Trip Report Yia-Yia, Yetis and Epcotonians. A sweltering Summer of '22 adventure!

It was the night before our Disney trip and I found myself scrambling. So much to do besides "Disney but "Disney" needed to get done. Where are my SD cards? Where are all my Star Wars shirts? Where is my camera bag? We had just moved after-all and things were not where they should be because well we were in a different house. Toni was scrambling too. She is spending the Summer waitressing in Bethany Beach Delaware and came home THAT DAY to get everything ready for Disney. Her Mom however also wanted her to help get her "crap" ready for college (leaving in a few weeks). Tensions were running high and the early morning flight out of Baltimore was like lighting a fuse to a stick of dynamite. Time was ticking away!

This was going to be a different trip for us. Just three of the five in the family as my wife Val decided to sit this one out and my daughter Alex couldn't get her schedule to work. So Val will be going to New Mexico to visit Alex in a month as the final three, the triumvirate headed to Walt Disney World to meet up with my sister Marina's family and my mom (Yia-Yia).

The Triumvirate -

Toni (center), Sterg and yours truly.

As you may or may not know, one of the things I love about going to Disney is honing my photography skills. For this trip I decided to rent two fantastic (and expensive) lenses. The Sony GM 50mm f/ 1.2 and the Sony GM 14mm f/1.8 lenses to be exact. The cost to buy both of those lenses would be as much as the cost of the entire trip. Additionally I rented a lens adaptor to pair with my old Minolta 70-210 "beercan" lens that I wanted to try out on the Safari.

I've been crazy after the 14mm lens due to it's wide angle nature. It's actually so wide it's referred to as an "ultra-wide angle" lens. Wide angle lenses have wonderful applications at WDW and I was going to see how this baby was going to work for me. The 50mm 1.2 is a lens with a great reputation. Very fast, very sharp and producing beautiful bokeh as your sharp subject stands in front of a background that literally melts into a dreamy blur of photographic delight.

By 11pm all that was packed, what was left of my Star Wars shirts was packed - "Chris, aren't we just getting a bit too old for Star Wars shirts?" Val quipped - and everything else on my list was packed.



Toni was also packed and had full-filled her "getting ready for college" obligations.

Val said her goodbyes and goodnights..

and went to bed.


It was soon time for me to lay down for 3 hours of sleep. The hardest thing left for me to do was wake up with my alarm. I think I'll have a glass on wine (or two?). After-all, what could go wrong?

 

[MinnieM123]

The show covered all the Disney bases as far as Intellectual Property and was a visual and audio sight to enjoy. It did not however come close to invoking the feelings and emotions that Illuminations did.

ALL your photos continue to amaze me! As for the deeper emotions you felt with the prior show, at least you can take some comfort in that you saw it, back in the day. (It's too bad that newer park guests will not have that opportunity. But who knows? Maybe the new show will be their favorite. )

 

[fractal]

After Harmonics we joined the mass of humanity to the exits.

Just love the new lights on SSE!

We had to return YiaYia's wheelchair rental. The $12 was well worth the price. The continued stress of the electric scooter and worrying of her shooting off somewhere, falling off the thing or slamming into someone (myself included) was gone. I thought she would protest her "demotion" into the wheelchair but she actually enjoyed it, especially with her grandchildren pushing her around.

I could have shot SSE Earth all night...

I finally moved on with Sterg and Toni. Goodnight EPCOT! It wasn't long however until we would see her again.


UP NEXT - 2 BIG first rides and opinion; Ratatouille and Guardians! Visiting old stomping grounds, Waterpark fun and a jammed packed night in the Parks!

 

[RevRemy]

On our way to Clemson to move in Toni.View attachment 659532

Go Tigers!

 

[LeighM]

So far behind on the trip report (home projects getting in the way of all kinds of fun and relaxation ) but just have to say how happy I am so see someone else using a Google Pixel LOL. I'm always being picked on bc I don't have an iPhone (which I hate) but I swear my Pixel 4a takes much better pictures than my husband's iPhone.

 

[pkkurz]

There has been a lot of negative vibe spewed over Harmonics. For the record I'm a big fan of Illuminations. I play the Millennium Celebration CD pretty hard in my car. That fireworks show proceeded by the parade in 2000 was a big part of what made me an addict of WDW. During our 2011 trip I got quite emotional watching Illuminations and posted this in my trip report...

