Trip Report I'll stop the World and Melt with you.

It's been two years since my family and I visited WDW. Two long years. Thankfully, my son Sterg and I got a three day Disney fix last summer at Disneyland.

Curiously, this trip report is being written at a time when a lot of negative Disney vibe is emanating from other regions of WDWMagic - as it was two years ago. The Doom & Gloom is running free and wild. I'm just thankful I stayed clear of most of it before our trip because I may have cancelled what turned out to be an amazing time. It is also fortunate that we got this trip in because from the sound of things there may not be a WDW to go to in a few years.

To be truthful, some things that Disney has done has me scratching my head; but this is neither the time nor place to discuss it. Putting that aside - let's get on with the trip report!

We left on Sunday July 21st. Maybe the longest day of my life. The night before, my oldest daughter Alex went to see Taylor Swift in Philadelphia ( about 50 miles away ) and due to a long rain delay she didn't make it home until 2 am. This meant that she would not go to sleep since we were being picked up at 3 am for the drive to Philly airport for our 6 am flight. At least we were supposed to be picked up at 3am.

Here is my Mom ( Yia-Yia )and my youngest daughter Antonia ( Toni ) up and ready at 3 in the morning waiting for our ride. Yia-Yia ( grandmother in Greek ) is 77 years old and joining us for the first time on a Disney adventure. Toni is now almost 12 and the little Yorki-poo in the front is Prince. Prince is short for Prince Charming ( named by Toni ).

When the driver didn't show up by 3:15 I started to worry. I called the limo company at the same time he called me to tell me he was lost. I reeled him in and we were on our way by 3:30. The drive down was nerve wracking as I kept watching the clock and praying for no delays. That is until our driver eased my tension by telling us his son works for Disney and he goes down to the World 4 or 5 times a year. The resulting Disney conversation lasted until we hit the airport around 4:30.

More tension as we went through security. My carry on was stopped in the machine and I was pulled aside. I had put a container of Vitamin C powder in my bag that garnered some attention. Of course, my Mom came over as I was being held and my bag inspected.

"Why didn't you put that in your suitcase, Christo?" she said to me in her Greek accented voice.

"Mom, please go wait over there" I responded.

"No, I want to see what they are doing" Then she followed with this one for the TSA officer.

"It's not drugs, my son doesn't do cocaine!"

OK, I thought. I'm definitely going to be held in some prison cell for the next week.

After the chemical test proved my Mother correct, I was allowed to go on my way. We had time to grab coffee and some food and make it on the Southwest plane to Orlando. A plane full of smiling happy faces! Including these;

This is my wife Val ( not the biggest of Disney fans ), with Yia-Yia in the middle and Alex by the window.

On the other side was yours truly sporting a Hawaiian shirt ( since we were staying at the Poly ), Toni and Sterg.

Before we knew it we were up in the clouds...

 

[sweetpee_1993]

I, actually, did know that. The Disney Studios created, if I remember correctly, well into four figures worth of insignia for units during WWII. Very cool!

I have a picture somewhere, it'd take some digging to find, of a display in the Naval Aviation Museum on NAS Pensacola that has a Flying Tigers panel with the Disney signature. That's how I know.

 

[mklively]

Thanks mklively! I definitely lucked out. How old are yours?

No sweat - didn't really need them.

My DD is 15 and my DS is 17 and I have been blessed also, they are great kids. My son (Jordan) shares my obsession with Disney. My daughter (Chelsea) asked me one day why I love Disney World so much, I explained it's not just a place it's more about family bonding to me. Where else in the world can we go and do so many different things together? So now she loves it too. Family is important and Disney experiences and memories have made us closer.

Thank you so much for taking the time to post your TR my son and I have really enjoyed it.

 

[fractal]

Finally it was time for our TSMM fastpasses. We enjoyed this in 2009 and between fastpasses and going on a few times late at night during EMH we rode it at least 4 times that trip. However, with the current insane popularity of the ride we didn't go on it at all in 2011. I was excited to ride it again after 4 years. One problem with FPs for this attraction is that you miss Mr. Potato Head, which is one of the coolest AAs in WDW (but not worth a 60 + minute wait).

