PRINCESS Palooza 2011! 9/9 Update: Departure Day

[mom2rtk]

12/11 Continued:

As we finished dinner, Drew texted to say he was in the park and would meet us behind the castle. I wanted to start the party in line for the Tremaine family in Fantasyland at 6. But Drew still needed to eat. So we went with him to Cosmic Ray's. Somewhere along the way our travel angel checked out and it started raining again. YIKES!

To make things even better it seemed EVERYONE had ducked into Cosmic Ray's to avoid the rain. The place was packed and we were lucky to even find a spot to sit. We waited a while then carefully ventured out. The rain had let up so we headed back to Fantasyland. On the way, we caught a glimpse of the side of the castle:


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I got in place near the Tremaine meet & greet at the old Skyway stroller parking lot. Drew took Katie to go ride Small World. As time went on, the sprinkles started again. Just sprinkles though. SURELY it wouldn't REALLY rain on our party, would it?????????

I chatted with the 2 other people in line. It never really rained hard while we were waiting, just sprinkled. It got close to 7 PM and a CM walked up to the area to inform us the meet & greet had been moved indoors............ to Town Square Theater......... all the way back at the front of the park. YIKES again! Travel angel........ where did you go?

As one might expect, trying to get to Town Square Theater from Fantasyland AT 7PM on a party night was pretty crazy. We definitely needed body armour to fight through the crowds. The advantage of course is that nobody there KNEW the Tremaine Family was there. There was maybe one group ahead of us.


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It was a HUGE pain in the rear hoofing it all over the park for that meet and greet, but I LOVE the photos I got that night. I do like the backdrops in Town Square Theater and I never would have gotten these photos without the rain. Well, just SPRINKLES really........ right? I was SURE it would be dry the rest of the night.....

I had intended to get pictures in front of the castle after dinner, before the party started, but the rain spoiled that plan. So we headed up to the rose garden for a few photos.


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The only other character priority we had for that night was Captain Jack, so we headed for Adventureland. We got lucky and he was on a break but due back soon. There were just a few people waiting so we got in line and were done in no time.


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I'd LIKE to post a few Captain Jack photos with us in them as well.... but my husband somehow thought it would be FUNNY to make faces during the photos. He had done this with Pirate Goofy a couple days earlier too. I guess I should make him pay by posting them here, but I guess I'll be the bigger person. If I had any gumption, I'd dig out my photopass to see if he made faces on those too.

Drew wanted to ride a couple more rides since this was the end of his Magic Kingdom time, so we headed for Frontierland again trying to beat the parade. We were all still a little damp from the earlier rain and decided to live on the edge and ride Splash Mountain. It was nice to have the weather even warm enough to consider a ride on Splash. After not riding it at all last year, we were determined to make up for lost time. There was hardly anybody in line as you can see in this photo. The front 2 rows of our car were completely empty:


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Of course I took pictures all the way through and managed to catch one shot I missed earlier:


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I took some some shots from the top of the drop that I really want to try again next time. None of these came out, but I'd love if I could get this sot one day. If you look, you can see the Contemporary, Space Mountain and the castle. It's on my shot list for our next trip:


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We had great luck on Splash and didn't really get wet at all. Our travel angel was apparently back on duty and taking good care of us! We joked again about the wash cycle being over and needing to head back to the spin cycle so we headed over to BTMRR. Not a drop of rain was falling. Not even a SPRINKLE. Practically nobody was in line, so we got through the queue quickly and boarded our car, ready for another great ride.......

This part of the story has no pictures. In fact, there's an entire picture-less segment of this party night!

When we entered the line, it wasn't raining. Sure it had rained a little earlier, but we hadn't gotten wet since the party started. Well, that was about to change. When the train pulled outside the train station for the first time we found out the skies had LET LOOSE! Last year we rode EE in some light rain and it felt like pins and needles on our skin. No WAY was this the same. It just POURED. And there we were........ completely trapped for the duration of the ride. I haven't been that wet on a ride in a LONG time. And I hope to never get that wet on a ride again! Sorry travel angel...... that was an EPIC FAIL! LOL!

