Fireworks on the Disney Fantasy
Oooh! Ahhh!
Fireworks explode above the deck of the Disney Fantasy during our 2022 Disney Cruise.
One of the highlights of all of our Disney Cruises has been fireworks. Fireworks usually happen at the end of Pirate Night on the cruises, and we were happy that this cruise continued that tradition.
It was a perfect night for the fireworks all around. No rain, just the right temperature. And the moon was even out. You can see it near the center left of the photo, surrounded by the fireworks. How cool is that?
Some Tips
The fireworks generally happen at the end of a Pirate show on the pool deck stage, but we never have paid that much attention to the show. I have figured out over the years where the fireworks are launched from, and I usually position myself to see that more than the show.
As I have done on the past few cruises, I brought my tripod on the trip, but this was the only time that I actually used the tripod. It was worth carrying in my suitcase to get some good fireworks photos, however.
Fortunately, I was able to find a spot on Deck 12 with a good view of the second funnel, so that I could set my tripod up there and not be in anyone’s way. I kept my tripod legs as close together as possible so that I wouldn’t take up much room, just in case.
If you are going on a future cruise and looking for a place to stand, I recommend Deck 12 Port Side (left when facing the front of the ship) looking back at the second funnel. And I actually prefer to be close to the second funnel, but you might try somewhere else. The only tricky part is to be standing pretty much right under the Aqua Duck tube so that it does not block your view.
For more fireworks tips (and a few photos from a different cruise on the Disney Dream), check out the earlier post Fireworks On a Disney Cruise (and Fireworks Photography Tips). You will notice in those photos that I used a different focal length lens than on this cruise, by the way. It is fun to change things up sometimes.
And God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. - Genesis 1:9-10
About the Photo
Of course, I already said a lot about this photo. But I will also say that I processed this one a good bit to bring up the shadow detail so that you can see a little more of the ship funnel at the right. To me, that helps to remind you that these fireworks were actually on a cruise and not just some random fireworks somewhere else. Doing that also brought out more of the smaller streaks of the fireworks, and I think that is pretty cool, too.
And although I mentioned the tripod, I did not specifically say above that this was a long exposure photo to get the trails of the fireworks. Specifically, this photo was a 6-second exposure. I had the camera in Bulb mode and just held open the shutter as long as I thought might be appropriate. Some photos turned out better than others that way, but several of them turned out well.
Photo: A single Raw exposure, processed in Luminar Neo. Read more about photography tips, photo software, camera gear, and more at Steve’s Photography Tips.
Camera: Sony Alpha A7 II
Lens: Rokinon 35mm f/1.8
Date: June 7, 2022
Location: Somewhere in the Caribbean on the Disney Fantasy
