Going solo (well, at least I had my camera as company!) 04/26-29, 2010

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]

[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif][Epcot!][/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Hello folks![/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Inspired by Mr. Bricker's wonderful honeymoon WDW recount, I thought I would share with you an account of my last trip there. I am a Walt Disney Word lover, and have been since my early youth (as you can see in the photo below). I went at least once every year til I was about 14, then not again til I was 17, then not again til I was 27. What happened those 10 years? I was a fool! hah[/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]

[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif][This is 2 year old me crying because I didn't want to say bye to Mickey][/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]At 27 though, I met a fellow Disney lover and we went, and had a blast. I felt like a complete child. That, and I got to do all the things my dad would never let us do (park hopper, The Land, Monorail to MK from Epcot). My love was reignited. I did not get to go last year for my birthday (free!) like I had intended, which was a shame, but I did get to go on the last weekend of the Food and Wine Festival, as another friend had a friend working there and she got us in for free. WDW in a day is not really anything I like doing...but hey, it at least satiated my fix for the year.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]
[/FONT][FONT=Arial, sans-serif]

[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif][I was a bit apprehensive to witness the much maligned "Tronorail" in person, but I was pleasantly surprised...I did not find it to be offensive at all. Sure, it totally clashes with the original design but it looks pretty cool in and of itself][/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]This year I planned to go again with the same friend, a grand 4 day fest to take advantage of the "4 for $99" Florida resident special. All was planned and perfect...til I got ditched last minute. Not one to be deterred, I decided to go ahead. I mean, I do all of my adventures/vacations by myself as it is (Hawaii, Seattle, London, Paris), so how bad could WDW solo be? Worst comes to worst, I could just focus on my photography, something I was not really able to do on my last two trips. [/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]So here's the rundown:[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Monday, April 26, 2010[/FONT]​

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]

[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif][Of course, I have to be first in line to enter. And sitting there for over an hour makes you have some crazy photography ideas. I am glad though, because I love this one!][/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Woke up early, and had some Chik Fil A for breakfast. Those mini chicken breakfast sandwiches are one of the best food items I have ever put in my mouth. Delicious! I got to EPCOT and was first in line at one of the turnstiles. It was really dreary out, clouds and the occasional light sprinkle here and there. I bought my raincoat just in case (my family had a collection of those yellow mickey mouse raincoats due to always being unprepared!). As opening time neared, the sun came out. When they started doing the soft opening, the clouds had all but disappeared. [/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]

[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif][This girl and her brother found their way through the crowd of much taller people to make their way to the front of the rope. They were both very happy to see the characters come out!][/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Walking under Spaceship Earth always brings out a large amount childhood giddiness. We continued along, and made our way to the middle of FW and waited for the ropes to drop. I wish I would have had a chance to do the 'park opens, run to the ride' thing I had always heard about, but by the time I had gone to WDW on my terms 2 years ago, and was able to get to the park before opening, they had stopped this practice. Two years ago, they would soft open the park 15 minutes before, walk you to a predetermined spot, and then at opening time they would drop the ropes and everyone would speed walk to the rides. I guess some people were still running and getting trampled, so now the cast members make you walk behind them to the rides to ensure no one gets hurt.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]

[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif][The Tronorail definitely helped make this photo much nicer! It was dreary and blue toned out, and the classic monorails wouldn't have worked as well][/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Soarin was first on the bill. Great ride, although I always get stuck in the top left section, in the middle of the row. I've been on this ride 5 times, and every time I have had that seat! Ran over to Test Track after, and got a FP (which was useless, I didn't realize they had a single rider line that moves faster than the FP). I then decided to do the GREEN at Mission Space, hoping it wouldn't bring up memories of the disaster that was riding ORANGE a few years ago (was dizzy/sick for 2 days haha). I made it out alive and healthy.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I went to Innoventions and saw Storm Struck, and did some of the other activities. I tend to look over Innoventions every time I am here...it is but a mere shadow of what Comminicore once was. Back then, these were my favorite areas of EPCOT, especially since they were connected to the food and we could just go eat right after. I gave it a chance this time though, and there are some cool things to do. I will have to make sure I spend more time there in the future.
[/FONT]

