We Came To Play--Some Of Our Favorite Photos!

One of the things I noticed when looking back upon our grand summer 2014 vacation was that we came to play and the pictures taken reflect just that.

Yes, we had several traditional photos taken with characters and in front of park icons, but we had even more playful photos taken.

Here are some examples:

 Just outside The Simpsons ride, there is a photo studio or shall I say stand.  This was one of many photos we had taken at the location and added to our Star Card--part of Universal's Photo Connect service.

 This photo opp is in the middle of the High In The Sky Trolley ride queue.  We missed it by using Express Pass, but was able to get it taken after we exited the ride.

 Even though we missed this photo opportunity in the Express Pass line, we asked at the end of the ride and were taken back to have our photos taken.  Watch out--we're shooting webs!

 The number one duck and the number one boy were sporting some attitude for this photo taken in front of the Walt Disney Theater on formal night.  It's amazing what a pair of sunglasses can do!

 Who doesn't dream of being a pirate?  And as guests on board a Disney ship, that is exactly what we got to do.  The photographer captured us being sinister. 

 And, then, there's the loving side.  This is one of my favorite pictures from the entire trip!

 Since Minnie was all dressed up and so were we, we decided to dance a bit.  That's us trying to do the Charleston.  Yep, we paid for that photo.

 Not even a little rain could dampen our spirits in paradise.  The rain eventually passed and blue skies and sunshine reigned.

 But Rapunzel, your hair would make such a great mustache!  This photo was the husband's idea.

 Paws up!  Pluto and the boy gave the same pose for this photo.  But I don't remember who ended up getting the treat.

 These two photos have to be seen as a set.  The little poser was smiling for the camera and the sunglasses stayed on his head even after the drop!  Gotta love Photopass photographers for capturing the moments!

 Yes, that's us floating along in the lazy river at Blizzard Beach. . . not a care in the world.  Water shoes, sunglasses, visors, and waterproof watches.  The MagicBands made getting our picture taken so easy--and ordering lunch!

 Okay, these two photos also need to be seen as a pair.  I'm just imagining the caption for the photo below.  "Ah, c'mon Dad, my driving isn't THAT bad.  And, remember, I learned from you."

And, of course, a photo from the best meet and greet of the vacation.  Minnie and I comparing our yellow shoes!  Click here to read more.

 Ralph tried to block the camera but we all made it into the shot.  Not your traditional character meet and greet photo, but we love it!

 The final wave photo at Typhoon Lagoon.  The photographer took a series of photos with the last one being when the wave hit us.  I love how the photo shows our personalities.  Click here to see the series of photos and read the story.

 The boy asked Duffy to turn around and then proceeded to announce and show what is on display on his backside--a hidden Mickey!  Duffy and the boy made up with hugs.

 At Enchanted Tales with Belle, the boy was chosen from the group to be The Best.  The photographer then took a series of photos that we later downloaded into our Photopass account. The photo above shows him scaring Belle.

 Later, he bowed in her honor, followed by dancing.  Someday he will either be embarrassed by these photos or thrilled that he was dancing with a Disney Princess.  I will say when he was selecting photos to go into his "All About Me" bag for school, he did not pick any of these. . .

A final bow at the end of the story.  How regal and confident he looks!

What is so fantastic is that all of these photos were taken for us--by either ships' photographers, Photo Connect photographers, or Disney Photopass photographers.  I so appreciate how they let us relax and be on vacation while they do the work for us--capturing the moments and the memories.  Just another reason we keep coming back;  oh, that, and to play!

Universal Orlando Offers Photo Connect--Who Knew?

We are counting down the days until our 12^th trip to Walt Disney World, our 6^th Disney Cruise, and our 2^nd trip to Universal Orlando.  Even with all of our experiences, there are still some things still have yet to learn.

It wasn’t until our 2^nd or 3^rd trip to Walt Disney World that we fell in love with Disney’s Photopass service.  Since then, we have pre-ordered and pre-paid for the Photopass CD prior to multiple trips and last summer, did the same for Photopass+ (click here to read more) which has now morphed into Memory Maker, which we already have added to our My Disney Experience account—click here to read more about Memory Maker.

So, when planning our time at Universal Orlando, I wondered if they, too, had a similar service as Disney’s Photopass.  And, indeed they do!  Enter, Universal’s Photo Connect.

This service allows guests to pre-purchase the package that is right for them, or purchase once they get to the parks.  The packages vary by length—number of days—and include ride photos and photos taken by Universal photographers.  Click here to read about how ride photos make great souvenirs. 

Finding information about this service is NOT easy and there is nothing about it on Universal’s website.  Here’s a link to a great article that explains everything you would ever want to know—click here.  I have gone back to this site repeatedly trying to figure our exactly what would happen and what to expect.

We purchased the one-day digital package for $39.95.  Given that prints of ride photos start at $17 and go up from there, paying $40 for digital access to all of our ride photos is a bargain!  Of course, the one-day package is only available on-line and for pre-order.  Click here for the pre-order page.

Once we made the purchase, I received an email with very clear directions.  I print out the email, which has a barcode, take the print out to any Universal Photographer, present the barcode, get my first picture taken and receive instructions on where to get my Photo Connect card.  After that, my Photo Connect Card will be scanned and all photos will go into my Photo Connect account automatically.

After we get home, I log into my Photo Connect account, edit and download all of our photos.  There’s even a scanner for Smartphones to access the digital photos.  There are also opportunities to customize merchandise with your photos on the Photo Connect site.

Here‘s a list of participating attractions:

Universal Studios Florida:

• Hollywood Rip Ride Rocket
• Revenge of the Mummy
• MEN IN BLACK Alien Attack

Islands of Adventure:

• The Incredible Hulk Coaster
• Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls
• Jurassic Park River Adventure
• Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey

In addition, permanent photo ops (not on the ride, but in or near the ride building) are available at:

• E.T. Adventure (USF)
• Transformers: The Ride (USF)
• Shrek 4-D (USF)
• The Simpsons Ride (USF)
• Amazing Adventure of Spider-Man (IOA)
• High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride (IOA)

There may also be more photo opportunities with the opening of Diagon Alley and the addition of the Hogwarts Express.

It’s an exciting time to visit Universal Orlando!