Makin' Memories... A PTR for a 2022 Thanksgiving Trip. (hopefully)

[LifeTheDisneyWay14]

And last but not least...

My Imaginary Trip:
How long you would go for? A week and A Half - We all seem to have picked a bit longer than a week trip! Probably because it has been so long. But also I think we just know it is nice to have more time and not feel like you have to squeeze everything in.
What time of year would you go? Thanksgiving into December - I really wanted to see what the reaction was to being in Disney on Thanksgiving would be. And I got nothing out of it. Which I guess is good. If they hated the idea they would have said something.
What resort would you stay at? Wilderness Lodge - I picked this for theme of staying around the holiday plus I knew most was going to pick Yacht Club. But I would totally do a cabin....
What resort do you NOT want to stay at? All Stars and Riverside - We are just not sports people, so the theming would just be lost on us for All Star Sports and we really really really did not like our stay at Riverside. And we like French Quarter and Caribbean Beach so much more if we wanted to stay at a moderate.
What EPCOT festival would you want it to be? (doesn't have to match your time of year) Festival of the Arts
What is the breakdown of your park days? 4 MK, 3 HS, 2 EPCOT, AK: 1-1/2, Rest Days: 1-1/2
What resort would you pool hop to? (assuming it was allowed) Yacht Club

What would be your first ride of the trip? Big Thunder Mountain - I always want to ride this first and get over ruled to ride Space Mountain...
Where would you eat your first meal, what restaurant? California Grill - I picked this since we were at Magic Kingdom. I do want to go here next trip.
What would you have as your first snack of the trip? Orange Swirl
What is your first drink of the trip? Drink from Trader Sam's - I should say that I want it to be actually inside Trader Sam's, as we have yet to make it inside the bar.

Pick 3 Fast Passes for the whole trip. It can be across different parks.

• Rise of Resistance - Clearly we are all big fans of this ride!
• Big Thunder Mountain
• Splash Mountain - I said I would be happy with either version old or new

Choose one more ride for each park.

• AK: Everest
• MK: Tiki Room - I went nastagic since I had already picked BTM and Splash...
• HS: Toy Story Mania
• EPCOT: Soarin'

What ride do you NOT want to ride. - Tea Cups and Mission Space - too much spinning!
Choose one Bonus "Extra" (this can be dessert parties, behind the scenes tours, or things like mini-golf, surey bikes, basically anything that isn't what the first timer would do) - Behind the Scenes Tour of Elephants - Again I wanted to see the reaction from everyone and it was kind of meh...

Choose 3 additional food items: snacks, desserts restaurants. (we had to word it this way because Morgan made asttink that she hate restaurants)

• Sanaa for Bread Service
• Homecoming for Fried Green Tomatoes and Moonshine Mash
• Any and all Carmel treats from Germany

Choose 1 store to shop at and what would you want to buy? - World of Disney to buy a new Disney bag of some sort and a new mug/cup. - The girls said we were going to need a new kitchen for all of my mugs!

And then last but not least...
What would be the LAST thing you would do before you leave? This can be a ride, food, really anything goes. - Ride the people mover while eating a rice krispee treat.

So, what do you all think of our answers? Who has the best ideas?

I'm way behind on this TR, catching up now - 1 to 1.5 weeks at WDW sounds like the perfect trip length to me, too! And yummmmm, caramel.<3

 

[lvcourtneyy]

Sorry for your loss. Expected or not, it’s still terrible.

I hope your mom is doing well. We are seeing so many cases at work again

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Hi Everyone!!!

It's been crazy here. But now that the holidays are over, I should be back here more regularly.

I don't even know where to begin... So many thoughts running through my head these days... I guess I will start with the biggest issue.... Omicron!

Andy and I have been going back and forth on whether to go or not. I really really really hate that this is STILL a valid conversation. But sigh.... it is the world we live in right now.

I am firmly in the camp that we should go. We waited till everyone was vaccinated, we have done our due dilligence. Andy and I have our boosters.... We will wear masks inside and frankly outside if it is super crowded. I have started to mentally prepare myself that we might need to skip fireworks this trip. That seems to be one of the big crowded pinch points.

Andy is still on the fence on whether we should go or not. He got super freaked out when all of the professional sports started needing to cancel games and stuff. But we talked about it and I honestly don't care how much we do. I just need a vacation. If we only do half days in the park and chill every afternoon, I would be fine. He seemed to be ok for awhile after this conversation.

