Making Lemonade from Lemons.

[fractal]

I think we can all agree that so far 2020 has been one big sour lemon.

My entire family (Val-wife, Alex - oldest daughter, Sterg - son, Toni - youngest daughter) has recovered from the Covid-19 virus. Myself, Val, Sterg and Toni got it in March and Alex in April while working as a nurse. Val had it worse with a fever for a couple days and flu like symptoms for about a week. The rest of us were either asymptomatic or had minor symptoms.

Add to that the mental stress of living in a society dealing with this pandemic, Toni missing out on a big chunk of her High School Senior Year and her last dance recital (where she was going to take on a major role as Jasmine), work reductions for Sterg and high stress work conditions for Alex on the front line. Yes, 2020 has sure been one big sourpuss.

But, as the saying goes; "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade!"

It just so happened that last year I made a reservation to attend the annual AHEPA convention in Walt Disney World, just as I did in 2017. We were going to stay at the Grand Destino Towers but that seemed very much in jeopardy when AHEPA (which is a charitable organization I'm involved with. Like a Greek version of the Knights of Columbus or Lions Club.) cancelled their convention. Soon after however, I received an email that Disney would honor our reservation in July. This was pretty tempting since we had convention rates and discounts on tickets. Long story short, we decided to go. We felt that having already had the virus gave us an extra level of protection and we knew that Disney would handle the health risks properly. In addition, we later found out that our rooms were moved from Grand Destino to the Contemporary in order to accommodate the LA Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks. Sterg's and my dream of playing Marco Polo with the Greek Freak and LeBron James in the pool were quickly dashed. But who could say no to staying at The Contemporary for $175 a night?

We were a go! It was frustrating however because although we had a resort reservation we did not have park tickets. We also didn't have a "park pass" which was needed during this reopening of WDW. We had to wait for all that to open and I had serious doubts it would by the time our first day at the resort (July 20th) rolled around. I decided to book flights without tickets or park passes. Southwest had roundtrip flights from Philly to Orlando for $90 plus if you had to cancel you got that credit for a future flight. No brainer. This was turning out to be the cheapest Disney trip we have taken as a family! Soon after I was open to buy tickets and book Park Passes. We had started to squeeze that lemon and add it's juice to our pitcher of cold water.

Now for the Cast of our adventure.

Myself - Chris/Fractal. A lover of Disney Parks for the many memories it has given me over the years with my family, the way it helps me completely unwind from my job, and how it taps into my creative side and challenges my skills as a photographer.

Here I am with my crazy kids at Christmas.

Val - my beautiful wife. Not the biggest fan of Disney but in the end she was on board. I think secretly she likes it more than she lets on. I will make it up to her with a trip more to her liking.

Here she is with Alex.

Alex - our oldest. Now a traveling nurse. Alex is like me in many ways but as she's getting older and more responsible I'm starting to see her take on a number of Val's traits. She's a good mix and always a delight to be with.

From a trip to Colorado we took last year;

Sterg, aka Fractal Jr. One word to describe Sterg - catalyst - he just makes things happen. He creates reactions both good and bad. He graduated last year from Penn State. He was a captain on the Swim Team but not without drama. He had to miss his promising senior year of swimming when a series of concussions (all outside the water) forced him to medically retire. PSU handled it very well as he helped the team from the sidelines. He now works as a digital marketing consultant as well as helping his cousin get his music career off the ground. Never a dull moment when Sterg is around!

with our dog Prince (Charming).

Toni - Toni and I have a special Disney connection. Many times she would be the only one up early with me to tackle the parks at opening. We have had many great adventures together in the Disney bubble. She's now technically an adult (how did that happen?) so I was going to find out this trip if the magic was still there. She's going to attend Clemson University starting next month and I couldn't be prouder.

Toni in front of the Theater her Recital was supposed to perform at.

So Covid-19 made our family suffer in many ways, but we took that lemon, squeezed it's juice out into our water pitcher, now we just needed a little Disney sugar to make our Lemonade complete.

Coming up - Our trip begins

 

[fractal]

There were plenty of "firsts" on this trip. Obviously going to WDW during a pandemic was a true first. Here are some others;

First time staying at The Contemporary
First time "eats" at Be Our Guest, Spice Road and The Brown Derby.
First time to see Toy Story Land and Galaxy's Edge
First since 2013 that all 5 of us were together in a Disney Park, and since we took the Magical Express
First time we traveled together with everyone technically an adult (18 or over)

So bright and early on the morning of July 20th we were off to Philadelphia Airport for our 8:05am flight. Once again, our good friend Wally drove us down. Wally is a tough and tumble kinda guy. EX football player in college and a little rough around the edges with a gravely voice spoken at a volume that can knock a painting off your walls, but he has a heart of gold and is loyal as the day is long. Normally we do a lot of "manly" things together. We once even had a youtube channel dedicated to discussing offensive line play in the NFL. He loves ribbing me about my love for Disney.

