Trip Report The "We Wrote a Trip Report just because we went to Disney World" trip report.

This year our big WDW vacation was in the spooky month of October when the weather finally cools off to at least tolerable temperatures (or so we hoped).

Our tale involves a cast of two: me (Tweedledum) and Lyn (Tweedledee). This is our story...

Magic bands arrive (actually...forgot to take pictures of them, these are from our last trip)

 

[photoflight]

The pre-trip planning - and - "how we learned to enjoy Fastpass+"

Having been to WDW dozens of times we tend to stray from the ""have to do and see everything" trends, preferring to take a more casual and relaxed approach to our trips. The "see what happens" and "plan it out" approaches have usually met happily for us.

Paradoxically we've stepped slightly - if not fallen completely into - the "plan everything out" mentality. Fastpass+ is to blame of course. Years ago I would never have considered planning what ride to go on two months in advance of a visit to a park. This year though? This year we were counting down the days until we could make Fastpass+ reservations!

First order of business was figuring out what parks to do and when. Using some simple Tweedle-logic we decided to do the Magic Kingdom on a Tuesday then attend Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party that night, spend Wednesday at EPCOT while enjoying some food samples around the world, Hollywood Studios on Thursday, and Animal Kingdom on Friday.

What a plan!

Our tradition (we happened to be doing it so we decided it was a tradition) is to have one nice sit-down reservation per visit. One popped up at EPCOT on Thursday evening which meant planning just part of the day at Hollywood Studios. Our grand plans for Thursday night will remain a suspenseful mystery for later.

Good tweedlethinking for the tweedletwins so far.

 

[photoflight]

The first "have to do..."

Wait, didn't I say we weren't doing that? I lied. Sort of a Tweedledum moment.

See? Fastpass+ does that.... anyway, Tweedledee and I had yet to go on the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train at the Magic Kingdom. One to two hour waits? Forget it! 60 days out? Let's get a Fastpass for our Tuesday!

Let's see...Fastpass+? Log in to my Disney account thingy...a tweedleclick here and a tweedleclick there and... Wait. What? Are you tweedle-kidding? No Fastpasses for the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train on Tuesday? No tweedling way!

Sigh. Nope. No Seven Dwarfs Fastpasses available. Our first Fastpass+ let down. 60 days out and we couldn't score a Fastpass for a ride? Amazing.

After knocking our Tweedleheads together we hatched a brilliant and cunning plan that the Fastpass Gods would never expect! We're planning on arriving Monday afternoon, so how about taking one of those amazing buses over to the Magic Kingdom after we check-in? Yes...yes, sounds good but... YES Fastpasses are available for the Seven Dwarfs Monday afternoon! We're in! Take that Fastpass gremlins! The rest of our short evening included passes for Buzz Lightyear and The Barnstormer. Simple and sweet.

 

[photoflight]

The only significant plans we made for our Tuesday journey to the Magic Kingdom was to snag Fastpasses for the Festival of Fantasy parade. Having read mixed reviews about the logic of using Fastpasses for a parade we decided it was a worthy part of our adventure. That decision would cause at least one small drama you'll read about later.

Briefly, our plan was to have a nice day in the park, watch the parade, leave, then go back that night for the MNSSHP. A reminder about the party mysteriously popped up on my Disney Tweedle-itinerary. I added my own note as well (forgetting the TTA had officially changed names):

The rest of the week wasn't quite so carefully planned out. Our only other "must do" was the Tower of Terror on Thursday. Fastpasses weren't really a problem except for the Seven Dwarfs.

At this point we've found ourselves knee-deep in planning a themepark trip two months in advance. That always sounded crazy to me but knowing we would be able to do just what we wanted without horribly long lines was pretty nice.

Tweedle-freaking-riffic!

 

[photoflight]

You're not bringing a camera?

I'm a photography nut. It's a hobby and my work. I've walked around all the parks lugging massive telephoto lenses and multiple cameras (fast glass is heavy). Some day I'll count how many pictures I've taken in and over the parks - has to be in the tens-of-thousands. But this trip? This trip I felt a change coming on.

A couple of weeks prior to our trip I decided to ditch my big Nikons and expensive lenses in favor of a compact Sony "point and shoot" camera I could carry in a belt-pouch. It measures roughly 4"x2.5" and weighs around 10oz.

Nothing really replaces really good lenses on a good full-size camera, but after five days of walking around WDW I'm happy that it was a good decision.

Coming up soon... our trip starts and we take lots of pictures!

 

[jjbuster2]

Lovely start...following along

 

[DisneyFans4Life]

Sounds exciting!! Looking forward to the rest.

 

[photoflight]

Day one: arrival, buzzing, dwarfing, and barnstorming

Big day. We arrive at WDW. Finally. Pack everything inside the Green Tweedlebus! Packing up for the trip was easy. No Tweedlevan here! Nope. Big duffle and rolling carry-on (and more) fit perfectly (departing with sizable purchases is another story).

Our first stop was to Walmart for some supplies (sunscreen, water, snacks). Hint for out-of-towners driving in or using a rental from the airport: take 417 (the Greeneway) then get off at Exit 6 (World Center Dr). At SR535 (the first major intersection after leaving 417) turn left. There are a few gas stations on the right side that have some very good prices. Walmart is also on the right side of 535, about 1.5 miles after turning onto 535 from World Drive. On the left side and another mile or so on 535 is a Publix grocery store. Both the Walmart and Publix are easy to get into off of 535 and equally easy to get back toward WDW.

Having burned some Tweedleminutes waiting for our check-in we wandered over to our home for the next several days, Disney's Pop Century Resort. Although we used online check-in I never received a room number. No matter - the desk staff was quick and the check-in process was quick and easy as it should be. Not quite as quick as checking into the Hampton Inn these days but far better than it used to be.