He also has an old co-worker looking to go basically the same time. And he was texting with them, and they are thinking basicially the same thing. Which that helped! WHICH this former co-worker is a lurker on the boards... So, if your here, Thanks for not saying you were completely cancelling your trip!

We have till January 5th to cancel. January 5th is when the balance of the trip is due. So, next Wednesday! I am basically holding my breath to see what Andy decides. I think he is leaning towards us still going. But he sometimes come out of no where and changes him mind. So, everyone keep your fingers crossed for us!

So, that being said.. I will probably wait till we get past that date and THEN start really planning and figuring out tinkerbell gifts and stuff! It will be a super time crunch but it will hopefully make hte time go by! If we do cancel, I am going to be SUPER depressed that week!

I do have to start thinking about other things that we should do and not do. We could cancel our sit down reservations if we really feel uncomfortable. But I am also kind of hoping we don't have to do that. We will see. Anyone who has recently been have tips for me?

 

[Bama Mom]

But back to the Extra Magic hours... They have a Friday one, the day we arrive but that is literally the only Friday one. It is almost strange... why are they doing only this one Friday night?

I have read it is to accommodate the school dance groups that will be there for competitions. Not entirely sure if that's true or not but it does make sense timing wise.

We just booked a trip in February and I think our dates overlap! We’ll be in Disney the 3-8 and universal for a day or two after!

Your trip overlaps mine as well. I'll be there the 1st-6th for a quick short trip.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

I have read it is to accommodate the school dance groups that will be there for competitions. Not entirely sure if that's true or not but it does make sense timing wise.

That makes sense... And makes sense except most Dance folks are probably at value resorts...

 

[SEAGULL59]

Hi Everyone!!!

It's been crazy here. But now that the holidays are over, I should be back here more regularly.

I don't even know where to begin... So many thoughts running through my head these days... I guess I will start with the biggest issue.... Omicron!

Andy and I have been going back and forth on whether to go or not. I really really really hate that this is STILL a valid conversation. But sigh.... it is the world we live in right now.

I am firmly in the camp that we should go. We waited till everyone was vaccinated, we have done our due dilligence. Andy and I have our boosters.... We will wear masks inside and frankly outside if it is super crowded. I have started to mentally prepare myself that we might need to skip fireworks this trip. That seems to be one of the big crowded pinch points.

Andy is still on the fence on whether we should go or not. He got super freaked out when all of the professional sports started needing to cancel games and stuff. But we talked about it and I honestly don't care how much we do. I just need a vacation. If we only do half days in the park and chill every afternoon, I would be fine. He seemed to be ok for awhile after this conversation.

He also has an old co-worker looking to go basically the same time. And he was texting with them, and they are thinking basicially the same thing. Which that helped! WHICH this former co-worker is a lurker on the boards... So, if your here, Thanks for not saying you were completely cancelling your trip!

We have till January 5th to cancel. January 5th is when the balance of the trip is due. So, next Wednesday! I am basically holding my breath to see what Andy decides. I think he is leaning towards us still going. But he sometimes come out of no where and changes him mind. So, everyone keep your fingers crossed for us!

So, that being said.. I will probably wait till we get past that date and THEN start really planning and figuring out tinkerbell gifts and stuff! It will be a super time crunch but it will hopefully make hte time go by! If we do cancel, I am going to be SUPER depressed that week!

I do have to start thinking about other things that we should do and not do. We could cancel our sit down reservations if we really feel uncomfortable. But I am also kind of hoping we don't have to do that. We will see. Anyone who has recently been have tips for me?

Merry Christmas to you!! I know Omnicron is making things tense around here too. When we were there in November we felt comfortable and wore our masks when indoors. We also just tried our best not really to get too close to many people. We also skipped fireworks and areas where people packed in. I felt pretty comfortable when outside. Fresh air makes a difference! I’d take the approach to do what everyone feels comfortable to do, wear masks when you feel necessary, take breaks, and hang with the family!

 

[lvcourtneyy]

It’s so hard to decide what to do anymore. I have two personal opinions on it and they conflict so I’m always debating with myself lol.

On the one hand, I worked through covid and saw the devastation very closely. It makes me want to be as safe as possible especially since Robert is too young to be vaccinated.

On the other, it doesn’t seem like covid is going away and I also don’t want to waste away Robert’s childhood waiting to things after covid. But I think we’re in a unique situation also since Mike and I are both constantly exposed to the public and can’t isolate away from germs at home either.

