PRINCESS Palooza 2011! 9/9 Update: Departure Day

[Glennie5]

I have always been so busy ogling Katie's dresses that I hadn't noticed what an amazing photographer you are!
Love mesaboy's spoiler for Buzz! Hope I can remember for our next trip, I would love to beat hubby and son's score.

 

[mom2rtk]

YAY, you've arrived! I'm sorry to hear you got your times mixed up though, but still you made it to rope drop Always a fun start to a trip, rope drop at Magic Kingdom Love all your pictures by the way, it's always refreshing to see some quality pictures of the World Too bad the nice DSLR's can't be cheaper

I really enjoyed being out in front of the MK gates for a bit. I'm usually in such a hurry getting through there!

Thanks for the kind words.

DSLR's aren't cheap by any means, but at least you get a whole lot more these days for actually a lot less than even a few short years ago. The first one I got back in 04 was vastly different from this one (in features) yet far more expensive.

Big up to Space Mountain as your first ride! Always smart to get some FPs before the standby line. And it's funny how I never noticed the bumpiness on Space Mountain. I always thought it was just the fact you can't see anything and it adds to the experience. Maybe the day I end up going on the SM in DL, my opinion will change...

We really worked the fastpasses that day. I can't tell you how many we ended up using. Of course, it helps immensely that it was a pretty low crowd day. There was a party that night so crowds were down. I think the crowd calendar had it at 1.5 or some such thing. I did warn Drew it wouldn't be a ghost town by any means, but it was a breath of fresh air even compared to our days there last year.... even the COLD days!

I actually was thinking the reason it seems so rough is that you can't see the turns coming. Heck, even in Rock 'n Rollercoaster you can see which way you're going next.

Everyone should do the DL Space once in life. It has all the feel of the WDW version without all the bumps. I compare the DL version more to RnR and the WDW version more to BRMRR in the dark.

Awwww... Stitch... that's so rare a person can catch a moment like that, so glad you caught it on camera. I wish they would let characters play around more too, but the parks do get crowded. Maybe one day when they have enough CMs to regulate the crowds around them

Stitch WAS pretty funny! I'm glad we caught him.

That's awesome you guys started pin trading on this day. It really is a lot more fun than people make it cut out to be. And I gotta say you have some pretty nice looking lanyards.

Thanks! I ordered lanyards on Ebay before leaving so we were ready to go when we got there. I did have to fight with Katie about keeping her ticket in her lanyard. We'll get to that shortly.

The pin trading was a great addition to this trip. I wonder what we'll add next time?

Oh, those are some great pictures of Buzz! I've never seen people try to get pictures on that ride and those are really good. I think I may have to take you up on that offer of a virtual pastry hehe

Can't wait to read more!

Thank you! Buzz really isn't one of the most challenging of the dark rides though. Peter Pan is the holy grail of dark ride photography, followed closely by Haunted Mansion. The targets are pretty well lit, making it easier than some. Still, it's not likely to happen without a DSLR.

SOMEONE PASS THE PASTRY PLATE!

Replies in red.

I have always been so busy ogling Katie's dresses that I hadn't noticed what an amazing photographer you are!
Love mesaboy's spoiler for Buzz! Hope I can remember for our next trip, I would love to beat hubby and son's score.

What a sweetie. Thanks!

 

[vamassey1]

Our trip dates are Feb 17-22. Very short trip since we're crashing Danielle's school trip. She will be doing classes at MK, DHS and AK before going into the actual parks. So now Katie needs to go with her school group and get to do cool classes that we won't get to do.

Our first night is going to be at Hotel Royal Plaza near DTD. We check into POR on Saturday and we have free dining! I've never stayed there so I'm excited. I added Michelle and my niece Chelsea to our reservation today.

As far as getting there early I think your subconscious was shooting for being the family of the day so you got there extra early.

The year Danielle was into pin trading we spent the week looking for the cutie pins especially the princess ones.

