Trip Report Making Lemonade out of Lemons Fractal Family Trip Report - Completed

I think we can all agree that so far 2020 has been one big sour lemon.

For those that did not read my Pre-Trip report; my entire family (Val-wife, Alex - oldest daughter, Sterg - son, Toni - youngest daughter) has recovered from the Covid-19 virus. Myself, Val, Sterg and Toni got it in March and Alex in April while working as a nurse. Val had it worse with a fever for a couple days and flu like symptoms for about a week. The rest of us were either asymptomatic or had minor symptoms.

Add to that the mental stress of living in a society dealing with this pandemic, Toni missing out on a big chunk of her High School Senior Year and her last dance recital (where she was going to take on a major role as Jasmine), work reductions for Sterg and high stress work conditions for Alex on the front line. Yes, 2020 has sure been one big sourpuss.

But, as the saying goes; "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade!"

It just so happened that last year I made a reservation to attend the annual AHEPA convention in Walt Disney World, just as I did in 2017. We were going to stay at the Grand Destino Towers but that seemed very much in jeopardy when AHEPA (which is a charitable organization I'm involved with. Like a Greek version of the Knights of Columbus or Lions Club.) cancelled their convention. Soon after however, I received an email that Disney would honor our reservation in July. This was pretty tempting since we had convention rates and discounts on tickets. Long story short, we decided to go. We felt that having already had the virus gave us an extra level of protection and we knew that Disney would handle the health risks properly. In addition, we later found out that our rooms were moved from Grand Destino to the Contemporary in order to accommodate the LA Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks. Sterg's and my dream of playing Marco Polo with the Greek Freak and LeBron James in the pool were quickly dashed. But who could say no to staying at The Contemporary for $175 a night?

We were a go! It was frustrating however because although we had a resort reservation we did not have park tickets. We also didn't have a "park pass" which was needed during this reopening of WDW. We had to wait for all that to open and I had serious doubts it would by the time our first day at the resort (July 20th) rolled around. I decided to book flights without tickets or park passes. Southwest had roundtrip flights from Philly to Orlando for $90 plus if you had to cancel you got that credit for a future flight. No brainer. This was turning out to be the cheapest Disney trip we have taken as a family! Soon after I was open to buy tickets and book Park Passes. We had started to squeeze that lemon and add it's juice to our pitcher of cold water.

Now for the Cast of our adventure.

Myself - Chris/Fractal. A lover of Disney Parks for the many memories it has given me over the years with my family, the way it helps me completely unwind from my job, and how it taps into my creative side and challenges my skills as a photographer.

Here I am with my crazy kids at Christmas.

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Val - my beautiful wife. Not the biggest fan of Disney but in the end she was on board. I think secretly she likes it more than she lets on. I will make it up to her with a trip more to her liking.

Here she is with Alex.

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Alex - our oldest. Now a traveling nurse. Alex is like me in many ways but as she's getting older and more responsible I'm starting to see her take on a number of Val's traits. She's a good mix and always a delight to be with.

From a trip to Colorado we took last year;

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Sterg, aka Fractal Jr. One word to describe Sterg - catalyst - he just makes things happen. He creates reactions both good and bad. He graduated last year from Penn State. He was a captain on the Swim Team but not without drama. He had to miss his promising senior year of swimming when a series of concussions (all outside the water) forced him to medically retire. PSU handled it very well as he helped the team from the sidelines. He now works as a digital marketing consultant as well as helping his cousin get his music career off the ground. Never a dull moment when Sterg is around!

with our dog Prince (Charming).

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Toni - For long time readers of my reports you know that Toni and I have a special Disney connection. Many times she would be the only one up early with me to tackle the parks at opening. We have had many great adventures together in the Disney bubble. She's now technically an adult (how did that happen?) so I was going to find out this trip if the magic was still there. She's going to attend Clemson University starting next month and I couldn't be prouder.

Toni in front of the Theater her Recital was supposed to perform at.

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So Covid-19 made our family suffer in many ways, but we took that lemon, squeezed it's juice out into our water pitcher, now we just needed a little Disney sugar to make our Lemonade complete.

Coming up - Our trip begins with a WDW meet-up before our flight even leaves the ground!
 

LisaBelle

Well-Known Member
First thing I noticed was how refreshing the water in the pool was - my biggest complaint at the Beach and Yacht Club is the way too warm temperature of Storm-along-Bay in the middle of summer. I was wondering if the main pool was the same.

