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

[fractal]

Oh my goodness, Enchantment has never looked so good! Those pics look like they could be on a brochure for WDW!

Thank you @buzzrelly !!

Yikes. My mom struggled a bit with hers too. She hit many rails in The Little Mermaid line...I think there was a different entrance she should have used!



So cute

They are not easy to drive!

Thanks!

I know what you are saying about people not carrying around DSLR or Mirrorless cameras anymore. I noticed it a lot on my last trip in December. I still carried mine around because I like the pictures I can get with that compared to my phone. I will say my phone did really well for the fireworks at MK so I don't know if I would buy a dedicated lens for fireworks any more. I am more of a traditionalist when it comes to taking pictures at WDW...I want my "real" camera.

We are a dying breed! My google pixel 6 did well under certain applications but just still can't compare to a "real" camera. My fear is computer computation is eventually going to close the gap between phone cameras and "real" cameras which will take all the fun out of photography.

 

[MamaMouse0920]

Following along! Your family dynamic reminds me so much of my own, I found myself chuckling along at Sterg & Toni (and yours!)'s antics. Felt like I was at WDW with my own brood! So thanks for sharing.

RE: your photography - HOLY COW. You are great! I know it bothers professional photographers to no end when people see a nice photograph and say "wow, you must have a nice camera!" not realizing exactly what goes into getting that perfect shot. Heck, I have an expensive camera & it has sat in my closet untouched because I can't figure out how to use it... It goes way beyond just "a nice/expensive camera". All that being said, give yourself some credit!!

Great shots & great Trip Report. Can't wait to read more!

 

[fractal]

The last time we were all together with Yia-Yia at WDW was in 2017 and we were not quite comfortable having her go on Flight of Passage. She insisted however and after the ride claimed that "Oh my God Christo, How did they do that? It was beautiful! I saw heaven and helll." She then went on to rave about the experience and it took us quite some time to convince her that she didn't actually fly.

So with her being "old hat" to FOP we forged ahead with our Lightning Lane access. I didn't take any photos this time and wanted to enjoy the experience.

Sterg however did grab a quick video of Yia-Yia in the pre-show. The part when the want you to move so they can clear you of "Pandorian micro-parasites". Well, Yia-Yia turned it into a little Navian dance.

After the ride I wanted to see her reaction. I wasn't expecting this...

"I thought I was going to go around the world! To India and Paris..." She was looking forward to Soarin' - another ride she loved - and wasn't expecting flying on a banshee. OK then. What's next?

How about some lunch?

Satu'li was the easy choice and we all mobile ordered and picked up.

Yia-Yia wanted a hamburger, which Marina ordered and it came out like this...

"Yeah" I said. "They come in these pods."

Yia-yia wasn't impressed. "What kind of cheeseburgers are these?"

She took a small bite then spit it out. "Marina, I said I wanted a cheeseburger! I'm not eating this. Take it back!"

I tried to explain but Marina was gracious and swapped her beef salad for the "pods". Yia-Yia was much happier with that.

After that bit of drama we were off to Asia for a date with a Yeti. During lunch I swapped out my beercan for the 50mm.

Toni continued her smiling. She was really having a ball!

It made me think of all the great memories I had of her over the years in Animal Kingdom...

She was always the eager trooper!

We made it back to Earth! I quizzed everyone about the Tree of Life being built on an oil rig. Sterg got it right because I told him a few weeks earlier.

We spotted Kevin again!

and then our destination!

In the queue...

We're next!

Toni and I asked for front row so we were a train behind, which allowed me to get a shot of the rest of the crew.

 

[fractal]

Bird on the stick was hovering.

there's our resort!

Bicentennial Yeti!

I must have switched to electronic shutter at some point which can create different colors on "projections".

After my ride I decided to check on Yia-Yia who was waiting patiently outside. Flight of Passage for my 86 year old mother was one thing but no Everest for her!

While the others kept riding I was drawn into the theater and the kite show.

then a photo of Courtney, Sterg and Toni...

I always find new details to photograph at AK!

Like this "Ye-Tea" sign...

Shooting the same scene "down the line" created a very different image.

Never noticed this bike before.

Our next destination was a trip back in time.

 

[ambula603]

Such a beautiful recap, as always!! I just sit here and stare at your photos, they truly make me feel like I am IN THE PARK with you guys! I appreciate all the work it takes to set up, shoot, edit, and post these for our enjoyment! I know it can be a labor of love.

One super cool thing I noticed - in the picture of Toni after the shooting range at MK - there is a tiny hidden Mickey in the bokeh!

