Post Pandemic Pipe Dreams: Our 2022-23 PTR (Completed)

[KPeterso]

But, do the triplets even interact with Beast? I feel like the whole point of this costume is a castle photo with Hubby doing a strong man pose, the girls looking at him adoringly, and me, arms crossed with my back to the lot of them. Or, if Gaston is meeting at the party, that's a *great* shot with the girls.

Their biggest issue is that the triplets aren't prominent enough characters to pick for a costume which, ok, except WDW is the place you can actually pull off a more obscure costume and TRIPLETS!

They've been more than firm; my coaxing has gotten nowhere. I think I need to give up. One day they'll be old enough to appreciate a well executed obscure costume, rather than being worried too many people won't get it.

I love your idea of them as the triplets gazing adoringly at Gaston (aka Dad). I agree that in Disney people will get it!

 

[jrmint427]

I guess that rule applies even if they’re definitely wrong and my idea is way more fun…

I love your idea!! And Disney is definitely the place to pull that off. I agree it’s even better if Gaston is meeting while you’re there!

I love that you’re already packing, the trip will be here before you know it!

 

[Disney102015]

Wishing Away The Summer

The worst part about an end of summer Disney trip is that, the closer your trip gets, the less summer you have left!

Oh I sympathize with this! Our trip is right at the end of my maternity leave - I’m SO excited but also obviously trying not to wish the time away!

Joining you in crossing fingers and toes for APs!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

The loss of Magical Express is truly tragic! Quoting out these other options, deciding if we're willing to risk it on Lyft availability, it's annoying. Right now, we have Sunshine Flyer reservations because the free kid promo makes them a no-brainer for our family.

I was going to try that next time but I think DH said he really liked the car service! I have created a monster! It was REALLY nice! It's was like being rich! Ha! I really miss Magical Express.. It's so stupid, if they had just started charging, we would have still done it!

Fingers crossed still on the AP front!

We did an August trip before and I totally get the whole wishing away the summer! You don't want to but it's so true!

 

[DL1WDW2]

Does the Disney Cruise line still pick up guests, roundtrip before& after cruise?

 

[Woth2982]

Does the Disney Cruise line still pick up guests, roundtrip before& after cruise?

Yes for a fee. My friend and I were going to use them, but found a MUCH cheaper shuttle to take us to the port from the airport, and booked a car service for the way back to WDW after. The Car was $120, but cheaper than a car rental (and no hassle dropping it off at the Disney Enterprise) and will get us right to the hotel with no stops. If we were going right to the airport after I probably would have used Disney.

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

I love your idea of them as the triplets gazing adoringly at Gaston (aka Dad). I agree that in Disney people will get it!

I love your idea!! And Disney is definitely the place to pull that off. I agree it’s even better if Gaston is meeting while you’re there!

Thanks! Glad to hear I'm not completely off base for thinking people would get it. Unfortunately, eight-year-old reasoning ends at, "But they are barely in the movie!" It'll just have to stay in my back pocket for another Disney Halloween.

I love that you’re already packing, the trip will be here before you know it!

I hate how little I can pack for this one. When we traveled in Feb/Mar, I could pack all the shorts and short sleeves I wanted as they weren't getting any use in NJ. And then our other August trip was so short, it wasn't a big deal. It's making me twitchy that so much of what we need (clothes, water park/pool bag, sunscreen) can't get packed yet because we'll be using them right up to the last minute.

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

Oh I sympathize with this! Our trip is right at the end of my maternity leave - I’m SO excited but also obviously trying not to wish the time away!

Joining you in crossing fingers and toes for APs!

What a fun way to finish up maternity leave, though! (Although, traveling with infants sounds so hard to me. Granted, I never had one to deal with, so my perspective is incredibly warped.)

I was going to try that next time but I think DH said he really liked the car service! I have created a monster! It was REALLY nice! It's was like being rich! Ha! I really miss Magical Express.. It's so stupid, if they had just started charging, we would have still done it!

Fingers crossed still on the AP front!

We did an August trip before and I totally get the whole wishing away the summer! You don't want to but it's so true!

I'm sure we'd like the car service, too, just not the price tag! As with everything else, when you go to more than 4 people, the cost goes right on up.

At this point, I'm kind of OK with wishing away the summer. It's as hot as the surface of the sun, the kids have hit the point where they're bickering a lot, and Hubby is off galavanting working in Korea for two weeks. I'm ready for a big, fun trip and then a return to a schedule that doesn't leave my kids so much downtime that they have to fight over every darn thing.