"So Dude, you're going to be wearing your Mickey ears the entire trip? I bet you can't wait to get those on and find Mickey and give him a big magical hug! Dude, if you want to put them on now I'm ok with that - don't be embarrassed. HAHAHAHA!"

Of course Sterg (the catalyst) has to chime in and continue to egg "Uncle Wally" on. "Oh Uncle Wally, you know it. He's been wearing his Mickey underwear and Mickey shirts all week he's so excited (all lies, I have no Mickey underwear)!"

"HAHA! I can see that. Prancing around in his Mickey skivvies! I bet Valsey (Val) can't keep her hands off of you when your sporting those, Right Valsey?"

Rolling eyes from my wife.

So that was the gist of the ride down. Once again the entertainment was at my expense, but I didn't care and my skin is pretty thick and it actually was kinda funny; besides - we were going to DisneyWorld!

 

[fractal]

We made it to a nearly vacant airport with plenty of time to spare. We donned our masks, smoothly checked in our luggage and went through security screening without any incident (which is not always the case with us!).

I spent some time observing just how dead Philly Airport was.

Before long, Val, Sterg, Toni and I were seated and ready to go (Alex would join us later in the trip).

The flight was smooth enough and Orlando Airport greeted us with some hints of what was to come...

We had to wait about 1/2 hour for the Magic Express but still made it to The Contemporary by 12:30. Plenty of time to get to our reservation at Be Our Guest at 1:50.

See the head band on Sterg? That is scrap material from a dress Val did alterations on. Our cousin Sophia's dress to be exact. After seeing Sterg post pics on Social Media during the trip she texted him and asked if that was her dress wrapped around his head. She thought is was hilarious as did Sterg of course. Toni responded to all this with "Hi wearing Sophia's dress on your head."

Our room wasn't ready so we left our bags with Bell Services and took advantage of one of the biggest pros of staying at the Contemporary - we walked to Magic Kingdom!

I automatically started taking photos with my Sony A7R2 and my new for this trip lens - Sony 24mm 1.4. It felt really good to be back in the World, on foot and camera in hand!

The skies started to threaten so we picked up our pace.

.

 

[fractal]

On the walkway between the Contemporary and the Magic Kingdom there was a white tent you had to enter to be screened for temperature. I found it interesting that Disney hired a third party company to do this. We all passed the temperature test however Val was flagged for having a "Gator" on. They said gators were not allowed. At first I thought it was an attempt at some Florida humor but they were dead serious. I had no idea what the meant by "gator".

This is a "gator"...

Something about them not being think enough. Val could not go into the park without an approved mask and we weren't carrying a spare one, but did have plenty with our luggage. I gave her mine and headed back to the resort wearing Val's purple gator. After retrieving an acceptable mask I started back towards MK. But first some important pics...

I noticed the winds picking up and the sky getting darker and I was about a block from the tent when the heavy rain started. I was still carrying my camera and my small camera bag filled with lenses as I dashed to a large thick palm tree about 30 yards before the tent. My hope that the rain would not last long was crushed as the rain started to get heavy and the sky darker. My camera and lens were both "weather resistance" but I still tried to protect them under my shirt which has some degree of water proofing. After 10 minutes however I decided to make a dash to the tent and join the Temperature screening lady and 2 CM's. We made some small talk and another 10 minutes later the rain stopped prompting me to continue my journey to the MK.

Absolutely no line to get in.

A few pics outside first...

Then inside...

Then I was off to meet the rest of the crew up by Starbucks.

 

[fractal]

Mid-day Magic Kingdom - to give you a sense of the lack of crowd.

Nothing was stopping this lady!

What does one do with balloons when you go on a ride?

I met up with the others and we decide to get a closer look at the newly painted castle. I have to say that at first glance I wasn't a fan. The colors seemed very overbearing, but as the trip went I warmed up to it.

You know what? I think we have time to ride Space Mountain before our lunch! Space was showing a 10 minute wait so off we went to Tomorrowland!



Really not a fan of the new Tomorrowland entrance. I think I get what they were trying to do but one year you paint the rocks blue then you go with an "clean understated" look for a the same Land's entrance. Seems very
inconsistant to me.

Now time for a quick spin through Space...

 

[becauseimnew]

Following along! Great pictures.

 

[smilie]

Great report so far!!! Can't wait to read more.

 

[fractal]

This is where we started walking into the Space Mountain queue line...