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As I was watching the show, I started to think of Walt Disney. Many people say they tear up when they watch Wishes - I didn't - but watching Illuminations started to bring a lump in my throat. This night, the fireworks, the music, would not exist without the ideas and visions of one man. We are still fortunate enough to live in a society were ideas and dreams are not only powerful - but can manifest themselves in grand scale. Without Walt Disney, Epcot would not exist. The beautiful and moving music written and composed for Illuminations would not exist. The experiences and memories created by countless families would not exist. It's truly mind boggling when you spend time thinking about it, and for some reason I was thinking about it that night.

We currently live in a pessimistic world. The "Great Recession" is really our version of the Great Depression. Every current movie or TV series based on the future is dystopian. It seems all we have to look forward to is some post apocalyptic world filled with nuclear fallout, economic collapse, alien invasions, killer viruses, natural disasters or flesh eating zombies. The vision of Walt Disney's Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow - a world made better by human innovation and technology is all but dead.

EPCOT, despite not being what Walt originally wanted, is still a symbol of how great the future can be. It helps keep that flicker of a hope; that our tomorrow will be better than today, from extinguishing.
All of these thoughts raced through my mind as Illuminations reached the climatic finale. Is it naive to think that one man and some theme parks can mean that much? Maybe. At a minimum though, Walt and his Worlds clearly demonstrate the power of positive thinking and perseverance.

Keep moving forward. That to me was the message Illuminations was sending that evening.

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I also captured some good fireworks shots of Illuminations in 2017. Any new fireworks show was faced with a very high bar to cross. My expectations based on that and reviews I've read was appropriately lowered.
We were situated with a good spot, Marina and YiaYia were by my side, Mia positioned herself on top of a trash can and the rest where within a few feet. The show began and I can say right out that despite all the criticism, I thought the "tacos" were an amazing display of current technology. It was obvious to me fairly quickly that the were stealing some of the wonder of World of Color from the California Adventure show. I was impressed with the execution.

I'm going to post photos of the show; some from my camera and some from phone cameras. Can you tell the difference?

The show covered all the Disney bases as far as Intellectual Property and was a visual and audio sight to enjoy. It did not however come close to invoking the feelings and emotions that Illuminations did. I would love to come back and photograph it with a tripod and my camera but as far as being inspired by it - that was not going to happen. I feel bad for those that never saw Illuminations especially knowing that it will never be viewed live again. It felt to me a sign of the times; flashy and shiny but nothing of substance underneath.

I too fell in love with harmonious despite the negatives reviews and I’m impressed by the technology of the “tacos”. I would even go as far as to say I don’t mind the view of them during the day (although I would like to see the water feature and fountains in operation). I can relate to your description of illuminations and thoroughly enjoyed the Tapestry of the Nations Parade as a prelude to Illuminations around Y2K. That was Epcot in its heyday. Your pictures are fabulous.

 

[fractal]

ALL your photos continue to amaze me! As for the deeper emotions you felt with the prior show, at least you can take some comfort in that you saw it, back in the day. (It's too bad that newer park guests will not have that opportunity. But who knows? Maybe the new show will be their favorite. )

Thanks again @MinnieM123 ! You might be right.

Go Tigers!

We are going to their 2nd game for Toni's 21st Birthday!

So far behind on the trip report (home projects getting in the way of all kinds of fun and relaxation ) but just have to say how happy I am so see someone else using a Google Pixel LOL. I'm always being picked on bc I don't have an iPhone (which I hate) but I swear my Pixel 4a takes much better pictures than my husband's iPhone.

Thanks for catching up @LeighM ! My Pixel 2 took better photos than the Iphone up until the Iphone 10. The Pixel 6 is great and take great photos and video. Not good enough to make me forget my Sony mirrorless but pretty darn good.

I too fell in love with harmonious despite the negatives reviews and I’m impressed by the technology of the “tacos”. I would even go as far as to say I don’t mind the view of them during the day (although I would like to see the water feature and fountains in operation). I can relate to your description of illuminations and thoroughly enjoyed the Tapestry of the Nations Parade as a prelude to Illuminations around Y2K. That was Epcot in its heyday. Your pictures are fabulous.

