Dreams of Memories - Pre-trip part
Here it is. The first installment in my double trip report telling the stories and sharing my photos from my two summer trips. Yesterday I returned from the first trip, which was easily named the "Dreams of Memories" trip. It was me and my mum and the trip was somewhat "impulsive" or that being said it was ordered already in April when we watched the Dreams premiere live on the internet. We asked each other how we could not be there together to celebrate their anniversary after having spent 10 previous magical adventures in Disneyland since going for the first time 1994. We wouldn't let that happen and a few days later a 3 days/2 nights stay in Hotel New York was booked. We planned that the trip should focus on all our memories, reliving them and of course creating new ones. This will be the story of this magical, unforgettable trip of nostalgia and true Disney atmosphere! Be my guest :-D
Me, 22 years old - 13th trip:
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My mum, 57 years old - 11th trip:
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Before we would get to the dreams of Disneyland we had to get there and this would be with Eurolines coach. I have been travelling with Eurolines the last two summer trips, but it was the time for my mum. I had warned her that it could get quite chaotic - especially during the bus change in Hamburg in the evening. We were well prepared, but when saturday the 7th of July finally arrived we got something completely unexpected as the journey started. The journey from Aalborg to Hamburg went above all expectations and we actually arrived in Hamburg an hour before the bus for Paris should leave - I was shocked! Little did we know that the expected chaos was just around the corner and that this would actually be the biggest Eurolines nightmare yet!
When the bus for Paris arrived, we were told that there would be two busses this evening. First thought: great, maybe a bit extra room on the bus and we quickly got in line for the bus that was named as only going to Paris and not Brussels. I knew that people starting their journey in Hamburg would be in need of boarding passes, whereas we (as per experiences from previous years) should just give the driver our ticket. When the driver opened the bus a night of nightmares started. We were told to get boarding passes in the otherwise closed office of Eurolines. I went there, but NO we should not get any boarding passes but just give the driver the ticket. He still wouldn't accept it and now we had to go back to the office to ask which of the two busses we needed to board - of course it was his bus and reluctantly he had to let us in. We got a great seat in the front end of the bus and sat down as chaos was still reigning outside and on the bus. 40 minutes late we finally got underway...
... and now the nightmare really started! The driver was clearly irritated by all the problems in Hamburg and as soon as we were on our way he turned the radio on so the entire bus could hear it (this was at 11, so it was "okay" and we decided to let him do it to get some aggressions. The music only got louder and people started to look at each other - our eyes clearly asked each other whether we would get any sleep or not that night! But the driver wasn't done yet... Now he turned on the dvd at 11.40! Started a french spoken film with french subtitles. We now had Radio Türk on full volume and a film running! To finish it all he opened his window so the bus was freezing cold! The film naturally ended but the music was on for the entire night!! Now I don't care that it was Radio Türk - Tom Jones, The Beatles or any other artist for that matter would have been just as annoying... Ironically music helped me fall asleep as I listened to the beautiful album "Shallow Bed" by Dry the River all night!
We got rid of this nightmare of a driver in Brussels when he stood up in the middle of the bus yelling: "Jetzt habe ich Freiabend and I am finish with you!".... Seriously, what a tool! Leaving Brussels and the dreams of Disney started to help us and the bus journey went very well! Even though we ran into some serious traffic problems just outside Paris...
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... we actually arrived 30 minutes early in Paris and headed straight towards Marne-la-Vallee with metro 3 and 2 and finally RER A from Nation! This part of journey always feels like only a few seconds because of the long bus journey - we could smell magic of Disneyland!
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Dreams of Memories - Part 1
When we arrived at the RER train station we emerged from the concrete train station to the beautiful sight of the new World of Disney! A perfect welcome to what would be 3 magical days of dreams coming true every second. We took the bus to Hotel New York just to avoid taking all our luggage through Disney Village, which seemed pretty crowded! After passing through the x-ray security check outside the hotel (performed by a young lady almost asleep listening to her iPod, chewing gum... I would say a monkey from Jungle Book could have done the work just as good!). We entered the lobby and instantly noticed the famous apple smell of this hotel - you are immediately smiling and you just know that you are in for a treat. We couldn't get our room so we left the luggage and quickly explored the hotel before leaving for Disneyland Park.
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We went through Disney Village enjoying the freedom given by the security check already by Lake Disney. We could now walk straight to both Walt Disney Studios and Disneyland Park without being checked again. This worked really well and gave a better user experience for the hotel guests! Way to go, Disney!
We came to World of Disney, which we for a long time had been prepared to miss out on due to the official opening being dated to the 12th of July. However, before we left we did see tweets saying that it was open - we were beyond excited!
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I will give a full description/review later in the report, but I really liked this store. The exterior/interior is beautiful and classy - if this is the future of Disney Village I am very excited! The art deco and parisian department store look is stunning and detailed as only Disney can! The grand entrance is perfectly located and a fitting entrance to this classy store. The detail of the original New York Mickey and Minnie statues are amazing and to re-use them in this way is great!
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A quick walk through and we realized that this would end up being expensive for us - especially the store exclusive merchandise was very appealing! However, we decided that it was time to head to the park as we were getting quite hungry having only eaten 3-4 buns each on the entire journey there! We headed for Disneyland Park and the "clear" view through the gates you get from not going through the security check was a fitting advantage of staying on site. A beautiful sight as it was originally planned out!
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Walking through the turnstiles of magic you always get a bit emotional - you really get the feeling of coming home! This time coming home to a place filled in celebratory theming and I must say that I actually quite liked the look of the Main Street Station - I would still have preferred it to be left in it's original beauty, but the 20 sign was tasty and well made. It didn't just seem like some plastic quickly put on in the last minute. AND it was stunning by night!
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We were getting more and more hungry and went for our favorite restaurant: Toad Hall. We just love the fish'n'chips! So does a lot of the other guests and as we arrived at the worst time for lunch (between 1 and 2) we were facing a looong waiting time for our food. This of course only made the meal inside the cosy sports room of the Toad Manor even better! Refuelled we were ready to start our days of reliving and recreating dreams.
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We decided that no ride would be better as the first one than our all time favourite: Pirates of the Caribbean! We were really given a chance to enjoy this queue line as we were queuing up from the very entrance. I love this queue line; it is one of the best in the resort - for me only BTM, ToT and PM is given it noteworthy competition. From the moment you are in the queue you are in the Caribbean so to be able to explore this queue line once again was truly the perfect beginning:
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The ride itself was in great condition with all major effects working. The swinging pirate was more active than ever and the swords of the sword fighting pirates actually touched each other a couple of times! :o If I must say anything then the burning village scene seemed like it could need a bit of a brush up, but nothing major. A beautiful journey down the pirate filled waters to kick of our trip :)
It was close to 3 when our room was ready. As we hadn't changed clothes or brushed our teeth after the long bus journey we slowly headed towards the hotel just soaking up the atmosphere of the park on our way walking through Adventure Isle...
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... Frontierland, where we briefly stopped to listen to the great country trio playing inside the Fort Comstock filling the place with the true atmosphere of the west..
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... arriving in Central Plaza we quickly enjoyed the beauty of the stage-free centre of the park. This does nothing but good to the park. You finally have a natural centre, recreating the original idea of the hub. And it is quite clear that our castle only gets even more beautiful as the foreground is now pretty flowerbeds in stead of a big clumsy stage:
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As we left the park we were treated with one more view of the World of Disney...
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... and also a look inside the new permanent christmas store taking over parts of the old Disney Store. This store was filled with both old Christmas decorations and the new 2012 range, which was mainly in purple and red. The music was Chante C'est Nöel and a lot of the other DLP christmas classics. If you are a sucker for anything christmassy as me and my mum this will be heaven for you, however, I could imagine the shop facing some problems, because it is so big in comparison to the christmas shop in the castle. A cast member told us that they had already asked their boss to play some "normal" music in between the christmas songs but that was not an option at this time. My recommendations: do not miss out on this shop if you like Christmas just a little bit!!
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We got back to the hotel and I collected the key to our room (2203 in the Gramercy Park wing). I was told that our luggage would be taken to our room in just 5-10 minutes. When we opened our room door 2 minutes later we entered to this sight:
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Now I do not know if they had been there ever since we left them in the when we arrived or they have some kind of secret hallway to quickly get to the rooms. No matter what this was great service! :mrgreen:
Our room was big and very good! The only minor problem was the fact that we had to share one bed, but in stead we were given a great corner with a table, a sofa and a chair. The bathroom was quite big too with two sinks and LOTS of towels! Our view could have been more exciting, but we did have park view as we could just see the top of Space Mountain :P One thing annoyed me and that was that they hadn't made a new "tips video" for the anniversary. This was still the annoying girl saying "sorted" in the most irritating way ever! haha Captain EO was also still mentioned in the video!
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We got our teeth brushed, our clothes changed and were ready to go out into the parks again! The next part of the trip report will be online later this afternoon and it will feature a big photo report from World of Disney, Stars'n'Cars and Disney Magic on Parade as well as my very first viewing of Disney Dreams!!
I love your photos and the trip report so far, v excited for the next section! Reading about it all has made me want to go back so much, and I definitely agree about getting emotional when you walk through the park gates, I think that's one of my favourite parts of the trip, feeling like you are finally home :D
Great report as always :-)
Doesn't sound good with the bus driver...
Quote from: "geekyjo"I love your photos and the trip report so far, v excited for the next section! Reading about it all has made me want to go back so much, and I definitely agree about getting emotional when you walk through the park gates, I think that's one of my favourite parts of the trip, feeling like you are finally home :D
Thank you very much - what I like about trip reports is how they make me want to go again or more excited about an upcoming trip, so I am glad that my report does that to you!
Photos are currently being uploaded for the next part - LOADS of photos in that part :)
Quote from: "norhel"Great report as always :-)
Doesn't sound good with the bus driver...
Thanks. Yeah it wasn't good - I am travelling with them again in August, so hope for a better experience then!! Our driver from Paris and back to Hamburg on tuesday was in many ways even worse actually! :O
love all the pics and details of your trip :)
Dreams of Memories - Part 2
After a small break in our lovely hotel room we were ready to go out again for the evening. First stop: World of Disney!!
As promised I would give a bigger description of the store now: from the moment you see it, you know that no matter what they sell this a shopping experience of another class than the rest of Disney Village! The exterior is aestethic and majestic - this is the new "king" of Disney Village. Whether you are entering through the side entrances or the main entrance you are immediately walking into the big store that basically is just one big room. The main entrance has its own beautiful blue star ceiling while the middle of the store is dominated by the big blue ceiling and the iconic hot air balloon centre piece featuring Mickey, Minnie and Pluto traveling the world. Around the ceiling are the beautiful mural paintings featuring all the corners off the world represented by your favourite Disney characters! Absolutely beautiful and the interior in general is very detailed and classy. Take your time to walk the store without looking at the merchandise and you will see all these beautiful details.
Of course it is a store and the merchandise is a central part of the store. A lot of the merchandise is the "ordinary" stuff you find in most of the shops. However, you will also find a couple of lovely store exclusive series including the Disney by Britto pop art series and some World of Disney merchandise including currently four of the mural paintings in a limited numbered edition (500 prints of each - 69€ for each painting). This range of merchandise combined with the general look and feel of the store makes this THE place to do your shopping. It is very open and has a lot of space in between the merchandise, so you never get the Emporium-feeling of being packed like sardines in a tin. A nice, relaxing shopping experience, which in the end helps Disney, because it without a doubt leaves you with more desire to explore the store probably resulting in you buying more. A very fitting and beautiful flagship store for the "new" Disney Village! As promised here is a lot of photos of the new store:
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After walking the store and finding some stuff we wanted to buy on monday we continued on our way to Walt Disney Studios where we wanted to be until the Disney Magic on Parade began at 7 (and the Studios closed). Because of the new security check system you can now enjoy the Studios all the way from WoD - no tents or anything. Just the original gates and the view towards Studio 1:
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Ready to behind the scenes we entered the park and just took time to enjoy the atmosphere of Place des Frères Lumière - this is probably my favourite area of the studios and in my opinion they should never even think of retheming this area. The perfect entrance to the studios - it has the pride and the atmosphere of the studios before you go behind the scenes. Also the area loop of this area is amazing - all the best musical scores of film history! This place is good...
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... and so is Studio 1. Having just seen the country trio in Frontierland I had hoped to see a live band in Studio 1, but having completely forgotten about Stars'n'Cars that could be a explanation of the absence of live music. At least I told myself that ;)
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But yes Stars'n'Cars was just about to start and we had completely forgotten about it. I wanted to start off by trying RC Racer, so we quickly crossed the parade route before it started. We just got to the entrance of Crush' Coaster as the parade started - people stormed towards the parade route and we were kind of trapped in there. So I decided to use my height and new 70-200mm lens and take some photos of the parade. I have only seen it once before (with my mum in 2009 when it was as much a show as a parade)... I really like the cars, but I must say that is a bit short now that it is only a parade. However, the cars are very nice and people seemed to enjoy it in general :)
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Before the parade ended we walked towards Toy Story Playland to beat the worst queues following the parade. I must say with this land that it has grown a bit on me, but still my general idea of it is that we could easily be wihtout it. It takes bright sunshine for it to be really welcoming with its colour scheme. There is still some general illusion breakers along the way too, but the main issue is the capacity. Now I went to the single rider line of RC Racer with 7 in front of me and it took me 30 minutes - that of course is to be expected when taking the single rider line, but the problem was that there wasn't really that many people in the ordinary queue line (only half the house was filled) and yet it was still 45 minutes for those people. It's crazy! I really like RC Racer though - it is great fun. You can say that it is a bit too short - you could use a couple of more ups and downs, but think of the capacity if that was the case??? :lol:
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We walked around the land a bit afterwards and had a look at the Ratatouille construction site. It seems as if the ground construction is getting closer to being finished - I would expect upwards building to start during the next couple of months...
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They should put in a more permanent, themed construction wall for the barrel of monkeys (maybe a lid for the barrel??), because this sight is not that "Disney":
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Biggest illusion breaker of Toy Story Playland: the barrel of monkeys! It is way to big compared to Rex, Buzz and RC:
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We strolled around the park - the waiting times for Tower of Terror was until the closing of the park, when we wanted to be in Disneyland Park for the parade, so I decided to save ToT for monday. The queue for Studio Tram Tour was huuge (60 minutes), so we decided to just walk around for a bit - soaking up the atmosphere:
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When coming back to Hollywood Boulevard, the waiting time for STT had dropped so we decided to queue up. Because of Catastrophe Canyon this is still a must-do attraction. BUT really that is the only reason, the rest of this ride has developed into a complete waste of time over the years. The props are outdated, the screens do not work, the London scene is boring after Catastrophe Canyon and it just doesn't feel like a real journey "Behind the Magic". This ride needs a new scene or two and maybe some new props. When Ratatouille comes I hope they do this and make a permanent new route - right now you see the same things twice when going to Catastrophe Canyon and London. Either that or they should think about what they could use all that land for in stead! That being said it would be sad to lose Catastrophe Canyon, because that was still awesome! Even more so in the dark, rainy weather we had at that time! :D
Heading towards the exit of the Studios the sun broke through fromt the grey skies and when we walked under Main Street Station we walked into great sunshine and suddenly it was very hot. Perfect for the parade and we got a good viewing spot by the gazebo just 10 minutes before parade start :o Of course we had a lot of people in front of us, but definetely a good spot without having been in Main Street for ages. A lot of children on parents' shoulders and we agreed that the parents should be more aware of the children. Not so much because people cannot see, but for their own sake. We saw several children whose pants ended up sitting very low to say the least. We felt kind of bad for these children! :(
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This was the first time we could really see how many people was in the park this day! Main Street U.S.A was packed and the atmosphere was really great during the parade. Much to my surprise, because Disney Magic on Parade is not as much a new parade as it is a downgraded version of Once Upon a Dream! :( The new opening float is very anonymous compared to its beautiful ancestor and the lack of the villains float is a disgrace! That was one of the best floats of all time... Finally the soundtrack is bad. 'Magic Everywhere' itself is actually quite a catchy tune (not a Dancin', but still), but it looses a lot by being repeated over and over again. One of the great things about Once Upon a Dream was the mix between the original song and the floats individual soundtracks. Overall the parade was very anonymous and certainly not as magical as earlier parades. That being said the new princess carriages were quite charming and the final float was majestic. A nice tribute to the fab 5!
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After parade we felt like the only people walking into the park. This was our way towards the castle ;)
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We got through the people though and got to the hub and decided to walk towards Restaurant Hakuna Matata. My mum had never eaten there, while I tried it for the first time last summer and really enjoyed it. However, the restaurant was closed so we ended up in our next favourite restaurant after Toad Hall: Col. Hathi's Pizza Outpost. We both enjoyed the Pizza Royale and Tiramisu for dessert. We quickly agreed that the pizza was of a higher standard than previously and my mum, who really loves tiramisu, actually said it was one of the best she had ever had! :O This has to be one of the best located restaurants - the spirit of Adventureland! And I really like how it still feels like Explorers Club (why didn't they just stick to that name?)
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Now I always have a special theme for my photos during a trip (last year it was lamps) and sitting outside at Hathi's I decided on this years theme: water! More precisely it should be water in movement as I really wanted to take a lot of long exposure shots of the waterfalls around the resort creating a silk like effect out of the water. I didn't bring my tripod this evening but I still started the series with this shot:
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The weather was very nice and Adventure Isle was very appealing in the low sunshine of the early sunset, so we decided to just walk around for a bit taking time to enjoy this area, which is the best in the entire park in my opinion. You can get lost in the beauty of this area - and especially in a warm, sunny summer evening. THIS is why we have the best Adventureland in the world:
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Next shot of my series:
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Captain Hook's ship is finally back to it's beauty after the long overdue refurbishment finally giving us with a beautiful ship again! The ship must never get in such a state again, because it really is one of the beautiful assets of Adventure Isle! It always help you produce good photos:
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As we arrived at Pirates of the Caribbean and the waiting time was only 10 minutes, we couldn't say no to our favourite ride even though this would mean that 2 of our first 4 rides would be Pirates! It is quite simply just a WDI masterpiece and that alone is reason enough for you riding it all day!
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It was now after 9 and as we wanted to get a good spot for our very first viewing of Disney Dreams we slowly headed towards Central Plaza. The castle closed 9.15 and all the attractions of Fantasyland at 9.45, so we knew that we could only manage to try one more ride and decided on Les Voyages de Pinocchio. A Disneyland trip is never finished without having been on all the Fantasyland dark rides! However, we almost decided to drop out of the queue, because right in front of us was three people eating there bavarian hot dogs from Au Chalet de la Marionette right in front of us. While the choice of restaurant and ride was a good match ;) you don't really need the smell of mustard and sausage in this queue line on a warm summer evening :lol:
Having escaped from Pleasure Island and Monstro we finally ended up in the home of Gepetto and we were ready for the main part of sunday: Disney Dreams! We arrived at Central Plaza around 9.30 and got a great spot near the popcorn stand next to Plaza Gardens. We had decided that my mum wouldn't film it and I wouldn't take any photos of it; this evening was all about enjoying it for the very first time! This was our quite perfect view:
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Already before the start of Fantillusion we noticed people sitting on the grass "hills" around Central Plaza, which is bad enough... However, this would be much worse on monday evening!
Before being breathtaken by Dreams, we enjoyed the great return of Fantillusion! I really like this parade and even more so next to Disney Magic on Parade. Fanti is a real Disney parade: it has a story line on it's own, it has all your favourite characters and most of all it has a fantastic score! I think this is the best parade score ever in fierce competition with Main Street Electrical Parade... I really like how they use the castle in parade - they already did it last year, but it seemed as if they took advantage of some of the Dreams technology to use the castle even more for colour overlays and light effects during the parade stops! For some reason the snake of the Jafar didn't work and I found that quite odd considering this was only the second night of service of this summer season.
We stood in quite some distance to the parade route but thanks to my new beloved lens I got a few photos of the parade:
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And now people started to climb benches, lamp posts and flowerbeds, because... Dreams was about to start! Yes, finally 11 was coming closer and closer and then at 11: BOOM! Goosebumps for 22 straight minutes. A big, big, big THANK YOU to Steve Davison for giving us the coolest, most beautiful night time show I have ever seen from a Disney park! It was about time that we got our own all year night time show after 20 years, but Disney Dreams was definetely worth the wait :D/
The projection effects are clever and mindblowing, transforming the castle in ways you wouldn't think possible! The fountains make it seem more immersive as it is somehow more "real" than the fireworks. Not that fireworks/pyrotechnics are bad in any way, they are just as amazing as the rest of the show. Dreams is not just the best show of it's kind, it it is also the most impressive fireworks display (even if was just the fireworks) that I have seen in Disney( and that includes the 2010-2011 New Years fireworks). Top it off with cool laser effects and impressive fire effects and you have the technical part of Dreams...
...That, however, is only one side of this magical story. Because this really is a story! It is story telling of the highest Disney class... It is great to see your favourite characters together in an original tale which has a great, heartfelt message that really is the essence of what Disney and Walt Disney as a person represents to me. A beautiful piece of art and the perfect celebration of our park and visions that is the very foundation of all Disney parks! I cannot wait to see it four times again this August, and I hope that I will get to see it many times in the future too :D/
(Day 2 Part 2 will feature my view on specific scenes of Disney Dreams)
Still emotional from watching Dreams but also quite tired after the long journey we walked towards HNY wihtout any stops on our way. I set up my computer, transfered photos and got prepared for the second (and only full) day of the trip, which would start in just 7 hours!
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A fantastic read Nicolai :thumbs: I agree with you about seeing Main Street after having not visited for a while, I too find it amazingly emotional, even at my age :oops:
I loved all your photos, no surprise there ;) but i really loved this one.........
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..........it has a 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind' look, lovely.
I'm off to DLP shortly, so you are setting up the trip nicely for me.......great =D>
Thank you Epcot_Boy - I am very happy if my report can make you even more excited! That is the best thing about reading trip reports :)
When are you off?
Quote from: "forza_united"Thank you Epcot_Boy - I am very happy if my report can make you even more excited! That is the best thing about reading trip reports :)
When are you off?
Couldn't agree more, I always read everybodies trip reports, I always enjoy them :) I'm off to DLP on Sunday 22nd July for 10 days...........and probably because of 'Dreams' I really can't wait this time. So your trip report has come at a great time.........keep it coming ;) =D>
Quote from: "Epcot_Boy"Quote from: "forza_united"Thank you Epcot_Boy - I am very happy if my report can make you even more excited! That is the best thing about reading trip reports :)
When are you off?
Couldn't agree more, I always read everybodies trip reports, I always enjoy them :) I'm off to DLP on Sunday 22nd July for 10 days...........and probably because of 'Dreams' I really can't wait this time. So your trip report has come at a great time.........keep it coming ;) =D>
Well then look forward to part 4 - includes my photos of Dreams, though I am not all satisfied with them... Dreams truly is amazing! I am sure you're gonna love it - I know how happy I will be when I am back in August.. Me and my friend has skipped the fireworks on 3 of 4 nights the last two years in order to try Big Thunder in the dark in stead. This will not happen this year - I'll be in Central Plaza every night!
I could look at your pictures all day Nicolai. Simply amazing. And as always it's a real pleasure reading your reports. I can't wait for the rest. And your next trip. And the one after that. And the one after that.... ;)
Very nice report so far! Absolutely looking forward to be continued! May i ask you if you stayed in a standard room, cause you had a couch! And you wrote there was only one bed...Probably this is usual for a 2 person room
Did you noticed if many of the counter restaurants were closed in the evening? Thanks for your answers in advance!
Great trip report! Love your pictures =D>
I can't wait to be there in 14 days. After reading your report and seeing the pictures I'm even more excited.
Quote from: "esmeralda"Very nice report so far! Absolutely looking forward to be continued! May i ask you if you stayed in a standard room, cause you had a couch! And you wrote there was only one bed...Probably this is usual for a 2 person room
Did you noticed if many of the counter restaurants were closed in the evening? Thanks for your answers in advance!
Thanks Julia!
Yes, we stayed in a standard room. It was clearly a 2 people bed room and I think that was a nice detail of the hotel. It was a perfect disney room for couples! But certainly enjoyable as a family too :)
Yeah I guess the counter restaurants in Fantasyland will close at 8 the latest, because Fantasyland closes at 9.45. Hakuna Matata was closed in the evening too, but Col. Hathi's and most of the Main Street U.S.A restaurants were open at night. I would guess that Cafe Hyperion was as well!
Quote from: "BlackPearl"Great trip report! Love your pictures =D>
I can't wait to be there in 14 days. After reading your report and seeing the pictures I'm even more excited.
