October 2011 Disney World Trip Report, Pt I

Even though there are probably millions of Spaceship Earth photos out there, I know my own photos like parents who like their kids know their own kids. I instantly recognized it as mine, and was a little perturbed. No one had contacted me about using this photo, and Disney aggressively protects its own intellectual property. I wasn’t perturbed-enough to stop and try to “do anything” about it, but I felt it worth noting here anyway. I’m sure it was a manager who put together the tip board and didn’t realize he or she couldn’t use random photos off the internet without permission, but it strikes me as an interesting double standard, nonetheless. I can’t deny that it was neat seeing my photo on ‘display’ at Disney, but I wish it weren’t under those circumstances!

Nick had driven his car to meet us at Caribbean Beach Resort, and our room was a bit of a hike from the Custom House, so I broke one of my rules while at Walt Disney World: I rode in a car. This rule, unfortunately, would be broken a few other times over the course of the trip. After a quick stop in our room so we could drop off our carry-on bags and Sarah could change clothes, we were off to Epcot…in Nick’s car.

Once we got through the bag check and turnstiles, I raced ahead of Nick and Sarah. Spaceship Earth is to me what Cinderella Castle is to Sarah, and Nick and Sarah were having a “real world” discussion. When I first walk under Spaceship Earth, I want to be totally in the moment. I want the entrance area loop to envelop my ears, and I want the great lighting to mesmerize me. I think part of the reason Spaceship Earth is so impressive to me when I see it in person is because I spend so much time looking at photos of it. No matter how many photos I take of it, I’ve never managed to capture the true grandeur and amazing scale of Spaceship Earth. Because of this, each time I walk under it for the first time during a trip, it amazes me how large it is in comparison to what I’ve become “used to” from looking at photos. Over the course of the trip, I become “used to” the large size of Spaceship Earth, but that’s wiped away again during the void (and photo-viewing) time between trips.

After I had my moment with Spaceship Earth, they caught up with me, and we headed over to the rest room. Now, I hadn’t used the rest room since we left Indianapolis, which was many hours ago, but we were standing right under Spaceship Earth with its beautiful nighttime lighting, so instead of doing the responsible thing, I set up my tripod and snapped a few shots while waiting for the others. Honestly, at that point, I was so “hungry” to take some photos that I probably would’ve wet myself rather than miss out on the opportunity to photograph Spaceship Earth. I guess I’m just that dedicated to photography. Or crazy.

Somehow, it was determined that we’d do Test Track first. I think I was screwing around with the camera when this decision was made, and I just sort of blindly followed Sarah and Nick. Now, don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against Test Track, but I feel you should start each trip out with a truly special attraction. in Epcot, the attractions that qualify for this are: Soarin, Spaceship Earth, Livin’ with the Land, Ellen’s Energy Adventure (yes, you read correctly), American Adventure, and Maelstrom. While Test Track holds the crown as the second most popular Epcot attraction, it’s low on my list. We should have done Spaceship Earth first.

While in the single rider line for Test Track, I was looking around for any sign I could find of the upcoming refurbishment. For those who don’t spend their days combing the Disney rumor mill like me, the scuttlebutt is that Test Track will close in 8 months for a refurbishment that will make Chevrolet more prominent, but also will give the dark ride scenes a lot more substance. I’ve read it described as Test Track meets World of Motion meets Tron. Whatever that means.

Regardless of what it means, I’m excited. Not only do I think Test Track is stale, but I don’t think it was that great in the first place. Conceptually, it’s solid, and I understand that EPCOT Center needed thrill rides, but it doesn’t stack up to World of Motion in terms of detail, character, and richness. Anything done to add more substance to the many dark voids within the dark ride area get a resounding thumbs up from me. Usually I’m more of a ‘wait and see’ type person before applauding or condemning anything, but her, I’m more than happy to give this prior approval.

For all my complaints, Test Track at night is pretty exhilarating. Plus, the wait wasn’t long at all, so I can’t really complain. After Test Track, we went to the second most “special” attraction in Epcot. That is, if you’re playing really fast and loose with the term special, or going for duplicity of meaning. Yes, I’m talking about Journey into Imagination with Figment, which is about as depressing of a way as any for me to start out a trip.

The attraction was fun, but only because it gave me the chance to see an old friend, even if in a bastardized form, and also because I decided to photograph it with my fisheye lens, which produced some unique images.

On the plus side, there was a multi-color lighting package in the second story ImageWorks turned on that I’ve never seen in person. It was really cool! After the attraction, I stopped to take a few photos there, which was surprisingly difficult given angles, lenses I was using, and what I wanted to accomplish. While I was taking the photos, Sarah and Nick headed over to the Electric Umbrella, to grab a quick meal.

There are multiple pages in this Walt Disney World trip report installment. Navigate to the next page below!