April 27, 2022
P minus 97
Me yesterday- Are we really going to need the refillable mugs if they're not "free with dining plan?" We're barely in the hotel.
Me today- THE MUGS HAVE MICKEY LIDS, WE NEED
THEM!
Anabelle’s hot take- it is ugly. Alas
Grandma however: YEEEAAHH!! I always want a Disney Mug. I know no
surprise. OXZ.
Uncle Jeff ,
What kind of stupid question is that? We all need Disney mugs.
Morgan
Me- You have learned well, young Padawan.
Also, Disney points out to its investors that
the Florida government may have been a tad hasty. The Special District can only
be dissolved if the state or taxpayers pays off its debts. With Disney having a BILLION dollar
bond, I think they’re going to be unchanged for a while.
[Later Edit- This is still up in the air. Florida government did repeal Reedy Creek, but all signs point to something almost the same being set up in its place before it. Go get ‘em Lawyer Mickey!]
P minus 97
Me yesterday- Are we really going to need the refillable mugs if they're not "free with dining plan?" We're barely in the hotel.
Anabelle’s hot take- it is ugly. Alas
What kind of stupid question is that? We all need Disney mugs.
Morgan
[Later Edit- This is still up in the air. Florida government did repeal Reedy Creek, but all signs point to something almost the same being set up in its place before it. Go get ‘em Lawyer Mickey!]
[Later later edit- Governor man put some of his own people on the board but in effect changed...nothing. Impressive showing of meaningless bluster there.]
April 28, 2022
P minus 96
The Haunted Mansion photos now include the actual hitchhiking ghosts!
How cool is that?
Grandma-
I have pictures of Kim, Dave & Morgan also Anabelle, Aurora & Morgan with the 3 ghosts top and bottom in them. Was that the specials in PhotoPass and these are for everyone? These pictures look so much better than the ones I have. That is Awesome. Hope I get to sit with the “Short, Fat Ghost.” OXZ
PS I fixed the order & the
email titles. CDO Kim is right.
Me again- Yes, the old ones had the ghosts as
part of the frame and were the same for everyone.
The new ones look more like the end mirror shot.
And of course you did.
Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party is back!
The day after we leave. One more planning hurdle avoided!
May 3, 2022
P minus 91
Is it better, is it worse? Guess we’ll never know, the Canada movie closes over the summer to make room for a Food and Wine Festival Kiosk. No wonder we haven’t seen it in a while.
Grandma’s answer: That
is terrible. I guess Drunkards are more important than families for making
money. OXZ
May 4 2022
P minus 90
We go to Colorado. This would be an interlude, but I was motivated by the Magic of Late Night Writing, and that travelogue is complete already. Go me!
May 7, 2022
P minus 87
The lights on the sidewalks of EPCOT as you leave (that I always take pictures of and forget what they are) are back!
I would probably be more excited if I knew they were gone in the first place.
May 16, 2022
P minus 78
Anabelle and I both did some early scouting for meal availability. It’s looking very sparse. Not sure where we’ll end up. Better get good at Mobile Order for counter service.
[Later edit- Spoilers: We never used Mobile Order.]
May 17, 2022
P minus 77
From Grandma- Today you can count 2 months, 2 weeks and 2 days and on the calendar we will be at Disney.
May 19, 2022
P minus 75
Disney sent us an email with a countdown timer and links on how to do everything. They’re so cute.
Meanwhile we continued preliminary checks for
dining availability (and finding almost nothing) may mean we’re eating in a
great many new places.
[Later edit- Or they save some reservations for onsite guests because they are awesome.]
May 20, 2022
P minus 74
Due to lessening of options and the passage of time, Anabelle has agreed to try Chef Mickey’s if other food options are not available.
There are two requirements:
1) She sits nowhere near the Birthday celebrating Grandma.
2) She gets to tell people working there about getting set on fire the last two times.
May 22, 2022
P minus 72
Scouting report network grows:
Got a message from Dina, a fellow blogger (and frequent visitor of Disney World) who comments on my posts and vice versa.
She sent good news:
"So… we haven’t gotten any Genie Plus or lightning yet. So far… good without it."
Grandma said : GREAT
! OXZ
Grandma is also calling Disney to do the online
check in because we can’t remember whose phone number she gave them to get room
readiness texts, since she “is a dinosaur and does not text.”
May 23, 2022
P minus 71
Grandma stayed on hold with Disney for forty minutes and did the check in that way to make sure her untextable phone wasn’t used.
Meanwhile, Anabelle and I are working on tag team meal booking strategies.
The fun continues.
May 24, 2022
P minus 70
Park hours for our arrival and first full day are visible on the Disney Park Hours Schedule. Hours throughout the 2 months before we go and those two days are mostly consistent
P minus 96
The Haunted Mansion photos now include the actual hitchhiking ghosts!
How cool is that?
