Yia-Yia, Yetis and Epcotonians. A sweltering Summer of '22 adventure!

[fractal]

I've loved seeing your pictures on other photo threads for years - so great to see you doing trip reports!

I absolutely love the photo recreations of your family over the years in the same spots, such a neat idea!

Also...



I say this ALL. THE. TIME. Probably almost every day of my life. buh byyye!

Thanks @TheLittleKatie ! We have a few spots in WDW that we've been taken multiple photos over the years.

My kids love that! Buh byye!

Amazing photos and trip report!

Thanks @DaisyNY !

 

[fractal]

During dinner I purchased individual Lightning Lanes for GotGCR much to the delight of the 2/3rds.

Thanks for another fine meal Spice Road!

Let's go!

On the move. Not as much dodging and darting required this evening but it sure was hot and humid!

Sunset at EPCOT is a beautiful sight.

A different view...

It was another thrilling ride for us Epcotonians - to give you an idea of how much I enjoy Cosmic Rewind, I once again opted out of taking on ride photos to just sit back and enjoy saving the planet again!

After GotG we did Mission Space. Sterg and Toni choose the orange while I choose green mostly to view the new orbit around Earth trip. As a single rider I was put with a young family of 3 - Father, Mother and son. They did not speak English and if I had to guess they were from the country Spain or Portugal. It was very awkward to be honest. The new mission was worth seeing but I would have preferred Orange. Of course Sterg and Toni gave me a hard time about picking the "old man" color.

With Magic Kingdom staying open until 11 we decided to venture there.

I did get some more night shots on the way out...

UP NEXT - Night time at Magic Kingdom is the best time!

 

[fractal]

I discovered I could not exit EPCOT without taking several photos of SSE.

Then with the kids. Sterg was taking a photo of me for his BeReal app, whatever that means. Once again the Lume CUBE light worked well to illuminate their faces.

More normal but what are they looking at?

Never saw a Black & Red monorail, my high school colors!

Made it!

 

[fractal]

We hit the gates of MK about 15 minutes after the early 9pm fireworks shore. There was a mass of guests leaving the Park so we had to fight our way in. The tunnel was very tight and filled with mostly young families; The parent's eyes filled with a sense of panic to get out as fast as possible and make it to the bus/boat line. In front of them they cleared space with their cavalry of strollers. The three of us hugged the left side walk, slowly making our way in. Some relief after we emerged on the other side of the train station but not much.

Here's a video after the tunnel into a still crazy courtyard.

Finally a little space.

Our sweet tooths kicked in so we headed here for a frozen treat...

In hindsight, I wished we did go to Skipper's Canteen instead of Ohana.

Sterg and Toni wanted to spend time in Tomorrowland. I bowed out and instead went to hunt for stable trashcans in Frontierland.

More broom paintings!

Another trip using trashcans as tripod substitutes. I found a nice one on the boardwalk by the river that allowed me to fire off a 4 second exposure.

Or two.

Up until then, the heat and the crowds made me thankful I wasn't carrying my camera backpack and tripod but being on my own at night had me wishing the opposite. But we'll certainly make due of what we did have.

I unfortunately did not make it over to Tom Sawyer's Island this trip but I did capture a nice shot. This time with the camera on top of a post. It was pretty dark back there so a 15 second exposure was required...

UP NEXT - A photographic evening in Magic Kingdom continues and YiaYia living her best life in DHS!

 

[fractal]

From Tom Sawyers Island launch dock I wandered up to Big Thunder Mountain and secured a trashcan top. Out of the blue some "weird guy" shows up and basically stands right in front of my camera and starts looking around. He then turns and faces me and stares at me for a few moments. I smile back and look down and gesture to my camera. He doesn't move. I'm not budging however because I like the view from the top of my trashcan.

"Do you need to throw anything out?" I ask

Weird guy doesn't respond. He's just looking at me. After a few seconds of our optical show down he walks away - exactly 4 feet - and then stops and stares at the ride entrance.

