Cameras on Vacation: Rentals?

If you are a photography enthusiast like me and enjoy getting “that” shot while you are at Walt Disney Word or maybe you just want to try some new things with either your camera or a different camera then renting could be just what you need to do.



Kidani Village.

My personal camera that I have captured all my “working” shots with is a Canon T1i. It is a wonderful camera and still has many years of life left in it. I have worked hard with it to learn how it functions, what all the bells and whistles do and what all the settings are and how they can affect the shot. The result is I take fewer pictures than I used to but I get better results. There are so many things you can do to create those memories and one of them is by having different lenses for specialty shots that make everything unique.



Robin Hood

Long Lost Friends

Prince John

So what are the options? You can go and spend thousands of dollars on accessories and saying thousands isn’t an exaggeration when it comes to cameras and accessories. If you don’t want to make an investment in something like that without trying it first, a better option might be to rent a camera or a lens and see how it fits into your particular style. Lenses like fisheyes and tiltshifts are special and require a little know how to get those great shots. I have wanted to try a real fisheye lens for some time but the cost of the lens just wasn’t in my budget. This places me squarely into the rental market.

What to rent? Kingdom Camera Rentals has several camera and lens options to choose from both on the Canon and Nikon sides of the fence. As we have covered on many occasions I am a Canon shooter. So this time down I wanted to try an upgrade to my camera, the Canon 7D. I have a Canon T1i that I love. It has provided me with some excellent work but I am interested in one day upgrading to a higher end camera so what better time than at Walt Disney World to try out something new.

My first impression of the 7D is that it is much heavier than what I am used to. I won’t get into a lot of technical stuff but it has a lot of heft to it, I’d say close to a half pound more than the T1i. It doesn’t take long to get used to the extra weight and you are in business. There are several hurdles to overcome if you have never used a 7D, even if you have used other Canons. The T1i shares similarities with the other cameras from the Rebel line making, in my opinion, it a little easier to transition from model to model. The 7D is a different animal. The controls are altogether different, other than the selector nob on the top. In the kit that Kingdom Camera Rentals provides there is a quick start guide that is a big help to get the basic controls. However even with the guide I needed a few hours to remember how everything worked.

I tend to shoot on the manual settings, but there are auto presets. One thing I was very impressed with is the low light capability. The ISO can be set really high, combine that with a large aperture and a quick shutter speed low light pictures turned out so much better than I expected. I love to take pictures with no flash if possible and the 7D made it easy. Daylight photos were a breeze after making adjustments. If you shoot on auto during the day the pictures turned out really well. I wouldn’t recommend the 7D if you are a novice shooter. It wouldn’t be the best camera for a family just down for a vacation, but if you are experienced it is a perfect replacement to have so that you don’t have to pack all your own gear for a plane ride to Orlando.

Scuttle

When you rent a camera from KCR they provide the camera body, a Lowepro camera bag, and multi card reader. What you will need to accompany the 7D is a CF (compact flash) card because those are not provided for you. Also lenses are not included; you would want to make sure that you reserve a lens at the same time. I recommend the 18-250mm that I used on my last trip in November.      

The lens I chose to use this trip is the fisheye. I love to look at fun fisheye pictures and I have been waiting to use a high quality lens for a long time. You know what I found out? I don’t have an eye for the fisheye. Try as I might I just couldn’t find a view that I loved from it. For me finding the right subject, light and composition…. It just didn’t come as an easy thing and I didn’t want to just recreate shots I have seen some others. Not that there is every anything wrong with making your own versions, it just wasn’t what I wanted. So I learned a very valuable but not expensive lesson. If you want to give it a try I say go for it. It is no doubt a fun lens just as I found out it wasn’t for me… this time.

Beast's Enchanted Rose

Ursula

View from Characters in Flight

Characters in Flight view of Epcot

Guest Post: Disney Magic is an Amazing Thing!

