ABC's of Trip Planning (Oct 10-20), Vol. 2- Z is for: Zippidee Doo Dah!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Steppesister]

Yep. Alison beat you to it.

Alison- Scores 1

Almost... once upon a time. When we first took the kids, they had a magic store in DTD. I loved going there and watching the staff do magic tricks... for free!
Bummer when they closed it down.

When we were little kids we'd always go the the magic shop near the castle at Disneyland and every trip we'd buy magic rocks. They were so, so cool and I died a little the day they closed it.

Liesa, if we meet up, I will gladly buy you a mint julep (or whatever you're drinking.)

And I will gladly take you up on that.

Vile, revolting, foul, horrid, dreadful, abominable, atrocious, offensive, obnoxious, odious, repulsive, disgusting, loathsome, nauseating and sickening.

Made good of the thesaurus feature today, eh?

Wait... you mean... in your house... they... don't??????



Wow.

We take turns on a lot of stuff like that. The kids do for the most part, I mostly do dishes and cook but they kids do a fair amount of that too. They do the floors and the small bath, I do the master bath and 90% of the general tidying.

Eau do holy crap it's coming up fast.

Curious: have you started packing yet?

Alison refined that answer.

Alison- Scores 2

Cool.... I think Alison has this covered too.

Alison Scores 3!!! (Thanks, Lady! Been busy today (all week actually) to take care of business properly here.

This sounds like too much work. Skip the A-Z drinks and just go have fun.
The fact that I said you wouldn't do all the A-Z drinks in your contest has nothing to do with it.

YOu know I will. Me and my silly games. I will be curious myself to see if this pans out. Fun to give it a whirl nonetheless, no matter what success there may be.

 

[Steppesister]

What the what??!! All the titles on the TR Forum list are JAPANESE FONT (Could be Korean?)!! Buahahahahha!!! So weird! Every TR author shows up at hajiwoon.... Has the DIS been hacked?!

 

[jandlinz]

What the what??!! All the titles on the TR Forum list are JAPANESE FONT (Could be Korean?)!! Buahahahahha!!! So weird! Every TR author shows up at hajiwoon.... Has the DIS been hacked?!

I've seen it happen before. Last time it was fixed fast. I sent the mod a message and before they got it or could see it, it was gone.
Loving your plans and following along.

 

[Steppesister]

I've seen it happen before. Last time it was fixed fast. I sent the mod a message and before they got it or could see it, it was gone.
Loving your plans and following along.

I was wondering if I was the only one who could see it! WOW! I have never seen that before, and whoever did it, is pretty good. SO FUNNY! (For about 3 minutes, then it's just... not).

I was hoping I would see you here sooner than later. I see your ticker says we are missing each other by not very long. Sad day! Wonderful to have you here though!

 

[pkondz]

Alison- Scores 1

Yes. Her name's Fran.

When we were little kids we'd always go the the magic shop near the castle at Disneyland and every trip we'd buy magic rocks. They were so, so cool and I died a little the day they closed it.

What are magic rocks?

And I will gladly take you up on that.

:goodvibe

Made good of the thesaurus feature today, eh?

Don't need it for that.

We take turns on a lot of stuff like that. The kids do for the most part, I mostly do dishes and cook but they kids do a fair amount of that too. They do the floors and the small bath, I do the master bath and 90% of the general tidying.

Similar to our house. With variations.

Curious: have you started packing yet?

Define packing?
I am... gathering essential items.

Alison- Scores 2

Fran's lucky day!

Alison Scores 3!!! (Thanks, Lady! Been busy today (all week actually) to take care of business properly here.

Way to go Fran!!!

YOu know I will. Me and my silly games. I will be curious myself to see if this pans out. Fun to give it a whirl nonetheless, no matter what success there may be.

I actually hope you can do it, even if it means I lose those points.

What the what??!! All the titles on the TR Forum list are JAPANESE FONT (Could be Korean?)!! Buahahahahha!!! So weird! Every TR author shows up at hajiwoon.... Has the DIS been hacked?!