Thank you very much! Another part with loads of photos will be added tomorrow evening :)
Dear Nicolai,
thanks for your very fast replies!! Read you (your report) tomorrow ;-)
Quote from: "esmeralda"Dear Nicolai,
thanks for your very fast replies!! Read you (your report) tomorrow ;-)
Awesome, thanks! And no problem. That is what the forum is for :)
Fantastic report so far, your photos are beautiful!
i have just come online and saw your report was on so made a brew and biscuits and read the first installment (should be doing the house work..haha) and loved it carnt wait for the next part ,i have not been for over two years when we go in november and reading your report has just made me even more excited :D ...your photography is awesome , loving the pics , your water ones are stunning ... =D> :thumbs:
Hi Forza_United, I have enjoyed reading about your trip so far, looking forward to the next installment. Your photos are lovely and colourful; I like your water theme. Nice to hear that the Disney store is being transformed into a Christmas shop, I love Christmas especially a disney themed christmas. :minnie:
Only a few more weeks before we arrive home to Disney. :D/
Quote from: "littlemermaid83"Fantastic report so far, your photos are beautiful!
Thank you very much :)
Quote from: "i love main st"i have just come online and saw your report was on so made a brew and biscuits and read the first installment (should be doing the house work..haha) and loved it carnt wait for the next part ,i have not been for over two years when we go in november and reading your report has just made me even more excited :D ...your photography is awesome , loving the pics , your water ones are stunning ... =D> :thumbs:
Haha that's brilliant! Thank you very much - especially regarding the water photos!
Quote from: "mickeyspal"Hi Forza_United, I have enjoyed reading about your trip so far, looking forward to the next installment. Your photos are lovely and colourful; I like your water theme. Nice to hear that the Disney store is being transformed into a Christmas shop, I love Christmas especially a disney themed christmas. :minnie:
Only a few more weeks before we arrive home to Disney. :D/
Thank you. It is only the part of the Disney Store closest to Anette's Diner that is now the Christmas Store. As far as I am aware the other part of the store will be a rethemed version of the Disney Store!
And awesome regarding your trip - will there be a trip report for me to look forward to? :)
Quote from: "never2old"I could look at your pictures all day Nicolai. Simply amazing. And as always it's a real pleasure reading your reports. I can't wait for the rest. And your next trip. And the one after that. And the one after that.... ;)
Thanks - and I cannot wait to see your photos again when you go next time! I am all ready for a 5 day trip report of the second trip and still 3 installments to come on this one!
Dreams of Memories - Part 3
After a very good night's sleep - and a much needed one for that matter we were up around 6.45 in order to get to breakfast at 7.30. We had been told that the Club Manhattan was the best of the breakfast restaurants so when we got to choose between this and Parkside Diner, we obviously chose the Club Manhattan and we certainly didn't regret it. The club has got a great atmosphere of a New York Jazz Club - of course you rarely would eat your breakfast in a jazz club :P, but still the atmosphere was awesome with a piano in the corner of the circle room.
The breakfast itself was very delicious and a lot better than the breakfast I have been used to at Santa Fe. To be honest it will be a bit difficult for me to be satisfied with choices available at Santa Fe when returning. Here we had 5 tastes of yoghurt, 4 brands of cereal, 4 types of juice (including and excuisite freshly pressed juice), 7 types of bread, fresh fruit/fruit salad, 3 jams, honey, cheese and finally hot breakfast with bacon, eggs, sausages, potatoes and pudding! You could really get a great start to your day with the breakfast buffet - almost worth the extra price of HNY in itself!
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After enjoying this brilliant breakfast we quickly went back to the room to get ready for the last 80 minutes of EMH. Walking to the parks I noticed that my stubbed toe actually hurt quite a lot because of the way I had taped it! So I stopped for a second in Disney Village to remove the tape and immediately I walked a lot better!
All ready now we entered the park at 8.45 - it didn't feel like EMH as a lot of people had already found their way to the park! I wanted to queue up for the Studios (Crush) this morning, so we only walked down Main Street /Discover Arcade with Buzz as our goal...
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When we arrived at Buzz the queue was surprisingly short considering the amount of people already there and after queueing up outside the inside queue line was a walk on. All ready and buzzing (pun intended) for the first inter-galactic fight of the trip, I got in my XP-41 Space Cruiser only to be very disappointed! My gun didn't work - no laser or light at all and no points... So why my mum enjoyed finally being able to beat me, I enjoyed the ride and looked for my targets for the inevitable second ride due to the malfunction! And indeed, as soon as we got off we decided to take an extra spin, so I could get my revenche. The queue was now bigger outside, but still almost a walkthrough inside! I got a working gun, but after a good start I failed to gain as many points as wanted until I hit the light tunnel where I got it up to a decent, yet unimpressive score of 262.000!
Safely down to earth again we found our way down Main Street U.S.A to get to Walt Disney Studios...
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... and our timing could not have been better! Because as we arrived at the entrance of the studios they had just opened the turnstiles and let people enter 30 minutes before park opening. I headed for the Crush queue, while my mum tried to find something to drink. I was in the queue right behind a british family (mother, grandmother and two daughters), who said something we have all thought when it comes to Crush. The youngest daughter and the grandmother clearly had their doubts, but the mum said "it'll not be that wild.. It is Disney and it is Nemo!"... Now the grandmother left the queue during, but the youngest daughter did go on and I shared a shell with them. She clearly didn't like it - there definetely is a problem of having one of the wildest rollercoasters in both parks "disguised" as a family coaster with beautiful Finding Nemo scenery! I, however, enjoyed the ride as much as ever - it really is funny!
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I wanted to try Tower of Terror so I went for a fastpass as the queue line was already 70 minutes!?! I got fastpasses for around noon, so we planned to get Cinémagique seen before that and depending on the lines I wanted to give RC Racer a second ride! As it turned out we ended up in Toy Story Playland at first planning to catch the Cinémagique at 11...
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For once the single rider line wasn't the quickest option though, so after another funny - yet short - play time with RC it was clear that we couldn't get to Cinémagique in time for the 11 showing. In stead we opted for some atmosphere strolling/photography and a little shopping - always nice ways to spend some extra time in both parks! Though a walk through all of WDS still makes it clear that this park isn't a "finished product". It lacks that final touch in some places, that final coherence in theme, quality and detail between the lands! I don't know if a DCA style refurb is the right answer, but it is very intriguing to see the WDI plans that should be ready for our dear WDS!
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It was time for the 11.45 showing of Cinémagique. As a big cinema/film lover it is always with delight I find my seat in the theatre, but this time it was also with a nervous excitement surrounding the new scenes. In general I was pleasantly surprised! [spoiler:2rqhe77r]The Jack Sparrow and Gollum door scenes were brilliant, while I was sad to see Sulley being replaced by The Incredibles. Monsters Inc. has already seemed like a perfect match for the door scene!
The rest of the new scenes are added in the goodbye and kisses montages. They all work quite well and especially the Toy Story 3 and Black Swan scenes actually made us both emotional![/spoiler:2rqhe77r] All in all I think the additions are clever and with a deep respect for the original, which is one of the best original WDI attractions of this century! The additions simply help this attraction become more relevant for a new audience :)
Relived and delighted by this ever so wonderful 30 minutes in the company of Martin Short and Co. I went for Tower of Terror to use my fastpass. Once again I noticed a lot of people waiting outside the fastpass queue, because they showed up before time. In all honesty it is nice to see this being followed this strict - if not, the whole idea of fast pass loses it's value :)
The drop was as funny as ever, although for me the attraction is just as much everything leading up to the drops. It simply is amazing and true WDI magic like we only know from a few of the original Disneyland attractions! We finished the studios off by taking in the last bit of atmosphere and taking the last photos, as we pretty much knew that we wouldn't return during this stay :)
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We were starting to get hungry - for food, but also for one of our favourite rides: Big Thunder Mountain! Before heading for that for fast passes we simply had to enjoy the beautiful sight of Hotel Disneyland in the middle of the blooming, green and sunlit Fantasia Gardens :D
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Entering through the turnstiles we quickly went for Big Thunder Mountain only to see that the fast passes had already reached 9.15 in the evening :O This wasn't good as I wanted to photograph Disney Dreams this evening and for that purpose camp up in front of the castle quite early. For "security" reasons we decided to collect the fastpasses anyway - maybe we could just get to use them! After all the BTM FP is the most effective in the parks!
Our stomaches were roaring louder than Mufasa at this time, so after having been disappointed on sunday evening, we once again headed for Restaurant Hakuna Matata. It was lunch time again, so the place was packed but open nonetheless! I do not know how we got this lucky but my mum picked the perfect line (it only took 15 minutes to get the food) and we also got a perfect table by the water. With the sun shining, we were not having dinner in a parisian theme park. We were having dinner at the very shores of the nile!
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Having once again given up on BTM due to 80+ mins waiting time, we decided to save this for tuesday morning when we would queue up outside Frontierland in order to beat the worst queues. In stead we opted for the mysterious manor reigning over Thunder Mesa from it's once so majestic hill. It was time to revisit another WDI masterpiece in what was clearly becoming the trip down memory lane that we wanted. With the queue line stretching all the way to the gazebo we were given plenty of time to enjoy the mysterious gardens of the manor...
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... I had recently heard the original Vincent Price spiel in english so when standing inside the stretching room I put this on my inner imaginary iPod and enjoyed the ride even more. In the name of Melanie Ravenswood, please, please, please bring him back! We boarded our doom buggie for a pleasant tour of the house that reveals new secrets and details every single ride you take :)
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Afterwards we paid tribute to the many people once serving the manor and the Ravenswood family by visiting their graves on Boot Hill:
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I'll never ever grow tired of this ride - pure brilliance! I did, however, find the speed of the doom buggies almost too slow at times during this visit. It was almost as if they could go up the hills! :?
On our way to explore our beautiful castle, we noticed that The Lucky Nugget now served a special menu with the choice of three main courses - among those Fish'n'Chips! We had thought of eating at Walt's this evening, but had decided not to on sunday due to the available time slots and our packed programme. The Lucky Nugget came as a blessing! Another table service restaurant that we had never visited (!?!?! :O), but without the need of making reservations. We knew where to have our dinner!
Last summer the castle was nearly all done with it's refurbishment, but still missed the very last details, so this was the first time I got to see the final "product" and words cannot describe it... We really are blessed with the most beautiful, most spectacular and most magical castle of all Magic Kingdom style parks in the world! The open, flower filled Central Plaza was the final icing on the cake! I will not say much but let the photos do the talking:
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After taking our time to enjoy this beautiful sight, we wanted to finish the first part of the day with a final classic! It's a small world! Now, it's been a long time since I have seen the entire queue line being used. Actually I cannot remember the last time (and that includes two high peak trips and a Christmas trip, where the queues haven't been as long!) Mainly the state of the attraction was good, however, a couple of dolls missed their instruments and one of the dance groups were "on strike" :P But the attraction was still as lovely as always. It tells the story that you really need be told every day in this world we are living in - far too many people tend to forget that in the end we are part of one big family! We have our differences but we can all join each other when needed. Much like we do at Disneyland where you see people of every culture, colour and religion. All gathered together to celebrate our imagination :)
We returned to Hotel New York after having enjoyed a credit card burning shopping spree in World of Disney finishing on Starbucks enjoying a refreshing Refresha Citron Vert in the afternoon sun!
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I will finish this part of the trip report with a little review of Hotel New York. Adding to what has already been said about our room and the breakfast, I must say that the general atmosphere of the hotel is very appealing! Perhaps especially to us as grown ups - it is filled with cool New York details around every corner and you could use ages to explore it. It all helps create the illusion of being "in New York". That being said I am sure that families travelling with children will enjoy this hotel just as much. You can still meet your favourite characters, buy your favourite souvenirs and have fun. It is just done in a way that oozes quality and luxury. In my honest opinion this is my new favourite hotel and I have now tried them all (except Davy Crockett). You actually get a lot for the extra money you pay making it better than Hotel Disneyland which is still too expensive (it is still an experience not to let pass by, should it be given to you.) But for me, Hotel New York will be "my" new hotel! Finally some various photos from around the hotel:
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I am currently in Copenhagen taking photos... I hope to be able to make the next installment tomorrow evening, but otherwise you will have to wait until sunday for the next installment, which will feature a bunch of Disney Dreams photos and my view on the scenes in Disney Dreams. Until then, ENJOY!
I am absolutely loving your photos! They are wonderful!! What lenses have you used? :thumbs:
Quote from: "fraffstar"I am absolutely loving your photos! They are wonderful!! What lenses have you used? :thumbs:
Thanks! Besides a standard Nikon 18-105mm lens, I use these two - the first was the almost used for all photos in this report! The 70-200 was only used for Stars'n'Cars and Disney Magic on Parade :)
AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED:
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AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II:
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They are all mounted on my Nikon D90, which I hope to replace with a Nikon D800 soon :)
I'd absolutely love a 14-24mm f/2.8 lens but I'm a canon user :lol:
Stunning shots though, I keep coming back and back and looking and wondering if I can recreate with my basic collection but I think probably not. Thanks for the info though, maybe for the next trip :thumbs:
Quote from: "fraffstar"I'd absolutely love a 14-24mm f/2.8 lens but I'm a canon user :lol:
Stunning shots though, I keep coming back and back and looking and wondering if I can recreate with my basic collection but I think probably not. Thanks for the info though, maybe for the next trip :thumbs:
I'm sure Canon have such a lens too, but you know just change to Nikon! ;)
Thank you - I am sure you can recreate them! If you have the ideas it is not as much about the camera as it is about the photographer and his/her ideas :) In my opinion 70-80 % of a good photo is the photographer, so just go for it and I'm sure you'll get loads of awesome shots!
Dreams of Memories - Part 4
After a quick visit to the hotel, changing into a bit warmer night-friendly clothes and collecting my tripod, we once again headed towards the parks. We weren't going to watch the parade this night, so decided to head straight for dinner hopping to be able to get some rides done during the parade time.
As planned in the afternoon we went for The Lucky Nugget - a restaurant that we (despite 10 previous trips together) still hadn't visited!!! My mum recalled that her and my dad always wanted to take us back when it was the saloon with a show, but me and my sister never wanted to spend the time needed. How stupid I was back then! This time I would have killed to be able to see the show - this place is built to host live entertainment!
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It really is a beautifully detailed restaurant and even though the food was still "fast food" it was definetely better than the counter service restaurants and had an touch of class added by steal cutlery and real glasses for your all-you-can-drink drinks. The price of a couple of euros extra compared to the regular menu options was definetely worth it - I will recommend a visit to this restaurant to everyone. It was a nice, relaxing difference from the packed counter service restaurants and the fish'n'chips was delicious and so was the lovely dessert :)
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Positively charged with new energy and a great new restaurant experience, we quickly went to check up on BTM, but as expected it was still 70+ minutes.. With our fastpasses still being a bit too late for our Dreams plans, it was clearer than ever for us! The attraction we both find the funniest had to wait until our very last day, before we got to try it! We promised ourselves that it would be the first ride of the day on our last day - then it had to take the time needed!
In stead we went towards Adventure Isle, which we really loved walking around in the sunny, warm evenings - an atmospheric walk towards Blanche Neige et les Sept Nains - our main goal for the evening before Dreams. Adventure Isle has really never looked more beautiful than on this trip - so green, so welcoming and with the refurbished Pirate ship as the leaf making the tree just a bit greener than normally. This of course also presented me with the opportunity to take a couple of more shots in my "moving water" theme of this trip :)
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My mum was sure that this was the first time she had walked the caves of Adventure Isle. If she was right about that, it certainly was about time I showed her these. A dark labyrinth of adventurous wonders containing some awesome details within!
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We had hoped to be able to board the pirate ship, but unfortunately it was closed as we arrived at the bridge... However, we got a chance to really gaze upon the fresh exterior - finally Hook has got his ship back! It is no longer a ship wreck, but a proper ship fitting the surroundings perfectly... It has certainly underlined the Adventure in Adventure Isle.
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And gives you the opportunity to once again take this photo:
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Remember, this evening I had my tripod so it was a lot easier to get the photos for my "theme" :)
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Seeing Pirates as a near walk-on we couldn't resist and filled with the adventurous atmosphere having walked through caves, jungles and waterfalls we had to take another cruise down the troubled caribbean seas...
... Continuing through the Disneyland classics we tried Snow White as planned. We now only missed Peter Pan's Flight and Big Thunder Mountain for this trip to be completed! Snow White was such a good experience and really showed that Disneyland is not only for children. Our vehicle was filled with adults - no children at all and never has I tried the attraction like this! The others in front of us were almost acting along really living the ride :)
It was a bit early to get in place for Dreams, so we decided to walk the great little shops of Fantasyland - namely La Chaumière des Sept Nains and La Confiserie des Trois Fées, which had opened out to the courtyard of Auberge de Cendrillon! I took the chance to visit this place I otherwise wouldn't get to..
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It was about time to get ready for Dreams - I mean, come on, it was only 2 hours until it started ;) haha... Nah, as previously stated I had decided to take photos of dreams this evening... I found a place with a flowerbed right in front of me on the same side of Central Plaza as we had stood in on sunday evening. As you can see my spot was as close to perfect as one would think:
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Clear sight of the castle and with a flowerbed in front of me I wouldn't get any people in front of me... At least not in a height that could distract my view... At least so I thought!
Because the closer we got to the start of Fantillusion the clearer it was that some guests' respect for the fenced off flower beds was very little. Actually I doubt they had any! Children started playing in the flowerbeds - running around on the grass and eventually in the flowers trashing them... We actually tried stopping them, by kindly saying that this was not a playground, but that task was impossible! Especially when the parents' don't mind this behaviour... It got worse when we discovered that grown-ups started to enter the flowerbeds too - first of all to pose for photos though. It only got worse until Dreams started when it was completely stupid. People jumped into the flower bed standing up - not children, but grown-ups. people climbed benches and lampposts... Eventually making my spot quite bad - especially for taking photos of the castle projections! I really think Disney should offer the cost of just one guest flow cast member to be placed by each of the four flower beds preventing people from playing in them, sitting in them and eventually destroying the beautiful flowers! That would be a cost worth paying and I do remember guest flow cast members doing the same job last year when it was only fields of grass surrounding the stage!
Well as Fantillusion began it started to rain (!?!)... Come on, here we were. Having stood there for one hour already and then the rain came and sky looked pitch black! I covered the camera, which was all ready... Truly as a lightning from a clear sky the rain suddenly stopped once the final floats of Fantillusion passed by and the sky went clearer for every second. NOW we were ready for Dreams!
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It began! Now as promised I would give my view on some of the scenes... For me the best scenes were "A Friend Like Me", The Villains part and the grand finale. The Genie part really is a show-off scene - what they do to the castle is amazing and it seems very fitting when Genie keeps asking you "Can your friends do this? do that?" and so on... No, Disney all other theme parks cannot recreate this! :) Add to that some impressive pyro technics and the brilliance of Robin Williams and you have a very memorable scene. The villains is parts is brilliantly original - when they transform the castle into the big machinery you don't really believe your eyes - the fire part of this scene is sooo immersive! The finale speaks for itself - it simply has to be experienced! It cannot be described or done justice in photos or on film - if that doesn't make you smile, cry and appreciate the wonder of dreams in general nothing in a Disney park will!
Talking about emotions, Dreams is filled with emotional scenes. Apart from the opening and the finale - "One Day" from Hunchback and "I See the Light" from Tangled really hit the spots. Goosebumps all over the place.
I wouldn't say any scene felt indifferent to the story or bad in any way... Though, when they in the future need to update it - the scenes with Remy and Mary Poppins would seem like good choices to replace. But for now nothing can ruin this magical show - we really have a show to be proud of now thanks to Steve Davison and his entire team.
I took loads of photos - quite a lot of them can be seen here and the rest can be seen later:
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Wow, quite a lot of photos... Well, I'll continue in just a bit, because I have a whole bunch more from this evening... One of the bad things about summer season is that you barely get to see the parks at night (well WDS is impossible with the 7 closure). The parks really are even more magical by night with all the lights coming on, so bringing my tripod I took some time exiting the park to shoot what shot could be... We had done all our shopping in the afternoon, so it was really all about the photos this evening. I will let the photos speak:
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Back in the hotel well after midnight, we decided to do most of the packing tuesday morning... After all didn't have that much to pack.
Going to bed after a brilliant full day in the parks, we could really DREAM of the day to come, where we had to take in all the magic possible before another 20 hour bus trip waited in the evening.
The next and final installment of this part of the trip report will follow later tonight or tomorrow :)
Enjoy!
Very good report and pics at always :-)
My favorite pics are those from Frontierland and Main Street :-)
Great report and pictures!!
(peoples on benches and gras...grrr...)
why would anyone think it's ok to climb into a fenced off flower bed and stand on the flowers or let their children play in there! Some people have so little respect it's unreal!
Love all your photos btw
Great report as expected!! :)
I will also try Lucky Nugget for the 1st time this year. I would have loved to watch the Show that was running years ago... Did you have dinner there? At what time approx.?
I'm also always very annoyed by people climbing over fences or on things and destroying flowers etc! :evil: I'm glad to read i'm not the only one!! Nevertheless i can't wait till my trip, which is coming closer... :D/
Will you let us now what souvenirs you exactly bought?? :)
Quote from: "norhel"Very good report and pics at always :-)
My favorite pics are those from Frontierland and Main Street :-)
Thank you - I could spend an entire trip taking photos in these lands!
Quote from: "ulak"Great report and pictures!!
(peoples on benches and gras...grrr...)
Thanks. And grrrrrr indeed - I was so disappointed!
Quote from: "petals"why would anyone think it's ok to climb into a fenced off flower bed and stand on the flowers or let their children play in there! Some people have so little respect it's unreal!
Love all your photos btw
It's really quite impressive that people can behave so bad, isn't it? And thank you.
Quote from: "esmeralda"Great report as expected!! :)
I will also try Lucky Nugget for the 1st time this year. I would have loved to watch the Show that was running years ago... Did you have dinner there? At what time approx.?
I'm also always very annoyed by people climbing over fences or on things and destroying flowers etc! :evil: I'm glad to read i'm not the only one!! Nevertheless i can't wait till my trip, which is coming closer... :D/
Will you let us now what souvenirs you exactly bought?? :)
Haha, thanks!
Yeah we did have dinner there (the fish'n'chips) - it was around 6-6.30 and there was only a few other tables in use!
When are you going?
Yes, after the final update tomorrow I will do a trip conclusion including my shopping list :)
Great Dreams photos! Again they have made me SO excited for my trip (even though it is 11 months away :oops: ) I agree about the people standing on benches and grass etc, there were lots of people doing it when we were there and it's a shame when you've been waiting for ages :(
Brilliant trip report as always, and stunning pictures. Brought back all the magical memories of my trip last month, and also some ideas for next years...especially of where to eat.
I completely agree with you about Hunchback and Tangled in Dreams - when the music starts for Hunchback, I get goosebumps. With the kids tucked up in bed, the rest of the family relaxing in the adjoining rooms, (having seen it the night before), I sneaked out of the Hotel New York with my brother, sprinted through Disney Village, straight to PoC
oops....for a sneaky ride at 1045pm, and then a last viewing of Dreams....2 "grown-ups" enchanted and awe-struck, we just stood there at the end, unable to move, and I swear my "tough and manly" brother had tears in his eyes!!!
Looking forward to the rest =D>
I loved this Nicolai..........
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...........the perfect silhouette, just enough light to make the main subject unmistakable =D>
Also, I'm afraid the trashing of the flowerbeds by adult and child alike has been a growing problem for some years now :( Why people think it's fine to jump over fences to get a better view is beyond me............I hope no one on this forum would do such a thing :x :thumbs:
Quote from: "geekyjo"Great Dreams photos! Again they have made me SO excited for my trip (even though it is 11 months away :oops: ) I agree about the people standing on benches and grass etc, there were lots of people doing it when we were there and it's a shame when you've been waiting for ages :(
Thanks - well I am sure that these 11 months will pass by quicker than ever! :)
Quote from: "minnieme"oops....for a sneaky ride at 1045pm, and then a last viewing of Dreams....2 "grown-ups" enchanted and awe-struck, we just stood there at the end, unable to move, and I swear my "tough and manly" brother had tears in his eyes!!!
Looking forward to the rest =D>
What specific restaurants are you now thinking of visiting?
YES! I think Dreams is just the essence of the visions of Walt Disney and Disneyland in general and that is why it hits so hard. It really is a beautiful show!
Quote from: "Epcot_Boy"I loved this Nicolai..........
