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

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

Is October going slow for anyone else? Or is it just me?!?!

I feel this, too. I think it's because I have a ton we're looking forward to (Halloween, a Jersey Week VRBO for some family time, first vaccine doses *knocks on all the wood*, and the girls' birthday in a two week stretch starting 10/31. Waiting for all of that feels endless.

I'm not sure how closely you're following the 5-11 EUA news: FDA panel meeting scheduled 10/26, CDC scheduled 11/2 & 11/3 to review and rubber stamp what they expect will be an approved EUA. So, if we can do first dose 11/5, then that's second dose Black Friday, fully vaccinated 12/10. I'm really worried about how hard it's going to be to get that appointment, though. I know that our pediatrician's office isn't doing them, the megasite is closed, the BurlCo health department is down to clinics only a few hours Mon-Thurs, and there are only so many appointments to go around between CVS, Rite Aid, and Walgreens. I'm unsure if there's enough manpower to meet all of the pent up demand for this age group.

 

[vamassey1]

I hope the girls are feeling better.

You've been very busy making plans for your trips. I like the idea of telling the girls the Sunday night with a game. It's a surprise but they have time to get some school stuff done or prepared.

This month is going too fast for me. I wish it could slow down.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Happy Halloween Everyone!!!

We are headed to friends house this afternoon for some pre trick or treating party and then of course trick or treating. Morgan is still into trick or treating which I personally love. I am in ful support of kids of all ages wanting to trick or treat. There is too much out there for them to get into trouble with. Let them be kids for as long as possible. They have plenty of time to be adults.

We are now double digits!!!! 96 days today!!! And with the news of the FDA approving shots, I think we are almost in the clear! I caught Andy looking at new sneakers for the trip last night. And he has started to really walk about the trip when it happens. So, we are finally letting ourselves believe it will happen!

Lightening Lane has been rolled out! And I am giving it another couple weeks to see what Touring Plans says. But I think we will use it for a few days. Like our first day back. We will be so excited to ride so many things, and hopefully this will help. But it does seem like you can have a nice day with out it. So, a few days here and there I think will be nice.

I will have to talk through some of the dinning options with Andy some time this month. Get his oppinon before the 60 day mark.

That is really all I have at the moment. Just wanted to say hello!

 

[vleeth]

Happy Halloween

Double digits is soooo nice!!!
From the videos I've watched, I'd have to agree that you can have a nice day without paying for Genie+. Doing it on the first day sounds like a good plan...that's when you have the most energy!

 

[amazingact21]

Hope you all had a fun Halloween! I agree with you about letting the kids be kids as long as possible. I convinced our babysitter to go trick or treating with her friends. She was hesitant because she was afraid people would be upset at a 13/14 year old asking for candy. Fortunately, I ran into her while we were out, and her and her friends were having a blast.

Hooray for double digits!!!! I'm sure it feels like this countdown has been going on forever, so to have it finally get under 100 AND around the news of the kid vaccine must feel great. Before you know it, you'll be finalizing ADR wants!

 

[Woth2982]

Double digits is so exciting! We are 12 days away! So ready to go Home!

I hope you had a great Halloween! Glad Morgan still likes trick or treating. I think I stopped after 7th grade, then my friends and I dressed up in college and went out trick or treating. The adults handing out candy actually loved it! We skipped it this year, but I think we are going to try and go out next year.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

From the videos I've watched, I'd have to agree that you can have a nice day without paying for Genie+. Doing it on the first day sounds like a good plan...that's when you have the most energy!

I am also thinking that it will let us be more laid back as the week goes on. If we can do a lot on our first day, we can just do what we want again the next time. Plus Saturday will be busier than mid week.

She was hesitant because she was afraid people would be upset at a 13/14 year old asking for candy. Fortunately, I ran into her while we were out, and her and her friends were having a blast.

I am glad she went! 13/14 is def still ok to go trick or treating!!!! We make kids grow up too fast!

I'm sure it feels like this countdown has been going on forever, so to have it finally get under 100 AND around the news of the kid vaccine must feel great.

Tomorrow is the big day!!! If the CDC approves tomorrow, it will literally be just a matter of time! fingers and toes crossed! What are the rules for you guys over there? Do you follow us guidelines with being on base?

Before you know it, you'll be finalizing ADR wants!

I think I am going to start posts for each day, so I can talk out the dinning reservations.

We are 12 days away! So ready to go Home!

You are so close!!!! i hope you have an amazing time!!!