 

[jenseib]

I love pictures...of course. I will have to try my hand at some buzz pictures now. I'm usually trying to win. LOL!
I rode Space in Aug, the first time I have ridden it since it's refurbed...it was jerky/bumpy but it still seemed much better than what it was before the refurb. I have heard the DL's version is much better.

 

[marDgreen88]

So, you should probably expect every comment I leave on this TR to start with 'YOUR PHOTOS ARE INCREDIBLE.' You have been warned. Really though!

Katie is so cute, she looks so excited to be there. I bet pin trading is fun! So far I've just bought pins that apply to me to collect, though, so I think it might be hard for me to trade!

Excited to read more!

 

[mom2rtk]

Our trip dates are Feb 17-22. Very short trip since we're crashing Danielle's school trip. She will be doing classes at MK, DHS and AK before going into the actual parks. So now Katie needs to go with her school group and get to do cool classes that we won't get to do.

Our first night is going to be at Hotel Royal Plaza near DTD. We check into POR on Saturday and we have free dining! I've never stayed there so I'm excited. I added Michelle and my niece Chelsea to our reservation today.

As far as getting there early I think your subconscious was shooting for being the family of the day so you got there extra early.

The year Danielle was into pin trading we spent the week looking for the cutie pins especially the princess ones.

Well, I'm thinking the odds of a school trip for Katie are pretty low.... so we'll probably have to come up with something new on our own! Her trip sounds pretty awesome though. How cool that you get to go as well.

Katie did collect some cutie pins, just not the princesses. I don't remember seeing any of the princess cuties.

I hope you do a trip report when you get back. I really enjoy your trip reports and I'd love to hear how it all goes!

And of course I KNOW I'll get to see some of your scrapbook pages later. Don't tell Danielle, but the ones you've been doing lately with tiny Danielle are my favorites though!

I love pictures...of course. I will have to try my hand at some buzz pictures now. I'm usually trying to win. LOL!
I rode Space in Aug, the first time I have ridden it since it's refurbed...it was jerky/bumpy but it still seemed much better than what it was before the refurb. I have heard the DL's version is much better.

Well, the ONE requirement for photographing Buzz is that you can't be super competitive..... because your score WILL suffer. I tend to shoot a little with the camera, then with the ride gun, then the camera, then the guide gun. Of course, now I know exactly WHEN to put the camera down and score my 100K a few times!

So, you should probably expect every comment I leave on this TR to start with 'YOUR PHOTOS ARE INCREDIBLE.' You have been warned. Really though!

Katie is so cute, she looks so excited to be there. I bet pin trading is fun! So far I've just bought pins that apply to me to collect, though, so I think it might be hard for me to trade!

Excited to read more!

LOL! I guess if you MUST start each comment that way, I suppose I could live with it.... Thanks for saying that.

If you're the sort to buy pins in the parks but want to try trading, I'd say just keep those completely separate. I bought a bunch of pins on this trip but didn't even put them on my lanyard. I didn't want to trade one by mistake! I actually cut the back off of my pins and add them to my scrapbook pages. I love having my journaling, photos and pins all integrated together to tell the story of the trip.

I actually had one on my lanyard I was pretty fond of. I wasn't actively trading so I didn't even think about it. Then as we were sitting on the curb waiting for the Chrismtas parade, the cutest little 3 year old came up and asked me to trade. How could I resist? It was her first day trading and it's now a very fond memory of mine from the trip. She was just thrilled to bits.

 

[Caretames1]

My favorite picture is of Katie in Buzz, Her look of concentration.

I'm gonna try to shoot in the RAW (on my camera, not sans clothing!) this weekend.... we'll see how it goes since I've never done it before.

Anything I should know before hand (simple things for simple minds please!)

 

[mom2rtk]

My favorite picture is of Katie in Buzz, Her look of concentration.

I'm gonna try to shoot in the RAW (on my camera, not sans clothing!) this weekend.... we'll see how it goes since I've never done it before.

Anything I should know before hand (simple things for simple minds please!)