...........the perfect silhouette, just enough light to make the main subject unmistakable =D>
Also, I'm afraid the trashing of the flowerbeds by adult and child alike has been a growing problem for some years now :( Why people think it's fine to jump over fences to get a better view is beyond me............I hope no one on this forum would do such a thing :x :thumbs:
Thank you - I really like that shot too. It is my FB cover photo at the moment too :)
Indeed - me and my friend noticed last year too... I don't know how they can prevent it - it seems like a general mismatch of overestimating the guests' ability to behave! I certainly don't hope so either!! Would be quite disappointing...
Thanks for sharing, especially loved the water movement photos! :))
Dreams of Memories - Part 5
Rise and shine, Manhattan is waking up! A little after 6 in the morning we were up and getting ready for breakfast at 7 before doing the last packing before EMH... Having enjoyed a delicious, fulfilling breakfast where I decided to enjoy some eggs, potatoes and bacon too, I took some time to walk the corridors by the restaurants. They are filled with world's fair posters, but also luxurious wine cabinets:
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THE DELICIOUS FRESHLY PRESSED ORANGE JUICE
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In the hotel lobby they were setting up a new photo location for Lilo & Stitch... To be honest it seemed a bit out of place to have a hawaiian beach in the middle of this classy lobby. Also to have workers working on it while guests walk by seemed to ruin the magic a bit too:
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We had a quick walk by the ice rink to check on the weather... It was a sunny morning and quite warm too, so I quickly decided to opt for my shorts! Having packed the last things and left the luggage with the hotel, we headed for EMH only 15 minutes past 8 or so... As said it was a beautiful sunny morning:
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Taking the last morning stroll through Disney Village we walked around enjoying the silence and peace of an almost empty Village - but the real joy to behold awaited us inside the park...
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As we walked under Main Street Station we quickly realized that Main Street was filled with the cars - they were almost all of them out with the sad exception of the horse-drawn vehicles! We decided to hop onboard one of them and take this magical drive down Main Street U.S.A - maybe we didn't behave very good, because we ended up in the back of the Paddy Wagon behind bars:
[youtube:3tvu7u6n]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4z__L9gioA[/youtube:3tvu7u6n]
Luckily we were asked to exit to the most beautiful view one could imagine: our beautiful castle in the morning sunshine! She is a beauty to behold in every weather, but a sunny morning is one of the best... Which why I find it weird I apparently didn't take one of my 1300 photos at this time!
Well it must have been because we wanted to take full advantage of EMH before queueing up for Big Thunder Mountain! We quickly headed for Buzz, which was a complete walk on... To my BIG disappointment I performed worse than monday and ended up with the mediocre score of 187.000 - though it was still quite enough to beat my mum, who only got 7.500 points. To escape from my disappointment I planned on travelling to outer space shot out of the Columbiad Cannon... Apparently nobody else had this plan, so I walked straight on and without any queueing I suddenly found myself soaring through meteors until I finally saw that beautifully exploding supernova! I got a seat in the middle of the train which is my favourite part by far - the ride is nowhere near as rough here as it is in the front or especially the back rows!
Afterwards we decided to walk around the back of Discoveryland - a corner of the park that is being desserted now with the closure of Captain EO and the often closed Pizza Planet... Made me think that the propoed Star Wars mini land could be a good choice if done with the needed amount of detail and respect to the films... The area around Star Tours is now the only thing to see here:
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Besides Wall-E and EVE who despite the quality of the figures really feels out of place!!
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We jumped into Buzz again, but we could just as easily have decided not to... For the second time (out of four) on this trip I got a gun that didn't work! You could clearly see that the gun was broken as the front was multicoloured all the time looking burned or something. I wonder why they didn't cover this space cruiser up, so people couldn't use it?
Well, we finished monday with still two essential classics to try before the trip would be perfect: Peter Pan's Flight and Big Thunder Mountain! Peter is luckily part of the EMH and even though the queue was pretty full this morning, we only queued up for 15 minutes before we boarded the magical pirate ship and flew over London and Neverland! A pleasant flight in light conditions allowing for a good view of Londons traffic and the details of Neverland... I also noticed in the queue line that a large amount of the ugly writing had been removed! :)
One classic down - only one to go! With BTM as our next goal, but still 30 minutes until the opening of Frontierland we took our time walking around the Fantasyland awakening:
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When we exited the castle it was clear to us that this would be a busy day and that we might not get to try that many rides:
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With the queue for Frontierland (and of course mainly BTM) already being quite big we decided to simply just queue up.. A family of ducks quickly learned that the grass fields outside the Frontierland entrance was the place to be as an entire group of children went completely crazy feeding the ducks with massive amounts of bread. I swear to Walt that Donald would have been very jealous of his family had he seen this!
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10.00 came closer and people started to push their way forward and when the single CM responsible for this queue opened the land she was nearly run over by children, parents and adults in general rushing towards their first destination: BTM. Unfortunately for all this Olympics running team of guests they were stopped abruptly by the CM opening BTM - he took his time slowly walking through the queue line with the guests behind him - it was so funny to see how cold he was in setting the pace and how he enjoyed it!!
When entering the house both queue lines were open but almost everyone took the right line. I saw this and decided to take the left line and that was a good choice as we almost walked straight through the house! When we arrived at the stairs this queue line was filled too and the entire house was just the way we know it: full! But we ended up only queueing for 10 minutes, so MORNING TIP FOR BTM: be sure to use BOTH queue lines! They are open for a reason but often people just take the one everybody else is taking!
As said we ended up only waiting for 10 minutes, but the ride was as always worth every wait. This really is one of the best rides in both parks and the atmosphere in the queue line and on the ride itself... I LOVE IT!
When exiting the waiting time was already 50 minutes, so we knew that this would be the only time we tried it. At this time I found it reassuring that I was returning in August, but I felt bad for my mum who has really learned to love this ride and now she only got to try it once. I have to take her again some time, so she can try it again :D (Yeah, I know you are reading along, mum)
Now it was time for the quintessential ride for our trip down memory lane.. The very first attraction we had tried on our first visit in '94... An attraction that we haven't been on during out latest visits: DISNEYLAND RAILROAD! WE fondly remembered our very first ride where I ended up getting a nosebleed in the Grand Canyon Tunnel... To this day I swear this was due to pure excitement of actually being in Disneyland :lol:
I have not been on this attraction since '09, so took my time to enjoy the atmosphere of the beautiful Main Street Station and we had some time to enjoy it as we queued up for 75 minutes...
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We talked about that it took up quite some time on a very busy day and we realized that if we still wanted to catch the 1.30 Tarzan show this would be the last ride of the trip... But as I said: "If we shouldn't ride this on this trip, when should we?" This was our first Disneyland ride ever, so we simply had to and in this atmosphere one should think that it would be no problem waiting...
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... however, it can be quite a test of your patience when you have the family in front of you that we had... It was one woman with 8 children and she didn't have any control of them! Wow... Really... just wow.. Add to that a stroller in the queue line - handled by the children! They hit people with the stroller, they didn't move and when the celebration train came out on Main Street all the children suddenly left the queue to have a look - even though our queue was moving along! The worst part, however, was when the third train had left the station without us boarding... We were now very close to the end of the queue line, but suddenly they wanted to get out of the queue (having spent 60 minutes in it!!). The took the stroller out of the queue and left it looking for an exit.. We were just happy, because we were now closer on getting onboard the next train! :) Little did we know that this group couldn't find an exit and for that reason all of a sudden wanted to enter the queue again - of course in the same spot as they had left! A spot that was now gone - but not to them... The stroller was suddenly pushed into the queue and boom! seconds later so was all of them... :twisted:
Soon after we saw this sight and knew it "was over" and it was time for the most enchanting train ride in Europe:
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When we arrived back at Main Street Station it was already 12.30 = one hour until the beginning of Tarzan and we needed some lunch too! Time to turn on the efficiency - we decided that Col. Hathi was probably the best choice as it was close to Tarzan and also they always serve pretty quick! We were right and without really knowing how we succeeded we sat in the Chaparral Theatre as the gorillas emerged from the rainforest and performed a show of pure class! Some of the acrobatics are truly amazing and also the multilingual soundtrack in a way feels so dated it still cannot ruin the wonder of Phil Collins' catchy tunes! When the children gathered during Trashin' the Camp both me and my mum got goosebumps - clearly remembering the time I had this wonderful experience... I remember it clearly and to see new kids being able to join the magic in this way is always amazing! We were very happy that we got to see it in the end :)
It was waaaay to early to leave the park already, but we also quickly realized that the waiting times were too long to try any attractions with even Phantom Manor and Pirates of the Caribbean being 60 minutes and 75 minutes respectively!!
In stead we opted for more atmosphere:
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Arriving at the shores of Adventureland we noticed that Hook had been so kind to open up his ship for visitors, so we took our time exploring this awesome refurb! This is the state we all want to see our ship in:
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it was funny to see this cast member placed on the ship to secure guests behaviour.. He really became a guest favourite as he acted along and he even ended up writing quite a few autographs!
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We continued our journey round the park through Skull Rock to the back of Fantasyland:
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Until we found ourselves in the castle courtyard greated by classic Disney tunes played by the Disneyland Marching Band! Sunny afternoon, live music and filled with people - this is Disneyland! This is what we still remember from the first trips - the memories that we go back to relive. A perfect end to a perfect trip:
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And just as you think it cannot be more perfect, you exit the castle and you are able to take this 360 spin:
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This is the view we should always have from Central Plaza!! :D
Doing the last bit of shopping in Harrington's I overheard an elderly american woman telling the CM about her and her husband who lived in New York and was used to visit both american parks each year. They were now in Paris and had to visit our park - even just for one day. They had fallen in love with our park - the most beautiful of them all and with many attractions better than the american counterparts. Lovely to hear and the perfect picture of who Disneyland attracts: EVERYONE.
We enjoyed the last walk trough Fantasia Gardens...
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... before ending up at the Hotel once again collecting our bags and preparing for the 20 hour bus drive, which would see lots of unattended luggage at the bus station, our driver nearly getting in a fight with some passengers and finally a young man arrested by the german police as he wasn't allowed to leave France. Another nightmare of a bus trip surrounding the most wonderful DREAM we had both had for years. A dream of a stay reminding us why we both fell in love with Disneyland back in '94. This truly was a dream of memories!
WOW - Thank you so much, your trip report is such an amazing read, you really put across how you feel about the place! Your pictures are brilliant, gives me lots of inspiration for when i go! I am already pretty excited about my trip next week, and you have just made me even more so with all your enthusiasm! Thank you!!!
Nicolai, what a great trip report and fantastic photo's! I would love to bump into you one day in DLP as your enthusiasm and appreciation is contagious! Also have to say - 20 hour bus ride to get there??? wow, that is true dedication!
:D
Amanda
Quote from: "forza_united"... before ending up at the Hotel once again collecting our bags and preparing for the 20 hour bus drive, which would see lots of unattended luggage at the bus station, our driver nearly getting in a fight with some passengers and finally a young man arrested by the german police as he wasn't allowed to leave France. Another nightmare of a bus trip surrounding the most wonderful DREAM we had both had for years. A dream of a stay reminding us why we both fell in love with Disneyland back in '94. This truly was a dream of memories!
I think if I were you I'd fly, or get the train, next time you visit :lol: :thumbs:
Great report Nicolai, with some excellent photos. You've really wetted my apetite for my forthcoming visit. Thanks for sharing your hols with us and most importantly, sparing the time to post this extensive report =D> =D> :thumbs:
Oh, thank you so much for sharing your trip with us!! It's just a pleasure to read. And the pictures... Well, what can I say? Amazing. It's wonderful to see the park looking so beautiful, seeing it through your eyes.
And I particularly liked the one with the orange juice... It's the one thing I always look forward to when we go to the HNY, their orange juice for breakfast!!
And now I think I'll go and read your report again from the start, while we wait for your next trip!!
PS Don't take the bus next time, you seem to have a bit of bad luck when it comes to bus rides!!
Amazing report (as always) ! x
Quote from: "Disneymumof2"WOW - Thank you so much, your trip report is such an amazing read, you really put across how you feel about the place! Your pictures are brilliant, gives me lots of inspiration for when i go! I am already pretty excited about my trip next week, and you have just made me even more so with all your enthusiasm! Thank you!!!
I'm the one thanking you - I am very happy, because that is exactly what I want with my trip reports. To share my thoughts about the place and inspiring others with my photos. That is always what I look for in other users' trip reports :)
Quote from: "amanda08"Nicolai, what a great trip report and fantastic photo's! I would love to bump into you one day in DLP as your enthusiasm and appreciation is contagious! Also have to say - 20 hour bus ride to get there??? wow, that is true dedication!
:D
Amanda
Thank you - I have only ever bumped into one forum member before and I forgot to say hi :oops: That is dedication and I am going through all of it one more time in just a little more than two weeks :D
Quote from: "Epcot_Boy"I think if I were you I'd fly, or get the train, next time you visit :lol: :thumbs:
Great report Nicolai, with some excellent photos. You've really wetted my apetite for my forthcoming visit. Thanks for sharing your hols with us and most importantly, sparing the time to post this extensive report =D> =D> :thumbs:
Haha, yeah... If it wasn't for my fear of flying I would fly for sure - much easier, much quicker and much safer too.
Thank you - and you know now I am now eagerly anticipating at least a lot of photos from you when you get back! :D/ Have a fab time!!
Quote from: "never2old"Oh, thank you so much for sharing your trip with us!! It's just a pleasure to read. And the pictures... Well, what can I say? Amazing. It's wonderful to see the park looking so beautiful, seeing it through your eyes.
And I particularly liked the one with the orange juice... It's the one thing I always look forward to when we go to the HNY, their orange juice for breakfast!!
And now I think I'll go and read your report again from the start, while we wait for your next trip!!
PS Don't take the bus next time, you seem to have a bit of bad luck when it comes to bus rides!!
Aww, thanks - that really means a lot.. I'm always looking for new ways to portray our beautiful park and I really think I found some new ways this time...
Now what to do next time? Any suggestions on themes or anything?That orange juice was priceless! Amazing - I'm going to sneak into Manhattan Club on my way from Santa Fe in August.... Because, honestly, their juice will be quite boring now :P
Well I hope the read was as pleasant the second time as it was the first time ;)
Quote from: "mickeymouse"Amazing report (as always) ! x
Thank you very much - and then you can happily wait just three more weeks and my next report will be starting!
I also promised to post all my shopping... So here we go:
4 Vinylmation - 3 of them are from the Alice in Wonderland series, while the Alice itself is from the Animation series:
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A World of Disney exclusive "Disney by Britto" cup:
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A Minnie christmas ornament - I had the Mickey counterpart already:
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7 pins - 3 of them limited edition 20th Anniversary pins:
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Some Kitchen stuff for my new apartment (moving out on the 1st of August):
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And finally my World of Disney exclusive lithography:
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Thanks for your kind message, and yes can't wait for the next one. Good taste in shopping, too!
Fantastic report , your photo`s are just amazing. Cant believe how busy it was , I dont think Ive ever seen a queue for longer than 20 mins at BTM!
Cant wait to see your next trip report!
My next trip is coming up and I leave on monday! Soo excited! :)
I would have made a bigger transaction from the first trip to the other, but I just moved into my new apartment and I will not get internet until I'm back from Disney..
... BUT once again I will be live tweeting from the trip, so follow me on http://www.twitter.com/nclka_dlp (http://www.twitter.com/nclka_dlp%22%20target=%22_blank%22%20rel=%22nofollow) to get live information, photos and experiences from the parks.
I'm staying there from tuesday to saturday, so a massive trip report is coming up when I get back home and get my internet fixed :)
Youre sooo lucky to be going twice in one summer :D!! must be amazing!
Loved the pics of your shopping- especially the kitchen utensils, Im moving out myself in 2 weeks so might buy something like that when I go to disney :D!
Looking forward to your next report !!! I'm just back from Dlp and had a really great time- as usual ;-)
I also bought some of the pins you bought :-)
love your purchases. Did you buy the Alice vinyl there or trade for it? I was collecting that series of Animation and then the disney store here stopped doing them would be cool to try finish the collection if they have them in Paris
Loved reading your trip account! Can't wait til im there! Il be going along with my mumma too! your pictures are amazing. I had a tear in my eye when u were talking about peter pans flight as it wont be open when im there or PM :( This might be a stupid question and there is probably a thread for this if there is i apologise. What attractions are open on Early Magic Hours?
First of all- really really great pictures!!! I love looking at them, and thinking if I ever looked at it that way...( does that sound funny?)
i have to ask you a question, on behalf of my daughter: when does the Stitch photo point open at NYH? I showed her some pics and she just "jumped" at that.
i had more questions, but don`t remember them right now, I`ll have to go through your report again. A great one, again, I might add!
Thank you for sharing with us!
Aurora1
Absolutely loved your first trip report! It made me want to go back so much! :(
I've been following your DLP live tweets and it looks like you had a lovely time, so I cannot wait to read your next trip report :)
Sooooo, I'm back from my latest trip and it was absolutely amazing! One of the best trips I have ever had - greatly explained by how emotional I was when leaving yesterday. I have 1700 photos to sort through, but I hope to get to start the trip report tomorrow and this time it will also feature a Trip Video of the two trips combined. I have attached a few photos in the end of this post, but firstly I will answer all your questions:
Quote from: "DisneyDancer92"Youre sooo lucky to be going twice in one summer :D!! must be amazing!
Loved the pics of your shopping- especially the kitchen utensils, Im moving out myself in 2 weeks so might buy something like that when I go to disney :D!
Thanks - yeah it has been absolutely amazing!
Go for it - I got more this time - it's really nice, though a bit expensive..
Quote from: "esmeralda"Looking forward to your next report !!! I'm just back from Dlp and had a really great time- as usual ;-)
I also bought some of the pins you bought :-)
Thank you - it will start tomorrow. Are you doing a trip report? What pins did you get?
Quote from: "petals"love your purchases. Did you buy the Alice vinyl there or trade for it? I was collecting that series of Animation and then the disney store here stopped doing them would be cool to try finish the collection if they have them in Paris
I bought it, but DLP is stopping the Animation series too. They had an amazing offer this time: buy 1 "Parcs 10" Vinylmation and get an "Animation 2" vinylmation for just 2 euros. So I ended up with 8 Vinylmation figures without paying for more than 4.5 :)
Quote from: "AussieDisney"Loved reading your trip account! Can't wait til im there! Il be going along with my mumma too! your pictures are amazing. I had a tear in my eye when u were talking about peter pans flight as it wont be open when im there or PM :( This might be a stupid question and there is probably a thread for this if there is i apologise. What attractions are open on Early Magic Hours?
Aww, too bad about Peter Pan's Flight and Phantom Manor - they are definetely one of the bests. Luckily you will still have such rides as Pirates, Big Thunder Mountain and it's a small world! The following rides are open during EMH: Space Mountain, Orbitron, Buzz Lightyear Laserblast, Peter Pan's Flight, Dumbo and Mad Hatter's Tea Cups. Also the castle gallery is open and offers the rare view of an almost empty Fantasyland if you are there early! :)
I hope you have a wonderful trip!
Quote from: "Aurora1"First of all- really really great pictures!!! I love looking at them, and thinking if I ever looked at it that way...( does that sound funny?)
i have to ask you a question, on behalf of my daughter: when does the Stitch photo point open at NYH? I showed her some pics and she just "jumped" at that.
i had more questions, but don`t remember them right now, I`ll have to go through your report again. A great one, again, I might add!
Thank you for sharing with us!
Aurora1
Thank you very much and it doesn't sound funny at all. I am happy to have captured things from a different angle :) Unfortunately, the Stitch photo location wasn't there when I looked in during this trip. Please, if you remember the other questions, do ask here or in a personal message :)
Quote from: "ecila"Absolutely loved your first trip report! It made me want to go back so much! :(
I've been following your DLP live tweets and it looks like you had a lovely time, so I cannot wait to read your next trip report :)
Thank you - we had an absolutely amazing time! I really hope to go back again next year :mrgreen:
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Then a sneak peek of the photos:
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8441/7768516878_c79051e3ab_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7768516878/)
Enter the Magic (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7768516878/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8426/7768509662_9e16e4888b_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7768509662/)
Through the Leaves (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7768509662/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8424/7768503990_ea64b74187_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7768503990/)
Phantom Manor (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7768503990/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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C'est la Fête (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7768497850/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Musée du Louvre (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7768494996/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Main Street U.S.A (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7768492070/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7117/7768488298_5fa50828b2_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7768488298/)
Strangers Like Me (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7768488298/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Can Your Friends Do This? (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7768485126/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
Great photos!! Can not wait for another fantastic report!!
Yes Great photos, great photos of Dreams. It looks like you found a good place to stand with no one blocking your view. :thumbs:
Welcome back, again. Already looking forward to this report. But for now, here it goes with some questions.
where is a good spot to take pictures of "Dreams"?
Can you choose, wich restaurant to eat at the HNY?
In Stars and Cars, do the characters still give autographs at one point or not anymore? (my daughters question)
About your tip fot BTM, totally agree! Happend, when we were there as well! =D>
...and despite of your water-theme, you still got a thing with lamps,right?.. ;) ;)
Aurora1
Quote from: "Martin B"Great photos!! Can not wait for another fantastic report!!
Thanks - I will not get to start the trip report before tomorrow though :( But I hope it will live up to all the expectations :)
Quote from: "ed-uk"Yes Great photos, great photos of Dreams. It looks like you found a good place to stand with no one blocking your view. :thumbs:
Thank you - it was indeed a wonderful view. It helped that I had an official DLP photographer standing right next to me with two cameras on tripods. He let children enter the flowerbed in front of us, but everytime an adult went in there he took on his CM jacket and threw them out. He came over to me afterwards asking about my photos and briefly discussing the show with me. A brilliant experience!
Quote from: "Aurora1"Welcome back, again. Already looking forward to this report. But for now, here it goes with some questions.
where is a good spot to take pictures of "Dreams"?
Thank you very much. Now that depends from Central Plaza you can get a grand view of everything (if you have a wide angle lens). This is definetely the place to stand with your tripod if it is. You can get this view:
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8445/7768497850_bbeb7170f9.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7768497850/)
C'est la Fête (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7768497850/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
However, if you stand by the end of Main Street between Casey's Corner and The Gibson Girl you get a great view of the castle projections. Turn the ISO up and you can good pictures of the projections without using a tripod from here: (be aware that the sound isn't very good here)
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8424/7768485126_8410d26d06.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7768485126/)
Can Your Friends Do This? (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7768485126/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
Quote from: "Aurora1"Can you choose, wich restaurant to eat at the HNY?
The one morning (when we had breakfast at 7.30) both restaurants were open and we had free choice. The next morning at 7.00 only Club Manhattan had opened. I think it varies a lot depending on time of day and number of guests in the hotel.
Quote from: "Aurora1"In Stars and Cars, do the characters still give autographs at one point or not anymore? (my daughters question)
Unfortunately no, as far as I'm aware. It is traditional "parade" now going from one point to another through the park.
Quote from: "Aurora1"...and despite of your water-theme, you still got a thing with lamps,right?..
Haha, you got me! I will always have a thing for lamps - especially in Disneyland! This will be seen in my new trip report too :mrgreen:
Loved your last report and looking forward to this one. Your photos catch unusual side to Disney which I love. My DH, who is a very good amateur photographer, really enjoyed the more "technical" aspects of them too although he a Canon man!
Quote from: "princessemily"Loved your last report and looking forward to this one. Your photos catch unusual side to Disney which I love. My DH, who is a very good amateur photographer, really enjoyed the more "technical" aspects of them too although he a Canon man!
Awesome - thanks!
Boo, a Canon man! haha - nah, what photos did he like in particular? (always nice to hear from fellow photographers)
looking forward to this followed your live tweets so cant wait to see how your themes this time work out =]
Dreams of the Old Days - Day 1
So, here we go! Day 1 of this new trip report from my latest trip with my friend Kristian - we have been going three summers in a row now and we were obvious bursting with excitement when the 6th of August arrived. I almost felt like just falling straight into the magic, because I had just moved into my new apartment in the days up to resulting my head being filled with loads of things.. yeah, actually almost everything but Disney. Because of this I was even more excited once the day finally arrived! Although it was just 1 month since I was there with my mum this felt like ages ago!
It was with as low expectations as possible for the Eurolines coach trip that we got onboard the bus in Aalborg. For the readers of previous years' trip reports and the first trip report of this summer will know why - it has just become worse and worse for each year!