Glad Morgan still likes trick or treating. I think I stopped after 7th grade, then my friends and I dressed up in college and went out trick or treating. The adults handing out candy actually loved it! We skipped it this year, but I think we are going to try and go out next year.

I told Morgan and her friend, as long as they have actual costumes on and are respectful, you can trick or treat as long as you want. At least that is my opinion on it.

 

[amazingact21]

Do you follow us guidelines with being on base?

It's a complicated system. So, for the government buildings (where people work for the most part) we follow D.O.D. guidelines. But we also have to follow U.K. guidelines in terms of lockdowns. For example, when the Brits went into lockdown and shut down their schools, we did as well. But when the brits lifted their mask mandate several months ago, the D.O.D. still required them indoors so we were required to wear them. (We still wear them off base, too, but that's just our comfort level.)
We got our vaccines from the base, and they received them really early, so I'm not sure if they'll be able to start administering kid vaccines as soon as it's approved. I would think so, though.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

We got our vaccines from the base, and they received them really early, so I'm not sure if they'll be able to start administering kid vaccines as soon as it's approved. I would think so, though.

Fingerscrossed you can get them soon!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

94 Days!!!!

I think I am going to try and go day by day and post what I think my plans should be, what park, food goals, general plans and whether I think we will use Genie+ or not. Hopefully this will help me finialize what dinning i want to try and get!

So, up first is Travel Day! (obviously... )

Our flight leaves at 10:48. So, we will be able to get up and get ready pretty much like we would be going to work and school. If all goes well, we will land around 1:34 (according to US Airways).

First delima... how to get TO Disney... Magical Express will be gone. And I know we can use Mears, but I don't know if I want to wait for a bus when I am paying... When it was "free" we lived with it. For a family of 4 going with the upgraded version that sounds like it will be basically a private car, it's a bit more but I might consider it... . Anyone know about how much and uber or lyft typically costs? Or a private car service that they like?

Mears Regular Service: $118
Mears Express: $200
Lyft / Uber: ???

However we end up getting there, the plan is to go to Disney Springs. Using old school 'Magical Express math', I can assume we would get to Disney springs around 4-ish? Maybe we can get there earlier if we do the private car version. Which would be nice. I know we will be a) hungry and b) very excited to get to Disney.

I have a check list of items that I hope we can do, but we will be back to Disney probably 2 more times after this, so if we need to spread some of this out, we will have other chances. As there is no way we could fit this all in.

• Gideon's to get some cookies!
• Goofy's Kitchen to make 'make your treats'
• World of Disney for some shopping!
• Just shopping in general

Maybe we can go to Jock Lindsay's for a light snack. I am sure we will be hungry. We will probably be skipping lunch, just snacks on the plane. The girls have only been there once, and I think they would enjoy really checking the place out more this time around.

I know Andy will want to stop at Homecomin's for drinks at the walk up bar. But we could even do that after dinner and bring the squeeze bottle back to the room. And I would def want to get a frose from Wine Bar George!

I am thinking dinner @ Morimoto Asia. It's always a little more fancy and a fun way to kick off the trip! Now that Gwen is more into ramen, I think she will enjoy it more. And I know Andy and Morgan loved the ribs here. Not sure exactly what time I would want to make the reservation. I am thinking 6-ish. That would give us hopefully a good couple hours to wonder before dinner. (hopefully) And also, not make us be out too late. Thoughts? Too early? Too late?

As the goal will be to have a nice afternoon / evening at Disney Springs but not stay too late. To hopefully get to bed at a reasonable time, so we will be ready to go the next day!

 

[Bama Mom]

Travel day plans sound good. I am trying to figure out how hubby and I will be getting from MCO to the resort as well. It's just the two of us and for the first time ever, we have an evening flight. It takes off at 5:55 and lands around 8:40 (we leave from Central time zone and so we jump forward an hour). So we will probably want to get to the resort ASAP since hubby will have worked half a day before we drive and hour and 45 minutes to the airport. I'm leaning towards Uber or Lyft but have never used either so it will all be new to us. I'm interested in seeing what others say about using them.

 

[kastoney]

Morgan is still into trick or treating which I personally love. I am in ful support of kids of all ages wanting to trick or treat. There is too much out there for them to get into trouble with. Let them be kids for as long as possible. They have plenty of time to be adults.

I am so with you. Let them be kids for as long as they want to be kids. Though we were in Savannah for Halloween and adults were trick or treating with their kids!!!! I had never seen anything like that before

We are now double digits!!!! 96 days today!!! And with the news of the FDA approving shots, I think we are almost in the clear! I caught Andy looking at new sneakers for the trip last night. And he has started to really walk about the trip when it happens. So, we are finally letting ourselves believe it will happen!