I’m glad to hear the quiet pool temperature was refreshing. The main Contemporary pool was too warm for me on our trip in July 2018. We climbed in and didn’t even feel cool. It was too much like bath water. I think it was a little better in May 2019, but still warmer than I prefer.
 

MinnieM123

Premium Member
How about some pictures of The Contemporary?

Our room was the second to last before the fire exit, which at first seem like a bummer but ended up with having some nice benefits.

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The room was big - like the Poly - but was completely void of anything "Disney". I remember commenting in my last report that the Yacht Club really turned down the volume on Disney accents in its rooms and made what was left very subtle.

The Contemporary completely pulled the plug on them. I did not like this approach but Val was just fine with it.

We had a nice view of Bay Lake. @coachwnh told me he loved watching the sunrises from the balcony. I would take on the challenge later in the trip.

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I always saw this in other magicians' trip reports. Now I know where it is!

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Sign of the times.

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We mostly unpacked, got settled and grabbed a quick meal from the Contemp Cafe. It was our first experience with the required mobil app ordering for quick service spots. We fumbled a few times but got the hang of ordering and paying through the app then picking up at a designated area.

After our dinner we changed and decided to spend time at the quiet pool which was open until 11. Normally I would be in the parks at this time but with no other option we were poolside, much to Val's enjoyment. We had a nice relaxing few hours in the cooler air. First thing I noticed was how refreshing the water in the pool was - my biggest complaint at the Beach and Yacht Club is the way too warm temperature of Storm-along-Bay in the middle of summer. I was wondering if the main pool was the same. Second thing I noticed was there was no mask requirement in the pool area which I was just fine with.

Helping me to enjoy the family time next to Bay Lake was the 2 or 3 (maybe 4 or 5?) bourbons I had. I was very relaxed and we laughed and made fun of each other to pass the time. This was quality time for Val, but I appreciated it as well. I kept the camera on "off" for most of the duration but managed a couple of pics of Toni and the Man-Child.

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Back in the room I reviewed the photos of the day with mostly a smile on my face, then began to anticipate our next day in Hollywood Studios. A lot has changed since our last visit and I couldn't wait to experience it!

Up Next - Incredible transformation at DHS and genuinely one of our best days at WDW! Plus a million photos and a few WDWmagic meet-ups!

OMG -- that photo of the Mary Blair tile mural, taken with that fisheye lens you have on your camera -- AMAZING!!!

Hey, that photo of Fractal, Jr., makes him look like a Hollywood movie star!
 

winstongator

Well-Known Member
I have been thinking about how the group that would be most comfortable and enjoy the parks the most would be people who have recovered from Covid. Did you talk to anyone else at the parks who had recovered from the virus? Looks like the lemonade on the trip was sweet!
 

fractal

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Good morning Walt Disney World! I didn't quite get the sunrise but a beautiful view none the less as I was enjoying my Joffrey's coffee on the balcony. When I opened the shades to walk onto the balcony one would have thought the rest of the family were vampires as the bright sunlight pierced through the dark room. Took this with my Google Pixel 2 which has a great little camera. I'm the only one in the family without an Apple and really until the very latest Apple phones, my 3 year old Pixel 2 has been a better phone in the things that matter most to me; camera and water resistance and at half the price.

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Toni was up next, then Sterg. Val decided she would join later. We got ready, grabbed a bus to DHS and before long we were there!


Back to the Sony camera as I started the day with the 55mm 1.8 lens while carrying 3 more lenses in my camera bag.

Wasn't quite sure who's dress Sterg was wearing around his head that morning and frankly didn't really want to know.



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The second we went through the gates, our First Order (get it?) of business was to book us into a Rise of the Resistance virtual queue which Sterg did efficiently.
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We then made our way to Galaxy's Edge to get our first look into how well Disney spent a few $billion.

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The entrance into GE is not awe inspiring but instead slowly transports you to another world with immediately recognizable Star Wars substance and then things that look like Star Wars but were new otherwise.

Growing up I figured by now I'd be flying an X-wing fighter to work if I wasn't driving there in Speed Racer's Mach 5. Neither was meant to be.

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We entered this little market place where I found many subjects to photograph.

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Like this guy,

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and these things

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And this thing,

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and these strange creatures. She looks like a hired assassin to me.

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Continuing through the marketplace...

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Luke's landspeeder was also supposed to be in my garage by now! What have all these scientists and inventors been doing the past 40 years?

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Could use a dependable droid while we're at it.

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Up next; about a billion more photos of Galaxy's Edge.
 