However, I will not use many words describing this bus trip, because to be honest nothing went as expected in the smoothest bus drive we have experienced so far! And actually we were in Paris 30 minutes before time on tuesday morning resulting in us reaching Disneyland already around noon. Ascending from the stairs of the RER train station seeing the red rooftops of Hotel Disneyland, the majestic presence of World of Disney and hearing the eternal screams from Tower of Terror I was overwhelmed with the feeling of once again being home! :)
We quickly got on the bus to Hotel Santa Fe with no expectation of getting our room already. Especially considering the luck we had had so far with the bus journey to Paris and train journey from Paris to Disney. But that was just us being pessimistic, because we ended up getting the last free room of that morning! And what a nice check-in experience but also kind of funny - the CM was really nice to me, trying to say my name and she was really embarrased when she couldn't pronounce my last name (Kjærsgaard), and when she heard I was from Denmark she quickly found a park map in Dutch and presented it to me with the biggest pride I have seen from a CM. I simply couldn't tell her that we do NOT speak Dutch in Denmark.. She was so nice, so I just took the park map and we walked to our hotel room in the building 56 in the Trail of Legends part of the hotel. Our building was not refurbished yet, but nonetheless the room were great as always - after all it only has to offer a good "home for the night"...
Quickly getting ready and enjoying the amazing experience that is to brush your teeth after 20 hours on a bus, we found our way to the park. We were as far out as possible - actually we crossed Rio Grande where it finishes! We had seen the weather forecasts promising high sun, high temperaturs and no skies at all, so this view of Lake Disney suprised quite a bit:
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Grey Skies (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7782970050/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
It was still very hot though, so we didn't think more of it.. Our stomaches were roaring like Mufasa, so what seemed more obvious than opting for lunch in Hakuna Matata? Before that we had taken a BTM FastPass - I really needed to try this having only been on it once with my mum in July! The lunch in Hakuna Matata was really delicious - I got the lightly spiced chicken breast with Hakuna fries and Kristian got the Chicken with african rice. Both were really yummy and filled with this new energy we continued my tradition of making my favourite attraction the first of every trip.
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Adventureland (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7782965914/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Rhythms of the Jungle (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7782960844/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
Time to drop into the Caribbean seas and the pirates! In July me and my mum thought we had sen the biggest queue for Pirates starting under the entrance. This time, however, the queue was even longer as the entire queue line was in use allowing us to really enjoy this wonderful queue area - actually the waiting time was 60 minutes!? But 60 minutes in this is not that bad, ey?
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Pirates of the Caribbean (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7782955904/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Blue Lagoon Restaurant (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7782951458/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Pirates of the Caribbean (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7782946034/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Pirates of the Caribbean (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7782942214/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Pirates of the Caribbean (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7782937560/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Le Coffre du Capitaine (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7782930534/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Caribbean Queue (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7782924190/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
The attraction was in very good shape: swinging pirates, sword fighting pirates in very close encounters and all AA's working! The PERFECT start!!
However, walking into Hook's Hideout we were met by a horrible smell. Men, you will know it! The smell of a pissoire. I really hope we were wrong, but it smelled just as if someone had been standing in there taking a wee!! Eeeew :sick:
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Through the Waterfall (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7782918756/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
Me and my mum had used quite a lot of time walking around Adventure Isle, which is really awesome right now: the hot and bright summer weather and the refurbished Tree House and ship of Captain Hook. I could without exacturating walk around it all day! I mean really, just look at it:
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8284/7782913474_49e83db60a_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7782913474/)
The Stream Between the Leaves (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7782913474/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Pont Suspendu (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7782907824/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Swiss Family Robinson Tree House (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7782902416/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
... A place that is almost just as enjoyable in the summer is around Rivers of the Far West in Frontierland. This time we actually visited a corner I had never visited before - Pocahontas Indian Village. To be honest, it did feel a little weird for two men in their early twenties to walk around this playground area... :lol: But it was worth it - do yourself a favour and go down here and you will be rewarded with this brilliant view:
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Big Thunder Mountain (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7782896316/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Big Thunder Mountain (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7782892676/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Pocahontas Indian Village (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7782887152/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
While standing there a thing happened that we would experience quite a few times unfortunately - the lights were turned on on Big Thunder Mountain and the ride was down. This happened a lot of times and we decided to quickly walk to Phantom Manor before everyone was let out of the BTM queue... We didn't beat the people and the queue was roughly 60 minutes - while queueing I noticed another thing we would experience a lot. Characters joining in besides the times and places in the programme! That is for me way more Disney than all these really organized meet'n'greets that we are left with now. As soon as BTM went down Donald and Daisy were left out in Frontierland removing some of the pressure caused by the down time.
Phantom Manor was also in a good shape, though a few of the AA's had some minor issues in the graveyard and ghost town scenes. This is Kristian's favourite, so could it be more perfect for us to start with our favourites? I think not!
It was still too early for our BTM fastpasses so we walked around Fantasyland a bit and mainly Frontierland soaking up the atmosphere, really getting ready for the next 4 days of magic that was ahead of us. Frontierland is probably our favourite land in Disneyland and this is part of the reason:
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Deserted Frontierland (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7782878500/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Thunder Mesa Mining Company (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7782874620/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
The themening is simply top class!! BTM had reopened while we were inside Phantom Manor and walking by it we noticed the waiting time was no less than 110 minutes!?! and the fast pass line was longer than past the entrance of the attraction. We were happy we had a little time to go still...
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110 Minutes... (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7782869046/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Big Thunder Mountain (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7782864340/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
Sooner than we knew it was our time though and luckily the biggest waiting times were gone. When entering the fast pass queue I noticed a group of people with a VIP guide just outside the attraction. When it was out turn to board the train, I noticed the same party left the train we were boarding and then Kristian said: "Hey, that's that actress, isn't it? Queen Latifah".. I was pretty sure, but when she exited the train and just yelling "YEAAAAH!" there was no more doubt. Not that I am a celebrity hunter, but always funny to meet them nonetheless and sitting on the row behind the one she had sat in, we joked about not taking a bath for the rest of the trip. LOL...
BTM - what can I say? Hands down, funniest ride in the resort - it is still really sad that they have taken away all the AA's above your heads, but luckily this time the waterfall in the first lift hill was turned on. You got quite wet, which was lovely in the parisian heat! The mountain could need a repaint soon again already :( Something which is very clear when shadows hit it in the bright summer days... But that doesn't do anything about the fun and thrill of this brilliant, brilliant ride. It will always be a favourite of mine :D
We decided to head back to the hotel - mainly because I wanted to drop off my camera. My shoulders and neck were quite tired from the bus drive, so I wanted a "night off"... So no photos from the evening, but you guys shall not be robbed from this just because of that... and after the quick break we were on our way to the studios - just 30 minutes before they closed!
We decided to visit Toy Story Playland to try RC Racer, which has quite a "Crush" problem in the day time with big, big queues. And for that the attraction isn't really worth it... It's really funny though and the feeling of being weightless is much bigger here than in Tower of Terror. This is much more a thrill ride really, because it doesn't have a major story line.. Even though we were so late in the day it was 7.30 when we walked through the turnstiles to Disneyland Parc. Just a few minutes too late to find a restaurant before the parade ended!
Luckily one of our favourites Col. Hathi Pizza Outpost is always open and you rarely find a very big queue here. This was once again the situation this evening and we were quickly sat with our pizza and pasta - the pizza royale has really been given a touch up. It is really delicious now and so is the tiramisu! Something I think is general for the fast food - it has become a lot better in the latest years!
We couldn't resist a much smaller Pirates queue so after once again being taken back into time before dropping into our time again, we found ourselves in Fantasyland and it was time for the first of the Fantasyland classics: Les Voyages de Pinocchio! For me a Disneyland trip is never complete before all the Fantasyland Dark rides is done :) This was one down...
... and now time to the first of four magical evenings of Disney Dreams! We were there in good time - 90 minutes before showtime and we got a decent spot by the front right flowerbed in front of the castle. Already during the ever so wonderful Fantilussion it became clear that they still had the same problem as in July: people (including - actually especially - grown ups) climbed the Flowerbeds standing in there destroying the flowers and ruining the view for people who had been standing there for more than two hours. A disgrace that Disney doesn't do anything against that - or was our luck about to turn again in the following days? You'll have to wait and see...
... I know that I for some time was really worried that my tripod photos planned for wednesday evening would once again be ruined by these flowerbed climbers. When the light went out and the giant lights behind the castle went on ALL doubts were lost and we were transported into the amazing, magical and emotional reality of Disney Dreams. You really have to think a little extra if this really happening right before your eyes and once again I must say it was difficult to keep the tears away during quite a lot of the scenes.
For more in Disney Dreams read my trip report from July earlier in this thread or wait until the updates from wednesday and friday night which will feature an immense amount of Dreams photography!
This day could not have been any better - many of our favourites already tried, some true Disney moments and the most enchanting end to the day that you could ever imagine! We were tired, but we were already ready for the next day which would begin with breakfast at 7!
__________________________________
Next part will come tomorrow evening, and I promise that this will be much more photo heavy! I took 660 photos on wednesday, so there will be quite a few to choose from ;)
What a great trip report again!!! I love your enthusiatic way of writing!
I've been at Dlp two weeks ago- it feels already like ages ago- and i call it "home" too, but when reading your report i feel like being home again, right now ;-)
I ate at Hakuna Matata also! Haven't been there for years, cause we were not sure about that kind of food, but i loved the spicy chicken too!
60 min. queue at PotC is crazy!!!
Looking forward to part 2!!!
Thank you Nicolai! Once again, the start of a fab report. The combination of your writing and photography skills always make me "homesick"for Disney! Can't wait to read the rest - even though it makes me way too impatient for my next trip - still 9.5 weeks away!
I love reading your reports! GREAT START! :thumbs:
Great report, Nicolai! I was there last week, too. I think I even saw you on Wednesday night. Were you standing by the right flowerbed at Central Plaza with your Tripod? Anyway, it was so packed at Central Plaza, I could barely move. And afterwards I was in tears, because it was our last evening and I knew I won't be going back in quite a long time. So if it was you, apologies for not saying hi. ;)
Thank you all :)
And
Quote from: "Macchiato"Great report, Nicolai! I was there last week, too. I think I even saw you on Wednesday night. Were you standing by the right flowerbed at Central Plaza with your Tripod? Anyway, it was so packed at Central Plaza, I could barely move. And afterwards I was in tears, because it was our last evening and I knew I won't be going back in quite a long time. So if it was you, apologies for not saying hi. ;)
Indeed that must have been me - you will be able to see the results tomorrow evening when I post the 3rd part of the trip report :) Did you have a good time?
Yeah thanks, we had a great time apart from the crowds. I've been a few times in the last year, including last summer and Christmas, and I've never seen it so crowded. We had to stand in parts of the queues for PotC, Phantom Manor and Indy, that I've never seen used before. ;)
always enjoy your trip reports they are so well written and your photo's are amazing =D>
i'm in desperate need of a new camera but sadly i could not afford yours unless i win the lottery.lol even though you have a fantastic camera you are an amazing photographer with a really good eye for capturing the best of Dlrp =D>
looking forward to hearing more very soon.x
Thank you lynny,.
Right now it looks like my next update will be delayed due to Flickr giving me uploading problems... But I still hope to get it online tonight!
Fab start to report number 2!! We got back from our July trip a little over 2 weeks ago now and already I feel homesick.... :(
I took my pro camera with me and 4 lenses...and ended up leaving it all in the hotel room every single day. The massive crowds combined with wrangling a 3 year old, a 7 year old and a 43 year old was just too much and so I decided it was unfair to expect them to be patient whilst I tried to get some decent shots. Plus I had a pushchair to contend with along with 4 raincoats and a big daypack so didn't really want the camera bag to have to worry about too! I did manage to get one or two snaps on my iPhone, though they are more the family snapshot type. But hey! there is always the next trip eh?
Looking forward to the next installment :thumbs:
... A place that is almost just as enjoyable in the summer is around Rivers of the Far West in Frontierland. This time we actually visited a corner I had never visited before - Pocahontas Indian Village. To be honest, it did feel a little weird for two men in their early twenties to walk around this playground area... But it was worth it - do yourself a favour and go down here and you will be rewarded with this brilliant view:
By the river on the left hand side, partly shaded by a bush is a bench. I have sat there for ages on some occasions dreaming that I'm actually on the Mississippi watching 'Molly' go by :) However, your right, I do sometimes become aware of the age difference between me and the local village residents :lol: :-"
Great read as usual Nicolai with wonderful pics =D> :thumbs:
Quote from: "fraffstar"Fab start to report number 2!! We got back from our July trip a little over 2 weeks ago now and already I feel homesick.... :(
I took my pro camera with me and 4 lenses...and ended up leaving it all in the hotel room every single day. The massive crowds combined with wrangling a 3 year old, a 7 year old and a 43 year old was just too much and so I decided it was unfair to expect them to be patient whilst I tried to get some decent shots. Plus I had a pushchair to contend with along with 4 raincoats and a big daypack so didn't really want the camera bag to have to worry about too! I did manage to get one or two snaps on my iPhone, though they are more the family snapshot type. But hey! there is always the next trip eh?
Looking forward to the next installment :thumbs:
It takes up some time bringing your pro camera to the parks, so I completely understand you left it at the hotel - family comes first! I would have done just the same in your situation - and as you say the future - hopefully - brings lots of new opportunities!
Thank you .- the next installment will be up later tonight :) (Finally)
Quote from: "Epcot_Boy"... A place that is almost just as enjoyable in the summer is around Rivers of the Far West in Frontierland. This time we actually visited a corner I had never visited before - Pocahontas Indian Village. To be honest, it did feel a little weird for two men in their early twenties to walk around this playground area... But it was worth it - do yourself a favour and go down here and you will be rewarded with this brilliant view:
By the river on the left hand side, partly shaded by a bush is a bench. I have sat there for ages on some occasions dreaming that I'm actually on the Mississippi watching 'Molly' go by :) However, your right, I do sometimes become aware of the age difference between me and the local village residents :lol: :-"
Great read as usual Nicolai with wonderful pics =D> :thumbs:
Thank you Epcot_Boy! This really was a wonderful piece of "untouched" DLP area :)
Dreams of the Old Days - Day 2 Part 1
Even though we had probably only had 3-4 hours of very light sleep on the bus we decided to have breakfast at 7 AM on wednesday - we always travel with the idea of using the time as good and much as possible... So with a slightly tired body and mind we waddled towards La Cantina on wednesday morning - I had joked about breaking down when seeing the ordinary breakfast here having stayed in Hotel New York in July. However, I quickly forgot the extra choices of bread and the hot breakfast - a plate with a croissant, a baguette and a pain au chocolat accompanied by a bowl of fruit salad and I am good to go. What I continued to miss throughout the trip was the choice of juices on HNY! The Apple juice at Santa Fe is simply to boring and the orange juice is either too sour or simply just yellow water. Boy, I thought about the freshly pressed orange juice of Club Manhattan many times on these mornings!
We quickly found our way towards the park once again laughing about the fact that we actually crossed Rio Grande at it's very "source"!
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Far Out (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7791045366/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
It was a beautiful sunny morning and with a clear sky we knew it would be a hot day = an expensive day, because you simply to buy a lot of cold drinks and Disney certainly knows what to charge for these ;)
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Sunny Morning (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7791040038/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
Walking past Club Manhattan I swear I could just taste the orange juice in my mouth and got a little extra energy :D We talked about the new placement of the security checkpoint and i must say I really enjoy it! The feeling of being checked so far away from the parks leaving a clear, untouched walk straight through Disney Village towards the magic is great - whoever came up with this idea, I salute you!
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Morning Reflections (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7791035992/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
Walking through Disney Village we talked about The Dark Knight Rises and how we wanted to rewatch this brilliant film in IMAX in the Gaumont. Seeing this poster certainly didn't decrease our interest, but we decided to think about it...
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Rise (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7791034104/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
... When I was here with my mum, it was all blue and white construction walls - great to see the new flowerbeds adding some much needed class and DIsney feeling to the area around the RER train station and of course the beautiful World of Disney:
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Fenced Off (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7791029962/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
Inside Fantasia Gardens the Hotel Disneyland and it's surrounding garden had hardly ever looked more beautiful than in this early morning sun. If this view doesn't make you ready for the magic, then you should think about getting yourself checked or something!
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With a Swing of the Wand (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7791026022/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
EMH was really the best thing to come with the 15th Anniversary besides Once Upon a Dream Parade - me and Kristian always enjoy it, trying the Discoveryland rides and eventually Peter Pan before heading for an early queue outside the Studios. This trip would see some new traditions, but more on that in a later installment :) Through the visionary corridors of Discovery Arcade...
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Discovery Arcade (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7791022796/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
... we found ourselves in Star Commands HQ ready to board our XP-41 Space Cruisers and defeat the evil Emperor Zurg! However, on our way I noticed that Buzz Lightyear himself was still missing from the queue line leaving us without an important pep talk! He was also missing back in July - I wonder he'll return?? I got a score of 365k, which was way better than in July, but still some way from my personal best.. Nah, alright for the first spin of the trip - off to Space Mountain for our special mission to see the super nova! Readers of my trip report from last year would know that I on one occasion was stuck in the train when we had to get out - simply because of my long legs! This morning this was no problem as we were probably placed in the best row of the entire train: ROW 7! Here I can fit my legs just fine and the ride is almost completely bumpless and then it still is a pleasure to ride and great fun. Everytime I try it I keep regretting never experiencing the original!!
After two space travels in just 20 minutes we decided to slowly move towards the studios and while enjoying the atmosphere of Discoveryland and Main Street U.S.A I decided to revive my personal tradition from the last years: getting a chocolate cookie from the Cable Car Bake Shop. This is without a doubt the best cookies in the world (sorry, mum!) - yummy!! :D
We got in line for the studios just in time for the opening at 9.30 - meaning that we weren't exactly first in line for Crush' Coaster, but then again this is mainly down to the fact that we take our time to enjoy atmosphere and Studio 1 instead of just sprinting towards Crush as if you were trying to beat Usain Bolt's world record. Come on, give it a break! You are already among the first people let into the park - I THINK you can walk to your first destination ;) In the end you have to queue up just outside Studio 1 anyway, although the CM's were quick to open the next parts of the queue making the rest of the park accesible too without being blocked by the ever so gigantic queue for Crush! I understand the queue though - this is still one of the funniest rides in the resort with the first drop being the funniest in any roller coaster in the parks :D/
We looked for a Tower of Terror fastpass but noticed the waiting time was only 15 minutes (!?!) so decided to just queue up instead and impressively even though we started queueing up in the garden it did only take 15 minutes for us to be seated in our service elevator taking us directly to.... the Twilight Zone! Having laughed our socks off inside the elevator it was time for me to kickstart my photo theme of this trip. On Twitter I had asked for suggestions and as you will see some of them did affect my photography throughout the trip, but my main theme ended up being "Look Up" with special attention to shop ceilings:
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Look Up - Tower Hotel GIfts (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7791019082/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
You can find both impressive, beautiful, special, boring and quite interesting things by looking up once in a while when you walk through the parks. I knew this already, but was still surprised at some of the things I discovered doing so! A lot of people looked up and simply just saw me lol - yes still quite a lot of people had a good stare at me because of my height:
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Twilight Zone Tower of Terror (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7791011166/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Twilight Zone Tower of Terror (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7791015316/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
We wanted to catch the 11.45 showing of one of our favourite attractions, Cinémagique, and the area around Tower of Terror and La Terasse offers quite a good place for "time spending"... One of you might recognize your theme suggestion in one of these photos:
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Disney Studio 1 Reflected (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7790997908/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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1705 (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7790994372/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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The Hollywood Tower Hotel (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7790990560/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
Being huge film and cinema lovers we are always both really excited to see Cinémagique and I think it is safe to say that we actually could watch all daily perfomances of this during a trip and not getting tired of it one single bit! Even with the new scenes it is still touching, funny, impressive and incredibly original! [spoiler:145noheq]Having just moved out before leaving just the few seconds from Toy Story 3 with Woody waving at Andy saw a little tear fall from my eye :oops: That film really does something to me![/spoiler:145noheq] Filled with the enthusiasm of watching such a celebration of a thing we love, we decided to call it a day for the Studios - at least for now - and head for lunch in Disneyland Park, hoping to beat the major lunch queues in the restaurants! Of course I continued my theme through Studio 1 and the Studios Store...
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Look, My Friend! (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7790985344/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Look Up - Studio 1 (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7790981196/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Look Up - Studio 1 (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7790976580/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Majestic Studio (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7790972854/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
Before actually entering Disneyland Park Fantasia Gardens once again called for photos in the bright and warm french summer sun:
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Fantasia Gardens (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7790969536/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Fantasia Gardens (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7790962888/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Fantasia Gardens (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7790958746/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
And upon entering, Main Street U.S.A did just the same:
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Magic Awaits (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7790953126/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Here You Leave Today... (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7790951596/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Popcorn (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7790949348/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Towards the Magic (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7790944888/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
We wanted to have lunch in Toad Hall getting my favourite fast food in the park - the delicious Fish'n'Chips, which I could eat every single day! On our way we got fastpasses for BTM and I continued my theme:
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Look Up - Fastpass (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7790941686/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
Walking through Adventureland...
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Swiss Family Robinson Tree House (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7790937490/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
... we heard what was clearly live music. Already there I was ecstatic as it is not something we have been granted that often in the past years. It turned out to be a fun little Pirate Band - great music and great interaction with the guests. Not in the programme, not mentioned anywhere - just happening! That is what I remember from the "good old disney days" and it really made me soooooo happy:
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Pirates Ahoy (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7790931580/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
Remember how we wanted to beat the lunch queues? Well, good news: WE DID! Yet it was still impossible to get a table at Toad Hall, where half the tables were occupied by people without food (some waiting for someone in the queue, some who just sat there) we ended up standing near the counter by the ONE bar table to be found in the restaurant. This fish'n'chips is delicious - standing or not! And standing there I planned some photos from inside the restaurant:
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Garners Fruit & Veg (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7790926408/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Mr. Toad (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7790920728/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Toad Hall Restaurant (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7790916002/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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To infinity... and England? (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7790910418/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
I noticed that the sign for Meet Mickey had been replaced by a well resembling cardboard replica - quite good, but hopefully the real one will be out of refurbishment soon!
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Meeting the Mouse (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7790905658/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
Fantasyland was filled with queues - for the labyrinth, for the Tangled meet'n'greet and for our destination it's a small world. Now I get the feeling on here that quite a few actually don't like the big crowds... I don't know if I am the weird one here, but I actually really enjoy it. Though some of the guests' behaviour is catastrophic to say the least, it helps build the atmosphere when you see so many people of all ages, genders, races and religions gathered in one place all smiling and being happy! Also it tells me that the resort is still popular, which as a fan you have to like. So for me, big crowds is no problem! :D
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Alice' Curious Labyrinth (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7790901962/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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The Old Mill (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7790897758/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Tangled in Queue (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7790885524/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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it's a small world (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7790879018/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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it's a small world (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7790873466/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
The queue for it's a small world was huge, though not as huge as in July! Of all the rides, I think this is the one in most need of a nice, big refurbishment.. The outdoor area is a bit faded and quite a few of the AA dolls aren't working properly, which is a shame, because the attraction is one of my favourites. It actually tells the exact same story as I did before with the big crowds! With this attraction done it was one more of the essential classics that you have to try for a trip to be complete that was down! It is THE ride to capture the happiness and optimism of the 'happiest place on earth'!! :D
Minnie was bringing the big smile too ;)
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Minnie Mouse Balloons (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7790869398/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
And Adventureland Bazaar was looking very welcoming:
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Gate to Adventures (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7790866466/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Curios (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7790861076/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
Before our BTM fastpasses we had quite a few plans with the first one being the Swiss Family Robinson Tree House. I couldn't remember the last time I climbed the tree! It has been down for the major refurbishments during the last years and boy, could you see it! It sparkled and was looking as good as new in the summer light and heat. I cannot say more than take a look at these photos:
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In the Jungle (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7790853950/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Swiss Family Robinson Tree House (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7790847886/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Swiss Family Robinson Tree House (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7790840574/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Swiss Family Robinson Tree House (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7790833000/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Our Kitchen (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7790828152/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Swiss Family Robinson Tree House (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7790822262/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Through the Leaves (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7790763524/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Through the Leaves (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7790763524/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Swiss Family Robinson Tree House (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7790732316/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Our Bedroom (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7790707056/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Swiss Family Robinson Tree House (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7790632340/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Swiss Family Robinson Tree House (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7790608632/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8289/7791048614_85275de17c_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7791048614/)
Swiss Family Robinson Tree House (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7791048614/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Look Down (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7790591148/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Swiss Family Robinson Tree House (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7790526166/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Swiss Family Robinson Tree House (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7790382232/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Swiss Family Robinson Tree House (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7790371482/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
Really a beautiful attraction, with a fine story line (even without characters ;)) And we even spotted the Eiffel Tower from the highest point! Do not cheat yourself for this attraction even though it takes quite some climbing!