Could not agree more!

 

[slipperalwaysfits]

WOW! Of course, your Harmonious pictures are stunning but I LOVE your optimistic thinking about EPCOT. That’s also what I strive to remember when I visit.

 

[fractal]

WOW! Of course, your Harmonious pictures are stunning but I LOVE your optimistic thinking about EPCOT. That’s also what I strive to remember when I visit.

Thank you @slipperalwaysfits !

 

[fractal]

After our long day we settled down in our room when the phone rang; it was Marina.

"Do you have Mom's glasses?"

These would be her new glasses she got...

"No, I don't have them."

I asked the kids; "They were in the wheelchair." Sterg replied.

"Yeah, Bill left them in the wheelchair!" I hear YiaYia in the background.

"OK." I said. "Let's not blame Bill. It was chaotic getting out of there and Mom should have remembered her glasses."

I volunteered to Call Guest Services at Epcot and see if they found any glasses.

I could not find a phone number for them and started to call the general WDW number but then hung up and did a google search on lost items at WDW. That took me to
third party service website that tracks lost and found for Disney. I had to fill out a investigation claim with details of what, when and where but it was pretty easy to do. I received an email confirming the claim and set a copy of it to Bill and Marina with the message that we should still make a trip to Wheelchair rental spot when we are in EPCOT in the morning.

We also made plans to meet at the International Gateway entrance in the morning at 8am. We were going to take an UBER to Beach Club to reminisce and Team Marina was going to go to The Boardwalk where they've stayed numerous times before.

I woke up early, around 6am and checked my email - I received an update that they are looking for the glasses but nothing found.

Sterg and Toni (2/3rds) were up by 7 and ready to go by 7:30. We were all donning our Fractal T-shirts!

The Uber driver was on time and very chatty for our short drive to BC. As we walked in I remember to add a breezeway photo of Toni for our collection;

2011

2017

2022

Not every trip but a nice spacing between photos.

 

[senor_jorge]

Your SSE shots are always a highlight!

 

[fractal]

I love this chandelier. I took this shot right after Sterg and I commented on the marvelous BC Lobby scent. Something we always enjoy as it fills us with memories of past trips.

On our way to the IG. Team Marina was just ahead of us. We arrived around 8:15. EPCOT opened at 9 but at 8 for Deluxe guests (Destino/Coronado is a Moderate). Thanks to a tip by @coachwnh we got there early and tried our luck.

The Force was with us that morning as we got in with no problems. It might have been the Jedi mind trick I used.

Group shot with Fractal shirts. I felt a little weird at first because I didn't know how Team Marina would react. I also decided not to ask before the trip if they wanted to wear them as I didn't want them to feel like they had to. Team Marina however loved them and were very cool with it. So next trip we'll all sport them.

It was a beautiful morning in France! Our first stop was an early standby for Ratatouille.

Bill and I had a few conversations before the trip about how we attack the Parks. I told him we go early before the crowds, spend the afternoon cooling off and go back out in the evening. They tended to sleep in more than we did but for this trip we followed our strategy and Bill and Aidan loved it. Both are active with Aidan achieving his Eagle Scout in high school and loves camping and hiking. In fact they both missed our 2017 trip because they were out West on a long hiking trip in the Mountains of Colorado. They certainly were up to the challenge of early morning Park commando mode. YiaYia was tired from the day before so she opted to stay back at the resort (which would cause issues of its own).

Getting closer!

 

[coachwnh]

Thanks to a tip by @coachwnh we got there early and tried our luck.

Glad it worked out! Loving this report

 

[Ghostdog]

I’m all caught up finally; amazing photos. Makes me excited for my trip…30 more days to go.

 

[Loco_driver]

flashy and shiny but nothing of substance underneath.

Exactly how I feel about harmonious. The tech is impressive, but it feels so corporate and “safe”. It’s got no real soul to it.

 

[erstwo]

So many great things - I hope I can remember them all! Love the Epcot photos - really looking forward to seeing the lights on SSE! Loved the breezeway photos through the years and the BC lobby picture. I’m a solid YC fan, but the BC does win me over with its light colored decor.
Love the fractal shirts, too.
Invested in this glasses story. Interested to see if you find them! Disney has found some things for us that I were certain were lost forever - but this was back in the late 2000’s- mid-2010’s. I feel like they ‘find’ fewer things now. Maybe that’s just me??