Thanks Carey. Katie does take her game seriously. She's not very good, but she sure tries hard. Oops.... did I say that out loud?

Not much you need to know shooting RAW. Just don't do it IN the RAW. Oops, sorry..... that's your joke!

Just know that it will take more memory. Other than that the real difference comes when you download and process it. The file will retain more information on the shot so you have more latitude to "fix" things. If your software doesn't do what you want with the RAW file, then download the LR3 trial version. Just know that you only have 30 days once you download it before it turns into a pumpkin.

It really does add a greater hassle factor to dealing with your photos in that you have to process the file then convert to Jpeg before you can do much with it. But the first time you're able to save some critical photos because ou thought to shoot in RAW, you'll be sold.

The other option is to shoot in RAW + Jpeg. This is ideal because it saves the file in both formats. The down side of course is that it takes a huge amount of memory space. I did this on one trip, but it filled the cards so fast I had to change plans. But for select shoots, it can be an ideal answer.

One thing I know. There are many shots from when the kids were little that I really wish I had the RAW files. Some are underexposed and I would love to lighten them up more, but have just been unhappy with my results so far.

 

[AprilRenee]

Yay!! A new TR! I loved reading your last one!

 

[mom2rtk]

Yay!! A new TR! I loved reading your last one!

YEAH! I'm glad you found us. You're just in time. We just arrived in the Magic Kingdom! And I got a great score on Buzz Lightyear. You'll notice I didn't report the actual number here though. I didn't want to make everyone feel bad.

 

[DISNEYaddict4evr]

Janet...

As a little teaser to our "hopefully to be soon TR", Jenn became a galactic Hero on this trip. So be sure to ask her for tips for Katie

 

[jenseib]

Happy Anniversary!!!!!

 

[mom2rtk]

Janet...

As a little teaser to our "hopefully to be soon TR", Jenn became a galactic Hero on this trip. So be sure to ask her for tips for Katie

That is AWESOME!

Forget Katie..... I'm taking notes and beating them ALL next time!

Happy Anniversary!!!!!

Thanks Jen! You must have good sources.

 

[mom2rtk]

12/9: CONTINUED: On To FANTASYLAND!

By now I was really starting to get hungry. I'm one who has to eat breakfast and it was mid-morning. I really wanted one of those big pastries from the Bakery on Main Street so we backtracked. The park wasn't crazy busy, but the line to the bakery was out the door and down the sidewalk. Apparently they were going to make me WORK for my breakfast. After a moment we noticed a party getting up to leave their table outside so Drew sat down and saved a primo spot for us.


IMG_3541 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

In the end, I passed on all those gorgeous yummy looking pastries in favor of something that would keep me full longer. Drew and I each had a ham and cheese croissant and Katie had cereal. Drew loved his, but mine was less than good. The scrambled egg patty was runny and I just didn't have it in me to go back in.

Once I was done eating, I let them sit for a minute while I ran back for Mickey fastpasses. Of course, Katie had insisted on carrying her own ticket in her lanyard, and when I got there I was a ticket short. So back I went again and finally did get the fastpasses. It was fun to snap some photos of Main Street all decked out for Christmas along the way.


IMG_3542 by mom2rtk, on Flickr


IMG_3543 by mom2rtk, on Flickr


IMG_3545 by mom2rtk, on Flickr


IMG_3547 by mom2rtk, on Flickr


Our next goal was a quick spin on Dumbo. That's how we used to start nearly every day in the Magic Kingdom. But now that Katie loves Space Mountain, that has become the first stop of choice, and poor Dumbo had to take a back seat. In our haste to get to Tomorrowland that morning we hadn't gotten a picture in front of the castle yet, so we did that on our way to Fantasyland. I can't believe it was this empty around the hub mid-morning!