So excited to follow along, I don't want it to end!

 

[fractal]

I always try to get a different angle on this.

YiaYia was perfectly content with waiting out the "thrill rides" In fact on more than one occasion we would return to her talking to a new friend. My Mom is very outgoing, friendly and tells great stories. She also can be very opinionated with very little filter! But that's what keeps it interesting.

We knew what to expect with Dinosaur and always loved the blast into the past. At 12 years old, Mia was the most "scared" of the group going in. She just transferred to a new school after she had a rough time with a certain group of girls at her old school picking on her. I think this trip was great for her as Sterg and Toni gave her a lot of attention and love that only cousins can do.

Here we go again!

As I've said before - photographing inside Dinosaur is an incredible challenge. With the 50mm 1.2 attached on my camera I was not going to let the challenge pass.

B-Mode Dino but I got him. Remember my setting for the fireworks? F/13, 10 second exposure, ISO 50. For this shot I needed ISO 6400 and f/1.2 due to the darkness, and a shutter speed of 1/200 of a second because of the truck's motion and the dino's motion.

Here's a new shot for me...

And look who saved us!

When we returned, YiaYia did make a new friend and somehow found a flower to put in her hair.

She's a big fan of Festival of the Lion King so Marina, Bill and I decided to take her there while the kids wanted more rides on Everest.

We saw Donald and Daisy along the way...

Back in Africa. The heat was becoming intense and we were all looking forward to some shaded and air-conditioned entertainment.

We got in the standby line for FotLK and wouldn't you know it, they filled up the theater with us about 10 people away from getting in. C'est la vie.

Now what? I made the decision to head to Dawa Bar and get some refreshments. After finding a shaded seat I crossed the street to get a Simba Dole treat for my Mom and Marina.

Bill and I decided on the Safari Ale.

With the heat becoming oppressive we choose to go back to the resort.

One last shot.

On the way to the bus, we discussed my Mom's difficulties with the ECV and the potential danger is posed to herself (and others). We decided to keep the ECV for her to use to get from her room, to the bus, and to the park entrance. At that point we would rent a wheelchair for her. We would put this strategy to the test later at EPCOT.

 

[buzzrelly]

"I thought I was going to go around the world! To India and Paris..." She was looking forward to Soarin'

That's funny! But did she like FOP??

It made me think of all the great memories I had of her over the years in Animal Kingdom...

Aw, that's why we do all this planning and return year after year

After my ride I decided to check on Yia-Yia who was waiting patiently outside. Flight of Passage for my 86 year old mother was one thing but no Everest for her!

YiaYia was perfectly content with waiting out the "thrill rides" In fact on more than one occasion we would return to her talking to a new friend. My Mom is very outgoing, friendly and tells great stories. She also can be very opinionated with very little filter! But that's what keeps it interesting.

My mom is the same. She doesn't mind waiting for us and just sits and chats with people.

When we returned, YiaYia did make a new friend and somehow found a flower to put in her hair.

So cute

 

[fractal]

Such a beautiful recap, as always!! I just sit here and stare at your photos, they truly make me feel like I am IN THE PARK with you guys! I appreciate all the work it takes to set up, shoot, edit, and post these for our enjoyment! I know it can be a labor of love.

One super cool thing I noticed - in the picture of Toni after the shooting range at MK - there is a tiny hidden Mickey in the bokeh!

So excited to follow along, I don't want it to end!

Thanks @ambula603 ! It does take a lot of effort!

I never noticed the bokeh hidden Mickey - thanks!

That's funny! But did she like FOP??

She did, not as much as the first time she rode it but she still loves it. Lol!

Aw, that's why we do all this planning and return year after year

Yes it is - so many great memories!

My mom is the same. She doesn't mind waiting for us and just sits and chats with people.

I'm guessing I'll be doing that someday.

So cute

Thanks!

 

[erinch]

Good for you on ECV safety. In June my daughter and I made a quick run from Epcot to MK just to ride HM and go to Momento Moro. It was our last day. We had dinner plans back at Epcot. In the bottle neck coming out of HM turning towards the riverboat, a lady behind me, who had no idea how to drive her ECV, acce.rested and ran over the back of my heel. I was in flip flops, and the pain was excruciating. Her daughter yelled at her and they continued on their merry way. But I was over an hour in first aid, gushing blood, and glad my heel wasn’t literally severed. But now I have a scar and it still is not fully healed, 2 months later.