Many years ago, when Heather, John, and I were first becoming a Family, my parents were going to visit my sister in Port St. Lucie (Florida) over Christmas. We decided that with John’s new Grand-mom and Grand-pop in Florida, it would be the perfect time for him to meet his cousins, aunt and uncle. We booked a trip to Disney World for the 26th through 31st of December. Just a quick Disney trip after Christmas to enjoy some Magic and see the family; but as they say, best laid plans….

Before the trip even materialized, we knew it wasn’t going to be as planned. My mother, who I never remember being sick when I was younger, had an emergency appendectomy after her appendix burst in early November. My parents still made the trip to Florida in December; Mom decided she needed to spend some time recuperating in a warmer climate. A few days later, we arrived in Florida, but things were not perfect at our location. John had said he was not feeling well, before he went to bed the first day we had arrived. He had the sniffles and was feeling blah. We told him it was probably from all the running around from the last couple of days (Christmas and the trip and all). The next morning he woke up saying he felt tired, but he was ready to head out to breakfast.

We went to 'Ohana's Best Friends Breakfast! (This is a character breakfast hosted by Lilo and John’s favorite, Stitch.) Since it was only our second trip to Disney together, I had shirts made for the occasion. They said The Glover’s After Christmas Getaway 2005. (I know there is no way that John would wear a shirt like that today, but I think the shirts made that trip even a little more magical for all of us and at that time, I think he thought it was neat that people were reading his shirt and thinking it was a big deal also.) When we got to breakfast, John mentioned that he wasn’t feeling great, but you couldn’t tell it by the way he interacted with the characters. He laughed and giggled through the entire meal and ate quite a bit. After eating, he waited to say hello to Mickey who was greeting people as they came into the restaurant. It was then that he started looking a little peak-ed. By the time we got his picture with Mickey, he said he wasn’t hungry anymore. Our plans after that were to head to The Magic Kingdom for the morning and enjoy some after Christmas scenery. We jumped on the Monorail and headed to the Magic Kingdom. When we got there, John didn’t look good at all. Feeling his forehead, his mom declared he had a fever. When the little man asked if we could just head back to the room, I knew it was serious. We walked from the Monorail station to the boat dock and took a boat back to the Wilderness Lodge, where we were staying.
After falling asleep on the bench waiting for the boat and then sleeping on the boat ride back, we put him to bed and while Heather stayed with him, I searched for some children’s Tylenol. John slept for the next 24 hours. While he slept, we enjoyed hanging out in the room. We took turns going to the Mercantile and getting food and reading materials. The next day, we were supposed to meet my parents, my sister, and her family in Sea World. We a little worried that instead of meeting them, we would be finding a doctor to take John to, as his fever didn’t seem to break. But as will happen in Disney World, the next day, Magic happened. John’s fever wasn’t just lower, it was gone completely. I called my sister and told her we were on for meeting up at Sea World. John was going to get to meet his cousins.

When we got there, and found them in the parking lot, they were two people short. My parents, who had driven all the way from West Virginia, decided not to make the trip north to Orlando. My mom was feeling a little rundown from their travels and her surgery. As disappointing as that was, John was still excited to meet his cousins, Lauren and Leslie and his Aunt Sue and Uncle Ron. The girls and John bonded immediately. It was like they had been family all their lives. They laughed and ran all around the park together until they had tired us out. One of the highlights was feeding the dolphins. They all enjoyed that very much. When we returned to Wilderness Lodge late that afternoon, John was tired but still feeling good. So, we headed to the Magic Kingdom that night for some Disney Christmas Magic.

John and Heather both loved the snow falling from the sky on Main Street USA (of course I did too). We had a great time that evening and the next couple of days flew by without any more incidents or illness. I look back on that trip and have to smile, I wonder if we were anywhere else, if John would have gotten better as quickly as he did. Was it Disney Magic? Of course I think it was. Disney Magic is an amazing thing!


