Pluto on the Disney Dream Stairs

Good Dog!

Pluto is featured in the railings on the Grand Staircase in the Lobby Atrium of the Disney Dream, one of the ships of the Disney Cruise Line, as seen during our 2018 Christmas Disney Cruise.

One of the fun things about being on a Disney Cruise is seeing the little touches that are worked into the decor of the ship here and there. You can find all sorts of things that have been hidden there for you to see. Of course, a “Hidden Mickey” craze has been going on for many years now, and sometimes that leads people to see things that may or may not have been intentional.

I like how on the Disney Dream and the other ships that the Disney touches do not just include Mickey Mouse. Most of them do feature Mickey, of course. But I like that some of the other characters are found in places as well. Pluto is just one of the characters featured on the railing, by the way. He just happened to be the one close to where we were standing at the moment. I won’t ruin it for you by telling you which others are there. You can have the fun of finding those for yourself.

In case you are curious, this photo was originally intended to be included in Part 4 of the 2018 Christmas Disney Cruise Trip Report. However, there was not a good place to insert it, because there were several other good (I think) photos to include. I really liked how this one turned out, so I thought it would be good to feature it on its own. The photos that I like the best are not usually the ones that get the most reaction, so I apparently do not always know how to judge a good photo. But I do like this one, for whatever that is worth.

Little Things

Sometimes, the good things in life are the little things. While seeing the big picture is definitely worthwhile, sometimes you should stop and notice the small things, too. As in so many areas, life is about balance.

Just don’t make the small things into big things. That is a difficult thing sometimes. If Pluto is your favorite character and you can’t wait to go on the Disney Dream to see the fantastic Pluto stair rail, you will probably be disappointed. Because seeing Pluto on the rail is not worth the price of the cruise.

However, all of those small details can add up to be a great experience. Sometimes, the small things help to make the big thing even bigger and better. That definitely makes them worthwhile.

Life is full of those small things. The beautiful flowers. The amazing clouds. The green trees in summer. The brown, leafless trees in winter. The animals that live in the wild. All of those parts of God’s creation help to make our lives even better. As do family, friends, and people we don’t even know.

Make sure you take the time to notice the small things around you. They were placed there by God to make our lives even better.

Bible Verse

Love must be without hypocrisy. Detest evil; cling to what is good. Show family affection to one another with brotherly love. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lack diligence; be fervent in spirit; serve the Lord. - Romans 12:9-11

About the Photo

When I took this photo, we were waiting around for Santa’s Winter Wonderland to begin. Because we were inside the Lobby Atrium, and because I knew things might happen rather quickly, I was using the 50mm prime lens, so that I could open the aperture wide.

When I saw Pluto in the railing, I knew that getting some depth of field with the prime lens would be great. So I was happy that I had that lens on the camera at that time. There are several advantages to having a lens like that.

As with some of the other very recent photos I have shared here, I processed this photo with Aurora HDR, even though it was a single exposure instead of multiple exposures. I really liked the look that I got by adjusting several of the Aurora settings. I still have a lot to learn about it, but I am impressed with what it can do.

Photo: A single Raw exposure, processed in Aurora HDR. Read more about photography tips, photo software, camera gear, and more at Steve’s Photography Tips.
Camera: Sony Alpha A7 II
Lens: Sony FE 50mm f/1.8 Lens
Date: December 17, 2018
_Location: _ At Sea on the Disney Dream