Missed it.

 

[Steppesister]

Q is for: QUIET, I'm Reading!

​

Research is a love of mine. I love to learn new things everyday. I enjoy going deeper and knowing about things in the world around me. Whatever I set my mind to, I generally give it 100% until I run out of time due to other pressing responsibilities, or grow bored, or feel like I've tapped out a subject as much as I need to or can.

Disney is no longer a place where you can just show up and expect to eat a nice sit down meal (at all), ride very many rides without standing in lines as long as a soup kitchen's in 1930, or even get a place to stay. Being that I like to "know before you go", AND I want to have a stress free trip without a lot of standing around waiting, AND I like to know a lot about where I'm headed, I have spent the summer reading as much as I can. I'm also looking forward to having some resources while we're there.

Maybe I'm the only one who "studies" Disney before a trip. Nevertheless, I wanted to share with you the books I've been enjoying while waiting, and waiting, and waiting.

The first one I picked up is the same one you ALL have. It's the "old standby" that half the planet has, but since it'd been so long since my last trip I thought I'd better get myself up to snuff in a hurry.

(And then hire/use a travel agent. Knowing HOW to do something and having the TIME to do those things are entirely different!)



Whatever, I have read this baby cover to cover and know the stuff inside makes me wiser for the wear. I can tell you all about The Blue Zoo, even though I'd probably not got there anytime this century. I know how the rides load (more useful than anything about Saratoga Springs, since I won't be going there either), and where to find hidden bathroom oases in the Magic Kingdom. It's a veritable treasure trove of information that I KNOW will make our trip smoother. If you don't have it, pick one up stat. You won't be sorry.

But knowing "what" only gets me only partway there; I want to also know WHY things are the way they are. This book:



was especially helpful in getting me to understand the background stories and some of the history behind the attractions at WDW. It was a fascinating read, and again, I'd highly recommend it if you want to go beyond which rides are in which parks.

Then, because once through these was simply not enough, I dusted my set of these off and read them all over again:



They are a GREAT little set of books, one for each park, that give an Imagineer's perspective and story behind the parks. Yes, there are stories created behind every park that lend purpose, believability and beauty to each one. I promise, after reading these you will view the parks differently and see things you never knew you were supposed to notice, but probably did even though you didn't know it.

The last book I bought is one I haven't read yet other than glance through it. It is the book we'll be taking with us to have on hand for every ride we go to, and especially in case we end up in a line for more than 10 minutes. It is basically a treasure hunt style book that has lists of things to find at EVERY ride in the parks, along with questions to answer as you make your way through the queue. I'm going to give the kids a little gift bag either before we go or maybe try to slip it to the check-in CM and see if they'll stash it in the room before we get there. Either way, this book:



will be a surprise for them along with some other little goodies.

Here is a sample page to help you see what it's about:




Lastly, here is the book I've chosen to take with me for pleasure reading on our flights, by the pool, or wherever I may have a minute or two. While I am in the middle of the Potter series, I chose not to take one since they are my "everyday reading" and I wanted to take a break completely completely from things I normally do at home. I've had this book recommended to me by many people and am excited to give it a try.




I'm curious... what have you read lately about Disney? Any books you particularly enjoy?? Please pass them along; I know others would love to know!

 

[franandaj]

Way to go Fran!!!

I'm guessing you think things are a lot different than they really are.

Maybe I'm the only one who "studies" Disney before a trip.

I do too, but not with books. I actually find much better info on the DIS than what I do in books. I'm sure that the books you pointed out have great information, but I'm looking more for information on waits and what is good at a particular kiosk or booth. I hope when you do your TR you will impart some of the imagineer knowledge you gleaned from your books.

 

[jandlinz]

I love the in line book. I think I may need to look into that one. I too have read the first one. My DH and I were just planning our days last night. I remember before FP just going into the parks and winging it. Now, you must have a plan. At least we'll be efficient. Our FP day is Tuesday so we have some work to do to finalize everything. Did you have any trouble booking FP for a large group?