We clearly needed to regroup at that point. So we headed for the Splash Mountain gift shop. We felt quite confident they would have a towel to sell us there. In the end, we got a towel, I got a new t-shirt and we got one of the promotional castle throws. The gift shop was packed with people waiting out the rain. Once we made our purchases we still had to hang around waiting for it to clear. I started getting nervous about the time since I really wanted to see and shoot the new Magic, Memories and You show on the castle at 9:15.

The rain finally let up and we headed for the hub. SURELY all these crazy people would have left the park in the rain, right?

Nope. Main Street was jam-packed. We found a spot to stand in the street on the back side of the hub just a couple minutes before the show started. I tried to get the tripod out, but quickly realized I was going to completely miss the show if I wasn't careful. So we stood there to watch and I shot handheld at a high ISO.

So after ALL that tripod drama.......... I didn't even use it. I did not want to be digging in my bag and setting it up in the dark. But I still had 2 more party nights to give it a try, right?

The Magic Memories and You really IS an amazing show, and I figured I'd definitely see it again on one of the other party nights.


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Once the show was over, we fought the crowds again to leave the area. They were all staying for Holiday Wishes, but I didn't want to watch if I couldn't shoot it. I'm small that way. Drew isn't a huge fireworks guy, so we opted to go get some hot cocoa and cookies at the Crystal Palace. That's where I had my first DIS meet of the trip! She really caught me off guard, especially considering my recently acquired "drowned rat" status, but it was fun to have her say hi. I'm so sorry I can't remember which DIS member this was. If it was you, speak up ok????

Over cookies and cocoa we discussed what to do next. Drew was thinking of leaving, but I really wanted him to see the Christmas parade. We decided to head down Main Street and see what sort of spots were open for the 2nd parade and hopefully watch from a spot near the exit. We were pleasantly surprised to find curbside seats right outside the Emporium. We put down one of our ponchos and covered it with our new Splash Mountain towel and we were set! Nothing like sitting among the foaming soapsuds....uh......falling snow......


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We took turns looking around inside the Emporium, but were quite irritated with the number of people who thought it was OK to step ON our brand new towel with their wet shoes on THEIR way to the Emporium. With ME sitting RIGHT THERE!

Once we got settled, it really was great to just sit there watching the castle change colors and see the soap suds float down from above. My personal favorite was when the Dapper Dans came by and sang "J-I-N-G-L-E Bells". Great song, great atmosphere, great moment. And of course there's nothing better than sitting under the garland on Main Street, with the snow falling, watching the parade come by.



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Sitting here, in this atmosphere..... wet clothes and all...... was one of my favorite moments of the entire trip. It was just a remarkable feeling.

 

[kwitcherkicken99]

I was diggin' the photos up to this one...

Did they really think it was necessary to channel the cake-stle debacle a few years ago???

At least this one was only temporary!


EXCELLENT color saturation and clarity on these BTW!!!!

 

[mom2rtk]

I was diggin' the photos up to this one...

Did they really think it was necessary to channel the cake-stle debacle a few years ago???

At least this one was only temporary!


EXCELLENT color saturation and clarity on these BTW!!!!

Thanks Jenn! That's you as a tiny tike in front of that lovely pink castle 15 years ago, right?????

I thought it was a whimsical addition to the show.....

This was a far trickier show to photograph than I thought. I think I found out that high shutter speed high ISO was where I had to be for this show. So in the end, a tripod really wasn't necessary..... for this anyway. The problem is that show was RIGHT before the fireworks, so I needed to be shooting it when I would have been setting up for tripod mounted fireworks shots. I never got a feel for the best way to do this. I also would have loved to be MUCH closer to the castle for this, but farther back for the fireworks.

My favorite? Hands down.... the gingerbread castle. I LOVED that effect!

 

[KCmike]

Probably my favorite entry/chapter in your Christmas trip. Really impressed with your photos. I finally got my copy of Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson which I got from the local library. I have read the first 40 pages or so. Sometimes I really hate this hobby. I went manual and raw this week and have really been enjoying it and today its like I have learned nothing. Photography is becoming like golf for me. One day I'm a hero and the next I'm ready to start throwing the clubs. Those handheld Magic, Memories and Wetness look great!

Back to your report...I can't believe people have the audacity to step on your towel to make way to a shop. It always amazes me how people show little respect to each other. Oh well what are you gonna do, right?

