. And nice job with the crane edit
in that castle pic!

 

[Disneyfreak92]

I can't stand when drivers "pump" the gas when they are driving! It always makes me nauseous! Good thing you got off when you did!

Your DH was so sweet to trade with the little girl! His spreading helped make her trip to WDW magical!!!

Loved all the pics, as usual, and am sooo glad your ankle seems to be feeling alittle better.
Soon you'll be !

Definitely! It's also a good thing we hadn't eaten too recently!

It was one of the highlights of my day when he traded with that little girl!

Thanks! And I will give an ankle update when I finish the trippie! Notice I don't say too much about it over on the Peep thread.

Yay so glad you came back with another installment! I totally agree about the WL boat. We stayed there in January and it took forever! I just love MVMCP too. I'm hoping to make it up there this December to see it again.

Oh is the guy/voice in Carousel of Progress really the narrator for The Christmas Story?

Please don't keep us waiting so long next time! I love it!

Ya know, I have ridden that boat before, and I don't think it took THAT long! But it had been a while so who knows? I really think it might have been more like 40 minutes on this last trip, but i just don't remember for sure.

We will miss MVMCP this year! Our trip is earlier so we can do Food & Wine and MNSSHP, which are both new to us, and I am excited. But I will miss MVMCP.

Yes, he really is! Back in May 05, I think it was, DH was saying how familiar the voice was on COP, and then the guy says something about buying "fuses by the case", and DH says, "I think that's the narrator from A Christmas Story!" (my favorite Christmas movie, if I haven't already mentioned that!) Well, we looked it up online, and sure enough, that's him!

Don't worry! I plan to start the next installment tonight. I want to get done ASAP so I can start a new pre-trippie! We leave in less than 2 months! And it sounds like YOU might make it into that TR!

Lynda! Your pictures are lovely! Do you have Photo Shop Pro? The crane is an eye sore. That will be fun to blend out!

I totally love this TR! I am SO bummed about your poor ankle!
Now you have to go back so you wont be hobbling. Preferably when I'm there! Which is if and when the free dining is announced. Septemberish.

You and your DH are cutie pies! I love that he traded with that little girl!

LOVE your Trip Report Lynda-Loo!

Thank you! And I have PaintShop Pro X and LOVE it! Got it on sale too! I think I will be trying to get those photos with the crane in them fixed this week, and I will update those photos when I do! I was SO dissappointed to see that crane there both days, knowing that while I loved the photos I was taking, I was going to have to go back and edit them later! Ugh! But I guess it will be OK when I win one of those stays in the suite! (That's why the crane was up there - to work on the castle suite & paint the castle what I thought was a slightly odd color - much more peachy-looking than what I remember.)

Well, I am all for not hobbling! And I hope that's what happens on the upcoming trip! I am so looking forward to an injury-free one! But I WILL be there 9/28-10/6 (Take 2 of taking the in-laws), so now we just have to get you there!

I love that he did that too!

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Heheh. I was very amused by the story about Jill's tram experience.
That Dumbo picture of the two of you is very cute! I can't wait until I
get to rent Jill out (that's what we do, don't we?) to hang out during my
trip...which is after yours...bummer.

And don't feel too bad about leaving the mugs in the locker. I once left a
sweatshirt I bought for my nephew at the front of the park package pickup
during my last day of a trip about 5 years ago or so.

The perspective of the train station for parade pictures is fabulous. I really
think the Santa picture is quite fabulous. And nice job with the crane edit
in that castle pic!

As was I Briar, as was I!

Yeah, that is what we do, isn't it? Not that she minds having to come to WDW to see us! The little stinker - livin' 30 minutes from Disney! Like that is fair? (J/K if you're out there Jill! You know I ya!) And we'll be renting her out again in a couple of months! I SO wish your trip was going to overlap ours in Sept/Oct! But I guess we don't have to go to WDW to see each other, now do we? When are we going to meet up again anyway?

That's no good! Well, there's more of the mug story to come!

Thank you! I loved the Santa one too! I loved the lighting on his face, I think. Thanks about the crane edit too! That one, you can tell if you zoom in a LOT, but not when viewing it normally, which is great because the crane AND a worker covered a part of the windows of CRT, and those were a challenge to duplicate!