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

Does the Disney Cruise line still pick up guests, roundtrip before& after cruise?

Yes for a fee. My friend and I were going to use them, but found a MUCH cheaper shuttle to take us to the port from the airport, and booked a car service for the way back to WDW after. The Car was $120, but cheaper than a car rental (and no hassle dropping it off at the Disney Enterprise) and will get us right to the hotel with no stops. If we were going right to the airport after I probably would have used Disney.

The DCL transfers are really expensive, especially with five of us. If APs really don't come back in time, I'll have to start pricing out transfers in earnest. My preliminary review was that Lyft XL was the most economical for our crew.

 

[Woth2982]

The DCL transfers are really expensive, especially with five of us. If APs really don't come back in time, I'll have to start pricing out transfers in earnest. My preliminary review was that Lyft XL was the most economical for our crew.

I just looked up what we used. It is Airport Canaveral and it was $44.40 total for the two of us one way from MCO to Port Canaveral. Half the price of Disney!

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

I just looked up what we used. It is Airport Canaveral and it was $44.40 total for the two of us one way from MCO to Port Canaveral. Half the price of Disney!

Thanks, that's great to know! Their going rate is $20 pp plus tax, so probably $110 each way for us. A quick google makes it look like this is a pretty good number.

Lyft XL showing $80 right now for the same trip. I'm thinking we're going to rideshare it so we don't have to do shared shuttle and hopefully we won't get hit with surge pricing.

That darn 3rd child always messes up my math! Four person shuttles, ride shares, etc are so much cheaper than 5!

 

[Woth2982]

A quick google makes it look like this is a pretty good number.

Yeah for two people this made the most sense. Definitely keep it in your back pocket for the future! I will provide a review when I return!

That darn 3rd child always messes up my math! Four person shuttles, ride shares, etc are so much cheaper than 5!

Those darn third children! My parents had one of those too! Always complicates things! Ride shares are also nice because you know that is your one stop.

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

Almost There

We fly in 14 days, so things are starting to get real! It’s soon enough that I can start packing without seeming like a crazy person. Or, I could, if I weren’t currently doing my Covid time!!

Yup, with 16 days until our trip, I got kicked out of the holdout club. Somehow, after avoiding the kids’ infection in May and Hubby’s in June, I’m taking my turn now. I had a scratchy throat, which prompted me to test, but I feel fine otherwise. If not for this trip, I would probably trust their recent infections and wouldn’t bother isolating from the family. Of course, there is no way I’m risking being the one who passes Covid through the house and ruins vacation, so I’m locked up in the master suite and Hubby is solo parenting. He got home from Korea in the wee hours of Monday and I tested positive Tuesday: poor guy! I am thankful that I don’t actually feel sick, but I’m boooooored. (Please be sure to read that in the most obnoxious, whiney kid voice you can imagine.)

On the August front, I’ve been updating my sheet with park hours and showtimes as well as our must-do lists. Disney’s most recent hour extension only went through 8/27, so I have to wait until sometime next week to see what the park hours will look like for most of our trip. That 8am MK opening on party days looks awesome, though. We have both of our MK RDs on party days for the lower crowds, and I can only imagine how many fewer people will be there at 7:30am.

Our day-to-day is changing a lot because it turns out we’ll be traveling with the DAS. Hubby has always had (relatively manageable) anxiety in crowds but pandemic times have gifted him a panic response in enclosed, crowded, loud spaces. You know, pretty much every indoor queue in Disney World. After a particularly bad incident at a baseball game, he decided that toughing it out wasn’t going to work and applied for the DAS. Everything I’m reading says this is a great system, so we should still be able to fit in what we want to do, even without participating in any elbow-to-elbow rope drops.

Things are not looking good for November. The rumored date that AP sales would reopen has come and gone. On today’s earnings call, Disney said they haven’t seen demand go down enough to allow for pass sales to resume, so I think that’s the final nail in the coffin. I haven’t canceled my various dummy reservations yet, but It would seem highly unlikely that we’re leaving with APs on 9/3. I’ve been adding DCL podcasts to my rotation and I’m sure we’ll have a ton of fun on the Wish, but gosh darn it I want the vacation(s) that I’ve been planning, not the consolation prize!

I’m slated to break isolation on Sunday, so that’s when the packing truly begins in earnest. In the meantime, I’ll be watching for every little tidbit from the first MNSSHP tomorrow and hoping that park hours updates drop sooner rather than later.

