October Snow Storm Predicted 13 Months in Advance

When I predicted the 2010 ice storm three months before it happened I thought it was dumb luck. After all, the worst ice storm in history hit NH when I went to Disney in 2008. So I figured something would happen when I went in 2010…and it did.


Based on history I joking said another massive storm would hit between 10/19 and 10/27. How was I to know that I was going to be just three days off on my prediction? The third most devastating storm in history of NH would hit on 10/30. Nearly 250,000 people left without power.

Yes this is no Joke. I predicted this event 13 months in advance. I tell you, when I go to Disney bad things happen. I’d make my next Disney trip in the summer but then a hurricane would hit.

Now if you think I am kidding check out the following:

2010 Storm Prediction:


http://thecousinmickeydoesnttalkabout.blogspot.com/2009/12/awful-weather-predicted-for-first-week.html

Confirmation of that storm:

http://thecousinmickeydoesnttalkabout.blogspot.com/2010/03/unofficially-banned-from-disney-world.html

October 2011 Storm Prediction

http://thecousinmickeydoesnttalkabout.blogspot.com/2010/09/state-of-new-hampshire-post-weather.html

Review of the Polynesian

A lot of people rave about the Polynesian and there are valid reasons for this.  The Polynesian has a lot going for it.  You can walk to the TTC, the Magic Kingdom is a short monorail ride away and then there is the decor.


Outdoors the Poly is second to none.  The place is swarming with flowers, plants, trees, and shrubs.  On top of that you also run into the stream, springs and volcano pool.  Oh and did I forget to mention the Electric Water Pageant and view of the Magic Kingdom fireworks?

Inside Poly is a mixed bag. The main building is nice and the fountain in the lobby great.  Sadly those are the best features that can be found inside the Poly.

The check in area is cramped.  I get the feeling that when it gets busy it's not a fun place to be.  The non flora decor is bland and almost ugly.  I guess if you really like that kind of style it wouldn't be bad.

The restaurants are okay.  Ohana is average in almost every way.  The Kona Cafe is actually is best dining location on property (see my review of both of those restaurants for more info).  Captain Cooks is good for a quick service meal. There are two aspects about it that stand out. First they have the cool ordering kiosks there. Second you can get a Dole Whip.  Yes you can get a pine apple Dole Whip at the Poly.

The pools are decent.  The adults pool is nothing to write home about.  It's small but it tends to be empty which is nice.  The main pool is larger but still a little small by deluxe standards.  However, the main pool has a volcano with a water slide in it.  The water slide is mostly in the dark an it's fast.  If you lay down on it you will hit the water so hard water will shoot right up your nose. I wish I didn't know that.

The rooms at the Poly are nice but are not as good as other rooms on property.   They are big but rather ugly. The colors are dark and that's not really a good thing.  No matter what the room seems dirty even though house keeping keeps them perfectly clean.  The balcony is bigger than the ones found at the Contemporary but it may have just seemed that way.  The beds and general decor did not match up to Contemporary.  Even the bathroom isn't as good as the ones found in the tower at the Contemporary.  Don't let all of this give you the wrong impression.  Even though you can find better rooms on property these rooms are still nice, large, and clean.

Overall the Poly is a nice hotel but in the end I can't help but feel that it's a little overrated.  Considering the HUGE price you pay I can't recommend staying at the Poly.  If you are going to pay that much the use a discount code and stay in the Contemporary Tower or at the Boardwalk.  Both have great locations and great rooms.

If you want to see a video overview of a room at the Poly click here.

Photo of the Week - The Haunted Mansion at Night

The Haunted Mansion at night is creepy but how can you make it creepier?  First - DO NOT switch your camera to black and white.  You can always convert a photo to black and white but you can't convert a black and white to color. 

Next - bust out the tripod.  Your going to put your camera on the dial that says "S." This is the shutter priority mode.  What this means is you can tell your camera how long to expose the shot and it will do the rest of the work. 

Now set your exposure to at least 1 second.  The reason for this is simple. Anyone who walks into the shot is going to show up as a ghostly blur. 