OK - here's my chance. 15 second exposure already dialed in so I go with it...

The blurs you see in the photo are guests moving about.

OK, not the greatest photo but I'll take it.

Weird guy started moving back towards me and my trashcan so I abandon my position and head back towards the water.

I found a beautifully flat post top and shot off this 30 second exposure of Tom Sawyer Island.

I then found another angle...

I was really enjoying myself at this point! I continued walking down the river side when I spotted a couple of rocking chairs under a small roof.

"Where did this come from?" I asked myself.

It was really dark and isolated there but I found a great spot to set up and started to dial in my settings...the atmosphere and challenge for me was perfect. Until, guess who shows up?

Yes - weird guy! Out of the water side darkness and slight mist he materialized and sat in one of the rocking chairs!

"OK, this is getting weird."

I looked around and observed that no one else was around in this dark corner of Magic Kingdom.

After a few moments of my imagination conjuring the plot of a murder mystery, weird guy arose from his chair and left the scene.

I decided to then move my position to frame the chairs from the front instead of the side. It was a good decision.

I left the rockers and moved up closer to Big Thunder, drawn by the illuminated rock structures.

Here's a 30 second exposure.

and another. Man was I enjoying myself! The fun you can have with trashcans!

 

[BostonEd]

I continued walking down the river side when I spotted a couple of rocking chairs under a small roof.

LOL... I thought you were going to say "I grabbed a seat and woke up 3 hours later when a CM started shaking me."

 

[fractal]

LOL... I thought you were going to say "I grabbed a seat and woke up 3 hours later when a CM started shaking me."

Nope, but I could definitely see that happening!

 

[fractal]

I continued my nocturnal magical photography tour.


Next was Splash Mountain...

Then a 20 second exposure of the Mill. From where I was standing it was barely visible. Proof that even in the darkest times, there is always some light.

Then the Liberty Belle. If you haven't noticed yet, I switched from the 14mm to the 50mm.

I then made my way to the hub but was struck by the hanging lanterns on the Liberty Tree. I tried to photograph how beautiful they appeared in front of the Hall of Presidents.

I was being drawn to the Castle like Turbo to the Mentos/Coca-Cola volcano (for those Wreck-it-Ralph fans).

 

[fractal]

I wandered around the Hub looking for photographic opportunities.

My eyes' love for the beautifully projected Castle kept me in a trance. A grand sight.

Sterg and Toni were waiting for me by City Hall so I kept moving down Main Street.

Main Street was glowing. Disney certainly dressed her up for the 50th.

Then the lights were turned off for the fireworks which allowed for some different shots.

 

[fractal]

Happily Ever After is coming back!

In celebration here are some HEA pics from 2017...

Can't wait to go back for this!

 

[fractal]

More visual treats from that evening on Main Street...

I think I have 12 different photos of this window.

Enchantment began.

It certainly was a romantic backdrop.

Goodnight you two crazy kids!

Goodnight Fractal!

Another long day in Walt Disney World was complete and it was a great day.

Back at the Gran Destino and down for a night of rest before we take on Kylo Ren in the morning.

 

[fractal]

Good morning Walt Disney World! This was our last full day and we were going to start off at Hollywood Studios.

YiaYia was up and ready to go, and dressed in appropriate Florida in July attire.

Toni and Mia checking social media, Toni was the photographer for the bus ride.

She decided to take a few portraits...

and she caught me checking my Social Media!

and Sterg

But not YiaYia!

"Get off your phones!" She often complains. "You spend too much time on them! What are you looking at anyway?"

Disembarking responsibilities were given to Sterg.

YiaYia and Mia were both part of Team Fractal that morning. Bill, Courtney and Aiden hit the park at rope drop to jump on Rise of the Resistance while Marina was going to meet up with us later.