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Dory71

Well-Known Member
Good morning Walt Disney World! I didn't quite get the sunrise but a beautiful view none the less as I was enjoying my Joffrey's coffee on the balcony. When I opened the shades to walk onto the balcony one would have thought the rest of the family were vampires as the bright sunlight pierced through the cave dark room they were still sleeping in. Took this with my Google Pixel 2 which has a great little camera. I'm the only one in the family without an Apple and really until the very latest Apple phones, my 3 year old Pixel 2 has been a better phone in the things that matter most to me; camera and water resistance.

IMG_20200721_073643-X2.jpg


Toni was up next, then Sterg. Val decided she would join later. We got ready, grabbed a bus to DHS and before long we were there!


Back to the Sony camera as I started the day with the 55mm 1.8 lens while carrying 3 more lenses in my camera bag.

Wasn't quite sure who's dress Sterg was wearing around his head that morning and frankly didn't really want to know.



20200721-DSC08201-X3.jpg


The second we went through the gates, our First Order (get it?) of business was to book us into a Rise of the Resistance virtual queue which Sterg did efficiently.
20200721-DSC08202-X3.jpg


20200721-DSC08203-X3.jpg


We then made our way to Galaxy's Edge to get our first look into how well Disney spent a few $billion.

20200721-DSC08205-X3.jpg


20200721-DSC08206-X3.jpg


20200721-DSC08207-X3.jpg


The entrance into GE is not awe inspiring but instead slowly transports you to another world with immediately recognizable Star Wars substance and then things that look like Star Wars but were new otherwise.

Growing up I figured by now I'd be flying an X-wing fighter to work if I wasn't driving there in Speed Racer's Mach 5. Neither was meant to be.

20200721-DSC08209-X3.jpg


20200721-DSC08210-X3.jpg


20200721-DSC08212-X3.jpg


We entered this little market place which I found many subjects to photograph.

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Like this guy,

20200721-DSC08214-X3.jpg


and these things

20200721-DSC08216-X3.jpg


And this thing,

20200721-DSC08220-X3.jpg


and these strange creatures. She looks like a hired assassin to me.

20200721-DSC08215-X3.jpg


Continuing through the marketplace...

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20200721-DSC08221-X3.jpg




Luke's landspeeder was also supposed to be in my garage by now! What have all these scientists and inventors been doing the past 40 years?

20200721-DSC08224-X3.jpg


Could use a dependable droid while we're at it.

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Up next; about a billion more photos of Galaxy's Edge.
Can't wait for the billion more pics. I seemed to have missed so much on my trip to Galaxy's Edge. Thankful you are showing us through a photographer's eye with no crowds. We appreciate it!
 

cgersic

Well-Known Member
Can't wait for the billion more pics. I seemed to have missed so much on my trip to Galaxy's Edge. Thankful you are showing us through a photographer's eye with no crowds. We appreciate it!
@Dory71 I was going to post the EXACT same message! I didn't have the time to really enjoy the entire area as that's the only place there were a lot of people plus I had to trek back from a different area in the park for the RoTR time. The market area wasn't even opened when I got back there in the morning so by the time it was, everyone was bunched together to get in to look.
 

fractal

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I'm sure someone has already covered this as I was in early but fell way behind.... but we had neck gaiters in the military. That's the full term... neck gaiter. They're really great for hiking and backpacking, as you can use them as headbands to keep the sweat off your face, hair bandanas when your hair gets dirty and you don't want it to touch you, pot holders, snot rags, dust blockers, etc. Really useful. Once we even used them as pillows when our inflatable ones broke... we just stuffed a bunch of clothes in them and knotted them up. In the show Survivor they call them Buffs, which are basically the same thing, but theirs are really stretchy so the girls can wear them as tube tops. In the Army we also were issued fleece lined gaitors for the winter, which kept our necks and noses super warm on mild winter days, and prevented our snot from turning into snotcycles on the really cold days.

Super useful things.

Good information; including the spelling. Unfortunately not currently useful in WDW.

While I can appreciate that you're trying to see things from her perspective, I hope you don't go down the slippery slope here of assuming she's miserable like you might have done here in the Little Mermaid ride. Like... I HATE that ride, and I'll say that again and again. But I LOVE how much my daughter loves that ride. I barely watch the animatronics at all, because I'm busy watching her turn herself into a mermaid, and hide in my arms when Ursula comes, and wave at Ariel and Eric. In your wife's shoes, knowing how much you love the challenge of photographing the ride would make the ride good for me. My point is, even if the ride is dumb af, just being there with the ones you love is the experience, not the ride.