 

[pkondz]

Research is a love of mine. I love to learn new things everyday. I enjoy going deeper and knowing about things in the world around me. Whatever I set my mind to, I generally give it 100% until I run out of time due to other pressing responsibilities, or grow bored, or feel like I've tapped out a subject as much as I need to or can.

Your type of person is becoming more and more rare. With information at their fingertips (literally) the need to actually retain anything seems to be fairly low.

Disney is no longer a place where you can just show up and expect to eat a nice sit down meal (at all), ride very many rides without standing in lines as long as a soup kitchen's in 1930, or even get a place to stay.

Oh, don't I know it.

Maybe I'm the only one who "studies" Disney before a trip.

You do know who's reading this, right?

The first one I picked up is the same one you ALL have. It's the "old standby" that half the planet has, but since it'd been so long since my last trip I thought I'd better get myself up to snuff in a hurry.

I remember my first copy. Found it in the Library. It was a revelation.

If you don't have it, pick one up stat. You won't be sorry.

I always suggest two things to newbies. Rope drop and UOG.

That one looks interesting.

They are a GREAT little set of books, one for each park, that give an Imagineer's perspective and story behind the parks.

Also interesting.

It is basically a treasure hunt style book that has lists of things to find at EVERY ride in the parks,

Huh! Cool. I can definitely see that coming in handy, especially with kids in tow.

Never heard of it. Looks interesting too.

I'm curious... what have you read lately about Disney? Any books you particularly enjoy??

Not a one. Not event my last copy of UOG... wherever it is right now.

I'm guessing you think things are a lot different than they really are.

Just having some fun with you Alison.

 

[Steppesister]

I do too, but not with books. I actually find much better info on the DIS than what I do in books. I'm sure that the books you pointed out have great information, but I'm looking more for information on waits and what is good at a particular kiosk or booth. I hope when you do your TR you will impart some of the imagineer knowledge you gleaned from your books.

I do a fair amount of both. The info I want from the books is mostly cerebral stuff just for "fun" and because I'm interested. The stuff I get from here and other sites, is just as valuable, or more so, for an actual trip because I NEED that information to make it go smoother. Especially for something like F&W, how FiP really works, etc...

I will definitely share what I"ve learned with you all. For example, Harambe, the mythical African village in AK was actually Imagined as an old fort turned game preserve/Safari launching town. There is, if you look closely, the remnants of the old fort's city wall in the walkways to lend credence to the backstory. I love that!!

I love the in line book. I think I may need to look into that one. I too have read the first one. My DH and I were just planning our days last night. I remember before FP just going into the parks and winging it. Now, you must have a plan. At least we'll be efficient. Our FP day is Tuesday so we have some work to do to finalize everything. Did you have any trouble booking FP for a large group?

If you have tweens or teens, it's a great idea to keep everyone less bored in line, or at least more engaged.

HOW EXCITING!! FiP DAY!! I hope you get your plan in place and get everything you hope for! I know how much effort and brain power goes into figuring all that out. Yikes! It ended up that I only needed to get FiPs for 3 of us for most of the trip and 4 for the last few days. Marv and Pat made their own and unbelievably, they got everything to match up almost perfectly with ours. So, not really; 5 of us got everything we wanted almost to the minute. GOOD LUCK!!

Your type of person is becoming more and more rare. With information at their fingertips (literally) the need to actually retain anything seems to be fairly low.

Most of it is useless junk I tend to store. The stuff that really matters.... Yeah...

Oh, don't I know it.

Did you even get some ADRs? FiPs?

You do know who's reading this, right?

Yes, but I'd imagine most are getting most of their info in the more practical realm, like Alison said. Some of the stuff I'm picking up is more for esoterics and my own silliness than anything.

I remember my first copy. Found it in the Library. It was a revelation.

So.... you didn't buy it?!

I always suggest two things to newbies. Rope drop and UOG.

