WDWFigment's Photo Trip Novel Part II: October 2009 - Legends of the Fall

WDWFigment · Oct 16, 2009

Chapter 2: The First Morning is Always the Slowest

As always, the next morning arrived quickly. It still surprises me a bit that I can sleep the night prior to our trip, because I always am so excited when I head to bed. Sure enough, though, always lights out (I'm probably jinxing myself for the next trip by writing this)! That morning, only one thing raced through my head: Sausage McMuffins. In retrospect, I probably should have double-checked that we had everything packed so that we would remember our DME stuff and Annual Passes, but once my mind becomes fixated on Sausage McMuffins, the only remedy is consumption of Sausage McMuffins.

While we got ready, our sons Yossarian and Walter guarded the suitcases. Sarah's dad arrived at 7:00 a.m. to pick us up, and we headed off to the airport for our flight. When we arrived at the airport, we had a good deal of time until our 10:45 a.m., which afforded us more time to savor the delicious McDonald's (although Sarah opted for the treasonous route and got a breakfast burrito from Qdoba's rather than the delicious American fare of Mickey D's; I informed her the founding fathers would be spinning in their graves. She was not fazed). I got a kick out of harassing Sarah while she ate her breakfast burrito by taking pictures of her, and I got some fairly humorous pictures, but I am smart enough not to post those here.

After breakfast, Sarah had some work to do for an online class, during which time I decided to put on the Tomorrowland Area Music loop and take a nap. Really, though, when you're listening to the Tomorrowland Area Music while sleeping, it's not a nap, nor is it sleep, at all. It's more like being cryogenically frozen or put into hypersleep and then 'appearing' in the future (just don't have Alcor do it for you!). When I awoke, it was time to head towards our gate to board our flight.

Sarah and I always fly Southwest, and the day before each flight, we sit at our computers refreshing until we are able to check into our flight. We do this so we can sit in the front seats on the plane. We rarely are not the first two people to check in online. With the introduction last summer of the reserved spaces for business class passengers, we were a little concerned that we would no longer be able to sit in the front. However, Southwest is not popular for business travelers, or at least not popular for business travelers from Indianapolis to Orlando, so that has never been an issue. Prior to our trip this time, a new system was released, allowing individuals to pay $10 more for priority check-in. This spoiled our front row plans. I don't quite get it; the only reason we thought anyone flew Southwest was because the airline was so cheap. I am a bit surprised that anyone (who is cheap like us) would be willing to pay $10 more for priority seating. Kudos to Southwest, though, as it seems to be making them money.

The flight arrived early, as always, and I am beginning to wonder why they don't just advertise the flights being shorter if they can make them shorter 95% of the time. I know it always makes people happy to see the flight 'beat expectations', but are people really this stupid? I think most individuals who fly realize that most flights don't take as long as initially stated. Do the airlines think we are 'more satisfied' because they beat false expectations and delivered a 'shorter' flight? I guess it's the same marketing theory at work that makes people come to WDW because they're getting a 'great discount' on their vacation package, even though no one ever pays rack rate. I guess that explains why Disney keeps raising ticket and food prices. Few people are paying those prices anyway, why not make the percentage discount of the packages appear greater?

I've commented in the past that, no matter how many times we fly into Orlando International, in the heat of the moment we get excited, and forget the way to DME. Well, this time we had to go to baggage claim first, but we decided to take a divide and conquer approach with Sarah heading to DME to get our tickets printed, and me heading to the baggage claim to get the bags. By luck or divine intervention, not only did I make it to baggage claim without getting lost, but I also took the correct route from baggage claim to DME. Sarah, however, took a bit of a more scenic route.

Even with the slowdown from picking up our own baggage, we still made it from the plane to the DME bus within 25 minutes. This is probably the fastest we've ever boarded the DME bus. Looks like we should forget our luggage tags more often!

When we got on the bus, the driver announced that we'd be stopping at Old Key West, Saratoga Springs, Port Orleans French Quarter, and Fort Wilderness. In the past when we had stayed at Saratoga, Fort Wilderness had always been the first stop, but given Murphy's Law, I assumed we'd be last.

Old Key West and Saratoga were the first two stops, and I have to say, I am somewhat glad we made the stops there. I always love seeing our 'Home' at Saratoga, and it made me get a little more excited for our Honeymoon, which is currently booked at SSR. Then, we stopped at Old Key West, which made me a little more excited. I figure we will have no difficulty getting into Old Key West at 7 months if our other preferences don't pan out, and I really think Old Key West has an underrated beauty. In case you're curious, we're hoping for Bay Lake Tower, Beach Club Villas, BoardWalk Villas, or Old Key West, in that order. I think Beach Club will probably be the most difficult to score out of all of those. Looks like we'll find out in November—we'll be warming up those dialing fingers and calling early!

After we stopped at Port Orleans, the bus began heading towards Fort Wilderness. We booked Fort Wilderness, essentially, for lack of a better option. I wasn't so enthused about this idea, but it was the cheapest option when we booked a room at the last minute (we almost did the Dolphin, but it was more expensive and we'd have to rent a car or pay for a shuttle in lieu of DME). When I was young, my parents and I used to stay at Fort Wilderness in our camper. However, I hadn't stayed there in roughly 15 years. The few memories prior to this trip that I could recall from Fort Wilderness are good ones. I remember getting a Dale (dressed in his Chip 'N' Dale Hawaiian shirt) plush on one of our first trips there at the Outpost, and I remember going to the Hoop De Doo Revue a couple of times, but that's about it. My biggest concern initially was the internal bus routes at the Fort, as I have heard that they can make getting to and from the Parks a pain.

Some of those fears were alleviated the weekend before our trip after doing some more research and stumbling upon the Disboards Camping Board. The best way I can describe that board is as a close-knit community of Fort Wilderness lovers who seem to have more fun there than any of us typical "Resort-Goers" and have a great amount of knowledge about Fort Wilderness. After spending a couple hours combing the Fort Wilderness Picture of the Day thread, I became very excited about staying at the Fort. I also talked to Cory Disbrow, who is a huge fan of the resort, and he gave me some tips for the stay. All in all, I ended up being pretty excited about staying there, and I was moderately enthused about the photographic possibilities for the resort. I would be even more enthused if I could somehow make my way over into River Country.

We wouldn't have too much time to enjoy Fort Wilderness, as we would be leaving for the Studios immediately upon arrival. We first met up with our friend Nick, who is a Cast Member at the Coral Reef, then we checked in. After we checked in, we waited for a van to take us to our room. It took the van about 15 minutes to pick us up, and my mind began thinking, “so it begins” with the Fort Wilderness transportation system. The van finally picked us up, we got into the room where I snapped some quick pictures, and we prepared to head to the park.

I had planned on requesting a room in the 2800 loop upon check-in so that we could walk to the Outpost Depot. However, doing Online Check-In precluded me from doing this, and we ended up in the 2500 loop, near the bus stop. The pictures of the inside of the cabin don't really do it justice. These cabins are really nice; I would say they are easily on par with a DVC room as far as amenities go. About the only thing missing was a washing machine and dryer, but we didn't need it, so it wasn't a big loss. I really liked all of the pictures in the room—the old Fort Wilderness train was definitely my favorite. Upon leaving our room, a bus almost immediately picked us up. The bus at the Outpost took only a few minutes, and we were off to the Studios.

WDWFigment · Oct 16, 2009

Chapter 3: Starting at the Studios...Again

Upon arrival, we had our Annual Passes re-printed. Then I called Matt and Jeff, two of the out of town Disney fan-photographers who were meeting us for the trip. They were over on the Streets of America, watching Mulch, Sweat, and Shears with Susan, a local WDW fan-photographer, and her husband, Bill. After saying our initial 'hellos' over the deafening sound of the band, we took some more pictures and headed over to Lights, Motors, Action.

I often get comments in the Parks about my “fancy” equipment (to which I don't really know how to respond. “Thanks” I guess?). Most people don't carry more than a point and shoot camera, and those who do have DSLRs usually carry just the camera and the kit lens. Maybe a 50mm as well. I would say I probably have more gear with me than 99.5% of the guests in the Park on any given day. However, this day, I felt a bit inadequate. As we approached Matt and Jeff, I saw Matt armed with duel Canon 5DmkIIs, his grey L series 70-200 and a bag loaded with gear, and Jeff with his 5D and 70-200 f/2.8L IS. Suffice to say, with my D90 and 50mm mounted, I felt a little inadequate. I guess I didn't realize just how large those 70-200 Canon lenses are. The things are monsters. I guess I really should look into getting a 70-200 f/2.8 soon. Even my 18-200 (my largest lens) is probably only 1/3 of the size of one of those lenses. It might be a pain to carry such a big lens around all day, but like any typical man, my masculinity is more important than a slight inconvenience. Oh yeah, and it would make for some sweet shooting, too (that 18-200 just doesn't work well enough to control depth of field).

Sarah and I have ever only seen LMA once; it was on our first trip together in 2006. It was raining on and off that day, and we had to wait nearly an hour for the show to start. Then, once the show did start, it seemed to drag on forever. Since that experience, we had not been back. We were a bit reluctant to see it again, but figured maybe our opinion was based upon the hour long weather induced wait. It was not. The show is neat, but is about 20 minutes too long, and just generally seems dull—which is really odd given that it's an action show. Even photography-wise, it does very little for me. We won't be back for a while.

After LMA, we headed to Star Tours. Barring some unplanned trip in the near future, this would probably be the last time we would experience the current incarnation of Star Tours. Sarah wasn't too upset by the prospect. Simulators are not exactly her favorite type of ride. I was a bit more sad, as I love the current version for reasons of nostalgia. The queue is excellent, the pre-ride boarding area and video remind me of my youth, and the attraction itself is fun. I think of all the little details, like the post-show posters for all of the travel 'destinations', and hope that those details will exist in the next incarnation of the attraction. I have faith in George Lucas and Disney (they both may independently screw up a lot, but I figure if each bat .500, hopefully they bat 1.000 together...or would they be batting .250 together?!).

We then headed onwards to One Man's Dream, where we saw the film for the first time. The film was excellent and very interesting, but I don't think I'd watch it again. There really isn't anything all that special about experiencing it at WDW, and I would get the same experience out of watching it on my iPod while not at WDW. I think WDW time is too valuable to spend on things like this. It was definitely worth seeing in the Park once, but that's enough for us.

Following One Man's Dream, we headed over to Toy Story Mania so Matt, one of the photographers on the trip, could meet up a college friend. During that time, we saw the Luxo Jr. show for the first time. I was very impressed with this, and it just goes to show you the neat little details that are throughout the Parks. I can only imagine how much that cost from design to completion, and I'm sure it wasn't cheap. For all of the bashing of Team Disney Orlando that goes on in the forums, something must be said for things like this (although I'm sure the standard retort would be that “Lasseter got it done!” Well, how do you know that? Lasseter is a busy man; making sure a Luxo Jr. gets put into DHS wouldn't seem high on his list of must do projects) that won't necessarily draw crowds or 'pay for itself', but is an excellent detail that will enhance the Guest experience.