 

[fractal]

We used the afternoon to relax and cool down. I ended up taking a nap in the room. Our plans were to spend the evening in EPCOT and eat dinner sporadically at the Food and Wine Festival kiosks. Team Marina was anxious to get going so they left 15-20 minutes before us.

Ready to go!

We made it.

We couldn't get any signal from Team Marina so we rode SSE.

The 50mm 1.2 was perfect for this ride.

Thank you.

Those Greeks

This is where I spotted this little guy in the corner. In all my times riding SSE I never noticed him!

He's not a boy. He has a full beard. But he's literally half the size of everyone else in the scene. And why is he holding a broken statue? Strange. I got a better shot of him.

on to the Romans...

And it was burning.

Don't worry, be happy.

The backup system.

Another detail I never noticed...

The first spellchecker?

 

[fractal]

Get this man a chair!

Some SpaceShip Earth details...

It was right here that the ride stopped for a good 4 or 5 minutes. I decided to switch to videoing the rest of the ride. A wider lens would have been more appropriate but overall I thought it came out well. I've been trying to get more into video but the files that come out of my camera are so large that they lock up my 10 year old MAC if I try to load them for editing. I really need to upgrade my system before I delve into video much further. The videos I post now are uploaded directly from the SD card or phone to YouTube.

Here is the "2nd Half" of SpaceShip Earth...

Sterg was enjoying his future!

I was dying to see Guardians which made that our next stop.

This was a good teaser.

Then Mission Space. I finally made contact with Marina - they had YiaYia in a wheelchair and were at Canada. I told her we were going up the Mexico side and we would meet them in the middle of World Showcase. She asked why I would go that way if they were in Canada and I responded with "We're practically at Test Track so to reverse course from here would be stupid." Looking back I don't think she understood what I was getting about but she didn't seem happy.

The other reason we were heading up that side was to get to the first-aid center. During our afternoon break, Toni tripped and fell outside scraping her knee pretty bad. I played Doctor but my bandaging gave way in Epcot and we needed to stop some bleeding.

On the way to First Aid. The staff, by the way was great. They cleaned her up put some cream and bandage on the scrape, gave us a fresh supply and sent us on our way.

We snagged this at a nearby Kiosk - our first (and best) food stop of the night.

World Showcase was packed!

We stopped into the Mexico Pavilion.

 

[2xcited2sleep]

Your photos are truly stunning. Absolutely beautiful! I would be an absolute wreck attempting to operate a scooter. It is not easy, especially in crowds. I want to start a business with accessories to "bling out" your scooter on your trip. Haha.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Great photos!

 

[fractal]

Following along! Your family dynamic reminds me so much of my own, I found myself chuckling along at Sterg & Toni (and yours!)'s antics. Felt like I was at WDW with my own brood! So thanks for sharing.

RE: your photography - HOLY COW. You are great! I know it bothers professional photographers to no end when people see a nice photograph and say "wow, you must have a nice camera!" not realizing exactly what goes into getting that perfect shot. Heck, I have an expensive camera & it has sat in my closet untouched because I can't figure out how to use it... It goes way beyond just "a nice/expensive camera". All that being said, give yourself some credit!!

Great shots & great Trip Report. Can't wait to read more!

Thanks for following @MamaMouse0920 !

You're right - it can be annoying when someone says "your camera takes great photos". But I understand what they mean. If you ever want to start getting into photography I recommend this book to read first... https://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Exposure-Fourth-Photographs-Camera/dp/1607748509

thanks again!

Good for you on ECV safety. In June my daughter and I made a quick run from Epcot to MK just to ride HM and go to Momento Moro. It was our last day. We had dinner plans back at Epcot. In the bottle neck coming out of HM turning towards the riverboat, a lady behind me, who had no idea how to drive her ECV, acce.rested and ran over the back of my heel. I was in flip flops, and the pain was excruciating. Her daughter yelled at her and they continued on their merry way. But I was over an hour in first aid, gushing blood, and glad my heel wasn’t literally severed. But now I have a scar and it still is not fully healed, 2 months later.

I'm really sorry that happened to you! This is the second trip with ECVs in our party and I've gotten my foot run over several times and legs bashed (but not nearly to your extent) and that's from either my Mom or Father-in-law! The numbers of ECVs in the park continues to grow and it's something that needs to be addressed. Those things need bumpers or something to help prevent what happened to you.

Your photos are truly stunning. Absolutely beautiful! I would be an absolute wreck attempting to operate a scooter. It is not easy, especially in crowds. I want to start a business with accessories to "bling out" your scooter on your trip. Haha.

Thanks @2xcited2sleep ! Good business idea - include safety devices!

