Yep, I took a picture of that (9100 total) COMPLETED 9/1

I hope the man the boys meet is Captain Jack. For one, all boys should get to meet Captain Jack. Two, you will have a bunch of pictures of said Captain for me to drool over. Now hide this message before my DH reads it and his eyes roll out of his head.
 
Great TR! I cannot wait to see what happens when the boys meet Captain Jack!
 
Ladies Ladies! I need everybody to take a deep breath, grab a glass of ice cold water and relax......the Captain is coming!
 

EMH at the MK seemed to be great for you guys. We spent an EMH night at MK and got to ride tons of things as well, it was great. I can't wait to hear what happened next.
 
FABULOUS TRIP REPORT!!! My DD16 turned me onto your report this morning, she asked if I was subbing to your report and I said no, she said you need to you will love it, there's tons and tons of pictures. Well, I can't tell you how happy I am that she did.

I love airport and plane pictures and you had a ton....thanks!!! I am subbing now and can't wait for more:thumbsup2
 
love, love, LOVE the pics of your trip! We leave for our FIRST disney trip in September!!! I can't wait. And now that I have seen your pics I am annoying everyone by counting down the days! LOL! my mom is quite the photo snapper too so she will love this thread just as much as I do! thank you for posting your memories for us! I think your family is absolutely adorable! keep the pics coming!
 
FINALLY caught up with your TR! :woohoo:

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LOVED that movie as a kid! I purchased it on DVD not that long ago and put it on while watching my cousins (4 & 6) one night. As an adult living in an overly PC world; realized there were a couple of things that made me go :eek: in the movie and caused me to say "yeah, ignore that. You'll learn about that when you're older" to the kids. I didn't recall any of that in the movie when I was a kid.

Hi I am really enjoying you report!

If you wanted to draw the characters for free there is a class inside of the animation studio near the gallery :)

Yes, it's FREE! I can't believe that you missed out on it,:headache: it's a fun thing to do! But that is what next time is for - right? Do you know where to go? I think that your entire family will enjoy it.



Excellent picture! :thumbsup2

I know I’m going to hear about it but I really did try to get some pictures without a flash and it just wasn’t going to happen, so here’s my cheater shots….

OK, I'll bite. I'm not a fan of flash in the dark rides because it disturbs other guests trying to experience the ride. You know from my TR that I rarely use flash. Pretty much it's b/c the only photography classes I've taken have been black and white classes using SLR's (no digital) and processing my own negatives and printing my own prints in a dark room. Flash as not been allowed in those classes and I've learned to work a camera without. Even my cheap one - for the most part. Obviously, the higher quality camera the better images you can create in a dark lit area without either a flash or a tripod.

You obviously have a very strong interest in photography. Have you considered signing up for photography classes? If there is a community college located near you, check out and see what they offer. That is what I do when I have time.


Keep up with the great report! I can't wait for the next installment.
 
EMH at the MK seemed to be great for you guys. We spent an EMH night at MK and got to ride tons of things as well, it was great. I can't wait to hear what happened next.
EMH is awesome when everybody else starts to finally leave. I was really thankful the next morning that we weren't going commando style as soon as the sun came up! :lmao:
FABULOUS TRIP REPORT!!! My DD16 turned me onto your report this morning, she asked if I was subbing to your report and I said no, she said you need to you will love it, there's tons and tons of pictures. Well, I can't tell you how happy I am that she did.

I love airport and plane pictures and you had a ton....thanks!!! I am subbing now and can't wait for more:thumbsup2
Thank you! And please tell your DD I said thank you as well!!! There really are many more pictures to come, I promise!

love, love, LOVE the pics of your trip! We leave for our FIRST disney trip in September!!! I can't wait. And now that I have seen your pics I am annoying everyone by counting down the days! LOL! my mom is quite the photo snapper too so she will love this thread just as much as I do! thank you for posting your memories for us! I think your family is absolutely adorable! keep the pics coming!

I can't say thank you enough to everyone for the compliments! I'm sure this report will be well over by your first trip and hopefully will give you a few ideas of some things you might want to do when you get there. Last year was our first trip together and I really wasn't all that into going, but when we went this year we made a big deal every time we got to a new "bracket" :rotfl2: (i.e. day 199 we were under 200, day 189 = less than 190 and so on EVERY 10 days!) I can't wait till we get the next date set!
 
