>Great Signs on Disney Property

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Two Great Signs on the Disney roads.

One of the best signs ever…

One of the neatest signs at night.

A couple of great places to eat, with great signage.

 And a great sign that is no longer lit…

>Say Cheese….

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Suntan lotion?: Got it.

Water Bottle? : Yes.

Money?: Yup.

 

Room Keys?: I got mine.

Park Tickets?: I have them.

Taking the Camera?: Yes.

Extra Batteries?: Where are They?

Memory Card?: There’s no more room!?!?

Should we just leave it?: I guess.

My wife and I have had this conversation on more than one occasion over the years. It usually happens before a long outing to the parks, or when we know we’re going to a park that isn’t close to the Resort where we are staying. As you can see, it usually goes well until the camera question. Taking the camera to the parks is always a tough decision for us. I like to take the pictures of the Parks and the Family, but carrying the bag around gets to be a pain. Most of the time, we’ll take the camera in the morning, and not in the afternoon or evening. We travel lighter after lunch it seems. Before that though, we take the video camera and the still camera and the bag with extra batteries, an extra memory card and all the other paraphernalia. Sometimes we actually only carry the Camera Bag to carry the sun tan lotion and other small items we may need during the day, while I carry the camera around separately I know that seems odd, but I’m sure (hope) there are many other people that do it also.

There are times when you want to take the camera with you for a specific reason. Maybe you want to take a picture of something you had seen the day before and wanted to remember it, so taking the camera makes sense, other times you are thinking of nothing but going through the Park and going

through every Attraction you missed earlier in your trip, you don’t want to take the camera, but you never know what character you may meet or if when you get to the Magic Kingdom, You decide you want a picture of the kids in front of the Castle, because Main Street USA seems empty that day. So, What Do you DO?

On days like this, you leave the camera behind. If you want that Picture of the kids in front of the castle, you can still get it. Disney has this wonderful Unknown Magic that will make it easier on you. It’s called Disney’s PhotoPass. Visitors to the Parks may have noticed these people before, I’m sure, and if you’ve been to other amusement parks, they have similar programs. For first Time Disney Visitors let me explain it to you, when you first enter any of the parks, as you see the Park’s Focal Point (the Castle, Sorcerers Hat, Tree of Life, Spaceship Earth) there are cast members walking about. These cast members are part of Disney’s Photography Corps. Known as the PhotoPass Photographers, these cast members are professional photographers, there to take pictures of you and your family while framing you with a Magical Background. They also add extra little Disney touches to your Photos.They are in all Four Theme Parks and not just at the entrance. A lot of times these cast members are at character meet and greets and just roaming around the Parks.

I know some cynical people reading this will say, “But this is just another way for Disney to take my money”. If that is your attitude, you probably shouldn’t be reading this blog anyway, but for a cast member to take your picture, it is free. Not only that, but you don’t have to purchase anything at the Park. Now, that is a Magical thing, because that means there is no pressure from Disney or from your kids to get a picture.

What happens is this; when they take your picture, they record information from a little card onto the memory card of the camera. This saves the pictures under your card number (make sure you have your card handy throughout the day, that way if any other PhotoPass people take your picture you can have all the pictures on the same account). Then you can look at the pictures later, either at the park (there are areas in each park that you can go and view your pictures, with help from cast members, or at home at your own convenience. This service is available on line for quite awhile after your vacation ends, so you can take your time putting together your scrape books or even finding that perfect picture for your Christmas cards.

PhotoPass may not seem like a big thing, but if your family is in Disney World for the first time, it is great to have a Family Picture where no one is left out because they are taking the picture and the picture is professionally done. These Pictures of your Magical Experience will be treasured for years to come. At this moment, I’m looking at a picture of my Parents with the Grandchildren standing in front of Cinderella Castle that was taken three years ago, it is making me smile to remember that trip.

So, now you know, you can leave the camera behind and still get a great family picture in any of the parks that will let you remember your Magical Experiences for years to come.

>Say Cheese….

>Suntan lotion?: Got it.

Water Bottle? : Yes.

Money?: Yup.

Room Keys?: I got mine.

Park Tickets?: I have them.

Taking the Camera?: Yes.

Extra Batteries?: Where are They?

Memory Card?: There’s no more room!?!?

Should we just leave it?: I guess.

My wife and I have had this conversation on more than one occasion over the years. It usually happens before a long outing to the parks, or when we know we’re going to a park that isn’t close to the Resort where we are staying. As you can see, it usually goes well until the camera question. Taking the camera to the parks is always a tough decision for us. I like to take the pictures of the Parks and the Family, but carrying the bag around gets to be a pain. Most of the time, we’ll take the camera in the morning, and not in the afternoon or evening. We travel lighter after lunch it seems. Before that though, we take the video camera and the still camera and the bag with extra batteries, an extra memory card and all the other paraphernalia. Sometimes we actually only carry the Camera Bag to carry the sun tan lotion and other small items we may need during the day, while I carry the camera around separately I know that seems odd, but I’m sure (hope) there are many other people that do it also.