BINGO! (I'd add, have a plan.)

Huh! Cool. I can definitely see that coming in handy, especially with kids in tow.

Tweens probably. Or short-attention spanned adults.

 

[Steppesister]

R is for: Rebel, Rebel; You Want More and You Want It Fast! ​

Many of you know I'm an (very) amateur photographer and love the creative outlet getting out with my equipment, meager as it is, affords me. I mostly dabble in landscapes and semi-macro, but have, at request, done a few events and have played with other subjects with some success. I love my base model/stock lenses for my Canon Rebel T3i and they give me what I'm after as I'm still very much a "baby" in the hobby. But a couple months ago, as you all also know, I went on a little road trip with my neighbor who introduced me to the wonderful new world of the wide angle lens. I like what they can do and it opens up a whole new way to play. Just to clarify, I do NOT care for the fish eye effect that many give; flat out distortion is not what I'm after. But grabbing a closer subject with a bit "more" of the scene in an image screams Disney to me. Imagine, more of Main Street with that bouquet of balloons, a Tiki off center with a bit more of Adventureland off to the side and behind, or my teacup spinning with ALL of the others in the shot. The sky's the limit and I'm excited to announce the addition of this:

I love that it also has a low f/stop, so will be better than the lens I have for trying my luck on the dark rides. I'm definitely not obsessing at trying to get these really hard to get shots, and won't have a tantrum if I come away with the usual crap I bring home with these, but my chances will certainly be better with a) knowing a bit more about where to put those Manual shoot settings, b) a more appropriate lens, and c) more than a PaS POC.

The other missing piece to my collection that I want to make sure I have for this trip is one of these:

I was so impressed with the differences I saw in my images on that trip with my neighbor that I simply could not go to Disney without one. I was much happier with that blue-r sky, the more saturated colors (without a ton of post-processing), and the nicer contrast for the water shots. There is a lot of water at Disney, sometimes blue skies, and definitely a lot of color to capture. So I bought one of those too.

I know a lot of you are phenomenal photographers already, and I can only hope to match your mad skilz, but I love that we all see things a little differently and have different ideas on what makes a nice picture. I love that this hobby brings out our individuality and that most are willing to share that with all of us. So what am I after? Like last time, I'm after details, but this time, I also get the fun of getting the Halloween Party fun, the Food and Wine goings-on, and some pictures of my kids having a great time. I'm giddy with excitement over what the camera will capture on this trip and am thrilled to bring them home to you to share.

29 more days!!!

 

[irene_dsc]

For our first trip, I got the UoG at the library, from a friend's recommendation. I read it a ton, since it was all new to me. I also read the Official Guide, since sometimes all the warnings got a bit much! I ended up buying the Family version of the UoG to take with us, since it was a little smaller.

Second trip, I didn't find it nearly as useful. The specific info I needed was out of date already due to all the construction and FP system changes, so I did almost all my research online. And I didn't bring any guidebooks on the trip.

 

[mom3sonstt]

One month from today Ryne and I arrive at WDW!

 

[pkondz]

Did you even get some ADRs? FiPs?

Yes! and Yes!

Times may not have been all that I wanted and not all ADRs that I want are available, but...

Yes, but I'd imagine most are getting most of their info in the more practical realm, like Alison said. Some of the stuff I'm picking up is more for esoterics and my own silliness than anything.

Ah. Gotcha.

So.... you didn't buy it?!

Nope. Not at that time. I don't think I'd have known where to find one.

BINGO! (I'd add, have a plan.)

Good add on.

Many of you know I'm an (very) amateur photographer

I'll agree if you agree to take out the "very".

and love the creative outlet getting out with my equipment

And you get to do that more than I do, I think.

No, I know.

I went on a little road trip with my neighbor who introduced me to the wonderful new world of the wide angle lens. I like what they can do and it opens up a whole new way to play.

Just to clarify, I do NOT care for the fish eye effect that many give

Wow! That sounds like such an intelligent and well thought out comment!