I decided to use my 50mm 1.8 lens for the ride, which turned out to be a mistake. At an aperture of 1.8 I felt that I could better capture some of the ride and Toni's reactions within the low light environment. The focal length of the lens however, was a big disadvantage. Things were just to close to me. I really should have went with the wider angle 19mm 2.8, but hey - live and learn.

The lens was fine to use on the way to the ride however. I found myself really enjoying the 50mm as a walk around lens because it made you think more and gives opportunities for more unorthodox shots.

We did not go to see Capt. Jack Sparrow. The wait was always 30mins or more.

This is an interesting queue to go through with an 11 year old. As an adult it reminds you of your childhood, but you often have to explain to your child what most things are.

Toni was getting a bit anxious as I tried coaching her on how the ride worked and what to expect.

"Is it like Buzz Lightyear?" she asked.

"Yes, very similar."

"Which is better? Is this better than Buzz?" Kids always love to rank things.

"Yes, I think it is."

Here's were things started to get very cramped looking through my camera.

 

[fractal]

Trying to juggle a camera, even a small light one, take some pictures and play the game made an already hectic ride even more so. Everything moved too fast, was too close and just didn't encourage photography. It's certainly not a slow dark ride like PotC or LM. I think you either have to commit to picture taking or shooting the targets. If it were an easier attraction to ride more than once a trip, one could take pictures one time then play the next. Doing both wasn't working too well, and I wish I would have just enjoyed the ride instead.

Toni was really mad that I beat her! She may be more competitive than her brother - which I guess is not unusual for the youngest child.

Despite getting school by her Dad she did give Toy Story Midway Mania a thumbs up!

 

[Gabe1]

Trying to juggle a camera, even a small light one, take some pictures and play the game made an already hectic ride even more so. Everything moved too fast, was too close and just didn't encourage photography. It's certainly not a slow dark ride like PotC or LM. I think you either have to commit to picture taking or shooting the targets. If it were an easier attraction to ride more than once a trip, one could take pictures one time then play the next. Doing both wasn't working too well, and I wish I would have just enjoyed the ride instead.

I have a thought that took a while for me to reach. While we did 2 week trips with my kids every year at least for a decade and a half, took tons of photo's it wasn't until one Christmas when we peaked with the CamCorder that we took a big step back.

It was during a Christmas Trip when my DD was 4 and DS 9. And a few days in and at the Old Osborne lights. DH and I worked hard at recording it all, it was beautiful, my Dad pushing my DD late at night through Osborne, my Mom with my DS and us, DH & Me photo'ing and recording every moment. And our Cam allowed us to review and we did when we got back to the resort. And DH & I realized what a wonderful time my folks had with our kids, they were in the moment with our kids, the recordings were great as were the photo's but we documented it, we really were never in the moment, we were pre-techie phone glue type parents, we were pre that era Cam Photo disengaged in the moment guests. From that point forward we took reasonable amounts of photo's and ditched the Cam for the rest of the trip and future trips. We had the luxury of going back to Osborne for a do-over, my folks had gone back home and we were there for another week and we enjoyed the entire walk through of Osborne together, as a family.

Now on the flip side of that, I do get the photography. Some of us have taken our families so many times to WDW it is a new way to experience the World and keeps it from getting stale. But for us it separated us from the rest of the family, it was best that we walked away from our obsession and stuck to focusing on our kids instead of photo's and recordings. So I do giggle when we older folks giggle about kids and their phones, we older folks are no different just a different device.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

@Gabe1, you nailed it. I know this is the worst thing to say IN someone's trip report (know that I love ya, @fractal ) but there's a lot to be said for stepping away from what distracts us in the moment. For me, it was the incessant note-taking and documenting. Every little thing I'd capture it with a pic or scrawl out a note. This last trip I got a few days in and took a stand. I ripped the notes from my notebook, tore them up, and threw them away. In that moment I freed myself. I had a fabulous time from that moment forward, much more casual with my photos, etc. Just soaking up the moments and being present for it all. It was wonderful. I feel liberated. I don't even feel the need to post any sort of report post-trip although I still might throw some pics together to relive the highlights. Sometimes you just gotta step away and free yourself.

