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

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

“Your household is fully vaccinated. What are you going to do?”

We’re going to Disney World!!

I’m sure this conversation has been had by countless DIS families over the course of the pandemic. Since March of 2020, the idea of Disney World has been its own emotional roller coaster: we have been happy to reminisce about our BeforeTimes trips, sad to be unable to make a definitive return date, scared to see others resume travel when it didn’t feel safe yet, and deeply jealous of households aged 12 and up who have been able to enjoy the benefits of full vaccination for many months before we could.

Finally (FINALLY!!) our girls have two Pfizer doses and we have joined the ranks of the fully vaccinated. We have been lucky enough to keep our jobs and our health throughout, so we also have several years of vacation budget burning a hole in our proverbial pocket. After much discussion, Hubby and I think that a year of Disney World APs is the best way for our family to compensate for everything we’ve missed. In addition to two big summer vacations to bookend the passes, we’ll have a birthday trip, a Christmas trip, an adults trip, and (hopefully) some grandparent trips to throw into the mix.

I can’t wait to share all of our creative budgeting and crazy planning with my DIS friends!

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

Table of Contents

Introductions
Big Picture Goals
August Starting Point
Come On, Disney
What A Bummer!
All the ADRs
Wishing Away The Summer
Almost There
I Miss Sleep!
Crash Landing On The Return
*Warning: Turn Down the Volume On Your Devices*
Too Many Apps
T-Minus 30 Days
It's Time!!
We’re Back!!
Howdy, Partners!
Hello, friends!
Closing Out

 

[KPeterso]

My goodness - the 3 girls have gotten so big! Can't wait to hear about your plans!

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

Introductions:

Before I dig too deep into the nitty gritty, introductions are in order.

Who:

I’m Christine, the principal planner for our crew. I spent over a year planning our family’s first magical trip in February 2019, so I’m actually late to the game on this PTR. Although, this time, I’m not the only one with strong opinions. There’s also…

... Hubby, who has developed a love of Disney planning all his own. After mostly rubber stamping my choices for our first big family trip, he started getting really into Disney blogs with about 50 days to go aka after FPs (rip) were booked and plans were mostly locked. He’s much more in the know this trip and will be laying things out right there along with me. He’s also taking the lead on creative cost-savings (read: credit card offers) so that we can stretch every dollar to the limit. Then, there’s the whole reason we’re going…

… the girls. Yes, they’re triplets. Yes, they’re identical. Yes, it was a surprise. Believe it or not, sometimes, when a mommy and a daddy love each other very much, they make a baby which splits into two, and then one half splits again. True story.

The girls will be eight when we start the passes, celebrating their 9th birthday in the Magic Kingdom, if all goes as expected. The last few reports, I’ve called them A, B, and C (their ultrasound and birth order) but it sometimes got confusing if “A “ was the initial or the article in a sentence. So, while I’ll still use the initials, I’ll also go with Aurora, Belle, and Cindy when the letters seem too confusing.
The girls know about the big August trip, but we’re hoping to keep the AP part of things a surprise until their birthday trip in November. I’m not sure if it’ll work, as they’re very observant, but I’m giving it a go.

What:

A whole year of Disney, to counterbalance the many months of loneliness and isolation that we’ve all endured. Honestly, our girls had it better than most, since they had built-in, same-age playmates for lunch and recess, an unexpected fringe benefit of raising multiples in a pandemic.

Where:

Wherever we can afford! As a family of five, our options for on-site rooms go from expensive to really, really expensive. Our default would be to book CBR fifth person sleepers if we can’t find a better rate. We’re hoping to rent a ton of DVC points to mix things up. Our 2022 goals are:

August: Boardwalk Villas
November: Poly Villas
December: Boulder Ridge Villas (Wilderness Lodge)

We would also be willing to book Dolphin, if the price or points are right. Hubby says the Marriot rewards points aren’t a great value there, though, so we may be sticking with Disney properties. We haven’t thought too hard about 2023 visits, as those decisions are over a year away.