 

[fractal]

Your SSE shots are always a highlight!

Glad it worked out! Loving this report

Even if we had to wait until 9 to get in, we avoided the long walk through the park.

I’m all caught up finally; amazing photos. Makes me excited for my trip…30 more days to go.

Thanks for following @Ghostdog ! Less than a month for you!

Exactly how I feel about harmonious. The tech is impressive, but it feels so corporate and “safe”. It’s got no real soul to it.

So many great things - I hope I can remember them all! Love the Epcot photos - really looking forward to seeing the lights on SSE! Loved the breezeway photos through the years and the BC lobby picture. I’m a solid YC fan, but the BC does win me over with its light colored decor.
Love the fractal shirts, too.
Invested in this glasses story. Interested to see if you find them! Disney has found some things for us that I were certain were lost forever - but this was back in the late 2000’s- mid-2010’s. I feel like they ‘find’ fewer things now. Maybe that’s just me??

Thanks @erstwo ! I loved the lights and it's funny that after you see them you feel like they've always been there. We give YC a slight edge over BC but we stayed at BC first so it has a special place with us. Thanks on the fractal shirts, lol!

 

[fractal]

The line was starting to build but in less than 15 minutes we were inside the building.

I've read a number of reviews for the ride - both good and bad - but was excited to see for myself. There was a general buzz among our group as well.

Mia wanted to stay with my Triumvirate so we adopted her for the morning.

I decided to take some photos despite the 3D aspect of the ride.

Which paid off because a good part of the ride were practical effects and props.

We became Remy and were scurrying through the restaurant. I'm a big fan of the trackless ride system and it worked well here.

At one point we found ourselves underneath the just lit oven. It was a good spot for some 4D effects!

Skinner badly wanted to catch us!

I enjoyed these wide scenes!

And we made it back alive and in time for dinner!

As a fan of Ratatouille, I loved the ride. It was quick, fun and filled with enough exciting close calls! The 3D was very good as were the 4D effects. The trackless system is a delight. Is it another Rise of the Resistance? Of course not but it's a welcome addition to World Showcase in my opinion.

 

[fractal]

We exited to see the standby line multiply in length.

Sterg and Mia.

While the entire group took a nature's break I took a few photos...

Everyone was getting hungry so I recommended the French pastry shop.

The line started right at the entrance. Toni documented our wait with a return of the fish lips.

It was finally our turn!

I got the Croissant Sale' - I told Marina (in Dad Joke mode) there was a "sale" on croissants so I was going to get that. Toni got the chocolate croissant. Not sure what everyone else ordered. Everything was delicious!

We had to stand to eat at a counter because all seats were taken. From getting in line to getting food it was about 20 minutes or so. While we were eating we couldn't help to notice several tables were occupied by one or two people with no food just there to "reserve" the table while the rest of the party was in line. So you're just going to sit there for 20-30 minutes not eating and take up a table while others had to eat standing? I thought this was extremely rude, especially for a coffee and pastry spot where most people sit, eat and leave within 15 minutes or so.

At this point we split up again. Team Marina wanted to go on Frozen and we saw a short wait time for Soarin' so we hustled to the Land!

 

[Swissmiss]

Thanks for the pictures of Ratatouille. I decided to skip it while there earlier this month and from the pictures it looks like it doesn‘t differ from DLP (where I ride it frequently thanks to the single rider line ).

 

[MinnieM123]

We had to stand to eat at a counter because all seats were taken. From getting in line to getting food it was about 20 minutes or so. While we were eating we couldn't help to notice several tables were occupied by one or two people with no food just there to "reserve" the table while the rest of the party was in line. So you're just going to sit there for 20-30 minutes not eating and take up a table while others had to eat standing? I thought this was extremely rude, especially for a coffee and pastry spot where most people sit, eat and leave within 15 minutes or so.

First of all, the pastries looked absolutely delicious!!

As for the lack of seating, this is an ongoing issue with all the QS places. It's beyond frustrating, and I've read multiple discussions on the forum about people "saving" tables, etc. I blame WDW for creating this problem, in the first place.