[You can visit my Flickr page at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ohhector/
The direct link to the WDW '10 album is: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ohhector/sets/72157624168041515/
Check out all these photos in their larger formats!]​

 

[ohhector]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]

[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif][Peter Pan!][/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I made sure to visit right in the midst of EPCOT'S Flower and Garden festival. I saw this when I went to Grad Nite back in '99 and I loved it. One of my favorite things about Epcot is the landscaping, so visiting during the festival only made sense. Beautiful topiaries all over the place, and just so much green and flowers. They had a "Fairy Garden" with many fairy topiaries (and Peter Pan!). In the middle of that area, they had set up a little enclosed butterfly garden. The whole thing was done beautifully.[/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]

[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif][Some of my best nature shots...are not anywhere near ACTUAL nature haha][/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]As soon as WS was open (I had never really experienced the different opening times for the different worlds), I ran into Mexico and did "El Rio Del Tiempo" (which is now called Grand Fiesta or something?). I was on the first boat! After my boat ride I had a roast beef sandwich in Norway. Usually, my EPCOT lunchtime staple is the Electric Umbrella but I wanted to try something new this time (I'm a very picky eater, so it's hard to branch out of my comfort zone!). I should [/FONT] [FONT=Arial, sans-serif]have stuck with the Umbrella; that roast beef was super dry and not tasty, the bread hard.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]
[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif][Had never noticed these lanterns in China before][/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Maelstrom was next. I remember back in the day, that boat used to go halfway out of that opening on the second story. But I've been told by many people that I am making things up. Anyone else here remember this? The Seas With Nemo And Friends was next. I'm sorry, but they butchered this ride with the Nemo refurb. The Living Seas was probably my favorite EPCOT activity as a child. Going 'down' in the elevator, then being able to see more of the tanks on the ride, then the diver that would come down the tube in the post show...it was a full on show from start to finish. Now it's just massively boring until you get to the end.[/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]

[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif][This guy was just hanging out at the bottom of the tank, chillin][/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I hopped on Spaceship Earth before I left. I love that part right after the top, where you are going backwards under the streams of blue lights. I left and got to the hotel and jumped into the pool because it was so hot out! Felt great.[/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]

[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif][Big Thunder Mountain, as seen from a little side trail next to Ft Langhorn. I don't think I had ever seen this spot before!][/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Epcot was pretty packed by the time I left...but that was nothing to how Magic Kingdom was later on. That, mixed with the heat, made for a pretty unbearable 3-6PM. I got a FP for Thunder Mountain, and decided to trek over to Tom Sawyer Island. This is one of the things I only did once during my childhood, because it was deemed too 'boring' to do more than once. It is definitely not something I would go out of my way to do on every trip, but it's fun no matter what. The boat ride over, is another story. I've always said that Frontierland has to be at least 10 degrees hotter than the rest of the park. The river that you have to cross to get to Tom Sawyer Island, is then 10 degrees hotter than THAT! Went through the caves and the windmill, then made my way to Fort Langhorn, which I don't think I had ever been too. I love the rickety bridge that connects it to TSI.[/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]

[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif][Fort Langhorn!][/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]My stomach was yelling at me, so I stopped at Cosmic Rays for a 1/2 chicken with mashed potatoes. Very good! After that I did Peter Pan's Flight (worst line ever, and in need of a massive refurb...but still my favorite MK ride), Snow White, the Haunted Mansion, Big Thunder Mountain, Pirates Of The Caribbean (complete with a barrage of camera flash shooting morons that ruined the ride), and then capped it off with a ride on another MK fav....the People Mover....I mean...Tomorrowland Transit Authority. Just like "Living with the Land" at Epcot, I can ride the TTA over and over and over, and it just relaxes me.[/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]

[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif][The beauty that is Ft Wilderness Lodge][/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I decided to take one of the resort ferries from MK, which I had never done, to Fort Wilderness (which I had never been to). Wow...just the outside in the back by the pool was impressive, but when I walked inside my jaw dropped. I will definitely be staying here at some point, joining The Contemporary and The Polynesian on my list of to-do WDW resorts. I went back to MK and rode Pooh and Small World. I was pretty worn out at this point, so I just left early to get some rest for my second day![/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]

[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif][This is what your jeans are made of (Living with The Land)]


[/FONT]

[You can visit my Flickr page at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ohhector/

The direct link to the WDW '10 album is: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ohhector/sets/72157624168041515/

Check out all these photos in their larger formats!]