I have pictures of Kim, Dave & Morgan also Anabelle, Aurora & Morgan with the 3 ghosts top and bottom in them. Was that the specials in PhotoPass and these are for everyone? These pictures look so much better than the ones I have. That is Awesome. Hope I get to sit with the “Short, Fat Ghost.” OXZ
The new ones look more like the end mirror shot.
And of course you did.
P minus 91
Is it better, is it worse? Guess we’ll never know, the Canada movie closes over the summer to make room for a Food and Wine Festival Kiosk. No wonder we haven’t seen it in a while.
P minus 90
We go to Colorado. This would be an interlude, but I was motivated by the Magic of Late Night Writing, and that travelogue is complete already. Go me!
P minus 87
The lights on the sidewalks of EPCOT as you leave (that I always take pictures of and forget what they are) are back!
I would probably be more excited if I knew they were gone in the first place.
P minus 78
Anabelle and I both did some early scouting for meal availability. It’s looking very sparse. Not sure where we’ll end up. Better get good at Mobile Order for counter service.
[Later edit- Spoilers: We never used Mobile Order.]
P minus 77
From Grandma- Today you can count 2 months, 2 weeks and 2 days and on the calendar we will be at Disney.
P minus 75
Disney sent us an email with a countdown timer and links on how to do everything. They’re so cute.
[Later edit- Or they save some reservations for onsite guests because they are awesome.]
P minus 74
Due to lessening of options and the passage of time, Anabelle has agreed to try Chef Mickey’s if other food options are not available.
There are two requirements:
1) She sits nowhere near the Birthday celebrating Grandma.
2) She gets to tell people working there about getting set on fire the last two times.
P minus 72
Scouting report network grows:
Got a message from Dina, a fellow blogger (and frequent visitor of Disney World) who comments on my posts and vice versa.
She sent good news:
"So… we haven’t gotten any Genie Plus or lightning yet. So far… good without it."
P minus 71
Grandma stayed on hold with Disney for forty minutes and did the check in that way to make sure her untextable phone wasn’t used.
Meanwhile, Anabelle and I are working on tag team meal booking strategies.
The fun continues.
May 24, 2022
P minus 70
Park hours for our arrival and first full day are visible on the Disney Park Hours Schedule. Hours throughout the 2 months before we go and those two days are mostly consistent
MK: 9am-10pm, EP:9am-9pm,
MGM: 9am-9pm, AK 8am-7pm. The first week of August has the same days for “after
hours for snooty hotels” as most of the other weeks, leaving our booked parks
intact. The full schedule for our time will be up a couple days before we book
meals a week from Friday. That is all.
[Later Update- July hours expanded near the end of June. August held still, not sure if that will continue though.]
[Later later edit- Hoo boy!]
May 27, 2022
P minus 67
A small Alligator was seen from the Riverboat ride in Magic Kingdom. So that’s fun.
June 1, 2022
P minus 62
Park hours for our entire trip are now visible on the Disney Park Hours Schedule.
They have not changed from previous checks, but could be updated before we go.
MK: 9am-10pm, EP:9am-9pm, MGM: 9am-9pm, AK 8am-7pm. (all parks open 1/2 hour early for guests at Disney Hotels)
Looks like World Showcase opens with the rest of the park now.
There was no change to the normal after hours for deluxe hotel days expected, therefore the park passes we got early on will work.
Meal day is Friday.
That is all.
Click To Continue
[Later Update- July hours expanded near the end of June. August held still, not sure if that will continue though.]
[Later later edit- Hoo boy!]
P minus 67
A small Alligator was seen from the Riverboat ride in Magic Kingdom. So that’s fun.
P minus 62
Park hours for our entire trip are now visible on the Disney Park Hours Schedule.
They have not changed from previous checks, but could be updated before we go.
MK: 9am-10pm, EP:9am-9pm, MGM: 9am-9pm, AK 8am-7pm. (all parks open 1/2 hour early for guests at Disney Hotels)
Looks like World Showcase opens with the rest of the park now.
There was no change to the normal after hours for deluxe hotel days expected, therefore the park passes we got early on will work.
Meal day is Friday.
That is all.
I'm so excited to get a cameo in the planning posts!!
ReplyDeleteI'm excited and curious to know where you guys ended up eating.
It did seem that it got much harder to make dining reservations. Although we didn't make many. We did go to Le Cellier. I vaguely remember trying to make other reservations and not having any luck. So then we had to do last minute things (like Beauty and the Beast).
Oh!! Now I remember. When we went in November, we were going to try to get Tim's family to come up for a day. I tried a few weeks ahead of time to see what places would be available, and there was much less than I expected.
I do love the thrill of looking for last minute reservations. Although I imagine you're going to have much less luck with a big group.
Thank you, and in the immortal words of John McClane, "Welcome to the party, pal!"
ReplyDelete"Meal Day" is next week's post. It felt like last minute since they used to let you book 180 days before and now it was 60. With 9 of us, there were only a couple places we could have gotten a real last minute reservation. (Spoilers, we ate at one of them.)
We did learn it looks like they do save reservations for those that stay on property.