Now there is another way to pull this off but it requires a very high end camera.  When you set a long exposure the camera compensates by by using a lower ISO.  A low ISO like 100 has little to no noise.  When you speed up the ISO you see more and more noise.  The better the camera the higher you can push the ISO without noise.

If you have a mid range SLR camera you could pull off to 1600 ISO with low noise.  This means you can set your camera to a "multiple exposure" mode.  This means your camera will take two shots and combine them.  If you time it right everyone will be in focus but see through. 

Anyways no matter how you do it the effect is a cool photo.

New Video: Mariachi Cobre Part One

If you like mariachi then you will like this video.  If you don't like mariachi then you will like this video for another reason. 

When crowds hit the higher end of the spectrum Disney makes adjustments.  Normally the mariachi band is found inside of the Mexico Pavilion.  They typically play by the wall in between the entrance to the San Angel Inn and the Grand Fiesta Tour.  However, when the crowds grow more space is needed to expand the line for the tour.  When this happens the mariachi band moves outside by the stairs (as seen in this video).

I could see how this could be an issue in the summer.  I can imagine it would be tough playing in 90+ degree heat and brutal humidity with no shade.  Good times!

You can see the video here.

New Video Posted: Moroccan Belly Dancer

World Showcase has something for everyone.  I'm not sure who the belly dancer is for but I'm sure there is someone out there who is really into that.

If you are into belly dancing you'll love this video.  It was captured in October 2011 during the food and wine festival. 

I'm not sure how often the belly dancer dances outside.  I've only seen her in the restaurant in Morocco before but her being outside may have had something to do with the crowd levels.  To put it lightly the crowds were insane on the day this footage was taken.  According to Touringplans.com it was a 9 out 10.  It was wall to wall people.

You can see the video here.

Dining Review: The Brown Derby for Dinner (Worst Dining Experience to Date)

I'd been to the Brown Derby once before for lunch.  It was a very nice experience with good food and good service.  It was basically what you would expect from a signature dining experience at Disney World.

On my current trip we decided to try The Brown Derby for dinner.  We were really looking forward to considering our previous experience with the Derby.  In truth we were in for an exceptional experience that we will never forget.

We had an ADR for 6:25. My wife really wasn't feeling well so I asked if we could postpone our ADR.  The girl at the check in counter had no problem with it and said she'd put our ADR on hold. I actually thought this would work to our advantage because the first showing of Fantasmic was at 7:30 and I expected the place to empty out a little.  I had no idea what kind of impact would result from this decision.

At 7:10 my wife was feeling better so we headed over and got seated by 7:15.  Within a couple of minutes our server came over and introduced himself and took our soft drink orders.  At around 7:20 he came back and took our app orders.  At this point I got an odd feeling.  Something seemed off.  He was not following the old cookie cutter Disney dining process.  Instead of waiting and combining our drink (alcohol not soft drink), app, and main course order, he broke this up.  We ended up ordering our alcohol order with our main course.  This caused issues later.

about five minutes later he comes back to get our main course order and get our alcohol order.  Around 7:30 we get our Cobb Salads but no drinks.  A few minutes later the drinks come.  Overall things are a little slow and confused at this point but we were in no rush. Before asking if we need anything else he takes off and ignores our empty soda glasses.

Forty minutes (thirty minutes after going dry) after the start of our meal we get a drink refill. At least that's what it was supposed to be.  My wife got a Sprite (correct). I got an iced tea (no one at our table was drinking iced tea.  I was drinking Sprite).  My niece got what appeared to be water (correct).  My niece proceeds to take a sip of her water and nearly spits it across the table.  Her water was not water but a Sprite.

At this point our waiter's fast pass for Toy Story must have been up because he disappears for thirty five minutes.  I am not kidding THIRTY FIVE MINUTES.  That means it took one hour and fifteen minutes to get our main course.  Our waiter mumbled something that none of us could make out and then took off.

I take a bite of my lamb...it's hardly even warm.  I try the potatoes...less warm.  I try the green beans...cold.  My wife and nieces food...cold.  By the consistency of the sauce on my lamb I estimate it sat under a heating lamp for a very, very long time.

I sit there for five minutes with my hands in my lap before our waiter appears, looks at us, says nothing, and then runs away.