On all of our trips, we went with the mindset that if we ever felt unsafe, we could just leave the parks or whatever we were doing and hang out in our room or take walks around the resort. It only happened a handful of times but like on Robert’s first trip we wanted to take him to the pool. Obviously no one there had masks on and it was a madhouse so we skipped the pool completely that trip.

I’m sure whatever you guys decide to do will be the right decision for your family but I hope you get to go!

Your trip overlaps mine as well. I'll be there the 1st-6th for a quick short trip.

Oo nice! Say hi if you see us!

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

It's been crazy here. But now that the holidays are over, I should be back here more regularly.

I swear, Christmas came faster than normal this year. I was way more last minute than normal (Shutterfly order in too late, so grandparent gifts didn't arrive until 23rd kind of late). I made a rule for myself that I couldn't start my PTR until after Christmas because I just didn't have time.

Omicron!

Screw this so, so hard! We did things right, waited until the family was fully vaccinated, and right as the kids hit 2 doses plus 2 weeks, there's a freaking variant breaking through vaccines. Enough already! I know that's not how it works, we don't just get to call uncle, but I really want to.

So, next Wednesday! I am basically holding my breath to see what Andy decides. I think he is leaning towards us still going. But he sometimes come out of no where and changes him mind. So, everyone keep your fingers crossed for us!

This is where I think a level-headed, logical conversation about worst case scenarios comes in handy. Realistically, if you're all vaccinated, you're very unlikely to be looking at a life threatening infection in Florida. But, even a mild case still means no air travel for several days. And, depending on the state of Orlando, a cough could turn into a huge hassle to get tested.

I'd start with real plans to handle those issues. For instance, request the mail in PCR tests from the state of NJ to arrive before your trip, then bring as carry ons. If anyone is sick, you spit in the cup with someone over zoom, drop it to a UPS pick up, and have results in 3 days or less. I would also have home rapid tests on hand in the room. If it's an adult who is sick, the rest of you are still OK to fly since you're vaccinated, so you could still get the kids home for school if you wanted to go that route. This isn't a pre-vaccine infection where you could all land in hotel quarantine for weeks. And, given your vaccination status, the risk you end up in this scenario is that much lower, too.

We could cancel our sit down reservations if we really feel uncomfortable. But I am also kind of hoping we don't have to do that.

At least it's not typically that hot in February. For our August trip, we need sit downs for guaranteed time out of the heat. Could you look and see how many of your bookings have partial patio or outdoor seating available? Keep the indoor dining to a few must-dos if, upon arrival, it feels too crowded.

For what it's worth, dining is a big sticking point here right now because you have to take off your mask. I feel more comfortable going to Philly restaurants these days because the mask and vaccine mandates offering a greater level of protection, at least.

 

[Bama Mom]

That makes sense... And makes sense except most Dance folks are probably at value resorts...

That's what I thought too but I do know there is one member here that the dance group they are going with are staying moderate, which is still odd since the Extra hours are for deluxe only.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Thank You everyone for your comments! It makes me feel better about our decision. I have talked to a few folks here, and the same sentment was said by them. So, I am just hoping Andy is feeling the same still!!!

BUT I have let myself start to look at shirt options! I need to get Tinkerbell Gifts going! Anybody have favorite Etsy Shops they like to use?

 

[Bama Mom]

Thank You everyone for your comments! It makes me feel better about our decision. I have talked to a few folks here, and the same sentiment was said by them. So, I am just hoping Andy is feeling the same still!!!

BUT I have let myself start to look at shirt options! I need to get Tinkerbell Gifts going! Anybody have favorite Etsy Shops they like to use?

Hopefully he will still feel the same. I usually make my own shirts (that's one of the businesses I own) but this year I got such a good deal on black friday from Kohls that I just ordered shirts from them this year. I only paid $5.00 a shirt so got hubby 5 and me 4.

 

[snikki]

I’m in the go camp. Covid isn’t going anywhere and life must go on. This new strain is a basic cold for most people, especially those that are vaccinated. Chances of you guys getting severely ill are slim to none. The only way we would cancel is if Disney closes or scales back their offerings or makes masks mandatory outside. We don’t go until November so lots of time for things to change, hopefully for the better.

I hope your husband says yes and you guys have a great vacation!!

