"What's the Catch - Do I Not Get Bacon?" - 11/27 - TR started!

[OrangeJuice]

Thanks for the photography lessons. I'm learning how to use my Nikon so it's pretty useful. PLUS you are using photo's from Disney so what better way to learn

I agree with you about the dining plan. I love that you don't have to think about money while on vacation and that you can have a drink and dessert ( I am definitely the type who would drink water and skimp on dessert) but the problem we found was that we don't use the quick service credits, we usually found ourselves eating at bars or lounges or just grabbing a snack. So I think this time we will be going OOP especially considering that we are there during food & wine so we'll be mostly having lunch there.

 

[we3travellers]

I love that you purchased DDP! I always find it so close when I run the numbers that I too find it simpler to just buy it. Who cares if you lose $25? As you said, you would order more of what you want on DDP and then in actuality, save a few bucks. Yes, maybe you'll get dessert you'd otherwise not order, or an extra drink, but those can be used for brekkie. As a side note, did you get the recent email PIN for FD? It starts Nov 11, so not sure how you could work that out, but just thought I'd mention it. BTW, your photo tips are a HUGE help! Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge.

 

[SAT887]

I've looked through many of your photos on Flickr from the link you provided, I really enjoy them! Also, more great photo tips, I do enjoy how you relate them to WDW

That's great that the Dining Plan will work out for you, I do like the idea of how it is prepaid. What I generally do put aside money about the cost of the dining plan Generally we are under, or about the same depending on if we added extra meals. Luckily we can get a TiW card which works for us...

 

[teekathepony]

I hear you on the dining plan. I think its much easier to have the freedom to order what you want and not worry about the cost. Without the dining plan I tend to be more frugal with my choices and I don't like worry about that. Good decision.
I would eat salad and drink water for a week, even if I promised myself I wouldn't. I just know myself well enough to know that I will! Hahaha I'm happy with our decision.

Another great photography lesson. Since I am now flying to Florida I likely will not take my tripod. I really was hoping to use it this time, but its just too annoying to pack. I'll need to find a makeshift stabilizer I guess.
Find a garbage can and stick to it! Without a tripod, a garbage can will be your best friend. You could also look into a Gorillapod, that's what I'm bringing with me! They are pretty small and can hook onto almost anything!

We do the same thing with the dining plan. I'd still order whatever I want, but DH stresses about the cost and won't, and Mom stresses and then tries to pay, which is unacceptable, so I just get the DDP up front and then she has no choice in the matter. We might save a little OOP, but it's not enough to be worth the added stress.

I totally agree, getting the dining plan just takes away a bunch of stress right off the top!

Hi Wendy! I have been lurking for awhile, but I wanted to finally join in. Your photography lessons are great. We just bought our first DSLR and we have no idea how to use it.

Thanks for officially joining in! dSLRs can be great, even on auto! Take your time and experiment with it a lot (digital is so great for that!) I'll be slowly going through each lesson but if you have any specific questions, feel free!

I love your photo tips! My oldest brother is the photography guy in our family. I'm the point and shoot kind, but I'm totally fine with that.
You know sometimes I like to just be the point and shoot kind on vacation too. I just like to relax and have fun once and a while!

I actually operate both ways, with and without dining plan. This time, we're not doing it. Main reason is because I've completely changed my eating habits, and I don't want to be forced into a dessert. I want to choose my desserts and snacks when I want them, not because I have to. But other than that, I normally love using the dining plan. It just takes the guesswork out of it.

That makes sense. If I knew that the dessert was "paid for" so to speak, I'm going to get dessert! Going without the dining plan would definitely make me stop with the desserts... unfortunately I'm so cheap I might stop eating meals altogether!

 

[teekathepony]

I just wanted to thank you for the photography lesson. I found it from MEK's TR and this is just what I have been searching for. I have a Canon XT that I am hoping to upgrade to the T4i before our next trip. I've been really happy with this camera and it has served me well but I'd like to be able to do more and I'm going to pass it on to my oldest who is developing an interest in photography.
and thanks for stopping by! Aww I just (literally last night) retired my Canon XT. Great camera! If you do upgrade you'll see a huge difference in low light.