At this point I feel my blood pressure rising.

At the one hour and twenty minute mark he checks with the table next to us, looks at us,  makes eye contact with my niece and then starts to run away.  My niece bursts out laughing.  This causes him to stop, look back, and then continue his retreat.

At the one hour and twenty five minute mark he reappears.  Takes my wife and niece's plate.  Comes to me and asks if I am done.  I have a full plate of cold food that I have hardly touched since it arrived.  Wouldn't you think you should ask if the food is okay? I let him take the food.  I am in such shock my mind starts to shut down.

At the one hour and thirty minute mark he reappears with some desert menus and vanishes.

He reappears a couple of minutes later to take our desert order.  Order all of our deserts to go.

He shows up with the deserts and bill at at the one hour and forty minute mark.  At this point my wife offers to take care of the rest because she can tell that if I stay in my seat any longer I'm going to kill and eat the waiter so I can eat something warm.

My wife and niece finally escape the Brown Derby after a total of one hour and fifty minutes.

In the meantime I head right to guest relations.  After forty plus dining experiences in WDW I am making my first trip to guest relations to lodge a complaint.  I've never gone to guest services to complain about anything before.  This dining experience was so outstanding bad I could not sit back and let it go.  Normally I would simply write up a bad review and be done with it.  This was so bad it needed more.

I didn't ask for a refund or anything like that. I kept a cool head and tried not to laugh at the absurdity of what just took place as I relayed the details to college program cast member from Virgina Tech who took notes.

I wish this experience ended at that.  Yes there is more.  When I got back to my room I went to have desert.  I had a piece of grape fruit upside down cake.  Yes our waiter dumped my slice of cake into the box perfectly upside down.

I don't know what it was about us that so offended this waiter.  I do know that his kind service earned a 10% tip on a $240 bill.  We normally would have tipped 25% on a bill of that size.  Now some people would wonder why we didn't just blow him off.  Both my wife and I have working in the food service industry.  We always leave some kind of tip.  Maybe he was just  having a really bad day and our stiffing him a tip would cause him to take it out on another table.  Granted he should be more professional than that but he had already proved that he was not capable of being professional.

Final Note:  Just to drive home how bad this experience was - I took the time out of my vacation to write this review.  It was so bad I could not wait.

Len Testa is Real

The Yeti, ghosts, the boogie man, and Len Testa.  All of these mythical creatures have existed in folklore and legend but there has never been any solid evidence of any of them until now.

Late on Saturday afternoon the ever elusive "Len Testa" was not just spotted but photographed in his natural environment.  Notice his distinct "t" marking that separates him from the other wild animals in back of Epcot.

In this rare photo we also see that the "Len Testa" has taken a woman hostage.  You can tell by the fear clearly written on her face that she is terrified and desperately wants to escape the clutches of this dangerous specimen.

It is believed that the L.T. was lured to the rear of Epcot by the myriad of smells from the Food and Wine Festival.  However, there is one smell that the L.T. appears to have been following.

When this photo was taken the L.T. was seen heading in the direction of Mexico.  As all L.T. hunters know it's favorite consumable, mass quantities of tequila, can be found there.

Be forewarned for the next few days you could run into a L.T. in any of the parks in Disney World.  The only safe zone will be on Sunday at the Hollywood Studios.  The L.T.s natural enemy, the rarely spotted "Matticakes Hochberg" is expected to be roaming that park.

Photo of the Week - Bay Lake at Sunset

If you are wondering how you can capture this photo there it's a multi step process.  First you need a camera that does bracketing.  If you do not have that you need to set your camera to take a normal exposure for the first photo, under exposed for the second, and over exposed for the third. 

Next you will need some kind of HDR photo software.  What this software does is take all three of your photos and merges them.  It takes the master and layers the extra info from the bright sections from your under exposed and the extra info from the dark sections from the over exposed image.  In theory this provides an image that is much closer to what you actually saw in person.

Most people think HDR isn't natural because they have never seen photos like that.  In truth the human eye can see a lot more high and low tones than a camera can capture.  Using HDR allows you to capture more of those tones that you are seeing.

