Disney World, October 2007

Saturday - Downtown Disney

Kellie and I flew in on Friday night and stayed at the Comfort Suites Maingate. On Saturday morning, we went over to Downtown Disney for some light shopping before we picked up Jenn at the airport around noon.

Saturday - Boardwalk Villas

We arrived at the BWV too early to go to our room. So, we ferried across to have lunch at Beaches and Cream in the Beach Club. I left the girls waiting for a table and walked to Epcot to exchange our annual pass vouchers, and I took a few photos on the way back. After lunch the room was ready so we moved in and got ready for the evening.

Saturday - Epcot

The plan was to wander around the Food and Wine booths and nosh for dinner. The park was so busy, it was hard to get much of anything. We managed to visit England and Canada as we searched for booths with short lines.

Saturday - Epcot Mexico

It was dusk by the time we reached the Mexico pavilion. I got a few nice sunset/dusk photos, and then we went inside and I played with my low-light lens on the upgraded boat ride. The ride got stuck, so I had lots of time to take extra pictures.

Saturday - Illuminations

After Mexico, we wandered around the lagoon looking for a decent place to park for the fireworks show. We ended up along the fence between Italy and America, which was pretty good except for the low hanging trees overhead and a fire torch a bit too close. I setup my monopod and snapped away.

Sunday - Epcot

The plan for Sunday was MGM in the morning, but the boats did not agree with us. We waited close to 45minutes before giving up and taking the next boat to Epcot for the day instead. This time we started at France and worked our way around Morocco, Japan, America, Italy, Germany, China and Norway. Then we went over to the Futureworld side and found the Coke pavilion before discovering the line for Soarin was over an hour. We visited the Sea, Living with the Land, and Imagination areas instead.

Sunday - Epcot Biergarden

Sunday dinner was at my favorite WDW restaurant. Kellie and Jenn liked it too, and we got a few photos from the evening show. After dinner, we headed back to the room rather than staying for a repeat of Illuminations.

Monday - AK Safari

Monday was an extra magic day at the Animal Kingdom, so we headed over there first thing. The first ride of the day was the Safari. My fast-shutter camera got a workout here, thanks to the moving and bouncing vehicle. I think I kept less than 1/4 of the photos I shot.

Monday - AK Lion King Show

After the Safari, I collected a set of fast passes for Everest, then we headed over to the Lion King Show. This was another dark show, so more practice with my low-light lens.

Monday - Animal Kingdom

After the Lion King, we visited the tree of life, then stopped for lunch at the Flametree BBQ. After lunch, Kellie gave Everest a try and liked it. We headed over to the Finding Nemo show and then back to the room for a mid-day break.

Monday - Ragland Road

After the nap, we headed back to Downtown Disney to do more shopping and have dinner at Ragland Road. Our reservation was at 7:30pm, but the place wasn't busy and we were seated early. Then we discovered the band didn't start until 9pm! Thankfully, the waitress had no problem letting us keep the table and wait for the show. We ended up staying to their first break, which wasn't until after 11pm. What a great show!

Tuesday - Disney MGM Studios

On Tuesday we caught up with our missed visit to MGM. Kellie and I rode the Rockin Rollercoaster, and she actually liked it. But, neither of use were up to the Tower of Terror afterwords. So, we visited the Muppets and the Great Movie Ride before taking an early break back to the room.

Tuesday - Magic Kingdom

We headed over toward the Magic Kingdom with a stop at the Polynesian for lunch at the Kona Cafe. We waited outside the gates until just before 4pm when they started taking Halloween party tickets for the event later that night. We headed back and visited the Haunted Mansion, Splash Mountain, Pirates and a few other rides before dark and the start of the party.

Tuesday - MK It's a Small World

We also had to take Jenn on the required trip around It's a Small World. I had more fun with my low light lens.

Tuesday - Mickey's No-So-Scary Halloween Party

The Magic Kingdom was all decked out in Halloween decorations. We put on our silly hats and joined in the trick-or-treating and people watching. There were lots of folks in costume, including a few well-coordinated families.

Tuesday - Hallo-Wishes

The evening firework show was re-themed for the halloween party. We found a table near the Tomorrowland Noodle station and sat down to watch. Once again I had a low roof, and they never turned the lights down over there, but I still think I got some great pictures.

Wednesday - Breakfast at Cape May

Wednesday was our last day. We decided to have breakfast at the Cape May buffet with Minnie, Goofy, Chip and Dale. We only brought the pocket cameras, but still got a few cute pictures. After eating we checked out and made our way to the airport and home again.