I'm so happy for you. It's getting real and under 100 days. With the holidays in there so hope it will be here before you know it

Anyone know about how much and uber or lyft typically costs? Or a private car service that they like?

We haven't done uber in a few years but I wanna say it was in the $60 range. We did a car service (Tiffany Towncar) in June and were really happy with that. It was only $80 (plus tip) for an SUV and they will stop at a grocery store for 30 minutes if you want to. Definitely nice to know you would have someone waiting for you vs. rolling the uber dice. Without magical express I'm thinking ubers become much harder to get.

Gideon's to get some cookies!

Do not miss Gideon's. Coming up in my report in a few posts but the hype is real

I know Andy will want to stop at Homecomin's for drinks at the walk up bar. But we could even do that after dinner and bring the squeeze bottle back to the room. And I would def want to get a frose from Wine Bar George!

So many drinks so little time I'm already having anxiety about our trip in December that we won't have enough time to do everything we want and we were just there.

Not sure exactly what time I would want to make the reservation. I am thinking 6-ish. That would give us hopefully a good couple hours to wonder before dinner. (hopefully) And also, not make us be out too late. Thoughts? Too early? Too late?

I think that sounds about right. Make a reservation via OpenTable so you can cancel it if need be. Or make 2 different times (one open table and one via Disney) so you have options.

 

[amazingact21]

How exciting to be thinking about arrival day!!!

Definitely make sure you go to Gideon's! The snacks are huge and will give you something to munch on in the room later.

I think 6 sounds like a good time to make a dinner reservation. That way you're not stressing if your plane arrives a little late or transportation is slow, but also gets you in early enough that the girls aren't exhausted by meal time. Plus, if you finish in a reasonable time, that'll give you extra time after dinner to hit up anything you might not have time to do beforehand.

 

[SEAGULL59]

I thought of you today when I saw the vaccine is approved for 5-12! I went ahead and scheduled an appointment for my daughter next week at a local CVS. I'm happy she will have her first dose before we head to Florida, later this month.

 

[missjackiemcg]

First delima... how to get TO Disney... Magical Express will be gone. And I know we can use Mears, but I don't know if I want to wait for a bus when I am paying... When it was "free" we lived with it. For a family of 4 going with the upgraded version that sounds like it will be basically a private car, it's a bit more but I might consider it... . Anyone know about how much and uber or lyft typically costs? Or a private car service that they like?

For a little over $100, we have used Happy Limo a couple of times, and been really happy with them. They will also include a grocery stop, but I see Kari mentioned above that Tiffany Towncar is even more reasonably priced, and you get a longer grocery stop. I've heard good things about that company from others, as well. I'm thinking ubers/lyfts are going to get harder to grab on the fly once Magical Express is gone entirely!

I thought of you today when I saw the vaccine is approved for 5-12! I went ahead and scheduled an appointment for my daughter next week at a local CVS. I'm happy she will have her first dose before we head to Florida, later this month.

Ariella was the first person I thought of, too!!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Travel day plans sound good. I am trying to figure out how hubby and I will be getting from MCO to the resort as well. It's just the two of us and for the first time ever, we have an evening flight. It takes off at 5:55 and lands around 8:40 (we leave from Central time zone and so we jump forward an hour). So we will probably want to get to the resort ASAP since hubby will have worked half a day before we drive and hour and 45 minutes to the airport. I'm leaning towards Uber or Lyft but have never used either so it will all be new to us. I'm interested in seeing what others say about using them.

I am leaning towards a private car of some sort. To save time and I just don't want to worry about whether there will be uber lyft available. It's not hard to use them, but it is based on who is around the area. And it can be hit or miss as to what is available.

So many drinks so little time I'm already having anxiety about our trip in December that we won't have enough time to do everything we want and we were just there.

We get each other...

Do not miss Gideon's. Coming up in my report in a few posts but the hype is real

Good to know!!! I do want to try them. Some family members are less excitied about this than me... but I feel like they will get it once we try them.

We haven't done uber in a few years but I wanna say it was in the $60 range. We did a car service (Tiffany Towncar) in June and were really happy with that. It was only $80 (plus tip) for an SUV and they will stop at a grocery store for 30 minutes if you want to. Definitely nice to know you would have someone waiting for you vs. rolling the uber dice. Without magical express I'm thinking ubers become much harder to get.