Well well well, if it isn't Miss Dolce. I thought you left us! Welcome back!

FINALLY caught up with your TR! :woohoo:



LOVED that movie as a kid! I purchased it on DVD not that long ago and put it on while watching my cousins (4 & 6) one night. As an adult living in an overly PC world; realized there were a couple of things that made me go :eek: in the movie and caused me to say "yeah, ignore that. You'll learn about that when you're older" to the kids. I didn't recall any of that in the movie when I was a kid.
I'm honestly shocked that there are parts like that! I don't remember anything like that at all! I'm thinking I'm still going to buy it on Ebay or something because the boys have to see it before they become too cool for movies like that (plus I REALLY REALLY want to see it again!)


Yes, it's FREE! I can't believe that you missed out on it,:headache: it's a fun thing to do! But that is what next time is for - right? Do you know where to go? I think that your entire family will enjoy it.
They may enjoy it, but I'll leave it up to them. My brother and I will definitely get a kick out of it:thumbsup2


Excellent picture! :thumbsup2

Thanks, I really wanted some with a longer shutter speed but it just wasn't in the cards. There's always next time right?!?!?

OK, I'll bite. I'm not a fan of flash in the dark rides because it disturbs other guests trying to experience the ride. You know from my TR that I rarely use flash. Pretty much it's b/c the only photography classes I've taken have been black and white classes using SLR's (no digital) and processing my own negatives and printing my own prints in a dark room. Flash as not been allowed in those classes and I've learned to work a camera without. Even my cheap one - for the most part. Obviously, the higher quality camera the better images you can create in a dark lit area without either a flash or a tripod.

You obviously have a very strong interest in photography. Have you considered signing up for photography classes? If there is a community college located near you, check out and see what they offer. That is what I do when I have time.

Next year, if all the planets align and I find a shooting star to wish on, I'm hoping to have my first DSLR. I've really been looking at the Nikon d5000 or the d90 if the money is there. After I have a camera in hand, I really do want to take some classes. I've actually looked them up online but if I read it correctly, you bring your own camera.
I really tried to keep from using the flash but I was striking out on both of those rides and I really wanted to get some pics for the boys to remember them.
I will admit last year I had no idea you could get a decent shot without a flash, until I read your report. Now, if I have time to play with the settings a little, it seems like I get a much better picture without the flash than if I used it. Your pictures were awesome and I was shocked that they were all done with a P&S. After that I started doing some homework and actually learned how to use my bridge camera. I still don't get the 2 second delay thing you did.....I guess I just don't have the steady hands! Hopefully next year I'll have something that can handle an ISO of 3200 or so and a fast lens so the flash will stay like new:thumbsup2


Keep up with the great report! I can't wait for the next installment.
I've got so much going on this weekend but I'll try to work on it and have a new one up soon. I still have 4 more days to get up there, plus a bonus section with photopass pictures!
 
i loved loved:lovestruc your trip report it's one of the best i've read on here you should really see disney at christmas it's beautiful and your boys would love mickey's merry christmas party:santa: my daughter really had a good time at the party she was eight when we went my son not so much but he was thirteen they have different dance parties going on thru out the magic kingdom we where at cosmic rays starlight cafe and they have character's giving autographs that you dont see any other time of the year we got the queen of hearts autograph their was a lady their in line that said she lives near disney and has a seasonal pass and said she had never seen the queen of hearts their so that was cool and she really played the part well thanks for posting all the pics makes me feel like i'm their all over again:thumbsup2
 
