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Monday

101 things To Do At Disney World ~ Wishes!

As many of you already know, one of my favorite things to do at Disney World is taking pictures of the fireworks displays. The show that keeps me coming back time after time to ~~watch~~ experience is Wishes in the Magic Kingdom. I really enjoy Illuminations: Reflections of Earth in Epcot, but I truly love Wishes.
The best way for me to capture and enjoy the show is if I use a cable release and a tripod. For many years I was a tripod hold-out, refusing to lug one around. It was so inconvenient to set it up, especially with the family in tow and forget about carrying it on rides. If I did bring it on the trip I would leave it in the room or in the locker and reclaim it at the end of the night. I was a tripod hater. About 5 years ago I decided to start bringing an ultra light, compact tripod and actually use it. What a difference, not only in my pictures but in the entire experience.

Sometimes I get so wrapped up in the show I forget to keep snapping and checking the view finder for composition. As you can see from the picture below, the fireworks are cut off and the castle is crooked. It's ok, if I mess up or miss something it means I just have go back and see it another night;)

Which is your favorite fireworks show in Disney World to photograph?
You can leave your answer as a comment or on the Facebook page!

Click on the button to see more of my 101 Things to do At Disney World !

Have a Disney Day!

Thanks for stopping by Focused on the Magic.com

Saturday

Weekly Look Back and Forward ~ 8/11

Hi there Disney friends! It's time for our weekly recap here at Focused on the Magic. Time sure did fly by and staying focused on the magic this week was easy. We're finalizing the details of our Fall Festival Fling at Disney World , eating our way around the World Showcase, meetups and Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party (MNSSHP) and for Epcot's 30th Anniversary a weekend of fun with Celebration 30.
Let’s take a quick look at the pixie dusted blog postulations that happened around Focused on the Magic this week.
Then we’ll get to take a look ahead to next week’s fun topics.

Pretty in Pink ~ Cinderella Castle ~ Focused on the Magic.com

It was easy staying focused on the magic this week. Planning Disney World trips is always a magical time for me. New this week to our trip agenda are a few meet ups with Disney friends for Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party (MNSSHP) and for Epcot's 30th Anniversary a weekend of fun with Celebration 30. In addition we're planning lots of foodie adventures during Food & Wine Festival while eating our way around the World Showcase once again:)
If you know of a meet up that's taking place between Sept. 26th - Oct 3rd please email me at focusedonthemagic@gmail.com or leave a comment below. I'll compile a list with links and post it here on the blog. Hopefully we can get to meet up with you in Disney World.
Let’s take a quick look at the pixie dusted blog postulations that happened around Focused on the Magic this week. Then we’ll get to take a look ahead to next week’s fun topics.

101 Things To Do At Disney World ~ Eat to The Beat Concert Series

Munch to the Music

One of my favorites things to do at the Epcot® International Food & Wine Festival is to see the Eat to the Beat Concert Series. It's a fun opportunity to kick back and take in some great live music from some pretty awesome groups.

This year, my son and I will be at The American Adventure Theatre to kick off the series with Taylor Dayne and one of my favorites, Sugar Ray. Yup, even a baby boomer - old time rock n' roller like me enjoys 90's music. I can't wait to hear "Fly", their 1997 hit performed live. We were really hoping to see Boyz II Men again, but they won't be performing until later in the month. You can see the complete lineup of performers below.
Will you be at the Eat to the Beat?

Welcome to our newest countdown to Disney. We’re counting down to our next great Walt Disney World vacation. This will be a different kind of family trip for us and filled with many firsts. We usually travel to Walt Disney World all together as a family but on this trip I will be travelling with my youngest son Peter and meeting up with some dear Disney friends. Peter and I have travelled to Disney World together many times and are really looking forward to spending some more mom and son time together. Peter has never been to Epcot's Food & Wine Festival before, I've never been to opening weekend and we're both excited to be at Epcot's 30th Anniversary Celebration.

In this series of posts I will cover 101 things we look forward to doing at Disney World, with each post focusing on specific things such as attractions, dining experiences, shows and well everything that's been on our bucket list since we started planning this trip a few months ago.