We pulled the trigger on a points rental for August already, so the Boardwalk is confirmed. We lucked into a standard studio, making our rate only $240 a night. These days, that would be a steal at CBR but is practically a miracle on Crescent Lake.

When:

As often as we can between August 2022 and 2023.

Since the girls’ kindergarten year got cut short and they did first grade virtually, we’re going to be very cautious about pulling them out of school to visit. That said, their birthday falls on Jersey Week in 2022 and we’ve agreed that missing a couple of half days during conference week in December is acceptable to see Disney all done up for Christmas. After that, it’ll be school breaks only (aka crazy busy times) until school lets out in June. We’re hoping to do small trips with grandparents in summer of 2023 before finishing off our passes with another big August 2023 trip.

Why:

Joy! We could all use some undiluted joy these days, and Disney World has it by the barrel. We had such a wonderful first trip that we returned in March 2019 and started planning our next visit almost immediately. I didn’t think it could be topped, but our August 2019 getaway was delightful in its own right and had us questioning if Disney could be our every-year vacation.

Of course, that all changed a few months later and joyful getaways have been hard to come by. We’ve been socking away stimulus payments and child tax credits because the experiences we wanted to spend them on weren’t safe for us yet. The whole world has suffered varying degrees of trauma and we all need to figure out how we’ll work through it. For this household, we’re going with “vacation revenge spending” as the balm for our wounds. Because, if anywhere can turn this...

... into this...

... it's going to be Disney World!

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

My goodness - the 3 girls have gotten so big! Can't wait to hear about your plans!

Thanks for joining in, I can't wait to share all my plans!

Yeah, the girls just keep on growing. It's crazy to look back and compare just to the pictures from our last visit!

 

[Isabelle12345]

Welcome back!
Your daughters have grown so much!!! Glad to hear that you have made it safely through the pandemic and now feel ready to go back to Disney!
I will happily follow your plans for 2022-2023 revenge travel
I totally get it - we have cancelled 4 trips over the past two years, and we are now hoping to go at the end of February 2022.
I’ll be happy to read about your plans and share the joy of planning!

 

[suse66]

I’m sure this conversation has been had by countless DIS families over the course of the pandemic. Since March of 2020, the idea of Disney World has been its own emotional roller coaster: we have been happy to reminisce about our BeforeTimes trips, sad to be unable to make a definitive return date, scared to see others resume travel when it didn’t feel safe yet, and deeply jealous of households aged 12 and up who have been able to enjoy the benefits of full vaccination for many months before we could.

I completely understand...there was no happier moment for me than when I knew all three of my boys were protected. Now DH and I are boosted, the twins go for dose 3 next Monday and I just have to convince the oldest a third dose is a good idea.

Finally (FINALLY!!) our girls have two Pfizer doses and we have joined the ranks of the fully vaccinated. We have been lucky enough to keep our jobs and our health throughout, so we also have several years of vacation budget burning a hole in our proverbial pocket. After much discussion, Hubby and I think that a year of Disney World APs is the best way for our family to compensate for everything we’ve missed. In addition to two big summer vacations to bookend the passes, we’ll have a birthday trip, a Christmas trip, an adults trip, and (hopefully) some grandparent trips to throw into the mix.

Amazing!!!!

He’s also taking the lead on creative cost-savings (read: credit card offers) so that we can stretch every dollar to the limit.

Cost saving measures are more important than ever with the ever rising costs.

The girls will be eight when we start the passes, celebrating their 9th birthday in the Magic Kingdom, if all goes as expected. The last few reports, I’ve called them A, B, and C (their ultrasound and birth order) but it sometimes got confusing if “A “ was the initial or the article in a sentence. So, while I’ll still use the initials, I’ll also go with Aurora, Belle, and Cindy when the letters seem too confusing.

8!!! How are they 8???

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

Welcome back!
Your daughters have grown so much!!! Glad to hear that you have made it safely through the pandemic and now feel ready to go back to Disney!
I will happily follow your plans for 2022-2023 revenge travel
I totally get it - we have cancelled 4 trips over the past two years, and we are now hoping to go at the end of February 2022.
I’ll be happy to read about your plans and share the joy of planning!