​

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]
[/FONT]

 

[ohhector]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Tuesday, April 27, 2010[/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]The night was spent half awake. I developed a toothache that kept me up and lingered for the rest of my trip. Long story short, I couldn't really do anything about it on my trip, but I did get it taken care of later. It really messed me up for 2 days straight though, because it was a nonstop painful throbbing. I did my best, though, to trudge along in pain and enjoy the parks as best I could.
[/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]

[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif][The aviaries are always my favorite sections of AK!][/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Drove to Animal Kingdom, and got a FP at Everest first thing. Walked over to Kilimanjaro Safari and had the best safari I had ever been on. Saw TONS of animals! There was an impala-like animal that was bullying a baby rhino, and I saw the lions for the first time![/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]

[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif][Funny how some of my best b/w shots are ones that were just too bad to use in their colored state...but the shadows and highlights lent themselves nicely to being monotoned][/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Went over to Everest, and rode. Great ride, just too short! Went to Dinosaur after, which I enjoyed a lot more than I remember before...I think I was disappointed by newer rides a lot right before my WDW hiatus, but I can better appreciate them now. Bug's Life show is always fun (those things that come out and hit your back/butt hurt though!). [/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]

[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif][The wonders of taking multiple shots in a row...the first one of the two I shot here, the bird's head was turned in an unflattering pose. Second shot....gold!][/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]By this point in the day though, my tooth pain was driving me insane. I couldn't really enjoy anything, so I left and went back to the hotel. I had my "soul [fast] food" meal of Dominos chicken kickers, cheesy bread, and Cinnestix. It helped a bit, but my mouth was still throbbing. After an hour of resting in the hotel, I figured "I might as well be in pain in a happier place" haha so I went back to Epcot. Went on Living With The Land. This was a ride my family was not so keen on, it was too boring. But since my WDW resurgence 2 years ago I have been on this ride over 15 times. [/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]

[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif][The moment you leave the dark hallway before this scene, into the huge greenhouse, is one of my favorite Disney moments!][/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I walked around a bit, and decided to take the ferries to the Epcot hotels, which I had never been to. The Swan...eh. I remember when it opened, it was a huge deal. I did not find anything particularly nice or enjoyable about it or the design, though. Discouraged, I hopped back on the ferry and headed to Epcot once more. Did Ellen's Energy Adventure (which is always freezing!) as it started to rain, hoping it would die out which it did. [/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]

[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif][I love how this almost seems like a painting of old Japan!][/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]A trek to Japan was definitely in need at this point. I am obsessed with the actual country, and am dying to go (my aim screenname is, and has been for many years, sendmetojapan). For now, I must make due with Japan@Epcot. That gift store always threatens to do me some serious financial damage...I only just barely made it out of there relatively unscathed. There was some nice twilight light coming down so I took advantage and shot some nice shots. I wanted to stay for Illuminations but the pain was starting up again so I left.[/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]

[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif][Japan Epcot, in its full color glory][/FONT]

[You can visit my Flickr page at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ohhector/

The direct link to the WDW '10 album is: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ohhector/sets/72157624168041515/

Check out all these photos in their larger formats!]​

 

[ohhector]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Wednesday, April 28, 2010[/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]

[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif][This little corner is one of my fav spots in AK][/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Went back to Animal Kingdom to finish off what I missed the day before since I had to leave early. Still in pain a bit but much more manageable so I was able to make it through the day without much incident. I got to do Everest again with the single rider line, which is one of the best inventions ever. I think more rides need to have this, even if it isn't a coaster or test track. I did the two nature/animal trails, which are always fun (I love zoos and animals and nature). My favorite parts are the otters and the aviary.[/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]