I have played with the settings before and even gone to a basic photography class but I think it makes the most sense when explained in relationship to Disney! What to use on dark rides vs. fireworks, ect. It is so helpful, I've actually printed it out so I can have it for reference as I sit and play with the settings. As others have mentioned, between keeping track of everyone on vacation and playing tour guide, there isn't a lot of time to keep changing settings but to know about how to actually get pictures in the dark rides and at night is a step in the right direction!
I was hoping that by associating everything with Disney it would make more sense! I totally understand that keeping track of your family takes away from time spent fiddling with the camera, but some auto settings are pretty good.

You will love AKL, I was hesitant the first time we stayed there as people always complain about the buses. We have stayed there three times now and I haven't felt like the transportation was any different there than anywhere else. It is so beautiful and relaxing!

Christine

Generally the complaints I hear about the busses are from people used to staying at a resort with the monorail/bus system as well. I'm coming from Pop Century so I think I'll be ok! I can't wait to see the resort!

Thanks for the photography lessons. I'm learning how to use my Nikon so it's pretty useful. PLUS you are using photo's from Disney so what better way to learn
How are you liking the Nikon?? I was hoping that by applying these techniques to Disney it would make more sense. Glad it seems to be working!

I agree with you about the dining plan. I love that you don't have to think about money while on vacation and that you can have a drink and dessert ( I am definitely the type who would drink water and skimp on dessert) but the problem we found was that we don't use the quick service credits, we usually found ourselves eating at bars or lounges or just grabbing a snack. So I think this time we will be going OOP especially considering that we are there during food & wine so we'll be mostly having lunch there.

That makes sense. We definitely use the quick service credits so it's a good system for us. I'll be interested to hear about your unrestricted dining experiences!

I love that you purchased DDP! I always find it so close when I run the numbers that I too find it simpler to just buy it. Who cares if you lose $25? As you said, you would order more of what you want on DDP and then in actuality, save a few bucks. Yes, maybe you'll get dessert you'd otherwise not order, or an extra drink, but those can be used for brekkie. As a side note, did you get the recent email PIN for FD? It starts Nov 11, so not sure how you could work that out, but just thought I'd mention it. BTW, your photo tips are a HUGE help! Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge.

I did get a pin, it's unfortunately for a different date. If we changed our date to use the pin, we lose the Food & Wine festival so we decided not to. Boo! Oh well, I'll be on the lookout for either a different pin or a general promo!

I've looked through many of your photos on Flickr from the link you provided, I really enjoy them! Also, more great photo tips, I do enjoy how you relate them to WDW

That's great that the Dining Plan will work out for you, I do like the idea of how it is prepaid. What I generally do put aside money about the cost of the dining plan Generally we are under, or about the same depending on if we added extra meals. Luckily we can get a TiW card which works for us...

I thought about doing that (putting aside the money) but I would definitely still watch my prices. I'm just too cheap!

 

[cheekypoppins]

(wait for it.....wait for it.....)

 

[teekathepony]

(wait for it.....wait for it.....)

Coming! I promise!

 

[teekathepony]

Ch-ch-ch-changes!

I'm already making changes to my ADR line up! (But for good reason!)

Remember my November 13th breakfast at Kona? Well, I'm still going... but at a slightly different time. And for a slightly different number of place settings!

cheekypoppins messaged me this afternoon asking which dates I was going. Turns out she has to turn her October trip into a November trip and we overlap by 4 days! We compared ADRs and found that we were both going to be at the Poly on the same day! I was going to Kona at 8:05am and she was going to 'Ohana at 8:50am. She cancelled 'Ohana and I made a reservation for 4 at Kona for 8:30! YAY for DisMeets!!

