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A first-timer back from an amazing week! With photos!

We got back this morning at 12 AM from an amazing week and I just wanted to say thank you to everyone for all the tips and tricks and for putting up with a first-timer and her millions of questions! I wanted to share bit about our experience! I told my husband that the reason why we had such a great time was because we were well prepared and had a ton of information which is part of being on DIS and also digging around on the net reading blog posts, etc.

So we did 4 days at the parks which was the perfect amount for us. 1st day was HS which was fantastic, TONS to do there and we were not disappointed whatsoever! 2nd was MK, then AK then finished with MK again. The schedule we chose was great for our family, I can't imagine doing any more than 4 days but that is just us! My tip is that you know your family better than anyone so don't be pressured into doing more or less days.

The crowd levels... yeah.. they were crazy! We went on a supposedly "low crowd' week and granted I have nothing to compare it to, but it was definitely full and busy. However with the fastpass system and booking more fastpasses once our first three were gone we were able to do pretty much everything we wanted to do and have absolutely no regrets whatsoever. We did a TON of stuff and had a blast! The weather was awesome, we had 10 ponchos packed and only used 2 for the Kali River Rapids, lol. :)

We had no problems with ride closures at all. If there were closures we didn't run into it. I was thankful that wasn't an issue for us! We stayed off site and rented a stroller for our kids ages 6 and 7 and were SO glad we did! We also packed lunches which saved us money and the stroller was handy to have to carry all of our stuff and mostly to get us back to the parking lot at the end of the night. Overall I am really happy we stayed off-site, I don't think we would ever do it differently (if we go back) as the money we saved was huge and we got so sick of the food after the first couple days! ETA: This is all just our own experience and what worked for us!

There was so much about our trip that had me near tears, but the fireworks at MK really took my breath away! The green area in front of Casey's was a perfect spot to view them. I believe very shortly it is going to be blocked off for only reserved guests so I felt super fortunate that the area was still available because it wasn't nearly as packed as the streets. It allowed me to get some great shots (I was feeling a bit out of place with my tripod and nice camera set up, but I am so happy I took them with me!) Don't worry, I didn't block anyone's view ;)

Here are two of my favourite shots from the fireworks:






IMG_4971_Web_zps1mrjdj6u.jpg


IMG_4986_Web_zpscklmwsvy.jpg


Overall an absolutely fantastic trip, loved every minute!
Thanks again everyone!


Please tell me how you took your pics I so love them
 


Is this for real, or a tongue in cheek post?

Seems like an advertisement, with a plug for the photographer...
Wow, cynical much?

OPs post is such a breath of fresh air adding here. So many posters focus on all the negative I'm happy that someone else can go and still have a great time.

And I too would watermark any photo that is as great as those. Professional or not
 


There was so much about our trip that had me near tears, but the fireworks at MK really took my breath away! The green area in front of Casey's was a perfect spot to view them. I believe very shortly it is going to be blocked off for only reserved guests so I felt super fortunate that the area was still available because it wasn't nearly as packed as the streets. It allowed me to get some great shots (I was feeling a bit out of place with my tripod and nice camera set up, but I am so happy I took them with me!) Don't worry, I didn't block anyone's view ;)

Yes! This was my favorite spot to watch the fireworks in January and sort of a secret as it wasn't too crowded. It's too bad this will be gone in a few weeks.
 
Love the pictures! Where did you stay?

We stayed off site at a VRBO condo. We didn't love the condo itself but had no issues staying off site. It was about a half hour drive to Disney World but our kids were up so early in the morning, it was no problem getting there early!
 
sounds like an amazing first trip. You are so correct that with so much to do, if something happens to be closed, there are plenty of other things to take its place. As you make more trips, you may find a chance to stay on property, and the convenience of being close and in the magic.

Great photos. Thanks for sharing. Jealous of how good they look, but you also had to tote equipment and tripod - so you worked for those photos.
 
We got back this morning at 12 AM from an amazing week and I just wanted to say thank you to everyone for all the tips and tricks and for putting up with a first-timer and her millions of questions! I wanted to share bit about our experience! I told my husband that the reason why we had such a great time was because we were well prepared and had a ton of information which is part of being on DIS and also digging around on the net reading blog posts, etc.

So we did 4 days at the parks which was the perfect amount for us. 1st day was HS which was fantastic, TONS to do there and we were not disappointed whatsoever! 2nd was MK, then AK then finished with MK again. The schedule we chose was great for our family, I can't imagine doing any more than 4 days but that is just us! My tip is that you know your family better than anyone so don't be pressured into doing more or less days.

The crowd levels... yeah.. they were crazy! We went on a supposedly "low crowd' week and granted I have nothing to compare it to, but it was definitely full and busy. However with the fastpass system and booking more fastpasses once our first three were gone we were able to do pretty much everything we wanted to do and have absolutely no regrets whatsoever. We did a TON of stuff and had a blast! The weather was awesome, we had 10 ponchos packed and only used 2 for the Kali River Rapids, lol. :)

We had no problems with ride closures at all. If there were closures we didn't run into it. I was thankful that wasn't an issue for us! We stayed off site and rented a stroller for our kids ages 6 and 7 and were SO glad we did! We also packed lunches which saved us money and the stroller was handy to have to carry all of our stuff and mostly to get us back to the parking lot at the end of the night. Overall I am really happy we stayed off-site, I don't think we would ever do it differently (if we go back) as the money we saved was huge and we got so sick of the food after the first couple days! ETA: This is all just our own experience and what worked for us!