Chris, I do love the close-up stuff you showed us from TSMM. I think it's a different perspective, not at all standard. It's good stuff for sure! I just wish you'd enjoyed the ride more with Toni.

 

[Gabe1]

@Gabe1, you nailed it. I know this is the worst thing to say IN someone's trip report (know that I love ya, @fractal ) but there's a lot to be said for stepping away from what distracts us in the moment. For me, it was the incessant note-taking and documenting. Every little thing I'd capture it with a pic or scrawl out a note. This last trip I got a few days in and took a stand. I ripped the notes from my notebook, tore them up, and threw them away. In that moment I freed myself. I had a fabulous time from that moment forward, much more casual with my photos, etc. Just soaking up the moments and being present for it all. It was wonderful. I feel liberated. I don't even feel the need to post any sort of report post-trip although I still might throw some pics together to relive the highlights. Sometimes you just gotta step away and free yourself.

Chris, I do love the close-up stuff you showed us from TSMM. I think it's a different perspective, not at all standard. It's good stuff for sure! I just wish you'd enjoyed the ride more with Toni.

Though I've got to say I still have one weakness with my photo's. It is those food pic's. I just can't help myself.

 

[fractal]

My DD is 15 and my DS is 17 and I have been blessed also, they are great kids. My son (Jordan) shares my obsession with Disney. My daughter (Chelsea) asked me one day why I love Disney World so much, I explained it's not just a place it's more about family bonding to me. Where else in the world can we go and do so many different things together? So now she loves it too. Family is important and Disney experiences and memories have made us closer.

Thank you so much for taking the time to post your TR my son and I have really enjoyed it.

I so agree with the family bonding. My kids are already asking if/when we are going back.
Your welcome - I enjoy doing it and also like having a spot where I can go back and relive the trip.

I have a thought that took a while for me to reach. While we did 2 week trips with my kids every year at least for a decade and a half, took tons of photo's it wasn't until one Christmas when we peaked with the CamCorder that we took a big step back.

It was during a Christmas Trip when my DD was 4 and DS 9. And a few days in and at the Old Osborne lights. DH and I worked hard at recording it all, it was beautiful, my Dad pushing my DD late at night through Osborne, my Mom with my DS and us, DH & Me photo'ing and recording every moment. And our Cam allowed us to review and we did when we got back to the resort. And DH & I realized what a wonderful time my folks had with our kids, they were in the moment with our kids, the recordings were great as were the photo's but we documented it, we really were never in the moment, we were pre-techie phone glue type parents, we were pre that era Cam Photo disengaged in the moment guests. From that point forward we took reasonable amounts of photo's and ditched the Cam for the rest of the trip and future trips. We had the luxury of going back to Osborne for a do-over, my folks had gone back home and we were there for another week and we enjoyed the entire walk through of Osborne together, as a family.

Now on the flip side of that, I do get the photography. Some of us have taken our families so many times to WDW it is a new way to experience the World and keeps it from getting stale. But for us it separated us from the rest of the family, it was best that we walked away from our obsession and stuck to focusing on our kids instead of photo's and recordings. So I do giggle when we older folks giggle about kids and their phones, we older folks are no different just a different device.

@Gabe1, you nailed it. I know this is the worst thing to say IN someone's trip report (know that I love ya, @fractal ) but there's a lot to be said for stepping away from what distracts us in the moment. For me, it was the incessant note-taking and documenting. Every little thing I'd capture it with a pic or scrawl out a note. This last trip I got a few days in and took a stand. I ripped the notes from my notebook, tore them up, and threw them away. In that moment I freed myself. I had a fabulous time from that moment forward, much more casual with my photos, etc. Just soaking up the moments and being present for it all. It was wonderful. I feel liberated. I don't even feel the need to post any sort of report post-trip although I still might throw some pics together to relive the highlights. Sometimes you just gotta step away and free yourself.

Chris, I do love the close-up stuff you showed us from TSMM. I think it's a different perspective, not at all standard. It's good stuff for sure! I just wish you'd enjoyed the ride more with Toni.