There are times when you want to take the camera with you for a specific reason. Maybe you want to take a picture of something you had seen the day before and wanted to remember it, so taking the camera makes sense, other times you are thinking of nothing but going through the Park and going through every Attraction you missed earlier in your trip, you don’t want to take the camera, but you never know what character you may meet or if when you get to the Magic Kingdom, You decide you want a picture of the kids in front of the Castle, because Main Street USA seems empty that day. So, What Do you DO?

On days like this, you leave the camera behind. If you want that Picture of the kids in front of the castle, you can still get it. Disney has this wonderful Unknown Magic that will make it easier on you. It’s called Disney’s PhotoPass. Visitors to the Parks may have noticed these people before, I’m sure, and if you’ve been to other amusement parks, they have similar programs. For first Time Disney Visitors let me explain it to you, when you first enter any of the parks, as you see the Park’s Focal Point (the Castle, Sorcerers Hat, Tree of Life, Spaceship Earth) there are cast members walking about. These cast members are part of Disney’s Photography Corps. Known as the PhotoPass Photographers, these cast members are professional photographers, there to take pictures of you and your family while framing you with a Magical Background. They also add extra little Disney touches to your Photos.They are in all Four Theme Parks and not just at the entrance. A lot of times these cast members are at character meet and greets and just roaming around the Parks.

I know some cynical people reading this will say, “But this is just another way for Disney to take my money”. If that is your attitude, you probably shouldn’t be reading this blog anyway, but for a cast member to take your picture, it is free. Not only that, but you don’t have to purchase anything at the Park. Now, that is a Magical thing, because that means there is no pressure from Disney or from your kids to get a picture.

What happens is this; when they take your picture, they record information from a little card onto the memory card of the camera. This saves the pictures under your card number (make sure you have your card handy throughout the day, that way if any other PhotoPass people take your picture you can have all the pictures on the same account). Then you can look at the pictures later, either at the park (there are areas in each park that you can go and view your pictures, with help from cast members, or at home at your own convenience. This service is available on line for quite awhile after your vacation ends, so you can take your time putting together your scrape books or even finding that perfect picture for your Christmas cards.

PhotoPass may not seem like a big thing, but if your family is in Disney World for the first time, it is great to have a Family Picture where no one is left out because they are taking the picture and the picture is professionally done. These Pictures of your Magical Experience will be treasured for years to come. At this moment, I’m looking at a picture of my Parents with the Grandchildren standing in front of Cinderella Castle that was taken three years ago, it is making me smile to remember that trip.

So, now you know, you can leave the camera behind and still get a great family picture in any of the parks that will let you remember your Magical Experiences for years to come.

>All Signs point to Magic!

>There is actually a picture in my mom’s house, where it looks like my sister is flying. She was running down the steps on Christmas morning. We used to have to wait for what seemed like hours, for my Dad to get up and go down stairs, get the coffee started, get the tree lights on, and set up the camera. The whole time, we’d hear things like, “Wow, that’s a big one,” or “I wonder who that’s for.” And we’d be dying at the top of the stairs. Then as we were told we could come down, we’d shove and push and “FLY” down the stairs. (In the picture mentioned above, my sister isn’t touching the any steps and she is leaning forward, bathrobe out behind her like a cape, she’s “Flying”. It is a pretty neat picture.) As we settled in before opening presents, I remember the feeling of awe, looking at the colors and the packages, and the anticipation of what was inside of them.

I get this feeling of awe in Walt Disney World all the time. It is brought on by a Magic from the anticipation that is brought on by the signage all around.

The signs in Walt Disney World do more than tell you directions or the names of the places. Of course, they help you understand the area, as signs are meant to do, but In Walt Disney World, they bring about an anticipation of something wonderful.

For Example, this sign:

is on the road leading into the Walt Disney property. Every time we see it one of us will make a comment about getting close. It raises the level of excitement knowing that we are close enough for instructions to be given by Mickey. This sign and the one below, get you all excited before you even arrive into the Resorts. They start the anticipation of Magical Experiences, before you even arrive.

Then when you get to the parks, some signs are very basic, but still give a Magical Feeling:

Some are more ornate and only give directions, but still offer the promise of a Magical Experience.

And others are special Disney signs that fill you with Magic when you see them.

The Signage in Walt Disney World is like Christmas morning, it brings about an anticipation that adds to your Magic.

Of course the sign that gives the most anticipated  Magical Experience in Walt Disney World, is:

Now that you Know, you can look for the signs to enhance your Magical Experience!