Disney World 2022 Planning- Part 8

February 7, 2022
P Minus 177
THIS IS OFFICIALLY, REALLY NO LONGER A DRILL!
There are concerns and risks in these crazy times, but after a couple of nightmares about not being able to be together on the plane and otherwise, Grandma fully pulls the trigger.
 
After spending a confusing evening at Grandma’s with her and Kim, the trip is locked down. Kim popping around the airline website finds distinctly cheaper rates shifting the vacation forward a couple of days from the planned rehash of the Sunday to Wednesday jaunt. Now it’s Tuesday to late Thursday night. Then a joyful call with Jennings that lasted an hour and fifteen minutes answered all our questions and booked us into the All Star Movies for the first time. Even Grandma let out a squee when she heard that. As usual he was an Awesome Happy Disney Cast Member and answered all our questions coming from three directions. He did ask if Aurora was named after the princess, and was excited to hear how Kim’s whole family is named after her favorite movie. Then I said my daughter’s name was Baloo, and the call had to pause a while as everyone recovered. Later, I did point out Gaston was the only one who noticed “Belle” in Anabelle’s name, and he thought that was cool. We told him to include Grandma’s birthday and of course she complained. I said, “If Disney World can stretch its birthday a year and a half, you can tack on a week.” Jennings agreed, stating his birthday is always June 30^th, his half birthday and his Grandfather’s birthday. Since booking anything in Disney on New Year’s Eve is impossible.

YAAAAAAAAY!!!
 
Grandma was super excited and sent:
Disney Trip set for August 2 to August 12
I BET I’M MORE HAPPY THAN ALL OF YOU!
One for each of you.
OXZ OXZ  OXZ  OXZ  OXZ  OXZ  OXZ  OXZ
 
I immediately got a text from Anabelle (who had already ripped out a page of her planning book to correct to the new days) asking if Grandma made a mistake-
 
Leading to the following exchange:
 
Clearly we are all too excited to think straight.
Correction- last day is Aug 11. We’re leaving late after the day in the park instead of early after loafing about the hotel on the last day. Love
Jeff
 
Grandma- Jeffrey is right I’m so overwhelmed with happiness I can’t type correctly. I fixed it. You can erase the first one. One of my favorite things to do. OOOOOOOO XXXXXXXX ZZZZZZZZ
 
Of course, the first real Gridding email had to go out that night.

[Jeff's Disney World Philosophy]
 

Howdy!
It's real.
WOO HOO!
 
Based on the success last time, and it being us, I'm planning on sticking with
 
4 day- Magic Kingdom (including arrival)
2 days in each of the other parks.
 
The question is:
Which park gets the last day? That will get cut somewhat short.
 
Since Magic Kingdom gets so many days we could end there- the down side is it’s further from our hotel, meaning we'd need to leave sooner.
 
Animal Kingdom usually closes earlier than other parks. That might be a good choice. Then instead of leaving early from Animal Kingdom on one of the two days to go to the Snow White dinner we could pick a Magic Kingdom day.
 
MGM is closest, but with crowds there, I think we'd benefit from the early opening that will be hard to use the last day.   
[Later edit- But not impossible if one is willing to sacrifice mental and physical health, as we clearly were.] 

Note- If you thought I was a huge pain about getting up last time- this time the ONLY "Extra Magic" time we get is 1/2 hour each morning, so we REALLY have to be inside the park when that starts if we want to ride some of the biggies we used to use FastPass on.
 
We've proved we need two full days (into the nights) at EPCOT. That can’t be the last day. Maybe we could do the Topolino Terrace Breakfast before EPCOT one morning, since it's closest to there. (And in the old days, we used to do 1900 Park Faire before EPCOT to take the monorail)
 
I'll be working out park days this week, so we can secure park passes, but any input on that final day is appreciated.
 
love
Jeff
 
Aurora’s answer:
I think having the Magic Kingdom on the last day would be the best just ‘cause we get so many other days there. Super excited about the trip and here is a link for a countdown timer.
disney countdown
Anabelle did it last time but I beat her to it :)
(unless she did it already)
But mine is cooler :)
love aurora*blue heart emoji*
 
Anabelle’s answer
She did beat me to it *Emoji’s that didn’t come through, likely grouchy ones* Rude.
But I sort of agree about Magic Kingdom, sad that we’d have to leave sooner but I love Animal Kingdom at night and I feel like MGM probably needs 2 full days now - but I’m cool with whatever because we’re GOING TO DISNEYYYY WOOT WOOT
Anyways I already have my notebook of planning ready and you will be hearing about formulating the shirt grid soon 🕺🕺
Love Anabelle *red heart emoji*
 
 
February 8, 2022
P Minus 176
Disney Calendar the first day we’re officially booked [is Walt’s favorite scene, Cinderella’s dress transformation.]
 