Your making me laugh with all this talk about your travel angel. Sorry to hear about the rain but its funny how these things bring out some of the best times of our lives.

Hope we're not too far into your trip. I'm enjoying the saga.

 

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

You had me cracking up over your BTMRR ride! I could just see it all unfolding in my head. I can only imagine what you thought when that train pulled out into the pouring rain! That must have been miserable! I'm so glad you found a towel and a shirt though. I hate walking around in wet clothes!

Loved the Tremaine pictures! VERY cool! How do you find out about those multi character meets?

I have never seen that Memories show on the castle. I wish I had known about it on our last trip. I wonder how long they are doing it?

I would never have known that those pictures were taken without a tripod. They are perfectly crisp and clear.

I know exactly what 'remarkable feeling' you are referring to while sitting on Main Street during the Christmas festivities. It is unbelieveably magical. Words just can't describe it.

 

[mom2rtk]

Probably my favorite entry/chapter in your Christmas trip. Really impressed with your photos. I finally got my copy of Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson which I got from the local library. I have read the first 40 pages or so. Sometimes I really hate this hobby. I went manual and raw this week and have really been enjoying it and today its like I have learned nothing. Photography is becoming like golf for me. One day I'm a hero and the next I'm ready to start throwing the clubs. Those handheld Magic, Memories and Wetness look great!

Back to your report...I can't believe people have the audacity to step on your towel to make way to a shop. It always amazes me how people show little respect to each other. Oh well what are you gonna do, right?

Your making me laugh with all this talk about your travel angel. Sorry to hear about the rain but its funny how these things bring out some of the best times of our lives.

Hope we're not too far into your trip. I'm enjoying the saga.

Thanks Mike! It really was a great evening, drowned-rat status and all.

I hear you on the photography thing. When I made my first effort to move off of auto mode, my photos took a dip in quality and I almost gave up. I had been shooting auto for a long time and it was REALLY hard to get out of that way of thinking. I never SAW the settings in the viewfinder, never NOTICED if one of them was flashing. It has been really hard to break that. And it's not entirely broken. But after that initial dip in quality, I started having some breakthroughs where I'd do better on one shot or another than I would have been able to do on auto. And that encouraged me to keep going.

Still, I shoot more at Disney than I do anywhere else, so my first day out every trip is like retraining for me.

I do enjoy Bryan Peterson's books. They're easy to digest. I re-read "Understanding Exposure" every now and then, usually while on our summer road trip. I also now have his "Understanding shutter speed" and "Understanding Flash Photography" and enjoyed those as well.

And not to worry. That was Day 3. Of 10!

 

[mom2rtk]

You had me cracking up over your BTMRR ride! I could just see it all unfolding in my head. I can only imagine what you thought when that train pulled out into the pouring rain! That must have been miserable! I'm so glad you found a towel and a shirt though. I hate walking around in wet clothes!

Loved the Tremaine pictures! VERY cool! How do you find out about those multi character meets?

I have never seen that Memories show on the castle. I wish I had known about it on our last trip. I wonder how long they are doing it?

I would never have known that those pictures were taken without a tripod. They are perfectly crisp and clear.

I know exactly what 'remarkable feeling' you are referring to while sitting on Main Street during the Christmas festivities. It is unbelieveably magical. Words just can't describe it.

Well, my first thought when we pulled out of that train station was COMPLETE CONFUSION. It took a bit for my brain to make sense of what had just hit us. It had just been a few minutes since we had been outside, so it never dawned on me it might be rain! My mind was thinking the water portion of the ride was malfunctioning. (You know, the part indoors that has water leaking from the ceiling). I was really just hanging on for dear life that entire ride!

I think the Magic, Memories and You will be around for a bit. It has been very well received.

The Tremaine photo op was just part of the MVMCP character lineup. I saw they would be out for the party, but didn't think much of it at first. I thought they'd have Cindy/Prince swap off with the Tremaines. They do that "swapping off" thing a lot for the parties. When I found out they would indeed all be appearing together, I was really excited. I'm thinking I should have brought my own Fairy Godmother costume though. Although Drew would have disowned me......