I didn't have much time for photos...

and this is basically where we stopped walking. It was literally a walk on.

Sterg and Toni were getting along great which is not unusual. They do TIK-TOKS together (sending many crucial new dance moves to the CCP) and share many common interests. The fights are usually over who's turn it is to wash their bathroom or vacuum the house. With none of that to worry about, the Disney bubble created a great environment for them (mostly). Val is not a fan of standing in line so the quick walk to the ride vehicles was like a little pixie dust for her demeanor. I was equally happy about the "walk on" but was still getting used to constantly wearing a mask.

Space Mountain is a great ride despite it's age and short-givings. Spinning around at quick speeds in the dark with an impending fear of decapitation is my kind of fun! Time to hop on!

and launch...

to the stars!

We were all hooting and hollering! I didn't find it as bumpy and "painful" as the last time I rode. We really had a good time, and look - our luggage arrived on time!

Saying Hi to MK-1 on the way out...

more post-show. "Hi going to Mars."

Toni said "Hi robot serving drinks."

Back to Earth.

and on our way to our first time in Be Our Guest.

Up Next - "How much for lunch??!!!"

 

[fractal]

This was our first time at Be Our Guest and I put on my fisheye lens to capture the inside. We were seated in the West Wing but I had to take a least one photo of the "ballroom" before I took my seat.

Our table was in the corner which was fine for me. It gave me a good vantage point but it was sooo dark!

It took awhile before our server arrived but she was delightful. She explained to us the only option was the three course meal at a price of $62! You did get to pick among the courses; appetizer, main course and dessert. I wasn't too happy with this; I was expecting more of a lunch menu but we decided to go with it after a long day of travel and little nourishment. That darned Mouse trapped us again! This would end up being our most expensive meal of the trip -even more so than The Brown Derby which included Alex! I ordered a beer then decided to photograph the rose.

First with the Fisheye...

Fisheyes can be a lot of fun but as you can see they create big distortions and curve things that should be straight. I had sold my fisheye a few years ago but missed it and bought another one just for this trip. I'm glad I did!

Then I swapped it out for the 24mm lens which is just a brilliant piece of glass.

Which ones do you like better?

Sitting back down, I was now ready to order. The lobster bisque, scallops and "trio sampler" (the only dessert option) please. Val and Sterg ordered the French Onion soup, Filet and Trio while Toni ordered the cheese & meat tray, Filet (after we convinced here to cancel her vegan option) and trio. If I was going to pay $62 for Toni to eat lunch she was getting the Filet! She thanked us later for insisting on making that change. As we waited I was explaining the differences between the two lenses - mostly to Toni as Val wasn't too interested and Sterg was kinda off in his own world. I put the fisheye back on and Toni took a snap of Val and I. Portraits with a lens like this are not really a great idea because of the massive distortions. You have to make sure your subject is in the middle of the frame to minimize that and Toni pretty much nailed it.

I brought up the fact that the dessert Trio included the grey stuff.

"Really?" Toni replied excitingly.

"Hi grey stuff." Sterg blurted.

"Do you even know what that is?" Toni countered.

"I don't know what that is." Val replied before Sterg could.

"It's from the song...try the grey stuff, it's delicious." Toni answered.

"OK, I didn't know that." Val said.

"Oh, is it from the song little baby?" Sterg in a baby voice mockingly said to Toni.

Little baby is another term Sterg and Toni like to use, both to mock and/or as a term of affection.

"Dad, what is the grey stuff made of?" Toni asked me while ignoring her brothers antics.

"I think its a mousse kind of thing." I replied. "but maybe we should ask the dishes."

Toni laughed at that while Val looked puzzled. That spurred Toni to start singing that version of the song which then spurred Sterg to
comment again in his baby voice "Oh, the little baby is singing a little baby song."

So despite now having a family of "adults" the table conversation seemed very similar to one we could have had 10 years ago.

The food started to arrive and we dove right in, sharing amongst us. My lobster bisque was too watery but tasted ok. The French Onion was better. The cheese and meat tray was a mini charcuterie board and was the finest choice.

The Filet was very tender and delicious, my scallops were top notch. No complaints there.

Then arrived the desert. The gray stuff was indeed mouse like and was served in a white chocolate cup. All the desserts were very good.

Our server arrived to clean up.

"How was the gray stuff?" She asked.

"Delicious!" I said instantly with a smile.

"Terrific, I'll tell the dishes!" she replied.

I wonder what the hit rate was on that question I pondered; and because of our previous conversation we all grew smiles and giggled at this little back and forth. Even Val and Sterg.

 

[KBrown88]

Looking forward to hearing about the rest of your trip!

 

[fractal]

Following along! Great pictures.

