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...

 

[fractal]

Everytime our waitress came over, Sterg would ask for something. More chicken, more beef, more water. He did get more water.

The two of them had some funny banter back and forth. Amazingly Sterg finished his big cup of water and called our waitress over for more. This is what happened next;

Yia-Yia was cracking up.

Because of his large intake of water, Sterg was given a special gift.

After watching how the "ketchup call" went down, Toni couldn't resist asking for some. It would soon arrive.

This little girl gave us a lowdown of the intricacies of the "ketchup call" tradition.

Before too long, we were passing along the tradition ourselves;

Soon it was time for dessert and for me to take more pictures. I really should have used a flash, but I felt that my photo shooting was becoming annoying enough ( or I was told that ). My Mom kept asking me how many pictures did I need to take. I can only imagine the reaction if I were to be lighting up our table with constant flashes.

I was really happy that I booked this meal. We loved getting a taste of Wilderness Lodge and had a great time at Whispering Canyon. The food was good, not great. Typical BBQ restaurant fare. The only thing I really didn't enjoy were the ribs. Besides, Flame Tree BBQ, Disney seems to have an problem making good ribs. Alex wanted to know why Pork shank wasn't on the menu.

 

[PolynesianPrincess]

As if I need to say it again.... great photos Chris! Thank you for that little tidbit of information about JPEg vs RAW. I shot in half JPEG, half RAW on our trip in May. I don't have an app to edit the RAW photos yet but my friend is getting me a copy of photoshop soon. So hopefully I can start working on editing those!

Isn't WL stunning? We stayed there for the first time in November 2011. We had wanted to swing for the Poly, but the AP discount wasn't available the dates we were there so it was a toss up between WL and AKL. We decided on WL because we're weren't going to AK on that trip and also because my Mom is big into camping and fishing and outdoorsy stuff. We knew she would like it. And all 3 of us ended up LOVING it. It just the right size, not too big (although it appears to be huge) and not too small. I really like how everything is in one building and not seperate sections. You would never know it's there, all peaceful and quiet, just seconds away from the MK and all the hustle and bustle there. Also, we hardly ever waited for a bus, even after the parks closed. Any time we did wait, which was only about 5 minutes at most, we always got a seat. There was never more then 10 people in line while all the other bus stops had massive amounts of people! Definitely give it a go on a future trip

 

[Disney80]

A-ma-zing photos once again Chris! (The trip report is as good!)

Cannot wait to read what's next!

 

[fractal]

Your SSE pics are gorgeous!!!!!!! I can't get over that!

I gotta learn and play with my camera settings more to take better pictures. Props to you though for all that editting too! I honestly don't have the patience for that kind of stuff, I like what comes right out of the camera lol.

Oh and LOVE your AK pics! Whenever I see someone else's pics of Animal Kingdom, it makes me miss it because we don't usually stop at AK often on short trips because it's my least favorite park. Won't be until next May I get back there, thank you for your beautiful pics!!!!

Thanks! Editing does take alot of time. I have made some pre-sets but I don't use them nearly enough. If you are happy with the pics out of the camera it will save you a lot of time.

We ended up spending many mornings in AK. The kids ( and I ) love EE and Dinosaur.

I proclaim only Frac can post trip reports.. and must include 100's of pics... That camera, Frac, well, you are getting your money's worth! The pictures are freaking awesome!

Thanks dxer! ( but let's not get carried away ).

Ahahaha, the woman in the front. Toni's a little like, whoa there, protect me Daddy, but that woman needs to be on a commercial.

I know! That is hilarious! I'm sure I've been spotted in other people's ride pictures. "Look at this big guy...".

This report is getting better by the day love the pictures!! Keep on going

Thanks Flagg!

 

[fractal]

Wow, it looks like she has an eye for photography too. Those are very good

She doesn't do too bad and she enjoys it. Her biggest problem was composing with severe slants, but we are working on it; Thanks!

I LOVE the title of this TR! That is all. (for now..... until I can actually read the report! )

Lol! Makes me think of Nicholas Cage with hair.

Nice photos, Toni!!! You're a chip off the old block!

Toni says thanks!

She did a great job on the photos and looks like it was a good time with the animals out of hiding!

Thanks! We did see several animals more than last trip. Maybe the lions are being drawn out by all the new zebras?

Your eye for color is great in those pics of Epcot. Your making me think of getting a new camera for my next trip. Im one of those iphone camera type guys, but things may have to change. Im also digging toni's kicks...wife wants a pair now too!