Did you ever make a final decision about arrival day and going to MK? I was firmly in no park on arrival day this trip but now I’m leaving towards going to DHS and doing GE. We’ve never been and I figured it’s not as late a night as MK would be if we went there and watched Enchanted. Last trip we went to MK on arrival and closed down the park and we were exhausted the next 2 days. I think doing DHS and leaving by 8-9 wouldn’t be as bad. Ugh. Decisions. Decisions !

 

[Paulaparm]

I feel your pain regarding the decision to go or not go as we are around the same time frame as your trip. I am sure we will go (just made the final payment last week) as we are staying at Fort Wilderness. Worst case scenario, we are camping in Florida for 2 weeks instead of sitting in the winter doldrums of PA!
And the fact that we are headed to the Daytona 500 the week after ensures the trip south
Fingers (and toes) crossed that Andy still feels comfortable going!

 

[suse66]

The bad... My best friend's father passed away on Friday. I have known her since we were freshman in high school. So, I knew her dad fairly well. And I work with her husband and for his company. AND it was to be our holiday party at their house that Friday. It made for a hectic day! He had been sick with cancer but it is never easy.

I am so sorry for your loss. It is never easy even if you know the person had been ill.

Morgan has her holiday concert on Monday, Tuesday will be the funeral, Andy has his office party to go to. All things that are large groups of people. So, after all of that, we will probably try and semi-quaranteene for the next 10 days. I haven't mentioned my mom much on here, but she is slowly recovering from having covid. But she is considered immuncompromised, so we will want to be careful as the plan is to see her on Christmas. Which will be nice. We plan to all be together.

Hope you had a wonderful Christmas!

t's been crazy here. But now that the holidays are over, I should be back here more regularly.

I don't even know where to begin... So many thoughts running through my head these days... I guess I will start with the biggest issue.... Omicron!

Andy and I have been going back and forth on whether to go or not. I really really really hate that this is STILL a valid conversation. But sigh.... it is the world we live in right now.

I am firmly in the camp that we should go. We waited till everyone was vaccinated, we have done our due dilligence. Andy and I have our boosters.... We will wear masks inside and frankly outside if it is super crowded. I have started to mentally prepare myself that we might need to skip fireworks this trip. That seems to be one of the big crowded pinch points.

I am in exactly the same spot as you. We are booked for March Break but will have to see how things unfold. We are both double vaxxed AND boosted. The only thing is we have to test negative to fly back to Canada.

I do have to start thinking about other things that we should do and not do. We could cancel our sit down reservations if we really feel uncomfortable. But I am also kind of hoping we don't have to do that. We will see. Anyone who has recently been have tips for me?

When Jack and I were there in August case counts were really high (27% positivity). We did a few indoor ADR but focused mostly on outdoor dining. We will plan on doing the same for March.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

This new strain is a basic cold for most people, especially those that are vaccinated. Chances of you guys getting severely ill are slim to none

I think it's not getting too too sick. Andy is more worried about someone testing postive and us either having to cancel literally the day before or getting stuck in Florida because someone is postive or sick. And it's more fear because it is SO contagious right now...

Did you ever make a final decision about arrival day and going to MK? I was firmly in no park on arrival day this trip but now I’m leaving towards going to DHS and doing GE. We’ve never been and I figured it’s not as late a night as MK would be if we went there and watched Enchanted. Last trip we went to MK on arrival and closed down the park and we were exhausted the next 2 days. I think doing DHS and leaving by 8-9 wouldn’t be as bad. Ugh. Decisions. Decisions !

I HAD decided that we would NOT do a park on arrival day. I was sticking to keeping it a rest day. But we have done parks on travel day.

I feel your pain regarding the decision to go or not go as we are around the same time frame as your trip. I am sure we will go (just made the final payment last week) as we are staying at Fort Wilderness. Worst case scenario, we are camping in Florida for 2 weeks instead of sitting in the winter doldrums of PA!

I am going to do a post after this... But I WAS in you camp of just being there would be enough. But ... well you will see..

I am in exactly the same spot as you. We are booked for March Break but will have to see how things unfold. We are both double vaxxed AND boosted. The only thing is we have to test negative to fly back to Canada.

At least you have a little more time for things to settle down! Testing negative to fly back would give me so much stress! But we are worried that god for bid one of us tested positive we would be stuck in Florida.

When Jack and I were there in August case counts were really high (27% positivity). We did a few indoor ADR but focused mostly on outdoor dining. We will plan on doing the same for March.