Combine it with a walk around Adventure Isle and the new, beautifully refurbished Captain Hook's Pirate Ship and you see why we have the best, most beautiful Adventureland of all Disney parks! The tam tams were out in front of Hakuna Matata and after the pirate band I was even happier to see them out too. They really gave it all!
It was almost time for BTM, but we had just time to get the most horrifying tale of Thunder Mesa told once again before, by visiting Phantom Manor!
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Big Thunder Mountain (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7790364132/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Phantom Manor (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7790358234/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
This is Kristian's favourite attraction so a photo was quite obvious:
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Phantom Manor (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7790351602/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Phantom Manor (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7790344918/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
Frontierland has themening around every corner just as Adventureland, which is why this corner easily is my favourite in the park(s)...
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Thunder Mesa (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7790336676/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Tobias Norton & Sons - Frontier Traders (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7790330668/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Tobias Norton & Sons - Frontier Traders (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7790324500/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
Now, for BTM I had for a loong time wanted to try and take photos from onboard the train. I prepared by camera by wrapping the strip around my wrist app. 50 times haha, and then we boarded the train... I will not do it again, because I was too nervous about my camera, but I am actually quite happy with the photos which made it worthwhile:
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Big Thunder Mountain (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7790319422/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Big Thunder Mountain (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7790317796/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Big Thunder Mountain (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7790310740/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
You rarely see Phantom Manor from this angle:
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Phantom Manor on the River (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7790304250/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Big Thunder Mountain (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7790287270/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Big Thunder Mountain (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7790282566/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Big Thunder Mountain (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7790275612/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Big Thunder Mountain (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7790270974/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Big Thunder Mountain (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7790265066/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Big Thunder Mountain (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7790259810/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
And when you exit to this sight how can you not become extremely happy?
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Rivers of the Far West (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7790255000/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
On our way towards the hotel for a quick break to collect my tripod we popped into Victoria's Home Style Restaurant to collect our free drinks (you get free drinks when buying cold drinks or food during the beginning of the day) - it's not the restaurant I have visited the most, but my guard is it charming:
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Victoria's Home Style Restaurant (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7790249278/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Victoria's Home Style Restaurant (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7790240582/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8444/7790229236_47965b307e_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7790229236/)
Victoria's Home Style Restaurant (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7790229236/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Victoria's Home Style Restaurant (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7790223474/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
We visited World of Disney before the hotel too, where I bought two of the Peter Pan Mural paintings! One for myself and one I bought for Never2Old from this forum :) This was also when I was introduced to the wonderful Vinylmation offer: Buy 1 "Parks 10" Figure (13.99 €) and get 1 "Animation 2" Figure for 2 €... I did not notice the offer, but the CM was very nice to point it out to me and she wanted me to pick my Animation box myself too. Great service in a wonderful store!
THe next update will feature A LOT of Disney Dreams photos :D And for that reason it won't be online until saturday, because I have lot of sorting, editing and uploading to do. I'm sorry for the wait, but I can almost promise that it will be worth it!! :D
Great report!!! Wonderful to read (I've actually had to read it twice, I enjoyed it so much!!) I could almost imagine myself coming along with you guys, up to the supernova in the Space Mountain (I have long legs too, I find I can only sit comfortably in the front seat...), going around the Treehouse (one of the best attractions ever, so many details to discover!!), grabbing a cookie in the Cable Car Bake shop, waiting in line for POTC or exploring Adventureland... You really know how to bring us all along with you.
And your pictures... As gorgeous as ever. You had beautiful weather!!! I can't wait to see more. I always discover new details I hadn't noticed before, or even better, rediscover sights I thought I knew! If you ever decide to publish a book with your photos, please sign me up for a copy!!
And of course thank you very much for my painting :D
As always, looking forward to the next part!!
WOWwowWOW! I am absolutely loving those BTM on ride photos :thumbs: There was an Italian lad sat in front of me on one of our BTM rides who was taking video on his iPhone :shock: No strap or anything, just holding his phone in the air the whole ride!! OMG. Love that ride, and my daughter did too. We rode it about 8 times over the 5 days we were there.
We managed one crush ride too - also an early morning one. Queue time was around 30 mins I think? Anyway we all went on...my son is 3 but was just about tall enough at 108cm so off we went. Well he may have been tall enough but he was no way able to hold his head firm enough to prevent him getting whiplash so I spent the whole ride leaning across and pressing his head into the back of the seat so he didn't snap his neck! So I pretty much missed the whole ride really :( Shame, but yet another excuse to go back again ;)
Quote from: "forza_united"Everytime I try it I keep regretting never experiencing the original!!
i wish i had been able to re ride this before it became mission 2 myself, first time i went on it i was 10 and since it was my first looping coaster while i loved it it terrified me as well meaning when it came to going on it again in my next trip i couldn't go on it (too scared i will admit it :P ) the next time i returned it had been refurbed into mission 2 so i share your regrets in a way
Quote from: "forza_united"One of you might recognize your theme suggestion in one of these photos:
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Disney Studio 1 Reflected (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7790997908/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
hehe was this my 'reflections' theme suggestion? XD
loving the trip report cant want to read more and see more amazing photos =]
Always enjoyable to read your reports! :-D
I especially like your photo of Phantom Minor and the rest of Frontierland :-)
Another great installment =D>
What else to say than a big WOW! :D
Love your pictures as always and the report is great!
=D>
Quote from: "never2old"Great report!!! Wonderful to read (I've actually had to read it twice, I enjoyed it so much!!) I could almost imagine myself coming along with you guys, up to the supernova in the Space Mountain (I have long legs too, I find I can only sit comfortably in the front seat...), going around the Treehouse (one of the best attractions ever, so many details to discover!!), grabbing a cookie in the Cable Car Bake shop, waiting in line for POTC or exploring Adventureland... You really know how to bring us all along with you.
And your pictures... As gorgeous as ever. You had beautiful weather!!! I can't wait to see more. I always discover new details I hadn't noticed before, or even better, rediscover sights I thought I knew! If you ever decide to publish a book with your photos, please sign me up for a copy!!
And of course thank you very much for my painting :D
As always, looking forward to the next part!!
THank you so much - it's really nice to see that what I intend to do with my report is working! And I have actually thought about turning these two reports into a photo book :D
You are most welcome!
Quote from: "fraffstar"WOWwowWOW! I am absolutely loving those BTM on ride photos :thumbs: There was an Italian lad sat in front of me on one of our BTM rides who was taking video on his iPhone :shock: No strap or anything, just holding his phone in the air the whole ride!! OMG. Love that ride, and my daughter did too. We rode it about 8 times over the 5 days we were there.
We managed one crush ride too - also an early morning one. Queue time was around 30 mins I think? Anyway we all went on...my son is 3 but was just about tall enough at 108cm so off we went. Well he may have been tall enough but he was no way able to hold his head firm enough to prevent him getting whiplash so I spent the whole ride leaning across and pressing his head into the back of the seat so he didn't snap his neck! So I pretty much missed the whole ride really :( Shame, but yet another excuse to go back again ;)
Thanks a bunch! I can't believe he had the b***s to hold his iPhone while riding the ride?? We only managed 5 times (you'll hear about a lot of closures later), but it really is a wonderful ride isn't it? :)
Yeah, the morning queue for Crush is usually 30 minutes. You simply have to visit there or just before closing if you don't want a 100+ minutes queue...
Quote from: "SwipatronSparks"Quote from: "forza_united"hehe was this my 'reflections' theme suggestion? XD
loving the trip report cant want to read more and see more amazing photos =]
Ahh, so it was you who suggested that! Always nice to get profile names on here linked to the twitter person :) You should be on the look out for a couple of more shots in this theme :)
And of course thank you!
norhel, Epcot_Boy and BlackPearl: Thank you very much! More will follow tomorrow and all over the weekend :D
A little sneak peek:
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Disney Dreams (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7804086314/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
your pictures are stunning!
Brilliant report, as ever! I think you should publish all your photos, past and present trips, in a book, so I can buy it and look at it each morning - fab way to start the day. Cant wait for the DREAMS photos....am still forcing the kids to watch our trip dvd so I can relive it.
Quote from: "forza_united"Quote from: "SwipatronSparks"Quote from: "forza_united"hehe was this my 'reflections' theme suggestion? XD
loving the trip report cant want to read more and see more amazing photos =]
Ahh, so it was you who suggested that! Always nice to get profile names on here linked to the twitter person :) You should be on the look out for a couple of more shots in this theme :)
yep this was me and i will keep an eye out for them =]
Quote from: "natalie1313"your pictures are stunning!
Thank you very much - and I think it's safe to say that the best is yet to come!
Quote from: "minnieme"Brilliant report, as ever! I think you should publish all your photos, past and present trips, in a book, so I can buy it and look at it each morning - fab way to start the day. Cant wait for the DREAMS photos....am still forcing the kids to watch our trip dvd so I can relive it.
Thank you very much! I think during fall I will make both a book and a calendar with my photos - the book possibly containing my trip report as well.
The Dreams photos will come within an hour or two - they are all edited and I am VERY happy with them. That is not normal for me to be this excited about my own photos!
Dreams of the Old Days - Day 2 Part 2
Finally I have the photos ready for this update that will not feature as much text as photos - be aware it'll be 105 photos and mainly of Disney Dreams!
We left of as we had been shopping in World of Disney and went into the hotel to pick up my tripod, bceause as you probably know this would be the night that was "cancelled" in order to take photos of Dreams. "Cancelled" in the way that we would be sat in Central Plaza from 8.30 until park closure. But before that we had quite a few plans to take as much advantage of the hours as possible - first off eating before/during the Disney Magic on Parade. We actually wanted to visit Restaurant Hakuna Matata once again, but as on so many previous occasions this restaurant was of course closed off - this is just a little after 6!? We were quite surprised, but when going into Col. Hathi (our replacement) it made more sense, because there wasn't many guests in here either. So if both restaurants were open I suppose it would quite simply be too expensive for them! An idea then could be to switch between the two restaurants during a week instead of only having Col. Hathi open in the evening each night!
Well it's little things and we really enjoyed our pizza and pasta and I my tiramisu for dessert even though I'm not fond of the coffee part! Filled with new energy and the knowledge that we had to be placed in Central Plaza in less than 2 hours we decided to just stay in Adventureland until then instead of running across the park waisting time. And after all there is no land more beautiful as the sun begins to set!
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In the Wild (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7808915228/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Lamp Under the Bridge (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7808919108/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Falling Water (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7808923054/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
Strolling through Adventure Isle it was once again time for one of these "old days of Disney" kind of moments with another character causing havoc by just walking around - our of programme, out of place, out of control. Who other than Jack Sparrow? I'm sorry Captain Jack Sparrow? One second he was on Pont Suspendu, the next he was in the caves scaring a certain something out of some teenagers before being by the waterfalls taking special care of a disabled guest. Characters are not essential for me in any way, but when they have to be there it is MUCH more entertaining and to me much more Disney when it is like this! It's safe to say that the CM following him around got her share of exercise!! :lol:
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Captain Jack Sparrow on the Loose (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7808927772/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
Having followed the Captain for a bit, we decided to visit his ancestors who are luckily yet to be 'spoiled' by his presence: yes, it was time for another go in Pirates of the Caribbean. With this scenery around we felt right in the spirit even before entering the queue line:
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Bridge Over Caribbean Waters (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7808932252/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Ahoy (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7808935384/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Pink Summer (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7808939416/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Caribbean Sunset (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7808943214/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
Unfortunately it wasn't a visit as perfect as those on tuesday, because this time we were not 'attacked' by the swinging pirate who was sadly just hanging still in his rope in between the sails :( Wonder if he is just very unstable or they deliberately prevent him from swinging from time to time?
Well, I knew he had many opportunities to get back in the game on the trip, so we looked at the clock and to be honest it was still a bit too early to go to Central Plaza (at least we thought), so instead we did what we always say we don't want to do: we visited the ruins of the far east with Indiana Jones roaming through the ruins of the once so grand Temple of Peril - a fun, yet very rough ride that doesn't seem to get less rough! We will never learn to understand why we need to have those black 'things' in the back!! I guess they are there to make it comfortable, but as it is they do anything but this!! Anywho, we continue to ride it and it is kinda fun, so I guess it's not that bad..
Almost time for Dreams - or time to get ready.. We still had 2.5 hours to show time! lol Quickly visiting one of the stars of the show, the Genie, in Le Passage Enchanté d'Aladdin it was time. Much to my suprise with the time only being 8.35 there was no free spots in first row behind the front flower beds. However, I quickly find the perfect spot to me, when I spotted to cameras on tripods placed (inside) the the flower bed I wanted to stand by... As I came closer it turned out to be just a bit more perfect as it wasn't just another photo enthusiastic guest as myself, but an official photographer from Disney Spectacles. As soon as I came with my tripod he greeted me with a smile and I quickly settled for this spot. When I had set up my tripod he asked me "french or english?" and he then made sure I moved as far forward as possible because "a lot of people come and they do NOT behave - come forward now for a good spot"... We had a quick chat about the flowerbed climbers and knowing that he was aware of people's behavior I got my hopes up for maybe a complete removal of the climbers...
... and yes! Soon after two guest flow CM's came and got everyone out of the flowerbed and afterwards they came over to Marc (the photographer) and joked around with him also commenting on my camera "ahh, you got a competitor tonight, huh?".. Great! And the spanish family in front of me wasn't very tall and they were very understanding of me and my desire to get a clear view of the castle. Of course they wouldn't move and I said that I didn't want them to either - after all they had been there earlier than me and deserved the PERFECT view:
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Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7808944480/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
As darkness came closer suddenly a group of 4-5 people came pushing there way to the front and it turned out to be someone Marc knew - presumably his girlfriend and her family.. I found it a bit problematic that he just 'saved' them a spot, but what the heck I still had a great view.. As Fantillusion came closer though, people started to climb the flowerbeds in great numbers again - luckily still only kids, but nonetheless not good for the park, the flowers or me and Marc. The family in front of me was furious as their view was slowly disturbed and I could see that Marc wanted to get a hold of the guest flow CM's, but they were nowhere to be seen. When a grown man suddenly stood up right in front of the castle, Marc didn't hesitate one second - he threw on his DLP jacket and walked in there throwing the man out of the flowerbed immediately. Need I say more than that was the last grown up entering the flowerbeds this evening? :lol: I certainly had found a great 'partner in crime' in Mark, who now kindly (though unnecessarily) informed that Fantillusion was about to start (still nice):
This photos is not a mistake, but intensionally shot to look like this:
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Passing By (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7808948468/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Disney's Fantillusion Parade (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7808950792/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Disney's Fantillusion Parade (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7808952326/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Disney's Fantillusion Parade (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7808953784/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
It's really great how they incorporate the castle in Disney's Fantillusion Parade and I will be very sad to see this parade leave by the end of this summer season! Standing here in the "middle of everything" you really experience the immersiveness of this parade - the story, the floats and most of all the amazing soundtrack! One of the best parades every IMO!
Still, it wasn't the main event. My legs were really starting to hurt a bit having stood up in the same place and position for two straight hours in shoes not made for standing. I felt sorry for Kristian having had to just spend his entire evening here, but then again he was fine with it... People started to push their way forward and especially a spanish mother and her daughter had me fearing for my camera. They came all of a sudden with just 10 minutes to go before Dreams and the mother would not accept that her daughter (aged probably 15) couldn't get into the flowerbed!! :? I wouldn't let her in, the family in front of me certainly wouldn't and the daughter accepted this, but the mother kept pushing her - at one time she pushed her into my tripod so it nearly fell over!!! She was getting on my nerves!
On my other side I had a brilliant british family - the boy seemed to be almost afraid of me if he by accident touched the foot of the tripod with his foot. He just stared up at me and received nothing but a smile. I knew I would get some pushes being in second row, so I accepted everything but people more or less deliberately pushing into me!!
Marc nodded his head at me, pointing at his watch with a great smile: "5 minutes - are you ready?". We both did the last settings on our cameras and then all lights went out: (I will recommend clicking some of these photos to see them in bigger resolution)
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Disney Dreams (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7808954968/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Disney Dreams (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7808956056/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Peter (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7808956658/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7808958014/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Disney Dreams (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7808959562/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Look, the Second Star To the Right! (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7808961580/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Disney Dreams (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7808963644/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Hey, Shadow! (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7808965760/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Disney Dreams (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7808967958/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Disney Dreams (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7808969692/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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All the Magic Is Spilling Out (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7808970670/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Disney Dreams (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7808971836/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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C'est la Fête (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7808972844/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Disney Dreams (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7808974794/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Disney Dreams (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7808975822/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Disney Dreams (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7808977336/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Disney Dreams (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7808978766/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Disney Dreams (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7808980042/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Disney Dreams (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7808981570/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Disney Dreams (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7808983498/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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C'est la Fête (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7808985390/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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C'est la Fête (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7808986702/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Disney Dreams (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7808988346/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Disney Dreams (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7808989940/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Disney Dreams (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7808991590/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Disney Dreams (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7808992262/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Bienvenue à Paris (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7808992842/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Disney Dreams (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7808994176/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Disney Dreams (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7808995206/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Disney Dreams (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7808996164/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Can Your Friends Do This? (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7808997010/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Disney Dreams (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7808998072/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Disney Dreams (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7808998832/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Disney Dreams (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7809000384/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Disney Dreams (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7809001614/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Disney Dreams (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7809002492/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Un Jour (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7809003786/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Disney Dreams (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7809005020/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Disney Dreams (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7809005864/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Disney Dreams (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7809007646/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Disney Dreams (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7809009152/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Disney Dreams (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7809010160/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Disney Dreams (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7809011296/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Disney Dreams (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7809012390/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Disney Dreams (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7809013808/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Come on, Matey - Step In Time! (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7809014706/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Disney Dreams (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7809015550/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Disney Dreams (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7809016638/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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King of the Jungle (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7809018178/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Disney Dreams (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7809020242/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Disney Dreams (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7809021556/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Disney Dreams (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7809023494/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Disney Dreams (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7809025226/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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I See the Light (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7809027262/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Disney Dreams (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7809028680/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8425/7809029554_266c036f28_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7809029554/)
Disney Dreams (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7809029554/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7111/7809030808_f2d3871852_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7809030808/)
Disney Dreams (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7809030808/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Disney Dreams (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7809031694/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8287/7809032824_2e11613f59_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7809032824/)
Disney Dreams (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7809032824/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8434/7809033860_457b1435aa_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7809033860/)
Friends on the Other Side (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7809033860/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8308/7809035192_923762c0fe_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7809035192/)
Disney Dreams (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7809035192/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8307/7809036542_133a9ce5fc_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7809036542/)
Disney Dreams (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7809036542/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Disney Dreams (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7809038732/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8307/7809039716_70bd7c23cb_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7809039716/)
Disney Dreams (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7809039716/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8427/7809043222_91e28545ce_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7809043222/)
Castle on Fire (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7809043222/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8431/7809045182_0afeb5e7e6_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7809045182/)
Danger from Below (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7809045182/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7254/7809046532_8d93b622c6_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7809046532/)
Disney Dreams (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7809046532/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8308/7809049452_e0b1a4c547_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7809049452/)
Dazzled (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7809049452/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8448/7809050870_925be18cc2_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7809050870/)
Disney Dreams (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7809050870/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8443/7809051662_196d31683b_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7809051662/)
Second Star To the Right (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7809051662/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8437/7809054192_f814659ab9_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7809054192/)
Disney Dreams (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7809054192/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8436/7809057088_9da315972e_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7809057088/)
Disney Dreams (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7809057088/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Disney Dreams (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7809059964/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7133/7809063034_f530b177f7_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7809063034/)
Disney Dreams (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7809063034/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Disney Dreams (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7809066950/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8284/7809069718_93d7a13cde_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7809069718/)
Disney Dreams (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7809069718/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8284/7809072308_7165d66a91_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7809072308/)
Exploding Castle (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7809072308/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8303/7809074902_146a29e5c7_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7809074902/)
Disney Dreams (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7809074902/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8282/7809077386_c0eae397c8_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7809077386/)
Disney Dreams (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7809077386/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
Woooow, that was a lot of photos! If you can manage more then just hold on for a few sentences for more night photos! Dreams was once again amazing, but I did the same discovery as back in July - you do not enjoy it in the same way when taking photos. You have too much attention on your camera to really be captured by it - so already now I decided to take it cameraless once again on thursday evening. Once the worst traffic had passed off, Marc came over to me as I was checking my photos asking if everything was alright and if I was satisfied. Then he said the exact same thing that I had just told Kristian: "the wind. It ruined the final!" What can I say - photographers think alike ;) Nah, the wind came in over Main Street from the castle resulting in all the smoke and water making the finale less majestic and more chaotic. Nonetheless, the part where all effects are on on the same time - WOW!
Marc was really nice and what a nice evening this had been. I think this was as close to the perfect view for photography as possible with a Disney Spectacles photographer right next to you. I was and still am very happy - still considering writing DLP with praise for Marc combined with my thoughts on the flowerbed climbers!
It was time for my night time photography round down Main Street - but as always just with a minor stop by our beautiful chateau!
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Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7809079034/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
In July I was given the opportunity to photograph the Discoveryland Entrance area by night and this time everything was open around the Frontierland and Adventureland gates, so I went for it and succeeded...
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Frontierland Entrance (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7809081606/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
...although I was asked kindly to leave by a CM by the Adventureland Entrance. I asked if I could just take this one photo and of course I could and he gently stepped aside offering a perfect, undisturbed view of the most beautiful entrance (besides the castle of course):
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Adventureland Entrance (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7809083392/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
Now the walk continued down Main Street, stopping up, turning to one side then another and then back again:
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8284/7809087074_3d9f818a00_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7809087074/)
The Most Magical View (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7809087074/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8283/7809090938_aeeedf79a0_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7809090938/)
Main Street Motors (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7809090938/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8436/7809095014_4158a92ce9_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7809095014/)
Gasoline (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7809095014/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8298/7809098554_1604087c41_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7809098554/)
Main Street U.S.A (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7809098554/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
In Town Square we decided to take photos of each other playing around with a bit of rear curtain flash settings. After some playing around we succeeded:
(//http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7267/7809100836_ec7109cc75_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7809100836/)
Town Square (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7809100836/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8435/7809104282_e67a2c0a40_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7809104282/)
Town Square (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7809104282/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
By this time a danish family had spotted us and the father just asked me "so is it a joke?" (in danish of course), and I was caught completely off guard having no idea in the slightest what he was on about... Asking him what he meant he just said again "so is it a joke?" and I had to say that I didn't follow.. It turns out what he meant was whether or not I was just a hobby photographer or a professional photographer - that made more sense, but I would never have gotten there if he hadn't explained! :lol: They finished off by wishing us a continued great holiday and how nice it was to meet fellow danes - we didn't feel the same way. When we're on vacation we go away from Denmark and also hope to be away from fellow danes haha... Of course we didn't say this and just wished them a good holiday too...
(//http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7274/7809106858_41e561e3fe_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7809106858/)
Disneyland City Hall (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7809106858/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8299/7808910470_b76646ac0b_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7808910470/)
20 (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7808910470/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
Having played around with the rear curtain flash we wanted to take a photo that would go wrong intensionally... and what can I say... One of the 999 ghosts of Phantom Manor seemed to be taking a late night walk by the Main Street Station:
(//http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7132/7808907988_7ba755aa8c_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7808907988/)
Escaped Ghost (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7808907988/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
It was not time to do shopping now as we were both quite exhausted, so that's a wrap:
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8302/7808905258_617cebe68f_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7808905258/)
Gates to Go Behind the Scenes (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7808905258/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
Hopefully tomorrow will see the complete update for thursday, which will most of all feature our afternoon in Paris, but also some problems with Big Thunder Mountain and the quick return of a certain swinging fellow :)
Once again, thank you for reading my report! :D/
Outstanding. These pictures are unbelievable, really capture every detail. I could easily have looked at more...never too many.
Perhaps next time take some photos of the disrespectful people climbing in the flowerbeds and send them to DLP or post them on here and shame them!!!
Particularly loved the night time photo of Adventureland entrance...its beautiful.
Looking forward to the rest and thankyou for taking the time to write all this and post these photos.
Very good pictures of Dreams, maybe I should get a tripod. The Walt Disney Studios looks beautiful.
Quote from: "minnieme"Outstanding. These pictures are unbelievable, really capture every detail. I could easily have looked at more...never too many.
Perhaps next time take some photos of the disrespectful people climbing in the flowerbeds and send them to DLP or post them on here and shame them!!!
Particularly loved the night time photo of Adventureland entrance...its beautiful.
Looking forward to the rest and thankyou for taking the time to write all this and post these photos.
Thank you very much! It means a lot!
And I can tell you that I did take photos of Dreams again on Friday evening, so that update will include a bunch again! :)
Yeah, those people should really be ashamed! On tuesday evening, two fathers were nearly starting to fight, when one of them just pushed his way through! He ended up standing up in the flowerbed "hanging" from a lamp! URGH!
