We Defected to the West! DLR 2013

[mvf-m11c]

Thanks Bret! I appreciate the link to your FW photos in your trip report. Those are awesome! I can tell we were probably pretty close to the same spot. Did you use a ND filter on yours? I really think I need to go that route next time. I think I'll try a wide angle lens, but I'm a little hesitant. I did that up close at WDW once and the castle just diminished in size too much. But I think I'd be a lot closer to this castle, so will likely give it a go.

Glad that you enjoyed the firework trail shots back in September. When I looked at your spot and mine, they are almost close. I was more on the left hand side of the spot where yours looks close to the middle. I did use a 0.9 ND filter during the fireworks in September. Have you read Tom Bricker website about taking pictures of the firework trails with a Neutral Density Filter? I read from that site and also read on touringplans about it as well. I will be looking forward to hearing from you if you use your wide angle lens for the fireworks.


Your pictures of DCA that morning are very nice and were able to be very up close during the rope drop. I would not even consider waiting in those crowds to ride RSR first thing in the morning. I have experienced trying to get in the queue first thing but every time I try to ride RSR first thing, it was down due to technical issues. So I waste part of my morning to try to do other things. Those are very clear photos of RSR.

Very nice update.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Love the pictures from RSR. Looks like you had fun on that ride.

 

[mom2rtk]

Love the last one with your daughter on Luigi's Tires and her hair blowing and the sunlight. Great catch of her that will last through the ages. I really really enjoyed RSR alot! I consider it in the top 5 of Disney rides all time! The indoor dark portion was really well done and the race at the end has a great energy to it especially while your dueling against another car. Two big thumbs up for me. In fact while others really don't care for the other two smaller rides in Carsland I think there both winners. I enjoyed both very much. We rode Mater's Tractors so much that we knew all the songs and got a kick out of the "hidden song" that plays every once in a while. That first picture of the Paradise Pier is great too!

That ride was more fun that I expected. Didn't it used to have balls flying around or something? I bet that would have been fun. Of course, I needed to ride again and put the camera down. I agree that RSR is really top notch. They did a spectacular job on that addition to the park. I even liked the smaller rides.

Glad that you enjoyed the firework trail shots back in September. When I looked at your spot and mine, they are almost close. I was more on the left hand side of the spot where yours looks close to the middle. I did use a 0.9 ND filter during the fireworks in September. Have you read Tom Bricker website about taking pictures of the firework trails with a Neutral Density Filter? I read from that site and also read on touringplans about it as well. I will be looking forward to hearing from you if you use your wide angle lens for the fireworks.


Your pictures of DCA that morning are very nice and were able to be very up close during the rope drop. I would not even consider waiting in those crowds to ride RSR first thing in the morning. I have experienced trying to get in the queue first thing but every time I try to ride RSR first thing, it was down due to technical issues. So I waste part of my morning to try to do other things. Those are very clear photos of RSR.

Very nice update.

Hi Bret! I have read most of Tom's blog entries, but I'm not sure I've read the one on ND filters. I'll have to do that soon. Mine is a 0.9 like yours. So now I get to ask you what sort of shutter speeds you got for those shots? Just a guess at a range is all I'm looking for. I tend to shoot 5-7 seconds without one, but I sort of go on a feel for how many bright bursts there have been.

It sounds like we really got lucky to find RSR actually open the morning we got there at EE. I'll make a mental note to always have a backup plan.

Love the pictures from RSR. Looks like you had fun on that ride.

Thanks PiO! We had a great time. We need to ride it several times next trip. When we left I sort of kicked myself for only getting on it twice. And Katie is old enough we can do single rider.

 

[mvf-m11c]

Hi Bret! I have read most of Tom's blog entries, but I'm not sure I've read the one on ND filters. I'll have to do that soon. Mine is a 0.9 like yours. So now I get to ask you what sort of shutter speeds you got for those shots? Just a guess at a range is all I'm looking for. I tend to shoot 5-7 seconds without one, but I sort of go on a feel for how many bright bursts there have been.

It sounds like we really got lucky to find RSR actually open the morning we got there at EE. I'll make a mental note to always have a backup plan.