Great photos!

Much appreciated @StarWarsMomofGirls!

 

[fractal]

Sterg and Toni grabbed this to eat in Norway.

They weren't very impressed.

The "Wall People", the "Freeze People" and the "Beavers" were out in full force.

Dodging, darting and avoiding them became a game for us as we utilized the large space in WS to zip through.

I pulled out of the fast lane for this shot.

While the 2/3rds peeled off to find more food, I needed a beer. These two were very nice and after asking questions about my camera I asked them if I could take their photo...

In Germany. I love this statue!

I then focused on the miniature train set despite no train running...

It was very warm and muggy that evening but World Showcase was buzzing and filled with wonderful sight, sounds and electricity. 2020 was nice because we had the place mostly to ourselves but it was great to feel that energy again in EPCOT.

 

[Skywatcher1206]

Great trip report! Your pictures are amazing! Looking forward to more.

 

[fractal]

As we continued our journey through World Showcase I called Marina to get a bearing on their location. They were approaching Morocco and she was still steamed at me as if we were trying to avoid them, which was ridiculous. My sister has a great but very demanding career with crazy hours. Vacations, especially to WDW are not only her getaway time from that but also great quality time with her family - both of which are very valuable to her. So when on these trips she wants thing to go a certain way and can she can get testy and demanding. This serves her well in the corporate world so I understand where it comes from plus I grew up with her!

We hit Morocco at the same time and everyone warmly greeted each other except Marina and I. She walked by and gave me a hmmmph type look. All of a sudden it was like we were 10 and 12 years old fighting for control of the TV.

"Marina, I don't know why you're so mad at me!"

"Because I told you we were in Canada and you decided to go the complete opposite direction!"

"We were already on that side - near Mexico!"

Bill, listening in along with half the people in Morocco interjected. "Sounds like we have an international crisis here. I'm going to be Sweden and play neutral."

Marina and I stopped, looked at him and started laughing along with the kids and some other bystanders. After that and some more explaining by me about Toni needed First Aid, etc. we were good again. Just like in childhood when one minute we wanted to kill each other, then the next we were best buddies.

With the air cleared up of family drama we hit up the Greece Kiosk for some Gryros.

In addition to my Mom being an amazing cook and expert in Greek Cuisine having had her own restaurant for half her life, I just happen to run our Church's Annual Greek Food Festival. I've been the Chairman of that for 15 of the past 18 years and it's a pretty big deal.

My kids love helping out...

Thousands of people come to it every year.

The local TV stations do stories on it...

We have live Greek music all weekend.

and Greek dancing...

and of course, amazing Greek Food.

The Greek Kiosk was about to be put to the test.

Unfortunately, it failed. YiaYia and I agreed it was the worst gyro sandwiches we ever had and the saganaki (fried Greek kesseri cheese) was hardly passable.

But, I did get her to pose...

We all decided we wanted to hang out in World Showcase and wait for the fireworks show. I immediately regretted not bringing my tripod. Marina and I, now working as a team secured a spot by the lagoon in front of Italy. We would take turns manning it while others explored. I decided to take my camera into Italy for the first time as it's likely the country I've least toured and photographed in WS. In fact, I probably have more photos of the Rome scene in SSE than the Italian pavilion!

 

[fractal]

Entering Italy

A beautiful pavilion!

Sporting the 14mm.

Love this statue!

This little guy was digging for coins. Lol!

UP NEXT - Harmonious, and night-time EPCOT photos!

 

[buzzrelly]

In addition to my Mom being an amazing cook and expert in Greek Cuisine having had her own restaurant for half her life, I just happen to run our Church's Annual Greek Food Festival. I've been the Chairman of that for 15 of the past 18 years and it's a pretty big deal.

How fun! My grandfather came from Greece and all my life I've grown up hearing about what an amazing chef he was. Unfortunately, he passed when I was 3 and don't remember him much and my mom never learned how to make amazing Greek food.

The Greek Kiosk was about to be put to the test.

Unfortunately, it failed. YiaYia and I agreed it was the worst gyro sandwiches we ever had and the saganaki (fried Greek kesseri cheese) was hardly passable.

But, I did get her to pose...

Nice picture! Too bad the food wasn't good. Is it Flower and Garden that has the Spanakopita? I love those and have eaten them there many times

 

[rdkeim]

Enjoying your TR very much! Love all the great photos. You're blessed with photogenic children which is a plus WDW can bring out family drama especially when traveling with a larger group. Nice you could quickly put it behind you. Looking forward to another installment!