 

[KCmike]

Thanks for the encouragement. I really never have been in auto mode but usually in P, TV, or AV mode where I can move around some settings if I wish but the camera suggests what I should do. I have moved my WB to cloudy to get better saturation in my colors. I just need to keep experimenting. Glad we're not too far into the report!

 

[mom2rtk]

12/11 Continued:

It didn't take long and the parade came heading down Main Street. I have watched the parade by the castle and on Main Street. I actually enjoy it more down on Main Street with the garlands over head and the snow falling. I refuse to watch From Frontierland and sacrifice that atmosphere!


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I love being on the curb and watching the characters come by to interact with the guests. I especially loved Tweedle Dee's version of "interaction"......


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I'm partial to this shot of Gepetto leaned over shaking hands, with Minnie and Minnie off in the background headed our way. It just shows the entire atmosphere.


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I'm not a big Duffy Bear fan, but he looks awfully cute under Mickey and Minnie's tree!


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Donald and Daisy on this float was my first hint that the parade had suffered some weather related revisions. They normally travel in a horse-drawn carriage and Scrooge McDuck is usually on this float.


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[mom2rtk]

12/11 Continued:

More parade photos anyone? Carey..... you paying attention???? It doesn't get any better than Christmas at Disney....... unless you throw in a few princesses!


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And of course the queen of the show....... even if she wasn't the "real" Fairy Godmother......


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This was the part where I also realized my favorite parade element was missing...... Cinderella in her horse-drawn carriage. She and her prince were on the princess float, although I never got a clear shot of them. I suppose another victim of the weather...... So I'll insert a photo from last year.


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These guys are my 3rd favorite part of the parade. The other 2 are still to come!


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Really, does it get any cuter?


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Top 2 favorites coming right up!

 

[mom2rtk]

12/11 Continued:

OK, I'm not sure I can rank my top 2 favorite parade elements. So we'll just call it a tie between these guys........


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You ready?


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......... and these guys......... Who doesn't love a dancing reindeer?????


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If I wasn't holding my camera, I SO would have high-5'd this reindeer!


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And you had to know this guy wasn't far behind.......


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As soon as it was done, we all limped to the bus stop and back to the POP. We were wet and tired, but it had been worth it. The parade was awesome.

 

[DISNEYaddict4evr]

Great update!!! It so makes me wish we hadn't character stalked so much (sorry Jenn) I totally missed out on the Memories show and parade. Yes Jenn I know I could have stayed to watch it but we had to be up early for the next day, and me the earliest so my mom and Jenn could then get ready... ::sigh::

Great pictures by the way

 

[KCmike]

Have to agree about the toy soldiers and the reindeers for the Christmas parade. I also enjoy the girl toy elves. It reminds me of Sing-A-long song videos that my kids use to watch as children. My wife started crying when we saw the parade at Disneyland back in 2010. Oh the memories!

I am really digging that 17-55 2.8 lens of yours. Love that there is no blur for your parade shots. Is it the fast shutter speed that is making the difference?

 

[rndmr2]

Too bad about your Hubby not feeling up to dinner at CRT, I know how it is with blisters in Disney, though, I had some this last trip and it was miserable. I love that castle show, I was disappoin ted to not see it this last trip, I hope you are right and it is around for a long time.

I love those Toy soldiers, and the reindeer too.

 

[mom2rtk]

Thanks for the encouragement. I really never have been in auto mode but usually in P, TV, or AV mode where I can move around some settings if I wish but the camera suggests what I should do. I have moved my WB to cloudy to get better saturation in my colors. I just need to keep experimenting. Glad we're not too far into the report!

I shot auto only for years and years. I had an old Minolta Maxuum 35 mm, then a Pentax SLR when the Minolta died. Then onto the Canon DSLRs starting in 04. But I used them all on Auto. Then I wanted to control the flash so I moved to P but really used it almost like Auto. I didn't move into TV and AV until late 2009. It drove me nuts to move the dials around then pick up my camera later and forget I had moved the dials around! I would forget I left the ISO at 1600 or that I had the shutter speed set really slow then go outside and blow a whole series of what I was shooting. I STILL have to remind myself to change those dials back!