I love Mommom Ginny waving happily from outside the ride!!! Thats so cute!!!
Mommom Ginny is the best. She really did great with keeping up with everybody even on the really late nights. She knows when to pass on what rides, but she still participates!
i loved loved:lovestruc your trip report it's one of the best i've read on here you should really see disney at christmas it's beautiful and your boys would love mickey's merry christmas party:santa: my daughter really had a good time at the party she was eight when we went my son not so much but he was thirteen they have different dance parties going on thru out the magic kingdom we where at cosmic rays starlight cafe and they have character's giving autographs that you dont see any other time of the year we got the queen of hearts autograph their was a lady their in line that said she lives near disney and has a seasonal pass and said she had never seen the queen of hearts their so that was cool and she really played the part well thanks for posting all the pics makes me feel like i'm their all over again:thumbsup2
We want to go to Disney during Christmas SOOOOO bad but it's just not in the cards this year. Next year Tina will be starting a new job in the fall if everything works out as planned and who knows what kind of vacation time she will have then. MAYBE if she has shift work and gets a good amt of days off in a row, we might be able to swing it. I'd love to go see all the shows and meet the characters. Can you imagine how many pictures I'd come home with then?:rotfl2:
 
I promise to have an update soon everybody. We took a long weekend camping with the boys and the laptop was never turned on. I wanted to get one up tonight but I had the opportunity to watch Flight Of The Navigator tonight and who my age can pass up a childhood favorite:confused3 Please be patient and there will be one soon I promise.
 
Ladies and Gentlemen, I’d like to apologize for the delay but life outside of Disney seems to be even busier then a day at the parks lately! In the last update we had completed day 6 and I had given hints as to what was to come on Day 7. Well ladies, grab some popcorn and the the hubbies to go out with his friends, because here it comes!

Saturday June 6th, day 7 on our vacation. It started out just as any day would, being at the most magical place on earth. We woke up a little later than normal because we were still beat from the night before (remember late night Extra Magic Hours at the Magic Kingdom?) Even the boys slept in late, which is pretty rare anymore. After a 12 noon breakfast, we told the boys this was going to be an extra special day and we needed to get moving. Thanks to the Disboards, I had already known that there were Gay Days going on this week and what parks they would be held on what days. I was told that sometimes it gets to be too much for the young kids and the crowd levels tend to be higher on those days, but I usually have an open mind and have no problems with other people’s love life as long as it stays within reason and crowds are one thing you learn to deal with when going in May/June. Even though the Gay Day park of the day was Magic Kingdom, we still had our mind set on doing certain things there for ½ of the day and moving on at night.
On Day 6, Nathan had gotten a Jack Sparrow costume from Downtown Disney and we thought this would be an excellent day to show it off! He was so excited to wear it and Logan grabbed his cars hat before we headed off to the bus for the Kingdom.

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The best part of getting a bus at 1:30 is it’s almost like you hired your own driver to take you to the parks

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We walked down Main Street and I took pictures of some things most people never notice like the names on the windows. Each name on the windows if I remember correctly was of the original imagineers and the company names were fake companies that Walt Disney used to buy up land in Florida anonymously. (Side note, double check that. I may be off a little in my details but I know there is a significance to each one)


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I know it’s probably hard to see by the picture on here, but that crystal castle was for sale and priced at $25,000! Yes, that’s right not 2,500 but $25,000! The joke’s on them because I like the picture just as much and it didn’t cost me a dime!

 
As I was taking pictures Tina noticed something I had overlooked. Apparently, if you are there to take part in Gay Days it was well known to the community that you should be wearing a red shirt. Before she mentioned it to me, I hadn’t given it a second thought but when I looked around, I noticed a lot of people wearing red and many of the holding hands with there partners. At this time, I’d like to give you a moment to take a wild guess at what shirt I was wearing for the day.

Anybody?

Let’s see, was it my brown Grumpy shirt?

My blue Disney World Shirt?

Phillies?

Nope. It was my bright red Fab 3 shirt.

As we walked towards the hub, I stayed next to my beautiful wife and pushed the stroller (red) with my two boys and didn’t really leave there sides.

Today, there is one major goal that we need to accomplish that would really make the trip memorable and it’s first on our list! We head strait to the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. Nate thinks this would be awesome to do while wearing the Capt Jack outfit but first I told him that I wanted him to meet a friend of mine (he still thinks I know everybody famous.) We hang out on the side of the Pirates building and see Captain Hook walk by with Smitty so we follow them over for a picture and an autograph.

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After saying goodbye to the good captain, and telling him he looks like a codfish, we head back over to our spot and stand there alone for a few minutes. A Cast Member walks by and leaves this cart in the middle of the walkway and now the boys are curious.