WDWFigment · Oct 16, 2009

Once Luxo Jr. completed his show, I headed around to the front of the BAH/BFH to get some shots with my Ultra Wide Angle lens. I've discussed this lens at length in our last trip report, but I have a bit more to say about it. I am absolutely enamored with the lens. Prior to purchasing it, I was on the fence about getting a UWA or a fisheye lens or neither. I considered not getting either because I thought both were 'niche' lenses that wouldn't get much use. Ultimately, I got the UWA for this very reason: because I determined the fisheye wouldn't get enough use. I still figured only around 5-10% of my shots would utilize the UWA. Well, I certainly was wrong in a big way. Over the past two trips, not including dark ride shots, probably around 50% of my shots have been with the UWA. I think at some point people are going to think it's overkill or that I took the shots with the UWA just for the sake of the UWA (I know the feeling—it always irritates me when people add an 'artistic' tilt to images for no reason whatsoever. It's like they're trying too hard to make the image artistic. Well, slanting an image just for the sake of slanting it doesn't make it artistic, but I digress...), but I don't think I've hit that point yet (at least I hope not). The UWA is great for close-ups, introducing distortion, heck, even fireworks. It's an excellent lens (type), and something that needs to be in any Disney photographer's bag.

Following my BAH picture session, Sarah, Nick, and I headed over to Tower of Terror. Guess what? We got one of the 'rare' ghost guest sequences during our ride. First time since 2007!!! It was amazing. Okay, maybe not that great, but it was pretty cool. I think I write this every time I write a trip report, but I love looking for all of the little Twilight Zone references in that attraction. I swear I see something new each time we ride. Is there a list online of all the references? I'd love to see it.

At this point, we were all getting pretty hungry, so we stopped to eat at the food stands (the name of which elude me right now) near Tower of Terror. In an uncharacteristic betrayal of the House that Sonny Eclipse Built, I had a burger. It was alright, but without that topping bar, it just isn't the same. We then hit Great Movie Ride and the guys grabbed their tripods in preparation for Fantasmic, before we headed to the 9:30 p.m. showing.

We only arrived at the Hollywood Hills Amphitheater about 20 minutes before the show, but we still got really good spots. In fact, given the relatively light crowds, I was somewhat surprised Disney extended the park hours by a half hour that night and added a second showing of Fantasmic. Where were those extended hours in the elbow to a...... crowds that we experienced in August?

Sarah is not especially keen on Fantasmic, and while I think it's alright, it certainly is my least favorite nighttime show on property. Something about a show full of water projections and Pocahontas scenes just doesn't do it for me. I don't think a new dragon would do it for me either (the dragon didn't even come out on this particular night!). The show needs some better effects, and less Pocahontas. I don't think WDW still needs to be advertising the “newly released” Pocahontas, so it's time for a change. Here's a good idea—theme the show to Meet the Robinsons, so the show is incredibly dated again in 10 years (as I'm sure it would take that long to update again), when no one has heard of Pocahontas. I guess the one positive is that Pocahontas wasn't a flop, so it doesn't feel incredibly dated. Still, Pocahontas falls far short of being an animated classic, in my mind.

After Pocahontasmic!, we began shooting pictures. Jeff headed to the front of the park (rookie mistake

) while Matt, Sarah, and I stayed back by Tower of Terror. We quickly got shoed away from this area, as there was an after-hours private party being held near Rock 'N' Rollercoaster. Shooting went well that night, although I could already sense a trend that would dominate that trip. Since I was usually using the UWA lens, I would usually get really close to the subjects. Well, this didn't work out so well for Matt and Sarah, who were using the longer end of their lenses, meaning they were standing farther away, and also meaning that me and my tripod were in their way. Given that we had up to 6 tripods operating all at once at various times in the trip, this was bound to happen at some times, and I think we handled it fairly well most of the time, but then again, maybe I only think that because I was always the one that was getting in the way, not the one having others obstruct my shots.

One way I screwed up, and it would have been such an easy thing to correct, was in failing to use the flash gels I bought for the trip. I carried them with me each day, but I didn't use them once. They would have been really helpful, mostly for these night shots of us, but I just flat out forgot to use them. In a few instances, I used Smart Objects in Photoshop to do separate white balances for us and for the background, but that was a huge pain. Next time, I am making sure I use the gels. Maybe I will write it on my hand or something.

When we finished shooting the Studios, I suggested we head over to the EPCOT resorts to do some more nighttime shooting. As Jeff turned around to answer, the look on his face answered before he even opened his mouth. I can't really blame them, as both had fairly early flights (Jeff had been up since before 5 a.m.). Sarah and I opted to not go by ourselves (the look on her face told me that she didn't want to go, either). Little did I know that Joe, who had just arrived in town, had the same idea as me, and was out shooting those resorts as we spoke! Drats!

We finally got back to our room at around 11:45 p.m.. It's an absolute rarity for us to get back to our room this early, and I didn't quite know what to do with myself. I really wanted to go take pictures of our resort, but figured I should acclimate myself to the grounds during the day, so I didn't get lost at night and consumed by Grizzly Bears (well, since there are no known Grizzly Bears in Fort Wilderness, I suppose Alligators or Armadillos would be my more likely predators). Instead, I went to bed. That turned out to be a terrible decision. Although Sarah fell right asleep, I could not get a wink of sleep over her deafening snoring. We actually got a call from the front desk telling us to keep the noise down.

WDW Vacationer · Oct 16, 2009

Sorry.

WDWFigment · Oct 16, 2009

Chapter 3: All Hallow's Eve – In Early October?!

Okay, that isn't true, Sarah doesn't really snore. The real problem was that I consumed 32 ounces of Coca Cola just three hours earlier. I don't normally ever drink caffeine, and I assumed we'd be up later, so this much caffeine really did a number on me. I finally got to sleep only to wake up less than three hours later, still jittery from the caffeine. At that point, I figured I might as well get up and go take some sunrise shots of Fort Wilderness—and the shot I really wanted to get, the sunrise over the Contemporary.

The walk from our loop to the Marina was a nice one. It was cool seeing all of the decorations people had set out, and it was fun checking each trash can for the elusive “Musket Mickey” (I found one) and the even more rare “River Country” trashcans (didn't find one; I don't even know if there are still any around). When I got to the Marina twenty-five minutes later, I had a startling realization: I don't know a lick about geography or meteorology. Many of you may know that the Contemporary Resort cannot be seen from the Fort Wilderness Marina (if you don't have personal experience, maybe your intuition or logic informs you that it can't). I didn't. Many of you may additionally know that the sun rises in the east. I didn't (or at least I didn't think about it this particular morning). Thus, even if I could have seen the Contemporary from the Marina, the sun would not be rising behind it. I believe this is something the kids would call an “epic fail.”

After my unsuccessful, but very fun, morning shoot, I boarded an internal bus to take me back to our cabin, and finished getting ready. We then headed off to EPCOT. The bus system that morning was very quick; I was pleased, but still weary of the previous day. During the ride, we heard from the guys, who were already at EPCOT waiting for the park to open. Shoot, the first morning and we're already running late. We finally got to EPCOT 5 minutes before the park opened. When we made it inside, I began speed-walking to Soarin' to catch up with the rest of the party. In my haste, I passed them; I didn't stop until I heard a loud “Tom”.

We got our FastPasses for Soarin', and then headed over to Test Track and Mission:Space. Upon exiting M:S, I noticed they had patches for sale that could take the place of my patch that had not arrived. At $6, I decided to pass. We then headed back to Soarin', which was great as always. Oddly, there was an announcement totally prohibiting photography. I've never heard that one before on Soarin'. We ended up hearing it both times we rode Soarin' that day. We then headed over to World Showcase, where we contemplated trying to make pigs fly by getting walk up seats for a party of 6 at Nine Dragons. The good news was that they had open tables! The bad news was that the only reason tables were open was because the restaurant had not yet opened when we arrived. Not wanting to wait the 40 minutes to find out that they were booked solid, we ate at Lotus Blossom Cafe. This was a pleasant surprise for Sarah and I. We hedged our bets initially by splitting the Shrimp Fried Rice and getting a side of Egg Rolls after seeing what appeared to be small portions on the menu, but were happy to find that the portions were larger than the menu depictions. Portions bigger than the pictures? That has to be a first!

WDWFigment · Oct 16, 2009

Following lunch, we headed out to the grounds of China for some photography. Prior to the trip, an unfortunate incident (not self-induced like my tripod fiasco from August) forced Jeff to rent a 5D for the trip. Jeff also grabbed a fisheye lens for the trip. Up until this point in the trip, so far as I know, Jeff had not busted out the fisheye. Then, he did, and all hell broke loose. Like a cruel succubus, that lens would taunt all of us throughout the trip, and I'm sure we're all closer now to lightening our bank accounts than we were prior to the trip thanks to Jeff. Since Jeff is to blame for us potentially purchasing the lens, I think it'd only be fair if we billed him for it, but something tells me that bill would go delinquent. Check the picture of the day thread

After that, the guys suggested we do something that Sarah and I have never done: watch Reflections of China. I don't know how we've always missed this; perhaps it's because we always arrive to World Showcase later in the day and I want to make sure we don't miss the festivities at American Adventure, so we head directly there, overlooking much of the other countries? All I can say is that I'm glad we watched it. While it was no Timekeeper, it was really cool. CircleVision films rock! I think Sarah and I need to start making more of an effort to spend more than a day at EPCOT. One day really isn't enough time to do everything, especially when we try to do Soarin' twice each day we're there, which requires heading back to Future World after we're in World Showcase.

We then headed back to Soarin' to use our second FastPasses before heading to pick up our MNSSHP costumes from a locker and catching a monorail over to Magic Kingdom for the pre-parade featuring Buzz Aldrin at 2:45 p.m..

Always ones to cut it close on time, we arrived only a few minutes before the parade began. I didn't expect the pre-parade to be crowded, as I hadn't really seen it advertised at all online. I was sadly mistaken. People had signs all over, and Main Street was packed. We couldn't find any good spots to stand until suddenly a woman recognized me and offered to let us sit near her. Unfortunately her name eludes me now, but I know she had stumbled across the forums while planning her first trip. She seemed to be having an excellent time, and she certainly made our days by making some room for us. If you're out there now, thanks again for the great spots!

After the pre-parade, our objective was clear. We must ride the Tomorrowland Transit Authority. We headed directly to Tomorrowland for our first ride on the TTA since last December. As we entered the attraction, I heard Nick talking to one of his friends who works in Tomorrowland and the words “new today” were spoken. I didn't think much of these words at the time, but they foreshadowed the devastation that lie ahead.