Thanks! You can get a pretty good camera for under $500. Toni loves her new sneakers!

Oh wow. The awesome-sauce just keeps on pourin'....

I've only been to 1 signature: The Yachtsman, Sept. 2011, twice in 1 week. I wouldn't recommend it. My brother went back last year and said it was a night & day difference. He said it was awesome. Personally, if I'm going to spend a couple hundred bucks on a meal I'd rather it wasn't a crap-shoot whether it'll be good or not. That's just me. I have no idea if the 2-credit restaurants are consistantly better than the 1-credit meals. I'm pretty sure that's not a rule-of-thumb just because Disney assigns a restaurant "signature" status.

Toni did a beautiful job with her pics! I love that you included them and credited her.

Sterg...I hear ya. His grin is kinda a Grinchy thing, isn't it? Hmmmm...something tells me when he does get around to a true heart-felt smile it's like the sunshine on a rainy day. Handsome fella, Chris. All your children are gorgeous. You & Val make some good-lookin' kiddos!

Thanks Kelly! Taking (now) 5 adults to a Signature restuarant can put a dent in the wallet. Just the tip, apps and booze can buy me a few meals out here.

Tony says Thank you!

Thanks again and have fun on your cruise!

Well, thanks for making me stay up until 2:00 am, reading this report! I'll add in with the rest and say the pics are great. I appreciate the artistry that I don't have and appreciate even more you taking the time to share them.

Lol, sorry! Thanks for the comments and for reading along!

Amazing pictures of Mouse Gears!

Reading along and (still) enjoying every moment!

I'm expecting you to shoot a full gallery of Mouse Gear shots on your trip!
Thanks!

Toni took some great pics there, go girl!

How fantastic is WL!!? We stayed there, although only for one night, on our last trip. It was incredible! I couldn't agree more about GF, one big fancy room, you can look but don't touch!

Toni thanks you! I liked both for very different reasons.

I know that look, it's the "dad is about to swing look"..Sterg beware!

If you,like the view from that boat, you should try the watermice boats! You can get really close to the edge of the lake!

Yeah, I was pretty ticked. I love the look on Toni's face in the picture. If you mean those small 2 seaters, the kids took them out the next day ( although I wasn't with them ). Thanks for reading along Billy!

Even though the wave pool at Typhoon is a blast, you really have to be careful of others around you if it gets crowded. I always do a quick 360 degree scan around me every time I hear the horn sound, before the wave is released. I wouldn't want a linebacker to come crashing down in a wave on top of me. Sorry to hear that your daughter scraped her knee after being knocked down by another swimmer during the wave sequence. Hope her knee is fine now.

Absolutely. Her knee is fine. It was a bad scrape but no bruising.
Thanks for following!

Love the WL & Whispering Canyon pics. It really is a relaxed atmosphere at that resort. We enjoyed our stay a lot in 2011. Haven't had WC dinner since...oh...Nov 2010. I loooove their breakfast! Such a fun restaurant.

Good info on the file types. Definitely noting what's what.

WL definitely looked like my "speed". We had had a good time at WC!

Thanks, I'm not a photography expert and still learning but I'm just passing along my experiences as I've learned from others that did the same.

I just ready your whole TR from beginning to now.. I'm so entertained! Definitely one of the best I've ever read on here. And Definitely with the best pictures, but you already knew that haha. Your family is a lot like mine, I love reading this! Can't wait to read more

Thanks DisneyFreak! So you are crazy too?

Chris,
Enjoying your TR!!
Love the pictures.

Thanks much!!!

 

[fractal]

A-ma-zing photos once again Chris! (The trip report is as good!)

Cannot wait to read what's next!

Thank you Disney80!

 

[Billy6]

She doesn't do too bad and she enjoys it. Her biggest problem was composing with severe slants, but we are working on it; Thanks!



Lol! Makes me think of Nicholas Cage with hair.



Toni says thanks!



Thanks! We did see several animals more than last trip. Maybe the lions are being drawn out by all the new zebras?



Thanks! You can get a pretty good camera for under $500. Toni loves her new sneakers!



Thanks Kelly! Taking (now) 5 adults to a Signature restuarant can put a dent in the wallet. Just the tip, apps and booze can buy me a few meals out here.

Tony says Thank you!

Thanks again and have fun on your cruise!



Lol, sorry! Thanks for the comments and for reading along!



I'm expecting you to shoot a full gallery of Mouse Gear shots on your trip!
Thanks!