What better place to start our series than in our “Laughing Place”, Splash Mountain, a ride that always makes us laugh and hit’s the spot on a warm day..or night.

Weekly Look Back and Forward ~ 8/4

Let’s take a quick look at the pixie dusted blog postulations that happened around Focused on the Magic this week. Then we’ll get to take a look ahead to next week’s Disney Wordless Wednesday theme.

101 Things To Do At Disney World ~ Focused on the Magic.com

101 Things To Do At Disney World ~ Eat To The Beat Concerts

Happy Independence Day weekend! I hope you are all enjoying yourselves wherever you are. There are so many great pixie dusted celebrations going on this weekend in Disney World. The best park for me around the 4th is Epcot. It's nice and spread out. I wish I was there listening to the Voices of Liberty. What would you be doing if you were in WDW for the 4th of July weekend?

Staying focused on the magic this week was easy with two trips planned, there's lots of Disney magic swirling around in my air space lately.

First, we'll take a quick look back at the pixie dusted blog postulations posted this past week on Focused on the Magic and the what's coming up next week.

Weekly Look Back and Forward ~ 6/16

Happy Father's Day to all the Disney Dads! I hope you are enjoying a Disney day with your loved ones!
Let's take a quick look back at the pixie dusted blog postulations from the past week. Then we will take a look at what's coming up next week here on Focused on the Magic.
One thing I learned this week, being sick isn't conducive to blogging. Here goes...

►We have a new Disney's BRAVE Gift & $100 VISA Gift Card #Giveaway
that just started yesterday. This one doesn't have tons of links you have to follow. Just leave a comment about your being brave for one entry. Easy enough!
► Destination Disney ~ The Color "Black"
►Destination Disney ~ The Color "Yellow"
►This week was International Hollywood Studios Awareness Week, an annual event hosted by StudiosCentral.com and I just love Disney Hollywood Studios so we did our part with:

Ok, now that we've looked back it's time to--

Look Ahead ...

►The theme for the Disney Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop 6/20/12 is ...

Mixing It Up with Mickey & Minnie
~~~~~~~~~ºoº~~~~~~~~~~
Wondering how you can join in on the blog hop fun?
Check this out: The Disney Wordless Wednesday 411

► We'll be kicking off the summer with a new series of blog posts, 101 Things To Do At Disney World.

In this series I'll be counting down to our fabulous fall trip by sharing 101 of my favorite things to do at WDW, from rides to restaurants.

Well, that's all folks. I hope you all have a pixie dusted week.
Till Then!

Saturday

Weekly Look Back and Forward ~ 6/9

Another hectic week has flown by which means we are ready for a quick look back at the pixie dusted blog postulations posted this past week. We even have a video retrospective before we take a look at what's coming up next week here on Focused on the Magic.

A look back at last week's posts...
►14 Fabulous Disney World Experiences

►What's New for the 17th Annual Epcot International Food & Wine Festival

►The Disney Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop~ Star Wars Weekend

►Chocolate “Lava” Cake~California Grill, Disney’s Contemporary Resort Recipe

►Photo Flashback ~ Herbie, The Love Bug

As promised a video retrospective of The Magic Kingdom Construction. This is best viewed in full screen.

Now that we've looked back it's time to--
look ahead to next week ...

►The theme for the Disney Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop 6/13/12 is ...

Disney's Hollywood Studios
~~~~~~~~~ºoº~~~~~~~~~~
This week is International Hollywood Studios Awareness Week, an annual event hosted by StudiosCentral.com. I thought it would be fun to show our support and join in on the fun celebration of all things Disney's Hollywood Studios!
Be sure to add the hashtag #DHSawareness when you Tweet your blog posts.

Next week's theme (6/20) will be Mickey Mouse.
Wondering how you can join in on the blog hop fun?
Check it out. The Disney Wordless Wednesday 411

►Get your flashbacks ready for next Friday, it will be the last Photo Flashback Friday till fall.

► We'll be kicking off the summer with a new series of blog posts, 101 Things To Do At Disney World.

