We love rack rate! Aug 1-17 More NEW pics 9/1!

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

Thanks for your great posts. I hope everything is going will with your family.

Thanks!
My family is doing well, thanks. My mom is tolerating her chemo OK so far. Hopefully she will continue to do alright as she continues her treatment.

 

[loribell]

Absolutely amazing pictures! Thanks so much for sharing them.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

Pics from MGM with a different camera. DH has a Sony and an Olympus. These are from the Sony.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

Epcot pics from DS12 (shot with a Nikon Coolpix)

There is a little troll up in one corner of the stave church in Norway. He's a little blurry.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

More pics from DS

The water pageant (from the beach at the Poly)

Tiger at AK (through glass)

 

[yellowfish78]

Can you email/PM me this one in large format for my wallpaper please?

 

[tinknme]

Fantastic pictures!

 

[Tammi67]

Great shots, Elizabeth. Especially the ones of Illuminations.

 

[purplepeg]

Wow.....amazing pictures.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

Thanks, everyone! I guess it's OK that DH bought that big old expensive camera after all!

Chanon - Need your e-mail address!

 

[tinknme]

Thanks, everyone! I guess it's OK that DH bought that big old expensive camera after all!

 

[bethbuchall]

Thanks, everyone! I guess it's OK that DH bought that big old expensive camera after all!

Please let your ds know that his photos are great, too!

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

Please let your ds know that his photos are great, too!

Thanks, Beth! He has been asking me what people think of his pics.

 

[loribell]

Oh yes his pics were just as good as your dh's. I loved them all.

 

[PNO4TE]

Elizabeth - Tell your DS that he is learning how to frame his pictures very well and they look terrific!

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

You know what's funny? Some of DS's pics are better than DH's. There is something about the way the little camera shoots that makes DS's pics of Spectro come out much better than the dSLR. Of course those pics tend to be off center because the parade is moving.

 

[lovesdumbo]

Please excuse my DD's ham of a pose. She's not camera shy, is she.

She is so stinking cute! I think it gives the photo flare!

I realized after I read back through that I really hadn't explained in detail about Ohana. I am still irritated about it, and I may even write a letter to WDW because I am having a hard time getting past it. On the other hand, I was sick that day so maybe I am just disproportionately upset about it.

Our ADR was for 10:50 AM, but we got to the podium about 10:20 and we were seated about 10 minutes later. Our waitress was fine. She brought the drinks and food out quickly and checked back with us at reasonable intervals. Pluto came by the table right after we got our food.

We saw Mickey, Lilo, and Stitch circulating around the dining room. Fine. We have done dozens of character meals, we know the drill, no problem. We saw all of the characters go back for a break, then we saw them all come back out.

By this time we had been there about 45 minutes. It doesn't take us 45 minutes to eat a family-style meal, so we had been sitting there doing nothing. The waitress had asked if we wanted more of anything, and when we said no she said "Just characters, right?" I gave her our room card to pay for breakfast because I really just wanted to finish up and leave.

The character handler came by and asked if we had seen all of the characters. We told him NO, we only saw Pluto. I specifically told him we were paying the bill right then. He said the others would come right over. But they didn't. They continued in their normal pattern through the tables, the waitress brought our receipt, and we got up to leave. I made eye contact with the character handler but he didn't say anything. It was late enough that no new families were being seated and the dining room wasn't very crowded. He could have pulled the characters out of rotation one at a time for a photo before we left. I know this because they did it for us at Chef Mickey's.

DS is old enough that he wasn't terribly upset, but that's not the point. Those character meals are supposed to have each character coming by each table no matter how old the guests at the table may be. The fact that we spoke to the handler and he did NOTHING is what continues to irk me 2 weeks after the fact.

If I had to pinpoint the things about our trip that weren't great, I would put that Ohana breakfast up there with waiting 43 minutes for a bus. Not the norm, but really not acceptable, either.

I had a couple of character meal issues too. At Cape May in May we missed Chip or Dale so this time after Chip missed us again and I saw him in another room I went to talk to the ONE character handler (at other places they definately have more than one). She was actually sitting people. So I told her we missed Chip and I saw that he was in a different room-we didn't leave the table he went to break without seeing us and then after break Chip started someplace else. She told me he had to go all they way around and it would take 45 minutes. I told her I wasn't waiting another 45 minutes. She did finally bring him over to us.

At Tusker House our table was the first in the room and we missed Goofy. I told the character handler that we missed him and asked if he could stop at our table before leaving the room but he just said he'd be back. We did see him before we left but we had to wait for him to make the complete round again.

DS wanted to share some of the pics he took. I will have to upload more later.

Narcoosee's

A bee on a flower (I am not even sure where he took this one. Somewhere at WDW!)

Those are great as are his others! His composition is really good!

Your DH's photos are great too!

 

[mommykds]

Enjoyed all the pictures..the Illuminations ones are wonderful.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

Thanks!

Bernadette, DH aspires to take pics as good as yours! He is getting better. I was quite impressed with some of his shots this time around!

 

[Steamboat Marti]

Epcot pics from DS12 (shot with a Nikon Coolpix)

Elizabeth,

I like your husband's pictures, but I must say this picture has great composition and fantastic movement. Your eye just follows around -- it is VERY good!