This is also why I am leaning towards pushing the trip out... I WANT to eat in restarants and feel comfortable.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Hello Everyone!!!!

it's a snowy (ish) day here in Jersey. The girls have a snow day today. So, my dreams on sitting on the couch and watching whatever I wanted while playing Animal Crossing were squashed by them being home. We really don't have much snow... I think the school just wanted a delay opening a bit with the rise in Covid Cases. Which our school will be remote the rest of the week. The goal is be in person the following week. And I REALLY hope that is the case. Gwen does not do well with remote learning and I can't handle middle school circulum!

We have also have found a BUNCH of friends who are sick with COVID. No one is seriously sick, as 99% of our family and friends are vaccinated and boostered. Which is all good but it has made Andy increasing nervous about travelling. His concern is not about us getting serverly sick. But more about us testing positive literally right before the trip. Or test positive while we are there, and have to stay in Florida for awhile. At first I was against this, as this will pretty much always be the case. BUT stupid OMICRON is very contagious and I get it.

SOooooooo.... I am 99% sure we are going to cancel the Feb trip today. I was SUPER sad and depressed for 2 days when Andy and I were talking about it.

BUT my Disney planning brain kicked in and of course started plotting how to make this into an opportunity! I refuse to give up the trip all together. We do have the April Trip. So, I am going to modify that trip to maximize that more. And the good thing is it's 100-ish day from that, so I can re-do our dinning reservations.

I am thinking we do Thanksgiving / Christmas Trip instead! I wanted to do that this year. So, why not just plan it for that?!?!

So, it is sad, but I am looking at it as just pushing the trip out a bit. and it weirdly feels like we are adding a trip. Even though it isn't....

So, I will be trying to stratgize some new plans today! I will let you know what we decide!!!

 

[snikki]

I hear you. When we would go in February/March I would be freaking out about us catching a bad cold or the flu right before we left or while there. And those aren’t nearly as contagious as this variant. I’m sure everything will work out with whatever decision you make!

 

[Paulaparm]

Sounds like you made the right decision! Yay for another holiday trip and revamping April

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

I hear you. When we would go in February/March I would be freaking out about us catching a bad cold or the flu right before we left or while there. And those aren’t nearly as contagious as this variant. I’m sure everything will work out with whatever decision you make!

YES!!!! And we usually suprise the girls, so I alwasy get nervous when they start getting sniffles! One trip, poor Morgan travelled with a low grade cold. She was miserable but she had been sick, so we knew it was the tail end of the cold.

Sounds like you made the right decision! Yay for another holiday trip and revamping April

Thanks! I am def trying to make the most of it for us.

 

[SEAGULL59]

Hello Everyone!!!!

it's a snowy (ish) day here in Jersey. The girls have a snow day today. So, my dreams on sitting on the couch and watching whatever I wanted while playing Animal Crossing were squashed by them being home. We really don't have much snow... I think the school just wanted a delay opening a bit with the rise in Covid Cases. Which our school will be remote the rest of the week. The goal is be in person the following week. And I REALLY hope that is the case. Gwen does not do well with remote learning and I can't handle middle school circulum!

We have also have found a BUNCH of friends who are sick with COVID. No one is seriously sick, as 99% of our family and friends are vaccinated and boostered. Which is all good but it has made Andy increasing nervous about travelling. His concern is not about us getting serverly sick. But more about us testing positive literally right before the trip. Or test positive while we are there, and have to stay in Florida for awhile. At first I was against this, as this will pretty much always be the case. BUT stupid OMICRON is very contagious and I get it.

SOooooooo.... I am 99% sure we are going to cancel the Feb trip today. I was SUPER sad and depressed for 2 days when Andy and I were talking about it.

BUT my Disney planning brain kicked in and of course started plotting how to make this into an opportunity! I refuse to give up the trip all together. We do have the April Trip. So, I am going to modify that trip to maximize that more. And the good thing is it's 100-ish day from that, so I can re-do our dinning reservations.

I am thinking we do Thanksgiving / Christmas Trip instead! I wanted to do that this year. So, why not just plan it for that?!?!

So, it is sad, but I am looking at it as just pushing the trip out a bit. and it weirdly feels like we are adding a trip. Even though it isn't....

So, I will be trying to stratgize some new plans today! I will let you know what we decide!!!

Sorry that you will have to put this trip off. But, like you said-April will be here soon. Are you planning on adding days/changing things around?