I love spending time on this - it is sort of my way of keeping the magic alive... Postponing the withdrawal symptoms ;)
Quote from: "ed-uk"Very good pictures of Dreams, maybe I should get a tripod. The Walt Disney Studios looks beautiful.
Thank you very much! Yeah it is so beautiful at night.. I remember walking in there in the evening on New Years Eve 2010... Such a shame it closes at 7 in the summer, because almost every part of the park is more beautiful and welcoming in the night! :)
these pictures almost had me in tears, so beautiful! they really took me right back to the magic of disneyland. You are the most amazing photographer!
No really, you've taken some beautiful pictures of DLP at night, but then the parks are at their most magical at night, and Dreams is the most amazing show at DLP yet.
Amazing trip report and pictures mate :) You easily bring out the magic that there is in Disneyland Paris! Especially from the pictures you took of Disney Dreams...Classic man! Now im even more looking forward to see it live in a few weeks time thanks to your amazing shots of Dreams :shock: But mate,you should be Disneyland Paris official photographer for events or marketing wise,your so talented!!! :thumbs: Im serious! :)
I look forward for your next report and new pictures ;) Keep it up! :thumbs:
Quote from: "natalie1313"these pictures almost had me in tears, so beautiful! they really took me right back to the magic of disneyland. You are the most amazing photographer!
Aw, thank you - you are all too kind! :)
Quote from: "Donald-Duck-Malta"Amazing trip report and pictures mate :) You easily bring out the magic that there is in Disneyland Paris! Especially from the pictures you took of Disney Dreams...Classic man! Now im even more looking forward to see it live in a few weeks time thanks to your amazing shots of Dreams :shock: But mate,you should be Disneyland Paris official photographer for events or marketing wise,your so talented!!! :thumbs: Im serious! :)
I look forward for your next report and new pictures ;) Keep it up! :thumbs:
Wow - thank you so much! I doubt they'll ever 'discover' me though :P But thank you very much - that would be a magical job, wouldn't it? :)
as i've said before your pictures are amazing but more than that as i read your report i can feel myself there with you,your words are so graffic i can picture every moment as if i'm walking along with you :D
as previous guests have said you really should put your pictures in a book ,i for one would buy it ;)
looking forward to hearing more.......btw when is your next trip???
lynn.xx
Quote from: "lynny"as i've said before your pictures are amazing but more than that as i read your report i can feel myself there with you,your words are so graffic i can picture every moment as if i'm walking along with you :D
as previous guests have said you really should put your pictures in a book ,i for one would buy it ;)
looking forward to hearing more.......btw when is your next trip???
lynn.xx
Thank you very - I am nearly as fascinated by writing as I am by photography, so that's very nice to hear :)
I begin to think it would quite a good business to make these books :P
Unfortunately, I do not have a specific trip planned right now! Hoping to go some time during next year though :D
Really really great photos!!!
I hate your photos :evil:
only because they are so amazing and make mine look so poor
8)
Haha, great response PD! :D
I'm doing it again - postponing an update... No update tonight, as will only get the time to edit the photos and not do the writing. HOPEFULLY it will get online tomorrow :)
FANTATSIC... AGAIN!
Do you do a lot of 'touching up' to your photos .e.g. photoshop, or do they just come out like that?
:offtopic: : This is my camera, not a full DSLR as I'm not allowed one yet
(//http://i342.photobucket.com/albums/o427/Brtweed1976/fz45.jpg)
I'm finding that trying to capture moving objects in low-light in nigh on impossible. and my lash doesn't seem to help. I
s this a problem with all cameras to some extent? And is there a max shutter speed setting when using a flash e.g. no greater than 1/500 or something?
Quote from: "Pete's Dragon"Do you do a lot of 'touching up' to your photos .e.g. photoshop, or do they just come out like that?
:offtopic: : This is my camera, not a full DSLR as I'm not allowed one yet
(//http://i342.photobucket.com/albums/o427/Brtweed1976/fz45.jpg)
I'm finding that trying to capture moving objects in low-light in nigh on impossible. and my lash doesn't seem to help. I
s this a problem with all cameras to some extent? And is there a max shutter speed setting when using a flash e.g. no greater than 1/500 or something?
I run them through Aperture to adjust curves and add some contrast if they have been taken in high sun for instance, but it's only on very rare occasions that I run them through Photoshop or do larger adjustments (large = lasting more than a couple of minutes per photo).
Regarding the moving objects in low-light - that is a difficult task no matter how expensive your camera is! Anything in particular you are thinking about here? Regarding flash then my rule number 1 is: no flash! Of course you can use flash on some occasions, but always have in mind that your on-camera flash will only light up things a few metres in front of you.. Anything else it will just make darker... Instead my biggest recommendation would really be to use a tripod or even just a small gorilla-pod (of course only for non-moving objects and/or fireworks)..
Quote from: "Donald-Duck-Malta"Amazing trip report and pictures mate :) You easily bring out the magic that there is in Disneyland Paris! Especially from the pictures you took of Disney Dreams...Classic man! Now im even more looking forward to see it live in a few weeks time thanks to your amazing shots of Dreams :shock: But mate,you should be Disneyland Paris official photographer for events or marketing wise,your so talented!!! :thumbs: Im serious! :)
I look forward for your next report and new pictures ;) Keep it up! :thumbs:
QuoteWow - thank you so much! I doubt they'll ever 'discover' me though :P But thank you very much - that would be a magical job, wouldn't it? :)
[/quote]
Your most welcome! :D Well its nothing but the truth ey mate ;) It would be a very magical job suited for a talented person like you though!! =D> Well if I could or knew how to id recommend you as Disneyland Paris official photographer... with my eyes closed!!!!! 8) Your just like an imagineer for attractions but instead with photos :P hehe
Whoa. I'm speechless, those pictures were amazing. I'm sorry for your feet but those shots were definitely worth the wait!! And the night pictures around Main Street (and that GORGEOUS Adventureland entrance, whoa!!) are stunning. You really are an amazing photographer, Please please please do a book!
I can't wait to see Dreams for myself. Originally I always thought I would go for a spot by the flowerbeds, but I don't think I'll be able to handle very well people climbing over... I can't believe Disney doesn't do more about that, surely they would just need a few CMs to go around and ensuring no one climbs over. They're very good when people are waiting for the parade and they step on the road, can't they do the same?? Or maybe they should fill the flowerbeds with stinging nettles... I understand people wanting a good view, and people wanting their kids to see it well, but please, plan for it!! Why assume that they can turn up 5 minutes before the start and push their way to the front??
Sorry, I'm ranting...
As I was saying. Gorgeous pictures. And a great read as ever. Please keep this report coming!! And start planning another trip....
Thank you very much once again Donald-Duck-Malta! "An Imagineer with Photos" - way too much praise! But please find someone to recommend me to - would be perfect :P
Quote from: "never2old"Whoa. I'm speechless, those pictures were amazing. I'm sorry for your feet but those shots were definitely worth the wait!! And the night pictures around Main Street (and that GORGEOUS Adventureland entrance, whoa!!) are stunning. You really are an amazing photographer, Please please please do a book!
I can't wait to see Dreams for myself. Originally I always thought I would go for a spot by the flowerbeds, but I don't think I'll be able to handle very well people climbing over... I can't believe Disney doesn't do more about that, surely they would just need a few CMs to go around and ensuring no one climbs over. They're very good when people are waiting for the parade and they step on the road, can't they do the same?? Or maybe they should fill the flowerbeds with stinging nettles... I understand people wanting a good view, and people wanting their kids to see it well, but please, plan for it!! Why assume that they can turn up 5 minutes before the start and push their way to the front??
Sorry, I'm ranting...
As I was saying. Gorgeous pictures. And a great read as ever. Please keep this report coming!! And start planning another trip....
A book is now officially on my to-do for the next month or so :) AND thank you so, so, so, so much!
I really wish Disney would do something about it, but I don't know if it will ever happen. I tried telling them via Twitter, but I guess that is just some marketing worker with no options of letting the information pass on...
The initial plans (in my head and so) for a new trip is of course already underway! ;)
I loved this Nicolai.........
(//http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7132/7808907988_7ba755aa8c_c.jpg)
............. 8) =D>
A book :thumbs: and a free signed copy for your friends on the forum, Nicolai :D/
Quote from: "Epcot_Boy"I loved this Nicolai.........
(//http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7132/7808907988_7ba755aa8c_c.jpg)
............. 8) =D>
Haha thanks - what's funny about this effect is that this is how it looked originally. No cloning, copy-pasting or something :P
Quote from: "ed-uk"A book :thumbs: and a free signed copy for your friends on the forum, Nicolai :D/
Hahaha, that could end up rather expensive :-"
Dreams of the Old Days - Day 3
So one of the things me and Kristian always make sure to do on our trips is to visit Paris and this was the day for it. We tend to choose the 3rd day, because that leaves us with an equal amount of Disney on each side of Paris :P So be aware after a short DIsney morning, this update will mainly feature photos from Paris :)
But after all we did start the day in Disney wanting to take full advantage of the time using EMH right after enjoying yet another decent and fulfilling breakfast in the latin music filled La Cantina... Walking to the parks we noticed a rather big grey heron on our way through the far out wilderness of the Rio Grande... I always love watching wild life in and around the parks as long as it is like this, adding to the feel of it:
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Rio Grande Wild Life (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7818110296/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
When getting near the security check point we got the first sign that this day would be extra busy as we were almost standing in a queue all the way back to the ice rink!! :O This long queue was down to the fact that the security guards were really strict with their bag check this morning - every single corner of the bags were searched with their flashlights! I wonder if this special procedure had anything to do with the big crowds we would see later??
Well the nice thing about this new security procedure is that once you are through you walk straight to the magic! So soon after we found ourselves in Discoveryland ready to help Buzz, who was once again missing though! :( And just as in July we were about to see too that the XP-41 Space Cruisers aren't in top condition either. I got a score of just 3800 and without being too self confident I don't find that possible unless something was wrong with my laser blaster! :( An attraction in need of some attention from maintenance!
Space Mountain: Mission 2 on the other hand continued to be a good experience as we were once again seated in the front row of a car, albeit a bit more in the back this time.. The first part was a bit too dark, but otherwise a great travel through space through the Columbiad Cannon:
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Ready For Blast Off (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7818104472/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
We had decided to drop WDS this morning in order to get to Paris earlier.. This left us with some extra EMH time - and boy was it quite nice with Discoveryland looking fantastic this sunny morning..
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Goodmorning, Discoveryland (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7818099672/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Space Mountain: Mission 2 (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7818095012/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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To Outer Space (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7818090668/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
It's funny how the most photogenic parts are always the original ones - in this case the rides designed after the brilliant visions of Jules Verne and Leonardo da Vinci...
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Visions of Jules Verne (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7818085974/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
... with the from da Vinci inspired Orbitron being as photogenic as ever! No matter if you go for the stylish version:
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8302/7818079376_952d8c5ee2_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7818079376/)
Orbitron - Machines Volantes (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7818079376/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
... or the deliberately blurred, paced version:
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High Speed (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7818074768/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
Before leaving for Fantasyland I did manage to continue my "Look Up" theme...
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Look Up - Constellations (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7818070766/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
... and then it was time to go through the magic gates of the castle to the land of daring journeys, scary adventures, crazy tea cups and the boy who refuses to grow up. Fantasyland here we come and the entrance have never been more beautiful than it is this year (okay, it certainly was the first couple of years):
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Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7818062242/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7818058030/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
Inside Fantasyland some of this fantasy magic was ruined though by the windows of La Chaumière des Septs Nains being opened having a lady with a vacuum cleaner cleaning the window displays...
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Last Preparations (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7818053590/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
... a sight that would often only be visible in the night and a bit sad to see... Quickly getting over this magic spoiler we headed for Peter Pan's Flight - the only Fantasyland EMH attraction we were going to try as we both hate spinning rides like Mad Hatter's and would find it a bit weird after all for the two of us to board a flying elephant :P Now it was clear to us how many people were already in the parks as the queue for Peter Pan was roughly 30 minutes, which is quite huge compared to the typical 5-10 minutes we meet in the morning for Buzz and Space Mountain. The minutes flew by quickly though with the optimistic atmosphere of Fantasyland being irresistably infective! The ride was in quite good condition, but it seemed as if London were saving energy, because it was very dark - did they go green for the Olympics?? :lol: Knowing that this would perhaps be our only flight with Peter, I enjoyed every second just a bit more and when we got off the trip was once again a bit closer to perfection!
Before heading down Main Street...
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Last Preparations (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7818053590/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
... for the RER station, we decided to queue up for Frontierland and a quick morning ride on Big Thunder Mountain. As we were waiting the queue got bigger and bigger and I remembered the sound of BTM being tested from when me and my mum was in queue here in July. A sound I did not hear now! When the gates were opened I started to see what was ahead as the bright work lights were turned on out on the island and no trains were visible on BTM. However, considering nothing was informed by the CM's by the rope we decided to stay in line. However, when 10 o'clock arrived and we were let inside it was clear that BTM was indeed down with technical issues - and this time it must have been tech issues as no guests could have casued the stop by acting stupid or anything... After giving it some time, we decided to leave for Paris and the RER station.
If it wasn't clear to us how many people would be in the parks this day before, then it would be now. Never in my life have I seen soooo many people gathered in such a small place as the front room of the RER train station! WOW :shock: People were crazy climbing out of the metro system over the barriers, pushing each other and what not - at this time it was actually a bit of a relief to walk against the traffic and finding a seat in the almost empty train towards the city of all cities!
Now for the Paris part I will mainly post photos and only a little text, because after all this is a Disneyland trip report :)
Our first destination was Place des Vosges, but due to a closed metro station we ended up on Place de la Bastille instead - an opportunity we of course took and we walked the streets surrounding the beautiful plaza including this lovely market in which I got myself 6 vintage fridge magnets and my mum a union jack umbrella... This was really the feel of "LOCAL PARIS":
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8431/7818045592_0586c38509_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7818045592/)
Market Days (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7818045592/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Market Days (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7818042260/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Market Days (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7818038314/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Market Days (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7818035068/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Market Days (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7818031890/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Market Days (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7818028168/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Market Days (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7818021048/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Place de la Bastille (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7818050636/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Place de la Bastille (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7818015942/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Place de la Bastille (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7818012276/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8428/7818009594_4356d23278_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7818009594/)
Train By the Seine (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7818009594/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Parisian Rooftops (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7818006172/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8432/7818001892_92027fba9c_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7818001892/)
Place de la Bastille (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7818001892/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8436/7817999142_7afdaea26a_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7817999142/)
Place de la Bastille (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7817999142/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Paris Traffic (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7817993924/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Metro (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7817989238/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
After this little unplanned detour we found our way towards the first goal of the day: Place des Vosges. This is the oldest planned square (a true square measuring 140mx140m) in Paris and not really the biggest tourist destination, though many visitors find it to be one of the most beautiful squares in Paris and the entire world. This might be taking it a bit too far, but it was an extremely beautiful square, a peaceful oasis in the middle of a traffic filled neighborhood with the square surrounded by 36 identical and very beautiful buildings made of red bricks planned with 9 similar buildings on each site. If you ever visit Paris and you have a little extra time, do visit this square for a beautiful, charming and most importantly authentic parisian experience:
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Place des Vosges (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7817984344/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Home of Victor Hugo (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7817979170/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Place des Vosges (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7817975424/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Meditating Paris (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7817970064/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Place des Vosges (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7817966912/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Place des Vosges (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7817962038/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8308/7817959608_775fcf9327_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7817959608/)
Place des Vosges (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7817959608/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Place des Vosges (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7817955092/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8439/7817950666_12f5998be8_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7817950666/)
Place des Vosges (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7817950666/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Place des Vosges (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7817946030/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
Taking our time enjoying the atmosphere of the Place des Vosges and the surrounding streets, we eventually ended up here again:
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Metropolitain (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7817935574/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Motorcycle Anyone? (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7817940742/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
We were starting to feel a growing hunger, but decided to take advantage of our Paris Visite 24h train tickets and take the metro to Louvre instead for a lunch in the ever so lovely Jardin des Tuileries! But of course you cannot take the metro to Louvre - Rivoli without taking a good look at this:
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When Pyramids Meet (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7817928452/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Look Up - Louvre (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7817923874/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Light Spectrum (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7817918440/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
After enjoying a delicious chicken panini with the most wonderful view...
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... we walked around the courtyard of Louvre before walking slowly through the Jardin des Tuileries garden towards Place de Concorde eventually ending up for our shopping spree at Avenue Champs-Élysées.. This is paradise for anyone with a camera and the interest in playing around with different framing techniques:
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Musée du Louvre (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7817912188/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7817907532/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8441/7817903094_3403438efd_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7817903094/)
Musée du Louvre (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7817903094/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8296/7817899228_ff38c33254_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7817899228/)
Musée du Louvre (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7817899228/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Musée du Louvre (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7817894604/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Musée du Louvre (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7817891794/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Musée du Louvre (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7817888602/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Guests Reflected (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7817882958/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Musée du Louvre (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7817876454/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7817871524/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Green Paris (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7817868174/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8285/7817861908_f0f2e539b8_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7817861908/)
Chairs With a View (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7817861908/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8306/7817856170_330a1cdb83_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7817856170/)
In the Shadow (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7817856170/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7117/7817847736_42d1553039_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7817847736/)
Place de la Concorde (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7817847736/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8444/7817842362_c45969a213_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7817842362/)
Place de la Concorde (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7817842362/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8444/7817835352_a054eec1dc_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7817835352/)
Place de la Concorde (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7817835352/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7110/7817829968_27fa14b6ba_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7817829968/)
Down the Avenue (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7817829968/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
And then a not so nice photo of a sad side of every bigger city - put in a spoiler as it is not very 'magical':
[spoiler:2acp9hm2](//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8442/7817822304_7b66bbac2c_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7817822304/)
All Alone (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7817822304/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr[/spoiler:2acp9hm2]
After a good and way too expensive shopping spree on Champs-Élysées we found ourselves in the RER train back to Disney - the evening will be photoless (I know, I am sorry in advanace) and will be online tomorrow evening! :)
Once again thanks for reading through this quite long bit of reporting :D
Jeeez! That woman needs to get out of that window!
However, great report as usual.
More tomorrow please!! :thumbs:
Beautiful pictures once more!!
I love Paris, and it's a shame we don't take more time to visit. I think that because we live relatively close to it (just 3 hours drive), and we could pretty much go for the day anytime, we never do :(
It looks like you had a perfect day for it though, beautiful blue skies all around!!
Looking forward to the rest :D
lovely continuation of your report :D
lovely pics of paris,someday i'll make the effort and leave the park.lol
you inspired me to book for feb,wasn't sure if i'd go to DLRP for a while as my oldest starts uni in a few weeks and i'm starting a course but i got a good deal 4 night 5 days for the price of 2 night 3 days @ HNY...too good a deal to miss so just me and my 11yr old are going :thumbs:
your spolier pic made me cry.......tad emotional today anyway but it did make me cry:-( :-(
looking forward to hearing more ;)
Regarding your 'Spoiler' pic.............someone last week won £140,000,000+ on the Eurolottery in England and yet we see photos like this one. Something's wrong surely :( :?
A great street photo, says more than any words can :cry: =D>
Thank you all! Once again I really, really, really (!) appreciate your praise :)
Lynny and Epcot_Boy - that is indeed a very sad and thought provoking sight! A sight like that really makes you think an extra time about the "problems" you face in your every day life...
Sorry for the loong wait between some of the updates, but with a new apartment to settle in too there is a lot to do with a very short amount of time :)
Dreams of the Old Days - Day 3
First of all - I'm really sorry for the delay... I want to put dedication into my updates and because of this I simply haven't had the time to do an update since Monday. Tonight I really, really, really hope to make two updates - starting with this small, photoless ( :shock: , I know!!) update from thursday evening.
Having walked around Paris all day with my camera, an extra lens and an increasing amount of shopping, I opted for an evening without camera just to relax my shoulders and neck before I planned taking my reasonably new, giant tele-lens to the parks on Friday (it is very heavy!! haha)
As always we felt no need to waste a lot of time in the hotel and having arrived back in the hotel a little before 6, we still planned to visit WDS before closing time - this night for a ride on Tower of Terror... And no wait, I cannot make a photoless update! (Who am I kidding?), so I'll add some photos from the previous days to illustrate...
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The Hollywood Tower Hotel (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7790990560/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
We did manage it and with a waiting time of just 15 minutes it was perfect. We both agreed that this was the funniest drop sequence we had ever had - we laughed from the first drop to the last. What a fun attraction! And really, it isn't that wild, the most thrilling aspect is almost the anticipation building from the very beginning of the queue line. For me it's only the 4th wildest ride in WDS with both RnRC, RC Racer and Crush being wilder! But maybe that is just me?
In comparison with our first evening when we visited the studios for RC, ToT was much more precise in its closing time. We were out just a little after 7, which was perfect, because when we entered Disneyland Park and went for The Lucky Nugget there was no line at all and an almost completely empty restaurant with everyone gathered for the parade. We were literally JUST in time as the last float was going past the castle as we entered Frontierland through the covered walkway! PERFECT Timing and we were quickly seated within Lucky Nugget Saloon having both ordered the Fish'n'Chips, which were a thousand times better than in July when I was there with my mum - and it was in no way bad back then. Really delicious. Unfortunately this gave us the only bad CM experience - not because our CM was bad, angry or anything... Actually she was really nice and polite, but it was clear that she was crying! I noticed how she really tried to force on the Disney smile... I really wanted to ask if everything was okay, but then again she seemed to be having a hard time just smiling, so I decided not to. Not very 'happy', but it certainly wasn't her fault!
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8287/7852391556_4660cabfe1_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7852391556/)
The Lucky Nugget Saloon (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7852391556/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
Well, there was no further reason to dwell on this, so passing by the enormous queue of people now in line for dinner here, we exited Lucky Nugget to take advantage of the shorter queues now that "everybody else" was heading for dinner. Starting off in Fantasyland we planned to work our way through Adventureland and Frontierland before eventually ending up for Dreams for which we wanted to stand further down Main Street this evening.
First stop was a timeless classic though: Blanche Neige et les Septs Nains. An attraction which I - just as in July - enjoyed a little bit more thinking about the fact that was removed from the Magic Kingdom over in WDW. I still cannot believe this! For me a Disney trip is never completed without this one! So now an even bigger step closer to perfection (trust me, the trip would get even more perfect on Friday!) we headed towards Adventureland and what already looked like a clear winner of our rides count: Pirates of the Caribbean. Now on wednesday evening the swinging pirate wasn't working, so when we headed up the lift hill and the chains on the side weren't working either (the themed ones) I was getting a bit grumpy only to be seeing a mischevious pirate swinging just above my head seconds later. And when the sword fighting pirates for the third day in a row actually hit each others swords I was once again a happy pirate! Close to perfect condition from my point of view! :)
An attraction which this cannot be said about is Big Thunder Mountain. Remember in the morning we had queued up for the opening of Frontierland to try it and it was down. Now we headed for it again and to our great joy it was open - it had a 60 minute wait, which was kind of perfect considering our Dreams plans which didn't see us getting ready for Dreams until 10.30 or so... Everything was even better when we got just behind a group of british dancers (not very old - and I must admit I found it weird they had no adult with them)... Well they started off asking the CM at the entrance if it was ACTUALLY 60 minutes wait and when he said yes, the "leader" said in the most posh british accent "oy, he says it's actually really 60 minutes! We are not gonna make it"... The others didn't care and they got in queue. Being an anglophile with capital A I was sure I was in for a treat and I was not disappointed. From children you wouldn't get a british accent more posh than this! But it only lasted 10 minutes or so, when they suddenly decided to leave the queue. Sigh, the wait just got a bit less funny :lol: Luckily this queue line is very charming, especially when it starts to get dark outside.. On our previous trips we had tried BTM in the dark, so with less and less light outside we were really excited, when we were literally next in line to board a train.... and then...... on went all the lights and the technical issue spiel was played. A few minutes later we were asked to leave the queue line! Talk about bad luck :(
Slightly annoyed by this late break down of BTM we went for Phantom Manor in stead. The only queue line, which is even more charming in the dark! The view over the almost dark Frontierland with Molly Brown docked and the bright top of the castle on the horizon - this is one of the most beautiful sights in the park. Which is why I allow myself to bring a photo from an earlier trip to illustrate (though it wasn't this dark):
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The ride is also very good at this time of day - not so many guests and because of the dark outside it really feels as if you see the details better with your eyes not demanding time to adjust to the dark ligthing of the Manor interior! A great, great ride!