Toni thanks you! I liked both for very different reasons.



Yeah, I was pretty ticked. I love the look on Toni's face in the picture. If you mean those small 2 seaters, the kids took them out the next day ( although I wasn't with them ). Thanks for reading along Billy!



Absolutely. Her knee is fine. It was a bad scrape but no bruising.
Thanks for following!



WL definitely looked like my "speed". We had had a good time at WC!

Thanks, I'm not a photography expert and still learning but I'm just passing along my experiences as I've learned from others that did the same.



Thanks DisneyFreak! So you are crazy too?



Thanks much!!!

I've seen that look many a times... I have a younger sister too!

Yep, the SeaRacers... They say you can't bring a camera on board them but my wife snuck some shots in...

 

[ShookieJones]

Still reading along. A couple o' three comments (cuz that's how I roll).

You getting pummeled in the TL wave pool!!! Wow. I'm always amazed this does not happen more often, and not just
with 'bigger' people. It's just the sheer force of those waves and the amount of people huddled together, not to mention the rough a$$ bottom of the pool, I'm surprised there are not major injuries every day there.
Please don't misunderstand me, I love TL and I love the wave pool I'm just pointing out it's nuts.

Second is the PO'd pick that Sterg got. LOVE IT!! It's not bad enough he was getting you all worked up but then he got the picture of it!! LOL! Sorry man, but like I said before misery loves company and you're great company.
That beer is waiting for you when you're ready and it looks like (just like me) you'll need it for more reason than one! Ahhh teenagers!

Lastly - we're finally heading back to Whispering Canyon after about a 4 years hiatus. I was second guessing our return there as the kids are much older and wasn't exactly sure if they'd still enjoy themselves..............until I saw your pics and all the fun you guys had. Now I can't wait to go back.

 

[fractal]

Yia-Yia's pepper shaker table hockey game...

 

[mousefreak]

Your last installments are so dang funny. Sterg getting the picture of you about ready to smack him upside the head is priceless! The picture of the little girl bring over the ketchup is funny too because Val has her mouth open like she's ready to say "What the H is going on here?" The close up of Sterg could caption this "Dad...I know I can't take you down, but I'm sure gonna try"! Toni is absolutely adorable!! Keep it coming!

 

[Mr Ferret 75]

Happy Labor Day everybody! Enjoying the day off and wishing I were here;

This is our favorite photopass spot

 

[fractal]

The lighting fixtures at WL are easy to admire.

While I was snapping pictures, the "girls" were being goofy coming out of the ladies room. I think Yia-Yia may have had too much wine.

We started to make our way back to the dock. Goodbye Wilderness Lodge! Until next time.

On our way to Magic Kingdom. Captain of one of these boats seems like a great "retirement" job.

The evening air over the water was in refreshing contrast to the hot, muggy weather earlier.

Coming up to The Contemporary.

Hello Magic Kingdom!

 

[fractal]

Another picture of city hall.

The park was mobbed that evening and it seemed like everybody was getting ready for the parade and fireworks.

We dodged our way up Main Street on the way to Adventureland. Look at that crowd!

At this point I was feeling for Val and my Mom. Val because fighting crowds is one thing she hates about WDW and we were in a mass of humanity. I was hoping things would clear up away from the hub. My Mom I was just worried about her getting lost or falling behind. I was a bit relieved as we made the turn to Crystal Palace.

The kids immediately wanted to do the "mountains", but I wanted to first do some family rides.

"Whoa, hold on. We need to do some rides for all of us. Let's go to the Tiki-Room"
"That's so stupid!" Toni replied "Why do we have to do that?"

Moments like that is when you really get upset with your children. At least I do. I know they are naturally selfish at that age and she was probably getting tired and cranky, but no excuse. I told her anymore lip and I would personally take her back to the room.

She did breath a sigh of relief when we discovered the Tiki-Room was closed. Too bad for us, I saw the Tiki Room last summer at Disneyland and wanted to take the rest of the family in it. I know my Mom would have enjoyed it and everybody else would have been surprisingly happy with it. So we moved forward to the Jungle Cruise. The line was only 10 minutes and turned out to be half of that. Toni was looking at me and rolling her eye. I wonder if she saw the steam coming from my ears? I distracted her by pointing out the different props in the queue,

including the tarantula!

Sterg jumped all over that, selling it hard that the spider was real, alive and definitely deadly. That little bit of uncertainty and danger quickly changed Toni's attitude about JC. The last time she went on it was in 2009 with little memory of that and none of us had been on it at night. She grabbed hold of my arm, looked up at me and asked me if the ride was scary. That made my night. I quickly went from being "mean Dad forcing us on boring rides" to Dad the hero and protector.