WDWFigment · Oct 16, 2009

As we took our places aboard the ride, I sat back and prepared for the narrator's deep voice to inundate my ears. Instead, a pimply faced, crackling voice, pre-pubescent teenage boy hiccuped from the speaker, talking about Stitch and Pixar.

Now, I normally don't mind wussy narration, but this was a big deal to me. A big deal. I know there is some controversy online about this, with many claiming the new narration is better and/or that the narration should not be a big deal. I will now explain how these opinions are patently wrong.

First, the narration is a big deal. This is because it is half of the sensory experience. There is nothing to taste, smell, or touch on TTA so the only experiences are sight and sound. The TTA does offer some pretty good views of Tomorrowland, but it also quite bare in some spaces. Given that you can see Tomorrowland from elsewhere, and given that bareness, I think any argument that the TTA is solely about the sights is fundamentally flawed. The sights may be a large component, but the sounds aboard the TTA are a large part of the experience. The sounds consist of the narration, and the area music. The area music also exists all over Tomorrowland, so it isn't necessary to visit the TTA specifically for it. That leaves the few show scenes and the narration as the only truly unique aspects of the TTA, if we reduce the ride to its most basic terms. How can the narration not be essential? The answer is that it is essential.

Moreover, and if you don't buy that argument, it's a Disney Detail. The argument that people shouldn't 'care so much' about the new narration ignores exactly what sets Disney apart from the competition—attention to detail. Do people honestly think guests should not pay attention to details? That basically would sanction Disney building nothing but unthemed rollercoasters a la Cedar Point or Six Flags. Do any fans really want that? I'll ignore the discussion about whether it's the most 'important' thing in Tomorrowland. That argument is misguided. All that matters is that it is important. Given that Disney Details are what separates Disney from the competition, every detail is important. I happen to think this is a pretty important detail; maybe not the most important, but pretty high up on the list. Regardless of where you rate it on the list of importance, you should care about it as it is a detail.

Second, there are those who say this version is better. There are generally two camps as far as this goes: those who don't like it because it was chopped up over the years and/or because they liked the ORAC-1 narration better, and those who just like the new version better. Regarding the former group, I think that's a dumb rationale. So they like the current version not on its merits versus the last version, but because of some other version that doesn't really have a horse in the race? That isn't rationally grounded. I don't care if the current version were chopped up over the years because: 1) I don't remember the preceding versions, and 2) that version definitely isn't coming back. It would be like being okay with the Winnie the Pooh dark ride being replaced with a much worse attraction featuring Stitch, Jar Jar Binks, and Carrot Top. I'm not going to be okay with that simply because I was upset when Pooh replaced Mr. Toad. Mr. Toad, at this point, definitely is not coming back. Pooh getting its “just desserts” is only something I'd advocate if its replacement is superior to it.

The other group, those who just like the new version for its substance, I can understand. At least their reason follows logic. Now, I think it may not be sane to prefer the new version, but it doesn't have a logical flaw like the other arguments I've seen. Of this group, I've seen people say it ties together Tomorrowland better. I don't see how, but whatever. My biggest problem with the new version is the voice, and the lack of anything memorable. The old narration was rife with quotable portions, this new version is mellow and lacks any lasting appeal. I would have been fine with a new narration if they at least made it unique and entertaining. This version simply states what is where—I have no problem with the narrator stating 'what is where'; that makes sense and is fitting of a transportation system, but why not do it in a fun and memorable manner? Insert witty little catchphrases or some sly humor. Do something, anything, to keep it from being dull. This version is dull. Throwing in some references to the “Peoplemover” to appeal to the Disney purists doesn't do a whole lot for me. This isn't all to say that these problems couldn't be ironed out, and some witty references inserted, and I hope they do just that in the test and adjust phase.

Alright, enough of that rant. It just is a big deal to me, and it's irritating to see people advocate the new version not because they prefer it, but because they think other people shouldn't care.

“First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a communist;
Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist;
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist;
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew;
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak out for me.”
~Pastor Martin Niemöller

I know the TTA isn't quite equivalent, but you get the idea. After TTA, we headed to Buzz Lightyear's Spaceranger Spin, where I conquered all! That's right, I maxed out my gun for the first time ever! I would like to thank a lot of people for helping me in this endeavor. First, I'd like to thank Walt & Roy Disney; without their dreams and visions, my accomplishment would never have been possible. Second, I'd like to thank my parents; without them bringing me into the world, we would never have this great achievement. Finally, I'd like to thank my fiancee, Sarah; without her to whoop on at Buzz, I would've never achieved such a brilliant score! As you can probably tell, I was pretty excited about the score.

Following Buzz, we headed to Haunted Mansion, followed by Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, and Pirates. The heavy hitters—all within about two hours. That would never have been possible in August! All were as great as usual.

After that we headed to eat at the greatest restaurant in the world. I don't know if I mentioned it previously, but Jeff and Matt had retired to their rooms for...well, they said to grab their tripods, but since they were both staying at the Contemporary, and it took them several hours to meet back up with us, I'm guessing they actually took naps. Keep in mind, these guys are in their thirties, which means they're practically pushing daisies already, so the afternoon nap is permissible. I guess. Anyway, I state this now because I was a bit relieved that they weren't joining us for dinner, as that meant only Joe would see my disgusting burger consumption style at Cosmic Ray's.

On our way to the restaurant, Joe and I chatted about how cool it would be to be a WDW photographer. He told me about the cool tilt-shift video on the Disney Parks blog, which led to a discussion about how many cool photographs the photographers working for Yellow Shoes (the creative photographers working for Disney—the ones who likely take the images in the souvenir books) take that the world never sees. Given that Disney has several full time photographers, and the company reuses many of the same pictures from souvenir book, I really wonder what these photographers spend their time doing. Obviously they don't just do souvenir books, and obviously their creativity is constrained in the souvenir books because they must have mainstream appeal, and most people aren't into creative photography. Still, it would be cool to see a Disney Photography book—one with an art orientation rather than one that just uses pictures to illustrate what attractions exist in the parks. I think our general consensus was that we'd both love to be Disney photographers. Heck, I think I can speak for everyone on the trip in saying that being a Disney photographer (for Yellow Shoes—not PhotoPass or the Fairytale Weddings) would be one cool job. Just imagine all of that access for shots. I am salivating at the thought.

At this point, you may be thinking, “then Tom, why not just tame the act a bit, and not load up on the toppings?” Well, that is one option, and would have preserved proper decorum and probably also preserved Joe's opinion of me as a decent human being, but it was also the lame way out. Anyone who knows me knows that anything I do, I do in an extreme manner. Surprisingly, Joe didn't say anything about my mountain of toppings. He's more polite than I am.

WDWFigment · Oct 16, 2009

With fully bellies, we headed back out into the park. Nick would not be joining us for the party, Joe wanted to do some Golden Hour shooting, and Sarah and I had to get our costumes put on, so we split up. I presume most people go back to their resorts when it's time to get costumed up, but not Sarah and I. That commute is valuable Disney time. We had brought our costumes with us, and were not above getting changed in the handicapped stalls in the bathroom. I didn't see anyone else doing this (not that I was snooping around looking in other stalls...), so I can only assume we're in the minority. With that accomplished, we emerged as Astronauts!

After picking up our party tickets from Guest Relations, we debated how to proceed. I knew we would be getting character pictures, so I told the guys we'd meet up with them later, knowing they would not want to wait around for us while we embraced our inner children. I had solicited a lot of advice regarding touring plans for MNSSHP, and I received some good advice. However, much of this went out the window when we passed the Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs line to find it stretching fairly long at 6:45. We initially planned to get two of the Pooh characters before getting into this line, since Snow White didn't come out until 7:30, but Snow White was a “must get” for us, and the prospect of waiting in an hour plus long line during the height of the party scared us, so we got into line.

You may wonder why Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs would be must get characters for a couple of twenty somethings. Certainly the characters were not staples of our childhood, which is right, but they resonate with us for another reason. You see, Sarah loves Snow White for Princess White's germ phobia. Like Snow White, she has a dictatorial attitude towards handwashing. For me, the Grumpy hits home. Similar to him, I don't understand the reason for washing my hands more than once per day, and I can find a reason to complain about anything. Plus, I'm the height of the little gem miner.

While in line, we made friends with a mother and her college aged son who were dressed up as the Queen of Hearts and the Mad Hatter, respectively. They were obviously big Disney nuts like ourselves, and we talked about various things, from DVC to the MVMCP. Whenever we're talking to people like this, my mind invariably wonders if they're a member of the forums here. I then wonder whether I should ask, and I weigh the pros and cons. Pros are that they are, and we have something in common, or that they aren't, but only because they had no idea such a thing existed. It's probably hard for some of us to imagine that people like this are out there—huge fans who don't have any online presence—but such fans existed prior to the internet, and not everyone even has the internet, so it's definitely a possibility. The cons are that they are the non-internet type folks, and would either look at me strangely, not understanding what the heck I mean by a “Disney forum” or even a “forum” in general, or that they would think I'm crazy for actually discussing Disney online. I can almost hear them say, “we thought we were big fans, but you discuss changes in sponsorship of the little 'handwashing tips' with other people on the internet? Jeez oh pete, you've really gone off the deep end!” Upon balance, the cons always win out, and I err on the side of not being perceived as a lunatic. I'm not saying we're lunatics for posting here, but to the un-assimilated, it may seem a tad peculiar (really, though, they're the odd ones!).

At around 7 p.m., at the official start of the party, we saw Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum appear outside the teacups. I made an offhand remark to Sarah, and the Queen of Hearts in line in front of us encouraged us to go get our picture with them while she saved out spot. I was a little hesitant to do this at first, thinking it would irritate others waiting in our line (there is no “Fast Pass” for character pictures, after all) but several people behind us chimed up, and also encouraged us to go. So we did. It made the 'sting' of waiting in line 45 minutes for pictures a little more bearable, as we ended up getting two sets of “must get” pictures.

Oddly, while we were over with Tweedle Dee and Dum, a Cast Member asked us if we were there with NASA. I thought it was all in fun, so I played along, stating that we were, and he asked us some more questions. Finally, when I said that we had actually been on a flight to Mars, I saw his face drop a little. Obviously, he had realized we weren't actually astronauts, and he was not just joking around with us. Two other Cast Members later engaged us in similar dialogues (although one may have been kidding, it was tough to tell) and it was clear that given the day's events, some thought some astronauts might have hung around after the parade. As one of the disappointed Cast Members lamented, “I guess if you guys really were with NASA, they'd have security following you, or something.” It made us proud that our costumes really were 'that good', but I couldn't help but think of all the 'giveaways' that should make anyone quickly realize we weren't real astronauts. I guess we should've just pretended a little better, signed some autographs, and been content knowing that we brightened the days of those who usually brighten ours.