Most of the shutter speed shots were in the 5-10 second range. There were times when I let it go longer in the 20 second range. I have watch the fireworks at DL and MK to see what parts of the show to take and for how long. There are times when I got it right while other times I have missed it. 5-7 seconds is where I would normally shoot for the fireworks trails since I can get more in the picture. But for ones like in the 30+ second range could be tricky where one little mistake could ruin the shot.

On average, RSR is mostly up and running first thing in the morning. It's always a good idea to have a backup just in case you can't ride it first thing.

 

[francis6306]

Those carolers look so cute! And I love Silver Bells as well! One of my favorites! Your fireworks pictures, as always, are beautiful! As always, Disney and Christmas just go hand-in-hand in my opinion!

I look at Katie… in shorts and a lightweight sweatshirt and wonder HOW I did that same type look years ago??? LOL! Oh the way the styles come back around! LOL She looks so beautiful.

I love seeing pictures of Carsland stuff! It is so well done- but WHEW! Those crowds, STILL after all this time! You'd think it would ease up a little bit??

 

[mom2rtk]

Most of the shutter speed shots were in the 5-10 second range. There were times when I let it go longer in the 20 second range. I have watch the fireworks at DL and MK to see what parts of the show to take and for how long. There are times when I got it right while other times I have missed it. 5-7 seconds is where I would normally shoot for the fireworks trails since I can get more in the picture. But for ones like in the 30+ second range could be tricky where one little mistake could ruin the shot.

On average, RSR is mostly up and running first thing in the morning. It's always a good idea to have a backup just in case you can't ride it first thing.

I've been thinking about this Bret. I think part of the difference is that at DL I am much closer to the castle, and the fireworks, than I am when I shoot in the MK. Or something. I just know that I shoot Wishes in the MK with 5-7 second shots and no ND filter all the time and it's fine. At DL, it seemed a little overexposed with the same shutter speed and no ND filter. So next time I'll try the ND filter and go from there. I really need to scour Flickr and find some shots I like and investigate where they were standing and what their shutter speeds were. Of course, the hard part is that EXIF data won't show if they used a ND filter.

I don't see myself trying the extra long shutter speed shots any time soon. I'm lucky if I get one shot at this a year, and I want to try as many different shots as possible in the course of the show.

Those carolers look so cute! And I love Silver Bells as well! One of my favorites! Your fireworks pictures, as always, are beautiful! As always, Disney and Christmas just go hand-in-hand in my opinion!

I look at Katie… in shorts and a lightweight sweatshirt and wonder HOW I did that same type look years ago??? LOL! Oh the way the styles come back around! LOL She looks so beautiful.

I love seeing pictures of Carsland stuff! It is so well done- but WHEW! Those crowds, STILL after all this time! You'd think it would ease up a little bit??

I loved those carolers too. If there was a big comfy chair to sit in (there wasn't!) I could have stayed there forever. Christmas isn't complete to me without listening to Bing Crosby's White Christmas album. I love love love the Silver Bells duet on that album..... probably because I love singing the harmony along with it. You know....... alone in the car with the windows closed!

Is that look back in style? I'm usually several years behind on fashion trends, so I'd be the last one to ask. But Katie is usually pretty spot on. Her top is actually a lightweight sweater. We found it at Target a few days before our trip and both knew right away it would be coming with us. It's rare these days for us to both love a clothing item so much! And thanks for the kind words. I think she's pretty, but I'm pretty biased.



I agree that Disney and Christmas just go together. I'm a little afraid to try another time of year for fear I'd spend the entire time wondering what was missing!

 

[mom2rtk]

Friday December 6, 2013:


A couple more pictures from the area that morning:


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I will say, I used to think having cars available for character photos was pretty lame. But after spending some time in Carsland, I have to say it was just a lot of fun. It was cool to see them clear traffic to let them pass. OK, and it was cool to see Mater in a Santa Hat!