In this series I'll be counting down to our fabulous fall trip by sharing 101 of my favorite things to do at WDW, from rides to restaurants.

Well, that's all folks. I hope you all have a pixie dusted week.
Till Then!

Weekly Look Back and Forward ~ 6/23

It's been a busy hot week as we enter full swing into the summer season but we continued to stay focused on the magic in Disney photography and Disney related blog posts.
I have some great news to share but first let's take a quick look back at the pixie dusted blog postulations posted this past week on Focused on the Magic.

9 Disney Desserts Worth the Calories

Magical Blogorail ~ Counting Down to Our Disney Vacation

Wordless Wednesday ~ Move it! Shake it! Celebrate it!

Destination Disney ~ The Color "White"

Looking ahead to next week ...

The theme for the Disney Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop 6/27/12 will be brought to you by the letter "B" ...

A few Disney related letter "B" ideas... not that you ever need any,

you are all so creative:
BRAVE
Baloo
Balloons
Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique
Boardwalk
Blisters
Babies
Boats
Boma
Bambi
Band
Blizzard Beach
Bears

The theme for 7/4 will be your July Calendar ShotWondering how you can join in on the blog hop fun? Check it out. The Disney Wordless Wednesday 411

We're kicking off the summer with a new series of blog posts, 101 Things To Do At Disney World.

In this series I'll be counting down to our fabulous fall trip by sharing 101 of my favorite things to do at WDW, from rides to restaurants.

The next series will be all about planning a first trip to Disneyland Paris. Yes, you read it right, I'm going to Disneyland Paris in December for the first time! Doin' the happy DLP dance.

Well, that's all folks I hope you all have a pixie dusted week.

Till Then!

Tuesday

Counting Down to Our Disney Vacation

My countdown to Disney starts the minute my husband and I agree on a date for our next trip. I immediately call Guest Services and set up a reservation. Our trips are planned no more than 4 months off and many are last minute.
If my trip is a month or more away I like to put a countdown in my signature on board posts. The best place for making your own widget is MickeyPath.com. They have a variety of configurations and backgrounds and even multiple trip countdowns. This is set up for my next trip. One of those flashes will get my summer dates when we decide on them.

When my boys were young I would make a whiteboard calendar with Mickey heads on it for each trip. Similar to this one. Click Here. Now I use our regular calendar and fill in the amount of days left. Nothing fancy but still fun to look at. That is, if you look at it...My husband is notorious for asking "How many more days?"
Leading up to our trips I'll bring out the planning videos from Disney and order a new one. Watching them provides me with a good opportunity for everyone to make their dining requests known. I then try to score a few of those the following day. Fortunately my family is flexible! Watching the videos also reminds them of rides and attractions that they may want to do this trip. My youngest (AS) son always disliked Space Mountain but now seems more open to trying it. We'll watch Disney movies and our own videos too. Both add to the excitement and planning as they are reminded of all the things they like to do in WDW.

One of my favorite things to do is listen to park music in the car. It gets me in the Disney mood but I am determined to update my music collection for this next trip. My kids always get a good laugh when I put in my "Broke Hoedown" music.

This trip I'll be counting down in blog posts too. With just about 101 days to go till we're in Disney, I'll be be blogging about 101 things I look forward to doing on our next trip. So stay tuned!
How do YOU countdown to Disney World? Share your ways of counting down in the comments below!

Have a magical day!

Thursday

Capturing Wishes in The Magic Kingdom ~ Tips and Tricks

Wishes is one of the most exciting fireworks shows at Walt Disney World, the other being Illuminations at Epcot. Capturing photos of Wishes and sharing them over and over when I get home is a family tradition of ours. It’s a bit of a challenge to take pictures of Wishes but with a little planning and practice you’ll be comfortable capturing great memories.