Insightful perscpective, thanks!

That would be great content for his TikTok.

Please no.


That's so amazing that you were able to get so many great pictures of the castle and Main Street with no one around you!!!

Yes, only now appreciating how rare that was!


I am late but I have a good excuse. But before we get to that....if you are going to have lemonade, make it one of these!
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I am currently obsessed with these. One will do ya😉

I had a busy week planning and hosting my son’s college grad parties. Yes plural. Family party then friend party then another friend party to finish the second keg (actually third as we got a 1/6 of Big Wave for the adults).

So yes, I am here and totally enthralled by all of it!!!

Holy Sheet! 9.6% alcohol! That's like a Golden Monkey!

Yes, we had a grad party for Toni Sunday, and have another 2 coming up this weekend.

Thanks for following along!

A little late to the report. But I'm loving it so far. The photos are amazing, especially BOG and Splash Mountain.

@fractal jr seems like he must keep things interesting whether at home or on vacation. 🤣

Thanks @imthewalrus79 ! Yes, waters generally are not calm with him around. :rolleyes:
I didn’t even see the #1 until someone posted about it. 😂😂 My son pulled that one on me in a graduation photo with his sister, I never saw it until someone commented on it on Facebook lol. I was so mad at him! I had to screenshot this and text it to him... 😂😂

Unfortunately can't really do what my parents would have done - Yia-yia would have pulled my ear so hard it would burn for a week followed by my Dad whacking me upside the head. Which is why I never did try a stunt like that!
I’m glad to hear the quiet pool temperature was refreshing. The main Contemporary pool was too warm for me on our trip in July 2018. We climbed in and didn’t even feel cool. It was too much like bath water. I think it was a little better in May 2019, but still warmer than I prefer.

Well good news - the main pool was also very refreshing!


OMG -- that photo of the Mary Blair tile mural, taken with that fisheye lens you have on your camera -- AMAZING!!!

Hey, that photo of Fractal, Jr., makes him look like a Hollywood movie star!

Thanks on Mary Blair, took me a awhile to get a composition I was happy with.

Dear Lord, don't tell him that!

I have been thinking about how the group that would be most comfortable and enjoy the parks the most would be people who have recovered from Covid. Did you talk to anyone else at the parks who had recovered from the virus? Looks like the lemonade on the trip was sweet!

No, we did not have anyone else tell us they recovered from the virus. There is an extra level of comfort that comes with that. The lemonade gets even sweeter!


Can't wait for the billion more pics. I seemed to have missed so much on my trip to Galaxy's Edge. Thankful you are showing us through a photographer's eye with no crowds. We appreciate it!

Just like the castle pics, I'm just appreciating how fortunate I was to have access to GE without the crowds. Biggest bummer was no night-time shots.

@Dory71 I was going to post the EXACT same message! I didn't have the time to really enjoy the entire area as that's the only place there were a lot of people plus I had to trek back from a different area in the park for the RoTR time. The market area wasn't even opened when I got back there in the morning so by the time it was, everyone was bunched together to get in to look.

Actually have a billion from this day and a billion more from our 2nd day at DHS. :D
 

fractal

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Leaving the marketplace we started to enter a rougher neighborhood.

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Sterg would've been happy with Kylo Ren's "whip" (what my kids call a car).

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Pretty cool I thought.

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"Isn't this clever? They serve blue milk like from the Original Star Wars." I said out loud.

"Hi blue milk." Toni replied unimpressed.

Well I was impressed and loved the look of the little quick service. But decided to pass on the beverage which cost almost as much as a magical beer.

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We continued to explore and take it all in.

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And were treated to this sight just around the (river?) bend.

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I really enjoyed how they partially hid the Falcon as you approached and how it slowly came into full view entering the docking area. It allowed you to appreciate the initial "Wow" longer as the scene unveiled itself. "The really did build a to scale sized Millennium Falcon!" I said to myself. Even my own Millennials were impressed.

Let's get a closer look at this hunk of junk.

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The detail was really amazing. Every inch of the ship was an exact replica if not more.

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Even the steam from the bottom of the ship. Just outstanding work by the Imagineers.

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Smuggler's Run was a 5 minute wait, so after taking this shot of another ship (because why not?), we started our path towards becoming a space pirate.

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fractal

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
For the record, I had swapped out the 55mm lens for the 24mm.

We went through a Star Wars "garage".

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Then a great view of the top of the Falcon...

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Then walked in...

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The authenticity was amazing.

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Up to the cockpit we go. Sterg and I were the pilots and Toni a gunner.