We only did RSR once that morning, but I also knew we wanted to come back that evening to see it lit up at night. What a challenge that was! We had early lunch reservations at Ariel's Grotto, and it was hard to know when the right times would come up. We ended up just getting in the FP line and stepping aside to wait for the right time. Of course, the machines went down for a while, making the wait even longer. We ended up waiting over an hour for the right time. I know..... I know...... we probably could have just waited through the standby line. But we had a very tight timetable that night, and our 6:10 return time turned out to be just perfect.

Next we were on to Ariel's for lunch. I loved that Katie chose to wear her green Ariel sweatshirt that day. That's about as good as it gets these days. Here she is on our last visit there in 2010:


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Now flash forward 3 1/2 years:


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Katie had really looked forward to lunch here. Not because of the characters, but because she LOVED the 3-tier appetizer course when we were there in 2010! I don't even remember what was on it, but I'm thinking it was the meats (some sort of sausage?) that she loved. Or maybe there were pickles and/or strawberries. Either of those would have done it for her! As we talked about going to DL, she just kept saying she wanted to eat at AG....... because of that appetizer selection. So imagine my disappointment (on her behalf) when I found out before the trip they had changed the menu. Yikes! I toyed with not telling her, but in the end broke it to her ahead of time. She took it well, but in the end, she was disappointed with the new food selection.

As a part of 2, we end up in some cramped quarters sometimes. This was no exception. We had a tiny table, right on a main aisle. It made for a less than stellar experience. But I think we'll still try it again next time.

I did love seeing Cinderella in her new winter jacket!

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On the way out, I asked Katie to pose with the Christmas tree in the lobby. This is what you get when you ask Katie to pose:



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Once lunch was over, we had just a short time to get over to the Hyperion Theater to see Aladdin. This was really the only day we would be in DCA while the show was playing. Plenty of people were lined up when we got there, but I wanted to sit in the mezzanine and there were fewer people in that line. I liked our seats up there, in spite of the crazy lady we ended up sitting behind............


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[mom2rtk]

Friday December 6, 2013 Continued:


More from Aladdin:


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OK, so here's where I'll share the story of the crazy lady sitting in front of me.

Before the show started, they announced that they welcome photography, as long as you refrain from using flash or video lighting. So all was grand. I LOVE photographing Disney shows. We were having a great time, when in the middle of the show the lady in front of me turns around and tells me my camera is bothering her, and that if I want to photograph the show I should go sit by myself somewhere. Well, for starters, every seat in the place was full. I'm sure she didn't care though and really just meant to tell me to go away. I was following the rules, and the show was going on so I couldn't hold a conversation, so I ignored her. Then a little further into the show, they made an announcement that they would be temporarily stopping due to technical difficulties. It was almost time for the carpet to fly, so I was immediately focused on whether that meant I would yet again not get to see it fly. (We have seen the show twice before, and still had not seen the carpet fly).

Meanwhile, the lady in front of me decided to use the moment as an opportunity to give me a piece of her mind. She turned around and told me that if I didn't stop, she'd send her husband to tell someone. I told her I heard the rules and was following them, so no, I didn't intend to stop. I told her to do what she had to do. When her husband wouldn't go rat me out, she got up and did it herself. When that didn't get her anywhere (because I was, after all, following the rules) she sat back down, but told her kids in front of me to feel free to stand up during the show and block my view. Seriously, what kind of parent does that? Thankfully the kids ignored her and stayed seated.

And the magic carpet? It flew. And I still get goosebumps. It was awesome.



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On our way out, Katie took the opportunity to take a selfie with the Tower of Terror!

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I loved this photo op near the theater:


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One of the windows we saw on our walk to the front of the park:

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We were headed out of the park so we could get over into Disneyland in time for the Holiday Tour!

 

[mvf-m11c]

I've been thinking about this Bret. I think part of the difference is that at DL I am much closer to the castle, and the fireworks, than I am when I shoot in the MK. Or something. I just know that I shoot Wishes in the MK with 5-7 second shots and no ND filter all the time and it's fine. At DL, it seemed a little overexposed with the same shutter speed and no ND filter. So next time I'll try the ND filter and go from there. I really need to scour Flickr and find some shots I like and investigate where they were standing and what their shutter speeds were. Of course, the hard part is that EXIF data won't show if they used a ND filter.