We found ourselves having the time to see Fantillusion once again (a chance I wouldn't let go with the rumoured closure of the parade), so we decided to do just as with Dreams and see it on Main Street today... A completely different experience than the one on Central Plaza. On Central Plaza you get to see the great use of the castle during the show stop sequences... but you also miss out on the funniest, most optimistic show stop being the one of the garden. On Main Street you really see the show stops best - and these are show stops that really add to the story and they have brilliant soundtracks!
When the parade ended we were shocked to see just how many people decided to exit the park!! :O Think about the chaos for Dreams if all these people stayed in! Wow... We moved a bit forward from our position by Walt's - but we also moved with respect for the people who had stood further down towards the castle, wo when we reached Casey's Corner we stopped and found a great spot in the middle of Main Street. The traffic here was immense! Pushchairs, pushing parents and over tired children heading towards the exits, but also the ones who was just thundering towards the castle (the ones we had been "fighting" with in Central Plaza on the previous two evenings. As show start was imminent I looked behind me and my height had certainly made sure that I had no one standing in a distance of 3-4 metres behind me :lol: The lights went out and up went all the children on the parents' shoulders. I wanted to shoot handheld photos from here on Friday evening and I must admit I had my doubts about the possibilities of this when I saw all the children... But you'll see the results tomorrow and a little sneak peek here:
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8424/7852558546_87fcb57528_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7852558546/)
Un Jour! (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7852558546/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
Now, judging the experience of Dreams from this position: the grand scale of the entire show is so much more immersive here! From the very first seconds with the lights on the sky you get chills and throughout the show you get to see the projections in full and really feel the scale of the water fountains. That being said the sound was definetely much worse! The speakers down Main Street do NOT play the soundtrack - I think the last ones that does it are the ones by the information board. Also the children on shoulders means that you really must be quite tall to get a great look. Because of this my recommendation will be: if you are there for more than 2 nights, do see it at least once from this position, but also see it from Central Plaza. If I get another chance I will try to see it from around the Information Board as I think that will be a very good mix of the two experiences! No matter what it was once again a chilling experience that had tears just at the very edge of my eyes if not flowing out of them. A beautiful show, a grand masterpiece and a true Disney story told through the amazing storytelling and technology of WDI. :D/ :D/
Heading out of the parks we stopped by a few of the Disney Village shops where I bought some gifts and some things for my new apartment, which you will see when the report reaches the finish line. However, there is still three updates to go... and they feature (among much other): Horses on Main Street U.S.A, Tarzan la Rencontre, more Disney Dreams photos and a Main Street special edition of my Look Up theme.
Next update will with most certainty arrive later tonight :) Once again thanks for reading along! And I promise the next update will feature a whole lot more photos ;)
I hate the one to point this out but it is now Saturday morning and the promised next update is not here!! :P
Still,another great update!
I'm very jealous you got to do Phantom Manor so much, particularly in the evening like that! It's my favorite time to do it (same as BTM, sorry it wasn't working!!) PM will be closed when we go in September :(
It must be a different experience going around without a camera! I always have at least one with me, i cant resist it, it's terrible! I need to try it sometime... I keep telling myself that first time we watch Dreams I'll do just that, and take no pictures at all to simply enjoy it, we'll see if I can manage...
Hurry up with the next update, I can't wait!!
Quote from: "never2old"I hate the one to point this out but it is now Saturday morning and the promised next update is not here!! :P
Still,another great update!
I'm very jealous you got to do Phantom Manor so much, particularly in the evening like that! It's my favorite time to do it (same as BTM, sorry it wasn't working!!) PM will be closed when we go in September :(
It must be a different experience going around without a camera! I always have at least one with me, i cant resist it, it's terrible! I need to try it sometime... I keep telling myself that first time we watch Dreams I'll do just that, and take no pictures at all to simply enjoy it, we'll see if I can manage...
Hurry up with the next update, I can't wait!!
Indeed I feel very guilty... However, it was simply too late to start writing when all the photos were edited and uploaded... But they are all ready and uploaded, so as soon as I am home from some shopping I will do the update. And the second part of day 4 WILL come tonight!!
Ahh, boo to PM being closed when you go! As you say it's really great in the evening :)
You have to promise to simply just enjoy Dreams the first time you see it! The experience is definetely not the same when you are taking photos and this show deserves an unspoiled first viewing. Then you can take photos the next evening... But the thing wihtout the camera - it is very different, but also very difficult. I always joke about feeling naked and the regret when you have no camera and suddenly see the perfect shot is big! But the extra joy of walking around without the camera is worth it.
Quote from: "forza_united"I always joke about feeling naked and the regret when you have no camera and suddenly see the perfect shot is big!
That's exactly how I feel without a camera in Disney!! I think in all these years, the only times I didn't have the camera ready was if the battery run out... And now I always carry a spare, so even that hasn't happened in a while! Plus I now also have the iPhone, so another camera ready just in case... ;)
I will try to watch Dreams camera free!! I agree you enjoy shows like that a lot more if you don't need to worry about getting great shots or filming... We only have two nights on our trip, so gotta make the most of it!! Ideally on the first night we'll try to simply watch the show and enjoy it (ok, maybe sneak in a couple of quick shots, but nothing more....) And then the second night try to get a better spot to take some pictures. Or maybe watch it from our room (we're staying in a park view room in the Castle Club :D/ :D ), my hubby is very keen on trying to watch it from there, if we have a room with a balcony. View must be good, but I don't think we'll hear much of the music.... So we'll see. I'm hoping that a Monday night at the end of September will be quiet enough so that we can get a good spot in Central Plaza without too much fighting...
Hurry back from your shopping!! I hope you have lots of pictures of Tarzan!!
Dreams of the Old Days - Day 4 Part 1
So I am back with a much more photo filled update from day 4 - here I used my new 70-200 f/2.8 lens (for the photo nerds) and I can say that it was quite heavy to walk around with for an entire day! :lol: That being said it does offer some great possibilites when it comes to taking photos of details and especially as you will see later shows like Tarzan la Rencontre!
Well on with it - you know the morning drill: 7am breakfast in La Cantina with 1 baguette, 1 croissant, 1 pain au chocolait and 1 bowl of fruit salad. Off to the parks for EMH - today the queue for the security checkpoint was almost non existing, which told me that thursday had been an extra busy day - the check was also much more "easy" this morning, so we quickly found ourselves in Fantasia Gardens once again...
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8432/7853477056_30e0f85999_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853477056/)
Hotel Disneyland (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853477056/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
... a warm and sunny morning creating a really special light - a light that would actually stay for big parts of the afternoon and evening too. A very warm light!
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8291/7853474576_1a3131dc89_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853474576/)
Lights (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853474576/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8426/7853472378_06ae6cc584_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853472378/)
Disneyland City Hall (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853472378/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
Being there already 8.15 the park was almost empty and Buzz Lightyear (with a mediocre score of 249.2k) and Space Mountain: Mission 2 were complete walk-ons! In Space Mountain we were once again put in the first row of a car without it being the next free row. So it was now very clear that this was something they did on purpose because of my height - especially because the CM just gave me the elevator look before telling us the row :lol: I'm very happy they do this as it really heightens the joy and comfort of this otherwise quite rough ride. Great service, although I of course don't know if it's only something they do in the not so busy EMH hours....
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8442/7853469512_d7394c03dd_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853469512/)
Blast Off (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853469512/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8427/7853467162_63ccc54ee5_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853467162/)
Star Tours (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853467162/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8290/7853465106_62ed31f4e6_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853465106/)
Orbitron - Machines Volantes (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853465106/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7246/7853462964_924894a47d_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853462964/)
Orbitron Reflected (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853462964/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8441/7853460106_21c3577243_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853460106/)
The Hyperion (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853460106/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8298/7853457722_e921d49d62_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853457722/)
D for Discovery (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853457722/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
After taking good time to explore the really beautiful Discoveryland in the morning light (oh please, Tony Baxter, come back to "finish" this land in the near future!), we found ourselves in Central Plaza which offered two beautiful sights that made my day although it was only 9 in the morning:
The first of these sights being our beautiful castle in the beautiful light:
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8296/7853454564_9a14884bec_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853454564/)
Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853454564/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
As a matter of fact every single view you took was beautiful as ever in this light...
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8440/7853451896_241c7d4d84_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853451896/)
Fantasyland Rooftops (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853451896/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7117/7853449440_ae4d833a86_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853449440/)
Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853449440/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
As we were in good time to reach the studios before 9.30 we took our time walking down Main Street U.S.A and on a morning like this I feel photos tell the atmosphere much better than words...
(//http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7250/7853446560_eba4b63fc9_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853446560/)
Glass Fantasies (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853446560/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8302/7853443888_8693f93035_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853443888/)
Piano Lessons (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853443888/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8435/7853441164_467213c150_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853441164/)
Film Development (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853441164/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
And now for the second sight making my day - actually the best sight of the entire trip for me! It was the third morning in a row that we were given this sight:
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8432/7853438250_be403a21c9_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853438250/)
A Horse Down Main Street U.S.A (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853438250/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8447/7853434834_9afbf22ccd_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853434834/)
One Way Transportation (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853434834/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
Is it just me or isn't this Main Street as we really want to see it? In a time when DCA has just been given the red trolleys and the beautiful Buena Vista Street, it was amazing to see this life on Main Street! All the cars were out and now also the horse drawn street cars! Hearing the horses "clack" their way down Main Street and the old fashioned horns of the vehicles - if this could continue throughout the day I could easily just spend an entire day sitting here enjoying this atmosphere. When I noticed that no one really was in queue for street car I asked Kristian if we could just take it down to the castle and what can I say - the trip was now officially perfect:
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8303/7853431744_dbc742ca73_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853431744/)
Perfect View (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853431744/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
This might have been my 14th trip, but it was the very first time I travelled with the horse drawn street cars. The interior of the cars are beauitfully themed with advertising for all the shops of Main Street and so on (unfortunately no photos because I only had the big lens), but I can really recommend taking this down Main Street U.S.A - it'll be like experiencing this street for the very first time! You really feel like a part of it!
Going down Main Street again towards WDS I just had to get a few extra shots :)
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8431/7853430344_e44cca3159_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853430344/)
Bell Tower (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853430344/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Dapper Dan Celebrations (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853427238/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Drink Coca Cola (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853424714/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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The Popular Game "Halma" (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853422986/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
We had been a little delayed on our way to WDS, but luckily the queues over there weren't as big as they had been on wednesday and our timing couldn't have been better with the turnstiles just opening as we walked there at 9.30. The queue for Crush was opened quickly and that turned out to be a good thing, because once we had entered the indoor queue the ride faced some technical issues, I have never seen so many engineers at one attraction and yet they managed to get it back up and running without having to evacuate the ride or empty the queue line. So 15 minutes later or so we were spinning around the big East Australian Current laughing like never before! :lol: Such a fun ride!
Before queueing up for Tower of Terror we just got ourselves some Fastpasses for it too, which were for a little after 12. The waiting time was only 20 minutes or so, so we hoped to catch the 11 showing of Cinémagique afterwards, although the 20 minutes would have to be quite precise if we were to do so... Queueing up I used the lens to do a little "Tower Details" series:
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Tower Details (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853419716/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Tower Details (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853416740/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Tower Details (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853413674/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Tower Details (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853410260/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Tower Details (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853407488/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
The amount of detail on the exterior is really impressing - just a shame with all the nets..... :S
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WDS Skyline (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853404492/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
You enter the lobby and the amount of detail is even bigger - this is one of the best signs of this being one of the best new WDI rides!
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Table Left (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853402296/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Forgotten Clothes (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853399950/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
Inside the library we had the first great CM moments that always make me so happy in Disney. It had nothing to do with us but instead a little boy in his wheelchair. When entering the library he ended up being placed in the middle of everything with no possibility at all to see the screen. The CM, while still in character, walked in to him and using some hotel excuse I can't remember right now he pushed the wheelchair forward and asked people to move aside so he could see. He sat down with him during the entire library film! Experiences like this make me so happy, that it can best be described by me smiling and getting goosebumps just by writing this down.. One of the best things with Disney guest service!!
But this would not be the only thing making this stay in the hotel especially memorable. The elevator ride was one of the craziest we have experienced - there was a lot of children (small children!) with their fathers and when the doors closed and they all started screaming every adult in the elevator knew where this was heading. I have never heard so much screaming, crying and laughing on this ride! The children screamed and cried while their fathers couldn't help but laughing... Quite surreal, but it had to be said that all the children only with one or two exceptions smiled when leaving the elevator.
It was 11 o'clock, so we rushed to Cinémagique and to our great happiness we were allowed in as some of the very last ones. When we were sat inside the theatre and the show was just about to start a man in a suit entered, he had a name tag on, short grey hair and a beard. Now, I was too far away to know for sure and after the great show he quickly disappeared so I never got to see, but I swear... It certainly looked like Steve Davison! I know that it probably wasn't with 99 % certainty as he has been working on the new Shanghai Parade, but still it REALLY looked like him.
When exiting the theatre the first thing I noticed and almost yelled to Kristian was: CEDRIC! Some of the readers of my previous reports will know that me and Kristian had a favourite ToT CM called Cedric - he was so much in character and so funny! And now I saw him again, but unfortunately the brown-red jacket and hat of ToT had been exchanged with the similar uniform in grey for Cinémagique. Yup it looks like we'll hear no more "Enjoy your S-Tayyyy" in ToT :(
A little downed by this, we strolled around the park taking loads of photos before our ToT fastpasses:
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La Terrasse (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853396926/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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The Drop (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853394848/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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A Touch of Hollywood (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853391852/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Garden Lights (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853388996/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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To Chase Yourself (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853385462/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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... And Beyond (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853382346/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Scary Dinosaur (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853379256/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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A World of Toys (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853377064/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Directions (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853374598/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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From Route 66 to Hollywood (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853372148/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Hey, Dude (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853369732/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
Including shots of all the Art of Disney Animation statues:
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Dumbo the Flying Elephant (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853367348/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Pinocchio (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853365026/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Mulan (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853362108/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Fantasia (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853359648/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Tarzan (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853357182/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Mickey (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853355066/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Tinkerbell (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853352884/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Hercules (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853350690/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Donald (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853348316/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Esmeralda (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853345832/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Brer Rabbit (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853343432/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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The Genie (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853341402/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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You Can Fly (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853339450/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Towards the Stars (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853337000/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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It All Started With a Mouse (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853335022/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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The Man Who Created the Magic... (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853332734/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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The Hollywood Tower Hotel (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853330158/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
After this photo marathon and another funny drop into the Twilight Zone we had the most delicious lunch in La Terasse - and NO it was not the sausage/fries filled sandwich ( :sick: ), but the yummy chicked salad. First time I had lunch here, but what a great place to sit - the fact you are in the "courtyard" of Hollywood Boulevard this really don't have the non-finished feel of WDS. For me this is the most immersive place in WDS - themening of highest class everywhere you look.
It was time to leave WDS and enter Disneyland Park once again - we planned to see the 2.30 showing of Tarzan la Rencontre. After a quick stop at Main Street and the Liberty Arcade...
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Mice and Castle (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853327522/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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A Street of Magic (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853325188/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Liberty (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853321384/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Liberty (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853318230/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Liberty (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853314554/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
... we headed straight for Frontierland to get BTM fastpasses, but once again it was down and of course the fastpasses were closed too :P In stead we went for Fantasyland and Alice' Curious Labyrinth of course through our beloved Adventureland...
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Caribbean Shore (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853311400/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
The Labyrinth was the brightest I had seen for quite some visits and also there was a huge queue! :O I only took photos from the queue, while I filmed inside the labyrinth, so that'll have to wait until the trip video (with my time efficiency this might be finished around 2018 :lol: :lol: )...
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Having a Smoke (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853307502/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Crazy Eyes (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853304542/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Pink Summer (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853300106/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
It was no time to travel deep into the jungles of Africa to meet an acrobatic group of Gorillas and of course see the King of the Jungle; Tarzan meet the strangers like him and facing a new life. All set to the brilliant music of Phil Collins and told through acrobatics that is ever so impressive, no matter how many times you've seen it before...
... Just before show time this guest flow CM Laurent entertained the entire theatre with a trick with his arms leaving everybody trying to copy him with no success of course...
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Tarzan la Rencontre (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853297448/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
and then... time for some monkey business:
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Tarzan la Rencontre (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853294906/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Tarzan la Rencontre (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853292074/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Tarzan la Rencontre (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853289762/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Tarzan la Rencontre (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853287362/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Tarzan la Rencontre (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853285014/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Tarzan la Rencontre (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853282106/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Tarzan la Rencontre (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853279694/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Tarzan la Rencontre (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853277884/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Tarzan la Rencontre (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853276526/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Tarzan la Rencontre (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853273914/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Tarzan la Rencontre (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853271726/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8436/7853270258_3fef980028_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853270258/)
Tarzan la Rencontre (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853270258/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8303/7853267902_4ba001cf13_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853267902/)
Tarzan la Rencontre (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853267902/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8163/7853265228_0d7a037265_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853265228/)
Tarzan la Rencontre (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853265228/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8295/7853263608_f5df390240_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853263608/)
Tarzan la Rencontre (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853263608/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8302/7853261638_cfcd2302dd_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853261638/)
Strangers Like Me (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853261638/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8284/7853259732_eabcd78cce_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853259732/)
Strangers Like Me (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853259732/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8301/7853257796_3c6795eea4_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853257796/)
Take My Hand... (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853257796/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7246/7853255780_7d08952902_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853255780/)
Tarzan la Rencontre (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853255780/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7278/7853254110_97340ce233_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853254110/)
Tarzan la Rencontre (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853254110/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8290/7853252336_6d59ff7180_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853252336/)
Tarzan la Rencontre (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853252336/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8424/7853250666_9993b30ed0_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853250666/)
Tarzan la Rencontre (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853250666/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8302/7853248778_4ef8b6c9ef_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853248778/)
Trashin' the Camp (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853248778/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8436/7853246568_e797f90e39_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853246568/)
Tarzan la Rencontre (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853246568/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
ONCE AGAIN SPECIAL TREATMENT FOR A DISABLED CHILD - YAY!! :D :D
(//http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7122/7853244312_ec9e7aedcb_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853244312/)
Tarzan la Rencontre (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853244312/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8444/7853242076_a35bf188ed_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853242076/)
A Lifelong Memory (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853242076/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8439/7853239624_2d3ce0304e_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853239624/)
Tarzan la Rencontre (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853239624/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7248/7853237172_e7c741714f_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853237172/)
Tarzan la Rencontre (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853237172/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8436/7853235020_6c46f9331b_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853235020/)
Tarzan la Rencontre (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853235020/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8290/7853232752_040927fa05_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853232752/)
Tarzan la Rencontre (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853232752/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
What a terrific show, as long as they cannot afford to produce a new one, I would have no problem with them still showing this :)
While me and Kristian continued right until the end of Dreams without going back to the Hotel, I will take a little break to edit some more photos and do some other stuff. The next part WILL be online tonight - I really, really promise! :lol: And also you will learn in the next update that I lied in the day 3 part 2 update :oops: :lol:
Until then, thanks for reading :)
Ok, the update was worth the wait... :D
Beautiful shots, I love all those details up close!! Gorgeous, they really make you appreciate just how beautiful and detailed the parks are.
I've never even seen the horse drawn carriages, let alone been in one!! Must be a very special experience :D
And thank you for all those Tarzan pics, they're excellent! Really good to see all those close ups!!
Another fantastic update! Looks like you were having a great time :) I envy your stamina for carrying a heavy camera round the parks all day long!! I couldn't face bringing mine with me all day so I only took it to the parks one night to take photos of Dreams! I'm so grateful that you did though, you really have captured some beautiful photos :) Can't wait to read on! :thumbs:
Dreams of the Old Days - Day 4 Part 2
Finally I'm able to keep my promise about an update :) :oops:
So after Tarzan when we normally would have opted for a small break in the hotel, we decided to simply just stay in the park - taking full advantage of this... Our last full day in the parks!
And why not start by admitting the lie I discovered I did in the day 3 Part 2 update... The situation with the british dance troup in the BTM line didn't happen until this evening. However, on thursday night we did queue up for BTM and it did break down.... It was already after 10 minutes though, and what's funny is that we now entered the BTM queue as it was back up, and we started off queueing in the exact spot as we had been on when let out on thursday evening :) Talk about continueing where we left off! A little british girl in our train was very excited to say the least - when exiting she just yelled to her mum: That was incredible!!! BEST. RIDE. EVER!
I don't know if it was her enthusiasm that was infectious or just our need to try this ride again as soon as possible, but seeing fastpasses for around 6 we took them and already had another wild ride booked :)
We decided to take our break - not in the hotel, but in The Gibson Girl. Now I have probably had an ice cream here before, but I didn't remember the interior - one of the places I haven't been that often. That much is sure! A lovely place and a deliciour Ben & Jerries ice cream I got - two scoops: 1 Mango Berry Swirl and 1 Chocolate Fudge Brownie.... Y-U-M-M-Y!
(//http://i325.photobucket.com/albums/k377/forza_united/IMG_0660.jpg)
After taking good time to enjoy the atmosphere and more importantly get a little rest, we found ourselves on our way to the trip favourite Pirates of the Caribbean! We got seated in the front row and we actually got wet! :O I have only ever had very small splashes on this ride before, but this time one of my legs was quite wet and parts of my shirt too - we weren't complaining in the hot weather and with both the swinging pirate and the chain working it was yet another awesome cruise in the caribbean! But still we wanted to be seated in the last row, so we could try and recreate a certain on-ride photo from our first trip :lol:
Taking a complete classics trio here we continued to Phantom Manor before using our BTM fastpasses. When you have this view from the queue line it really doesn't get much better! I cannot wait to see Mark Twain back too, so we once again have two beautiful ships going down the River :)
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8292/7857118536_f36fd1ca4d_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7857118536/)
Western River Line (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7857118536/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
This ride on Phantom Manor, however, was clearly the worst of the trip - we were stopped no less than three times during the first few scenes and the pace was almost ever changing! We agreed that we liked it when it slowed down, but it changes all the time it's just distracting!
And after another funny and this time quick FP ride on BTM it was time for dinner. Once again we tried Hakuna Matata and once again it was closed after 6! :( None of us really wanted burgers and we knew that Toad Hall would be closed too, so... yes, you guessed it.. We ended up on Col. Hathi once again - we got a seat on the terasse in the shade - very lovely viewing out over Adventure Isle in the slightly low evening sun! :)
Having had that view we of course couldn't resist taking yet another walk around Adventure Isle. The experience really is completely different between evening and afternoon - the light does so much!
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8423/7857115320_43322ee22b_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7857115320/)
Adventure Isle (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7857115320/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8285/7857110740_7e79e3f178_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7857110740/)
Adventure Isle (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7857110740/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8281/7857108398_b6258f3e69_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7857108398/)
Adventure Isle (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7857108398/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7134/7857104632_bd7407724b_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7857104632/)
Restaurant Hakuna Matata (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7857104632/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
We had tried all the rides we wanted to, so now it was just a matter of hand picking the favourites and really capturing the atmosphere! However, there was one attraction we hadn't been on and that I wanted to now that we had the time: Le Pays des Contes de Fées! Now I could probably have shot some great pictures with my lens, but this time I opted for film. So once again a Fantasyland classic which you have to look forward to once I have the trip video ready! :)
Finding comfort in these big boats we were once again back in Pirates! Could we get the back row finally? Our luck had come and thanks to the CM Catharine, who had been all smiles on all days and I'm pretty sure started to recognize us, we were finally seated in the last row! Yay! First off I tried taking some photos, but it didn't really work, so you only get this:
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8433/7857101044_9e247e0734_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7857101044/)
Caribbean Door (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7857101044/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
The on-ride photo that we wanted to recreate was recreated, but not with the same reaction as in 2010 when the entire room of people seeing through the photos were laughing and pointing at it, even taking photos of it though they weren't in the boat. This time: nothing... :lol: To be fair we don't find it that funny ourselves either, but wanted to see if it was just us. It was not... Here is the original from 2010:
(//http://i325.photobucket.com/albums/k377/forza_united/Disneyland%202010/P1020750.jpg)
We looked at each other... Was it enough with the one time or would we have to join him once more on the trip? Of course it is Indiana Jones we are talking about... We ended up agreeing that one time simply wasn't enough and so we went to explore the ruins of the temple of peril once again! A slightly painful, but still funny ride with good Doctor Jones himself! At least we think he was there - he had after all left his belongings in the camp nearby ;)
We continued to the second visit of the Manor on the hill - and this time it was without any stops and with a beautiful light hitting the Manor...
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8447/7857098218_e6bfe10d8a_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7857098218/)
Western Sunset (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7857098218/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
... as well as the mining mountain...