My Mother drew our attention to the name of our boat. "Volta Val". "Volta" she explained, means "trip" or "voyage" in Greek. It was certainly the boat for us.

It was nearly impossible to get any photos during our cruise of the rivers.
This was fine by me as I enjoyed the skipper, her jokes and all the animals! Toni ended up loving it and wanted to ride again, but we were off to see some pirates.

We all climbing into our pirate boat and made out way into one of the greatest attractions. At first, it seemed that I was the only one that appreciated it. As we floated into the murky caves, Sterg started to do his Bane impersonation.

“Ah you think darkness is your ally? You merely adopted the dark. I was born in it, molded by it. I didn't see the light until I was already a man, by then it was nothing to me but blinding!”

He grabbed the back on my neck on "blinding" just as Bane grabbed Batman by the neck. "OK Sterg!, knock it off!" I objected while swiping his arm away.

Pirates, looked great. Even though i'm not a fan of the Capt Sparrow add in, I still love the ride. My mother was astounded "How did they build this?" she repeated a few times.
"I don't know Mom, pretty amazing"

 

[ladydi]

Loving your report! Loved yiayia's comment on JC that Volta means trip in Greek. It reminds me of the dad in "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" and how he would translate all words into the Greek root word!

 

[Bam Bam]

I have read all your trip reports and loved them all! Your family is so cute and Sterg cracks me up! The addition of Yia-Yia has been great as well! Can't wait until your next update!

 

[DisSplash]

I have finally read through your whole TR -- it only took me 3 days on and off once I discovered it! I kept coming back to it with that same anticipation I get for a new episode of my favorite TV show! I absolutely love everything about it. You've got drama, comedy, intrigue, and even some heartfelt moments!! You also have a great-looking family and entertaining cast of characters, and it looks like you all had a fantastic time.
We just got back last week from an 11-day trip there and I can empathize with you over kids not cooperating for a photo -- all I wanted was a Grade A brochure-worthy kid shot of them enjoying the Happiest Place on Earth and hence something to put on my desk at work as I pine away for the next trip, and I instead got mostly smirks, exasperated faces, squinty eyes, or Stan Laurel grins. Ugh. And my kids are not even teenagers yet! At least your youngest cooperated with you! She was quite the trooper and very photogenic ...
Art of Animation at HS was awesome wasn't it? My DH loved it so much he said he could have spent a whole day doing it. We ended up doing that at least 5 times!
Can't wait to read more about the Many Adventure of Yia-Yia and Sterg! Not to mention the rest of your gang.

 

[Bob]

As if I need to say it again.... great photos Chris! Thank you for that little tidbit of information about JPEg vs RAW. I shot in half JPEG, half RAW on our trip in May. I don't have an app to edit the RAW photos yet but my friend is getting me a copy of photoshop soon. So hopefully I can start working on editing those!

No need for Photoshop. This is just as good.

http://www.gimp.org/

 

[Lexi]

I feel like I am just echoing what everyone else has already told you but seriously what a great trip report and what amazing photos!!

Your family stories remind me of all the trips I took with my parents and my little brother years ago!! After watching my boyfriend and I plan our 3rd trip together, my family is finally talking about planning a huge trip with all of us next year!! I have a feeling, even though I'm 26 now and my brother is 17, we will still act your like your children on that trip and I cannot wait!!

 

[wishes2013]

Your pictures are beautiful! (Toni's too) I would love to get into photography, but as a freshman in college I have neither the time or money to do that

 

[fractal]

Trying to get Alex to pose for a picture...

really?

Our next stop was Splash Mountain. We were all trying to convince Yia-Yia to go with us, then I'm thinking maybe Yia-Yia shouldn't go with us. In the end she decided to pass on Splash which was probably for the best. I didn't have to worry about her handling the big drop. Splash is one of my favorites; actually we all love it. Everything seemed to be working well and it looked great! I will say that you do not enjoy a ride as much when you are trying to photograph it - especially a dark ride. Instead of taking in the story and full immersing yourself, you spend a lot of time screwing around with your focus, making sure not to move too much, figuring out what to shoot by looking ahead, etc. I loved taking all the pictures I did on this trip - but there is a price you pay.

Here are my Splash Mountain photos;

and a few more...

Off to work now, I hope everyone has a Zip-a-dee-doo-da Day!