[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif][I was very disappointed to find out you can no longer ride in the front of the monorail! I had never been, and I asked the attendant....and then my face dropped =[ ][/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Headed to Epcot to drop off my car, then took the monorail to MK. Compared to how insanely packed AK was, MK was a ghost town! A 1:30 PM 10 minute Space Mountain wait? Hell yea! I was a bit perturbed by the lack of being able to view/hear the actual ride from the new queue...in fact it made me almost turn around and walk out....haha. Thankfully I endured and made it onto the ride. Thanks to the separation of the queue/ride, the ride is now in almost pitch blackness, and you can see stars and planets! I don't remember those being there before, if they were it was too dark to see. While I do miss being able to see the ride and hear the screams from the queue (which honestly, really added to the atmosphere of the ride) the refurb gets a thumbs up from me. Luckily, you can still see the ride from the TTA; albeit only at night (I guess there would just be far too much stray light during the day, so they block off that window).[/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]

[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif][Sure do love the typography!][/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Haunted mansion was next...I'm surprised they haven't integrated The Nightmare Before Christmas into that ride yet. Bring Tim Burton and Henry Selick onboard, and we will have the best refurb ever!. Jungle Cruise....eh. I know it's a staple, but it's just really boring. Especially since all of the operators the last few times I've ridden just have no real enthusiasm for the tour guide job. If the ride itself looked better or were more interesting, they wouldn't have to depend so much on the cast members. Another attraction in massive need of redoing...the Country Bear Jamboree. It is just not fun. The animatronics are sketchy, and the songs are boring. And I generally like that style of music! At least in spirit. I couldn't wait to get out of that thing though.[/FONT]

[You can visit my Flickr page at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ohhector/


The direct link to the WDW '10 album is: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ohhector/sets/72157624168041515/


Check out all these photos in their larger formats!]​

 

[ohhector]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Thursday, April 29, 2010[/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Last Disney day! Oh no! [/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]

[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif][Not sure if this statue has always been there, but this was my first time noticing it][/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I woke up to a very cold morning. I thought I had left my room AC on too high, but when I got up and looked out the window I realized it was the actual temperature. Mostly 60 degrees until midday. I was able to walk around in a jacket most of the morning! Rare occasion in Florida, even in winter.
[/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Disney MGM Studios...or, as it is now known as, Disney Hollywood Studios. Again, first in line. Went straight to Toy Story Mania. Got a FP (which I ended up not using) and made my way to the actual line. The queue is interesting, and would be fun to be in during a long wait. The ride itself...well, it's cool, but I imagine it's much funner with a partner. Going solo on that ride is almost like trying to play monopoly by myself. The design of the ride is very interesting though, and it's a cool concept. It will match up nicely with the much rumored Toy Story Roller coaster if/once that becomes a reality.[/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]

[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif][Right after things exploded! My camera almost took a bath too, with all that water being shot everywhere][/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]On a sad note, Muppet Vision was closed, there was no Fantasmic that night, and the Car stunt show wasn't until an hour after I left the park. I did get to ride on the Rock N Rollercoaster, which like Dinosaur, was much more entertaining to me this time than last. I remember describing it many years ago as being like "space mountain only a little faster." Yea, I don't know what I was thinking. It is definitely more intense. Again, like Everest, it is much too short. Come on disney...we can take longer coasters![/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]
[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif][I always take it as a sign of good luck, to have the monorail pass over me as I am entering or leaving Epcot][/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Tower Of Terror fun was had, of course. I kept thinking of that photo of the cast of LOST right after their first season on the ride....and wishing I would have happened by the park that day! I had some pizza at the restaurant by Muppet Vision, and then went on the Great Movie Ride. Not really too entertained by it anymore. I mean, it's definitely worth doing if you have never done it. But the repeat value is lost on me. Especially since it suffers from what the Jungle Cruise suffers from...too much dependance on cast member guides who are generally lackluster.[/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]