IMG_3550 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

So we were finally on our way to Fantasyland! I knew about the construction walls. Heck, it had been pretty torn up on our last trip. But once we got to Fantasyland, I was a still disappointed. What I wasn't ready for was having the carousel wrapped in scrims. I was really looking forward to one last shot at photographing Dumbo with the castle in the background..... but that just wasn't meant to be. It was a nice ride, but for me, Dumbo has always been about the view, not the ride itself. I'm not sure if much in the Fantasyland Expansion will be that exciting, but after a couple years of Fantasyland being torn up, I'm just ready to have it back to looking pretty again.

We can't pass that sword without giving it a try..... Katie's pretty convinced it just doesn't move. I'd love to just be watching one day when someone pulls it out!


IMG_3552 by mom2rtk, on Flickr


IMG_3555 by mom2rtk, on Flickr


IMG_3560 by mom2rtk, on Flickr


IMG_3563 by mom2rtk, on Flickr


IMG_3568 by mom2rtk, on Flickr


IMG_3569 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

We had grabbed Peter Pan fastpasses on our way into Fantasyland but it wouldn't be long before we could get more. We took a ride on Small World (I was surprised Drew wanted to ride this, but he considers it a classic part of any trip to Disney).

IMG_3582 by mom2rtk, on Flickr


IMG_3588 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

IMG_3591 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

In retrospect, I LOVE the way our day was structured. Yes, we had to get one of the headliners out of the way at rope drop. But coming back and spending some time on Main Street to soak it all in......... was just perfect.

Of course, when we get back next year, the Fantasyland Expansion might be open, so there might not be time for dallying mid-morning while the crowds build.

 

[fairestoneofall]

love your Small World pictures--so beautiful!!!

darn that scrim! it was pretty ugly around the beautiful carrousel. i was glad it was down by the end of our trip. Dumbo will never be the same.

i also told DH that sometimes the sword does come out. he was intent on pulling it out, but he had no luck.

BTW, i think the volcano is another high-scoring spot on Buzz. all i know is that we were stopped for a little bit and my sister kept hitting that spot. her score was 999,999. i couldn't get to it, but had a 10k spot. my score was high, but not nearly as high as hers. it's funny because my kids were telling each of us to stop shooting because the ride was stopped. um. no. i'm still scoring points here!

 

[babynala]

Your pictures are beautiful. Love the ones from Pop and the ones along Main Street and the Small World ones are amazing. The picture of the 3 of you in front of the castle is very nice, I can't believe how empty the area was. What a great place to have breakfast.

 

[vamassey1]

Beautiful pictures!

I'm trying to convince DH to stop for breakfast on Main Street, since we have never done it but so far it's a no go. We enter the park, head to back and don't see Main Street until we're walking out. I truly want to see the Trolly parade. I tried tempting him with huge cinnamon rolls, but it didn't work.

I've never ridden Dumbo, cause I don't do round and round and now I'm sorry I didn't. I'm looking forward to seeing the new Dumbo next month. Don't think I'll ride it, but I will ride the Goofy ride.

I don't know if I'll do a trip report, I'm waiting to see if Michelle and Chelsea give me some good stuff for the report. We worked on photos we want to get yesterday.

I love the old pictures of Danielle at Disney too.

 

[mom2rtk]

love your Small World pictures--so beautiful!!!

darn that scrim! it was pretty ugly around the beautiful carrousel. i was glad it was down by the end of our trip. Dumbo will never be the same.

i also told DH that sometimes the sword does come out. he was intent on pulling it out, but he had no luck.

BTW, i think the volcano is another high-scoring spot on Buzz. all i know is that we were stopped for a little bit and my sister kept hitting that spot. her score was 999,999. i couldn't get to it, but had a 10k spot. my score was high, but not nearly as high as hers. it's funny because my kids were telling each of us to stop shooting because the ride was stopped. um. no. i'm still scoring points here!

Thanks! I'll have more Small World photos later in the trip.

I'm glad you got to see Fantasyland without the Carousel scrims. That would have been nice, but we rode Dumbo again on Friday the next week and I'm pretty sure it was there then.

Thaks for the tip! Maybe next time I'll take one trip through without the camera and beat everyone!