It's destiny I tells ya.
Grandma’s response- OH HOW FANTASTIC OXZ
 
Then later in the day, (because there isn’t enough stress in my life at work) Grandma called in a total panic, because she saved so much changing the flight days that she misreads the confirmation email and thinks we only paid for one way. I talk her down. And accept the fact that she won’t have any coherent Grid input for a couple of days. I can wait. She’s where I learned how to do it.
 
Grid thoughts sent to the family, may count as Jeff’s Disney World Philosophy

Here's a possibility
I'm not sure if it makes more sense to let the Magic Kingdom be all weekdays since it tends to get the most crowded, or have one MK day be a Sunday, which we've done before to allow lower crowds both days in Animal Kingdom. The later would give us a better shot at the Pandora stuff and a shorter Kilimanjaro wait, but Magic Kingdom has more stuff we like, and more food choices that would be easier on less crowded days.
 
Risks are: if parties start up again, or they have cast events that close MK early, they usually end up on weeknights.
Jennings said we could change park pass days and meals don’t have to be booked until 60 days before
 
Suggestions for Snow White dinner and Topolino Breakfast.
We usually did late Cinderella hotel dinner after the 2nd day in Animal Kingdom. That park usually closes a little earlier than the others do anyway. We could do late Snow White dinner after the second AK day. It would be the same kind of long bus ride from that park to a Magic Kingdom hotel.
 
With the exception of President’s Day weekend and other spring break weekends in February, all of EPCOT is opening at 10 am most days. We could eat at Topolino’s before the second EPCOT day. It’s nearby and on the line of the sky thingy (if it’s running at all, although it may be faster to grab a bus).
[Later edit- EPCOT opening later…bwa ha ha! No chance Mr. Planning Man.]
 
love
Jeff
 
Rosa bought a new Chip and Dale shirt today! 

To wear when she uses her Chip and Dale locating super power. Everyone is excited.
 
 
February 9, 2022
P Minus 175
Grandma’s answers to multiple grid e-mails, original text removed.
 
I’m not leaving the whole of every email I am answering. Instead I’m putting them together in one with my notes next to yours so it is less confusing for me more than you. I’m putting them in Chronological order instead of how emails work. However, I found this first one after I did the other 2. Hope there is no confusing things in here. OXZ
[Later edit- Please don’t ask me to explain Grandma’s email filing system or my head will explode. We’re all praying her email storage capacity outlasts all of us.]
 
On following the same pattern of days as the last trip: 

Now you can’t. Sorry but all the money I saved. OXZ
 
On leaving MGM off weekends:
GOOD THINKING but
Do you think we should not go there on days bordering the weekend also like Monday and Friday. Or eliminate one of those. Don’t really know how that works. OXZ
 
On keeping an eye on MK parties:
I guess we’ll have to keep checking that. OXZ
 
{She loved the Willy Wonka quote and the Woo Hoo and kept them in her replies.}
 
On Park dates: 

4 MK, 2 others is perfect. Unless anyone thinks differently I think MK first & last day OXZ
 
On having Snow White dinner night after Magic Kingdom if Animal Kingdom is the last day:
Have to say NO, since Animal Kingdom is extremely my least favorite, I’d rather do Snow White on that day. OXZ
 
On needing to make the ½ hour extra time in the mornings:
Since there won’t be very late extra hour nights, I think getting up early will be easier. I will be ready. OXZ
[Later Edits- Won’t be late nights? Ha Ha! What an idealistic fool I was.]
 
On Topolino’s before EPCOT: 

Great Idea. OXZ
 
Her summary: {on top of everything above}
With this I’m giving my opinions but not all your writing so it is shorter. OXZ
 
Whichever you and all think is Okay for 3rd MK day and 2nd AK day. But if they do make a party and we have to leave MK early then I’d rather do it Sunday. As said, AK not a favorite. SNOW WHITE Dinner 2nd AK day. Yeah Also Topolino – Epcot morning Perfect. OXZ
 
As for sleep again, since AK closes early, we will get more sleep on Wed. night so we have a little extra energy after the first day getting up at Dead of Night Early. OXZ
[Later edit- Yeah…that sorta happened… Not so anyone would notice, though.]
 
I’m full of love for You & Disney OXZ

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