Disney World 2022 Planning- Part 18

June 3, 2022
P minus 60
Ta Da! We can eat
Many thanx are due to Rosa and Anabelle for getting up at "the buttcrack of dawn" as Anabelle called it.
We were all logged in and going through the list. Almost every meal required two reservations of 5 and 4 coordinated near each other.
They do keep reservations aside for people staying in the hotels, we got almost everything planned.
 
Jeff’s Disney World Philosophy:
Knowing how we function:
All the park table service meals are lunches. (Plus they were easier to get)
We got almost everything as originally planned.
The one exception was Topolino's, the character breakfast in the hotel near EPCOT. It is small, and opens at 730, so anything available cut deeply into park time.
We did not have any sit down meal planned the first day of MGM, so instead of that breakfast we added a Hollywood and Vine Lunch.
It's one of the only other places to meet Minnie, and we really needed a solid meal that day. Dinner was "meh" when we all went, but lunch was better when the three of us went the time before that.
Grid attached with meal times.
 
Since the reservations are all in my name, I have to be on both the 4's and 5's for each one I linked as many people as I could to those.
Morgan's not linked but he can still eat. He just won’t be able to see it on his account if he has one.
Grandma is on all the "4" reservations and Kim's Family is on the 5 so there will be slight time discrepancies for many, as long as we all show up for the early one, they'll seat us together.
[Later Edit: Except in one or two cases, and the other ones will lie about it.]
 
Short form: All are lunches except where noted
Aug 2 MK Plaza Dinner (5 and 4 close)
Aug 3 AK Tusker house (5 and 4 close)
Aug 4 MGM Hollywood and Vine (5 and 4 close)
Aug 5 MK Castle ( 5 and 4 same time)
Aug 6 EP Beirgarten (all 9) (Thought about dinner but didn't want to deal with Food and Wine dinner crowd)
Aug 7 AK (counter in park, Flame Tree?) Snow White dinner in Wilderness Lodge (all 9)
Aug 8 MGM Sci Fi (5 and 4 close)
[Later edit- but not close enough!]
Aug 9 MK Tony's (5 and 4 close)
Aug 10 EP Garden Grill (5 and 4 close)
Aug 11 MK, counter service only.
We’re going back to bed for a bit now.
 
Grandma’s answer: YAAAAAAAAAAAY !!!! THANK YOU JEFFREY, ROSA & ANABELLE Gridding is definitely a Family Affair. OOO XXX ZZZ
 
Kim’s Answer- Thank you so much for doing all of this. I know it is not an easy task and it is very much appreciated.
 
 

June 4, 2022
P minus 59
Jeff’s Disney World Philosophy:
Fun food facts:
The night before the 60 day window to book meals for the whole trip, while we were setting up the computers, I got an email saying something was wrong with my Disney account and we had to change the password.
If that wasn’t enough of a heart attack… a little later the house internet disappeared. Luckily both concerns were was very brief.
At midnight we checked if the first day was accessible, like other single 60 days in advance days had been. It kinda looked like it was, but it really wasn’t. This made us more confident that there were reservations held aside for Disney Hotel Guests.
As we were first getting up, we thought that day was available to book, but it was a slightly different looking version of what we saw the night before. We got in position for the “about 5:45 AM” availability.
And nothing happened. It finally opened up a little before 6AM.
 
We used 3 laptops (with multiple pages open), two phones and an IPad. (Plus three credit cards) We had a priority list, and after a little confusion and needing to get logged in again at the start we worked smoothly. A few were available for the full nine of us, mostly one would find a reservation for five, and whoever wasn’t finalizing another reservation would look for a similarly timed four person spot.
There were a few options where it could have been lunch or dinner. We picked lunch.
This was for ease of lining up two reservations, but also because we know this group. If we have a sit down dinner booked people will say, “I don’t have to eat lunch then because I’ll have a big dinner,” then get all cranky and pissy when they’re hungry.

It’s me…I’m “people.”

The day we do have a late dinner is in Animal Kingdom where they have the awesome Flame Tree Barbecue which will easily tempt everyone to eat lunch.
 