(//http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7275/7857095098_1be4ede924_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7857095098/)
Western Sunset (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7857095098/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
... and now it was time for the BTM story with the dance troup and the very late break down. I'll just add it again, so it is in the right place.. it had a 60 minute wait, which was kind of perfect considering our Dreams plans which didn't see us getting ready for Dreams until 10.30 or so... Everything was even better when we got just behind a group of british dancers (not very old - and I must admit I found it weird they had no adult with them)... Well they started off asking the CM at the entrance if it was ACTUALLY 60 minutes wait and when he said yes, the "leader" said in the most posh british accent "oy, he says it's actually really 60 minutes! We are not gonna make it"... The others didn't care and they got in queue. Being an anglophile with capital A I was sure I was in for a treat and I was not disappointed. From children you wouldn't get a british accent more posh than this! But it only lasted 10 minutes or so, when they suddenly decided to leave the queue. Sigh, the wait just got a bit less funny Luckily this queue line is very charming, especially when it starts to get dark outside.. On our previous trips we had tried BTM in the dark, so with less and less light outside we were really excited, when we were literally next in line to board a train.... and then...... on went all the lights and the technical issue spiel was played. A few minutes later we were asked to leave the queue line! Talk about bad luck :)
The first time I have seen such a big part text part being repeated ;)
Well we had time to visit Discoveryland in the dark - a sight you must not miss out on! All the neon lights combined with the golden/cobber structures are really nice when it's dark. We crossed Main Street by the information board where the Guest Flow CM's always create a crossway right until the beginning of Fantillusion :) And what can I say? I wish I had had my tripod and my wide angle lens! I still managed to get a few shots though...
By placing the camera on pillars:
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8301/7857091626_cb76f34b1f_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7857091626/)
Orbitron - Machines Volantes (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7857091626/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
... or simply handheld with a steady hand:
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8446/7857088480_4a3b9ff959_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7857088480/)
Columbiad Cannon (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7857088480/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
Back on Main Street we enjoyed Fantillusion quite possibly for the last time ever :cry: I really hope it'll return or be replaced... even with Dreams it wouldn't feel right without a nighttime parade!
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8424/7857085560_5519b78cc7_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7857085560/)
Lilly's (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7857085560/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8443/7857082576_a305051a49_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7857082576/)
Disney's Fantillusion Parade (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7857082576/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8441/7857080866_3df70bdff8_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7857080866/)
Disney's Fantillusion Parade (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7857080866/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
It was also about time to get in the mindset of maybe seeing Dreams for the last time! Now I'm sure it'll continue for many years to come, but maybe not in this version... I decided to take photos with my lens - especially to capture the projections a little better. I'm not all satisfied and to be honest I wish I had opted for just enjoying the show this last time (on this trip at least), but then again that is the burden of a photographer - sometimes your camera controls you :lol:
Here are the photos that were taken from the same position as thursday evening - right by Casey's Corner:
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8290/7857079410_74e1a00438_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7857079410/)
Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7857079410/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8432/7857076218_62ffbb6d8f_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7857076218/)
Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7857076218/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8288/7857073992_0afd6a4b75_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7857073992/)
Peter (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7857073992/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8444/7857071336_f6c135d72d_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7857071336/)
Hey Shadow, Come Back! (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7857071336/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8427/7857065382_db654a2e76_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7857065382/)
C'est La Fête (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7857065382/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8284/7857060308_f0469b12cb_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7857060308/)
C'est La Fête (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7857060308/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7115/7857055466_f97f0907eb_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7857055466/)
C'est La Fête (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7857055466/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8294/7857049606_b7abd9bb26_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7857049606/)
C'est La Fête (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7857049606/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7249/7857043602_4fb3f6c8ef_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7857043602/)
C'est La Fête (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7857043602/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8436/7857040262_bfa65e2ba5_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7857040262/)
C'est La Fête (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7857040262/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8436/7857036376_9bf5f8f42e_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7857036376/)
Bienvenue à Paris! (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7857036376/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8306/7857033264_9ae958a1b2_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7857033264/)
Can Your Friends Do This? (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7857033264/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7275/7857029244_35192981d7_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7857029244/)
Can Your Friends Do This? (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7857029244/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8431/7857026440_a6466d0e41_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7857026440/)
Can Your Friends Do This? (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7857026440/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7258/7857023088_6c6d318d0d_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7857023088/)
Magic Carpet Ride (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7857023088/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7117/7857020324_cfa61b61a8_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7857020324/)
Notre Dame (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7857020324/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8441/7857018480_4ef9d240a1_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7857018480/)
Un Jour (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7857018480/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Un Jour (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7857015902/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Un Jour (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7857012656/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Step In Time (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7857009808/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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I Wanna Be Like You (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7857007352/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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I Wanna Be Like You (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7857004242/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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I Wanna Be Like You (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7857001996/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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I See the Light (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7857000418/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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I See the Light (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7856999116/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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I See the Light (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7856996596/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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The Second Star To the Right (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7856993150/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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The Second Star To the Right (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7856989120/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Shadow Of a Mouse (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7856986232/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Friends On the Other Side (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7856984262/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Friends On the Other Side (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7856982546/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Crocodile Food (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7856980994/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Ursula Attacks (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7856978350/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Maleficent Attacks (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7856974424/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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The Magic Is Back (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7856970596/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Castle On Fire (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7856968798/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Grand Finale (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7856967658/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Grand Finale (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7856964740/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
And with last bang of the finale I suddenly felt an emptiness inside - what if this was really the last time I would have seen Dreams live? A tear or two left my eye walking down Main Street U.S.A - this trip had just simply been perfect! I took one last gaze on the castle with all the lights on down Main Street and ignored the lump in my throat. Luckily we still had a good 7 hours on saturday and this evening wasn't all over yet either.
We were tired, but still had to do a little shopping in World of Disney, before finishing off in Starbucks enjoying a coffee and Refresha (for me):
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We were so late out of Disney Village that we were asked for Hotel Easy Passes to be let out of the security check by HNY! And we were so late that the sprinklers on the grass in front of Cheyenne went on, when we walked by! But we had no time to dwell on this and no time to be too sad by this being the last night. Breakfast would be ready at 7 and it was already 1 am :P
Once again thanks for reading :)
The colours on this photo seem very flat, almost pastel. And I mean that in a good way. Did you use a filter for this? I really love how it turned out
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Quote from: "Pete's Dragon"The colours on this photo seem very flat, almost pastel. And I mean that in a good way. Did you use a filter for this? I really love how it turned out
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No filters used and actually that is how it came out of the camera. I think it's because I only used iso200 - usually taking handheld night shots you'd have use a bigger iso making the light brighter and eventually more burned out. Here I succeeded in holding the camera steady with a shutter time of 1/13s. That is the best explanation I can give :)
1/13 ! Wow you have really steady hands. If I ever need a bomb defused I'll know who to call 8)
Can't wait now until Wednesday. I've never been during the summer, so I've never had a chance to take night time photos. So many settings to experiment with, and so little time
Once again - thank you for posting your wonderful report & photos. I have never seen photos that capture every beautiful detail so well. Can't wait for the final installment of this trip.
I will be thinking of you when I have my freshly squeezed orange juice at breakfast in Hotel New York in October!
Thanks for keeping me going until then!
Quote from: "Pete's Dragon"1/13 ! Wow you have really steady hands. If I ever need a bomb defused I'll know who to call 8)
Can't wait now until Wednesday. I've never been during the summer, so I've never had a chance to take night time photos. So many settings to experiment with, and so little time
Hahaha - I think it only works with the camera! :D
I hope you have an awesome time and I cannot wait to read the report I hope you'll be doing! Regarding the photos it's really just a matter of trying - the perfect night time settings is so different from camera to camera. The two most important things would be to know how high an iso number you can use before the photos get to much noise and to use something stabilizing whenever it is possible (and set the iso as low as possible when doing this) :)
Quote from: "Eveline"Once again - thank you for posting your wonderful report & photos. I have never seen photos that capture every beautiful detail so well. Can't wait for the final installment of this trip.
I will be thinking of you when I have my freshly squeezed orange juice at breakfast in Hotel New York in October!
Thanks for keeping me going until then!
Thank you very much!
And not a day goes by wihtout me thinking of that orange juice :)
Aw, well luckily there is still quite a lot to come! One more photo update and then the trip video for which I have over an hour of video to edit :)
I too think of that juice every morning!! :D
Beautiful shots, I love the light in the evening shots! PM looks great!!
And the Dreams ones are excellent, of course. You definitely have very steady hands!! Was that by Casey's then? You seem to have a great view from there!!
Thank you for another magical update!
I just have to say it again, wonderful pictures of Dreams. :thumbs:
Just wanted to say that you got really great photos of Dreams! Makes me almost feel that I'm there.
A toast to you and your pictuers and the report!! =D> (I`ll do it in octobre with that glass of orangejuice in HNY ;) (sorry couldn`t resist :oops: )
Honestly, an absolutly great report and wonderful picture!! From this part I liked the Dreams pictures and the one with the boat under the tree in the river. Just beautiful!
where by Casey`s Corner were you standing?
Thanks again.
Aurora1
Quote from: "never2old"I too think of that juice every morning!! :D
Beautiful shots, I love the light in the evening shots! PM looks great!!
And the Dreams ones are excellent, of course. You definitely have very steady hands!! Was that by Casey's then? You seem to have a great view from there!!
Thank you for another magical update!
Thanks again - the sunset was particular nice on this evening. I regret nok taking more photos in it!
Yeah by Casey's - I must say the view is very dependant on the people in front of you and your own height!! I saw many people who couldn't really see anything...
Quote from: "ed-uk"I just have to say it again, wonderful pictures of Dreams. :thumbs:
Thank you!
Quote from: "norhel"Just wanted to say that you got really great photos of Dreams! Makes me almost feel that I'm there.
Thanks - that's what I'm looking for with these reports! :)
Quote from: "Aurora1"A toast to you and your pictuers and the report!! =D> (I`ll do it in octobre with that glass of orangejuice in HNY ;) (sorry couldn`t resist :oops: )
Honestly, an absolutly great report and wonderful picture!! From this part I liked the Dreams pictures and the one with the boat under the tree in the river. Just beautiful!
where by Casey`s Corner were you standing?
Thanks again.
Aurora1
Haha hey! People are getting too happy about teasing me with that juice! :lol:
I was standing in the middle Main Street U.S.A just between Casey's and Gibson Girl :D
Thanks for sharing this amazing trip report. Your pictures are awesome. :)
Quote from: "Rafael"Thanks for sharing this amazing trip report. Your pictures are awesome. :)
Thank you very much, Rafael!
I can say that the last update will be online tomorrow evening (hopefully :lol:)
Quote from: "forza_united"I can say that the last update will be online tomorrow evening (hopefully :lol:)
:thumbs: Can't wait !
Your photos from Dreams are absolutely outstanding! Definitely the best I have seen. I wish I had brought my tripod on my last trip now haha
Quote from: "ecila"Your photos from Dreams are absolutely outstanding! Definitely the best I have seen. I wish I had brought my tripod on my last trip now haha
The best? Wow, I don't know about that - but thank you very much! :)
Actually the last bunch here was shot without tripod :) Using the tripod demands 3 hours of waiting time in Central Plaza :P
loved the report and cant wait to see the videos you took XD had alot of fun reading the whole thing =]
I can honestly say that this is one of the best trip reports i have ever read :D =D> 8)
the photo's are just so stunning!
Thank you so much for sharing :thumbs:
Dreams of the Old Days - Day 5
And here it is - the last photo update of this Trip Report :(
We were incredibly tired when waking up on saturday - less than 5 hours sleep, but that didn't matter. It was the last day and every second of the 7 hours left in the parks were to be used as good as possible!
So after our usual breakfast routine at 7 we checked out around 8 and left our luggage with the hotel, where the CM quite helplessly tried to speak danish. We certainly didn't understand it right away :lol:
Walking through Disney Village in the morning for the last time is always the first of many hard "lasts" on the last day, but luckily here you still have the parks to visit :) And as usual we were quickly off to Discoveryland! I left Buzz (who was still nowhere to be seen in the queue) with a disappointing score of 181500 - I doubt he'd have missed me that much this time :P
In Space Mountain we were shocked to actually having to queue up! :O :lol: And as if that wasn't enough this morning the special care for me because of my height reached new peaks! We were asked to wait for the next train, because we simply had to sit in the very first row! While the ride was a bit rougher, this is definetely the best I've ever seen all the special effects. There was actually quite a lot of smoke effects working inside the mountain!
We knew that this would probably be the last time in Discoveryland during this trip, so having taken one last look at the retro-futuristic beauties of this land, we headed for Central Plaza...
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Centre (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7875188304/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
... eventually ending onboard the Omnibus for another awesome, atmospheric ride down Main Street U.S.A!
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Travelling By Omnibus (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7875183710/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Sunrise In Main Street U.S.A (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7875179200/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
Enjoying the last view of the morning "empty" Main Street U.S.A:
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Town Square (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7875174626/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Town Square (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7875169708/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Main Street U.S.A (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7875167468/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
In the studios we had an optimistic plan that involved Crush and ToT before catching the 11 showing of Cinémagique, which would see us back in Disneyland Park before/around 12! Being quite far forward in the queue we certainly kicked off in a good way:
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Outside the Studios (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7875162892/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Outside the Studios (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7875157420/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
As always, however, the gate we chose would be quite slow, but our spot meant that we were able to see the opening ceremony with a little girl being chosen as the child to have his/her day made by officially opening the park! The first time I have been able to see this great little ceremony :)
Crush was a speedy ride this morning as it was open and the first guest filled shells left the building already around 9.45! :D Our plan was looking good and not so mission impossible as earlier! We soon found ourselves in the abandoned gardens of the once so majestic Hollywood Tower Hotel...
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Twilight Zone Tower of Terror (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7875154030/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Twilight Zone Tower of Terror (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7875150642/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Twilight Zone Tower of Terror (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7875145362/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
The inside portraying the abandoned nature of the hotel even clearer:
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Abandoned Hotel (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7875141308/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Abandoned Hotel (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7875136400/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Abandoned Hotel (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7875132484/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Abandoned Hotel (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7875128454/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Abandoned Hotel (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7875126164/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Abandoned Hotel (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7875120842/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Abandoned Hotel (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7875116208/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
After our final check-in in the desserted hotel we just managed to catch Cinémagique - today as the very last people let in for this show, which was just as lovely as always. A fitting, charming and perfect farewell to the studios for this trip!
We had managed to keep our plan all the way in the studios, so a new one was made for Disneyland Park! Pirates of the Caribbean, Toad Hall, Big Thunder Mountain and hopefully Phantom Manor. Time to complete: 3 hours!
Main Street U.S.A and our beautiful castle was the first distraction from the plan.. How can you not stop up and take some time to just enjoy this view? Especially on the last day:
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Edison Avenue (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7875112984/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7875107536/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
After a great final cruise in the caribbean among the royal navy and several swashbuckling pirates we found our way to Great Britain and the manor of the great Mr. Toad for some delicious Fish'n'Chips! Once again we faced a great battle to find a table and after 10 minutes of walking around the restaurant we finally found one. We just had to clean it ourselves. The father who sat there just left all the trash in the table and walked away! Food on the floor and everything! Urgh, I simply don't understand why people cannot clean up after themselves?? It is one minute - tops!!
The Fish'n'Chips, however, was worth the wait - brilliant as ever and a very fulfilling meal on leaving day when you are not really sure how much food you are going to get after leaving Paris before arriving in Aalborg 20 hours later ;) On this trip it turned out to be good that we got a good, big meal for lunch! :lol: (No food from saturday evening until Aalborg around 3 in the afternoon sunday)
So far so good for our plan - next stop: Big Thunder Mountain! But of course we couldn't walk straight to it. We simply had to enjoy the wonders of Adventure Isle one last time this sunny, hot afternoon :)
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Skull Rock (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7875103454/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Skull Rock (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7875095750/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Skull Rock (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7875090952/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Adventure Isle (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7875088088/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Adventure Isle (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7875082830/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
The waiting time for BTM was 65 minutes - plan wise not so good, but otherwise it was perfect. Really gave us time to enjoy this queue line one last time. Did I say how much I love this queue line? :lol: What a great ride, what a great atmosphere - to heck with it, this is my favourite! No wait, Pirates is good too... Ahhh, ohhh - is it okay to have two?
Maybe three, because next up was Phantom Manor and that one is damn good too. Unfortunately the queue was just the amount of time we had said we could spend... We thought about last year when we was "evacuated" from the RER train and heavily delayed to Gallieni bus station. We decided to skip Phantom Manor - something I would really regret when we faced more than two hours of waiting time at the bus station ;) But it gave me time to really expand my otherwise partly forgotten "Look Up" series as we walked down Main Street U.S.A one last time taking one last look back at the castle...
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Where the Magic Is Created (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7875077546/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
... and then I give you the end to my series:
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Look Up - Casey's Corner (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7875071402/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Look Up - Casey's Corner (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7875066776/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Look Up - Gibson Girl (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7875061232/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Look Up - Cable Car Bake Shop (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7875055910/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Look Up - Harrington's (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7875050534/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Look Up - Market House Deli (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7875044014/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Look Up - Emporium (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7875038000/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Look Up - Emporium (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7875032496/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
Including a charming look inside Dapper Dan's...
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Dapper Dan's Hair Cuts (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7875026382/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Dapper Dan's Hair Cuts (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7875021152/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
... before continueing the series:
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Look Up - Emporium (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7875016200/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
(//http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8426/7875010870_700140e52c_c.jpg) (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7875010870/)
Boardwalk Candy Palaca (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7875010870/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Look Up - Main Street Photography (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7875005188/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
... eventually ending up in Town Square...
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Disneyland City Hall (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7874999516/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
I cannot really remember the last time I was so sad to leave. I literally had to hold back the tears - it sounds so stupid that a place can do this to you and all non-disney fans would probably laugh... But to me it just shows that it really is the happiest place on earth. Because only the Happiest Place on Earth can make you so sad when you have to leave! I'm always sad when a holiday is over, but it's only Disneyland that can nearly make me cry. Dreams certainly helped - I kept thinking: "what if I never get to see it live again?"...
... Walking through Fantasia Gardens I just stopped up to take those last photos. You know, those photos you only take to just let the magic last a few seconds more... The photos that keep you there for one last moment... And that's why every Disneyland photo series I have end with these shots:
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Fantasia Gardens (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7874994950/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Fantasia Gardens (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7874988526/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
We headed back to the hotel visiting World of Disney one last time.. I made use of the awesome Vinylmation offer for the last time and Kristian got some gifts for his brothers! Back in the hotel, I did that other thing you do to just let the magic last a little longer... I popped into the hotel shop to just do that extra bit of shopping - in this case just three bags of the yummy sour cola candy! But still it made it last just one minute longer and that made smile just one minute more :)
We found our way to the RER station with the shuttle bus, made the last food shopping in the Relieve store and before we knew of it we were at the Gallieni bus station two and a half hours before the bus left. One and a half hour before check-in opened. During this time no less than two busses arrived from London - both quite full! Out of one of them came Jasmine Breinburg - the lead female dancer from the Olympics Opening Ceremony in London. Now for those (probably most men) who found her quite charming and good-looking, I can say that that was not just on the tv :lol:
After 20 hours of bus driving including 90 minutes to go through Brussels because of a music festival in the city centre, we were back in Aalborg exhausted, excited and with a great desire to return as quickly as possible!
___________________________________
This marks the end of the trip report part of this report... But there is still a shopping list and eventually a trip video to come!
I want to thank you all very much for reading and for all the lovely comments! I always use my trip reports as way of extending my trips, so I'm actually a bit emotional now too finishing this. Your comments have made this the single report I have been most excited to write, which is why it sometimes have taken a little longer than promised. I've had so much to share, so much to write and so little time to do it. Thank you! :D
I'm so sad this is finished!!
Thank you so much for taking us along, and sharing your trip and your love for the most magical place with all of us. It has been a real pleasure to read. And of course, we will never get enough of your gorgeous pictures!!
Hope you can go again soon!!
Fantastic review, my amateur photographer husband really loved your photos of Dreams. I really hope that it is still on when we go in March. With all these deals on at the moment I would love to be going during the Christmas season though. Still your review, and others, and our own memories will keep us going until a return visit.
As I have said before, great report! :-)
Looks like a nice touch with the Coca Cola lights Casey's Corner :-)
I've been a member of this forum now for five years and without doubt this is one of the finest TP's I've had the pleasure to read :) Regarding your photographs I would have to say it stands head and shoulders above any that I have read 8)
It's been a real pleasure to 'literally' share your holidays with you, so a big thankyou for taking all of us on your journey around the glorious place that is Disneyland Paris. =D> =D>
Thank you all for the incredible comments and praise of my photos! It has been an absolute pleasure writing this report, knowing how much it has been appreciated by you guys.
THANKS :D/
WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW .........Absolutely fabulous ..
Stunning storytelling and pictures , was walking each path with you ..wonderful :thumbs: :thumbs: :thumbs:
I have to say I'm really sad cause your report is finished! Reading your report extended my trip (mid july) too :-)
There are so many things i feel the same about, like the flowerbed climbers, long queues- bad for guests but good for Dlp or how hard it is to leave Disneyland. My 1st visit was in '94 and I'm getting more and more obsessed with Dlp every year! :-D
So, do you know when you'ill be "home" the next time?
Thanks again for taking me back to the magic by your beautiful pictures and your well written reports!!!
Can't wait for your shopping haul! :-)
This report should never end ...! Can't wait to see what you have bought from your trip this time!
Quote from: "i love main st"WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW .........Absolutely fabulous ..
Stunning storytelling and pictures , was walking each path with you ..wonderful :thumbs: :thumbs: :thumbs:
Thank you VERY much! Especially the word storytelling makes me happy as I really wanted that in this report! :)
Quote from: "esmeralda"I have to say I'm really sad cause your report is finished! Reading your report extended my trip (mid july) too :-)
There are so many things i feel the same about, like the flowerbed climbers, long queues- bad for guests but good for Dlp or how hard it is to leave Disneyland. My 1st visit was in '94 and I'm getting more and more obsessed with Dlp every year! :-D
So, do you know when you'ill be "home" the next time?
Thanks again for taking me back to the magic by your beautiful pictures and your well written reports!!!
Can't wait for your shopping haul! :-)
I'm not sure when I'm back, but hopefully some time next year! I have to be! I went for the first time in '94 too - and really I'm just as excited still! For the shopping photos just look below ;)
Quote from: "mickeymouse"This report should never end ...! Can't wait to see what you have bought from your trip this time!
It'll go on a little longer! Now with the shopping and later with the video!
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Here you go with the shopping:
First off my eight vinylmation figures! 4 in the Parcs series and 4 in the Animation 2 series:
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Then a coffee cup and an espresso set for my new apartment:
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Vintage fridge magnets bought at the market in Paris:
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The ONLY pin I bought on this trip:
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An amazing photography I bought in the Yellow Korner photographic studio under the Louvre:
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And a bag for all my pins: (look out for photos in the future in the pins topic ;)):
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And finally a big Blu-Ray box containing all the films of Christopher Nolan:
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Beautiful pics and a great read thanks for taking the time :D
loved this report, but only just finished reading it, cant wait to see the video =]
Thanks very much for posting and sharing your experience. I had a lovely time in DLP in September but unfortunately I am snowed under with having to write my dissertation so i have not had the time to write a review and upload pictures. Many apologies!
Finally, finally, finally - the video is underway... Here you go, a little sneek peak ;)
[youtube:1p0yceu4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kl9B9UaNTfk[/youtube:1p0yceu4]
It's made quickly with iMovie trailers and I really liked the music, but I really hate the title graphics!
loved it! and i agree with you, i love iMovie and i love the trailer feature but i dont like the title graphics either
I loved the footage, the images look amazing. I'm not a fan of the epic approach though. I think i would love to see your beautiful images in a more uplifting mood instead of a bombastic tone. However, I can't wait to see your video!
I love your photos, by the way :)
Hey Nicolai, is your video ready yet???
FINALLY - on the day of my next trip - the VIDEO from last summer is ready.
It is in three parts and you can watch it here:
[youtube:12igb8ki]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jw7wLKNXPnI[/youtube:12igb8ki]
[youtube:12igb8ki]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbMQQ8PUupw[/youtube:12igb8ki]
[youtube:12igb8ki]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdCQoQf2jdo[/youtube:12igb8ki]
ENJOY - and be sure to follow my upcoming trip report. I'm back on the 22nd of July to share my story of "Love, Disney and Paris"!
Oh, and you can follow my next trip on my twitter @nclka_DLP :-)
Just caught up on your report. Your photos are beautiful! And I loved your videos.
Looking forward to this trips report :)