 

[Disneyfreak92]

Photos updated folks! No more crane! (I left those up for comparison though.) And I cropped the fireworks shots.

 

[lexmelinda]

Great installment, Lynda!!! These photos....just breathtaking! REALLY!!! I showed them to the girls last night and they were in awe! Did you use a tripod?

Sounds like a fun night a MVMCP! I love that Josh trades pins with the little kids and gives them extras....he's just a big kid, isn't he?

Glad the ankle is better but sorry it was a concern on the whole trip.

Keep it comin, woman..........

 

[Disneyfreak92]

Great installment, Lynda!!! These photos....just breathtaking! REALLY!!! I showed them to the girls last night and they were in awe! Did you use a tripod?

Sounds like a fun night a MVMCP! I love that Josh trades pins with the little kids and gives them extras....he's just a big kid, isn't he?

Glad the ankle is better but sorry it was a concern on the whole trip.

Keep it comin, woman..........

I use a tripod for fireworks, yes. If we are going to be attending fireworks, I take my tripod, and we store it in a locker until time to claim our viewing spot. I set up before the show and make sure I have all my settings ready before it starts and take some test shots of the castle. I also use a cable shutter release. That way I don't have to touch the camera to push the shutter button, which might move the camera slightly & make the shot blurry. If Mimi is interested in all the technical details, let me know, and I'll fill you/her in. I also just learned a new trick for fireworks photos that I might experiment with on the upcoming trip!

I am also trying to take the tripod with us during one evening of each trip (at a different park each time) to take some nifty night time shots. I took it to MK last May, but I didn't really get to do it too much this time because of the ankle. I have to decide where to try it out on the next trip...maybe MGM.

I use the cover flaws, or clone, tool in Paintshop Pro. You just cover the crane (or whatever) with a patch of something else from the photo!

He is a big kid! And I think he really loves to see the magic happen for kids because they really believe in it and appreciate it. It's just cool!

Thanks! I think at this point in the trip I was tolerating the ankle pretty well, but wishing I didn't have to think about it anymore. I also think I was starting to get a little concerned about the drive home (remember, this was my right ankle!) and what would happen when I got home. I had to go back to work! More on that later!

Don't worry! I started the new installment last night! And it's the last full day! I am sad that I am almost at the end, but happy to complete the trippie and move on to a new pre-trippie!

So, just a day and a half left! Thanks for reading everyone!

 

[mlill]

Hi Lynda! Like everyone else said, GORGEOUS pictures! I'd love to know your nighttime/fireworks settings. I use a Sony F828, and have gotten some decent shots here and there, but nothing like yours! They are wonderful!

-Michelle

 

[Disneyfreak92]

Hi Lynda! Like everyone else said, GORGEOUS pictures! I'd love to know your nighttime/fireworks settings. I use a Sony F828, and have gotten some decent shots here and there, but nothing like yours! They are wonderful!

-Michelle

I'm not familiar with your camera, so I don't know exactly what it's capabilities are, but here's what I do. The camera is set on full manual. (Not sure if yours has that option.) I set the shutter speed to 'bulb' which means that I push the button when I want the shutter to open and release it when I want the shutter to close (On my camera this is the last option past 30 seconds). I set my aperture to f/8 (this could be anywhere from f/8-f/16 and probably be fine depending on where you are standing) and my ISO to 100 (lowest possible setting). And the camera is on a tripod with cable shutter release attached. (You can also use a mini tripod on a trash can or railing, or possibly a bean bag on a trash can, but I highly recommend a cable release if one is available for you camera.) I then time my shot with the fireworks, opening the shutter when I hear the firework being fired and closing it after the burst. I experiment a little with timing too. Take LOTS of pictures too! The more you take, the more chance you have of getting some keepers. I am usually hitting the button again every time I release it. If you don't have a 'bulb' setting, you can use a longer shutter speed - somewhere between 2 & 4 seconds usually. And if you can't do the cable release, try setting the camera's self timer to go off. That way you don't have to touch the shutter button. The only problem is it is very hard to time the shot right doing it that way. Let me know if you have questions! I hope this helps.

 

[winkers]

Lynda, great trip report! You have amazing pictures! As usual I'm a late to the party, but I've just managed to spend an afternoon getting a numb bumm, reading your report all at once. The picture of the speed "hump" is too funny! I had to run to the bathroom after laughing about that! I also have to say that you have the cutest clothes!