@Gabe1 @sweetpee_1993 Thank you for your thoughts - this is a great topic and certainly a fine line. One of the things we enjoy the most as a family is to break out old videos. I was videoing everything when Alex and Sterg were younger - but got away from it with Toni ( for some reason ). I realized this as we were watching them - a lot of the first two, not enough of the third. I guess it's natural - your parenting style tends to be dramatically different with the third child vs. the first. This video "gap" may have been one of the reasons I decided to get back into capturing more memories.

Being too much "spectator" vs. "participant" is also another reason I didn't want to go with a big DSLR camera. I felt a smaller camera would be less "intrusive" and not feel like a chore. Some parents begin to look more like a hired professional photographer vs. a Mom or Dad. Kelly, I agree with you regarding TSMM. I think that is why it came out while writing the report. Instead of giving up on the difficult shots I struggled through it which left me detached from Toni during that ride. If I had to do it again I would have shut off the camera ( or used a wide angle lens ). I do have to say that it was one of the few times I felt "detached". On the flip side, being in the pool or running around Typhoon Lagoon without the camera did feel a bit liberating.

As far as taking notes, on our last trip I did write down a paragraph or two at the end of each day and ended up with a few pages. This time I just saved a few words on my phones "notepad" during the trip to help me remember certain moments. The pictures also served to jog the memory and tell the story. I can also say that I did not allow my photography to "control" the day. Most of my shots are hand held as we went along - it was only a handful of times I stopped the action and asked for poses - but not anymore than a normal parent would during a WDW vacation. The times with the tripod were only a couple of hours and forced the kids to go off on their own ( which I think is a good thing ).

I also feel that I have a duty as a Father to capture these memories. One thing my parents didn't do as I grew up is take a lot of pictures. Maybe I'm trying to make up for that. OK - now you have me psycho analysing myself.

This topic would make a great thread.

 

[DznyRktekt]

Let's talk about photos, Bob.

 

[WDWmazprty]

Breakfast at Kona in one word - "Wow!" This was our fist time eating here and it exceeded expectations.

Looks like Yia-Yia has the teenage strained neck position. She loves playing her slot machine game and Angry Birds ( "the birds" as she calls it ) on her I-touch.

I ordered the Tonga Toast. If you happen to enjoy sweet, doughy, warm, banana filled crusty goodness covered with a magical strawberry sauce then this is for you.
I kept reminding myself of all the miles I was going to walk for the next week as I consumed hundreds of calories per bite.

The lady across from me started screaming and pointing at me " Is that Tonga Toast? Is that Tonga Toast? "
With my mouth stuffed with this amazing concoction all I could muster was a thumbs up.

"That's what I'm getting!" she continued "Steve, look! He has Tonga Toast!" she said to her husband. "Is it good?" She asked me.

Again, I just kept giving her the thumbs up. It wasn't long before I finished my decedent meal.

and washed it down with French Pressed coffee. I never thought I would spend that much for coffee. It was almost worth it.

Alex got the Big Kahuna..

And my Mom ordered the Pineapple Macadamia Pancakes - I had a bite and it was awesome.

Sterg was being healthy and ordered the fruit plate. I have no idea what Val and Toni got. I may have gone into some sort of sugar induced coma.

Everybody was happy!

or at least not fighting.

Tonga Toast is my favorite! I get it everytime.

 

[ml123_9]

Until next time 50's PT.

This is where we sat last time we were there!

Last night, I was going through photos from our trip in May '10(because the internet was down) and I found some from our dinner here. It turns out that we sat here on that trip. I don't remember our servers name, he was a cousin. It was my son's birthday and he passed a card around the entire room and made every guest sign it. It seemed awkward for them, but it was a lot of fun.

 

[ml123_9]

I have a picture somewhere, it'd take some digging to find, of a display in the Naval Aviation Museum on NAS Pensacola that has a Flying Tigers panel with the Disney signature. That's how I know.

Disney played a farely large role in WWII with propaganda films and insignias. A lot of pilots wore Disney patches or drawings on their bomber jackets and a lot of the aircraft had Disney characters on them. There is a nice display of it at the National Museum of the USAF in Dayton Ohio.
Click here for a history lesson: http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=7883

 

[disneygirl1]

Great update and again amazing pictures. I know what you mean about the lasck of evening EMH. I feel like there were onlys 1 or 2 nights were we were at EMH well past midnight, now not so much! I loved the late hours.

