Photo of the Week: Sunset Over Bay Lake

If you want to snag this photo you have to go to the of the Contemporary.  Off of the California Grill there is a nice outdoor patio where you can capture this view.

There is one other key aspect to photo is exposure.  This is not a normal exposure.  In a normal exposure the Grand Floridian would be almost completely darkened out by the light coming from the sun.  This is actually an HDR shot.  This is a case where you can hardly tell this is an HDR shot. Most of the times HDR shots look unnatural but in this case it really helps to match what you would naturally see.

Discovery Island Today

Discovery Island was a nice bird and animal attraction in the middle of Bay Lake.  Until Animal Kingdom opened you could take a boat to this somewhat unknown location and spend a nice relaxed afternoon.

I did this every time we went down to Disney when I was a kid.  The elevated walkways took you by a number of different exhibits and displays.  Some of these can still be found in Disney World.  For example the Flamingos in Animal Kingdom are a feature that could be found at Discovery Island for years.  Also the live surgeries at Animal Kingdom are also throwback to the old island.

Sure there is a "Discovery Island" today in the Animal Kingdom but it's nowhere near the atmosphere of the old one.   You just can't recreate the old one in a theme park.

So what happened to the island itself? Nature has taken over.


This is the old boat that use to ironically make up the ship wreck.  Now it is a ship wreck and the are around it is now totally over grown.  It's hard to imagine this area right here fairly clear.

This was one of the open buildings. You use to be able to see out around Bay Lake from here.  It's so over grown now you wouldn't be able to see anything from here.

Amazingly this net, once used to keep birds in a set area, is still up. I would have thought it would have been destroyed a long time ago.  They should make everything in Disney out of this material.

Here was the old entrance to Discovery Island.  There use to be a pier here.  The storage hut still looks like it's in good shape.  I wonder if Disney still uses it for something. 

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.

Photo of the Week: The Contemporary Magic Kingdom View

Last week I did an overview on the Bay Lake view at the Contemporary.  This week I'm giving everyone who is still trying to decide a view from the Magic Kingdom side of the tower.

As you can see the view isn't as clean.  You have the parking lot between you and the Magic Kingdom.  This is still a great view and you get to see the fireworks from your hotel room but keep in mind that there is much more light pollution on this side of the tower than the other side.  This side is also more expensive.

To see an overview and a sample view of the Bay Lake side of the tower check out last weeks post.

Photo of the Week - The Contemporary?!?

When most people decide to stay in the tower at the Contemporary they pick the Magic Kingdom view.  While this might be a good view that decision overlooks some vital facts. 

The view of Bay Lake from the tower in the Contemporary is amazing but that's not the coolest feature.

Most people don't realize that the Bay Lake side of the Contemporary offers a decent view of Illuminations.  Yes you can not only see Spaceship Earth from the Contemporary you can see a majority of Illuminations. 

Finally if you stay on the Bay Lake side of the Contemporary you can watch the Electric Water Pageant from your room. 

Considering all of that how can the Magic Kingdom side beat it?

The Temporary Show That Never Stopped

Disney has a habit of cutting costs at the first sign of a week economy. You don’t need to tell that to the thousands who lost their jobs earlier this year. Beyond cutting jobs Disney cut Fantasmic, shot down the new Stich show after just a few weeks, and made thousands of other small adjustments to save money.

Typically if Disney labels something as “temporary” or in Disney terms “Seasonal” it means you better see it now because it could be gone in a couple of days.

There is one “temporary” attraction that was never shut down. In fact it’s been playing since 1971. I never viewed temporary as being a term of nearly 40 years but this is Disney we are talking about.

In 1971 you had the Magic Kingdom which might take you a day to go through. You could ride the Monorail. You also had the Contemporary and Fort Wilderness. I bet someone will let me know but I don’t know if the Poly was even around in 71. Beyond that there wasn’t much. To make it more of a value Disney threw together a show and put it out there. At the time if you had told them the show would still be playing 40 years later I bet they would have mocked you.

The Electric Water Pageant has been playing every night in front of Ft. Wilderness, the Contemporary, and the Poly for nearly 40 years.

If you’ve never seen it, it’s a goofy light show set to some music. It’s so simple yet if it starts when you are there you will watch the entire thing. I don’t know what it is but there is some kind of magic to it.

Today we have special effects that the imagineers in the 70’s and 80’s couldn’t even dream about. I mention that because in entertainment there is a desire to improve on what you did, often ruining it in the process. Look at what happened to the original Star Wars. That’s just one example.

Amazing no one has tried to update the EWP. If someone did, they did such a good job that no one noticed. I say good job because the EWP is not something you update. When you get something right the first time, don’t mess with it.

Next time you are in Disney make sure to take a few minutes and check out the EWP. It’s a great way to end your day.

The Electric Water Pageant Video Posted

I have posted my video of the Electric Water Pageant.

The Pageant has been playing every night on bay lake almost as long as Disney World has been open.

This is a great show that I’ve seen many times. I remember seeing this show when I was a young kid on my first trip. My grand mother took my cousins and I to the beach at Fort Wilderness to watch it.

This edition was taken from high up in the Contemporary Resort in December 2008.

The video can be viewed HERE

The Contemporary

Disney’s Contemporary Resort is the large A framed building that has the monorail running through it. It’s located near the Magic Kingdom and is listed as a deluxe resort. It’s my opinion that every Disney fan should stay in the tower at least once. It’s pure Disney magic. I normally try not to use the term “magical” but I think it’s over used and normally corny. This is an exception. Even if you just ride the monorail through the Contemporary you no doubt have had that moment when you said or thought to yourself “wow!”

The concourse is something else. It’s so big and open that you feel small as soon as you step out of the monorail. The shops only add to that sense of awe. They are as tall as a normal shop but don’t even make it a 5th of the way to the ceiling. On both sides of the concourse are the monorail tracks. Where they enter and exit the building there are large paneled glass walls. Then you have the famous mosaic. It doesn’t really fit anymore but it’s still a classic. One part of it is photographed more than the others. That part is the infamous five legged goat. Can you find it?

As far as food goes I’ll put my neck out there and say that the Contemporary has the best food options of any resort. The California grill is, in my opinion, the best restaurant in Disney World. The Wave is good and a nice break from the typical Disney fare. How could you complain about Chef Mickey’s? It’s a Disney World classic. The only part that is iffy is the quick service area. It’s not bad it just needs to have some bugs worked out. For what it is, it’s decent.

Another overlooked feature of the Contemporary is its access to the Wilderness Lodge and Fort Wilderness. If you spend the day in the Magic Kingdom and need to get to the Hoop Dee Doo Review, Trails End, Whispering Canyon, or Artist Point, the fastest way is via the Contemporary boat launch.

Right now the Contemporary has the best rooms in Disney World. They are very nice. They are comparably large and have nice amenities. The balconies are small but it’s still nice to sit out there.

A lot of people would argue that if they are staying in the tower they have to stay on the Magic Kingdom side so they can see the fireworks and so they can see MK at night. It’s nice but it’s not worth the extra $30 a night. There is also the fact that the bay side is quieter and you can see Illuminations from a number of the balconies on that side.