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I told them to be patient and so they kept on playing. Within a few minutes this gentleman came over and asked the boys to help lay down a rope with him. The rope made a large border for a smaller performance but they were told that it was important not to cross the line, and they were very compliant. I guess it’s not every day a pirate tells you what to do.

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Within a few minutes a crowd starts to gather and the pirate goes on to give his good graces about the glorious Captain Jack Sparrow.

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The boys are in utter disbelief when out of nowhere he appeared

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Captain Jack Sparrow did an amazing job with his Pirate Tutorial telling the kids just what being a pirate entails.

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When walking around talking to the audience, he stopped for a minute and looked at Nate with his outfit on and walks over to him looking oddly. He point right at Nate and says “You look really familiar, have we met?”
Well, I thought Nate was going to pass right out in front of all those people and wet himself at the same time. There he is, his new hero is talking to him directly just steps away. He totally froze. Captain Jack asks again “Do I know you? You really look familiar to me.”
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Nate nods in disbelief.

He than chose a few volunteers from the audience and what do you know, both boys were picked along with several others.

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The Captain than pulled out two wooden swords and explained to the volunteers that it’s all about what a pirate can do and what a pirate can’t do.
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He has each child come up one at a time and sword fight with his trusty first mate. One at a time the kids go over and fight and each runs away on cue. Poor Nathan and Logan want to do it so bad but they had to wait their turn. Finally Logan goes up and the good captain comments on his hat. Logan did his part and ran away when he was supposed to.

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Than finally, last but not least, it was Nates turn to show the firt mat just how it’s done. However, when the Captain called him over he told his mate to step aside as he was going to handle this one himself! Everybody cheered and Nate’s poor heart almost jumped out of his chest!

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After all the sword fighting was over we sang some pirate songs and each volunteer received a standing ovation and a certificate saying they were all now official Apprentice Pirates.

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Than the Captain fled through the crowds like it never even happened.

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The boys loved the certificates

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And I decided to get a souvenir myself, a nice BLACK pirate t-shirt which I put on as soon as my credit card cleared.

We headed over to the Golden Oak Outpost for some lunch and tried to get Nate to take off the costume because it was getting hot out. He compromised and took off ½ of the layers.

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Than it was off to do the Pirates ride. How can you possibly talk to Jack, looking like jack, without doing the ride and feeling like Jack! Now, before I post these pictures, YES I did use a flash while waiting in the queue, but no I did not use it on the ride itself. There was just enough light to get a few decent shots for not having a DSLR.
Here ya go….

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Here’s a side note for those going for the first time or those who just have never heard this before. True story, when building this ride years and years ago there was a man named George who passed away in an accident while working on it. Story has it that his ghost still stays inside and never leaves. Ask any Cast Member working the ride and I promise they will back me up on this. Every night when they turn off the lights inside, they ALWAYS tell George goodnight. If they don’t, there will be problems with the ride the next morning. I told this to Nate and he immediately wanted to know everything about George. One thing I forgot to tell him is that if you say George’s name 3x while on the ride, it will also break down. Well, needless to say he kept asking if this is George or if that is George and (Tina will back me up) when we got to the very end where you see Captain Jack sitting there with all the stolen booty, we broke down for a good 15 minutes. I promise you it’s the truth. When we finally got off, the conveyor belt that takes you up the ramp was out of order also so we had to hike it up there. Nathan stopped and asked one of the Cast Members if George did this and she was shocked that a boy his size knew who George was.

After we got off of POTC we pulled out the trusty map of the kingdom and scrolled through to see what else we hadn’t yet ever done with the boys. At home I had the Tiki room song on my computer and the boys knew most of the words to it. We actually used to dance around the house to it a lot while they sang the chorus. So off to the Enchanted Tiki room we go! It was different than I remember when I was a kid and the music had changed but I’m glad we did it at least once with them. Honestly I don’t know that I’d go back unless they at least added the old song to the program. Oh well, I guess I’m just getting old and set in my ways. Here’s what it looked like through the lens of my camera….

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It was ok, don’t get me wrong, just not what I expected or remembered. Maybe in the future it will go back to the old management, maybe it’s just wishful thinking.

 












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