 

[fractal]

Toni was still mad at me after TSMM.

but she did agree to pose nice.

I asked her if she's going to act like Alex and Sterg when she's a teenager. Will she rather sleep in than go on Tower of Terror? Will she stop posing for pictures? She promises she won't, but sadly I know how the story ends. All part of growing up.

Then my "not a teenager yet" wanted to go see American Idol. All three of these guys were good. The one on the right ended up winning. Toni and I voted for the middle guy.

It's a fun show and the crowd was in it, but I'm ready for something different.

We got word that everyone else had made it to Animal Kingdom. We had early reservations at Sanaa and the plan was to first go to AK. Toni and I made our way out of DHS while taking some pictures.

Love the signs.

The skies were still clear but the forecast was calling for a storm. I had called Sterg earlier and asked him to brink ponchos and my other camera battery. Until next time, DHS.

bus stop.

and bus. Blizzard Beach first then AKL, then AK. Not a quick trip.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Blizzard Beach first then AKL, then AK. Not a quick trip.

I think we wound up on a very similar route the other week. The kids wound up getting a nice nap it was such a long bus trek. Love Toni's reaction to your TSMM victory

 

[fractal]

We loved the bus stops at AKL, TV and all.

Toni asked for the camera and turned the tables on me.

Eh Gad.

We finally made it to AK. Now, the search to find the B team.

Last we heard they were having lunch at Flame Tree. If you take the time to notice, Animal Kingdom is just dripping and oozing with cool details.

This is one of my favorite QS spots, but unfortunately I didn't get a chance to eat there this trip.

They told us they were sitting where we always do - the covered deck behind the restaurant with a great view of Everest.

but when we got there they were gone and not answering their phones. The view, however was still there.

Soon after Sterg called and they were on the way to get us before going on EE. This gave me an opportunity to explore more details. The area behind FTBBQ is amazing. Even though I got a chance to walk around there more than I ever had, I could have used another hour.

It really is a shame that for many Disney fans, the first thing they say when you bring up Animal Kingdom is "When are they going to fix the Yeti?"
The continued state of the most amazing AA in WDW is a burden the rest of the park must also bear. The design, effort and execution of the park itself it stunning. An amazing canvas for the attractions and lands to exist on. It's time for Disney to make this park right - and not by just adding Avatar.

Finally the gang was all together. This was Yia-Yia's first time in AK and despite the heat, she was impressed by its beauty. The kids took off to Everest.

I started to get into shooting other people - kinda like "street shooting" at WDW. It was cool seeing different memories, moments and stories being created.

With the kids wanting to get in some thrill rides, we decided to take Yia-Yia on the Safari. It was a bit of a hike, but she was up for it.

Does anybody know what this means?

This guy was jamming and I wanted to stay and listen some, but the animals were calling.

So was the band in Africa.

It was a fun scene with many people joining in. A bit too hot for me to show off my dance skills ( or lack thereof ), plus the animals were still calling.

 

[Gojira ゴジラ]

It really is a shame that for many Disney fans, the first thing they say when you bring up Animal Kingdom is "When are they going to fix the Yeti?"

Hear hear!
More often than not, people have a tendency to focus their energy on something as wasteful as complaining at small little things. The appreciation skill is dry and lacking at times.

And I can be the worst culprit

 

[rkelly42]

Tetak in Croatian means uncle, but it looks like there are more words on the wrap on the tree.

 

[disneygirl1]

We stayed at Kidani Village in June and we loved the TV's at the bus stop! Great way to occupy kids times while waiting for the bus... There were times I was pulling my DS away from the TV as to not miss the bus! LOL

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Loooove the updates. Still so thirsty for more! Stayed in a studio at Kidani last month between cruises. Didn't use the buses but we did eat a dinner at Sanaa (w/ @Disneyfalcon). Interested to hear what y'all thought.

PS. Finally got my MacBook upgraded to the Mountain Lion OS. Running a demo of Light Room. It's okay. I think all editing programs are going to mildly annoy my impatient bone. Still want to try Aperture before laying out my $$ on one. I will say the pics I took with the NEX3 in auto are really pleasing. For quick snapping on the move I really am happy with what I got.