The Disney "room assigners" put us into the Seventies section, building 6, third floor. We opted to park all the way around the back on the southernmost parking lot. The next closest lot (nearer the lobby/buses) was probably about the same distance to walk, but the parking lot was constantly full. By contrast the lot we used was mostly empty (just a minor Tweedlehint if you get stuck in the Seventies at Pop Century).

A minor benefit to parking way "in the back" is using a nice quiet walkway along the lake!

 

[photoflight]

Tweedledee was enamored with these potatoheads.

The Eighties is pink(ish) with Pac-Man...

...and Rubik's Cube

Our block of luxury (ok, not really) Seventies hotel rooms were green and among other things featured 8-Track Tapes and Mood Rings

...and Twister

Then there was Goofy.

...and Fooseball

 

[DisneyFans4Life]

I loved staying at Pop Century!! Looking forward to more details!

 

[photoflight]

Details? I didn't consider that... This is our second time at Pop. Previously we've both done the Port Orleans (FQ), Coronado Springs, and a couple of the All Stars. The theming on FQ/CS (etc) are all very nice but the rooms aren't substantially better for the price. The All Stars always seem packed, as do the buses. We've been lucky with rooms reasonably close to parking at Pop Century, and good prices. Although I'd rather drive myself (and that will come up later by the way), the bus service has been better at Pop Century than the All Stars - but probably not as good as Port Orleans.

More details to follow during the report

 

[skyphotographer]

That Zeiss glass is lookin' good. I'm a big fan of Sony cameras.

 

[photoflight]

That Zeiss glass is lookin' good. I'm a big fan of Sony cameras.

I've been using Nikon/Nikkor stuff for decades but I'm getting ready to order a Sony A7RII to hang on a drone.

This compact Sony is the first compact camera I've used that I think is really worth carrying around. Unfortunately it (well - the lens) has some pretty significant problems that detracts from an otherwise almost perfect camera. On the other hand I have to keep remembering it's a tiny camera.

My only other Zeiss experience is a little larger
Click to enlarge...

 

[Kosmo1986]

looks like fun... following along

 

[skyphotographer]

I've been using Nikon/Nikkor stuff for decades but I'm getting ready to order a Sony A7RII to hang on a drone.

This compact Sony is the first compact camera I've used that I think is really worth carrying around. Unfortunately it (well - the lens) has some pretty significant problems that detracts from an otherwise almost perfect camera. On the other hand I have to keep remembering it's a tiny camera.

My only other Zeiss experience is a little larger
Click to enlarge...

My first Sony was a Nex5 that I bought for use on my S900 drone but the camera was so good I never put it on the drone. I've taken many pictures at Disney with that Nex5 and some primes. Since then I've bought an A6000 and a A77ii.

Enjoy your trip!

 

[photoflight]

Don't have a map to share, but here's a picture I shot a few years ago of Pop. Our building is to the left of Mickey on the far left side of the frame. Pretty convenient and quiet.

Click to enlarge...


And here he is - a monstrous Mickey Mouse (say that eight times quickly whilst standing on one foot - go ahead, we'll wait)

After stepping up several stairs, this view prompted me to pop a picture of the monstrous Mickey's positively massive posterior.

A view from the third floor, building 6, the Seventies

The Pop Century rooms haven't changed since last year. Clean, comfortable, reasonably priced, relatively quiet. Nothing fancy. We were a little puzzled about the lack of a towel-Mickey on the bed though. After a couple of days without towel-animals I finally read about Disney stopping the practice. What a shame. The very least they could do is three rings of towels to make a "Mickey" on a bed when they prep the room for new guests.

 

[photoflight]

Yeah, the bathrooms haven't changed either. Stuck in the 50s with George Jetson's plasma-drive powered toilet. Seriously, these things are amazing. Small children standing nearby have been known to get sucked into the vacuum created by these things. Simply amazing.

So - what now? Oh yeah, we have plans. Magic Kingdom. Tweedletwin Magicbands on!

...and to the bus for a ride over to the Magic Kingdom!

Next up...our first evening is spent at MK. Stay tuned!

 

[fractal]

I've been using Nikon/Nikkor stuff for decades but I'm getting ready to order a Sony A7RII to hang on a drone.

This compact Sony is the first compact camera I've used that I think is really worth carrying around. Unfortunately it (well - the lens) has some pretty significant problems that detracts from an otherwise almost perfect camera. On the other hand I have to keep remembering it's a tiny camera.

My only other Zeiss experience is a little larger
Click to enlarge...

A7Rii? I'm jealous; are you sure you want to hang that on a drone??

Is that an rX100 your shooting for this report? Images look great, as does the composition.

 

[LisaBelle]

Let's see...Fastpass+? Log in to my Disney account thingy...a tweedleclick here and a tweedleclick there and... Wait. What? Are you tweedle-kidding? No Fastpasses for the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train on Tuesday? No tweedling way!

LOVE this! Great start to your report. I'm in!

 

[photoflight]

A7Rii? I'm jealous; are you sure you want to hang that on a drone??

Yup. That's the only reason I'm getting it. I'll probably play around with it a little bit before I put it to work.

Is that an rX100 your shooting for this report? Images look great, as does the composition.

Yup - and thanks! It's an RX100M3. The viewfinder sold me on the camera, if it wasn't for that I'd have lugged my D800 around for the week. Occasionally I used the LCD to shoot with the camera up over my head and at the end of the week I did a lot of images with it held at waist-height like it was an old twin-lens camera. But, again, the viewfinder was a big selling point. It worked really well!