It is true that sometimes HDR photos can take on a strange look but in some cases they are still closer to what you really saw then a conventional photo.

What To Do Three Days Before You Travel

 (Take me with you! I can fit in a suite case!)

When you are three days from a Disney vacation reality really starts to hit home.  Are you ready to go? 

The best thing you can do when you are three days out is to do a quick inventory of what you are going to need.  This is a good time to pack a toiletries bag.  This might sound like you are jumping the gun but it's really not.  Nothing says you have to leave that bag packed.  The reason you are packing it now is so you are sure you have everything you need.   Better to find out  you are missing something now then when it's time to go.

Sure you could get replacements for anything you are missing when you reach your destination but keep in mind those items are going to cost at least double if you buy them from your hotel.  For someone who is traveling on a dime that extra amount could mean you have to cut back somewhere else.

The next smart thing to do at this point is to call your hotel and verify your reservation.  In line with this you may also want to verify your flight numbers and rental car reservation.  Doing this now can save a lot of money.  If one of your reservations was lost or is wrong you can replace it now at a much lower cost.  If you show up at your destination and find out you have no reservation you are most likely going to find yourself in a panic and booking whatever you can. That could cost you a lot of money.

This is also a great time to make sure all of your IDs and travel documents are in line and in your carry on.  This will give you peace of mind.  If you take the time to stash these away now you are less likely to forget one.  Nothing is worse than showing up at the airport to find out you forgot something.

If you tend to be a nervous person feel free to start packing the items you are not going to use until then.  I know from being married to someone who gets very anxious before she travels.  Doing a little packing now can go a long way to setting people who worry at ease.

One big tip if you have pets.  DO NOT let them see your suitcase if you start packing now.  My dogs wig out when they see the bags.  The last thing you want is crazy pets for the next few days.

CMDTA's Travel Tidbits: The Sandwich Fair

 

Country fairs are big in New England.  There are dozens and dozens of them.  I hope this statement doesn't offend anyone but the fairs tend to run the gambit from quaint to utter white trash.  For example because of it's location the Rochester Fair tends to be trashy with it's odd mix of people, demolition derby, and monster trucks.

Closer to the quaint side of things is the Sandwich Fair.  This fair doesn't have the demolition derby or monster trucks but it does have everything a classic country fair is known for.  Crafts, livestock, demonstrations, and enough junk food to kill a small nation; you can find it all at the Sandwich Fair.

The Sandwich fair is a little smaller than some of the mega fairs which means it's a little easier to get in and out of.  Granted you will still sit in traffic but it's nowhere near as bad as some of the other fairs.

You might wonder what you will see.  Here is a small walk through.  Through the main gate you you'll hit your classic fair carnival rides and midway games.  It's a little like that awful park of Animal Kingdom only better.  This is where you want to be if you want to see a poor kid get off of one of the brutal looking rides (pictured) and see him toss his cookies on the ground.  Also in this area is a barn where you can buy some local goods like fudge and other items.  The highlight of this section is the helicopter rides.  Yes you can get in a helicopter and go for a short ride over the fair.

The next section is line with food vendors and leads to the live stock and demo areas.




In the last section you can find horse pulls (click the photo for a video), donkey agility (that's not a joke), equestrian, tractor pulls, and stables with all sorts of animals you can get up and close to.  This area is where country fairs really stand out.  A lot of people don't have the opportunity to get up close to horses, donkeys, goats, alpacas, sheep, and pigs in their day to day lives.  Some of the animals are just crazy.  Like the goat pictured at the top of the page.  He actually stuck his head clean through the bars in an attempt to get attention from the people who were passing by.  The only ones that showed him up were the donkeys.  You haven't lived until you've seen people trying to get a bunch of donkeys through an agility course.  Donkeys do what donkeys want to do. When they don't want to jump...or move they don't.  You can pull and pull and it's not going to do any good.

They there is the food.  If you can fry it, it's at the fair.  Sure you have your normal artery cloggers like French fires and onion rings but you can also get such insane items such as fried pickles and Twinkies.  Yes Twinkies, because everyone knows they just weren't bad enough for you to begin with.