 

[Woth2982]

Oh no! I am so sorry the Rona got you! What horrible timing! I am glad it sounds like a mild case though. Try and get as much rest as possible, the Covid fatigue/insomnia was horrible for me. Although my insomnia could have also been because I was 32 weeks pregnant. We leave for the Wish Cruise on the 21st, so I am essentially in isolation until then. My pre-cruise test kit arrived yesterday, so I just have to wait til the 20th for my video proctored test. I was hoping DCL would drop the pre-cruise testing requirement by next week, but no dice. I hope you feel better soon and the rest of the family stays negative!

 

[Isabelle12345]

I am so sorry to hear you are down with covid, but honestly, it’s probably a good thing that you got it before going to WDW!
We came back from Orlando last week and we all tested positive (DH and I who are fully vaccinated and boosted, and our two kids who are fully vaccinated including my DD5 who got her 2nd shot a month ago!). We all have very mild symptoms (scratchy throat and mild congestion) and we are currently quarantining at home. Our symptoms were so mild, we probably wouldn’t even have tested if it wasn’t for my mother in law who tested positive (with mild symptoms too) - and we were staying in the same vacation home so we knew the chances of being positive were high…

The new variant seems extremely contagious but thankfully, pretty mild - the only people in our party who remained negative were those who had covid in May-June, so your family will probably be good!
My daughter and I had resisted covid so far (this winter while my husband and son had it, during numerous outbreaks at school and at the hospital where I work) - but it got us this time!
The end of your quarantine will just make the final days before the trip more exciting!!!
I hope you remain with mild symptoms and feel good when you are ready to leave for Disney!

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

Oh no! I am so sorry the Rona got you! What horrible timing! I am glad it sounds like a mild case though. Try and get as much rest as possible, the Covid fatigue/insomnia was horrible for me. Although my insomnia could have also been because I was 32 weeks pregnant. We leave for the Wish Cruise on the 21st, so I am essentially in isolation until then. My pre-cruise test kit arrived yesterday, so I just have to wait til the 20th for my video proctored test. I was hoping DCL would drop the pre-cruise testing requirement by next week, but no dice. I hope you feel better soon and the rest of the family stays negative!

Thanks! Yes, things continue to be very mild for me here, nothing worse than a random high-pollen day in the spring. I truly can't complain. More importantly, Hubby and the girls are still fine and he's taking them to his parents' shore house this weekend so that I can exist in more than just the bedroom for a couple days!! I can't imagine Covid in the third trimester- that must have been absolutely brutal.

Isolating before the cruise sounds like a good call. Fingers and toes crossed all goes well and you get to have an awesome Wish adventure. I can't wait to hear all about it.

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

I am so sorry to hear you are down with covid, but honestly, it’s probably a good thing that you got it before going to WDW!
We came back from Orlando last week and we all tested positive (DH and I who are fully vaccinated and boosted, and our two kids who are fully vaccinated including my DD5 who got her 2nd shot a month ago!). We all have very mild symptoms (scratchy throat and mild congestion) and we are currently quarantining at home. Our symptoms were so mild, we probably wouldn’t even have tested if it wasn’t for my mother in law who tested positive (with mild symptoms too) - and we were staying in the same vacation home so we knew the chances of being positive were high…

The new variant seems extremely contagious but thankfully, pretty mild - the only people in our party who remained negative were those who had covid in May-June, so your family will probably be good!
My daughter and I had resisted covid so far (this winter while my husband and son had it, during numerous outbreaks at school and at the hospital where I work) - but it got us this time!
The end of your quarantine will just make the final days before the trip more exciting!!!
I hope you remain with mild symptoms and feel good when you are ready to leave for Disney!

I have been saying for weeks now that I feel like a sitting duck having never gotten infected. It just seemed to be flying through everyone we knew, including the whole rest of the house, and I did NOT want to pop that positive in Orlando! I'm glad to hear you made it through your trip before actually becoming symptomatic.

Good to hear that those of you who were sick in May-June didn't catch it this time around. That's my absolute #1 concern right now: my infection is far enough from the trip but I need everyone else to stay negative!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Glad you are feeling mostly ok with Rona! And glad it happened once DH was back from his trip! Good but bad timing....

 

[Disney102015]

Oh no! Echoing what everyone else said, so sorry you have Covid but at least you’re getting it out of the way before your trip. And have planning and spreadsheets to keep you entertained!

I feel you on the APs. I’m starting to mentally prep to visit Universal only when we stay on our DVC points next year. Huge bummer but the Wish does sound amazing!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

How are you feeling? Better I hope.