*******************************************************

Photography 101
Lesson 3: ISO

Just a quick lesson today, but it's a fairly easy one. ISO. Anyone remember in the film days, there was indoor film and outdoor film? Outdoor was usually 100 ISO or ASA. In the digital age, your ISO is the sensitivity of your sensor to light.

Fairly simple!

The higher the number, the more sensitive to light it is, making your picture brighter.

Sounds awesome right?

There's one drawback -- grain.

Grain (or noise) is messy. It's a texture that appears in your image at high ISO. Have a look:

If you are in a dark ride and your shutter is as slow as you can hold it, your aperture is as wide as it will go and still you need more light, hike up your ISO. It will create some grain, but grain is better than blur or dark pictures!

In sunlight you should always shoot at 100. In some situations it might surprise you how dark your subject really is though (like the safari at AK -- lots of those animals are shaded by trees!)

Depending on your camera, you can get a great picture with high ISO. If your camera is an older model with a CCD sensor, you might want to limit the ISO because grain can get bad.

Now that you know shutter speed, aperture and ISO, the next lesson will be all about using them together. If you have any questions feel free to ask!

 

[glaserjm]

Subbing in! Love the PTR so far and the pics of your family are great! I too have a fully animal family and always appreciate when people include pics of them in the intros

Looking forward to reading along!

 

[cheekypoppins]

I'm so super excited now yayyyyyyyyyyy and y can't i find the darn dancing bananas

 

[Pluto0809]

for the DIS meet with Cheekypoppins but I am right now because we were supposed to meet in October! I understand why she had to change her trip but I'm still sad.

Thanks for all the camera lessons. I know absolutely nothing about photography and your lessons are very easy to follow. I've been thinking lately about upgrading to a better camera but I'm not sure if I want something larger than I have. I love the fact that I can slide my little point and shoot down in a side pocket of my bag so carrying a bigger camera is not something I really want to do. I do get frustrated though because I want to take better pictures!

 

[teekathepony]

Subbing in! Love the PTR so far and the pics of your family are great! I too have a fully animal family and always appreciate when people include pics of them in the intros

Looking forward to reading along!

Thanks for stopping in! My fur family always make it to my reports, they're my babies!

I'm so super excited now yayyyyyyyyyyy and y can't i find the darn dancing bananas

Woohoo! <----- Got him!

for the DIS meet with Cheekypoppins but I am right now because we were supposed to meet in October! I understand why she had to change her trip but I'm still sad.

Thanks for all the camera lessons. I know absolutely nothing about photography and your lessons are very easy to follow. I've been thinking lately about upgrading to a better camera but I'm not sure if I want something larger than I have. I love the fact that I can slide my little point and shoot down in a side pocket of my bag so carrying a bigger camera is not something I really want to do. I do get frustrated though because I want to take better pictures!

I sometimes only take my little point and shoot camera with me in the parks, it really is easier to just slip it in a pocket! I usually end up wishing I had brought my big camera though so now I just get a locker!

 

[407-W-DISNEY]

Hi Wendy
I found your PTR link off another trio report we both follow...
My DH and I hope to be there around the same time as you guys to celebrate our 15 anniversary! Our dates as of now are the7th to the 17th and we are planning to stay at Animal Kingdom!
Looking forward to hearing more about your trip and your fur family!

 

[IheartDDuck]

Awesome that you get a meal with cheekypoppins! I agree, YAY for DISmeets!!!

 

[MEK]

Yay yay yay for a DIS meet! I wish I was still going to be there to join in!

Another nice lesson to tie it all together. I wish I had 3200 ISO on my camera. I always look at the better cameras when I go to Costco and I can't seem to make myself part with $1200. I'm going to keep working the one I have for awhile.

 

[starbound25]

Thank you for all the photography tips! They are very helpful. I can't wait for your post on how to put it all together, because that is where I'm most lost! I can't see fiddling with all 3 of those settings before taking each picture. it makes me want to use auto mode! But I know auto ruins a lot of photos

I want to upgrade my DSLR Canon to this one http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BW6LXHA/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER
woo hoo someday! My other one is 6 years old.