As 7:30 approached, I frantically contemplated my camera settings. Not only did I have to bear with the camera settings, but I worried about the fog that Disney was pumping in right behind Snow White (I have no idea who decided that the biggest photo op of the evening should be obscured by smoke, but it really was a boneheaded decision). One of the most difficult aspects of photographing our trips is that I must hand my camera off to someone else to get pictures of us. I always survey the scene in advance and determine the appropriate settings, but even doing that, the pictures don't always turn out properly. To account for this, we hand both Sarah's and my camera off, hoping that we get at least one good shot. This has its own unintended consequence at time, that being that the character attendant and PhotoPass CM (if there are one of each), don't indicate to us who is taking the picture when, so Sarah and I look at the wrong camera. The Queen of Hearts and Mad Hatter had taken pictures of us while we were in line, and they had done a good job and taken several pictures, so I decided to see if they could take the pictures for us rather than the PhotoPass CM and character attendant in this line. They happily obliged, and the result was several good shots. So, if you're out there reading this, Queen of Hearts or Mad Hatter, thank you so much!

When we got done with Snow White, we immediately headed over to the Pooh line. Tigger and Piglet were out. I was hoping to get Eeyore and Pooh (if we only could get two), but I would be content with Tigger and Piglet. What would have been really cool is having them do an overlapping set change while we were “up”, but given the odds of that happening, I wasn't holding out too much breath. We got Tigger and Piglet on that trip.

WDWFigment · Oct 16, 2009

It was around 8 p.m., so we figured we might as well get spots for the parade. I told Sarah it would probably be crowded for the first parade, so we shouldn't expect good enough spots to get any pictures, but we both really wanted to see the parade twice. Well, when we arrived on Main Street, we found much lighter crowds than we expected! We thought maybe Disney was finally doing a good enough job advertising that the second parade was much lighter. Whatever the reason, we were pleased. We got spots right on the curb. Shortly after we sat down, announcements began that the Headless Horseman would be riding soon, and Cast Members began making sure people didn't have their feet in the street. I thought this might be a bit excessive; after all, what difference would it make if my feet were on the street or up 5 more inches? If that horse really wanted to run me down, I didn't stand a chance in either way. However, not being one to flaunt the rules, I happily obliged. Well, in retrospect, I can see how it might actually be a game of inches. The Horseman came really close to us! I wondered to myself afterwards if the rider has a difficult time steering given his...err...headlessness, and whether the horse is trained to stay between the curbs. In any case, it was very very cool. Photographically difficult to capture, but seeing it was the real fun.

Following the horse, the parade took a long time to come. I'm thinking it was almost twenty minutes later. I've heard the horse often comes in slight advance (5 minutes) of the parade, but I didn't realize he'd be that early. The parade was awesome. Coolest parade I've ever seen at Disney (excepting SpectroMagic). It even beat the Christmas parade. It was that good. I think what set it apart from the Christmas parade was the performers, as the floats (some of them, at least) seem fairly similar between the two parades. The shovel dancers, the Haunted Mansion dancers, the Headless Horseman, the Haunted Mansion caretaker—I'm probably forgetting someone—all were excellent. They absolutely made the parade. I now think the key to any successful parade is: headless people, scrapping shovels on the ground, proclamations of it being “good to be bad”, chickens 'bawking' to the beat, and the Country Bears rocking out. Any parade organizers out there reading this, you can thank me later for my solid advice.

After the parade, we met back up with the guys, and found spots for HalloWishes. Matt has been anointed as the fireworks guru among our group, so we followed his advice when choosing our spot. When he went to the end of Main Street nearest the Train Station, I was pleased, as I think that is a great location to watch any fireworks shows that have perimeter bursts. We set up our tripods and fidgeted around while waiting. As we waited, we all could not get over about the light crowd levels. The place was dead. We were all shocked, especially since we were attending a Friday party. I guess that was one of the benefits of people tightening their spending on their trips, I'm sure the MNSSHP was one of the first things to get cut. That's really too bad, given the quality of the party. Well, too bad for them; their decision not attend really help us out!

At one point, Sarah said she should get a picture of the line-up. I really wish she would have done so. It was quite the sight to behold. I don't know the exact cost of everyone else's gear (although curious, I'm not about to start a conversation by asking, “so how much did you pay for that? ….and that? ….and that?” That may make some folks uncomfortable.), if I had to guess, I would say there was around $15-20k worth of photography equipment sitting on that street that evening. I offered to watch it for them while they went to grab some candy, with the hopes of hawking it to passersby, but the guys didn't take me up on that offer. I think they saw the big sign I had folded up in my bag that said “Photography Stuff 4 Sale CHEAP!” Oh well.

HalloWishes was awesome, and we had a great location for it. While the Boo to You parade exceeds the Christmas parade, HalloWishes does not trump Holiday Wishes! Not even close. Maybe from a pure pyrotechnics perspective, but the show elements of Holiday Wishes are far superior. Can't beat that “Oh Christmas Tree” portion, the wonderful score in general, and the neat juxtaposition of the bursts with various dialogue, sound effects, and the score.

After HalloWishes, we headed back to see if Mickey and Minnie's lines had quieted down. They had not, or at least had not enough to make us ready to queue up for them. Instead, we lined up for Pooh and Eeyore. After only about a 7 minute wait, we got to see them. Not bad!

We then decided to see the “less popular” characters in Adventureland and Frontierland. First up was Woody, Bullseye, and Jessie. We already had pictures with them from Christmas, so we didn't plan to wait in more than a 5 minute line. Even better, there was no wait. Same was true for the characters over in Adventureland. We even got to play around with King Louie and Tarzan over there. I have to say, whomever was friends with King Louie that evening had some rhythm. I've never seen a primate moonwalk quite like that. I guess those good ape-feet are good for something!

WDWFigment · Oct 16, 2009

Tarzan and Terk were just as much fun. Sarah let me go visit with them first, and Tarzan immediately began joking around. I made the mistake of saying that we liked to hunt gorillas, but made a quick save as soon as I realized this was probably not what he wanted to hear by saying that we hunted gorillas with cameras. When Sarah finally joined in the fun, Tarzan indicated that he was impressed by her bilingual skills, and asked me to translate the “Giggle” language for him. Sarah then said we liked to eat gorillas! She's even worse than me! I quickly jumped it to correct her, saying we liked to eat pictures of gorillas. Tarzan harassed us a little about the taste of pictures, and Sarah spoke in her native tongue of Giggle some more, before we headed on our way. If meeting with characters and having some fun are more important than just getting cool pictures of them, then these locations in Adventureland and Frontierland are the hidden gems of the parties. At both MVMCP and now MNSSHP, we've had a blast having extended interactions with the characters. You won't get that from Snow White and the Dwarfs given their huge line!

Following our character fun, we headed back to Main Street for the parade. We arrived just prior to it starting, and sadly missed the Headless Horseman. Oh well, you can't do it all. The parade was just as good the second time as it was the first. After the parade, we debated between hitting the Villains Mix and Mingle, or going to see Mickey and Minnie. This was tough for us. If we went to the Villains Mix and Mingle, we probably wouldn't make it back to Mickey and Minnie in time to see them. Same if we went to Mickey and Minnie first. I also warned Sarah that if we went to Mickey first, we may not see Minnie. Alternatively, we could try to 'go for broke' and hit Mickey and then race to the Castle forecourt to catch the Villains. We ultimately decided to see Mickey, then go from there.

We got done with Mickey relatively quickly, and it was decision time. The time was 11:27. The Villains show had ended at 11:17. My bet was that they would be very close to cutting the lines. We had never met Malificient, and I really wanted to get our picture with her and Cruella. I was almost positive that we'd only get our picture with one of the two, if that. Then, there was the risk that we'd get neither, and we wouldn't make it back to Minnie in time to get her, either. We opted for the safe route and just got Minnie. Knowing our luck, someone who was there on October 2nd is going to respond to this and say, “You really missed out, the Villains in the forecourt stayed out until 11:50 p.m.. We got our picture with each of them 5 times! I've never seen them stay out that long! You losers missed out!!!”

WDWFigment · Oct 16, 2009

After Minnie, we decided to head to Haunted Mansion for some pictures there. Along the way, we saw the Queen of Hearts (the real one) and White Rabbit. Without reference to the time, we stopped to get our picture with them. Here we experienced one of my beefs with the character meet and greets at the hard ticket events. For all of the great lighting that Disney puts out for these parties, they often fail to illuminate the characters. In my opinion, there should be enough lighting at all of these M&Gs to make an on camera flash optional (I would use it as fill, anyway, but I mean I should be able to get a proper exposure with the camera). Instead, the flash is the only way you have any light in the scene, and you end up with almost entirely black backgrounds. This is one of the reasons we didn't do the Villains show—the lighting there was atrocious, versus the decent lighting on Mickey and Minnie.

Overall, the party was a great success for character meetings. My only complaint is that the Country Bears were not out (I don't think they ever are for the party). Then again, I think the Country Bears should always be out. Those bears rock. I think they should actually make of subset of Frontierland and coin it “Bearland” (creative, right?). Maybe make a dueling banjo bar starring the bears, and a ride on a bloody saddle with Big Al. Then you could visit everyone's favorite 3D film, “Pucker Up” starring Liver Lips. Heck, the options are so endless, maybe a subland isn't what's needed at all, maybe the Magic Kingdom just needs to become “Bear Kingdom”. WDI, if you're listening, I am looking for a new job...

After the Queen and Rabbit, we headed over to Haunted Mansion. Come to find out, it was midnight! I thought it was around 11:45. I guess time flies when you're having fun. Luckily for us, the PhotoPass photographer beckoned us within the gates (I always feel uncomfortable shooting HM after hours. Are the 'inner gates' off limits? I'm not sure, but we don't push our luck). We were able to get some decent shots there and some of the Cast Members even joined us for a shot!

Following that, we headed towards the entrance of ToonTown to get a shot of the sign all dressed up for the event before heading to Tomorrowland. I was actually a bit surprised that we made it from Liberty Square all the way to the other side of the park without running into any sweepers. I guess it was good luck. Tomorrowland was our final destination, as any good astronauts dream of the future...or Monstropolis...or science fiction....or whatever the exact theme of Tomorrowland is. Obviously, whatever the theme, as astronauts, that's where we'd get the most apt pictures. While I really liked our costume choice, I have to say, in the future, we might go with something that will be more fitting with the character M&G pictures. Obviously, we couldn't have fit the theme with everyone, but we didn't get any “futuristic” meet and greet shots (where were you, Buzz and “626 Stitch”?!) whereas we got a lot of Fantasyland-type characters.