Contributed by Bruce G., husband to Heather, proud father of John, and creator of The Unknown Magic Within Walt Disney World


Check out other wonderful Disney memories from Bruce:

• The Best Thing I've Ever Seen at a Disney Park
• Disney Pools, Fun for All
• Bruce on 'growing up Disney'

A Walk Around The World With Ridge...Workin' For the Memories

So I definitely have the problems of someone from the first world. I am planning a working trip to Disney for March (6th-9th) and the hardest part of it all is trying to decide which DVC resort I want to stay at. Now everything hinges on what is available but before I call member services I need to put my resort priorities in order.

I want to go down and use my new camera to photograph Epcot's Flower & Garden Festival happening from March 2 - May 15 2011. I have been only once before that I can think of while this even has been going on, but it was before I knew there was going to be blog about our Disney lives and I would be a contributor to it. Now I want to see it, experience it and show others what I have found.

So for the accommodations out of the 11 DVC properties 7 of them are in Walt Disney World. Our family's home resort is the original DVC, Old Key West. While I really love all that Old Key West has to offer, because after all this time it is like a 2nd home, I want to stay somewhere new to me.

Now I honestly believe that no matter where I get the privilege of staying I will have a great time and excellent stay. Since I am going primarily to spread my photography wings and play for a couple of days and since part of the main focus is the Flower & Garden Festival the Beach Club resort certainly tops the list. With a short walk to the International gateway at Epcot (my favorite park as an adult) and the board walk that is attached to the Boardwalk Resort. I stayed once years ago in the Boardwalk and the long hallways to seemingly nowhere didn't appeal to me. I don't feel eager to stay there this time.

On the far side of the parks is Animal Kingdom Villas. I like the idea of staying here because of the room options. The choice of a standard room or rooms with a view of the savanna are very appealing. Then having the ability to upgrade that to the Kilimanjaro Club Concierge level with added perks. The resort itself is beautiful and has one of the best restaurants in my opinion, Boma. Tell me, who doesn't like comfort foods steaks, hearty soups, vegetables, and super awesome deserts like Zebra domes?

Another interesting place which is new and modern, Bay Lake Towers (BLT). Now I feel like the likely hood of me getting a room here is less than spectacular just over a month out from when I am thinking I would like to arrive, but it makes my list and I wouldn't turn it down. BLT is the newest property in central Florida and offers views of the Magic Kingdom.

Another wonderful resort is Saratoga Springs right next door to Old Key West and Downtown Disney. Saratoga has wonderful rooms and themed with a horse racing motif. I have stayed here several times in the last couple of years. They have plenty of bus stops and boat service to Downtown Disney. Saratoga also has the Tree House Villas. Now the Tree House Villas are not even on my radar because they are three bedroom Villas and I am only getting a studio this time to save on the points. There is still a Food and Wine Festival later this year.

The last DVC property I could have the possibility of staying at is the Wilderness Lodge. I have never stayed at the Wilderness Lodge but I have eaten at Whispering Canyons Cafe, which was excellent. I sure there is a picture somewhere of my "large" Dr. Pepper. I'll find that and post it later. Wilderness Lodge is anything but lost in the wilderness. Full of all the amenities even though it looks rustic. Disney does theming like no one else.

So I will be calling next week to check on room availability. I think my first choice will be the Beach Club Villas, second choice, Animal Kingdom Lodge, Third BLT, 4th OKW. Of course I will take whatever is available if any of these aren't possible but let's keep hope alive. I will keep you all posted when make my final reservations. Research Trip Here I Come!!!

Disney Vacation Club: Vacation Planner

At the first of the New Year I always look forward to receiving 2 things from The Disney Vacation Club in the mail.

First, I watch for the small envelope with our annual dues bill. Yuck! While I don’t like paying the bill, it means we can make reservations for another year. Yea!! Dues cover everything from the front desk, Security, and bus service to property tax. Dues keep the properties running.

The second thing I actually look forward to receiving is a large envelope with the annual DVC Vacation Planner. This is the fun part of the first of the year mail. It lists all the DVC properties and how you can use your vacation points for the coming year.