I don't see myself trying the extra long shutter speed shots any time soon. I'm lucky if I get one shot at this a year, and I want to try as many different shots as possible in the course of the show.

You are correct about that. Being up close in front of SB Castle at DL is a must than at the MK Cinderella Castle where you have to be back instead of up close. Cinderella Castle is bigger than SB Castle and it is difficult to get the full firework effect when up close where at DL is better up close. Shooting without a ND filter has been nice and I will still continue to try it out for future trips and 4th of July.

Long shutter speed shots are hit or miss when I read on all these places and books. It does make sense for photographers like you, me, etc. to try to do multiple shots instead of one whole shot (unless you have two cameras during the fireworks and want to shoot one with long exposure and short exposure).


Very nice pictures at AG. Katie looks very nice with all the princesses that afternoon. I was a little surprised as well when I ate at AG back in November 2013 during lunch that they no longer had the 3 tier appetizer tower and you get a choice between a soup or salad. AG did have the appetizer tower during my June 2013 trip and it was change in less than a year.

Your pictures of Aladdin are very nice from the Mezzanine level.

 

[PrincessInOz]

What a shame about that crazy lady in Aladdin. Seems like she might have been bothered by something and took it out on you. Despite being 'right', that's still not a pleasant experience to go through.
And that's just horrible for her to tell her kids to stand up in front of you. At least the kids knew better.


Great shots of Aladdin and of Katie posing. She sure has a great range of facial expressions.

 

[DisneyFreak06]

I love seeing Katie's "selfies" and "posing!" She is hilarious!

Great shots at Aladdin! I think I'll need to sit there next time. I sat on the bottom near the front each time. Next time, higher up I go. LOL

Your crazy lady story reminds me of what happened at my niece's dance recital a few weeks ago. This was her first one, but her older sister had been in the same recital for 6 years. They have always said that photography was allowed, just no flash. I have gone 7 times before (twice one year, to the matinee and then evening performance) and I have always listened carefully and taken pictures without flash. This time, an usher came up and told me to put my camera away, saying it was "center" policy! I was so upset! I didn't get a single shot of my niece because she hadn't been on yet, I just got my other friends' kids! And she got out of her dance outfit before I got to her after the show. I was very, very, very angry!

But that mother was NUTS, and it seems like the husband is the one teaching the kids respect and manners.

 

[mom2rtk]

You are correct about that. Being up close in front of SB Castle at DL is a must than at the MK Cinderella Castle where you have to be back instead of up close. Cinderella Castle is bigger than SB Castle and it is difficult to get the full firework effect when up close where at DL is better up close. Shooting without a ND filter has been nice and I will still continue to try it out for future trips and 4th of July.

Long shutter speed shots are hit or miss when I read on all these places and books. It does make sense for photographers like you, me, etc. to try to do multiple shots instead of one whole shot (unless you have two cameras during the fireworks and want to shoot one with long exposure and short exposure).


Very nice pictures at AG. Katie looks very nice with all the princesses that afternoon. I was a little surprised as well when I ate at AG back in November 2013 during lunch that they no longer had the 3 tier appetizer tower and you get a choice between a soup or salad. AG did have the appetizer tower during my June 2013 trip and it was change in less than a year.

Your pictures of Aladdin are very nice from the Mezzanine level.

I'm thinking I read about that AG menu change not long before our trip so it doesn't surprise me you had it in June but not November.

I really did like sitting in the mezzanine level. It was a great view of the flying carpet.

What a shame about that crazy lady in Aladdin. Seems like she might have been bothered by something and took it out on you. Despite being 'right', that's still not a pleasant experience to go through.
And that's just horrible for her to tell her kids to stand up in front of you. At least the kids knew better.


Great shots of Aladdin and of Katie posing. She sure has a great range of facial expressions.

I really couldn't believe the temper tantrum that lady threw. And I did find it amusing that her husband just sat there when she told him to go turn me in. In fact, she had to crawl out over top of him to go report me herself. But I was beyond shocked when she came back in a huff and told her kids to feel free to stand up and block my view if they wanted. I'm still shaking my head 6 months later on that one.