 

[BriarRosie]

Those were some great camera tips, but I need training wheels for my
manual settings.

Total topic change:

Hey, if you're up for a 3-D showing of "Meet The Robinsons", you know where
to find me.

 

[Disneyfreak92]

Lynda, great trip report! You have amazing pictures! As usual I'm a late to the party, but I've just managed to spend an afternoon getting a numb bumm, reading your report all at once. The picture of the speed "hump" is too funny! I had to run to the bathroom after laughing about that! I also have to say that you have the cutest clothes!

Thank you so much! Welcome to the party! Yeah, I don't think I mentioned before what DH's comment on that sign was. He wondered if it was meant as a directive. I just thought it was bizarre! Funny - but bizarre! And thanks about the clothes! I pretty much lived in capris last summer because it's hard to find cute shorts that aren't SUPER short! Most of what I wear on Disney trips is from Old Navy and from WDW itself. With a little Maurice's and New York & Co. thrown in there.

Those were some great camera tips, but I need training wheels for my
manual settings.

Total topic change:

Hey, if you're up for a 3-D showing of "Meet The Robinsons", you know where
to find me.

Well, we will just have to get together before you go back to WDW, and I will look at your camera and see if I can't tell you exactly what to do!

I have been thinking about that! And DH WAS supposed to be off on Saturday, and we didn't have plans yet, but now he has to work at least part of the day, so it won't work this weekend. We will probably go see it here this weekend, but if we can find the time and a puppy-sitter we would so come up to see it in 3-D with ya! I'll talk to DH and see if he has any ideas about when we could do it.

 

[DisneyJo]

Just been back and looked at your photoshopped piccies and wow you did a great job I think I'll have to look into buying that program

 

[snowbell]

I just finished reading your report. It is very entertaining. How is your ankle now?
You take such amazing pictures!!!

 

[KatGarcia]

Beautiful job photoshopping those pics! I wish I had more skills with that program, i'm still learning but its been a sloooooow process! LOL

 

[Disneyfreak92]

Just been back and looked at your photoshopped piccies and wow you did a great job I think I'll have to look into buying that program

Thanks! I like it a lot! It's called Paintshop Pro X (I think there is a newer version out now though.), and it's made by Corel.

 

[Disneyfreak92]

I just finished reading your report. It is very entertaining. How is your ankle now?
You take such amazing pictures!!!

Thanks for reading! Glad you are enjoying it! The ankle is better. I will be giving an update when I am done with the trippie. Which should be pretty soon. I am about 2/3 of the way done with the next installment. I hope to finish it tonight, and then I only have one partial day left!

Thanks about the picture comment as well!

 

[Disneyfreak92]

Beautiful job photoshopping those pics! I wish I had more skills with that program, i'm still learning but its been a sloooooow process! LOL

Thanks! What program do you have for photo editing? I love mine! I know there's a lot to it that I don't know how to use yet, but I have been able to do some VERY cool things with it still.

 

[Disneyfreak92]

So, this was free day #2 and our chance to make up what we missed at Epcot the day I hurt my ankle. But first, we have an appointment with our DVC guide, Greg. We got the wake up call at 7:15, and my ankle is ever so slightly better, but still not normal. (This seems to be a theme!) But it IS much better than it was. So, we got ready and walked down to the Carriage House. We need to check out and back in again since we changed those ressies the day before. I snapped a few photos while DH took care of that.

Then we headed over to the preview center to meet with Greg. I LOVE this place! The murals are amazing here! (I didn’t take photos, but I really should do that sometime!) We were seated at one of the mini living room meeting areas and Greg arrived shortly thereafter. We asked him some questions about the upcoming Animal Kingdom Lodge Villas. We had been interested in adding on to our DVC points, and when this resort had been announced, we immediately wanted to know more! He gave us a little info and cleared up a couple of things we had been hearing, but overall it wasn’t overwhelmingly encouraging. (Read: sounded expensive!) He said he put us on his list of people to call when the AK points became available. We also talked to him about his job because DH wants to be a DVC guide when we move to Florida. This conversation WAS encouraging. So, now that we were informed, Greg arranged for a van to take us wherever we wanted to go, and we headed to Epcot. Our first stop was Fountainview Espresso & Bakery. You may remember we were supposed to eat there the morning I fell and made friends with the concrete. So we went on over to Fountainview & ordered a cinnamon roll for DH, a fruit tart for me, and the cherry flan to share. All was good, and when we were done, we headed out. We needed to get over to The Land so I could get my FastPass for Soarin’! I LOVE that ride, and I wasn’t about to miss it this time!

