When to do castle pictures?

[Shellee999]

Hi. I hope I can make sense with my question. I know there's really no such thing as castle pictures with a completely empty Main Street, but there are far fewer crowds in the early morning. In which situation below do you think I'd encounter fewer people, or would the difference be negligible? I know the question seems silly, but the pictures are important to me this particular vacation.

A - 8 am opening. Going in around 8:15 or 8:30 after the initial RD crowds entered

B - 9 am opening with 8:00 EMM. Going in for PPO breakfast.

 

[yulilin3]

from your options a PPO reservation would be better for an emptier Main Street castle pic.

 

[kwdw]

C - 8 am opening AT 8 am.

 

[Shellee999]

Thank you. I didn't mean that I couldn't get there at 8, I just assumed there were a lot of people right at rope drop. I assumed maybe 10-20 minutes later would be less so. I'm wrong I guess?

 

[yulilin3]

I didn't mean that I couldn't get there at 8, I just assumed there were a lot of people right at rope drop. I assumed maybe 10-20 minutes later would be less so. I'm wrong I guess?

Main Street stays very busy all day long, it never dies down with people taking picture, the other moment when you will find a slightly less busy MS is right before the parade comes on, they clear the street but some photopass photographers stay on until the last minute
you can see that here

or wait until the park closes and everyone leaves and be one of the last to leave

 

[revdon64]

We got a shot with almost no one else in it one morning. DD had a PPO BBB appointment and we came outside as soon as she was done to get a castle shot. I'll try to post it when photobucket comes back up later.

 

[Accident]

someone has to be last out of the park, why not your family

 

[Shellee999]

C - 8 am opening AT 8 am.

Thanks

 

[Shellee999]

We got a shot with almost no one else in it one morning. DD had a PPO BBB appointment and we came outside as soon as she was done to get a castle shot. I'll try to post it when photobucket comes back up later.

Great. Thanks!

someone has to be last out of the park, why not your family

Haha, if I didn't have a one year old I would. But we're going on a MVMCP day, and to MVMCP, so I don't foresee that happening. When we went 4 years ago, my older son was 3 and his stroller was missing after coming out of a dinner at CRT. By the time we got it, we were the last ones out. It was beautiful!

 

[Shellee999]

Thanks for always giving such helpful and thorough responses @yulilin3 ! Yeah, I know it's busy all the time these days. A girl can wish! The parade scenario is probably not practical for us, as we'll likely be on a break at that time, but I'll keep it in mind just in case. So between PPO on an EMM morning, and arriving at 8 am on an 8 am morning, you're still going with PPO?

 

[yulilin3]

Thanks for always giving such helpful and thorough responses @yulilin3 ! Yeah, I know it's busy all the time these days. A girl can wish! The parade scenario is probably not practical for us, as we'll likely be on a break at that time, but I'll keep it in mind just in case. So between PPO on an EMM morning, and arriving at 8 am on an 8 am morning, you're still going with PPO?

yeah, some people going in will head straight to a ride but a lot of people stop and get pics on MS first

 

[Accident]

Main Street stays very busy all day long, it never dies down with people taking picture, the other moment when you will find a slightly less busy MS is right before the parade comes on, they clear the street but some photopass photographers stay on until the last minute
you can see that here

I actually have a whole collection of photopass photos that are taken with that same view of the street cleared for the parade and then the parade partially down main street as well.

 

[yulilin3]

I actually have a whole collection of photopass photos that are taken with that same view of the street cleared for the parade and then the parade partially down main street as well.

I was waiting for FoF the other day right in front of the Emporium and a family waited for the clear, asked a photopass to take pics. They put their baby, maybe 7 months old, sat him right in the middle of Main Street, the photopass girl laid on her belly and took what must have been like 10 pictures. I'm sure they came out lovely

 

[Shellee999]

I actually have a whole collection of photopass photos that are taken with that same view of the street cleared for the parade and then the parade partially down main street as well.

[

Actually, I'm forgetting that on our MVMCP day, FOF is at 5, so maybe...

 

[Shellee999]

.

 

[Shellee999]

I was waiting for FoF the other day right in front of the Emporium and a family waited for the clear, asked a photopass to take pics. They put their baby, maybe 7 months old, sat him right in the middle of Main Street, the photopass girl laid on her belly and took what must have been like 10 pictures. I'm sure they came out lovely

Sold!

 

[yulilin3]

.

pinterest is your friend
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/413768284485474433/

 

[mickeyluv'r]

When the MK gates open, more and more people enter MK. If you wait 20min later, there will be more people in MK, not less. Many people (vaguely) plan on being at MK a RD, but something holds them up. Last time we tried, here's what happened: We went to the bus stop and saw a long wait. So we ran to the WL boat dock and waited for a boat. Five minutes later, the boat arrived, but the captain announced there a stoppage due to fog! So we went back to the bus stop, and waited another 20 for that bus to finally arrive. (no, we didn't miss a bus by going to the dock.) At MK, the early am bag check/park entry is now sometimes rather slow.


I'm not trying to flame you, but I honestly don't see the point. IMO, MK looks very creepy when it is empty. I went to MK in early 2002. Seeing MK that empty is something I've tried to erase from my memory.

In addition to crowds, the weather is always another big unknown. An extended family member once attempted a beachfront picture like this - not at WDW. She paid a handsome sum to a pro photographer, but the weather that day was terrible. It was cold and very windy, and none of us look good or happy in the pictures.

Last, you simply can't predict how young children will act in any given moment. Many items over, I've seen - more or less- the opposite of what Yulillin3 describes. time and again, I've seen parents with young children urgently trying to get a perfect picture in front of the castle that never happens.

I'm not sure how to say this, but going to WDW with high expectations of perfect moments often turns out to be a recipe for disaster. If something goes wrong that day: slow transportation, bad weather, baby drool/tummy gas/burped up milk.....

I'm not saying don't try to arrive for this picture, I'm saying: go in with an open mind that it might not work the way you think, and keep your options as open as possible as long as possible. Keep both days as options, but don't let it ruin your vacation if things don't work as planned.

 

[mom2rtk]

I'm not trying to flame you, but I honestly don't see the point. IMO, MK looks very creepy when it is empty. I went to MK in early 2002. Seeing MK that empty is something I've tried to erase from my memory.

Interesting how people see things so differently. I have LOVED being on Main Street with very few people!

IMG_2539 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

IMG_7931 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

 

[Accident]

I was waiting for FoF the other day right in front of the Emporium and a family waited for the clear, asked a photopass to take pics. They put their baby, maybe 7 months old, sat him right in the middle of Main Street, the photopass girl laid on her belly and took what must have been like 10 pictures. I'm sure they came out lovely

There was a couple photo pass photographers that were doing that during the after hours events.. so empty I'm sure it was pictures of a lifetime.