Thanks! Happy to be back!

Do you have a PTR going for February or did you give up after the multiple cancellations (ugh!)?

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

I completely understand...there was no happier moment for me than when I knew all three of my boys were protected. Now DH and I are boosted, the twins go for dose 3 next Monday and I just have to convince the oldest a third dose is a good idea.
Amazing!!!!
Cost saving measures are more important than ever with the ever rising costs.
8!!! How are they 8???

Thanks for joining in! Glad to hear your crew is doing well.

Yeah, I'm still not sure how they are eight. Time just keeps on passing, somehow.

 

[rdkeim]

Following

 

[Isabelle12345]

Thanks! Happy to be back!

Do you have a PTR going for February or did you give up after the multiple cancellations (ugh!)?

You are exactly right, it’s the second option…
I still don’t know if we will be able to go so I don’t want to get too excited… we have our flights, car rental, and rooms booked, park reservations are made and dining as well… but with CoViD, who knows what will happen next week, let alone in two months?
Being from Canada makes it more complicated - the borders have opened up but the government is still recommending that we do not travel for non essential reasons, and testing is an extra stress on top of everything… but at this point of the pandemic - plus working in healthcare with everything that it implies during a pandemic - almost makes it essential travel at this point, at least for mental health reasons!

 

[Jax1023]

Fun! We were in the middle of a big AP blowout year when March 2020 hit. We cancelled them and haven’t been able to go back since. Took a road trip to Maine last summer from the Philly burbs and realized the kids are getting old enough for more adventurous vacations.

Have a trip planned for May, but a 4 year old with asthma who still can be vaccinated. So it remains a question. She’ll be 5 in June so at least there is an end in site. Or if we all get covid next month which is starting to feel inevitable.

At the very least we’re heading the Grand Canyon, Joshua tree and finishing at Disneyland for my 40th! The original plan was Japan and Tokyo Disneyland but international travel with kids still feels risky.

We had endless fun on our AP 6 months and the splurge is totally worth it. You get to slow down and enjoy some of the smaller details not just hit the headliners.

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

Following

Thanks for joining in!

I still don’t know if we will be able to go so I don’t want to get too excited… we have our flights, car rental, and rooms booked, park reservations are made and dining as well… but with CoViD, who knows what will happen next week, let alone in two months?

Yeah, the constant back and forth is so hard. Every time things seem like they'll maybe get better (peds vaccines) then the other shoe drops (omicron).

but at this point of the pandemic - plus working in healthcare with everything that it implies during a pandemic - almost makes it essential travel at this point, at least for mental health reasons!

I can only imagine! The US hasn't limited any domestic travel, so we can feel much more confident that we'll be able to take the trip come August.

Have a trip planned for May, but a 4 year old with asthma who still can be vaccinated. So it remains a question. She’ll be 5 in June so at least there is an end in site. Or if we all get covid next month which is starting to feel inevitable.

It really does feel inevitable! At least this new variant seems more mild so far. Hopefully, if it does blow through the house, it'll do so without complications.

At the very least we’re heading the Grand Canyon, Joshua tree and finishing at Disneyland for my 40th! The original plan was Japan and Tokyo Disneyland but international travel with kids still feels risky.

That sounds like so much fun!

We had endless fun on our AP 6 months and the splurge is totally worth it. You get to slow down and enjoy some of the smaller details not just hit the headliners.

Yeah, I'm really excited to be able to dig deeper into things instead of just rushing through every visit.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

I am so excitied for you guys!!! Just having a trip planned helps the mood so much! I hope you had a good Christmas!

Finally (FINALLY!!) our girls have two Pfizer doses and we have joined the ranks of the fully vaccinated

Woo Hoo! It was a long time coming for sure! It does feel good to be a fully vaccinated family!

Hubby and I think that a year of Disney World APs is the best way for our family to compensate for everything we’ve missed. In addition to two big summer vacations to bookend the passes, we’ll have a birthday trip, a Christmas trip, an adults trip, and (hopefully) some grandparent trips to throw into the mix.