I did have one trip through buzz at DL a few years ago where I got 800K or so. The boys were along and got really ticked off. I'm sure it was the SCORE they were unhappy with and not my.... shall we say..... excitement over the score....... No tricks though, just pure luck. We got stopped just after I stumbled across a high point target.

I really DO like Buzz at DL more than WDW though. The guns come off to hold, and it makes a HUGE difference.

Your pictures are beautiful. Love the ones from Pop and the ones along Main Street and the Small World ones are amazing. The picture of the 3 of you in front of the castle is very nice, I can't believe how empty the area was. What a great place to have breakfast.

Thanks! I also feel like we need to go, go, go in the mornings at Disney. but morning is the BEST time to be on Main Street with the trolley, double decker and such.

The only down side of the Main Street Bakery is the really limited seating. But I'd probably take my stuff out and sit on the curb just to have that view again. It was't our only trip in there this trip. We ate there twice with our friends later in the week and absolutely loved it.

Beautiful pictures!

I'm trying to convince DH to stop for breakfast on Main Street, since we have never done it but so far it's a no go. We enter the park, head to back and don't see Main Street until we're walking out. I truly want to see the Trolly parade. I tried tempting him with huge cinnamon rolls, but it didn't work.

I've never ridden Dumbo, cause I don't do round and round and now I'm sorry I didn't. I'm looking forward to seeing the new Dumbo next month. Don't think I'll ride it, but I will ride the Goofy ride.

I don't know if I'll do a trip report, I'm waiting to see if Michelle and Chelsea give me some good stuff for the report. We worked on photos we want to get yesterday.

I love the old pictures of Danielle at Disney too.

Thanks Vanessa! We had our first Main Street bakery cinnamon roll this trip too. OH my, what I wouldn't give for one of those right now! Bring me one back from your trip, will you? And none of this low cal "virtrual pastry" stuff. I want the REAL DEAL!

I'm less than excited about the new Dumbo. For me, it's always been about the view FROM Dumbo, which will definitely be changing. Katie will love the Great Goofini though. She finally rode it for the first time last December, only to have it closed this year.

I hope you get some great photos on your trip and have LOADS of fun so you'll definitely be tempted to do a new trip report!

 

[jenseib]

I just love all your shots! You got such bright photos of Small World.
I went to the bakery this last trip too and bought for the first time, but I went at night. I got one of those big cinnamon rolls. I wasn't hungry, but wanted to save it for morning. And it was too gooey and big to hassle with more than a bite on the move. I am sad to say that by morning it wasn't as wonderful. It was a little dry and it needed to be warmed up. Plus I was on my way to breakfast with the group, so I just kind ate some here and there. I wasn't going to waste it.
Those scrims are ugly. Are they doing something to the carousel or is it to protect it from construction near by?

 

[mom2rtk]

I just love all your shots! You got such bright photos of Small World.
I went to the bakery this last trip too and bought for the first time, but I went at night. I got one of those big cinnamon rolls. I wasn't hungry, but wanted to save it for morning. And it was too gooey and big to hassle with more than a bite on the move. I am sad to say that by morning it wasn't as wonderful. It was a little dry and it needed to be warmed up. Plus I was on my way to breakfast with the group, so I just kind ate some here and there. I wasn't going to waste it.
Those scrims are ugly. Are they doing something to the carousel or is it to protect it from construction near by?

Thanks Jen! What a disappointment your cinnamon roll must have been. Some quality time in a microwave probably would have made a big difference. Too bad you didn't have one!

Speaking of ugly scrims.... and speaking of Main Street Bakery.......... I came across this today:

http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43651701&postcount=1

Maybe I should stop complaining!

I think the ones up around the carousel were for some sort of work on the carousel. There wasn't any other construction around close.

I guess from here on out, I'll just have to remember Dumbo the way it was in the summer of 09 in one of my favorite Disney shots ever:


Dumbo DELIGHT! by mom2rtk, on Flickr