A beautiful Florida sky but man was it hot and muggy!

Donald and Daisy welcomed us as we headed to the wheelchair rental at Oscars.

Putting my Mom in a wheelchair was the right choice for us and for $12 wasn't that expensive. It alleviated a lot of pressure on her part and ours by eliminated the risk of her maiming anyone.

I took the handles of the wheelchair and sent the other three off to a Limo ride and concert with Steven Tyler. YiaYia and I were in pursuit of YiaYia friendly rides. I told her we were going to try Mickey and Minnie ride first.

"It's ok sweetie, I don't need to go on any rides." She responded. "You can just park me somewhere and you go on your rides."

She seemed to be a great mood based on her very pleasant tone with me and calling me sweetie. Something I can't remember her ever calling me. Maybe it's the wheelchair experience?

"I'm not going to park you somewhere, let's see what the wait is." I was encouraged as I saw no line outside the theater.

But alas, there was no line because MMRR was not operating.

"It's OK, you go with the others. I'll be alright."

"Let's just keep walking." I replied. "I'm good."

A nice leisurely stroll down Sunset Boulevard was next. I was just fine pushing her around that morning and observing all the other guests rushing to rides or walking in and out of stores or getting their photos taken. It did however hamper my photo taking ability.

Meanwhile, Toni was keeping her Social Media audience abreast of her whereabouts.

"I feel very bad, you are missing the rides! Just park me over there in the shade. Thank you for pushing me sweetie but I know that's not what you want to do. Go have fun!" YiaYia continued.

"Do you have to go to the bathroom?" I asked as I spotted the restroom on the right.

"Yes, and you can just leave me there honey."

So I push her over and start to help her out of her seat.

"Oh Christo! It's you? I thought Sterg was pushing me."

"You thought I was Sterg? That's why you were talking so nice to me!"

"Well sure, I'm nicer to my grandchildren. Now help me up and then you can keep pushing me."

And there you have it.


After our break we finished the tour of Sunset Blvd and said hi to this ToT Bellhop. He was very engaging and willing to pose for a photo and he really looked the part!

We had a Virtual Queue Boarding Pass for Rise of the Resistance but that wasn't for another hour or so. I decided to steer YiaYia back towards the Theater but it was still down. One Man's dream was next and we both again enjoyed the displays and the movie. The air-conditioning was also welcomed relief.

 

[Tatum20]

Meanwhile, Toni was keeping her Social Media audience abreast of her whereabouts.

"Oh Christo! It's you? I thought Sterg was pushing me."

"You thought I was Sterg? That's why you were talking so nice to me!"

"Well sure, I'm nicer to my grandchildren. Now help me up and then you can keep pushing me."

And there you have it.

Not sure which of these made me laugh harder- Toni keeping her audience abreast of her whereabouts or Yia Yia changing her tune once she realized it was her son and not grandson pushing her. A sense of humor is a must on a hot crowded day!

 

[fractal]

After watching the History of Walt Disney I decided to check on MMRR again.

As luck would have it, they started opening the ride as we rolled up! I quickly scampered to get us in line.

"Slow down Chirsto!"

"You're ok, just hold on."

The stand-bye time for MMRR during our stay was at least an hour, usually 90 minutes or more. We were here in less than 5 minutes!

Last time I rode this was in 2020 and we did not see the pre-show. YiaYia and I both enjoyed it, especially the ending (which I won't give away).

Time to board. The entire process of going through the queue, and boarding with a wheelchair went as smooth as one can expect. The CMs did a great job with us. I was imagining how different it would have been if she was steering her scooter through the crowd, turns and tight spaces...

No such drama that morning.

Seated and ready for our train ride!

 

[buzzrelly]

Then a 20 second exposure of the Mill. From where I was standing it was barely visible. Proof that even in the darkest times, there is always some light.

This is just so perfect, it almost looks fake.

Main Street was glowing. Disney certainly dressed her up for the 50th.