Well, DH being the ever-keen spotter of CM’s with pins, spotted a CM walking towards us to accost. As we were approaching him, I noticed his attire. We had not really seen this attire much this week, although we had been hoping to. This was a Dream Squad member! I didn’t even have a chance to say anything, but DH and I exchanged a glance that meant we both knew. DH asked to see his pins, and there was nothing he needed, but we ended up chatting with the guy for a while, and he gave us honorary WDW citizen buttons! (Too cute! ) While we were talking to him, two women approached and asked to see his pins and ended up chatting with us as well. DH let the women look through his bag of extra pins to see if he had anything they needed. The first woman didn’t find anything she needed because she was looking for “Cast Lanyard” specifically instead of “Hidden Mickey” series. DH and I explained that we didn’t care which series it was from as long as we could complete a series. Her friend found something she needed, and DH was able to trade her for something we needed. The women left, and the Dream Squad member gave DH and I a set of two Tinkerbell pixie dust pins - one to keep and one to give to someone else to spread the magic! How cool! We said thanks and bye and made our way to The Land and Soarin’.

Now, we had the FastPass for 2 for any ride from the day I hurt my ankle, and DH said we should just check to see if I could ride Soarin’ twice. He knew I loved the ride, and he wasn’t going to ride it, so why not? We didn’t really have any other rides to use it on anyway. So, when we got there, we went up to the counter and DH explained the situation to a CM and asks if we can do this, to which the CM replies, “No”. He said that once I handed the paper to the CM collecting the FastPasses, I wouldn’t have anything to give them when I went through the line again. Now, I understand when there are rules that have to be followed (I worked in customer service for years.), and I am not one to milk the system! But my DH had just explained that 3 managers had given us this FastPass after I fell and sprained my ankle getting off the bus to come to this very park and this very ride, and I was standing there, ankle wrapped, having just limped up to the counter he was standing behind, and all we are asking is to get our FastPass for 2 turned into 2 FastPasses for one, and this guy is telling us that the reason they can‘t do that is because I only have one piece of paper?!? I find it to be a poor reason (I know very well they can print a FastPass if they want to.) and poor customer service (very non-Disney-like ), but I don’t want to argue, and it simply isn’t THAT important to me. I will be happy to just enjoy the ride and the rest of the day, so I tell DH that, and I go through the line to burn my FastPass for 2...on 1 person. I love this ride! And I got to ride it with big, burly guy who has never ridden it before and his girlfriend, tiny, motor-mouth chick who has ridden it in California. Well, she WON’T SHUT UP on the ride. (She wouldn’t in line either, but I thought maybe in the ride - nope!) So, I attempt to tune her out, and am only slightly successful, but I was enjoying the ride anyway. Then, at the end, we were flying over DL, and the girl obviously saw the Matterhorn (She was pointing at things throughout most of the ride too.) and said - and I am NOT kidding - “Oh, look, see that’s Animal Kingdom.” She thought the Matterhorn was Everest!

So, I get off the ride and go find DH, and he hands me another FastPass for Soarin’! He had finally talked the guy into giving us another one! DH is good at that, I guess. So, I went through the line again, and no chatty chick this time! What a great ride it is! When I got done this time, DH says let’s do the Behind the Seeds tour, so we sign up, get a drink over at Seasons to kill the time until it starts, and then we head over to meet our tour guide. This was a great tour for a very small price (less than $10 per person )! It was really informative and interesting. And we got to touch things we had only seen before on the Livin’ with the Land ride. We got to feed fish and learn how they make Mickey head pumpkins. It was great fun! Here’s a few pics…

 

[Disneyfreak92]

After the tour, we had lunch at Seasons. We almost always eat at Seasons because of the variety. DH and I can be in totally different moods and both find something we want here, and it has always been pretty good. I had a roasted chicken breast on a bed of greens that was quite good, and DH had a stir fry dish. Normally, we would get a fruit tart here to hold us over until we got over to Norway for berry tarts, but our next stop was…NORWAY! We were going to get more berry tarts and some school bread to take with us back to the room for later.