And yes, Katie is quite expressive, don't you think? I love that I can just say "give me a pose" and I never know what I'll get!

I love seeing Katie's "selfies" and "posing!" She is hilarious!

Great shots at Aladdin! I think I'll need to sit there next time. I sat on the bottom near the front each time. Next time, higher up I go. LOL

Your crazy lady story reminds me of what happened at my niece's dance recital a few weeks ago. This was her first one, but her older sister had been in the same recital for 6 years. They have always said that photography was allowed, just no flash. I have gone 7 times before (twice one year, to the matinee and then evening performance) and I have always listened carefully and taken pictures without flash. This time, an usher came up and told me to put my camera away, saying it was "center" policy! I was so upset! I didn't get a single shot of my niece because she hadn't been on yet, I just got my other friends' kids! And she got out of her dance outfit before I got to her after the show. I was very, very, very angry!

But that mother was NUTS, and it seems like the husband is the one teaching the kids respect and manners.

I would have been very unhappy with your dance experience too. I'm sure since it was in the middle of the show, you couldn't exactly have a big discussion with them, but I bet you would have liked to! I'm sure that like me, you love photographing beautiful things and you would have really enjoyed shooting that recital.

I enjoyed that right after the lady in front of me stormed out, the lady sitting right next to me leaned over and introduced herself. She said she didn't even notice I was taking pictures.

It had been a big priority of mine to see and photograph Aladdin. I had planned so carefully to make sure we got it in one of the days it was showing, and we weren't going to make it back over there on another day it was playing. Thankfully Katie wasn't really fazed by any of it.

 

[mom2rtk]

Friday December 6, 2013 Continued:





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Once Aladdin was over, we headed to Disneyland for our Holiday Tour. Earlier in the day Kathy (ksromack) had texted me that she had AP WOC passes for the 9 PM show that night. They had changed their minds about seeing it again, and offered them to us. I had expressed my disappointment on the DLR Holiday thread about how they had closed this show off to non-AP holders, so she knew we had wanted to attend that show. I thought it was incredibly nice of her to offer. Even nicer of her to offer to meet us at our tour check-in spot to give us the tickets and keepsake ornament. It was a great piece of pixie-dust. Thanks again Kathy!

As we waited, I got a view of Katie that has become increasingly common any more.......... In her defense though, I did keep her waiting on more than one occasion chatting with other DISers!

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I had scheduled our tour for Friday afternoon knowing that the parks would be very busy. I didn't relish the idea of working our way through heavy crowds, but the ride access that came as part of the tour was much more valuable on a day like this. As was the reserved parade seating. Our tour guide Karli was sweet, but seemed to forget her commentary several times. He enthusiasm made up for it though and on balance we really enjoyed ourselves. Our first destination? Right back to DCA.

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After hearing some stories about Christmas at Disneyland in the early years, we stopped in the candy shop. We were treated to chocolate dipped marshmallows. I had to pass since they were peppermint flavored, and I'm just not a fan, but I'm sure they were good. After that we headed back to DL.

We got to hear about Walt's apartment and how during the holiday season they keep a tree in the window instead of the lamp.


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Then we headed for Adventureland where we got to skip a very long line for Jingle Cruise. Our skipper, Arvin, was one of the best I have ever had. The holiday jokes were corny as expected, but his delivery had me in stitches for the first time in a very long time on that ride. The holiday decorations were minimal, but the entire commentary was holiday themed. It was a great kick-off to our tour.



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[mom2rtk]

Friday December 6, 2013 Continued:


Next we went through New Orleans Square to see the decorations and hear more stories along the way. Next up was Haunted Mansion Holiday were we got to skip the long queue that extended out into the park walkways. I enjoyed the ride more than I thought I would, given that I'm not a huge NBC fan.




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[mvf-m11c]

That was neat that you were able to do the Holiday Tour. The Holiday Tour changed a lot since the last time I done it which was 4 years ago. I might have to think about doing the Holiday Tour again during my holiday trip. Nice pictures from JC and HMH.