Another perfect shot.

Happily Ever After is coming back!

In celebration here are some HEA pics from 2017...

YES!!!!!! I cried while I watched the announcement! This is the best announcement they've made in a LONG time!!

Also, gorgeous pics! Is your retirement plan to go work as a photographer for Disney? I sure hope so! And they'd be crazy NOT to hire you!

YiaYia was up and ready to go, and dressed in appropriate Florida in July attire.

So cute.

and she caught me checking my Social Media!

You look like the cat who ate the canary!

"It's ok sweetie, I don't need to go on any rides." She responded. "You can just park me somewhere and you go on your rides."

She seemed to be a great mood based on her very pleasant tone with me and calling me sweetie. Something I can't remember her ever calling me. Maybe it's the wheelchair experience?

She's probably afraid you'll dump her in a ditch!

"Do you have to go to the bathroom?" I asked as I spotted the restroom on the right.

"Yes, and you can just leave me there honey."

So I push her over and start to help her out of her seat.

"Oh Christo! It's you? I thought Sterg was pushing me."

"You thought I was Sterg? That's why you were talking so nice to me!"

"Well sure, I'm nicer to my grandchildren. Now help me up and then you can keep pushing me."

And there you have it.

Oh! That's hilarious! A twist I did NOT see coming!

 

[fractal]

This is just so perfect, it almost looks fake.


Another perfect shot.


YES!!!!!! I cried while I watched the announcement! This is the best announcement they've made in a LONG time!!

Also, gorgeous pics! Is your retirement plan to go work as a photographer for Disney? I sure hope so! And they'd be crazy NOT to hire you!



So cute.



You look like the cat who ate the canary!



She's probably afraid you'll dump her in a ditch!




Oh! That's hilarious! A twist I did NOT see coming!

Thanks for continuing to follow and comment! We had a very memorable day that day with my Mom!

 

[fractal]

Back to YiaYia and I traveling through the zany Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railroad...

She was entranced by it!

The 14mm lens proved to be a good choice.

Photos however do not capture the best part of this ride which is the animation on the walls coming to life to not only tell the story but also give you a sense of being part of it and moving through the story with our favorite mice.

Underwater

This is a passage between rooms - the waves on the wall are moving up and down and towards the next room as your car picks up speed as if you've been caught up in them. Very cool illusion!

We both enjoyed our quick dance lesson as the car would perform the steps off Daisy's instructions.

and we avoided being smashed!

Another happy ending!

UP NEXT - Our Day with YiaYia continues across the Galaxy!

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

Nothing can stop us nooooooooow

I've been enjoying your trip report. Your photos are incredible!

Just seeing the images from the Runaway Railroad ride caused The Earworm to reappear. I swear it's a catchier tune than Small World.

 

[mousiemom]

I've so enjoyed your trip report. Our daddy was our photographer of the family, we have 75 boxes of slides that he took, dating back to 1950 when my parents were dating. So, we all know how precious these photos are, he is now 87 with dimentia. Because of having a camera in front of us our whole life, we all continue to take lots of pics! Your kids will do the same I'm sure. I love that Yia-Yia, she reminds me of my mama. Keep snapping those photos!!

 

[fractal]

I received a transmission from Gold Leader and Blue Leader that they were making the jump to hyperspace for Batuu. Good thing YiaYia's wheelchair had a hyperdrive.

Batuu's surface temperature didn't provide any relief but we rendezvoused with the rest of the squad.

We were hungrier that a Wookie on an Endor moon so we found the hardest working droid in the Galaxy for some Ronto wraps.

Don't work too hard 8D-J8!

The wraps were a big hit with everyone!

We received a message that our services were needed for a heist job to fund Resistance efforts so off we went to the Docking Bay.

What a hunk of junk!

With our team fully assembled and being braver than we thought, we boarded the Falcon while YiaYia stayed behind to watch over the camp.