[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif][Some plants near the end of Living with The Land][/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]The Walt Disney Experience is now one of my favorite WDW attractions. All the history, the mini models, and the great movie about Walt at the end! It's the perfect thing for lovers of all things Walt Disney World. Unfortunately that ended my MGM romp. I can't be inside that park for more than a few hours, the magic leaves me by then. Which is a shame, since I do want to do some attractions I haven't done in many years. I should have definitely ridden Star Tours before they closed it but I could not just bring myself to do it! Haha I just wanted to get out of there and back into the most wonderful place ever...[/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]

[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif][I was never allowed to take the monorail to MK from Epcot as a child, so I never got to experience these views. I actually took a trip to MK last trip without going into the park, just so I could do the return journey and monorail around FW][/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Epcot. I had a side trip to MK first though. The park was massively packed all day! It seemed like it was a designated field trip day or something. That, and it was the one day that week MK was open like 2 hours later. Bad idea though, as I realized that also means it's a day that the park will be way more full than all the others.[/FONT]

[You can visit my Flickr page at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ohhector/
The direct link to the WDW '10 album is: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ohhector/sets/72157624168041515/
Check out all these photos in their larger formats!]


​

 

[ohhector]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Misc Notes:[/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Well, that's it for the daily rundown of my trip. Now, a few last minute notes and observations![/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif][Another one of my favorite areas in AK!][/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]1) There was LOTS of construction all over the place, I have NEVER seen the parks in such a state. From the spot across Mexico, to one of the Main Street store facades, to Peter Pan...hell, all of Fantastyland basically. I cannot wait to see the finished results![/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]2) I was a little peeved to find out at that Garden Pavillion at Epcot was only open Fri-Sat, I was really hoping to step inside the old Wonders of Life Pavillion again
[/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]

[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif][One of my favorite shots of the trip! I had stared out this window (in Germany) many times before, but never thought to take a shot. Well, to be fair, I wasn't a photographer when I was a child heh][/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]3) Those hotel monorails get REALLY packed right before the fireworks![/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]4) I really tried to avoid it, as I had done a moderately ok job of curtailing my disney pin buying, but I ended up giving into the Vinylmation craze. What did me in? The gorgeous retro Epcot one. I ended up getting it on my second purchase, which made me very happy on the day I had to go back home.[/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]

[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif][Sometimes the best moments are those you cannot recreate][/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]5) My two favorite rides at Epcot are boat rides: Living With The Land, and Rio Del Tiempo. They are just very soothing, and beautiful. I don't really enjoy the other boat rides much though....Jungle Cruise, Maelstrom. Even Pirates doesn't really "float my boat" anymore. (Sorry, I had to throw in at least one super corny joke in there.)[/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]6) Best meal? The turkey sandwich at Seasons, in the Land. I was on a small budget and by myself, so I did not make it into any real restaurants, so just the fast food ones. But by far, that sandwich was the best thing I ate.
[/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]7) I really think they need to more actively enforce the 'no flash' photography thing on certain rides. The standout example is Pirates of the Caribbean. The last two times I have been on that ride, the ENTIRE voyage was littered with rampant flashes, especially anytime "Johnny Depp" showed up. I think maybe next time I will fight fire with fire, and start taking flash photos of the people taking flash photos haha[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]
[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]
[Single rider line, where have you been all my life??][/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]8) EPCOT is my favorite. Has been since I was a child, and will always be. That is followed by MK. AK and MGM...they both have some great parts but I don't enjoy them in their entirety as I do the other parks. If I can avoid it though, I will not miss any of the parks on a trip![/FONT]

[You can visit my Flickr page at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ohhector/


The direct link to the WDW '10 album is: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ohhector/sets/72157624168041515/


Check out all these photos in their larger formats!]​

 

[ohhector]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Doing Disney Solo:[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Not that I care much about what people think of me, especially strangers... I was a bit interested however in seeing what the general reaction would be to me being at WDW alone. I wondered if parents would look on me weird, a single young adult walking around amidst all these families and children. I strained my brain, searching my memory, but could not think of a single time I saw a lone person in the parks. This time though, I saw them all over. Older, and younger. Male, and female. I didn't see as many younger males, but I did see a few young females. The older ones came equally from both genders. And they all seemed happy and enjoying themselves, just like I was.[/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]