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Waiting our turn.

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Ready to go! (missed focus)>

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I took the Han Solo spot, Sterg in Chewie's seat. Toni was ready to shoot (at least I thought). We were the only ones in the cockpit.

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fractal

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Toni has limited knowledge of Star Wars and was a little confused as to what she was supposed to do. "Just push the buttons that light up!" I called back to her in my best Harrison Ford voice.

Then I put the entire operation at risk by pulling out my camera mid-flight.


This guy wasn't happy with my flying and neither was Sterg and Toni who kept telling me to get my hands on the controls.

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"Yeah well maybe if you would actually shoot something once in a while!" I called back to Toni.

"I don't even know what the heck I'm doing!" She screamed back. "and you're crashing into everything!"



It got pretty intense as if we really were flying through space hitting asteroids and being chased by tie-fighters.

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We barely survived but somehow managed to gather one unit of whatever it was we were after. The simulator probably felt bad for us. Truth be told the ship is hard to steer - the response to the controls is very slow so by the time you start going the direction you want it's time to move the other way. But who said being a space pirate was easy? Overall however it was loads of fun and we definitely wanted to ride it again!

Walking out a little humbled.

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Some more exterior shots.

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In all her glory!

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There's that assassin again;

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Notice the cut on her arm - bounty hunting is not an easy profession.

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some detail;

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We asked this R2 Unit for coordinates to our next destination.

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Directions were spot on.

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Nunu

Wanderluster
Premium Member
Your photos are all amazing!, I'm also very much enjoying your commentary along them. Your interactions with your kids are both fun and endearing, I specially enjoyed reading about your Be Our Guest experience. 😊

Your photos at Voyage of the Little Mermaid and Haunted Mansion are so crisp, my in-ride photos are usually a fail! 😄

Oh, and your beautiful family should be featured on Disney's advertising materials!
 

fractal

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Hello Toy Story Land! Another new experience for us!

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Buzz looking great, like he could take on the entire First Order himself!

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What a contrast to Galaxy's Edge! Everything so colorful, bright, clean and smooth vs the more gritty, worn and edgy land of Star Wars.

Even the restrooms!

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Slinky Dog whipping around the tracks drew us in, but that's what we were there to do anyway.

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Toni was especially excited. "That looks like so much fun!"

But she gave me the serious look waiting in line. The child, unlike her siblings, never failed to pose without complaint for a photo for me.

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Sterg was checking his Tick-Tok or some other social media outlet.

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Look alive soldier, he's coming around the bend!

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Just looking around this Land makes you smile and makes you feel like you're 10 years old again!

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I'm sure they're smiling under those WaWa masks.








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Some photos while in the queue.

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It didn't take long before we were on Slinky Dog.

Off we go!!!

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Nice view! Was worried about knocking a tooth out trying to get this shot.

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Cruising to the end. What a fun, happy, coaster! Not the most thrilling, not the fastest, heck, you don't even go upside down; but what you do is leave it with a big smile on your face!

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Definitely smiling under that mask!

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fractal

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Saying goodbye to Jess and REX and TSL at least for now.

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Slinky Dog got our Rollercoaster juices flowing so we went to visit an old friend.

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The heat was starting to climb as was the humidity.

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Unfortunately, we couldn't buy any ice cream to cool off.

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Rock N Roller Coaster is nearly perfect as a Disney Thrill Ride. The theming begins immediately; from the wonderful classic car hanging gate...

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To the enormous bright red electric guitar with the finger board and neck extending and twisting into a track holding the car and hinting to what was to come.

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And as quickly as we could walk through was as quickly we got to ride. Made checking your phone difficult for some.

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And taking photos difficult for others.

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I asked Toni to stop and pose for this one and as always she was more than happy to, and while sporting her now bandage covered cut.

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This was a walk through; No Steven Tyler and the rest of the gang.

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As you can see I was now back to the fisheye.

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I was holding my camera and pressing it down against the safety harness. I moved my aperture small enough (I think f/16?) and set my exposure to 2.5 seconds in an attempt to take a longer exposure of the launch. It was going to be tough to keep the camera still enough but all things considered I think it came out pretty good! Here's what zero to 60 in 2.5 seconds looks like.

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Once again RRRC was a big hit! A completely different coaster experience than Slinky Dog; both excellent in their own right.

On our way to another kind of thrilling. I could tell Sterg and Toni were in their element; really enjoying the day. No complaining (mostly), no picking on each other, just following orders and marching along.

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Up Next...

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