We decided to skip the Mexico pavilion (well, not quite ALL of it )

because I didn’t want to do the steps, and I wasn’t sure where the ramp was. We will hit it next time. So, because we had an unexpected few hours to kill in Future World on our first day and made it most of the way around World Showcase the night we came back for Candlelight Processional, we were done at Epcot!

We headed back to the buses and back to SSR for a nice rest. As I was preparing to ice my ankle, DH came out of the bathroom with a note in his hand and a confused look on his face. This is the note.

It says, “The Leterin feld. I am sorry about is accident.” Well, as you can imagine…we panicked! I mean, the Leterin feld! Oh, the humanity! …OK, of course, we were indeed confused about what this meant so we immediately began an investigation. We tried to translate the meaning behind the note. I said maybe Leterin = Letrine. So, we checked the bathroom. Josh had some clothes on the floor in there, but they seemed to be in the same spot they were when we left, and there was nothing wrong with them. We proceeded to check everything in the room and nothing, I mean NOTHING seemed out of place! What the heck is a Leterin people?!? We STILL do not know! But we do have this note. Oh yes, we kept the note! Someday, maybe we will learn what it means. Maybe we don’t want to know what it means, but if any of you know, PLEASE clue me in. It is a mystery to us to this day!

After that confusion and a nice rest, I made sure I had the flash attachment for the camera, and we headed to Beach Club. We drove over there and valet parked. We went to the lobby and found the CM who would help us book our September trip with free dining! Apparently they were having computer issues, so she took down all of our info on what we wanted and my cell phone number. She says she will call us before we leave and confirm everything. We told her we wanted POFQ, arriving on 9/29 and departing on 10/6, with the free DDP for four and four 1-day park tickets. We had ADRs at Shutters that night, but we had changed our ressie at CBR to stay at SSR, so we decided to change the ADR too. We finally decided on Olivia’s so I could take some more DVC resort photos for the possible upcoming Timeshare Store photo contest. DH called Dining while I took some photos of the gingerbread and chocolate carousel. I think this is my favorite of the resort holiday displays! The horses are just amazing, and the thing actually rotates!

We went to the gift shop to get my DVC member windbreaker. I had been borrowing DH’s on and off ever since he got it, so I decided it was time I got my own. And I got a DVC 15th anniversary T-shirt too. DH had gotten us 7:10 ADRs at Olivia’s. We still had lots of time, but we headed on over to OKW so I could take pictures. We still ended up checking in at Olivia’s at 6:20! But we got seated right away. We got more pictures to color here. I didn’t take pics though, I guess. We had great food & great service here! We had the crab cake appetizer, I had the crab crusted mahi mahi, and DH had the pork chop. Yummy! When we were done with dinner we went back to the van to go back to SSR.

So, this is the night before we leave to go back to Illinois, where it is COLD, and there is snow on the ground. We get back in the van, and this is what we see!

Check out that time and temp, and keep in mind that it was December 1st! We headed back to the room to rest and freshen up before going over to Pleasure Island and the Adventurer‘s Club. I REALLY like to go to AC twice in a trip because the different actors will play different characters, and it is always different from one night to the next. Besides, the other night, I hadn’t brought the camera, and we had left early. Now, DH had been saying things throughout the day that suggested he didn’t necessarily want to go back to PI. But I really did want to go. So, I asked DH about it, and we ended up having a VERY long discussion about what we wanted to do that night. Did I mention that I tend to get a little emotional the last 24 hours or so of our trips? Well, after wasting a LOT of time, we finally arrived at the decision to go for a walk around the resort. We walked down past the pool and out to the water to get a good look at the view. We walked down to the Carriage House and got milk and a couple of big cookies at Artist’s Palette, and then we headed back to the room. We had our cookies and milk and berry tarts from Norway , watched a little TV, and turned in. We had 8:30 ADRs at O’Hana the next morning with Jill! And we leave for home!

 

[winkers]

The picture of your dh with the mini sombrero is too funny! I have been trying to think of what lectrine could be and I'm stumped! You certainly have an unusual suviner.....ok, I know that's not how you spell that but I've tried several diffrent ways and none of them look right.