Amazing idea.

they make a baby which splits into two, and then one half splits again. True story

What are the chances of that?!?!

The girls know about the big August trip, but we’re hoping to keep the AP part of things a surprise until their birthday trip in November. I’m not sure if it’ll work, as they’re very observant, but I’m giving it a go.

I don't think I would be able to hid that from the girls now that we have had them once. But they don't know all the perks yet. So maybe!

Our default would be to book CBR fifth person sleepers if we can’t find a better rate

CBR is not a bad deault option.

We pulled the trigger on a points rental for August already, so the Boardwalk is confirmed.

So exciting!!!

That said, their birthday falls on Jersey Week in 2022 and we’ve agreed that missing a couple of half days during conference week in December is acceptable to see Disney all done up for Christmas.

It really is a great time to go. Our next trip might need to be that time frame. Morgan will be in high school next year! We have gone then, and it isn't that crazy.

 

[trippedup]

Finally (FINALLY!!) our girls have two Pfizer doses and we have joined the ranks of the fully vaccinated. We have been lucky enough to keep our jobs and our health throughout, so we also have several years of vacation budget burning a hole in our proverbial pocket. After much discussion, Hubby and I think that a year of Disney World APs is the best way for our family to compensate for everything we’ve missed. In addition to two big summer vacations to bookend the passes, we’ll have a birthday trip, a Christmas trip, an adults trip, and (hopefully) some grandparent trips to throw into the mix.

You forgot the New Years adult trip. Probably because you've told me no many, many times.

 

[lvcourtneyy]

Following along and welcome back! Sounds like the perfect way to celebrate.

it’s crazy that the girls are 8 about to be 9 when it feels like your first trip just happened!

 

[amazingact21]

I'm here! Can't wait to follow along on your year of Disney! Isn't it a relief to know everyone in the family is vaccinated?
The girls look so grown up now. I feel some of these DIS kids have jumped forward, and it's a surprise to me to see them post-lockdown when the last time was pre-Covid.

I love that you all have so many trips planned! Disney during the holidays is magical, and I think it's a fitting time to use those APs.

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

I hope you had a good Christmas!

Welcome! We actually had a lockdown Christmas because I spiked a fever. Just found out yesterday it wasn't covid, and in the meantime I'm feeling better. So, we're going to try for extended family Christmas next weekend, instead.

What are the chances of that?!?!

Probably about 1 in 200k, but the data aren't really there to know accurately.

I don't think I would be able to hid that from the girls now that we have had them once. But they don't know all the perks yet. So maybe!

It's going to be really hard. They know we're trying to save a bunch of money, so we're going to tell them we got a "discount card" if they notice us pulling it out. Not sure it'll work but we can try.

It really is a great time to go. Our next trip might need to be that time frame. Morgan will be in high school next year! We have gone then, and it isn't that crazy.

I hope so! I've heard it's busy, but we're giving it a go. Our school district has started putting teacher in-service days Monday and Wednesday to make it a true week off of school for the kids, do they don't miss any school day so then.

You forgot the New Years adult trip. Probably because you've told me no many, many times.

You're nuts. No. Who is putting the kids on the bus on the 2nd after Winter Break hangover? And, who is explaining to them that only Mommy and Daddy get to go to Disney for winter break?

Following along and welcome back! Sounds like the perfect way to celebrate.

it’s crazy that the girls are 8 about to be 9 when it feels like your first trip just happened!

Thanks for joining! I can't believe they're 8 either. They just keep growing on me...

I'm here! Can't wait to follow along on your year of Disney! Isn't it a relief to know everyone in the family is vaccinated?

Welcome! Such an amazing relief. I know we could still get sick, but the risk to us and to others is so much lower. And, if a classmate gets sick, they aren't subject to close contact quarantine aka a week of virtual school.

 

[SEAGULL59]

Following! Sounds like a great year ahead!!

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

Following! Sounds like a great year ahead!!

Welcome and thanks for joining!!