Focused on the Magic - Tips for Capturing Wishes Fireworks

5 things you'll need:

A camera with the ability to manually set the controls such as F-stop and ISO and Shutter Speed.
Fresh batteries. Memory enough to take 100 shots. Later you want to try out an ND filter but for now leave it home.
A stable surface such as a tripod, gorilla pod or the Disney Quadpod (trash can) which are conveniently located every 20 feet in the parks. I’m touting tripods but I really don’t like them. For years I wouldn’t bring one to the parks. Mine was just too cumbersome to carry on rides and if I stored it in a locker I didn’t enjoy going back for it before Wishes started. I would shoot handheld (with pretty good results) or place a small beanbag on a Disney Quadpod. My favorite Disney Quadpod is located in front of Casey’s Corner. You’ll need to get there early to claim it as it’s become quite popular over time. The Velbron UltraMax IF tripod changed my mind about tripods. Whereas my other tripods were heavy and big, the UltraMax is incredibly compact (14”) extends to 60”, weighs about 2lbs and it can hold 5lbs which does push the limit on my camera with a lens. Oh and it was reasonably priced too! I believe it’s been discontinued but I’m sure there’s a current model that’s far superior.
A shutter release (cable or remote) or self-timer on the camera. I use a basic cable release. Nothing fancy with a short cable. You can do without it but why not have the extra stability for long exposures?
A small flashlight on a lanyard that’s easy to turn on with one hand. Your other hand may be holding your camera, tripod or shutter release. Bright but compact as you don’t want to disturb guests during the show.

√ a large dose of ºoº patience and pixie dust!

Next you’ll need a good location. You might want to scope this out earlier in the day. My favorite is on Main Street, USA. I like to be far enough back that I have a clear view of the front of the castle and a large expanse of sky framed by Main Street. Another great spot is the train station platform before they put up the Christmas tree, when the flagpole is removed. Even with the flagpole in place the view of the skyline is tremendous.

Which lens to use? I’ve shot Wishes with a Nikkor 18-200mm set at 18mm and also 35mm from Casey’s on Main Street with good results. I find my Nikon 50mm to be too tight until halfway down Main Street. The Sigma 30mm lens is my favorite leaving plenty of room to crop later if need be. Most kit lenses or primes will do the job.

Weekly Look Back and Forward ~ 8/25

We Keep Moving Forward ~ Focused on the Magic.com

Hi there Disney friends! It's time for our weekly recap here at Focused on the Magic. Then as we do, we’ll take a look ahead to future topics.

19th Epcot International Food & Wine Festival Premium Event Reservations Open July 31, 2014

Reservations for booking premium events opens July 31st

Disney’s fall culinary extravaganza will arrive a week early this year and debut new flavors from South America when the 19th Epcot International Food & Wine Festival kicks off Sept. 19 at Walt Disney World Resort.

The 2014 festival runs a record 53 days – up seven days from the previous 46-day event — until Nov. 10 and introduces its first Patagonia Marketplace showcasing tastes of Argentina and Chile.

During this year’s 53-day food, wine, beer and cocktail extravaganza guests can choose from a variety of special culinary and beverage programs like the popular Party for the Senses grand tasting experience and the new “Boot Camp Series” epicurean adventure. These special events have proven to be extremely popular and availability is limited.

Foodies and festival fans can start booking premium events for the 19th annual Epcot International Food & Wine Festival at 7 a.m. on July 31, 2014.

For Annual Passholders, DVC Members, Tables in Wonderland members and Golden Oak residents bookings begin July 25th and July 29th for Chase Disney Visa Cardholders.

Guests can book:

Weekly Look Back and Forward ~ 7/14

Staying focused on the magic was easy this week, while planning for our upcoming trip. Making reservations and planning ADRs is always so much fun. Let’s take a quick look at the pixie dusted blog postulations that happened around the blog this week. Then we’ll get to take a look ahead to next week’s fun topics.

Tuesday Trivia ~ Spaceship Earth

Ever wonder if the Morse code message being sent in Epcot's Spaceship Earth is a real message? Recently, I found out the answer to that question and more while playing around with Lou Mongello's WDW Disney World Trivia iPhone app.

The Morse code message received in the telegraph office is a real message. It announces the driving of the golden spike at Promontory Park in 1869, the event that linked the transcontinental railroad.
Another neat bit of trivia I learned from the same app is that in Spaceship Earth, the steam press in the 20th century scene is an exact replica of one developed by William Bullock in 1863!