There was so much about our trip that had me near tears, but the fireworks at MK really took my breath away! The green area in front of Casey's was a perfect spot to view them. I believe very shortly it is going to be blocked off for only reserved guests so I felt super fortunate that the area was still available because it wasn't nearly as packed as the streets. It allowed me to get some great shots (I was feeling a bit out of place with my tripod and nice camera set up, but I am so happy I took them with me!) Don't worry, I didn't block anyone's view ;)

Here are two of my favourite shots from the fireworks:

IMG_4971_MoanaWeb_zpsj40dkmmq.jpg


IMG_4986_Web_zpscklmwsvy.jpg


Overall an absolutely fantastic trip, loved every minute!
Thanks again everyone!


Wonderful photos!! So glad you had a magical time.
 
We got back this morning at 12 AM from an amazing week and I just wanted to say thank you to everyone for all the tips and tricks and for putting up with a first-timer and her millions of questions! I wanted to share bit about our experience! I told my husband that the reason why we had such a great time was because we were well prepared and had a ton of information which is part of being on DIS and also digging around on the net reading blog posts, etc.

So we did 4 days at the parks which was the perfect amount for us. 1st day was HS which was fantastic, TONS to do there and we were not disappointed whatsoever! 2nd was MK, then AK then finished with MK again. The schedule we chose was great for our family, I can't imagine doing any more than 4 days but that is just us! My tip is that you know your family better than anyone so don't be pressured into doing more or less days.

The crowd levels... yeah.. they were crazy! We went on a supposedly "low crowd' week and granted I have nothing to compare it to, but it was definitely full and busy. However with the fastpass system and booking more fastpasses once our first three were gone we were able to do pretty much everything we wanted to do and have absolutely no regrets whatsoever. We did a TON of stuff and had a blast! The weather was awesome, we had 10 ponchos packed and only used 2 for the Kali River Rapids, lol. :)

We had no problems with ride closures at all. If there were closures we didn't run into it. I was thankful that wasn't an issue for us! We stayed off site and rented a stroller for our kids ages 6 and 7 and were SO glad we did! We also packed lunches which saved us money and the stroller was handy to have to carry all of our stuff and mostly to get us back to the parking lot at the end of the night. Overall I am really happy we stayed off-site, I don't think we would ever do it differently (if we go back) as the money we saved was huge and we got so sick of the food after the first couple days! ETA: This is all just our own experience and what worked for us!

There was so much about our trip that had me near tears, but the fireworks at MK really took my breath away! The green area in front of Casey's was a perfect spot to view them. I believe very shortly it is going to be blocked off for only reserved guests so I felt super fortunate that the area was still available because it wasn't nearly as packed as the streets. It allowed me to get some great shots (I was feeling a bit out of place with my tripod and nice camera set up, but I am so happy I took them with me!) Don't worry, I didn't block anyone's view ;)

Here are two of my favourite shots from the fireworks:

IMG_4971_MoanaWeb_zpsj40dkmmq.jpg


IMG_4986_Web_zpscklmwsvy.jpg


Overall an absolutely fantastic trip, loved every minute!
Thanks again everyone!
Your pics of the fireworks are beautiful!! So nice to hear it went so well. Our first time as a family with our kids was 2014 and we didn't plan a darn thing but it still went really well and we fell in love with Disney!!
 
Glad you had an awesome trip but remember this bit of wisdom in 2006 I took my then 5 year old daughter to Disney for 12 days. It was going to be a once and done. Now in June I will be taking my daughter back for her 5th trip. We stayed at Riverside and I looked at people who stayed deluxe as a little crazy. And for our 5th trip we are staying at the Animal Kingdom Lodge ( I have issues telling her no ).
 
Glad you had such a great time! I have the mentality of what works for one family may not work for another, and you took that to heart. I am glad you found what works for you all and had a blast! Those firework pictures are ah-mazing, I am not sure why someone would think you're advertising by a watermark. Anyway, thanks for sharing your positive experience!
 
I am a professional photographer so yes, I watermark all of my images! If you care to have a look at my company blog you can let me know and I'll send you the link. (I am not trying to advertise for Disney if that is what you mean?) ETA: I am actually in the slow process of shutting down my business, so even if people happened to live where I do I wouldn't be taking on new business anyways, plus there isn't a lot of call for fireworks photographers where I live, lol. (If you think I am adding photos to advertise my business? Honestly not following..)

Anyways, I am just proud of the images I got, I did a ton of research into how to shoot fireworks and it was my first time doing them. I don't want my images stolen.

I am happy to give a glowing report of Disney because we had a fabulous trip and it looks to me like some people need to hear some positive reviews for once! :)

I am a photographer too, but I’ve never been able to nail down the elusive amazing fireworks shots! You had an amazing viewing spot too, that helps! If you are willing to share, where did you get your tips from?
 
Wow! Love your pictures! I can imagine how difficult it is to take fireworks shots. Thanks for sharing them!
 

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