 

[mom2rtk]

That was neat that you were able to do the Holiday Tour. The Holiday Tour changed a lot since the last time I done it which was 4 years ago. I might have to think about doing the Holiday Tour again during my holiday trip. Nice pictures from JC and HMH.

I'm curious how the tour was different when you did it. We enjoyed it. I'd like to do it again, but am not sure I'd enjoy it as much since we will have heard a lot of the same stories already. I'm thinking we might be better off with a different tour of some sort, but really haven't decided for sure. I think I need to research a bit.

 

[mom2rtk]

Friday December 6, 2013 Continued:


Once everyone found the group after HMH, we headed back through Frontierland. It was really packed in the walkway near Jingle Jangle Jamboree. Pretty soon it dawned on me why. They had a bunch of random characters lining the walkway. It was sort of like DL's version of Characterpalooza or something! I had been hoping to meet the Robin Hood characters for years, and there was Prince John and Friar Tuck on my right. Genie and Gepetto were on my left. And those were just the ones I could see. Brer Bear and Fox were also up there somewhere I believe. And there we were on a tour. Crud. I couldn't help myself and asked Katie to pose with Prince John really quick. Same with Genie and Gepetto. Those were just the ones we could get to quickly without waiting. Things were sort of bottled up anyway so it's not like we could get through there anyway. I did find a character handler on my way through to ask if they would be doing this any other day, but was disappointed to hear it was just something special for that day. Rats. Well, 3 is better than none I guess. We caught up with our group near the gate to Fantasyland...... only to find out she was taking a brief break. OK..... that might have been nice to know before I walked right past the Brers!


Check this out...... we got photobombed by Friar Tuck!


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By now it was 5 PM, so when we got going we scooted quickly over to Small World Holiday. We went down the ramp to wait for our turn to board a boat. While we were standing there, the lights suddenly went on. It was amazing, probably the highlight of the trip for m. Being down at the loading dock, we felt totally immersed in the lights. I enjoyed this ride both inside and out. What an amazingly festive experience! Katie enjoyed looking for the Disney characters inside the ride.



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[KCmike]

Wow the updates are coming fast and furious! Alright Alright Alright!

Well let's see. Let's start with the crazy lady. That's just too bad. I can't imagine you being that big of a distraction for her to enjoy the show.

The Holiday Tour looks fun and you got some great shots. I've never eaten at Ariel's before. How was the main course?

My two biggest fav's at DL at Christmas time are HM overlay and IASM overlay. I mean they are drop dead fun for me.

You continue to rock your Disney photographs. This is so much fun to see you going through the paces at Disneyland and DCA!!!!!

 

[petals]

I adore your castle and fireworks pictures

Luvin the idea of the goat selfies. You should post some of them

Sorry bout the rude lady at Aladdin trying to stop you taking pictures. It happened me on my last chance to ride Snow White's Scary adventures in WDW some child moaned at it's mother that my camera without flash was bothering it and the mother was like I've no doubt she'll stop in a minute glaring at me. I felt bad because I was on my own so didn't take any more pictures and it was my last time to go on the ride

Not liking the idea of them keeping a tree in the window at Walt's apartment during holiday season. We're going in November. I want to see the lamp not a tree!

Luvin the Small World pics as well.

 

[mvf-m11c]

I'm curious how the tour was different when you did it. We enjoyed it. I'd like to do it again, but am not sure I'd enjoy it as much since we will have heard a lot of the same stories already. I'm thinking we might be better off with a different tour of some sort, but really haven't decided for sure. I think I need to research a bit.

Did your Tour Guide take you to DCA first when you started the tour? When I did the tour back in 2009, DCA was under construction and the tour was only in DL. I am out of touch on the tour since the DCA expansion is all finished in 2012. I might consider it now with the tour going into DCA where it was only DL back in the days. Some people do enjoy the tour like me and some don't like it as well. Disney's Happiest Haunts tour is a very popular one during the Halloween season.

Your pictures from the HMH with the Sigma f/1.4 lens are very nice and clear. I will have to consider renting one of those lenses one day.