I just got a new Canon point and shoot that I hope will come in very handy on my next Disney trip its a Canon SX280

So cool you are having a DISmeetup!

 

[silverhaze269]

Just popping in to say hi!

I've been away from the DIS for a looooong time. It turns out that the longer you spend in WDW, the more severe and drawn out your withdrawal symptoms are. Funny that...

Anyway, coming back to say that I'm finally starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel (aka, a new trip might be on the horizon), so it's high time I come back and finish reading your TR from last year! And as it turns out, I now have a PTR to get caught up on too! I think I'm going to abandon my PR from last year though I fear that it's too far gone.

Looking forward to getting caught up!

 

[teekathepony]

Hi Wendy
I found your PTR link off another trio report we both follow...
My DH and I hope to be there around the same time as you guys to celebrate our 15 anniversary! Our dates as of now are the7th to the 17th and we are planning to stay at Animal Kingdom!
Looking forward to hearing more about your trip and your fur family!

! Thanks for stopping by!
Hey cool! Another overlapping DIser! We will have to arrange to meet up some time!b

Awesome that you get a meal with cheekypoppins! I agree, YAY for DISmeets!!!

I'm really excited for it! I've had some Dismeets, but never over a meal!

Yay yay yay for a DIS meet! I wish I was still going to be there to join in!

Another nice lesson to tie it all together. I wish I had 3200 ISO on my camera. I always look at the better cameras when I go to Costco and I can't seem to make myself part with $1200. I'm going to keep working the one I have for awhile.

I wish you were too! You should extend your vacation a little
I know the feeling. I waited a long time to upgrade. I ended up getting my 60D for such a great deal -- $700! I saw that and had to jump at it. Nothing wrong with the XT though, even though it's older it was ahead of the game for its time, especially in the ISO category!

Thank you for all the photography tips! They are very helpful. I can't wait for your post on how to put it all together, because that is where I'm most lost! I can't see fiddling with all 3 of those settings before taking each picture. it makes me want to use auto mode! But I know auto ruins a lot of photos
That's coming up next. I do like some auto settings actually! I just like for people to understand all the manual features -- that way when something fails to take a great picture in auto, you know how to fix it.

I want to upgrade my DSLR Canon to this one http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BW6LXHA/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER
woo hoo someday! My other one is 6 years old.
Oh the SL1! Nice camera. I can't say enough good about Canon's Rebel series.

I just got a new Canon point and shoot that I hope will come in very handy on my next Disney trip its a Canon SX280
Canon P&S cameras can't be beat, I love them!

So cool you are having a DISmeetup!
I'm really excited for it, I haven't had a Dismeet in a while~!

 

[teekathepony]

Just popping in to say hi!

I've been away from the DIS for a looooong time. It turns out that the longer you spend in WDW, the more severe and drawn out your withdrawal symptoms are. Funny that...

Anyway, coming back to say that I'm finally starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel (aka, a new trip might be on the horizon), so it's high time I come back and finish reading your TR from last year! And as it turns out, I now have a PTR to get caught up on too! I think I'm going to abandon my PR from last year though I fear that it's too far gone.

Looking forward to getting caught up!

Heyyyyy! A Ninja poster
Good to see you around again! I so hope your possible future trip works out! Definitely let me know if it does and if you start a PTR, I'd love to follow along!

 

[emmysmommy]

Hi there Wendy! I'm excited to read your photography tips. Love the big hole, little hole explanation. I can definitely relate to those terms. I'm proud to say that I used my DSLR almost exclusively this last week when I was traveling... however, I kept it on Auto. Shame on me for not even trying! Anyways, I love your tips and look forward to your next installment to pull all these together. I'm so glad that you give examples of photos using the various settings since I'm a visual person.

As for your planning.... YAY for scoring BOG! I love Kona, but it's even better when you have a dismeet planned! Awesome!

For the small difference in price for OOP vs DDP, I would go with the "I don't have to worry about it" option and pre-pay.

Happy Friday!