When we arrived in Tomorrowland, we met back up with the guys. From there, we slowly made our way out, photographing various things as we left. I was more mindful of getting in the way of the other guys, and Sarah and I wanted to keep getting pictures of us, so I kept the 18-200 mounted that night. I think after getting some more creative shots with the UWA, I can't go back to just 'standard' shooting of static objects at night. Don't get me wrong, I love those static shots, but it just seems like I've done it all with that type of night shot. Now, I either need to experiment with angle, perspective, and depth of field at night, all of which are difficult with the 18-200. Conversely, that seems to be the best lens for night shots of us. Sarah, if you're reading this, skip ahead three sentences. What I need to do (Sarah, you've stopped reading, right?) is get (really, stop reading...) a second camera body. That way, I can quickly change cameras between shots rather than take the time to switch lenses. It's the perfect solution for all...besides my bank account.

We then made our way up Main Street, getting some shots of the cool lighting and mist before exiting. The other guys had already left, but Sarah and I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to get some shots at the Train Station (we usually have Cast Members walking with us all the way to the buses, but didn't on this evening), plus Sarah had to get a refund for our locker, so I set up the tripod while she did that. We managed to get about 10 shots or so before, much to our surprise, Joe magically appeared. It turned out that there was no magic involved whatsoever. He had wandered down to the old Swan Boat landing, and the rest of us had forgotten about him. I guess that shows how we rate as friends! We chatted briefly, and Joe set up for some shots as well. Then a Cast Member arrived and, in so many terms, informed us that it was time to leave.

We then boarded a bus for Fort Wilderness. I have to say, prior to our trip, I was a little concerned about the logistics of staying late in the Magic Kingdom after closing, as normally the only way to get from the Magic Kingdom to Fort Wilderness is via boat. The Disney website claims that these boats run “up to 3 hours after park closing” without pinning any definitive time on when they stop running. On this particular night, would “closing” be 7 p.m. or 12 a.m.? Regardless, what would “up to” mean? By using the “up to” language, Disney effectively has free reign to stop the boats whenever it wants. I recalled from previous trips seeing the boat launch closed when as we left the Magic Kingdom, so I knew they didn't always run the full three hours after closing. I was so concerned about being stranded and having to catch a taxi that I contacted Len Testa to see if he knew anything. He basically told me that Disney wouldn't leave us stranded. Having received an answer from the master of Disney travel knowledge, I assumed we'd be fine. Given that we boarded a bus that evening, Mr. Testa's information obviously was spot-on.

This night, having been exhausted all day, and being more conservative with my caffeine consumption, I slept like a baby. Morning still came quickly the next day, but at least this time I had nearly four and a half hours of sleep. That's nearly an eternity!

WDWFigment · Oct 16, 2009

Chapter 4: EPCOT Center's Food & Beer Festival

That morning, we had some slight setbacks that had me concerned that we wouldn't get to EPCOT by 8 a.m. For the start of morning extra magic hours. When we left our room at 7:25, I thought we had no shot. By complete luck, the bus to take us to the Outpost was waiting for us when we got to the bus stop, and the EPCOT bus was waiting for us at the Outpost bus stop. We were dropped off at EPCOT at 7:49. I was shocked. Once inside, we got FastPasses for Soarin', then got a locker and headed to SpaceShip Earth, followed by Test Track. After that, we met up with the guys and did the Seas. While waiting out front of the Seas, Matt spotted a celebrity of the Disney Fan Community, Mike Scopa. After saying hello briefly, we headed inside and enjoyed the attraction. Following that, we wandered around the pavilion for a few minutes before heading over to favorite of ours, Universe of Energy.

Next up we boarded Bravo 229, were shrunk down to the size of a drop of water as we joined Dr. Lair on her quest to remove a splinter from the human body. Along the way, we battled past white blood cells, and I battled with my squeamishness of the sight of blood. Well, perhaps this is little more than a daydream, but it's what I was preparing for, and recalling, as we entered the old Wonders of Life pavilion for the first time in over ten years. The general look of the inside was just as I remembered it. Even though it's been so long, I vividly remember getting “Goofy About Health” down on the floor of the pavilion. Food and Wine Festival, and the festivities inside the pavilion were neat, but what has happened to that pavilion is really sad. Those events could've just as easily been held elsewhere, and we could just as easily still be celebrating the Wonders of Life.

WDWFigment · Oct 16, 2009

Shifting our focus from what should be to what actually is, while approaching the restroom, we saw Paula “Add Three Sticks of Butter” Dean. I reluctantly admit that I watch the Food Network quite often—not because I enjoy cooking, my cooking skills start and stop at microwaveable goods, but because I really enjoy eating. Of the personalities on the Food Network, Paula Dean is one of my, and Sarah's, favorites. She is energetic, her food is delicious, and she doesn't take herself too seriously. About the only thing worse than a stuffy, holier than thou photographer, is a stuffy “foodie” chef who thinks cooking is some brilliant art form. I love food, but people just take some things too seriously. Seeing her was awesome, even if it was only through the gaps between the plants. Had we known in advance that she would be there, we might have inquired about tickets. However, I'm sure the price was well outside of our budget.

While we were in the Wonders pavilion, Nick picked up a ticket for a Jim Beam presentation. He asked us if we would be interested in attending, and we declined. After he picked up his ticket, we split up from the guys to head over to Innoventions to get our Kimmunicators for the Kim Possible World Showcase scavenger hunt. Rather than getting the Kimmunicators right there, as we had expected, we got times to go to the World Showcase to get them. With those in hand, we headed towards World Showcase to meet up with the guys.

Along the way, we saw Goofy's cousin, Max, preparing for a meet and greet. His line was only 1 person deep, and we are character fiends, so we queued up. If you asked me, “name three characters who embody Future World,” my instant responses probably would not be “Max, Stitch, and Daisy Duck.” However, I've heard of these characters appearing more and more often. I guess Figment, EPCOT's mascot, can't do meet and greets, but there's always room for Stitch. Makes sense.

Along our way to Canada, we caught up with the rest of the photography group. They wanted to do O Canada first, which presented a prime opportunity for me, as I can never convince Sarah to do it. After the success of the last CircleVision 360 attraction, I figured she'd be an easy sell. She wasn't a tough sell, but I could tell her heart was set on riding Gran Fiesta Tour sixteen times in a row. Sarah loves Mexico, and accordingly, that boat ride. Plus, I think she has a crush on José Carioca.

O Canada was great. I think it will probably be a must-visit attraction for us (or for me...and by extension, Sarah), and what I really like about the CircleVision films is the re-experience-ability. There is no way that you can see everything in those films in one viewing, or even in several viewings. Plus, the grandeur of the presentation is really great. Canada has always been one of my favorite countries in the World Showcase (I mean actual countries—and yes, I do 'rank' countries to an extent), and now its pavilion is near the top of my list, too. With O Canada, Le Cellier, and the cool totem poles, Canada is one rockin' pavilion.

After O Canada, the guys were planning on doing lunch at Rose & Crown, something that would prove slightly too costly for us. I was a bit hesitant to pass, as it was our one chance at a Table Service meal between our August and October trips, and dining at WDW is one of our favorite things to do, and a thing that really completes the experience, so I am almost ashamed to say that between two trips, we did not do any table service dining. Hopefully we will compensate for this with some really extravagent dining during our honeymoon.

Instead, we opted to sample the Food & Wine Festival offerings. I guess the one thing that consoles me for us not having eaten any Table Service meals is that we opted for F&WF, something we had never experienced, instead. I have to say, the fare we sampled for F&WF was just as good as many things we've had at Table Service restaurants. Unfortunately, it probably ended up costing us more for a full meal of F&WF 'samplers' than a meal at Rose & Crown would have cost.

Our first stop was at the New Orleans, Louisiana booth. Sarah got the Chicken and Andouille Gumbo and I got the Crawfish Étouffée. Both were fairly small in size, but that is what we were expecting. Both were also quite delicious. As we headed on, we met up with Nick who had stopped in France. He approached after stopping at the Hops & Barley stand, with a beer and crab cake in hand. The crab cake looked phenomenal, and the taste of the beer that he let me have was delicious. I knew that would be our next stop. While in line at Hops & Barley, I saw people with the New England Lobster Roll. It looked delicious. However, when I got to the podium to order, I noticed the $7.25 price tag. I also noticed that it was a Disney Dining Plan snack credit. Part of me wonders if the prices at F&WF are inflated because so many people are on free dining during the F&WF, and thus they perceive greater value with the prices being higher. Since a good portion (my guess would be slightly over 50%) are using the DDP during the F&WF, this perception makes people think they are getting more 'value for their money.' Well, whatever the case, I wasn't willing to spend $7.25 on a small lobster roll. Instead, Sarah and I both got the Crab Cake with Cabbage Slaw and Remoulade, which was delicious. If that lobster roll was even better than the crab cake, it might just be worth the $7.25!

Also at Hops & Barley, I picked up a cup of the Samuel Adams 14th Anniversary Festival Beer. This beer was out of this world. It had a very subtle berry taste (we're talking subtle, not over the top and girly, like a Leinenkugel) with a taste somewhat similar Samuel Adams' Oktoberfest, but not especially similar. I'm not especially great at articulating the reasons why I like particular beers, but I know what I like. Granted, I have had my fair share of cheap and crappy beer (I did go to college), but I also enjoy good micro (and macros) brews. I have read online that the Festival Beer is usually just a relabeled Seasonal beer that Sam Adams puts out. If that's the case, I'd really like some feedback from the beer aficionados as to what Seasonal brew this was. It was excellent!

The Festival beer was so good that we decided to go to “The History of Beer in America” at the American Adventure Pavilion. I had previously read online that all of the seminars such as this one that involved sampling would cost $5-8 this year, and this was being done because of huge lines at the events in previous years, so I was a little concerned when I first heard about the seminar that it would either be lame, or that it would have a huge line. Well, neither were the case. The seminar was very interesting, albeit a blatant advertisement for Sam Adams beer. It might as well have been called, “The History of the Boston Beer Company and its Founders.” The samples were good, too, although I think most people who have any interest in beer have probably already tried Sam Adams and Sam Adams Light. I realize the sponsor of the seminar wants to get 'bang for its buck' in giving out samples and in sponsoring the event to begin with, but I would have preferred a seminar without free samples that was a little more objective. Not that there was anything wrong with the seminar, I don't mean to sound down on it, as it was incredibly fun and interesting—but as with many things, there is room for improvement.

WDWFigment · Oct 16, 2009

After the Sam Adams seminar, Sarah and I rethought our decision on the Jim Beam seminar. This was mostly because the crowds and the heat were both high, and we figured that at $8, there wasn't much of a risk. The real risk was in the hour or so that the seminar would take, and the value that an hour has at WDW. Skipping it also meant not getting to do the Kim Possible scavenger hunt for yet another trip. There was also a risk that the event would be sold out, and we'd make the voyage all the way around the World Showcase to Wonders of Life for nothing. Ultimately, we determined that walking around the World Showcase was hardly a risk given the beauty of the countries we'd see along the way, and we also determined that Kim Possible would be there for a while, but it would probably be a number of years before we'd be back during F&WF, so we decided to give it a shot.