Oh! So you went 11-22! Good choice.
Refurbed or new?

The other missing piece to my collection that I want to make sure I have for this trip is one of these:

That and a split ND filter are probably the most go-to filters.
(Unless you count UV or whatever you've got protecting your lens.)

and the nicer contrast for the water shots.

You know that it removes glare from reflections on water and windows right?
Like this:

but I love that we all see things a little differently and have different ideas on what makes a nice picture

Yes! Why I love looking at others' photography. I like seeing what they see.

I'm giddy with excitement over what the camera will capture on this trip and am thrilled to bring them home to you to share.

Me too! It's why I lug that stuff around.

 

[franandaj]

OK, so I zoomed in on the lens and it appears it is a variable 11-22mm zoom. I'm guessing from the other numbers that the F-stop goes as low as 3.5.
I googled it. I may néed to see if my local camera store has one for rent like this I might want to add something like this to my arsenal.

What kind of filter is that? Polarizing or ND? Those are the only two I know about.

I am just becoming versed in geeky camera speak.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Research is a love of mine. I love to learn new things everyday. I enjoy going deeper and knowing about things in the world around me.

Depends on what I'm researching!

Yep. I think that's the best guide, too.

I've never heard of that one before. Sounds intriguing.

They are a GREAT little set of books, one for each park, that give an Imagineer's perspective and story behind the parks.

Yes! I loved reading through those before we went to DL.

I think Julie read that book and absolutely loved it. However, I seem to remember some controversy arising over this book later--I can't recall exactly but I think it had something to do with some of the book's claims not being true? I'll try and look it up.

But a couple months ago, as you all also know, I went on a little road trip with my neighbor who introduced me to the wonderful new world of the wide angle lens. I like what they can do and it opens up a whole new way to play. Just to clarify, I do NOT care for the fish eye effect that many give; flat out distortion is not what I'm after.

I LOVE wide-angle photography. The wider, the better for me. Julie likes portraits but I think wide-screen gives you more interesting compositions. I do hate fisheye lenses, though. I don't play around much with post-photography tricks, either. I like the photos to reflect what we actually saw.

The other missing piece to my collection that I want to make sure I have for this trip is one of these:

Now that we don't have. But in seeing the difference, maybe we should!

 

[cinderkelly]

Maybe I'm the only one who "studies" Disney before a trip. Nevertheless, I wanted to share with you the books I've been enjoying while waiting, and waiting, and waiting

You're not alone. I've been "studying" Disney for about 15 years. Although the first 10 was just dreaming of Disney, and it's just in the past 4 years that we've actually been able to afford to go. I'm making up for lost time!

The first one I picked up is the same one you ALL have. It's the "old standby" that half the planet has, but since it'd been so long since my last trip I thought I'd better get myself up to snuff in a hurry.

I think I have every version of that book since 2008

was especially helpful in getting me to understand the background stories and some of the history behind the attractions at WDW. It was a fascinating read, and again, I'd highly recommend it if you want to go beyond which rides are in which parks.

Cool! Haven't seen that one

They are a GREAT little set of books, one for each park, that give an Imagineer's perspective and story behind the parks. Yes, there are stories created behind every park that lend purpose, believability and beauty to each one. I promise, after reading these you will view the parks differently and see things you never knew you were supposed to notice, but probably did even though you didn't know it.

Those either! Looks like great reads!

I'm giddy with excitement over what the camera will capture on this trip and am thrilled to bring them home to you to share.

So awesome! You're going to capture some amazing photos with your fancy new equipment!

29 more days!!!

 

[Chrystmasangel]

29 more days!!!

So close!

Can't wait to see all your amazing pictures!

 

[Steppesister]

While it was a lovely day at work, I'm too bushed to sit upright and multi-quote replies tonight. Curling up with Mr. Potter and Co. and going to sleep early.

Replies tomorrow.

 

[pkondz]

I've got a book my Mom said was supposed to be a real page turner. I'm holding off starting it until I'm on the plane.