The one thing I love about shooting RAW more than anything is the flexibility of changing white balance after the fact. Those parade photos were a white balance nightmare. I shot on auto white balance, but had to adjust each one because of the variety of light sources there on Main Street.

Great update!!! It so makes me wish we hadn't character stalked so much (sorry Jenn) I totally missed out on the Memories show and parade. Yes Jenn I know I could have stayed to watch it but we had to be up early for the next day, and me the earliest so my mom and Jenn could then get ready... ::sigh::

Great pictures by the way

Thanks! It really is hard to catch the MMY show that time of year. Do it at a party and you are fighting huge party crowds. Do it on a non-party night........ and you're fighting big non-party night crowds! It was worth the effort though, especially for a huge castle lover like myself. The biggest drawback to me of going in December is balancing my desire to be in the parks early with my desire to attend multiple Christmas parties.

How are the wedding plans coming? All settled?

Have to agree about the toy soldiers and the reindeers for the Christmas parade. I also enjoy the girl toy elves. It reminds me of Sing-A-long song videos that my kids use to watch as children. My wife started crying when we saw the parade at Disneyland back in 2010. Oh the memories!

I am really digging that 17-55 2.8 lens of yours. Love that their is no blur for your parade shots. Is it the fast shutter speed that is making the difference?

Well, as much as I'm digging my 17-55 2.8 lens too, that's not what I used for the parade! That was my 50-150 f/2.8. I have shot the Christmas parade several times before and I was looking for some variety so I went with the longer lens so I could get more close-ups. It's a pretty sharp lens, made better by the fact that I sent it to Sigma last year for calibration with my camera. But it doesn't have IS, so I actually do prefer that 17-55. My hands are pretty unsteady and the IS is a huge help to me. I'd trade that lens in with some extra cash for an IS version, but they don't sell one. And I don't want to step up to a 70-200 IS lens. I don't want to carry it, and I like having the wider end go down to 50.

Too bad about your Hubby not feeling up to dinner at CRT, I know how it is with blisters in Disney, though, I had some this last trip and it was miserable. I love that castle show, I was disappoin ted to not see it this last trip, I hope you are right and it is around for a long time.

I love those Toy soldiers, and the reindeer too.

I'm surprised he hung in there as long as he did that night. But I'm really glad he did. He left there just gushing about the parade. And believe me, he NEVER gushes about parades.

You really need to make the MMY castle show a priority this next trip. It's not long, but it's a must-see.

 

[DISNEYaddict4evr]

How are the wedding plans coming? All settled?

Yep yep

Just have to work on the menu this month then print and send out invites we are all done, for the most part anyways. Still have a few odds and ends.

Honeymoon though is all planned and in the bag though, did I mention that was the first thing I took care of

 

[Glennie5]

Loving your parade pictures. Julia just informed me how funny it is that we were at the same party, watching the same parade and your pictures are 100x's better then ours.

 

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

All your parade pics are gorgeous! The color is awesome!

And I love the soldiers, reindeer and gingerbread men too. I think it's the multiples effect. If there was just one, they wouldn't be as intriguing.

 

[mouselovenfamily]

Beautiful night shots!!!!! You always get the best Cinderella in her carriage shot! I love Disney at Christmas, and all the other times of the year too!!!

 

[mom2rtk]

Yep yep

Just have to work on the menu this month then print and send out invites we are all done, for the most part anyways. Still have a few odds and ends.

Honeymoon though is all planned and in the bag though, did I mention that was the first thing I took care of

Glad to hear you have the honeymoon all under control! I don't blame you one bit for doing that first! I can't wait to see photos of your ceremony though. I think you'll make a gorgeous bride.

Loving your parade pictures. Julia just informed me how funny it is that we were at the same party, watching the same parade and your pictures are 100x's better then ours.

Thanks Glennie. And thanks to your daughter too! Just tell her this wasn't the same parade. This was the Sunday night one. We saw you Tuesday. Or did you go to both?

All your parade pics are gorgeous! The color is awesome!

And I love the soldiers, reindeer and gingerbread men too. I think it's the multiples effect. If there was just one, they wouldn't be as intriguing.

You know, I think you might be on to something there! I love their formations. But the reindeer? They're just plain cute! I wonder who you have to know to get a photo op with Prancer!