Overall it only took a little more than an hour to book everything.
Then it took nearly as long (40 minutes) to double check and cross reference it all between Rosa’s notes, my notes, Anabelle’s notes, the confirmation emails, filling in The Grid, and updating Anabelle’s Disney Planning Notebook.
Good thing we did that, due to a website crash we had two lunches in Germany booked the same day. (One has been cancelled.)

[Later edit- Dear Lord, one was enough.]
Now all we need to do is learn how to use Mobile Order efficiently for the counter service dinners…
Oy.
 
We did nap and then had a nice family day at the New York Aquarium, completing “Anabelle’s Aversion Therapy So I Can See the Dolphins in EPCOT.”
 
Grandma’s reply:
God Bless you all,
   Here is a big laugh for all. Imagine if I had to do it all like I did when you were kids. It would never get done and we’d probably all go hungry the whole trip. Or we’d eat all junk food and come home 15 pounds heavier besides the HANGRY days and yelling we’d have.
Thank So Much Again.  OOO XXX ZZZ
 
My reply:
Honestly, for Disney, I have faith you'd figure it out.
Other points I forgot to make:
 
We did think about a Chef Mickey's night dinner But since hotel dinners are always late night and the only "extra magic" is the 1/2 Hour every morning another in park lunch seemed less tiring. (Yes Anabelle, and less flammable.) 
Any breakfast would be hard to book with the new every day extra magic.
The other benefit to all the sit down meals (which are longer) being lunch is that is when the ride lines tend to shoot up. Dinner is when they start to get shorter (at least in the past).
 
Want a laugh? I guess we’re still ahead of the curve.
Disney sent an email today telling us we can book meals now. They’re so helpful
 
Grandma again, but only “for those who were there”- Yes Disney sent me the same Meals email. I got a good laugh. Now you gave me another laugh. OXZ.
  You did a lot of work and I really appreciate it. I was going to do this yesterday but it was getting late in the morning and at night I was tired I forgot. I wanted to say this to yesterday’s email on our food reservations but I know only you 2 would fully understand it. So this is my extra email.
    When I read the grid I loved everything. However, my heart gave an extra leap and my smile got a bit bigger when I read “Tony’s” on Tuesday, August 9th. No characters but SO MANY MEMORIES all of the good and great and funny variety.
Thanks So Much. OXZ
 
 
June 5, 2022
P minus 58
Animal Kingdom Updates
Mickey and Minnie Meet and Greet (together, the only one 

[Later edit- for now!] 

[Later later edit- but still the only one for us!]) returns June 19
Flying Birds and Tumble Monkeys return to Lion King Show June 16
New Nemo Musical Puppet show...thing returns June 13
 
Grandma- All things I really like in the Animal Kingdom.  Encouraging news. OXZ
 
 

June 8, 2022
P minus 55
Got the mailer from Disney with the little custom book about where we’re staying, new attractions and so on.  It also tells us the day we can start booking meals. I’m starting to think Disney gives an advantage to those of us who know better by sending out those cards and reminder emails a day or so late.
 
 
June 9, 2022
P minus 54.
Hey! I figured out the “transpose” function in Excel! Now I can copy Anabelle’s shirt grid directly into the main Grid. YAY!
 
 
June 13, 2022
P minus 50
Meal update- Because you’ll all start to feel lonely without pointless Disney Updates from me.
Yes, the Beirgarten, the Character Free Crystal Palace and other buffets have returned.
 
However, contrary to what I saw listed elsewhere, the Disney website itself shows Hollywood and Vine and Tusker House character meals as “non-Buffet.” They have normal table side character greetings, but they’re pay one price and make selections like the Castle is.
[Later edit- So much for being informative. Tusker House was family style, which I would know if I paid attention to my own “Disney Planning” reports.]
 
I’m thinking because things aren’t fully back to normal, they can’t handle both Buffet and Characters at the same time. Maybe this is why 1900 Park Faire didn’t open and Crystal Palace is Poohless. They can’t function as a non-buffet. Chef Mickey’s isn’t listed as a buffet either. That has to be it.
 
Also, the Disney World site menus have the gluten free options right on them. That will save me time, allowing for more hilarious jokes, when I do the menu list.
50 days to go folks!

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