[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif][Outside one of my favorite countries (in Epcot), wearing a shirt of one of my favorite cities!][/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Maybe they had just separated from their crew in order to do a ride the others didn't want to do. Maybe they, like me, are perfectly fine with being alone and are able to fully immerse themselves in the Disney magic.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]To be honest, I did feel a bit odd at times surrounded by so many families. It was more a bit of minute jealousy though; I cannot wait to have a family and come back, and make the childhood of my kids as disneytastic as mine was.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]The plus side of being alone was that I was able to get 100% into my photo taking mode. The last two times I had the camera in my bag and would occasionally bring it out, but this entire trip I had the camera in my hand. I took some of my best photos ever on this trip, and it is thanks to having gone alone. Woo!
[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]

[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif][Italian Donkey!]
[/FONT]



[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Whoever made it this far, thanks for reading! Even though I've been reading the forums here for a while, this is my first real post. I'm planning another trip in November possibly, and I will definitely have more photos and stories to post then! Make sure to check out all of these photos in their original sizes at my flickr page linked below if you like them. Also, I do appreciate constructive criticism on my photography, so please!
[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]
[/FONT]

[You can visit my Flickr page at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ohhector/

The direct link to the WDW '10 album is: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ohhector/sets/72157624168041515/

Check out all these photos in their larger formats!]​

 

[ohhector]

(I have a few more photos I haven't uploaded to my Flickr account yet...when I get the rest of them up I will be posting them here!)

 

[ErickainPA]

very nice pictures, my husband loves to take ones like you did, it's the little details.

I have gone on several trips to Disney alone, it's actually quite enjoyable if you let it be. I love going with my kids, but alone you can just seem to take it at a pace you can't when you go with others or in my case my family. I am going on my alone trip in Sept and then my family and I will return in October.

Just an FYI - it's Wilderness Lodge, Fort Wilderness is the campground (I got married at the Lodge )

 

[castevens]

Thanks for sharing, and great pictures!

 

[DisGal]

Love the pictures - thank you for sharing them.

 

[mickeysshoes]

You have some pretty great pics here..thanks for sharing!!

 

[corey154]

I love your trip report, but I really love the pictures you took!! Thanks for taking the time to share it all with us. If you do another trip in November, I hope you take the time to do another trip report!!

 

[wm49rs]

Great trip report. I usually take a single day or two to myself, but not an entire trip. And what were you using to take those pictures? They're terrific! :sohappy:

 

[Soaringirl]

Thanks for a great trip report, your pictures were awesome!
The part when you wrote that you'd take pictures of the people taking flash pictures was funny.

 

[lilclerk]

Yay for solo trips! :sohappy:
Your photos are amazing, thanks for sharing them!

Just an FYI - it's Wilderness Lodge, Fort Wilderness is the campground (I got married at the Lodge )

Oh I remember the photos you used to have up of your wedding, that seems like a perfect location! I love WL :lol:

 

[ErickainPA]

Oh I remember the photos you used to have up of your wedding, that seems like a perfect location! I love WL :lol:

Thanks, it was a great day in 2001, beautiful weather, got to spend time with the most important people in my life at that time (in 2003 we lost my dad)

 

[Korfar]

You are and outstanding photographer. I really enjoyed your perspective in many of the shots. The one from TS Island with the empty chairs looking at BTM was awesome.

 

[harveyt0206]

Loved your trip report and especially the photos. You have some really interesting and unique points of view. Thanks for sharing. :wave:

 

[ohhector]

ErickainPA: I definitely plan to do another solo trip again. I want to check out Disneyland, and that might be a good solo venture!

castevens, Disgal, mickeysshoes, corey154, Soaringirl, lilclerk, harvey0206: Thank you all so much for your lovely words. I am glad you all enjoyed the report and the shots =]

wm49rs: Thanks! I shoot with a Canon 5D Mark II. I use a Canon 35mmL, Tamron 28-280, and (thanks to a friend that lent me it right before the trip) a Canon 20mm.

Korfar: much thanks for the kind words. That is one of my favorite shots as well...like I mentioned in the caption, I had never chanced upon that spot, and fell in love with it immediately.