If you've never been to a country fair you really should try to get to one the next time you are in New England in the fall.   Almost every week from the end of August to the end of October you can find one.

CMDTA's Photo Tips for the Average Joe: How Your Flash Works

Some people have asked me why I tell people to shut off their automatic flash when taking photos. My answer is simple.  Most people do not know how their flash works and they end up ruining their photos with the flash. 

It might be good if I take a minute and go into some details about a camera’s flash system so people know why it can either enhance or ruin their photos.

Before I go into details let me explain that if you are taking photos of people (or a subject) who are less than twenty feet from you it is normally a good thing to leave your flash on.   If you are taking any other type of photo chances are your flash needs to be off.

Have you ever taken a picture of Cinderella’s castle in low light to find out that you have a great picture of people nearby but the castle is not so good?  This is a common flash mistake.  You see it a lot. Every single sporting event, every showing of Wishes or Illuminations, or any nighttime display is loaded with a myriad of flashes.  Almost none of these photos come out correctly.

When you enable your flash most cameras drop what is called the ISO level.  To put it in simple terms the higher the ISO the less light you need to capture a photo.  If the ISO didn’t drop with a flash everything captured would be insanely bright (that’s not a good thing). 

You might wonder why you would want a flash at all if a higher ISO can be used.  The higher the ISO level the higher the noise level.  Noise is that grittiness that makes your photos ugly.  So in theory you want the lowest ISO possible (the least noise is at 100). 

I hope I haven’t lost anyone yet.  When you kick on your flash your camera thinks your subject is close. That’s why it speeds up your ISO because it thinks the extra light from your flash is going to illuminate your subject.  If you are taking a picture of Cinderella’s castle your flash is not going to reach that far so you would need to shut off your flash.  When you shut it off your camera bases the settings it is going to use on the available light.  In this case the light coming off of the castle. Your picture will be of a higher quality as long as there is enough light coming off of the castle. 

How do you know if your subject is close enough to use a flash?  There is a term for this. Every flash has what is called a “Guide Number” or “GN.” I’m not going to go into detail because the GN is based on a lot of factors but in really rough (and I mean rough) terms the GN normally means how far your flash will go.  For example a GN of 25 typically means your flash will go up to 25 feet. If you bought your camera outside the states your GN might be measures in meters.  If that’s the case remember to multiply it by about three to find out how many feet it will go.  You can normally find out how far your flash will go in your user manual or online.

At this point I want to put a disclaimer in.  Do not go online and but a new flash for your camera because it has a high GN.  Like I said GN is based on a lot of factors.  If you buy a flash based solely on GN you might as well throw your money away.

The bottom line is if you want to use your flash keep in mind how far it will go.  If you subject is not in that range – turn it off!

Oh and as a side note – If you are on a dark ride or show your flash should NEVER be on.  Beyond being insanely rude your pictures are not going to come out.  You might wonder why.  If you promise to NEVER do it I’ll tell you.  The scenes in the Haunted Mansion, Pirates, or the Voyage of the little mermaid are perfectly lit.  If you go busting out your flash you will never get the photo you want.  You are going to get a crappy photo that you’ll most likely throw out later and you will annoy a bunch of people in the process.

CMDTA Travel Tidbits - Champney Falls

If you don't mind taking a thirty minute hike through the woods over rough terrain then this post is for you.

Off of the famous Kancamagus Highway in New Hampshire's White Mountains is the Champney Falls trail which can be used to climb to the summit of Mt. Chocorua.  This is the best way to climb to the summit of Mt. Chocorua unless you are a sadist and think the boring as sin Piper Trail is fun.

After about thirty minutes of hiking on the trail you reach the falls.  They are best viewed in the Spring or after a heavy rain.  These falls can vary greatly and if the weather has been dry for a while they have been known to almost completely dry up.

There are two main falls and both are amazing.  One of the falls is a classic water fall.  The other (pictured)  is a cascade water fall.  To be honest the picture above is about 10% of the waterfall.  The cascade goes on and on and on.

I would not recommend this trek for anyone who is not in at least average shape. The terrain gets rough and there is a decent amount of incline involved.  If you are able to do the hike it is well worth it. It is one of the best waterfalls in New Hampshire.