The Vacation Planner has developed over the years. Originally DVC would send you new point charts every year for what is now Old Key West. Then it became point charts for Old Key West and Vero Beach. It has slowly grown into what we got this month. This year’s edition is almost a “coffee table” picture book that is 9” x 12” with lots of pretty pictures.

The first section is called Reservation Tools and is a synopsis of the rules and regulations that govern DVC and making reservations. Next comes the “fun” parts. The next section has point charts for all of the DVC properties.

First up is Aulani, or properly “Aulani, Disney Vacation Club Villas, Ko Olina, Hawai’i” DVC's newest member. Points here range from 18 points a night (126 for a week) for a Deluxe Studio (standard view) during Adventure Season to 184 point a night (1288 for a week) for a Grand Villa during Premier Season (ocean view). Next up is the new Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort. Points here range from 14-16 points per night or 102 points for a week (standard view Adventure Season) to 1287 for a week (Premier Season) in a Magic Kingdom view Grand Villa. These are followed by point charts of Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas, Disney’s Beach Club Villas, Disney’s Boardwalk Villas, Disney’s Hilton Head Island Resort, Disney’s Old Key West Resort, Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa, Disney’s Vero Beach Resort, The Villas at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa, and The Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge.

That now makes 11 Disney Vacation Club properties. A property you own points at is your “Home Resort” and you have a home resort priority where you may begin to make reservations 11 months from your arrival date. At resorts you do not own a membership you may only make a reservation 7 months out from your arrival date. This 4 month window is your Home Resort Priority.

Other Disney properties that you may use your membership to make reservations for are part of the “Disney Collection”. The Disney Collection includes Moderate and Deluxe resort accommodations at Walt Disney World as well as campsites at Fort Wilderness Campground. Also included here are accommodations at Disneyland in California, Disneyland Paris, Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, and Tokyo Disney Resort. The last section of the Disney Collection is cruises on Disney Cruise Line where for 2011 will go to The Bahamas, the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, the Mexican Rivera, Alaska, Panama Canal and 2 Transatlantic crossings.
The Vacation Planner then shows you all the fantastic places you may go with Adventures by Disney, The World Passport Collection and the Concierge Collection where you may book reservations almost anywhere in the world.

We have been Disney Vacation Club members since 1993 and have used our membership mostly to stay at Walt Disney World. Our home resort is Old Key West. We stay there the most but have also stayed at Saratoga Springs, Boardwalk, and Beach Club resorts at WDW. There have also been stays at Vero Beach, Hilton Head Island, and 2 cruises on Disney Cruise Line. The Vacation Planner is a dream book of how else and where else we can use our membership. It’s like being a kid looking through the Sears Christmas Catalog to find what toys you want for Christmas. This is our dream catalog of vacations that we can take this year, or next, or the next. With Disney Vacation Club the possibilities are almost endless. Where do we go next? I think the next trip may be Ridge’s solo trip to take more WDW pictures to post here.

Team Favorites--Resort Restaurants

Disney resort hotels offer some world-class dining options.  Here are a few favorites of the Growing Up Disney team.


Ridge:  When I think resort dining, I have to pick a time of day to suggest a favorite.  For breakfast I can't think of much better than Tonga Toast at Kona Cafe.  If you have never had such a ride on the sugar train as Tonga Toast will provide, you have not lived.  Tonga Toast is banana stuffed sourdough French toast that is fried and then rolled in cinnamon sugar and served with a strawberry compote and your choice of ham, bacon or sausage.  Pair this up with the 100% Kona coffee press pot, you have quite a breakfast to fuel you up for a park visit.

Part of the gang at the "Testosterone Lunch"
at ESPN the day before the wedding

If I am not in a park, a great place for lunch is the ESPN Club at the Boardwalk.  This is a beer and burgers kind of joint.  Nothing overly fancy and oddly enough I rarely get a burger here.  They are really good and very large, but the Homerun Hotdog or the extreme Reuben Sandwich are two of my favorites.  The hotdog is giant and can be topped with chili, cheese and onions.  For the Reuben, when it says extreme they aren't kidding.  The corned beef is piled high with sauerkraut and Swiss cheese and a thick rye bread.