I am going to check out Tiffany Towncar! I am worried that uber will be a bit dicy once ME is gone, like you said.

I think 6 sounds like a good time to make a dinner reservation. That way you're not stressing if your plane arrives a little late or transportation is slow, but also gets you in early enough that the girls aren't exhausted by meal time. Plus, if you finish in a reasonable time, that'll give you extra time after dinner to hit up anything you might not have time to do beforehand.

I am also thinking that if something goes really wrong, and we have to cancel, we would be sad but not that sad. There are other reservations that we would be more bummed about.

I thought of you today when I saw the vaccine is approved for 5-12! I went ahead and scheduled an appointment for my daughter next week at a local CVS. I'm happy she will have her first dose before we head to Florida, later this month.

I guess I have talked about it too much! I am stalking the school vaccine drive site. Waiting for them to open up sign ups. If I can get her in, she would go on Friday. Fingers Crossed!!!

I'm thinking ubers/lyfts are going to get harder to grab on the fly once Magical Express is gone entirely!

That is def what I am thinking as well. And I just don't want to start the trip off that way. you know?

Ariella was the first person I thought of, too!!

Ha! I guess I have talked about this too much! I am stalking the school drive and really really hope I get her signed up. If I do she will get her first shot next Friday. I am afraid they will open it when I am busy doing something! The grammar school sign up was full by mid-day!

 

[Steppesister]

Yay for double digits!!! Huzzah!

I've taken Lyft the last few times to save time and it's run about $45 or so. Not bad and shaves off at least an hour. Love that!

 

[becauseimnew]

We used Tony Hinds for our Universal Trip, it was $120 RT and included a grocery store stop.

 

[vamassey1]

You're the first person I thought of when the CDC announcement was made. I hope you can get Gwen in soon.

Travel Day plans sound good. I'm still tying to get to Gideon's. Dinner at 6 sounds reasonable. It gives some time before and after dinner to shop around.

 

[BroadwayHermione5]

94 Days!!!!

I think I am going to try and go day by day and post what I think my plans should be, what park, food goals, general plans and whether I think we will use Genie+ or not. Hopefully this will help me finialize what dinning i want to try and get!

So, up first is Travel Day! (obviously... )

Our flight leaves at 10:48. So, we will be able to get up and get ready pretty much like we would be going to work and school. If all goes well, we will land around 1:34 (according to US Airways).

First delima... how to get TO Disney... Magical Express will be gone. And I know we can use Mears, but I don't know if I want to wait for a bus when I am paying... When it was "free" we lived with it. For a family of 4 going with the upgraded version that sounds like it will be basically a private car, it's a bit more but I might consider it... . Anyone know about how much and uber or lyft typically costs? Or a private car service that they like?

Mears Regular Service: $118
Mears Express: $200
Lyft / Uber: ???

However we end up getting there, the plan is to go to Disney Springs. Using old school 'Magical Express math', I can assume we would get to Disney springs around 4-ish? Maybe we can get there earlier if we do the private car version. Which would be nice. I know we will be a) hungry and b) very excited to get to Disney.

I have a check list of items that I hope we can do, but we will be back to Disney probably 2 more times after this, so if we need to spread some of this out, we will have other chances. As there is no way we could fit this all in.

• Gideon's to get some cookies!
• Goofy's Kitchen to make 'make your treats'
• World of Disney for some shopping!
• Just shopping in general

Maybe we can go to Jock Lindsay's for a light snack. I am sure we will be hungry. We will probably be skipping lunch, just snacks on the plane. The girls have only been there once, and I think they would enjoy really checking the place out more this time around.

I know Andy will want to stop at Homecomin's for drinks at the walk up bar. But we could even do that after dinner and bring the squeeze bottle back to the room. And I would def want to get a frose from Wine Bar George!

I am thinking dinner @ Morimoto Asia. It's always a little more fancy and a fun way to kick off the trip! Now that Gwen is more into ramen, I think she will enjoy it more. And I know Andy and Morgan loved the ribs here. Not sure exactly what time I would want to make the reservation. I am thinking 6-ish. That would give us hopefully a good couple hours to wonder before dinner. (hopefully) And also, not make us be out too late. Thoughts? Too early? Too late?

As the goal will be to have a nice afternoon / evening at Disney Springs but not stay too late. To hopefully get to bed at a reasonable time, so we will be ready to go the next day!

Have you thought about just using a regular mears taxi? It will be somewhat costly but not $118 costly. I would also look into car services.