Day 3, Part 1: Long lines and VIP treatment at Magic Kingdom
After the half, I went back to my hotel, got cleaned up and had a bite to eat. I'm pretty sure I had an FP+ for Space Mountain late morning/early afternoon, but I skipped it in lieu of drinks and chatting with Dis-folks after the race.
By the time I got to Magic Kingdom, I was pretty much right on time for my Seven Dwarfs Mine Train FP+, so I went ahead and did that.
614387411 by
Lee Hermiston, on Flickr
My memory of Magic Kingdom that day is not great, but from there I think I did Philharmagic, Country Bears, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, the PeopleMover and I must've done Buzz Lightyear because I have a photo in my Memory Maker.
It was probably early afternoon at this point and the lines were long for everything. I remember thinking Magic Kingdom was exceedingly busy this trip, which didn't match my Touring Plans crowd projections at all. Since I was traveling solo, it didn't bother me too much.
Rather than wait upward of an hour for pretty much anything or just hang out at MK for several hours before Happily Ever After, I decided to go back to my hotel. So, I went back to ASM, ate some dinner and watched some TV. Nothing fancy, but it was relaxing.
Happily Ever After was scheduled to start at 8 and I wanted to get a good spot for photos, so I tried to head back and give myself 45-60 minutes to secure a spot. I came back to the park thinking I had given myself enough time to get a spot right at the Partners statue. Boy, was I wrong. The hub was fairly packed at least 45 minutes before HEA started.
So, I went back to the walkway that goes to Tommorowland Terrace and decided to just set up there. After setting up my tripod, a cast member walked up to me and asked if I was planning on watching/shooting the fireworks from there. Uh oh. I said yeaaaaah? And she said they had to keep that entire walkway clear. Crap.
Initially, the CM told me I would need to find another spot, which I was totally understanding of, though I expressed that was probably unlikely given the crowd. Not complaining or giving her a hard time, just sort of reserved to not get a good HEA spot that night unless I went to the back of the castle.
Well, the CM said hold on a second, got on her radio and asked a question. I didn't hear the question and I don't think she got a response, but she said forget it, she'd take me over there anyway. So, not knowing where we were going, I packed my stuff and followed her to the opposite side of the hub (by Casey's Corner). There was a roped off area that which basically mirrored where I was at by the Plaza restaurant that had no one in it. Since there were a bunch of folks in wheelchairs to the left of that are, I assumed it was an ADA area set aside that wasn't necessary for that night. The CM said I could set up in there and it was a perfect spot!
Eventually, I was joined by a few more people, but no one blocked my shots or messed with my gear. It ended up being a tremendous spot to shoot HEA. I definitely felt like I got the VIP treatment from that cast member.
Oh, and I think my photos turned out pretty well! (A good thing since
@jennamfeo said they had to since I got a sweet spot)
DSC_4605 by
Lee Hermiston, on Flickr
DSC_4608 by
Lee Hermiston, on Flickr
DSC_4621 by
Lee Hermiston, on Flickr
DSC_4622 by
Lee Hermiston, on Flickr
DSC_4633 by
Lee Hermiston, on Flickr
DSC_4641 by
Lee Hermiston, on Flickr
DSC_4649 by
Lee Hermiston, on Flickr
All in all, this was an all-time great MK fireworks shooting experience and I think I have the photos to back that up. I've had a lot of frustrations shooting in MK in the past, largely due to rude people, but this time I think I could say, "mission accomplished."
I don't think I did anything after the fireworks (that might actually be when I hopped on Buzz, now that I think of it) and not feeling like waiting in lines or staying up any later, I went back to my hotel, watched a little TV and then went to sleep before the full.
Next up ... The Goof Troop Roving Road Party rolls out!
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