For dinner, go big and bold or go home.  Boma is the way to go if you aren't looking for something intimate.  Boma is at the Animal Kingdom Lodge downstairs from the lobby.  The menu has items that could be found all over Africa offering a variety of breads, fruits and salads.  Where Boma really brings the heat is with the meats, seafood and other African specialties.
FuFu: sweet and white potatoes mashed with coriander and cinnamon
Bobotie: beef and lamb quiche, Durban spiced chicken and an awesome coconut curry seafood soup.  Can't beat Boma for variety and quality.  Everyone can find something to make them happy here.

DisneyDad at Olivia's in September 2008

DisneyDad:  When we go out to eat at home and my wife asks me where I'd like to go I usually give the same answer - Olivia's.  Olivia's may not have the best food at WDW, but to me, it means I am "home."  I try to eat there at least once on each trip.  Over the years the menu and staff have changed (anyone remember the waitress from long ago called Wanda?) and the menu has been "updated."  My favorite dessert at Olivia's is no longer on the menu, Key Lime White Chocolate Mousse.

The absolute best meal I have ever eaten at WDW (possibly anywhere) was with my daughter two nights before she was married at The Wedding Pavilion.  We had a special Father-Daughter meal together at the Chef's Table at Victoria and Albert's at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort.  Our gastronomic adventure began with the Chef coming to talk to us about our likes, dislikes, and were we allergic to anything.  There was no menu (we were presented with souvenir menus at the end of the meal.)  We didn't choose what we were to eat.  What followed was a ten course meal that was absolutely phenomenal.  The chef explained what each dish was as it was served and each one was wonderful.  Dinner was completed with a coffee service brewed in a unique vacuum coffee pot.  While a once-in-a-lifetime experience, the Chef and staff made it an unforgettable event.


Amy:  Yes, I am a broken record.  I love tea at the Grand Floridian.  It's a fantastic way to spend the afternoon.  It's very refined without being too fussy.

Ready to go to Jiko

Andy and I went to Jiko at Animal Kingdom Lodge on our last trip to celebrate our fifth wedding anniversary.  It was fabulous with excellent food and service.  We had great fun discussing the food.  I know that sounds odd, but we don't get to go out much anymore!  We had olive flatbread and ostrich for appetizers, filet mignon with mac & cheese and halibut for entrees and were given a pistachio creme brulee for dessert.  Pics and full review coming soon.

In early 2005, I crossed the top 3 items off my Disney bucket list.   I received my Mickey medal for completing the Disney marathon, had a spectacular Disney Fairy Tale Wedding, and ate at the chef's table at Victoria and Albert's.  Now that I've also watched my little girl toddle down Main Street USA with my dad, it's all downhill from here.  Kidding!  I agree with Dad, the meal at V&A was the best I will ever have and I am honored to have enjoyed it with him.  I couldn't begin to tell you what all we ate but I'll scan the menus in soon.  If you ever have a good reason for a huge splurge at WDW, don't pass up on Victoria and Albert's if for no other reason than there is a chocolate course!

California Grill at the Contemporary is another remarkable Disney resort restaurant.  We ate here for the rehearsal dinner.  Our group was seated in the private dining room.  The food was outstanding and the view of the fireworks over Magic Kingdom is unmatched.

Boma is always delicious.  It is an African inspired buffet at Animal Kingdom Lodge and never fails to please.

Whispering Canyon at Wilderness Lodge offers a meal served family style and a heaping helping of hi-jinx.

I love breakfast at Kona Cafe at the Polynesian Resort.  Two words: Tonga toast.

I know someone is screaming at their computer screen that they love Chef Mickey's.  We went a billion years ago when it was at what was then the Disney Village.  Our most recent visit was this past April for my daughter's first birthday.  While we enjoyed the visit, it still has yet to earn its place in my favorites list.  Here's my review of Chef Mickey's.

What are your favorite places to dine at the WDW resorts?  Did we include your favorite?  Are we missing a place you love?  Please comment below.