We arrived at Wonders of Life to find that the event was not sold out! We arrived late enough that we wouldn't have to line up in advance (I didn't mention it previously, but we noticed previously when we were at the Wonders pavilion that many people were lining up far in advance for these ticketed events. For the best seats...I guess?), and we got decent seats. I didn't really care about where we sat—as long as we could hear the presenter, I was fine, not like he's some celebrity that I really care about “seeing”. However, perhaps I should have rethought that, as he was quite the sight. Your typical tough guy, fairly buff and well groomed, but with a couple interesting twists. First being that he had several bourbon tattoos. Okay, that's not unexpected given his occupation. Second, and a little more odd, that he had some very eccentric True Religion jeans on (for those unfamiliar, it's a brand of “premium” denim that has some over-the-top features on some of their jeans—usually the most notable being large back pockets with flaps) and a thick white belt encrusted with jewels. Maybe style is different in Kentucky, but that is not what I would have ever imagined a tough 'bourbon-man' would be wearing. To each his own, I suppose.

To the substance of the presentation, it was excellent. I have never been too big of a fan of bourbon, but his captivating presentation, laced with humorous digs at Kentucky's education system and statements of his 92 year old grandfather's love for bourbon (he drinks a quart per day!), made me excited to try the samples. Then, reality set in when that warm bourbon hit my tongue, and I realized how disgusting I found bourbon to be. I could taste all of the flavors he discussed in the presentation, but the two important flavors he omitted, those of “burning” and “stomach churning”, were the most important. Still, all in all it was a very informative and interesting seminar. Although there were some plugs for Jim Beam, it was far less blatant, at least in my opinion, than the Sam Adams seminar. However, in Sam Adams favor, its beer actually tastes delicious.

Following the Jim Beam presentation, we headed back out to the World Showcase to continue nibbling our way around the World Showcase. The first stop was in Cape Town, South Africa, where Sarah and Nick stopped to get the Seared Beef Tenderloin with Sweet Potato Purée. I considered getting it as well, but after seeing the price and portion size, I decided to hold out for something a bit more substantial. They both raved about the taste. In Italy, Sarah and I split the Cannelloni and Pizza. At that point, we just stopped there because it was hot out and we were really hungry. In retrospect, I would have rather stopped for something more exotic that we were unlikely to find at home. Don't get me wrong, the Italian fare was good, but Italian food (and I know true Italian food is drastically different from what we often get in America) isn't something you're unlikely to encounter Stateside.

After those samples (I believe the official Disney term is “appetizers”, but the size certainly doesn't warrant calling them that), we headed off to the American Adventure to experience one of EPCOT's premier attractions. I have previously discussed Sarah's un-American contempt for the American Adventure show, but this time, not just she, but also Nick, demonstrated their distaste for America by falling asleep during the show. More likely, they both were already tired given the lack of sleep from the trip and the alcohol further depressed their bodies. Luckily, my rabid patriotism kept me awake for the show. Heck, I believe it even rejuvenated me.

Since I was the only one rejuvenated by the show, I suggested we stop by the American Adventure for some caffeine. I figured this would be my last caffeine for the day, so I got myself a 32 ounce Coke, as well. While I sat there drinking the Coca Cola, I thought how I've become a “Coke Man”. I used to be an ardent supporter of Pepsi. I drank Mountain Dew and Cherry Pepsi more than I drank water as a child (thanks, mom!), mostly due to the marketing and my desire to collect Pepsi Points (and Pepsi POGS, back when those existed). Similarly, as colas seem to be more divisive than politics, I never drank Coke. I hated it. This loyalty was likely thanks to marketing, as over the years, I've come to tolerate both, but I am definitely a Coke person. This is likely because I only really drink soda at Walt Disney World, so I associate the taste of Coke with our trips to Disney. Thus, on the rare occasions when I drink soda outside of Disney, I get Coke, since it reminds me of Disney. Not that anyone actually cares about any of this, but hey, it's my trip report! Plus, I have a page quota to meet.

While we were sitting down with the Cokes, Joe called to ask what we were doing. I noticed the time, and figured they'd probably long ago finished with lunch at the Rose & Crown. He jokingly said that they headed over to Universal. Not a joking matter, I thought to myself, but agreed to meet up with him anyways despite his transgressions. We headed over to Morocco, where we caught up on the day's events and took some pictures for a while. In reviewing my library of images from that afternoon, I again confirm that I do lousy work when given too much time and trying to force the shot. I felt like I should be snapping away because they were, and the results are definitely less than stellar. I think a big reason was because we had just been in August, so many I hadn't been away long enough to have “fresh eyes” towards some of the subjects. I think I need to get a book on seeing light and shadows, and maybe one on composition, because I am starting to feel that many of my shots are just a tad “tired”.

After stopping in Italy and China to get more pictures, we headed to Mexico for the Gran Fiesta Tour. This was our first stop here of the trip, and when she heard that we'd be heading there, Sarah's eyes got as big as saucers. Her excitement was palpable. After Mexico, it was on to Norway to use FastPasses (yes, FastPasses...it was that busy!) for Maelstrom. I love Maelstrom for nostalgia's sake, but for what I rank as the #3 country in the World Showcase (#1 United States, #2 Canada), Norway sure could advertise some of its better features; rather than trolls, oil rigs, anorexic polar bears, and vikings. I mean, all those things are cool, and I think a viking thrill ride would be awesome, but the attraction seems (to me at least) to present itself as an examination of the life and culture of Norway. Norway seems to be a beautiful country, I don't know why a somewhat realistic portrayal of the country (minus the trolls) would focus on so much dreariness and darkness.

WDWFigment · Oct 16, 2009

After our return to America, the guys had to head to their lockers to get their tripods, and Nick, Sarah, and I decided to hit SpaceShip Earth once more while they were getting the tripods. However, on the way, someone spotted what would make for a great photo op: the moon over World of Motio—err, Test Track and the Odysse—err, some event center/vacant building with the monorail track overhead. Of course this shot is always better with the monorail actually on the monorail track, so we waited. From my experience, and this would bear true later in the evening, there is always a monorail around when you are not prepared with your camera, but once you start waiting for a monorail, it will be at least 15 minutes until one shows up. Without fail. My concern here was that the longer we waited, the more difficult it would for me to get the shot, as I wanted to use my f/2.8 wide angle, and the sky was quickly being painted darker and darker shades of blue. The converse was that I knew as soon as I waved Sarah over for a lens change, the monorail would come, and we'd both miss the shot.

So we waited. And waited. And waited some more. Finally, one of the guys got a message (I have no idea how this happened—I guess he was on his “Bat Phone” to the Monorail Shop) that the monorail was stuck at the TTC. Part of me thinks that he wanted us all to leave so he could be the only one to get the shot, because right after it said this, we saw the monorail in the distance. That's when I panicked, and unfortunately, my shot didn't turn out all that great. My shot is posted below at the top, Sarah's is below it. When I showed Sarah my shot, she did a little victory dance.

After that ordeal was finally over, and I was a bit irked that I waited fifteen minutes for a less-than-stellar shot, we headed towards SpaceShip Earth. If you're keeping score at home, you might notice that this is the third time on the trip (assuming I've correctly documented each previous SSE ride) aboard our Spaceship, Earth. It's an attraction that Sarah and I both love, and one we like to experience multiple times per trip. I wish I could get a home fragrance of “Rome Burning”. I think that smell has been unchanged since I've been going to WDW. As far as Park icons go, SpaceShip Earth is probably creeping ahead of Cinderella Castle for me. That UWA lens has made photographing SSE a real treat, and I appreciate SSE's functionality over Cinderella Castle (although the Castle is functional if you're a family with little girls; don't worry, Castle, these 'rankings' are ever-evolving).

As we exited SpaceShip Earth and walked right past the Project Tomorrow post-show—someday I want to take some time to really enjoy these games; they look really fun—Sarah went to get her tripod and other items out of the locker. While she did this, I stayed behind and got some dusk shots of Spaceship Earth. My image catalog is now overflowing with wide angle SSE shots. I am a bit concerned about this, because I think these shots are stunning, but some have categorized them as abstract. Given that the subject is clearly identifiable in the shots, they are not abstract. Abstract SSE shots (with the exception of a handful), are one of my least favorite shots at WDW. By abstract, I mean just of the patterns (and maybe a leg or two). I don't know why some people think these are cool or creative. Point a camera up at Spaceship Earth, zoom until you can't see anything but the pattern, and take the picture. Presto. I don't see anything special about that type of shot.

I met back up with Sarah and Nick as they exited the locker rental area, and we headed towards Test Track, which we hoped to be able to get in quickly via the single rider line while the other guys shot around Future World. Then, all hell broke loose. I turned around to talk to Sarah about 20 seconds after we started towards Test Track, and she had vanished. Gone without a trace. We began looking for her, and bumped into Don in the process (who probably was suspicious of our story that we had “lost” Sarah). Normally, this wouldn't be an issue, as I could just call Sarah. However she was wearing a pocket-less dress (funny how most dresses don't have pockets) and I was carrying her bag, where her Blackberry was located. After about ten minutes of looking in the area around SSE, we headed to Test Track, where I asked Nick to wait to see if Sarah showed up, while I ventured back towards Spaceship Earth, to look for her.

Finally, after another ten minutes of searching, I saw her wandering aimlessly. It turned out Sarah saw someone passed out (supposedly heat—not alcohol—induced) alongside SSE and her 'nursing instinct' rang loudly. Apparently her, 'tell Tom what I'm doing' instinct was on vibrate, because she didn't say a word to either Nick or me when she went to assist. Despite her worrying me sick, I was a little proud that she'd stop to help someone. About the extent of my stopping to help someone would be calling a Cast Member over and leaving. She actually stayed and did 'medical stuff' while waiting for the appropriate authorities to come to the scene.

With Sarah found, we headed to Test Track. The single rider wait was ten minutes. Illuminations was 40 minutes away. We were weary of the actual time of the single rider wait (the posted time and the actual time can vary widely with this one), but decided it was worth the risk. I already had plenty of unedited Illuminations shots sitting at home, so if I couldn't photograph it, no big deal. The wait for Test Track took almost exactly ten minutes, and we arrived in Mexico about twenty five minutes before the show.

The guys were already all set up, but had kindly left some open space for Sarah and I. Sarah opted not to shoot—perhaps embarrassed by her camera setup and ghetto-rigged tripod, perhaps just tired from the day. After setting up second from the end, I noticed a small boy rocking on the railing next to Don (who was on the end). As I looked down the line, and contemplated the physics of a falling line of cards, I realized just one move too far to the little boy's left, and all of our equipment was toast. That made me cringe a little. Part of me is surprised that Disney even allows tripods in the parks given the potential for tripping, breaking of equipment, and just general complaints or altercations that are possible. Maybe not enough complaints or problems have occurred. Hopefully there is no such 'ban' during our lifetimes!