Thanks and thanks for following!

Great report so far!!! Can't wait to read more.

Thank you!

 

[fractal]

Looking forward to hearing about the rest of your trip!

Thanks for following along!

 

[LeeLee'sMom]

Great report so far!!

 

[fractal]

Be Our Guest is certainly a cool place to eat, but I don't think I'll be back there anytime soon unless they offer menu options that I can take my family there for less than a new car payment.

After eating I spent some time taking some more photos.

I wouldn't be able to fit the entire mosaic in the frame with the 24mm. In fact, even with my 12mm fisheye my back was up against the wall.

One last shot of BoG.

We then decided to go on Haunted Mansion. Took this along the way with the fisheye. It's a shot I probably would have been better off using the 24mm as I really had to crop the original to make the image more interesting. You can see the 6 foot space markers on the ground. And where are the 500 baby strollers surrounding the carousel?

Now it was time for one of my favorites.

 

[erinch]

I’m in! Love the report and the family!

 

[KsGiGi]

Enjoying your report! Great pictures!!!!

 

[cmrdgrs]

Loving your trip report! Thank you for taking the time to write it all up and share the pictures

Be Our Guest is a favorite of my family's -- have to agree that it's crazy expensive. The West Wing is our favorite room.

My husband and I have a saying anytime we spend $100, we call that a Disney Lunch.

 

[fractal]

Great report so far!!

Thanks @LeeLee'sMom !

I’m in! Love the report and the family!

Thanks and thank you for following!

Enjoying your report! Great pictures!!!!

Thanks and much appreciated!

Loving your trip report! Thank you for taking the time to write it all up and share the pictures

Be Our Guest is a favorite of my family's -- have to agree that it's crazy expensive. The West Wing is our favorite room.

My husband and I have a saying anytime we spend $100, we call that a Disney Lunch.

Thanks and Yes that seems about right!

 

[fractal]

Every time I ride Haunted Mansion I remember the first time I rode it as a 9 year and how amazed I was by it; the Ballroom/dinning room scene especially. In my imaginative young mind those ghosts were all but real.

Val happens to be much more pragmatic than me. Part of the reason WDW is not her thing is because of that. These rides are just props, vehicles, lighting and special effects. She would much rather be engaged with real people and actively doing things together such as going to the beach, maybe a hike or long walk, canoeing, making and having dinner together instead of being a "spectator" sitting in a doombuggy in a dark ride. In fact her best times at WDW are when doing things like being at the pool together, the meals and experiences that open you up for more engagement such as Monster's Inc. Laughing Floor, walking and exploring World Showcase - one year her and Alex did that on a Segway and they still talk about it. I was thinking and analyzing this in my mind as we proceeded through the queue of HM.

As excited as I was Val really was not and would make comments along the way; "how many times to we need to ride this?", "aren't you sick of it", "I kinda think it's dumb."

Normally this would get me upset and I would counter with arguments from my perspective, but this time I really tried to understand her side.

Everyone's different; there's a reason I love Star Wars, Marvel Films and Fantasy/Sci-fi in general. Val really has zero interest in that and prefers Reality type shows, and RomComs. Things based in our current world. The more I thought about her side of things I found myself slowly starting to see things differently.

In hindsight, going on the Liberty Belle would have been a great thing to do with Val and the kids but we never made time for it. It was good to see it running as on our last trip it never left the dock.

It was a bit discomforting as we started into the ride because I was looking at things through Val's eyes and was starting not to enjoy it. As I was taking my photos I was asking myself, how many times to I really need to photography this scene?

No stretching room pre-show. Just walked through.

I continued taking photos none the less but I could tell Val was not really engaged and was just along for the ride.

My favorite scenes.

A side note here. When editing photos, especially low light ones when you have to push up your ISO, you can use "noise reduction" to clear out the "graininess" in the darker areas which is what I normally do. The downside to that is as you smooth that out you loose a lot of detail in the photos. For many of these I decided to keep more "noise" than normal as it kinda fit the mood of the ride and also to hold on to more of that detail.

 

[fractal]

More photos from Haunted Mansion; for the record, I was back using the 24mm 1.4.

I was happy for getting shots I never did before. The photographic advantage of riding something many times is you are more prepared for it the next time.

I left the ride having not enjoyed it as much as I normally would. I really thought at that time that we were going to have a long and not very pleasant time and was starting to feel bad for my wife. Not because she was actively complaining but only because I was putting myself in her shoes more than I had before.

We couldn't resist the stockades on the way to Splash/Big Thunder corner. Sterg and Toni were having a blast and there mind were firmly placed in the magic of being back.

Just missed another ride on Liberty Belle.