Illuminations began, and I immediately realized this was probably one of the best locations to shoot it. Unlike during our August trip when smoke obscured most of my shots, they were all clear on this evening. If the images are subpar from that evening, I have nothing to blame but myself. The circumstances were perfect.

After Illuminations, we began our plan of attack for the nighttime shooting. Initially, Jeff was going to immediately go to SpaceShip Earth while the rest of us stayed in World Showcase. I tried to convince him to drop this plan, as the crowds would make shooting difficult, and he wouldn't be able to get pictures of the rest of the park. I could see why he wanted to go up front—especially with the 'cool shot potential' of that fisheye. Something must have persuaded him, because as we headed towards American Adventure, I noticed he has stuck with the group.

We slowly made our way around the left half (Mexico-AA) of the World Showcase. Much slower than I ever have done before, and much slower than I expected Cast Members would let us. The closing crews were really hit or miss this trip. Some were exceptionally polite (which we've found is the norm), some were rude to the point where you had to figure they were having exceedingly bad days. On this evening, in the World Showcase at least, I have to say that the Cast Members were neither. We never encountered any Cast Members, so it's tough to peg them as 'polite or rude'.

When we finally got to Future World, Sarah and I decided to slow down and watch the Fountain of Nations show. It's rare for us to watch this all the way through, and it's impossible to get a good night photo of the fountain without blowing the highlights anyway (although I think Jeff was photographing it, so he'll likely prove me wrong), so we just stood there. That is one cool show. My favorite part has to be when the water is shot up at a high velocity without any water after it, and it just comes crashing down in big blobs. That show is definitely best viewed at night.

We then headed over to the Innoventions Plaza (I think that's what it's called) area where the light up sidewalk is located. I got some cool shots of this on the last trip, but the big purple gate-like structure had since been removed, and I wanted to try again. In retrospect, I should've tried shooting something I haven't done before (we didn't even try to head over to any of the pavilions—why Tom, why?!), but oh well. After that, it was on to get SSE shots. We had an interesting encounter with a security guard there before we got our group shot, and the guys headed out. Then, it was time for me to get the shot that had been on my mind.

WDWFigment · Oct 16, 2009

This shot would come to be my favorite from the trip. I actually had it on my "shot list" for our August trip after seeing a jaw-dropping image in a WDW souvenir book (click on my picture below to see that), but I quickly realized that I had a snowball's chance in hell of getting the shot given how the monorails actually operate. That shot is probably a dawn "Yellow Shoes Exclusive" of parked monorails. After seeing Cory's excellent shot, my mind started wondering if I could get it again. I knew it must be possible somehow.

Then, as they say in those lame commercials, came my "Ah ha" moment. Joe, master of all things creative, explained how it would be possible. I was shocked that I hadn't thought of it, because it's a technique I use in many of my shots. At that moment, I knew it would be obtainable. Also of luck, although not for him, was that Joe left his ultra wide angle lens at home. His idea for the shot is dramatically different than mine (and a lot cooler), and I'm sure he plans on getting it in the future, so I won't disclose it here. I decided to go for the more technically challenging shot, which resulted in a lot of editing for this shot. All in all, I am very pleased with the results.

Capturing the shot required the most patience I've ever had (besides waiting for SpectroMagic from the train station for almost two hours, but that doesn't count). The rest of the guys had already left that evening, and Sarah and I were the last ones in the park. On this particular evening we had already had, ahem, an odd conversation with a security guard, and Sarah and I were stationed about 10 feet from the same guard while waiting for this shot. We began waiting about 5 minutes before Matt and Jeff left the park, and waited until they caught the monorail (pictured). They may have a better idea for how long that took, but it seemed like an eternity to me. At one point, about 3 minutes before I got the shot, the security guard told us we needed to head out, as they were clearing the park. I told him that we just needed two more minutes, and he said something (I don't recall what), so I told him, "just about 30 more seconds." The longest three minutes of my life later (all the while I was fully expecting to get a tap on the shoulder), I got the shot. Phew.

We exited the park with the background music still playing and without another soul around. It's the moments like those, just us in the park, the lights all on, the music at its most crisp, that really make us love WDW. Imagine being a kid in a candy store—no better yet, the only kid in Willie Wonka's factory—no better yet, the only kid in Walt Disney World with all of the characters and rides to yourself—and you'll get the feeling of how special that is to us. It's pure magic. As we exited the park, I craned my head around and slowly watched the park behind us as SpaceShip Earth gradually disappeared from view.

It is quite odd going from a location that is usually so busy, but is desolate, to a location that is usually somewhat desolate (at least at the early and late hours we'd actually been around), but is quite lively. However, that was our experience when we arrived at the Fort Wilderness internal bus stop. It was then that I realized that even with our 'late' departure from EPCOT, it was still only 11:30 p.m.! Hoop De Doo Review was just getting out, thus explaining the hoards of people exiting Fort Wilderness. I had always assumed that when Sarah and I returned from the parks, we were some of the last guests awake on property, besides those engaging in nefarious activities, but I guess that's only true during busier seasons why the parks are open later.

Despite being dog tired when we got back to our room, I had to do a preliminary edit on the monorail shot to see if it would come together how (I thought) it should. After determining that it did, we went to bed. It tore me up inside to not go out and get some night shots at Fort Wilderness, but I knew I needed the sleep more. I need to just get those resort night shots on the first night we're there from now on, because I've missed getting shots of Saratoga, All Star Sports, and now Fort Wilderness thanks to putting it off. Who knows when I'll get the chance again. But, with only six short hours until we'd have to get up for that last full day at the Magic Kingdom, it was important that we were well rested.

WDWFigment · Oct 16, 2009

Chapter 5: The Magic Kingdom Finale

The next morning was another late start for us, and we figured we would not make it to Magic Kingdom until after park opening. However, by the grace of the Fort Wilderness transportation system, we made it on time. My fears were definitely unfounded with the Fort's transportation. Even without our excellent luck on catching buses at exactly the right minute, I would have scored the transportation system well. We caught a bus to the Settlement within 30 seconds of getting to the bus stop (Nick and Sarah hadn't even arrived at the stop yet!), and the boat for the Magic Kingdom was waiting for us as we got to the Marina.

We arrived at Magic Kingdom about 7 minutes before park opening. Invariably, whenever we have arrived in the past, we always get there right as the park opening performance starts. My lens is always fogged, my camera settings are inappropriate for morning shooting, and I can't get good shots. However, this time, we had about 2 minutes to spare after making it through security, so I tried to find a good spot. Then, all of the sudden, I saw it. There was no one near the front of the flower bed. No one! Crowds had formed all around (and the area was quite crowded), except for the absolute best spot in the house! I quickly mounted the UWA, and quickly prepared myself. I hope that spot wasn't being reserved for PhotoPass to have a 'clear shot', but no one said anything to me (and as tight as they normally go with those event shots, I doubt that was the case), so I assume I was alright.

After the show concluded, we headed through the tunnel, all of us brimming ear to ear at the prospect of a full day in the Magic Kingdom. Jeff and Matt had yet to arrive, so Sarah and Nick headed into the Emporium, while Don, Joe, and I shot Main Street. Then the trolley show started. One of my favorite things to see at WDW is this morning show. We've missed it the last couple of trips, so I was really glad to see it this particular morning. It's not so much the dancing, the horse, or the trolley itself that does it for me, it's the music. Sarah and I have particularly worn a hole in that .mp3 track, so suffice to say, it's something we love.

Still brimming ear to ear, and now in full “MK Morning Bliss”, we headed off to Frontierland to hit the only two members of the Magic Kingdom Mountain Range that were open. After waiting a while for all of the party to catch up, Sarah and I decided to break off from the group for a bit to make sure we hit all of our favorites that morning.

We hit Big Thunder, Splash, Jungle Cruise, and then met up with the other guys at Pirates. They informed us that they had gone to Tom Sawyer's Island. I asked them how it was, hoping to convince Sarah that we could head over there ourselves. Prior to the trip, I had shown her some souvenir guide images of TSI, but she hadn't seemed too enthused about going over there. I tried to convince her that even though it's just a walking tour, it would be neat to do once. She held strong that the time to get there and back, along with the time spent exploring the island, would be too great and too valuable to waste on TSI. She ultimately won out (again) this trip, as we did not visit TSI. Oh well, there is always next time. Although I will be ed off if Disney does a Hannah Montana layover of the island between now and our next trip.

WDWFigment · Oct 16, 2009

After Pirates, we went to Country Bear Jamboree, another group favorite. Although Sarah and I both love Country Bears, it amazes us both that the Animatronics are so loud, despite the recent refurbishment. There is one point that is especially puzzling where the heads mounted on the wall move their ears during the show while the spotlights are not on them. I would bet about 5% of the audience would notice this with silent AA figures, but probably more like 75% notice it with the current AA figures, since they make so much noise while moving. Why not cut that scene since it's the noise (which isn't 'part' of the show) that people notice more than the movement? After that, we went over to Columbia Harbor House to eat lunch.

This was Sarah's and my first time at Columbia Harbor House since 2006. Now I know why. Sarah and I are frugal, “value for money” type people. I am more than willing to spend the money for a nice meal at California Grill or Flying Fish (this is the critical distinction that separates us from being simply cheap), but when it comes to generic fast food, I am not willing to pay a premium. This is one of the reasons we like Cosmic Ray's (and Peco's Bills, for that matter). I can spend $9 on a double cheeseburger and fries, and thanks to the toppings bar, I can make the burger more substantial and thus, more filling. Since seafood costs a premium to begin, I get less at Columbia Harbor House, and then get hit with the double-whammy of there being no toppings bar. Don't get me wrong, the food was good, but from now on we will stick with the great entertainment and more substantial offerings of Cosmic Ray's.

With somewhat filled bellies, we headed off to Haunted Mansion and then to Tomorrowland. This was our first real chance to see the Magic Kingdom during the day. Unlike at night during the Halloween party (which had great if not sometimes misplaced theming), the Magic Kingdom was a cluster-youknowwhat. I say that in the most positive sense of the word. It's looking like even more of a work in progress than it was in August. Added to the scrims I previously noted were walls around the Castle, a lot more visible work outside of Space Mountain, and more work in Tomorrowland. The scrim around the Hall of Champions was down, however. The only one thing that was disappointing (and I didn't really notice this on our previous trip on the TTA, I must've been too disgusted by the narration at that time) is the way the TTA looks. It just came back from refurbishment, and it still looks like many places need paint. Additionally, the job they've done at hiding the Space Mountain construction is pathetic. Bad show, Disney.

Personally, I view all of construction and scrims up as a positive thing (with the exception of the aforementioned TTA problems), but then again, I know I will be there again next year, the following year, the year after that, etc.. If I were a once every five years kind of guy, I would be disappointed that so much of the Magic Kingdom was under the knife during my trip. Even as a multiple times a year visitor, I find it disappointing that it's gotten to this point that so much has to be done at once. If routine maintenance were performed, I don't think all of this construction would be necessary right now. However, above all, I am excited about the future and glad to see things are being done. Now, if only they had started on the Fantasyland expansion prior to our arrival. Those are the walls I really look forward to seeing!

Despite the construction and the narration at TTA, it was clear that Tomorrowland is starting to turn the corner. The progress in the Space Mountain area is reassuring, and the new TTA lighting is cool, albeit only partially implemented. While in Tomorrowland, we visited another favorite, Carousel of Progress and took in the sights of Tomorrowland on the TTA.

At that point it was getting time for the guys to head home. At that point it was also time for me to thank my lucky stars for Sarah talking me into staying an extra day. We were not ready to go home yet. After we said our goodbyes (partially – as only Matt was leaving and we may or may not see Jeff, Joe, and Don again), we headed over to Hall of Presidents to take in the new, wonderful show.

While waiting for the show, Nick informed me that a mutual friend of ours had visited the week before and was not wild about the show (and really didn't care for American Adventure). He blathered something about historical accuracy (our friend was a history major in undergrad). I have heard similar complaints online, and I have to say, they irk me a little. Disney must tread a fine line between education and entertainment. In my opinion, whenever there is question, Disney should err on the side of entertainment. Disney does not have the time to offer a detailed distinction of how Lincoln was not an abolitionist. Even if time allowed, how widely accepted or even understood would that be? I hate the dumbing down of society more than anyone, but there is a time and a place for thorough education, and a time for emotionally compelling show that has educational components. The Hall of Presidents should not be the sole source of anyone's information about our nation's presidents. It should pique curiosity and provoke thought; it should be the gateway to further learning, not an end in itself. To fixate on these historical or educational deficiencies is foolish, in my opinion. I know a lot of my colleagues who don't watch Law & Order for this very reason. I think that's foolish; I've learned to suspend disbelief and not nitpick every little thing. There are times when I use my mind to fixate on every little detail and pick everything apart. There are other times when you just have to put your mind on autopilot and enjoy an experience for what it is. The most important thing is being able to differentiate what the time calls for, and to act accordingly.

After Hall of Presidents, we experienced Peter Pan's Flight, before heading over to Tomorrowland for ice cream and to meet up with Jeff and Don to say goodbye. After that delicious ice cream, we headed through the hub towards Big Thunder and Splash. Along the way, we heard Joe yell our names. It turned out that he got stuck having to ride Haunted Mansion four more times before we “could” leave. Given that Joe is a huge Haunted Mansion fan, I'm betting that wasn't too rough on him. After Big Thunder and Splash, we hit Haunted Mansion once more, before heading to Cosmic Ray's for dinner. Our last dinner at Cosmic Ray's always hits me hard—it's one of those moments that tells us that our time in the parks is waning away, and that soon we'll be leaving.

As much as I like Cosmic Ray's, and I hate to admit this, but I was not looking forward to the burger that evening. Sarah and I usually eat healthy foods, and after several days of eating junk, it just isn't appealing. It's a great treat at first, but not something I could do all the time. That said, Disney fast food must have a special allure or some special characteristic, because as soon as I had that first bite, I could not stop. Like the great philosopher Will Ferrell once said, “once it hits your lips, it's so good!”

WDWFigment · Oct 16, 2009

It was then time to head to get our spots for SpectroMagic. We were a little concerned that we wouldn't be able to get good spots only 30 minutes in advance, given that SpectroMagic hadn't been run much that week due to the Halloween parties. Not completely the case, but our spots were definitely not the best. I was glad, though, that everyone remained seated once the parade started. Although one thing that ed me off (there's always something, isn't there?) was that a stroller parked in the 'front row' had two balloons flying above it. This wasn't directly in front of me, thankfully, but if I were directly behind those people, I would've said something to them about the balloons (they were definitely blocking the view of the people behind them, who were too nice to say anything). No fancy shots this time, just using the 50mm for the first time on SpectroMagic. I don't think I need to comment on our love for SpectroMagic. What a show!

While waiting for SpectroMagic, I had scoped out a spot for Wishes right near Partners. I did this scoping primarily because I wanted to make sure I would be able to use my UWA lens to get the shots I wanted. Somewhat to my surprise, the location worked. After SpectroMagic, we immediately headed over to the side of Partners to set up for the fireworks. Although this is a little close to the Castle, the show was great. If you're looking for the ideal spot to view the fireworks, this is not it. Go to the middle of the road near Casey's. Even after all the spots with which we've experimented, I still think that's the best. If you've seen the show a number of times, maybe it's worth experimenting with locations, but nothing beats Casey's for the view.

After Wishes!, Evening EMH (our only Evening EMH of the trip!) began and we met John and Colleen at TTA. I met John on the forums some time ago, and I always appreciated his sarcastic humor. Especially when things got a little too serious or stuffy. John and Colleen were taking a three week European Holiday, and had gotten engaged at Haunted Mansion earlier in their the trip. TTA was probably a bad first choice for attractions, as immediately after meeting, we boarded separate cars. After that, Sarah and Colleen were inseparable, with Nick, Colleen, and I being the “third wheels” to their fun. That's okay, though, as I had plenty of “guy time” prior to that.

The Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor was our next stop. John had remarked that they saw a new skit on one of their trips to Laugh Floor, and it certainly sounded so based upon his description, but I didn't quite understand what he meant (not that anything was wrong with his description, I just think it's one of those things you have to experience to understand). Well, luckily for us, we saw this new show. I won't try to articulate its substance here, but it was fairly humorous. It's definitely nice to see that this show is still being tweaked. I would be very happy if they had 10 or so skits that they rotated between, making each show a little more unique. As of right now, I think it's difficult to enjoy the show more than twice per year (although since most people aren't there more than once a year, maybe WDI feels this is adequate).

After Monsters, it was one to Pirates and Splash. After Splash, we made a trip to First Aid, where Sarah got an ice pack for her ankle, which had been bothering her since some sort of bugs bit it up the previous day or night. With an ice pack affixed to her ankle, we headed off to Country Bears. Along the way, we stopped at Aladdin's Magic Carpets, seeing that it had no wait and we'd never done it. It offered an okay view of the park, but nothing like Astro Orbiter. I wouldn't be sad to see the Magic Carpets depart.

Hanging out with John (since Sarah and Colleen basically ditched us I can't say it was fun hanging out with her, as I don't really know) was fun. He has a colorful personality, and is not afraid to say exactly what he's thinking. Plus, many of the same things that irritate me about people and behaviors at WDW also annoy him. I often think that very few people share my beliefs (although the beliefs strike me as patently obvious and resoundingly true), so it's good to know that Sarah and I aren't the only ones who think this way. His odd analogies were pretty humorous, although I can't quite be too sympathetic to him for having to put up with low crowds (but higher than normal for this time of year), milder weather (but warmer than normal for this time of year), and free food. I can only imagine what he'd be saying if he visited in August when we normally go. I would offer a hypothetical quote, but I think it might be a bit too colorful for this family-friendly site.

We then headed to Big Thunder Mountain, where one side of the track was closed as some group just kept going around and around. I'm not sure if this was some sort of Magic Moment, a Guinness Record in progress, or what, but I know one thing: we wanted to be part of it! Big Thunder again proved why it was the premier nighttime coaster at WDW. The lighting and sound really makes the place come alive at night. On our next trip, Sarah and I are going to make a conscious effort to visit this more at night.

As EMH concluded, we headed to Haunted Mansion where we would conclude our night. The first time we got off of Haunted Mansion, it was still 4 minutes until park close, and being ones to want to get the most out of our time at WDW, we opted to go through again. Afterwards, we began taking pictures outside the Mansion. This has always been one location that is difficult to get (it was even difficult during the party—but for almost the opposite reason: the vivid colors in the lighting made it easier to blow highlights) because it's so dark. We spent probably 15 minutes there, before heading over to Pirates.

There, we encountered an area manager who, I sure hope, was having a really bad day. I'd rather not fixate on the negative of the trip (especially since I primarily write these so we can look back on our trips in the future...call it a slight wave of the magic wand), so suffice to say, we quickly departed the park after getting a few shots in front of Pirates of the Caribbean. We said our goodbyes to Colleen and John, and boarded the bus to Fort Wilderness—or so we thought. The bus driver informed us that she didn't have clearance to go to Fort Wilderness, so she took us to Wilderness Lodge, where we caught a bus to Fort Wilderness.

Having only stayed in the park for 40 minutes after closing, we got home relatively early. Still, we didn't get a full night of sleep, and the next morning was another early one, and the only day of our trip that would be “just us”, so we wanted to get a good rest.

I started out that morning a bit earlier than Sarah, showering first this time and packing (read: throwing everything as quickly as I could into our suitcases) so that I could take our bags to Bell Services while Sarah got ready. One unanticipated problem that we encountered that I didn't expect was that the supplies Sarah would need to get ready I also needed to pack. There was no good solution to this problem (at least that we could find), so I waited until she was sufficiently ready and then took most of her toiletries, and left her with a few that she could just bring into the park with her that day.

Then I made another mistake: not thinking, I dragged our luggage to the internal bus stop and caught a bus to the Outpost, dragged our luggage off the bus, and towards the front desk. Sweaty and tired, I finally made it to the front. My disheveled appearance prompted the lady at Checkout to ask what I had been doing. When I informed her of my trek to checkout, she told me that I should have called, and a van would've picked me up. This did make sense, especially since a van took us to our room in the first place. Oh well, I got the job done.

I met up with Sarah at the Marina. This morning, there would be no miracle story of us arriving at Magic Kingdom for park opening despite leaving our room only 25 minutes in advance. The transportation was still quick, but our setbacks caused us to arrive a tad later, at around 9:20 a.m.. Upon entering the Magic Kingdom, we found ourselves hungry, so we stopped at Casey's for breakfast. While there, I noticed an awesome Haunted Mansion refillable mug for only about $2 above the cost of a beverage. A sucker for Disney cups, I bought one. Nothing like a Coke at 9:30 in the morning while listening to the sounds (and ducks) of Main Street. As much as we love touring at a fast pace, we are also wise enough to know when to slow down and just soak in the parks. This was one of those times.

Although we could have sat on Main Street for our entire last day, we decided it might be fun to experience some attractions, too. We headed off to Fantasyland, where we opted to hit Snow White's Scary Adventures and the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. It had been a while since we did either of these, and my coaxed Sarah finally cracked her. I think I can speak for both of us when I say these are better than I remembered.

WDWFigment's Photo Trip Novel Part II: October 2009 - Legends of the Fall

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